NCIS Reverse Bang

UPDATE: Art claims are now closed as of EOD May 31st

Greetings all!

Just a reminder that the author sign-ups will remain open until 9:00 PM CENTRAL TIME on Friday, 01/16/2026, with the claims running on Saturday, 01/17/2026. We currently have 7 pieces of artwork and 5 signed-up authors.

2026 NCIS Reverse Bang Author Sign-ups **CLOSED** ON DW or ON LJ

Our claims process is now run via email; however, the match-ups and claim requests will be posted at DW and LJ.

Ballots will be sent out Saturday morning to Authors who have signed up for the challenge, about 30-60 minutes before the claims are live.
- Ballots may be filled out and submitted as soon as they are received. There is no need to wait for the official opening time for the claims. That time just means I'm not going to look at any of the ballots until the claims open.

Authors are welcome to request an 'early ballot' to be sent to them on Friday.
- As claims are no longer FIFO, there is no advantage to having an early ballot. This allows people who might have conflicts on Saturday to send in their choices early if they prefer.

Please note: Claims run fast now and may close within 1-2 hours if all banners are claimed.
- Last year people commented that there was too much time between receiving the ballot, and when claims were posted, and also too much time between rounds.
- As we only have about a handful of people participating, I'm perfectly happy to move the claims along ASAP.


How claims will work:

- I will begin reviewing ROUND 1 claims received by 11:30 AM CENTRAL TIME (17:30 PM UTC) first. These will be the EARLY BIRD claims for ROUND 1.
- I will then post the EARLY BIRD ROUND 1 claims.
- ROUND 1 will END after one hour, or once I've heard from all signed-up authors.
- ROUND 2 will begin once ROUND 1 claims have been posted.
- I will begin review ROUND 2 claims 30 minutes after the round has opened, and will post those results.
- ROUND 2 will close one hour after it opens, or once I've heard from all signed-up authors.
- If there are any unclaimed banners after ROUND 2, I will open ROUND 3.
- ANY author may make a claim via email in ROUND 3, whether they signed up or not.
- This final round will remain open until April 17, or once ALL BANNERS are claimed.



PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THROUGH ALL INSTRUCTIONS

Comments to this post will remain disabled.

Claims are now run via email only.

If you have questions feel free to email them to ncischallenge (at) gmail (dot) com, or post to the community's sticky post.

Ballots and claims instructions will be sent out to signed-up authors.

Signed-up authors should reach out to me ASAP if they have not received a ballot 30 minutes before claims go live (11:00 AM CENTRAL time or 17:00 UTC) on Saturday.

Signed-up authors may request an early ballot once artwork is posted.

Artwork will be posted anonymously for Authors to claim.

The order was chosen by a sequence randomizer.

Please ensure you are willing to work within allowed categories, pairings, prompt, etc. before making a claim.

Authors are to write a minimum 5000 WC story based on the artwork and prompt they claimed.

Your story must be based on NCIS characters, although crossover characters are okay if approved or allowed by the Artist.
-Keep in mind this is an NCIS challenge, so this fandom (or NCIS character) should be a primary focus.

What is Not Allowed:

Even if it's not noted, please check with your artist before writing something that would normally be warned for, such as rape, non-con, major character death, graphic violence or torture, extreme kinks, BDSM, MPreg, gender-swap, any sexual situations involving minors, etc. We understand it's difficult for an artist to capture all of these, and things commonly warned for may be triggery to some people. Of course, the artist may be fine with some of the above, but unless it's specified with the artwork, please ask before going in that direction.

What is Allowed:

All Artists are free to create more art and to finalize the original piece before stories are posted.

Crossover allowed means the Artist is okay with you writing a crossover. You do not HAVE to write a crossover for a story where crossovers are allowed. Author can only write a crossover with the fandom(s) approved by Artist. It is okay to discuss, but Artist has the final word.

Canon relationships are always acceptable unless the author specifically says no. For example, you can write Tim in a relationship with Delilah because it's canon. However, the story should not focus on that pairing unless the artist allows Het and approves for the pairing to be a focus.

Unless the artist specifically says "no pre-series" stories, NCIS: Origins stories are acceptable as long as they contain Gibbs, or Franks, or Fornell (they have all appeared in over 10 episodes in the original series). It is up to the author if they want to tag the story as NCIS, NCIS: Origins, or both. I will respect their decision. See THIS POST on LJ or THIS POST on DW for more information.

Questions?:

You may send in any questions regarding this year's artwork or claims process.
-Please email me ASAP at ncischallenge (at) gmail (dot) com noting the word "QUESTION" (plus the artwork number if applicable) in the subject line, and your question in the body of the email. I cannot guarantee the artist will respond before the claims open, but I am happy to reach out to them for you and will relay any response. The earlier you send a question, the more likely you will receive a response prior to the claims being assigned.

Stats:
Reverse Bang authors signed up: 5
Reverse Bang artists signed up: 4
Artwork submitted: 7


***ART CLAIMS ARE NOW CLOSED***

As all signed-up authors have opted not to participate in Round 2, ROUND 3 is now open for any author, whether they signed up or not.

