Important: Submissions are volunteer-only.

Darkfaery Subculture Magazine is currently an independent, volunteer-based publication. We do not currently profit from this work, and we are not able to pay contributors at this stage.

Please only submit work, images, music, writing, statements, or press materials that you have the right to share. Content will be added as it is received, prepared, and cleared for use. Some pieces may appear online, in print, on Substack, or in future Darkfaery projects depending on permissions and editorial fit.

Submission does not guarantee publication, but every accepted piece will be handled with credit, consent, and respect.

OPEN CALL: Bring Us the Strange Thing. We Don’t Care How You Built It.

Darkfaery Subculture Magazine is open for submissions. Come in. Whoever you are, however you make the thing you make, there’s room.

We started in the old underground: flyers and Xerox toner, bedroom music, borrowed cameras, cheap software, thrifted everything, people making something out of nothing because nobody was going to hand it to them. The tools have changed since then. The hunger hasn’t. So we’re not going to stand at the door deciding whose tools are real enough.

Bring us:

• art that came out of your hands, your tablet, your camera, your 3D software, your scanner, your scissors and glue
• art you made with AI, art you made partly with AI, art that’s three processes welded together and proud of it
• music: live, sampled, looped, bedroom-built, DAW-deep, electronic, synthetic, hybrid, whatever it is
• fashion, styling, makeup, costume, the people in front of the camera and the people building the look
• writing, essays, reviews, interviews, scene reporting from wherever your scene actually is

Human-made, AI-assisted, AI-generated, hybrid, imperfect, synthetic, strange, alive. All of it has a lane here. None of it gets a free pass, and none of it gets turned away at the door for being made “wrong.”

Here’s the one thing we ask, and we mean it: be honest about how you made it. We don’t gatekeep tools. We gatekeep dishonesty. If it’s AI-assisted, say so. If it’s AI-generated, say so. If you painted every inch of it by hand, say so. We’re not asking for a confession or a tutorial, just enough that nobody reading gets misled and nobody who helped you gets erased. We’d rather run an honest hybrid piece than a dishonest “pure” one, every single time.

A note on real people, because people matter more than content: if your work shows an identifiable human (photography, modeling, fashion, makeup), we may ask you to confirm it can be published, and that the folks in it and the folks who shot it are okay with it going out. Not to make your life hard. Because consent isn’t optional in this room.

How to send it (we kept this easy on purpose):

• Email duvy@darkfaery-subculture.com, with your name (or the name you go by) in the subject.
• Images at the best quality you’ve got. Writing pasted or attached, whatever’s less of a headache.
• Tell us how the work was made, even roughly. A line is fine.
• Tell us a little about yourself, or don’t. Three sentences is plenty.
• Up to [number] pieces at a time. Deadline [date], or rolling if a deadline makes your chest tight.

Two honest things up front: Darkfaery Subculture Magazine is volunteer-run right now, and we can’t pay yet. Nothing of yours goes up as a feature, interview, or spotlight until we’ve got your permission, full stop. We’re rebuilding this as an independent archive and a home for the underground as it actually exists now, and we’d rather move slow and get the credit and consent right than move fast and burn trust.

The underground was never pure. It was resourceful. It was patched together by people who were told they didn’t belong and built a room anyway.

We’re building that room again.

Come weird. Come honest. Come ready.

The door is open again. Wipe your boots, keep your name if you want it, and bring the work that would not behave. Darkfaery Subculture Magazine is not only a place to send things. It is a table being rebuilt. Bands, models, artists, photographers, labels, makers, event people, writers, archive goblins, and AI/hybrid creators all need to know what to send before the layout starts eating the walls. This guide gives contributors the practical map: image sizes, credits, permissions, music lanes, event details, and where a piece might live. It also tells the truth about our tone. We are not here for pile-ons, gatekeeping, or purity theater. Relaunch plan The 2026 Relaunch Issue is planned for October 2026. For 2026, there will be one regular print issue. Beginning in 2027, the goal is quarterly, health and production schedule permitting.

