Just Here For The Fics

Originally I was going to focus this post on the 1999 Spooky Awards because, you know, they came consecutively after 1998 (and because @amplifyme won a lifetime achievement award that year! did y'all know that? it seems deserved for sure, although she must have been awfully youthful to be getting a lifetime achievement award). But once I looked over the full list for 2000, I couldn't resist choosing 2000. Nearly every fic on the list is familiar to me. These are some masterpieces. This had to be one of the high point years for fic, at least in my book. So many of these are still on my rec lists! (And not just mine!) I mean, right? Some trends I notice for the winners of this year: lots of angst. XF fic always includes angst, but oof, 2000's winners had so much. More angst than smut, I would say, although there's smut, too. This is interesting because in 2000 canon, of course, we're in season 7 and things are generally lighter and flirtier. Well, I guess Sein und Zeit / Closure, Orison and the season finale are plenty angsty, and there are fics here about those episodes.

I also notice a 2000 trend for post-apocalyptic fic and fic with clever and grim twists. Of course, in canon, the mytharc is pointing to likely colonization at this point, there were lots of 90s alien invasion stories in general. And who knows, maybe we have some general turn-of-the-millenium apocalyptic vibes in the air, too? Pop culture of the late 90s / early 2000s also really liked clever plot concepts and twists (See: Se7en, Sixth Sense, Usual Suspects, The Others). So these make sense as fanfic elements.

At any rate, I present to you ... the XF fandom's Spooky Award Winners of 2000. (I will get back to 1999, I promise! And the others!) I do have to split this up in two posts because of link limits, but I will link the second part below. Let me know what you notice / think.

SPOOKY WINNERS 2000 Outstanding Short Story, Vignette or Poem

First Place - Black Hole Season - Penumbra

Second Place - Nobody's Son - Marguerite

Third Place - Cellphone - Marasmus

Outstanding Midlength Story

First Place (tie) Aquinnah - Anjou

First Place (tie) Strangers and the Strange Dead - Kipler

Second Place - Night Giving Off Flames - Jesemie's Evil Twin

Third Place - A Candle for Katherine - marasmus

Outstanding Long Story

First Place - The Dreaming Sea - Revely

Second Place - The Second to Last 7-Eleven - V. Salmone

Third Place - Malus Genius - Maybe Amanda and Plausible Deniability

Outstanding Novel

First Place - Arizona Highways - Fialka

Second Place - Blinded by White Light - Dasha K. (@dashakay)

Third Place - Blood Oranges - Syntax6 @syntax6

Outstanding Series

First Place - Life During Wartime - cofax, Maria Nicole and Marasmus - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Second Place - Intuitive Reasoning Series Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 - Mish

Serendipity Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 - Sue Schramm

Outstanding WIP

First Place - All the Way Home - syntax6 @syntax6

Second Place - Ersatz Promises - Suzanne Barringer and Suzanne Schramm

Third Place - Almost Home - Shoshana

Outstanding Angst Story

First Place - Arizona Highways - Fialka

Second Place - Night Giving Off Flames - Jesemie's Evil Twin

Third Place (tie) - Cellphone - Marasmus

Third Place (tie) - Strangers and the Strange Dead - Kipler

Outstanding Apocalypse / Post-Colonization Story

First Place - Blinded by White Light - Dasha K.

Second Place - Night Giving Off Flames - Jesemie's Evil Twin

Third Place - Life During Wartime - cofax, Maria Nicole and Marasmus - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Outstanding Crossover Story

First Place - Thanks of a Grateful Nation (The West Wing crossover) - Sabine

Second Place - Straight on 'Til Morning (Peter Pan crossover) - Brandon Ray

Third Place (tie) - Glass Hearts (The Sandman crossover)- David Hearne

Third Place (tie) - Mezzo Luna (Like Water for Chocolate crossover)- Michelle Kiefer

Outstanding Humor Story

First Place - Malus Genius - Maybe Amanda and Plausible Deniability

Second Place - Good Vibrations - Lysander

Third Place - Midnight Mark-up - Louise Marin

Outstanding Post-Episode Story

First Place - Black Hole Season - Penumbra

Second Place - Aquinnah - Anjou

Third Place - Nobody's Son - Marguerite

Outstanding X-File

First Place (tie) - Arizona Highways - Fialka

First Place (tie) - Blood Oranges - Syntax6

Second Place - Malus Genius - Maybe Amanda and Plausible Deniability

Third Place - Gutless - Magdeleine

Outstanding Scully Characterization

First Place - Arizona Highways - Fialka

Second Place - Blood Oranges - Syntax6

Third Place - Blinded by White Light - Dasha K.

