#this post brought to you by this evening's realization of

[outer-andromeda]

Pretty generic question but does your player and the toys accompanying them ever have any moments where there’s nothing crazy going on in the factory and they have a moment to relax? Do they try to talk things out with the others during this time? Or is it just a moment of silence and taking in the peace of the quiet factory?

Oof, it's AU ramble time again. Also another question mix!! Hope you don't mind @an-eggs-quest & @tallahatchet (sorry for the tag sjkdfhskfhd).

Back in Safe Haven, they had tons of quiet moments, compared to what Gabby would've have while descending deeper and deeper in the factory, which was... pretty much equal to zero.

The guy took to heart what Doey told him about "catching his breath". He would want to sit around the kids, maybe manage to cheer them up a bit and get them to laugh somehow. He'd also get curious about the drawings on the wall and would want to add his little contribution. Poor guy needs to feed his artistic brain a bit lmao. I like to think the critters would be intrigued and watch, maybe some of them would even join him. And maybe they'd make a drawing all together. It distracts everyone for a little while.

Gabby tried taking things easy. As much as feasibly possible in their situation. It brought him a sense of normalcy he realized he terribly needed. And for a little while, he felt like genuinely smiling again.

After the Safe Haven incident, breaks are less frequent. The whole gang is tense from 1. everything that's already happened 2. the loss of their friends and 3. knowing they're being tracked down by Huggy and (presumably) the Prototype.

But when they find a remotely quiet and well-hidden spot, they let themselves relax. Catch some sleep. Even if just for a bit. They need the energy after all.

... Catnap usually keeps a sleepy eye on everyone. As for Gabby...

... Let's... not talk about sleep. For reasons. (Bonus rambles in the tags !)

(Pattern banners by @cafekitsune ! Thought they'd add a nice aesthetic look to the post. Might use more for future rambles.)

[fadedtoneverland]

ateez on crack | atz.

❤︎ synopsis — living with 8 men who all share a brain cell has its moments. just crack hcs

pairing: ateez x gn!reader

theme: crack ✦

a/n: this is different form my usual slutty ahh fics. so hopefully people will like this ;))

cw: bad grammar and informal writing. lots of cursing. yeosang makes a fat joke. yunho’s feet. yunho and san have nasty ahh farting habits, so does mingi. there’s lots of mentions of farts but that’s because ateez are men. jongho talks abt decapitation. wooyoung’s dirty mind.

➵ park seonghwa

this man misplaces his legos so many times

some of the members have stepped in his lego pieces way too many times.

and he’ll just sit there like “oh you found my luke skywalker piece :))”

you just help him find his legos again and clean it up whenever he needs help

you know how ateez has that fridge rule where they can eat any food in the fridge if it’s unlabeled?

yeah seonghwa has broken that rule multiple times. he’s eaten so much labeled food before.

and no one even suspects him too, because one time wooyoung got caught doing the same thing and he’s been getting blamed ever since

while seonghwa just sits there like: ☺️ you know however, you just don’t say anything

big clean freak. we all knew this

and he’s perfectly justified too. i would also be upset if one of my bandmates just left a musty ass sock in the middle of the perfectly pristine living room.

weirdly competitive during fall guys

like he’s got his cutie patootie games where he can chill on animal crossing and stardew valley, but these other games? his swearing puts a sailor to shame

“hongjoong you bastard- don’t— fuck- do NOT push me off the damn edge-!! i’m gonna kill you.”

➵ kim hongjoong

never has has a pimple in his life. and will never get one because of how fucking gorgeous his skin is

like he’d be hearing about all the acne attacks yunho and mingi got when they were younger and he’s like “what’s that”

gen z but his knowledge on meme and slang culture is that of a rock

has to ask you, wooyoung and jongho for help

he falls for the updog jokes every time the 99z pull it on him and they never let him live it down

discovered animal farm by george orwell and will not shut up about it every time the topic of dystopian literature is brought up

hongjoong probably owns like 50+ colognes and perfumes he never uses 😀

he has a whole shelf dedicated to them, and probably only uses one or two

“don’t judge my taste in scents. y’all are just mad you can’t afford this.”

caffeine makes up 90% of his blood

he’s got that na jaemin problem with his coffee addiction because of how much he works

sometimes he tweaks out so bad you need you put on the “o i i a” spinning cat meme on the tv to distract him

it weirdly calms him down. it’s like playing baby sensory videos for the child you’re babysitting

➵ jeong yunho

very into sports anime like sk8 the infinity, yuri on ice, haikyuu, blue lock

like that seems normal at first glance, but then you realize all those shows are kinda fruity as fuck

and you’re standing here looking at him like 🤨🤨 you got somethin’ to say, yuyu??

“i’m fluidly heterosexual” is what he says

probably has a bunch of drafts of tiktok thirst traps that he just doesn’t care to post. partially because he knows ATINY won’t be able to handle it

you and him once tried making tomato soup and grilled cheese together, and he didn’t put the blending lid on properly for the tomatoes

so tomato mixture got everywhere and into your eyes. he had to hold back his laughs while you stared at him with murder in your eyes.

has deadly ass farts and has definitely aimed one of them at wooyoung because he was being annoying

if he’s laying on the opposite side of someone on the couch he’ll put his feet in their face to annoy them. caressing their cheeks with his toes n’ shit. like gross

“san you wanna smell my feet?” 😏

“i’m gonna dropkick you”

➵ kang yeosang

a savage lowk

he acts super clueless and innocent on camera, but sometimes he will deal the most lethal one-liners when provoked

“wooyoung shut your horizontally challenged ass up, i saw your fat ass down like 20 cookies this morning like you haven’t eaten in months.”

wooyoung’s reaction: 😟

misplaces his shit all the time but they’re always so easy to find

“where are my glasses??” and they’re literally in his hand

probably drinks arizona green tea like he’ll die without it

dogs LOVE him

you and yeosang were walking casually through the streets and like- two stray puppies ended up following y’all home (without you two noticing too)

gets WAYYYY to jittery and hyperactive if he consumes an energy drink

he’s officially banned from ever consuming another ghost or monster because of the “rubber chicken incident”

he doesn’t remember that incident, but if you ask jongho about it, he’s just gonna do the hundred yard stare on you.

