Han and Leia Celebration

Writing exchanges and challenges for our favorite scoundress, Han/Leia! Please read the rules before joining an event - our inbox is also always open for questions, comments, or suggestions! Tag (# or @) hanleiacelebration to get our attention.

[hanleiacelebration]

2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange: The Reveal (part 2)

That's a wrap!! ✨ As of today, everyone has received their gifts and has hopefully had a chance to read them and thank their mystery writers... so it's time for the big author reveal!

💜 Check out the 2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange Collection HERE

We continue to run this challenge every year to offer a creative outlet and a fun, safe distraction to our fellow Han/Leia shippers no matter what else might be going on. So we hope everyone had fun coming up with ideas, getting to know others in the fandom and seeing your stories come to life. Thank you to everyone who participated: our writers, betas, cheerleaders, readers and our generous pinch hitters!

Everyone, please check out the wonderful stories we got this year if you haven't done so yet, and remember to leave kudos and a comment if you liked them!

Writers, you’re welcome to promote your fics and repost them anywhere you want now!

If you haven’t done so yet, please remember to read your gift and leave a comment thanking your writer!

Without further ado...

The masterlist

a glass poured written by @ahsokatanoss for @diplomaticprincess

All mixed up written by @walkawaytall for @barelydaisy

A mission to remember written by @nocturnalgremlingiant for @phoenix-downer

And you're a disaster written by @joybirdsworks for @cowboylikesolo

At rest written by @bookishbrigitta for @nocturnalgremlingiant

at the edge of my consciousness is where the grass grows written by @soloorganaas for @swappingsongswithswallows

By anonymous written by @diplomaticprincess for @dreaming-of-epiphanies

don't go (i'm holding onto you) written by @snipsnipsnippy for @joybirdsworks

every day I add another stone to the walls I built around you written by @otterandterrierwrites for @walkawaytall

Eyes shut, hair unbound written by @kintsu-tai for @snipsnipsnippy

Future Days written by @maggzblair for @kintsu-tai

Gambler's Fallacy written by @dreaming-of-epiphanies for @ahsokatanoss

More like resting than running written by @lajulie24 for @otterandterrierwrites

Rebel intelligence written by @lajulie24 for @soloorganaas

Showing our hands written by @phoenix-downer for @lajulie24

to face unafraid the plans that we've made written by @bb8mangoes for @bookishbrigitta

Value of the heart written by @cowboylikesolo for @bb8mangoes

[hanleiacelebration]

2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange: The Reveal (part 1)

The collection for the 2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange has now been revealed! 🎆

Check out all the fics that have been submitted so far at the AO3 collection HERE.

Participants, you should have received an email from AO3 with a direct link to your gift when the collection was revealed. If you haven’t, it’s because we’re still waiting on a couple of submissions from writers who needed a bit more time. Once your gift is submitted and approved for the collection, you’ll get an email with a link to your gift. Thank you for understanding!

Please make sure to leave a nice comment thanking your mystery author! And if you read and enjoy the rest of the fics, please also remember to show our authors some love with kudos and comments.

Authors will remain anonymous until January 31, so remember to please keep your identity a secret and do not share your fic anywhere else just yet! We will reveal the authors and share a masterlist of all the fics for this year’s exchange later this month.

Now, go enjoy these wonderful gifts, and have fun trying to guess who wrote what!

[hanleiacelebration]

Attention: we have TWO new fics to enjoy before the authors reveal! Enjoy! 🥳

[hanleiacelebration]

2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange: The Reveal (part 1)

The collection for the 2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange has now been revealed! 🎆

Check out all the fics that have been submitted so far at the AO3 collection HERE.

Participants, you should have received an email from AO3 with a direct link to your gift when the collection was revealed. If you haven’t, it’s because we’re still waiting on a couple of submissions from writers who needed a bit more time. Once your gift is submitted and approved for the collection, you’ll get an email with a link to your gift. Thank you for understanding!

Please make sure to leave a nice comment thanking your mystery author! And if you read and enjoy the rest of the fics, please also remember to show our authors some love with kudos and comments.

