X-Files Book Club

Our next fic, "How a Resurrection Really Feels" by idella, was written for the 2008 xf_santa gift exchange, and recced by newo_fic.

Idella did not write prolifically for the XF fandom, but the fics she wrote are written with an intriguing intensity that makes them a heady and memorable reading experience - especially "How a Resurrection Really Feels," which vividly and unflinchingly addresses the issue of Scully’s immortality. The warning containted in the headers is spoilery, but it’s a dark fic and it packs a real punch, so be sure not to skip the warning if you’re the sort to find such things as one warns for devastating.


Read "How a Resurrection Really Feels".

Also available on AO3.


On another note, I suppose it’s time for me to officially acknowledge my absence from the book club over the past several weeks: my participation has dwindled and I must announce that I’m no longer operating as a co-moderator for this wonderful and enduring community. However, I will not be disappearing irretrievably into the ether. In fact, wendelah1 - who has diligently and proficiently moderated the community for several years, and continues to do so - has kindly agreed to allow me to continue posting recs, simply on a less regular basis. It’s been an honor, and a lot of fun, to co-mod for this community. I only wish that I’d gotten involved sooner and stayed longer.

To the many fanfic writers and fanfic commenters who have contributed to xf_book_club, and to the innumerable fanfic writers and fanfic commenters in our truly epic fandom: You guys are the best.


Signing off,

Amyhit

The next fic was nominated by lightlack and enthusiastically seconded by myself. It’s written by threeguesses, who is one of my favorite writers to come out of the pre/post IWTB era. Her writing in this fandom was not prolific, but her stories have always stood out (at least for me) for their powerful concepts, enthralling emotional currents, and the deceptive simplicity of threeguesses’ writing. Undoubtedly you know how "five things" fics work, in which case you also know the title of this week’s fic tells you just about everything that can be revealed about it without spoiling the sense of discovery that comes with each new segment.


five things that never happened to dana scully

The author is still around and writing up a storm (though sadly not in this fandom), and I’m sure she would appreciate feedback. There’s lots to say about this fic, so please do let us know what you think. And, as always, the nomination post is open for new suggestions.

It's a good thing we just got finished with an apocafic, because this year we're going to have two fics for Christmas and they're both sweet and generally happy little stories. Everyone is welcome to comment on both, or only one, in either order, at any time.

The first one is an AU season 9-ish fic in which Mulder and Scully spend Christmas together with their infant son. It's also probably the most homey, domestic fic I'm ever going to rec. *g* But don't let my Scrooge impression scare you off. It's nice, and there's an interesting little twist to Mulder and Scully's world, amidst all the domestic bliss.

Epiphany by Maybe Amanda

In the second fic, Mulder and Scully spend Christmas Eve stranded while on the road. It's set in any one of the early/mid seasons, and it's nothing complicated, just a sweetly romantic little vignette.

How to Fly by Oracle

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and seasonal well wishes to all who don't.

In The X-Files fandom there are debatably no two authors more closely associated in the minds of fanfic readers than RivkaT, the author of our last fic, and MustangSally, who are indelibly linked by their co-authorship of "Iolokus". Which is why this week we're going to be reading "All the Children Are Insane," perhaps MustangSally's most widely read solo fic.

It's a vignette set in the summer after S5, with sex, angst, and the burnt-office base notes of existential crisis. The posting date stamp on "All The Children Are Insane" is June 18th 1998, just one day before Fight the Future hit theaters. To me the writing has always hummed with the captured tension of that summer, the fever pitch of fannish excitement and anxiety.

All the Children Are Insane

mustangsally78 is still around; sending feedback never hurts. And as always, our recommendations thread is over here.

Well everyone (I'm not sure how numerous you are at the moment, but I'm going to be bold and say 'everyone'), we've reached the end of the road - the point where the narrative pavement turns to gravel turns to a beaten dirt path trailing off narrowly into the uncharted wilds of the great and sometimes terrible WIP territory.

By waybacking Khyber's website we get what seem to be conflicting accounts of what the future of KvsS7 was to be. In early 2008 there were five fics meant to follow "The Waterskiers," three of which were to be "full episodes" and two were to be vignettes (as seen here). This outline complies with Khyber's notes for "Amnesia" which he judged to be the "late beginning/early middle" of the story. Yet by late 2009 the titles of four of these five fics had vanished, and only the one titled "Parabola" remained. It was initially indicated to be planned as a vignette, but later seemed intended to have been a full episode.

In summary, the fate of the KvsS7 universe remains largely a mystery, and anyone participating in the comments thread should feel free to speculate on the future of the story, as well as share their thoughts about the fic itself.


TITLE: The Waterskiers (Mod note: You may have to c/p the URL, or find the fic on Gossamer.)
AUTHOR: Khyber
E-MAIL: khyber@khyberfic.net
DISTRIBUTION: Ephemeral, Gossamer, please ask for anywhere else.
RATING: R for mature content.
CATEGORIES: XR KEYWORDS: Withheld.
SPOILERS: Pbbblffft.
SUMMARY: Missing scenes... okay, a LOT of missing scenes... from "Hollywood AD."

Author's Notes: This story is part of "Khyber Versus Season Seven" and takes place during "Hollywood AD," specifically, following the end of the famous bathtub scene. The rest of the episode takes place a week or more after the end of this story.
Remember that the premiere of "The Lazarus Bowl," according to the episode, is "eighteen months later," sometime in late 2001.


Sadly the summer is over. That does, however, mean a return to something resembling a normal posting schedule at some point in the near future. Remember the old days (July) when a new week meant changing up the plot, style, and characterizations with an all new fic? Well those days are returning along with coats and scarves, so if you have any suggestions for fics you'd like to read this fall the recommendations page is always open.