#skinner would secretly love it too

[darthenderson]

Fox Mulder would 100% put this in his yard btw

[dreadfutures]

Fics for Blue

I’ve been honored to receive so many gift works since joining the Dragon Age fandom. Some are from Exchanges (more about Dragon Age Fanwork Exchanges), some are from discord community server events, some have just spawned out of shared headcanons gone wild, like the Mirrorverse.

In general, feel free to make fanart, podfics, and derivative works of my fics, art, and characters, as long as a heads-up & credit is given. I always appreciate the creativity of this community. See my full use statement here.

Banner credit.

In addition to reading the fics I've been gifted, please check out the rest of the writers' works - they are all so talented!

General Gifts

Dawn in Antiva - [delawana | @the-rebel-archivist]. Oneshot.

Rating: T. (Andarateia Cantori/Viago de Riva) | In the wake of the Qunari occupation of Treviso, Viago de Riva is disgruntled that Antiva carried on with its festivals. Andarateia Cantori gives him a new perspective on another way to fight their enemies.

I love the descriptions of the setting, how it perfectly fit the vibes of the moodboard that inspired it, and the push and pull of Viago's inner gloom and the light that Teia brings.

A Snowflake Distinct Among Snowflakes - [Missjlh]. Multichap. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solas & Dorian Pavus) | Solas is a mystery to Dorian and he finds himself looking for the man's approval. In a bid to get to know him better, Dorian offers to share his research notes, but in the end, it's Solas' advice regarding how to free the slaves of Tevinter that leaves its mark, even years later, after the truth of who Solas is has come to light.

I love, love, love the progression of Dorian and Solas' interactions. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024 that tracks Solas & Dorian from the Inquisition to what happens after.

Strawberries and Lace - [@enigmalae]

Rating: T. (Solas/Lace Harding) | A chance encounter in skyhold leads to the start of something more.

Dancing, flirting, and a first kiss. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024.

Provenance - [@kiastirling-fanfic]

Rating: G. (Solas & Dorian Pavus) | “Do you always throw misbehaving tomes on the heads of unassuming passerby?” Dorian's disregard for the Inquisition's questionable literature leads to a discussion with the resident apostate.

A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024. When I see "magical academia" my heart sings - and the bickering truly lives up to it.

Impeccable Timing - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Josephine Montilyet) | Josephine Montilyet intimately understands the Game, even under such circumstances found at the Winter Palace. What surprises her, however, is that an elven mage navigates it just as surely as she.

I love the inside peek into Josie's mind, the hints at being a little too attentive to Solas while remaining unflappable just as she always is. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2024.

Power lies with thos who grasp it - [Toshi_Nama]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Briala & Skinner)

From my prompt: maybe Skinner is secretly one of Briala’s own agents, even while she is a member of Bull’s Chargers. Or maybe Skinner thinks Briala’s a poser. Maybe both. I think there’s interesting potential for conflict, contrast, or highlighting–Skinner could be a way to push Briala to change in certain ways, or to prove herself, or encourage her to continue on as she has. Maybe they have some secret history. A gift from @arlathanxchange 2023.

the world would crmble to dust before you ran out of ills to fight - [@RosellaWrites]. _Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Lace Harding) | Scout Lace Harding retraces Solas's footsteps alongside Varric in a race to stop him… or change his mind. Lace remembers her time with the so-called apostate along the way.

A gift from @arlathanxchange 2023.

The Firefall - [Dragon_Sage]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Solas/F!Lavellan). Post-Trespasser. | Solas is camped in the ruins of Mythal's most cherished palace, plagued by Regret and guilt around the circumstances of her murder. He would leave, but he desperately requires what he suspects his old friend may have hidden there. Unfortunately, the final obstacle in his path is a door that only one person in Thedas can open: Ellana Lavellan.

This is a beautiful and cinematic adventure fic with a bittersweet twist! Just my kind of gift. I would love for everyone to read it and join me in imagining this beautiful, mysterious palace that Dragon Sage created as a backdrop!

Shadows in the Glass - [@silvanils | KnightDawn] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Marquis of Serault & Marquise of Serault) | “The eyes were all wrong. I should know. I see the right ones every morning.”Something strange is happening in Serault. What else is new?

A mirrorverse of sorts for the Marquis(e) of Serault! Several heroes from different universes reach out to each other in dreamlike, beautiful quality.

Comrades in Arms, Brothers in Broken Chains - [@rosella-writes]. PODFIC.

Rosella BEAUTIFULLY read a piece I wrote out loud as a podfic!

The Seven Halla - [Ciella]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solas/F!Lavellan) | A Dragon Age version of the German fairy tale, The Six Swans.

A perfect gift from the @solavellanhellexchange

Homecoming - [@queenaeducan-writes]. Two chapters. Complete.

Rating: T. (Genfic) | Charter and Harding know that Fen'Harel seeks something in the vaults of a Tevinter Magister. It's a race to gain access to this mysterious artifact, and to keep it out of enemy hands. Until it isn't.

This fic--an adventure, an intrigue, a world-building exploration, an action piece, and so much more--grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. Gift from the @arlathanxchange

Bright Days of Halcyon - [@darethshirl]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas & Keeper Hawen) | Solas joins Hawen’s clan for a slice of life and celebration. He finds traces of the familiar, fragments of the past, and welcome.

This fic actually drove me to tears, it was nostalgic, poignant, and touching. It is both full of joy and full of tragedy. Gift from the @arlathanxchange.

oily marks appear on walls (where pleasure moments hung before) - [@rosella-writes] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Solas/Felassan) | As an Evanuris, Solas has no vallaslin. He would lay claim to no one. Not even the man he loves.

Just an absolutely gorgeous piece highlighting a tension between Solas and Felassan, yet another problem entirely of Solas's own making. Gift from the @arlathanxchange.

What Pride Had Wrought - [@rosella-writes ]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas & Mythal) | Mythal through the ages, with Pride at her side.

Gift fic from the Beyond The Veil Discord Server’s Masked Satinalia holiday exchange!

Pride’s Hope - [@rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Solas/Felassan) | Solas may have always been Pride, but Felassan was not always Felassan. Once he chafed under the mantle of another name.

Rosella wrote a deliciously angsty Solas (Pride)/Felassan (Hope) fic <3

grab hold of the earth’s four corners - [@rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E. (Female Lavellan/Krem) | The Chargers survived their Venatori encounter at the Storm Coast. Virelan and Krem celebrate together behind the Herald's Rest.

Gift from Rosella furthering the Lavellan/Krem agenda!

Gifts about Ixchel Lavellan

Lead Her Through the Darkness - [BECandCall | @warpedlegacy]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Solo: Female Lavellan) | This is THE story of how Ixchel found her name. BECandCall aka DuchessofSwoll wrote this gift for me during the Dragon Age Fanfiction discord server’s OC swap month.

The Day the Dread Wolf Wed the Brave Guide - [exalted_dawn | @exalted-dawn-drabbles] Ongoing.

Rating: T. (Female Lavellan/Solas, Female Lavellan & Dalish OCs) | My beautiful friend and dear Beta, Ed, decided to write how her Dalish OC Talenna convinced and orchestrated Ixchel to do a bonding ceremony with Solas, at the Arlathvhen, after Corypheus’s defeat. It’s beautiful and I adore it.

Finding Hope in Ruins - [BlueWren]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Solas) | A gift from the 2022 April OC Swap for the DAFF Discord Server, where Solas and Ixchel talk about hope together.

The Inexorable Tide - [kittynomsdeplume]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Dirthame/Female Lavellan) | Ixchel appeared in Elvhenan in an explosion that leveled Falon’Din’s temple. Dirthamen takes her in, for she wears his vallaslin, and slowly teaches her the Elvhen language…and they fall in love.

A BEAUTIFUL GIFT from the 2021 Beyond The Veil Discord Server Satinalia Exchange

Champion- [Fenrevas | @rakshadow]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan & Female Hawke) | Rak wrote this lovely interaction for a Discord server event <3 A Boxing Club au where Ash Hawke meets Ixchel Lavellan, her new boxing instructor.

Alas’nira - [thebrain_urchin | @dalishkadan]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E (Female Lavellan/Solas) The Dalish warn their children to watch out, lest the Dread Wolf catch them. They never speak on what it would be like for the Dread Wolf to be caught instead.

Fade-Touched - [ @rosella-writes]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: M. (Dirthamen/Female Lavellan) | Dirthamen learns from his Champion to set aside study. Dirthamen (yes that one) and Ixchel bang in a magical orchard with aphrodisiac peaches.

A gift from 2022's Beyond the Veil Discord server's Masked Satinalia.

Gifts about my other OCs.

to be seen feeling - [@inquisimer] Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Mahariel/Morrigan, Mahariel, Others. Genfic!) | Duty pulls Halevune from his fragile family and the home they’ve carved in the Crossroads. In which Mahariel navigates his relationship with Morrigan, fatherhood, and the politics of the Wardens and being an elven Teryn.

The Stories We Tell - [@about2dance]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan & Dalish Male OC). Terinelan Lavellan, the First of the Lavellan Clan, explores a ruin that the Inquisitor discovered. She has worried that she's not Dalish enough, so he tells her the story of how the Clan came to accept her.

A gift from the Dragon Age FanFic server's 2024 OC Swap.

Mari Enasal - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Kieran & Male Mahariel, Male Mahariel & Merrill). Halevune shares a spooky Dalish tale with his son. Kieran has heard this one so many times that it's no longer scary.

A gift from the Dragon Age FanFic server's 2023 holiday exchange.

The Mirrorverse.

The Dragon Age Fanfic Writers Discord Server anniversary (Aug 2021) generated a bunch of crossover-type gift fis and introduced the idea of a multiverse connected by eluvians. Thus, the Mirrorverse was born.

The Bar at the End of the Multiverse - [CrackingLamb]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T | Multiple Inquisitor Lavellans wander through mysterious eluvians and find themselves at a bar for some bonding time.

The one that started it all!

i want to share your mouthful - [RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: E. (Female Lavellan/Female Lavellan, past Female Lavellan/Solas) | Virelan Lavellan post-Trespasser struggles to let go of the weight of her responsibilities as Inquisitor and mother. Ixchel helps with sparring, bathing, and some sex.

to call for hands of above (to lean on) - [RosellaWrites]. Ongoing.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Solas) | Virelan Lavellan and Solas have reunited, and now their son Tulin is coming of age. Tulin wants to take the vallaslin, knowing what it represents--but he wants Solas and Virelan to help in the ritual. Virelan doesn’t know how to ask Solas such a favor, and turns to Ixchel for some hope.

tell me if i drown - [Lalaen]. Oneshot.Complete.

Rating: M. (Male Lavellan & Female Lavellan) | Gethrael Lavellan, reeling after a horrific experience in Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts, goes to the Bar at the End of the Multiverse and runs into Ixchel.

The Brave Guide’s Friend - [@ExaltedDawn].

Rating: M. (Female Lavellan & Female Dalish OC) | When the Eluvian had appeared before her, Ixchel could have never suspected that it would lead to the loss of a friend. But when Talenna stumbled through the glass, bloodied and afraid and clutching two young children, Ixchel is forced to come to terms with the fact that she will yet again have to say goodbye to someone she loves. And in doing so, will finally repay a favor long owed.

to all who feel rain - [@inquisimer]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: G. (Female Lavellan/Female Lavellan). Neria and Ixchel share a warm drink and a moment of peace.

a butchered tongue still singing - [@RosellaWrites]. Oneshot. Complete.

Rating: T. (Male Mahariel/Morrigan, Female Mahariel/Zevran, Female Mahariel & Male Mahariel) | An eluvian connects Rhiannon Mahariel to the life of another like herself, who was also tainted by a cursed mirror.