Outstanding Mulder Characterization

First Place - Aquinnah - Anjou

Second Place - Arizona Highways - Fialka

Third Place - Night Giving Off Flames - Jesemie's Evil Twin

Outstanding Skinner Characterization

First Place (tie) - Abject - PD

First Place (tie) - Whom My Soul Loveth - Marguerite

Second Place - The Measure of My Days - Marguerite

Third Place - Six Months - Keleka

Outstanding Krycek Characterization

First Place - Crashing in the Same Car - Rachel Anton

Second Place - Useful Idiots - Brandon D. Ray

Third Place (tie) - My Little Demons - a frightened little girl

Third Place (tie) - Mapping the Veins - she who hides

Outstanding Other Series Character Characterization

First Place - Arizona Highways (Kresge) - Fialka

Second Place - Intuitive Reasoning Series (Karen Kosseff) Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 - Mish

Third Place - Getting Used to Gunfire (Maggie Scully) - cofax and Maria Nicole

Outstanding Original Character

First Place - Strangers and the Strange Dead - Kipler

Second Place - A Candle for Katherine - Marasmus

Third Place - My Favorite Word - Mish

Outstanding MSR UST

First Place - Strange Fruit - Punk Maneuverability

Second Place - Good Vibrations - Lysandra

Third Place - The Dreaming Sea - Revely

Outstanding Non NC-17 MSR

First Place - Atoll - Terma99

Second Place - Black Hole Season - Penumbra

Third Place - In the Night Season - Revely

Outstanding NC-17 MSR

First Place - Landfall - Ambress

Second Place - Worth Breaking - Narida Law

Third Place - Blinded by White Light - Dasha K.

Alive by @monikafilefan A glimpse into Scully’s emotional state of mind during those missing moments before and after Mulder’s death. Mulder leaves behind something special for Scully to cling to besides their son.

Artifact by @dashakay The ruins of a once-great civilization.

At Your Feet, His Emblems Fall by M. Sebasky Post-episode

Becoming Fox Mulder by lots_of_oranges_outside @lotsoforangesoutside Scully misses Mulder.

Before Their Eyes by DSc1110 The Lone Gunmen learn of what happened to Mulder.

Dead Fish by Rachel Wilder Another death makes it hard for Scully to move on.

En L'aire by Branwell It's been months since that night in Montana.

Enigmatic Nexus by DM “Despite the man holding her gently to his chest, I sense she is still very much everything I was not too long ago.”

Eventually by @agentwhalesong Scully and Doggett end up briefly talking about their partnership.

Gate 23 by TabithaJean @agirlcallednarelle Scully waits to board the flight back home after This Is Not Happening. It’s hard to get on the plane.

Gone by Anonymous What happened when Scully thought Mulder was dead?

Gravity, Oh Gravity by thegoodthebadandthenerdy @cauldronoflove They put the call out in the dead of the night, and just as he was taken so is he returned.

Grief by Donna Now what?

He Left the Light On by Jamie Lyn What do you do with death? Time passes in moments…

He Moved Through the Fair by Ambress My old love came to me.

Hieroglyphs of Memory by Zuffy Mulder didn't forget his sister, Scully knows whose baby it is, Maggie still cares about her daughter, and the brain disease makes sense after all. This story is for anyone who has gnashed their teeth at the inexplicable holes in Season 8.

How Glory Goes by Marguerite A night of vigilant mourning.

I wish I could do something by bravest_person_in_Wonderland @swinging-stars-from-satellites Monica is familiar with the grief of others, but there's nothing she can do to ease Dana Scully's pain.

Light Don't Sleep by wonderland @amplifyme "I don't want this to end. I want to stay like this forever. Just the three of us, right here in this bed. Not a care in the world."

My Life Is in the Falling Leaf by DarlaBlack @sigritandtheelves What difference would five minutes have made?

The Mystery of George Harrison by TabithaJean @agirlcallednarelle Scully and Skinner are sorting out Mulder's apartment when she learns something new about him.

Pray the Light by all_these_ghosts @all-these-ghosts She doesn’t want his father’s money or the house where his mother died. She doesn’t want his books except that they hold the memory of his hands; she doesn’t want his clothes except that some of them, fewer and fewer now, still smell like him.

Sacred Time by Innisfree Time expands when ghosts come to call.

Slow Returns by o666666 @o6666666 The best day of her life, she thinks: when Mulder comes back. She argues and argues to treat him and to save him, as though running slow, through water. “Who are you?” he jokes when he wakes up, and she is so grateful. She wants to tell him Go easy, I am barely off the sauce, and Please only be exactly yourself. (Bonus: author commentary here and here)

Something Less by Meredith Not quite pity; not quite love; not quite life.

Stay by emmbright He lost Mulder by not paying attention; he won't lose her the same way.

Sunset Visitation by mountainphile Her pregnant body beckons to him...

Things Happen by se_parsons Things happen, and then there are consequences. And, for this one, let's just play it 1013's way.

This Is Happening by littlemisfit5290 @alittlemissfit He picks up on the squelching sound her boots make in the grass and the mud, turns to see her, and promptly stands.

To Absent Friends by Lara Means @larameansxf "You lost more than just an agent, didn't you? You considered Agent Mulder a friend too."