“jongho… what is that incident all about?” “…. no.”

➵ choi san

remember how it was mentioned yunho has deadly farts? san’s are LETHAL

the amount of protein shakes he consumes is actually diabolical. one lil’ toot from him could revive the bubonic plague

one time you got a good whiff of his farts while he was napping and you went 😦

skin is gorgeous as fuck but has a nonexistent skincare routine

he either aggressively lathers on cetaphile like a true man, or uses body wash on his face like a heathen

san has a burner acc on tiktok that he uses to save all the thirsty ass edits of himself so he can flex later to the other members

one time this account almost got leaked by mingi and san saw the light for a quick second there

every time someone brings up that fuck ass leopard print purple button up he used to wear all the time in early ateez days he’s ready to fight a bitch

dude’s the dolce & gabbana prince now, he’s got an image to maintain as the fashion icon

spends WAY too much money on jellycats, and you’ve def encouraged this spending behavior. that love for plushies will never go away

if you ever mention twink san during 2018-2019, san gets a little shy and defensive

“awwww, sannie you looked so cute in this picture five years ago—“ “stop. ☹️”

➵ song mingi

actually the clumsiest mf to walk planet earth

he could be standing still and somehow fall (and do the family guy death pose), while the other members clown him

probably cried watching all of the bambi films (me too buddy)

tbh i just feel like he has a really big attachment to underrated disney movies and gets offended if people don’t know what they are (the fox and the hound, the aristocats, treasure planet etc.)

he just seems like a movie guru in general

complains about san’s farts smelling like ass but his farts could start earthquakes

like- they don’t smell, they’re just loud as fuck.

and he’s definitely paused a recording session just to lift his leg and let it rip

snores really loudly when he sleeps

jongho once was forced to sleep between wooyoung and mingi, and literally he got like- no sleep because of how loud their snores were

this guy wouldn’t hurt a fly, we all know that.

like he’s tall and buff and hot, but he’s probably scared of peppa pig or smth

“those eyes have seen things.” is what he says

he once had a dream that you shaved his head without him knowing and he wouldn’t let you touch his hair for like a week. like bro developed a legitimate fear of it

“you touch these luscious locks and in bodying you.” “mingi ☹️”

➵ jung wooyoung

legitimate, certified ankle biter

like wooyoung probably has a phd in ankle biting or smth, because he bites everyone all the damn time.

and he’s definitely caused some gnarly looking marks to last for a while (poor yeosang)

can make a dirty joke out of everything

he’s got the humor of a middle school boy and an absolutely rancid mind. it’s a talent, really.

“ugh, finding a rhythm for this song is so hard.”“you know what else is hard? 😈”

this boy cannot sit still for like five seconds

gives his stylists and makeup artists a hard time because he moves around too much, and giggles when he gets his blush done cuz the brush tickles his cheeks

is weirdly into competitive pokemon battling

he’s definitely used a clefable with the most annoying moveset to troll people (cosmic power, moonlight, minimize and stored power)

cooks like a god but can’t bake for shit

you showed him a fun banana bread recipe, but he got too impatient waiting for it to fully bake, so he took it out while it was still raw in the center

you threw an egg at him for that

“but y/n :(( …” “don’t speak to me.”

will do random internet deep dives at 3am, only to find the most cursed shit and later ask someone about it. for some reason he thinks going on tumblr (hehe) or ao3 is the best idea in the world.

“jongho what is mpreg?” “🧍🚶‍➡️🚪”

➵ choi jongho

biggest pear hater in the world for no reason

it’s not even because of his love for apples, he just ate a bad pear one time as a kid and forever loathes them

has definitely thrown hands with mingi cuz that mf ate his honey butter chips

jongho does NOT play about his snacks, and honestly me too

“come here so i can politely bitch slap you :)”

acts normal and above all of his hyungs cuz they’re all weird as fuck, but he’s just as insane as them

once got into a screaming match with wooyoung over fall guys, and the game got banned by hongjoong for a month

also weirdly competitive over animal crossing for no reason

like there’s no competition, he just wants to have the best island (which he can’t because hwa is so much better at the game than him, and jongho’s salty about it)

jongho understands english better than he lets on, but doesn’t help the members because he likes seeing them struggle

poses in pictures like a literal boomer

the amount of times you’ve taken his pictures, and you had to hold back your laugh because he was just standing in the frame like “🧍‍♂️👍”

says random traumatizing facts to unsettle ateez and he smiles like he won the fucking lottery

“san, did you know that when you get decapitated, your mind stays conscious for at least 20 more seconds? 😊” “…. what.”

at the end of the day, you live with eight chaotic men who are just too much. but still makes life more interesting for you <3

▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆▆

fadedtoneverland © 2025 | do not steal, modify or repost ANY of my work.

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Mulder, Scully, and Season 8 Healing (Part 3)

The Big Question: did Mulder know the baby was his? These fics tackle that topic in their own unique ways. (Here you go, @elstabler.)

Loose chronological order below~

Spooky2u2's

Only Death Would Stop Me

Just then, the baby made his presence known. Mulder's eyes snapped downward to the place where he felt the unfamiliar movement.

"He definitely knows his father," she told him.

He sat spellbound, with his hand and full attention still on her stomach.

"Mulder..."

"Shhhh...." he hushed her softly.

AU-- Mulder is returned unresponsive... unless Scully is in danger.

Revelation

Mulder's eyes glanced sparingly at her swollen belly...much as he had done since he found out about her pregnancy. But he never seemed to want to talk about it. He just listened as she told him everything-- how the baby was healthy and how she had waited so long to share it with him.

Three Words Scully realizes that while Mulder is supportive, he hasn't put the puzzle pieces together.

Donna's

Waking

Whatever had happened, he felt like he had been out of it for a long time, too long. Scully was . . . she wasn't herself. He didn't feel up to asking the questions that he needed to ask, not yet. Whatever had happened all he really cared about right now was the feel of her against him.

Deadalive Mulder wakes.

