Happy New Year!
My ritual posts for NYD. I hope you had a nice celebration last night if you do.
I can own my two Yuletides now: my main, of interest only to those who remember 90s Britcoms, and those who like local government minutiae and Covid fic:
Till Death (or Covid Protocols) Do Us Part (2085 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Brittas Empire
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gavin Featherly/Tim Whistler
Characters: Gavin Featherly, Tim Whistler, Gordon Brittas
Additional Tags: Pandemics
Summary:
Mr Brittas had struggled with the impact of the pandemic. Gavin and Tim did very nicely, thank you. So perhaps it was up to them to fix him?
Secondly, my pinch hit, which didn't actually make it as a pinch hit because the mods thought it hit a DNW (which I did not think it did, but eh), so I ended up gifting it to a pinch hitter, which seems logical enough. Lord Peter Wimsey, which must be my most-Yultided fandom by now. Thing is, I'd never have gone down the weird AU route I took without the original prompt which welcomed crack taken seriously, and I feel bad to have not given back to the prompter. Oh well.
Drown My Books (1521 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Harriet Vane, Peter Wimsey, Mervyn Bunter
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic
Summary:
Harriet struggles with a plot point. Wimsey can resolve it - if she asks.
Meanwhile, there's a new yearlong meme hooray. Prompts provided by siobhan63 here, but pasted for my reference below the cut:
January
1. After roughly two years now of living with various changes and restrictions brought about by the Covid pandemic, which, if any, measures do you think you will continue to do all the time?
I suspect wearing a mask on transport will continue longer than we might think; maybe also for theatres in fact. It just seems helpful against all manner of glerp, for limited pain. And working from home, remote interviewing/remote meetings, that's here to stay. Being at home even one reliable day pw has revolutionised my ability to take in deliveries which is a massive bonus. I hope I will continue to walk instead of taking public transport a lot of the time - not least as it looks unlikely I'll have a proper travelcard for the foreseeable future, which reduces my flexibility in London no end.
2. When you are old(er), what do you think children will ask you to tell stories about?
3. January 3 is Fruitcake Toss Day. Do you like fruitcake? Why does it get such a bad rap?
4. iOs or Android?
5. What do you do to get rid of stress?
6. How often do you binge-watch TV shows?
7. Have you ever saved an animal's life? How about a person's life?
8. Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future, or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself?
9. Would you rather lose the ability to read, or the ability to speak?
10. What Olympic (or other) sport would be the funniest to add a mandatory amount of alcohol to?
11. What do you think are three things that are pretty great or interesting about you?
12. What's your favourite number? Why?
13. Would you rather have all illicit drugs be legalized, or duelling between consenting adults be legalized?
14. What movie would be greatly improved if made into a musical?
15. What social stigma does society need to get over?
16. What's the most creative use of emojis you've ever seen?
17. Where do you get most of your news?
18. In 40 years, what will people be nostalgic for?
19. Do you like reality/competition TV shows? Why or why not? If so, which ones?
20. How fast do you read?
21. Do you like classical music? If yes, name your favourite composer(s).
22. How often do you check your phone?
23. What is your favourite thing to eat or drink in winter?
24. If you could switch two movie/book/TV characters, what switch would lead to the most inappropriate movie/book/TV show?
25. How often do you stay up past 3:00 a.m.?
26. If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be?
27. Who was your worst teacher/professor? Why?
28. Who was your best teacher/professor? Why?
29. If you are an only child, do you wish you had siblings? If you have siblings, do you wish you were an only child?
30. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? If you don't use top sheets, if you stay somewhere that does, do you prefer your sheets tucked in or out?
31. Toilet paper: over or under?
February
1. Do you think your country would change if everyone, regardless of age or any other current restriction, could vote? If yes, in what ways?
2. Is there a movie or TV show you can watch over and over again without tiring of it?
3. If an actor who is really well known for one role turns up in another film or TV show playing a different character, do you have trouble not seeing them as their more famous character?
4. Regardless of your age, what "old person" thing(s) do you do?
5. Do you often get the hiccups? If yes, do you have a go-to cure for them?
6. What's the best Wi-Fi name you've seen?
7. What was the last funny video you watched?
8. Which current or at least recent news story is the most interesting to you?
9. Would you rather ask for help with a difficult task, or figure it out for yourself?
10. What do you think is the best sitcom (current or past)?
11. What do you think is the most overrated movie?
12. Who would you most like and least like to be stuck in an elevator with?
13. What was the last song you listened to of your choosing? What was the last song you heard that was imposed on you (e.g. background music at a store, in someone else's car, etc.)?
14. Do you play mobile games on your phone? If yes, what is the most addictive game you've played?
15. Do you text more or call more? Why?
16. Most important in a partner or best friend: intelligence or sense of humour?
17. February 17 is "Random Acts of Kindness Day". What random act of kindness would you like someone to perform for you?
18. What are you going to do this weekend?
19. Would you rather have all your meals prepared for you, but not have any say in the menu (outside of certain dietary restrictions e.g. allergies), or sleep eight hours every night, but not get to choose your bedtime?
20. What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear/see it?
21. When was the last time you got to tell someone "I told you so!"?
22. If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator?
23. Is there something that you're interested in that most people aren't?
24. What was cool when you were young, but really isn't cool now?
25. What is the least inspiring/interesting meal you've eaten?
26. What really needs to be modernized?
27. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!" Do you believe hardship make a person stronger? If so, under what conditions and at what point is it too much hardship? If not, what makes a person stronger?
28. What's invisible, but you wish people could actually see it?
March
1. If you built a themed hotel, what would the theme be, and what would the rooms look like?
2. What was one of the most interesting concerts you've been to? What was interesting about it?
3. What did you Google last (or Bing, or Duck-Duck-Go, or otherwise search for online)?
4. What odd smell do you really like?
5. How far should a government go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?
6. If time travel is possible, would we have met time travelers already?
7. What is something popular now that annoys you?
8. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction books? Why?
