#“Year of the OTP” challenge for 2023

[smoothdogsgirl]

February - Established Long Distance Relationship

Pairing: Brock Reynolds

Warnings: Deployments, Care Packages

Words: 943

Summary: Brock and the team get surprises during mailcall while on deployment in J-Bad.

In a Discord group I belong to, there was a post for a "Year of the OTP" challenge for 2023.

Disclaimer: This is fanfic work; no money is being made from this story. All recognizable characters belong to their respective creative authors, studios or producers.

Masterlist

“Mail call you clowns,” Sonny yells as he joins the guys around the fire pit. He opens the mailbag, “alright, let's see what we have for Bravo Team.” Reaching in, he pulls out a medium size box, “Ray, here’s a little bit of home.” He then tosses it over to him. He reaches in and grabs the next package, “bossman, it looks like the kiddos sent you something too.” On the next grab, he pulls out some letters, “heads up,” he shouts, and when Trent and Metal look at him, he flings the letters to them. They each catch them before they have a chance to hit the floor. He stuffs the last letter into his back pocket as it’s addressed to him. Shaking the bag, he realizes there is one more package inside; when he pulls it out, he grins, “looks like someone is sending Brock and Cerberus some love too.” He then tosses it to the man in question. 

There is some friendly teasing as Ray and Jason open the packages from their families. Emma and Mickey had mailed their father a card, chocolates, seeds for his vegetable garden, and baby wipes. Now Naima and the kids had sent Ray some homemade cards, cookies, drawings, candy, and baby wipes. 

“So, Broccoli, whatcha get?” Sonny asked.

Causing the other guys to look in Brock's direction as he finishes cutting tape on his box, he chuckles; it’s a heavy-duty heart-shaped Kong toy and a jar of all-natural peanut butter. On the lid is a heart-shaped sticker and the name Cerb. Brock whistles, and Cerberus gets up, stretching lazily while yawning, ambling over to his handler, and sitting by his feet. 

Brock takes his knife, spreading a glob of peanut butter on the Kong Toy before handing it to Cerberus, who sniffs it briefly before biting it and retreating to his spot near the fire pit.

Digging back into the package, he pulls out a Ziploc container of homemade chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies, a container of baby wipes, a small container of homemade dog treats, a new hard copy of his favorite book ‘The Martian,’ a homemade DVD and a card in an envelope.

“Who’s sending you all those goodies, Broccoli?” Sonny asked from his seat next to Brock, eyeing the container of cookies.

“Not to mention, who knows your pup so well?” Trent asked, nodding at Cerberus, who was still munching on his toy. 

“Spill brother,” Metal’s low, gruff voice causes Brock to jump a little as he comes up, setting a bottle of beer next to his camping chair. 

Brock rubs the back of his neck; he smiles at the guys and places the package on the ground leaving the book and card on his lap. He then looks at all of the guys, “Keep your paws off of my cookies, or I’ll sick the hair missile on you. You’ll be his training dummy.”

Opening the card, he can’t help but smile when he reads the contents,

Cracking the book's cover, he places the card inside, flips the pages, and stops at page 316. Lying between the pages is a 3D ultrasound image. He picks it up, taking in all of the child’s features. Brock is so lost in thought he doesn’t see Trent get up to grab snacks. 

“Cute kid, you gonna be an uncle?” Trent asks, seeing the picture.

Brock grins at the man, “Nah, man, I’m gonna be a dad. This is my kid.”

Everything around the fire pit stops; the guys look at him. 

“What’d you just say, Broccoli?” Sonny asks his Texas accident even thicker than usual.

Picking up the image and showing it to the group, “I said I’m gonna be a dad.” Noting writing on the back of the image, “make that a girl, dad. This is a picture of my daughter.”

Ray smiles at him, “welcome to the club, brother. There is nothing quite like it.”

Jason nods his head in agreement, unsure of what else to say.

“So, who’s the baby momma Broccoli? Can’t believe you finally managed to get some and didn’t tell us?” 

Brock growls at Sonny, “my daughter isn’t the result of some one-night stand. And trust me, man, getting some has never been a problem.” 

Sonny holds up his hands in surrender.

“So you’re saying you have a girlfriend?” Clay asks, giving Sonny a reproachful look.

“Not what I said either,” Brock replies with a shoulder shrug.

“Quit being cryptic, dog boy. Tell us what’s going on.” Metal states before taking a swig of his beer.

“My wife is the one who is pregnant. It wasn’t exactly planned, but not unwanted either. We found out the week before the deployment that she’s pregnant.”

Trent tilts his head, “since when are you married?”

“We got married two days after returning from our last deployment to J-Bad. It was just us, the dogs, a JP on a floating dock in False Cape State Park at sunset.”

“So, almost a year and a half?” Trent clarifies.

Brock shrugs, “that sounds about right?”

“Dogs?” Clay questions.

“We couldn’t exactly get married without Cerberus and Artemis. Before you ask, Artemis is a two-year-old sable German shepherd.” Brock replied.

“How long have you guys been together?” Trent asks.

“We met just before I went through BUDs. We’ve been together ever since.” Glancing down at his watch, he does the calculations in his head for the time difference to Va Beach. “This has been fun, ladies, but I’m going to go call my girls.” Grabbing his things, he whistles, and together he and Cerberus head to their hootch to make a video call home.

Note:

The letter in this story was written in Dutch. I decided since that is the language he gives Cerb commands in, he picked it because he speaks it, and so does his wife. Here is a close approximation of what the letter says. I had a friend of mine do the Dutch translation.

Hey Babe, I’m missing you and our furry kid. The bed is cold without my two heat sources. Here are a few little things for when you get a minute of downtime. Only a few more weeks and this deployment will be over; we can’t wait to have you home. I had a new ultrasound technician at my last appointment, and she accidentally spilled the beans on our March surprise. So if you look at the page corresponding to that date, you will know too. That being said, when you come home, you better have a list of names ready. Love you, Babe

[bonhughbon]

Anyway, late once again. And I'm tired at this point of publishing this. But I enjoy this challenge!

I WILL SKIP NOVEMBER tho. Because I have a lot in my hand and I don't have any much ideas for the November prompts, so yes. Will be skipping that month.

Anyway, here's for @yearoftheotpevent for October. This previous month's prompt: Text Messaging!

FF.Net's link is here!

[yearoftheotpevent]

hello fan creators!

