Story 76: "Negative Utopia" by prufrock's love

[wendelah1]

Since the last story just wasn't enough of a downer for me, I decided to bring bring out the big guns. For real angst, nothing beats a post-colonization story by prufrock's love. This is almost certainly her darkest post-col. "Negative Utopia" is a novel, it's MSR, everybody/other, and NC-17, so underage readers turn back now. This story is not for

Comments

[petite0red0head]

So I just read Arizona Highways for the first time and was in a funk because I thought I have read the best fic ever and that anything else would pale in comparison. (And yes that is the best fic ever but Negative Utopia does not pale in comparison.) First it is a delight to read because it is well written. That is a huge consideration in fan fiction. I don't really know why I liked this story I almost gave it a miss because I don't like post colonization and I don't like M/O, S/O stories. But I am so glad I read it.

Now this might seem odd but I will start with the things that I did not like as much. In the end Mulder is a little waffly and I can understand that it is in character but it was a little too much for me. I kind of wanted to say make up your mind and stop thinking about it. For the most part I find the characters very well represented especially Scully. And I can buy that Mulder wanted to marry Scully and that she is the only woman he wanted to marry I can't quite believe that he wanted to adopt lots of children with her. That just doesn't seem like Mulder to me. There was so much more to explore IMO with the Mulder/rape mention. I felt like it was stated and not followed up on too much and that is a pretty big side line to give us and then not deal with very much. I also did not like the Gibson part. I always liked him in the show and this story changed him into a dark perverse character that creeped me out. But again that was so in keeping with the tone of this fic, so I did not like it but it was well done.

As to what I liked OMG! So dark, so angsty! I love that when Scully is with Skinner it is because she thinks Mulder is feeling those sensations too and I love that she touches herself when she thinks he is in her mind. And Mulder's 'Ok touch yourself' in the end when he is remembering. It is almost funny and tragic that he is tuning into her to find out where she is and she thinks it is because he wants the pleasure. I also really love the whole mini story of the watch and the baby. So haunting and sad. (Although I wish the watch had been engraved and Scully knew for certain that it was his.) That part of the story could have carried on but it was beautiful and really filled out this whole desperate universe they are in. And Skinner's head. That is why I love fan fiction that would never work in the show or a movie but in this story in these circumstances it is right and believable. The author gets you to the right moment to accept that, an amazing accomplishment. That is why I read fan fic to get to those moments and I would reject and find them so well done that I buy into them.

[wendelah1]

You should go read everything else she has written, since you liked this. She's a great writer, one of our best. I just realized that her stuff is not at Gossamer. I'll put a link to her website in the entry.

"Arizona Highways" is an amazing novel, but there are others. Try "Iolokus" by RivkaT and Mustang Sally, and "Sokol" by Khyber. Both are long and just as brilliant as Fialka's fic.

[petite0red0head]

Thanks for the recs. I am reading Iolokus. I like to read a little each day and slowly digest longer fics. Although with AH I could not stop myself. I plunged in at full speed. I will finish Iolokus and yes I am enjoying it but I find the Mulder/Scully characters like Mad Magazine caricatures of Mulder and Scully. Mulder seems to be writen from a feminist view of men, and yes in the show Mulder and Scully do hurtful things to each other. Mulder more deliberately and Scully more as an act of shutting him out but they way they are using each other in Iolokus I find difficult to believe. Frankly (and maybe this is more of a personal over identification) I don't think Scully would use sex and certainly not sex with Mulder as she is so far in the story. Again it isn't to say I'm not enjoying it I just don't accept it on the same level or in the same way I do my very favorite fics.