#triangle is one of the episodes of all time for scully! we really get to see her maneuvering around the office alone

[ouroboroscully]

scully is so funny in triangle. just flying around the hoover building and threatening people and barging into offices and being so autistic in the elevator and doubting herself and answering the phone in spender’s office pretending to be diana fowley to CSM all in the name of saving mulder. like she really is such a goofy little freak i’m obsessed with her

[cecilysass]

Undercover Smolder Mulder: Pine Bluff Variant Fic Recs

I'd describe Pine Bluff Variant as a low key fan favorite, an episode that I even feel like appreciation has grown for over the years. Oh sure, it doesn’t get the fan love that a Memento Mori or Pusher might, but we sure do see those Mulder Scully intense looks gifs popping up pretty often, right? Plus, it has partner trust angst, undercover intrigue, hurt/comfort, genuine thriller-style suspense, and serious MSR overtones.

I like PBV for all of those reasons obviously, but also because it feels like the show going with a slightly different tone. Starting from its action-based, FBI operation cold open, we know this is more conspiracy / bioterrorist thriller than classic X-file. Yes, there’s a sci fi component to the biotoxin--and the scenes that reveal its victims have a horror feel--but this episode just isn’t as much about the supernatural. It also raises the interesting--and nowadays more pointed--question: aren’t anti-government groups operating under their own rules sometimes potentially as dangerous as the government itself?

TXF tried several kinds of experiments in its later seasons, in production and structure of show (Triangle or X-Cops), in exploring all kinds of playful, self-aware and satirical comedy (lots of season 6, Hollywood A.D., etc.), in making drastic moves with its mytharc (One Son, Requiem, etc). Going in the direction of a more purely action-suspense thriller for a MOTW wasn’t something they ever tried again (that I can think of anyway). And I think that's kind of a shame? It feels like a good change up. Different without messing too much with the show’s basic DNA.

Not to mention, y'all, Scully thinks he betrayed her! And there's the scene with the finger! And Mulder thinks he's going to die! There's so much good stuff here!

Here is a list of Pine Bluff Variant fic recs. (As usual, I really think there should be more. This episode has sooooo many openings. You should write some.)

Calling Bluffs - mangokiwitropicalswirl An angsty little post ep that doesn’t flinch from the way coming close to death affects Mulder (or Scully). It also raises the question of how much their bond always puts them at risk. Moving ending.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before - pinebluffvariant Immediately post ep, Scully protects Mulder. There is some satisfying hurt/comfort. But what really shines in this fic is the ending, which ties a nice bow on season 5 and kicks me in the feels. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, indeed: sniff.

Passing Solace - DarlaBlack An intensely romantic NC-17 scene set in the middle of the episode, focused on their deep care and need for one another. Beautifully written.

All of This (around) Us - secondsflat In this sweet fic they share whiskey before Scully sets his finger bone, and Scully voices her frustration at not knowing about his undercover work. An intimate, atmospheric little scene.

Snakebitten - onpaperfirst This is a riff on all of season 5 written with great skill and subtlety. So, so good. It’s canon divergent in that it seeds the Pine Bluff Variant / New Spartans storyline back earlier in the season—and it has more RST. Such a treat.

Postcards Slipped Under the Door - skuls Two years after Pine Bluff Variant, some time after the events of En Ami in season 7, Mulder begins receiving ominous postcards from the New Spartans, suggesting they have regrouped. Skinner and Scully think it’s too dangerous for him to get involved in the case again, so Scully goes instead. This is hard on Mulder, as they’re in a recently begun relationship. Angsty, plot-driven, satisfying.

[allthngs]

one thing i didn’t notice about syzygy that came to me after i saw the episode it’s the mulder-scully-white situation related to the syzygy. let me start from the beginning.

at a certain point during the episode we understand (or at least i understood cause english’s not my first language and i was like “what the fuck’s a syzygy?”) that a syzygy is an astronomical alignment of three celestial objects, usually the sun, the moon and a third planet. they also tell us which planets are involved this time around: mars, uranus and mercury. we know that teri and margi (and the whole city actually) are going bonkers because of the alignment but i got the idea that the three of them (m&s+w) may represent the three planets.

i don’t have a big knowledge about astrology, but the internet’s really resourceful, so this is what i understood: mars is the planet of aggression, it determines how you assert yourself, take action and the energy that surrounds you (especially related to sex and anger). mercury on the other hand determines communication, how you talk and think. and uranus is the planet related to the unexpected and it has an external connotation so people think it doesn’t really influences earth that much.

this alignment explains perfectly teri and margi’s actions, but it also tells something about the triangle we talked about before. detective white is clearly uranus, cause of the external connotation i talked about: she’s outside of mulder & scully’s dynamic, she influences it briefly and as soon as the syzygy is over so is she.

i’ve been thinking a lot about the other two, in a way both mulder and scully can be either mars or mercury but i think scully is mars.

what she’s struggling to most here is trying not to lose control, which is really atypical of her if you think about what we’ve seen of her since now. control is something she’s always had, but that she seems to be losing frequently during the episode (she’s even smoking, something that we’ve never seen her do) and this lack of control is turning into anger for her. she’s bored during the interrogation, she’s annoyed at white’s ideas, she’s mad with mulder for not backing her up and agreeing with white.

mulder on the other hand represents mercury. he seems to be the usual mulder we know and love, but he’s actually finding it hard to use the right words towards scully. she usually understands him instantly, they don’t even have to verbally communicate anymore cause they share a silent language that only the two of them speak, they just get each other. but in here it looks like all the signals he’s sending her are messed up. to the point where she feels left behind by him (i’m talking about the one scene where she says she didn’t imagine he would ditch her and he’s like “i didn’t ditch you” and she’s “fine, whatever”).

of course each planet also has connotations related to the pairs they form. mars related to its sex tendency is mulder-white e of course also mulder-scully, even if i think what fits them the most here is mercury. scully-white just can’t be read in this way cause i think scully projects everything she seems to be despising about white on mulder.

what do you think? am i looking things that clearly aren’t there? i’m sorry if it was astrology for dummies but it made sense in my head.

[rationalcashew]

Saw your tags-- very curious where we disagree!

This episode is such a mixed bag, discordant even with its own message (separate from the broader canon.)

Scully is a person who thinks she can "cure herself"; and doesn't want others to be "burdened with" or "pity" her. Her needs are often placed second in her relationships, professionally and personally (All Things explored that as far back as Daniel Waterstone), but she can't be perfect forever. Thus, rebellion with the end of wanting to get caught-- look at me smoking cigarettes, look at me going on a date (The Jersey Devil, Never Again, Bad Blood, Milagro, etc.), look at me taking a leap (Beyond the Sea, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Trevor, etc.) Mulder, meanwhile, isn't clued into his own self-sacrifice-- or that he has sacrificed normalcy for this strange existence-- as typified by his "I have a life"/"this is a normal life." He struggles with self-denial: in Home, Mulder admits he'd live this life if (the if being Samantha and his quest for the truth), in Amor Fati he had a dream family only if he was forced to live in the suburbs for Scully's safety's sake, etc. He takes forever to act on his love towards Scully (heartbreakingly staring at her in Max and grasping her hand in Redux II; but withdrawing in Detour and not reiterating his confession after the high evaporated in Triangle.)

CSM projects his own ideals onto Mulder and thinks Scully's love can be drawn to himself by wooing her with his power and, he assumes, more open heart. Intent on breaking down her self-denial where there is none, he is surprised she so easily grabs the disc and leaves him in the dust; and what he took for altruistic self-sacrifice from Mulder was really morbid self-punishment.

To iron all that out AND make sense of En Ami? WBD had an interesting idea for the episode, I think; but too many hands in the pie changed it from roadtrip pop psychology to CC's bait-the-fans-with-the-miraculous-S8-conception angle (here and here.) I haven't taken the time to sit down and methodically break the episode apart; but there are probably a hundred and one ways that its internal structure doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Now after that long-winded ask, XDD, where do you think I was off? Always curious to hear feedback (if it's not too much trouble~.)

It’s less about the episode itself where I disagree. Regarding the MSR part: what we have is a neurotypical (Scully) living in Mulder’s neurodivergent (I will die on the hill that he has undiagnosed—or, if he was diagnosed, completely neglected—ADHD) world. She struggles to adapt (this rather than the not wanting the life of mess that you mentioned). One big area of the original post where I disagree is your stance (although, to be fair, I do agree to an extent) is Scully’s being drawn to men with “power.” I think the word used in the episode was incorrect but I think the principle behind what he was saying is valid. Scully seems to be attracted to men who are unavailable (on any level: physically, emotionally, etc.) and/or in authority (which, I have always thought is a better word than “power” in that scene). The ones we know about are: Daniel, Jack, and to an extent, Mulder. One could even argue Jerse (emotionally unavailable) but that’s a whole different discussion 😂

I definitely agree with you about all the hints Scully had dropped for Mulder (the wine and cheese in the motel room wasn’t exactly subtle LOL). I’ve argued those points for years. However, I disagree about Mulder’s aversion—for lack of a better word—to bring “more.” I think that for the longest time, he’s completely oblivious. This is something that is INCREDIBLY common in people with ADHD. The flirting and even the way he goes about his job would produce the dopamine that his brain needs. It’s. A dopamine-reward based existence. Even his disorganization is pretty typical of ADHD as he has an “organized clutter.”

At first, we know Mulder is suspicious of Scully. He’s clear about that in the pilot. However, after she actually listened to him in a way that he isn’t used to (at that point), I think that changed. I think he was still a little suspicious for awhile but I think that, for him, was a, “wait, someone actually cares?” moment as well. She didn’t treat him like the crazy person that he appears to be accustomed to being treated as.

