#didn't he go missing under mysterious circumstances?

[waitineedaname]

i need to write jin ling's absolutely nightmarish parent-teacher meetings. his teachers dread them. you end up with one of his uncles (who have joint custody? for some reason? are they divorced? no one wants to ask) which means either you have to deal with one of them attempting to bribe you and/or hinting that he could ruin your career if jin ling is mistreated, or you get the other one alternating between yelling at his nephew and yelling at you. worst case scenario, you get both of them in the same meeting, which turns into a competition to see who can be the bitchiest and most sarcastic. any questions of why jin ling is Like That are immediately answered by meeting his uncles, though it does raise several other questions

[comicaurora]

So based on that last ask with King Arthur is he choosing to fall in love with Gwen even if she has a high chance of falling for Lancealot? If so, it's tragic. Doomed to love another that won't fully love you back.

Does Arthur even just tell Lancenalot to get the hell put of the kingdom some loops?

I think it's more like-

You become aware of your existence somewhere around the age of 3. You were born under mysterious circumstances you don't know the details of. The first time through, you were growing up in a castle. Lately you find you are growing up among peasantry.

Maybe you have brothers. Maybe you have a sister. Maybe you're an only child. Your family is distant either way. They speak welsh. They speak latin. They speak french. They speak english with american attempts at british accents.

The first few times through, there wasn't a sword. Now it's a consistent presence - a shimmering blade stuck in a plain anvil or a large boulder, haunting your hometown or a nearby forest glade. It looks different every time, feels different in your hands. It was made for you.

There are more trials every time. In the first stories the crown was yours from birth. Lately it's been further and further away, behind more tribulations and tournaments and beasts to slay. More guidance from the ageless old man you remember from the earliest days, the welsh days. He's different every time. Everything's different every time. And still nothing changes.

The crown is yours. It's inevitable. And when the crown passes into your hands, it carries the kingdom with it. It's yours now. And it's going to thrive! You hardly need to do anything. Heroes flock to you and pledge themselves as knights, then spend the decades tearing off on wild quests and adventures, getting into the kind of trouble that serendipitously always keeps the kingdom safe. The adventures feel familiar, but never quite play out the same way. Chalices, black knights, fairy women, questing beasts. You rarely see them for yourself. You're too important, after all. You're the kingdom's beating heart.

You have a queen. You don't spend much time with her. It's jarring how much she changes every time. You hate how much it surprises you the times she genuinely loves you; you never really get to enjoy it. The kingdom doesn't run itself, even if just having you around seems to make the forests grow thick and the rivers run clear. Mostly you spend time with her when you're rescuing her from abduction. You very rarely have children together. You miss them.

It didn't used to end in fire, but lately it never ends in anything but, and you never know when it's going to start. You're never home when it starts, but you spend so much time out tending the kingdom or questing anyway. But you always learn too late - treachery. Your knight, your vassal, your bastard child, your lady love. Camelot is burning. You watch your life's work precede you into the grave.

You die. You sleep under the mountain. You dream. It's quiet.

Somewhere in the world, a writer picks up a pen, and you become aware of existence somewhere around the age of 3.

[wangxianficrecs]

Rewind 2024 - Follower Recs

WangxianFicRecs - Rewind 2024

For our Rewind 2024, our dear followers were also able to submit Follower Recs of their favourite stories published in 2024 for you to enjoy! Thank you to everyone who shared their recs and make sure to give the authors some love!

~*~

Hey! Im submitting for the rewind 2024! Nominating because its the perfect mix of hilarious and heart-wrenching, theres sword lore AND blue haired Lan Wangji! Plus @hellinglaozu art! @mdzsrewind

🔒 Help!!! I’m a Broke College Student How Did I End Up With a (Hot) Amnesiac Sword Spirit For a Sugar Baby??!??

by spookykingdomstarlight

M, 43k, Wangxian

Summary: Wei Ying is a normal first-year college student. He lives with his parents. He gets good grades. He has friends. Or a friend, at least. Everything is going well, at least until a stunning man in hanfu with white hair manifests right in front of his eyes on a field trip. Suddenly he’s stuck introducing a sword spirit to the modern world, dealing with a mystery involving metal shards appearing all over Jiangsu province, and grappling with the possibility that Siri from his old phone might be sentient. What’s a normal first-year college student supposed to do under these circumstances? He dives right in, of course. A collaboration with the amazing HellingLaozu!

~*~

This story is modern, sexy missing WWX times and proactive LWJ doing what he can to cope (robot). @petirrojo57

Starry Sky

by auberjing (@wrecklwj) & lamusadelils

E, 8k, Wangxian

Summary: In the absence of Wei Ying, Lan Zhan deals with his grief by trying to replicate him. It's not the same, but the replica brings him some comfort. And maybe more.

~*~

Just pick any Scrippio work, really, but modern actor WWX works! @petirrojo57

Falling for You

by Scrippio

T, 8k, Wangxian

Summary: In which Lan Zhan's new stunt double decides that they're BFFs...and Lan Zhan finds that he agrees. Or: Five movies Lan Zhan makes with Wei Ying and One he makes alone.

~*~

I'm sure many other people have recommended this story for the Rewind 2024 event but I'll throw my vote in too for this incredibly well-written, amazing take on how things could've gone if Lotus Pier didn't fall and Wei Ying realized he loved Lan Zhan earlier. It features genius Wei Ying, supportive Lan Qiren, learning-to-be-less-naive Lan Xichen, and lazy but talented Nie Huaisang. The world-building is gorgeous and the storytelling phenomenal. @doctorbunsenhoneydew

Dispersing Clouds

by dreamingofcake

E, 283k, Wangxian

Summary: While the Wen Clan is embroiled in subduing internal conflicts within Qishan, the Jiang Clan hosts the annual discussion conference. It has been one year since the disastrous archery competition where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji last met but Wei Wuxian remains as optimistic as ever. An unlikely friendship begins to blossom and without the looming spectres of conquest and war to strengthen his ties to the Jiang family, the trajectory of Wei Wuxian’s life changes.

~*~

A Qin Sue fic! I enjoyed this where she survives and lives in Lotus Pier. - Anon

now you’re tearing through the pages and the ink

by Stratisphyre

M, 70k, Jiang Cheng/Qin Su & Wangxian

Summary: “I can’t stay here. Please don’t make me!” The words dragged themselves out of Qin Su's chest, feral and half-bloodied by her grief and fear. “A-Cheng is leaving tomorrow,” Jiang Yanli said. “You could go with him.” Or, Qin Su in Lotus Pier.

~*~

This story is a fairly recent WIP. No first siege of bm, yilingwei sect, wei yuan, wwx takes in a bunch of street kids as disciples, some guidao cultivation world building, jzx and jyl live, wwx semi isolates in bm for 13yrs and founds a sect, sect politics - Anon

Our Beautiful Homes

by Randomness_is_my_order

M, WIP, 21k, Wangxian

Summary: I, Jin Guangyao, a senior disciple of the Lanling Jin Clan write to you regarding a matter of grave importance. Kindly pardon the abrupt correspondence but I hope the situation will warrant such measures and the offence incurred will be minimal.  Wei Wuxian’s day had really become so interesting, hadn’t it? The Lianfang-zun writing to him–this lowly practitioner of the heretic path? My, my, his life was always filled with surprises, wasn’t it?  Sometimes, it takes a hundred sacrifices and a dozen heroes to change fate. Other times, it takes a rock and a sentient corpse tripping on it mid-fight to avoid a lifetime of tragedies and send destiny into a tailspin. In which Wen Ning misses his attack, Jin Zixuan lives and Wei Wuxian builds a sect for all those who don’t have a home. It is only thirteen years later that the cultivation world bothers to acknowledge him and his people, and only when they’re desperate for a favour. Never let it be said that Wei Wuxian would allow himself to be used.

~*~

Really awesome fic for what if LWJ became sect leader after the Wen attack on Cloud Recesses. There are some really good wangxian moments and I really like how the fic showcases sect administration and how the sect works now with LWJ as the leader. - Anon

🔒 The Straightest Path

by meyari

T, 30k, Wangxian, Nielan, JYL/NMJ, Sangcheng

Summary: The moment of Xiongzhang’s death would live forever in Lan Zhan’s mind. He’d turned towards Lan Zhan, qiankun pouch holding the library in his hands. Then he’d gasped as arrows flew towards them both in a hail no one could survive.

~*~

I would like to rec this story. It is currently a WIP started this year and every update is amazing. There’s so many details and I love that Wangxian are dragons and that WWX gets all the love and support and he fights really well too. - Anon

With This Shadowed Blade

by Anonymous

M, 145k, WIP, Wangxixian, Nielan, Wangxian, Sangxian, Mingxian, Nielanxian, Wangsang, Xixian

Summary: Wei Ying needs to find his soulmates before the madness turns him into a horrific monster. There's just the slight problem of Madam Yu shipping him off to the stuffy Lans in a contract bonding. Oh, and she didn't tell them he's on the verge of losing it. So they just think that he's, well, there must be something wrong with him after all...

~*~

I would like to recommend this story, because it is so unique and vividly written, one of the best fics I have ever read. @aerouinde

🔒💙 Building it back, stone by stone and seal by seal

by KizuKatana (@kizukatana)

M, 134k, Wangxian | Kay's Rec

Summary: It had been over 200 years since the war between cultivators left more than half the land ravaged and uninhabitable and the practice of cultivation punishable by death. Despite the risks of being caught as a practicing cultivator, Wei Wuxian took on the hunt of a dangerous yao that had destroyed a small village and killed all of the civilians. While searching for the demon, he encountered a mysterious cultivator dressed all in white. Wei Wuxian was excited to finally meet another cultivator, but instead of greeting him or making pretty much any conversation at all, the man attacked Wei Wuxian on sight. - - - - - - There is NO WAR in this fic. This takes place two centuries after the war happened, and it has a sort of post apocalyptic vibe. This is a story of rebuilding and finding safety. It's about found family and forming a new society away from the old one that persecuted them.

~*~

I want to recommend this story, because it was a very unique story with so much atmosphere, the settings were wonderful, and it was well paced. @aerouinde

grimoire

by WithLoweredVoices

M, 95k, Wangxian

Summary: ‘Alright, fine,’ huffs Wei Ying, blowing out his cheeks. He adjusts his grip on the smooth hilt of the sword, as cold as wet stone beneath his palm. ‘How do I give this back to you?’ ‘I must trade with you something of equal worth,’ says the strange man. ‘Uh. Okay.’ Wei Ying rubs his forehead with his free hand. ‘How about your name? Your real name.’ In case he needs to file a police report or stalk this beautiful, scary man on google or something. The man looks even more angry. He pulls his shoulders back and draws himself to his full height, which is rather impressive and forces Wei Ying to tip his chin up slightly. ‘My name is Lan Zhan,’ the man says. ~ (The one where it’s a dark academia AU - only it’s not.)

~*~

I want to recommend this story, because it was an immensely exciting story, one of the best Kaiju/Archon stories I have read. @aerouinde

Axiom –A Mo Dao Zu Shi Mecha AU

by Hinu (@imnotacleverman)

E, 331k, Wangxian

Summary: “I’ve always known it’s my destiny to be coupled with a cute girl and fall in love in the archon!” Wuxian winked at the nearest girl, who just so happened to be Mianmian, the prettiest girl in their class. Lan Wangji’s eye-roll was loud. “What?” Wuxian had noticed the boy’s reaction. “You never striked me as a romantic, Lan Wangji, but you know studies have shown that a notable percent of alters end up married, right?” “Oi!” Someone exclaimed. Everyone shot their eyes back on the screens, onto which text had appeared: Their coupling results. Everyone was too busy looking up their own name on the list to pay attention to the fact that the stickler-to-the-rules nephew of major general Lan Qiren had been coupled with Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji had been coupled with Wei Wuxian! *** In a world threatened by monsters, giant robots known as archons are piloted by "alters", a neuropsychologically coupled pair, to protect humanity. As Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji begin their piloting career as unlikely alters, they have to contend not only with the fame and idolization that comes with being a pilot, but also the conflicts that rise from within as their psyches are connected within the archon.

