Story 155: "A Candle for Katherine" by Marasmus

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Marasmus wrote the bulk of her X-Files fanfic during the latter half of the show's heyday. Most of her fics are short to moderate in length - misleadingly small word counts when you consider that each of her fics manages to be strikingly unique, full of resonances and implications that keep you thinking about them long after you've finished reading. Cellphone, to my knowledge, was her most popular story, but A Candle for Katherine also turns up on more than a couple of recs pages, and for good reason. It's a post series fic that is refreshingly unlike any other post series fics I've come across. It's adventurous and poignant and Marasmus manages to write an original character who is likeable. It even won a couple of Spooky awards back in 2000. Obviously I'm a fan, but don't take my word for it, follow the link and experience a little post-series adventure for yourself.

A Candle for Katherine

Marasmus is still around to some extent. She's finisterre, and you can also head over here to read A Candle for Katherine on LJ, with additional retrospective author's notes, and give her some much deserved feedback.

Comments

[heartequals.livejournal.com]

Just fyi, the first link leads to geocities.

[wendelah1]

amyhit must have already fixed it; it worked okay for me. I think it's more fun to read her stories at finisterre anyway because of the commentary.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

This brought back memories! I usually don't care much for stories where you don't know all the details, or even how everyone ends up. But this is the type of story where you're swept up in the moment, and so you just go with it, and trust everything will be okay in the end.

[bardsmaid.livejournal.com]

And the story did catch you and sweep you up. The OC was very well drawn, very real. Which made this a treat to read.

A Candle for Katherine

[zinnia03.livejournal.com]

I've read "Cellphone" many times -- it's hard not to, since it's recced so frequently. "A Candle for Katherine" makes a good companion piece to it.

Nicely done OC. Nice handling of the inevitable that happens in fanfic stories -- the reader knows more than the OC does generally, which is not so common in mainstream fic as it is in fanfiction. It helps that this story takes place after the end of the series. It's a story that's kind of prescient in a way: Mulder and Scully on the run, and I believe that this was written well before the end of the series.

I had a happy hour or two poking around and reading a few other stories on her journal. There's a Doctor Who/XF crossover that I highly recommend: "The Flexible Concept of Tomorrow." I don't know the "Doctor Who" series very well, but it didn't matter for this story. It's a great read.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[wendelah1]

I agree, "The Flexible Concept of Tomorrow" is a great read. It's one of my favorite cross-overs. We discussed it here, if you wanted to see the comments.

Edited for html fail.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[zinnia03.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to the discussion. Interesting comments about crossovers in general. I think I need to go find out what happened to Donna Noble and then read the story again.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[wendelah1]

You can just look her up on Wikipedia. That gave me enough background to appreciate, if not fully grok the story's meaning for fans who love that character.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[amalnahurriyeh.livejournal.com]

If you want it in a rant-tastic version, this is me practicing meta on the subject (http://amalnahurriyeh.dreamwidth.org/7081.html?#cutid5).

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[zinnia03.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I do understand the bit about Donna much better.

It was a treat to read the whole essay, especially the parts about CJ Cregg (I loved TWW) and of course, Scully.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[amalnahurriyeh.livejournal.com]

the reader knows more than the OC does

This is absolutely my favorite thing about writing/reading OC-centric fic; it's such a bit of slight of hand, and hard to pull off in other fictional contexts. (The only way it really happens in original fiction is when you know of a historical event that is coming that the characters don't, or who a person will turn out to be--I'm thinking of the way anticipation of Hurricane Katrina works in Zeitoun, by Dave Eggars, for instance.)

But I'm wondering how often stories of this form (in fanfic) slide by on that knowledge that we have and the protagonist doesn't. I haven't had a chance to reread this one yet, but I wonder if some of the protagonist's sympathy towards "Katherine" is our borrowed sympathy towards Scully. I need to read it critically looking for that; I haven't before, because I've just liked...curling up with it? It's easy to allow oneself to be led by a narrative.

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[zinnia03.livejournal.com]

the reader knows more than the OC does

(The only way it really happens in original fiction is when you know of a historical event that is coming that the characters don't, or who a person will turn out to be--I'm thinking of the way anticipation of Hurricane Katrina works in Zeitoun, by Dave Eggars, for instance.)

Yeah, or stories about the Titanic or the San Francisco earthquake(s). It's the personal part of the story, even set against a larger backdrop, that I care about, and how the character's thoughts or feelings or actions are going to be affected by this thing.

But I'm wondering how often stories of this form (in fanfic) slide by on that knowledge that we have and the protagonist doesn't.

