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randomfoggytiger · 2 months

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Dana Scully: a Fear of Death Rooted in Eternal Judgment

I think Scully's fear of death is rooted in a fear of judgment.

According to her faith, one either gets into Heaven or Hell (with a pit stop here or there to atone for their sins.) One would think that would be a comfort to the morally unbreakable Dana Scully.

But it isn't.

During her atheistic arc (Season 1 through early Season 2), Scully was determined to do her job and do it well. The paranoia of death didn't cling to her as it does in later seasons.... until Beyond the Sea. Her father's ghost visiting her right after his death and being channeled later through Luthor Lee Boggs, twice-- it takes its toll, unwinding the foundational principles of her life: that Death is final; and that there are no ghosts or psychics or even angels or demons, just sick men and women who abuse others through their superstitions. Scully chooses ignorance, reverting away from this new territory because "I'm afraid... I'm afraid to believe." The rest of Season 1, she didn't want to die, panicked in the face of it; but wasn't as paranoid as, again, later seasons.

Then One Breath happens: Scully experienced something she "couldn't find the words" to explain, even when facing death alongside Mulder in Dod Kalm. It's Scully who is fearless as their end approaches, reassuring Mulder he has nothing to fear based on that experience. Thus, One Breath began her agnostic arc-- where she believed, deep down, but was afraid to fully accept that belief (i.e., her shaken projections on Pfaster in Irresistible and her activated voodoo curse in Fresh Bones.) Death is a place of peace, hence why she denies it to Pfaster (we later learn in Orison.)

When we reach Season 3's Revelations, Scully's agnosticism turns to religious terror. "God is speaking, and no one is listening", she confesses to the priest-- what she means is, that God has been speaking to and judging me, and I've been failing. Thus, her paranoia of Death: not because of its finality (Season 1) or promise of peace (Season 2), but because it could find her at fault and deny her a blessed eternal life.

In Season 4, Scully doesn't want to "run back to God" in Gethsemane; but faces her fears once Death becomes inescapable in Redux II.

In Season 5, she battles with her religious fragility, struggling for peace after her daughter is stolen before her Christian burial (Emily) and after her spirit returns during a case with angels and demons. Scully may be more vulnerable to religious manipulation, but she is also more secure in her beliefs of a peaceful afterlife.

By Season 6, Scully continues to look upon Death as God's judgment: eternal reward or eternal torment. But then Tithonus happens: Fellig shakes Scully's convictions that eternity is a good thing, showing her the soul of an eternally tormented man... making her wonder if she is guaranteed a happy ending, after all.

This brings up to Season 7's Orison, where Scully stands in judgment of Pfaster and the "Reverend" Orison. When she murders Pfaster in cold blood, her doubts and criticisms rise up against her, brandishing her with the same immoral code-- thus, making her fear eternal condemnation from God: the end meted out to both convicts, or an immortal torment ala Alfred Fellig. This was an extremely crucial moment for her development as a character... and would have been given no resolution if not for Gillian's all things.

all things is the resolution to Scully's paranoia: "God talks back", she comes to terms with herself, and makes a final decision out of principle and not panic, out of assuredness and not anguish. Scully is secure; and she finds the stability to embrace her beliefs, religion, and faith as it should be: a source of rest, a refuge from fear.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

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mochinomnoms · 4 months

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You ever think about how, since there are potions that can turn merfolk into humans (and if The Little Mermaid II is canon, can turn humans into merfolk) how the Octatrio would react to a Yuu who gave one a try? (Or even a potion that makes Yuu a beastman/fae for the Diasomnia boys and beastmen)

I'm pretty sure they'd be all freaked out, cause I believe transformation potions like that are illegal for regualr or recreational use. I believe Leona mentions it either right before or during his overblot battle. So first off they'd be a little concerned on how you got your hands on such a potion lol

Personally, I think the potions are regulated closer to a medicine-combination-traveling visa? Like you need to establish a place your visiting that requires it, get government approval, and then make sure you take it at the prescribed times. I imagine that the transformation potions can be painful, since your changing your body, or can lead to cases of identity theft/fraud, which is probably why they're so tightly regulated. Azul and the twins have potions they have to take regularly, but were only given them because they are attending NRC. The nurse probably monitors their potions akin to a prescription.

In order for Yuu to get a transformation in the first place, they'd have to sign up for the potion, probably to visit their partner's family. So if the octotrio are going back home with the intention to introduce you to their family, why not assimilate with the locals! It takes weeks after paying and filing to get approved and send a prescription. But you have your potion ready to go and visit your beloved's family! The guys are a bit struck by how determined you were to get this done, especially when a water breathing potion would've been just as good and much easier to obtain.

“But I wanna get used to the sea, what if we decide to have our home and family there? Water breathing potions aren't super sustainable in the long run, and—why are you staring at me like that?!”

Yuu just accidentally sealed their fate with their octotrio boy(s), they might want to consider the possibility of getting married a bit sooner than anticipated.

#mochi asks #twst #twisted wonderland #jade leech #floyd leech #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #azul ashengrotto #jade leech x reader #floyd leech x reader

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rheya28 · 11 months

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The Bluewind Inn ♥ The Sims 4: Speed Build // CC

♥ Hi guys, Today I present to you the Bluewind Inn and Suites located in Brindleton Bay. This build was inspired by the sea, the sand, and the sky. The Bluewind Inn sits near Cavalier cove and is owned by retired Marine Biologists, Rio and Jane Clarence. 5 years ago, this beautiful seaside manor was transformed into a Inn to be enjoyed by both locals and tourist.

The Bluewind inn is a multifunctional lot as it could be set as a rental lot, a restaurant, a pool, or a spa.

ATTENTION: This is a huge build and is very cc heavy, so beware. If you’ve downloaded my other builds, you should have majority of the cc’s I used…But there’s more cc on this than usual.

Please make sure to turn on bb.moveobjects on!

SPEED BUILD VIDEO

0:02 Intro

1:25 Speed Build

30:22 Photos

♥ Lot Details:

Lot Name: The Bluewind Inn

Lot size: 40x40

Location: Brindleton Bay [Cavalier Cove]

♥ MODS:

TOOL MOD by TwistedMexi

♥ CC LIST:

Note: I have all parts of all sets in this list, so I highly recommend you guys dl them since I frequently use them in all my builds!

[awingedllama] Boho Living, Blooming Rooms

[greenllamas] The woodwind collection

[Joyceisfox] Cruel Summer, Simple Live Collection, Summer Garden

[QICC] Sleek Hallway Set

[S-imagination] Notal Living Room, Rutland Kitchen

[Sooky88] Coastal Wallpaper, Leaning Framed Posters (4 frames), Seashore Framed Prints (panoramic)

[Aroundthesims4] All Plants and pots

[House of Harlix] Bafroom, Baysic, Harluxe, kichen

[Thecluttercat] Busy Bee, Mellow Moods

[Charlypancakes] The lighthouse collection, Dinna, Lavish, Maple&S Construction, Miscellanea, modish, Soak,

[FelixAndre] Chateau, Fayun, Colonial, Grove, Kyoto, Paris, Florence, Livin Rum, Orjanic, Shop the look

[Max20] Cozy Backyard Pack, Garden at home, Happily Ever After, Poolside lounge pack, Precioujs promises

[Thecowbuild] My home

[Harrie] Brutalist, Coastal, Country, Kwatei, Octave, Shop the look 2, Spoons

[Illogical Sims] Home office

[Kaiso] Rustico Living

[Kiwisim] Blocklhouse Dining, blockhouse study

[Leafmotif] Calliope Bathroom, Sunny Corner, Willow Porch set

[Littledica]Chic Bathroom, Rise & Grind, Delicious Kitchen, Delicato Lounge

[MadameRia] Back to basics, Mayaken Cozy Kitchen

[Mechtasims] Office Set

[Miiko] Harmony set

[Myshunosun] Garden Stories, Dawn Living, Midsummer eve, simmify

[Peacemaker] Alesund, Bowed, Caine Living, Adirondack Love, Creta, Futura, Hamptons, Hinterlands Dining, Kitayama

[Ars Botanica] Peonies Bouquet

[Pierism] Auntie Vera, Coldbrew, David apartment, Domain Du clos, Maison Meuliere, MCM, Oak house, The office, Winter Garden

[Littlecakes] Rustic Romance

[PLumbobteasociety] Cottage Garden

[Ravasheen] on cloud wine bottle, sit sip hooray bar cart

[Sforzinda] Clutter Ep12, GP06, Cabin Slats

[Simkoos] Tiny living Small tv, Tiny living small tv wall

[Simplistic] RH Area rugs II, Cotswolds Rug

[Sixam] Stylish Wood Nursery, Stylish wood Fancy Dining, Stylish wood Living room, Boho Bathroom, Hotel bedroom, small spaces pantry

[Sims4luxury] McGee&Co Callahan Rug, McGee&Co Goldie Rug

[Simsnetwork] Clapboard brush siding set #1

[Sundays] Kediri “rug only”, Medewi “deco surfboard only”

[Syboubou] Fency, Fitness

[Taurus Design] Angela Bedroom, Elize Bedroom, Lilith Chilling Areas

[Tuds] IND, NCTR, Rope lounge, SHKR, Wave

TS4; Wimborne Siding by Tilly Tiger

♥ Tray file

♥ Origin ID: Applez

♥ Twitter: Rheya28__

♥ Tiktok: Rheya28__

♥ Tumblr: https://rheya28.tumblr.com/

#showusyourbuilds #sims 4 cc #scenery #sims 4 #thesims4 #sims #ts4 #photography #sims 4 builds #thesims #coastal #architecture #interior design #aesthetic #ts4 build #builds #build

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galedekarios · 6 months

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devnotes: gale's last night alive / act ii romance scene

i thought i'd share the dev notes for gale's act ii romance scene here because i find they really add to the scene and the understanding of gale's mindset.

the desciption of the scene from the files reads as follows:

