#LTW: shelter
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Mulder is a profiler. His training, as well as his paranoia, have produced a hypervigilance in him that has his eyes constantly bouncing across people’s faces and bodies, trying to work them out. Scully is no exception. Hell, if anything, she’s the one he spends the most time trying to parse out.
read the finale of shelter on ao3, or below the cut!
April 1996
Mulder is a profiler. His training, as well as his paranoia, have produced a hypervigilance in him that has his eyes constantly bouncing across people’s faces and bodies, trying to work them out. Scully is no exception. Hell, if anything, she’s the one he spends the most time trying to parse out.
There are certain patterns in her behavior that he’s only picked up in the few weeks since they moved in together. He already knows that Scully is a creature of habit, that she has different mugs for her morning cup of coffee and her afternoon cup of tea. He knows she sits on the floor when she’s editing, but on actual furniture when she’s reading. He knows that the first thing she does when she gets home is check the answering machine. But there’s always going to be some new depth to her that he gets to learn and unravel, and he loves that about her.
The new habits he’s learning are things he never would have discovered outside of their new dynamic, which is, frankly, domestic. He hesitates to use the word, a little afraid of the connotations, but it’s the most accurate. She moves around him like she always has, but their increased exposure has highlighted some new mannerisms.
Scully is, occasionally, picky about when she is touched. A hand to her shoulder or back is generally safe, but her tolerance for anything more depends on her mood. Mulder has learned how to read her comfort level with physical contact. On nights where she’s willing to cuddle, willing to let him old her or vice versa, she’ll sit on the couch when they settle in to watch tv or read to themselves. Otherwise, usually on the days where she’s quiet and distant, she’ll sit in the ugly green chair that backs the kitchen. Mulder never sits in that chair. It’s Scully’s solitude chair. He won’t encroach on that space.
The further into the middle she sits, the more contact she’ll allow. If she settles against the arm, they’ll face each other with their feet brushing on the middle cushion, Mulder’s bare toes meeting Scully’s thick socks. Even this minute contact makes Mulder’s heart race.
If she sits in the middle, he sits close enough for their thighs to brush and lays an arm across her shoulders. Those days, they’re likely to end up spooning by the time they depart for bed — or, as Mulder prefers, fall asleep right there in the living room with the TV on. Scully’s want for touch is woven into her actions, in a language Mulder knows how to read very well.
The second Scully-habit that Mulder learns takes longer. She doesn’t even start doing it until a couple months into their cohabitation.
Mulder is laid out on the couch in their home office reviewing a file when he hears movement from above, followed by a “No– no!”
He’s upstairs and through Scully’s bedroom door before he can think twice. She’s upright and breathing heavily, and when he meets her eyes, they’re brimmed with tears threatening to spill over.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I just, uh,” She presses a hand to her forehand, and smoothes it over her sleep-mussed hair, “I had a nightmare.”
He takes a tentative step into the room, “Do you want me to…”
She presses her lips together in a useless effort to keep her tears in and scoots over on the bed, allowing for Mulder to slip under the covers. He opens his arm up towards her, and she pillows herself on his chest. When she lets out a sob, he tightens his arms around her.
Scully breaks.
Mulder presses his lips into Scully’s hair and lifts one of his hands to stroke it soothingly, murmuring comforting nonsense into her scalp.
“At the risk of sounding like a cliche, do you want to talk about it?” Mulder asks once she’s quieted.
Scully shakes her head. “In the morning.”
Mulder nods, and with a final kiss to her forehead, shifts to get out of Scully’s bed. To his surprise, she tightens her arm where it’s thrown across Mulder’s ribcage. “Stay?” She requests, her voice small.
His breath catches. “Of course.”
Not even bothering to change out of his jeans, Mulder settles in and sleeps.
In the morning, they do talk about it — unusual, for them, but needed all the same. Her head on Mulder’s chest, Scully tells Mulder about her old apartment, and having to live with bloodstains under her feet and Melissa’s ghost in the kitchen. Though the thought does occur to him, Mulder does not suggest that her sister’s ghost really was in Scully’s old apartment.
The next night, when he finally heads to his room, he notices Scully’s door propped open a couple inches. Not wide, but enough to be intentional. Giving in to his curiosity, Mulder pokes his head in.
Scully is curled on her side, her back to the door, curled up as small as possible. Unlike last night, when she had laid in the middle of her bed before he joined her, she is on the side near the window. An empty pillow is perched on the right side like an invitation.
One Mulder chooses to take.
As quietly as possible, Mulder creeps closer to the bed and slips between the covers. He holds Scully close to him, his chest against her back.
“Scully? ‘S this okay?”
She nods with a sleepy sound of assent and grabs his hand to pull him in closer.
They don’t talk about it. Mulder wakes up with Scully in his arms the next morning, and the next, and the next. It’s almost a week before he finds Scully’s door closed, and drifts into his own bedroom instead.
Sure. They’re sleeping in the same bed most nights. No need to have a conversation about that, or what it means, or if Mulder can start kissing her goodnight, and good morning, and hello, and goodbye, and just because and, and, and…
That’s what he wants. Mulder thinks, sometimes, that they have something. That there’s something there, bubbling underneath the surface. That maybe, just maybe, she holds love for him close to her chest, just like he does for her. But he’s not going to ask for it until she’s ready. She’ll make a move when she’s ready.
***
Mulder slowly wakes one morning to poppy 80s music trickling through Scully’s slightly ajar bedroom door. Her side of the bed is empty and cold. He takes the socks he toed off into the covers last night and slides them back onto his feet before patting out into the kitchen. There, he is greeted with the sight of Scully, bathed in golden morning light, in a large t-shirt that used to be his. She’s stood in front of the stove with a spatula in her hand, swaying her hips to the beat and popping them with an occasional flair to the rhythm of the music. Above all of that, most adorably, she’s singing. Horribly off key, of course, in true Scully fashion.
She’s got it! Yeah baby, she’s got it!
Mulder watches the gentle, alluring swish of her hips. Damn right, she’s got it.
Scully doesn’t hear his soft footfalls over the sound of the stereo, and she jumps slightly when his hand brushes her back as he approaches the coffee maker.
“God, Mulder, I didn't hear you come in.”
“I’m sneaky like that. Morning, Scully” he greets.
“Good morning.”She reaches up to the cupboard for a plate. “Eggs?” she offers.
“Sure.” Before scully can lift up onto her tiptoes, Mulder grabs it for her and places it in her hands. She can reach it, he knows, but it’s far easier for him. The smaller breakfast plates he knows she’s going for are an extra shelf up. He knows that she knows it’s not meant to be condescending. He just wants to take every punch of struggle out of her life.
“Scrambled okay?”
He hums his ascent and presses a kiss into her cheek, one that she leans up into, before taking his mug and the now-full plate. He takes his place at his usual seat, the one closest to the back door, and Scully slides into her own across from him.
“Oh,” Scully says before taking a bite, “Before I forget, I'm going to be in the lab late tomorrow, can you grab groceries after work? It’s going to be packed today, I'd rather not deal with the crowds.”
“Of course. list on the fridge?”
“Yep. Oh, and can you—“
“Replace the bathroom lightbulb.” He smiles at her. “I didn’t forget.”
The smile she returns is as bright as the rising sun, and fills the room just as much. It spreads to her eyes, and god, she’s so light like this, on a rare, carefree Sunday morning.
