disclaimer: these are my personal favorites, and i am not objective. i tried to keep it to only one rec per author, but that rule does get broken a few times. suffice to say, if i've recced one of their fics, i rec their entire catalogue. i tried to make sure all tumblr @ i know personally are included, but if you see one that i didn't catch, let me know and i will update! there are currently seven categories, and only up to five fics per category. and yes i did include one if my own fics, so please don't fight me.
JISBON FUNDAMENTALS (these are fics that everyone should read)
if I loved you at the start by missymeggins (e)
this is my favorite jisbon fic. canon divergent from 6x02, jane decides he can't live with the threat to lisbon's life. i could wax poetic for ages.
the tiger and the lamb by inkstainedfingers97 (t)
if i could recommend this author's entire library i would, but this is a very gritty, plotty, but still jisbon-y reimagining of the red john plot. and probably the only fic that's convinced me it's better than the red john reveal in the show.
in the cards by idan (t)
another brilliant very plotty s5 fic. no list would be complete without it. the attention to detail is insane.
long lost long last by hardly loquacious (k+)
this fic is just so special to me because it is an exemplary example of showing and not telling, and i think it really dives into what makes jisbon so inevitable. even as jane resists, he's drawn to lisbon's care for him, which is self-sacrificing and pure and so deeply kind that of course he loves her. of course he does.
inside your mind by excel_siors (t)
a 4x10 au that will change your brain chemistry, guaranteed. the mantra that jane keeps repeating in this fic... god.
BEST COMPLETE AUS
go easy on me now by walltree (m)
this author understands lisbon in a profound way, to the point where of course this version of jane is drawn in by her competence and kindness. i love fics that highlight why jane would fall for lisbon, and this is one of those.
red violin by inkstainedfingers97 (t) (plus sequel!)
such a fun au where jane is so crazy. like this could be in the unhinged section. but the way jane instantly falls in love is how i picture he would if there was no red john.
purrson of interest by denxuement (t)
unbelievably sweet! neighbors!au
teresa by donnamour1969 (t)
an inspired by jane austen's emma! this author has great aus but this is my favorite. love a good regency au.
the tea shop by heclosescases (t)
this author is excellent, but i especially love this au! it's so sweet, so in character (difficult for a complete au) and just so fluffy and nice.
ANGST
suspicion by daphnaea (t)
the best angstier view of the lorelei situation, and a great, character-accurate view of what would happen to jane should lisbon have really put her foot down about any of it.
and the saints go marching in by excel_siors (m)
this fic will hurt you. it will be worth it. a 6a au.
choices made in blue swirls by fbiwoman223 (t)
if you want hurt!lisbon and jane losing it over that fact, this is the fic for you!
the proper incentive by laurythelabtrator
6b!au and sometimes i really realllly wish this is what they had done with canon.
THEY'RE UNHINGED, YOUR HONOR
blue phoenix by TheWaywardGospel (e)
the fact that this fic is unfinished is my roman empire, but don't let that stop you. this author intertwines seasons 6 and 7 in such an original way, and jane and lisbon are so crazy for each other. it's perfect.
dayspring by light_loves_the_dark (t)
i'm not going to talk about myself too much, but this is an au 6b where jane gets his act together <3
wedding planning by idan (t)
jane just... deciding that lisbon and he are engaged. it all goes pretty well from there and it's a joy to read!
reset by j. roddam (t)
this is a complete au where psychic!jane meets lisbon when she's on the verge of becoming a single mother and like, one meeting makes him decide he wants to be in her life. unhinged. perfect in every way.
shatter by ruuger (m)
4x10 but jisbon share an insane little blimp of a moment.
BEST SMUT
you bite my lip, you spike my blood (e) by someonestolemyshoes
the perfect first time fic.
(not much i can change) i give it up to you by whatsaterrarium (e)
obligatory hypnosis fic. you will melt.
i feel like i die 'till i feel your touch by @dreamyairy (e)
the smut in this is incredible. the profound moment that jisbon share in the airport in this 6x22 au is even better.
like a thousand suns (anything for you) by @whereyourtreasureis (e)
this author is a master at these little intimacy gaps we have in the show. and her jane makes me melt.
eulogy by lilythistle (e)
obligatory jisbon-playing-poker fic that ends with a beautiful expression of feelings
BEST CANON DIVERGENCE (ONE-SHOT)
between the devil and the deep blue sea by @someonesaidcake (e)
6x08 canon divergence, introducing my favorite oc ;)
27 minutes by idan (t)
a lovely divergence from early s6 where jane faces the fact he can't lose lisbon and actually talks to her.
