Announcing the May Trope Mayhem Prompt List for 2026!

[duckprintspress]

May Trope Mayhem is a multi-fandom/original creation event open to writers, artists, and creators of all kinds! Our creators have shared their favorite tropes, and we’ve put together a list of 31, one per day through the month of May. We encourage creators to join us for this month of fun tropey mayhem.
Our goal is to promote motivation and help with habit building, so we’re encouraging authors to keep their ficlets under 1,000 words, artists to stick to making just a sketch, gif makers to only do a single image, etc., as applicable to whatever you’re making.
This event is primarily held on Tumblr, but you’re welcome to participate anywhere Duck Prints Press has an account (you can see all our current platforms here) and we’ll keep our eyes on our tag everywhere!
How can you participate? It’s easy! There’s just a few simple rules:

• write a ficlet or a poem, create art, make a gif, or create any other content that you want, aligned with the prompt for the day!
• post your correctly tagged fills to Tumblr, and we’ll reblog them! We’ll reskeet works on Bluesky, retoot those on Mastodon, you get the idea. Note: we do not use Twitter.
• you must tag warnings such as gore, MCD, sexual content, etc., so that people can make informed decisions!
• please also tag fandom and ship, so people can find what interests them!
• we ask that you put the tags at the top of your post, so they’re easy to find.
• if you write more than 1k words and post the whole text on Tumblr or wherever, please use a read more if the platform allows.
• if you create something with NSFW content or potentially triggering material, please put the entire work under a read more.

Ping us (duckprintspress) or tag your creations “#may trope mayhem” and so we can find them! We’ll reblog all fills that follow the above rules and are posted between May 1st and June 8th, 2026. Posting starts May 1st!
If you post to AO3, you can also add them to our collection there!
You don’t have to sign up for May Trope Mayhem, just post your fills. You don’t have to be a member of the Press nor do you have to be following us. You don’t have to be part of a specific fandom. We’re open to all ships, genres, formats, ratings, kinks, etc.! You can post whatever properly tagged content you want. You don’t have to post fills on the corresponding day, though we ask that if you’re creating for a day that hasn’t happened yet, please wait for that day to post.

Participating in May Trope Mayhem? Want to chat fandom, books, creation, and more? Join our Book Lover’s Discord Server!

This is a low-pressure event, held in good fun, and we look forward to seeing what you create!

MAY TROPE MAYHEM Prompt List Text Version:

1. Marriage of Convenience
2. Doesn’t Know What “Netflix and Chill” Means
3. Battle Couple/Throuple/Moreple
4. Road Trips
5. Sentient Locations
6. Came Back Wrong
7. Academic Relationships
8. Heel-Face Turn
9. Mirror of Truth Used Badly
10. Overthrowing the System
11. Bound Together
12. Angel/Demon AU
13. This Group of Friends Shares One Braincell
14. Pirates
15. Heist
16. First Contact
17. Polycules
18. Nefarious Raccoons
19. Supernatural Transformation
20. Monster of the Week
21. Flower Shop/Tattoo Parlor
22. Mirror Universe
23. Social Media AU
24. Quarantined
25. Dopplegangers
26. Rivals to Lovers
27. Xenophilia
28. Circus AU
29. Duel of Honor
30. Magitech/Sufficiently Advanced Magic
31. Sports AU