Weekly Recs 5/5/11
Sorry for the week off, but if last year's pattern repeats, we may end up with multiple issues per week come season finale time due to sheer volume of fic, so hopefully it will all even out.
P.S. I also updated the weekly recs spreadsheet in case you're looking for a quick list of some past recs and which issue to find the story in.
Completed Stories:
(Mostly newly-completed stories, plus some old ones if I haven't read them before.)
"And I'll Tell You No Lies" by calliatra
[PG-13, Tony, AU, ~4,100 words]
Summary: There are things Tony doesn’t think about and that no one can find out about, or so he tells himself. There’s a line between self-preservation and cowardice, and it should be obvious, but somehow it isn’t. There are little things that influence big choices, and many places to get lost along the way.
KEW note: Although this story is AU, I was struck by this piece of Tony characterization that rang very true: "It was the pile, he realized. That well hidden and even better defended pile of things he didn’t want anyone to know about, the one that few people even suspected existed. Bringing one thing from that pile out into the open would mean admitting to the pile’s existence, and that was something he most definitely did not want to do."
"Losing Count" by gosgirl
[NC-17, Gibbs/Abby, ~1,700 words]
Summary: Counting tattoos can be hard...
KEW note: Incredibly sensual and well-paced.
"Nightmare" by ami_ven
[G, Tony, McGee, 100 words]
Summary: Since he'd had the plague, Tony's nightmares had been almost exclusively about drowning.
KEW note: Lovely, understated friendship piece.
"Tapping" by The.Mad.Shadow
[PG, Tony, Kate, set post 2x23 "Twilight", ~1,100 words]
Summary: In the aftermath of Twilight, one agent is alone.
KEW note: I really like how the tone of this piece so closely mirrors the fantasy encounters that the characters have with Kate in "Kill Ari", except much darker.
"On Rule Breaking, and Semantics" by Aerial312 (aerial312)
[PG, McGee, Tony/Ziva, fanfiction.net link, ~1,100 words]
Summary: McGee learns a bit about Tony and Ziva's history together.
KEW note: It's interesting to think about how Tony and Ziva would ever choose to bring McGee inside on any relationship that they had.
"Only the Beginning" by taylorgibbs
[PG-13, Gibbs/Tony, based on spoilers for 8x22 "Baltimore", fanfiction.net link, ~1,800 words]
Summary: Gibbs and Tony first meet in an explosive encounter.
KEW note: I really like the gritty tone of this.
Works in Progress:
(Stories in this section will be carried over week to week as long as I continue to follow them or until they are completed or abandoned. Recent updates will be noted.)
"The Impractical Heart" by Pough *UPDATED
[PG-13, Tony, Ducky, ensemble]
Summary: When a tiny virus sweeps through Tony's body, leaving catastrophic results, his team remains vigilant.
KEW note: Chapter 18 added. Pick of the Week. Given that this story has a medical focus, Ducky plays a much more prominent role than he does in most NCIS fics. And oh, my word, what this author has done with Ducky is brilliant. The latest chapter's scene between Ducky and Ziva is incredibly touching in the way the author uses Ducky's font of esoteric knowledge to allow him to connect with Ziva in her frame of reference. (For those late to the party on this story, Chapter 13 is also an amazing Ducky chapter.)
"Timing in Everything" by Sashile (sashile) *UPDATED
[PG-13, ensemble, established Tony/Ziva, sequel to "Fallen Angels"]
Summary: An aircraft carrier off Bahrain is attacked during a Family Weekend and training exercise with the Israeli navy. While Ziva investigates Israel's involvement, Gibbs and Abby are called to help DiNozzo figure out what happened.
KEW note: Chapters 9-12 added.
"New Romantic" by Zayz
[PG, Tony/EJ, Tony/Ziva, set post 8x17 "One Last Score"]
Summary: "Five years ago, when he first met her, he would never have guessed she would be the kind of person who ever fell flat in anything." Tony and Ziva grapple with the change in the air.
"The Right to Serve" by McStories (mcstories)
[NC-17, past McGee/OC]
Summary: A Marine appears to have been murdered simply for being gay. When the victim is linked to a member of his team Gibbs is forced to tackle Don't Ask Don't Tell head-on, and it leads him somewhere he never thought he'd go.