By making a claim, Author agrees to abide by the Mimimum Communication Expectations.
Minimum Communication Expectations:
1) After the claims - Within 1 week of the matchup post
-Introduction, discuss partner expectations, etc.
2) When you receive work from your partner - ASAP (rough draft, completed story, artwork draft, completed artwork)
-"Got it" or "Thanks for sending" are acceptable responses.
3) If your partner or mod emails you at any time, for any reason, you are expected to respond within 1 week.
-There is no excuse for not clicking 'reply' and typing in a few words within a reasonable timeframe. It only takes a few seconds.

To make a claim:

Please send an email to ncischallenge (at) gmail (dot) com.

Use "2026 REVERSE BANG CLAIM" as the subject line.

Note the number of the banner you would like to claim.

I will make the claimed artwork a bit smaller to make it easier to see that they have been claimed, while leaving the unclaimed art larger to show more detail. Click any image to see it full-sized!

Artwork

1. Art Submission - AVAILABLE



1. Prompt
Categories allowed: Any
Pairings allowed: Any
Crossovers allowed: up to the author
Prompt: Who is he? Fire or deep dark water? Smile or frown? Do you really know him? (not necessarily a tragic story)
Not allowed: N/A


2. Art Submission - claimed by dont_hate_me01



2. Prompt
Categories allowed: Gen or Slash
Pairings allowed: Tony/Nick or Tony & Nick
Crossovers allowed: Criminal Minds
Prompt: Optional thoughts - they're working a case in the desert, possibly undercover. Or perhaps they're being pursued across the desert.
Not allowed: No TIVA, no Tali. Tony and Nick can't be bad guys.


3. Art Submission - claimed by jacie



3. Prompt
Categories allowed: Any
Pairings allowed: Any, but Tony/Gibbs preferred
Crossovers allowed: None
Prompt: Gibbs is lord of the castle, figuratively or literally
Not allowed: anything is allowed
Note: I can add characters if the writer chooses.


4. Art Submission - AVAILABLE



4. Prompt
Categories allowed: Any
Pairings allowed: Any
Crossovers allowed: Harry Potter
Prompt: N/A
Not allowed: Tony/Ziva (or Draco/Ziva)
Note: Artist is willing to change Draco images for an NCIS character if the author prefers.


5. Art Submission - claimed by cutsycat



5. Prompt
Categories allowed: Any
Pairings allowed: Any
Crossovers allowed: Stargate SG-1/A, Bones, The Sentinel, Criminal Minds, Bones, Numb3rs, Hawai'i 5-0, 9-1-1
Prompt: Tony reflects on people who taught him certain lessons in and about life, and how well he learned -- or rejected -- those lessons. (If I had to suggest a title, I'd tend towards "You taught me well", "Lesson Learned" or "Influencers" ... or something along those lines.)
Not allowed: N/A
Note: The characters and the words for the "lessons" I've picked are free to be changed. Not all have to be used, either; who actually appears, and which term gets assigned to each, will totally be up to the author. Can also be male or female only.


6. Art Submission - claimed by Unilocular



6. Prompt
Categories allowed: Gen or Slash
Pairings allowed: Any
Crossovers allowed: it can be discussed
Prompt: I think this is a mystical story
Not allowed: N/A


7. Art Submission - claimed by banbury



7. Prompt
Categories allowed: Slash
Pairings allowed: Tony/Gibbs
Crossovers allowed: None
Prompt: Optional suggestions - they're at a B&B stuck in a snow storm, or maybe after they've both left NCIS and bought a place in the country or Alaska. Or perhaps they are working a case together
Not allowed: No TIVA, no Ziva, no Tali. Tony and Gibbs can't be bad guys.





2026 NCIS Reverse Bang Schedule:

Author Sign-ups Open - Saturday, 15 November
Artist Sign-ups Open - Saturday, 15 November

Artist Sign-ups Close - Wednesday, 31 December Limited extension until Friday Jan 9th
Artwork Due - Wednesday, 14 January
Artwork Preview - Thursday, 15 January
Author Sign-ups Close - Friday, 16 January

Art Claims Open - Saturday, 17 January CLAIMS WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA EMAIL
Art claim will open at 11:00 AM CENTRAL TIME (17:00 UTC).

Rough Draft Due Date: Friday, 16 May
- We must receive your rough draft or hear from you by this date. If we do not hear from you or receive your rough draft by this date, your claim may be reassigned to a backup author.

Availability check and schedule posts - mid-May
Completed Stories and Art Due: 31 May (subject to change)
Posting Begins - TBA June (subject to change)

Progress check-ins are not mandatory, but we do appreciate hearing from our participants.
Check-In # 1: 14 Feb
Check-In # 2: 14 Mar
Check-In # 3: 11 Apr
There may be another check-in if the due date is pushed back.

Progress check-ins are not mandatory, but we do appreciate hearing from our participants.