Year of the OTP is officially back for 2025 with a new set of prompts!

we've switched some of the prompt categories around in an effort to make the event more inclusive of all kinds of fanworks. we've also included song prompts this year! the playlist is on spotify here.

we want to give a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the last event - it grew so much larger than we ever expected and it's truly amazing how you all took our last set of prompts and made so many wonderful things. keep it up!

a couple housekeeping notes: we will not be reblogging every entry this year. mods will keep an eye on the blog if you have any questions, but the reblogs were too much last time. thank you for your understanding!

we will be closing the 2023 collection on December 31. thank you for your continued participation, but it's time to look forward!

the link for the new collection will be posted here January 1.

we're looking forward to seeing what you create this year!

alt text below the cut.

Year of the OTP 2025

The Rules: the Ao3 collection accepts any /-ship works inspired by a prompt from this sheet The Challenge: make 12 works for one ship in one year, using prompts from each month

*you do not need to do the challenge to post to the AO3 collection, as long as you follow the rules*

January first kiss ♦ “may I have this dance” ♦ sharing clothes ♦ BDSM AU ♦ stockholm syndrome ♦ Strong – One Direction

February Valentine’s Day ♦ “it made me think of you” ♦ bed sharing ♦ multiple penetration ♦ mind control/mind break ♦ Like Real People Do – Hozier

March fresh starts ♦ “what are you doing with that”♦ florist/tattoo artist ♦ phone sex ♦ major character death ♦ Take Care – Drake

April pranks ♦ “right in front of my salad” ♦ running away together ♦ dom bottom/sub top ♦ raised to be a killer ♦ Drops of Jupiter – Train

May hanahaki ♦ “we’re dating? since when?” ♦ body swap ♦ magical sex toys ♦ stalking ♦ Paper Rings – Taylor Swift

June pride ♦ “I can’t get you out of my mind” ♦ relationship reveal ♦ unconventional sex positions ♦ paying a debt with your body ♦ Good Looking – Dixon Dallas

July vacation together ♦ “I like my _ how I like my coffee” ♦ kidfic ♦ mutual masturbation ♦ dehumanization ♦ You May Be Right – Billy Joel

August Sports AU ♦ “you’re thinking too much”♦ cooking together ♦ object insertion/ penetration ♦ becoming a monster ♦ You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC

September high school/college sweethearts ♦ “come here” ♦ date night gone wrong ♦ semi-public sex ♦ abduction ♦ Thinking Bout You – Frank Ocean

October costumes ♦ “boo” ♦ online dating ♦ shibari ♦ mutual non-con ♦ Mr. Brightside – The Killers

November camping ♦ “are you sure” ♦ touch-starved ♦ cockwarming ♦ abusive relationship ♦ A Thousand Years – Christina Perri

December holiday traditions ♦ “where are you taking me” ♦ bathing together ♦ food play ♦ tortured for information ♦ Everything Is Alright – Laura Shigihara

[zenkindoflove]

Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary returning to writing fanfic. This is going to be a bit of a sappy post reflecting on the last year and celebrating some of my wins/new things I've challenged myself to do.

October 17, 2023 is when I started to write the very first chapter of Burn Forever with Me. I had finished the ACOTAR series about two weeks before and had spent those two weeks reading all the Elucien fic I could. I could feel I had a story in me, so I set out to write it in a month thinking that would be it and I would get it out of my system.

It had been a while since I had written. From 2006-2012 I wrote fanfic very regularly across a few different fandoms. Most of those stories can't be found online anymore. I took a three year hiatus from my Big Bang Theory multichapter fic at the end of 2012, and didn't finish it until 2015 when I had a burst of motivation. I didn't write again until another burst of motivation hit me (Game of Thrones ending) and wrote another one-shot in 2019.

By this point in 2023, I kind of thought my fanfic writing days were behind me. I didn't expect this new resurgence in my life that came about because of this series/this ship. I've tried so many new things writing for this fandom and pushed my writing in directions I never anticipated.

Since last year I have... -published 441,592 words. -published 20 fics (a mix of multichapter and one-shots) -completed four multichapter long fics (huge for me because I used to abandon multichapter fics all the time in my first era) -Written for several ships, including rare pairs, not just my OTP which is all I did in the past -Created many OCs, including my focal OC Alexius. Up until now I thought I was kind of hopeless when it came to writing original characters. -Wrote fanfic for three appreciation weeks -Wrote MM smut for the first time, and lots of it. I have been reading MM smut for two decades, but did not have a calling to write for a specific ship until Eris x Alexius -Co-written two fics with @crazy-ache -pushed myself in what styles of writing I tackle, including writing epistolary for the first time as well as challenging myself to write action/fight scenes which always scared me in the past -world building in general also used to scare me and now I think it feels so much more approachable as I've been filling in SJM's holes. -I think my smut writing has evolved a lot too. While I wrote smut in the past and I think I established what my writing voice/style was for smut, I have really had the opportunity to solidify it and try it in different scenes and contexts. I feel a lot more confident than I did back then.

I wanted to highlight these because I think as writers, we are often too hard on ourselves, and it helps to put into context all of the ways we've improved if we are mindful of our progress. I definitely encourage you to sit down one day and remind yourself of all the new things you've done from your starting place. Making this list really put into context all the ways I've changed as a writer in just a year.

I still have a lot more I want to do and new challenges to face in the next year. I hope if you read this, it does help to show you that you can take long breaks and even if you take a step back from writing, you will always be a writer and it'll always be a hobby you can return to and improve your skills, no matter how long its been.

[goldeneyedgirl]

year of the otp challenge 2025.

january prompt: sharing clothes.

Yes, I'm trying this challenge again because I loved it in 2023. This one is from Runaway-verse; just a little warm-up riff on Jasper's Return after he takes a few months away to roam with Peter and Charlotte. Yes, the xbox tee has returned and I think is practically canon to all my fics now.

runaway-verse, beginning of alice's senior year

It’s after midnight when Jasper finally makes it back to Forks. It’s been a long run - Peter and Charlotte had decided to stay in the Yukon, and he’d gone on ahead. It had been tempting to linger for a few more days, but he had promised to be back a week before school resumed. Carlisle would be annoyed with him, and Alice would be furious - she had barely been onboard with his summer plans in the beginning, and she still had a lot of attachment issues and anxiety. Esme was going to bribe her into some kind of therapy with the offer of her own car, but Jasper was staying out of that.

