Snowflake Challenge 02026 #5: Wishlist
Jan. 9th, 2026 11:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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snowflake_challenge's fifth request is upon us, and it asks us to do things taht some of us are not very comfortable with: Challenge #5
In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts.
To ask for others is easier than to ask for oneself, generally, because asking for others is generally seen as virtuous and to ask for oneself is seen as selfish. In this particular world we live in, there are more than enough people suffering under harsh living conditions or who have not yet managed to get the basics of life that asking for anything seems like cruelty. These are things that could be fixed, of course, but the entities who could do the most work on that are not necessarily you, unless you are someone who has an excess of riches and the ability to buy your preferred legislators and regulators. If that's you, then, ys, absolutely, you have the responsibility ot make things better for everyone, instead of chasing "number go up" on the backs of everyone else.
One of the most difficult things I've had to wrap my brain around with challenges like this is that there are other people out there who enjoy making and giving gifts and would like to do so for others, and it is not burdensome to ask, nor is it some form of imposition on them to have asked. That people sometimes do things out of their spare capacity and desire to do them, rather than some form of obligation or other kind of issue. When you have been conditioned to believe that you are not intrinsically worthy, and that your value is always conditional upon someone else, it becomes very hard to believe that someone might do a thing for you because they want to, and not because you have somehow secretly earned it through virtue or some other action you have taken somewhere else that accrued a positive celestial balance to produce this. When you've internalized the idea that you create your own situations, whether they are positive or negative, either because they are rewards for virtue or punishments for vice, then you want to be confident that you're moving the the direction of the positive balance before you ask for anything.
(My head: it is a strange place for many people. Those people have had different experiences than me.)
That said, the last year and the beginning of this one have been very explicit about showing to people that the way forward, and the way that goes to happiness and spread cheer is in mutual assistance, aid, and in being there for each other. Which means not just fulfilling other requests out of your own capacity, but admitting to what you would like or need, whether it's a thing that is absolutely necessary or whether it's something that would bring you a lot of happiness, but isn't necessarily something that you need as a baseline survival item. ("Maslow says you must be this self-actualized to ride.")
So, asks for things I'd like to receive, an ordered list:
- A divination. If you are the kind of person who uses oracles, cards, or other entities to read the patterns of the universe, I would like a forecast of the yer to come. It will likely turn up as "Things will be awesome, things will be difficult, you know the way forward," and that's fine. I have had more than enough encounters where oracles get snarky with me that I'm used to it. I think it might be an expression of affection every now and then.
- A compliment. I went through this year's December Days looking at things where I felt that my skills were either not up to par, or where my opinion of myself and my abilities sometimes sharply contrasts with others' opinions of me. Sometimes to the point where I refuse to believe that the bar is actually that low, even as I believe the evidence presented to me that the bar is that low and lower. So, if you're someone inclined to give compliments to people, based on the things you've observed, or the concrete things like writing and entries or comments you've received, I think that will be good.
- A comment. There's plenty in my archives here, or in my archives on AO3, or in the book club group at Slacktiverse, where if there's something that you found useful, or you enjoyed the story, or there's a particular turn of phrase you found excellent, I'd like to hear about it in comment form. I know this is a bigger ask for some people.
- A wish. Everyone has aspirations, resolutions, wishes, or other things that they orient toward and work toward achieving. Or they have an intention they'd like to put out into the universe that would make their life better, and that they will be working toward creating. What's yours? It doesn't have to be a big one, or one that you hold close because you worry about how vulnerable it would make you to actually speak it aloud. But I'm curious about your wishes for the year.
- A good thing. And finally, one good thing, either about yourself, or that happened to you, or that is something you're thinking about as a good thing in the world.
Good luck and better skills in this year to all of you.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 09:12 pm (UTC)(You accidentally put the whole post in the blockquote, just so you know.)
I can completely understand your mindset, even as someone who doesn't have that much trouble asking for help, and who rather likes helping people out. My willingness to help does have some amount of "if I do good things for others, they will be more likely to treat me with favour" mixed in, and a part of it is doing things as obligations, though that's mostly because I'll be more likely to finish them that way.
For your list of asks:
1: I do not know how to do that, so I unfortunately cannot provide that.
2: I like how well you deal with your readers, and how you've stayed fair even when you receive unfair comments! It's something I'm trying to do myself as well, because I find it's an important quality to have when hosting something that you can expect varied people to reply to, and you're doing it well!
3: I cannot do this right now, especially since I have nothing in mind, but I will make sure to find a place where I can add something within two days.
4: I wish that I will be more thoughtful and considerate in my online interactions during the coming year. (I've had a bit of trouble with that recently, so it's on my mind... and it's SMART enough to be something I can probably achieve.)
5: This is a very hard one... I'll go with the fact that I have managed not to fall for several years by now, even though I've been in lots of situations where it could be expected.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 09:34 pm (UTC)Thank you for the compliment. I also think it makes a good goal as well as a SMART one.
And yay for not falling.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-09 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 12:53 am (UTC)Wishing for wishes is such a sweet idea <3
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 04:26 am (UTC)4: I hope I can write an one page tabletop RPG/dungeon/adventure this year.
5: I have starting working out since last October, and mainly kept to my schedule
Wish Granted!
Date: 2026-01-10 04:31 am (UTC)I've seen you around for years, and it's nice to cross paths with a familiar voice. Every time I see your icon of a little ghost holding a horn, I smile.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 06:37 am (UTC)Good skills on getting your one-page done!
And hooray for establishing the habit of working out.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 06:40 am (UTC)Re: Wish Granted!
Date: 2026-01-10 06:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 09:39 am (UTC)(For what it's worth, I don't do divination, like "seeing the future." I think of tarot more as a thought exercise or a reflection tool but I hope it helped.)
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 10:35 am (UTC)At least it was an easy fix?
Thank you for the compliment. I also think it makes a good goal as well as a SMART one.
No problem, and thank you for confirming that it's a good goal!
And yay for not falling.
I kind of picked it at random, as you can probably tell. :p Still, it seemed like a good enough thing to be worth sharing.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 07:06 pm (UTC)For #5: I have a few!
Edit: I realized you said "one good thing"... here's hoping you don't mind some bonuses!
no subject
Date: 2026-01-10 07:29 pm (UTC)