Yuletide 2025 Sticky Post
8 Sep 2025 13:39![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuletidemods posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yuletide_adminYuletide is an annual fic (1000+ words) exchange for rare and obscure fandoms run through this community and through the Archive of Our Own.
Current phase: Prepare to nominate your fandoms! See what fandoms are eligible here.
Tuesday 14 to Friday 24 October: Sign-ups (end 9pm UTC 24 October)
Sunday 26 October: Assignments out (may be earlier)
Wednesday 10 December: Default deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 17 December: Assignment deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 24 December: Main collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 25 December: Madness collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 1 January: Author reveals, end of event (9pm UTC)
Schedule, Rules, & Collection [still being tweaked for this year] | Contact Mods | Tag Set | Community DW | Community LJ | Discord | Pinch hits on Dreamwidth
Current phase: Prepare to nominate your fandoms! See what fandoms are eligible here.
2025 Schedule
Monday 15 to Friday 26 September: Nominations (end 9pm UTC 26 September)Tuesday 14 to Friday 24 October: Sign-ups (end 9pm UTC 24 October)
Sunday 26 October: Assignments out (may be earlier)
Wednesday 10 December: Default deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 17 December: Assignment deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 24 December: Main collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 25 December: Madness collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 1 January: Author reveals, end of event (9pm UTC)
Chat corner 200!
8 Sep 2025 20:36annathecrow posting in dreamwarsHi!
This is the 200th themed chat corner of this community!!!
(...unless I miscalculated somewhere, which, lets be real, has a high possibility. Erm.)
I'm looking at the post I made for the 100th chat corner, and something that I wrote there: "That’s a number with about two more places than what I’d assumed this thing would survive when I started." I don't know how about you, but I'm pretty impressed that we're still here!
Now, it might be because this thing has gotten buried too deep under my skin, and I'll be here for the next decade, whether anyone comes and talks or not...
BUT, you do come! And you do talk! Thank you all for that, and I hope it's fun, or enriching, or maybe just rewarding in some way. :)
No prompt this week, but I'd love to know if there is some discussion, or comment, or a Dreamwars-related moment that stayed with you as a good memory. Or perhaps, something you'd like to experience here, realistic or not. I'm curious!
Pre-filming Ceremony: HQ(ish) Photos
8 Sep 2025 19:12facethestrange posting in sid_guardianI was collecting references for a drawing, and I ended up finding all 7 cast pictures from the pre-filming ceremony in HQ or nearly HQ (the smallest one is the group one). At least I think that's all of them - if there are more, I would love to know. :D
( under the cut )
( under the cut )
Eligible Nominations for Yuletide 2025
8 Sep 2025 10:28yuletidemods posting in yuletide_adminYuletide is a fanfic exchange for rare and tiny fandoms. When you nominate, please follow these guidelines to help us approve and organise fandoms.
We have not made any changes to eligibility this year. However, we made a few major changes last year, loosening our requirements around the scope of individual nominations for anthologies and RPF. You’re now welcome to nominate anthology canons (where multiple short installments of canon are different stories) by their overarching title, but if one person nominates an anthology canon, and another nominates individual installments of that canon (episodes, or skits, or stories) we will bring this up for discussion when clarifying nominations, and will approve one or the other, not both.
Similarly, you can nominate an RPF tag that covers a large profession or long period of history if you want, provided that the number of qualifying works under that tag on AO3 is under 1,000. However, if two people submit RPF fandoms where one fandom is a subset of the other, we will bring this up for discussion when clarifying nominations, and approve one or the other, not both. We strongly encourage you to coordinate your nominations with fellow RPF fans - a coordination post will be posted here shortly.
