Stories 177-178: "Amnesia" and "Vapor Trail" by Khyber

[wendelah1]

Though summer is now over, we are continuing our leisurely reading through the series, "Khyber versus Season Seven." Discussion is winding down finally on the last post, but there are some new comments up, including an informative summary of the two longer stories by amyhit (thank you!).

Next up for consideration are two post-eps: "Amnesia," written for Brand X and "Vapor Trail," for Je Souhaite. These are both short, so I think we'll get through them a lot quicker. Both are rated Teen and above, I'd say, though check his intros to be sure. Spoilers for those episodes and for "All Things."

"Amnesia"

"Vapor Trail"

If the Internet Archive is having a bad day, the entire series can be found at Gossamer.

Comments

Vapour Trail

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Meh. It has some nice lines, but it doesn't do a lot for me. It's my least favorite KvsS7 instalment - Collapsar is second. (it's interesting the way these two fics both have names of stellar events/bodies for titles, and they're both about how Scully relates intimately to Mulder. Both are about the effect of gravity and friction on a body, but Collapsar is about the unstable, unsustainable nature of a body's reaction to gravity and friction, and Vapour Trail is about a body forging brightness and power and destination from gravity and friction.

So at least I like the titles.

But I don't like pillow talk and I don't like when Mulder and Scully have conversations about their relationship, and Khyber being a good writer isn't going to change that.

Mulder believes everything he says, but he'll say it
to get what he wants. There is always that slight twinge,
that Mulder says these things because he wants something,
and even if it's something that wants him back, I just
can't let him get away with it.

I think this is very true of Mulder's character, and very insightful, but it makes me sad. I like to imagine that he mostly grows out of this over time, especially during the summer he spends locked up while Scully's in Africa. I like to think he finally makes peace with and integrates the part of himself that is a petulant, self-involved twelve-year-old boy. (TSE:AF does kind of hint at it when DreamMulder is on the beach building a sand castle with the boy.) Though S7 doesn't necessarily bear out that bit of hinted character development, my headcanon does, so it makes me sad to read a fic in S7 where Scully still has to be thinking about what Mulder's inner twelve-year-old will decide is the right thing to say in the moment.

A couple of years ago, a little before Antarctica, he decided
he wanted me. At the time, I took the sex--wrenching, biting,
fearful doses of it-- because that was all I could handle, and
when he refused to let me pick and choose my entanglements I backed
away again.

Okay, hold the freaking phone- what does THAT mean? No, seriously, I have no idea what that means. Does it mean he was needy for sex? Pushy? Demanding? Does it mean he was jealous of other men? Does Scully even mean sex when she says 'entanglements' or does she mean work-related entanglements?

Whatever it means, I'm really not liking the implications.

Re: Vapour Trail

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

What you said is why I have nothing to say about the timeline. Really all I can do is enjoy the mess.

It's odd, or is it, that I love time-travel stuff so much. Maybe I perceive it as an escape from necessity.

Self-analysis over. Moving on.

RE: Vapour Trail

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

A couple of years ago, a little before Antarctica, he decided
he wanted me. At the time, I took the sex--wrenching, biting,
fearful doses of it-- because that was all I could handle, and
when he refused to let me pick and choose my entanglements I backed
away again.

How did I miss this? I must have missed whole paragraphs? Orthe version I read is missing chunks?