#I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

[madlovenovelist]

Most Anticipated New Book Releases September 2024

September is a bumper month for titles that have grabbed my attention. I could have easily added another five or so upcoming releases, but tried to whittle this list down to the novels that intrigued me the most: When Haru Was Here – Dustin Thao (YA, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism, LGBT+) We Are Okay meets Wandavision in this novel about loss, and learning to let go.After the death of…

[luffysfakebeard]

so maybe just like acquaintances then

[wonderingaccountant]

Unpredictable, Human, and Hilarious: A Review of Jason Pargin’s "I’m Starting to Worry about this Black Box of Doom"

Pargin has a magical way of immediately gripping me with the titles of his work. In a world of one-word headers that attempt to invoke mystery, Pargin throws out titles that cause me to pause and wonder what’s inside. I’ve read several of Pargin’s books from the John Dies at The End series to Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. I’m Starting to Worry about this Black Box of Doom is great for…

[terriblelizbians]

near the beginning there was a silly little lampshadey line from one of the characters about how it makes you cringe when you read a book that mentions social media too specifically. and i was like okay i get it i see how it’s going to be. like preparing to roll my eyes a lot. but then i simply did not!!! this was a book full of in-universe reddit posts and twitch chats and i, a born hater, ate it all up!!!

[nyxdreamweaver]

Local albino boy forgot everything but his name

Jason's POV

Word count: 7,491

Warning: Swearing, spoilers to TLH (canon will derail starting now)

Likes ❤️ , reblogs 🔁 and comments 💬 are much appreciated :3 Lmk if you want to be tagged for the next updates

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Ever since he woke up from his sleep, Jason’s day continued to get weirder.

First of all, he found himself in the backseat of a school bus full of unfamiliar kids, just like his dream, but this time, he was physically there. They were loud and chatty. Some were using weird machine boxes with long wires that go inside the ears. And second of all, Jason doesn't remember anything in his life beyond his first name, which should be a concerning thing to think about right now but there's a bigger issue he needs to worry about: 1) Jason is inside a bus with a bunch of strangers who he doesn't know, 2) he don't know if they know him or not and 3) sitting there with zero reconciliation of his life. The second a student or the teacher looks his way and asks who he is, he's doomed.

‘Just stay still. If I don't move an inch, no one will notice.’ He internally said to himself, trying to make himself look as small and quiet as possible. ‘Just stay calm and wait it out so long as no one talks to me.’

Just then, someone took his hand and squeezed it. “Hey, are you okay?”

‘Fortuna….’ “I’m okay, don´t worry, I'm fine-” Jason said when he turned to face the mystery person and was stunned. Next to him was a girl wearing a light blue fleece snowboarding jacket, a pale tan shirt, and hiking boots. Her dark brown hair was long and messy, with two braids split from her neck and thin strands sticking out from the sides of her face. She was really pretty, with her eyes shining brightly like amber itself, and the loose hair ends were shaped like tiny hearts.

‘So pretty…’

The girl blushed, making him realize he spoke out loud. “I’m sorry-”

“No, no, it's fine considering that we're dating…”

“Right, right…wait what?”Jason said, perplexed. “We're dating?!”

The pretty girl looked at Jason, her face showing a mix of Are you serious? and is this a joke? “Jason, are you trying to play a prank? We're not that dumb enough to fall for that kind of joke.” She said, patting his hands.

“Yeah, that's usually my job.” A boy sitting in front of Jason and the pretty girl turned to face them. “Are you trying to get me fired, JJ?”

He looked like a Latino dryadalis, with long coily black hair, pointy ears with gold piercings, a cheerful, round face with a Septum, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving- drumming on the leather seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket, Either the kid was naturally hyper or he consumed enough sugar to give an elephant a heart attack. Wait..

'What’s a dryadalis? And how does he know that?'

“You should leave the pranks to me and Pipes over here.” The elf boy pointed to the girl, who's Piper. “We're basically experts. Remember the time when we snuck into the chemistry lab during gym and made that huge stink bomb to put inside Mr. Joseph's room?”

“Oh my god, yes! Also, when Leo convinced us to sneak out outside to the farm area and gather a bunch of chickens to put them in the principal's office? I was laughing so hard when-” As the two started exchanging stories, Jason stayed quiet as he soaked in the new information he found.

These two Piper and Leo - are his friends, which means that he belongs on the bus so he can't get in trouble and they might know where they are. Though there is something that's still causing him confusion.

'Why can't I remember them?'

With perfect timing, a teacher from the front shouted, “All right, cupcakes, listen up!”

The man was obviously a coach, with his baseball cap pulled over his head, but you could see his beady eyes. He had a goatee and a very sour face- like he just ate twelve slices of lemon in one go. HIs buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were surprisingly spotless. A plastic whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked much more scary and intense if he was taller than five feet. When he stood up in the aisle, a student yelled out, “Yo, stand up, Coach Hedge!” making everyone but Jason in the bus laugh.

”I heard that!” Coach Hedge scanned the bus for the heckler when his eyes fixated onto Jason, his scowl deepening. A jolt went through Jason's spine: he knew it, he wasn't supposed to be here, and only Jason and the coach knew the truth. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the man to drag him from the back and throw him out of the bus, but Hedge looked away and spoke to the kids.

