I'm interested in these theories about why people are so obsessed with babyfic. I'd love to read a bunnies and rainbows, babies and picket fences story that somehow feels RIGHT, but I just don't see that ever happening, no matter how excellent the writer, just by the very nature of the characters and their situation. The closest thing I've read that comes close to that is Amal's "Machines of Freedom", which I love, but of course there's also a great deal of angst in the Caseyverse to balance out the (mostly) happy ending.
I love it, too, but I had some trouble the first time through with the babyfic aspect. After what happened with William, how could they decide to have a baby so--casually? How could Mulder ask her to go through another pregnancy? I thought that was pretty cruel. I still don't like that part--but since Casey and her back story are integral to the plot, there's no way out of that one. You take the good with the bad, and MoF is mostly very good indeed.
Is it possible that people are obsessed with babyfic because it feels like the ultimate conquest? Why are we always so attracted to the unattainable? I keep reading them even though I know I never like them.
And I keep not reading them because I know I never like them. The only exception I can think of is prufrock's love's season nine AU, "The 13th Sign," which is really angsty, just like all of her fic.
I like one of Anjou's early baby fic stories, although I don't like the later one at all. "Ghosts" has some nice moments despite its gory beginning. It doesn't feel finished because she never resolves the mytharc but I've come to realize that's a lot to ask of a writer. I like Sarah Segretti's fic, "Belmont, Ohio, 3:36 P.M." but it's pretty sad, too. "The Beginner's Guide to Tight-rope Walking" has the best ending of all of them, but of course, it's AU, too. I can't think of a happy family fic that works. You have to throw out too much of what makes The X-Files, The X-Files.
I think the other reason people want to write and read happy endings is that they feel the characters have suffered enough. I do get that, believe me, but happiness has to be earned, especially post-The Truth and IWTB. Other than in Amal's novel, the happy family endings feel--arbitrary.
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I love it, too, but I had some trouble the first time through with the babyfic aspect. After what happened with William, how could they decide to have a baby so--casually? How could Mulder ask her to go through another pregnancy? I thought that was pretty cruel. I still don't like that part--but since Casey and her back story are integral to the plot, there's no way out of that one. You take the good with the bad, and MoF is mostly very good indeed.
Is it possible that people are obsessed with babyfic because it feels like the ultimate conquest? Why are we always so attracted to the unattainable? I keep reading them even though I know I never like them.
And I keep not reading them because I know I never like them. The only exception I can think of is prufrock's love's season nine AU, "The 13th Sign," which is really angsty, just like all of her fic.
I like one of Anjou's early baby fic stories, although I don't like the later one at all. "Ghosts" has some nice moments despite its gory beginning. It doesn't feel finished because she never resolves the mytharc but I've come to realize that's a lot to ask of a writer. I like Sarah Segretti's fic, "Belmont, Ohio, 3:36 P.M." but it's pretty sad, too. "The Beginner's Guide to Tight-rope Walking" has the best ending of all of them, but of course, it's AU, too. I can't think of a happy family fic that works. You have to throw out too much of what makes The X-Files, The X-Files.
I think the other reason people want to write and read happy endings is that they feel the characters have suffered enough. I do get that, believe me, but happiness has to be earned, especially post-The Truth and IWTB. Other than in Amal's novel, the happy family endings feel--arbitrary.