Next of Kin (X-Files story)
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Next of Kin |
| Author(s): | Sarah Stegall |
| Date(s): | November 10, 1994 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | X-Files |
| External Links: | at Gossamer WebCite first part of eight as it was posted to alt.tv.x-files.creative unv.is |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Next of Kin is a very early X-Files story by Sarah Stegall.
It was first posted to alt.tv.x-files.creative on November 10, 1994, a place that was difficult for the author to respond to comments at the time due to computer access issues. On November 17, 1994, the author posted:
I just want to let everyone know that Next of Kin has been archived to ftp.cs.nmt.edu, and you can find it there. If you have no access to ftp, e-mail me and I will see if I can re-post the story. I don't want to clutter up the newsgroup with an eight-part story again unless it is really necessary. And please note that I HAVE NO ACCESS TO NEWSGROUPS. I can only e-mail messages like this to the group through a gateway; I CANNOT READ THE NEWS. So if you want to get a message to me you will have to e-mail me directly. -- [1]
Author's Notes
Don't bother posting comments to me on the newsgroups, since I cannot read them. If you do post comments, please cc me at my e-mail address.
This story contains very graphic scenes of sex, strong language and some hints of graphic violence. If you are under age, or do not want to read this material, please stop now. I really can't take any complaints seriously if you fail to heed this warning.
Caveat lector.>
Introductin
INTRODUCTION
This is not an X-File.
I was not interested in a story that focused on the investigations of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I was interested in a character study of Fox Mulder: why is he so repressed, so tightly controlled? What made him the obsessive monk-like creature that he is? What makes him tick? Like any good Oxford- trained psychologist, I looked first to his background. This led me inevitably to the young Fox Mulder, and some speculation on what life would have been like for him growing up after his sister's disappearance.
We are all products of our youth, it goes without saying. Almost everyone who has been through high school carries the scars of that coming-of-age ritual. We are more aware of them because at the time they happen, we ourselves are closer to the mature understanding of the adult mind, so those echoes linger. Sometimes the upheaval of the teen years is made more disturbing by the shock of crime or failure or death, as happened to Fox Mulder. But life is more than a single, isolated tragedy. Whatever happened to Samantha Mulder, young Fox had to continue to grow, to change, to go through a more or less normal adolescence. What resonances from that early tragedy might have touched him, rippled through his life to make him the man he is today? This story is an attempt to explore those resonances.
Since we are dealing here with an adolescent male, and the man he became, necessarily this story involves sex. Every man I asked confirmed to me that it is *the* overwhelming obsession of those years, possibly the single most important force shaping the boy into the man. For that reason, any honest appraisal of young Fox Mulder will have to deal with this facet of his personality. If it seems to lean a little heavily towards sentiment sometimes, chalk it up to the inevitable romanticizing of our youth that comes with age.
My profound gratitude to Mindy Young, whose editorial comments were invaluable in developing this work, and to Kellie Matthews- Simmons, whose careful reading and insightful criticism aided me greatly. Thank you to all the X-Philes and members of the David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade who put up with my endless and impertinent questions.
Sarah Stegall, X-Phile, David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade
November, 1994