Crushing on Mulder since '98. Occasional writer of X-Files fan fiction. Cassiopeia12727 on AOE3 (Send me your requests!). INFJ-T. "You know I'm not gon' diss you on the internet
'Cause my mama taught me better than that"
Hi there! I'm Cassi. I've been a fan of TXF and Mulder since I watched Fight the Future in the theater in '98. I used to be very active in the TXF fandom on Twitter/X, but left not too long after Musk took over. I've mostly been reposting here on Tumblr but haven't been able to have any ongoing conversations with others. I'd like to get back into writing FF and would like to connect with more fans of the show, since it's been kind of lonely for me on here.
If you have a minute, give my stories a read and let me know if you'd like to chat or if you have any prompts that you'd like me to use for a fic.
October 26 1997, Memento Mori:
Duchovny asks to make changes in script or emotional content when a scene seems wrong. When Scully first tells Mulder in last seasonâs âMemento Moriâ episode that she has brain cancer, the writers wanted him to cry. He objected.
âThatâs not interesting to me,â Duchovny says. âIt may be true, some people may react that way. But in my life, most people try not to feel. I see actors trying to feel. To me thatâs unreal. We go through life trying not to cry.â
Instead of crying, Duchovny played composed but struggling. âWho cares if Iâm crying. Are you crying watching?â
Wikipedia, Kill Swtich:
Wikipedia, Travelers:
Wikipedia, Mind's Eye:
Wikipedia, All Souls:
July 30, 1998:
VOX:Â Did you implant that mythical level into the show?
Duchovny:Â When you start to do a show, when Chris starts to write the show, really what exists is that first script and in that first script all that exists about Mulder is that heÂŽs interested in aliens. Life began when he went under hypnotic regression and came to believe that his sister was abducted by aliens when he was 12. This is really all we had. The rest of all the stuff we had to create because we had to make more shows. Chris never had it in his mind, certainly I never assumed that anything like that existed. Just like in âTwin Peaks", the first show is âWho killed Laura Palmer?" - David Lynch didnÂŽt know who killed Laura Palmer, that just happend. He had to say as he went on. So, we had to do more shows, we had to explain the past, we had to dramatize the past in certain ways. I wanted to be involved in that because it was my character and I wanted to be able to play interesting things. So there were certain kind of moves and certain kinds of movements mythological that I like in other stories like starwars, Joseph CampbellÂŽs writings or pick and choose from anywhere wich is what we do. The idea I had was in that movie, SophieÂŽs Choice, they are taking SofieÂŽs boy and just impulsively she gives them the girl. So I thought what if that happened to Mulder - if they came to abduct him and his mother as they were taking Mulder away gave them the girl. We havenÂŽt seen that episode yet, but I would like to have that play and all these little things that we steal. There is stuff we still havenÂŽt done, that I enjoyed like being involved and figuring out how it all happened.
Wikipedia, Milagro:
Wikipedia, The Unnatural:
Originally, Darren McGavin was set to reprise his role as Arthur Dales; the character had previously appeared in the fifth-season episode "Travelers" and the sixth-season episode "Agua Mala". Unfortunately, two days into filming, McGavin suffered a stroke, forcing Duchovny and the producers to scrap the few scenes he had shot, rewrite the script to explain his absence, and replace his character with M. Emmet Walsh.
Wikipedia, Amor Fati:
Wikipedia, Closure:
Wikipedia, Deadalive:
Wikipedia, Alone:
Wikipedia, Existence:
What part of the mythology didn't David Duchovny contribute to??
Wikipedia, William:
Also relevant:
David Duchovny's Contributions to the Mythology
DD McGuyvering S8 and S9 Together
Other posts: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
BONUS
The Official Guide to The X-Files, Vol 1:
Part of Duchovny's goal has been to flesh out the character of Fox Mulder-which, he points out, was understandably vague when the show began-in order to make the part more enticing for him as a performer. "It's definitely been exciting, just something added to my experience, in terms of being able to guide the destiny of the character," he explains. "Because the character had no destiny. Like any TV show, you're forced to eventually create a history for the character that it never had."