God, he wants her. He wants her naked, with her back arched and her eyes rolling into the back of her head, he wants her screaming his name, he wants her hot and wet around him, he wants her, he wants her, he wants her.
But the way he has her is so much more important.
He’s got his partner across from him, digging into food she had thought to make a second portion of, he’s got a honey-do list, he’s got the warmth of the sunlight through the stained glass window. There’s nothing more he really needs.
Despite that, sometimes he might… push his luck. He’s always been affectionate with Scully, moreso than he is with anyone else or than she’s ever let anyone else be in front of her. One day later that week, for example, Mulder gets home from the Gunmen’s lair to see Scully, cross legged on the couch with a book in her lap. She greets him with a soft “Hey,” but barely looks up from the book in her lap.
When he passes by the back of the couch, he notices her necklaces are askew. She tends to wear the longer one, the one that carries her wedding ring, on top of her shirt when they’re at home. It’s on display, even if only for him.
He shifts the chains back into place, with the clasps in the back, and presses a kiss into the space above the protrusion of her vertebra. She leans her head onto the back of a couch with a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes, and he leans down again to press his lips to her skin again, this time on her forehead.
It takes every punch of willpower not to kiss those crinkles, Or her lips. A small part of him wonders if she notices where his gaze tends to linger, where he can’t touch. He’s already taking too much of her affection. When she’s ready, he thinks in a weak attempt to comfort the stretch of longing that blooms in his chest. When she’s ready.
“I’m going to get changed,” Mulder croaks through a dry throat. Scully bites at her bottom lip and raises her hand to pat at his wrist. She doesn’t break the contact as he walks away, and their hands don’t drop until Mulder’s gone too far and they’re forced to let go.
Scully watches as her partner walks down the hall. Gently, she runs a finger along the two chains, now straightened and in their places. The clasps cling together. Scully wears two chains around her neck. One symbolizes her faith in and dedication to God. The other represents her faith in and dedication to Mulder. Only one of them is allowed to lay on top of her shirt when she’s outside of her home, but that doesn’t mean it’s any more important.
It was a small gesture, fixing her necklaces, but such an intimate one. Despite their growing comfort with each other, something she honestly hadn’t thought was possible given their existing closeness, it’s an unusually intimate gesture. His eyes had flitted to her lips, and for a moment, she could have sworn—
But no. They don’t… do that. Not on the lips, at least. Well, not habitually. And really, that one time barely counted. She hadn’t even been able to properly taste him.
But God, to taste him. How sweet his lips would be, how gentle. How loving.
Scully lets herself fantasize.
<- previous chapter
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Wildflats Peninsula BACC
After a brief excursion to Fairplay for my ISBI, let's go back to Wildflats Peninsula and see what's going on there!
Round 4 - Autumn 1 - The Grimsbane Family
At the start of the first Autumn in Wildflats, a new family is moving into town. We'll play them first so they can get to know their new neighbours. The Grimsbane family consists of mum Iris, who is a good witch, and her children Frost and little Nimue.
Iris was abandoned by her ex when he discovered she was a witch. When he started gathering angry townies to march against her, she was forced to flee her home for the safety of her children. Will she find shelter in Wildflats Peninsula? And will Frost or Nimue inherit her witchiness?
Iris' Traits
Zodiac: Sagittarius
Aspiration: Family/Popularity
LTW: Marry Off 3 Children
Personality: Neat 5, Outgoing 2, Active 7, Playful 7, Nice 4
Hobby: Arts & Crafts (Sewing)
Sexuality: Straight
Current Age: 23
Frost's Traits
Zodiac: Libra
Aspiration: Grow Up
Personality: Neat 5, Outgoing 10, Active 0, Playful 3, Nice 7
Hobby: Unknown
Current Age: 4
Nimue's Traits
Zodiac: Aries
Aspiration: Grow Up
Personality: Neat 5, Outgoing 10, Active 7, Playful 0, Nice 3
Hobby: Unknown
Current Age: 1
They'll be living here, in the newly-built home they've had constructed at 3 Birch Alley. It's behind the Rossellinis' house and opposite the Neetors'.
Iris' bedroom and ensuite bathroom are in the basement. She also has a crib for little Nimue down there. She wasn't entirely happy with the design, as it leaves her little boy alone on the ground floor, but she had to pick a design from the builders' pre-fabs and this was the best she could afford on short notice.
#sims 2#the sims 2#sims 2 bacc#the sims 2 bacc#bacc#wildflats bacc#sims 2 storytelling#sims 2 stories#grimsbane family#iris grimsbane#frost grimsbane#nimue grimsbane#grimsbane round 4#wildflats round 4
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Aaliyah Lambert - BC Contestant for @dragonplumbobs
Brave - Virtuoso - Athletic - Dog Person - Friendly
Geek Rock - Goopy Carbonara - Grey
LTW: Forensic Specialist Dynamic DNA
Aaliyah is a gregarious, genuine, and confident young woman. She is the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve, and she always knows exactly who she wants or where she needs to be. Aaliyah also has a great passion for helping others. She is working to become a forensic analysis so that she can help families find closure. She also loves to volunteer at the animal shelter in her free time, and her dream partner needs to be comfortable with having at least three dogs! Aaliyah is hoping that Opal will not be scared away by her intensity, and that they’ll be able to get to know each other.
Download: Private for now
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Arctica BACC Rules
I’ve decided posting on tumblr is too much work so I’m just gonna play this for myself and delete the arcticasims blog. Repasting my ruleset here for reference:
Here’s the rules I’m using for my BACC. They’re based on @ennysimmer‘s who’s rules are based on The Redmond Flats. With adjustments by myself to fit my play style. Much of the text is copypasted from ennysimmer.
1. Services are unlocked when a relevant business or community lot exists. Firefighters need a fire station, Chinese food delivery requires a Chinese restaurant, pet adoption requires an animal shelter or shop, etc. Unlike ennysimmer, I’m letting my sims have fire extinguishers. They each brought 1 extinguisher with them, which means I’m letting them extinguish one fire before they’ll need access to purchase new extinguishers. I’m also assuming they’ve brought a lifetime supply of soap as I don’t wish to micromanage their ability to shower and wash dishes.
2. Until a power plant is developed, houses need to have a solar panel in order to use electricity. If they have more than one fridge and couple personal electrical items, they need additional solar panels.
3. Sims cannot purchase new things until a store exists that sells them.
4. All careers are locked except for one spot in the political career and one spot in the adventure career.
5. With every new community lot (player-owned or otherwise) you earn 1 CAS-sim, with every fourth new household you earn a community lot (children moving to their own place, or sims separating, counts as new households).
Unlocking business districts: 1 district per 5 player-owned businesses & 1 business tycoon sim. For every business district, you earn 5 CAS-sims.
Unlocking Downtown: Unlocks when the population reaches 25 000. You can only have one attached. It earns you 20 CAS-sims & 5 community lots.
Unlocking university: Unlocks when the population reaches 10 000. 1 free dormitory and 1 free college building when unlocked.
Calculating your population: The actual number of sims in the hood X your current multiplier = your population
The first multiplier is given for founding the town, so you start out with 1. Then you get:
+1 for the first community lot you place
+1 each time you reach a multiple of 5 community lots (So, you add one to your multiplier when you reach 5 community lots, then one when you reach 10, then 15, then 20, etc.)
