#a little spooky season treat with the next two parts arriving in the coming days

[laurelwen]

Like Minds Tarot Cards, Part 1 of 3

Possessed initially by the idea of putting Alex and Nigel into the Lovers card, of course I immediately expanded my ambition to make all the Major Arcana. Tarot is incredibly subjective and personal, as are interpretations of these characters and moments. Reversed meanings are included for most of these because I feel many of the cards embody a complex mix of both energies. (Sally as the High Priestess is just entirely reversed. Complete failure, no one is doing intuition worse than her.)

The Fool - Beginning a journey, standing at the cliff’s edge, taking risks, reckless folly, spontaneity, impulsivity

The Magician - Enacting your will to manifest an outcome, potential manifesting into reality, determination, willpower, resourcefulness, cunning, manipulation

The High Priestess - Intuition, insights, mystery, secrets, inner knowledge, understanding.  Reversed: Failure to listen to your intuition, incorrect instincts.

The Empress - Motherhood, fertility, abundance, nurturing, compassion. Reversed - sterility, negligence, domestic problems, stagnation.

The Emperor - Authority, leadership, fatherhood, law and order, status, control, structure. Reversed - authoritarianism, rigidity, abuse of power, absentee father.

The Hierophant - Religious beliefs, conventional values, conformity, tradition, institutions.

The Lovers - Union, partnerships, desire, soulmates, mirroring of the Self. Reversed - disconnection, conflict, imbalance, distrust.

Like Minds Tarot Cards, Part 2 of 3 Like Minds Tarot Cards, Part 3 of 3

[Like Minds Masterpost- Main] [Like Minds Masterpost - Aesthetic]

[sunnysidevans]

𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑲𝑬𝑫 - 𝑨.𝑩

Summary: A friend of yours invites you to a party, after a crappy work week what happens when this party actually makes up for it?

Warnings: fluff, angst , implied smut (18+) , 

Pairing: Andy Barber x Reader 

A/N: I thought this was going to spookier not gonna lie but feels fitting for the first day of fall being the other day so enjoy this, More spooky fics coming I promise!

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW

  The temperature outside had finally dropped below 70 and there was a cool breeze blowing through your window with the pumpkin candle you picked up lit. It was finally October, which means halloween parties. You loved everything about halloween, mainly the mystery behind everyone’s costumes. (Y/F/N)  had told you about the masquerade party in which her work was hosted to get into the halloween spirit,which had you a bit skeptical at first but what is the harm in a little fun? “(Y/N), what if you meet a cute hot masked stranger or something? You obviously need a little action in your life” said your friend, you scoffed “excuse me?! I do not! I’m perfectly okay!” you replied as she started to laugh “no no you really need to get laid and I mean this in the best friend way okay, c’mon you can get all sexy” she smiled even though you couldn’t see it but you felt it through her voice and smiled to yourself and sighed “fine”. After agreeing to go to the masquerade party you spent the remainder of your night online shopping for the perfect dress to compliment your beautiful (Y/S/C) along with your mask because the whole point is to stay anonymous for this part of the party. 

  You found your perfect dress after hours of hunting and had it placed in your cart and ready for purchase the next day. You managed to make it up in time after your night of hunting for work and made it out the door with 5 minutes to spare. You almost had the perfect day, almost, as you were making the turn into the parking lot some jerk rear ended you! You don’t like to judge but you knew that may have to let the nails out. “Dude!” you yelled climbing out of your drivers side, adjusting your skirt, looking at the man who climbed out of his car, looking at the end of yours. “I am so sorry” he pushed his hair back looking at the black paint he left on your silver bumper shaking his head grabbing his wallet quickly, which you shook your head “you do not need to do that” you stopped him as he handed you a card, you furrowed your eyebrows “what is this?” you asked looking at it “Andrew Barber - Attorney ” written on it with a phone number “call me with the bill okay? I’ll fix it, it was my fault anyway I really do apologize” he sighed adjusting his jacket as he shoved his wallet back in his suit pants. You nodded looking at him smiling softly, he seemed stressed just by the bags under his eyes “are you okay?” you asked as he sighed heavily again “you are a complete stranger it's okay, just call me with damages okay…” he trailed off waiting for your name “oh! (Y/N)” you replied smiling at him climbing in your car and finally making it to work with many many minutes to not spare. 

  Friday night approached fast. You had treated yourself to a spa day before the night had fallen, mani pedi along with your beautiful dress. Of course you should’ve worried about fixing your car and not some stupid masquered party but after the week you had, you needed this party. You settled for simple makeup as mainly the only part of your face being seen would me mainly your lips. You opted for a simple mask as well as you hoped it would be off by midnight rolled around. Once your hair and makeup were finished it was settled, and damn did you look good. (Y/F/N)  had sent a ride for you, beneficial of course. You climbed in the beautiful range rover as the gentlemen held the door open, as you nodded in thank you and he helped you inside with your dress. You watched as the city passed by you, watching the lights of the beautiful city of Newton. You finally arrived at the beautiful hotel the party was being hosted at and climbed out at the help of your gentleman driver of course as you looked around for your friend. “(Y/N!)” you turned at the name of your name as (Y/F/N) stood at the doors waving you over with her boyfriend beside her. “Hi!” you waved to the two of them as you approached smiling widely sliding your mask on your face looking around “this is so big woah” you chuckled as a chuckled sounded beside you from Mike, your friends boyfriend “that's what she said” as you two laughed you headed inside and got ready for the night and hopefully morning ahead. 

  The party kicked off to such an amazing start, you didn’t leave (Y/F/N)’s sight the first few hours of the party. You couldn’t tell if any of these men were gorgeous under the mask but some were drop dead gorgeous. “Alone tonight?” you heard beside you as you were getting a cup of punch ( cheesy but fitting ), you turned to the voice and smiled at the gentlemen beside you, he wore an all black suit and a simple white mask. “I was” you giggled tilting your head as you pushed your hair off your shoulder watching him smile, his smile was beautiful. “Well how about we change that?” he grinned holding his hand out to you “shall we?” he motioned to the song change over the speakers as you nodded taking his hand and leaving your punch long gone and forgotten. You rested your hands on his shoulders as he laid his on your waist in the most polite way possible and swayed to the music listening to his soft humming. “You know, these things never interest me” he whispered as you nodded “yeah? And what made you come to this one?” you replied as he sighed softly “life, I needed a life and what better than a company party” he shrugged, smiling down at you, He was comforting, kind and held you with such tenderness you really couldn’t believe it, maybe you did find a gentlemen at a masquerade party. 

  After your dance you excused yourself to use the restroom to freshen up, you needed to catch yourself, were you falling for a stranger? You had finished in the restroom and made it a few steps before someone grabbed your arm and had you against the wall, you let out a muffled scream as you looked up to see the beautiful man you had danced with hovering over you smiling at you. “I’m sorry did I scare you?” he whispered, his breath fanned over your face as you took a deep breath smiling up at him “I mean yes” you giggled smiling watching him smile and cup your chin looking him up and down biting your lip as he groaned softly “no” he whispered pulling your lip out of your teeth with his thumb “They’re too pretty” he whispered back smiling watching you whispering again “can i kiss you?” You smiled before nodding cupping the back of his neck, kissing him slowly and softly as you stood on your tippy toes. He panted after you both finally broke apart for air, smiling before whispering “let's get out of here, you and me” 

 The next morning was a bit of a blur for you as you had multiple glasses of punch in which you thought wasn't spiked but in true party fashion was indeed spiked. You groaned as you rolled over in your bed when you realized, the bed was heavier and the sheets felt stranger, almost super wrinkled. You rubbed your eyes, throwing your arms over your head before stretching and groaning again, turning to see a man laying in your bed. At first alarmed, you looked around the room and everything clicked. The handsome guy you took home last night was naked sleeping in your bed, not which you were complaining because you definitely remember correctly how gorgeous he was. You watched him stir and then everything in your brain clicked, you slept with the guy who was supposed to fix your car. You giggled in which he groaned and mumbled “shhh too early” and rolled over to face you more as you smiled adjusting the piece of hair out of his face smiling “fine fine sorry sorry” you smiled, how did you sleep with someone so gorgeous? 

Monday morning rolled around for you and unfortunately you wished it hadn’t as you still were fighting off the weekend you had. After Andy woke up in your bed you did help him home and he did realize who you were and with a few laughs a phone number was evenly exchanged and ended up in your message inbox all weekend. As you arrived to work monday you were greeted with a vase of your favorite flowers and a small note. As you took the note you smiled: 

“Have a good day, oh by the way I’m still waiting for the damages bill for that car of yours. Call me xo Andy” you smiled and set the note down taking your phone from your purse and quickly typed out a message to the attorney “I mean I do know a good attorney if i needed one you know” 

You didn’t know where this could go, but you're glad you decided to dance with that masked stranger.

A/N: if you read this far, I hope you enjoyed! and  happy spooky season 

[halloweentv]

Celebrate Halloween time on Disney Plus. You can think of it as your own DIY “Disney’s Halloween Treat”

Halloweentown movie seties

Marnie discovers she is a witch and visits Halloween town while learning more about her powers

Hocus Pocus

The Sanderson sisters come back on Halloween night for revenge.

Mom’s got a date with a Vampire

Adam and his sister set up their mom on a date so they can sneak out. But they didn’t expect her date to be a vampire.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack akellington daocovers Christmas and tries to take over.

Frankenweenie (movie & Short)

Victor loses his dog Sparky but brings him back to life with some

Girl Vs. Monster

The daughter of two monster hunters must take on a monster of her own.

The Simpsons

Treehouse of Horror episodes. Every season has an episode early in the season that parodies horror and other pop culture. Classic Halloween specials...at least the first few seasons for sure.

Big Hero 6

s1e22 Obaki Yashiki

Hiro visits a haunted house and keeps seeing Tacashi around the city.

So Weird

S2e07 Boo

On Halloween Fi finds the town they’re in filled with strange trick or treaters.

Suite Life of Zack and Cody

S1e19 Ghost of 613

Zack and Cody find out there is a legendary haunted room in the hotel.

Gravity Falls

S1e7 Summerween

Gravity Falls loves Halloween so much they celebrate it in summer as well.

Phil of the Future

S1e15 Halloween

Debbie is revealed to be an evil cyborg

Even Stevens

S2e11 A very scary story

Louis realizes the kids at school are turning into zombies without eyes.

Lizzie Maguire

S1e24 Night of the Day of the Dead

Kate disrespects Miranda’s artifacts from the Day of the Dead.

Boy Meets World

S2e6 Who’s Afraid of Cory Wolf

Cory goes through some changes and he thinks he may be becoming a werewolf.

Lilo & Stitch

S1e5 Spooky

It’s Halloween and an experiment turns people’s worst fears into a reality.

————————————————-

A list of 6(7) episodes that all connect at the same Halloween event it was marketed as “Monstober Spooktacular Weekend”

Jessie

*S4e18 The Ghostest with the Mostest

Stuart warns the kids about a ghost named Abigail.

Girl meets World

S2e18 Girl meets world of terror 2

Riley and Maya meet a ghost!

I Didn't Do It

S2e18 The Bite Club

A fortune teller predicts bad luck for Logan.

K.C. Undercover

S1e24 All Howls Eve

KC dresses as a spy for Halloween to impress a new boy.

Best Friends Whenever

S1e9 Cyd and Shelby's Haunted Escape

Cyd and Shelby teleport to New York and get stuck in an escape room with Riley and Lucas.

