yuletidemods: A hippo lounges with laptop in hand, peering at the screen through a pair of pince-nez and smiling. A text bubble with a heart emerges from the screen. The hippo dangles a computer mouse from one toe. By Oro. (Default)
yuletidemods ([personal profile] yuletidemods) wrote in [community profile] yuletide_pinch_hits2025-12-18 08:22 am

PHs #167, 174-175, 181, 184-185, 189, 197-200, 204, 206-207

This is the consolidated version of our immediate post-deadline pinch hits! There will be more as extensions pass or we identify problems, so stay tuned.

These pinch hits are due on Monday 22 December at 9am UTC.

Comments are turned off for this community. To claim a pinch hit, please email the mods at yuletideadmin@gmail.com and:
  • Include the pinch hit number in the subject line
  • Include the recipient's AO3 name in the subject line
  • Include your AO3 username in the body of the email

For example, if your AO3 username is yuletidehippo and you want to claim Pinch Hit #42 for AwsomRecip, you might email us with the subject line "PH 42 for AwsomRecip" and "I'm yuletidehippo on AO3" in the body of the email. As was the case previously, if you don't receive a reply you did not get the pinch hit.

Also, remember our pinch hitters' prompts post! If you weren't signed up and you're pinch hitting, your rare fandom prompts are very welcome!

If the pinch hit you're interested in has been claimed, you are still welcome to post treats!


PH #167: D.P. | Deserter Pursuit (TV), 견우와 선녀 | Head Over Heels (TV), 이상한 변호사 우영우 | Extraordinary Attorney Woo (TV), 굿보이 | Good Boy (TV), 손해 보기 싫어서 | No Gain No Love (TV), Good Doctor (Korea TV), 당신이 잠든 사이에 | While You Were Sleeping (TV), Unnatural (Japan TV)
Request 1 by TeaRoses
D.P. | Deserter Pursuit (TV)
Characters: An Jun Ho, Han Ho Yeol
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I felt like they had a lot of chemistry, whether you take it as bromance or romance. Just them being bros and maybe casefic (not necessarily something elaborate) would be great. Something with them flirting/getting together/hooking up would also be great. Just please don't pair them with other people in the fic.
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (with exceptions noted in certain fandoms!), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!

Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 2 by TeaRoses
견우와 선녀 | Head Over Heels (TV)
Characters: Bae Gyeonu, Park Seonga (Head Over Heels TV), Pyo Jiho (Head Over Heels TV)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I love these three as a trio in general and as an OT3. They just all seem to have such love and devotion for each other.
If you do go the romantic route, please keep the fic T or below if it takes place when they’re in high school. After the time skip any rating is great!
DNW: Adding more people to the relationship if they are an OT3 in the fic, sexual situations involving someone possessed by Bong Su.
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (with exceptions noted in certain fandoms!), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!

Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 3 by TeaRoses
이상한 변호사 우영우 | Extraordinary Attorney Woo (TV)
Characters: Choi Su Yeon, Dong Geurami
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I like the idea of these two dating or in a relationship. I also like the idea of them being friends and supporting each other. Just please don't pair them up with other people (Su Yeon's pairing with Kwon is fair to acknowledge as it's canon. But breaking them up is OK too.)
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (breaking up Su Yeon and Kwon is fine), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!

Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 4 by TeaRoses
굿보이 | Good Boy (TV)
Characters: Yoon Dongju, Kim Jonghyeon (Good Boy)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I love these two. They had so much chemistry with each other and I think they’d be great as boyfriends or as friends/rivals like in canon. Just please don't pair them up with other people (canon pairing with Hanna exempted from that, but please no OT3.)
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (breaking up Dongju and Hanna amicably is fine), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
I headcanon them both strongly as bi and would rather that is not explicitly contradicted in the fic. But just not mentioning orientation (whether it's a slash fic or not) is perfectly fine.
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!

Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 5 by TeaRoses
손해 보기 싫어서 | No Gain No Love (TV)
Characters: Nam Jayeon, Bok Gyuhyun
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I loved these two together and wished we’d had more of them in canon. For me it was an enemies to lovers that truly worked. Though a gen fic about them is great too - just please don't pair them up with other people.
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings, alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Please do not write the entire fic in the Spice Up Our Love universe.
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!

Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 6 by TeaRoses
Good Doctor (Korea TV)
Characters: Cha Yoon Seo (Good Doctor), Park Shi On (Good Doctor)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I love them as a couple, working out their differences and learning about love and romance. Though a gen fic is great too, just please don't pair them up with other people.
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings, alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!
Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 7 by TeaRoses
당신이 잠든 사이에 | While You Were Sleeping (TV)
Characters: Jung Jae Chan, Nam Hong Joo, Han Woo Tak
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I love them as an OT3 because they all just liked each other so much, but that's also what makes them great as friends!
 
DNW: Adding more people to the relationship if they are an OT3 in the fic
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (with exceptions noted in certain fandoms!), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!
Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Request 8 by TeaRoses
Unnatural (Japan TV)
Characters: Nakado Kei, Misumi Mikoto
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I thought they had a lot of chemistry together, but they also work so well as colleagues and friends so a gen fic is great too. Just please don't pair them up with other people in the fic.
Please see letter for more optional details!
DNW: Major character death, noncon, dubcon, unrequested changes to a character’s sexual orientation or gender identity, unrequested polyamory, incest, cannibalism, farting, unhappy/tragic endings, break-up of canon pairings (with exceptions noted in certain fandoms!), alternate universe e.g. vampire AU, coffee shop AU, (Alternate timeline and canon divergence are fine), mpreg, ABO, pregnancy with complications
Smut DNW: rimming, humiliation, watersports, scat, dubcon, noncon, kink featuring severe pain (consensual light spanking is OK) withdrawal used as birth control (withdrawal for fun is fine), explicit scenes featuring characters under age 18.
I welcome treats!
Letter:
https://rosehiptea.dreamwidth.org/288362.html

Promo post for Good Doctor (Korea TV)

당신이 잠든 사이에 | While You Were Sleeping (TV)


CLAIMED - PH #174: Fell Murder - E. C. R. Lorac, Menewood - Nicola Griffith, Zombies Run!, The Silt Verses (Podcast)
Request 1 by Acephalous
Fell Murder - E. C. R. Lorac
Characters: Marion Garth, Elizabeth Meldon
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I'd love a post canon story about these two. Shippy or gen is fine.
 
DNWs: pregnancy fic, kid fic

No letter

Request 2 by Acephalous
Menewood - Nicola Griffith
Characters: Bryhtstige (Menewood), Cian Boldcloak (Menewood), Hild (Menewood)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I'd love a post canon fic about Bryhstige, or a fix it fic with Hild and Cian where survives the battle/they manage to slip away before the battle.

No letter

Request 3 by Acephalous
Zombies Run!
Characters: Sam Yao, Amelia Spens
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I love the dynamic between these two, and how Amelia slowly develops a kind of moral compass and over time, and I would love a fic set in the aftermath of season 10, or something set after the trip to Finland in season 5.

No letter

Request 4 by Acephalous
The Silt Verses (Podcast)
Characters: Devereaux (The Silt Verses), Sebastian (The Silt Verses), Paige (The Silt Verses), Hayward (The Silt Verses)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

I'd love a fix-it fic for Sebastian and Deveraux, or a fic about Paige and Hayward in the last season.
 
DNWs: pregnancy fic, kid fic

No letter


PH #175: Space Shuttle No. 8 - เจฟ ซาเตอร์ | Jeff Satur (Music Videos), Dominion of the Fallen - Aliette de Bodard, วิมานหนาม | The Paradise of Thorns (2024)
Request 1 by AirgiodSLV
Space Shuttle No. 8 - เจฟ ซาเตอร์ | Jeff Satur (Music Videos)
Characters: Any
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Please don‘t feel limited to the tagset. I am 100% on board with any characters typically included in the SS8 multiverse: Passion, Rain, etc. I’d be very interested in seeing more of Morningstar from Tell Me The Name, or Lost and Found.
I’m really intrigued by what we’re learning about Lovedie—is he also The Writer? Was he the first to create/summon Sunshine? Does he know about Ride? Was he on Space Shuttle No. 8 in the Asia Tour trailer? What’s in the notebook with his name on it? I’m also on board for the ladies’ side of the story—Trinity, Em, Iris, all of them. Are they simple antagonists, or is it more complicated than that? Are they working together? Are they part of the AI simulation from the Journey Book, like Sunshine?
I love the speculative fiction/magical realism aspects of the stories—playing around with life and death, divinity and immortality, trickster god illusions and misdirection, magical or superhuman powers like levitation or bringing the world from grayscale into full color. I’m intrigued by the technological augmentations, like Ghost’s ports and Moonshine’s arm cage, and the nature-based fae influences of Lucid and Ghost.
I like that these characters are drawn to each other and tied together, but there's still that tension and wariness. They can't stay away from each other, but they don't necessarily trust each other, either. I like those sharper edges. If you want to go the fusion route, any universe I’m familiar with (The Raven Cycle/Dreamer Trilogy, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Old Guard, The Locked Tomb, etc.) would also be great to put these characters into!
DNW: Non-con, torture, soulmates, pregnancy, underage

Letter:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aleEk5wNqh7WAtS_sjF74TsB0LpBfH1qS3triF0FeRI/

Request 2 by AirgiodSLV
Dominion of the Fallen - Aliette de Bodard
Characters: Rong Minh Thanh Thuan, Asmodeus (Dominion of the Fallen)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

The 'Dragons and Blades' novellas are essentially everything I love to read in a story. They're trope-tastic (enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, hurt/comfort) and focus on the relationship between two characters who each have their own issues, their own responsibilities, and are actively trying to make their relationship work in spite of misunderstandings and conflicts.
I love how different their magic systems and cultures are; I love that each of them is strong and vulnerable in different ways; I love that they get so intensely under each other's skin. (I love that they're constantly distracted by how much they want each other, and that magic is often involved.)
I'd love to see Thuan and Asmodeus together, whether it's facing a relationship hurdle, solving a mystery, providing support when the other one is in need, or exploring some of those cultural differences. Please feel free to dig into the canon worldbuilding and/or draw on other sources of Vietnamese, Abrahamic, or French traditions and lore. Please also feel free to use those in service of something explicit and kinky if that’s what appeals to you!
DNW: Non-con, torture, soulmates, pregnancy, underage

Letter:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aleEk5wNqh7WAtS_sjF74TsB0LpBfH1qS3triF0FeRI/

Request 3 by AirgiodSLV
วิมานหนาม | The Paradise of Thorns (2024)
Characters: Thongkam Khanlongsuk, Jingna Jongyoi
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I will be honest: I just want some happiness here. A fix-it, an AU, a missing scene or stolen moment…Thongkam and Jingna deserve it. Let them eat durian and roll around in mosquito nets together to their hearts’ content.
Please feel free to cast a wider net than this fandom! If you’re into RPF, I find the way Keng Harit and Jeff Satur take turns playing ‘I will guide you with a hand at the small of your back’ at events together adorable. There is fun music fodder there too, with Keng attending Jeff’s concert and covering Rain Wedding, and the two of them singing together.
If you’re into fusions, I’m thoroughly invested in the worldbuilding of Khemjira: The Series and Pharan as a character, but not the show romance—If you’re inspired to write a Pharan/Thongkam crossover where Thongkam comes to Pharan’s village after Sek’s death, I would be over the moon. Ghosts! Discoveries! Healing! Culture! Unexpected love!
DNW: Non-con, torture, soulmates, pregnancy, underage

Letter:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aleEk5wNqh7WAtS_sjF74TsB0LpBfH1qS3triF0FeRI/

Promo post for Space Shuttle No. 8 - เจฟ ซาเตอร์ | Jeff Satur (Music Videos)


PH #181: Murderbot (TV), The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (Cartoon), Mickey7 - Edward Ashton
Request 1 by bruised_fruit
Murderbot (TV)
Characters: Dr. Mensah (Murderbot TV), Pin-Lee (Murderbot TV)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Mensah/Pin-Lee smut, emotional hurt/comfort, and/or cuddling, or exploration of Pin-Lee's pining for Mensah, Mensah's attunement to their emotional needs, and/or Mensah's relative comfort with vulnerability with them. I am particularly interested in seeing something that digs into Pin-Lee's devotion to Mensah and some kind of reciprocity, at least in terms of care and respect.
I am open to treats— I love drabbles and ficlets!
DNWs:
AUs and OCs
Unrequested ships (reference to canon ships okay, but please don’t put heavy emphasis on them)
Emphasis on unrequested characters (for Murderbot and Second Best Hospital, please do not include male characters in the story who speak more than a couple lines)
Noncon/rape or non-sexual intentional boundary pushing (eg, unwanted touches)
Sexual content or shipping involving characters under 18
Bashing/vilifying any characters or ships (but it is okay to frame characters/ships negatively if this is supported by canon or feels appropriate for the character— just please don’t center the story around that or unrequested characters/ships in general)
Any messaging that queer people in romantic or sexual dynamics are immoral or dirty; framing a platonic dynamic as inherently more pure/moral, progressive, or acceptable than a dynamic involving romantic or sexual elements (but exploration of internalized cisheterosexism is okay if you feel it suits the character/world and want to explore that)
Heavy emphasis on non-canon identity labels (eg, explicit description or justification of identity headcanons mid-fic— a character having a non-canon identity is fine, but I DNW the character to state the identity or explain the identity to another character, and I do not want the fic to be about a character’s marginalization)
Characters with furry/animal features (unless canon)
Discussion of pregnancy or STI/STD risk, including humorous
Drug or alcohol intoxication
Misgendering characters, whether you are writing them as trans or cis; please match their canon pronouns, DNW genderbends
Characters thinking/saying anything negative about another character’s body outside of a consensual humiliation/degradation context
Use of slurs (please no racist, homophobic, or transphobic slurs. sexist slurs okay in kink or negative self-talk context, and ableist slurs okay if character/canon-typical)
Use of specific words: “ebony” or similar porn terms related to race, “bbw” or similar porn terms related to fatness, “milf,” “mommy”
Specific sex or kink DNWs: urethral play, scat, body modification, comparing kink to abuse, and any kind of fetishization based on disability, transness, race, or body type
Fandom-specific DNWs:
Positive framing of Arada/Pin-Lee/Ratthi (that is, please retain the canon framing that the throuple is not a positive or wanted thing for Pin-Lee if it is referenced. I DNW anything suggesting Pin-Lee likes the throuple arrangement since they say otherwise in canon)
Ratthi as a character in the story. It’s okay to mention him
ComfortUnits and/or sexual slavery
Mixing book and TV canon, with the exception of Mensah’s spouses or Preservation steering committee characters if you choose to mention them
Heavy emphasis on the idea of exclusive relationships (eg, if you write unreciprocated pining, DNW their marriages as the sole perceived barrier to a relationship. If you write shipfic and an infidelity angle, please do not center the cheating-related feelings)
Discussion/framing of Mensah as mammy-like. Please avoid the mammy trope and other antiblack/misogynistic tropes or negative framings of Mensah
Fic that explicitly contradicts the idea that Pin-Lee has romantic feelings for Mensah, holds her in high esteem, and finds her attractive (genfic that does not focus on these things is fine)

Letter:
https://peach-soft.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/18/

Request 2 by bruised_fruit
The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (Cartoon)
Characters: Dr. Klak (The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy), Dr. Sleech (The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

Exploration of Sleech pining for Klak based off of season 2 details, Klak/Sleech fluff or emotional hurt/comfort, their perspectives on each other's canon relationships/situationships, Vlam giving Sleech relationship advice (TM), or anything exploring Sleech's emotional issues and how they affect her perception of Klak or their friendship.
I am open to treats— I love drabbles and ficlets!
DNWs:
AUs and OCs
Unrequested ships (reference to canon ships okay, but please don’t put heavy emphasis on them)
Emphasis on unrequested characters (for Murderbot and Second Best Hospital, please do not include male characters in the story who speak more than a couple lines)
Noncon/rape or non-sexual intentional boundary pushing (eg, unwanted touches)
Sexual content or shipping involving characters under 18
Bashing/vilifying any characters or ships (but it is okay to frame characters/ships negatively if this is supported by canon or feels appropriate for the character— just please don’t center the story around that or unrequested characters/ships in general)
Any messaging that queer people in romantic or sexual dynamics are immoral or dirty; framing a platonic dynamic as inherently more pure/moral, progressive, or acceptable than a dynamic involving romantic or sexual elements (but exploration of internalized cisheterosexism is okay if you feel it suits the character/world and want to explore that)
Heavy emphasis on non-canon identity labels (eg, explicit description or justification of identity headcanons mid-fic— a character having a non-canon identity is fine, but I DNW the character to state the identity or explain the identity to another character, and I do not want the fic to be about a character’s marginalization)
Characters with furry/animal features (unless canon)
Discussion of pregnancy or STI/STD risk, including humorous
Drug or alcohol intoxication
Misgendering characters, whether you are writing them as trans or cis; please match their canon pronouns, DNW genderbends
Characters thinking/saying anything negative about another character’s body outside of a consensual humiliation/degradation context
Use of slurs (please no racist, homophobic, or transphobic slurs. sexist slurs okay in kink or negative self-talk context, and ableist slurs okay if character/canon-typical)
Use of specific words: “ebony” or similar porn terms related to race, “bbw” or similar porn terms related to fatness, “milf,” “mommy”
Specific sex or kink DNWs: urethral play, scat, body modification, comparing kink to abuse, and any kind of fetishization based on disability, transness, race, or body type
Fandom-specific DNWs:
Animal genitalia (alien genitalia that works in mysterious made up ways is fine)
Klak’s mom as a character in the story. It is okay to reference her or Klak’s trauma, but please do not include her as a character
Negative framing of polyamory/open relationships/casual sex (references to canon unhappy/unhealthy relationships are okay)
If you write a pining angle, DNW emphasis on jealousy beyond canon (jealousy can be present in the story, but I would prefer it not be the main source of angst)
D/s or kink elements in a “first time” scenario (but if you write established ship, feel free to write a D/s dynamic or other kink elements)

