#I’ve been rewatching x files episodes lately

[moviestowriteabout]

XFILES FANS HELP. I just remembered the episode where Mulder and Scully go to prom?? Does anyone know the name of the episode? Is it the rain man weatherman episode?🤔

[drghostwrite]

so I’ve noticed you’ve written for both criminal minds and x-files,

would you write smth where the reader used to work on the x-files but dosent anymore and is new to the bau and one one of the cases it’s clear it’s not a normal case and they r kinda like “omfg-“

sorry if this dosent make sense ignore if so and if you don’t wanna do this or have anything to do with it ^^”

omg this is a perfect idea and I just rewatched the episode of criminal minds where the psychic is being used and JJ ends up enlisting his help. Though I did a Dana Scully x reader relationship bc why not two independent strong women and I made reader like a unit chief from all the expertise they would bring. I really hope you like it, though there will most likely be multiple parts bc I LOVE this idea, please request more in the future my little genius.

Pairing: Criminal minds BAU x reader

Summary: Reader is was assinged to the X-files, after a heated realtionship with Dana scully you transferred to another team allowing the two of you to be together. One case triggers your past memories but did you realize it to late or did you come to in time to save another life.

********************************************************

You ran a hand through your hair, your tired eyes were red from exhaustion. The coffee had gone cold so you exchanged it for a cold redbull in the fridge which had since grown warm. The mental exertion of this case was taking its toll on your team. You checked your phone again, no new notifications, you lingered on the picture displaying, you and Dana, you were leaned back against her, head turned up as she had a hand gently placed on your cheek her lips pressed to yours, a perfect pairing. You wanted nothing more than to have her wrapped in your arms, soft lips on yours as her warmth seeped into your bones, yet here you were 23 hours in, 5 victims, and no leads.

You walked out of your office and down the hall to the large conference room that your team now occupied, they were bouncing ideas off of each other, files splayed across the table as some wrote quick notes, you could hear the furious typing of Penelope Garcia as she stared holes through her laptop, she was fact checking as Emily and Rossi threw more ideas into the mix. JJ sat on the edge of the table watching as they talked amongst themselves, quickly she made her way over to you as you stepped into the doorway.

"Hey..." she spoke softly.

"Hey, how's it going in here?" you motioned your head towards the group.

"Honestly we're grasping at straws here, I don't think we have any real leads."

"Hmm..." you said as you turned to walk back to your office motioning your head for her to come with, she followed close behind. You dug through the stack of files behind your desk pulling out the newest victim.

"What's this?" she asked sinking into the chair in front of your desk.

"Victim number five." you spoke softly.

"Five, have you shown this to the team yet?"

"Nope, I got it faxed in only an hour ago and after looking over it so far it's no help." you sat down into your chair.

"I think we need to present this..."

"Yes but, all we have is the same signature but the killings aren’t the same...I wanted to see if the team had any more ideas.” You rubbed the stress lines forming on your forehead.

"So far no but it can't hurt..." she trailed looking over the file. you stood to walk back out of your office, she followed closely behind and as you stepped out, something caught your eye, turning and looking down into the bullpen you saw a man. A man that JJ recognized as Stanley Usher, "Mr. Usher." She greeted the tall man.

"Miss Jennifer Jareau, I would ask how things have been but by the energy this place carries not good." he said looking over to you, despite his strong demeanor he had very kind eyes.

"You my dear, have a very strong energy about you." he smiled at you. you gave a small smile back.

"Mr. Usher this is our unit chief, SSA Pierce."

"Mmm," he nodded approvingly, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Pierce, if I may..."

"It's miss and you may..."

"Pardon me I thought with the ring." he gestured towards your hand, where you wore a white silicone ring.

"Not married, just..."

"I see, well I'm sure you will be soon, any woman would be lucky to have you..." You looked at JJ thinking maybe she told him about Dana but she quickly assured you that she hadn't said anything.

"I only stopped to drop something off for Miss Jareau but, then I saw you. Whatever case you're working you need fresh eyes, a particular redhead might be able to help you out," he said smiling before taking his leave. You turned towards JJ, who shrugged utterly confused by the situation.

"Go present to the team... I have a phone call to make." you quickly handed her the file, returning to your office where you picked up your cell dialing Scully. It rung a few times before you finally heard her voice, deep and raspy laced with sleep.

"Y/N?..." she whispered.

"Hey baby, I'm sorry to wake you."

"No it's okay... are you okay?" she asked a small bit of concern slipping in.

"Well... um, not exactly, we found another victim..."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yea, me too... But that's not why I called... Dana I need a second set of eyes on this, the team is worn thin and I really need you."

"Okay, I can be there in 20 minutes."

"Thank you, I'll brief you when you get here."

"You'll get him Y/N... I'm proud of you, I love you."

"I love you too." you ended the call quickly gathering everything to brief her when she arrives.

---time jump---

20 minutes later you heard a small knock on your door before you heard the click of the lock and it slowly swung open, a small amount of light seeped in as she stepped into the room, the only light in your office was the lamp on your desk and the one on the table next to your couch, the couch that you were currently curled up on, you felt her hands press into your shoulders and wrap around to your front, one hand covering your heart as she rested her head on your shoulder her forhead against the side of your head.

"Dana..." you slowly whispered your voice threatening to break from exhaustion, and frustration.

"It's okay, I know..." you pulled apart. She looked at the file splayed across your desk, picking up a few of the pictures and comparing them.

"Hey did you say if your guy has been doing surveillance on anyone."

"Not that we know, why?"

"Just cause this looks an awfully lot like one of your agents and this one too..." she said holding up the pictures next to the large group picture you had of the team.

“Oh my God… that’s it… you’re a genius.” You said shooting up out of your chair and kissing her, “Dana Scully you are an absolute genius and love of my life.” You smiled at her as she shyly smiled back.

You quickly turned running down the hall to where the rest of the team resided… “I got it!” You exclaimed a little too excited, they all looked at you as if they had been jolted with electricity.

“He’s building a team…”

“Rebuilding the BAU?” Emily questioned looking at the pictures on the monitor.

“Can’t be, we don’t have a red head…” Rossi trailed.

“But Y/N did…” Dana spoke up and they all looked behind you to see her standing there.

“Team this is Dana, babe this is the team.” They all waved no time for introduction.

“What I mean is Y/N you were in charge of a team…” before she could finish you were sorting the pictures.

“Oh God he’s building my teams… Dana…” you motioned towards 5 grouped pictures on the wall Scully and Mulder, along with Emily, JJ and Spencer look alikes all plastered on the screen. “The team I worked with during the X files and my team now he’s rebuilding them, killing them and then staging them at these crime scenes…which means at least 4 more victims.”