Unspoken Words

He lay his arm over his eyes. He could do this. He could be happy for her and her baby. He could give her the support she needed, at least what she'd take from him. If the baby's father allowed it, he'd take the kid to Little League or soccer; maybe she'd even trust him to baby-sit. He could learn to change diapers. He'd be okay; he'd make this work and accept whatever she gave him. He didn't realize tears were running into his hair until he heard one hit the couch. No one would ever know he'd cried himself to sleep.

Three Words Mulder (politely) asks for space.

Fish Listen (Gossamer) and Fish Listen - Together

Her hand came up to her stomach. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

"I . . . how? I mean . . . You're carrying my baby?"

She drew back, staring at him as tears formed in her eyes and spilled over.

Scully and the fish are each other's listening ear.

@scullys-right-eyebrow-txf/ScullysRightEyebrow's

The Only Choice - Chapter 40

Just as a soft smile appeared on his face, Mulder recognized apprehension in her eyes. His brow furrowed in concern and then he took in her appearance. In that moment every thought in his mind melded into a mass of bewilderment and confusion. He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand anything and the fear brought about by his nightmare seemed to crash down on him. His heart rate increased and his hands shook. He had never had a panic attack, but he was beginning to feel like this must be one.

Post Deadalive Skinner spills the beans about the baby.

The Only Choice - Chapter 41

He knew that she could infer that some memories were returning and that they were troubling him, but how could he talk to her about such things? He couldn’t put her through that. He couldn’t even talk to her about the proverbial elephant in the room. (A phrase he best not use in front of her if he wished to walk out of this hospital of his own volition). There were so many questions he had, and he was a coward because he was afraid of the answers. He was afraid that the baby wasn’t his. He knew better than to believe that there was another man, but another try at IVF was always a possibility. They were going to look into adoption, but what if she decided to give it another shot on her own. What if she didn’t want him involved? Especially now with the state he was in.

Three Words Mulder and Scully are struggling with his return.

The Only Choice - Chapter 42

“You’re going to be okay, Dana. All three of you,” Maggie said, placing a comforting kiss to her daughter’s temple. “Do you want me to talk to him?” she asked with quirk to her eyebrow.

Scully chuckled and wiped away a rogue tear. “Oh no, I don’t think he’s ready for the mom lecture yet. I know you. You’ll go in all nice and sweet with the best intentions, but it will totally turn into a ‘how dare you treat my daughter like this’ conversation.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Maggie replied innocently.

Post Three Words Mulder and Scully want each other but are too afraid to reach out. 

Marguerite's (Ao3) Always Through the Changing

"He, who?" She pursed her lips for an instant, then gasped as she realized what he was saying. "Oh, Mulder! I'm sorry...I meant..." She felt the prickling of a full, scarlet blush across her face. "All the science in the world can't replace the real thing, Mulder." When she saw no inkling of comprehension on his face, she added: "And we had the real thing, on more than one occasion." "We...I...we..."

His eyes widened and his mouth turned up in a huge grin.

Post Deadalive Skinner corrals his haphazard agents.

I_cant_find_a_name's

Mad About You

He felt hollow inside. He knew how much she had wanted a child, how he had supported her through saving her ova, agreeing to be the sperm donor – agreeing to have a child with her, even though they hadn’t been together at that point. He remembered how shocked he had been when she had finally summed up the courage to ask him, how confused it had made him about their relationship, and yet how saying 'yes' was a no-brainer, even though he said he’d take some time to think it over. He had been worried about what the impact upon their relationship would be were they to have a child together at that point, but he couldn’t deny her when he loved her so much, and when he felt partly to blame for her infertility. Now here she was, pregnant, without him.

Post Deadalive-Empedocles Scully and Mulder work through withdrawal, resentment, and impending parenthood.

Falling Apart

“I don’t know, Scully, I was thinking maybe sticking around here a bit...”

“Really?” She raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips with that exasperated but adoring face she did. “And what exactly are you going to do around here?”

“Well, you know, help out, build a cot...”

“Mulder...”

“Take you to birthing classes...”

“You don’t have to do that,” she smiled. “you know my mom has offered to.”

“...Cook you dinner”

“You can’t cook!” she exclaimed.

He moved towards her with a swagger and a cheeky smile. “No, but I order a great takeout.”

Pre-Vienen Mulder and Scully combat PTSD through pleasant chats and late-night phone calls.

theficisoutthere/penpaperaliens's

post-"deadalive"

She moved back into the chair and he threw his head back against his pillow. He twisted his neck to the side, looking at her with a sly smile that made her head drop in bashfulness. 

When she lifted it back up again, her eyes were more serious, the redness in her cheeks gone. She fixed her posture and folded her hands in her lap like the proper agent she was. 

“Mulder. We have to talk.” 

Pre-Three Words Mulder transitions from happy-to-be-back to angry-and-distant.

44. Puh-lease! ❤️ (Tumblr)

She had brought him home earlier that day and now they were eating take-out, the tension in the room at an all time high. He hadn’t said much the whole day, just paced through the house as she showered, put his things away, avoided his descending gaze. 

He didn’t even question her fidelity. As soon as he noticed her bump in the hospital room he softly smiled and said, “So, we’re going to have a baby.” and squeezed her hand when she nodded. He turned his gaze back to the TV above them and the subject was never brought up again. 

Scully bumped his knee playfully, “Mulder, I tried, I really did. Ironic, I couldn’t even keep a tiny fish alive, how am I supposed to care for a baby?”

Three Words Mulder and Scully are slowly adjusting (and yes: he knows the baby is his.)

@silhouetteofacedar/SilhouetteOfACedar

When We Drive - Chapter 10 (Tumblr)

“Where is home for me now?” Mulder asks softly, almost to himself.

“I… I kept your apartment,” Scully confesses.

He turns to look at her then, and she feels suddenly exposed....

“You told me to never give up on a miracle,” she explains simply, the words strung tightly around a bundle of unspoken things.

Three Words Scully thinks Mulder doesn't know the baby is his.

When We Drive - Chapter 11 (Tumblr)

That’s how he ended up sitting on the floor in a circle of eager couples, arms around Scully as she took deep inhalations. They gave him a handful of childbirth information pamphlets; the woman in bright purple silk pants leading the class referred to him as “Dad”.

