#leiascully fic

[leiascully]

post all things love confession?

Please enjoy way too many words of my 800th fic to be posted to AO3 based on a weird timeline where "all things" is the first and only time they've slept together (okay it's not that weird but it's weird for me since I believe in the Season of Secret Sex).

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Scully said abruptly.

Mulder leaned back in his chair. “That could cover a multitude of sins.”

She gave him a brief smile. “I suppose what I mean to say is I’ve been thinking about what I said.”

“I’m all ears.” He laced his hands behind his head. “Talk to me, Scully.”

“The choices we’ve made,” she said, and then fell silent. He waited for a moment, but he’d seen that look before. She was lost in the labyrinth of her thoughts. He understood. It was a strange conversation to have under the fluorescent lights of their basement office. They saved most of their emotional communications for the shadows, as if the words they said at midnight couldn’t survive after the sunshine.

“The ones that brought us here,” he prompted.

She seemed to come back to herself. “Yes. I just wanted you to know that I don’t regret my choices, Mulder.”

He discarded three or four witty remarks. There was something about her face that deterred him, some tension between her eyebrows or at the corner of her mouth. He couldn’t explain how or why he understood her; he knew her by heart.

Now she was the one waiting for his response. “That’s comforting to hear,” he said at last. “We’ve been through the wringer, so to speak.”

“I mean, there are small choices I regret,” she said, a spark of humor in her eye. “Getting tuna salad instead of a French dip yesterday. Not buying stock in IBM. But the big things, the choices that brought me to you, the choices that brought us here… I don’t regret those.”

“I’d choose you every time,” he said carefully.

“I know,” she said. She blew out a breath. “God, it seems so silly.”

“What does?”

She gestured vaguely between them. “I choose you. You choose me. It seems, I don’t know, shallow in some way? To put words to it.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.” He shifted in his chair, tipping forward.

She sighed. “Maybe I don’t either.”

He was quiet for a long minute. “It is good to know you don’t regret your choices. I wasn’t sure, the other night. When I, uh, woke up alone.”

“It wasn’t about that, Mulder,” she said, looking away.

“It felt a little regretful,” he pushed.

When she looked back, the blue of her eyes was the ocean and he was drowning. “I wanted so badly to wake up in your arms, Mulder. I was afraid I wanted it more than anything else in my life. It’s all I’ve thought about the last few days. What it was like. What happens next.”

“Oh,” he said. He had the sense that the rest of the world had fallen away. There was only him and Scully, only this room.

“Every time Skinner asks me a question, I’m terrified about what I might say accidentally,” she admitted in a wry voice. “I’m sure he suspects, but I find myself so possessive of our privacy.”

“For all that we’re usually alone, it does seem like we’re lacking in privacy,” he agreed. “Skinner may not be the main offender, but he has been known to hang around the water cooler, if you know what I mean.”

“I’d prefer that Skinner not join us in the bedroom.” She smirked at him a little.

“I wasn’t aware that was an option.” He looked at her, relishing the glint in her eyes. “Scully, I’m glad to hear you don’t wish it hadn’t happened, but I’m not entirely sure what we’re talking about.”

She sighed. “Mulder, I’ve put my life on the line for you and you’ve done the same for me, more times than I can count.”

He nodded slowly. “Our lives. Our jobs. Our reputations. I’d do it again.”

“We’ve been to the ends of the earth together. We’ve seen things that no one else has even dreamed of. We’ve proved our devotion to each other, over and over.”

“I like to think we have.” His body was tingling. Some sort of nervous system overload, she would tell him. Or maybe a heart attack. But there was no interrupting Scully when she got into a groove like this. It took her a while to build up the momentum and he didn’t want to derail her.

“After all that we’ve been through, it feels almost like an afterthought.”

“What does?”

She almost flinched and then seemed to steel herself. “Saying ‘I love you’.”

Everything stopped, including his heart. “Ah,” he said.

She hunched into herself. Scully got small when she was sad. It stung him. “I did expect a slightly different reaction.”

“It’s just that you’re right,” he said, leaning toward her over the desk. “Everything we’ve been through, you’d think it would be deeper than words. But still, hearing ‘I love you’… it shifts things between us.”

“The same thing they put on the chocolate box,” she said softly.

“How about that,” he said in the same quiet voice. They sat gazing at each other. He would have sworn the stale air of the basement smelled like spring, a breath of damp earth and flowers and beginnings. “But you know you didn’t actually say it.”

She ducked her head and grinned. “Of course you’d notice.”

“I’m a GS-12, Scully. They don’t hand that out for nothing.” He waited.

“I think it counts,” she objected.

“If me saying it after the Queen Mary doesn’t count, that doesn’t count,” he said.

“You were concussed!” She frowned at him. “I thought it was the painkillers talking.”

“You knew it wasn’t,” he said indulgently.

“I hoped it wasn’t,” she corrected. “That isn’t the same thing.”

“You make me a whole person,” he said. “My constant. My touchstone.”

“Panic,” she said. “And head trauma again.”

He shook his head. “I meant it.”

“Say it again,” she said.

“I love you,” he said without hesitation. “What did they say in that awful movie? ‘No ifs, ands, or bees’.”

She narrowed her eyes. Her mouth was tight, but it twitched up at the corners. “You didn’t happen to hit your head this morning, did you?”

“Next time stay over and you can monitor my morning routines,” he said. “No, I didn’t. But you’re free to run your hands through my hair to check for goose eggs. Your preferred method of diagnosis, I believe.”

She ducked her head, chuckling a little. “I love you,” she said.

He smiled at her. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“I love you,” she said again, with wonder in her voice. “I love you.” This time, she got choked up at the end, a light in her eyes brighter than he’d ever seen.

“Hey,” he said gently, getting up from the desk and going to her. He knelt by her table and cradled her face in his hands. She cupped her hands over his. “Scully, hey.”

“I love you,” she said, and now there were tears in her eyes.

“It’s all right,” he said. “I love you too.”

She stifled a sob. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s a little overwhelming.”

“Me too,” he said, and eased up to kiss her forehead. “No wonder we kept it under wraps for so long.”

She sighed. He thumbed a tear off her cheek. “God, we’re so stupid.”

“We had our reasons.”

“Mulder, we tried to make a baby together,” she said in an almost plaintive voice. “Who did we think we were fooling?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t say our reasons were valid.”

“I thought it wouldn’t matter, to say those three words,” she said. “After everything we’ve been through. I mean, how many hours in the hospital, holding vigil at each other’s bedsides. How many dinners for two in diners and motel rooms. A hundred times that I said it without saying it.”

“A thousand times.”

“That’s why I left,” she said. Her lips trembled. “I wanted to say it so badly.”

“What were you afraid of?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “That after all this time, it wasn’t good enough, I suppose. Or that the tension between us lately meant it was the wrong choice. Or that it wasn’t what you wanted.”

“Scully, I’ve always wanted you,” he said in a low voice. “I stood on Skyland Mountain and felt my heart rip out of my chest. Nothing that happened between us could ever disappoint me. Especially not what happened the other night.”

She looked into his eyes and nodded. There it was again between them, the understanding that was more than words. He felt the strength of their connection filling him, sustaining him.

“I wouldn’t mind doing it again,” he hazarded. “Maybe even regularly. Indefinitely, if you could fit it into your schedule.”

“I’ll pencil you in,” she said. She tugged at him and he rose, pulling her into his arms as he stood. She fit perfectly against him, the way she always had. He kissed the top of her head.

“Now what?” she said into his chest.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not really sure how this works. Haven’t had great role models. Maybe we make it up as we go along. We’ve made it this far.”

