#i was just rewatching x files and I've also been thinking a lot about the todd family so

[eiitsuya]

for reasons that i just made up, catherine and willis todd are dana scully and fox mulder now

just look at them ahhh

[rc-writes]

𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬

𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 | 𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢

pairings: spencer reid x bau!reader

warnings: reader has a headache due to accidentally missing lunch

a/n: one more little blurb i've written due to my criminal minds rewatch journey! as of now i unfortunately have no other little blurbs written so i don't want you guys to think this is me suddenly being active a lot again. like i said in my penelope blurb i make no promises of me posting regularly again, but i definitely want/hope to write more! anyways, this blurb is completely inspired by me forgetting food exists for half a day a few weeks ago and getting a massive headache due to it :/ advice of the day kids, eating is important! lol

You and JJ had been on reading files duty for the day which meant being held up in the tiny room the local police station had set up for the team. Usually, it was Garcia who was in charge of digging through the files for potential suspects, but the station was severely behind on digitizing their files so manual reading was what had to be done.

As the day went on you began to have the world's most annoying headache. It wasn't too debilitating that you couldn't push through it to get through the last few files however, so you continued your reading. That was until you also began to feel a wave of exhaustion wash over you suddenly.

The most you had done all day was walk from one side of the table to the evidence board across the small room, so you weren't sure why you were suddenly on the verge of nodding off. If you were out conducting interviews or going over the crime scenes like you usually did, then maybe that would explain some tiredness, but that wasn't the case today.

"Hey, we're back!" Spencer's sudden voice filling the room made you jump out of your thoughts.

"Hi." You replied back with a soft smile, trying to mask the tiredness. "We managed to narrow the suspect pool to five people."

"Garcia is already on searching for anything that might not be in any of these files." JJ added from her spot at the table.

"Hard to believe anything is not in all these files." You joked, laughing. Mid-laugh your voice seemed to falter, the headache deciding to grow stronger at the sudden higher noise level of the room. You tried to mask your voice fading by slowly turning to face the board again, trying your best to massage your forehead a little.

"Hey are you alright?" Spencer asked as he walked closer to you.

"Yeah, yeah." You lied, turning to face him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that I noticed your movements seem to be a bit sluggish. Not- not to say that's a problem considering you've been cooped up in here all day. But also, I noticed you're rubbing circles into your forehead which might be a sign of a headache. Which is actually a good thing to do when you have one because researchers say-" Spencer trailed off when he noticed you bringing your hand up again to your forehead. "Sorry, that's not the point. Are you okay?"

"I've been a little tired and have a minor headache. Nothing too bad, don't worry." You admitted, no point in trying to lie anymore. "I'm not sure why though. It's not like I've done much moving around all day, just flipping through piles of paper." You gestured to the table. It was then that you noticed JJ had left you two to be alone. "But I suppose just sitting here all day could be exactly the reason." 

"It is proven that little movement can have just as much effect as too much movement on the body." Spencer agreed. "To add to that, whatever you ate for lunch today could also have an effect as well."

Spencer then began to ramble about the importance of what kind of food you need to eat for which meal, but you didn't hear much as your own thoughts were racing.

A look of slight horror crossed your face. "Oh god, I didn't even realize I skipped lunch completely."

"What?"

"Yeah, I got so caught up in reading over the suspect files that I didn't want to leave when everyone else went to go get something from the break room. Thought I'd wait until I got done reading this one file, but I must have gotten too distracted and completely forgot to ever actually get up."

"Honey, no wonder you're tired and have a headache then." He reached for your hands. "You haven't eaten since we had breakfast together at the hotel." 

You held onto his hands back. "Yeah, and it wasn't exactly a big breakfast either." You both laughed. "I guess a big dinner is in my future then."

Spencer nodded, smiling. His eyes seemed to light up suddenly, you assumed some sort of idea popped into his head. He then immediately headed to the door.

"Where are you going?"

Spencer turned, walking backwards out the room. "To find food! Anything! You need to eat pronto." He bumped into the doorframe before walking completely out the room. From your small frame of vision out the doorway you saw he also nearly bumped into one of the local police officers as he was too focused to notice other people. 

You giggled to yourself at his new sudden mission to find you food. He really would do anything at the drop of a hat for you and you had no idea what you ever did to deserve it. But then you thought about how you'd do the exact same for him and he's said before he didn't deserve someone like you. It truly was a never-ending cycle of caring between you two. 

[unlikelyjapan]

s2e4 rewatch notes

I'm a bit tired, please forgive the typos:

At the intro, we get a montage of the permits and files and drills, the sense of urgency - the furiousness of the work and notes begging Carmy for something (that was probably already set on his list in the last episode). I guess I stopped paying attention to the timelines - they're now 7 weeks out with no walls and we haven't really gotten into the meat of the series yet - meaning we don't really see Carmy flake the fuck out until 1 month from opening.

Sugar's "don't tell anyone - this is my problem" bit is so sad, watching her castigate herself for bringing another her/carmy/mikey/donna/their dad into the world. I also hate the way such a heavy moment was turned into such a "womp womp - wall fell" moment, as the situation (and Sugar) deserved a lot more gravitas.

But this is a show through the male lens. Richie feels vindicated that he "guessed it". Carmy doesn't know how to show his concern (and to be fair, she'd probably pummel him if he expressed anything in that moment), but the fact that he still lets his sister shoulder so much of the restaurants burdens alone through the rest of the series shows the level he disassociates from his family (even his only caring/loving family member) at every turn.

Marcus is such a good son - I hope in season 3 we get a (posthumous, I presume) look at who his mother was, what shaped his character, how his brother/father play a role (if any) in his current family dynamic etc.

The Chester + Marcus pairing is a magical talisman that protects the show from a deluge of male-on-male emotional evasion, jousting and toxic co-dependency. I don't care that Chester is about as believable as Claire as a character, mainline that shit into my veins.

I love that Carmy ensured that Marcus would have the identical experience he had when he staged in Copenhagen (as described in Fishes to Mikey) - this is in no way coincidental, he would have had to make plenty of arrangements/requests to Marie for things to play out that way. He wanted Marcus to see Copenhagen through the same magical lens he did, knowing Marcus needed the inspiration and a break from his own version of family strife.

The invisible cat (Coco), the looming presence of Marcus' mom on the viewers minds, and the bike scene are three great examples of things that feel foreboding (like the other shoe is going to drop on Marcus) but never actually amount to anything. Whether existential or hopeful, I like it.

"Do you know how to make Shisho Gelee?" - this is such a gentle test to see how insecure Marcus is in this environment. Passing him the recipe as he's googling was an awesome act of amnesty. It immediately brings out Marcus' curiosity in the next scenes - he's asking all the right questions and looks so joyful when Luca gives him concise answers.

The scenes played out to Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", starting with "You're tired - and you want to be free" playing as Marcus walks home. Temporarily free from the impending death of his mother at home after a long illness. Free from the constraints of the (up until now) low-level jobs Marcus' has held down in kitchens with minimal inspiration and nowhere to go. Free from loneliness? The next cut is Sydney interviewing staff, as if on cue.

The quenelle - the heavy-lovin' part of the song as Marcus' is immersed in his work with Luca, falling in love with the ritualization of his craft. Things in Marcus' life haven't exactly been going right, but this is a place of solace. He follows this up by calling his Mom - professing his love for his craft, as well as for her.

Sidebar: The minty snickers bar is almost a sexual release scene during the ballad. I get why so many folks were led down the road to hell that is Marcus x Luca fanfic, as weird as I think that is (no hate! do you!)

The song ends with the pastry dissection on the boat. This man found love/spiritual release in Copenhagen, just like Carmy. "Mission accomplished, I guess."

Fak saying "Dude! We're best friends, we don't tell secrets!" re: the alliance stuff. So....every dude at The Beef/Bear is his best friend, Sugar is Mommy, and Sydney (and Tina, for that matter) are ????

I feel like Fak may be the thing that continues to insulate The Beef/The Bear as a Berzatto clubhouse for wayward boys at this juncture, but I'm originally from Canada (and thus have been force-fed Matty Matheson a.k.a Fak-Light since the mid-aughts) so there's probably some bias creeping in here.

Luca started as a chef 14 years ago. If he entered the profession and competed against Carmy at the same level/experience as a high-school graduate, that makes him and Carmy in the rough age range of 29-32, adjusting for education sans A-levels in the UK. We can put away that screenrant article and die in peace now.

