xf_book_club | Story 117: "Dreamcatcher" by dtg

There is still plenty left to say about "To Carthage Then I Came", and "Ceremony", too, for that matter.

First, I have a confession to make. I love stories with amnesia as a plot element. You could even call it a kink, I love them that much. No, I have no idea why this issue carries such a charge for me. Looking over the list of stories we've discussed here, there have been a disproportionate number with amnesia at the center of the storyline.

That's one of the reasons I dithered for so long about whether or not to post this here. For another thing, it is the second part of an unfinished WIP, which I suspect will never be completed, although never say never with XF fanfiction writers. But I think the second section, "Dreamcatcher," can be read as a standalone, especially if you start with the epilogue to "Tabula Rasa." After that, if you liked "Dreamcatcher," you might end up reading the entirety of "Tabula Rasa." I did. I read the sequel "Footsteps of Angels," too, until she stopped updating it in 2007. Yeah, it's totally a kink.

"Dreamcatcher" is also a variation of the Profiler!Mulder genre, except this Mulder isn't exactly our Mulder. Scully is definitely our Scully; of course, you'll have to make your own mind about that. The timeframe is "the present, but without the baggage of any episodes past Je Souhaite. They're still with the Bureau, Mulder does not have a fatal brain disease and Scully has no interest in artificial insemination. I live in denial. *g*" Me, too. So, 2003. AU.

Anyway, I will be the first to admit that these are not perfect stories, plus there is that unsolved mystery lurking in the background. I love unsolved mysteries, though. Maybe you do, too. Good, bad, or indifferent, I'd love to know what you think of "Dreamcatcher." The links are to the 2004 Spooky site, and to her website, since for some reason, this story never made it to Gossamer. Suggestions for next time can be made at the nomination post.

Epilogue to "Tabula Rasa," which she suggests be read before tackling "Dreamcatcher."

"Dreamcatcher" at Spookys 2004.

"Dreamcatcher" in textfile format at dtg's site. There is a prettier html version but the links go wonky after chapter 11, and though you can get to the rest, it's a hassle.

Have fun.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dreamcatcher is a solid, involving piece of work. As a shipper I find casefiles dull unless there is some form of relationship volatility. I was occasionally impatient reading this, but I wasn't bored.

Mulder and Scully are in a holding pattern here, with Mulder the amnesiac profiler cleared for government work but not ready to resume a love relationship he can't bring to mind. It should be awkward and it is, though maybe not awkward enough.

The problem with D is that it's a transitional piece that doesn't transition, and everyone knows it. I've never been a fan of the idea that a writer might give someone permission to conclude a WIP. In this case, however, the frustration factor may be high enough to inspire bribery.

The final chapter of this fic, in which Scully has an epiphany about Mulder's insecurities and ends up in bad with him explaining "feelings," may actually function as a resolution for many. Possibly it did for the writer, whatever she may have planned. It didn't work for me. The anger and epiphany and panic moods jostled each other, and it all seemed to devolve into a lot of words about talk. If that isn't too opaque.

One other problem is our murderer, who though a satisfyingly hateable character was really underexplained. Daddy issues? A dreamcatcher fixation? Female serial killers are so rare in life that they take a lot of selling. There are several in X-File ficdom--at least one other created by dtg. Maybe it's an idea that fascinates a largely female fan base.

I think the rarity of female serial killers is certainly part of what makes them appealing to writers. I haven't read much of dtg's other work so I hadn't realized she's written another female serial killer story. This is The X-Files, so spirit/demonic possession can't really be dismissed as laughably implausible the way it could be if this was NCIS fic.

Mulder tilts his head at the sheriff. "They agree with Sheriff Kessler that the change in her was dramatic and very abrupt. It's only in retrospect that they were able to pinpoint the time." Mulder gives the sheriff a nod, passing the verbal baton.

Kessler nods, "We didn't really put it together until this morning. She went to New Mexico to do research just before Carl had the stroke. She was living in New York at the time, and we only heard about it after she'd been living here for a while taking care of her dad. We think that's where she got involved with the dreamcatchers."

Mulder is giving her a significant look. New Mexico. She lifts one brow. "And...?"

"Michael was researching serial killers who claimed insanity as a defense." Mulder tips his head at Kessler. "Will helped her set up some interviews at the state prison we drove by when we first got here. Those interviews formed the basis of her paper. It's how she obtained the grant to pursue it."

"I told Agent Mulder about the dreamcatchers I found, and he told me what they might have meant to her. About how they could have affected her."

