Box of Tricks

Rough Draft Requirements Reminder!

sc_fossil — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:37:06 GMT

Rough Draft Requirements Reminder

Hi all!

As we are now getting ever closer to the rough draft deadline on the 1st July we thought this was a good time to post a reminder of the rough draft requirements.

A minimum word count of 6000 words.
We're not going to be totally tyrannical about this. If you're only at 5,000 words, but it's clear you're well on the way to finishing, that works for us. But if you're only at 1,000 words, we have a problem. Talk to us and let us know how you are getting on. We don't bite.......... hard. ;D

A reasonably complete outline of any unfinished scenes
The outline can be as complete (massively detailed descriptions of every remaining incident in the story) or as brief ("insert sex scene here") as you like.

A reasonable confidence that you will be able to finish the whole story (10,000 word minimum) by the September 23rd deadline.
This last bit is the most important. Since it gets handed to an artist at this point, we'd like for the artist not to work on something that isn't going to get done.

A short paragraph-length summary/blurb that can be posted publicly on the comm for the artists to claim from.
This should give a good flavour of the story, but doesn't have to give everything away. You can see what people wrote for the last few years: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018. Please also include a warning if one applies (e.g. for subjects like death, rape or underage sex) or, if the story needs a warning but you are worried about spoilers, you can let us know that you choose not to warn.

Lastly you don’t need a title at this point, we all know that sometimes this can be the very last thing that you write :D.

We will be putting a post up in a few days time detailing how to send us your rough draft and summary so please look out for that.

Finally, as always, if you have any questions about anything please get in touch by emailing the mods at prosbigbangtwo@gmail.com.

Rough Draft Reminder

merentha13 — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:41:06 GMT

Sorry for the delay. lj is being very difficult! We're still trying to figure things out.

Meanwhile the Draft instructions are the same as last years.
Here's a link:
https://ci5-boxoftricks.livejournal.com/292793.html

Let us know if you have questions at prosbigbangtwo@gmail.com

Participating Artists for the 2026 Pros Big Bang!

merentha13 — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:13 GMT

The sign up post is now closed, which means we can have the pleasure of confirming all the fabulous artists taking part in the 2026 Pros Big Bang (listed alphabetically):

cloudless_9193
kat-byrd

krisser
macklingirl

Tin Turtle

Huge thanks to everyone who signed up - we are all looking forward to what you'll be creating!

The next big step for our artists will be for you to claim your story/stories.

We'll be posting the story summaries from our writers anonymously on July 9. The writers and artists final work will be due on September 23.

Watch out for more information about the claiming process here on the comm as we head towards the end of June.

Dead Line for Artist/Vidders is almost here!!

merentha13 — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:20:50 GMT

Reminder!!!!
The deadline for Artist/Vidder sign-ups is May31 - come on in and play with us, we don't bite. . . . much !!!

Instructions and Info can be found here:
https://ci5-boxoftricks.livejournal.com/305500.html

Check in post, reminders and question

krisserci5 — Wed, 20 May 2026 15:58:33 GMT

Hope you're all alive an kicking (just not the cat off the keyboard)

If anyone is thinking of doing art this time please let us know. I know the authors so enjoy it!!!

So, do you all need a weekly check-in or would every other week do? I ask because we don't much action.

Let me know your thoughts . . . we - together make the fandom.

Weekly Check In and Artist Reminder

merentha13 — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:00:30 GMT

How is it coming, or should I ask, how's it going?? Are your plots in place, your scenes in sync and your characters, well … in character? Want a sounding board or whatever - we're here!

And don't forget: there is still time for signing up as an artist or vidder. (https://ci5-boxoftricks.livejournal.com/305500.html). C'mon, you know you want to!!

Artist/Vidders Sign-up Reminder Post

merentha13 — Wed, 06 May 2026 22:16:48 GMT

Hey there, BBers - it's your favorite time of the week... It's check-in time!

Welcome to all and sundry artists / vidders who have signed up so far! If you don't know what I'm talking about, then check out the artist/vidders sign-up post from May 1st. It'll give the official bits on how to give your all for the lads art-wise. If you yearn to capture the broad expanse of Bodie's chest, or the cheeky curve of Doyle's - well, cheek (of your choice), then here's your opportunity and an appreciative audience. ;-)

And if you have any questions, come find your friendly neighborhood modsTM. That's what we're here for!