”We will be there in five minutes. Stay with your partners and finish the worksheet I'll give to you once we are there. If any one of you comedians crack another joke about me or cause any sort of trouble during this trip, I'll personally send you cupcakes back to school via airmail.” As if to demonstrate to them, he picked up a plastic bat and swung it like he did a home run.

“Is he allowed to speak to us like that?” He whispered to Piper, who shrugged. “He always does, this is Wilderness School ‘where the kids are the animals and the teachers are the zookeepers' She said it like it was an inside joke they shared. “We are all here for a reason: we broke the law, and now we have to pay for our crimes.”

“It has to be a mistake, I don't belong here.” Jason said, wanting to be understood. “I didn't do anything wrong!”

Leo snickered at that. “Yeah, sure. None of us did anything wrong! I didn't run away six times, and Piper didn't steal a BMW. We were all framed for our crimes!!”

Piper's face flushed, swatting her hands at Leo in fury. “I already told you a million times, I didn't steal that car!”

“Right, you 'talked' to the dealer, and he 'gave' it to you, a fourteen year old.” Said Leo, raising his eyebrows at Jason like, Can you believe her? while Piper buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Honestly Pipes, you shouldn't feel embarrassed about it, it sounds cool as fuck. We should do that when we get out of here.” She groaned even louder.

”Quiet in the back!“ Coach Hedge screamed, almost dropping his sandwich on the dirty floor. “Trying to eat over here!”

”Ah Coach, never change…anyways.“ He turned back to face Jason. “You got an extra copy of the homework sheet from Mr. Joseph? I already used mine for spitwad and shot them at the band kids earlier, are you okay 'cause you're staring at me like I have something on my face? Did Gavin draw it again during science, they swore that they'd stopped doing that.”

“I..don't know you. I don't remember anyone or anything!”

Leo gave him a creepy crocodile grin. “Sure… I'm totally not an evil clone made to replace your awesome best friend.“

“Leo Valdez!” The coach yells from the front again. “Is there a problem back there?“ Leo winked at Jason and Piper before yelling back, “Sorry Coach, I couldn't hear you from here! Can you use your megaphone?” Coach Hedge grunted, looking pleased to have an excuse to use his new megaphone while the other kids groaned. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader’s voice. The kids started cracking up. The coach tried again, but this time, the megaphone blared: “The cow says moo!” The kids howled in laughter, and the coach slammed down the megaphone.

“Valdez!”

Piper stifled a laugh. “My god, Leo. How did you do that?” Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. “I’m a special little boy.”

“Guys, seriously,” Jason pleaded. “What am I doing here? Where are we going?”

Piper knit her eyebrows. “Jason, are you joking?”

“No! I have no idea—”

“Aw, yeah, he’s totally joking,” Leo said. “He’s trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren’t you? I already said sorry.” Jason only could stare at him blankly. Why doesn’t these guys understand that he has zero memories about them or anything about his entire life?

“No, I think he’s serious.” Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t—I can’t—”

“That’s it!” Coach Hedge shouts from the front. “The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!”

The rest of the kids cheered as Leo huffed.

“There’s a shocker,” he muttered. But Piper kept her eyes on Jason, like she couldn’t decide whether to be hurt or worried.

“Did you hit your head or something? You really don’t know who we are?” Jason shrugged helplessly. “It’s much worse than that. I don’t know who I am.”

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The bus stopped right at the entrance of a big grey building that resembled a museum, just sitting right in the middle of nowhere, 'Maybe that's the name of the museum: The National Museum of Nowhere, where we have no historical value.' he thought before Coach Hedge snapped him out of his thoughts. “All right, everybody get off in a single file line- HEY!! No pushing Ethan, I see you!” Soon every student got off of the bus as Jason’s head swirled around trying to take in his surroundings. Dusty earth safe metal railings were there to protect any bystanders from falling into the chasms nearby and the blazing sun rays rained down from the skies above to bless them with terrible sunburns (Rip JJ).

And yet, a cold breeze blew across the desert making the boy shiver. Jason hadn't paid attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't enough for the cold weather: light blue jeans and white sneakers, a purple T-shirt with a weird acronym, and a thin black windbreaker.

’SRPQ? What kind of fashion sense did I have?’ He thought, glancing down his t-shirt.

Coach Hedge starts passing down sheets of paper to the students, yelling out loud directions as usual. “Listen up, I’m not gonna repeat this twice: I have enough sheets for only half of the class so stay with your partners, NO trios!” He glared at Jason and his ‘friends’. “And make sure not to lose them or else you’ll be running three miles during the weekend with the track team.”

As Coach shoved a paper into the trio’s hands, Piper sighed. ”Damn,” she said. “How can we stay together? Should we ask to be in a group instead since there aren't a lot of people?”

Puzzled, Jason asked. ”Didn't Coach say 'no trios allowed'? He literally looked at us when he said it!”

Leo patted Jason's arm since Leo couldn't reach the top of his shoulder. ”Oh Jason, Jason, Jason. We're troublemakers, so we kinda, you know, break the rules, no matter what teachers say.”