He privately hated the idea of Alice going to therapy, just because remembering to keep the cover story for the Cullens straight in front of a doctor would probably stress her out even more. But Esme was nothing if not determined. And he couldn’t get too mad - when Alice was stressing out to the point of panic attacks over his departure, it had been Esme who had swooped in and planned out Alice’s entire summer in three-week blocks to distract her from his absence - a trip to Isle Esme, a pre-college art camp in New Hampshire, up to Alaska to see the cousins, shopping trips in New York and Boston, dance classes in Seattle… the list had been endless.

So had the silence - Carlisle had encouraged Jasper to take a satellite phone for emergencies, and leave his cellphone behind so that Alice wasn’t bombarding him with messages the second he left the property line.

“This is just as much for you as it is for her,” Carlisle had said kindly. “Having a human so dependent on you is a massive undertaking, Jasper. The rest of us can lean on each other when it becomes overwhelming, but you have a unique bond and… I don’t want you to suffer for it, and have it affect the very precious relationship that you share - especially when you’ve been working so hard on your control and blending in. You should enjoy your summer. If you want to speak to Alice, you have the satellite phone. We will keep her safe, and I promise that if anything occurs that you need to know about, I will contact you.”

It had felt very strange to leave Alice behind, standing on the porch barefoot and looking about twelve years old as he vanished into the woods. She’d felt lost and anxious in those brief moments before distance broke his reading of her emotions, and the only thing that stopped him from turning around to comfort her was the fact that Esme was waiting just offside to take Alice in and comfort her.

Peter had teased him mercilessly when he had absently mentioned going into towns and cities for Alice for the first few weeks; turning around to check that she was keeping up when she wasn’t even with them.

He’d spoken to Alice three times in nearly twelve weeks. The first time, Alice had had a panic attack when he’d gone to end the call, which had gotten Esme involved. The second time, she’d had a nightmare and called him at four in the morning to demand he stay the fuck out of Colorado, refusing to go into detail about why. The third time was from Isle Esme, wanting to know if he was close by and willing to join the family at the beach; he’d been up the very top of Canada and hearing her hopeful voice had almost been enough to send him immediately to Brazil until Charlotte had told him he was being an idiot.

It was the longest they’d been apart in years.

Leaving his coat and boots in a reeking pile to be dealt with - probably burnt - in the morning, Jasper crept through the back door. He expected it to be a pretty ordinary night - Alice would be asleep upstairs, Edward would be watching Bella sleep, Rosalie and Emmett would probably be upstairs or hunting, and Carlisle and Esme would be somewhere in the house. His plan was to shower, check in with Carlisle, and then read until Alice woke up.

Except he walked in to find the entire family sprawled out in the living room, with a movie playing - Bella was there too, and asleep on Edward’s shoulder.

“Welcome home,” Rosalie said, as soon as she noticed him. “We’re on hour eight of waiting for you to show.” She sounded irritated, but made no move to turn the movie off or move from her position, her legs thrown across Emmett’s lap.

“Alice wanted to wait up for you,” Esme explained, motioning to what Jasper had mistaken for a pile of pillows - wedged in the centre of the pile was Alice, curled up in a tight ball, sound asleep. “I’m afraid exhaustion won in the end.”

“Had to double back coming back into the states, took longer than I thought,” he said. “Let me shower before you wake her up.”

It’s the fastest wash he’s ever had, and he adds the jeans and sweatshirt into the hamper of unsalvageable clothing - twelve weeks of animal blood, mud, venom, and general filth had taken their toll, and he never wanted to see any of those garments again.

He’s coming back downstairs when he hears Esme talking in a low voice.

“Alice, sweetheart, Jasper’s home.”

He’s not expecting the immediate reaction, of a disheveled head popping up out of nowhere and looking around before she locks onto him.

He’s expecting her flinging herself over the back of the couch, still barely awake, at him even less.

And he… well, Jasper didn’t think Alice would change that much in twelve weeks. Alice didn’t change. She grew older, yes, and she’d gained weight since they’d joined the Cullens, and she was definitely taller than she had been when he first met her.

But the girl he’d left behind had still been his Alice, a slightly more grown up version of the kid he’d found in a park at night. There was no single word for what Alice truly was to him - Edward called them platonic soulmates, and it worked as well as anything else. She was a precious commodity, the entity his existence revolved around. He knew it, she knew it, the family knew it; they all vividly remembered the day that Rosalie had suggested boarding school for Alice, when Jasper had first joined them. He hadn’t reacted well, and it had ended with a broken coffee table, Emmett ready to defend Rose to the point of violence, and Alice pleading with Jasper to calm down, she wasn’t going anywhere. She would of course stay with him and the rest of the family.

And the changes wouldn’t have been so obvious if he’d been around this summer. This was on him.

But the shock on his face is obvious to them all. He’s going to regret that.

This version of Alice is a young woman. She’s cut her long hair off and now it falls in soft little waves to her chin, accentuating her neck and the shape of her face. She’s at least another inch taller now, at the roughly five-feet Carlisle always said she’d be.

And she’s wearing one of his old t-shirts over shorts. It’s hilariously too large for her, hanging down to her knees and leaving one shoulder bare, but she looks gorgeous in it. She is gorgeous, even sleep rumpled and clinging to him like her life depends on it.

“Jasper, you’re home,” she says, her face muffled in his shirt. She still smells the same, her emotions still feel the same, and he gathers her up in a hug. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” Carlisle’s given him several talks over the years about how humans change and grow. He thought he understood that Alice would change. He’d witnessed it - how many new clothes had he found her, how many times had he braided her hair, how many times had he answered her questions. He had witnessed all of it - he’d been at her side since she was thirteen years old, and now she was… almost eighteen.

Eighteen. It was like she’d waited until he was gone to finish growing up.

(She’d worn his clothes numerous times before, wrapping herself in giant hoodies when she was cold or it was raining; borrowing his old hunting shirts to paint in; throwing on one of his button ups when she went swimming at the river or sunbathing before Carlisle caught her and lectured her on the risks of skin cancer. He’s not sure why a threadbare Xbox t-shirt has him flummoxed. He’s lived through the era of corsets, of bra burning and free love, and now he can’t stop staring at a teenage girl in an oversized t-shirt as Alice pulls him back towards the living room.)

“You’re late, you said Tuesday - it’s technically Wednesday,” Alice manhandles him back into their spot, amongst the cushions and immediately crawls on top of him when he sits down. “Tell me everything, where did you go?”