Untitled by @o6666666 Over and over again, ‘til it’s nothing but a senseless babble

Untitled by skuls @skuls-s This is Not Happening AU. Prompts: “Marry me?” and “I thought you were dead.”

whispering images by skuls @skuls-s During his abduction, Mulder realizes that Scully’s daughter, Emily, is still alive.

AntarcticaFic

Terra Australis - @sisterspooky1013 A  little hurt/comfort, naked bodies generating heat, actual research into base stations in Antarctica, bunk bed love. This has it all. SisterSpooky1013 does not miss. You will not regret this read. Four Days on the 63rd Parallel - @frostbitepandaaaaa This imagines the practical details of surviving in a Snowcat in a plausible way (she says with utter confidence like she has any fucking idea how to survive in a Snowcat). A completely enjoyable read.

Certitude - Justin Glasser A more casefile-y survival story. After Mulder rescues Scully from the spaceship in Antarctica, they end up in a military hospital in quarantine. Good, right? Maybe not. The hospital is not perhaps what it should be. A suspenseful adventure plot, and also, very sweet MSR. (Author sometimes is listed elsewhere as Justine Glasser – not sure which is preferred or came first, and if anyone knows, please let me know.)

Good Old Fashioned Snowed-In plus Chilly One Beds

It Could Be a Heart-Shaped World, If She Let it, And If He Asked - @mldrgrl This one is one bed and snowed-in trope, but with heart and brain. Our agents are stuck in a honeymoon suite in the Poconos. There’s some character-revealing conversation.

How Many Tropes Can One Story Hold? - @mldrgrl Listen, call me a simple girl, but it turns out I love a story that is crammed with as many tropes as one story can hold. Snowed in, sickfic, drunken confessions: the story of stories.

Keep Christmas With You (All Through The Year) - @leiascully  A not-really-Christmas story that uses Christmas as a metaphor. It’s also got good juicy tropes (first time, snowed in, just one room) but this is especially sweet, hot and sensitively written. It’s just so atmospheric. And there are some character choices that are surprising but in character, too. Mulder POV. 

Let it Snow - @leiascully Scully rescues a partner who makes bad choices (in other words, The X-Files.) Short but absolutely perfect, perfect dialogue.

a cabin in the woods - @monikafilefan They’re stranded in the snowy woods, worried about the dropping temperature, and oh look, a hunter’s cabin! Snowed-in and super hot first time. Classic set-up done beautifully. A delight. 

Cold Is The Night - oohnotvery I debated whether this was classic snowed-in trope or not—it’s really a slight variation, more “we’re in a very cold outdoor tent and need to share”—but I went with this category because it’s the right spirit for sure. Delicious Diana angst. The cold / Diana angst combo is this one of this talented author’s specialties – see below.

The Coldest Night of the Year - oohnotvery Mulder and Scully snowed in … with Diana. Angsty, jealous times. (But ultimately very sweet MSR.) This author is gooooood at this. All the Warmth in the World - oohnotvery  One more oohnotvery story about cooooooold Diana angst and waaaaarm MSR. The three of them have to share a cold jail cell overnight. Diana offers to share a cot with Mulder (booooo). Is Mulder going to get his shit together in time?

Just Getting Warmed Up - @xfmaweezy They’re still early partners, there’s a rare March blizzard, and there’s a chance to get one another better. So sweet, gentle and full of little well-observed details / Easter eggs. 

Frozen - @dashakay After a case, two new friends offer to share a weekend cabin with Mulder and Scully so they can unwind, and even to their surprise, they agree. The weather takes this plot in another direction. This is a tropey set-up and absolutely gorgeously written, by the badass author of the classic Blinded by White Light, which you should also read if you haven't. 

Still Feeling My Father Ascend - cecilysass (me me me) I wrote this one and I always inelegantly include my own work on rec lists. Post-Beyond the Sea. A more serious snowed-in about daddy issues and grief. 

Snow or Cold Involved Substantively In Plot

By the Wind Grieved - Karen Rasch Mulder returns six months after his abduction with complete amnesia. Scully is eager to help him remember who he is, but for noble / misguided reasons conceals the nature of their relationship and his connection to her visible pregnancy. All this and they have a snowy Christmas in a safe house.

white winter hymnal - audries Twelve Christmases over twelve years, a series of vignettes – many which involve snow. Plus the name of this lovely work, hence its inclusion here. 

A Winter’s Tale -  Anjou Scully and Mulder are chilly post-One Son. When Mulder seems to be disappearing oddly, Scully is not even sure he isn’t secretly meeting Diana. He isn’t, and the truth takes them on a tense cross-country winter trip. This is a long, satisfying MSR adventure.

And—okay, this is about to be controversial, and younger me would be horrified—but I also just wish they would have committed one way or the other with the Diana storyline. Like, if you want to show us that Mulder has a thing with Diana, then just show it. If you want him to obviously suspect her after Scully’s warnings, show that. Go one way or the other, but choose a lane and commit. While you’re at it, give more definition to Diana’s character, too. Is she sincere in any way—or no? What are her motives?

