Weekly Recs 11/24/11
I know the USA have a few days of holiday coming up, so here's something to read during them.
Completed Stories:
(Mostly newly-completed stories, plus some old ones if I haven't read them before.)
"Don't Care Much for Words of Doom" by catwalksalone
[M, Tony/McGee, set post 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", 5th in "Starting from Scratch" series, ~3,800 words]
Summary: Tony's having an existential crisis. There's only one place he wants to go.
KEW note: Pick of the Week. Let's talk about this series for a moment. Various bits of it have made it into weekly recs over the past several issues, but I've never taken the time to acknowledge that A) it is, in fact, a series, and B) it is amazing--this installment being the best yet.
"Bucket List" by janedavitt
[T, Gibbs/Tony, set post 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", ~1,400 words]
Quote: "So, I made a bucket list this week," Tony says with an airy wave of his hand. Nothing big, just some random moments of being hyper-aware of golden lads and girls and dust, it implies.
KEW note: I love this take on the bucket list, mainly because of how demanding and unyielding (and dare I say slightly cranky?) Gibbs is in it. That feels very in character.
"Waking up with the Past" by ncislove (ncis_love )
[K+, Gibbs/Shannon, Gibbs/Abby, spoilers for 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", fanfiction.net link, ~1,950 words]
Summary: Sometimes he wakes with the past, and sometimes he wakes with the future.
KEW note: Lovely juxtaposition. The author captures the mood of the first scene of 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)" so well and weaves it throughout the rest of the story.
"Pedro" by madame.alexandra
[T, Shannon, Kelly, pre-series, ~22,000 words]
Summary: This is the story of Shannon and Kelly Gibbs.... It's a glimpse into the last-few days of their lives.
KEW note: This is a story that anyone versed in NCIS canon already knows ends tragically, but the author tells it with immense charm and vast amounts of life given to Shannon and Kelly.
"The Anatomy of Writing" by Calliatra (calliatra )
[T, McGee, fanfiction.net link, ~4,800 words]
Summary: Four scenes that didn't make it into Deep Six, and one that did.
KEW note: I like that McGee's writing process is portrayed here not in what he does, but in what he actually writes.
"Paris to Serbia: Answers" by vegawriters (vega_voices )
[M, Gibbs/Mann, past Gibbs/Jenny, ~2,500 words]
Summary: She was Jenny Shepard. Who in just a few years would be a blip in the history books, a special page in a fifth grade social studies text, the single page devoted to the women who made history.
KEW note: I really love how both Gibbs and Jenny consider the future and the past in very different ways in this piece. (Note: This is part of a larger work in progress, but the author posted this part as a semi-stand-alone piece, so I'm following suit.)
"Duet" by LittleSammy (littlesammy )
[M, Tony/Ziva, 3rd chapter of "Ninja Solo", ~5,150 words (12,500 total)]
Summary: Sometimes, despite all her training in manipulating and controlling people, it seemed just too easy to get Ziva all riled up and bothered enough to throw around curses in her mother tongue.
KEW note: This third chapter really makes the story. There's a thread of uncertainty running through it that I really like.
"Skiamachy" by Zaedah (zaedah )
[K, Tony, future fic, ~750 words]
Summary: His 'I do' had sounded like the first squirt of a lethal injection.
KEW note: Dark and bleak, but with a beautiful rhythm to the language.
"Thankful" by Aerial312 (aerial312 )
[T, Tony/Ziva, set post 9x10 "Sins of the Father", fanfiction.net link, ~1,050 words]
Summary: Tony is wary of his father suddenly making an effort.
KEW note: I love how this seasonal fic is so well blended into the fabric of the show and the episode. It also maintains that perfect joking-but-not-really tone that Tony and Ziva have as they weave between thorny topics and their flirtation.
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 Little Things" by TwistedRocketPower *NEW
[K+, McGee/Abby]
Summary: It's all about the little things.
KEW note: I know I've recommended other stories in this same 'McGee & Abby friendship-maybe-more vignettes' genre before, but can you really blame me for doing it again? There are a lot of really charming moments in here that I could absolutely picture happening on my TV screen.
"A Hiding to Nothing" by Laine3112 *NEW
[K+, Tony, Jimmy]
Summary: When Tony and Palmer stumble into a perilous situation, Gibbs and Ducky exhaust all avenues to get them back safely - including defying agency regulations
KEW note: Chapter 1 posted. This is an extremely talented author and a good, suspenseful beginning. This time, however, the author is working from a story concept by another writer so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.
"The Shadow of a Doubt" by madame.alexandra *UPDATED
[M, Gibbs/Jenny]
Summary: The fact that she had to bang on his door made her feel sick; it was a bad omen. And things were already bad.
KEW note: Chapters 7 and 8 posted. I like how this case has turned from the evidence to the court of public opinion, and how that puts both Gibbs and Jenny significantly off-balance. M. Allison Hart, making a non-canon appearance, adds some welcome zing.