9. Do you still seek out new music? What is the best way to discover new music?
10. What is the most useful app on your phone?
11. March 11 is "Worship of Tools Day". What is your favourite tool?
12. How do you think travelling to a lot of different countries changes a person?
13. How can technology improve education? Can it hurt education?
14. While walking/running/biking/other cardio: music or podcasts or silence?
15. Do you have a Pavlovian response to anything?
16. Is some degree of censorship necessary?
17. As an adult, is there anything you don't even pretend to bother with anymore?
18. What word do you almost always mispronounce? What word do you always mistype?
19. Which body part do you wish you could detach (or at least reposition), and why?
20. Pineapple on pizza: Yay or Nay?
21. Should taxpayers have the option to explicitly say what they don’t want their tax money spent on?
22. What is the TL,DR (too long, didn't read) version of your life?
23. Do you think the convenience of technology is worth the loss of privacy that comes with it?
24. What is the worst smelling place you've been to?
25. Does the modern age make global conspiracies more or less feasible?
26. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
27. Have you ever been fired from a job?
28. When dining out, have you ever complained about a meal, or sent your order back to the kitchen?
29. If you found out a close friend or relative was doing something illegal, what, if anything, would you do about it?
30. If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
31. Would you rather wake up every morning with $100 (or equivalent in your currency) in your pocket but not know where it came from, or wake up every morning with $50 (or equivalent in your currency) in your pocket and know where it came from?
April
1. If your 5-year-old self suddenly found themselves inhabiting your current body, what would your 5-year-old self do first?
2. What inanimate object do you wish you could eliminate from existence?
3. What is your favourite way to waste time?
4. Do you have any pets? What are their names? Now, what are the names you actually use for them?
5. How much of your body would you cybernetically enhance, if you could?
6. What songs do you know only the chorus to?
7. Which fictional character would be the most boring to meet in real life?
8. Are you an organized person? What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
9. How quickly do you adapt to new technology?
10. What scrambles your brain every time you think about it?
11. What is something that really annoys you, but doesn't seem to bother most other people?
12. Has anyone ever saved your life (literally, not figuratively)?
13. If, when you die, you found out that you have to spend eternity as a minor character in a TV show of your choosing, what TV show would you choose?
14. What is something everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?
15. What is the weirdest text or email you've ever received?
16. What sport could you play the longest in a televised game, without anyone discovering you're not a professional athlete?
17. What fictional (TV/movie/book) character(s) have you had a crush on over the years?
18. What was the worst shopping experience you've ever had?
19. What still makes you cringe when you think back on it?
20. What do a lot of people have very strong opinions about, even though they know very little about it?
21. Who in your life is the worst at using technology?
22. What was the biggest realization you had about yourself?
23. What memory of yours feels real but is most likely false?
24. Do you prefer popular music or relatively unknown music?
25. If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how they serve, what would you change?
26. Records, tapes, CDs, MP3s, streaming: which did you grow up with? What is good and bad about each?
27. If everyone said what they were actually thinking, what would happen to society?
28. Did (or does) your family take seasonal vacations?
29. What technology from a science fiction movie or TV show would you most love to have?
30. April 30 is "Hairstyle Appreciation Day". How would you describe your hairstyle?
May
1. Is it more or less difficult to be successful in the modern world than it was in the past (10, 50, 100, or 1,000 years ago)?
2. What do you like to do in the spring?
3. Is teaching a skill that can be taught?
4. May 4 is "Bike to School Day". Is that something you did when you were in school?
5. Do you always have to have the latest phone?
6. What is something you are obsessed with?
7. Is there something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don't the point of?
8. Would you rather give up all drinks except water, or give up eating anything that was cooked in an oven?
9. What would happen if a maximum income of $500,000 (or equivalent in your currency) was implemented?
10. If extra-terrestrials ever made first contact with us, would you prefer they be robotic or organic?
11. When was the last time you worked incredibly hard?
12. Do you know someone who really reminds you of a character in a TV show, movie or book?
13. What is the most annoying thing about the social media platform you use most often?
14. Do you have nicknames for people in your life (not including nicknames or code names that you might use on social media for privacy reasons)?
15. What or who has taught you most of the information you use regularly?
16. What’s more important: doing the right thing or doing things right?
17. What do you hope never changes?
18. What’s the best way to start the day?
19. Can people with vastly different cultural backgrounds live together peacefully?
20. Do you have a "and then it got worse" story? Will you share it?
21. Have you ever eaten so much of something you made yourself sick?
22. What are some fun and interesting alternatives to war that countries could engage in to settle their differences?
23. What's the weirdest or rudest thing a guest has done at your house?
24. Do you swear? What's your favourite swear word?
25. What fictional character is amazing in their book/movie/TV show, but would be insufferable if you had to deal with them in mundane, everyday situations?
26. If you had intro music, what would it be?
27. If you had unlimited funds to build a house that you would live in for the rest of your life, what would the finished house be like?
28. What songs have your completely memorized?
29. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
30. What takes up too much of your time?
31. What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years?
June
1. What would a perfect city be like?
2. What are some small things that make your day better?
3. Do you have a go-to band or artist when you can't decide on something to listen to?
4. Is there a TV show or movie that you just refuse to watch?
5. What are you interested in that most people haven't heard of?
6. What could you do a 40-minute presentation on with no (or very little) preparation?
7. If you were dictator of your country, what would you do?
8. Is there a product or service you love so much that you'd happily be that company's spokesperson?
9. Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now (or if you're retired, the work you were doing prior to retirement)?
10. We have no control over where we're from, but do you wish you could have been from somewhere else?
11. What are some things you've had to unlearn?
12. New internet rules restrict everyone's free access to email, a search engine, and five sites of their choosing. To access any other site, you have to pay $1 per visit. What sites would you include in your five free sites, and what sites would you be willing to pay to access? (Sites you need to access for work-related purposes would be provided/paid for by your employer.)
13. Who inspires you to be better?
14. Is there something dumb or ridiculous that you did that actually turned out pretty well?
15. What are the best and worst things about aging?
16. Is there some event that changed how you view the world?
17. Was today typical? Why or why not?
18. Do you have a favourite accessory (excluding anything you wear regularly e.g. wedding band, watch, etc.)?
19. What was peaceful about today?
20. Do you hold grudges? Are you holding one now?
21. June 21 is "International Yoga Day". Do you do, or have you ever done, yoga?
22. What was the last TV show you watched? Did you enjoy it?
23. What was the last live performance you went to?
24. What is the most expensive thing you're wearing today?
25. What's the last dream you remember?
26. Name one item you can't throw out, even if it's not really sparking any joy.
27. Did anything make you laugh today?
28. If pressing a button meant you received 5 million dollars (or equivalent in your currency) but it also killed 5 people somewhere in the world, would you press it? What if it killed only 1 person or killed 20 people? What if the people were people you knew?
