Mirandabelle on AO3 | She/They | Aussie | Queer disaster | POC | NCIS appreciation and fanfic central| Open to asks and tag games! | Requests on a case-by-case basis. | No art commission contacts, please.
So... looks like I've gained some new (actually, human!) followers and my old intro post is out of date. Time for an update.
Me in a nutshell: Miranda, 40s, Aussie, Queer, POC. Wife. Mother. Fanfic author (Mirandabelle on AO3). NCIS-obsessed.
NCIS is basically my world right now, and I will happily talk about anything and everything with you - whether that's establishing a timeline for Ziva's past, dissecting the smallest details, obsessing over specific scenes, (not) answering what my favourite episodes are, or creating new headcanons. If you want to talk NCIS, I am here for you!
Open to all tag games and asks (but bad at using the chat window.) Requests and prompts are welcome, but with the understanding that I treat them as suggestions. You may be waiting months for fulfilment, or I will refuse to write about topics or pairings I cannot do justice to. (I will not do suicide/self-harm for my own well-being and don't know enough to sensitively tackle ED. I also don't write good smut! Or M/M romance.)
You might recognise me from the r/fanfiction sub as CarolineDiva. Why? Because I started interacting in an alt without realising how I'd logged in. and then I didn't want to change by the time I built up a rapport.
Jump down for more:
Miranda: Yes, that's my IRL name. I also go by Mrs Mungus if you're a gamer friend from my early 20s or Aunty Randa if you're one of my niblings/found family babies. You can just call me Miranda - no one has ever successfully given me a nickname! (I am open to nicknames, they just never seem to stick.)
40-something: I'm not embarrassed about my age, I just frequently forget how old I am. 40-something has me covered for a decade!
They/She/Pronoun Indifferent: My kids call me Sir when they're not saying, Mum. Don't call me ma'am. Anything else is fine as long as you're kind about it.
Aussie: I come from a land down under. Born and raised in Melbourne. I will not give up my Australian-English spelling conventions. I also acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where I live, the Waruwurung people and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded
Queer: And a disaster at that. See the pronoun mess above. Non-binary, gender apathetic, demi girl and all-around non-cis. Still comfortable being a called woman, and will probably always be coded as one. Demiromantic with absolutely no rhyme or reason to the people I crush on.
POC: I'm a mixed-race half-Australian, half-Sri Lankan brown woman. Yes, people assume I am white. No, I am not. Yes, I am acutely aware of the privilege and safety this passing gives me.
Wife and mother: Married for 16 years, 4 kids. Despite my pronoun conundrum, I still like those titles.
Neurodiverse: ADHD, likely AuDHD (but never formally diagnosed), anxious, and three possums in a coat. That dumpster fire is where my executive function used to be, and I am in a perpetual raccoon phase. Prone to verbal stims, flicking my fingernails and sudden hyper fixations leading to half-finished WIPs. If you see me talking about gremlins or possums running my brain, it's my (affectionate) way of referring to the neuro-spicy.
I live under a rock: I am slow to take up new fandoms. Very slow. I've never seen an entire Star Wars movie, I haven't watched MCU since Tobey Maguire was Spiderman, and I think I've seen maybe half a Supernatural episode. I will always try my best to read fandom-blind. NCIS, House MD, Charmed, Firefly, Call The Midwife, and SG1 are my current (and long-lasting) fandoms, anything else, I simply learn as I go.
You can find more about posts me under the tags: Mrs Mungus's rare glimpses into her (real) life, all about me, personal and I come from a land down under. (All conveniently pre-linked for your perusal!)
Unsolicited attempts to find me outside of Tumblr/Reddit/Twitter will result in blocking - not that this has happened, but just so we're clear from the beginning. I am quick to love, but slow to trust. My SM is personal with photos of my kids, and while I may love having you here, I probably don't want you there. (Personal requests with long-term rapport will be considered on a case-by-case basis.)
Before you ask... no, you cannot see a photo of me, I have a no-face policy on Tumblr. This is the best you'll get. The hair isn't blue anymore. This makes me sad.
