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randomfoggytiger · 5 months

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I Am, Once Again, Advertising touchstoneaf's S9 "Amor Fati" Fic Series

touchstoneaf’s epic Amor Fati (Fated Love)

(Previous post: X-Files Fic That Irons Out the Mytharc… by touchstoneaf)

It's... it's brilliant.

Description

Not one detail from the series is neglected; not one observation is out of joint; not one conjecture or plot thread from the mytharc is left unresolved (and is, in fact, further built upon), and not one moment between all of the characters is off target. Not only that, but it glues together plotholes as effortlessly as if those were the original show writers' intent; and builds and builds and builds the transition from surveillance at home to life on the run with a (psychic) baby.

I confidently say it IS the series: not just the characters' voices or their actions but as if the author captured Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz and all of the writers and actors' vision and-- for lack of a better word-- essence and put it all masterfully on paper. The best way I can describe it is it feels like how S9 would have been, should have been.

Part I is Scully's realization that she can't keep William safe (after his near death in S9) and her slow, cautious attempts-- with TLG's help-- to contact Mulder and slip from her job and her life. Her loved ones are all given their turns for farewell (yes, even Bill); Part II is S8-S9 memories and reunion and bliss and rediscovery and duck-and-dodge and the mytharc creeping back in; Part III is hands-on efforts by Mulder and Scully to save innocents and team up with Gibson and his dispassionate alien allies.

There are so, so many passages that are seared into my mind. If you, like me, want to jump right into the action, I recommend reading Part II's chapters 4 through 9-- the leadup to Scully and William's arrival in a small town, their tense execution of plans, and their reunion with Mulder in motel room 42. The entire series builds to that moment; and continues after, organically placing brick after brick after brick. If you are daunted by long-term commitment, it will, at least, serve as quick taste to either ignite or quench your interest.

And Now, For Quotes

I couldn't possibly select one quote as my favorite (not yet, anyway); and the passages below sadly leave out TLG and Skinner and Doggett and Monica and Maggie and Tara and Bill and excellent minor characters and so, so much more; BUT I can't leave these paragraphs behind, either.

She had once, more than once, had the experience of having to tell a false partner from the real one. She was one out of two on that scoreboard. /Have to get it right this time. If…/

Every sense had to remain engaged, in this moment. Every single detail…

A waft of warmer air... and it smelled of Mulder.... The barrel of a gun came first, poking shyly through, questing. Her internal timer counted off the seconds before she would see the arms, and then the head… There were the arms, familiar arms… then the hair she knew, then the face, the eyes…

Mulder’s eyes; legible to her as they would be to no one else on this Earth. He could be a shapeshifter. He could be being used… but she didn’t think so. Not when he looked at her like that. Not when she could see the thing in him that matched the thing inside herself.

and--

That Mulder had accepted this solace from her, as he had from no other being, had contributed almost immediately to bringing forth that strange intimacy that they had always had between them; first jocular, almost sibling-like, as he responded to her gentle teasing with startlement and a growing relaxation. This man who was so used to being abused by others with cruel taunting had been taken aback by her easy reaction to him. But by doing so, she had aided him in lowering his walls, and so now she would never be fooled by his many self-saving wisecracks. Neither was she fooled by the protection he had put off at first; his little show of, “Don’t mind me, I’m a harmless crackpot.” That image, which he had often put off to their superiors and detractors, was countered once you met him in person. Intelligent; yes. Without a doubt. Driven; yes. Almost wholly so. Foolish? Never in a hundred years; though he may have looked that way to others, may have even fostered that impression to aid him in his work.

and--

Mulder tensed, shoulders hunching as he felt her abortive movement. He shook his head angrily against the memories, but when he spoke his voice was quiet with acceptance… and so plumbed with loss that she felt her own heart break. “I needed you so badly, Scully,” he finished softly; as if the admission cost him dearly. “But you weren’t there. I had pushed you away; and the nightmares kept coming and coming…”

Unable to stand it anymore, Scully drew close and pressed her body lightly, tentatively to his tense and unyielding backside. Felt his clammy skin warm automatically with that contact. He did not soften, at first. Did not edge away, nor did he lean into her. Much like that awful night when their office had burnt he simply stood cold with shock and while she supported him; the steadfast fidelity of their bond never questioned in the decade that they had been together.

“I was there,” she murmured into his shoulder. /I’ll always be here./ He could accept it now. She was finally able to press her arms about him in the night. Feel the strong bones beneath unblemished flesh; amazed that he was even alive for her to hold after an ordeal that had indeed taken him from her for so long that she had lost all hope. She shuddered and cinched her arms tighter; felt his ribs shift beneath the silky envelope of his skin. They creaked in protest, but he did not move, and she spoke like one driven. “I was there hurting for you, holding you against the nightmares, even when you couldn't ask me to be there. I was with you every night until you came back to me.”

