"In the Bullpen" with @phillydi - Fan Fiction, Pt. 2

The Wonderful World of Densi

Welcome back to In the Bullpen and the second part of my exploration into the world of NCISLA Fan Fiction. This week in shipper nation I decided to delve into the one special relationship that NCISLA fans can’t seem to get enough of. This past year we got to watch the rapport between Nell and Eric evolve as many fan fic writers scrambled to put more of this adorable pair on paper. But for fans of this show, there has been only one relationship that has whipped the NCISLA fan fic community into shipper frenzy. Fic writers have tried to pair Callen, Sam, Nate and every other Tom, Dick or Harry with Kensi (and let’s not forget Jack, Kensi’s long lost fiancé). But only one relationship can captured the hearts of the fans across the board like no other. Even I had to finish what Dave Kalstein and Joe Wilson started in Plan B with my fan fic entitled Touché. Sixteen chapters later, I finally told the story of what became my fairytale version of what happen after Kensi and Deeks decided that they had a thing. I’m still exploring this exhilarating relationship with three continuing stories. I can’t seem get enough of these two on screen or in the pages of fan fic journals. Just what makes Kensi and Deeks so irresistible together?

In part one of this column, I had the opportunity to speak with some of the best NCISLA fan fiction writers online. Of course, being the marvelously loquacious people that they are, their thoughts on writing for the fan fiction market always kept coming back to one topic…writing for Densi. Their energy and passion for all things Kensi and Deeks was infectious. It’s this passion that has answered the question why these characters were born (created) to be together.

Maxie Kay says the sexual chemistry between Kensi and Deeks is incredible. “They are so right for each other, they are fighting against the attraction yet there is the knowledge that they have to be partners first and foremost. But I desperately want them to get together. We know they’ve got a thing – and exploring that thing is so intriguing and full of possibilities.”

Fictionista 48 also loves the romance and angst between the two characters but is not so sure about wanting to see them take that next step. That is why she continues their story in fan fics. “As much as I want to see Kensi and Deeks get together on the show, I know that would be the kiss of death for that relationship. The sexual tension, the chemistry, the banter…it would all be gone, and with it the relationship we all love. I think that is why I love to read and write fics where they get together. It’s safe in our fan fic world. It’s allowed. Nothing changes. We finish reading it, and Tuesday comes, and we have our Kensi and Deeks driving each other mad with that incredible tension again.”

Gf7 enjoys writing for these two characters because they really have it all - angst, humor, drama, and very clear emotions for each other. “They're a wonderful case of role reversal done right. Kensi is the screwed up, closed down, badass who could pretty much take the whole team out if she ever lost her mind. Deeks is the screwed up class clown who can be just as deadly if needs be. He's also the perfect guy, seemingly comfortable in his own skin, and completely at ease with his partner being the more dangerous of the two of them. There's something wildly appealing about a guy who isn't threatened - and is, in fact, turned on - by a strong woman. On the page, their banter feels so fun and natural to write and it often serves as a natural emotion breaker for difficult scenes. Finally, because of all these two characters have been through in their past, putting them through the ringer is a tremendous amount of fun. Seeing them come out on the other side is an epic kind of reward that keeps me at my keyboard.”

Sweet Lu is particularly enchanted with the character of Marty Deeks and his interaction with the team. “When he put on his dark glasses at the end of Fame and told Fern not to worry, he’d be back….I was hooked. He’s funny and vulnerable and sexy and I just want to mother the heck out of him sometimes, among other things. The episode Personal added immediate depth to his character with just a few short lines about his lack of family and a darker childhood than anyone expected he would have. That made me want to know more and when the show didn’t immediately provide that, I decided to write and explore the depths in the character myself.”

Fictionista 48 simply adores Kensi and Deeks and that’s what makes them so easy to write for. “I love Kensi’s strength, her independence, her beauty, and her obvious thing for Deeks. I love that he’s goofy and gorgeous, and that he has deep pain and a past that makes him who he is. The parallel between their past, both filled with loss and uncertainty makes them just perfect together.”

Personal is a much loved episode for Densi shippers and probably started the Densi obsession for many of us but there are other episodes that are fan favorites too. As I mentioned above, Plan B captured my imagination and motivated me to write my first major fan fic. Maxie Kay singled out The Debt because she had to write about the issues that needed to be resolved in that episode. “It never allowed Kensi and Deeks to talk about how she felt about things – not only about Deeks lying to her, but the fact that she was deliberately excluded from the knowledge that this was an undercover operation. This was a conversation that I felt they needed to have – so I wrote a one-shot about it called The Thing.”

After last week’s two-part episode, Blye, K. which deliciously delved into Kensi past, the Densi shippers now have enough material to keep them writing for a long time to come.

If you want to try your hand at writing Densi fan fiction, take a few words of advice from Gf7: “I like the long drawn out, slow simmering undercover stories that end with one of the characters - or both - being in imminent danger the best. I like tales that show the resilience and strength of these two. They're so strong; it would take a tremendous amount to really fully break either of them. If an author is going to try that, they're going to have to earn it. And then they're going to have to repay my faith in them by letting Kensi and Deeks find their way back to their feet. So in short, I'm attracted to tales that are Agent in Distress stories with a mostly happy ending.” Good advice for Densi writers everywhere.

In a discussion about Deeks on Twitter, NCISLA writer and producer, Dave Kalstein responded to my tweet by saying, “If Deeks was real, we would be friends.” Is this the secret to writing for these characters? I’d like to think so.

ThePixieMadeMeDoIt feels that the passion we share for these characters makes the fan fic community a great place to be a part of. I agree. I would probably never have been able to meet such fascinating and creative people in one place.

My thanks go out to all of these incredibly talented writers for sharing their views and insights about fan fiction. I hope that you check out more of their writing on www.fanfiction.net. And a BIG thank you to all the screenwriters of NCISLA for their inspiration and imagination that helps makes our creative pastime so much fun.

Next time: Join me and Fictionista 48 as we have some fun together speculating on how Kensi’s life will change after the incredible accounting of her past in Blye, K. What will the future hold for Kensi and the people around her?

In upcoming columns I have invited other guest contributors like Maxie Kay who will join me In the Bullpen to explore more areas of the NCISLA universe. Be sure not to miss it!

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