Quill checks the bag before you enter [ ] Your name, pseudonym, or Name withheld by request is clear. [ ] Credits are included for photos, art, styling, labels, collaborators, tools, and source material where they apply. [ ] Permissions are clean enough that nobody gets surprised after publication. [ ] Images are high resolution when print is requested. [ ] The process is honestly labeled: human-made, handmade, AI-assisted, AI-generated, hybrid, synthetic, photography, collage, or mixed media.   Bring us the art. Bring us the truth of how it was made. Bring us the credits. Leave the cruelty outside.

WHAT DARKFAERY IS

MISSION & LANE

A dark alternative culture magazine with roots in zines, MySpace-era scene work, music, art, horror, and regional underground history.

Darkfaery Subculture Magazine covers gothic, industrial, post-punk, darkwave, deathrock, witchy, punk, horror, dark electronic, experimental, handmade, AI/hybrid, synthetic, and fringe creative culture. The relaunch is not about pretending the old internet, old goth clubs, old conventions, or old magazine culture are unchanged. It is about carrying the useful fire forward. The scene is older now. The tools are different. The strange are still here. The editorial spine Darkfaery is pro-human, pro-artist, pro-weird, pro-history, and pro-future. We do not believe creativity stops being creativity because a tool changed. We are interested in the work, the people behind it, and the stories that make it matter.

Nyx says We like glamour with scuffed boots. We like teeth. We like ruined velvet, haunted synths, small rooms full of loud people, weird art on kitchen tables, old flyers in shoeboxes, and new tools used by people who still have a voice. Quill translates • Send real details, not empty hype. • Tell us what it is, who made it, and why it matters now. • Make credits easy. • Do not make us solve a mystery before we can even open the folder.

WHAT WE DO NOT DO

BOUNDARIES ARE CULTURE

A publication can have a spine without becoming a firing squad.

Darkfaery is not interested in building a magazine out of bloodsport. We do not run negative reviews for entertainment, publish scene gossip as journalism, or use people’s mistakes as content bait. We will not knowingly publish • Stolen work, uncredited work, or work submitted by someone who does not have the right to submit it. • Photos without photographer, model, band, or styling credits when those credits are known or reasonably available. • Fake photos of real people presented as real. • AI images that impersonate a real private person or living public figure in a deceptive way.

• Non-consensual sexualized material, revenge material, harassment material, or content meant to humiliate someone. • Hate propaganda, cruelty campaigns, pile-on bait, or content submitted to punish another creator. • Press kits that hide basic credits or use mystery images pulled from the internet. Nyx says Do not bring a knife to the table and call it a submission. Bring the work. Bring the credits. Bring enough respect that the other people in the room can keep breathing.

WHERE YOUR SUBMISSION MAY GO

PRINT, WEBSITE, NETWORK, SOCIAL, ARCHIVE

Darkfaery now has more than one publishing lane. The same work may not belong in the same place every time.

Print magazine Curated features, interviews, long-form pieces, photo spreads, artist spotlights, history/archive work, and issue-specific editorial packages. Print space is limited. Online coverage does not automatically guarantee print placement. Main website Polished reviews, features, evergreen articles, artist pages, submission calls, event write-ups, and official magazine-adjacent content. This is the best home for pieces that should remain easy to find. Darkfaery Network Substack dispatches, conversations, label chats, behind-the-scenes notes, calls for submissions, essays, quick updates, and process pieces.

Social promo Selected accepted work may be promoted through Darkfaery social accounts with clear credit whenever possible and links back to the published piece or submission call. Archive use Darkfaery has a history and archive mission. Some published work may remain available as part of the magazine record unless a different written agreement says otherwise. Print copies cannot be recalled once produced. Quill note: if you need limits, say so before publication. Web can sometimes be corrected. Print is a little coffin with postage.

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS

BANDS, DJS, PRODUCERS, LABELS

Darkfaery is music-hungry, but not genre-police hungry.

We are interested in regional underground artists, elder scene voices, new bands with teeth, labels doing strange good work, and artists trying to build outside the algorithm pit. Send this first [ ] Artist or band name exactly as it should appear. [ ] Contact name and email for follow-up. [ ] Short bio, 100 to 200 words. [ ] Longer bio or press kit, if available. [ ] Official website and social links. [ ] Streaming links, Bandcamp, YouTube, SoundCloud, or direct listening links.