~*~

I want to recommend this story, it was a very exciting, clever and well paced story. @aerouinde

Chronicles of Sect Leader Wei Wuxian

by Muggle_Diary (@kshithi-and-stories)

E, 114k, Wangxian

Summary: Wei Wuxian is ten years old when he joins the Jiang sect. Fed up with his treatment at Yunmeng Jiang, Wei Wuxian leaves the Jiang sect. Wei Wuxian is ambitious and wants to open a sect based on merits alone. Years later he stands at the top of cultivation world.

~*~

I want to recommend this story, because it is one of the best ballet fics I have read, loved it. @aerouinde

Ugly Duckling

by Witch_Nova221 (@witchnova221)

T, 57k, Wangxian

Part of the MDZS Big Bang 2024

Summary: When talented but untrained ballet dancer, Wei Ying, is offered a scholarship by Lan Huan at the prestigious Gusu Ballet Academy he knows he will have to work hard to prove himself especially to his stern teacher, Lan Qiren. At a school that values tradition, Wei Ying struggles to find his place, constantly criticised and compared to his talented classmate, Lan Zhan. Whilst negotiating the trials of training under Lan Qiren, Wei Ying struggles to remember why he loves to dance until costumier, Nie Huaisang, gifts him a very special pair of shoes that open up a whole new world of ballet.

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

[aziraphales-library]

I didn't know the fandom had librarians! This is amazing!

I read Factory Settings recently and I'd like to find more fanfics that deal in multiple realities, split realities or time travel / time loops etc. Do you know of any?

Hi! We actually have tags for these, so do check out the fics we've already recommended here: #multiverse, #alternate universe, #time travel, and #time loop. Here are more to add to the collections...

A Moment Suspended in Sea Spray by cassieoh (T)

Green filled his vision in the brief second before he instinctively tucked his head away in his coils. Crawly didn’t think there had ever been anything green and growing in Hell save perhaps a good mold behind Hastur’s knees. Cautiously, he inched the very tip of his nose out of his coils and flicked his tongue. Growing things. Soil. Apples. The oil left behind by human hands. Something strange and sharp smelling. Under it all, a smell he knew but couldn’t place. This wasn’t Hell.

Limitless by SmokingMirrorChaos, Yvesriba (T)

Crowley has never known a world with Aziraphale. Where he's from, his counterpart was the angel Anathema. 6000 years of friendship eventually lead to them traveling between worlds until they discover one where there has never been a Crowley. But, there is an Aziraphale. They met and fall in love and with Aziraphale, Crowley finds the happiness he's always sought. A tale told in Crowley's stories to Aziraphale and flashbacks.

creatures of circumstance by attheborder (M)

Anthony J. Crowley, Jr. is the prodigal son of CrowleyCorp, the UK’s most powerful, dangerous, and controversial technology company. A one-night stand with a mysterious man who calls himself Aziraphale tips his hopeless life upside-down into a dangerous obsession. And somewhere else entirely, a girl-shaped creature is presiding over the back room of a bookshop in Soho, where an angel and a demon lay unconscious on the floor…

Endless Night by AppleSeeds (T)

Spending Halloween in an old cottage with his housemates, university student Crowley finds himself trapped in a time loop that repeats every four hours, with only the spirit of Anathema's dead witchy ancestor to help guide him. Agnes believes the time loop has been triggered by Crowley's own thoughts, and that the only way to break it is to ensure that Aziraphale, who Crowley is completely infatuated with, actually enjoys himself. Despite how flustered he gets every time he even looks at Aziraphale, Crowley does everything he can to try to make that happen. But no matter what he tries, things keep going wrong.

World Enough And Time by Stephquiem (T)

For Aziraphale, there were always two Crowleys: the First Crowley, the one he met in the Garden, the one he's spent 6000 years meeting across human history. And there is the Second Crowley, the one who comes to him across time, again and again, propelled, it would seem, by some unknown tragedy. Both, his hereditary enemy. His dearest friend. For Crowley, there is a Before, and there is an After. Before, he spent 6000 years as Hell's agent on Earth, seeing Aziraphale occasionally, working together where they could get away with it. After... After, he's drawn back over and over, like he's attached by a tether that just won't let him go. Not that he wants it to let him go. The alternative...

Smoke and Mirrors by cyankelpie (T)

“If we want the truth from him, he needs to feel safe enough to speak truthfully,” said Gabriel. “Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘The traitor couldn’t possibly feel safe while he’s in Heaven for interrogation!’ And you’d be right.” His grin widened. “But—this is where it gets really good—he won’t even know that’s where he is.” (Aziraphale is imprisoned in Heaven, but breaks free thanks to Crowley’s help. On Earth, Crowley wakes up from his pandemic nap to find Aziraphale missing. Meanwhile, two angels watch an imaginary life unfold, with all the time in the world to wait for the answers they need.) And the sequel, dealing with the aftermath: Reality Check

- Mod D

[dracowars]

miracle | draco malfoy

pairing: draco x reader

word count: 1,5k

summary: where draco and y/n save christmas in hogwarts

a/n: a little christmas surprise for you <3 i haven't written for draco in a long time due to no inspiration and wanting to write for other characters, but i admit that i missed him so here we are with a short and sweet christmas story with our favourite boy, hope you enjoy!! ♡

warnings: none

universe: harry potter

The wind howls through the dark castle, gusts of snow whiz past the window, the snowflakes whirling around wildly. The frost climbs up the windows and the candles flicker in the late hour of the evening.

A snowstorm has been raging outside for several hours - something you really don't need right now. Yesterday was the last day of school at Hogwarts before the Christmas break, but this raging snowstorm is ruining all of your plans. The headmaster has forbidden anyone to leave the castle because it is far too dangerous to go out in this weather. But that also means that you are stuck in here. All of you.

Because no one can apparate out of here and the Hogwarts Express, no matter how magical it may be, cannot withstand this weather either.

Of course, Hogwarts offers the opportunity to stay in the castle over the holidays if you do not want to visit your relatives or simply have no one to visit. However, you know that many of your friends have been looking forward to their departure, preparing for weeks.

Even though Hermione is engrossed in one of her books right now, you see from the expression on her face how much it hurts her not to be able to see her parents, at least not in the foreseeable future. Harry and Ron are busy playing a game of Wizard's Chess, their board placed in the middle of the huge Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Harry would have spent Christmas with the Weasleys this year.

On one of the benches you watch Cho Chang and Hannah Abbott talk to each other, but they do so with sad faces. Over at the Slytherin table, the mood is also gloomy, their quiet murmuring washing over to you. But the worst thing is looking at the faces of the younger students - first to third years - and seeing the frustration and sadness in them.

After Dumbledore had you gather in the Great Hall earlier and informed you of these unfortunate circumstances, hardly anyone left the hall. Many were too shocked, too sad, too surprised or even too overwhelmed to leave.

Which leaves you with a lot of sad, even bored figures who seem to have completely lost the Christmas spirit.

But you weren't chosen as Head Girl at the beginning of the school year for nothing, and that's the reason why you suddenly find yourself at the Slytherin table, with none other than Draco Malfoy in your sights.

At first, he doesn't even notice you. He has his chin resting on his hand and looks up sullenly at the candles floating under the ceiling. Apparently, this situation doesn't even leave his dark heart cold.

"Can I talk to you for a second?", you ask, catching his attention. Draco's grey eyes wander to you, but he doesn't move. He doesn't have to, because his intense gaze already makes you shudder and your heart beat faster.

Yes, you admit it - you had a crush on him for a while. But that was only from fifth to sixth year, because suddenly everyone was swooning over him. Well, your heart apparently hasn't yet understood that this crush is long gone and no longer relevant.

Whoever decided that Draco should be Head Boy in your final year remains a mystery to you. (You know it was Dumbledore. After all, only he can fill that position, but still.)

The others at the table give you looks that you can't quite interpret. But you don't have time to do that anyway because Draco finally stands up from his seat at the table and gently places his hand on your arm. Then, he leads you away from the table to prevent the others from overhearing you.

"What's wrong?", he asks and if you didn't know better, you'd think he sounds almost worried. He doesn't ask what you want in that characteristic snarky tone of his, but what's wrong with you specifically. Suddenly you feel seen and suppress a blush before you sort out your thoughts and turn to the problem at hand.

"We have to do something. I can't bare to look at another sad face. The younger students in particular are desperate to go home", you explain to him, holding his gaze while he looks at you with peaked interest. "So I thought we might as well try to make the best of it?"

It's more so a question than a statement, but something inside of Draco's eyes lights up at your words.

"What do you have in mind?", he asks in a lowered voice and bends forward so that his face is now much closer to yours. His pale skin shines in the candlelight, his eyes standing out even more because of the black and green uniform.

To your surprise, Draco actually likes all your ideas, he is almost enthusiastic about them. While you tell him about them, he folds his arms in front of his chest and looks at you intently with a slight grin playing around his lips. Only when you ask him for his opinion does he seem to come back to reality and straighten up.

"I'm in", he winks at you with a genuine smile and immediately gets to work. Within a few minutes, the Great Hall is even more festive than before. With the help of the other Slytherins, Draco lets snow fall from the ceiling.

The Gryffindors, together with the Ravenclaws, are taking care of further Christmas decorations. They are lighting more fires in the fireplaces all around so that it is cozy and warm in the big hall. The Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, have been given a very important task - together with the house elves, they are carrying numerous baking utensils onto the huge tables.

After a while, some of the teachers have also heard about the celebrations going on in the Great Hall and are gradually joining in. Professor Flitwick is teaching some of the second years a Christmas carol while the choir is already getting into the mood.

With the help of Professor Snape, who looks as grim as ever and thus looks very similar to Ebenezer Scrooge, the Slytherins conjure up a huge ice surface in the entrance to the Great Hall. The students immediately go out onto the magical ice with ice skates that appear out of nowhere and do their laps. The snow piles up in some corners, leading to several snowball fights. Due to the snow being magical, no one gets cold or wet. Laughter echoes through the hall, and you are suddenly met with happy faces everywhere.

"Well done, Head Girl", Draco nudges you with his elbow as he suddenly appears next to you. You didn't even hear him approaching you, too busy watching the students doing pirouettes on the ice rink. The warmth emanating from him by your side makes you feel content.

"Couldn't have done it without the Head Boy", you smile at him, nudging him back playfully.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you just complimented me", Draco laughs and his eyes have that sparkle again. His laugh is something you see so rarely that you are rendered speechless for a few seconds.

"Don't get used to it, Malfoy", you reply once you have rediscovered your voice. Draco looks at you with that intense look again and you have the feeling that only the two of you exist in this very moment. That's why you are glad when you see something out of the corner of your eye, a distraction.

The house elves have been helping the students bake cookies on the huge tables. However, it has obviously gotten out of hand because a first year walks past you, completely covered in white. Not from snow, but from flour.

Startled, you run towards the tables and demand that the children stop, but it is far too loud for them to hear you. And you doubt they would even listen to your words if they did.

Draco, who is standing next to you again, is watching the events in front of you with a grin tucking at the corner of his lips. Whether it is because of the flour fight or the fact that no one is listening to you, you don't know. You look at him for help, but instead of helping you, he picks up one of the finished cookies and holds it in front of your nose.

The sweet, delicious smell fills your nose immediately and calms down your nerves. As soon as you take a bite, the chocolate, which is still a little warm, melts on your tongue.

However, you can't enjoy it much longer as a cloud of flour suddenly breaks over the both of you and completely covers you and Draco in white powder.

With your mouth open, you look at Draco in shock, who stares at you with a similar look. Then you both start laughing loudly at the exact same time. You are white from head to toe, the children around you giggling as well.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N", Draco speaks through your laughter, catching his breath while gently removing flour from the top of your head with his hand.

"Merry Christmas, Draco."

[pinkdaiisies]

Dale Cooper x reader

Summary: A certain fbi agent knows just how to break you out of your shell... for some odd un-explainable reason.

Based off of this request

Notes: sorrrrryyyyy for the wait!!

