Last fanfic(s) of 2025

First of all, I finished the Murderbot gen action WIP that I've been posting in installments. (It also ended up being the longest thing I've put on AO3 since 2022 ...)

Combat System Critical (Murderbot TV-verse, 20K wds, gen)
SecUnit is on Preservation when an attempted assassination on a PresAux team member turns a quiet retreat at a backwater university into a fight for survival.

Brief spoilery notes on the Murderbot fic

I've had the idea of Gurathin's augments allowing him to survive being shot in the head with an energy weapon since I've been writing fic in this fandom, so that was the detail on which this plot pivoted. Of course then it took me absolutely ages to actually get to that part! I was a little worried that some other fic would do it in the meantime, and honestly I'm a little surprised that no one has.

And my annual New Year's fic is up! Babylon 5 this time.

Five Kisses at the New Year (Babylon 5, 4300 wds, mostly gen)
What it says on the tin. 2257 to 2278.

Brief spoilery notes on the B5 fic

I went back and forth on whether to keep the final Londo & G'Kar scene (or maybe include it as apocryphal, or an outtake), and end on the hopeful note of Lochley and the new Ambassadors instead. That final scene is just pure self-indulgence (and maybe a bit of emotional h/c), but I decided to keep it; is it really a proper B5 fic if it doesn't stab you in the heart at some point?

I also liked the idea of doing B5 for my New Year's fic this year since the show itself is arranged around the turn of the year.

Some vid recs to close out 2025

Well, as predicted, rec_cember went straight off a cliff, lol. I mean, to be fair, I was traveling for half the month, most of that time with other people, but I still hoped to get in another rec post or two than I actually did.

But I'll close out 2025 by reccing some vids! Since I got back into watching vids this past year, there are a bunch of new-to-me ones to share. For the Tumblr ones, since it now defaults to dash view (which you need to be logged in to see) I've tried to provide a non-logged-in version where possible.

We Didn't Start the Fire by beccatoria - ATLA & Legend of Korra
There aren't very many canons that are long, varied, and epic enough to vid to this song, but this works really well and the clip selection is A++.

Ice Cream Man by Pennyplainknits - Stranger Things season 3
I had a lot of problems with season 3 and Steve's sailor outfit was definitely one of them, but this is a very cute, fun, and playful vid about it!

80s horror summer by legallybrunette1997 - 70s/80s slasher movies
Great editing and really goes for the retro vibe!

Human by kaydeefalls - X-Men movies, Mystique
I'm going through a nostalgia phase for these movies after rewatching the first two back in October, and this is a lovely vid that does a great job with Mystique's arc across the various movies.

Pink Pony Club by torchwood-99 - Torchwood, Gwen [Non-logged-in Tumblr link]
A wonderfully edited vid that does a fantastic job using the song lyrics to tell the two sides to Gwen's story on the show: she discovers her true calling and blossoms when the secret world of aliens opens up to her, but loses some of her humanity along the way.

Shake It Out by delovelie - Babylon 5 (major spoilers) [Non-logged-in Tumblr link)
A vid about breaking and getting up again.

Anti-Hero by cynicalangel80 - Babylon 5, Londo [Non-logged-in Tumblr link]
Great tragilarious vid about Londo's general everything.

What Was I Thinkin' by tafadhali - Star Wars OT, Han/Leia
A fun, bouncy vid set to honky tonk country that (surprisingly? unsurprisingly?) works really well for Han Solo.

If I Had $1,000,000 by januarium - Schitt's Creek
This canon/song pairing is INSPIRED and the editing and lip-syncing is great.

Stranger Things finale

I enjoyed it! Haters to the left!

( Spoilers )