Once The X-Files had survived the initial Nielsen weeding-out process and he and Carter realized the show was going to be around for a while, Duchovny offers, "it became important to me as an actor to make that history as interesting as I could."
The second-season finale, entitled "Anasazi," and revelations about Mulder's family played out in the two opening episodes of the third season, offer such mythic highlights, exploring Mulder's character and family history, down to his father's role in alien experimentation. Those episodes also shed light on the abduction of Mulder's sister, Samantha, which figured prominently in the character's motivation. From Duchovny's perspective, those mythic qualities can be found as well in movies ranging from Star Wars to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Those episodes, he maintains, coupled with earlier story arcs have "created a unique mythology for television in the character, and I'm really proud of that fact-that I was conscious enough to say to Chris, 'Look, I have some ideas, I want to be involved with the creation of this myth."
Duchovny contends that Anderson's pregnancy and brief absence unwittingly contributed to that emotional resonance. Having Mulder search for her echoed the loss he felt in losing his sister, while Scully's abduction gave her an experience to draw upon-all of which, in Duchovny's eyes, provided "raw material to use in the future."
According to the actor, the depth of those episodes stands above "a kind of formula that we were drifting into in the middle of last year" with stand-alone installments dealing with whatever monsters and/or paranormal phenomena the writers could dream up. In terms of producing those hours, he contends, The X-Files was "maybe an interesting show, maybe better than most shows...but as an actor, not so interesting to play."
Now the show can go back and forth, delving into it mythology, then pulling back to do more standard and self-contained episodes. "The intensity's too much, and it can get melodramatic," Duchovny says regarding the need to break up the mythology segments, adding that the producers have achieved a "nice balance now" between the two.
Seeming as much of a perfectionist as Carter, Duchovny acknowledges that he occasionally bristles when he's presented with a deluge of gobbledygook dialogue-those sequences where Mulder launches into remarkably detailed explanations about some event or series of events from the past. "At first it was almost impossible-it's kind of a muscular thing," he says. "You try and make it interesting from an acting point of view...[But] sometimes it's just like you memorize...and spit it out."
At times, Duchovny admits, he worries that the longer narrative exercises can become "the Fox Mulder bedtime story," and he'll occasionally ask the writers, "Can we tell the story a little better?" He also concedes that it's not easy crafting the equivalent of a movie each week in the time available, and that he realizes there are times when such exposition becomes necessary. As a result, Duchovny has served notice to the writers that he'll wrestle with those speeches, "but you better give me a nice scene later on to pay me back," he says.
Krycek is pretty one note, to be honest-- BUT he is at least nuanced in his optimism for humanity's future while concurrently using each new development for his ruthless, self-serving gain. He communicates cryptically, moves fast, talks fast, and thrives in whatever chaos he can cook up-- all of which are hallmarks of an ENFP: at best, charitable optimists; at worst, depraved shysters.Â
**Note: This essay has a more negative bent because we are dealing with an anti-hero. I tried to inject as much positivity as possible; but Krycek isnât exactly gowned in angelic robes.**Â
Krycek
An ENFP's brain is divided into 8 dominant functions-- and there we shall begin our scene.
The Hero Function: This function is the most effortless of the stack of eight, the âsuperheroâ if you will. Krycekâs first function-- Extroverted Intuition (Ne for short)-- is an overpowered version of prescience. It grapples with what is possible-- the great âwhat if", seeing all possible futures of any choice that could affect all of mankind and following each choice to its hypothetical conclusion. It then chooses the path that would benefit society as a whole (at best) or solely reward itself (at worst.) As they experience life, ENFPs see that all humans are simply creatures of habits and patterns; and if they earmark those patterns, they can âpredict the futureâ by identifying a personâs actions based on their past.
They master metaphysics the more life experience they accrue; until, finally, there is nothing new under the sun. This does not make them nihilistic of life or people; in fact, it motivates them. They have a very optimistic view of life, seeing it as a chess board that can easily be flipped around with the right word or incentive. Since nothing is fixed, there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome. This is part of why Krycek can maneuver the worst of circumstances and seemingly let it roll off his back, trudging on ahead to the next scheme he thinks up.
