The home of Death Note Secret Santa, a winter Death Note fandom exchange started in 2023! Please read the pinned post, rules and FAQ for anything you might need to know. If your question isn't listed, I'm all ears!
ENTRIES: The entry form for the 2026 season will open in August - September (range) 2026. Watch this space! If you are in need of an image ID for this blog's icon or header, it can be found here.
Hello, everyone! My apologies for the delay on the 2026 season update post โ shortly after my last update, my laptop gave up the ghost. Iโm convinced thereโs an event runnerโs curse that functions similarly to the AO3 writerโs curse.
Please read for a list of changes for the 2026 event season. These changes will soon be reflected in the rules, though this will be delayed a bit; the theme needs a few updates for accessibilityโs sake. A TL;DR will also be available at the bottom of this post under the line 'DNSS V2.6 Changelog', though it is still required that the rules be read in full by the time of a participantโs entry.
Receiving Assignments
Given the blogโs previous shadowban, itโs safe to assume that assigning prompts via DMs is no longer an option if the event is to be kept safe from Tumblrโs spam filters. Following the success of the event restoration method of assigning prompts via email, this will be the way Santas receive their assignments going forward. Participants will be emailed at the address they provide in a short-answer response on the entry form.
This method was significantly cleaner and easier to keep track of than sending Santas their assignments via Tumblr DMs. In the past, it was necessary to break assignment messages into multiple parts or host the text submission on another website. Distributing prompts via email removed this issue and allowed prompts to be distributed in their original form in an accessible, mostly plain-text PDF format. This also made it easier for Santas to refer back to their assignments. Iโm confident in saying that this change will be a net positive.
I know a few have previously expressed concerns with this method, mainly involving not wanting to take the event off of Tumblr, legal names, and lack of desire to create another email. (To the second point, I can offer some reassurance that Santas are never referred to by their legal names, only by URLs and the names publicly listed on their Tumblrs, and this information is not stored anywhere.) If this change to the event means you are unable or unwilling to take part, I wish you the best and hope you find an event that works for you.
-----
Event Time Frame
The general time frame for any given iteration of the event will look something like this, to be explicitly outlined at the start of each season:
August: Promo/reminder post about the upcoming season published.
August โ September (range): The entry form opens and promo is conducted.
Depending on demand, the entry form will stop accepting responses between a month and a month and a half from its opening. Entries to participate will stop being accepted no later than October 31st.
End of entry period โ December 24th (roughly two months): Gifts are created.
December 24th โ January 2nd: Gifts are to be posted during this time.
January 31st: Last day to publish late gifts without penalty if you have requested an extension. As in all previous years, if your gift is going to be late, you must notify the mod of this without being prompted in order to avoid probationary statuses for the next yearโs event.
-----
Entry Form Response Length
The response length for any given answer on the entry form (what are your likes, what are your dislikes, what do you not want to receive, etc.) will be capped at 250 words per response going forward.
I recognize that some of you have very specific wants and squicks. This change is being put in place to ensure that all Santas are asked to put in roughly the same amount of work to fulfill their prompts. Iโve received feedback that extremely long responses are a โbarrier to entryโ where prompt fulfillment is concerned. In addition, a lot of work goes into running this event, and itโs harder for me to pair people when thereโs 1000+ words of an entry to read through.
Iโm hopeful that this change will also lead to folks getting more personalized/thoughtful gifts since their Santas are less likely to become overwhelmed. As always, Santas will be provided with their gifteeโs URL and are encouraged to reach out via anon ask if they would like more information.
-----
On-Time Gift Fulfillment Prompting
One of the changes for the 2025 season was that all participants who have not submitted their gifts within two days of the gift weekโs end will receive one (1) message asking about the status of their gift. This change turned out to be a good idea that helped a few folks get back on track, so it will remain in place. As before, this message is not personal and is just an effort to ensure everyone gets a gift.
-----
Late Gift Fulfillment Prompting (or lack thereof)
For years, the rules have read that if your gift is going to be late, you are to inform the mod without being prompted to do so to avoid disciplinary action. I have been a little bit lenient on this and have sent โcourtesy checkโ messages about late gifts to participants who have not reached out. However, this has consistently resulted in a handful of people promising dates that come and go without fulfillment, resulting in me needing to follow up over and over again. Technically, these individuals should have faced some sort of event status effect for failing to follow the rules.