29. What makes a good friend?
30. Do we control technology or is technology controlling us?
July
1. We're halfway through the year (give or take a few days). What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
2. What do you want to remember about today? What would you like to forget?
3. If you could wish for one thing to happen tomorrow, what would that be?
4. What colours are you wearing?
5. What is a political issue that interests you?
6. Do you still carry cash on you/use cash on a regular basis?
7. Messy or neat?
8. Do you still get crushes on celebrities?
9. Have you ever read a book, or watched show or movie, that made you cheer more for the antagonist rather than the protagonist?
10. What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday morning?
11. What are some of your favourite ways to cool down or keep cool on hot summer days?
12. What's the craziest thing you've done for love?
13. When was the last time you had an inspiring conversation? Who was it with?
14. If you didn't have any responsibilities for the day, what would you do?
15. What was the last fruit you ate?
16. If sacrificing your own life would save the lives of a specific number of strangers, how many strangers would need to be saved for you to sacrifice your own life? What if the people were friends? How about family?
17. July 17 is "World Emoji Day". Do you use emojis?
18. What is your biggest indulgence?
19. What’s something terrifying that we’ve all come to accept as a fact of life?
20. Are you good at keeping secrets? Is it ever okay to share a secret?
21. If babies are considered innocent, when do people cease to be innocent?
22. What would you genetically change about humans to make them a better species?
23. Have you ever worked retail?
24. A robot wrote this entire article. Another wrote and performed poetry. Should we be scared?
25. Omnivore, vegetarian, vegan or something else?
26. Does anything hurt today?
27. Who was the last person to make you angry?
28. When was the last time you properly cleaned out your refrigerator?
29. Is there anything you regularly lie about?
30. Do you mostly do specific chores on specific days each week (e.g. groceries on Saturday, laundry on Wednesday, etc.)?
31. Of this month's questions, which was your favourite?
August
1. Do you make daily to-do lists? If yes, do you usually successfully clear them?
2. What is your favourite piece of clothing? Do you have a different favourite for each season?
3. When did you last interview for a job? Did you get it?
4. Teacher or student?
5. What comes to mind when you think of fear?
6. What is your favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
7. Where do you think your road is going?
8. What was the last bad movie you watched right to the bitter end? Why did you keep watching?
9. August 9 is "Book Lover's Day". What book are you loving right now? If you're not loving any book at the moment, what book have you previously loved?
10. If your home was being redone on one of those house makeover/reno shows, what would you want to have done to your home?
11. If you were forced to take part in a reality/competition show (e.g. Big Brother, Survivor, Bake Off, etc.), but you could choose which show to be on, what would you pick?
12. What's the most illegal thing you've done?
13. If you had to tattoo your arm with a message to yourself, what would you write?
14. If you could earn the same pay no matter what job you did, would you pursue another profession? If so, what would you choose, and why?
15. Would you be happier with more control over what happens in your life or more control over your response to what happens?
16. If you were a role model to millions of children who closely followed you and your life choices, how would you change your behavior?
17. Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube or roll it? What’s the advantage of your method?
18. Using only one word per person, what was your first impression of each person present with you now?
19. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?
20. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up and try to do something productive?
21. Which do you do more often: hum or whistle?
22. When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
23. Who’s the biggest “pack rat” you know?
24. What is your most unusual nighttime or morning ritual?
25. How do you get rid of pesky phone calls from telemarketers/scam callers?
26. Have you ever square-danced or line-danced? When was the last time you did any sort of dancing (not counting when alone in your home!)?
27. When you leave a room, do you turn the lights off behind you or keep the lights on throughout your house most of the time?
28. How frequently do you purchase lottery tickets?
29. Have you ever been an audience member for any television shows? Which ones? If you haven't, would you like to be? For which shows?
30. When was the last time you sat on a park bench for more than ten minutes? Describe the occasion.
31. When something is funny, do you usually laugh raucously, hiss, snort, chuckle quietly to yourself, or smile and nudge the person next to you?
September
1. How important is it to you that people remember, spell, and pronounce your name correctly? Why?
2. Are you a hugger or a non-hugger? Why?
3. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage in it head-on? Why?
4. What was the most recent compliment you received and savored?
5. In what situations are you most likely to procrastinate?
6. How often do you interrupt others while they are talking?
7. What’s your most and least preferred forms of exercise? Explain.
8. What’s your favorite quote? Why is it special to you?
9. As you fall asleep, do you prefer to be flat on your back, curled on your side, or on your stomach? What position are you in when you wake up?
10. What’s your preference: cruise ship, powerboat, sailboat, rowboat, canoe, kayak, or inner tube?
11. Who was your best friend in high school, and where is he or she now?
12. What’s your most memorable (good or bad) airplane flight?
13. September 13 is "Positive Thinking Day". What negative thought could you turn around today?
14. Growing up, for which holidays did your family decorate the house?
15. Have you ever served on jury duty? If so, what was the case about? If not, would you like to be on a jury in the future?
16. What's worse: laundry or dishes?
17. Do you have a favourite movie soundtrack?
18. If you were offered free cosmetic surgery by the best plastic surgeons in the world, would you take it?
19. If you could rid the world of one evil, which one would it be?
20. What is the difference between knowing a lot of facts about a person and knowing someone personally?
21. What’s more important, a healthy mind or a healthy body? Why?
22. What’s one thing you know for sure?
23. When was the last time you listened to the sound of your own breathing?
24. Do you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?
25. An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something amazing. What does it do?
26. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
27. How have you recently kept yourself in check?
28. What’s the closest thing to a castle you’ve been in?
29. What were the circumstances the last time you were hoarse?
30. For what will you likely pay a king’s ransom in the near future?
October
1. What was the last item you returned or exchanged at a store?
2. What’s an unlikely movie sequel you’d like to see?
3. Do you tend to read reviews of films or TV shows that you're considering watching? What about reviews of books or albums? How much influence might a good or bad review have on you?
4. How are you about deleting emails?
5. Who or what are two people or things you keep mixing up with one another?
6. Are actual paper road maps obsolete? When was the last time you actually used one?
7. Has a phone or car GPS's instructions ever resulted in you being completely lost?
8. What TV show has a theme song or opening credits sequence that you really love? Feel free to name more than one if you want!
9. Of websites you look at daily (or almost daily), which have you been paying attention to longest?
10. Some animal groups have collective nouns, e.g. a swarm of bees, a murder of crows, a school of fish, etc. What would be a good collective noun for people in your profession or hobby?