Mikey was "Really tight, but also really out of his fucking mind, and he wanted to open a bakery". Something something Berzatto parallels.

Luca says "I've got a younger sister, somewhere, yeah" after asking about Marcus' family. Luca's got a case of the family damage, the trouble in school, a past-tense case of the ferocious mopes - all the same watermarks as Carmy. Meanwhile, Marcus was just sharing his mothers prognosis, and speaks of his brother with no ill will (even though he doesn't appear to be in the caretaking position with his mom) - are they foreshadowing that Marcus' doesn't have the damage that makes a truly great/ritualized/masochistic chef in the long run?

Luca's may have learned more lessons in life than Carmy has (in part by being thwarted by Carmy) but the habits borne out of family evasion/searching for something else are so engrained with that backstory. Or maybe Marcus' represents the happier/new way of doing things, breaking the toxic cycle (more thoughts on this down the line).

Luca worked to keep up with Carmy after he came to a place of acceptance that he'd never be the best, and that ended up being enough for him. Maybe a blessing is that Marcus' gets to sidestep the whole toxic cycle and just absorb knowledge (from Luca, from Carmy, from Syd) - he's not in a running position, just like Tina.

But of course, we never worry about Tina - she's too self-possessed. Marcus is emotional and easily influenced, so I have a feeling his narrative could turn on a dime.

Luca says "At a certain stage, it becomes less about skill and more about being open....." In summary:

Marcus - Open, but I fear could easily become closed in the wrong environment/trauma.

Carmy - Closed, doesn't really understand how to open when not hiding behind the guise of the restaurant/Syd/emotional fabrications

Sydney - Wants open, but always closes instinctively for self-protection.

Natalie - Open, with the limited emotional tools she has at her disposal.

Richie - *learning* to open, but that's a long fucking road.

Tina - Open

"It helps to have good people around you, too" - see above. The Bear represents the inherent goodness of people, with familial history run roughshod over it.

Marcus asking "Was It worth it? The time you put in" quickly followed by Luca saying "I dunno....ask me tomorrow"

Isn't this the feeling of fecklessness that almost everyone has with their creative craft being converted to labor? There's been a lot of theories floating around that Carmy doesn't like cooking anymore/never liked cooking - could it just be the long-standing feeling of irrelevance when you've taken a deep-dive into your craft for so long that you can't see the forest (inspiration, caring for people) through the trees (red tape, skill level, trauma etc.)?

The man on the bike could also represent saving someone the way that Marcus can't save his mom - it alleviates some of the feelings of powerlessness, and the exchange of comfort in the hug a reciprocity he can no longer experience with her.

"Are you sure you want to get back on the bike?"

A bad thing happened, but the man feels compelled to keep moving - as Marcus said to Syd in S1 "just keep moving" - there are a bunch of metaphors for just proceeding with the restaurant here.

Syd is literally just being goofy and talking to Marcus like a friend when he first calls - I guess I imagined there being a little more heat/aloofness there on her behalf, but it's giving friend-zone. She wouldn't act so familiar if there was a crush, I don't feel its in her DNA....

Marcus sharing the nightmare about his mom's impending death with Sydney is huge (again, the other shoe dropping) - Sydney tries to give an empathetic response (she's not great at anything with a whiff of mortality to it, but she approaches the topic with optimism) and caps it off with a "ugghh - I miss you man" as a reassuring gesture - he's her friend and a great source of comfort.

He nods quietly, waits a beat, and says "I miss you too" - and you can tell the pregnant pause has let Syd know that there's gravity/consequences to her words. She diffuses with the freeze humor because what the hell else are you going to do once a guy tells you about his dying mom nightmare, you spurt out a casual "I miss you bro" and he responds back tenderly that he misses you too. Unenviable.

"Okay, goodnight dude" - Syd hangs up immediately. Oof. Everyone talks about Syd getting a love interest in season 3 to level the stakes with Carmy, but I want Marcus' to bag a hot expediter or something just so there's a bit of joy in his life without a crazy dramatic subplot ensuing.

The mild smile on Marcus' face is so peaceful when he masters the dessert. It's such a quiet satisfaction you can only get when you create things. What a nice way to end the episode.

Holy crap, this was far too long. If you stuck it out, thank you!

[benoitblanc]

hey arwen, long time no see!! hope you're doing well! 💜

i know nothing about txf besides what i've gleaned from this hellsite which is a) mulder is a lovable idiot, b) scully both loves him (almost against her will??), and c) they literally invented shipping BUT tell me about your top 5 txf episodes!!!

hi mitali i have been EXTREMELY patchy on here lately haven't i lol. local woman appears on tumblr to write ten meta posts about the x files and then disappears again! i'm doing okay; my real life has been kind of chaotic (had to last-minute cancel a trip i have been desperate to go on for years so :/ but! on the bright side it means i get to see my flatmates sooner than i thought and i miss them even though i've been gone from my flat for like a week and a half lol). how have you been???

those are very accurate txf vibes but i will say that scully is a very active and willing participant in being in love with mulder even though he can be very very stupid at times lol. i hope you watch it someday- i think it would be right up your alley! kind of similar doctor who ecological niche of being weird, heartfelt, politically relevant sci-fi with no consistent quality or tone.

ANYWAY. top 5 txf episodes, bearing in mind that i've technically only watched up until the end of the fourth season so far; i'm just a ho for spoilers:

pusher (3.17)... what can i say about pusher that i haven't said already. a lot, probably, because every single day i log on here and i see someone's written new meta about pusher that makes the entire show make more sense. it's just... it's txf distilled to its barest elements. it's about trust and codependency and a supernatural force that is made all the more unsettling by the fact that at its core it is just some guy. it's funny and terrifying and heartfelt all at once. the russian roulette scene changed television

clyde bruckman's final repose (3.04) is also just so txf. darin morgan (the writer) tended to write episodes that were so absurdist they wrapped back around to satirical, but this is far and away my favorite of his because it's not too bonkers. i love coprophages and from outer space especially, but clyde bruckman is a little more grounded, and it manages to be sarcastic and sincere in equal measure. and i love when scully gets to solve the mystery

irresistible (2.13), which is famous for being pretty much the only txf episode where there isn't actually an x-file. and it's SO fucked up. it is hands-down the most fucked up episode of the entire sh- well. besides the episode that they banned from reruns for like a decade for being so fucked up, it's hands-down the most fucked up episode of the entire show

beyond the sea (1.13) and paper hearts (4.10) are thematic sisters so i'm keeping them together. they're both about choosing to move past grief instead of wallowing in it and choosing the future over the past. so what if a criminal says they can give you the answers you've spent your whole life chasing? what matters is that you're at your partner's hospital bedside when he wakes up from an injury, or that you save a little girl's life

right now? probably ice (1.08), because i just rewatched it with my flatmate (who is going through s1 for the first time and is almost as obsessed as i am). it's like if midnight doctor who and the thing had a baby. normally i think this slot would go to duane barry/ascension/one breath (2.05/2.06/2.08) or nisei/731 (3.09/3.10), which are the tightest, tensest episodes relating to the show's overarching mythology

honorable mention goes to elegy (4.22) because the a-plot is a very 90s depiction of neurodivergence and it's not the best-handled thing i've ever seen, but the character showcase of scully in the b-plot gave me fucking brain worms. i cannot stop thinking about it. it's haunting.

also, memento mori (4.14). vince gilligan and gillian anderson you're splitting my therapy bill

ask my top 5/10 anything!!!