More in general, to writers and artists/vidders alike: how is it going? Are the Bisto Kids seeing eye-to-eye yet? Or is Cowley about to suspend them both so he can pull an Operation Susie on them? (Or is the blank screen of your computer, and the seven earlier tries, mocking you? I raise my hand here.) Come share, and tank up on petrol in the Capri so you can take it out for a(nother) spin.

Let us know!

Artists and Vidders sign ups begin

krisserci5 — Sat, 02 May 2026 05:23:50 GMT

Artists and Vidders sign ups begin

It's that time! The writers sign-up post has been up for a while, and now it's the turn of all our fabulous artists and vidders.

Please give the rules a read before you sign up so you understand what is expected of you. The mods are excited to see who's joining us for the 2026 Big Bang.

Rules For Artists:

1. You agree to create at least one piece of art or one vid for a Pros Big Bang story.
2. Collaborations between artists are also allowed. Just let us know when you sign up if you are planning on working with a partner.
3. The art may be an original illustration, title banner, photo manip., or whatever else strikes your fancy except AI. The vid may be a reflection of the story or a teaser to entice people to read. Have fun with your project!
4. You’re free to create what you will for the art or vid, but we suggest that you consult with your writer before doing anything too explicit.
5. On your assigned date, you will make a master post for your art at this comm (the mods will provide a template for this post closer to the time). The art itself may be posted to, and linked from, your personal LJ, Dreamwidth, AO3, The Automated Hatstand, etc. Please do not post your artwork anywhere prior to your assigned posting date and please do not cross-post it to any other community before the end of October.
6. If you feel you have the energy and willpower to create artwork for someone else's story, as well as writing your own, then please feel free to sign up as both an artist and as a writer.

Sign ups open on 1st May and close on 31st May.

On 9th July, a list of story summaries will be posted anonymously. You will claim the story that interests you on a first come, first served basis. Once you have successfully claimed a story, we’ll give you the author’s contact information and the rough draft/outline of their story from which to work.

The due date for your artwork/vid is 23rd September. Your work should not be posted on a public forum at this time, but you must provide us with either a working link to the art or vid, or the art or vid file itself.

An assigned, staggered posting schedule will happen in October.

To sign up, please comment below with:

● Artist/Vidder name:
● LJ username (if applicable):
● Email address:
● Art or Vid, or both (if you know):
● Would you prefer to work on slash, gen or het/have no preference?:
● If necessary, would you be willing to pinch hit?

If you would prefer not to put your email address in the comment then please send the mods an email at prosbigbangtwo@gmail.com. Questions happily answered by email or by comments here.

We'd love to have you on board, whether you've done this before or you're brand new to Pros or to a big bang challenge. Come on, you want to do this! It's a blast.

Thank you!

Weekly Check-in

merentha13 — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:18:17 GMT

Hello once again, BB'ers and welcome to another check in post.

May 1st is coming soon and with it comes the sign-up posts for the artists among us. So keep your eyes peeled for that, you arty types. Whatever way you’re engaged in the Pros Big Bang, we welcome you and thank you for your continued interest and support. Here’s to a creative summer, everyone! (If it ever arrives, of course!)

Weekly Check in Post and reminder about Artists and Vidders sign ups in May

krisserci5 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:11:55 GMT

Hi all,

May is the month that we have the Artists and Vidders sign ups. It's like a half way point, yes, start screaming now. So be ready!!

Anyone can do art, so if you're thinking hey, I'd like to take a stab. . . .put your feet in. All we ask is no AI work. Authors can be artists too. . . :)

If you're stuck in a void, just remember, we are here!

Rough Draft Requirements Reminder

merentha13 — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:00:21 GMT

Hi, BBers!

Hope all is well, and your magnum opus is proceeding without difficulties~

We now present to you:

Rough draft requirements reminder:
As we are now getting to the midway point before the rough draft deadline on the 1st July we thought this was a good time to post a reminder of the rough draft requirements.

