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.
If you've so much as dipped a toe in the fanfic waters you've definitely heard of this week's author, Aloysia Virgata. From casefiles, to post eps, to drabbles, to AU's, Aloysia's writing will pull you in and take you places you wish the TV show would go. Her take on post-season eight Scully and Mulder featured in "In a Yellow Wood" and "Breeding Lilacs out of the Dead Land" are heartbreaking reads and "By Falling In and In" is one of my personal favorite family fic AUs. If you're looking for something a little lighter there are 3 parts to the "coffee shop au" that will make you smile.
We chatted with Aloysia about writing and what brought her to The X-Files.
This week's author spotlight shines on leiascully. She's the author of many works and recently has received much-deserved fan acclaim for her pre-revival series "Visitor" and "Resident." "Visitor" is told from Mulder's point of view as he's trying to put his life back together after he and Scully have broken up. It's a wonderful journey inside Mulder's head and was one of my favorite reads while waiting for Season 10. In "Resident" we hear Scully's side of the story. "Resident" is still a work in progress, and if you haven't read either series you're in for a treat when you start. But these are just two of many great works created by leiascully over the years.
We talked with leiascully about writing, her process, and what brought her to The X-Files.
If you normally look for a fan artist on Wednesdays, we're changing things up a little! Allow us to introduce FanWorks Wednesdays. We'll continue to share amazing fan art from the Phile community, but now we'll be featuring fanfiction authors as well. This week's author is ScullyLikesScience. She's the author of "He is the Master of His Fate, She is the Captain of Her Soul" or "MasterCaptain" as fans call it. The story's summary on Archive of Our Own says: "Story begins during the final events of “The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati.” It then chronicles a canon-compliant progression of Mulder and Scully's relationship throughout Season 7, including the beginning of their love affair, and on through Seasons 8 & 9. The story will conclude post-IWTB, and may or may not incorporate Season 10 storylines." So far this epic work has 148 chapters if you're looking for a longer story to dive into.
We talked with ScullyLikesScience about writing and how she got into The X-Files.
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