#you know what the guy in the short kinda does look like mulder

[television-overload]

Mulder and William watching Pixar's short film "Lifted" in 2007 and giggling like fools

"But dad, aren't aliens gray?"

[scullydubois]

What about a time when mulder meets up with scully to go for a walk with queequeg?

i may have gone overboard here, but how could i not? this prompt is so precious, thank you.

----------------

Friday Night with Queequeg, 2.4k--set in season three

“I can’t, Mulder,” his partner insists, her voice dialed up a few intervals for dramatic effect. “I’ve got Queequeg to worry about.”

Mulder drops his Washington Nationals tickets on the desk in disappointment. How lame to be overshadowed by a dog. “That fluffy little guy?” he whines. “Or girl, I'm not sure.”

“He’s a boy.”

“Okay well, he reminds me of one of those Tamagotchi things, have you seen the commercial?” Mulder rambles while shuffling various stray papers from his desk into a single incoherent stack. He’s careful not to sweep the tickets into it. “It’s a pocket pet--”

“I know what it is, Mulder. I have a godson.”

“And is Queequeg not just a glorified version of one of those?”

“Yes, I suppose you could say that. He needs food and attention and care. But, in case you didn’t know, he is also real and capable of giving much of that back to you.”

“Eh, reciprocated affection is overrated,” Mulder jokes, though life would be a lot damn easier if he believed that. “And it’s one of the few Fridays where we’re not traveling or jet-lagged or wholly tired of each other.”

Scully purses her lips. “I see significantly less of Queequeg per week than I do you,” she mutters, and Mulder wonders whether some of her feigned contempt might be genuine. He’s used to being subtly disliked, but the thought sure makes him sad.

Seeing the passion in his face dissolve, Scully realizes that he’s backing down. It’s not like him to back down, no matter how frivolous the issue is. She knows this about him if she knows anything. It’s as if he’s giving up, and that strikes her more than anything.

“Haven’t you ever had a dog, Mulder?” she asks, ignoring the chair in front of her to perch on the edge of his desk.

“Once. After Samantha.” He laughs out of pure scorn. “I think it was my parents’ way of trying to replace her.”

Scully frowns. She should know by now that any journey into his past will turn into a probe of his eternal wound, and that’s no fault of his own.

“What was its name? And were you fond of it?” Scully feels like a therapist--hopefully a kind and supportive one.

“Sparky. I’ve got no clue where the name came from, or the dog for that matter. He was just kinda there one day when I got home from school. And then in a few months, he was gone in the same way. Taken to my uncle’s cause my parents couldn’t stand all the upkeep.”

A thought pops into Scully’s head that is evidently shared by her partner. “No, he didn’t “go live on a farm’ or whatever, I was old enough not to fall for that,” Mulder insists. “He really did go live with my uncle. Lived like seven more years.”

Scully raises an eyebrow. “But did you like him? Were you sad when he was gone?”

“I was sad about a lot of things at the time, Scully.” He opens his desk drawer and pops a piece of gum in his mouth. He’s out of sunflower seeds. “But about the dog? Eh, he was fine to have around but it wasn’t a quintessential boy and his dog moment. He was already a couple years old and well into his grumpy old man phase, if I remember correctly. And he was a mutt, so I think my parents hated him because he didn’t match the furniture.”

“Mmm.” Scully rolls her tongue over the roof of her mouth. It would be a shame to put Mulder through this whole conversation only to insist that she can’t attend the game. But she wasn’t just making excuses. Queeqeug has been home alone all day. and she always takes him for a walk when she gets home from work. He’s used to their routine now, sitting there at the door when she unlocks it like he’s got an alarm set. He gets his dinner when they get back home and falls soundly asleep. Scully’s convinced this is the only thing keeping him from rebelling for being on his own for ten hours a day, and she doesn’t want to test that theory.

Mulder glances at the office clock. 5:46. First pitch is at 7:05.

“How about this...” He props his feet up on the desk to give himself the air of confidence that he’s lacking. “I’ll run over to your place, walk him, make sure he does his business...the whole shebang. You can finish up here then take a taxi to the park, and I’ll meet you there. Sound good?”

The edges of Scully’s lips turn downward. Mulder notes that today, they are brushed over with a very nice coral. Must be a new shade.

“Do you really care that much about me attending this game?”

Mulder shrugs. Yes he does, but he’ll be nonchalant about it. “I bought the tickets cheap through a newspaper ad. I just thought it would be nice for the two of us to do something that’s not chasing phantoms.”

“Phantoms?” Scully’s left eyebrow arches. “Have I finally broken your spirit?”

Mulder smirks. “Sorry, I thought flattery might get me somewhere here.”

Scully taps a heel against the ugly linoleum floor. He’s so adamant about this...boyhood loves stick, she supposes.

“If it means that much to you, go ahead. But don’t come crying to me when you’re late for the start of the game. Queequeg takes his time.”

Mulder claps his hands together. “That’s fine, that’s fine!” Surely he can hurry the canine up. “You take one ticket and head to the seats, and I’ll find you.”

Scully pulls her lips into a thin line, a hint of humor gleaming in her eyes. “Okay, Mulder. Do you have your key?”

He nods, pulls on his jacket, and edges toward the door. “See you there, Scully!”

“Bye.” Scully smiles at the empty office. Her partner’s enthusiasm is endlessly endearing.

---------------------

Mulder has no time to register that he has no clue where Queequeg’s leash is, or if he’s supposed to bring some sort of bag to pick up any...ehm, droppings, or if there’s some special trick to walking a dog that makes it look easy when it’s secretly hard. In fact, he can’t recall ever walking Sparky. Thirty years old and never walked a dog before...surely that qualifies him for the Guinness World Record books.

Queequeg is alert at the door when Mulder opens it, and he’s glad the thing is more teddy bear than canine--he doesn’t have to deal with any barking or biting. He checks the coat rack for a leash, then begins rummaging around in the front table when he comes up short. It’s all old issues of girly magazines he never would have expected Scully to subscribe to.

Begrudgingly, he looks into Queequeg’s beady eyes. “Where’s your leash, boy? You wanna go for a walk? Show me where your leash is.” He uses a baby voice he didn’t even know he had.

Queequeg does nothing but paw the ground in annoyance.

“I know the feeling,” Mulder quips. He pulls out his phone and chooses Scully’s name from the speed dial list.

It rings and rings, then goes to voicemail. Mulder ends the call, grumbles, then tries the office number instead. She picks up after one ring.

“Hello?” her dainty voice projects through the line.

“Scully, you haven’t left yet?”

“I was just locking up the desk. Is there a problem?” she asks like she knew there would be.

“I can’t find Queequeg’s leash.”

“It’s by the pantry, next to his treats.”

Mulder sighs, heads into the kitchen. “And I suppose I have to take his treats too?”

“Uh-huh. And there’s plastic grocery bags in there that you can use to clean up after him.”

Mulder opens the pantry, sees the hoard. “I feared so.”

“We always go left down the block,” Scully tells her partner. “There’s a patch of grass that way he likes to chew on.”

“And how much does he pay you for such indelible service?” Scully doesn’t listen to a word he says, but she’s at the dog’s beck and call apparently.

There’s a bit of silence as Scully decides not to reply with a smartass remark. Then--”I’m leaving the office now,” she murmurs into the phone. “Better hurry up or I’ll beat you there.”

During this teasing, Mulder attached Queequeg’s leash to his collar. Now, as he tries to lead him into the living room, the dog refuses to move.

“Uh, Scully?”

“Yes?”

“I put his leash on, but Queequeg won’t budge.”

“Do you have the treats?”

Mulder shakes the treat bag and makes kissy noises to encourage the canine. (How humiliating.) Still, nothing.

“He doesn’t want to come with me,” Mulder says. “Even the treats won’t lure him over.”

“Are you sure it’s the right treats?” Scully asks.

“Since when are dogs picky about their treats? Treats are treats. And these are the only ones in the pantry.”

“Huh.”

“If you’re rolling your eyes, I can’t see it,” Mulder mutters.

“I’m not rolling my eyes, I just--we’ve never had this problem.”

“Has anyone else walked him?” Mulder wiggles the leash, which does nothing.

“My mom.”

“Well, maybe he doesn’t like men,” Mulder remarks.

“He lived with Clyde Bruckman…”

“Exactly.”

Scully takes a quick exhale. He has a point. “I’ll head over, okay? But I doubt we’ll make the game.”

“We’ll see.” Mulder sighs. He’s being...well, cockblocked isn’t the right word for it--but something like that--by a dog.

-----------------

Scully arrives half an hour later to find Mulder crouched on the kitchen floor rubbing Queequeg’s belly.

“Am I interrupting something?” she teases. The dog rolls over and leaps into excitement at the sound of her voice, abandoning Mulder altogether.

“Hi buddy.” She scratches his ears and dodges his attempts to lick her face. “You ready to go for a walk?”

Queequeg whimpers and sits as if she commanded him to.

Scully looks to Mulder with a brilliant, taunting smile. “I think he’s ready.”

Mulder stands up, every disk in his back rebelling against him. “That thing--” Mulder jabs a finger in Queequeg’s direction--”has a Jekyll and Hyde situation going on.”

“Really, cause you seemed to be having a great time until I came in.”

“No, no, no, don’t spin this. I had to get down on the kitchen floor because he wouldn’t move! What was I supposed to do while we were waiting for you, ignore him?”

Scully shrugs, tries to hide her smirk. “Well, if you were so bothered by him…”

“Whatever, whatever. Let’s just go for the walk, okay? I don’t want to miss this game, it’s against the Red Sox. It should be good.”

Scully takes Queequeg’s leash from her partner, gestures for him to go ahead. “After you.”

