Story 2: "Things that Lie Outside" by JET

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

Our new story was chosen by wendelah1. It is an AU version of "Paper Hearts."

"Things that Lie Outside"
by JET
(jetpaine@yahoo.com)
(eviljesemie@yahoo.com)

December 2002
Scullyfic/Emuse Secret Santa Swapfic

Let us know what you think; let the author know what you think; and please, nominate a story for next time so that I don't have to pick again!

Comments

[wendelah1]

Since I chose this story, I thought I would try to share a few thoughts about it. You all should be made aware that I am not a shipper. I prefer case-files and Profiler!Mulder stories over shippy MSR character studies. I read everything, though, because I love good writing. JET is one of this fandom's best. Her use of language is, as narahttbbs states, lovely and lyrical. Her handling of the relationship between M&S is, as dictatorcari suggests, delicate and emotive. I love the way she uses the plot to illustrate how the characters dance around their feelings for one another. I also love that she resolves a case that the series left hanging. This is my favorite genre of fan fiction- filling in the gaps that the show's writers have left open.

"Paper Hearts" is a difficult episode for me to watch. Mulder's unforgivably careless mistakes just make me want to run out of the room. His pain at never knowing who the final victim was, his fear that now he would never be sure that it wasn't his sister, is nearly unbearable for me to see. JET takes this pain and uncertainty, and transfers it quite plausibly onto Scully. This provides her with a reason to keep looking for the last missing little girl. She takes up Mulder's burden, and works the case alone. Even as strong as she is, it is nearly her undoing. Fortunately, at last, Mulder catches on, and goes to find her.

At the story's beginning, Scully is so worried that her logic and her attention to detail will get in the way of her solving the case. But her careful, methodical detective work gets her to the location of the first kidnapping, and a flash of intuition gives her the location of the child's shallow grave. It is very gratifying to watch Scully be the one who solves this case. The ending, where Mulder and Scully come together, feels unforced and inevitable, even to this rather grumpy noromo.

"She found his mouth with hers, softly, as promises, as prayer." This story is as beautiful a piece of writing as this fandom has to offer. I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as I did.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

But her careful, methodical detective work gets her to the location of the first kidnapping, and a flash of intuition gives her the location of the child's shallow grave. It is very gratifying to watch Scully be the one who solves this case.

This is one of the most satisfying things about the story in my opinion. I don't like episodes or fics that belittle Scully's own unique approach to the truth. It is good to read stories that show her getting results.

On the whole, I have to say that I didn't like this story as much as you did. The writing was lovely, but it didn't seem like the right style to tell a really plotty casefile story. The style seems to get a lot plainer in part two, as the story starts rolling, so in a sense I feel like the story was a bit schizophrenic. I don't know, maybe I wasn't in the right mood. It was still an interesting and worthwhile story, though.