Story 110: "Gutless" by Magdeleine

[wendelah1]

Yep, this is the one with the talking parrot, a pretty good casefile, and Scully having "Mulder Awareness Days." The author refers to the latter as Uber-UST in her summary. I think the term "parrotfic," not to be confused with parrotfic, might have originated here. "I mean why read babyfic when you can read parrotfic, right?" Truer words were never spoken, er, written, Autumn. There is a talking parrot in a Syntax6 story that I bet is a little shout-out to "Gutless." At least, I think it is a parrot.

If you don't find this to your taste, try "Bonemeal," which is a very different kind of story. You can find it on her author's page at Gossamer, along with "Gutless" broken into smaller bites. "Bonemeal" deserves its own discussion, but it's so short, I doubt we'll ever do it formally. If anyone knows if this writer changed fandoms, has a different email address, and is perchance still around somewhere, please let us know. Thanks to an anonymouse, you can go leave Magdeleine comments on her story at Archive of Our Own. You can read her fic for The Office there, too.

This story was suggested by amyhit as being one that would generate discussion. I guess it's time to read it and find out.

"Gutless"

Upcoming attractions: "Fathoms Five" by Penumbra, "Melancholia" by Jeylan, and "This House is Burning" by Tesla. If you don't like those, you can always go post your own suggestions at the nominations post.

Comments

just in case anyone is as big a geek as i am...

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I just thought I'd mention that Magdeleine's website is here (http://web.archive.org/web/20010407202114/http://shannono.net/theden/magdeleine.html). It's a really simple little website, but it has a couple of her fics that aren't posted to Gossamer, as well as having Gutless in seventeen much smaller parts, in case that type of approach appeals to anyone.

also, i don't know if anyone else is geekish enough to find little fandom quirks like the nicknaming of fanfic as amusing as i do, but from what I can tell, Gutless was given the nickname 'parrotfic' before it was posted - possibly by one of its many betas. in the author's notes for Bonemeal, Magdeleine says "For those of you who are wondering, yes, I'm almost done with the parrotfic, hereafter to be known as Gutless." but in the notes for Black and White and grey All Over she is still referring to it by the title "Mind over Matter", which does appear on the Gutless cover art in the caption, "because all you have to do is put mind over matter."

and now back to the previously scheduled discussion of the actual writing. *g*

Re: just in case anyone is as big a geek as i am...

[riddledfate.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for linking to her site! I'm heading over there to find more of her stories, because this one was simply amazing! Her characterizations and the casefile are A++, plus there's lots of humor and the UST is just delicious. Mulder awareness days.. oh poor Scully, I've often wondered how she did to resist that, haha. It's always a pleasure to find stories like this, so thanks for the rec! :)

Re: just in case anyone is as big a geek as i am...

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Gutless was pretty much Magdeleines coup de grace, i think. her other fics are, sadly, not like this one. Wendelah's right, though. Bonemeal is really good, in a completely different way than Gutless is good.

the UST is just delicious.

nnnggghhh. i know. i am a tremendous sucker for UST, and i don't think i've ever read UST quite the way this fic does UST. i'm trying to figure out how i'm going to talk about the fic without having my entire commentary unravel into "OMG THE UST!!!"

**GRINS**

[leiliaxf.livejournal.com]

oh yeah--I was on a lot of the AIM conversations back in the day when she was writing this (there was a whole group of us, writers and betas and just friends. We'd chat for hours sometimes). "Parrotfic" was the working title, as it were; we used to tease her constantly about writing M/S smut and try and push her over the edge into full-blown sex, and she resisted resisted resisted :) . I wish I'd kept screencaps of the conversations--they were HYSTERICAL.

I feel so old now..."I was THERE! Back in the day..." *g*

Re: **GRINS**

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

we used to tease her constantly about writing M/S smut and try and push her over the edge into full-blown sex, and she resisted resisted resisted :)

hee! yeah, i love how in the author's notes she says a thank you to her betas - "for putting me on trial for refusing to write smut."

if i have you and your fellow AIMers to thank for the fan-yourself hotness of that scene actually getting written, then yeah - thanks. *fans self* it's a pretty dicey scene in terms of content (mentioning it now is my way of working up to addressing it in a later comment *g*) but wow is it- um- effective.