He’s had worse afternoons.

Alone Mulder wants to be there.

@greekowl87's (Ao3) Fic: Right Where You Belong/Right Where You Belong

Unable to find her words, she took his hands and pressed it against her belly. It was now or never. He winced as if he had been burned and tried to pull away. Scully tightened her grasp around his wrists. He was clearly uncomfortable. “Definitely not a basketball.”

“No.” She took a deep breath. “Look at me, Mulder. Look at me.” Unsteady hazel eyes met her blue eyes and he felt himself become lost. Unconsciously, he found his breath slowing, matching hers. “Breathe. Just focus on me, okay? This is real. All this is real.”

Three Words Scully grounds Mulder.

MaybeAmanda/maybe_amanda’s (LJ, site)

Atlas (xffics)

But he cleared his throat and asked his tea softly, "So, what did you do while I was dead?"

She stared at him, wide-eyed, wide eyes wet. "What did I do?" She took his hand in hers, and laid it on her belly. The flesh was harder than he would have expected, and dangerous, too.

"What did I do? Mulder, I mourned."

Three Words Mulder is struggling with his sense of self.

Grave Goods (xffics)

Sprinkling flakes into the top of the tank, I found myself understanding my scaly companions in a whole new way. Scully would be by in an hour or so, stopping in on her lunch hour to tend me in much the same way I was tending them. After she saw to my needs she would scrutinize me for signs of disease, peering at me intently, attempting to assess my health and well-being. Give me a few extra flakes to show me she loved me. Tap good-bye on the glass and then walk away. Go back to her life with a teary, grateful smile.

Her life. Not our life.

Her baby. Not mine.

Post Three Words Mulder drives to his grave to find closure.

OnlyFoxMulder/FoxyFoxMulder's

It’s Yours

“I just, uh, I’m having a little trouble processing… everything.” 

It’s yours.

They were at a stalemate. Mulder continued to stare at the floor, chewing on the inside of his cheek, while she waged an inner battle with herself—unable to stand the silence but incapable of speech. The baby was kicking wildly, sensing her struggle. She fought the urge to rub her belly like she usually did to calm him. Knowing he wouldn’t be the one to make the first move, she found the strength to approach. 

Three Words Mulder is listless upon return.

Love Notes

“I love you, too… and it’s okay,” she started, her voice strong and assuring. “I’ve had… time. Time to think and I understand why you went—why I was powerless to stop you. I don’t resent you for being Fox Mulder.”

Post Empedocles Mulder and Scully reflect on his notes and her journal.

Slow Like Honey

“Time for bed, honey,” he whispered, coaxing her into a sitting position.

She smiled sleepily. “Mmm… honey. I missed that.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. After everything that’s happened to them in the past year, she still wanted him to use the affectionate nickname he’d chosen. 

Post Alone Mulder enjoys using terms of endearment.

@scullybuck's (Ao3) Post "Three Words" missing scene

She rested her hand on his, and their eyes met for a moment. The look on his face was one of pain, and confusion, but also joy and fascination. She stroked his hand with her thumb. She had thought of this moment dozens of times. It had gone nothing like this, but she was just glad it was happening at all. Mulder was really here. He was feeling the tiny kicks of her unborn child, and he was really, really here. Alive. She wanted to hold onto him, to cry and tell him everything she had wished she had told him before he had gone missing. But he was already dealing with so much and trying to adjust, and she was trying to be empathetic and not dump all the weight she had been carrying for months on him all at one time. But with everything that had transpired coupled with her pregnancy hormones, she was afraid her emotions were going to get the better of her. So she thought it best to leave, let him rest, and there would be time for everything else later.

He pulled his hand away and took her hand, turning it palm-side up. He placed her keys in it, and the elevator doors opened.

Three Words Mulder is numb, but trying.

Jori's Unsettled

"I never thought I'd be paying for my own funeral," I say, going through the bills that were supposed to be covered by my life insurance. Since I'm not exactly dead, I now have to pay for them. I find one from a the cemetery for something else. Heavy equipment and labor fees. "Or my un-funeral."

"Aren't you still paying off that thing you rented in Antarctica?" Scully asks, leaning over my shoulder to look at what I'm doing. Something round and firm brushes against me and I jerk away. That doesn't escape her notice.

Three Words Mulder is prickly: a combination of PTSD and targetless resentment.

Vulpes_Velox's

Commitment - Chapter 9

There was something uniquely humiliating about a pregnant woman insisting on carrying your bags for you.

Three Words Mulder doesn't care who the father of the baby is: he has bigger problems.

Commitment - Chapter 10

‘The mess will still be there in the morning.’

‘Well I don’t like to see it in the morning,’ Scully said, slamming a drawer shut. ‘I like it to be tidy.’

‘Forget about pelvic rest, I think we need to put you in an induced coma for the next couple of months.’ Scully rolled her eyes, picking up Mulder’s jeans and hanging them over a chair before walking over to her side of the bed. The bed dipped more than Mulder was expecting and he rolled towards her, trying not to smile.

Post Empedocles Scully and Mulder navigate her recovery (and the needling Agent Doggett thorn.)

@agentwhalesong/sadandangstyagent's (Ao3)

Could It Be Any Harder? - Chapter 5

The understanding only comes when Langly points out the obvious. She can see his face change when he looks at her with questioning eyes. His eyes are saying, “Is Langly right? Am I the father?”. She answers back with her eyes that they will talk about this later, but she feels like shouting.

Three Words Scully is shocked at Mulder's heedless behavior.

One in Six Billion (Tumblr)

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

Scully looked at him as if surprised not only by the question, but also by him speaking to her out of the blue, in the middle of their heavy-silence section.

Post Three Words Scully and Mulder catch up.

black.wood/Blackwood's (tripod) The Long Way Home (tripod)

"What do you remember?" Her voice is gentle and he recognizes the cadence of her kindly-but-professional interrogation mode.

"Don't do that," he says in an abrupt, cool tone. He moves past her, getting halfway to the door before her voice hits the square of his back.

"Coward."

