#maybe if they focused more on that in ftf

[dazeddoodles]

Since you hate the way the fandom does, how would you describe Willow?

I'll try to keep it as short as possible as to not cheat (It's supposed to be a description not a character analysis)

But Willow seems to not value in herself due to years of bullying, which is why early on she doesn't see her potential.

And why she puts others needs above her own, because she doesn't see herself as important. As we see in FTF when she keeps avoiding how she's feeling instead focusing on others.

Part of the reason she breaks down at the end of the episode is her bottling up her emotions but also because she thinks that she failed everyone/put them all in danger.

One of the last things she was about to say about herself is that she's still Half a Witch Willow. Until Hunter snaps her out of it and comforts her. The opposite of what she was trying to do for him earlier in the ep.

The problem is alot of fans also only value her if she's being a friend (or girlfriend to Hunter) to the other characters they care about more. So that's what they chalk up her entire character as.

See what I mentioned earlier about how people hate on her for "only being Hunter's girlfriend" when that's outright a lie. She didn't even know him for half the show, and their relationship in the show was pretty lowkey. It's just that people only remember her when she's interacting with the more popular characters.

In reality she's tough but goofy and a friend to others sometimes to her own detriment. And she actually has feelings outside of worrying about others.

People tend to forget how many time we see her rightfully get angry over how she's being treated. She not a "perfect uwu victim". Instead paying more attention to "Omg but how do the people who hurt her feel? 🥺"

Something should also be said about how people see a female character be nice to people the same age range as her and immediately think "mom" but idk

In conclusion:

[anistarrose]

After rewatching the Thanks For Watching trilogy, I actually have to double down on my controversial opinion: Hunter never having to directly face off against Belos again after Thanks to Them is actually super satisfying and cathartic in an understated, underrated way. He said everything he needed to say after the worst thing that Belos ever did to him, and from then on, he didn't know it yet but he was free. I'm so happy for him.

[sepublic]

We give Belos way too much credit for feeling bad about his dead brother and Grimwalkers because like. He’s a racist white guy who’s murdered a culture and damaged its land across centuries but only feels guilt for his white brother and clones. He doesn’t hallucinate any witch or demon in FtF. He never got close to any of them sure, but that’s because of his racism which just further proves the point.

What this means is that for all his ‘guilt’, Belos doesn’t think his actual motives and goals as a witch hunter are wrong, just that human (adjacent) white guys shouldn’t be hurt in the process, but if they need to be they will. There’s the external setup for Belos to maybe change because of that remorse, but the internal setup that he won’t because he doesn’t even consider what the actual crux of the issue was, that being who he killed Caleb for fraternizing with, who Caleb died to protect, who has been brutalized far more than the Grimwalkers ever have been.

I’d even argue that Philip wouldn’t have minded if Caleb moved to another Puritan colony to settle with a Christian white woman; It was not so much Caleb leaving him, so much as who Caleb left him for. People like to reduce Belos to codependency with Caleb, as if his witch hunting fantasies weren’t established before Evelyn’s arrival; Philip let those inform his takeaway that he could not follow where Caleb was going, ergo Caleb betrayed him, because even Belos’ baggage with Caleb is rooted in racism. Mind you, Belos is still killing the Grimwalkers because he doesn’t really regret it, he’ll keep doing it because abusers are paradoxical like that. The ghosts just reinforce what’s wrong with him, instead of suggesting otherwise.

I think those fics and fanart of Belos being ganged up on in the afterlife by the Grimwalkers are missing the point, to Belos it would validate his racism by saying the only people whose suffering mattered, who deserve revenge, are the white guys he wasn’t explicitly targeting. I think a good take on the Belos suffering in the afterlife trope would have him be attacked by all the witches and demons and palismen he brutalized, without a single Grimwalker nor Caleb in sight.

As you can imagine, this is another reason why Eda and co. killing Belos works; Because once again he’s focused on Luz, whose framing parallels Caleb’s ghost from FtF, and talking about how only humans matter and Belos deserves to be spared for being human. Only for the witches and demons who were the actual emotional core of the issue that Caleb died for (one of whom is the descendant of the child he saved, not that Caleb factors to her motives because it’s not about Caleb) to step in and reiterate, Nah their suffering and anger is just as important.

People set up Belos’ fratricide and murdered nephews as the worst thing he’s ever done because they also think the white boys’ suffering is more important but tbh? It pales in comparison to the irreversible damage he committed to the Boiling Isles’ environment, its culture and history, its thousands of people as a whole, etc. The Titan is dead and its arm displaced because of him, so many resources and species have been depleted. To quote Castlevania and what a black revenge-seeking anti hero was told before encountering real evil in the form of a white man who enslaves en masse, “There are worse things than betrayal.”

[thursdayinspace]

So many feelings about Mulder’s emotional journey and how it affects his relationship with Scully from early on over iwtb to the revival, related to this post and everything @deathsbestgirl says about the parallels between the scenes. In "Detour," we see Scully coming to his room with wine and cheese and he promptly runs off without even telling her what he's doing. In "Plus One" in the revival, he waits for her behind a closed motel room door. He makes the offer for more this time around. It's her choice what to do with it.

In "Detour," when Scully comes to his room offering to spend a nice evening together, just the two of them, Mulder really isn't ready. He has so much on his mind and so many things keeping him from being with her. A lot of that is down to the fact that his -- their -- search for "the truth" takes up so much of his life. He knows how he feels about her, but acting on it would be a tectonic shift in their lives. And sometimes he also is simply too caught up in his quest to notice. Sometimes, maybe, he takes her for granted. In any case, it's too much. He can't risk what they have because there is so much at stake. Their search for truths, but also his heart.

Then there's Mulder in iwtb who has no idea what to do with himself. He knows he loves her and he wants to be with her, but he also gets so caught up in the work after being cut off from the world for so long. He's directionless, lost, torn between all the things he wants, just looking for anything to hold onto that will give his life meaning. In "Detour," he has a purpose, and he knows she's with him on that. In iwtb he has no purpose at all and something is not quite right with their relationship, which is all he has (which is also part of the problem). He's in nowhere-land and just looking for something, anything. He has no idea what he wants apart from wanting her, but being someone's partner is not enough of an identity for anyone. He has nothing that defines him.