::cough::

[(Anonymous)]

http://archiveofourown.org/users/obsession_inc/pseuds/Magdeleine

Re: ::cough::

[wendelah1]

Thank you for letting us know that Magdeleine has continued to write fic.

I enabled anonymous comments here to allow people to participate who did not have a live journal, but I would appreciate it if you would sign your name next time.

Thanks, Wendy

Moderator

Re: **GRINS**

[leiliaxf.livejournal.com]

HA! Yeah, we might be the evil responsible parties for the creation of that particular scene--it's been awhile, but we did ride her pretty hard about the lack of MSR smut.

[elizabethannfic.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'm in the minority here, but I thought the UST went a little too far. I like UST. In many case I like it better than MSR. However, Scully acting like an animal both in thought and action--clawing at the air or whatever it is she does in the car at one point--seems to me to be too much. The case was interesting. The writing was well done. They seemed generally in character. I enjoyed the fic. At some point--for me--the UST crosses over into something repetitive and over the top. I did like that they don't jump in bed at the end.

[wendelah1]

I suppose I'm in the minority here, but I thought the UST went a little too far.

Actually, I also think it went too far. I much prefer UST to MSR, and gen is even better. Frankly, if Scully was really having "Mulder Awareness Days," she was sure hiding it well on the show. She mostly just looks annoyed at Mulder to me.

I was reading this story under the assumption that with the "Mulder Awareness Days" the writer was poking gentle fun at all of the Mulder(and David Duchovny)obsessed fangirls, and probably included herself in that group. This is the only way I can read this story. It does have a pretty good x-file, it's mostly well-written, which it damn well should be given the beta list.

The juxtaposition of the horrible, graphically described deaths and Scully's lusting for Mulder didn't bother you at all?

Filmed, and minus the interminable internal monologues, this might have made a damn good episode. The parrot was funny. I was shocked when she shot it, although I had made the parrot as the host before Scully did. I feel the need to go find a parrot icon now.

Editing to include new parrotfic icon. Thank you, amyhit.

[elizabethannfic.livejournal.com]

As to Scully seeming mostly annoyed: This is my problem with fics that present Scully as hopelessly and secretly in love or lust with Mulder. I can't buy it. Mulder perhaps might be from an earlier stage in the show, but not Scully. I know others disagree, but that is probably why this UST didn't ring true for me, since it focused so heavily on Scully.

The parrot is funny. The juxtaposition of brutality and lust is not sexy. The repetitive electrical touch of Mulder's hand is cliche and was a part of nearly every chapter's internal monologues. I've used it myself, I'm sure, but they began to stand out on their own as stock phrases.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'm in the minority here, but I thought the UST went a little too far.

no, i don't think you're in the minority at all. i can absolutely understand where people are coming from when they say this fic feels 'over the top' to them. in truth, it really is over the top, IMO. it gets away with being over the top because it's supposed to be. the UST is paranormal in origin - thus, it doesn't have to be within realistic bounds, and because the plot was fairly well developed in its own right, but that doesn't change the fact that on some level, i think the entire point of the fic was to have a UST-a-thon. IMO, ultimately this fic was much closer to pure erotica than it initially appears.

and that's basically what makes me adore it. if the focus of the fic was on the casefile i would be fairly unimpressed. it was a perfectly legitimate mystery, but i've read plenty of better ones. i don't even think the characterizations are overly fantastic. but given the extreme demands that the plot called for scully in particular to go through, i'm amazed at how much subtlety and believability wasn't lost.

what makes me adore this fic is that i've never read another fic this dedicated to developing this degree of UST. a lot of fanfic writers act as if UST can thrive on its own, which to me is like thinking a jellyfish is going to thrive on land. by using a plot to give substance and oomph to the UST, Magdeleine has given UST a kind of legitimacy in it's own right. she's made it a vertibrate, to go with my jellyfish metaphor.

