Chronicle X Interview with JourneyToX

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Chronicle X Interview with JourneyToX
Interviewer:	uncredited
Interviewee:	JourneyToX
Date(s):	Feburary 2000
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	X-Files
External Links:	interview is here;copy
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Chronicle X Interview with JourneyToX was conducted in 2000 by the Chronicle X archive.

Some Excerpts

Oh that's simple - my estrogen level's response to the show demanded an outlet. Let's not have any pretense here - Walter Sergei Skinner lights me up like a Christmas tree. More than just the obvious crush thing, though, I think he's a fascinating character. Mulder and Scully are beautifully written about by so many, but I thought there was a place for a few words about Skinner. So I tried, and I found I love it.

I'm writing this in January, 2000. I can look back to the 7 previous seasons and say they haven't used Skinner nearly enough in quantity or quality. He has added so much to every episode in which he has been featured. I'm also looking toward the end of this season, with the probable end of the series and thinking that 1013 may kill Skinner off, with no chance for us to have known him well or to know that he has, all along, wanted to help Mulder and Scully. I feel that would be a gross mistake, and if they do it, it will take a lot for me not to be totally soured on The X-Files (as a show not as fic.)

Skinnercentric stories with romance and angst, for the most part. I've been told I write some fairly good Skinnerotica. Guess I put my, ahem, heart into that! <g> But as my writing in the XF world has progressed, I have found I have wanted to explore other characters as well. I wrote "Rosemary for Remembrance" with the one idea I've ever had concerning Krycek. I have hopes to bring my own knowledge of one issue Scully has also faced to a fic about her, told in her voice. Although I wrote Insane!Mulder in "Spiritus Mundi" I don't feel I could ever write regular Mulder well and that's a disappointment to me. It's safe to say Skinner will remain central to my stories in the future.

I really have never resolved whether I am, in my heart, a shipper or not.

To me, it's like Mulder and Scully stand on a fence. Leaning in one direction, they fall toward being lovers, but it would never be hearts-and-flowers, easy, simple or uncomplicated. A little shift in the other direction, and they are not lovers, but rather deeply devoted friends and partners. Good writing by good fanfic authors has made me see both sides of this issues, so I will say it depends on what I'm reading at the time as to what I think at any given moment.

I have to add here that I totally see Skinner/Scully as a viable and exciting pairing and an interesting realm of fanfic to explore. I do want to write a Magnum Opus Skinner/Scully piece but it's sitting on my hard drive like a stubborn mule right now. I also am very fond of, ahem, (close your eyes, kids!) Skinner/Scully/Mulder. Purrrrrr!

Walter's my main man. Seriously, Skinner just does it for me. The show has its heroes in Mulder and Scully but I relate to Skinner, because, frankly, we all can't be heroes. His strength, his conflicts, his wounds, his obvious care for Mulder and Scully really make him stand out as a character to me. Skinner is torn between law and justice, between the higher-ups and higher good. He has served all of his life to protect the ideals of this country and innocent lives. I believe he was brought in on cooperation with CSM with no idea what he was abetting, and has stayed in the game in hopes of defeating these conspirators. I don't think he seeks death, but if he should find it, he wants to die a smart death. These are things I find fascinating. That and the fact that he exudes pheromones.