Pressed Flowers is a fan-made Bungou Stray Dogs zine themed around flowers and flower symbolism, utilizing the extensive cast from the series, both canon and alternate universe.From Eastern to Western cultures all around the world, we aim to express a variety of flora in ancient and modern languages alike.This will be a digital zine, available for free as a PDF download (with a digital NSFW/DD add-on available with a charity donation.)Current phase: Creation!
FAQ
WHAT IS A ZINE?
A zine is a fan-made magazine, either physical or digital, based on a specific concept. It may contain a variety of creations, including but not limited to: writing pieces, art pieces, photography, and digital and/or physical merchandise. In our case, Pressed Flowers will be a digital zine available for download as a PDF along with digital merchandise.
WHAT IS THIS ZINE ABOUT?
Our zine's vision is to incorporate a wide variety of the world's flora and their meanings through the creations of our contributors. Anything from rhododendrons to red spider lilies to poison ivy is welcome here!We hope that, with this being a broad theme, it will encourage creators to showcase flora in both positive and negative meanings in different genres.
WHAT CONTENT IS ALLOWED?
We accept the entire cast of Bungou Stray Dogs, including those who only appear in the light novels and spin-offs! Duplicate characters will be considered and may be featured in our project, but our team more than encourages diversity by picking lesser explored characters or characters from different timelines or different ages.While our zine is not specifically ship-centric, both gen and ship creations are accepted.We have zero tolerance for harassment in any shape or form, including—but not limited to—shaming and ship discourse. Any offender will be removed at the team's discretion. Further information can be found in our guidelines about what is allowed.
WHAT ARE THE ZINE SPECIFICATIONS?Pressed Flowers will be a digital zine, available for free as a PDF download (with a digital NSFW/DD add-on available with a charity donation.)We're looking for approximately 20 artists and 20 writers, as well as a few merchandise artists, spot artists, comic artists, scenarists, and cosplayers. These numbers are estimates; the final count will depend on the project's popularity and the mod's capacity.
ARE AUS ALLOWED?
AUs are more than welcome—whether it be canon divergence or creations set in a different universe. We fully encourage different interpretations involving the characters!
WHO IS ALLOWED TO APPLY?
All individuals 18+ are welcome to apply. Our zine will feature content not suitable for minors, and so this requirement is non-negotiable. You must be 18+ at the time of applying.
ARE WE ALLOWED TO APPLY FOR MORE THAN ONE ROLE?
Applicants are welcome to apply for as few or as many roles as they wish to be considered for. However, if selected, an individual will be placed in only one position.
WHAT IF MY QUESTION ISN'T HERE?
We understand that our concept may raise a lot of questions that we didn't answer here, and we have several ways we can be reached. If you cannot find an answer there, please email us at [email protected] or contact us through one of our other social media sites below. A social media mod will reply as soon as possible.
Questions from our interest check
Hey, I was just wondering if there's gonna be a specific form for applications in the future or if you guys just want them submitted to the email?Yes, there will be a specific application form. You can check our schedule tab for more information; the application period runs from February 14th to March 14th. 🌿🌷
I’m an artist but don’t have much time currently to work on a time committed project. Are you planning on more projects like this in the future??We have so many ideas and projects in mind, anon… If this one goes well, you can be sure it won’t be the last zine we make!
Could you perhaps elaborate a bit on what you would require of creators? What do you mean by teamwork being required to join, and what your expectations would be for a piece for this zine (in my case, it would probably be fic)?What we mean by teamwork: To be part of this zine, we require communication and teamwork between contributors and our mod team. If something comes up, our mod team will let you know as soon as possible. We would appreciate the same courtesy from our participants if something happens IRL/a contributor needs an extension.We understand that unexpected things can happen, but we appreciate open communication to ensure this zine's success and to find ways to better assist our contributors.This will ensure that we don't just have contributors ghosting mid-project. If we do not receive an answer during critical deadlines or when forms need to be completed, we will assume the contributor will no longer want to participate in the project and will be removed. A pinch hitter will then be assigned.Writer expectations: Writers will have the option to choose between the following options: 2.5k-3.5k short story word limit, 5k-7k short story word limit, poetry, and a few more positions! A writer may also apply to be paired with an artist or comic artist as a scenarist.By the end of the zine, our writers will have completed a one-shot fanfiction or poem. Additionally, the written one-shot or poem must be a standalone piece until the project wraps up. Once the zine is finished, the mod team will announce when it is okay to post pieces to AO3.
