kimaracretak | femslashex 2022

Hey so I'm a clown who copy-pasted DNWs from a fantasy canon request and forgot to DNW Brexit in my AO3 signup - I know it's not enforceable but if you could avoid mentioning it I'd be deeply appreciative (as always, explicit Remain-won AUs not necessary as long as I can pretend).

That being said! Hello friend, it is time for femslash and I am so excited to see what you will write for me! If you want inspiration beyond this letter I am also

kimaracretak, where I have a small but reflective-of-things-I-like set of bookmarks, and kimaracretak on 8tracks if you want #aesthetic musical inspiration.

I love these canons for the worldbuilding and mytharcs as well as their characters and relationships, and I am easy to please as long as you stay away from my DNWs (both general and canon-specific), so don't feel like you Have to write any of my specific prompts. Don't read anything into relative lengths of sections, I am equally happy to get something for anything in this letter! Some of these prompts are reused from old letters, and if you have written them for me before, rest assured that I loved your fic, I am simply greedy and would like to see every possible take on my favourite scenarios. Though I've loads of specific dark- & smut-focussed likes, don't feel obliged to pull from those lists. That being said, I'm extremely not into plotless/conflictless fluff, and would prefer you avoid it.

I've requested almost exclusively crime procedurals, and while I love casefic I don't expect it. If you do have a casefic idea but are staring nervously at the deadline (I've been there!), scenes from a case, or multiple character/relationship-development vignettes from across several cases are always wonderful.

I love everything from short introspection bits to long plotty missionfic to sex scenes as ways to explore character/setting/worldbuilding, and I don't need a lot of romance in my ships: sex for power, manipulation, or just between friends who want to have fun is also great. Please no unrequested ships unless specifically allowed for, but feel free to combine any compatible ones from my requested ones.

Borgen || River || Scott & Bailey || Shetland || Y Gwyll

Borgen

General: I want to say something intelligent about this show but I'm extremely 'no thought head Birgitte and Hanne and Katrine' about it, so feel free to combine these ships as well - I'd be delighted by, say, Birgitte/Katrine & Hanne. I generally prefer fic set closer to 2013 than present-day in post-canon fic, and DNW the contemporary European political landscapes in futurefic — I'd like a Denmark that was kept more thoughtfully & compassionately to the left because of Birgitte's politics, a UK that didn't leave the EU, that sort of thing (this does not apply to American politics, keep those as is or go alt-history as you wish). I have not seen series 4 but I am broadly spoiled for it, so use it or not as you wish, I trust your judgement.

Note: Referenced/past Birgitte/Phillip, Kasper/Katrine, and Hanne/her ex are fine. I'd prefer if you pretended Birgitte/Jeremy never happened, even if we didn't match on a Birgitte ship.

Birgitte/Katrine: Did I love what season 3 gave me? Yes. Do I want more? Also yes.

AUs where Katrine is Birgitte's ex, instead of Kasper's. Either romantic ex or an Anne-Sophie type figure, and what that means for their (re)developing relationship after the Moderates are elected.

Post-s3, Birgitte back as Staatsminister in a leftist government with Katrine as her spin doctor.

Fic set in one of the between-seasons gaps - Katrine covering an event Birgitte is speaking at, a legislation-of-the-week fic like some of the early s1 episodes.

AUs where Birgitte's ill-advised one night stand is with Katrine instead of her driver.

Birgitte/Hanne: Also known as: the scene early in s1 where someone was like 'no one wants to hire Hanne anymore' and Birgitte responded by giving her the first question made a much bigger impact on me than anyone intended.

They choose the same bathroom/hallway to hide out in during some boring event.

Anything set in the s2-s3 timeskip.

Pre-canon one night stand when Birgitte was younger & the relationship not as potentially scandalous, and how that affects their new professional relationship (reunions + reminiscing over coffee?).

Hanne/Katrine: Their relationship is hands-down the best part of s2, and I love that they both truly need each other and are good friends to each other in a way that transcends their (theoretical) mentor-student positions.

Post-canon, covering the new administration, Katrine readjusting to news journalism after her time with the New Democrats.

Post-canon, Katrine continues working with Birgitte, Hanne stays in news journalism, and what effect that has on their relationship.

Working on a story together in the s1-s2 timeskip.

