X-Files Book Club

What a nice response we got to "Oak Leaves in October." It's good to remember that there is more to this fandom than just the canon ship.

"Every Sparrow Falling" is a case file that is also an x-file. This is Mulder and Scully doing what they do best, investigating the paranormal. It's been some time since I last read this, but I remember being scared out of my wits. There is no summary from the author so here's the one from Raiders of the Lost Fanfic, Maybe Amanda's old rec site: "Casefile, paranormal, religion, madness. And hot dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jack."

( Read an excerpt )

Read "Every Sparrow Falling", then come tell us what you think.

The link is to IOHO's archive, but if their bandwidth runs out, you can also read it on her old site via the Wayback Machine or at Gossamer.

This is one of my favorite Tesla stories. Yeah, like Kel, she should probably have her own tag here. tesla321 claims it doesn't have a plot but I beg to differ. Why, heck. It even has an X-File. No spoilers, set during an unspecified early season. Rated "R." It's funny. It's short. It's sexy. It's even, dare I say it, rather romantic.

"Sense Memory"

Leave feedback here or send it to her email address.

EXTRA BONUS FIC: In 2010, Tesla wrote a short season one Profiler! Mulder story for me for my Help Haiti donation. Unless you are on her flist, I am positive you haven't read it because she posted it in bits and pieces in her journal, where you can read it if you want to hunt it down. I recently archived it at Fugues. Gen, with hints of UST.

"Dirty Girls".

Leave feedback here or send to her email address.

Extra bonus: "Sense Memory" icons by amyhit here.

After you leave feedback, please let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

The party's over. Yes, this week we are taking a break from our first-time Mulder/Scully madness, changing course to read a PG-13 casefile. "Wing and Prayer" was nominated by hyperladder, seconded by lightlack and thirded by amyhit, who is right, by the way, this isn't exactly genfic. This is seventh season MSR, with revely portraying their relationship in a way that feels very close to canon even to me.

The nomination post is always open for business. Send feedback, then come back for discussion.

Read "Wing and Prayer".

There is still plenty left to say about "To Carthage Then I Came", and "Ceremony", too, for that matter.

First, I have a confession to make. I love stories with amnesia as a plot element. You could even call it a kink, I love them that much. No, I have no idea why this issue carries such a charge for me. Looking over the list of stories we've discussed here, there have been a disproportionate number with amnesia at the center of the storyline.

That's one of the reasons I dithered for so long about whether or not to post this here. For another thing, it is the second part of an unfinished WIP, which I suspect will never be completed, although never say never with XF fanfiction writers. But I think the second section, "Dreamcatcher," can be read as a standalone, especially if you start with the epilogue to "Tabula Rasa." After that, if you liked "Dreamcatcher," you might end up reading the entirety of "Tabula Rasa." I did. I read the sequel "Footsteps of Angels," too, until she stopped updating it in 2007. Yeah, it's totally a kink.

"Dreamcatcher" is also a variation of the Profiler!Mulder genre, except this Mulder isn't exactly our Mulder. Scully is definitely our Scully; of course, you'll have to make your own mind about that. The timeframe is "the present, but without the baggage of any episodes past Je Souhaite. They're still with the Bureau, Mulder does not have a fatal brain disease and Scully has no interest in artificial insemination. I live in denial. *g*" Me, too. So, 2003. AU.


Anyway, I will be the first to admit that these are not perfect stories, plus there is that unsolved mystery lurking in the background. I love unsolved mysteries, though. Maybe you do, too. Good, bad, or indifferent, I'd love to know what you think of "Dreamcatcher." The links are to the 2004 Spooky site, and to her website, since for some reason, this story never made it to Gossamer. Suggestions for next time can be made at the nomination post.

Epilogue to "Tabula Rasa," which she suggests be read before tackling "Dreamcatcher."

"Dreamcatcher" at Spookys 2004.

"Dreamcatcher" in textfile format at dtg's site. There is a prettier html version but the links go wonky after chapter 11, and though you can get to the rest, it's a hassle.

Have fun.

Yep, this is the one with the talking parrot, a pretty good casefile, and Scully having "Mulder Awareness Days." The author refers to the latter as Uber-UST in her summary. I think the term "parrotfic," not to be confused with parrotfic, might have originated here. "I mean why read babyfic when you can read parrotfic, right?" Truer words were never spoken, er, written, Autumn. There is a talking parrot in a Syntax6 story that I bet is a little shout-out to "Gutless." At least, I think it is a parrot.

