Dear Yuletide Writer 2025

[kahvi_kat]

Dear Yuletide Writer!

Thanks so much for checking my letter! Most of what's here is also in my sign-up, but I've added some extra bits, including my preferences for stories in general. Have a very happy Yuletide - it's my favorite time of year!

First things first: With absolute honesty, I would much rather you write something you are comfortable with and that interests and inspires you, rather than struggle to make your fic conform to prompts and suggestions you’re not feeling. I’m assuming you signed up to write my fandoms and characters because you have a genuine love for and interest in them, and that’s what makes for good stories. So let the optional details be optional, and take the below as a guideline for those who prefer it.

I would be delighted if you would consider the below:

Things I love:

1. Humor! The perfect story, to me, has a curated balance of comedy and drama. I am not, of course, suggesting that everything should be comedic, but I do feel that humor complements tragedy and vice versa. Make me laugh at some point in your story, and I will be very happy indeed.
2. First time stories! I’m secretly an 19th century romantic poet, which is to say I live for the slow burn, unresolved tension (be it sexual or romantic), pining, etc. However, please don't think that I'm expecting a novel-length story; this is more about vibes.
3. Casefic! I love detective stories, especially the classics, so anything in that vein will make me very happy indeed.
4. Plot is delicious. I don’t mind character studies, but a good plot will make me happier than anything.
5. Explicit sex. If you enjoy writing that sort of thing, I am a sucker for a well-written explicit sex scene. I'm pretty vanilla, but I don't mind reading kink. (See Do Not Wants for exceptions.)
6. World-building. In science fiction or fantasy canons in particular, I can never get enough of this. Let me know what people have for breakfast, how their clothes are made, where they shop, where they go on vacation. In short, tell me about the three seashells! (#ObscureDemolitionManReference) In short: Details! 

Now, author, if you’ve read the above and think “but I only write gen” or “but I hate plotty stories” or “I couldn’t write casefic to save my life” - don’t worry. You matched with me because you like one or more of my fandoms and requested characters enough to offer it or them, and that’s more than enough for me to trust you to write an excellent story. I’m obviously very happy if you chose to include some of my likes, but don’t feel obligated to do so.

If you’ve read all the above (and below), and still want more, perhaps having a look at my fics on AO3 might be helpful? I generally like to read the same type of things I write.

Fandom specific details below!

Blackwell Series

• Joey Mallone
• Rosangela Blackwell

I’ve been playing point and click adventure games since the early nineties, and this series is among my absolute favorites. (How does one pick an actual favorite? Impossible!) Yes, it’s a detective story, which I very much enjoy, and the story is engaging and well-written, but it’s the characters, for me. Both Joey and Rosa are complex and feel real in a deep and visceral way; I love them both. 

Wants: Look, I just want them to be OK. I want Rosa to be OK - I mean, death isn't the handicap it used to be, right? I want Joey to be OK, and I want them to be together, in whichever way you deem possible. I ship them fiercely, but if you don't, that's no problem. The main thing for me is that they get a happier ending, and that they get to be together because they need to be together and now I've made myself sad. As with anything, I'm a sucker for a good plot. Even when I'm looking for a romantic story (or even porn), I want plot, and lots of it. As you may have guessed, I would prefer a story set after the end of the series, focusing on Joey's life after he, well, gets one again. I'd really like to know more about Joey's past; the things hinted at in the games. If you'd like to take him on a case, that would be fantastic, as I love casefics. But again, just make them happy. Any way you can think of. (But I mean, if you can wrap all of this in a casefic? I might marry you.) 

Do Not Wants: I ship Joey and Rosa, but I don't mind references to other love interests or relationships (including Joey/Lauren), so long as you don't imply that Joey/Rosa is impossible. No PWP, please, I prefer my porn with added plot. No hurt without comfort. No mention of bodily fluids other than blood, semen or saliva in a sexual context. No body horror/permanent disfigurement (outside of canon, which could arguably be said to include some).

Star Trek: Lower Decks

• Alternate Universe Elim Garak (Lower Decks)
• Hologram Julian Bashir (Lower Decks)

As I was considering what to write about this fandom, it occurred to me that Lower Decks is the fix-it fic of the Star Trek universe, which is one of the many reasons why it is my favorite. Lower Decks drags odds and ends from absolutely all of Trek canon into the light, flips it upside down, contextualizes it, builds on it, and all of this with love, care and affection. There’s no part of Lower Decks I do not like. As of this writing I have yet to see the episode featuring Garak and Bashir, due to the difficulties of getting my hands on the later seasons of the show in my country. I do know what happens, however, so no worries about potentially spoiling me! 

