#by: lepusarcticus

[fine-nephrit]

🥏 TXF Fic Rec #16: "The After" by lepus arcticus

Today’s ficlet offers a very cool and original spin on Scully’s immortality. It manages to paint vivid imagery, build a world, and leave you wide-eyed, all in fewer than 500 words. It can be read in under a minute, so treat yourself and dig in right now! :)

---

🥏 on AO3

author: @lepus-arcticus length: ficlet, 400+ words season: post-series, sometime in the future relationship(s): m/s established relationship tags: sci-fi, post-col, fluff rating: G

[red2007]

My oldest is back having an outpatient cardiac procedure so I'm diving back into this fave by @lepus-arcticus to keep me distracted.

[tumblemumbler]

I'm a sucker for those fics where they start having sex but they don't actually discuss the change in their relationship, or even acknowledge it. Do you have any recs? Phone sex as well!

Oh, fun! I don’t have a huge list for this, but I definitely have some that came to mind immediately. I’ll reblog with more if/when I find more. We’ll start with a category I secretly think of as “Let’s pretend this never happened (until next time)”. All NSFW:

Inspection by IngridGradient - in contention for my favorite in this category and maybe just in general. M&S decide it’s very important to check each other for ticks. Very, very thoroughly. This fic lives rent free in my head; I hope it never moves out.

Incrementum by lepusarcticus - hook ups throughout the years that go (mostly) unacknowledged or ignored, at least at first. This arguably only sort of fits the category, but it’s just so good

When The Lights Are Off by storybycorey - a little unspoken late night shenanigans

And for those who want some phone sex:

Dropped Call by Phillip_Padgett - a work of smutty art

Telephone by Phillip_Padgett - in a secret secondary category that I sometimes think of as “go the fuck to sleep, Agent”

On The Line by icedteainthebag - a little established relationship phone sex

The Ehrlenmeyer Flask by Skinfull - part of the ongoing first time for every episode series

[pennyserenade]

there is a plethora of good x-files fanfics out there and i've just started to develop the problem of reading a very good one and not being able to find it again. because of this - and because all of these are genuinely novel worthy and the writers are INSANELY talented - i've decided to compile a list of some of my absolute favorites. some of these are from ao3 & some of them i found on other websites, such as x-libris and the gossamer project. i hope you enjoy these as much as i did and do. they mean the world to my romantic heart.

incrementum by lepusarcticus (explicit) - this was the first x-files fanfic i ever remember reading. i was trying desperately not to spoil the show for myself and i found out that this fic followed along the narrative, which was a godsend. i got the best of both worlds: a delectable, angsty passionate mulder/scully fic (in which they fucked from day 1) and no spoilers. it was so so so so fun reading this alongside watching the show. this writer is brilliant

omens by lepusarcticus (explicit) - i was not lying when i said this writer is brilliant. this entire thing reads like a novel and i could not for the life of me put it down when i stumbled upon it. its angsty and interesting, and could very well be another episode of the x-files because the case mulder and scully are one is so compelling. it is not easy feat to write something this good. chris carter, eat your heart out

triptych by iconicscullyoutfits (not rated but i'd say mature) - THIS WAS SO FUCKING GOOD. i can't speak highly enough about this one. its an au where mulder is married to diana fowley when he meets scully. its so so so so amazing. like i'd very well call this literature because it expanded my mind (i learned a great deal from this, especially from the chapter ice). i think diana was a very interesting character and i feel as though this fic treats her with the interest she deserves. the writing in this one is simply insane too - i'm envious of it and so so so in love with it.

love in all the wrong places by sisterspooky1013 (explicit) - mulder and scully accidentally have cybersex with each other while trying out online dating group chats. what more can i say? (also i applaud this author for making mulder's online handle allshookup61. that's so fucking mulder)

universal invariants (set from 1 to early season 2) and its sequel, laws of motion (set season 5) (both explicit) by syntax6 - these both hold such a special place in my heart. it is an au that takes on the idea that scully's bf (who was cut from the pilot, never to see the light of day) stays in the picture and there when dana starts working with fox. universal invariants makes me want to weep to because dana and fox are both so young and earnest and stupid! and laws of motion is great because they're still stupid but they're wiser about it. this is very dana and fox. i love, love, love the parts of universal invariants that cover dana's abduction arc. god these are GOOD.

