RPF: The X-Files Fandom Overview

[wendelah1]

Hi! I'm wendelah1 and I'm going to be driving the van for RPF this month. Sorry for the late start. I'll try to make up for it with plenty of great fic.

This fandom has only made one appearance here, back when The X-Files was in the midst of a mini-revival centered around the lead up to the release of the second movie, I Want to Believe. In April of 2007, veils and elapses created the community where you can find most of the stories I'm going to rec: homeby_five. Probably if the 2008 film had done better at the box-office, or had even been a critical success, the parent fandom might have kept up a little more momentum. Since then the number of people actively writing RPF: The X-Files has declined dramatically. As things currently stand, the fandom qualifies for Yuletide, and as gorgeous and sexy and messed up as these people are, I don't see that changing anytime soon.



Since the last time it was featured, the driver didn't do an overview, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The problem with that plan, as I discovered when I sat down to write one, is that I don't know much about the actors--I just read the fic! The good news is, for better or worse, the character list is a pretty small one. Meet the costars of The X-Files: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.



In lieu of actual research, I'm just going to link you to my personal favorite of the XF-related tumblrs I've been following via a feed: Shit.Between.Us: Documenting the Awkward since 2010. Whoever runs this blog has a quirky sense of humor and a seemingly inexhaustible collection of photos, vids and quotes. Like me, she doesn't ship them, she just adores them. I love this Tumblr so much I've been tempted to get a blog there just so I can "like this" and "re-blog" everything they post. Yeah, that would be pretty pointless. Unless specified otherwise, any photos from hereon in can be attributed to the fuckyeahdavidgillian.tumblr.com archive. fuck yeah.



Someone called this their engagement photo. Right.

Back in the day, RPF had a pretty dodgy reputation among Philes, and it was controversial enough that most of the writers who posted it to the first XF Porn Battle created pseudonyms for that purpose, including me. There was even a mean name for the people who shipped them: snoggers. Most RPF writers have since outed themselves, so I guess we are no longer beyond the pale.



As I discovered to my shame, while wasting time on the internet doing research for this overview, there is a cutesy name people use now for the pairing: "gillovny." There is also a Twitter, a Facebook and a Forum. I don't belong to any of them, but if it makes you happy...



Themselves at the Los Angeles premiere of IWTB.



Gillian and David at the opening night of his off-off-Broadway play. More about that later..



Last but not least, David and Gillian at the recent question and answer they did in LA to raise money for SA-YES.

I was going to post more pictures today, but really, just hit the link to the tumblr archive. And stay tuned for the recs that are coming up next.

Last minute addition: A Very Special Request for tree:



Gillian licking David's face! LOL. I think this was on a TV Guide cover. Seriously. Photo reblogged from xphiles tumblr.com, another favorite.

Comments

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, I wanted to comment on that fic, because I liked it, but like you guys, I wasn't sure about the paternity-questioning element. I'm not sure if it crosses the line for me or not. I think a fic that answered the paternity issue would be way over the line, but is posing the question over the line? As much as my gut instinct says it's icky, can you really write a fic in which they're sleeping together off and on for years without broaching that question?

On another note, what does one call herself if she's interested in DD and GA's relationship? I've always wondered. From what Frey's saying, it sounds like I'm not nearly 'into it' enough to be deemed a snogger. There should be a non-derogatory word for people who enjoy RPF within reason.

Nice job, Wen! I'm excited to see what you rec, even though I'll probably have read everything already, tiny fandom that it is. I've never seen that exact filing cabinet promo shot you used, though. I've only seen ones where Gillian's looking at the camera. I think I like this one more.

[wendelah1]

Nice job, Wen! I'm excited to see what you rec, even though I'll probably have read everything already, tiny fandom that it is.


I know! We've all read everything already! We need a holiday ficathon or something! (Well. Maybe this month of recs will inspire more people to offer and ask for the fandom at Yuletide.)

Ah, yes, I wanted to comment on that fic, because I liked it, but like you guys, I wasn't sure about the paternity-questioning element. I'm not sure if it crosses the line for me or not. I think a fic that answered the paternity issue would be way over the line, but is posing the question over the line? As much as my gut instinct says it's icky, can you really write a fic in which they're sleeping together off and on for years without broaching that question?