A minimum word count of 6,600 words.
We're not going to be totally tyrannical about this. If you're only at 4,000 words, but it's clear you're well on the way to finishing, that works for us. But if you're only at 1,000 words, we have a problem. Talk to us and let us know how you are getting on. We don’t bite..........hard.

A reasonably complete outline of any unfinished scenes
The outline can be as complete (massively detailed descriptions of every remaining incident in the story) or as brief ("insert sex scene here") as you like.

A reasonable confidence that you will be able to finish the whole story (10,000 word minimum) by the September 23rd deadline.
This last bit is the most important. Since it gets handed to an artist at this point, we'd like for the artist not to work on something that isn't going to get done.

A short paragraph length summary/blurb that can be posted publicly on the comm for the artists to claim from.
This should give a good flavour of the story, but doesn't have to give everything away. You can see what people wrote for the last few years: 2023, 2024.

Please also include a warning if one applies (e.g. for subjects like death, rape or underage sex) or, if you're unsure and want to talk about it, contact us. We're here to help!

You don’t need a title at this point, we all know that sometimes this can be the very last thing that you write :D.

We will be putting a post up in June detailing how to send us your rough draft and summary so please look out for that.

Finally, as always, if you have any questions about anything please get in touch by emailing the mods at prosbigbangtwo@gmail.com.

Hey, Go Pros! :D

Weekly Check in Post

krisserci5 — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:24:45 GMT

Hello all. . .

Hopefully you are busy typing, or writing or scribbling with proper or not so proper tools. I long hand and then type up as I can't type anywhere near as fast as I can scribble.

Just like in college, If I don't transcribe timely I won't be able to read my own writing. Sometimes, I look at a word and wonder just what was I thinking. . . . most times I remember, but a few times didn't get it at all!!!

We're here . . . between us there is at least one working brain cell. . . can't promise more!!!

Weekly Check In Post

boothros — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:57:22 GMT

Hi BB’ers, I do hope spring has finally sprung in your corner of the world wherever that might be!
I always feel more productive when the weather is good and hope you good people have found the inspiration to make a decent start on your stories.

Whatever stage you’re at, remember to embrace the process, and celebrate the progress you make, no matter how small. Your voice matters, your story matters, and the journey is just beginning.

Most of all, just remember to enjoy it!
Best wishes.

Weekly check- in Post

krisserci5 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:54:49 GMT

Hi all

Hopefully you are busy typing, writing, scribbling with crayons or trying out hieroglyphs to get your story down.

There are times I wish I could throw ideas against the wall like pasta, but alas they don't stick the same.

If your are needing a wall to throw ideas against. . . .we are here!!!

Weekly check in post!!!

krisserci5 — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 22:30:43 GMT

Yeah! We have fab writers. . . . .we have the lads. . . . .alll we need. . . . . .words, words, words!

So we now begin another year of helping out. . . . here is a place to share . . . . .

Run ideas by, look for comfort, and yes, the most important, question your sanity.

Remember Bodie said, "You have to be mad in this job or you go insane."

The 2026 Writers Reveal

boothros — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:30:09 GMT

Well, hello there, BB'ers!

As always, it gives me great pleasure to announce the writers for a new challenge, so withoout further ado, I give you the CI5 Box if Tricks Big Bang 2026 writers!

LilyK
krisserCI5
merentha13
harlech1000
Ankaree
ubicaritas
lucy410
Nevertheless

I'm sure you'll join me in wishing them all the best of luck!

Hello, Pros fandom

krisserci5 — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:07:31 GMT

As we are getting close to the month's end, and we only have 4 authors, I feel I should remind you that without stories, the fandom will go the way of the dodo.

We need to stay involved and create new adventures. So if you were thinking about it or have an old beginning that wants an end, give it a try.

Calling All Pros Big Bang Cheerleaders

krisserci5 — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:30:08 GMT

Here's the post for anyone not able to sign up for the 2026 Pros BB challenge as a writer, artist, or beta, but who still wants to participate.

We’d love to have you as a cheerleader!

