Dear Star Trek Holidays Author 2019 Letter
Dear author,
Hello there! Sorry fot this letter being a bit late, and thank you so much for offering one of these ships; I’m so excited for it! I’m a pretty new Star Trek fan, and so far have only seen the series requested here, but it’s fun and I’ll be progressing through a little more during the rest of the year; don’t be afraid to use any details from other material if you would enjoy it. If the prompts/thoughts I have don’t quite work for you, please feel free to go in a different direction. They’re only there in case you’d like them.
Likes
Parallels and contrasts between characters and their journeys.
Characters looking out for each other and rescuing each other, giving care and emotional support. Especially women receiving care and support, getting their needs made a priority by their loved ones.
Canon divergence and role reversals are loved, though I also enjoy other AUs.
More things I enjoy: fusions, CYOA, outside pov, story/fragments of story as told in-universe, IF/interactive fiction, poetry, vignettes, character studies, plotty stuff, angst, fluff, smut, adventure, characters talking to each other, character focus in smut, enemies to lovers, friends/lovers to enemies to lovers/friends, pining, worldbuilding, quiet character moments, bittersweet endings, happy endings, open/ambiguous endings, quiet and subtle romance, the total opposite of quiet and subtle romance, psychological horror, cunnilingus, messy and complicated dynamics, blurring between obligation/need and love, fear/horror/anger mixed with desire/love, politics, isolation, competitiveness, competitive smut, limited agency, legacy, manipulation, scheming, ulterior motives for sex, Force bonds, Force shenanigans, Force Ghosts, time travel, weird worlds/dimensions, time moves differently, scars, suspense, undercover, undercover as a couple, mission fic, teaching games, compromised sense of self, interpersonal tension, duty versus desire, love/hate, possessiveness, insecurity, secret relationships, secrets, the divine as sex, using the Force for sex, choking, breathplay, bloodplay, biting, scratching, Ahsoka’s fangs, growling, blindfolding, chains, trust issues, implicit trust, emotional intimacy, casual displays of affection, shared beds, snuggling, sitting/lying in laps, jumping people, stories where the woman/women are a significant part of the man/men’s characterization, stories where the woman/women are a significant part of each other’s characterization, characters gathering each other’s backstory a little at a time, investigating each other, spying, sex and violence paired together, fucking in the same room as your enemies’ corpse, body heat sharing, loneliness, connecting to the force together, mutual pining, dreams, fix-it, parallel universes, parallel universe characters, us against the world, ghosts, ghost sex, feeling each others sensations during sex, rough sex, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, slow sex, quick sex, gentle sex, neck kissing, kissing tears, kissing hands (back of or palm), nuzzling, afterglow cuddles, underwater sex, sexy baths, sexy showers, desperate sex, bruises, marks, hair-pulling, hair-pulling, face-touching, arms around shoulders/waists
Smut Likes
character focus in smut, cunnilingus, competitive smut, ulterior motives for sex, scars, possessiveness, love/hate, Force/magic shenanigans, the divine as sex, choking, breathplay, bloodplay, biting, scratching, Ahsoka's fangs, growling, blindfolding, chains, trust issues, implicit trust, emotional intimacy, casual displays of affection, shared beds, snuggling, jumping people, sitting/lying in laps, sex and violence paired together, fucking in the same room as your enemies' corpse, body heat sharing, dreams, pining, mutual pining, ghost sex, feeling each others' sensations during sex, rough sex, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, slow sex, quick sex, gentle sex, neck kissing, kissing tears, kissing hands (back of or palm), nuzzling, afterglow cuddles, underwater sex, sexy baths, sexy showers, desperate sex, bruises, marks, hair-pulling, hair-pulling, face-touching, arms around shoulders/waists
DNWs
permanently dead female characters (where she’s not even a ghost), the concept of Anakin and Ahsoka as a father/daugher relationship, mpreg, detailed gore, detailed description of bodily fluids and excretions, watersports, scat, emetophilia, noncon (unless requested/prompted)-dubcon is fine, rape (except where specified below), a/b/o, rule 63’ing female characters, body horror, explicit torture, permanently damaging torture, maiming, mutilating, bashing of characters or ships, unrequited love (except if it's only unrequited in a characters' head), unrequested/unprompted ships (though mentions are okay), stories where nobody really cares about the woman/women in the ship, m/m outside of m/m/f ships, focus only on m/m interactions, a story where the f/f or m/f is secondary to the m/m, AUs which don't use canon settings (unless prompted/requested), underage (17+ is fine, whether you change canon ages or set things when the characters would be 17+), ageplay/infantilization, unrequested/unprompted humiliation, bestiality, Jedi Order as evil/immoral (versus deeply flawed institution, which is good), oviposition, monster sex, tentacle sex, flowery terms for body parts (love cave, love tunnel), sex without attraction, actually "mad" Daenerys
Note: I realized after signups had ended that I had accidentally left off a DNW while copy/pasting my list. I completely understand that it only being present in my letter means it’s not enforceable, but have decided that you would probably rather know than not, so it’s included in this note, as follows: bleak/hopeless endings.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Spock/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Mirror Spock/Mirror Nyota Uhura (TOS)
Fanfiction
I really like these two, and I like the little hints here and there, though they were never fulfilled offscreen. Particular bits I enjoyed were moments showing their shared affinity for music; they’re both smart but they approach it differently, human and Vulcan. The early scene of them performing together in Charlie X was very nice, with Uhura doing her friendly teasing and Spock seeming to be into it. Also, I ran across a deleted scene from “Elaan of Troyius” in which Spock’s playing inspires Uhura to suggest music as a possible solution to their problem, and while it doesn’t work it certainly seems to be affecting her-even though Spock’s just talking about how it’s totally mathematical. And it ends in them getting nerdy about it! Nerdy stuff with them and their shared interest would be cool. I also like that part from “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” where Spock, after establishing the mind link with Kollos, is addressing his friends like they’re his friends, with more emotion than usual-because of the link-and he starts quoting Byron when he gets to Uhura.