“Indefinitely,” she said, turning her face up to him. “That sounds a little bit like forever.”

“A lot of things sound like forever when you say them,” he told her.

“Don’t start quoting my senior thesis again,” she teased.

“That’s when I knew you had an affinity for extreme possibilities,” he said. “All I had to do was pull back the curtain.”

“That easy, huh?” She smiled at him and he grinned back. “Speaking of easy, can I buy you dinner?”

“Why, Agent Scully, I thought you’d never ask.” He released her and pulled her jacket off the coat rack, holding it while she shrugged into it. “What’s your pleasure?”

She looked up at him with a sly expression. “I thought we could order in. God knows the delivery guy knows the way to my apartment by now.”

“He definitely thinks we’re dating.” Mulder shrugged on his own jacket.

“Well,” Scully said. “He’s right, I suppose.”

He reached for her hand. “Yeah. We’re dating. Indefinitely.”

“Indefinitely,” she agreed, squeezing his hand, and it sounded like forever and ever.

[gargoyleandgremlinpress]

My final Fanfic Writers' Appreciation Day package has been delivered! Ten Prides in Portland by Leiascully and Simple Machines by coffeesuperhero continue the Leverage OT3 theme I've got going on this year. The fic aren't necessarily a series, but are thematically connected, and also the authors are married to each other. (It happens! My wife and I met writing Due South and Hard Core Logo fanfic lo these many years ago!)

There are some similar things I adore about both these fics. I love the sort of playing with structure in both of them, and watching the characters evolve, and also, seeing the queer community in all of its heartfelt messy occasionally infuriating glory. I also adore the thoughtful Eliot character exploration.

First off, Ten Prides in Portland! What it says on the tin. Ten years post-series at a certain brewpub in Portland, as Elliott finds queer community and figures himself out. This book is the reason I now have rainbow ribbon for bookmarks. As you can see, I went so very literal with this one. Homemade book cloth, acrylic paint, and cardstock endpapers printed with a map of Portland.

I had way too much fun with the layout on this one! It was an easy theme to lean into.

Eliot navigates a relationship with two people he loves, runs a restaurant, and figures himself out. I love the character dynamics, the cast of queer characters, and the way the second fic in the series is structured around brewpub menu items. The titles are from the iconic Mary Oliver poem Wild Geese, which is where the bird theme comes from. I used a really lovely fancy liquid mirror silver paint for the geese on the cover, which is gorgeous in person but hard to photograph.

More geese! Some menu formatting! Also, a food-themed illustration at the beginning of each chapter to match the menu item. (Thank you, stock images on The Noun Project.) This was another fun one to play with.

Not pictured here for either book: the insurmountable printer issue I was having where any page with an illustration turned out extra-dark, and the flip side was correspondingly lighter. BUT. I'm still pretty pleased with how they both turned out, happy to have both of these on my shelf, and even happier to send them off in a set together to the authors' hands.

Happy slightly belated FFWAD, Leiascully and Coffeesuperhero!

[cecilysass]

Happy Heart (-Shaped Hail) Day! Fic Recs for Rain King for Valentine's Day (or Any Time)

It's funny how in the fandom circles I tend to spend time in now, Rain King seems to be a pretty beloved episode: super shippy, romantic comedy, multiple fanfic tropes made canon.

When it aired, the online fandom's opinion of this episode was pretty mixed. There was a large contingent of fans who really hated it. (I remember this because I am 4,000 years old.) Season 6 had already been perceived as being too light in tone, and we'd already come off of a run of Triangle, Dreamland I and II, and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas. There was a lot of anxiety about the move to LA killing the show's dark and angsty feel.

Me, I always liked Rain King (and Triangle, and Dreamland I and II, and How the Ghosts Stole Christmas). And while I can identify the tone change in season 6, I don't hate it, nor do I think that the show really loses its darkness and angstiness (a lot comes back in the second half of the season). I'm also not someone who believes comedy is a de facto more stupid or less substantial genre than drama or suspense, so I think that's part of it.

Rain King has generated so, so much fanfic, and most specifically fanfic that zeroes in on this little fun fact: THEY CANONICALLY SHARE A MOTEL ROOM BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE ROOM. Obviously many of the fics I'm recommending below are based on that premise. So here are my Valentine's Day recs based on Rain King. (Even though I think it's not actually set at Valentine's? Because the cold open happens months earlier? There's some kind of timeline hijinks, idk.) But anyway, it's the clearest Valentine's episode we have, so happy Valentine's Day.

Free Merlot at the Cool View Motor Court by Sarie_Fairy @sarie-fairy Scully tries a little experiment with Mulder after the reunion that gets rapidly out of hand. This is smutty fun—the kind of high end sexy times this author is really known for. Dating Kings and Queens - Baroness_Blixen @baronessblixen A pure romantic comedy style plot variation on the ending of Rain King. The agents discuss the last time they've been on a date. Turns out it HASN’T been so long for Scully. This is just so charming. 

Kroner by DM When Mulder finds out about the “flicked switch speech,” he deals with it in a flirty, somewhat less sentimental way that feels very in character to me. I like a fic with dialogue that feels like it goes a little unexpected.

No Big Deal by dreamingofscully @dreamingofscully Scully offers to help Mulder sleep in the hotel. This is UST, but deliiiiiiightfully so, and heavy on the complex feelings.

Can’t Fight This Feeling by mldrgrl  @mldrgrl A sweet and more subtle little feelings reveal after Rain King by an author who does this exact thing well. Also there is slow dancing to 80s music.

Time Enough At Last - baylorrific Absolute textbook classic one room trope, but it stands out for me because I like how it focuses on their mutual discomfort. They’re both so awkward here, even though it’s Mulder POV. I also like how the classic Twilight Zone episode Time Enough At Last is in conversation with what’s happening with the MSR.

There’s No Place Like Kroner - MonikaFileFan @monikafilefan You know what would make a “there’s only one room” Rain King fic extra fun? DIANA. Okay, okay, I admit I wrote this prompt for the exchange, lol, so of course I think it sounds fun. But Monika wrote the actual fic, and you don’t want to miss it.

Pillow Talk - Alelou This is a short piece about a chatty Mulder very carefully putting out feelers in the motel room after the reunion. Sweet and in character.

Land That I Heard Of Once in A Lullabye - leiascully @leiascully In Kroner’s tiny airport, Scully takes stock of where they’ve come from and where they’re going. I love this. It feels especially spot on character-wise for season 6.

All that Lights Upon Us - wonderland @amplifyme This is a very different kind of Rain King fic, part of a series, although it can be read alone. During the events of Rain King they share a first kiss, but this fic is about their conversations afterwards (Mulder and Scully, as well as Mulder and Maggie). Gentle affection, and the process of taking little steps towards one another.

On the Flicking of Switches - SisterSpooky1013 @sisterspooky1013 Mulder initiates an awkward conversation in the motel room after the reunion. SisterSpooky1013 always has her characterization shit together, but I think this is an especially compelling character sketch of season 6 Scully.

Break in the Weather - ATTHS_TWICE @atths--twice Mulder and Scully can’t fly out another night in Kroner, so they kill time by going to a drive-in movie. Honestly, this is just adorable.

Still Raining - Donna When Sheila sends them both a letter a few months later, she alludes to what Scully told her in the bathroom. This raises questions for Mulder.

Stop Me - Gina Rain A little seduction by Mulder in the Kroner motel room. It starts with her feet, if that’s your thing. But it’s not exclusively about feet, if that isn’t lol.

