Hey, guys, and a very big thank-you to everyone who played in my mini Hallmark Challenge!! It has been so much fun to hear all your prompts, and build up the fic I'm going to do from them! 😍
Said fic is looking like an absolute delight to write, even if I do say so myself 🙃 But, really, all the credit goes to you guys! Me and my indecisiveness and WIP-craziness could never have gotten here on my own.
Now I suppose you're all wondering what the fic actually is, right? All the prompts added up? Well, no worries, I won't keep you in suspense for much longer. Not much longer at all, in fact - because the Hallmark-wonderful summary you guys generated for me is:
Recently single interior designer Daisy Johnson returns to her small town at Christmas time to appease her sassy friend, and magically falls in love with a sensitive girl in plaid.
The sassy friend, I have executively decided, is going to be Elena - so the fic is going to feature some soft background Mackelena, because honestly, you can never have enough soft Mackelena. There will also probably be some background Fitzhunter, and I happily predict a lot of teasing from one Lance Hunter 😜
And I know this is my own fic, right, but doesn't that just sound like the most amazing thing?! I am so excited to get writing, ahhhhhhhh! I really hope you guys will enjoy it too, and once again, big virtual hugs and thank-you's to everyone who played! 😍🎄
This marks the kickoff to HEA (Happily Ever After) Marvel’s Holiday Movie Challenge! If you don’t know us, we’re a group of crafty mods under the direction of our own personal Pepper Potts ( @betheflame ), so really, this is going to be great fun, and we hope that you’ll join us!
A brief intro to our event:
At no point do you need to sign up for this event. You are not beholden to post anything, even if you say that you will. This is a guiltless, fun event!
Pick a prompt, any prompt!
Interpret the prompt any which way you wish. We have prompt examples available for people to peruse on our blog and on our Discord, if you’re in need of a few examples.
Write (or art, podfic, or moodboard, etc.) any ship you want, even polyamorous relationships of any number or type (even if the prompts contain just two characters!).
Include additions from our badge list if you wish! They function like video game achievements (think World of Warcraft, or Xbox) and you will be rewarded with little achievement badges designed by the wonderful @kocuria that you can display anywhere you please.
The collection will open on November 1st and close on December 24th.
Around then we will provide a Google form to submit the badge info and other info for your fic.
BUT REMEMBER! All contributions to this event must have a Happily Ever After as per holiday movie standards (doesn’t mean there can’t be tons of angst and pain in the middle, though).
For any further info, please check out our Holiday Movie Challenge page, our Prompt and Badge page, our Frequently Asked Questions page, or ask us questions on Tumblr, Twitter, or on Discord! (Links on Tumblr.)
But that’s enough mod-splaining, let’s take a look under the cut at the prompts and badges that we’ve been eagerly waiting to share with you!
*We have included both (1) images to download and save as well as (2) text for those who prefer or need that medium! The images are at the bottom of this post.
Here’s a separate post with just the images.
Prompts
1. Character A is a big city lawyer who swore to never go back to their hometown. Suddenly, their grandfather dies and leaves them the family Christmas Tree farm. They’re determined to go back and shut down the farm. Character B runs the farm and is determined to save it.
2. After losing their job as an au pair in New York, Character A accepts a position as a nanny in the castle of a small European principality no one has ever heard of. Character B is a single parent & ruler of the country.
3. When architect and Christmas amateur Character A finds themselves hosting their family for Christmas, they recruit holiday coordinator Character B to bring holiday joy to their home.
4. A high-powered executive reconsiders their priorities when car trouble leads them to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas.
5. Two new students at nearby university, Character A and Character B, meet the first day of classes and become study partners. A local bookstore becomes a close part of their lives as their relationship grows.
6. Character A - a famous author who writes about how to stay single - is forced to look after their niece and nephew over the holidays. With the help of their Christmas-loving neighbor, Character B, they learn to find love and the Christmas spirit.
7. A young royal (Character A) escapes their entourage to explore New York City over Christmas. They meet Character B who shows the beautiful stranger their side of the city.
8. As Christmas approaches, Character A (the Lizzie Bennet character), a New York event planner, is sent to a quaint, small town to organize their holiday festival. When they arrive, they find Character B (the Darcy character), a high-profile billionaire lacking in holiday spirit, in the process of selling the charming estate they hoped to use as a venue.
9. An anxious bride-to-be (Character A, “bride” is non-gender assigned) throws in with broken-hearted and cynical Character B and a happily married couple for an emergency ride to NYC from New England.
10. Character A has to go to their cousin’s holiday wedding that’s taking place a year to the day they were left at the altar. Unable to face going alone, they con Character B into going “just as friends.”
11. When a restless young married Character A is granted a wish by a Christmas Angel to be single again, they soon discover their new life isn't what they bargained for, and embark on a quest to win Character B back.