“Not the time for jokes, Lee.” Piper scolded the latino, “I think he does have amnesia. Maybe we should tell Coach or call 911 for help.”

“Hello? This is Wilderness School. We don‘t have phones to call for help! And plus, if we ask Coach for help, he would just smack JJ’s head with his bat and just say ’Suck it up, cupcake.’”

“Okay, I just want to say this: I don’t want to get my head smacked.” Jason inputted.

Piper pinched the bridge of her nose in. “Well It’s better to ask than wait it out. Look, after the field trip we’ll ask Coach to take us to the local hospital and get Jason checked out, okay?”

“Right, right,” Leo nodded, “Oh, I can fit in Jason’s shirt! I am pretty small, so I could totally hide in it easily!”

“Goddamn it, Leo!”

Suddenly, a large hand grasped on Piper's shoulder. One of the boys from the class fell back to them while the class was heading to the museum. The new guy forced himself in between Jason and Piper, and pushed Leo aside.

“Yo, Piper, where have you been? You’re my partner for the day, excited?” The new guy has a dark brown Superman haircut, a deep tan, and teeth so shiny that the dentist should’ve given him a warning label to warn everyone: Do not look directly at it, permanent blindness will occur.

Everything about this guy rubbed Jason the wrong way, like there was an aura surrounding him saying Don’t mess with me or else. He had a Dallas Cowboy jersey, light blue western pants, and black boots, and he smiled like he was blessed with pure beauty by the gods themselves and were sent here to melt the hearts of delinquent girls. Jason immediately wanted that guy dead and left in a ditch.

Jason growled at the guy while Leo glared straight at the creep so hard, lasers would've come out and melted the boy's face.

The stranger held up his hands in the air like he was caught by the police. “Woah, woah. Calm down boys, I'm just here to pick up my girl. I promise to bring her back after the field trip.”

Piper scowled at him, shooing him away, “Actually Dylan, I’m going to partner with my friends.”

“I don't know if I remember correctly but Coach said no trios so...” He pestered, leaning in closer.

Leo grabbed Piper’s arm and pulled her closer to him and Jason. “Back off Dylan, she’s already in a group. Why do you go chuck one of your hockey friends into the Grand Canyon or something.”

Dylan looked down at Leo and howled in laughter. “Okay shortstack,” he snorted, pushing Leo away, almost making him trip, and dragged Piper away. She shot a glance at Jason, pleading to him for help, who- while uncomfortable and shocked- clenched his fists but, in the end he did nothing to help.

“Fucking idiota,” Leo remarked, after they walked into the museum. “Almost wrinkled my jacket because of him.” He dusted from his cargo pants and held out his arm for Jason. “Look at me! I’m Dylan! I have the best hair and so many girls throw themselves at me. I should marry myself because I look so hot!”

For the first time today, Jason laughed as Leo bowed down to his singular audience member. “Thank you! Thank you! I'm here to entertain.”

“As funny and accurate that was, who was that jerk?”

Leo stared at him blankly, like he just admitted that he talks to trees on the weekend. “Wow, you’re really dedicated to the whole ‘amneisa’ act, huh?”

Jason played with the loose worksheet in his hands. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“In my defense,” Leo said, “It does sound a bit crazy- like it sounds like you stole the idea from a really bad movie.” He held out his hand, palms opened, right at Jason. “The worksheet, please.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.

“What?” He asked, “You know these sheets they give us are complete bullshit, most of the time you could find the answers on the internet- that is, you have a secret phone they didn't take from us in orientation.”

He points to himself with his thumbs. “Besides, you have me- I’ve been cheating the system since we got here. All you have to do is write the answers in a messy way, that way Coach Hedge couldn’t read it and would have to give us a good grade.”

While Jason isn't sure about that plan, one thing he is sure about is that he doesn't understand anything from this worksheet like ‘name three sedimentary strata you observed’ and any attempt on understanding would strain his brain. He gave the paper to Leo.

“Thank you. So.. you’ve lost all memories of basically everything you´ve ever known?”

Jason nods.

“So that means… I can reuse my old jokes on you!! Oh my god, this is the best day! Come on!”

Jason smiled as he followed Leo into the museum.

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They walked through the bleak building, stopping at one place onto another while Coach Hedge talked about each exhibit with his megaphone, still making him sound either like a sith lord or blast out phrases like 'The pig says oink!’ confusing the museum workers passing by. During this, Leo grabbed a bunch of miscellaneous items from his army jacket (some bolts, two wooden popsicle sticks, a thin red wire, etc) and started fidgeting around with them. To keep his thin hands busy.

The two walked behind the class a few paces back, Leo had the folded paper shoved into his back pocket, with all the ‘answers’ written on it, leaving them some free time.

Jason was too absent minded to pay close attention to the lectures or the giant paintings about whatever, but he heard some passing words from the Coach, apparently this museum was about the Grand Canyon (duh) and the Hualapai tribe who currently owns the building.