Because they can âpredictâ the future, ENFPs become amazing at manipulation-- both positively and negatively. Knowing how most humans operate, they hand out endless âoptionsâ-- business opportunities, insider knowledge, etc.-- to get anyone on board with what they have to offer. At best, their tactics bring innovative ideas or creations to the table that no one has ever heard about; at worst, they connive and scheme an unfortunate victim straight into a trap (or a Russian prison camp.) This makes them either the best motivational speakers, idea pitchers, and inspirational leaders or the "best" shysters and con artists. They can sell an idea theyâve sold before to the same person, twist the truth again, lead them right back into a trap, and bleed them dry once more. Â
The Parent Function: The Parent Function serves as the pessimistic guide to checkmate the enthusiastic, optimistic Hero. In this case, an ENFP uses Feeling Introverted (Fi for short) to guide its actions with morals and personal responsibility. Fi Parent is all about guiding oneself by individual feelings and beliefs-- nothing is true or false, everything is âgood or badâ, âmy truthâ, or what Fi feels is the right thing to do (ex. Krycek's "The truth, the truth! There is no truth!")
ENFPs are completely wrapped up in how they feel: they are highly sensitive to their own wants and needs, making them a powder keg of emotions and at the whims of their mood. Unfortunately, this very easily leads them to be corrupted morally: they can become aggressively self-serving, disregarding the welfare of others in service to their own end goals. This makes them incredibly selfish and incredibly depraved; they then use Fi Parent in combination with their Ne Hero to lead people blindly into traps and covers their tracks with Te Child (that Function is next.)Â Â
Their depravity can be corrected with criticism (see Ti Trickster below): that their lack of empathy would create ripple effects that will destroy the next generationâs future. This invigorates them to live by their professed principles rather than simply faking them. Obviously Krycek never changed his devious ways; but he strangely used them for good (or what his Fi Parent thought was good): working with the Consortium, the Russians, the Rebels, and the Aliens (at sundry times) to create a âbetterâ future instead of the marked doomsday stretching out before the planet.Â
The Child Function: For ENFPs, their most optimistic and âchildlikeâ function is Thinking Extroverted (Te for short.) This is an incredibly fragile function-- capable of great miracles and great harm. ENFPs use Te to acquire knowledge, fearing that they are not intelligent (again, see Ti Trickster below.) Because Thinking Introverted-- Ti for short; and the source for independent thought and puzzle solving-- is so low in their stack, these types are highly aware their wisdom is created from reading and integrating othersâ thinking. Not only do ENFPs wish to become academic powerhouses, they seeks glory and admiration for their achievements. Their self-worth is based on the perceptions of others; because of this, ENFPs utilize their Ne Hero to literally thought-manipulate others into thinking well of them. They recognize the little spoken skill of personal branding, creating an aesthetic to better shop themselves and their ideas and wheedle others in based on presentation alone.Â
Te Child clinches all of these actions by creating nice little contracts, covert or in writing, that will always benefit them by giving them an out if they need to pick up and run. NEVER do business (i.e. listen to Krycek's hairbrained ideas) with an ENFP: they are very, VERY mood based; and it's a 50/50 flip coin away from behaving altruistically or behaving fully in selfish interest. If one must do business with an ENFP, always make sure you are aware there is a clause somewhere that could be very, very bad for you-- even good hearted ENFPs have one lurking, because self-preservation is their number one priority (backed up with their Si Inferior, see below.) They are the first to cover all of their tracks, leaving a back door open for quick escape and making sure they are never pinned down to any crime committed. This makes them excellent to have on your side as they will spot a trap from a mile away and steer others aware from danger. On an opposing team, they are a force to be reckoned with: skillfully evading all your traps while making sure you activate all of theirs. They are also keenly aware of who holds the power in any group; and quickly buddy up to them for protection and favors. They will then sink their time, effort, and skills into that relationship, giving away and building up loyalty freely. Woe be to that person if they double cross an ENFPâs loyalty (or try to car bomb them unsuccessfully), because they will activate brutal Se Demon through double-crossing their Si Inferior's loyalty (all will be explained below.)