+5 for adding a Downtown
+5 for each Business District
+5 for each University
Careers:
Adventure: Unlocks once a museum is built in the neighbourhood on the largest lot (subhoods included). A museum cannot be built until the sim in the first adventure position reaches level 2.
Architecture: 1 position unlocks per 10 lots in the neighbourhood (subhoods included). Unlocks when population reaches 50 000. Once a sim is in this career, build mode construction (walls, windows, etc) is unlocked.
Artist: 1 position unlocks once there is at least one sim in Architecture, Education, Law Enforcement, Medicine, Politics, at the same time. There must also be a fire station, grocery store, appliance store, electronics store, and furniture store. Additional positions can only be occupied by sims with level 5 in creativity or an art degree. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Athletics: This career is unlocked for all Sims once a player-owned sports-themed community lot is in place. The sport in question can be just about anything: Bowling, darts, ice/roller skating, basketball, soccer, mini-golf, or swimming. Whatever. There must be equipment available to participate in some sort of sport, though. You can't have just a "sports bar."
Business: A new position in this track opens every time a player-owned business of any kind reaches Rank 5. It is unlocked to everyone once someone becomes a Business Tycoon, the top of this track.
Criminal: Unlocked, but the only sims who can join the career are the ones who either have the LTW to become a criminal mastermind, the kleptomaniac trait, or the evil trait. Unlocks for all sims when population reaches 10 000.
Culinary: The first position opens when there’s a restaurant in town. The career is unlocked when there’s a downtown.
Dance: The first position opens when a player-owned dance studio reaches Rank 5. When that first person reaches the top of the career, the career is unlocked for everyone.
Education: 1 position is unlocked per classroom. Classrooms can only be built when there is more than 20 children attending the school (so 20 children per classroom).
Entertainment: 1 position unlocks once there is at least one sim in Architecture, Education, Law Enforcement, Medicine, Politics, at the same time. There must also be a fire station, grocery store, appliance store, electronics store, and furniture store. Additional positions can only be occupied by sims with level 5 in charisma. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Gamer: To enter the first position, a sim must win a gaming competition. Future positions can be entered by sims who own a computer & gaming console and all the video games. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Intelligence: A position opens in the Intelligence career whenever a Sim reaches the top of the Military, Criminal, or Science career. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Journalism: Unlocked when there is a print shop in the neighbourhood. The newspaper is unlocked with this career.
Law: The career is only open to Sims with a degree in Political Science. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Law Enforcement: A position opens whenever one of the following happens: A burglary, A playable Sim reaches the top of the Criminal career. Also, there can only be one Police Chief and one Captain Hero at a time. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Medical: The first position opens when there’s a hospital. Once uni is unlocked the career is open to anyone with a degree in biology. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Military: The town must be connected to a downtown and there has to be a military base. Only sims with at least 5 athletic skills can join. Only one sim can be general at any given time. Never fully unlocks.
Music: The career is unlocked when a community lot including a stage and three musical instruments is placed. This lot does not have to be player-owned.
Natural Science: Open only to Sims with a degree in Biology. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Oceanography: Unlocks to sims with a bronze fishing badge when a pier is built. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Paranormal: One position opens when there’s a graveyard with 5 gravestones. Every time an occult sim (witch, alien, werewolf, zombie) moves in/sim gets turned an additional position opens. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Politics: The career is completely unlocked once the population reaches 1000. However, there can only be one mayor at a time.
Science: Any Sim who maxes out both their Logic skill and their science hobby enthusiasm may enter the Science career. The career is always open to Sims with a degree in Biology, Mathematics, or Physics. Unlocks for all sims when population reaches 50 000.
Show Business: The career is open to any Sim with a degree in Drama or creativity level 5, so long as there is already either a Prestidigitator (top of the Entertainment career) or Professional Party Guest (top of the Slacker career) residing in the city. Unlocks when population reaches 50 000.
Slacker: A position is opened whenever a "club" community lot is placed. It is unlocked once the city has a Downtown.
Security Pet: This is unlocked for all pets once there are 5 positions filled in Law Enforcement. Or it is always open to any pet owned by a Sim in Law Enforcement. Unlocks for all sims when population reaches 50 000.
Service Pet: Unlocked once there is a hospital in the neighbourhood.
Show Business Pet: A slot opens for each sim that reaches the top of the Show Business career. Unlocks for all sims when population reaches 50 000.
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Meet Blorbo From My Game
Maybe you have been wondering what happened with all that sims in the polls stuff. Maybe you haven’t thought about it a single time since you voted. Maybe this is the first time you hear about it. Maybe you would like a link to the masterpost even though there’s not much there yet. I don’t know, but I do have an update. I finally got my laptop back, so I really wanted to just start playing without waiting for more polls. I could always change stuff later. It turns out the screenshots the game takes fucking suck, so there’s gonna be some pretty bad pics :(
So we have our sim, who I named “Blorbo From My Game”. You voted for the “other” gender option. Finding non binary mods was harder than I thought it would be, but I did get an androgynous body shape and a handful of clothes for it. I want to see if I’ll be able to alter clothes to fit the body shape, but my only experience with sims 2 cc is making shitty recolours when I was younger and simPE does scare me a little.
Your personality votes added up to a very grouchy and very playful taurus.
Blorbo’s aspiration is romance, and their lifetime want is to have 20 simultanious lovers. Although you get to pick your LTW in sims 3 and 4, it is random in the sims 2. It gets rerolled if you change your aspiration or complete the LTW, but that’s pretty much all you can do to control it without cheats or mods. I hope you like cheating (the romantic kind, not the motherlode kind), cause it looks like this is gonna be Blorbo:
Speaking of pride flags, I was too impatient to wait for a gender preference poll. I’m sorry about the lack of democracy. I kinda went with the assumption that you would probably vote for both.
Blorbo lives in a starter house in strangetown, which got one percent more votes than some of the other options. Based on the amount of votes it seems mathematically impossible, and might just be the result of how tumblr rounds the percentages to get 100? Either way, strangetown is iconic.
They must like animals, because they wanted to get a pet. They adopted an adorable black kitten called Bonkers. That’s the name the shelter gave him, and i absolutely did not feel the need to change it.
Blorbo really wanted to flirt with Ryan Wheeler even though they have terrible chemistry. That obviously didn’t go well. He looks so disgusted.
Afterwards he left the birdcage open. Was it just carelessness, or something more sinister?
Nothing bad happened though. Maybe because Bonkers is a teeny tiny kitten, or because he is well behaved, or maybe cats can’t even attack birds in ts2. *looks it up* yeah, they can’t. They also can’t escape. Where’s the drama in that? Ryan’s inability to hurt Polly doesn’t change the fact that he is the worst.
Blorbo went out and had some dinner, which was served quickly and without glitches even though sims 2 nightlife came out so many years before sims 4 dine out. Then they met some guy I forgot the name of, and had a date that was too mediocre to screenshot. Idk why they only roll wants to flirt with men. They are supposed to be attracted to women too.
Bonkers grew up into an adult, and shortly after he got taken away because of starvation. This happened while the bowl was full, so this is fucking bullshit. Polly also got taken away. Ryan must be to blame somehow, even though that doesn’t make any sense and isn’t something that can happen in the game. He trained Bonkers to starve himself. Fuck you, Ryan.
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This stray horse rocked up to our house and we proceeded to stalk him all over town. Adopting animals from the shelter is working towards her LTW, they count as ‘strays’ by the game. But I do want to find actual roaming strays when possible!