An exception to my kidfic DNW: the two of them with Gustav post-canon, Katrine offering Hanne the chance to develop some kind of relationship with him the way she didn't get to with her own daughter.

Uncomplicated friends-with-benefits arrangements.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Carolyn Barek/Alex Eames: We were robbed of more Barek, frankly, and I want more of her being clever or soft or prickly or sexy or terrifying with Alex. Casefic or scenes-from-casefic where she and Alex were always partners. Drinks after work. Casual friends-with-benefits hookups. AUs where Barek doesn't leave, and what that changes. Not necessarily looking for romance/happily-ever-after but not opposed to it. Bonus for Bobby being quietly happy for them.

River

General: Gods, this show has so many beautiful things to say about love and loss and grief and I just want to dwell in it a while longer. I interpret Chrissie has having been in love with Stevie but not having recognised/admitted it even to herself until after she'd died, and my prompts do stem from that interpretation - I would love a story that's both Chrissie/Stevie and Chrissie/Rosa - but if you want to do an AU where there's some element of requited-ness that's great. Permanent death for Stevie as per canon is fine here.

Chrissie/Rosa: I'd love anything about them finding peace together post-series.

Rosa helping Chrissie rediscover/reclaim her sexuality. You know that Lesley Manville interview where she talks about how women over 50 should still get to have sex up against a fridge if they want to? Chrissie should get to have sex with Rosa up against a fridge.

I think a relationship with Rosa would be the first time Chrissie allowed herself to consciously appreciate/care about/relate to another woman sexually or romantically, and just - all the joy and exploration that comes with that, and Rosa giving her the space to both feel and process that joy. It's what she deserves!

Chrissie seemed - unusually for DCIs in television - to have a solid handle on friendships before Stevie died. But she didn't have a partner, at home or at work, and I'd love a story about her discovering a genuine partner in Rosa.

And, following on from that - stories about them with their friends! How do they manage e.g. dinner parties at Ira and Marianne's with John while everyone is still deeply aware of Rosa as A Therapist(tm)?

Chrissie/Stevie: John's grief over Stevie takes centre stage for most of the show, so if you go for mid- or post-canon, I would really like something that moves the focus over onto Chrissie and her grief here.

Anything where Chrissie sees Stevie like River does. So much of what we know - think we know - about Stevie is actually just how River remembers Stevie, so ... what might we learn from the version of her Chrissie creates? What changes?

Pre-canon almost-get-togethers - slightly drunken kisses that Chrissie pretends can't mean anything, Stevie staying over at Chrissie's a little too late, sleeping on her couch one night too often, the two of them going out with the kids one time too many.

What does it mean to recognise you were in love with your best friend when you'd convinced yourself you'd forgotten how to be in love? What does Chrissie re-evaluate about the way she approaches affection and care, and how does that affect a future relationship with Rosa?

Scott & Bailey

General: Listen I'll fight Sally Wainwright in the Tesco's car park for many reasons, but this messy show about messy people is so close to my heart, and I'd love anything about these women and their relationships. I love all sides of the Julie-Gill-Janet-Rachel square, so fic combining exploring other aspects of those relationships (e.g. Gill/Julie + Janet/Rachel, past Gill/Janet + present Janet/Rachel, Janet/Rachel + Rachel & Gill) is super encouraged. I've read and enjoyed all three books - use book canon or not as you like.

Fandom-specific DNW: Season 5 canon

Gill/Janet: Twenty years of friendship! I'd love something that follows them over the years, a sort of friends-and-lovers who keep connecting and reconnecting as they work their way up the ranks. I don't see them as super romantic/particularly exclusive/necessarily endgame, and I would more than love an on-again/off-again relationship, occasional sexual comfort after bad cases that exists mostly-uncomplicatedly alongside established Gill/Julie, that sort of thing. That being said, endgame-for-now pre-canon fic in 80s/90s Manchester, maybe in a world where Gill dumped Dave earlier and stayed on at the Crime Faculty and Janet never met Ade would also be amazing.

Rachel/Janet: I love them as friends-and-lovers and I think trying to pin down the line between the two for them is ... useless at best and counterproductive at worst. They and the show are at their best when their relationship is allowed to be the most important thing to each of them, and just ... lean into that. More of women getting to say yes to each other & having that being fulfilling!

