Old School X Interview: Gwinne
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Old School X Interview: Gwinne |
| Interviewer: | Lilydale |
| Interviewee: | Gwinne |
| Date(s): | August 31, 2021 |
| Medium: | online, Tumblr |
| Fandom(s): | The X-Files |
| External Links: | at lilydalexf |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Old School X Interview: Gwinne was conducted by Lilydale as part of the series Old School X Interview Series.
Some Topics Discussed
- how X-Files fans made connections with each other in the past
- Gwinne's favorite fics
- connecting today with fans on AO3 and Tumblr
From the Interview
Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?
I will say I was surprised by the phenomenon of all the reboot TV shows in general, and the revival of TXF specifically. But, no, it doesn’t surprise me that late 90s/00s fanfic is still being read with the resurrection of those shows. I am curious — though I know little about — the relationship between the fics posted during the original run and more recently. To what extent are the authors from back then involved in fandom now? This interview project is exciting to me for that reason as a way to bridge generations of writers. I think reposting older stories on AO3 is another way to do that work.
Social media didn’t really exist during the show’s original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?
I remember finding an early fanfic right after Fight the Future, in the summer of 1998. It was a piece about Diana Fowley that was otherwise unremarkable. I honestly don’t know how/where I stumbled across it, as I hadn’t heard of the term ‘fan fiction’ until then (I also realized I’d written fan fiction even as a kid, based on Little House on the Prairie!) But shortly thereafter, I found an X-files yahoo group and then Scullyfic (later “E-muse”), as well as the Ephemeral and Gossamer sites. Those were the primary ways in which I interacted with other fans and fanfiction. At some point I started reading academic writing about fan culture, like Henry Jenkins’ work.
What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?
Scullyfic provided a community of like-minded women for me during a tumultuous time in my life, as I was finishing up graduate school, applying for jobs, and contemplating my own path toward motherhood; Scullyfic was friendly but also highly analytical, with weekly prompts and posts about episodes (around season 7 and 8). After years of needing to go to campus to check email, I had just gotten dial up internet in my apartment and I remember reading the Scullyfic listserv almost daily. Some friendships migrated from that space to email, IM, and even “real life,” though I’ve subsequently lost touch with almost everyone from that time.
In that era (say, 2000-2002) I read voluminous amounts of fanfic. It was my major source of reading for pleasure. I’m a writer by training but didn’t have much experience in fiction; writing fic helped develop that skill set in a relatively ‘safe’ (because anonymous) space.
What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?
The one word answer: Scully!
The longer answer: I came to The X-Files midway through the original run. I was a senior in college when the series began, and my roommate had turned on the pilot; I remember watching the opening sequence and the show feeling like some bad “based on real life” thing I had no interest in. But I started watching regularly during the cancer arc in Season 4, with some friends from my graduate program who got together for dinner and an episode on Sunday nights. One of the first episodes I watched was “Leonard Betts,” which exemplified the best of the episodes in which a MOTW and character-driven episode come together. Local TV stations also aired reruns at various times, and some of the VHS compilations were available at Blockbuster (wow, haven’t thought about that in a while!), so my early viewings were out of order and mixed up. (The myth arc is even more confusing that way.) Eventually (late 2000?) I got a DVD player and the DVDs (which, yes, I still have) and watched in order. I think I’m an atypical fan in many ways, but I much prefer seasons 4-7 to the earlier ones, probably because that was my point of entry.
What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom? Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?
I’ve circled back to The X-Files at a couple moments since the original run. When I Want to Believe came out, I read (and started working on) some fanfic again. Same with the reboot. I found some new writers via AO3 and Tumblr (though I don’t have my own Tumblr account). I wrote something I intended to be part of a series and gave up on it. I just don’t have the luxury of time that I once did to immerse myself in the experience; the writing I do is largely professional now. I’ve rewatched episodes periodically, mostly old favorites (“Bad Blood,” “Postmodern Prometheus,” much of Season 7) but haven’t gotten back into the show in any serious way since then. I tried a rewatch at the beginning of the pandemic and gave up on it; I still love Scully but the show feels very dated to me now.