The player has accepted a invitation from Gale's hologram projection to come meet the real Gale at a secluded grove at night. There, they speak about how this may be his last night alive, as they near the heart of the Absolute, where Gale is destined to blow himself up. The player probes his mindset and can try to comfort him. Ultimately the scene may become romantic. Gale may lead the player to a magically-infused sex scene amidst the stars, or the player may determine they should take a more grounded approach.

and the cinematic context node is:

Gale: I love this time of light. node context: wistful

Gale: This may be my last night alive. I wanted it to be under a canopy of beauty and wonder... and with company to match. cinematicnodecontext: longing look at the player node context: full of longing - Gale: I thought this place might bring me peace. I thought it might make the weight of what I must do feel a little lighter... but I am not so sure. node context: a lot on his mind

Player: Is this truly what you want, to die for the promise of Mystra's forgiveness? Gale: Babe or crone, coward or hero, death is assured. Mystra's forgiveness is not. If you knew the end was near, would you not want to ensure it had meaning? nodecontext: Quiet dignity

Player: It's a heavy burden, yes - but one you're able for. Think of the good your sacrifice will do. Gale: I am trying. Believe me, I am. The path is set, and I will not stray from it - even as my heart quakes. I am terrified - I will not claim otherwise. My face could scarcely conceal it even if my words sought to deny it. nodecontext: Hushed, vulnerable Gale: There is no point in running from the inevitable. Better to meet it, on my own terms. nodecontext: Resigned

Player: Why are you so sure it's inevitable? We haven't even found this 'Heart of the Absolute' yet. Gale: I can feel it - ever since we set foot in this strange, corrupted land. The closer we get, the heavier my own heart becomes. nodecontext: Melancholic, comtemplative

the different branching paths open here for either pursuing the romance path, rejecting it, or choosing the friendship version, before then branching out into the astral sea scene, the more 'mundane' scene, as well as the rejection of gale's invitation:

cinematicnodecontext for the kiss: The player and Gale kiss seated on the ground. It's relatively chaste.

Player: I'm in love with you too. Gale: That's a relief. It would be a shame to spend my final hours making an ass of myself. cinematicnodecontext: relieved chuckle

Player: I don't feel the same way. Gale: I see... well perhaps this is for the best. Should my time be short, you will not be wounded too deeply by my absence. Thank you, for spending this time with me. I think I want to be alone now. nodecontext: quietly crushed

Player: I'd rather not listen to you wallowing in self-pity. Good night, Gale. Gale: A good night indeed. The fairest I can imagine... nodecontext: player gets up to leave. gale sadly looks away from them, returning his attention to the stars.

Gale: Yes... but there is so much to live for, and so few moments in which to house it all. [Approval_AtLeast_30_For_Sp6] Gale: Damn you. Damn you for giving me so much to care about. Our friends, our adventures... this would have been so much easier if it was just me. But it isn't. Gale: If there is a way - any way - to save all that's grown dear to me, I want to seize it. I just cannot fathom what that might be, other than to fail Mystra and condemn the world. Gale: Stay with me, will you? I don't want to think of it any more, but I don't want to be alone either. Player: Stay with him and watch the stars in silence. cinematicnodecontext: The player and Gale silently watch the stars. The scene fades out.

from there on, the different versions of the romance scene can play out:

Player: I hope that wasn't a parting kiss. Gale: Not if I have any say in the matter. Gale: I want it to be perfect - to bond with you in the way that gods do... intertwining our spirits in visions of the Weave. nodecontext: gale stands, a little animated as he describes the possibilities of magic love. the player stands.

Player: Show me. Gale: How about the perfect night in Waterdeep? Yes... Let's imagine how it would be. The scene is this: you and I stand in the room that is the centre of my universe. cinematicnode context:

i love this line personally: this is gale's home and heart of his studies.

it really hammers home the point of what gale is trying to do here, showing the protag all of this, trying to cram as much as he can into this one night he thinks he has left with them.

cinematicnodecontext: Gale pauses, breathing in what illusory seabreeze he may.

i made a gifset a while ago of how deeply gale misses his home and it really struck a chord in me, reading this again in the nodecontext as well.

after this he introduces the book. there aren't many devnotes in that part except for this option here:

cinematic node context: cheeky grin node context: cheeky

after this the two paths diverge between the astral sea scene and the more 'mundane' scene:

the cinematic notes and node context notes for the astral sea scene are the following:

ending with a devnote for a wide cut and a fade to black.

the cinematic context nodes / node context notes for the version where you decline gale's offer are as follows:

Gale: the old ways then. If that is what you wish, so be it.

nodecontext: Tactful, bowing to the player's desires.

Gale: A small gesture towards your comfort. nodecontext:

and of course, there is a nodecontext/devnote too for the option to refuse gale at this point:

Player: This is a pleasant fantasy, but no more. Time to return to the real world. Gale: As you like. Thank you, for spending this time with me. If only there was more. nodecontext: saddened/resigned, but respectful Player: This is a pleasant fantasy, but no more. Time to return to the real world. Gale: As you like. Thank you, for spending this time with me. If only there was more. nodecontext: saddened/resigned, but respectful

anyhow, i hope someone found this as informative and interesting as i did. 🖤

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x tav #tav x gale #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 meta #ch: gale dekarios #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3

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bethanythebogwitch · 10 months

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You know what Alola has a lot of? Water. And when there’s lots of water you get lots of aquatic Pokémon. Welcome back to the series where I discuss the real-life inspirations of every aquatic, non-fish Pokémon. This time I’m covering gen VII. To see previous entries in this series see gen I part 1, gen I part 2, gen II, gen III, gen IV, gen V, and gen VI. For my previous series where I covered the origins of all fish Pokémon see here. As before, starters and legendary/mythical Pokémon will be covered in a separate series. I’ll also cover ultra beasts separately, so no Nihilego this time.

Starting things off we have Marenie and Toxapex bringing us the first echinoderms since gen I. While Staryu and Starmie were generic starfish, the Marenie line are based specifically on the crown-of-thorns starfish.

(image: a crown-of-thorns)

These are large starfish covered with venomous spines. The spines are used for defense as they (and the starfish’s other tissues) are filed with a chemicals called saponins. While there is no mechanism for injecting venom, any animal punctured by a spine will get the venom in the wound. It is hemolytic, causing destruction of red blood cells, which can lead to the injured animal suffocating or bleeding out. In addition, the spines are brittle and can break off and get stuck in a wound. In humans, the venom can cause sharp, stinging pains, persistent bleeding, and swelling and nausea for up to a week after the sting. The persistent nature of the pain and hemolysis may be the basis for the line’s signature ability “Merciless”. The other big feature of the crown-of-thorns is its diet. They feed on coral polyps by everting their stomachs onto coral and digesting them externally. This is why the line are specifically stated to prey on Corsola. Too many crown-of-thorns in one coral reef can badly damage it, hence why Toxapex is said to leave a trail of Corsola horns in its wake. Toxapex also takes influence from the hā’uke’uke or helmet urchin, a species found in Hawaii that is shaped very similar to Toxapex’s tentacles when they are all down.

(image: a hā’uke’uke)

Dewpider and Araquanid are based on diving-bell spiders. These spiders spend almost their entire lives underwater, the only species to do so. They do still need to breathe air and so used a coating of water-repelling hairs to carry a bubble of oxygen with them when they are underwater, surfacing occasionally to refresh their supply. The Dewpider line are the inverse of that: a species that can only breathe water and need to bring a bubble of water with them while they live on land. Because of this, they may also be based on sea spiders, a group of marine arthropods that look very similar to spiders. This origin is more noticeable with Araquanid, which has the skinny body and long legs of sea spiders. In both species, the bubble over the head is based on a diving helmet.

(image: a diving bell spider with its air bubble visible)

Wimpod is one of my favorite gen VII mons and its origin is complex. It is based on a variety of aquatic arthropods. Most notably it resembles an isopod while having a head similar to a trilobite.

(image: a terrestrial isopod)

It also looks like a copepod, which are zooplankton that have prominent antennae. Fun fact: Plankton from Spongebob is a copepod.

(image: a copepod)

Wimpod’s behavior of fleeing at the first sign of danger is very similar to silverfish. These are insects with a similar body shape to Wimpod that are famous to coming out in the dark and fleeing once the lights come on.

(image: a silverfish)

Wimpod’s habit of eating almost anything and leading a clean path as it travels makes it effectively a living Roomba. As Golisopod, it is based on the giant isopod, a group of species that are much larger than the average isopod thanks to deep-sea gigantism. This is a phenomenon where animals living in the deep ocean become larger than their shallow-water relatives and has a number of proposed causes. The largest and most famous of the giant isopods reaches a maximum recorded length of 50 cm (19.65 in), which is still quite a bit shorter than Golisopod’s 2 m (6’7”). It is also based on samurai as its shell resembles samurai armor and some of its behavior (such as meditation) comes from samurai stories. Its ability to cleave the air in twain with its claws likely comes from classic exaggerations of a warrior’s ability. Golisopod doesn’t care much for a samurai’s code of honor though, as it will happily fight dirty and run from fights.

(image: preserved specimens of two giant isopod species)

Gen VII was a good one for echinoderms as coming off the hells of the starfish Marenie line we get a sea cucumber in Pyukumuku. Sea cucumbers have a pretty simple body plan, basically looking like tubes. Their most famous ability is a defense strategy some species employ where they can eject part of their guts to deter predators. In real sea cucumbers, the ejected guts will regenerate while in Pyukumuku, they can retract back into the body and even act like a hand. Sea cucumbers also have external gonads that look like strings. The fluffy tail Pyukumuku has is actually its genitals. The spikes on top might be based on sea urchins, which are relatives of sea cucumbers.

(image: a sea cucumber with similar spines to Pyukumuku)

Our final Pokemon for today is Dhelmise and it’s a weird one. An anchor and ship’s wheel bound together and possessed by the ghost of seaweed. What confuses me is that it’s a wooden anchor. It turns out wooden anchors were used at one point in early boats, but were phased out in favor of ones made of iron. Dhelmise being haunted parts of ships is reminiscent of tales of ghost ships, though on a smaller scale. The seaweed on it may be dead man’s fingers, which grows small tendrils and the name is obviously fitting for a ghost-type.