Word Count: 1.5k

Lucy was currently thoroughly explaining to Sheriff Truman which line to pick up through the phone. Her desk faced the guest window, while yours faced the opposite wall behind her. You didn't mind not having to greet whoever walked in. It's the main reason why you loved your job. Being able to complete paperwork in solitude, while having the occasional gossip session with Lucy was the dream. Everyone who worked at the station knew you weren't the talkative type, hell, everyone in Twin Peaks knew that.

After Lucy hung up the phone, she swiveled her chair towards you. Every deputy awaited the arrival of some FBI agent that was due to show up any hour. The past day and a half, Twin Peaks had an eerie feel to it. The loss of Laura Palmer shaking everyone up, including you.

"Gee I wonder when the FBI agent is showing up!" Lucy said. "I've gotten five calls the last 2 hours asking for updates on the case." Lucy said while spinning in her chair. "Hows your paperwork going?"

"It's going." You said. A drunken man had hit a deer on one of the highways and he claimed that it was the station's fault for not having deer crossing signs. You were finishing up some of his court statement logs. "You'd think a man living in Twin Peaks his whole life would know that deer live in the woods." Lucy giggled at your words before getting distracted by Deputy Brennan at the coffee machine. She stood up from her seat and joined him, making you the only one behind the desk.

You were still turned away from the window when you heard the lobby door open. You prayed it was just another deputy coming back from being on duty. Unfortunately you heard someone trying to get your attention.

"Excuse me, miss?" You had no choice but to spin your chair around to the mystery person.

You could tell right away from the look of the man that this was the FBI agent. The fancy suit and the FBI pin near his collar gave it away. Another thing you took notice of right away was the man's sheer beauty. You weren't the type to make your feelings of attraction a topic of discussion, but you would definitely have to gossip with Lucy about this later.

"Hi sorry." You spoke back quietly.

"Lucy is it?" The man questioned while looking at Lucy's name placard on the desk.

"No, Lucy stepped out for a moment. I'm y/n l/n." You said while pointing to your name tag back on your own desk, which was barley visible due to the overflow of paper work.

"It's lovely to meet you y/n." Dale said with a smirk on his face. "Its sad we have to meet under these unfortunate circumstance. I'm Special Agent Dale Cooper." The smirk on his face nearly made you forget the case at hand. His flirtatious smile yet professional demeanor wasn't something you were used to, having lived in Twin Peaks your whole life. Although you've only known him for literal seconds, you were sure he was different from anyone you've ever met.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you too Agent Cooper." You said with a smile that was probably a little too big for the moment. "Our Sheriff is down the hall in the door on your right. We also have donuts and coffee in the break room so feel free to grab as much as you'd like! If we run out just call me and I can probably go out to the Double R diner to grab some more, it's really no problem. Twin Peaks is really happy to have you-"

"Y/n! Mr. FBI agent probably has to go, you don't want to hold him for too long." Lucy saved you from your rambling. You've never once rambled before in your life. You probably spoke more in those few sentences then you have all week!

"It's really no problem. Thank you y/n." Then Dale left your vision as he turned the corner to make his way to the Sheriff.

"I love you y/n but I don't think I've ever heard you speak so much at once!" Lucy exclaimed. It was true, you didn't know what had gotten into you. Sure, Dale Cooper was a good looking man, but you have never once let a man change your very own speaking tendencies!

"Ugh!" You groaned in response, knowing you had just embarrassed yourself. You swiveled your chair back to your desk and buried your face into your hands.

-

Dale Cooper had been in Twin Peaks for four days now. The only updates you got on the Laura Palmer case were the details that Deputy Brennan accidentally let slip to Lucy, and it didn't seem like they were getting far.

You were able to keep your blabbering to a minimum around Dale Copper for the most part. Although when Dale walked in every morning he would make a point to catch your attention to tell you good morning. So obviously you had no choice but to awkwardly spin your chair around as fast as lighting, occasionally knocking down some papers in the process, and say good morning along with some meaningless comment about the weather or the status of the coffee in the break room.

Despite your awkwardness, Dale Cooper always agreed with you, or thanked you, and walked to the Sheriff's room with a smile on his face. Always leaving Lucy giggling to herself. You spilled to her that you thought the agent was handsome on the second day of his arrival. Sometimes she would call him over to the reception desk just to ask him some meaningless question that involved you somehow. You were left speechless every time, but Dale always answered back in a serious and thoughtful way.

Starting the paper work for poor Laura's case was the most difficult paperwork you've ever filled out. Her murder hit a lot harder than all of the other cases that were brought to your desk. Which is why you needed to get your second cup of coffee of the day. You made your way to the break room and poured yourself a cup, while looking at the donut options.

Footsteps approached as you stirred your coffee and you soon realized that agent Cooper was walking towards you. Your heartbeat sped up tremendously.

"Hello y/n!" Dale said.

"Hi Agent Cooper! How are you?" Although you started speaking before he could answer, "I expect not too well because I heard you and the deputies stayed out late last night looking for evidence. I can only imagine how stressful that may be." You silently cursed yourself for rambling on once again, but Dale didn't seem to mind.

"I'm doing as well as I can. Although a cup of coffee will definitely make my day better!" Dale answered back. To help the agent, you reached for a cup but failed to realize Cooper was reaching at the same time. Both of your guys hands brushed and you pulled away anxiously, a blush staining your cheeks. You muttered a sorry, and Dale said that it was no problem.

"Well, how are you doing?" Dale asked back while beginning to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh me? I'm doing okay I guess, can't really complain, I'm not the one trying to solve a murder right now." You giggled awkwardly. Now is definitely not the time to be laughing?! You thought to yourself. "I'm sorry that was dumb. I totally respect your line of work, I'm just not used to talking to a lot of new people..." Your sentence got quieter as you spoke. "I've lived here my whole life so everyone knows everyone."

"Don't apologize," Dale started. "So I'm assuming you've eaten at the Double R Diner before then?" Dale asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Of course I have! Their food is really good and the owner is just the sweetest person you'll ever meet!" You said, finally a normal sentence coming out of you.

"Well maybe you'd like to accompany me to get coffee over there tomorrow around this time?" Out of all of the things you expected Agent Cooper to say, him asking you on a date was very low on the list.

"Yes- I mean, I'd love to! I didn't think that you would- well, I never expected you to..." You cut yourself short, realizing another century long ramble was near. "Yes Agent Cooper." You finished with a huge smile on your face.

"Great! I should probably get going, Harry was expecting me in his office." He smiled and left you standing there with excitement.

Dale walked into the room that the Sheriff was in.

"Your receptionist sure is quite talkative Harry." Dale said.

"Yes, Lucy does tend to be that way." Sheriff Truman said while organizing some evidence on the table.

"No, I meant y/n." Dale said with a skeptical look on his face.

"Are you sure you don't have them mixed up?" Harry questioned.

"Well I just asked y/n on a date tomorrow so I sure hope I don't!"

[glitter-stained]

She doesn't take so well to grief.

Neither does anyone, she thinks. Her mom smiles and plays with the alliance she wears around her neck and tells her time heals all wounds, doesn't erase the pain but makes it bearable, like an old ache in a twisted ankle that never healed quite right. It's been years, and despite her grandma's insistence, her mom refuses to try dating again. She sobs in her bedroom when she thinks Rena is asleep.

Liars, the lot of them.

Rena's dad dies when she's eight in a car accident driving home from work. Her mother hugs her tight and cries into her hair, and her grandmother holds her hand through the whole funeral, and Rena feels a little like she's having a bad dream; not a nightmare, just a very sad one where all the colours are faded. Absurdly, the first thing she thinks is that he'll never take her to the diner on Saturday nights after dance class again, and then she hates herself a little for being sad about this, rather than the fact he is dead. That remorse goes away with time. Grief, she thinks, is a lot of sadness for the joy we thought we'd have, and the memories of things we'll never get again. There's also anger, sometimes, not always. Her dad gets his neck snapped in a car accident because he was driving too fast and some asshole didn't put on his blinkers. That's not fair. It was dumb and cruel and totally preventable, if only one of the two had just been a little more responsible about driving their car. She's angry at her dad, and at the idiot who took him away from her. She stops going to dance class in retaliation.

Rena's grandmother dies when she's twelve, and she's surprised to find she isn't angry. It feels fair, in a sense; her grandma was eighty, and she smoked like a pirate with something to prove (or how she imagines that a pirate would smoke.) She doesn't know what to do with herself in the absence of anger, so she uses all her savings to buy some green wool and a knitting kit. She doesn't really take to it, it's not fun, but her grandma had been in the process of knitting her a scarf before her heart stopped in her sleep. She knits herself a green scarf. It's not too cool, nor too stylish, she doesn't wear it to school or to hang out with her friends. It stays hung on her door, and she hugs it tight when she's sad, when she misses her grandma and her dad, and cries into it because her mother is a liar and the grief doesn't get easier and she doesn't even like knitting anyway. Jason thinks the scarf is pretty, but Jason would think anything is pretty if he knew she'd done it, because he's sweet like that. He says she looks good in green; but again, Jason always seems to think she looks good. She starts wearing green eyeshadow anyway.

Her cute, nerdy, dorky highschool boyfriend dies in an explosion in Ethiopia at fifteen years old under mysterious circumstances. They'll never get to pass notes with little hearts in algebra class or share a milkshake with two straws while he gets whipped cream on the top of his nose or watch a disappointing romantic movie at the theatre while holding hands the whole time again. It takes her a year to find the place he's buried, far from the family plot of the people who adopted him, under a gloomy angel statue. She learns it's custom practice to put angels over children's grave. It looks like a guardian, warding the tomb, protecting him. But he needed a guardian angel when he was alive, not now that she'll never see him smile again, stand on his toes to kiss her on the lips, put her favourite song in the jukebox at the diner. That's not fair. They shouldn't have touched him, shouldn't have hurt him and taken him from her and she'll never know what happened and they dumped his body out like an old worn-down shoe under a heap of dirt. Jason is dead.

There's the anger.

[linghxr]

My 2024 in cdramas, cmovies & cvariety

With 2024 now over, it's the perfect time to recap what Chinese-language shows and movies I've been watching since my previous write-up in spring 2024. I think I'll do one annually from now on!

This time I've added YouTube links (if available). I do my best with content warnings, but it's possible I've missed things. I only include warnings for things I have finished (not abandoned shows).

Shows/series:

Some of these were mentioned as “currently watching” in my previous post. They are marked with an asterisks*.

《微暗之火》 Tender Light

After Zhou Luo drops out of university and returns home under mysterious circumstances, he becomes a witness in a homicide case involving Nan Ya, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. I watch a lot of Chinese crime/mystery shows, but this one was unique in that it focuses more on relationships. I enjoyed it but feel it would be stronger if it were shorter, maybe 20 episodes instead of 28.

Content warning: Domestic violence, death, sexual assault

Watch on YouTube

《猎罪图鉴2》 Under the Skin S2

Sketch artist Shen Yi, police officer Du Cheng, and the rest of the Beijiang team continue to utilize art to solve unusual crimes. I didn't initially plan to watch season 2, but after giving season 1 another try, the show grew on me. Season 2 didn't quite capture the magic of season 1, but it still had some strong moments. My favorite case was the Chinese opera one.

Content warning: Death, violence, child abuse, suicide, sexual assault

Watch on YouTube

《雪迷宫》 The First Shot

In the late 1990s, police officer Zheng Bei and his squad go after the drugs that have overrun their northeastern city, only to find that the roots run much deeper than they thought. The highlight of this show is the charismatic characters and their deep bonds. It was slow to get going, but I was on the edge of my seat the last 1/3 of the show. Definitely one of the most memorable of 2024 for me!

Content warning: Death, violence, sexual assault, addiction, and overdose

Watch eps 1-19/28 on YouTube

《我们与恶的距离》 The World Between Us

After a mass shooting, the families of the victims and perpetrator cross paths as they struggle to adapt to their new realities. This show deals with extremely heavy topics and felt quite realistic in many ways, so it was a difficult watch, frankly. There was a happy ending, but thinking back, I mostly remember feeling frustration throughout.

