Exceptional is a rare pair zine. It is a SFW BNHA zine with a potential add-on.
(level of NSFW to be decided via our Interest Check)

Mods

Mods followed on socials

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Zine for profit?
Exceptional zine will be a for-profit project.Do we need a certain age to participate?
We require for all page artists, merch artists and writers to be at
least 18 years of age at time of application to participate.
There is no upper age limit.How will you decide if a pairing is 'RARE'?

Will I receive an email after apps, even if unsuccessful?
All applicants will receive an email, successful applicants will find further instruction in that email to join our
Discord for organizational purposes.Can I receive feedback for my application
The Mod Team will NOT be giving any application feedback.
Thank you for understanding.Do I have to join the discord?
Yes, for organizational purposes, a discord account & access to the zine discord server is required to participate.Are OP3s OK?
Yes! As are 3+ poly relationships

Schedule

Interest Check: July 1st - Aug 13th (extended)
Guest Invite: July 24th
Contrib Apps: Aug 15th - Sept 12th
Contrib Selection: Sept 10th - Sep 14th
Contrib Emails: Sept 15thLast day to join server: Sept 24th
Creation
Check ins
1: Nov 21st 2: Dec 15th - 30th 3: Jan 16th 2026 FINAL: Feb 20thShop & Preorders open: Late Spring/Early summer 2026 (dates to be confirmed)

General Guidelines

Please see the image below for all prohibited content for the application process & zine.

Application Guidelines

Applications Open July 30th 2025

ANY WORK SAMPLES MUST BE CREATED BY YOU.
"AI" WORK WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION.

PLEASE READ BELOW BEFORE APPLYING! THANK YOU!ALL applicants must be age 18 or over at the time of applying.TO APPLYPlease create a folder for your portfolio in Google Drive with your credit name in the Drive folder's name.
(Google Drive Tutorial HERE)Be sure the permissions are set to be viewed by anyone with the link.Please avoid drugs, alcohol, and abuse in your portfolios—failure to adhere to these conditions will result in disqualification.Your examples do not have to contain any 'Rare pairs' but it is encouraged so that we can see how you represent them in your style! :)0 - At least one work sample must be BNHA.0 - Writers will be expected to write at least one fanfic.0 - Page artists will be expected to create at least one page of artwork.0 - Merch artists will be responsible for at minimum one piece of merchandise.You may apply for multiple positions—however, for the most part, applicants will only be chosen for one role.If you would potentially like to do more than one piece, you may discuss with the Mods during the pitching period.Social media links, ao3 links, and personal websites
will not be considered as portfolios.Please curate your best pieces for
review in a Google Drive folder.

Writers
Please submit 2-3 samples that best demonstrate your style of writing.
Each sample should be 1k-3k words.
All 3 samples combined should not exceed 8k words.0 - We will be judging samples based on characterization, grammar, punctuation, flow, and plot.0 - At least one of your samples must be BNHA0 - All samples must be 100% written by you. (no AI or collaborations)Previous zine works are allowed. If the zine isn't released yet, please ensure you have permission from your mods to share! We will not be sharing any applicants' links outside of the Mod Team.

Artists
Please submit 4-6 samples that best demonstrate your style & ability of Art.0 - We will judge pieces based on composition, colour and/or value, understanding of form & depth, and anatomy.0 - At least one of your samples must be BNHA0 - Backgrounds are required for your zine piece.
At least one piece in your portfolio must have a detailed background.Previous zine works are allowed. If the zine isn't released yet, please ensure you have permission from your mods to share! We will not be sharing any applicants' links outside of the Mod Team.

Merch Artists
Please submit no more than 6 samples.
Try to choose samples that best demonstrate your style and ability.0 - We will judge pieces based on composition, colour, understanding of form, depth and rendering.We will consider more unique items during pitches, but if you have the desire to create a certain type of merchandise for the zine (enamel pins, acrylic charms, stickers, etc), it is encouraged to show work examples of those types of merch. It is not guaranteed that any artist will be assigned any specific type of merch0 - At least one of your samples must be BNHA0 - All examples do not need to be merch "items." Full illustrations, or print examples, are encouraged.
Both digital and traditional works are acceptablePrevious zine works are allowed. If the zine isn't released yet, please ensure you have permission from your mods to share! We will not be sharing any applicants' links outside of the Mod Team.