cecilysass

[cecilysass]

Mulder whispering “I’m sorry” after he almost kisses Scully is about to have me inconsolable at the club

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just started the X-Files after years of Pop Culture osmosis, parody, references and memes

But holy shit did none of you prepare me for the pathetic wet cat rizz of Fox Mulder. Puppy dog eyes every other scene. He loses every stand off with every other government agent, military op, co-worker he bumps into. Sassy little quips in between getting his ass kicked and the puppy dog eyes. he's deeply traumatized. he has no social life. he never knows whats going on. he's one of the smartest people in any room he's in and knows more than most what's going on.

This guy is just sopping wet vibes, desperate need to believe, and love for Scully. Character of all time.

[cecilysass]

THE X-FILES | 7x16, 6x21, 7x04, 5x19, 5x04, 5x02

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how to say "I love you" in x-files [47/?] ⤷ 6.03 — “Triangle”

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sex is fine but have you ever thought about all the ways you’d rewrite a flawed piece of media that shaped your life and holds a special place in your heart despite its unfulfilled potential

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I only have a couple chapters left of the third act to write, so I figured I’d tease my next—and possibly last—big fanfic. An MSR casefile.

I started writing fanfic like 25 years ago, when artwork for long works was the norm. So I’m doing what we did for years. I hope everyone enjoys. I’ll be releasing around Thanksgiving, one or two chapters a day. I started writing this story years ago, so it’s a long time coming.

It’s been fun. ✌🏻

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I do have a piece of writing advice, actually.

See, the first time I grew parsnips, I fucked it up good. I hadn't seen parsnips sprouting before, right, and in my eagerness I was keeping a close eye on the row. And every time I saw some intruding grass coming up, I twitched it right out, and went back to anticipating the germination of my parsnips.

But it turns out parsnips take a bit longer than anything else I'd ever grown to distinguish themselves visually. It's just the two little split leaves, almost identical to a newly seeded bit of kentucky bluegrass when they first come up, and they take a good bit to establish themselves and spread out flat before the main stem with its first distinctive scallopy leaf gets going.

I didn't get any parsnips, not that year, because I'd weeded them all out as soon as they showed their faces, with my 'ugh no that's grass' twitchy horticulture finger.

The next year, having in retrospect come to suspect what had happened, I left the row alone and didn't weed anything until all the sprouts coming up had all had a bit to set in and show their colors, and I've grown lots of parsnips since. They're kind of a slow crop, not a huge return, but I like them and watching them grow and digging them up, and their papery little seeds in the second year, if you don't harvest one either on purpose or because you misjudged the frost, so it's worth it.

Anyway, whenever I see someone stuck and struggling with their writing who's gotten into that frustration loop of typing a few words, rejecting them, backspacing, and starting again, I find myself thinking, you gotta stop weeding your parsnips, man.

[cecilysass]

Poang pal's back!

History time: Poang pals are derived from leiascully's Poang fic, which is derived from a club meme of Mulder and Scully bumping ugly in an IKEA chair (called Poang.)

So, about Christmas: do you have anything specific you'd want to read? A time frame or theme? Alternate universe or fantasy?? 👀 Or anything you don't want to read?

Hey SP! I do appreciate the history lesson. I was definitely feeling like I missed a step lol.

I feel like I am going to say the same thing again and again, which is that the specifics aren’t THAT important to me and most of all, I want you to do your thing. (Whatever that is.) But I do tend to like canon-friendly fics—maybe not strictly canon compliant, but divergent in ways rooted in canon. I like season 6 best. But it’s really a sentimental fave, and I have really been liking earlier season fic lately. So really whatever season floats your boat.

What do I NOT want to read? Hmmm. I don’t love MSR in happy ever after suburban happiness all that much. I don’t like “punish Diana” fic. I have a strange relationship with smut in that I do like it but I also skip over it sometimes if it goes on too long, so I think I don’t like it as the centerpiece, if that makes sense? I like the build up to smut much more. (I know other people DEFINITELY disagree with me lol.) I do like revival fics sometimes, but maybe not for this?

Am I doing a good job answering these? I feel like I am being unhelpful lol.

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no fr it's so sad to see that women are the most hated group across the world.

Trump, who took away women's reproductive rights is in the lead to win the elections in the US. Meanwhile the taliban have forbidden women from even talking to each other in Afghanistan. First world country this, third world country that. It doesn't fucking matter when women are hated in both.

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call me the x files season 8 episode 14 bc This Is Not Happening

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Oh my goooooood this is unbearable. Why why why why are we doing this shit again, fellow dumbass Americans. 😭

[cecilysass]

just finished 5x01 and it was SUCH a good episode, i cannot wait to tell you my thoughts in excruciating detail, BUT: i cannot stop laughing at the poster in scully’s apartment of a bunch of different tomatoes

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Howdy, poangpal! Hope you're having a good one; because I always do seeing you on my tl.

What are we feeling like this Christmas? Any hints or clues? 📝

Hi secret poangpal! (Y’all, what IS a poangpal exactly? Whatever, fuck it, I have one.)

What’s your preferred medium, SP? Are you a writer, artist, gifmaker? I know less about art and gifmaking, but I can give examples of things I like if you want me to.

If you’re a writer, well, I like all sorts of things. I want you to do what you do best and will have the most fun with. I like angst, awkward situations, jealousy, revelations… but for real I have loved work in every genre. I know sometimes writers find it easier with specific prompts or lists of elements to include or whatever, and I am happy to do that if you want me to. Just let me know.