[delphiniumblooms]

okay i figured i should put together an x-files fic masterlist. please also take this opportunity to harangue me into writing more because i have some ideas but little motivation to start (this might have to do with the fact that i haven't watched any x-files in three weeks)

anyway, here they are in order of writing. i have to mention that i started writing only having seen s1 and am now still only in the middle of s2 so these are wildly canon divergent

word count: 1101

rating: G

The part of him she loves best is his voice. She especially likes the way he says her name. ---- some reflection on mulder's sexy dulcet tones, how they get together, etc.

word count: 1181

rating: G

"Fox Mulder, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be held against you. You have the right to an attorney…"

"Scully," he whispers, and she raises an eyebrow at him. What is it?

"Agent Scully isn't an attorney," Skinner deadpans.

"I know. But you said anything I said could and would be held against me…that includes physically, doesn't it."

---

the two of them get in a little bit of trouble, but they'll get out of it okay.

word count: 2915

rating: M

"For…real? You must be joking, Mulder. We'd get at best reassigned and at worst fired." He takes his feet off the desk and turns in his swivel chair to face her. She can't read his face exactly — she thinks he's forcing himself to be calm and composed. Is he… nervous? She supposes it takes a fair amount of courage to propose marriage to your longtime coworker, but Mulder has always had courage in great abundance. "So we tell no one. You keep your name. We keep separate addresses. It's simple." --- they get secretly married!! Scully has some complex feelings about it but everything turns out okay

word count: 5879

rating: E

He's wanted her for the longest time, yearned for her body against his, her lips hot on his, his name in her breathy moans. He lets himself imagine for a moment him finally getting what he's dreamed of. But not like this. Not like this, with her pupils blown to such proportions that the blues of her eyes are but slivers, her skin hot and flushed, her mind not her own. It is not her. She is not doing this of his own volition, he realises, tearing his lips away from hers and moving to put the table between them. He has some idea now of how all those people fucked themselves to death or insanity. "Scully," he says. "Scully, look at me." She does, her hands reaching for him, a mournful, confused look on her face. "Mulder. I want you. Won't you have me?" "Not while you're high on this fucked up… sex pollen shit." --- wondered if anyone had written X-Files sex pollen fic, decided to write my own. this is like if the Midnight Oil plot from Agent Carter and Roald Dahl's Bitch and Gender Bender and Blood all had a baby together.

word count: 4108

rating: E

She is so beautiful. He plays back the pleasurable memories of last night as he takes the elevator down to street level, wetting his lips subconsciously. God, he could fuck her all day and night. He's so lucky to have her as a friend, as a fuck buddy. And one day, fate willing… they might be more. --- Mulder finds himself falling for his coworker-with-benefits, the beautiful and enigmatic Dana Scully, but he's convinced she doesn't return his feelings. Both of them drink a little too much and fuck a little too well. As we all know, you are your most honest self when drunk. Alcohol loosens lips, and loose lips can sink ships... or raise a fleet of emotions and secrets. Will they admit their true feelings to each other? Or will they only and always miss each other in the fog of drunken haziness and miscommunication?

word count: 2800

rating: T

She's already beginning to feel stir-crazy. The rooms are small. She and Mulder have one each, and they share one bathroom and one living/dining space. The ceilings are low and it feels as if the walls are closing in on them. Everything feels claustrophobic, too small for comfort. He's too close for comfort. --- The time passes — it would have passed anyway, but it is infinitely more enjoyable to pass it in each other's arms, knowing that they are loved and wanted. It is so good. The domesticity of it is so lovely, and she doesn't feel claustrophobic any more. It feels right to have him so close to her, to fall asleep next to him, to sit side by side and hold hands under the table when they eat. --- MSR, in the one-month quarantine they were put in after Firewalker

word count: 2792

rating: G

He cajoles her into posting a rather vintage-looking Polaroid shot of her he'd taken one night. She does look pretty good in it. It was a good shot. Not that she's going to tell him that.

trustno1 my muse. my touchstone.

She smiles, but doesn't like the comment.

langly_ringo23 @trustno1 coworkers do NOT talk to each other like this

She's scared for a moment that Ringo's guessed that they're together. She's halfway through typing a DM to him to beg him not to rat them out when she stops, rereads the comment, and decides to leave it.

At least he knows they're supposed to be just coworkers.

---

Fox and Dana's journey after getting together in fuck, i'm lonely, chronicled in photo posts on Scully's Instagram page.

word count: 160

rating: G

what happened in the elevator in Paper Clip!

word count: 1367

rating: G

She is here; she is safe. He's found her. He pushes away the urge to sob in relief and focuses on taking care of her, freeing her bound wrists, explaining to her how he'd found her.

---- hurt/comfort post-Irresistible, plus an important conversation about protecting each other

[lang-rangler-enjoyer]

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR STONE OCEAN OCS I'M WORKING ON MY OWN OCS AND NEED ✨INSPO✨

(esp Canada Goose he looks so FUNKY)

OK HERE WE GO :0 I don’t have too many

Canada Goose (yeah, that’s his name. legally)

•Somewhere in his late twenties. Six foot two. Chunky boi with fat tiddies. Has a large black back tattoo of the letters “BNL” in block font

•He’s a mid-to-high level ranking gangster in Sports Maxx’s gang who’s serving a reduced sentence (like Maxx, due to mafia destruction of evidence and legal tampering) for trafficking and selling hard drugs.

•He’s a natural stand user wielding Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated to BNL). BNL is a soft, squishy parasitic stand that enters the body through open wounds and travels up the bloodstream to your brain. Once it’s in your head, BNL attaches itself to your brain and can read and transmit weak electric signals. Basically, this allows Goose to hear all your thoughts and allows him to send you telepathic messages. BNL can’t do any physical damage to its host, but it’s a psychological weapon that also gives Goose a huge boost in combat, kind of like Dragon’s Dream.

•Not too smart, but then again he doesn’t need to be. He’s good at what he does, he’ll leave the thinking up to people like Maxx. He’s a good listener, he loves just hanging out and shootin’ the shit with people, maybe with a drink and a smoke too.

Viktor Rolf (like the fashion house Viktor & Rolf)

•I COULDNT NOT STEAL HIM HES SO PRETTY LOOK 👁️👁️ AT HIMM

•Mid twenties. No significant tattoos, marks, or piercings.

•Dropped out of university (majoring in English) in his second year due to burn out and personal issues. Got a “temporary” job at the prison and promised his family and friends he’d be back at university as soon as he was feeling better. It’s been at least four years and yeah, he’s starting to feel like that’s never gonna happen. Not that he likes his job at GD st., he fucking HATES it here, but he just can’t bring himself to change everything again.

•He’s cold and standoffish with most people. He doesn’t want to get close with any of his coworkers because it feels like settling in, admitting defeat, admitting he’s never going to leave. Not rude per say, just curt and withdrawn.

•Oh yeah, and he’s secretly dating Goose. He appreciates that Goose doesn’t judge or ask questions.

Dege Goose-Rolf and Skinner Goose-Rolf (like the fashion company Dege & Skinner)

Don’t ask how it happened. Goose would probably tell you, just don’t ask.

•I’m away right now and haven’t had the time to draw them more :( so these are just preliminary sketches

•The twins are weird. like those kids who show up at family gatherings and you’re not quite sure who they’re related to but your mom says you have to sit next to them even if they chew crayons and smell funny.

•They’re very close. Goose is trying his best but he is a first time single dad with no idea what he’s doing, so they sometimes have to rely on each other.

•They share the stand Beastie Boys. I haven’t figured out what it does yet 🤔

[scarletooyoroi]

" thoma , " hushed voice comes from behind , just about the corner of the nearest home , within sight of eye . light - skinner ( almost luminescent ) hand lifts to wave man over to self , tip of a singular tail following suit next to her , which she then pats downwards . can't have him knowing she's bearing excitement , after all ! " i've got nothing more to do for the rest of this day . would you like to go to dinner with me ? "

Another day of bountiful business. Those who know of Thoma can easily deduce that his time can range from midday finishing to being spent dedicated within the blankets of night. A particularly  peaceful atmosphere hangs about him like a cloak, causing that hair of his to burn golden amidst the tenor of the moonlight.

While committed as he is in ensuring Inazuma’s safety and those he cares for, there’s no denying that additional thought, welcomed like a springtime boon to flow fresh within his mind. No one could’ve ever guessed which hand could enact such blissful feelings inside of him. A sharp, striking note of those violet eyes that can blend calamity and peace seamlessly would be part of the answer, and to his surprise, the very answer that managed to catch him upon this night where the sakura petals dance with a joyful fervor.

Predictable as he’d always be, his reaction dons his heart upon the sleeve, the way his lips quirk with genuine excitement that’s (secretly) shared. “Oh! Lady Yae, a pleasant surprise to catch you this evening.” Thoma notes as the wave of her fingers successfully makes the spell to draw him over, to let their distance become more and more minuscule as the blanket of night hides another secret only for their eyes, ears and senses. Had it been just him or was her tail actively making a move?

Truthfully, he didn’t think too much of it, coining it to even the more divine appendages needing a good stretch from time to time.

What she draws with her explanation is an offer that strikes a chord of excitement within the veins. An idea manages to coalesce as the means to draw away from the pomp of a more localized outing, yet, that begs the question if she’d come to mind such a thing due to how famished she could be? Thoma laps the inside of his cheek in thought, that familiar furrow of the brow signaling that he’s brewing something. “First of all, I’d love to.“ The answer comes with that blooming form of sincerity, no different than the many times her mischief managed to let the flaming warrior draw a different brand of scarlet. Reaching for, he’d come to take the Guuji’s hand, his calloused fingertips drawing upon the fairness of her own in a fleeting moment as he peers into the eye’s of the youkai, finding a sense of peace where many would come to find chaos.

“In that case, may I welcome some options to the plate?” Whether this was a ploy to just butter her up or an act of genuine affection, she could contently make the placement. Similar to a few instances before, he’d draw her hand close, allowing the warm security of his lips to dote a kiss upon her knuckles in order to complete a more... personalized greeting that burgeoning courage and their teasing formed. A lively beat of the heart never fails to rocket energy and serenity through his being in these fleeting moments.

“We can certainly work our way into seats at Uyuu’s restaurant, that I have no doubt. ..On the other hand, I’d like to open of thought of cooking for you too. Just to sweeten that part of the deal, I can certainly make one of your favorites if that’s what you wish.”

@guujieh

[yanderes-galore]

yeah but what about Hank w/ a Mag/G0l3m darling 👀 I'd love to see if you have anything to add because I've been having brain rot about it

Large Darling Good- Anyways I decided to focus on G03LM! Darling as they aren't too big but still pretty large. I focus on regular Hank, not Mag Hank in this.

I struggled, ngl, lol

Yandere! Hank J. Wimbleton with G03LM! Darling

Short Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Forced relationship.

- Being a G03LM unit, you are large, armored, and strong.

- Nothing Hank can't deal with.

- He'd probably be obsessed with you in the same way he would with any other Darling.

- You just happen to be a lot bigger.

- For this concept I'll say you're a G03LM just living life in Nevada, similar to Gil, Goyle, Skinner, etc.

- That way when you two meet it's not in a violent way like if you worked under Phobos or something.

- It gives him time to grow obsessed with you.

- In fact, he may think that extra strength of yours is useful.

- I won't go too much into how you two meet as that can be up to you :)

- Hank would have a harder time manipulating you with force, but overall he's usually the same as in the regular Yandere concept.

- He probably secretly likes your size.

- May not express it verbally but he loves it when you pick him up.

- You may be strong but he's still protective over you.

- Even more so if you're one of the more docile G03LMs.

- You're just a gentle giant being followed around by a vicious assassin.

- One that would rather see the world burn than harm you.

- Hank may not be the domestic type himself, but he'd love a G03LM that's just affectionate and nice.

- You're so big... yet so soft.

- Expect Hank to cling to you when he isn't committing violence.