UST is so rarely given that kind of legitimacy, mainly because i think it is excruciatingly difficult to manage it. UST is naturally more than just a distraction. Biochemically speaking, attraction and arousal actually preempt and inhibit many other brain functions. it's hard to be reasonable or rational when you're dosed full of hormones. and the same can be said for plot. as soon as you begin writing a substantial amount of UST into your fic, the focus (of both writers and readers) tends to shift. if the writer actually feels the UST they're writing, they're going to have to work harder and harder to keep the fic moving forwards on course. the UST is going to be doing its damndest to draw their focus away from 'business' and onto 'pleasure'. the inherent tension of this fic comes largely from that very struggle. readers struggle to split their focus between plot and UST, which mirrors scully, struggling to wrench her focus back onto task and off mulder.

The repetitive electrical touch of Mulder's hand is cliche

i agree that this fic used quite a few devices that are typical of UST-heavy fanfic. usually i would probably roll my eyes at them, too. in this case i didn't mind because at a certain point i think all desire must lose subtlety as it gains potence. i'm not exactly excusing any and all cliches. the writing could have been better, absolutely. but for every argument against the cliches i can think of an argument for why they make sense within this one specific context.

I did like that they don't jump in bed at the end.

for me, the ending of this fic (everything after the parrot is shot) is what makes the fic better than just erotica-with-plot (though i love it as erotica with plot). Magdeleine spikes the characterizations of mulder and scully into the red, but she doesn't just haphazardly leave them there, all bent out of shape, as soon as the UST reaches a climax. she brings them back to down earth again. nothing is resolved, there was none of that "sex is the miracle cure to everything that ails you!" crap that is so popular in fanfic, nothing between them afterwards has been simplified or clarified by what they've gone through. they're still them - careful with themselves and each other, tentative, and uncertain. in fact, i don't think there is a single point in the fic in which i have more esteem for magdeleines writing or her characterizations than i do at the very end. which i guess is something else i like about this fic, and that i'm unaccustomed to. i rarely read plot-having fics (or smut-having fics) that i like better in resolution than in build-up.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Yep, I'm of the "over the top" school of thought. Which might have been predicted. I so often say the same things about fics that disagree with me: too long, too much describing of emotional states, too purple. All of which apply here.

By "purple," I refer too "Relief hit like a tsunami, and she sagged against the door in its wake." This because a door stuck and Scully wouldn't have to face Mulder in a sweaty nighty. Multiply that by thousands of inappropriate metaphors.

I remember enjoying Gutless back in the day, and I kind of envy the group enthusiasm that swept the fans. But the reread was tiring. Whatever the plot rationale, this felt a lot closer to Scullytorture than UST, and I'm not into that.

In my experience, in real life, mutual physical attraction is pretty quickly recognized. Poor Fox Mulder: psychologist, investigator, profiler, clueless. That moment when he observes Scully trying not to tear his clothes off and diagnoses the flu is a pretty good joke. But Wendy, I think that a filmed version would get more and different laughs than intended.

Magdeleine is capable of excellent writing. Bonemeal is a knockout. And I still like the parrot (how not?) and the concept of "Mulder Awareness Day." I'd welcome their use in a lighter context, the happier context they seemed to promise.

Great plot, great timing

[counterphobe.livejournal.com]

Gutless is a casefile that is also an X-File, and I'd appreciate it for that alone. Clues are revealed at appropriate intervals to let the plot unfold, and there are valid plot rationales when knowledge is delayed. (Think how many times on the TV show the informant tells Mulder just enough to get him through the next scene. Deep Throat, for example, doles out his tips only so that the show can last an hour.)

I didn't see the ending coming, even though it made perfect sense. Thank you, Magdeleine.

I like UST, and I think you can see it in the program itself, but then again, I am an unrepentant fangirl. (I think you can see many things in the actors' portrayals, and I suspect that was the result of the last-minute writing, the [sometimes] bad writing, and the fact that special effects were added later. Those actors learned to be ambiguous and noncommittal. Enigmatic, if you prefer.)

To my taste, the UST was overdone. I'm on board with the Mulder Awareness Days and I like that the tension built, but I would have liked it more if it had been toned down. I was surprised when Mulder identified flu rather than menses, but I think I'm grateful. I'm glad that Mulder had his own UST problem, and I liked the ending.

