Story 226: "we are the half-destroyed instruments that once held to a course" by Aphrodite_mine

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Thanks to infinitlight for nominating this one!

Written for rarewomen 2013, we are the half-destroyed instruments that once held to a course, 2450 words, is an AU in which Fox was abducted as a child and Samantha joined the FBI. It's gen-fic with some implied femslash.

Author's summary: A call from Agent Reyes brings partners Mulder and Scully down South where they chase monsters, and other things.

An extract:

“Agent Scully, I’m sure you’re familiar by now with Sam’s complete inability to keep up communication unrelated to the Great Quest.” The words are sarcastic, but Agent Reyes speaks with a note of admiration. “Hell, I thought I’d have to be abducted in order to see you again, Sam,” she adds, murmuring under her breath, then looks up, knowing -- she has to know -- that she’s broken the single, inflexible rule of Mulder’s existence.

Instead of exploding, or walking out, Mulder just laughs. “That probably would have helped,” she says, tipping back in her chair, crossing her legs at the ankles. She has to be thinking about Fox, but for the first time since they were thrown together seven years ago, Scully can’t see a trace of it in Mulder’s eyes.

As infinitlight says, this is a story about small moments. The story's premise is very well-orchestrated, using our knowledge of the characters to shape our awareness of them in different yet familiar roles. The fic lives up to the implications of the title, progressing at a slow, poetic gait and taking time and care to establish the characters.

Read "we are the half-destroyed instruments that once held to a course". If you like the story, do remember to let the author know. And don't forget to nominate your favourite fics!

Comments

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh!! Thank you!

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

Thank ~you for the fic! :-)

[infinitlight.livejournal.com]

Ha, I had to google the poem from the title--"Diving Into The Wreck" by Adrienne Rich. (I can't remember if you can post links here without being screened--anyway, it's easy enough to google.) I enjoyed reading the poem which has a similar feel to the story--dreamlike, a little unsettling.

I liked how the relationships worked in this story--there's that implication that Reyes and Samantha are more than friends, and there's a burgeoning friendliness between Scully and Reyes. I like stories that are observant of the characters--the characters, after all, are why I'm still interested in thinking about and reading about this show, all these years after I first found it.

And I always appreciate it when writers try to do something a little bit different. "we are the half-destroyed..." has an odd, pleasant rhythm of snapshots of the characters, rather than a plain linear story. I'll be interested to hear what other readers think of it.

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I really liked the 'snapshot' feel of the fic too, and the quiet, understated characterisation. Some really beautiful writing here. :-) Also, I love how spectacularly this one passes the Bechdel test!

(I'll happily unscreen any comments with links if they happen to get screened!)

[mogster495.livejournal.com]

Is there more to this? I really enjoyed it. I like AU stories more and more, especially when they involve Samantha. She is such a weak character in the series, but in AU's she has real potential.
I want to read it again before I comment more. But what I read was excellent and I wish there was more to the story. The vignette is nice but this AU requires further investigation...

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

I loved the AU premise that the fic is based on. And I agree, AU!Samantha can be wonderful! Let's hope aphrodite_mine is inspired to write more of her. :-)

[wendelah1]

I agree. This story should be expanded. It feels like a beginning to a longer fic rather than a vignette. I think the vignette form works fine within canon, where the reader can fill in the missing details. But when you get into AU territory, I think a longer form works better.

She ends the story too abruptly. I'm sorry, but that's not an ending. Nothing is resolved. The monster isn't found. The meaning of Scully's dream isn't explored, even though there is a hint that Monica would like to hear it, Scully never gets a chance to explain it, and Scully wading into a swamp doesn't do it for me. There are some good metaphors floating about but they need the weight of a finished plot arc to make them fully resonant.

I love the potential of the fic: the interaction of the three women is fascinating. Who are Sam and Monica to one another? What is Sam to Scully? Clearly not just a partner. But it's all too vague and unresolved for my taste.