So be my friend! >:(
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Sixam Colonization Experiment#2567 (Apocalypse Challenge)
Colony Observer #34 Log #1 : This log is to record Sixam’s Planet 557F’s Pollination Colonization Experiment #2567
Specimen-J 557F
Personality: Virgo (9/2/6/3/5)
Aspiration: Knowledge/Family
LTW: Max all Skills
This is Specimen-J, an Earth Sim who volunteered to be part of Experiment #2567, an experiment to see if it’s possible for one sim to colonize an island of an alien planet using only pollination technology.
He was initially given the title Birth Queen #1 but he has angrily rejected it.
Once landed in Planet 557F, Specimen-J has noticed that the skies in this planet are perpetually cloudy with snowfall, which would make it hard to contact our Pollination Technicians. He has decided to set up a lab that focuses on Natural Science to be able to clear the skies and contact the mothership soon.
We have provided a small hive to shelter Specimen-J, elevated with a foundation to avoided the slightly irradiated ground. It is also fitted with everything an Earth sim could ever need to make it feel like home.
I took some time for Specimen-J to get used to the day to day work of research and building. According to him the minimal food and water availability is hardest to adjust to since he said and I quote “liked being clean and liked not starving.”
Colonists in the other parts of 557F land on the island Specimen-J is currently residing, probably fulfilling a need for exploration, this helps alleviate the loneliness that Specimen-J complains frequently about. However they are not allowed to stay for too long since this is a controlled environment for an experiment and are eventually asked to leave the island.
However not all visitors are benevolent, Space Pirates have invaded the Specimen-J’s bunker and stole a few of his belongings. A Pirate later showed up to J’s bunker and extorted credits from him for protection so that this “will ever happen again” and he was forced to comply. As expected from a land with no established defenses.
J asked for why we didn’t help him during these times, We replied that our defense forces are occupied with a far off war to help with the experiment and to which he replied “That sounds like a load of Bullshit.”
Despite these adversities, Specimen J pulled through and has finished setting up the Natural Science Lab and has become an Ecological Guru.
Once a brilliant Natural Scientist emerges from the family, a plant serum is invented that lets plants use toxic ash as fertilizer without making the plant itself toxic. With this serum in wide supply, the region begins to return to life. Food can actually be grown again and people can have lawns. With plants once again anchoring the soil, the raging dust storms cease and the sky can once again be seen. All Natural Science restrictions are lifted.
A big breakthrough like this did wonders for Specimen-J’s morale, he finally sees that he’ll be able to proceed and succeed with the experiment.
“It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.” Hopelessness restrictions are lifted. You can now move in or marry in any Sims. (We won’t be needing this)
To celebrate the big success. he used the grant money he received to build a bigger hive to house the new younglings that will be born. As well as a Telescope for contacting Pollination Technicians.
To which the Technicians we’re incredibly eager to respond
“Earthlings are seen as quite primitive. It is a culture that still thinks digital watches were a pretty nifty idea. Pathetic.”
Alien Technology is back in the family’s hands, given to them by the aliens, they can once again gain benefits from it. Aspiration rewards are now usable again.
And we finish this log off with Specimen-J going to bed, and possibly carrying the future hope for SIxam.
_______________________________________________________________
Thanks for reading my attempt at an apocalypse challenge. I never really written anything before and I always wanted to try this kind of thing out.
I made some rule alterations for this challenge to work
in the rules, you’re supposed to have both Natural Science and Music lifted to be able to use Telescopes but due to the nature of my self imposed challenge, I made it so you can use it by only lifting one.
also since all of my heirs are gonna be from Pollination(I have a MultiPT mod and a mod that severs family ties with PTs so this is possible), there are no spouses that can help with lifting restrictions so I changed it so that 3 Siblings from one Gen can lift restrictions. 3 siblings not 2 is because I’m not doing 10 generations of this.
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Introducing Rebecca “Beck” Bunting! She’s a family sim, very nice and very shy, with a LTW to send three children to college.
Beck is a born-and-raised country girl who operates Brighter Horizons Rescue, an animal shelter in the neighborhood. Pictures coming soon!
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Dead Sims Walking
After chatting with my friend @yourpicasso25 about my dead sims walking, she gave me the idea of having a couple of dead witches in my cemetery. And since I was planning on sticking at least one Medieval sim there, I decided to create 2.
Not sure what period the dude belongs to, but he’s an early ancestor of that Tricou family from TS2. I’ve actually got some more of the family to move into town, and they’ll be the owners of my elixir store. Anyway my ghost – Eliphas Tricou - is a level 10 in spell-casting and witchy stuff. I did that, because he’s currently enemies with the other witch, Margot de la Barre, who was an actual witch the French burned at the stack back in 1390. Anyway, she’s only about level 6 or so, but she had the LTW to be the Empress of Evil and doesn’t like a new witch invading her turf. So I figure these two will get into some fights and liven up the place. Like all my ghosts, I have given them that “secret” French trait, so when they’re not trying to kill each other again, they’ll no doubt be singing. I also made Eliphas level 10 with the violin and killed him with it still in his inventory. Since it didn’t show up anywhere on the lot, I’m hoping he might be able to play it.
Anyway, this is their new home. I’m really not that good at making cemeteries. I can fill them up easy enough. I just can’t design them. Oh well.
But back to my ghosts. Most of them don’t like each other. But since I like for my sims to have a back-story to explain why they act the way that they do, I made up some for all of them. 2 are sisters (based on EA’s ghosts) who despise each other. The elder – Adelaide Boyer - was prim and proper and a pillar of the community, while the younger – Yvonne Garnier - was the village tramp. Adelaide died a bitter, old lady - who clung to the morals of the Victorian Age - long after her sister’s demise. Because of this, she was able to make sure her sister was not placed in the family crypt. (Tarnish the family name and you do pay!) In fact, she had her younger sister buried on the opposite side of the cemetery. Some towns-sims of the time, speculated that Adelaide had a hand in Yvonne’s death, since the younger sister died of starvation, while under her care. (This was during the time of the Spanish Flu). Then there’s the old fart – Pascal Maris - who was cheating on his younger fiancé – Gertrude Lescot – while having an affair with Yvonne. As you may recall, Gertrude drowned. What you may not know, is that she was lured to L’Etang Dudot by Yvonne, and ended up floating face-down in the pond. Pascal ended up meeting his Maker in a suspicious fire, after he had signed over his estate to Yvonne. Most towns-sims of the time, figured his nephew had a hand in his death. Especially since his will “mysteriously” disappeared before being filed with the local recorder. Then there’s the war “hero” who accidentally blew himself up after a 2-day binge at the local nectary. And the 2 from the French Revolution, who were victims of an arranged marriage who never quite clicked. They are interred in the same crypt, but on opposite sides.
Anyway, moving right along, this is the town train station. Right now, it’s just a shell.
Then across the river, where EA had that tower on a small hill, I decided to place this one that Wimmie over on TSR built. I don’t recall how her’s looked originally, but I know I added the moat – complete with fish, since this is zoned as a fishing lot – and some ruins and plants and the mossy steps from that Old Mill set. Plus that fountain of youth from Hidden Springs. (It’s on the left side of the tower, hidden in some weeds). I also changed the windows, door, and the stonework and some other junk. At the top of the tower, there’s a telescope, so sims can check out the view. And under the tower is a stall, so if a sim gets caught here during a storm, his horse has somewhere to shelter too.
