Comments | xf_book_club: Story 244: "Water's Edge" by Elizabeth Rowandale

wendelah1 in xf_book_club

Story 244: "Water's Edge" by Elizabeth Rowandale

Apr 28, 2014 16:12

I hope you all have been enjoying Fanfiction BINGO. We still need fics for several categories, including The Coffeeshop AU, Straight People Do Not Exist In This AU and "Their tongues battled for dominance." I don't know about the first two but there must be plenty of candidates for the latter.

This was nominated by elis_xf way back in January of last ( Read more... )

scully/other, season 7, au, msr

Comments 30

Chapters 1-10a wendelah1 April 30 2014, 19:58:53 UTC

I guess I'm about 1/3 of the way through? It's a faster read than I'd expected. Some of the chapters are quite short and none are long. I think the writing is more than competent. I always love a visit with the Gunmen. I think Scully's characterization is fine, up to a point, but more about that later. I like rowan_d's original character, the Doggett stand-in. I think I like him better than Doggett for the purposes of this fic. He's well-drawn and happily married and not in love with Scully. I mentally have him cast with Matthew Rhys ( ... )

tri_sbr April 30 2014, 21:35:11 UTC

I'm only through Book I (ie, through Chapter 4) on the re-read, but I'll come back later with more. But for now:

What I dislike most is the way she gave away so much of the plot in the summary. Mulder's dead--but I'm assuming not really. Did she give that bit away because she thought people wouldn't read it unless they knew he wasn't really dead? Man, I hate spoilers.

I was definitely hurting the first time I read it (this will be my third time through the whole thing) - I emotionally believed Mulder was dead even if some part of my mind was holding out hope that he was not (based on the author's summary and on the MSR keyword I guess). On re-reading, there are definite indications even in the prologue that Mulder is not dead or at least that all is not as it may seem:

The sound of the wind the moment I saw you by the wrought iron garden gate.

The look on your face the moment your eyes found the ring.

First contact with your fingertips.

Mulder. This is a moment. Take me home.Of course, that's easy to say when re-reading ( ... )

wendelah1 April 30 2014, 22:00:25 UTC

I was definitely hurting the first time I read it (this will be my third time through the whole thing) - I emotionally believed Mulder was dead even if some part of my mind was holding out hope that he was not (based on the author's summary and on the MSR keyword I guess). On re-reading, there are definite indications even in the prologue that Mulder is not dead or at least that all is not as it may seem

Okay, that's interesting to hear because I never thought Mulder was dead, not even for two seconds, so I haven't been emotionally affected at all, other than to feel aggrieved about the adultery aspect. The summary is clear that this isn't the end for them, plus she keeps putting in her middle of the fic author's notes (BINGO!)that Mulder is coming back.

The Gunmen were great so I am hoping for a repeat performance.

tri_sbr May 1 2014, 13:59:16 UTC

After reading your post about the author's notes in the middle of the story for our Bingo discussion, I realized I have no recollection of those notes at all. So, the marginally better explanation for why I was (mostly) able to buy into the Mulder is dead scenario is that I now remember that when I found the story, I basically copied and pasted each chapter into one document and I didn't copy / paste the stuff at the top. I figured why do I want that disrupting the flow of the story? :) Also, I'm sure part of my emotional buy-in was in sympathy with Scully; that's for sure what it is this time around.

Thread 17

Chapter 10b wendelah1 April 30 2014, 20:24:02 UTC

Really ( ... )

estella_c May 2 2014, 15:33:09 UTC

I DID read this story once, I think (almost) completely, so I'm not cheating by writing something. I can always change it later.

As W has tried to explain, pure romance is not her (or my) thing. I once started a likely looking novel just to be genre-fair--it had pirates!--but put it down in the middle because I knew the endingHere's my take. Rowandale has a definite talent. She is smooth, grammatical, capable of moments of high drama (Scully's realization that Mulder is dead and her breakdown is the high point for me) and certainly sensitive...to a fault, IMO. Every shortness of breath, every stiffening of spine, every intrusion of memory is noted for the reader. The reader doesn't really need all that stuff. Even a reader who's a true shipper and enjoys the concept of delayed gratification. That's me I'm talking about ( ... )

wendelah1 May 2 2014, 19:33:16 UTC

"I've revealed more about why I can't like this story than about what's wrong with it. But I'll stick with too long, too repetitive, and too unrestrained in its infliction of agony on my favorite redhead. Lots of people can't get enough. I got enough just about the time Mulder left. He should have come back a week or so after that and that's when Scully should have belted him. Then: makeup sex!!"

I think you need to write this story.

I'd read the one where Mulder ditches her, she thinks he's dead (maybe there's a body), she moves to San Diego to be closer to her family, marries Kresge (who is very cute, I agree, and had chemistry with Scully). I say have Mulder show up and not kill Kresge off.

This is such a good idea someone has probably already written it.

estella_c May 2 2014, 20:55:46 UTC

I certainly hope not. In any case, I'll write it better! (Oh dear, never say things like that on the internets.)

wendelah1 May 2 2014, 21:08:34 UTC

"...in any case, I'll write it better."

I totally support this concept!

Thread 5

tri_sbr May 3 2014, 19:43:57 UTC

the whole thing (1/3)

There are lots of things I like about this story that aren't linked to a specific chapter or section. Since I may be the only one around here with a list of likes, here goes. (It's long.)

I love the way the author connects the first and second halves by weaving in references to the same things in both Books I&II and Book III, such as Mulder's fishtank (someone from the forensics lab helps Scully bring it to her apartment near the beginning; Scully tells Mulder his fishtank is in Christopher's room when he thinks absolutely none of his stuff is left), the touchstone comment from Mulder's letter and her recollection of that while Mulder is telling her about the vaccine, Scully being upset by not being able to remember which was Mulder's bad ear and then getting to ask him to remind her, Mulder's knicks t-shirt which she takes and sleeps with and then uses as a blanket for Christopher when she tries to return it to Mulder, box scores (Scully's internal monologue: I'm learning to read that little cube of numbers ( ... )

tri_sbr May 3 2014, 19:45:09 UTC

the whole thing (2/3)

There are also a lot of parallels between the Scully/Daniel interactions and the subsequent Scully/Mulder interactions:
- simple things to compare/contrast like driving in a car together, dancing, eating dinner together, etc
- Daniel's way of constantly telling Scully she is beautiful vs Scully's memories of Mulder making her feel beautiful one or two distinct times and how significant those instances were and then how Mulder tells her (less overtly than Daniel) when he's back (when they are about to go out for their 'date').
- the conversations between the two pairs about being honest with each other and how that means somewhat different things because the two relationships were built on completely different foundations.
- the way Daniel responds/reacts to Scully's sore shoulder from the fender bender vs Mulder's reaction (again, less overt than Daniel's massages -- He also knew she had been pulling her right shoulder to loosen it more often than before he left. She had done something to injure it, perhaps. He ( ... )