11. What is the difference between living and existing?
12. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
13. Are there any songs that always bring a tear to your eye?
14. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
15. What was your excuse the last time you arrived late to something?
16. In what way is your life lately imbalanced?
17. Do you put your socks on before or after putting on trousers?
18. Now that self/indie publishing has become easier, have books gotten better or worse?
19. October 19 is "Evaluate Your Life Day". On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you evaluate your life to date?
20. How have TV shows changed over the years?
21. As a child, were you afraid that someone or something was hiding under your bed? As an adult, do you still sometimes have that fear, even though you know it's ridiculous?
22. What’s one of your language-related pet peeves?
23. When you get home super tired and super hungry, do you usually eat first or sleep first?
24. You’re taking an exam. You aren’t sure about the answer to question 5, but you know it’s either “lions” or “tigers.” You get to question 11 and realize whatever the answer to 5 is, 11 is the other answer. Do you write “lions” as your answer to 5 and 11, thereby ensuring you’ll get one of them right? Or do you write “lions” for 5 and “tigers” for 11, risking two wrong answers but giving you a chance at two right ones?
25. Would you rather earn more money or have more time off?
26. In a general election, do you mostly just vote based on party? What if the party you prefer put forward a terrible candidate, while a party you like less put forward a much better candidate?
27. Are both bad and good things needed in order to truly live life? Can you have the bad without the good? The good without the bad?
28. Is there one dream that stays clear in your mind despite the fact it was more than a few years ago?
29. When were you packed in tighter than a can of sardines?
30. Is there anything useful to be made of empty prescription pill bottles?
31. What are you likely to find behind your sofa?
November
1. What immature behavior have you displayed recently?
2. What are some very salty foods you enjoy?
3. What are some major global events that have occurred during your lifetime?
4. The restaurant is out of your favorite salad dressing. What do you order instead?
5. What do you imagine people see when they look at you?
6. Are there any bridges you don't regret burning?
7. Have you been stung by a stinging critter?
8. Of all the famous artifacts/exhibits you've seen in museums or art galleries, which was the most disappointing when you saw it in real life?
9. What’s a snack item you have difficulty eating in moderation?
10. You're an extraterrestrial scout sent to assess if it's worth making contact with Earthlings. What are your main observations and recommendations?
11. Today is Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. Do you know anyone, or have a distant relative, who died in a war?
12. What’s a good song about freedom or being free? It can be a single line or the entire song.
13. Do you have a charity you regularly give to?
14. Is there one particular decision/choice you made in your life that is largely responsible for where you are now?
15. Pick up the nearest book (magazine or any available printed material will do). Turn to page 24 (or the closest to it). Go to the 7th line. What is it?
16. "Live hard, die young and leave a beautiful corpse" ~OR~ "Live long and prosper"?
17. What are you most likely very wrong about?
18. If you were put into solitary confinement for six months, what would you do to stay sane?
19. Can you list three good things that happened this week?
20. Are child-proof containers becoming increasingly adult-proof?
21. Does your morning "getting ready" routine vary much between work days and weekends (or other days off if you work weekends)?
22. Does stress cause to you eat more or does it kill your appetite?
23. If, in a multi-story building, you only have to go up or down one or two flights, would you prefer to use the stairs rather than an elevator?
24. Is there some old family belief, practice, routine or tradition that you know is nonsensical, but you still catch yourself doing it anyway?
25. What makes you feel terrible while you’re doing it but great when you’re done?
26. How's your sleep been this week?
27. What is the purpose of art in society? You can define "art" as broadly as you like.
28. November 28 is "Red Planet Day". Do you think humans will ever get to Mars? Is this an endeavour that we should be devoting resources toward or would the money be better spent here on earth?
29. If everything else about your life stayed the same, how well could you get by living homeless for a year?
30. What in your residence is approaching its last days?
December
1. Who was the president/prime minister/leader of your country when you were born?
2. What is the best way to spiffy-up french fries?
3. When did you last unexpectedly receive something for free?
4. Do you donate food (or money) to food banks?
5. Does your mental image of yourself correspond with what you see in the mirror?
6. Would you consider leaving your body to medical science? Or maybe just parts of your body?
7. If you could make a 20-second phone call to yourself at any point in your life, when would you call and what would you say?
8. If you could turn one book, comic book or other print story into a feature-length movie or TV series, what would you pick and why?
9. Have you ever actually punched someone (not counting a friendly jab to the shoulder)? Have you ever been punched?
10. What product’s packaging do you find excessive or inadequate? What sort of packaging do you hate the most?
11. In terms of personal care products (shampoo, toothpaste, skin care products, deodorants, etc.) do you mostly stick with the same brands, or do you like to try new ones? Are you influenced by price, e.g. buying what's on sale, even if it's not your usual brand?
12. Is there an ingredient you put into almost everything you cook, even if the recipe doesn't call for it? Is there an ingredient that most recipes call for, but that you tend to leave out?
13. Some people believe that if life has no purpose, then there is no reason for living. While others think that if life has no purpose, that frees a person to find/create and follow their own personal purpose. Which is a more valid point of view or are they both equally valid?
14. Would you rather have more kitchen counter space or kitchen cabinet space?
15. How conscious do you think animals are?
16. Did you discover a new (to you) favourite author or musician/band this year?
17. What do you like most about your family?
18. December 18 is "Bake Cookies Day". Do you have a favourite cookie recipe? Care to share?
19. In what forms of housing have you resided?
20. When were you last onstage, literally or figuratively?
21. True or false: people only eat cupcakes for the icing.
22. Do you have a TV series that you wish had run longer than it did? What about one that you think ran on too long?
23. What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?
24. Which of your vices or bad habits would be the hardest to give up?
25. Do you self-censor a lot?
26. What happens in your country regularly that people in other countries would find strange or bizarre?
27. Was there ever an event in your life that defied explanation?
28. What decision have you been putting off?
29. Most Valuable Player (MVP): an accolade or award, originally used in team sports to recognize one player for game-changing excellence, and also used outside of sports to recognize excellence in the contributions of an individual to a group effort. Does anyone stand out as your own personal MVP, either at work or in your personal life, for this year?
