How to Throw a Curve Ball
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | How to Throw a Curve Ball |
| Author(s): | Courtney Gray |
| Date(s): | July 1998 - November 2000 |
| Length: | 88,795 words / 527 KB |
| Genre: | slash fanfiction |
| Fandom: | The X-Files |
| External Links: | How to Throw a Curve Ball (TER/MA) How to Throw a Curve Ball (Courtney's Fanfic)  title card by The Theban Band |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
How to Throw a Curve Ball is a Mulder/Krycek fanfiction series by Courtney Gray.
Summary from storyteller's campsite: "Following the orders of the Well-Manicured Man, Krycek hands over important information to Mulder, and in the rain storm of this night, the status quo between the two men is irrevocably changed."
The story won the 2000 Lisa e Krysa Awards in the category "Best Series" and the last part, Stike Zone, won in the category "Best Romance".
Series
- Part 1: How to Throw a Curve Ball (5,640 words, July 1998)
- Part 2: Wild Cards (13,277 words, December 1998)
- Part 3: Players (19,077 words, August 1999)
- Part 4: Double Play (15,801 words, February 2000)
- Part 5: Strike Zone (35,000 words, November 2000)
Recs and Reviews
This is the best alternate resolution of the Mytharc I've ever seen. Courtney doesn't ignore or excuse away Krycek's actions on behalf of the Consortium, but neither does she make him into a man without regrets. Her Krycek is vulnerable but not innocent, her Mulder is driven but not crazy, and her way of bringing them together is, for me, believable like nothing else before. This is what I would have loved to see on tv. I admire Courtney for her layered character portrayal, her style, her ability to distill the impeding colonization plotline down to its basic points, and of course also the the fact that she dared to run with the one-armed-Krycek - and did it well. Peerless.[1]
I don't really know what it is about this series that I like so much. It's hard to really pinpoint. The writing is wonderful and in some ways I think it is possibly as close as you can come to what a real relationship between the boys would be like. It's definitely angsty and both of them are wise enough to know that this is a bad idea, but yet the attraction they feel for one another is so strong that they can't seem to stay away. There are no sappy declarations of love here and neither of them really know what the hell they are doing. Not thinking and just going with what they feel and desire is basically what they are doing. Telling their heads to shut up and listening to the bodies desire and what their hearts are feeling. Mulder is confused as hell and angry at himself for wanting Krycek, which he takes out on Alex, which I find very believable and Mulder like. Alex is feeling more for Mulder and in touch with that better, again not shocked and think that fits. Alex has a vulnerability to him that Nick Lea puts into his performance and Mulder is angry and definitely in touch with his guilt if nothing else. I think the characterizations are what I like most about this series. They are so dead on that you just really see the guys in this. Courtney has just posted the last and final section of this wonderful series, called Strike Zone. Check it out to see the conclusion to one of the best M/K series out there.[2]
A classic and an award winner. Very realistic characterization and very angsty/romance you have to read! Krycek is under WMM, and he needs to keep Mulder on track to his Truth…[3]
Secret agents, complicated lies and audacious plans. Mulder looked for the truth, Krycek gave him what he could. Another classic.[4]
Mulder is at the bat. Fate throws a curveball. Confusion ensues.[5]
The *How to throw a curveball series* by Courtney Gray, how do I describe it? That's not easy. I read a rec the other day where the person said that this was one of those stories that they weren't sure why they liked it they just did. I would have to say I agree with that.It's not just that it is well written, which it is. It is the depth of emotion that the characters display. In this one we see a Krycek that is in love with Mulder and in pain because he thinks that all Mulder will ever want is his body. paired with a Mulder who just can't seem to turn away from his desire for Krycek. We have a cold Mulder who is feeling more than he wants to even though he doesn't want to acknowledge it. A Krycek who is the emotional one feeling more than he wants to in a situation he fears will only ever be about sex. The characters emotions in this are deep and that is probably what keeps drawing me back to this series. How well she writes these to like this and how believable. She has a real grasp of the characters; their pain, shame, desire, love, and hate. They are complex and the sex is as emotionally hot, as physically. The series is about those inextricable relationships Mulder was talking about.
The pairing is M/K if you haven't figured that out. Takes place after RatB and is most likely NC-17. It is in four parts right now, but the author says a fifth is in the works right now. Which should be out sometime this fall or winter if we're lucky. I keep checking back just in case, in anticipation of it being ready yet.
You can find the *How to throw a curveball series* at: http://www.mindspring.com/~seagray/fanfic.htm
She has some Professionals fanfic on the same page for those of you that are interested in that. Can't give you a rec there though, never got into that fandom. Those of you who are can check it out if so inclined. I can tell you her X-files stuff is good, this should be too.[6]
The final part to Courtney's How to throw a curveball series is finally up on her site, URL's still same as above. The last part is called Strike Zone and is just as good as the rest of them. We learn some of Krycek's secrets and Mulder finally moves out of denial land and acknowledges what he feels for Krycek. It is a great story and a really good ending to it. Courtney knew when to end the series, hope she doesn't do any more because this ending is perfect. Some writers don't know when to end a series and it just ends up spoiling like rotten fruit. Courtney is not one of those writers, this is a perfect conclusion to the series and very good. It is worth checking out.[7]
References
- ^ allaire mikháil. storyteller's campsite: the x-files fan fiction, 14 June 2001. (Accessed 08 June 2013)
- ^ The Slash Slut's Recs: X-Files Recs. (Accessed 02 June 2013)
- ^ Flesh Wounds: Mulder/Krycek Recommended Fics. (Accessed 23 March 2015)
- ^ aris in blue(s). X-Files Recs (Accessed 03 April 2015)
- ^ Worlds Enough. Sylvia's X-Files Slash Recs. (Accessed 05 April 2015)
- ^ comment by Lady C at Slash Sluts Multifandom Recs Board: How to throw a curveball series - X-files, Archived version, August 2000
- ^ comment by Lady C at Slash Sluts Multifandom Recs Board: How to throw a curveball series - X-files, Archived version, November 2000