Who do I Like in Fic?

Just like the movies, there are films that are clearly the best films ever made, and then there are your favorites. I mean, I know Citizen Kane was voted Best Film Ever, but I really don't think I'll ever watch it nearly as many times as Ed Wood. Good movie Orson, but "Say Boris Karloff is a cocksucker..." just gets me every time.

The following authors are all incredibly talented people whose complete works are well worth reading in full. Many of these authors have written amazing longer pieces that are clearly Citizen Kanes but for me, I find myself reading and rereading the following Ed Woods!

I've found that the best way to discover new stories is to examine the fic pick page of an author you enjoy and journey from there. Dasha's "Smut O Rama" was my primer when I first arrived on the online scene. I hope my selection will be helpful as well. In general, I refine my reading list to casefiles, post-colonization, and oh yeess, I do crave a good ol' smutty MSR. I'll be adding stories to this page as I "discover" them.

Oh, and I think I'm required to warn you that there's dirty stories on this page. Kids, you know what to do!
 

Okay, no big secret--I LOVE M/S smut. I keep my eyes peeled constantly for that NC-17 label. In particular, aside from well crafted writing, I enjoy stories that really get us close to the characters, often by putting them into an unusual situation effectively. Anyone can write about them getting it on in the ol' apartment after a hard case, but give me a unique and thorough set-up and you have my rapt attention. And don't skimp on the "details" I like my smut crystal clear: sighing, moaning, grinding, slurping, paint peeling....oh, and I also kinda got a thing for Mulder and Scully sucking down food together.

"Nightclub Jitters" by DashaK--
Dasha was the first author to pick me up off the street and adopt me into JCLS when I first arrived on the scene. I think her adoption was largely due to the huge feedback I gave her on this rather unique Scully/Slash, MSR venture. I was particularly blown away by how "in character" Dasha's M&S stayed under these unusual circumstances. This story will always be close to my heart. Poor Mulder! At least he gets the girl in the end.
Favorite line:
If I didn't love her, didn't want her so, I wouldn't care
who she sleeps with.  Really, I wouldn't.  But I thought
that in the end, she would be mine.  No, I believed it with
everything I am, I counted on that fact.

"Mighty Workings" by Plausible Deniability--
Easily the best XF fic humor writer I've ever read, PD's "Workings" just made me collapse on the floor in fits of teary laughter. I think this is how I lost my gallbladder. Best use of thin hotel walls to date--actually, all of his MSR/Humor stories are distinct favorites of mine, so be sure to read the rest of 'em--you won't have a dry eye or an unstitched side for weeks. Did I mention they're smutty, too? I had a really hard time deciding between this one and Iced Tea, so go read it too. NOW!
Favorite line:
I clear my throat. "Jeez, it sounds like somebody's getting a real one-gun
salute next door..."

"Momentary Lapses V: Chocolate" by DashaK & Plausible Deniability--
The only thing better than reading a Dasha or PD MSR is reading one written by BOTH of them. This tale is hi-larious and smuttier 'n all hell, and pushes all my buttons just the "right" way. The whole Lapses series is a winner, but the "big bang" of an ending that is part five warrants effusive praise. Warning: gratuitous use of Peppermint Foot Lotion, "Brownies" and Pink Floyd ahead...god, I love this story...
Favorite lines:
"Your eyes are all red," she says, giggling. "You look like some big old red-eyed guy."

I want to put Peppermint Foot Lotion all over you and
then lick it off as if you are a giant candy cane.

"Winterlude" by A.I. Irving--
I have a "thing" for "Mulder gets dumped" stories. Irving's Winterlude is the best I've ever or will likely ever find. Brings me to drippy tears everytime I read it, which is often. The journal reading scene just tugs at me like all hell. So sad and sweet and chilly and so subtly told. Sigh...I've gotta go read it again now, dammit.
Favorite line:
But you did, Scully. You're denying me the
comfort of your bed, and that hurts in so many ways. You know
perfectly well it's not just the sex I'm referring to. That's great, of
course, but what I need so badly from you is the chance to hold you in
the night. That intimacy. The trust that goes with it.