I live for their friendship, and would love to see them in a friends-and-lovers situation. Or, as the freeform tag goes, '#Let's Not Worry About Defining This Relationship Let's Just Keep Kissing'. Canon, but they keep managing to steal kisses and not think too hard about it until something (Sean's proposing?) makes them.

But also, I'm not even super invested in any type of romance! The kid of setup where they're each other's most important person, they sometimes have great sex, and that's all there needs to be for them to be happy with each other - I love that too. It possibly requires a bit more introspection from Rachel than we're used to, but I believe in her, and in Janet's ability to help her get there.

Any type of canon divergence where Rachel dumps Sean instead of marrying him. I know making the worst possible choice is just Rachel being Rachel sometimes, but I'd like her to not have to for once - to take a step back and realise that won't end well, or for Janet to maybe realise she's projecting her own feelings about (the loss of) marriage onto Rachel and she doesn't have to.

Like, I mean, 'Do you really want to stay at ours' she wanted to say yes so badly let Rachel say yes to Janet - friendship, sex, romance, any/all/weirdly in between those things - instead of saying yes to a man because she thinks she has to.

Casefic, and, if you're wanting a specific prompt, what casefic centred on them looks like in the aftermath of Helen Bartlett's death. S2 touched a bit on what the failure of system does to Rachel specifically, but Helen's case was a failure of Gill's, who Janet and Rachel not only trust but model themselves on, and while s4 gestured at some answers ... I'm not completely satisfied with them. So.

Rachel making a pass at Janet, instead of bringing Kevin home, and Janet's fear of adding - or acknowledging - that dimension of their relationship leading to their fight.

The potentially disasterous intersection between 'Rachel's entire authority THING' and 'that point in s3 where Janet is absolutely her superior officer'. Because, look, 'I can call you ma'am now if you like' x all those times Rachel's knelt in front of Janet's desk ... that has lived in my head for the better part of a decade at this point. I refuse to be the only one.

Shetland

General: I haven't seen series 6, but given that it's not got Rhona and all my requests involve her, I'm not sure it matters much, promptswise! I like selkie!Rhona AUs, fics that explore the challenges of Shetland life vs mainland life, fics set outside with lush descriptions of the sea, gratuitous digs at Calmac ferries, and Scottish mythology. Explicit Remain-won AUs are delightful, but not necessary as long as I can pretend Remain won and there's no Brexit. Fic in Scottish Gaelic super welcome if you speak it. Background/mentioned Jimmy/Duncan welcome. On the whole I liked how Rhona/Phyllis ended, and am interested in stories exploring how Rhona moves on, but AUs where they were never together are also great.

Fandom-specific DNW: Rhona permanently moving away from Shetland.

Rhona/Anke: They're both dealing with massive professional fallout and personal betrayals (I definitely saw Lars as as close to a friend as Anke had at work) and I think they could bond over that. I definitely see this as a friends-with-benefits/casual long distance thing - Rhona benefitting from not being with someone who makes her think about life-altering moves, Anke getting someone undemanding to be with. Late-night conversations about cases, phone sex, saving each other from boredom at some international law enforcement conference.

Rhona/Asha: I love Asha a lot a lot, and I really wish we'd gotten more of her outside of Jimmy's perspective.

Season 3 AUs where Asha's fling was with Rhona instead of Jimmy (Rhona cheating on Phyllis/Rhona-and-Phyllis never happening/the two of them had already broken up all good). What changes, both about how they approach the case and in terms of how they might be able to move on together after everything in a way Jimmy couldn't.

I think a lot about Asha's 'a life worth living' line, and imagine it would be at the forefront of Rhona's post-Phyllis mind as well. Let them figure it out together!

Anything and everything about Shetland-as-place and Shetland-as-home, and how the land helps them find a connection together. Long walks, getting caught in the rain, getting drunk on the beach watching the auroras together.

Rhona/Cassie: Cassie does a lot of figuring herself out over the years, and while Rhona is canonically a part of that, I'd like to see how their relationship evolves into something in its own right. I'm not particularly looking for endgame/happily ever after here, just sweet/sexy/sad moments of connection.

Anything about Rhona coming to see Cassie as truly her own person rather than just her friend's kid, and Cassie seeing Rhona as someone other than her dad's friend - vignettes throughout the years would be very nice.

Rhona as Cassie's first kiss with a woman (even if it doesn't go further than making out because of professionalism.

Selkie or other mythological AUs, especially if it's a 'everything's the same as canon but also they're fey' sort of deal.