The earlier flirtations were definitely a dopamine thing for him and I’d even argue that, to an extent, it was even after that (again, this is incredibly common in people with ADHD). I think he wrestled with his feelings for her differently than she wrestled with hers for him. I think for him, it was more of a “am I reading this right?” thing (again, more often than not, for those of us with ADHD, we can see it a mile away with other people; but when it’s us, you have to spell it out for us). With Scully, I think she didn’t know where he stood—I think she felt like she made herself pretty clear but he is oblivious. However, throughout the series (especially post-her abduction and return), he is completely devoted to her.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about the episode itself because it was one of those where I could sort of see what they were going for but I don’t think they thought it all the way, through. I definitely agree with you about too many hands in the pie with this one.

Sorry, I’ll do other, more specific comments about the original post in comments on this one. I have to refer back to it and it erases my whole response when I try to do that on my phone. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[virtie333]

Your post about your Damerey origins got me curious... I've never gotten into x-files fics, but I did watch the show in reruns and there was just... no one cooler than Dana Scully (except Batman, but like... he was fictional and Dana seemed like a real person to me b/c my delusions started early in my life).

I've really been mulling over a re-watch. I'm a completist and would have no choice but to watch it top to bottom, movies and all.

Buuuuut.... do you have any favorite season arcs or episodes?????

Wow, this question really made me think. Honestly, this show was so much a part of me for so many years, it's hard to imagine that I haven't watched a single episode in years! Coming here to Tumblr and connecting with people who are current fans has helped my inner Phile reemerge, and I too crave a re-watch. And like you, I'd have to start from the beginning.

I can't say I have a favorite arc. Obviously the Cancer arc was the most important, but as a whole I've just always considered the series as one story (kind of like Star Wars; it's hard for me to watch just one movie, I have to watch them all). I can point out episodes I love from every season, although I will admit Season 6 is probably my overall favorite, hopeless romantic that I am.

I absolutely adore the first movie, Fight the Future, and can watch that over and over and over. I saw it in theaters 5 times, which tied a record for me that wasn't broken until The Force Awakens came out.

My three favorite episodes are:

Pusher

Triangle

Beyond the Sea

Other eps I know by heart include: Ice, Irresistible, War of the Coprophages, Grotesque, Paper Hearts, Small Potatoes, Bad Blood, Folie a Deux, Monday, The Unnatural, En Ami, Je Souhaite, This is Not Happening/Deadalive, Audrey Pauley, and Improbable. I enjoyed parts of the revival, but not enough to really get into it, and I was not happy with what they did to William, so I have trouble accepting Seasons 10 and 11 as canon. I loved seeing David and Gillian together again, but I wish they had stayed with Monster of the Week episodes instead of making the Conspiracy even more confusing and unbelievable than it already was. Also hate what they did to Monica and Skinner. So, yeah...

Anyway, this show truly changed my life. It gave me the best friends in the world, as we met on-line over 20 years ago and are still friends to this day. Here we are through the years; the first one we are on the Queen Mary, where they filmed Triangle, back in 2007. The last was my 50th birthday last year at Galaxy's Edge.

And of course, it's what first got me started in fanfiction.

I may be devoted to Damerey, but I will always be a Phile and proud to be an original shipper.

[ahabmulder]

Fascinated by the fact that Mulder starts giving Scully quick, casual kisses after the cancer arc. Like he’s realised that her life and his life—that life in general—is too short not to be affectionate with her. The first X Files kiss is the Memento Mori (4x14) forehead kiss in the hospital, which comes right at the height of Scully’s determination and resilience in this episode. She’s decided she’s not going to let her cancer get in the way of her life, her work, or all the things she’s planned to do. And for Mulder, this is the sign that he hasn’t lost her. Her cancer took them both by surprise and whilst Mulder has always been aware of the danger their work puts her in, I don’t think he really thought about what it would be like to lose Scully until this episode. His kiss is full of relief. “Come on back,” he says, pulling her into his arms. Come on back to work, come on back to me.

His next kisses are when Scully’s cancer comes back. He’s been watching her more carefully since her release from the hospital, more than she probably likes. Every nosebleed is a reminder, every time she goes glassy-eyed and dizzy in the office. Her cancer comes back and Mulder throws away his cover for her because he can’t be losing her again. But she's being moved out of the ICU, which means she's getting better, and Mulder can't help himself. His lips are all over her in Redux II (5x02), on her cheeks, her hands, even the presence of her mother can’t stop him.

The FTF hallway almost kiss comes next, “Scully... marry me” from Chinga (5x10), the Arcadia fake-dating affection (6x15), the “in case we never meet again (but also you don’t know me)” Triangle kiss (6x03), not to mention the “I love you” when he wakes up at the end. A lot of these are jokes, sure, but Mulder’s always been one to joke and he doesn’t start making these sorts of jokes until after the cancer arc. It’s not quite like he doesn’t care anymore—it’s Scully, of course he cares—but he doesn’t care as much about what she thinks or feels about his affection like he did before the cancer. I’ve always thought of Mulder in the early seasons as someone who really wanted Scully’s opinions and input, on just about everything. He valued her insight so much that I think he let her in almost too quickly. I’ve always thought that Mulder pushed her hard in the early seasons, not in a bad way at all, but he pushed her to analyse his evidence and his work, to critique him and give it her full, legitimate attention. He wanted her to see what he was doing, and to validate, not his work per se, but himself, his effort and his passion, because no one else had ever even bothered to come down to the FBI’s basement before she did. And once she did, he couldn’t get enough. Scully is his skeptic, his scientist, his “rigid in a wonderful way” (3x13). She made him a whole person.

But life is too short and so he lets go of all that. Mulder has loved her and nearly lost her for so many years now that it’s enough that she’s just here with him. He gives in to his impulses and he kisses her freely, expecting nothing in return, not even her attention (not that he’s ever expected anything in return, it’s Mulder). He kisses her because he wants her to experience every form of love that anyone could ever want to give her, because she deserves it. He doesn’t care if she loves him back, if she hates him, ignores him, couldn’t care less, just wants to be friends. He loves her. Scully deserves love.

So it’s “I love you” even if she laughs at him, “marry me” even when she’s talking about witchcraft, “hips before hands” even if it’s a lame excuse to touch her, it's kiss after kiss after kiss even though he’s stopped asking "what do you think of me? do you love me too?". As long as she's not pulling away from him or showing signs of discomfort, he's got no reason to stop, because there is no world in Mulder's mind in which Scully doesn't deserve it all.

[fragilevixenfic]

My AO3 Fanfiction Links (Current)

“I’ve never really thought about making a “Master List” of my own work but I figured, now is the time to do so. If any of the links are incorrect just let me know. I fix. 

Adding in a “keep reading” tab because the list is starting to get long and intense.

Each fic is categorized and easily referenced. I’ll update as I go.

X Files

Series

Into The Shadows

XII (COMPLETE): A serial killer targets victims and leaves behind symbols of his affection -- but who is his intended target and what will it take to discover the truth? (This has a lot of trigger warnings)

Dance In The Dark (ONGOING Chapters 12/? Posted **UPDATED):  With the continuing murder trial of Miles, Mulder, Scully, and Max are confronted by the VCU with a case that seems to be mimicking the pattern by their, now infamous, psychopath on trial.

Echoes and Whispers

Parallel (COMPLETE):  The aftermath of the three little words that Mulder says to Scully in his hospital bed after being rescued from the Queen Anne as it re-appeared in the Bermuda Triangle...and the strange connection that Scully starts to feel to a memory that Scully couldn't possibly have.

Only The Night (ONGOING):  Mulder and Scully begin their undercover assignment as an engaged couple with the assistance of Skinner at the University of Maryland to catch a serial rapist, putting their newly formed physical bond to the test in this sequel to “Parallel”.

Casefics

Falling Away (COMPLETE):  Kersh’s assignment partially splits the team as Scully goes undercover under the watchful eye of Mulder as they both assist on an operation with SWAT and FBI personnel. (A gift for Greta)

Veritas se revēlet (COMPLETE):  (The title is roughly translated to let the truth be revealed in Latin) An impromptu wild goose chase leads Mulder and Scully to the drifts of a winter-locked Tonopah, Nevada—where a little more than the embodiment of Mulder’s imagination takes shape between the walls of the Mizpah Hotel in the dead of winter. (A gift for @monikafilefan)

She Walks at Night (COMPLETE):  Mulder’s knack for getting himself and Scully into sticky situations leads them to the heart of NOLA at the tail end of Hurricane season after barely surviving a Floridian storm—to investigate a rumor of a notable Voodoo Queen and missing girls trying to bring her back. (A gift for @starbuck09256)

Intrigues in the Dark (COMPLETE):   A string of suicides leads Mulder and Scully to a sleepy, coastal town in Oregon for the second time—on their return to The X File—as tensions run high and nothing is as it seems. (A gift for @admiralty-xfd)

By Light, Unseen (COMPLETE):   A series of re-opened cold case murders with one link…they’d been drained of every drop of blood and wore the same, haunting stare toward the sky with their lips aghast as if they were still screaming. (A gift for @serahsanguine)

Post-Series

A House is Not a Home (COMPLETE):  The mere thought of raising a newborn in a world full of horrors has every part of Scully’s emotional irrationality over firing on a chilly, winter evening. Mulder wants nothing more than to show her that not everything is gray and grim. (for @danceswithcybermen)

Remember the Reason (COMPLETE):  Post Series (Part 1 of the “Little Redhead Series”). Mulder and Scully already knew that life with a newborn would be difficult but the first Christmas with their two-month-old daughter throws every curveball…some worse than others, some more humorous. (For @underworldobsessed)

Confectioners Sugar & Snow Drifts (COMPLETE):  Post Series (Part 2 of the “Little Redhead Series”). Mulder spends the morning bonding with Eliana by having a Christmas baking session while Scully is out shopping for gifts. Messes, mayhem, and a healthy dose of laughter ensue. No moment is ever dull as the snow falls outside.

