[ID: Event infographic for Be A Goldfish: A Multifandom Multimedia Microbang, dated 1 July to 31 August 2026. Across the middle, a variety of mediums are listed in three columns: "meta, zines, podfic, poetry, ficlets, drabbles, playlists, fanvids, (web) weaves, recipes, crafts, paintings, graphics, sketches, textiles, gifsets, icons, and more!"
The bottom left reads "No sign-ups or check-ins, award banners and tokens, small fanworks, 1,000 words max, comment bingo." A star in the bottom right reads "join today!" /End ID]
Welcome to Be a Goldfish: A Multifandom Multimedia Microbang! Join us for round 3. This is an event dedicated to small fanworks, taking the time to appreciate the little things, and big fun. Whether you’re a returning participant or you’ve just heard of us, dive in!
Participation is easy: just share as many small fanworks as you like, in any medium you can dream of, from 1 July through August 31, and comment on works shared by your fellow goldfish.
Fancy a bit of structure and inspiration? We offer weekly prompts and medium suggestions, as well as a comment bingo and a punch card. Use one, use none, use all: that’s your call! Participate on your own terms.
Want more information? Read our RuleDoc, which includes guidelines for a variety of different mediums, a few content restrictions, and image accessibility and commenting resources.
You can share works to our Dreamwidth Community, our AO3 Collection, our Pillowfort Community, or tagged #beagoldfish 2026 here on tumblr. You can tag us directly @bag-bang, too. Once you’ve posted, log your fanwork via our handy Entry Submission Form. At the end of the event, you can request awards for all your hard work!
Flex your fins and swim with us to new fannish heights. Experiment, explore, get excited, try new things, and share with us and other fans along the way!
Not in the creative mood? Join us anyway! Leave comments with wild abandon, cheer your fellow goldfish on, find new favorite works and compile them in a rec list or several. This is an event for everyone! Discover new works, new fandoms, and new friends. Your new favorite thing might be just one microbang away. Don’t forget: be bold! Be brave! Be kind! Be a goldfish!
When I try to add my AO3 work to the collection, it's only giving me the option of the 2025 collection. Is there some way to add it to the BAG26B one or do I have to do that separately somehow?
Great question! You're right, we've noticed that AO3, for whatever reason, is not always keen on auto-populating the collection's spiffy title. You have two options:
You can go to the BAG 26-B collection initially and use the post to collection button
You can also type BAG26B in the Post to Collections / Challenges section of the new work page, as every collection on the archive has a unique name
Even though it doesn't auto-populate, we've still had success sharing our own works to the collection using the second option.
Prompt: A Moment To Discuss Our Lord and Saviour + Fanfiction
Another week, another prompt! Are you feeling inspired? We know we are. Just keep swimming!
WEEK THREE: A Moment To Discuss Our Lord and Saviour + Fanfiction
Get evangelical with it. Create a work intended to bring non-fans to the dark side: your fandom. Extol the virtues of your favourite film, harp on the highlights of a video game you can’t stop thinking about, or demonstrate your PhD in The Character. Sell us on it! Please note that we don’t endorse real-world evangelism around here, as it is a driving force behind colonial projects past and present. Whether you’re an old hand or a newbie writer, week three is a great week to explore fanfiction. Write a one-shot, dabble in drabbles, or give poetry a try. Welcome to McGoldfish, what can we get you? Inspiration and fic-writing advice? Pull up to the second window, please.
Whilst a lot of fannish spaces assume that writing fanfiction is an intuitive practice, we know that’s not always true! Check out A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fanfics for a thoughtful step-by-step, A Beginner’s Guide to Fanfiction for an introduction to the craft, The Fanfic Help on tumblr for a bit of everything, and this incredibly thorough index of fanfic advice ranging from theoretical to practical as well as tips and tricks.
