"Scully reiterates the dominant norms of heterosexual femininity and is culturally intelligible as a 'woman' precisely because she dons tailored suits, makeup, and styled hair. At the same time that Scully reiterates the visible norms of femininity however, she cites historically masculinized discourses as well. That is, Scully's feminine body becomes the site through which scientific rational, technological, and legal discourses are articulated and negotiated." (Parks 1996, 122)

Fan fiction builds on the "Dana Scully" created by Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson, and the media; it takes these multiple interpretations of Dana Scully as a map and follows some lines of flight, abandons others, and sometimes traces new ones in new directions. Fan fiction always refers back to the map that is The X-Files, however, so narrative arcs appearing on the show (constituting what is "canon") extend into fan fiction. Focusing on the posthuman body of Dana Scully, three major themes emerge from particular narrative arcs on the show:

• Disease - An ongoing theme in The X-Files, which regularly deals with biological mutations and monstrous infections. As focused on Scully, the theme of disease originates in her first abduction in the second season episode "Duane Barry." It culminates in the fourth and fifth season narrative arc about Scully's brain cancer, which resulted from her abduction.

• Sexuality - Although not a narrative arc, so to speak, the issues of Scully's femininity and sexuality are present in The X-Files largely through their absences. On The X-Files, sex and dating for Scully seems to result almost inevitably in danger or failure. Although in season one Scully did go on one date and was originally written as having a boyfriend, the boyfriend was cut from the series and all subsequent dates have ended in disaster. Fan fiction is, more often than not, engaged in filling in the blank spaces of sexuality and desire in the lives of these characters.

• Reproduction - Beginning with the first season episode "Eve," The X-Files's primary thematic concern seems to be reproduction, particularly reproduction anxiety. This general theme is localized within the body of Dana Scully when it is revealed in "Memento Mori" that she is infertile due to her abduction. In season five, Scully encounters a girl who is genetically her child even though she was never pregnant, and in season seven Scully actually does become mysteriously pregnant. In the current season, still in progress, Scully's pregnancy is addressed more fully. This plot development has resulted in an increase in the number of stories written about Scully and reproduction--particularly the physicality of pregnancy and birth. As nearly all fan fiction writers are women, many of whom have experienced pregnancy, this fan fiction is in part an overt contestation of the representation of reproduction by the male production staff of The X-Files.

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Copyright © 2001 Malinda Lo. All rights reserved.