Austin & Ally

S4e15 Scary Spirits & Spooky Stories

A trip to New York inspires three spooky stories

-Also part of the crossover event but on Netflix as of Sept. 2020

Liv and Maddie

S3e5 Haunt-A-Rooney

Liv and Joey travel to New York for Halloween

————————————

I didn’t do it

S1e18 Next of Pumpkin

At the Holla!-ween fest, Garrett is stuck in a corn maze

Jessie

S2e1 The Whining

The kids go trick or treating while Jessie fights exhaustion

S3e1 Ghost Bummers

Jessie and the kids throw a Halloween party.

S323 The Runaway bride of Frankenstein

Jessie doesn’t know how to respond to Brooks’ proposal.

Best friends whenever

S2e6 Night of the were-diesel

Austin & Ally

S2e1 Costumes & courage

Jimmy Star asks Austin to perform at his annual Halloween costume party

S3e20 Horror stories and Halloween scares

Power outage leaves the friends locked in Sonic Boom over night.

Ultimate Spider-Man

S2e21 Blade

Spider-man fights alongside vampire hunter Blade to stop Dracula

S2e22 The Howling Commandos

Spider-man teams up with the howling commandoes to save his friends.

S3e10 Halloween night at the museum

Jessie and Spider-man team up to save Halloween.

S4e20 Strange Little Halloween

Trick-or-treaters begin turning into real monsters.

Phineas and Ferb

S1e9 One good scare ought to do it!

Isabella is inflicted with an extreme case of hiccups.

S1e 22 The Monster of Phineas- -Ferbstein!

The grandparents tell the boys about Ferb’s ancestor.

S3e14 That’s the spirit! /The curse of Candace

The kids encounter a strange boy who is convinced his house is haunted.

S4e18 Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror

In this Halloween episode, our characters, star in three terrifying tales.

S4e19 Drusselsteinoween/Face your Fear

When Doof inherits a castle, Vanessa moves her Halloween party.

S4e30 Night of the living pharmacists

Dr. Doof turns people of Danville into Doof-zombies

Wizards of Waverly Place

S3e2 Halloween

The wizards hire real ghost to keep the sub station the best haunted house.

Hannah Montana

S1e17 Torn between two Hannahs

Miley’s look alike cousin goes to the Hollywood Halloween party and tries to expose Hannah’s identity.

Kim Possible

S1e14 October 31st

When Kim lies about not wanting to go trick or treating with Ron there are some unexpected consequences.

That’s so Raven

S2e2 Don’t have a cow

Raven uses a spell book it make her costume better b it she ends up turning into a cow.

Proud Family

S2e2 A hero for Halloween

Penny eats some scary snax and gets super powers.

A.N.T. Farm

S1e14 Mutant Farm

S2e13 Mutant Farm 2

S3e12 Mutant Farm 3.0

Halloween themed episodes based on each seasons premiere.

Shake it Up

S2e5 Beam it up

Flynn thinks his neighbor is an alien

S3e25 Haunt it up

Flynn challenges Deuce and Ty to stay the night in a haunted house.

Kickin it

S1e12 Boo Gi Nights

On Halloween the Black Dragons are expected to wreak havoc.

S3e15 Temple of Doom

The gang host a Halloween party at the temple

Milo Murphy’s Law

S1e20 Milo Murphy's Halloween Scream-A-Torium!

Zack doesn’t think anything about Halloween can scare him anymore.

Star vs. the forces of Evil

S2e11 Hungry Larry

Star and Marco help Mr. Diaz create the scariest Haunted House on the block

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman

Donald Duck

Trick or Treat

Donald plays a trick on his nephews but a witch helps them out.

Mickey Mouse

Lonesome Ghosts

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy run a ghost exterminating agency.

Goof Troop

S1e29 Hallow-Weenies

Pete and Goofy get captured by ghost so Max and PJ need to rescue them.

Duck Tales

S1e65 Ducky Horror Picture Show

A group of monsters rent Scrooge’s convention center for their meeting.

Mickey Mouse

S1e10 Ghoul Friend (2013)

S2e8 The Boiler Room (2014)

S2e19 Black or White (2015)

*The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular (2017) (hopefully this will be added to Disney Plus soon)

Recess

S3e34 Terrifying tales of recess

Bitch tells the kids three scary Halloween stories

Recess: Taking the 5th grade

Spinelli believes she is too old for Halloween

Ravens Home

S1e11 The Baxtercism of Levi Grayson

Booker and Levi try to fool a ghost-hunting classmate.

S2e16 Switch-or-treat

Raven and Booker switch bodies on Halloween.

S3e10 Creepin’ it real

On Halloween, a spooky new neighbor moves in.

Sonny with a Chance

S2e18 A So Random Halloween special

Shaquille O’Neal hosts a Halloween special.

Good Luck Charlie

S2e12 Scary had a little lamb

Teddy and Ivy take Charlie trick or treating but an annoying kid ruins their night.

S3e16 Le Halloween

Teddy and Spencer celebrate their anniversary and Amy dresses as a kangaroo

S4e14 Fright Knight

Teddy and her friends decide to go Halloween caroling.

Stuck in the middle

S2e18 Stuck in a merry scary

Harley hopes to prank Rachel

Fish Hooks

S2e5 Halloween Haul

The gang go trick or treating outside the tanks.

Gargoyles

S2e7 Eye of the Beholder

The Gargoyles are able to go out on Halloween night. Meanwhile Fox becomes more of a wolf.

Twitches

Reunited twin girls discover they have powers.

Twitches too

When a new evil threat arrives, it’s up to the twitches to save Coventry.

Doug

S1e8 Doug’s Bloody buddy

On Halloween night rumors circulate that Skeeter is a vampire.

S3e6 Night of the living Dougs

Doug’s friends and family are too busy to help him make a Halloween costume

The Emperor’s New School

S1e20 The Yzma that stole Kuzcoween.

Yzma sets out to destroy the annual Kuzcoween holiday.

Honorable Mentions

Bizardvark

S1e12 Halloweenvark

S2e12 Halloweenvark: Part Boo

S3e7 Halloweenvark part 3: Mali-boo

Crash and Bernstein

S1e2 Scaredy Crash

S2e2 Health-o-ween

Mighty Med

S1e3 Frighty Med

S2e3 Liar, Liar

.

[lovelylexipedia]

Headcanon: The Halloween Season – MAGIC + Season 7 Main Cast

Type: Headcanon

Requested: No

Summary: N/A

Warning(s): None that I'm aware of

Note(s): Happy Halloween everyone! I know some of us aren't able to celebrate because of the pandemic, but I just wanted to push this out to maybe brighten y'all's spirits, haha, puns. :)

———

Meredith Grey

Meredith doesn't do Halloween

Her mom never took her trick-or-treating when she was younger so she doesn't like celebrating it now

If she's around kids, then she'll try to get into the spirit, but sometimes it just exhausts her

For the sake of it, you guys try to treat it like a usual day

Alex Karev

Alex thought you weren't gonna celebrate the holiday, so he stayed at work

You were waiting for him to come home so you could freak him out with the Ouija board you had bought

He ended up staying at the hospital until 3 AM and arrived at home at 3:33

It scared you shitless and you thought a demon was out to get you because you had practiced with the Ouija board alone, trying to find the best way to scare Alex

You didn't sleep for the rest of the night and Alex basically cuddled you the whole night

George O'Malley

You had promised George that you would take it easy this Halloween

Before you were dating, you'd scare and tease him around the hospital every Halloween

This year you guys would just have a small movie marathon and eat candy and then go to bed sick

But then plans derailed when you guys found a small black kitten had come into your apartment through an open window

The whole night, the both of you debated on whether or not you would keep it

You guys named him Freddy

Izzie Stevens

Izzie goes hard for Halloween

The two of you decided to throw party at your shared place, thinking it would just be work buddies

Nope. Izzie worked too hard for just a couple people to show up

She practically invited the whole hospital

The both of you dressed up as sexy witches, Izzie's a bit more toned down so she could hand the kids candy

The party was supposed to end at 11:30, it ended at sunrise

Never again

Cristina Yang

Cristina loves Halloween ... because of all the surgeries

She loves getting people in scared half-to-death from corn mazes and haunted houses, always flares up the heart problems

Not a fan of costumes, but if you begged hard enough or gave her enough surgeries, she'd consider a low-key one

The kids asking her for candy really annoy her though

You have to steer them away from her when they ask "trick-or-treat" cause she almost always chooses trick, and when she chooses treat, it's a granola bar

If you do end up doing something, it's probably just going for drinks at Joe's

Derek Shepherd

Derek prefers to just work the holiday away

In the morning you guys get into the mood with some spooky music around the house

But at work it's just another day

He does like seeing you mess around with your costume though

Owen Hunt

Owen is not into costumes, like at all

He thinks they're a waste of time and money

Owen likes the idea of it, not so much participating (though he secretly wants to)

He likes the traumas that roll in though, that does get him excited

Mark Sloan

During the day, he couldn't stop imagining you in your costume

You were going as Catwoman, you had bought a black latex suit and black cat ears days prior and had shown him the costume on you as a tease

You both had been invited to a party, but he wanted to skip and just get right to the good part

Instead, you scrapped the costume and you decided to bake some cookies and cupcakes to hand out the next day

He was disappointed, but after he put an orange pumpkin sugar cookie in his mouth, he shut right up

Lexie Grey

Halloween is one of Lexie's favorite holidays

She always has her costumes planned for the next year and the year after and the year after that

Wearing costumes together is her favorite part

ESPECIALLY couple costumes

She asks for the day off so she can decorate the apartment you guys share

You guys just stay in and eat candy and tell each other "spooky" stories

But then show up at the hospital after shoving y'all's faces with candy and taking a power nap

Callie Torres

Callie treats Halloween as another day

She acknowledges it, but it's not a huge thing for her

The only way you could get her excited for the holiday is if you promised not to force her to get a costume

The day of, she surprised you with a homemade sexy pirate costume

Not a lot of work got done that day

Arizona Robbins

Arizona goes all out for her patients

Every Friday she dresses up in a new costume and plays a little game with the kids, having them guess who she was

She sneaks them extra pieces of candy from time to time, and when there's extras, she takes them home

Arizona handles the decorations while you go costume hunting

Your apartment is small, so you really only decorate the outside door with an orange/black wreath and hang tinsel around the windows

You start telling her scary stories in the middle of the night and she is so unimpressed

April Kepner

April is iffy about the holiday (her grandma would say that Halloween was the devil's holiday)

She loves giving candy and seeing little kids dress in costumes though

She dresses up in cutesy outfits, not really costumes

April will pull on a flannel and jeans, put her hair in pigtails, and call herself a cowgirl

You guys typically just go around the trauma bay and sit with the little kids waiting for/with their parents and hand out candies

Jackson Avery

Jackson takes the 'trick' in "trick-or-treat" very seriously

After a few harmless ones around the house, he gets risky and pranks you at the hospital

Each gets you more and more amped up, so you decide to get him back

Does not end well at all, Webber and Bailey aren't happy

The day ends with a slap of the wrist from the Chief and a movie night

[lets-share-neen]

[Podcast Recommendations]

Podcasts I listen to - Part 2

Today I am going to recommend some more of the podcasts I currently listen to. Maybe you will enjoy them just as much as I do! I am subscribed to sooo many that I need two more lives to complete them all I guess...

Behind Closed Doors

[German] This is one of my favourite non-fictional podcasts! It covers True Crime as well as supernatural or creepypasta stuff and I just wished she would be able to update it more regularly. I love the host, Madeline, so much. She not only has a very capturing voice (well she's a singer), she also doesn't play it up to be super professional and 'perfect', but leaves in snarky and sarcastic remarks (that I love, always get a good chuckle) without getting insensitive or rude towards the victims or people involved. I also got my brother into it and he basically listened to all available episodes in two days.

(Airing, sadly updated pretty irregularly. I guess she's busy with her music.)

