silvercat17 | Network

akamine_chan created The Fandom Snowflake Challenge back in 2012 as a way to remind herself “why I loved fandom so much”. Over the years the challenge itself has come to mean a lot to many of us, so by way of introduction some of the mods for this year have written about what Snowflake Challenge means to them and why they are excited about it.

( Meet the Mods )

As you can see the challenge means so many things to the mods, and to everyone who has participated before, and will hopefully also be meaningful to anyone joining us for the first time this year. You’ll find us all wading through comments, welcoming everyone, answering questions, keeping the peace, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to flag one of us down.

Tomorrow starts the first of the fandom challenges, so hope you all are ready for some fun times! Feel free to do any challenge that strikes your fancy (or all of them), or leave a comment on someone else’s challenge response at anytime.

You can promote the challenge by copy-pasting the information from the text boxes below:

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

florianschild posting in

snowflake_challenge

Use this post to help you navigate your way through the challenge. Take a look at the comments for each challenge, say hello to friends and strangers, follow the links and check out a vid, or a fic, or a fanmix, a podfic or some art, or create something yourself. Have fun!

Introduction Post

Resources

RSS feed for LJ users: make sure you're logged into your LJ account. Click here; at the top of the page click Add it to your friends page and you're all done. Remember that the RSS feed is on a delay, so you won't see new posts right away.

The Fandom Snowflake Challenge Collection at AO3 is here. Any fanwork that you create for or because of the challenge can be added.

Other places you can find us:

Pillowfort: Snowflake Challenge where we'll be tracking hashtag Snowflake Challenge 2026.

Mastodon: Snowflake Challenge where we'll be tracking hashtag snowflakechallenge2026.

The Challenges

Coming Soon!

florianschild posting in

snowflake_challenge

We're in the final hours of 2025, so I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Snowflake 2026 season. We're so happy you're all here, little snowflakes. I wish for every single person in the community an exciting, fulfilling, and joyful start to the year. Whether you're staying cozy amidst the chill of winter or enjoying the peak of summer in the southern hemisphere, there are so many ways to celebrate the fun and uniqueness of you, your fandoms, and your online communities.

We will be posting challenges on every odd-numbered day in January, starting tomorrow. To participate, comment on the community challenge post. We encourage you to include a link to your own challenge post and to include some details/teasers in your comment about what you wrote to encourage visitors, but you can also simply say that you did it/include a link. There is no deadline so feel free to complete challenges when and how you see fit. This is a fun and lighthearted challenge with an open invitation to participate and very few rules!

Welcome to Snowflake 2026; let the games begin!

umadoshi

Ah, the end-of-year attempt to bundle everything into tidy categories.

I had twenty-two manga volumes out this year, which was a big jump from the last couple of years (when so much of my freelance time went to working on Guardian--twelve last year and fifteen in 2023). Here's the list!

The Ancient Magus' Bride vol. 20-21 (Seven Seas)
The Ancient Magus' Bride: Wizard's Blue vol. 9 (Seven Seas)
A Certain Scientific Railgun vol. 19 [pinch hit] (Seven Seas)
I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince vol. 3-4 [new-to-me series] (Seven Seas)
My Love Story!!, Vol. 14: In College!! vol. 14 (VIZ)
Now That We Draw vol. 2-3 [new-to-me series] (Seven Seas)
Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector's Edition vol. 1-4 (Seven Seas)
Queen's Quality vol. 21-24 (VIZ Media)
The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent vol. 10 (Seven Seas)
World End Solte vol. 4 (Seven Seas)
Yona of the Dawn vol. 43-45 (VIZ Media)

I also just did my annual update of my complete list of adaptation credits, which now includes Guardian and my pseud for it; at this distance, I don't really see any reason not to include it. (Please don't prove me wrong, world.)

As for media intake (not counting anything I may read or watch today), this year I read eighty-five (!) novels/novellas, seven of them rereads (all Murderbot audiobooks with

scruloose). You can see that list and my other media intake here.

And I have my 2026 media intake post set up and ready to go.

Current Mood: calm

rydra_wong

* I supported one of my best friends who was in an abusive relationship, which got extremely scary before the end.