12. Character A and Character B have been archrivals ever since a memorable fight over a coveted Christmas recital solo in elementary school. Now adults, they work side-by-side at the same school where they still constantly compete over everything. As the holiday season approaches, the entire school is getting into the spirit with the annual fundraising festival, which will feature an exciting new event - a teacher Christmas Cookie Bake-Off, judged by a tough five-star chef.
13. Character A inherited a toy factory. The town needs the factory to stay open, but they have no interest in being tied to their hometown. Especially when they find out that Character B - who broke their heart in high school - is the town’s mayor.
14. A WWII era nurse (Character A) is transported in time to 2019 and meets Character B who helps them discover the bonds of family and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless.
15. Stranded at an airport at Christmastime, Character A accepts a ride from Character B, who has just rented the last car in town.
Badges
Length
500
1k
5k
10k
15k
20k+
Ships
We’ll be custom-making the badges for whatever ship you choose to bring to the table! (Just keep in mind our limits: no underage, no non-con, no nazis.) Popular ship or rarepair+, this group of multishipping mods would love to see whatever you choose to write!
General fic elements
Baking/Cooking
Needing a passport
Non-abled character
Neuro-diverse character
Passes the Bechdel Test
Set outside the United States
Addresses a legitimate societal ill/charity/cause
Character learns a craft as a coping mechanism
Someone eats popcorn in a dramatic scene
Mention or include a Hallmark store or movie
Character is tracing their genealogy
Character writes fanfiction
Character learns a new skill
NSFW
A/B/O
Sentinels & Guides
Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Historical AU: Scottish or Irish clans
Historical AU: Ancient Rome or Greece
Historical AU: Regency or Victorian
Historical AU: American West
Inclusion of animal other than a dog, cat, or horse
‘It Takes a Village’ (town or community helps them hook up)
Use of holiday other than Christmas - including non-winter holidays
One sentence or more spoken in a language other than Russian
Discussion on classic literature and/or classic rock ‘n’ roll
Write a pairing you’ve never written before
Holiday Movie and general tropes
Inversion/Subversion of any trope
Main character has a cuddly dog
Presence of a small town festival
'And they were roommates!'
Fake Relationship
Only One Bed
Snowball fight
Ice skating or Ice hockey
Interrupted first kiss
Stories from childhood
Sassy/nosy best friend
Conniving co-worker
Kid as matchmaker
Single parent
Holiday specific
Yule log
Playing Dreidel
Holiday movie pick: Die Hard
Use of the phrase “Santa! I know him!”
Home Alone style shenanigans, serious or not
Trying to balance an egg on the Solstice
A non-Jewish character mixes up Passover and Hanukkah
Writing format/style
Outsider POV
First Person POV
Text Message/Chat Room
3+ perspectives in one story
Dialogue Only
Epistolary
Avengers stereotypes/fanon
Thor is foreign
Bots as children
Tony has insomnia
Tony Is Worthy (of Mjolnir)
Tony as a non-Iron Man mechanic
Ceiling vent Clint Barton
Budapest Explanation
Natasha is a scary spy/likes sneaking
Super-Nanny Phil Coulson
Peter Parker being a klutz
Peter and Shuri team up on Tony
Bruce has anger management problems
Avengers Movie Night
Darcy uses her taser
Bucky speaks Russian
Steve and/or Bucky need to play catch up on modern and pop culture
Side Character speaking role (any apply): Dr. Doom, Reed Richards, Galactus, Ghost Rider, Frank Castle, any Inhuman, any Runaway, Sif or one of the Warriors Three, Frigga, Amora or Lorelei
Set in a Marvel canon universe (even if not canon-compliant), for example: 1872, Noir
Mod Requests
Supernatural creatures
Gender swapped MC
Someone wears a tiara
Someone wears a kimono
Long-distance relationship
Snuggling to keep warm
1940s AU
Disclaimer: The above plot summaries in the prompt list belong to numerous movies in the Hallmark catalogue. We do not claim to own them, and are not making any money off of this, nor are we being paid by Hallmark to run this event.
Additionally, as of December 14th, 2019, we are no longer associating with Hallmark even in name, due to their poor choice to cave to pressure and remove an advertisement of a gentle, loving same-sex kiss occurring at their own wedding. We cannot and will not abide that.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Only a few days in, T'Challa is already done with New York and everything the guide is trying to tell him. So he slips away, only to finally start enjoying his visit when he meets a young man around his age and the children he's watching.
My first contribution to the @heamarvel challenge! A day late for Halloween, but hopefully the mood isn’t completely gone yet 🎃 🎃 🎃
Written for the @heamarvel Hallmark Challenge --- a challenge that even I, as a mod, said I wouldn’t be participating in, I’ll have you know. I am definitely not a fan of Hallmark movies, preferring to make fun of them as my mom tries to legitimately watch them (we... compromise).