30. As the year comes to a close, what’s something you’d like to put behind you?
31. As the year comes to a close, what are you looking back upon most fondly?
I can own my two Yuletides now: my main, of interest only to those who remember 90s Britcoms, and those who like local government minutiae and Covid fic:
Till Death (or Covid Protocols) Do Us Part (2085 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Brittas Empire
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gavin Featherly/Tim Whistler
Characters: Gavin Featherly, Tim Whistler, Gordon Brittas
Additional Tags: Pandemics
Summary:
Mr Brittas had struggled with the impact of the pandemic. Gavin and Tim did very nicely, thank you. So perhaps it was up to them to fix him?
Secondly, my pinch hit, which didn't actually make it as a pinch hit because the mods thought it hit a DNW (which I did not think it did, but eh), so I ended up gifting it to a pinch hitter, which seems logical enough. Lord Peter Wimsey, which must be my most-Yultided fandom by now. Thing is, I'd never have gone down the weird AU route I took without the original prompt which welcomed crack taken seriously, and I feel bad to have not given back to the prompter. Oh well.
Drown My Books (1521 words) by brutti_ma_buoni
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Harriet Vane, Peter Wimsey, Mervyn Bunter
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic
Summary:
Harriet struggles with a plot point. Wimsey can resolve it - if she asks.
Meanwhile, there's a new yearlong meme hooray. Prompts provided by siobhan63 here, but pasted for my reference below the cut:
January
1. After roughly two years now of living with various changes and restrictions brought about by the Covid pandemic, which, if any, measures do you think you will continue to do all the time?
I suspect wearing a mask on transport will continue longer than we might think; maybe also for theatres in fact. It just seems helpful against all manner of glerp, for limited pain. And working from home, remote interviewing/remote meetings, that's here to stay. Being at home even one reliable day pw has revolutionised my ability to take in deliveries which is a massive bonus. I hope I will continue to walk instead of taking public transport a lot of the time - not least as it looks unlikely I'll have a proper travelcard for the foreseeable future, which reduces my flexibility in London no end.
2. When you are old(er), what do you think children will ask you to tell stories about?
3. January 3 is Fruitcake Toss Day. Do you like fruitcake? Why does it get such a bad rap?
4. iOs or Android?
5. What do you do to get rid of stress?
6. How often do you binge-watch TV shows?
7. Have you ever saved an animal's life? How about a person's life?
8. Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future, or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself?
9. Would you rather lose the ability to read, or the ability to speak?
10. What Olympic (or other) sport would be the funniest to add a mandatory amount of alcohol to?
11. What do you think are three things that are pretty great or interesting about you?
12. What's your favourite number? Why?
13. Would you rather have all illicit drugs be legalized, or duelling between consenting adults be legalized?
14. What movie would be greatly improved if made into a musical?
15. What social stigma does society need to get over?
16. What's the most creative use of emojis you've ever seen?
17. Where do you get most of your news?
18. In 40 years, what will people be nostalgic for?
19. Do you like reality/competition TV shows? Why or why not? If so, which ones?
20. How fast do you read?
21. Do you like classical music? If yes, name your favourite composer(s).
22. How often do you check your phone?
23. What is your favourite thing to eat or drink in winter?
24. If you could switch two movie/book/TV characters, what switch would lead to the most inappropriate movie/book/TV show?
25. How often do you stay up past 3:00 a.m.?
26. If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be?
27. Who was your worst teacher/professor? Why?
28. Who was your best teacher/professor? Why?
29. If you are an only child, do you wish you had siblings? If you have siblings, do you wish you were an only child?
30. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? If you don't use top sheets, if you stay somewhere that does, do you prefer your sheets tucked in or out?
31. Toilet paper: over or under?
February
1. Do you think your country would change if everyone, regardless of age or any other current restriction, could vote? If yes, in what ways?
2. Is there a movie or TV show you can watch over and over again without tiring of it?
3. If an actor who is really well known for one role turns up in another film or TV show playing a different character, do you have trouble not seeing them as their more famous character?
4. Regardless of your age, what "old person" thing(s) do you do?
5. Do you often get the hiccups? If yes, do you have a go-to cure for them?
6. What's the best Wi-Fi name you've seen?
7. What was the last funny video you watched?
8. Which current or at least recent news story is the most interesting to you?
9. Would you rather ask for help with a difficult task, or figure it out for yourself?
10. What do you think is the best sitcom (current or past)?
11. What do you think is the most overrated movie?
12. Who would you most like and least like to be stuck in an elevator with?
13. What was the last song you listened to of your choosing? What was the last song you heard that was imposed on you (e.g. background music at a store, in someone else's car, etc.)?
14. Do you play mobile games on your phone? If yes, what is the most addictive game you've played?
15. Do you text more or call more? Why?
16. Most important in a partner or best friend: intelligence or sense of humour?
17. February 17 is "Random Acts of Kindness Day". What random act of kindness would you like someone to perform for you?
18. What are you going to do this weekend?
19. Would you rather have all your meals prepared for you, but not have any say in the menu (outside of certain dietary restrictions e.g. allergies), or sleep eight hours every night, but not get to choose your bedtime?
20. What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear/see it?
21. When was the last time you got to tell someone "I told you so!"?
22. If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator?
23. Is there something that you're interested in that most people aren't?
24. What was cool when you were young, but really isn't cool now?
25. What is the least inspiring/interesting meal you've eaten?
26. What really needs to be modernized?
27. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!" Do you believe hardship make a person stronger? If so, under what conditions and at what point is it too much hardship? If not, what makes a person stronger?
28. What's invisible, but you wish people could actually see it?
March
1. If you built a themed hotel, what would the theme be, and what would the rooms look like?
2. What was one of the most interesting concerts you've been to? What was interesting about it?
3. What did you Google last (or Bing, or Duck-Duck-Go, or otherwise search for online)?
4. What odd smell do you really like?
5. How far should a government go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?
6. If time travel is possible, would we have met time travelers already?
7. What is something popular now that annoys you?
8. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction books? Why?
