Rerun: "How to Fake an Orgasm" by V. Salmone

[wendelah1]

Being in the mood for something light and fluffy, I thought it might be fun to reread "How to Fake an Orgasm" by V.Salmone aka Punk and Sab. We last visited this fic in 2008.

How to Fake an Orgasm (23755 words) by Punk, Sab
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Original Female Character
Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Original Female Character
Additional Tags: First Time, V. Salmone, Co-Written, punkensab, POV Alternating, Thanksgiving, Case Fic
Summary:

Mulder, Scully, and the other woman.

Written as V. Salmone.

I'm linking to the post at Archive of Our Own, but the story is at Gossamer under Salmone, V. if you prefer text files. It's easy to hit that kudos button, but you can leave a comment, too.

This is kind of a crazy week for me, but I'll get back to the nomination queue for next time, I promise.

Read How to Fake an Orgasm.

Comments

[rainatlas.livejournal.com]

Ah, well. That was adorable.

I'm not usually too keen on Mulder with any other girl, but this was light and funny and enjoyable, with just the right ending. Sue was likable! So much so that I felt a little annoyed and embarrassed for Scully there for a bit during her flirtatious displays of jealousy. And of course, sad for Sue knowing she never had a chance in the end. I could go on and on analyzing the relationshippy bits of this and all of Mulder's complexities but this piece left me feeling light and not really in the mood for all that.

I think my favorite line was Scully's less-than-enthused "Go team." regarding the impending hunt for the Jersey Devil offspring. The Jersey Devil gets a sequel! I love it.

Excellent writing and delightful read. Thanks for posting this.

[write-out.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I LOVE this story, one of my favorites! I will be back with more comments after another read, although I think wendelah1 pretty much says everything I feel about this one. But I want to read the story again and see if I pick up anything different this time.

[discordantwords.livejournal.com]

I love this story!

A while back, I was thinking about it and trying to remember the title, and all I kept being able to come up with was that Mulder dated a girl who liked rare steak. It was nice revisiting the story, and rediscovering all of the charming little touches: Mulder and Scully's friendship, the way her phone keeps reaching out to his, the introduction of another woman who does not turn out to be horrible or crazy or obsessive-- just pretty and nice and funny and ultimately wrong for our hero.

This was a lot lighter than most of Sab's other material. She and Punk made magic when they wrote together.

[tri-sbr.livejournal.com]

I have nothing well-thought out to say. I enjoyed reading the story again, and liked all the details (mostly mentioned already) - Scully's phone calling Mulder's, the banter, Mulder's pisces discussions with both women, the jersey devil girl. For my third time reading it, I think I was able to 1) let go of my trouble believing in the 'Mulder dating frenzy' (not that I believe in it more, but I just didn't let it get in my way as much) and 2) believe a little more in the transition Mulder makes from Sue to Scully. I think previously I had trouble with him going from 'lighting up like a Christmas tree' (paraphrasing) around Sue to being kind of annoyed with her. Mulder lighting up like a Christmas tree because of Sue was a stretch (for me) in the first place, and then how the magic faded is not entirely clear to me. I get that it's to do with Scully and her jealous-flirting but I still feel like I'm missing something there. Regardless of that, it was fun to read and probably one of the few mulder/other stories I can really say I enjoy.

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

HTFAO is one of very few examples I can currently think of that fulfills one of my favorite fic genres: Mulder-other-leading-to-msr,-readable. Most of these excursions have been, in my experience, Marysue specials with silly Marysues and silly writing. There are some exceptions ("Flying Under the Radar"?) but in those cases there is some kind of naked anti-Scully prejudice, and I'm not having that. I like Scully. I like her with Mulder.

Unlike most, I am not terribly disturbed by what might be considered OOC depictions of our heroes. (This is, of course, all about me.) There were many contradictory and teasing hints in the hundreds of scripts we now consider, and I like seeing them played out to the max. It's like shucking off a straitjacket.

Dating Mulder suits me fine. He's frustrated at being kept from his quest and vulnerable to boredom. Maybe he remembers how manly dating made him feel in the olden days before the quest. Scully's never going to make the move that would fascinate him into the bedroom. She doesn't really know that she wants Mulder--her common sense keeps her from considering him as a boyfriend, thus putting her in the Wendy camp--but some genuine competition wakes her up. And Susan is genuine. This is not a Marysue. Or if it is, I like her. I'm sure I'd adore either Punk or Sab personally. They are so perceptive and funny, emphasis on the latter, and that's the key to my heart.

Oh, I like having an "other" because a real story needs a conflict. Smut biscuits may be tasty, but have little nutritive value. As much as I like "Never," W was right in pointing out that it posited a casefile that got tossed after the sex.

Was Scully really so flirty? They both seem to think she was. Talking about signs and lovers. I enjoyed it.

Anyhow, she was drugged.

I got pretty tired of that mug of tea.

Oh: anybody notice that the "symbol" of the relationship crash is an ashtray? Who the heck deals in ashtrays anymore? And that S thinks it an appropriate gift for her boyfriend is a deal-breaker. First, M doesn't smoke. Second, we remember who does.

Frankly, I feel that "Banging Your Head Against a Red-Haired Brick Wall" is disqualified by its title.