In the revival, he knows what he wants. The work is undeniably important to him, but what he wants is a life with her, in which they can both be their own people too. From his intense, focused drive in the early years over his directionless despair and depression in iwtb we get a Mulder in the revival who is settled, secure in his goals and needs, even if it hurts. He has accepted his pain too. He knows. And he will wait. He doesn't pursue the fixing of their relationship frantically like he used to do with his search for answers. He's there, he's hers, and she can take him up on that when she's ready. And if she's never ready, he's still hers. The way he loves her is so gentle and calm, even in the moments where it becomes apparent how desperately in love he still is with her. But he makes the offer, and when she comes to him, he's there, waiting. And the important part is: he can do that because he has a place in the world. He knows who he is. He no longer carries the entire weight of the world on his shoulders, and he's also no longer floating in space. He doesn't have all the answers. He still wants them, but the search doesn't define him in the way it used to. Neither does his relationship with her.

In ftf he tells her that she made him a whole person. I'm not sure he was able to fully grasp the meaning of that at that point, but that doesn't make it any less true. She helped him keep his course and not give up. He could keep going because he wasn't alone and because she challenged him. But he needed something to be challenged on. He exists in extremes in the earlier years and in iwtb. In the revival, he has found a middle ground and he has found patience and the ability to stand still. To wait. To not be all or nothing anymore. We still see him doubting himself and his beliefs, wavering, being insecure, and we see her being there for him when that happens. He's still Mulder, and he still needs to Believe. But now he's become the one with the wine and cheese. It's there for her whenever she wants it.

[drbtinglecannon]

NEW OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR "FOR THE FUTURE"

(I haven't watched the leaked episode, if you did, please do not post any spoilers. You will be blocked if you do.)

King!!! King is back!!! Unfortunately it comes at the cost of him obviously being the Collector's servant basically. At least he still has François.

King also reads a book about the Collector, similar to how the end of S1 he read a book about Belos. It's an easy way to add lore to the show, and it calls back to another time he did so

Not only do we get curly redhead Lilith, but she has a pixie cut now too!!! Her glasses are gone tho :(

All of the Coven Heads (but Terra?) got turned to puppets ;___; as have most other citizens including Hooty, Principal Bump & the other Hexside teachers, and some of the other student body like the grudgby players

Also Eda does not seem to have a prosthetic like most people predicted, which makes me wonder what happened to Alador

ALSO ALSO SHORT HAIR EDA 💖

Mattholomule grew the worst facial hair lol (I am certain the 😑 expressions everyone made in that last promo image was at Mattholomule). Skara is there too!!!! And Barkus (maybe we'll get a gustholomule moment)

Eda can still lose control of the Owl Beast in Harpy mode -- and I can't blame her considering the circumstances. Her eyes turn fully black in that inky drop motion like back in s1

I wonder if her short hair affects the look

Huntlow moment 💚💛

Dana was right, sparkly is a good word to describe this episode.

I'm not sure how I feel by the idea that almost all adults got captured, it does feel specifically like The Collector (a child like God) did it on purpose, but it still is kinda :/ to know most of my fav supporting cast are puppets now to conveniently write them all out of the episode so as to keep the cast from bloating. Like I get why it was done but I'm still salty about it

The Coven Heads (again except maybe Terra?? Idk why she wasn't there? Did she pledge loyalty well enough to not need to be puppetfied? Did she escape? Die? Lol could you imagine) all have slight whimsical features added to their designs, as with everyone who got puppetfied, but for once they're all moving & working in tandem haha. Raine's close up not only killed me, but gave a good callback to when they got captured by Kikimora then "brainwashed" for weeks afterwards. The parallels of Raine pretending to be an enemy vs now they are but completely against their will. Bah. I'm dying, I'm afraid to see Eda's face in that scene. ;__; I'm really unhappy to have any Raeda fluff or bonding during this special (or suggested to have happened in between KT & FTF) robbed from us, but angst is classic Raeda vibes so I'm not surprised

I did also notice we didn't see any hints of Amity, Gus, or Willow's families at all. All we know is Eda & Lilith seem to have escaped puppetfication. I have a feeling Hooty took the puppetfication blast for Lilith in that moment

I'm stoked about Lilith having red hair again, and I was not expecting her & Eda to both cut their hair short! Everyone's getting hair style changes!

This will definitely be a Collector lore heavy episode, if only for the fact King was reading that book about them. I wonder if there used to be more children of the stars, and where the others went/are if there were

And lastly I'm at the photo cap but Belos is there too. He is using glyphs to burrow into some area, and he's killing the wildlife as he goes. Y'know, classic Belos behavior. I wonder if he's trying to get to where Caleb's mangled remains are, and if so what the plan is from there. I doubt Belos will play a large part in this episode as it seems very heavily focused on The Collector instead, which I'm fine with as I figured the final confrontation with Belos was gonna be the last special, what with him being the main villain of the show.

Despite any hangups I have I'm very excited to see the special! I know Dana & the crew worked hard on it

[ace-malarky]

15 Questions Tag #1

@writingamongther0ses tagged me for this one, thanks!

Doing this for FtF and therefore Kari because. why the heck not.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Ehh... maybe? Probably someone on my dad's side, if anyone. Never really asked

2. When was the last time you cried?

Do tears of joy count bc listen I just watched one of my kiddos win a match and goddamn he's come on so well and I'm so proud

3. Do you have kids?

Not of my own, I just teach a lot. Ash and I are honorary... we have a lot of niblings. Might adopt at some point, maybe

4. Do you use sarcasm?

When the occasion calls for it, but like. Being straightforward is so much better

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Generally how they're standing in relation to me

6. What’s your eye color?

Brown.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Depends on the vibe! I can always go a scary movie

8. Any special talents?

I'm a pretty decent boxer, but like I worked hard for that one, yannow?

9. Where were you born?

Dundee, Ninewells hospital

10. What are your hobbies?

Hmm... ok, the boxing is more of a job now - well, the teaching is, I suppose I still kept it as a hobby. Um.

(babe do we have any hobbies? What, biking? I guess)

Yeah, biking. Like motorbikes. We do that.

11. Have you any pets?

Nah, it wouldn't really - we have enough of a struggle keeping ourselves in check and all that

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Boxing! I thought about taking up some others, but running is for chumps and I don't like.. does dodgeball count actually. I could go for that.

13. How tall are you?

Like a standard size, I guess? 5 7-ish?

14. Favorite subject in school?

... gross. none of them?

Physics was interesting enough, I guess. Kinda complicated. It's possible I wasn't focusing.

15. Dream job?

Hmmm I dunno. I kinda like the one I've got, but I never really planned for it, it just sort of... happened. I never gave any thought to what was going to happen after school, really. I've been thinking about going back to do something like physiotherapy though?

~

anyhow yeah there you go. I guess. uh. hm. If you feel like it? idk yeah just. tell me about someone! give me the info!