- He just loves to wrap his arms around your larger body, placing mock kisses to your face just to see you smile.

- He would rather keep you away from Deimos and Sanford in case they try to harm you.

- Hank will remain rather calm if you're nice and reciprocate his affection.

- You just need to hold him close like you adore him....

- If you don't reciprocate then he may resort to stalking.

- Just before plotting how to capture you....

- Even if you are bigger than him doesn't mean he won't try to kidnap you.

- You may have some sort of advantage, but he's taken down large foes before.

- If you push Hank far enough into his obsession, you'll find yourself overwhelmed and in chains.

- This happens faster if you are one of the more aggressive G03LMs.

- You're unhappy, pulling at your restraints while Hank stands and stares.

- He then slowly approaches your blindfolded form, you shaking at the unfamiliarity.

- He adores you, your size, and your strength....

- There's no need to be scared, he just wants to care for you.

[atths--twice]

Birthday Surprises

Scully enjoys a morning with Rachel, Faith, and the twins, while a happy plan is secretly carried out. Number 45 in the Family Life Series 

This one is for my bestie on her birthday...

Playtime Gym March 22, 2022

“Mama! Mama! See me! Watch! Raycho! Watch me!” Faith called as she waved to them from the top of the indoor play structure, her eyes extra blue above the pink and gray kitty mask that she wore.

“We see you, love,” Scully said, waving to her from their spot on the floor. She smiled at her, though it could not be seen behind her own black mask with a mini solar system upon it, Jacob sitting on her crossed legs.

“It was a good idea to come today, although I wasn’t entirely keen at first, but Walter was insistent. I’m glad the instructors were okay with her being in the class with the babies,” Rachel said, Elizabeth braced against her own crossed legs, as she waved to Faith.  

“It was a good idea,” Scully agreed. “Especially as the weather has been so poor the past few days. Faith loves the rain and going on a puddle hunt after, but I can only do that so many times before it’s rather… tedious. And wet.” Scully chuckled as she shook her head. “Getting out and coming here was a much better option.”

“Agreed,” Rachel nodded, adjusting her purple tie-dyed mask and looking at Jacob.

“Here I go! Watch me!” Faith called and they both turned to watch her sit and slide down the long slide and land on her feet. Her long ponytails bounced on the sides of her head as she ran over to them. “Did you see me?”

“I did my love,” Scully said, touching her forehead to Faith’s. “You went very fast.”

“Yup! I did. Did you see me Jacob? It was fast and fun. But you too small to go on the slide. You and Liz Beth have to stay with Mama and Raycho,” Faith said, bending down to look at him and tickling his knee, as he squealed and waved his hands around.  

Scully smiled at her as she stood up again, turning and running back to the play structure.

A handful of women, and one man, were sitting on the floor of the baby gym like she and Rachel were, their babies sitting with them. Some were able to sit alone and even crawl, but most were still in need of assistance.

Two other children, siblings of the babies and no older than three, were running around, jumping on a large trampoline, climbing up the climbing wall, and playing on the large play structure.

The class generally was only for infants, the older children having a class of their own after the babies, but seeing as it was a small group, the owner welcomed the others to join them. Faith was having a fantastic time, seeing so many babies and also having friends to chase around.  

“I’m so happy to have found this place,” Rachel said. “Walter and I came two weeks ago and it was so much fun. The twins slept so well after, I’m really hoping it happens again.”

Scully laughed and laid her cheek on Jacobs’s head, holding him tighter, secretly planning for the exact same outcome from them this afternoon.

“Yes, sleep is always good. I’m sure this will tire Faith out, too. Plus, it’s good for her to be around other children her own age.”

“Speaking of which, have you and Fox decided on preschool yet?” Rachel asked and Scully sighed, raising her head and nodding.

“Yeah. There is one near our house that’s accepting applications. They’re having an open house in two weeks, so we’re going to check it out. And this would be where I ask if you and Skinner could watch Faith for the afternoon? Give us a chance to see it then go for lunch after to discuss it?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course we can. Walter will love that and so will the babies and Faith.” Rachel’s eyes crinkled as she smiled behind her mask and Scully nodded her thanks.

“Okay! We’ve got about five more minutes for the infant class! Let’s all meet on the circle rug for the dancing parachute,” the instructor said, a sweet, bubbly young blonde woman.

Everyone stood up and moved to the large circle rug in the middle of the room, sitting down spaced a ways apart. Faith ran over and sat between Scully and Rachel, her legs straight out and toes wiggling in her rainbow socks.

“I’m so ehsited,” she said in a whisper and Rachel shook her head as she stared down at her then flicked her eyes to Scully.

“She is just…” She shook her head again, rubbing Faith’s back gently.

“Okay everyone! Here we go!”

A large rainbow parachute was brought out and laid on the carpet, stretched out by the parents. Large plastic balls were dumped from a laundry basket and scattered along the parachute.

“Ohhh,” Faith squealed as music began to play and the adults held the handles of the parachute, shaking it like a wave and making the balls roll around and bounce. She held onto the parachute too, giggling as she watched them moving around.

“I am so in love with her,” Rachel said and Scully laughed, holding the parachute and shaking it gently as she rubbed Jacob’s chubby baby belly.

“I feel the same about these two,” she replied, glancing at Elizabeth and watching her eyes widen, her hands opening and closing.

The balls were collected after a couple of minutes, Faith and the other children running across the parachute to help put them into the basket.

“Do you all see Miss Faith’s socks?” the instructor asked. “They are the same colors as the parachute! Such beautiful rainbow colors!”

Faith’s eyes shone as she came back to Scully, sitting beside her and holding her hand, something she did sometimes when she felt shy. Scully squeezed gently and Faith squeezed back.

“Okay grownups! Now for my favorite part! Everyone grab a piece of parachute and lift as high as you can! One, two, three!”

They all did and the parachute shot up high and floated back down slowly. Faith let go of Scully’s hand and stood up, running under the parachute as it was lifted again. The two other children joined her and they laughed as the parachute came down again.

Some of the older babies crawled to the center of the circle, everyone laughing as they watched them.

A couple minutes more and it was time to say goodbye to the parachute and one another. They sang a goodbye song and Faith clapped along, bobbing her head from side to side. Scully clapped Jacob’s pudgy hands and Rachel did the same with Elizabeth’s.

Everyone said goodbye and left to the viewing area, gathering bags, shoes, and backpacks. Faith stayed in the play area, ready for her class, as Scully and Rachel put on their shoes.

“Faithy, my love? I want you to come and use the bathroom, okay? Slide your rain boots on and come with me. I’ll change Jacob’s diaper at the same time.”

Faith did as told and they went into the bathroom together. She told her how much she loved being there as she sat on the toilet and Scully smiled, changing Jacob’s diaper and tossing the dirty one into the trash can.

“I’m glad you’re having fun, my love. Flush the toilet and wash your hands.”

Each of them washed their hands and came out of the bathroom. Faith ran back into the play area after quickly removing her rain boots.

“All clean,” Scully said, buckling Jacob into the double stroller beside Elizabeth, who was chewing on her plastic giraffe. She handed him his own plastic elephant and he immediately bit its ear.

“Thanks, Dana. I really appreciate all the help today.”

“As always, it’s my pleasure,” she said, nodding at her.

“That’s a mother’s room there,” Rachel said, pointing to a room at the end of the viewing area. “I thought I could make it before we headed back, but I need to pump. Would you mind keeping an eye on them?”

“As if you have to ask,” Scully said, jutting her chin out toward the room. “You go ahead. We’ll be here.”

Rachel nodded, grabbed her bag and went into the room, closing the door behind her. Scully smiled as she looked at Faith swinging on the low monkey bars. Other children were now entering the play area, their parents sitting down on the long padded benches and chatting with one another.

Glancing back at the room Rachel was currently in, Scully took out her phone, opened her message app, and typed out a message to Mulder.

How’s it going?

She waited as she watched the three dots appear, knowing he had been waiting to hear from her.

Nearly done. How much longer do you figure?

Faith’s class is starting now. It’s twenty five minutes long, so I’d say… about forty five minutes?

Sounds good.

Rachel is pumping and the twins should fall asleep on the way back and hopefully stay asleep. Don’t think Faith will be tired yet, but she may be a little bit later.

Ha! She won’t be and you know it. She’ll be much too excited.

That’s true. But it’s all falling into place, just as I had hoped.

And secretly planned.

Absolutely.

Relentless.

Smart.

Sexy.

Stop.  

She smiled as she shook her head and waited for his reply, her cheeks feeling warm.

Damn that man…

Take some pictures for me. See you soon. 💋

Forty five minutes… plus or minus 💋

She looked at the twins still happily chewing on their toys and then at Faith who was sitting with the other children on the circle rug, listening raptly to the instructor.

Snapping some pictures and sending them to Mulder, she pushed the stroller up and down the viewing area when Jacob began to get fussy. He quieted when they moved and the music for Faith’s class began to play.

Twenty minutes later, Rachel had rejoined her and they were smiling and laughing as they watched Faith waiting in line for the zipline ride. She reached up and held on tight, squealing with excitement as she flew to the other side and the other instructor caught her.

“That was fun!” she yelled and danced around happily. “Mama! Raycho! Did you see me flying?”

“We did!” Scully exclaimed, sticking her hand out for a high five, reaching across the long counter. Faith hit her hand and then ran to get back in line.

When the class was over, she ran out to them, showing off the stamp she had received- a blue ink ice cream cone. She talked excitedly as she put on her rain boots, pushing her now messy pigtails out of her eyes.

“I had so much fun, Mama!”

“Good, my love. We’re going to go to Rachel and Uncle’s house now. Do you need to go to the bathroom before we leave?”

“Uh uh,” she said, shaking her head.

“Okay, well let’s just wash your hands and we can get going.”

Hands washed, goodbyes and thank yous said once again, they went out to the car.

It was new, one Skinner and Rachel had bought last month, trading his car for a larger one, knowing it would be needed soon. All three car seats could fit on the middle row, Skinner proudly showing them when they’d had dinner one night, Mulder teasing him but actually impressed and touched.

Rachel put the stroller in the back as Scully buckled in Jacob and Faith, giving her her water bottle and a cup of goldfish crackers. Taking off Faith’s mask, Scully put it into her pocket, rubbing Faith’s leg.

“The babies can’t-”

“I know, Mama. They can’t eat the crackers. I won’t share.”

“Good. That’s a good girl.”

Taking off her own mask, Scully quickly sent a message to Mulder and then closed the door, before getting into the passenger seat. Rachel joined her, setting her mask in the cup holder and starting the car. Scully hid a smile behind her hand as they began to drive back to the house.

They were all quiet. The twins had fallen asleep as planned and Faith was eating her snack, when they pulled into the driveway.

“Yay! We here,” Faith sang out and Scully turned to look at her.

“Shh, honey,” she whispered. “The babies are sleeping.”

“Ohh. Sorry babies,” she whispered. “We here.” Rachel smiled as she shut off the car, glancing back at her.

“It’s okay, Faithy. Those babies sleep hard, they won’t wake up. Well, hopefully not anyway.”

Yeah, hopefully, Scully thought, her stomach suddenly nervous with excitement.

“Let me get Faith and then we’ll each take a car seat out carefully. We can get the bags and stuff after we get them inside.”

“Okay.”

Faith was unbuckled and released from the car. She sang a song softly as she headed toward the walkway. They each took out a car seat, walking quietly toward the front door, Scully’s stomach feeling even more excited.

Rachel used her key and unlocked the door, letting Faith and Scully enter first. At Faith’s loud gasp, Mulder quickly grabbed her and covered her mouth, quietly telling her shhh in her ear.  

Rachel closed and locked the door softly, following them in, saying she really hoped the babies would stay asleep when they transferred them to their cribs.

Setting her keys down onto the table by the door, she turned and gasped as Faith had done, stopping short in the entrance to the living room.