“but cause of death is always different?”

“it’s our weakest cases… look..” Dana pointed to the redhead, the way the victim was posed was identical to a case that almost killed her, and she ended up taking leave shortly after to recover before returning to the field.

“And the gifts?” Jj asked motioning to the second board where pictures and evidence bags sat holding gifts that had been delivered to everyone, some at the office and others at various locations.

“Get the correct order that we were all sent the gifts I guarantee it coordinates with the victims… he’s dangling this right in front of our face.”

“on it!” Answered Reid, JJ, and Emily at the same time.

“Garcia once they did this I want everything compiled anyone that would’ve had access to our cases and reports, and that bought something like this,” you pointed to the tokens displayed in the room, a variety of “gifts” that the unsub has left.

[batshape]

i was tagged by @samarqqand for this—thank you very much!! :))) i am also in the middle of an x-files rewatch, though i’ve recently stalled in the middle of the duchovny-less episodes of season 8 :/

favorite color: orange in all its shades, though chartreuse is a close second. both these preferences are immediately evident upon stepping foot in my home. i love a horrible eyestrain-y color palette

currently reading: paul takes the form of a mortal girl by andrea lawlor, about a shapeshifter on a tour of various midwestern queer scenes in 1993. so far it’s been mildly filthy and pretty fun. (and much love to my local trans bookstore as always for the recommendation)

i’m also now making my way through @i-am-a-lonely-visitor’s elrond’s ungoliant kink fic list because my god is eldritch spider kink fic so up my alley

last song: happy house by siouxsie and the banshees on my walk/late-and-panicked jog to work yesterday morning

last series: it’s been a while because i’ve been setting my alarm for 4:45am more often than i’d like, but i believe it was some late-series episodes of buffy the vampire slayer (yikes lol)

sweet, savory, or spicy? sweet! i’ll love obnoxiously fancy ice cream until the day i die

currently working on: in theory, phd program applications. in reality, a second gallery wall for my apartment and a wretchedly slow-moving colorwork sweater on 3.25mm knitting needles. (and some resurrected old feanor/nerdanel fic, when i get the chance.)

thank you again for the tag! in turn i’ll tag @quixoticanarchy @shrikeseams @i-am-a-lonely-visitor @aipilosse and anyone else who feels so inclined! just say i tagged you, and i will back you up

[hondagirll]

***

Tagged by the wonderful and amazing @actuallylorelaigilmore thank you friend!

Last song: Honestly I am still listening to the Barbie soundtrack on Spotify. But I do listen to the radio a lot in my car and Bohemian Rhapsody came on yesterday on my drive home and I jammed to it like I was a teenager.

Currently watching: Nancy Drew S4 ( @acehardy told me we only have like 5 episodes left of the season/series. Whaaaaat? I am UPSET). Still working my way through Frasier (s10 everyone!), started the X-Files last week which has been interesting, and it would be remiss of me not to mention my West Wing rewatch though I am stalled on S5. In my defense, S5 is a a slough but I love s6 and s7 so I will push through!

Currently reading: Just finished Jana Go Wild by Farah Heron. I didn’t like it as much as Kamila Knows Best  too many misunderstandings for my taste but it was nice to see familiar faces again and the food in there sounded so delicious. In ao3 reads, I am currently working my way through With All Your Faults , a Brienne/Jaime fic that @bethanyactually mentioned ages ago. And when I say ages I mean it’s been at least two years since I’ve marked it for later. But hey, better late than never and the chapters I’ve read have been really good so far!

Current obsession: Connections from the NYT. My Wordle group chat introduced it to me last week and each morning when I wake up I instantly try to complete it. I’m losing more than I’m getting all 4 groups correct but its been fun!

Low-key tagging some recent activity on my dash @librarianmouse @thirddeadlysin @stars-inthe-sky @aprylynn @hmsharmony @lucy-moderatz @wittywallflower @jicklet @clintbeifong and whoever wants to do it

[winterholmesart]

it seems to always happen this way

[scifiphan]

my single talent is being able to whistle the x files theme song perfectly in tune

[countesspetofi]

I just found out there were two made-for-TV reunion movies of The Pretender, so now I’ve begun a rewatch of the original series. I remember the series ending on a cliffhanger, and from the reviews I’ve read the movies don’t do a completely satisfactory job of winding up the story arc, but I want to see them and I need to revisit the series to remember everything first.

It was appointment TV in our house during the first run; it sort of scratched the same late-millennium, conspiracy-theory, early-Internet, mythos-arc, family-trauma itch as The X-Files. Michael Weiss had been in the Dark Shadows reboot and my Mom’s soap opera. Also, there were a number of episodes featuring twin studies, and as the child of a twin I always find that sort of thing interesting. It’s always been a big regret that I never convinced my mother and aunt to participate in any twin studies before my aunt died. And oh, the hours I wasted trying to get my hair to look like Miss Parker’s.

[captain-lovelace]

@susurrationofthewind tagged me so let’s go

Last song: No Place For Lovers by Astronaut, I’ve uh. Been listening to that a lot lately, really enjoy the song

Last TV show: Preeeeetty sure it was me rewatching the X-Files at someone else’s place? Can’t remember which episode though

Current read: The Official Catalog of the Library of Potential Literature, it’s a book I found at a used bookstore near me with the premise that it’s like, a bunch of authors writing blurbs for books that don’t exist but that they wish did. It’s making me kind of insane, I really love it. I’m also reading Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution by Richard Fortey and listening to the Dresden Files audiobooks (just got to Proven Guilty)

Tagging @estoult @arsonistlalafell @irilis @talldrinkofspook (no pressure!)

[enigmaticxbee]

✖️✖️✖️✖️✖️ 2x06 Ascension

The one where... Scully’s is abducted by Duane Barry. Part 2 of 2.

Tag Line: Deny Everything

Best: Sad, scruffy Mulder trying frantically to find Scully is one of my favorite Mulders.

Worst: So Mulder just drops it at the end? I get that he hasn’t slept for days, and is devastated, and has no allies, but...

❌ Flashlights

❌ Woods

❌ Slideshow

❌ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

❌ Scully Misses It

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

❌ Voiceover

❌ Catch Phrase

❌ Scully is a Medical Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

✔️ Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr!