Three Words Mulder and Scully have it out in her kitchen.

soulgyrl's The Need To Know or Mulder's Dilemma

Byers slapped his mug down on the table a little more forcefully than he really intended.

“Look, you two, if he has something to say, or ask, I’m sure he’ll do so in his own good time. Right, Mulder?”

Mulder drained his teacup and then shook his head in way of response, and then he started chewing on his lower lip. Finally, he threw both hands up in the air.

Post Three Words Mulder drops by for some information.

@iconicscullyoutfits's (Ao3) if you could rewrite one episode of the x files which one would it be and what would you change?

He moved towards her then, holding her elbow as she lowered herself back down. She had been sleeping, he could tell by the flush in her cheeks. He stood over her, loomed over her. She had one hand behind his knee now, holding onto him, weighing him down too like they both feared for the same thing. 

“Sit with me, Mulder,” she said, but it came out as a whispered request.

Post Three Words Scully and Mulder talk it out.

@atths–twice’s (Ao3, Alt. Ao3, FFN)

Measure of Love

His face was scratchy, him too tired to shave, and her not caring if he did. She welcomed the feel of it, further tactile proof that he was there, scratchy face and all. 

Post Three Words Scully observes Mulder upon his return.

The Three Words We Should Have Heard

The baby rolled again and he looked up at her, his eyes wide. 

“Whoa…” He stepped closer and spread his fingers, encompassing a larger area, his eyes dropping down. She watched him, the smile pulling slowly at his lips, and her heart ached. 

“It’s yours,” she breathed and his eyes flew up to hers. She stared at him, searching his eyes, waiting for her words to reach his brain. 

Three Words Scully helps him dress, drives him home, and weathers four days before confronting Mulder.

THE CHANGE

The man standing in front of her apartment door looked drained. His body was limp, his eyes were red rimmed, and his face was pale with worry and sadness. He looked like a walking zombie.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Mulder, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you." His voice was barely audible.

Post Three Words Mulder and Scully have The Talk.

Gina Rain's Every Night

Every night since I was released from the hospital, we play the same game.

Her bed or mine. It doesn't matter. We both dress for sleep and she positions herself carefully on the left side of the bed. She lies on her right side, pillow between her pajama-clad legs, facing me. I get in, mumble "sweet dreams," and turn in the opposite direction. Back to Scully. Back to Scully's baby.

In my more rational moments, I tell myself the child is mine.

Post Three Words Mulder wakes each night with swirling thoughts about the baby's father.

XSketch's (mulderscreek) Giving Everything They Have To Give (mulderscreek)

"Our child was the only thing helping me to hold on," she repeated.

There it was again. The frown deepened.

"Why do you keep saying 'our child'?" he suddenly asked, becoming frustrated.

Post Three Words Mulder thinks Scully's given up on him.

@gaycrouton/OnlyTheInevitable's Ray of Light (Tumblr)

His attention was drawn to the hand rubbing her stomach and that familiar knot of jealousy formed in his throat, threatening to choke him. Someone else had granted her the miracle he wanted to give her and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't even know if it was his place to be upset about it or if he was overstepping. The first time she'd done IVF, when she'd asked him, he felt included — like no matter what, he'd be a part of her and the baby's life. But clearly, she did it again and it made him feel like he hadn't actually needed to be a part of the process. That his involvement wasn't expected or, even worse, truly wanted.

Post Three Words Mulder and Scully bond over their trauma.

@syntax6's (Gossamer, FFN, omniscribe) 20 Chapter 8: Eight

Time is running out when they sit together one night in her kitchen. He can't see her belly because it's tucked beneath the table. "I wish I could give you what you want," she says, not looking at him, and he thinks she can't possibly accomplish this because even he does not know himself. But she continues: "I wish I could give you back the time you lost."

He regards her with surprise, and she meets his gaze with a small, sad smile.

"I remember what it's like," she says softly, "to come back."

Post Three Words Mulder knows the baby is his, but can't help feeling left behind and angry.

@mldrgrl's (Ao3) Magic Fingers (Tumblr)

“I saw your chart when you were in the hospital.  You’re...38 weeks now.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not the best at math, but...when you felt sick, in Oregon, does that mean…?”

She swallowed hard and shifted her eyes to glance back at him.  “I found out the night you went missing.”

“Oh.”

There was an extended silence.  She counted the slide of Mulder’s hands up and down her back.  Fourteen passes and he said nothing more.

Post Empedocles Mulder, Scully, and his magic fingers.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[roseverdict]

sometimes local places in a part of the country you'd always been ferried around by your hyperconservative parents can be accepting, actually

[aq2003]

has anyone gotten the idea that odysseus' storyline in hades 2 is a depiction/exploration of trauma over his SA and how he's blaming himself for things that were out of his control? because that's the impression i'm getting from what i've seen. he talks about "goddesses" as his "greatest weakness" and that "he's not one to say no to them"...

when mel invites him to the bath, he brings up mortals having different standards for intimacy than gods and how it usually has a more romantic/sexual connotation. she then asks if he's uncomfortable and he has a startled reaction and brings up circe and calypso again (but never actually by name)

(this isn't ship/romance bait btw. odysseus knew mel as a kid and they're stated in-game to have a sibling/uncle-niece relationship)

also he grew apart from penelope after his return, but the game makes a point of showing that his love for penelope and telemachus is what drove him on at all so that element of his character isn't brought into question

[quillsinkwell]

do you ever think about how Michael probably hated being compared to his father, yet in both Watsonian and Doylist terms, that's all he ever was

like in watsonian ways, all the animatronics targeted him and attacked him because he looked so similar to his father that they were the same people to the children.

and in doylist ways, the only thing that defined him was his quest to defeat his father.

like, what in canon has clued us in about Mike's personality? That has nothing to do with his family or animatronics? it's that he likes a show called the immortal and the restless.

that's it.

everything else we have given him in fanon.

he spent his whole life trying to deal with his father to prove he wasn't him, yet he's entirely defined by his father.

and without him, he's barely a character.

it adds a sort of horror to his death in pizza sim. like when he attempted to lay his father to rest permanently, the universe laid him as well, because it had no purpose for him outside of his father.

it also kinda makes glammike a little fucked up if you think about it this way, even if he either moved on or his spirit lingered in the pizzeria. his father rose again and the universe either dragged him out of the afterlife or kept him in the basement because what else is he if not his father's watcher

do you ever think about that despite his best efforts to not be his father, he's entirely defined by the man

do you ever think about that

or are you normal.