The Easter Bunny was a Fox (COMPLETE):  Post Series (Part 3 of the “Little Redhead” Series). Scully has to pick up Bill, Tara, and a couple of surprise family from the airport, leaving Mulder alone with their 6-year-old daughter, Eliana, on Easter Morning. All she has for him are curiosities as Easter’s non-Christian ideology unfolds before her eyes…creating the most unique bonding opportunity for a father and his daughter. (For Flicked_Switch)

Angst/UST/RST

Caught in the Rain (COMPLETE):  A dark, rainy night leads Mulder and Scully to a hole in the wall bar where glasses of Scotch and unresolved tension is re-visited.

Or We Can Burn (COMPLETE):  Post Never Again - expansion and continuation of the aftermath surrounding what Scully has been hiding from Mulder.

It Lingers (COMPLETE):  The aftermath of trauma and the lingering effects of Mulder’s risky attempt to recover the truth about Samantha’s abduction leads to a revelation from Scully about her own coping mechanisms and flashes into a past she doesn’t fully remember...and the path to which they lead thereafter. (For @red2007)

Fluff/Humor

Nervous Laughter (COMPLETE):  It’s been two full days since their tender, albeit brief, moment at the stroke of midnight and Mulder decides to be brave and methodical by inviting Scully over for a little movie and popcorn night for a film that has stayed locked in his mind as her favorite—The Exorcist. (This is a gift for @rationalcashew)

Lamplight & Shooting Stars (COMPLETE):  It’s Spring-time in DC and spontaneous, mutually taken vacation time has become a personal mission of Mulder’s to surprise Scully with so much more than an escape from their norm—and the unseasonable, uncomfortable city heat. (For @underworldobsessed)

Into the Nightlife (ONGOING):  A little paid vacation time never hurt anyone, right? (Not giving anything away this time)

Smut

Insomniac (COMPLETE):  Another lonely, sleepless night, another dingy motel, and another town that isn’t home for Mulder…but, something changed, with the last gasp of the air conditioner as his partner, and best friend, chooses to walk through the adjoining door. (Expanded writing exercise)

Vultus in Speculo (COMPLETE):  The last of the paperwork on the Strickland case has been finalized and filed and Scully goes off for a drink at a known FBI watering hole. Mulder is invited but doesn’t show up until after Scully is halfway through a drink—giving him an opening to inquire about a whole lot more than her flirtations with the Sheriff in the booth of a rooftop bar. (written for @msrheadcanon

Phosphorescence (COMPLETE):  Still reeling from their experience in North Carolina, Mulder and Scully take a much-needed excursion to the coast of Oregon, where a flicker of light becomes more than a curiosity in the middle of the night. (Written for @anniexami)

The Darker Side of Love (COMPLETE): Mulder does not want to talk but he does not want Scully to leave, either. (This is for the MSR fanzine vol 3)

Ficlets/Drabbles/Short Prompt Collection

Affirmations and Protestations: “Fluff and Angst” Prompts (ONGOING):  

 Chapter 1 - "You Weren't Supposed to Hear That" - prompt #5, 61, 77

Chapter 2 - "Shout!" - prompt #19, 61 (From Valerie)

Chapter 3 - "Litost" - prompt #1, 85, 97 (From Monika)

Chapter 4 - "Ad Infinitum" - prompt #42 (From Minuete)

Chapter 5 - "Brick" - prompt - After Scully calls Mulder in the ep Emily, she asks him to bring her some things from home. Her journal falls to the floor and Mulder sees some things written about him that she has never allowed him to know. (from Monika)

Chapter 6 - "I'd rather be oblivious" - prompt #46 (from Annie)

Criminal Minds

Angst/UST/RST

Dulce Periculum (COMPLETE):  Maxine and Spencer have continued seeing each other, in spite of the interference brought to the surface by Cat Adams. Spencer continues to work closely with the BAU after it nearly dismantled, with signature members scattering to the winds, leaving behind only a few, including himself, to keep working on their caseload. After a long, intense case, Spencer returns home to a little more than a can of worms. (A gift for an anonymous prompter)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Angst/UST/RST

Chasing your Silhouette (COMPLETE):  They’d learned each other’s quirks and intricacies on the job—but when did it become over the line? When did physicality become a detriment to them once they’ve taken off their shields? When did they realize the line in the sand no longer existed? (This is meant to take place a couple weeks after “Zebras” – had to assume a timeline, I don’t remember actual dates)

Paternity Redux - Time Just Stopped (COMPLETE):  Her strength has always been immeasurable—but sometimes, something has to give and a string breaks. Nothing will ever be the same.“I’m trying my best, that is enough.” - UnknownThis is part of a challenge, to right a series of wrongs in an episode that has perpetrated many a discussion of “What Could Have Been”. WriterKC, Liv.Einziger, JustAnotherBookWorm78, MrsWellRested, EORocks, AlexisDawn, ChriskaPeach, and I have stepped up to the plate to do just that.

Oblivion (ONGOING 9/? Chapters posted ***UPDATED***):   The undercover operation in Oregon takes an unexpected, unpleasant turn for Olivia Benson as an injury turns her life, and career, upside-down leaving her with pieces of her memory scattered in the wind.

Humor

Unlock the Door (TENTATIVELY COMPLETE 2/2):   Olivia returns home from a celebratory series of shots with Kim Greylek and lets Elliot Stabler hear a little more than she ever intended to in the aftermath.

Series

Polaroids and Promises (COMPLETE):   The Special Victims Unit has undergone an enormous amount of changes in the past six months, to the point that they are drastically undermanned—until a transfer from the 13th precinct brings new life, and a little chaos, to the team. Will her addition prove to be a permanent shift or a flash in the pan?

Discarded Dignity (COMPLETE):   Elora continues to gain much-needed confidence as a member of the Special Victims Unit but an arrival booked for trespassing, assaulting an officer, and disorderly throws her progress into chaos as her past jumps to the surface. Will she be able to look beyond the misstep to solve one of the most convoluted cases she’s faced? 

Contract Corruption (ONGOING 10/?):   Dickie Stabler and Justin Andrisani are in over their heads--and the members of SVU and the Organized Crime task force must come together in order to set things right.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Organized Crime Crossover

Series

Words of love, words of lies, words of loss

Age of Regret (COMPLETE):  Elliot Stabler has never been good with words but ten years and a double on the rocks in a lonely room will make a man pour his heart out…in any way that he can.

Infidelis (COMPLETE): Elliot had been haunted by too many ghosts; expectations, fantasies, and a promise that he knew should never be kept. It was time to lay them all to rest. “I do not regret you…I regret what you did to me.” - Unknown

[scullysflannel]

but pls explain me season 6 🤪 (i would love to hear ur reading of mulder in s6)

lol neither one of us expected this to be 1400 words long but here we are.

So my first and most honest take on Mulder and Scully in season 6 is just that the writers were playing the game more that season. They spent five years subverting the Hollywood idea that two people who love each other have to act like they hate each other, and then the show moved to L.A. and the writers were like okay! It’s trope time! And they dropped a cow through Mulder’s roof so there would only be one motel bed for him to share with Scully. I respect the game. It’s my favorite season. But it’s a big shift from the way Mulder and Scully were written before, and it really only works because the season winds up being thematically cohesive enough to justify it, to a degree that was probably sometimes intentional and other times definitely not. Like in Arcadia I think we can all agree the writers were simply men making bad jokes about marriage.

But in the big picture, so much of the season supports the idea that Mulder and Scully are backsliding because they’re fighting the next stage of their relationship. I’ve said this before, but I think the hallway confession in Fight the Future is massive for Mulder and Scully in season 6. Way bigger than Diana. Scully says it in the season premiere: When Mulder told her that he needs her to be his scientist, the lesson she took from that was that she can’t change. The whole season thematically is about the two of them being afraid to let themselves change each other or admit they already have, because they’re afraid that if they stop being the Skeptic and Believer they stop working. They don’t want to risk losing each other. But they can’t be in a relationship if they can’t be changed by each other. So they’re stuck in this terrible limbo, and they’re not happy about it, especially because they’re already at a point where the roles they’re playing don’t fit them anymore. And at a macro level that’s honestly some of the best justification for “will they/won’t they” screwball comedy fanservice I’ve ever heard.

I love all the ways the season plays with Mulder and Scully’s anxiety. In Dreamland Mulder gets trapped in traditional married life; in Arcadia Scully signs them up for it and all he does is mock her; in The Rain King they keep getting mistaken for a couple. They’re always having to confront these domestic expectations. Neither one of them wants that life, but they were both kind of bred to expect it: Mulder the Martha’s Vineyard kid, Scully the sacrificial military wife. That’s part of what they’re struggling with: They don’t have a blueprint for what being a couple will look like for them, and they keep having these visions of the worst possible ending. “Getting out of the car” isn’t even a line until Dreamland, but Drive is literally “if Mulder gets out of the car, will someone die?” Do they die without each other (Tithonus) or because of each other (How the Ghosts)?

A lot of people have written so well about the motifs of this season. @iconicscullyoutfits pointed out how many season 6 episodes involve resets (How the Ghosts), usually with memory wipes (Dreamland, Monday) and dreams (Triangle, Field Trip). The message is that Mulder and Scully can’t move forward if they can’t get out of their own heads. (Field Trip pulls it all together by putting them in each other’s heads.) @foxmulders brought up how season 6 keeps telling Mulder and Scully they’re fated to live and die together (Triangle, Monday, How the Ghosts) but still forces them to choose each other on purpose, and I think a lot of the season lives in that tension between knowing something and still having to choose it. And @thegrotesckque has a great take on how Field Trip resolves the “getting out of the car” question (is it a betrayal for Scully and Mulder? Is it a betrayal for the show?) by proving that they’re better as a team when they stop playing Skeptic and Believer anyway. That’s what saves them.

