Story 18: "Oil" by Eodrakken Quicksilver

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

For those of you who are tired of all the shippiness, here is some gen courtesy of bardsmaid. "Oil" offers a fantastically original look at one corner of the X-Files universe.

Title: Oil
Author: Eodrakken Quicksilver
Feedback: eo@morosophy.com
Website: http://www.morosophy.com/sun/
Spoilers: "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha"
Rating: G.
Summary: A possession. A nightmare. A love story. A different point of view. Post-"Apocrypha".

Comments

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I'm running out the door, but I highly recommend this amazing story. I came across it randomly years ago and was just stunned.

[bardsmaid.livejournal.com]

I admit it: this is one of the most awesome pieces of fic I've ever come across because it's so unique. It pulls you out of your complacent viewpoint of the XF universe and makes you see it from a completely different perspective. The creativity of this story makes me smile every time I read it, and I love all the various observations, and the gentle cleverness of it. Loved Krycek jumping into the lake, and the very astute observation that CSM focused immediately on the Oil rather than Krycek; this was a detail that had stood out to me within the episode.

This story made me think and experience something totally new and unexpected, and I value that in a fic.

[wendelah1]

Like the two previous stories, this is so good that it makes me want to re-watch the episodes it references: "Piper Maru" and "Aprocrypha."

[idella]

Thank you for suggesting this fic! I probably wouldn't have stumbled across it on my own, and even if I had, I would not have had a good reason to reread it. The first time through I was impatient and a bit confused, but the second time was love.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

The first time through I was impatient and a bit confused, but the second time was love.

Sounds familiar to me!

[wendelah1]

As many people before me have already said, this was a very unique and original story. I don't think there is another one like it in the fandom. I liked how the writer gave us the story from the point of view of the group(?) Oil consciousness, which was even creepier than the individual Oil entity. It seemed very objective, even cold, compared to the individual entity, as though in becoming a hive mind, it lost the ability to have feelings. The most interesting part of the story for me was the way the Oil entity thought about water, as though it had a consciousness of its own.

Truly, this is the water's world, you thought. It walks the whole of the Earth, perfectly mated to every form, every being. And the Earth crumbles beneath its touch: a slow, ages-long swoon.

You took the host and jumped with him into the lake.

And the lake jumped into you, filling eyes and nose and ears and pores. Its touch was endless -- no part of you was secret. It held each individual hair on your head.

The lake told you of its existence. A gentle push spoke of geese taking flight from the surface. A ripple spoke of fish, and slower waves of smoothly kicking frogs. The lake warms your foot, speaking of a beaver diving low -- a hot visitor from the land. Whatever intrudes, the water always swallows. Infinitely welcoming, yet so forgetful. The water has no memory after the ripple dies.

You came out, and the water collapsed back on itself -- you didn't leave a hole. Some of it came with you, clinging. Already, it was making its escape into the air. The cold you felt was its goodbye.

This story made me think about water and how important it is, how dependent we are on it for life. How we take it for granted, just being able to turn it on and off. How it isn't like that for everyone in our world.

We also got interesting little glances at three characters: Mulder, the Smoking Man, and of course, Krycek. The Oil refers to the Smoking Man as "the old man." I assume this is because this is how Krycek sees him. Oil is impressed that he wasn't fooled even for a minute. The Oil refers to Mulder by his last name, so that must be how Krycek thinks of him, too. From the point of view of Oil, Mulder doesn't like Krycek much, and speaks to him rather sharply, even rudely, although this judgment may be from my human mind or maybe from Krycek's. Mulder was pretty easily fooled by the Oil entity. Krycek is never referred to by Oil as anything but "the host," but that shouldn't be seen as a sign of disrespect. Krycek "never stopped pushing" according to Oil, who was never able to "seep all the way in." That phrase made me feel a little sick, and even rather sorry for Krycek.