If you don't find this to your taste, try "Bonemeal," which is a very different kind of story. You can find it on her author's page at Gossamer, along with "Gutless" broken into smaller bites. "Bonemeal" deserves its own discussion, but it's so short, I doubt we'll ever do it formally. If anyone knows if this writer changed fandoms, has a different email address, and is perchance still around somewhere, please let us know. Thanks to an anonymouse, you can go leave Magdeleine comments on her story at Archive of Our Own. You can read her fic for The Office there, too.

This story was suggested by amyhit as being one that would generate discussion. I guess it's time to read it and find out.

"Gutless"

Upcoming attractions: "Fathoms Five" by Penumbra, "Melancholia" by Jeylan, and "This House is Burning" by Tesla. If you don't like those, you can always go post your own suggestions at the nominations post.

Happy New Year! We are officially back to the Nominations queue. This story was suggested by amyhit, who described it "having a very distinctive style that would make for interesting discussion." That sounds good to me. Ooh, and it's a case file.

Title: Timeless
Author: Penelopody
Keywords: MSR, casefile, angst
Author's Summary: It's raining on a beach in Cape Cod, where Scully stumbles upon a woman who's involved in a case file that has deeply affected Scully's relationship with Mulder. I'd describe the story as a philosophical romantic mystery. But maybe it's not.

Timeless.

Let the author know what you think, then please come back and tell us, too. You may leave suggestions for next time at the nomination post.

I would like to express my gratitude to the members of this community who carried on and discussed "Iolokus" so brilliantly in my absence. You guys are the best. What? You didn't even notice I was gone? Even better.

Because I am in need of comfort fic, I am by-passing the queue for the moment, in order to post a story I reread any time I am feeling low. I think everyone who loves to read has stories or books or fan fiction that they turn to in times of crisis, for escape or to just to make them smile. This one does all of that, and more. Any story that can make me laugh and cry and creates genuine suspense about the case file and the romance is a classic, in my view. I remember how disappointed I was when emily_shore recced this fic at crack_van. "No," I wailed. "That's my favorite story! I want to get to rec it." So now I have.

Summary: When an investigation in the middle of nowhere opens old wounds, 2000 miles away becomes too close to home. Can Mulder and Scully unravel the puzzle before they fall apart?

Here is a link at Fugues Fiction Archive, divided into two sections: Bone of Contention

Or, if you want it all in one big gulp, here it is on Michelle Kiefer's old site, way-backed. Bone of Contention.

As always, let the authors know what you think, us know what you think and give us your suggestions for next time.

It has been suggested that perhaps we need a break from angst, so the planned Tesla three-parter has been postponed that we may clear our heads. We can tackle it next week. This week I bring you Pasta!fic. The author says it's babyfic written to sounds of the Breeders' "Last Splash." I have no idea what that means but if estella_c thinks it's worth reading, that's good enough for me.

"Al Dente"

That link is "reocitied" now; if it goes down, let me know. Or you can find it at Gossamer.


Read, give feedback to the author, encourage her to move her site, give us suggestions for next time. Did I leave anything out? Oh, that's right. Was it good for you, too?

If you just have to have something else to read, try "Kinesthesia". It, of course, is not on her author's page, it's misfiled under Amy, her real name (or is that another fandom name?). Whatever. Gossamer works well until it just doesn't. It's a casefile, NC-17. Yes, of course, I'd like to know how you liked that one, too. Enjoy!

Ever wonder what happened between the silence of Never Again and the flowers from Memento Mori? Ever wonder if Scully's night with Ed Jerse affected her relationship with Mulder in any way? Ever wonder what pushed Scully to go to the hospital and find out about her cancer in the first place? Ever wonder how her illness might have affected her work or if she ever thought about Leonard Betts' words?

Well, we did...

So did I. I love it when fanfic writers try to fill in some of the blanks the writers of our beloved yet flawed series left behind. Nominated by idella, this fast-moving case file addresses those very questions.

"The Common fate of All Things Rare"

If you haven't already, please send the authors your feedback, then come back to discuss the story. You can leave suggestions for next time in the nomination post.