Authors will remain anonymous until January 31, so remember to please keep your identity a secret and do not share your fic anywhere else just yet! We will reveal the authors and share a masterlist of all the fics for this year’s exchange later this month.

Now, go enjoy these wonderful gifts, and have fun trying to guess who wrote what!

[hanleiacelebration]

As we head into the weekend, reminder that we revealed the collection this week so there's lots of great stuff to read! Just one week until authors reveals! 👀

And please join me in wishing mod @lajulie24 the happiest of birthdays! 🥳 We couldn't run this exchange without her!

[hanleiacelebration]

Attention! Ao3 will be down tomorrow!

Fellow Han/Leia enthusiasts, please keep in mind that AO3 will be down for about 15 hours starting at 08:00 UTC on January 21 (check what time that is for you).

Unfortunately, this is right as we begin to enjoy all the wonderful gifts from this year's exchange, which we revealed yesterday. What you can do is download all the fics you were looking forward to reading, so make sure to do that today!

[hanleiacelebration]

Ao3 is back up!!

Please continue with your scheduled activity of squeeing over all the new Han/Leia fic!

[hanleiacelebration]

Attention! Ao3 will be down tomorrow!

Fellow Han/Leia enthusiasts, please keep in mind that AO3 will be down for about 15 hours starting at 08:00 UTC on January 21 (check what time that is for you).

Unfortunately, this is right as we begin to enjoy all the wonderful gifts from this year's exchange, which we revealed yesterday. What you can do is download all the fics you were looking forward to reading, so make sure to do that today!

[hanleiacelebration]

2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange: The Reveal (part 1)

The collection for the 2025 Han x Leia Holiday Exchange has now been revealed! 🎆

Check out all the fics that have been submitted so far at the AO3 collection HERE.

Participants, you should have received an email from AO3 with a direct link to your gift when the collection was revealed. If you haven’t, it’s because we’re still waiting on a couple of submissions from writers who needed a bit more time. Once your gift is submitted and approved for the collection, you’ll get an email with a link to your gift. Thank you for understanding!

Please make sure to leave a nice comment thanking your mystery author! And if you read and enjoy the rest of the fics, please also remember to show our authors some love with kudos and comments.

Authors will remain anonymous until January 31, so remember to please keep your identity a secret and do not share your fic anywhere else just yet! We will reveal the authors and share a masterlist of all the fics for this year’s exchange later this month.

Now, go enjoy these wonderful gifts, and have fun trying to guess who wrote what!

[hanleiacelebration]

It's submission day!!

Today, Sunday, January 18, is the deadline to submit your fics for the 2025 HanLeia Holiday Exchange! Some of you have already done so these past couple of days, while others might still be toiling away with final edits and title decisions. Either way, you're all rockstars and we're excited for the reveal!!

A few things to keep in mind today:

If it’s still January 18 somewhere in the world, you’re not late. Fics may be submitted at any time today.

If you anticipate having trouble making today’s deadline, please get in touch with one of the mods ASAP. We are often able to arrange a short (i.e. a couple of days) extension or find another way to help you out. And if for some reason you need more than that, let’s talk so we can come up with a solution and make sure you and your giftee are taken care of.

Remember to use “My Assignments” to submit your fic. Once you click “Fulfill” on your assignment for the Exchange, it will work very similarly to how regular posting on AO3 works, but make sure you submit by going to your assignment and not through the regular posting mechanism on AO3. That will ensure that you and your fic stay anonymous until we reveal the collection, and that your fic is correctly connected to your giftee. Make sure to hit Post rather than leave it as a Draft.

Need help? Get in touch. If you’re having challenges with posting, have a question, are desperately in search of a last-minute beta reader, or need something else, get in touch with mods @lajulie24 or @otterandterrier and we will do our best to help you out. That’s what we’re here for!

Sending you some Carrie Fisher glitter to cheer you on! ✨

[hanleiacelebration]

We're on the final stretch!

Hello, writers! This post is to remind you that fics for the Han/Leia Holiday Exchange 2025 are due next Sunday, January 18, and to announce that the Ao3 collection to submit your fics is now open!

A few things to keep in mind as we approach the deadline:

How to submit your fic: Please make sure to submit it by going to the “My Assignments” tab in your AO3 account and clicking “Fulfill.” Once you click “Fulfill,” the process will be similar to the regular posting process on AO3, but it’s important that you do it through the Assignments tab (not the regular Post function on AO3). This way, your fic gets connected to your giftee AND both the author (you) and the fic will stay hidden until it’s time to reveal the collection.

Make sure your fic is tagged with the appropriate ratings and warnings, if applicable, and remember not to include anything in your summary or notes for the fic that gives away who you are (e.g. your Tumblr handle, references to other fic titles you've written). We love the surprise!

The posting date your fic will show up as will be the date you posted it on, not the date it will be made visible on. This means that your fic could potentially get buried under newer works in the Search by the time it’s visible. If this is something that worries you, you should be able to fix this by choosing a different posting date set in the future, or change it later on.

The mods will be checking over the fics as they’re submitted to make sure they’ve been properly tagged and that writers haven’t accidentally given themselves away. Assuming everything’s in order, they'll get approved for the collection; if not, we’ll reach out to the author to sort it out. Make sure to login to Tumblr periodically after posting in case we need to get in touch!

Still need a beta? The sooner you let us know, the easier it will be to match you with someone who still has time to help you out, so get in touch with a mod ASAP if you’re not already connected with a beta and would like one.

Fics are due ANYTIME Sunday, January 18. As long as it’s still 18 January 2026 somewhere in the world, you’re good.

Worried about making the deadline? Please get in touch with one of the mods ASAP. If it’s a matter of a day or two, we can likely work with you on an extension. If you need to drop out, the sooner we know, the sooner we can get a pinch hitter to make sure your giftee gets a fic.

That’s about it! If you have any questions or need anything else, please get in touch with the mods, or send an ask to the blog — we’re here to help.

YOU CAN DO IT! Happy writing!

[hanleiacelebration]

We're on the final stretch!

Hello, writers! This post is to remind you that fics for the Han/Leia Holiday Exchange 2025 are due next Sunday, January 18, and to announce that the Ao3 collection to submit your fics is now open!

A few things to keep in mind as we approach the deadline:

How to submit your fic: Please make sure to submit it by going to the “My Assignments” tab in your AO3 account and clicking “Fulfill.” Once you click “Fulfill,” the process will be similar to the regular posting process on AO3, but it’s important that you do it through the Assignments tab (not the regular Post function on AO3). This way, your fic gets connected to your giftee AND both the author (you) and the fic will stay hidden until it’s time to reveal the collection.

Make sure your fic is tagged with the appropriate ratings and warnings, if applicable, and remember not to include anything in your summary or notes for the fic that gives away who you are (e.g. your Tumblr handle, references to other fic titles you've written). We love the surprise!

The posting date your fic will show up as will be the date you posted it on, not the date it will be made visible on. This means that your fic could potentially get buried under newer works in the Search by the time it’s visible. If this is something that worries you, you should be able to fix this by choosing a different posting date set in the future, or change it later on.

The mods will be checking over the fics as they’re submitted to make sure they’ve been properly tagged and that writers haven’t accidentally given themselves away. Assuming everything’s in order, they'll get approved for the collection; if not, we’ll reach out to the author to sort it out. Make sure to login to Tumblr periodically after posting in case we need to get in touch!

Still need a beta? The sooner you let us know, the easier it will be to match you with someone who still has time to help you out, so get in touch with a mod ASAP if you’re not already connected with a beta and would like one.

Fics are due ANYTIME Sunday, January 18. As long as it’s still 18 January 2026 somewhere in the world, you’re good.

Worried about making the deadline? Please get in touch with one of the mods ASAP. If it’s a matter of a day or two, we can likely work with you on an extension. If you need to drop out, the sooner we know, the sooner we can get a pinch hitter to make sure your giftee gets a fic.

That’s about it! If you have any questions or need anything else, please get in touch with the mods, or send an ask to the blog — we’re here to help.

YOU CAN DO IT! Happy writing!

[hanleiacelebration]

Hi! Sorry, I'm the one who asked if this is running again in 2026, as I missed the sign-ups lol. Just curious if this whole exchange is going to come back towards the end of 2026 (if that makes sense)! Thanks!

