there will be a fish

First: did you guys know that Sports Night is streaming on Netflix? Time to go a-pimping, my fellow SN fans! And second -- man, how much fun was that ridiculous NCIS:LA episode this week? It had many of my favorite things -- Deeks showing cracks in that obnoxious/cheerful act he tries to pull off, lots of fun Kensi/Deeks interaction, undercover shenanigans, character backstory, and explosions. I was pretty well pleased. :D

I'm sitting around insomniac-ly being bored tonight, again. *sigh* Do you ever get into that mood where you want to re-read something, but what you really want is to be reading it again for the first time? Like you want to re-experience exactly how awesome it felt when you first read that story, not actually re-read it. I'm in that kind of mood right now.

So, recs! The top five seven things I wish I were re-reading (for the first time):

1. Look Here, Look Back, Look Ahead (Marvel Comics, Iron Man Noir) by marinarusalka
So, I was looking back through my journal to find where I originally recced this so I could link to that post, and discovered to my horror that I'd never actually posted my rec for it. *facepalm* Which is just wrong, because this story is AWESOME. I am maybe a little biased because I helped beta it, but not really -- it's just really fucking awesome. See, Iron Man Noir is basically a canon AU where Tony Stark becomes Iron Man during WWII instead of modern day. And, well, you know, Steve Rogers was kind of around then, too...and Marina picks up that idea and runs with it. It's amazing, and even if you haven't read the comics, WHO CARES, because it's Captain America and Iron Man fighting the Nazis (FTW!), you really don't need to know much more. Marina is fantastic with plot and characterization, as always, and she just kicks ass with all the period stuff and the action shenanigans and EVERYTHING. I really love this fic. I might actually go re-read it now, in fact....

2. What You See Is What You Get (If You're Looking Hard Enough) (The Mentalist)
This came out of the most recent Yuletide, and it's excellent. It's a steampunk/fantasy AU of The Mentalist -- which is an extremely bizarre concept that seems like it would never work, right? But instead, it's pretty much exactly the same as the show, only slightly more magical -- which is a neat trick; the execution is just stellar. The Lisbon POV is absolute perfection and forms the steel-solid core of the fic, the rest of the team is spot-on, the plot is long and interesting, and this story is just so clever. I can't even tell you what a fun ride it is.

3. Aral Vorkosigan's Dog (Vorkosigan series) by philomytha
Amazing, amazing story. I've never really read much Vorkosigan fic because it's so hard to find people who can mimic Bujold's style, and without that it just doesn't feel right to me. I also have no real desire to read fic about Miles -- his story is told perfectly to my satisfaction in the novels, so why would I want fic? Philomytha is the perfect answer -- she writes so eerily like Bujold that I sometimes am a little suspicious that she's actually LMB herself, and she writes entirely about the secondary characters and canon ships -- with special love and attention to Simon and Alys, who are clearly her favorites. This particular story is Epic and deserving of that capital -- it's Simon's story, a gen epic starting when he meets Aral after the events on Sergyar in Shards of Honor, and following him through the Escobaran War and some small way into the events of Barrayar (so mind the warnings, seriously). And oh my god, it's SO GOOD. Simon's characterization is superb, his developing relationship with Aral gripping, and the action sequences utterly thrilling. It's like the Simon-POV novel that Bujold never got around to writing, and it makes me really happy. *hearteyes* (The rest of Philomytha's fic is excellent as well, if you're looking for Vorkosigan stuff -- I particularly love Secrets and Lies, probably the best Byerly story out there, Vorkosigan's Day, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Dancing Lessons, and Five Conversations in Alys' Office)

4. Switch (Star Trek reboot)
I am normally not a Kirk/McCoy girl, for whatever reason -- but if they were all like this fic, I totally would be. Long, intense, slow-burn, Bones-POV set largely during their time at the Academy, but stretching through the movie and beyond. Friendship! Pining! Hurt/comfort! It's like everything I want in a fic. It's enormous, too -- 230k+ words, which makes for a really delicious read.

5. Drastically Redefining Protocol (Merlin) by rageprufrock
I may be thinking about this one because of the Royal Wedding, SO SUE ME. :D I'm pretty sure everyone in the world has read this, because, come on. Pru's always good, and this story is certainly no exception.

6. The Student Prince (Merlin)
So, I was going to leave it at 5, but DRP always makes me think of the other epic Merlin modern!AU that I adore. I may even love TSP a little bit more, actually, because I prefer slow-burn romance over love-at-first-sight every time, and their friendship in this is so lovely. The atmosphere of the school setting is wonderful and heart-soothing in the way that only stories about school can be (god knows actual school was never like that). This one's another monster -- 145k words, FTW.

7. Next of Kin (The Losers)
I feel obligated to rec at least one non-novel-length fic here. So here's this one: an AU where Jensen never joins the Losers, and Max kidnaps his sister and niece to force Jensen to work for him. I LOVE this trope so so so much, and it's done terribly well here. ♥

LOL. Okay, so I'm watching The Mentalist (short version reaction – Jane is intriguing and pretty but kind of a d-bag, but that's okay because Cho wins at EVERYTHING ♥), and I spotted this Middleman crossover in the background of 1.20 "Red Sauce":

( Middlefans, be with me now )

Indeed, folks, that IS the machine for Gut Wrencher I ( cut for vague MM 1.09 spoilers )

I am not surprised, since they're both ABC Family productions, but I was SO THRILLED to see it again! *clutches Middleman DVDs*

(The really important question is, does this plus the throwaway reference to a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster in "The Clotharian Contamination Protocol" thus connect The Mentalist and The Middleman to the Hitchhiker's Guide universe, and thus to Doctor Who, and thus to the Tommy Westphall Multiverse [also here]? I THINK IT SHOULD. Oh my god I am such a nerd...)