beneath the blue stars by sierrasilver (t)
just a super soft 6b au where jane wrote more letters to lisbon than in canon
reichenbach by half agony half hope (t)
red john finds out that jane is faking in vegas and puts a very awful task in front of him. angsty, but with a happy ending
BEST CANON DIVERGENCE (MULTI CHAPTER)
someone else's life by wldwmn (t)
4x10 au where jane wakes up thinking lisbon is his wife. so so good.
learning to breathe by starry19 (t)
post 6x22 au with jisbon finding their legs as a couple and a little angst. very sweet and perfectly in character.
combine and complement by hardly loquacious (k+)
in which jisbon go consulting after an au version of the death of red john. very sweet getting together fic.
blooming violets by dkateri (g)
6x16!au where jane doesn't fumble - just a really lovely and in-character portrait of him.
undercover by maxine_gold (e)
one of the best multi-chapter fics in the fandom. i almost didn't include it because i feel like everyone's read it, but that would be disingenuous.
BEST POST-CANON
bluebells by inkstainedfingers97 (t)
LAST ONE by them i swear. i have to put this one in because it's my fav post canon, which i tend not to like. which is not saying there's not excellent post canon out there, but i just personally want no major angst, all rainbows for jisbon after the end of the show. and this is that.
the turquoise teacup by itsavolcano (t)
a case fic post-series where there's a bit of angst but i love this fic so it gets a pass on the above rule
Lisbon is truly a saint and I love how she learnt to trust her instincts more and do what's morally right instead of following the law so strictly thanks to Jane. In 3x14 when the girl confessed to killing her father because he was abusive, Lisbon initially wanted to take the girl to a juvenile hall since its procedure but Jane persuaded her not to and instead Lisbon decided to take the girl home where she would be safer, less traumatised and could get psychiatric help. Lisbon knew what it was like to have an abusive father and knew deep down that it wasn't the morally right thing to let the girl go to juvie so she trusted her instincts instead of strictly following the rules as she normally would do and took the girl home thanks to Jane's persuasion. Saint Teresa, an angel in human form 😇
If you and Patrick Jane We’re dating Headcanons (part 1)
♡ 。 ♡。 ♡
♡。 ＼ ｜ ／。 ♡
CW: small mention of s3x
Gender neutral head canons
♡。 ／ ｜ ＼。 ♡
。 ♡。 。 ♡。
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
♡ Jane loves giving you small presents just for making you happy
♡ Jane will comfort you when you are feeling stressed or down but since he's not so good whit expressing his emotions he will stay close to you and hug you
♡ When Jane makes tea for himself he also makes it for you (or if you like coffee he will make coffee for you)
♡ He would do anything he could Just to see you happy
♡ He loves to tease you playfully and s3xu4l|y
♡ He will notice the small change you make
Ex: cutting a little your hair,changing the way you dress
♡ Jane doesn’t like that much physical touch but whit you it’s different he loves it but he won’t show it that much
♡ Every moment Jane can will give you small smushes he won’t stop till you stop him
♡ when you and Jane are alone he loves to making out whit you
A/n: I have so many head canons in my head also some s3xual ones maybe I will do a post dedicated to that hehe ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Hi!◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ I was wondering if you would be able to write a Patrick Jane (The Mentalist) x Reader with this prompt “She never smiles…” “you’ve never seen her looking at you then.” with Patrick saying the first part? Of course you don't have to if you don't want to!⸜( > ᴗ <)⸝♡ - Anon💜
He’d been fascinated by you, usually Jane could predict what people were going to do but with you it was harder.
He could get a read of you like everybody else, if you were having a good day, a bad day, things like that, but when it came to guessing your next move you always kept him on his toes.
Nothing was as simple as it seemed either you.
Walking over to your desk, Jane set you down your favourite coffee and beamed brightly at you as you looked up at him.
“What’s this for?” You asked.
“You’ve been busy all morning, you haven’t had your daily coffee yet.”
You took a sip of the coffee, nodding your head as you stood up, grabbing a couple of files.
“Thanks Jane, I’ve got a meeting but I’ll be back in an hour or so for our game of chess.”
He smiled softly, watching as you walked down the hallway.
Then he frowned a little bit, sitting down in your chair as he looked through your desk.
Most of the time you kept books or games for him in there to keep him from getting too bored, and finally he found what he was looking for, and he started going through the books.
“It’s illegal to go through a federal agents desk Jane.”
He looked up at Rigsby.
“I’m looking for a book, but I do have a question for you.”
Rigsby gave a small nod of his head, leaning against the desk behind him.
“Have you ever made (Y/N) smile?”
Rigsby thought for a moment, then he finally shook his head.
“No, I don’t think anybody has.”
