We're the lucky ones.

So I actually watch other shows besides Criminal Minds, although that probably hasn't been apparent from my posts for the past few months. :D

Burn Notice is the best thing on TV this summer. It's witty and fun and crazy and doesn't take itself too seriously. And it's Jeffrey Donovan. Thursdays, 9 PM, USA. You won't regret it.

I've been enjoying Flashpoint -- great team dynamics, flawless cinematography, and what I like best is how everyone's actions are a shade of gray. There's a quiet, understated elegance to this show and it really stands out.

Watched the first season of Leverage, and it's a feat because I've never done that with any show where I can't stand the main character and his love interest. Nate and Sophie are the weakest links (especially Sophie) and their relationship is a pain to have to watch -- but I absolutely adore the rest of the team. Elliot, Hardison and Parker are awesome.

I've just watched the pilot of Castle, which was pretty good. It struck me as Bones with roles reversed. Not sure about the sustainability of the premise (author turned crime solver/profiler) but we'll see.

I've always been just a casual viewer of Bones -- I still feel that most episodes try too hard to be funny -- but I've been more interested this season because of the adorkable Dr. Sweets and his schoolboy crush on Booth ♥ I also really enjoyed the controversial AU-in-canon finale, though I've heard other fans hated it.

Oddly enough? None of these shows are particularly slashy in canon, except maybe Sweets/Booth (which? I CAN FIND NO FIC FOR. Epic fail, Bones fandom!)

So now I have a bunch of shows I enjoy, but no viable slash options. Not a situation I'm used to. Maybe my slash radar is broken. I've had to amuse myself by mentally pairing them up in random crossovers like Michael Westen/Sam Braddock (Burn Notice/Flashpoint) and Sweets/Elliot (Bones/Leverage) --> which has been kind of fun, actually. Sweets is such a doe-eyed woobie.


( The not-so-good: CSI:NY, Mentalist, etc )
 

 


Song: Sober by Pink
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Category: Humor, gen
Characters: The team, mainly Hotch
Summary: Hotch. Pink. 'Nuff said.

Notes: A lighthearted take on the Omnivore/To Hell and Back arc. Pokes fun at a bit of everything, like the way Hotch gets coded female in canon, and how some fans got upset because Hotch tossing back one glass somehow makes him a functional alcoholic.

(An unhealthy fascination with Hotch drinking? Who, me?)



[ Youtube link ]

[ Download in .wmv format - 27 MB ]

 

Song: This Year's Love by David Gray
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Hotch/Rossi
Source: Seasons 3 and 4. No plot spoilers for finale.

Notes: This is a companion vid to my Hotch/Rossi story How the Light Gets In.
A certain moment in the finale totally resonated with this fic, which was written and posted before that, and I just had to revel in the serendipity. ♥



[ Youtube link ]

[ Download in .wmv format - 27 MB ]


 

I'm iscaris on Dreamwidth and my plot of virtual land there is at http://iscaris.dreamwidth.org/

If you have a Dreamwidth account, feel free to subscribe/grant access to my journal there.

I won't be cross-posting to DW for now, since I still read here and everyone I know is basically still here. I like that DW is fandom-friendly, but for the time being the duplicate content just seems pointless. But if there's a sudden fandom exodus from LJ en masse, you'll know where to find me over there.

Also, I have a couple of Dreamwidth invite codes left -- if anyone needs one, comment with your email address and I'll send you an invite. All out for now!

 

I've always wanted to write a Hotch-centric story, and it seems this is it. As always, I owe a debt of gratitude to the superlative copperchimes for the beta.



Title: How the Light Gets In
Author: Rhysenn
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Hotch/Rossi
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none
Word count: 10,900
Summary: This is how Aaron Hotchner breaks — one glass at a time.

---

There is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in.
– Leonard Cohen


( Aaron watches the light glint darkly on the rim of the glass and wonders where it's coming from. )

 

Started out as episode review of Omnivore and turned into musings on Hotch, his track record with unsubs, his choices and his relationship with Rossi.

Spoilers for Omnivore and references to Demonology, Zoe's Reprise, Masterpiece, Paradise, About Face.

( Criminal Minds 4x18 Omnivore and the Hotch/Rossi relationship )

Let's see. First fic in nearly a year, first character fic in a year and a half, and first Criminal Minds fic in almost three years. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. And it's great to be back.



