#FFC 2025

[februaryficletchallenge]

Get Ready For FFC 2025: Roadtrip!

February is approaching fast! The 2000s are old enough to rent a car, so we're taking the February Ficlet Challenge on a roadtrip! One of each day's prompts will have something to do with travel or driving.

Start putting together your lists of pairings or characters!

For those just joining us, the FFC works like this:

Make yourself a list of 28 pairings or characters you want to write for.

Check this tumblr every February morning for the day's prompts.

Write a ficlet of at least 200 words using at least one of the day's prompts and the next character or pairing in your list.

Post that ficlet to the February Ficlet Challenge 2025 AO3 Collection.

For hard mode, write and post the ficlet the same day as the prompts go live!

All that said, we're pretty flexible - feel free to write all your ficlets for one pairing; to only write for those of the prompts that speak to you; to post after February is over; to write poems or meta instead of ficlets. We're here to have fun and make more fic happen!

The FFC 2024 AO3 collection will be closing at the end of January.

[mokaisathome]

Day 17 of the 2025 February Ficlet Challenge: map / oath

   What’s in a ring?

   To begin with, three months worth of salary… Scratch that, only a single month would suffice – given his position as Kalim’s right arm, one month was enough to buy anything he wanted. He had spent most of his free time looking at catalogs lately, telling Kalim that he was observing trends to know what the Al-Asim corporation should invest in when it came to the jewelry side of their business, but really, his full attention was on rings and nothing else. The ones he finally chose were simple, nothing as lavish as most of what Kalim usually wore but that simplicity was why it’d be more striking to any casual observer. A golden band mimicking a snake holding a jewel – onyx for Kalim’s ring, ruby for Jamil’s – in his maw. Perfect.

   What’s in a ring?

   Obviously, feelings. You didn’t give a ring to just anyone. In his whole life, Jamil only gifted these to two people. One was Najma for her most recent birthday as she wanted a pair of trendy sun and moon rings – “Jamil. Gift.” was the message she sent him alongside a link to an online shop – and the second was, of course, Kalim. From a plastic toy ring to one made with flowers, he remembered every occasion he gave Kalim one. Now, his feelings weren’t as innocent or cute as when he was a child, heavier to an incomparable degree, but the way his heart annoyingly fluttered when thinking about Kalim was the same. All the small and big emotions he couldn’t convey with words or actions were surely conveyed by these small rings.

   What’s in a ring?

   Finally, words. Jamil was good at talking – getting people where he wanted them to thanks to well-turned sentences, having them sign contracts because he let slip a few praises, making them beg for their lives with a single word… There wasn’t anything to worry about when it came to this step. Kalim wouldn’t refuse him. Jamil just needed to talk clearly to him, something he’d learned to do back in their student days. That was easy.

“Jamil? You’ve been standing there for a while… Do you need something?”

   Easy.

“Jamil?”

   Jamil was good at this, especially when it came to Kalim. Handling him was a second nature.

“Should I call the doctor?”

   Instead of a reply, Jamil turned on his heels and left Kalim’s office, ignoring the panicked “Jamil?!” behind him.

   What’s in a ring?

   Perhaps a little more vulnerability than what Jamil was used to.

[deathbyglamour01]

February Ficlet Challenge 2025

Day 3: “nonverbal communication”

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Characters: Dipper, Stan

Ships: N/A

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 280

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62768353

Dipper rocked forward and back in his bed, soothing himself. He had on his noise cancelling headphones and he gripped each side to give his hands something to do. His favorite book sat in his lap and he scanned over the pages for what felt like the millionth time, allowing the familiar words to comfort him. 

He was brought out of his zone by the attic door creaking open. The headphones muffled the sound enough for it to not hurt, and he looked up to see who was there. Grunkle Stan stood at the threshold, eyes scanning to asses the situation. When he met Dipper's eye, Dipper managed to give him a small, hesitant smile. Stan returned the smile, signing 'come in' with a questioning expression. After a moment, Dipper nodded, and Stan entered, sitting on the edge of his bed. Stan signed 'talk?' and Dipper pointed to him and nodded, then pointed to himself and shook his head. Stan nodded and smiled.

"You good?" Dipper shrugged. "Well, better than earlier at least?" He nodded. He was still shaky from his previous meltdown, but feeling considerably better. "Good." After a moment, Dipper uncrossed his legs and wormed his way over to his grunkle, ignoring his raised eyebrow and making himself a spot against his side, half in his lap. Stan snorted and patted him on the shoulder with the arm that wrapped loosely around him.

