Story 263: "Parabiosis" by Penumbra

[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

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[write_out]

All right, I'm diving into this one again. It's not my favorite Penumbra story (that would be Contact High. I know, I'm in the minority there), but it's right up there. I need to wash the taste of season 10 out of my mouth.

Just clicking on Gossamer makes me super nostalgic. I tend to be a one-fandom fic reader and so I've not read XF fic in ages (when I used to read it almost every day). The header is cracking me up: S/MSR/Rated R/300K. Ah, the memories! Makes me wish AO3 was around in those days, but I'm glad Gossamer is still up.

Okay, okay, enough with that. It will probably take me a couple of days to get through this entire story, but I will be back.

[wendelah1]

I need to wash the taste of season 10 out of my mouth.

So do I. That was five of the worst episodes of The X-Files, right in one messy package (Darin Morgan's episode was okay). But the number of Chris Carter enablers in this fandom is high enough to insure season 11, assuming Fox is willing to meet Gillian Anderson's price, that is. Am I a bad X-Phile if I admit that I kinda hope they don't?

This sucker is long. Longer than I remember. It will take me a couple of days to get through it, too. Maybe I'll reread "Contact High," too. I don't remember it at all except it must be a post-ep for "Field Trip."

[write_out]

I just copied this out into Word (123 pages!) so that I can read at work when I have time (or let's be real, when I don't feel like working).

"Contact High" is a post-"Field Trip" fic. It's odd and lovely and sad. Some say it's OOC, but her Mulder and Scully always felt right to me. I just remembered that Penumbra's fics tend to end on a sad, melancholy note. GREAT. I better line up some fluff to read right after this one. I've noticed that some of the authors still in fandom have been posting their old stuff on AO3, so I should hunt some more fics down.

Am I a bad X-Phile if I admit that I kinda hope they don't?

Nooooo. Nope. No. If CC has anything to do with a season 11, I want nothing to do with it.

[wendelah1]

This fic is canon-compliant, apart from the mummy subplot which she made up, so yeah, I think melancholy sums it up. But that's The X-Files for you. It's a hard canon to write with humor, which is one reason why I love Kel so much. Kel can do it all.

We have a humor tag here, if that helps. I don't think we've read much fluff here. There isn't much to say about fluff.

[wendelah1]

It's not my favorite style or genre, either. It does have a ridiculous, gruesome casefile all its own. I love that the mummy ended up in Area 51.

Season X did nothing for me, period.

I am hoping for a multiverse of fanfic AU season tens.

[wendelah1]

I can't even say I enjoyed seeing them again. The characters were tired-looking and unhappy. Gillian Anderson never reconnected with her character. Her performance was listless. Even her voice sounded wrong. The actors have chemistry off set now but I sure didn't see it onscreen.

Where do you post your fic?

[anonymous]

Occasional lurker (deleted my LJ ages ago), and I just wanted to thank you guys for keeping this community running. Parabiosis is my all-time favorite fic so thank you as well, Penumbra for a story that I've enjoyed time and time again. The characterization is top-notch and I just adore the little moments between M/S that we suspected may have been there but never got to see

[wendelah1]

You're welcome. Thanks for delurking. When did you stop reading fic? It's hard to know what to rec based on your liking one fic . Penumbra's style is...idiosyncratic and it sounds like I'm more flexible regarding characterization.

The only thing I'd take issue with is that "we're all here for M/S interaction." I know it seems that way to some fans but the fandom is more diverse than you might think. Nevertheless, there wasn't much to like on any front. "My Struggle" was bad, "Babylon" was worse than "Fight Club"--which I didn't believe was possible--and "My Struggle II" was the worst season finale he's ever written. .

The X-Files works best as a drama when Mulder and Scully work together to solve cases. Everything should flow from that premise.

I hope leiascully finishes her fic and that many people write AU season ten fic.

[wendelah1]

It is harsh criticism but "Babylon" never should have been filmed, let alone been allowed to air. CC is clueless, too. He was proud of that effort. My husband swears there is something wrong with Carter's faculties.

This franchise is doomed.

[wendelah1]

I like the free-flowing, poetic language. It makes this less of a single coherent story and more like a series of snapshots, moments that make up their lives. It's pretty and dreamy and, by the end, very, very sad.

It is all of those things. It would have worked better for me if it had been a tad more coherent. There are sections where the poetic language works but sometimes her word choices are too arcane for my taste. It's...distracting.

I like the use of the mummy case as a bridge between all of those little moments. It was a nice technique and it works to bring everything together.

And I think exactly the opposite. The mummy case is the worst part of "Parabiosis"; in fact, it's the reason it took me four attempts to finish the fic. In a prior discussion long ago and far away, I think it was estella_c who suggested that the mummy must have been an add-on, maybe at the suggestion of her beta? The grisly denouement (of the man being disemboweled and mummified on tape) in particular is completely at odds with the tone and themes of the

[wendelah1]

It is jarring--and you're right, it should be, but I seriously doubt that Penumbra's intention is to make the reader look at Mulder and Scully, and think to themselves, "Man, these two kids are so messed up

[badforthefish]

*waves* Hi guys!

It's been ages since I've been on LJ. Parabiosis is one of those stories that I never read entirely and that never quite work for me because I find the use of language, gorgeous as it is way too distracting for the story to flow in my head. I much prefer "Fathoms Five" which I think is the best fic Penumbra ever wrote. One of the most, if not *the* most talented writer in this fandom.

I've decided to wipe this revival from my mind. It was really terrible, I hated 3 of them and found the remaining 3 mediocre at best. And I didn't care much for the "new" fandom on Tumblr (though a couple of people did have some really interesting things to say about the show). Tbh, it's a relief it's all over and with luck those Gillovny, MSR obsessed lot will move on to the new shiny thing soon. I like this fandom better when it's small and cultish, away from the spotlights.

[wendelah1]

You are not alone in your discomfort with the arcane vocabulary and elaborate descriptions of "Parabiosis." It took me four attempts to get through it. I finally finished it back in 2007, to discuss it at fictalk with my buddies there: estella_c and Conundrum, who initially followed me here, though they both have drifted away.

This was only my second full reading. I had to go back to my notes to see if I still agreed with them. I do, for the most part. I'll be posting my thoughts later tomorrow.

We know the fandom will shrink again post-revival. I'm hoping for some good fic in the meanwhile. The gillovny crowd is a little overwhelming.