After writing submissions are given in, are we still allowed to edit the work?
Hello! From the guidelines:
"By the complete fic deadline, fics should be completely written from start to finish with no portions missing or left as outlines. In other words, if you were asked to post your fic in its entirety on this date, you would be able to do so and feel confident that readers are receiving a complete story. You will have a period after this to make minor edits and revisions to your fic if desired. Fics must be at the word count minimum (5,000) by the first draft deadline and should not fall beneath the minimum throughout the editing process."
That is to say: yes you can edit, though all crucial scenes should already be included in your work!
[ID: A banner with the words “Malevolent Big Bang 2026” in a graffiti style font with pastel rainbow coloring. The background features John, a black humanoid from the shoulders-up wearing a yellow cloak. Behind John are bursts of red, blue, green and purple colors mixed among black swirls and spirals. /End ID]
We are thrilled to announce that Artist and Pinch Hitter signups are open for the Malevolent Big Bang 2026!
Once you submit your signup form, you will be sent an email with an invitation to the event Discord server within 24 hours. If you are already in the event Discord, you will still receive this email, but you do not have to leave and rejoin the server–simply reintroduce yourself in the intros channel after you have submitted your signup form. We ask that all participants join the server for the duration of the event, though we will also be sending out all important event information via email as well as via the Discord server. If you do not receive an email, please send us an ask or email [email protected].
Artist Sign-up
-> Artist sign-up is open from July 13th, 2026 until 11:59 pm EDT on July 22nd.
-> Artists will be assigned to a single fic for this event.
-> Must be 18+ at time of sign up.
-> The permitted forms of art are digital/scanned art, podfic (an audio recording of a fic read aloud), physical artworks (including bookbinding, embroidery, jewelry, knitting/crochet, papercrafting, quilting, sculpture, etc.), and other digital artforms such as fanvideos, musical compositions, etc. If you’re unsure if your art form qualifies, please send us an ask!
-> Please note that artworks made with generative AI are not acceptable for this event.
Welcome to the 2026 Malevolent Big Bang. We're so excited to work with you!
If you are interested in participating in this event as an arti
Pinch Hitter Sign-up
-> Pinch Hitter sign-up is open from July 13th, 2026 until 11:59 pm EDT on July 29th.
-> In the event that we cannot find an artist match for a fic via the standard matching process, or a writer becomes unpaired due to artist drops, we will contact those who have registered as pinch hitters to help out.
-> There is no guarantee that a fic will go up for a pinch hit during this event; please keep this in mind when signing up to be a pinch hitter.
-> Must be 18+ at time of sign up.
Welcome to the 2026 Malevolent Big Bang. We're so excited to work with you!
If you are interested in participating in this event as a pinch
If you are interested in participating as both an artist and a pinch hitter, please fill out both forms.
Be sure to read the Rules, FAQ, and review the event schedule before signing up. Looking forward to kicking off the 2026 season!
Hey! A pinch hitter is an artist that fills in for artists that drop out of the bang, to ensure that every bang fic receives at least one piece of art. Specifically, we reach out to pinch hitters if all artists for a fic drop; as many fics have more than one artist for this event, we typically do not contact pinch hitters if only one artist from a group of multiple artists drops. Additionally, we might reach out to pinch hitters if we cannot find an artist match for a fic via the standard matching process. There is no guarantee that a fic will go up for a pinch hit during this event, though we typically have at least one pinch hit per year!
Pinch hits are sent out via the event Discord server. If you accept a pinch hit, you’re committing to creating at least one piece of art for the fic in question by the stated deadline. The requirements for that artwork, and all other expectations, will be identical to those found in the Artists section of the FAQ and Rules.
[ID: A banner with the words “Malevolent Big Bang 2026” in a graffiti style font with pastel rainbow coloring. The background features John, a black humanoid from the shoulders-up wearing a yellow cloak. Behind John are bursts of red, blue, green and purple colors mixed among black swirls and spirals. /End ID]
Hello everyone! This is a reminder that Malevolent Big Bang artist and pinch hitter signups will open in one week (July 13th, 2026)! Be sure to check this blog on July 13th, around noon EST, to find a link to our artist and pinch hitter signup forms.
If you're interested in signing up, please read over our rules, FAQ, and schedule to ensure that you are able to meet the event requirements. This is an event for fans 18 and older. Artists will be asked to complete a single piece of artwork for their assigned fic. Permitted artforms include:
Writer signups are officially closed for the 2026 Malevolent Big Bang! Thank you to all who signed up--we're excited to see what you create! If you haven't joined the Discord yet via the invite sent to the email you signed up with, please do so. If you didn't get an email yet inviting you to join the event Discord, please send us an ask or email us at [email protected].
As a reminder, beta signups will remain open until 11:59 PM EST on July 12! Artist and pinch hitter signups will open on July 13, so watch this space for those forms if you're interested. Send us an ask or an email if you have any other questions!
would i be able to sign up as a beta reader and an artist? do i have to pick one or the other?
Yes! You can sign up as both an artist and a beta. Go ahead and sign up as a beta for now, and when artist signups happen, you can simply fill out the second sign up form then.
Malevolent Big Bang 2026: Writer and Beta Sign Ups are OPEN!
[ID: A banner with the words "Malevolent Big Bang 2026" in a graffiti style font with pastel rainbow coloring. The background features John, a black humanoid from the shoulders-up wearing a yellow cloak. Behind John are bursts of red, blue, green and purple colors mixed among black swirls and spirals. /End ID]
Hello everyone! We're happy to announce that writer and beta sign up forms are now open.
Once you submit your signup form, you will be sent an email with an invitation to the event Discord server within 24 hours. If you are already in the event Discord, you will still receive this email, but you do not have to leave and rejoin the server – simply reintroduce yourself in the intros channel after you have submitted your signup form. We ask that all participants join the server for the duration of the event, though we will be sending out all important event information via email as well as via the Discord server. If you do not receive an email, please send us an ask or email [email protected].
Writer Sign-up
-> Writer sign-up is open from May 1st, 2026 until 11:59 pm EDT on May 10th.
-> Writers will commit to writing one (1) fic of at least 5,000 words. Fics must be standalone works centered around Malevolent canon.
-> Must be 18+ at time of sign up.
Welcome to the 2026 Malevolent Big Bang. We're so excited to work with you!
If you are interested in participating in this event as a write
Beta Sign-up
-> Beta reader sign-up is open from May 1st, 2026 until 11:59 pm EDT on July 12th.
-> Writers will request beta readers based on information provided in the sign up form (what topics you want to beta for, maximum word count, etc). Be as specific as possible when answering the questions!
-> Must be 18+ at time of sign up.
Welcome to the 2026 Malevolent Big Bang. We're so excited to work with you!
If you are interested in participating in this event as a beta
Be sure to read the Rules, FAQ, and review the event schedule before signing up. Looking forward to kicking off the 2026 season!