In fact, even if you are signing up as a writer, artist, or vidder, we'd still love to have you as a cheerleader! :-)

A cheerleader is someone who participants can bounce ideas off. Someone who can pre-read a partial draft and give a sense of whether it's working. Someone who can break out the pom poms and, well, cheer a writer on to the finish. It's an important job; writers, artists and vidders need all the encouragement they can get, and those pom poms aren’t going to shake themselves! So join the lovely lads above and get shaking! (Leg warmers and leotards optional.)

If you'd like to be cheerleader, just pop your name in a comment below, to let people know they can call on you for encouragement if needed. You can also pop into the weekly check-in posts at anytime to offer encouragement, a shoulder to lean [or cry] on, or just to shake those pom poms like the fabulous cheerleader you are!

Get practicing those jumps, and GO PROS!

Wanted: Betas and Editors for the 2026 Pros Big Bang!

merentha13 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:01:35 GMT

Betas can be very helpful as you try to pull your story together!

So here's your opportunity to sign up to offer your services as an editor/beta.

If you haven't done this before, here is how it works: you sign up below to volunteer and if someone needs you to read their story, they ask you to help. You and your writer set your parameters, such as read for plot only, or read for grammar, punctuation, or whatever you both feel comfortable with. Beta readers and editors are important to most writers so that they can present a clean and polished final version of their story.

If you are a writer who already has a beta and/or editor, they don't have to sign up. This is only for folks who want to volunteer to help writers who possibly don't have anybody to help them out.

So, sharpen your pencils, dust off that ol' Thesaurus, and try to remember all that interesting stuff you learned in Composition 101!

Thanks for volunteering!

User name/Pseud:
Email:
What pairings/genres do you enjoy/are you willing to read:
What are your strengths as a beta reader?:
What kind of turn-around time can someone expect from you?:

2026 Big Bang: Where do Ideas Come From?

merentha13 — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:23:12 GMT

Note with BIG thanks: this very helpful post was written for the 2011 Big Bang by Sineala (I hope she doesn't mind our borrowing it! - again!)

You may remember last year's excellent Pros Big Bang and you may now be observing the organizational proceedings for this year's round with a mix of -- dare I say it? -- excitement and trepidation.

"Self," you may be saying to yourself, "The Big Bang looks incredibly fun, and I wish I could sign up for it. But I cannot, because I have no ideas! I wouldn't want to sign up without any idea of what to write!"

Never fear! We are here to help. (It is, of course, perfectly licit to sign up as a writer without having an idea, should you be that daring. But you may not be, hence this post.)

Here, in a vaguely-ordered list, are some ways to help you come up with ideas:

1. Engage closely with the canon!

Grab your DVDs and get ready to take notes. Watch your favorite episode! Watch your least favorite episode! Watch them all from the beginning! Or the end!

Are there things you still don't understand about this episode? Did the plot work? (To be honest, there are a lot of Pros plots I just can't follow.) Why did Doyle do Y, when Z would have made so much more sense? How motivated do you think the villain of the episode was? How would you write it differently?

Are there things about the episode that you disagree with, or that make you really, really angry? (I am still bitter that the end of "Involvement" was a long shot with no sound, and I feel cheated of the emotional payoff. What do they really say to each other? Then what happens? That's a story idea right there.) It doesn't have to be anger as a motivating force, but I find that being angry at canon is fairly motivating. You are free to pick nicer emotions.

"And then what happens?" is a generally a pretty good question to ask. We can always use more episode tags and missing scenes! Just pick an episode and get thinking! What happens before the first episode? What happens after the last one? You can decide that, too! Wheeee!

I don't know about you, but when I was doing ProsWatch most of my episode reviews had a bunch of questions, or things I picked up on that I thought were curious. Say, as per "Mixed Doubles," do you think Bodie really thinks he's going to hell? Why does he think that? What might his past have been like for him to think that? Or if he doesn't really think that, why would he lie to Doyle? If you can answer that, that's the beginning of a story right there. So, if you were doing ProsWatch while it was being held, you can go back and see if you left yourself any useful story-sparking notes.

2. Talk to the characters

Not necessarily out loud, but if that's what it takes, go for it!