( Here is what can be nominated for Yuletide 2025! )
( The Evidence Post )
Schedule, Rules, & Collection [still being tweaked for this year] | Contact Mods | Tag Set | Community DW | Community LJ | Discord | Pinch hits on Dreamwidth
Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
We have not made any changes to eligibility this year. However, we made a few major changes last year, loosening our requirements around the scope of individual nominations for anthologies and RPF. You’re now welcome to nominate anthology canons (where multiple short installments of canon are different stories) by their overarching title, but if one person nominates an anthology canon, and another nominates individual installments of that canon (episodes, or skits, or stories) we will bring this up for discussion when clarifying nominations, and will approve one or the other, not both.
Similarly, you can nominate an RPF tag that covers a large profession or long period of history if you want, provided that the number of qualifying works under that tag on AO3 is under 1,000. However, if two people submit RPF fandoms where one fandom is a subset of the other, we will bring this up for discussion when clarifying nominations, and approve one or the other, not both. We strongly encourage you to coordinate your nominations with fellow RPF fans - a coordination post will be posted here shortly.
( Here is what can be nominated for Yuletide 2025! )
( The Evidence Post )
Please either sign in to comment, or include a name with your anonymous comments, including replies to others' comments. Unsigned comments will stay screened.
Dear FFFX writer
8 Sep 2025 17:35trobadoraDear fffx writer,
thank you so much for writing a gift for me! I'll be absolutely thrilled about anything you can create about the relationships or worldbuilding themes I requested. and everything important is in the requests themselves, but if you'd like even more info, general likes etc., here you go.
My AO3 account is![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Trobadora, and it's set to welcome treats.
General Preferences
( Likes & Dislikes/DNWs )
Fandoms, relationships, worldbuilding
In somewhat alphabetical order - note that one of them is expanded compared to what's in the sign-up form:
Jump directly to:
( Christabel/Grimm crossover: Worldbuilding )
( 绅探 | Detective L: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei )
( Grimm/Guardian crossovers: )
( Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling: Kashtiliash & Raupasha )
( 长公主在上 | Eldest Princess On Top: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing )
fffx writer,thank you so much for writing a gift for me! I'll be absolutely thrilled about anything you can create about the relationships or worldbuilding themes I requested. and everything important is in the requests themselves, but if you'd like even more info, general likes etc., here you go.
My AO3 account is
General Preferences
( Likes & Dislikes/DNWs )
Fandoms, relationships, worldbuilding
In somewhat alphabetical order - note that one of them is expanded compared to what's in the sign-up form:
Jump directly to:
- Christabel/Grimm crossover: Worldbuilding
- 绅探 | Detective L: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei
- Grimm/Guardian (TV) crossover: Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton & Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Worldbuilding - expanded
- Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling: Kashtiliash & Raupasha
- 长公主在上 | Eldest Princess On Top: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing
( Christabel/Grimm crossover: Worldbuilding )
( 绅探 | Detective L: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei )
( Grimm/Guardian crossovers: )
( Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling: Kashtiliash & Raupasha )
( 长公主在上 | Eldest Princess On Top: Li Yunzhen/Gu Xuanqing )
Quadralien (1988)
8 Sep 2025 09:01pauraqueIn this Sokoban-like sci-fi puzzle game, aliens have boarded a space station in orbit around Jupiter and sabotaged its nuclear reactor. It's far too dangerous to go in there yourself, so you get a crew of remotely controlled droids that you can use like roombas to clean up the radiation from the different levels of the station and confront the (Quadr)alien menace.
This is a new game to me, suggested byzorealis. I've played some hard games from this era but this one is pretty wild. The main challenge is that the core temperature is constantly rising, so in between pushing stuff around trying to collect and dump radioactive waste, you also have to find coolant barrels and push them into various chutes. In later levels the "entropy" gauge also quickly rises if too many objects/aliens are moving at once, so you have to stop that too. If either gauge goes critical, you die. Oh, and you have only a limited pool of energy for your droids that drains whenever you do anything. And sometimes when you do nothing. Good luck!
( cut for length )
You can play Quadralien in your browser, though note that it defaults to the CGA version. If you want the one shown here (which you probably do, not least of all because CGA does not have enough colors for the radioactive tiles to be visibly green), use the "game executable" dropdown to select VGA.