BUT, along came @tehroserose with her love for this Quad, and she won me over, enticing me gently to turn to the dark side because they have poly, not just cookies.
I may or may not continue.... oh who am I kidding. Rose, you’re awesome, and you’ll likely end up with some train car s/mut before Dec 24 (when this Challenge finishes). That good enough for you? ;) ily
I did Prompt 9: An anxious bride-to-be (Character A, “bride” is non-gender assigned) throws in with broken-hearted and cynical Character B and a happily married couple for an emergency ride to Point X from Point Z.
Check out my UST-driven PepperStuckony snippet below and let me know what you think! <3
“Let’s play a game,” she begged—her, Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, reduced to begging.
There was only so much Pepper could handle, and it seemed like she’d reached her limit. That limit seemed to contain many different things:
One of which was Tony, the love of her life, engaged—arranged via Howard of all people; who even arranged marriages anymore??—to another man he didn’t even like, let alone love, sitting next to and pressed against her from knee to hip to shoulder. She was uncomfortably aware of every single part of him.
Another thing helping her reach her limit was that said love of her life had somehow lost his wallet and the small bag containing her phone and StarkPad. Not only was she bored practically to tears, but they needed to be in Ottawa yesterday if they were to make the meeting with the Prime Minister’s cabinet on time, and the only method of transportation available to them in Halifax had been the VIA Rail train—every last plane was cancelled or diverted due to the blizzard, including their Learjet, every last car rented, and Tony and Pepper both refused to get on a bus of all things.
Which left… the train.
Oh, it wasn’t so bad, if you got past the fact that the trip took on average twenty eight hours. Twenty. Eight. Hours. Tony had reminded her of that fact one too many times.
She was well aware, Tony.
Especially considering all she had to amuse herself was a collection of battered, dog-eared, creased Hallmark and Harlequin novels one of their companions had loaned her with a blush.
Ah, yes, their companions. The third of many reasons Pepper had reached her limit.
There was only so much that Pepper could handle when forced to listen to two disgustingly sweet (loving) men, who were so obviously in love with each other, prattle on and on about their Christmas plans. How it was going to be so perfect, so beautiful, so spirited, so loving, so perfect perfect perfect, and even about the history of their small town’s Christmas traditions and especially those of their large, loving, amazing, extended family.
Four times now Pepper had been reminded of everything she desired most in the world.
Steve Rogers had to be on the fifth go of the same exact topics, with that same sappy (stunning) and dopey (adorable) look on his face, as his husband, James call-me-”Bucky” Barnes went through their photo album, and shared the memories with not only his husband, but also Pepper and Tony.
But worst of all—the absolute worst thing—was the thing that pushed her over the edge: Tony looked happy. He looked wistful, as if he wanted what they had, and Pepper… Pepper wanted it too.
But she couldn’t have it. Tony was not meant for her, as much as she might wish it.
As much as she did wish it.
Thus the game.
“Truth or Dare,” Tony said immediately, his devilish grin, his roguish charm, more suited for Halloween than two days before Christmas, spelling immediate doom for Pepper—and Steve and Bucky, if she knew her Tony.
She did.
“Truth,” Steve and Bucky answered simultaneously, leaning back and relaxing into a comfortable-looking snuggle with each other on the opposite bench seat.
“Hmm,” Tony mused, his eyes as wide and observant as they’d been for the last seven hours of their trip.
Damn it, Pepper groaned internally. Tony was awesome when he got like this—both in the very bad and the very good sense of the word.
“You both find my Pepper here stunning, don’t you?” he asked, voice even and light, curious, though he sounded sure of himself, as if he already knew the answer and was simply waiting to see if they would lie to him.
Oh fuck me, Pepper wanted to say aloud, and she never swore out loud, never; instead opting to internally up the dial on her freak-out, the only outward sign of her reaction a probably rather comical widening of her eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat as the two men opposite them sent suddenly dark, appreciative glances her way.
No worries! If I am not too late this time, how about “with a sensitive girl in plaid” for the brown column? Mainly because I want to see how you can get Daisy or Jemma in plaid :D Thank you!
Ahahaha, omg, what an amazing prompt, and even better reasoning 🤣🤣🤣 Oh, gosh, that's going to be tons of fun to figure out. Thanks so much for playing!! 😍🎄
Quakerider + Early 2000s actor you forgot about sounds fun! If don’t mind writing more qr that is 👀
Oooooohhhhh, well, thank you very much for the prompt!! Unfortunately, it won't hold for this particular challenge, because the ship has already been chosen, and so has something from column blue, actually 🙈 Rotten luck!
I have, however, promised certain people (*cough* @aleksandrachaev *cough*) that I'd try my hand at more QR, so it's actually not a possibility I'm going to rule out. *adds to list* Awww, thanks so much for playing!
