Story 134: "Universal Invariants" by Syntax6

[wendelah1]

First, thank you to amyhit for posting a story and moderating discussion in my absence. She noticed that nothing had been posted for...quite some time, pm'd me and came to my rescue. If there is anyone else out there who wishes to post their own recs, rather than have me do it, please let me know. I am the moderator, but this is our community. As always, the nomination post is awaiting your suggestions.

No discussion of fanfiction set during the early seasons is complete without "Universal Invariants." Yes, you've all heard of the story and most of you have probably read it, too. If you are like me, you've read it more than once, especially Chapter 12. *cough*. In "Universal Invariants," syntax6 takes the canon from season one and early season two, adds an au twist, throws in a tasty casefile, mixes in plenty of UST, Mulder/Scully banter and some angsty relationship stuff, and presents us with a fanfiction classic.

In this story, the twist is this: what if Ethan's scene hadn't been cut out of the pilot and Scully had been allowed to have a life of her own, apart from Mulder and the X-files? How would the storyline have been changed? How would it have stayed the same? This story is long and engrossing, so give yourself plenty of time. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to send the writer feedback!


Read "Universal Invariants".

Comments

I love it

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I love it. It is maybe my favorite Syntax6, along with its very necessary sequel.

Will reread; haven't yet. But I wanted to announce the love.

How tragic to have jumped Mulder and forgotten all about it...

(Sorry if you are spoiled, but I consider that reveal a stimulant rather than a spoiler.)

Re: I love it

[wendelah1]

That is a huge spoiler! Maybe I should post a note about spoilers in the comment threads. Then again, when are there not?

I love it, too. I hate lists but if forced to make one, this would make my top ten XF fic list. I also love the sequel, though not quite as much, since it isn't first season fic. I can't help it if I love watching them best at the beginning.

It is unfortunate that she forgets; however, the plot is (1.) entirely plausible. Thank heavens for canon mind wipes. And (2.) the way she resets back to canon, only with Bonus Round Mulder Angst.

[maybe-amanda.livejournal.com]

Well I guess if we have to read SOMETHING....

Ha ha ha! I love this one! Good choice!

(And yeah, Estella, can you imagine? What a tragedy!)

[wendelah1]

I'm still waiting for you to weigh in...or should I just post the next story?

XF Yule icon for the win!

[abby-road87.livejournal.com]

I have this saved on my computer and I've been meaning to read it for some time. I've heard great things about it. I'd probably start it when I'm done with the one I'm on now.

There's a sequel to this, isn't there?

[riddledfate.livejournal.com]

Oh Ceci, this story is a must read :D It's amazing, one of my favorites (from this author, and from the XF fandom in general). It is a bit long, but you really don't mind once you get into it, because it's so good, the characterizations are spot on, and the story and how it fits in canon *fangirls it like whoa*

The sequel is awesome too :)

[abby-road87.livejournal.com]

Thanks Yennie. I'm on part 9 now.
But all this recent squeeing about XF prevented me from reading it. I have to remedy that, I'm really liking it so far :)

[wendelah1]

Yes, there is. It's called "Laws of Motion".

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

Oooh lovely, lovely, lovely!...gorgeous story and one of the ones that got me hooked on fanfic in the first place. Syntax6 is a heroine of x-files literature, there should be an enormous statue of her somewhere and she should be on CC's top 10 auto-dials.

Oh, Mulder, Mulder, Mulder ....sigh. How could she forget THAT?

[badforthefish.livejournal.com]

I have to go reread that one. I think I never reached chapter 12, (No! Don't tell me!!!)
But Syntax 6 is one of those reliable writers in terms of quality. I haven't read everything she ever wrote but I've read quite a few of her early work, back in the days, when I could spemd hours on the computer reading fic.

[wendelah1]

She's good. She doesn't waste the reader's time with extraneous details or telling us things we already know (or could figure out easily enough). She respects the reader's intelligence.