[feroluce]

For some weird reason, I've always been fascinated by how wildly different Sampo operates in the Underground vs the Overworld.

Sampo is present in both places and even in official sources, he's not really counted as one side or the other- now that the theory has been confirmed in-game, he's generally just lumped in with the Masked Fools.

But there really is a big difference!

Probably the most obvious and well known instance of Sampo's...business practices *cough burglary and fraud COUGH* in the Overworld is from the Belobog Museum event. In it, you don't find out Sampo is the main culprit until near the end, because Pela has to set up a sting just to catch him in the act. And that sting is necessary all because the initial suspect they arrested, Norbert, had pretty much no idea of his partner's identity. Sampo wouldn't even speak to him face-to-face.

And whereas Sampo is normally very pleasant and friendly with the trailblazer...when he thinks he's talking to Norbert here, he straight up says that they are NOT friends. Like he really shuts that shit DOWN.

There's also an Overworld NPC, Chavez, who heads the "Dark Blue Scam Support Group." And he. Really really really does not like Sampo fjkdasjklfdj

Chavez clearly wants Sampo caught, and has literally no positive feelings about him. So. Why call it the Dark Blue Scam? Why not just out him by name? Chavez obviously doesn't give a single shit about Sampo's dignity or privacy. But he never once refers to him as "Sampo," and even the pamphlets he passes out make no mention of it. No one in the entire support group seems to know how to identify him or how to refer to him except by his hair color. If the trailblazer says his name, Chavez reacts as though he's never heard it before.

(I've seen people say this means Sampo Koski is an alias and not his real name? But Ray pointed this out, and honestly I agree; even the Fools call him Sampo, after all. I think it's just that Chavez never knew Sampo's name in the first place, and given his immense distrust, immediately assumes it's an alias.)

And then there's his characters stories, where he proceeds to pull off a heist in the Overworld while in disguise as Brughel Poisson the entire time. Literally his own stories don't mention Sampo's name even once.

So anyway, all this shows that when he's up in the Overworld working cons, Sampo is incredibly slippery and secretive about his identity. The only people who seem to know him are Pela, Serval, and Gepard. He doesn't get close to anyone else, and is even surprisingly unfriendly. Nobody knows his name. No one knows his face. He has zero qualms about backstabbing or double-crossing, and even plans for it in some cases.

Meanwhile, down in the Underground, I'm pretty sure literally the worst thing we hear of him doing is scalping tickets in front of the Fight Club. Which isn't even illegal in a lot of places (although it's certainly a dick move).

In Hook's companion quest, a vagrant miner steals Fersman's equipment and tries to sell it to Sampo. Even before the trailblazer and Hook jump in and out the vagrant as a thief, Sampo hesitates to buy it because it sounds like stolen goods, which he doesn't want any part of.

Even knowing that a geomarrow detector is rare and incredibly valuable in the mines, Sampo makes no attempt to double-cross Hook or profit off of her loss, and even tells her who to go to to get it fixed.

And my favorite example of Sampo in the Underground is the Survival Wisdom adventure mission. In it, Sampo starts up a business with Peak, another miner. And like. In wild contrast to all the cons he pulls above ground, Sampo is actually super nice and helpful here.

Just the same as with Hook's quest, Sampo talks to Peak face-to-face, with no disguises or barriers. When the trailblazer finds them, they're just in the Great Mine, no secretive meeting places. Peak knows Sampo, is familiar with him, and calls him by name. It's not even a con! There's nothing illegal going on; it really is just a business partnership. Peak is more than happy with their deal, he's even pretty enthusiastic about it, because thanks to Sampo he can now make enough money to get by while also accommodating his chronic fatigue.

The only person Sampo lies to in this whole ordeal is the trailblazer, who he manipulates into getting Peak's mining equipment back from the vagrants that stole it in the first place. And when it's done, he rewards them with a legit treasure map.

So when he's working in the Underground, Sampo is MUCH more upright and lawful. Part of this is probably to do with his "business" model- Sampo only takes advantage of the wealthy, and poverty runs rampant in the Underground. When he charges Peak an extra 30% (the same percentage he charges Norbert as a consultation fee in the museum heists- Sampo seems to go by percentage instead of a flat rate, which means his prices are more fair for lower incomes) for carelessly losing their supply, Peak literally starts counting out pocket change.

Dude's working for pennies and good will down there dknsmdmd

And you can twist this into a Robin Hood thing if you want- Sampo IS technically working to feed orphans and heal the sick. He says himself he's more than happy to make up the shortfall between the greedy and the marginalized- I mean he says it in the shadiest way possible, but I doubt the people benefiting from his work really care that he's a slimeball if it means they can survive another day. Even the two heists he pulls in his character stories are literally just him stealing absurd amounts of food.

Personally though I think it is solely because of Natasha, and Sampo is hilariously well-behaved specifically for her, because she keeps him on a short leash JSKZJMSMSKS

[serpentface]

What’s the architecture/layout of old Bur, how do modern people perceive the ruins?

The city in its peak was very large and spread over both shoreline and a network of small islands. These islands comprised a waterfront district connected by a network of bridges and canals, where a large portion of its non-agricultural lower class lived.

It had a fairly well organized and efficient freshwater+sanitation system across most of its span (the canal district had less effective plumbing largely due to logistical difficulties, most of its wastewater was instead flushed by rain powered cisterns). The water system was powered by the Hsuke river and made fresh water readily accessible throughout the majority of the city (though few homes had direct freshwater plumbing). It had several major public baths, and the homes of the wealthiest members of society had their own private bathing pools.

In this part of the world, it is broadly regarded as once being one of the most beautiful cities to have ever existed. It was particularly noted for its water gardens (still a fixture of present day Burri culture) which were absolute marvels of engineering for that period, with the majority of these being entirely artificial and supported by its network of aqueducts. These hosted thousands of ornamental plants, fish, and fowl, as well as fruiting trees and shrubs. They were treated as a public work meant to benefit all citizens, and existed throughout the city.

