Story 199: "Dance Card" by Sab (Sabine)
After reading "Five Things That Never Happened to Dana Scully" last week, it seems appropriate that this week's offering is also about a "road not taken." Since three members separately expressed some interest in reading it, and because Sabine is an accomplished and entertaining writer, "Dance Card" is now on our dance card.
( Author's Note )
( Author's Note )
Her comment is here.
Srsly. Plus, a very prim, young Scully rolling her eyes and saying her parents considered it an act of rebellion when she joined law enforcement does not make her a "rebel", although that idea has somehow become fanon. It was an unconventional career choice for her gender at that time, but becoming a doctor and a federal agent does not actually mean one used drugs freely in college or smoked endless cigarettes or lived the full Bohemian lifestyle in open rebellion against one's oh-so-repressive Catholic roots. You see this kind of thing all the time with Scully-fic, and it just makes me laugh. Did anyone notice how she treated Melissa in the few scenes we had of them together? It's still fun to try and piece the different parts of Scully's character together, don't get me wrong, but there's no real evidence in canon for Scully being some enfant terrible or even being particularly free-spirited or resentful about her background (although I do think her explanation of herself in Never Again is a good characterization ultimately, if not very CC -- but his characterizations were cardboard, let's admit.) Mulder and the basement office were the biggest rebellions she'd ever encountered, IMO.
I don't think she used drugs routinely. She might have passed a joint around at a party, if that was commonplace in her circle of friends. Or she might have just said no. I think you could write her either way. She might have smoked cigarettes. A lot of otherwise smart people still did back then.
Maybe it's more open to interpretation than I think, but she seems too worried about what her father thought about her career choice to be seen as a rebellious daughter to me. And yes, Mulder and his basement was her first real foray into non-conformity. But she didn't choose to go there, she was assigned by Blevins, and she's often seen trying to get Mulder to use more conventional investigative methods. I guess she chose to stay with Mulder rather than be assigned to Salt Lake City during FTF. And she chose to stay with him afterward, too, but it still feels sometimes like events forced her hand, you know? She's a unique individual and theirs is a unique relationship. I guess that's why we're still here, discussing the fic and the series.
I'm interested in your take on her relationship with Melissa. Maybe I need to go back and rewatch all of the Melissa episodes since there aren't many of them.
Reply
Leave a comment