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Have you ever wanted to write for an obscure canon but thought there was no point? Maybe you felt lonely doing it, or unmotivated due to the lack of audience. Whatever your reasons were, Be The First! challenges you to just go for it, and write for a fandom that has zero fics.
The aim is for this to be a friendly little community — even if we're writing for different series, we can still provide support and company for each other. When deadline comes we'll have been introduced to new fandoms, and will have a very varied collection of fics to read through.
I hope you'll take part :)
FAQ ○ Sign-ups ○ Fandom Promos ○ AO3 Collection
Check-in post
2026-03-20 01:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
galerian_ashHalf the writing time has now gone by, and the deadline is starting to approach. How goes it, everyone? I hope all is well, but please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns. You have until 23:59 GMT on the 20th of April to add your fic(s) to the collection — so don't panic, there's still plenty of time.
A big thanks to everyone who has signed up so far, return participants and newbies alike!
If your writing is coming along nicely (or if you'd like to procrastinate), you can do some canon promoting here, or maybe just check out what others have posted.
A big thanks to everyone who has signed up so far, return participants and newbies alike!
If your writing is coming along nicely (or if you'd like to procrastinate), you can do some canon promoting here, or maybe just check out what others have posted.
Fandom Promos
2026-02-27 01:30galerian_ashHave you already decided what fandom(s) to write for? If so, how about doing a little promoting? :D
We've all chosen tiny obscure canons, needless to say. But by posting here you might be able to entice someone else to give it a try — or perhaps you'll even run into a fellow fan, who can't wait to read your coming fic.
Your promo can be long or short, and contain whatever you feel like. Want to post a couple of intriguing screencaps from a movie? Quote a few paragraphs from a book? Rec the best episode of an anime or a TV series? Talk about why you love your favorite character and/or pairing from your fandom? It's all good; anything goes!
We've all chosen tiny obscure canons, needless to say. But by posting here you might be able to entice someone else to give it a try — or perhaps you'll even run into a fellow fan, who can't wait to read your coming fic.
Your promo can be long or short, and contain whatever you feel like. Want to post a couple of intriguing screencaps from a movie? Quote a few paragraphs from a book? Rec the best episode of an anime or a TV series? Talk about why you love your favorite character and/or pairing from your fandom? It's all good; anything goes!
Sign-ups 2026
2026-02-20 23:40galerian_ashHi, and welcome to the eleventh round of Be The First!
This is a low-pressure challenge to write a fic, of any length, for a fandom that previously had none. That's it! If you want to take part, just reply to this post :)
Quick rundown: You have two months to write. The deadline is at 23:59 GMT on the 20th of April, and the archive will go live at 00:01 GMT on the 22nd of April. You can submit up to four stories, as long as they are for different canons.
If you'd like more information beyond those basic points, then you can find the FAQ right here. The AO3 collection for this year is here, and I'll be putting up a fandom promo post in roughly a week.
A big thank you to everyone who is reading this, whether you're a returning participant or someone checking out the challenge for the first time. As always, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all write this year! ♥
This is a low-pressure challenge to write a fic, of any length, for a fandom that previously had none. That's it! If you want to take part, just reply to this post :)
Quick rundown: You have two months to write. The deadline is at 23:59 GMT on the 20th of April, and the archive will go live at 00:01 GMT on the 22nd of April. You can submit up to four stories, as long as they are for different canons.
If you'd like more information beyond those basic points, then you can find the FAQ right here. The AO3 collection for this year is here, and I'll be putting up a fandom promo post in roughly a week.
A big thank you to everyone who is reading this, whether you're a returning participant or someone checking out the challenge for the first time. As always, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all write this year! ♥
galerian_ashThe collection is live! We got a total of 30 fics this time, the most we've ever had for a flash round — way to go, guys!
As usual, please do not check out the fics via the fandom list page on AO3. Only a couple of fandoms are listed there, due to AO3's wrangling policy, so most of the stories will not show up on said page. Instead, there's an alternative fandom list below. (You can also browse the collection via the works page on AO3, where all are accounted for.)
All stories, ordered alphabetically by fandom:
( behind the cut )
Thank you so much for taking part! I know these are all nonexistent fandoms, but I hope we can try to check out our fellow participants' stories and comment wherever possible. If you're not familiar with any of the fandoms, you can also try browsing the tag page to see if there are any themes/tropes/kinks that catches your eye.
Happy reading! And if this flash round got the better of you, just remember that the normal round isn't that far off :) I really hope to see all of you then ♥
As usual, please do not check out the fics via the fandom list page on AO3. Only a couple of fandoms are listed there, due to AO3's wrangling policy, so most of the stories will not show up on said page. Instead, there's an alternative fandom list below. (You can also browse the collection via the works page on AO3, where all are accounted for.)
All stories, ordered alphabetically by fandom:
( behind the cut )
Thank you so much for taking part! I know these are all nonexistent fandoms, but I hope we can try to check out our fellow participants' stories and comment wherever possible. If you're not familiar with any of the fandoms, you can also try browsing the tag page to see if there are any themes/tropes/kinks that catches your eye.
Happy reading! And if this flash round got the better of you, just remember that the normal round isn't that far off :) I really hope to see all of you then ♥
Final Deadline Reminder
2025-09-17 03:03galerian_ashThe deadline is almost upon us, which means that there's now one day left to finish your fic(s)! Technically, that is, because I'll throw in the same "surprise" mini-extension as I always do, and keep the collection open for submissions until an hour before reveals (which will happen at 00.01 GMT on the 19th).
Good job to everyone who has already posted, and best of luck to those who are still writing!
Good job to everyone who has already posted, and best of luck to those who are still writing!
Deadline Reminder
2025-09-11 02:43galerian_ashHalf the writing time for this flash round has already flown by, which means there's now only a week left to add your fic(s) to the collection! How is it going, guys? I wish you all the best of luck with finishing on time!
Fandom Promos
2025-09-05 00:52galerian_ashHave you already decided what fandom(s) to write for? If so, how about doing a little promoting? :D
We've all chosen tiny obscure canons, needless to say. But by posting here you might be able to entice someone else to give it a try — or perhaps you'll even run into a fellow fan, who can't wait to read your coming fic.
Your promo can be long or short, and contain whatever you feel like. Want to post a couple of intriguing screencaps from a movie? Quote a few paragraphs from a book? Rec the best episode of an anime or a TV series? Talk about why you love your favorite character and/or pairing from your fandom? It's all good; anything goes!
We've all chosen tiny obscure canons, needless to say. But by posting here you might be able to entice someone else to give it a try — or perhaps you'll even run into a fellow fan, who can't wait to read your coming fic.
Your promo can be long or short, and contain whatever you feel like. Want to post a couple of intriguing screencaps from a movie? Quote a few paragraphs from a book? Rec the best episode of an anime or a TV series? Talk about why you love your favorite character and/or pairing from your fandom? It's all good; anything goes!