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Wintertime Woes: A No Happy Endings Exchange

Schedule 2025-26 | Style Credit

Nominations: November 16 - November 23
Sign-ups: November 23 - November 30
Assignments out by: December 2
Assignments due: January 11
Collection opens: January 18
Creators revealed: January 25

Style credit: Line by

myrtillenne

wintermod

Wintertime Woes, a no happy endings exchange, is running again this year's end! ❄

This is a

summertimesadnessexchange redux, and exchange format and guidelines will work very similarly to Summertime Sadness. Thank you to SS for everything, including this exchange name.

Rules and FAQ | AO3 Collection | Tag Set
Mod Contact:

wintermod, or wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com

2025-2026 Schedule:
Nominations: November 16 - November 23
Sign-ups: November 23 - November 30
Assignments out by: December 2
Assignments due: January 11
Collection opens: January 18
Creators revealed: January 25

All deadlines are 11:59PM UTC.

wintermod

Assignments have been sent out!

If you have questions about your assignment or for your recipient, please contact

wintermod by DM or e-mail wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com. You can create for any request in your assignment, which does not need to be the request you matched on.

Assignments are due January 11, 11:59PM UTC (countdown), just under 7 from now.

These are the initial pinch hits:

~~PH 1 - fic - Bones (TV), Criminal Minds (US TV), Grey's Anatomy, House M.D., MASH (TV), NCIS: Los Angeles, The Professionals (TV 1977), SEAL Team (TV)~~

~~PH 2 - fic - Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie, The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison, Shadow of the Leviathan - Robert Jackson Bennett~~

PH 3 - art, fic - The Dark Half - Stephen King, Breaking Bad, Carrie - Stephen King
https://autoao3app.fandom.tools/#/wintertimewoes2025/user/SegaBarrett

~~PH 4 - fic - Rai-Kirah - Carol Berg, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Video Game), Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb~~
Canon promo: Clair Obscur is a narratively led video game and can be consumed as a 4-hour video here.

~~PH 5 - fic - Thunderbolts (Movie 2025), Moon Knight (TV 2022), Dragon Age (Video Games)~~

To claim a pinch hit, please comment on this entry (all comments are screened) or e-mail wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number or recipient name.

These pinch hits are also due January 11, 11:59PM UTC.

wintermod

Sign-ups have been closed! There are 2 participants with no potential recipients. Participant A and Participant P, please check your e-mail.

Assignments will be sent out when all participants have recipients, or by December 2 11:59PM UTC, whichever is earlier.

wintermod

Wintertime Woes sign-ups will close a little under a day from now, at Nov 30th, 11:59PM UTC (countdown).

This is a good time to update any WIP requests, link your Dear Creator letters, or check that you are matchable on offers. All current requests are visible at the Requests Summary page.

Best of luck!

wintermod

Sign-ups are open here! They will be open until November 30, 11:59 PM UTC (countdown).

Sign-up Guidelines

The minimum you may request/offer is: 3 unique fandoms with 1 relationship, 1 medium, 0 archive warning tags (request only; all participants are opted into No Archive Warnings Apply by default), and 4 freeforms each.

The maximum you may request/offer is: 10 unique fandoms with 10 relationships, 2 mediums, 4 archive warning tags (request only), and 20 freeform tags each.

You may request/offer the same fandom multiple times with different ships/characters/freeforms, as long as your overall requests/offers include 3 unique fandoms.

Each request in the sign-up form will include an Optional Details text box where you can provide likes, prompts, or other optional guidance for your creator.

If there is content you do not wish to receive, list these clearly marked as Do Not Wants/DNWs in the Optional Details box. Your creator will be required to respect these DNWs.

You may link an external Dear Creator letter if you wish.

A note on DNWs and 'Any':
If you choose the 'Any' tag for relationships, this means you are requesting/offering any relationship in the tag set, not the fandom. Do not select Any Relationship and then DNW a particular relationship, or Any Freeform and then DNW a particular freeform. Similarly, do not DNW archive warnings you opt into.

If your DNWs contradict your request, the mod will send you a message first but may delete your sign-up if you do not respond or correct it.

Archive warnings in the sign-up form are opt-in. For example, if you are fine with Major Character Death, select the MCD archive warning and the creator will have the option of including character death or not (they are not required to do so).

Everyone is opted into No Archive Warnings Apply by default.

A note on archive warnings:
Your archive warning selection must align with your sign-up. For example, if you pick freeform tags that include noncon, please opt-in to the noncon archive warning. Additionally, do not DNW archive warnings you have opted into.

If your selected archive warnings do not align with the request they were selected for, the mod will send you a message first but may delete your sign-up if you do not respond or correct it.

Final nominations clarifications

Marvel
This is too broad. Please let me know if you'd like your nominations under Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel 616, something else...?

Star Wars - All Media Types
This is too broad. Please let me know if you'd like your nominations under the Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, novels, tie-in games, something else...?