Hesitantly, Dipper flashed the sign for 'I love you' and Stan very obviously tried to play it cool. He wasn't affected at all, what're you talking about? He was fine! He returned the sign and gave Dipper a noogie leaving him giggling in Stan's arms.

[imogenegomi]

Day one of the February Ficlet Challenge! ✅

[synnthamonsugar]

FFC 2025: Day 7 - Spy/Secret Agent/Assassin AU

Read it on AO3

Cold War AU Eris (/? &?) Toland! More about this setting in the fic author notes.

. . .

Toland arrives, Eris thinks, with a waft of cigarette smoke and musty paper and the tang of hot electronics. Eris thinks but isn't quite certain — maybe his presence merely ignited a web of associations in her brain. Real or imagined, she catches his scent before his form resolves in her blurred vision, a dark silhouette in the bright interior of her office in the top floor of the Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters.

"Major Morn," he greets, voice thin. He moves close enough that she can make out the detail of his overcoat, his smart black suit, dark hair grayer and longer than she remembers. A suggestion of a smile tugs at the lines of his face.

"It's been ten years since I was called that." She's as sure as she is of anything that he doesn't speak with malice but deference, a former subordinate's lingering respect for his superior. Still, she's mocked by the reminder — her crew, her wings, years of her life, much of her sight, all ripped violently from her. Toland, too, nearly lost, spared only by an act of selfish happenstance. 

He sinks into the armchair opposite her desk. Eris does not receive friendly visitors. Most in the agency avoid her unless her expertise is needed, and even then, her advice is regarded with skepticism if not suspicion. Conspiracy theories abound that the crash was an attempt at defection, that she didn't escape, but was brainwashed and allowed to return stateside as a spy. There are a few who trust her — the only one who really matters, the director, Ikora Rey — but everyone else falls into a spectrum of conditionality.

She wonders on what condition Toland has come. RAND must want something big if they've sent him of all people.

True to his nature, he declares abruptly, as though continuing a thought mid-sentence: "Speed and altitude. With enough speed and altitude, the bomber can evade any Soviet countermeasure. This is the doctrine of bomber superiority."

"I thought you'd have been disabused of that notion when our plane was shot from the sky," she pauses then adds, "Not that you were there to see it."

"How was I supposed to know how fateful that day would prove?"

"You couldn't. But you should have known better than calling out sick to —" she lowers her voice to not draw notice from the eavesdroppers she imagines on the other side of the door, " — leap into such a stupid honeytrap." 

He matches her, leaning in closer. "I resent the implication that a beautiful woman would only be interested in me to extract information —"

"Irina Yutshenkov? Toland, how much more obvious could it have been?!"

"I shouldn't have done it. I should have been flying that mission, so I could have died like the rest of our team." Through his typical detached aloofness, a tone of actual hurt. It's enough to stir up some old pang of loyalty, not enough for sympathy, but a yearning for the bond they'd once had. Still, she wonders if it would have been better that way, for all his mad ideas about war and logic and human nature to be forever sealed away in death than fall into the hands of the truly ruthless. 

He relaxes back into the chair, his gaze not quite meeting her own as his hands grip the arms.

"Eris, I came to tell you there are elements of correctness to your philosophy. Too long have I clung to old doctrines. Too long have I ignored the threat posed by missiles; what happened to our team — to you — should have been the wakeup call. I'm ashamed that it took Cuba, and Powers, for me to see."

To force Toland's acquiescence on anything — much less one of his most cherished ideas — put a glow of satisfaction in Eris' chest. Her mood was tempered by the grimness of the situation, but a sense of personal triumph remained. Smiling despite herself, she leans back in her chair and asks: "You admit I'm right?"

Toland nods. "I only regret that it took me so long to."

[snowberriesromanoff]

Real Kiss: a ficlet

Pairing: Harper Row/Stephanie Brown

Prompts

Febuwhump @febuwhump : vocal chords

February Ficlet Challenge @februaryficletchallenge : "buckle up" and "survive"

Femslash February Bingo @femslash-february : "You could've died"

"Buckle up, buttercup,” Harper makes a show of adjusting the straps on Steph's parachute.

“You're ridiculous,” says Steph. 

“And you love it,” Harper blows her a kiss.

“I do,” Steph catches it between her fingers. Something about the motion makes something in her ache. “Please don't die.”

“Right back at you, baby,” Harper’s tone shifts, and for a split-second Steph wonders if they're afraid too. It makes sense - all Steph has to do is jump out of the plane; Harper has to land it. Then their normal expression is back. Steph reassures herself of one of the core truths of their relationship: Harper Row isn't afraid of anything.