Title: Walk the Line
Author: Rhysenn
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Hotch/Rossi
Spoilers: none
Word count: 3400
Summary: Morgan and Reid decide to give Rossi a nudge in the right direction.

---


Walk the Line

(  'You're good at chasing serial killers,' Morgan said. 'Hotch is not a serial killer.'  )

 

I'd like to add some new songs to the ipod -- does anyone have any music recs?

Here are a few good ones I'd like to share:

• Psalm by Hey Rosetta is an awesome song I discovered on the equally awsome Flashpoint, both of which are proudly Canadian.


• Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine is an utterly superior cover of the song by The Postal Service, making the original sound like a bad euro trash remix.


• Another excellent cover is an acoustic version of Viva La Vida by Boyce Avenue, an unsigned band I discovered on Youtube (their song comes up more highly rated than Coldplay's version. Nuff said.) The band has a pretty good online following, with good reason. Quality vocals and near-flawless renditions.
  
  They also did nice work on Apologize, How to Save a Life and the perennial acoustic favorite The Freshmen.

Send me some music! Favorite songs of the moment, awesome cover versions, any good music at all.

(mediafire or megaupload are fine, or just link me to the song on Youtube.)

Thanks!

 

It's Chinese New Year -- Happy Year of the Ox!

*dusts off lj* Still here, just pretty swamped with my new job -- I'm enjoying it, it's just been chomping up a lot of my time.

I found out while reading the paper today that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Sherlock Homes in Guy Ritchie's upcoming modern, gritty remake of the classic sleuth franchise, and guess who's playing Watson? JUDE LAW.

I think my slash radar registered a shock of Richter scale proportions. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law? DAMN.



It's set for a November 2009 release. Even if the rest of the movie sucks, I'm guessing the Sherlock/Watson slash is going to write itself on screen.


On another slashy note:

Is anyone out there also watching Criminal Minds? It has been the best show this season (even beating out CSI:NY), and I've developed a new OTP: Hotch/Rossi.



This is really out of character for me, because they're both older, experienced guys and the natural pairing dynamic should see either of them slashed with one of the younger guys on the team. Hotch/Reid has been my OTP all this while, and Reid/anyone still makes up for probably 90% of all CM fic.

I rewatched episode 3x06, when Rossi was first introduced, and realized the slash between Hotch/Rossi has been pretty obvious from the beginning, including a canon gay-roleplay conversation, lots of physical touching (and they're both not the touchy sort with anyone else) and heaps of UST moments in the first episode ALONE.

Video clip of slashy Hotch/Rossi moments, including gay-roleplay scene, behind the cut:

( 'I need you to dominate me.' )

I haven't felt the urge to write fic or vid in a long time, but if I were to write/vid anything, it'd be Hotch/Rossi.

 

Reccing my two new favorite shows this season: Burn Notice and Flashpoint.

Burn Notice, in its second season, is made of awesome. Michael Westen is such a kick-ass fantastic character -- a spy who got burned, working jobs to figure out who blacklisted him -- and has a really, really great body. I mean, not like he wasn't awesome enough, but there you go. The show's dialogue and wit matches the best of primetime scripts -- any show that wants to go for action with a dash of humor needs to sit down with the entire two seasons of Burn Notice and take notes.

Flashpoint was recommended to me by a friend with an excellent eye for quality, and I immediately latched on. It's not just your run-of-the-mill police drama, but really cinematically superior, deftly scripted stuff. Add riveting human drama in nearly every case and a diverse and unique main cast, and you've got a winner in the jaded sea of procedurals out there.

As luck would have it, they're airing on Thursday nights at the same time: 10 PM, Burn Notice on USA and Flashpoint on CBS.

Nothing in the lineup of new fall shows caught my eye -- as much as it's been hyped, I'm going to sit out Fringe at least until the mid-season reviews come in. I'm not sure why people still think of JJ Abrams as a TV hit-maker when his last three outings -- Felicity, Alias and Lost -- started out with excellent first seasons and proceded to spectacularly crash, finally sinking into the mire of completely unwatchableness.

I was disappointed with the premieres of Prison Break and Bones as well. Prison Break -- well, I've come to accept the crazy, but it really is straying off base. And it's never going to be the same without Kellerman. Bones -- the Booth/Brennan snark, as much as I liked it before, is starting to get old.

Any TV shows to rec?

( Favorite movie of the year )

On a closing note: LJ housekeeping is done and posts/fics are back online. I'm not sure how the summer flew by so fast. Good to be back!