* I finished and posted the first fanfic I've written since the Epic Psychiatric Misadventures 16 years ago which reduced my brain to scorched earth, and I think it's one of the two best things I've ever written:

a word you've never understood (Prophet, post-canon, 9143 words)

* I started playing Dark Souls, and I beat Ornstein and Smough.

* I did some RL stuff which I can't talk about here without doxxing myself, but which was my tiny contribution to trying to make the UK suck less.

* I discovered I could go for a "run" (very slow run-walk intervals) ending up by a spot in a brook where I could quickly change and dunk myself, and this enabled the dunking to be viable much later into the year than you might think (context: my brain's idiosyncrasies means that a few minutes of cold water immersion is FREE DOPAMINE, so this is the bribe for the "run").

Other than that, the year's been a shitshow of injury, endless IC flare-ups and consequent pain and sleep deprivation, endless exhaustion, endless terror and worry about my friend, and the inevitable slide into depression by the end of the year as a result of all the aforementioned stressors. Hopefully it will be transient, and my meds cocktail and many many years of practice will suffice to haul me out.

sometimes dutifully falling and getting out, with perfect fortitude, saying “look at the skill and spirit with which I rise from that which resembles the grave but isn’t!”.

It's been a shitty year. I lived.

umadoshi

( Media intake for 2026 )

trobadora posting in

yuletide

My gifts - 3 recs in 2 fandoms:

Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling, Ring of Swords - Eleanor Arnason

Other recs - 17 recs in 22 fandoms:

Amadeus (1984), Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Alias (TV), Ancient History RPF, The Angel of the Crows - Katherine Addison, British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Coldfire Trilogy - C. S. Friedman, FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns, Hamlet - Shakespeare, Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie, Jorinde und Joringel | Jorinde and Joringel (Fairy Tale), Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Miss Marple - Agatha Christie, Mulan (Disney Animated Movies), 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV), Numinous World Series - Jo Graham, Der Ring des Nibelungen | The Ring of the Nibelung - Wagner, The Philosophers Series - Tom Miller, Stargate Atlantis, Stealing Fire - Jo Graham, Troades | The Trojan Women - Euripides

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: happy

mific posting in

fancake

Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter/Kip Grady, Rose Landry, Yuna Hollander, David Hollander
Rating: Teen
Length: 6 gif sets
Content Notes: some flashing lights.
Creator Links: ilyarozanovs on tumblr
Themes: canon LGBTQ+ characters, enemies to lovers, mutual pining, slow burn (romantically)

Summary: None given. Six gifsets, each containing 12 frames.

Reccer's Notes: These are especially good gifsets, one for each episode. They include split-screen gifs across frames, which I always find very impressive. A set of gorgeous montages for the episodes of season one.

Fanwork Links: Heated Rivalry season 1 gifsets, or backup link

selenak

1. Your main fandom of the year?

Still 18th Century history, Prussian-Austrian-Hannoverian-French edition, with the occasional ancient history interlude. Though ancient history might take over as the primary runner next year!

2. Your favorite film watched this year?

It's a race between a surprise "came for one character, remained for all of them" movie, none other than Thunderbolts*, and the superb thriller September 5, which manages among other things to do something Steven Spielberg tried to in one of his movies and does it better.

3. Your favorite book read this year?

This year I am truly spoiled for choices. I both read some books that have been around for a while as well as very recently published ones, and for the most part, enjoyed or even loved most of them. I think it's a race between Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.

4. Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?

For complicated real life reasons:

Watch on YouTube

5. Your favorite TV show of the year?

While tv had some let downs for me this year - *cough* Strange New Worlds *cough* - it also had some great new discoveries and some lovely continuing faves. I feel I can't answer this question fairly unless I firstly differentiate between "favourite miniseries" and "favourite continuing show", and in the second department "favourite new-to-me- show" and "favourite returning favourite". So: Favourite miniseries - there were several excellent ones, but really, for "took my breath away with each episode and performance, and format, tells a concluded story and THANK GOD DOES NOT APPEAR TO GET AN UNNESSARY SEQUEL": Adolescence . Favourite continuing series familiar to me - look, Andor had a superb conclusion and I really appreciate the scriptwriters on social media doubling down on just who the Evil Empire is in rl these days, but it's not Andor for the simple reason that while I was not upset about the writing for Bix as I've seen other people be, it really wasn't up to the rest of the show's standards. And it's not Wheel of Time, either, even though I went from like to love in this season and still feel like shaking my hand at the injustice of fate because of the cancellation. So: It's Foundation all the way. I loved the third season and will happily say more about why on the January Meme.
Favourite new to me show: Pluribus, aka Vince Gilligan did it again.