Content warning: References to death and a mass shooting event, violence, depictions of schizophrenic episodes

《新生》 Regeneration

At the funeral of a man named Fei Ke, the guests realize everything they know about the deceased is a lie and attempt to unravel the truth. I heard a lot of people didn't like the last 3 episodes, but I enjoyed the entire show. It was very satisfying seeing all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Might even check out the original webnovel!

Content warning: Death, violence (but not graphic)

Watch ep 1, ep 2, ep 3, ep 4/10 on YouTube

《不够善良的我们》 Imperfect Us

Two women, discontent with their current lives, grapple with misplaced jealousy and regrets over what could have been. Starring 许玮甯 Hsu Wei-ning and 林依晨 Lin Yi-chen, this series is quite different from what I typically watch. It's about the ordinary and mundane, but I found myself excited to sit down and watch each episode. I think everyone can find something to relate to.

Content warning: Serious illness

《异人之下1》 I Am Nobody S1

After his late grandfather's body disappears, Zhang Chulan gets sucked into the world of yiren (outsiders) and must compete in a supernatural tournament, aided by the mysterious Feng Baobao. This show was a breath of fresh air and sooo hilarious, even if I didn't understand a lot of the lore about their powers. And season 2 just started airing!

Content warning: Violence, death, zombie-like creatures (I'm very afraid of zombies)

Watch on YouTube

--There was also a recent film adaption (confusing, I know), but I heard it was not well-received.

《摩天大楼》 A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower*

Two police officers investigate the death of Zhong Meibao, a beautiful woman with a difficult past, only to find that her neighbors have secrets of their own. I'm so glad I finally watched this show after it had been on my list for so long. I felt it could have been a little tighter (maybe 13-14 episodes instead of 16), but overall it was a quality crime drama!

Content warning: Death, violence, voyeurism, domestic violence, child abuse

Watch on YouTube

Variety/reality:

《披荆斩棘4》 Call Me By Fire S4

Call Me By Fire is a bit like an idol survival show, but instead of young trainees, the contestants are established celebrities mostly ages 30+. I had such a blast watching season 4 week-by-week as it aired. The talent was out of this world! See my dedicated post about the franchise and its sister show, Sister Who Make Waves.

Watch on YouTube

《火星情报局6》 Mars Intelligence Agency S6*

I'm a massive fan of the singer 薛之谦 Xue Zhiqian, and I actually first became a fan due to his sense of humor. So why did it take me so long to check out this comedy show that he's on?!? I'd never watched a show like this before, but I loved it and surprised my self with my ability to follow jokes in Chinese! Sadly I haven't had time to start season 7, which is currently airing.

Watch on YouTube

Movies:

《谁先爱上他》 Dear Ex

After the death of his father and an argument with his mother, a boy bonds with Ah Jie, his father's boyfriend, all while a dispute over life insurance money plays out. I've actually watched film this twice, and I'm glad I did because I think I got a lot more out of it the second time! It's a sad premise, but there's ultimately a touching ending.

Content warning: Terminal illness, mild homophobia

《鬼才之道》 Dead Talents Society

A young ghost has only a month to become a ghostly legend, or else she'll fade from existence. I didn't think this movie sounded that interesting or original at first, but I watched it on a whim and actually REALLY enjoyed it! It struck the perfect balance of hilarious and heartwarming. I strongly recommend it if you don't mind some gore.

Content warning: Gore, body horror, death

《白日火焰》 Black Coal, Thin Ice

Former police officer Zhang Zili becomes entangled with Wu Zhizhen, a women who is linked to a series of murders that he's investigating. I watched this film after learning about its influence as part of the Dongbei renaissance. But it was honestly too grim for my liking. But if you like that kind of vibe, you might enjoy this.

Content warning: Death, violence, sexual assault

Watch on YouTube

Abandoning:

《唐人街探案》 Detective Chinatown

I only watched the first 8 episodes of season 1 because I heard the final 4 have a completely unrelated storyline and different characters (and is not as good). There was a season 2, but I think the Detective Chinatown humor is just not for me.

Watch on YouTube

《谁是被害者》 The Victims' Game

I watched the entire first season, but I'm not interested in season 2. The concept is strong, but I struggled to get through it. Also, I felt weird about how they portrayed the main character's autism/Asperger's syndrome.

On my watchlist:

Still have not gotten around to 《漫长的季节》 The Long Season or 《尘封十三载》 Thirteen Years of Dust...yikes! But also on my list:

《影后》 Born for the Spotlight

《莲花楼》 Mysterious Lotus Casebook

《我的阿勒泰》 To The Wonder

Happy 2025! I hope this year is filled with quality Chinese-language shows and movies for us all to enjoy ❤️

[seat-safety-switch]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason, I really hate having the city inspector show up. Every time I get an improvement or repair to the house done, I always get nervous that they're going to find something wrong. This, of course, is ridiculous. I didn't do the work. Some other person, who I paid with my missing landlord's credit card, did some professional business-type things with the full expectation it would be inspected.

To make matters worse, something real creepy happened to me the other day. Soon, I would discover exactly why I had such anxiety around allowing a stranger to peer into the innermost guts of my home, and gaze upon the work performed by another.

I had to put in a new hot-water heater. This job could be done by myself, but it would involve getting slightly wet, and it was better to let my absentee landlord, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, improve the equity he has in his house with a much-needed renovation. Besides, I was too busy out in the yard, using a chunk of tree trunk to dislodge the recalcitrant passenger-side motor mount of a 1968 Dart. That's a story for another time; you're here to hear about this Bob Vila-ass homeowner shit.

A technician showed up, riding a relatively primo-looking late-00s (I guessed 2006) Ford E-250 work van with a couple dings on the rear bumper that were evidence of an aggressive attitude towards parallel parking in the urban environment. I don't remember what she looked like. She dropped off a big hot water heater, hooked everything up, then carried the old one off slung over one shoulder. That's when things went weird.

For weeks after, my surveillance network (a bunch of deer cameras I stole from the woods) was constantly tripping with sightings of a mysterious new home invader. When I checked the photos in the morning, all I'd see in the shots were khakis, a city-coloured polo shirt, occasionally a pair of anti-slip, steel-toed low-rise sneakers. Never a clear picture of his face. He'd stick a "sorry we missed you" label to the door, and escape into the night.

When I called the city to complain that home inspections should not be done at 3 am, they told me that the inspector by that name had died long ago. I started to get really freaked out, which I guess is a common reaction, because the municipal help-line technician went on to explain.

"We're really short on staff, so we've been getting some of our inspections performed by the living dead. Keeps the pension payments down, too. Don't tell the union."

[roosterforme]

A Love You Don't Find Everyday Part 12 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley is hoping your car is not repairable. And when you and he run into a fling from his past, it throws Bradley into an internal dilemma about his self worth. 

Warnings: Angst, fluff, smut, and swearing

Length: 4700 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Check out my masterlist for more!

You finally felt well enough to head back to work on Wednesday. Since your car was still missing under slightly mysterious circumstances, you had to ride in with Bradley.

"My mechanic said he wants you to come make some decisions about your car. We can head there after work," Bradley said. You didn't appreciate the slightly giddy tone in his voice.

"Did he say what's wrong with it?" you asked, eating a bagel while he drove. 

"Just that they replaced the battery and the starter. I think he wants to talk to you about the next steps."

You glared at him. "Next steps? I better not have to replace it. I love that car."

Bradley just grinned as he drove. "I'll replace it for you, Baby Girl. You can blame it all on me."

It felt good to get back into the swing of things after being away and being sick. When Bradley texted to see if you were joining him for lunch, you sent him an angry face emoji and told him you were eating with Cam and Maria. That was the last you heard from him until the end of the day when he was knocking on your open door.

"Are you really mad at me?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe with his hand on his hip. "Because you shouldn't be. Your car has a personal vendetta against me, Sweetheart."

"My car is blameless," you said, pausing to point at him before you packed up your bag. He was wearing his short sleeved khaki uniform, and you could see his tattoo peeking out below the sleeve. It would have been impossible to be mad at him. "Take me to it."

He just shook his head and held your hand as you waited for the elevator. As you rode down to ground level, you wrapped your arms around his waist. "Remember when we listened to OutKast together in this elevator?"

He ran his hands along your back. "Of course. Then I played it at the Hard Deck, because it was stuck in my head after I knew you liked it. How embarrassing. I showed you all of my cards so early."

You giggled against him and slid your hand up his bicep and under his sleeve, stroking the inked paper airplane. "You're so sweet, Roo. Never made me second guess that you wanted to date me." 

"Marry you," he rasped, kissing the top of your head as you caressed his skin. "Just had to date you long enough so we didn't seem completely crazy."

The ride to the mechanic was filled with one of Bradley's playlists while he asked you a bunch of times if you were really feeling better. 

"I'll be feeling great once I'm driving my car home," you told him as he pulled up to a garage with a bunch of cars being worked on. You spotted yours parked off to the side right away.

"Please don't get your hopes up that it's even driveable, Baby Girl," Bradley was telling you, but you were already climbing down to find out what was going on.

You rushed inside the building with Bradley right behind you, and you were asking about the car before he could even get a word in. And after a moment, the mechanic was leading both of you back outside.

"I've gotta tell you, your car's been a little difficult," the mechanic explained as he led both of you to the car. "But I think after the new battery and starter, it might be okay. Doesn't start up clean each time though."

"It will for me," you insisted, glaring at Bradley over your shoulder. 

The mechanic handed the keys to you, and you got yourself situated in the driver's seat. It started up perfectly for you. Three times in a row. 

"I told you it would be fine!" you told Bradley, gesturing wildly at the interior of your car as you looked up at him. "No need to buy a new one." 

He just stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "I'm paying for this then?" he asked, a smirk hiding just under the surface. 

"Yes, pay this nice man for the repairs," you said, bestowing a bright smile on the mechanic who smiled back at you. 

The mechanic leaned down and pointed to something on your dashboard. "Actually, while I have you here, I wanted to point out a few things that you should keep an eye on."

Bradley shook his head and sighed. "I'm going to head inside and pay."

You shooed Bradley away and listened to what the mechanic had to say about your car. 

------------------------

Bradley was leaning against the counter, putting his credit card back in his wallet and looking over the detailed receipt of repairs. He supposed eight hundred dollars wasn't too bad, especially since you were so happy your car was still running. He'd figure out a way to replace your car eventually. The only issue was, he doubted you'd ever let him drive it again. 

"Bradley?"

He turned to his left to see a woman about your age standing there smiling at him like she'd just won the lottery. 

"Hi," he replied, desperately trying to place her. She was kind of familiar. Cute face, dark hair, nice smile. All things he liked. 

She was inching closer now. "I'm Whitney. Remember? From like a year ago?"

Bradley's shoulders sagged as he exhaled. A shameful feeling of discomfort filled him up; he'd slept with her. He could remember her now. They met at some stupid outdoor concert thing he went to with Nat right after he came to San Diego. He'd taken her back to the barracks that night. He'd actually let her sleep over. 

He felt sick. "No. It was more than a year ago." He knew that much for sure. He hadn't so much as flirted with anyone except you since he met you last August. Fourteen months ago. 

"Well, close enough," Whitney replied, running her fingers through her hair in a way that Bradley would have probably found appealing. "I can't believe I ran into you here. Feel like grabbing a drink with me? I could give you my number again," she said in a singsong tone before nibbling on her lip. "Or... maybe you just want to follow me to my place?"

Had he really been that easy? He supposed he had. Just a pretty face and some tits had usually done the trick for him. He was embarrassed. So embarrassed for himself and for you. It was almost unbearable for him when these feelings came to the surface. He was not good enough for you, and he knew it. 

You came strolling back inside, mid conversation with the mechanic before you thanked him and headed for Bradley.

"I told you, Roo! I told you my car would be fine," you said, laughing as you wrapped your arms around his waist. "Ever stop to think that maybe you're the problem?"