[carefulfears]

can you pleeeease please pls pls talk about piper maru/apocrypha theeee apex of the early myth arc obviously i just rewatched it and also you rewatched it a few months ago but i rly would like to hear you get super into it. talk about watever you please but i wld love 2 hear stuff about specific scenes/line or plot implications or performances or technical stuff you liked or what have you. i love you xoxo mikey

okay coming back to this because we just watched these together lol but the thing about piper maru/apocrypha is that like...they speak so much for themselves. and they have a lot to say, about the core themes of the series. it's not just the apex of the myth-arc, it's a subtle love letter of everything that the show believes in.

firstly, i've said this before, but that opening sequence of first scully and skinner, then scully and mulder, is so much of what it all boils down to. and, almost in contrast to the rest of the arc, it's relatively loving and hopeful. just not in the sense that everyone wants things to be.

the government is not going to pursue melissa's murder investigation. the FBI does not care. those in power do not care. they have the tools and technology to piece together any crime, but, as scully says:

"in a case of a woman, my sister, who was gunned down in cold blood in a well-lit apartment building by a shooter who left the weapon at the crime scene, we can't even put together enough to keep anybody interested."

scully is always bubbling with this benevolent indignant rage, just under the surface, and it's so moving when it breaks. it's her sister. and no one is even interested.

it matters that skinner tells her that he's fighting it, he's going to appeal. he's going to go over all of the evidence personally, make sure nothing was overlooked. i love the way he tells her that he got the memo last night and debated calling her at home, you can tell that he's been sitting with it all night.

when she goes downstairs, and mulder is buzzing about some ship wreckage that he's already researched coordinates and weather and radiation spots before anyone else got there that morning, the way she smiles is the end of any confusion as to why she stays. it's been 23 years since the last time anyone cared about his dead sister, and he's down there digging. ("i'm just...constantly amazed by you.")

it's nice that someone stays interested. it's nice to spend your life with someone who cares, when no one else does.

later, in san francisco, i always cry when scully drives onto the military base where she grew up, and sees the kids playing. and it flashes to the kids as her and melissa. once again, this episode is a love letter to everything this show believes.

and when she speaks to her old neighbor, it's spelled out in my favorite quote of the franchise: "we bury our dead alive, don't we?"

i always think of @scullysflannel's post on this thematic arc:

But then I also think about “we bury our dead alive” and “nothing disappears without a trace” and how The X-Files is always in conversation with its ghosts...It matters that the show is saying both everything ends and nothing’s ever really over. You can’t stop moving forward, but there’s also a duty to remember, both out of love (“I want to remember how it was”) and to prevent the same things from happening to anyone else. The future won’t be any better unless people honor the ones who came before. Progress on The X-Files is this constant push and pull between hope and tragedy; you can’t have one without the other.

the x-files is always in conversation with its ghosts, and everything buried still speaks.

when the first installment of this two-parter ends, skinner is shot for his unwillingness to abandon melissa's case. and krycek's soul is overridden with visible darkness, before mulder's eyes.

(i also want to talk about krycek lying, in the airport, and telling mulder that he didn't kill his father. but i think that may be a larger post on krycek/mulder and trust.)

(it literally can't be stressed enough that krycek briefly becomes an alien in this episode and mulder doesn't notice. mikey like that one time you were like "if i were possessed by a demon and a guy who i know personally sat next to me on a twenty hour flight and didn't notice at all i would be so mad")

moving on to apocrypha...well...the x-files is about love, you guys. i love scully running into the hospital and holding skinner's hand. most of this episode is a whirlwind of allies, of understandings. and a testament to how much it matters, to have allies. to have someone you can call. to have three friends who will pull off an elaborate ice-rink locker heist. to have someone who will come hold your hand, chase down an ambulance to watch over you.

back at the FBI, pendrell breaks down the data they've collected on skinner's shooter. partial prints and saliva and secretors and hemofactors and chromosome-stains and hair fibers. i love the run-down that they give, it really drives home the point that scully was making in the beginning. they have all of this equipment and all of these resources and all of this science. but what does it matter when no one cares enough to follow through?

ultimately, it's scully that pieces together the evidence, and realizes that the man who shot skinner is the same man who killed melissa. (at the same time, the syndicate is starting to grow impatient with CSM, as the man suspected in the shooting is: "one of yours, isn't he?")

but in the end, there's nothing. they're pulled out of the silos without finding any evidence. they lose krycek, after learning of his involvement. the man who killed melissa is dead in his cell. "nothing vanishes without a trace," but everything can be controlled.

when mulder goes to melissa's grave to tell scully that cardinale is dead, it's one of my favorite details of the series that he's holding flowers. it just makes me tear up that he stopped to bring missy flowers. even though he was just going by to tell scully news. (it was only a year ago that it was missy sitting having coffee with him, or banging on his apartment door. that it was missy who didn't give up on him, when scully was gone. these sisters linger. there's a kind of reverent respect.)

"You know I thought... when we found him, this man that killed Melissa, that...that when we brought him to justice, I would feel some kind of closure. But the truth is no court...no punishment is ever enough."

four years before the show concludes "there is no closure," scully quietly betrays, there is no closure. nothing would ever be enough. her sister is gone. there are no answers, there is no justice, that would make it better. (and what a statement to make)

and the episode ends on scully repeating back: "maybe we bury the dead alive."

as we cut to krycek, locked in the missile silo, banging on the door, crying, screaming for help.

it is on this note that the x-files leaves its most thematically relevant arc. there is no closure. we bury our dead alive. and no one is ever coming to save you.

[stedesparasol]

Thank you @blakbonnet for tagging me to do this!

Three ships:

Mulder/Scully

Beatrice/Benedick

Ed/Stede (gotta include my boys)

First Ship:

Doctor/Rose - Nine/Rose specifically if you wanna be pedantic but I'll take it as a collective with Ten too

Last Song:

Suedehead by Morrissey (fuck that guy)

Last Movie:

I thiiiiiiink it was Breakfast at Tiffany's which I enjoyed more than I expected. I'd always heard it was overrated, and while I've seen a few Hepburn films now and it's definitely my least favourite (especially what with the glaring stand-out issue, iykyk) I still liked a lot of aspects of it.

Currently Reading:

Well I mean technically Jurassic Park but I haven't picked it up in forever 🙈

Currently Watching:

I've been rewatching Star Trek TOS along with a reaction channel who've started it recently, I'm about 8 episodes deep into that. I mean, I say rewatching, but I think I've only watched highly regarded episodes previously, so this is my first full watch for better or for worse (watched Miri for the first time yesterday lol...)

Also been rewatching The X Files slowly but surely for over a year somehow, almost finished season 3!

Currently Eating:

Just had chicken gyros

Currently Craving:

Some dessert lol, which will either be strawberries or chocolate depending on how healthy I decide to be. Probably both!

Tagging @snake-snack-stede @spirker and @merryfinches if y'all haven't been tagged already!

[ferdieinceladoncity]

put the pilot on again for like the fourth time in two months and was reminded once more of how GOOD of a fucking episode this is, how it's no surprise at all it changed my brain chemistry and got me hooked on the show beyond measure when I first watched it. It's sinister and moody, of course: the overall tone, and the set-up of the Cigarette Smoking Mans role in the government conspiracy in the Pentagon: you're left with no question that these two agents have been thrown into something very dark and very murky and very much larger than the both of them but there's nothing much else that I've seen on television with as much of a heartbeat as Mulder and Scully standing besides a grave, drenched in rain, laughing in the face of it all, both of them at the strangeness of their lives. On a rewatch I'm fascinated over again by how they interact with each other and fall into place by each other so early on. A young Dana Scully with hopes to distinguish herself in the FBI hears her new partner earnestly speak of alien abductions, of which she does not believe: nevertheless when he tells her they're heading off for the very plausible state of Oregon tomorrow, she can't stop grinning. Over an autopsy table he assures her that he's not crazy in a tone that's nothing but wounded. You get the sense this man has had to plead much the same before, to many people, and now the ball is in Scully's court as to wether she'll do the same as the rest or wether the next scene will reveal that the little digital clock reads 4AM and she's on the motel room bed with her sneakers on still, researching, wondering. "I'm not losing any sleep over it", she lies, walking after him into the forest. "Time can't just disappear; it's a universal invariant!" declares an indignant Dana Scully, with her undergraduate degree in physics, unwittingly intwining the argument with her own scientific and defining passions as Mulder leaps around with his arms in the air crying of abductees. Of course, the scene where she discovers the bites and takes the greatest leap of faith as she undresses in front of her new partner as he holds a candle to the small of her back, his fingers gingerly at the line of her underwear, and her no doubt biting her tongue preemptively at the kind of uncomfortable comments this would elicit from him: any other man would at least make some sort of joke, and- although I will admit I may just be peppering my own experience and interpretation of her character here too much in ways that might not hold true- I suspect resigned regret wells in her mind, you know. Mulder has been a good man and a kind man thus far, and now fear of her condition wins over shame and she stands in front of him almost naked, wondering and fearing, I suppose, if the illusion of him would break. But her bites are from mosquitoes-(might I just add, somehow: she was pretty rugged up in the forest, most definitely wearing pants as far I could tell, so I can only assume the mosquitoes worked very quickly when she was changing. Another X-File)- and gives her the bed, while he takes the floor, and they're cast deliciously in stripped lines of light in the dark motel room that flickers as the rain pours down outside. God, the cinnamon topography. Like it's a game of give-and-take, Mulder exposes himself as well, his own vulnerability, the story of his sister, his beliefs that the government's involved. It's not solely a confession: well it is, but it's a "here's why I'm doing all of this" but also a "now, knowing this, will you do it with me?". I believe at this point Scully is quite certain of her answer.