"Unyielding" by Ink On Paper (ink_on_paper93) *UPDATED
[T, ensemble]
Summary: Because in a world of such uncertainty and carefully veiled half-truths, it's comforting to know that some things are unyielding.
KEW note: Chapter 2 added. The set-up is all here, and I really can't wait for the payoff. I have a feeling that it will be good. (I just wish this were updated more frequently.)
"Road Trip" by taleofmorewoe
[T, Tony/Ziva, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, fanfiction.net link]
Summary: “... Drive me home.” The words were said quietly and once out between them, she turned to head for the elevator. Tony sat there in some sortof temporary shock, trying to get the words to register properly, until he heard the ding and the familiar woosh of air as the doors parted. He quickly shoved away his papers, shut off the light, grabbed his bag, and ran for the doors himself. He made it just in time to slide into the elevator next to her, leaning against the wall and staring at the now glowing button for the garage.
"Gray Scale" (Part 2) by lennoxcontrary
[M, ensemble, AU from 7x24 "Rule 51"]
Summary: When the Reynosas come after Gibbs the team is forced into dark territory.
"Grand Canyon Deep" by hazelmom
[M, McGee, Gibbs]
Summary: McGee struggles to climb out of the depths of despair while Gibbs fights to help him.
"Quake" by jelenamichel (jelenamichel)
[T, Tony/Ziva]
Summary: Tony sometimes thought of the progress in his relationship with Ziva in tectonic terms. They moved together with agonizing slowness, until a burst of seismic activity either smashed them together or ripped them apart. They're due for another quake.
"Of Ghosts and Gremlins" by AlkalineTeegan (alkalineteegan)
[T, Tony, Jimmy, set between season 3 and 4]
Summary: A post-"Hiatus" exploration of how Tony and Jimmy might have become friends.
"Fitting Pieces" by Detour
[T, Tony, Gibbs, pre-series, written before 8x22 "Baltimore"]
Quote: The cops on scene weren't having problems keeping the perimeter clear, but one stupid tourist with a camera had started taking pictures, and suddenly a half dozen people were trying to snap a souvenir, making it a busy evening. Cameras were confiscated, and threats of being taken to a holding cell issued, but neither the cops nor the onlookers seemed extremely concerned. It was just a dance, and one none were more practiced in than the reporters who camped to the side of the observers. But even they were strangely listless, saying the right words, asking the expected questions, but without strong interest. Murder was not a novel concept in Baltimore.
Completed Stories:
(Mostly newly-completed stories, plus some old ones if I haven't read them before.)
"Don't Care Much for Words of Doom" by catwalksalone
[M, Tony/McGee, set post 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", 5th in "Starting from Scratch" series, ~3,800 words]
Summary: Tony's having an existential crisis. There's only one place he wants to go.
KEW note: Pick of the Week. Let's talk about this series for a moment. Various bits of it have made it into weekly recs over the past several issues, but I've never taken the time to acknowledge that A) it is, in fact, a series, and B) it is amazing--this installment being the best yet.
"Bucket List" by janedavitt
[T, Gibbs/Tony, set post 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", ~1,400 words]
Quote: "So, I made a bucket list this week," Tony says with an airy wave of his hand. Nothing big, just some random moments of being hyper-aware of golden lads and girls and dust, it implies.
KEW note: I love this take on the bucket list, mainly because of how demanding and unyielding (and dare I say slightly cranky?) Gibbs is in it. That feels very in character.
"Waking up with the Past" by ncislove (ncis_love )
[K+, Gibbs/Shannon, Gibbs/Abby, spoilers for 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)", fanfiction.net link, ~1,950 words]
Summary: Sometimes he wakes with the past, and sometimes he wakes with the future.
KEW note: Lovely juxtaposition. The author captures the mood of the first scene of 9x08 "Engaged (Part 1)" so well and weaves it throughout the rest of the story.
"Pedro" by madame.alexandra
[T, Shannon, Kelly, pre-series, ~22,000 words]
Summary: This is the story of Shannon and Kelly Gibbs.... It's a glimpse into the last-few days of their lives.
KEW note: This is a story that anyone versed in NCIS canon already knows ends tragically, but the author tells it with immense charm and vast amounts of life given to Shannon and Kelly.
"The Anatomy of Writing" by Calliatra (calliatra )
[T, McGee, fanfiction.net link, ~4,800 words]
Summary: Four scenes that didn't make it into Deep Six, and one that did.
KEW note: I like that McGee's writing process is portrayed here not in what he does, but in what he actually writes.
"Paris to Serbia: Answers" by vegawriters (vega_voices )
[M, Gibbs/Mann, past Gibbs/Jenny, ~2,500 words]
Summary: She was Jenny Shepard. Who in just a few years would be a blip in the history books, a special page in a fifth grade social studies text, the single page devoted to the women who made history.