Letter:
https://peach-soft.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/18/

Request 3 by bruised_fruit
Mickey7 - Edward Ashton
Characters: Cat Chen (Mickey7), Mickey Barnes | Mickey7 (Mickey7)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

Cat character study or Cat/Mickey. I like the idea that she is into him secondary to her existential crisis and that they have earnest respect and care for each other. Would love something digging into her existential angst/anxieties, feelings about her own morally gray behavior, and loneliness. I would also like Cat/Mickey/Nasha set post-book 1, particularly if the dynamic is painted as amicable (and maybe a little tenuous).
I am open to treats— I love drabbles and ficlets!
DNWs:
AUs and OCs
Unrequested ships (reference to canon ships okay, but please don’t put heavy emphasis on them)
Emphasis on unrequested characters (for Murderbot and Second Best Hospital, please do not include male characters in the story who speak more than a couple lines)
Noncon/rape or non-sexual intentional boundary pushing (eg, unwanted touches)
Sexual content or shipping involving characters under 18
Bashing/vilifying any characters or ships (but it is okay to frame characters/ships negatively if this is supported by canon or feels appropriate for the character— just please don’t center the story around that or unrequested characters/ships in general)
Any messaging that queer people in romantic or sexual dynamics are immoral or dirty; framing a platonic dynamic as inherently more pure/moral, progressive, or acceptable than a dynamic involving romantic or sexual elements (but exploration of internalized cisheterosexism is okay if you feel it suits the character/world and want to explore that)
Heavy emphasis on non-canon identity labels (eg, explicit description or justification of identity headcanons mid-fic— a character having a non-canon identity is fine, but I DNW the character to state the identity or explain the identity to another character, and I do not want the fic to be about a character’s marginalization)
Characters with furry/animal features (unless canon)
Discussion of pregnancy or STI/STD risk, including humorous
Drug or alcohol intoxication
Misgendering characters, whether you are writing them as trans or cis; please match their canon pronouns, DNW genderbends
Characters thinking/saying anything negative about another character’s body outside of a consensual humiliation/degradation context
Use of slurs (please no racist, homophobic, or transphobic slurs. sexist slurs okay in kink or negative self-talk context, and ableist slurs okay if character/canon-typical)
Use of specific words: “ebony” or similar porn terms related to race, “bbw” or similar porn terms related to fatness, “milf,” “mommy”
Specific sex or kink DNWs: urethral play, scat, body modification, comparing kink to abuse, and any kind of fetishization based on disability, transness, race, or body type
Fandom-specific DNWs:
Diegetic BDSM/kink of any kind for this fandom (ie, please write them in a vanilla dynamic if you write smut)
Reference to anything from movie canon that was not present in the books
Emphasis on the in-universe religion/cult or exploration of eugenics beyond canon
Fic centering Mickey8/Eight (the Mickey I requested and which Cat interacts with most is Mickey7/Seven, the books’ POV character)
Cat being sexually forward with Mickey or framed as pushing his boundaries (she can be interpersonally flawed in other ways, but please no coercion or hypersexual framing of the character)
If you write Mickey cheating on Nasha, please do not write that he prefers Cat to her or wants to leave her (otherwise, any angle is fine. Mickey can be shitty and human in any way you want as long as there isn’t noncon or him blatantly devaluing Nasha)

Letter:
https://peach-soft.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/18/


Promo post for PH#181: Mickey7 - Edward Ashton

Promo post for The Second Best Hospital In The Galaxy (Cartoon)

Promo post for Mensah/Pin-Lee in Murderbot (TV)


PH #184: Aveyond (Video Games), Quasimorph (Video Game), Geneforge
Request 1 by DreckDetritusAndDross
Aveyond (Video Games)
Characters: Te'ijal Ravenfoot
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I have a headcanon that Te'ijal Ravenfoot is a psychopath. I would love a story that explored this concept further, delving into how Te'ijal's psychopathy would affect/recontextualize both her interactions with her colleagues and her actions throughout the Aveyond games. Furthermore, content that supplements those already in the Aveyond games, such as extra conversations or scenes, would also be welcome.
DNW: Unrequested kinks, mundane/setting change AUs, Te'ijal being "cured" of her psychopathy (i.e. being made neurotypical), Te’ijal character bashing*, neurodivergence being used to excuse bad behavior**.
*Given the stigma surrounding psychopathy, I understand if there is any confusion over this specific DNW. Let me make this clear: psychopaths are still people; having little or no empathy or emotional intelligence does not make one categorically evil or dangerous. For the purposes of this prompt, Te’ijal should be a person with both rights and accountability.
**Using neurodivergence to excuse bad behavior sounds something like this: “She can’t take responsibility for her actions because she can’t control herself/she doesn’t know what she’s doing/her brain isn’t wired correctly/etc.”
On a related note, I am fine with the inclusion of sanist language, bigotry, and/or violence as long as it is not presented as ethically/morally correct by the story itself. Keep in mind that hostility towards a neurodivergent offender in retaliation to the offender perpetrating antisocial behavior, such as inflicting harm upon or violating the rights of others, is not necessarily sanism.
On another related note, I am also fine with Te'ijal receiving treatment for her psychopathy as long as it does not fall into the trope of curing neurodivergence.
Disclaimer: Psychopathy is not a condition that one can be clinically diagnosed with. The proper diagnostic term for people exhibiting behavior commonly associated with psychopathy is antisocial personality disorder. However, the term "psychopathy" is still useful as a descriptor for a distinct pattern of behavior within the spectrum of antisocial personality disorder.
P.S.: Below are some helpful resources if you need to do research on psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. Of course, feel free to use other sources for further research.
https://psychopathyis.org/what-is-psychopathy/
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-psychopath-5025217
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/ce-corner-psychopathy
https://www.healthline.com/health/psychopath#Psychopathy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bozh8ur3tJc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK-UfTCGOdU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpjYtAB9i2w
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353928
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000921.htm
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/personality-disorders/types-of-personality-disorder/#AntisocialPersonalityDisorder
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546673/
Note: Please exercise discretion if you choose to consult psycho-diagnostic checklists such as the Hare Psychopathy Checklist – Revised (PCL-R). Such tools are meant to be used in specific, controlled settings with prerequisite qualifications and can cause significant harm if used outside of these conditions. For example, see: http://www.hare.org/scales/pclr.html
P.P.S.: If you are unfamiliar with the concept of sanism, several definitions with sources are provided below. Like before, feel free to consult additional resources.
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanism): “Sanism, saneism, mentalism, or psychophobia refers to the systemic discrimination against or oppression of individuals perceived to have a mental disorder or cognitive impairment.”
From The Ability Toolbox (https://theabilitytoolbox.com/sanism-mental-illness/): “Sanism is prejudice against people with mental illness. Sanism can take the form of harassment, bullying, violence, and discrimination in healthcare, employment, housing, and other aspects of daily life.”
From Simmons University Library (https://simmons.libguides.com/anti-oppression/anti-sanism): “Sanism often stems from the "pathology paradigm [that] ultimately boils down to just two fundamental assumptions:
1. There is one 'right,' 'normal,' or 'healthy' way for human brains and human minds to be configured and to function (or one relatively narrow 'normal' range into which the configuration and functioning of human brains and minds ought to fall).
2. If your neurological configuration and functioning (and, as a result, your ways of thinking and behaving) diverge substantially from the dominant standard of 'normal,' then there is Something Wrong With You." (from Nick Walker)”

No letter

Request 2 by DreckDetritusAndDross
Quasimorph (Video Game)
Characters: Francis Reid-Daly, John Hawkwood
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

Quasimorph has become my greatest special interest over the past couple of years. One of the most fascinating things about it is the cyberpunk, science-fantasy dystopia portrayed in that game. I'd love a story that explores not just the lives of those who live in the anarcho-capitalist paradigm in Quasimorph. The scope of the available characters in this request covers the most violent, destructive, and brutal element of Quasimorph's society: the private military sector, as exemplified by both the soldier Francis Reid-Daly, and the proprietor John Hawkwood. My interests for a story in this fandom include: character studies, worldbuilding, action scenes, and violence (including blood and gore). Darkfics are welcome for this request.
DNW: Mundane/setting change AU.

No letter

Request 3 by DreckDetritusAndDross
Geneforge
Characters: Litalia (Geneforge)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I would love a story detailing how Litalia's tumultuous life and fight against the Shapers has affected her, both physically and mentally, as I feel that there's a lot of potential for a compelling narrative that is sadly underexplored, in my opinion, in the Geneforge saga.
DNW: Mundane/setting change AU.

No letter


PH #185: Przyłbice i kaptury – Kazimierz Korkozowicz, Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960), Piraci północy – Dariusz Domagalski, Grunwald Monument
Request 1 by FakeCirilla9
Przyłbice i kaptury – Kazimierz Korkozowicz
Characters: Ulryk von Jungingen (Przyłbice i kaptury – Kazimierz Korkozowicz)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Optional details:
The first chapter of this book is such a peanut gallery of all the adversaries of the story. This is my favourite characterisation of Ulryk in the literature so far. He's described in an incredibly sexy way, too, with eyes darkening in anger or sparkling in joy. During the introductory conversation, his mood switches from ire to amusement with the speed of a falling blade, and he manages to offend his late brother in front of a stranger.
And then there's Kuno! Obviously used to his master's volatile nature and making snarky remarks about it. Isn't that an interesting relationship? Why is the grand commander allowed to laugh at Ulryk's expense? How close are those two? Is there friendship or something more between them? Or maybe they're just two like-minded baddies united by common politics?
DNWs:
Animal death, especially no dead horses in the Battle of Grunwald, please. Don't hurt any dogs too.
(I'm fine with the characters eating meat or hunting for food, but if it's for sport, let them rather hunt pagans. Murder as many human characters as you wish. MCD is allowed by all means.)

No letter

Request 2 by FakeCirilla9
Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960)
Characters: Ulrich von Jungingen - Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Optional details:
Ulrich has a golden armour here! How cool is that? I'd be satisfied to receive a short piece with an armour kink.
Or, if you're thinking of something with a more ambitious plot, feel free to use Rotgier as well. Does Ulrich confront him about the kidnapped girl after the heroes of the story complain about it to the grand master of the Order? Or is he too busy seizing power or mourning his brother's death or both? If he acknowledges his underling’s fault, is he angry at him or does he brush the whole affair off, maybe even providing some plausible excuses to help to sweep it under the rug?
Or, a darker take: I've heard that the punishment for a Teutonic knight who broke the chastity vows was flogging administered by the grand master himself. I'd adore to see such a scene unfolding between Ulrich and Rotgier.
DNWs:
Animal death, especially no dead horses in the Battle of Grunwald, please. Don't hurt any dogs too.
(I'm fine with the characters eating meat or hunting for food, but if it's for sport, let them rather hunt pagans. Murder as many human characters as you wish. MCD is allowed by all means.)

No letter

Request 3 by FakeCirilla9
Piraci północy – Dariusz Domagalski
Characters: Ulryk von Jungingen (Piraci północy – Dariusz Domagalski)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Optional details:
This is an easy-to-read book, in which the characters have emotional depth as thick as a sheet of printing paper. Ulryk is evil here because the plot demands a punching bag for the main hero. But I love that for the main adversary of the story, of all the possible Teutonic knights, the author chose Ulryk. The idea that Ulryk von Jungingen and Klaus Störtebeker met in person is glorious. They also got an incredibly cool hot sword-fighting scene in the book. Maybe the fic could deal with the aftermath of that encounter?
DNWs:
Animal death, especially no dead horses in the Battle of Grunwald, please. Don't hurt any dogs too.
(I'm fine with the characters eating meat or hunting for food, but if it's for sport, let them rather hunt pagans. Murder as many human characters as you wish. MCD is allowed by all means.)

No letter

Request 4 by FakeCirilla9
Grunwald Monument
Characters: Ulrich von Jungingen (Grunwald Monument)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Optional details:
I know it was erected to honour king Jagiełło, but I'm not a big fan of him, and he's so distant on his high horse there. Whereas Ulrich is literally within one's hand reach (as you can see by his statue's fingers polished to gold by countless tourists). And isn't the sprawled pose marvellous? It's oddly satisfying on a primal level to see him thrown there at Vytautas’ feet, like one more war trophy from the battlefield.
DNWs:
Animal death, especially no dead horses in the Battle of Grunwald, please. Don't hurt any dogs too.
(I'm fine with the characters eating meat or hunting for food, but if it's for sport, let them rather hunt pagans. Murder as many human characters as you wish. MCD is allowed by all means.)

No letter


CLAIMED - PH #189: Sex Education (TV), For All Mankind (TV 2019), The Lone Gunmen (TV)
Request 1 by greycoupon
Sex Education (TV)
Characters: Isaac (Sex Education), Maeve Wiley, Aimee Gibbs
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I would love an Isaac story. He's such an interesting character & and as a disabled person myself, it is so refreshing to see a character with a physical disability who has sex. I would love to know what happens to him after the conclusion of the show.
I love Maeve and Aimee. Maeve/Aimee would be awesome. So would a friendship fic. More details in my letter.
Totally cool with any other characters in the story except Jakob. I know Jean isn't in the tagset so just a mild a suggestion but more Maeve and Jean interaction would be cool.
DNW: non-canon sexual assault, incest, suicide. Talking about Aimee's assault is fine.Anyone dying from cancer. Human feet, especially toes. (weird phobia, I know!)

Letter:
https://greycoupon.livejournal.com/561666.html

Request 2 by greycoupon
For All Mankind (TV 2019)
Characters: Margo Madison, Aleida Rosales, Molly Cobb (For All Mankind)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

Love women being badasses. More details in letter.
DNW: non-canon sexual assault, incest, suicide.Anyone dying from cancer. Human feet, especially toes. (weird phobia, I know!)

Letter:
https://greycoupon.livejournal.com/561666.html

Request 3 by greycoupon
The Lone Gunmen (TV)
Characters: Richard "Ringo" Langly (The Lone Gunmen), Melvin Frohike (The Lone Gunmen), John Fitzgerald Byers (The Lone Gunmen), Dana Scully (The Lone Gunmen)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

AU welcome and encouraged. See letter for complete details.
DNW: non-canon sexual assault, incest, suicide.Anyone dying from cancer. Human feet, especially toes. (weird phobia, I know!)

Letter:
https://greycoupon.livejournal.com/561666.html


PH #197: Kolja | Kolya (1996), Cesta do pravěku | Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955), Jožin z bažin - Ivan Mládek (Song), Vlny | Waves (2024)
Request 1 by RisalSoran
Kolja | Kolya (1996)
Characters: Kolja Biljukov (Kolja | Kolya (1996)), František Louka (Kolja | Kolya (1996)), Klára (Kolja | Kolya (1996)), Josef Brož (Kolja | Kolya (1996))
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I opt in to gifts written (entirely or in part) in Czech! (I also opt in to gifts including Russian, but I would prefer for the story to be written primarily in Czech or English).
General Likes: Character-focused stories. Misunderstandings (linguistic, social, cultural, etc.). Found family. Acceptance. Friendship – especially among people who find making friends and maintaining friendships challenging. Psychology, sociology, worldbuilding. Diversity – especially neurodiversity. Autistic headcanons for characters who canonically have difficulty with pragmatic communication and with making and maintaining friendships, have a tendency to fixate on special interests (and info-dump about them), and may have sensory differences. Ecology, gardening, Nature, plants, animals. Characters showing their expertise at their profession/hobby. Equitable relationships and clear consent (especially when there is an actual or apparent imbalance of power between the characters). Hurt/comfort. Languages (including sign languages!) (and, for this fandom, especially Czech and/or Russian).
Canon-specific: Including other characters is welcome, though I would prefer a focus on requested character(s). I would love to see missing scenes from the movie, or the events of the movie - or following the movie - from Kolya's perspective, or from Mr. Brož or Mrs. Brožová's perspective! What would it be like for Kolya to live with a stepfather he has only met a few times and who knows only a few words of Kolya's language? He's young, and probably isn't a fluent reader in Russian yet, but what would it be like to be beginning to learn to read and write his own name and some simple words - and find himself living in a country that uses a completely different alphabet? What would it be like to return to the mother who left him behind, whom he hasn't seen in over a year, and who speaks a language he has barely heard in over a year - and to move to a new country, with a new language, and his mother's new boyfriend - and to leave behind the 'father' who has been caring for him for so long? It would also be fascinating to see the effect of the Velvet Revolution on the characters, too. How much does Kolya understand of what's going on? What is it like for František to no longer be blacklisted and once again play cello in the Prague Philharmonic instead of only playing at funerals?
General DNW: Anything requiring any of the major archive warnings. Uncalled out pro-fascist ideology. Gore, graphic descriptions of violence (canon-typical is fine), explicit smut, implied or referenced use of tobacco, implied or referenced consumption of dairy products or meat by humans (nursing by infants and young children (and young non-human mammals) is fine)). Un-called out bigotry, ablism, bullying, character bashing. Hurt/no comfort.