Magnificent.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

#txf #Collector's Edition #Curated #fic #touchstona #Amor Fati #AU #S9 #I adore this series #it is my S9 #(that and Lapsed_Scholar's S9 AU)#specifically: this is my mytharc S9 #xf fanfic #xfiles #x-files #the x files

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ghostbustermelanieking · 6 years

Note

17 :) 19 :) 31 :)

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.

When he goes downstairs, he finds her at the kitchen table, eating a bagel and drinking her tea. She smiles wobbily when she sees him. On the fridge, she's tacked up the ultrasound picture with a magnet.

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

ummm not currently... i have a weird definition of sequel, bc i feel like stories set in the same universe aren't necessarily sequels. and most of the time, if i continue a short little story (example: the glass wall story), i just tack it on as an additional part, so.

i don't usually like to do sequels to my long works, even if i've had ideas for them, because i really really don't want to risk messing up the original story. i could probably make a case for a couple of my long stories having a sequel, but like i said, i wouldn't want to ruin it.

(last fall, i had an idea for a half-light sequel that i really wanted to write, and i started it, and even posted a couple short stories as prep for it, but i got bored with it, and didn't think about it again until post season 11 when i was briefly tempted to retcon season 11 the way i did the rest of the show. but i doubt i'll ever do that lmao.)

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see!

i'll always sing the praises of Lapsed_Scholar, a writer who i absolutely love on ao3 who i don't think has a Tumblr account. their writing is really really awesome and ranges from an Emily AU to a series of different scenarios where mulder doesn't go to oregon, to a s9 au where mulder never leaves that includes some doggett and reyes character exploration. you should go and read their writing immediately.

send me fic writer’s questions

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randomfoggytiger · 10 months

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X-Files Collector's Edition: S9, The Season of Secret Dad (Long Fics)

There will never be enough content to make up for the robbery of canon post S8-- parenthood and readjustment and healing for Mulder and Scully with their son, whether that has a Conspiracy attached to it or not. These fics try to bridge that gap (and shoutout to @welsharcher's coining of the phrase "Season of Secret Dad".)

These might be repeats from other lists; but I wanted to be thorough~.

**Note**: Will ghost edit later~.

Loose chronological order below~

Fics Where Mulder Stays

MissAnnThropic's Not the Same

""Awww..." Lela made the tight sound of womanly adoration, "you have a baby? Do you have a picture of him?"

Mulder flashed her a bright smile a moment, his expression saying as clear as anything 'of course I do, I'm a new father, aren't I?' and he reached into his back pocket and withdrew his wallet....

Tom leaned over to look and Miranda leaned over him to see the picture too.

It was a picture of a very small baby on his back, a stuffed green alien toy in his hand's limp grip as it rested against his belly. Tom smiled at that, despite his earlier attitude toward Fox Mulder and the whole little green men business.""

Colton is floored by how much Fox Mulder has matured.

Tess's (Ao3) The New Truth, A Project 09x00

""Startled, Scully's eyes popped open. She had been enjoying the quiet coziness of the day; tucked into the apartment with the two people she loved most in the world while rain tapped in a steady beat against the windows. She felt Mulder's steady gaze, even as she steadfastly refused to meet it and she knew that the time of living in a world of 'let's pretend' had just come to a crashing end.

"These last few weeks of being a normal little family have been wonderful," Mulder said softly. "But, Scully..." he scooted across the cushions and leaned into her side. "We're not normal people.""

Mulder and Scully have a tough conversation weighing all their options. He's not leaving; but Scully will have to return to the FBI parttime to keep its resources at their fingertips.

Lapsed_Scholar's Season 9 Rewrites and Musings

MASTERFUL fill-in series: Mulder is a stay-at-home dad during the entire events of S9. Love this to death. Below are the reworked episodes:

A Devil's Office

""Monica nodded, and they sat in contemplative silence for a few moments, before Mulder broke it.

“You know, he looks like my sister.”

She looked up—he was looking down at William again. She couldn’t see his expression, but his voice was soft and tender, full of wonder and tinged with nostalgia. Fox Mulder the man was turning out to be a very different entity from Spooky Mulder the legend.

“His eyes are hers—Dana’s, I mean—but... Maybe my mother would have told you that he looks like me, I don’t know; I never saw myself as a baby. But I remember how my sister looked. It was thirty-five years ago, but I still remember looking down at her in amazement when my parents brought her home....”

Mulder looked back down at William, ran his finger along his son’s cheek.""

Mulder is settling into stay-at-home parenthood, overcoming his feelings of uselessness with a very contented baby... and finally giving in to a consultation request from John Doggett.

Dispatches

""Hey, Scully. You’re interrupting a monumental construction project. It’s the tallest tower of blocks yet built by man.”

“Mmhm. And what is William doing while you’re assembling this feat of modern engineering?”

“I’ll have you know this is a joint project. William is...in charge of grabbing the construction material and sticking it in his mouth.""