And then the graveyard scene, again. Like I said, it's the turning point and it encapsulates a lot, just a lot about the show, about these characters. Mulder's lost in his theory, he can feel all of the strings coming together and he's rambling at a million miles a minute on the precipice of his great discovery and then Scully hangs her head and laughs. "You think I'm crazy." Well, everyone does. The whole episode they've both been chasing hopes that this person isn't like all the others, (in both their cases and for different reasons the 'others' generally being "men at the bureau' and also a little bit of 'society at large') throwing out little pieces of themselves like cautious signals to see how they'd be received. Mulder shuts up, walks away, and then-"Peggy O'dell's watch stopped a couple minutes after nine. I made a note of it when I saw the body-" and he's back because she's there, admitting that although she might not believe in the same way he believes, she believes enough to standing there, believes enough to have made a note on the stopped watch, and he's back at it with his theory but now she's joining him and they're both crazy, crazy fuckers standing in front of an open grave in the cold hours of the morning and realising maybe "do you think I'm crazy" was never the right question to ask because maybe she'll never stop believing they both must be pretty crazy- come at it as "well, don't you think this is crazy?" this case, this circumstance, this life, and they can find common ground there.

"That kid may have killed Peggy O'dell- I don't believe this! It's crazy!" Declares Scully, with a tissue full of dirt she scraped from the toes of a patient at the ward with a pocket knife (in an act that should have gotten her kicked out had the nurse not been the type of person to admit this wasn't her 'aisle of the produce section'). Scully, turning lost time and little silver capsules and ape-like corpses and suspicious motel fires around in her mind since she got here, demands it's true, and suddenly it's as if Mulder's playing the skeptic to her frenetic believer which disconcerts him greatly as being the believer isn't her cross to bear and he's well aware of how ruinous that can be. "I want you to understand what you're saying." he tells her. "You said it yourself!" she rebuts. "You have to write it down in your report." They're a united front now, more or less- Scully and Mulder versus the dubious "other"- the as yet unknown forces that set fire to the motel and want the X-Files debunked in the first place. He begs her to think of saving face. No conversation about it, but an established us-versus-them.

The final scene where Scully is being grilled by the suits back at the Hoover building is again testament to the level of respect that has grown between the two agents on one case alone, and how Scully as a result has been changed. You can draw direct comparisons that are pretty interesting between the first scene where she sits in the office and this last one. The costume is the most glaring symbolic change- here she wears a black suit that is more powerful, confident- shapely and sharp, making me think of the black suits she switches to wearing almost 24/7 in the later seasons as her persona hardens. In the first scene she's framed as quite timid and very eager to please, softer in her grey suit with the plaid stripes and obviously nervous, and with the chair she sits in always in frame so you can see her uncertain breaths. Now, however, the camera focuses on her face as that "I'm new, please like me" persona is well and truly gone, following her as she stands up at the desk to give them the capsule. Very interesting to watch both scenes together.

I'm getting too tired to write anymore. I'm fiddling with a hair-tie and I absentmindedly put it in my mouth and almost swallowed it whole if you're at all curious about my mental acuity. But, again, the Pilot is an incredible piece of television. Every time I watch it, it's kind of like it's the first time I'm seeing Mulder and Scully all over again, like I've literally never seen the X-Files before. I wonder and I hope- are these guys going to do it? Are they going to rise against the government conspiracy? Aw man, I hope they can. I'd like to think they can.

I know I didn't speak a lot on Mulder here. He's more of a puzzle to me than Scully, and I'm tired. But maybe as I rewatch the episodes I'll write about them more and I'll dig around inside his character. Maybe.

[bellisima-writes]

10 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks so much for the tag @katiefrog217!!

Absolutely NO pressure tagging, but these folks have written some lovely pieces on AO3 and if they want to participate and talk about their art, they deserve to: @di-42, @addledmongoose, @notalostcausejustyet, @hikarry

1. How many works do you have on AO3? |

Two (one completed and one WIP about 40-50% done)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

*shifts uncomfortably in chair*

According to the stats page I just discovered (seriously how long has THAT thing been there?), I've published 185,536 words on AO3 (WHATTTTTTT in the what?!?).

3. What Fandoms do You Write For?

I've only ever written for Good Omens.

If we want to discuss what other Fandoms I have hyperfixated on and created elaborate stories only to not ever write them down? Then we can also include BBC Sherlock, The X Files, Stranger Things, and my OG from when I was a kid, Star Trek TNG. But I've only ever put pen to paper for Good Omens.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Every. Single. One. If someone cares enough about what I write to make a comment, I am absolutely responding. The only time I don't respond to each is if there are multiple on a single chapter or I respond to one from a later chapter before the earlier one. Otherwise, I really do try to respond and thank every reader who's ever left me a note. It means the world to me.

5. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

6. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I've discussed it briefly with some people and would honestly love to.

7. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Aziraphale/Crowley. Though when I was a kid I was also obsessed with Niles and Daphne from Fraiser and every time I rewatch that show I am right back there (yes...old I know but it was good soup back in the Must See TV Thursday era).

8. What are your Writing Strengths?

Ummm...I think I build good plot, tension and (somewhat) unexpected twists into stories well. I have an inability to not try to figure out puzzles, which makes me annoying to watch movies with but turns out is a good skill for actually building twisty stories.

I also personally think my characterization and dialogue are strong, but that could be up for debate.

9. What are your Writing Weaknesses?

One completed fic and one WIP at 185k words is pretty self explanatory, I think. I spend a lot of time in set up and making sure the plot points I write are earned and while I do lean on the source material, I also feel a compulsive need to build out the motivations of my versions of these characters.

I can't write something thats out of character, my brain literally won't let me. It will get painfully stuck until I admit, this would not happen this way and abandon the scene and start over. I have an entirely written alternate version of the Last Angel that I completely scrapped at one point because it just wasn't right...

I also struggle with descriptive language. It's why I never, ever thought to write before entering this fandom last fall. Fanfiction is such a gift because everyone already has a picture of the world you're writing, of the people who are speaking, of their tone of voice, and so you don't have to spend time describing the landscape or physical qualities. So that huge gap in my skillset doesn't affect the story as much.

And humor. I want to be funny, so badly. And lighthearted. But my stuff tends to lean into the difficult themes in the universes the stories take place in. People who write humor well are unicorns and I worship them. Part of the reason I scrapped that alternate version of the Last Angel was because I was leaning into the funny a lot more and it just ended up not feeling realistic to the situation.

And grammar. My grammar could always grammar better.

10. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

My initial Good Omens fic was the first story I ever wrote.

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 2x01-2x03

new season, a forced separation, an unexplained greenhouse set

the introduction of one Dr Anne Sullivan. Shares a name with Helen Keller's instructor for no discernible reason, she is played by an actor known to the contemporaneous recappers I've been reading, because more than one of them go "Oh, it's Annabeth Gish!"

She was in 27 episodes of The X-Files and 6 episodes of The West Wings, both shows I'd expect TV recappers to have watched

Another sleepover, featuring the liars revolting against the strength of Spencer's coffee

They don't even get to have coffee because all non-military and non-Tom parents are assembled to tell the girls (1) yeah we think you're making shit up (2) you have to go to grief counseling because you are too obsessed with your friend's death

Our 2010s suburban teenagers are like we don't want to go therapy because we are not crazy (note: Spencer and Hanna are most negative on this topic)

Emily is traumatizing herself by rewatching the Jenna-Toby video, and then gets traumatized by Pam letting a broker go "get rid of all personality from this room asap". Pam work on your scheduling

Spencer on one couch while her parents + Melissa are on the opposite: will this framing ever change?

I'm just saying, in the supposedly unlikely event your daughter and her friends aren't lying...she almost fucking died! Give her a little comfort!

Caleb's apology is very good sad boy, but more than that or Hanna not getting back with him, what I enjoy in this early season era is that there is no secret noble motivation. He did a shitty thing for selfish reasons, because he dismissed everyone involved as rich pretty girls, it isn't more complicated than that and doesn't need to be

Spencer trying on sexy(?) shirts for Toby when it's like. The dude's hair has gotten worse and you know he just put on a random t-shirt and jeans. Also he won't care.

