Just finished the CMYK test page cross stitch by @antisocialxconstruct and it was such a delight to make!! Gonna frame it, then get started on another of its patterns, the Windows 95 glitch (which, hilariously, made my local craft store realize they didn't have DMC 01-35 at any of their locations...)
(I've been thinking about reclists and how much I miss them for a while now, so I decided to start doing my own! Basically, once a month or so I'm just going to list a few of the top picks of my fic reading that month. I'm never on the leading edge of anything, I tend to meander through various fandoms, and I have a deep love for gen and rarepairs in addition to the occasional more mainstream/juggernaut pairings, so I can see this getting eclectic over time, but hopefully it will both appease the reccing need within me and be appreciated by/useful to someone else out there.)
January 2026
Much of this month was spent bemoaning my decision to not watch the new season of The Pitt until it's fully out (April is so far away, woe), so I coped by reading some favourite S1 Pitt fic (and a few non-Pitt; scroll to the bottom to find them!)
Kingfisher by blabbyshark
Fandom: The Pitt
Rating: T
Length: 5k
Characters/Relationships: Dennis Whitaker & Jack Abbot, Kiara Alfaro, Cassie McKay
Summary: Abbot hikes his camo backpack on his shoulder and, his back to Dennis, says, "You were homeless?" His tone is neutral, as if he's asking what Dennis had for lunch, or how many scrub credits he has left on his shift.
My thoughts: Dennis' POV as he joins the Street Team for the first time. There's something so thoroughly tender about this, a far cry from "homeless AU" type stories, and when I first read it, it stuck around my head for days after. Really, the whole series is a good read, but this first fic is particularly spectacular.
Summary: Samira takes a fellowship away from the Pitt. After her departure, Robby struggles to adjust to not having her there.
Or: Samira and Robby's multiyear journey to understanding.
My thoughts: The relationship tags on this are accurate but a bit misleading—this is mostly an (in-depth and beautiful) exploration of Samira and Robby's relationship through time. This author is very good at writing realistic people, at exploring their characters and their foibles without being unkind or unfair; this fic is an amazing example of that skill. It really make me appreciate the complexity of a mentor/mentee relationship between narrative foils, and has majorly affected my interpretation of both Samira and Robby in a very positive way.
An Unsuspected Inner Resource by perceived_nobility
Fandom: The Pitt
Rating: E
Length: 18k
Characters/Relationships: Frank Langdon/Cassie McKay, Frank Langdon & Cassie McKay
Summary: Cassie McKay has had prouder moments.
My thoughts: I adore Cassie but there isn't a lot of Cassie-centric fic out there, so when I found this delight, I read it like three times in a row. I really enjoy the way this fic addresses Cassie's past—in the past, yes, but still highly relevant to her present—and how that intertwines with where Frank is in his recovery. Cassie really shines here, firm in her boundaries and strong in her character, and I definitely fell a little bit in love with this version of her.
turkey baster method by knifetop (aka @cancelingtheapocalypse)
"Dr. Robinavitch, excuse me, I must have misheard you, except I know I didn't, I'm just giving you the extremely, very generous opportunity to reconsider—"
"I don't need to reconsider."
Or: Robby makes a proposition. Collins accepts his help.
My thoughts: Coming away from Heather's last scene, I knew I couldn't have been the only one thinking "okay but he could give you a baby for free??" and this fic happily goes down that path. Adults desperately trying to be adults about touchy, awkward, and intimate things is such a beloved thing for me, and this fic has it in droves. Also, the moment Robby drops his bag is very chefkiss.
[Series] Just Normal Colleague Things. Spooning on a Tuesday Night. by thatsfarce
Fandom: The Pitt
Rating: M or T, depending on the fic
Length: 111k overall
Characters/Relationships: Jack Abbot & Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, Jack Abbot/Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, Dana Evans, Heather Collins, Jake Malloy
Summary: [From the first fic in the series.] There was no formal arrangement, nothing that could easily be defined as any recognizable brand of relationship. But Jack learned in the army that sometimes you needed someone to hold. To remind you that you're human. That there's someone who cares. Not that either of them would say anything mushy like that. It was basically a business transaction. Sleep in each other's bed a couple nights a week and in exchange make it to the following week without going off the deep end. Business.