6. Your favorite online community of the year?

Still

rheinsberg.

7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?

The play Born with Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams, which I saw in London in August: really intense and clever on stage Shakespeare/Marlow slash fiction, with Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel superb in the roles; delightful in itself, but also, I now have a new playwright to keep an eye on!

8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?

Strange New Worlds, season 3. Alas.

9. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?

I would never compete with Lois Lane, but this year's Superman is an incredibly endearing version of Clark Kent, and arrived just at the right time.

10. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?

Demerzel from Foundation, and I got two great stories starring her as Yuletide gifts. Runner up: Kleya from Andor, and Juliette Binoche in what just may the definite Penelope performance in The Return .

11. Your biggest squee moment of the year?

( Spoiler for Wake Up, Dead Man ensue: ) Runner-up: ( Spoiler for Demerzel's backstory in Foundation )

12. The most missed of your old fandoms?

I'm missing - and probably I'm employing rosy glasses here - the way media could be discussed without one part of the viewership crying "Woke!" and other crying "betrayal" if their ship of choice doesn't become canon. (Latest example: Stranger Things. Which btw I'm enjoying, but one look at fandom discussion and I ran.)

13. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?

I'm currently eyeing Severance.

14. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?

The Vampire Lestat, aka season 3 of Interview with the Vampire. Can't wait to find out what this particular creative team will do with both the present day rock star Lestat frame and the memoirs part, plus unless I'm mistaken it looks like they're already incorporating bits of The Queen of the Damned. And speaking of Anne Rice adaptations, I'm also very curious what Tom Ford will make of her historical (non-supernatural historical) novel Cry to Heaven, starring Nicolas Hoult.

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: Bad Wiessee

mific posting in

stargateficrec

Shows: SGA
Rec Category: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Characters: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Original characters, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Sam Carter, Evan Lorne
Categories: M/M
Length/Words: 04:11:31 / 46,642
Content notes: No AO3 warnings apply. Contains imprisonment, state-imposed amnesia, and mind-altering devices that act very like torture.
Author on DW:

librarychick_94
Author's Website: maisierita on AO3, librarychick_94 on AO3
Link: Forget Me Not [fic] on AO3, Forget Me Not [podfic] on AO3
Why This Must Be Read: The story may well be widely known, so this is just as much to recommend the podfic that librarychick_94 completed recently. This is a wonderful story and an excellent podfic, an epic work at over four hours. Librarychick_94 reads with great pace, nuance, and characterisation and it's a really gripping listen. The story itself I found unputdownable when I first read it - one of those fics that keeps you up into the small hours to finish reading. Despite having had their memories wiped as a judicial punishment by an off-world civilisation, Rodney and John remain very much themselves. Rodney, as a scientist, has higher status in the prison complex, with his own apartment, and John is assigned to him as his servant. The worldbuilding is intriguing, and the ending very satisfying. Both the podfic and the fic are highly recommended!

( snippet of the fic under here )

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: amused

mrs_redboots posting in

yuletide

You will find them here.
One is Yes Minister
Two are Georgette Heyer
and three are Lord Peter Wimsey.

I didn't actually mean them to come out like that, it just happened!

vriddy

I did spend an hour editing the Kaijuu No. 8 fic this morning, so the K-9 fever is truly no longer up to a vibration-inducing 11 XD Just a more manageable 8 or 9 depending on the hour of the day. And I really enjoyed rereading the last couple of chapters of the kn8 fic to remember where I was at. THESE GUYS :D This is for an OT3 that doesn't have any fic for it yet. I hope there'll be a couple of readers out there curious enough to check it out anyway, and see if they too can appreciate and share the vision :D

With the end of the year in sight, I've been thinking about how writing went this year. I am, of course, not meeting my

getyourwordsout pledge again (150K words), haha. It'll land around 114k. Wordcount-wise, it's been clear for a while that this would be my lowest year EVER since recordings began (aka 2020 ;)). For a couple of months there, it even looked like I might not even reach 100k, just because I was still editing so much and writing so short well into November. Then I picked up the kn8 fic to revise, and had to add and expand on a lot of missing scenes/do more showing (anchoring ;D) which helped a lot with finally reaching that milestone, phew. Little did I know K-9 would happen to me shortly after and make December the month with my second highest word count this year, haha.