No letter

Request 2 by RisalSoran
Cesta do pravěku | Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955)
Characters: Jenda (Cesta do pravěku 1955), Jirka (Cesta do pravěku 1955), Petr (Cesta do pravěku 1955), Toník (Cesta do pravěku 1955)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I opt in to gifts written (entirely or in part) in Czech!
General Likes: Character-focused stories. Acceptance. Misunderstandings (linguistic, social, cultural, etc.). Found family. Friendship – especially among people who find making friends and maintaining friendships challenging. Psychology, sociology, worldbuilding. Diversity – especially neurodiversity. Autistic headcanons for characters who canonically have difficulty with pragmatic communication and with making and maintaining friendships and/or other relationships, have a tendency to fixate on special interests (and info-dump about them), and may have sensory differences. Ecology, gardening, Nature, plants, animals. Characters showing their expertise at their profession/hobby. Equitable relationships and clear consent (especially when there is an actual or apparent imbalance of power between the characters). Hurt/comfort. Languages (including sign languages!) (especially, for this fandom, Czech).
General DNW: Anything requiring any of the major archive warnings. Uncalled out pro-fascist ideology. Animal harm, detailed descriptions of meat, dairy, or the eating of meat or dairy (casual references to the eating of meat by carnivorous animals are fine, as is nursing by infants or young children); gore, graphic descriptions of violence (canon-typical is fine), explicit smut, implied or referenced use of tobacco, un-called out bigotry, ablism, bullying, character bashing. Hurt/no comfort. Major character death (referenced canonical deaths are fine, but please no deaths of requested characters).

No letter

Request 3 by RisalSoran
Jožin z bažin - Ivan Mládek (Song)
Characters: Narrator (Jožin z Bažin), Jožin (Jožin z Bažin), Chairman (Jožin z Bažin), Chairman's Daughter (Jožin z Bažin)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I opt in to gifts written (entirely or in part) in Czech!
General Likes: Character-focused stories. Misunderstandings (linguistic, social, cultural, etc.). Found family. Acceptance. Friendship – especially among people who find making friends and maintaining friendships challenging. Psychology, sociology, worldbuilding. Diversity – especially neurodiversity. Autistic headcanons for characters who canonically have difficulty with pragmatic communication and with making and maintaining friendships, have a tendency to fixate on special interests (and info-dump about them), and may have sensory differences. Ecology, gardening, Nature, plants, animals. Characters showing their expertise at their profession/hobby. Equitable relationships and clear consent (especially when there is an actual or apparent imbalance of power between the characters). Hurt/comfort. Languages (including sign languages and, especially for this fandom, Czech!).
Canon-specific: In the song Jožin z Bažin, the chairman of a village promised his daughter's hand in marriage and half of the local agricultural collective to the narrator if he brought in the monster Jožin, dead or alive. The narrator successfully caught Jožin and decided to sell him to the zoo instead. What did the daughter think about her father's offer? Did the chairman have her permission to offer her hand in marriage? Was the chairman serious about his offer?
Why did the narrator decide he'd rather have cash than marriage to the chairman's daughter and half of an agricultural collective?
How does Jožin adapt to the zoo? Does he hate being in captivity? Does he enjoy a wider variety of food? Does he enjoy watching and interacting with people, even though he can no longer hunt them?
Possible prompts:
The narrator wants to accept the chairman's offer, but only if the chairman's daughter's wants to marry him. She does not. She uses traditional (organic) methods on her family's personal plot, and has observed the differences between her family's garden and the collective farm's chemical agriculture – and noticed that the pest insects are the first to return after application of pesticides; the predatory insects, spiders, and birds take much longer – allowing for greater losses to pests in the chemical agriculture than the traditional. She is not interested in marriage to a person who operates a powder plane.
He's not a farmer by avocation; he learned to fly in the Air Force, and accepted work flying a crop duster after he left the military. He appreciates her knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm for traditional gardening. She respects his decision to not marry her under duress – and to sell Jožin to the zoo rather than turn him over to her father for execution.
 
General DNW: Anything requiring any of the major archive warnings. Uncalled out pro-fascist ideology. Gore, graphic descriptions of violence (canon-typical is fine), explicit smut, implied or referenced use of tobacco, implied or referenced consumption of dairy products or meat by humans (nursing by infants and young children (and young non-human mammals) is fine, as is reference to Jožin and/or carnivorous animals hunting and/or eating meat). Un-called out bigotry, ablism, bullying, character bashing. Hurt/no comfort.
Canon-specific DNW: uncalled out support for the use of crop dusters/pesticides for any agricultural purpose (use for catching Jožin is fine!).

No letter

Request 4 by RisalSoran
Vlny | Waves (2024)
Characters: Věra Šťovíčková-Heroldová, Tomáš Havlík, Pavel Havlík
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I opt in to gifts written (entirely or in part) in Czech!
General Likes: Character-focused stories. Misunderstandings (linguistic, social, cultural, etc.). Found family. Acceptance. Friendship – especially among people who find making friends and maintaining friendships challenging. Psychology, sociology, worldbuilding. Diversity – especially neurodiversity. Autistic headcanons for characters who canonically have difficulty with pragmatic communication and with making and maintaining friendships and/or other relationships, have a tendency to fixate on special interests (and info-dump about them), and may have sensory differences. Ecology, gardening, Nature, plants, animals. Characters showing their expertise at their profession/hobby. Equitable relationships and clear consent (especially when there is an actual or apparent imbalance of power between the characters). Hurt/comfort. Languages (including sign languages!).
General DNW: Anything requiring any of the major archive warnings. Uncalled out pro-fascist ideology. Animal harm, detailed descriptions of meat, dairy, or the eating of meat or dairy (casual references to the eating of meat by carnivorous animals are fine, as is nursing by infants or young children); gore, graphic descriptions of violence (canon-typical is fine), explicit smut, implied or referenced use of tobacco, un-called out bigotry, ablism, bullying, character bashing. Hurt/no comfort. Major character death (referenced canonical deaths are fine, but please no deaths of requested characters).

No letter


PH #198: even if TEMPEST 宵闇にかく語りき魔女 (Visual Novel), Flowers Series (Visual Novels), Lkyt. (Visual Novel)
Request 1 by ryulynn
even if TEMPEST 宵闇にかく語りき魔女 (Visual Novel)
Characters: Anastasia Lynzel, Maya Kirkland
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

DNW general: AUs generally except for canon-divergence or future fic, rape, non-con (dub-con okay), permanent main character death, explicitly described violence/gore, sexual acts that involve one party being humiliated, homophobia, transphobia, incest, focus on unrequited feelings (mentions are fine), hurt without comfort
DNW ships: any Conrad romantic ships, Maya shipped romantically with anyone outside of Anastasia
General likes: humor, fluff, flirting, banter, accidentally romantic gestures, established relationship, domestic scenes
Favorite ships: Anastasia/Maya, Crius/Tyril, Anastasia/Crius/Tyril, Anastasia/Crius, Anastasia/Tyril, Anastasia/Zenn, Evelina/Leticia
I love Anastasia and Maya's relationship so much! Whether it be platonic or romantic, I love their devotion to each other. Thus I would like to see either Anastasia/Maya as a romantic pair (I usually see Anastasia as the initiator of this but if you have ideas for the other way around, I'd love to see it) or Maya's commentary/thoughts/influence/etc on Anastasia's other relationships, whether they be following one of the romantic routes of the game or Anastasia not getting together with any of the guys.
Optional prompts are in the letter.

Letter:
https://ryulynn.dreamwidth.org/66179.html

Request 2 by ryulynn
Flowers Series (Visual Novels)
Characters: Any
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

DNW: AUs generally except for canon-divergence or future fic, rape, non-con, major character death, excessive violence/gore, sex before the characters are 18+ (aka set fic in the future if you write smut), sexual acts that involve one party being humiliated, focus on homophobia or transphobia (aka no more than what is in canon), incest, focus on unrequited feelings (mentions are fine), hurt without comfort
DNW ships: focus on any romantic ships except Chidori/Erika, Mayuri/Suoh, Nerine/Yuzuriha
General likes: humor, fluff, banter, accidentally romantic gestures, established relationship, domestic scenes, talk about food
Okay I stan Chidori/Erika and Nerine/Yuzuriha. Erika and Yuzuriha are my favorite POVs in the series, but fic from any POV is fine. If you just want to focus on one character, I would love either backstory/memories or future fic. I also totally love so many of the friendships in this series. Especially Erika & Suoh and everyone with the Sasaki twins.
Optional prompts are in the letter.

Letter:
https://ryulynn.dreamwidth.org/66179.html

Request 3 by ryulynn
Lkyt. (Visual Novel)
Characters: Any
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

DNW: AUs generally except for canon-divergence or future fic, rape, non-con (dub-con okay), non-canonical character death, excessive explicit descriptions of violence/gore, sexual acts that involve one party being humiliated, homophobia, transphobia, incest except for Takeru/Towa, focus on unrequited feelings (mentions are fine), hurt without comfort
DNW ships: Ango/anyone besides Tasuku or his wife, Tasuku/anyone besides route characters Takeru, Towa, Ango, or Yael
General likes: humor, fluff, banter, accidentally romantic gestures, established relationship, domestic scenes, worldbuilding, family stuff (especially Tasuku's family)
Favorite ships: Tasuku/Takeru, Tasuku/Towa, Tasuku/Yael, Tasuku/Ango, Tasuku/Takeru/Towa, Tasuku & Fuuka, Takeru & Towa
Yes, give me fluff and alternative scenes before the end game because this game made me cry a bunch. Especially Takeru's route which I played first! Or give me backstory scenes that expand on the little bit of knowledge we know of other [redacted] relationships. Or give me post epilogue ideas.
Optional prompts are in the letter.

Letter:
https://ryulynn.dreamwidth.org/66179.html


PH #199: Justice League International (Comics), Absolute Wonder Woman (DC Comics), Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (Comics)
Request 1 by saiditallbefore
Justice League International (Comics)
Characters: Tora Olafsdotter (Justice League International), Beatriz da Costa (Justice League International)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Likes: Femslash || Competency (being really good at Their Thing) || Outsider POV || Hurt/Comfort || Friends-to-Lovers || Enemies-to-Lovers || Families of Choice || Angst with a happy ending || Pretend dating or secretly dating || Happy or happy-for-now endings || Heists || Language barriers || Timeloops || Loyalty kink || Stranded together/forced to work together || Arranged marriage/political marriage/marriage of convenience || Stargazing || Kissing in the rain || Character studies and relationship studies || Genderbending male characters to female (of the "always a girl" variety) || Bondage || Phone sex || Dom/sub || Cunnilingus || Pain mixed with pleasure (intentional or unintentional) || Orgasm denial || Hate sex || Object insertion (vaginal only) || Nipple play || Spanking || Vaginal fisting
DNW: Unrequested on-screen character death || Unprompted crossovers or fusions || Levels of violence that are graphic or extreme beyond canon || Unrequested non-con (dub-con or non-con in requested scenarios is A-OK) || Brainwashing/mental horror || Focus on unrequested pairings || Breathplay || Anal sex || Homophobia || Focus on the breakup of canon relationships (please just say it didn't work out or it never happened; don't make a Big Thing about it) || Poetry
I am open to treats. Please see my letter for specific thoughts and prompts!

Letter:
https://saiditallbefore.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/23/

Request 2 by saiditallbefore
Absolute Wonder Woman (DC Comics)
Characters: Diana (Absolute Wonder Woman), Circe (Absolute Wonder Woman)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

Likes: Femslash || Competency (being really good at Their Thing) || Outsider POV || Hurt/Comfort || Friends-to-Lovers || Enemies-to-Lovers || Families of Choice || Angst with a happy ending || Pretend dating or secretly dating || Happy or happy-for-now endings || Heists || Language barriers || Timeloops || Loyalty kink || Stranded together/forced to work together || Arranged marriage/political marriage/marriage of convenience || Stargazing || Kissing in the rain || Character studies and relationship studies || Genderbending male characters to female (of the "always a girl" variety) || Bondage || Phone sex || Dom/sub || Cunnilingus || Pain mixed with pleasure (intentional or unintentional) || Orgasm denial || Hate sex || Object insertion (vaginal only) || Nipple play || Spanking || Vaginal fisting
DNW: Unrequested on-screen character death || Unprompted crossovers or fusions || Levels of violence that are graphic or extreme beyond canon || Unrequested non-con (dub-con or non-con in requested scenarios is A-OK) || Brainwashing/mental horror || Focus on unrequested pairings || Breathplay || Anal sex || Homophobia || Focus on the breakup of canon relationships (please just say it didn't work out or it never happened; don't make a Big Thing about it) || Poetry
I am open to treats. Please see my letter for specific thoughts and prompts!

Letter:
https://saiditallbefore.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/23/

Request 3 by saiditallbefore
Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League
Characters: Lian Harper (Cheetah and Cheshire), Barbara Minerva (Cheetah and Cheshire), Jade Nguyen (Cheetah and Cheshire)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

Likes: Femslash || Competency (being really good at Their Thing) || Outsider POV || Hurt/Comfort || Friends-to-Lovers || Enemies-to-Lovers || Families of Choice || Angst with a happy ending || Pretend dating or secretly dating || Happy or happy-for-now endings || Heists || Language barriers || Timeloops || Loyalty kink || Stranded together/forced to work together || Arranged marriage/political marriage/marriage of convenience || Stargazing || Kissing in the rain || Character studies and relationship studies || Genderbending male characters to female (of the "always a girl" variety) || Bondage || Phone sex || Dom/sub || Cunnilingus || Pain mixed with pleasure (intentional or unintentional) || Orgasm denial || Hate sex || Object insertion (vaginal only) || Nipple play || Spanking || Vaginal fisting
DNW: Unrequested on-screen character death || Unprompted crossovers or fusions || Levels of violence that are graphic or extreme beyond canon || Unrequested non-con (dub-con or non-con in requested scenarios is A-OK) || Brainwashing/mental horror || Focus on unrequested pairings || Breathplay || Anal sex || Homophobia || Focus on the breakup of canon relationships (please just say it didn't work out or it never happened; don't make a Big Thing about it) || Poetry
I am open to treats. Please see my letter for specific thoughts and prompts!

Letter:
https://saiditallbefore.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/23/

Request 4 by saiditallbefore
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (Comics)
Characters: Chelli Lona Aphra (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Likes: Femslash || Competency (being really good at Their Thing) || Outsider POV || Hurt/Comfort || Friends-to-Lovers || Enemies-to-Lovers || Families of Choice || Angst with a happy ending || Pretend dating or secretly dating || Happy or happy-for-now endings || Heists || Language barriers || Timeloops || Loyalty kink || Stranded together/forced to work together || Arranged marriage/political marriage/marriage of convenience || Stargazing || Kissing in the rain || Character studies and relationship studies || Genderbending male characters to female (of the "always a girl" variety) || Bondage || Phone sex || Dom/sub || Cunnilingus || Pain mixed with pleasure (intentional or unintentional) || Orgasm denial || Hate sex || Object insertion (vaginal only) || Nipple play || Spanking || Vaginal fisting
DNW: Unrequested on-screen character death || Unprompted crossovers or fusions || Levels of violence that are graphic or extreme beyond canon || Unrequested non-con (dub-con or non-con in requested scenarios is A-OK) || Brainwashing/mental horror || Focus on unrequested pairings || Breathplay || Anal sex || Homophobia || Focus on the breakup of canon relationships (please just say it didn't work out or it never happened; don't make a Big Thing about it) || Poetry
I am open to treats. Please see my letter for specific thoughts and prompts!