That’s not even focusing on the most frustrating part of One Son, which is that at best Mulder and Scully painfully miscommunicate, and at worst Mulder treats Scully very badly. There’s not really ever a direct resolution of that. We don’t ever get to see that put right in any satisfying way. But … that’s definitely where fic steps in. (It also helps with giving the decontamination shower scene more of a spotlight, and I'm in favor). 

I’m focusing my recs on One Son fics particularly, but I’ll include a few more generic Diana angst fics, too. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to create a complete list of these, so please forgive any obvious omissions. Hopefully people can chime in with other favorites. 

The Recs

Absolution - SlippinMickeys (@slippinmickeys)This fic fits within the events of One Son perfectly. Scully is still angry, obviously. Angry sex and apology sex. Completely lovely. 

Car Ride by JLB The awkward car ride back from the hangar. Poor Scully’s suffering as she has to deal with Mulder’s continued obliviousness.

The Coldest Night of the Year - oohnotvery This is not One Son specific, but it is some angsty angsty Diana angst. When a snowstorm hits town, Scully goes to Mulder's to shelter in place, but discovers Diana is there with them. World's most awkward sleepover.

Deluge - OnlyFoxMulder While taking shelter from the hurricane in Florida during Agua Mala, Mulder pushes Scully to talk about her anger towards him. I like the dialogue in this, and it’s a good balance between allowing Scully to be angry and still caring about Mulder.

the guts - wtfmulder This fic and its sequels are dark chocolate angst, the kind that says 80% bitter on the wrapper.  It’s not for the faint of heart: both Mulder and Scully behave badly, and the pain, the pain. It starts when Mulder accidentally drops an empty condom wrapper after One Son. It does go in more hopeful directions eventually. 

Hot Shower - Suzanne Barringer This is an AU version of the decontamination shower scene. Interestingly, this is because it was written when the scene was rumored but had not yet aired—and given that, it’s closer to the actual scene than you might think. Still, it focuses on… some different aspects of the scene. A fun and hot read.

Hurt’s Hopeful Plunder - DarlaBlack This is a very satisfying wrap-up to the Mulder being an asshole plot of One Son. 

in this metallic silence - light_loves_the_dark In the aftermath of One Son, Diana manipulates an oblivious Mulder and it results in Scully being physically hurt. This is Angst Level High, but it has a happy ending. It also includes a scene of Mulder really comprehensively taking Diana to task, which is something the author points out is fairly rare.

(In)Visible - 13starbuck42 A shorter piece in which Scully drinks a bottle of wine and plausibly takes Mulder to task in a satisfying way. 

Mulder, Scully, and Diana Fucking Fowley - Sarie_Fairy This fic is post-Milagro, but it is really about the damage wrought during One Son. Sarie_Fairy can construct such a good emotional build-up in her dialogue.

Never Cold With You By My Side - Baroness Blixen Diana requires Mulder and Scully to stay overnight in Fort Marlene after their decontamination shower, which has … effects she may not have intended. 

Pilgrims creeping towards the dawn- softnow  This is one of my favorite Diana angst fics. It's not One Son specific, but still. This one gives it to you pure and unfiltered. Beautifully written little heartbreaker. Ouchy ouch.

Sinking Ships - Benduini A post ep written right after the ep. Scully makes peace with the fact she’s going to lose Mulder to Diana, only to have things turn out unexpectedly.

the waffle house index - audries Subtle, beautifully written story about the aftermath of One Son. It doesn’t mention the events of One Son, yet somehow is entirely about them. It’s also about a partnership that is straining under years of failure to communicate well and a tendency to lean too hard on comfortable patterns. This fic has one of my favorite tags: “Waffle House is a metaphor, Hazel Grace.” (The author says in notes she’s never been to a Waffle House, which is unimaginable for me, honestly.)

A Winter’s Tale - Anjou Scully and Mulder are chilly post-One Son. When Mulder is oddly absent, Scully is not even sure he isn’t secretly meeting Diana. He isn’t, and the truth takes them on a tense cross-country trip. This is a satisfying MSR adventure.

wishbone - light_loves_the_dark This fic imagines a scene where Mulder and Diana go to pick Scully up to go to El Rico. In an intense, angsty conversation, Mulder tries to convince Scully to get into the car. Talking about his feelings just feels manipulative to Scully. Painful, moving, satisfying.

One Hand Tied - me me me (cecilysass) This is my own take on post-One Son with some canon divergence. After One Son, Mulder and his suitcase disappear, last seen with Diana. Scully assumes they have gone away somewhere together, but there’s more going on than that.  Other fics of mine that feature Diana prominently, but not necessarily in One Son context: Honest Man, Pause, The Kaleidoscope, The Marriage Spectacular, Unobserved.