Anw the show has remembered that Toby and Emily are friends. would love for them to be able to hang out without a Spencer motivator, but you know, custody's been transferred

It is a sweet scene, I like Toby immediately taking out his knife and Emily going :0 and Toby going it's okay, I've already gotten my teen carpenter upgrades, I will fix it up (and he does, as we see in the background later)

only Ezra comment is that they painted on his abs LOL please that man does not go to the gym

Jar of Hearts plays as all the girls are really emo about Sullivan-endorsed and parent-enforced separation between them. love that they are so distraught by this

and Spencer freaking out so badly once she hears a sound outside. Spencer :(

I say "parent-enforced" very loosely because all four girls sneak out at night to meet at a greenhouse. It's a great-looking set but where is this greenhouse whose is this greenhouse why is this greenhouse. Is this a public property. Did they break into the local botanical gardens.

It's probably abandoned. Classic.

Okay later episodes show them constantly passing Alison's house when leaving the greenhouse. Do Spencer's parents own a greenhouse nearby.

Emily should be more upset about her laptop being wiped, beyond the videos, like that's all her shit!!!

okay i guess Emily doesn't use her laptop that much, I am projecting

very funny to me that the first Emily/Samara scene this season is at a swim meet. does Paige notice this or is she too busy going insane because there is a scout here and her dad is going well there's the scout too bad you aren't anchor huh

Probably she does not notice because she is laser-focused on swimming and in her "ignore Emily unless we are literally doing a relay together" era. Good/bad for her

Sorry you will continue to get my theories on what Paige is up to when not on-screen. Until I crack and fic it.

Random break-ins happen, reported by Pam. god 2024 pam would be on NextDoor huh

A ring camera would solve a lot of problems in rosewood

Toby is the saddest unemployed boy in the world and Spencer would like to be his sugar mommy. 100% believe Spencer would be good at that

Honestly who cares if she lost Melissa's ring, Melissa sucks, so does Ian, the Hastings can easily afford another ring.

Spencer saying "I wanted to say it first" in response to Toby's ILU and still not saying "I love you too"....Spencer will Win even at love

Aria got fucking shoved into that lamp holy hell, forget her wrist her torso probably should get iced

Samara and Emily have a conversation about first girlfriends

Samara is already kind of boring, I'm surprised they don't kiss in this episode

There's a flashback where Spencer and Emily were going to have a sleepover before Ali crashed. i should be commenting something intelligent about this being the rare chink in Ali's armor, instead i want to know everything about flashback-era Spemily sleepovers

Look it's rare evidence of the liars having individual friendships back then, and they are quite cute in their little sleepover outfits of Spencer's pajamas and Emily's hoodie

Spencer is so fragile-looking when she asks Melissa if she'd protect her....oh Spencer, I'm glad you have Toby and his abs right now

I am also glad you have nightmares where you discuss theories with your friends at the movie theatre while a black-and-white horror film plays. Going to count this as Emily influence

Emily tells her mom it's Paige calling when the landline rings and Pam goes sure and moves on, and like, I have so many questions. obviously the Fields and the McCullers know each other from the swimming but last time Pam saw Paige's dad, he was being a real dick.

has Emily told her mom that Paige isn't a real dick, was Pam at home when Paige came over in 1x20? many possibilities, given that Pam is not confused or disturbed by the phone call claim

Emily you could have said any random swim teammate

I still really like the Aria-Jenna scene, that Aria's forced to listen to what Jenna lost and that Jenna is tricked into revealing this vulnerability to one of the liars - very pretty lighting here too

Hanna's plot is kinda whatever to me these episodes, it's her parents flirting, Mona, Lucas

I like that she and Lucas are friends again already, but I am doubtful of her strategy in getting Lucas a date. love him and Caleb being bros though, I wonder what Caleb wanted from the hardware store

When A was petting the dog all I could think was that in a darker show, A would've snapped that dog's neck at the end of it...

Pam talks to Emily about her sexuality again after looking at Emily's kid stuff and that makes Emily tear up the forged letter - I forgot that Pam brings it up of her own accord here, and it is nice that don't have it be and all settled thing after yelling at Nick McCullers

was distracted in the whole car scene about the forged letter because (1) is this the first hanna-aria-emily scene we get where it's not because spencer is off somewhere else getting almost murdered? (2) hanna somehow thinks emily's forgery skills can get her into harvard. hanna wants emily to re-use a stamp from an old letter she has. hanna what the hell

[fereldanwench]

so i finished my lost rewatch last week, but i have this problem in which i often cant just let a show end and i have to immediately restart it, which means I'm watching s1 again lmao

s1 i think will always have comfort show status in the spirit of the x files or roswell--i had the box set in college, and i pretty much always had it on when i was chilling in my bedroom. plus the star wars RPG i was really involved with at the time also had a lot of lost fans (soooo many face claims were actors from the show), which added to a fandom coziness

anyway, i just really like having it on in the background

but this also means i have Thoughts of varying import and controversy so under the cut it is

there have been a lot of jokes over the years about how oceanic flight 815 had a ridiculous amount of hot people on it, which is true, but i feel like shannon and boone are like a time capsule of early aughts hotness which i find kind of fascinating. shannon especially--tall, skinny, blonde, tan, square face--she is like the epitome of what was supposed to be hot for young women in 2004. which, uh, as a curvy brunette teen i thoroughly resented and probably contributed to some of my disdain for the character at the time lmao

still not really a huge fan of her character, though, even with that envy and contempt long behind me. and i will never understand what sayid sees in her--sayid has always been a fave, and i liked the scenes with him and shannon bc he's such a romantic and i love that about him, but i just have a hard time believing he'd be attracted to her personality-wise

i actually noticed there seems to be a little bit of chemistry between him and kate early on, which, yanno, she's obviously got her hands full with jack and sawyer, but i was like hmmm, that could be an interesting dynamic to explore. I'm not invested enough to read lost fanfic but if i was, that'd probably pull me in

i've also found myself liking claire a lot more now, although i will always find emilie de ravin's voice SO grating. and it's not the accent--her (bad) American accent in roswell didn't help either. she just sounds like she's always 3 seconds away from sobbing and i just wanna tell her to take a deep breath

i was always on the fence about charlie, and while there are things about his character i find sympathetic (namely his struggle with addiction), I've decided i don't like him lmao I've teared up quite a bit during my rewatch, and i remember crying when he died in s3 when it aired, but it did nothing for me this time around

you know what does make me tear up every single time despite knowing it's doomed (or maybe bc i know it's doomed)? the scene when they get michael's raft into the water in s1. hits me every time

i watched a video recently that showed the top googled shows over the past 2 decades or so, and while i was never super involved in the lost fandom, it did occur to me when i saw it listed as the number one show for a while that i think lost was probably the last major fandom to enjoy a pre-social media community. i mean it was like right on the cusp of web 1.0 and 2.0: a lot of the social media juggernauts like facebook and twitter would launch while it was on air, but i think most of the community still existed on personal sites and forums

[agent-troi]

For the X-Files asks: 29, 30, 42, 43

29. How did you feel about IWTB?

I was initially disappointed because I was expecting it to be part of the mytharc like the first movie was, and I didn't think much of the plot but the scense with MSR in bed and the kiss at the end were nice (also I wish the scene with them on a boat wasn't hidden after the credits because I had no idea it existed until I saw people talking about it on Twitter).

Also, one thing that really bugs me is that Scully is allowed to have a job and a semblance of a normal life while Mulder for some reason still has to wallow in the basement with his conspiracy billboard and the picture of his sister in the center of it as if he still doesn't know what happened to her. Idk it just bugs me how they freeze him in that role and don't let him even try to move on.

The whole 'on the run' thing confused me too, like I wasn't sure why they had to go on the run in the first place because I thought that everyone who was after them was dead, and then given that premise I didn't understand why they could suddenly come out of hiding, but also I've only seen season 9 and IWTB once so maybe further rewatches would help, but I'm ignoring everything after Existence so that's not gonna happen😂

30. How did you feel about FTF?

LOVED this one❤️ loved the attempt to make coherent sense out of the various mytharc bits that had been written prior to this point, loved Mulder verbally expressing his feelings to Scully (for once), the bee can go die, loved the desperate rescue from Antarctica, loved Mulder and Scully holding hands and walking off into the sunset. I really wish CC had been able to go with his original idea of five seasons and a movie trilogy, because I think the mytharc could've been wrapped up a lot better that way.