❌ Fox/Dana

❌ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

❌ Casual Scully

❌ Casual Mulder

✔️ Trench Coats

❌ Bad Tie Watch

❌ Glasses Watch

✔️ Taking! It! Personally!: Mulder

50 States: Virginia x2 & D.C. x7 (18/50)

Investigate: Apart

Solve Rate: 70%

❌ Bechdel Test: No conversation between two women

MSR: 🐝🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

Why do I love sad scruffy Mulder so much? He climbs OUT of a cable car because he HAS to get to her in time! (Spoiler alert: he doesn’t get to her in time 😩)

So Mulder sums everything up at the end and it kinda makes sense (Duane Barry’s escape from the hospital with a gunshot wound and travel from Richmond to DC to abduct Scully quibbles aside) but its a little convoluted (I’ve seen this episode multiple times before, although it’s been a couple years - and yet see my mid-episode confusion). I guess CSM’s just taking advantage of the situation, but if all he wanted was Scully out of the way he could have abducted her at any time. Or taken Duane Barry too if that’s what he wanted people to think happened...

Mid-Episode Thoughts:

Ugh, watching Mulder listen to Scully’s voicemail. And then when he’s imagining what happened.

He’s surprisingly calm at Scully’s. And when he’s talking to Mrs Scully he just looks so sad. He thinks she’s dead. If he thought she was alive he would be frantic.

The Scullys are psychic (well not Bill... the Scully women are psychic).

Mulder looks rough at this meeting. How did Duane Barry find Scully? How did he get to DC from the hospital in a Richmond? Was it the implant? Was it CSM?

Interesting music choice when Duane Barry’s driving and gets pulled over. I think it works - not what I’d expect.

Ugh, Scully in the truck. But Mulder just sees that Scully’s alive.

Ok, so based on Krycek’s call I guess Duane Barry kidnapped Scully on his own. “They” are trying to locate her, so CSM’s just taking advantage of this situation to solve his Scully problem.

Why is Mulder driving? Save your energy Mulder! I hate to say this, but Krycek’s making some good points.

If “they” gave Duane Barry Scully’s address why wouldn’t they have just tracked him rather than relying on Krycek/Mulder?

Skyland Mountain. I lived in Virginia for a few years and always thought of this episode when the Blue Ridge Parkway was mentioned.

That poor tram operator. That smooth of his hair after he attacks him - there’s the real Krycek we’ll come to know and loathe. But he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with - Mulder’s on a mission!

He’s too late.

Who decided to leave Mulder alone with Duane Barry? He loses it at sight of her hair and blood.

Is this supposed to be what’s actually happening to Scully or just what Mulder’s imagining is happening to her? They use this imagery again throughout the series so I guess it’s real - or Mulder has a link to her, like Scully does to him during his abduction later in the series...

Kill Mulder and you risk turning one man’s religion into a crusade. CSM, that feels like an excuse.

It’s the cigarettes that tip him off!

Mulder’s figured it all out. Poor Skinner, caught in the middle. He goes out on a limb to reopen the X-Files, but Mulder’s too devastated to process.

Love that Mrs Scully gives the necklace to Mulder. (Continuity police: 15th birthday present or Christmas present?) He needs something to hold on to.

[greenstudies]

January favourites

Season 4

Exams are over and Dobby is free. So it’s about time Dobby brings you late January favourites

Self care:

Sleep -I missed sleep so much

Yoga -I’ve been trying yoga with Adriene and it’s not that bad... well it is difficult but I do enjoy it

Blogs and channels:

@i-am-a-hog​ -Prime shit posting. They made my dashboard a lot more fun

Markiplier -I’m convinced that if I stoppped mentioning Mark, you’d think someone is impressionating me

jacksepticeye -I’ve been watching Sean a lot more lately. His gameplays aren’t really my thing but I do love meme time or home videos

Abbey Sharp -Dietitian fighting bullshit diet culture. 10/10 recommend, it’s very healing

Crushes of the month:

Geralt of Rivia (from the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) -Look, this isn’t the forst time you see me drool over someone animated. Just move on

Markiplier -You knew this was coming

Shows:

The X Files -Rewatched a few episodes in between study sessions

Books:

The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon -Just started reading it but I’m having fun so far

Games:

Witcher III: Wild Hunt -Had to take a bit of a break because of exams but I’m super excited to get back to it

Red Dead Redemption II -At this point you all must think that I’ve played it through like 4 times. And you’d be correct

What were your favourite things last month?

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Rae

Rae has 16 stories at Gossamer. If you like MSR, you should go check them out, including (but not limited to) the fun-titled, banter-filled The Cat, an Espresso and a Bag of Sunflower Seeds. Big thanks to Rae for doing this 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)?

It surprises me that anyone reads my fanfic at all, let alone they are reading it 20 years after I wrote it!

But in the same vein, I am still actively reading xfiles fanfic and I tend to read the older fics, or new fics by authors I recognize or remember from back in the day. I cannot explain this lack of rationale. 🤷

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

I had a great experience with the X-Files fandom! I made some fantastic friends - many even attended my wedding! I didn't really get involved in the dramas that went on. I was aware of it, but really, I just wanted to discuss my show with people that loved it like I did and read the fic, so I ignored all the other static.

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.)?

Mainly message boards. AOL chat rooms, Yahoo groups, etc. We would all sign on after the episode aired and chat about it. Deconstruct it. And then we started traveling to meet each other and the real fun began!

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

It was definitely a growing experience. It forced me to step outside my comfort zone a little bit. Traveling to NYC, LA and Chicago to meet people just to fangirl with. Meeting Gillian and getting a picture with her - it was wild.

Different shared experiences that "real life" family and friends just didn't understand. It was fun and exciting.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

So I came to the show late in the game. I was sick, lying in bed channel surfing and caught the last 5 minutes of Fight the Future and immediately wanted to know why this woman was sitting in the snow holding onto this man. I spent the summer recording episodes on FX during the week and watching them all weekend and was somehow able to pretty much catch up on the first 6 seasons in time for the 7th season premiere.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

In my quest to know all the things that summer before the 7th season, I discovered AOL chat rooms that led me to different discussions on the show in general and at one point, a link was posted to whatever fanfic was hot that minute and I was instantly hooked.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I often feel like a wallflower at a party. I'm on the fringe, looking in to see what's going on. I don't bother anyone and most people don't even know I'm there. Every now and then I'll send feedback on a story, or I might even participate in a random discussion, but I feel it's a little more difficult these days without the chatrooms and discussion boards. Following people on tumblr or twitter and trying to engage in those platforms is more awkward since it feels so much more personal. It's like I'm intruding on someone's personal space.  Or having to scroll through non-fandom stuff to find the fic. The message boards were a more even playing field I guess? It's hard to explain.

When I'm hardcore searching for something...anything to read, I'll refer to "The Classics" list. There are still many on there I haven't read.

