xf_book_club | Entries tagged with season 7

Is anyone in The X-Files fandom still reading this journal? If not, it's my own fault. I can't believe I let three months go by without posting a new story. (This is why having a co-mod would be helpful. Any volunteers?)

True confession: I never thought I would be saying this but my enthusiasm for the series has flagged following the huge letdown of season ten. I finished my season seven re-watch back in February (around the time I posted "Parabiosis," in fact) and I still haven't cracked open the brand new Blu-ray case for season eight. Well, I'm done wallowing in misery. Yes, season ten was even worse than I'd anticipated, but that doesn't negate what I loved about the original series. And, it certainly doesn't cancel out the great fanfiction. If anything, we need fic more than ever. (Is anyone working on an AU for season ten? Because we need one and we need it TODAY.)

Since most of what's sitting in the nomination queue is novel length, I decided to pick something from the Ten Greatest Fanfictions post. I chose "Silver Cornet" for two reasons: (1.) We haven't discussed much of anything by Bonetree, which is a huge oversight, and (2.) I've never read "Silver Cornet."

Silver Cornet (22641 words) by Bonetree
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully

SUMMARY: Set just after "Je Souhaite," Mulder and Scully take a ride on a mysterious train that's carrying more secrets than either can imagine.

The link is to AO3 so if you like the fic, you can hit the kudos button, even if you don't come back and leave a comment here. However, I'd love to know what you think of "Silver Cornet." Heck, now that there's a little bit of distance, I'd love to hear your thoughts on season ten. Don't forget to leave your suggestions for next time.

EDIT: The versions at AO3 and Gossamer are missing chapter four. Thanks to the sharp eyes and fic-finding skills of

drodrey, we have a complete version via the Internet Archive.

Read the complete Silver Cornet via the Wayback Machine.

wendelah1

The official global rewatch of The X-Files is long over, as is the six episode miniseries that followed (and inspired it), yet here I am, still slogging through season seven. I must have blocked out how bad the seventh season is. Since "Parabiosis" is the quintessential season seven fanfic, I thought it would be fun to revisit it. It's not my favorite of her fics--that would be "Fathoms Five," by a wide margin--but "Parabiosis" makes many, many readers's best-of list. "Parabiosis" features lyrical use of language and unusually vivid writing, plus a killer of an ending. (Thanks for that, Chris Carter.)

"You want to hear my mummy theory?" he asks in the bath.

"Hit me." The wet kelp of her hair sticks to his chin as she reclines against him. Earlier, she yelped and gasped, and knocked a candle, hissing, into the water. He smells hot freesia wax, wet woman's hair, female smells in his dingy bathroom.

"Our mummy has gone to Albuquerque."

"Mulder..." she growls and sighs. His arms around her slippery body ride out the upheaval. She speaks with exasperated precision. "A cadaver stuffed with natron reanimates and locomotes its way to New Mexico. How's it going to get there, Mulder, thumb down a dromedary?"

The mirror he wedged over the faucets is fogged, but in a water streak he can partially see her face, her eyes heavy-lidded, color in her cheeks. His dark head is above hers, his arms are crossed beneath her chin. She turns her head and idly licks a drop of bath water from his shoulder.

This isn't real, he thinks.

This cannot possibly be happening.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Please leave suggestions in the nomination post.

I'm linking to Gossamer because it has the cleanest formatting. Read Parabiosis, Part 1 and 2

wendelah1

I'd been thinking about posting this so when it was nominated by an anonymous lurker, I decided to go ahead. It's a major new work by a talented writer. Dear Anon, thanks for the suggestion. I hope you will join the discussion.

Title: SN 1572
Author: prufrock's love
Email: prufrockslove@yahoo.com
Rating: NC-17
Classification: Novel, Post-colonization, Angst, Dark MSR, Other
Summary: After colonization and Earth's devastation, Scully remains in one of the few safe, walled colonies, remembering the past and praying for some future with Mulder. Whatever the hell Mulder has become.
Author's Note: A reworking of Negative Utopia

This fic follows the general outline of "Negative Utopia," which we read many years ago. If you want to see that discussion, here it is, along with a working link to the story: Story 76: "Negative Utopia" by prufrock's love. The changes to her earlier fic are more than substantial enough to warrant the re-titling. I loved "Negative Utopia," and, to be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this fic. I am happy to report "SN 1572" is also an excellent story, though not without its flaws.

Read SN 1572.

