Dark Reflections

A mirror universe fanzine with a focus on the dark, evil, and unsavoury.

[darkreflections-zine]

The Dark Reflections Zine is cancelled.

Due to real life things beyond the editor's control, this zine has been placed low on the list of priorities and delayed much longer than expected. As these real life things show no signs of stopping, we have decided that the best course of action would be to cancel the zine. Creators may still post their works, and we will reblog them.

It is possible that one day we'll revisit this zine idea. Until then, our sincere apologies.

[spongynova]

It's always bitter when a zine is cancelled, here is the piece I made for @darkreflections-zine. Sending hugs and thoughts to the team.

[starrylol]

Sadly the @darkreflections-zine was cancelled due to personal circumstances, my thoughts go to the team ❤️🙏

Here is what I draw a while back, my take on AOS mcspirk and the mirrorverse!🩵💛💙

[purpleenma]

And as promised here is the third and last Mirrorverse Spirk piece I made for @darkreflections-zine for your eyes to enjoy! 🔥

[ashestotheground]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I’ve been keeping this a secret (except for my friend who beta read and edited this for me) since December. I was going to be apart of @darkreflections-zine but life happens that’s understandable.

[purpleenma]

Since December last year I've been keeping these illustrations secret because they were going to be part of the @darkreflections-zine , but sadly it was not possible to publish the zine in the end 😔. So at least that gives me the permission to finally share them with all of you!

There's a third piece in full color I will post tomorrow ✨

[darkreflections-zine]

Thank you to everyone who has submitted work for the zine.

Editing is well underway. If you've submitted something and have yet to receive an email in response, please try contacting us either on DMs here or on Discord. It is also possible the email ended up in your spam folder.

As we go deeper into editing, there may be some formatting and printing questions posted here in the form of polls; keep an eye out for those.

[darkreflections-zine]

Thank you to everyone who has submitted work for the zine.

Editing is well underway. If you've submitted something and have yet to receive an email in response, please try contacting us either on DMs here or on Discord. It is also possible the email ended up in your spam folder.

As we go deeper into editing, there may be some formatting and printing questions posted here in the form of polls; keep an eye out for those.

[darkreflections-zine]

24 hours left for submissions!

This is your last chance to submit work for this zine!

[darkreflections-zine]

Hi!

Buenas tardes, ammm... ¿de qué tratan las "submissions"?

Intente leer para poder entender, pero no lo tengo claro. Muchas gracias por su tiempo y respuesta

Sorry, I don't speak Spanish. I tried putting this ask through google translate, but I'm not sure I understand the question. This is a mirror universe zine, so submissions should be related to the mirror universe. They can be art, fic, or poetry. More details are in the pinned post.

[darkreflections-zine]

Dark Reflections is now accepting submissions!

Dark Reflections is an all-Trek zine focusing on the Mirror Universe and other dark universes. We welcome the dark, the macabre, the unsavoury and the morally dubious.

Please read the FAQ under the cut before submitting anything. Feel free to join our Discord server for quick answers to questions, hanging out with other submitters, beta reader requests, and work reminders.

Submissions close October 10th. Send submissions to [email protected]

FAQ

What counts as a mirror universe?

According to Fanlore, a mirror universe is any alternate universe which is a dark reflection (pun intended) of the original. Whether this is the mirror universe we see in the shows or in beta canon, or a completely new universe that is simply not as kind to our characters as the original is up to you. Keep in mind that this zine focuses on and embraces the more "evil" aspects of those universes.

What can I submit to the zine?

Writing (fic and poetry) and art (traditional or digital, including comics) can all be submitted. We don't accept manips, meta essays (essays written in-universe may be allowed), mood boards, or anything that can't be printed, such as vids and podfics. Fics must not exceed 25,000 words, though depending on quality and number of submissions we may choose more, shorter works over fewer, longer ones. There is no lower limit for writing. Art must be completed, which means no sketches. Traditional art should be scanned, 300p. Written files should be .docx or .pdf, and art files should be .png, .jpg or .tiff. Links to Google Docs are also accepted.

Is there anything I can't write about?

Despite this zine embracing and encouraging potentially controversial subject matters, there are a few things we won't accept. Generally speaking, though, unless you're writing nazi roleplay erotica (for example) we're not likely to reject your fic on subject matter alone.