Letter:
https://saiditallbefore.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/23/


PH #200: DC vs. Vampires (DC Comics), No I'm not a Human (Video Game), Dread Weight (Video Game), The Troop - Nick Cutter
Request 1 by sarriathmg
DC vs. Vampires (DC Comics)
Characters: Dick Grayson (DC vs. Vampires), Koriand'r (DC vs. Vampires), Jason Todd (DC vs. Vampires), Hal Jordan (DC vs. Vampires)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

DC DNW:- Dick whump, hurt!Dick, comparing Dick’s trauma to Jason’s as if they’re equal (no mentioning Catalina, no implying that Dick's heart stopping in Forever Evil is equivalent to Jason's death etc.)
- Tim whump, hurt!Tim, mentions of Titan's Tower incident, implying Tim is a victim of any sort (when in doubt just don't write him)
- / ships for solo Jason (other than childhood noncon, Dick/Jay, and background canon ships)
- purely platonic Dick & Jay (“will they won’t they,” pre-slash both fine, but if they’re not shipped together I’d rather Dick be mean to Jason)
- reverse Robins or AUs where Jason and Dick's age difference is shortened significantly or reversed (if topic comes up Dick being 3+ yrs older is fine, but preferably their canon 6+ yrs)
- top!Jason, Jason being the only one who smokes or swears, Jason characterized as "illiterate/dumb"
- bottom Dick (when penetration is concerned, however oral is fine no matter who's receiving), sub/"subby" Dick
- Jason having facial scars or crooked features
- Jason being described as overly bulky or "big" (especially if he's Robin or pre/without Lazarus pit, then he should stay small)
- Dick being described as physically small or thin or weak or "feminine", exaggerating Dick and Jason's body size difference
- (if A/B/O) Dick being anything other than alpha
- Dick being characterized as a ray of sunshine, a self-sacrificing martyr, or is unsure and lacking self-confidence
- side/implied/potential pairings involving Dick unless it's clear he's the top and the "leading party" of that relationship; no side/past/potential Sladick
- Dick Grayson having prey features for animal features AUs
- Romani Dick
- focusing on Dick's ass, ass jokes
DNW-general:- discussing "social issues" (gender politics, racism etc.)
- Unrequested gender swap
- unrequested trans/ace headcanons
- Non-con when the victim stays unaroused (fine if orgasm/arousal is forced)
- Permanent non-canon character death or injury/mutilation for requested ships (fine for unrequested chars, for example feel free to kill off Bruce if he isn't requested)
- race change from canon (except Romani!Dick, which is a dnw)
- Raceplay
- xeno pronouns (“they/them” = great; “it/its” = great in a dehumanization/degradation context or to show how inhuman a character is; “xe/ze” = not these please)
- Spitting in mouth
- vomit kink
- weight gain
- food used in sex (things like hand feeding as a part of D/s relationship is fine, but no food going near places other than hands and mouth please)
- Religion being discussed as a major philosophical topic while presenting it as unironically positive (religious fanaticism/piety as character trait/period-typical religion is fine, just not the narration itself being "preachy").
Treats are welcome!
Dick with Jason, Hal, or Kory. Dick is the only required character, but I definitely don't mind more characters added as long as I get the sexy evil vampire Nightwing I crave. (Dick with his harem of willing and unwilling thralls? YES PLEASE)
Vampire King Dick is the best thing ever. He's so evil and ruthless and I just want to see him fuck everyone up and laugh while drinking their loved ones' blood out of a cup while sadistically taunting them. Tell me there wasn't sexual tension when he had dying Jason at his mercy and pulled off his mask, or a huge D/s undertone in his Lord/Lieutenant relationship with Hal. Or the part where he implied having Kory as a prisoner while using her blood as a temporary "cure" for signs of vampirism. Just want to see Dick as a dominant, totally remorseless vampire villain who you want to hate but also can't help but be enthralled by because "sexy vampires" and stuff.
Kinda into any kind of kinky scenario where Dick keeps Jason or Kory prisoner as unturned blood cows/sex toys, or Hal being a good little submissive vampire servant, or Jason being a good little submissive vampire servant in a world where Dick turns him. Of course if shippy/NSFW isn't your thing I'm just really into Dick being a demanding vampire lord in general so him basically commanding Jason or Hal or keeping Kory as a prisoner with heavy seductive undertones would be awesome too.
Evil Dick and top Dick (if you want to go shippy at all) only please. I have a huge squick with fanon's obsession with whumping Dick Grayson and bottom Dick so that's the only thing I ask. That includes things like typically OOC "bottom" traits (see DNW breakdown). Also, Jason is my blorbo so if you're writing him, please don't write him as ugly or dumb or "always bad" (turning bad from vampirism is very good however!).

Letter:
https://sarriathmg.dreamwidth.org/24719.html

Request 2 by sarriathmg
No I'm not a Human (Video Game)
Characters: Protagonist (No I'm not a Human), Widowed Woman (No I'm not a Human), Neighbor's Daughter (No I'm not a Human)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

DNW-general:- Unrequested gender swap
- unrequested trans/ace headcanons
- race change from canon
- Raceplay
- xeno pronouns (“they/them” = great; “it/its” = great in a dehumanization/degradation context or to show how inhuman a character is; “xe/ze” = not these please)
- Spitting in mouth
- vomit kink
- weight gain
- food used in sex (things like hand feeding as a part of D/s relationship is fine, but no food going near places other than hands and mouth please)
Would love worldbuilding or something that tells me more about the characters.
The full game gave us a lot of info on what exactly caused the visitors, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. Why is the pale man so in control while the cashier girl so lost? Are there different kinds of visitors? Are the visitors caused by fungus or the bug in the ears? Are they revived from the dead? Are some of them more “original” or “powerful” than the others? Do they really wear human skin (other than the pale man, the old granny also has a face that droops the longer you speak to her)? And how do the sun and FEMA play into all of this?
Are the visitors like vampires—risen from the dead, can’t enter without an invitation, and anyone can become one?
You don’t have to include all the requested characters, but please include the Protagonist.
The protagonist—his backstory is so intriguing. I want to know more. I want to know why he’s the way he is—lonely and borderline suicidal, but has to learn to open his heart for his guests. One thing the game really left me wanting is that there isn’t a single ending that’s objectively “good.” No… I didn’t really like the death ending in which we assume the Protagonist just… died. I’d love to see your take on a “good ending” in which the Protagonist not only survives but… is grateful that he does. Maybe with some of the guests being his found family. Perhaps he ends up fulfilling the neighbor’s last wish and adopts his daughter (damaged man reluctantly adopting an orphaned child is one of my all-time favorite tropes!). Or forming a bond with the widow and raising the neighbor’s daughter with her?
Other guests—not all listed, but I’d also love to learn more about any of the other guests that you find interesting.
I also find the demon baby ending really creepy and would love the backstory of the seductive woman and the cult.
Since only a few characters have canonical names, I’d love for you to come up with names for characters who don’t, but would prefer them to be other Eastern European names to fit with the setting.

Letter:
https://sarriathmg.dreamwidth.org/24719.html

Request 3 by sarriathmg
Dread Weight (Video Game)
Characters: Kurt (Dread Weight), Dimitri (Dread Weight), Protagonist (Dread Weight)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

DNW-general:- real-life politics (for this canon, it's fine to touch on politics, but if you do, I prefer that you either don't mention specific historical leaders' names or events, or just make up fictional names for them)
- Unrequested gender swap
- unrequested trans/ace headcanons
- Non-con when the victim stays unaroused (fine if orgasm/arousal is forced)
- Permanent non-canon character death or injury/mutilation for requested ships
- race change from canon
- Raceplay
- xeno pronouns (“they/them” = great; “it/its” = great in a dehumanization/degradation context or to show how inhuman a character is; “xe/ze” = not these please)
- Spitting in mouth
- vomit kink
- weight gain
- food used in sex (things like hand feeding as a part of D/s relationship is fine, but no food going near places other than hands and mouth please)
Can be Dimitri &/ Kurt; Dimitri &/ Protagonist; Kurt &/ Protagonist; OR Dimitri &/ Kurt &/ Protagonist. I'd really really love for this to be either romantic, sexual, or something similar, no matter which character group you're picking. But if that's really not your thing, that's fine, I just really want to see these characters! I have a slight preference for plot focus rather than platonic relationship focus if romance/smut is off the table.
I'll admit, I haven't played the game hands-on, only watched numerous playthrough videos of it. I think I've seen all the routes, however, so I should understand whichever detail you want to focus on. What I like about the relationships from this game is that... they're all kinda fucked up? Kurt's manipulation of everyone around him; Dimitri being a doctor who wants to do good but is inexcusable in enabling Kurt's evil deeds (possibly blinded by love?); the Protagonist being the player character connecting the most with us but ends up revealing as an enforcer of a tyrannical regime... Messy feelings and fucked up power dynamics all around!!! Kurt keeping Dimitri by his side using sweet talk but holds unspoken power over him; Kurt being all around creepy and fucked up with Protagonist when she lost her memories (I think the whole non-consensual mind/body modification alone is a HUGE assault on someone's person); Dimitri trauma bonding with the Protagonist over Kurt's manipulations... Or put them together, have Dimitri bonding with Protagonist only for Kurt to discover them and punish them both, or let Kurt be at their mercy. Going darker: Kurt forcing them into doing things they aren't comfortable with as punishment, or something with an unbalanced V-type relationship where Kurt clearly prefers one of them but keeps the other around anyway just to be cruel.
Other random ideas:
- anything similar to the Dimitri ending (possibly without the deaths?) where they successfully run away together (whether in a romantic way or not)
- I kept having thoughts about Kurt sexually assaulting the protagonist what with undressing in front of her and sleeping in her bed... but I'd also love to see more of the Anime-esque "bastard boyfriend" trope where he essentially tortures her (traps her in a toxic relationship) even though he's written as the pretty boy male love interest stereotype
- Kurt and Dimitri's backstory, how they got together, etc. I see their relationship being a bit more consensual than the above, but I will never say no to noncon either, especially with how fucked up Kurt is.
- Kurt arrested by Protagonist ending: the potential ramifications of that. Also I get really excited thinking about a Protagonist with her memories back giving Kurt a taste of his own medicine. Her torturing Kurt (whether in a kinky way or not) for information or for what he'd done would be great, as does a wider look at the people she works for and the attempt at recreating Kurt's brand of immortality
- something gen (or not so gen) horror involving Kurt's fate or Dimitri crawling inside the mansion walls would be GREAT
For Protagonist (if you're including her), I'm fine with any OC name you want to give her as long as it's reasonably believable for a female character with an Eastern European-esque background. I'm also fine with either second or third-person narration with her as long as it's not literally readerfic (no stuff like y/n or deliberating involving the reader, just treat her as her own character please.)

Letter:
https://sarriathmg.dreamwidth.org/24719.html

Request 4 by sarriathmg
The Troop - Nick Cutter
Characters: Newton Thornton (The Troop - Nick Cutter), Max Kirkwood (The Troop - Nick Cutter)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

DNW-general:- underage human/human sex for this canon (parasitic erotic horror involving underage characters, with canon-typical body horror elements, is welcome for this canon! eg. mpreg with worms)
- discussing "social issues" (gender politics, racism etc.)
- Unrequested gender swap
- unrequested trans/ace headcanons
- race change from canon
- xeno pronouns (“they/them” = great; “it/its” = great in a dehumanization/degradation context or to show how inhuman a character is; “xe/ze” = not these please)
- food used in sex (things like hand feeding as a part of D/s relationship is fine, but no food going near places other than hands and mouth please)
- Religion being discussed as a major philosophical topic while presenting it as unironically positive (religious fanaticism/piety as character trait/period-typical religion is fine, just not the narration itself being "preachy").
I’m a sucker for stories where the trauma that characters face is treated with care. The middle of the book nearly lost me, but the ending pulled me back full force!
Damn! I was hoping for Newton to survive, but I can’t complain that it ended up being Max. The chapter dedicated to his lasting trauma is sad but so well done that I can even forgive the turtle scene. I really want to see some form of happy ending where both boys survive and grow into adulthood, or just anything that’s less sad than the canon ending. And what about the aftermath? How would Newton corroborate with Max’s version of events? How would the parents cope? Would the two surviving boys form some kind of a trauma bond? Max/Newton is just as good as Max & Newton, so gimme shippy or gen content, I love them both!
I also love dark shit and the body horror of this book, especially when the worms are making Shelley believe that he’s pregnant and must now protect his “babies.” That’s both fucked up and has a… strange erotic undertone that makes you kinda uncomfortable. I love body horror, especially the type when a foreign parasitic entity is rewiring someone’s brain or modifying their body, severing their identity and making them into tools for the entity’s procreation. I like Shelley’s psychopathic creepiness as well as the scifi horror of the worms. Gimme something creepy, if you’d like! I’d love to see whump in which Shelley gets his hands (or the worms make him get his hands) on Max or Newton or both. Torturing them or making them into hosts just like Shelley. No happy ending is required for this, especially if you want to fully embrace the horror!

Letter:
https://sarriathmg.dreamwidth.org/24719.html

Promo post for Dread Weight (Video Game)


PH #204: The Alters (Video Game), Time of Iron Series - Sarah Rees Brennan, The Accountant (Movies), The Institute (TV)
Request 1 by Suaine
The Alters (Video Game)
Characters: Jan Dolski, Jan Refiner (The Alters), Lucas Peña, Benjamin "Ben" Harris
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

Every once in a while I will pick up a narrative work without knowing very much about it - purely based on vibes - and it will turn out to be very, very queer. The Alters surprised me. I went in expecting some identity stuff, some sci-fi, and fun gameplay. I sure got that, but I was not prepared for the "I guess we're all bi here" or the fundamental exploration of what it means to be the worst version of yourself by virtue of making all the worst choices and having to grow out of that while constantly under threat. I was not prepared for falling in love with all versions of Jan Dolski and also wanting him to climb Lucas Pena like a tree.
As you can perhaps see from which characters I chose, I would truly appreciate you exploring the Jans' queerness. I would like to see your take on saving Ben and what it means to love someone who doesn't even know you yet. I want to see what you would do with Lucas and Jan, whether they get to go to that dinner with grandma. Also, the worldbuilding and all the other choices you can make that change not just the fate of these characters, but the entire world.

Letter:
https://write.ellipsus.com/edit/73230125-aad5-4891-97ee-0f49562a16e0

Request 2 by Suaine
Time of Iron Series - Sarah Rees Brennan
Characters: Eric Mitchell | The Golden Cobra, Marius Valerius | The Last Hope
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

This is a very simple "oh please, please, make them kiss" prompt. I'm fascinated by the worldbuilding, by who these characters were and became - especially Eric who is, quite frankly, my favorite and deserves everything and anything he wants - by what it means to be both a person and a CHARACTER, especially in a narrative that's so steeped in archetypes and their subversion. But above all, I want Marius to gently hold Eric and kiss him like his life depends on it.

Letter:
https://write.ellipsus.com/edit/73230125-aad5-4891-97ee-0f49562a16e0

Request 3 by Suaine
The Accountant (Movies)
Characters: Christian Wolff, Braxton (The Accountant Movies)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Listen, I am a simple girl with simple tastes and I would like you to explore their relationship. If you're into that, I'm not opposed to romance, and if you're not, I just want to know how we can get them to finally stay within reach of each other. It's funny how the movies so clearly portray both of them as neurodiverse, but only Christian is allowed to be. Braxton has to be the normal one. He has constructed this image of himself as the caretaker, even though neither of them really want that. The distance Christian puts between them is deliberate and I want you to dig into the why. What pushes them apart, what pulls them together? And can two very fucked up assassins in their middle-age find some peace, maybe even with or alongside each other?

Letter:
https://write.ellipsus.com/edit/73230125-aad5-4891-97ee-0f49562a16e0

Request 4 by Suaine
The Institute (TV)
Characters: Luke Ellis, Nicky Wilholm
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

When I read the book, I was deeply invested in the relationship between these two boys and the TV series dialed that up to eleven. There's a connection between them that's undeniable, no matter in what direction it develops.

Letter:
https://write.ellipsus.com/edit/73230125-aad5-4891-97ee-0f49562a16e0


CLAIMED - PH #206: Columbo, Mario Kart (Video Games), Final Fantasy IV, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Pokemon Concierge (Cartoon), Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi
Request 1 by TheMangosity
Columbo
Characters: Lieutenant Columbo (Columbo)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I’m sure I'll love whatever you write for me because I just want to read some amazing stories in these fandoms!
In case my Yuletide letter isn’t done before assignments go out, I wanted to say a little bit about some of the fandoms so you at least have a little bit of inspiration. You can also find my past Yuletide letters on my dreamwidth account if you want to get an idea of some of the things I like.
I don't have any triggers or anything I absolutely wouldn't want to see in a story. I like the kinds of stories that take place in universe and match the tone of the original. It's fun to see what's happening in the characters' lives post-series or behind the scenes.
Here are some things I like: Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Action Adventure, Crossovers. I’m also interested in Interactive Fiction if that’s something you enjoy making. I go into more detail about these things here in the beginning of last year’s letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/2896.html
 
Columbo: Homicide detective immediately knows who murderer is and chooses to harass and annoy murderer for entire episode.
Over the past year I became a super Columbo fan and it’s all thanks to Yuletide! Last year I matched with someone on Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and they had also requested Columbo. I didn’t even know that much about Columbo but for some reason I decided to write a Columbo/Majora’s Mask crossover. I watched a bunch of the show and thought it was so funny. It’s just Columbo harassing and annoying the murderer for an hour and a half until he busts them. It’s so funny.
After writing that crossover last year, I’m really into Columbo crossovers. Each Columbo episode is him meeting completely new characters, so it’s the perfect setup for a crossover to happen. I’m totally open to a crossover of Columbo and any of the other fandoms I’ve requested. If there’s something else similar to these fandoms that you want to do a crossover with, that’s fine too.
But if we matched on Columbo and you know nothing about any of theses other fandoms, or if you just are not feeling the crossover thing, I totally understand.
I love Columbo’s dog, so I would love if you can find a way to include him even briefly!

Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html

Request 2 by TheMangosity
Mario Kart (Video Games)
Characters: Cow (Mario Kart), Koopa Troopa (Mario Kart), Yoshi (Mario Kart), Shizue | Isabelle (Mario Kart)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

Super Mario and his friends decide to have kart racing tournaments together.
I requested Mario Kart because of this specific tweet where Nintendo posted a video of a Koopa traveling across the world with his little bread basket: https://twitter.com/nintendoamerica/status/1960054642412290131 I thought it was so cute and funny! Why is he carrying this bread basket with him? Is he delivering it? Does he just like bread?
I also nominated Cow as a character because she looks really cool driving the motorcycle. Why is this cow cooler than any of us?

Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html

Request 3 by TheMangosity
Final Fantasy IV
Characters: Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy IV), Kain Highwind (Final Fantasy IV)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

Cool guy uses power of the moon to defeat the darkness.
To be honest I’ve only played a little bit of Final Fantasy IV, so I’m not sure if my description is even true. But I love Cecil and Kain! I watched all of the Dissidia Final Fantasy cutscenes and that’s where most of my knowledge of them comes from. Cecil seems like he has a strong sense of justice, like he always tries to see the good in people. He also seems a little naïve and inexperienced with the world. Kain seems like more of a realist. He’s willing to do anything to help his friends, even the hard stuff no one wants to do. If it has to get done, so be it.
I didn’t get very far in the game, but I know a little bit about Cecil’s journey. I know there’s a part in the beginning where a town gets destroyed and he’s devastated. Maybe you could write something about how he feels about that, what that means to him. If you know Dissidia I wouldn’t mind if the story takes place there.
I don’t mind if you mention some non-spoiler events from the game, just please don’t include any major plot spoilers.

Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html

Request 4 by TheMangosity
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Characters: Link (The Wind Waker), Tetra (The Wind Waker), Medli (The Wind Waker), Quill (The Wind Waker)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

Here’s what I wrote about Wind Waker for a previous Yuletide, just so you can get an idea of what I like about the world. I’ll come up with new ideas and prompts in the full Yuletide letter.
I love Wind Waker for its cute and carefree world. I'd like an adventure story that has Link, Tetra, and the talking boat. Feel free to include any characters you like from the game! It can take place during the events of the game or post game. Here are some ideas I came up with:
-Link, Tetra and the pirate crew go on pirate voyages together. They're taking care of the last few monsters left over after Ganondorf's defeat. The talking boat offers his support however he can.
-Link gets sick while out on the high seas in his boat and Tetra and the pirate crew find him and take care of him.
-Link introduces Tetra and the pirate crew to his family and everyone else in his home village.
I'm open to other ideas too! Just as long as it's similar to the tone of the game. Also, if you'd like to cross this over with any of the other Zelda games, I'm open to that, especially Breath of the Wild.
Thanks for reading this! I’ll come up with more details and prompts for all of the fandoms in my full Yuletide letter!

Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html

Request 5 by TheMangosity
Pokemon Concierge (Cartoon)
Characters: Haru (Pokemon Concierge), Koduck | Psyduck (Pokemon Concierge), Alisa (Pokemon Concierge), Tyler (Pokemon Concierge)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

No prompts

Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html

Request 6 by TheMangosity
Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi
Characters: Lah Kara (Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi), Ethan (Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi), Juro (Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi), Homen (Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form

I wrote about Star Wars Visions in a previous Yuletide letter, so here it is so you can get some ideas. I’ll come up with some new ideas in the new letter.
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/2419.html
Letter:
https://themangosity.dreamwidth.org/3297.html


PH #207: Oathsworn (Actual Play Podcast), Heaven Will Be Mine (Visual Novel), 杀破狼 | Sha Po Lang - priest
Request 1 by WolffyLuna
Oathsworn (Actual Play Podcast)
Characters: Worldbuilding (Oathsworn)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

I really love Oathsworn. I am a sucker for dramatic last stands against the apocalypse, the dread of everything getting worse and death spirals as people desperately try to make things still work. I am a sucker for the all of the characters, and I find the worldbuilding fascinating.
Note: I am currently up to episode 69. There is a world where I finish the podcast before sign ups close. There is another world where I finish after sign ups close but before works reveal. If any of my prompts are ‘but wait, they answered that question in episode 73?’ …woops.
General likes and prompts are in my letter, they are a bit too long to fit in this box.
I am open to treats!
DNWS:
- Torture being portrayed as effective/achieving goals
- Impregnation/pregnancy risk
- if there is a mention of some sort of birth control, even if it just the pull out method, you will have avoided my dnw.
- Explicit underage (<18) sex
- Daddy kink/ mommy kink / family terms being used in sex (unless people are actually related)
- organised crime AUs
- out of control fires

Letter:
https://wolffyluna.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/16/

Request 2 by WolffyLuna
Heaven Will Be Mine (Visual Novel)
Characters: Pluto (Heaven Will Be Mine), Luna-Terra (Heaven Will Be Mine), Saturn (Heaven Will Be Mine)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)

Ladies kissin’ each other, and explorations of what it means to be The Other and how to respond to it... IN SPACE!
I love the worldbuilding, and all the implications that circle around the fact that is space reality is defined by whoever has the strongest personality. The way that being one of the space kids is a metaphor for being queer, and the way you can look at those sorts of things at different angles through metaphor, while at the same time all the major characters are non-metaphorically queer.
Also, ladies kissin’ in giant robots is cool.
General likes and prompts are in my letter, they are a bit too long to fit in this box.
I am open to treats!
DNWS:
- Torture being portrayed as effective/achieving goals
- Impregnation/pregnancy risk
- if there is a mention of some sort of birth control, even if it just the pull out method, you will have avoided my dnw.
- Explicit underage (<18) sex
- Daddy kink/ mommy kink / family terms being used in sex (unless people are actually related)
- organised crime AUs
- out of control fires

Letter:
https://wolffyluna.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/16/

Request 3 by WolffyLuna
杀破狼 | Sha Po Lang - priest
Characters: Chang Geng | Li Min
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)

I am a sucker for political dramas with romance, steampunk, hurt/comfort, and that sort of ‘I’m going to fix the economy!’ sort of optimisation fic. Sha Po Lang was very much made for me.
General likes and prompts are in my letter, they are a bit too long to fit in this box.
I am open to treats!
DNWS:
- Torture being portrayed as effective/achieving goals
- Impregnation/pregnancy risk
- if there is a mention of some sort of birth control, even if it just the pull out method, you will have avoided my dnw.
- Explicit underage (<18) sex
- Daddy kink/ mommy kink / family terms being used in sex (unless people are actually related)
- organised crime AUs
- out of control fires

Letter:
https://wolffyluna.dreamwidth.org/2025/10/16/

Promo post for Oathsworn (Actual Play Podcast)
FAIL Blog ([syndicated profile] fail_feed) wrote2025-12-18 06:00 am

Post office destroys rare honey jars that a father planned to send to his daughter, they refuse to c

Posted by Emma Saven

Well, this is certainly a unique (and slightly dangerous) take on malicious compliance, but here goes: This father lives in a small village that focuses on growing organic food. They have everything from juicy fruits to jaw-dropping veggies…However, there does seem to be one special product they just can't locate: 100% natural honey. But this awesome dad, being the man he is, managed to find one generous beekeeping friend who has offered to provide him with enough jars for him and his daughter living abroad. 

I don't know about you guys, but my dad sometimes moans about passing me the remote, so when this dad puts so much effort into boxing and shipping her honey, she is beyond excited by the sweet gesture…That being said, the second her father passed the parcel on to the post office, things took a sour turn! After weeks of receiving thin air, this father went down to the post office to see what was going on…mortified to discover not only had the parcel been lost, but when they finally found it, the box and all its contents were completely destroyed! 

Lifehacker ([syndicated profile] lifehacker_feed) wrote2025-12-18 02:00 pm

This Amazon Fire Kids Tablet Is 50% Off Right Now

Posted by Pradershika Sharma

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

For parents shopping for a first kids’ tablet that won’t turn into a headache or break after one drop, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) might be worth a look. It usually retails for $149.99, but it’s currently marked down to $74.99 on Amazon, its lowest price to date, according to price trackers.

At that price, you’re getting a rugged case, a year of Amazon Kids+ subscription, a two-year worry-free replacement guarantee, and solid parental controls all bundled into one eight-inch tablet. It’s not fast, and it doesn’t have a high-res display, but for young kids starting out with screen time, it does a lot right.

It has a 2.0GHz hexa-core processor, 32GB of storage (expandable to 1TB), and a 1,280-by-800 resolution display. It handles video streaming and basic apps well, though heavier games and multitasking can slow it down. Battery life is impressive, lasting close to 10 hours in PCMag’s video playback tests. The case, which adds bulk, also includes a built-in stand that doubles as a handle, though younger kids might need help adjusting it. It’s not waterproof, but if it breaks, Amazon will replace it for free within two years—no questions asked.

Setup requires a parent to create profiles, set screen time limits, and customize content filters. Once done, kids can access Amazon Kids+, which includes age-appropriate books, videos, games, and a genuinely fun “Quest” feature that blends learning with light gamification. When the free trial ends, though, you’ll need to pay $5.99 a month (or $48 annually) to keep access to that library. Without it, the experience is much more limited and depends on how much effort you want to put into finding and installing your own content. But for under $75, with a kid-proof case and thoughtful tools for parents, it’s one of the better value tablets out there for kids aged three to seven.


Lifehacker ([syndicated profile] twocents_feed) wrote2025-12-18 01:30 pm

The Books I Recommend If You're Trying to Manage Your Time Better

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Efficient time management takes, well, time to perfect. There are a variety of hacks out there to help you schedule, focus, and complete your work, but it’s still hard to actually do all of that without the right guidance and mindset. If you’re struggling with time management, it might be worth spending some time digging deep on the topic and reading what experts have to say. Here are some of the best books I recommend to help you improve your time management skills.

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<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Lindsey Ellefson</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS">https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS</a></p><p>We may earn a commission from links on this page.</p><p>Efficient time management takes, well, time to perfect. There are a variety of hacks out there to help you schedule, focus, and complete your work, but it&rsquo;s still hard to actually <em>do </em>all of that without the right guidance and mindset. If you&rsquo;re struggling with time management, it might be worth spending some time digging deep on the topic and reading what experts have to say. Here are some of the best books I recommend to help you improve your time management skills.</p><div class="shadow-b-2 mb-12 mt-10 rounded-md border-2 border-[#F0F0F0] px-6 py-2 shadow-lg md:px-12" role="region" aria-label="Products List" x-data="{ showMore: false }"> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAM-Club-Morning-Elevate-Life%2Fdp%2F1443460710%2Fref%3Dtmm_pap_swatch_0%3F_encoding%3DUTF8%26qid%3D%26sr%3D&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=1&amp;element_label=The+5AM+Club%3A+Own+Your+Morning.+Elevate+Your+Life.&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT&amp;offer_uuid=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR&amp;object_uuid=070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT&amp;data-aps-asin=1443460710&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life." data-ga-position="1" aria-label="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 0 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $10.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$17.99</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $7.99</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723732993.jpg" alt="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life." width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $10.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$17.99</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $7.99</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F80-20-Principle-Secret-Achieving%2Fdp%2F0385491743%2F%3Ftag%3Dmustread-successfulpeople-20%26provider%3Damazon&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=2&amp;element_label=The+80%2F20+Principle%3A+The+Secret+to+Achieving+More+with+Less&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir&amp;offer_uuid=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr&amp;object_uuid=00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir&amp;data-aps-asin=0385491743&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less" data-ga-position="2" aria-label="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 1 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.19 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$20.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $8.81</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723783751.jpg" alt="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.19 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$20.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $8.81</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDeep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted-ebook%2Fdp%2FB00X47ZVXM&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=3&amp;element_label=Deep+Work%3A+Rules+for+Focused+Success+in+a+Distracted+World&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu&amp;offer_uuid=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz&amp;object_uuid=05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu&amp;data-aps-asin=B00X47ZVXM&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" data-ga-position="3" aria-label="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 2 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1724631371.jpg" alt="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FEat-That-Frog-Important-Things%2Fdp%2F1444765426&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=4&amp;element_label=Eat+That+Frog&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ&amp;offer_uuid=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6&amp;object_uuid=079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ&amp;data-aps-asin=1444765426&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Eat That Frog" data-ga-position="4" aria-label="Eat That Frog Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 3 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Eat That Frog </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1726606755.jpg" alt="Eat That Frog" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB08RWKPKXB&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=5&amp;element_label=The+7+Habits+of+Highly+Effective+People&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm&amp;offer_uuid=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz&amp;object_uuid=04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm&amp;data-aps-asin=B08RWKPKXB&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" data-ga-position="5" aria-label="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 4 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1736277469.jpg" alt="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F168-Hours-Have-More-Think%2Fdp%2F159184410X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1547570944%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3D168%2BHours&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=6&amp;element_label=168+Hours%3A+You+Have+More+Time+Than+You+Think&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD&amp;offer_uuid=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx&amp;object_uuid=03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD&amp;data-aps-asin=159184410X&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" data-ga-position="6" aria-label="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 5 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$19.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $10.00</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723747832.jpg" alt="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$19.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $10.00</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFour-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals-ebook%2Fdp%2FB08FGV64B1&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=7&amp;element_label=Four+Thousand+Weeks%3A+Time+Management+for+Mortals&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP&amp;offer_uuid=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U&amp;object_uuid=02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP&amp;data-aps-asin=B08FGV64B1&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" data-ga-position="7" aria-label="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 6 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1724625548.jpg" alt="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <button class="mb-4 mt-6 pr-4 font-akshar text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 hover:cursor-pointer hover:text-brand-green md:pr-8" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="!showMore &amp;&amp; 7 &gt; 3" x-on:click="showMore = !showMore" x-on:keydown.enter.prevent.stop="showMore = !showMore"> SEE 4 MORE <svg class="-mt-[2px] inline-block size-3 fill-current text-brand-green"> <use href="https://lifehacker.com/images/icons/spritemap.svg#sprite-chevron-down"></use> </svg> </button> </div> <h2 id="for-a-whole-day-overhaul">For a whole-day overhaul</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/kVgwX?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%205AM%20Club%3A%20Own%20Your%20Morning.%20Elevate%20Your%20Life&amp;short_url=kVgwX&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Robin Sharma</strong></p><p>If your goal is to wake up every day and kick things off with maximum productivity and overall put-together-ness, try Robin Sharma&rsquo;s best-selling manifesto on embracing mornings (<a href="https://lifehacker.com/health/how-i-finally-got-myself-to-be-an-early-morning-exerciser" target="_blank">something I've been endeavoring to do myself for a few months</a>). Sharma believes success starts early in the morning, so if you can harness the power of your morning routine and get up early to greet the day, you can be more focused, productive, and happy&mdash;and I've certainly found that to be true for myself, though it absolutely is rough to get used to waking up earlier. It doesn&rsquo;t take much, either: You just need one hour every morning for this, meaning this goes hand-in-hand with the concept of a "<a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour" target="_blank">Power Hour</a>," which also comes from <a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-productivity-methods" target="_blank">a book you should read</a>. Reviewers call it a &ldquo;game changer&rdquo; and &ldquo;extremely important.&rdquo;</p><h2 id="to-maximize-the-least-amount-of-time">To maximize the least amount of time&nbsp;</h2><p>&nbsp;<a href="https://zdcs.link/qmvR3?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%2080%2F20%20Principle%3A%20The%20Secret%20to%20Achieving%20More%20With%20Less&amp;short_url=qmvR3&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More With Less</em></strong></a><strong> by Richard Koch</strong></p><p>You may have heard the old adage that 80% of our success comes from 20% of our work&mdash;or the Pareto Principle, which <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/what-is-the-pareto-principle" target="_blank">I've written about if you need a reminder</a>&mdash;but what do you do with that information and how do you apply it to your life? Koch&rsquo;s book is all about how you can identify the 20% of your effort that truly counts for productivity, then focus in on it. This is great for people who have way too much going on. Reviewers say it can &ldquo;add hours to your days&rdquo; and increase your happiness.</p><h2 id="to-lean-in-on-focusing">To lean in on focusing</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/eLgKw?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Deep%20Work%3A%20Rules%20for%20Focused%20Success%20in%20a%20Distracted%20World&amp;short_url=eLgKw&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World</em></strong></a><strong> by Cal Newport</strong></p><p>I recommend Newport&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/use-deep-work-to-be-more-productive-1850632295" target="_blank">deep work practice</a> pretty often around here, and for good reason: Learning the skill of focusing <em>hard </em>on your important tasks is key to handling your responsibilities well and getting everything done. Deep work is all about getting more efficient by eliminating distractions, so you&rsquo;ll end up doing more in less time. It's integral to <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/how-to-use-the-flow-state" target="_blank">getting into a flow state</a>, and you need to master it if you want to succeed with other productivity approaches, like the <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/try-pomodoro-20-to-focus-on-deep-work" target="_blank">Pomodoro technique</a>. Newport is all about leaning in on the truly demanding tasks, not taking shortcuts to avoid them, so this is perfect for anyone who truly cares about the quality, not just the quantity, of their output.</p><h2 id="if-you-dont-know-where-to-start">If you don&rsquo;t know where to start</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/OM0gB?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Eat%20That%20Frog%21%3A%2021%20Great%20Ways%20to%20Stop%20Procrastinating%20and%20Get%20More%20Done%20in%20Less%20Time&amp;short_url=OM0gB&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Brian Tracy</strong></p><p>If you want to get a sense of the sheer amount of productivity hacks out there&mdash;and <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/eat-the-frog-first-thing-in-the-morning-1850396305" target="">which one is best for your specific needs</a>&mdash;try this book of 21 tips, which is in its third edition. It&rsquo;s part of a series by Tracy, so you could pick up a version for students or supplemental cards to keep on hand as reminders, but the original book is a hit for a reason. Its most famous tip is, of course, that you should "<a href="https://lifehacker.com/eat-the-frog-method" target="_blank">eat the frog</a>," or tackle your biggest, most demanding task right away every day, but there are a handful of other solid ideas in there that can suit anyone's needs if that doesn't work for you. (<a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/instead-of-eating-the-frog-try-the-10-minute-rule-to-be-productive" target="_blank">Eating the frog isn't my preferred time management method</a>, but that's why it's great there are so many options.) Reviewers call the steps &ldquo;practical&rdquo; and praise Tracy for being a consistently helpful read for years.</p><h2 id="to-embrace-an-old-classi">To embrace an old classi</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/jbg8y?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%207%20Habits%20of%20Highly%20Effective%20People&amp;short_url=jbg8y&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</em></strong></a><strong><em> </em>by Stephen R. Covey </strong></p><p>You&rsquo;ve heard of this book before. Maybe you heard of the version geared toward teens or saw someone else using the supplemental workbook. It&rsquo;s been around more than 30 years, and it&rsquo;s a classic in the productivity world. Covey recommends being proactive, beginning tasks with the end in mind, prioritizing, thinking &ldquo;win/win,&rdquo; seeking to understand before being understood, synergizing, and taking time to recharge&mdash;and if that sounds vague, it&rsquo;s only because he then goes into much greater detail in the book itself, which reviewers say should be part of your permanent library.</p><h2 id="to-gain-perspective">To gain perspective</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/0J21E?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=168%20Hours%3A%20You%20Have%20More%20Time%20Than%20You%20Think&amp;short_url=0J21E&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Laura Vanderkam </strong></p><p>If it feels like you just don&rsquo;t have enough time in a day to get everything done, you could just be dealing with an issue of perspective. Instead of thinking about the 24 hours in your day, try thinking about the 168 in a week&mdash;and then figuring out where the important stuff fits in there, so you&rsquo;re sure to get it done. Vanderkam advocates for identifying what genuinely matters&mdash;and what doesn&rsquo;t&mdash;then scheduling around it in a way that recognizes you really do have time for it. The only issue? You won&rsquo;t be able to use being &ldquo;too busy&rdquo; as an excuse not to do the things you want to do anymore. <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/use-the-168-method-for-weekly-productivity" target="_blank">I like this technique a lot</a> and have used it to reframe my thinking around my busy weeks to great effect. </p><h2 id="for-goal-setting">For goal-setting</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/r0vAm?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Four%20Thousand%20Weeks%3A%20Time%20Management%20for%20Mortals&amp;short_url=r0vAm&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Oliver Burkeman </strong></p><p>I've recommended one of Burkeman&rsquo;s principles&mdash;<a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/get-more-done-with-the-3-3-3-method-1850729849" target="">the 3-3-3 method</a>&mdash;before, but his full book, a <em>New York Times b</em>estseller, goes into much more detail on what he believes are the secrets to maximizing the productivity of your life. Hint: You&rsquo;re going to think long-term&mdash;even longer-term than Vanderkam suggests&mdash;as the first thing you have to do is realize that not only is your life finite, but on average, you only have 4,000 weeks in it. That doesn&rsquo;t seem like a lot when you think about it, right? The goal is to figure out how to use them to the best of your ability, which reviewers say the book helps with by reconciling readers with the fact that you won&rsquo;t get <em>everything </em>done, so you have to decide what is most <em>important </em>to get done.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS">https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS</a></p>
FAIL Blog ([syndicated profile] fail_feed) wrote2025-12-18 05:00 am