I can't believe you never made it to chapter 12! And after that you have to read the sequel!

[badforthefish.livejournal.com]

I agree, if I can get into a story without thinking "I'm reading words", then the author is good. Syntax does that. And the ability to write succinctly enough to keep the writing light and yet not so bare as to be confusing is a finely balanced skills that few writers master.

What can I say I find it difficult to read long fic on computers these days, and I can't be bothered printing stuff out, which is why in the past years I've stuck almost exclusively to short stories.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I'm sitting here feeling dumb because, after rereading, I can't think of anything to say except "man, this is really good." Every part of it dips and rises and slides effortlessly to the next part, dragging you along. I don't have anything to complain about!

I admire particularly the way Syntax allows you to experience Mulder falling in love with Scully and vice versa without ever *explaining* that it is happening. She does indeed respect the reader's intelligence. And the emotional binds the situation imposes on each of them are enthralling. Scully leaping toward marriage and then pulling off the ring. Mulder feeling guilt not only for compromising his partner but for wronging her remarkably sympathetic lover. (Incidentally, if you haven't seen the outtake featuring the actor who might have played Ethan...don't.)

The cookie conversation was exquisite, a piquant tangle of sad and funny. Mulder will be funny as he lies dying.

I remember Laws of Motion as being not quite so satisfying. I shouldn't say that without backing it up. Guess I'll have to go read. A fan's work is never done.

[wendelah1]

I admire particularly the way Syntax allows you to experience Mulder falling in love with Scully and vice versa without ever *explaining* that it is happening.

Yeah, she is excellent at the showing rather than telling, at balancing character introspection with dialogue and action. She has Ethan tell Mulder he's in love with Scully, and give him the video he has gamely shot of Mulder wandering around like a madman. You see how Mulder is unable to name the emotion, too. Not that Scully does any better. But this seems very in character to me. I liked it. Maybe I'm a secret season one shipper.

I agree, "Laws of Motion" wasn't as satisfying on an emotional level to me, either. I'll have to reread the story to figure out why. But I doubt it has anything to do with the writing. Canon is the most likely culprit for me. I just don't like season five as much as season one. Plus it's so much fun to
watch their new partnership develop. But "Laws of Motion" is a much more enjoyable story to read and reread than most fic set in that period.

Why is there not more early season fic? They are so adorable then.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

Syntax6 was the first author that I recognized by name and began to expect great things from and she nearly never let me down. This story was a particular favourite, not least because Syntax showed that she could write the most gorgeous high-tensile sex scenes in the whole fandom. Chapter 12....well, you know what I mean!

Re-reading it for the 3rd or 4th time with a more critical eye, there are some little issues I have in the detail rather than in the overall story arc: Scully getting drunk and calling Mulder (rather than Ethan who has been at home worrying about her) seems contrived in order to break-up the Mulder/Melinda steamy moment. Melinda's story starts with some promise and then tails off, only to be resurrected in a tragic way in the follow-up (Laws of Motion). Perhaps I feel that Melinda is not given just air-time because I like her and wanted to see more of her. Maybe the story-line about the film that Ethan makes of Mulder doesn't quite ring true and it's resurrection in Laws of Motion (which I also re-read with great glee!) was not convincing to me.

But these are small quibbles really. The anticipation she engenders in the developing relationship and change of dynamic in the MS relationship through Season 1 is probably unparalleled and if anyone can make me believe in MS love in the first season then it is Syntax6. The relationship is understated, you are drawn into it through the words and actions of the characters, not through self-analysis by them. They can't tell you how they feel about each other because they know as much as you do - probably less, in fact - and it is, consequently, a convincing explanation of how their relationship dynamic will develop in the future. Perhaps Scully's 'memory loss' is slightly contrived as a handy plot tool but, on the other hand, it is believable in a sense because what Scully forgets is what most threatens to overturn her world - the dilemma of her feelings. This is typical Scully and is a physical manifestation of her psychological trait: her denial of chaos and her need to rein in and control emotional tumult. The fact that she makes her decision to end her relationship with Ethan regardless of the memory loss is so understandably her in that she needs to draw tidy lines around messy emotional situations even when she does not understand the true nature of her feelings.