“Surprise!” the small group of people standing inside the house said in a whisper shout and Rachel covered her mouth with the hand not holding the handle of the car seat.

Scully smiled as she watched Rachel’s reaction, handing Mulder the car seat holding Elizabeth and taking the other car seat from Rachel.

“Happy birthday,” the group said, whispering again. Faith, now on the ground, jumped up and down with a grin as she looked at the decorations in the room.

“I can’t believe this… I had no idea…” Rachel said softly, with tears in her eyes. Skinner laughed, coming closer to take her hand and pull her further into the room.

“That was kind of the idea, honey,” he teased, kissing her cheek and smiling at her. “Why we kept it low key this morning and why you had to go to the baby class today.”

“You clever, sneaky man,” she said, cupping his cheek and smiling, the others laughing softly.

About fifteen people were there, friends and family who had come to celebrate Rachel’s birthday. Her mother Vivian, Howard and Betty, a few close friends and one who had flown in from Washington state, not having seen Rachel in person in years. Every one of them had been vaccinated, boosted, and had a clean bill of health, safety being the number one concern.

Mulder and Scully took the twins upstairs as everyone began saying hello and exchanging hugs. They expertly removed them from their car seats and bounced them gently, before laying them down with a pacifier. They watched them for a minute, waiting until they were sure they were sleeping soundly, then they left the room and closed the door.

“Hey,” Mulder said, snagging the back of her sweater, pulling her to him, and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Hey yourself,” she said quietly, threading her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

“I missed you,” he whispered and she laughed breathily.

“Missed me? You saw me three hours ago,” she said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

“And?”

“Just kiss me,” she whispered with a chuckle, and he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly three times before pulling away and taking her hand, leading her down the stairs.

Skinner met their eyes when they walked into the living room, eyebrows raised in a silent question. They nodded back and he smiled his thanks as Faith wrapped her arms around his leg. He looked down and swooped her up, setting her onto his left shoulder as she laughed and held onto his head.

A luncheon, prepared by Howard, and a beautiful layered cake made by Betty, sat on the dining room table as did plates, utensils, and napkins. Drinks were in the kitchen: lemonade in a large dispenser with ice and slices of lemons and limes, ice water in pitchers, and bottles of white and red wine.

They all filled their plates, got their drinks, and went to sit outside at the tables set up under the large pop up canopy. The weather was cool, but not raining. Rachel kept looking at everyone and shaking her head with a huge grin, so happy to see them.

Stories were told, laughter echoing in the yard. The food was exclaimed over as cups were refilled.

Faith flitted from table to table, talking with people, telling them about her day, especially the zipline and how she had flown so fast. Everyone was enraptured with her, especially Howard who was showing her magic tricks, his big booming laugh heard over all the others as Faith’s mouth dropped open and she asked him to do it again.

Mulder took Scully’s hand, threading his fingers with hers and squeezing. She turned to look at him, but found that he was looking past her, just over her shoulder.

“What are you looking at?” she asked him softly.

“The same thing I see every time we’re out here,” he answered with a smile.

“Which is what?”

“You and me. Dancing at our wedding dinner.” He squeezed her hand and she grinned.

“Every time, Mulder?” she teased and he nodded.

“Yup,” he said, leaning close to kiss the side of her neck, humming a song they had danced to that night.

“Such a softie,” she whispered and he hummed a laugh, not bothering to deny it, kissing her neck again.

“Daddy!” Faith said, pushing between them as she climbed into his lap. “I flied on the zipline today!”

“You did? I hadn’t heard that, tell me about it,” he said, holding her and then inhaling sharply as he moved her knee away from his crotch with a grimace.

Scully laughed softly, as Faith began to describe the fun she’d had that day. Glancing at the baby monitor in front of her, seeing both babies still sleeping, she rose to her feet to get another drink. She took Mulder’s cup, asking with a tilt of her head if he would like a refill.

“Lemonade,” he said with a nod.

“Me too, Mama. It’s yummy.”

Scully chuckled, kissed Faith’s head as she passed, and walked into the kitchen. Deciding to use the bathroom first, she left the cups by the sink. When she came back, Rachel was refilling her own cup and turned to Scully with a huge smile.

“Dana,” she said, setting her cup down and pulling Scully in for a hug. “Thank you so much. Walter said a lot of this was your idea.”

“Oh,” Scully said, hugging her back. “He’s being modest. Most of it was his, I just weaved in and out with some thoughts.”

“Still,” Rachel said, pulling back and holding onto her upper arms, squeezing them gently. “You helped and I’m thankful. Thankful for the friendship I’ve found in you… and Fox. And sweet Faith. Who would ever have known all those years ago that we would end up here? Literally.” She gestured around the kitchen and Scully laughed with a nod.

“No one could have foreseen this outcome, but I’m thankful everyday for it, just as you are,” Scully assured her, squeezing her hand.

“I am truly blessed to have the life I have,” Rachel said softly, wiping at her eyes, as Scully pulled her in for another hug.

Plates were cleared away and everyone came inside to sing happy birthday. Rachel was handed a single piece of cake which held the candle for her to blow out. Other slices were cut and distributed, everyone humming as they ate, proclaiming it delicious.

The babies woke up with a cry and Mulder and Scully went to get them, changing and then dressing them in the surprise outfits Skinner had purchased: matching blue and pink bodysuits with a festive cake and the words Happy Birthday written on them.

Rachel smiled and kissed each of them when she saw the outfits, then Skinner, thanking him as everyone gushed over the babies.

Many hands were available to feed and then hold them, Howard somehow getting the most time. He sat on the couch, holding them both on his lap, making faces until they laughed big belly laughs and Faith clambered up next to him, determined to get the same reaction from her beloved babies.

After a while, once Rachel had opened her gifts and the kitchen had been cleaned, people began to take their leave. Vivian was walking and rocking Elizabeth, singing softly to her as Faith lay on the floor next to Jacob, both of them on their bellies, as she showed him one of the books she had brought down from the bookcase upstairs.

“See, Jacob? That’s a tiger. Him say grrrrr!” she said with a deep growl and Jacob gurgled in response.

Scully smiled as she watched them interact, even as she felt the usual pang of remorse that bubbled to the surface against her will. Taking a deep breath, she forced the thought away and focused on the present.

“This one is a soth… a loth… Mama? What is this aminal?”

Scully smiled at her mispronunciation and knelt down beside her.

“That’s a sloth, love. Sl..oth.”

“Ssss…lll…oth, right. It’s a sssloth, Jacob. You see? Him say… Mama, what sound does a sssloth say?”

“You know, I don’t really know. But I do know they move very sss… looooow… ly,” she said, moving her head and hands slowly, causing Faith to laugh.

“I like the soth. No, the sloth,” Faith said, looking at the picture.

“Me too,” Scully agreed, kissing the top of Faith’s head.

When only Vivian was left, Scully and Mulder began to gather their things to leave. Faith put the books back that she had taken out and brought one more down, holding it close to her chest.

“I like this book. I have it?” she asked Scully.

“You would like to borrow it? Take it home for a little while and then bring it back?”

“Okay!” Faith said happily and Scully laughed.

“You need to ask Uncle and Rachel.”

Faith bounded off and Scully knew she would not be turned down, but she still needed to get approval before simply taking it.

Skinner carried her upside down into the living room, the book held tightly in her hands as she giggled.

“This one says she wants to start a lending library,” he said, shaking her slightly and making her laugh harder.

“If you don’t mind.” Scully smiled and he shook his head.

“Nah. She can take it with her.” He flipped Faith over quickly, standing her on her feet, and she squealed in surprise.

“We’ll bring it back in a couple of weeks.”

“No rush. The twins have already read that book and given us a full report on it.” He winked and Scully laughed, squeezing his forearm.

Faith said goodbye, hugging Rachel and Skinner, thanking them for the book. They wished Rachel a happy birthday once more and walked out to the car.

Faith looked at her book, talking about the pictures she saw, until her head began to fall forward and then back, landing on the side of her car seat, her hair covering her face, as she succumbed to sleep.

“She’s had a busy day,” Mulder said, smiling as he watched her in the rear view mirror.

“She has,” Scully agreed, looking back at her. “She’ll most likely be a little grouchy later, but it was worth it for one day.”

“Always,” he said, turning on the radio, smiling at her with a wink.

She smiled back when she recognized a song they had danced to at their wedding dinner, knowing he must have had it queued up before they left the house. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

“Such a softie,” she whispered and he nodded, kissing her knuckles again.

“And you love it.”

She did not answer, but smiled in agreement as he hummed the tune of the song and rubbed his lips softly across her knuckles as she sighed contentedly.

She did love it.

So very much.

[thescullyphile]

Names

Established MSR (oh and I'm taking prompts if anyone has any :))

The stakeout- if it could even be called that- had gone on for way too long, by Scully’s estimation. Eight hours, spent in a car with cracked pleather seats and Mulder’s questionable taste in music, had forced Scully to drastic and dire measures. As much as she loved him, standing Mulder’s Elvis impersonation one more time very well might be out of her powers. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Hey, Mulder,” He looks at her like he is expecting a scolding, which makes Scully feel a little guilty, but she counts what is coming as reparations. “Do you want to play a game?”

Mulder looks at her in surprise. “Uh, sure. What did you have in mind?”

Scully shrugs, running her fingertips along the seam of her seat. They catch on the split fabric, a distraction from how badly she wants to hold his hand. She softens unexpectedly, something that’s been happening more and more often when it’s just the two of them. “You can pick, actually, I just don’t want to hear Elvis anymore.”

Mulder screws up his face like he is about to impersonate The King again, but he seems to think better of it and stops himself. His head lolls against the seat as he turns to look at her, and Scully mirrors him, annoyance fading quickly. Who could stay mad at a face like that?

“There was this game that Sam and I used to play. We’d call each other every name we could think of, then, once we ran out, we’d make up the funniest imaginary ones we could.”

Scully tilts her head quizzically. “No offense, Mulder, but I don’t think calling you names counts as a game. I can do that all on my own.” She smiles, tightlipped and cheeky, up at him. Her eyes glimmer dimly, the only light a streetlamp at the corner of the block.

Mulder stretches and moves in his seat to face her better. “Oh really? And what would you call me?”

“Well, I call you Mulder on the Bureau’s time, but I can think of some other things I’d like to call you on my own time.”

“Honey?”

“Hm?”

“No, would you call me honey on your own time?”

He’s teasing her now, looking at her with that microexpression that Scully knows well as ‘lovestruck.’

“Maybe.”

“Baby?”

“If you’re lucky.”

“My love?”

Scully cracks a grin at that one. “I actually just thought of a really cheesy response to that. You want to hear it?”

Mulder props his elbow on the center console and rests his chin on his hand. “I’m all ears.”

Scully leans in dramatically, his little co-conspirator. “I don’t call you my love, you are my love.”

That earns her a delighted chuff, and Mulder pinches her cheek like a little grandmother has inhabited his body. “That was awful. I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” They’re way too close now, in the dark, to claim any pretense of helpful investigation. Scully holds his eyes for a long moment, distracted by the sight of him, and is caught off guard when he backs away.

“Sorry,” Mulder smiles ruefully, “I didn’t think Skinner would appreciate having to bail us out for public indecency, and I’m not saying that’s where my thoughts were going, but…”

Scully places her hand palm-up on the center console, asking for his hand and making no other advances. “Mm, since when did you become so responsible?”

Mulder places his hand in hers but lets the question hang in the air, unanswered, as they turn their attention back to the warehouse they are supposed to have been watching the whole time. A few minutes later and he has apparently recovered his irresponsible spirit. “What about kitten?”

She is incredulous in response. “Kitten?”

“Not good enough? Bunny? Monkey? Turtle?”

She presses her lips together and creases her brow at his worsening suggestions. “And here I was thinking we were Moose and Squirrel.” He has to applaud her for the straight-faced manner in which she answers him, knowing now how much he secretly amuses her.