“So, here's a simple crash course about your life here, my amnestic friend,” Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason believe that this wouldn't be so simple. “We go to the 'Wilderness School' – Leo made airs with his fingers again. “Which means we're 'bad kids.' Your family, or the court, whichever came first, decided that you were a danger to society and they shipped you off to this lovely prison– sorry, 'boarding school'-- in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles every day through the cacti and weave little daisies into hats! And on special days when we all 'behave,' we all get to go outside to the public for 'educational' field trips with wonderful teachers like Coach Hedge, who keeps us in line with his baseball bat and threats on our livelihoods. Is it all coming back now?”

“No, sadly.” Jason glanced at the other kids: around twenty guys were here and around fifteen girls. No one looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what they'd all done to be sent to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why people thought he belonged with them.

Absorbing all of the information, Jason asked a few questions. “Ok… Who am I? Where was I from? How.. did we,” He gestures both to him and Leo. “became friends. I don’t wanna be rude but you two are a bit.. hyper.”

Despite playing around with the objects, Leo grinned up at him. “You? You’re Jason, the poster Boy Scout, basically- a wet blanket but in a good way. If you were a type of dog, you would’ve been a Golden retriever with how sweet you are and with a terribly high moral compress. I have no clue how you ended up here considering how you barely cause trouble at school. Rather out of the three of us, you stop us from causing trouble. You also never talk about your home life or how you got your cool scars on your hands, which is fine since half of us here have pretty bad experiences in our lives and don’t like to talk about it. There was this awesome girl I met a few years ago: she didn’t talk about what happened before we met and she also avoided the topic of home often except that one time, but that’s private. Unlike me and Pied Piper who came at the beginning of the year, you came into the middle of the semester, very determined not to speak to anyone, very guarded and cautious but me and Pipes pestered you so much that we kinda grew on you and we've been best friends ever since. We basically saved you from a life of loneliness, specifically your social life.”

Jason nodded along, searching through his mind to remember any sort of memories. But came up empty handed.

“Now Dylan- that’s the creep who’s torturing Piper right now- is a jerk. No questions there. Anyone who crosses him would end up in a full body cast. If me and Pied Piper weren't here, you would've immediately attempted to fight the meathead in the name of justice and probably lost, badly. No offense.”

“None taken, continue.”

“And Coach Hedge is the new gym teacher and the baseball coach- like Piper and I, came at the beginning of the school year. He uses his bat to hit us soft enough not to catch a case but hard enough to make us regret causing problems. Sometimes I always feel like he could just see through us whenever we hang out but I could be seeing things. Piper recently became your girlfriend after the shooting stars event a couple weeks ago. And I’m your super cool best friend who you worship the very ground I walk, anything jogging your memory?”

Jason strained his brain again for something- anything that could help him! But he just couldn’t.

“..Nothing.”

Leo patted his back, an awkward attempt to comfort his friend but Jason appreciated it.

A few meters away, a trio of girls were snickering and looking at Piper, who at the moment is suffering under Dylan’s long and winded talk on why he would be a much better boyfriend than Jason (Boy please.) Jason assumed that they were the popular clique, from their matching skinny jeans, cotton pink acrylic nails and enough clumpy makeup for a halloween party.

One of them said, “Hey, Piper, doesn’t your tribe own this place? Did you do a rain dance to get in for free?”

The rest of the girls laughed. Even Piper's partner Dylan couldn't stifle a smile at the rude comment. Jason saw Piper's arms trembling, though he could tell that she's clenching her fists.

“If you don’t remember, my dad and I are from the Cherokee tribe, not Hualapai tribe. Not that you've got enough brain cells to understand the clear difference, huh Isabel?” Piper retorted, frowning.

Isabel widens her eyes in ‘fake’ surprise, like an owl with huge glittery eyeshadow mocking her. “Oh, I'm sorry. It was probably your mom who was a part of the tribe. Oh, wait. You never met her!”

Piper ignored them, but Jason was ready to punch them himself, glaring straight at the girl herself. He might not remember Piper, or even who he was, but he knew deep down in his heart, he hated mean kids.

Before Jason could storm over to the group and punch them straight in the face, Leo caught his arm. “Be cool. Piper doesn’t like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they’d all be bowing down to her and screaming, ‘We’re not worthy! Spare us mercy, dear Piper!’”

“Why? What about her dad?” Leo laughed in disbelief. “You’re not kidding? You really don’t remember that your girlfriend’s dad—”

“I wished I did but for the hundredth time, I.don't.know.anything. I know nothing about Piper, my supposed ‘girlfriend’, I know nothing about you, my ’best friend’. Why do you think I know who her dad is?”

Leo whistled. “Whatever. We have to talk after we get back to the dorms. You owe us a sleepover for this act you're pulling. Anyways, Pipes can handle those girls because-”

A loud squeal of pain echoed through the halls as the previous girl, Isabel, had her hands on her nose, small blood stains painted on her white sleeves. Her friends panic and scream while Piper smirks from their reactions, her right hand was covered in the same blood from the crybaby. At times like these, Jason would’ve felt sympathy for the other person but she had it coming for being a jerk.

“Coach Hedge! Piper just punched Isa!” One of Isa’s minions screeched, making everyone stop and stare. “She’s bleeding from her nose!”