Still Lives

Many years ago, the world has been infected with a deadly disease that killed practically all people on the planet. Now five survivors are living out in the woods in a little house, were they have built some sort of community and home for themselves. They don’t call each other by names, only titles. There is The Cook, who is able to make amazing food from the little they harvest. There is The Archivist, who thinks that it’s her duty to keep and archive everything the world had to offer when it was still normal. There is The Soldier, who treats life still much like war. There is The Scientist who is able to provide medical help. And there is The Kid - a young girl who never knew life Before. They all believe that practically everyone else on the planet is dead - until a stranger they call The Traveler arrives one winter’s evening and changes their whole outlook onto the world and what they thought they knew.

(1 Season, completed.)

A Voice from Darkness

This is a (fictional) radio show, were people can call in if they need help with supernatural happenings or problems. The host, who is an expert in the paranormal, then tries to give them advise and help them. The episodes are pretty short and I am not sure so far if there will be a main story that connects them, but he follows up on some episodes and revisits them again or gets the caller back on the phone. It’s pretty spooky and just perfect for Halloween! I have some problems with the voice of the main character that I can’t really pinpoint. It’s as he sounds like he’s from a commercial - too “perfect”, it sounds really unnatural for a radio host, but maybe that’s just me.

(1 Season, airing.)

The Phenomenon 

Do not look outside. Do not look at the sky. Do not make noise. The earth has been surrounded by some sort of unknown force in the sky that kills everyone who dares to look at it just for a second. People try to survive and find a way of stopping it without really knowing who or what is trying to kill them all. Aliens? Some supernatural or godlike entity? There are many rumours but all they know is - if you dare to step out, you are already dead. If you like movies like Bird Box, War of the Worlds or The 5th Wave, this might be something for you!

(3 Seasons, airing.)

Liminal Apocalypse

In this short podcast, North America is on the edge of war. Becca, a young woman, heads out together with some other people into a bunker outside the city were she's safe. However, she had to leave her wife behind who couldn't make it to the meeting point in time. She tries to reach her over the radio she brought along but once she finally hears from her wife, strange things start happening. She is getting conflicting statements from her - one time the war is over, the next time she gets a message from her that she still fights for her life outside. Becca, not able to communicate back cause her radio is broken, has to come to the heartbreaking realization that there might be two realities with two different Emilys out there and that things might be more complicated than they seem. This podcast is bomb! The setting is really interesting and emotional, why is it so short?! I love it a lot and wished there would be more episodes.

(3 Parts, completed.)

Verbrechen

[German] This is one of the currently most popular podcasts in Germany and also one of my favourites. The two journalists of ZEIT magazine talk about crimes but with a focus of more unknown cases and the German justice system. Many episodes cover wrongly accused or people who have been mistreated by police or the law. They also cover a lot of cases in detail were children have been mistreated or abused and the authorities didn’t really do anything, so definitely a trigger warning here. They do get into a lot of details and it is horrifying at some points. It's super interesting though! I always listen to it while I get ready for bed, haha.

(Airing, updated about every two weeks)

[sunsetbeachsoap]

Interview: Life's a Sunset Beach

She was going to be the next Elizabeth Taylor. These days Lesley- Anne Down takes work where she finds it - right now, it's in the best daytime soap opera since `Crossroads'.

Deborah Ross @deborahross

Monday 30 November 1998 01:02

So, here she is, then, Lesley-Anne Down, once "Britain's Most Beautiful Teenager" and once, of course, the flighty, ravishing, utterly captivating Miss Georgina Worsley in Upstairs, Downstairs. I can still see her now, in her little sparkling bugle dress, with those big sparkling eyes, flirting outrageously with someone jolly handsome in the Eaton Place drawing room, while, downstairs, Mrs Bridges was bellowing: "RUBY! ROO- BEEEEE! YOU COME AND HELP ME WITH THIS MILK PUDDING NOW, MY GIRL!" The part quickly transformed her into the nation's, and the tabloids', absolute darling. She may even have been Elizabeth Hurley before there was any Elizabeth Hurley. The prototype, if you like. And very, very big things were predicted for her. "The next Elizabeth Taylor," declared the Daily Mail in 1973. But today? Today she is not a great big movie star. Instead, she is Olivia Richards in the American daytime soap Sunset Beach.

Now, let's see, how best to give you a little thumbnail-sketch of Olivia? OK. Here goes. Olivia used to have a drink problem, and also used to be married to Gregory Richards, played by a cracking actor who can do lines, and facial expressions, but singularly fails to ever tie the two in together. Olivia has a baby son, Tres, unbeknown to her grown-up daughter, Caitlin, who is a graduate (cum laude) of The American School of Dramatic Hair Tossing - they are all, actually, very good at tossing, but Caitlin's the best - and who thinks Tres came from a prostitute. Caitlin certainly doesn't think Tres could be her brother, or might even be her half-brother, because Olivia once had an affair with Cole, who suffers under the weight of a great deal of hair gel and thus looks permanently perplexed, and who is now married to Caitlin, while Gregory is now married to Annie, who has lips like dinghies and who drugged Olivia and stole Tres in the first place before Olivia found out and Gregory divorced her, because he thought Tres died as a result of her drinking. And that's about it. I think. Tragically, Sunset Beach is only on here at 10.20am on Channel 5 which means that, for a busy, professional, go-getting high-brow like me, I only ever get to see it daily.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: "Look what Lesley- Anne has come to!" And: "Where did it all go pear-shaped!"Well, if that's the case, and I suspect it is, then I can only say you are mad. Sunset Beach is, almost certainly, the best thing on telly at the moment. Indeed, for anyone who has had, say, a Crossroads-shaped hole in their lives ever since Crossroads was axed, then Sunset Beach is just the ticket, and possibly more so. The plots are ludicrous, the acting is appalling and, as for the dialogue! Well, take Olivia to her ex, Gregory, while they are stuck in a lift, and he's coming on to her, because he's unknowingly been doped with Viagra, and she finds herself succumbing: "LOVE [breath] ME [breath] GREGORY [long breath]. LOVE [breath] ME!" It's all you could ever hope for, frankly, and no Benny in his silly bobble hat, which has to be a plus.

I say all this to Lesley-Anne. She is not offended in the least. She has, she says, never considered herself an artiste in any way. Do you think you can act, even? "God, no. Absolutely not. But if someone pays me to do something, I will do it to the best of my ability, and on Mars if necessary." How would you describe what you do in Sunset Beach? "Technique. Just full-blown technique! Although it's very hard work, darling. We average four scenes an hour. We don't rehearse. It's brush your hair, then boom- boom-boom, you're doing it." So, in short, it's a matter of trying not to fall over the props, then waiting for the truck to come round with your wages? "It is certainly much better paid than Upstairs, Downstairs ever was!" She says she now takes her jobs where she can find them. She once did a season in Dallas as PR Stephanie Rogers. "Why? Because they offered me a quarter of a million dollars for seven days' work over 10 weeks. What do you think I am, darling? STUPID?" Still, she agrees that "Who shot JR?" might be up there with "Is Amy Turtle a Russian spy?" as one of the greatest soap storylines ever. "Was she a Russian spy?" she asks. I say she got off in the end, but frankly, I always had my doubts. There always looked like room for a kalashnikov under her pinny, to me. "I see," says Lesley-Anne. "Hmmm."

Although she now lives in the very Hello! territory that is Malibu - "Jane Seymour lives round the corner. Her kids came trick or treating the other night" - she is over here for a few days, so we meet in her London hotel suite. We are joined, at various times, by Lesley-Anne's younger sister, Angela, Lesley-Anne's husband, Donnie, and her and Donnie's eight-month-old son, George, who seems to have black teeth ("We think the housekeeper is feeding him juice"), plus a succession of chambermaids who knock then come in to say: "Hiya, Olivia. I just wanted to say hiya, and maybe I could have a photo, Olivia?" "Maybe a little later, sweetie," says Lesley-Anne, who isn't even very good at acting friendly sometimes. Later, she complains: "This has been going on endlessly. In fact, when I first arrived here a few days ago, I went out in the evening. I was knackered, I looked awful, I wore a big hat - but still everyone in the street was shouting, `Ohhhh, Olivia'. And `Ohhh, Sunset Beach'. I don't understand it. It is such a silly little show."

Nonsense, I protest. It's a terrific show. In particular, I love the strange kind of time warp that goes on, so that a character knocks on a door, then 139 episodes later someone finally answers it. I like the fact that there are only ever two camera angles. I like the fact it makes Santa Barbara look slick. I like... "Oh, stop," pleads Lesley-Anne. Her sister Angela interrupts to say she thinks Lesley-Anne is a better actress than she thinks she is. "You were very good in Hanover Street with Harrison Ford," she insists.

"But that was such romantic drivel, darling!" Lesley-Anne cries.

"Trouble is, that film didn't know whether it wanted to be a war story or a love story," says Donnie.

"Ag-ga-ga-ga-goo," goes George, through his spooky, rotten teeth.

I say that, aside from anything else, she did do truly great cleavage in the American mini-series North and South. She can at least feel proud of that. She says: "That wasn't cleavage! That was my spare tyre being pushed up!" Lesley-Anne is possibly rather bonkers. But, still, she can be quite bright and funny at times.

She is now 44, but is still very fine looking, with the huge green, sparkling eyes, and great bones and everything, although she might be a bit over- made-up. You know, lots of black round the eyes and lashes so mascara- ed they look crunchy. She has so far resisted plastic surgery, "but only because Donnie won't let me". "Roy Orbison died on the table getting a face-lift," retorts Donnie. "It is a life-threatening operation."

Donnie, her third husband, is a cameraman whom she met on the set of North and South. Lesley-Anne seems to have spent much of her life going from one bloke to another, actually. First it was Bruce Robinson, the actor who turned writer (The Killing Fields) then writer-director (Withnail and I, How to Get Ahead in Advertising) and with whom she lived with for 10 years from the age of 15. Next it was an Argentine, Henrique Gabriel, an assistant director whom she met in Egypt on a film set, and whom she married on a whim, but left after 18 months for William Friedkin. She married Friedkin, the director of The French Connection and The Exorcist, and together they had a son, Jack. But when Jack was two, Lesley-Anne met Don, and upped it again. Lesley-Anne and Friedkin then fought a custody battle for Jack in a case which even her own lawyer, Marvin Mitchelson, described as "the nastiest, most vicious, custody case this town has ever seen". Friedkin said Lesley-Anne was an alcoholic, promiscuous coke fiend. She said he had threatened to kill her on more than one occasion, and had used a stun gun in front of Jack. After spending a million dollars each, they eventually agreed to a pre-trial settlement and joint custody, but only after Lesley-Anne had been vetted by a team of shrinks.

She says the shrinks ultimately declared her "a super-intelligent woman" which, she adds, "was very funny, because I lied to them every step of the way. They did these Rorschach tests on me. You know, the ink-blots. And they'd say, what does this one look like? I wasn't about to say it looks like two women having it off, was I? So I said, `Ohhh, it's a beautiful butterfly."' What did they conclude about you emotionally? "That I'm a complete hysteric!" And she might be, although perhaps not dangerously so. Certainly, she doesn't seem entirely whole somehow. I think she is intelligent, yes, but am not sure she's entirely all there.

She was born in Wandsworth, south London. Her father, James, apparently a very dashing-looking man, was caretaker of the local Territorial Army Centre. Her mother, Isobel, stayed at home to bring up the two girls, although did a bit of cleaning on the side when things got tight. Lesley- Anne, however, craved a more colourful life. "I had these cousins in LA, who'd send us care packages of clothes they'd grown out of - the most amazingly beautiful dresses that were totally alien to, say, going to Clark's for another pair of lace-ups in black, black or black. So I always had this desire, and image of myself, leading this fantasy life."