(image: dead man's fingers)

The shiny version having red seaweed could reference red tide, a type of algal bloom that can turn parts of the ocean red. Dhelmise hunts Wailord, meaning it may have been a part of a whaling ship and now the ghosts within it are carrying out their last tasks endlessly, a common trope in ghost stories. It may also reference Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab and his obsessive quest to kill the white whale.

(image: a sunken anchor from a shipwreck in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea National Monument)

That’s all for now. Return next time when we go to Galar.

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foxwmulder · 5 months

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I just found my list of when I categorized every xf episode (mostly through s7) during quarantine lmao

MONSTER OF THE WEEK CATEGORIES

Cultural

Shapes

Fresh Bones

The Calusari

Teso Dos Bichos

Hell Money

Teliko

El Munda Gira

Theef

Prison or Military

Deep Throat

Space

Sleepless

The List

The Walk

Unrequited

Trevor

Religious

Miracle Man

Revelations

Grotesque

Kaddish

All Souls

Signs and Wonders

Millennium

Cult or Satanists

Gender Bender

Red Museum

Our Town

Syzygy

Die Hand Die Verletzt

Sanguinarium

Terms of Endearment

Nothing Lasts Forever

Lone Gunmen- or CSM-Centric

Musings of a CSM

Unusual Suspects

Three of a Kind

First Person Shooter

This

Skinner-Centric

Avatar

Zero Sum

SR 819

Brand X

Hollywood AD

Kitten

Arthur Dales’s Tales

Travelers

The Unnatural

Agua Mala

Scully Side Quest

Irresistible / Orison

Chinga

Never Again

Milagro

En Ami

all things

Home Again

Ghouli

Mulder, They Already Destroyed the Evidence!

Ice

Firewalker

Dod Kalm

F. Emasculata

Wetwired

The Pine Bluff Variant

Drive

Wait, It’s Actually Aliens?

Pilot

Jose Chung

Control the Elements

Fire

DPO

Soft Light

Schizogeny

Rush

The Rain King

Medical Anomalies

Young at Heart

Eve

Home

Small Potatoes

Postmodern Prometheus

Founder’s Mutation

Guys Who Need to Eat Weird Stuff

Squeeze / Tooms

2Shy

Pusher / Kitsunegari

Leonard Betts

Hungry

Switch Lives or Linked Brains

Lazarus

Roland

Oubliette

Paper Hearts

Mind’s Eye

Dreamland I and II

Fight Club

Plus One

Time Travel or Warp

Synchrony

Monday

Lost Art of the Forehead Sweat

Ghosts or Past Lives

Shadows

Born Again

Excelsis Dei

Elegy

Aubrey

The Field Where I Died

Triangle

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

AI Is Out To Get Us

Blood

Ghost in the Machine

Kill Switch

Rm9sbG93ZXJs

Half Man, Half Monster

The Host

Jersey Devil

Humbug

Detour

Bad Blood

Folie a Duex

Chimera

Mulder and Scully Meet the Weremonster

All Monster, No Man

Darkness Falls

Fearful Symmetry

Quagmire

War of the Coprophages

Alpha

Arcadia

Field Trip

X-Cops

Magic, Psychic, or Lucky

Beyond the Sea

Clyde Bruckman

Unruhe

Tithonus

The Amazing Maleeni

Je Souaite

The Goldberg Variation

MYTHOLOGY CATEGORIES

They’re Closing The X-Files!

The Erlenmeyer Flask / Little Green Men

The End / The Beginning

Fight the Future

Uh…Samantha?

Colony / End Game

Talitha Cumi / Herrenvolk

Sein Und Zeit / Closure

I’m Literally On Board Already, Scully

Fallen Angel

EBE

Nisei / 731

Piper Maru / Apocrypha

Tempus Fugit / Max

Tunguska / Terma

Agent Mulder Is Dead! Or Is He?

Anasazi / The Blessing Way / Paper Clip

Redux I and II

This Is Not Happening / Dead Alive

Mulder…You Good?

Demons / Gethsemane

Biogenesis / The Sixth Extinction

The Syndicate Hates Scully

Duane Barry / Ascension / One Breath

Memento Mori

Christmas Carol / Emily

Patient X / The Red and the Black

Why Was This Made

I Want to Believe

Discarded Categories

Creepy White Guy Predator

This Is a Small Town, We Don’t Lock Our Doors

A Nice Trip to the Forest

#the x files #I remember pouring all my energy into this lol #categories

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niqhtlord01 · 1 year

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Humans are weird: The place humans dare not tread

Extract from Garth Len’al, chief representative of the Zevalen Union to the Terran Federation Subject: Human Definition of “Death Worlds”

“A “Death World” is considered to be one of our people we think of extreme temperatures or unstable environments. In practice it seems like a standard definition, yet not for every species in the galaxy.

Extreme temperatures mean nothing to humans. It doesn’t matter if it is -100 or 300, they find ways to thrive in these otherwise deadly conditions as easily as one would move through water. Some even go further by using their natural evolutionary traits to adapt and condition themselves. I have seen visual files of humans stripping naked and bathing themselves in snow or laying in the scorching sun like a child in a candy store.

The instability of worlds has likewise not been a hindrance to humanity as had the extreme temperatures. In these situations they see it as a challenge and seek to perform mechanical wonders to tame their new home. On Dorbi II they built massive mobile cities that move between green zones each month to avoid the planets various earthquake seasons. For Timpel Prime they used massive drilling constructs to channel lava flows to create habitable regions for plant life to grow. Most impressive was Havenstead where they were able to artificially induce the coral to grow into massive mountain sized landmasses that reached all the way up from the seas floor to build new settlements on.

So if the standard definitions for a so called “Death World” do not apply, what then do humans considered to be death worlds? Would such a definition even exist in their vocabulary? It would surprise many that humans do have that definition, but it has a much darker and morbid meaning attached that far exceeds our own imagination.

Only one world has ever fit the definition of a “Death World” for humans. It was a world discovered during their golden age of exploration and was found to be full of such nightmares and horrors that all records of its location have been removed from every human archive and data base. It is now spoken of as a legend passed between one human to another, both as myth and warning to never seek it out.

That world has no other name then that of “Garden of Montezuma”.

From all surviving accounts the planet was described as a paradise world. Lush green and bountiful jungles covered the entire planet which supported a diverse wildlife not seen in millennia. Water so pure you could see the bottom of their oceans and skies so breathtaking the stars were said to never have been brighter.

The first colonization attempt was centered on the southern hemisphere with roughly two hundred human settlers to lay the foundation for a colony. The news networks on the human homeworld advocated heavily for the planet and it was expected that within a month of the initial establishment it would quickly grow in size. So when the final day came the colonists were dropped off with all the supplies they would need and a scheduled drop of new materials put in place for one month later.

A month went by and the supply ship returned only to find every trace of the colony was gone.

The area cleared away had been once more swallowed up by the jungles. Vines thick as tree trunks covered the few prefabricated buildings and landing pads that remained making the entire place seem like the ruins of an ancient civilization rather than a month long undertaking. Yet even more perplexing was the complete lack of any of the two hundred colonists.

It was as if the jungle had returned and claimed what had been taken from it.

This brought on a wave of fear for the humans as the sudden mysterious loss went unexplained. Dozens of investigators were sent to the planet while a human fleet did a swing by to scan for human life signs on the planet. Both came up empty and within three months the terran public had moved on to new dilemmas.

Five years went by before a second colonization attempt was made; although this time a detachment of military would also accompany the settlers to the colony. This time a location along the western landmass near the coastline was chosen; far from the original settlement location.

While the settlers got to work on building the settlement itself, the military contingent began work on a series of fortifications that ringed the entire perimeter. By the day’s end the colonists were surrounded in a fortress of fabricated stone, barbed wire, automated turrets, and enough armed personnel to occupy a small city. To add further to this impressive display the original transport ship that had carried the settlers and military forces to the planet remained in orbit and conducted hourly scans of the surrounding area to warn of any potential threats.

Three hours after sunset the transport ship began picking up frantic distress signals coming from the planet. He demanded to know why his scanning officers had not warned him, and to his surprise they were just as blindsided as he was. The scans had revealed no new movement on or within the perimeter for the last several hours when suddenly the communications network was hammered by dozens of distress calls coming from the surface.

They made a direct call to the military commander, Commander Nathan Tole, and demanded an update. When the video feed finally established the captain was saw the commander at the back of his office with two other soldiers hiding behind an overturned desk. The three of them were firing wildly at the doorway, punching holes through the sealed door and making whatever was on the other side squeal in pain.

The roar of sustained gunfire drowned out every attempt of the captain to speak to Nathan, and even if they weren’t the crew doubted he would have answered them anyway. The commander’s eyes were mad with fear as he fired over and over at the shadowy creatures beyond the door.

As the bullet holes became ever wider the door finally gave way and collapsed into the room. Whatever had been trying to get in before now shambled into the room and came within full view of the video feed and made every heart watching the feed skip a beat.

The figures were the colonists they had delivered but they were twisted and deformed in horrific manners. Their flesh had been turned a sickly green while their bones and muscle warped in unnatural positions to make them appear more beast than human. Their uniforms hung from their deformed bodies in rags and shreds, in places their bodies had grown and stretched so violently the growths had burst through them.

Each one was different in their appearance. Some looked almost normal save for their green skin, while others were beyond recognition standing six feet tall and covered in wood like spines.

All of the figures shambled into the room and made straight for the soldiers who continued to fire what dwindling ammunition they had left. Bullets punctured them and green ichor spurted out; yet they kept shambling forward.

The captain watched as one of the soldiers panicked and leapt out the nearby window while another put the muzzle of their rifle under their chin and fired a bullet straight into their head. Only Commander Tole remained as he continued firing round after round until finally the fateful click chimed and the commander was out of ammo.

Flipping the gun over, the commander held it like a club and prepared himself for his final stand. Before the feed went out, he turned to the video screen and said “Do not come here, this place is death”. At the transmissions end the captain began to issue orders for transports to return to the settlement and save the survivors, but his crew informed him that by now it would be too late.

