X-Files Flash-Fanwork Challenge for Three Weeks for Dreamwidth

[amalnahurriyeh]

Welcome to the X-Files creative challenge for 3W4DW! This is a place to write, draw, or otherwise produce SOMETHING AWESOME in celebration of the X-Files, and all of the awesome characters and scenarios we love so much.

What sort of works are eligible?

Any X-Files or crossover X-Files fanwork can be posted here.

How Should Prompts Be Formatted?

There should be only one prompt per comment.

An X-Files only prompt should include characters/pairings and prompt. Use a slash for a romantic/sexual pairing, and & or the word "and" for a friendship pairing, like this:

Monica Reyes, Ouija boards

Fox Mulder/Alex Krycek, leather

Dana Scully and John Doggett, watching NASCAR

A crossover prompt should contain character names and fandom along with prompt, like this:

X-Files/Fringe, Dana Scully and Walter Bishop, Mad Scientists Union

X-Files/Doctor Who, Fox Mulder/Tenth Doctor, tall drink of water

Those are some crap prompts, Amal.

Bite me. So leave some of your own.

Do prompts need to be claimed? Can prompts only be used once? Can I write for my own prompt?

No, no, and yes, in order.

How do I fill a post?

Post your fill as a reply to the original prompt. If it won't fit in a comment, link to your journal.

How should fills be formatted?

Please put the title, prompt, and rating in the subject line. If you want to warn or provide content notes, please do so in the first line of the post. Images that are NSFW should be posted in full elsewhere and should have a SFW thumbnail on the challenge page.

Is there a deadline?

The challenge will open on April 26th, and run through May 15th for the three_weeks_for_dw festival. You may start filling prompts as soon as they are posted, and may continue posting prompts until May 13th. Because this is a 3W4DW challenge, please keep all posted fanworks on DW-only for 21 days after posting, although it is perfectly fine to post links elsewhere.

I heard a rumor there would be prizes.

Participants in the challenge can earn points for Philedom Olympics 2011, for leaving prompts, making fanworks, and leaving comments.

I have another question!

Ask me in the question thread!

Comments

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[amalnahurriyeh]

Ha! Mulder (as I write him) is Mr. Never Obtain Closure On Anything Ever Ever Ever Or Else. It's among his quirks, in my book. :)

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[amalnahurriyeh]

Of course it's not the only thing. It's the fetish object on which all the other brooding is projected. PROJECTION: MULDER'S FAVORITE HOBBY. Sigh.

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[amalnahurriyeh]

Thanks! *g*

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[amalnahurriyeh]

Walter Bishop could do anything. As we saw two weeks ago, lol. (I'm not caught up, don't spoil me!)

I wonder how long it would take Mulder to get around to it. Scully would report back that it wasn't awful, and then he'd at least be less anxious. Oh, Mulder.

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[wendelah1]

Thank you. Damn. I want to know what's in the file, now, too.

Mulder in the early nineties was sort of a mess, wasn't he? Poor soul. I notice I like him better since I began trying to write from his point-of-view. Plus the, uh, hotness factor.

It took me eight hours to write 400 words, and I already had the genesis of the idea sitting in a drawer. It feels good to post something, even something this short.

Bill Mulder, He no longer understands his son.

[pukajen]

ill Mulder, He no longer understands his son. Word Count: 476


He no longer understood his son, this boy on the brink of manhood who was quiet and brilliant and wanted to go to school thousands of miles away. Wanted to put an ocean between himself and everyone, everything he knew.

As Bill swirled the scotch in his glass, he once again glanced at the small stack of papers sitting on the coffee table; the acceptance letter, a student visa applications, housing suggestions, tuition breakdown, medical forms, clothing recommendations, required reading, and on and on.

The manila envelope had arrived three days ago and Bill had yet to call his son and let him know that Oxford wanted him.

“What’s so god-dammed wrong with an American school?” Bill muttered, angrily swigging back the contents of his glass. Years of working for the greater good had cost him his daughter, the destruction of his marriage and loss of his wife, the animosity of various friends and family, and now this.

Getting too his feet, as stiff and slow as an old man, Bill walked over to the liquor cabinet and sloshed another three fingers of scotch into his glass. He no longer felt the burn as the alcohol made its way down his throat, the same way he told himself he no longer truly felt the ache in the knowledge that his son was leaving.

This quiet shadow of the boy he’d seen the last Sunday of every month, the intense and somewhat spooky young man who picked apart every detail until nothing was left but the carcass of the truth. How had Fox not learned that some questions were better not asked, that tact was the better part of valor, and sometimes it was better to ignore the obvious?

