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

[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!