Within another hour the distress signals faded one by one. The captain had his crew tap into the video feeds of the colony and watched the same nightmare play out over and over. Dwindling pockets of resistance were overrun by swarms of monsters. Several individuals tried to navigate to the landing pads and escape only to be caught and infected themselves.

By the dawn of the next day there was not a single living sole in the entire settlement; and just as mysteriously as the creatures had arrived did they then vanish into the surrounding jungle without a single notice.

From that day forward the planet was listed as officially off limits. To further enforce the restriction a virus was introduced into the galactic positioning net which deleted all records of the star system and its location. Were it not for the recordings the captain made to carry back to terran space there would be no evidence what so ever of this fiendish planet. Yet even now, some sixty years later you still hear stories of humans searching for the lost gardens of Montezuma. The fools know the risk and the tales of horror and yet still go on the quest for it.

Then again, to find the only world that humans ever said was a death world would be a story worthy of tale in of itself.

#HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #science fiction #scifi #story #writing #original writing #horror #niqhtlord01 #ai generated art #deviantart dreamup

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sinon36 · 2 months

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Ghost x undercover!reader (HC) Part IV

warnings: violence, blood, mistakes, badly written British speech, I got some inspiration from The Rookie for the undercover part

P.S. I loved Frenchie from The Boys and I just couldn’t help myself. Apologies 😊

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

- the fourth time you meet it’s no longer up to chance but up to your discretion

- the last mission scored you one of the most prized rewards in your field: a golden ticket; basically you get permission to retire from your field an choose another with less risk and a larger pay check, a “thank you gift card” from the director of the MI6, the King and England herself; it’s a type of mobility many dream of, having checked off the bucket list almost dying in al sorts of crazy situations and the young adventurous attitude toward danger having morphed into a veteran hesitant mentality; you are given plenty of time to decide where you want to go

- a month later you hear rumours of a task force newly formed, one-four-one they’d call it; cheesy you think not really giving anymore attention; and then the briefing about some partnership between under cover specialised agents and this mystery task force for a top tier mission; you think about it, you haven’t had any action in three months now and anymore desk work will drive you up a wall if it continues; you skim over the file on the task force with disinterest, mostly because task forces like these were made up of brutes, eager to pick fights with the enemy and partially because most of the words had been redacted; a few are left out in the open among the sea of black ink: task force, covert mission, high-performance, low collateral casualties, you hum in thought

- what makes you not only volunteer with a manic grin, but actually consider having found the place for your relocation; under the captain’s name John Price, follow three more names; the last two are unknown to you and unimportant, two Sergeants, one John ‘Soap’ MacTavish, and another Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick; but the one is impossible to mistake: Lt. Ghost; no first name, no last name; the only person whose file you ever read to bear that name.

- your application for the mission gets accepted almost instantly your reputation proceeding you almost any briefing room now; you’re informed that you’ll depart within the hour and other things you need to know about it; nothing really matters as you know you’ll get the chance to confront that knobhead that has plagued all your waking hours and some dreams with his obscure choice of words as you departed;

- you’re ready in 30, not really owning much and usually being moved from HQ to HQ, or base, or house within small time frames, which doesn’t allow for many personal things anyway; you wait in the shade, dragging from a cigarette, to pass the time, until the heli lands on the heli-pad; you don’t get to wait much, the pilot is here a little early; good; you don’t like to wait

- the flight is short the base not, far from the MI6 HQ; you pass the time reading a book you took, some title that caught your attention at the library across the street of where you usually buy cigarettes; the story doesn’t raise to your expectations, the writing style is mediocre and the characters have as much depth as a glass of water; you contemplate throwing it out the window, but refrain when the pilot announces ETA: less than 5; you hum heart beating a little quicker at the excitement you feel for finally being able to decipher the meaning behind those blood words

- as soon as the heli touches down on tarmac you’re out the door, no words of goodbye to the pilot; he’s used to it’

- the welcoming committee consists of the two Sergeants, now finally connecting faces to the names you read on the files; they’re casual in your attitude towards you which is a little invigorating, but they wouldn’t drop the “ma’am”; they’ll get over it; you’re probably a little older than them

- John ‘Soap’ MacTavish is chatty Scott, who’s a little to nosy for your liking, but within reasonable limits; you’re not sure if is actually trying to charm the pants off of you or that’s just how he is usually, throwing compliments left and right, but those have no effect on you and slide right off without much care; he sports an unusual haircut for some of the strictest branches of army that’s ever existed, SAS you see the patch on his shoulder, and a wacky tattoo representing the Task Force 141 insignia on his huge forearm

- Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick is almost opposite to “Soap”, he’s more laid back, observing more than talking, making small comments when the Scott’s cascade off words gets interrupted, chuckling at his comrade poor attempts at complimenting you; he’s not as well built as Soap, but he stands a couple inches taller than you

- ‘He’s always like that?’ you direct your attention to “Gaz” as the two of them walk in front of you like two loyal guard dogs

- ‘Yes ma’am, though he get’s easier to ignore with time.’ You both chuckle, a huge disservice to the Scott that protests ‘Oi’ followed by a 'What's that suppose tae mean?' in the thickest Scottish accent you’ve had the chance to hear

- ‘You’re bothersome, bruv.’ Soap hits Gaz’s shoulder in brotherly fashion and the playful banter begins; you tune them up, and think about finally getting to change out of your civilian clothes and into something blacker, more unflattering and less eye catching than the light blue skinny jeans that have managed to flare out more than one whistle as you passed; arseholes and jar-heads come to the forefront of your mind

- you’re led first to your room and left there with the promise that one of them, most likely Soap, cause he already volunteered to do it, will come collect you for the briefing before supper

- you’re left alone to install, unpack, get changed and unwind from the irksome travel and the fact that you are being watched like deer in the headlights, fresh faces always attract the interest of the crowd in places like this

- the walk towards the briefing room is short but Soap manages to pour so many words in that interval that you’re almost sure he’s going to run out; once inside Soap’s chatter dies down and you make eye contact with the captain

- John Price gives off the energy of a strong father figure, his facial hair adding to his age; he not much older than you but the stress of leadership is visible on his face, eyes winged with crow’s feet; he gives a tight-lipped smile and a curt nod as you and the sergeant enter; he waits for Gaz to join you before he begins the briefing

- as for the hulking beast of a man, clad in black, brown eyes surrounded by black army issued face paint and hidden behind that grotesque mask of his, oh no, you haven’t miss him, just ignored him; you felt his gaze burning your skin, searching for eye contact, which you vehemently denied; suffer just like I did, bloke

- Gaz comes in and is witness to the unthinkable; you the new face, pretty one might say without lying, so much different from these hardened man, more in common with the civvies than them, go and sit right next to Ghost, no space left in between the two of you; and what’s even crazier, you don’t acknowledge him; Soap and Gaz share a look; the captain seems amused by your actions and the sergeants confusion; no one, absolutely no-fucking-body ever sat next to Ghost, willingly and without starring dumbly and frightened at him; no one, never

- you take your seat, and place your notebook and pen neatly in front of you, facing the whiteboard as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened; the two chaps sit down slowly, eyes trained on you half expecting you to realize your mistake and jump out of the chair; but you surprise them once again when you finally decide to meet the glare directed at you head on and to crack a smirk at the lieutenant

- their minds are blown, mouth open in disbelief, they glance at one another; their minds are set, you get labelled as the agent who clearly lost their mind somewhere in some gone wrong mission; they’ll bombard you with questions later

- as for Ghost, he’s as still as puma waiting to spring to attack; if looks could kill, you’d be disintegrated to the last atom; you’re as unbothered as a new born foal, unaware of its impending doom

- Price clears his voice, catching your attention and diminishing the tension that clouds around the semicircle table

- he makes an introduction for you, stating the reason you’re here, and what you’re specialized in: undercover espionage; you give a nod to all the men

- on a laptop in the furthermost side of the table a connection is established and a blonde American woman greets you; she’s CIA, their handler and yours for the upcoming mission; you have no qualms to work with the other most prominent intelligence agency, the one from over the pond, as long as you get to do your job as you know best; you feel the respect the men have for her and the fondness in the captain’s eyes once they greet each other; they’re old friends, that much you can tell

- you decide you’ll respect Kate Laswell and trust her, as much as one can trust when one builds their carrier on lying to others and distrusting everyone; she’s pleasant so far, familiar with the men, and cuts straight to the chase just how you like it

- the target is one drug overlord who decided to take things up a notch and deal in arms with terrorists; the goal: disrupt the block-chain and cut the heads off the snakes; simple enough nothing that you haven’t tackled before

- you’re given green light to propose how to approach and infiltrate this business; you explain that you have to get quite high in their hierarchy if you want a shot at real damage; you skim over the information available on his deals: fentanyl, the most recent drug that’s flooded the streets; you know how to “cook” it from a previous cartel you took down; you’ll enter as just that “a cooker”, but you’ll also need a bodyguard to make yourself seem more important, but more on that later; you point out the name of the current one, the first target

- if you manage to get that person out of the game, you’ll have a chance to fill that spot, maybe the most important chain link in the whole operation

- you already have in mind the persona you’ll assume, a chemistry drop-out that took to cooking drugs; you know that your skills far surpass the target’s and you know how to cook a purer form of fentanyl; as for your bodyguards’: a crook; fresh out of prison on the lookout for work that pays well; one with knowledge of guns and explosives, surely to pique the terrorist cell’s interest in their skill

- Soap offers for the role, impressed so far with your knowledge and method of operating; you’re through, and he’d like to learn more on infiltration; you agree hearing he’s got what it takes to be convincing enough

- Laswell, Price and Gaz all hum in agreement at your plan waiting to hear their part in it; simple: Laswell can help with credentials and all the raw materials you’ll need to pull this off; Gaz, the captain and Ghost will be your back up, providing fire power

- the first target is easy to take down: he’s a middle-aged creep, who likes pretty young women and heavy drinks, parties like he’s twenty not fifty something; they already have info on his preferred hotspots; you’ll go in lure him out for the men to bag him and make him disappear