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The Shifting Paradymes
Well, I’m back! Shelter in place has given me a bit more freetime, so now I can happily sim once more. Bad news: I played The Shifting Paradymes back in October and never posted their stuff, so I’m just put a few pictures of important things that happened their round and call it a day. They’ll get a proper round some other time. Though, i am ending their round “early” technically, so they’ll also get an extra semester when I play them next. At this rate in like 3 years, lol.
Zoe: Popularity
No secondary, yet
LTW: Top of the Military Career Track
Gunnar: Romance
No secondary, yet
LTW: Woohoo with 20 different sims
Jasmine: Popularity
No secondary, yet
LTW: Reach the top of the music career track
#the sims 2#sims 2#ts2#Jasmine Rai#Zoe Zimmerman#la fiesta tech#shifting paradymes#rai household#zimmerman household#gunnar roque#roque household
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The Icicle Eyes Family Founders
Pallu & Stachia
(more stats + backstory below the cut)
Pallu
Fortune/Knowledge (LTW: Earn $100k)
Career: Trader
Traits: Schmoozer, Workaholic, Star Quality, Natural Cook
TS2 Personality: Neat - 7 / Outgoing - 8 / Active - 5 / Playful - 0 / Nice 2
Genetics: Eyes - Chill / Hair: Brown / Skin - 0.17 HoneyHoney Warmth / Height - 5′8″ (Stretch 0.985)
Stachia
Family/Knowledge (LTW: Become Cleopatra)
Career: Politics
Traits: Ambitious, Disciplined, Dramatic, Family-Oriented
TS2 Personality: Neat - 4 / Outgoing - 6 / Active - 5 / Playful - 0 / Nice 6
Genetics: Eyes - Chill / Hair: Blonde / Skin - 0.12 Feathers Midday Kiss / Height - 5′5″ (Stretch 0.94)
* * *
Stachia and Pallu are an amibitious, hardworking couple whose dreams outgrew their childhood village, Kulden. As they wandered southward in search of better opportunities, Pallu began building the skills to trade food, stories, and tools for safe shelter, and just as importantly, began to see how much better life can be if he trades things for other things so that he doesn’t have to worry about making everything himself. Stachia, meanwhile, took note of all the different ways the Sims in the villages they passed through had adapted to live together in relative harmony, and has formulated many ideas of her own of what an ideal village can be like.
Stachia is significantly more family-oriented than Pallu, and had a much harder time leaving home behind for good. From time to time, this resentment may bleed through into otherwise minor daily disputes. Pallu, a talented schmoozer, is usually able to diffuse Stachia’s histrionics by reminding her of the undefinable charm and allure that drew her to him in the first place, all those years ago in the frigid north.
Now that they have chosen to settle down once and for all in Meraki, Stachia is as eager to start a family of their own as she is to put some of her novel ideas for village management into practice. Pallu will do what he can to help, but may find himself taking longer and longer trips from home as he builds a fledgling trade network. Can they hold it all together? Only time will tell...
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Mulder’s eyes are locked on Scully. Living, breathing Scully, who is not in a hospital bed. Instead, Modell is the one who lay dying in front of them, head bandaged and tubes pumping oxygen and whatever else into his body.
He reaches for her hand and takes it in his own. She doesn’t grab him back, but allows for the touch.
“I say we dont let him take up another minute of our time.” Scully squeezes his hand. “Come on, sweetheart, let's go home.”
read chapter two of shelter on ao3, or below the cut!
February 1996
“Mine or yours?“
Mulder looks up to see Scully lingering by the door with her long jacket folded over her arm, clearly on her way out.
“Mine,” he answers simply, “I’ll head out soon, I want to finish reading this first. I should be back by the time you get there if you’re stopping at home first. You have your key?”
“Yes. See you soon, Mulder.” She offers a smile, and she’s gone.
It’s become a habit, staying at each other’s houses. They’re both sleeping much better, and are therefore less likely to take mid-workday naps.
After Scully had shown up in the middle of the night, Mulder had invested in a bed. Crazy concept. If Scully was going to keep showing up to sleep – which, apparently, she was – he wasn’t going to make her do so on the floor or couch.
She does beat him to his place, despite stopping by her own apartment to shower first, and when Mulder enters he is greeted by the smell of vanilla — the body scrub Scully uses at the end of a particularly long week. Given the case they’re in the middle of, he thinks it’s warranted.
Between the disaster of Modell’s arraignment, Holly attacking Skinner, and the deaths of multiple law enforcement officers, things had been stressful to say the least. Mulder was happy to be guaranteed a solid night’s sleep tonight, thanks to Scully’s company.
He knows Scully needs both the proximity and the rest just as much as he does. When they had been informed that Modell had pulled Mulder’s file, she had immediately been most concerned about him having Mulder’s address. He could basically see the images flashing in her mind, Modell invading his home like Eugene Tooms and Duane Barry had through hers. She wasn’t going to leave him alone right now, and he didn’t exactly cherish the idea either. There was no point in avoiding the apartment, though. If Modell wanted to find them, he would.
Scully’s in the kitchen, pajama-clad and leaning over a steaming pizza. She turns to greet him with a soft smile, “Hey.”
“Hey,” he replies, “If that’s from Caprotti’s, I might have to marry you. Again.”
“You better dig your tux out then.”
Mulder slides his hand onto her lower back when he approaches her, “God, you’re the best.” He lays a kiss on her temple before grabbing a slice.
They eat over the counter, chatting idly around the real concerns for their safety. Eventually they crawl into bed, Mulder on the right, Scully on the left, as always. They fall asleep with hands clasped in the space between their bodies, holding on for dear life.
***
Here’s what the gossip mill of the FBI, with all their teasing names and idolization of profiling skills, doesn’t know about Fox Mulder: he’s a fucking klutz.
Even Scully didn’t notice it until she started spending significant time at either of their homes with him. He takes his contact lenses out as soon as he gets home, but only remembers to put his glasses on to compensate for the fact half the time. The result is many bruises blooming on limbs that have bumped into furniture, door frames, hell, even Scully had acted as an accidental obstacle on more than a couple occasions.
At the moment, the both of them sitting against the headboard of Scully’s bed as they wind down for bed, Mulder has miraculously managed to get a pair of glasses on his face. However, the pair he’s squinting through while trying to read the book propped against his knees aren’t his own.
They’re Scully’s.
Her backup pair, that is. The ones from a couple years ago, which are out of style and the prescription is slightly too weak. That means, of course, that they are far too weak for Mulder. Hence the squinting. She doubts that he’s even managing to read any words on the page. Not that Scully's any more focused – she keeps glancing up to the mirror across from her bed to look at Mulder, to take in his relaxed posture, the furrow between his brows, the press of his lips together.
She doesn’t know how they got so… domesticated, so comfortable in each other’s presence that they can just borrow each other’s stuff with such ease. She loves it.
Her eyes run down the reflection of Mulder’s neck, his arms, how his fingers are curled around the book. As if he can feel her gaze dance across his skin, he squirms, revealing a patch of skin just below his elbow. A very purple patch of skin.
She turns to him, “Did you bump into the doorframe again?”
“Hm?” Mulder tears his eyes off the book and looks at her through her own glasses.
“Your arm,” She gestures to him, “Did you hit it on the doorframe again?”