9. Do you still seek out new music? What is the best way to discover new music?
10. What is the most useful app on your phone?
11. March 11 is "Worship of Tools Day". What is your favourite tool?
12. How do you think travelling to a lot of different countries changes a person?
13. How can technology improve education? Can it hurt education?
14. While walking/running/biking/other cardio: music or podcasts or silence?
15. Do you have a Pavlovian response to anything?
16. Is some degree of censorship necessary?
17. As an adult, is there anything you don't even pretend to bother with anymore?
18. What word do you almost always mispronounce? What word do you always mistype?
19. Which body part do you wish you could detach (or at least reposition), and why?
20. Pineapple on pizza: Yay or Nay?
21. Should taxpayers have the option to explicitly say what they don’t want their tax money spent on?
22. What is the TL,DR (too long, didn't read) version of your life?
23. Do you think the convenience of technology is worth the loss of privacy that comes with it?
24. What is the worst smelling place you've been to?
25. Does the modern age make global conspiracies more or less feasible?
26. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
27. Have you ever been fired from a job?
28. When dining out, have you ever complained about a meal, or sent your order back to the kitchen?
29. If you found out a close friend or relative was doing something illegal, what, if anything, would you do about it?
30. If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?
31. Would you rather wake up every morning with $100 (or equivalent in your currency) in your pocket but not know where it came from, or wake up every morning with $50 (or equivalent in your currency) in your pocket and know where it came from?
April
1. If your 5-year-old self suddenly found themselves inhabiting your current body, what would your 5-year-old self do first?
2. What inanimate object do you wish you could eliminate from existence?
3. What is your favourite way to waste time?
4. Do you have any pets? What are their names? Now, what are the names you actually use for them?
5. How much of your body would you cybernetically enhance, if you could?
6. What songs do you know only the chorus to?
7. Which fictional character would be the most boring to meet in real life?
8. Are you an organized person? What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
9. How quickly do you adapt to new technology?
10. What scrambles your brain every time you think about it?
11. What is something that really annoys you, but doesn't seem to bother most other people?
12. Has anyone ever saved your life (literally, not figuratively)?
13. If, when you die, you found out that you have to spend eternity as a minor character in a TV show of your choosing, what TV show would you choose?
14. What is something everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?
15. What is the weirdest text or email you've ever received?
16. What sport could you play the longest in a televised game, without anyone discovering you're not a professional athlete?
17. What fictional (TV/movie/book) character(s) have you had a crush on over the years?
18. What was the worst shopping experience you've ever had?
19. What still makes you cringe when you think back on it?
20. What do a lot of people have very strong opinions about, even though they know very little about it?
21. Who in your life is the worst at using technology?
22. What was the biggest realization you had about yourself?
23. What memory of yours feels real but is most likely false?
24. Do you prefer popular music or relatively unknown music?
25. If you were given the ability to reform how your country’s leaders were chosen and how they serve, what would you change?
26. Records, tapes, CDs, MP3s, streaming: which did you grow up with? What is good and bad about each?
27. If everyone said what they were actually thinking, what would happen to society?
28. Did (or does) your family take seasonal vacations?
29. What technology from a science fiction movie or TV show would you most love to have?
30. April 30 is "Hairstyle Appreciation Day". How would you describe your hairstyle?
May
1. Is it more or less difficult to be successful in the modern world than it was in the past (10, 50, 100, or 1,000 years ago)?
2. What do you like to do in the spring?
3. Is teaching a skill that can be taught?
4. May 4 is "Bike to School Day". Is that something you did when you were in school?
5. Do you always have to have the latest phone?
6. What is something you are obsessed with?
7. Is there something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don't the point of?
8. Would you rather give up all drinks except water, or give up eating anything that was cooked in an oven?
9. What would happen if a maximum income of $500,000 (or equivalent in your currency) was implemented?
10. If extra-terrestrials ever made first contact with us, would you prefer they be robotic or organic?
11. When was the last time you worked incredibly hard?
12. Do you know someone who really reminds you of a character in a TV show, movie or book?
13. What is the most annoying thing about the social media platform you use most often?
14. Do you have nicknames for people in your life (not including nicknames or code names that you might use on social media for privacy reasons)?
15. What or who has taught you most of the information you use regularly?
16. What’s more important: doing the right thing or doing things right?
17. What do you hope never changes?
18. What’s the best way to start the day?
19. Can people with vastly different cultural backgrounds live together peacefully?
20. Do you have a "and then it got worse" story? Will you share it?
21. Have you ever eaten so much of something you made yourself sick?
22. What are some fun and interesting alternatives to war that countries could engage in to settle their differences?
23. What's the weirdest or rudest thing a guest has done at your house?
24. Do you swear? What's your favourite swear word?
25. What fictional character is amazing in their book/movie/TV show, but would be insufferable if you had to deal with them in mundane, everyday situations?
26. If you had intro music, what would it be?
27. If you had unlimited funds to build a house that you would live in for the rest of your life, what would the finished house be like?
28. What songs have your completely memorized?
29. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
30. What takes up too much of your time?
31. What would be your first question after waking up from being cryogenically frozen for 100 years?
June
1. What would a perfect city be like?
2. What are some small things that make your day better?
3. Do you have a go-to band or artist when you can't decide on something to listen to?
4. Is there a TV show or movie that you just refuse to watch?
5. What are you interested in that most people haven't heard of?
6. What could you do a 40-minute presentation on with no (or very little) preparation?
7. If you were dictator of your country, what would you do?
8. Is there a product or service you love so much that you'd happily be that company's spokesperson?
9. Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now (or if you're retired, the work you were doing prior to retirement)?
10. We have no control over where we're from, but do you wish you could have been from somewhere else?
11. What are some things you've had to unlearn?
12. New internet rules restrict everyone's free access to email, a search engine, and five sites of their choosing. To access any other site, you have to pay $1 per visit. What sites would you include in your five free sites, and what sites would you be willing to pay to access? (Sites you need to access for work-related purposes would be provided/paid for by your employer.)
13. Who inspires you to be better?
14. Is there something dumb or ridiculous that you did that actually turned out pretty well?
15. What are the best and worst things about aging?
16. Is there some event that changed how you view the world?
17. Was today typical? Why or why not?
18. Do you have a favourite accessory (excluding anything you wear regularly e.g. wedding band, watch, etc.)?
19. What was peaceful about today?
20. Do you hold grudges? Are you holding one now?
21. June 21 is "International Yoga Day". Do you do, or have you ever done, yoga?
22. What was the last TV show you watched? Did you enjoy it?
23. What was the last live performance you went to?
24. What is the most expensive thing you're wearing today?
25. What's the last dream you remember?
26. Name one item you can't throw out, even if it's not really sparking any joy.
27. Did anything make you laugh today?
28. If pressing a button meant you received 5 million dollars (or equivalent in your currency) but it also killed 5 people somewhere in the world, would you press it? What if it killed only 1 person or killed 20 people? What if the people were people you knew?