- everyone agrees so far adding small details here and there; it’s only your first few hours or so and every single one understands why you’re held in so high regard; it’s all warranted

- Ghost is the only one who hasn’t said anything, allowing you to direct the briefing, already know you’re more than capable and have far more experience with such delicate planning

- once everything is settled you start planning out the preparations you’ll need to make beforehand; Soap will train under your supervision; you point out he already looks the part, a delinquent; the comment lacks any trace of ill intent, but everyone can’t help but chuckle at his huff of indignation followed by ‘ ’M not’; you sweeten the deal praising his charming nature and easy-going attitude; he smiles at that but it’s short lived by your next comment

- ‘You'll do fine as long as you let me do the talking. I doubt you calling anyone 'bonnie lass' will get you very far.’ That gets everyone to let out a chuckle, everyone knowing Soaps anticks; even Ghost lets out a grunt reminiscent of a laugh; the bruised ego Scott follows up with a ‘Pish off’ that’s met with laughter from you; you let the insult roll off in good humour

- the briefing ends, Laswell disconnects, and the rest of you stand up to make your way to the mess hall in time for dinner; Price holds you back, and you obey; you talk a little, mostly him, praises fly at you, for good planning, attention to details and overall how well you managed to fit in with them in such a short time; you thank him, having heard this all the time; you try, really hard, to be pliant and easy to work with; no need to be a hard-ass; you’re all on the same side

- he agrees with your well-spoken point of view; but he can’t help but ask what’s the deal with you and Ghost

- ‘Worked together before. We get along well.’ Your answer seems to put at ease some of his worries about the teams chemistry; with that out of the way he leads you to the mess hall where he gets you to sit with them at the table; you can feel everyone else’s eyes on you as the new face of the 141’s; but you ignore them chatting with “your” team; you kind of like the sound of that; you can quite imagine working along side them for the rest of your carrier, however short, as you know the death rates among undercover agents grow the further they go; very few get to retire in one piece, actually you can count them on one hand, at least the ones they tell you about at the academy

Previous part here.

Next part here.

#cod mw2 #cod x reader #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #simon ghost x reader #simon riley fanfic #simon riley imagine #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon riley #ghost x oc #ghost x reader #ghost mw2 #john price #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #cod headcanons #ghost headcanons

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maxphilippa · 8 months

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tried out my lego style..... with my ii gijinkas. featuring: nickel, mic + lifering x cabby x yinyang

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deep-sea-gigantinism · 2 months

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i decided that i have so many x-files fics that i should create a masterpost!

My AO3

One-Shots

- “a night like this”

Scully should be writing her reports on what they’ve found so far in Bellefleur, but Mulder invites her out for a run. She decides she could use some time away from her computer screen.

- “to the ends of the earth”

After the arrest of Donnie Pfaster and Scully’s subsequent breakdown, Mulder takes her back to his apartment so that she can stay the night.

- “when the night was full of terror and your eyes were filled with tears”

Dana Scully has just returned to work and is tired of being seen as fragile. The only problem is, she herself is afraid to wade back into the waters of her everyday life, but luckily, Fox Mulder is here to give her a push.

- “at least most things”

It’s Mulder’s birthday, and it’s also a Friday. Scully is intent on making dinner for him, but things don’t exactly go as planned.

- “as all things do”

Mulder is back in his apartment and has no idea about the depth of the emotional wounds from his abduction. When he starts to fall apart, he calls Scully.

Multi-Chapter Fics

- “even in the sigh of the headlight sea, your tears were salty ocean”

Dana’s year of healing after her near-death experience during redux ii and a character study of her and Mulder in the aftermath of the cancer arc.

- “smoke signals”

The ghosts have finally left Mulder alone. They haven’t gone far, though, and Scully swears she can feel their hands around her throat. Mulder and Scully spend a week at his father’s house in Martha’s Vineyard to bury the past in the yard.

- “you know i dreamed about you / for twenty-nine years before i saw you”

a one-shot collection that examines the mulder’s and scully’s of every universe

#i didn’t realize how much i write until now #took me forever to get comfortable writing x files too #so many intricacies that the writers themselves can’t even keep track of #fox mulder #txf #dana scully #the x files #msr #msr fanfic #txf fanfic #my writing

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darkestwolfx · 3 months

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TAG Transcripts | Masterpost

So, I'm making a start on organising all of my previous content and I'm starting with Transcripts!

And the reason I'm starting with these is because when I came back and was able to look at messages etc (as opposed to the late night reading I made fanfics) there were a lot asking about these with quite a few questions - so firstly, Q & A;

Where can the transcripts be found? They can now be found on this masterpost, but also back on my 2016 post!

Are all the episodes available? Series 1 is complete, Series 2 is mostly complete, Series 3 is unstarted

Will I finish them? Yes, if there is this level of interest of course I will, but episodes can take a while to transcribe so it may not be a quick process!

Do I make a profit? No. This is something I started doing as a fan, for fans as someone who's previously found issues with subtitles not appearing or being incorrect.

Can I download a copy? Yes, from my mediafire links in word or PDF format

Why can't the documents be edited, copy & pasted? The documents are password protected, yes, because a lot of work goes into them and if they're going to be re-distributed I would appreciate the credit or an update of where they're being shared, so no they cannot be directly copied and pasted

Feel free to reblog and share though, Thunderfam, as these were made for you to enjoy!

And before there are questions as to where the link can be found on this masterpost, let's put that here!

Above is the link for the TAG transcripts (I have TOS completed but will post this separately).

What can be found here at the moment:

Series 1

in Word & PDF format

25 files per folder

All episodes completed - Ring of Fire is in one combined set

Series 2

in Word & PDF format

Available episodes - 17; Earthbreaker (1) City Under the Sea (4) Colony (5) Up from the Depths I (6) - will be added shortly (amending pieces) Up from the Depths II (7) Volcano (14) Power Play (15) Bolt from the Blue (16) Attack of the Reptiles (17) Grandma Tourismo (18) Clean Sweap (19) The Man from TB5 (20) Home on the Ranch (21) Long Haul (22) Rigged for Disaster (23) Inferno (24) Hyerspeed (25) Brains vs Brawn (26)

I will aim to finish the episodes outstanding here and then start on Series 3, but this will be amongst all my other work but I will do my best to get there!

Okay, I think this is the part of the post where you can cheer for joy :)

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randomfoggytiger · 6 months

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X-Files Collector's Edition: Mulder, To Jew or Not to Jew

While there is no canonical confirmation about fans' (and David Duchovny's and Vince Gilligan's) theories concerning Mulder's Jewish heritage, these fics say "who cares?" and explore the topic, anyway.

Loose chronolgical order below~

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls’s november 27, 1973

AU-- Different outcomes of that fateful day in the Mulder family household.

David Hearne's As Long As It's Not Patrick Swayze

Post Shadows Mulder and Scully watch a movie and bat religious ideas back and forth.

@leiascully's (Ao3)

OctoberFicFest Day 2: Eat

Post One Breath Mulder is surprised that Maggie wants to take care of him.

Blasphemy?

Post IWTB Mulder is in Biblical times with sandals and disciples... or is he?

@writingwell/RocketMan's (Alt. Gossamer, Xanadu) Elsewhere

Mulder and Scully's car slides off the road; and the two hole up in a Lutheran church, discussing how they're never safe but never bored.

Summer's These Dreams

Mulder and Scully share a dream: saving Jewish aliens from Nazis.

@contrivedcoincidences6/Spooky66/geektime66's

Not Alone (Ao3)

Mulder reflects on religion, faith, and his lack thereof.

i_gaze_at_scully's Unnamed

Mulder is hit hard after a case involving the death of children at the hands of a pedophile.

Thalia D'Muse's Different Religion

Post Never Again Mulder ponders on the ouroboros of it all, and how much the truth has replaced his childhood beliefs.

Lapsed_Scholar's

Atonement

Part 1: Post Memento Mori Scully is furious that Mulder ghosts her for the weekend... then finds out he's turned to a neglected part of his identity out of sheer desperation to save her life.

Lights

Part 2: AU-- Emily lives, grows up with Mulder and Scully, and becomes interested in Mulder's Jewish heritage.

Heirloom

Part 3 (a prequel to Lights): AU-- 13 year old Emily expresses interest in Mulder's heritage; and is reassured that she is his daughter no matter what.

A Devil's Office

AU-- Mulder does not leave in S9, staying home with William while Scully and Doggett and Reyes get caught up in a demon case. He later confesses to Reyes how much his son reminds him of his sister.

Beshter's Seasons: Fourth

Small mentions of Mulder's Jewish lineage slowly peek through, then spill over in a deluge of family history during the Kaddish case.

Meredith's (Alt. Tumblr)

Catching the Train

Kaddish Mulder wants to wrap up the case as fast as possible to get he and Scully back on the curing-her-cancer track.

The Sin of Submission

Sein und Zeit Mulder thinks his actions might have hurt Scully like Bill Mulder's had Tena. She swiftly reassures him.

bcfan's Hanukkah

Post Kaddish Scully buys Mulder a menorah. He assures her he's a multicultural guy.

@mollybecameanengineer/Sareki’s My Beloved (Tumblr)

AU-- Post Kaddish Mulder, shaken by Nazis and Hasidic Jews and Ariel, rushes into Scully's motel room and tells her his feelings.

incidental's (Alt. Tumblr) Into the Red Sea

Post Redux II Maggie finds Mulder in her church; and they have a conversation about his similarity to Moses's extended family.

Laura Blaurosen's In the Valley of Sorek

Post The Red and the Black Scully is scared to sleep. Mulder keeps her company, and later changes their flights so she can rest.

@amplifyme/wonderland/Lydia Bower’s

Reconciliation (Tumblr, Ao3)

Post All Souls Mulder picks Scully up from her church; and opens up about his religious past and current agnostic position.

denynothing1/Barbara D.'s Illuminations (Gossamer)

Post Drive Scully finds Mulder stumbling through his mother's Sabbatical routine. Tena had cut her son from the rituals, painting him with the same brush as her Nazi-sympathizing husband.