The palace in particular was noted as impressive, in part for its architecture but mainly for its gardens. These hosted 'exotic' plants and a menagerie of animals from across the empire's territory, and existed in part as a symbol of the state's power and reach. It was a trend for emperors to bring in the fiercest animal from each conquered province to the grounds, with the an-nechoi being the beast of choice from the lands across the sea to the east, with one (Probably erroneously) cited as killing thirty servants in the process of moving it into the gardens.

The palace was located within the temple district. This district housed over a hundred shrines to the various lesser deities of the pantheon, and temple complexes to the seven chief deities (the firstborn gods who created the world, all other gods were later descendants). Old Burri temples were Kinda similar in shape to a ziggurat, though had an accessible interior space and a central tower which housed the shrine. At this time, the chief gods were believed to physically inhabit their temples. Each god had its own high priest permitted to attend to their shrine, with the emperor being the high priest to Inanariya (king of the gods) and the only person permitted to directly commune with this deity. The foundations to these temples are relatively intact in the present day, though none of the towers remain (collapsed in earthquakes with no one to rebuild them).

The city was heavily fortified, having one external wall surrounding most of its length, and an internal wall surrounding the palace/temple district (which doubled as a fortress).

---

The period of sea level rise began with a 500ish year period of mostly gradual increase, which occurred slowly enough that most infrastructure could adapt very easily and the problem went unnoticed by most (the city of Bur experienced most of its Growth during this time). It then culminated with about a century of (relatively) rapid rise, which is the direct cause of the city's abandonment.

The canals flooding had always been a problem during storms, but this began to occur with notable frequency, alongside the water level as a whole rising quickly enough to be noticed on an immediate human timespan. The canal district was maintained for a while by rerouting some of its waterways and building up barriers, but it was the first part of the city to be abandoned. Things got more serious when the mainland parts of the city grew increasingly impacted by storm surges that never seemed to fully retract, and major parts of its surrounding farmland were hit by surges and tidal waves, and rendered too saline to remain arable.

The actual single biggest cataclysm was the collapse of the city's mainland sewage system. It was built with flood canals as a failsafe, but these were built to withstand heavy rain rather than an encroaching ocean. Storm surges would cause large segments of the city to be flooded with sewage (including some of the freshwater plumbing), and serious disease outbreaks would follow.

These issues were enabled/exacerbated by earthquakes (the region is geologically active and this isn't unusual) that further damaged and mingled the sewage and freshwater systems. One earthquake and its subsequent tidal wave was a turning point, and the resulting breakdown of (already strained) infrastructure rendered a large swath of the city uninhabitable in the space of about a week. This also just caused immediate damage to much of the city's architecture/walls, and collapsed the tower of the temple to Inanariya (never a good sign). This is when the full exodus began, first with people flocking to un-flooded parts of its city and farmlands, and those who could afford it fully relocating to other cities/towns.

All of this issues were compounded by the 1st Burri Empire already being in a period of collapse at this time. This was largely a matter of simple overextension. Its borders were constantly under attack by rival states/its victims, sometimes with great success. Bur's own population had burgeoned well past what the imperial core land could sustain, and its cities relied predominantly on extraction of foreign grain/goods to feed their people. It lost most of its eastern land holdings in a fairly rapid timespan (overextended with wars at multiple fronts), which caused frequent famines in its core.

This put pressure on its final emperors to invest in increasingly desperate expansionist projects, while attempting to keep up public morale with lavish public works and objectively stupid vanity projects. The attempt to excavate a canal at the Viper seaway's 'tail' (one of the few eastern regions it retained secure control of at that point) was in part a desperate act to revive its economy by opening up/monopolizing a new trade system. The amount of money and manpower sunk into this ultimately doomed project was followed by Bur being fully ousted from its eastern holdings, and was one of the final straws in its collapse.

People in the city of Bur proper were dealing with the double front of starvation and their homes + streets + immediate water supply being flooded with seawater and literal human feces. These issues impacted the lower classes first and most severely, but ultimately transcended class boundaries. Famine grew more and more rampant, not only with the loss of the colonial holdings that supported the population but of farmland in the imperial core- much of the city of Bur's immediate farmlands were unproductive due to repeat inundation with saltwater during surges, and the farmland along the Yamage river to the north was rapidly being captured and pillaged by the Hsem (historical enemies, a nomadic group with a khait warrior culture from further west).

All this was fucking unlivable in of itself, but also had very obvious implications in the context of Burri emperors also being high priests and the chief intermediary between the gods and the people. Not only was the government failing to sustain its citizens to begin with, but signs of divine disapproval were deeply apparent.

So the last days of the 1st Burri empire were a chaotic period of civil unrest, most acute in and around city of Bur proper. This involved near-constant peasant revolts and several attempted coups. The last Burri emperor (of the First empire) ultimately fled the capital of Bur and reestablished in Titenegal, declaring it the new capital. This was then sacked by the Hsem within a year and after that it was fucking Joever.

The city of Bur was functionally abandoned by this point. People still Lived There and there were several attempts to set up a new government, all of which failed in the short term. After the collapse was complete, its inhabitants were mostly just peasants who built up new homes further inland and sustained themselves on the remaining farmland. Few people lived permanently in the city proper due to all of its intact infrastructure being effectively non-functional without the governmental bodies/human labor to sustain it.

---

It should also be noted that it was Extremely not just Bur that was flooded, the sea level rise was worldwide (resulting from a collapsing ice sheet) and almost Every coastal city during this period experienced the same issue. Bur's demise was just notably dramatic in that it was once the most heavily populated human city that has Ever Existed, and directly correlated with the fall of the empire it hosted.

The flooding was fairly gradual, but it's been 7 centuries since the first Burri empire's collapse and the fall of its capital city, and many contemporary records were lost to the immediate chaos and to the large span of time since. Cultural memory tends to reframe the flood VERY rapid on a human scale, many of the stories describe the city being swallowed in a single wave as an act of divine punishment (the popular notion at the time that the last emperors deeply displeased and shamed the gods has stuck into the narrative, often exaggerated into stories of them being horrifically debauched blasphemers guilty of the worst disgraces imaginable). Even more conservative accounts tend to imagine the totality of the destruction taking place over the span of about a year (merging the memories of the immediate earthquake devastation with more gradual elements of its slow flooding). People widely believe that most of its residents drowned in the city's cataclysmic demise, and that the ruins are now Extremely haunted.