29. What makes a good friend?
30. Do we control technology or is technology controlling us?
July
1. We're halfway through the year (give or take a few days). What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
2. What do you want to remember about today? What would you like to forget?
3. If you could wish for one thing to happen tomorrow, what would that be?
4. What colours are you wearing?
5. What is a political issue that interests you?
6. Do you still carry cash on you/use cash on a regular basis?
7. Messy or neat?
8. Do you still get crushes on celebrities?
9. Have you ever read a book, or watched show or movie, that made you cheer more for the antagonist rather than the protagonist?
10. What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday morning?
11. What are some of your favourite ways to cool down or keep cool on hot summer days?
12. What's the craziest thing you've done for love?
13. When was the last time you had an inspiring conversation? Who was it with?
14. If you didn't have any responsibilities for the day, what would you do?
15. What was the last fruit you ate?
16. If sacrificing your own life would save the lives of a specific number of strangers, how many strangers would need to be saved for you to sacrifice your own life? What if the people were friends? How about family?
17. July 17 is "World Emoji Day". Do you use emojis?
18. What is your biggest indulgence?
19. What’s something terrifying that we’ve all come to accept as a fact of life?
20. Are you good at keeping secrets? Is it ever okay to share a secret?
21. If babies are considered innocent, when do people cease to be innocent?
22. What would you genetically change about humans to make them a better species?
23. Have you ever worked retail?
24. A robot wrote this entire article. Another wrote and performed poetry. Should we be scared?
25. Omnivore, vegetarian, vegan or something else?
26. Does anything hurt today?
27. Who was the last person to make you angry?
28. When was the last time you properly cleaned out your refrigerator?
29. Is there anything you regularly lie about?
30. Do you mostly do specific chores on specific days each week (e.g. groceries on Saturday, laundry on Wednesday, etc.)?
31. Of this month's questions, which was your favourite?
August
1. Do you make daily to-do lists? If yes, do you usually successfully clear them?
2. What is your favourite piece of clothing? Do you have a different favourite for each season?
3. When did you last interview for a job? Did you get it?
4. Teacher or student?
5. What comes to mind when you think of fear?
6. What is your favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
7. Where do you think your road is going?
8. What was the last bad movie you watched right to the bitter end? Why did you keep watching?
9. August 9 is "Book Lover's Day". What book are you loving right now? If you're not loving any book at the moment, what book have you previously loved?
10. If your home was being redone on one of those house makeover/reno shows, what would you want to have done to your home?
11. If you were forced to take part in a reality/competition show (e.g. Big Brother, Survivor, Bake Off, etc.), but you could choose which show to be on, what would you pick?
12. What's the most illegal thing you've done?
13. If you had to tattoo your arm with a message to yourself, what would you write?
14. If you could earn the same pay no matter what job you did, would you pursue another profession? If so, what would you choose, and why?
15. Would you be happier with more control over what happens in your life or more control over your response to what happens?
16. If you were a role model to millions of children who closely followed you and your life choices, how would you change your behavior?
17. Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube or roll it? What’s the advantage of your method?
18. Using only one word per person, what was your first impression of each person present with you now?
19. What books on your shelf are begging to be read?
20. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up and try to do something productive?
21. Which do you do more often: hum or whistle?
22. When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
23. Who’s the biggest “pack rat” you know?
24. What is your most unusual nighttime or morning ritual?
25. How do you get rid of pesky phone calls from telemarketers/scam callers?
26. Have you ever square-danced or line-danced? When was the last time you did any sort of dancing (not counting when alone in your home!)?
27. When you leave a room, do you turn the lights off behind you or keep the lights on throughout your house most of the time?
28. How frequently do you purchase lottery tickets?
29. Have you ever been an audience member for any television shows? Which ones? If you haven't, would you like to be? For which shows?
30. When was the last time you sat on a park bench for more than ten minutes? Describe the occasion.
31. When something is funny, do you usually laugh raucously, hiss, snort, chuckle quietly to yourself, or smile and nudge the person next to you?
September
1. How important is it to you that people remember, spell, and pronounce your name correctly? Why?
2. Are you a hugger or a non-hugger? Why?
3. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage in it head-on? Why?
4. What was the most recent compliment you received and savored?
5. In what situations are you most likely to procrastinate?
6. How often do you interrupt others while they are talking?
7. What’s your most and least preferred forms of exercise? Explain.
8. What’s your favorite quote? Why is it special to you?
9. As you fall asleep, do you prefer to be flat on your back, curled on your side, or on your stomach? What position are you in when you wake up?
10. What’s your preference: cruise ship, powerboat, sailboat, rowboat, canoe, kayak, or inner tube?
11. Who was your best friend in high school, and where is he or she now?
12. What’s your most memorable (good or bad) airplane flight?
13. September 13 is "Positive Thinking Day". What negative thought could you turn around today?
14. Growing up, for which holidays did your family decorate the house?
15. Have you ever served on jury duty? If so, what was the case about? If not, would you like to be on a jury in the future?
16. What's worse: laundry or dishes?
17. Do you have a favourite movie soundtrack?
18. If you were offered free cosmetic surgery by the best plastic surgeons in the world, would you take it?
19. If you could rid the world of one evil, which one would it be?
20. What is the difference between knowing a lot of facts about a person and knowing someone personally?
21. What’s more important, a healthy mind or a healthy body? Why?
22. What’s one thing you know for sure?
23. When was the last time you listened to the sound of your own breathing?
24. Do you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?
25. An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something amazing. What does it do?
26. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
27. How have you recently kept yourself in check?
28. What’s the closest thing to a castle you’ve been in?
29. What were the circumstances the last time you were hoarse?
30. For what will you likely pay a king’s ransom in the near future?
October
1. What was the last item you returned or exchanged at a store?
2. What’s an unlikely movie sequel you’d like to see?
3. Do you tend to read reviews of films or TV shows that you're considering watching? What about reviews of books or albums? How much influence might a good or bad review have on you?
4. How are you about deleting emails?
5. Who or what are two people or things you keep mixing up with one another?
6. Are actual paper road maps obsolete? When was the last time you actually used one?
7. Has a phone or car GPS's instructions ever resulted in you being completely lost?
8. What TV show has a theme song or opening credits sequence that you really love? Feel free to name more than one if you want!
