Story 256: "The Tourists" by DiscordantWords

[wendelah1]

We're continuing with the theme of stories that are gap-fillers.

After discussing "Atlas," I knew I wanted to post another story about Mulder and Scully which dealt with the disruption in their lives after leaving the FBI. Since the six episode revival was announced, I thought it would be fun to read a story set in the time frame immediately following IWTB, leading up to the present day. "The Tourists" is set post-series, post-IWTB, and post-2012, the year in which alien colonization was supposed to begin--except--it didn't.

Rating: Teen and up, no warnings apply
Summary: Struggling to find purpose in a world where they are no longer relevant, two former FBI agents take an aimless trip through their own past.
Author's Notes: Written in a big, sappy rush of nostalgia and affection for the show. So much nostalgia.

Wendy's Notes: But it's nostalgic in a good way, I promise you.

Read "The Tourists" - at AO3 | at Discordant Words

I'd love to know what you think of the story. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

Comments

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Oh, but this was so absolutely PERFECT! I wouldn't mind if the upcoming eps started off this way!

[wendelah1]

I thought exactly the same thing when I reread it after the announcement of the six new episodes.

[(Anonymous)]

I love this story so much - they're so perfectly in character. The line about the shape shifters is so Mulder. There's so many flashes of their history - pizza and vampires, the basement, the fish tank - it's hard not to feel emotional about their history and how far they've come.

I love this line; 'there were stretches of time when it was almost unbearable'. Such an apt summary of their relationship, for the viewer too! Thank you for posting this.

[wendelah1]

Yeah, they are perfectly in character. It is a very emotionally satisfying fic that makes sense of what they've been through, and brings them to the brink of returning to the FBI. I didn't believe it could be done so convincingly.

She doesn't romanticize their relationship--she keeps it true to what really happened to them and between them--while still making it clear how much love they share. It's a damned fine fic.

You're welcome.

[smithkingsley.livejournal.com]

I just started on this one and it looks pretty good. Thank you for the rec.

[wendelah1]

You're welcome. I hope you'll share your thoughts, positive or negative, with the group after you're done.

[discordantwords.livejournal.com]

I am delighted to see this posted here.

For my part, I've never been entirely 100% sure about this one. This is my love letter to the X Files, and I'm ultimately pleased with how it turned out, but I did worry that I was romanticizing things a bit too much. I have SO MUCH nostalgia and love for this show, and a lot of that seeped into Mulder and Scully's interaction as I was writing this. It's nice to see from an outside perspective that it still read true to character.

Thanks for posting this, and for the comments.

[wendelah1]

You're welcome. I don't think it's romanticized, and you know I'm not an MSR person at all. It reads very true to how I imagine they would be today.

I have not read a post-IWTB fic I like as much as "The Tourists."

[firefish.livejournal.com]

Is this yours? I think it's wonderful. You really captured them and perfectly described a journey.

[discordantwords.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[madmakny.livejournal.com]

This story is so fucking good, I wish I'd written it. And now I wish I hadn't read it because I don't think I'll ever write anything post-IWTB as good as this. Dammit.

Amazing story. I recommended it on Twitter. I hope some people ended up reading it.

Sidenote: I apologize in advance if cursing is not allowed here.

[wendelah1]

We have no rules about cursing. You're fine.

And now I wish I hadn't read it because I don't think I'll ever write anything post-IWTB as good as this. Dammit.

And you may not. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. There are some genres that have been pretty well-mined out--it's hard to imagine the fandom needs another post-All Things fic, for example. But there aren't that many post-IWTB fics, and even fewer of them are decent, let alone good. Have at it, I say.

Here's my dirty little secret. The more I write, the less fanfic I read. I don't have the time and I don't want it in my brain. I back-button nearly everything now. But I still read the good fic and I read and reread the great stuff--so I can study it and learn from it.

[madmakny.livejournal.com]

Here's my dirty little secret. The more I write, the less fanfic I read. I don't have the time and I don't want it in my brain. I back-button nearly everything now.

YES. "The Tourists" was the first fic I've read in months. I tried getting back into X-Files fan fiction last summer, which was a rather serious addiction of mine in my late teens/early 20's, but everything I read was unsatisfying. I usually didn't even get past the first few paragraphs.

And now that I'm writing my own fic for the first time, I don't want to be influenced by how other authors see Mulder and Scully, or for their choices as writers to influence how I see the characters in my head. I had envisioned somewhat similar scenes for when my fic reaches the post-IWTB chapters, particularly the McDonald's scene, and reading something as excellent as "The Tourists" is very discouraging! Haha. It'll be quite awhile before I reach the IWTB section, so maybe I can get this fic out of my head by then.

[firefish.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. A perfect stop gap. Though Scully's pain, the pain I know that's there, that hurts to read. But this is very good.

I'd really love to read so.ething that deals with recent news... can you let me know if you could across anything? I may try and write one myself also!

[wendelah1]

I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, I have two recs for you.

Visitor (2960 words) by leiascully
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully
Additional Tags: Angst, Spoilers, Speculation
Summary:

At least he's guaranteed to see her once a year.

Watergate (1553 words) by Scarlet
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully
Additional Tags: X-Files revival, MSR
Summary:

21 years later, Mulder and Scully meet again in the Watergate Hotel parking lot.

Happy reading. I'm going to be posting a new story for discussion soon.

[firefish.livejournal.com]

Both wonderful. Thank you for sharing. The potential storyline is starting to make more sense to me now.

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