Oh, that's too bad! While we can't make any promises (because a lot can happen in a year), we'll do our best to continue hosting it!

[hanleiacelebration]

Hi! Just curious if this is running again in 2026!

Hello! I'm not sure what challenge you're referring to, but the 2025 Holiday Exchange is currently in process! 😊

[hanleiacelebration]

It’s check-in time!

We’re about halfway through our writing time for the 2025 HanLeia Holiday Exchange!

In the next few days, you’ll be hearing from one of the mods to check in and see how things are going. Please be sure to keep an eye on your Tumblr messages, and respond promptly when you hear from one of the mods. Whether you’re close to done, still thinking through ideas, or somewhere in between, it’s all good! Just let us know. We still have time until fics are due (January 19, 2026).

This is also a great time to let us know…

Any questions or challenges that have come up as you’re writing for your giftee.

If you’d like help from a beta reader, a cheerleader, or just someone to help you bounce around ideas as you’re writing your fic.

If you’d be willing to help another writer out as a beta reader or cheerleader.

Anything else related to the exchange!

Happy writing—we’ll be in touch soon!

[hanleiacelebration]

Calling all betas and cheerleaders!

While we still have over a month before the deadline for the 2025 HanLeia Holiday Exchange (January 18), our writers are already hard at work on their gifts — and some of them might require a little assistance! We're looking for volunteers in the following areas:

Beta reading - proofreading: checking grammar, spelling, word usage, or typos before a fic is posted

Beta reading - characterization, plot, or flow: a little more in-depth read and questions on more structural issues with the fic (“does this part ring true to this character to you?” could be a question a writer might ask, for instance)

Cheerleading / sounding board: Helping a writer when they’re having trouble getting started, when they got started but are feeling a bit stuck, or are feeling challenged to get across the finish line. This could just be encouragement and checking in regularly, or it could be offering a sounding board to think through ideas or get suggestions.

We welcome your help regardless of whether you’re writing for the exchange or not. And if you’re concerned about having enough time, please don't worry; we’ll check in with you before we match you with a writer in need to make sure you still have time and capacity to do it.

To let us know you’d like to help, send a message to mods @lajulie24 , @otterandterrier or @hanorganaas, or send an ask at @hanleiacelebration. On behalf of all of us writers, thank you!

[hanleiacelebration]

A few reminders…

Writers, have you reached out to your giftee yet? If not, be sure to send them an anonymous ask on Tumblr as soon as possible, but definitely by the end of Saturday, December 6.

Exchange participants, be sure your Tumblr is set up to accept anonymous asks and direct messages from everyone. Please check your inbox and post your response! If your writer hasn’t sent you an ask by Sunday morning, please reach out to one of the mods and we’ll remind them.

Anonymous asks are a great way to find out more about your giftee’s likes and preferences, bounce story ideas off of them, or just say hi! And they’re an especially fun part of the exchange.

If you’d like a common tag to use when posting things about the exchange, you can use #hanleiaholidayexchange2025—that’s the tag we’re using for the blog, and it’s a great way to find other HanLeia fans who are posting about the exchange.

Having trouble reaching out to your giftee? Have another problem, or a question? Looking for a beta reader, a cheerleader, or someone besides your giftee to bounce ideas around? Contact one of the mods (@lajulie24 @otterandterrier or @hanorganaas ) and we’ll be happy to help.

[hanleiacelebration]

We're moving on to the next stage of the 2025 Han/Leia Holiday Exchange! The mods have been working some deep magic, mixing and matching your requests and your offers to find the (hopefully) right gift-giver for everyone 🪄 And we did it with a day to spare, so your assignment is coming a little earlier than scheduled!

🎉 What’s next?

1. Find your assignment: Assignments went out to the email address you use for your AO3 account. (Be sure to check junk or bulk mail boxes if it didn’t land in your inbox.) You can also log onto AO3 and find your assignment in your dashboard under “Assignments.” If for some reason you did not receive your assignment, please contact one of the mods.

