When people ask me which national park I've worked in is my favorite, I have a diplomatic answer. They're all different! Yellowstone is never boring, Glacier is visually stunning. But Great Smoky Mountains? Great Smokies is home. It was my first park, even before Yellowstone--I was brought on as a summer intern in 2010, and it set the course for my whole career onward.
Where other national parks trade in dramatic grandeur, Great Smokies offers a more intimate beauty. The pale pops of Catawba rhododendron blossoms in the dark forest. The squiggle of a spotted salamander in dewy moss. The first flush of red on the autumn slopes. The Christmas-tree perfume of the balsam firs at high elevation.
But some of the most special things to me are the fireflies. The secret of the synchronous fireflies has trickled out, and now people flock to see them in late spring, flashing in coordinated laser light shows. My absolute favorites are the blue ghost fireflies, which glow a moonlight-blue, without blinking, and drift a few feet above the ground. On a dark, quiet evening, it's the single most magical sight I've ever seen. So magical I built a whole fantasy system around them in my first novel, Woodwalker.
Day 29: Massive
There are so many parks whose scale simply can't be appreciated in photos. The yawning chasm of the Grand Canyon. The looming summits of Grand Teton. The plunging valleys of Glacier. And the massive span and height of sequoia trees.
Though this is a purely American tree, I've only experienced them abroad, when I lived in New Zealand. A short walk away from my student flat was a beautiful botanical garden, and I was amazed to find a grove of sequoias growing there. I greeted them like compatriots, foreigners in a faraway land. I visited them often and knew someday I needed to visit their cousins on their home turf. Like my fixation on Olympic National Park, I've frequently found myself plotting the drive from my Rocky Mountain jobs to the closest parks of sequoias and redwoods. I'll get there, one day.
Day 30: Rush
Yosemite—the rush of history toward the riches of the west, the rush of visitors in the valley, the rush of air through climbers’ ropes, the rush to protect endangered natural spaces. But to me, no homage to Yosemite is complete without rushing water. Plunging waterfalls, rivers foaming with spring melt, frigid banks piled with frazil ice--- this park sings with the power of water.
Day 31: Fire
We end Inktober 2023 in Hawai‛i Volcanoes National Park, a place where fire, earth, and water all meld together. At first I picked this park simply because it fit the prompt, but as I did some research, I realized how fitting it is to end this month-long celebration of national parks here. Built into the management policies for Hawai‛i Volcanoes is the practice of ho‛okupu, the action of creating growth through chanting or offerings. As Huihui Kanehele-Mossman, Kumu Hula and Executive Director at Edith Kanaka‛ole Foundation, puts it:
“[Ho‛okupu] is not showing gratitude… it’s a recognition between you and the place… that you are present there in order to have an exchange—an equal exchange between you and the place.”
As park rangers, we’re faced with tangible reminders of degradation every day—past, present, and future—in things like the violent history of land theft, the tenacious grip of invasive species, and the looming consequences of climate change. It’s easy for rangers to view both ourselves and the visiting public as interlopers and invaders, capable of only destruction, a force to be managed and mitigated.
But we’re not. That same force that enables us to destroy also enables us to restore, grow, and create. And as Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses in Braiding Sweetgrass, humans shouldn’t consider ourselves mere intruders in natural spaces. We evolved alongside nature. We do belong in it, and it relies on our power and gentleness as much as we rely on it.
Even beyond that, national parks are human-created spaces, with human boundaries, roads, infrastructure, and patterns. We have to be involved with them. We have to view ourselves as an integral part of their wellbeing, an equal partner, and a force for good, or we risk losing them to sheer indifference.
“If you don’t have anything else to give to a place, give your voice.”
-Huihui Kanehele-Mossman
Thanks for traveling along with me on this journey through our national parks! I hope you have an autumn full of peace and purpose!
Thanks @welcometololaland and @rmd-writes for the tags! It’s been a weird year; there was definitely a point at which I thought I was done with sharing my writing publicly, but here we are 😂
JANUARY
Brain break 😁
FEBRUARY
We knew we were the fortunate ones [The Last of Us; Bill/Frank; rated E; 2,294 words]
First times are both awkward and exciting, apocalypse or no apocalypse.