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

Gurt your tags deserve to be in here too

where’s that post about plot-driven shows being their best in the first season and character-driven shows peaking at like season 4 or 5

because it just occurred to me while brushing my teeth that somehow The X-Files manages to achieve both at once and I’m getting ready for work so I don’t have time to expound on that right now but I am thinking about it

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector’s Edition:  Time Travel, Time Loops, and Just Wrong Timing

Time travel and loops were explored sparingly in the X Files universe; but what is a fandom without a handy dandy dump truck filled with more AUs to add to the fic landfill? These are just the few that passed my litmus test, either by earned merit or because there was at least something in them that was worth reading. Which ones are which is up to you, though I recommend ChaneenW’s, FridayAt9′s, somanycandle’s, Jo-Ann Lassiter’s, Donna’s, and Lolabeegood’s works (maybe because they have the happiest outlooks by the end.)  

(**Edited: included @anders-hawke’s Nine Minutes? short**)

Loose chronological order below~

Here we go! 

Timeline (mostly) Intact 

vessel (saved at orphan_account on Ao3)

““The scientific explanation for all this is overwhelmingly simple: salt blocks hydration, dehydration rots the cells composing the human body. In spite of this, I am struck once again with the improbability that the laws of nature would mutate to allow such a phenomenon, to make a human being age fifty years in a matter of hours.””

Dod Kalm old Scully waits for death, pondering science and impending death. 

Sheryl Nantus/Sheryl Martin’s (FFN) Nine Minutes

““It was a long time, when you sat and timed it. 

Watching the digital figures spin up through the cycle; headed for the top figure of 9:00. Or 540 seconds. Or whatever you measured it by. 

It was still nine minutes. Nine minutes that she could never have back again.””

Cancer Arc Scully has lived her life in her own self-imposed time loop: continually obsessing over the 9 minutes she lost in the Pilot, trying vainly to regain them back by resetting her watch every few minutes. 

It’s not quite a time loop; but Scully is locked mentally in one, so it counts. 

((BONUS! Works well with-- 

@lyndsaybones’s (Ao3) Incremental 

““The watch fit her perfectly when she got it. He remembers thinking that it seemed child sized then. Do they make Omega watches for kids?

But the weight started sloughing off of her like autumn leaves and he started to feel more fear than hope. The watch starts telling more than time.””

Mulder observes the measure of Scully’s decay with her expensive new watch.))

ChaneenW’s

The Birds and the Bees 

““We’re in this together,” he insisted, turning to look at her face.

“We’re in this together,” she repeated, squeezing her arms more tightly around him.

“We just need to find a way to remind ourselves,” he said, starting to slur a little as his face froze. “Some small thing that we do or say could change the whole sequence of events and maybe knock ourselves out of the loop before it gets this far.””

FTF albatrosses of Antarctica keep resetting Mulder and Scully’s journey from the hallway and escape from the alien spaceship (with varying results) until those two right the wrongs the bee made. It quickly devolves from any possible angst into humor and heart while getting subtly funnier the longer the loop goes. 

Twice Upon a Time

““The more time he spent here, though, the more it became uncomfortably clear that Eddie hadn’t been wrong about him. He had been a loser back then: too focused on searching for the big answers to see what was right in front of him. And although he’d been immediately attracted to Scully when they first met, had instantly respected her knowledge and expertise, and had come to quickly trust her with his life, he had to acknowledge that it had taken him longer than it should have to realize how much he loved her.””

S9 Mulder wakes in his old apartment, confused to learn he has traveled back to the Eddie van Blundht case. At first he has fun breezily solving it and looking anew at his life; but soon S4 Scully notices how differently he’s acting as the glitz and glamor of time-travel fades and homesickness sets in. 

@fridaysat9​′s (Ao3) A Second’s Fraction 

““Why, and more importantly, how, was she standing in her apartment? She had just been in the hospital with injuries and broken bones. She had been talking to Mulder, wishing for pain meds and sleep.

She lifted her arm, surprised to find that it was no longer in a sling. She moved to touch her face, which was completely free of injuries. She patted her hands down the front of her clothes, realizing she was wearing the shirt she had put on that morning. It was clean, and free of spilled coffee.””

Post Drive-- Scully is reset from a horrific car accident, having to live the same day over and over. She, by turns: deals with it alone, tries breaking routine, tries following Diana, tries reaching out to Mulder... all for them to fail. Soon, she is losing hope. 

This is engaging, and never gets old. 

Jo-Ann Lassiter’s Many Happy Returns

““Why are you making me come here?" 

It sounded so like a mortally-wounded Mulder that any fear she may have harbored toward the--whatever it was--evaporated. She stepped from behind Mulder, closer to the doppleganger. "I'm sorry. It was an accident. But where did you come *from?* And what are you?" 

The doppleganger gave a bitter laugh. "I'm him," it said, pointing at Mulder, "five years ago. When you died in that operating room in Alaska," it addressed her partner.””

S6/7 Scully accidentally summons an alternate universe Mulder, who is distraught to be brought back from the dead. Normal-Mulder is fascinated, then empathetic at his alternate’s pleas and answers to their questions. Both fix the problem in between comedic quips, heart-string tugs, and ~romance~.  

Donna’s One More Time  

““She was burned, he'd heard them, they didn't know why she was still alive.  90% of her body, her hair was gone and her skin was blackened or raw.  She was unconscious, thank goodness.  What would the pain have been . . . he didn't finish that thought.  They were talking about amputating her fingers to cut down on infection.  They'd already said if she lived, if, that they would have to look for donor skin because she didn't have enough left to graft.  He'd heard them; they were using cadaver skin on her now.””

S6/7 Mulder is shot back in time to save Scully from being burned alive by an arsonist... only for all his efforts to almost be in vain. Also, ~romance~. 

@somanycandles/FootlessData507’s The Disappearance of Bruce Speta 

““A very Mulder-type explanation was beginning to hatch in her brain. “No,” she murmured to herself. “That’s not possible.” She shook her head, as if that would shake the theory away. But it wouldn’t go away. What if they were both the real Mulder? What if everything that everyone had told her was true?””

S6/7 Mulder and Scully place bets on finding out the cause of Tena’s friend’s problem: he suspects it’s the ghost of her missing husband while Scully thinks it’s a hoax. She, however, finds it’s all too real when she is shot into a mirror universe, where she needs the help of the “ghost” husband and her alternate self to get home. 

Wonderfully fun, insightful, and leads to ~romance~.  