Onto my writing. You'll find me on A03 as Mirandabelle (also FFN but I prefer AO3) Here's my works page and my Tumblr Master List (which is also in dire need of an update!)
I started out writing fanfic when I was around 15 or 16, in M*A*S*H and the original Charmed series, with a brief dabble into House, MD. I started and never published at least one SG1 fanfic around the time I was 18 too.
Like all authors, I adore kudos, comments and reblogs. I especially love replying to comments and trying (on AO3 only) to respond to every review I'm given.
Now, I'm firmly in the NCIS fandom. I'm currently working on a long series called "The Ties That Bind" (and you can find snippets, headcanons, sneak peeks and chapter announcements for this series using the tag ncis ties that bind verse) as well as a million other little one-shots and stories, the tag mrs mungus writes is probably the fastest way there.
Tiva is, and will always be my main ship, and I also dabble in Jiva and Slibbs (though I prefer Jibbs, the whole dead thing is an issue.) I am in love with Cote De Pablo as a whole, Michael Weatherley's smile, and Mark Harmon's hands. (Don't ask about the Zibbs story, my muse wouldn't let up and that's all I have to say about that.)
Here's a very quick guide to the personalised tags you'll find on my blog:
Mrs Mungus Writes - anything to do with my writing, fics, asks, the occasional whinge, story updates, links to new posts.
Mrs Mungus Responds - answers to asks
Mrs Mungus Recs - other people's stories that I love enough to share.
Mrs Mungus Rants - long posts, personal posts, rambling headcanons, occasional bouts of anger at social injustice this one's a bit of a mixed bag.
Mrs Mungus's Rare Glimpses Into Her (real) Life - does what it was on the tin. Personal posts, photos of my kids' birthday cakes.
Mrs Mungus's Replies - my asks to others, answered
Mrs Mungus Writespiration - sometimes I use a notebook instead of a keyboard. Sometimes, you get to see what that looks like.
I am alive. Barely but alive.. here is to the next few months being challenging in all the right ways. Tagging @indestinatus and @mrsmungus if they feel like sharing. I hopeyou are doing great ladies.
“He was not just a man”, the sharpness in her father’s voice was unmistakable, “He was family, he was mishpacha”. All of a sudden, Hadar’s frame was all Ziva could see. The strong arms that had made her fly high during those long summer days waiting for her Abba to finish working. Those big dark eyes full of mischief and secrets and the grin he could barely suppress when a beautiful woman walked by.
Also alive - however barely. Nothing dramatic, just busy. Apparently, I have a social life that takes me out of the house now. I don't quite know when that happened. And then kids, and husband, and all of the things.
Writing is slim right now. Edits and tiny typos mostly. There's a few little bits coming together, but nothing that's really flowing.
But I will leave you all with this little bit of classic Tiva vibes.
He leaned against the corner of her desk, like he had all the time in the world. “You good after that fall, Ninja?” he asked.
“It was not a fall,” she corrected. “It was a controlled dive.”
Tony shrugged. “Either way, you hit the deck hard,” he said. “You okay?” his tone shifted, a little quieter and more sincere.
Ziva glanced up at him, checking the enquiry was genuine and nodded. “As you like to say, shaken but not scarred,” she replied less sharply.
“Stirred,” he murmured, shaking his head. “I really need to get some Bond education into you.”
Oh how I've missed you, ladies!! 🫂💜 I am alive, too; broken and exhausted, but alive and recovering from a long school year. @samwhity I am wondering what could be "challenging in all the right ways"? 🤔 @mrsmungus a social life?? Outside of the house?? You go girl! ☺️
I am intrigued by both of your sneak peeks! I've never seen a fic with Ziva and Hadar having much of a connection, but it's interesting to imagine! And classic Tiva banter, indeed. I will always believe that Ziva often flubs some idioms on purpose, just so Tony can correct them. 😂
I haven't read Tiva in quite a few months...need to change that! I also haven't written in a gazillion years, but I found a very rough draft to offer:
He was still ignoring her as the plane began its final boarding call – except when he wasn’t ignoring her at all, which was far worse, in her opinion.