MARCH
My mind has been expanded [Schitt’s Creek; David/Patrick; rated T; 422 words]
In which the author David finds out their his spouse has never seen Rocky Horror
Got me an appetite, now I can taste it [Schitt’s Creek; David/Patrick; rated E; 3,002 words]
Kink!verse s05e12: chastity cage for @minerforaheartofgold
APRIL-JUNE
Brain break 😁
JULY
We were supposed to find this [RWRB; Alex/Henry; rated M; 3,384 words]
The canon-adjacent soulmarks fic
Honey lips and words so true [RWRB; Alex/Henry; rated E; 1,580 words]
A smutty little prompt fill for @rmd-writes
All the city lights on the water [RWRB; Alex/Henry; rated T; 500 words]
A series of NYE drabbles as a prompt fill for @hullomoon
Before this all goes grey [RWRB; Alex/Henry; rated T; 455 words]
A painfully soft Paris morning prompt fill for @stereopticons
I have never done a fully-realized writing challenge, but I'm happy to announce that I have created my first-ever original holiday prompt to thank all of my readers, both old and new, for supporting me through 2023:
Welcome to The Twelve Days of Amymas!
From December 1 - December 31, I will be posting twelve original one shots with some fan-favorite pairings we have not seen in a while, as well as a few new faces. The short stories are all holiday or winter-themed. Some will have mature elements. See what's cookin' for the holidays below!
THE FIRST DAY
Din Djarin x Princess : First Snowfall
(Chapter 16 of Point A to Point B)
THE SECOND DAY
Nanami Kento x Reader : Mistletoe
THE THIRD DAY
Joel Miller x Gibson Girl : Holiday Decorating
(from the series: Seeing You, Seeing Me)
THE FOURTH DAY
Levi Ackerman x James : Snowball Fight
(from the series: Silver Underground)
THE FIFTH DAY
Gojo Satoru x Reader : Holiday RomComs
THE SIXTH DAY
Eddie Munson x Reader : Holiday Lights Crawl
(from the series: The Freak & the Valedictorian)
THE SEVENTH DAY
Dieter Bravo x Reader : Hallmark Movie Set Surprise
(from the series: Same Old Mistakes)
THE EIGHTH DAY
Astarion x Tav : Winter Ball
(Part 4 of The Better Strategy)
THE NINTH DAY - CHRISTMAS EVE
Armin Arlert x Reader : First Christmas
THE TENTH DAY
Kino Loy x Reader : Wish
(Chapter 4 of Ownership of Mine)
THE ELEVENTH DAY
Reiner Braun x Reader : Gingerbread Houses
THE TWELFTH DAY - NEW YEAR'S EVE
Choso Kamo x Reader: New Year's Kiss
note: prompts and posting order are subject to change. asterisks are finished.
Hello and welcome to Dead Dove December 2023! We are a dark holiday-themed Bucky Barnes event. Below, you will find the prompts for each day of December, along with alternate options. This is a no-pressure, for-fun event that offers over 40 prompts to fulfill your dark needs during the holiday season. Please be aware that the prompts on this list contain dark and potentially disturbing themes and may not be suitable for all audiences.
Ao3 Collection
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭
Day 1: "Stocking" Stalking / Trapped
Day 2: Heartwarming / Hidden
Day 3: Ice Skating (Screaming) / Nutcracker / Home
Day 4: Curse / Captivity
Day 5: Jolly / Jugular
Day 6: Blood in The Snow / No Strings Attached
Day 7: Giving Back / First Night / Tis The Season
Day 8: Mistletoe Madness / Stree Free ( Stress Position)
Day 9: Naughty or Nice (Knot or Nice) / Merry
Day 10: Cold as Ice / Secret Surprise
Day 11: Unexpected Gift (Alt: Best/Worst) / Lost
Day 12: Candy Cane / Candlelight / "The Light Goes Out."
Day 13: Tortured / Yule Ritual / The Shadow of the Menorah / FREE DAY
Day 14: Chopping / Silent Night, Lonely Night
Day 15: Wonderland / Snowflakes
Day 16: Tinsel Bondage (Tied) / Strangulation
Day 17: Christmas Lights / Pretty as bulb, aren’t you? My own special little ornament (Christmas Angel).”