Out of curiosity will contributors be allowed to repeat flowers?Flowers/plants can repeat, but only by category. For example, if participant A applied with roses in SFW, and participant B applied with a different character/ship in NSFW with roses, that should be allowed. However, no flower/plant can be repeated more than twice!
Silly question, but I just want to make sure, but will the characters be assigned to us, or do we get to pick a character? If it's the latter option, then is it fine we choose underrated or unpopular characters as well? I just want to make sure before I sign up.Contributors can pick their own characters/ships/flowers; however, if accepted, the mod team will choose the pitch that contributors will work on for the zine. You may choose underrepresented characters if you'd like.
Is it possible a contributor can be accepted/participate in multiple roles? Ex. If I apply as both a cosplayer & writer will I only be accepted in one, have to choose one, or able to do both if I can meet time requirements? Thanks!You may apply for as many roles as you are interested in, however if you are selected, it will only be for 1 of those roles 🌻
I just like writing and have been obsessed with BSD since I discovered it. I think the only thing BF I’m wondering is earlier it said non published so can we put our works on AO3?If the person is accepted as a contributor, they will be creating a new piece, whether artistic or written for the zine. When the zine is finished/has launched, artists and writers can then post their works to Ao3 if they'd like. A date for releasing works will be announced by our mod team!
Please consider a physical zine if possible.We’d love to do a physical zine, but right now it’s just not realistic for us. Printing comes with a big upfront cost, plus taxes and admin stuff, and shipping (especially international) gets expensive very fast. For now, a digital format allows us to focus our energy on the content itself and keep the project accessible.Maybe in the future we’ll launch a physical zine, but it will be with another project. 🌻
Will the participants be vetted in any way to avoid mixing DD/NSFW creators and antis? I read that the project will have rules against harassment but I was curious if there were any other precautions being taken. Thank you!Our mod team takes harassment of any kind seriously. We do not tolerate harassment, bullying, or any form of discourse inside or outside our project. Any discourse within our project will result in a participant being removed, as that is not what we are here for.We are here for our love of Bungou Stray Dogs and flower language. With that being said, any participant that wants to be part of our zine must abide by the rules we have in place in our Carrd. When a creator applies to our zine, they are accepting to have read these rules and will follow guidelines.We understand being a broad zine can make someone nervous but we want to reassure you that we want to make our discord a safe space for creators, too.Our Discord server will have separate roles and channels for SFW, NSFW, and DD content. We will have a zine-SFW, a zine-NSFW, and a zine-DD, one sfw general chat, and a general sfw bsd chat.One of the options we are also offering participants is the ability to have a solo private channel with a moderator (or, if paired, with yourself and your partner and a moderator) for check-ins and to work on their concept.This is to provide contributors with a safe space that is just for them. We are doing our best to ensure that our contributors have a pleasant experience with this zine, whether it's their first or fourth time. Whatever your level of experience, we want you to have fun creating Pressed Flowers. That’s what matters.
Additional Questions?
If you cannot find an answer there, please email us at [email protected] or contact us through one of our other social media sites below. A social media mod will reply as soon as possible.
SCHEDULE
| DATE | EVENT |
|---|---|
| January 9 | Interest Check Opens |
| January 31 | Interest Check Closes |
| February 14 | Contributor Applications Open |
| March 21 | Contributor Applications Close |
| March 28 | Contributor Acceptance Results |
| April 15 | Contributor Pitches Confirmed |
| May 1 | 1st Check-In |
| June 1 | 2nd Check-In |
| July 1 | 3rd Check-In |
| August 1 | Final Submission |
| September, 2026 | Release |