You were running your nose along the scars on his neck before you turned and saw how closely Whitney was still standing to him. Bradley held you a little tighter, but you froze and eyed the other woman cautiously. 

"Oh," Whitney gasped, taking a small step back.

"Whitney, this is my fiancée," Bradley said with as much confidence as he could. 

"Hi," you said politely before looking up at Bradley, eyes searching his for a clue as to what was going on.

But Whitney looked you up and down before focusing on Bradley with extreme agitation. "You said you never got serious. You made it a point to tell me that."

Now you seemed to understand what was happening here, because you stood a little taller, but kept your arm around Bradley. The fact that he knew you would stand here and defend him until you were out of breath made this painful ache inside him even worse. But he wouldn't let you do that for him today.

"I never got serious before," he told Whitney. Then he stroked his fingers along your cheek until you were looking up at him again. He gave you a small smile and kept his eyes on yours. "Because I didn't know this one existed yet."

Your eyes fluttered closed as you smiled up at him. He loved you so much, he hated that this was happening. 

Whitney scoffed sarcastically, and Bradley watched your face return to a neutral expression before you turned toward her. "Anything else we can help you with?" you asked blandly. When Whitney just shook her head, you waved to her and said goodbye. 

Bradley didn't know what to say to you as you watched Whitney walk away. 

You took both of his hands in yours and kissed his lips softly. "Ready to go home?"

Bradley just grunted in agreement. "I'll follow you," he said. "In case you have any issues with your car."

"Okay," you said, your voice soft and sweet. He would have expected more of an argument about how your car was the best thing you owned, but you just nodded and agreed with him. 

So he watched you get settled in the driver's seat, and he pulled out onto the main road behind you. He was glad you weren't in the Bronco to witness the emotional beating he was giving himself. 

----------------------

Bradley slept with that woman. You could tell almost immediately by the interaction, but you had needed him to confirm it for you. You knew it was before you and he were together. He made it a point to say that he hadn't known you existed yet when he was with her. 

You didn't care. It was obvious to you that Bradley had been with a lot of women before you. He had even told you as much. And you'd put Hangman, Payback and the other guys in their place when they tried to make Bradley feel bad about himself. You wouldn't let anyone get to him over something so dumb. But as you parked in the driveway and watched him pull in as well, you got the distinct feeling that he was already in his own head over this. And you weren't sure if you'd be able to protect him against himself. 

He walked around the Bronco and opened your car door for you. "Thanks, Roo," you said. He let you take his hand, but he remained silent as you led him to the front door. "Are you hungry? We still have some of the leftover soup you got to help me feel better." 

But he just shook his head and quickly unbuttoned his uniform shirt, leaving him in his white undershirt and khaki pants. "I'm not hungry," he said softly, grabbing Tramp's leash and hanging his shirt on the hook instead. "You should eat though. Don't want you to start feeling sick again."

He knelt down and clipped Tramp's leash to his collar, then he opened the front door. 

"Can we talk about it, Roo?"

You watched his broad chest rise and fall, but he didn't meet your eyes. "I just... I'll be back."

"Bradley," you said firmly, fighting the urge to stomp your foot and yell at him. "I do not care about that shit. It doesn't matter to me "

But he turned further away from you. "I'm embarrassed. I can't take you to the mechanic without running into someone I hooked up with, who I can barely even fucking recognize. It's bad enough that it happens at the bar or when I'm fucking deployed."

"Bradley," you tried again. "Please look at me?"

He did exactly as you asked, but his face looked pale and pinched. His eyes were guarded, and you hesitated even though you wanted to touch him.

The words, "I love you," slipped from your lips, but he just nodded and opened the door. Tramp danced around at his feet, getting excited to go outside. 

"Please, just let me take Tramp for a walk." He didn't wait for an answer, and soon you were standing in the entryway alone.

You didn't know how to reassure him. You thought about texting Phoenix for help, but what could she do? It would be a bad idea to text Jake, so you would just wait Bradley out. He had to come home eventually.

-------------------------

Bradley strolled up and down the beach in his combat boots while Tramp sniffed everything along the way. It was windy and cloudy, and nobody else was really out, which suited his mood. 

He was so embarrassed. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that you must be embarrassed, too, even if you weren't admitting it to him. 

Bradley just wanted to be good for you. He wanted you to be as proud of him as he was of you. The wedding was next month, and it was pretty much all planned and ready now. Marrying you was the only thing he wanted for himself. 

Tramp started dragging around a piece of driftwood as Bradley led him further up the beach. He had everything he wanted; everything had changed so much in barely a year of knowing you. He had you and Tramp and somewhere to live that wasn't temporary.

You had to know all the other women were before he met you. He'd told you that. Bradley had told you there was nobody else for him now, just you. So why did he feel so shitty? 

He caught sight of his tattoo, and his embarrassment grew deeper. You wanted him to talk to you instead of stew, but he'd walked out of the house anyway. The sun was setting now, and he'd usually be showering or snuggling with you at this point in the evening.

"Fuck," he grunted, guiding Tramp up to the beach entrance trail. "Let's go talk to Mommy."

When he finished brushing the sand from Tramp's fur and let him in, it was getting dark outside. You appeared to be fresh out of the shower, wearing his old UVA shirt as you cleaned up the kitchen.

You turned to face him with wide eyes. "Cleaning the kitchen is my job," he said, trying for a teasing tone. 

"Yeah, you're better at it than I am," you replied with a hesitant smile. "How was your walk?"

He took a step closer. "I'm sorry I didn't stay and talk to you."

You just shrugged. "You needed a minute to yourself. I can appreciate that. But I don't know why you're embarrassed, Roo. I didn't learn anything new today."

He just shook his head. "I know you didn't. And just to be clear, there's nothing else to learn. It's just been you since we met. You know that, right?"

The soft smile that touched your lips could have brought him to his knees. "Yeah, I know that. It was the same for me. I didn't want to date anyone when we met, or have you forgotten that? I didn't even want to date you at first," you said with a laugh. "But that didn't last long."

Your hand connected with his abs, and when he didn't stop you, he felt you wrap your arms around him. "You don't think I'm a little embarrassed that I originally intended for you to be a hookup? A hookup, Bradley. I love you more than anything else in this world, and while you were trying to tell me you were falling in love with me, I was trying to keep it casual."

He laughed as you rubbed your cheek against his chest. "Yeah, that is a little embarrassing," he agreed, already feeling better. 

You looked up at him, eyes wide, demanding his attention. "You're not the only one with a past. You never make me feel bad about myself, and I never want you to feel bad either. There's a reason we both stopped hooking up when we met each other. We're supposed to be together."

He just nodded. "You know, I was embarrassed that I didn't recognize Whitney at first. Thought it was because I'd been such a manwhore. But I think maybe the reason I couldn't remember her or anyone else is because you've taken over my whole brain, Baby Girl." 

Your eyes flashed with something akin to anger. "Do not call yourself a manwhore. I fucking lost it on the guys when they made you feel bad, and I'll lose it on you just the same."

He swallowed hard. "Okay. I won't."

"And if I was somehow able to make you only think of me, I'm certainly not going to complain." You nuzzled your face against his arm and kissed along his tattoo. "You're mine."

Bradley let you make him feel better. He let you heat up some soup for him, and you sat in his lap while he ate it. He let you get him cozy on the couch and snuggle as you watched a show. He let you do all that magical stuff you always did that made his heart feel full.

------------------------

Thursday was better, but by Friday, Bradley had definitely perked up. 

"What time is dinner with Cam and Maria?" Bradley asked, getting changed into jeans after work. 

"In an hour and a half," you told him from the bathroom where you were doing your hair. 

He walked in and let his hands rest on your hips. "You look so pretty. Should I cancel golf and bar hopping with the guys tomorrow and spend the day with you instead?"

You glared playfully at him in the mirror. "Are you really golfing tomorrow? Or is that just a cover for another tattoo?"

"Don't test me, Baby Girl," he whispered, kissing your neck. "If it wasn't Coyote's birthday, I would be canceling."

"No, you should go, because I have some things I need to do tomorrow."

He kissed along your neck and you smirked. "Like what?"

"Well..." you said, turning in his arms so you were facing him. "I was hoping Daddy would give me an allowance to go lingerie shopping for the honeymoon." You looked up into his wide, brown eyes with as much innocence as you could muster without grinning. You didn't need his money for that, but you loved teasing him. 

You watched his head tip back as he groaned, his Adam's apple straining. "Fuck. How much do you want?" He started fumbling in his jeans pocket. "Here, take my whole wallet."

You started laughing. "You want me to buy a lot, Roo?"

"I want you to buy everything," he said, handing you his wallet and then pushing you up against the sink vanity. "Buy it all. Lingerie, dresses, bathing suits. Whatever you want."

You were giggling as he rubbed his mustache along your cheek. "Whatever I want?"

His hands were on your zipper as he kissed you all over your face. "Use my credit cards. Drain my retirement accounts if you need to. I'll take out a second mortgage. Get whatever you want."

You tucked his wallet into your back pocket, and it took all your willpower to grab his wrist and pull his hand out of the front of your underwear. "Bradley," you whispered as he hummed next to your ear. "We can't right now. Rings, remember?"

Bradley groaned as he zipped and buttoned your jeans for you. "Picking out wedding rings is the only thing that could deter me from a quickie right now. I hope you know that."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him hard. "We won't stay out too late tonight."

Bradley picked you up and whispered, "We'll skip dessert, and I'll bring you home and eat you instead."

---------------------

Bradley really wanted you to pick out whichever matching wedding bands you wanted, but you insisted on getting his input. 

"It's gotta be gold to match," you said, holding up your left hand which he kissed. "Your dad picked out the prettiest ring for your mom."

"He did, but that's your ring now. Pick out whatever you want to match."

He watched you look at seemingly every ring in the jewelry store before pulling out a few plain gold bands that you liked. The jeweler helped you try them on with your ring, and Bradley was already imagining slipping one of them on your finger himself. 

"I like these two," you finally told him, pointing out two pairs. "You choose."

Bradley slipped the first one on his finger and smiled. It felt good. It looked good. He liked it. He swapped it out for the second one, and he saw your smile grow. He liked this one even more.

"Put the matching one back on, Baby Girl." You slid the matching band on and held your hand up for him. They were simple gold bands, and yours looked perfect with your engagement ring. "These ones, yeah?"

You just nodded and kissed him. "Yeah. I'm paying for them," you said, handing your credit card to the jeweler before he could argue. "Don't worry Daddy, I'll run up a sizeable bill on your card tomorrow."

Bradley tilted your chin up with his fingers. "You better."

He couldn't wait to get you home. But first, Bradley had to make it through dinner. Luckily, he knew Cam and Maria well enough by this point to be able to touch you the whole time without them batting an eye.

Cam smiled across the table at him while he ate his salad. "So, Bradley, you ever planning on shaving off that pornstache, I mean mustache?" he asked with a smile.

Bradley chuckled and leaned over to kiss your cheek. "That's up to this one," he replied, looking at you.

"No, it stays forever," you told Cam. "Had him shave it once. Instant regret." 

"Should I be looking at bridesmaids dresses?" Maria asked. "You guys really need to pick a wedding date!"

You and Bradley shared a smirk. "Don't worry about that yet," you told your friend. 

"I want to worry about it!" Maria complained. "You guys could have gotten married last year, and I feel like nobody would have thought it was weird."

Bradley appreciated your friends for how much they really did like him, and how much they obviously loved you. But there was no way they were going to get any top secret wedding intel out of either of you.

"Oh, you know what we should do, Roo?" you suddenly asked him. "Let's host a Halloween party!"

You were giving him a look. He thought this might have been your way of steering the conversation where you wanted it. "Yeah, sounds fun," he agreed, looking across the table at your friends who both looked delighted. So he'd host another party with you. That sounded like something for married people. 

True to your word, you and Bradley ducked out before dessert. When Bradley buckled you into the Bronco, he pulled the wedding bands out of the glovebox and handed them to you. "Don't want to forget to take those inside later," he told you with a kiss. He watched you tuck them into your purse, and as soon as he was pulling out onto the road, your hands were on his jeans, unzipping.