Day 18: Forced Celebration / Feast / Fever
Day 19: Twisted Traditions / Train Tracks/ Hanging From the Tree
Day 20: Krumpus / Monster Fucking
Day 21: A Broken Ornament / Winter Solstice / FREE DAY
Day 22: Buried in Bows / Tangled Ribbons
Day 23: What Fun It Is / Holiday Haunting / Horse Drawn
Day 24: The Nightmare Before Christmas / Last Wish
Day 25: All I Want is You / Unwrapping / Presents “Presence”
Day 26: Chains / Cheers / Cannibalism
Day 27: Dark Encounter / Stitches
Day 28: Something Red / Tears
Day 29: Robbed (of senses) / Stockholm Syndrome
Day 30: Masked / Masquerade / Spiked / FREE DAY
Day 31: It’s a New Year, (Again)- Memory Loss / Forgotten
𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭
Deprived
Search & Rescue
Building a (snow) man
Aches & Angels
"Stay with me."
The gift of gunpoint
Chimney
"He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake."
Ao3 Collection ❆ Event Information ❆
Don’t forget to tag us for reblog or add your work to the Ao3 collection! Tag properly and destroy those doves 🕊️
I am going to do another Fluffcember this year as well and if anyone is interested, you are obviously very welcome to join me. I will put down the list of the prompts under the cut.
To celebrate December 2023, here’s a roundup of 31 posts from last month that I quite enjoyed.
December 10th 22:35: https://www.tumblr.com/peanutbuttergainer/736379009300086785
This excellent photoset depicting a funnel feeding and its aftermath shows off @peanutbuttergainer in some excellent positions. Click through for some more photos.
2. December 12th 16:57: https://www.tumblr.com/exxjockk/736538917387550720/do-you-have-any-clothing-which-you-just-cant-fit
@exxjockk shows off in an outgrown shirt. Check out the rest of the tumblr for a record of his impressive gain.
3. December 13th 10:31: https://www.tumblr.com/mortiskiller/736605222096551936
Denial roleplay is always good- who doesn’t want to watch a fat guy get fatter while pretending he’s getting thinner any day now? @mortiskiller has a great sense for storytelling, and his voice is an excellent instrument- I haven’t watched the video in full, but I don’t need to in order to sincerely recommend it.
4. December 15th 1:38: https://www.tumblr.com/lovingbarbariancomputer/736752892123414528
While the associated story isn’t to my taste, the picture and the writing were sufficient for this one to make the cut. In general, @lovingbarbarbariancomputer tends to tie American values, culture, and aesthetics to fattening men in a way I personally quite enjoy- I’d recommend a quick sampling to see if you like any posts yourself.
5. December 15th 18:03: https://www.tumblr.com/gentlerubz/736814869056274432/something-ex-vegan-idk
Todd Ingram’s poutine habit practically demands this treatment. @gentlerubz delivers, showing the ex-vegan character after he’s completely ditched his old diet. Excellent art as always. I recommend skimming the blog for characters you’d like to see fattened up.
6. December 19th 11:24: https://www.tumblr.com/beauxned-blog/737152167138508800
Deeply embarrassing to find a man with so little body fat as attractive as I do, but sometimes football players just have something special. Much thanks to @beauxned-blog for sharing this picture of James Ferentz.
7. December 19th 17:40: https://www.tumblr.com/chasing-gayns/737175782238076928
At this time of year, anything Santa-themed tends to draw my focus. Cute guy in red chugging milk with the caption “Santa in training”? I’m easy to please. @chasing-gayns has made a pretty compelling advertisement for his Patreon here, if I’m honest, so I’m rewarding it by spreading it.
8. December 20th 7:58: https://www.tumblr.com/thetumarchive/737229785122668544
@thetumarchive is providing an important service here, supplying feedist Christmas prompts. A bit late to be sharing them on my part, perhaps, but there’s always next December.
9. December 20th 18:31: https://www.tumblr.com/overfed-meathead/737269629996695552
From the beginning, @overfed-meathead has had a unique look, due to the commitment to building muscle and fat, but this picture really shows off just how hard he’s gone on it. The only thing that could improve this photo would be him snacking with the other hand.
10. December 21st 9:31: https://www.tumblr.com/13uckaroo/737326241807482880
@13uckaroo mostly posts furry art, which is not usually my thing, so I had to share this piece, which is definitely my thing. I love the art style, and I love watching a gorgeous man turn into a Santa.
11. December 22nd 10:39: https://www.tumblr.com/overfed-n-overweight/737421120372932608
Thanks to @overfed-n-overweight for sharing this gem. Here’s a cute fat guy performing some athletic feats. Look at how proud of himself he is!
12. December 22nd 17:04: https://www.tumblr.com/fat-male-celebrities/737445350859784192
It’s not the largest change, but something about this progression posted by @fat-male-celebrities strikes me as particularly hot. Partially the beard, partially the grey, and partially that Mauricio Pochettino is a former player turned manager.