42. A song you think embodies Fox Mulder?

Definitely Human by Cody Johnson. Read this and tell me it doesn't scream Mulder:

"I thought by now I'd have it figured out How not to make the easy thing so hard to do I bet that I'd be further down this road If I could read the signs that point me to the truth...

...Girl, all I can say is that I'm sorry If I get kind of careless with your heart

All the headlights All the midnights Chasing all that empty, still ain't got it right All the crazy All the gypsy Well, I guess all I'm sayin' is forgive me If I don't know what I'm doing I'm still learnin' to be human

So far I've been good at burning bridges Strike a match and ride right out of town Bless your heart for never trying to fix me Or quit me, or slow me down"

43. A song you think embodies Dana Scully?

I know this is the most unimaginative answer ever but there is literally a song called Dana Katherine Scully by Tacocat lmao😅

[leporschespam]

tag 9 people you want to get to know better

[the thing is 9, but i've got 4 :) ]

i was tagged by @braceletofteeth

fhfhf thank you sm <333

i was asked yesterday on tellonym is there anyone you want to know better and i thought of my tumblr moots so hell yeah let's go~~

(i say all enthusiastically as if i have the ability to start conversations 😔✋️✋️)

three ships

no stop there is no possible way for me to narrow this down to three, i've watched far too many shows

we shall attempt 💪💪

- kinnporsche

vegaspete could definitely be up here too, but i'll stick with kinn and porsche (also porsche is my all time favourite character so of course he's up here)

- moonjo x jongwoo from strangers from hell

whatever they had going on was not heterosexual and i will be standing by that

- sae-bom & yi-hyun from happiness

a healthy relationship being on this list? fake marriage, childhood friends, found family, of course they're here. happiness has to be one of my favourite shows and bfhfhdh i adore them

first ever ship

i definitely had some in childhood but the one that i'm really thinking of has to be mulder and scully from the x-files

they consumed my 10/11 year old brain, and continued to do so until i was maybe 12/13

last song

timezone by måneskin

their new album is actually so good, and this is probably my favourite song from it

it's giving kimchay au imo

nah i really need to write a kimchay fic because i've got ideas but the words aren't wording

last movie

eternal summer, and i think this letterboxd review summarises it very well [spoilers firstly]::

it was a solid 3.5/5 i'd say, but especially considering it's from 2006- oh my god,,

currently reading

i literally haven't read a whole book since about summer last year and i feel awful-

anyway

various stuff on ao3, mainly kinnporsche, but a few gap stuff, some goncharov (the fics are so good istg), and yeah dude a lot

i've got 488 fics downloaded–

yEahh

currently watching

- gap

let's fucking go sapphics

it's perhaps a bit all over the place, but i have been in desperate need of sapphics, and it hasn't disappointed

- all of us are dead

(rewatch) korea just does zombies so much better. su-hyeok x cheong-san, and mi-jin x ha-ri supremacy

- between us

i haven't watched it in a little while because i wasn't feeling amazing and wanted stuff i knew well, hence going back to aouad, but i've got to ep 4 (and omg omg), and will be resuming at some point soon hopefully

i'm also gonna mention stuff i recently finished because aaaaa

- vincenzo

went in expecting a dark mafia show, got a comedy mafia show (and i am SO here for it)

- till the world ends

i need other people to watch this for my own sanity, had me sobbing at 2am last sunday when i finished it

currently consuming

do you consume oxygen–

currently craving

no more writers block would be nice :)

i haven't had it for so long and i thought i was free, but uh no :(

i am vaguely writing though besties (30 wips 😩✋️ send help)

tagging

of course there's no obligation to continue this <33

@saturnskyline @kinnporsche-n-chill @spookyspiderseb @achilleanskops

[elvenbeard]

Get to know me

I've been tagged in three separate memes with that title by @timaeusterrored and @katsigian, thanks a lot for thinking of me! :D For brevity's and simplicity's sake I'm just gonna throw all of them together in one post ~ Won't be tagging anyone in particular, but if you read this and feel inclined to share some stuff about yourself, pick and choose from the questions listed here and feel free to tag me in your posts! :D

Favorite color: Purple, Turquoise, and Black

Relationship: single

Currently reading: when I'm not re-reading my own stuff for editing purposes, I currently just really enjoy reading everyone's Cyberpunk drabbles and OC lore posts because I live for that stuff! for having been a very bookish kid I don't really read much anymore admittedly D:

Last song Played: "A Dialogue In B Flat Minor" by In Flames (it's on my V playlist and a very Vince and Johnny song to me XD)

Song Stuck in my Head: "Gloves" by Saint Punk (I'm obsessed with it because it fits Vince so much and I'm working on something inspired by it)

Last Movie: oooof... I think it was "The Shawshank Redemption", I was recently in the mood of rewatching some 90s classics while drawing!

Last series: If youtube series count, I'm currently rewatching Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime for the 11th or so time XD I've loved true crime stuff for as long as I can remember and BFU is also just really nice as background noise for when I'm working on something for a few hours at a time. Looking forward to diving into Mystery Files xD (the last "actual" series I watched before that was "Better Call Saul", rewatched it from start to finish in English for the first time xD)

Sweet, spicy, or savory: ooohhh hmmm.... dammit, I guess I'm too much of a sweet-tooth to not pick sweet xD

Favourite Food: Pizza with lots of different cheeses

Craving: to quit my dayjob, because objectively, it would just be really fucking funny to do. We're chronically understaffed and simultaneously also being forbidden overtime to catch up on the backlog, so it's just extremely exhausting at the moment.

Tea or coffee: Coffee, but tea is nice too :3

Dream Trip: everywhere... but my top 3 are Japan, Iceland, and Canada. I'd love to go to Japan during cherry blossom season, spend one week in all the big cities and another more on the countryside, going hiking, looking at temples, forests, and spending a day or two at a ryokan with onsen. Iceland I'd also like to see as much of as possible, I'd actually love to do a guided tour on horseback across the country xD And honestly, same for Canada (without the horses though), also a trip across the country visiting all kinds of sights and cities along the way would be awesome.

Last Thing I Googled: 2023 Conventions Germany

Currently working on: the final stages of my new Kerry x V drawing, editing some VP shoots, writing Vince's background lore fic (6 chapters done, about 6 more to go!), started writing a post-canon fic (but only have a few paragraphs), and my ongoing Cyberpunk 2077 Let's Play videos XD cause I always wanted to make a full Let's Play like that and given my current obsession it works. Looming on the horizon are also some short comics and ideas for mods and even more VP!

Are you named after Anyone?

After an OC of mine, if we go with Elven as the name I'm predominantly using atm XD Long story short, but "Elvenbeard" was an elf OC I once cosplayed as and who got his name from a friend of mine during a very long and funny train ride to the convention we were headed to. Good times XD

2. When was the last time you cried?

A couple of days ago. I think it was a mix of stress and having too many feels about Kerry xD

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, and don't want any. Unless pets count.

4. Do you use Sarcasm a lot?

I would never do such a thing.

5. What Sports do you play/ have you played?

None xD I was the short fat kid that got relentlessly bullied by my PE teacher for years which completed ruined any interest in sports I might have ever developed.

6. What's the first thing you notice about other people?

Honestly... I think I've gotten quite good at picking up people's vibes first. Picked up a very bad "stay-far-away-from-them" vibe from someone a couple of days ago, and when I met them again a little while later one of the first things out of their mouth is transphobic bullshit. I (sadly) felt rather validated with my first impression.

7. Eye Colour?

Hazel.

8. Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

Both can be good! I don't like overly gory movies or stuff that relies heavily on jump scares, but a scary film with a good story and some unexpected twists I really like (some of my faves being "Hush" and "The Conjuring"). I'm also a sucker for Happy Endings though. Best thing overall? Angst with a Happy Ending.

9. Any Special Talents?

Does hyperfocus count as a special talent these days? XD

10. Where were you born?

Somewhere in rural Germany.

11. What are your hobbies?

Yes... Drawing, writing, sewing, crafting, cosplay, gaming... and the newest addition: virtual photography!

12. Do you have any pets?

Yess, a cat!

13. How tall are you?

160cm/ 5'2 - smol and full of rage

14. Fave Subject in School?

Art, History, and English as a secondary language

15. Dream Job?

Creating things that make people happy and being able to live off of it ooooor anything that allows me to finance that kinda "maker of all kinds of things" lifestyle I'm dreaming of. Ideally, if I have to keep a dayjob, I'd like one that only takes place in the timespan of Monday to Thursday, or Tuesday to Friday, and doesn't start at 5.30 in the morning, but at 9 or 10. Or just generally the option of home office would be nice. I don't wanna be rich, but I'd like to have financial security for myself and my cat, enough time to do my silly little arts and crafts, and travel somewhere cool once a year or so.