“Oh,” he twists his arm and looks down at it. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Let me see.” She places the bookmark on the relevant page and sets it on her nightstand before opening her hand to summon Mulder’s elbow. He offers it, and she inspects the skin.
“I don’t know how you manage to do this to yourself so often,” Scully murmurs.
“I swear, Scully, they move. We ought to open an X-file on the ever-changing layout of doorways in the DC area.”
She shakes her head with an affectionate smile, and pivots to rustle through her nightstand drawer. She removes a tube of arnica she had started keeping there for this exact reason, and reclaims Mulder’s elbow.
“Scully, it’s fine, really.” He protests, but doesn’t reclaim possession of his elbow.
“Which one of us has a medical degree, Mulder? Let me help.” She squirts an appropriate amount of gel onto her own index and middle fingers, rubs them against her thumb to decrease the sting of the cold, and applies it to Mulder’s arm. She lets her fingers dance in circles across his skin until the stickiness has faded, and she can’t justify the contact any further.
When her eyes lift to reach his again, he’s already staring at her. “Thanks, Scully.”
“Of course. Anytime.”
“About time for lights-out?”
“That sounds good.”
They both turn off their bedside lamps, and settle into the bed. Within minutes they’ve met in the middle of the bed, and Scully doesn’t bother trying to find an excuse to touch him.
***
Mulder’s eyes are locked on Scully. Living, breathing Scully, who is not in a hospital bed. Instead, Modell is the one who lay dying in front of them, head bandaged and tubes pumping oxygen and whatever else into his body.
He reaches for her hand and takes it in his own. She doesn’t grab him back, but allows for the touch.
“I say we dont let him take up another minute of our time.” Scully squeezes his hand. “Come on, sweetheart, let's go home.”
Over the years, they’ve started referring to just about anywhere as home. “Mulder, let’s go home” could mean a motel room, DC, his place, her place, the office, anything. He’s not sure which home she means, but he knows wherever they end up, home will be an apt descriptor. As long as Scully is there.
Scully all but pulls him out of the hospital room, leading him by the contact of their hands. They walk all the way to the car with their hands linked, and don’t let go until they need to.
Home, as Scully had used it, turns out to be his apartment. Mulder lays awake with his partner in his arms, mind racing.
He had almost killed her. There was a bullet in the chamber and his finger on the trigger, and he had almost killed Scully. His partner. His wife.
There would have been no going back from that.
He thinks it must have been intentional, Modell must have put the bullet in the third chamber knowing he would make Mulder turn it on Scully, shoot her, kill her. He wanted to do as much damage to Mulder as he could on his way out, and knew exactly how to do it. Mulder would never be able to live with that guilt. He would, and did, sooner point the gun at his own head than Scully’s.
Instead, Modell would be the one spending the rest of his life in a hospital bed with a bullet in his head, the one meant for Scully.
He hadn’t hesitated when Modell told him to turn the gun on himself, but the potential of losing Scully, the potential of being the one responsible for ripping her from this world, had made him strong enough to resist. That, and Scully’s encouragement, her unwavering faith that he would be able to shake Modell’s influence.
There hadn’t been any doubt, per se, in his mind that he loved her before this whole ordeal. But such a close brush with death, just those few minutes of sharp, intense fear of having to live in a world without her… it was some of the worst pain he’d been in. Some of the worst grief. The same, bone-deep and all-consuming pain that Samantha’s absence had brought. To have such a large, gaping hole inside him, nowhere for the love to land. It’s a very different type of relationship, yes, but the grief tastes the same.
Mulder’s fingers dance across Scully’s hair and he lets the repeated motion, along with her consistent breathing, soothe him. She’s alive. She’s alive, and she’s in his arms. He can see that she’s safe, feel her breath against his shirt, press his palm to her back and let it rise and fall with her. He just can’t get the what-ifs out of his head.
He shudders, and holds his partner tighter. Unconscious, she does the same.
***
When Mulder wakes a couple days later, Scully is already awake with her head on his chest, eyes open and staring off into space. His face is buried in her hair, and he presses a kiss there to let her know he’s awake.
“Hey,” Her voice is floaty, absent. Like she’s thought so hard it’s brought her into another world.
“Hey.” He lets the silence stretch for a moment. “What’s got you thinking so hard?”
Scully bites her lip, hesitant to tell him about the idea she’s been rolling over in her mind, the one she’s been trying and failing to talk herself out of. “I’m not sure this is… sustainable.”
Mulder tenses under her. He is so, so not ready to have a potential divorce conversation. “You mean our, uh…”
“What?” She lifts up on her elbow to look at him, and reads his face plain and clear. “Oh, no, Mulder, not like that. I mean staying over every night, alternating apartments.”
“Oh, sorry, I’ll, uh, get out of your hair–” He shifts to slip out from under her and get out of bed, but she stops him with a hand to his arm.
“Not like that.” They settle back into their spots, Scully’s head on Mulder’s chest. Her voice is shaky when she confesses, “I sleep better with you closeby, and I think you do too. I want to continue that, I just…” She takes a deep breath and takes the plunge, “What do you think about moving in together?”
“Oh.” Mulder’s a bit floored by that. This conversation was going in the complete opposite of the direction he was expecting. The silence stretches for a moment while he considers it.
“What’re you thinking, Mulder?”
“Well we could save a lot of money on rent if we moved into a two bedroom.”
“And on phone bills.” Scully reasons.
“And we could carpool – save on gas.”
“Mhmm,” Scully affirms. They’re both quiet for a moment, mulling it over, before she continues, “So, mine or yours? Or somewhere else?”
“Somewhere else, I think. Something fresh. Are you married to Georgetown?”
“I’m married to you.”
He smiles at that. He’s not looking at her, so he doesn't see the open wound of sincerity in her eyes.
Scully continues, “Alexandria is fine. It’s cheaper. We’re being… pragmatic.”
“Pragmatic… yeah.”
“Reasonable.”
“Mhmm.”
“So,” she lifts her head to look at him again, “Do you want to get the paper to look through the listings, or should I?”
<- previous chapter next chapter ->
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White, Summer/Fall Year One
So here I am, officially starting to actually play an actual BaCC. The funny part is that I have never played a BaCC successfully before, much less done any degree of storytelling. And let me tell you... it shows. I got so caught up in the excitement and wonder of my shiny themed rules that I forgot some critical parts, e.g. everyone needs to grow their own damn crops until there’s a grocery store, or they won’t last through winter PROBABLY.
I considered attempting Full Storytelling Mode but I am clearly way too amateur at this for that, let me just toss some pictures up here and describe Fall in the House of White.
Queen Snow White, head of the House of White, and first among the royals of Lake Buena Vista, and her husband Prince Consort Florian White.
(I definitely considered letting her keep the title of Princess despite being the ruler because Disney, but concluded that was dumb.)
My first mistake, made over a year ago whenever I set this up, is that they were not created as a married couple! I am as shocked as you. Fortunately, they didn’t get swept up in True Love from other sources (aka nobody has 3 bolts yet), and were very happy to court one another.
VERY HAPPY
On the first day, Snow quickly set about befriending her most likely allies, Lucinde Verene (the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella) and Cinderella, soon to be her dearest friends. The intent was for Snow to invite them and a few others over on the last day of the season to have Snow hold court; that didn’t happen for reasons that will become clear.
