Story 185: "Through the Fire" by Jordan

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Our second Halloween fic this year is "Through the Fire," a very distinctive AU that basically incorporates a little bit of everything into the mix.

In this universe Mulder has been imprisoned for several years on false charges, and Scully has continued their work in his absence. Now she must cope with a dangerous case - an MoTW with its roots at the heart of the mytharc - while also coping with a sudden change in Mulder's circumstances. It's a tense, unusual, and downright creepy fic with an M/S dynamic that's intense and quite lovely. Diana, Jeffrey Spender, and Skinner also have parts to play.

Through the Fire

Oh my god, you guys, I'm SO SORRY! Anyone who downloaded the text file of the fic missed chapter 6! My face is literally in my palms. I read the whole fic and didn't even realize I'd missed an entire chapter, and from the looks of things an important one. I only just realized it now.

That is, from what I can tell, the only place the fic is posted. If the format (which is seasonally cute, but also rather visually loud) bothers you, I've uploaded the fic as one complete Word file, which you can download here.

Happy Halloween, everyone! And season's greetings to anyone who doesn't celebrate.

Comments

Re: 2/3

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Sexuality is so individual, and people's responses to erotica so unpredictable, I'm not sure how this helps but okay.

It does help, in a way. I see now that many of the segments you find awkward are segments I find sensual and passionate. We can chalk this one up to very different subjective views on eroticism.

But I think Jordan wanted more clarity and the narrative just got away from her. I think if she'd had more time to edit, it would have had better flow and probably better metaphors, too.

This is probably true. Though I'd rather this fic be more impressionistic and less straight-forwardly plotty, I suppose that's entirely a matter of personal taste. The extreme requirments put on this fic by the challenge aspect of it, and it's seasonal nature, went into my evaluation of the finished product. I considered it better and more fascinating because it coped with the challenge so well. But if one were to consider the fic regardless of the challenge restrictions, its weaknesses would be far less forgivable. I'd simply never thought to consider it that way.

BTW, this was a very fair response to my previous comment, which was a little prickly. When I read this fic I saw its strengths and overlooked its weaknesses. Everyone else seemed to be overlooking its strengths and seeing its weaknesses. After the warm response to "Other Night", which I felt was merely an endearing trifle in comparison to the ambition and uniqueness of this piece, I was feeling a little out of sorts. Having one of those "fandom and I don't get each other" moments. Being a bad sport.

Re: 2/3

[wendelah1]

Thank you, but I didn't think you were being a bad sport; you asked for information, which I provided as best I could. I just wasn't sure how much it would aid in understanding. Back when we discussed "The Leap," I began to see just how disparate people's reactions to (fan)fiction and erotica can be.

I try not to take negative reactions to stories I love personally, but sometimes I do. I'm only a human being. And, sex is a touchy issue.

Mostly, I just want people to have fun discussions about fanfic.

I guess it didn't come across, but I enjoyed reading this story, too. The negatives didn't outweigh the positives for me, except for the sex scenes, and even there, I liked some of her lines. The one I quoted, for example. But I'm left feeling a little let-down, because I know how great Jordan's writing can be.