They're SOOOOO MANY great Rain King fics, so drop any I missed in the comments! And if you want to read my Valentine's Day recs last year based on Milagro, they're here.

[numinousmysteries]

All the Fic I Read in February

I spent pretty much all my fic reading time on the @poangpals Secret Admirers stories this month and it was so worth it.

Old Favorites (Rereads)

The Unfinished Universe by Revely 

sonnet 27 by @audriesfic

Parteger series by @phillippadgettwrites

New-To-Me Favorites

Drive, He Said by Jennifer Stoy

And If I Make My Bed in Sheol by @threeguesss

New This Month

Conversations by @sagan-starstuff [A gift for me!]

Sacred New Beginnings by @daynascullys

And Miss All This? by @cuminspice

This Was Not in the Forecast by @scullygazer

Remember, You Will Die by @spooky-jordan

there is only you by @jrrtrek

if the truth forgets about us by @leiascully

Cross My Heart by @brenayla

My Funny Valentine by @libbytxf

Who’s On Top by @unremarkablehouse

moon shadows by @brenayla

I Will Possess Your Heart by @kitsuraki

rain check? by @thatfragilecapricorn30

Method Acting by @xf-cases-solved

lucky stars by @thursdayinspace

To Infinity and Beyond by @leiascully

Silver Fox by @bakedbakermom

From Cali's List (hi @calimanc!) 

A Minor Inconvenience by @spooky-nerd

Lost Together by Marjorie Williams

Book Club Picks

Lacuna by @aloysiavirgata

Silver Cornet by bonetree

Everything Else (All Bangers!)

In the Ruins by @amplifyme

How Glory Goes by Marguerite

Always Through the Changing by Marguerite

for the weary by @threeguesss

Shopping List by @threeguesses

Silver Bells And Cockle Shells by @threeguesses

Gardening in Tropical Climates by @threeguesses

Five Things That Never Happened to Dana Scully by @threeguesses

Time Pieces by Revely

[enigmaticxbee]

Tropes & More - Fic Recs

All the tropey-goodness!

Body-Swap:

Underneath Your Skin by crescentmoon222 - Dreamland AU, NSFW

What if Feels Like for a Girl by @mldrgrl - Dreamland AU, NSFW

Dreamland III by @admiralty-xfd - Dreamland sequel

Flea Market Economy by Punk

I’ll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours by Tv_Saved_The_Teenage_Girl

Masters of Time by @sisterspooky1013 - time travel to 1960s Masters of Sex, NSFW

Times Colliding by onlytheinevitable- time travel 1998/2018 body swap, NSFW, WIP

Cubed by Louise Marin - Scully wakes up as an alternate version of herself, NSFW.

Parallel by @sisterspooky1013 - Scully wakes up as an alternate version of herself, NSFW.

Fake-Dating:

Never by Allison Kinney - Undercover, NSFW

Diversion by @sisterspooky1013 - Stakeout, NSFW

Just Another Dinner Party by @somekindofseizure - Undercover at a swingers party during Arcadia

Amish Country by Lolabeegood - Undercover with the Amish, NSFW

We’re Married Now by @skinfull - Undercover in a cult, NSFW

Hallowed by onlytheinevitable - Undercover in a cult, NSFW

More Than a Feeling by @sisterspooky1013 - Undercover at a carnival, NSFW

Undercover Swing by 2momsmakearight - Undercover at a sex party, NSFW

It’s Just Pretend by @storybycorey - Undercover in a motel, fake sex turning into real sex, NSFW

The Marriage Spectacular by @cecilysass - Lost FBI agents. Stormy weather. A marriage retreat in a mountainside inn with one room available.

The Newlywed Game by onlytheinevitable - While going out for dinner, Scully runs into an ex and Mulder valliantly pretends to be her husband. However, that little lie traps them into having to play the Newlywed Game in front of a bunch of strangers and they have to navigate admitting feelings they haven't even admitted to themselves.

Baseball Metaphors by @leiascully - Scully runs into an ex and they pretend to be dating, NSFW

Just Go With It by @skinfull - Mulder runs into old high school classmates and they pretend to be married, NSFW

The Annapolis Grant by @slippinmickeys - AU, Scully pays Mulder to play the role of her boyfriend, NSFW

Wedding/FBI Ball Date:

Plus One by @alienqueequeg - Mulder convinces Scully to let him be her plus one at an old friend's wedding, NSFW

Hardball by Missy Pennington - Scully gets a sexy red dress to wear to the FBI ball when she finds out Phoebe Green will be attending

Five Ballrooms by @admiralty-xfd - Five Christmas parties. Five separate POVs.

The Twelve Tropes of Christmas by @mangokiwitropicalswirl - Christmas ball and all the tropes

Holidays:

far away and to the west by @audries - Thanksgiving with the Gunmen

at the close of the day by @audries - Thanksgiving on the road

Fairies, Skip Hence by @slippinmickeys - Christmas at the Scullys, NSFW

Shades of Winter by @piecesofscully - Christmas at the Scullys, NSFW

Marshmallow World by @agoodwoman - Christmas 1998, set Season 6, our beloved agents are working under AD Kersh. Mulder and Scully get into the holiday spirit. NSFW

Regular People by @chimerical1975 - Thwarted Christmas plans, impulsive decisions, and unexpected visitors make two extraordinary FBI agents into regular people. NSFW

Chicken Dinner by @cecilysass - Dinner at Mrs. Scully’s. Mulder overhears Maggie speaking to her friends about her daughter’s relationship with her partner. What he hears floors him.

Gingersnap by @cecilysass - Holiday baking, NSFW

if the fates allow by @all-these-ghosts - Christmas with Mulder and Scully, 1993-2016

Birthdays by @syntax6 - seasons 1 through 7

One Bed (see Faking Dating above too):

Let’s Play a Game by @danasculllie - Motel room Truth or Dare, NSFW

Truth or Dare by Adrienne - Mulder and Scully have a wicked game of Truth or Dare while sharing that hotel room in Rain King. NSFW

Twenty-Questions and a Winter Storm by @danascully77 - NSFW

Designated Mulder by onlytheinevitable - Mulder had always wanted to see what Scully would be like drunk, but he didn't anticipate it would finally happen on the one night they had to share a bed. NSFW

Sexy Snowed-In by @peacenik0 - Mulder and Scully are snowed-in together, will they find a way to escape their boredom? NSFW

Hot and Sticky by Megan Reilly - One hotel room, two FBI Agents...and it's a hell of a hot night besides. NSFW

One room. One bed. by spooky66 - NSFW

Free Merlot at the Cool View Motor Court by @sarie-fairy - post The Rain King, NSFW

Turn that damned thing off by @sunflowerseedsandscience - The Rain King missing scene.

Time Enough At Last by bayloriffic - The Rain King missing scene.

Conversation in the Dark by Cass - The Rain King missing scene.

Stop Me by Gina Rain - post The Rain King, NSFW

Unbidden by @phillippadgettwrites - NSFW

Bunkmates by @leiascully - There's only one hotel room, and it's got a special surprise.

Expense Report by 13th_blackbird - The Bureau conducts an audit, and Scully considers the costs.