He makes the mistake of looking at the rest of the family then, and immediately regrets it - Emmett and Edward are giving him looks to kill. Edward’s is just a narrowed glare, thanks to Bella still sleeping next to him, but Emmett’s is a flat-out threat of murder.

This is not what he agreed to when Carlisle suggested a summer vacation - his brothers plotting his imminent murder, Rosalie watching the movie with pointed focus, Esme exchanging looks with Carlisle and Carlisle visibly trying not to laugh.

All whilst Alice buries her face in his neck and demands he tell her everything he’s been up to, whilst Bella drools - and snores faintly - against Edward.

Shit.

(Alice smells like peaches and saltwater and him, and somewhere Peter is laughing his ass off that the Major of Monterrey has just been undone by his best friend in his old shirt.)

He’s in so much trouble.

[imaginarycyberpunk2023]

OTP: Lite Sneeze // Macha Richter and Vinnie Gallo

The 5th Element: Love

This concludes my witch element series for Macha. I think this is the most important of the elements because without love, no magic would be possible, right?

Water / Earth / Air / Fire

I'm very proud of this series, seeing them all together like this. Maybe my best work so far.

On a very personal note, keeping love alive was the biggest challenge I faced last year, and I, like Macha, use all my power to conjure it. It's hard work. And rewarding work. This was the last VP shoot of 2023, and it made/makes me very emotional to be able to begin this shippy year showing these.

Thank you @nananarc for this amazingly versatile prop (AMM addon)

[moistvonlipwig]

Fandom Wrap-Up 2024

Total words of fanfiction published: 25,807

Fandoms written for: Once Upon a Time, Supergirl, Teen Wolf

Events participated in: Scottuary 2024, OUAT Appreciation Week 2024

Fanfic I’m proudest of: This one has to go to my Supergirl fic "the most recent evidence seems to favor the sea gulls" (AO3 | SquidgeWorld), not just because it's long as hell and covers a ton of ground but also because I really challenged myself to do new things with it (choose-your-own-adventure format! POV of a character whose canon version I sometimes struggle to really grasp!) and I think the end result turned out really well. So that's definitely my magnum opus for the year.

Other fanworks I’m proudest of: I'm really proud of my BtVS meta "Eternity, Growing Up, and Why Buffy Keeps Dating Vampires"; I think it's one of my best analyses ever. I really love this Amphibia edit I made to Mary Ruefle's poem "The Tenor of Your Yes." I think this OUAT edit showing the main characters as animals is just plain cute, frankly. And I'm incredibly happy with my second ever fanvid, my Amphibia AMV “In the 99” (Tumblr | YouTube), which was more ambitious than my first fanvid and IMO has smoother editing.

Events I’m looking forward to next year: Scottuary 2025, High/Low Zine

Projects for next year: Aside from my projects for the aforementioned events, probably my biggest priority for next year is finishing my Steven Universe WIP "Hard But Brittle," which I started almost two years ago at this point. I also have a Buffyverse fic and a Teen Wolf fic that I've made good progress on that I hope to publish relatively early in the year. I also have yet to finish out my fics from the Year of the OTP 2023 event; I got one of them done this year, but I still have four left. I know the basic premises of all of them at this point, I just have to write them. And...I have a ton of other WIPs that may or may not see the light of day in 2025, I guess we'll have to see what happens. I'm also planning 2 AMVs that I'm hoping to put out next year -- one for Revolutionary Girl Utena and one for Adventure Time. I'm super excited about both of them, but it takes me a while to plan AMVs, so I'm not sure when they'll actually get published.

I’m no-pressure tagging:

@nocticola, @02511213942, @loisfreakinglane, @jioinfocommlimited, @sideguitars

@spikeface, @rhyslahey, @all-seeing-ifer, @coraniaid

...& anyone else who wants to do an end-of-year fandom retrospective, whether it’s about fic, art, gifs, vids, meta, or whatever other preferred medium you work in. Feel free to use whatever format you want, you don’t have to use mine. But tag me if you do it! :)

[arshipweek]

AR Ship Week - Fandom in 2024

Another year, another shipweek, and another State of the AR Shipping Fandom post. This is the first weekly post leading up to the Alex Rider Ship Week. Just under 4 weeks to go!

This post focuses on pre-S3 fandom, since the data was scraped before the season was released, but we might do an update for post-S3 fics. For methodology, it can be found both on the graphic analysis pages and in the notes at the bottom of this post. For those only curious about the popular pairings this year (1), feel free to read right on.

This year, we have analysed a few specific shipping stats to get a look at us as a fandom.

We have also created an interactive dashboard of all the graphs for you to explore. This is where the following data was taken from, as well as some bonus visuals!

A Timeline of AO3

For a blast from the past, we took a look at the shipping timeline - the count of fics and authors per year for the top ten most popular AR ships - and found immediate proof that as a shipping fandom, we're still small enough that a few, determined people can make a difference. AR fandom's use of AO3 as its primary fandom purveyor is fairly recent, as most of its history can be found on FFnet, but with a total of just under 3k fics as of April 20th, we're gaining on FFnet's 4.5k of AR fics at a very respectable pace.

Some particular developments were:

The number of Yalex authors was about the same in 2021 - 2023 (just around 40) but the number of Yalex fics in 2022 was almost double that of 2021 and 2023. This was not due to a sudden, imported backlog that we could see but a handful of popular events/challenges and potentially the release of S2 in December of 2021.

Tom/Alex and Yassen/Ian both had a peak of fics in 2021, most likely because of the release of S1 that gave Tom a much larger part and offered an intriguing look at Yassen and Ian's potential past.

Fiona/Sabina had a huge spike in fics in 2023 due to a Femmeslash February event (2) that sent it firmly up the ranks of popular ships.

The State of the OTP

For the top ten AR ships, we also took a look at how many of the writers that had written other AR ships (and which ones) to look for interesting patterns and to see if there was any real difference to spot. As it turns out, the answer was a resounding yes:

At one extreme, we have Alexmis (Alex Rider/Artemis Fowl) which is a fandom unto itself. Only 20 percent of the writers of the pairing have written for other pairings in AR fandom fics, and Alexmis fics as a whole tend to lean more towards adding Alex to the Artemis Fowl world rather than vice versa (3).