She started modelling at 10, was drinking gin and orange and clubbing at 12, started appearing nude in films at 14, and was living with Bruce at 15. I ask her if she thinks her childhood finished too early. She says. "I don't think it ever started!" What do you mean? "I just never felt like a child. I always had this desire to be a grown-up. I never had friends. I never felt I belonged. I was always happiest on my own, inventing things, finding secret places. If I'd also mutilated small animals, I think I'd have the perfect psychological profile of a serial killer." Did you ever, for example, have birthday parties? "Perhaps once. Although, then again, I might just be jealously appropriating someone else's." Did you like school? "Hated it. In particular, I hated Miss Harden, the maths teacher, who had hairy armpits and never wore long sleeves."

The trouble with Lesley-Anne, perhaps, is that she focused for so long on achieving things outwardly, via her own admittedly fabulous looks, that something within her just shrivelled and died. When, later, I ask her what attracted her to Friedkin, she says: "Money, talent, power." And you find those things attractive? "I did then. I'd met men with one or other of those things but, until Bill, I'd never met a man with all three." And the combination was lethal? "Lethal is the right word. That man was MERCURY IN MY BLOOD!" She can seem quite hysterical at times, yes.

Her first modelling assignment was for school uniforms, then it was bonnets, then it was a commercial in Barbados for an American soap powder - "and I thought, this is the life". She hooked up with Bruce at a party thrown by Ava Gardner. "He walked into the room in a white coat. I was in love. I didn't have a comb, so I ran into the lavatory and used Ava's toothbrush on my hair and lashes." He assumed she was at least 18. He, nearly 30 then, wasn't best pleased to find out she was only 15. "He called up all his friends, and said: `What am I going to do?' He went though a difficult time. My parents called him all sorts of names. Bruce would pack my bags and send me back to mum and dad. `I want to be with you,' I would scream. "

He proposed to her just the once, when she was 16. "But I said no. I didn't believe in marriage then." He never proposed again, although they stayed together until she was 24. She doesn't see him now. "He's become such a hermit, hasn't he? He lives in place near Wales that begins with H." Hereford? "Yes, that's it. He has so much to play for, but just tucks himself away." Perhaps he just doesn't want the whole LA shebang? "Oh. yes. Perhaps."

She says she is happy now, with Donnie and George. She doesn't mind that she never really achieved anything after Upstairs, Downstairs apart from a number of lacklustre films culminating in Death Wish V with Charles Bronson. "I'm happy to have survived, to still be here," she says. She has, yes, had her run-ins with drink and drugs but never, she insists, excessively so, and certainly not now. She adds that it's now time for her afternoon nap. "I'm very tired, darling." Bye, Olivia, I say. And I hope you get out of that stuck elevator shortly. "Oh stop!" she pleads again.

[agentelmo]

The X-Files MSR Analysis Series: Season 1 Episode 12

“Fire”

Previous episode analysis - 1x11 Eve.

Oh Fire, what an episode.  The first time we see Mulder actively pursue a woman and it’s not Scully.  WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY.

It’s okay though, because it turns out Mulder’s ex -- Phoebe Green -- is a real piece of work, making it quite easy to dislike her, which is handy because I think that’s the point.

There are two MSR angles here.  The first is how Scully is really there for Mulder as a friend.  She sees he is vulnerable and is protective of him; she is caring and reassuring even when Mulder seemingly dismisses Scully in pursuit of that British poontang.  The beauty of their blossoming platonic bond really shines through in this episode.

The second angle is that Mulder has exactly what he desires right in front of him, but doesn’t see it.  Phoebe is a tantalising reminder of a lifestyle he’s given up -- having a woman in his life -- someone to love and care for who loves him back.  But everything that he desires in Phoebe is already there in the form of Scully.  The issue is that Mulder doesn’t allow himself to see her as anything more than his  partner, his friend, and so doesn’t recognise that he has this incredible woman right under his nose already.  

With this in mind, there are parts of Fire that almost play out like a stereotypical romcom.  The male protagonist with the amazing female best friend who is perfect for him but he just continues to pursue terrible women, all while the best friend looks on from the sidelines, picking up the pieces, supporting him.  Until one day... *cough* seven years later... *cough*

So since this is an MSR review series, I tend to start with Mulder and Scully, not the cold opening.  But I have to comment on this, being English myself.  

What were they thinking?  It’s actually kind of painful seeing these frankly horrendous actors talk in exaggeratedly hoity-toity English accents.

Tally ho, pip pip, cheerio!  

Did you feel that?  It was the collective eye roll of the entire population of Ireland.

If this gets any worse we’ll be giving Dick Van Dyke a run for his money.  But hey, thankfully we’re not here long since Lord Moneybags McPoshface goes up in smoke.  

Now we’re off to see our favourite FBI star-crossed lovers. Muldo and Scullywag!

So this episode confirms that Mulder and Scully do have other cases between episodes that we just don’t see.  Fertile ground for the old fanfic writers, amirite?

In fact, it’s reconfirmed again in the season 10 episode, Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster, where Mulder recounts how one time the two of them went on a case looking for a “rock-like creature”...

Only to discover it was a publicity stunt by a local landscaping business. 

Yeah, I don’t remember that episode.

Makes me wonder who were they prosecuting in Fire?  What case was this?!  What cute MSR moments are we not getting to see?!

So we start with these two coming out of a hard day at court, Mulder jokes with Scully about the case.

Epic bants, Mulder.  You slay me.  And Scully too, apparently!  She’s fucking giggling.  GIGGLING.

Look at how cute they are.  Having fun and enjoying each other’s company so effortlessly.  There’s no guile about it, they are just comfortable being themselves.

Is it weird that I just feel happy seeing Mulder have a friend?  He’s actually a pretty sweet, charming guy when he lets that side of himself out.  Few people gave him the chance, and after so many years of being labelled “Spooky”, combined with some clear trust issues, he rarely gives anyone else a chance either.  

Until Scully, of course.

Mulder relaxed and just having fun with Scully is my jam, fam.  She laughs at his joke and he laughs at hers.

Just get fucking married, already.

Sadly, all marriage plans must be put on hold since some British bint arrives and ruins everyone’s day.

This “practical joke” Phoebe plays with the cassette tape gives some possible insight into the kind of relationship she and Mulder had when he was at Oxford.

She appears to enjoy toying with the emotions of others and then makes light of the consequences.  I mean, here she makes Mulder and Scully believe they were about to be killed by a car bomb, but then makes no apology for it.  Especially to Scully, someone she doesn’t know from Adam.  

Mulder, clearly accustomed to her torment, doesn’t even bother to chide her for the prank, despite clearly scaring the shit out of Scully.   I think he knows it’s easier to just play along.

Nicolas Cage, is that you?

Phoebe seems like the type who would say things like “it was only a joke” or “what’s the big deal?” or “stop being so over-sensitive” etc.  The kind of gaslighting cunt that makes people crazy in an intimate relationship.

What’s interesting about these two is that it’s apparently been 10 years since they last saw each other, but Mulder wastes no time dredging up their romantic history like no time has passed at all.  Making it abundantly clear that 1. Mulder isn’t entirely over Phoebe, and 2. he’s still resentful towards her for whatever it was she did to him in their relationship -- more on that later.

So spinning off on a tangent for a moment here... This all throws some serious shade on Mulder’s relationship with Diana Fowley.  You would think that whatever left over resentments or lingering feelings he had towards Phoebe would have been resolved or at least faded in the wake of a new long term relationship with another woman.  Mulder later says in this episode that he has spent the last 10 years trying to forget Phoebe -- it’s within those 10 years that he had a relationship with Diana.  

This would place Mulder at Oxford in approximately 1983.  He met and started dating Diana when he left Quantico which was three years later in 1986.  We don’t know when their relationship ended, but let’s assume it was when she fucked off to Europe to work for the Syndicate in 1991.  So, he was in a relationship with Diana for approximately five years and in all that time he still harboured feelings for Phoebe.  Wow.  It’s strange to think, that 100% canonically Mulder wasn’t over Phoebe when he was with Diana.  Perhaps Phoebe was his first love?

I mean, it’s possible -- he was very young then.  It would certainly explain why he doesn’t ever romantically pursue Diana when she returns, even though he could have, and she was certainly interested.  Perhaps his feelings for Diana weren’t quite what we’re led to believe?  Or perhaps it’s simply that his growing feelings for Scully just made things too complicated.  Personally, I blame Amor Fati for muddying the waters on that one.

Aaaaaaanyway, back to Fire.

I love Scully’s face when Phoebe feeds Mulder this cheese-tastic line.

She’s clearly uncomfortable witnessing this, most likely feeling somewhat of an awkward third wheel.  Not to mention a little put out -- dat’s my man biyotch!

I jest, but I wonder if there is some truth to the idea that she felt special to Mulder because he is a loner.  This man who doesn’t let anyone get close chose her to open up to.  Yet she’s now realising that wasn’t always true, and perhaps her connection to him isn’t as special as first thought?  I mean look at her face, she clearly does not like this.

The dynamic between these two women is intriguing too.  Phoebe clearly makes Scully uncomfortable.  Firstly, Phoebe never acknowledges Scully’s presence; only greeting her when forced to by Mulder’s introduction.  

To play this joke on the two of them, Phoebe had to have been watching them approach the car and no doubt overheard their conversation -- noting their close relationship.  Seemingly she’s already sized Scully up as rival for Mulder’s attention -- someone to undermine -- and so expertly removes her from every interaction the three of them have by outright ignoring her.

It almost works too, Mulder is clearly enthralled with Phoebe, gazing at her the whole time in this dreamy way, but as soon as Phoebe says this: 

It breaks Mulder out of her spell almost instantly -- he even physically pushes her back.

Talking shit about Scully is the point at which Mulder will no longer play along.

There’s some interesting symbolism in this scene with the camera work too.  Where Phoebe and Mulder are always in frame together, and Scully is separate -- the camera reflecting how Phoebe’s relationship to Mulder re-positions Scully as the outsider.  

So before we move on, I gotta share the amazing eye fucking that is going on during the cassette tape scene in the car.

That second picture looks like it should be captioned “find someone who looks at you the way Mulder looks at Scully.”  I mean, geez man.  His face is a weapon of mass seduction.  He really should have a licence for that thing.

Next we’re in basement HQ and Scully notices straight away that something is up with Mulder.

She keeps eyeing him as he is clearly becoming more and more uncomfortable.  But why might that be?  On first viewing you could be forgiven for thinking Mulder is just getting hot under the collar -- pardon the pun -- chatting away with his old flame.  Pardon that pun too.  Potentially this is what Scully assumes as well, but we know with hindsight that it’s because he’s listening to Phoebe ream off the details of how her suspect likes to burn people alive. 

Phoebe maintains her campaign of exclusion.  Trying to undermine Scully by completely ignoring her, and then throwing out a reference to a “private joke” she shares with Mulder -- drawing a clear barrier between the two of them and Scully.  She’s making it clear that she’s talking to Mulder and only Mulder.

As Phoebe leaves, having never once glanced in Scully’s direction, she suddenly says goodbye to her, treating her as an afterthought to emphasise that Scully is neither needed or wanted.

Seriously, dis bitch man.  Scully is onto you.

As Phoebe tries to erect barriers, Scully immediately kicks them back down again as she straight up asks Mulder what’s this private joke is.

That’s my girl.

Mulder concedes, but you can tell he is embarrassed.  I love that you can see the exact moment he decides to just tell her the truth.

Up until this point Mulder has kept his private life quite guarded, even from Scully.  For all the world to see, he is a man entirely about his quest.  Revealing to Scully that he has the same frailties as any other man -- falling in love with the wrong woman, for example -- is making himself vulnerable to her too.  The fact that doesn’t stop him is a testament to their relationship at this point, to how much he trusts and respects Scully.  He feels safe with her.