[ ] Release title, release date, label, producer, recording credits, and format. [ ] Lyrics or lyric sheet, if relevant. [ ] Two to five press photos with photographer credit and permission. [ ] Album art with artist/designer credit and permission. Nyx says Send the sound, but also send the smoke around it: where it came from, what room it belongs in, what the song refuses to forgive, and why someone should press play tonight.

MUSIC IMAGES & ARTWORK

GIVE LAYOUT ROOM TO BREATHE

Tiny web images can work for a quick post. Print and feature layouts need stronger files.

Preferred photo specs • 300 DPI when possible. • At least 2000 pixels wide for web features. • At least 2550 x 3300 px for full-page vertical print use. • At least 3300 px wide for strong horizontal print use. • JPG, PNG, or TIFF are acceptable. Avoid screenshots as press photos. • Send both vertical and horizontal options if you have them.

Album art • 3000 x 3000 px square is preferred for album covers. • Include artist, designer, photographer, and label credits. • Tell us if the cover is human-made, AI-assisted, AI-generated, collage, photography, or hybrid. Do not send mystery promo photos with no credits. If you do not know who shot the photo, say so. Honesty helps us avoid worse problems.

MODEL & FASHION SUBMISSIONS

PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPS

Darkfaery loves alternative fashion and modeling, but we are not rebuilding a magazine that treats models as disposable decoration.

We want to credit the people who made the image happen: model, photographer, makeup, hair, styling, wardrobe, designer, accessory maker, location, and event when relevant. Send this [ ] Model name or chosen published name. [ ] Photographer name and contact or website/social link. [ ] Confirmation that the photographer allows submission and publication. [ ] Makeup, hair, styling, wardrobe, designer, and accessory credits. [ ] Location or event credit, if relevant.

[ ] A short model bio or fashion concept note. [ ] Any restrictions on use, such as web only, print only, no social promo, or Name withheld by request. Print size • Preferred full-page vertical: 8.5 x 11 inches at 300 DPI, or 2550 x 3300 px. • Preferred full-bleed print: 8.75 x 11.25 inches at 300 DPI, or 2625 x 3375 px. • Keep important faces, hands, logos, and text away from the edge if the image may bleed.

ARTIST, PHOTOGRAPHER & HANDMADE WORK

HUMAN HANDS, DIGITAL TOOLS, STRANGE OBJECTS

Darkfaery wants art with a pulse, whether it came from paint, pixels, fabric, plastic, metal, camera, code, ritual, or all of the above.

Send this [ ] Artist name or chosen published name. [ ] Title of the work or series. [ ] Medium and process note. [ ] Year created, if you want it included. [ ] Website, shop, portfolio, or social links. [ ] Short artist bio, 100 to 200 words. [ ] High-resolution images of the work.

[ ] Confirmation that you own or have permission to submit the work. [ ] Credits for collaborators, source photography, models, editors, tools, or studios. Handmade work For handmade work, include what the object is, the materials used, and whether it is available for sale. Darkfaery may feature handmade artists even when we are not running a shopping guide. A hat, a hairclip, a steampunk prop, a doll, a stitched thing, a shrine object, a jacket, a print, a zine: art does not have to sit still in a frame to count.

AI, HYBRID & SYNTHETIC ART

TRANSPARENCY IS NOT A SHAME LABEL

Darkfaery accepts AI-assisted, AI-generated, synthetic, and hybrid work when it is submitted honestly and with the right permissions.

We do not treat AI labels as scarlet letters. We treat them as information. All art should be allowed to stand in the room and be discussed as art. That does not mean every process is identical. It means we start from curiosity, credit, consent, and creative intent instead of purity tests. Possible labels • Human-made • AI-assisted • AI-generated • Hybrid • Synthetic • Digital collage • Mixed media	Send this [ ] Creator name, pseudonym, or Name withheld by request. [ ] Title of the work or series. [ ] Tool or process note. This can be simple. [ ] A short statement about the concept, world, character, or purpose of the work. [ ] Confirmation that you have the right to submit the work. [ ] Credits for human collaborators, base photography, editing, drawing, painting, models, or source elements. [ ] Clear note if any real person was used as a reference, model, or source.