In 2026 and beyond, the responsibility to follow event rules re: late gift notification will be strictly enforced. I will not be performing any sort of courtesy outreach if your gift is late and you havenโt reached out โ you will be issued a ban from the event as outlined in the current (and future) rules. As reading the rules in full is a requirement to participate, this shouldnโt come as a surprise.
-----
Conduct Expectations
Thereโs not an easy way to present this one โ if you have been rude in the past, please be nicer, or you will not be permitted to participate. The vast majority of you are absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, thereโs a handful of people who are not.
Across the multiple years this event has run, Iโve only had one instance of an event participant being rude to another. However, when itโs specified to be nice to your other participants, this includes the mod. There have been instances of participants acting extremely rude and/or entitled towards me across the years, and itโs recently increased to the point where this needs to be mentioned. I honestly hoped I wouldnโt have to say this, but please remember that I am a person with a job, life, and feelings outside of this event, not just a faceless mod.
If I have missed a stated and promised deadline, please bring it to my attention. However, do not email/message me angry about a completely arbitrary deadline of your own making that was never stated anywhere. If you are contacted because you broke the rules, do not throw insults at me or state that the rules are unfair โ youโre welcome to feel that way, but you consented to them when you entered the event. If youโre asking a question, please be polite; donโt be passive-aggressive or take the opportunity to couple that question with an insult about how the event is run. Donโt act like a dick in whatever way you may be reading this and wondering if you can still get away with. Justโฆ donโt. Please.
I have been kind of a pushover and have brushed off all but the most egregious occurrences of this, because I donโt like to ban, but this is an event that I run in my spare time out of genuine love for the fandom, and I should not have to put up with being treated like a punching bag. Behavior that is against the rules is noted once it occurs, and itโs not one strike per event season โ it is one strike, period. If you are rude in the future, you will be given one neutrally-stated warning. If you continue, you will be permanently banned from participating in this event.
---
Thanks for reading! That's all from me for now; my next task will be to update the theme to make it a bit more accessible, then synchronize the rules to fit with these changes. As promised, TL;DR below.
TL;DR
DNSS V2.6 Changelog
Specified permanent switch to email for the method of prompt distribution.
Specified the general time frame for this event.
Added a cap to entry form response length of 250 words or less per item.
Encoded the two-day courtesy message near the end of the gift fulfillment week as a permanent process step moving forward.
Removed courtesy outreach to late Santas to match the rules and expectations of this event.
Asked participants who have been or are inclined to be rude to please give me a break.
Hello, everyone! My apologies for the delay on the 2026 season update post โ shortly after my last update, my laptop gave up the ghost. Iโm convinced thereโs an event runnerโs curse that functions similarly to the AO3 writerโs curse.
Please read for a list of changes for the 2026 event season. These changes will soon be reflected in the rules, though this will be delayed a bit; the theme needs a few updates for accessibilityโs sake. A TL;DR will also be available at the bottom of this post under the line 'DNSS V2.6 Changelog', though it is still required that the rules be read in full by the time of a participantโs entry.
Receiving Assignments
Given the blogโs previous shadowban, itโs safe to assume that assigning prompts via DMs is no longer an option if the event is to be kept safe from Tumblrโs spam filters. Following the success of the event restoration method of assigning prompts via email, this will be the way Santas receive their assignments going forward. Participants will be emailed at the address they provide in a short-answer response on the entry form.
This method was significantly cleaner and easier to keep track of than sending Santas their assignments via Tumblr DMs. In the past, it was necessary to break assignment messages into multiple parts or host the text submission on another website. Distributing prompts via email removed this issue and allowed prompts to be distributed in their original form in an accessible, mostly plain-text PDF format. This also made it easier for Santas to refer back to their assignments. Iโm confident in saying that this change will be a net positive.
I know a few have previously expressed concerns with this method, mainly involving not wanting to take the event off of Tumblr, legal names, and lack of desire to create another email. (To the second point, I can offer some reassurance that Santas are never referred to by their legal names, only by URLs and the names publicly listed on their Tumblrs, and this information is not stored anywhere.) If this change to the event means you are unable or unwilling to take part, I wish you the best and hope you find an event that works for you.
-----
Event Time Frame
The general time frame for any given iteration of the event will look something like this, to be explicitly outlined at the start of each season:
August: Promo/reminder post about the upcoming season published.
August โ September (range): The entry form opens and promo is conducted.
