Story 187: "Relic of Tough Weather" by Jesemie's Evil Twin

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

For Thanksgiving three years ago wendelah1 posted JET's widely loved holiday fic, "Small Lives Awake." It happens to be the first fic I ever commented on, here at the book club, which makes me feel rather delighted to have the privilege of posting my own choice of Thanksgiving fics this year, this one also by JET.

"Relic of Tough Weather" was written and is set in November, 1999, shortly after the events of TSE:AF. Though it doesn't have the length or popularity of "Small Lives Awake," it is a distinctive blend of JET's signature style: evocative prose and compassionate characterizations.


Relic of Tough Weather


JET's still around, to some extent; I'm sure she would appreciate the feedback. And, as ever, our nomination post is open for recommendations.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating the occasion.

Comments

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if we're meant to imply something from or just to think about Mulder's own relationship with his father. There's a ton of father-discussion and father-imagery in this short story, including troubled father-child relationships. It definitely makes me think about Mulder and his father, although I'm not sure if it leaves me with any insights.

[wendelah1]

Maybe we are. From what I see on the page, I can't tell what her intentions were except to get to the happy ending.

JET filtered out a lot of the genuinely troubling stuff about Mulder's own life, PAST AND PRESENT, perhaps because that stuff is so hard to write about, or maybe because it's just such old news by this point in the fandom? Instead, she creates some neighbors to stir up some empathy, in him and by proxy, in the reader.

People do have neighbors. People do get terminal cancer. Of course, usually they don't make it, since most of the people who are dying don't get a tailor-made miracle cure microchip from the DOD to turn it off (wtf, show).

If anyone was primed for feeling something for these people, you'd think it would be me; instead, I just feel like I'm being manipulated, and end up irritated at the writer.

I'm not fond of the cancer arc either but it's canon so we are stuck with it.

This isn't JET's fault, but I can't help reading this story from where I stand with canon. I know in a few months' time, while on a case, Mulder is going to get a phone call from his mother and shortly thereafter, she's going to commit suicide. She's dying of cancer and he's so disconnected at this point from his own family that he doesn't even know she's sick, let alone dying. And I'm supposed to believe that a dream and a glimpse of a dying man enjoying his last Thanksgiving dinner with his family is enough to propel Mulder to Scully's side and then into her bed?

Who are these people and what show are they on again?

To me, this is clearly nothing but a shipper fantasy. That's fine. This is fanfiction, after all, and this was written for one of those Scullyfic challenges, and it seems to be making most of the readership here happy and hey, we're supposed to be having fun here. But it doesn't work for me. I don't think it would have worked for me back then either.

I would probably like this story better if she'd started from scratch and written new characters, instead of making this about M&S. Maybe if she'd written more about the neighbors, because from where I am sitting, she is using this painful scene to justify the shippy ending and that makes me feel sick and kind of shitty, not all warm and fuzzy inside.

For Thanksgiving fic by JET, I'd much rather reread "Small Lives Awake." So I think I will.