In the middle range, we have Yalex and Alex/Wolf - two pairings about as old as the fandom itself, and which both have an OTP percentage around 55 - as well as (mostly) newcomers Tom/Alex and Kyra/Alex, both with an OTP percentage in the 40-50 range.

At the other extreme, we have Yassen/John with an OTP percentage of just 4. Fiona/Sabina does it one better with an OTP rate of 0 (!) but the sample size here is so small it makes no meaning to compare it.

So what other pairings do these writers enjoy indulging in, then?

Yalex writers really like their Yassen pairings. Out of the combined number of non-Yalex fics the Yalex authors have written, 24 percent of them are Yassen/Ian and 22 percent are Yassen/John. This means that almost half of their non-Yalex pairings feature Yassen in some way.

70 percent of John/Helen shippers have written other pairings, too - probably because of the pairing's nature as a background part of Alex's story and not necessarily the focus of a shipfic they're in. 30 percent of the fics written by John/Helen writers outside of the ship are Yalex (and 6 percent are Yassen/John).

The case is even more extreme for Yassen/John, which is firmly entwined with the Yalex pairing. 96 percent of the writers have written other AR ships, with three quarters of those fics being Yalex.

Text Analysis

Interactive dashboard with graphs and visuals

We also ran a text analysis on the shipfics to look for patterns and recurring details in the writing - first in general, then for specific ships. The amount of detail for each ship depends a lot on the sample size, which results in a detailed, varied word cloud for Yalex and somewhat less so for several of the smaller ships.

For that analysis, we recommend clicking around to explore the word clouds and get a feel for the different ships, but for the ambitious types, we have a word hunt ready as well (4):

Word Hunt, Significant Phrases edition:

Tools of the Trade:

Duct tape

Frying pan

Krav Maga

Sniper rifle

Zip ties

I Know That Reference:

Fer de Lance

Air Force

Albert Bridge

Point Blanc

Brecon Beacons

Getting Kinky:

Boxer briefs

Dimly lit

Lower lip

Pressed a kiss

Yes sir

Feel free to comment with any particularly entertaining/intriguing/otherwise just plain fun word cloud combinations you've spotted, and we will see you again next week!

______ 

Note on methodology:

The two Alex Rider sections (main + TV) were scraped over the course of two days in early March 2024, except for fics that were locked to AO3 users only (5). For the author specific statistics, we excluded orphan_account and anonymous authors. Median measures were chosen over average the majority of the time to account for outliers, especially in the case of the rarer pairings (6).

For ship-analysis, a fic counts under every pairing it has. This means that someone who writes Yassen/Alex, Yassen/John and Yassen/Ian in the same fic (7) will count as an author for all three pairings and under the Yalex OTP analysis, they will have an additional fic marked under both Yassen/John and Yassen/Ian.

(1) Yalex. It's Yalex. Look, we're not even going to bother posting the stats for that. It's still Yalex, trust us. Though we can talk again next year, considering how well Kyralex is currently doing post-S3. (2) Proving that a few, determined writers can make or break the non-Yalex ship rankings. Please use this power for good; if someone manages to get Sayle/Nadia Vole or something into the top three next year, I'm outsourcing that part of the stat post to a particularly enthusiastic raccoon with a keyboard. (3) Canonically, the wholesale kidnapping of Alex is pretty on-brand for Alex Rider supervillains so really, Artemis is in excellent company. (4) Technically two, but there is unsurprisingly a lot of overlap between the general wordcloud and the Yalex one. For those curious, here's the Word Hunt, Yalex edition:

Adam's apple

Bottle of lube

Cock

Index finger

Nerve endings

Pale skin

Scar tissue

(5) As of April 20th, 225 out of 2961 fics were locked to AO3 users. (6) Meaning anything non-Yalex, let's all be honest here. (7) Because sometimes, like a particularly persistent Pokémon player, Yassen also needs to catch them all. Traumas or Riders is dealer's choice.

[smoothdogsgirl]

January - First Kiss

Pairing: Olivia Benson x Rafael Barba

Warnings: Friendship

Words: 1500

Summary: This is an alternate ending to the episode "The Undiscovered Country."

The opening dialogue is paraphrased from the episode.

In a Discord group I belong to, there was a post for a "Year of the OTP" challenge for 2023.

Disclaimer: This is fanfic work; no money is being made from this story. All recognizable characters belong to their respective creative authors, studios or producers.

Masterlist

Olivia walks up to Rafael across the street from the courthouse, “I’m so sorry.”

Rafael looks at her perplexed, “why, what did you do?”

“I called you about the case. I brought you into this.”

Rafael turns and looks at the courthouse, “ You know, when we first started working together, what was it five years ago?”

Olivia chuckles a little bit, “try six years.”

Rafael inhales deeply and lets his breath out slowly. “The world was an old movie. It was all black and white. And it was high noon. I was Gary Cooper.”

A smile breaks out on Olivia’s face at his words.

“I was absolutely sure, absolutely… on who were the good guys… who were the bad guys. And then you… you came into my life. You started to weasel your way into my world, and the black and white became different shades of gray. Don’t say it.” Rafael pauses and looks at Olivia sheepishly. “Before I knew it, there were blues and greens and yellows and reds. I’m you now, Liv. You opened my heart. And I thank you for it.”

“And?” Olivia asks cautiously, unsure what he is trying to tell her.

“I’ve got to move on.” He tells her.

A small sob escapes Olivia, her lips tremble, and tears form in the corner of her eyes.

Rafael leans into Olivia he places a kiss on her lips. When he tries to pull back, Olivia wraps her arms over his shoulders and kisses him back. Several minutes later, they pull apart, and he rests his forehead against hers, both of their breaths coming in fast and unsteady. 

“Don’t leave Rafa,” Olivia quietly begs.

“Liv…” Rafael starts.

“Rafa, I understand you cannot stay at the DA’s office. But please don’t leave Noah and me. We need you.”

Rafael hugs her, unsure of how to respond to her statement. Olivia looks him in the eye and notes his uncertainty. “Come home with me. Noah will be happy to see you, and after he’s gone to bed, we can talk.”

“I can do that.”

************************************************************************

The sounds of laughter greet them as Olivia opens the door to her apartment. Noah is curled in a ball on the couch, and Lucy, his nanny, is tickling him. Rafael gently closes the apartment door behind him to avoid disturbing the scene. As he stands behind Olivia, she leans into him. 

