Player Appreciation Week

Event focused on the platonic relationships between Player and the other characters on Carmen Sandiego (2019). FAQ Rules&Guidelines

[playerappreciationweek]

Hello CS fandom!

***Update! Due to popular vote, we'll be pushing back the dates by a week! Please reblog/refer to this post for the new, correct dates. :)****

We’re excited to announce that Player Appreciation Week is returning for 2026! This year’s theme is “Online Friendships” in honor of Player’s mostly remote/virtual relationships in the show, and it will run from March 23rd to March 29th.

The daily prompts can be found in the graphic below. Text version and guidelines are under the cut.

Text version:

Day 1: Long Distance Celebrations

Day 2: Technical Difficulties

Day 3: Usernames

Day 4: Unread Messages

Day 5: Wish you were here

Day 6: Timezone

Day 7: (Firs)t In-Person Meetup

Alternate 1: Photo Dump

Alternate 2: Radio Silence

Alternate 3: Virtual Hugs

Alternative prompts can be used in place of any day, and you can fill as many or few prompts as you want/have time for. The prompts themselves can be used as loosely or literally as you’d like. Prompts can be filled in any number of ways, including but not limited to: Fic, Art, Edits, Memes, Poetry, Analysis/Essay, Video, etc. If it’s fannish and you created it, it counts!

If you can’t post your work on the associated day, you are welcome to post it any time between March 23rd & March 29th. For anyone who needs just a little extra time to submit, we’ll continue to reblog works for the following week as a grace period.

As far as actual posting goes, create a post on your own tumblr blog and @playerappreciationweek , as well as tag #playerappreciationweek2026. If you write a fic, we encourage you to add it to the ao3 collection, Player Appreciation Week 2026. You can then make a tumblr post with the link to your work. We will reblog the posts for everyone to find.

Leading up to the event, if you would like to send a short teaser for your work, please submit it as an ask to this blog with the prompt and day it is for. Once it gets closer to posting week, we’ll post it as an advertisement to help us all get hyped!

[frozenwolftemplar]

Player Week Day 7: Alt Prompt 'Long Distance Hugs'

We made it! Huge thanks to everyone for participating in @playerappreciationweek ; as always it's been a blast! Hope you enjoy this new chapter of an old favorite fic!

Anyone here remember my fic 'Aftermath?' That thing I wrote when I was high on the angst of the finale? Well, now it has a chapter two from Player's POV!

Aftermath - Chapter 2 - FrozenWings - Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019) [Archive of Our Own]

[frozenwolftemplar]

Player Week Prompt: Technical Difficulties

Title: On Top of the World (It's So Easy to Fall)

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,179

Summary:

When he’s working as Carmen’s mission control, hacking into mainframes and doing all the not-quite-legal things needed to make the night’s caper a success, Player feels like he’s on top of the world. Skills wickedly sharp and with a mind to match, he can code rings around anyone or anything thrown his way. When he’s seated at his setup in his room, no one, VILE included, can touch him.

But there are downsides to standing atop a pinnacle, and many who would rejoice in a fall…

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/81868656

(forgot to post here when I posted the fic 🙃)

@playerappreciationweek

[playerappreciationweek]

And that's a wrap!

A huge shout-out and round of applause for everyone who participated (including the wonderful reblogers or likers) in Player Appreciation Week 2026!! We’re so thrilled to see the fandom still come together and show some love for all of these characters.

Just because the official week has wrapped up doesn’t mean that it’s too late to post! We’ll continue reblogs for about a week for anyone who needs a bit more time for any projects. If you finish/post something in that time, remember to tag @playerappreciationweek to be reblogged on the page!

Thank you again to everyone who participated! Words cannot express how much we appreciate this lovely fandom’s endless enthusiasm. Keep fighting the good fight!

[theechatnoir]

Bright Spots In The Darkness

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81108556

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Dinner at Mine

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81847046

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Busy Malls, Nice To See You Here

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81108666

@playerappreciationweek

[jazzy-aria]

New Carmen Sandiego Fic!! (Player Appreciation Week Edition 2!!)

"Moments That the Words Don't Reach"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/82050736

Carmen and Shadowsan's fight in "The Dark Red Caper" but from Player's perspective.

After months of trying to find Carmen, Player and Shadowsan have a strong reason to believe that she'll be targeting a museum in Casablanca. As Shadowsan tries his best to get through to her, Player makes a desperate plea to his best friend on their long since inactive communication channel.

A little bit of angst, written for Player Appreciation Week, Alt 2: Radio Silence

Title taken from "It's Quiet Uptown" from Hamilton

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Math Time Misery

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81496526

@playerappreciationweek

[frozenwolftemplar]

Player Week Day 5: Radio Silence

MARCH 23RD NOW HAS A BONUS SURPRISE SECOND CHAPTER!

(y'all can thank @mmaricarmen23 for that 😉)

March 23rd - Chapter 2 - FrozenWings - Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019) [Archive of Our Own]

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Player Appreciation Week 2026 Day 5

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81107971

@playerappreciationweek

short one today, but I have 2 planned for both days of the weekend (I went overboard writing)

[asadsadtree]

Summary: "He frames it like a joke, but he really is terrified. The only reason he was ever homeschooled is that his chronic illness wouldn’t allow him to go to school. Even now, he’s not sure how much of this week he’ll be able to do. And just because the VILE threat is over now doesn’t mean Carmen won’t need him!" aka Player tries school (again)

For day 2 of Player Appreciation Week 2026: technical difficulties

@playerappreciationweek

[st4ry3mi]

Player Appreciation Week Day 4: Wish You Were Hear or Day 5: Time Zones

Carmen trying to assure Player she's (+ the others) are there when he needs them :)

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Player Appreciation Week 2026 day 4 "No Game"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81107716

@playerappreciationweek

[theechatnoir]

Migraines And Messages

link to story on AO3 cause tumbler is being weird with links

@playerappreciationweek

[frozenwolftemplar]

Player Week Day 2: Usernames

Day number two of @playerappreciationweek !

Title: The Username (forgive my lame title; I was stumped)

Rating: G

Word Count: 3,308

Warnings: None

Summary:

Player liked to think he wasn't the sort of person who got surprised easily. After all, he'd spent years being mission control for a team of vigilantes fighting a centuries-old criminal empire, where carefully-laid plans could be upended in a heartbeat and where it was a toss-up whether the fuzzy shadow on the security camera feed was a wayward night guard or someone armed with a crackle rod and the worst intentions. Expecting the unexpected was the order of the day.

Still, as he sat in his desk chair staring at his monitor, surprise was what gripped him.

Shadowsan really had just asked him for an Instagram account.

Hopefully this wouldn't be too painful...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81257971

[asadsadtree]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary:

Just when I think I’m getting better I cannot sleep and think about whether I should leave this all behind

“The call takes a moment to connect, since Carmen’s position on the boat is pretty precarious. But eventually the whirring loading screen opens up and suddenly… there she is. Bedraggled, tired, wrapped up in some fancy red coat, but undoubtedly still his friend. Player hopes it shows on his face how glad he is to see her.”

for Player Appreciation Week Day One !!

@playerappreciationweek