Traditional writing advice is applicable for fanfiction, too, and can be a great way to improve your craft as a writer of any experience level. Read Stephen King’s On Writing, Anne Lammott’s Bird by Bird, or Constance Hale’s Sin and Syntax, or browse the writing section at your local library. The National Centre for Writing is another great resource.
Take a free online course in creative writing from some of the highest-ranked universities in the world! Browse the generous selection of resources curated by Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries and the University of York, audit a self-paced course on rhetoric through Harvard, or take self-directed classes on science fiction, fantasy, short stories, or poetry through MIT.
If YouTube is more your speed, try Brandon Sanderson’s lecture series.
On tumblr, browse our #bag.prompt tag for inspiration from the ghost of Be A Goldfish past.
Check out our Prompt Doc for the entire list of this round's prompts and don't forget to use the #beagoldfish 2026 tag and optionally tag us @bag-bang so that we can see and share it!
Prompt: Can We Get Her Out? + Playlists & Podfic & Music
Sunday, funday! Let’s beat the heat, or the creative block, with a fresh and funky prompt drawn from the deep end of the Be A Goldfish pool. Dive in!
WEEK TWO: Can We Get Her Out? + Playlists & Podfic & Music
Let’s hear it for the girls! Fuck misogyny in fandom: unbury, unfridge, or otherwise return a dead wife, fridged woman, or neglected female character to the land of the living. Who is she? What is she like? Why do you love her? Tell us everything. We’re all ears. Relatedly, our sommelier suggests pairing this prompt with an audible expression of fannish creation. Perhaps a mixtape which nails her vibe, or an original track which challenges her canonical fate? Tune in: we’ve got a bit of inspiration for you.
Make a playlist or fanmix. Whether you work on Spotify or YouTube, list tracks on tumblr, Dreamwidth, or Pillowfort, or make CDs or cassettes, share your fan soundtrack. Annotations, lyric snippets, and cool covers are highly encouraged! Draw inspiration from our #playlist tag, or read The Death and Resurrection of the Fanmix.
Create a fannish audiobook: a podfic! Whilst it can take a bit of bravery to put your voice out there, it’s a fantastic way to contribute to the fannish community by making fics more accessible. Long-time listener, first-time caller? Not to worry. On tumblr, check out A Beginner’s Guide to Making Podfics, and on AO3, try A Newbie’s Guide to Podficcing, A step-by-step guide to your first (tenth, hundredth) podfic, or Keep it Simple: A Highly Biased Podfic Guide For Absolute Beginners. For tips on hosting your podfic, give A Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options a read, and don’t forget to check out this site which offers a fairly comprehensive resource on all things podfic.
Write a songfic. Whilst controversial in some spaces, we think it’s a fantastic way to blend music and fanfiction! Give How to Write a Songfic a read, though please note that we at Be A Goldfish are big fans of fangirls and thus do not endorse the misogynistic language present in the how-to, or check out The Soundtrack for advice on picking the perfect tune.
Mix your own music. Get crazy in GarageBand, demonstrate your cunning lyricism, adapt a favourite song to fit your fandom, or bang out the tunes a la Neil! A filk, which is a fannish folk song either originally composed or adapted from an existing tune, might be a fun choice. Hone your skills: read How I Filk and A Guide to Multivoice Filking, or listen to the FilkCast podcast. Don’t forget to check out The Lightning Bolt and Into This New Hell, filks shared during BAG26A!
Check out our Prompt Doc for the entire list of this round's prompts, and don't forget to use the #beagoldfish 2026 tag and optionally tag us @bag-bang so that we can see and share it!
Happy Saturday, fish friends! Week one: done and dusted. Let’s round it up! In total, across Dreamwidth, tumblr, Pillowfort, and AO3, a noteworthy:
30+ works
19 fandoms
6 mediums
13 contributors
Holy moly! We’re pleased as punch. The enthusiasm, creativity, and community is nothing to sneeze at, and we’re so proud.