KEW note: I really love how both Gibbs and Jenny consider the future and the past in very different ways in this piece. (Note: This is part of a larger work in progress, but the author posted this part as a semi-stand-alone piece, so I'm following suit.)
"Duet" by LittleSammy (littlesammy )
[M, Tony/Ziva, 3rd chapter of "Ninja Solo", ~5,150 words (12,500 total)]
Summary: Sometimes, despite all her training in manipulating and controlling people, it seemed just too easy to get Ziva all riled up and bothered enough to throw around curses in her mother tongue.
KEW note: This third chapter really makes the story. There's a thread of uncertainty running through it that I really like.
"Skiamachy" by Zaedah (zaedah )
[K, Tony, future fic, ~750 words]
Summary: His 'I do' had sounded like the first squirt of a lethal injection.
KEW note: Dark and bleak, but with a beautiful rhythm to the language.
"Thankful" by Aerial312 (aerial312 )
[T, Tony/Ziva, set post 9x10 "Sins of the Father", fanfiction.net link, ~1,050 words]
Summary: Tony is wary of his father suddenly making an effort.
KEW note: I love how this seasonal fic is so well blended into the fabric of the show and the episode. It also maintains that perfect joking-but-not-really tone that Tony and Ziva have as they weave between thorny topics and their flirtation.
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 Little Things" by TwistedRocketPower *NEW
[K+, McGee/Abby]
Summary: It's all about the little things.
KEW note: I know I've recommended other stories in this same 'McGee & Abby friendship-maybe-more vignettes' genre before, but can you really blame me for doing it again? There are a lot of really charming moments in here that I could absolutely picture happening on my TV screen.
"A Hiding to Nothing" by Laine3112 *NEW
[K+, Tony, Jimmy]
Summary: When Tony and Palmer stumble into a perilous situation, Gibbs and Ducky exhaust all avenues to get them back safely - including defying agency regulations
KEW note: Chapter 1 posted. This is an extremely talented author and a good, suspenseful beginning. This time, however, the author is working from a story concept by another writer so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.
"The Shadow of a Doubt" by madame.alexandra *UPDATED
[M, Gibbs/Jenny]
Summary: The fact that she had to bang on his door made her feel sick; it was a bad omen. And things were already bad.
KEW note: Chapters 7 and 8 posted. I like how this case has turned from the evidence to the court of public opinion, and how that puts both Gibbs and Jenny significantly off-balance. M. Allison Hart, making a non-canon appearance, adds some welcome zing.
"Unyielding" by Ink On Paper (ink_on_paper93) *UPDATED
[T, ensemble]
Summary: Because in a world of such uncertainty and carefully veiled half-truths, it's comforting to know that some things are unyielding.
KEW note: Chapter 2 added. The set-up is all here, and I really can't wait for the payoff. I have a feeling that it will be good. (I just wish this were updated more frequently.)
"Road Trip" by taleofmorewoe
[T, Tony/Ziva, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, fanfiction.net link]
Summary: “... Drive me home.” The words were said quietly and once out between them, she turned to head for the elevator. Tony sat there in some sortof temporary shock, trying to get the words to register properly, until he heard the ding and the familiar woosh of air as the doors parted. He quickly shoved away his papers, shut off the light, grabbed his bag, and ran for the doors himself. He made it just in time to slide into the elevator next to her, leaning against the wall and staring at the now glowing button for the garage.
"Gray Scale" (Part 2) by lennoxcontrary
[M, ensemble, AU from 7x24 "Rule 51"]
Summary: When the Reynosas come after Gibbs the team is forced into dark territory.
"Grand Canyon Deep" by hazelmom
[M, McGee, Gibbs]
Summary: McGee struggles to climb out of the depths of despair while Gibbs fights to help him.
"Quake" by jelenamichel (jelenamichel)
[T, Tony/Ziva]
Summary: Tony sometimes thought of the progress in his relationship with Ziva in tectonic terms. They moved together with agonizing slowness, until a burst of seismic activity either smashed them together or ripped them apart. They're due for another quake.
"Of Ghosts and Gremlins" by AlkalineTeegan (alkalineteegan)
[T, Tony, Jimmy, set between season 3 and 4]
Summary: A post-"Hiatus" exploration of how Tony and Jimmy might have become friends.
"Fitting Pieces" by Detour
[T, Tony, Gibbs, pre-series, written before 8x22 "Baltimore"]
Quote: The cops on scene weren't having problems keeping the perimeter clear, but one stupid tourist with a camera had started taking pictures, and suddenly a half dozen people were trying to snap a souvenir, making it a busy evening. Cameras were confiscated, and threats of being taken to a holding cell issued, but neither the cops nor the onlookers seemed extremely concerned. It was just a dance, and one none were more practiced in than the reporters who camped to the side of the observers. But even they were strangely listless, saying the right words, asking the expected questions, but without strong interest. Murder was not a novel concept in Baltimore.