It's time for tardis_library's annual Reccer's Bingo!

Reccer's bingo!
Sign up for a bingo card, rec 1-5 works per square till you achieve a bingo.

The challenge is open from now until midnight in your timezone on Sunday 21st September 2025.

How it works:
1. Sign up for your card in the comments below. You can ask for up to 10 prompts to be excluded from the prompt list. (Feel free to interpret prompts as widely as you please, as long as the works you rec for each square still relate to the prompts in some way. )

2. Post your rec(s) for each square to this community. Please post recs for the same square together in the same post. If you have 3+ recs in one post, please use a cut. (1-5 recs per each prompt min/max.)

Tag each post with "other: seasonal challenge."

See the Intro & Guidelines post for posting template and general instructions.


3. Continue to post fills until you have achieved a bingo - five squares in a row in any direction, but any recognised bingo pattern comprising 5+ squares is fine, up to and including a Blackout (filling all the squares on your card).

(hc_bingo's guidelines on how to achieve a bingo are still fairly comprehensive if you want to check out all possible variations.)


Once you're done, you can claim a brand new card, or use your original card for extras (again, see hc_bingo link above for examples - e.g. reccing works that meet multiple prompts simultaneously etc.)

Treat recs for extras in the same way as the original bingo squares, with each individual fill/rec/rec set posted to the comm as one post.

( Example Card & Prompt List )

If you have any other questions about the challenge, please ask here or at the general comm sticky post. General reccing and our monthly themes will continue as usual.

Claim A Character

We've not run this one for a while, so we're overdue for giving everybody a great excuse to share their favourite works for their favourite characters again!

Choose any canon character from any corner of the Doctor Who universe and then rec 5-15 works here featuring that character to complete the challenge and receive a banner.

The challenge is open from now until midnight in your timezone on Sat 21st December 2024.


How It Works
1. Claim your character in the comments to this post. You may claim any canonical Whoniverse character you choose, however major or minor. (As long as you can find at least 5 works you're happy to rec for them!)

Claims will be accepted on a first come, first served basis - if someone else has chosen your preferred character, please select another.


2. You can post each rec in one post, or in smaller grouped rec lists (e.g. 3 posts of five recs) per post. (Please use a cut for anything over 3 recs.)

Any works featuring your chosen character are eligible, regardless of type, other characters involved, or ships etc. - just make sure that your character features reasonably prominently.


Once you have posted at least 5 recs, if you'd like to sign up again for a new character, you're welcome to do so.


( List of Claimed characters here )

Don't forget to tag posts with "other: seasonal challenge" so that it doesn't get missed.

See the Intro & Guidelines post for posting template and instructions. There will be banners for those who complete the challenge. If you have any other questions, please ask in the comments, or PM the mod.

Time for a new seasonal challenge! This is one we've done before, but it's fun, and I feel like we're overdue for a spot of random in our challenges:


Character Surprise!

The challenge this time is to rec 5+ fanworks for a list of five randomly generated characters I will give you. You may rec one (or more) works for each random character or simply focus on the character(s) you like best out of the selection.

How to play:

1. Comment to this post. Choose either New Who or Classic Who lists to use, or both. You can also request additional lists for Big Finish, VNAs, EDAs, SJA, Class, Torchwood or Comics & Other as you please. (Lists contain only Doctors, companions and major/recurring characters.)


2. Receive a list of five random characters. If you can't work with some of them, use the one(s) you can. If you receive a list where you really can't use any of them, just ask me to generate you another - no worries! The challenges are supposed to be fun.


3. Post 5+ recs for works featuring your character(s). They don't have to be the central focus, but they do have to some significant presence in it. If you collect multiple recs for a character in one post, don't forget to use the cut for any posts containing 3+ recs.


If you work your way through your list before the challenge ends and would like another random five, feel free to sign up again.


The challenge ends at midnight in your time zone on Sunday 16th June 2024. Good luck!

In honour of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, tardis_library is having our first ever community challenge!

This one is for the whole comm, so level of participation can be from 1 rec in total to as many as 2 per day - it's up to you. At the end, there will be no banners, only community pride in our achievement - and, very importantly, our show, the best fanworks of its fandom, and tardis_library.


60 Years of Recs

The challenge is for members of tardis_library to rec appropriate fanworks for each year from 1963 to 2023 until all those years have at least one or more recs to represent them.

How does it work?
Rec a fanwork for a chosen year between 1963 and 2023. Make sure you state clearly which year that is in your rec!

If you are posting multiple recs for a given year at one time, you may put them in one post. Otherwise, please make individual posts. (The only limit is the general comm posting limit - 2 posts per day max.)


I'll keep a list of years + recced works in this post and update it as regularly as I can. It will be linked on the Monthly Challenge sticky. There is also a special tag for it - "other: community challenge" to help you keep tabs on progress and to check out the works. However, it's fine if there are years with multiple recs.

At the end, we share a big virtual pat on the back and have lots of great fanworks to read in celebration of the big 60 milestone on this neverending journey across time and space.