What'd I miss?

shannono

shannono has a plethora of shorter fics-- AUs (Herrenvolk's "Goodbye"), cancer arc ("Shield of Lies"), peaceful walks ("CHECK GAGES"), support during tragedies ("Empathic", "Getting Closer", "In the Loop", "A Phone Call", "A House Divided"), bonding ("Centerfield", "Honesty", "Battles Won)-- as well as a series titled Lessons Learned.

@amplifyme/Lydia Bower

One of the OG legends around these parts, I highly recommend amplifyme's work for those that love maturer, contemplative pieces with a touch of Mulder irreverence (and tenderness) and a touch of Scully's measured intelligence (and soul.) "Dance Without Sleeping" covers the cancer arc (while dipping into AU territory), "Burning in Heaven" picks up where Redux II left off, and "Reconciliation" respectfully tackles their beliefs post-All Souls. Also, you'll find other, more recent work on Ao3 and Tumblr. (I favor "Light Don't Sleep", a post-Deadalive fic which perfectly blends reconnection, old habits, and new territory.)

Annie Sewell-Jennings

Sewell-Jennings creates reality bordering on surrealism: chance or carnage unnavoidable, conversations honest yet guarded and layered. Recommendations: cancer arc dark realities in "Enough" and "Wallpaper"; Italian food and lines crossed (then retreated) in "Artificial Star Light"; Scully's trauma post-Tithonus in "Achromatic"; forced retirement and separation (and yearning) in "Erosion"; quiet, simmering guilt (and skipping stones) in "Ripples"); and Colonization-style choices (Mulder's delayed return from the aliens in "Glass Landscape;" Mulder and Scully still themselves despite the world falling apart "Snow Blindness"; and their and their child's assisted suicide before the world is destroyed in "On the Beach".)

syntax6

Syntax is well known and regularly recced (and not without good reason); so, I shall simply nudge you to read post-Redux II's "The Queen of Hearts", a post-Redux II case file titled "Ember", a glimpse of Valentine's Day each year in 20 (on FFN) and my personal favorite The Birthday Stories (here.) You can find syntax6's full catalog here.

Livia Balaban

Balaban touches on grief and hopeful second chances, with Mulder and Scully processing and moving forward from their struggles. Post-Redux II Samantha proves it's her in "18- Words - Samantha's Fate"; Scully and Bill come to an agreement in "Dana vs. Bill"; and Mulder discusses his new investigative path forward (post-Vienen) in "Fox Versus the Volcano." But my favorite piece is the two-parter "Cunegard's Restoration (or, The Best of All Possible Worlds, Really)", which reunites a pregnant Scully with an abducted Mulder and Samantha (along with others who secret the four of them to a bunker for safekeeping.)

Malibusunset

Malibusunset is a name oft bandied about if one is looking for longer famfic ("Terra Firma", AU after Existence-- read in full on Ao3) or 'free spirit Mulder and reluctant Scully slowly navigate domesticity together' slices of life. Other than the aforementioned, I'd recommend her Emily AU "All That is Dark and Bright" and her IVF arc AU "40 Weeks" (also on Ao3.)

Joyce

Joyce's "Revenant" and "The Ghost In Her Life", "The Ghost at Her Side," and "The Ghost in the Dark" follow the same theme (brilliantly, might I add): Mulder is killed, but comes back in some form. In the former's case, his body shambles to prevent an impending danger to Scully's life; and in the latter's Mulder stays by his partner's side as a ghost, helping her solve x-files as a ghost. These fics elegantly swing from visceral to moving, from supernatural to human-- I never get tired of reading her work.

Shoshana

Shoshana has a full and overflowing catalog to choose from, with a specialty towards Mulder and Scully on the same page (or very near it.) "Called" (post-The Red and the Black), "A Modest Proposal", "The Cheering Section", and series following Mulder and Scully on the run (with Bill's two cents are Maggie and William go into hiding)-- "Mr. Mulder" , "Mother Maggie", "Daughter Dana", "Professor Morris", "Doctor Morris", "Empty Place Settings", and "Dead Letter"-- are great starting points.

Leyla Harrison

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Leyla Harrison, whose passing during the original series was honored by Agent Harrison in Alone. Perhaps start with "Flames" (a post-All Souls realization for Mulder) or "The Star" (a post-How the Ghosts Stole Christmas addition.) If you'd like to search for more stories, they're also housed here.

Dawn

Dawn characterizes Mulder and Scully in a way that agreeably suits my tastes. "Broken" and "One on One" keeps pace with a loopy Mulder and his guardian partner, "Trivia Pursuits" sits with Mulder and Scully on one of their many stakeouts, "Bereft" depicts the hard night after Teena Mulder's death, "Smoked" details Mulder's peril in Brand X, and "Last Kiss" throws Mulder and Scully into the snow (where Teena's ghost communes with her son.)