All of that is so much better than whatever the show is trying to do with Diana. She’s not written well enough to explain why Mulder is so loyal to her (but is written just badly enough to justify Scully’s animosity lol). The X-Files doesn’t care about Diana as a person or even about her relationship with Mulder and how it affects him; it’s not like being burned by Diana brings up Mulder’s trust issues later in the season. They just wanted Scully to be jealous. It’s the weakest trope in a very tropey season; they threw in a love triangle and then immediately stopped caring about it, and not in a funny “no one else stands a chance” kind of way, although obviously yeah, no one else stands a chance.

But Diana isn’t the point. Even if she were better written she wouldn’t be Mulder and Scully’s biggest problem, because all of the interesting episodes of the season are about how Mulder and Scully are their own biggest problem. Diana just weaponizes those insecurities. Like, yes “you’re making this personal” is so rude it’s comical and Mulder is a jerk to Scully about Diana and Diana is a snob, and you can see all of that contributing to why Mulder and Scully are on edge with each other in the first half of the season. But it’s not like either one of them actually thinks Diana might be better for Mulder than Scully is. They’re just afraid they’ll let her stand in their way.

If I wanted to really give the Diana arc the benefit of the doubt, it would go like this: Diana is a catalyst for Scully to realize how much she wants to feel wanted. Mulder takes Scully for granted, and I’m usually kind of charmed by that (I know) because he trusts her so much. He’s so comfortable with her (@wtfmulder has written about this). But when Diana shows up and he starts siding with Diana over Scully, it hurts, especially because he never gives her a good reason. Really I think he’s just loyal and handling it badly. He sides with Diana because that’s the relationship he thinks needs defending right now. We talk a lot about the power imbalance in Scully’s previous relationships, but from the way Mulder behaves around his old girlfriends it seems like he’s been overpowered just as much. This is the first equal relationship for both of them.

It’s just wild that they put themselves through so much because it’s so simple. Of course Mulder loves Scully. He tells her so. But I think Dana “oh brother” Scully is right that he’s not ready to do anything about it, because if he were he’d be making her feel desired. He can say “I love you” on painkillers, but he can’t even ask her to dance in Kroner. He makes bad jokes to deflect (hence all of Arcadia). He’s just as overwhelmed as Scully is by the weight of what they are. I think in early season 6 they both still need the song and dance that gives them plausible deniability: him stealing her car keys and her insisting that she really should be getting home. And if Mulder has a hard time earnestly pursuing her, I think Scully also has a harder time than she’d admit letting herself be pursued. They’ve been kicked off the X-files. In a way just spending time together is so much more intentional than it used to be. Everything means more.

I don’t think they start to get their act together until Milagro, when Scully lets go of her desire to be pursued. The show’s method is bad—Dana Scully is never allowed to learn a lesson until her body is put in danger—but I think David Duchovny mostly saved it by making sure Mulder learns something too. Even if he had no idea what would happen right before The Unnatural, the way the episodes fall is perfect. Mulder finally figures out that Scully wants him to want to spend time with her outside work. It only took six full years. 

And then because they are very zero to sixty I think there’s a good chance they start doing IVF, like, right after that. Love that journey for them. If they started IVF before Mulder read Scully’s mind, he must have been insufferably needy. Maybe that’s why they’re so short with each other in Field Trip; they’re trying to make a baby and they need supernatural intervention to process it. It takes a literal religious revelation to convince Mulder and Scully it’s okay to hook up.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic  during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Dreamshaper

Dreamshaper has 54 stories at Gossamer. Her stories often feature Mulder and Scully exploring their feelings in ways you really, really wish you could’ve seen on the show. I’ve recced some of my favorites of her stories here before, including Found in Memory, Just By Existing, Purpose, and Promise. Big thanks to Dreamshaper for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I'm not at all surprised people are still reading X-Files fanfic! There's a deep catalogue of good and interesting fiction there, and the X-Files still has cultural significance. And of course there were the recent seasons to bring it back to mind. I think if you had asked me in 2000, I might not have supposed that it had this kind of staying power. So now I'm thinking of this interview as a time capsule--what will my answer be in 2040?

My own fic was not designed to have staying power. If anyone is reading it now, bless them, they are kind and patient. I would only recommend probably reading the first and last things I posted just to see what kind of growth is possible. The first time I ever posted fic, someone told me to never write again. I was a teenager. I was crushed but I went on writing anyway, and I worked hard to improve.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

I think of two things. As for the show itself, I still think of Mulder/Scully as the ultimate in romance. I can still picture certain moments from the episodes, from the movie. I look for pairings with tension that reminds me of theirs--an almost-regency level of UST, but with a modern element of danger.

As for the fandom itself, I grew up in it. My entire online life and the core of how I participate in fandom was formed here. I was 17 or so when I started writing and posting MSR. I was 18 or 19 when I started meeting fans in real life. I was fortunate enough to fall in with people who were equal parts gracious and nerdy, and while my own nerdiness is innate, I remember and emulate the kindness which was shown to me.

I have an entire side post to this question about how strongly I disagree with the current age stratification in fandom--this idea of not interacting across artificial age divides is tragic to me.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

ATXC, and mailing lists. I don't actually remember the names of all the mailing lists! I can picture myself sitting in my kitchen on my computer, and what the emails looked like--the font, the signature lines--but not the names. I can even remember specific conversations we had! One of them must have been Scullyfic, because I remember the first meetup being planned. Is that right? Was it the Scullyfic meetup? [Lilydale note: Probably was Scullyfic. There was a big email flurry when the first Scullyfic mailing list meetup was being planned.] My mind was absolutely blown by the idea of a fan con. Now I've led panels at a dozen of them.

I remember some of the arguments, too. It's funny that some of them are the same arguments I still see here and there, like whether or not criticism of a fanwork is valid. Real Person Fic being this unbelievably shameful thing you had to ask to be shown, and the doyennes of the fandom would have given you the cut direct at Almack's if they'd found out, you know?

This was also the era of AIM and ICQ. mIRC too, right? I spent a lot of time in channels. I absolutely loved when people started to be more open about themselves in chats. I was always so interested in how fandom fit into people's lives. Some people I talked to were moms, college students, people who had interesting careers, and they all just found ways to make fandom work for them. They had a need and were meeting it, despite the pressures of their offline life.

I don't know how to explain the impression that made on me, but--it normalized fandom. That seems obvious, maybe, but I hadn't known this was something you could integrate into your everyday life.

It also normalized the idea of women taking their own needs as primary, in a way that went beyond what I was exposed to in my home life, or through the feminism of the 1990s. There was this wild intersection of the--the domestic and intellectual life of women, and the playful life of women, just making itself known to me in a way I'd never seen before. That was enormous. Absolutely a foundational experience for me.

My experience was that ATXC and email lists were like, these surface-level interactions where people figured out, roughly, if your mind ran on a similar track to theirs, and then you were invited to make deeper relationships in more private corners of the internet. Social media filled both functions at once, I think, for a while. But the privacy was missing. I'm not surprised that Slack and Discord are starting to fill that private corner gap--everything old becomes new, etc.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

UST and monsters. This is still an unbeatable combination for me!

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I loved romance novels--I read so many of them. Somehow, before we even had a computer at home, I started to tell myself romance novel stories with Mulder and Scully as the lead characters. This was how I talked myself to sleep--I wasn't a good sleeper. Then when I got online and did whatever search led me to ATXC, I was just shocked. Shocked! Can't do the surprise justice, in this era where fanfic is relatively mainstream. Other people had also independently invented this thing I loved! But they wrote their ideas down! I jumped on the bandwagon immediately.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

It's like my relationship to my childhood, frankly. Foundational, but I don't think about it all that much on a daily basis, right? I smile and reblog gif sets. I get nostalgic. I get embarrassed by social mistakes I made. I feel the way many of us do about memories from our teenage years. I wouldn't be who I was without it, but I'm not still in it.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I was. I've spent 20 years in fandom! I did some beta work for someone who'd started writing slash--The Sentinel. The actual Sentinel, not just an endless loop of Sentinel AUs based on Sentinel AUs based on etc. I had some idea at the time that I was queer, but this was my first real exposure to romances that weren't straight. So I tore my way through the early 2000s slash fandoms as they developed: The Sentinel, Due South, Stargate Atlantis. Popslash, where a mix of good writing and absurdity ruled. Bandom, where I met my wife. Since then, many smaller fandoms.

It's hard to compare any of these things to each other, let alone to the X-Files. In each one, I was lucky enough to find a circle of women who were strong beta readers and good friends. I never wrote as much or for as long as I did in the X-Files.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I watched the new episodes. I've shown friends important episodes--I remember that a few years ago, another friend and I tried to hook a third friend on the show by binging some favorites--mostly shippy MOTW, so it was like, Arcadia, Triangle, Bad Blood. Fun stuff!

We finish watching and I'm like, well? And? And she says, that was fine, but I'm more of a man-pain, secret babies kind of person? I'll never forget it. She had no idea but she'd hit the nail on the head! We were wheezing with laughter. We went back and watched mytharc episodes, which was much less fun for me, but much more interesting to her.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don't read X-Files fic often. I look at new things sometimes, and I've reread a few old classics, but my reading taste has changed so much. I still love straight romance, but it needs to be fast and sharp in a way that is hard to find.