A dialogue only piece (but it's one of my absolute favorites) featuring a VERY ticked off Scully fuming over a pain-in-her-side bug doctor and a VERY amused Mulder having a blast sympathizing and egging her on.

Semper Fi

""Speaking of... A familiar form flops itself into the chair next to his. He honestly should have expected this.

“Fancy meeting you here, sir.” Fox Mulder has a peculiar way of delivering inane pleasantries. His expression and tone are bland enough to pass scrutiny, but something in his bearing always implies that a lively mind is humming away under the surface.""

Scully rants to Mulder about Kersh purposefully interfering in Reyes and Skinner's attempts to bring Doggett home. He's on the case.

Denial

""She calls home because she needs a break from the existential, or maybe because she needs another opinion on it. She sits in the hospital cafeteria and leans her head against a window.

She asks Mulder for stories of William, and because they are who they are, he innately understands why she’s asking and indulges her thoroughly.""

Mulder understands that Scully is denying her gut; and convinces her to look deeper into Doggett's claims that Reyes isn't dead.

Extreme Probabilities

""The two of them might have made an impressive pair of dashing FBI agents for that Bureau recruiting pamphlet, except they both looked bedraggled. John clearly hadn’t slept in awhile. He had dark circles under red eyes and the look of exhausted intensity that comes from staring at evidence for too long. His suit was wrinkled and rumpled, and there was a coffee stain on his shirt. Mulder had clearly been asleep not too long ago. His hair was sleep-mussed, and he was wearing what he usually wore to bed (an undershirt and lounge pants) coupled with running shoes and a holster. His serious and tense expression made for a marked contrast with the ridiculous outfit.

Reality usually is quite different from the pamphlet.""

Mulder doesn't believe in numerology; but he does gets pulled into this crack case about God and Burt Reynolds anyway.

A Quiet Friday Evening

""The phone rings. Scully frowns.

“That must be the sheriff. Here, Mulder, hold this open and keep the abdominal wall spread.” She hands him the salad tongs before he can ask if maybe he can answer the phone instead. He stares after her in speechless misery.

He is going to buy new kitchen utensils. They are throwing all of these away, and absolutely nothing Scully can say about boiling water or exceedingly high temperatures or using the autoclave at work will convince him otherwise.""

Mulder gets roped into a cat autopsy. Yes, it's gold.

Valor (Discretion)

""You’ve had a lot going on lately, Mulder,” Frohike gestured toward the baby. He also meant to include, of course, the whole abduction-death-and-resurrection ordeal. Most of the people who loved Mulder didn’t want to reference it directly, so, despite how centrally traumatic it was, it predominately remained in alluded subtext. “We didn’t think our problems should add to yours.”

Mulder stared for a moment. He had the audacity to look hurt. “I thought we were friends. If you have problems this serious—especially ones I can help you solve—I want to know about them. After all you’ve done for me—all you’ve done for Scully—how could you not tell me when you needed help?""

A biohazard, TLG running around like chickens, Morris Fletcher... and Mulder insisting his friends call the authorities and act rationally.

Catastrophe

""He didn’t have to wait for long. About five minutes after he had arrived, the doors to the elevator slid open, and Mulder emerged, maneuvering a stroller carefully over the gap between elevator and floor. His eyebrows raised fractionally with surprise when he saw John, but he otherwise kept his composure. John studied him. He was looking better these days, although he still had a slightly uneasy air about him, a man who wasn’t fully confident of his place in the world, not entirely grounded. But he was clearly trying, and he looked more at home in his own skin than John had ever seen him. At this moment, in fact, he appeared steadier than John felt.

“Agent Doggett,” greeted Mulder, quietly, once he had reached the apartment door. John glanced down into the stroller; William was peacefully asleep, his head turned to the side and his mouth moving occasionally in the phantom nursing of sleeping infants.""

Doggett asks Mulder to write a profile on his son's killer, while Scully is there to support her partner after he gets sucked into the brutal randomness of the crime. The rest of the fic winds up to her disappearance while on a case Mulder asked her not work on: postpartum depression, Mulder's feelings of displacement in her life, and unfinished conversations between them. (Unfinished fic.)

Jenna Tooms/misslucyjane’s (Ao3, mulderscreek)

An Acceptable Level of Happiness (Site)

""Sunday afternoon I spread an old sheet on the kitchen floor and tie a dishtowel around Mulder's neck. He sits stiffly in the kitchen chair, his eyes on Malcolm. "Warn me," he says, his hands clenching.

"I know." I run my fingers through his hair, combing it out. I never start cutting right away. First I rub his temples and massage his scalp with my fingertips, trying to soothe him until his eyes close. I rub the base of his neck and his shoulders too, trying to reassure him that nothing's going to hurt him here. He often says he'd know my hands anywhere.

"I'm picking up the scissors now," I say when he's relaxed. He acknowledges this with a grunt, his head tilted forward....