The characters are all pretty lovable in this - you can't help feeling for Ethan even as you need him to get out of the picture...sometimes Scully is a bit harsh on him and I like this too. In words and actions Syntax6 gets across that almost from the beginning trust with a capital T is a characteristic of the MS dynamic that cannot be matched - even with a lover in a good relationship.

[wendelah1]

Chapter 12 might be my favorite first time sex scene in this fandom, maybe in any fandom. It hits a lot of emotional buttons for me, even the aftermath hits my buttons.

Scully getting drunk and calling Mulder (rather than Ethan who has been at home worrying about her) seems contrived in order to break-up the Mulder/Melinda steamy moment.

I thought it a bit odd that Scully called Mulder, too, but then I thought, he is her partner. Mulder knows why she's plastered. She won't have to explain it to him in the car going home. I also think it's supposed to signal her growing attachment to Mulder and and be an early sign of trouble on the home front. It works for me as character development. Realistically, law enforcement partners are as close, if not closer than spouses, or so I've heard.

They can't tell you how they feel about each other because they know as much as you do - probably less, in fact - and it is, consequently, a convincing explanation of how their relationship dynamic will develop in the future. Perhaps Scully's 'memory loss' is slightly contrived as a handy plot tool but, on the other hand, it is believable in a sense because what Scully forgets is what most threatens to overturn her world - the dilemma of her feelings. This is typical Scully and is a physical manifestation of her psychological trait: her denial of chaos and her need to rein in and control emotional tumult. The fact that she makes her decision to end her relationship with Ethan regardless of the memory loss is so understandably her in that she needs to draw tidy lines around messy emotional situations even when she does not understand the true nature of her feelings.

Yes, I agree. Very well-stated.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

It's not so much that I think it unlikely that Scully would call Mulder, I agree with what you say about partners and the nature of their partnership at that time in particular. I just felt the timing was too contrived - a let out clause, if you will - as if Syntax6 hadn't quite decided what she wanted to do with Mulder/Melinda and needed an escape route, or alternatively, wanted a red herring that wasn't going to spoil the Mulder/Scully development. Perhaps it's just a little disappointment on my part because, at that point, I would have found a fling between them quite believable and was a little sad to see Melinda's role fizzle out. I thought as a character she deserved to be more than just a plot device...

[wendelah1]

Ironically, I think she gets to be more of a character in the sequel even though she's dead. I went back to read the chapter. In a pro novel, I think your criticism would be entirely valid, not that it isn't anyway, but I think in fanfiction introducing original characters is risky anyway. I think she weighed the delightful prospect of getting Mulder laid against the possibility of breaking up the Mulder-Scully-Ethan triangle that's she's developing. For my money, I think Syntax6 could have pulled it off, if anyone could. She's better than a lot of pro writers in my opinion.

Perhaps it's just a little disappointment on my part because, at that point, I would have found a fling between them quite believable.

In this universe, I'm not sure Mulder is a quick fling kind of guy, though, is he? Assuming she was interested, and from the perspective of this reader, why wouldn't she be, I think he would have ended up dating Melinda for the remainder of the fic, which would have complicated the ending of this story and the emotional terrain of the next one, too. No, the more I think about it, as a writer I can see better and better reasons to keep them out of bed. So a sexy plot device she remains...





Do you think you'd feel the same way if he'd slept with her first, then got out of her bed to go rescue Scully?

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

Yes, Wen, you said it: if anyone could pull it off Syntax6 could. So I thought she could pull off (with her eyes closed probably) a relationship between Mulder and Melinda that was less shallow than a fling/one-night-stand but not as much as dating or seriously affecting the outcome of his relationship with Scully. I just felt that the tension was headed in that direction and then petered out. Maybe that was exactly the author's intention but I am not convinced...maybe the lady herself is lurking and can answer the question for us!