Suddenly Noah looks up and lets out a yell. He scrambles off the couch and runs toward them. Olivia steps out of the way as Noah’s body collides with Rafaels. “Uncle Rafa, you’re here! It’s been forever! I’ve missed you so much! Are you staying for dinner?” Noah fires the questions off in quick succession. 

Rafael can’t help the laugh that escapes him, “Breathe, mijo, and I will answer your questions.” 

“How about before you interrogate Rafa, you let him come into the apartment, let him take off his coat, and get comfortable. and while he is doing that, you clean up your stuff.” Olivia suggests.

Noah sighs but turns to follow her request. 

“Hi, Liv,” Lucy states as she finishes shrugging on her jacket, “he hasn't had dinner, he wanted to wait for you. He finished all of his homework, and I’ve checked it all.”

“Do you want to join us for dinner?” Olivia asks Lucy.

“Not tonight; there’s a study group at the library tonight that I want to go to,” Lucy states as she shoulders her backpack. Lucy then heads out, waving a quick goodbye to Noah.

Rafael sits on the couch, relaxing as he settles into the seat; soon enough, Noah joins him. He is surprised when Noah leans against his side, snuggling in. So that both can be comfortable, he raises his arm, allowing Noah to slide in closer. “So, to answer your earlier comments. It has been a while, and I’m sorry for that….”

“Mom said that it was adult things,” Noah grumbled.

“She’s right, but I will talk to you about that eventually.” Rafael decided that he would need to talk to Olivia about how to approach this. “I’ve missed you as well, mijo.” He states, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Yes, I’ll be staying for dinner… Now it’s your turn. How are you? How’s school? And how do you like ballet?”

“I’m good, uncle Rafa, even better now that you’re here. School is ok. I really like the art class; we’re using clay now. It’s kinda messy but lots o fun. Mom told you I’m taking ballet classes? And you don't think that's weird?” Noah asked hesitantly.

“She did…Of course not. As long as you are enjoying the class and having fun, that is all that matters….” Rafael pauses for a moment, “has someone said something?

“There is this kid Mark in my class, and he’s been calling me names and making fun of me. He says ballet is for girls.” Noah tells him. 

Rafael turns in his seat a little to look Noah in the eye. Ballet is not just for girls. Anyone who thinks that is ignorant. As for the bullying, and yes, name calling and making fun of you, is that. Have you told a teacher, Lucy, or your mom?”

“No…I don’t want to make it worse.” Noah mumbled quietly, looking away from Rafael.

“Noah…Mijo.” Rafael states, pausing until Noah looks at him. You have done nothing wrong. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Just like, liking and taking dance doesn't make you weak. So I really think you should tell your mom. Ok?”

“Ok, uncle Rafa I’ll tell mom.” Noah acquiesces and hugs Rafael tightly around the waist. 

“Everything alright in here?” Olivia asks as she enters the room, “I’ve order pizza for dinner.”

“All good,” Rafael answered. 

Olivia then turned to Noah, “go take a shower and put on your pj’s. Pizza will be here by then.”

“But mom…” Noah started to argue.

“Noah, please do as your mom asked. I will still be here when you are finished.” Rafael interrupted, wanting to prevent an argument. 

“Fine,” Noah sighed, getting up from the couch and trudging to his bedroom. Olivia ruffles his hair as he passes, suppressing a chuckle.

************************************************************************

Later that evening, as Olivia is tucking Noah into his bed, he grabs her hand. She pauses what she is doing, “is everything, ok sweet boy.”

Noah lets go of her hand, snatches Eddie, the elephant, and hugs him tightly.

“Noah, you can tell me anything. I love you, sweet boy.” She says, trying to reassure him.

“I know, uncle Rafa…” he stopped, not wanting to get the man in trouble.

“Did uncle Rafa tell you to talk to me?” Olivia asked gently. At Noah’s corresponding nod, she squeezed his hand. “Neither one of you is in trouble. I’m glad you felt comfortable talking to uncle Rafa about what is bothering you. And when you are ready to tell me I’m here, just remember, no matter what, I will always love you, my sweet boy.”

Noah thought about her words for a few minutes before he began to speak in a low, muffled voice, Eddie still partially obstructing his face. “There is this boy Mark in my class. He’s been calling me names and making fun of me for taking ballet classes.”

Olivia takes a calming breath to quieten her inner mama bear, “honey Mark is wrong; there is absolutely nothing wrong with you taking ballet classes….”

“That’s what uncle Rafa said!” Noah exclaims.

“And uncle Rafa is right. As long as you are having fun and it makes you happy, that is all that matters. Do you want me to speak with Mark’s parents about this?” She asks Noah how he would like to proceed before he steps in.”

“Can you, mama?” Noah asks.

“I will speak with your teacher tomorrow and contact Mark's parents.”

“Thank you, mama,” Noah says as he sits up and hugs her. 

Once he’s settled back in the bed, Olivia hugs him back as she readjusts his blankets, tucking him back in and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Love you, sweet boy.”

“Love you, mama,” he mumbles as his eyes droop shut. 

Olivia rises from his bed and walks across the room, flipping the switch to turn off the bedside lamp. She leaves the door slightly ajar and returns to the living room. 

There she notes that Rafael cleaned up the remnants from dinner while she was gone. He is sitting on the couch with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled past the elbow as he scrolls through her Netflix account for something to watch. An open bottle of red wine and two poured glasses are on the table. She joins him on the couch, snuggling into him and pulling the throw blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping it around them both. “Thank you for loving us, Rafa.”

Rafael pulls her close and kisses the top of her head, “te amo mi amor.”

[bonhughbon]

The final YOTP is here! Man, it was a tiring but fun challenge! I don't love all of the works I made, but hey—it was something! 😅

Anyway, here's the final fic for this challenge. @yearoftheotpevent for December: Forgiveness. Enjoy!

FF.Net link is here!

[cookkoo]

I DID IT!!! agsdhjkaa

Drawtober 2023: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]

Or go to this [link] as it's easier to scroll

Ok I haven't done this since 2018 it feels weird asdfjka. But since I finally able to complete the challenge I feel like it's ok to talk about it

First of, thank you for all the hearts and the reblogs— the tags are great as usual lol. could never stressed this enough but these interactions really fire me up. So thank you!!

