Welcome!

I’m new to Tumblr, so please bear with me if there are any bumps to iron as out as we get started. I am the archivist at The Nursery Files, an archive of X-Files baby and kidfic. The intention of this blog is to allow folks to submit both responses to Nursery Files challenges, and their other stories that contain one of the following:

- Canon child characters from any episode(s) of the X-Files - An original character between the ages of 0 and 19 - A pregnant character of any gender - An adult child of an X-Files character

If something doesn’t work, please let me know. If you know how to fix it, even better :D Since it’s December, let’s start with Christmas challenges. I’ll post this year’s challenge last, but you can write and submit a fic for any of them.

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 Authors’ Frequently Asked Questions

Questions people have asked before writing their fics

Do I need to have fics archived at The Nursery Files before participating in challenges?

No. Everyone is welcome to submit challenge fics, regardless of whether or not I’ve sought out your fics before. Remember, if you have fics that would fit in here and haven’t been asked about them, it’s because I haven’t discovered them, not a reflection of my opinion of your writing skills.

Can I write a fic for a challenge that another author has already responded to?

Yes, if you have an idea of where to take a challenge, don’t let the existence of other fics for that challenge scare you off. The more the merrier!

What are the length/word count requirements for challenge fics?

There are none. You are always free to write a fic to whatever length suits your story.

What ratings are okay?

Any. Given that they’re baby and/or kidfic challenges Plot What Plot (PWP) fics would be difficult to write and honor that requirement of the challenges, but it’s okay if your fic contains scenes adult in nature if they fulfill the challenge as well

What are the deadlines?

Non-Holiday challenges: There are no deadlines for fics unrelated to holidays or birthdays. Send them in whenever you’re ready to.

Holiday and birthday challenges:  Fics for new holiday challenges are due the night before the holiday in question. If you’d like to write a fic for a past holiday challenge (perhaps, for example, in 2010 you’d rather write a fic for the 2005 Merry Multiples challenge than the upcoming I’ll Be Cloned for Christmas challenge) please submit fics prior to the holiday in whatever year you’re writing them in. Fics for William birthday challenges are due May 20th of any given year.

Can I write a fic for an old challenge?

Absolutely. You’re welcome to submit new fics for any of the old challenges, even holiday ones (see “deadlines” above).

Can I write a fic that fulfills multiple challenges?

If you’d like to, yes.

Can I base a series of fics on different challenges?

Yes. If you can, for example, find a way to write one fic using challenge #3, write a sequel to it using challenge #45, and continue with a fic based on challenge #34, we’d be happy to see it and impressed.

Does my kidfic need to include a canon baby/kid?

It does not. You’re more than welcome to use William, Emily, Matthew Scully, Gibson Praise, kid!Samantha Mulder, Luke Doggett or kids from case files in any of your challenge stories, but you do not have to. In fact, several of the challenges ask that you create an original character(OC) child to fulfill the challenge.

What else should I know before I start writing?

All of the challenges require a baby or child character, and this character should be an important figure within your story. They’re kidfic challenges, so you’ll have to forgive me if any of the individual challenge requirement pages don’t make that explicit enough for new authors. Exception: for some challenges you can also write a qualifying fic that contains a pregnant character or the adult child of an X-Files character instead of a baby or child

How do I submit my fic once it’s done?

Should I note the title of the challenge I’m responding to in my post?

Please do :)

Can I post the story somewhere else too?

Of course! It’s your story to post wherever you like. But please don’t only post it somewhere else - when people forget to submit to us too makes it hard for me to find it in order to announce their contribution to the challenge.

Can I submit fics that aren’t for challenges too?

You can submit fics to the archive that aren’t for our challenges as long as they contain one or more of the following characters

Reposting because I've gone on a Friday following spree :) Hello new writers, join us!

why can’t you just be normal?

And uh, this too, lol. Grab a keyboard or your pen for your story, everyone.

X Files but they got to keep the psychic children Emily and William

psst, doesn't this give you story ideas? ::grin::

DRR Babyfic Challenge

There aren’t enough Doggett-Reyes baby or kidfics. There should be more! Challenge Elements:

Note: you are more than welcome to include alive!Luke Doggett in your story if you’d like to also address Reyes being a step-parent

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here in on our submissions Tumblr

The Kid at the Crime Scenes Challenge

Write a tale in which local law enforcement reach out to the FBI when they realize that photos of three or more crime scenes show the same young boy or girl in the distance, observing the collection of evidence.

Is this child a suspect…or something else?

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com, post here on our submissions Tumblr, tag @mulderscreek, or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.

Sleeping With the Enemy Challenge

Write a post-Truth story in which Marita falls for a spy and reaches out to Scully or Monica for help. When asked why she doesn’t simply leave him and disappear, Marita reveals that he is holding the child she had with Alex Krycek as leverage against her doing exactly that.

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here in on our submissions Tumblr - or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.

The Accidental Guardian Challenge

A Doggett themed challenge!