Scully/Other:

Universal Invariants by @syntax6 - set over the course of a canon-parallel version of season 1 and early season 2 where Scully’s boyfriend Ethan who was cut from the pilot sticks around. NSFW

Early On by @sunflowerseedsandscience - Mulder and Scully are drawn to each other from the start but Scully is still with Ethan. NSFW

Homicidal Tendencies by Swikstr - Casefile crossover that pairs Scully with the detective from Homicide: Life on the Street. NSFW

You He Did Not Fail by extraordinarily_ordinary - After Scully leaves the X-Files for a position in LA a case brings them back together. Starts Scully/Other but ultimately MSR. NSFW

Original Sin by @syntax6 - post FTF Scully moves to Utah. Scully/Other but great MSR. NSFW

Arizona Highways by Fialka - Visions of Melissa lead Our Heroes on a case confirming the existence of a series of Emilys. But does Melissa really have a message, or is it all in Scully’s head? Scully/Other but ultimately MSR. NSFW

No Regrets by MystPhile - During Arcadia Scully reconnects with Detective John Kresge. Ultimately MSR but not until the very end. NSFW

Promises to Keep by Prufrock’s Love - post Requiem Scully/Skinner, I really struggled with this one, but still an interesting read. NSFW

Heart’s Desire by @malibusunset - post Two Fathers/One Son Scully reconnects with an old boyfriend during a case. My favorite Scully/Other fic - ends in MSR, but it’s probably the only fic where I’ve thought that Mulder might be the wrong choice. NSFW

La Lacuna by @aloysiavirgata - Scully explores her feelings after Milagro while investigating a murder. Scully/Other but ultimately MSR. NSFW

Mulder/Other:

The Waters of Babylon by @aloysiavirgata - As they prepare to become Rob and Laura Petrie, Mulder thinks back on his life and the paths not taken.

Seventeen by @scapegrace74-blog - Explores how Mulder's sexual relationships shaped (and mis-shaped) him as a man. Each chapter represents a different partner. Mulder/Other, ultimately MSR, NSFW

Triptych by @iconicscullyoutfits - married to Diana AU, ultimately MSR

To Love Somebody by Tess and Jacquie LaVa - In the midst of attempting to have a normal romance, Mulder's escalating feelings for Scully, and her deteriorating health due to her advancing cancer, make it impossible for him to commit... Mulder/Other but ultimately MSR. NSFW

The Guts by @wtfmulder - How would Scully react if Mulder dropped an open condom wrapper in front of her? MSR but dealing with Diana.

Dr. Scully's School for Exceptional Boys by Prufrock’s Love - post series, Mulder/Other and MSR, NSFW

One for the Road by @phillippadgettwrites - post breakup, Mulder has a girlfriend but mostly MSR, NSFW

Pregnancy/Baby/Family:

The Family G-Man by Neoxphile and FelineFemme - A double tragedy strikes Mulder the week before Christmas of 2003. What if he could go back and change things, save the son one lost and give the other the family she wanted? Could it keep them safe? NSFW

Five Years and a Lifetime by @monikafilefan @slippinmickeys - One night stand AU. Five years later, Scully and Mulder work at the same pediatric hospital, and Scully's four year old daughter bears a striking resemblance to the picture of a dark haired girl that sits on Mulder's desk... NSFW

In the Best Interest of the Child by @mldrgrl - AU When tragedy strikes, Mulder is forced to take guardianship of his young niece, but the matter is complicated by the arrival of a sister-in-law he's never met.

The Way Things Are by Sukie Tawdry - One night and their whole lives were changed forever. Season 1 AU. NSFW

Right Hand Return by humphreywrites - Scully is returned from her abduction with a baby, no memories of anything prior to her captivity and some PTSD.

All That Is Dark and Bright by @malibusunset - Emily lives AU. NSFW

Five Years and One Night by Shalimar - Scully leaves the X-Files post-Emily but gets drawn back in when Mulder discovers Emily wasn’t the only child created. NSFW

Intimacy Deux by Mojo - The one in five billion happens. NSFW

40 Weeks by @malibusunset - What if the IVF attempt in Per Manum had been successful? NSFW

A Boy and His Fox by 6hoursgirl - What happens when two FBI agents have a platonic relationship based on trust and mutual respect...and an exchange of genetic material. NSFW

The 13th Sign and 7 Days in May by Prufrock’s Love - Post-Deadalive. Mulder saw no reason for life, death, sex, Armageddon, or emotional dysfunction to stand in the way of true love.

Hurricane Season by rah and beduini - Post-Existence week at the beach with the Scully family and baby Wim. NSFW

Terra Firma series by @malibusunset - Post-Existence domestic family drama, a classic comfort read for me. NSFW

Misc:

Partners With Benefits by onlytheinevitable - Friends with benefits, NSFW

Truncated by Lysandra31 - Scully and Mulder find themselves in a tight spot. Spooning ensues.

You Send Me by @spooky-nerd - Portals keep popping up around Mulder. It's rather inconvenient until he realizes it's possible the universe is trying to tell him something.

[pookie-mulder]

Feb. 2025 fic roundup

To my surprise, I read a ton this month!

❓🤰 By the Wind Grieved by Karen Rasch

This AU version of Mulder’s return is what we should have had in canon. Watching these two idiots fall back in love and navigate Mulder’s amnesia while trying to figure out what happened to him was absolutely delicious. The author absolutely nailed the characterizations, and M&S acted exactly like I feel like they would in the show!

🧚‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Tam Lin by Pequod

M&S uncover magic, mythology, and folklore as they travel to Scotland to solve the case of three missing boys.

This fic explores a fascinating question: Can Scully make herself believe if it’s the only thing that can save Mulder? Despite this, it’s relatively lighthearted. I loved the memorable OCs, the sickening (affectionate) UST, and the fact that our agents got the chance to ogle each other in formalwear.

🔮😵‍💫 Way Through the Woods by Pellinor & Rebecca Rusnak

Mulder has been missing for three months, and Scully must follow the clues to find out what happened to him.

I went into this fic expecting more of a survival story, but it’s much more of an angsty psychological thriller. The nonlinear plot and constant flashbacks were confusing at times, but I read this one while sick with a cold, so that could be the reason why I had a hard time with it. I loved it nonetheless and recommend it to anyone who wants to be taken on an existential ride.

⌚️💥 SN 1573 by prufrockslove

(Thanks to @fine-nephrit for reminding me I wanted to read this one lol)

Officially starting a conspiracy that PFL is secretly a wildly successful published author. There’s simply no way this kind of talent goes unrewarded by the universe. PFL, if you’re out there, just know I’m onto you 👀

Anyway, this post-colonization fic HURTS in the best way. What do you do when the world ends, but you’re still here? How do you go on? I love seeing characters pushed to the absolute brink. I love watching them bend until they break. I love watching them put themselves (and each other) back together in the face of abject despair. And BOY HOWDY does this fic deliver.

As always, the world-building and characterization are out of this world. Every detail is so meticulously written that I found myself believing this is exactly what would happen to humanity when there’s almost nobody left. And the flashbacks to Before — UGHHH the contrast between the happy, flirty, sappy beginning of their relationship to the absolute depression of After fills me with shrimp emotions.

💍💒 Proposal by @slippinmickeys

This little fic is one of my favorite MSR proposals ever!! I love an unconventional proposal, and this one definitely delivers. Mulder’s love for his little family gives me yet more shrimp emotions.

“I’m irredeemably in love with the both of you,” his voice cracks. “And I want to bind you to me in every way I possibly can.”

👆 that’s the good stuff right there!

🕯️👻 Beacon by @cecilysass

Lovelorn M&S are caught in a ghost’s curse and must admit their feelings before time runs out.

I love when our two favorite idiots are forced by outside influences to figure out their relationship (this one is along the lines of HTGSC, but with a Hanahaki disease-esque twist). It may take some meddling from a ghost or ghoul, but they get there in the end! This fic is perfect for warming your heart on a cold winter night.