You mean overtly or in people's heads? There will be many stories recced here in which they've been having sex on and off for years without paternity issues being raised.

Re: the story in question. It says so many things about both characters for David's character to wonder about it. Maybe the writer intended to raise those issues. But for two people who both claim to trust one another in a way that eerily parallels how M&S feel to not be able to talk about that concern seems--I don't know--off to me? And of course, we all know that in real life her second husband asked for a paternity test to be done for her second child. Sigh.

Well, I need to go post the next rec, she said brightly.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

You mean overtly or in people's heads?

I guess that's the thing: in my head, I have wondered. Not that I really think...that. Nor do I think it's any of my business anyway. But I've considered it. And I figure that if I've wondered, then the people in question (the versions of them in the fic, I mean) would surely wonder too. And since to me it's a very important thing to be wondering about, as a writer I would find it difficult to ignore the issue in a fic, without feeling like I was ignoring something crucial. But as I said, that doesn't mean I don't feel weird about RPF bringing something like that up. I've simply never determined exactly where I stand on any of it.

But for two people who both claim to trust one another in a way that eerily parallels how M&S feel to not be able to talk about that concern seems--I don't know--off to me?

Ah, I see. I guess I've never thought of G & D's relationship as being anything like Mulder and Scully's. If I did, then I'm sure it would seem painfully sordid.

we all know that in real life her second husband asked for a paternity test to be done for her second child.

WHAT! I wasn't aware of this, actually. Um. Okay. Huh. I'll just put this in the cupboard with the other bits of information I'm trying not to make too much of.

[wendelah1]

It was a reasonable thing for him to ask for since they were still married at the time that the child was conceived. But it wasn't his, they separated and now she's with Mark, of course, and they seem to be very happy together .

I apparently know a little more about the facts of her life than I thought. *cough*

Ah, I see. I guess I've never thought of G & D's relationship as being anything like Mulder and Scully's. If I did, then I'm sure it would seem painfully sordid.

Well, naturally, no one really knows what a relationship is like except the people who are in it. We all just have these imaginary people--the characters--who we read and write about it to create the world of RPF. But, yeah, that's partly what my story was about, how the lines of fiction and reality are blurred, though I didn't see it as sordid, more as painful. Poignant. YMMV.

[amyhit.livejournal.com]

that's partly what my story was about, how the lines of fiction and reality are blurred, though I didn't see it as sordid, more as painful.

I didn't mean the idea of them having sex is sordid (though if it's adultry then I suppose by technical definition it's sordid). Your fic didn't strike me as sordid at all. It seemed quite respectful of them both. I meant having to question paternity and pretending it's not an issue is sordid.

I think in RL exclusive relationships, that kind of sordidness seems normal to me. It doesn't bother me because it's the kind of thing so many real people do. Where as with M & S I fully expect their relationship to be so much better than that.

YMMV.

Oh, definitely. Maybe even more so with RPF.

[frey-at-last.livejournal.com]

On another note, what does one call herself if she's interested in DD and GA's relationship? I've always wondered. From what Frey's saying, it sounds like I'm not nearly 'into it' enough to be deemed a snogger. There should be a non-derogatory word for people who enjoy RPF within reason.

I'm not sure we need our own word/term, since other RPF people seem to do fine with just "Actor/actor shipper" or whatever, and because name-smashed terms go against my morals, but yeah, I feel like snogger is not only such a meaningful term from the past but ALSO still in the present, that I don't identify with whatsoever.

My dream would be fic where they are, like, fighting and not having sex and not even necessarily wanting it, but just trying to figure out their business. I like that.

[wendelah1]

That's a great prompt, minus the not necessarily wanting sex part, of course. *g* When would you ideally want it set?

[frey-at-last.livejournal.com]

But, but, it is not my DREAM fic unless there is not-wanting-of-sex! Maybe wanting of an obscure type of intimacy or reassurance, but I just don't see them wanting (consciously anyway) to actually go there physically. (Of course this doesn't rule out basic physical attraction, but that's a different thing to me.) And ahem, this ideal fic would be set somewhere between 1997 and 2000.

[wendelah1]

I have not forgotten this prompt.