------------------

It’s a beautiful spring night--the perfect occasion for a baseball game, Scully will give Mulder that. The sun is drifting down the cloudless horizon, and the chill that has hung in the air for months is finally admitting defeat. The sidewalk is crowded with other dogs and their humans, eager to end the week on such a lovely note.

Queequeg trots blissfully in the usual direction. Scully lengthens her stride to keep up with him--for once she and Mulder are walking at the same pace.

“So this is DC on a Friday night, huh?” Mulder says, glancing around at their fellow pedestrians and bicyclists.

Scully nods. “If you got out of the office before seven, you’d know.”

“Doubtful. My usual impression of DC on a Friday night is the traffic on the 14th Street bridge, and I’m pretty sure I can witness that at all hours.”

Scully allows herself a sidelong glance at her partner. She had never realized someone could be too dedicated until she met Mulder.

“Have you ever considered getting a pet?” she asks tentatively.

His gaze snaps to her. He chuckles and sticks his hands in his pockets. “My complex has a hefty monthly pet fee. Rent is already bad enough.”

“Well it’s not like you go out often…” Scully starts, knowing this is short of a compliment. “You’re not a big spender, surely you have the extra cash on hand.”

“Ha, thanks,” Mulder responds. “Should I put that on my resume?”

“I just mean that…” Queequeg finds his beloved patch of grass, and they pause to let him chomp at it. “...you could use the companionship of a dog. Or cat, if that strikes your fancy.”

“I have enough companionship, Scully. More than I know what to do with. Have you heard my answering machine?”

“A woman from an 800 line is not companionship, Mulder. And you never actually answer any of your messages. Friends don’t count if you never see them.”

“Ouch.” Queequeg finishes up, and they resume the walk. “And what are your plans this weekend, Scully?” he asks, hoping to catch her in her own hypocrisy.

“As a matter of fact, I’m going to visit my mother tomorrow afternoon.”

Mulder busts out laughing. “You’re a real party girl!”

She ignores him, focusing on Queequeg. “But you get my point, don’t you? It’s not good to be alone all the time.”

“I seem to recall being told that we spend more time together than you and your dog,” Mulder wisecracks.

“That’s different,” Scully swears. “That’s work.”

“That’s the bulk of modern life, my dear.” He delivers this statement in an old-timey mid-Atlantic accent like some leading man of the 40s. It makes Scully smile.

“I have an idea,” she says, her eyes sparkling.

“Oh boy.” Mulder glances at his watch. 6:51. Damn it. “We’re gonna miss the game.”

Scully nods. “Let’s go to the animal shelter instead.”

Mulder stops. It makes Queequeg, and therefore Scully, stop too. “What?”

“You could make some dog very happy, you know. And Queequeg would have a playmate...I think it would be really good for you, Mulder.”

“Come on, I can’t just adopt a dog on a whim.”

“I did.”

“Shit.”

Scully laughs. “You’re realizing there’s no way out of this, aren’t you?”

Mulder grins. “Yeah, I--” He looks down and sees Queequeg taking a dump in the middle of the sidewalk. Scully readies the plastic bag she brought, then bends down and scoops the pile up like it’s nothing.

Mulder screws up his face. “On second thought…”

“Nuh-uh.” Scully ties the bag and taps it against Mulder’s arm. “You’re empty-handed, take this. It’ll be good practice.”

Mulder frowns but takes the bag. His partner’s huge smile is not lost on him, and it makes him smile despite himself. She knows how to get what she wants, and he has a feeling this one will benefit him too.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

Okay, so I’m super curious to hear your opinion—in Kaddish Mulder was reacting really strongly to the descriptions of the Jewish suffering and other examples of hate crimes and speech. One of the haters even pointed out that M looked like one himself (going purely off stereotypes—and man, wasn’t Scully the best when she just shut that creep right down?). Anyway, do you know if it’s canon that M’s got Jewish ancestry? Or was an inside nod to the actor’s own heritage? (According to IMDb the actor’s father was from a family of Jewish immigrants.)

Just curious for your opinion.

ok so tbf Kaddish is one of those eps that... falls short on representation and is often criticized for that??? which, that said, I actually don't dislike it as an episode, specifically for where it is in the season. I'm of the opinion that we can't hold stuff from, ya know, nearly 30 years ago to the same standards of representation that we have today, so.

anyway I... don't think there's anything in canon (as far as I've seen) that does outright confirm that his family is Jewish, but I know that's a widely accepted fandom headcanon and I've seen quite a lot of fics that come from that angle and I think I do tend to accept that as semi-canon in my own mind??

(also yeah I do think on some level it may have been a bit of a nod to David's heritage, but idk. there's lots of other people in the fandom who are more aware of behind the scenes stuff so maybe I'll do some looking around to see what else has been said on the topic)

also you're right, Mulder does have a really strong reaction to the antisemitism in that ep and I think it's kinda twofold, like there's more to it than just what's obvious. bc the one guy is EXTREMELY hateful toward him due to stereotypes like you said, and it catches him really off-guard but at the same time makes the case especially personal to him, AND because he's already especially vulnerable at that point, even prior to this specific case and situation

like... ok so you ever get really REALLY surprised/shocked/startled by something and there's no real reason for this reaction, but the unexpectedness of it makes you suddenly want to cry for a minute?? but that's a really unreasonable reaction so you just kinda smile or laugh to cover it??? or is this just me because the thing is, that's exactly what Mulder's reaction to the guy's hateful comments at the beginning was, imo. I saw that and just went 😟 bc I've SEEN that before I've FELT that before, that little shocked huff and duck of his head is like, that hit way harder than it had any reason to — and Scully sees that and will Not let it stand.

but imo part of the reason it hits him so hard is because he's already in a VERY emotionally vulnerable place in this ep, like. it's their first case since the events of Memento Mori, and there's just this *sense* of something being Wrong. Mulder looks about 3 seconds from a full-on breakdown for most of the episode, and not just bc it becomes so personal to him, he's just... still trying to deal with what's happening to Scully, and that makes EVERYTHING harder to deal with

and at the same time, Scully is also trying to deal with it too, and she does that by retreating a little bit, trying to give them both space while they work on this situation to process, and even though it doesn't directly get brought up, you just Know. all is not well with Dana Scully. idk if you noticed this scene but when she gets knocked over in that attic (i believe it was the attic of the synagogue, but I've only seen the ep once so I'm not sure)? it takes her WAY longer than it should to catch her breath. her cancer is weighing on the both of them and it does, in some way, affect the way they work this case.

lastly but not least-ly, bc I've gotten way off the original point of your ask, I do want to also mention the way Scully rushes over and helps Mulder up at the end of the ep... just bc it's cute tbh. and bc it seems there's a theme in this arc where even though she's the one who is literally dying, and she doesn't want Mulder to be all worried and trying to take care of her, instead she just tries so so so hard to take care of him and protect him and make sure he's alright; it's like she wants to take care of him now while she still can bc she's worried what will happen to him once she's gone — which is a topic I have seen in many many fics.

(and to end on that note,, if you want cancer arc fic recs, just say the word — i have a bunch!! :D)

[skepticalspooky]

hellbent

msr | fluff | college au | one-off/stand-alone

hello i’ve never written a fic before but i guess i have now! please feel free to give feedback. i aim to please (probably). also this is pretty short so i apologize for that.

A lettermen-clad frat boy thrust an unidentifiable drink at Scully as soon as her shoe hit the weird linoleum floor. Who picks linoleum for a walkway? The vibe of the house was anxious yet somehow sexual and the acoustics made by linoleum didn’t help. Maybe wanting to experience a college party was silly. It seemed atrocious so far, with the plethora of half naked 20-year-olds and the overbearing smell of vodka and perfume and weed. Scully felt like she was in another dimension where time moved one hundred times faster than normal. A guy that she vaguely recognized from some class came up to her and tried his hand at catcalling, though it didn’t carry the intended effect seeing as he was five inches away and had to face the consequences. His hand gripped her back in a way that could be passed off as “flirting” but was more likely his attempt at keeping balance. Of course, Scully had to decline his offer of “test riding his dick” by stepping on his foot. It was unfortunate for him that she was wearing wide heeled boots. He retaliated by calling her a bitch which, much to his chagrin, had no effect on the answer she already made clear. Tugging on her two-sizes-too-big jacket, Scully decided to make her way into the calmer yard. There, she was met with the odd couple making out and a few groups chatting about things that won’t matter in 10, maybe even 5, years. But who cares? Why not live in the moment? Thinking about the deeper meaning of every move and every word and every person gets tiring. A prime example of someone living in the moment was the kid who just received an unbranded cigarette from a random. Or was it a cigarette? Scully had all the time in the world to think about it because this kid was blissfully unaware of anything but his maybe-cigarette and the stars. She even clocked a few glances thrown his way, out of intrigue or lust, yet he sat unwavering, hellbent on outer space. A scary and often forgotten part of her wanted him to be hellbent on her. Not necessarily sexually, no, but in some way or ways, she wanted his attention because it seemed so sweet. An even scarier part of her knew he would be hellbent on her if he knew her. An instinct maybe, or perhaps just hope. At this point, she figured out that she had been staring for a bit too long. He was staring straight back, eyes smiling in unison with mouth. Could he read her mind? She desperately hoped that wasn’t so. Scully hung on to every moment as this mystery boy made room on his blanket and pat a seat beside him, holding relentless eye contact. She could practically see her eyes widening in excessive disbelief and her face reddening just enough to be noticeable. Nevertheless, her feet floated her to his stupid checkered lawn blanket and forced herself down. One would expect the first words spoken from this mysterious college kid to be somewhat thought-provoking or even brooding. They were not.

“Your coat. I like it.”

Her coat. He liked it. Her two-sizes-too-big brown bomber jacket. The one with all the patches. He liked it.