Depending on demand, the entry form will stop accepting responses between a month and a month and a half from its opening. Entries to participate will stop being accepted no later than October 31st.
End of entry period โ December 24th (roughly two months): Gifts are created.
December 24th โ January 2nd: Gifts are to be posted during this time.
January 31st: Last day to publish late gifts without penalty if you have requested an extension. As in all previous years, if your gift is going to be late, you must notify the mod of this without being prompted in order to avoid probationary statuses for the next yearโs event.
-----
Entry Form Response Length
The response length for any given answer on the entry form (what are your likes, what are your dislikes, what do you not want to receive, etc.) will be capped at 250 words per response going forward.
I recognize that some of you have very specific wants and squicks. This change is being put in place to ensure that all Santas are asked to put in roughly the same amount of work to fulfill their prompts. Iโve received feedback that extremely long responses are a โbarrier to entryโ where prompt fulfillment is concerned. In addition, a lot of work goes into running this event, and itโs harder for me to pair people when thereโs 1000+ words of an entry to read through.
Iโm hopeful that this change will also lead to folks getting more personalized/thoughtful gifts since their Santas are less likely to become overwhelmed. As always, Santas will be provided with their gifteeโs URL and are encouraged to reach out via anon ask if they would like more information.
-----
On-Time Gift Fulfillment Prompting
One of the changes for the 2025 season was that all participants who have not submitted their gifts within two days of the gift weekโs end will receive one (1) message asking about the status of their gift. This change turned out to be a good idea that helped a few folks get back on track, so it will remain in place. As before, this message is not personal and is just an effort to ensure everyone gets a gift.
-----
Late Gift Fulfillment Prompting (or lack thereof)
For years, the rules have read that if your gift is going to be late, you are to inform the mod without being prompted to do so to avoid disciplinary action. I have been a little bit lenient on this and have sent โcourtesy checkโ messages about late gifts to participants who have not reached out. However, this has consistently resulted in a handful of people promising dates that come and go without fulfillment, resulting in me needing to follow up over and over again. Technically, these individuals should have faced some sort of event status effect for failing to follow the rules.
In 2026 and beyond, the responsibility to follow event rules re: late gift notification will be strictly enforced. I will not be performing any sort of courtesy outreach if your gift is late and you havenโt reached out โ you will be issued a ban from the event as outlined in the current (and future) rules. As reading the rules in full is a requirement to participate, this shouldnโt come as a surprise.
-----
Conduct Expectations
Thereโs not an easy way to present this one โ if you have been rude in the past, please be nicer, or you will not be permitted to participate. The vast majority of you are absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, thereโs a handful of people who are not.
Across the multiple years this event has run, Iโve only had one instance of an event participant being rude to another. However, when itโs specified to be nice to your other participants, this includes the mod. There have been instances of participants acting extremely rude and/or entitled towards me across the years, and itโs recently increased to the point where this needs to be mentioned. I honestly hoped I wouldnโt have to say this, but please remember that I am a person with a job, life, and feelings outside of this event, not just a faceless mod.
If I have missed a stated and promised deadline, please bring it to my attention. However, do not email/message me angry about a completely arbitrary deadline of your own making that was never stated anywhere. If you are contacted because you broke the rules, do not throw insults at me or state that the rules are unfair โ youโre welcome to feel that way, but you consented to them when you entered the event. If youโre asking a question, please be polite; donโt be passive-aggressive or take the opportunity to couple that question with an insult about how the event is run. Donโt act like a dick in whatever way you may be reading this and wondering if you can still get away with. Justโฆ donโt. Please.
I have been kind of a pushover and have brushed off all but the most egregious occurrences of this, because I donโt like to ban, but this is an event that I run in my spare time out of genuine love for the fandom, and I should not have to put up with being treated like a punching bag. Behavior that is against the rules is noted once it occurs, and itโs not one strike per event season โ it is one strike, period. If you are rude in the future, you will be given one neutrally-stated warning. If you continue, you will be permanently banned from participating in this event.
---
Thanks for reading! That's all from me for now; my next task will be to update the theme to make it a bit more accessible, then synchronize the rules to fit with these changes. As promised, TL;DR below.
TL;DR
DNSS V2.6 Changelog
Specified permanent switch to email for the method of prompt distribution.
Specified the general time frame for this event.
Added a cap to entry form response length of 250 words or less per item.