She did manage to snag her required Politics job; the ruler is essentially the mayor in a standard BaCC. Right now, her goal is to get to level five so she can build a Town Hall for the Politics Guild. That’s one of the requirements to unlock a Downtown, and on top of that, the Politics Guild by itself unlocks a. more than three people in the Politics career and b. anybody being allowed to progress past level five in the Politics career. My rules are kind of a work in progress, at the playtesting stage, but the big goal was making the career unlocking simpler. I do not know if I have succeeded.
Meanwhile, Prince Florian has gotten super into art, and he wants to be a Celebrity Chef of all things. Here I was thinking he could unlock Law Enforcement or something, and he’s all “nope I wanna be a cook”. Okay, buddy. He shot right up to Host in the Culinary career, so I am eyeballing the assorted requirements I have for him to found a Culinary Guild. All guilds have an assortment of potential requirements to found or join, usually consisting of a specific degree, lifetime want, true hobby, traits, sometimes interests, sometimes something more active. He has the LTW and needs one more, and several are not possible for him, so in this case he’s either going to open a restaurant or try to bump up his interest in food. (...which will require a community lot that sells magazines, I believe.)
Snow worked hard to become best friends with both Cinderella and Lucinde, which will be very helpful for the stability of the kingdom.
She also made some progress on public speaking. For some reason, her Job panel never showed her requirements--maybe I have a conflicting mod?--so I just had to assume Charisma would probably do the trick; that only got her to level two, so I should probably check for mods.
A few steps along their courtship. I believe I got them up to Committed Relationship on the second day.
...which led to this.
...and this.
And this, shortly later!
They struggled to find time to spend together, with Snow working all day and Florian’s restaurant shifts being at night, but finally had a private ceremony just after Florian got home on Fall 3.
...too excited to change first. And soon, as is often the case...
Snow had a fair amount of morning sickness; possibly due to the stress of setting up a government to shelter her whole society from another world (or whatever I decide the backstory is).
She wound up sleeping through the day, eating meals in the middle of the night, and completely missing her husband as his schedule remained the same. Alas, this nutty schedule is what caused me to completely forget to have her hold court. Oh, well, it’s the first round. She’s due to give birth next round, maybe on the first day.
Meanwhile, Florian made his own fun.
Next up will be Cinderella and Prince Charming Beaufort, more playtesting of my rules, and some soul-searching on whether I really should use some mods to slow down skilling or promotions since I am using Hat’s Gestation-based Aging mod, in the hopes that some of the founders might survive to meet some Disney Renaissance and later characters. It may be wishful thinking. Both are currently 25.5 years old, with I believe 106 days left to Elder, and I need 7 CAS points just to add Alice in Wonderland.
I think I probably should have had them walk to work, since cars are locked. Mea culpa, I am new at this.
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New Mortville BaCC - The Starr Siblings, Annette and Saito
The Starr siblings also spent some time at the Mortville Orphanage, but fortunately they were adopted by Evanora Starr, a reclusive nature witch who was a bit sheltering, but aside from that the best magical mom any orphan could ask for. But now that she’s gone, they’re completely lost in life. Feeling as though there was nothing left for them in Mortville, they decided to take their mother’s old friend, Olithia, up on her offer to join Hazy’s group.
Annette - Popularity/Pleasure | 2/2/8/8/5 | Libra | Lesbian
LTW: Have 20 Best Friends | OTH: Music & Dance
Despite being in a less than desirable situation, Annette remains optimistic. She’s excited to get to know her fellow travellers. Having been homeschooled and not attending university, she hasn’t had many opportunities to make friends. She’s not sure what she wants out of life, but she thinks New Mortville might be just the place to figure it out.
Saito - Fortune/Romance | 8/2/8/4/3 | Scorpio | Bi
LTW: Become Criminal Mastermind | OTH: Tinkering
Unlike his sister, Saito really took to his mother’s reclusive ways. He’s a true mommy’s boy, through and through. Aside from Annette and Olithia, he doesn’t know any of these sims, and isn’t too keen on getting to know them. Hopefully he’ll find something, or someone, to bring him some happiness.
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@themeasureofasim replied to your post: Need suggestions for Custom Careers!
I suck at modding but I’m moderately creative, so I can share some ideas! I think would make the Veterinary LTW available for Family and Popularity sims, because they roll pet related wants more often. For low level jobs I would include dog walker, animal shelter worker, dog groomer and dog trainer, and thereafter the really vet jobs: vet assistant, vet resident/specialist, livestock vet/companion animal vet/exotic animal vet, research vet… There are many kinds!
And for the top, something like director of a wildlife conservation center (I’m thinking about lynxes <3). And for the second career replacement, I would choose Mechanic! I have always miss such a thing. Hope that helps :)
Ooooo so many great ideas! Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
#themeasureofasim#reply#why does tumblr still not let me @ people properly it's been broken for years 😭
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“What do you think, Scully?” He inquires.
“You were right.”
His smile spreads across his face slowly, and he drops his head to let out a relieved chuckle before looking back at her. “Well there’s something you don’t say to me often. It’s the house?”
She nods, “Yeah, Mulder, it’s the house.”
read chapter four of shelter on ao3, or below the cut! plus, bonus content over here!
March 1996
When Scully gets to her apartment after a hair appointment, she’s greeted by the smell of baking bread. Mulder stands in her kitchen, spooning spaghetti into two bowls. He’s wearing a goddamn apron. Scully tries really, really hard not to stare, and even harder not to think about him at the stove wearing nothing but an apron. She fails on both counts.
“What’s all this?”
“Dinner.” He replies simply, “How was the salon?”
“It was fine. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Even I can make pasta, Scully. But the real pièces de résistance,” He opens the oven and lifts out a sheet pan of golden garlic bread, “Is right here.”
“Oh my God, that smells amazing.”
Queequeg yaps in the distance and comes running in from the bedroom to greet Scully. She crouches down to say hello.
“I’m going to walk him, I’ll be right back.” Scully reaches for the wardrobe where the leash hangs.
“I already did.”
“Really?”
“What, that’s so surprising?”
“Well you two aren’t exactly each other’s biggest fans.”
“We have a couple things in common. You, for example. A love of bacon. The occasional hankering for human flesh.”
Scully rolls her eyes and a small laugh, “Well, thank you Mulder. I appreciate it.”
“Have a seat.” Mulder pulls Scully’s usual chair out for her, and she slides into it. He places the bowls on the table, pasta now accompanied by fresh garlic bread.
“Seriously, Mulder, What’s the occasion?”
Mulder gives her his Christmas tree smile, the one that lights up his entire face, the room, the fucking world. He plucks a newspaper out of the pocket of his apron and slides it across the table to her. “I found the house.”
Her eyebrows lift. “The house?”
“The house, Scully. Our house. It’s technically only two beds, but it has a finished basement space that would work as an office.”
“Another basement office?”
He shrugs. “I thought it was poetic.”
She scans the circled listing. He’s right; the house would be perfect for them. Right in their price range, a good neighborhood, two bedrooms and an office space.
Not having taken a bite, Mulder rises from the table, “And the real estate agent emailed me more photos, if I can use your computer.”
“Of course.” She doesn’t even look up from the newspaper. When he indicates he has it pulled up with a “Here, Scully,” she follows him and leans over the screen, hand on the back of the chair.
