Journey to the Truth: Fight the Future - Part V (Flickfic)
Just as FTF has overwhelmed me with facts and details, the fanfiction has impressed me by its volume and diversity. Like the snowflakes in Wilkes Land, no two are exactly alike. All of these are on A03 except the three I noted. Please check ratings and warnings on each work.
Intro
"The Haiku Files, Volume Five, Chapter 21: Bonus: Coming Soon" by geekgirl25
* Update - Volume Six: FTF is being released now. Chapter 1 is excellent!
Dallas
"deep in my daydreams" by geekintheblack
Fix-it Fic Insert (to follow the Alternate Hallway Scene)
"The Parting Glass" by Aloysia_Virgata - * approved and accepted as canon.
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I had walked away from the fandom before the Alternate Hallway Scene came to light. As I began getting back into fanfic last year, I even played around with writing a 'no-bee hallway scene' where David and Gillian wanted to try it (because they are freaks about one another). And then Tumblr showed me the gif. Mana from heaven. Thank you, David and Gillian, for wanting to try it because you are freaks about one another. I pinned the gif a year ago, so I see them kiss every day. If you follow my 'Journey' recaps, you know I love to play the 'If they hooked up, when?' game. But really, this has become the answer. For me, anyway. "The Parting Glass" fic does an excellent job of weaving the scene seamlessly into the movie. Kudos to Aloysia_Virgata for completing my vision.
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Scenes In Between
"Seasons: Fight the Future" by Beshter - long fic
"All Eyes Lead to the Truth, Chapter 119: Fight the Future" by admiralty, FridaysAt9, MonikaFileFan, and OnlyTheInevitable - this chapter is extra special, with multiple perspectives from each of the writers
Icefic
"Do you?" by obsessedbaldie - humor and a Diana reference made this one stand out
"15 Minutes" by goodgriff - a good sno-cat fic. It has a follow-up long fic called "14 days".
"Alone at the End of the World" by peacenik0 - at an abandoned base camp
"Incrementum, Chapter 18" by lepusarcticus - glimpses of Antarctica from Scully's POV
"On the Verge" by aka_Jake - at Corbyn Station
"Terra Australis" by SisterSpooky1013 - sno-cat + abandoned camp + Base Station Gamma (yep, the trifecta)
"Certitude" by Justin Glasser - being taken off the ice doesn't necessarily mean rescued (gossamer)
After, in FBI terms
"A Major Award" by LilydaleXF - humor
"Worth Her Weight" by Marguerite - Mulder's expense report
Salt Lake City, Utah (transfer effective immediately)
"White Noise" by noifsandsorbees - absolute angst-fest
"Entrapment" by ABBM515 - a story told over a 31 day Fictober
"Salt Lake City, Utah" by paladoris - a SLC-fic with a positive twist
After, in Hallway terms
"you already have" by coppersunlight - Scully wants what was taken from her
"Syncopation" by nanda (nandamai) - first kisses
"Consequences" by Suzanne Schramm - a follow-up conversation (gossamer)
"Unfinished Business" by all_these_ghosts - Scully needs answers
"The Words Behind the Meaning" by thursdayinspace - Scully replies to Mulder in her own way, over time
AU/Other
"9 Minutes" by Helen Wills - a Pilot/FTF mash-up (gossamer)
"Quantum Leap" by mldrgrl - a parallel universes long-fic
"The Accident" by Little_Earthquakes - it doesn't really have anything to do with FTF except the tag and a small mention at the beginning? A Scully family drama long-fic.
"Heuvelmans' On the Track" by The_ Mythopoeic - Scully abruptly disappears
You should probably know by now that I'm generally a save-the-best-for-last kind of girl. Heuvelmans is insanely good. Like the previous rec, it's not really a FTF fic. It is long. It is beautifully written and made me use my dictionary and Wikipedia regularly. It is gut-wrenching and awful and made me cry by chapter 2. It is remarkable in describing the ways that both M&S show love and perseverance. It is an automatic top 10 without regard for what it might replace. And it's the only work listed by this author on AO3. (I imagine that's because people normally pay them to write.)
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Thank you to all the writers! I made a point to switch to a fanfic-only diet while I was going through this rewatch. It's been a year now, and I never would have guessed at the depth of the fic that I've found. Sometimes, it's a short haiku with impeccable word selection, and others it's something silly because not even Scully is immune to windbreaker-Mulder. Some of my selections are here for their unique approach, others are here for their uncanny ability to capture M&S. But always, there is a voice reaching out to connect through the msr.
I'm bad with tags. Let me know if I've missed you so I can add it.
@geekintheblack @peacenik0 @lilydalexf
@thursdayinspace
@monikafilefan @fridaysat9
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This concludes my FTF saga. Impossibly, I love it even more. The movie was met with mixed reviews. By trying to appeal to an audience unfamiliar with the X-Files, the mythology is rather spoon-fed to the viewer. There were complaints that more is packed into a normal two-episode arc than was in the movie. I can see that, and the 'new audience' was the reason. But I think it's a good thing. I'm glad that more time was given to show the impact of the events on the characters. Of course, I love the increased focus on the msr. It also doesn't feel rushed, so we have time to absorb Rob Bowman's carefully crafted shots and special effects. Visually, texturally, I feel like FTF does stand out from the tv series. I'm already looking forward to the second movie's rewatch. With the Director's Cut soon to be released, I don't know if I'll have the willpower to resist through 4 more seasons beforehand.
For those of you who have made it through all five of these posts, thank you so much for reading! I feel so fortunate to be doing this at this time with this fandom.