Boss throws extravagant Christmas party after round of layoffs, then posts about it on social media:

Posted by Ben Weiss

There is a time and a place to celebrate with one's employees. This was not one of those times.

It's no secret that many businesses are struggling right now, which inevitably means that tough decisions have to be made. This author shared the story about how unfortunately he was one of the casualties during a massive round of layoffs at his now former company. This revelation caught him off guard, but he acknowledged that he was lucky enough to have saved enough money over the years so that he could take a moment before desperately running into a potentially worse employment situation. Several of his fellow coworkers, however, were not quite as prviileged.

Still, if that challenging dynamic wasn't uncomfortable enough to navigate, what happened next on social media platforms such as LinkedIn brought a whole new meaning to discomfort. The author had been looking at various job postings on LinkedIn and doing that thing that all folks do during this transition period: applying to countless jobs en masse. Any available opening in sight, he was filling applications for.

But then, the author came across something he was not expecting. He saw several photos posted by his former boss showing just how extravagant the office Christmas party was, despite the fact that so many people at the company were recently let go. Not exactly the best look, sir!

james_davis_nicoll: (Default)
james_davis_nicoll ([personal profile] james_davis_nicoll) wrote2025-12-18 08:46 am
Entry tags:

The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman



A determined artist faces potentially lethal criticism.


The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman
Lifehacker ([syndicated profile] lifehacker_feed) wrote2025-12-18 01:30 pm

The Books I Recommend If You're Trying to Manage Your Time Better

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Efficient time management takes, well, time to perfect. There are a variety of hacks out there to help you schedule, focus, and complete your work, but it’s still hard to actually do all of that without the right guidance and mindset. If you’re struggling with time management, it might be worth spending some time digging deep on the topic and reading what experts have to say. Here are some of the best books I recommend to help you improve your time management skills.

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<p class="syndicationauthor">Posted by Lindsey Ellefson</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS">https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS</a></p><p>We may earn a commission from links on this page.</p><p>Efficient time management takes, well, time to perfect. There are a variety of hacks out there to help you schedule, focus, and complete your work, but it&rsquo;s still hard to actually <em>do </em>all of that without the right guidance and mindset. If you&rsquo;re struggling with time management, it might be worth spending some time digging deep on the topic and reading what experts have to say. Here are some of the best books I recommend to help you improve your time management skills.</p><div class="shadow-b-2 mb-12 mt-10 rounded-md border-2 border-[#F0F0F0] px-6 py-2 shadow-lg md:px-12" role="region" aria-label="Products List" x-data="{ showMore: false }"> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAM-Club-Morning-Elevate-Life%2Fdp%2F1443460710%2Fref%3Dtmm_pap_swatch_0%3F_encoding%3DUTF8%26qid%3D%26sr%3D&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=1&amp;element_label=The+5AM+Club%3A+Own+Your+Morning.+Elevate+Your+Life.&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT&amp;offer_uuid=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR&amp;object_uuid=070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT&amp;data-aps-asin=1443460710&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=01FDqiLy93bnvcvJ9rYqAMR" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life." data-ga-position="1" aria-label="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 0 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $10.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$17.99</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $7.99</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/070VBGtdRlWYOdPUCqdcfkT/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723732993.jpg" alt="The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life." width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $10.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$17.99</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $7.99</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F80-20-Principle-Secret-Achieving%2Fdp%2F0385491743%2F%3Ftag%3Dmustread-successfulpeople-20%26provider%3Damazon&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=2&amp;element_label=The+80%2F20+Principle%3A+The+Secret+to+Achieving+More+with+Less&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir&amp;offer_uuid=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr&amp;object_uuid=00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir&amp;data-aps-asin=0385491743&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=06PjB54ukhLUidRKhtu1gGr" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less" data-ga-position="2" aria-label="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 1 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.19 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$20.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $8.81</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/00rkbdLhArAYnlCrPDiguir/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723783751.jpg" alt="The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.19 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$20.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $8.81</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDeep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted-ebook%2Fdp%2FB00X47ZVXM&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=3&amp;element_label=Deep+Work%3A+Rules+for+Focused+Success+in+a+Distracted+World&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu&amp;offer_uuid=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz&amp;object_uuid=05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu&amp;data-aps-asin=B00X47ZVXM&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=03uucxrgbHLtkwAqqjzYSjz" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" data-ga-position="3" aria-label="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 2 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/05CuevYex3bCPbibk5nKUZu/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1724631371.jpg" alt="Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FEat-That-Frog-Important-Things%2Fdp%2F1444765426&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=4&amp;element_label=Eat+That+Frog&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ&amp;offer_uuid=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6&amp;object_uuid=079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ&amp;data-aps-asin=1444765426&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=044oDzTP9owCmQkzsQOzne6" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Eat That Frog" data-ga-position="4" aria-label="Eat That Frog Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 3 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Eat That Frog </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/079dEYVjCIxXn4FjCY1C6uJ/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1726606755.jpg" alt="Eat That Frog" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $15.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB08RWKPKXB&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=5&amp;element_label=The+7+Habits+of+Highly+Effective+People&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm&amp;offer_uuid=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz&amp;object_uuid=04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm&amp;data-aps-asin=B08RWKPKXB&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=02z0Q0zf9uCgoIA450UegJz" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" data-ga-position="5" aria-label="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 4 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/04JFQ4fyxWk5OI1TG7Hdxxm/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1736277469.jpg" alt="The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F168-Hours-Have-More-Think%2Fdp%2F159184410X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1547570944%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3D168%2BHours&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=6&amp;element_label=168+Hours%3A+You+Have+More+Time+Than+You+Think&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD&amp;offer_uuid=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx&amp;object_uuid=03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD&amp;data-aps-asin=159184410X&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=01m8tE2PZp1LZXJUIArQCpx" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7 border-b-2" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" data-ga-position="6" aria-label="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 5 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$19.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $10.00</span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/03pj73ccu659WtabuL3U7lD/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1723747832.jpg" alt="168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $9.00 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> <div class="flex items-center justify-center gap-x-1 font-bold md:justify-start"> <span class="text-sm line-through">$19.00</span> <span class="text-sm text-brand-green">Save $10.00</span> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cc.lifehacker.com/v1/otc/06ZVRiLmglGs4QA6plTXzTC?merchant=05kie42h3YvHwjr4G1w80Qq&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFour-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals-ebook%2Fdp%2FB08FGV64B1&amp;template=Explainers&amp;module=product-list&amp;element=offer&amp;item=offer-btn&amp;position=7&amp;element_label=Four+Thousand+Weeks%3A+Time+Management+for+Mortals&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss&amp;product_uuid=02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP&amp;offer_uuid=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U&amp;pageview_type=RSS&amp;object_type=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U&amp;object_uuid=02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP&amp;data-aps-asin=B08FGV64B1&amp;data-aps-asc-tag=lifehack088-20&amp;data-aps-asc-subtag=04urC1cyv0013uFRWyqUP6U" data-commerce="1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored" data-parent-group="affiliate-link" title="(opens in a new window)" class="flex flex-col py-8 gap-5 border-dotted border-[#CFCFCE] cursor-default no-underline md:flex-row md:gap-y-2 md:py-7" data-ga-click="data-ga-click" data-ga-module="product-list" data-ga-element="offer" data-ga-item="offer-btn" data-ga-label="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" data-ga-position="7" aria-label="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Product Card" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="showMore || 6 &lt; 3"> <div class="flex w-full gap-x-5"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col flex-nowrap justify-center gap-2 text-black no-underline md:order-2 md:gap-y-6"> <div class="flex flex-col justify-between gap-y-2 md:w-full md:gap-y-1"> <div class="block w-fit cursor-pointer font-akshar text-lg font-medium leading-5 text-brand-green duration-200 ease-in-out hover:text-brand-green-700 md:text-xl md:leading-6"> Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals </div> </div> <div class="hidden md:flex md:justify-between md:gap-x-4"> <div class="w-full mb-0 md:flex md:flex-col md:justify-center font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm hidden self-end h-12 max-w-[10rem] duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:flex md:h-10"> Learn More </button> </div> </div> <div class="flex aspect-video h-[90px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center md:order-1"> <img class="m-0 max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/product/02w6RRETlscIQiyf2BHnjlP/hero-image.fill.size_autoxauto.v1724625548.jpg" alt="Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <button class="flex justify-center items-center w-full bg-brand-green text-white text-base font-sans font-medium rounded-md hover:bg-brand-green-700 hover:cursor-pointer md:text-sm w-full h-12 duration-200 ease-in-out hover:bg-brand-green-700 md:hidden md:h-10"> Learn More </button> <div class="flex flex-col items-center w-full md:hidden font-sans leading-4 text-black"> <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-center gap-1 md:justify-start"> <span class="font-bold"> $11.99 <span class="font-medium">at Amazon</span> </span> </div> </div> </a> <button class="mb-4 mt-6 pr-4 font-akshar text-sm font-medium text-gray-900 hover:cursor-pointer hover:text-brand-green md:pr-8" x-cloak="x-cloak" x-show="!showMore &amp;&amp; 7 &gt; 3" x-on:click="showMore = !showMore" x-on:keydown.enter.prevent.stop="showMore = !showMore"> SEE 4 MORE <svg class="-mt-[2px] inline-block size-3 fill-current text-brand-green"> <use href="https://lifehacker.com/images/icons/spritemap.svg#sprite-chevron-down"></use> </svg> </button> </div> <h2 id="for-a-whole-day-overhaul">For a whole-day overhaul</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/kVgwX?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%205AM%20Club%3A%20Own%20Your%20Morning.%20Elevate%20Your%20Life&amp;short_url=kVgwX&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Robin Sharma</strong></p><p>If your goal is to wake up every day and kick things off with maximum productivity and overall put-together-ness, try Robin Sharma&rsquo;s best-selling manifesto on embracing mornings (<a href="https://lifehacker.com/health/how-i-finally-got-myself-to-be-an-early-morning-exerciser" target="_blank">something I've been endeavoring to do myself for a few months</a>). Sharma believes success starts early in the morning, so if you can harness the power of your morning routine and get up early to greet the day, you can be more focused, productive, and happy&mdash;and I've certainly found that to be true for myself, though it absolutely is rough to get used to waking up earlier. It doesn&rsquo;t take much, either: You just need one hour every morning for this, meaning this goes hand-in-hand with the concept of a "<a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour" target="_blank">Power Hour</a>," which also comes from <a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-productivity-methods" target="_blank">a book you should read</a>. Reviewers call it a &ldquo;game changer&rdquo; and &ldquo;extremely important.&rdquo;</p><h2 id="to-maximize-the-least-amount-of-time">To maximize the least amount of time&nbsp;</h2><p>&nbsp;<a href="https://zdcs.link/qmvR3?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%2080%2F20%20Principle%3A%20The%20Secret%20to%20Achieving%20More%20With%20Less&amp;short_url=qmvR3&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More With Less</em></strong></a><strong> by Richard Koch</strong></p><p>You may have heard the old adage that 80% of our success comes from 20% of our work&mdash;or the Pareto Principle, which <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/what-is-the-pareto-principle" target="_blank">I've written about if you need a reminder</a>&mdash;but what do you do with that information and how do you apply it to your life? Koch&rsquo;s book is all about how you can identify the 20% of your effort that truly counts for productivity, then focus in on it. This is great for people who have way too much going on. Reviewers say it can &ldquo;add hours to your days&rdquo; and increase your happiness.</p><h2 id="to-lean-in-on-focusing">To lean in on focusing</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/eLgKw?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Deep%20Work%3A%20Rules%20for%20Focused%20Success%20in%20a%20Distracted%20World&amp;short_url=eLgKw&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World</em></strong></a><strong> by Cal Newport</strong></p><p>I recommend Newport&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/use-deep-work-to-be-more-productive-1850632295" target="_blank">deep work practice</a> pretty often around here, and for good reason: Learning the skill of focusing <em>hard </em>on your important tasks is key to handling your responsibilities well and getting everything done. Deep work is all about getting more efficient by eliminating distractions, so you&rsquo;ll end up doing more in less time. It's integral to <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/how-to-use-the-flow-state" target="_blank">getting into a flow state</a>, and you need to master it if you want to succeed with other productivity approaches, like the <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/try-pomodoro-20-to-focus-on-deep-work" target="_blank">Pomodoro technique</a>. Newport is all about leaning in on the truly demanding tasks, not taking shortcuts to avoid them, so this is perfect for anyone who truly cares about the quality, not just the quantity, of their output.</p><h2 id="if-you-dont-know-where-to-start">If you don&rsquo;t know where to start</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/OM0gB?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Eat%20That%20Frog%21%3A%2021%20Great%20Ways%20to%20Stop%20Procrastinating%20and%20Get%20More%20Done%20in%20Less%20Time&amp;short_url=OM0gB&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Brian Tracy</strong></p><p>If you want to get a sense of the sheer amount of productivity hacks out there&mdash;and <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/eat-the-frog-first-thing-in-the-morning-1850396305" target="">which one is best for your specific needs</a>&mdash;try this book of 21 tips, which is in its third edition. It&rsquo;s part of a series by Tracy, so you could pick up a version for students or supplemental cards to keep on hand as reminders, but the original book is a hit for a reason. Its most famous tip is, of course, that you should "<a href="https://lifehacker.com/eat-the-frog-method" target="_blank">eat the frog</a>," or tackle your biggest, most demanding task right away every day, but there are a handful of other solid ideas in there that can suit anyone's needs if that doesn't work for you. (<a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/instead-of-eating-the-frog-try-the-10-minute-rule-to-be-productive" target="_blank">Eating the frog isn't my preferred time management method</a>, but that's why it's great there are so many options.) Reviewers call the steps &ldquo;practical&rdquo; and praise Tracy for being a consistently helpful read for years.</p><h2 id="to-embrace-an-old-classi">To embrace an old classi</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/jbg8y?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=The%207%20Habits%20of%20Highly%20Effective%20People&amp;short_url=jbg8y&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</em></strong></a><strong><em> </em>by Stephen R. Covey </strong></p><p>You&rsquo;ve heard of this book before. Maybe you heard of the version geared toward teens or saw someone else using the supplemental workbook. It&rsquo;s been around more than 30 years, and it&rsquo;s a classic in the productivity world. Covey recommends being proactive, beginning tasks with the end in mind, prioritizing, thinking &ldquo;win/win,&rdquo; seeking to understand before being understood, synergizing, and taking time to recharge&mdash;and if that sounds vague, it&rsquo;s only because he then goes into much greater detail in the book itself, which reviewers say should be part of your permanent library.</p><h2 id="to-gain-perspective">To gain perspective</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/0J21E?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=168%20Hours%3A%20You%20Have%20More%20Time%20Than%20You%20Think&amp;short_url=0J21E&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Laura Vanderkam </strong></p><p>If it feels like you just don&rsquo;t have enough time in a day to get everything done, you could just be dealing with an issue of perspective. Instead of thinking about the 24 hours in your day, try thinking about the 168 in a week&mdash;and then figuring out where the important stuff fits in there, so you&rsquo;re sure to get it done. Vanderkam advocates for identifying what genuinely matters&mdash;and what doesn&rsquo;t&mdash;then scheduling around it in a way that recognizes you really do have time for it. The only issue? You won&rsquo;t be able to use being &ldquo;too busy&rdquo; as an excuse not to do the things you want to do anymore. <a href="https://lifehacker.com/work/use-the-168-method-for-weekly-productivity" target="_blank">I like this technique a lot</a> and have used it to reframe my thinking around my busy weeks to great effect. </p><h2 id="for-goal-setting">For goal-setting</h2><p><a href="https://zdcs.link/r0vAm?pageview_type=RSS&amp;template=content&amp;module=content_body&amp;element=offer&amp;item=text-link&amp;element_label=Four%20Thousand%20Weeks%3A%20Time%20Management%20for%20Mortals&amp;short_url=r0vAm&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Flifehacker.com%2Ffeed%2Frss" rel="sponsored" target="_blank" title="open in a new window"><strong><em>Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals</em></strong></a>&nbsp;<strong>by Oliver Burkeman </strong></p><p>I've recommended one of Burkeman&rsquo;s principles&mdash;<a href="https://www.lifehacker.com/get-more-done-with-the-3-3-3-method-1850729849" target="">the 3-3-3 method</a>&mdash;before, but his full book, a <em>New York Times b</em>estseller, goes into much more detail on what he believes are the secrets to maximizing the productivity of your life. Hint: You&rsquo;re going to think long-term&mdash;even longer-term than Vanderkam suggests&mdash;as the first thing you have to do is realize that not only is your life finite, but on average, you only have 4,000 weeks in it. That doesn&rsquo;t seem like a lot when you think about it, right? The goal is to figure out how to use them to the best of your ability, which reviewers say the book helps with by reconciling readers with the fact that you won&rsquo;t get <em>everything </em>done, so you have to decide what is most <em>important </em>to get done.</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS">https://lifehacker.com/best-books-to-improve-time-management?utm_medium=RSS</a></p>
cimorene: Olive green willow leaves on a parchment background (foliage)
Cimorene ([personal profile] cimorene) wrote2025-12-18 03:08 pm