arizona highways by fialka (explicit) - if you're one of those girlies who really likes an x-files episode that has a lot of case-file and scully going on, this one is FOR you. it is angsty in the worst of ways, covering more of what we see in the episodes christmas carol and emily. this is another one that i would call a novel, both in length and content. it is great and it is a very good dive into the character of scully and how she handles problems in her life

heart's desire by malibusunset (explicit) - this another really great scully-focused fic, where mulder is being a bit of an ass - as he is prone to - but she makes him come to his senses accidentally. i love a good jealous mulder and i love it even more when scully isn't exactly aware she's making him that way. this is so good that i stayed up an entire night reading it. you should too!

the guts / the incision / cauterize by wtfmulder (not all of the chapters are explicit but i would call this explicit in general) - this one is so fucking angsty it made me ache incredibly. it is a sucker punch to the gut that only the lovers (or rather, dedicated haters) of the diana/fox/dana situationship can truly appreciate. also, if you like your mulder a bit of an ass (i do! i think he really can be! i think its good to talk about!) this author is for you!!!

doorway to gods by wtfmulder (explicit) - a fic where mulder & scully go investigate a supposed portal to other dimensions shortly after scully recovers from cancer, and they both find themselves in separate hellish alternative universes where other mulder & scullys aren't doing so well. this is angsty, TOP TIER angsty. some of the scenes from this i think about often still and i read this a month ago. also this is hot. i can't not mention that small fact

the tiger complex by longgunguy (i'd say r for graphic violence but no sex or anything) - i'll be real, there isn't a whole lot of mulder/scully romance in this thing, aside from the a hand hold and a lot of quiet affection but this IS the x-files. in another world, this fic is an episode and it is brutal. you'll be biting your nails as you make your way through this one. its got a great cast of original characters and an incredible case-file, up there with an episode like ice.

[bakedbakermom]

Hi ! I’m relatively new to txf fandom and you seem very knowledgeable and lovely, and I just saw a post that had this tweet and I wanted to ask if there’s a fic like that for us ? And if not, do you have any recommendations for your all time favorite txf fics ? Thank you :)

Well aren't you sweet. Not sure about knowledgeable and lovely, but I am quite susceptible to flattery!

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 fics that have remained key pieces in the fandom since their publication:

Arizona Highways by Fialka Fialka's entire body of work is astonishing, but AH remains not only a staple for the XF fandom, but is widely regarded as one of the classics of fanfiction itself. It made an impressive showing at the 2000 Spooky Awards (fanfic awards within the fandom), winning the outstanding novel, x-file (casefile), angst, Scully characterization, and "other" character categories, and second place for outstanding Mulder characterization.

The story provides a resolution to the Emily arc that both fans and characters were otherwise denied in show canon. It follows Scully, Mulder, and Kresge (from the Christmas Carol/Emily episodes) as they discover that Emily - like the Samanthas and other clones - was but one of a series of children produced from Scully's ova to be test subjects in the wider hybridization conspiracy.

Iolokus by RivkaT and MustangSally A grim alternate universe take on the show's mytharc, this fic is highly controversial due to its bleak takes on Mulder and Scully's characterization, and the horrible things they endure throughout. Clones, rape, human experiments... I must admit that I have not finished this one - it got too dark for me quite early on - but it remains bookmarked for a time I feel ready to get into it.

This fic is both famous and infamous, and has been sparking controversy since its first publication in 1998. Proceed at your own risk.

Incrementum by Lepusarcticus A far more recent entry into the fandom (2017), this work is a series of canon-compliant alternate-universe vignettes which explore what would have happened if Mulder and Scully's romantic and sexual relationship had begun much, much earlier than in canon.