"Day 17" by Khyber--
Yipes! This is about as "in the moment" as you can get in a MSR. Just about the hottest story I've ever read...I'm still scorching from this steamy vig. Khyber's got a rather unique gift of, er, "words." Petals and pearls come to mind. Yes Scully, tell us about your tattoo. Special bonus points for the chosen "position."
Eeeeeoooowww! You'll need an "okay" from your physician before reading this one.
Favorite line:
 "Made me undress, naked, all the way. Felt like it took hours, God, I just wanted him so much. He wanted to kiss me, wanted to touch me, and I just wanted him to ...oh, I just wanted him to fuck me."

"Three" by Lydia Bower--
Everything I learned about writing M/S smut I learned from reading Lydia. She is the goddess. Three is from an unfinished piece by her that not everyone I know has read. It needs attention paid, so I begged her to let me list it here. Best characterization of a "dangerous and seriously aroused" Mulder. Go for the leather, go!
Favorite line:
Kneeling down, looking out over a barren field, hearing the
indisputable sound of a gun cocking back, all I could think
about, all that really mattered, was that I'd die never knowing
what it was like to fuck Scully.

"Doors" by Alanna and Lydia Bower--
 I was fairly new to fic when I first read this and it knocked me on my ass for, "Oh my god! I can't believe someone WROTE this!" I'd never have the balls to tackle this scenario, but Alanna and Lydia have made it a classic. I'm stunned by the raw lust of Doors coupled with a very well handled "aftermath" conversation that serves the situation quite well. I bow to them for making this "work."
Favorite line:
"You'll pleasure yourself in front of me..." A low chuff of pained, incredulous laughter
is pushed from my throat. "...in my arms--but you don't want me to
kiss you? What is going on, Scully?"

"Metamorphosis" by Annie Sewell-Jennings--
Annie is, gulp, unbelievable. I think she invented the word "restraint." You'll be just about ready to scream from the delicate tension she weaves between our favorite mating pair. In this one we are gloriously "relieved" in breathtakingly beautiful detail. All of her works are fabulous, read them now! And you can't do better for angst than her Erosion....go read it now! Go!
Favorite line:
My cock wanted her, and I wanted her
too. Desk? Sure, fine. Floor? Great, you got it. Pincushion filled with
poisonous needles? Spamtastic. I would have fucked her anywhere.

"Platonic" by Blueswirl--
Nothin' better than a good ol' tie-down and spankin'--a Mulder rodeo if you will. Blue's got the knack for a good round of game playing and tension that M&S are famous for, here unleashed in the bedroom. Hot hot hot! Best use of Mulder's belt thus far. Okay, now you know you gotta read it!
Favorite line:
" 'Platonic love'.  It's described as a love conceived by Plato as ascending from passion for
the individual to the contemplation of the universal and ideal."
"Nice phrase, Mulder. That and a quarter will buy you a phone call."

"The Shirt" by Audrey Roget--
So I'm doing my dishes one fine evening and my buddy Sue calls me from Utah to say quiet ominously into the receiver--"Sharon, are you reading "The Shirt?"
"The what?" I asked, looking down at my own sudsy T-Shirt.
"THE SHIRT," she stresses.
"Why? Some good smut there?" I ask even more stupidly, while Sue is wasting a good 10¢ a minute waiting for the impact to click with me--that this rec was so important it wouldn't wait for an email.
Sue quickly informed me that this oddly titled MSR was not something to be wasting one's time washing dishes while it languished at Ephemeral racking up recs like a 65 million-dollar lottery at 7:45 on a Sunday night.
I got the hint and hung up and proceeded to lock myself in the computer room for the next few hours.
When I emerged, I swore I'd never write another line of smut again until I could at least half match Audrey's incredible mastery of language and inventive terminology. My smut vocab increased by about 200 words that night.
Consider this your call from Utah...read "The Shirt" NOW. It cannot be missed. Mmmmmmmmsmut!
Favorite line:
All this time, I have more or less assumed that Mulder was
waiting for me to make a move. Waiting until I was sure of my
feelings, sure of his, or at least sure enough to risk our
partnership. How could I have fallen for such an obvious cliche?
Ice maiden finally melts and expects her hero to swoon with
relief and gratitude, perpetually ready to ravish and be ravished.
Now I know why ice maidens stay maidens. Once they've
sweated the heat of the day, they eventually realize the sun is an
aloof, unreachable star. To salvage what's left of themselves,
they never brave the light again.