Aggressive trees and greenery

The last time [personal profile] waxjism rearranged plants she put the three biggest ones - trees, they are trees - all at the west livingroom window.



Left to right (above) are Benjamin the ficus benjamina or weeping fig - inherited from Wax's granny and at least 25 years old; Jules Feiffer the pachira aquatica or money tree - bought as a baby from a nursery because I really wanted it (love the braided trunk) between 2014-2016, so it's pretty old, but it's only ever grown up and it never gets any fatter and barely has any roots; and Nelly the Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow and shoeblack plant - this was MIL's pride and joy and I think Wax said it's older than her, so probably at least 50 now. Jules especially is apparently crazy about the light there, even though the grow light died and Wax replaced it temporarily with a normal lightbulb. The window is a jungle.

The north window shelf is covered with three Thanksgiving cacti, two dormant orchids, a philodendron Henderson's Pride, and a polka dotted begonia. This shelf has been more cluttered at times, but it still gives a very strongly planty impression.
Lifehacker ([syndicated profile] twocents_feed) wrote2025-12-18 01:00 pm

The Best Apps to Gamify Your Productivity

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Call me immature, but I’m about a thousand times more likely to participate in activities that are good for me when they can be gamified. Even the simple pleasures of watching a number go up or earning a digital milestone badge can motivate me to get to the gym, track my meals, or form a new habit. Gamification can be used for focusing and studying, too, and a wide variety of apps exist to serve this purpose. Here are some of the best. 

Gamification apps for focusing

Focusing is notoriously difficult, especially in this hyper-connected era in which many of us can’t go five minutes without getting a text or eat a meal without watching TikTok videos. Use your device to your advantage instead with these apps that turn focusing into a game.

Finch

Finch in iOS
Credit: Finch

Finch is my favorite habit tracking app and I use it every day (streak as of today: 311!). You are responsible for the well-being of a happy little bird character and you take care of them by marking off your to-dos. I will be upfront and say it's a little infantilizing and mushy; it comes pre-loaded with to-dos like "get out of bed" and "take a stretch break." I left those in alongside the actual daily activities I programmed in myself for some easy wins, but the app is clearly designed for people struggling a little with executive function.

To me, though, Finch is great because it's so positive. Other apps might penalize you for missing a day, but this one is encouraging. It's useful to have a little positive reinforcement every day, even if it's a little cloying. By completing your tasks, you send your bird on "adventures," earn in-game currency to dress them up in outfits, and level up your friendship score with them. Interestingly, you are also periodically prompted to enter in how you're feeling and what's making you feel that way, which the app tracks. Over time, you can see a data breakdown of your moods and the things that affect them, which is useful if you're trying to maximize your productivity and make a few lifestyle changes to enhance it.

Read my full review of the Finch app here.

Habitica

Habitica in iOS
Credit: Habitica

One of the gold-standard apps in gamification and productivity is Habitica, which is almost like a roleplaying game. You designate the goal you want to achieve, track when you do it, and watch as your in-game avatar gains (or loses) health. Your avatar can even link up with other players for games and challenges, so you all level up together. You earn gold coins that can be spent in-game or “redeemed” when you do something you want to do in real life, like watch a movie. It’s free, but you can make in-app purchases or subscribe to group plans that help coordinate team goals for $9 per month, plus $3 per person. 

Read my full review of the app here.

Toggl

Toggl in Chrome
Credit: Toggl

Another app that’s great for teams but also works well for personal productivity, Toggl is a time-tracker that gives you leaderboards in addition to achievements when you stay focused and get things done. If digital badges don’t get you going, imagine the rush of seeing your name at the top of a leaderboard. If you’re using it on your own, it’s free, but after a 14-day trial, teams will pay $9 per user per month.

It looks like any digital calendar tool (and you can import calendars, like Google Calendar, right into it so you can see all your daily commitments), but there's a Play button in the top right corner that you tap when you're ready to track time. You can label the time blocks (and should get familiar with the concepts of time blocking and time boxing to make this most effective) so you can see precisely how many minutes you're devoting to a given task every day.

Beeminder

Beeminder in Chrome
Credit: Beeminder

Beeminder is a great app because it links up to a variety of other apps—Habitca, Toggl, Duolingo, Gmail, Fitbit, Strava, and more—pulling in your data to make sure you’re staying on track with your goals. If you have a goal to stay focused on Slack or emails, Beeminder can actually make sure you’re doing it instead of relying on you to be honest in self-reporting. Continue to do what you’re trying to do and a red line will appear, inching toward your goal. The catch? If you don’t stick to what you’re trying to focus on, it charges $5 to the card you have on file. Otherwise, it’s free for up to three goals, but you can unlock unlimited goals (and the ability to put off payments and set charge caps) with premium plans that move from $8 per month, $16 per month, or even $50 per month, depending on how many features you want.

If you're worried about the money-losing aspect, don't be: This isn't a tyrannical, scammy app. The developers are clear that if something comes up and prevents you from completing a goal on time, you can respond to the email you received about that goal's timeline starting, ask for a refund, and they'll "always believe you" and reverse the charge.

Gamification apps for studying

If you need to gamify your studies, there are special apps that work well for that, too. The software above also works for studying, so if you’re more of a Habitica person, feel free to stick with those. The ones below have unique features that might be helpful for students. 

FocusPomo

FocusPomo in iOs
Credit: FocusPomo

This is my favorite Pomodoro technique app. FocusPomo is simple to use and allows you to quickly access "focus sessions," which are periods of time that are blocked out for studying or working. The app blocks your other, more distracting apps and rewards you with a little tomato graphic whenever you finish a session. It might not seem like much, but just collecting tiny, pixelated tomatoes becomes a little addicting. The app syncs with your calendars and communication platforms to make it easier for you to launch focus sessions whenever you have something to do, too, so earning those little tomatoes is surprisingly easy.

Read my full review of FocusPomo here.

Flora

Flora in iOS
Credit: Flora

If you want something a little zen that still motivates you, try Flora, which is an app that just wants to help you plant trees (and stay focused on your work). It gamifies your productivity by rewarding you with cool animations, similar to the others on this list. Here, you get to you grow "trees" in a virtual forest, but only so long as you don't interrupt their growth by using your phone when you're supposed to be working. Moreover, you can bet money on your ability to carry out focus sessions or buy a subscription, both of which directly fund the planting of trees in the real world. That's not a gamification so much as a real-world contribution that can make you feel good about your studying.

Read my full review of Flora here.

Study Bunny

Study Bunny in iOS
Credit: Study Bunny

Study Bunny is a game designed for students. It has an in-app timer and a scored flashcard system, slots for to-do lists, and room for 15 subjects. You are assigned a virtual bunny rabbit that gets happier when you track work and progress, but sadder when you pause a work session or don’t open the app. The longer you work, the more coins you earn to buy items for your bunny. The app is pretty janky and I won't lie about that, but it's cute and stress-free, which makes it ideal if you're looking for a fun way to stay motivated about your studies.

Read my full review of Study Bunny here.

Lifehacker ([syndicated profile] lifehacker_feed) wrote2025-12-18 01:00 pm

The Best Apps to Gamify Your Productivity

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Call me immature, but I’m about a thousand times more likely to participate in activities that are good for me when they can be gamified. Even the simple pleasures of watching a number go up or earning a digital milestone badge can motivate me to get to the gym, track my meals, or form a new habit. Gamification can be used for focusing and studying, too, and a wide variety of apps exist to serve this purpose. Here are some of the best. 

Gamification apps for focusing

Focusing is notoriously difficult, especially in this hyper-connected era in which many of us can’t go five minutes without getting a text or eat a meal without watching TikTok videos. Use your device to your advantage instead with these apps that turn focusing into a game.

Finch

Finch in iOS
Credit: Finch

Finch is my favorite habit tracking app and I use it every day (streak as of today: 311!). You are responsible for the well-being of a happy little bird character and you take care of them by marking off your to-dos. I will be upfront and say it's a little infantilizing and mushy; it comes pre-loaded with to-dos like "get out of bed" and "take a stretch break." I left those in alongside the actual daily activities I programmed in myself for some easy wins, but the app is clearly designed for people struggling a little with executive function.

To me, though, Finch is great because it's so positive. Other apps might penalize you for missing a day, but this one is encouraging. It's useful to have a little positive reinforcement every day, even if it's a little cloying. By completing your tasks, you send your bird on "adventures," earn in-game currency to dress them up in outfits, and level up your friendship score with them. Interestingly, you are also periodically prompted to enter in how you're feeling and what's making you feel that way, which the app tracks. Over time, you can see a data breakdown of your moods and the things that affect them, which is useful if you're trying to maximize your productivity and make a few lifestyle changes to enhance it.

Read my full review of the Finch app here.

Habitica

Habitica in iOS
Credit: Habitica

One of the gold-standard apps in gamification and productivity is Habitica, which is almost like a roleplaying game. You designate the goal you want to achieve, track when you do it, and watch as your in-game avatar gains (or loses) health. Your avatar can even link up with other players for games and challenges, so you all level up together. You earn gold coins that can be spent in-game or “redeemed” when you do something you want to do in real life, like watch a movie. It’s free, but you can make in-app purchases or subscribe to group plans that help coordinate team goals for $9 per month, plus $3 per person. 

Read my full review of the app here.

Toggl

Toggl in Chrome
Credit: Toggl

Another app that’s great for teams but also works well for personal productivity, Toggl is a time-tracker that gives you leaderboards in addition to achievements when you stay focused and get things done. If digital badges don’t get you going, imagine the rush of seeing your name at the top of a leaderboard. If you’re using it on your own, it’s free, but after a 14-day trial, teams will pay $9 per user per month.

It looks like any digital calendar tool (and you can import calendars, like Google Calendar, right into it so you can see all your daily commitments), but there's a Play button in the top right corner that you tap when you're ready to track time. You can label the time blocks (and should get familiar with the concepts of time blocking and time boxing to make this most effective) so you can see precisely how many minutes you're devoting to a given task every day.

Beeminder

Beeminder in Chrome
Credit: Beeminder

Beeminder is a great app because it links up to a variety of other apps—Habitca, Toggl, Duolingo, Gmail, Fitbit, Strava, and more—pulling in your data to make sure you’re staying on track with your goals. If you have a goal to stay focused on Slack or emails, Beeminder can actually make sure you’re doing it instead of relying on you to be honest in self-reporting. Continue to do what you’re trying to do and a red line will appear, inching toward your goal. The catch? If you don’t stick to what you’re trying to focus on, it charges $5 to the card you have on file. Otherwise, it’s free for up to three goals, but you can unlock unlimited goals (and the ability to put off payments and set charge caps) with premium plans that move from $8 per month, $16 per month, or even $50 per month, depending on how many features you want.

If you're worried about the money-losing aspect, don't be: This isn't a tyrannical, scammy app. The developers are clear that if something comes up and prevents you from completing a goal on time, you can respond to the email you received about that goal's timeline starting, ask for a refund, and they'll "always believe you" and reverse the charge.

Gamification apps for studying

If you need to gamify your studies, there are special apps that work well for that, too. The software above also works for studying, so if you’re more of a Habitica person, feel free to stick with those. The ones below have unique features that might be helpful for students. 

FocusPomo

FocusPomo in iOs
Credit: FocusPomo

This is my favorite Pomodoro technique app. FocusPomo is simple to use and allows you to quickly access "focus sessions," which are periods of time that are blocked out for studying or working. The app blocks your other, more distracting apps and rewards you with a little tomato graphic whenever you finish a session. It might not seem like much, but just collecting tiny, pixelated tomatoes becomes a little addicting. The app syncs with your calendars and communication platforms to make it easier for you to launch focus sessions whenever you have something to do, too, so earning those little tomatoes is surprisingly easy.

Read my full review of FocusPomo here.

Flora

Flora in iOS
Credit: Flora

If you want something a little zen that still motivates you, try Flora, which is an app that just wants to help you plant trees (and stay focused on your work). It gamifies your productivity by rewarding you with cool animations, similar to the others on this list. Here, you get to you grow "trees" in a virtual forest, but only so long as you don't interrupt their growth by using your phone when you're supposed to be working. Moreover, you can bet money on your ability to carry out focus sessions or buy a subscription, both of which directly fund the planting of trees in the real world. That's not a gamification so much as a real-world contribution that can make you feel good about your studying.