The Mirror Universe episode was interesting but it leaves so much to explore! Spock is aware that the current state of things in unsustainable, and encouraged by Kirk to be part of a movement towards making a better galaxy; we don’t get to see much of Mirror Uhura, but it doesn’t seem like the Terran Empire creates a friendly, professional environment for women, with the fact that she has a knife in her boot, the midriff-baring outfits, and the unofficial “captain’s woman” position being a thing, along with the openess of the sexual display on the bridge when she distracts Sulu. How do they handle things after the episode, with the self-interest they’ve been conditioned to value first? Spock shares some of his other self’s nerdiness-does Uhura?
Crossover Fandom
Michael Burnham (DIS)/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Spock (DIS)/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Michael Burnham (DIS) & Nyota Uhura (TOS)
Fanfiction
As mentioned above in the “The Original Series” request, I enjoy the concept of Spock and Uhura bonding over nerdiness and music, with Uhura being more open emotionally but not put off by Spock’s relentless logic in conversation, and Spock being willing to let her tease him and responding to her interest in a thing they both enjoy. How would that manifest in a slightly different situation, before Uhura served on the Enterprise with him?
I would also be very interested in what a dynamic between Uhura and Michael would look like; soft-spoken, but assertive and friendly Uhura, and Michael who’s really traumatized and haunted by the results of her decisions. What if Uhura had been one of the first people Michael met after getting to serve on a ship again? I’d love to see that play out whether it’s platonic or romantic. I feel like the desire to learn and be nerdy, already mentioned in the Spock/Uhura sections, is a thing that could come into play here too.
Star Trek: Discovery
Michael Burnham/Gabriel Lorca | Mirror Gabriel Lorca (DISC), Michael Burnham & Sarek (DIS), Michael Burnham & Spock (DIS), Michael Burnham & Mirror Philippa Georgiou (DIS), Michael Burnham/Mirror Philippa Georgiou (DIS), Michael Burnham/Philippa Georgiou, Michael Burnham & Philippa Georgiou
Fanfiction
I really enjoy Michael and all the relationships with the people in her orbit! I love the angst of her childhood and the complicated relationship with her adopted father, how her humanity and her later upbringing provide the substance for tensions in it and with regard to how he viewed Spock, who is also a mix of human and Vulcan but in a different way. I’d love anything from missing scenes to something in the future, with the tension and the (if understated, subtle, and frustrating to them) bond these characters have.
I also enjoy the angst when she gets to reconnect with her human side, especially through her connection to Philippa, and the way she’s so deeply affected by her that she responds to the mirror version of her; that they, after losing each other, work together to defeat Lorca is so beautiful to me. Anything from missing scenes, backstory, an alternate universe where Philippa doesn’t die or Michael and Mirror Philippa trying to work through their relationship with a different versions of their loved one would be loved.
Speaking of, that dynamic with Lorca is delicious; he motivates her to start getting out of the hole she’s sunk in after losing Philippa and everything else, and on his part he’s really into her, with the bonus of knowing her counterpart and building the kind of relationship that could get her to betray Philippa. It’s messed up and I love it. I’d be happy with anything: looking at scenes we’ve already watched but through the lens of Lorca and his knowledge, or something that focuses on his attempts to manipulate her while also being genuinely fascinated by her and seeing a connection-a connection that’s there for her too in a way, but it’s not the same because his secrets keep more distance between them than either of them realize.
Again, thank you so much in advance for all your work! I hope you enjoy the exchange!