Steph isn't either. It's why they work so well. “Come over here and kiss me for real.”

“I have to give us both something to look forward to.” There's an uncharacteristic seriousness in their tone.

“I'm holding you to that,” Steph swallows.

“You better,” Harper shoots her finger guns and heads for the cockpit.

Steph's delayed long enough. She jumps. The chute opens. Steering it the rest of the way down is just muscle memory after that. She's going to be just fine.

She hits the ground in time to watch Harper's descent. It isn't an easy one. The plane starts to stall out. A scream builds in Steph's throat and gets caught in her vocal chords.

Come on, Harper. You owe me a real kiss.

Then Harper gently coaxes the plane back into motion. It glides onto the makeshift runaway, jittery-but-stable. Harper scrambles out of the cockpit. They hit the ground hard. Steph cuts herself free of the chute and runs towards them, faster than she's ever run in her life.

She can hear Harper cursing under their breath as they pull themself to their feet. Steph reaches them. They have scrapes on their knees and arms and a wild look in their eyes. 

“You're alive,” Steph breathes into her partner's chest.

“So are you,” Harper says, and kisses her. They hold Steph tightly as they dust her head with more soft kisses. Steph leans into their touches. She never wants them to stop. “We both are.”

[ilovevewritingfanfic]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: เชือกป่าน | Between Us (Thailand TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Team Teerayu Siriyothin/Win Phawin Wanichakarnjonkul Characters: Win Phawin Wanichakarnjonkul, Team Teerayu Siriyothin Additional Tags: Waiting, Yearning, and he never came back Series: Part 20 of February Ficlet Challenge 2025 Summary:

“It’s a souvenir of love” The words left his mouth before he could even register them.

[phthalology]

FFC 2025 | scars | Destiny 2 | Eris/Toland | Rated G

The Pale Heart has dispassionately, thoughtlessly, healed Toland of wanting to die.

Oh, the curiosity is still there. The keen wonderment beats in a heart tangled with lightning. Looking out over the Traveler from the HELM, awash in pink light, his body is a braid of flesh, magic, chitin, and that silver spark. 

Eris, too, is curious, reaching out an armored hand to feel that Toland does indeed have a heartbeat beneath the seething abstraction of his body. Her face is hidden behind a helmet, as if she had never been anything but a Hunter. Sitting there, watching the Guardians’ victory (the airspace around the Traveler still, the Light emanating from it in gentle clouds) everything and nothing has changed. 

It is his will, perhaps, that has changed most. He can imagine a future in which he controls his own destiny, not giving his body to the Hive and his responsibility to the Young Wolf. Every letter he wrote, every hint without a full answer had been a dereliction of the responsibility the Traveler had once gifted him. To have participated in the fight against the Witness was to have reclaimed it. 

Maybe Guren had said what he did because the Traveler played long games.

[eiramew]

February Ficlet Challenge 2025

Masterpost for my participation to @februaryficletchallenge

Chapter 1   ||  Buckle up / Survive | Maya/Chioma  Chapter 2   ||  Everyone comfortable? / Trapped | Savathûn/Mara Chapter 3   ||  Park / Nonverbal communication  | Eris/Ikora  Chapter 4   ||  Highway / Pirate AU | Eido & Eramis Chapter 5   ||  Pack / Accidental marriage | Maya/Chioma Chapter 6   ||  Pay the toll / Sedoretu AU | Lakshmi-2 & Mithrax  Chapter 7   ||  Pit stop / Secret agent AU | Hawthorne/Amanda Chapter 8   ||  Breakdown / Soulmates AU | Lakshmi-2/Ikora Chapter 9   ||  Deer in the headlights / Picnic | Savathûn/Ikora Chapter 10 ||  Playlist / Making your own traditions | Lakshmi-2/Ikora Chapter 11  ||  Places to go / Fairytale AU | Mara/Petra Chapter 12 ||  Snack / Historical | Sathona & Xi Ro & Aurash Chapter 13 ||  Wish you were here / Dragon | Maya & Maya's mother Chapter 14 ||  Attraction / Bodyswap | Savathûn/Eris Chapter 15 ||  Shoulder / Disdain | Sloane/Xivu Arath Chapter 16 ||  [blank] is my copilot / Poetic | Xivu Arath Chapter 17 ||  Map / Oath | Drifter/Eris Chapter 18 ||  Tire / Fake dating | Maya/Chioma Chapter 19 ||  Off Course / Longest Tuesday ever | Sathona & Xi Ro Chapter 20 ||  Souvenir / Rivalry | Eris/Toland Chapter 21 ||  Crossing a border / Superpowers AU | Savathûn/Rhulk Chapter 22 ||  Museum / Immortality | Savathûn/Ikora Chapter 23 ||  Oddity / Band AU | Šimmumah & Luzaku Chapter 24 ||  Scenic route / Vampire AU | Sloane & Drifter Chapter 25 ||  Horizon / Crossover AU | Maya/Chioma Chapter 26 ||  Backseat driver / Decorate | Caiatl & Zavala Chapter 27 ||  Stay in your lane / Scars | Ikora/F!Guardian (Tresh) Chapter 28 ||  Hole in the wall / Time loop AU | Lakshmi-2/Ikora