I miss ephemeral.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

No. No other characters have ever interested me beyond the story we're given within the confines of the show/movie/book like Mulder and Scully did. My friends would dive into Harry Potter or Marvel or (fill in the blank with anything) and I would try to get excited, but there's nothing.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Well, Scully because she's so bad-ass. She's always so certain of her convictions. We don't see her second-guess herself often.

Anne of Green Gables because against all odds, she still sees the beauty in everything.

Jo in Little Women because she is just so tenacious. She knows what she wants.

Hermione in Harry Potter. She knows the most important thing she'll do is help Harry and there is value in that, so she gives it all she's got.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I do. A couple of years after the original run was over, I lost a dear friend (met because of XF) and then later I had my first baby and life just got busy in a very different way so I fell out of the fandom and just dropped all of it.

And then there was the revival. I waited until all episodes aired and then binge-watched them. And I did the same with season 11, but waited about 6 mos after it aired to watch it, rewatching the whole series from the beginning, first.

But now I turn it on a few times a week while I'm folding laundry or making dinner or some other chore. It's nice to have it on in the background because I don't have to pay close attention because I know what's going to happen. I've actually watched the whole series a few times this way.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I still read XF fic. It's still my favorite thing to read. I am always looking for the next great fic to lose myself in. Back in the day, I would read any pairing, any genre...I was game for anything, as long as it was XF fic. I'm a little more choosy, now, but only because my free-time is more limited. I only want to read MSR and I'm not at all interested in revival fics.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I am partial to the novel-length AU and canon-divergent stories.  I love everything by Prufrock's Love and Bonetree. I have read Paracelsus, A Moment in the Sun and the Goshen/Secret World series countless times. Journal 1999 and Journal 2000 by MD1016, The Mastodon Diaries by akaJake, Blinded by White Light by Dashak, Deliverance From Evil by Char Chaffin and Tess.

I could go on all day.

My absolute favorite story is Arizona Highways by Fialka.

I am partial to Scully angst. And the Emily storyline just kills me, so when authors take those elements and write a kick-ass story, I am there for it.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

How awful is it that I had to look up my fics to answer this question? I don't know that I have a favorite. That's like asking a mother which child she favors. Maybe One of the Damned.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I won't say never, but I don't think so. I've tried to start one or two with some ideas I've had, but I haven't gotten far with them.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

No. I don't even have time to read as often as I would like to.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

Usually what if scenarios - I try to work out different ways the story could go in my head. I would usually have the guts of the story written in my head before I typed the first word.

What's the story behind your pen name?

There was already a well-known Rachel posting fic when I got started, so I just decided to go with a nickname - Rae.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My husband is crazy supportive and tries to convince me to write again All. The. Time. I never hid my XF obsession from anyone, but I don't think I told many people about my writing.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

I am on tumblr and twitter, but like I said above, I don't really post. All of my stories are at Gossamer.

(Posted by Lilydale on February 9, 2021)

[musingsofanunorgainizedmind]

Top 10 Things I Love About Supernatural

It’s been almost half a year since the show ended and now that the dust has settlIed, I just want to list ten reasons I love this show. Despite it’s flaws, it’s been quite the ride.

1. Team Free Will

When I first got the idea to make this list, I originally planned on doing entirely separate entries for “Sam & Dean” and “Destiel”. Except then I wanted to pay tribute to “Sastiel”. And then I wanted to do an entry for “Team Free Dads”. By that point, I was already halfway through the list and I hadn’t even moved on from the main characters. A few months ago, I made a post about why I love every single pairing in this group. Obviously, Sam and Dean are a legendary duo. Obviously, Dean and Cas have an unparalleled story. Obviously, Sam and Cas are an underrated team. As for Team Free Dads, I’ve always had a soft spot for father/mentor figure characters and and all three tackle the role in different ways. I love Jack, too. I love how everyone in this bizarro family is “broken” in some way. We’ve got the Allistair’s prized pupil, the spawn of satan, the boy with demon blood, and the angel who nearly obliterated all of heaven. But they help each other heal by being supportive and seeing the good in each other. They all love each other so deeply and when together, nothing can stand in their way. Not Michael, not Lucifer, and not God himself. They tore up the book and wrote their own story. And it was a pleasure to watch it all unfold.

2. The Suppporting Characters

To list every single supporting character I have loved and lost in this show would take way too long. I don’t know if it’s the writing or acting performances, but I love pretty much every single supporting character on this show. Even villains like Azazel or Allistair are top-notch villains. Hell, I even like characters like Metatron, Lucifer, Mary, and John! Characters like Rufus, Charlie, Crowley, Rowena, Kevin, Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Gabriel, Balthazar, Mick...how am I not supposed to love them??? All of their stories were cut so short. I’d watch a show about any of these characters. The Wayward Sisters were robbed. So many ships were gone too soon (Sam/Rowena, Dean/Jo, Cas/Meg, Etc.). So many heartbreaking deaths. I want to be best friends with all these characters. Why be a “dean-girl” or a “sam-girl” when you can be a garth-girl? A kevin-girl? A claire-girl? A bela-girl? There are so many great characters with interesting and compelling backstories and so much untapped potential. I could go on forever on this, but I digress.This show has one of the best supporting casts I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

3. The Themes

It’s no accident that I got addicted to this show at the time that I did. Namely, my Senior Year of College and 2020. Graduating college and entering the “real world” felt like it’s own sort of apocalypse. 2020 definitely exacerbated my worst tendencies. Messages like “family don’t end in blood”, “you can write your own story”, and “always keep fighting” really resonated with me. I could definitely relate to the feelings of insecurity these character’s felt and the ways they suppressed/repressed their issues instead of facing them. I could relate to the feelings of not fitting in and I could definitely relate to the loneliness. This show helped remind me that I’m not alone. That it’s okay if my values and identity don’t line up with the what I envisioned for myself. And, most importantly, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that I should never give up. If Dean, Sam, and Cas can keep moving forward despite their demons and despite how bad it gets, so can I. Regardless of how the story ended, these themes resonated with me and I’ll still hold them with me. A single episode can’t take that away.

4. The Fun Episodes

This show has so many legendary standalone episodes. Changing Channels. Ghostfacers. The French Mistake. Fan Fiction. Tall Tales. Bad Day at Black Rock. When this show goes for the absurd, it goes all-in. It takes the risks it needs to take, it gets completely insane, and it pulls it off. So many of these episodes could have easily been the moment that the show “jumped the shark”. Yet, time after time, the show delivered on it’s potential. I don’t know how much I can say about these episodes except that they made me laugh out loud, made me fall even harder for these characters, and that they’re the episodes I remember best. If I were to rewatch any episode, it would be one of the fun ones. This show knew how to not take itself too seriously and how to poke fun at itself. I’ve always had a soft spot for shows that can make me laugh and cry (X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Doctor Who, etc.), and this show definitely nails the fun part. 