Hello there! Sorry fot this letter being a bit late, and thank you so much for offering one of these ships; I’m so excited for it! I’m a pretty new Star Trek fan, and so far have only seen the series requested here, but it’s fun and I’ll be progressing through a little more during the rest of the year; don’t be afraid to use any details from other material if you would enjoy it. If the prompts/thoughts I have don’t quite work for you, please feel free to go in a different direction. They’re only there in case you’d like them.
Likes
Parallels and contrasts between characters and their journeys.
Characters looking out for each other and rescuing each other, giving care and emotional support. Especially women receiving care and support, getting their needs made a priority by their loved ones.
Canon divergence and role reversals are loved, though I also enjoy other AUs.
More things I enjoy: fusions, CYOA, outside pov, story/fragments of story as told in-universe, IF/interactive fiction, poetry, vignettes, character studies, plotty stuff, angst, fluff, smut, adventure, characters talking to each other, character focus in smut, enemies to lovers, friends/lovers to enemies to lovers/friends, pining, worldbuilding, quiet character moments, bittersweet endings, happy endings, open/ambiguous endings, quiet and subtle romance, the total opposite of quiet and subtle romance, psychological horror, cunnilingus, messy and complicated dynamics, blurring between obligation/need and love, fear/horror/anger mixed with desire/love, politics, isolation, competitiveness, competitive smut, limited agency, legacy, manipulation, scheming, ulterior motives for sex, Force bonds, Force shenanigans, Force Ghosts, time travel, weird worlds/dimensions, time moves differently, scars, suspense, undercover, undercover as a couple, mission fic, teaching games, compromised sense of self, interpersonal tension, duty versus desire, love/hate, possessiveness, insecurity, secret relationships, secrets, the divine as sex, using the Force for sex, choking, breathplay, bloodplay, biting, scratching, Ahsoka’s fangs, growling, blindfolding, chains, trust issues, implicit trust, emotional intimacy, casual displays of affection, shared beds, snuggling, sitting/lying in laps, jumping people, stories where the woman/women are a significant part of the man/men’s characterization, stories where the woman/women are a significant part of each other’s characterization, characters gathering each other’s backstory a little at a time, investigating each other, spying, sex and violence paired together, fucking in the same room as your enemies’ corpse, body heat sharing, loneliness, connecting to the force together, mutual pining, dreams, fix-it, parallel universes, parallel universe characters, us against the world, ghosts, ghost sex, feeling each others sensations during sex, rough sex, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, slow sex, quick sex, gentle sex, neck kissing, kissing tears, kissing hands (back of or palm), nuzzling, afterglow cuddles, underwater sex, sexy baths, sexy showers, desperate sex, bruises, marks, hair-pulling, hair-pulling, face-touching, arms around shoulders/waists
Smut Likes
character focus in smut, cunnilingus, competitive smut, ulterior motives for sex, scars, possessiveness, love/hate, Force/magic shenanigans, the divine as sex, choking, breathplay, bloodplay, biting, scratching, Ahsoka's fangs, growling, blindfolding, chains, trust issues, implicit trust, emotional intimacy, casual displays of affection, shared beds, snuggling, jumping people, sitting/lying in laps, sex and violence paired together, fucking in the same room as your enemies' corpse, body heat sharing, dreams, pining, mutual pining, ghost sex, feeling each others' sensations during sex, rough sex, rough kissing, lap sex, sex on furniture, sex against walls, slow sex, quick sex, gentle sex, neck kissing, kissing tears, kissing hands (back of or palm), nuzzling, afterglow cuddles, underwater sex, sexy baths, sexy showers, desperate sex, bruises, marks, hair-pulling, hair-pulling, face-touching, arms around shoulders/waists
DNWs
permanently dead female characters (where she’s not even a ghost), the concept of Anakin and Ahsoka as a father/daugher relationship, mpreg, detailed gore, detailed description of bodily fluids and excretions, watersports, scat, emetophilia, noncon (unless requested/prompted)-dubcon is fine, rape (except where specified below), a/b/o, rule 63’ing female characters, body horror, explicit torture, permanently damaging torture, maiming, mutilating, bashing of characters or ships, unrequited love (except if it's only unrequited in a characters' head), unrequested/unprompted ships (though mentions are okay), stories where nobody really cares about the woman/women in the ship, m/m outside of m/m/f ships, focus only on m/m interactions, a story where the f/f or m/f is secondary to the m/m, AUs which don't use canon settings (unless prompted/requested), underage (17+ is fine, whether you change canon ages or set things when the characters would be 17+), ageplay/infantilization, unrequested/unprompted humiliation, bestiality, Jedi Order as evil/immoral (versus deeply flawed institution, which is good), oviposition, monster sex, tentacle sex, flowery terms for body parts (love cave, love tunnel), sex without attraction, actually "mad" Daenerys
Note: I realized after signups had ended that I had accidentally left off a DNW while copy/pasting my list. I completely understand that it only being present in my letter means it’s not enforceable, but have decided that you would probably rather know than not, so it’s included in this note, as follows: bleak/hopeless endings.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Spock/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Mirror Spock/Mirror Nyota Uhura (TOS)
Fanfiction
I really like these two, and I like the little hints here and there, though they were never fulfilled offscreen. Particular bits I enjoyed were moments showing their shared affinity for music; they’re both smart but they approach it differently, human and Vulcan. The early scene of them performing together in Charlie X was very nice, with Uhura doing her friendly teasing and Spock seeming to be into it. Also, I ran across a deleted scene from “Elaan of Troyius” in which Spock’s playing inspires Uhura to suggest music as a possible solution to their problem, and while it doesn’t work it certainly seems to be affecting her-even though Spock’s just talking about how it’s totally mathematical. And it ends in them getting nerdy about it! Nerdy stuff with them and their shared interest would be cool. I also like that part from “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” where Spock, after establishing the mind link with Kollos, is addressing his friends like they’re his friends, with more emotion than usual-because of the link-and he starts quoting Byron when he gets to Uhura.