Lolabeegood’s Five Months Lost (Gossamer) 

““Sir, I need you to come over to my apartment right away.   Mulder was here when I woke up." 

"He was what?!" Skinner yelled. 

"He's here, right now and...and he thinks he has been all along," she whispered as she looked toward the washroom.””

S8 Scully is shocked to find Mulder in her bed with false memories of the past five months. Skinner and TLG back her up to an increasingly terrified Mulder. 

Such an underrated canon-divergent from S8-- so well-written, and it has the whole gang in character. 

Gillian Leigh’s Visitor in the Desert 

“Perplexed, Mulder opened his palm and lifted the dog tags out of his hand and examined them. He reached up behind him and turned on a light. The writing on the tags said,

Civilian Number: 11211013

Name: Rhiannon Mulder

DOB: December 22, 2002

His eyes widened. She was... his daughter?”” 

S9 Mulder is visited in the desert by his future daughter, who sends warnings from a bleak future. He high-tails it back to Scully, stops the adoption, and drags her, their family, and friends to an underground civilization built in advance of Colonization. Bill, Charlie, and Samantha already live there; and it’s a bit slice-of-lifey until Mulder decides to go on a vengeance mission that his future daughter has to come back, again, and warn him about.  

prufrock’s love/plenilune’s (Ao3, Gossamer, WBM, colonizationhq)  

Belphegor’s Prime (Ao3) 

““Oh.” She seemed to wear the holster to appease him rather than herself, and she gave no sign she intended to return inside to call anyone. “Did you disable my car?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “That’s my thing. I leave my kids and drive 90 minutes, claiming I’m trying to solve a crime but really to chauffeur you around for the next few hours. Also, I’m from the future.””

Post IWTB-Colonization Scully is gone. Mulder time-travels to med student Scully, using his intelligence, desperation, and dedication to try to get her to answer the only clue Scully left. The answer eludes them both; and they spend the rest of his vanishing evening looking at pics of their kids, the future world, and healing each other’s wounds. As time begins to refigure and resettle, Mulder realizes where Scully is, and rushes on diminishing time to get her back. 

I have heard this recced forever and ever, Amen; but finally got around to it while blitzing through prufrock’s fics. I think this is the only one of hers that gripped me, kept me engaged, and satisfied me by the end. Prufrock’s love writes stunning levels of intelligence with such seeming ease that it boggle the mind, and is even more impressive because it’s based in such meticulous care and research in every word she chose that it almost exhausts with its depth. This is absolutely a must- read (except for the part where med student Scully cheats on her bf with future Mulder, even if she will forget those actions. But that’s easily skipped and ignored.)  

@lotsoforangesoutside’s Unnamed and Its Sequel 

““Now, you two knuckleheads,” Bill turns toward the couple, “don’t tell me what Andy said has never crossed your mind. Will doesn’t look 15 and I bet a medical doctor and an Oxford graduate can come up with better cover stories than what you two have cooked up for us. I think you guys should run the new version by me before Dinner, yeah?”

The couple looks at each other as if they were in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Bill gives a light chuckle and shakes his head as he moseys his way out of the living room.”” 

Post IWTB-- Mulder and Scully have acquired a mysterious Jr. in addition to their younger son, William. Bill, for once, covers for them with timelines to other family members. The truth? Fox Jr. is William from the future, who traveled back, found his past self, and brought them both to their parents’ house. 

Itero (formerly Humphreywrites’s fic) 

““It is a remarkably small price to pay for a life that is full. A life that is so much happier than her lonely one with nothing but an empty apartment and lonely weekends. She was okay with that, but she hadn’t known what she was missing. She hadn’t known how dead she felt until every morning she woke up alive.””

FTF Scully wakes in a hospital in an alternate universe, the mother of three kids and happily married to Mulder. She quickly finds her footing, bonding with the kids and finding her new normal amidst failing grades, baby tears, and teenage angst. She wakes in a new timeline: 1993. And decides not to waste time. 

It’s more Scully-contemplation than slice-of-life; and its maturity in tone sings. 

allthistime’s i think i know you from somewhere 

““So, when are you from? Tell me about the future!” Mulder said enthusiastically, practically bouncing up and down. Of course he’d barely be phased by a 54-year-old Scully waltzing into his office one Monday morning in 1993.

“Oh, I don’t think I should do that, Mulder. I do believe this is a dream or hallucination, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

He looked dejected for a moment before lighting up again.””

Revival Scully and ‘93 Scully swap places momentarily. Both Mulders are intrigued; and all parties have fun sharing POVs and fishing for details. 

mrsagentspooky/agcntspooky‘s (also on dubitavero) 

““Keeping his thoughts to himself and trying hard not to stare at the man who would have been - had been? would be? - his father, William nodded. 

“I need to talk to you about an X-file, and… can you tell me the date?” 

Although the last bit was told in a more sheepish tone (after all, who barges in in the middle of the night and asks for the date?), the whole sentence was scripted. Get his attention by mentioning the X-files straight away. Know where you stand by asking the date. He and Dana had been over it an thousand times.””

Time travel from Will’s POV. Will drops in on Mulder, asking for the date and camping out. Mulder is shocked and calls Scully over, who skeptically listens to Will’s explanation: Future Scully built a time machine to send him back for FBI files to prevent the destruction of the future. 

These are EXCELLENTLY written in roleplay-format between two authors: they use little words to say a lot. Also, I love soaking in the atmosphere of this fic. 

These stories are a bit scattered, so I’ll just leave the links below in order(?): 

1    2   3   4   5

6   7   8   9   10

11   12   13   14   15 

@ellivia’s Unnamed 

““Whenever Mulder and Scully are in different time zones, he only refers to her as Past Scully or Future Scully.

“Oh that is so you. That is so Past Scully.””

IWTB-Revival Mulder likes to tease past-present-future Scully when she’s away on conferences. She finally kills him with sweetness overload.

This doesn’t exactly fit in the above criteria, but time-zones count... right?

Non-specific timeline AUs 

@anders-hawke/@iwtbscully‘s Nine Minutes? 

““He shook his head and let Scully buckle herself in as he shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. “Scully, do you remember anything from those nine minutes? Anything real?”

Her giddy smile slipped from her face and she looked away from him into the unlit stretch of road ahead of them, marred only by Mulder’s X in the distance. “No. But I can prove to you that what I’m saying is true. The person who’s taking those people is Billy Miles. I saw a whole life in those nine minutes, Mulder. I lived a whole life. I made decisions and had thoughts and—and fell in love, had children… People died, too. People that I want to save. People that I have to save, knowing what I know.””