“Hey, gimme a stick.”
“No.”
“Oh, come on, share,” he whined from the window seat that he always had to have or he would be airsick. “You know how my ears do that snap-crackle-pop thing when the plane takes off.”
“Yes, you have told me. Many times.”
“I see, so you're choosing not to be a good partner. Wow.” His mouth gaped when the accusation elicited no reaction from said partner. “You're really going to let me be in pain when you could, for like 33¢, be my hero?”
As if he wasn't sitting right beside her, Ziva took her time unwrapping an artificially green stick of gum and ribboning it onto her tongue, chewing slowly and stowing the pack in her pocket again.
Tony half-sneered, half-chuckled. “I didn't realize you had such an evil streak, David. Must be something you picked up over the summer.”
It's so good to see you back my love! (And yes at this point I'm fairly sure Ziva says most of the things he does because Tony finds it annoying or endearing.)
I love this though... The slow deliberate way she antagonises him... It's classic Tiva. (And if Tony just so happens to think about other things she can do with her mouth, that's entirely his fault 😅)
So, not new-new, I wrote this as a Tumblr exclusive some time ago, and then forgot about it. But now that Tali exists on AO3, the story can too!
Summary: An afternoon in the David-DiNozzo house. Tony's game with Tali takes a very different turn. Part of the Ties That Bind Verse (established Tiva AU, Tali is an infant.)
"Our kid Zi? Of course, she has superpowers! Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive..." Here, he crashed Tali through the pile of clean laundry on the couch. Ziva hid her face in her hands and groaned. "Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!" He swooped Tali over Ziva's head.
I am alive. Barely but alive.. here is to the next few months being challenging in all the right ways. Tagging @indestinatus and @mrsmungus if they feel like sharing. I hopeyou are doing great ladies.
“He was not just a man”, the sharpness in her father’s voice was unmistakable, “He was family, he was mishpacha”. All of a sudden, Hadar’s frame was all Ziva could see. The strong arms that had made her fly high during those long summer days waiting for her Abba to finish working. Those big dark eyes full of mischief and secrets and the grin he could barely suppress when a beautiful woman walked by.
Also alive - however barely. Nothing dramatic, just busy. Apparently, I have a social life that takes me out of the house now. I don't quite know when that happened. And then kids, and husband, and all of the things.
Writing is slim right now. Edits and tiny typos mostly. There's a few little bits coming together, but nothing that's really flowing.
But I will leave you all with this little bit of classic Tiva vibes.
He leaned against the corner of her desk, like he had all the time in the world. “You good after that fall, Ninja?” he asked.
“It was not a fall,” she corrected. “It was a controlled dive.”
Tony shrugged. “Either way, you hit the deck hard,” he said. “You okay?” his tone shifted, a little quieter and more sincere.
Ziva glanced up at him, checking the enquiry was genuine and nodded. “As you like to say, shaken but not scarred,” she replied less sharply.
“Stirred,” he murmured, shaking his head. “I really need to get some Bond education into you.”
Something New Chapter 5 - May I Have This Dance? (Last Chapter!)
And the final chapter is up!
Summary: Ziva should have expected that a case would ruin her one brief glimpse at normal life - being a bridesmaid for a new friend. What she didn't expect was just how hard Tony would work to make it happen after all. Season 6: post-Jenny, pre-Somalia. Tiva friendship, but flirty if you squint.
“Oh come on,” Tony snorted a few bars in. “You’re kidding me.”
Ziva shook her head, listening. “I don’t know it, but it sounds nice enough.”
“Sure, if you only listen to the first couple of lines,” Tony said. “The rest of the song is basically a guy saying he’s done everything there is to do, and still feels unfulfilled. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. That’s really the statement you want to start your marriage with?”
“It’s a great opportunity for you to practice your French,” Ziva said, trying to settle the matter.
“I know French. I’ve lived here longer than you have,” Tony replied. “Plus, I thought knowing the teacher had its advantages.”