[bad-at-names-and-faces]

Seeing Clearly

Day 25 of the February Ficlet Challenge, with Kristoff & Ryder in the canon divergence AU where Anna married Hans (basic background here)

Kristoff rode Sven, following Ryder on his reindeer through the woods and open meadows. Kristoff had only met Ryder a few hours earlier, but he had rarely found someone who was so easy to talk to. At first, the talk was about reindeer, and, as Ryder began showing him around, to some of the spots the reindeer liked to gather, they began talking about more personal things.  Aside from never having been outside of the mist surrounding the Enchanted Forest, Ryder hadn’t had anything particularly exciting happen in his life, so he was eager to hear of Kristoff’s adventures, encountering the princess chasing her sister the queen, and being invited to live in the castle, and this prince that Princess Anna had married, who, at least in Kristoff’s telling of things, seemed both a looming presence and frequently absent.

In between bits of conversation, mostly Ryder pressing with questions about the outside world, they briefly came to a stop on a ridge.  Kristoff looked out, trying to find the horizon, and he realized that it was, at best, fuzzy and indistinct.  That was the direction of the Dark Sea, but the mist made it difficult to tell the difference between sky and sea out over the water.

“How far can you see on a clear day?” Kristoff asked without thinking.

“What do you mean?” Ryder asked. “That’s about as far as anyone can ever see.”

“Sorry, right.” Kristoff shook his head, remembering that the mist was always there, and had always been there for longer than Ryder had been alive.  “So, where were we heading?” 

“If you ever want to go to the lichen meadows, they’re over there along that path,” Ryder said, gesturing one way. A moment later he smirked a bit.  “But I’m going to take you over here.”

They started on their way again. The night was blending into the day.  

“Here we are,” Ryder said.

Kristoff looked around the clearing.  “What’s this place?”

“It’s a place people come when they need to… I guess you could say, sort things out?” Ryder said. 

“What do I need to sort out?”

“This Hans, the one who’s back in Arendelle, why did he stay behind?”

“I suppose he likes to be in charge,��� Kristoff shrugged. “Plus, if anything happens to us, he’ll be Regent for his son.”

“And what about if you do make it back?” Ryder asked. “I don’t think anybody knows how that will happen, but you seem to have a lot of trust in Elsa.” 

“Anna will want to get back to her son,” Kristoff said.

Ryder looked at him, then grabbed a flask and handed it to Kristoff. “Here, have a drink of this.” 

Kristoff eyed it skeptically. “What is it?”

“It usually helps.”

Kristoff took a sip, swallowing a bit before the full perception of the taste hit him. 

“Ugh!  What is that?” Kristoff exclaimed, shoving the flask back into Ryder’s hands.

“Yeah, it’s terrible, isn’t it?” Ryder laughed. “So, is Anna looking forward to seeing Prince Hans again?”

Kristoff paused.  “Here, give me that flask again.”

[februaryficletchallenge]

FFC 2025: February 1

The prompts for February 1 are “buckle up” and “survive”.

Write a ficlet of at least 200 words and post it to this collection on AO3!

One month. Twenty-eight prompts. Twenty-eight pairings. One ficlet a day. Write Fast.

[mokaisathome]

Day 1 of February Ficlet Challenge 2025

Prompt: "Buckle up" + Survive

AO3

   The fact Jamil was used to this kind of situation was a testament to how much time he spent with Kalim. Too much time actually. If it weren’t for work… But he’d save the complaints for later – preferably when there weren’t any assassins around trying to kill them. Keeping a hand pressed against Kalim’s mouth, he peeked out of the alley they’d been hiding in for the past few minutes.

   The sounds of the local fair drowned out everything and the colorful lights of the surrounding attractions blinded him – Jamil couldn’t make out anything except the sharp pain in his cheek where a stray magic attack grazed him earlier. If Kalim hadn’t begged him for help to sneak out of the palace to go into town to play, none of this would have happened… He shook his head. Complaints could be addressed later. For now, they just needed an escape route. A muffled mumble came from Kalim, but Jamil ignored it in favor of thinking of a strategy.