There was a redundancy in the language and in some descriptions. Like Wendelah, I would love to see it filmed. I think some of the actions would have been fine on screen, even though the phrases themselves became tiresome. Some of the metaphors were wonderful, but some were not, and there were too many.

I feel a little hesitant to offer these criticisms because I really liked the story. I'm glad I got to read it, flawed or not. Again, thanks to Magdeleine for writing and posting.

I HAVE A QUESTION

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I'm on board with the Mulder Awareness Days and I like that the tension built, but I would have liked it more if it had been toned down.

you know, this fic was one of the first XF fics i ever read, and at that time i remember feeling exactly this. my tolerance for UST, which was always high, has become significantly more so. but i definitely remember feeling (and thinking) that there was a point fairly early on in this fic where the UST just blitzed out upon first read.

I was surprised when Mulder identified flu rather than menses, but I think I'm grateful.

me too. i mean, i guess it's kind of unrealistic, considering that her 'symptoms' fit menses much more than they fit flu, but still, i was relieved. it always feels kind of cheap to me when a writer brings a character's biorhythms into it. and a little bit chauvenistic of the character, too.

I'm glad that Mulder had his own UST problem, and I liked the ending.

yes, yes, yes - i heartily agree. in fact, had mulder not had his own UST problems i doubt i would've been able to enjoy this fic in the long run. because while the UST makes it easy to forget, ultimately scully is being victimized here, and she spends the entire fic literally suffering. it's hot suffering (for the reader), but it's no less suffering. if magdeleine hadn't done something to acknowledge the 'horror' aspect of the plot, and to put scully and mulder back on more even footing with each other i think i would have felt like her fic was too brazen and lacked regard for scully.

additionally, I'VE BEEN WONDERING: what are people's thoughts about the climactic scene (the fight/fuck scene)? did it squick them out? was it hot? or both? i have my own opinions and impressions, naturally, but ever since i read this fic i've really wanted to hear what other people think.

[wendelah1]

The plot would require serious revision to be turned into an episode. You'd have to throw out nearly the entire Uber-UST plot thread to begin with, and without it, you'd need a new "B" plot, which would necessitate a different ending. Maybe the Uber-UST is really the "A" plot. Maybe the two plots are so closely entwined that by the ending, they nearly climax simultaneously. Sorry.

Scully torture? It skirts the line for awhile, and then crosses over, never to return. If I could take this fic seriously for long enough, I might get mad about it. You know I don't like stories that torture their characters either. But here, hasn't Scully been effectively replaced by the Fangirls/readers/writers? It sounds like from up thread, and from remarks made in my journal, that poor Magdeleine had to run the gauntlet to even get this posted. No wonder it took her a whole year, with the chorus of listmates hounding her, all in good fun, to write MSR smut. I think we have to give her credit for refusing to write that ending and instead giving us one that at least resets the UST back to levels more nearly approaching what I saw on screen.

This story did make me laugh out loud in several places. It also made me want to get out the red pencil.

Maybe the script could keep the parrot? I have this theory formulating about the parrot, about how it's the elephant in the room, representing the attraction that M&S feel that they can't acknowledge or act on. This works okay up until the moment Scully shoots the parrot, leaving me with nothing but dead parrot jokes to write about.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Maybe the Uber-UST is really the "A" plot. Maybe the two plots are so closely entwined that by the ending, they nearly climax simultaneously. Sorry.

Ha! i think it was a deserved joke.

But here, hasn't Scully been effectively replaced by the Fangirls/readers/writers?

you really don't think this characterizations is anywhere near the mark? one of the things i find most fascinating about this fic is that for the most part the scully characterization doesn't suck. her characterization is definitely stretched by the circumstances, but i find the way scully reacts to the circumstances quite in character, on the whole. remembering, naturally, that MOST of the UST isn't part of scully herself, but something forced on her by the supernatural element. it's only the way she deals with the UST that can legitimately be deemed part of her character.