“Thanks. I like your...” she couldn’t search fast enough and too many off-putting things were coming to mind, “glasses.” She did. They were nice round glasses. He only needed them for reading really, but he seemed to like them too. Truth be told, they were both a bit flustered. It felt different for two complete strangers to share this common timidness upon meeting, yet it was there. Oh, was it there. Perhaps one of them was thinking too much about what the other looked like under their cool jacket and cursed themselves for thinking about that having just met them. Maybe the other wanted to run their fingers through the other’s hair just because it looked so soft and oh my God could not believe they were being so weird right now. But that’s merely one interpretation of events, of course.

“I’m Fox, but Mulder is preferred.” Fox Mulder? My Lord did this kid’s reputation precede him. This was Spooky, Spooky Mulder, the guy who believed in aliens and shit! Scully never had a face to put with the name. Her intrusive but welcomed thoughts said it was a good face.

“I’m Dana- uh, Scully.” She couldn’t tell if she was stumbling over words (her own name of all things) or if she was subconsciously following that last name pattern.

He simply repeated her. “Scully.” It sounded pretty good coming from him.

“Nice to meet you, F- um, Mulder.” Again with the word stumbling? Then again, she wasn’t used to people going by their last name. Then again, she was formulating excuses like clockwork with this guy. He laughed. He was clearly struggling a bit here too. If only she knew his excuses. He was just nervous about this other thing, he was just hot because of the weather. Maybe they could exchange excuses sometime.

A necessary subject change, if you wanted to say they had a subject to change at all, came on a shooting star. It was unusual to see a shooting star with all the artificial light surrounding the pair, but there was no denying its twinkling as it shot across the sky only to shrink and fade away. “Do you ever make wishes on those things?” He sounded a bit gruff. Scully was still red. He wasn’t helping.

“Not really. It’s more of a fun phenomenon to me. But it shows me that I’m on the right track by living in the moment, I guess.” Was she rambling? She had four-ish sips of beer, does that lead to Scully mini-tangents? It was all another excuse and she knew it.

“Hm. That’s a different way of looking at it.” He paused a moment with no sign of elaboration. “I make wishes sometimes.”

“What do you wish?”

He didn’t answer, he just smiled. She didn’t pry.

“But your thing with being on the right track. I think I’m gonna use that now. Like, um, would I have seen that if I was arguing or staying in or something?”

“Yeah, exactly. You probably wouldn’t have. But you made the choices that led you to see it instead.”

He nodded. “Plus, it might make girls think I’m deep.” Scully laughed, but he was right. It kinda worked and she hated it. “But it makes me think about other things that are out there, too.”

“Like... like, aliens?” She could see the Spooky in him now. He seemed so serious about this that she almost moved away a bit. She didn’t.

“I can sense the skepticism, Scully!”

“Mulder, if you think that’s skepticism, you should hear my thoughts on the WOW! signal.” They could both feel eyes on them at this point, but surprisingly Scully didn’t care. She couldn’t not look into his eyes when he started talking about aliens and bigger meanings of things and, at one low point, Bigfoot. Scully even dropped the excuses and quietness and replaced it with a newfound comfort. He gave her goosebumps when he spoke about crazy theories in a smooth tone and it made her laugh, really laugh, when he rolled her eyes as she disputed him. He certainly was hooked on her sarcasm and questioning looks. Her prodding was like the missing piece to his mixed-up Mulder puzzle. Sometimes, when he thought she couldn’t see him because she was laughing away from him, he looked at her like he was hellbent on her. She could see him.

When she was done laughing, she would push away a loose strand of her scarlet hair. Mulder noticed this happen every time for about nine muffled song changes, not that he was counting. This time, he took the liberty of tucking the strand away himself, lingering on her jawline only a few seconds too long. Scully couldn’t do anything but look down at her shoes. The sound of car doors slamming and crickets chirping and distant songs and loud laughing made for a nice distraction. But the alcohol proved to override this effect. Rosy-cheeked Scully wanted to speak her mind and she was only a bit buzzed.

“I can’t believe I’ve never seen you before.” Mulder looked away from her when she spoke.

“I tend to stay out of the, uh, spotlight,” he replied after a few pointless moments, annunciating the T’s in “spotlight.” Scully nodded understandingly, yet she yearned for him to be in the spotlight. She figured it would be a nice change of pace. She didn’t say that. No, she wasn’t that brave yet.

“Talking to you is easy.” Wonderful, changing the topic and beating around the bush. Hey, it made Mulder smile.

“I feel the same about you. It’s nice having someone who... pays attention? I don’t know if that makes sense. I just feel like you’re listening.”

“I’m listening.”

“Am I talking too much?”

“Did you forget the part of our conversation where I talked about my 8th grade Halloween dance for ten minutes?” Another Mulder smile, but this one came with a laugh. Now his hand was on her hand and he was sitting closer to her than she thought and was that her heart she heard beating? Or was it his? A common theme returning, intrusive thoughts got the best of Scully and all she could think about were his lips. Lucky for her, his mind was racing too. He wanted to be pressed against her; soft yet tense, breathing yet unmoving. She wanted to know how his hair felt between her fingers and she couldn’t explain why because she didn’t need to. That’s how it was and that’s how it will be. Their brains sparked at the same time as they turned to look at each other at the same moment. In a “fuck it, this needs to be true” moment, Mulder moved his hand to Scully’s shoulder as he leaned into the space between them. Scully met him in the middle, her lips carefully finding his before he could reach her. It was different than she expected in the best way possible. His lips were soft but his face was contrastingly rough, and as she let her hand wander to his hair she found that it was soft too. Pulling away but lingering close, the two weren’t quite sure what to say. They’d just met and now they were swapping spit in some stranger’s yard. Less romantic than expected, but perhaps the fact that it was so thrilling and a bit spontaneous made up for it. She thought a kiss would be the cure, but Scully’s heart didn’t stop racing and she was fine with that. Mulder looked at her for the longest time as she thought. Visually, he was unaffected. Deep down, he felt he could run a mile. She seemed pretty perfect to him before and this confirmed it. Not once had he felt so connected to someone before. Sure, she disagreed with him on almost everything, but she listened and truthfully had some great ideas of her own. He loved that she could take an urban legend and it explain it fluidly and scientifically as if she was writing a revolutionary report in her mind. Maybe it was the beer or the group of assholes smoking in front of them. No, that’s wrong. It couldn’t have been. God, was it time to talk now? He didn’t know what to say and she obviously didn’t either. He went with the first thing that came to mind.

“How come we’ve never met before?”

[fourtrisheafanfic]

Fan fiction Title: Chat Room Romance

Rating: Mature

Summary: Two people meet in an X-Files online chat room and become instant friends. After a couple of months of chatting users ScientistScully (Dany) and FoxyMulder (Jon) decide to give it a try and meet on a blind date. What happens with sparks fly - but not in a good way? Chat Room Romance is a jonerys short-story written for the Jonerys Week 2018. I selected the Prompt Modern AU for day three (March 6th) - Chapter 1. Chapter 2 will be for day four (March 7th).

**I have no rights to these characters, all belong to HBO and Author, George R.R. Martin**

#jonerysweek #jonerys week 2018 #jonerys

Ao3 link: (X)

++o+ Chapter One: Online Friendship +o++

 01.03.2018

ScientistScully: Okay, Foxy…I just watched episode 1! Thank you for not sending me any spoilers since I couldn’t watch it live. Work was a nightmare today, as I suspected it would be. I just got home an hour ago.

FoxyMulder: First, you need to stop calling me Foxy. I was so drunk when I made up my username. StudMulder was already taken... lol.  Kidding. But seriously, I am the furthest thing from being a fox. I consider myself more of a WOLF! ;-) And of course I wasn’t going to ruin the episode for you with spoilers.

ScientistScully: xoxo

FoxyMulder: Besides SS, you are my best friend – who else would I want to talk about our favorite show with?

ScientistScully: Hmmm…your best friend? You won’t even write out my full username, calling me SS! That is a pretty big title for you to give to a girl you have never met in real life.

FoxyMulder: First, if you want me to write out ScientistScully every time, I will do it for you. I’ll do anything for you. LOL As for us not having met in person… Well, that is true…but you do feel like my best friend. We have been talking online for many months now...and pretty much daily. When I have a problem, you are the first person I think of to talk to. Of course someone who loves the X-Files as much as you do would be a wealth of knowledge about the real world!

ScientistScully: I am just teasing you, the truth is your (cyber) friendship has become really important to me too. I feel like I can talk to you about anything…so thank you for that. There is probably something safe about speaking to someone online that is never going to be in your “real life” - - makes it more secure?

FoxyMulder: Yeah – you can’t betray me and spill all of my dark secrets that I confide in you!

ScientistScully: True dat. Okay – ENOUGH flattery – Let’s talk about the show…I didn’t love it. I can’t get over the nerve of the writers!!!  I will revolt if the Smoking Man is telling the truth that he fathered William by pairing his DNA with aliens and impregnating Scully. Hell no!!!!  That better be Mulder’s love child.

FoxyMulder: Oh my sweet SS! The moment I watched that part I knew you were going to be so pissed off!!!  I knew it!  You are such a romantic – still shipping Mulder and Scully after all these years.

ScientistScully: And you aren’t a romantic? Of COURSE I ship them, they are meant to be!

FoxyMulder: Am I romantic? I think with the right girl…I would be. Speaking of that…have you thought about what I said…maybe we can meet in the real world one day?  I am sure there will be some Comic Con event we can meet at…pick a city that is somewhere in the middle of the cities we secretly live in.

ScientistScully: Oh Foxy… Remember our promise – we agreed to not exchange real names or talk about where we live. I am a girl in my 20s�� I like how safe this thing we have is now. Don’t be mad, okay?

FoxyMulder: I could never be mad at you. And I get where you are coming from. Although I promise I am not a serial killer, I respect your wishes. Maybe five years from now when we are still debating the X-Files series we can meet then. ;-) As I am in my 20s too...I can be patient until you are ready.