Ten

Ten appears to prefer into fill-in fics, be they canon-compliant, canon-divergent, or entirely AU. Mulder is taken by Duane Barry instead of Scully in "Why Her - Why Not Me"; post-One Breath Mulder is taken care of by the Scully women in "Learning to Breathe"; End Game Scully spends her birthday waiting for Mulder to wake in "Candles of Ice"; "To Follow the Gypsy Rover" and "Trying to Catch the Fox" show Anasazi Scully and TLG attempting to catch and restrain Mulder; "Scully Gets Fed Up With Being the Ditch Witch" Scully refuses to let Mulder pursue Marita's tip alone; "Beneath the Surface" post-The Beginning Scully realizes her partner is suffering a health crisis; "Having a Happy X-mas" post-HTGSC Mulder sees a familiar Triangle face at Scully's family's part; "The Fallout from Arcadia" post-Arcadia Mulder is injured (and comedically suffers from temporary amnesia); "A Fuller Canvas" allows Mulder to take a peak at his post-Deadalive partner unawares; and the unnamed (but loosely referred to as Daniel/Couch) series in collaboration with Macspooky gives Mulder, Scully, and their family a happier ending.

(Sidenote: Macspooky's Couch Series, an AU branching off sometime after Emily, begins with "The Couch", follows up with "A Christmas Miracle", and ends with "Unexpected Arrivals.")

Jamie Greco

Greco managed to do what few can: make me invested in dialogue-only fics. "Truth or Dare", "Truth AND Dare", and "Breathing" are spectacular (with the latter being my favorite.) Other "traditional" fics I'd recommend are "Scarlet" and "Someday He'llj Laugh" (Mulder loopy on meds and Mulder in BIogenesis torment, respectively.)

LuvTheBeez

LuvTheBeez (and slippinmickeys, see below) are both OGs that master familial MSR without sacrificing Mulder and Scully's characterization, deftly balancing the changes in their relationship, priorities, and perspectives. In Luv's case, Mulder and Scully remain the same no matter their circumstances: be it in labor during a robbery gone wrong ("Snow") or trekking through the wilderness towards safety in a post-Colonization world after Mulder's return ("Equanimity".) Their humor and personal quirks, interests and expressions, talents and abilities stay true to their canonical core. And family aside, she does a really great job capturing Mulder's emotions while sorting through the Vineyard house ("Packing".)

As an aside, "Snow" and FatCat's "Eggnog" have a similar premise (Mulder and heavily-pregnant Scully caught up in a robbery) with different outcomes: the former couple are married, and the latter aren't even a couple yet (though that's taken care of by the time their IVF child is born.)

@tatooedlaura-blog/Laura Spry

Another author that still has a presence in the fandom, Spry explores characterization that speaks more to communion than antagonism. I recommend starting with "Walk" (Mulder and Scully run out of gas), "Another Sunrise" (Mulder and Scully assist the recovery of deceased little boys) and "Always Been Yours" (Maggie Scully unexpectedly dies) before heading to her Ao3 to read the "Life" series (an AU branching off the cancer arc, or thereabouts.)

Revely

Revely deftly highlights Mulder and Scully's hesitant, shy side-- a fear of rejection buried under dedication to the work (and unspoken devotion to each other.) "The Dreaming Sea" is a case file fic about a local (fish) boy's whereabouts; and "The Unfinished Universe" branches off Requiem by a year, following Mulder and Scully (and William's) slow drive home (and reconnection.)

Spooky2u2

Spooky2u2 writes shorter pieces of Mulder and Scully working through emotional turmoil gently. "Needing a Miracle" (Milagro), "The Words" (Sein Und Zeit), and "Only Death Would Stop Me" (post-Requiem AU) are my repeat reads.

FabulousMonster

FabulousMonster does well cracking open Mulder's psyche and spilling it (via post-Closure's "Hoop Dreams" and post-Deadalive's "It's Been Awhile")-- but lest Mulder have all the fun, FM also captures Scully's hilarious inner commentary in "Hair Wars."

Lysandra

Lysandra is excellent at giving us readers glimpses of the conversations M and S must have had off-screen: "Truncated" opens with Scully (and Mulder) waking in the trunk of a car while "Inside Straight" begins during their tete-a-tete card game.

Maria Nicole/mn_x

Nicole's work has emotional range, most often about healing or exploratory emotions aided and abetted by externalized circumstances. Her penultimate, to me, is "Bridge" (a continuation from Field Trip and Folie a Deux), but I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Maybe Today" and "Yesterday" (Scully's new scar post-Tithonus), "Subcutaneous 02" (Scully stays with Charlie's family for the impending the birth of his next child), "The Opposite of Impulse" (a hot summer's day, popsicles, and next steps) and the "Life During Wartime" series (familial reflections as Colonization begins) in collaboration with marasmus/finisterre, and cofax (also on Ao3.)

dee_ayy

dee_ayy's "Victory Cap" is fantastic (and even better if you read it after "The Watchman".) Her specialty seems to be disorderly Mulder: more specifically, stubborn or begrudging Mulder. And even more precisely, injured!Mulder, a category that can easily tip into tropes if not handled just right.