That's it!

What counts for a year?

Good question! It will largely be up to the reccer, but please make sure the connection is easily apparent, that is in relation to Doctor Who itself in some way, and that your rec post clearly states the year you have selected. Some examples are:

* It features that year's Doctor or TARDIS team, or is focused around stories broadcast/written etc. in your chosen year; monsters or characters who first appeared then (or had significant developments etc). Thanks to the EU (comics, books, audios, novelisations, fan made films etc, minisodes, etc etc), there are no years where there was not some form of new Who appearing. Fanworks featuring any other significant characters, worlds, objects, lore introduced in a certain year are also great.

* Your rec is in some way set in or features that year - whether via canon (e.g. works featuring Martha and Ten stuck in 1969, for example), or an episode set during that period (e.g. Hide set in 1974 or Remembrance of the Daleks in 1963) or a fanwork that features in any way a visit back to any year between 1963-2023. (Things unrelated to DW, like the year a show used in a DW crossover started won't count, or in most cases the year the fanwork was made, or soundtrack/song used for a vid or similar - but there will probably be exceptions, so please ask if in doubt!)

* Birth/death years of characters or actors - e.g. Clara Oswald's birth date is 1986, as (probably) is Rose Tyler's while Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Nicholas Courtney (the Brigadier) both died in 2011.


* Anything else you can think of that makes sense on the above lines (I'm sure I'm missing something obvious.).


Just rec fanworks you enjoy and that have a genuine connection to something from the show for the year you've selected, and hopefully we will all have fun along the way.

There's no need to rec years in linear order. You can bring a rec for any year at any time.


This challenge closes officially on Thurs 30th November 2023 but it'd be great to reach the total by the anniversary weekend on the 25th & 26th.


What if someone's recced something for a year I wanted to use?

Rec the fanwork anyway! It's fine.

( Years in Progress )


Check out TARDIS Wiki for all kinds of helpful info if you need some ideas for where to start.


Credit to dbskyler - I modelled this challenge on the ficathon they ran for the 50th anniversary with the same basic premise.

Time for tardis_library's next seasonal challenge, which will be the first of our special anniversary challenges!

60th Anniversary Manifesto Challenge

"So... all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will - where do you want to start?"


Now that the 60th is approaching, it's the perfect time to run a manifesto challenge! For this one, we'll all be show-casing Doctor Who as a whole. Over the coming few months, we'll probably want to celebrate, explain or sell Doctor Who to others in fandom and manifestos can be a brilliant way to do that.

So, we're going to have fun, celebrate our show and some of its amazing fanworks and hopefully also create manifestos that will be helpful resources for ourselves and others in the fandom when we're trying to explain our love for this most random and wonderful of TV shows!

Don't be put off by the broad take on this - it's fine to keep your manifesto as simple and short as you want. Essays are welcome but not at all essential.

You could pick favourite fanworks that you think work as great intros and write up your blurb around them, or pick some that can be read without canon knowledge, or similar themed rec-sets, or maybe talk about your favourite part(s) of the show, using recs that showcase those, or ways to get into the fandom, or how you got into it yourself. What is it you love the most about the show - its go-anywhere nature, the Doctor and their companions, time-travel, the humour, the monsters, the edge of magic? Focus on that! Or do a brief overview, plus one rec per era. Be as serious or as light as you wish. It really is up to you what you want to do and I'm not going to be prescriptive about it.


To count for the challenge, your manifesto must include at least one short paragraph of write-up or 'blurb' or meta about Doctor Who itself plus 3-15 recs (min-max), each with at least a brief line as to why you're reccing them. The manifesto can also include images, gifs, vid embeds (fanvids/clips/trailers/reactions), episode/audio/book (etc) recs, links, related resources, communities, fandom sites etc. as you please. There are no minimums or maximums as to word length but you will need to fit it all in one post, so if you manage to hit the Dreamwidth post limit, it's time to cut back at least some of the squee!

"Let me get this straight. A thing that looks like a police box, standing in a junkyard, it can move anywhere in time and space?"

( general info about Manifestos if wanted )

How It Works
1. You don't need to sign-up for this challenge, but if you want to unofficially in the comments for accountability or to talk about your ideas for tackling it, please do!

Don't worry about duplicating recs or anything like that for this challenge.

2. When ready, post your manifesto. You can post it any time you choose between now and the 16th of July. Please do try not to all post them on the last day! Unlike our usual challenges, you can put it all into one single post (although if you feel inspired you're very welcome to make more than one manifesto!)

Please use the coding below or equivalent, so that your manifesto has a brief header of its own and each individual fanwork rec still has an appropriate header for info. (The coding allows for five recs, but cut/c+p as desired.)