Revival Scully wakes from her death... to find herself losing nine minutes in the Pilot. She immediately gives Mulder the rundown, and watches as he processes all emotions at her revelations. 

Julie Fortune’s The Ghost of You

““Mulder." Scully gloved up and reached out to take hold of the woman’s hand, lifting it by the thumb.

Hands did not move that way. Not like – empty sacks, the fingers bending like rubber, no stiffness to it at all.

Boneless. Scully lifted higher. The arm followed the hand, a piece of dead spaghetti.””

Mulder and Scully are unwittingly caught in a time loop: autopsying Future Scully’s pulverized body, zipping around to random moments in that day, and resetting the day completely. Some timelines are more successful than others, but all lead to their mutual abduction and her fatal fall. 

I found this one courtesy of @mondfuchs-- so thank you! 

Hestia01′s (Ao3) Time Lag 

““It’s fine, what could happen?”

“I have a bad feeling about this, I don’t think you should.”

Scully wrests herself from her partner. “I just want a better look. It’s probably nothing.” She cleans her hands with a moist towelette, reaches in and picks up the stone.””

A magical museum stone shoots Scully into continual lifetimes-- forcing her to live them fully, die, and reset. When Mulder finally gets her back to the original, she has become depressed and suicidal. 

Kristy Anderson’s The Fate of Time (2/2) 

““When I woke up last night, all I could remember was our lives together on the X-Files, and I started aching for what I knew was lost from that. The companionship, the hard earned and well tested trust, the love built upon mutual respect and shared heartache. I ended up sitting down on the corner of 42nd and Broadway, just crying and missing us until the sun started rising. As the first rays of light began to shine, to bring life to the streets again, I finally allowed myself to remember the past three, almost four years together. It was as if the beginning of the new day was my new beginning. 

"That's when I realized that if I gave this up, what we have now, I would miss this us even more.””

Mulder and Scully are sent to a reset timeline and live the ups and downs of kidnappings, promotions, opening their own X-Files division, and having Will earlier. It all crumbles when Scully dies from cancer, and they are sent back to their normal lives once again. 

Rachel Anton’s Eleventh Hour

““I knew I had let her down. Again. And I vowed to make it up to her. Someday, somehow. One day I would have enough courage to let this thing happen, to let her give herself to me. One day I would have enough faith in myself, be a good enough person to trust myself with her.

I didn't even sense that something was wrong. I didn't even know.””

Mulder tracks down and brutally murders Scully’s killer. Due to insanity, he is placed in a mental hospital where a fellow patient asks him to volunteer as lab rat in a time-travel experiment. He’s shot back to the 80s and begins to track Scully down. ~Romance~ blooms somewhere down the line. 

Gotta be honest, I DNF-ed this after Mulder agrees to the experiment; but will probably finish it later. 

Honorable Mention: The Boy on the Beach by @cecilysass’s (Ao3, Gossamer). (I included her in one of the Mulder family compilations, so it felt like cheating to include her here, too.) 

Enjoy! 

[amnspages]

Nikkal x Niall

From my heart...

...to your soul

Written by: @/keviriass

Beta reading by @thestonelady

Art credit: Selveo

@ftf-appreciationweek

They're on their journey to find Nikkal's mother. Niall is silent, even though he would usually make silly jokes in these situations, and he didn't even suggest teaching her how to heat air without fire this time. Nikkal is worried about too many things. But lately she's worried about Niall more. Does he think of his future, like her? About what's awaiting them? Does he regret that he came for Nikkal, that he sacrificed his soul for her? Is that the reason why he's so silent?

Maybe she's focusing on Niall too much to avoid thinking of meeting with her mother.

At least Su is talkative. At least her words kill the silence and give Nikkal some peace in her mind. At least Su is with her, holding her hand every time Nikkal suddenly starts to shiver. She even hides her worried eyes, maybe a bit too well.

On their 4th night, Tiamat knows where they are now. "And Niall..." Nikkal adds to her thoughts. She sends a worried glance to his way.

But he's not there.

"Su?" Nikkal grabs her best friend's arm, harder than she should. "Where is Niall?"

Panic grows in her chest, she hasn't felt this scared about anything since Ethan first disappeared. "What if something happened to him? What if he left?" Her mind is racing. Her heart is beating so fast, it's almost painful.

Su smiles at her, a surprised and confused look on her face. "He just went that way a few minutes ago, Nika. Are you okay?" And she puts her hand on Nikkal's shaking one. She sighs. "Maybe just go talk to him, what do you say? It seems like you both have..." She doesn't finish her sentence. But Nikkal understands.

She understands how exaggerated her reaction was, and she couldn’t even help it.

She is so worried. So worried about everything.

She slowly loosens her fingers around Su's arms and nods.

Then she pats the part of Su's arms where she grabbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She puts a kiss on the place. "I don't want to meet my mother so I thought" she shrugs, "someone killed Niall before I could do it."

Su laughs "Why are you killing Niall for that?"

"Err...“ Nikkal looks at the way Su pointed. "Becaus he's the one who's taking us to her?"

Su rolls her eyes and pushes Nikkal. "Go." But she keeps smiling. "Or I'll take you to him myself."

...

When she finds him, it's not too far. It's actually very close and familiar, considering he's sitting next to a forest spirit.

Her memories rush back to her mind, so eager to show themselves again to Nikkal, especially the part she has been longing for since she felt it. Soft lips on her lips. His breath. His smell. His body. His green, mesmerizing eyes looking into hers so lovingly.

Was that all a dream? Did he also see those moments? Did he feel her?

"Did something happen?" Niall asks without turning back. His voice is soft and calm.

"How did you know I was here?" Nikkal tries to make her voice sound cheerful, covering her recent worry.

"Well, I heard your footsteps." Niall sighs and finally turns to look at her. "Why don't you join me?"

Nikkal hesitates. But she knows he would just send her away if he didn't want her with him at that moment. That makes her happy. He wants her with him.

Maybe he needs her, just like she needs him.

She sits next to him, looking at the forest spirit purring on Niall's shoulder.

Then she turns her gaze to his face.

Their eyes lock.

"Does he remember?" she asks herself again. "Does he also feel this... connection?"

She extends her hand to the forest spirit. She may be scared to talk, but her heart wants to scream every word she couldn’t find the courage to tell him.

She looks at the purring cat again. "Please..."

When she finally touches the spirit, she's aware of how Niall hasn't looked away from her even for a second. Her hand is shaking with anticipation, she feels dizzy with how intense Niall's gaze is on her face.

"He knows..." she says to herself right before the echoes of her memories hit Niall on the chest.