Scully decides that following this conversation is a lot like watching a tennis match. "And that is...?" She turns to Mulder. This ought to be good.

"More than just a totem," Mulder begins. "The common belief that dreamcatchers trap the user's nightmares has a basis in Native American religion. There is a belief that the dreamcatcher summons an entity who not only traps dreams, but can make them come true-- and not always in a way the dreamer would like."

The two men have moved from their original positions to face, her standing shoulder to shoulder. Scully crosses her arms and studies their eager expressions for a moment before responding. "An entity. So... you're suggesting, what? That she was possessed?"

Two pairs of eyes fix on hers. Two heads nod. "Yes." They even say the word together.

There's something reassuringly familiar in this debate. Scully drops her head to hide a smile. When she looks up at them again, her expression is carefully neutral. "Okay. Say that were true. How would you prove it, and what possible difference would it make if you could?"

Kessler looks both disappointed and surprised. "Would it make a difference to you whether Agent Mulder here was a monster or a victim?"

"The jury's still out on that one," Mulder chuckles, but without a hint of humor.

Scully starts to respond, but the sheriff holds up both hands, warding her off. "I know I'm asking a lot, after what she did to you. You have no reason to want to find an excuse for her, but that's what I'm hoping you can do." He shrugs, looking once more in Mulder's direction. "Either you will, or you won't." He looks at his watch. "I won't keep you any longer. You've got a plane to catch."

The ending isn't the only place the etiology of Micheal's psychosis is discussed. She brings in that other demon possession case, the one from Grotesque, earlier in the story, where Scully investigating the death of the first victim.

As a shipper I find casefiles dull unless there is some form of relationship volatility. Of course, as a noromo, I feel exactly the opposite. One has to be a very talented writer to get me interested in pure romance, and if that goes on at any length, the writer will still lose me. I need some plot to get me involved in the MSR, which might be why Tesla's "This House is Burning" works for me.

I think one interesting element here is the New Mexico connection. Michael was in New Mexico, Scully and Mulder were in New Mexico. I can't remember that much about "The Footsteps of Angels" at this point but my hope was that dtg would bring the first two stories together by the ending.

Mulder and Scully are in a holding pattern here, with Mulder the amnesiac profiler cleared for government work but not ready to resume a love relationship he can't bring to mind. It should be awkward and it is, though maybe not awkward enough.

It seems pretty awkward to me, not to mention painful, at least for Scully. The plot ending as it begins with emotional pain and no hope for a resolution is undoubtedly why I like this story as much as I do. Crazy as it sounds, I might like it less if it had been finished, especially if I wasn't happy with the ending. I suspect one of the reasons it wasn't finished is that dtg couldn't conceive of a way to bring it all together. I'd still be thrilled if she did resume writing.

Because I am a masochist, I found what she had written on Wayback and reread it. "The Footsteps of Angels". God, I'd forgotten what a cliffhanger she'd left us with.

marionravenwood recommended "Possession" which I did read. It's well-written, but it ends too quickly and too predictably for my taste. I also found the emotional aspects utterly inconceivable. Mulder when he's an amnesiac is first attracted to Scully and as the story progresses decides he's in love with her, but when he gets his memory back declares he's not in love? WTF? It's like the writer pushed a reset button. I was pissed off, frankly. I also objected to the idea that liking to watch porn is a sexual perversion, but maybe that was the consensus in 1997? I do not remember.

The final chapter of this fic, in which Scully has an epiphany about Mulder's insecurities and ends up in bad with him explaining "feelings," may actually function as a resolution for many. Possibly it did for the writer, whatever she may have planned. It didn't work for me. The anger and epiphany and panic moods jostled each other, and it all seemed to devolve into a lot of words about talk. If that isn't too opaque.

You always dislike this kind of scene.

When I wrote "in bad" I really meant "in bed." But you probably know that.

I persist in thinking that The X-Files flew as it did because it was *really* about relationship. And I like fics that are about the Ship, but that doesn't mean I prefer "pure romance." The very phrase makes me feel clammy. Relationship is a big term, an umbrella term, and that's (for me) what the R in MSR stands for. No one ever explained the acronym to me, so I did it all my own self.

You know this too. Anyhow, I'm off topic.

Fact is, I forgot the possession explanation, which indicates it didn't ring true to me. It didn't show up in Michael's personality or in the writing style.

Also forgot "The Footsteps of Angels." Probably should have checked on that.

Story 117: "Dreamcatcher" by dtg

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Response part one

Response part two

Re: Response part two