Sign-ups 2026

[galerian_ash]

Hi, 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! ♥

Comments

[lovelytomeetyou]

Thank you so much for the fast and kind reply! Really appreciate it! :)

Yay, wonderful! I wasn't sure if it existed elsewhere but from what I searched, it's zero on AO3 and FF.net so excited to be the first to publish! I'm aiming for March EOM so is it okay if I publish then and add to the collection? I know it'll be hidden inside the collection, but is it okay if it's visible in my profile? If there's a way to hide it, please let me know!

Thanks for explaining! I don't think I ever created a new tag there so this is fun!

[galerian_ash]

Aw, thanks yourself! :D

Yes, feel free to add your fic to the collection whenever it's ready! However, while you're correct that it'll be hidden there, please note that it won't actually show up on your profile. When you post a work in an unrevealed collection, then nobody (except for you and the collection owner) will be able to see it until the collection opens. So you don't need to do anything; the fic will be both hidden and revealed automatically. Your fic will show up with the date you originally posted it, but some people like to edit the date to match the reveals -- it's up to you which you prefer to do!

[lovelytomeetyou]

Thank you! :)

Ooh, I see! That's quite cool! It's the first time I'm doing any of this (new fandom, new tag, hidden collection), it's all pretty exciting. I might just update the date once it's revealed but let's see what happens! Hope that creating a tag might motivate more people to write about the series eventually! Do you find that to be a common pattern?

[galerian_ash]

I'm really glad to hear that you're having fun with it all! I think the most common reason for redating is when you post for an active fandom, since otherwise your work would be buried on like page three come reveals (causing those who check the fandom tag regularly to miss it). That obviously isn't a concern when it comes to this challenge, haha, so it's mostly a matter of personal taste here.

As for your question, it really depends! I think BTF participants in general are very willing to check out new-to-them canons, and sometimes that does lead to them actually creating for it too. Other times your work might spur a fellow fan to finally write something too, or your fic may remain solitary unless you yourself write more. It varies wildly from fandom to fandom, honestly! If you're interested in seeing more specific statistics, here is a list from a few years ago.

[lovelytomeetyou]

Thank you so much for all your kind responses and tips! I really appreciate you taking the time, it helps a lot understanding how the process works!

The stats are so fun! It's nice to see how some got more, especially the one with over six hundred haha. Even if one more person writes in the fandom, it'll already be pretty nice! Thanks for sharing it!

If I have any more questions, I'll let you know!

[galerian_ash]

Thank you for being interested! I hope you enjoy the rest of the challenge as well, and that you end up doing many more events in the future :D

Yeah, those 600+ fics is probably the dream scenario for most us, haha. But like you say, even if you just find one fellow fan then that's fantastic -- I hope it turns out that way for you!

[lovelytomeetyou]

For sure I will! Also curious to check what new fandoms there will be so I'll check published works in the collection as well :)

Haha yeah, truly the dream! But hey, if there's one more fic rather than mine in more than a year (increasing the timeline now to be realistic haha) then that's grea ttoo.

Thank you!

[lovelytomeetyou]

Hi! Just published it today and indeed it's hidden, that's pretty cool! I see there are also some more work in the collection as well. Can't wait til it's revealed!

Thanks for all the help and explanations, they helped so much and made me feel less anxious (and much more comfortable) to take part in this!

Have a great weekend!

[galerian_ash]

Yay, great work on finishing and posting! I can't wait to read it :D

The collection is very tiny at the moment since most people post during the last few days, so extra kudos to you for getting it done so early! *nervously eyes own unfinished fic*

Aww, that's so sweet of you to say! Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely weekend too!