🇺🇸👯‍♀️ An Alluring Indiscretion by beduini and M. Taylor Harrison

This intriguing casefic involves a senator, prostitutes, and doppelgängers. While it’s not the most polished fic I’ve ever read, it’s still very enjoyable, and there’s plenty of MSR to be had.

😷🔥 if the truth forgets about us by @leiascully

Angsty cancer arc smut my beloved!! Somehow, the angst makes the smut that much more intense. I’m in love!

🤕🫂 always in sickness, never in health by @mulderfrl

More cancer arc angst!!! Scully muses on her relationship with Mulder and how she wishes they had more time. It’s heartbreaking in the best way!

👿🛌 No More Demons by Penny Daza

During season 4, M&S decide to (platonically) sleep together — literally. Just for comfort.

I’m not gonna lie to you. This fic is messy as heck. You just have to let go of your adult brain and pretend you’re a 13-year-old again, reading fic on wattpad late into the night. Embrace the mess and just enjoy the ride.

💌💝 My Funny Valentine by @libbytxf

M&S celebrate Valentine’s Day throughout the years. I looove to see the evolution of their relationship from coworkers to friends to “it’s complicated” to lovers. Those USTy years are my favorite!

⛈️🤞 Lucky Stars by @thursdayinspace

Post-Syzygy, M&S want some space apart. Their plans are foiled, and they end up getting closer than ever.

This fic made me all warm and tingly! So precious!

😴🌲 The Dreaming Tree by @slippinmickeys

This fic has become one of my favorite casefics of all time! The premise had me hooked right from the start. It felt like an episode of the show, but better (and sexier).

I love the way it incorporates Native American history (in a much more tactful way than the show did). It’s respectful and informative while still being fantastical and entertaining. Genius!

🧚‍♂️🌳 The Unseelie Court by @slippinmickeys

Another banger of a casefic from slippinmickeys that deals with folklore and fairies. I love how sweeping and cinematic this one feels, especially the more magical scenes. It was so fun to put together the pieces and figure out what’s happening as I read!

❄️🚁 Falling Snow by Snark

Finally, a true wilderness survival fic I haven’t read already!

I would’ve liked some of the threads introduced the beginning to be woven together more. Certain things happen that have little to no impact on the overarching story. Still, once the big things start happening, I enjoyed this fic immensely! The OCs were surprisingly intriguing, and the tension had me reading late into the night.

🌳🦌 Old Growth Forest by Andrea

I very much enjoyed this time travel fic! It’s like a mixture between The Mastodon Diaries and a Wild West AU with plenty of survival elements.

However, I found myself wishing that it covered a longer period of time. There are certain things I was hoping to see, but the book ended before we got there. There were also some missed opportunities for added drama/characterization/internal conflict, but all in all, it was still a great read!

[piecesofkatecreates]

X-Files fic recs

I'm still a bit of a Tumblr newbie, but it's about time I posted some fic recs.

This is a small sample of recent favourites - there's SO much good stuff out there, by some hella talented writers ❤️

I know I've missed some - let's call it Part 1!

The Unseelie Court by @slippinmickeys

Epic case file, gripping and masterfully written. This one was like watching an episode live, back in 1990-something.

The Course of True Love by XFNessy

Another brilliant long-haul read with great character development (I'm in awe of how people plan and structure long fics like this!)

The Finer Things by @spookyshipperfics

This was such a fun (train) ride. The premise had me gripped and there were some really tense moments (I also like a bit of Diana angst!)

Just Friends by @spookyshipperfics

I had to add another by Spooky Shipper. A more light-hearted (and hilarious) piece about Skinner fretfully observing his agents at a party.

California Dreaming by @heresince93

Really nice, well-written AU piece. Scully, a pediatrician with a young daughter, literally collides with a handsome guy (who now?) on her morning jog.

Here's a Hand in Thine by @leiascully

Mulder invites Scully to the Lone Gunmen's New Year's Eve party. This was so entertaining and I loved the tension.

Gingersnap by @cecilysass

This is such an original, fun fic. Scully is in a cookie-baking frenzy and Mulder tries to help (and cause mischief). In the midst of a hilarious scenario they are both still so in character, and I love that.

Shut up, Mulder by David S

Thanks to @thatfragilecapricorn30 (via @unremarkablehouse) for posting about this one on Tumblr, or I never would have seen it.

A brilliant, and highly hilarious, stakeout romp as Scully gets impatient and Mulder struggles with car sex logistics.

The clouds are raining cacao and cocaine by @meriwetherwrites

I need to read more Krycek fics. This was equal parts funny and hot. Mulder and Krycek investigate a small town where the inhabitants have seemingly lost their inhibitions. Need I say more.

----------

If I've incorrectly deduced you're not on Tumblr - or I've tagged you incorrectly - please yell at me!

[graciehart]

LISTEN THROUGH SILENCE: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part Two: Scully

It feels close to you, somehow, to say your name out loud.

playlist / songs ↘

SIX by Sleeping at Last / Similar to with Mulder, I haven't really thought about what enneagram I think Scully might be, but the lyrics of this song are so her. Plus: "I want to believe—no, I choose to believe—that I was made to become a sanctuary." I constantly think about "I want to believe" in the context of Scully because that's very much Mulder's thing, but it takes on so much significance when you think about it relating to Scully (just like Mulder choosing not to believe things takes on special significance as well). Mulder wants to believe in so many things, but Scully wants to believe in Mulder—and she chooses to believe.

RENEGADE by Big Red Machine & Taylor Swift / Very very Scully to Mulder. I mean— "there was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway" and "you fire off missiles 'cause you hate yourself, but do you know you're demolishing me? And then you squeeze my hand as I'm about to leave" and "it's time, you've come a long way / open the blinds, let me see your face / you wouldn't be the first renegade to need somebody" and "is it insensitive for me to say / get your shit together / so I can love you." But "open the blinds, let me see your face" really gets me because Scully truly does see Mulder, she sees him better than anyone ever has.

BETWEEN THE LINES by Sara Bareilles / Oof, this one huuuurts. I chose the title of this playlist from this song ("listen through silence") because I feel like it goes pretty well with Mulder's playlist ("amidst the chaos," also from a Sara Bareilles song) and because it's so much of what Scully does while Mulder learns—she listens through silence and reads between the lines. ALSO: "I'm queen of attention to details, defending intentions if he fails." Scully is forever the first to defend Mulder no matter what he does, always from a place of love.

BREATHE by Lauv / There are so many songs that could be applied to both of them, but for some reason or another I choose it for one of their individual playlists (this being one of them). I think one of my favorite parts fits Mulder better—"I should leave 'cause you deserve better"—but overall this song made me think of Scully, especially during I Want to Believe. "You're my all and more, but I need room to breathe."

WATER WORSHIP PRAY by Grace Power / This song also makes me think of I Want to Believe, and I especially love this song for Scully because of all the religious imagery. "How can two people fall apart when they both want the same thing? How can my happiness be you, but I'm not happy at all?" OW. And also: "First peace I ever knew / Can't love you well enough to keep you or enough to let you go / I'd rather stay in purgatory with you than in heaven alone."

IF PATIENCE DOESN'T KILL ME by Alison Sudol / I'm very aware that this is a pretty specific sound that not everyone will love, but I love Alison Sudol and I feel like this song is perfect for Scully so I kept it anyway. I just feel like the lyrics fit her perfectly—"if patience is a virtue, I abound / ... / if patience doesn't kill me, I'm yours." And it's where the description comes from—"it feels close to you, somehow, to say your name out loud." It feels like they constantly are calling for each other both because they want them there and trust they will be there, but also because the simple act of calling for each other makes them feel less alone.