I keep one hand in his hair as I trim it, scraping my nails lightly against his scalp. There is one scar on his head and every time my fingertips pass over it my hands tremble. They cut him open everywhere.""

Mulder and Scully are struggling with their separate PTSDs but willing to stick it out, thick or thin. She processes most of her emotions and draws closer to her partner at the Scully family Christmas; and he gets to meet Charlie and feel like a human again.

ML/ML_is_me’s (Ao3, Gossamer, DW, Invidiosa)

Project:TruthSeekers Alt Season Nine: Home Fires, Part One (Goss)

Project:TruthSeekers Alt Season Nine: Home Fires, Part Two (Goss)

""Mulder had the door open before she got there, holding a squalling William in his arms. He raised his eyebrows at her slightly.

"Sorry," Scully said. "You got my message, didn't you?" She set the groceries down on the kitchen table, pushing aside an array of toys and teething rings to do so. She could see what kind of day her men had.

"Yeah," Mulder said. "I was here, I just couldn't get Limpet Boy to let go so I could answer the phone.""

Mulder is a stay-at-home dad battling the Conspiracy. Scully and their new partner get a call and drop-in from Phoebe, who is relatives with a higher-up in the Syndicate.

155 Words - Thankful

""Not long ago, he discovered that all he cared about had been pared down to a few essentials, and it wasn't hard to leave the rest behind.

Perhaps dying and returning is responsible for such clarity; but he hasn't analyzed it.""

Mulder marvels that Scully tracked him down with a baby in tow.

maybeamandaxffics/maybe_amanda/MaybeAmanda's (LJ)

Chataqalan - 1

Chataqalan - 2 (Goss)

Chataqalan - 3

""Who was that?" Mulder asked.

"Monica."

"Reyes? What's she doing there?"

"No one is quite sure," Scully said, settling herself on the bunk. "Least of all her."

There was a brief pause. "Excuse me?

"She asked if you could call John about her boots."

Another pause, this one a little longer. "I'm supposed to make a booty-call to John Doggett?""

Scully and Reyes team up on an investigation in Mexico: while Scully catches Mulder up on suspicious connections to Russians and Tunguska, Monica meets a possible love interest and starts to notice weird, suspicious activities from some of the other workers.

Under Construction (Goss)

""Then I got the arms. The *pick-me-up* arms. The *you're-my-dad- and-the-toes-of-my-tiny-little-Reeboks-belong-in-your-abs-pick-me-up* arms. I shouldn't hesitate - I shouldn't have to hesitate - but I always do. Anytime Scully noticed, she tried hard to look like she was trying hard not to look pained, but I saw it, anyway. It wasn't that I didn't want to hold William - hold my son. It was just that, every time I reached for him, for an instant I was sure my arms were going to pass right through him and I'd find myself passed out on the cold cement floor of my cell again, clutching my chest and aching for all I'd lost. If the price I had to pay to keep this dream up and running was never really holding it, I was prepared to accept that.

But William wasn't. "Up!" he insisted, so I accommodated.

He was solid. Real. I'm his dad. His toes do belong in my abs.

I kissed his forehead. Why isn't everything this simple?""

Mulder is returned with muddled memories of S8/S9 events, a truckload of PTSD, and a boatload of feeling that he's in everyone's way. Will already loves him; but Maggie hates his guts, and Scully isn't ready yet to smooth over that problem. And, Mulder finds out, everyone had been matchmaking her with Ellen's brother-in-law.

jeri's (MC) Ahonis (MC)

""Oh sure, Mulder could come by the office anytime and visit. Doggett often asked Scully to bring Mulder and William along on lunch breaks, or just have them drop in for a change of pace. But both Scully and Mulder felt it was best if he and the baby stayed clear of the FBI; Kersh may have left the Bureau, but he was still out there, reporting to someone. There was no guarantee that the new Deputy Director wasn't just as dirty as Kersh was.""

Doggett and Reyes work on bustin' a case that has connections to Marita Covarrubias. Mulder is only mentioned by Scully as a stay-at-home dad here and there.

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

By Falling In and In

LiveJournal 2

LiveJournal 3

LiveJournal 4

LiveJournal 5

""Mulder sprawls across the black leather sofa in what is shortly to be his new home office. "It's so good to see you," he tells it. "We'll never be parted again."

"A boy and his couch. It's like a Norman Rockwell painting," Scully says, setting down a cardboard box on the desk. She picks up a container of fish food and taps a few flakes into the aquarium which is, for now, resting on the desk.

"She's just jealous," Mulder murmurs to the armrest. "She doesn't understand our love.""

These fics focus on Mulder and Scully parenting their magically-abled child in the leadup to an, unfortunately, successful Colonization (though the latter isn't the series' focus.) For my personal reading I skip part one and enjoy the rest of it (because Mulder running off to Mexico still makes me mad); but that's how I read everything, so it's nothing against this series.

