Leaving Comity

[onpaperfirst]

This is for aud_woman_in, who so generously bid on me at help_haiti. She gave me the slightly terrifying non-prompt of "write what you want!" I hope this does the trick. Thank you, thank you, aud_woman_in, for donating!

And thanks to meatfight for a quick grammar consultation and for not at all twisting my arm to include a silly inside joke.

Comments

[leucocrystal]

I always want to comment on all the specific reasons why I love your little bits of writing like this, but I get all caught up in the atmosphere of it and lose my train of thought! I just love it all, beginning to end. You know how much I adore missing scene fics, and yours are among the best out there. Subtle and economic and "just right" in a Goldilocks sort of way.

It's also been quite a long time since I've read some satisfying fic set in the earlier seasons, long or short, so this was a real treat.

[onpaperfirst]

Aw, thanks, as always. I feel the same way about early seasons fic! There's not enough that exists that was written later, once we knew what happened to them, you know? I think it really has a different flavor than things that were written while it was airing. I should really write some more. I think all I've written is this and "Bed." And it's so fun! Mid-nineties Mulder and Scully, I love you so!

[amyhit]

You know, this does a lot to smooth over some of the things that niggle at me about Syzygy. it definitely lends a kind of grounded air to the episode, which i've always felt like it lacked. not that i hate the episode, exactly, but i'm uncomfortable with the episode, and extremely comfortable with this fic, so it's a nice balance.

“You’ve got the hair for it,” Mulder replies. “And I’ve got the nose.”

She smiles at him in the dark for including her.

*wibbly hand motions* simply worded, complexly conceived, and so very endearing. you're writing has that rare ability to make the reader feel included - feel that they are a part of the dynamic in some way, just by understanding the undercurrents i guess.

additionally, why does this not have a title??! it deserves a title. a title is like the name, number, and postal code of a fic. a title makes it real, makes it a definite entity. *mock accusatory* you didn't give The Magician's Assistant a title for the longest time either, i don't think. all the stories poor words were left like

[onpaperfirst]

I cut "Syzygy" a lot of slack because there's nothing more fun than saying things like "Happy birthday, bitch." But I think it's one of those things where feeling uncomfortable while watching it is exactly how you should feel. Because I think Mulder and Scully probably feel that way--I always sort of read it as them not consciously knowing that they're behaving the way they are, but still feeling sort of itchy. And I'm a total sap, so I'm always happy to smooth over rough edges and get them back to some kind of equilibrium.

And it does have a title! I don't particularly love it, and I basically just said, "hmm, that's what my Word doc is named," but it's a title! I'm sort of anti-header. No, it's not that. It's just that when I started writing, I think I avoided headers because 1. they always seem so self-indulgent; and 2. because a header meant that I was Actually Writing Fic. And then I just kept on, because I like consistency. Maybe at some point I'll go back and fix that for all of my stories.

[amyhit]

I basically just said, "hmm, that's what my Word doc is named,"

yeah, that's what i thought - i thought it was a working title. i suppose there's nothing saying a working title can't be the final title as well, though.

1. they always seem so self-indulgent; and 2. because a header meant that I was Actually Writing Fic.

i do know what you mean. these are the reasons why i absolutely never title anything until after i've finished writing it. i'm the other way, though. i love that indulgence, once a thing is finished - to put that stamp on it, like your own personal seal. regardless, of course it's your prerogative, and i'm satisfied with knowing this fic has something i can think of it by.

[maidenjedi]

This is what is missing in our fandom! Solid, snarky, banter-y early season work. Fantastic piece - I need my season three DVDs out now. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

[onpaperfirst]

You're welcome! And thank you! I definitely agree, snarky, banter-y early season stories are far too rare.

[frey_at_last]

I just got homesick. This is perfect.

For some reason, I love the image of Mulder throwing pinecones down the road. Your hamburger-grilling is also wonderfully vivid. (You know, just the important stuff. *g*)

[onpaperfirst]

Thanks! And I know exactly what you mean. Writing it made me remember all the reasons they're so wonderful. It's nice when that happens.

[aud_woman_in]

Worth every penny! The mood, pacing, atmosphere all ring so true and make me deeply nostalgic for those early years.

I'm always so impressed by how you give small but vivid details to set a scene:

small pink balls of ground chuck sizzling, and then presses each one flat in quick succession, the edges going crooked and lacy.

I can smell those burgers cooking, just as I can see Mulder's tongue flicking out to lick the dripping au jus away.

And that goes double for emotional content:

She thinks of Detective White’s limbs spidering over Mulder’s prone body, the ugly, surprising possessiveness that clenched at her throat.

Who among us didn't feel the same way, watching that scene for the mmummbleth time?

Best of all it sounds like them. Conversations laced with blunt truths and wily deflections, saying so much more than first meets the eye.

“To not being yourself. To constantly walking into situations where you’re altered or stolen or switched. Missing time. Missing memories. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” she says

[onpaperfirst]

Hooray! Oh, I'm so happy to hear that you liked it. It seemed like a sort of strange thing when it popped into my head ("Syzygy" post-ep? What?) but there's nothing like those early seasons.

And again, thank you so much for bidding on me!