The Inferior Function: This is where an ENFPâs fear, insecurity, and vanity lies-- simultaneously the most painful pressure point and also the quickest function to personal fulfillment. Sensing Introverted (Si for short) is about duty, faith, honor, endurance, and comfort; but what is most important to Si Inferior is keeping itself safe and comfortable. This fear of destroying their comfort can keep them from fully developing themselves through life experience and suffering. Suffering is especially potent for ENFPs: the more they suffer, the stronger they become.
They may start out as green and unintimidating; but they harden with each punch until they become an unstoppable force. This suffering can turn them into the most charitable of all types-- recalling their growing pains and wanting to alleviate those of the rest of society-- or can feed into their depraved, unempathetic loop of manipulation. Because they only grow with suffering, they will most likely have to be forced by gunpoint (literally) to grow and adapt. Luckily (or unfortunately) for Krycek, signing up with the bad guys from the get-go had him already in a position to be used, abused, and discarded, which obliterated his comfort zone. A new, smarter, stealthier, deadlier, and more bitter Russian man rose from those ashes, making him the backstabber we all know and love to hate. The beauty of this function is that it will retain the lessons and experiences that come into its life and imprint it forever on the soul of an ENFP-- for better or worse.Â
The Nemesis Function: An ENFP uses their Nemesis Function to moderate their worries and concerns, rotating with the Hero as its counterbalance. Introverted Intuition (Ni for short) is worried about its own future, worried that someone else will mess it up, and worried that othersâ choices will affect outcomes that it canât stop. In short, ENFPs are afraid of their personal fate; but more importantly, they are worried that they arenât good enough. Theyâre afraid that if theyâre not good enough, or worthy enough, how can they make actions to keep themselves safe, let alone help guide their group/family/community/etc. with their Ne Hero?Â
(The series rarely tapped into this side of Krycek; but he always gravitated to groups and interpersonal partnerships rather than go-it-alone. His most "noble" relationship was with Marita; but she fell out of the narrative before their dynamic could be thoroughly explored.) This also feeds into their plans and manipulations for good or evil-- guiding people away from disastrous choices or situations by playing up their interests, or guiding people to their demise to eliminate them from being a thorn in their side.Â
The Critic Function: The crotchety grandparent of the functions, the Critic serves as the âwise beyond your yearsâ mentor that can pull a second shift as a wake-up call if any Type has become wonky in their practices or beliefs. Feeling Extroverted (Fe for short) is for emotional empathy, inclusivity, and acceptance. It is stacked in an ENFPâs most skeptical slot, creating its own source of selfishness and making them immune to outside emotional manipulation. In fact, if someone were to try to use an ENFP's tactics against them-- sell them a bad deal of goods or try to lead them around by their heartstrings-- Fe Critic will spot them from a mile away and make their life a living nightmare. It's also an unrelenting critic of otherâs empathy and morals. No matter how depraved they are, ENFPs will always believe that others are even more depraved than they are.
Their perspective can be peeled away with logic rather than hoodwinkery or abuse: if they were talked out of their behavior, ENFPs would drop their terrible habits like a hot potato and become a better person. In Krycekâs case, Mulder and Scully started growing his bitterness by first snubbing him (which stung his Te Child), then unrelentingly yelling at him whenever he weaved in and out of their lives. Whatever good effect they could have had on him, was tossed aside unknowingly (to their detriment during the Duane Barry saga.) On the bright side, Fe Critic is also a powerful giver⊠though it wonât ever give away all its trade secrets as those are connected to ENFPs all-consuming mission for power, fame, or self-fulfillment. However, if they see that their giving nature is being abused or taken advantage of or even unappreciated, they will pull up the contract of your friendship/partnership/relationship and destroy you in any way possible with their Se Demon (coming up later.)Â
The Trickster Function: This function serves as an ENFP's blind spot-- Thinking Introverted (Ti for short) believes the truth doesn't matter because ANYTHING can be true or false-- there are no absolutes. It helps solidify their Fi Parentâs beliefs, turning them into their reality; and they struggle with verifying these beliefs, leaving them open to groupthink and majority opinion rather than making one of their own (ex. Krycek following CSMâs orders in Ascension to the detriment of his assignment as spy-- because he didnât stick to his guns, he lost a good position he worked hard to carve out for himself, and they both lost leverage and a pair of eyes on Mulder.) Ti Critic has no idea what an ENFP is thinking at any given point-- itâs why they rely so heavily on their Te Childâs knowledge acquisition: to fill in the gaps that Ti Trickster leaves gapingly open. Itâs common for them to leave statements unfinished, ideas half-formed, to fly off the seat of their pants while portraying themselves to be well-thought-out master planners and thinkers.