The teacher.
Ziva glanced at him, who was wearing that lopsided smile of his.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Ziva knew exactly what he was doing. The subtle, nearly not there, kind of flirting. She tried to break it, dismantle it, refuse to be affected. But with his arm stretched across the back of the couch and those too-clever eyes catching every flicker of her reaction, it was nearly impossible not to fall into his trap. And Ziva knew how this went. With them, it always circled back eventually. The undeniable chemistry.
“Advantages?” she asked. And damn him, she was still interested to know what he meant.
Oh, and he meant it. Tony smirked, averting his eyes.
“Occasionally,” he replied.
from the next chapter of anyway don't be a stranger 💞
I cannot wait for this. Honestly the tone between them is just right. That mix of restraint and habitual closeness - the way they can never just drop it completely.
Something New Chapter 5 - May I Have This Dance? (Last Chapter!)
And the final chapter is up!
Summary: Ziva should have expected that a case would ruin her one brief glimpse at normal life - being a bridesmaid for a new friend. What she didn't expect was just how hard Tony would work to make it happen after all. Season 6: post-Jenny, pre-Somalia. Tiva friendship, but flirty if you squint.
“Oh come on,” Tony snorted a few bars in. “You’re kidding me.”
Ziva shook her head, listening. “I don’t know it, but it sounds nice enough.”
“Sure, if you only listen to the first couple of lines,” Tony said. “The rest of the song is basically a guy saying he’s done everything there is to do, and still feels unfulfilled. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. That’s really the statement you want to start your marriage with?”
Second-last chapter is out now, and Tony's recovering from the way he put his foot in it last time.
Summary: Ziva should have expected that a case would ruin her one brief glimpse at normal life - being a bridesmaid for a new friend. What she didn't expect was just how hard Tony would work to make it happen after all. Season 6: post-Jenny, pre-Somalia. Tiva friendship, but flirty if you squint.
“But, it’s the right size?” she murmured.
Tony smirked. “Do you really doubt my ability to guess a woman’s measurements by sight alone?”
Ziva snorted and shook her head disapprovingly, but didn’t quite manage to hide the smirk.
“Besides, I already know what size you are, Sophie.” Tony continued pointedly. The smirk became a glare. “Look, it was that, or I showed the sales assistant a photo of you, and the only ones on my phone are the ones I took of you in LA,” he grinned. “Remembering seemed safer.”
McGee choked and suddenly became fascinated by his stapler.
Loosening our obi sashes, we shared the night.
If only we could reminisce about dreams as we once did.
~ Anonymous author, 9th Century
Ziva broke it first, taking half a step backwards and colliding with the kitchen counter. Even though she’d lived there for months, somehow this place had never been hers. She couldn’t move the way she’d seen Tony do in the mornings, still half-sleep, searching for coffee, or with the instinct Tali already had to race around at top speed, dodging obstacles. Somehow, the apartment had never grown to fit her. Or perhaps, she had never grown to fit into it.
And I'm finally back! I have missed you all very much!
"No."
Jon stared at Shawn flabbergasted.
He had just spent the morning planning out in explicit detail how they were going to manage the move, how much he could afford, what type of job he'd need over the summer to build some savings.
Excitedly, he told Shawn all of this and was met with a blasé "no".
"What do you mean, no?"
Shawn wrinkled his nose at him. "What does no usually mean?"
Jon rolled his eyes. "Why don't you wanna move?"
"Why do you wanna move?"
"You're always complain' about being on top of each other, that the apartment is too small. And you're right. A bigger place would do us both good."
It was true that Shawn was right about the apartment, but he hoped that acknowledging this with emphasis would stroke the kid's ego enough to make him a little more agreeable.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Yes, I did," Jon said with a frown.
Shawn's eyes narrowed as he huffed his hair out of his eyes. "Are you tryin' to get rid of me?"
"What?"
"You want a bigger place so you can get rid of me!"
"How did you get that from what I said?" Jon cut off his words and took a deep breath. On the exhale, he said, "I did not say that."