Jane nodded his head, getting his book and stood up, making his way over to his couch.
He’d tried a lot to get you to smile, getting you your favourite things, playing small jokes on you, showing you photos of baby animals because everybody loved them.
But you didn’t smile.
He wouldn’t say you were emotionless, you had great control over your emotions, but he did recall them all saying you used to be an undercover agent.
When you came back from your meeting, you came back with Lisbon, and she walked over to him while you walked over to your desk.
Jane studied you as you spoke with Grace and Choi.
“She never smiles…” He mumbled.
Jane looked up at Lisbon.
“You’ve never seen her looking at you then.” She smiled.
With that, she left, and he went back to reading.
As evening came around, you weren’t getting ready to go home when you noticed him sitting ready.
You smiled a little bit, and began packing your things again, only turning around when you were done and you found him stood in front of you.
The little smile quickly fell as you took a few steps back.
“Jeez Jane, you can’t be sneaking up on people it’s how you get hurt.”
He grinned a little.
“You smiled at me!” He beamed.
“I didn’t..” you grumbled.
You brushed past him as he quickly followed you.
“You have a really beautiful smile.” He said softly.
You smiled a little bit more, and you looked at him, which made him grin brightly to see you smiling directly at him
Oh my days, hey queen!! I started watching The Mentalist recently and I’ve been IN LOVEEE with Patrick Jane!! Your fics are so good!!
This idea as based off of that episode in S1 when Lisbon is opening her birthday presents and Jane is guessing what she got: I was thinking that what if Jane and the reader were friends and was secretly in love with the reader but the reader was already in a relationship. So Jane is playfully guessing her presents and one of them is an engagement ring and he gets all sad and jealous. You choose if it ends in angst or fluff, I don’t mind!!
I would love if you could make this vision an actual fic!!! <3333 you’re awesome, keep it up!! :)
Guessing Game
Hiii!! Thank you so much 🤍 I went with fluff but… a little ache first because it’s Jane, he has to suffer a bit 😌
Also—little disclaimer—I was supposed to only start writing requests once my ongoing Jane fic was finished… but I genuinely couldn’t wait any longer 😭 especially now that it’s turning out longer than I expected. So here we are!!
Contains: fluff, jealousy
⤷ NOW PLAYING: ▶︎•၊၊||၊|။|||||။၊|။•
The breakroom table was cluttered with coffee mugs, a half-eaten cake, and a small mountain of gifts. Cho stood by the coffee pot with his usual stoic expression, Rigsby was eyeing the leftover frosting, and Van Pelt was smiling warmly, leaning against the counter. Lisbon stood by the door, arms crossed, leaning against the frame with a look that sat somewhere between "I’m too busy for this" and a genuine, hidden fondness for the team’s antics.
You sat at the head of the table, but Patrick Jane had commandeered the space directly across from you, leaning back in his chair with his fingers steepled.
"Alright, let's get the post-mortem started," Jane announced, gesturing to the pile. "Who’s first? Let's go with the heavy, rectangular one. Cho?"
Cho didn't look up from his coffee.
"It's a high-intensity tactical flashlight. 1000 lumens."
You laughed, unwrapping it. "It’s practical, Cho. Thank you."
"Next!" Jane pointed to a small, flat envelope. "Lisbon. Something sensible. A gift card to that bookstore you haunt."
Lisbon snorted, moving closer to the table.
"Oh, Lisbon, that’s perfect!" you beamed.
"Now, Van Pelt. Something sentimental but cozy. A scarf? No... too much volume. A hand-knitted throw blanket."
Grace blushed, grinning. "My aunt made it."
"And Rigsby..." Jane didn't even look at him, he just sniffed the air. "A gift card to that artisanal jerky shop downtown and a set of coasters because he’s tired of you leaving water rings on his desk."
"Hey!" Rigsby protested, his mouth half-full of cake. "Those coasters are high-quality cork!"
The laughter died down as Jane’s eyes landed on the final box. It was small, velvet, and sat prominently in the center of the table. It had been hand-delivered by your boyfriend, Mark, earlier that morning.
The air in the room shifted. Cho set his coffee down. Lisbon’s expression went guarded, her eyes darting between you and Jane.
Everyone knew Mark was "the boyfriend," and everyone knew Jane’s feelings on the matter—mostly because Jane hadn't been subtle about his disdain for Mark’s "predictable personality."
Jane’s posture stiffened. He didn't lean in this time. Instead, he pulled back, his gaze sharpening into something cold and analytical.
"And there it is," Jane said, his voice losing its playful edge. "The 'Grand Gesture.' Square box, velvet lining, heavy weight. A classic play for a man who feels he’s losing his grip on the narrative."
