NCIS FIC: The Metal of a Man, 5/?

[matt51]

Title: The Metal of a Man, 5/?
Author: Matt
Summary, warnings, rating, disclaimer, etc. included with part 1/?

Comments

[cpwatcher]

Matt, first off, let me apologize for my incredibly bad lapse in reading in the NCIS fandom. You have several stories for which I have yet to read and offer feedback upon. My only excuse is that I have been sucked into Numb3rs and Die Hard 4 (LFODH) and have barely glanced at the NCIS group

[matt51]

Well, holy hell...when feedback like *this* comes in, it makes such a hugh impact. Your in-depth comments are greatly appreciated; it's easy to tell you put a lot of careful thought into what you wanted to communicate and, for that, I'm grateful. And slightly astounded. Really.

Numb3rs, eh? I was reading a lot of that fandom's fic for a while, too. When there are characters as interesting as those, it's hard not to get sucked in. Oh, yeah...

Again, thank you for taking the time to read and respond like you did. You have to know I was smiling like a fool the whole time I was reading-

Matt

[ampliflyer]

Yes, finally!

Tell me, what are they going to do together? They must have a plan of sorts, right? Damn... Please don't let us wait another two months for an update because really, you should just abandon your real life and just write and post. I liked this chapter (when have I ever not liked your writings?) and Gibbs inner battle is very well presented, as it should be. I like how frank DiNozzo is, exactly like a child (or a robot - in this case) who's learning about life and feelings and it's great how it puzzles (annoys, surprises) Gibbs, making him doubt his judgement and prejudice. Good work.
/Laura

[matt51]

Laura, I promise it won't be another two months but it sure won't be in the next two days either! Heh. And about abandoning my 'real life' to write...that would only work if I won the Lottery and if my muse stayed at home. I'm not much of a gambler and my muse has been eeriely silent all day today, so it looks like I'm just going to have to tough it out the 'real' way.

Thanks for sharing your views and for not jumping ship-

Matt

[sundara]

Great continuation in this story. I'm really looking forward to more. Soon, I hope! Love your in-depth world-building--it really creates a complex and layered setting for the characters we (for the most part) already know. And the development at the end has given me great satisfaction, because I was wondering the same thing--why they'd forced the AI on Gibbs, given his history. Whoot!

I'd like to offer one minor editorial comment, especially because the pronoun "it" is used so frequently to refer to the AI in Gibbs' mind. Its, the possessive pronoun, used instead of "Tony's", has no apostrophe. The apostrophe is used in the contraction "it's", a shortened form of "it is". Substituting "Tony's" or "it is" in the sentences can point the way toward which version of its/it's to use. It's a *very* common problem, but to an old editor like me, it's enough to take me out of the story...and I don't want anything interfering with my enjoyment of your wonderful story!!

Looking forward to more!

[matt51]

Hey, Sundara

[sundara]

LOL... The possessive form of 'it' is spelled "its"--no apostrophe. Yes, it's counter-intuitive, since we're used to using an apostrophe and an "s" when making something possessive, (or, in the case of a noun ending in S like "Gibbs" we write Gibbs') but in the case of the pronoun 'it', there is no apostrophe. Why? Because, as you say, once you add the apostrophe, it turns into the contraction for 'it is': it's.

I've got an entry in my lj from some time back about a few common English errors, including the 'its' issue.

Looking forward to more Metal!

[gibozzo]

What a brilliant chapter.

I enjoyed Jethro's memories of Shannon all fired up.

Loved the physical contact between Gibbs and the AI and Gibbs' feelings about it.

I am convinced that you are the only writer that could make this sort of AU story work.

Your writing is amazing Matt! Your style and vocab are great.

-Kath.

[matt51]

Thanks, Kath-

Your feedback is a tremendous ego-booster. Thanks for reading and responding-

Matt