They’re still holding hands, and her thumb crosses his knuckles back and forth. He sneaks a look at her from the corner of his eye, and finding her attention on him already, decides to bite the bullet.

“What about Fox?” He asks softly.

Her eyes were already on him, but they lock in intently at his question. “I can call you that if you like.”

He doesn’t meet her gaze, keeping it trained on the streetlamp’s glow. “Sometimes, I don’t think I’d mind hearing you say it.” His voice is quiet, reflective like the light in his blown out pupils. “Sometimes.” He repeats himself, but Scully doesn’t have to ask why.

A stakeout car isn’t really the best place to have this conversation, but Scully understands anyways. That’s one of the things he loves about her, his thinker. Things don’t have to be practical or convenient. She’ll take his abstract thoughts and rambles and connect them into something understandable, something human.

“Is right now a ‘sometime?’” Her hand has stilled against his.

“Mmm. Do you want to find out?”

“I don’t know, Fox. Do you?”

Mulder lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, finally turning to look her in the eyes. “It sounds different than I remembered, coming from you.”

“What are you thinking?”

“It hurts less than it used to.”

Scully closes the distance between them, pressing a gentling kiss to his lips. Nothing else needs to be said, at least not now. She pulls away and it’s like nothing ever happened, except everything has changed. He’s not just her Mulder. Now, he gets to be her Fox too.

[misslilli]

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 55 - Felix's Pro And Con List

[ Felix ]

Waking up the next morning, it's still dark out and awfully cold when I stretch my toes out of my blanket, so I stay snuggled under my warm blanket with my bunny for a while, thinking.

My mixed emotions from last night cleared up a bit after a good night's sleep, but I still have that Pro and Con list to make. Since I can't spell to save my life, I need to make it in my head. Not even something important like this would make me get out of my warm and cozy bed anyway.

I start with the Cons, maybe I'll need the Pros to make me feel better afterwards, you never know. I already tested out the waters yesterday, I wasn't actually that thirsty, but I couldn't sleep anyway and didn't want to miss out on the fun downstairs. Hee. Miss Scully was in our house, on our couch, and her things were right next to ours - who am I kidding with that list, I'm already loving it! But I made a promise to myself, so here goes.

Con:

They lied to me

That's a pretty big one, one that gives me a bad feeling in my tummy, I need to be able to trust my dad not to do it again, it was just too awful! I make a mental note to talk about it over breakfast with him, so he never ever does it again. I'm not a baby anymore, I'm almost all grown up after all!

Will this mean I get a lot less of Dad's time now?

I'm terrified that this will mean they want to be alone all the time now and I'll be shipped off to the Skinner's or Suzie's a lot more often, so they can do all the fun things on their own, without including me in their plans. The thought of being left out is so terrible, I have to hug my bunny real tight so I don’t cry, like a big baby. I hate that.

What if it doesn't work out?

Things go wrong all the time and I know how horrible it is when two people split up, especially for me. As a kid, I don't have much say in what happens and I hated it at first, that I only get to spend every other weekend with Mom. Now, I don't know anymore, sometimes I have such a horrible time, I'm secretly glad that it's only three days. Anyway, if things go south, it'll be really bad for both Dad and me, I don't think I'll get visitation rights with Miss Scully and school will become an awfully awkward place.

This is exactly why I'm dead set on butting in, trying to help him do the right thing, even though I can tell he's getting kind of tired of it. I can't help myself though, I need this to work out for very selfish reasons.

The last point of my Con list is the one I’m scared most of thinking about and the one that makes me very anxious, for many reasons.

Mom

After what happened on Christmas, I’m worried about her reaction when she finds out that Dad has a new girlfriend and I really hope I don’t slip up one werkend and tell her. She can be so mean when she wants to be, what if she hates me because I actually like Miss Scully and spending time with her? From the way her face twists and she stops talking whenever I told her a story about my recesses, I can tell she already hates Miss Scully, so I stopped talking about her in front of Mom, I don’t want to make her mad at me.

I do feel really bad after thinking about all of this, I really should start on the Pros before I start crying for real.

Pros

Getting to spend a lot more time with Miss Scully

I think this is the biggest Pro of all and it immediately makes me feel better when I start to imagine all the things we're going to do outside of school, so exciting! That’s another very long list, there's so many things I need to show her, like the huge puzzle I'm doing right now, one that's actually for older kids. Eek, I can't wait!

Dad is really happy

For me, that's almost as important as the first point, a happy Dad equals a happy Felix and not just because he lets a lot more things slide when it comes to me when he’s in a good mood. He's an awesome guy and he deserves all the happiness in the world.

I get more hugs and cuddles

I'm very fond of this last addition to my Pro list, you can never have too many hugs and cuddles in my book!

There's one last thing that actually belongs on top of the Pro list, something that I've wanted ever since I was little and never thought I'd get a chance of getting. It's so wonderful, I'm scared to even think it just in case I jinx it, like when you see a shooting star, you're not supposed to tell anyone what you've wished for or it won't come true. I'll just secretly keep wishing for it, with every shooting star and birthday cake candles and eyelashes and whatever else you can make a wish on.

I've inherited Dad's memory thing where you can see things in your head like looking at a picture, so I take a good long look at my list. Technically, there are more Cons than Pros on it but I think every Pro counts for a thousand Cons.

Satisfied with my decision, there's still a few things I need to talk to Dad about so I grab my bunny for support and jump out of bed to head down for breakfast.

————

[ DS ]

Unbeknownst to us, the news about our relationship has skipped two towns over during the night, traveling from the teenager handing out popcorn to friends, cousins, grandmothers, everyone but the damn dog. Spreading like wildfire through our own hometown.

Sitting in church right before Mass the next day, appropriately adorned in a long-sleeved, turtle-neck dress, I wonder why there's such a commotion among the congregation, hushed whispers behind hands, turned heads and curious stares. What is going on?

During the endless sermon, my mind drifts back to last night and somehow it feels like Father Mortimer is looking directly at me during his sermon at the sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality part of the sin-list. Blushing, I slink a little lower in my seat with flaming cheeks. Oh, Catholic shame, awesome. I'm not as conservative as my big brother, however, who really believed he'd burn in hell if he had any relations out of wedlock. I can hardly wait a few more days, if that means a free ride to hell, so be it, I wouldn't know many people in heaven anyway.

The thought that the buzz in the church is actually because of me and my current relationship status doesn't even cross my mind once, I'm not used to being the hot topic of the day of our town's gossip mill.

It is only when Miss Hannigan sidles up to me with a sly grin at the brunch afterwards that I realize that all the looks actually were directed at me.

"I'm so happy our favorite teacher finally found herself a Squeeze" Miss Hannigan puts it in her usual not-so delicate words, giggling behind her hand like a little schoolgirl in-between her gushing. "And he's such a handsome man, too, oh to be so young again, I wouldn't say no to that body either. Your kids are going to be so beautiful!" Mhh delightful!

Forcing a smile onto my face, I nod uncomfortably, groaning inwardly as the congregation parades me around the room for hugs and congratulations like a circus pony, with a few juicy bits of advice on how to keep a man happy. I know they mean well but it feels like being punished for every sin I've ever committed and if the wrath of God should strike me anytime soon, please do it now so I can get out of this uncomfortable brunch.

————

[ FM ]

Felix is awfully quiet during our breakfast, pushing his Fruit Loops around in his bowls for so long, they must already be disgustingly soggy. I'm a little afraid he changed his mind and woke up upset with the whole situation, I have no idea what I'll do if he tells me he's actually not okay with it.

"Hey Dad?," he looks up from his soggy Fruit Loops bowl with a thoughtful expression on his face, head tilted sideways as if he's trying to think up a way to start the conversation. "Why did you lie to me?" Oh alright, we'll start with the easy one.

"I'm sorry, Fe. I felt terrible about lying to you, to be honest, and about keeping a secret from you but we did it to protect you from getting hurt if it didn't work out between Miss Scully and I. Does that make sense?" He considers this for a moment, making a face at his ruined breakfast and finally, he nods slowly.

"Yeah, I guess… still, I hated it! Don't ever do it again, okay? I'm not a baby anymore Dad, I'm seven and I don't want to feel left out like that again! It's a yucky feeling…" At my reassurance to be honest to him, he looks a little relieved and he jumps right into the next point on his mind.

"Will you guys have any time left to spend with me?" It almost breaks my heart, how little he sounds when he voices his concern, looking across the table at me with anxiously rounded eyes.

"Of course we will, I'll always have time for you and there's so many fun things we can all do together, one day. And there'll also be times when we'd like to spend some time alone, but if you ever feel too left out, you need to tell me, promise?" Nodding his agreement again, his whole demeanor changes at lightning speed only kids manage and he's clapping his hands together excitedly, almost stumbling over his thoughts.

"Oh goody, because I already have so many things planned we really need to do, like ice-skating and snowman-building and movie nights and game nights and-" He takes a big breath before continuing his list. "soccer games and birthday parties and the Farmer's Market and IHOP and-" I know him well enough by now to know if I don't interrupt him now, we'll still be sitting here a week from now, with his long list of plans. He's so adorable, in all his exuberance, I just want to squeeze his flushed cheeks and tell him how amazing he is, but still, he's moving a bit too fast.

"Slow down, Felix, we can do all these things one day, so keep that list in your mind." Eyes shining, he reaches over to pat my hand frantically, beside himself with glee at all the possibilities in his head.

"Yes! Can we invite her to movie night tonight? Pleaaaaase? Can we? Can we?" I love how he's handing all this, and his pleading eyes almost get me to cave in to his insistent questions.

"I'm sure she'd love to come to movie night, but it's been an eventful weekend, let's just give her some space to process okay? We'll invite her one day, I promise."

Giving me his best pout, he seems to concede for now, which gives me an opening to distract him with our Sunday plans.

"Baking cupcakes? Really?? Oooh I love cupcakes! Can I lick the bowl? And the beaters too?"

————

[ Holly ]

"So long story short, after that, my cleverly thought-out plans for how we were going to spend the night pretty much went up in flames…," D concludes her recount of last night's events with a nonchalant shrug that's so fake, it almost makes me laugh out loud. If I were interrupted during that, I'd have gone up in flames myself.

"Still no sexy times?"

"Mhhno, wasn't the right time or the right place…," she trails off, picking on the label of her water bottle, a tell-tale sign of what's going on in her mind.

"Nervous about the night it finally happens?" The blush on her cheeks and the sharp exhale are answer enough for me, I know exactly how nerve-wracking the time before the first time can be.

"Jesus Christ, yes! I can't even focus on anything else, look at this!" Exasperated, she holds up the snowman craft she's trying to prepare for art class, that looks more like a Picasso painting than anything remotely presentable. Oh boy, she must have it bad.

"Listen… maybe it's good, maybe it's abysmally fucking horrible the first time, you can't plan that, but you can plan other stuff. Like … what are you going to wear?" Picking apart the botched snowman, she shrugs again and I'm not buying that either, she's far too list-making, prepared-for-all-possible-scenarios, back-up-plan-for-the-backup-plan to not have an outfit picked out in her head.

"I don't know … I've already worn the dress I had on my mind, so I guess I'll have to find something else…" Sweet child, that's not the important part to plan out.

"I'm not talking about the dress, D. I'm talking about what you're going to wear underneath!" I snicker at her slack-jawed, open-mouthed dumbfounded expression and I know why, I've done enough loads of laundry to know she's never set foot in a proper lingerie store. I've been dying to corrupt our little good Catholic duckling into trying some things on at La Perla or Agent Provocateur, I can just imagine the blush on her face at their selection.

"I'm sure whatever she'll wear will be fine with him!," Alex interjects, taking over fixing the snowman that will never get done properly otherwise. I roll my eyes at her, they're all so frustratingly clueless sometimes.