   Running wasn’t an option when the opponents were (from what he observed) adults and the Al-Asim residence was on the other side of town anyway – it was already a miracle that nobody targeted them on the bus they rode to come here – so he needed to think about something else. The bus? Involving bystanders was a no-no. The tram a few streets over was out for the same reason. Staying in hiding for a while was tempting, but it was already late and people would start going home soon – knowing Kalim, he’d get lost in the crowd even if they held hands.

   The only thing left to try was his Unique Magic though he never used it against so many enemies, especially when moving. For the second time, Kalim talked, uncomprehensible sounds becoming even more unintelligible as Jamil pushed his palm harder against his lips. He put them into this mess, he should now just shut up and let Jamil do his work. As he peeked out of the alley again, pain surged through his foot and he let go of Kalim in shock.

“What are you–”

“Jamil,” Kalim said in a hushed tone, his voice more serious than usual. “The Magical Wheel over here is free.”

   His master pointed to a nearby vehicle, resting against the railway seemingly without its driver around. They exchanged looks and nodded in unison. It wasn’t really stealing when they’d borrow it for a few hours at most, and it was a life-or-death situation. Anybody would understand, with or without mind control.

“I’ll buy them a new one,” Kalim affirmed as he scurried toward the Magical Wheel behind Jamil. “Or ten. Ten sounds good.”

“Sure.”

“Can you drive it?”

“Of course.”

“I knew I could count on you!”

   Jamil watched races on TV with his father and played a driving game at a friend’s house once. It’d be fine. Without hesitating, he jumped on it and Kalim followed suit, his arms wrapped around Jamil’s waist. As he poured magical power into the engine through his hands, the Magical Wheel roared.

“Buckle up, Kalim!”

“Yeah!”

   Racing through the city while avoiding others as best as he could, Jamil found himself smiling slightly as Kalim chattered about mindless observations. It could’ve gone worse surely.

[deathbyglamour01]

February Ficlet Challenge 2025

Day 1: “survive”

Fandom: Sonic (live action universe)

Characters: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, mentioned Tom and Maddie

Ships: N/A

Warnings: hospitals, vague discussions of death/injury

Word Count: 248

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62706391

The waiting room was agony. 

Sonic so desperately wanted, needed, to know how Tom was doing, but there was nothing he could do. He was confined to the stupid little room that reeked of sadness and desperation and there was nothing he could do about it. 

He sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair with Knuckles and Tails on either side of him. Tails leaned against him, trying to comfort him— and possibly himself —but all of Sonic's thoughts were focused on Tom.

How bad was it? Would he make it? Was he even alive right now? Sonic should have never let him go alone. He could have prevented this, if only he'd stayed by Tom's side. He—

Knuckles' gloved paw patted him a little too hard on the back and he startled, looking over to his brother.

"You must breathe, hedgehog." Sonic hadn't even realized he was panting, breath's coming too fast and heart hammering. He did his best to suck in a deep breath. "The Donut Lord will be okay."

"You don't know that," Sonic muttered darkly. He felt paws grip his right arm and looked over to see Tails looking up at him, something akin to fear in his eyes. Sonic felt guilt churn in his stomach. He maneuvered the arm Tails was holding to pat the fox on the head. "Sorry. It'll be okay. Tom will be okay."

He had to be. He had to survive.

He hoped Maddie would be back with news soon.

[jessicamdawn]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: บ้านหลอน ON SALE | Peaceful Property (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peach Santiphap Tantitaymitr & Home Saharat Vimarnsukmun, Vimarnsukmun Family Characters: Home Saharat Vimarnsukmun, Peach Santiphap Tantitaymitr, Pangpang (Peaceful Property) Additional Tags: introspective, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Post-Canon, Post-Series, some Pre-Series too Series: Part 15 of February Ficlet Challenge 2025 Summary:

Growing up Home liked the idea of cooking, but by the time he was an adult, the thought was foreign and strange. Until he met Peach.

[ghostsandgod]

🤨I am Kevin Mask😏 - Babblecat3000 - キン肉マン | Kinnikuman (Manga) [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62834221

[ilovevewritingfanfic]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน | Bad Buddy: the Series (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ink/Pa Jindapat Characters: Ink (Bad Buddy: the Series), Pa Jindapat Additional Tags: Not Canon Compliant, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Soulmates Series: Part 8 of February Ficlet Challenge 2025

I forgot to post this one here!