A Heart of Star

""Mulder secures the baby into his bouncer seat on the dining room table, passing him a rubber duck to gnaw on. He then spreads his files out across the table, an assortment of highlighters next to him in a cup. He taps his chin with a pencil.

“Your mother says this is the result of clever editing, but I think we have pretty clear evidence of a ghostly apparition. There’s no sign of the film being altered. I mean, look at this. Mama is out of her mind.” Mulder holds a series of stills up for William to peruse.

“Ma,” yells William, reaching for the paper. “Mamamamamama!”

Mulder scowls. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side.""

Mulder's bonding moments with his growin' boy.

Elysium

""This is so cool,” William breathes, gripping the steering wheel.

Scully smiles, promising herself she will be calm even as she half-wishes he were still in a car seat.

“You wanna say the rosary first?” Mulder pipes up from the back seat. “To Our Blessed Lady of Brake Pads?”

“Daaaaaad,” William says. “I am a licensed driver now. I am a master of my craft.""

Scully's bonding moments with her miracle (and Mulder.)

mimicsmusings/mimic117's (Lost and Found)

Chip Off The Old Block 03 - Veracity

Chip Off The Old Block 04

""Hey, Charlie. Taste this."

Charles Scully cast a dubious eye on the bubbling mass of ham, beans and spices in the pot on the stove. He reared his head back, away from the spoon being poked toward his face.

"It smells fine, Mulder. Why don't you taste it yourself?"

The spoon followed his retreat at mouth level.

"I never taste while I'm cooking. How do you think I keep my girlish figure?""

Turns out, Will's magic baby powers are all in the family-- and not Mulder's. Charlie is telekinetic, too; and Maggie knew about it the whole time. (Bill is also here, and annoyed.)

Malibusunset's Terra Firma

""William plopped down onto the kitchen tiles in a seated position and stared after Mulder with a frown on his face. Then he picked up his bottle in one hand, crawled a few feet awkwardly, then sat back down, tilted his head back, and plugged the bottle back in. He sucked voraciously and stared up at Mulder as if to say, "I can't do both, so I'm just gonna hang out here and eat instead."

"Right," said Mulder, bending down to a kneeling position. "How about you concentrate on transporting yourself and the bottle can catch a ride on the tray." William trustingly relinquished the bottle and Mulder placed it on the tray next to the orange juice and continued on. William followed eagerly on all fours. When he got to the stairs that led to the second floor, Mulder stopped and extended his arm down to his son.

"Will, UP," he said, offering his left arm while balancing the tray with his right. William pulled himself up on Mulder's leg, clutching handfuls of his pajama pants. Mulder lifted him like a sack of potatoes and hauled the baby and the tray up the stairs. Cooking breakfast with a baby wasn't for wimps.""

Mulder and Scully patch their lives together as new parents, buying a home, getting engaged, and expecting a second baby. The nuances of parenthood for a driven workaholic Scully and a stay-at-home writer-and-once-out-of-town consultant Mulder weave up and down; and is an entertaining read. (The way I read: Parts 1, 2, the first third of 3-- skipping the plotline-- then Parts 4... onward?) Notable moment: I particularly remember Mulder unable to speak after Scully's pregnancy announcement-- in Part 3-- because I was struck with how strikingly Mulder that is.

dlynn's Scully, NORAD called

""Mulder grabbed one of the pillows beneath his head and swatted Scully. When he reached to get his pillow back, Scully plopped the feathered cushion underneath her arms and glanced between her two men: Mulder, all rumpled and lanky, lying across the faded quilt -- his shirt untucked and sloppy, his jeans stained where Will's hands had wiped worm guts on his father's pants. Mulder's bare feet slid against each other as he rubbed the mosquito bites he'd accumulated last night fishing off the pier with their son. Will, the spitting image of his father, from the way he said, 'Oh, Mom' in the same plaintive voice that Mulder whined 'Sculleee' to the way he spit sunflower seeds with all the finesse of a pro, lay curled on his side, butted up against Mulder's chest. His wet hair stuck up like he'd been hacked with a wild weedwacker. Definitely, a Scully- Mulder.""

A Mulder family moment of bee stings and bedtime stories is interrupted by a call for him to hit the road for necessary Colonization-prevention work. Will knows he'll always be back.

thextruth's Our Next Path

""If someone had told Fox William Mulder that he would marry Dana Katherine Scully and that he would have two children with her. He wouldn’t have believed it, he never saw himself as a normal man, much less as a family man, but that's something that he wouldn’t change for anything in the world, his family is all his happiness, and see Scully give a kiss to that little one who is half her and half him, is always surreal, after all, he is a simple man who loves those little daily moments that fill his whole life.""

This long fic is a series of family fluff-- the type with nothing but cozy family drama, a couple kids, and a twinkling happily-ever-after.