"Oh, shit," Bradley groaned as you eased your hand inside his jeans and started stroking him, making him a little hard after just a few passes of your hand along his cock. "I get a handjob on the way home?" He was trying to pay attention to the road, but he glanced down to watch your hand pump him all the way to the tip and then move back down.

"Road head, Daddy," you said just before you started to shimmy yourself onto your belly.

"Hell yes," Bradley hissed as he felt your warm breath on his cock. You wasted no time, taking him deep, letting him hit the back of your throat. It took every ounce of Bradley's concentration to stay on the road as he hit the back of your throat again, making you gag. By the third time you started gagging, Bradley was panting.

You withdrew him long enough to ask, "Does Daddy like that?" Then he was gliding back between your perfect lips while you sucked on him.

Bradley ran his fingers along the back of your neck and grunted. "Daddy loves it. Just keep your seatbelt on, Baby Girl." He took the long way home, driving on backroads at a leisurely pace that seemed to match the movement of your mouth around his dick. You weren't in any hurry, and neither was he. "My God, you give the best head." 

He dragged his hand down your neck and along your spine until he was palming your ass through your jeans. When he rolled up to a stop sign, he landed a hard slap that had you suddenly jerking forward and moaning. 

"Fuck!" Bradley practically howled. He was seeing stars, you were taking him so deep now. He kept his foot firmly pressing down on the brake pedal and listened to the sloppy, wet sounds you were making on him. He was too close now, fucking up into your mouth. 

A horn blared behind him, and he let loose a string of curse words as he manually rolled down his window and waved the car behind him around. He was going to cum, he was right on the edge. The other driver was stopping next to him and asking if he needed any help. 

Bradley's head was tipped back against the headrest as the first tingles of his orgasm washed through him.

"I'm fine!" he hollered through the open window. "Oh shit, I'm so good."

"Are you sure?" the other driver asked.

Bradley just violently waved him on, saying, "My wife has it under control!"

He felt you moan, and that was it. He was filling your mouth with cum as you sucked with hollowed out cheeks until he couldn't feel his fingertips. 

Bradley ended up waving on two more cars before you popped his softening cock out of your mouth and smiled up at him. "Take me home."

"Anything you want," he whispered, and you carefully zipped him back up while he drove you there.

------------------------

"You called me your wife," you gasped. "In the Bronco."

"Mmhmm," Bradley hummed against your clit as you tipped your head back against your pillow. He was gently stroking his fingers along your tattoo and holding your right foot in place on his shoulder.

"It turned me on."

"I can see that," he said, grinning up at you. "I can taste it, too. You're so wet."

You propped yourself up on one elbow and watched him work you over. He was so sexy, and every time you saw his tattoo, you clenched around his fingers. You were so close now, and you wanted to cum, so you decided to push him over the edge. 

"We have wedding rings."

Yep, that did it. You collapsed back against the pillow as he went feral on you, making you cum on his face.

Bradley kissed your lips, hovering over you like he was about to do some pushups. "What did I do to deserve road head?" he whispered, nudging your nose with his until you were smiling. "Thought we would wait until we got home. Maybe make that video? But damn... you got me off good in the Bronco."

You ran your fingers gently through his hair. "You're the best. You're letting me throw a Halloween party. You're planning our honeymoon. You talked to me the other day about the stuff from your past that makes you a little embarrassed. Even though it shouldn't, Roo. But you didn't shut me out."

"I don't want to shut you out, Sweetheart. You always make me feel so much better." He eased himself down so that he was resting against your chest. "Now promise Daddy you'll buy whatever you want for our honeymoon tomorrow."

You giggled. "Promise."

"And promise Daddy you'll send some photos while you're shopping." He nipped along your breasts as your fingers wound in his hair.

You thought about what you could send to him while he was playing golf and drinking with the guys. "Promise. But it might mess up your golf game."

Bradley groaned against you. "My golf game is already bad. Just fuck it up more, Baby Girl."

-------------------------

Covered a lot of emotions in this one. Also making a lot of promises. Also getting closer to his deployment.

PART 13

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[maxispremades]

In the hackneyed and obvious contrast between Pleasantview and Strangetown, I see a powerful message for myself.

The first impression of Pleasantview: peace, quiet, houses with white picket fences, the American dream come to life. But what do we see when we look closer? Sims die and go missing under mysterious circumstances, husbands cheat on their wives, wives happily bury their husbands, and children hate their parents and each other. Everyone is trying very hard to look wholesome and good, and it makes the whole thing so much worse and ugly. When I played there as a kid, I didn't understand all these subtleties, but now I can confidently say that Pleasantview is the most depressing neighborhood ever to appear in The Sims.

Strangetown at first sight: WHAT. THE. FUCK. Among the lifeless sands, the mad scientists are torturing the poor punk in the basement, the pregnant guy is wandering around somewhere nearby, the old lady sits on the throne in the middle of the cemetery, and a third of the population are literally not human. But at the same time, there is absolutely no cheating, there are almost no chilling secrets, and the relationship between the inhabitants (including the sadistic scientists and the unfortunate punk) is good or neutral in most cases. The biggest evil in this town is the xenophobic and fierce general, but compared to the schemers of Pleasantview, even he seems as innocent as a lamb. To a degree, everyone in Strangetown does shit, but they do it just for fun, without compromising their ideals, interests and natural inclinations for profit.

As for me, the moral of all this story is as simple as ABC. It is much better to be a strange fucked-up weirdo who lives in harmony with themself and their loved ones, rather than trying to create a pleasant image of themself and constantly lying themself and others. At some point, Bella Goth got tired of this bullshit and — I'm pretty sure! — voluntarily jumped into a flying saucer to get as far away from the whole mess as possible.

пост в telegram на русском языке (осторожно, присутствует мат)

[poolseason]

brain dump on amane yugi after tbhk 120

i'm just launching out everything that came to mind.

1. The Red House's Possession

Amane's life, regardless of the timeline, is depressing as all hell. But the main thing is, Yugi-sensei lived only to his late 20s, and died somewhere in the Red House. It's safe to say he was still a teacher at Kamome when he died, and maybe.. he was still a teacher at Kamome after he died. Let me explain,

It's kind of hard to get a good grasp on his character and his awareness of the supernatural considering he's POSSESSED and all, but to try to work it out

Theory A: Amane's not aware of the supernatural. This could explain how he seems to be totally clueless after the Red House entity's possession, and gives a reason for the prescription Aoi finds in 119. Amane isn't actually naturally inclined towards the supernatural, and gets medicated (either by himself or his parents) to somehow deal with the lost time or the childhood paranoia

Theory B: Amane has always been aware of the supernatural, and knowingly taps into the Red House's power to try and bring his brother back through the rumours spread throughout the school

Personally I'm leaning towards option A,,, Remember Kou's circumstances? He was possessed in chapter 116, and then unwittingly lured himself and Mitsuba to the well, after being sent by a "teacher" which could have been Amane's spirit. And we see that Hole/Entity/Red House tends to jump from host to host, mb depending on who's most likely to effectively bring in a new sacrifice. It takes back Kou in it's attempt at eating Nene, after momentarily losing momentum with Amane, but it didn't go Hole Mode right away.

All this to say that the Yugi-sensei in the flashback, and even Nene's time-shifting scene from ch115 is at least in someway under the control of the Red House Entity. Outside of that, man is just one dopey ass confused mf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. break: what does Tsukasa have to do with all of this?

Tsu never returned from inside the Hole, but he's always had the power to in the original time

The Entity seems to be possessing him in the new timeline too. At least, it's holding a lot more influence on him. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that Tsukasa's always been bonded to it, since he was 3yo, just managed to hold more of his own sense of self in the old world because he left the pit and whatever the fuck happened to Amane in this world didn't happen in the other one.

Posessed Tsukasa has fully light eyes, while posessed Amane has fully darkened eyes (and also TENTACLES???? WHY?????). The reason why still stands to be contested, but maybe there's something involving the how the Entity is controlling them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Jump to the past

Amane is regaining his memory of the other world. That much is obvious from the fact that Amane AND Kou both snapped out of control. Tentacle!Amane even broke down the door, giving them an out, and didn't even follow. Is Hanako's memories going to come through in the future chapters?

Also important to note that Nene's Mermaid scale curse is active (again? was it ever off?)

Akane's new plan is to use the Big Clock to rewind time, which means in the coming chapters or the next arc, our heros might travel to a time period where Yugi Amane will actually be alive.

The Clockkeepers created a divergence in 1968, the year Amane was working on the Big Clock, however we know that the earliest change in the timeline happened on Amane's 4th birthday around he discovered Tsukasa was missing and was told that the future was changed by a mysterious figure (a Clockkeeper? a future version of himself?? even one of our protagonists???)

a few things that are worth considering, now that we've thought a little about Yugi-sensei's knowledge of the supernatural and his current possessed status:

In the old timeline, and the new timeline, when did Amane first learn about the supernatural? Was he able to see spirits before he died? In the original world, He clearly didn't have a clue when he was 8, but by 1968, likely did, just a year before his death. Which has me wondering, if he didn't then he doesn't have a sixth sense, he's just close to death. Similar to Nene.

Maybe Amane's posession isn't exclusive to this new world... Does it have anything to do with his seal, or even the twin's deaths?

There's a lot of water theming here: A wishing well, a tentacled beast, a mermaid curse, a bathroom ghost. All boundaries are partially submerged. The supernatural in Kamome are direcly linked to water. Why's this all tied?

[gojoevers]

UMINEKO??!!

so, I’ve just finished episode 1 of Umineko and the first tea party. I am probably even more confused than I was when I first started - I refuse to put up on reddit my thoughts because it seems everyone posts the same thing when they get this far so under the cut is my initial thoughts, questions and feelings on Umineko episode 1!! I’m hoping I don't make this too long, but I have SO MUCH I need to get out. Please do not read below the cut if you have not finished at least episode one as the post contains spoilers!

so, I’m gonna start with the characters. I absolutely love, love, LOVE this cast.

battler? love of my entire life. he was a character made to fit in my specific niche and I NEED to put him in my mouth. Jessica? my sweet, lovely girl who only deserves the best. maria? I will NOT take maria slander. she's just a kid and I was just like her when I was 9. minus the freaky laughing and like ominous-ness. George? I knew from the second I saw him that he'd be my lawfully wedded wife. enough said.

the parents, I’m a bit more swayed to dislike them, but at the same time, I don’t. I can't really explain my feelings for the parents. I do really like Natsuhi. She deserved more respect, and her conversation with Kinzo when she went to his study was a scene I really enjoyed. Krauss is ugly and he has no right to act the way he does idk he ANNOYED me. Rudolf and Kyrie? Loves of my life, despite what battler expresses about his father, I really like whatever dynamic they have going on, it's entertaining. and Kyrie is just wonderful. Eva, smash, next question. (I love my women MEAN and awful.) Hideyoshi, another sweetheart, like how he will stand up to his wife and take her side and is just a cool guy. also love my delusional king Kinzo. like I said, the scene with Natsuhi was emotional to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it changed my opinion on him for sure. Who’s next? servants? Kumasawa is annoying, I’m sorry. I like how she's held incredibly special to the family, but she'd just not up on my list of faves. same with Ghoda. something about him I just don't like. he's off. Shannon, Kanon, and Genji however, I ADORE them. despite the circumstances, I did like the way we saw Kanon change throughout the chapter, but I didn't really pay much attention to him.

I sobbed like a BABY when George proposed to Shannon, when she was one of the ones said to have gone missing AND when she was found with the ring on her engagement finger. I was distraught - my life was genuinely over. the scene between them was so tender and sweet, and as I’d grown to really like both, it really broke my heart watching him discover her and ask about the ring. like I’m talking crying so hard I wanted to throw up. I could come up with something more constructive about each character we are introduced to but I think I'll leave that for another post.