The Mirror Universe episode was interesting but it leaves so much to explore! Spock is aware that the current state of things in unsustainable, and encouraged by Kirk to be part of a movement towards making a better galaxy; we don’t get to see much of Mirror Uhura, but it doesn’t seem like the Terran Empire creates a friendly, professional environment for women, with the fact that she has a knife in her boot, the midriff-baring outfits, and the unofficial “captain’s woman” position being a thing, along with the openess of the sexual display on the bridge when she distracts Sulu. How do they handle things after the episode, with the self-interest they’ve been conditioned to value first? Spock shares some of his other self’s nerdiness-does Uhura?
Crossover Fandom
Michael Burnham (DIS)/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Spock (DIS)/Nyota Uhura (TOS), Michael Burnham (DIS) & Nyota Uhura (TOS)
Fanfiction
As mentioned above in the “The Original Series” request, I enjoy the concept of Spock and Uhura bonding over nerdiness and music, with Uhura being more open emotionally but not put off by Spock’s relentless logic in conversation, and Spock being willing to let her tease him and responding to her interest in a thing they both enjoy. How would that manifest in a slightly different situation, before Uhura served on the Enterprise with him?
I would also be very interested in what a dynamic between Uhura and Michael would look like; soft-spoken, but assertive and friendly Uhura, and Michael who’s really traumatized and haunted by the results of her decisions. What if Uhura had been one of the first people Michael met after getting to serve on a ship again? I’d love to see that play out whether it’s platonic or romantic. I feel like the desire to learn and be nerdy, already mentioned in the Spock/Uhura sections, is a thing that could come into play here too.
Star Trek: Discovery
Michael Burnham/Gabriel Lorca | Mirror Gabriel Lorca (DISC), Michael Burnham & Sarek (DIS), Michael Burnham & Spock (DIS), Michael Burnham & Mirror Philippa Georgiou (DIS), Michael Burnham/Mirror Philippa Georgiou (DIS), Michael Burnham/Philippa Georgiou, Michael Burnham & Philippa Georgiou
Fanfiction
I really enjoy Michael and all the relationships with the people in her orbit! I love the angst of her childhood and the complicated relationship with her adopted father, how her humanity and her later upbringing provide the substance for tensions in it and with regard to how he viewed Spock, who is also a mix of human and Vulcan but in a different way. I’d love anything from missing scenes to something in the future, with the tension and the (if understated, subtle, and frustrating to them) bond these characters have.
I also enjoy the angst when she gets to reconnect with her human side, especially through her connection to Philippa, and the way she’s so deeply affected by her that she responds to the mirror version of her; that they, after losing each other, work together to defeat Lorca is so beautiful to me. Anything from missing scenes, backstory, an alternate universe where Philippa doesn’t die or Michael and Mirror Philippa trying to work through their relationship with a different versions of their loved one would be loved.
Speaking of, that dynamic with Lorca is delicious; he motivates her to start getting out of the hole she’s sunk in after losing Philippa and everything else, and on his part he’s really into her, with the bonus of knowing her counterpart and building the kind of relationship that could get her to betray Philippa. It’s messed up and I love it. I’d be happy with anything: looking at scenes we’ve already watched but through the lens of Lorca and his knowledge, or something that focuses on his attempts to manipulate her while also being genuinely fascinated by her and seeing a connection-a connection that’s there for her too in a way, but it’s not the same because his secrets keep more distance between them than either of them realize.
Again, thank you so much in advance for all your work! I hope you enjoy the exchange!