As to whether Mulder is a quick fling kind of guy or not, I think maybe most people agree with you that he wasn't. But I sort of feel that he could have been in the early seasons of the show. He just looks as if he would be up for it, not serially perhaps, but certainly not averse to the occasional outing. In any case, though, Syntax6 could have written him with two heads and a fetish for llamas and I would probably still accept it...

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

Do you think you'd feel the same way if he'd slept with her first, then got out of her bed to go rescue Scully?

I didn't see this when I first replied but... I think I would be more convinced by the author's intentions and that it would resolve the issue between M&M in some purposeful way...but it's hypothetical because it would all depend on how it was written, I guess. Other possibilities abound: M&M not getting to the stage they were in the first place, or one of them changing their minds, or Scully calling on a different night altogether. In either way, the 2 situations not happening coincidentally at the same time...

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

As regards the above discussion: I always see M/O as an interesting complication on the way to the inevitable MSR. And--perhaps projecting my own prejudice--I think Mulder contemplating a hookup with Melinda is a way of him evading or escaping the unadmitted yearning for Scully. A bit unfair to the OC, but that's how I roll.

And then she gets killed. Overkilled, when you look at it that way. Geez.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

yes, I can go with this....I do believe that M&S are inevitably going to get it together in the end, I just don't think this means that either is blind to anyone else that comes along in between - and prepared to do something about it. However much it might mean denial of their core feelings they were clearly attractive to and attracted to other people...even in canon, (and even if they were vampires called Bambi, or could have been )

[wendelah1]

Wait, the vampire was Kristin, right? Bambi was the etymologist.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

yes, I know, I was being silly because it's a rainy, windy Wednesday afternoon and when I think about the Mulder and Scully 'Others' it makes me smile: vampires, Bambis, shape-shifters, resurrected policemen, psychotic murderers, alpha-bitches, and err...Diana. Oh and there's Daniel - it says something that he is the most normal of the lot...

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Yes, but also the most boring.

Of course they are attractive to others (thousands!), and of course they might act on it.

Your pov and mine are not mutually exclusive. Actually, I consider /O a very important factor in the thrilling journey toward True Love. It's up to writers to use the O's creatively, and Syn is the best.

A bit of a drop in seriousness, but "How To Fake an Orgasm" has excellent Other action. We discussed that, right?

[wendelah1]

Yes, we did. Very early on, I think, back in 2008.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

I think so too...

Loved HTFAO, made me actually sob with laughter at times and was so very, very clever at drawing out Scully's jealousy. I also love Tesla's Neither Here nor There but I think I am a bit alone in that. It was rec'd last year on here and sadly I was not on board at the time so didn't partake in the discussion but I don't think it seemed to curry much favour. I guess because of Scully's vulnerability in relation to Mulder - but still I loved it, and the Mike Henderson character. There really aren't that many good Other stories though, I guess Wen's point about introducing new characters into fic believably is painfully hard. That's why I like Melinda so much, Syntax6 can do it!

[wendelah1]

Yeah, I wish you'd been around for the discussion of "Neither Here nor There." I can't remember what I said about it, but it concludes rather badly, don't you think (though not as badly as "Flight," thank heavens)? She has Mike Henderson leave Scully, leave for California, without even saying good-bye or officially breaking-up, which didn't even seem in character for him. She went to alot of trouble to create him and make him into a good match for Scully and then Wham! It was like Tesla just wanted to dump on Scully. I hated that ending.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

yes, it does...I was incredibly frustrated at the time and thought she MUST have written more, searching frankly on the net. The ending is too abrupt and unresolved. If I recall it wasn't so much Henderson's sudden departure, although that struck oddly too, but Scully saying to Mulder about A WEEK later, "Errrr, have you seen Henderson lately?" or something like that - like she had been so smitten with him (as a Mulder substitute but a gorgeous one at that) and then Pfff, out of sight, out of mind. Nor did I ever truly get the whole "out to get Henderson plot" thing in the last third, but aside from these little (!) quibbles, I found the dynamic so exciting and I was so HAPPY for Scully to have some lovely sex with a lovely guy who wasn't completely screwed up and although it couldn't last (what with MULDER around and everything) I thought it could have been resolved a little less - I don't know - it just sort of vanished as if Tesla had suddenly got bored with the whole thing.