After you've read the story, please come back and let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions.

wendelah1

Though I've not read it yet, "Prison of Innocents" has been requested three times now, beginning back in 2010, so let's do this.

Rated R |Category XRA | Archived 01-10-17
Spoilers: Orison
Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance.
Summary: Mulder returns from an assignment to find a disoriented Scully pleading to a felony. Her imprisonment leads the agents on the torturous trail of ghostly robbers and forces them to confront demons that have always separated them.

Read "Prison of Innocents" at: Gossamer | Fugues Fiction Archive.

This fic is 553 K so feel free to post your impressions as you're reading along.

Send feedback to the author, then let us know what you think. The nomination post is waiting for your suggestions.

wendelah1

This is a brand new nomination. I haven't read it, but I remember reading "Undying" a long while back and liking it a lot. I just read her post-ep for "Deep Throat." I liked it. Then I read her post-ep for "Conduit." I liked it, too.

Summary: Five missing women, all Salvadoran immigrants. A mass grave on the slope of a volcano, the bodies burned beyond recognition. What's the connection? An anonymous tip sends Mulder and Scully on a dangerous search for the truth. R for violence, gore, disturbing subject matter, and sex. X-File, Mytharc, Angst, MSR. 212 K.

The nomination post is always open for your suggestions. I look forward to your thoughts on "Salvador." Don't forget to send feedback to the author.

Read Salvador. The link is to her old geocities site where more of her fic can be found. This can also be read at Gossamer and Fugues Fiction Archive.

wendelah1

I hope you all have been enjoying Fanfiction BINGO. We still need fics for several categories, including The Coffeeshop AU, Straight People Do Not Exist In This AU and "Their tongues battled for dominance." I don't know about the first two but there must be plenty of candidates for the latter.

This was nominated by

elis_xf way back in January of last year. True Confession: I haven't posted it because I haven't read it in years, and was too lazy to reread it before posting it. (I've gotten out of the habit of reading long fanfic but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.) So we'll read (or reread) and discuss it together.

I thought about breaking it into two parts for discussion purposes. Rather than do that, if people want to discuss a block of chapters, or even one key chapter, or a specific topic, if you put a header on your comment we can follow the threads. I think we can still do that here, at least I know I can.

RATING: NC-17
CLASSIFICATIONS: (SAR)
KEYWORDS: Scully/Other, MSR
SPOILERS: Through US season 7
TIMELINE: Though this takes place sometime after "all things", in this universe "Requiem" did NOT happen...

Summary: Believing Mulder dead, Scully slowly moves on to a new life (or an old one). But perhaps the adventure has not yet ended...

Read Water's Edge.

wendelah1

This is almost a guest recommendation since I rediscovered the story while I was hunting down an old recs page. "Unintended Consequences" is a realistic and insightful post-ep for the seventh season episode "Orison." It's a story I liked even better the second time around.

Title: Unintended Consequences
Author: Sarah Segretti
Summary: Just when you think you know how you'd react to a horrific event, life steps up to surprise you. Scully and Mulder deal with the aftermath of the Pfaster shooting.
Category: S, A, UST

The link is courtesy of the Wayback Machine, since the author's own site went down. The story can also be found at Gossamer and the Fugues Fiction Archive. In an old fandom, it's good to know your options.

You can also read her author interview from Chronicle X at

fialka's luscious old school website, Fialka's Candybox. The link is at the bottom, "Spotlight On." Kudos to Fialka for preserving that bit of precious fandom history.

Read Unintended Consequences.

Please let us know what you think, and remember the nominations post is always open for your suggestions.

wendelah1

Happy Halloween! For a show about things that go bump in the night, this fandom is surprisingly short of genuinely scary stories. They must be hard to write, or at least write well. This isn't exactly a ghost story, but it's plenty disturbing all the same.

Vignette, Rated PG (disturbing imagery)
Keywords: ScullyAngst, MSR
Spoilers: It's sort of post-"Requiem," but a few years post, not immediately.
Summary: "It was enough, in the end..."

Send feedback to the author, if possible. Then please let us know what you think. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions. If you have a story you'd like us to read, that's the place to tell us about it.

"Ad Vitam Aeternam" translated means "To Life Everlasting." Perhaps that's warning enough...

Read Ad Vitam Aeternam. Also at Gossamer.

wendelah1

If memory serves, I first read "In Oculus Mentis" back when it was posted in 2011 for that year's het big bang. It was a good read, so good that I feel stupid for not posting it here sooner. It's an alternate universe version of "Requiem." Fix-it fic, you could call it. Some days we need that.