Freeform tags
Please update these to relate to an unhappy ending.
5 Feet Apart AU
Alternate Universe - Frozen (Disney Movies) Fusion
Friends to Enemies to Lovers
Gilgamesh x Enkidu AU
Strangers to Lovers
Terminal Patient x Immortal Vampire
Terminal Patient x Intern Doctor who Bonds with the
Titanic AU
your lie in april au

wintermod

Nominations are closing soon at 11:59PM UTC today! Sign-ups will also open at that time.

The tagset is here. If you spot any errors such as misspellings or duplicates, it would be helpful to let me know.

Relationship nomination clarifications:

Deep Space Discounts (Web Series)
Immy (Deep Space Discounts) & Everyone

& Everyone is too broad. Would it be fine to change to Immy & Any?

Original Work
Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Original Male Character/Original Male Character

This is too broad. Please nominate more specific character types.

wintermod

Nominations are now open! The tagset is here. Last year's freeform tags have been copied forward.

Nominations will remain open until Nov 23, 11:59PM UTC (countdown).

AO3 Collection | Rules and FAQ
Mod contact:

wintermod or wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com

Nomination clarifications will be posted to this Dreamwidth community. If a clarification query is unanswered by the end of nominations, the mod may edit or reject the tags.

Relationship Tags

You may nominate 1-10 fandoms with 1-10 relationships each.

Please disambiguate all nominations: add the fandom in parentheses to the end, e.g. Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling)

Nominate relationships under a specific media type or fandom instalment if possible. Nominations under an All Media Types and/or Related Fandoms fandom will be queried.

Will be accepted:

& relationships, / relationships, and relationships of more than 2 people

Crossovers and Original Work

'Character & none' and 'Character & any' relationships

RPF. All people involved should be over 18 and famous in their own right.

Will not be accepted:

Inanimate objects and abstract concepts, e.g. Draco Malfoy/His Inferiority Complex

Freeform Tags

You may nominate 1-10 freeform tags.

Freeform tags should be canon-agnostic, i.e. can be applied to any canon and do not require a [specific canon] AU to fulfill. For example, 'fatal duel with energy swords' is OK; 'fatal lightsaber duel' will not be accepted.

Freeform tags should relate in some way to an unhappily ever after. For example, 'Regency AU' will not fit the exchange theme; 'forced to marry against their will in a Regency AU' is fine.

Tags cannot exceed 100 characters long (this is an AO3 limit). If your tag exceeds that length, it may be too specific or detailed; consider including it as a prompt instead.

wintermod

Creators for Wintertime Woes 2024-25 have been revealed! Thank you to all participants and pinch hitters. The collection will remain open indefinitely for treats.

wintermod

The Wintertime Woes 2024-25 collection has been revealed! Please enjoy your tales of sorrow, and thank you very much to all participants and pinch hitters.

If you have concerns about your gift(s), please DM

wintermod or email wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com.

wintermod

The assignment due date has passed! There are no post-deadline pinch hits. Reveals are scheduled for January 18, 11:59PM UTC, just under a week from now.

wintermod

Happy New Year, all! Assignments are due January 11, 11:59PM UTC (countdown), just over 5 days from now.

By the assignment due date, please ensure that your work:

is posted (not saved as a draft)

is for a fandom, relationship, and freeform your recipient requested

is at least 500 words, or a sketch on unlined paper

does not contain any of your recipient's DNWs or unrequested archive warnings

does not end happily

There is 1 existing pinch hit:

CLAIMED - ( PH 3 - 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 蒼穹のファフナー | Fafner, 蒼穹のファフナー | Fafner )

To claim a pinch hit, please comment on this entry (all comments are screened) or e-mail wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number or recipient name.

This pinch hit is due January 15, 11:59PM UTC, 4 days after the assignment due date.

wintermod

Assignments have been sent out!

If you have questions about your assignment or for your recipient, please contact

wintermod by DM or e-mail wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com. You can create for any request in your assignment, which does not need to be the request you matched on.

Assignments are due January 11, 11:59PM UTC (countdown), just over 6 weeks from now.

These are the initial pinch hits:

CLAIMED ~~( PH 1 - Degrassi the Next Generation, Girl Meets World (TV 2014), Red Band Society (US TV), Short Term 12 (2013), Solitaire - Alice Oseman, Turtles All the Way Down (2024) )~~

CLAIMED ( PH 2 - The Walking Dead (TV), Bunny - Mona Awad, Yellowjackets (TV), Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry, The Last of Us (TV), Crossover Fandom, The Witcher (TV), The Witcher (TV), The Witcher (TV), The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV 2022) )

( PH 3 - 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 蒼穹のファフナー | Fafner, 蒼穹のファフナー | Fafner )

CLAIMED ( PH 4 - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling )

To claim a pinch hit, please comment on this entry (all comments are screened) or e-mail wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com with your AO3 name and the pinch hit number or recipient name.

These pinch hits are also due January 11, 11:59PM UTC.

wintermod

Sign-ups have been closed! There is one participant with no potential recipients. Participant D, please check your e-mail.