13. December 23rd 11:05: https://www.tumblr.com/thegainingdesk/737513343630344192
@thegainingdesk has done something I never would have expected- posted a gaining-related statement fic for The Magnus Archives. If you don’t know what that means, you may enjoy it less than I did, but it’s a short horror-themed piece about a man being fattened up by his landlord, so give it a shot even if you don’t have the fannish context. If you like this style, check out https://www.tumblr.com/thegainingdesk/737185437925457920/the-grommr-profile-of-dorian-grey.
14. December 24th 13:35: https://www.tumblr.com/pettyheft/737613389259538432
@pettyheft plays the part of a fat Santa chugging his milk. No cookies in sight, unfortunately- but perhaps they’ve already been eaten.
15. December 24th 16:43: https://www.tumblr.com/sandwichfella/737625208927748096/2-month-before-and-after-im-going-way-faster
@sandwichfella ended the year with a 2 month before and after. Not bad, though of course I’m looking forward to the 1 year before and after…I’ll keep an eye out.
16. December 24th 17:26: https://www.tumblr.com/largeluke24/737627917164658688/get-more-from-largeluke-on-patreon
A fat boy in a Christmas sweater shaking his belly like a bowlful of jelly. A very festive present from @largeluke24 this year.
17. December 24th 22:53: https://www.tumblr.com/thebeautyofbigger/737648509966254080
@thebeautyofbigger decided to dress up as Santa getting lightly buzzed before his big sleigh ride- I question whether this is ideal for someone about to make a trip around the world, but I approve of the extra calories.
18. December 25th 2:24: https://www.tumblr.com/boneyardbellybabe/737661769138536448
I actually have this same outfit, albeit in two parts rather than as a onesie. @boneyardbellybabe wears it better.
19. December 25th 10:52: https://www.tumblr.com/sometimesgaining/737693743745007616
What an excellent present! And I’m glad we dispensed with the need for wrapping paper, better to see what we’re going to get. @sometimesgaining looks incredible here- the bow is a nice touch, but the camera quality also does wonders for the already gorgeous belly on display.
20. December 25th 10:59: https://www.tumblr.com/ntls-24722/737694166033760256
The rare post from outside our little containment zone that I will include, here’s a post about how annoying it is when sexy Santa takes are muscular and not fat. Fat Santas are way sexier.
21. December 25th 18:31: https://www.tumblr.com/pigjolt/737722622306140160
I’ve already included a few along these lines, but @pigjolt looks so good in this festive sweatshirt chugging milk that I couldn’t resist. Merry Christmas indeed.
22. December 25th 23:33: https://www.tumblr.com/snackkattackk/737741579277713408
I love how little @snackkattackk is trying with this costume to be anything other than a sexy Santa. I mean, of course, you have the accoutrements, but that shirt is leaving little to the imagination.
23. December 26th 10:02: https://www.tumblr.com/fat-male-celebrities/737781147804778496
A fun selection of photos from @fat-male-celebrities showing a chubby footballer, Kevin Pannewitz. I don’t know the context for the last two photos, but I appreciate the belly peeking through.
24. December 26th 22:28: https://www.tumblr.com/roundnfuzzy/737828117777874944/onlyfans
Santa jiggling his bowlful of jelly. Transfixing preview from @roundnfuzzy.
25. December 27th 12:19: https://www.tumblr.com/devilmaychub/737880382974869504/every-day-ive-been-eating-so-much-cheesecake-late
A sweet little description of being a gainer with a sweet tooth. @devilmaychub may be straight, but his description here applies just as well for those of us on the other team. Grab a dessert while you read it.
26. December 27th 12:54: https://www.tumblr.com/anorthsidecub/737882576848666624
Sometimes a simple GIF is all you need. All it’s missing are some milk and cookies, which I will choose to imagine @anorthsidecub has just off-screen.
27. December 27th 15:04: https://www.tumblr.com/dangercocktail/737890742552395777
A beefcake showing off his belly. Enough said. @dangercocktail might be more known for fiction, but I might also check out the rest of this Tumblr now.
28. December 27th 16:04: https://www.tumblr.com/dilfcontent/737894555383447552
While his brother may have achieved fame outside of football circles recently, @dilfcontent has correctly identified which Kelce I’d like to see more of.
29. December 27th 16:33: https://www.tumblr.com/babelnimrod/737896386296692737
Just a big fat guy, looking fat. @babelnimrod always shocks me, somehow, whenever I see photos. I don’t know what it is, but that belly always looks fatter than I remember. Well done.
