Help us be the newsroom D.C. deserves: 51st.news/dc-bezos-was...

GOD a good piece about fic in a mainstream(ish) pub???? "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?"

oh shit this piece is really good

new chotiner interview dropped and the first person i thought of was @helixsophia.bsky.social

fascinating to read an interview with them before it all went bonkers && appreciated hudson’s answer here

As January comes to a close, The Rec Center approaches Femslash February, which I believe we've observed every year since the start. But despite putting out a call for F/F fic recs several weeks ago, we've received *checks notes* 3 submissions. 😵‍💫 C'mon, folks! Please send us your favorite F/F!

"People really, really want to watch characters fall in love and get a happy ending, and it shouldn’t be so hard to make that happen." In our latest, @gavia.bsky.social writes about Heated Rivalry as a romance adaptation—and why many TV execs remain frustratingly averse to the genre:

i have NOT forgotten when Big Parmesan sponsored italian olympic athletes to promote their cheese a few years ago

this will sound like I'm shitposting if ur not in the know, but this food narrative is a direct result of the Italian parmesan lobby targeting influencers and pro athletes, which will presumably ramp up during the Milan Olympics lol

And even *more* thoughtful tv criticism to chew on from @gavia.bsky.social !

highly endorse this episode on HR from one of my favorite podcasts. it is a goddamn delight to have a deep dive from critics whose expertise sits at the intersection of genre romance, film and tv, professional hockey culture, *and* fandom culture!

i've been thinking about this very topic for weeks, aaand indeed have a piece coming soon at @fansplaining.bsky.social to this effect. will Heated Rivalry finally persuade the tv industry to acknowledge the popularity of pure genre romance!!!

Sleet is inevitable Sunday-freezing rain is what worries us. Sleet bounces off trees & power lines. Freezing rain glazes them & that’s when outages become a risk. It's like a sprinkled donut (sleet) vs a glazed donut (freezing rain). Freezing rain risk increases late afternoon, esp E/SE of Beltway

no matter how white supremacy gathers at the sidewalks, flows down the streets, we still beat our drums wild #SaturdayPoem

got through a 6:30 AM pre-ice storm grocery run and the only things I didn’t manage to get were cilantro (0 herbs. None. Nada.), heavy cream (dairy was totally wiped out, as anticipated), and a rotisserie chicken (likely due to timing, not the storm). But BOY HOWDY folks are stocking up!

I've said this a couple times in interviews lately but it's annoying that the lesson publishing will take away from this isn't "invest in more specific, niche, and/or weird books that cater to an under-served readership." It'll be "MORE SPORTS" bc that's a variable they can quantify.

Out now on Overinvested, our long-awaited episode on HEATED RIVALRY, covering the show's brilliantly paced romantic storytelling, its depiction of hockey culture, and much more. www.overinvestedpodcast.com/episodes/202...

fun fact: if a recipe tells you it will take 8 to 10 minutes to caramelize onions, they're a lying-ass bitch

Washington, DC now holds the new American professional women's hockey record. They set the new mark, 17,288 today on the PWHL Takeover Tour. More: thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/... #PWHL

I felt like making some art last night/today and could have made something beautiful and/or meaningful but I made this instead. It's a Barbie Yaga Malibu Dream Hut. No regrets. Can't defeat fascism without joy.

you should read this. open.substack.com/pub/querent/...

Coreo formatted my epub and did a fantastic job! They're fast, responsive, and knowledgeable - highly recommend their services!

what’s crazy is that he then immediately stripped the ottawa centaurs of their 2026 first-round draft pick

🧵 much to chew on!

had the absolute joy of introducing my wife to the existence sutcliff’s ‘the eagle of the ninth’ this rainy afternoon, a formative influence on my young, shippy id. her incredulous comment, after sitting through my summary: “and they don’t even kiss?!?!”

Closer to the heart, #heatedrivalry fic Chapter 2 is up! It is complete! archiveofourown.org/works/770177... Almost 5k more to read! 💙Yuna and Ilya sleepless hours 💙Big feelings 💙Sharing burdens 💙Shane comes back! 💙Hilarity ensues!

seeing old fandom mutuals cross my dash with new HR fics after our paths haven’t crossed in a decade

Fandom is not in fact "the new religion"!! This is an excruciatingly basic take!! Fandom moralism has roots in US Protestant moralism and black-and-white thinking because of the outsize influence that US fans and media have, not because it is anything like actual religious practice!!

Heated Rivalry meta: timelines of show + Russian anti-queer laws by stele3 archiveofourown.org/works/77018946 Some good solid meta integrating the timeline of the show w/ important points in LGBTQ policy in Russia. stele3 makes great points re: how this would inform Ilya's character and behavior.

forget the long arc of history bending towards justice, I need the rube goldberg machine of inexorable consequence to endgame the kind of profoundly ironic yet blackly hilarious karmic downfall that would’ve had ancient greek theatergoers hollering at the chorus

See! More fic!!! This one made me laugh at out loud, from the reason Ilya is staying overnight with Yuna and David to all his little jokes. Bless.

My timeline is being graced by soooo many good fics today! this one made me cry (it wasn’t just the onions)

If you're trying to keep your heart focused on the work that you're best-placed to do, it is, unfortunately, a great day to use this procedure @kateschapira.bsky.social and I worked on. I'm going to add a few ideas and songs that I find helpful in this process. Thanks to all who contributed ideas!

If I had a dollar for every article I’ve seen about Heated Rivalry that completely ignores the existence of queer women… Well. I would not have a million dollars, but I would be able to take my wife (fellow queer woman and HR fan) out for fancy drinks.

FIC: "С Новым Годом, С Новым Счастьем" (Heated Rivalry, 2k words, E) archiveofourown.org/works/76802636 Happy New Year, pals 🎊

Whether it's spending a morning on the Potomac with local fishermen or gazing up at the sky over Mount Pleasant with neighbors, we want to tell the real D.C. stories — those that inspire community, teach you something new, and make you feel more connected to the place you love. Our recent faves:

I take no leave of you, 2025. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.

Always worth a post

2026 looking better already!

HR rewatch of ep 1 and realizing when they’re filming the commercial early in their careers, you NEVER hear Shane laugh like that with ANYONE else. Carefree and full-bodied and genuine. Only Ilya.

ending NYE sick, had to cancel plans with friends we were really looking forward to, and the *ber delivery driver left out half the order (like… you can see it just fell out of the bag), which was *supposed* to be chicken noodle soup, but! we are at least rewatching HR for our woes

does anybody else think that 2026 sounds like a made-up number or what

This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)

Okay #heatedrivalry fic rec thread. 🧵 In no particular order but maybe with runs of tropes or themes I’ve already encountered that are really hitting the spot.

that was SO GOOD 😭 😭 😭

Update: Harriet is losing her tiny little mind at these loon calls. Big airplane ear action over here.

finally home from the family Christmas travels and settling in with Chinese takeout and the finale of Heated Rivalry!!

S C R E A M

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.