This is a new game to me, suggested by
zorealis. I've played some hard games from this era but this one is pretty wild. The main challenge is that the core temperature is constantly rising, so in between pushing stuff around trying to collect and dump radioactive waste, you also have to find coolant barrels and push them into various chutes. In later levels the "entropy" gauge also quickly rises if too many objects/aliens are moving at once, so you have to stop that too. If either gauge goes critical, you die. Oh, and you have only a limited pool of energy for your droids that drains whenever you do anything. And sometimes when you do nothing. Good luck!( cut for length )
You can play Quadralien in your browser, though note that it defaults to the CGA version. If you want the one shown here (which you probably do, not least of all because CGA does not have enough colors for the radioactive tiles to be visibly green), use the "game executable" dropdown to select VGA.
Sign-up notes
8 Sep 2025 22:48modzilla posting in fffxI was a little delayed in catching up to late nominations, but I think we're caught up now, except for:
Ciel Phantomhive & Phantomhive Servants (Kuroshitsuji)
What sort of group are the Servants please - who is included?
Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Qing Generation Peak Lords/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu (SVSSS)
What sort of group are the Peak Lords please - who is included?
If these labels describe an amorphous set of unnamed characters, OR if they describe a specific, discrete group of characters of ten or fewer members, I'm happy to approve as nominated - otherwise these nominations may need to be adjusted.
Reminder: sign-ups are open until 11:59pm EDT, September 11. You have a bit over three days to either sign up, or edit your existing sign-up. See this countdown.
Reminder two: because I got things running a little late this year, there's a far smaller cushion between sign-ups closing and assignments going out. Please minimize the risk that I'll have to delete your sign-up (which I don't relish doing) by putting your DNWs in your sign-up, alongside something, anything I can plausibly interpret as a positive direction for your creator. Loose lips sink ships; lingering "WIP"s risk snips. Bad quips deserve ellipse.
There is still a swaps period, so you will get a second go at securing an assignment that's right for you if your initial match doesn't spark the kind of joy that will get you over the finish line.
Thanks everyone for your sign-ups and canon promos and for posting letters (especially already complete letters, talk about getting a Good Grade in Exchanges) that include status messages inside them!
Ciel Phantomhive & Phantomhive Servants (Kuroshitsuji)
What sort of group are the Servants please - who is included?
Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Qing Generation Peak Lords/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu (SVSSS)
What sort of group are the Peak Lords please - who is included?
If these labels describe an amorphous set of unnamed characters, OR if they describe a specific, discrete group of characters of ten or fewer members, I'm happy to approve as nominated - otherwise these nominations may need to be adjusted.
Reminder: sign-ups are open until 11:59pm EDT, September 11. You have a bit over three days to either sign up, or edit your existing sign-up. See this countdown.
Reminder two: because I got things running a little late this year, there's a far smaller cushion between sign-ups closing and assignments going out. Please minimize the risk that I'll have to delete your sign-up (which I don't relish doing) by putting your DNWs in your sign-up, alongside something, anything I can plausibly interpret as a positive direction for your creator. Loose lips sink ships; lingering "WIP"s risk snips. Bad quips deserve ellipse.
There is still a swaps period, so you will get a second go at securing an assignment that's right for you if your initial match doesn't spark the kind of joy that will get you over the finish line.
Thanks everyone for your sign-ups and canon promos and for posting letters (especially already complete letters, talk about getting a Good Grade in Exchanges) that include status messages inside them!
Fic: the reflection of your true heart
8 Sep 2025 04:20prowlingthunderthe reflection of your true heart
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jango Fett Open Seasons (Comics)
Relationships: Feemor & Jango Fett, Feemor & Haat'mando'ade
Characters: Silas the Mandalorian (Star Wars), Feemor (Star Wars), Jango Fett
Additional Tags: Planet: Galidraan, The Galidraan Massacre, Undercover Jedi, Mando'jetii, Mando'dar'jetii, Mandalorian Jedi, Mandalorian Feemor, Feemor Falls, Protective Feemor, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence, Galidraan goes differently, Feemor vs Jedi, outsider pov
Language: English
Words: 2,984
Summary:
Something was wrong.