There, Hedge stopped talking about why the Grand Canyon was red and turned to face the commotion. “McLean! Did you punch Johnson?!” He shouted with his megaphone, afterwards it said ‘Bahh go the sheep!’

Jason started to sweat. His girlfriend was about to get in trouble and probably be punished. He quickly turned to where the girls were standing. Instead of being scared of being caught like what Jason expected her to feel, Piper only gave Coach a glare and placed her hands on her hips. She seemed to give off a sense of confidence and power, like some sort of beautiful goddess…

“No I didn’t. She just bumped into one of the pillars and hit her nose, right Mary?” Mary, who looked like a deer in headlights at the attention, came in defense of Piper. “Y-yeah! I saw Isabel bump her nose against the wall!”

Soon, everyone started to whisper that yeah, they didn't see Piper punch that girl, that Isabel just bumped into one of the museum's pillars or something else. While Jason did notice the blood on her hand, he didn't see Piper hit the girl at all and if she says she didn’t do it, then there was no way she could've ever do that-

“That’s why.” Leo remarked, grinning wider than the cheshire cat himself.

Coach Hedge looked back and forth at the two girls before signing. “Wilson, take Johnson to the museum front desk. They should have some sort of first aid kit for your nose. Everyone else, we'll keep moving.”

Isa’s lackey took a crying Isabel to the front desk in the opposite way while the rest of the class continued down the halls.

Jason was jaw dropped, 100% shocked by the whole scene while Leo was laughing at his reaction. “Oh my god, your face was so funny!!”

“But, how did she do that!? I thought she was gonna get in trouble.”

“To explain that scene, for some reason Piper can be very pervasive to the point where no one can ever pin us down for our crimes. And if they do figure it out, we just hide behind you and you can just scare them away.” Leo twirled with his hoodie strings. “Honestly, it's super helpful after we cause too much chaos and we get caught red handed. You’re like our bodyguard!!”

Jason stared at the latino in confusion and a bit of sadness. “Am I really that scary?” He

“Not that scary not by me and Piper's standards but to other people, they say you look pretty intimidating. Even some of the teachers are scared of you, minus Coach Hedge, but he's a whole other breed of man. I remember this one time in gym class,”

While Leo was chatting up a storm about one of 'their adventures' again, Jason swore he saw a faint pink swirly mist floating around Piper but quickly shaked that thought away.

'I really gotta figure out what's going on...'

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Finally, the class reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where there were large glass doors that led them onto a glass terrace.

“All right cupcakes listen up,” Coach Hedge announced. “You are about to witness the Grand Canyon. Don‘t break the glass. The skywalk can hold up to seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other off over the edge, I don’t want to deal with any paperwork.”

The Coach unlocked the doors, revealing the Grand Canyon in its full beauty. Everyone then spread out across the skywalk, which was a long horseshoe shaped walkway made of protective glass, where you could see below the canyon.

“Damn,” Leo said. “That's so cool.”

Jason agreed with Leo on this, even with his memories erased and this weird feeling in his stomach that he doesn't belong here, he couldn't help but be in awe at the sights.

The two stopped by one of the railings as they soaked in the view. Despite everything that’s been going wrong since he woke up, Jason can admit that he still found the chance to admire the view. They were all so high up from the round that the birds were circling below them. At the very bottom of the place, was a sky blue river with green fora running on the side. Meanwhile in the sky a couple feet away, banks of storm clouds had been moving closer since the class was inside the building, casting dark shadows upon the cliff sides. The bright red clashes against the soft orange striking downwards, like a sacrificial stuffed bear being cut open in the Augur temples, and was burned for an omen…. Wait, what?

Jason felt a piercing pain from his eyes increasing. ‘By the gods, why do I keep thinking about stuff like that?’ Jason groaned. His brain racing around, warning him that danger is here.

“Hey dude, you okay?” Leo injected. “You look like you're gonna hurl right into the canyon.”

Jason grabbed onto the railing for support. He was sweating and shivering, it had nothing to do with heights. He blinked, and the pain behind his eyes subsided.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” he managed. “Just a headache.” Thunder rumbled, and the dark clouds seemed to be getting closer to them.

Leo nodded and turned to the sky. “Damn, those dark clouds are over there, but the rest of the sky is clear.”

Jason looked up and saw that Leo was right. A circle of dark clouds had surrounded the sky walk, but besides that, it's all clear skies. He had a bad feeling about it.

“All right, cupcakes!!” Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the whole weather situation. “We may have to cut this short so hurry up with those worksheets!! Remember to write complete sentences.“

The storm rumbled and Jason's head began to hurt throb again. Not knowing why, Jason slipped his hands into his pocket when he hit a solid metal. Pulling out the mysterious object, in his hands was a gold coin- one that is the size of a half dollar, but thicker and uneven like the craftsmith made this blindfolded. Stamped on one side was a picture of a battle-axe. On the other was some guy's face wreathed in laurels and on the other side were the initials ivlivs engraved.

[“Can I open my eyes now? I wanna see it!”

“Almost, little birdie,” Someone answered, a girl. “I just need to find it. Just keep your eyes closed.”