We’re loving the worldbuilding, recipes, and food entries inspired by our week one prompt, not to mention art including our mascot, the humble goldfish. We’ve also had a Be A Goldfish medium first in the form of photography. Check it all out across our aforementioned platforms or on the response sheet!
Still finding your stride? Fear not. We’ve got plenty of prompts and community posts yet to come. Don’t forget to break out your comment bingo cards and fill out your punch cards!
New here? Welcome aboard! Make a splash. Peruse our RuleDoc, check out our pinned, get creative, tell your friends, and stay curious!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
It isn't the first time Dylan and Julian have been in a life or death situation together, have been close to dying, but it's the first time they've been this close, the first time they've actually lost hope, even only for a moment.
Siegfried comes up with a way to keep James and Tristan from going to war (cw: reference plan for a barbiturate overdose, but don't worry, Mrs Hall will save the day, just not in this very short ficlet)
Set just before James and Tristan sign up to the military, specifically, the night before when it's obvious that they are both planning to do so
Ficlet below the cut: please take not of the content warnings
Dearest Evelyn,
It seems we are to go to war yet again. This time, certain occupations are reserved from the start. The government seems to have realised that doctors and farmers and vets are required at home as well as on the battlefield. Nonetheless, I fear Tristan and James both intend to volunteer. They have no notion of what they’re choosing to face. They don’t know the horrors of war, nor how it will change them should they return alive.
And it’s my fault.
Had I given James more control over the practice, ensured he was absolutely indispensable here, that were he to leave the practice would crumble and with it the farms relying on us…I thought it might have been enough to make him partner and encourage the TB testing, ensuring it was clear that he alone was responsible for it. But, I was wrong. As I have been about so many things.
And Tristan…
I broke the promise I made to myself when we took him in, that I’d not be to him as father was to me. It remains true that I’ve never raised a hand to the boy, and I still never would. However, today he confessed that he believes nothing he does can ever be good enough for me. It is, as you know, entirely untrue. Nothing could be further from the truth. But those words…precisely what I thought time and time again about father. How I always failed him, even when I passed my exams and when I set up the practice, it was not good enough. It was different with Tristan. He was proud of him, and rightly so. He loved Tristan, and with good reason. Just as you and I did when we took him in, tried our best to support him, but, after you were gone, I found I could no longer understand how to achieve both discipline and kindness, to encourage without pushing too hard. And I lost my temper. I lose my temper. Too often. And now he believes I'm not proud of him, that what he does isn't good enough when it is and always has been. I still have not learned to think before I speak, and all too often I fail to understand the impact of my words. Mrs Hall has become rather adept at explaining my follies to me, and perhaps I'd not have realised how terribly I failed had she not done so, but she should not have had to.
Nor should you have had to.
There are so many things you should not have had to endure. So many ways in which I failed you, and here, yet again.
Had you still been here, I know that this would never have happened. James and Tristan would know how vital and valued they are, and would never even have considered volunteering to fight in this Godforsaken war.
I cannot, have never been able to, express how acutely I feel your absence even now. I long to wake up and find your absence was nothing more than a nightmare. Or for you to knock on the door, reveal it was some terrible deception, some part of a covert affairs business…I would not care the reason. I would forgive anything, and surrender anything, to have you alive once more.
But, I know that’s impossible, and I can at least hold true to the promise that I will no longer bargain in my grief. And, I think I can perhaps still honour the promises I made to both father and to Helen.
If I am gone, there is a chance it may keep James and Tristan from the war. The practice must have a vet. In truth, at least two are required to fully manage the amount of work we have, and perhaps they both will stay as the reigns fall fully into James’ hands. He’ll need Tristan’s help to get his footing, although I shouldn’t imagine it will take long.
Perhaps just long enough for them to realise that the call of the war is that of a siren, and it is far wiser to remain on their present course.
Were you here, I’m certain you could have argued the case for their staying far better than me, and none of this would be necessary. I’m sure Mrs-
Siegfried hesitated as a wave of guilt came over him at the words he had been about to write: “I’m sure Mrs Hall could have argued it too, were she not too kind to do so.”