My thoughts: *gently holds your face in my hands* Look at me. Look into my eyes. I have read this entire series a truly embarrassing number of times. Truly embarrassing. Whatever number just came into your head, you guessed too low—it is higher than that. I cannot express to you how deeply this series hit with me. As my own fic writing suggests, I am thoroughly enraptured by relationships that straddle/obliterate the line between romantic and platonic—intimacy is the key here, as in most things that get my heartstrings singing. I just love to see people totally entwined and not really sure what's going on but also not willing to give it up because it's so good. Show me people living in each other's pockets for so long they don't realize that what they have is a) precious, b) indefinable, and c) fucking confusing for everyone involved. A+, good job, love to see two old men learn some new tricks via cuddling to keep the demons away.
And last but definitely not least, a couple of non-Pitt recs:
[Series] When the Devil Smiles Back by GoldenUsagi (aka @the-gentleman-mermaid)
Fandom: Hannibal (TV), The Silence of the Lambs
Rating: T throughout
Length: 114k currently, with the final chapter of the final fic scheduled to be posted tomorrow (Feb 1 2026)
Characters/Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal Lecter & Clarice Starling, Will Graham & Clarice Starling
Summary: Four years after his escape, Hannibal Lecter is once again imprisoned at the hospital in Baltimore. He's the same as ever, except that he refuses to discuss Will Graham, who there hasn't been a trace of in years. When the Buffalo Bill killings start, FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview him, and Hannibal has his interest piqued. But it’s not for reasons anyone would suspect, and as usual, his motivations are all about Will. A remix of Silence of the Lambs, where Clarice finds herself occupied not only with catching Buffalo Bill, but with unraveling the mystery of what exactly happened to Will Graham. And Hannibal knows more than he’s letting on about both.
My thoughts: This series is phenomenal. It deftly blends two related but distinct canons, somehow managing to keep the storylines for both plots coherent and erasing the inconsistencies inevitable to such a task. And Clarice! Oh, Clarice. She is so beautifully written, so clear and strong in her characterization and her motives, and so bemused by Hannibal taking a liking to her. I first read this series about a year ago, but came back to it recently because the author started posting chapters for the fourth and final work, and it's been such a delight to reread Clarice's careful dance with the versions of Hannibal and Will so well known by fandom. One thing in particular that I really appreciate about this series is that even though we see tens of thousands of words of Hannibal and Will interacting with Clarice in a perfectly polite and civil and even amiable manner, we are never lead to believe that they are tamed or defanged, merely... temporarily diverted by something entertaining. Silk wrapped blades, etc.
This Time by greyathena
Fandom: The Librarians
Rating: M
Length: 51k
Characters/Relationships: Eve Baird/Flynn Carsen
Summary: Eve and Flynn are perfectly able to build a mature and healthy relationship because they are both mature, healthy adults. With enough baggage to open a luggage store.
Or, the slightly stream-of-consciousness story of a new couple. Eve is cautious. Flynn is wrong a lot. It all comes out okay in the end.
My thoughts: I only recently started picking up fic for The Librarians (mostly because I tackled the movies this month and rewatched the series), and this one struck me as being so wonderfully tender. It's only compliant for the first season (ie. when it was written), so some of the details have been thoroughly jossed, but I really enjoy how deeply it gets into both Eve and Flynn's heads, and the non-linear narrative plus the swapping POV add a level of discombobulation that really suits both the canon and the hesitant nature of a slow burn romance.
That's all, folks! If you end up reading anything I rec here, feel free to let me know! And let the author know!! There's nothing like learning that a new influx of kudos ame from a recommendation!
this is an honest to god real government notice that the province recently put out because they've banned hiking/camping/atving due to increased fire risk
My cat only likes sitting beside me on the couch if there is something for him to sit on--a piece of paper, a sweater, my knitting bag, whatever. Yesterday he came and clearly wanted to sit beside me but there was nothing there, so I found a piece of cardboard to put beside me and tapped it until I got his attention, and when he realized what I did (after he ignored me for a while because he knew I wanted his attention and he's extremely contrary), he ran over to sit on it and purr up a storm 🥺 it's the little things in life
My job is exhausting but look at this shit. I get paid for this. What a fucking trip.
Partway through my university education I had the realization that most science was very computer-based and narrow and involved a lot of arguing over syntax in papers with Reviewer #2 who treats academia like a subreddit, and it scared me in a deep, "oh shit did i take the wrong path in life?" kind of way. I stuck with it, because I'm both stubborn and an idiot, so I'm very glad I managed to find a career that takes advantage of my education but isn't the sort of science that would kill my soul. I'll take windburn and benthic mud and seasickness over a longer CV any day of the week.
Also: my phone's still dead, still theoretically being repaired. The level of rage I have towards the repair shop is... probably not healthy, but it's been over 5 weeks for a relatively simple repair and I haven't been able to access anything that requires 2FA/MFA, so maybe the rage is justified.