I read fic in other fandoms when I have time. In the past few years, I've finished a degree, had a daughter, renovated a small Victorian and then sold it and bought another one during this pandemic--so time has been short. Currently I read some Untamed fic, some Good Omens fic, Magicians, Schitt's Creek...a sampler. Whatever friends are writing, whatever they recommend.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I never have a favorite of my own fics. I'm never satisfied. The second I post something, I'm always full of regrets. I've written fics that did very well and still hated them a month later. People have asked me over the years to move more of my stuff off Livejournal and onto ao3, but I do it really reluctantly and only by specific request. Everything's ephemeral! Let the old works diminish, and go into the West!

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I have no oldies to dust off. I do periodically think of X-Files stories I would tell, but I don't have enough time for current interests--and so it goes.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I do. I was most recently writing in The Magicians fandom. I posted a couple new stories in an old fandom last year--I'd written Good Omens fic fifteen years ago, and then again for the Amazon adaptation. I have a pile of original novels in various stages of completion, but I'm never happy with them. One day I'll figure myself out, perhaps, or I'll just keep writing myself this and that and leaving it all in a drawer.

What's the story behind your pen name?

So AOL had a character limit for user names--I think it was 10. I was a teenager at the time I was coming up with the one I'd use for fandom, so I went with Dreamshaper. It was kind of literal, in the sense that I was going to share the stories I'd been telling myself to help me sleep. But the character limit meant I went with Dreamshpr, which I later liked because of the alternate reading of Dream*shipper*. A reminder to the younger fans that we were the original shippers!

I would also come up with new pen names when I wanted to experiment with a fic that didn't fit my usual style. I don't remember any of them. I probably did that a dozen times, so, sorry to those poor completely abandoned stories.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Giddygeek on tumblr and ao3. I'm most active on twitter, but largely about my domestic life with dips into fandoms or original writing; message me on tumblr if you're an old friend who'd like to reconnect elsewhere.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Just gratitude--I'm so glad that I found people to share an obsession with, and that they were good people, at a time in my life where that made a significant difference to me. I don't know where I'd be now without my time and my growth in this fandom!

(Posted by Lilydale on December 22, 2020)

[anders-hawke]

Hello!! Just about your All Things post, I know that it’s the first time it’s shown they’ve had sex on the show but I have never really gotten the vibes that it’s their first time either?? To me when I first watched it (and then the multiple times since) I’ve always thought that they were already in an established sexual relationship by now and that I think All Things might have been the first time the L word was thrown around.

But I think Scully leaving might have been something she did a bit so she could get home and get changed etc before work? Because I don’t see her as the type of person to succumb herself to leaving clothes at his place because then the reality of the relationship they have would hit and I don’t think she was ready for that pre- All Things.

I think the episode caused her to get a realisation about her feelings for Mulder (I.e love) and that it definitely wasn’t their first time, but a more confirmation of their relationship progressing to that next level? And I think her getting ready the way she did was her thinking “Okay this is a real thing now and hearts are involved and I love him but I’m scared about the implications of that but I can’t stop myself from loving him anymore” probably completely wrong though lol but I feel your posts 😂

“All Things” is very much an overdue sequel and resolution to “Never Again”, something I think is important when considering the episode. It continues the overt theme of Scully struggling to find personal meaning in her life and brings up her desire to just slow down and think for a moment. It’s not until the end of the episode that she really gets to do that, and in that soft moment with Mulder, she’s actually able to find that meaning. Colleen was right when she said that you can only find true happiness when you let go of your hang-ups.

And I don’t think that Scully had hang-ups about having a physical relationship with Mulder, considering that they’ve always been very touchy, and the fact that they kissed in a hospital hallway where anyone could see them in “Millennium”. It makes far more sense for “All Things” to culminate in Scully accepting and confessing her love to Mulder.

He’s already said it to her in the show that we’ve seen, so saying it when he’s not possibly on drugs is only natural (“Triangle”). Mulder’s kissed her on the cheek multiple times (“Redux, Part 2”) and associates Scully with marriage (“Chinga” & “Arcadia”).

It makes even more sense for “All Things” to be her first I love you when their behavioral change post-“Millennium” is compared to the one after “All Things”. They get way more flirty after “Millennium”, but after “All Things” we see Scully be a hell of a lot more affectionate with Mulder. Her edges are completely worn off when it’s just the two of them. She’s so happy and carefree at the ends of “Hollywood A.D.” and “Je Souhaite”, and they have such easy intimacy in “Requiem”.

But I think Scully leaving might have been something she did a bit so she could get home and get changed etc before work? Because I don’t see her as the type of person to succumb herself to leaving clothes at his place because then the reality of the relationship they have would hit and I don’t think she was ready for that pre- All Things.

I totally understand her leaving because, while she might’ve had an emergency set of clothes at Mulder’s apartment, that certainly didn’t qualify as an emergency. What I don’t understand about the intro of the episode is why Scully’s so expressionless. She doesn’t look tired, she doesn’t even glance at Mulder; she just leaves. And maybe it’s just a me thing, but I don’t understand it in the context of the rest of the episode and the rest of the season.

And, yeah, I don’t think she would’ve been ready for the having clothes at each other’s apartments level of commitment pre-“All Things” either.

And I think her getting ready the way she did was her thinking “Okay this is a real thing now and hearts are involved and I love him but I’m scared about the implications of that but I can’t stop myself from loving him anymore” probably completely wrong though lol but I feel your posts 😂

I think you have a point here but at the same time, I have severe social anxiety disorder, so I think what happened is that I just Can’t Understand Scully’s facial expressions because of that neurodivergency??? Most of the time, I’m fine, but every once in a while a character will do something that’s completely incomprehensible to me but is something that no one else seems to have a problem with lol. In “All Things”, it’s Scully’s lack of expression and letting Daniel touch her; those things are incomprehensible but I have no idea whether or not they’re OOC. It’s honestly annoying lol.

At the end of the day, I think “All Things” has its merits, even if I don’t vibe with it, and that it definitely can’t be the first time Mulder and Scully slept together.

[spookyseraphs]

supernatural and the x-files (specifically destiel and msr) parallels

this was intended to convert my spn friends to txf and my txf friends to spn and then it got out of hand. i got tired of finding sources for everything, so you’ll just have to trust me, i’m an expert on both subjects.

cas=scully

cas/scully's faith in god vs dean/mulder being non-believers (but believing in the other) (spn) (txf)

cas being the healer, scully being a doctor (spn) (txf)

cas is supposed to guard the michael sword but falls in love vs scully sent to debunk the x-files but falls in love (spn) (txf) 

cas and scully are both immortal (spn) (txf) (also)

cas/scully's families hate dean/mulder (spn) (txf)

cas/scully coming to believe in humanity/the paranormal (spn) (txf)

i'm an angel vs i'm a medical doctor (spn doesn’t have a compilation)   (txf)

they’re not like... the best drivers

hello dean vs mulder it’s me (spn) (txf)

dean=mulder

dean/mulder's fucked up fathers (spn) (txf)

dean/mulder's eldest child syndrome and their unhealthy need to protect their younger sibling (spn) (txf)

dean/mulder being the best in their respective fields (hunting and criminal profiling) and being well known for it

dean/mulder and their porn habits (spn) (txf)

no one has ever hated themselves the way dean and mulder hate themselves (spn) (txf)

dean and mulder both have issues with fire (spn) (txf)

both die, get buried, and then come back

sunflower seeds vs pie

also they both hate nazis (spn) (txf)

yellow fever vs war of the coprophages  (spn) (txf)

ship parallels

blue and green eyes (hazel is close enough)

for some reason theres a pizza man parallel? (spn) (pt 2) (txf) (pt 2)

mulder/krycek vs dean/crowley (spn) (txf) (also)

cas/hannah vs scully/pendrell (poor hannah and pendrell never stood a chance... and died)

also cas/scully get laid ONE TIME (april/ed jerse) and they almost die because of it and then never do it again (spn) (txf)

vs dean/mulder having plenty of love interests/hookups

cas/scully have never done anything wrong ever

dean/mulder... sigh... i love them... but they've made some questionable decisions (i'm looking at you mulder: fucking the vampire THE EP AFTER SCULLY'S ABDUCTION AND WHILE WEARING HER CROSS and dean, kicking cas out and locking jack in the ma’lak box?? really guys?) (spn) (txf)

creators who think their relationship is platonic despite everyone with eyes saying otherwise (spn) (txf)

also the way that neither were ever written or intended to be romantic

the fandoms were split heavily between shippers and non shippers 

they also both had to have scenes changed because they were being played too romantic

a kiss was cut from the episode memento mori and gillovny were always trying to hold hands (x)

jackles forever wanting to cradle misha's face and the cut i love you from the crypt scene (x)

just... gillovny vs cockles in general, i am not a real person shipper, HOWEVER they are both messy (spn) (txf)

their first meetings? iconic. chemistry? immaculate. dean/mulder are super defensive but tbh cas/scully fell in love at first sight (spn) (txf)

they also had no concept of personal space pretty much immediately (spn) (txf)

they have a baby (that has magic powers) together that they lose twice (jack dies and becomes god, william/jackson is adopted and then as far as they know he dies) (spn) (txf)

cas/scully also have a kind of kid (claire/emily) that dean/mulder are willing to co-parent regardless of the fact that they definitely aren't theirs (spn) (txf)

we get an i love you that still doesn't get taken seriously or make them canon (stuck in the middle (with you) and triangle) (spn) (txf)

dean keeping cas's trenchcoat vs mulder keeping scully's cross (spn) (txf)

they go absolutely batshit when the other is in danger or dies/is dying (spn) (txf)

they're also known and used by their enemies as each other's weaknesses (spn) (txf)

msr being mistaken as a couple vs every angel and demon cracking jokes about destiel being a couple (spn) (txf)