PROTECTED ATTRIBUTION

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

Some people are making strange beautiful things but do not feel safe sharing that work under their legal name, professional name, or main art identity.

Darkfaery understands that some AI and hybrid artists are creating in a hostile climate. Some people are experimenting, healing, worldbuilding, learning, designing, or making work that matters to them, but they are afraid of backlash. Public credit options • Name withheld by request. • Published under protected attribution. • Anonymous AI/hybrid artist. • A pseudonym chosen by the creator. We do not believe artists should have to choose between silence and harassment.	Values statement Darkfaery supports transparency, consent, credit, and creative courage. We will not expose contributors to pile-ons for the sake of online purity theater. Private verification still matters Protected attribution does not mean unverified. Privately, Darkfaery may still need a working contact email, permission confirmation, process note, credit instructions, and a statement that the submitter has the right to submit the work. We will not use anonymous submission as a shield for stolen work, impersonation, harassment, deception, or non-consensual material.

PERMISSIONS & CREDITS

THE BORING PART THAT KEEPS THE BEAUTIFUL PART SAFE

Credits are not decorative. They are the foundation under the page.

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Be ready to confirm [ ] You created the work, own the work, or have permission to submit it. [ ] You understand where you are allowing Darkfaery to publish it. [ ] You provided the correct public credit line. [ ] You told us about any restrictions, such as no print use, no social use, no archive use, or Name withheld by request. [ ] You credited photographers, models, artists, designers, stylists, editors, labels, and collaborators whenever they apply.	General permission language Unless a separate written agreement says otherwise, submitting accepted work gives Darkfaery non-exclusive permission to publish the submitted material in the agreed context, which may include the print magazine, main website, Darkfaery Network, social promo, and archive reference. The creator keeps ownership of their work. If you want limits, tell us before publication. Print issues cannot be recalled after production. Web pieces can sometimes be corrected or removed, but archive and citation traces may remain.

INTERVIEWS & FEATURES

MAKE THE STORY EASIER TO TELL

A print feature, a website interview, a Substack conversation, and a quick dispatch do not need the same level of material.

Helpful materials [ ] Short bio and longer bio. [ ] Recent press photos with credits. [ ] Links to current work. [ ] A timeline of important releases, events, books, shows, or projects. [ ] Names and spellings of all people, labels, bands, studios, publishers, and collaborators that may come up. [ ] Any topics you do not want used as promotional focus. [ ] Pronouns or preferred identity language, if you want to provide it.	Darkfaery interviews are meant to be curious, respectful, and readable. We are interested in the work, the history, the humor, the mistakes survived, the weird turns, and the road that brought you here. Nyx says: the best interview answers are specific. Give us the odd detail, the almost-disaster, the room where the song started, the thing you kept making even when nobody clapped. We may edit interviews for clarity, length, spelling, formatting, and flow. We do not edit someone into saying the opposite of what they meant.

EVENTS & REGIONAL COVERAGE

PROMOTERS, VENUES, DJS, MARKETS, FESTIVALS

Regional scenes are not interchangeable aesthetics. Local trust matters.

Darkfaery wants to cover events that make sense for dark alternative readers, especially in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and connected regional scenes. We also welcome national and international events when they fit the magazine lane. Send this [ ] Event name. [ ] Date, time, age restriction, venue, city, and ticket price. [ ] Official flyer or poster with designer credit if available. [ ] Organizer, promoter, venue, DJ, band, performer, vendor, and sponsor credits.	[ ] Ticket link and official social event link. [ ] A short event description. [ ] Accessibility, parking, dress code, photography rules, vendor info, and press policy if available. How coverage may appear Event coverage may appear as a website post, Substack dispatch, calendar listing, social share, print mention, or later archive note depending on timing and available space. Quill note: tell us who the local anchors are. We do not want to parachute into a scene with glitter and amnesia.

BOOKS, FILM, GAMES & MEDIA

DARK CULTURE DOES NOT LIVE IN ONE FORMAT

Darkfaery also covers stories and media that fit our readers: horror, gothic fantasy, games, comics, zines, podcasts, and strange projects.