"It's not about him, it's about making you feel good about yourself in one of those sinfully expensive nothingnesses. If it makes his eyes pop out of his head as a result, that's just the cherry on top! Go get your things girls, we have some shopping to do!"

-------

~ I'm having a hard time deciding whether to write out the lingerie store scene or leave it to reader's imagination. Thoughts, anyone? 😊

[delightfullysubatomic]

A Nice interview about winning the Perrier

Before winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award, what was the best thing you had ever won?

My dad threw himself into fancy dress parties for his offspring so me and my brother picked up a fair bit of silverware when we were kids. My brother won as Mr Strong and Hickory Dickory Dock and I think I won as a potato. Once the fancy dress stuff dried up, I had a barren spell for about 20 years. That was broken when I won the comedy award.

Of the other nominees on your shortlist, can you name one act you’d have been perfectly happy to see winning instead of you?

I think ‘perfectly happy’ would have been overstating it. But I wouldn’t have minded too much if Jon Richardson had pinched it. I like Jon and I’d gone onto his radio show a few times during the festival and we’d both enjoyed being nominated etc. I think he was delighted for me when I won it, though as I remember it, he pretended to be annoyed. He was joking, I think. Well, he’s a comedy award nominee.

What was the first thought that came into your head when you heard your name being read out as the winner?

Elation. You don’t like to get caught up in the nonsense of the award, of course, and you need to appear cool by acting nonchalantly and pretending you don’t know what the award is and feigning surprise at being nominated. But secretly I was absolutely thrilled to be nominated and winning it blew my mind. It’s a chunky award. People I really admire and love had won it. So the moment they read my name out was quite emotional. And everyone was clapping. It’s a nice thing to have happen to you.

Did you have a winner’s speech prepared and did you stick to it?

I’m not an idiot. I wrote a list of the people I wanted to thank. But then I was shaking so much it was difficult to read it and I kept choking up. I wanted to say nice things about the people who’d helped. But I had to move on from each name before I collapsed and cried. I missed some people out. That was disappointing. I’m an idiot.

What do you remember most about the first show you did after getting the award?

I got straight in a cab and went to do a play half an hour after winning the award. It was called Party, by my mate Tom Basden, and Jonny Sweet was also in it. Jonny won the Best Newcomer Awardthat year so it was fairly fun cabbing it across town with our prizes. During that show we kept looking at each other and saying our lines as our characters but looking at each other with our actual eyes as well and blinking in disbelief: ‘THIS IS NUTS’. At the end, Basden forced the audience to applaud us because we’d just won the awards. That was also a nice thing to happen.

How did it feel to be on stage handing over the award the following year?

Terrifying. I genuinely don’t like public speaking so it was more nerve-wracking than 12 months earlier. I focused on giving it to the name inside the envelope, and getting off as quick as possible. I didn’t have to give a speech, fortunately, but I like that the winner hands it over the next year. David O’Doherty gave me the award, and it made it more personal. Frank Skinner announced it with him. Just Frank there would have been even scarier. DOD took the edge off it.

Does it annoy you/make you relieved/leave you non-plussed that you can’t say ‘I won the Perrier’?

I won it in a year where there wasn’t any sponsorship. I’m lucky there was an award at all. Fortunately, they ploughed on without a sponsor and still managed to find me tons of prize money. Perrier are lucky little sods that they are still name-checked in order to explain the gravity of your achievement.

How has winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award changed things?

Confidence-wise, it was handy. I toured the show I won it with and got to go to Australia and Kent. Generally, it does open doors, I’m sure, but I’m unclear exactly how. I don’t carry it round with me and slap it down in meetings. I think I was just lucky to be given it for doing a good show, and it gave me confidence that I could make more good things. That’s not something to be underestimated. Belief is very important in comedy. I’m glad I have that award. I can also sleep with it if I’m feeling down.

https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/62195-edinburgh-comedy-awards-2014-past-winners-reveal-what-the-top-comedy-prize-means-to-them/

[lilydalexf]

I'm going to assume you mean "abduction" as in "kidnapping," since that's sort of like a hostage situation and since including canon abductions would make this list absolutely massive and hard to ever finish. So here are some good fics with Mulder and/or Scully involved in a kidnapping or hostage situation. Enjoy! 34 Hours by Leyla Harrison It's Mulder's worst nightmare when Scully is kidnapped – and it's the greatest terror Scully has ever faced. Can Mulder get to her before time runs out? Access Denied by Pam Gamble Mulder and Scully have been dating for some time, but secretly. Scully is missing (and I *swear* she wasn't abducted by aliens this time) and Mulder's search brings back haunting memories for both of them. (Sequel to Enough and Indiscreet) All the Way Home by Syntax6 (@syntax6) A tale of shoes and death. (Sequels: Head Over Heels and Every Evil) Basketball Therapy by Kel Set shortly before Tithonus, this story explores life in the bullpen, where tedium and background checks are the order of the day. When Scully gets drawn into an investigation at a Maryland hospital, Mulder gets trapped in a deadly hostage situation. The Best Lies by Julie Fortune When Scully is caught in a bad situation, it's going to cost Mulder everything he holds dear to get her free. (Refresh the page or copy/paste the link if it doesn’t work, or use this alt link) The Bitter Taste of Revenge by Jill Selby As Mulder leads a desperate search, Scully learns the price she must pay for deliverance from the hands of a madman. Butterflies All Tied Up by bugs (@it-is-bugs) M/S are back to work at the X-files, but a madman in their midst finally sends their relationship in a new direction, and someone is watching. Certitude by Kevin Glasser Mulder and Scully are taken off the ice, but they wouldn’t call it being rescued. City of Light by Bonetree On the run through the American Southwest, Scully and Mulder flee the shadowy forces of Owen Curran and Padden's government agents, who threaten their freedom and their lives. On the way, they must also struggle with their own demons, which threaten to tear them apart. (3rd story in the Goshen Universe) Dark Beyond the Stars by Mesa The bonds that tie us to one another are complex and tangled. Mulder and Scully and Skinner must face the possible severing and reforming of alliances; Krycek and Marita make an unexpected gamble. A Dark Slide of Ecstasy by Shalimar What if you had nothing left but a dream? Where does the dream stop and reality begin? The Darkest Hour by Prufrock's Love The Consortium intends to destroy Mulder by traumatizing Scully, but instead, Mulder learns two lessons: his capacity to love, and her ability live. Desideratum by Rachel Anton and Laura Blaurosen How far is too far to go in the name of love? Falling Stars by Julie Fortune He can't remember how he came to be here, on this chair, in this cold room. He is afraid, but the fear is formless and weak, like a newborn. Nothing seems to matter very much. First Stone part 1, part 2 by Pellinor Three agents working on the same murder case have apparently committed suicide. While investigating, Mulder makes a painful discovery that puts him in real danger of becoming the fourth. / Three agents have killed themselves after suffering far less than Mulder has already suffered. As the danger grows, can Scully confront her own guilt in time to save Mulder from his? Folly by RivkaT (@rivkat) Scully gives Pendrell a chance. Heuvelmans' On the Track by @mashnotesofthemythopoeic In which Scully becomes a Consortium doctor, and Mulder moves heaven and earth. Lesser Evils by Hannah Mason Mulder thought that no one could ever want Scully as much as he did. He was dead wrong. Letting Go by Joann Humby Mulder goes solo on a case in San Francisco. But when the killer isn't what he was expecting, he needs the SF PD and the FBI's finest to help him out. Lock and Key by Amy Vincent A deranged FBI agent holds Scully and Skinner hostage. Nowhere to Hide by Thalia DMuse Someone from Scully's past resurfaces. Queen's Gambit by Suzanne Schramm Queen's Gambit: A chess strategy in which a player sacrifices key pieces in order to win. Snow by LuvTheBeez Mulder and a very pregnant Scully are caught in a hostage situation. 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. Tangible by Blueswirl and Meredith Sometimes, to have anything, one must be willing to risk everything. Three Little Words by Karen Rasch Mulder and Scully get drawn into a trap by a murderer who well aware of Mulder's greatest weakness, and is more than willing to use it against him. (1st story in the Words series) Truncated by Lysandra Scully and Mulder find themselves in a tight spot. Spooning ensues. Unnatural Disaster by Michaela It's hard enough when your mistakes come back to haunt you. Harder still when you're a federal agent. Hardest yet when your partner's help is the first thing you need, but the last thing you want ... Walking the Cage by Deborah L. Wells A strange sequence of events are put into play after a heated argument between Mulder and Scully.

[foxmuld3r]

Prompt: ‘Things you said while we were driving’ - MSR

*Set sometime in season 5 and in my AU universe where Skinner is Mulder’s adoptive dad*

They had a week off after a challenging case of a serial killer targeting young women in their 20s, Mulder was pulled onto the case to help create a profile for the killer after months of not getting anywhere. Scully had watched with increasing worry as Mulder was pulled into his profiler mode, he barely ate or slept as he became frustrated with himself for not being able to figure out the killer’s motivation. On the one hand she was impressed by his profiling skills, she always wondered why he had left the profiling department but after this harrowing case she saw the mental toll it took on him, by the end he was a shadow of himself and even Skinner was close to ordering him home at the very least. He knew if he ordered his own son off the case that Mulder would not forgive him and he would also be accused of favouritism by other agents, it would be the another thing that Spender could use against him and his agents. So, he watched from the sidelines as his son spiralled further into the mind of a serial killer, not resting until he had caught the man.

Mulder had barely slept the night before, even with Scully sleeping with her arms around him, holding him tight every time he awoke seeing the killer standing over his last intended victim. She stroked his hair and gripped his hand as he fought to control his mind, whispering that she loved him, that he was safe and they could just relax here on their week off. He wanted to use this week off to take Scully on some dates, celebrate her being in remission properly and give her a segment of normal life outside of the X Files, he planned to take her to lunch today and let her decide what she wanted to do for the rest of the day- if he managed to stay awake for that long. He was caught off guard as Scully’s hand smoothed down his back, across his arm and taking his hand,

“Mulder, are you sure you’re up for this? We can go out tomorrow, you barely slept last night. We can just stay in and watch one of your ridiculous movies about swamp monsters.” The joking tone did nothing to mask her concern about her partner. Mulder turned and pulled Scully into a quick hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he breathed in her perfume and the essence of her, reminding him that she was safe and with him.

“Scully, honey, I’m fine. I’m used to not sleeping, I just want to put this case behind us. Come on, I have a surprise for you.”

They had been driving for about half an hour, it felt different to when they were driving for cases, their hands were intertwined and resting on the gear box as they talked aimlessly about anything, with the radio on low.

“Scully, I know you and my dad were worried about me, it’s why I don’t take a lot of profiler cases like this. Going into the mind of serial killers, it’s- it’s like I become the monster they are and it’ll awaken this darkness that is inside of me. But, this time it was different, you were there; this shining beacon of light I could crawl towards if the case threatened to swallow me up. You are the person who helps make me whole again, reminds me who I am and I love you for that. Thank you for taking care of me, for loving me.” He stopped at the light, taking the time to bring Scully’s hand up to his lips, wanting to express how much he loved and appreciated his partner.

“I want to take you on a date, somewhere nice without having to worry about a case or FBI budget. I know you’ve said you don’t mind being in the basement and the quick meals, but I want to celebrate you being in remission, we never did properly unless you count that time at your place on the couch…”

“Mulder!” Scully exclaimed, blushing slightly at the mention of that night she and Mulder had gotten back from the hospital after they had finally released her. She studied her partner, looking at the deep shadows under his eyes, the slight day-old stubble that she secretly loved and the honest love and happiness shining in his eyes when he looked at her. She didn’t see the car until it was too late, until it crashed into Mulder’s side of the car, shattering the window and causing Mulder to swerve to avoid more damage.