Encoded the two-day courtesy message near the end of the gift fulfillment week as a permanent process step moving forward.
Removed courtesy outreach to late Santas to match the rules and expectations of this event.
Asked participants who have been or are inclined to be rude to please give me a break.
And with that, the 2025 event season has concluded!
Thank you everyone for participating this year, especially given the shadowban delay. I'm very happy to have you all.
A post will be coming in the next few days regarding the 2026 event season - event updates/changes/misc. Email seemed to work out really well this time around, so that may be a semi-permanent change and a silver lining from the event restoration efforts. I'm also going to be going through and organizing this year's submissions a little more, adding more tags, and reading through longer submissions. Some spotlight reblogs may be posted.
I hope everyone has had a lovely time! Though the blog will continue to be active, you'll see the 2026 entries post in early fall.
This is my very late submission for @dnsecretsantaโs 2025 exchange! This is a gift for @liquidpaperdraws! I decided to go with a Lawlight fae au, and my imagination kept running away with me, but I hope I was able to condense it enough while keeping the plot legible lol. Enjoy!
There is one gift still outstanding. This gift has an approved extension, as it was a picked-up prompt for a giftee whose Santa dropped last-minute.
Once the event has officially concluded, I will make posts regarding housekeeping items, revamp of the rules for another reason (given new Tumblr success rates after shadowban), etc.
The corpse is pale, somehow paler than it ever was in life. He hadnโt known this was possible. A sick glee fills him at the sight. I did this. Me. My design. My plans. My justice.
Itโs so heavy in his arms as he cradles it, childlike, a doll for him to play with as he pleases. Death has settled in him like a weighted blanket, and now itโs Lightโs job to tear it off of him. This thing doesnโt get to sleep. Thatโs not how it works.
What a favor L had done him, requesting to be buried rather than cremated.
VERY late @dnsecretsanta gift for @reapwhatissewn !! i went with some major character undeath for you, hope you enjoy :D
hiiiii @applestorms, i was your secret santa! some birthdaymassacre deeply psychologically tortured painfluff for you. thank you, you were a blast to write for!ย
secret santa for @pyreneese ! some fanart of your fic Gilded Cages of Feathers and Names a lawlight fairy au ๐คฉ can't wait to read the rest of it and hope I did the wings justice <3
Pairing: Mello/Near (Meronia)
Rating: General
Length: 2.6k words, 1/?
Summary: As the pride and joy of his matchmaking company, Mello has always triumphed in his hypercompetent, individualistic working style. So, to say that heโs dismayed at upper managementโs newly enforced buddy system would be an understatement. Worst of all: Mello has no idea how his eclectic partner even landed the gig. The guy has just about nothing to say 90% of the time and his occasional quips drive Mello up a wall, his lack of social decorum would put a band of monkeys to shame, and most infuriating of all: he has absolutely zero sense for the romantic.
My death note secret santa 2025 gift for @xerolimits-fic. I am deeply sorry for the delay! I hope it's not too big of a deal that the fic is temporarily incomplete :(
my death note secret santa 2026 gift for @thehourglassmuse !! sorry for posting this so last minute, i had a lot i wanted to do with this and im really happy with how it turned out. i hope you like it too!! <3
i went for a more yandere-esque vibe, i too love it lawlight where they're absolutely obsessed with each other. lovely weirdo4weirdo antics ^.^
@dnsecretsanta โ tagging just in case!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
โMello!โ
You jolt awake, gasping a little. โWhat?โ
โItโs Amane,โ says Matt, letting go of your shoulder. You blink hard to orient yourself as he leans in to lay the back of his hand over your forehead. โYou alright? Youโre burning up.โ
No Iโm not, you donโt say, itโs freezing in here. The light from his array of computer screens dances across his goggles. You think of dog eyes, glowing green in the dark.
(Matt and Mello witness Misa have a nightmare.)
[skidding in for the second time] hello again here is 1.6k of mellodramattic ft. very minor remisa for @nic0-r0bs and @dnsecretsanta! i hope you like it!!!
[skidding in on last day] HELLO HI @dnsecretsanta delivery for @nic0-r0bs & her incredible L/OC series!
here's the sketch 'cause i'm fond of it
this was SUPER FUN TO DRAW and even more fun to read the source material for! i can finally kudos it now! their nervous teenager vibe has enraptured me. i hope you like it!!! and thank you so much to the secret santa mod for putting this together <3
