#timsaxloch

This book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession—everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.

like saxon being shaped in his dad’s image, following in his footsteps like a good obedient puppy, never finding out who he is, what he wants, too eager to be just like tim, working in his company, under his authority, never seeing the flaws of his father bc it’s like he’s wearing heart-shaped glasses where tim is concerned, and he’s too excited, to be good, to be a man, to be just like his dad, and then the brutal comedown, his dads image suddenly ruined when the truth comes to light—

—and in parallel we’ve got saxon grooming his younger brother, moulding him in his image, being so excited to have something someone that’s his, and maybe even feeling like his dad in a way, old and mature enough to pave the way for lochy, to feed himself off that worship he himself has nurtured towards his dad, to be a mentor, an idol, only to suddenly get a taste of his own medicine when lochy shows him just how much it worked, just how far it went and—

and it’s just. fucked.

Sign-Ups are open for the 2025 Ratcest Secret Santa!

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This is a low-stakes, relaxed Secret Santa fic and art exchange centered on the Ratliffs—in any configuration you can imagine them, as long as it's with each other. The theme is winter, and we encourage works that tie into the season. This can include holiday festivities, wintry ambiance, or any creative way you interpret the theme.

Timeline

Celebrate your winter holidays with Durham's premiere incest family!

This is a low-stakes, relaxed Secret Santa fic and art exchange centered on the Ratliffs—in any configuration you can imagine them, as long as it's with each other. The theme is winter, and we encourage works that tie into the season. This can include holiday festivities, wintry ambiance, or any creative way you interpret the theme.

We welcome flash fiction, as long as it meets the minimum 300 word requirement, and art that demonstrates a similar level of effort—this is meant to be chill!

Eligibility

Participants must be 18+ and have an active AO3 account to participate. Check out our Rules for more guidance.

Timeline

• Sign-ups open: NOW

• Sign-ups close: Fri. November 21, 11:59 EST

• Assignments sent: Tues. November 25

• Posting window: December 25–31

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Okay... Then What?

Your mods will reach out on Tues. November 25 with your giftee's AO3 handle and preferences via the email you share in the sign-up form. Then it's creating time!

Check out our Rules for more guidance. If you don't think you can make the deadline, please let the mods know! The sooner we hear from you, the more easily we can find you a pinch-hitter to fill in.

How Do I Share My Gift?

Once you've filled your giftee's request, you can share your work on AO3 any time during the posting window (December 25–31). • All works should be added to the AO3 Ratcest Secret Santa collection

•Upon uploading, add your Santa as gift recipient

•The collection will remain anonymous until December 31, when it will be de-anoned. If you'd like to stay anonymous beyond this date, email your mods (below)!

Wait, I Have Questions

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-Participants must be 18+.

-Submissions must feature a relationship or relationships between members of the Ratliff family (threesomes/moresomes are welcome).

-Fic must be at least 300 words; art should demonstrate a similar level of effort. There is no max word count, but the fest is intended to be a fun, low-commitment exchange, so please don’t feel the need to create lengthy/complex works.

-Submissions must be complete, standalone works.

-Works cannot be a sequel/prequel/companion to another work unless it can be read as a standalone.

-An AO3 account is required to give/receive your gifts. If you need help creating an account, please reach out to the mods ([email protected])

-Works must meet AO3 Terms and Conditions and make applicable use of Archive Warnings (“choose not to warn” is also acceptable).

-All content is welcome, including darker tropes, as long as it is properly tagged.

-Failure to respect your recipient's noted dislikes/triggers will result in your work's removal from the AO3 collection.

-For all written works, we strongly encourage a beta reader.

-Works must be created specifically for this fest and cannot be not previously published/posted.

-Use of AI at any point in the creative process (ideation, creation, or beta/editing) is not allowed.

-Your work must be entirely created by you. Plagiarism will result in a ban from the fest.