30. December 28th 22:23: https://www.tumblr.com/tytoalbion/738009007160213504
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gainer Content. Either way, a cute guy with a belly belongs on my blog. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good bulk.
31. December 30th 18:16: https://www.tumblr.com/urges-to-gain/738174632959655936/aftermath-of-a-pizza-stuffing-do-i-look-bigger
What can I say? A fat man eating and rubbing his jiggly belly is exactly what I like to see. Thanks to @urges-to-gain for giving us a nice note to end on.
I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays (or, at least, were grateful for the excuse to pig out). Here's to December, and to 2023, even if it's a bit late.
First of all, thank you to those who reblogged and responded to our last post. I'm delighted to say that there is still a small, but interested community around. I think that's frankly incredible, 11 years after the first of the films came out! "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters!" In fact, I think we have just as many Creators as Thorin had in his Company...
Creators who responded (big round of applause):
@lisstu69
@silvermoon-scrolls (edits only)
@metztlilua
@peneigh-dzredfohl
@silva-13
@alwaysfarawayeyes
@king-on-carven-throne (edits only)
@i-am-still-bb
@flow-it-show-it
@saucywenchwritingblog
@fortheloveofdeaddove
@starstruckcrossainteggslime
@2shuang
If I'm missing anyone, or if you'd like to be added to the list, please let me know. These folks are now gonna be getting notifications about any upcoming events. Because yes, we will go back to running some events in the future, but they will not be as frequent as pre-2022.
And so...
We will be running a Trick or Treat Event between 21 Oct and 31 Oct, similar to the one we ran in 2021. The announcement post will go up later today. ;)
There will be a 12 Days of Christmas 2023! It will likely include fewer photosets, although if our edits creators would like ot make some prompt photosets of their own - please contact @linane-art and I can talk you through their required standards (just to keep things consistent).
Before the end of 2023 (look out for it around or just after Christmas) we will run a survery for you to pick a couple of your favourite events, out of all the events we have ever ran, and set up 3-4 of those accross 2024.
We are pleased to announce the RPS Winter Prompt Extravaganza! For December, January, and February, we will provide daily prompts to inspire all your wintry rare pair creations.
You may use the prompts however you choose. If you want to challenge yourself, write a few words a day for the daily prompt. But if you want to opt for a more lax approach, the prompts don’t need to be posted in order or even posted on the assigned day. You can combine them into one creation for a rare pair, or post separate prompts for separate pairings.
Like always, the rules are to keep your creations under 2000 words and avoid using the banned pairings.
Please post your creations to the AO3 collection. Posting to Dreamwidth/Tumblr is optional.
Below are the 31 prompts for December. Happy Creating!
"Life’s Just a Path”-- If Melissa were alive post Fight the Future and Millennium, she'd never let her sister live it down.
"I Think He’s a Hard Kid to Love”-- Post Schizogeny Scully is sent on a case with Mulder to unofficially help Skinner's friends, one of which is a bear. (Prompts and artwork contributed by my two sisters.)
"Mulder Will Be Back”-- Jeffrey Spender sneers at Mulder's "hubris."
"Easy for You to Say”-- Post First Person Shooter Mulder is enamored with his little battle girlfriend.
"No More Paranormal than a Change of Wardrobe”-- Freshly-dating Mulder and Scully's lifestyles don't quite match yet; but it's worth it.
"What Must a Mother Go Through”-- Post Emily Mulder reasons Scully out of her Mrs. Peacock comparisons.
"Watch Over You Wherever You Go”-- One Breath Maggie ruminates on the many reinterpretations of her daughter's necklace.
"Your Ideas Are Weirder than Ours”-- The Lone Gunmen are woken by two very grumpy-with-each-other special agents.
"Doesn’t Make Him Less of a Miracle”-- AU Mulder tries to fight colonization and wrangle his "sea monster" child at the local ball pit.
"Sooner or Later a Man’s Gotta Face His Demons”-- Post Amor Fati Scully prods Mulder on a stakeout about his lack of Samhain hunting.
*****
Trivia
Title References
Day 22, Quote: Melissa Scully, A Christmas Carol.
Day 23, Quote: Mulder, Schizogeny.
Day 24, Quote: Jeffrey Spender, The Beginning.
Day 25, Quote: Scully, First Person Shooter?
Day 26, Quote: Scully, Chimera.