Bonding over heartbreak post-s3 leads to something more.

A one night stand a few years post-canon when they've both had really shite days.

Rhona/Tosh: Mentorship stories that came straight for my heart and did not let go! I like anything for them, first meetings, mentorship snapshots, helping Tosh feel comfortable in her body again post-s3.

Y Gwyll

General: I watched the Welsh version of this on S4C (though I've tried to supply American Netflix episode numbers too), and fic in/incorporating Welsh is welcomed if you speak it! Mentions of/references to any of the canon m/f ships is fine (including past ships), though I'd prefer they not be the focus and DNW present-day or future Mared/John. Character death DNW waived for OFC victims in casefic and canon deaths, though I do have a slight preference for Catrin-survives AUs in post-canon fic unless otherwise prompted.

Jenny James/Catrin John: Their relationship is the backbone of the whole show, and I would love to see more of it from their perspectives.

Fic during the time between Pontarfynach and Helen's murder. I'm fond of epistolary - including unsent letters and journals - as well as the angst of almost-meetings and missed meetings. Thinking so much of each other that they mistake other people in their lives for them until they turn around, planning to meet but not together enough or brave enough to follow through.

On the happier side, AUs where Catrin survives. They both have so much healing to do, together and separately, and Catrin at least was making a lot of progress before she died. Any steps they're able to take together.

I really loved Agnes, from the Devil's Bridge hotel, and she and Catrin were a beautiful illustration of the show's thesis that trying is important even when it's not enough, so — Agnes as unexpected connection-facilitator is something I would love to see. Let the three of them revive & reclaim the hotel together, improbably cottagecore-dreamy as it may seem.

On the other end of things, if you choose to keep to canon, ghost!Catrin visiting Jenny, Jenny dreaming of Catrin.

Mared/Siân: These two immediately caught me from the moment Sian tried to slink in late to the team's first briefing. I'm obsessed with how, despite the very real tensions between them, they're still quite close - the same Siân who makes it obvious repeatedly that she would rather be in Cardiff also chose repeatedly to stay and work specifically with Mared, and looks out for her during the investigation in s3. Despite everything they work well together and are concerned with protecting each other, and, not to repeat exactly what I said above and make it obvious I've a type, they're a really lovely illustration of the show's thesis that trying is important even/especially when it's not enough (but it's really nice when it is!) Things I would love include:

Casefic, especially of the semi-low stakes cases that have almost more to do with the interpersonal dynamics of Aberystwyth communities than anything specifically criminal sort.

Things dealing with Welsh mythology! Whether you want to go full-on mythology AU, or they're just discussing their favourite stories, mythology of any sort will delight me.

Late-night quiet conversations of the friendship- or relationship-building sort — bad office coffee at 11pm, complaining about their colleagues' terrible filing habits, &c.

Also excellent conversations to have if they end up going to Cardiff for reasons. Yes they are some of my favourite characters. Yes I am encouraging you to inflict the particular torture of the A470 on them. Ships & friendships alike need roadtrips, and North-South travel in Wales is a whole Thing. Or, if you want them to have longer conversations, stick them on a train. Average Aber-to-Cardiff train is over four hours (not direct).

Anything about the small town/city dynamic in general. Sian showing Mared her favourite places/things, Mared dealing with her feelings of being displaced/overwhelmed.

Pre-canon fic and first meetings, first case worked together, first times, etc

Post-canon fic where they deal with the fallout from the s3 finale.

I very much like the idea that they were together pre-series, recently broken up as of 1x01, and grow back together over the course of the show. It's far from the only take on their relationship that I like, but it is a super under-explored one, and I'd love to see your take on it!

Following on from above, you know what an exceptionally good dynamic is? 'Yes we broke up ages ago. Yes we're still having sex. No we're not talking about what that means'. Think about what the entire show looks like if you assume that's what's going on with them, and explore it!

I know it's a lot to ask to get them to talk about their feelings, but I think a lot about the end of 3x02 (3x01 on the American Netflix version) where Siân asks Mared if they're still a team, and Mared says yes ... and then leaves her alone. The lingering shot on Hannah Daniel's face is an absolute gut-punch, and I'd really like something that builds on that. Mared proving Siân's belonging in words or actions, Siân struggling with her trust in Mared, her lack of trust in Tom, and Mared's trust in Tom.