"Melvin's Turning 40" by MoJo--
Just when I think I've found all the truly good fic writers, a new one will pop into my line of sight. I honestly don't how I missed Mojo's MSRs up until this point, because I have been depriving myself of one of the best Mulder characterizations online (the mysterious, sexy, innuendo type that turns me to goo). Not to mention some of the most romantic and humorous MSRs, lightly mixed with a delightful dash of Lone Gun Men. Mojo's fabulous Weekend Series of which this Birthday tale is one, is a touching, very real look at an involved, yet very professional Mulder and Scully. Spot-on dialogue and dreamy smut will suck you in like a Hoover. It did me. I highly rec the whole series.
Favorite line:
"Funny you should say that, Scully. We are approaching number
forty ourselves," Mulder said casually. He sipped the tea through
the straw, rolling it against his tongue.
I felt my face grow warm. I knew exactly what he was referring
to. It's easy for me to forget Mulder doesn't process information
the same as everyone else. He's eidetic. He revealed to me during
a recent case in New York that he'd been counting the times we'd
been intimate. Assigning them numbers. Cataloging each
indiscretion in his mind, with perfect clarity. Now that I knew,
he was free to refer to them by number. Last night was number
thirty-nine.

I realized before too long that my fic collection here deserved another category. The last couple authors I requested to archive said, "But it doesn't have smut in it!" Well that's okay, I love a good USTy tale, too, if it's well written and gets under the skin of our agents. In other words, they don't always gotta rut like mini lops to get my attention--I have *some* taste. Sometimes just some couch snuggling is more than enough to color my dreams with warm flushed ooziness. The following stories may be angsty, may be odes to the celibacy of the partnership, or burning with deep hungry need just below the surface. Sizzle!

"Dividends" by Suzanne Schramm--
Sometimes the hottest MSRs are the ones in which they keep their clothes on. Call me a snugglebunny addict, but Sue's sense of character and tenderness in this delicate midnight tale will leave you filled with warm sighs and gooeyness. Hmmm...a good one to read before bed. Sweet dreams!
Favorite line:
My only answer is the soft soughing of her breathing. For a few minutes I
watch the tv blankly, all too aware of Scully sleeping in my room.  I hit
the mute button so I can listen to her.

"Gun" by Susanne Barringer--
This just in! I was about to finish this page when "this" came into my mailbox. I was reduced to a puddle of blubbery tears upon finishing the supurbly crafted ending. I've NEVER read a fic that made my cry outloud until this (yup, I even made it through Erosion dry-eyed). I LOVE M/S angst, but it is so rarely ever told this well with such loving restraint. I'm about ready to throw my pen down and vow never to write again--that's how good this is. Grab a big-ass box of kleenex and read it now.
Favorite line:
It is a hard word, harsh sounding, but if rolled off the lips
properly, it has a certain softness. It is a simple word, and not
nearly as dangerous sounding as the object it signifies. Gun.  I get
good at saying it. It is not difficult.
 

"Reading Between the Lines" by Haphazard Method--
Hap brings us one of the most delicate and beautifully told short stories of M/S companionship and platonic love. Her use of old books and oral tradition as a mode of intimacy and communication between my favorite Feds left me breathless. Who wouldn't just die to be read to sleep by Mulder?
Favorite line:
It's folktales this time. But I'm not listening to the words so
much as the sounds of the words. His soft warm monotone, the
sound of my breathing, the muted hum of the plane. Mulder
leans close enough to read without annoying everyone around
us, close enough to hypnotize me with tales of giants, fairies and
ghosts. Resting my head against the back of the seat, I close my
eyes and listen.