<b>Manifesto Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> [your <user name=[joe_bloggs]>] <b>Notes/warnings/spoilers</b> <cut text="[your manifesto title]"> <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> <b>Title:</b> <b>Creator:</b> (e.g. one or more of: <user name= [username]> / <a href=[link]>[username]</a>/ <user name=[username] site=ao3.org>/ <user name=[username] site=livejournal.com> / <user name=[username] site=fanfiction.net>/ <user name=[username] site=tumblr.com>) <b>Rating:</b> <b>Word Count/Length/Size:</b> <b>Creator's Summary:</b> <b>Characters/Pairings:</b> <b>Warnings/Notes:</b> <b>Reasons for reccing:</b> <b>Link</b>: [insert link here] <hr> </cut>

The challenge ends on Sunday July 16th 2023.

If you have any other questions about this challenge, just ask in the comments, or PM the mod.

Time for tardis_library's new Seasonal Challenge! This time, your mission, should you accept it, is:

Your Favourites

This one's simple and allows for a bit of flexibility, depending on how you choose to tackle it.

Simply rec us 5+ works by your favourite creator(s), your favourite works/media, or favourite character(s)/ship(s)/team TARDSI/era(s) and so on.

You can choose one particular favourite [whatever] and rec 5 works for that character/creator/medium/ship/era/trope etc etc, or a work for each of a Top 5+ list (e.g. recs for 5+ Fave Companions or Tropes or Ships etc., you get the drill). Or you could work through your favourite of different categories in the same way. (e.g. One rec each for your favourite Character/Doctor/Companion/Ship/Rare ship/Episode/Minor Character/Spin-off etc.). It's up to you!

No sign-up is needed to take part in the Your Favourites challenge, but if you want to comment below to say what you're planning for the challenge, you're very welcome!

You can start posting any time now this post is up, and the deadline for completing five or more recs (and earning a banner if you want one) is Saturday 7th January 2023.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your recs! ♥

Slightly late - my apologies - but the TV Tropes Challenge is now closed and it's time for a new one! Thanks to felis and lurking_latinist for taking part (I don't make anyone having reached 5 recs for it, but let me know if this is just a tag failure & I'll provide banners!)

Claim A Character

We've not run this one for a while, so it's about time to let everybody share their favourite works for their favourite characters again!

The rules are pretty simple - claim any canon character from any corner of the Doctor Who universe and rec 5-15 works featuring that character. Anyone who completes the challenge will receive a banner.

The challenge is open from now until midnight in your timezone on Weds 22nd June 2022.


How It Works
1. Claim your character here. You may claim any canonical Whoniverse character you choose, however major or minor. (As long as you can find at least 5 works you're happy to rec for them!)

Claims will be accepted on a first come, first served basis - if someone else has chosen your preferred character, please select another. (There's nothing to stop you posting additional regular recs for your fave, after all!)


2. You can post each rec in one post, or in smaller grouped rec lists (e.g. 3 posts of five recs) per post. (Please use a cut for anything over 3 recs.)

Any works featuring your chosen character are eligible, regardless of type, other characters involved, or ships etc. - just make sure that your character features reasonably prominently.


Once you have posted at least 5 recs, if you'd like to sign up again for a new character, you're welcome to do so. More recs are wonderful!


( List of Claimed characters here )

As ever, don't forget to tag posts with "other: seasonal challenge" so that it doesn't get missed when I tot up the results at the end of the challenge.

See the Intro & Guidelines post for posting template and general instructions. There will be banners for those who complete the challenge.

If you have any other questions about this challenge, please ask in the comments, or PM the mod. General reccing and our monthly themes will continue as usual.

Reccer's bingo is now over for this year! Thanks to everyone who took part & I'll be totting up the numbers presently & returning with banners.

Our new seasonal challenge is:

Claim A Ship

Simply claim a ship (of any kind, platonic or romantic or whatever), rec at least 5 works for your chosen ship, and receive a banner along with sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of sharing a bunch of excellent fanworks with the world.

The challenge is open until Sunday 19th December 2021.

1. Claim a ship in the comments here.

2. Post recs to the comm in the usual manner. If you want to post all five (or more) in one bunch, you can! Just don't forget to use a cut. (Posting templates & guidelines can be found in the Sticky Post.) Tag each post with other: seasonal challenge.

3. Challenge completed! If you have recced 5 (or more) fanworks for one ship and want to move onto a second, you are welcome to claim another and repeat the process.


Claims List
1. Martha Jones/Harry Sullivan - paranoidangel
2. Five/Tegan - thisbluespirit
3. Doctor/Romana - lurking_latinist

Our current seasonal challenge, Choose Your Era, has now ended! The next challenge will be the regular tardis_library summer reccer's bingo, so standby for that.

In the meantime, congratulations to paranoidangel who completed the Choose Your Era challenge. Here's your banner:

The Character Surprise Challenge is now official ended!

Congratulations to paranoidangel who completed the challenge! Here is your banner:



Thanks to everyone else who took part - felis, eve11, romanajo123 all posted several wonderful recs for the challenge. *\o/*

Our next challenge will be posted very shortly. (And if I have missed anybody's entries or miscounted anything, please let me know and if a banner is owing, I will make amends asap!)