Silas could feel it in his bones, had felt it since they’d landed on Galidraan, and he knew he wasn’t the only one. Three hundred Mando’ade, and all of them were antsy to finish the job and get the kriff off-world again. Even the verd’ika could feel it.
For:
Sith September: Week 1: First Fall
Alternate Prompts: First Times, Angst
Bingos:
Fandom Free:
August 2024 Under the Stars: Guiding Light
August 2024: Found Family, Friend in Trouble, Intervention, Platonic Touch, Holding Hands
Bingo Laws: Checkov’s Gun
July Break:
5x5: Love as teamwork, Free Space (Rescue Mission)
Post-July 1: “I thought I lost you.”
Multifandom Flash:
Fear: Free Space (Fear of Rejection)
Murphy’s Laws: Friendly fire ain’t.
SFW Phrases: There is no I in team
SquareBySquare:
SW Angst: Falling to the Dark Side
Jul/Aug: Dark Past Revealer (nobody catches on)
Mando’dar’jetii: Hard Choices, Hurt/Comfort
Konohara Narise, translated
8 Sep 2025 12:04geraineonThis is gonna be a quick and short update. I'm very pleased to find that there's been a translator translating Konohara Narise's BL Novels and has actually finished translating a number of works!
The translations are here: https://itoshiikoto.blogspot.com/
I've mostly experienced her stories through their audio drama adaptations. Of the ones translated on that site, I've heard Utsukushii Koto 1 and 2, La Vie En Rose, the Cold series (Cold Sleep, Cold Light, Cold Fever) and I've cried much tears (of sadness and anger) over them all. I've also read Hako no Naka, translated by a different translator here. Parasitic Soul is currently not translated but I love it too.
Someone described her works as a bruise that stays, and yep, that's accurate. She writes very human characters in sometimes unusual situations, and her characters are always flawed. She's also really, really good at writing selfish people and obsessive love that feels very, very real. Kinda like a heightened reality in terms of emotions? She doesn't write her main characters in a way that inspires love (I don't know if I can say I love any of them), but you will be hoping that they can achieve some sort of happiness by the end of the story (at least, her less dark stories).
And for people who are interested in early danmei influences, Konohara Narise was one of the popular authors during early danmei days (I'd cite the papers, but I am lazy to pull them out right now... perhaps later I'll edit with citations). Danmei has moved away from that style, and I read that Japanese BL in general has also moved away from heavy psychological dark works. So, if you're interested in some of what got disseminated in the CN BL circles in the early days, check out Konohara Narise (but also please heed all the content warnings)!
As an aside, people who translate/have seen the current state of CN->EN webnovel translations might find this rant by the Hako no Naka translator very relatable.
The translations are here: https://itoshiikoto.blogspot.com/
I've mostly experienced her stories through their audio drama adaptations. Of the ones translated on that site, I've heard Utsukushii Koto 1 and 2, La Vie En Rose, the Cold series (Cold Sleep, Cold Light, Cold Fever) and I've cried much tears (of sadness and anger) over them all. I've also read Hako no Naka, translated by a different translator here. Parasitic Soul is currently not translated but I love it too.
Someone described her works as a bruise that stays, and yep, that's accurate. She writes very human characters in sometimes unusual situations, and her characters are always flawed. She's also really, really good at writing selfish people and obsessive love that feels very, very real. Kinda like a heightened reality in terms of emotions? She doesn't write her main characters in a way that inspires love (I don't know if I can say I love any of them), but you will be hoping that they can achieve some sort of happiness by the end of the story (at least, her less dark stories).
And for people who are interested in early danmei influences, Konohara Narise was one of the popular authors during early danmei days (I'd cite the papers, but I am lazy to pull them out right now... perhaps later I'll edit with citations). Danmei has moved away from that style, and I read that Japanese BL in general has also moved away from heavy psychological dark works. So, if you're interested in some of what got disseminated in the CN BL circles in the early days, check out Konohara Narise (but also please heed all the content warnings)!