In Oculus Mentis (40078 words) by adrenalin211
Chapters: 10/10
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Cigarette Smoking Man, Marita Covarrubias, The Lone Gunmen, John Doggett
Summary:

After conversations that jolted her off her axis of controlled calm, she’d put her hand on her stomach and shut her eyes. She’d allow herself to feel Mulder’s absence, because she knew that feeling would feed her persistent drive to find him, to get answers to the endless list of queries that lived, constantly awake and invasive, inside of her body.

Or if you prefer, posted in five parts at Livejournal: In Oculus Mentis. Scroll down for the prologue.

Let the author know what you think (or at least hit the kudo button at AO3). Please let us know what you think. And remember, the nomination post linked on our sidebar is always open for your suggestions.

lyryk.livejournal.com

Strangers and the Strange Dead, 7982 words, is genfic told from the PoV of an OC. The story was first recced here in 2009 but I thought I'd run it again, if only for the benefit of those who haven't read it before.

Author's summary: In which dead bodies and shivering people disturb the hilltown of Bradenton, and our young, orphaned narrator serves hot beverages to the investigating agents even as she ponders the peculiar, elusive nature of their relationship.

An extract:

The male agent smiled at the woman as he passed her the cream; she smiled back distractedly. Her attention was focused on a set of files she had spread open on the table. Her feet - in the high shoes - were bent under her seat, crossed at the ankle. Her partner's legs sprawled into her space; his feet rested inches from hers, settled there in a gentle fencing-in that she didn't know about.

I watched the man, saw the way his eyes did not leave the woman. It was the same as it had been in the library. It was as if she were a thing he was studying. I looked at his face and again at their feet in a snow-melt puddle under the table, and wondered what lines ran between them.

The story thoroughly exploits the outsider-perspective genre and gives its readers a ride they'll never forget. It's also one of the most original stories I've ever read. The atmosphere of the story is beautifully created, and really establishes the feel of a small town, reinforcing the status of the two agents as outsiders, a fine bit of world-building that fades into the background because of the stunning way the fic is orchestrated. I'll confess the end made me go right back to the beginning and start over, just to find the clues that I'd missed. If you haven't read it before, do ~not spoil yourself for the ending!

Read "Strangers and the Strange Dead".

wendelah1

This is a rerun, posted at the request of

estella_c, who loves it and wasn't a member when we discussed it back in 2008. I love it too, and think it's well-worth revisiting.

Like all great western religious stories, "Oyster" takes place in the desert, in the modern day stand-in for Sodom and Gomorrah, Los Vegas, a land of waking dreams, endless heat and unquenchable thirsts. In her author's notes, Jordan states emphatically that "THIS FIC IS REQUIEM FREE." This is rather misleading; in actuality, "Oyster" is a re-envisioning of the end of season seven, and to a limited extent, season eight. The parallels are multiple and striking. In both stories, there are deaths and multiple abductions. There is an investigation in which Skinner, Scully and, of course, Mulder are all major players. To say any more would spoil the story for new readers. While "Requiem" inspired a lot of fanfic, "Oyster" is one the best stories ever written for The X-Files fandom. I recommend it without reservation.

Read "Oyster". You can also find this story on her author's page at Gossamer. Please come back and let us know what you think.

wendelah1

There are 274 stories listed under "Millineum" at Gossamer in the episode listings. By comparison, "The Walk" has one, and "Requiem" has 1,093. I will not pretend to having read them all or even to having glanced at them. I was looking for a fic that I remember liking when I'd read it, and I found it, although under her earlier fandom name, bravenewcentury. Her writing is flowing and graceful, her dialogue sounds like it was penned by the series' best writers. It's a nicely done series of relationship progression vignettes. To me, Mulder and Scully are at their sexiest when they're brainy and

sixpences writes them as very smart indeed.

Read "Without Speaking, Confess" at LiveJournal | at AO3 | at her page at Gossamer; scroll down to read the fic.

Please leave feedback for the writer; she once told me she had a long pre-IWTB fic in the works, and wanted to try her hand at a case file. You never know who can be coaxed back into a fandom or when or why. Let us know what you thought of the story, too. And please leave your suggestions for further reading in the nomination post.

