Story 191: "At Your Feet, His Emblems Fall" by M. Sebasky

[wendelah1]

I thought it would be good to start the New Year off on a cheery note. This is a post-ep for "This Is Not Happening," told from Frohike's point of view. Yeah, it's pretty sad, but at least now we know Mulder wasn't dead. I think I said in an earlier post that it takes talent to pull off first person pov. She has talent. This story works, and works

Comments

[estella_c]

Well, I thought this was an okay story, the woman can write, but like amyhit I dislike the *givens* of season 8 so much it's hard for me to like this story, or even to fully understand it. I remember telling nonphile friends that Mulder was dead again. I remember how they laughed

[wendelah1]

Well, I thought this was an okay story, the woman can write, but like amyhit, I dislike the *givens* of season 8 so much it's hard for me to like this story, or even to fully understand it. I remember telling nonphile friends that Mulder was dead again. I remember how they laughed.

I hear you. I'm not a big fan of season eight myself as you know.

The scene with Doggett, inoffensive in itself, seemed ultimately meaningless. Like, "I'm a sensitive-though-tough guy like you, let's bond and drink beer." Doggett just doesn't belong in the club, sterling character that he might have turned out to be, given world enough and time.

Maybe Sebasky was signaling to other Philes that she was in the camp of fans who accepted Doggett and rejected censorship. Wasn't there a big brouhaha over someone who refused to accept stories that had Doggett in them to her newsletter? I read about this at Fanlore. (Heads to Google)

Here you go:

But that small upset was nothing compared to the backlash that took place when Mulder more or less left after

[estella_c]

The Gunmen are NOT GONE. Haven't you read Kel's "Heaven?" Talk about being there when we needed her.

I see the extratextual reason for including Doggett, but that doesn't mean it is justified in the story. But I don't care. Not important enough to make a fuss.

[wendelah1]

Also ML's 2010 Big Bang, "Isolation."

[nailseabelle24]

"There are people new to the show who watch this com and read these recs".

Word! I count myself among these, and for me this story-line still seems pretty raw and fresh. Maybe I'm a masochist but although I disliked S.8/9 for all the same reasons as everyone else on here, it's still got some of the attraction that picking at an old scab has ;-)
I'm giving the author full credit for nailing Frohike's character convincingly in this story, which I have read before and I enjoyed it this time just as much as the last. Personally I found the Frohike/Doggett drinking scene worked for me as Doggett had by that time invested himself emotionally in the X Files, in Scully and by association, Mulder. (Dives back into lurkdom to read/re-read the other S8 recs mentioned on here!)

[wendelah1]

Welcome to xf_book_club!

Maybe I'm a masochist but although I disliked S.8/9 for all the same reasons as everyone else on here, it's still got some of the attraction that picking at an old scab has ;-)

Ha ha. Well-put. They certainly inspired a lot of fic, as problematic canon tends to do.

[amyhit]

I've always loved Frohike (I *know* a Frohike, a Phd Luddite who specializes in cruising for useable trash) but frankly I didn't like spending this much time in his tormented mind. Nothing happens in this story that Frohike doesn't overexplain

I agree with this. I know that writing first person POV is tough, and I always admire fic writers who attempt to write the POV’s of secondary characters. But ultimately, while I like Frohike and I like that Sebasky wrote a Frohike fic, the way she’s written his voice grates on me a bit. He seems kind of self-centered and blabbery. And while Frohike can have a bit of a lecherous streak, and a goofy streak, I honestly see him as being kind of noble underneath all the leering lawn-gnome features. I don’t get enough of that from AYFHEF.

I do think of Skinner as Mulder's friend, but it's one of those define-your-terms things.This