ScientistScully: Thanks Foxy xo! You’re too good to me. Before we discuss tonight’s show – I want to hear about how Ghost’s visit to the vet went…all okay? ….

02.01.2018

FoxyMulder: Hey, how was your day? Are you feeling better?

ScientistScully: Hi Foxy, I am not feeling better. :-( I ended up staying home all day and sleeping. My office was not happy with me.

FoxyMulder: I was worried about that, when you cut our chat short last night...I just knew you were really sick.

ScientistScully: Yeah, my roommate made me chicken soup before she left for her fiance’s place. I’ve nibbled on that and just rested.

FoxyMulder: I would so take care of you...if you would let me.

ScientistScully: Promises, promises…. LOL

FoxyMulder: Ha, ha.  You are too much. But seriously, if you aren’t feeling well we can stop chatting. I don’t want to be responsible for hindering your recovery.

ScientistScully: I am literally laughing. You always make me smile...Foxy. ;-)  No, I hated not chatting with you last night. I missed you… Tell me about your day…

02.06.2018

ScientistScully: Hey…  If I said something to upset you, I just wanted to say I am sorry. I am sometimes guilty of putting my foot in my mouth. I miss you, “Foxy”. :-(

FoxyMulder: Fuck.. SS, I am the one who is sorry. No, you are perfect and probably the most amazing person I’ve ever gotten close with. The things I told you about...about my life, my family… I’ve never talked to ANYONE about those things. I just felt so overwhelmed after and I needed some time alone to brood. But you are amazing, I count on you. Sorry if that sounds...weird? But it is true. Besides, I finally got you to agree to exchange photos of our furry-babies (as you like to call them...not my words). Yours cats are so cute. I’d rather see a picture of you.,, But still a WIN!

ScientistScully: First, thank you for confiding in me. I care about you too. A lot. And I do owe you an apology. My crazy ranting about your stepmother was not cool, and I am sure although TRUE, it didn’t make you feel any better.  Again - I am really sorry.  I wish I had been more level headed and calm. I care about you… it just hit me harder than I thought it would.

FoxyMulder: Hey, stop. No apology needed. Well...the only apology you owe me is for not being willing to meet at some random city and give me a real hug of comfort. (kidding!...kinda)

ScientistScully: Hey - we just have shared all of this personal life stories with each other….baby steps my friend. Baby steps! And GHOST is gorgeous...I just want to hug him!

FoxyMulder: you want to hug my dog...but not me??  Ouch! I know, I know. I just want what I want. And that is to really get to meet you. In the real world. BUT until then… Are you so excited for tomorrow night’s new episode?  

ScientistScully: Kinda…  An episode that is centered around Skinner and called “Kitten” makes me wonder….

02.14.2018

FoxyMulder: Look SS - it is not nice to cyber-MOCK me. I swear, Ghost can tell when I am chatting with YOU!!! Dogs are very intuitive. Although my dog doesn’t know you, I am pretty sure he loves you. Besides...I know we have been chatting for hours...but I have to be honest with you about something off topic.

ScientistScully: Always...spill. Next you are going to tell me that you think my cats are psychic.

FoxyMulder: I was really...nervous...petrified even… That you weren’t going to be be able to chat tonight, since it is Valentine’s Day. I think my heart would’ve burst. I mean - I guess you have never told me that you don’t have a boyfriend...or even a husband (please God, do not tell me you are married)

ScientistScully: Foxy!!!!  No, I am not married.  LOL  Jeez. And I am not dating anyone at the moment. I do go on the occasional date, usually when someone tries to set me up with some poor guy. But nothing good has ever come of that. And you?

FoxyMulder: Single...super single. But also super interested in someone.

ScientistScully: Oh? Well, that’s cool. So what’s she like?

FoxyMulder: Well, she is pretty amazing in every way that counts. Smart, wicked funny, kind, I love talking to her. She means a lot to me.

++long pause before ScientistScully replies ++

ScientistScully: Wow. She sounds amazing. So did you have a nice V-day with her? You seem like the kind of guy that would make a good effort...

FoxyMulder: Yeah, it has been a nice V-Day with her...because I am chatting with her right now.

ScientistScully: Foxy!  STOP toying with me, that was cruel. Ugh, you had me going there… Look...I just don’t know what to say. But yes...I like you too.  A lot.

FoxyMulder: Good, because I am crazy about you. SS - I will do anything. I will fly to your city, stay in my own hotel and just take you out for coffee. I am serious. Ghost has a new dog sitter and he is willing to do overnights!

ScientistScully: I am sitting here blushing...I need to think about it. Okay?

FoxyMulder: Okay. But will you tell me what city you live in...so I can start planning my trip?

ScientistScully: You are too much!!!! But FINE….  I live in Denver, Colorado. But do NOT go buying any plane tickets yet!

FoxyMulder: Wait - WHAT????? Are you kidding?  I also live in Colorado...south of Denver...in the Wash Park area. This is CRAZY.  

ScientistScully: You are kidding again right?

FoxyMulder: Dead serious - I live in Wash Park (Ghost’s favorite park) and work in the DTC. You?

ScientistScully: Work and live downtown… This is crazy.

FoxyMulder: No...I think it’s fate. Now we have to meet, for real. X-files won’t be on for couple weeks because of the Winter Olympics...who knows, maybe by then we can even watch it together….

ScientistScully: Slow down there… This is just crazy, but also pretty cool. Give me a few days to think about it. Please?

FoxyMulder: SS - of course. I want you to take all the time you need...I am just really happy.

ScientistScully: Thanks. And just so you know….I am really happy too….

02.17.2018

“Why are we still even talking about this, Dany?!” Missie says across the breakfast table, taking a large sip from her coffee. “You are CRAZY about this guy. I knew it when you had been talking to him for just a few weeks and you had those dates with Daario.”

“Daario? What does he have to do with this?” Dany asks, genuinely confused. She had only gone on a handful of dates with Daario...and they were pretty much a flop.

“Um, when someone as fine as Daario is throwing himself at your feet, taking you on fancy dates...and all YOU wanted to do was get home, change into your pajamas so you can log on and chat with “FoxyMulder” - - that is how I know you really like this guy...you liked him then and I think you like him a lot more now. Let’s not forget - it turns out he lives in the same state!” Missie says firmly, enjoying the look of surprise flashing on Dany’s face.

Dany’s mind is racing. How did this even happen? She has been an avid X-files fan for decades and she decided to log into a X-Files chat room one night, just to discuss the theories and enjoy some banter before the new season started…  And then she met him, FoxyMulder.

Dany also trusts Missie’s opinion more than anyone else. She has always been level headed, calm and gives the best advice. She will be so sad when Missie moves in with her fiance Grey after their wedding in two months. But Dany knows they will remain close, plus Grey’s condo is only 5 blocks away.

“You are right...I am even surprised how much I like him, I care about him. We’ve talked about such personal things. I mean...it is even possible to fall in love with someone you have never met in person???” Dany asks out loud what she wonders about often, she does feel confused.

“All I can tell you….that we both know a few couples that met via online dating and are really happy now. It is a new world. Yeah - you guys were on a chat group about a nerdy sci-fi show...but in the end...you were the one to tell me that you talk about X-files but much more about your real lives,” Missie pushes kindly. Her roommate is one of the sweetest persons she has ever known, she wants her to be happy.

Missie ponders the situation - maybe this X-Files nerd will be it for Dany. “I just think you should meet for coffee and don’t hold back!”

Dany smiles at her friend...feeling more confident with her decision. As always, she can’t wait to talk to Foxy via chat tonight.

  02.17.2018

FoxyMulder: So as I end every chat lately...and I am persistent… Could I take you out for a coffee date? How about this next Friday….the 23rd?

ScientistScully: FoxyMulder...my answer is yes! Let’s do this. I would love to meet you for coffee. But please, nothing fancy. AND just in case it is a complete flop...can we agree to not exchange our real names yet?

FoxyMulder: In case what, that we hate each other??? Just so you know, I call you SS...not for ScientistScully...it is now for “Skeptical Scully”!

ScientistScully: ha, ha, ha….so is that a no for coffee then?

FoxyMulder: Hell yes - we are having our coffee date next weekend.  I can’t wait!!!! I will pick out which coffee shop and get back to you. So Friday the 23rd... Shall we say 6pm? After work for us both?

ScientistScully: Sounds perfect.

FoxyMulder: It sounds like a date to me!

ScientistScully: Yes, a date.  :-)

++o+ Chapter End +o++

Author’s Note: Chapter 2 can be found HERE

[agentelmo]

So this epic essay/rant began as my thoughts on the scene in S10 (Home Again) where Scully calls Mulder “Fox”.  I get it, I really do that Mulder is "Mulder" and Scully is "Scully" for a lot of shippers and that’s sacred to a lot of you.  But for me it really was a gut punch to hear her call him Fox in that moment... because it suggests to me that in their most intimate, emotional moments they are comfortable with using their first names - in fact, not just comfortable, it’s a kind of language they use to communicate intimacy.  Which started in the show, but they've clearly developed that closeness further in the 10+ years since we last saw them.   

So yes, when Scully first wanted to use this language in Tooms to convey an intimate, heartfelt moment with Mulder, (she's about to tell him she wouldn't put herself on the line for anyone but him) she goes to call him Fox and he can't allow it - he tells her to call him Mulder... he lies in fact, he says he makes everyone call him Mulder, even his mother - but when we see his mother she never once calls him that.  Not to mention all of his old flames have called him Fox and he doesn't chastise them.  Even Scully’s mother, Margaret continues to call him Fox even after Scully has corrected her.

