The Use of Maps (XF)
The Use of Maps (The Without Boundaries Remix) by darkstar [http://www.unfitforsociety.net/remix03/useofmaps.htm]
"The Use of Maps" is Mulder before, during, and after Scully's death. It's a senseless, accidental death, the kind that's so real and so tragic, and so often overlooked in fic. What makes the fic stand out, however, isn't its premise, but its execution. Darkstar writes Mulder's shock and grief in a way that serves to underscore the pointlessness of Scully's death. Mulder remembers how, when he heard the news, his first thought was, "But I ordered her wontons and vegetarian eggrolls," and he remembers how their last conversations were about Hollywood and Chinese food. The absurdity of these things, their lack of relation to the bigger picture -- Scully is gone and she's not coming back -- echo the way Scully's death had nothing to do with her life, with the quest for the truth that she and Mulder shared.
"The Use of Maps" is Mulder before, during, and after Scully's death. It's a senseless, accidental death, the kind that's so real and so tragic, and so often overlooked in fic. What makes the fic stand out, however, isn't its premise, but its execution. Darkstar writes Mulder's shock and grief in a way that serves to underscore the pointlessness of Scully's death. Mulder remembers how, when he heard the news, his first thought was, "But I ordered her wontons and vegetarian eggrolls," and he remembers how their last conversations were about Hollywood and Chinese food. The absurdity of these things, their lack of relation to the bigger picture -- Scully is gone and she's not coming back -- echo the way Scully's death had nothing to do with her life, with the quest for the truth that she and Mulder shared.