skinner and sam just off to the side looking frustrated while msr and destiel are having a couples moment (spn) (txf)

eating each others food (spn) (txf)

appreciating each others interests (spn) (and this one) (txf)

parallels except the roles are swapped

dreamland/small potatoes vs casifer, i just think scully/dean should have realized IMMEDIATELY (spn) (txf)

mulders fight the future speech vs cas's confession (spn) (txf)

they should have kissed and didn't

it almost ambiguously canonizes them both

AND THE SECRET TAPES, the most famous msr kiss isn't an actual canon kiss, it's a blooper of gillian and david making out in front of the camera (two different times) and it wasn't scripted it was literally just them messing around (x)

this is me manifesting jackles dropping the tapes and those tapes having the same energy

they just really love each other (spn) (txf)

non ship/general parallels

leyla harrison vs becky rosen being fandom stand ins (spn) (txf)

they were supposed to end on season 5

Good but bad (absolutely iconic) sci-fi shows

they both had two finales which both sucked

they shared soooo many cast and crew and both filmed in vancouver

they're such similar shows, motw/story episodes, the funny and serious episodes, dealing with the paranormal, they're basically siblings

also siblings in the way that they handle racism, misogyny and consent/rape/bodily autonomy

the supernatural book series vs the movie made about mulder and scully (spn) (txf)

mystery spot vs monday (spn) (txf)

tall tales vs bad blood  (spn) (txf)

 the benders vs home (spn) (txf)

why did both shows use live bees??? (spn) (txf)

the fbi's most wanted and the fbi's most unwanted (also everyone involved looks cute as fbi agents) (spn) (look how cute!) (txf) (cuties!!)

the syndicate vs heaven and the cigarette smoking man vs god

the bunker vs the basement office

every single side character on both shows deserved better!!! most of them literally didn't need to die!!! and i'm still angry!!!

the poor brothers adam milligan and charlie scully existing and then being literally forgotten about until the last season

the fandoms living for things cut from the scripts (spn) (txf)

team free will vs mulder, scully, and skinner

these ones are shippy, but more my opinion than factual

both pairs just keep getting traumatic events dumped on them for absolutely no reason

cas/scully both have major exasperated why do i love this man vibes

absolutely most iconic and slowest slow burn romances of all time and are just the longest games of will they/won't they, baiting, and were never INTENDED to be slow burns

they're always willing to die/kill for each other, however they WILL NOT talk about their feelings under any circumstances

in the field where i died, mulder says that he and scully have been around each other in past lives but never romantically and according to chuck, every other universe's castiel just pulled dean out of hell and listened to his orders

SO in these other lives/universes they were always linked to each other but only in this life/universe do they fall in love

the last seasons really fuck up my favorite characters

dean should not be that shitty to jack OR cas for that matter

and mulder shouldn't have left scully and william (and dearest dana?? DANA?)

and, controversial opinion, but cas/scully could do so much better and deserve so much better but dean/mulder... it's the best they'll ever get

HOWEVER, i feel like their love is MORE powerful BECAUSE cas/scully could do better but they don't want better or normal they want dean/mulder and they will fight to the death for it, it's not the easy choice, it's just what they want

and i say this with all the love in the world for both dean and mulder, but cas could have just followed his orders and returned to heaven like every other version of himself did. scully could have easily found a normal man to settle down and have 2.5 kids with. dean was always going to be stuck in chuck's plans, and mulder absolutely could not just go find a wife to settle down with.

cas/scully put up with SO MUCH SHIT from dean/mulder, while being ALWAYS FAITHFUL to them, it was never the easy option to love these men and stay by their sides, it was hard and they worked for it!!!

they’re both the greatest love story ever told, they tied

[enigmaticxbee]

S6 Rewatch - Investigation

Autopsies: Scully once again only does autopsies in 5 episodes this season (compared to 11 in season 2). Only one in the first half of the season, which makes sense as they’re off the X-Files and on manure and background check duty. Memorable autopsy moments include the cute spontaneous human combustion flirting in 6x17 Trevor and Scully’s BEEEEEEEEEP (CLAP) medical doctor opinion in 6x20 Three of a Kind.

Rule-Breaking: Lots of good rule-breaking from Scully this season while they’re off the X-Files: she investigates an X-File and contaminates a crime scene and steals evidence in 6x01 The Beginning; investigates an X-File off book again in 6x02 Drive; berates, cajoles, threatens and sexually assaults colleagues and superiors in her search for information on Mulder’s whereabouts in 6x03 Triangle; meets with an Area 51 informant in 6x04 Dreamland; returns to Nevada against orders (and gets fired for it!) in 6x05 Dreamland II; covers for Mulder and joins him on an off the books X-File investigation in 6x07 Terms of Endearment; lets Mulder help out on her legit X-File investigation in 6x10 Tithonus; trespasses in the X-Files office (and immediately gets caught and suspended) in 6x11 Two Fathers; and calls her boss a liar in 6x22 Biogenesis.

Scully’s in Danger: She is haunted by ghosts and shot by a ghost posing as her partner; is actually shot in the gut by a fellow agent; is almost run over by a train; is forced to deliver a baby at gunpoint; is caught in a time loop, held hostage in a bank, and exploded innumerable times; is attacked by a garbage monster (or tulpa as Mulder would call it); has her heart almost torn out by an imaginary suspect; is injected with a mind control gas that impedes higher brain function and is knocked out by the antidote; is attacked by suspects in 2 episodes; and is almost eaten by a hallucination-causing giant fungal organism. Since several of these incidents/injuries (ghost shooting; time loop bank explosions; heart ripped out) are forgotten or revealed to be all in their head... I guess not too bad a season for Scully?

Mulder’s in Danger: He is hijacked and forced to drive cross country (with no pee breaks 🥺); is shipwrecked and attacked by Nazis; is body swapped without consent; is captured by Area 51 security; is haunted by ghosts and shot by a ghost posing as his partner; narrowly misses being squashed by a flying cow; is sexually assaulted (surprise kiss!); is shot at by a suspect; is almost run over by a train; is attacked by a sea monster; is caught in a time loop, held hostage in a bank, and shot and exploded innumerable times; is attacked by a garbage monster (or tulpa as Mulder would call it); is attacked by a suspect; is almost eaten by a hallucination-causing giant fungal organism; and a rubbing of an alien artifact makes him start hearing voices in his headed, landing him in a padded cell (and is maybe sexually assaulted by his former partner/ex-girlfriend while incapacitated). Since several of these incidents/injuries (ghost shooting; time loop bank shooting and explosions) are forgotten or revealed to be all in their head... I guess just an average year in the life of one Fox Mulder?

Hospitals: Not a lot of hospital time this season, but there were a couple of memorable scenes. Namely Mulder waking up at the end of 6x03 Triangle and telling Scully she saved the world and he loves her. Also Mulder menacing the agent who shot Scully outside her hospital room in 6x10 Tithonus and then their very sweet hand holding. Thankfully for Mulder and Scully’s sake those are their only hospital visits all season.

Driving: A little more car time this season. Mulder is the driver with Scully as passenger in 10 episodes and Scully is the driver with Mulder as passenger in just 3. We get a little insight into their road trip habits in 6x04 Dreamland when Scully and Morris Fletcher-as-Mulder stop for gas and Scully is nonplussed that he makes her pump the gas (I mean, in my experience it’s usually the driver that gets the gas and Mulder’s the driver 90% of the time so it makes sense). Memorable car scenes include the get out of the damn car convo in Dreamland and Mulder’s ghost story at the beginning of 6x06 How the Ghosts Stole Christmas.

Line of Duty?: Wow, no deaths by Mulder and Scully’s hands this season. I mean, if Mulder hadn’t been right about that final hallucination in 6x21 Field Trip then RIP Skinner, but luckily he only imagined shooting yellow goo Skinner!

Investigation: They spend only 3 episodes investigating primarily together this season, 14 investigating both together and separately, and 5 primarily apart. The ones where they’re apart are really well done this season because they still feel like they’re working together towards a common goal - like 6x02 Drive - or Scully’s trying to save Mulder - like 6x03 Triangle - rather than like they’re just artificially separated like in some of the mid season or revival mytharc episodes.

Solve Rate: 60% overall solve rate at the end of the season. 68% solve rate for this season. Although if you look at the second half of the season when they get the X-Files back they’re at 80%, doing great. While they were off the X-Files in the first half they were at 58% but there are a lot of weird non-cases (and should I really be counting the Dreamlands when the whole thing was reversed and they barely remember there was a case and obviously they wouldn’t file a report so what solve rate anyway! 🤷🏻‍♀️)

[dreamingofscully]

6x10. “Tithonus” - X-Files Rewatch

“You know, most people want to live forever.” - Scully “Most people are idiots. Which is one of the reasons I don't.” - Fellig “I think you're wrong. How can you have too much life? There's too much to learn, to experience.” - Scully “75 years... is enough. Take my word for it. You live forever, sooner or later you start to think about the big thing you're missing and that everybody else gets to find out about but you.” - Fellig “What about love?” - Scully

The last episode showed Mulder sitting at the desk in front of Scully. I love that they’re sitting near each other now. Mulder totally paid off or did SOMETHING to get the other guy (that we see in “Triangle”) to vacate so he could sit next to Scully.

More of Mulder’s little rebellions - feet on the desk. Contrasted with Scully sitting neatly. But look at her messy post-its... she’s also got her little rebellions, even though she takes her work much more seriously.

First it was fertilizer checks, which at least let them spend hours together talking about ‘anything and everything’ in cars. Next was the interviews, which they were supposed to do together. Now, phone background checks. Mulder’s right their next stop on this trajectory is cleaning toilets.