Mulder Left but Scully Joined Him

touchstonea’s

Amor Fati: Destinata (The Fated Love), Act One: Desiderium (The Longing)

Amor Fati: Destinata (The Fated Love), Act Two: Et Perierat et Inventus Est (The Lost and the Found)

Amor Fati: The Fated Love, Act Three: Tres Discendens (The Leaving of the Three)

""From the other side of the connecting door, a complicated sequence of long and short knocks. T…R…U…S…T…N…O…1…pause. Mulder. Or…

Taking a deep breath, Scully raised her fist again, and her knuckles tapped out her own sequence. O…B…F…U…S…C…A…T…E…pause. She turned the lock on the door and stepped back.

Holding her gun at the ready, she listened to the muffled sounds as the door on the far side opening slightly… then a little more. It creaked. She held her position, not sparing a glance at Will behind her on the bed.

Another breathless moment, and she was watching her knob turn, ever so slowly.""

This epic diverges from canon after William was rescued from his kidnapping. Part 1 focuses on Scully's long, conflicted back-and-forth plans with TLG, Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes before she hits the road to reunite with Mulder. Part 2 is her journey and reunion: Mulder's fierce love and devotion, Will's uncanny abilities saving their hides, and reconnection while constantly being tagged and tailed by the Conspiracy. Part 3 kicks it up a notch: Scully insists they address Mulder's abduction PTSD and rescue other Super Soldier victims, barely escaping the Alien Bounty Hunter, and stumbling into Gibson's coalition in the woods with an alien faction. (This author writes spectacular and well-thought out logical connections that weave the misshapen mytharc back together.)

Revely's Unfinished Universe (Goss)

""They have a private evening ritual - nose to nose on the bed they practice telepathic communication.

Scully disappears into the motel bathroom for their soft-shelled display of male bonding, shutting the door behind her with aggravating finality - boys' side, girl's side. Mulder immediately stops casting out brain waves and begins to wonder what she's doing in there. She's awfully quiet. The baby just dozes and tries to nurse Mulder's nose until he manages to work one of his fists into his mouth.""

Does this count? Mulder is returned after Will is born; and Scully drives her son out to him. The three reconnect in gentle fits-and-starts on the long journey back. (LOVE this-- one of the first fics I'd ever read; and still a favorite.)

Gillian Leigh's (MC) Visitor in the Desert (MC)

""You have no other proof?" he asked, seemingly disappointed.

"No," she said, quietly.

"I'm supposed to take the word of a total stranger as the Gospel Truth?" he asked, almost mockingly. "I'm sorry, Rhiannon. But in my line of work, I've learned not to trust people." Rhiannon's eyes filled with tears again, and she looked down at her hands before speaking again.

"If you don't stop Scully from giving William up from adoption, I am an example of what will become of every human being on this planet," she said, calmly. "I may look like a human being on the exterior, but I am thirty- three and one-third percent alien.""

Mulder gets a vision while hiding out in the desert-- a girl from the future warns him against Scully adopting out William. He rushes back, reclaims his family, and drags them all (and friends) to an underground bunker civilization preparing for Colonization-- where he finds not only Scully's brothers, but also Samantha. The girl in his vision keeps appearing to him, and is eventually revealed to his daughter.

Honorable Mentions

@we-mad-guys’s forgetting the future

Skinner, TLG, and the Scullys take turns caring for Will when his parents are forced to work out of town secretly on anti-Colonization measures. (Love this fic; but I already included it in my Dad!Mulder sports fics.)

WordsSpillFromMyOpenVeins_89’s Weekend At Martha’s Vineyard

A vacation at the Vineyard for Mulder, Scully, their son, and his dog (which leads up to a proposal.)

Beduini/beduini's Hurricane Season

Not a favorite, but it fits the bill. Featuring unresolved tensions and PTSD crackling between new parents Mulder and Scully and among the Scully family at large, this fic explodes with mess and tensions every chapter or so, forcing everyone to get along in the midst of a sudden hurricane.

AND~ my previous Dad!Mulder fic lists here--

S9 Mulder Stays or Returns While the Mytharc Barrels On

Fics That Fit My Niche “Dad!Mulder” Likes

MORE Fics That Fit My Niche “Dad!Mulder” Likes

Dad!Mulder, His “Mini Me"s, and Sports

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

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randomfoggytiger · 25 days

Note

Do you have a list of comfort fics? Not them comforting each other but for when you're feeling wrecked and you just need something lovely to make it better?

randomfoggytiger's Comfort Fics

I'm not joking: I've reread more fics than I'll ever read new ones. My usual routine is to pop open Google docs, select an author, and mow down their list.

These three pieces were the ones that started it all; but I forgot to include @seek-its-opposite's photosensitivity. A+s, all of 'em.

Authors that I can't single out comfort fics from and can't tag because Tumblr is restricting my tag options: @baronessblixen, @settle-down-frohike, @onpaperfirst, @markwatneyandenesemble, Lapsed_Scholar, Apostrophic, @ghostbustermelanieking, @o6666666, touchstoneaf, @welsharcher, @scenes-in-between, @mldrgrl, @spooky-nerd, @melforbes, etc.

