The Popsicle Story

Story written 07/21/99
Entry written 02/25/00

On a whim I re-read The Popsicle Story, and decided to get my ass in gear and start writing some of these looking back entries for the journal.

TPS was written in the middle of the summer, which explains the setting. As ever, Chicago was in the middle of our annual "Deadly Heat Wave ©". It was a bit less deadly than in past years, but still miserable. The heat combined with my insomnia made sleep nearly impossible. I had a long night trying to make myself tired; mostly through watching TV and reading fic.

Somewhere in the morning hours (around seven or eight) I came up with the "brilliant" idea of including popsicles in a M/K story. Though I can't remember the exact details, I'm sure it had something to do with my eating a popsicle, or wanting to eat a popsicle but finding the box empty.

I smacked myself in the head for not thinking of the idea sooner. It seemed like a natural marriage. I began working on plot ideas. At first I just planned on having them eating popsicles in Mulder's apartment. And then outside, at a public park. Then I decided they needed to be forced together. Locked somewhere in stifling heat. So I came up with the basement idea. I decided to make it a bomb shelter to it would be harder to break out of.

So I had the setting, I opened up a blank WP file, and I got cracking. At that point I wasn't sure what I wanted the mood of the story to be; I was considering making it more of a sexy piece. But at that point my own mood point was way past "Over-tired and silly" and well into "insane" so Mulder's tone ended up being a bit more sarcastic and crazy than I was planning on making it.

And Mulder was another surprise. I really didn't want to write a first person story. Especially not when I was planning on including deeply sexual tones. But when I sat down and started writing everything came out wrong. I started over, letting Mulder speak, and things flowed more easily.

I finished most of the story in one sitting. When I finally called it a "night" the boys were still playing with their popsicles. The possibility of things ending in sex was still in the air, but I wasn't enthusiastic at the possibility. I knew it would be easier for me to end things with Scully walking in, and it would keep things light and funny. So I had her bust in and save the boys. And laugh at Mulder.

On the planned (but never executed) sequel:

I had a vague idea for a possible sequel, and when I posted someone (I believe it was Lissa) said it would be a great idea. Now, I don't think this will ever be written (but who knows what the next "Deadly Heat Wave ©" will cause me to do), so I'm going to talk about it here.

Lissa (I think) suggested having Krycek be waiting for Mulder when Mulder gets home. I had a similar idea. I planned on having Mulder go back to his //thankfully// air conditioned home, taking a shower, and then dressing and going to his own freezer for a popsicle. After unwrapping the thing, he turns around to find Krycek. They end up having sex.

Once again, a marvel of plot excellence! Anyway, I never got to writing it because a few days after I posted TPSI my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and my "little or no writing" streak began. In the next months I wrote a handful of snippets and three stories. Hopefully, now that my grandmother is at rest, I'll be able to recover my writing urges and get some more stories out for all of you lovely people.

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