Their banter when Scully gets called into Kersh’s office. 😍

Scully’s unimpressed face at Ritter’s theory.

“Agent Mulder and I will begin immediately.” Scully KNOWS Kersh doesn’t mean to include Mulder when she says this, but this is her way of rebelling, of shouting at him: WE ARE A TEAM.

Mulder’s so jealous Scully’s off to check out a case without him, one that he can tell has a certain ‘paranormal bouquet’. I love Scully’s assurance that this is just a one-time thing. Mulder knows she can do what she wants, that she doesn’t need to stay with him. “If she does a good job” (of course she will and he knows it). Despite wanting her near him… he DOESN'T want her to waste her talents, so tells her it’s okay if she leaves him (that he’ll be okay if she moves on - which is a LIE and they both know it). Love this little interaction.

I love that Scully has such a sixth sense when it comes to people - Deep Throat, Diana, now Ritter. She can tell that he doesn’t care about the truth, about justice. He only wants a promotion. This is something that she’s always had, but once she got partnered with Mulder she only really became aware of how important it was to her. Mulder doesn’t give a shit how he looks in front of his superiors, he flagrantly does the complete opposite of what they want if it’s the right thing to do. She admires his ability to not care so much and has adopted that into herself, and has learned to listen to that voice inside herself now that tells her when someone’s dirty.

I LOVE how blase Fellig is about everything. Reminds me of a more serious Clyde Bruckman. He’s just tired of life, has given up, but has no ability to do anything about it.

Scully following her instincts and trying to get the truth of the case. She couldn’t care less if her ideas or line of questioning doesn’t fit with Ritter’s narrative.

“I thought we were looking for the truth.” - Scully

Mulder’s “we used to sit next to each other” and their conversation is so sweet. Scully adores him.

What things did Ritter say about Scully in his report to Kersh?

Mulder’s being so cute and helpful. He wants a part of something strange and to feel like he’s working with Scully not just beside her.

Scully’s briefcase in the surveillance car. ❤️ Hopping over the centre console. So smol. ❤️

Scully’s sense for people, again. Knowing that Fellig isn’t a killer and Ritter is a snake.

“What, do you want me to cry for them? You want me to make like I feel sorry for them? I don't. Lucky bastards. Every one of them.” - Fellig

I love this line. Vince is SO GOOD at making characters that are likeable despite being unlikeable (Crump in “Drive”, Fellig… his characters in Breaking Bad, particularly WW)

Scully being a complete badass and arresting the pimp. Smacking him upside the head when he calls her “Red”. 😍

Ritter calling Scully “Dana” is just… gross.

Then coming out to be the rotten person Scully thought he was (he doesn’t care if he’s wrong, if justice isn’t served, he just wants to interrogate a confession and railroad this guy. He “knows the judge” - what an entitled prick.)

That Kersh sent Scully on this case with this guy - calling him a “promising young Agent” and “what she used to be”

She was NEVER like Ritter. But it is SO Kersh to think that a guy like Ritter is the ideal - he presents himself in the best light, sucks up to his superiors. Kinda like Fletcher when he was Mulder…

Scully telling Ritter to call her Scully instead of Dana. What is a tender name when used by Mulder is a professional one to all others. 

Mulder being helpful ❤️ and trying to be sneaky in the crowded office. No wonder he chose to slack off, play basketball and do anything except work during the day, but came in late/early to do the stuff he actually wanted.

“Mr. Fellig, I know... that you know more about photography than I do but this is just a lens flare.” - Scully “You're right. I do know more about photography than you do.” - Fellig

When Scully offers her usual pragmatic alternative to the ‘apparition’ in the photograph, I love Fellig’s response. He doesn’t disagree, just responds to her like he’s bored.

Scully finding a clue, so calls Mulder.

When Mulder finds information that Fellig is dangerous but can’t reach Scully, he calls Ritter and TELLS HIM SHE’S THERE. He still goes in guns-blazing. What an idiot.

Scully’s first concern, after saying that if you lived forever you could learn and experience so much, is love. The one thing she lacks at the moment. If she could turn back time and do things all over again, perhaps things would have turned out different with her and Mulder. As it is, they’ve wasted so much time. :( She looks so sad when Fellig says “You don't want to be around when it's gone.”)

Scully is concerned when Fellig looks at her strangely and prepares his camera. As much as she protests, she DOES believe. She’s afraid of dying more than she is of believing in this instance, reacting as though she doesn’t believe that Fellig can predict death.

At the hospital, how much self-control did Mulder have when facing Ritter? He probably knows the guy is getting in deep shit so doesn’t want to interfere with that. I don’t think Scully would have pressed too much for punishment, but Mulder DEFINITELY would have, because he KNOWS that this guy KNEW Scully was there, and shot blindly anyways.

The secret handshake, playing with each others’ fingers, it just makes my heart hurt. ❤️ Sitting on the bed, he places his arm over her on the other side, leaning closely. Gazing at each other.  ❤️

“I just think that … that death only looks for you... once you seek its opposite.” - Mulder

Death only matters once you have something in your life worth living for. (?) There are a few ways to interpret Mulder’s words here, but I think this one fits.

Side Note: When Mulder is doing his phone call the person he’s talking to is called “Ms. Ehrmantraut”, which Vince uses later for Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad. ❤️

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

February Picks

And just like that another month is coming to a close. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by. I’ve continued watching some favorites from last month and am sad some have come to an end. Meanwhile a bunch of shows came back from their winter hiatus, so it was a lot of fun getting back into their story-lines again.

Be prepared for spoilers once again...

SANDITON

Masterpiece’s Sanditon ended this past Sunday, here in the states, and I am jumping on the campaign that we need a season 2! It can’t end like that with so many open ended story-lines (okay maybe just one or two, but still we deserve more). 

Who would have guessed that Esther would become one of my favorite characters in this series and that’s mainly thanks to her well written character development. From the “villain” in episode 1 she grew into so much more and was such a complex character. I really enjoyed watching her story unfold. I am SO HAPPY she married Babington and his speech to her about living side by side, knowing he loves her more and just wants to see her happy. Wow....Goals. I want to see this relationship progress even more (if that’s possible) with a season 2. Speaking of things I want to see: Will Sanditon be rebuilt and how long will it take? Will there be an alternative allowing Sidney to be with Charlotte? Major twist there as their relationship doesn’t end with a happily ever after (very un-Austen like for the main protagonists). When he returned at the end stopping Charlotte’s carriage, I seriously thought he would have said he broke up his engagement, but alas. The previous episode I really wanted them together (thanks to Sidney’s speech to Charlotte when he told her his ex-fiance left and how Charlotte makes him a better person *melts* and of course their dancing scene the episode prior was amazing). In the early parts of the season, while I knew Charlotte and Sidney would be a thing-eventually, I couldn’t help but have a soft spot for Young Stringer’s character and my appreciation never truly left. I felt he was paired well with Charlotte. Such a tragic ending for him. He wanted to better himself (much like the Parker brothers) but after his father’s death he no longer will. Throughout the series, I enjoyed Miss Lambe’s character, but I agree with many reviews that I was reading that her character was kind of dropped at the end. I’m curious what her reaction will be when she finds out about SIdney’s engagement...

Thank you again, Andrew Davies. I was not expecting to like this adaptation so much.    

ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST

The best way to describe one of NBC’s latest shows is that I feel happy and in a good mood whenever I finish an episode. (And then I’m immediately upset that I have to wait a week for the next one. I watch them too fast.) I’ve heard many people compare it to Glee and while I could definitely understand that I keep getting drawn back to Abc’s short lived Eli Stone. There Eli (played by Jonny Lee Miller) could hear people around him sing and dance, which helped him solve upcoming law cases. In this show he was experiencing a brain tumor, but so far Zoey seems all clear. Instead, a freak accident while she is getting an MRI scan and listening to music, allows for her to hear people sing (and perform) their innermost feelings. There’s still some logistics to discover like what Zoey looks like when she watches these performances (does she move around or look like she’s just staring into the air. I might be thinking into this too much...I know). We just recently found out that sometimes she can speak to others as they are happening. Each time she hears someone sing she is meant to help them with something in their life. It could be a family member, co worker, friend, or like this past week her boss. While there’s one major problem (that she has to fix), there are often multiple songs in one episode which I really enjoy. The cast is also very strong, both musically and as actors. I can’t wait to see where the rest of the season is headed!

TO ALL THE BOYS P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU

When the first film was released on Netflix about 2 years ago, I was instantly a fan. I was unfamiliar with the book, but quickly added to my TBR list. (My to read list is extremely long, so I still haven’t gotten to it. Story of my life.) I really enjoyed watching Lara Jean experience the results of having her secretive love letters distributed to her past crushes. I was definitely Team Peter and Lara by the end of the film. They were adorable. The sequel was released earlier this month and I kind of forgot about it. It felt like we had been preparing for the sequel for a bit and then I must have been watching too much Disney Plus to miss the trailer. Watching P.S. I still love you, I just missed the original film. There were parts I liked and I was a big fan of John Ambrose (and of course Jordan Fisher because he’s great), but overall I felt like much didn’t happen. Also, Lara and Peter’s relationship kind of bothered me in parts. I understand that for both of them this was the first time they were in this kind of relationship and could feel awkward about certain things (like the Valentine’s singing-gram or writing an original poem). The main part I did like about them was towards the end when he arrived at the retirement home. I don’t say this often, but I have no want to re-watch it any time soon.   

VIOLETTA SEASON 1

Speaking of Disney Plus....