Looking back, Bill knew that even before that awful day when Samantha was taken Fox was already starting to change. There had been, still was, a depth to his son that had not come to Bill until much later in life.

They rarely saw eye to eye, even back when Fox had been a child theirs was an acrimonious relationship. These days they couldn’t even talk about baseball anymore without the subtext running treacherously deep.

Glaring at the phone, Bill knew he needed to make the call, to let Fox know that Oxford had accepted him, but part of him knew that as soon as he did the small pieces of the boy he understood would be gone forever. This changeling of a child who wanted nothing more than to explore the frailties of the human mind, who read poetry, and remember every detail but those that matter the most, was little more than a stranger to him these days.

Finishing his glass of scotch, he reached for the phone.

Bill Mulder no longer understood his son, but he suspected that maybe he’d never really known him anyway.

Re: Bill Mulder, He no longer understands his son.

[wendelah1]

Theirs is certainly one of the most problematic relationships in the series. I'd never conceived that Bill Mulder might not be proud and happy that his son was accepted to Oxford, but you have made a convincing case.

I now must stifle the urge to quote Philip Larkin's "This Be the Verse."

"You were a happy mistake," G. Scully & Skinner friendship: Skinner gets mistaken for the babydaddy

[heartequals]

Dana walks halfway into his office and says, "Shit, I knew I'd forgotten something."

Skinner looks up. She has William in a baby carrier and a diaper bag over one shoulder. He'd never thought a woman could look hugely professional with a diaper bag, but Dana's managed it. "I've got the casefiles right here."

"No--" she frowns. "John pulled some files last night as reference and I had. . .shit." She looks down at William. "Can you--?"

He stands. "I can go get them. Where are they?"

"No, watch William." She sets down the carrier on a chair in front of his desk and picks up William, who opens his eyes partway. She kisses his head. "All my stuff, it's all over the place."

"You're not even supposed to be working," he points out. "Where's John? And Monica?"

"Traffic and dentist," she says. She walks around the desk. "It won't take me long." She puts William in his arms. "You'll be fine."

Skinner's alone in his office before he even manages to look up. William stares at him with huge, surprised eyes. Skinner tries to smile. William blinks.

Skinner's find with kids, he's got cousins, nephews, nieces. But if he's to believe Monica, and he is inclined to despite his better judgement, William is proof of everything they've been fighting for. He's more than a little afraid of dropping him.

And, of course, he's Dana's. Skinner is well aware that he probably shouldn't feel as violently protective of the kid as he does, but there are only so many years a man can watch one of his close friends get kidnapped, abducted, subjected to all manner of horror, without feeling that a sort of insane pull in his chest to keep William and his mother safe from all things.

William reaches out with his hand. Skinner holds it.

"Sir?"

He looks. One of his newer agents stands in front of him with a big file and a bigger grin. A brilliant agent, but young, just transferred in a couple weeks ago. He frowns, trying to remember his name. Togashi?

"I was just," Togashi waves the file in the air, clearly trying to contain himself. "For you to. Um." He bites his lip.

"Agent Togashi?" says Skinner. William hits his hand a couple of times and he looks down. William stares up at him, mouth half-open.

"Cute," sighs Togashi. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy," says Skinner. "William."

"He's beautiful!" says Togashi. "How old is he?"

"Couple of months," says Skinner. He can't remember. Three? Four? It can't have been that long. He touches the top of William's hand with his thumb. William smiles.

"Wow, congratulations!" says Togashi. "I didn't you know had kids, Mr. Skinner. You must be so happy." He's waving his file in the air again, dangerously close to losing its contents. "He looks just like you!"

"Oh, uh," says Skinner. Dana steps in the door behind
Togashi, eyebrow raised. "He's--"

"He really does," says Dana.

Togashi turns. "Doesn't he?" He clasps his file to his chest. "Are you William's mother?"

"Yep," says Dana.

"Oh," says Togashi. "He's going to be so good-looking." He grins at them again. "AD Skinner has children! I'd never have thought. I bet you're such a good dad." He shakes his head. "I'll come back. Congratulations, really." He ducks out the door, still smiling impossibly wide.

Skinner stares after him with his mouth open. Dana grins. "Who'd have thought," she teases. "AD Skinner with children!"

"The entire building's going to think we have a son," says Skinner. "Jesus Christ, Dana, do you have any idea how much the agents in Cyber like throwing surprise parties?"