Assignments will be sent out when all participants have recipients, or by Nov 25 11:59PM UTC, whichever is earlier.

wintermod

Wintertime Woes sign-ups will close a little under a day from now, at Nov 23rd, 11:59PM UTC (countdown).

This is a good time to update any WIP requests, link your Dear Creator letters, or check that you are matchable on offers. All current requests are visible at the Requests Summary page.

Best of luck!

wintermod

Sign-ups are open here! They will be open until November 23, 11:59 PM UTC (countdown).

Nominations Clarification - Final

Nominator(s) of relationships under TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, the relationships have been moved to The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien. Let me know if this isn't what you intended.

Recovering From Past Addiction
Recovering From Physical Injury
Recovering From Traumatic Incident/Past
These tags imply a positive character arc - nominator, please modify these to indicate an unhappy ending?

Nominations are now closed. If any changes are still needed, please let me know. I can still add tags to the tagset, but will no longer be editing or deleting tags.

wintermod

Nominations will close in just over 15 hours (countdown), so get your last noms in now!

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Nominator, could you amend the tag to clearly relate to an unhappily ever after? Otherwise, the tag will be rejected.

Agamemnon/Greek Army/Iphegenia (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Greek Army contains too many people to enumerate. Nominator, could you pick specific characters, please? Otherwise, the tag will be rejected.

Katsuya (Persona 2)
Does this refer to Suou Katsuya? If so, is there a specific relationship you would like? If you don't reply, the tag will be accepted as Suou Katsuya & none.

wintermod

Nominator of `Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence`, could you amend the tag to clearly relate to an unhappily ever after?

wintermod

Nominations are now open! The tagset is here.

Nominations will remain open until Nov 15, 11:59PM UTC (countdown).

AO3 Collection | Rules and FAQ
Mod contact:

wintermod or wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com

Nomination clarifications will be posted to this Dreamwidth community. If a clarification query is unanswered by the end of nominations, the mod may edit or reject the tags.

Relationship Tags

You may nominate 1-10 fandoms with 1-10 relationships each.

Please disambiguate all nominations: add the fandom in parentheses to the end, e.g. Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling)

Nominate relationships under a specific media type or fandom instalment if possible. Nominations under an All Media Types and/or Related Fandoms fandom will be queried.

Will be accepted:

& relationships, / relationships, and relationships of more than 2 people

Crossovers and Original Work

'Character & none' and 'Character & any' relationships

RPF. All people involved should be over 18 and famous in their own right.

Will not be accepted:

Inanimate objects and abstract concepts, e.g. Draco Malfoy/His Inferiority Complex

Freeform Tags

You may nominate 1-10 freeform tags.

Freeform tags should relate in some way to an unhappily ever after. For example, 'Regency AU' will not fit the exchange theme; 'forced to marry against their will in a Regency AU' is fine.

Tags cannot exceed 100 characters long (this is an AO3 limit). If your tag exceeds that length, it may be too specific or detailed; consider including it as a prompt instead.

wintermod

Adapted with some changes from

summertimesadnessexchange (thank you).

All participants must be over 18 and have an AO3 account.

Matching will be done on: fandom, relationship, medium, and freeform. Archive warnings are included as opt-ins on the sign-up form, but will not be matched on.

Minimum requirements: 500 words, or a sketch on unlined paper. The fanwork must not have a happy ending.

( Nominations )
( Sign-ups )
( Matching )
( Assignments )
( Defaulting )
( Pinch Hits )
( Treats )

wintermod

This is a

summertimesadnessexchange redux - a no happy endings exchange - run at a different time of year. Exchange format and guidelines will work very similarly to Summertime Sadness. Thank you to SS for everything, including this exchange name.

Rules and FAQ | AO3 Collection | Tag Set
Mod Contact:

wintermod, or wintertime.woes.exchange@gmail.com

2024-2025 Schedule:
Nominations: Nov 8 - Nov 15
Sign-ups: Nov 16 - Nov 23
Assignments out by: Nov 25
Assignments due: Jan 11
Collection opens: Jan 18
Authors revealed: Jan 25

All deadlines are 11:59PM UTC.

Wintertime Woes: A No Happy Endings Exchange

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Schedule 2025-26 | Style Credit

Sticky: Wintertime Woes Exchange 2025-2026

Assignments Sent; Initial Pinch Hits

Sign-ups closed

Just under a day left to sign up

Sign-ups Open; Final Nominations Clarifications

Final nominations clarifications

Nominations Clarification 1

Nominations Open

Creators Revealed

Collection Revealed

Assignments due date has passed; no post-deadline pinch hits

Assignments due in 5 days; 1 existing pinch hit

Assignments Sent; Initial Pinch Hits

Sign-ups closed

Just under a day left to sign up

Sign-ups Open; Nominations Clarification - Final

Nominations Clarification 2

Nominations Clarification 1

Nominations Open

Rules and FAQ

Wintertime Woes Exchange 2024-2025