After a while, the girl spoke. “Okay, it's ready now! Now hold out your hands but don't open your eyes till I say so.”

Jason nodded and held out his hands, making sure not to peek. As he waited, a cold metal was placed in his pudgy hands. “Okay, open your eyes!”

He quickly opened his eyes and looked down at his palms to find…

“It's.. a coin?” Little Jason asked, holding up the gold coin. ”I thought I was getting my weapon today, why do I have this?“ The girl in front of him laughed as he watched in confusion. Pushing her auburn curls out of her eyes, she kneels down to Jason’s height and smiles.

“No JJ, it's a magic battle sword disguised as a coin. Whenever you need a weapon during a fight, just flip this coin…” She tossed the coin into the air and it transformed into a giant sword. Catching it, the sword turned back into a coin. The auburn girl handed it back to Jason who was staring in awe at it. “And poof! A giant sword you can use to slay your enemies!! Made it enchanted just for you to use.”

“Woah!!” He exclaimed, vibrating with joy. “This is so awesome!! Thank you Cyra!!” Then right before he ran out the room, Jason quickly hugged Cyra. “Thank you sis. This is the best birthday gift ever!”

Cyra looked taken back, being called ‘sis’ before ruffling his shaggy hair. “You're welcome, kiddo. Happy birthday..”]

“Hello? Earth to Superman! Are you still there?”

Suddenly, Jason found himself back in the present and both Leo and Piper were standing next to him sighing in relief. Their eyes shined with concern as they scanned him for any signs of a problem.

Leo was the first to ask. “Are you okay? You've been staring at that coin for a while and I got worried. And then Piper came to hide from Jerkface when she saw you stuck in a weird trance too.”

Piper nodded, reaching out for his hand before hesitating, thinking he wasn't comfortable. “Is your head getting worse? We can take you to the front desk and call an ambula-”

“No! No, no. I'm fine. I keep having these.. weird headaches.” Jason said, choosing not to tell them about the flashback.

´I should wait till I can find more information,´ he said to himself. ´This isn't just normal amnesia.´

“Okay you’re great and all, but where the hell did you get that coin!?” Leo pointed at the gold coin. “Have you been holding out on us!? Where did you get this?”

Piper pinched his arm. “You dumbass, that's not important right now.” She looked back at Jason. “Are you feeling alright? We can ask Coach Hedge to go to the front desk for help.”

Before Jason could speak, someone interrupted him.

“Mclean! Stop lazing around and finish your worksheet!“ Yelled Coach Hedge, his megaphone emitting a grating squeaky noise making everyone outside cover their ears.

Piper groaned. “Uggh, I don't wanna go!! Dylan is so annoying and he isn't helping on the worksheet. He's just goofing around or flirting with me…”

Leo patted her shoulder. “Do you need me to cause an ‘accident’ and send him to the hospital? All I need is a spork, tape and two needles.”

“As great as that sounds making him suffer, Coach would somehow know it's us.” Piper sighs. “Besides, I can handle it for a bit longer.”

“Yo, Piper~” Dylan called out. “Where are you, sweetheart?”

The trio cringed at that. “Actually, I might be able to get you some needles and a spork.” Piper said.

Then, Piper left to return back to her personal hell, leaving Leo and Jason alone.

“So,” Leo interjected. “Where did you get this coin?” He pointed at the strange coin. “I've never seen that design before.”

“It's nothing.” Jason said, slipping the coin back into his pocket, fully knowing that the strange coin is a clue to what's going on.

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

While Jason was staring out into the open sky counting the number of birds he's seen (he's currently on fourteen birds), Leo was leaning on the railing too far close to the edge, making Jason nervous that he’d fall in. He may not remember his time here at the school or the people he's supposed to know, but Leo and Piper have slowly grown on him and Jason didn’t want to see either of them get hurt.

“Psh, hey. Watch this.” Leo said in a hushed tone revealing what he had. In his hands was a handmade helicopter, each part was made from the items Leo had earlier. He twisted the tiny wire connected to the two popsicles sticks, making it spin upwards like a helicopter and started flying in the direction of the canyon. Leo began cheering and kept leaning in closer to the edge, he was so close from falling that Jason quickly grabbed onto the army jacket to hold him back. The helicopter was halfway across the chasm when it the blade stopped working, making the machine slowly fall into the canyon, and breaking at the very bottom.

“Damn it!” Leo grunted, slamming his hand on the metal rails. “It broke again.” Frustrated by his failure.

But Jason thought otherwise. “That was so cool! How did you do that? You just built that out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands and it flew across the Grand Canyon!? That is so. so.” There were so many words Jason could use to describe what he just saw: but he knew not to never underestimate Leo Valdez from what he’s seen.

Baffered by this reaction, Leo tried to degrade himself. “I mean- it was pretty easy. Someone else could do it better. Plus, it fell halfway when I wanted it to fly to the other side, so...”

“But you made it fly, that's still so..amazing! You should be feeling proud of it. You have a talent for engineering.”

Leo's eyes widened, looking a bit flustered by the compliment. “Huh.. thanks Supes. It’s nice to hear that, even if you lost your memories.” Wanting to say more, Jason opened his mouth to keep complimenting his best friend, Coach Hedge unintentionally ruined the moment when he yelled at some kids trying to sneak away with his megaphone, still stuck in the Darth Vader voice.