I'm probably not the only one who just sits there and thinks through random fannish scenes. I'll be minding my own business, trying to rinse the conditioner out of my hair or walk down the street or what have you, and there'll just be a random image or fragment of a scene that has no context whatsoever. Say, it's sunset and Doyle is at home at his flat staring out the window and I happen to know he is lonely and absolutely exhausted. How did he get there? Why is he so tired? (I still haven't figured this one out.)

Tip: If imagining while walking, do not become so involved in imagining that you walk into things.

3. AUs: Pick a time, any time

I'm here to let you in on a secret: AUs can be really, really fun to write.

I mean, think about it: you already like Pros. You get to combine Pros, which you like, with something else you like! It's a win-win! Piracy on the high seas! Regency romances! Post-apocalyptic wastelands! Ancient Egypt! Future dystopias! Outer space! The Middle Ages! Vampires, werewolves, witches, and zombies!

Or you can cross Pros over with another fandom you like. Think of a fandom you like! I bet if you think about it you can figure out how Bodie and Doyle might fit. (Believe it or not, the respective series timelines of Pros and Harry Potter do happen to work together nicely.) Or you can mess with the timelines however you want, because, hey, you're the author here. They can serve on the Enterprise, the Galactica, Serenity, Babylon 5, the Death Star (though you might want to transfer them off it fairly quickly), or the Liberator! They can meet all your other favorite characters!

See? Easy and fun!

4. AUs: Pick a point of divergence

For those of you who enjoy more canon-based AUs, this is just as easy. All you have to do is ask yourself "what if?" and then attempt to answer it. And unlike saying "what if Bodie and Doyle lived in the world of a popular fantasy novel series?" you can do this just by watching the show.

Pick a point, any point where something happens, or any past point of character history. Anything. Then just say, well, what if it had happened differently? What if Bodie went to art school and Doyle joined up with mercenaries in Africa? What if Doyle actually married Ann Holly? What if Mayli shot Bodie, or what if Bodie never found her? What if they never disarmed the bomb in "Stake Out?" (Ouch.) What if that inquiry in "The Rack" had gone worse?

...you get the idea. You can do this with any number of details, and maybe one of them will spark a story.

5. Sequels, WIPs, and so on

If you're going to steal, steal from the best: yourself!

If you're anything like me, you probably have a file -- or a bunch of files -- devoted to works in progress. You know, the stories you started that you didn't quite get around to finishing. Maybe you jotted down a quick scene or image once upon a time. Maybe you have ten thousand words you got through before you ran out of steam. They're still good! You must have liked it enough to write it down in the first place, right?

So haul out your old WIPs and take a look at them. Admire all the beautiful turns of phrase that you now have no memory of writing! Wonder where you were going to take the plot with that one! Come up with a shiny new ending!

See, you've done part of the work already. Might as well keep going!

6. They're cliches because we love them so much

Come on, you know you've always wanted to write a story where Bodie gets amnesia. Or Doyle gets amnesia. Or Cowley gets amnesia. Or Bodie and Doyle have to pretend to be gay. Or where Doyle thinks Bodie's dead but he isn't, really, and it was all a misunderstanding!

It can be your turn now! Just because someone's written one before doesn't mean you can't do it again!

Remember, there's also last year's prompt post, full of still-unused prompts just begging for a story. Read through and see if anything catches your eye. (Looking at the list, I don't think any of them got written! More for you!)

8. Helpful link

the_safehouse's memories contain links to the last ProsWatch, organized by episode. Useful for jogging your memory about particular episodes and/or seeing if anyone points out any lacunae you'd like to explore...

...so, how do you come up with ideas? Any methods to share?

Professionals Big Bang WRITERS' Sign Up Post 2026

krisserci5 — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:20:03 GMT

Yes, you've been waiting for it, and now it's here! It's the...

Professionals Big Bang WRITERS' Sign Up Post 2026

Things you should know:

Challenge Rules for Writers

The central story element must focus on characters from The Professionals.

Stories must have a minimum length of 10,000 words. There is no maximum length.

Stories may be slash, gen, femslash, or het.

Any pairing is allowed, as is any rating.