Now, the actual events we see are a different story. Because what the actual fuck happened. I have no idea. 17 hours of my life and I came out of the tea party with more questions than I started with. What do u mean they all got FUCKED UP at the end and maria wrote a letter asking for someone to find the truth like what the FUCK SHE WAS THERE WHY ARE YOU PISSING ME OFF. I loved the story either way, I went into it expecting a murder mystery with Beatrice as the culprit, but what I got was a mass murder spree mystery with no visuals of Beatrice and probably my favourite ending for a chapter/episode 1.

I think the tea party confused me even more, because it was framed as an OOC, behind-the-scenes bit but... It wasn't? And all the kids are there, Shannon and George have a tender moment but by the end when Beatrice appears and challenges Battler as well as flirts with him (obsessed w her btw), I was just a bit confused? This was our intro to Beatrice? It made no sense to me but I suppose if you view the tea party as simply a continuation/after-story, it checks out. Like the tea party is some purgatory they're in? I still need to watch "???" which I assume is the witches tea party from the point 5 seconds I saw before I passed out.

Overall I think Umineko is the most fun I have ever had reading a Visual Novel. The music is delicious, it has a genuinely amazing cast and story. I am so, so excited to read Episode 2, and hopefully compile my thoughts a little better.

[sholangagaga]

Wait I thought that everyone knew in canon that Bonnie was decommissioned?

This is gonna be a long answer so I'll put it under the cut. Very slight spoilers to an easter egg in Ruin

Apparently there's some confusion about this in the fandom but to reiterate to everyone who doesn't know; No one knows that Bonnie was shattered and is still within the Pizzaplex

No one.

Not the technicians, not Fazbear Entertainment, not the other animatronics.

To everyone in canon, Bonnie just up and disappeared one day under mysterious circumstances.

But Lonnie! you ask, your eyes innocent and wide. That doesn't make any sense! How could a giant 7ft robot disappear???

Well, according to what we learn in Ruin, he didn't actually disappear. We as the audience know where he is and know what happened to him. Everyone else? They have NO clue.

Your first key in to this is when Gregory first sees Vanny and tries to inform Freddy. To which Freddy responds with There are no rabbits at the Mega Pizzaplex. Not anymore.

We've already seen the animatronics go through hell and back and still be functioning. We've also see how FazEnt is REALLY unwilling to change or fully decommission animatronics because of how much it'll cost unless something impossible to cover up happens (Ie. the Missing Children Incident, The Bite of 83 and The Bite of 87)

As far as we knew, Bonnie hadn't done anything that drastic. None of the Glamrocks have, so what on earth could warrant him not only being fully decommissioned, but also completely wiped from the face of the Pizzaplex?

We get the answer to this question in bits and pieces throughout SB in the form of the dufflebag notices. There are two (three if you're annoying like me) very interesting ones that allude to Bonnie's fate.

Re-Theme, MISSING, and Monty Mischief

What do all of these have in common?

Well, they tell a story, albeit a very patchy one, but a story nonetheless.

Now, its important to note here that while Bonnie was still active (either as a band member or after his retirement) Monty Golf was very much an established attraction. This means that Monty wasn't made or pushed into the Pizzaplex to replace Bonnie outright. He was just another animatronic who spent his time in his own little place and did his own thing.

In Monty Mischief, we learn about how we're to stop Monty.

ERRANT BEHAVIOR REPORT - Monty didn't show up for the main stage performance again. We found him in the same place we always do, the catwalks over Monty Golf. We can't have a repeat of last month. Someone hit the hole in one and the hurricane bucket knocked him down. Both legs were broken and required emergency parts and service work.

Monty heads onto the catwalk every now and then, which is dangerous for him because the catwalks are prefaced by the blasters and Hurricane bucket. So, Monty is in danger of getting whacked off the catwalk and getting damaged.

In MISSING, we get our first clue into what happened to Bonnie on his final night active

SECURITY REPORT - 12:24AM - Bonnie is seen leaving his green room in Rockstar Row heading East towards the atrium. 2:40AM - Bonnie enters the East Arcade. 4:12AM - Bonnie enters Monty Golf.

Now this notice doesn't explain much. But once you look deeper into it, you start to find some odd tidbits within the notice that doesn't make much sense.

At nearly 12:30am, Bonnie left his green room and headed East towards the Atrium (which is the big squarish space in the center of the Pizzaplex) To explain it better cause the map is a big nondescriptive, the Atrium is that huge area with the main stage and all of the tables that leads to each attraction

Bonnie went EAST (or right) from Rockstar Row (which is the area right above the Atrium, where all of the animatronics themed rooms are) So assuming he was standing in his green room and he walked out, he would have walked down the rightmost path, where Roxy Raceway and Bonnie Bowl are located. (On the map, that would be the lefthand side. I know, that's confusing directions wise, but it would have been HIS right being the MAP'S left)

He went towards and entered the East Arcade (which would be Fazcade according to the map. The West Arcade is the Super Starcade)

Now, Bonnie left his room at 12:24 and got to the Fazcade at 2:40. That's almost 2 hours and 16 minutes of movement time.

Now we as the audience know that it doesn't take 2 and a half hours to clear a straight walking path. Gregory (and even Freddy) can clear that distance in less that 30 in game minutes. So what took Bonnie so long?

Normally I would say that maybe he was being stopped by kids or something, but this was well after closing. There shouldn't have been any kids or autograph opportunities, and unless Bonnie was walking at a snail's pace or in slow motion, it shouldn't have taken him so long to get to the Fazcade.

The next time stamp is even weirder. At 4:12am, Bonnie entered the Monty Golf (Directly across from Roxy Raceway on the righthand side of the map while below it is the Daycare)

It took Bonnie an extra 1 hour and 32 minutes to round the rest of the Pizzaplex (assuming he didn't stop and do something in the Fazcade) and end in the Monty Golf. And then from there, the name of the transmission is "missing" and there are no further time stamps, implying that Bonnie never left Monty Golf after that point and there are no further reads on his location.

So, he spent 3 hours and 48 minutes going to two specific points on the map only to vanish without a trace.

The next notice, Re-Theme, we get a bit of the aftermath of Bonnie's disappearance.

MANAGEMENT REPORT - The bowling alley needs a re-theme. While most of the Bonnie art was removed, kids keep asking, 'Where's Bonnie?' Do we have an officially approved response?

This is a notice from management themselves. Apparently, even though Bonnie hasn't been active for a while at this point, there still isn't a company approved response for WHERE he is. Not what happened to him, WHERE he could be. This means that after Bonnie entered Monty Golf according to the timestamp and never left, they must've searched the area and ended up being unable to find him, which led to them quickly changing gears and throwing Monty forward to take over. (Which is another discussion all together, I personally don't believe Monty hurt Bonnie, despite what the game wants you to believe)

In Ruin, we see what became of Bonnie and where he actually was after all of this time.

In the rundown Bonnie Bowl at the end of the alley, there's a sign that fell to block off the pin mechanisms against the alley wall. Deactivating all of the patpats (Wet Floor Signs) in the Ruin campaign will cause the sign to be removed, leading to a little rabbit (haha) hole. Going through the hole leads to a storage/recycling area for the bowling balls (I'm not bowling alley literate, its that machine that catches the balls and sends them back to the sleeve thing near the seating/scoring area so you can get your ball back)

And, laying there amidst the ruined machinery and surrounded by four patpats, is Glamrock Bonnie

He's apparently been there for a while, but he looks relatively untouched from the decay and ruination of the other animatronics (probably because he wasn't moving around and instead was completely stationary) ((some people mention how he seems to be missing his endoskeleton/major machinery but this post isn't about what happened to him/how he was shattered, this is just about his disappearance and subsequent location))

The fact that Bonnie has just been laying here, untouched, his only company being a few bear-eared patpats, means that NO ONE knew he was back here. If the technicians or FazEnt knew he was back here, they would have repaired him. And we KNOW that they could repair him from any state of disarray or damage because we've seen and heard of this happening before (Monty with his broken legs, Vanessa mentioning to Freddy how they can "slap his shell onto another endo" if he keeps misbehaving)

And even if Bonnie couldn't be repaired enough to take the main stage again, they could at least repair his shell or make him a permanent fixture at the Bonnie Bowl and complete retire him without leaving him in the back of a bowling alley to rot away.

Now how he got back there, I've got a few theories but again, that's another post for another day. But it's a bit sad to learn that Bonnie never really disappeared. He'd been injured in some way and went back to his home to basically die, and no one knows what happened to him. Not even Freddy, who loved and misses him so much, who probably would have been so happy to learn that Bonnie was right there the whole time and all they needed to do was repair him

But he doesn't know.

No one knows.

And since that scene is an easter egg and not an actually scripted story event, there's a very good chance that no one will ever know Bonnie's final resting place.

And that's so very sad

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Enough is Enough

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Goddess!Reader

Word Count: ~2.4k

Warnings: character deaths, reader being forced to kill, revenge kills, fluff at the end

Request by anon: Heyy! Can you write a one shot  of team free will x powerful demigod reader? Where the reader is the daughter of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades  and blessed by the Gods and the Team need her help for some case and they summon her for help and in the end Dean or Sam fall in love her?

Summary: Sam and Dean take on a case where people are killing themselves after what appears to be a ghost touching them when in reality, something much deadlier is attacking them.

Square Filled: summoning a spirit for @spnclassicbingo

Author’s Note: i appreciate any and all comments! <3

x

“Okay, Sammy, tell me one more time what we’re dealing with,” Dean says as he drives into Victorville, California.

“Two people have died under mysterious circumstances. They were normal people with normal jobs until one day they suddenly went crazy and killed themselves. None of them had prior indications that they were mentally ill or had depression.”

“Yeah, that could be our thing.”

“I already called the sheriff. He’s expecting us.” Dean heads into town and stops at the local sheriff’s station. Both brothers get out and enter the station where the sheriff greets them. “Sheriff. I’m Agent Lennon and this is my partner Agent McCartney.”

“Thank you for coming out here.”

“Of course. What else can you tell us about this case?”

“I can do you one better. I can show you. Follow me.” The sheriff brings Sam and Dean to his desk where footage from a CCTV camera is already pulled up. “Go ahead. Press play.”

Sam sits down and presses play to start the video. There is a highway with passing cars and a diner on the other side of the road where someone is waiting for something. Thirty seconds pass before Sam sees something glitch in and out of the frame. If someone were scrolling through the footage, they would miss it but Sam knows what he’s looking for. As soon as the mysterious object passes through the frame, the man starts screaming in terror. He pulls at his hair and runs into traffic where he gets hit by a car.

“Poor son of a bitch,” the sheriff sighs.

Sam rewinds the footage and stops on the figure that glitches into the frame. There isn’t a good angel for it but Sam knows it’s the shape of a woman.

“Was there footage of the first murder?” Dean asks.

“No. It happened inside the victim’s home.”

“If you get any more footage, please let us know immediately.”

“Sure thing.”

Sam and Dean finish up at the police department and leave together.

“Did you see the ghost?”

“I’m surprised the sheriff didn’t.”

“We should check the diner for any signs of EMF.” Sam and Dean drive over to the spot where the second victim killed himself. CSI and the police already investigated here, so the place is pretty empty. No one wants to go to a diner where someone saw a ghost and freaked the fuck out. “Why don’t you see what you can find out? I’ll talk to the staff inside.”

Dean leaves his brother’s side and heads inside while Sam takes out his EMF reader. He walks down the entire length of the parking lot but not a single abnormality shows up on the reader. It doesn’t take long for Dean to finish talking to the staff inside and he joins his brother’s side when he’s done.

“Anything?”

“They didn't see a thing. It was too dark to see if there was another person. All they knew is that he came in by himself, ate, and left. Minutes later, he went crazy and killed himself. What about you?”

“Nothing. There is no evidence that there was any ghost here. It’s weird, we definitely saw a ghost on film.”

“What else could it be?”

While Sam and Dean ponder on that questions, two teenage kids hang out at a grocery store on the other side of town. They’re known as the troublemakers of the town. They love getting into fights, trashing people’s houses, skipping school, and causing headaches for most of the adults in town. Dylan and Jaden are best friends who feed off each other’s energy so there is no stopping them whenever they come together.

