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- Written by: Keva Andersen | Content Editor
- Category: Fan Writers
You may know this week's author as scienceandmysticism or as pinebluffvariant but if neither name rings a bell, get yourself over to tumblr or A03 and get caught up right now. Her ficlet "On Fourteenth Street Bridge," a quick look at the events on the bridge of "My Struggle II," will have you begging her to keep going in that universe. "Polysemous" is one of my favorite Season 10 post eps, a sweet but heartbreaking conversation set after "Founder's Mutation." I may have sent that to a few people with the disclaimer "here, enjoy some pain." It's a pain that hurts so good. There are many other excellent stories in this author's library and an afternoon spent reading through all of them will be time well spent.
We're delighted scienceandmysticism took the time to chat with us about writing and The X-Files!
How long have you been a Phile?
I started watching The X-Files sometime in 1996... my memory is a little fuzzy, but I remember becoming more and more aware of the show and catching stray episodes here and there, learning the characters' names, and thinking "I should remember when this is on". I stopped watching almost completely after Requiem; it felt like the show had run its course. But I did catch up on the last two seasons eventually, was very much caught off-guard by IWTB, then dropped out again, and have been enjoying participating in XF fandom more actively since the announcement of Season 10. The X-Files and I have had twenty intense, and always devoted if not always happy, years together.
What was your first episode?
The first episodes I remember watching and getting that "wow" feeling, where I knew I would be back next week, were Nisei/731. I came into the show a big science fiction fan and the mythology arc at the time was so interesting, and so dynamic. I remember loving the global scope of the conspiracy.
How long have you been writing fic?
I wrote my first story in the summer of 2015, so I still consider myself pretty much brand new at this fanwork creation thing. But I've been *reading* XF fic, in periods voraciously, since the late 1990s.
For more questions, read after the jump.
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- Written by: Keva Andersen | Content Editor
- Category: Fan Writers
If you've been around the fandom long enough to remember the Spookys and the Morley Awards, you'll definitely remember this week's author. And if not, now is a great time to get acquainted with the work of RivkaT. She's best known as the co-author, along with MustangSally, of the dark epic "Iolokus." The work even inspired a fan trailer recently. It's a story that's equal parts disturbing and moving and not for the faint of heart. But RivkaT has written many others worth your read like the casefile "Acadia" which is set in Season 4. RivkaT has also written stories in the Supernatural, Smallville, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer universes if you're looking to branch out.
We talked with RivkaT about writing and what brought her to The X-Files.
How long have you been a Phile?
I got hooked after watching Jose Chung’s From Outer Space, in what I think was early 1996. I don’t think I’d call myself a fan any longer, though I did watch the recent revival.
What was your first episode?
Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.
How long have you been writing fic?
I started writing around 1997.
For more questions, read after the jump.
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- Written by: Keva Andersen | Content Editor
- Category: Fan Writers
Hold the phone, or tell your assistant to hold all your calls and meet this week's author h0ldthiscat. A relative newcomer to the XF fanfic world, h0ldthiscat writes like she's known Mulder and Scully for years. Lighter stories like "Cosmos" and "Impression" will leave you smiling, and if you're looking for more "adult" stories in the "Slightly NSFW Ask Meme" series is a lot of fun.
We spoke with h0ldthiscat about what brought her to The X-Files and what inspires her writing.
How long have you been a Phile?
An admittedly short amount of time. I started watching at the beginning of 2015 when rumblings of a revival surfaced and were then confirmed.
What was your first episode?
I started at the beginning. Pilot.
How long have you been writing fic?
I started writing XF fic very shortly after I started watching, which is unusual for me. Normally it takes me some time to feel like I "know" characters before I can write them. Mulder and Scully were familiar to me at once.
For more questions, read after the jump.
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- Written by: Keva Andersen | Content Editor
- Category: Fan Writers
If it's iced tea in that bag, it could be love. And you'll definitely love this week's author icedteainthebag. She's a longtime Phile and author who has shared many amazing works over the years that will alternately bring you to tears or have you wishing for a cold shower! One of my personal favorites is "Exit," a missing scene from Season 7's "Requiem" which is moving and may leave you throwing things over what could have been. A more recent work, "Contingency Plan" is a pre-Season 10 look at Mulder's quest and deepening depression that explores one reason why Scully may have left. It's raw and heartbreaking and you can feel the tension and anxiety as you read. Do yourself a favor and add anything by icedteainthebag to your reading list, you'll be glad you did.
We talked with icedteainthebag about how she found The X-Files, writing, and what inspires her to keep creating after so many years in the fandom.
How long have you been a Phile?
I watched “Pilot” on a Friday night in 1993. It was a little touch and go until I got through “Space,” but thereafter we had a pretty good relationship. Feels organic, in that it’s come and gone over the years like an irresistibly damaged lover.
What was your first episode?
“Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?”
How long have you been writing fic?
I started in 1999 by distributing my fic on e-mail lists.
For more questions, read after the jump.
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- Written by: Keva Andersen | Content Editor
- Category: Fan Writers
If you've been in the fandom long enough to remember the Spooky Awards for outstanding fanfic you know this week's author Syntax6. She is widely regarded as one of the best casefile authors of the fandom. The epic "Scavenger" has taken home awards both inside the fandom and out. The story has been, as Syntax6 put it, "de-X-ed" and rewritten from the ground up as a novel which won the 2016 Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. Now called "The Vanishing Season," the story will be released in hardcover next year. "All the Way Home" and "Head Over Heels" are a deliciously disturbing series about a serial killer with a creepy taste for shoes that's guaranteed to terrify. "20" is a wonderful collection of short stories that looks at Mulder and Scully's relationship over 20 years. But these are just a few of Syntax6's excellent works. Do yourself a favor and take the time to read through her entire site, you won't be disappointed.
We're delighted Syntax6 took the time to chat with us about writing and The X-Files!
How long have you been a Phile?
I came to The X-Files fairly late, around mid-season six, so that’s 1998/1999, I think? I’m a bit unusual in that I did this whole Phile thing backwards. I fell in love with the fanfic first and the show second. I had a vague understanding of who the characters were when I started reading the stories, but I was blown away by the quality of the writing I found. I had to go check out the source material for myself to see what was inspiring all these amazing authors!
What was your first episode?
It was “Soft Light,” from season two. I had some friends who were gushing about how awesome the show was, but I remained deeply skeptical of mystery/sci-fi as a hybrid. No need to plot out a cohesive story! Just get to the end and say, “Oh, it was aliens or ghosts or something,” so the plot need not make sense. But I had a free Friday night and decided to check out an episode to see what the hype was about. It confirmed my worst suspicions about the laziness of the plotting and I did not tune back in again for several years, when I had a roommate who was watching in 1997. She watched. I read my book. (See, I told you I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into this show. I swear I’m a convert now!)
How long have you been writing fic?
I started in 1999 sometime. At that point, I had seen only a dozen or so episodes, plus the movie. I had read about 500 different fanfics, though, so the versions of the characters I started writing were probably more of a fanfiction amalgamation than those we saw on the screen.
For more questions, read after the jump.