But he doesn't flinch this time. He accepts, closes his eyes. And Nikkal joins him.

"Please take us from here... save us."

"My name is Nikkal, and this is my brother, Ethan."

"You must be very important. Son of Enki? But what are you even doing in this Tiamat's damned place?"

"Fine Niall, I will learn, I will be better, I will study harder... and fine, I will be able to protect myself no matter what. But only if you practice with me."

"It's... look at this...a sparkle. Nothing more. Nothing useful."

"No, Su! No! I can't do it! I don’t have it in me! ... I am not the 'little sparkle' Niall is so fond of!"

"Niall, do you believe in me?"

"I knew you could do it! You're one of the most powerful mages after all! Now can you please let me go for this week..?"

"You're my friend, Niall. When I attend the academy, will this change between us?"

"Well I think... I think you're perfect, really! Look at you owning a big place like here, the academy, the students, teachers... and you're handling everything so well. Your father must be so proud of you."

"And what will I call you then? 'My hero'?"

"I feel home here. I feel home with you."

"I start to think that you enjoy seeing me here every week. Why aren't you making this much of practices with other students?"

"Everytime I feel alone, I think of you. So, think of me when you feel alone too."

"My favorite color? It's green. Bright, emerald green."

"And when he tells me about his life... Iyar, does he tell you about his life too?"

"Why don't you help me if you want my fire to be stronger? Send me your air."

"I won't tell Niall about it, Sin. He would lose his mind."

"Are you saying that you treat me like a sister?"

"Yes. It's the one you gave me for my last birthday."

"I'll be the one protecting you!"

"Maybe so I would get closer to you? Or even help you..."

"But how will I live without him?"

"May I? I... I just..."

"Good. So no one will take you from me."

Nikkal feels her chest tighten, possibly with the sudden resurface of the emotions she kept inside her heart for a long time; like a secret.

For years, she's never dared, or even hoped, to be this close to him. Soul to soul. Face to face.

Now her cheeks feel colder with tears, sending chills whenever Niall's steady breath touches them. She keeps letting another memory of hers reach him, trying to tie him with her there, so that when he understands everything, he won't ever leave her alone.

He will stay.

Nikkal opens her eyes slowly, afraid to see rejection on his face now more than ever.

Yet, two green eyes are looking into hers, holding pain and regret, but most importantly, love. The one she's always seen everytime he looked at her. The one she's always ran to whenever she felt alone and like the whole world was an enemy of her. Love was always there. Because, in the end, nothing has changed between them. He always loved her.

He loves her. He loves Nikkal. More than his life.

With this thought, Nikkal lets out a soft sigh and breaks the connection.

"Niall, Niall, Niall..." Turns out she was the one who needed to understand, she confesses to herself.

She stops touching the spirit. So when her mind hears something, or her ears do -she's not sure-, she flinches a little.

"Kiss me."

Did Niall whisper that? Or was it Nikkal herself? Was it the spirit connection that showed their shared desire, again?

She doesn't care.

When their lips meet halfway, she becomes sure that Niall doesn't care either.

Soft, so soft, and so close to his scent, even though none of them moves, Nikkal feels like she may lose her mind any moment. His lips pressed onto hers, his hands cup her face slowly. His thumbs caressing her cheeks, he tilts his head a little so that his lips move on Nikkal's.

All they want is to feel, to finally feel how it is like to have the other one's lips on theirs now.

Niall pulls back for a second, only to whisper "Nikki...", then he presses himself harder to Nikkal. One of his hands holds the back of her head, while the other on her neck, he parts his lips.

Nikkal responds to him, breathless with emotions, she shifts to straddle him. She lets her hands wander in Niall's long hair, trying to hold him even closer so that they can become one. She needs him, oh Tiamat, she needs him so much.

She touches his face, letting her fingers feel his smooth skin, only getting rougher on his scars.

What do his lips taste like? It must be something from heaven, considering the more she has his lips between hers, the more she wants them there.

Niall's hair brushes against her cheeks now that he is leaning over her. Her mind is hazy, and she doesn't want to think about anything either. Not when her entire body feels Niall's. Not when he's holding her in his arms so tightly. Not when she hears his quiet moans.

She wants him.

Niall shudders and breaks the kiss, leaning back, as if he just felt Nikkal's desire. His lips are even redder, his hair disheveled thanks to Nikkal's hands. She feels like her heart is about to stop beating because of the excitement from what happened, and because of the fear for what will happen next.

"He kissed me back." She thinks, trying to calm herself. "Nothing he will say can change this."

"Wait." Another thought pops up in her mind. "WE KISSED!"

Nikkal squeaks, one would think she saw a ghost or an Anunnaki, yet she actually can't believe it wasn't a dream like it used to be. Even more, when she licks her lips, she still finds the taste of Niall's lips there.

"It really happened!" She chooses to scream in her mind this time.

Niall's eyes widen with Nikkal's reaction and he tries to move away from her, though, not being successful when she's still sitting on his lap.

"I'm sorry." He says with a voice she's never heard from him before. So shocked and so guilty. "I'm sorry I shouldn’t have-" And with the genuine fright for the possibility of hurting her on his face, he couldn't have been looking any more adorable.

So that's why, after a few seconds, Nikkal starts laughing.

Niall's expression changes to confusion, and now he's looking like a sad cat, but this only makes Nikkal laugh even more, grabbing Niall's shirt to not to fall.

Having confessed her feelings in their own language, tasting his lips on hers and the quiet, calming night time sounds around them; Nikkal feels the happiest she's ever been. She even forgets about her worries from before coming here.

All is good now. And... All is safe.

Then she sees a few birds flying away from trees surrounding them, into the dark, night sky.

"You scared away the birds." Niall chuckles. His eyes are glistening with amusement, giving Nikkal permission to tease him.

"And you scared away the forest spirit!" Nikkal stops her laughing and points at Niall's shoulder.

Niall catches her hand and brings her closer, intertwining their fingers. Breathless from the kiss and the laugh, Nikkal opens her mouth. Her free hand moves to his shoulder blade.

His beautiful smell... she's definitely not had enough of him...

"Will you kiss me again?" She whispers, looking at his lips. She's feeling dizzy. And expectant.

But the only thing Niall does is to watch her. A breathtaking view for Nikkal, because for the first time, she sees him openly in love. He doesn't speak, but his eyes are telling words that no man has ever used before.

He is happy. Calm. In love. And, there. Hers.

"You did nothing wrong." Nikkal whispers again, placing her palm on his cheek, her thumb starts caressing his eye scar. "And, if you're ready, Niall, I am ready as well." She chuckles softly. "I've been, actually, for a while."

