Hello everyone! Happy Femslash February. :-D Alongside our first batch of F/F recs, we have some fun genderbent Joker fanart, plus articles about fic and the publishing industry, crossover between anime and football fandoms, and coverage of Hollywood’s (very bad) attempts to make things with generative AI. — Elizabeth

new stuff

“Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory” by Eli Cugini at Defector
“How might we discuss fanfiction’s influence on published fiction in a way that acknowledges that we get something out of fanfiction, and its related forms? Can we reach a healthier vision of the relationship between fiction and desire?”

“A Horse Tries To Make It To The Super Bowl” by Sydney Bauer at Aftermath
The Denver Broncos were knocked out of the playoffs in the AFC championship game [diplomatic redaction re: the Patriots]. This piece profiles one special group of newish Broncos fans: cosplayers who love the horse-girl (literally!) anime Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

“Hollywood Is Losing Audiences to AI Fatigue” by Miles Klee at WIRED
From films with pro-AI messages (like Chris Pratt’s recent flop Mercy) to AI-generated projects (like Darren Aronofsky’s series about the American Revolution—watch a clip, however bad you think it is, it’s worse), Hollywood’s attempts to reckon with this tech have fallen flat with viewers.

the older i get the faster time goes by and the more it makes sense to me when vampires in fiction are like "yeah didn't really do anything for 30 years just kinda took it easy"

— Corey They Them Brickley (@coreybrickley.bsky.social) January 9, 2026 at 11:40 AM

older stuff

“There Is No Safe Word” by Lila Shapiro at New York Magazine
It’s been almost a year since this extraordinary piece of investigative reporting was published, and this week, Neil Gaiman finally replied (on Substack, naturally), denying the accusations of sexual assault, coercion, and other forms abuse, and mentioning that he was working on a new writing project. We’re sharing this piece again as Gaiman attempts his “comeback”—once again with flashing content warnings for the subjects mentioned here.

tumblr & beyond

Joker fanart by jessikawaiicat

please don’t erase our beautiful history.

“as someone who doesnt watch a lot of tv shows but does watch a lot of video essays, there is nothing more exciting than a popular tv show ending badly.”

“it would be good if it were good”

the other other halftime show

Some absolutely STUNNING Gritty fanart from a Yiddish community production of Fiddler on the Roof.

fanfiction

Femslash February 2026 has begun! Thank you to everyone who heeded our call: we wound up with way more submissions than we can run in just four lists, so that means a lot more F/F for later. That being said, please keep sending F/F recs—we want even MORE! F/F stories (all kinds of stories, really) that center characters of color are especially encouraged. Thanks to everyone who sent in the recs for this week’s list! — Elizabeth

“going up, going down, anything for the crown” by defcontwo. 2K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Young Avengers, Hawkeye (Comics); Ship: Kate Bishop/America Chavez
Recced by: melon
Backstory: The Young Avengers are a Marvel Comics superhero team-up of teenagers and young adults, including archer Kate Bishop and dimension traveling portal creating (and canon lesbian) America Chavez. You don’t really need to know any of that for this fic, which is a no-powers AU where they’re both figure skaters.
Rec: Like everybody else in the world it seems, I’ve been obsessed with ice sports recently. It might have something to do with the Winter Olympics or Heated Rivalry or both, but it made me think of this fic that is the pinnacle of what I want every figure skating AU to be. The language use in this fic is just so beautiful and I love how this author writes so much.
Content warnings: N/A

“Serious” by Toft. 8.8K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Legally Blonde; Ship: Vivienne Kensington/Elle Woods
Recced by: Whitenoiseblackknight
Backstory: Elle’s always noticed women. Elle, Enid, and Vivian, lovers and friends in law school, learning how to be who they are.
Rec: I love that this focuses on how Elle interacts with/feels about women in general, not just the endgame pairing. Her friendship with Enid has a great odd couple vibe.
Content warnings: N/A

“all i want” by younglegends. 21K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: LOONA (Kpop); Ship: Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Recced by: zarya
Backstory: In this AU, LOONA’s iconic 2jin are an idol and bodyguard combo! Heejin is a mess, Hyunjin is her strange but stalwart protector, and they figure it out.
Rec: In real life, Heejin and Hyunjin are no longer friends or bandmates and have gone their separate ways, but there was a time where they were best friends in the best Kpop group in the world...this story takes me back to that beautiful time!!!! Even without the knowledge of the real divas, this is just a delightfully charming story about a popstar falling in love with her bodyguard, who happens to be a very beautiful woman.
Content warnings: Alcohol

“Memento Mori (Interlude)” by Netgirl_y2k. 2K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Ship: Jadzia Dax/Lenara Kahn
Recced by: fly_to_dawn
Backstory: AU DS9 fic where Lenara stays on DS9 with Dax.
Rec: Lovely character exploration and world-building, plus I love it when it’s a canon divergence/sort of a fix-it but some destinies are still inescapable.
Content warnings: Character death

“The Process of Elimination” by Zoicite. 122K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Locked Tomb; Ship: Gideon/Harrowhark
Recced by: ghostcwcth
Backstory: An AU where the Houses are sending representatives to compete in a semi-dating-show-esque format for Gideon’s hand as daughter of the Emperor.
Rec: I was won over entirely despite my initial skepticism of the premise by the Harrow voice in this fic. The relationship that grows between them is great and believable despite the odd circumstances.
Content warnings: N/A

“glow in the dark” by p0rth0s. 1.8K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Tian Guan Ci Fu ; Ship: F/F Lang Qianqiu/Qi Rong
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Genderbent modern AU where they are in a situationship.
Rec: “Everyone says I’m the bullet” is such an iconic line, and I was really impressed by the characterization work to fit into a modern setting while still being recognizable as the same characters. Content warnings: N/A

“A Winter Wood Warming” by Terrantalen. 9.3K words; Gen.
Fandom: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell; Ship: Emma Pole/Arabella Strange
Recced by: soph
Backstory: Post-canon fic focusing on Arabella and Emma, and a trip to Faerie. Much of it is told through letters and journal entries.
Rec: I love the developing relationship between the two women, how important they are to each other, and how Arabella’s relationship with the missing Jonathan is treated at the same time. And the sense of the numinous (and of the things that cannot be known) fits just right with the way it’s handled in canon!
Content warnings: N/A

fanfic so good you start punching the air and pacing around the house

— 🌱 alloplush 🌱 (@alloplush.bsky.social) February 2, 2026 at 2:38 PM

FINAL THOUGHT

Just in time for the start of the Winter Olympics, I’ve published a newbie’s guide to Olympic ice hockey! Rather than being an explainer for the sport itself, this post details some of the most exciting characters and storylines leading into the games, including the drama around Milan’s unfinished hockey arena, some background for the pivotal U.S./Canada rivalry, and speculation about why two star players were snubbed from Team USA’s roster. — Gav