The state of the flooding is not 'completely under the sea' and you can still walk/wade through most of the inland ruins (the canal district is effectively submerged, with most structures that Would be above the water level having collapsed against the strain). As such, some people Do Live Here. These people are mostly smugglers and pirates using the ruins as a hideout, and/or opportunistic hunters and fishermen who won't let ghosts stop them. Entering the city ruins is currently forbidden (largely Because of the criminal nature of basically every motive to go here (even hunting, which is considered poaching)), but enforcement of this rule/active patrols to prevent entry are inconsistent.

The majority of Old Bur's inhabitants are animals. The un-flooded parts of the city and its gardens are now a host to a thriving community of native plants and animals (and a few descendants of escaped non-native zoo animals/ornamental plants that adapted well to the conditions).

The egret shown here is a foreign species originally brought as an ornamental bird. In the centuries since its first import, it has become widespread and occurs on both sides of the Mouth seaway. It can hunt in both freshwater and saline environments, and a very large population lives permanently in the ruins of Old Bur.

Its common name is the ghost egret. Contemporary Burri folklore holds that the ghost egrets of Old Bur are literal ghosts, carrying the souls of those who died in the cataclysmic floods.

[rustedleopard]

I feel like if Chujin was still alive during the events of Undertale Yellow, his and Clover's relationship would be incredibly rocky. Pacifist!Clover could bring him around to tolerating them (after all, they have that sort of effect on everyone), but it would be more in a "this human is the only 'good' human" manner than a "maybe I should reevaluate my opinions on humans overall because you can't judge an entire group based off (very biased) stories and one bad experience." Even then, that opinion would be subject to change should Clover ever get frustrated or behave "too aggressively" or act in any manner that isn't perfectly docile. If Clover ends up attacking a monster then it's "humans are just as horrible as they were in the war stories, I should've known better" regardless of the circumstances that could've pushed Clover to fight. Suffocating expectations and endless demands for patience when he wouldn't ask the same of a fellow monster.

And heaven forbid he ever meet Clover on a No Mercy Run...

[judasalicent]

my prediction right now is that a conversation between alicent and mysaria will occur in late s3 and have a similar function in the story as elizabeth bennet and lady catherine's conversation at the end of pride and prejudice lol.

in early s3, the relationship between alicent and rhaenyra will be strained because rhaenyra will believe alicent lied about aegon. but, as we move through s3, alicent will face no consequences for her "betrayal" besides being (very comfortably) imprisoned. in other words, alicent will suspect (though probably not consciously acknowledge) that rhaenyra still cares for her enough not to torture/execute her despite the perceived betrayal.

i believe this will inevitably climax with a private conversation between alicent and mysaria, who rhaenyra will be closest to during the beginning of s3. even at the top of s3, mysaria will be suspicious of rhaenyra's relationship to alicent due to the sept meeting, rhaenyra trusting alicent's plan to take the city, rhaenyra refusing to torture/execute alicent, etc.

as s3 progresses, rhaenyra and mysaria will grow to be more at odds as the interests of the nobles (with rhaenyra as representative) and the smallfolk (with mysaria as representative) begin to clash. this will culiminate in rhaenyra rejecting mysaria (for alicent) in some capacity mid-season, inspiring mysaria to confront alicent herself. up to this point, alicent may suspect rhaneyra's feelings, but her conversation with mysaria will make them explicitly known. alicent will realize that rhaenyra's love has kept her alive and well during her imprisonment.

the major consequence of this conversation will be that alicent, even if given the opportunity to leave king's landing in late s3/early s4, likely will not take it. knowing that rhaenyra's love is still there, alicent will seek it out. so just like elizabeth bennet realizes that mr. darcy still loves her after lady catherine reveals he intended to propose, alicent will realize that rhaneyra still loves her after mysaria reveals that rhaenyra is actively protecting her.

and to go even further, rhaneyra and alicent will potentially be given the opportunity to acknowledge their love for one another at the end of s3/beginning of s4 after rhaenyra turns away from the smallfolk after first tumbleton. in the same way that elizabeth and mr. darcy could confront their love for one another after lady catherine visits longbourn.

[pennamepersona]

mr wines: [screaming and sobbing on the cricket pitch about how it used to be a king]

me, twirling my very short hair: you're REALLY tall.....

[misguidedandperplexed]

All I Want For Chanuka Is a romance novel about two frum men falling in love and living together within the boundaries of halacha, authored by a frum or formerly frum gay man, that's not too much to ask is it

[gumy-shark]

on one hand never trust how you feel about yourself as a person after the sun goes down, especially if you have a known pattern of catastrophizing your own behavior into you somehow being a secretly evil Bad Person. on the other hand night time is when i do my best introspection

[flugame-mp3]

the idea of summer got so much more freeing when i realized i can wear whatever i want. like i can be trans and wear a v-cut flower print bikini. i can be trans and wear board shorts and a t shirt. i can be naturally hairy, or i can trim, or i can shave it all off. literally it doesn't matter. do whatever you want forever. happy summer everybody

[daincrediblegg]

really funny when people get so possessive of fictional characters. like what are you going to do call your lawyer? you going to slap a restraining order on anyone who writes an opinion on sleepo bopkin that isn't you? did your fantasy make you feel entitled to an idea of control that no one ever has or ever will possess? try prozac and leave everyone alone

[misscammiedawn]

Sometimes I make little bets and agreements with myself over the smallest things. Like 'okay, we'll get up when the cat isn't on our lap anymore' or 'next time YouTube throws on an ad we'll make a cup of coffee'

Which is all fun and games until the trigger never comes and you're stuck in limbo wishing you hadn't made a binding pact that has tethered you into the space between spaces. Certainly you could break the pact. But an agreement means something, dammit!

This is normal human behavior, right?