Dylan is resting on the hood of his car while Jaden is smoking next to him. They’re in the mood for a little fucking around with the locals in town. The best kind of people to fuck with are the tourists and people who pass by their town because they don’t know the boys’ reputation. Someone new moved to town not that long ago making him the perfect target for the boys’ torment.

The man is walking out of the store since his shift has finished and walks toward his car. Dylan nudges Jaden with his foot and gestures to the employee. Jaden takes a deep inhale from his cigarette and flicks it onto the ground.

“Melinoe, come out come out wherever you are,” Jaden smirks.

You emerge from the shadows with a look of hatred on your face. Dylan and Jaden smirk and point to the man walking to his car.

“I should kill you two instead,” you glare.

“Do that and you won’t ever see your heart again. Now go kill the bitch before we kill you,” Dylan threatens.

If someone is in possession of your heart, they have the ability to use you in any way they wish. If someone were to pierce your heart, then you’ll die a slow and painful death. These two idiot kids got ahold of your heart and now have power over you that no human should ever have.

You walk over to the man who has no clue what’s about to happen to him. You’re all for killing people and bringing their souls to the Underworld for punishment but only those who deserve it. The people you’ve killed never deserved it despite the two kids thinking they did. You walk past the man and touch his shoulder to let your powers flow through him. The man screams in terror and pulls at his hair as he is driven mad. He carries self-defense weapons to protect himself which he uses to kill himself.

You turn back to the shadows when you’ve done your part.

The next morning, Sam and Dean show up at the grocery store parking lot where the man killed himself. Dean talks to some of the staff while Sam takes out his EMF reader to check for paranormal signs. Much like the last scene, nothing shows up.

“Dean, this isn’t making any sense.”

“The store manager says we can look at his security footage. He got a good view of the parking lot. Come on.”

Sam and Dean walk inside the store and meet the sheriff at the manager’s office where the cameras are. The manager plays back the footage to the right after the man left for his shift. There are two kids by a car in the background that are illuminated by the light pole, and they’re watching the man walk to his car. A ghostly figure walks into the frame and they gesture for it to attack the man.

They watch as the figure walks past the man who then freaks out. He takes one of his self-defense weapons and kills himself with it.

“Who are those two kids?” Dean asks. The manager rewinds the footage and zooms in on both of them, getting a clear view of them. “Sheriff, could you identify them?”

“Yeah. I’ll have my men look into it.”

The sheriff immediately sends the footage over to his IT department who comes back with both of their identities and their addresses. Sam and Dean will take over from here, so they head over to Dylan’s house in hopes that he’s home. Dean and Sam walk up to the front door and knock three times. Five minutes later, Dylan answers the door with Jaden behind him.

“Yeah, what do you want?”

“Are you Dylan and Jaden?”

“What’s it to you, old man?” Sam and Dean push themselves inside their house and look around. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Where is she?” Dean asks and shoves his FBI badge into his face. “Where are you hiding her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The woman you use to kill people. Where is she?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Leave before I call the police on you. Do you even have a warrant to be in here?”

Dean is about to tear him a new one when you appear from the shadows in the corner of the room. Sam and Dean take out their guns with iron bullets and aim them at you. Dylan and Jaden step back when they see the weapons to stay out of the line of fire.

“Who the hell is she?”

“Those bullets won’t do anything to me.”

“Who are you?”

“I am the thing they keep hostage to kill others with,” you glare at them.

“Kill them,” Dylan orders.

This is it. This is your way out. At this moment, you don’t care about your heart or where they might have hidden it. The fact is, they don’t have it on them right now.

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m done being your bitch. It’s time you get a taste of your own medicine.”

You disappear from sight and allow them a few seconds of pure terror of not knowing where you are. You appear behind them and place your hands on both of their heads. You let your magic flow through their brains ten times harder than you did with the other victims. Almost immediately, they begin screaming their heads off in fear.

They didn’t know it, but they were declared dead the second they possessed your heart.

They claw at their hair, run their nails down their faces so hard it draws blood, and smash their heads against the walls multiple times. Dylan did it so much that his skull split open and his brain and blood spattered everywhere. Both men slid to the floors when they died, and you turn to the brothers who have shocked looks on their faces.

“My name is Melinoe but I go by Y/N these days. I am the Goddess of Ghosts, Nightmares, and Funerary Rites. I am the daughter of Persephone and Zeus and Hades combined. I’d like your help finding out where my heart is so I can be free.”

Sam and Dean call in the double suicide before leaving the scene as fast as possible. You join them in their motel room to talk about what you’re here for and what it means to have someone possess your heart.

“We’ve met some Greek Gods in our time but never someone like you. We’ve met your father.”

“Which one?”

“Zeus.”

“Despite what people say, Zeus is worse than Hades. Zeus got jealous of Hades and banished him to the Underworld.” Sam and Dean look at each other in silence. “Look, I know you think I’m a killer but I’m not a bad person. I only kill those who deserve it so I can guide their souls into the Underworld to exact their punishment. Those two idiots made me kill innocent people.”

“How did they do that?”

“They have my heart. I shouldn’t have killed them. They hid it so I wouldn’t grab it and leave them.”

“We’ll find it,” Sam smiles.

“Thank you. I’m not all bad, you know. I can reunite people with their dead loved ones for a few minutes. Cemeteries are my favorite places to hang out in.”

You, Sam, and Dean do some research on where Dylan and Jaden could have hidden your heart. They would have chosen a place where no one would find it. A place that could be abandoned or a cave. There aren’t a lot of spots like that around town so it’s easy to compile a list.

“What will happen if your heart is destroyed?”

“I’ll die. I had ownership of my heart for thousands of years until one day I met a man. A man who heard the rumors about me and what I can do. This was during the time when Greek Gods and Goddesses were roaming Earth. He’s the sole reason why I believe in love, but he’s also the reason why I believe in heartbreak. He stole my heart and it’s been passed around ever since.”

“Greek Gods were around in 900 BC. That’s a long time to go without your heart.”

“You’re telling me,” you scoff.

“I promise to get your heart back for you.”

“Thank you,” you smile sweetly.

“Okay, I have a list of three places where your heart can be,” Dean says. “The abandoned factory outside of town, the old Well House on someone’s farm, and a cave in Long Beach. Though, I don’t think they’d drive two hours for something so precious as a Goddess’ heart.”

“Let’s check the factory first. These guys craved power. I don’t think they would allow my heart to reside on someone else’s property.”

“Factory it is.”

You three head thirty minutes to the factory outside of town. Before you step foot out of the car, you can feel the power your heart holds. It’s here and it’s calling to you. You don’t have to search the entire property because you know exactly where it is. Your heart is inside a dirty box and you scoff at the treatment it got.

“Wow, never seen that before,” Dean mutters.

You grab your heart and it glows bright green at being connected to the person it belongs to. You move the top of your dress to the side and allow your heart to be absorbed back into your body. Your entire body glows bright green before dimming down, and you turn to the brothers with a smile.

“I can’t thank you two enough for what you’ve done for me. Please allow me to repay you back. Is there a dead loved one you’d like to see again?”

“No, we’re good. I just want to get out of this God-forsaken town,” Dean chuckles.

Sam looks at his brother in thought and gets an idea.

“Actually, there might be.”

It doesn't matter where a person is buried or where they ended up after death. You have the power to draw their souls back to you for a short amount of time to give a person a chance to talk to them. Dean is shocked when you pull his mother and father from Heaven to allow him some time to talk to them. Sam never knew them, not in the way that Dean did, so he gives this moment to his brother.

“You must love your brother to let him have this,” you say to Sam.

You and he are off to the side to give Dean some time alone with his parents.

“He knew them better than I ever did,” he shrugs.

“Listen, I don’t have to be in the Underworld right now. Would you like some company for a while?”

A blush spreads across Sam’s cheeks at the thought of spending more time with you.

“I’d like that.”

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[duraxxor]

🍁 - What is a failing that has always haunted or eaten at Dura?

🍁 - What is one thing they hope to achieve above all else (even if it's a bit OOC as they may not even realize it themselves)?

🍁 - Lastly, The Faceless Title/Name I saw mention, I may have missed the origin story on that. How did they end up with it? Did they pick it out or was it given?

(Giving you several cause I can't remember if I've sent you anything proper! Hope one of them resonates for you/Dura!)

[[ My goodness the leaves are falling! And falling they shall! ]]

🍁- Duraxxor as the entity that he isn't a perfect creature. Ever since his inception into he has always been a character about trial and tribulation. Where he wins, he also loses. I am sure a lot of you beautiful writers understand those circumstances! It starts in the beginning with the moment he hurdled his way into public, appearing like many undead clad in plate armor. His mental association with reality has always haunted him due to the fact that he was an amnesiac monster. He was given a chance to actually prove that his kind couldn't be all that bad and was under the supervision of others to ensure he never acts out of line.

That was, until he actually went feral and came across his own child, Raven. Now his eldest daughter did what any child would do that was relieved to see their father. In the process of trying to reason with him, he attacked her and took some of her blood from a bite wound. This is how Dura learned to partake from certain memories based on the intense emotions one harbors in the heat of a moment. And in her case, it was out of love. The first flavor of love he had partaken since his freedom from the Scourge.

Art above by @handhourgalleries of Ravlynn Daevara ( Raven )

Ever since that day, he has always harbored this failure to be who he was and also more than just his hunger. It was the event that set him in motion to start path. His biggest failure in his eyes was the fact that he never quite remembered, and he honestly didn't understand why. It is what lead to a lot of fissures between him and his children, specifically on the subject of his recently returned wife. This entire paragraph also brings us to our next falling leaf!

🍁- For the longest time, Dura's personal goal was to conquer his hunger whatever means necessary. A hungering beast that even to this day plagues him in numerous ways. He would toy, experiment, and play around with every little idea his mind could come up with in the essence of blood itself. And yet, it would never be enough to completely conquer it. So, what does one do with such a thing?

They utilize it to their advantage and adapt.

Sometime after he died a second time, he made it his goal to turn himself into an experiment just to see how far he could go. The first stage began when his exposure to void energy upon his third damnation had warped a few things. More on that section in the final leaf. But for now, I will continue the process of evolution. One of his biggest things was his association with bats and his ability to commune with them. Much like the blood memory ability, this was another learned tool through the companionship he shared with one all those years ago. And because of that, he eventually played into that being a stem of his evolutionary processes. They way bats adapt to their environments, flight, etc. The bat is a representation of this.

From death and blood, to void, and then eventually the power of the Shadowlands graced him with another trial when he had his soul severed and split up. Through the years that he was unaware of, he was working on reforming that miasmic soul's fragments into one being again. And during this he learned much about the way anima, afterlife, and even Domination magic seemed to possess. And in doing this, Duraxxor had evolved once more. But to what... well, that's a mystery that is to be found out in the future.

🍁- Now, with our final leaf, you asked me about the Faceless. This title and name refer to his time when he was resurrected by a certain Lady in Red that some of you are quite familiar with. He was bestowed this by the @sanguinesorceress when he had joined forced with an organization that was once known Panzer, a ranking that were underneath her heel. (With a little kneeling in there.) That chapter in his double deader life was a time where he began to take to theatrics of names and titles a little more seriously. And so, with the rank given to him, he referred to himself as Faceless and bore many masquerades to hide the truth in his wounded state.

Art by yours truly of Dura wearing the first of several mask during his Faceless era

It wasn't until the organization separated again that this name would begin to dwindle down to merely a chapter in his life and he progressed into his Myotis era, which was a means to perpetuate his own thoughts and opinions while mutually assisting with like-minded individuals. But that ultimately resulted in another severance where all involved went their separate ways, which included Duraxxor straight into the Shadowlands whether he liked it or not.

However, the Faceless name will eventually return in time. And it has even already showed glimpses of such through something entirely different. For the Faceless masquerade was not one of Wrath or Gluttony, it was of Desire.

[[ Thank you @dinthoqaf I greatly appreciate all of these leaves you bestowed to me. It gives me a chance to give some more background on Duraxxor's personal history.]]