Niall inhales deeply, his face muscles relax, and then he nods. Nikkal feels a little tear sliding next to her finger.

She doesn't feel scared anymore. Although worry will always be there, she's strong. He's strong. And they're stronger together to achieve everything, to overcome every challenge awaiting them, and maybe, if they're lucky enough, to build a future where they never stop holding each other's hands.

As Nikkal presses her forehead to his, Niall speaks with a shaky voice. "And you're my home, my little sparkle... my Nikkal..."

[dreamingofscully]

6x01 - “The Beginning” - X-Files Rewatch

Hope you enjoyed the optimism at the end of my season 5/FTF summary post. Haha, did you think that would last? 

Mulder piecing together the X-Files. I don’t think this is the only thing he’s been doing to put the their work back together, but I’ll avoid detailed speculation at the moment.

At the meeting: Scully arriving late, sitting quietly. She knows she can’t give Mulder the answers he wants, feels terrible about it. She comes at it from a scientific viewpoint, remembering his words to her (he completes her, makes him a whole person), remembering the proof she was able to give him in “The End”.

Mulder feels betrayed, though. She presumably didn’t mention what she saw or back him up, just focused on the evidence. After everything they went through, knowing what she saw, she still can’t admit it, she still remains rigidly focused on evidence rather than experience. She still can’t believe and he still can’t share his wonder with her. It cuts him deeply after the transformative and utterly undeniable experience that they shared.

Here’s some thoughts about what Scully’s thinking:

Scully was very ill in Antarctica, her memories are fuzzy and she’s not sure if she can trust them. If she did say something about what she saw, she was probably questioned pretty intensely. Being unsure herself, it would be hard for her to be steadfast in her convictions. She believes Mulder, she trusts him, but it’s hard for her to admit it without something concrete. She was hoping the vaccine/medical evidence would speak for itself.

She’s scared to believe, of opening up to things she can’t explain. She doesn’t want to abandon her science, thinks it's what Mulder wants from her, and it's safe to focus on it, so she does. 

Regardless of these things… she should have backed Mulder up. He knows this, and it’s difficult for him to get over, so he says and does some pretty harsh things this episode. 😕

Standing close when they look at the nail.

Poor Gibson. What CSM did to him… just pure evil. When they’re at the house he tells them to leave, knowing Mulder and Scully are there, wanting to protect him. Love that kid. He must get his first glimmer of hope here, knowing that if he escapes they can help him. 

The conversation between Mulder and Scully outside of the house.

Scully is unchanged. She’s trying to understand Mulder’s theories through the lens of science, to be what he said he valued about her in FTF.

Not too long ago Mulder had his worldview shattered. He was skeptical but found his way back to believing again - through his experiences. Mulder finds it hard to understand how she remains so static after all this time and especially after all they saw and experienced in FTF. SHE TOLD HIM SHE SAW THE SHIP.

You can see her side: that she wants to play Devil’s Advocate - balance his wild theories. Give him the proof and evidence he needs to back up his ideas.

What really hurts for Mulder isn’t her insistence on always going back to science, but that she can’t admit to herself, or him, what she saw and believes.

Mulder is wrong because he doesn’t express to her the real reason for his frustration. He brings it back to the science and her insistence on proof, but what bothers him is that she doesn’t seem able to change, and he doesn’t understand why. He was hopeful after FTF that now they could move forward, they could finally be on the same page a bit more, but if she can’t believe now - will she ever? 

Mulder feels more alone than ever.

Scully takes his hand to emphasize her words, to remind him of what he said about needing her rationalism and science. He looks at their hands, together, but throws her words back to her anyway, unable to express why he’s frustrated (either because he can’t or doesn’t understand it himself). His petulant “your science is wrong” is confusing and hurtful for Scully.

Standing closely by the fire trucks and by the car.

Scully’s tenderness with Gibson. Her anger at what they did to him (as read by Gibson). Leaning over and touching his chest. She is SO GOOD AND NATURAL with children, breaks my heart.

Gibson to Scully: “You already know, you just don’t want to believe it.”

He’s saying what Mulder knows/thinks about Scully’s denial, which frustrates him even more.

Mulder is so used to looking like an idiot - for putting himself out there and not really caring what other people think. It means everything for SCULLY, the one he thinks most highly of, to believe him, to believe IN him. He thinks of her resistance as a personal attack. It isn’t, but Scully can’t verbalize how difficult it is for her to believe. She should at least do that instead of hyper-focusing on the science.

Standing close and talking near Gibson’s bed. (LOL he can still hear you, idiots.) They are real stupid idiots this episode in more ways than one. 😫

Scully tries desperately to give Mulder proof and give him back the X-Files. If she could at least do that, when she is unable (unwilling?) to give Mulder the belief that he wants from her, maybe things would get back to how it was.

Diana coming to the motel room at night. Telling Mulder what he wants to believe. Manipulating him, that it’s okay for her to take over the X-Files because they discovered them together. Implying that she has just as much a right to them, even though she abandoned Mulder and their work soon after this discovery.

Mulder is initially skeptical, but he can’t resist believing her because of their history. He can’t believe she would act against him. He has a history of being easily manipulated, and the one who can convince him otherwise isn’t his favourite person at the moment.

It’s easy and comfortable for Mulder to be with someone who believes like him. It doesn’t make it the BEST choice, but I think it’s understandable - especially with his current emotional state about Scully.

That Mulder chooses to go with Diana really hurts Scully. It’s like a reversal of Mulder’s choice in “The End”. Scully doesn’t completely understand the relationship between Mulder/Diana, doesn’t understand why Mulder isn’t more wary of her. She’s also concerned about Diana backing him up. Her only experience with her as an agent is Diana getting shot while protecting Gibson (who ended up getting butchered by terrible people).

Gibson’s words - that she’s using him as well - hurts her. He’s right, though. She’s desperate to get proof for Mulder, to get the X-Files back and prove that it doesn’t matter if she believes if she has evidence. Ultimately, though, the comment is unfair. If it came down to protecting Gibson or hurting him, she’d always choose the former.

Mulder touching more things he shouldn’t. (x3) Also, it just feels gross seeing him wandering around the nuclear plant with Fowley instead of Scully. Just so wrong.

It’s uncharacteristic of Scully to have left Gibson without protection. She’s angry at herself more than anything when he goes missing - and I’m sure she can’t help but compare her carelessness to Diana’s in losing him.

After everything, Mulder and Scully get punished further.