"Jane, don't," you said softly, your hand hovering over the box.
"Jane, leave it alone," Lisbon added, her voice a warning rumble.
"Why? It’s a ring," Jane snapped, his jaw tight. For the first time all afternoon, he looked genuinely miserable. "A diamond. A promise of a mortgage, two cars, and a life of quiet desperation in the suburbs. He’s claiming territory. It’s transparent. It’s dull. It’s..." He trailed off, his eyes darting to yours, filled with a sudden, raw flash of jealousy. "It's a mistake."
The silence in the breakroom was deafening. Rigsby looked like he wanted to disappear into his chair, and even Lisbon looked uncomfortable, her hand instinctively reaching for her hip as if she could de-escalate the tension like a crime scene.
Without a word, you flipped the lid open.
Jane braced himself, his breath hitching. But he didn't see a diamond solitaire. He didn't see a wedding band.
Inside the box was a thick, silver signet ring. It was antique, engraved with an intricate, swirling pattern of a compass rose.
"It’s a family heirloom," you said, sliding it onto your middle finger. "It belonged to his grandmother. She was a traveler. He gave it to me because he knows I’m always restless. It’s a 'safe travels' gift, Jane. Not a proposal."
Jane stared at the ring. He blinked, the gears in his head audibly grinding to a halt. The tension that had turned him into a statue evaporated, replaced by a flush of sheepishness that crept up his neck.
"Oh," Jane said. The word was tiny.
Lisbon let out a long, audible breath, a smirk finally breaking through her concern.
"Wow. The Great Patrick Jane, completely wrong. I should write the date down."
Jane didn't snap back with a witty retort immediately. He just kept looking at your hand, his throat working as he swallowed hard.
"I wasn't wrong, Lisbon, I was simply... accounting for the statistical probability of Mark being a cliché," Jane said, recovering his smirk with effort. He stood up, smoothing his vest. "I merely over-estimated his courage. It takes a certain amount of bravery to face your rejection, and clearly, he’d rather play it safe with antiques. He's not a romantic, he's a historian. Terribly dull."
He turned abruptly, heading for his couch.
"Enjoy the jerky, everyone. I need to go lie down; being that much of a visionary is intellectually exhausting."
The sun was dipping low over the Sacramento skyline by the time you made it to your car, arms full of gifts and the new blanket draped over your shoulder. The air was cool, smelling of asphalt and the coming evening.
"It’s an interesting choice."
You jumped, nearly dropping Cho’s flashlight. Jane was leaning against the car parked next to yours, his hands deep in his pockets, his coat fluttering slightly in the breeze. He looked less like the showman from the breakroom and more like the man who sat alone on his couch in the dark.
"Scaring people is a hobby of yours, isn't it?" you panted, setting your things on the hood.
"The ring," he said, ignoring your jab. He stepped closer, the orange glow of the streetlights catching the waves in his hair. "The compass. A gift for someone who is restless. It implies he expects you to leave eventually. Or that he’s prepared to let you go."
The playfulness was gone. There was a vibrating tension between you, the kind that usually happened right before a breakthrough in a case.
"Maybe he just wants me to find my way back," you said softly.
"A compass is only useful if you know where you want to go," Jane whispered. He looked up, his blue eyes searching yours with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. "If I had given you a ring... it wouldn't be a compass. It wouldn't be to help you find your way away from here."
"No?" your voice was barely a breath. "What would it be?"
Jane leaned in, his forehead almost touching yours. You could smell the faint scent of tea and the cologne he used.
He took your hand in both of his, his thumb tracing the palm of your hand—a gesture so intimate and grounded it felt more like a promise than any diamond ever could.
"It would be an anchor," he murmured, his thumb lingering on your pulse point. "But only the kind that keeps you safe in a storm. Never the kind that stops you from sailing."
He let go then, the tension snapping into a soft, lingering warmth. He stepped back, the familiar, boyish glint returning to his eyes.
He reached into his pocket and produced a small, silver-wrapped package.
"Happy Birthday."
He gave you a soft, lingering look before turning toward his Citroën.
You climbed into your car, your hands shaking slightly. You waited until Jane’s car pulled out of the lot before you tore into the silver paper.
Inside was a small, vintage, hand-painted porcelain tea bowl. It felt warm, as if it had been sitting in his pocket all day. Tucked inside the bowl was a small, cream-colored scrap of paper.
You unfolded it, and your breath hitched at his elegant, slanted script:
Baabbesssss!!! Is it just me, or is Teresa Lisbon like universally beloved? Like every high-ranking man in the CBI is down bad for her. Every woman loves her. And every subordinate trusts her.
Tea? Is Like a Hug In a Cup @teaaal0ver - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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