Frequently Asked Questions

☠️ How can I help or get involved?
We have a full moderator team so we currently don't need more people to help us organise. What you can do is apply to be a contributor, engage with us on social media, and of course, spread the word!

☠️ Who can contribute and how does the application process work?
Applications will be open for the entire month of September (from the 1st to the 30th). Anyone can apply, regardless of experience, and more details on the application process can be found in our Contributor Guidelines.

Update: Applications are now closed.

☠️ What is the timeline and when are the deadlines?
The deadline for applications is September 30. The creation period will begin on October 14 and you'll have until mid-February (that's 4 months) to complete your piece. Check out our schedule for more details!

☠️ Will I have to pay to get the zine, and will there be physical copies?
Our intentions right now are to keep it as a free digital zine for legal reasons, as Black Sails is copywritten content. However, you're welcome to print the final zine at home for your own use!

☠️ Is the zine going to be a one-off or will multiple issues be published?
This zine will be a one-off, possibly with a bonus NSFW side zine if we get a sufficient amount of contributors for it.

☠️ How many contributors are you looking for?
Our current target is 30 artists and 15-20 writers, but this is subject to change depending on the number of applications we receive and the variety of pitches provided. It's flexible at this stage.

☠️ Can I submit more than one piece?
You will have the opportunity to submit to both the main and NSFW zine if you can balance the time commitment, but you'll only be allowed to submit one piece to each individual zine, to ensure that we can give as many people as possible the chance to participate.

☠️ Can I submit a previously published piece of mine?
No, only new pieces created for the zine will be accepted, but you'll be welcome to publish your zine piece wherever you like after the zine is released.

☠️ Will content about AUs and non-canon ships be allowed?
Yes, we welcome any AUs and non-canon ships! Just keep in mind the main zine is SFW.

☠️ Will there be overarching themes for the content?
Not explicitly. Though the zine's primary focus will be on pieces that fit the tone of the show, we welcome other themes as well.

☠️ Will I get paid for contributing?
No, this is a free zine with no money involved, to avoid legal issues. All moderators and contributors will be volunteers.

☠️ What's the maximum word count for writing and what are the necessary specs for art pieces?
All important information about restrictions and specs can be found in the Contribution Guidelines.

☠️ What does [___] mean?
SFW: Safe For Work. This content is appropriate for PG-13 audiences.
NSFW: Not Safe For Work. This content is only appropriate for 18+ audiences.
Ship: A romantic relationship between fictional characters.
AU: Alternate universe. Characters of Black Sails thrown into a different plot, i.e. mermaids or modern day.
Canon-Divergent: The plot of Black Sails diverges slightly, i.e. a character makes a different decision, or a dead character lives.

Schedule

Our current place in the schedule is bolded for clarity.

*A check-in involves contributors giving mods a progress update and mods providing feedback and guidance, and discussing accommodations if extra help or time is needed.

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• Contribution Guidelines
• WIP Guidelines

Applicant Information

Applications are now closed.

Applications will be open for the entire month of September, opening on the 1st and closing on the 30th. You will receive a response to your application on October 7th, and the creation period will begin on October 14th.

There are three application forms for the zine: one for artists, one for writers, and one for merch creators. You’re welcome to apply for all roles but you’ll only be accepted for one.

Inside the art and writing forms, you’ll also be able to apply for the NSFW zine. There will be the option to be accepted for both (e.g. you can create one piece for the SFW zine and one piece for the NSFW zine) as long as you understand and accept that this will be a significant time commitment.

Anyone is welcome to apply and previous zine experience isn’t necessary; we’ll handle all the formatting.

☠️ Samples ☠️

Samples of previous work will be required. You’ll need to provide 2-5 links to your works, and you can also choose to add 1 link to a larger portfolio. As an example, this could be an AO3 account, an art blog, or a PDF.

The works submitted don’t need to be Black Sails themed, but they should be reflective of your current skill level and in line with the content you’re hoping to contribute to the zine. For example, if you’re applying to write meta, please include examples of your meta; if your pitches are all for comic-style art pieces, please don’t only include lifelike portraits.

Writers are welcome to include long pieces, but please know the writing mods will be looking to read approximately 500-2,000 words from each applicant. Including just your favourite chapter or your strongest scene from a longer piece is recommended.

The samples you submit should also be appropriate for the zine you’re applying for (PG-13 for the main zine, NSFW for the NSFW zine), and should not feature taboo subject matter that would not be accepted to the zine (see Contribution Guidelines below). Content warnings would be appreciated so the moderators aren’t caught off-guard by potential triggers.