Day 27, Quote: Scully, Home.
Day 28, Quote: Maggie Scully, A Christmas Carol.
Day 29, Quote: Byers, E.B.E.
Day 30, Quote: Mulder, Existence.
Day 31, Quote: Mulder, Fire.
*****
Thank you for reading~
Enjoy!
Tagging @today-in-fic and @xffictober2023 and @fictober-event
Notes: Forms a vague arc with the following prompts: 02, 04, 31, 29, 26, 15, 01.
Sirius could be... difficult. This was evident to anyone who knew him, who even so much as glimpsed him in passing: He wore his complexity like an armor of thorns, a straightforward challenge – perhaps the only straightforward thing about him – to any who would dare approach him, lured in by his looks or his lineage or his reputation. Certainly, those were all there in spades; certainly, they'd be worth it, if you managed to keep up. No-one quite managed it, because Sirius wasn't interested in holding back or in pulling his punches or in paring himself down so that others would find him more palatable. There were many who were drawn to him, but only one who stayed.
That didn't mean that James found Sirius easy to deal with, of course: Even as children, even though they were best friends, Sirius was hard to predict at the best of times. It had been a process of trial and error, until James learned to guess at the reasoning behind Sirius' actions: He would say that he didn't care about his birthday, but he would sulk if it looked as though James had forgotten. He would say that Christmas was for babies, but he never let a year pass without leaving a gift in James' hands. He claimed, ludicrously, to have no interest whatsoever in Quidditch, but after James made the team, Sirius never missed a match.
Sirius grew more handsome and more complicated by the year, and even James was hard-pressed to understand some of the things that Sirius said or did. Sirius took the piss out of James with relentless glee each time Lily Evans shot James down, softening just enough to pull James close and murmur encouragement in his ear, only to turn snappish and moody if James made any headway. Sirius had no interest in seriously dating anyone, going through girls (and boys) with callous indifference, but he could promise James forever and mean it, his words an oath that left no room for doubt.
Sirius always said that he never wanted to risk their friendship, and yet Sirius was the one who kissed James first; he was the one who started it, who insisted that it remain in dusty broom closets and dark alleyways, but he seethed whenever someone assumed that James was single, or worse, with Lily. James had to grow accustomed to Sirius' absences, the nights when Sirius disappeared from their dorm and came back in the pale hours of dawn in a cloud of cheap drink and cheaper perfume, falling asleep with his arms locked around James as if James was the one who might disappear.
It was a purely temporary thing, the two of them, and one day it would end; James would find himself a pretty wife and a cozy home and all the things that Sirius couldn't give him, and Sirius would be fine, because it's not like Sirius wanted them anyway.
Sirius' eyes say differently, but James lets him lie.
Below the cut is a list of HP fest dates for the month of December. If you are curious about what's happening in 2024, see the full HP Fest Schedule (Google doc).
Thank you for the tags @inexplicablymine @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @littlemisskittentoes !
Idk who else hasn't yet done this so @onthewaytosomewhere and OPEN TAG TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS!
I actually wrote a lot this year! Many of them surprised me. I'm usually an outline writer - I make notes for the stories and then that tells me where to take the story. However, several of these were kind of "let's just write and see where it takes us!"
It got long so here's a cut to save your dash. 💜✍️✍️
Watch it All Unfold (a collection of drabbles)
40 chapters added in 2023 at 100 words each
That's 4,000 words!
Over the course of the entire year; I won't be breaking it out into individual months
February:
Nora and Tu B'Shevat - 1300 words, focused on June/Nora, part of the series Nora and the Holidays. Last year, I was chatting Nora with some other fans and I mentioned that I write Nora celebrating her holidays. Someone commented (half-joking) "Tu B'Shevat fic WHEN??" I replied "When Tu B'Shevat happens!" so I wrote this little fic, dedicated it to them on Ao3, and they haven't read it. Still happy I represented for the trees 🌳 though.
June surprises Nora on her holiday with plans and a gift. Happy new year for the trees!
March:
March Book Club - 2 chapters, total 17,388 words. Rated T. Focuses on Alex/Henry and the Henry-June friendship
working title: henry gay english major
A kid at Henry's shelter inspires him to pick the Little Women series for his book club with June. Meanwhile, Alex is there, by his side, supporting him always, and Henry starts thinking more about their future in all the good ways.
Blanket Fort - 600 words. Rated G.
Alex is anxious during a storm, and so is David. Henry has a late night at the shelter.