What show/ship/characters does the zine focus on?

Ideally, all of them. We'd like for this to be an all-Trek zine. However, if we get an overwhelming majority of one series we may end up rejecting a single work from a different one, even if it normally would have gotten in, just to keep everything cohesive. Either way, we will not accept OC-centric works.

Can I submit a work that has been published somewhere else? e.g. AO3, another zine, ect.

No. We only accept new works.

Does my work need to be beta read before submission?

Preferably, yes. We will edit works which have been accepted and which require it. All works in the zine will match in editing style, though we'll try to keep the author's style intact.

If I submit multiple works, how many are likely to get in?

We would prefer to give as many creators an opportunity to participate as possible, but if there is room or your works are particularly fitting, we will include multiple.

Do I need experience to submit works?

No. We will gladly accept works from new creators.

Do I need to join the discord server to participate?

No. The server gives you easier access to the editor, granting quicker answers to any questions you may have, as well as general accountability and greater sense of community, but that is all.

How do you match fic and art?

Ideally, we will have some solid matches from the get-go. If necessary, we will ask submitters who have volunteered to pinch hit for fics with no art. Art with no matches will separate poems or end up on one of the covers.

Will there be merch?

Possibly.

After the zine is published, can I post my work to AO3/social media?

We reserve printing rights for six months after publication (the day printed zines will be shipped). After that, you may do with your work as you wish.

How much will the zine cost?

This depends on a number of factors. However, we will endeavour to keep the zine as cheap as possible. We cannot legally make money off of fanworks, nor do we wish to. A free pdf copy of the zine will be sent to everyone who has purchased a physical copy, and these digital copies will be available to purchase at a much discounted price.

I have another question that isn't listed here.

Shoot us an ask! All asks are tagged #qna to make finding them easier. Please check if we have answered your question there before sending a new one.

[darkreflections-zine]

News, everyone.

Unfortunately, we have not received enough submissions for a full zine. As such, we have decided to keep submissions open until the end of the year.

You have until December 31, 2023 to submit work for the zine.

Please spread this around. We are especially desperate for more artwork.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send them as asks here or via email.

[darkreflections-zine]

Ten days left for submissions!

We're in the home stretch now! Please try to get your submissions in before the deadline.

[darkreflections-zine]

One month left for submissions!

[darkreflections-zine]

Two months left for submissions!

If you haven't started working on your submission yet, now's the time!

[darkreflections-zine]

Hey I think your discord link expired :(

Damn, thanks for letting me know! Here's a new one, and I've edited the main post as well, though I know that doesn't affect past reblogs.

[darkreflections-zine]

I think you need to define what topics are off-limits. Saying that there are a few topics that you won't allow fics about but then not saying what they are isn't helpful, and might mean that someone writes a fic specifically for the zine only to get it rejected.

I can't specify them because frankly, I don't know them all. I have read plenty of weird and fucked-up fics, so it takes a lot to faze me. Like I said in the FAQ, the chance that your work will get rejected on the basis of subject matter alone is miniscule.

[darkreflections-zine]

This may sound rude but it is genuine, so please bear with me. I think the previous anon had many good points. How can we know we can trust you? One person doing all the work on a zine not only sounds horribly labour intensive, but also a great opportunity for the person to take the money and run, since there will be less eyes. What about burnout, or a family emergency, where you personally can't edit and print and bind 200 pages of content? Have you done the math to know how many people will need to buy the zine to break even?

Individual people have been making zines alone or with one other person for decades - the groups and committees are a fairly new development.

As far as taking the money and running - all instances of it that I have heard of have been one person who was part of a group where the others didn't know them too well but still gave them control of the treasury. There are plenty of people in this fandom who know me personally and who can vouch for my trustworthiness, including ones who have my phone number and home address. I am not likely to disappear.

I'm very good at dealing with burnout and emergencies, and in the very worst case scenario I simply won't print the zine, issue refunds in case of a pre-sale, and allow the creators to post their work elsewhere.

I'm fully willing to use my own money to fill in the gaps. I am not expecting to cut even. I've already started saving specifically for this purpose.

I'm not going to force you to submit work to this zine or to purchase it. Please don't send me any more asks about whether or not I'm really prepared for this and just trust that I am, or decide that I'm not, and leave.