I think it happens. I think as a reader I am sometimes more forgiving, or because I am so filled with love for the characters and what I know about them, I "fill in the blanks." This was something I was thinking about recently regarding PWPs. Do they only work because you know the background? Do some (most) of the short-shorts work only because of what we know about the characters?

Re: A Candle for Katherine

[wendelah1]

This was something I was thinking about recently regarding PWPs. Do they only work because you know the background? Do some (most) of the short-shorts work only because of what we know about the characters?

I think it depends on what you mean by "work." As erotica, they work fine depending on how well-written the sex is. To me, PWP fics are lacking something as short stories. Successful fanfiction in particular is a selective form of story-telling, but a good writer in any genre knows when to trust the reader to fill in the blanks. Do they work because of what we know about the characters? Of course, that's a part of it but that's a given for fanfiction, isn't it? It is rare for a fanfiction story to work as a standalone.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

I guess I'd better comment on this one, since I posted it. For some reason it's the kind of fic I feel like I have a lot to say about until I actually try to say something, and then all I can think to say is, "Fic good."

Okay, semi point form, reasons why fic is good:

-Scully's characterization. Scully the homeless waif, who is nonetheless totally capable of taking out a full grown man in a flash. We get to see her in a completely new environment and completely new circumstances, which in itself is fascinating and exciting. Plus Marasmus described Scully in a way that pushed all my buttons. She's tired, hungry, cold, discouraged, frightened, broke, and sleeping in a train station. My heart, it is broken. But she's also as strong, determined, capable, and intelligent as we've ever seen her. She's been beaten down, but she's nobody's victim, and nobody's fool. And Marasmus uses Joe as an opportunity to describe Scully in a frank appraising way that she couldn't have done if she'd written in a more traditional POV. Joe's not really a romantic guy and he's certainly no intellectual, but he's sensitive and perceptive, and seeing Scully through his eyes is a strangely poignant experience.

-Joe Lipinski. If he'd been poorly written the fic would have felt gimmicky. I think that's always the danger with original characters - they distract you from Mulder and Scully, and they're never going to be important to the reader the way Mulder and Scully are, so often the reader would rather ignore them than give them a chance. Joe is just right. He doesn't really have delusions of grandeur, he knows he's out of his depth where Scully's concerned, so he helps when he can and otherwise keeps to himself, yet Marasmus doesn't make him out to be a saint either. He's no Marty Stu - just a believable good guy who's also rather smitten. Plus I can believe that Scully would trust him more easily, because he would remind her of her brothers.

-Plot. I've read so few post-series fics with plot, and ACFK is one of my very favorites in that regard. I love that we get to know the immediate situation very well, but are left with only bare hints about the broader context. But we know that there is a bigger adventure going on, even if we aren't privy to the details. It's mysterious and exhilarating and frightening, and I wouldn't have my post-series fic any other way. And when Mulder finally does show up, I'm hanging on every word. As heart-wrenching as this fic is, it's also fun, in a way - there's never a static moment.

-Style. It's to the point, it's clear, there's just enough detail without getting bogged down in it. I feel like I'm watching a movie - I want to see ACKF as a movie - and it's a good feeling. But what I like most is actually the dialogue. There are so many places - almost the whole thing, really - where I can actually heart Scully and Mulder saying their lines. Like Scully's reservation with Joe - the way she responds to his accusation that she's sleeping at the station with a curt "Thank you and goodbye." And Mulder's inappropriate levity when he finally turns up: "I'm sorry. The traffic was terrible, Scully." It's very functional dialogue, like a screenplay, to the point, but still with lots of character.


The one thing I would change was the kiss - I'd rather edit it out. I'd absolutely love it if I could read this entire fic and come out of it still not knowing whether Mulder and Scully were 'together'. Not that I mind the kiss, but I'd prefer to keep the MSR ambiguous. Then again, when Marasmus posted this in October of 1999, MSR was unresolved, so it makes a lot of sense that she would want to resolve it a little bit.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I didn't have time to reread ACFK, but I have read it and respect it highly, like all things Marasmus. It provides a softening of the readers' defenses as we have the opportunity to drop beneath the "star wars" scenario CC left us with to observe vulnerable people in old places who have no idea that life is ready to slap them with more than mundane disappointment. It's kind of like kitchen sink drama, complete with "Marty"-style infatuation, set delicately down as a contrast to the Apocalypse. It's a crossover of (good) British soap opera, whatever they call it, with (good) American science-fictional television.

I've decided that I love crossovers. And, in my experience, Finisterre's "The Flexible Concept of Tomorrow" is the best.