Rerun: "How to Fake an Orgasm" by V. Salmone

[wendelah1]

Being in the mood for something light and fluffy, I thought it might be fun to reread "How to Fake an Orgasm" by V.Salmone aka Punk and Sab. We last visited this fic in 2008.

How to Fake an Orgasm (23755 words) by Punk, Sab
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fox Mulder/

Comments

[rainatlas]

Ah, well. That was adorable.

I'm not usually too keen on Mulder with any other girl, but this was light and funny and enjoyable, with just the right ending. Sue was likable! So much so that I felt a little annoyed and embarrassed for Scully there for a bit during her flirtatious displays of jealousy. And of course, sad for Sue knowing she never had a chance in the end. I could go on and on analyzing the relationshippy bits of this and all of Mulder's complexities but this piece left me feeling light and not really in the mood for all that.

I think my favorite line was Scully's less-than-enthused "Go team." regarding the impending hunt for the Jersey Devil offspring. The Jersey Devil gets a sequel! I love it.

Excellent writing and delightful read. Thanks for posting this.

[wendelah1]

You are welcome! I'm so happy you enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm really curious to see what this story's reception will be this time around.

I'm not usually too keen on Mulder with any other girl, but this was light and funny and enjoyable, with just the right ending. Sue was likable! So much so that I felt a little annoyed and embarrassed for Scully there for a bit during her flirtatious displays of jealousy. And of course, sad for Sue knowing she never had a chance in the end. I could go on and on analyzing the relationshippy bits of this and all of Mulder's complexities but this piece left me feeling light and not really in the mood for all that.
This Mulder/Other story was unique in that it didn't portray Sue as a victim or as clueless. I didn't feel bad for her at all. She got to have fun with him. She got to have a lot of great sex. She asked him for more. He said, no I can't do that, and she dumped him flat on his ass, which was rather satisfying. See, I always thought Mulder would make a terrible boyfriend (I've even written

[rainatlas]

Yes, I absolutely agree that Scully was the most out of character in this fic, for all the reasons you brought up. It's also why it felt so awkward throughout her displays of flirty-jealousy. I do think at this point in their partnership she would be a little incredulous as to Mulder's dating behavior and subsequent happiness in his relationship with Sue, and that would certainly change her behavior towards him, though not her personality in the way we've seen in this fic. Like you said, Jealous, yes, flirty, no. But I think regardless of Scully's behavior, Mulder would have figured out that Sue wasn't for him, and Scully is the one who is, as you so perfectly described, "there all of the time and essential to his work and willing to put up with shit that no normal woman should have to because she understands who he is and loves him anyway." He already knows this. Going through the dating motions would have put this in perspective for him

[wendelah1]

I generally prefer fic that is believable as potential canon, or at least in the realm of possibility. A season six Mulder's dating frenzy and a Scully in jealous flirtation mode doesn't quite fit that profile, though I still felt this was an enjoyable and recommended read.I understand. I love canon-compliant fic myself, like gen post-eps, gen casefiles and gen AUs that change one element and go on from there. But I'm always up for a well-told story. And I guess the realm of possibility for enjoyable fanfiction expands exponentially with great writing. The quality of the writing trumps everything for me, and allows me to suspend disbelief for the duration of the tale. I think that's true for the series, too, maybe for all of the television I watch. It's not until afterward, when I start to analyze that I begin to question

[write_out]

Oh wow, I LOVE this story, one of my favorites! I will be back with more comments after another read, although I think Wendelah1 pretty much says everything I feel about this one. But I want to read the story again and see if I pick up anything different this time.

[wendelah1]

I loved this story. It should have a zillion kudos on AO3. Please do come back with your thoughts, even if you just want to agree with mine.

[write_out]

Yep, I still love this. Sue is a well-rounded and dimensional character, as everyone else has already said, and I can totally buy Mulder falling for her. So Sue is a major part of why this story works so well for me. Another reason is the writing itself. The story flows so well for me, the easy banter and flirting, the case file, the side characters. Everything falls into place seamlessly for me. While I love LOOOOOVE the angst, the fact that there is not an overwhelming amount of it here pleases me. There are some funny XF stories (thinking of some by David Hearne), but angst seems to be the order of the day for the show and so it's refreshing to take a step back from it and read something that is practically lighthearted

[wendelah1]

The phones are priceless. One of those bits I would kill to have written. The scene in the laundromat is a perfect ending.

I'm so glad you got to read it again, too.

[estella_c]

TOTALLY agree with that last sentence.

[tri_sbr]

I have nothing well-thought out to say. I enjoyed reading the story again, and liked all the details (mostly mentioned already) - Scully's phone calling Mulder's, the banter, Mulder's pisces discussions with both women, the jersey devil girl. For my third time reading it, I think I was able to 1) let go of my trouble believing in the 'Mulder dating frenzy' (not that I believe in it more, but I just didn't let it get in my way as much) and 2) believe a little more in the transition Mulder makes from Sue to Scully. I think previously I had trouble with him going from 'lighting up like a Christmas tree' (paraphrasing) around Sue to being kind of annoyed with her. Mulder lighting up like a Christmas tree because of Sue was a stretch (for me) in the first place, and then how the magic faded is not entirely clear to me. I get that it's to do with Scully and her jealous-flirting but I still feel like I'm missing something there. Regardless of that, it was fun to read and probably one of the few mulder/other stories I can really say I enjoy.

[estella_c]

HTFAO is one of very few examples I can currently think of that fulfills one of my favorite fic genres: Mulder-other-leading-to-msr,-readable. Most of these excursions have been, in my experience, Marysue specials with silly Marysues and silly writing. There are some exceptions ("Flying Under the Radar"?) but in those cases there is some kind of naked anti-Scully prejudice, and I'm not having that. I like Scully. I like her with Mulder

[wendelah1]

Oh: anybody notice that the "symbol" of the relationship crash is an ashtray? Who the heck deals in ashtrays anymore? And that S thinks it an appropriate gift for her boyfriend is a deal-breaker. First, M doesn't smoke. Second, we remember who does.

I did: Here, which is a couple of comments above this one.

Sue doesn't seem like a Mary Sue to me. She has positive and negative traits and she isn't a stand in for either of the writers.

Oh, I like having an "other" because a real story needs a conflict. Smut biscuits may be tasty, but have little nutritive value. As much as I like "Never," W was right in pointing out that it posited a casefile that got tossed after the sex.

Yes. A conflict, a crisis or two, a resolution. This story had no sex scene but I certainly didn't miss it. I still wish someone would write the casefile for "Never," although I think it would end up much darker than its predecessor.