AUs, Fusions and Crossovers are permitted but as it says in rule #1, the central story element must focus on characters from The Professionals.

You may write a story that is a prequel, sequel or companion story to a pre-existing story or stories you’ve written. However, the story/stories referred to must be available to read online and you will need to link to them when you post your story.

You are welcome to complete a WIP to meet the challenge as long as it has not been previously posted anywhere public.

Collaborations between writers are also allowed. Just let us know when you sign up if you are planning on writing with a partner.

Stories will be posted on an assigned date in October.

On your assigned date, you will make a master post for your story at this comm. The story itself may be posted to, and linked from, your personal LJ, Dreamwidth, AO3, The Automated Hatstand, etc.

We actively encourage adding stories to the Box of Tricks archive on AO3 to facilitate easy story downloads (we have membership codes available), but this is not required.

Please do not post your story anywhere prior to your assigned date and do not cross-post your story to any other community before the end of October.

We will create a master list of links and summaries at the community.

If you feel you have the energy and willpower to write a story and create artwork for someone else’s story, then please feel free to sign up as both an artist and as a writer.

Important Dates

Please sign-up to participate by March 3rd.

Your rough draft, full outline and story summary should be turned in by July 1. While we fully realize that a lot of us write right down to the wire and will continue to work on our stories until the September 23 deadline, Big Bangs are collaborative and our artists need this information to begin their work in turn.

On July 9, your summary will be posted anonymously for a participating artist to claim as a prompt. An artist will create, at the very least, one piece of art (title banner, illustration, manip, etc.) to accompany your story or a vidder may create a trailer for your story.

Your final draft should be completed by September 23.

Our posting schedule will begin in October.

To sign up, please comment below with:

Author name

LJ username (if applicable)

Email address

If you would prefer not to put your email address in the comment then please email us at prosbigbangtwo@gmail.com.

All that remains for right now is: Thanks for participating… and GO PROS!

What did you learn from the Big Bang?

tinturtle — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 05:53:19 GMT

Today I was thinking about some of the things I learned while writing my Big Bang story, and it got me wondering what other participants (writers and artists) had learned.

I'm a much more inexperienced writer than the others who participated, so it could be that I am more able to identify specific lessons, while for them it was a matter of practicing what they already knew. As a somewhat experienced maker of fan art, I can't say I learned anything generally applicable from my illustrations, though they were my first foray into using a digital pen, a tool I'm now exploring.

Anyway, if you participated in the Big Bang, did you learn anything new? If you've participated before, what do you remember learning in past years? I'm eager to hear.

--

During my reflections today, I thought of three specific lessons.

1) Fear of writing dialog can make me rush dialog scenes, and I need to correct for that when I revise.

2) I use way too few contractions in dialog and internal monolog. (At one point in my life I used no contractions at all when writing. I'm not sure how that happened; too many essays, perhaps. I've begun to add them in, but they are still unnaturally scarce.) Near the end of work on my Big Bang story, I used the search function to find every instance of the words "will", "would", "have", "has", "had", "is", "are", "am", "did", and "not", and evaluate whether they should be part of a contraction. I ended up adding about two per page.

3) It is usually not a good idea for a character to refer to themselves by name in their own thoughts. For example: "Doyle gazed out the window and let his mind wander forward to teatime. Bodie would eat the Swiss roll. Cowley would enjoy the shortbread. Yet what would Doyle eat?" The examples I had to correct were more insidious, but you get the idea. Both of the fans who gave me feedback found instances of my doing this, and after absorbing their comments, I found another on my own.

Master list for the 2025 Professionals Big Bang

krisserci5 — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 04:07:25 GMT

Hi everyone, here is the Master list for the 2025 Professionals Big Bang, and in order to make to it easier for you to read, view and revisit all the fabulous work created this year, under the cut you will find a master list of all the entries for the 2025 Professionals Big Bang.

The list includes links which will take you to the main posts for the stories, art and vids. At the main posts you will find the full details and links to the stories and art/vids themselves.

Below the list we copied some basic information from the headers, organised it by story title, and posted the direct links to stories. The art and vid links are contained within each individual fic post.

Lastly here is a link to the AO3 collections page: here
.