@mchalowitz's (Ao3) un-mulder

Pre-How the Ghosts Stole Christmas Scully is surprised by Mulder's storage wreath.

@90stvqueen/thesexfiles's Carol of the Narcissist and the Naysayer

AU-- Post How the Ghosts Stole Christmas Scully drops in with gifts, and opens a conversation that leads to more.

@aloysiavirgata’s (Ao3, WBM, Gossamer, LJ, Alt. LJ)

The Waters of Babylon (Ao3)

Mulder spends his time in Arcadia recalling on the one time he saw his parents in-love and happy and comparing it to his own failed marriage and relationships.

Gifts/Corundum and Ourania

Post The Goldberg Variation Mulder buys Scully wicked expensive earrings, curtesy of a local jeweler named Herschel.

Unnamed

Post S9 Mulder and Scully, out-of-practice Jew and lapsed Catholic, spend a weekend ribbing each other over ham, lamb, and The Ten Commandments.

By Falling In And In - 3/5

AU-- William grows up with his parents... but that doesn't mean he's safe from the many misadventures and dangers of being a Mulder-Scully.

@cecilysass/cecily_sass/Cecily Sasserbaum’s The Gentle Art of Dream Interpretation (Ao3)

Mulder dreams of himself, his friends, and his enemies as French Jews during the persecution in Paris. He finds Scully outside; and the two of them finally discuss the topic-- and turn a new page.

DaynaFoxe's The Return of Samantha Mulder

AU-- Post Sein und Zeit Samantha is returned, alive and unaged. Mulder becomes her guardian; and Scully takes them both under her wing as they all readjust (Hanukkah and Christmas included.)

Beduini/beduini's Hurricane Season

AU-- S9 Mulder and Scully and William are trapped with the other disgruntled Scullys during a hurricane.

@sigritandtheelves/DarlaBlack’s Advent (Tumblr)

Mulder and Scully's Christmases develop over the years, mixing in elements of their partnership and family life as they do their best to stop Colonization and save (most of) the world.

Susan Proto's

Barbecue Series 10

AU-- S7 Maggie celebrates Mulder's Jewish holiday with he and Scully and Charlie... and Charlie is not happy.

Barbecue Series 17

AU-- S7 Tena sends her son, fresh from the hospital after a recent round of torture, a special gift.

Life Cycles 15 - The Grand Entrance

AU-- S9 Mulder joins a Jewish church; and Scully's pain tolerance is, once again, proven to be higher than expected (hint: their second child is born very fast and, one could say, very inconveniently.)

IShouldBeWriting's Together We Believe

Post IWTB Mulder's cousin draws he and Scully into a Jewish lore case. Scully sighs, resigned, and gets down to work.

@mangokiwitropicalswirl's (Ao3) The Seventh Time He Asked

IWTB (or Revival) Scully is ready, finally, to get married after listening to years of Mulder's various creative proposals.

@cock-holliday/biggayyeehaw’s Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Reyes, Doggett, and good old Cigarette Smoking Man himself were in a room with a tied-up Chris Carter

It's crack time; and CC has a lot of questions to (not) answer.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

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storyofmychoices · 5 months

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I can't believe we've reached the end of 2023. It was an up and down year for me personally. I've been struggling more with my health in these last couple of months with little answers as of now. But I'm grateful to be able to come here and interact with this fandom. I am so grateful to all the amazing people that are still here. We may be small, but this fandom has such heart. I have loved finding new people to follow and become friends with this year. I've loved hosting the book clubs and getting to know people and their MCs better through that. 2023 in the fandom is definitely one to remember.

I am proud of all the things I've written this year. It has been fun to continue exploring my OTPs. If I counted correctly, I shared 74 stories. It's not my most active year, but it's more than I thought I had.

Thank you to everyone who has ever supported me and my writing. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

I hope everyone has a beautiful and amazing 2024. May only good things come your way 💛💛💛

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU] [Red Carpet Diaries]

New Traditions (+ Art):Thomas and Alex try to enjoy some lights at a holiday festival.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley[Open Heart]

After Dark (text fic): Olivia finds an unexpected advertisement on Instagram.

A Winter’s Walk/Snow Angels (+ Art): Bryce and Olivia take an evening walk in the park following a snow storm.

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU] [Red Carpet Diaries]

Distraction: Thomas is the guest of honor at a party in December, but our favorite grumpy director would rather be somewhere else.

Hoppy Easter: Alex gets her family together for a perfect Easter photo.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley[Open Heart]

After Dark II: Satisfaction Guaranteed: Bryce has a special surprise waiting for Olivia.

Dance With Me (+ Art) : Bryce and Olivia take an afternoon walk in the park and things take an interesting turn.

Texting Gone Wrong (text fic): Olivia accidentally sends a picture meant for Bryce to Tobias. [featuring Tobias x Casey]

Happy Birthday, Olivia (+ Art): Bryce has a special surprise for Olivia to celebrate her birthday (March 9).

Unspoken: Olivia comforts Bryce after a difficult day at the hospital.

An Early Morning:Bryce attempts to get up early to start his day.

Flipping Love (+Art): Bryce attempts to make pancakes for Olivia.

Our Future Doctor (+Art): Bryce and Olivia enjoy the morning with their daughter.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

A Thief in the Gardens (+ Art): Mal and Daenarya are idiots in love (is that a synopsis?)

Daenarya Character Profile

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU] [Red Carpet Diaries]

Love Among the Pages: Thomas and Alex enjoy a quiet afternoon reading.

Together As One: Thomas and Alex enjoy a quiet movie night in.

No Greater Gift : Thomas enjoys a tender moment on Father’s Day.

The Bogart Diaries #37: A Special Day: Thomas has a surprise for Alex and Bogart on this very special day.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley[Open Heart]

This is Survival: Olivia and Bryce have two very different approaches for dealing with Zombies. [Zombie AU]

Breathe: Olivia leads a yoga breathing lesson for some of her patients

Whispers of the Sea: Bryce and Olivia enjoy a day at the beach. (Pregnancy fic)

Babysitting: Olivia overhears Bryce say he “needs to babysit” Malia.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

A Meadow Affair [OT3]: Mal, Daenarya, and Nia are enjoying a lazy picnic in a secluded meadow.

Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose [Crimes of Passion]

Dealing with a Narcissist : Lilah is attempting to read a new case file but Trystan is being distracting.

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU + Red Carpet Diaries]

In the Stillness of Sunrise: Thomas and Alex share a soft morning moment.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley[Open Heart]

A Sweet Surprise: Bryce helps Olivia surprise her pediatric patients with a cool, sweet treat.

Can I Have this Dance?: Some dances last a few minutes, others a lifetime, but every so often, there’s one that lasts forever.

Anchored in Love: Bryce and Olivia share a tender moment between patients.

The Warmth of Love (Bryce x Olivia): Morning snuggles with Bryce and Olivia aka the literal sunshine couple.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

Beyond Riverbend: A Kit's Call to Adventure:A certain smug adventure has gotten under Daenarya’s skin, but she won’t let him define her.

The Reign of a Short King: Mal is very insistent that a half inch makes all the difference… in his height 😉

How to Distract a Rogue : Daenarya devises a new way to keep Mal distracted.

Old Hair, New Look: Daenarya has a few thoughts about Mal’s new armor (from Blades 2) + ART

Crime and Punishment: Mal expresses the idea of never leaving bed, but Daenarya has an idea of her own.

Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose [Crimes of Passion]

Close Talking: Lilah is at the office, typing up her report on the Iverson Ball, when Trystan stops by to check on her.

Happy 4th with Marple: Lilah shares a celebratory pictagram post featuring Marple

Troy Hassan x Astraea Callen [Wake the Dead]

The Princess + The Dragon: Astraea is ready to start the day, but Troy just wants to sleep.

Shadows and Deceptions: A Royal Murder Mystery (Mini Series) [TRR, COP, BOLAS, & D&D]

In the heart of Cordonia’s grand ballroom, an eclectic cast of characters gathers, their lives interwoven as a result of a shocking turn of events. Trystan Thorne, the exiled prince with a taste for mystery, Olivia Nevrakis, the snarky Duchess skilled with daggers, Tyril Starfury, the noble elf Lord a defender of the realm, Amalas, the enigmatic spy queen, and Prince Hamid, the charming and formal imperial prince. Amidst the grand party of the birth of King Liam’s third heir, Princess Ariana, the joyous celebration is broken by a piercing scream, a dead body, and a room full of royal suspects.

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU + Red Carpet Diaries]

Coffee + Dinosaurs: Alex has a coffee fueled idea. (We should all be worried 😉)

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley[Open Heart]

Tides of Change: With the news of the spreading wildfires on the picturesque island he grew up on, Bryce knows he can't sit by and do nothing.

Pages of Emotion: Olivia and Bryce enjoy a quiet evening of reading on the porch of their new house.

Mystery Unlocked: Ethan keeps skipping out on their Escape the Room group date nights, so they bring the mystery to him. feat: Tobias x Casey, Ethan x Merida

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

Restless Shadows: Daenarya puts on a brave face during the day, but alone at night, she's haunted by her grief.

Chosen by Light: Mal has some questions for Daenarya after seeing her use Light magic.

A Royal Portrait: Daenarya and Maiele pose for a royal portrait, while Tyril and Mal discuss their partners. feat: Tyril x Maiele

The Cutest Goof: Daenarya has some thoughts on Mal's new armor.

Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose [Crimes of Passion]

Between Coffee & Cases: an unexpected day: Lilah is pouring over the clues they've uncovered, looking for the missing piece, when Trystan surprises her with a special offer.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley [Open Heart]

Our Little Girl: Bryce and Olivia head to their latest ultra sound appointment to find out the gender of their little one

Obvious Secrets: Olivia and Bryce are at the beer garden with friends and she has a (not so secret) secret to share with him.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

Shadows of Hope: She was there, and then she was gone. Mal would move heaven and earth to bring her back, but what happens when he can't? [Blades 2, Chapter 1]

Her Legacy:She may be gone, but she could never be forgotten. She lives on in the stories he tells and the hope he inspires. [Blades 2, Chapter 2]

A Quest for Daenarya: After hearing her stories, Thalassa, Ovisa, and Lysander decide it is their quest to bring Daenarya back to Mal, they just never imagined it would be so easy. [Blades 2, Chapter 3]

Sculpting Desires: (Mal x Daeny, Mal x Tyril, Tyril x Maiele): Daenarya considers a possible future as a sculptor with a very willing model. [Blades 2, Chapter 5]

Go On, Feel It: Mal makes an offer Daenarya can’t refuse.

Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer [HollywoodU +Red Carpet Diaries]

Always and Whatever Comes Next (+ Art): Alex finally has a chance to teach Thomas how to ice skate.

Bryce Lahela x Olivia Hadley [Open Heart]

Obvious Secrets (+ Art): Olivia and Bryce are at the beer garden with friends and she has a (not so secret) secret to share with him.

Our Little Pumpkin (+ Art): Olivia and Bryce are on the quest for the perfect pumpkin

Thanksgiving's Little Miracle: Happy Birthday, Malia! (+ Art) : Bryce and Olivia celebrate the birth of their daughter, Malia.

Cuddles and Curiosities: Olivia & Bryce cuddle with their almost 2 week old baby girl.

The Greatest Gift: There is just one last gift that needs to be wrapped.

Impossibly Perfect (+ Art): Bryce, Olivia, and Keiki are taking a walk through the park on their way to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

Holiday Cheer (+ Art): Olivia, Merida (lilyoffandoms), and Casey (jerzwriter) decide to decorate the Diagnostic Office.

Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light and Shadow]

Vintage Dreams: Mal and Daenarya drink some wine and have some fun. [with Tyril x Maiele]

Drunk on Love: Mal is very drunk, but he is also very much in love with Daenarya.

A Development of Sorts: Daenarya has some complicated feelings about her best friend, Maiele. Mal is a huge gossip and can't wait to share. [with Tyril x Maiele, Tyril x Mal, Maiele x Daenarya]

The Rogues Embrace (+ Art): Mal loves talking. Tyril is tired of listening and has found a good way to shut him up, even if just for a moment. [Tyril x Mal]

Beneath the Mistletoe: Daenarya and Maiele find themselves beneath the mistletoe. [Maiele x Daenarya, Tyril x Mal]

Mal the Magnificent: Young Mal Volari gets a bucket stuck on his head. [Blades Prequel]

The Promise of Tomorrow (+Art): Mal and Daenarya share a moment together the morning after her return. [This follows The Quest for Daenarya] [Blades 2, Chapter 3]

Torn: Daenarya is back and trying to process what happened. [Blades 2, Chapter 4]

The Princess of Parnassus and The Trophy Husband (+ Art): Daenarya and Mal enjoy a much needed relaxing afternoon while contemplating what comes next. [Blades 2, post book]

Trystan Thorne x Lilah Rose [Crimes of Passion]

No Kissing (+ Art): After the events of Drakovia, Lilah has a new rule. No kissing while on a case.

Follow Your Heart to New York (+ Art): Trystan and Lilah share a quiet moment in the city that never sleeps.

Levi Schuler x Laura Day [Mother of the Year]

Flickers of Light (+ Art): Levi and Lily celebrate Hanukkah, despite some reluctance.

#thomas hunt #bryce lahela #mal volari #levi schuler #trystan thorne #red carpet diaries #blades of light and shadow #crimes of passion #mother of the year #choices #playchoices #choices game #lovealexhunt #theartoflovingthomashunt #storyofmychoices #december2023 #choices countdown to 2024

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itsonlytext · 9 days

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sea salt & cologne · scene ii

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. He picked up the phone and read the texts.

john attempts to make amends with sherlock but, for some reason, the detective insists on being distant.

≈ 3000 words.

(read this story on ao3.)

see part one of 'sea salt & cologne' here. enjoy!

He kept fiddling with the microphone. He couldn’t help it, the silence was killing him. It had been his intention to heed Mariana’s advice and try to talk to Sherlock but, between the cab ride to NSY and the new case presented to them by DI Lestrade, John hadn’t managed to build the confidence to do so. (He was also still a bit annoyed.)

In the cab back to Baker Street, Sherlock had taken the manilla file of information with him from the station and kept it tucked under his arm the entire ride.

John didn’t say anything whilst clipping on his seatbelt; instead, he subtly gazed at the muscles in Sherlock’s neck as he craned his head to stare out the window, the tanned skin that pulled taut over a layer of muscle that John never expected him to have. His dark curls were just about matted on one side because of all the time he spent still on the sofa in the morning. His eyes (oh God, his eyes) reflected the murky-green from the park that they drove by, but John knew that Sherlock’s eyes were naturally grey. He knew that from all the times he snuck a glance.

Sherlock’s muscles were naturally sleeping beneath slender limbs, his hair was naturally difficult to tame and his eyes were naturally grey. (He was naturally beautiful.)

Despite the detective’s indifference and now with a profound sense of hope, John bravely clicked on his microphone and swallowed the horrid tang in his mouth (which he decided to blame on the cabbie’s driving). “So,” he began awkwardly. “Do you think Sadelyn Sawyer was right? That her brother hired someone to kill her boyfriend?”

Sherlock didn’t respond.

“I mean, the bloke was totally sideways,” he carried on, ignoring the pang in his stomach. “Er, to the listeners, Sadelyn had shown us a few pictures of her half-brother, Frank Sawyer, at the station, and.. Well, just off-vibes straight away. Isn’t it, Sherlock?”

The consulting detective hadn’t pulled his eyes away from the window for even a second.

John cleared his throat annoyedly. “Sorry, guys, Sherlock seems to be in a strange mood today.”

“Stop the cab,” the detective said suddenly, only focused on catching the cabbie’s attention. “Would you stop the cab, please. ”

“Wha-” he watched as they rolled up to the curb of St Barts Hospital. “Sherlock.”

“It’s for the case. Will your fans want to listen?”

John’s eyes darkened. He pressed his tongue into his cheek. “No, they won’t, actually. I’m going back to the flat.” Bubbling with a fresh mixture of anger and hurt, John heard the words leave his mouth before he could properly register them as Sherlock stepped out of the cab. “Yeah. Maybe you’ll find another John, in the hospital, that’ll be a better replacement for you, mate.”

Sherlock didn’t respond. Instead, he calmly handed the cabbie a few folds of cash before walking away into the hospital.

John turned off his microphone soon after.

The faint, lingering scent of a fresh, musky cologne suffocated him and made his heart beat faster until he couldn't breathe. He leaned forward.

"Could you, er-" his voice cracked. "Can you roll down the windows, please?"

"Too cold, mate."

"I need to breathe a bit. Can you open mine a little? Please."

The cabbie glanced up at him through the rearview mirror and sighed. He opened the window.

The rest of the ride was silent.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah, your bloke accidentally gave me too much for the hospital. He’s paid for your ride.”

Your bloke.

He took a deep breath and closed his wallet. “Thanks, then,” he said awkwardly.

“No worries.”

Carefully avoiding the ice creeping up on the curb, he watched the cab drive off Baker Street, let the crisp air fill his lungs and bitter wind nip at his cheeks before entering 221B.

The flat was empty. On the kitchen table, Mariana had left a single mini can of diet Coke at Sherlock’s chair, and a small USB at his. John tread to his chair at the table and picked up the USB. He flipped it around in his fingers until he realised what it was.

The essay.

He wondered how Mariana got it. He thought about reading it but, at the very pit of his stomach, he could still feel the anger and hurt bubbling. So he pushed the USB into his pocket and sat on the sofa. Sank in the silence. (Stuck with the sour tang of guilt in his mouth.)

He unclipped his microphone and placed it on the coffee table before settling back into the sofa. There was a single pillow at the end from where Sherlock had been laying. John ran his hand over it, knowing the texture was something that Sherlock despised. He wished he hadn’t been so stubborn so that he could have helped and replaced the pillow with his own. Replace the sofa with his own bed. (Replace the silence with his own presence.) John pressed a firm fist into the pillow before slowly lowering his head on it. He inhaled the faint scent of sea salt and cologne that had clung onto the pillow after all those hours. He closed his eyes and released a breath that had been holding him hostage.

This silence was a little more bearable.

A few beats could have passed. It might have even been over an hour since he closed his eyes, he couldn’t tell. But a harsh vibration jolted John awake.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, his fingers narrowly missing the USB. The notification was a message from Sherlock. The last week had made it instinct for him to swipe away at the message before even reading it.

So he did.

He blew out a breath and let his head fall back on the pillow. Closed his eyes.

His phone vibrated again.

This time, he didn’t need to look to know who it was. The bitter tang in his mouth worsened. Sherlock never texted twice, not if he could help it, he never cared for it.

Tried to ignore it.

Couldn’t.

(Always subconsciously craving the thrill of possibility.)

He unfolded his limbs, pulled his head away from the pillow with a shiver and sat up. With all his might, he wanted to be angry - to swipe away Sherlock’s texts without reading them and curl back into the sofa. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. He picked up the phone and read the texts.

On my way back to the flat

We will clear the air.

He couldn’t exactly decipher what the last message meant but, by the wording, Sherlock seemed overly confident (as always) that their issue would be resolved when he returned.

As he thought about a reply, his eyes travelled to the laptop sitting on the coffee table. His fingers reached for his pocket. Mariana somehow secretly getting ahold of the essay had once again instilled a fear in John that reminded him she was much more cunning than she let on.

He wondered if she had read it or if she didn’t think it was her place to, only exporting it with nothing but good intentions. He wondered if he wanted to read it. “You’re gonna regret it,” he muttered.

Regardless, he shoved the USB into the laptop and began reading before he could change his mind.

Since it was brought up, John could only assume that the sixty-one pages would consist of his common behaviours and uninteresting traits that had been meticulously studied over the last year.

And it was that. It was exactly that.