“You’re gonna love it, Scully, it’s on a quiet road, stained glass on the front door, there’s this detailing on the crown molding I think you’ll like–”
Scully interrupts as she clicks through the photos. “It’s beautiful,” she says breathlessly. She moves her hand from the chair to his shoulder, and he turns to look up at her with that beautiful, bright smile.
“You like it?”
“I love it, Mulder. It’s a little small, but it’s exactly what we need.”
“The real estate agent has time for a tour first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Book it.”
Mulder plucks the phone out of its cradle and dials.
Once the appointment is set for the following day, they settle at the table and tuck into their meals. When Scully takes her first bit of garlic bread, she outright moans. Mulder’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline.
“God, Mulder, where did you learn to bake?” He blushes and turns his head down to focus intently on his plate, but doesn’t respond. “What, is there a story there? An old flame?” She tries to act like her stomach doesn’t twist at the concept of him making her another girl’s garlic bread recipe.
He laughs lightly and twirls his pasta, “Oh yeah, Scully. Older woman, short, brunette.” He finally looks up at her. “Your mom taught me. When you were gone.”
“Oh.” Scully’s a little taken aback by this. “I didn’t know you two were… that close. Neither of you have mentioned it.”
“I mean, we don’t have weekly phone calls or anything. But I think having someone else around who loved you was really helpful for the both of us.”
Scully feels a little but like she’s been stabbed, as if Mulder’s words have taken a physical form and sliced through her flesh. His tone is affectionate, but the pain from their implication is ice cold.
It's easy, sometimes, to forget that he grieved for her. Her mother too. She would rather not have to think about her chair empty in their office, of whichever one of them let themselves in to water her plants, of a gravestone that was engraved but never laid. She doesn’t want to think of either of them in that kind of pain.
“So she taught you to bake?”
Mulder nods, “At first she started showing up with casseroles and stuff. I think someone from your church must have set up one of those dinner trains, but didn’t take into account that she’s one person so they sent too much. I felt like everything was out of my control, and she had me knead the bread when I came over for dinner once, and it was something that I could control.” He takes in a shaky breath, “I think she needed someone to take care of, since she couldn't take care of you. And I certainly needed it.”
“I’m sorry I put you two through that, Mulder. I’m glad you had each other.”
He huffs, “Don’t apologize for that, Scully. It’s not your fault. You were abducted.”
Scully gives him a very sincere look and nods, biting her lip, and returns her eyes to her plate. After a couple more moments of eating in silence, Scully speaks. “I don’t suppose she gave you her pot roast recipe too? Bill and I have been trying to get that out of her for years.”
Mulder laughs. “No, just the bread. Don’t go expecting Christmas cookies or birthday cakes, Scully, that’s beyond my capabilities.”
After they’ve both had their fill, Mulder convinces Scully to leave the dishes for later and relax on the couch. He flips the channel to Jeopardy, which is just starting.
“C’mon, Scully” Mulder says when she settles next to him, pulling her lightly until her head is in his lap and she’s laid out longways across the couch. She complies. “Remember when we came across that man in black who was Alex Trebeck’s doppelganger?”
“No I don’t, Mulder, because as far as I’m concerned, you snuck into my room without being invited,” she teases.
“Scully, I swear to god, they looked exactly alike.”
“Alright, honey.” She pats his leg affectionately.
Onscreen, Alex Trebek reads out the category names. When he gets to the last one, and announces it as “The ‘Ex’ Files,” Scully sits up in shock.
“Did he just–”
“Yes.”
They stare at each other in silence for a moment.
“Okay, Mulder, I concede. There is a slight possibility that Alex Trebeck is a man in black.”
***
The first thing that catches Scully’s eye, unsurprisingly, is the stained glass window on the front door. It’s floral, cast in pinks, purples, and greens, and contrasting the dark wood of the door and porch.
As soon as she steps inside, she can see it. She knows then that it was the right house. A domestic scene blooms before her. She can see her couch in the living space, Mulder’s round table near the kitchen, right under another stained glass window, this one of a bee. She can see books stacked on the counters, case files spread on the coffee table as she sits on the floor inspecting them, with Mulder behind her laying across the couch. She can see their future. The one she wants them to have together.
When she turns to look at Mulder, he’s already looking at her, like if he inspects her expression close enough he can tell exactly what domestic fantasies are playing out in her head. Maybe he can.
Something rises up in Scully’s chest. It’s safety, it’s rightness, it’s comfort. And it’s all Mulder.
“What do you think, Scully?” He inquires.
“You were right.”
His smile spreads across his face slowly, and he drops his head to let out a relieved chuckle before looking back at her. “Well there’s something you don’t say to me often. It’s the house?”
She nods, “Yeah, Mulder, it’s the house.”
They come together in an embrace, and Mulder drops a kiss to her head. She tightens her arms around his waist.
“I hate to interrupt,” The real estate agent interjects, “But it sounds like you two want to put in an offer?”
They don’t even separate to respond. Mulder’s voice is rough with emotion when he says “Yes.”
***
Mulder does the paperwork for once in his life, and miraculously, the house is theirs a month later. Mulder informs Scully of this fact by waltzing into the office and dropping a ring with two keys onto the file on the desk in front of her.
She looks up at him and raises a single eyebrow in confusion. “What’s this?”
“Your set of house keys.”
“Already? How?”
“I know a guy who knows a guy.” Mulder takes a seat on the desk. “Do you want to play hooky and go visit?”
“You’ve already missed hours of work, Mulder–”
“C’mon, Scully, live a little. It’s not every day you buy a house.”
She bites at her lip, trying to prevent the smile from forming, but he knows he has her. He grabs the keys and her hand and pulls her out of the office, a peel of laughter trailing after them.
By the time Mulder pulls into the driveway, their driveway, Scully’s smile is uncontrollable, beaming. He resists the urge to ask if he can carry her over the threshold.
Scully steps into the main room and turns slowly, taking in the space. It’s even more gorgeous than the first time they visited. When she faces Mulder again, a giggle bursts from her and she leans toward him.
“We have a house.” She reaches out to him, “Mulder, we own a house.” He gathers her in his arms and lifts her up, matching her joy.
With Scully in his arms, the moment shifts from bubbly to tender. “We have a house.” He mumbles into the seam of her neck and shoulder as he clings to her body. He sets her back on the ground, wary of her death-trap heels. When he stands back up straight, his gaze falls on her parted lips before drifting to her eyes. It's then that he notices her own eyes are squarely on his lips.
For a brief moment, he wonders if she’s going to kiss him. To take her hands where they now lay on the back of his neck and guide his face down to hers. He wonders how their height difference would change things, having only ever kissed her in the car where it was reduced. He would beg to find out, beg for her to kiss him.
She doesn’t. She shifts her hands to the sides of his face and rubs her thumbs across his stubble tenderly. This is enough for now. It has to be.
If Mulder looks at the facts on paper, he’s damn successful. He has what just about every man wants; a beautiful wife, with whom he has just bought a home. But with the complexities of real life, what he really has is a partner who hides her ring and a roommate at 34 years old.
But he thinks, sometimes, that he can feel the outline of a them forming. They already are a them in many ways, but recently there have been more moments that spark a glimmer of hope in his chest. Hope that maybe his love is requited, that Scully might feel the same way. But he knows that if something were ever to happen between them, something real and undeniable, it would have to be Scully’s move. She needs to have control over when and how, and he’s absolutely fine with giving it to her. It’ll happen eventually. He can wait. She’s worth it.
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