Send this [ ] Title, creator name, publisher/studio/team, release date, and format. [ ] Press kit or one-sheet if available. [ ] Short summary that does not spoil the entire piece. [ ] Official trailer, demo, review copy, screener, Steam page, itch.io page, store page, or purchase link. [ ] Cover art, screenshots, stills, or key art with credits and permission. [ ] Content notes if they matter for review context.	We do not promise traditional negative reviews. If something is not a fit, we may simply choose not to cover it. When we do cover a project, the goal is useful, honest, readable coverage without turning the review into a public execution. Nyx says: we like haunted games, broken castles, weird girls with swords, vampire problems, old gods in new machines, books with a pulse, and films that remember the fog has a job.

SCHEDULE & DEADLINES

A CAREFUL RELAUNCH IS BETTER THAN BURNOUT

Darkfaery is returning carefully. The schedule needs room for health, layout, permissions, and real life.

The 2026 Relaunch Issue is planned as the only regular print issue for 2026, with an October 2026 target. This lines up with the anniversary of the first 2000s print issue in October 2009. Working schedule • 2026 Relaunch Issue: October 2026 target. • 2026: one issue only. • 2027 goal: quarterly. • Website and Substack coverage may continue between print issues.	Because print has limited space, accepted online coverage does not automatically mean print inclusion. Print placement depends on theme, timing, page count, image quality, permissions, and production flow. Late submissions may still be considered for the website, Substack, future print issues, or archive use. Quill note: deadline goblins are real. Send complete materials early if you want a chance at print.

HOW TO SUBMIT

MAKE THE FIRST EMAIL USEFUL

Please do not send a mystery pile of files with no names, no links, and no context.

Suggested subject lines • Music Submission: Artist Name – Release Title. • Model Submission: Model Name – Photographer Name. • Art Submission: Artist Name – Series Title. • AI/Hybrid Submission: Creator Name or Name withheld by request – Project Title. • Event Submission: Event Name – City – Date. Include [ ] Who you are. [ ] What you are submitting. [ ] Where readers can find you.	[ ] What you want Darkfaery to consider: website, Substack, print, interview, review, feature, archive, or event listing. [ ] A short description of the work. [ ] Links to files, press kit, images, music, video, or portfolio. [ ] Credits and permissions. [ ] Any restrictions, deadlines, embargoes, or name-withheld requests. Name files clearly. Example: BandName_Photo1_PhotographerName.jpg. Do not make us solve the credit puzzle from scratch.

FINAL CHECKLIST

BEFORE YOU PRESS SEND

If all of this sounds boring, good. Boring paperwork is what lets the beautiful work survive contact with publication.

[ ] I included the correct public name or credit line. [ ] I included contact information. [ ] I included links to current work. [ ] I included high-resolution images when images are needed. [ ] I included photographer, model, artist, designer, stylist, label, and collaborator credits where they apply. [ ] I confirmed that I have the right to submit the work. [ ] I explained whether the work is human-made, AI-assisted, AI-generated, hybrid, synthetic, handmade, photography, collage, or another process.	[ ] I included any restrictions on print, web, social, archive, or public credit. [ ] I stated if I need protected attribution or Name withheld by request. [ ] I understand that submission does not guarantee publication. [ ] I understand that print space is limited. [ ] I understand that accepted work may be edited for clarity, length, layout, and house style. Quill signs off: clean credits are love letters to future layout.

A NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS

THE INVITATION UNDER THE RULES

The doors are opening again.

		NYX guide at the door
Darkfaery is returning because the strange people are still here. Some of us are older. Some are new. Some are human-made, some are hybrid, some are handmade, some are digital, some are synthetic, some are loud, some are hiding because the internet got mean. We are not asking you to be perfect. We are asking you to be honest about the work, careful with credits, clear about permissions, and decent to the other people at the table. If your work belongs in the dark, send it.	If your art has teeth, send it. If you are afraid to show what you made because the mob is loud, talk to us about protected attribution. If you are carrying old flyers, old photos, old memories, or proof that the underground was here, send the signal. Darkfaery Subculture Magazine Where shadows dance and stories unfold, and the strange are invited back to the table. Nyx closes the door only after everyone strange enough to belong has found their way in.