I had to post this thought before I forgot I thunk it

[wendelah1]

Not that it's all that interesting on further reflection.

You know, I think the bits of purple prose rather fit the spirit of the thing, which I think was better suited to the readership back in the heady, hormonally-charged atmosphere surrounding the show in its heyday, with The David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade, those Mulder Clones that people could send for, and so on.

I'm still working on my great unifying Theory of Parrotfic.

Re: I had to post this thought before I forgot I thunk it

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

It's funny you should say, because I know I liked this better at one time. It's possible that the whole overheated phenomenon was floating on rowdy fan response, almost as if it had been posted in some kind of feminist strip club while beer was being chugged. It was a gestalt. (Gotta look that up again.)

Sober, we're left with a whole bunch of rather embarrassing morning-after metaphors that simply can't recreate the experience: beads and sequins and feathers all over the floor.

Sigh. Back to the dead parrot.

As for Scully behaving ooc, what was that about her searching for sleep medication? As a doctor she presumably has access to some strong stuff which she wisely doesn't take often, and yet she's ready to take a pill *when she has an autopsy scheduled in like three hours*. This may seem a petty point to some, but not to an insomniac. (Her sleep-deprivation was part of the Scullytorture. Don't hurt her like that!)

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[counterphobe.livejournal.com]

additionally, I'VE BEEN WONDERING: what are people's thoughts about the climactic scene (the fight/fuck scene)? did it squick them out? was it hot? or both? i have my own opinions and impressions, naturally, but ever since i read this fic i've really wanted to hear what other people think.

I didn't go all the way to squicking me, but I didn't like it. I would have preferred something that didn't draw blood.

My Unifying Theory of Parrotfic

[wendelah1]

So elizabethannfic thinks the Uber-UST could have been toned down to good effect. amyhit thinks the UST is the raison d'etre of the story. estella_c thinks the prose keeps turning purple and that the UST turns into Scully-torture by the ending. counterphobe concurs that the prose could be cleaned up and the UST muted a bit but thinks the well-constructed x-file(!)/casefile more than makes up for the story's comparatively minor short-comings.

This is going to surprise you: I agree with everyone.

Yes, the UST was out-of-control by the end, but it was supposed to be. The reason we were so uncomfortable was that Scully was being tormented and manipulated by the Tolchok, which was robbing her of sleep, and undermining her normally high ability to tune out her attraction for Mulder, even when she was awake. The first time I read "Gutless," I remember being so afraid for her: fearful she might give in and sleep with Mulder and ruin everything, or that she might not give in and would instead succumb to the Tolchok, as yet another victim of repressed sexuality. (I came from a fandom that pretty routinely killed off major characters in fic, so I was always expecting somebody to die by the end.)

For better or worse, the plot really does hinge on the UST. Without the "A" plot, the "B" plot doesn't work. Without ratcheting up the sexual tension to unbearable levels, the dream sequences are unworkable, so is the fight that proceeds them, and there is no climax!

At first, I really did think the story's metaphor was the parrot, especially since it keeps saying what they can't say--"Fuck me'til I faint!"--plus they keep passing it back and forth. "You take the parrot." "No, YOU take the parrot." Then Scully shoots the parrot, which killed that idea (and the parrot) dead. While we are on the topic of the parrot, I might as well mention the two three plot holes I found my third time through (it did take three times, though, to find all three). Why did the Tolchok suddenly start preying on the good people of Tehtonka, Kansas? Why then? Why there? Maybe I missed the obvious answer, that the parrot was a recent acquisition and came into town with its host? Or maybe it was the relatively high concentration of sexually frustrated townspeople that called it into existence? All I know is that Mulder should have had a theory, otherwise we are left with Scully's explanation: a mutant allergic reaction to the parrot.

Speaking of the parrot, doesn't everyone know that parrots need at least eight hours of sleep at night? You have to put them in a quiet dark room, cover their cage and leave them alone. What does it matter whose room he's in? Guido seems determined to keep people awake no matter what, no matter where, day or night. Leaving him alone in the motel only made matters worse, especially since he was used to being around people all day long.

