#txf.txt

[katebeckets]

It annoys me soooo much when tumblr marks my x files sets as “mature content” because my dude. Do you know what I’d give for some mature x files content

[carefulfears]

what many of you do not understand, though several of you do, is that dana scully is a severely embarrassing and deranged freak who always suffered under the pressures of both society and her military catholic family and if she wants to throw her life away for a weird lil obsessive guy because she thinks he’s passionate and kind and funny and makes her feel alive then that’s literally just her business

[nefertitisfjordd]

Just thinking about how Demons is a classic badass Scully episode—she comes to Mulder’s rescue and fusses over him and plays doctor to him and fights for justice for him and shit.

but it also must’ve been, like, an ungodly long day for her having to chase around after him like a toddler who somehow keeps getting outside. She gets left at his mom‘s house in Greenwich, Connecticut and then chases him back to Rhode Island where he gets his brain drilled, only to chase him back to Greenwich again. and when she finally finds him he almost shoots her. like it’s just been a really long day for her.

But at the end of the day she still just holds him and comforts him. it’s just such a testament to the unconditional and unwavering love they have for each other.

It’s a multifaceted episode and I love it.

[rylandgraces]

[katebeckets]

thinking about how scully is on vacation and taking a relaxing bubble bath and then is like "hmmm, this is nice. but you know what would make this absolutely perfect? calling mulder so we can talk about zombies"

[katebeckets]

I love that scully refuses to examine her own feelings for mulder because it’s frankly just none of her concern, but the second she finds out mulder is in trouble, she will be making it everyone else’s problem

[katebeckets]

What advice would you give Mulder and Scully as a couples therapist?

oh good lord 😂 this is gonna have to go under a read more fkdajkfljakdf;

i have actually thought about this a lot and the first thing I always think of is communication. I feel like they don't miscommunicate too often because they either communicate or they don't—when they communicate, they understand each other really well.

to start, though, I'd ask them what they think their relationship is. like do they think this is normal? and I'd ask them that completely seriously because we really need to know if they think this is normal behavior 😂 I would also start with a lot of psychoeducation about the importance of processing and sharing your feelings since both of them grew up in environments where emotions were punished (even if unintentionally).

I'd try to really get across to them the point that nobody can read your mind. You can know someone really well, you can guess with 99% accuracy what their response will be, and you can't KNOW anything unless they tell you. This is a lesson that needs to be learned in multiple settings: people don't know for sure how you express love and affection until you tell them. people can't know what you need unless you tell them. you don't know what someone's intentions are unless you ask them. And even then, you only know with as much certainty as you have trust.

One example I'll (try to) give is "Never Again" ("try to" because it's an episode I avoid at all costs for personal reasons, so I have only seen it twice). I get annoyed because I know a lot of people get mad at Mulder for being inconsiderate and careless, but the thing is, Scully communicated none of what she was feeling in that episode to Mulder. Yes, Mulder could be more perceptive, but she's also punishing him without letting him know why ("punishing" here meaning that she's treating him as though she communicated something and he ignored it, not meaning all the events of the episode), which is unfair. She also assumes she knows why Mulder didn't get her a desk, and I'd argue that she doesn't truly know why. It's possible he didn't get her a desk because he likes having her there in that space with him. That would definitely be a self-centered reason, but it's not malicious, and might change how she responds to what's going on.

I don't think they fully have the language to reflect on what they feel and express it to others (though Mulder is pretty good at it generally, I think he would need some practice recognizing in the moment), so we'd probably do a lot of "sitting with the feeling" without judgment and without trying to change it. I'd also probably practice validation with them (which is not validation as in "your feelings are valid" or "I hear you" — validation as in "I see what you are showing me and you can show me more").

I guess the tl;dr of it is that it comes down to communication, but most specifically communication around feelings. also, maybe they could try fucking about it. just to see.

[katebeckets]

I was watching “Home Again” for gif-making purposes and once again thinking about how much I love the inclusion of “One Breath” flashbacks and how much it says about Scully’s relationship with Mulder, because I think Mulder’s presence is such a critical influence in Scully holding on and Maggie letting go.

When Scully sees Maggie in the hospital and asks her not to go home yet because “I need you,” I remember the first thing that came to my mind as something Maggie might says was a very gentle, very loving “no, you don’t.” Because Maggie knows Mulder is there; she doesn’t need Maggie the same way she did when Mulder wasn’t regularly in her life. Of course the relationships are different and one can’t replace the other, but I feel like knowing that Mulder was back in Scully’s life was a key part in Maggie feeling ready to let go. Scully wanted her to stay, but she didn’t need her to stay, not the way she did when she and Mulder were separated. So when I first saw this scene, my mind filled in the blank for Maggie as gently, lovingly arguing that no, she doesn’t need her anymore—it’s okay for Maggie to let go.

And the reason it makes me extra crazy is because I feel like when Scully is the person in that position, Mulder’s role is reversed—he is the reason she stays. Maggie and Melissa don’t want Scully to die, of course, but they both accept it pretty readily—just like Scully doesn’t need Maggie, Maggie and Melissa (and the rest of her family, but they aren’t there) don’t need Scully to stay in order to be okay. But Mulder does, and Scully knows that. I believe he would’ve ultimately honored Scully’s wishes, and I believe she knows that, which is all the more reason she felt the pull back to him when she was in that limbo. So when mother and daughter are in this place, Mulder’s presence is what tips the scale in both moments. Scully finds the strength and drive to stay and Maggie finds enough peace and comfort to let go.