Only living for his quest is how Scully saw Mulder too, so to see that he can be consumed by something other than the X-Files -- be made vulnerable by a woman -- is surprising to her.  She’s seeing another side to him.

When Mulder starts to deny he’s affected by Phoebe now, Scully takes the opportunity to dig him out a lil’ bit.  Of course she’s gonna call him out on his bullshit.  That’s what friends do.

What’s striking about this exchange though is that shes not jealous.  She’s amused.  Shes truly playing the role of his best friend, looking out for him rather than being the best friend secretly in love with him -- which she totally is by the end of season 1.  What?  Fight me.

That switch Scully talks about in season 6′s Rain King?  It’s not been flicked quite yet.  She still only sees him as a friend, someone she cares about deeply, but she’s not at “the only person you can ever imagine yourself with” point.  Not quite yet.

Guys.  Did Scully just make a dick joke?  Like, not just any dick joke... but an erection joke?  And, and... not just any erection joke, but Mulder’s erection joke?

Wut.

Also what the heck is that voice she puts on? “Is that what you were extending?”  She is so cute when she’s teasing him.  UGH!

Now this is where I see some of the romcom-y aspects of the episode come in.  Mulder is honest, open and unguarded with Scully -- playful, even.  He’s being his usual self again.  This cool, controlled act he seems to don when Phoebe is around is completely shed and they banter away again like they did moments before Phoebe arrived.  Basically, with Phoebe, he knows revealing weakness is danger, whereas with Scully he can let his weaknesses show.  

Dude... the perfect woman for you is right there.   RIGHT THERE! OMG.

Unfortunately, this could then mean something negative for the MSR, at least here and now in season 1.  That perhaps Mulder doesn’t even allow himself to see Scully as a “woman” i.e. as a sexual being.  Thus she is safe to bare his soul to, she’s his friend and partner only -- a non-threat.

But I suspect that’s actually what Mulder needs.  To see Scully this way first.  A friend and equal first and a lover second.  Even when they are finally together I believe this is how they continue to see each other.  

Entering into a romantic relationship with Scully then, would be the ultimate statement of self-healing for Mulder.  That he can find love with a nurturing, caring, loving woman rather than an emotionally damaging one.  Let’s stick a pin in that thought, we’ll come back to that.

So Mulder and Phoebe go down to the arson specialist, Agent Beatty, and he proceeds to slather all over Phoebe.  He’s being quite gross and creepy, actually.  Almost makes me feel sorry for her.  

Yeah... Almost.   

Thing is, she knows the power she wields over men and uses it against them.  More power to her when the men in question are like this guy.  But Mulder?  She’s basically kicking a puppy.

It always bothered me how OTT Agent Beatty is with Phoebe.  Is it the British thing?  I am not the kind of woman to tear another woman down about her looks -- Phoebe is beautiful -- but the guy is falling over himself.  Is that really warranted?  It’s gotta be the accent.  I don’t get it, but then I am British too so, yeah, it’s like being Superman on Krypton.  Big deal.  We all have the super powers so it’s hardly special, ya know?   😂😂

All while this is going on, Scully is there but unsure where her place is.  Phoebe’s exclusion tactics clearly working their magic, because it seems Scully is starting to feel a bit insecure about where she fits into this new three-way dynamic.  She’s no longer sure if her place is alongside Mulder, so she just loiters in the doorway.  

The camera focuses on her a couple times and at first she’s just listening in. But then she seems to crane her head around to look at Mulder; possibly noticing that there’s something up with him?

Remember, this is happening before Mulder has told Scully he doesn’t want her on the case.  So there’s something quite sad about this.  Scully standing alone in the doorway, unsure of her place.

Sir Malcolm Marsden’s dog is named Jackson.  Really, Chris?  Really?

I think Chris Carter has a very short list of names that he must use again and again otherwise anything he writes will simply spontaneously combust.

Now this next scene is probably one of my favourites in the entire episode, because as insecure about her position in all of this Scully seems to be feeling, she isn’t one to be so easily pushed aside.  So she appropriates the three pipe problem “private joke” from earlier, and completely hijacks it’s meaning to make it their private joke.

She is the Watson to his Sherlock, and Phoebe?  Phoebe is Moriarty -- “mind game player extraordinaire” as Mulder describes her, a foe who likes to play at being a friend and who is decidedly the true outsider of this three-way dynamic.

Not to mention, Mulder truly is the Sherlock to her Watson too.  He is the ideas man, the guy who is so completely in his own head that he sometimes fails to grasp the human element.  I mean, how many times throughout the series do we see Mulder eff things up by not dealing with people very well, necessitating Scully to step in?  

In fact, you don’t have to go very far to find the last instance of it.  In the previous episode, Eve, Mulder has to be rescued by Scully when dealing with one of the murder twins parents.  In many ways, Scully is his connection to the outside world.  His human credential, as David Duchovny once so poetically put it.  In the same way Watson is Sherlock’s.

So Mulder tells Scully she’s off the hook on this case because he believes Phoebe is playing a mind game with him, a practice of hers he seems acutely familiar with.

Scully concernedly eyeing up Mulder all episode is suddenly vindicated.  He is clearly distressed and Scully switches tack.  She goes from teasing to protective.

That worried look on her face, the way she leans forward, searchingly.  She’s seeing how unnerved he is and she can tell he’s upset.  She is truly his best friend in this moment.  She doesn’t judge, doesn’t criticise -- she just hears him out.

Mulder has already confided that he “got in over his head” with Phoebe, and so now all past questions about whether Mulder truly trusts Scully seem to fall away here, because he’s now freely baring his soul to her.  The flood gates are open.

Phoebe is fire.  Wow.  She terrifies him.  But there is a double meaning here.  Not only is she like fire in that she represents a painful memory that laid the way for emotional trauma, but she’s like fire in the way that draws a moth to its flame.  Mulder being said moth.

She’s dangerous, but he’s attracted to that danger.  Something about Phoebe pulls him in, almost against his will.  He walks out of the office determined to face his demons, but ultimately ends up willingly ensnared in Phoebe’s web, yet again.

Unfortunately it seems Mulder is drawn to the leggy, brunette, femme fatale type.  I mean, look at Diana.  Perhaps this is why he doesn’t look at Scully that way for such a long time, she’s not the kind of woman he would ordinarily go for.  Not in just looks, but in the element of danger.  In the same way some women are attracted to the bad boys, perhaps Mulder is attracted to the bad girls.  Women who emotionally mistreat him.  It would certainly align with the idea that we seek out unresolved past traumas in intimate relationships, doomed to relive them.  Perhaps Mulder has mommy issues.  I know that’s certainly a popular fanon concept.

Ultimately what it comes down to is trust.  Mulder’s trust in others was probably damaged considerably by Phoebe.

Think about the circumstances under which he met her.  He’s left his home; left his country; gone to college as far away from his old life and miserable, divorced parents as he could get.  He’s looking for a fresh start, a way to leave the past behind.  Running all the way to England is one way to do it.  There he meets Phoebe.  This brilliant, beautiful woman who takes an interest in him -- wants him.  

Desperate for comfort, for love, for understanding, he lets her in.  I think he lets her in so completely that she knows everything -- his darkest childhood fears, his secrets.  Probably knows all about his sister too.  I think he gave everything to her and she lit the fire and watched him go up in smoke. 

Phoebe is fire.

Scully, bless her, now feeling quite protective over puppy, seeing how vulnerable he is to Phoebe, offers to help on the case.  But Mulder declines, believing he can handle it himself.

Yeah good plan, Fido.  Let’s see how that goes.

I’m just sayin’.

Now there’s some strong suggestions made about what might have happened between Mulder and Phoebe when they were at Oxford.

Phoebe compliments Mulder on his interview technique, and how he managed to persuade the witness to cooperate after she had confessed to lying to her partner about where she was the night before.

To which he quips back...

So the suggestion being made here, is that she had one or two indiscretions of her own during their relationship.  Namely, that she cheated on him.  If we think of how this episode ultimately ends, it’s a pretty safe bet.  The look on his face when he sees her in Lord Marsden’s arms is the look of a man who has been there before, and is not even surprised.  Almost like he had been waiting for this all along.

So I think it’s fairly certain she cheated, probably several times.  From the sounds of it he forgave her and took her back every time and was probably a push over about it.  Firm but polite.

And you know what?  I can absolutely see Mulder being like that.  As mentioned before, Phoebe was probably the first woman he opened up to emotionally.  So severing that bond would have been a huge loss, leaving him incredibly vulnerable to emotional abuse -- he would have forgiven her anything if it meant holding onto her.  

My impression of Mulder is that through all his bravado he feels very deeply and so, when he does let people in, he can be very easily hurt.

His behaviour much later in I Want To Believe demonstrates that quite well.  Mulder is clearly very hurt by Scully’s suggestion that she won’t come home if he continues working the case.  He sees this as a rejection of the person he is -- “...this is everything I know, this is who I was before I met you...” etc etc.

Later when he goes to see Father Joe at the hospital Scully comes across him first, she grasps his hand but you can see he’s not comfortable with it -- he feels vulnerable around her, she’s essentially broken his heart and he’s doing his best to bury that and keep focused on the case.  She hurt him and his walls are up.  He takes his hand away again, and can barely even look at her.

When she can see he’s avoiding her, trying to run away, she calls out to him.  Tells him that she does understand this stubborn, passionate, drive of his -- that it’s the reason she fell in love with him in the first place.

But he is still too hurt to be understanding.  He’s defensive, and saying something he no doubt regrets later.  He’s let her in, deeper and more completely than anyone has ever been, so for her to reject him this way isn’t just a disagreement he can work out later, it cuts him very deeply.

Bare in mind, this is in 2008.  So you can imagine how much more fragile and vulnerable he was where love and women are concerned back in his Oxford days in the 80′s.

Anyway back to Phoebe…

Mulder’s sharp comment clearly strikes a nerve with her, and she chews him out for holding onto what happened 10 years ago.  Mulder then infamously says...

So who wants to bet that he might have walked in on Phoebe with another guy?

Remember how Mulder later catches Phoebe with Sir Marsden?  I suspect there’s a mirroring of the past in the present.  You gotta feel for Mulder, though.  It’d be difficult to let go of something you can never unsee with the passage of time to dull the memory.

Not to mention other memories that can’t be dulled; like that one time they fucked in a graveyard, apparently..  Oh good times, good times.

Soooo... Mulder fucked Phoebe on a tombstone?  Yikes.  That’s simultaneously creepy as fuck and so Mulder all at once.

Also, with a bit of Google-foo I discovered that there is no grave for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Windlesham.  He was originally buried there in a rose garden, but was exhumed and re-interred in Hampshire in 1955 – as far as I can tell, there is nothing left at the original Windlesham grave site.  1955 is long before Mulder and Phoebe would have been there.  So… yeah.  Whoever’s tombstone they were fucking on, it wasn’t sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s.

Perhaps there’s a metaphor for their relationship in that.  A complete lie?  A huge error in judgement?  That which appeared to be something it wasn’t?  You could go on forever.

Dana, babe... you need to get a freakin’ light bulb up in that office.  No wonder the two of you wear glasses -- that poor lighting is not doing your eyesight any favours.

Next we see that Scully -- despite Mulder’s insistence that she not get involved -- has decided to help him anyway.   

There are two reasons for this. First, she’s feeling insecure, she’s been dismissed by Phoebe and, to a lesser extent, Mulder too.  The two of them are still feeling each other out and defining the parameters of their working relationship, so I think there is a part of her that seeks some kind of approval from Mulder.  She is determined to assert her worth.  She’s worked with him long enough to know he can use her help; but I think a part of her wants to prove to Mulder that she can’t be so easily replaced as his partner.