Now for the reflection part

tbh I was not really sure what I was trying to achieve when I started drawing this year challenge, but one thing is I draw way too little and there's not enough shumako content in my own sketchbook

Long story short, this challenge has been a great journey, I did surprised myself a lot of times, especially day12, hotdamn I never knew I could draw a back this hot asdfhgja. But also, for someone who have been holding the ideas of 'drawing is suffering, and it will always kills your ego because you will never be good enough' mentality, doing this challenge kinda fix that in a good way. Sure, my back still ache and I pulled way too many all nighters for my own good, but I really really enjoy almost every moment of these past two months.

(Let's not talk about the fact that it took me 2 months to finish O}-{)

I think I should add that working traditionally (altho it kinda turn into more of a mix media at some point) really was refreshing. Inking is a bit unforgiving in a way, but it does give my brain good exercise, looking for solutions when making a mistake. It also kinda forced me to stop overwork on some parts, forgive myself (since there's not much I could do with those thick paint) and move on.

Also, this challenge finally give me the opportunity to express my love to P5S asdfjagd. Srsly tho, it came out when I stuck in a very bad slump. So I'm very happy I got to draw the PT hanging out and enjoying their summer together

Anyhow! Since I'm actually completed it, I'm thinking of compiling them and turn them into a zine. So, one more time, I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I might comeback with a few more drawtober posts just because I wanna show how the zine gonna turn out asdfagj

If you read it this far then, uh, that's a lot of reading. Thank you once again for letting me cover your tl with my ted talk! lmao Hope you will stick around because I'm not done expressing my love to my OTP. Until then~!

[usamamoweek]

UsaMamo Week 2023 will be the week of July 23 - July 29! We’re posting these prompts early to help you prepare, and also realize by the time of the challenge that the Cosmos parts I and II will be streaming. We reserve the right to modify any prompts that may be “too soon” with Cosmos knowing the trauma about to befall our OTP. 

See below for the daily prompts. Every day has two to pick from–you are not required to use both. You can utilize as many or as few of the daily prompts as you are inspired to do. We would love to see any form of creative works – stories, drabbles, poetry, drawings, digital art, webtoons, moodboards, photography, cosplay… whatever medium speaks to you!

Rules

Usa/Mamo must be the central pairing

Any rating is OK as long as you flag / label correctly

All types of fanwork are accepted

You can do one prompt or more; there’s no minimum

Tag a Tumblr post with #usamamoweek2023 and/or @usamamoweek2023 to be reblogged by this account

Add to the collection on AO3 and tag #usamamoweek2023

If requested, we will share AO3 works on Tumblr

Have fun!

Daily Prompt List for July 23 - 29

Day 1: Year of the Rabbit / Kiss Game*

Day 2: Royalty / Sword

Day 3: Love Letters / Poetry

Day 4: Beach / There was only one …

Day 5: Free day

Day 6: Crystal / Wings

Day 7: Midnight / Fireworks

*Examples of kiss games are the pocky challenge, spin the bottle, lady-and-the-tramp-style noodle eating that results in kissing, or something similar your characters have dreamed up!

[theadmiralslegion]

Katoberfest 2023!

This year’s Katoberfest will be held October 22-29, 2023. 

There are seven days of prompts + a free day:

Sunday October 22: Only One Bed or Kat Survives AU

Monday October 23: First Kiss or OTP

Tuesday October 24: Cuddling for Warmth or Cold Space

Wednesday October 25: Mirror Universe or "I knew you were trouble"

Thursday October 26: Academy Era or Kat in the 32nd Century

Friday October 27: Accidental Child Acquisition or Mission Fic

Saturday October 28: Where is Katrina Cornwell right now?

Sunday October 29: Free Day

There are extra challenges:

1. The Katrina: post every day 2. The Cornwell: combine both of the day's prompts into one work 3. The Vice Admiral: set this playlist to shuffle and create a work inspired by the first song that plays 4. The Admiral: create one work that includes at least five of the fifteen available prompts.

There are no requirements or limits to any medium (e.g. word count, art style, length of vid or pod, etc.).

You may answer as many, or as few, as you like and there is no specific format. The prompts are jumping off points and may be considered in universe or meta. Answers may take the form of essay, discussion, fiction, artwork, bulleted lists, gifsets, vids, vlogs, comics, whatever! It is also fine to answer prompts on a different day than that which corresponds with the prompt (if you miss it, or it is simply easier for you). There is no right or wrong way to participate! The purpose of Katoberfest is to celebrate Admiral Cornwell, not create work or drama.

When sharing on social media, tag your posts #Katoberfest2023. We will reblog and retweet all tagged posts.

The AO3 Collection is available here.

Any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

-Anika (@pixiedane) and Liz (@liz-squids)

[autumnslance]

Year of the OTP 2023 - Thancred & Aeryn Masterpost

Originally started by a Batman fandom group, Year of the OTP is a challenge to end up with 12 new fics from a series of prompts for one's favorite ship. They've been gracious enough to open it to anyone and everyone, however, so a few of us decided to add our Final Fantasy XIV wolships into the mix.

So here are 12 fics/screenshot sets for my OC Aeryn Striker with that canon rogue, Thancred Waters. Also migrating the stories onto my Ao3, mostly in "Unexpected" and "Despite the Gods We've Outlived", though a few stand alone in my "Aeryn Striker" series.

January - Dual Perspectives (ARR, Pre-relationship) February - Linkpearl (Stormblood, early relationship, long distance) March - Ladyhawke Fairy Tale AU (image set, plot summary) April - Desert Divergence (AU/Canon Divergence, Love Confess) May - Illness (ARR pre-relationship, sick fic/comfort) June - Confession (Shadowbringers Love Confess, poorly timed) July - Stars (Yearning at the start of Shadowbringers) August - Snowstorm (Heavensward pre-relationship comfort) September - I Wrote This For You (A letter of yearning, Endwalker) October - On A Dark & Stormy Night (Dark Fairy Tale AU images) November - Missing Scars (Post-Shadowbringers readjustment) December - Home (post-Endwalker holidays & belonging)

Some of these did get written later, going back and filling in months I'd missed. Life happens! Also original story writing eating up my brain, but I cannot complain about more writing productivity!

This also let me get in at least one long-sitting WIP completed finally ("Snowstorm"; we're not going to talk about how long that's been in drafts...), while others still didn't mesh ("Meeting the Family" is being a rambling monster) but led to entirely new things getting written. And it got me to play with a few AUs, which I normally don't do, aside from the Halloween silliness, which found its way into this set as well.

Thanks again to YOTP for hosting and opening up this little challenge, and here's to a new year of creativity around all our blorbo pairings!