5. The Sad Episodes

Death’s Door. Hammer of the Gods. Despair. Carry On. Abandon All Hope. In My Time of Dying. Swan Song. When this show wants you to cry, it doesn’t pull the punches. It gets downright devastating. No character is safe. Literally every character you love will either be forgotten or will die. Or both. The amount of trauma Sam and Dean have to go through is insane. Both have literally been to hell and back. Both have killed countless people, including innocents. When this show decides it wants to wreck you, it’s overwhelming. I sobbed when Bobby died. I sobbed when every single member of Team Free Will died for the final time (I still can’t watch any of those scenes). I still wish Jo, Ellen, Charlie, Kevin, Mick, and Gabriel had been given more time to tell their stories. Being a hunter means a life of endless angst. Being an angel or demon doesn’t get you off the hook, either. I remember going into this show thinking it couldn’t hurt me. My favorite character type is “mentor/father figure”. But holy hell...I don’t think every single sad moment was necessarily good writing, but when it was? Damn. 

6. The Biblical Themes

I’m not a relgious person. But, despite this show being steeped in Christian mythology, it really touched on my feelings about the Old Testament in a profound way. Well, really just Ben Edlund and Robbie Thompson did. I’ve never seen a show really hit the overall feel of the bible the way this show does. The idea of Angels as mystical and terrifying creatures. The idea of God as a flawed father figure with a penchant for wrath. The sheer epicness of the biblical stories. The idea of family members constantly being turned on each other. Cain and Abel. Jacob and Essau. Moses and Ramses. Moses and Aaron. Abraham and Isaac. The bible is full of stories of family drama. This show doesn’t always give angels and demons weight. Sometimes it’s silly and stupid and cheesy. But when it hits right? It’s epic. This is more of a personal thing I love about the show, but definitely a plus!

7. The Music

The early seasons music is so good. I really miss the classic rock of the golden era of the show. I mean, there are still some great musical moments later on, but damn. I loved hearing songs I recognized and I loved learning new songs. I loved when the song and the scene hit perfectly in time (Death’s intro. Cas’s return in Season 13.). Also Supernatural wouldn’t be Supernatural without the ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ song at the end of every season. Even at the end of a season I didn’t love, that recap would always get me pumped. Also Chuck singing Fare Thee Well? Dean and Lee singing together? Fan Fiction? All great. 

8. The Cast & Crew

I never care about the actors or actresses in a show. I definitely don’t bother with the names of specific writers and directors or their styles of writing/directing. They’re just random people who happen to write for or play these characters I love. They’re not actually the characters. But these guys? Well, for one, I’m pretty sure half this cast actually is their character. At least to some degree. They’re also just...really cool people? Who are all friends? They make a point to do community service, to interact with fans, and to promote positive ideas. Jared’s Always Keep Fighting campaign. Misha and GISH. The fact that they all participate in fundraising opportunities and encourage fan engagement. Do they all have issues? Definitely. Have they said stupid things? Yes. But the good far outweighs the bad. They’re an entertaining bunch whether onscreen or not and I hope they all do well in whatever their future endeavors may be.  

9. The Fandom

I joined this fandom late. To be honest, I thought this fandom was obnoxious before I found myself a part of it. Now that I’ve been in the trenches? It’s got it’s ups and downs like any fandom. There are some parts that are more toxic than others. A lot of people yelling that their opinion is the only opinion. But overall? The good outweighs the bad. And the good? The good is great. Some fanfictions I’ve read are better than actual books I’ve read and just as moving. The fanart? Incredible. I love reading all the metas about random aspects of the show I never would have noticed. I love the music videos and I love the analytical videos. In real life, I’ve made many friends through our mutual love of this show. Hell, even getting sucked into GISH once or twice has given me some solid memories and brought me closer to friends. I wish all fandoms were this much like family. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this fandom and I can’t wait to continue being a fan. After all, nothing ever stays dead in Supernatural.

10. The Chaos & Insanity

Season 16 has been a time. First, Destiel went canon. Then suddenly Sherlock was having a 5th season, Putin was retiring, and Georgia was going blue. Destiel going “canon” and Joe Biden winning the presidency will always be correlated in my mind now. Things in the fandom went from quiet to blaringly loud real fast. Carry On happened. The fandom went into a civil war. I can’t even remember half of what happened in Season 16, but it’s been a wild ride. There’s been ups (my personal favorite being the french dub and the Saileen wedding). There’s been downs (Jared’s controversial statements and the original scripts being leaked). At one point Misha Collins had sex with Bill Clinton???? It’s been a wild time. It’s honestly gotten me through the end of this pandemic. At least it’s entertaining. I would say that at least all the craziness is over, but is it ever really over? Every time I say that something else completely insane happens. But it’s been fun. I’m glad I started watching this show despite my reservations and here’s to whatever happens next. 

[dreamingofscully]

7x01. “The Sixth Extinction” (part 2 of 3) - X-Files Rewatch

“I will continue here as long as I can... as long as you are beset by the haunting illness which I saw consume your beautiful mind. What is this discovery I've made? How can I reconcile what I see with what I know? I feel this was meant not for me to find but for you ... to make sense of -- make the connections which can't be ignored... connections which, for me, deny all logic and reason.” - Scully

I just LOVE that Scully journals to Mulder. Brings me back to Memento Mori. I think she might share this with him instead of wanting to keep it private. The things she experienced were life-altering and she wishes Mulder could have been there. Perhaps sharing her thoughts would give him insights he could use, AND would give him something of herself when she can’t quite give him her belief yet. 

“Your beautiful mind” - their love is so pure ❤️

Scully’s crisis of belief. I love that she’s working so hard despite everything that she’s seeing is completely devastating to her. We see later how that affects her. She just pushes through and works on auto-pilot because she needs to save Mulder. Losing him is incomprehensible, and she’ll do whatever it takes, even facing things that terrify her, that contradict everything she holds to be true.

I love that the bugs are no big deal for Scully (well until they swarm…) but can you imagine Mulder’s reaction if he was there, haha.

Scully’s casual beach outfits are FUCKING AMAZING. AND WE GET GLASSES!

Mulder’s “Help Me” to Skinner is heartbreaking. 😥

Scully + the machete. “I’m only here to help my partner.”

Mulder KNOWS Diana is dirty - warns Skinner when she’s coming. Diana’s only purpose here is to keep Mulder isolated and prepare him for CSM.

“No Doctors. Get me Scully.” ❤️

“I've ignored warnings to quit this work, remaining committed to finding answers, afraid only that our secret here won't last and that I might be too late.” - Scully still including Mulder, wants him with her there desperately.