[scripted-downfall]

Mark Sheppard’s acting at the beginning of “The Devil in the Details” is great. Like I think a lot about how great Jensen’s acting is, but I was full on looking at this middle-aged man going that is a young child and I hope he is happy. But on the subject of acting, I think Jensen’s acting is good enough to have conveyed the energy they were going for without the creepy being bonded with/drawn too a child. I’m all for the creepiness, just not like that. But I just started that episode so I don’t have any thoughts on it yet. I mentioned thoughts on Len and I don’t have much to say in that vein because I’m out of the flow so the thoughts might not connect to that ask. But my other thoughts on Len are absolutely biased, because I love him. Before he was soulless the man was obsessed with the (acquitted) axe murderer Lizzie Borden. He lead a chat room, trespassed, collected so much memorabilia, and violated his restraining order. Then when his soul was taken he just decided to keep on keeping on. I think he is curious at his core and that is horrifying. This man was worked up into a ranting panic (I know he can’t “feel” that was his thing, but he would not shut up about not knowing so panic isn’t the word but still) until Dean told him and he calmed down and said “It feels good to finally know.” And then the man rips his own thumb off just to see if he could (I think that was the reason he gave and it is how he got out of the cuffs.) But then when he’s offering to take the wrap for everything. He makes it very clear that he knows it’s the right thing and that is why he is doing it. No outside forces are going to pressure Len, he’s made it clear throughout the episode that he doesn’t care anymore as such there is no shame or guilt. BUT THEN Crowley’s bitch ass (I love him but still) kills Len and my dream of ever seeing the boys have a case where they have to see how he’s adapted to soulless prison life.

Hello again! And yessss! I love Mark Sheppard so much, it's not even funny. I first saw him as Badger in the Firefly --- well, technically, in the X-Files episode "Fire," but I hadn't stored his name/face yet --- and have loved him ever since. He's also in Doctor Who btw, and I love him so much there, too... Honestly, he's just amazing! (He's how I got my sister to watch SPN, because I told her Badger was in it!) And that episode was, I definitely agree, a really good showcase of it!

Also, I do see what you're saying about the Amara arc, and I agree... I don't know why they chose that manner --- e.g. the young-girl scene --- of showing the creepiness. The entire plot of her growing up felt a bit unnecessary, to my mind, so it must have been a conscious thought, but I'm not sure why they chose it, if so. (I should have specified this in the answer to your last ask; my apologies for not addressing it then!) And I agree that Jensen and adult!Amara (Emily? I think?) could have pulled off the creepy side of their scenes well even without that backdrop; I mean, cut out that one scene, and little about the undertones of their interaction would change, if that makes sense.

And yeah, I completely understand what you're saying about Len! Like I've mentioned, it's been a bit since I saw that episode, but I remember really liking him when I did; I really appreciate that level of... I don't know if "obsession" is the right word, since that usually has a negative connotation, but... fixation? Passion? Etc. His curiosity is really endearing, and I just... I dunno, I loved his character. Your rewatch keeps reminding me of episodes/characters I liked, and I'm struggling to to say, welp, guess I'm gonna watch it all again :)

Thank you again for the ask; all the best, and until next time!

[fiona-fififi]

Hi love your fandom asks

2 5 8 23

Have a lovely day 💜

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

I can't think of a headcanon for this one, so I'm going to go with speculation instead.

I really wasn't into the alternate universe/coma dream theory that's been floating around at first, simply because they just did that with Buck, but I am becoming more fond of the idea. Especially if we're looking at an injured!Eddie situation that could result in Christopher coming home. Which, realistically, I know they might drag out, but I'm still gonna hope.

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

Answered here

But I'm also going to add that I'm a sucker for domestic Buckley-Diaz family fluff, especially in a good pre-relationship and/or getting together fic.

8. you hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

Season 6, I think. I mean, I get that there were issues with it, and I do agree with that, but people talk about it with so much disdain now, but back when it was airing, I remember a lot of enjoyment and positivity, but it's like everyone just blocked out the good parts, and I find that a little sad. There were many highlights in s6, and I wish they got a little more recognition.

23. the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual

Honestly, I don't really have one. Everyone on my dash is pretty much 911. I've been seeing Interview with the Vampire a bit, but as good as the show looks, I read the books when I was younger, and Lestat as a character just is not my cup of tea, so I haven't really had all that much interest in that one.

I really am a one fandom kind of gal. Have been seeing more X-Files pop up, and I'm thinking about doing a rewatch. Definitely familiar with that one, though, so not exactly curiosity. Mostly nostalgia. 😆

✨ love your fandom asks ✨ 

[tomwambsmilk]

HEY sorry i just saw your reblog about the thing/the x files and YES that episode is based on the same source as the thing and i think had some of the same vfx people involved? but it is also my favourite episode and am just glad to see some love for it on the dash :0

but yes: how do you think that would play out if it were the roys?

hope you are well!

Ohhh I did NOT know that about 'Ice'!!! That makes a lot of sense; I've never seen 'The Thing' but whenever anyone talks about it I just go 'sounds a lot like 'Ice'...' I did an X-Files rewatch last year (I was really into it high school but hadn't watched it since) and I'd actually forgotten how that episode ended, so I got to experience all the suspense all over again which was super fun!!

If the Roys were in 'Ice', well - let's assume they're all there to investigate, so they know something must be hinky going in but they don't know what. I don't think Logan could ever be persuaded to go, so it's just Kendall, Roman, Shiv, Connor, Tom, and Greg. They show up and see the bodies, which I think unsettles everybody, but nobody except Greg is willing to show it. ("Hey, uh... I think it's a little concerning, actually that they all killed each other? Like, I don't think was just normal cabin fever or whatever? Maybe we should just go." "Oh, what, Greg, you scared of some dead bodies? Think they're gonna rise up and get you like zombies?" Tom is the one responding, and he is also deeply unsettled but is making fun of Greg to draw attention away from that. He starts sneaking up behind Greg to startle him because he thinks it's funny.)

While everyone else is examining the bodies in the main room, Roman starts wandering around, which is how he ends up getting attacked by the dog. He yells and everyone comes running; Kendall manages to get the dog off him but gets bitten in the process, and Shiv (who was the only person with the wherewithal to grab something which might be useful as a weapon) sedates him (the dog, not Kendall). Tom - who I fully believe owned dogs growing up and knows more about them than any of the Roys - is the one to point out the weird nodules on the dog. They all lean in to get a better look, and spot something moving under the dog's skin - but it disappears before they can do anything about it.

They piece together that the dog might have been infected with something, which is when Greg, who's now got zombies on the brain, goes: "Um... I hate to say it, but... if the dog was infected with something, then Kendall might have it too right? Like, you know how zombies get infected?"

Dead silence from everyone.

Ken: "Woah- hey- that's fucking crazy, right? Like, I feel fine. I'm good."

Shiv: "No, he's actually got a point, Ken, we don't what's going on here-"

Roman: "Oh, hey, come on, you don't think he's a zombie, do you? Like fuck off, he looks fine, he's not a fucking zombie, he's not gonna eat us or anything-"

Shiv: "No, we don't know that Rome, we don't know what killed those guys in there-"

Tom: "Well, actually it does look like they killed each other. I think that's pretty clear."

Greg: "Yeah, what if Ken, like, goes psycho or something? I think we should, um, what's it called, quarantine? I think we should quarantine him."

Ken: "Oh, fuck off. I'm not about to go fucking Patrick Bateman on you."

Everyone looks at Connor, the one person who hasn't spoken yet, who is in fact very fixated on the dog and hasn't been paying attention. When he realizes everyone is looking at him he suggests they take a vote; Shiv, Tom, and Greg all vote to quarantine Ken, and since Connor refuses to vote they win out. They lock him in one of the storerooms, which is one of the only rooms with a lock.

Roman gets increasingly antsy, and starts suggesting that maybe it isn't so complicated - maybe the dead research team did just go cabin crazy and kill each other, that happens, right? - and they should just leave and take the bodies back with them. Greg, who has secretly wanted to leave since the first second they showed up, seconds that. Plus, then they can get Ken to a hospital and make sure he's not a zombie or anything, right? But the others want to stay - Connor is deep in the ice records (to be honest he's not even investigating the deaths anymore, he just thinks the records are neat and wants to spend more time reading them); Shiv wants to keep looking into the bodies (I'm giving her a medical background bc someone needs to have one in this story and she's the only one who could maybe possibly in some universe finish med school); Tom seconds whatever it is Shiv wants to do. They decide to stay for one more night, and everyone takes one of the crew quarters.