Itâs all a part of their ruse, of course; and it feeds back into their Ne Hero/Fi Parent/Te Child/Fe Critic powerhouse that makes them so excellent at pulling everyoneâs strings. It also feeds into their worry that they arenât âgood enoughâ intellectually by their own merit (their Ni Nemesis), which spurs them to reinforce their assessments of their own position and the people around them.Â
The Demon Function: This is the most powerful and corrupting function: Sensing Extroverted (Se for short.) It is the most destructive-- not just of an ENFPâs 8 Functions, but of all the Personality Types combined. Se is used for, hands-on application of physical skills: since itâs so low, Krycek struggles with learning new tactical moves or mechanical tasks or manual jobs, heavily relying on his Si Inferior to remember the rote steps in order (1 then 2 then 3 then, etc.) until his mind would be able to form a habit. If asked to figure out heavy machinery on his own, he would be at a loss (ex. watching the man operate the cable car in Ascension, only taking over when he saw the machine merely required the turn of one key.)Â
It's also a function used to fight back against the injustice that ENFPs perceive others have done to them: in this case, it stokes blind, ruthless, permanent rage. Its intent is to maim slowly, murder, then salt the earth with their victimâs ashes.
For an ENFP, if their Si Inferior (the Inferior Function is one of the "shortcuts" to the Demon Function, fyi) is made to feel uncomfortable repeatedly and consistently, it rubs and rubs and rubs at a raw nerve until they snap and punch you in the face over and over until their rage is satisfied. While their comfort is literal, it also applies to what they seek the most out of life: fame, status, recognition at least. If they are made a mockery of in front of others, they will set out on a revenge path against the person who destroyed what they spent their entire lives building up (ex. âgetting ditched like someoneâs bad dateâ in Sleepless, repressed rage at being used as coffee boy in Duane Barry, blind fury at CSM for trying to car bomb him, leading Mulder to torture in Tunguska, finally getting vengeance on everyone in Requiem, etc.)Â
Krycek and Redemption?Â
So: an depraved ENFP that is a con artist with ruthless self-serving interest willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get their way. How did Krycek get there, and how could he come back from it?
In summary: Krycekâs Vice-- depravity-- can be saved with his Virtue-- charity⊠unless he twists its use in conjunction with his depravity to prove that heâs not that depraved (ex. feeding Mulder and the gang insider information, even if it was for his own benefit.) He frauds in a specific and masterful way: combining his Ne Heroâs best possible outcomes, his Fi Parentâs twisted morals, his Te Childâs status seeking and mind-manipulation, his âcharitableâ Fe Critic, and his Se Demonâs ruthless drive for personal gain. But his self-serving house of cards will fall apart if his Fe Critic is criticized properly-- not with shouts, or punches, or slaps, or name-calling (which leads to hardening and quick personal growth), but with simple logic to his Ti Trickster. If someone had sat him down, outlined to him how x/y/z would only get him into hotter water and deeper trouble then offered him a better deal, Krycek would have abandoned his path and shuffled off into a better horizon. Instead, he picked wrong; doubled down; got betrayed; and spent each new alliance repeating that pattern while congratulating himself for at least being âenlightenedâ. He further coped by pretending to be more moral than Mulder: he, at least, accepted reality and did his best to save everyone, while Mulder heard the Truth and tossed it all way.