Read my full review of Flora here.

Study Bunny

Study Bunny in iOS
Credit: Study Bunny

Study Bunny is a game designed for students. It has an in-app timer and a scored flashcard system, slots for to-do lists, and room for 15 subjects. You are assigned a virtual bunny rabbit that gets happier when you track work and progress, but sadder when you pause a work session or don’t open the app. The longer you work, the more coins you earn to buy items for your bunny. The app is pretty janky and I won't lie about that, but it's cute and stress-free, which makes it ideal if you're looking for a fun way to stay motivated about your studies.

Read my full review of Study Bunny here.

Pajiba ([syndicated profile] newpajiba_feed) wrote2025-12-18 07:30 am

Michael Che Explains Why He Says He's Leaving 'SNL' at the End of Every Season

Posted by Dustin Rowles

I haven't always been a huge fan of Michael Che. But I am now. And I think that's due to a combination of factors. He wasn't great as an "Update" host in the beginning. It felt like he was trying...

Read more...

unicornduke: (Default)
unicornduke ([personal profile] unicornduke) wrote2025-12-18 06:55 am
Entry tags:

sanding sanding

Monday I painted the crafting room. I hadn't mean to get it all done but that's what ended up happening. My parents keep making cracks about leaving the house then coming home to me finishing a project, to which I go, hmm unlikely but what if

and then doing it

I taped all the important bits, cleaned the room out and rolled the walls in the afternoon while the light was good. I had been planning on doing a test corner to make sure I liked it and when I let it dry and I liked the color a lot, I just got a move on. I took a decent amount of breaks during the day, so painted the detail work during crafting that night, the edges near the windows, corners, near the ceiling and above the windows. Then I stayed late on the call and re-rolled the big areas for a second coat since it had dried by then.

Tuesday morning as soon as the light was good, I did touchups to all the places that I had missed, which wasn't too much. It wasn't actually noticeable from a distance but if you were close, it was possible to see the tan. Then I split more wood to get the pile of logs finish off. The creek down at west has frozen over far earlier than expected, so we won't be able to get a tractor across to skid logs from that hill. We have plans to go on the back hill at the main farm and get some trees from there. 9/25 bags for maple processing and a half tote for house wood. We think there's some basswood in one of the hedgerows that is shading future christmas tree fields, so we are going to take that down for wood.

This post has pre-paint photos. Room all painted. It's a very good color, in sunlight, it is more purple/blue and at night, it is more blue/grey. I like it a lot! It's lighter in person, the phone camera struggles.

An image of the room with light purple/blue/grey walls and dark trim around the window.
more house renovation details )
elainegrey: Inspired by Grypping/gripping beast styles from Nordic cultures (Default)
elainegrey ([personal profile] elainegrey) wrote2025-12-18 07:37 am
Entry tags:

(morning writing)

If i miss writing in time, i hope everyone is able have the observations that make passing through this solstice period a joy or at least the darkness eased. I am enjoying my LED lit branch (up all year) and tree during the long dark morning, and found that BritBox has streaming holiday light shows to run in the background of doing other things.

Some quick notes

  • no car news, but we don't really need two vehicles, so we are OK. What we have is a good reliable car (that is now dmaged) and a vehicle for taking things to the dump. Christine managed to find a really nice take things to the dump vehicle some years back, so we'll drive it about more and live with the lousy gas mileage.

  • Bruno and Marlowe have had a step of improvement in how they get along and how Bruno believes he can access the rest of the house. He doesn't need coaxing to leave his safe room, Marlowe is not nearly as vigilant. It's odd to see how things seem to have little jumps and not gradual change. We went from much coaxing to get him to leave his room on his own to him dashing out in the morning.

  • Christine is having a more serious flare (infection) of the issue that sent her to the emergency room in June. Less than a month to the surgery that should resolve things.

  • I am fighting my own self denigration around gift giving and not really winning but avoiding. I hope i can take some time off today to label and wrap and pack and ship. I had so much joy making and thinking about giving -- years of it imagining when i could gift things from the orchard -- and ... anyhow, i will focus on that and try to  take the insecure part of me and tell her ... that people already know i am a flake so it's ok? No, wait, that's not the message. We'll work on that.

  • i've gotten in my (pathetically low count of) steps the past two days. I think i feel better for it. I am worried about how fatigue hit me out of the blue a few weeks ago, but i have no evidence that the fatigue is caused by doing things, i just NOTICE when i am doing things. Acting like i am fatigued all the time is not the solution.

FAIL Blog ([syndicated profile] fail_feed) wrote2025-12-18 04:00 am

HR demands employee quit their job after they submit a 79-page report about entitled boss's lack of

Posted by Bar Mor Hazut

Many employees learn the hard way that HR is not their friend, and they care much more about protecting the company and management than the average employee. They might sing a different tune, going on and on about wanting to help and be there to listen to any complaint, then as soon as one dares to voice a complaint, HR immediately shows their true face.

When the employee in the story below collected evidence about their boss's poor management, they were sure HR would be in their corner. They spend months collecting screenshots and recording handbook violations that would prove just how badly their boss is performing. They then reported it to HR and hoped they would do their job.

Instead, the employee was met with radio silence, an empty calendar, and their work assigned to someone else. Not only did HR not help, but they actually made things worse for the employee. It was so bad that the employee didn't have a choice but to resign. 

And guess who got to keep their job without any repercussions?

spikedluv: (winter: mittens by raynedanser)
it only hurts when i breathe ([personal profile] spikedluv) wrote2025-12-18 06:59 am

The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, Dec 17)

I had a chiropractic appointment, a pedicure (another, different, red polish; she painted a nice snowflake for the design), AND a massage this morning! (Don’t laugh, but I scheduled the massage so I could get a GC for my niece. This massage therapist is local and works alone; it is very difficult to just walk in because the door is locked while she’s in an appointment, so I was like, screw it, I’ll ~make an appointment so I can get the GC. Win-win!)

I did zero shopping which made the morning even better. I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I cooked a strip roast with potatoes and baby carrots for supper. It was really good!

Today is my first injection of the higher dose of Trulicity (as decided when I had the appt with my PCP last Monday). I hope it doesn’t cause me digestive issues because I have not missed those. *fingers crossed*

I started Boyfriend Material, watched another ep of The Pitt and the current ep of one of my favorite HGTV programs, Fixer to Fabulous. Secrets of the Zoo was my background tv in the evening.

Temps started out at 32.9(F) (the temps got down to 22 before we went to bed, so it had warmed up substantially overnight) and reached 45.3!!! It was mostly cloudy, but the snow melted so that it was tough to walk in.

Today is the first of three ‘warm’ days (though it was only supposed to reach 39). Tomorrow is supposed to be mid-40s and Friday is supposed to hit the 50s! And then drop 20 degrees to being cold again. Me no likey.


Mom Update:

Mom didn’t sound good today. more back here )
silveradept: A librarian wearing a futuristic-looking visor with text squiggles on them. (Librarian Techno-Visor)
Silver Adept ([personal profile] silveradept) wrote2025-12-17 11:30 pm

December Days 02025 #17: Persistence

It's December Days time again. This year, I have decided that I'm going to talk about skills and applications thereof, if for no other reason than because I am prone to both the fixed mindset and the downplaying of any skills that I might have obtained as not "real" skills because they do not fit some form of ideal.

17: Persistence

As someone who is comfortable with installing and reinstalling and restoring configurations and working my way back to what it was before, just with time and scripting, and exporting and importing, it's not the end of the world when an entity or a corporation pulls a milkshake duck, or decides they, too, are going to chase the snake oil bubble and start cramming LLM-related features into their browsers, or operating systems, or any other piece of software they can control. I will freely admit that it sucks to have to do all of those operations on the regular, or even on the occasion, but it is something that I have become used to, as I've been throwing things around here and there, and making it work better. The hardest part, sometimes, is re-learning where you've stashed all your configuration tweaks and where they get applied to. But the more it gets done, the easier it is to remember where all the pathways are, and what you want to do with them. Perhaps in some future world, I'll remember to save the configuration files first, and back them up, and then retrieve and paste them back in and all will be well.

And, when I make these kinds of decisions, as it turns out, sometimes I learn some new and interesting things, like the way that some apps, even if they don't exist in the package manager, are self-contained enough to run on the system. Therefore, I now have my preferred browser running on a system that doesn't have it in the package repositories. At least, not at the moment, since the new version is built on one version up from where my current distribution wants to be.

This is also a crossover post with the Adventures in Home Automation series, because, for the third time, I have managed to get my television with the attacked Raspberry Pi and the broken IR receiver talking to Home Assistant, and being controllable from there. In the previous incarnations of this situation, I managed to clone some git repositories, recognize that some of the things they wanted to do with containers and running the thing as they would like to wouldn't work, because they were asking for some much older versions of Debian, which were probably the newest versions of Debian at the time, but whose archive pointers had completely fallen off and were no longer available. One promising entity written in go worked for a little while, and then the go language changed versions, and the old script just went "nope" compared to the new version, and I don't program in go, so I couldn't fix it. The second promising entity was written in python, and in a previous version of Debian, I seemed to gather all the right libraries from the system tools and get very close to making things work, before I dropped a piece from a completely different script, meant to make it possible for a remote control to function as a game controller, I believe, into the other script, because it looked like it might work. And it did, to my surprise. So that was version two, running stably and with a systemd service for running on boot, happily working its way along.

Then the Debian version underlying the single-board computer's Linux changed, and that meant not only rebasing, but reinstalling, reconfiguring, re-adding, and otherwise bringing things back into the system I had, and reinstalling and reconfiguring the communication broker so that the SBC could communicate with Home Assistant (and the router, now that it had some Optware installed that would send information about router operations and connected machines over that same protocol, using that SBC as the broker for the messages.)

The last component that needed to work was the bridging script that reported information using HDMI-CEC to read the bus for status and then transmit commands from Home Assistant to turn that screen on and off. In the intervening time, the library that the python program used to communicate had jumped a major version number and changed its entire syntax in the process. Luckily, the error that appeared mentioned that a single flag could be set so that it would use the old version of how it was set up, and that saved me a lot of grief trying to figure out how to re-spec the script to use the new library. The flag may deprecate at some point, and then I will have to walk the script up from the previous version to the current version. Hopefully, when that's necessary, there will be a nice conversion guide posted somewhere that explains what the equivalent commands are, and where to put the components of the previous command in the new syntax. For now, however, the scripts themselves are sorted, thanks to adding one piece of code at the right place to the thing itself.

What's not working is that in this new version based on Debian Trixie, the library I had installed from the earlier version was no longer present. And that meant a significant amount of looking around to see if there was something suitable that would serve in its place. The testing repository, the one that would be in the next release (Forky), had the library I thought I had installed on the previous version. So, I did something that is recommended against, and added the testing repository and pulled the version of the item from there, expecting it all to set up and go.

No dice. So I uninstalled that particular set of libraries, because pulling from different releases is a good way to break it. Option two: since it's a python script, I can potentially set up a virtual environment for Python, separated from the system-managed Python installation, then install the necessary libraries through the pip package manager to the virtual environment, and run the script out of that, so long as said script can communicate out and have Home assistant pick up what it's laying down. That's easier to manage with some software packages like pipx to handle the creation and management of the virtual environment. I get the environment set up, and the library that I think will work installed, and the script bombs again with the same error as it had before, So the virtual environment approach isn't going to work, either.

All this time, I'm using my search engine skills to try and figure out what the error is, but there aren't a whole lot of posts on the subject, and most of the time, it keeps coming back to a couple of places, including a GitHub issue that seems like it's exactly about the problem that I'm having, and that somehow the problem was fixed in a subsequent release of the software, but I don't see how they got from point a to point b, as I read and reread the information and keep trying to figure out where the library is that I need to install from the package manager to get the functionality I had before.

This is one of those things where sometimes you need to let your brain background solve a task. Humans are, after all, persistence predators, and while flashes of insight are often cool, they often come more after you have been chewing on a problem for a while, letting it background-process while you work your way toward greater understanding. There was a study, I believe it was in one of my graduate school texts, where a professor gave students a list of riddles to try and solve over the course of a day. At the lunch break, the professor collected the tests and had the students do their lunch break activities, but at places along the way in the building, the professor had placed representations of riddle solutions, and the thing that was being tested was whether the presence of those solution prompts helped the students solve more riddles. I can't find the study, and so I may not be representing it accurately, but sometimes you go through an entire something and as your brain twists and turns on it, and eventually, you do some up with something that actually qualifies as a solution to the problem. It's the idea of "distracting" your conscious processes so that some other process can take over the solving of things, or the integration of information. Sometimes sleeping on it is the right answer to the situation.

In my case, the actual solution came when I finally realized that I was making an assumption that one of the forum posts explicitly denied was a good one to make, and that instead of installing a package from a repository with a similar name, but not actually containing what was needed to succeed, what I instead needed to do was follow the instructions that were given in the right place and compile the damn library myself. Which there was definitely a recipe for, and for the specific architecture and device that I was using. Download source, pass appropriate flags to the compiler, make, make install, all of the things that are involved in compiling a library from source, and guess what? As soon as I had compiled the correct library, the script worked perfectly as I ran it, with the "use the old version please" flag set for the library that did some of the work.

I felt very stupid afterward, because everything kept funneling back to these posts that said "no, that package is not the library you need, you have to compile the library from scratch, and this is the way to do so." I didn't want to do that because I'd rather use the package manager to produce the thing that I needed, instead of compiling something from source. Actually doing what the thing said only took a few minutes and would have avoided many months of grief and not understanding why things weren't working, even with the ability to search up the specific error message and find the post that described it accurately and said what the solution was. Once I managed to read the post correctly and drop the preconception I had, things went much more smoothly.

So this is about the persistence of solving problems, of trying to get to a solution that works for me, and sometimes the disappointment that comes when someone is satisficing rather than looking for a full solution. It's about persistence, because apparently I keep wanting to tweak and shuffle and suggest and do things until they're exactly right, instead of mostly right. It's also about how that persistence sometimes means it's hard to let go of the situation if it's not perfect and optimized and works in all cases. And how it can be annoying to have to deal with people who deliberately want to keep introducing nonsensical edge cases into your perfectly working system, or who believe that if you don't debate them on their nonsensical edge cases or absurd questions, they have somehow "won" and proven themselves smarter than you, because you refused to engage with bad faith tactics. As the somewhat ineffectual advice given would tell us, we can only control ourselves, we cannot control other people. (In pursuit of perfection, we seek control, and sometimes the control that would produce perfection is the control of others, and therefore, perfection will always be beyond us. In theory, this realization is supposed to help us not seek that level of control. In practice, there's still a lot of frustration that comes from not being able to do the things flawlessly and well, and sometimes even more aggravation when things are going out of our control and we don't even know why.) Given how often I end up having to engage with the absurd and the nonsensical, I'd like to believe I have a greater tolerance for other people being Wrong on the Internet (or in my workplace), but there's still sometimes that bit where I want to believe that with enough persistence, I will be able to prevail over the things that bother me, or the people that bother me.

It's also, though, about persistence, the concept that we first learn about when object permanence makes it into our head, that the world is not, in fact, limited to what we are experiencing with our senses, and that our senses (and our minds, if you want to get Zen about it) are misleading us about the nature of our reality. Just because the ball disappears behind the paper doesn't mean it winks out of existence entirely, only to return into reality when the paper is raised. (At least, at the Newtonian mechanics level. Quanta and their friends behave very differently, and we are finding more and more that the act of observation collapses all the possibilities into an observed real, such that whatever organ we are using to perceive the possibilities with inscribes what the result will be onto those possibilities.) The past and the future are constructions, only Now is reality, and only for the now that we experience Now. Many of those constructions are useful, and society rests on our ability to construct things about past, future, and pattern so that we can attempt to impose some amount of order upon the chaos, so as to make it livable and manageable. (That's karma, baby.) We persist in things all the time. Error. its opposite. The horrors persist, and so do I (or but so do I.) Nevertheless, she persisted. He's baaaack! So many things that we have in our history and our lives are about the application of human-sized amounts of influence and force until the desired result is achieved, sometimes even with a great array of things standing athwart, sabotaging, or attempting to cause failure in the way. Because we are not the kinds of beings that let go easily, or give up, and we do much greater work when there are more of us, so we can each take a turn at persistence while someone else rests up for their next turn. The idea about the arc bending toward justice is not a thing that happens by itself, it happens because there are people bending the arc into the desired shape. We will not complete the work in our lifetime, but neither are we excused from doing the work during our lifetimes. And through the ages, thanks to our persistence, we build and sustain things that are greater than any one person and one lifetime. (It's frustrating not to see when it finally clicks into place, but ours is not to know the day or the hour, apparently.)

Only a little while longer, and some of the decisions that I made in the past, decisions that were absolutely correct, will finally have discharged their consequences. It always seems impossible until it is done. Keep at it.