Scully came to moments later, slowly taking in what had happened, noticing they had swerved into a tree just off the side of the road. She felt blood trickling down the side of her face, a bruise across her chest from the seatbelt that stopped her from taking more damage, she moved experimentally- testing her limbs to diagnose any more damage. She was relieved when it seemed she was only minorly hurt, a cut on her leg would need stitches but there were no broken limbs or life threatening, she looked over to Mulder to diagnose him. He was worse off, a long cut down one side of his face and other tiny cuts littering his arms and face from the glass, one arm looked to be broken- a deep angry bruise already blossoming on it, she had no doubt that if she checked he would also have the same bruise from his seatbelt across his chest. She scrambled for one of their phones, praying they hadn't been damaged in the crash. God must’ve heard her prayer as she found Mulder’s and called the EMTs, rattling off the last street name she saw and both their conditions. She then called Skinner, explaining quickly what happened and the hospital they’ll likely be taken to, she knew he was worried but he hid it well as he said he’ll meet them at the hospital- trusting Scully to look after his son.

“Mulder, come on, wake up. I need you to wake up, okay? If you wake up I’ll let you take me sasquatch watching the next time you decide to go. Open your eyes, love.” Already taking off her coat and balling it up to sponge some of the blood out of his eye, a low groan emitted from Mulder as his body registered the pain.

“Scu-lly” He managed to get out as his body shuddered, Scully helped manoeuvre him so he could be sick without choking, it confirmed her suspicions that he had a concussion and he needed to be kept awake. She placed a hand gently on his chest, trying to avoid causing him more pain,

“Mulder, you need to stay awake. You have a concussion, you’ve had enough of those over the years to know the drill, come on you still owe me lunch.” Trying to keep her voice light and soothing, knowing he would pick up on the worry, she could hear the sirens of the ambulance coming closer, knowing they wouldn’t be stranded much longer.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #481

Top Ten Pixar Villains

Those rascals and rapscallions at Pixar are famous for twisting our emotions, aren’t they? Perverse masters at making us cry with sadness or joy, often at the same time (I’m looking at you, Inside Out, with your yellow and blue marbles). Oh yes, they’ll stick the knife in and give it a good old yank, like John Travolta teaches his daughter to do in Face/Off when he’s not really John Travolta and it’s a bit icky but then she stabs him at the end of the film so it’s alright really.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Pixar, renowned for turning grown men into blubbering messes, mostly because an adult character was convinced to part with old toys he no longer plays with. But I’d argue that one thing they’ve done less well than their parent studio (that’s Disney) is crafting iconic baddies. I mean, we all know the Disney Villains; they’re so iconic and successful as pop culture icons that there’s an entire trilogy of movies based on what would happen if a bunch of them had kids (apparently they’d sing a lot). Pixar baddies though? Hmmm, maybe not quite so iconic. I can’t see someone making a live action prequel movie about Chef Skinner.

But that’s not to say they’re not great; in fact, rather than going down the route of snarling, moustache-twirling villainy, Pixar actually does a great job in creating antagonists instead. Sometimes they’re misunderstood; sometimes they’re not the person you thought they were! Quite often some kind of redemption is offered, and the villains are very, very rarely dropped off something tall. A lot of them aren’t even defeated, so to speak! A good deal of nuance and shade goes into a Pixar villain, and if they haven’t made as many all-time-great iconic ne’er-do-wells, it does seem as if their approach is starting to rub off on Disney mothership (the likes of Frozen II and Moana either don’t have, or at least subvert, the notion of all-powerful bad guys).

So what do we have? Well, hopefully, we’ve got a list of really cool villains from Pixar movies. most of them are presented as the film’s “big bad”, although there are a couple of lesser baddies. And I think we do see the pattern emerging, of more mundane levels of villainy; the selfish and greedy and damaged. It makes for great characterisation and some beautiful storytelling; some complex and pitiable characters. And, yes, a few absolute bastards too. Let’s tut disapprovingly.

Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty, Toy Story 3, 2010): a superb performance from Beatty as a seemingly nice, jovial old bear who’s really a manipulative, power-hungry, gaslighting bully. Realistically portrayed as damaged and bitter, he has a tragic backstory that feels real, and a sense of pain and loss that feels earned in this universe. Questions the nature of everything the movies are about, and is a genuine threat in more ways than one. Plus he literally leaves them all to die in the furnace!

Syndrome (Jason Lee, The Incredibles, 2004): Buddy Pine’s backstory is one of belittlement and rejection, so his switch to villainy is as well explored as many a comic book bad guy. But he’s interesting partly in what his character says about Mr. Incredible – in a way justifying the criticisms of superheroes, as Mr. I does ignore the admittedly-annoying Buddy rather than mentoring or respecting him – but also because he prefigures notions of toxic masculinity about a decade or so before they became, well, a threat to global democracy.

Al (Wayne Knight, Toy Story 2, 1999): Like how Lots-o can be seen as a dark examination of toy life (all toys are replaceable, kids don’t really love you, etc), Al also shows us another dark facet of toy-dom: namely the life of a “collectable”. Toys, in this world, want to be played with, preferably by children, so a big ol’ man-child who stores them in boxes or puts them on display is not ideal. It’s an inversion of what a toy is for; an object of joy reduced to a commodity. Is it entertainment versus art? Who can say? Also, he’s really just a massive jerk and a huge slob, so we feel no pity for him once he gets his comeuppance at the end of the film.

Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten, Toy Story, 1995): man, they nailed the Toy Story villains, didn’t they? Maybe there’s even more to come! But right out of the gate, Sid was a classic. An utter sadist in a skull t-shirt, torturing toys for kicks; adults can see the traits of a genuine sociopath (some serial killers start by torturing animals, remember!), and he’s portrayed like a character in a horror movie. Seriously, in 1995, Sid’s room was legitimately disturbing. I’m not sure what moral lessons his actions teach us, but just as a pure article of terror, he’s supreme.

Hopper (Kevin Spacey, A Bug’s Life, 1998): it feels a bit weird, if I’m honest, to celebrate a Spacey performance. But as a character, Hopper is excellent, one of the best things about the generally-overlooked-but-still-a-bit-lesser-Pixar Bug’s Life. Riffing on biker gangs, Hopper’s locust swarm in, revving their wings. Hopper’s a classic tough guy thug, dominating through violence and threat; a creature with a small amount of power determined to hold onto it, and ultimately eaten by a terrifying bird. Just don’t look at the cast list.

Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt, Coco, 2017): after the horror of Sid and the thuggery of Hopper, de la Cruz is a different, more insidious villain. He’s a thief and a betrayer who exploited and murdered his best friend, condemning him not just to death but to a forgotten obsolescence in the afterlife. He’s a perfect example of the gaslighting, friendly-seeming bad guy, more in the mould of Lots-o, but with the world on his side and a sweet guitar. Genuinely hissable.

Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammar, Toy Story 2, 1999): what, more Toy Story? Well, yeah. Don’t blame me, blame Pixar. And so Stinky Pete; a far more relatable and understandable villain, one driven to desperation through a lifetime of rejection and broken promises. Unlike the Machiavellian, power-hungry Lots-o, Pete just wants everyone to retire quietly together; he can’t accept the risks of freedom and only becomes sneaky and, indeed, violent after all else fails. But he does kinda get a happy ending, even if he doesn’t realise it; this is a villain who I feel could eventually be redeemed.

Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi, Monsters, Inc., 2001): Waternoose is the real baddy in Monsters, Inc., of course; a conniving capitalist who’s prepared to sacrifice the world’s children to keep his monopoly. But it’s Randy who sticks in the mind; his selfish, vain lackey, a monster with a huge chip on his shoulder. His design – lizard-like, snake-ish, with a huge mouth and invisibility – is seriously disturbing. Hearing Buscemi’s voice come from that form – an aggravated teacher, a furious accountant – adds something special, something darkly hilarious.

Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener, Incredibles 2, 2018): visually and conceptually, The Screenslaver (great name) is pretty cool, but when it’s revealed that the Big Bad is really under-appreciated tech genius Evelyn, that’s a great twist. A smart woman propping up her schmoozing brother, her criticisms of the heroes – like Buddy Pine’s – have resonance, although she’s learning the wrong lessons from tragedy. Her relationship with Elastigirl, from friendship to enmity, is very well-written and performed, and her belligerence at the end is a nice touch, denying the heroes of any catharsis from her capture.

Shelby Forthright (Fred Willard, WALL-E, 2008): I was originally going to feature the autopilot, but then I figured, if you can get Fred Willard in your list… and really, who’s the big villain here? It’s us, right? We killed the Earth. But Willard’s smiling, happy CEO is there, encouraging his customers to buy, promising them safety and security, promising them a repaired world… but really he’s shovelling them off the planet, secretly commanding the computer to take humanity far away and never look back. It’s a devious, horrible plan, giving the people unending luxury, making them want for nothing, turning them into fab, soporific blobs, basically because that’s easier than the alternative. It’s a horrible indictment of humanity (also: he’s the CEO of a company, but also – it looks like – that makes him rule the world? Creepy). So, yeah, the autopilot might be a baddun, but it’s the man in charge who’s the real villain of the piece, even hundreds of years later.

Sadly no room for John Lasseter, who may not have tried to enslave humanity or torture children, but still managed to be a huge jerk and a phenomenal disappointment.

[baronessblixen]

Oh I’m so sorry there’s no actual fic 🙈 I meant au head canon - wasn’t enough space to spell it out. If anyone knows of a fic like this or wants to write one, I’d love to read it! Also imagining skinner pretending to be put out when they leave baby William in his office but he secretly loves it, well until there is a odorous nappy to deal with ;)

Aww, too bad! Let me tell you that I LOVE that headcanon, anon. I really do want to read that now 😁

Skinner loves baby William. He considers himself to be a bit of granddad. Or Mulder does and Skinner would have preferred uncle 😋

[shra-vasti]

Pairing : Soonyoung x reader

Title : Reminiscence

Genre : slice of life, fluff, non idol au, ex-lovers au

Warnings : none

Synopsis : In which, you decided to meet up with your ex after years of break up for the first time.

A/N : Pleas enjoy the read and reblog if you like. Thankyou so much for showing so much support to this blog and the content. You guys really are the best. Have a great day ahead <3

"You're more...different than what you were the last time I saw you."

Your voice was a low whisper but he still managed to catch it like he always did in the past.

You look into his eyes and you could see a sense of hesitation that lied deep within his eyes.

"How have you been?" he asked dodging your comment and putting the spotlight on you.

"Fine....more than fine." you smiled at him awkwardly. It has never been so awkward with his presence unlike now.

Your throat suddenly went dry again as your mind wondered what now. What his next question will be? Why is he the only one asking questions?

"That's great..."

There was that deafening and awkward silence once again. You looked around the cafe you were currently in. The soft melody playing in the background suited the soft environment of the cafe.

Not many people entertained this cafe making it an awesome place to have some catchup on each other's life without the obnoxious voices of crowds.

"How's the university life treating you?"

You thought about what all things happened in your university, from the good to bad moments, the new friends you made, the new life lessons you learned throughout the freshman and sophomore year.

"Great. Life has never being so amazing." you sighed contently as you recalled the memories attached with the university.

You were currently majoring in biology, you were never good with mathematics. You loved biology and it was easy for you, eleminating the chance of getting too worked up and regretting the decision.

Soonyoung always admired your dedication towards your goal and he always looked up to you for that.

"That's good to hear." he answered, immediately smiling as he saw how happy you were with where you were in your life.

He was happy for you, he has always been. He always admired your way of living and thinking. You were like any other girl of your age yet so different.

You were careless but independent and responsible, he remembered. You had your own perspective of life and the things revolving around you, that was the thing that lured him towards you.

You never seemed to make an effort to stand out among others but others nonetheless were very aware of your presence.