JET/jessemiesevil twin

JET does well dabbling with heavier material-- be it Scully finding a case with Mulder while at Charlie's, post-Je Souhaite Mulder reclaiming Christmas ("Small Lives Awake"), AU S9 on-the-run William not yet bonding with Mulder ("Quiescence" and "Scenes for Quiescence"), or an AU Scully refusing to believe Mulder isn't a creature planning to torture her ("Night Giving Off Flames") -- without depressing the characters or readers.

@cecilysass/Cecily Sasserbaum

Cecily is another of the OGs still writing (and present on Ao3) with a myriad of canon-compliant, canon-divergent, and AU fics to choose from. She excels in restrained, repressed MSR-- coded looks or glances often glimpsed, then lost through a veil of self-doubt. I highly recommend you thumb through all her work, too; but maybe start with Gossamer's "The Gentle Art of Dream Interpretation" (where Mulder and Scully discuss his disturbing dream in the late or early hours of the night) or "Opposition and Synthesis" (S8 Scully weighs the loss of her partner while recalling all things.) Or, perhaps check out a list of her work here.

@slippinmickeys/Slippin' Mickeys

slippinmickeys has a fic for possibly every genre, and is still writing. Her work dips into grounded, tactile, rounded-out MSR. Sticking strictly to Gossamer, I'd recommend "The Cannibal King and the Dusty Maid" (post-all things: Scully shaves Mulder) first; but, for your own sake, head on over to Ao3 and check out her catalog. (I'm not kidding when I say possibly every genre.) Or perhaps check out a curated list of her work here.

Buckingham

Buckingham effortlessly puts Mulder's complications into simple terms. Recommendations: "Where to Look" dives into a history of Mulder noticing Scully's clothes (and trying to get her to wear a blue dress), "The Laws of Coming and Going" (S8 Mulder weathering his trauma-- including physical pain-- pre-Empedocles), and "The Great Beyond" (Mulder happily embraces fatherhood.)

Lolabeegood

Lolabeegood has a whole catalogue of IWTB-based fic to choose from (and all good); however, my favorite of her fics are "Five Months Gone" (an AU where Mulder is returned pre-TINH with false memories) and "The Silent Spaces" (a post-Deadalive fic of Mulder sorting through his trauma.) On a less "serious" note, I'd also recommend "The First Time - Agua Mala" (where Scully is looking for feminine signs in Mulder's apartment) and "Breadcrumbs" (where Scully keeps outing her relationship with Mulder to... well, everyone.)

Jenna Tooms

Jenna's fics (also under misslucyjane) are cornerstones if you want open hearts, fragile wounds, and new beginnings-- particularly, if you love S8 AUs (as I do.) "An Acceptable Level of Happiness" depicts Mulder, Scully, and baby Malcolm's first Christmas together while "Shooting Star" brings Mulder back after 17 years (with amnesia and brain damage.) If neither is your cup of tea, might I recommend "Waiting for Dawn" (a post-Kill Switch AU), "All We Know of Heaven" (Scully caring for Mulder after a case), "Monster Under the Bed" (a short casefic on other dimensions), "Better Things Than Counting Sheep" (Mulder helping Scully beat insomnia over the phone), or an AU aptly titled "Katherine of Ireland"?

@aloysiavirgata/Aloysia Virgata

aloysiavirgata, another OG phile still writing fic. Her MSR is sharp, withholding, uniquely bound to each other-- spinning symbolism or poetry or false assumptions from side profiles and softened edges. "By Falling In and In" (which chronicles Mulder and Scully, her family, and their magical son as Colonization looms) is the fic series I naturally gravitate to; but each of her pieces are worth diving into at least once.

BONUS

stellar_dust's "Empathy and "Heaven's Ashes" are two short fics that wrestle with heavy, complicated emotions (post-Conduit and FTF AU, respectively.) I recommend those as well as the multi-part Requiem AU series "Threnody."

Alcott's "How Soon" and "Exit" describe medical loss with different circumstances: Mulder watches as his partner support her dying friend early Season 1 and Mulder arrives in time (disguised) to witness his child be born (and temporarily secreted away) post-Requiem, respectively.

Madeleine Partous skips around from gentle to fluffy to intense ("The Rock, In A Blink Of An Eye", "Unbound", and "Floaters", respectively) with just the right touch of wit to keep both characters believable.

Anonymous's "Lament" follows Mulder back to his childhood summer home, where he ends up finding his mother (and celebrating his birthday.)

Frey/chalkboxkid is more of a Live journal than Gossamer author (to me, at least); but I had to include a mention because "Nightbirds" is worth a read.

Meredith's "The Favor" and "Transition" unfolds a cancer arc era case involving Langly's family member, a psychic, and the Herrenvolk children; while "Brave New World" follows post-Requiem Scully back to Bellefleur (where she awaits her partner.)

Rachel Howard's fic "Gypsy" finally addresses the distance and longing hanging between Mulder and Scully during the cancer arc (even if there isn't complete romantic resolution.)