My theory is that this was an excuse for Mulder and Scully to open up their connecting door. Which brings me to my Unifying Theory of Parrotfic: it's all about the doors. Think about it: every victim is preyed on in the dark, behind closed doors, Mulder and Scully keep opening their door to play pass the parrot. Scully opens the door to his room twice in the middle of the night when she is feeling well, horny. Unlike the door to the outside, their connecting door is kept closed but not locked. It opens easily enough until the night she has The Dream. You know the one.

Unifying Theory Part 2

[wendelah1]

She got herself moving with the old trick of suppressing her knowledge of cause and effect-- her mind was completely wrapped up in the goal of the door, unlocking the door, opening the door, but she refused to think about what would come through the newly-opened door. If she thought about facing Mulder with her face flushed red and her hair standing up, smelling of sweat and dream-induced arousal--

She ignored it. She walked.

The shakes hit her halfway across the floor, limbs trembling uncontrollably, feet placed unsteadily in a random forward path; lo, behold the revenge of a sleep-deprived body for a bare twenty or thirty minutes of sleep after pacing the floor for hours and hours. She fumbled the lock open with ravaged hands and tugged at the doorknob.

The door wouldn't open.

Relief hit like a tsunami, and she sagged against the door in its wake. Oh thank God, she didn't have to look at him. She didn't have to let him see her like this. Her mindless litany of thanksgiving was the closest to real prayer that she'd come in weeks: thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God. She lay her forearm against the blood-warm wood and pressed her forehead to it.

The knob turned by itself beneath her palm in a stealthy caress, whispering with soft metallic friction as the latch slid all the way open. There was a long pause, and then the knob turned back; somehow she knew, even after the movement ceased, that Mulder's hand was still on the knob on the opposite side. "Scully, are you all right?" he asked in a low voice.

"The door's stuck," she admitted, torn between absurd pride and equally absurd guilt. The condition of the door was most likely due to the fact that some mental giant had carefully painted both the door and the frame with semi-gloss paint that had, under these conditions of high humidity, miraculously transformed into carpenter's glue. Any efforts of her own, Herculean as they seemed inside her own head, were in fact unimportant and unworthy of the self-congratulatory cartwheels she wanted to turn.

"Did you unlock it?" Mulder asked, sounding skeptical.

"Of course." Her voice came out high-pitched and bitchy instead of the ringing authoritative tone she'd meant to access. Damn. She flushed with anger or humiliation -- at this point, it was impossible to distinguish between them.

"Hang on." A meaty thunk jarred the door under Scully's hand, unmistakably Mulder ramming against it with his shoulder. He tried again. The door was unimpressed with the macho man routine and remained epoxied in place.

She stepped in before he battered himself senseless against the stubborn wood. "Mulder, don't. If it's jammed this badly, you'll just damage the door frame." Silence from the other side, tacit agreement. "Just... just talk to me through the door."

The jammed door is a clear symbol for their relationship being stuck. Doors are also a Freudian symbol for the female genitals (yawn). She's not ready for him to know how much she wants him. Is the language getting a little over the top? Maybe, but you can't dial it back too much without losing some of the urgency.

After her Tochok-enhanced erotic dream is interrupted, Scully awakens to the light (woot! more symbolism!), has a Mulderlike flash of insight, and saves Mulder's ass by shooting the Tochok. Not surprisingly, Mulder now finds the connecting door opens easily enough. And then we get the great ending scene. I adore the ending.

As mentioned by amyhit, Mulder and Scully seem surprisingly like themselves, given what they both (with Scully bearing the brunt of it) have to go through by the end. I attribute this to the excellent dialogue, which sounded so much like them that it could have been lifted from the show. I could give examples but really, pick a page.

Despite the extended Scully torture( which reminds me of a line from A Bitter Taste on the Tongue by Jane Mortimer: "Your honor, he abused me with extended foreplay."), "Gutless" was written with obvious care and love for the series and all of the characters, even Guido. Especially Guido. Poor Guido. From the lurid scenes of violence at the beginning to the tender moments between Mulder and Scully at the end, "Gutless" is truly one of the most memorable stories I've read in this fandom.