The Ending Scene

“It would help if you'd shut the door. It would make it harder for them to see that I'm totally disregarding everything I was told.” - Mulder “Everything WE were told, Mulder.” - Scully

Mulder’s use of “I” instead of “we” really hurts.

Scully pointing out Diana’s duplicity and Mulder continuing to support her. 

“Agent Fowley took me to that plant at great risk to herself where I saw something that you refuse to believe in. Saw it again, Scully. And though it may not say it in her report, Diana saw it, too. And no matter what you think she's certainly not going to go around saying that just because science can't prove it isn't true.”

He’s lashing out, here. His defense of Diana has less to do with his feelings about her and more about his feelings about Scully, his hurt that she can’t believe him or support him. Scully’s disbelief, or her refusal to admit belief, hurts him more than any possibility that DIana could betray him because, quite simply, Scully means way more to him than Diana does, or ever did.

Mulder also makes the mistaken assumption that it is “easy” for Scully to believe. Scully, conversely, doesn’t try to make things easier by telling him why she can’t.

Scully keeps trying to get through to him. His words hurt. They were MEANT to hurt. So, she pulls out the “trust” card.

“It comes down to a matter of trust. I guess it always has.” - Scully “You asking me to make a choice?” - Mulder “I'm asking you to trust my judgment. To trust me.” - Scully

Before Mulder sees what’s in the file, that she’s found evidence that she’s been so desperate to obtain, MULDER MAKES HIS CHOICE - AND IT IS NOT SCULLY. He says he doesn’t trust her, essentially.

“I can't accept that. Not if it refutes what I know to be true.” - Mulder, when she hands him a file, asking him to trust her.

Talk about OOF. Mulder’s choice will affect Scully for a long time. They don’t talk about it, but Scully’s trust in Mulder, in her belief that he trusts her, has been badly damaged. I can forgive Mulder for his actions and words in the rest of the episode, but this final scene just kills me, and I think Scully takes it really hard.

I really hate seeing them at odds with one another. 😭

Side Note: I just want to comment that my perspective on this episode dramatically shifted after coming back to the fandom and rewatching. Also, having it pointed out to me that Scully tells Mulder in FTF **THAT SHE SAW**. I used to be in the “Mulder is a giant asshole” camp, full stop. But while he is still an asshole, it’s a bit more nuanced here. The final scene in this episode is the only true moment where his words and actions are almost unforgivable, but the rest I find (mostly) understandable. Just… realize how big of a deal this is to someone like me who is a huuuuuge Scullyist.

[defectivekai]

MIKE DOES THE FIRST TASK FOR: HIMSELF

what’s a grammar rule you find yourself breaking or ignoring a lot?

uhhh my insane use of commas. or that people don’t talk w/ actions. 

are there any languages besides english in which you think you could comfortably roleplay?

none at all. to my distaste, i am monolingual. 

how often do you reach for a synonym dictionary when writing? how about mentally?

ALL the time. i am asking google for synonyms all day, every day.

how often do you need to translate your own or the other’s writing with a dictionary or google when writing and reading replies?

oh never. at least, not in a language standpoint?

do you listen to music while your write?

exclusively so. it helps keep me focused. stranger in the basement by bonecage helps me the most and spotify said i listened to it for 167 hours this year. /shrug

do you have ideal writing circumstances when you can do a lot of drafts or tackle really long ones very easily?

got me a drink. got my song/playlist that’s not too distracting ei. making me stop and want to sing along to it. no one in real life bothering me. i’m home on my desktop.

are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer? 

i want to say a night writer, but like, maybe more of an evening writer. if it’s too early, it’s hard to get the muse going. if it’s too late, i’m tired and muses ftf off.

how does tiredness affect your writing?

if i’m tired it’s far too tempting to just.... go to bed lmao.

have you ever written a serious reply intoxicated?

i don’t really used toxins so like, not really. high? yes. it’s not the hardest thing.

how much do you proof-read as you are writing vs. proof-read at the end?

i reread my reply a lot but i need to get better at proof-reading right before posting reply....

when you are writing a reply, how much ahead in the thread do you plan?

none at all. my characters don’t work that way. i can only plan ahead as far as the end of the current reply. sometimes i even write the end of the reply before the beginning, but that’s mostly in case of dialogue. some statements my muses want to jump on asap.

is there ever been a time when you’ve had to drop a roleplaying partner because you’ve found their writing style exhausting?

there was never a time i made a decision because of it, but there are past partners that i see now that they were exhausting to write with. for all kinds of reasons.

does writing roleplay things in public spaces make you uncomfortable?

oh yes it do.

what do you do after you see a person has replied? do you read it immediately, or do you wait for it to show up on the dash? do you like it, draft it immediately, etc?

it depends! if i’m not in the middle of something, like out or working, i’ll read it right then and there -- open it up into a tab to do for later. otherwise i’ll make a mental note and get to it when i have some time to myself. i used to save drafts but i don’t do that usually now. i might like some replies so it’s in there and then unlike them, but typically, i just lurk the dash and collect the tabs.

how often do you need to change the icon in your reply while or after writing the reply?

not too often. i usually pick the icon after the reply, and i match the icon to the closest piece of dialogue or the more significant piece of expression. 

do you first get in the “zone” when writing, or do you start writing and “enter” it that way?

i like to pretend i get into a zone but really, it happens when it happens, and then of course the outside world can take me out of the zone. i guess the zone is thrust upon me. 

what is your biggest obstacle to writing every day, if time doesn’t count?

my short attention span, i’d say.

how many drafts is a paralyzing amount?

once it hits over ten i’m like oooouch. if it’s over twenty i feel like it’s never going to happen. 

if you are writing a wrong reply that’s not working out, do you save what you have to be continued at another date, or do you scrap it and rewrite?

i kind of do both? depending on how much i worked on the first draft. i’ll save that, stop for a second and look at it later. like the next day. give my muse another chance to react.

does making icons give or take away energy to write? what about other graphics?

it’s more like i enter a purgatory where my muse is flowing gently as i work on a character’s resources. it’s a happy medium where i can kinda spend time thinking about them, but not have to think to hard. i’m just editing/making stuff. 

longest reply you’ve ever written on mobile?

i wouldn’t be able to find out but it was def a few longer paragraphs. only like, the one or two times though. i rarely do mobile.

what’s your thought process when you format? any unspoken rules you follow?

i prefer to have my gifs match the closest context text. if the end of the reply, someone said something damning and has a matching icon, i gotta put it on the bottom. i also need to put two spaces behind my ?  so that it’s easier on the eyes. oh and i match gif size w/ who i’m writing with.