Story 62: "October Skies" by Oracle

[wendelah1]

I was going to post a long, long casefile this week, because it's next in line. Then I changed my mind. It's nearly Halloween, as estella_c reminded me, so here instead is her rec for this charming tale by Oracle.

Classification: SRA
Rated: PG-13
Key Words: Mulder/Scully romance, sallie safe. Spoilers: Duane Barry, Ascension, One Breath Disclaimer: So sue me.
Archive: Gossamer, please. Email me before archiving elsewhere. I don't see why I'd refuse.
Summary: "We'll be partying all night long, anyway," says Mulder, planning to take her home as soon as she yawns. "Right?" "You got it."

October Skies

Let the author know what you think, let us know what you think, and please, nominate your suggestions for next time.

Happy Halloween!

Comments

[leucocrystal]

Aww, this is definitely a guilty pleasure holiday fic of mine -- I just recommended it to a friend (along with a couple other Halloween-type stories) the other day! Good stuff.

[wendelah1]

What were your other Halloween recs? And why is this a "guilty pleasure" instead a pure one ?

[leucocrystal]

I guess I'd call it a "guilty pleasure" because it's riddled with fanfic cliches (holiday party, Melissa interference, dancing and getting drunk, hooking up early), despite being well written. I still enjoy it a lot, though! It's not that guilty. ;)

My other recs were Emma Brightman's What Is Essential (also good as a stranded!fic), and PunkM's Other Night.

after-the-fact comment is after the fact

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

oh, hello, very old book_club rec. fancy meeting you here!

i was just searching for an off-gossamer link to this fic because i'm going to rec it littlegreen42 as, wait for it...a guilty pleasure fic. i agree with you, Leuco, i've always thought of it as a guilty pleasure too, for the same reasons. though i also agree with everyone about Oracle handling the her tropes very, very well. Oracle's fanfic is usually not to my taste, because she tends to lean towards the romantic side of shipping, which i don't often enjoy. but in the case of October Skies it really works - maybe because this is one of her later fics so it's more steady in tone, and also because it's holidayfic, meaning i think everyone is in the mood for a little more sweetness than usual. her christmas fic, How to Fly, is pretty great that way too.

i wish i hadn't missed this when it was actually being discussed. alas, twas before my time. *g*

Re: after-the-fact comment is after the fact

[wendelah1]

I wish you had been around then, too. Your presence has certainly enriched the group discussion. She does have a website but the typeface is absolutely unreadable unless I magnify it X3-4. I'd forgotten I'd recced this here. I absolutely adore her writing. I know what you mean about the romanticism, but in her case, it's so well-done, plus there is something about the sweetness of her work that speaks to me, for the early seasons, in particular.

Re: after-the-fact comment is after the fact

[(Anonymous)]

back a couple years ago, after reading several of her fics, i left a note for myself that literally read: "Oracle's fanfic simply doesn't agree with me, but that's not to say it isn't any good, because much of it is." a while later i read several of her fics (i'm thinking probably several newer ones than i'd previously read) and found them much more agreeable. i can't believe she was between the ages of 16 and 20 when she wrote all of her xf fanfic. that's quite a fanfic portfolio.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

what we've got here is a failure to communicate log in.

[wendelah1]

i can't believe she was between the ages of 16 and 20 when she wrote all of her xf fanfic. that's quite a fanfic portfolio.

I know. The talent is obvious, and her writing is so accomplished by the time she leaves us for greener pastures. I hope only the best for her. I sent her feedback but it was never acknowledged.

[hlbr.livejournal.com]

Well, hi! I suppose one just jumps in, no?


Heh, I just read this on my own recently.


It's... mostly just very very cute, I guess. Like this part:

"Look at us," says Mulder, at one point, nuzzling her ear. "Agents Mulder and Scully, two of the FBI's finest. A pair of crusaders fighting for justice. We're like Watson and Holmes... Batman and Robin...Rocky and Bullwinkle -"


"Sonny and Cher?" she whispers. He isn't making sense but she doesn't care.


"I get to be Cher," he responds, laughing.


"Then I get to be Batman."


"Deal."

It's nice to be able to read fanfic clichés without being forced to ignore bad spelling and atrocious grammar, anyway. There's a reason they are clichés. *g*

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I guess when I can enjoy the commonplace story points of fandom (tropes or cliches) because they are used in a literate and creative way, I feel grateful and really not guilty. I remember something I was told in 18th-century lit class about how poetry was not then revered for originality but rather how cleverly the poet reworked conventional classical themes within the conventional forms. Since then violent revolution and mass production has made us value originality more highly, but I love fondling that little bit of lore as a handy personal justification.

I mean, geez, how often do you get to use anything you learned in Eng Lit.

For originality, try "And Dance by the Light of the Moon" (Mustang Sally and RivkaT), in which Mulder and Scully drag a decaying corpse around a college campus and end up screwing in a graveyard.

I just love Halloween.

[hlbr.livejournal.com]

I guess when I can enjoy the commonplace story points of fandom (tropes or cliches) because they are used in a literate and creative way, I feel grateful and really not guilty.

Yeah, exactly! I really enjoy most of ff clichés. I think they must be clichés because they just work for a lot of people.

Thanks for the rec! I will be checking it out, it sounds amazing!

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Cute, but I think the others' comment about it being a "guilty pleasure" 'fic stands true. It's a cute story, quite a bit of fun, and there were some really sweet bits that made me smile, but I honestly couldn't picture it happening. Maybe if it was a low-key party with a few of Melissa's better friends, Scully might decide to go and end up enjoying herself, but a huge rave like that? I can't see her even going into the building without being persuaded, and then I think the crowd would put her off.

But that's just me. Still a fun read.