Story 202: "Laws of Motion" by Syntax6

[wendelah1]

Hi! I had spotty internet access the later part of March so amyhit kindly filled in for my last turn. I'm bypassing the queue this time around to suggest a story I've been meaning to reread for at least six months. "Laws of Motion" is a sequel to "Universal Invariants," which we discussed back in November, 2010. If you haven't read her first story, you won't get as much out of the sequel. (But you totally should read UI! It's my favorite of syntax6's stories!)

However, if you don't want to read "Universal Invariants" before tackling "Laws of Motion," here's a brief summary: "Universal Invariants" is an au in which Scully is living with her boyfriend Ethan (who was deleted from the pilot) when she is assigned to the X-Files. The novel spans all of season one and the beginning of season two through "One Breath," and has scenes from many of the episodes artfully woven through it. There is also an original casefile, which is the B plot, with the A plot being their developing partnership, and the effect it has on her personal life, especially her relationship with Ethan. HUGE SPOILER here: Scully gets engaged to Ethan after the X-Files are closed down, then has sex (amazing sex!) with Mulder while they are in Arecibo, Puerto Rico during "Little Green Men." Major awkwardness ensues, Mulder and Scully never discuss it, and she is too ashamed to tell Ethan. Then Scully is kidnapped by Duane Barry. Months later, when she is returned, not only is she missing time from the abduction, she can't remember earlier events, including what happened at Arecibo. Mulder can't bring himself to tell her. She never regains the lost memories, but breaks up with Ethan anyway. The End.

So. "Laws of Motion" picks up at the beginning of season five, just after "Redux 2." Scully is cured of cancer and Mulder has just brought her home from the hospital, when there is a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Ethan. He's in jail, accused of murdering a colleague, and wants their help. Like "Universal Invariants," "Laws of Motion" is structured around a casefile, the murder Ethan has been accused of committing, but the story's focus is squarely on the secret (from the previous story) Mulder has been keeping from Scully and the consequences of that deception. It's a fun read and I remember loving it almost as much as "Universal Invariants."

"Universal Invariants"

"Laws of Motion"

Send feedback, tell Syntax6 we miss her, and please come back to let us know what you thought.

Comments

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

I thought this was great. I agree with Anon above about the sex scenes, they're realistic in a way that resonates rather than in a deliberately descriptive way. They're perfect for the characters, too, and I usually don't think any sex scenes work for these characters.

I loved the story and the way the Laws of Motion story worked into canon. I was always pretty fond of the idea of Ethan--I think he was an interesting addition to Scully's life and had the potential to show more of how she changed over the first few seasons. How she gave things away and had other things taken from her. In season one, she goes out on dates, she canonically for a millisecond had a boyfriend, she hangs out with her godson and friends. Some of these things she can't keep up with over time. Some she chooses not to.

The romance even worked for me, because it wasn't overdone or the focus of everything. I can't ever see M&S's lives becoming romance novels, the end of IWTB notwithstanding. If they were going to get together, it was always going to be squeezed into the cracks between meetings and coffee and departure lounges and cheap hotels and murder cases. I love that Laws of Motion "gets them".

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Syn did a really good Ethan. Most have seen unused snippet of film in which Ethan appears. I have made an effort of some years duration not to picture that actor.

[wendelah1]

The romance even worked for me, because it wasn't overdone or the focus of everything. I can't ever see M&S's lives becoming romance novels, the end of IWTB notwithstanding. If they were going to get together, it was always going to be squeezed into the cracks between meetings and coffee and departure lounges and cheap hotels and murder cases. I love that Laws of Motion "gets them".

Yes, this works for me because the romance is portrayed in a way that feels very consistent with who they are as characters on screen. Syntax6 really does "get them" and she doesn't change them to fit into her story line. She fits her story into the canon, which is why their interaction never feels like its sliding into conventional romance. It's brilliant. And it's rare.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

It's hard to say anything about Syntax6's work, because it's so superior.

Yes, I’ve been struggling with this for the last week and a half. Her writing is just so good across the board that I have no idea what to say about it, other than “Wow, this.” Laws of Motion deserves a very long, very in depth examination (and lots n' lots of praise) but I'm afraid I'm not quite up to the task at the moment.

For the most part you could c/p me raving about one of Syn’s fics and apply it to any one of her fics, though I do have favorites of course. The way the plot comes together in LOM is brilliant. The way it pulls together the weak threads of the Emily storyline and makes them far more cohesive and powerful is fantastic. And even though the events of LOM are extremely hard on Scully, I feel the fic does her justice by acknowledging her strength and her violation, rather than only paying attention to the facts that are convenient to move the plot wherever the writers have decided to take it. And hell, in the end Mulder comes out better as well. By actually acknowledging how wrong he was to conceal the things he did from Scully, it gives the character a chance to mature, make better choices in the future and whatnot.