All of Me

Blame It On the Dance

Code Of Trust

Double Exposures

Small Print

Special Men

Wind and the Rain

World I Know

Title: All of Me
Author: Harlech1000
Artist: Doyleoncanvas

Summary: Bodie thought he could have everything; he thought it would be easy. The two men that he wanted in his life. For the first time he was content with things just how they were.

Title: Blame It on the Dance
Author: krisserci5
Artist: sc_fossil

Summary: Cowley sends Bodie and Doyle undercover as dance contestants.

Title: Code of Trust
Author: ankaree
Artist: banbury

Summary: Newly paired CI5 agents Bodie and Doyle are assigned to a high-stakes case. Between chasing suspects, dodging bullets, and sharing cups of tea, neither expects more than danger and long hours. But the job soon gives way to a bond neither saw coming. Even Doyle's opinionated cat, Moggy, wastes no time in deciding Bodie belongs. Together, they learn that sometimes partnership—and love—arrives when you least expect it.

Title: Double Exposure
Author: Jinkyo
Artist: macklingirl

Summary: When weapon shipments start disappearing from a naval depot, the trail leads to a dark conspiracy with international stakes. Cowley sends his best team to the Devonport Royal Dockyard to unravel the mystery, then goes radio silent. For Bodie, the close quarters surveillance is its own kind of torture. Years of carefully buried feelings begin to crumble in the intimacy of shared meals and a single bed. Every casual touch, every sideways glance from his partner threatens the walls he’s built around his hidden truth.

Title: The Small Print
Author: LilyK (sc_fossil)
Artist: banbury

Summary: Bodie and Doyle investigate an MI9 sleeper network created to take out Soviet spies who have infiltrated the British organisation known as Central Intelligence Five.

Title: Special Men
Author: Lucy410
Artist: tinturtle

Summary: Bodie and Doyle have found that the ability to hear each other's thoughts has led to a change in their personal relationship. What sort of impact will it have on their work?

Title: The Wind and the Rain
Author: tinturtle
Artist: krisserci5

Summary: In an alternate 1978, Britain has been ravaged by a devastating pandemic. CI5 works to keep order, fighting the crimes of this new society. Yet old injustices persist that will test Bodie and Doyle's loyalties to their country, their organization, and each other.

Title: The World I Know
Author: merentha13
Artist: macklingirl

Summary: When Doyle returns from leave after a minor injury he finds that Bodie has ‘resigned’ and his ex-partner is currently out in the field undercover and alone. Doyle is not having it. Against Cowley’s orders he sets out to find Bodie and to figure out what game Cowley is playing with them this time.

Thankyou, everyone

boothros — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 07:29:35 GMT

Greetings, all,
It once again falls to me to close this years Box of Tricks, Big Bang and thank each and every one of you for your wonderful contributions.
To our courageous writers, our imaginative artists and our indispensable betas, cheerleaders and readers, we send our love and gratitude for your hard work and faithful support.
As I always say, we couldn’t do any of this without you, so credit to you for helping to keep this great fandom alive.
Until next year…
Best wishes, the Box of Tricks mod team.

CI5 Box of Tricks 2025 - 'Double Exposure' by JinkyO

jinkyo — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:12:58 GMT

Author: jinkyo
Artist: macklingirl
Archive to Pros Lib: Yes, please!
Genre: Slash
Characters/Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Word Count: ~ 24.600
Warnings: None

Summary:

When weapon shipments start disappearing from a naval depot, the trail leads to a dark conspiracy with international stakes. Cowley sends his best team to the Devonport Royal Dockyard to unravel the mystery, then goes radio silent. For Bodie, the close quarters surveillance is its own kind of torture. Years of carefully buried feelings begin to crumble in the intimacy of shared meals and a single bed. Every casual touch, every sideways glance from his partner threatens the walls he’s built around his hidden truth.

Notes:
A huge thanks to macklingirl for working with me as I struggled through finishing this story! (Turns out, writing after years of inactivity, is hard!) Thanks to the BB Mods for organizing this year's event!

Link to Fic: Fic Master Post/Double Exposure
Link to Art: Art Master Post/Double Exposure