☠️ Pitches ☠️

You will also be required to submit 1-3 pitches for your contribution, and you’ll have the freedom to rank them in order of preference. If you’re filling out more than one application, you’ll need to provide separate pitches for each.

Your pitch for merch is allowed to be similar to your art pitch if you’re entering both, as long as you remain aware of the formatting limit of merch, depending on what you create - for example, a sticker might only fit one or two characters without a background, and bookmarks and phone backgrounds will both be in portrait mode, providing limited space.

We’re looking to create a diverse zine with a balanced selection of themes, characters, ships, and styles, so including a variety of pitches in your submission might improve your chances of acceptance. But if there’s only one idea you’re really passionate about, that’s okay too! We want you to create content that you can feel excited about.

A pitch should include, at minimum, the characters, the ship, or the concept. Exact ideas don’t need to be finalised yet but the more detail you can provide us, the better.

Canon-compliant, canon-divergent, fully AU, non-romantic, and romantic pitches are all welcome. There are no restrictions on the characters or the ships you can pitch, as long as all characters in romantic situations are over 18.

Below are some example pitches. Feel free to format your pitch similarly.

A flashback fanfic of Flint, Miranda, and Thomas being cute and domestic together in London. There will be cuddles, comfort, book-sharing, and a tender conversation about shame and happiness.Vampire Silverflint AU. The Walrus = The Lost Boys. Details TBD.A watercolour painting of the Walrus at sea during sunset.Meta exploring how Max and Eleanor parallel each other throughout the show and how their shifting positions of power affect their dynamic.A sticker sheet of fun and colourful Jack Rackham doodles.
☠️ Logistics ☠️

Contributing to the zine is a voluntary, unpaid opportunity as Black Sails is copywritten material and Freedom in the Dark is a free digital zine.

If, for any reason, you’re unable to finish your contribution after being accepted, that is completely okay. If it’s a matter of inspiration, we’re happy to work with you to find a pitch that works better for you. If it’s a scheduling or personal matter, or if you simply lose interest, we totally understand. Please just let us know so we can make the necessary adjustments to the zine.

☠️ Selection Criteria ☠️

When the time comes to select applications, we will be considering the following:

Quality of the submitted sample pieces.Uniqueness of the submitted pitches.Balance of each character/ship within the zine.Balance of genre (canon/AU) within the zine.Balance of the types of work (art/fic/meta/merch) within the zine.
Our current soft target is 30 artists and 15-20 writers for the SFW zine and approximately half for the NSFW zine, but the numbers are flexible at this time.

Contribution Guidelines

You’ll receive a response to your application on October 7th and you’ll have until October 12th to confirm your interest before we’ll move on to other applicants. The creation period will begin on October 14th, and you’ll then have until mid-February (or 4 months) to complete your piece. You can find the full schedule here.

All final pieces must abide by the following guidelines for both zines.

Your contribution cannot be a previously-published piece; it must be a new piece created for the zine.By agreeing to contribute to the zine, you agree not to publish your piece anywhere else until after the zine has been published. After, you’re welcome to upload your piece wherever you like.Your final piece must align with the pitch we approved. If you’re having inspiration trouble with your pitch, contact us and we’ll work with you to find something else.We accept all ships, but all characters involved must be over the age of 18.Depictions of incest, pedophilia, bestiality, and sexual assault of any kind are strictly forbidden, but implications or vague mentions of them may be permitted (in the nature of hurt/comfort, or a character talking about their past). Please discuss this with the mods before you begin creating your piece.Any intimate physical touch in both zines (PG-13 for the main) should be consensual. This means all characters should have the capacity to give informed consent, and it should be clear that they do consent (though this doesn’t have to be verbal).No discrimination of marginlized groups (e.g. racism, transphobia). Given the nature of the show, pieces that discuss discrimination and oppression are okay, but if your work itself is discriminatory it will not be approved. We will ensure your piece is read by a sensitivity reader (either a member of the mod team or a hired professional, depending on what experiences we can and can’t speak for) before publication.When submitting your final piece, please include a full list of content warnings.
☠️ Content-Specific Guidelines ☠️

Art pieces must be drawings or paintings (e.g. no 3D models, cosplay, etc.) in A4 300dpi and they can be created digitally or traditionally, but traditional artists must be able to scan their final piece at a sufficient resolution (A4 300dpi) to match the zine specs. They should be saved in PNG format.