[wendelah1]

I agree with you, after rereading it again. Scully and Mulder both stay remarkably in character, all things considered.

Re: Great plot, great timing

[wendelah1]

I think it is one of the best constructed casefiles I've read, and certainly one of the best x-files, complete with scientific and supernatural explanations. The dialogue between Mulder and Scully as they solve the case really helps sell it, too.

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[wendelah1]

It didn't squick me at all. It's so clearly a dream, and given the level of both anger and sexual tension leading up to it, I didn't find it out of context or even gratuitous. I also thought it worked as a piece of erotica. Did it personally turn me on? I'd have to say yes to the sex, no to the knife play. Not my kink, I guess. I'm pretty vanilla.

Re: Unifying Theory Part 2

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Wendy, I admire and respect this unifying theory. I very much liked your pointing out of the door symbolism. I've never had a problem with the structure of this fic or anything inauthentic about the casefile. I even liked some of the imagery and appreciated the flashes of wit.

My problem is that I never really got far enough to be comparably analytical. I simply disliked the prose cumulatively and finally intensely. This is not a matter of selling the ust; I understand that the psychosexual interference was a major point and needed emphasis. It's a matter of the writing itself. Too many images, metaphors, similes, adjectives, adverbs. This did not for me enhance the intensity of the experience. It rather made it ludicrous. It turned silly, and once one starts laughing there's no return.

I think for some readers "more is better," in that the inner math for selling a feeling through repetition works. I guess I'm of the "less is more" persuasion. An exaggerated line like "Scully could practically feel the man reaching out for her, grasping for the control panel in her psyche that would send her spinning down to crash-land in his bed" makes me feel that verbal kudzu is closing around my throat.

Wasn't this fic originally a wip? It has all the indicators of arriving in impatiently awaited sections. That probably worked in its favor, since readers would require or at least tolerate repetition and blunt emphasis.

Taking it in in one big push was not, for me, a pleasant experience.

Re: Unifying Theory Part 2

[wendelah1]

I have no idea if this was a wip. It shows all the indicators of being posted by someone in love with the show and the UST. Did you notice that every single woman who shows up in the story, except for Amber and the young nurse at the mental hospital, is lusting for Mulder and casting knowing glances at Scully. Uh, huh. Sure, you're not sleeping with him. Wink, wink. Nod, nod. It's hilarious. I don't think I even noticed that line. You are right: it's a clunker.

Honestly, the first time I was too busy reading fast to make sure Scully didn't die by the end. I swear, in 2005 or whenever it was I first encountered "Gutless," I thought Magdeleine might kill her off. The second time through, I was preoccupied with and annoyed by the Uber-UST. I mean, I am a noromo, and there is a lot to overcome. The third time through, I just read for structure and meaning, and not especially for style. You are right, taken sentence by sentence, I can totally see where you are coming from. I just think the overheated language kind of works in this story by creating an overheated atmosphere.

The truth is, I'm envious of the writer for getting to be part of that super-charged group love-fest, of having Mulder and Scully as an OTP and thinking, hoping, and obsessing about them getting together. I've never had that, and clearly, I'm missing out. Plus, it's lonely here, in noromoland, especially now. This story gave me a taste of what it must have been like for people back in the day and I enjoyed going along for the ride.

Re: Unifying Theory Part 2

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I think it is one of the best constructed casefiles I've read, and certainly one of the best x-files, complete with scientific and supernatural explanations. The dialogue between Mulder and Scully as they solve the case really helps sell it, too.

You know what, wendelah1? your most recent comments have given me more respect for this fic. which surprises me, considering i was the one being the most enthusiastic about it. but while i was being enthusiastic, i was also belittling the fic in certain ways, overlooking some of the lengths it went to to construct a complete casefile. what you said about the dialogue being spot-on was so true, and i think you're right about the casefile being better than i previously gave it credit for. i still maintain the raison d'etre for the casefile was UST, but that doesn't mean i should dismiss the writing as having no other merit. it is very well developed, intriguing, and unique.

You are right, taken sentence by sentence, I can totally see where you are coming from. I just think the overheated language kind of works in this story by creating an overheated atmosphere.

YES! this exactly. in a pervious comment when i said, for every argument against the cliches i can think of an argument for why they make sense within this one specific context, this was primarily what i meant. the language using in this story is relentless. it's overpowering, it's a barrage. and while i usually go in for intensely poetic language, i find the style of Gutless to be intense yet prosaic, which i almost never enjoy. but in the case of Gutless the constant impact of bold descriptions of both the outer and inner landscapes actually drew me in.

Magdeleine used specific adverbs and adjectives to make animals seem sentient and objects seem alive. the way the weather was used and described made it seem like a presence in and of itself, the thunder seemed like a malevolent trickster character, there was constant energy in this fic.

and while i completely agree with you about the theme of this story being doors (very well spotted and explained!), the more blatant theme seems to be the animal vs. the civil -- which one is more innately 'human'?

i think it's brilliant that Magdeleine finds a way to bring that animalistic energy into the story by using the parrot as the host. basically, she found a way to have her cake and eat it to. she got to drive home the point - that UST brings people's "animal natures" closer to the surface (the implied question: "is that to their benefit of their detriment?") - and she could be as dramatic about making that point as she wanted, because on the other hand, it wasn't really scully feeling these things. it was scully, a demon, and a parrot. the parrot, even more than the demon, was the stories 'plausible deniability'.

Wasn't this fic originally a wip?

i don't think so. i do agree that it has that sense of urgency and tension about it. but Magdeleine's notes at the end of Bonemeal are: For those of you who are wondering, yes, I'm almost done with the parrotfic, hereafter to be known as Gutless. I'm shooting for posting it starting July 4.

in case any future lurkers come along, read this thread, and have a sudden desire to broadcast their parrotfic love, parrotfic icons are here >> they will spoil you for the fic (http://amyhit.livejournal.com/49573.html#cutid1).

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

knife play? what did i miss while reading??

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[wendelah1]

I guess you missed Chapter 15b. See Part 4 at Gossamer. I guess I'd better fix this link, too. It looks like Doc's site is down. Are you reading the fic at Gossamer or at AO3?

I just looked over Chapter 15 at AO3. The entire climax of the story, most of chapter 15 and 15b, is missing! I'll try emailing her but my guess is she's gone from fandom.

This is beyond frustrating. The same thing is true of Bonetree's fic. There's a chapter missing. People import their stories but don't proof them.

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

I think I read it at AO3, so that would explain that for sure. Thanks for responding :)

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[wendelah1]

I'm sorry for the confusion. I changed the link to Gossamer and PM'd the author. Now I'm trying to think if I've steered people to the AO3 copy anywhere but here.

It's obvious that I'm going to have to read through anything that has been reposted from Gossamer before linking to it. I'll recheck but the last time I looked, Bonetree's fic hasn't been fixed.

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

read it. well then, THAT was very very different. interesting but bizarre and metaphorical i suppose, but certainly different, and helped the story conclude for sure.

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[wendelah1]

Well, yeah. The entire climax of the story is missing at AO3. The resolution of the X-File, the reason that Scully shot the parrot, the Tolchuk-induced dream that both Mulder and Scully were having--it's all missing! That's nearly all of chapter 15, in fact.

Thank you for asking the question. I'd have never known otherwise.

It's a much stronger story now that you've read the entirety, don't you think?

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

DEFINITELY stronger. And oddly, I kind of like the whole strange knife fight thing. Metaphorically anyways, and very true to the bizarre way that dreams often seem to work. Wasn't totally sold on all aspects of this fic, but I did like the casefile and the story overall. Glad I asked too!

Re: I HAVE A QUESTION

[wendelah1]

I thought the dream worked well, especially given that they were under the influence of the Tolchok at the time. Everything that happens before Chapter 15 makes better sense once you know that Scully and Mulder were being influenced by supernatural forces.

I found I liked this story even better the third time through and I certainly can't say that about most fanfic.

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

Read this one again and enjoyed it more in the second reading. It really is well constructed and I enjoyed so much of it all around. The uber UST annoyed me the first time around but this time I understood the underlying structures and found it much better. A much needed read for a day like today.