Setting down her files, she shrugs and steps close, touching the top of William's head. "He could do worse." She looks up. "Although, sir, you're not my first choice."

He rolls his eyes. "Right. You want him back now?"

"He's happy," she says and kisses William's head. "You can keep him. Seeing as you're the father."

"So, uh," says John, stepping into the office. He looks confused. "Kid in the hall is collecting money for a baby shower for AD Skinner. Anything you're not telling me?"

Dana starts laughing. William hits his hand again.

Re: "You were a happy mistake," G. Scully & Skinner friendship: Skinner gets mistaken for the babyda

[flourish]

I loled SO INCREDIBLY MUCH. Thank you, this is amazing! I love it!

Re: Truth

[wendelah1]

I like this. It makes me want a much longer story, too.

Re: "You were a happy mistake," G. Scully & Skinner friendship: Skinner gets mistaken

[heartequals]

Thank you! I'm glad you like it \o/ \o/ \o/

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[memories_child]

You need to write "Diana Fowley, The Lost Years" if only so I can have something to look forward to while writing my thesis! Seriously, I would love to read that - and I know you'd be able to do it justice as well.

Needless to say I loved this fic, and would absolutely love to see it being developed.

Re: QUESTIONS

[memories_child]

There's nothing like fandom for helping us procrastinate *g*

I think you should get it out of your head and onto paper. Definitely.

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[memories_child]

I really like this. I want to know what Scully thought of it and if Mulder ever read it, but I also don't want to know - if that makes sense?

I like the idea of Reggie hanging around in the basement though, waiting for Mulder to read the book.

Re: Drabble-ish (not exactly 100 words)

[memories_child]

LOL! I love it, especially this:

Besides, the Lone Gunmen joined last week. They claim to have found a way to booby-trap their information so it can't be deleted, viewed or downloaded without their knowledge."

"Mulder, do you really think that's possible?"

"No. I'm pretty sure that Frohike just wanted to hit on his old high school girlfriend. Sometimes the need to get in their pants outweighs the millstone of sensible security measures."

Re: Drabble-ish (not exactly 100 words)

[flourish]

Thank you! :)

Re: Drabble-ish (not exactly 100 words)

[flourish]

Thank you! :D

Re: Drabble-ish (not exactly 100 words)

[flourish]

Heh... I reject my students' requests :P

Thank you!

Re: Drabble-ish (not exactly 100 words)

[flourish]

I felt totally lost in the prequel, but I may have to go back and reread it now that I've realized who everybody is. :P

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[wendelah1]

Thanks. It felt good to write again, at least. If I come up with a plot bunny, you'll be among the first to know.

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[write_out]

Count me as part of that limited audience- I would love to read more! I really, really like this, especially Mulder's reaction. It feels spot on to me.

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[wendelah1]

LOL. I think every FoF in Philedom is on my flist now. Thank you. I'm glad you liked this. His reaction felt right to me, too. This is season one Mulder. He's a weird combination of vulnerable and arrogant, both totally adorable and totally maddening.

I don't know how much more Mulder there would end up being in a longer version of this. I'd have to have him show up in Berlin, which I guess I had hinted he had done in HWR. I remember I had planned to include emails they had written to one another. Maybe even an awkward phone call. The main problem is I don't have a B plot. There needs to be a mystery (or two or three) for Diana to uncover, preferably one that explains some messed up part of the myth-arc to the reader's satisfaction. I think she disappears from his life completely just as Scully becomes increasingly important. I think that's the ending. Well, now you don't have to read it. LOL.

Re: "Consorting With the Enemy," Fox Mulder/Diana Fowley, PG-13

[write_out]

Plot schmot. Write drabbles or something. (listen to me being bossy!) I mean, a plotty longer version would be great, but I can see this also being a series of scenes.

It's funny- when I first started reading fic a long, long time ago, I really only wanted to read stuff from about S5 and forward. Now I'm really digging the early stuff.

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[ml_griffonnage]

I like this, although it did send my mind down all kinds of shadowy corridors, imagining what Reggie wrote. What if he used Mulder as a character? Scully would recognize that if he did. Then I imagine the conversation she and Mulder would have about that.

I love a story that makes me want more, and this certainly did.

Re: "A Haunting" - Reggie Purdue and Fox Mulder, that unpublished mystery novel.

[write_out]

Oh, Mulder. I really like this. Although I want to know what happens Monday morning when Scully reports back, but I think you left off at the right spot.