Writing pieces can be prose (traditional fanfiction), poetry, scripts, or meta, and they must not be any longer than 2,000 words (or for scripts, no more than 6 A4 pages). Meta pieces must not imply that the meta writer’s interpretation or opinion is the only correct one.

Merch pieces can be either a phone or computer background, a bookmark, or a sticker - or possibly a sticker sheet, granted that the individual stickers are smaller and simpler.
Sticker art is ideally digitally drawn and turned into a PNG with a transparent background.Common bookmark sizes are 5x15cm (2x6 inches) or 7.5x21cm (2.5x8.5 inches).Both phone and computer wallpapers should have an aspect ratio of 16:9 - landscaped for computers and portrait style for phones.As with regular art, your format should be approximately A4 (300dpi if working digitally). From there, you can look more accurately at sizes of both a single sticker and many small ones, as well as bookmarks. Only phone wallpapers don’t need this format; their size should average 960x640 pixels.All merch must be SFW.
If the specific art or writing style you would like to submit isn't listed here, there's an "Other" option on the applications you can use, and you're welcome to contact us on social media first if you'd like to check whether we'll accept what you have in mind.

☠️ What Qualifies as Safe for Work? ☠️

Romance is allowed in the main zine, but it must remain PG-13. Kissing, fade-to-black, and vague implications of sexual activity (e.g. “They stumbled out of the room half-dressed”) are okay; any nudity or explicit sexual content is not.

If you’re uncertain whether your piece might cross the line, contact the mods and we’ll let you know.

☠️ NSFW Zine Requirements ☠️

All applicants for the NSFW zine, and all characters featured in the NSFW zine, must be over 18.

Everything must be explicitly consensual. This doesn’t mean the characters need to have a verbal conversation about it, but if it’s in any way unclear whether one or more participants want the encounter, your piece will need to be revised. To provide some clarity (TW for implications of assault in these 2 bullet points):
Characters should have the capacity to make informed consent. They should not be coerced, pressured, or tricked into consenting in any way.Given the nature of the show and who the characters are, characters can be intoxicated, but they cannot be unequally intoxicated (e.g. one tipsy and one very, very drunk), and one cannot “get the other drunk” with sexual intent.
All consensual kinks will be welcome, but please include a full list of kinks in your submission along with general content warnings.

☠️ Disclaimer ☠️

The zine mods reserve the right to adjust and update these guidelines if necessary, and we agree to inform you when changes are made. Sensitive topics not mentioned on this page will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any questions, contact us via any of the social media links below.

WIP Guidelines

You’re more than welcome to share your WIP on social media, but we do have some guidelines we’d like you to follow. These are intended to give you guidance and to hopefully avoid spoiling your full piece before the zine is released.

When we say “public social media,” we mean Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc., regardless of whether your account is set as public or private.

When we say “private groups,” we mean things like Patreon, closed Facebook groups, and small Discord servers.

Writers
On public social media, please post no more than 200 words.In private groups, please post no more than 500 words.
Artists (page and merch)
On public social media, please post no more than 25% (a quarter) of the image.In private groups, the full piece can be shared up to the line art stage. Once you’ve begun colouring the piece, please post no more than 50% of the image.Process videos/GIFs are allowed as long as they comply with the above guidelines and don’t include the last 25% of finishing touches.
Artists (covers)
Please send us a preview of what you’d like to post on social media before you post it. If it’s sufficiently cropped and unpolished we’ll most likely approve it, but we would like to have a “cover reveal” closer to the release date.
General
Please either tag us directly (@blacksailszine) or mention the zine in your WIP posts.Please be mindful that you don’t essentially reveal your entire piece by cropping it in different ways throughout the months. You don’t have to stick with one crop and never deviate, just keep in mind how much of the piece you’re showing in total.For clarity, these guidelines don’t apply to the zine Discord server. Feel free to post your full piece in the zine server at any stage.Also, we would like to encourage you to post at least one WIP teaser in March in anticipation of the zine being released, so you may want to hold onto your favourite WIP or your most polished crop for that time. This will be optional but it’s something to keep in mind. More info about this will be shared closer to the time.
Of course, you’re also welcome to post whatever you want after the zine has been released. You can repost your finished piece, share uncensored process videos from beginning to end, etc.. These rules only apply to before publication.

Scroll Back To...

• Applicant Information
• Contribution Guidelines

Apply

Please read the guidelines and the schedule thoroughly before applying. By submitting an application, you agree to follow the terms we have set.

Applications are now CLOSED.