[spnfanficpond]

New Member Spotlight - December 2023

The Pond is always growing and we want to make our new members feel welcome! Here’s a list of recent additions to our fishy family, along with a little info about them!

Guppies, Jellies, and Mutuals, oh, my!

@mayalaen -

Other SM names? - Mayalaen on AO3, Discord, Twitter, Bluesky, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, etc.

OTP? - I'm a multishipper so no true OTP.

Other fandoms? - Mostly Stranger Things, OFMD, Stargate SGA/SG1, Star Trek, X-FIles, and Angel the Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I'm interested in a lot of fandoms.

Looking for in the Pond? - I like to encourage people to write and create and I like to make friends in fandom. I was referred to the Pond for that by some members.

Something to signal boost? - I run a monthly writing/art challenge on AO3 called SPNColdestHits that you guys have already been boosting (THANK YOU!!). It's multifandom now and accepts art and original fic, not just fanfic. This is the AO3 collection link and of course, we're @spncoldesthits here on Tumblr, but we're also on Discord, Twitter, Bluesky, and Pillowfort.

Pairings you read? - I'll read pretty much any pairing, poly or otherwise. I'm not interested in reader insert, but I've read some.

Genres you read? - I prefer darkfic and/or kink, but I read anything.

Favorite writer(s)? - Xanthe Walter, but they haven't been active in fandom for about 2 years now.

What do you like to write? - My favorite is darkfic, D/S AU, and kink, but I also love writing crack and all other genres.

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - It's newer but it has the least amount of hits from the list of non-crack/non-gift fics and is an SPN/Blacklist crossover. Caging the Mongoose.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I really would like to write some SPN/HDM fusions. I keep toying with the idea, but have never posted any of them. I always work better when I have prompts or ideas from others to spur me on.

.@leatafandom -

Other SM names? - @leatawrites, Leata (AO3 and Discord)

OTP? - Sabriel

Other fandoms? - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel, BBC Merlin, Star Trek, Doctor Who

Looking for in the Pond? - I could use some help with tags and challenging myself to write different things.

Pairings you read? - Ships, Gens, Poly fics

Genres you read? - Angst is my favorite but fluff and smut are always wonderful

Favorite writer(s)? - Yes, @idabbleincrazy on Tumblr or Gabriel_is_my_guardian_angel89 on Ao3

What do you like to write? - Angst, Horror, Smut, Bittersweet/Sad Things

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - My most underappreciated story is probably one of my original horror short stories. My most underappreciated fanfic is probably Becoming One,Two, and One Again.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? -I really would like to write more horror however I feel like I struggle with expressing fear, scenery/detail descriptions, and word choice

@oganizediguana -

Other SM names? - Oganizediguana on Discord

OTP? - Destiel

Other fandoms? - I tiptoe through many fandoms, but SPN is my home. Good Omens

Looking for in the Pond? - I’d love to get encouragement for writing and the confidence to share my work. But I’d also love to just meet interesting people.

Pairings you read? - 99% destiel

Genres you read? - I read it all, but mutual pining slow burn is what makes me feel all the things. I love a good canon-compliant AU. I’m happy with anything that ends happily. Or at least hopefully.

Favorite writer(s)? - On AO3: NorthernSparrow, tenoko1, saltnhalo, there are so many amazing authors in this fandom!

What do you like to write? - Everything seems to turn into angst.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I’d like the confidence to share what I have written.

@dragonslayer-5fanfiction -

Other SM names? - Ao3- Dragonslayer5

Other fandoms? - haikyuu, daria, lotr/the hobbit, tmnt

Looking for in the Pond? - I just want to make friends and read good fanfic. I like to beta read. Maybe write some fanfic, but I have writer's block rn.

Pairings you read? - Reader insert

Genres you read? - Fluff, crack. One bed, and arranged marriage forced proximity tropes.

What do you like to write? - Reader inserts. Fluff.

Masterlist! AO3 Works list

Most underappreciated fic? - Do You Think About Me? (not SPN)

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? -Honestly, writing two characters from the Fandom. I typically stick to reader insert, and I'm a little scared I won't get the characteristics right or the dynamic.

That's all for this month, folks! (If we're missing anyone, let us know and we'll add them to next month's list!) Make sure to say hi to the newbies and make them feel welcome! Thanks to all from @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @katbratsupernaturalwhore and @heavenssexiestangel!

[darcylewisbingohq]

The Woods Are Lovely, Dark, and Deep

a Winter 2023 Marvel Mini Bingo

~ happily hosted by Darcy Lewis Bingo Headquarters for everyone in our MCU Fandom Community at large ~

(Please feel free to share this announcement in any of the MCU groups you belong to that allow you to share other events’ details.)

Happy Winter Festive Season 2023! This year, as a show of fandom hospitality, we at Darcy Lewis Bingo Headquarters have decided to host a winter festive season mini bingo challenge that’s open to all MCU pairings and characters rather than having a compulsory Darcy Lewis requirement for all bingo fics. So if you write Stucky or WinterHawk or Stony or World War Threesome or StarkSpangledBanner or Bucky x Clint x Jason Todd (we see you, friends 😉)—or some other MCU grouping, pairing, or OTP that has nothing to do with Darcy Lewis, we’re opening our doors and our Discord to all of you this holiday season. We look forward to writing and creating and celebrating the holidays with all of our MCU fandom friends!

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/rfBPg6UYkC

This event has nine premade mini bingo cards for you to choose from. Alternate prompts are included on each card, so choose your card carefully. The card you choose contains all the prompts you may use for this mini bingo challenge. Our regular Darcy Lewis Bingo HQ guidelines for prompt swapping, challenge week substitutions, and adopted prompts do not apply to this event.

The exception to this rule is the blackout challenge. To earn a blackout badge, you need only complete *nine total prompts* from any combination of the nine cards shown below and post your masterlist before the March event deadline. For a combination blackout, you must include both the square and which card it originates from on your final masterlist.

All of our usual bingo minimum requirements remain the same. 100 words, 6 visual elements, etc.

Wrap-up date for this event is March 19, 2024.

Our regular badge claim form will be updated and available with this event’s details at the close of the event. Just get your masterlist posted somewhere online by the March wrap-up date and you can fill out the badge claim form anytime after the event ends.

Have fun creating!

Your Darcy Lewis Bingo HQ Mods,

—Chrissi and Turtles