Kindness, or understanding? Siegfried wasn’t entirely certain, but he knew that she would never try to convince someone to walk a path that was not of their choosing, and he knew that to be a virtue.
One Siegfried did not, could not, possess.
He couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t allow Tristan and James to go to war.
Crossing out the last part of his letter, he signed off as he always did these letters to Evelyn. With love, affection, and grief. He would burn this one, as with every one before it.
But not until after his task was done.
Carefully placing the cap back on his pen, he looked to the bottle on the desk beside him.
Barbiturates.
It seemed appropriate, somehow, to choose the same method that Maurice had. And it wouldn’t cause too much trouble for his family, to find him when dawn came. Peaceful as if in sleep. They’d see nothing of the. physiological distress that would have preceded it.
A part of Siegfried felt that, perhaps, an end to the turmoil of his mind would be welcome, but that wasn’t the reason he chose to do this.
He would keep Tristan and James safe, just as he’d promised his father and Helen, by keeping them here. Ensuring they had no choice but to remain, knowing that to leave would abandon all their clients without veterinary care, condemn the district to diminishing food supplies.
They would no doubt hate him for it, but Tristan already despised him and James only tolerated him out of professional respect.
As for Mrs Hall…perhaps she’d understand and forgive.
He prayed she’d not grieve.
He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want her hurt. Or Tristan, or James.
But any pain they felt at his absence would be fleeting, while the echoes of war never fade. Siegfried would never let them know that torment.
July is upon us! Welcome to a brand-new breed of participation we’ve cooked up in the Be A Goldfish laboratories: community posts! Community posts will encourage you to get involved: comment, respond to a poll, reblog and tag, or create a whole new post to share your opinion, make friends, and influence people. This week, we’ll be sharing concurrent July events, and asking you to hop in the comments, tags, or in an original post to tell us your participation plans for the month.
Are you exclusively a Be A Goldfish participant? Are you signed up for an exchange, bang, or challenge? Will you mix and match multiple events? Are you focused on cheerleading for the moment? Do you have an ambitious list of fanwork goals, or are you playing it fast and loose? Share with the class! If you make an original post, do us a solid and tag it #beagoldfishcommunity so your fellow fish friends can stop by and say hi.
EVENTS ON DREAMWIDTH
Filthy Femslash Fantasies Ficathon hosted by elasticella
Launch the Ship hosted by launchtheship
Sapphic Summer 2026 hosted by toothpastejuice
Unreliable Narrator hosted by fancake
Winterfest in July hosted by vexed-wench and spiralicious
EVENTS ON TUMBLR
Fandom-Free Bingo July hosted by @fandom-free-bingo
Firefly July hosted by @monthlywritingchallenges
Flip It hosted by @fandomwithbenefits
Fluffy July 2026 hosted by @fluffyjuly
Hot Horror Summer 2026 hosted by @hothorrorsummer
Jazzy July hosted by @thepromptfoundry
Julycanthropy 2026 hosted by @lolinuyashazeldafan
The Lies We Tell hosted by @tropevarietyhour
Small Fandom Summer 2026 hosted by @welcometothejianghu
Whumpmas in July 2026 hosted by @whumpmasinjuly
Whumperless Whump Event 2026 hosted by @whumperless-whump-event
Yuriful Week 2026 hosted by @missdema [20-26 July]
Did we miss your favourite multifandom event in July on tumblr, Dreamwidth, or Pillowfort? Let us know in the comments!
