Story 220: "Fragile" by Ophelia

[wendelah1]

It's too quiet around here, folks.

I just finished reading this next story, nominated by infinitlight. It's a carefully researched casefile, a very good one, if a little on the graphic side for me. (Damn. Why am I such a light-weight?) As it unfolds, it gets better and better, and has memorable climax and denouement. I'm classifying this as gen fic, Teen-for violence.

Title: Fragile
Author: Ophelia
E-Mail: OpheliaMac@aol.com
Rating: R--mature themes
Category: T, A
Spoilers: General Fourth Season, my own fanfic story, "Poison," and a story called "Favorite Child" by Lindsay, which gives an interesting interpretation on the choice the Consortium forced Bill Mulder to make.
Keywords: Mulder/Scully UST
Summary: Mulder and Scully are called in on a case described as an alien abduction, but Mulder suspects something both more commonplace and more sinister. Mulder angst, Scully angst, imaginary small town in Wisconsin angst.

You can try sending feedback to the author, although in my experience, fandom AOL addresses are mostly dead ends. Please let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

Read "Fragile"

Comments

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Hi, late again. I liked this story. It had many strengths. It was well-plotted, the secondary characters were convincing (medical examiner without a sense of smell, heh), and considering I'm totally over serial killers it held my attention. And Ophelia's concepts of Mulder's and Scully's characters were mainly consistent with mine. He flirts; he won't allow himself to mean it; she plays counselor and comforter. Although I quite disliked the tearful quaking in his partner's arms in his skivvies that decorated the denouement. The influence of Oklahoma repels me.

Although there is wit in the author's commentaries I feel that the banter seems a bit, what?, maybe *raw.* It's probably a result of taking the ship so for granted after twenty years or whatever, but when Mulder gets funny here I just can't hear sly DD saying it. "I've gotten lucky already...."Not that way." "Alt.sex.FBI.redheads." Keeping his knowledge of French secret from "the French people'? It all sounds pretty high-school awkward. However, when M tells S that he owes her, her "I'll put it on your tab" rings true. Scully deserved better lines than she got.

Sorry to sound so critical. I really thought it was a respectable effort, and I'd never run across it before.

[wendelah1]

I was not fond of the weeping Mulder bits, either. The influence of "Oklahoma" was legion at this juncture in fandom. Thank heavens, by now we've moved past it, but that story was even mentioned in EW back in the day.

Some of the banter was a little immature sounding. Gosh, if banter isn't the hardest thing to write for them. They are so smart and so witty on the show. Not all of us measure up to Kel.

This was indeed a well-plotted casefile, up to Syntax6 standards in my book, minus the MSR that's practically mandatory now.

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

what is the influence of Oklahoma??

[wendelah1]

The influence was to fandom's idea of Mulder as victim. He's irrevocably damaged, his father beat him, he was psychotic when he was a child, when he profiles he goes nuts. When he profiles he vomits. When he profiles he doesn't eat or sleep, etc. I read part of it and gave up. It's way, way, way too long, there is far too much vomiting, and because its setting is pre-x-files, there is no Scully.

Here you go: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Oklahoma

On the series most of the time when Mulder is working, he's intense, he's focused, he's obsessed but he's completely functional.There is nothing in canon--except "Grotesque," which is only one episode, to support their fanon yet it was taken as gospel for a long, long time. It was a very popular story that influenced characterization in fic.

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

Huh. I remember him being pretty obsessed in Grotesque and not sleeping normally, but also remaining focused and rational. It doesn't seem out of line at all that his father would have beat him as a kid, that seems rather fitting with his cold, distant, dysfunctional interactions with his son, but I don't buy the "goes nuts and vomits a lot" part. Meh. I think I'll pass on Oklahoma. Thanks for explaining, I was feeling awfully confused!