I’m excited, SP.

[cecilysass]

Spooky Fic Recs For Tricks and Treats

Some Halloween fic recs, y'all. I probably moved too fast on this, so let me know if you have other favorites. I feel like I forgot some!

Other Night - Punk Mulder chooses Halloween as the night to ask Scully to go to dinner, because of course he does. Gentle, witty little piece.

I Put A Spell On You - Sarie_Fairy Mulder and Scully go undercover at an invitation-only Halloween party where everyone is acting strangely drugged. All the right tropes in this one.

Bump in the Night - Lysandra Sweet in every conceivable sense. Caramel apple covered in Butterfinger. Also, it's somehow a sequel to How the Ghosts Stole Christmas: impressive for a Halloween fic.

Poltergeist - all_these_ghosts Halloween in the Unremarkable House. Watching Poltergeist on video. Local teens who think the Unremarkable House might be haunted. (Isn't it?)

Trick or Treat - Baroness_Blixen Fluff flawlessly executed. This is more candy to put in your bag, but it is so, so awwwwww.

Time Warp - SisterSpooky1013 The Gunmen have a Rocky Horror Picture Show party. I can't lie; I have a very soft spot for the idea of Mulder dressed as Brad.

A Few Bonus Scary / Creepy / Horror Fic Just For Vibes: The Summoning of Nikola Price - alienqueequeg Mulder and Scully attend a seance in a quite effed up haunted house with many disturbing historical deaths. Scary.

Gardening in Tropical Climates - threeguesses I would describe this as psychological horror. Starts one way and turns into something else. I adore this fic.

Waldron Island - SisterSpooky1013 This is freaking terrifying. A straight up horror story, but you know. Excellent MSR and smut and all that, too X-Tropy - DeadCanons Including this for Halloween vibes because it's a ghost story, among other things. I'm going to keep going on about this fic until more people read it. It's sci fi and a Scully character study and sweet MSR and so mindbendingly creative.

[cecilysass]

Undercover Smolder Mulder: Pine Bluff Variant Fic Recs

I'd describe Pine Bluff Variant as a low key fan favorite, an episode that I even feel like appreciation has grown for over the years. Oh sure, it doesn’t get the fan love that a Memento Mori or Pusher might, but we sure do see those Mulder Scully intense looks gifs popping up pretty often, right? Plus, it has partner trust angst, undercover intrigue, hurt/comfort, genuine thriller-style suspense, and serious MSR overtones.

I like PBV for all of those reasons obviously, but also because it feels like the show going with a slightly different tone. Starting from its action-based, FBI operation cold open, we know this is more conspiracy / bioterrorist thriller than classic X-file. Yes, there’s a sci fi component to the biotoxin--and the scenes that reveal its victims have a horror feel--but this episode just isn’t as much about the supernatural. It also raises the interesting--and nowadays more pointed--question: aren’t anti-government groups operating under their own rules sometimes potentially as dangerous as the government itself?

TXF tried several kinds of experiments in its later seasons, in production and structure of show (Triangle or X-Cops), in exploring all kinds of playful, self-aware and satirical comedy (lots of season 6, Hollywood A.D., etc.), in making drastic moves with its mytharc (One Son, Requiem, etc). Going in the direction of a more purely action-suspense thriller for a MOTW wasn’t something they ever tried again (that I can think of anyway). And I think that's kind of a shame? It feels like a good change up. Different without messing too much with the show’s basic DNA.

Not to mention, y'all, Scully thinks he betrayed her! And there's the scene with the finger! And Mulder thinks he's going to die! There's so much good stuff here!

Here is a list of Pine Bluff Variant fic recs. (As usual, I really think there should be more. This episode has sooooo many openings. You should write some.)

Calling Bluffs - mangokiwitropicalswirl An angsty little post ep that doesn’t flinch from the way coming close to death affects Mulder (or Scully). It also raises the question of how much their bond always puts them at risk. Moving ending.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before - pinebluffvariant Immediately post ep, Scully protects Mulder. There is some satisfying hurt/comfort. But what really shines in this fic is the ending, which ties a nice bow on season 5 and kicks me in the feels. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, indeed: sniff.

Passing Solace - DarlaBlack An intensely romantic NC-17 scene set in the middle of the episode, focused on their deep care and need for one another. Beautifully written.

All of This (around) Us - secondsflat In this sweet fic they share whiskey before Scully sets his finger bone, and Scully voices her frustration at not knowing about his undercover work. An intimate, atmospheric little scene.

Snakebitten - onpaperfirst This is a riff on all of season 5 written with great skill and subtlety. So, so good. It’s canon divergent in that it seeds the Pine Bluff Variant / New Spartans storyline back earlier in the season—and it has more RST. Such a treat.

Postcards Slipped Under the Door - skuls Two years after Pine Bluff Variant, some time after the events of En Ami in season 7, Mulder begins receiving ominous postcards from the New Spartans, suggesting they have regrouped. Skinner and Scully think it’s too dangerous for him to get involved in the case again, so Scully goes instead. This is hard on Mulder, as they’re in a recently begun relationship. Angsty, plot-driven, satisfying.

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do we ever talk about how scully shoots mulder and he wakes up and he’s like ah ok makes sense thanks baby