You would just hang out among your friend circle, which he soon learned that you were introverted but that was the thing which intrigued others about you, the kind of mysterious aura you gave off due to your introverted nature.

"What about you?" it was a question of formality although you knew his life has been nothing but a mess.

He chuckled at that shaking his head and taking a sip of his coffee.

"What should I say? It's a mess. I was never this serious for anyone else other than you, but she too left me in the end."

Soonyoung was never the one who would hide his emotions just because he was a man. You, of all people knew him very well to see where he was coming from. He never hide his emotions from you.

Your heart sank at his words as you felt how hard it must have been for him. He was never great with handling heartbreaks.

When the first time you talked with him even after being batch mates for years, he reminded you of Spring.

Warm, lively and delicate.

He had this sophisticated idea about life.

He just wanted to get a job, enjoy every weekends with either his family and friends, date and marry the love of his life, have kids, live happily ever after.

He was warm. His hugs were always welcoming and loving. When he used to hold your hands in his, they were always surprisingly warm irrespective of weather.

He was friendly, always had this overly good smile plastered on his face which made you smile back at him with or without the mood to return the gesture.

Due to his friendly nature he usually came off as a goody two shoes who always had some unspoken intentions behind every kind deed he did.

He was the most kindest and softest person you had ever come across with and at some point you were proud to call him yours.

He was a hopeless romantic, giving in to all your wishes, apologising to you even when it was you who was at fault. He was understanding and a sweetheart.

Always gave you these cute little meaningful gifts on special occasions which used to make your heart flutter. He was very loving.

Your relationship was very loving, sweet and cozy with zero problems. Everybody thought your relationship was too good to be true.

When anyone asked him about you he always referred to as autumn.

Cool, impassive and tough.

You were a curious type of person who wanted the world.

You wanted to travel the world, write a book, learn many new things, have a great job and salary, achieve your goals and complete your bucketlist.

You wanted to study hard to get highly paid and live a luxurious life.

Idea of marriage and settling didn't necessarily came into your mind although you didn't dispise the idea.

But living a normal life without any fun was not you. You wanted each of your day to be filled with excitement. You wanted a good reason to be alive.

You didn't care how people perceived you. You were strong enough to endure people calling you selfish and insensitive.

And the idea of life which Soonyoung had was completely opposite of what you dreamed for yourself.

Maybe that was the reason for your abrupt break up because you were in love but just weren't meant to be.

Opposite do attract but you would never sacrifice your future for the sake of someone else happiness. You were selfish like that.

So you broke up for your own good.

"That's sad, you didn't deserve it. I hope your pain eases soon."

"I hope my pain eases soon too."

There was this lingering nostalgic feeling around him. He reminded you of your teenage self and being around him brought you back on so many memories you left behind.

He was never this dull. His lively aura was still inside him but it didn't light up the surroundings like it use to.

He was open to you but only because it was you. You could sense he was more broken. The smile which always adorn his face didn't quite reach his eyes.

He was broken, so broken that you wanted to piece him up together but that's not what you were supposed to do.

It was his responsibility to piece himself together and learn from his mistakes. He needed to learn to not trust people so easily although you always loved his innocent self.

"Found someone for yourself?" his question was casual and he looked at you with expressions you weren't much sure about.

You found yourself shaking your head a no, where was the lie? You tried dating others after Soonyoung but none of them seem to be as perfect as he was.

You longed his presence, you never found anyone like him. They were too broken up, shaken up or hurt enough to be as good as Soonyoung was, is.

"That's a great news, it would have hurt me to learn that there's someone out there making you more happy than I did."

How could he, even after all the hurt he went through, be so casual about the topic and still somehow be proud at himself due to your lack of ability to find a better half?

"You mean to say I don't deserve to be as happy as I used to be when I was with you?"

He raised his eyebrows at you at that, his lips forming an "O" is disbelief.

"I did not mean that." he said in a stern voice but you couldn't take him seriously as you burst into fits of laughter.

"How you always manage to rotate the topic 180° will forever remain a myth to me. You know I never meant that. I would rather give you my share of happiness if you happen to lack it in your life you know?"

You had no doubt in that.

"Yeah yeah whatever."

You blew some of the hair which flew on your face trying to avoid the eye contact with him.

He always made you flustered where you don't know what to do to hide the blush forming on your face.

He laughed at your failed attempt to hide that you are flustered.

Although he was genuinely proud that he was the only one who made you this happy but he wished secretly if he could still do it, he wanted you to find someone who genuinely shared same passion as you and made you more happier than he ever did.

"You're more skinner and look more lifeless now." you pouted looking at him.

It surprised you how casually you two were talking with each other and how the conversation was just flowing smoothly.

You rather imagined being awkward from start to end and awkwardly spilt off with heavy heart but this was nothing like that.

Then again it was Soonyoung you were talking about, nothing about that guy is awkward.

It was natural for you to act so casual with each other. It has always been so you weren't sure about how it would be after meeting him after so many years.

He eyes still held the warmth they had when you were together. No sign of resentment for leaving him to chase your dreams. No bad thoughts, he just wanted to enjoy and relive in your presence.

"Sadly. But I'm working out." he said as he showed off his muscles and biceps.

You shook your head at him laughing slightly. Your cheeks were already hurting from smiling and laughing too much, something you genuinely missed doing from a long time.

He looked at you as you smiled at him finishing both of yours coffee with a really soft smile dancing across his face.

"You know I will never be able to get over you." he sighed as look at you.

You tilt your head in confusion although you knew what he meant.

He shook his head at your confused face continuing his words.

"You're like my home. I will wonder in different places but when I seek peace I always tend to find a way to approach you. You don't know how many times I was just one click away from dailing you number or messaging you on Instagram."

Your heart swell as you heard him. You were happy that atleast he thought about you like that.

"I am not hinting you to date me or anything don't get that wrong. I wanna enjoy my freedom for sometime but we can at least be friends right?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"Friends for sure." you said taking his phone from the table and asking him for the password which he gave with a confused expression.

You dialed your new number and gave yourself a call, handing him the phone back as you opened your phone.

"Save it. It's my new number. Let's hangout sometime?" you asked him feeling shamefully happy that atleast you had him back as a friend as it is.

Neither of you wanted more but being back in each other's lives was enough for both of you.

[linguinis-mansion]

Pleaseeee tell me about your backstory for Renata. What was her childhood like and how did she end up at Gusteau's? What was her personality and interests? Who were her friends and who were her enemies? How did her relationship with Gusteau go, from beginning to middle to end? And what did she do when she discovered she was pregnant? Did he ever know about it? What did she do for a living and how did she die? What kind of mother was she? I'm sorry if this is too much I'm just inordinately interested in this character we never see sjwjsjehdgs.

SOMEONE IS ASKING ABOUT RENATA? MY BABY GIRL?!! oh anon, you've come to the right person. For years I have obsessed over who Renata might have been and gotten so attached to her despite us knowing NOTHING about her from what we see in the movie.

Should probably put this under a cut because it is LONG. But you asked for ALL the details, so I'm gonna give you the wHOLE STORY.

Let me preface this by saying that back in the day, I had this weird obsession with trying to make everything ~connected~ and this was part of why my old fic ended up so convoluted. But one of the things I just can't let go of to this day was the idea that Renata was actually raised by Anton Ego's older sister Maura, who ran a prestigious boarding/finishing school for girls in Paris. (May or may not have been inspired by Madeline, lol)

Renata Marieta Linguini was soft-spoken, well-mannered, and shy, with a sarcastic sense of humor and a feisty and opinionated side, despite being mostly reserved and quiet. She loved to write and journaled extensively, she was a terrible cook but could always make an amazing pot of macaroni and cheese, always wore knit sweaters or cardigans and a pair of red Chuck Taylor sneakers, and her favorite band in the world was Journey. She loved her son Alfredo more than anything else in the world. She had him at the young age of 19 and wanted to give him the best life possible despite being a young, single mother.

Her parents were wealthy owners of a historical and expensive piece of real estate - a mansion built in the 17th century in Paris by the Linguini ancestors and passed down through the generations. (peep the origin of my username, haha) This was the building used for the finishing school. Renata's parents passed away in an accident when she was a baby, and Maura took her in and raised her alongside the other girls she taught at the school. The girls were from all parts of the world including America, and Renata ended up adapting an American accent from growing up around many American girls. Maura and her brother Anton were not close at this time. They had gone their separate ways after Anton became a professional writer, and she a teacher. Anton knew Maura was caring for an orphan girl but did not know much about her, which is why later on he did not recognize Alfredo despite the fact that his mother was raised by Anton's sister.

Growing up in a finishing school for girls, Renata was very sheltered and controlled, so there was always a part of her that wanted to get out into the world and live a fun-filled, carefree life. She was too cautious and fearful of the world to fully live that out, but her best friend Larousse was her opposite and always doing something crazy. (Yes, the same Larousse from the kitchen, I'll explain!) While he was in cooking school as a young adult, he met his bubbly, charismatic colleague Auguste Gusteau, as well as a couple other chefs who would eventually become the original chefs working in Gusteau's restaurant. Larousse introduced Renata to Auguste and the two hit it off immediately, and their relationship became very serious very quickly. They were both young, just out of school, and wanted to experience the world together. Although Gusteau was still in cooking school, he spent a lot of time traveling and learning about food from all over Europe, and Renata went on many of these trips with him. His outgoing and enthusiastic personality brought out the playful, adventurous side in Renata, and they were very much in love with each other and wanted to spend their life together.

This was just before Gusteau would officially start his career. He was, at that time, learning under the direction of Skinner, an experienced sous chef who saw Gusteau's potential and charisma, but secretly wanted to exploit it for his own gain. Skinner did not like Renata at all and felt he was distracting Auguste Gusteau from their plan to open a restaurant and build a world-famous menu and brand. At the time Renata found out she was pregnant, it was just around the same time the restaurant opened, and the two had actually already separated on good terms due to pressure from Skinner. (They still loved each other, but it was one of those things they felt was necessary at the time, perhaps praying one day they could reunite.) Not wanting to draw any negative attention or bad press to Gusteau, Renata never revealed the identity of her baby's father; only a few of the people closest to her knew, even if she never actually told them. She ended up living a quiet life in Paris with her son, still maintained her friendship with Larousse, but distanced herself from Gusteau so as not to cause any further problems for him or his career, even though it broke her heart to do so.

Being newly-single with a child made it difficult for her to start life on her own. She received some help from Maura to secure a place to live and get child care for her son, so she could find a job. She ended up taking a job at the school library where Alfredo would attend classes, so they went to school and came home together every day. The two were very close, and Alfredo subconsciously took on the role of a caretaker for his mother when he became old enough to realize that raising him alone was difficult for her at times. Alfredo did not have many friends, and neither did Renata, but she always did the best she could to make him feel special and loved on his birthday when no one from his class would show up, and Bastille Day was their favorite day of the year spent together celebrating the Parisian festivities.

In her late thirties, Renata unexpectedly developed ovarian cancer and had to quit working, leaving her teenage son desperate to find jobs to keep them afloat. Alfredo cared for her while she was sick and took her to her cancer treatments, which meant he often had to call out of work, and made many of his employers frustrated. Most of the time he ended up getting let go of jobs for this reason. Renata contacted Larousse near the end of her life and made sure he knew that she would be sending Alfredo his way, and left Alfredo with the letter for Skinner since she knew he would most likely turn her son away. After she passed away, Alfredo could not afford to keep their home, and was forced to move into a small apartment while he scrambled to keep his head above water. Despite Renata's family being wealthy, they had left her no inheritance, so she had nothing to pass on to Alfredo besides a small amount she had set aside for his college, but he ended up having to live off of it instead, until he landed the job at Gusteau's.

I still feel like there is SO MUCH I left out, like I have extensively fleshed out this character if it wasn't apparent already. Thank you anon for reminding me of how much I love Renata and how much I want to go back to editing some old fic pieces about her haha