2. Make sure you’re Tumblr-ready for the exchange: Check that the Tumblr used in your sign-up is set up to receive anonymous asks, that you're able to receive direct messages from everyone (not just blogs you follow) so that a mod can contact you, and that you check that Tumblr account regularly (at least every couple of days) during the exchange to respond to messages from your writer or from the mods, as this will be the primary way folks will get in touch with you about exchange business. Plus, it can be a fun way to share the excitement with other participants!

3. Say hello (secretly!!) to your giftee: Within the next couple of days, send an anonymous message to your recipient’s Tumblr ask box to say hello. This is a great opportunity to ask your giftee questions about their preferences or prompts, to bounce story ideas off of them, or just to greet them and say that you’re excited to be working on their gift. And by no means do you have to limit yourself to one message—a little back-and-forth with your giftee can build excitement and help you with your story. If your giftee’s Tumblr does not allow anonymous messaging, please contact the mods and we’ll remind them to turn that feature on.

4. Have fun writing! Mods will be checking in with folks the week of December 15 (halfway point, -ish) to see how things are going, but don’t feel like you need to wait until then to ask questions or ask for help. Need a beta reader, a cheerleader, or someone to help you bounce around story ideas? Hit us up, and we’ll work on connecting you with someone. Have a problem or a question? Let us know and we’ll do our best to resolve it.

5. Submit your fic via AO3 once it’s ready: The collection will be open for submissions some time before the deadline—we’ll let you know when the collection is ready. When you’re ready to submit your fic, you’ll go to your AO3 account, find “Assignments,” go to “2025 HanLeia Holiday Exchange” and hit “Fulfill” to start posting your fic. (It will look very similar to the regular AO3 posting process, but using “Fulfill Assignment” will make sure it’s connected with your recipient and that it remains hidden and anonymous until it’s time to reveal the exchange collection.) Then follow the instructions and AO3 will do the rest!

As always, your exchange mods are here to help. You can send an ask to our inbox here at the blog, or contact one of us directly: @lajulie24, @otterandterrier or @hanorganaas

Happy writing!

[hanleiacelebration]

That’s right, folks!

Today, November 24, is your last chance to participate in the 2025 Han/Leia Holiday Exchange, so if you’ve been putting it off, the time is now!

👉 “Wait, but what exact time does the form close??”

We don’t have an exact time: we’ll close the form tomorrow morning, Tuesday 25, so… go sign up now!

👉 Please, please remember to include prompts!

We ask for “Likes”, “Do not wants” and “Prompts”—please make sure to add all three, separated as such! Your “Likes” and “Tags” are helpful, but prompts can be a really good starting point for your writer to figure out the right gift for you. We’ve been contacting folks with missing info in advance; any incomplete forms by tomorrow will unfortunately be disregarded.

👉 Did you check the right boxes?

If you are not comfortable with any rating or you are under 18, please DO NOT choose “Any,” “Mature,” or “Explicit” in your request or offer! If you don't want to receive gifts that might include any part of Legends or the Sequel trilogy, best avoid checking those!

👉 Want to do a last minute check?

If you’ve already signed up, you can make sure that everything in your form is the way you want it before we close sign-ups! You can go to your Ao3 profile > Sign-ups > Edit Sign-up.

We're so very excited to get started, thank you for joining us!!

✨ SIGN UP HERE! ✨

[hanleiacelebration]

HanLeia Favorites: Moments of Affection

What is your favorite HanLeia moment of affection from the Original Trilogy?

Circuitry bay kiss on the Falcon (“Scoundrel?”) (ESB)

Forehead kiss in Cloud City (ESB)

Love confession in the carbon freezing chamber (“I love you” / “I know”) (ESB)

Twirly kiss when reunited in the Ewok village (ROTJ)

“Hold me” after Leia is emotional from her talk with Luke (ROTJ)

Leia’s concealing a blaster (“I love you” / “I know” reversed) (ROTJ)

Han finds out he doesn’t need to step aside for Luke (“He’s my brother”) (ROTJ)

Han and Leia hold each other during the Endor celebration (ROTJ)

Another moment during the OT (share which one in the tags!)

Voting ended onNov 24, 2025

Ready to write about one of these moments (or a new one of your own) and receive your very own HanLeia fic in return? Sign up today for the 2025 Han/Leia Holiday Fic Exchange! Signups are open through November 24, and all the details can be found in our announcement post here.