Still, not being a writer myself, I understand that endings are absolutely the most difficult thing to do well and some good stories are still worth it for everything that comes before. So yes, I hated that ending too but the rest of it was worth it even so.

[wendelah1]

You are way too subtle for me, dear.

Yes, TPTB never gave the Others much of a shot, did they?

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

TPTB?

[wendelah1]

TPTB=The Powers That Be.

[tiger-bay.livejournal.com]

duh!

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

note to self: don't avoid the story just because it's ENORMOUS. especially not if Syntax6 is the writer. because by the time you're thirty pages in you'll be wishing the story was twice as long as it is.

i don't think i'm going to get anywhere near the end of this before the next fic is posted, but i felt i ought to at least acknowledge how awesome i think it is. i'm five chapters in and jonesing pretty hard for more.

Syntax6 is one of those writers who amazes me. she really has a gift, i think. to just sit down one day and start writing fanfic - start writing anything - and to be this good at it? there are moments while i'm reading where i literally stop and think to myself, "i couldn't possibly have just read that, because it would be too clever for anyone to have written." and then i'll read it again, just to be sure.

so far i feel like Mulder's characterization is more spot on than Scully's. but then the focus is really on Scully, or at least she's the person whose character we're seeing most of the story through, so she's bound to be more difficult to write. and anyway, i think her characterization is excellent. it's just not quite exactly as i see her myself, is all. i'm sure not complaining; i like her this way too, a lot.

it's strange, because i've always been very glad that Ethan was a character who got left on the cutting room floor. i like that he wasn't brought into the story, because he really couldn't have helped being a device - a way to draw attention to Mulder and Scully's relationship as it contrasted Scully and Ethan's relationship. all the same, i've never been anti-Ethan. i've always liked that he was a possibility, and i LOVE that Syntax makes such excellent use of him here. she does all the things with his character that i'm glad they didn't do on the show - but she does them so well. her fic feels like getting to have my cake and eat it too, which is one of my favorite things about fanfic in general - that it delivers the fantasy, but lets you keep your canon pristine.

rambling comment is rambling. there is just so much to say about this one, and i'm no where near finished.

[wendelah1]

to just sit down one day and start writing fanfic - start writing anything - and to be this good at it? there are moments while i'm reading where i literally stop and think to myself, "i couldn't possibly have just read that, because it would be too clever for anyone to have written." and then i'll read it again, just to be sure.

She is extraordinarily gifted, and I'm sure she could have written novels for a living should that have been her career choice. Maybe I'm wrong, but this is an individual who has been practicing her craft for a long time, writing since childhood I would bet, and maybe in another fandom, too. Maybe original fic, too?

so far i feel like Mulder's characterization is more spot on than Scully's. but then the focus is really on Scully, or at least she's the person whose character we're seeing most of the story through, so she's bound to be more difficult to write. and anyway, i think her characterization is excellent. it's just not quite exactly as i see her myself, is all. i'm sure not complaining; i like her this way too, a lot.

This is in-a-relationship-with-Ethan-Scully, not our Scully, not exactly. It is by observing those subtle differences that Syntax6 makes this story work so well. Like all of the best writers, she is also a fine psychologist.

her fic feels like getting to have my cake and eat it too, which is one of my favorite things about fanfic in general - that it delivers the fantasy, but lets you keep your canon pristine.