Happy new year!

wendelah1

I didn't think it had been that long since I last posted here, but I see LiveJournal has changed the posting format. Again. Well, I guess we'll see how it goes. It looks like I have to insert my own paragraph breaks now. Lovely. Or maybe I can't make them at all?

This story was suggested by estella_c. It has a holiday component; however, merry it's not. But it's jetfic so it's well-written, original, poignant, etc.

Summary: "When stars are in the quiet sky, the most I pine for thee," —Edward Buward Lytton. Or Mulder and Scully at bedtime. Overall, it's less smutty than it sounds. (Sorry)

Category: Oddness, M/S. Post-ep For a Good Portion of Season Seven in Fewer Than 13 Pages With Less Than a Point Than Usual.

Spoilers: Yes, through "All Things."

The author is still on LiveJournal so you can pm her feedback. I believe her email is current. The link is to her old site, waybacked, but this story is also available at Gossamer under Jesemie's Evil Twin.

Let us know what you think and please keep the suggestions coming.

Read "An Influence of Stars" (way-backed) | "An Influence of Stars" (Goss, scroll to story) | "An Influence of Stars" (LJ)

wendelah1

I've been wanting to rec this fic for years; however, I must warn you: this is not the usual, cheery, feel-good holiday story, nor is it the sort of story we've come to expect from Kel. There are not many fic writers who can create believable, compelling original characters the way Kel can. Her narrator, now an adult with children of her own, recalls a traumatic day she spent at the Mulders, specifically the Thanksgiving immediately following Samantha's abduction.

( Read an excerpt )

The link is to Fugues Fiction Archive but this can also be read at Gossamer.

Read "Hollow Day"

Don't forget to send feedback to the author, I know she'd appreciate it. The nomination post is always open for your suggestions. I'm especially interested in holiday stories right now.

Happy Thanksgiving Day to those who'll be celebrating next week.

wendelah1

I'm feeling a wee bit obsessed with season seven at the moment. I already know what most people's favorite season seven story is (and don't get me wrong, I like "Parabiosis," too), but this one is mine.

Summary: An explanation of Mulder's sudden belief in "miracles." Arthur C. Clarke's second law in action. A bit of Mytharc in the guise of a case file. But in the end it's all about sex. Then again, what isn't?

I can't think of anything to add at the moment. The link is to her old site, now at reocities, but if you want to read an old-skool text file, the entire fic can be read or downloaded at

onemillionnine's Author Page at Gossamer.

If anyone has suggestions, especially for season seven stories, feel free to leave them in the comments or the suggestion post. And good, bad, or indifferent, please let us know what you think.

Read "El Quinto Sol".

amyhit.livejournal.com

For Thanksgiving three years ago

wendelah1 posted JET's widely loved holiday fic, "Small Lives Awake." It happens to be the first fic I ever commented on, here at the book club, which makes me feel rather delighted to have the privilege of posting my own choice of Thanksgiving fics this year, this one also by JET.

"Relic of Tough Weather" was written and is set in November, 1999, shortly after the events of TSE:AF. Though it doesn't have the length or popularity of "Small Lives Awake," it is a distinctive blend of JET's signature style: evocative prose and compassionate characterizations.

Relic of Tough Weather

JET's still around, to some extent; I'm sure she would appreciate the feedback. And, as ever, our nomination post is open for recommendations.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating the occasion.

amyhit.livejournal.com

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.

wendelah1

Though summer is now over, we are continuing our leisurely reading through the series, "Khyber versus Season Seven." Discussion is winding down finally on the last post, but there are some new comments up, including an informative summary of the two longer stories by

amyhit (thank you!).

Next up for consideration are two post-eps: "Amnesia," written for Brand X and "Vapor Trail," for Je Souhaite. These are both short, so I think we'll get through them a lot quicker. Both are rated Teen and above, I'd say, though check his intros to be sure. Spoilers for those episodes and for "All Things."

"Amnesia"

"Vapor Trail"

If the Internet Archive is having a bad day, the entire series can be found at Gossamer.

wendelah1

For those of you who are just tuning in, we are the midst of reading Khyber versus Season Seven. This is where the AU turns really AU, with his first complete episode. It's "broadcast" in two parts; substituting in for "En Ami" is Part One: "Home from the War."

After that cliff-hanger, we'll watch a rerun of "Paper Clip" from Season Three, followed by his post-ep, "Coyote Luck." Do not skip this section; it provides crucial information to the viewer/reader.

Finally, we'll take a look at his second full episode, which is swapped in place of "Chimera," Part Two: "Where I End and You Begin."