"You didn't have to." Shawn pushed past him and slammed the door on the way out.
Jon dropped onto the couch and started counting backwards to cool down and remind himself that the teen always did poorly with change, but he'd get used to the idea and come around.
So, he let things slide this time.
He asked Eli to go with him to look at neighborhoods the next day. He thought if he could narrow the apartment hunting down to certain areas, Shawn wouldn't feel so overwhelmed.
When he got home that night and told Shawn what he had decided, Shawn was furious that he took Eli over him and let the whole building know how displeased he was.
"I thought I was makin' this whole movin; thing a little easier," he explained in exasperation. "If it's that big a deal, we can start over. We can go out again tomorrow and check everything out together."
"What's the point?" Shawn spat back. "You've already made your choices."
He glared so angrily at Eli that his teacher backed up a couple of paces.
"I'm sorry," Jon said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. Clearly, Shawn was in one of those moods where everything he did was wrong.
"What do you wanna get rid of me so bad for?"
"Get rid of you?" Jon looked at Eli for help, but his best friend was edging towards the door. He looked back at Shawn. "Are you kiddin' me?"
"This whole thing is a joke!" Shawn shouted as he stormed off to his room, slamming everything on the way.
"Why do you want kids again?" Eli asked seriously once he was sure the teen was done yelling.
The next chapter is a go! I even did the thing I hate and wrote a case.
Summary: Ziva should have expected that a case would ruin her one brief glimpse at normal life - being a bridesmaid for a new friend. What she didn't expect was just how hard Tony would work to make it happen after all. Season 6: post-Jenny, pre-Somalia. Tiva friendship, but flirty if you squint.
“No,” she sighed. “Thank you, McGee. I will just have to call Nina and make my apologies. I cannot leave you all in the lunch with so much to do.”
“That’s leave us in the lurch, Ziva,” Tony piped up. His correction went unnoticed as she’d already moved away from the desks, phone to her ear.
“Bet that’s going to be a rough conversation. If she was bridezilla enough to want the photos to be balanced, she is not going to take the emergency bridesmaid dropping out at the last second that well,” he commented, nodding after her.
“Maybe,” McGee shrugged. “But I don’t think it’s Nina who’s going to be the most upset about it,” he added, glancing over to the windows, where Ziva stood, her back to the room, her shoulders sagging.
Tony looked too. “Occupational hazard, McGoo. We didn’t pick this job for the sparkling social life. Our Mossad Liaison is just going to have to learn that.”
@samwhity tagged me to play again.
So, @danceswithdarkspawn has been quietly providing me prompts in the background lately, and this one has stuck. Therompt was snap. By brain heard snadragon... and here we are.
So far, I only have a couple of sentences as I just sat down to write, but we'll see what happens.
The body was half-buried in mud - because of course it was. However, the victim’s right arm had stayed clean, meaning they noticed the tattoo curling its way up her tricep almost immediately.
“Some kind of flower,” Tony commented, snapping a picture. “Orchids, maybe.”
Tags to play for @hopeless-nostalgiac (miss you!) @oceangirl24 @sliebman10 and @kayedium-writes
(@indestinatus looking forward to the new chapter, because I know you're not playing to play this round till you've published!)
“What went wrong, then?” he asked, even quieter. His eyes averted hers.
And Ziva couldn’t find it in herself to explain it. “It was just…” You. It was you. It was me. Us.
It’s always us.
Complicated, complicated, complicated.
“It was only a date.”
“I know how it works,” he said, jaw tightening. "Went on a few myself.” Tony glanced back at her, the humor gone. “With you.”
She shouldn’t feel good about that. It would be wrong. But she couldn’t help it—Ziva almost smiled, caught off guard by the confirmation that he was comparing the two. Good, she thought. May my ghost haunt your closet, too.
I'm forcing myself not to share any more of this fic so this will be my last update before I post it haha 🤍👻 tagging the talenteds @sheistheweapon @silvertonedwords @samwhity @mrsmungus