The second reason is simply because she’s feeling protective over him after hearing about his history with Phoebe.  She can see he’s vulnerable and it concerns her -- she’s never seen him like that before, and she’s quick to fly into protective mode when she feels he’s in harms way.

What I love is that Scully proves her worth with flying colours.  Coming up with a stellar profile which pegs the guy perfectly.

Seriously, who is the profiler between these two?  Seems the majority of the profiling we’ve seen thus far has come from Scully.

She has the presence of mind to check immigration records for British citizens with a connection to the Marsden’s or previous victims that have recently come into the United States.

She also correctly analyses which accelerant he is likely using.

 As well as how he uses it.

Cough syrup?

Paint?

She does all this work without a sniff of help from Mulder or Phoebe.  They’re too busy fawning over each other and planning a little fuck buddy interlude at a swanky hotel.

All the while Scully is getting the job done.

She is forever the MVP of the series.  Seriously, Mulder and Phoebe would have been up fudge creek without a paddle if she wasn’t working the case.

The next scene with Mulder and Phoebe seems to lay the foundation for why Mulder finds himself being drawn back into Phoebe’s thrall.  

He shares his theory with her that the arsonist has some kind of pyrokinetic ability and Phoebe agrees without batting an eyelid.  Mulder laughs at her because he’s quite taken aback by this.  He’s more used to Scully who would have challenged him -- grounded him -- and got him to think of how what he’s suggesting could be scientifically possible.

Without that challenge, Mulder doesn’t even consider how the killer is doing it beyond “he did it with his magic fire!”  Thus missing the significance what Scully is investigating -- the accelerant.

Mulder has a bit of an issue with confirmation bias, so as soon as he gets even the slightest inkling of some kind of paranormal goings on, he will straight away gravitate towards avenues of investigation that prove his theory.  People agreeing with him plays into his egomania – having this beautiful, “brilliant”, woman agreeing with him is gonna get his “juices flowing” too.  But it also blindsides him -- this is a man that needs to be challenged.

While investigating apart on this case, they are coming at it from their own unique point of view, but both are missing a significant piece of the puzzle that they fill for each other.  If Mulder hadn’t ditched Scully they would have arrived at the complete answer by now.  That the killer cannot control fire, he does not have pyrokinesis necessarily, but he does have the unique ability to ignite fires if a powerful enough accelerant is present.  

In Fire, Mulder hasn’t fully recognised it yet, but this is the unique and beautiful dynamic that makes them perfect partners.  As he later says in season 11′s Nothing Lasts Forever -- they are reason and faith in harmony.  It’s been their magic formula from the very beginning.

Unfortunately their harmony is being stifled.  Mulder is distracted by Phoebe -- her agreement has flattered him, stroked his ego, and with that she goes in for the kill -- easily seducing him with an offer of spending the night together. 

It’s bittersweet to go back and watch this episode now; seeing Mulder pass Scully over in hopes of bedding Phoebe, knowing what we know now; what Mulder will come to realise.  That the woman who is perfect for him is the one that’s always right next to him. 

Ah the folly of youth, eh?

Oh Mulder...

He’s such a pathetic puppy.  The idea of getting laid gets him all giddy.

I think what you can take away from this, is how over the fucking moon he would have been in All Things when Scully comes to his bed.  I mean, can you imagine? 😂😂

Theeeeen it’s awkward-conversation-with-Scully time.  Mulder is clearly not focused on the case at this point, he is far more invested in getting his head away than catching this arsonist because Scully is there saying hey, I might know who this guy is, and he’s like, “yeeeeeeeah, that’s nice, but this is not a good time for me soooo...”

I mean, wtf Mulder!  Sir Marsden’s family is at risk, he has a wife and children.  People have been burnt to death by this guy and you’re all nah, sorry Scully I haven’t got time to solve the case, I am kinda busy right now trying to get laid.

Fuck. Me.  What a douche nozzle.

Look at Scully’s face at the end of the phone conversation.  She’s not liking this new side of Mulder at all.  She keeps pushing against his obvious resistance because she believes he’s ditching her in favour of Phoebe.  Her insecurity is more palpable here -- but this isn’t necessarily romantically driven.  I think she’s feeling insecure as his partner; like she’s being replaced.  Whereas Mulder just wants to fuck Phoebe; working with her is actually beside the point.  Poor Scully.

Then it’s the scene you’ve all been dreading!  Yep, it’s the dance/kiss scene.

So it starts with Mulder milling around the hotel lobby waiting for Phoebe to arrive, but she ignores him and walks straight by.  Mulder was clearly thinking they will be spending the evening together as well as the evening together, if you catch my drift.

It suggests that Mulder was actually interested in rekindling their relationship -- he was planning on a romantic evening with Phoebe  I mean, look at what he’s wearing.  He’s “undercover” but he could have gone as a bodyguard to one of the other guests, or as a member of staff to give him more freedom to move around without raising suspicion.  But no, he’s dressed to attend the party, not to stand guard dog outside of it.

He wanted to dress up for her.  I don’t think he was just in it for a one night stand.  He loved Phoebe once, and I think if she didn’t fuck him over later in this episode, he was in very real danger of falling in love with her again -- her betrayal pulled him back from that precipice.

Let’s not think about that too much.

He looks vaguely pathetic standing in the hallway, desperately waiting for Phoebe to throw him a bone.  

Phoebe, of course, wouldn’t want Mulder and Sir Marsden in the same room together since she’s playing both of them.  Yet, despite the fact she’s ditched him the entire evening, with just the tiniest scrap of attention, he’s eating out of her palm again.   

She truly does have a power over him.  For some reason he is enthralled by her, and it seems to be related not just to her beauty, but her intelligence, her “brilliance” as he called it.

But you know who else fits that criteria?  Yeah, not even gonna say it.

Scully is genius-level brilliant.  It’s a very rare occurrence when she’s not the smartest person in the room.  She was perhaps less conventionally attractive for the 90′s. She has a 1950′s Lauren Bacall-esque screen goddess look to her, especially in seasons 1-3.

Which is my only explanation for why people fall all over themselves when Phoebe is on screen but seemingly fail to notice Scully at all.  Oh that, and...

So back to this dagger-through-the-heart scene... Phoebe uses sex to lure Mulder in several times in the episode, and it happens again during this scene.

Scully arrives in time to see them start dancing and is more irritated, or fed up, than jealous.  She’s arrived at entirely the wrong moment and now she has to wait.

This episode does then establish that Scully wasn’t in love with Mulder this early on.  Attracted to him sure – but not so attached that she would be jealous of him with another woman.  We know exactly what that looks like for Scully, and when that woman is jealous she is completely incapable of hiding it.

As much shit as they’ve been through together at this point, it has still only been a matter of months since they met.

Although I think she does experience a bit of a sting when she sees them kissing – rolling her eyes at him.  This wasn’t what she came up here for.

She’s there to work, to focus on the-- wait....  WAIT.  WAIT.

Is that butt groping I see, Mulder?!

It fucking is!

That horny, sex-starved, puppy is just gagging for it!  GAGGING.

Fuck.  Seriously, in All Things I think he must have all but attacked Scully.

ANYWAY.

Scully is there to work, to focus on the case, while Mulder... well... 

Mulder is distracted by a handful of ass cheek and a tongue down his throat, it seems.  

It might be crossing her mind that she had decided to forego her own love life to work with him on the X-FIles back in The Jersey Devil.  She’d berated him for not having a life, and yet, here he is.  A taste of her own medicine, perhaps?  Let’s not forget, Mulder had a similar scene waiting for Scully as she went on a date, staring at the clock looking miserable.  

I suspect she’s probably also wondering what the hell happened to trying to avoid getting ensnared in the flames of Phoebe Green??

Scully then stops dead in her tracks as she sees Creeper McCreeperson hiding in the foliage.

But she doesn’t get the chance to think about that for too long before she spots that there is a fire on the 14th floor.  She rushes out to tell Mulder and Phoebe and then proceeds to raise the alarm in the rest of the building.

Dana Katherine Scully -- MVP.

Phoebe informs them both that the children are on the 14th floor, and so Mulder, being the action hero that he is, decides to go up there -- people need help and so he will save them, that’s his edict in life.  No matter how difficult it is for him, he’s going to try because that’s what he tells himself he must do.  In the psychotherapeutic sense, he is every bit a “rescuer”.  A person who feels connection to others through saving them.  It’s how he has learnt to relate to other people.  

The rescuer identity usually emerges in childhood in reaction to a feeling of powerlessness.  The child may have experienced their parents as emotionally unavailable, distant and unable to meet their emotional needs.  With these needs being unmet, the child learns to experience love and connection vicariously through meeting the needs of others.

Think about it.  Mulder lost his sister when he was supposed to be looking after her, and in his memory of these events he is powerless to stop her abduction -- no matter what he tries; grabbing a gun, screaming for help; nothing works.  We know from the Pilot that his parents refused to talk about what happened to Samantha and as a result the family fell apart -- his parents divorced and the first chance he got, Mulder got as far away from them as he could; going to Oxford.

To compensate for this trauma; the unimaginable weight of guilt and powerlessness he felt to save Samantha, he saves anyone and everyone he can.  This way he can sooth that voice in his head; the voice that tells him he is worthless, unlovable.  From his 12 year old perspective, his parents withdrew their love when he failed to save Samantha, and so now his self-worth is tied up in a need save -- if he can save someone, he is worthy of love.

So regardless of how terrified he is, he goes head first into the fire to save those children.  

He doesn’t want to do it, in his mind, he has no choice.

In a way, it makes me wonder if that’s why he took back Phoebe despite the fact she cheated on him.  Perhaps he saw her flaws, saw her destructive behaviour and believed her could save her.  Men and women often fall into the trap of believing they can change their partners through love.  Perhaps Mulder believed if he loved Phoebe enough, she would change -- that effectively, he would save her?

Poor Mulder.  He pushes himself to the point of passing out to save those kids, but fails.  While everyone else, including Phoebe, is fawning over Creeper McCreeperson for ultimately being the one to save them...

...it’s Scully who searches for Mulder and immediately goes to him when she sees he needs her help.   Regardless of where she falls on Mulder’s priority list, he’s always at the top of hers.

This whole hotel scene really tells you everything you need to know about how these two women feel about Mulder.

One casually discards him when it’s convenient, while the other will wait for him, and be there for him even when he doesn’t ask for it.

Even when he pushes her away.

The next scene emphasises this further, with Scully sitting at his bedside taking care of him.  Handing him water as he chugs up his innards and the first thing out of his mouth is...

The script notes for this scene are well known now.  Mulder apparently wakes to see Scully and muses on the fact this was not the woman he had anticipated ending up in bed with.

Chris Carter’s writing, everybody. 

Thankfully Scully is sensitive enough to his shame and embarrassment that she doesn’t give him a hard time.  In fact, she’s mothering him, using that soft, gentle, loving voice that she usually reserves for talking to children.   

She’s trying to sooth him, knowing he is going to be hard on himself.

When she asks what happened, he is entirely honest with Scully.  They have established a level of emotional intimacy in this episode that they’ve not touched on since Mulder’s emotional confession of his childhood bedtime ritual in Conduit.

This intimacy gives Mulder a feeling of safety that I suspect he hasn’t experienced in a long time.  He can be wholly open with Scully, all his weaknesses and vulnerabilities laid bare for her.  Represented physically by his walking around almost naked in front of her, wearing nothing but black silky boxers.

Oh Mulder, he really goes all out when he think’s he’s gonna get some.  Which just makes me think all sorts of fun thoughts about Mulder and Scully’s season 7 sex life.

(Here ya go, @allyinthekeyofx these gifs are dedicated to you.)  😉

There’s a significant shift in Phoebe’s behaviour when she enters the room.  First, she directly addresses Scully, and holds a whole conversation with her.  Shocker!  She dismisses a piece of vital information Scully gives her, of course, but she still has noticeably adjusted her approach to her.  She doesn’t seem to be treating her as a threat anymore.