Karen Rasch seared herself onto my psyche with her S8 fix-it fic "By the Wind Grieved" (Mulder is returned, with amnesia); though I also want to mention her "Wonderland" cancer arc series, which details many heartfelt conversations between Mulder and Scully.

Jennifer Maurer's "Witness" bleakness struck me: the pain of demanding dignity for Scully on her deathbed is powerful stuff-- a counterbalance, perhaps, to her earlier recovery in "Yellow Chair."

Amatia's fics featuring Krycek intrigued me-- would recommend checking out "The Seventh Day", "Paper and Amber Liquid", and "Midnight on the Firing Line."

@writingwell/RocketMan's "Craven" is gripping: Scully and Mulder discovering clones in the bowels of the earth under modern medicine and steel, with Scully facing the truth alone by the climax.

OKayVal's "Grey Visions" convinces Mulder he's seen his sister in an attic.

Lea Nicci's AU of Mulder tackling depression ("West of Sunrise") and exploration of Mulder and Scully's new territory as romantic partners ("A Sideways Figure of Eight") are definite rereads.

Jess Mabe's "The Other Man" is so good: Scully is told her partner is a clone.

Philiater's dark, contemplative "Songs of the Dead" dredges up prophetic quotes from Scully's past after the death of her daughter.

Jennifer Brady's "Secret Santa" (an early S6 AU of Scully deciding to move their relationship forward) is a fun romp when contrasted with the heartache to happy ending of "Laughing Out Loud" (a post-One Son honest discussion.)

J. T. Filipek's fic "Beautiful" changed how I viewed Milagro (particularly with what Mulder discovers by the end.)

Zephathah's "Breathing in Time" and "Waking in Fere" could be sexual, but isn't: Mulder wanders into Scully's motel room, needing to know she's alive. Scully is fine, and reciprocates the next night. Pair that with "A Detour to Felicity" (which is hilarious), and you're good to go.

barb (alter ego)'s "You'll Be in My Heart" culminates a case fic with Mulder and Scully captured, the latter developing a nasty health condition, and Diana Fowley, of course, knowing all.

Brandon D. Ray teeters between tongue-in-cheek retellings (Never Again's "There's No Place Like Home"), comedic accidental meetings (Arcadia's "That You For Shopping at K-Mart"), and dark reflections (post-Tithonus's "I Can't Bear to Look".)

Keleka's "Gray Ghosts" is a case fic set after Amor Fati, featuring Mulder, Scully, TLG, and the legend of the 47th Brigade ghost.

Punk Maneuverability's "Opsis" touches on what Colonization might be like for those still able to functionally live as a society, battling fires (internally and externally) day and night.

Suzanne Feld has banter and dramatic hijinks down pat-- but do not be deceived, her work ties emotional weight into every interaction. And ironically, my two favorite fics-- "Fruition" (Mulder and Scully disappear to have their IVF baby undercover) and "Going Solo" (Scully did not survive Existence)-- are rather serious for my tastes. If you want panic-turned-relief, I'd recommend "Efterladt" (found on Ao3.)

Darwin's a bit of a cheat because this author's work is found on Ao3; yet, the fics are good enough to break my strict promise (with "Vox Mulder: Fired and Wired" nosing around in the IVF and brain disease arcs-- with incredible footnotes debunking the latter-- and "SSSSStakeout" Scully enjoying her hooker disguise.)

Xanthe's "Just a Secretary" veers into Kim and Skinner territory, but I didn't mind this one-off in the least.

MystPhile's taps into a facet of Scully that is rarely explored in S8 fic: her desperation and hasty decisions to get Mulder back (in "Scully's Choices", for good and ill.)

Gwinne's fic "Breathe" sank into my mind and stayed there for a couple weeks straight: something about exploring S8 Mulder and Scully's distance through her Lamaze practices was both simple and just right.

Neoxphile either creates a haunting one-off ("The Unkindest Cut") or longer fics dabbling with the dropped-ball concept of William ("Birthday Week.") A particularly interesting take digs into an AU with Doggett's POV ("Snow and Mistletoe.")

Christy's "Inerstice" and "Song of Innocence" explore Mulder and Scully as parents to William amid broader family miscommunications (the former) and abductions and disappearances (the latter.)

XSketch's "There's A Different Kind Of Hush" and "Surviving A Different Kind Of Birth" keep up with Mulder, Scully, and their special son on the run (wtith Melissa's misinterpreted message, a surprise, and a potential medical disaster throwing wrenches in their happiness.) Another William fic takes a different direction: their son finding his parents years after Colonization, with anger and questions and, finally, understanding.

prufrock's love's "Hiraeth" is the first of a historical AU series exploring the past lives that Mulder (Prince of Wales) and Scully (Dana of Ireland) lived-- and happens to be my favorite of pl's fics. A close second would be "Belphegor’s Prime", which follows father-of-two Mulder into the past to find his wife, the missing Dr. Dana Scully.

CONCLUSION

These are probably far from all, but that's the best I can scrummage together for now.

At any rate--

Thanks for reading~