As an aside, people who translate/have seen the current state of CN->EN webnovel translations might find this rant by the Hako no Naka translator very relatable.
Two New Vids (BtVS)
7 Sep 2025 21:21tafadhali posting in viddingAnother month and another update on periru3 and my vid album Jagged Little Slayer, a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alanis Morissette. Here are the two we've posted since last time — we're very excited about these two:
periru3 and my vid album Jagged Little Slayer, a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alanis Morissette. Here are the two we've posted since last time — we're very excited about these two:Guardian Slo-Mo Rewatch
7 Sep 2025 23:43trobadoraI don't know where the day went, or the weekend. How is it almost midnight already?!
Anyway: Over atsid_guardian we've kicked off another rewatch - a slo-mo one this time, half an episode per week. And since we've already done the "take an epic amount of notes and write epic post" kind of rewatch, this one's going to be a bit more relaxed. *g*
Here's the first post, episode 1, part 1.
Anyway: Over at
sid_guardian we've kicked off another rewatch - a slo-mo one this time, half an episode per week. And since we've already done the "take an epic amount of notes and write epic post" kind of rewatch, this one's going to be a bit more relaxed. *g*Here's the first post, episode 1, part 1.
Fic database recs from the last few years
7 Sep 2025 18:38doranwen posting in recthethingI haven't posted recs here for a while, other than links to posts elsewhere. I've been busy adding fics to my fic database and finally finished a fandom post or two, and decided I might as well post a few recs here specifically.
I won't post every fic I added - you can poke through my master recs post to find the posts they're in - but I thought it might be a good idea to post any fic that I either consider a favorite (i.e. I love re-reading it) or exceptionally well-written (something about it stands out to me as outstanding writing in some way).
( Icon guide )
( Explanation of ratings )
( Content warnings and spoilers )
( Ships )
Below are the recs:
( Alphas )
( FBI Most Wanted )
( Profiler )
( The Matrix )
If any of the links above no longer work, please let me know so I can flag them as "Dead" in my database, thanks!
Enjoy! :)
I won't post every fic I added - you can poke through my master recs post to find the posts they're in - but I thought it might be a good idea to post any fic that I either consider a favorite (i.e. I love re-reading it) or exceptionally well-written (something about it stands out to me as outstanding writing in some way).
( Icon guide )
( Explanation of ratings )
( Content warnings and spoilers )
( Ships )
Below are the recs:
( Alphas )
( FBI Most Wanted )
( Profiler )
( The Matrix )
If any of the links above no longer work, please let me know so I can flag them as "Dead" in my database, thanks!
Enjoy! :)
Doctor Who Fic: Mercury Lane
7 Sep 2025 15:17kat_lair***
Title: Mercury Lane
Author:kat_lair
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/The Master (Simm), Tenth Doctor & The Master (Simm)
Tags: Gen or Pre-Slash, Ambiguous Relationships, Reunions
Rating: G
Word count: 1,134
Summary: The Doctor finds him without meaning to, in a sprawling no-name city on a backwater planet, where the streets wind and twist like something living, where the people come to get willingly lost.
Author notes: Written for a prompt 'exile'. Unbetaed so if you spot a typo/mistake, you should definitely tell me.
Mercury Lane on AO3
( Mercury Lane )
***
Title: Mercury Lane
Author:
kat_lair Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/The Master (Simm), Tenth Doctor & The Master (Simm)
Tags: Gen or Pre-Slash, Ambiguous Relationships, Reunions
Rating: G
Word count: 1,134
Summary: The Doctor finds him without meaning to, in a sprawling no-name city on a backwater planet, where the streets wind and twist like something living, where the people come to get willingly lost.
Author notes: Written for a prompt 'exile'. Unbetaed so if you spot a typo/mistake, you should definitely tell me.
Mercury Lane on AO3
( Mercury Lane )
***