When Mulder comes back in and sees Phoebe, he suddenly becomes conscious of his body, of his exposure and vulnerability, so immediately covers himself.  

The difference in the level of intimacy he feels safe sharing with these two women is clearly drawn by such a simple gesture.

It then becomes apparent why Phoebe is behaving differently, she is returning to England.  Mulder is clearly disappointed to hear she’s leaving.  Again, reinforcing the idea that perhaps he was hoping for more than a one night stand.  Was he hoping she would stay in the US for him?

Phoebe’s dwindled interest in Mulder is palpable.  She seems to have given up her romantic pursuit, no longer bothering to ostracise Scully.  She politely, and it seems genuinely, bids her goodbye as she leaves. 

Knowing full well what she’s just witnessed -- Mulder essentially being dumped -- Scully is ever protective.  Looking out for him once again.  It’s a shame you can’t hear gifs, because it’s all in that soft, gentle, tentative tone of voice she uses when she asks him...

Mulder is clearly deflated, but I love the next exchange between the two of them.

This is Scully’s chance to shine, to prove herself to him.  She basically single-handedly solves the case and discovers who the arsonist is after Phoebe and Mulder spectacularly failed.

She’s clearly making a point to him in outlining the entirety of her investigation.  She wants him to know exactly how much she has done.  Mulder seems to be only vaguely interested.

That is until she gets to the climax of her little tale, and he flips into overdrive realising they now have what they need to find this guy.

Scully’s face as Mulder leaps into action is perfect.  That smug smile of satisfaction.

Whose “brilliant” now, eh?

Mulder flies over to Cape Cod to warn Phoebe, only to find her wrapped in the arms of Sir Marsden.  Oh hey, I made these gifs already!

Mulder’s face... It all makes sense to him now.  This was all just another game.  She played him, and she played him good.

But it seems Mulder has finally learnt his lesson.  Fool me once, and all that.

Since it was clear Mulder hadn’t fully let go of his feelings for Phoebe in 10 years, I’d say this was a good thing for him.  If she had gone home and he was left to pine over her, that would have been disastrous.  So it worked out for the best, if a little painfully for Mulder.

It’s called tough love, bitch.  Suck it up.

After this moment, Mulder’s entire demeanour with Phoebe changes – he’s put his barriers back up, and the detached Mulder tone comes out.

He’s looking at her like he can’t quite believe he almost fell for it again.

When Scully arrives later, she can tell straight away that Mulder is upset.

Again, Mulder… what you are looking for is right in front of you.  He brushes it off, but she’s watching him intently.  She’s so protective of him, it’s so sweet.

So they discover that the arsonist is not the driver, but is in fact the caretaker, and as we know, has painted up the house with argotypoline -- rocket fuel.  

In a repeat of the hotel scenario, the children are up stairs in a building that starts going up in smoke.

Mulder valiantly but stupidly tries to put the fires out.  Bath towel vs. rocket fuel, Mulder.  Seriously?

Finally realising that whacking a rocket fuel fire with a towel is the stupidest thing he’s ever done whilst sober, Mulder orders everyone out of the room.

However, Mulder does find a moment to continue his hand’s love affair with Scully’s back.  All in the midst of facing his darkest fear of fire – nice!

Now this is going off book a bit, but I get the sense that there was supposed to be some kind of scene where Scully is in danger in the fire and Mulder overcomes his fears to save her.

I say this because there is a cut line of dialogue from the original script where Scully says “don’t let it be said that you wouldn’t want through fire for a woman” and Mulder apparently replies “and don’t let it be said that I wouldn’t do it for you again, Scully.”

To whoever it was that decided to cut that.  CC, I’m looking at you.

I mean, that’s pretty heavy handed stuff… perhaps they realised it was a bit too heavy handed for a show that was supposedly never going to put these two together romantically.

If it had been left in, it would have drawn a clear parallel between Phoebe and Scully.  Still along the vein that the episode is already toying with throughout, but those lines of dialogue would have made it far more blatant.  The comparison being that Phoebe is fire – she is a tormentor, a symbol of sexual desire and emotional pain for Mulder.   As such, his relationship with her compounded his fear; she feeds them.  Whereas Scully is a soothing, caring presence.  A symbol of love and friendship, and emotional healing for Mulder.  As such, his relationship with her helps him to overcome his fear.

The episode does still maintain certain aspects of this – once Mulder has severed his bond with Phoebe, and reunites with Scully, he does put himself between others and the blaze, trying to put it out.  He also takes control of the situation and orders everyone out of the house.  He’s no longer freezing at the sight of fire.

I really like that as they shuffle everyone out of the house, Mulder tells Scully to find a fire extinguisher but tells everyone else to get out.   It’s him and Scully again – together as partners, she’s the one he trusts to have his back.

Mulder, Gawd bless him, summons up the courage to face his fear without needing to save Scully in the end, its having the chance to vindicate his earlier failure at saving the children that motivates him to push forward.

Bless this brave puppy.

Success!

But yeah, being pulled from a burning building twice in one night?  Those kids are fucked.  Traumatised for life.

So remember I said there was some interesting symbolism with the camera work in the opening of the episode.  Well, now we’re at the end, the framing has flipped.  Mulder and Scully are reunited as partners on the screen, and now, with Phoebe’s influence over Mulder dashed, she is framed as separate from the two -- the true outsider.

The final scene is very sweet, and symbolic of Mulder and Scully restoring their equilibrium as they return to the casual bantering we saw from them in the beginning of the episode, before Phoebe showed up.

Where we started was that Phoebe was the one in on the joke, now she’s the butt of it.  Scully does have a fun side too.  

I just gotta say, she looks especially beautiful in this scene, thankfully this was a good wardrobe day for her.  Season 1 was very hit and miss.

Scully asks where Phoebe is, and Mulder, clearly more relaxed than we’ve seen him the entire episode, shrugs – he doesn’t know, and seemingly doesn’t care to.

Now if we were to get the romcom ending, Mulder would have noticed all the times Scully was there for him and would have thanked her, or at least recognised that he did need her help after all.  Or maybe he’d tell her he’s thankful she didn’t listen to him when he told her not to help.  But this is the X-Files, so... yeah who the hell do you think you’re kidding?

Phoebe also sends Mulder another tape, but he doesn’t need to hear it.  He’s free of her thrall now, and so there’s nothing she could say that would be meaningful to him anymore.

Would have been a nice touch to see him drop the tape in the trash, but I think we get the idea.  It took 10 long years, but Fox Mulder is finally over Phoebe Green.

Next up… My favourite episode of season 1.  1x13 - Beyond the Sea.

[funface2]

10 Hocus Pocus Memes That Are Too Funny | ScreenRant – Screen Rant

October 31st is a holiday that is filled with awesome traditions. Trick or treating, dressing up in costume, and carving out pumpkins only represent half of the things that make Halloween so great. What also makes this time of year so spooktacular is one particular film involving a squad of baller sister witches. What film, you ask? Hocus Pocus of course!

RELATED: Hocus Pocus: 10 Most Badass Sanderson Sisters Quotes

Watching this movie masterpiece during Halloween has become as much of an annual tradition as scarfing down candy. To honor the spookiest of seasons, here are 10 hilarious Hocus Pocus memes to prepare you for the best time of the year!

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10 MOST ACCURATE THING WE’VE SEEN ALL DAY

Why is it that as we get older we realize how badass the supposedly “evil” characters from our favorite childhood movies actually are? The same thing can be said from Ursula from The Little Mermaid or Maleficent from Snow White.

RELATED: 10 Disney Villains Who Were Kinda Right

Perhaps it is due to the fact that as we enter into adulthood, we start to appreciate the villains more because they are usually just ambitious women who are often a whole lot more interesting than the protagonist. As children, the Sanderson Sisters might have given us nightmares, yet as adults, we have never identified with a set of characters more.

9 AMOK! AMOK! AMOK!

One of the most memorable lines from Hocus Pocus came from SJP’s character as she shouted  “Amok! Amok! Amok!” to the October skies. This was followed by her sister Winifred complaining that she was cursed with the dumbest sisters in the world, but we, on the other hand, are obsessed with Sarah’s random outburst. Sarah Jessica Parker has always managed to find incredibly unique ways to portray her onscreen characters from the unusual Carrie Bradshaw to the ultimate oddball that is Sarah Sanderson.

RELATED: Hocus Pocus: 10 Things That Have Aged Poorly In The Disney Classic

We praise her for this, and it makes us want to rewatch her scenes in Hocus Pocus over and over again, even after the holiday season.

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8 LEGENDARY QUEENS IN SEPTEMBER VS OCTOBER

It’s so awesome that Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker got to work together in more than one film! Looks like these two just have perfect on-screen chemistry whether they’re starring in Hocus Pocus together or The First Wives Club. Both actresses are incredibly iconic so getting to see them work together side by side is just a pure blessing.

RELATED: 10 Halloween-Themed Movies That Are Almost As Good As Hocus Pocus… Almost 

SJP has stated before in interviews that she felt so honored to work with Midler, and that she couldn’t believe she was working with such a legend. We sincerely hope we will one day see these two ladies act together again because their work as a duo is just splendid, and we don’t even deserve it.

7 AS SOON AS MIDNIGHT APPROACHES ON OCTOBER 1ST

In September, we are simply mortals. We put on our usual clothes, drink our morning coffee, and head out for work/school. Yet as soon as it turns midnight on October 1st, everything changes. We stop being our normal everyday selves and we instantly become witches akin to the Sanderson Sisters.

It’s just an annual thing that happens to those of us who are a little too obsessed with Halloween. There’s no shame in it though. Halloween is hands down the best holiday of the year, so we might as well get festive while we can.

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6 WHEN AUTUMN ROLLS AROUND AND YOU TURN INTO BETTE MIDLER

Listen, folks. It’s time to get one thing straight. Halloween is not simply a day. Halloween is a lifestyle. Some of us celebrate Halloween all year round, even going so far as to drink pumpkin-flavored beverages while binge-watching The Addams Family in mid-July. Yet when autumn finally rolls around and we spot a single yellow leaf, we take the festivities to a whole nother level.

Essentially, this means that as soon as the leaves change, we become Winnie Sanderson. Is it normal that we become the embodiment of Bette Midler’s character as soon as fall arrives? Probably not. But is it the greatest thing to ever happen to us? Probably.

5 THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Whoever claimed Christmas to be the most wonderful time of the year obviously hasn’t seen Hocus Pocus. Funnily enough, Kenny Ortega’s spooktacular masterpiece came out in July! Pure proof right there folks that people prefer to celebrate spooky szn all year long, rather than just on the last day of October.

While we love all seasons of the year, spring, summer, and winter are just missing that witchy spirit that we adore so much in the fall. It’s amazing how one movie alone could capture the aesthetic and mood for an entire season. Now that’s what we call a good movie!

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4 SARAH SANDERSON KNOWS WHAT’S UP

Why is this so accurate that it physically hurts? Liquid courage is a real thing, y’all. Yet luckily for Sarah Sanderson, she doesn’t need alcohol to have all the confidence in the world. She’s feelin’ herself, and we love her for it! If only she could teach all of us her tips and tricks for that kind of self-love. Modesty who? What’s that? We don’t know her.

There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you’ve got and flaunting it for the world to see. This is the kind of self-love that we need to start embracing. Sarah Sanderson teaching us how to love ourselves since 1993! It doesn’t get much better than that.