GIVE UP THE GHOST by Rosi Golan & Johnny McDaid / Another song I love (I would've titled this "Quiet the Noise" if I hadn't already used that as a playlist title) that takes on new meaning when you think about it in an MSR context. Ghosts take on a different significance when thinking about Mulder (also, @leiascully just KILLED me with her fic and "I don't love anything more than I love you, Scully. Not even ghosts." Literally what the fuck). Even the very beginning of this song—"come here, it's all worth the fight when it's you, dear." And "slow down, we're losing the meaning of words now / quiet the noise 'cause we made a mountain of minuscule things." And Scully really does quiet his noise.

THE BEACON by A Fine Frenzy / The lyrics in the gifset are from this song and if I could write out the entire song without it being ridiculous, I would. I swear this could truly be a song written by Scully about Mulder. I mean, just starting with the first verse: "You say your time has come / you're tired of waking up / don't be obscene, I can't conceive of living without you / You say you drag me down, no one should want you now / I start to cry, you kiss my eyes and say I'm not allowed to." And then, AND THEN the second verse: "you were a child forgot / lessons of love untaught / now no embrace can quite replace the one that never found you / I was raised tenderly / all that was taught to me / I will apply / Your parents tried, but they didn't know how to." Like. Okay. Sure. That's fine.

SATURN by Sleeping at Last / I know I'm not alone with this one because I've seen multiple videos of them set to this song, but I chose to put it on Scully's playlist because it really makes me think of Mulder's abduction arc/when he wakes up in "Deadalive." Just imagine her listening to this song sitting by his side, holding his hand, willing him to wake up. GAH.

YOU MATTER TO ME by Jessie Mueller & Drew Gehling / This is another song I was debating for both of them, but the first verse especially makes me think of Scully: "I could find the whole meaning of life in those sad eyes / they've seen things you never quite say, but I hear / come out of hiding, I'm right here beside you / and I'll stay there as long as you'll let me."

SOMEONE WHO LOVES ME by Sara Bareilles / This song wrecks me and has some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard. One reason I love it for Scully is because of the hug at the end of "Irresistable." This is another song I would have considered for a playlist title ("my home, my heart") if I hadn't already used it before. But the way it's sung always gets to me—"my home, my heart, thank god you are someone who loves me," like she's exhaling into the safety of his arms.

I F*CKING LOVE YOU by Zolita / The song pretty much says it all: "what if I let it slip, tell you that oh my god, I fucking love you."

WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT by Emily James / I absolutely love the first part of this song when she says "I just wanna say that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon unless it's with you." What really made me think of MSR was this, though: "'cause we've been busy lying to ourselves, swearing it would never work / promising that we were just friends / it's funny how it doesn't make sense / and then it does." And I love the idea of Scully thinking again about how different her life is, how this is so far from where she thought she'd be, but with a little bit of wonder: "who would've thought that it would've been you?"

[thursdayinspace]

fic: lucky stars (3/4)

Rating: M

Chapters: 1 / 2 / 3

For the poangpals Secret Valentine's exchange for @scullygazer. Chapter ! This is a finished fic and the last chapter will go up tomorrow. Thanks to @muldersfingers for the second pair of eyes and @leiascully for being a great beta! tagging @poangpals and @today-in-fic

Summary:

After the events of Syzygy, Scully feels that things are strained between her and Mulder. She thinks maybe some time away from each other will help, but sometimes things don't quite work out the way you planned them.

Read on AO3

[lilydalexf]

Hi! I'm looking for fic where either Mulder or Scully (or both) are some kind of cryptid and/or have supernatural powers or abilities. Thank you in advance!

Here are some fics where Mulder and/or Scully is a cryptid or something else fantastical or supernatural. There are a ton of stories where one of both of them have supernatural powers or abilities, so I'm leaving that daunting ask for another time since I'm not sure I could make a reasonable list. Enjoy!

And if I make my bed in Sheol by threeguesses Mulder becomes his own x-file. (Scully and Mulder’s ghost and believing)

The Entity by Annie Jennings It stalks humanity with a vengeance. It looks upon the blood of man with an insatiable thirst. It can bestow upon mortals the gift of eternal life. And now, it sets its sights upon Fox Mulder and Dana Scully...

Essentially Exactly the Way It Happened by @scullyphile (WIP) AU where nothing is different except that Scully’s a vampire, and for all Mulder’s suppositions, he still doesn’t guess

Eternity in Your Arms by Piper Sargasso This is an alternate reality of my “This Mortal Coil” universe. What if Scully had left after their first night together since Mulder’s making, rather than staying and being taken by Julian? Although this is technically a spinoff of TMC, it can definitely be read and understood as a standalone.

Ghost series by Joyce An accident radically changes the partnership between Mulder and Scully while opening Scully up to extreme possibilities.

In the Blood by twosheds (No summary provided)

inosculaton by @leiascully When Scully fucks him, it's a supernova.

lucky silver by goatfriend dana scully is a werewolf. angst ensues.

midnight hold by @brenayla “They’re fine, I guess,” Julie says. “Kinda weird.” Weird as in: she gets a feeling like brain freeze if she looks at them for too long. Weird like: when they lean in to speak to each other, they make the conference room go still and November cold. She would need something far stronger than coffee before she’d admit it, but there have been moments where Julie could not tell them apart.or: soulmates as cryptids

Siren Song by @leiascully Navy sailor Dana Scully, in disguise as Daniel, has a very close encounter of the mer kind.

Tam Lin by Pequod When your local young men disappear, only to turn up dead a year later, sometimes it helps to have friends in high places. Myth and murder combine in a remote Scottish village, and Mulder and Scully investigate. The Fairy Queen is out to revenge the loss of her most prized knight, Tam Lin. Mulder believes but Scully’s not so sure, until Mulder takes a walk in the woods.

Tonight I Was by Brighid A late night call turns Mulder's world inside out.

Too Close to Hide, By the Moonlight Side by @giroshane Scully tried to keep a positive outlook on life. Truly, she did. With the amount of bullshit she'd been through, before and during her tenure on the X-files, if she didn't find some spots of light in this dark dark world she'd have gone insane long ago. 1995 made that hard. Yes, she thought, cold, shivering, blood-spattered and buck-naked in the mud and rain in the middle of the woods, with the waning full moon shining down on her like a spotlight. By the summer of 1995, it was shaping up to be the worst year of her life. -- Or, an AU where everything is exactly the same--except Dana Scully is a werewolf. When grief and loneliness cause one too many slip-ups, it's time for Mulder to learn the truth. Unfortunately, the hard way.

[leiascully]

Fic prompt: Scully tells Mulder that he's her best friend. Bonus points if it's Season 5 or earlier.

Good news: it's season 2.

When Mulder wakes up, Scully is sitting beside his bed. She smiles and it’s like the sun has come out in his windowless hospital room. She balances an issue of JAMA on her knee and rests her pen on it.

“Hi,” he rasps.

“Hi,” she says, passing him a plastic cup of water. It’s room temperature and vaguely redolent of chlorine, but he drains it dry. The cup makes a hollow noise as he sets it back on his bedside table, his movements a little clumsy. The simple act of drinking has exhausted him. He sags back into the thin pillows. The mattress is stiff and uncomfortable underneath him. But he’ll be all right. Scully’s here.

For a moment, he just basks in the glow of her smile. He doesn’t know what time it is, but Scully has brought the golden hour with her. He would swear he can feel the warmth of her fond regard on his chilly skin. He turns toward her like a sunflower, his head heavy on his neck.