Honorable mention goes to Parabiosis by Penumbra which explores Mulder and Scully's shifting relationship throughout season seven. Penumbra is another author whose entire body of work is worthy of a deep-dive; Fathoms Five is a stunning piece concerning Scully's struggle to understand her own immortality as the world around her marches inexorably onward, and Upsidaisium is a heart-breaking story set in the long grim night of Gethsemane.

Also of note is the series Life During Wartime, a years-long collaboration between four of the fandom's best writers (Maria Nicole, cofax7, finisterre/Marasmus, and Fialka) exploring the colonization apocalypse that never came. Sweet, heart-wrenching, poignant, and fearless.

Do also check out the fics listed under the various categories of the Spooky Awards (linked above) - some are enduring classics, some are great stories that have merely been buried in the sands of time. Many of the fics listed there can be found on Gossamer (one of the few surviving archives from the show's original run and a fandom archaeologist's wet dream) or X-Libris (one person's effort to save older fics and their art from the Wayback Machine in epub and pdf format for posterity and personal use).

Also dig through the XF Book Club's archive on Livejournal for some interesting pieces you can browse by category - and as an added bonus, you can watch fellow fans debate, critique, and generally lose their minds in the comments section!

I know I have some mutuals who are fellow fandom-oldies (or newcomers who have done deep dives) so please feel free to add your recommendations to this post.

[audiofanficpod]

Top 3 On the Run Fics

There’s angst and desperation and hope. There are cats, an orgy of tabs, and a lot of overlap. Tune in while @darkesttimelinestuff, @msrtheatre0223, and @red2007 count down their favorite Mulder and Scully on the run fics.

A Dim Capacity For Wings by @aloysiavirgata LISTEN🔊

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Marigold LISTEN🔊

First Few Desperate Hours by @all-these-ghosts LISTEN🔊

Titan Arum by @edierone LISTEN🔊

KM4596 by @lepusarcticus LISTEN🔊

Busting Ghosts by @lilydalexf

aiteall by @all-these-ghosts LISTEN🔊

i don't want this to end by @r00m203 LISTEN🔊

he and i in a borrowed car by audries

one another, and time by @sarie-fairy LISTEN🔊

The Silver Thread by @aloysiavirgata LISTEN🔊

Wilson River Road by @aloysiavirgata LISTEN🔊

Interlude in a Miserable Year by @slippinmickeys LISTEN🔊

Submerge by @slippinmickeys LISTEN🔊

Three Part Harmony by @slippinmickeys

Simple Needs by @atths--twice LISTEN🔊

Wednesday Night at the Fluff and Fold by @atths--twice LISTEN🔊

Things to do at the end of the world by @emilys-list LISTEN🔊

Christmas Day 2002, 4:20 p.m. by Forte

Souvenir by @h0ldthiscat LISTEN🔊

wherever you will go by @sunflowerscully

[lepus-arcticus]

Hello! Are you thinking of putting Omens on AO3? It makes it a little easier to keep up to date with, but I know it’s more work, so no pressure! ❤️

It’s already up there, baby!  I usually post an hour or so after I post on tumblr :) 

[leiascully]

Chapters: 36/? Fandom: The X-Files Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Margaret Scully, Bill Scully Jr, Tara Scully, Matthew Scully, Diana Fowley, Alex Krycek, Cigarette Smoking Man (X-Files) Additional Tags: Early MSR, Angst, Episode: s02e09 Firewalker, Post-Episode: s02e13 Irresistible, Episode: s03e02 Paper Clip, Post-Episode: s03e17 Pusher, Post Episode: s04e09 Terma, Episode: s04e10 Paper Hearts, Episode: s04e13 Never Again, Post-Episode: s04e13 Never Again, Dubious Consent, Sexual Violence, Episode: s05e01 Redux I, Episode: s05e02 Redux II, Cancer Arc, Episode: s05e05 The Post-Modern Prometheus, Post-Episode: s05e06 Christmas Carol, Episode: s05e07 Emily, Post-Episode: s05e10 Chinga, Episode: s05e18 The Pine Bluff Variant, Episode: s05e20 The End, Movie: Fight The Future, Episode: s06e03 Triangle, Dirty Talk, Post-Episode: s06e06 How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, Episode: s06e08 The Rain King, Episode: s08e13 Per Manum, Episode: s06e14 Monday, IVF arc, Choking, Episode: s06e19 The Unnatural, Episode: s06e22 Biogenesis, Episode: s07e01 Sixth Extinction, Episode: s07e02 Amor Fati, Post-Episode: s07e04 Millenium, Post-Episode: s07e06 The Goldberg Variation, Episode: s07e07 Orison Summary:

They’re just worked up from the case, he tells himself. They’re just blowing off steam. Just this once.