( Read more... )

Also, something interesting is going to happen in 2026! Adding all my word counts from 2020 until today, the total comes to 975K. Obviously, everything could go spectacularly to shit, but based on the past few years, there's a very good chance I'm going to reach that 1 million words milestone next year. I'm a bit nervous because I started writing again in 2020 firmly with a quote in mind, something I'd heard around the lines of "everybody has 1 million bad words in them before they can get to the good ones; unfortunately the only way to get rid of them is to write them out" and that's been a source of comfort when my writing doesn't always meet the standard I hope for. What will I do if word #1,000,001 is actually pretty crap anyway, though?? Haha. My mind is already preparing "well it wasn't 1M words of novel-sized projects, so you have to keep at it anyway" etc etc, so I will probably be okay either way ;)

But still. Something to look forward to :)

selenak posting in

yuletide

Rec lists at my journal for Akhenaten, Greek Mythology, Born with Teeth, Bride of the Rat God, Copenhagen, Farscape, Katabasis, The Last Unicorn, Lord of the Flies, Penny Dreadful, The Ring of the Nibelung, Some Desperate Glory, Sieben Jahre, 18th Century RPF, Radiant Emperor Series, and for my fabulous two gifts, which were both Foundation stories.

girlgenius_main_feed

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20251231

The Girl Genius comic for Wednesday, December 31, 2025 has been posted.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20251231

gingicat posting in

yuletide

Many Yuletide recs in many fandoms, getting them in before reveals ~~tomorrow~~ January 1!
https://gingicat.dreamwidth.org/1872341.html

<3, tigerbright

cassiope25 posting in

stargateficrec

Show: SGA

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Characters: Rodney, Radek, John, Evan, Laura, Chuck
Pairings: /
Categories: gen, multi, romance, humor
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Words: 4,588
Author's Journal:

anagrrl
Author's Website: Anagrrl on AO3
Link: Romance on the High Seas

Author’s summary: "Where did all these flowers come from?" Rodney asks. They're everywhere. On tables. On desks. Large, blousy flowers, small pointed flowers, round edged flowers. Bunches of them in plain, clear vases, or in tall planters that have suddenly appeared in corners and crannies. They're even in the transporters, little bouquets affixed to the wall.
Or - Atlantis has a plan. A romance plan.

Why This Must Be Read: This lovely story by Anagrrl revolves around a sentient Atlantis that is trying to figure out what it takes to bring people together and, ultimately, increase its population. It’s endearing, heartwarming, and utterly delightful to read about all the different plans for getting under people’s skin and into their heads—or rather, their hearts. And it’s surprising, or perhaps not surprising at all, that Rodney, normally considered insensitive to subtleties, is the one who senses that Atlantis is seeking contact and wants to take care of it :)

( snippet of fic )

gingicat

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

cassiope25 posting in

stargateficrec

Show: SGA

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Characters: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard
Pairings: Rodney/John
Categories: slash, whump, light angst, first kiss
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Words: 4,133
Author's Journal:

wonkyelk
Author's Website: WonkyElk on AO3
Link: A Wake-Up Crash

Author’s summary: John didn’t so much wake up, as slide bumpily into consciousness, by a process of painful degrees.
At some point he remembered he had eyes and how to open them, so he tried that, just for kicks.
It went badly.

Why This Must Be Read: If you love great whump and big emotions, this endearing fic by WonkyElk is just right for you.
You’ll laugh, your heart will ache, and you’ll suffer with them—but in the end, you’ll be happy with our two idiots in love. Of course, Rodney assumes the worst about getting into a relationship and has to be convinced by John… that is, once John has convinced himself to come out to Rodney in the first place. So go and read—this will absolutely brighten your day.

( snippet of fic )