In the middle of the night, Tom (who has not slept an absolute wink because he's deeply concerned that Greg might actually be right about the zombie scenario) gets up and goes to the station kitchen to get a drink - which is when he sees the blood dripping from the freezer door. He opens it and - there's Connor, the first victim.

He drops the glass he's holding, and the sound brings Shiv, Greg, and Roman running, and find him standing over Connor’s body. Roman goes “Holy shit,” and then he’s pointing a gun at Tom. Shiv yells: “Where the fuck did you get that from?!”; Roman admits to grabbing it out of the gun safe that the station has, which the researchers presumably took out with them in case they ran into an aggressive polar bear.

Tom has his hands up - “Roman, what the fuck, I just found him like this - “

Roman: “Uh-huh, sure. Ken is still locked in the closet so who else was it supposed to be?”

Tom: “I don’t know! I don’t, but it wasn’t me!”

Greg: “C’mon, Roman, you don’t think - C’mon, man -“

Roman: “Well, if it wasn’t Tom then who the fuck was it? Shiv?”

Shiv has been very quiet up until this point. She looks at Tom hesitantly. “I mean.. you are standing over him, Tom.”

“Oh, come on. Shiv -“

“What are we supposed to think, Tom?”

“I don’t know, but for fuck’s sake, it wasn’t me!” He turns to Greg. “Greg -“

Greg bites his lip. “You were really close to the dog, man.”

“We were ALL close to the dog, for fuck’s sake! Come on!”

He glances around at all of them, desperately, but to no avail. They lock him in an unused freezer (that isn’t currently turned on). Shiv goes to radio for a helicopter to get them out of there, but a freak snowstorm means no signal is getting through.

That’s when Roman goes, “Hey, we should check on Ken, right? We haven’t checked on him since yesterday.” The three of them move cautiously towards the storeroom; Roman grabs the gun from earlier, just in case. They open the door -

Kendall is dead.

“Oh, shit,” Roman breathes.

He looks pale and sallow. They don’t go close to him, too worried about catching whatever killed him.

“Oh, fuck,” says Greg, once they get back out to the main room, “So- if Tom- if he also has this thing…”

He trails off, and no one else answers. They’re stuck here until the storm dies down and someone can come get them.

Shiv goes back to the bodies. Maybe she missed something important. Greg goes to hang out by the crated dog. Roman starts pacing anxiously.

Then suddenly they hear Greg go “Woah.” He’s pointing at the dog. “I just - I just saw something move again. Under the skin.”

They decide to open the crate, and pin the dog down so Shiv can try to cut out whatever is moving. She pulls out a small worm-like thing, and goes, “Oh.” It turns out that she spotted something like that in some of the researcher’s bodies - two which were alive, and several which weren’t. She drops it in the jar with one of the other living worm, only for the two worms to immediate attack each other, fighting to the death.

“Oh, shit.” Roman says. “Wait - does that mean we could-“ He waves his hands. “Like… if we dropped that thing in Wambsgans, would it-“

“Well, I mean…. Only- only if he already had a worm, right?” Greg looks uneasy.

“Yeah, but if he killed Con then he definitely has a fucking worm.”

“Right.”

They all stand there uneasily.

Greg: “… It’s just that, if he doesn’t have a worm. You know.”

Shiv: “Yeah…. And we only have the one. If we’re wrong.”

Roman: “… it’s gotta be him though, right? None of us killed Con.”

Greg: “… I mean, what if one us killed him and just… doesn’t remember?”

Roman: “Oh fuck off, I think I’d remember killing my fucking brother.”

They move towards the freezer. Shiv’s got the worm in a pair of tweezers. Roman grabs the gun and tucks it in his waistband. Greg hovers, until Roman shoved him in front of him and Shiv, annoyed.

When Greg opens the freezer door, Tom is sitting against the back wall, looking irritable, but alive.

“Heyyy, Tom,” he says.

“What, Greg? Are you here to accuse me of murder again?”

“Uh… no. Nope. Nothing like that, exactly.” Tom cranes his neck to look behind Greg; his eyes go wide when he sees Shiv and he scrambles to his feet. “What the fuck is that?”

“Tom, don’t panic,” Greg says, moving towards him, which makes Tom panic more.

“What the fuck? What the fuck is going on, Gregory?”

“Look, Tom, we’re just gonna - this is gonna fix you, okay?”

“What????”

Roman pulls the gun. “Just - calm the fuck down, okay? And hold still.”

“Calm down?? You’re telling me to calm down while you’re training a fucking gun on me? Fuck this.” He’s been edging around the room as he speaks, and on the last line he grabs Greg to use as a human shield, and lunges for the door; Roman fires blindly, hitting Greg. Shiv drops the worm.

“Roman!” Shiv yells at the same time that Roman goes “oh fuck,” Tom’s still holding Greg, but he backs them both into a corner. Shiv drops to her knees but she can’t see where the worm went.

“Shit, shit, fuck.”

“No- did you drop? What-“ Roman looks alarmed.

Greg coughs a little; Tom goes to lay him down but Shiv goes “not here!” Together, the three of them drag Greg out into the main room, and Shiv shuts the freezer door.

“Shit. Greg? Buddy? Stay with me here,” Tom says, scrambling to look for bandages. He and Shiv managed to slow the bleeding, but it’s not a great situation.

“We need to radio-“ Shiv cuts him off.

“There’s a storm, we can’t get through until the storm’s done.”

There’s an uneasy tension in the room. Tom leans against the wall, Greg’s head in his lap, absentmindedly carding his hand through Greg’s hair. Greg’s breathing his laboured, and every so often he whimpers a little bit. Shiv had tracked down some painkillers, but nothing stronger than Tylenol. Roman is sitting on a stool, the gun still in his lap, trained on Tom, eyeing him suspiciously. Shiv is pacing, checking the weather outside, every so often checking the radio, biting her nails.

After a while, Tom looks at Roman and frowns. He doesn’t look good. He looks pale and sweaty.

“… Roman?”

Shiv turns to look at Roman and then gasps. Roman jumps up from where he’s sitting, spinning to train the gun on Shiv, and then back to Tom.

“Stay back, I’m fine, I don’t have-“

“Roman you look like shit-“

“I don’t, I don’t have a fucking worm, alright, I didn’t kill Con, I didn’t-“

Tom tries to subtly ease Greg’s head out of his lap, then slowly stands up, trying to look unthreatening.

“I think you should give me the gun, Roman”.

“Fuck, no.”

“Give him the gun.”

Roman is backing towards the research station’s door. “Fuck no, fuck off, both of you-“

Tom lunges for him; Roman fires again but misses. Tom hears the bullet ricochet off the wall. He’s got a lot of height and mass on Roman, so once he’s got him pinned down it’s easy to hold him. That’s when he sees something rippling under the skin on the back of Roman’s neck.

“Shiv,” he yells, but he doesn’t get a response; he reaches for the nearby table, blindly feels around for something sharp, and grabs a scalpel. He manages to slice in where the worm is and pull it out. When he does, Roman stops moving.

He checks the pulse. Roman is dead.

He stumbles to his feet, looking for something to keep the worm in; he tosses it in one of the jars.

Then he glances around. “Shiv?”

He spots her on the floor. She’s lying there unmoving, what looks like a bullet hole in her throat.

“Oh, shit, Shiv-“ Tom rushes over to her. There is no pulse; it must have hit her spine, killing her instantly.

He stays there for a minute, stroking her hair. Then he closes her eyes - which were wide open, staring into nothing - and stands up.

It’s just him and Greg, now. He goes back to where Greg is lying.

“Hey, bud.”

He sits back down, easing Greg’s head back into his lap. He feels tired. Excessively tired. And maybe a little feverish. He runs a hand across his forehead, and it comes away damp.

Greg looks up at him. “Tom?” His voice is incredibly strained. “You good, Tom?”

“Yeah,” he says. He blinks. There was a dark spot in his vision for a second. “Don’t worry,” he says, lightly patting Greg’s chest. “I’m fine.”

The wind howls outside. There’s still static coming over the radio.

“I’m fine,” he says again, and this time his words sound a little bit slurred.