X-Files Book Club

I ran into this story while perusing the YA author Malinda Lo's website. There's a small section of non-fiction which she wrote in grad school, and a website devoted to Dana Scully, which includes a small archive of Scully-centric fanfic. Yes, Malinda Lo is an X-Phile. I decided to reread some of the stories. This lovely story was in the section called "Disease/Dis-Ease." It's set during season two, after Scully has returned to work following her abduction.

Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1,900
Author's Note: Takes place in November 1994 between "Firewalker" and "Irresistible." For the purposes of fiction I'm eliminating the month-long quarantine Mulder mentions at the end of "Firewalker."

Read "Loss of Yesterday": at Dreamwidth | as a txt file

You can leave feedback for the writer at DW. Please let us know what you think.

The nomination post is open for business, waiting for your suggestions.

First, thank you to amyhit for posting a story and moderating discussion in my absence. She noticed that nothing had been posted for...quite some time, pm'd me and came to my rescue. If there is anyone else out there who wishes to post their own recs, rather than have me do it, please let me know. I am the moderator, but this is our community. As always, the nomination post is awaiting your suggestions.

No discussion of fanfiction set during the early seasons is complete without "Universal Invariants." Yes, you've all heard of the story and most of you have probably read it, too. If you are like me, you've read it more than once, especially Chapter 12. *cough*. In "Universal Invariants," syntax6 takes the canon from season one and early season two, adds an au twist, throws in a tasty casefile, mixes in plenty of UST, Mulder/Scully banter and some angsty relationship stuff, and presents us with a fanfiction classic.

In this story, the twist is this: what if Ethan's scene hadn't been cut out of the pilot and Scully had been allowed to have a life of her own, apart from Mulder and the X-files? How would the storyline have been changed? How would it have stayed the same? This story is long and engrossing, so give yourself plenty of time. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to send the writer feedback!


Read "Universal Invariants".

Although participation has been down the past few weeks, we keep adding members. And watchers, and lurkers, too.

Welcome!

"Dance" is a unique story. It is not exactly a casefile, although there is a case, of a sort. It's not exactly a romance, either, but it is about Mulder and Scully, and about their partnership, their friendship. Their unspoken mutual attraction. The setting, bohemian South Street in Philadelphia, plays a big role. The denizens of South Street, the alternative street scene, the gay bars, the clubs, all play their parts to perfection. This story is a vivid snapshot of a particular time and place.

It's near the beginning of season two. The X-Files are shut down. Scully is back doing autopsies and teaching, Mulder is stuck in his cubicle, listening to reel after reel of audio surveillance tape. Out of the blue, Mulder gets a call from an old friend, who wants him to come to South Street to investigate a murder, off the books.

Rattling the car keys again he looked away, then looked back. “Hey, do you want to come? Sleep on the floor? See a few bars? Live the bohemian life?”

“You’re going to Philly to check out the bars?”

“No, a demon. Wooooooo. Spooky, huh? Want to come?”

Of course, at 5:00 on Friday, he takes off to chase his demon. When Scully's weekend plans fall through, she decides a trip to Philadelphia doesn't sound half bad, even if she does have to sleep on the floor. Scully still thinks of herself as Dana. She still thinks she can have a life.

The writing is terrific: concise, even spare yet evocative. I liked this story enough that I spent the better part of a day reformatting it so I could post it to Fugues Fiction Archive. If you love to read text files, of course, you can read it at Dith's Page at Gossamer.

Why have we not heard of "Dance"? I'm just guessing, but perhaps genfic, with subtle ust, was much more common, and dare I say it, more appreciated back in 1995. Yes, you read that right. This story was posted to Gossamer in March, 1995.

Just for a little extra treat, here's an itty-bitty post-IWTB vignette by Voleuse, "The Ignorance of Loving". It's short but sweet, so leave some feedback.

Dith, if by some chance you're reading, thanks for the memories. Early second season Mulder and Scully. Yum.

Read "Dance", then let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open.

I was going to post a long, long casefile this week, because it's next in line. Then I changed my mind. It's nearly Halloween, as estella_c reminded me, so here instead is her rec for this charming tale by Oracle.

Classification: SRA
Rated: PG-13
Key Words: Mulder/Scully romance, sallie safe. Spoilers: Duane Barry, Ascension, One Breath Disclaimer: So sue me.
Archive: Gossamer, please. Email me before archiving elsewhere. I don't see why I'd refuse.
Summary: "We'll be partying all night long, anyway," says Mulder, planning to take her home as soon as she yawns. "Right?" "You got it."

October Skies

Let the author know what you think, let us know what you think, and please, nominate your suggestions for next time.

Happy Halloween!