Except it was also the complete opposite; with every painfully common fact about John, Sherlock had countered it with a carefully-constructed, intricate antipode of his genericism. (Compliments.) There wasn’t a single sentence in the essay that made John feel common at all - not even the paragraphs that described why he placed his toothbrush on the left side of the sink and not the right, or how he stashed food in his wardrobe despite his flatmates having boundaries. In fact, above all the confusion, he felt like the most unique person in the world. Sherlock was right - he did know more about John than he did himself. (He could even make John’s tea better.)

Suddenly he felt awful for saying the things he did.

Sherlock was (undoubtedly) the most luminous soul he had ever met - his confidence unwavering and thoughtfulness so subtly imbedded. The observations he made about the people he cared for were endlessly detailed and never burdening. He did it because he cared. Because he wanted them to know that he had noticed what no else could. John had spent almost a year shamelessly praising his detective’s brilliant mind whenever he overcame an obstacle that everyone else deemed too high - rescuing people, saving innocent lives, preventing overtime bills at Scotland Yard. John never stopped to realise how much he meant to Sherlock.

His mind travelled back to the conversation he had with Mariana.

And yet .. I still believe him anyway. Always. Why do I do that, Mariana?

Now he knew why.

“I woke you up.”

John turned to find the deep voice belonging to Sherlock hovering at the doorway, his eyes glancing at the pillow on the sofa.

“No, it’s, erm-” he turned off the laptop quickly and cleared his throat. “I wasn’t really planning on sleeping, anyway- It’s fine, you.. You didn’t wake me up, Sherlock.”

His eyes were still fixed on the sofa. “It is an awful pillow,” he said plainly.

John glanced at it. “Yeah- erm. Yeah, I don’t know how you did it for so long. It’s terrible to sleep on.” (He’d do it a thousand times again if it meant he’d be wrapped in that scent of sea salt and cologne.)

It was quiet.

“Did you, er, find what you needed? At the hospital.”

Sherlock stepped forward, ignoring him completely and struggling to find his words. “I fear that I may be…” His face was gently scrunched up and facing the floor. He hadn’t bothered to take off his coat since he came in and so, with every pace, the bitter cold wind from outside surrounded him like an armour. John could feel it every time he neared. “John, I am lost.”

“Sherlock–”

“Let me talk,” he met John’s gaze. The harsh, irritated red of his waterline clashed with the tint of blue in his eyes. “Would you give me a moment. Please.”

But the doctor couldn’t watch Sherlock struggle with himself for any longer, the anxiety that emanated from his icy coat getting stronger with every step. “Sherlock, can you- Mate, stop it. It’s okay, I- I…” John pulled the USB out of the laptop and held it up. “I know,” he said softly.

He stopped pacing.

“Mariana gave it to me.”

The detective didn’t move. He didn’t respond. His eyes were fixated on the USB.

John realised.

“Christ, no, Sherlock, I-I’m not angry- I’m not upset. The essay is.. It’s really incredible. Seriously, I don’t know how you do it. And it’s incomplete. How is it possibly incomplete, I mean, you’ve pretty much got all that there is about me on there, mate. I think I’ve learnt something about myself after reading that.”

“It’ll remain incomplete for as long as we’re together,” he finally replied, the irritation in his eyes subduing into a calmer gaze. “Of course, except…”

“It’s.. This is my fault. I- I took what you said and blew it out of proportion, and I’m sorry. Really.”

“I apologise, too.”

It was quiet again.

John could hear Mariana in the back of his mind, shouting at him to confess his feelings, telling him that this was the perfect moment to do so. But his stomach still ached and he still couldn’t get rid of the guilt sitting on his tongue. He wanted to speak, desperately. He just didn’t know how to start.

But it seemed that Sherlock had decidedly done that for him.

“The website said that couples may require some space before talking again,” he continued.

“Yeah,” John nodded.

Then he paused.

“Hang on, what? What do you mean, couples? ”

Sherlock eyed him curiously. “I wouldn’t have done this otherwise.” He stood up straight. “That is also why I said you were perfect for me–”

“-You quite literally said the opposite–”

“And we balanced each other out. Like yang and yin.”

“Yin and yang.”

“That’s what I said.”

”You said it yourself; we’ve been together for almost a year,” he recited plainly.

John’s heart was failing. (It must have been.) He couldn’t properly compute what Sherlock was casually insinuating as he stood towering over him. But the detective didn’t seem to realise the weight of his words and so, after shrugging off his coat, he carried on.

“And I make you tea,” he said matter-of-factly.

John blinked. “You-” he gently cleared his throat. “You make them for Mariana as well.”

“No, I don’t. I make them for you.” He paused. “Who’s Mariana?”

“Sherlock!”

It was silent again. But this time, the air wasn’t filled with anger or hurt or guilt.

John pursed his lips and lowered his voice. “Did you really search up what to do?”

“Well. I do admit that this area of sentimentality is a plane I am foreign to and, in an attempt to correct that, I did some research.”

There was a pause. John narrowed his eyes.

“Is that why you made my bed the other day?”

“Yes.” He brought his hands together. “But also because you kept tucking the ends in at the wrong angle and it was annoying me.”

There it was again, thought John. He was a fool for regarding Sherlock’s hypervigilance as a brag. There was nothing he could do but smile. He dipped his head knowingly. “You didn’t accidentally give the cabbie extra money today, did you.”

Sherlock shook his head. “I had calculated the precise amount beforehand. Cared for and simultaneously granted you space. That’s what couples do.”

“Yes, but,” he tried to word his thoughts politely. “You can’t just assume you’re in a relationship with someone just because you balance each other out. I mean I agree, thank you. Really, I’m flattered, mate, but.. I think we could have avoided a lot of.. Bad feelings if we just spoke about it, don’t you think? Like I thought you calling me painfully common was because you didn’t hold me any differently than you would a stranger. That leaving me in the cab was because you didn’t care. That- That upset me, I suppose, because I wanted you to care the same way I do. And you do,” he waved the USB. “You really do. Just.. differently than what I’m used to. Which is also my fault and I’m sorry. Mariana sort of put me in my place today.”

Sherlock watched him for a moment. He lowered his voice and softened his brow. “I am lost in you.”

John stood up. He stepped up to Sherlock and held out the USB. “I’d really like for you to finish writing it,” he said gently.

“Finish writing it,” Sherlock repeated, staring deep into his eyes with caution. Then, when he realised what John was trying to say, his eyebrows relaxed. “I’ll get to finish it.”

He nodded. “Yeah. For as long as we’re together. And maybe tonight, you can switch out that awful pillow for mine.”

Sherlock tilted his head.

“It’s a ‘couples’ thing.”

For the first time in a week, the corner of his lips lifted.

“It is a rather awful pillow, isn’t it.”

“Yeah, I think Mariana bought it.”

“Is that the person who lived here before us?”

“Wh.. No. Mariana.”

“Yeah?” A soft voice entered the living room, soon followed by a dog’s tired huffs of air. She walked in wearing a thick, yellow woollen scarf and a leather jacket. She lowered her shopping bags down to the floor and carefully unclipped Archie from his leash. “Are you guys okay?”

John glanced up at Sherlock.

He gave a small, affirmative nod.

“Yeah, we are, Mariana.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unconsciously leaning into the detective.

“So.. You’re talking to each other again?” she asked excitedly as she unwrapped her scarf.

“Yes, we…” he scratched his head in embarrassment, her wording making him feel as if he were a teenager with silly school drama. “Actually, we.. We have some news. Good news, obviously.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah…” he glanced up at the detective. “Yeah. Sherlock and I.. We- We’re, erm—“

“We have cleared the air and are continuing our healthy relationship,” he interrupted casually, throwing them both off guard. He turned his head to John. “Did I say that right?”

“I- You said it perfectly, mate.”

The same glint that John had seen earlier in Mariana’s eyes was back again. (She had always known.) “I’m so happy for the two of you! Congratulations,” she grinned.

“You knew,” he said.

“Only a little bit.” She tilted her head. “Okay, yes. But it was so obvious!”

Sherlock raised his brows at him. “See. Even Mrs Hudson knew it.”

For once, John wasn’t in the slightest bit upset. He let a smile adorn his face and lovingly pressed his arms into the detective’s. The scent of his cologne rubbing against his clothes satiated the bubbling in his stomach and made the (god-awful) tang of guilt in his mouth subside. “Guess I was just too painfully common to see it.”

It went silent.

Mariana hesitated. Sherlock stiffened.

John alarmingly stood up straight. “That- God, that was a joke. Don’t worry.”

He could feel Sherlock’s muscles relaxing and hear Mariana’s sigh of relief. Her smile had come back. “Oh, we should totally go for drinks. To celebrate.”

“Aw, that’s a great idea, Mariana. Yeah, we’ll do that. Sherlock, you okay with that?”

They both glanced at the consulting detective, whose brows were furrowed deep. “But we already did that,” he began plainly.

He turned. “What? When?”

“Last week. When Mrs Hudson took us to the pub to remind us why we were still together.”

“Oh, for God’s—“

ta-daa! hope you enjoyed. i did. (the writing, not the reading my own work. well, actually, i do enjoy reading my own work. i'm just that good i suppose..)

give it up for the brilliant and incredibly talented @raveboy34 for being my other half in this project; his artwork was perfect down to the T and i couldn’t have asked for a better and funnier partner. also, try finding the sh&co logo in the picture! it's such a good detail.

see samuel's artwork in part one of 'sea salt & cologne' here.

thank you to eardefenders for creating this flashbang event! it was lots of fun.

tags (feel free to let me know if you'd like to be specifically added to/removed from the sh&co tags list): @helloliriels@dragonnan @strawberrywinter4@with-a-ghost-mr-holmes@7-percent @totallysilvergirl @inevitably-johnlocked @johnlocky @chinike @rhasima @raina-at @lisbeth-kk @gaylilsherlock @a-victorian-girl @peanitbear @meetinginsamarra @bs2sjh @gomielka @thetimemoves @thegildedbee @iwlyanmw @jobooksncoffee @amyreadsandstresses @jolieblack @notjustamumj @jawnn-watson @thalialunacy

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