Mulder was putting up a barrier in Tooms - he didn't want to allow Scully to get too close - I mean, the guy has a history of dating female co-workers, when you think about it.  Perhaps he'd decided he didn't want that to happen again with Scully - she had become very special to him and he didn't want to lose her to a fling or short-lived romance. 

Perhaps that also goes some way to explain why he took so long to act on his feelings for her, and the one time he lets his guard down and does act on them (Fight the Future) he doesn't allow himself to revisit the moment with Scully later.  The bee sting lets him off the hook after a moment of weakness where his deeper feelings for Scully surface as a result of the intensity of the moment (and he tries to kiss her).  But once the moment is gone, the barrier is back up.

When Scully herself attempts to revisit the moment in the first episode of S6, (The Beginning) Mulder is actually quite cold towards her; he removes his hand from hers and walks away.  God, the pain of that scene, which was in no small part the result of reuniting with one Diana Fowley. 

Let me side step into talking about Diana for a moment... 

I think Mulder/Fowley relationship was a kind of pre-cursor to Mulder/Scully relationship for him.  Fowley was also a beautiful, intelligent woman that he felt attracted to but the difference here was that he acted on those feelings - he let her in; she calls him Fox from the get go, and still does right up until their last scene together.  But look where that ended up for him - she abandoned him and their work together.  Ultimately she was willing to sacrifice her relationship with him for self interest and I think he was pretty badly hurt by that.  What those interests are, we never find out.  But it clearly wasn’t a good enough reason for Mulder to accept, as in The Sixth Extinction he can hear her thoughts, knows her reasons - even as we don’t - and he doesn’t react to her at all, even as she’s telling him she loves him, he doesn’t move to return her feelings.  He pretends to be out of it, but as she leaves the room, he watches her go - letting us know that he does not trust Diana any longer.

This is backed up rather than contradicted by Amor Fati, where Mulder has his last temptation of Christ moment, where Diana ultimately is a figurehead of deception, manipulation, and stagnation.  She sleepwalks him into ruin and away from his chosen path in exchange for domesticity.  That isn’t Mulder, and no one knows that better than Scully - a woman who is able to love a man like him without making any demands of him, whereas Diana is the opposite.  One of these days I will write a mammoth essay about how incredible Scully is... but I digress...

So how does this figure into how and why Mulder would keep Scully at a distance?  Well we as humans often function on the faulty thinking that history will repeat itself; particularly in interpersonal relationships.  I suspect he fears being hurt for one, but also fears losing Scully if he goes down the same path with her that he did with Diana.  So when Scully reminds him of what he said to her in his hallway right before the bee stung, (The Beginning) he doesn’t respond - the walls are up and he refuses to go back to that place again, and quite cruelly shuts Scully down.

In my shipper heart, and apparently backed up by Chris Carter (although he changes his mind on this all the time, so whatevs) Mulder was attracted to Scully straight off the bat; which is pretty clear in the pilot and early episodes imo - he’s a young man and she’s a beautiful, extremely intelligent young woman who stands her ground with him (that - as we discover over time - is kinda his “type”).  

But pretty quickly he starts to care for her deeply; to feel he can trust her and only her - she's his human credential, as David Duchovny once poetically put it and that’s even more true in the earlier seasons where Mulder is clearly more bothered by how people view him - with Scully at his side, he stops caring - we stop hearing him reflect on this label of “Spooky” his fellow Agents have given him.  

He was isolated and alone, and she saved him from that - she accepted him.  It's completely understandable that he'd start to feel very protective of her and their friendship.  So with that in mind, he can't entertain any thoughts of attraction towards her as that would risk that friendship. So when she tries to call him Fox he’s suddenly quite uncomfortable.  He even seems embarrassed.  Then shocked and I think quite moved, when she tells him she wouldn’t put herself on the line for anyone but him.  But his response?  He plays it off with a flippant comment about iced tea!  He clearly needs to maintain that bit of professional distance to keep their relationship platonic.  Which he often achieves with humour. 

So returning to that moment in S10 (Home Again) to see her call him Fox - it’s a huge deal that he now lets her... they're at a different level of intimacy now, he's not trying to keep her at arms length or away from his heart anymore; which is made all the more interesting because they're no longer together in this scene.

That says to me the breakup wasn’t a mutual decision; it definitely wasn't what Mulder wanted - it feels like they are communicating loud and clear that it was Scully that ended their romantic relationship and I get the feeling he's still pretty heartbroken over it.  His slightly bitter remarks in My Struggle where Scully says it’s good for him to get out of “that little house” referring to their home together in IWTB and he responds with “it certainly was good for you.”  Ouch! 

Then his comment in Tad O’Malley’s car where she says they’ve both moved on with their lives now the X files are closed and she says “for better or worse” and he says “for better, for worse..” and Scully is clearly very uncomfortable with what he’s said.  There’s so many freakin’ layers here - the most obvious one being the fact these are wedding vows - what are they hinting at here?  (God I sincerely hope they didn’t get married and divorced - but I wouldn’t put that past CC)  but my interpretation is that Mulder is saying Scully was better for it, but he was worse.  The final bitter comment is when he mentions the fact that Scully had apparently once referred to his pursuit of UFOs as having a “stranglehold on her life”.  Ouch.  Again.

But for me, the most heartbreaking scene revealing the depth of Mulder’s loneliness without Scully was in episode 2 (Founder’s Mutation) There is one scene where we see him sitting in the kitchen of the “little house” they once shared together, alone, looking at a photo of William... Gods... what are you trying to do to me, CC??  His lonely figure sitting at the kitchen table in a family home, with 2 empty seats is just another gut punch.  

Yeah, he’s definitely still hurting over it.   

So just to briefly touch on the first names thing one last time, because I can clearly go off on some epic tangents here; Scully never had any issue with Mulder calling her Dana; it takes her by surprise once (Beyond the Sea) - but every other time he did it, it was again to create intimacy and closeness, it's not some awful transgression that's a betrayal of their past relationship - it's an evolution of it. Thinking here of how hung up people get about Mulder referring to Scully as “Dearest Dana” in an email in Trustno1.

I want to hear her call him Fox again - at least one more time.  Sex scene, anyone?  Ha!  FIGHT ME!

[mldrgrl]

Not Again

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 Summary: See chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15

Chapter 16, Day 170:

Things happen quickly the next morning.  As Mulder and Skinner are loading the car to head to the airport, Mulder gets a call from the gunmen.  They're on speakerphone, talking over each other with excitement until Mulder tells them to calm down.  He moves away from the open car door and puts a hand on his hip.

“We made contact,” Byers says.

“With Absalom,” Langly adds.  “Dude fell for our line like flies to cow turds”

“I gathered that,” Mulder says.  “And get a better metaphor, please.”

“We pinged his ISP in Helena,” Frohike cuts in, getting to the point.

“He's here?”  Mulder turns to face the car and raises his brows at Skinner.  Skinner frowns.

“We can't tell you where,” Byers says.  “But he's definitely in the Helena area.”

“What else can you tell me?  Give me something less vague.”

“That's all we've got,” Frohike says.  “Sorry, man.  So far all he’ll talk about is spreading the word that prior abductees are in danger.”

“Danger from what?”

“Being taken again.  Returned as something other than what they were.”

“Super soldiers?”

“That's what he called them,” Langly says.  “An army of super soldiers that will destroy the human race.”

“Ask him what he knows about the missing fourteen.  Get back to me.”

Mulder disconnects the call and slips his cell phone back into his pocket.  He tells Skinner what the gunmen have just told him, but before Skinner even opens his mouth to ask questions, Richie comes running across the parking lot towards them.

“Agent Mulder!”

Mulder steps out from behind the car and walks towards him.  The boy is agitated and jittery.  He's sweaty and wild eyed, but Mulder doesn't think it's from the short run he just made.

“What is it, Richie?” he asks.

“I saw him!  I saw Gary!”

“Where?  When?”

“Like an hour ago.  I was at the gas station and I seen him in the back of a car.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally sure.  I followed him.”

“Okay, okay.”  Mulder looks to Skinner who shuts his car door and comes around to the back side to stand next to Mulder.

“Did you write down the license plate of the car he was in?” Skinner asks, taking a notepad out of his breast pocket.

“Yeah, yeah,” Richie answers.  “I have that, but I think they're getting ready to leave.”

“Who?” Mulder asks.

“A bunch of people.  I followed them off the highway to a cabin behind the hills.  They're all packing or something, and Gary was with them.”

“Did you see the guy driving the car?” Mulder asks.

“No, but I saw the guy in the passenger seat.  He was old, kind of sunburnt face, with grey hair.”

“Can you show us where they're at?”

“Yeah yeah.  That's why I came to find you.  I was kinda scared to go by myself.”

“You did the right thing.”  Mulder nods to Richie and then looks at Skinner.  They're due at the airport in an hour.  

Skinner puts his notepad away and then adjusts his glasses.  His jaw is clenched, but he doesn't look angry, just indecisive.  Finally, he nods to Mulder.

“You better go get Agent Reyes,” Skinner says.  “I'll call the local PD and have them run the plate.”

Mulder spins around and heads to Reyes’ room at the end of the motel before Skinner can change his mind.

*****

The cabin Richie guides them to is only hidden by virtue of its position amongst the hills.  The trees are sparse.  Richie shows them where he stopped his car and where he hid so he wouldn’t be caught spying on the group.

Reyes stays with Richie at the car while Mulder and Skinner take the sloping, curved path towards the cabin.  There’s not a lot of cover, unless you were to count the clouds that have blocked out the sun and blanketed the area in grey shadows.  It will sleet or snow within the next few hours.

A man and a woman come around the side of the cabin as Mulder and Skinner approach.  They look startled and the woman nearly drops the pile of blankets she carries in her arms.  Mulder waves his hand in a friendly, calming gesture.

“We’re looking for a man named Gary Cory,” Mulder says.  “We heard he might be here.”