The ship is inscribed with a “beautiful intricate work of art” - for Scully - complete human genome. She’s such a nerd I love her.

Again - “I’m only here to help my friend.” - echoing what Mulder calls her in the next episode. That is the essence of what they are to each other - the best of friends.

Scully’s vision “Some truths are not for you”

She’s summoned home.

Another spiritual visitation → needs to return to Mulder, to save him; her fears welling up at all these strange occurrences. 

Diana’s talk with Mulder

When DF says she loves him he looks away from her; he knows what love is and it’s what he has with Scully. NOT the selfishness with which she covets him. “Now we can be together.” So he needs to suffer because she wants to be with him? That’s not love that’s possession.

Scully’s beach attire at the FBI building. She looks so different than her normal professional exterior that she gets quite a few stares.

“I have to see him.”  💔 Breaks my heart.

Her admission that the cause of Mulder’s illness may be extraterrestrial. She called a ship a ship. She saw what she saw. But she hasn’t quite thought about what it MEANS yet. All that matters is saving him.

The thought that she’d be denied access to see Mulder. Have you met Scully, Skinner? LOL

Wondering if this event could be something that makes them discuss marriage later. They can’t take away their access from each other if they’re husband and wife.

Scully’s voice coming through all the noise to reach Mulder. Clear as a bell. He KNOWS her.

Scully’s conversation with Mulder - it's ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ . Not a selfish possession of him. Returning him to what he was before, healing him. 

“Mulder, it's me. I know that you can hear me. If you can just give me some sign. I want you to know where I've been... what I found. I think that, if you know, that you could find a way to hold on. I need you to hold on. I found a key... the key... to every question that has ever been asked. It's a puzzle... but the pieces are there FOR US TO PUT TOGETHER and I know that they can save you if you can just hold on. Mulder... please. Hold on.”

She’s desperate for him to come back to her. She’s doing everything in her power to save him, only needs him to stay until she can figure it all out. *sob* It’s all so much harder when they don’t have each other to lean on.

What does Mulder hear in her mind? Everything he’s assumed based on what she’s told him. She loves him unconditionally, with all of her heart. With a passion that completely floors him. He doesn’t feel worthy of it, though, which feeds into the next episode.

[xxmisty]

My Big Humiliating Torchwood Confession - Part 1 :P

Warning: this will be a LONG post, and i’m sorry about that! 

Lucy is sat opposite me asking me repeatedly if I’ve started typing yet because she knows how desperately i’m putting off making this post!!1

This is awful, this is.... probably the most embarrassingly intimate confession i’ll have made since the day I opened up about my fetish way back at the start of 2013. And on the surface of it it probably doesn’t seem like that big of a deal but IT IS TO ME! And a big chunk of the trauma i’m about to express is tongue in cheek but it’s genuinely been - and continues to be - a huge bundle of DISTRESS AND HUMILIATION AND UTTER RESENTMENT!!! Because this year has been.... one hell of a personal journey and i don’t even mean anything to do with the pandemic.

It all started on New Year’s Day. I was feeling horrendously ill; the miraculous medication that had started to give me my life back had run out and thanks to the festive postal delays my new lot hadn’t arrived yet. I was in agony, I had a horrible headache, I felt sick and I could hardly move. We spent the day watching a bunch of muppet stuff, and that night we watched the first ep of season 12 of Doctor Who and, y’know, it was a pretty damn good episode (plus thirteen in the suit.... fuuckkk) 

So afterwards we started having a discussion about Chris Chibnall - we’ve long held criticisms about some of his writing (not all of it, but it’s a mixed bag) and Lucy told me I still hadn’t seen his worst writing because that was for Torchwood...

Which I had never seen. Which I had been desperately trying not to see, although I didn’t know why. I just always had this vibe like a big “NO ENTRY!” sign at the idea of ever watching it. It’s not as though I had a logical reason for it, it’s not like I’d read up about it and thought, ‘naahhhhhh, I don’t fancy watching that’. I just had a big WARNING sign in my head, telling me not to go there. 

Several years ago Lucy made me watch the first episode (after i’d been avoiding her threats of showing it to me for like 2 years) and like... it wasn’t horrible? It wasn’t... great either... but it didn’t kill me. Then a couple of years ago she showed me Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang because we were having a big Runaways phase so she wanted to show me an episode with James Marsters in. Again, it didn’t kill me. It wasn’t horrible. But I still had those big NO ENTRY!!! signs up in my head. I was still trying desperately to avoid actually being shown Torchwood as a show.

And the the new year happened and I was too WEAK AND DEFENCELESS to know what was happening when Lucy and I cuddled up in bed that night. I was too sick to really comprehend what she was doing or to fight back when she announced she was going to show me the very worst of Chris Chibnall’s writing... and put on Day One followed by Cyberwoman.

Oh. My. God.

All day I had been in a state of physical agony. Suddenly my mental and emotional state was far, FAR worse!!! The sex gas alien was bad enough, then by the time she put on Cyberwoman my brain was trying to shut down. I used to suffer blackouts and, god, I kept blacking out all the way through it, and instead of being her usual loving, wonderful self she KEPT FORCING ME TO COME ROUND TO WATCH IT!!!

By this point it was gone midnight and I was in a state of utter distress!! This was the worst double helping of tv I had ever sat through in my life and I sat up and let forth a tirade of absolute distress! This, I decided, had to be the reason I’d been avoiding Torchwood. Because it was more like.... Torurewood :P 

Yep, that had to be it. Couldn’t possibly be anything worse, could it? 

At least now lucy had shown me those two terrible Chibnall eps I would NEVER EVER HAVE TO WATCH THEM AGAIN. Or ANY Torchwood episodes. Yes, my ordeal was over. Had to be.

Nope. We went back to bed and she put on Out if Time. And i’ll admit, the story was much stronger but goddddd I had issues with the endings! And my level of despair started to rise even higher. I HATED Torchwood! This was the most distressing night’s viewing ever and I just wanted to go to sleep and be done with it all! Lucy put one more episode on afterwards: They Keep Killing Suzie. And that was much better but halfway through we finally fell asleep - so surely my trauma was over with.

Nope.

I had horrible nightmares of a very thirsty Gwen coming onto me all night, over and over again and it was HORRIBLE!!! Like, you have no idea how distressed I was! And when I woke up I blamed lucy whole-heartedly and she very sympathetically laughed at my plight!

But yeah. My trauma was over. No more Torchwood. I’d suffered the night from hell. Now it was time to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and move on! My medication arrived that day, I started work on some new pet portraits and life went back to normal.