**Note**: Will ghost edit later~

PART I

Bittersweet Comfort Fics

misslucyjane's Scully seeks insomnia advice from Mulder, and Mulder dies, then lovingly watches Scully live the rest of her life

Kipler's cancer arc set casefile involving WWII vets and letters

melforbes's cancer arc Mulder takes his new bride to the sea for her last spring, and Pre-IWTB Mulder and Scully finally have a home

MldrItsMe's AU Redux II Scully is REALLY suffering, and Sein und Zeit Mulder's suicidal confessions

@discordantwords's Mulder and Scully are almost killed by the Fiji mermaid

mixiz877's Mulder and Scully fight off a gryphon

@fbismostunwanted1158's Scully is beaten down ala Stella Gibson in The Fall

Joyce's S5 AU Mulder is killed, comes back to life to save Scully, and Mulder dies but stays as Scully's partner solving cases with her (Part 1, Part 2, and-- my favorite of the three-- its Halloween sequel)

@teethnbone's post Travelers fic with Mulder and Scully

@sarie-fairy's AU Tithonus love confession, Post Milagro Scully realizing what it feels like to be Mulder, and Post The Unnatural Scully is bleeding out on a failed Sasquatch hunt

@sigritandtheelves's Post Monday Scully remembers Mulder's death

whatliesabove's Post Milagro Scully stays dead (or does she?)

ChaneenW's Pre-IVF arc Mulder is shot into a parallel timeline, reliving the Small Potatoes adventure with Scully

dee_ayy's post Amor Fati recovery fic (with baseball)

@bohoartist's Sein und Zeit through Scully's eyes, and Post Closure Scully rescues a photo of baby Mulder

Lolabeegood's AU where S8 Mulder is returned with false memories (would also recommend Lolabee's IWTB era fics, btw.)

@dreamingofscully's AU S9 Skinner entices Mulder back into profiling... and it doesn't end well

@television-overload's Pre-IWTB Mulder surprises Scully with a baseball field (and his old self again)

@queeenpersephone's AU where IWTB Scully stuck it out with Mulder

@danascullysjournal's Post IWTB bonding fic between a discouraged Mulder and uplifting Scully

@kateyes224's Mulder and Scully content in their UH, and Mulder sells the UH, and Scully buys it

@realmofextremepossibility's Breakup Mulder waiting for Scully's return Part I and Part II.

vulcanscully's Post Breakup Scully stops hearing from Mulder and assumes the worst

enigmaticdr's AU post IWTB Scully thinks she has cancer again (she's pregnant), Breakup Mulder is defeated at their anniversary dinner, AU where Revival Scully gets cancer, and The Revival baby laughs for the first time

prufrockslove's AU Mulder is a Welsh prince, Scully is his betrothed bride, and lots of Prince John high court drama ensues (part I of a sweeping, interconnecting AU series)

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

#txf #fic #randomfoggytiger's Comfort Fics #asks #calimanc #Comfort Fics #xfiles #x-files #the x files #xf fanfic #mine

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randomfoggytiger · 5 months

Text

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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randomfoggytiger · 4 months

Note

1, 3 and 17 for the fic ask game!

Thanks for dropping in! :DDD

Hmmmm, tough call. Going to have to pic @welsharcher's Toothpaste (because it was a request and also), your O Holy Night multichapter, @television-overload's Field of Dreams, or Nan Dibble and @amplifyme's BATB fics. Can't narrow it down more than that, I'm afraid.

Mostly this year's reading mileage was spent on revisiting old paths and favorite resting places. You and the above mentioned and @agent-troi and @melforbes and touchstoneaf and Lapsed_Scholar and @ghostbustermelanieking and @o6666666 and @cecilysass and @settle-down-frohike and @aloysiavirgata and @slippinmickeys @suitablyaggrieved, and @leiascully, and @msrafterdark, and so many more pulled me through 2023~.

3. I think Vaznetti and deslea's (Ao3) Krcyek/Marita fics absolutely worked. (As a sidenote, I really like CherryIce's Ocean Breathes Salty-- because the focus is on Marita's recovery post One Son more so than the two potential romances-- and LuvTheBeez's Equanimity-- though Marita and Krycek were only in it a little bit.)

17. So, so many rereads. Gets me every time.

BUT, in the spirit of 2023 reads, I shall stick to all the fics I reblogged for fictober/Eight Nights of Mulder/Christmas. BUT, in the spirit of more specific fairness, I pick touchstoneaf's on-going Amor Fati (S9 AU) series. She gets the flavor of Mulder and Scully I see on the screen; and with baby Will??? I'm a dead man.

#asks #baronessblixen #2023 fic rec ask game #I love reading (and writing) yearly roundups #and I loved answering these questions! :DDDD

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randomfoggytiger · 1 year

Note

Hi! Thanks so much for all your fic recommendations and analysis posts! They are fantastic!