“Step away from the doors or I will make the principal send you all to the solidarity rooms!” Clearly, Coach's threat was super effective because the group quickly retreated back to where they were previously.

“What are the solidarity rooms?” Jason asked. “Are they that bad?”

Leo shrugged. “I don't know much about them since I never went there but you went in there once after a lunchroom fight with these guys Ethan and Brian and you somehow ended up in the crossfire. The two of you were then sent to the solidarity room for around four days.” He pulled out a red rubber band and played around with it as he continued talking. “Once it was over and you were sent back to the dorms, we tried to ask you about the whole thing but you had this….weird blank stare like you just stared into a black hole for five hours straight.”

“After that, you made us promise to never go in there. Piper and I were confused but made sure you never went back there again.

“Huh..” Jason said, looking downwards in the canyon, now counting the number of weeds he sees on the side. “This is all so confusing…”

For the first time today, Leo was quiet, tapping his fingers on the metal railing while he looked in deep thought. “Honestly, this whole ‘losing your memories out of nowhere’ thing is the most confusing thing ever! Just before we left school, you were all fine and dandy, but right after you woke up, bam! Every memory you’ve ever had was wiped clean.”

“Do you remember when we first met? What did we talk about then”

“I think we talked about….” Leo frowned. “Shit, I don't know, man. I have ADHD, you can't expect me to remember every little detail.”

“Well I don't remember any of you at all. I don't know anybody here. What if-”

“That you are right, and everyone here just has fake memories about you?“

A little voice echoed inside his head. ´Not quite…´ But the whole thing sounds crazy, every kid here just took him for granted. Like they know he's supposed to be here- except for Coach Hedge. He might know something about Jason.

“I'll be right back.” Before Leo could protest, Jason walked across the skywalk. The only people he has seen in this building were the workers and his class. Maybe they had the whole place to themselves or maybe the class scared away the tourists from here. Most of the kids were done with the worksheet so they spent the time talking with their friends or joking around. Two boys Jason passed by were tossing pennies down the Canyon. And about fifty feet away was Piper trying to focus on the worksheet but Dylan was busy harassing her by putting his hand on her shoulder and flashing his blinding teeth at her. She glanced at Jason, mouthing out to him. Please punch this guy right now Jason motions her to hold on, making a mental note to beat the shit out of Dylan later.

Jason finally reached Coach Hedge, who was staring right up at the dark clouds, which had tripled in size, holding out his bat.

“Did you do this?” the Coach asked him. Jason took a step back. Was he talking about him?

“What do you mean?” By the way Coach was asking, it sounded like he believed that Jason made those storm clouds.

Coach Hedge glared at him, with his beady eyes peeking out from his hat’s brim. “Don’t play with me, kid. What's going on? and why are you causing problems at my job?”

“You mean.. You don’t know me?” Jason said. “I’m not a student?”

Hedge snorted. “No, no, I´ve seen you at the school, you’re a student here, but then something else is wrong here...”

Jason was relieved to hear that he almost cried right there. He was supposed to be here! He wasn’t an outsider! “Okay thank you for the confirmation, but something else is wrong here.”

Coach Hedge scratched his head in confusion. “What d'ya mean? You gotta go to the bathroom or something?”

“No, not that! I can’t remember anything about my life! Like someone wiped my memories clean.”

“I see…” Hedge's gruff voice dropped into a murmur, like he was sharing a dark secret. “The Mist surrounding you is a lot different from the other two but something else has been messing with my nose. I've been smelling monsters for a couple of days now. There must be an infiltrator hiding in the Mist as well, but you don't smell like one. You smell like a Half-blood, so speak the truth- who are you and where did you come from?”

Most of what Coach Hedge said made absolutely no sense but Jason decided to answer honestly. “I don't know who I am. I have no memories to explain where I came from and you need to help me.”

Coach Hedge studied his face like he was trying to read Jason’s thoughts.

“Great,” He huffed. “You're speaking the truth.”

“I am, and what do those words mean!? Half-bloods and monsters? Is this a game?”

Hedge narrowed his eyes. One part of Jason was seriously thinking this guy is nuts but another part of himself said otherwise.

“Look, kid,” Hedge started to explain. “I don't know who you are but I do know what you are, and that causes more trouble for me. Now I gotta protect the three of you rather than two. Are you the special package? Is that it?

When Coach Hedge said, ‘special package’, something jolted in his brain. He had heard that before.

“What did you say?”

Hedge looked up at the storm again. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right above the skywalk.

“This morning,” Coach Hedge said. “I got a message sent from camp. They've sent an extraction team currently on the way. They mentioned something about a ‘special package’ being here but they hadn't given me enough information about it. I thought to myself, ‘Fine. The two I've been watching over a year are very powerful, older than most. And there's a monster stalking them, since I've been smelling the scent in the school halls so that's probably why camp was so frantic about getting them. But then you pop out for nowhere with no registration, health insurance or any sort of legal documents under your name- yet you're enrolled here. So tell me- are you the special package?”