9. Of websites you look at daily (or almost daily), which have you been paying attention to longest?
10. Some animal groups have collective nouns, e.g. a swarm of bees, a murder of crows, a school of fish, etc. What would be a good collective noun for people in your profession or hobby?
11. What is the difference between living and existing?
12. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
13. Are there any songs that always bring a tear to your eye?
14. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
15. What was your excuse the last time you arrived late to something?
16. In what way is your life lately imbalanced?
17. Do you put your socks on before or after putting on trousers?
18. Now that self/indie publishing has become easier, have books gotten better or worse?
19. October 19 is "Evaluate Your Life Day". On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you evaluate your life to date?
20. How have TV shows changed over the years?
21. As a child, were you afraid that someone or something was hiding under your bed? As an adult, do you still sometimes have that fear, even though you know it's ridiculous?
22. What’s one of your language-related pet peeves?
23. When you get home super tired and super hungry, do you usually eat first or sleep first?
24. You’re taking an exam. You aren’t sure about the answer to question 5, but you know it’s either “lions” or “tigers.” You get to question 11 and realize whatever the answer to 5 is, 11 is the other answer. Do you write “lions” as your answer to 5 and 11, thereby ensuring you’ll get one of them right? Or do you write “lions” for 5 and “tigers” for 11, risking two wrong answers but giving you a chance at two right ones?
25. Would you rather earn more money or have more time off?
26. In a general election, do you mostly just vote based on party? What if the party you prefer put forward a terrible candidate, while a party you like less put forward a much better candidate?
27. Are both bad and good things needed in order to truly live life? Can you have the bad without the good? The good without the bad?
28. Is there one dream that stays clear in your mind despite the fact it was more than a few years ago?
29. When were you packed in tighter than a can of sardines?
30. Is there anything useful to be made of empty prescription pill bottles?
31. What are you likely to find behind your sofa?
November
1. What immature behavior have you displayed recently?
2. What are some very salty foods you enjoy?
3. What are some major global events that have occurred during your lifetime?
4. The restaurant is out of your favorite salad dressing. What do you order instead?
5. What do you imagine people see when they look at you?
6. Are there any bridges you don't regret burning?
7. Have you been stung by a stinging critter?
8. Of all the famous artifacts/exhibits you've seen in museums or art galleries, which was the most disappointing when you saw it in real life?
9. What’s a snack item you have difficulty eating in moderation?
10. You're an extraterrestrial scout sent to assess if it's worth making contact with Earthlings. What are your main observations and recommendations?
11. Today is Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. Do you know anyone, or have a distant relative, who died in a war?
12. What’s a good song about freedom or being free? It can be a single line or the entire song.
13. Do you have a charity you regularly give to?
14. Is there one particular decision/choice you made in your life that is largely responsible for where you are now?
15. Pick up the nearest book (magazine or any available printed material will do). Turn to page 24 (or the closest to it). Go to the 7th line. What is it?
16. "Live hard, die young and leave a beautiful corpse" ~OR~ "Live long and prosper"?
17. What are you most likely very wrong about?
18. If you were put into solitary confinement for six months, what would you do to stay sane?
19. Can you list three good things that happened this week?
20. Are child-proof containers becoming increasingly adult-proof?
21. Does your morning "getting ready" routine vary much between work days and weekends (or other days off if you work weekends)?
22. Does stress cause to you eat more or does it kill your appetite?
23. If, in a multi-story building, you only have to go up or down one or two flights, would you prefer to use the stairs rather than an elevator?
24. Is there some old family belief, practice, routine or tradition that you know is nonsensical, but you still catch yourself doing it anyway?
25. What makes you feel terrible while you’re doing it but great when you’re done?
26. How's your sleep been this week?
27. What is the purpose of art in society? You can define "art" as broadly as you like.
28. November 28 is "Red Planet Day". Do you think humans will ever get to Mars? Is this an endeavour that we should be devoting resources toward or would the money be better spent here on earth?
29. If everything else about your life stayed the same, how well could you get by living homeless for a year?
30. What in your residence is approaching its last days?
December
1. Who was the president/prime minister/leader of your country when you were born?
2. What is the best way to spiffy-up french fries?
3. When did you last unexpectedly receive something for free?
4. Do you donate food (or money) to food banks?
5. Does your mental image of yourself correspond with what you see in the mirror?
6. Would you consider leaving your body to medical science? Or maybe just parts of your body?
7. If you could make a 20-second phone call to yourself at any point in your life, when would you call and what would you say?
8. If you could turn one book, comic book or other print story into a feature-length movie or TV series, what would you pick and why?
9. Have you ever actually punched someone (not counting a friendly jab to the shoulder)? Have you ever been punched?
10. What product’s packaging do you find excessive or inadequate? What sort of packaging do you hate the most?
11. In terms of personal care products (shampoo, toothpaste, skin care products, deodorants, etc.) do you mostly stick with the same brands, or do you like to try new ones? Are you influenced by price, e.g. buying what's on sale, even if it's not your usual brand?
12. Is there an ingredient you put into almost everything you cook, even if the recipe doesn't call for it? Is there an ingredient that most recipes call for, but that you tend to leave out?
13. Some people believe that if life has no purpose, then there is no reason for living. While others think that if life has no purpose, that frees a person to find/create and follow their own personal purpose. Which is a more valid point of view or are they both equally valid?
14. Would you rather have more kitchen counter space or kitchen cabinet space?
15. How conscious do you think animals are?
16. Did you discover a new (to you) favourite author or musician/band this year?
17. What do you like most about your family?
18. December 18 is "Bake Cookies Day". Do you have a favourite cookie recipe? Care to share?
19. In what forms of housing have you resided?
20. When were you last onstage, literally or figuratively?
21. True or false: people only eat cupcakes for the icing.
22. Do you have a TV series that you wish had run longer than it did? What about one that you think ran on too long?
23. What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?
24. Which of your vices or bad habits would be the hardest to give up?
25. Do you self-censor a lot?
26. What happens in your country regularly that people in other countries would find strange or bizarre?
27. Was there ever an event in your life that defied explanation?
28. What decision have you been putting off?
29. Most Valuable Player (MVP): an accolade or award, originally used in team sports to recognize one player for game-changing excellence, and also used outside of sports to recognize excellence in the contributions of an individual to a group effort. Does anyone stand out as your own personal MVP, either at work or in your personal life, for this year?
30. As the year comes to a close, what’s something you’d like to put behind you?
31. As the year comes to a close, what are you looking back upon most fondly?