Wants: You are writing two of my favorite ST characters in my favorite ST show; I am already happy. Would I be delighted to get a Garak/Bashir focused story full of romance, smut and bickering? Absolutely! But I would be equally happy with anything that includes them. Though I have not requested her specifically, I would love to see anything with T’Pol, especially T’Pol and Garak interacting. Tendi is my favorite from the core crew. There is a list of themes I particularly enjoy, above; if you want to include any of those, that would be a very welcome addition. If you would like more detailed suggestions: The nature of holograms, and Julian’s feelings about being one (the more details, the better); the complex miscommunication possible for couples who are not only different species, but different states of being; extremely mundane domesticity on the ship; cultural exchanges, literature in particular. 

Do Not Wants: No PWP, please, I prefer my porn with added plot. No hurt without comfort. Feel free to write gen or include other pairings, but please do not make ships other than Garak/Bashir the main focus of your story, and please do not pair either of them with other characters (mentions of past relationships are fine). No mention of bodily fluids other than blood, semen or saliva in a sexual context. No body horror/permanent disfigurement. 

Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse

• Bertram "Bertie" Wooster
• Reginald Jeeves

This is one of my comfort fandoms. I take such joy in the language - Wodehouse was a magician when it comes to words - and the characters and the delightfully clever plots. I have great affinity for Bertie and identify with him to a great extent, and so it's no wonder that I, too, am deeply fond of Jeeves. It is the character interaction and interpersonal relationship I adore the most, as well as the clever, intelligent humor.

Wants: I do ship these two, and I would absolutely prefer a relationship-centered story. More specifically, I would love a slow burn, or as much of one as a short story will allow. I would much prefer a first-time story to one in which there is an established relationship - I really like to see miscommunication cleared up and unresolved tension resolved. If you don't care to write that, I'd love a story based on their mutual admiration and friendship. Ideally, I would prefer a story written in first person. Bertie, of course, narrates most of the stories in canon, but if you are more of a Jeeves, or would rather write in his voice, nothing would please me more. I believe Bertie is genuinely intelligent and clever, and I love when this is shown in writing. Particularly if Jeeves comes to realize it/comes to Bertie's defense if someone belittles him.

Do Not Wants: I'd prefer that you don't pair either of them with other people, though past relationships are okay to mention. Jeeves or Bertie explicitly written to be straight. No PWP, please, I prefer my porn with added plot. No hurt without comfort. No mention of bodily fluids other than blood, semen or saliva in a sexual context. No body horror/permanent disfigurement.

The Fantastic Four - First Steps (2025)

• Ben Grimm
• Johnny Storm

This film had me at FANTASTIC FOOOUUUURRR. While I enjoyed the retrofuturistic style and the writing in general, the characters and interpersonal relationships is where it really shines, for me. I’ve liked Ben in most incarnations I’ve seen of him; I might have a thing for strong, powerful characters who feel trapped or conflicted about their powers, or whose powers come with traumatic side effects or consequences for them to overcome. It’s easy to take that angst too far, or go the opposite way and overcorrect, but I feel like this film gets the balance just right. Johnny, on the other hand, has never really caught my interest before now. This Johnny feels too much, overthinks, cares obsessively, and is genuinely smart, in ways those around him don’t fully understand, and I am there for it! While I did not request him, I do also quickly want to mention the (heh) fantastic depiction of Reed, particularly his relationship to those he loves. Quite often, characters who feel othered or struggle to relate to others because of their differences/potential neurodivergence are shown as either needing to be fixed, wanting to be fixed, and/or are used as comic relief. This Reed, by contrast, is a loving, caring person who doubts himself and struggles to communicate, but is loved, seen and accepted for who he is.  

Wants: Above all, I would love a story about Ben and Johnny slowly realizing the nature and deepness of their affection. Bickering and jokes getting more personal and sharper-edged, frustration and tension building to an unavoidable confrontation - and yes, explicit sex is enthusiastically welcome, though not required. If you're not comfortable writing slash, I would love a similar story about their deepening friendship. That doesn’t mean I’m just asking for character pieces; on the contrary, I’d like nothing more than to see the two of them interact in daily life, be that at the breakfast table or saving the universe (both of which is somehow equally and comfortably domestic in this fandom). While I did not request him, I would very much enjoy seeing Reed included in the story (see specifics in the DNWs below). Beyond the interpersonal, I am super curious to know more about how Johnny translated that message. As a translator myself… that’s a monumental task. It made me curious about his academic background. He seems enthusiastic about science, but Reed tends to dismiss and/or not see his interest. As for Ben, how does he - sometimes literally - fit in? Is he as comfortable as he seems? How did he and Reed become friends; they seem quite different, in many ways? TL;DR: Chaotic Science Family Hot Mess Goodness! 

Do Not Wants: I would love Ben/Johnny, and I am okay with Ben/Reed, but please no Ben/Johnny/Reed. Please do not feature other pairings than these, though mentions of canonical or past relationships are okay. No PWP, please, I prefer my porn with added plot. No hurt without comfort. No mention of bodily fluids other than blood, semen or saliva in a sexual context, though if you want Ben to have some sort of interesting variant of the fluids mentioned above, that’s fine. No body horror/permanent disfigurement, with the exception of what is canonical (as many canonical characters could be said to be both disfigured and by definition a victim of body horror).