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

[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.