Neither the man or woman say anything, but they turn around and hurry back behind the cabin the way they came.  Mulder and Skinner glance at each other, but keep going towards the front porch.  The wood is old and rotted in parts, making the trip up the flight of stairs a bit precarious.  They test the weight of each step and tread lightly.  The screen door rattles with each rap of Skinner’s knuckles.

A young man answers the door, barely out of his teens.  He’s got dirty blonde hair and a dazed look in his eyes.

“Gary Cory?” Skinner asks.

“Yeah,” he answers.  “Do I know you?”

“We’re FBI.”  Skinner reaches for his badge and Mulder does the same.  “I’m AD Skinner, and this is Agent Mulder.  Would you come out here, son, so we could ask you a few questions?”

“Okay.”

Skinner and Mulder step back as Gary opens the door.  He’s barefoot, wearing jeans that are too big for his hips and the cuffs of his sweatshirt dangle past his hands.  The porch creaks as he shuffles towards the rail.  Mulder and Skinner glance at each other again and follow.

“Son, are you aware that you’re a missing person?” Skinner asks.

“Missing?” Gary asks, his brows sliding together into a divot above his nose.  “How can I be missing?”

“You disappeared six months ago,” Mulder says.  “Your friend Richie has been very worried about you.”

Gary tips his head in puzzlement.  “Richie and I hung out like two days ago in his basement,” he says.  “We played video games and ate pizza.”

“Do you know what day it is?” Skinner asks.

Gary shrugs.  “Friday?”

“What month, what year?”

Gary shrugs again.  “I don’t really pay attention to that stuff.”

“Do you know how you got to Montana?” Mulder asks.

“I wake up in weird places a lot.”

“What kind of weird places?”

“I don’t know.”  Gary shrugs.  “Back yards, on top of picnic tables, the beach.  Ever since the first time they took me, it just happens sometimes.”

“Who took you?” Skinner asks.  “These people here?”

“Oh, no, the guy that lives here found me in a field.  He’s going to drive me home today.  I mean, the aliens.”

Mulder bites into his upper lip and nods.

“You think we could talk to that man?” Skinner asks.  

“I don’t think he’s here right now.”

Skinner nods curtly and then looks at Mulder.  Mulder is chomping at the bit to search the house and the grounds.  He tries to keep it contained, but Skinner must see it in his face.

“We’ve got your friend Richie with us up the road,” Skinner says.  “How about you come with me right now?”

“Okay.”

“You have shoes inside, son?”

“I’ll check.”

Gary shuffles back across the porch and goes inside.  Skinner immediately pulls Mulder back to the railing by the elbow.

“I’m sending Reyes back here as soon as we get to the car,” Skinner says.  “Do not do anything foolish.”

“Me, Sir?”  Mulder gives Skinner his best mask of innocence.

“I mean it, Mulder.  I don’t want you going inside, I don’t want you taking a tour of the perimeter, I don’t want you to move a muscle beyond the bottom of this porch.  The only reason I’m leaving you here at all is to keep watch that no one gets in or out of here.”

Mulder raises his hand up to salute Skinner.  Skinner lets him go.  The screen door bangs open again and Gary steps out in shoes that are also too big for him.  They all make their way gingerly down the steps and Mulder hangs back once they get down the stairs as Skinner and Gary head back to the road.

Skinner must know Mulder better than to stay still in one place, though.  He wanders to the right side of the cabin where they saw the man and woman earlier and peers around the corner.  Seeing nothing of interest, he wanders to the left side and peers around that corner as well.  The left side is tucked up against the slope of hill, but the ridge is angled back behind the house.  He hikes his way up to the side so that he’s just about the same level with the roof of the cabin and he spots a man going over the back ridge.

Mulder looks back and sees Reyes, just turning the bend to approach the cabin.  He waves his arms at her and then points at the back side of the house before he takes off running.  He doesn’t think about whether Reyes saw him, will follow him, or if she’s able to keep up.  His goal is to find the man over the ridge.

The dirt softens under Mulder’s feet as he hits the high point and he slides down a few feet and has to catch himself before he loses balance.  He pauses and looks over the top of the ridge down the other side.  The man he saw earlier is almost half-way down, moving at a slow angle, trying not to stumble.

“Jeremiah Smith!” Mulder calls.

The man looks up and freezes.  Mulder scrabbles at the sliding earth to get up and Jeremiah starts hurrying down the hill again.

“Wait!” Mulder calls.  He claws at the dirt and crawls forward enough to hurl himself over the side of the hill.  He comes down, bringing a landslide of dirt and rock with him as he slides his way down towards Jeremiah.

Mulder is only a few yards behind when Jeremiah reaches the flat end of the canyon of hills.  He heads towards a grove of trees and rocks, but slips and Mulder easily catches up and grabs his arm.  They’re both out of breath.  Jeremiah doesn’t struggle.

“Are you responsible for this?” Mulder asks.

“I’m only here to help,” Jeremiah says.

“What's your part in all of it?”  Mulder gets no response but a blink of Jeremiah’s eyes.  “Answer me!”

“I'm only here to help,” Jeremiah repeats.

“You're picking up the abductees after they're returned.  How do you know where to find them?  Are you communicating with them?”

“No.  They want me too badly for me to try that.”

“Then how?”

“Absalom knows.  He offers me protection from being taken and in return, I heal the ones who are returned.”

“What's his interest in it?  More followers for his cult?”

“He's also a former abductee.  One of the first I healed.”

“How does he know where to find them?”

“I don't ask.”

“You have to know something.”

“I don't know anything.”

“Where's Scully?”

“I don't know.”

“When will she be returned?”

“I don't know.”

Mulder kicks one foot in the dirt in frustration.  He takes out his handcuffs and Jeremiah shakes his head.

“I can't go with you, Agent Mulder.”

“You can if I arrest you.”

“If you stop us, you'll never see Scully alive again.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It's a prophecy.  They're not returning this group alive.  The only way to ensure she'll live is if you let us get to her first.”

Indecision pulls at Mulder's gut.  He wants more answers that only Jeremiah and Absalom can give him, but not at the expense of Scully’s life.  He would sacrifice his own life for her, if he could, would trade himself for her in a heartbeat, but he doesn't have that choice.  Behind him, he hears Reyes calling his name over the hill and he looks back, but she's not there.

“Go,” Mulder says, nodding at the trees and rocks up ahead.  “Go.”

“I'll do my best,” Jeremiah says, and takes off for the grove, disappearing amongst the foliage.

Mulder waits until he can't see anything more of Jeremiah and then he backtracks to the middle of the canyon, making it there just as Reyes reaches the ridge.

“Agent Mulder!”

Mulder waves at her to stay where she is and he slip-slides his way back up the hill.  He's covered in dirt by the time he reaches her and it's beginning to rain ever so slightly.  He hopes his footprints, and Jeremiah’s, will be washed out soon.

“He's gone,” Mulder says.

“Who?  Absalom?”  Reyes asks.

“We’re too late.”

“We'll interrogate those people at the cabin.  We’ll-”

“Let it go,” he says, shaking his head.  “Just let it go.”

*****

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #161

BTVS 6x11 Gone

Stray thoughts

1) “Gone” is the trademark “Sarah takes a week off and she’s only in a few scenes” episode. Some of these may be memorable, albeit not necessarily good, mostly because they’re other-characters-centric (like Triangle, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered or The Zeppo) Others are unquestionably bad, like season 4′s Where the Wild Things Are. And yet others fall somewhere in the middle on the quality scale, like The Killer in Me or Gone. As is the case with any Buffy episode, there are some memorable scenes and lines in this episode, and it does advance the plot, especially regarding Buffy’s and Willow’s season arcs. But as a whole, the episode kind of falls flat. 

2) Hm, what could the writers be possibly implying by this? Do they mean that magic... is like... I don’t know... a drug, or something? The underlying message is so difficult to read! Why won’t they spell it out for us?

DAWN: But they're just candles! BUFFY: Well, yeah, you know, to you and me they're just candles, but to... witches they're... like bongs.

3) I’m usually a hardcore Dawn defender, but she was acting really childish in the opening scene, throwing a tantrum because Buffy was getting rid of all the magic-related stuff in the house. She was 15 years old, and therefore old enough to understand the gravity of the situation. For Christ’s sake, she had almost died two nights ago because of Willow’s addiction, how could she not get it? I blame the writers for this, though. It was an OOC choice for Dawn, in my opinion. Moreover, they wrote her quite inconsistently in this episode: she’s complaining to Buffy in this first scene, but she’s talking to her normally as sisters do. It doesn’t look like she’s angry at Buffy, you know? And then the next morning she’s all silence-treatment and sullen and sassy? 

4) So... the trio actually built an invisibility ray, and we’re supposed to believe they would stay in Sunnydale to become supervillains instead of making millions off their inventions?

5) #buffyswiggivesmethewiggins

6) Buffy was definitely partly responsible for the events that led to Dawn’s getting hurt. She shouldn’t bear the brunt of the blame, though. Yet she does, because that’s who she is. She talks about being too wrapped in her own “dumb life” to notice Willow was going off the rails or to pay Dawn enough attention, but the thing is, there’s nothing dumb about what she was going through. There’s nothing dumb about suffering from depression and PTSD and needing to focus on yourself. How could she take care of anyone when she couldn’t/didn’t want to take care of herself? 

7) So, this is what Xander walked into...