3 OH, THAT MAKES SENSE

In our fave Halloween movie, the Sanderson sisters discover a futuristic vehicle of some sort of which they cannot seem to grasp. They ask the driver “What is this contraption?” to which he responds, “I call it a bus.” Funnily enough, the sisters have no idea what a bus is, (which is understandable because they haven’t been alive since the 1600s and had just recently been revived), yet somehow they know all the lyrics to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’  “I put a spell on you.”

Call it a blooper or an error if you’d like, but we feel as though the best part of the entire film came from their performance of that song. We can never listen to “I put a spell on you” again without thinking about The Sanderson Sisters!

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2 OH LOOK, ANOTHER GLORIOUS REMAKE. MAKES ME SICK!

What is it with all of these gosh darn remakes? This is not to say that all movie remakes of older films are bad, but when it comes to our classics, we would much rather have them untouched. Who on this planet could possibly attempt to outshine Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimi? It just doesn’t make sense as to why anyone would think this remake is a good idea.

It would be one thing if they made a sequel with the same cast (which we’re still crossing our fingers for) yet it’s another thing to just redo the film entirely. Even Bette Midler dissed the remake, saying, “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!”. Right on, Sis! You tell ’em.

1 WE WENT AS THE SAME THING LAST YEAR!

Sounds like the ultimate Halloween party to us. There is no better way to spend the holiday than to get full-on festive and to watch this iconic cinematic masterpiece!

If you’re anything like we are, you most likely make it an annual tradition to watch Hocus Pocus because it is now, and forever will be, a classic. It doesn’t matter how old we get, we will always tune into The Sanderson Sisters when October rolls around. After all, it’s tradition!

NEXT: Hocus Pocus: The 10 Most Hilarious Quotes

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Bài viết 10 Hocus Pocus Memes That Are Too Funny | ScreenRant – Screen Rant đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày Funface.

from Funface https://funface.net/funny-memes/10-hocus-pocus-memes-that-are-too-funny-screenrant-screen-rant/

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Day 9-DIY Fall Scents

Simmer a Pot A bounty of aromatics (like apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves) waft through your home entire home when you warm them in the water on the stove.

Hang a Garland Dried orange slices, balanced by bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, look lovely strung up on a mantel — but smell sweeter than a fabric banner or glittering garland.

BakeApples We love a treat that’s a feast for the eyes, taste buds, and nose — and these comforting cinnamon granola apples say “fall has arrived.”

Pour a Candle Pumpkin spice has secured its position as the official scent of the season, so make a DIY candle that will last through December (much longer than you can say for those lattes).

 Just Add Coffee Beans Store-bought pumpkin spice votives are buoyed by handfuls of dark roasted beans in this DIY (and achieve that quintessential coffeehouse aroma).

Craft a Scented Bookmark If curling up with a good book is a fall tradition of yours, double-down on the appeal by making a leather bookmark doctored with spicy essential oils.

Try Pumpkin Spice Soap These little guys will bring a smile to your face every time you wash your hands.

Make Cinnamon Apple Syrup This sweet and gooey topping will get gobbled up quickly over French toast or ice cream, but its scent will pleasingly linger in your kitchen.

Amp Up Pinecones Pinecones easily fill a bare space on your bookcase in fall, but a little cinnamon essential oil is the surprise that keeps on giving all season long.

Day 10-DIY Poppuri a lost art

Dry Fruit, Herbs, and Spices Potpourri might be the oldest scent game in town — but it ain’t broke, right? Dried fruit paired with nuts and spices look classic in your favorite decorative bowl.

How To:

Materials Needed

knife plastic bag cooking rack decorative jar 1 orange 1 lemon bay leaves 1 tsp. cinnamon clove essential oil 1 apple 1 pear cinnamon sticks cloves orange essential oil

Thinly slice an orange, lemon, apple, and pear, and place them on a metal cooking rack. Using your oven’s dehydrate setting, cook the fruit slices until they are fully dried, making sure to flip them every half hour. After the dried fruit is completely cool, place it in a sealable plastic bag. Add dried bay leaves, a teaspoon of cinnamon, cloves, cinnamon sticks and a few drops of orange and clove essential oils. Seal and shake the bag to mix all of the ingredients. Pour the mixed potpourri into a jar of your choosing, and cover the opening with a decorative cloth before sealing the lid. Give as a cute gift, or save it until you’re ready to use it yourself. If the potpourri ever needs a refresh, just add a few drops of essential oils to make it as good as new.

    Day 11-Fun Family projects for Halloween

check this site out for 30 fun Kid-friendly Halloween decorations

https://www.happinessishomemade.net/quick-easy-halloween-crafts-for-kids/

1. DIY Eyeball Balloons: Neon eyeball balloons are great indoor or outdoor decor. Pop a glow stick inside to make your balloons really shine or just leave them as-is for a photo backdrop. (via Studio DIY)

3. DIY Toilet Paper Roll Candy Garland: A candy garland is a festive accent you need. Cover toilet paper rolls with colored paper and cellophane for a show-stopping backdrop. (via The House that Lars Built)

DIY Ghost Piñatas: Why take candy one bar at a time when you can have an entire piñata? Hang these little ghosts up at the beginning of the month and then let the kiddos have at them when Halloween finally rolls around. (via Make and Tell)

DIY Tissue Paper Pumpkin: If you love crafting abstract art, you’ll have a blast making these tissue paper pumpkins. Decoupage different sizes of colored paper onto a white pumpkin and finish off the look with gold polka dots. (via Sarah Hearts)

DIY Witches Silhouettes: Your gallery wall is complete once you add these cameos. You can achieve the look with vinyl, but some paint will do the trick too. (via PMQ for two)

Skull Candle Holder DIY: Take your #shelfie to the next level with this chic gold skull candelabra. It’s so pretty, you might just want to leave it on your coffee table all year round. (via A Beautiful Mess)

Free Printable Halloween Bingo: Kiddos and adults alike will love this Halloween version of Bingo. Use candy as your markers, or if you’re having a more adult party, you can always turn the whole thing into a drinking game. (via Studio DIY)

Hocus Pocus Pumpkin: All those alphabet stickers you bought for organizing your pantry are finally coming into their own here. Don’t stop with just one: Put all your fave movie quotes on some gourds. (via Lovely Indeed)

DIY Printable Treat Bags: Obviously, the best part about Halloween is the candy, so make sure you have some cute goodie bags on hand to hold it all. Skip the orange and black and go for something a little more colorful. (via Persia Lou)

Moon Phase Lights: Looking for something a little more minimalist that still packs a punch? Say no more. This lit garland will frame the perfect vignette. (via The House That Lars Built)

Paper Bag Portrait Luminaries: There’s nothing quite like a budget craft to get you in the mood. Print off all kinds of spooky portraits to give your guests a haunting welcome. (via The House that Lars Built)

Glass Bead Jack-O’-Lanterns: Glam your regular pumpkin look with some glass beads. This polka dot look is sophisticated inside or out. (via A Beautiful Mess)

DIY Stamped Bat Candles: There’s something to be said for keeping things simple. These artfully stamped candles will look magical in your All Hallows’ Eye displays. (via Tell Love and Party)

Light-Up DIY Haunted House: Add some glow to your windowsill with a series of haunting silhouettes. (via The Crafty Gentleman)

    Day 9, 10, 11 Day 9-DIY Fall Scents Simmer a Pot A bounty of aromatics (like apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves) waft through your home entire home when you warm them in the water on the stove.

[vbfdp]

Yes, every day may be Halloween, but October is special because it’s Actual Halloween Month.

And, if you’re me (and others I could mention (you know who you are) *waves at friends*), October Halloween is celebrated the entire month of Halloween October.

Plus, in the South, everything finally begins to cool down a bit in October, so there’s another reason to love Halloween! All the autumn colors, sights, smells…plus October is the beginning of the Holiday season, so what’s not to love?*

By love, of course, I mean celebrate! How does a Goth celebrate a holiday that they supposedly live every day of the year? By being even spookier!

I believe Der Mann is planning an upgrade for the wreath.

First we decorate. That actually begins in September, when I haul everything upstairs from the basement and reorganize to accommodate the decorations. I put the wreath Der Mann made of dried vines and rubber snakes on the door. 

 A long shot of the village, from town square to the haunted house at the edge of town.

Then Der Mann’s Lego city is packed away to make room for my Halloween village (also Lego, so he’s okay with the change) along the top of one of the bookcases.  We add to this every year. This year, Der Mann is making me a cornfield and a minifigure with a large knife/cleaver… “He wants you, too, Malachi!” (Der Mann had never seen Children of the Corn! I did not know this. That lapse has since been fixed.) 

Then I put the skull candleholders Der Mann made for me, along with their battery-powered black tapers, on the snake cages, flanking my antique birdcage that normally holds Der Mann’s Lego birds, but at Halloween holds my fake bird skeleton. (Hm. Speaking of that, I may see if Der Mann wants to make some improvements to the bird skeleton this year.) 

Der Mann has his own Halloween projects. Last year, he modified two plastic rats into Punk Rock Rats. 

Punk rats with bonus Siamese!

This year, he’s acquired two more, and is planning to turn them into High Society Rats (no pics as yet, he’s working on them). He has also been working on a tombstone that carries an epitaph from the Gashlycrumb Tinies that he plans to put out in his terribly overgrown garden. He recently acquired a giant skull wall hanging that he intends to modify into an eerie Ouija board (like those aren’t inherently spooky, right?). Finally, he bought a set of resin skulls that I believe he’s planning to turn into sugar skull bookends. We will see.**

On the first day of October, we’ll start queuing up the Halloween playlists and get out the Halloween and horror movies. The first movie, on October 1st, is always Hocus Pocus. (Der Mann had never seen it before we started dating. His education was sorely lacking.) The movie watch-list varies year to year, except for Hocus Pocus. It’s always the first. This year, we’ll probably watch Alien, perhaps The Conjuring and/or The Conjuring 2, maybe Sleepy Hollow or some Night Gallery, and Little Shop of Horrors, if I can acquire a copy of it on DVD (done!). Also, at the end of October, we will definitely be tuning in for Stranger Things! (Der Mann wants to add The Upside Down to my Lego Halloween setup. He’s having Thoughts about how to construct it.)

All during the month of October, I do digital art on a theme.

I’ve done sugar skulls, 

zombies, 

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undead girl portraits,

and this year, I’m doing mermaids.

I think the digital art part of the month is my favorite. I love making things, or taking a thing and making a new thing out of it. I tend to decide on my theme earlier in the year, and spend some time looking for the resources to execute my ideas (meaning, oh how I love photo manip and drawing apps!). I find my bits and pieces, then, come October, I go about bending and stretching and pushing and pulling…warping everything into entirely new shapes. This year, enabled by Der Mann and Herself, I started a deviantArt account to house the Halloween art and the webcomic, and perhaps, an alternate posting for this blog.

Finally, Halloween arrives. I usually man the door, because I love seeing the kids in their costumes. We hand out candy and toys and dog treats because Halloween should be awesome for everyone and everyone should get a treat! (So yes, I’ll give candy to teenagers – in costume or not – if they knock on our door.)

And that’s how a Southern Goth does Halloween!

Addendum: Der Mann has told me that next year, I can put up a Halloween tree! Oh, yessssssss…. 

*Okay, there’s one thing not to love. Pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice everything. So. Much. Pumpkin spice. ~shudder~ I can’t even face pumpkin pie anymore. Thanks, Starbucks.

**Der Mann considers himself more Steampunk than Goth; but some people say that Steampunks are merely Goths that wear brown, and Der Mann definitely shares the Goth aesthetic in many ways – obviously. He did marry a Goth, after all.

Here are some other random shots of Halloween decor:

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Southern Goth in a Northern Town: October 2017: Every Day is Halloween Yes, every day may be Halloween, but October is special because it’s Actual Halloween Month. And, if you’re me (and others I could mention (you know who you are) *waves at friends*), …