Warnings: High end of R for violence and mature subject matter. If this was TV, it would definitely have to be HBO. If you have any concerns about triggers, please PM me.

"Home From the War"

"Coyote Luck"

"Where I End and You Begin"

Since his fandom emails are all apparently dead, I've been unable to reach him. If anyone in the audience has a real-life email address for him, maybe you could let him know we're reading his fic here. If the Internet Archive is having a bad day, all of these stories are available at Gossamer.

amyhit.livejournal.com

khyber@citizensofgravity.com
DISTRIBUTION: Ephemeral, Gossamer, please ask for anywhere else.
RATING: PG-13 for mature content
CATEGORIES: V,R
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully something.
SPOILERS: S7, lots.
SUMMARY: Post-ep for "First Person Shooter." "And Mulder's
falling down on his end of the deal by doing a lousy job of making
the bed; it's impossible to convince myself that this really
is nothing."

Disclaimer: 1013 owns and is sorely neglecting significant
creative capital borrowed in this story.

Author's Notes: Part of Khyber VS 7. Thanks to Mims and
Samiam for early reads. This story was posted a week ago at:
http://www.alanna.net/Khyber. I *strongly* recommend reading
"Collapsar" and "Weret-hekau" first.

3. How Gravity Works on Planet Spooky

And if you have any suggestions for fics you'd like us to read once we get back to our regular schedule, please head over to the recs page and toss 'em out there.

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X-Files Book Club

July 2017

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16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
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Page Summary

wendelah1 - Story 264: "Silver Cornet" by Bonetree
wendelah1 - Story 263: "Parabiosis" by Penumbra
wendelah1 - Story 258: "SN 1572" by prufrock's love
wendelah1 - Story 248: "Prison of Innocents" by jrfpatton
wendelah1 - Story 247: "Salvador" by Eleanor G
wendelah1 - Story 244: "Water's Edge" by Elizabeth Rowandale
wendelah1 - Story 235: "Unintended Consequences" by Sarah Segretti
wendelah1 - Story 233: "Ad Vitam Aeternam" by Foxsong
wendelah1 - Story 231: "In Oculus Mentis" by adrenalin211
lyryk.livejournal.com - Rerun: "Strangers and the Strange Dead" by Kipler
wendelah1 - Rerun Request: "Oyster" by Jordan
wendelah1 - Story 219: "Without Speaking, Confess" by sixpences
wendelah1 - Story 218: "An Influence of Stars" by JET
wendelah1 - Story 217: "Hollow Day" by Kel
wendelah1 - Story 204: "El Quinto Sol" by Onemillionandnine
amyhit.livejournal.com - Story 187: "Relic of Tough Weather" by Jesemie's Evil Twin
amyhit.livejournal.com - Story 181: "The Waterskiers" by Khyber
wendelah1 - Stories 177-178: "Amnesia" and "Vapor Trail" by Khyber
wendelah1 - Stories 174-176: "Home From the War," "Coyote Luck," "Where I End and You Begin," by Khyber
amyhit.livejournal.com - Story 173: "How Gravity Works on Planet Spooky" by Khyber

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X-Files Book Club

The reading group for X-Files fanfiction

Entries tagged with season 7

Story 264: "Silver Cornet" by Bonetree

Story 263: "Parabiosis" by Penumbra

Story 258: "SN 1572" by prufrock's love

Story 248: "Prison of Innocents" by jrfpatton

Story 247: "Salvador" by Eleanor G

Story 244: "Water's Edge" by Elizabeth Rowandale

Story 235: "Unintended Consequences" by Sarah Segretti

Story 233: "Ad Vitam Aeternam" by Foxsong

Story 231: "In Oculus Mentis" by adrenalin211

Rerun: "Strangers and the Strange Dead" by Kipler

Rerun Request: "Oyster" by Jordan

Story 219: "Without Speaking, Confess" by sixpences

Story 218: "An Influence of Stars" by JET

Story 217: "Hollow Day" by Kel

Story 204: "El Quinto Sol" by Onemillionandnine

Story 187: "Relic of Tough Weather" by Jesemie's Evil Twin

Story 181: "The Waterskiers" by Khyber

Stories 177-178: "Amnesia" and "Vapor Trail" by Khyber

Stories 174-176: "Home From the War," "Coyote Luck," "Where I End and You Begin," by Khyber

Story 173: "How Gravity Works on Planet Spooky" by Khyber

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