“You need to rest,” she chides gently, but she hasn’t picked up her pen again. That’s the sign of a serious Scully who’s no longer willing to entertain her convalescent patient. He knows her hospital-based tells rather better than he’d like. A specific crook to her brows means he isn’t out of the woods yet; a particular twist to her lips means she’s sick of his shit. But today he’s getting this smile like sunshine. Radiant.

She turns her head to look at something. Abruptly, he feels the weary cold striking out of his bones. The blanket covering his bed is pilled and worn, and the sheet is a little scratchy. He longs for the thick blanket he keeps on his couch. His toes are so chilled that they ache. He wants a duvet to wrap around himself and a hot water bottle for his feet, like the ones he had at Oxford, and he wants to sit in front of a roaring fire and drink a hot toddy while Scully explains the latest developments in medical whatsits and theraputic thingamabobs. Her voice is as warming as whiskey.

“Remind me where I am?” he says, just to hear her talk.

“At the military hospital at Eisenhower Field,” she tells him. “You were airlifted here after your shenanigans on that submarine.”

“Shenanigans?” He snorts. “That’s a weird way to say ‘crucial mission of international or possibly intergalactic import’.”

“Shenanigans,” she says in a firm dry tone. “I blame it on your antic disposition.”

“I can tell a hawk from a handsaw however the wind blows,” he says.

“Hmm.” She studies him. Heat blooms across his skin where her eyes touch him. “That’s not what your performance reviews say.”

“Those are confidential, Scully.” He pretends to glare at her.

“That’s why they put the ‘I’ in ‘FBI’,” she quips, and he can’t help grinning at her. His dry lips pull, the skin flaking a little. She pours him more water from a pitcher and passes him the cup. When he’s finished drinking, she pulls a tub of Blistex out of her bag and offers it to him. He dips a finger into the hollow her fingertip has made and smears the paste over his mouth. His lips tingle. It’s the medicated formula, with its whiff of camphor. He hands the little pot back over and she caps it and drops it back into her bag.

It strikes him, like a sliver of light has lodged in his heart, how precious she is to him. How glad he is that she’s here in this strange cold hospital room. It’s been so long since he’s known someone well enough to share lip balm with them. It was probably Samantha, a twist-up cherry Chapstick jammed in his pocket for when they were chapped by the sea air. But Scully shares her things, her thoughts, as easy as breathing.

“What did I miss?” he says.

She looks at him with mournful eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell you, but….” For a moment he tenses, uncertain, but the hint of a smile in her eyes tips him off to the joke. “Mulder, you missed the Super Bowl.”

He relaxes back into his insufficient bed. “That’s fine. I’ll just borrow your highlights tape.”

She laughs softly. “Missy was so mad about that. She didn’t understand at all.”

“I don’t think she likes me.”

“She likes you,” Scully objects, but she’s too honest to leave it unqualified. “Mostly.”

“I should have brought bonbons, huh,” he says.

“A nice amethyst crystal would have been more up her alley,” she tells him. “Maybe one of those singing bowls.” She shakes her head ruefully. “She gets protective. You’re not easy to explain.”

He tries to pretend nonchalance. “What did you tell her about me? Least favorite rental car chauffeur? Most dramatic slide show reveal?”

She ducks her head and shakes it from side to side. “I’ve had worse chauffeurs. I tried telling her you were my partner, but I don’t think she understood. It didn’t make sense to her, the things you did while I was in the hospital. The way you sat with me. Colleague didn’t seem to cover it. Not even partner.”

“So what did you say?” His mouth is dry again.

“I told her you were my best friend,” Scully says in a quiet voice. There’s some depth he can’t plumb in the way she says it, but she’s smiling like she’s holding something close.

“Good,” he says. He reaches out and taps the edge of her journal with one fingertip. “When you spring me from the joint, we can go down to the boardwalk and get those puzzle piece necklaces. And some salt water taffy.”

“Now that’s a worthy welcome-back gift,” she teases. “A little out of season, unfortunately. I don’t think it’s boardwalk weather today. Not in this hemisphere, anyway.”

“Remind me in the summer,” he tells her. “I owe you.”

They chat for a while. She makes him sip more water and sees him helped to the bathroom. She checks his temperature with the backs of her fingers and prescribes him another blanket, promising to return in the morning. He senses the potential for contraband rations: an Egg McMuffin concealed inside an innocent handbag, maybe even a hashbrown if she feels sorry enough for him in his refrigerated state.

He catches at her hand as she turns to go. “Scully. You didn’t tell me who won.” It’s a flimsy excuse, but it’s all his muddled brain can manufacture.

“The 49ers beat the Chargers.” She rubs her thumb absently over his knuckles. Probably some kind of diagnostic, like when she pushes her fingers through his hair. He wonders what secrets his body reveals to her. “Good night, Mulder. Get some rest.”

He slides quickly into sleep once she’s gone. His mouth still tingles like the kiss of a salt breeze. The creak of the bed reminds him of gulls calling in the distance, and he follows them down into a dream of summer sun glinting off Scully’s hair and making her eyes crinkle. Her fair skin is the color of the sand; her eyes are the sea and the sky, an endless blue horizon that calls him out of his body and into some blissful eternity. In his dream, her lips taste like taffy, and they are both healed.

[sagan-starstuff]

What's the origin of your blog title? "We are made of starstuff" - Carl Sagan

OTP(s) + Shipname: Mulder and Scully, good old MSR. The one ship to rule them all, no one will ever do it like they did it.

Favourite colour: Basically all shades of blue

Favourite game: I don't really game much but I am playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild right now and it's pretty great.

Song stuck in your head: "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton thanks to my brother taking me a trip down memory lane

Weirdest habit/trait? I am pathological about keeping my nails short. It's not even a sex thing, I just haaate the feeling of having them more than like...2mm of overhang.

Hobbies: Reading, gardening, baking, slowly getting back into writing fic. I also have like....a dozen crafts/arts that I pick up for a month and then abandon

If you work, what's your profession? I'm a medical doctor. (IYKYK)

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Astrophysicist but somehow without all the math and computer science that seem to be required. I just wanna look at pretty pictures of space all day.

Something you're good at: I'm a pretty decent baker.

Something you're bad at: Talking coherently about my feelings.

Something you love: My husband and son. Chocolate. The feeling of the sun on my skin. The X-Files. Looking at the night sky. Walking around art museums.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: The X-Files. Also microbes!

Something you hate: Anti-intellectualism. Unfairness or injustice. Hypocrisy. The current state of American politics. Raisins.

Something you collect: X-Files stuff! And Terry Pratchett books. And books in general.

Something you forget: Biostatistics. I re-learn how to do the calculations before exams, then immediately forget.

What's your love language? Quality time and touch.

Favourite movie/show: The X-Files, always forever. I also love Contact, The Princess Bride, and basically everything Studio Ghibli, 30 Rock, most Michael Schur shows (not The Office, though)

Favourite food: Seafood. I'll eat anything that swims/scuttles/clings to the side of a boat.

Favourite animal: Cats, owls, Highland coos. My specific dog.

What were you like as a child? Smart, shy, generally well-behaved, awkward around my peers, made furious by injustice or unfairness. Basically like now, just less well-behaved.

Favourite subject at school? SCIENCE!

Least favorite subject? None, really. I was decent at math, I just lost interest once I got past Calc I.

What's your best character trait? I like to think I have a sense of personal integrity. If I think something is unethical, unfair, or unwise, I refuse as much as I can to go along with it.