At the end we learn that the Oil entity felt envious of water, perhaps for how it is in everything and is everywhere, so effortlessly. From the point of view of Oil, we are relatively unimportant here. I like the last line: "Whether or not there is anyone to know it, the water will be there, and it will flow its circles until the end of the Earth." Very memorable. Very creepy indeed.

[idella]

The Oil entity did make its way all the way into Krycek in the end, though.

Eventually, he got too tired to fight hard, but before then, you couldn't quite seep all the way in.

Meep. And it's even more chilling when later on, in the car, it looks like Krycek is willing sacrifice himself in an attempt to take the oil down with him. Which says a lot about Krycek right there: how much he hated being controlled, how far he was willing to go to end it (or for revenge, or both).

The most interesting part of the story for me was the way the Oil entity thought about water, as though it had a consciousness of its own.

At the end we learn that the Oil entity felt envious of water, perhaps for how it is in everything and is everywhere, so effortlessly.

It's like the Oil entity, after having been by itself for so long, is feeling out the idea of belonging to a group consciousness again as it contemplates water.

Does the oil entity simply envy water for water’s freedom, the freedom a citizen has in his or her own world? Water doesn’t have to go to great lengths to succeed, water is where it is supposed to be, and just by existing, without thought, it does the work it was made for. (And it gets to do it in three different states, to boot.)

Does it also envy that the water is a collective, much like the oily mirror image it is drawn back to and ultimately decides to be part of, despite its doubts?

I like a fic that stands up to multiple readings, and there’s a lot here to keep me interested.

[memento1.livejournal.com]

That was totally unexpected and really wonderful. I ADORE the focus on water, especially these lines:

"Truly, this is the water's world, you thought....And the Earth crumbles beneath its touch: a slow, ages-long swoon."

!! This actually made me think of the movie "Signs". I never understood why aliens who were allergic to water would want a world covered in it ;) Anyways, the oil/water tension was a fantastic metaphor brought to life.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

And the Earth crumbles beneath its touch: a slow, ages-long swoon.

Now, THAT's romance. ;)

[idella]

I really enjoyed this fic! The writing is lovely. And no, I don't think my favourite lines can be quoted too many times:

Truly, this is the water's world, you thought. It walks the whole of the Earth, perfectly mated to every form, every being. And the Earth crumbles beneath its touch: a slow, ages-long swoon.

My favourite lines that aren't about the water are this bit, which I love for the image and for the glimpse at the oil's past,

You didn't mind riding in the airplane. The rapid ascent, the changes of pressure, and the false sense of stillness and suspension -- they reminded you of how it feels to travel between the stars.

and this one, which is nice in and of itself and gives us a bonus Krycek story.

On the far side of the water there were animals drinking, sitting on the surface. Their long necks curved sadly, and their calls echoed, short and rough. You looked for their name in the host's memory, even though you didn't need to know it. The host had seen them in the snow, and he'd seen them in the sky, flying in formation. When he was a child, he'd tried to feed one, and it bit his hand. The memory of the serrated ridge in its mouth -- the memory of the pain -- spilled out unbidden. Canada geese, the animals are called.

(I thought it was interesting how relatively hard it was for the Oil entity to get one animal name of of its host and yet the water gives up any number of such names after the entity uses Krycek to dive into it.)

(Krycek jumping into the water is my single favourite part, plot-wise. The Cigarette Smoking Man's reaction has to be second.)

I like how this fic has intelligence and originality working for it. I like how there's not many (any?) wasted words, yet it still manages to contain so much in such a small space.

And, okay, there probably aren't a lot of fics about the consciousness of the oil (though now I'm convinced there totally should be), but even if there were, I think this one would still be insinuating its way into my personal canon.

[emily-shore.livejournal.com]

You know what is the most striking thing about this story for me? I cared more about the water as a character than I did about any of the familiar X-Files faces. And that's quite an achievement.

[idella]

You are right! I hadn't thought of it that way, but it's true.

[bmerb.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just wow, that was SO awesome!! It's late and I'm wiped but yeah. Ned to rewat house these episodes now!