Until that night, when I saw the telltale sign of Lucy putting a video on and turning her iPad around and then there they were - the opening titles of Torchwood - and I wanted to jump out the boat and into the canal and swim as far away as possible!!!

But the episode she put on was Fragments. She said she wanted to show me Chris Chibnall’s finest episode. And y’know what? It was really pretty fucking good. And god, I was fURIOUS about that!!! When we went to bed she pulled a real double whammy though by putting on Adam - which became instantly one of my favourite episodes of ANYTHING, EVER. And I looked at my wife, shook my head, sighed and told her, ‘nice save, Lucy... nice save...’

Over the next couple of weeks we also had a major Doctor Who rewatch and revisited most of the New Who era, and - to my mixed feelings - she dotted various other episodes of Torchwood in around them. I was conflicted - after the Adam and Fragments double bill I was no longer in brain-screamy hatred territory. I did however keep having flashbacks to that godawful night. Plus i’d had several further nightmares about a thirsty Gwen and I did NOT like it! But by a couple of weeks into January I’d seen a fair bit of Torchwood. Some of them twice. 

Around this same time I’d started back in testosterone after not being able to afford it for the last 3 years. And then I started to notice I was getting some..... urghhhhhh..... unusual... and very uncomfortable feelings... about certain.... things... and characters.

And I started falling headlong into a great big gay panic :P

And here’s where the whole story becomes a HELL of a lot more embarrassing so i’m going to put it under a read more :P

Did ya click on that read more? Wh-why? there’s nothing to see here... especially not a long tale of shame and distress :P ugggghhhhhhh ok, FINE;

Basically there were two things happening at the same time. One was that I started to feel something I hadn’t felt in two decades. When I was a kid/teen we didn’t have the phrase ‘hyperfixation’ so I just called them obsessions. I always had obsessions, at any given point there was always this ONE THING that was my entire life. i lived it, breathed it, became it. It was my whole world, my whole personality, my focus, my lifeline. 9 times out of 10 it would be a tv show. Between the ages of 12 and 15 I would generally change my obsession about once a month. There were several ‘usual suspects’ that would cycle around over and over - Red Dwarf, The Brittas Empire, Sonic the Hedgehog, Halfway Across the Galaxy, Parallel 9, Out of this World... 

late in 1995 I became obsessed with The X Files and - bizarrely - that obsession just ran and ran. I was so used to my obsession changing around once every month that it was bizarre to still be absolutely hyperfixated on it almost 9 months later. And then, in June 1996, my longest ever obsession took its place, a little known uk fantasy show called Bugs. 

That... was my longest running obsession. And oh my god, was I ever obsessed with it. I have no idea how that one obsession kept going for 3 years. i’m sorry this is particularly wordy but this is kind of personal and I want to explain this right.

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll probably known that one of the most defining moments of my life happened in the summer of ‘98. My cousin’s husband sexually assaulted me and my life spiralled into total despair. While that night was bad enough, the slow breakdown I went through over the course of the year that followed was harder to recover from. And eventually I came out the other side to some degree but i’d lost my love of three things that made me the person I was: writing, drawing and being obsessed. All three were so closely entangled with that night and surviving afterwards that it changed something that had always been a fundamental part of me.

I was no longer able to feel obsession. To hyperfixate the way I previously had. It was like something was broken inside me. And that was like a loss unto itself. It was SUCH a big part of me. It had been the only way i’d survived years of depression when I was young. My obsessions were what kept me afloat. 

In the last decade there are a few things that I called ‘obsessions’ and I thought were as close as I would ever get to the way I used to feel. I thought maybe it was because i’d ‘grown up’ (pah). That’s not to say that i wasn't thoroughly into Ashes to Ashes, FNAF and Homestuck, for example, because of course I was! I even called them obsessions, but there was something that just... wasn’t the same, no matter what I did.

And over time, I got back the other things I’d lost. I started writing my A2A fics in 2010 and Lucy helped me to start drawing again in 2018 and god, both times it was like finally having a piece of myself returned after so long! As for my ‘obsessions’, I just thought I wasn't able to feel the way I used to because I wasn’t a kid any more.

But then, I thought that about Christmas Eve too, and then lucy came into my life <3

Still, the last thing I was expecting was... for *those* feelings to start sneaking back in my life. Feelings I hadn’t been able to experience since the summer of 1998-9. And to my further distress I discovered that they were relating to a certain show that I’d had a traumatising introduction to on new year’s day...

Suddenly it was all I could think about; TORCHWOOD! TORCHWOOD! Aargghhhhh and yet I still hated it! It was still awful! And yet... at the same time... it was so goooooooood.... arghhhhh, every time we watched an episode there was a  knife twisting in my guts, reminding me that I hadn’t even felt these feelings over things we’d been HUGELY into... the fandoms we’d met through, the fandoms we discovered together. Nope. It was Torchwood that brought back my ability to hyperfixate! And I have SO MANY ANGRY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS!!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!

And believe me, I kept thinking it was going to stop and go away BUT IT HASN’T! It’s only gotten worse! And as of yesterday Torchwood officially became my second  longest obsession ever!!!

I. AM. FURIOUS!!!

It’s... urrghhhh I hate this fact but it’s almost like I have a crush on the *show*??!!! I... can’t explain it better than that??? It’s like, if I could throw Torchwood on the bed and make sweet, sweet love to it I would :P and yeah, i’m saying all of this tongue in cheek but i’ve had a fucking sky high libido ever since I went back on T (ohhhhh and believe me I am LOVING it!!! 💙💙💙) But it’s like... there are elements of Torchwood itself that are so fucking hot that I get.... reactions that I am SO FUCKING EMBARRASSED ABOUT for so many reasons deidjdhdggjhaaahhhhhhhhh

Lucy literally only has to say ‘Torchwood’ at me and I end up in a gibbering heap half the time - I am not even kidding!!!

This, however, is NOT the worst thing that happened as a result of Lucy making me watch this god damned show.

But honestly this post has gone on WAY too long already so i’m going to save that for part 2.

Oh god... my shame.... my total and utter shame....

To be continued :P

[gilligould]

Hello! I’d like to ask you an x files question if I may. It’s quite random and hypothetical!

If you could hit a button that would wipe away the existence of seasons 9, iwtb, 10, and 11 would you do it? In other words, you hit the button and season 8 is the TRUE canonical ending to the x files.

I’ve been rewatching the x files lately for the first time since 2018 and I’ve been thinking in hindsight “man, despite and few great shipper scenes in seasons 9-11, everything else kinda sucks! Season 8 really feels like a true ending”

Also, I’m a life long patriots/Tom Brady fan, which is why I started following this blog. Have a great day!