July:
of fathers and sons - 7651 words. Rated T. Focuses on Alex/Henry and the relationship between Oscar and Henry.
Henry’s been working on the new LA shelter for months. He’s had countless conference calls with investors, contractors, city council, and more. Now, they’re ready for the final touches before opening, and Henry needs to be hands-on, literally. He knew this time would come, but he hates being away from home.
He’s on the phone with his assistant, discussing hotel options, when Alex interrupts. “Why do you need a hotel in LA? My dad lives there. Stay with him. He’d be thrilled to have you there.”
Henry stays with Oscar Diaz his father-in-law while he's getting the new LA shelter up-and-running. It's a bit of an adjustment, but it's actually nice. He even picks up a few new skills in the kitchen to show Alex!
October:
June and Weddings - 1216 words. Rated G. A little something I threw together for June's birthday.
5 weddings June is in + 1 time it's her own
November:
talking about feelings is a sapphic cliche - 1200 words exactly. Rated G. Another one that just happened quickly.
Nora nods. She knows June’s telling the truth, but she also can tell there’s something more. “And?” she prompts.
“And,” June continues, a hint of a smile on her face, and Nora knows it’s for her, that June appreciates that she knows her so well. “I’m nervous.”
“Okay,” Nora says, shifting so she’s sitting cross-legged across from June on the bed. “Specifics. Let’s hear it. You know how this goes: you tell me what you’re worried about and we’ll talk about it logically.”
December:
Christmas Visit - rated G. 3525 words. This was originally a drabble, and then people demanded more, and it actually worked.
It's Christmas Eve at Kensington. Alex's niece tells him about the ghost she saw the other day. Then, in the middle of the night, Alex sees him too.
Untitled New Year's Eve story - to be posted December 31
Total: 36,889 words over 7 new works + new chapters for 1 existing work. Does not include word count for New Year's story.
It's the 1st of January, 2023 (at least in this mod's timezone)! Happy New Year! May it be filled with peace and love, joy and laughter, inspiration and creativity!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Kirk/Spock Advent Calendar 2022! Authors, artists, beta-readers, readers, and reviewers – thank you for making this K/S Advent such a beautiful experience and, dare we say, a great success!
We made it to 59 submissions, posted by 31 creators; the works consist of 42 fics, 1 podfic, 2 poems, 1 playlist, 14 artworks (digital art, traditional art, manips, 3D objects), and even 1 submission of baked goods.
Out of the 73 prompts that were submitted, 41 were filled, several of them multiple times. At the time of closing the collection for posting, 13 claims were left unposted (the numbers shown on AO3 differ a bit as not everyone made use of the official claiming/filling process).
Here's the promised masterlist (in chronological order). Or directly check out our AO3 collection.
Day 1: dreamsaremadeofthis, The Bestest Gift of All (fic; AOS)
Day 2: syredronning, Happy Holidays! (art; AOS)
Day 2: USS_Genderprise, The Morning After (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 3: yassifiedjimkirk, When Words Fail (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 4: IvanW, How Far Away You Roam (fic; AOS)
Day 4: USS_Genderprise, Mirrorverse Mistletoe (art; TOS)
Day 5: Orabla, Shopping for Gifts, Finding Diamonds (fic; AOS)
Day 5: syredronning, Celebrations (art; TOS)
Day 6: stoatwrote, The Long Memory (fic and playlist; TOS)
Day 7: dreamsaremadeofthis, Spock's Gamble (fic; TOS)
Day 8: gunstreet, My Wing (fic; TOS, DISCO)
Day 8: yassifiedjimkirk, Unwrapping Your Present (art; TOS)
Day 9: USS_Genderprise, Beyond Mind and Matter (fic; TOS)
Day 9: VTsuion, Fly Me to the Moon (art; TOS)
Day 10: 1lostone, Best-Laid Plans (fic; AOS)
Day 10: Orabla, Diamonds for You (poem; AOS)
Day 11: eviepopcorn, Let Me Help (fic; TOS)
Day 12: IvanW, A Christmas Thing (fic; AOS)
Day 12: TonightNoPoetryWillServe, The Ship in the Snowglobe (fic; AOS)
Day 13: kayson, Uprising (fic; TOS)