Yeah, she lucked out a bit by taking advantage of the ending to One Breath. Thank goodness for canon mind wipes. In this, in its sequel, and in "Isometry" as well, she fits her own complicated storyline into canon better than anyone before or since. It's practically seamless. She makes it look easy, too, and it's not, not in the least.

[maybe-amanda.livejournal.com]

Wendy mentioned that I haven't commented. I feel a little close to the work, having beta bias and stuff, and feel like anything I could add would be gush gush gush, etc. But...the thing I admire about so many of Syn's stories is how well and seemingly effortlessly (notice the seemingly there) she can blend canon into her stories (I know it's not effortless - I know she works for it). Everything fits, like any good puzzle, which just makes the stories stronger.

[wendelah1]

But...the thing I admire about so many of Syn's stories is how well and seemingly effortlessly (notice the seemingly there) she can blend canon into her stories (I know it's not effortless - I know she works for it). Everything fits, like any good puzzle, which just makes the stories stronger.

Oh, yeah, she is the best at that I've ever read in any fandom. She does make it look easy, because it all fits together so well. I know it's not because I've tried, on a smaller scale, of course. Even the au stories are strengthened by being grounded so thoroughly in canon.

Another other thing that separates her work from other excellent writers is her ability to create believable, sympathetic, original secondary characters, which makes her stories that much more credible. It's not that other writers couldn't do the same thing. But they rarely bother.

These things become apparent only if I stop to analyze. When I'm reading, it just flows.

Edit: Oh, and I'm sorry if I put you on the spot. I didn't mean to do that, exactly. Ahem.

[maybe-amanda.livejournal.com]

you didn't put me on the spot; you reminded my of my duty. A community doesn't thrive if no one participates :D

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Bless you for participating. I think you are some kind of fandom gold standard.

[(Anonymous)]

What's the sequel called????

[wendelah1]

Laws of Motion. You can read it here: Laws Of Motion.

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

As has already been said (and over 5 years ago already now), the way the author blends her story into canon is fantastic. I've seen it before but this was really a masterful blending. I'm a sucker for well-written post-episode pieces since they feel to me like extending and fleshing out the canon. Universal Invariants felt like a combination between casefile, character study, AU, and post-ep all rolled into one. And... I LOVED it! And honestly, chapter 12 surprised me totally, yet she did so well weaving it right BACK into canon.

As someone already mentioned, yes, this Mulder feels familiar, while this Scully *almost* feels familiar, but somehow not. I liked feeling that this is what Scully could have been if she'd had a relationship with some normalcy, getting emotional and physical contact and needs met during that time. It's both a familiarly fierce Scully, and a less emotionally shuttered Scully, and I was happy to see Syntax6 allow her that. Honestly, I wasn't a huge believer in mass underlying UST during the first season or two, but this author sells it to me darned well, and that scene... MY.

I wish I loved the sequel as much, but I just didn't. Not as satisfying, too much emotional dragging around. Parts were fantastic and I had no problem devouring it, but Universal Invariants was just brilliant. Thanks for the recommendation!

[hooves.livejournal.com]

I meant to comment on this when I read it, but somehow forgot (though I've had this tab open at work for weeks, now).

I pretty much agree with this. Scully wasn't 100% herself, but she was believable within the context of the story, and that is what matters. The Scully of the series goes through so much, and it's nice to imagine sometimes that things didn't have to be that way.

I also didn't like the sequel as much, but I enjoyed this piece a lot, in part due to the writing, which was great, but also due very much to the attempt to weave the story within the world we already know. That made it fun, and worked in a way I didn't expect it to. By this I guess I mean that I'm used to stories taking place between episodes, so to speak, but I'm not used to seeing a story arc that cuts across a great many episodes, and that sort of weaving is not only difficult, but oftentimes ineffective (in that if you don't do it right, it falls flat), but Syntax6 managed it pretty much flawlessly; I'd attribute at least part of her success to the fact that she didn't dwell on the cases we already know from the TV series; she just allowed them to be a part of the characters' lives and histories as necessary. :)