** on indefinite hiatus **

[joytothegirls]

Rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

Tagged by: @paperheartsandhomemadearts & @ussfaramir - thank you both! 🥰

Favorite time of year: Seasons wise, I like spring, but I get most excited around Christmas. I have to force myself to reign it in until after Thanksgiving 😅

Comfort food: Nachos or cake with lots of frosting… maybe add a scoop of ice cream to it while we’re at it.

Do you collect something: I have always collected random things for as long as I can remember. The first thing I started an official collection of was those little spoons you find in souvenir shops. 10 year old me had money burning a hole in my pocket on a field trip and I found the little spoon so cute! So now I have a collection of spoons from almost everywhere I’ve been.

Favorite Drink: Tea! Strong black tea with sugar, iced or hot. I also really like Cherry Coke, but my stomach is not a fan so I resist the urge (most of the time 🙃)

Favorite Song: This is impossible to answer! Ummm… I’ll go with one of my first favorites - ‘In the Mood’. I was 8 when I first heard it and I loved Bette Midler’s version. Then when I got to middle school it was one of my favorites to play in jazz band. It’s also fun to swing dance to. Basically, it makes my brain happy.

Current Favorite Song: One I’ve had on repeat lately is ‘Lost On You’ by LP

Favorite fic: How do I choose?! Off the top of my head, Omens by lepusarcticus and, a recent one, The Boy on the Beach by cecilysass 💚

Tagging: @sweet-scully-sighs, @mulderwearingglasses, @foxwmulder, @my-killerbunnies, @psqqa, @im-a-goddamn-cat, @badbloodd, @rachel-bailey, @scullysbagel

[heatherwentwest]

These are just a handful of the insanely romantic quotes from beloved X-Files fics that I treasure for how perfectly they capture the enigmatic and endlessly fascinating Mulder/Scully relationship…

#1

He’s so used to her small, powerful presence, she feels so much a part of his own being, his own personhood, that sometimes he forgets she’s not. Sometimes he forgets that they’re two separate people. …

She meets his eyes, smiles at him over the best waffles he’s ever had, and he knows that she’s it. There will never, ever be anyone else.

–lepusarcticus, “Sunday at Pluto’s”

Find more of my favorite MSR fic quotes here:

[scullyverse]

Hey! You’re one of my fave x files blogs! I was just wondering what fanfics do you think are the most famous/best/well known in the x files fandom?

Thank youuuu :)

Oh that’s tricky! I’ve only really been a part of the fandom for a little while (even though I adored the x files in my childhood etc.) so I can only really judge the fics that I’ve read (so I haven’t really had time to delve too far back!) but I will link the ones I personally love the most and have stuck with me 😊

Most of them will probably be Explicit 😂 and some of them will also be crossover (with Stella from the Fall - but I will make them a seperate list)

The X Files Fics:

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic - SilhouetteOfACedar

When Two Women Collide - CultureisDarkBeer

Omens - lepusarcticus

The Science of Sex - if_the_seas_catch_fire

Pearl - SilhouetteOfACedar

Waldron Island - SisterSpooky1013

The X Files Crossover Fics:

When The Ink Dries - somekindofseizure

I am Scully - JaneIsles

Two Worlds Collide - crescentmoon223

Stella’s Rules - DanaScully77

Laws of Motion - suilven

Aureate - palepinkpores

a love forbidden - stellaxxgibson

[frangipanidownunder]

Asked by @lepus-arcticus who is too busy writing to come out to play just now.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

Probably Walter Skinner! Long-suffering parent to wayward kids who show such brilliance and courage between their acts of utter stupidity and danger. I posted a silly fic yesterday that might encapsulate this.