Day 13: USS_Genderprise, Catch a Hint (fic; AOS)
Day 14: sourirenoire, How Can I Say I Love You When Words Are Not Enough? (fic; TOS)
Day 14: vfrankenstein, Holiday Sugar Cockies (cookies; TOS)
Day 15: ikoliholic, Se Vi Nur Scius (If Only You Knew) (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 15: yassifiedjimkirk, The Gift of Loyalty (fic and art; TOS)
Day 16: AshayaTReldai, Reconciliation of Penitents (fic; TOS)
Day 16: Orabla, Under the Mistletoe (poem; TOS or AOS)
Day 17: IvanW, Merrily on High (fic; AOS)
Day 17: USS_Genderprise, Under Your Skin (fic; AOS)
Day 18: Herself_nyc, Bashert (fic; TOS, AOS)
Day 18: Noideasfornames, Light One Candle (fic; TOS)
Day 19: ikoliholic, Wandering Lands, Helping Hands (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 19: USS_Genderprise, Stars in the Snow (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 20: eviepopcorn, Three's a Crowd (fic; TOS)
Day 20: pkrosche, An Old Earth Custom (fic; TOS)
Day 21: Orabla, Five Times Kirk or Spock Had a Nervous Breakdown, and One Time They Both Had It Simultaneously (fic; TOS)
Day 22: ikoliholic, Fatal Vision (fic; TOS)
Day 22: USS_Genderprise, Spin, Spin, Spin (fic; TOS or AOS)
Day 23: gunstreet, Between Dream and Duty (fic; TOS)
Day 23: Lupo (LupoLight), Against Twinkling Lights (fic; AOS)
Day 24: cicia3, It's the most wonderful time of the year (fic; AOS)
Day 24: pkrosche, Cozy Sweaters (art; TOS, AOS)
Day 25: 1lostone, Mistletoe Kisses (podfic, AOS)
Day 25: USS_Genderprise, Deck My Halls (fic; TOS)
Day 26: Purple_Enma, A Christmas Picture (art; TOS or AOS)
Day 26: TonightNoPoetryWillServe, A Very Illogical Christmas (fic; AOS)
Day 27: 1lostone, drenchedinlight, EEW101, lb_betty, PageofWands, T'Lara, vfrankenstein, yassifiedjimkirk, Jim and Spock's 12 Days of Kink (a collaborative fic by the KiScord crowd) (fic; TOS)
Day 27: Orabla, Two Solitudes, One Blizzard and One Illogical Celebration (fic; AOS)
Day 28: pkrosche, A Win for Christmas (fic; SNW)
Day 28: Purple_Enma, Encounter at Sundown (art; TOS or AOS)
Day 29: enterprize (stanzas), Searching For A Tender Touch (fic; TOS)
Day 29: T'Lara, Here's to a Happy New Year – and to the Wonderful K/S Fandom! (art; TOS)
Day 30: cvrue, Pon Farr comes but once every seven years (art; TOS)
Day 30: PageofWands, A Little Sweet, A Little Spicy: KS Gingerbread! (art; TOS)
Day 30: USS_Genderprise, Warmth (fic; AOS)
Day 31: 1lostone, Spanking Al Fresco - A Love Story (fic; AOS)
Day 31: AureliaR, By the Fire(work) Light (fic; TOS)
Day 31: cvrue, The Trouble with Snowballs (art; TOS)
Day 31: PageofWands, Wishing You A Very Mirrorverse Holiday! (art; TOS)
The 2022 collection is now closed for posting. The K/S Advent Calendar will return next year for a new round. If your prompt(s) did not get filled, you can submit them as new requests for Advent 2023, if you wish to. If you do not want to wait that long, you can also submit them to our sister event Kirk/Spock Spring Fever which will go live in March 2023, a fest without any specific theme as long as the work is focused on Kirk and Spock, be it slash or gen/friendship. Sign-up opens today!
If you are sure you submitted something to the collection, but don't see it in the collection or on the masterlist above, please do get in touch with the mod asap so that we can investigate what went wrong with the submission: [email protected]
We are also happy to hear your feedback: How did you experience this K/S Advent? Any wishes, suggestions, complaints? Anything you wish would've been different? Anything that was unclear or confusing and needs better explanation in our rules/FAQs?
On the mod side of things, we had an almost exclusively positive experience. One thing we might want to handle differently next year is how strict we are about the submission deadline; we wanted to be as generous as possible with deadline extensions, but this made scheduling the daily reveals a bit more difficult. As the creation phase is quite long for K/S Advent, we hope that creators can be encouraged to submit their works sooner.
You can submit feedback via email, message to kirkspockmod on DW, comment on our masterlist DW post, or message on Tumblr.