Contact me:
P.S. I also updated the weekly recs spreadsheet in case you're looking for a quick list of some past recs and which issue to find the story in.
Completed Stories:
(Mostly newly-completed stories, plus some old ones if I haven't read them before.)
"And I'll Tell You No Lies" by calliatra
[PG-13, Tony, AU, ~4,100 words]
Summary: There are things Tony doesn’t think about and that no one can find out about, or so he tells himself. There’s a line between self-preservation and cowardice, and it should be obvious, but somehow it isn’t. There are little things that influence big choices, and many places to get lost along the way.
KEW note: Although this story is AU, I was struck by this piece of Tony characterization that rang very true: "It was the pile, he realized. That well hidden and even better defended pile of things he didn’t want anyone to know about, the one that few people even suspected existed. Bringing one thing from that pile out into the open would mean admitting to the pile’s existence, and that was something he most definitely did not want to do."
"Losing Count" by gosgirl
[NC-17, Gibbs/Abby, ~1,700 words]
Summary: Counting tattoos can be hard...
KEW note: Incredibly sensual and well-paced.
"Nightmare" by ami_ven
[G, Tony, McGee, 100 words]
Summary: Since he'd had the plague, Tony's nightmares had been almost exclusively about drowning.
KEW note: Lovely, understated friendship piece.
"Tapping" by The.Mad.Shadow
[PG, Tony, Kate, set post 2x23 "Twilight", ~1,100 words]
Summary: In the aftermath of Twilight, one agent is alone.
KEW note: I really like how the tone of this piece so closely mirrors the fantasy encounters that the characters have with Kate in "Kill Ari", except much darker.
"On Rule Breaking, and Semantics" by Aerial312 (aerial312)
[PG, McGee, Tony/Ziva, fanfiction.net link, ~1,100 words]
Summary: McGee learns a bit about Tony and Ziva's history together.
KEW note: It's interesting to think about how Tony and Ziva would ever choose to bring McGee inside on any relationship that they had.
"Only the Beginning" by taylorgibbs
[PG-13, Gibbs/Tony, based on spoilers for 8x22 "Baltimore", fanfiction.net link, ~1,800 words]
Summary: Gibbs and Tony first meet in an explosive encounter.
KEW note: I really like the gritty tone of this.
Works in Progress:
(Stories in this section will be carried over week to week as long as I continue to follow them or until they are completed or abandoned. Recent updates will be noted.)
"The Impractical Heart" by Pough *UPDATED
[PG-13, Tony, Ducky, ensemble]
Summary: When a tiny virus sweeps through Tony's body, leaving catastrophic results, his team remains vigilant.
KEW note: Chapter 18 added. Pick of the Week. Given that this story has a medical focus, Ducky plays a much more prominent role than he does in most NCIS fics. And oh, my word, what this author has done with Ducky is brilliant. The latest chapter's scene between Ducky and Ziva is incredibly touching in the way the author uses Ducky's font of esoteric knowledge to allow him to connect with Ziva in her frame of reference. (For those late to the party on this story, Chapter 13 is also an amazing Ducky chapter.)
"Timing in Everything" by Sashile (sashile) *UPDATED
[PG-13, ensemble, established Tony/Ziva, sequel to "Fallen Angels"]
Summary: An aircraft carrier off Bahrain is attacked during a Family Weekend and training exercise with the Israeli navy. While Ziva investigates Israel's involvement, Gibbs and Abby are called to help DiNozzo figure out what happened.
KEW note: Chapters 9-12 added.
"New Romantic" by Zayz
[PG, Tony/EJ, Tony/Ziva, set post 8x17 "One Last Score"]
Summary: "Five years ago, when he first met her, he would never have guessed she would be the kind of person who ever fell flat in anything." Tony and Ziva grapple with the change in the air.
"The Right to Serve" by McStories (mcstories)
[NC-17, past McGee/OC]
Summary: A Marine appears to have been murdered simply for being gay. When the victim is linked to a member of his team Gibbs is forced to tackle Don't Ask Don't Tell head-on, and it leads him somewhere he never thought he'd go.
Contact me: