xf_book_club | Story 112: "This House is Burning" by Tesla

"This House is Burning" is flat-out the best Profiler!Mulder series I've ever read. Tesla's writing style flows effortlessly, and is, by turns, unobtrusive and lyrical. Her Mulder is both much more competent at his job and much less crazy than he's often written. Frankly, that's a pleasant change. But the trilogy is more than a series of meticulously constructed police procedurals, it's also a believable, emotionally involving, Mulder/Scully romance. So let's see: great writing? Check. Exciting plot? Check. Scorching hot sex scenes? Check, check, check. This story was nominated by

estella_c, and seconded by yours truly.

tesla321 is still on Live Journal, ~~but unless I've missed something through my inconsistent lurking, she's not actively writing~~. Could I be more wrong? She's still writing and has even posted a challenge at

fandom_charity.

As far as I know, her email address is still current, so go send her some feedback. Or leave it at her Live Journal. Then go donate some money to the Haitian relief effort and get her to write us some fic.

If you don't like my choices, you can always go suggest some of your own.

This House is Burning
Part 1: Blood on the Snow
Part 2: A Thief's Diet
Part 3: The Quiet Glades of Eden

Here in multiple parts on her LJ:

Blood on the Snow 1/2
Blood on the Snow 2/2
A Thief's Diet 1/3
A Thief's Diet 2/3
A Thief's Diet 3/3
The Quiet Glades of Eden 1/2
The Quiet Glades of Eden 2/2

Tesla's Author Page at Gossamer.

Upcoming attractions: "Fathoms Five," by Penumbra, "Blue Patches" by Maybe Amanda, and maybe--Your Nomination.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So I think what we see in the show when he ventures out on profiling missions and what Tesla has described here masterfully is not the Mulder we usually encounter - it's Mulder on cocaine, kind of. Extremely competent, very analytic, details-obsessed, he is constantly looping between his intuitive and analytic functions and completely outside of his reflection zone, when he would have time to pay attention to his own emotional and sensory responsiveness - hence the insomnia, the rash choice to take advantage of the Scully-riding-him-situation and the incapacity to perceive that she might just be as in love with him as he is. I think it also makes it more probable for him to risk her, although as he says "he [only] had a good guess" of what the press conference might provoke in the killer. It was a calculated risk, something he was aware of but not entirely sure was probable. Although, I think this is an argument against Tesla glorifying him as putting Scully at risk is actually a lapse in judgement, although it may be a very practical move. It is, however, something he would never do in his right mind and quite a cold, emotionless calculation on his part. He is cracking, here. So, thank God for fic resolutions, this wouldn't have flown so easily in real life. What the second chapter does to Mulder in terms of amplifying his guilt and God Complex and also the PTSD has already been discussed here and is an explanation, albeit not an excuse for his looping ways.
As for the casefic, from a professional point of view, this profile is all over the place and inconclusive at best, contradictory at worst but I have my problems with the art of profiling anyway. It is a very controversial method and this may be coloring my judgement.
Anyway, as you said, this is a MSR story first and foremost and it was a relief to have such a skillful and sex-savvy Mulder to lust for in addition to having him psychologically believable.
Thank you for the amazing classic fics I found through this journal - keep up the good work!

I read all of the comments. It's never too late for discussion. I was discussing Iolokus last week here with a friend who finally got around to reading it, five years later. Getting this in my inbox made my day. I love when someone who has been lurking, delurks.

This is thoughtful, and I do plan to respond, but I'm swamped right now with life and 201daysofxfiles and the discussion currently in progress.

If I don't get back to you, feel free to post again and remind me.

Story 112: "This House is Burning" by Tesla

sunflowerseed in the night 2

Re: sunflowerseed in the night 2