In a quick month and a half I have successfully watched ALL 80 episodes of season 1 of Violetta. I feel so accomplished and know the withdrawal will happen very soon. (I just finished last night and I’ve been listening to the music a lot recently). I’m so upset that season 2 has not be released on Disney Plus yet. I thought it would be by now because the streaming service has been up for a good amount of months and this show was so popular around the world. Unfortunately, I have not been lucky with my Google searches for when they’ll release it and no luck with YouTube either (no English caption options). I’ve been hearing that season 2 is really great because season 1 did a nice job of establishing these characters and now we get to see more story-lines. I will miss the students and teachers at the Studio as well the home-life at the Castillo’s house. Throughout 80 episodes it’s understandable to love and hate several characters as you’re with them for a good amount of time. For some people it was a roller coaster, but there were a good amount that I liked pretty consistently. I am a fan of Violetta and Leon and they had some super cute moments. I think it was about episode 35 where I truly felt like connection. When Tomas left the love triangle for a bit I actually grew to like him and would often joke how he never smiled and had a Tomas face. I really liked You Mix and the introduction of Frederico. Some great songs came out of that section like Ven y Canta and Tienes el Talento, but my favorite is definitely Ser Mejor. And of course, I will always have love for Pablo. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m going to miss reading subtitles (I really do feel like I know more Spanish now). Definitely check out this show if you want something drama filled and funny at the same time. 

LEGACIES

I know I dedicated a whole post to Chris Wood’s return as Kai Parker on Legacies. (See the article here:https://talesofafangirlwithadvr.tumblr.com/post/190761328673/omg-legacies-2x12) But I still had to include it in this wrap up because once again Legacies is doing a great job this season. I was so excited to see it when it came back from the mid-season hiatus. Since the return of Wood it has gotten more of a TVD vibe than usual, which is great. I haven’t watched the last episode, but have seen a clip of Kai masquerading at the school. I am going to be very interested to see for how long he hangs around and how long it takes for them to discover him AND how Josie handles the evil inside of her. 

BROOKLYN NINE NINE

Thank goodness this show got renewed (and picked up from NBC). When it started a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded how much I missed it. I can’t get over that this is already the second season on NBC. As usual the hi-jinks of the Nine Nine have been entertaining to watch. The Jimmy Jab games were great. I loved how Hitchcock was so desperate to win that he was taking Scully’s array of pills. What an ending with Debbie! Did not think she could be capable of that. I can’t wait to see the outcome next episode. I’m so excited for a Santiago-Peralta baby. It was a great episode when they were hiding it from Charles and Adrian returned. I’ve seen the movie Memento and it is great! It was hilarious each time he was like, ‘I don’t know what that is’ and then saying ‘Finding Dory’ solved everything. I am so happy that this show was suggested for me to watch and fill my Office and Parks and Rec void. Whenever a new episode’s on the DVR I can’t wait to watch it.      

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

And last, but certainly not least, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has once again not disappointed me this season (I know it’s still early, but I’m optimistic). It started at the end of January following the events of Crisis and I liked how this season transitioned with all the changes (the major one being the introduction of Zari’s brother). I am really happy to see her again though and how she is having these flashes of her old life on board the Wave-rider. I can’t wait to see that reveal happen (especially because as of right now only Nate knows the ‘truth’). I love seeing Ava as a permanent part of the Legends crew and as stepping in as Captain when Sara was away. She is a great addition and I like how quirky she is since we first met her. Her and Sara are perfect. I also love Ray and Nora. Nora as a fairy godmother is fantastic. One of my favorite episodes was the one with the 80s dance. Her role in all of that was great and her realization with what she can provide for these kids. I feel like this is going to be the reason Ray leaves the Legends. I remember seeing Brandon Routh’s Instagram Post about leaving the show and this feels like the reason he will. I hope that isn’t for a while though because I am going to miss him a lot. 

Until March!   

[mldrgrl]

You're the first person I've come across besides my mom who doesn't think Scully slept with Ed Jerse. I personally don't have a really strong opinion one way or another because how vague the whole thing was--maybe she did, because what's one more un-Scully-like thing in a string of un-Scully-like things, but maybe she didn't, deciding that a one-night stand was a step too far, and the reason we see her wake up wearing Jerse's shirt is because she didn't have anything else to wear. Any thoughts?

Yes, I have thoughts.

If you look at the building blocks of Scully’s character, up until the point of Never Again, she’s very reactionary and irrational when it comes to Anger.  And the only time she steps “out of character” is in Anger.  And I think that for Scully, behaving irrationally is not something she likes to see herself do.

Examples: Wetwired - wherein the result of her increasing paranoia makes her so angry with Mulder, she irrationally pulls a gun on him, and then is embarrassed by her actions.

Syzygy - the entire backbone of the episode is that this cosmic alignment is causing people to behave in opposition to their nature.  She’s so angry in this episode she sits in her motel room, smoking, pacing, wanting to throttle both Mulder and Detective White.  We don’t see the aftermath of leaving Comity, but I have it in my head that Sculy was much chagrined after the effects wore off.

Beyond the Sea - she’s in the midst of grief, but her anger at Luther Lee Boggs in what she sees as manipulation of her emotions actually causes her to lose her skepticism and believe his visions to the point that it puts Mulder in the hospital.  At the end of the episode, when she’s sitting beside Mulder in his hospital bed, there is sadness about her father, but the tone of how Gillian played this also seems to imply embarrassment and guilt over her actions.

(Even if you want to look later, in Triangle where she screams at Jeffrey Spender and then goes to the elevator and puts her hands over her face like that was something she shouldn’t have done, or Tithonus, when she slaps the perp she just snapped handcuffs on, Within (or Without, can’t remember exactly), where she throws water in Dogget’s face, or even WAY ahead to season 11 in My Struggle I where she intentionally hurts Sveta during a medical exam for pissing her off with her mind-reading.

All of the above, in my opinion, are moments where those flashes of anger shift her baseline behavior, and the result is embarrassment and guilt.  SO, as it pertains to Never Again, I have two main reasons for not believing that Scully slept with Ed Jerse.

1. Scully’s anger in this episode caused her to choose the most available act of rebellion at her fingertips - in this case, the phone number that was literally in her hand when Mulder pissed her off.  She very well could have marched out of the motel room and bought a pack of cigarettes, smoked one, felt guilty, and then went to bed.  Instead, she called the number, met the guy at a bar, went home with him, and probably soon after getting her shirt off, realized that she wasn’t after a one night stand, she was satisfying the urge to behave irrationally, which will lead to guilt and embarrassment by morning.

2. They wake up in separate rooms, she’s still wearing her pants (And shoes if I remember correctly? Isn’t she wearing shoes when she answers the door?) and has his shirt on, buttoned up. That doesn’t really seem to suggest that they had sex to me.

Those are my thoughts.

[scullydubois]

thoughts on Triangle (6x03)

Written & Directed by Chris Carter

Here we are ladies...could I be any less prepared?

I’m gonna pretend this is Titanic

What the hell does the tag line mean

He’s been pulled aboard

Mulder can never win….he just got punched three times

You mean Mulder actually intended to end up here?

We love a time warp!!

It’s September 3, 1939 man

Chris Carter literally sold his soul to make this episode didn’t he

Mulder’s like, it’s 1998 lads...calm down

Oh shhhh-

Continuing our pattern of zero lighting...be that way I guess

Who’d he just beat the hell out of...anyone in particular (on second look, I realized that’s Spender...crazy)

I truly cannot believe that Fox Mulder has managed to meet an entirely new level of dumbassery

Lookin suave...but also like a Nazi...unfortunate

This is so galaxy-brained

Dana Scully serving vintage looks

Fox Mulder is a Nazi *not clickbait*

CSM!! CSM is a Nazi confirmed

He doesn’t speak Nazi guys

Can’t believe Fox Mulder dies on a ship in 1939

Skinner’s there too apparently, though I did not notice 

Dana Scully’s about to find out that Mulder’s on a ship in a time warp...how will she take it

Where does she think he is...certainly he didn’t say, ‘oh by the way, I’m gonna go track down a ship that may have disappeared 60 years ago’

Her just having a desk in the middle of the workroom makes me extremely uncomfy 

Go off Scully!!

Dana Scully is on a mission

Bitch get out!!!! Choke!

Not gonna lie, this directing is really impressive

“Either you do it or I kill you, you understand?” It’s what Spender deserves

She’s a gun ready to go off, and I’m losing my mind

I have never feared Agent Dana Scully, but dear god would I not want to cross paths with her right now 

That rat bastard! I agree

PLEASE murder him on the spot

Literally iconic

Thanks, I hate it

This is literally a god-tier episode

Imagine just turning your TV on to the X-Files like you do every week and seeing this..wtf

The Lone Gunmen's Volkswagen is all I want

Mulder’s not gonna have to walk the plank...good!

Wait...the guy who builds the atomic bomb is on the ship?

Turn the ship around lads

CC wastes a bit too much time on his fancy shots

Oh that’s Spender isn’t it...don’t care

Mulder’s in a predicament now

Fucking do it bitch, I dare you

Aww they found the ship

Kindly I ask, what the fuck is going on

Who’s the scientist?? Nobody knows

Can’t believe present day Scully is on this boat with present day Mulder AND 1939 Scully..two Scullys in one place...the power of that

Thank you Skinner

Has there ever been a more impressive piece of television

Whoa

If she doesn’t turn the ship around,,,he won’t exist

BITCH WHAT THE FUCKKK

“Just in case we never meet again” uh???????? Anyone wanna talk about the implications of this???

I literally knew this was coming and I still, ,,,,m,m,

He literally...jumps into the water after that

Oh dear lord Jesus Christ I recognize this scene from gif sets uhh

“You did something incredibly stupid”

This is like...no words

I’m gonna need someone to se-fucking-date me!!

The series just peaked...right there, that’s it. Really truly I believe that.

Consensus: The love jumped out. And Chris Carter put out an episode that cannot be topped.

5 out of 5 stars