This is the backstory you’ll write a story around: Although it seemed like Doggett and Reyes were growing closer in late season nine, one issue drove a wedge between them: Monica wanted children, and John didn’t. So, she married someone else.

Challenge Elements:

- open your story with Doggett discovering the following - Years after Monica’s wedding, something has gone wrong. Her husband is dead, and she is missing…and child protective services has just rung to ask Doggett to honor the couple’s wishes that he look after her children (both/all under the age of seven).

- despite any misgivings Doggett has, he reluctantly agrees to look after the kids until Reyes is found. Then what??

- Doggett can seek help from Mulder, Scully and/or Skinner if you’d like

- this story does not need to include DRR but you’re welcome to make it so.

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here on our submissions Tumblr - or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.

i thought txf tumblr would enjoy this, my mom got me the mulder and scully special edition barbies for my birthday and i figured i’d take them on a trip to new mexico :-)

The Creeps Have Always Lived in the Castle Challenge

Your challenge is to write a story about a wealthy family in a small town who has a reputation for being spooky and unlikable. They live apart in a luxurious house, and they’re frequently the talk of the town. While some people in their town thought that it was just undeserved rumors, an unexpected event leads to an X-Files investigation in a case involving at least one of the children in the family.

Will the investigation settle the question of whether the family’s eerie reputation is deserved, or not, once and for all?

Crossovers are allowed

 Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here in on our submissions Tumblr - or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.

Early Childhood Fears Casefile Challenge

There are a number of fears that are typical of toddlers and young children. Your challenge is to base a casefile story around one of these fears.

Is the fear all in the child’s imagination… or is there more to it?

Requirements:

1. Your story will feature a young child of either gender, no older than age 10, as the focus of the casefile

2. You’ll select one of the following fears as the basis of your casefile story

There you have it. Everything else, like who the child is, story length, setting/timeframe, the X-Files character you’ll use to investigate the case, and so on are up to you.

e-mail completed stories to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here on the Nursery Files’ Tumblr

new person: i’m late to this fandom/ship.. there’s not much point writing fic/making art for it is there?

The Fans:

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The Kids Aren’t Alright Challenge

Choose one of the toddlers, children or teenagers below as the subject of a case file investigated by one of our intrepid X-Files agents.

One. The subject of an X-File is a teenage girl who finds herself pregnant. She’s reluctant to talk about what happened to her, but adamant that she’s never been unchaste. Some people who know her are supportive, many are not. Have agents investigate her seemingly miraculous unborn baby’s origin. Do not end your tale before the birth.

Two. The subject of an X-File is an eighteen-year-old college freshman who attended a party during the first semester of the school year. S/he met someone at the party who seemed wonderful but turned out to have dark secrets. Strange and terrible occurrences over the weeks following the party have led your character to wonder if the man or woman they met is in fact an ordinary person… or something else. After something horrifying happens to your character, agents pick up the case.

Three. The subject of an X-File is a boy or girl just on the cusp of puberty. While their classmates are worried about first periods, cracking voices, and first kisses, this child was sat down by family and told the truth: their family is not as it seems. The child denies it, until an injury or death of someone they know is blamed on them.

Four. The subject of an X-File is a child who is no older than nine years of age. S/he was adopted and has had a fairly happy life with his/her adopted family. At least until they start displaying powers that frighten their adoptive parents into deciding to dissolve the adoption. Before they can, however, a very public incident catches the attention of the world in general and the X-Files office in particular.

Five. The subject of an X-File is a child or teenager who has been kidnapped. The person who took them doesn’t have the typical motives - they’re not interested in abuse or murder. Instead the kidnapper is convinced that they’ve saved the child from a monster. But that’s all in the kidnapper’s head, isn’t it?

Six. The subjects of an X-Files are a family of young siblings who have been orphaned after their parents were killed by a drunk driver. The siblings grimly joke that their lives are similar to Party of Five…except the Salingers had to worry about bills and keeping their family eatery afloat, not people finding out that their family isn’t as human as it looks. A criminal incident involving one of the middle children suddenly makes keeping their secret nearly impossible.

Seven.

The subjects of an X-Files is a baby or toddler (or one of each or twins) who is left in a hot car. At first it seems miraculous that the child/ren survived, but soon people are wary that it wasn’t divine intervention that saved the day.

Eight.

The subjects of an X-Files is a toddler whose parents fondly called their child a miracle because it took them several years to conceive. On the child’s second birthday they appear to preform an actual miracle. Things take a turn for the strange® over the next few months in a way that catches the eye of the FBI.

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here in on our submissions Tumblr - or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.

The Monstress’s Child Challenge

Write a story about the police or other good Samaritans finding a seemingly abandoned infant or toddler in an out of the way place, such as a field or in an unoccupied building. Fortunately, the baby seems healthy despite his/her ordeal.  

Once the baby is placed in a foster home the new family is terrorized by the child’s mother, who is not human though the child appears to be.

Please submit your story or the link to it to nurseryfiles@mulderscreek.com or post here in on our submissions Tumblr - or send me a message with your fic on Tumblr to reblog.