What's your worst character trait? Limited patience. The above traits also can make me a little rigid, and I've had to work a LOT on not just flat out telling people I think they're wrong, I've had to work on developing a sense of compromise and diplomacy.

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? UGH my commute, there's so much construction and the roads in my city were laid out so poorly that it should NOT take a long to get to/from work as it does.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? Carl Sagan or Ida B. Wells.

Recommend one of your favourite fanfics (spread the love!): Shine On by @cecilysass, the whole time it was coming out I'd drop everything I was doing when a chapter dropped. One of the best Revival fics I've read. An AU, technically.

I stole most of this list from @randomfoggytiger because I'm laaaazy but participate if you like!

@baronessblixen, @dd-is-my-guiltypleasure, @welsharcher

@agent-troi, @amplifyme, @laurencem, @illaisland, @halfali3n,

@virtie333, @television-overload, @brenayla, @nachosncheezies,

@leiascully, @catharsisxf, @numinousmysteries, @frogsmulder,

@suitablyaggrieved, @loubetcha, @storybycorey, @rachg82,

@spooky-jordan, @borogirl, @jessahmewren, @skelavender,

@unremarkablehouse, @thefinalpaperheart, @redteekal,

@sigritandtheelves, @lesbianagentofnothing, @kiivitaja,

@unremarkablehouse, @freckleslikestars, @pianogirlxf,

@justice-for-queequeg, @scullysmywife, @xf-cases-solved,

@muldersfingers, @is-on-its-way, @sarie-fairy,

@lilydalexf, @thescullyphile, @teenie-xf, @touchstoneaf, @ellivia,

@trusttnno1, @settle-down-frohike, @thursdayinspace,

@sagan-starstuff, @b0oker18, @singeart, @bakedbakermom,

@slippinmickeys, @pookie-mulder, @thatfragilecapricorn30,

@deathsbestgirl, @calimanc, @goodshipsmulder, @vincentsleftear,

@aloysiavirgata, @pennyserenade, @dreamingofscully,

@xxsksxxx, @writingwell, @trans-spidey, @scullys-scalpel,@daynascullys, @precedex-files, @bakedbakermom, @msrafterdark @cecilysass

[sigritandtheelves]

okay soooo, i'm at the point where i might be ready to start posting my longer fic but i'm wondering if i should have a beta read first... going to tag a few people who i know write/have written longer fics and whose writing i admire lots for opinions and/or suggestions for beta readers? @sisterspooky1013 @slippinmickeys @cecilysass @leiascully

and there are lots more of you out there, i'm just not sure who is still active and my brain is a literal pasta strainer plz anyone comment ily ❤️

[cecilysass]

Happy birthday, Fox Mulder! (celebrating with Spooky fic recs)

In honor of Mulder’s birthday, here's a somewhat eclectic selection of Mulder-centric fic. (Some of this isn’t a very nice way to celebrate his birthday as it is a bit angsty and traumatic, but luckily he doesn’t know.) These are all just fics that feature Mulder in the foreground I happen to admire and think of offhand; there are sooo many more.

Genius by Kipler This is a vintage fic (written 1995!) and it feels SO MUCH like an early episode of the show in vibes. A casefile that becomes a serious Mulder character exploration. Canon divergent, but it feels like it could have been canon in some parallel XF universe.

Just the Thing - pinebluffvariant This is about opening presents after How The Ghosts Stole Christmas, not his birthday, but right mood. The end of this … y'all, my breath catches, it’s so perfect.

The Fox Mulder Phonetic Alphabet - storybycorey Mulder’s ABCs of Scully. This seems at first like alphabet themed vignettes, but omg keep reading until the last, because it becomes a narrative that make me weep.

Mrs. and Mr. Spooky - leiascully This fic has both (1) a Tom Colton reunion and (2) Scully seriously upping her birthday present game.

Normal Conversations - Soronia Mulder goes to therapy. The therapist suggests he has normal conversations.

october midnight- skuls Mulder celebrates his birthday in 2018.

Radium - spark_writer Dysfunctional, miserable Mulder in love will do anything but tell her.

Seventeen - scapegrace74 A history of Mulder’s sexual experiences. This ends up being a really moving character study that takes his personal trauma seriously. It also is MSR and leads to that in a simply beautiful way.

Vox Mulder: Wired and Fired - darwin_xf This is a long, rich exploration of how Mulder evolves season 6/7, a kind of replacement for The Sixth Extinction / Amor Fati. Masterful dialogue, partner vacations, smut -- if you haven't read this, it's a treat. You should.

You Send Me - spookynerd Mulder as romantically smitten and completely in character. He’s anxious and miserable and developing theories. This fic is sweet and darling and deliiiiiightful.

[numinousmysteries]

All the Fic I Read in January

Trying to keep track of what I've read since I'm such a goldfish brain, but hopefully this will be of use to others, too. They're all gems, I promise.

Old Favorites (Rereads)

Maps by @onpaperfirst

The Boy on the Beach by @cecilysass

Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like It’s 1999 by @cecilysass

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic by SilhouetteOfACedar

Hour of Lead by Darla Black

Lifeline by Darla Black

New-To-Me Favorites

The Beast, Fast Asleep by @melforbes

Proof of Life by @slippinmickeys

Impersonal by SilhouetteOfACedar

The Stars Are Not Wanted Now by Jenna Tooms

New This Month

Here's A Hand In Thine by @leiascully

The Realities of Domesticity by @sagan-starstuff

Threadbare by @brenayla

A Land That I Heard Of Once In A Lullaby by @leiascully

Funfetti by @slippinmickeys

Red-Handed by @bakedbakermom

From Cali's List (hi @calimanc!)

Home, Home by @onpaperfirst

Chess by @cecilysass

A Perfect Storm by ChaneenW

in conclusion by @thursdayinspace

Negotiation by @cecilysass

Upon the Yearly Renewal of JSTOR Accounts by viridianvelvet

Book Club Picks

The Unseelie Court by @slippinmickeys

Desideratum by Rachel Anton & Laura Blaurosen

Everything Else (All Bangers!)

Honey Hi by @onpaperfirst

Always Get What You Want by @leiascully

Pause by @cecilysass

Bloodline by @cecilysass

I Have Known A Boy Named Fox, and A Man Named Mulder by Penny Daza

Side Effects by ChaneenW

The Mesas of Deuteronilus Mensae by @slippinmickeys

The Annapolis Grant by @slippinmickeys

So Young Such a Shame by @slippinmickeys

Bad Days by @sagan-starstuff

Not Waving but Drowning by @spooky-jordan

Persona non Grata (Terra Firma Series, Part 6) by MalibuSunset

Dad by @thatfragilecapricorn30

[unremarkablehouse]

Hi! Secret Santa here. Just wondering what are some of your favorite fics? I hope you're having a great week 🫶

YAY!! You know my week was rough (I have an ear infection), but your message brightened my day. There are SO many amazing fics, I like a lot of fluffy stuff and am a solid S8/S9 denier. Honestly, a list of favorite fics would take forever but here are some of my favorites from Fictober:

Literally everything by Baroness Blixen and MSRAfter Dark. I love Leiascully’s writing, particularly Poang! But any of her stories set during the original run are my favorite.

Thursday in space wrote this fic and it’s one of my all time faves now.

Here are some others I’ve recently bookmarked, but my tastes are all over the shop, lol.

dad - thatfragilecapricorn - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

It's Not Like You Spent a Lot of Time at Home - Chapter 1 - Katy_KT_Katie - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

Honest Man - Chapter 1 - cecily_sass - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]