K:  Do you have a guilty pleasures in fic (reading or writing)?

I am a sucker for agents in mortal danger - hostages, violence, stalking etc. As long as it is resolved by some act of heroism by the other, following plenty of angst and declarations of love!

[red2007]

I moved my living room around yesterday which highlighted 2 of my bare walls. I've made some awesome book covers, and I love words. So I spent some time today making these. I'm gonna print them on vintage paper, 2 are 11x11 and will surround my XF Frome, the others are 8x8 and will be squares on the other wall.

I'm so fucking excited.

[dumbx-filesthoughts]

What fanfic are you into these days ? Some of my favorites below... comment with your recs!

Incrementum - lepusarcticus

Parabiosis - Penumbra

Finding Rocovoko- prufrock’s love

Belphegors Prime - prufrock’s love

Das Ding - Teethnbone

Dr. Scully’s School for Exceptional Boys - prufrock’s love

Universal Invariants - syntax6

Contact High - Penumbra

[dnscully]

Link us to your favorite fics. I need more! :)

favorites

part 1

this one has most of my favorites and the ones i constantly go back to. lots of diana angst, AUs, and kidfics

part 2

a second list of faves & general recs. has fake dating fics and some revival era fics

haven’t had the chance to read many new multi chapter fics so my theme for this new batch of recs is: oneshots!!!1!1! lmao

oneshot collections

various shades of MSR by @mldrgrl

tumblr prompts by anonstarbuck

MSR moments by agoodwoman

Prompts & Drabbles by @baronessblixen

Short Tumblr Prompts by @gaycrouton

Tumblr MSR prompts by @admiralty-xfd

COLLECTION - oneshots by @sarie-fairy

only one choice by @starwalker42

Language of Love: Prompts of Angst and Romance by @monikafilefan

oneshots

Sunday Scully by @edierone

Mulder Breaks The Rules by @baronessblixen - quarantine fic

Cancelled Plans by @suitablyaggrieved - ft. diana fowley and jealous scully

of saturday secrets and maybe babies by @catarinquar - post amor-fati

Unfinished Business by all_these_ghosts

Salt Lake City, Utah by jessahmewren - au where scully leaves

these tornadoes are for you (or the times she loved him back) by inksplotches

string theory (or seven times dana scully wore fox mulder’s clothes) by inksplotches

Your Platonic Relationship: An Owner’s Manual by nanda

We Wish You A Happy Holiday by @mldrgrl

Favourite by lepusarcticus

Flea Market Ecomony by Punk - bodyswap fic

i’m missing so so many but it’s 1am and these are what i could think of rn i hope you enjoy!!

[audiofanficpod]

AFP 2x13

Top 3 Series: AU - Other

Taking another spin through multiple alternate universes, join red2007, kristinsauter, and banannie_x as they pick their favorite modern day AUs. How else do you like your Scully and Mulder?

Even Now In Heaven by @scapegrace74-blog

Quis Si by Trixie • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4

Tandem by @alienqueequeg

From the Mixed-Up Files of Dr. Bryce S. DeWitt by @aloysiavirgata

Candy From a Stranger by Ana Vicente

The Annapolis Grant by @slippinmickeys

Variations on a Theme by @bowiecadmium

Someone's Wife by Donna

Tabulae Anatomicae by @lepus-arcticus

The Darker Timeline by hellsteeth

Gem-like Flame by @slippinmickeys

The Scully File by @mldrgrl

Somewhere A Clock is Ticking by TheAddict4Dramatics

Knit Four, Purl One by @atths--twice

The Post by @slippinmickeys

An Unexpected Discovery by @atths--twice and @gilliansmae

A Companion Unobtrusive by @slippinmickeys

Neuro Nonsense by @wtfmulder Audio

Aprons and Scrubs by @lokisgame

Black Tie Affair Series by @somekindofseizure

The Forgotten Summer by @dksculder