Hello all! Along with our next batch of Femslash February fic recs, we’ve got articles about Winter Olympics luge, the intersection between fanfic and literary scholarship, and the romcom genre. Plus some beautiful Interview with the Vampire fanart! — Gav

new stuff

“Fanfiction Made Me a Literary Scholar” by Sarah Jilani at Electric Literature
“Fanfiction as a creative practice already assumes what any literary scholarship worth its salt must acknowledge: Narrative is a social act.” A fantastic essay by an English professor about the ways reading and writing fic as a teen prepared her for her academic career.

“High-Level, Actionable Insights From Watching Doubles Luge For The First Time” by Sabrina Imbler at Defector
“Alluringly homoerotic and abjectly nonsensical, doubles luge might be the strangest event of any Olympics, winter or summer. Unlike other baffling Olympics sports like biathlon and curling, doubles luge has no legible explanation rooted in Scandinavian military training or bored Scottish people. Doubles luge appears to be the consequence of somebody watching luge and being struck by the idea of stacking another guy on top of the first guy.”

“Long Live the Rom-Com” by Carolyn Wells at Longreads
For the rom-com fans among us (we are sure there are many): An interesting collection of articles about the genre, from When Harry Met Sally to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

production of The Muppet Show should not be dependent on petty vulgarities like “ratings” or “revenue.” it should be preserved as a vital function of american culture. it should have a taxpayer-funded budget rivaling the CIA

— ceej (@ceej.online) February 6, 2026 at 7:40 PM

older stuff

“How Indie Movies And Fanfic Helped Me Learn How To Be A Lesbian” by Nuria Perea at Buzzfeed
“Stories about queer women helped me conjure a world of my own, where I could let myself live on the margins of reality and what it had to offer me.”

tumblr & beyond

Interview with the Vampire fanart by bimtimtom

“You’re telling me this plot has a hole?”

unfortunately those are Darth Vader’s monkeys.

obviously we’d love to see lestat’s episode of drag race.

“the father (dolly parton), the son (sabrina carpenter), and the holy spirit (miss piggy)”

some fascinating backstory on mark hamill’s casting as the joker in Batman: The Animated Series.

fanfiction

Femslash February continues! If you missed Week 1, that’s here. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“The time between us” by probablynotali. 6.3K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Interview with the Vampire; Ship: Claudia/Madeleine
Recced by: heliza24
Backstory: In Interview with the Vampire, Claudia and her lover Madeleine are doomed by the narrative, their stories and blossoming love affair cut short by the failures of the men around them. This “what if they lived” fic beautifully shows what could have been, and checks in with the couple once every decade from 1949 to 1999.
Rec: This story is so achingly beautiful! It really captures what living an immortal companionship must be like. Even when there is conflict and sadness between them, Claudia and Madeleine have years to figure it out. The way they lose and re-find their joy together through the years is so lovely, as is their tentative reconciliation with Louis. Each chapter is a tiny perfectly-researched jewel of historical fiction; there are so many specific details that make each time period feel startlingly real.
Content warnings: N/A

“talk it all into the ground (and have a ceremony there)” by gratuitous_violets. 20K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Bridgerton (TV); Ship: Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington
Recced by: mockingbirdie
Backstory: A canon-compliant re-write of season 3 where instead of Colin and Penelope getting together, it’s Eloise and Penelope slowly working past the distance and pain of their falling-out at the end of season 2.
Rec: I loved that it was a rewrite that is able to utilize the same scenes as are in the show. I love the emphasis on Eloise and Penelope learning to trust one another again as it progresses into a re-connection and then the evolution of their friendship.
Content warnings: Internalized homophobia, groping

“My Whole Life For Yours” by Jajalala. 136K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: My Hero Academia; Ship: Toga Himiko/Uraraka Ochako
Recced by: Jenart
Backstory: Shapeshifting villain Himiko takes on the identity of her fallen enemy, the superhero Ochaco out of guilt for the latter’s death. Eight years of facade later, she discovers she isn’t the only one keeping secrets.
Rec: This fic’s network of lies, repression and tainted relationships is enough to make you feel ill even before it hits its genre-twisting stride (both slash fiction and superhero fiction genres). Also refreshingly realistic in its presentation of people’s relationships to oppressive systems of power.
Content warnings: Violence, kidnapping

“A Melody So Plain” by lyricalnights. 1.6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Carrie - Stephen King; Ship: Susan Snell/Carrie White
Recced by: forthegothicheroine
Backstory: What if Carrie hadn’t been voted Prom Queen?
Rec: Sue and Carrie are the beating heart of that book, and this gives them a happy ending that seems plausible, earned and non-sappy.
Content warnings: Canonical character death

“throw the keys back” by orphan_account. 31K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed | 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ship: F/F Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian
Recced by: anon
Backstory: I have never watched The Untamed, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this very hot genderbent F/F story about very outgoing and talkative virgin Wei Ying getting under-negotiated D/s-y kissing lessons from strong and silent lesbian Lan Zhan.
Rec: So sad this author orphaned their fics, because they wrote the best lesbian smut this fandom has to offer. A well-written, sexy, kinky romp. Wei Ying has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.
Content warnings: Under-negotiated kink, mild painplay, non-consensual spanking

“Loud Pipes Save Lives” by orphan_account. 67K words, rated Mature.
Fandoms: A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones; Ships: Sansa Stark/Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark/Daenerys Targaryen, Bran Stark/Meera Reed
Recced by: Shi
Backstory: The Game of Thrones you all know and maybe love, except it’s a gritty detective story centered on sapphic police detective Sansa Stark as she tries to solve her father’s murder. Written for a Femslash Big Bang in 2014.
Rec: One of the first long multichapter fics I ever truly loved. I love the Sansa/Brienne ship concept, I love the way the author tackles Jaime Lannister, I love how everyone in this story is so messed up in such a sexy way. And I love the concept of an all-girl social justice biker gang.
Content warnings: Rape/non-con, underage sex

And...possibly the most unique fanwork we’ve ever seen??

“Swanqueen - Microbiology edition” by italianbea. Rated Gen.
Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV); Ship: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Recced by: Orion
Backstory: It is fanart of their ship done in agar plates.
Rec: Sick as hell.
Content warnings: N/A

the spam comments on ao3 are so funny to me, like you think fic authors are where the money is? do you go to the desert to buy water too?

— normal mikey (@dryltt3.bsky.social) February 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM

FINAL THOUGHT

Have a great weekend, everyone! — Elizabeth