I was wondering if in your travels you had come across any fics that rewrite season 9, so that Mulder didn't leave, BUT also keep going with something that looks like the plot of season 9. Not necessarily the exact plot (since it’s bonkers), but something where Mulder and Scully have to deal with the larger Mytharc while being parents. Falling In And In by Aloysia_Virgata is the closest I’ve come to what I’m looking for.

And just to be clear, I love fics like Terra Firma by Malibusunset and Hurricane Season by Beduini and Rah, but they aren’t quite what I’m looking for in this case.

Thanks!!!

YES I HAVE! (Thanks for the compliments~.) I did my best sticking to this very, VERY specific niche. Some of these include Mulder left but Scully joined him later:

Mulder Doesn't Leave But the Mytharc Continues

Lapsed_Scholar's MASTERFUL fill-in series: Mulder is a stay-at-home dad during the entire events of S9 (including the cat autopsy scene.) Love this to death; and it further cemented my hatred of canonical S9, so there's that: Season 9 Rewrites and Musings - Lapsed_Scholar - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

ML/ML_is_me’s (Ao3, Gossamer, DW, Invidiosa)

Mulder is a stay-at-home dad battling the Conspiracy. Scully and their new partner get a call and drop-in from Phoebe, who is relatives with a higher-up:

1/ Project:TruthSeekers Alt Season Nine: Home Fires, Part One - ML_is_me, spookyawards_archivist - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own] Goss Gossamer | Story: "The New Truth, A Project 09x04 - Home Fires 01" by ML

2/ Project:TruthSeekers Alt Season Nine: Home Fires, Part Two - ML_is_me, spookyawards_archivist - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own] Goss Gossamer | Story: "The New Truth, A Project 09x04 - Home Fires 02" by ML AU/INTP marvels that ISTJ tracked him down w/ Will-- Gossamer | Story: "155 Words - Thankful" by ML

@baronessblixen's short AU covers a S9 nightmare Mulder had: (53) Hate is always foolish and love is always wise on Tumblr Ao3 Just A Dream - Baroness_Blixen - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

@o6666666's (Ao3) 20. As we huddle together, the storm raging outside-- Untitled — 20 (tumblr.com)-- is an invasion story where Mulder and fam bunk out to escape the aliens.

jeri's (MC) fic focuses on a case Monica and Doggett bust in connection to Marita. Mulder is in the background being a stay-at-home, mentioned occasionally by Scully: Ahonis (mulderscreek.com) Goss Gossamer | Story: "Ahonis" by jeri

@aloysiavirgata has a long series about Mulder and Scully parenting a specially-abled Will, ending with mytharc Colonization:

By Falling In and In

LiveJournal 2

LiveJournal 3

LiveJournal 4

LiveJournal 5

Other assorted S9 fics w/ dashes of By Falling In and In are:

A Heart of Star-- Mulder has bonding moments with his growing son

Elysium-- Scully has bonding moments with her son growing up

Mulder Left, Scully Joined-- Mytharc Flavored

touchstona's epic that diverges from your idea only slightly-- Mulder is on the run; but Scully hauls Will out to him with her. The series is long and beautiful, touching on their entire relationship but mostly the wounds of S8 he has yet to address. She also reforms the entire mytharc while only using tools the show's writers gave us. Stunning work:

Part 1/ Amor Fati: Destinata (The Fated Love), Act One: Desiderium (The Longing) - touchstoneaf - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

Part 2/ Amor Fati: Destinata (The Fated Love), Act Two: Et Perierat et Inventus Est (The Lost and the Found) - touchstoneaf - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

Part 3/ Amor Fati: The Fated Love, Act Three: Tres Discendens (The Leaving of the Three) - touchstoneaf - The X-Files [Archive of Our Own]

Tess (Ao3) and Jacquie LaVa's fic covers Byers escorting Scully and Will to Mulder to Christmas. Mulder convinces her to stay: xfms.xffics.com/stillstillstill.txt Goss Gossamer | Story: "Still, Still, Still" by Tess & LaVa, Jacquie

Tess also writes about Scully being shoved back to the FBI for resources since Mulder is on the outs. The conspiracy rages on: Gossamer | Story: "The New Truth, A Project 09x00 - Prologue, A New Beginning" by Tess

ML/ML_is_me’s (Ao3, Gossamer, DW, Invidiosa) Slightly off topic-- Scully tracks Mulder down with Will in tow: Gossamer | Story: "155 Words - Thankful" by ML

Does this count? Gillian Leigh's (MC) AU diverts from canon midway? when Mulder gets a vision from his future daughter warning against the adoption. He goes back, packs up Scully, his fam, and hers, and hides out in a civilization bunker. Samantha's there, too: Visitor in the Desert (mulderscreek.com) Goss Gossamer | Story: "Visitor in the Desert" by Leigh, Gillian

I have more; but this is long enough as it is! XDDDD

Hope these all do somethin' fer ye~!

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