I was surprised when I found I really dig post-colonization tales! I think it's the old fantasy (ala Lord of the Rings) buff coming out in me. Put a backpack on Mulder, sling a shotgun over his shoulder, and stick him in the woods, searching, hunting, running, sweating, bathing nekkid in a river, and you've got my full attention. Add a search or concern for Scully to the mix and I'm packing your in-box with praise!

"All the Mulders" by Alloway--
This is quite possibly the best short story I've ever read in my entire life. Yeah, better than the damn "Lottery" they make you choke down in seventh grade. I found this in Sparky's archive of "classics" and was struck numb by its sheer brilliance. Alloway has one of the most unique writing styles I've ever come across online and I dream of one day striving to reach her level of expertise. From what I've heard, this was one of the first Post-Colonization stories ever written, too. Damn! The manifestations of the many facets Mulder's personality are eerie, haunting, and darkly humorous. You won't forget this one any time soon.
Favorite line:
I have never dove (dived?) deep enough into my psyche to determine why the
really good screaming sex, the I'm-about-to-pass-out kind, only happens
with the more violent-prone Mulders.

"Tangible" by Blueswirl--
I've always been captivated by stories that show me what life would be like in the "empty world," to quote The Cure. Blue captures the bleakness of an alien-ravaged Earth in this tightly written Post-Colonization story, which I am thrilled to say has a part two which you can read at her site, plus a part three on the way. In this first installment (which is a stand-alone), I was most impressed with the change in the characters, their appearance (loved the switchblade haircut on Mulder) and their personalities--which to me is the essence of this type of tale. Settle in and read it slow...I made the stupid mistake of scrolling to the sex (don't we all--although the sex was so damn good it made me go back and read from the start) as I had yet to discover the delight in reading Blueswirl beginning to end...I know better now.
Favorite line:
Because he carries the rifle, Mulder is in the lead, which
gives me the opportunity to study him without his
knowledge.  There is so much about him that is different
than I remember, and it is a conscious reminder to me of
how much he has endured.  He talks less than he used to, in
simple sentences and short, terse words.   He has spent
much of the last thirty-nine months alone, and it is harder
now to break through the barrier of his solitude.
 
 

Real honest-to-god casefiles are by far the most difficult to write and to come by. I know, I write them. They'll also win you the most "attention" online if you're a writer who's talented enough to pull it off. Very few writers got what it takes to do a fully flushed out case (or if they can, they probably make a living at it) and I may not have read everyone yet, but these are my favorites--Citizen Kanes every last one. Print them out and read carefully, thou shalt be rewarded.

"No Greater Love"pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 by Karen Rasch--
Karen's No Greater Love was "the" story that made me start writing fic in the first place. Sated after digesting a good meal of MSRs my first few months online, I started to peek into real casefiles. I was amazed by how good a case can be when you can hear the inside of Mulder and Scully's heads. I was captivated by Karen's narrative and the ending is so brilliantly woven and told with masterful restraint. Everything I learned about writing a case, I learned from this story: a healthy dose of M/S banter, subtle UST, a good breakfast, a really good "fight", danger, and revelation. Written for S3 M&S, this classic still holds-up water-tight.
Favorite line:
 Did you pray?
        Did he?  He must have.  And yet, for the life of him, he
couldn't recall what words had been spoken, what entreaties
had been employed, what promises had been made.
        PleaseDon'tTakeHerFromMeDon'tHaveBroughtHerBackJustTo
MakeMeWatchHerDie

"Every Sparrow Falling" by Alloway--
Alloway...good god! I thought All the Mulders was amazing. I hadn't seen anything yet. I've read this piece about five times now and I still discover new meanings and connections. Alloway's utterly singular narrative style had me dumbfounded with wonder as she spins this disturbing, yet darkly humorous case. I'm still not sure if I fully grasp the ending...but I feel it. From a sparrow-dropping machine to oozy orange muck, this case has the stamp of total originality written all over it. I wouldn't have thought of any of this stuff in 1,000 years...
Favorite line:
"Stephen would say that God is watching us."
"Tell God he *missed.*"