there will be a fish

Okay, so I apparently haven't posted to LJ in so long that I'm completely weirded out by the new posting form. Yikes, it's been since October! Well, I'm back to do a five-questions meme from ignipes. I'm not sure doing this right now, when I've just had my wisdom teeth out and am currently loopy on some substantial painkillers with half my face swollen like a chipmunk, is really the best idea, but oh well. *jazz hands*

-Comment with "Winter is Coming" your current favorite catch-phrase/quote from a show/movie, because I have no emotional attachment to Game of Thrones (yet), sorry.
-I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you better.
-Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
-Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions. (If you want. Totally optional.)

My questions and answers:

( 1. What would your ideal doesn't-exist-but-totally should TV show be about? )

( 2. What is the ONE movie you think everybody should see? ONLY ONE. NO CHEATING. )

( 3. What's your favorite comfort food? )

( 4. What superpower do you want to have? )

( 5. What's the best advice you've ever received? Or the worst, if that's more entertaining? )

Well, that was fun! I need to start posting more. I got a new job, so my life and free time are no longer being swallowed up by work like they were, which is awesome. I have weekends! And free evenings! It's amazing. :)

I recently managed to read a couple of therapy-related fics in short succession, and since fic featuring therapy is one of my favorite things, I thought I'd put together a recs post:

1. Eight Sessions (Due South, Fraser/Kowalski)
My very favorite of all my favorite therapy fics: after a bad on the job shooting, Ray and Fraser have to go to mandatory counseling sessions. And if anyone needs therapy more than Benton Fraser, or could possibly be worse at it, I would really like to see that. This is hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming by turns. I'm sure most DS fans have already read this story, but it's always worth another read. ♥

2. Like Sailing and Home Runs (Sports Night, Dan/Casey)
Dan Rydell, and his therapy sessions following the end of the series. I just re-read this, and it's wonderful. It reads just like an episode of the show, and Dan's therapist Abby is brilliant, and the ins and outs of his sessions are complex and beautifully crafted.

3. Cartography By Touch (Stargate: Atlantis, McKay/Sheppard)
So, there's a reason that the Atlantis expedition has a psychologist on board. Sheppard is traumatized on an off-world mission, and slowly works through it. Great Heighmeyer, great dealing with the issues, great world-building stuff on Atlantis. (Watch the warnings, though.) There's also a Rodney-POV sequel/companion piece, History of Maps.

4. Therapy and Grapes (Life/In Treatment crossover, gen)
I was looking for In Treatment fic (of which there is very little) and found this in the process: Dani gets referred to Paul Weston for an assessment after the events of "Powerless", and he works his usual therapy magic. I kind of wanted a million more words of this, but it's quite good as it stands. Even if you've never seen In Treatment, it serves as a nice outsider-POV of Dani.

5. Abnormal Psychology (Bones/SGA crossover, gen)
This fic never fails to make me laugh. The concept? Lance Sweets becomes the new psychologist on Atlantis after Heightmeyer. AHAHAHAHAHA omg it's so good, you guys. Her Sweets-voice is genius, and if there is anyone who would mix worse with Sweets in a therapy session than John Sheppard.... HEE.

and

6. untitled commentfic (Bones/Hawaii Five-0 crossover, gen)
This is sort of a follow-up to the previous rec, although it's really unrelated in anything but spirit. Because the only person worse than John Sheppard at therapy? Is Steve McGarrett. This, of course, does not stop Sweets.

Have I mentioned I love zombies? I do. I particularly love zombie alterations to stories I already know and love. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies right now and having a very good time! I'm thinking about requesting P&P&Z for Yuletide, only with the characters from Sense and Sensibility instead, because I think Marianne Dashwood dealing with zombies would be hilarious. (Also on the Yuletide list: Fringe fic set in the noir!AU episode universe :D)

Along the same lines, this Leverage fanwork website is so much fun. It's meant to be co-read with an apocalyptothon fic, Survival By Eliot; the website is basically the website Hardison would design for the Leverage gang's zombie-fighting endeavors in the case of a zombie apocalypse, and the fic is a narrative counterpart. Hardison's footnotes are HILARIOUS, and make sure to read the alt text for the links, too. SO GOOD. Creative fanwork, con artists, AND zombies, hooray!

When I start reading things like this, I inevitably start thinking of other fandoms + zombies, usually starting with the most recent.

( cut for lengthy speculation on Hikaru no Go, The Mentalist, Generation Kill, Criminal Minds, Life, Castle, Lord Peter, Burn Notice, Sherlock Holmes, Jeeves & Wooster, and The Middleman -- all WITH ZOMBIES! )

( ETA: Band of Brothers and 30 Rock )

Come tell me your own thoughts re: the above or your own favorite "X Fandom – WITH ZOMBIES!" scenarios in the comments. I would most sincerely like to hear them!

In conclusion: ZOMBIES.

I am in a very cranky mood. Entertain me?

Post 15 10 of your favourite shows/books/movies/plays/whatevers.
Have your friends list guess your favourite character from each.
When guessed, strike out the fandom, mark in your favourite character and who guessed it.

1. Due South - Benton Fraser, guessed by maribouquet
2. Life - Charlie Crews, guessed by thespatz
3. Southland - John Cooper, guessed by thespatz
4. Avatar: The Last Airbender - Toph Bei Fong, guessed by thespatz
5. Generation Kill - Nate Fick, guessed (eventually) by thespatz
6. Doctor Who - The Ninth Doctor, guessed by maribouquet
7. Sports Night - Dan Rydell, guessed by thespatz
8. Fringe - Olivia Dunham, guessed by thespatz
9. The West Wing - CJ Cregg, guessed by maribouquet
10. Sherlock Holmes - Dr. John Watson, guessed by maribouquet

Katie...let the other kids play a little before you chip in, k? ;)

Katie and I just finished doing a full re-watch of Life. Goddamn, but that was a good show. *sheds a tear for the cancellation* I can't believe I'd forgotten ( the way they opened the series finale ). BRILLIANT! And just the tiniest bit meta, due to cancellation. :) The finale in general kicks ass on every level. I've had favorite pilot episodes before (namely Alias), favorite first-seasons (Veronica Mars), and even favorite season openers ("In The Shadow of Two Gunmen," The West Wing S2), but before Life, I don't think I've ever had a favorite series finale. Series generally end terribly, in car wrecks or dissatisfaction. Granted, Life knew their end was coming, but still, they knocked it out of the park. I still wish I could have more show, but damn, that is some good writing.

Damian Lewis is stellar throughout. Life is one of those cases where you're blessed not only with a very unique, fascinating character, but with an actor putting on such a great performance that you just can't imagine anyone else in their place. And Sarah Shahi! With someone like Damian Lewis playing a character like Charlie Crews, it would be very easy for the co-star/partner to fall by the wayside -- but then again, Dani Reese is in no way easy. I love the way they interact, the way they argue, the way they both don't understand each other and understand each other better than anyone else in the world.

The writing was always solid, but I do think the cases started consistently reaching "excellent" by S2. One thing they always did well was characterization; they always had these really bizarre cases that on a show like CSI would be gratuitous weirdness, but on Life, it was just in the spirit that life is weird, rather than standing to one side and pointing and staring at the weirdos. Charlie and Dani (and Ted and Rachel and everyone else) are all weird, and broken, but they're still around, and still living, and not really all that different from the people they're arresting or interviewing or burying. I really loved that.