If you think Buffy was being harassed, you’re not reading the room right, dude 

Also, I need to comment on something and I hope I get my message across right. And I ask you to bear with me. At least twice so far (the “footsie under the rubble” scene, and this one) Buffy had told Spike “no” or to “stop” while her body language suggested otherwise. That’s going to be their dynamics going forward. Buffy says no, but then Spike pushes her a little bit, and she gives in. Time and again, we’ll see different variations of this dynamic. It’s definitely an unhealthy dynamic, one I wouldn’t foster in any relationship. And the right thing to do each time Buffy had said “No” - even if she eventually didn’t really mean it - would have been to back off. But Spike was no gentleman. He might make us forget it sometimes, he might forget it himself quite frequently, but he was a vampire, evil by definition and lacking a moral compass. What happens in Seeing Red is in no way justified by this or their established dynamic, of course. It can’t be justified by anything. But what I’m trying to get to is how Spike’s psyche works and what led him to believe that if he just pushed a little bit more, she would eventually give in as she had done so many times before. The difference between the scene in Seeing Red and all the previous instances before it, a difference that Spike failed to notice because he’s not wired that way and which makes ALL the difference in the world, is that both Buffy’s words and her body language were screaming “No.” There weren’t any half-assed attempts at pushing him away, there weren’t any come-hither “stops” or “nos”. She meant it that time, and that’s all that matters. 

8) Spike is ticked when Buffy won’t introduce him even as a friend, but the moment Buffy tells him the lady was from Social Services, he immediately tries to put in a good word for her, and it’s kinda sweet. Although he ends up mucking it up, but at least he tried.

BUFFY: Spike... this nice woman is from Social Services? SPIKE: Oh, right! Uh... hey! Buffy's a great mom. She takes good care of her little sis. Like, when Dawn was hanging out too much in my crypt, Buffy put a right stop to it. MS. KROGER: I'm sorry, did you say- BUFFY: Crib! He said crib. You know kids today and their buggin' street slang.

And he calls her “mom”, which I love.

9) ICONIC I

MS. KROGER: Oh, so you live with another woman. BUFFY: Oh! Oh, it's not a, a gay thing, you know, I mean, well... she's gay, but, but we don't... gay.

10) ICONIC II

Although, isn’t all weed magic weed by definition?

11) Basically, the social service lady’s visit is an everything-than-can-wrong-will-go-wrong nightmare come true. 

12) See 7) above...

BUFFY: Why won't you go? SPIKE: I just thought you'd want... BUFFY: Get out of here!

And not only has she kept his lighter, but she’s carrying it around on her...

13) And then Buffy goes all Felicity on her hair (damn I really want to rewatch Felicity! Felicity and Ben forever!)

14) I do love the season 1 reference!

XANDER: Buffy, how did this hap... wait a sec, have you been feeling... ignored lately? INVISIBLE BUFFY: Yeah, ignored. I wish. No, this isn't a Marcie deal.

15) Oh, after talking about this, this scene really feels like the writers were writing the on-set drama into the story! Like Anya wanting to get a haircut just like Buffy’s mirrors Emma wanting to get a haircut just like Sarah’s...

ANYA: You cut your hair? INVISIBLE BUFFY: Oh, yeah! ANYA: Really? How short? INVISIBLE BUFFY: Um, about up to here... well, if you could see my hand, it's kind of above my shoulders. ANYA: Ahh, that sounds so adorable! I was thinking about getting my hair cut before the wed...

16) Buffy basically uses her invisibility to do the silliest, pettiest things, for real. On the one hand, one would think that’s very un-Buffy-like. On the other hand, that’s what any human being would do in her shoes, at least in the moments right after gaining this superpower. Plus, she needed some mindless fun. And it’s pretty much what she did in Earshot, so it’s definitely in-character.

So, here’s a recount of what she did as Invisible Buffy...

1. Channel Lilly Kane as a fashion ghost...

2. Stealing a police cart while crying  “ So long, copper!”, therefore channeling Spike, Ripper or both.

3. Fucking with the social services lady in the most annoying ways.

17) I appreciate the reversal of roles the writers did with Buffy/Willow. During the last episode, we’d seen Willow crash and burn and Buffy trying to be the mature one (emphasis on “trying”.) Now, Buffy’s out of control and Willow’s the one trying to rise above the situation by going back to basics. I’ve given Willow a lot of flack for her behavior up until now, but I really love her in this episode. She’s honestly trying, she gets shit done the old-fashioned way, and she overcomes the temptation to use magic. That’s the Willow I love.

18) And then, there’s this scene...

...let’s call it for what it is: dubious consent. Okay?

19) Oh, this statement is going to become a lie so soon...

WARREN: The Slayer got slammed with a big-ass dose of radiation when the gun overloaded. Her cells are mutating at an accelerated rate. Eventually her molecular makeup will start losing its integrity and then ... pfft. ANDREW: But, wouldn't that kill her? WARREN: Well, lemme think. Yeah! JONATHAN: Wait a minute! We're not killing anybody. Especially not Buffy! WARREN: You guys are so immature! We're villains! When are you gonna get that through your thick skulls? JONATHAN: We're not killers, we're crime lords!

20) ICONIC III

So... Xander has just told Spike Buffy’s invisible, and he’s caught Spike having invisible sex, and yet he can’t put two and two together? Plus, she was gasping and moaning and the freaking ear was moving all on its own!! How thick can you be?!

21) I mean, magic withdrawal aside, we can all relate to this moment...

22) It’s only after Buffy meets Dawn and she freaks out about her sister being invisible that Buffy understands this shouldn’t be a laughing matter...

DAWN: Buffy? Where are you? INVISIBLE BUFFY: I'm invisible. Check this out. Wooo, wooo! Unidentified flying pizza, comin' in for a landing.

DAWN: W-what are you talking- INVISIBLE BUFFY: Okay, not the most clever ad lib, but come on! Points for spontaneity. DAWN: Stop it! Just... stop.  INVISIBLE BUFFY: Sorry Dawn. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. DAWN: Well, what did you think would happen? You're freaking invisible, Buffy. INVISIBLE BUFFY: I know. Xander and Anya are working on it. Muldering out what happened.  DAWN: Well, what about you? Shouldn't you be working on it? INVISIBLE BUFFY: Of course I- DAWN: Do you even care about, about who did this to you, or, or if you're gonna be stuck this way? You're making jokes and flying pizzas. INVISIBLE BUFFY: I don't think that's- DAWN:  I can't talk to you like this. I can't see you! How can I talk to you if I can't see you?

23) And Willow solves the case with some good old-fashioned sleuthing and I love her for it!

Of course, she gets kidnapped in the process, but what can you do? You win some, you lose some.

24) And yet again, she figures out they’re trying to kill Buffy with some good old-fashioned science knowledge!

25) Tucker’s brother :)

BUFFY: Who are you?

ANDREW: Andrew. I summoned the flying monkeys that attacked the high school? During the school play, you know?

WARREN: It's Tucker's brother. JONATHAN: Yeah, it's Tucker's brother.

26) This might be my favorite moment in the episode.

BUFFY: Pretty neat, you finding the van. So... how did you manage to... do it exactly? I mean, to locate it? WILLOW: The hard way. The spell-free way. The oh-my-god-my-head's-gonna-fall-off, my-feet-are-killing-me way. I don't know how I got through this day.

BUFFY: Well, the important thing is that you did. It's a... good first step. WILLOW: How are you doing, post-invisibleness? BUFFY: Okay. I still have to do some damage control from my giddy-fest. Dawn was pretty freaked out. The whole taking-a-vacation-from-me thing didn't work out so well. WILLOW: Tell me about it. BUFFY: Except... when I got Xander's message... you know, that I was... fading away... I actually got scared. WILLOW: Well, yeah. Who wouldn't? BUFFY: Me. I wouldn't. Not too long ago I probably would have welcomed it. But I realized... I'm not saying that I'm doing back-flips about my life, but...  I didn't... I don't... wanna die. That's something, right? WILLOW: It's something.

I love the fact that they’re there for each other and that they’re the ones pulling each other through their shit. And they’re quite honest about where they’re at - even if they still have secrets. Both of the made it through the day, and sometimes that’s the biggest accomplishment of them all. 

[hgfstreamchats]

Atlantis

*flop* Night human, hello! Hello I'm just beat I know the feeling. ...And it might be impeccable timing! Looks like the site is down. Awwwww, no We could... watch a movie instead? Did I somehow manage not to miss anything? A movie sounds excellent. Any suggestions? Hmmmmmmmmmmm let me check my list How about... Atlantis? Works for me! I have no objection.

Apparently we are watching Jeepers Creepers, and we are going to like it. Hmmm. Hmm, it's opening just fine in another tab. Here, try this instead https://www.watchcartoononline.io/atlantis-the-lost-empire

Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Watch cartoons online, Watch anime online, English dub anime Watch Atlantis: The Lost Empire online free with HQ / high quailty. Stream movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire.A large tidal wave triggered by a distant explosion threatens

watchcartoononline.io

Oh, watchcartoononline, why don't I ever refer to you first? Just, uh, ignore the ads. I forget they're there, having blocked the hell out of them long ago There we go! Beautiful! The end. That is not really a warning. hello! Hello! Whoop, glowy eyes of foreboding! And then they drowned. Shoosh. Uranium! Either that, or we forgot another relic on Earth. Earth is like a gosh-darn magnet for anything you carelessly shoot into space for some reason It may be due to Unicron being the core. He attracts chaos. Is that a shrine probably Oh my gosh Oh my gosh he's like Linguistics Mulder He does not realize this is always a setup to being murdered. At least he's being delightful about sending Milo off to almost-certain doom They really go all out on every facial expression. They do! I do not trust this weird human. omg kity This little human's adorable. Does he have a match in his mouth Hello main villain, probably That's not a trustworthy chin. No indeed. Exactly. Why was he crossing his digits behind his back? Oh my god what .... Apparently Milo's body belongs to the crew and they'd like to make that clear right off the bat. It's like everyone on this ship stopped giving even a single shit. Serpents do not have limbs. Not with THAT attitude, they don't She taunted Murphy. Well, that man is dead. And now they all die. oh, yeah, this movie has an incredible body count Excellent. Fun! This thing sure is... crabby. Good to get the cannon fodder out of the way early. That way no one misses them. yeah, it's really put them in a pinch Something something... shell? How fortunate they are that the air is still breathable down there. That's nothing, don't you remember Treasure Planet Treasure Planet had 'space technology' as a cheat. hahahha Awwww. dude, ASK qué es esto Wheeljack! Red! Hello, hello same ... Fireflies. Of course. Uh Oh What about, uh Their explosives And then they died. Heh. i like this guy Well Convenient power in the short term, but overuse will give you cancer. uhhh Shhh, shhh, that's definitely how language works. The surface dwellers also introduce new viruses into the local population. why is that human magnus Called it We don't trust his chin. I'm pretty sure that's going to turn out to be an enormous slur on Magnus GOOD Peaceful explorers, with lots of explosives I do not like the king's voice. Does this story really require the little ratman? heh. that's a man???? Who wouldn't want a story with a bizarre earth-fetishist rat-man Without the ratman, who else would grind in the obnoxiousness? i feel like my boy the explosives guy could give us everything beepbeep How does the linguist fail at pronouncing a name given to him? i think humans have a tongue swelling thing when they see someone pretty Less Ratman and Dr. Touches, more explosive human. more explosions general bring on the booms A convenient history of Atlantis. And then he died of the bends. Tragic. Shoosh, the bends don't exist, just like there's magically fresh air down here oh frag Whoop damn Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal, Magnus. Indeed I'm tellin' ya, the mech's gonna turn OH a BIG STATUE Or maybe, uh literally in his head His eyes DO look kinda crystally yeah so do mine Well, that looks safe ...Oh. It's because he looked This is probably not a good sign. Ohhhhhh my This is probably fine. Huh. It was fine. ALSO probably fine W What flowers why Smoke up what air they have left. That's helpful. Nobody we knew I love explosives human. How are they planning on getting back to the surface? OH HEY Oh great there goes alpha trion He sounds like Sentinel. I dislike it. He got that story out pretty smoothly for someone half a minute from death. He died on purpose, to get out of dealing with this mess. explosives guy is high all day every day Truly your spirit human. i love him They just so happened to bring tiny planes with them. Just in case. apparently! You never know when you're going to need tiny planes under the ocean. HA ohhh brutal How is she alive after that She did not survive that fall. damn magnus hahahaah his face oh scrap hahahah wow Nice wow Here comes Magnus! now magnus can't talk scrap about me bein' on crystals Hah! And they flood Atlantis with lava. Perfect. Well then They have known each other for about two hours. But it felt like three. ha GIVE HIM A HUG. Now wash that hand. That hand will never be clean. oof seaspray used to crack my spinal strut over his leg if i whined about it enough Nice. "But we WON'T say that, because it's SECRET" how did humans put magnus and me in this so well Dumb luck. There's apparently an awful sequel. technically it's actually three episodes to a tv show that got canned before it made it to air, and they thought they'd flog it direct to video Can we go about our lives, without suffering through the awful sequel? technically it's actually three episodes to a tv show that got canned before it made it to air, and they thought they'd flog it direct to video Can we go about our lives, without suffering through the awful sequel? Or will knowing it is out there haunt us relentlessly? uho h I'm up for it if you folks are. Welllllllll... Sure, I have not been tormented enough. Sure, why not watch something to viciously mock It probably is not worse than the pig sequels. Nothing could be worse than the pig sequels. Gotta run, Red. Thanks for the party Always a pleasure! See you! Behold! Atlantis on a tenth of the budget And then they died. Remember those beautiful shots from the first movie? None of that here! Lava whales. Lava whales. Of course. So it heals rock, too? I should know better than to ask why, and yet, it is the only question. Wasn't that thing... bigger? You probably aren't. Oh, it's crying His rock looks upset at what his city has become. their smiles look unnatural She looks weird OH JOY. A PET MASCOT The lava tubes. And a giant crab. No. Not allowed. Ew. I hate their relationship. All the food is just, like. Bowls of dyed pasta. You live in Atlantis, you eat noodles. Forever. Oh, Kida, what have they done to you? That's ridiculous They live UNDER THE OCEAN Surely they're familiar with, like, swimming, floating, drowning Yes, make sure you bring the animal with you. Where would they be without their mascot Perhaps less drowning. The real kraken is that grim faced weirdo. Gettin' a little Shadow Over Innsmouth here ewwww, don't touch it t's like watching animatronics Why do they even have an inn if they hate visitors so much what's with her FACE . . . She cannot actually focus on anyone. Will-o-wisps? Heh Rat-man's grimace will follow you to your dreams I despise everything about Rat-man. W...what Maybe he just has one of the magic life-extending crystals I hate that Rat-man is contributing more than he ever did in the good movie. He should never move the plot forward. and yet, he is "Ha, now you can't complain that he's useless!" I will complain regardless. Kray-ken. It like... patted him gosh, maybe he's not the one in charge here I never thought a story about a tentacle monster could be so unappealing. Stop moving the plot forward, Rat-man! How dare he contribute? And they crush their friend with roof debris. Gasp. Uh... ... Ominous. I thought there was going to be a twist where it was a tiny tentacle monster they do not get paid enough for this Also I feel like nothing was really... explained Of course it wasn't. Milo who showed up three weeks ago knows more than her, of course. Are they just planning on investigating nonsense around the world? Why not use the magic healing crysta on him Too much work. gosh it's ALMOST like the coyotes are MADE OF SAND, animated by some magic force Jinkies! ... This bit is older than I am. Oh, Kida... So there's no theft in Atlantis, huh Had not been invented yet. Well, HE'S evil Because you know the writers of this nonsense wanted to be timeline accurate. Him? No! Every problem is going to have a spooky old man. I keep expecting to see Wile E Coyote and the roadrunner in this landscape This seems offensive to someone. You think? I can't get past how weird everyone looks I mean, Rat-man took a lateral move, but still Gosh, who's surprised Wait, did Rat-man just contribute to the plot again More than old man Kakashi. Because surely he won't just go to the cave and steal everything. Rat-man's carrying the plot and I'm not okay with that. ... oh wow. He's the most important character in this story It's, like, all about his dirt-eating Oh so it's a big museum The adventures of Rat-man and friends. wow his voice will just never stop cracking, will it Stop touching each other. And then he killed them. WOW who would have GUESSED Of course we have to have silly implausible knockout gas. Why even bother tying them up? Just kill them while they are unconscious. Likes gloating? Please, please kill them while they're unconscious. I don't like Milo's little pantaloons or shapely calves. Someone had to draw them. Guess SOMEbody's about to get sandblasted But for the pot they broke, they must die. Don't do it, Kakashi! Tell me your secret. "well if I told you it wouldn't be a secret, would it" "We love you, old man Jicama." ... Did Odin broke into his house. Did Odin break into this guy's I mean I sthis where theis is going What even is this premise? I mean I guess he can have it None of this could have less to do with anything. Oh dude you are WAY off they wanted to do a multi-season tv show like this ...Or, uh. Maybe not Then he is simply an insane man who is good at training birds. Dead. Pffffff . . . . . . . "The cum filling?" ...What I also heard that. And again, ratman is essential to the plot. ....Ewwwwww, he dressed her I think he is very confused abou this mythos, also I feel concussed. ...Did anyone else just see the explosives human disassociate out of his body? They've all been doing that The image bleed has been very prevalent. I haven't seen it get quite as bad as that. Uh... huh. So they're like boiling the ocean That's a little grim Rest in peace, fishermen. Or not. Rejoin the world, just in time to participate in a World War. Excellent plan. Wait there's a child? And contract polio. Was she like born DURING the thousands of years under the sea? Not quite as bad as the pig sequel, but still too reliant on the ratman. well that was... underwhelming That was wretched. I'm on the cusp of powering down, but thank you all for coming and enduring this. Thank you for hosting this terrible assortment of bad ideas. Well. It's what I do! Good night! Thanks for the stream. Good night! Good night! Thanks for the stream. Good night! Thank *you* for the movie suggestion, night human!

[scullydubois]

thoughts on Soft Light (2x23)

Written by Vince Gilligan    Directed by James Contner

The description of this episode sounds quite odd, but I guess we’ll see

His shadow just killed someone...okay

Legitimately who wrote this and thought it actually sounded cool

“Heard a lot about you” what does she know

OOP it’s written by Vince Gilligan my bad

Maybe it’ll actually be good, even though the premise seems bad

When are we gonna talk about aliens again huh, I wanna talk about that

Mulder really just goes around being that tall all the time, as if it’s legal

Okay, but the way they have to play with lighting in this episode to make the shadow thing work is interesting

I do appreciate the way Vince Gilligan writes exchanges between Mulder and Scully

Polarity Magnetics...creative name

They just discussed a bunch of fancy science stuff I won’t even try to understand

Chase scene!!

The psychological aspect of the fact that the guy can’t control this and doesn’t want it to happen is interesting too, different from most other episodes

Scully and Mulder are quite mistreated considering they’re literally FBI agents

Dana Scully, feminist icon

Mr. X is back!!

“He believes the government is out to get him” “It’s tax season, so do most Americans”- okay that was funny

I like how Mr. X got mad at Mulder for contacting him yet still helped him out

He kinda fucked it up though

As a short girl I HATE how short this shot makes Gillian look

RIP Scully’s academy student

Mr. X really offed this guy huh

But he claims he didn’t...hmm

If Scully at this funeral cries it’s over for me

So shadow guy isn’t dead and Mr. X is studying him...Mulder and Scully be fooled again

Consensus: This episode did a good job overcoming how ridiculous I initially thought its premise was. While I didn’t love this episode, I’m excited to see Gilligan’s future episodes because he showed a lot of promise.

3.5 out of 5 stars