Brady’s the 🐐

ayyy, fellow pats fan, what’s good!

regarding your xf question: i think about this a lot, actually... as you could probably assume by the length of this reply. and to be honest, my answer might vary depending on the day.

like many fans, i admittedly have mixed feelings about s9, iwtb, and s10/11. the very first time i watched the series all the way through, i took quite a bit of time between s8 and s9, for all the reasons you just mentioned. the former wasn’t perfect, by any means, but that final shot of mulder and scully sharing a moment such as they did over their baby boy seemed like such a fitting conclusion to the arc of their relationship. already having some idea of how things would deteriorate from s9 onward, this was the lasting impression i wanted to have of the series...

for a little while, at least. i did appreciate some aspects of the revival; there were a handful of fantastic episodes, and plenty of tender and romantic moments that i could never, would never, let go unappreciated.

that being said, there are two aspects that, even after nearly three years, i haven’t been able to get over.

one, the implication that william’s biological father might be someone, anyone other than mulder. and two, the fact that scully was subjected to unnecessary trauma for the sake of keeping the story alive. and this point could apply, not just to the revival, but to s9 as well. my biggest criticism of txf as a whole is it’s treatment of women; the various, disturbing ways it found to force the notion that scully’s, and so many other women’s bodies were, in fact, anything but their own. s8 concluding the way it did; scully having finally been granted a miracle in the form of motherhood; and mulder as not just her partner and lover, but the father of her child... as i said before, it’s not perfect. but at the very least, it does feel like an exhale, a sigh of relief.

so while i’d likely be hesitant to wipe out the entirety of s9 onward, odds are i’d do so if that meant ensuring a genuine resolution for those characters. say what you want about it being unrealistic, about “happy endings” coming few and far between in the real world. but with all that they’d been through, everything they’d endured over 8+ years, i can’t help but feel it’s what they deserve.

i certainly wasn’t expecting this to end up quite so long, massive shoutout to you if you read this far and for sending the ask in the first place, of course! i love talking txf with anyone and everyone, so your q was much appreciated!

[discordantwords]

fic writer q&a

I’ve seen a few of these floating around over the past few days, so I thought I’d fill one out too. Any of my friends who write, if you’d like to participate, consider yourself tagged!

1. AO3 handle: discordantwords

2. Ships I write: Right now I'm sort of fixated on Sherlock/John, but I got my start writing Mulder/Scully.

3. Ships I read: Mostly Sherlock/John. I'll dabble in reading other pairings if the story seems compelling.

4. When I started writing: I've been writing for as long as I can remember. As a child I used to write wherever and whenever I could--notebooks, little scraps of paper, in the margins of other books. In my angsty teen years, I often thought that that I could be left on a desert island with a supply of pens and a stack of blank notebooks and I'd be perfectly content for the rest of my life.

5. First fic I wrote: An assortment of (probably terrible) X-Files stories I was too shy to post back when the show was airing. I was young and very intimidated by the intelligent and wildly talented fanbase. I eventually wrote and posted The Barn in 2006, long after XF was off the air.

6. Favorite fic I wrote: The answer to this question will be different every time depending on the mood you catch me in. Sometimes I think it's We Could Have Made Music. Sometimes I think it's The Pillar upon Which England Rests. Other times I think it must be (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea.

7. Hardest fic I wrote: Out There. I was writing and posting a chapter a week. Each chapter averaged 10k words or more and was meant to feel like self-contained episode. It has stand alone monster-of-the-week cases, mythology cases, and a (relatively) coherent plot arc. It's by far the longest and most ambitious fic I've ever written, and, looking back, I have no idea how I ever sustained that pace.

8. Most research-intensive fic I wrote: Also Out There. I dove into a rewatch of X-Files episodes, read old transcripts, tried to find any plot points and characterizations that I could tie in with Sherlock. My goal was to write a story that didn't just rehash the events of either show, but instead blended the worlds into something that would be (hopefully) recognizable and yet still entirely new. I threw out most of the existing XF mythology and wrote my own. And then there was all of the X-Filesy pseudoscience, which had to at least seem vaguely plausible. For the Mayfly "episode," I wound up learning so much more about fly life cycles than I ever wanted to know.

9. Fic that is most dear to me: The Pillar upon Which England Rests. I love Mrs Hudson, I love her relationship to Sherlock, and when I initially eased into this fandom hers was the first story I felt compelled to tell.

10. Favorite trope to write: I will never tire of friends-to-lovers.

11. Something I wouldn’t write: You probably won’t see a PWP from me. I’ll never say never, but I'm not particularly adept at writing smut, even in the context of a larger story. I fear any PWP of mine would end up being fairly cringey. I stick to what I do best.

12. Favorite scene I ever wrote: There's a scene in Inscrutable to the Last, where John is making a last ditch effort to patch things up with Mary. He shows up with takeaway, expecting to talk, only to find that she has Janine over. And they all wind up drinking too much, generally just being terrible to one another underneath a thin veneer of politeness. Over the course of the night John has the slow dawning realization that his marriage is over, that any effort he's trying to make is too little too late. And I've always really liked the tension in that scene, and how the whole thing is messy and painful and doesn't really resolve in a comfortable way.

13. Where I get my inspiration: All over the place! Sometimes little interactions or moments I glimpse out in the world will find their way into my writing.

14. Hardest scene I ever wrote: I cried while writing Sherlock's breakdown in the bathroom at the end of (Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea. It's the only time I've ever cried while working on my own stuff.

15. Favorite characterization I wrote: I am most comfortable writing Sherlock. His thought patterns, as I write him, are fairly similar to my own.

16. Sequel I would write, if I had the chance: I would love to do a sequel to Out There, but the prospect is incredibly daunting.

17. Story I want to write, but I don’t think people would enjoy reading: A longish Sherlock and Molly friendship fic. I don't ship them, but I love the way their relationship has evolved over the years and would enjoy exploring it a bit.

18. A line from a WIP: Molly was three minutes and forty-two seconds late.

19. A recent comment on a story that made me smile: Every single comment puts a huge smile on my face.

20. A discontinued work I would love to finish: I have a post-TAB fic that I started writing ages ago before S4 aired. It was off to a good start, and then I lost track of where I was going with it, and then S4 happened and I really lost track of where I was going with it. I’d like to return to it one of these days.

21. Fic writers I admire: Too many to count! Pretty much everyone out there still keeping these worlds alive through your words.  

22. A story I recommend: Because I happen to be rereading it today, I'll throw out a recommendation for Parhelion. An achingly beautiful, wrenchingly sad Sherlock/John vampire fic that spans centuries. I love this fic, and I don't think it's ever gotten the attention it deserves.