What the hay? You’re not familiar with Be A Goldfish? Stay cool, we got you! Find details, links, and more in our pinned and our RuleDoc. It’s not too late to join us for multifandom, multimedia, microbang fun!
richmond, london. a ted lasso photojournal for @bag-bang. kodak gold 200 35mm shot on my nikon n55. thoughts below the cut.
also on my dw & my pf.
i shot these in january whilst staying in north greenwich over the holidays. it was my first visit to richmond and i was so fond of the borough that over lunch at l'assaggino richmond, an italian restaurant on paved court across for the ted lasso store, i genuinely began looking at available flats. upon my arrival on the district line, i walked from the underground station to richmond green, where i spent of bit of time reading, wandering, and taking pictures. i proceeded to have a pint at the prince's head pub, fictionalized in the show as the crown & anchor. one of its rooms is ted lasso themed complete with photos, art, and framed jerseys, and an afc richmond scarf hangs above the bar. next, i walked paved court, the street where ted and beard live, took a selfie in front of ted's door, and spent a small fortune at the ted lasso store before lunch. a good day!
it must be stated that i am very new to film photography and therefore fairly clumsy. i bought a point-and-shoot minolta memory maker off facebook marketplace in glasgow and played with it for a month or two before my dad gave me a nikon n55. both good cameras in their own right, but very different practically. the thing with a point-and-shoot camera is that it requires very limited thought. it's on the tin. you turn the flash on, snap a photo, and it usually comes out decent. the n55 is a proper camera, comparatively speaking, and thus requires a great deal more fiddling and knowledge. i haven't a great deal of patience for fiddling nor camera knowledge and so a lot of my photography lately has come out mediocre-to-bad. all this to say that i am entirely aware that these pictures are not particularly good, but i'm happy with them nevertheless as they are representative of my early evolution as a photographer.
Ted Lasso Gets to Second Base with Trent Crimm, the Independent
by trentcrimminallybeautiful
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ted Lasso (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso
Characters: Trent Crimm, Ted Lasso
Additional Tags: Be a Goldfish Microbang 2026 B, Snippet, Ficlet, POV Trent Crimm, Heavy Petting, Making Out, Sloppy Makeouts, Snogging, Second Base, no clothes were lost in the making of this fic 😔
Series: Part 7 of BAG BANG 2026 B
Summary:
Ted and Trent make out sloppy style. Touching over clothes included.
by trentcrimminallybeautiful
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ted Lasso (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Trent Crimm/Roy Kent
Characters: Roy Kent, Trent Crimm
Additional Tags: Be a Goldfish Microbang 2026 B, Snippet, Tumblr Prompt, Makeshift Gag, gagged with tie, Gags, Tie Kink, Amazing., Hate to Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers??? sort of?? from Roy's perspective anywy, try to stay quiet, Overstimulation, Top Roy Kent, Bottom Trent Crimm, Dom Roy Kent, Dom/sub Undertones, Microfic, Feelings Realization, Kind Of, fantasies, Fantasizing
Series: Part 6 of BAG BANG 2026 B, Part 3 of balls prompts lol [unconnected]
Summary:
Roy accidentally develops a pretty specific fantasy about Trent Crimm.
For the prompt "Roy/Trent + Somnophilia + Staying Quiet + Makeshift Gag".
(From @shesandback 's prompt, but I can't answer the ask yet because it has multiple lol)
by trentcrimminallybeautiful
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ted Lasso (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso
Characters: Trent Crimm
Additional Tags: Be a Goldfish Microbang 2026 B, Snippet, Smut, Sex that isn't sex but is somehow more sex than sex, Non-Sexual Submission, but it's kind of sexual in vibes. but like. there's no, actual genitalia touchin and such, Pet Play, not really in the animal way just in the like. human pet way, fantasies, Fantasizing, Self-Esteem Issues, Gay Trent Crimm, Collars, Submission, theres just a liiiittle mention of a blow job, that doesnt hppen, Sub Trent Crimm, Pre-Relationship, Leashes (tragically only mentioned briefly)
Series: Part 5 of BAG BANG 2026 B
Summary:
When you're gay and you have weird specific not-even-that-sexual-yet-still-so-incredibly-horny fantasies about your totally straight crush…