All in all, Krycek spent his entire life bent on achieving his goals, like Mulder, like CSM, like the Consortium; but what makes him different is that he found fame and glamour being the needed hitman rather than a moral, inspirational man who could talk mountains of other rats into the sea. Chalk it up to the writers for not giving him something more complex to develop with his character; but I did my best to flesh him out a bit more.Â
Thank you for reading~Â
Enjoy!Â
Disclaimers: This is a self-assessed analysis. This information is not based on the abominable MBTI system (which has been butchered from its original Jungian typology since ~WWII); instead, itâs a combination between the works of Jungâs type psychology, Dr. Linda Berensâ Communication styles, Dr. Dario Nardiâs EEG brain scan compiled research, and othersâ data and practices as compiled and simplified by CSJoseph. This system is based only on the Nature side of Nature/Nurture; and each âtypeâ is not a âboxâ to fit everyone intoâ simply a tool to help understand the basics of the human mind that science has only begun to fathom in its limited scope.
Okay - how do we feel about Krycek/Marita. Do we think they actually liked each other, or nah? Is that the fandom projecting, in our horny way (blessed be)?
I think it's more complicated than Mulder and Scully's relationship.
Which isn't a surprise, since both are shades of Dark!Mulder and Dark!Scully: hands-on in the work, but 100% self-interested and
0% sacrificial. They keep a few buttons loose, give in to their desires, and prove why the lead characters don't often indulge in frenetic passions: Krycek loses his evidence, Marita is infected with black oil. (You can't afford distraction in a world that's waiting to destroy you.)
Also, Nick Lea enjoyed that side of Krycek--
June 1998:
Nevertheless, Krycek's comeback in the latest X-Files two-parter â released on video this month as 'File 12: Patient X' â is well worth waiting for. This is mainly because Lea gets to have a steamy, stormy and totally unexpected 'love scene' with Marita Covarrubias (Laurie Holden), Special Representative to the UN Secretary General.
"The fact that you got to see Krycek actually have a personal slash-sexual encounter with somebody was exciting, because you'd never seen that aspect of the character before there was never any hint of that fire," he says. "It came out of left-field, and I think it surprised a lot of people."
It isn't love. It's loathing and passion, and later shades of disgust and surprise and acceptance. In my opinion, there isn't much love or hate lost between them: they glower, they undress with unrighteous motives, they soften when the world is falling apart. In One Son and Requiem they realize there is no one else left to do what needs to be done except each other. They throw Mulder to the stars and leave Scully bereaved with as little emotion as they toss CSM down the stairs and walk away toward freedom: a mutual selfishness that will split them inevitably if they don't aim for the same goal.
Mulder and Scully, by contrast, place each other above their aims.
They also keep vigilant in a world which wishes to destroy them. They don't shed their clothes in a game of manipulation but choose each other in every other way, and finally in that final way after the world is saved (post-One Son and post-Millennium.) And they can live conscionably, peaceably with their choices (Closure and all things.)
Krycek is a conflicted man: capable of great cruelty but not without a coward's conscience. Marita is a disillusioned woman: one who follows orders yet suffers the consequences of fate. Unlike Diana Fowley, who keeps her hands clean enough to run along CSM's and Mulder's shoulders, Marita ventures into the field and suffers the consequences. And when the Consortium flees to safety, she's left to the mercy of tarnished heroes and antiheroes.
They are two people who have set aside their humanity to save themselves (but lie and say "the world"), and find that the human soul can't bear it. Humanity seeks shreds of reality in unreality: in this case, they cast about for light, sacrifice their bodies, regret, yet have no other shadow of good to call back upon except each other (Requiem.)
It's a more complicated conundrum of fate v. freewill that Mulder and Scully wrangle with: was it chosen for them or did they choose it in some unspoken way?
Bonus
This probably sums them up:
The X-Files Krycek and Marita: "You're My Little Choochie Face"
If you'd like to read more Krycek content, I recommend--
Fics:
"You Don't Know the First Thing About Me"
Chariots of Fire
Personality Typing:
Krycek, an Unstoppable Manipulator (ENTP)
(writes something) god this sucks so bad. this is awful. i'm the worst writer ever. this is nothing. (rereads it a while after writing it) oh dude this is fire. i'm the god of writing. (writes something again) god this sucks so bad. th
He was as tall as he was tall, and his eyes were the color they were. To describe his hair one would say that he had some. His face had all the features you'd expect, and none of the ones you wouldn't. "There he is," people would often say of him, but only when he was there. And they were right.