The pain behind Jason’s eyes returned much worse than ever. Half-bloods, Camp, Monsters. He still didn't understand what Coach Hedge was talking about, but the words gave him a massive brain freeze- like he knew what those words mean but something or someone was blocking all knowledge about it.

He stumbled and the Coach caught. For a short man, he had arms of steel. “Woah, there, cupcake. You say you have no memories, right? Fine then, I'm gotta have to protect all three of you from this threat. Once the team arrives here, we get back to camp and I'll take you to the director.”

“What director? What is this camp?”

“Just hang tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens-”

Lighting cracked across the sky and the wind picked up speed with a vengeance. Worksheets and other kinds of papers flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids start screaming, stumbling around and grabbing onto the rails.

“Me and my big mouth.” Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: “Everyone Inside! The cow says moo!! Off the skywalk!”

“I thought you said this thing was safe!” Jason shouted, the wind drowning him out.

“Under normal conditions, yes,” Hedge agreed,”which this isn't. Come on!”

───────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────

Taglist: @punkeropercyjackson @dontspillthefrijoles43 @puriteenism @aurantiumred @yawnwhatyadoing @emmidemi @justhereforthememesnangst

[apricops]

reading and greatly enjoying I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin. I’m about 3/4 through it so I’ll say more once I finish. I’ve been trying to get back into novels instead of just podcasts and such, and this has been a good start

[thesimquarter]

Get to Know You / Catch Up Tag

I was tagged by @devilrose — thank you!!

I’ll tag… @urbania-resident @dusksimulacre @horseghoul @gaypleasantview @gr47p @thehandsomecat @optimumchibi

Currently reading: Nothing right now! I think I need to find a new webcomic or two to chip away on sometime soon… Or maybe just get some books on my phone. The last book I read was ‘I’m Starting to Worry About This Big Black Box of Doom’ but I didn’t get too far because executive dysfunction and it being library book. Of what I read, it was a very interesting book! The 27-y/o autistic NEET protagonist and the weird girl deutragonist spoke to me. I didn't get far enough to judge quality, but it was a very accessible read, I can say that.

Last song I listened to: It was definitely something on the Sirius XM 80s Channel. But it’s boring to say ‘well, I just don’t know what!’ Anyways, my phone says ‘Pygmalion’ by The Scary Jokes bc…yeah that’s my music taste. I like the album it's from as a whole!

Last series: TV Series? I… do not watch much TV. I guess I watched Spongebob Seasons 1-3 not too long ago for the nostalgia.

Last movie: Literally do not know if I’ve formally watched a movie since like… August? If this counts, yesterday, I had to sit in a waiting room for a few hours (a family member was getting surgery), and there were movies playing on the TV. The last one I got to see was Illumination's Grinch Movie. There weren't captions on and the TV was on pretty quiet, so I couldn't hear a thing. I just spent the entire time thinking about the Who's designs and how they interpreted them compared to the original. Anyways! I should fix this.

Currently watching: I DO… watch a lot of YouTube. And I have an answer to this! Neurotic Goose’s series on completing the Gregtech Horizons Minecraft Mod Pack starting with absolutely nothing (and I plan on watching his other series too!). Hits the exact threshold of being interesting enough to listen to/watch and unexciting enough to fall asleep to. I love how low-budget the production quality for the series is and how the script is written. Tickles my brain in the right spot.

Sweet/Savoury/Spicy?: Sweet 100%, but spicy is good. I have a decent spice tolerance. Savory is can be good, but I don't like salty things a whole lot. My REAL favorite flavor is sour though. I use a LOT of vinegar…

Relationship status: Single and disinterested in changing that.

Favorite color: Either bright red or dark purple/plum! Not completely sure which. :)

Current obsession: [gestures towards blog] Okayyy, the sims handhelds is my special interest and my default when I'm not particularly obsessed with anything at the moment. I have a lot of projects I can work on associated with The Sims... and I tend to get obsessed with one project at a time in a cycle. I've been most into developing my aforementioned Neocities website (so website development, I guess. I've been looking at a lot of websites to see how they're structured n' stuff). Outside of that I have been playing a large, kitchen sink-ish Minecraft mod pack centered around Cobblemon (Minecraft Pokémon Mod).

Tea or Coffee: Tea. Herbal teas to be specific...

Last Thing I Googled: 'minecraft screenshots’ bc i was looking for the hotkey to take minecraft screenshots with (F2, if anyone was curious).

[dreamsgalore]

Star-Crossed Chapter Two (Supergiant) - NSFW [Suguru Geto x Reader]

Summary: [adj] (of a person or a plan) thwarted by bad luck. not favored by the stars. ill-fated. refers to any lovers whose affection for each other is doomed to end in tragedy.experienced! suguru geto x inexperienced! reader

❥ status: completed

❥ content warnings: explicit sexual content. smut. dom/sub undertones. fem! reader. shy reader. dirty talk. inexperience. virginity mention. pet names. teasing. kind suguru. fluff at the end. cunnilingus. overstimulation. foreplay. light manhandling. reader's first orgasm. fem orgasm. hints of size kink. praise kink.

❥ note: This story takes place before the Hidden Star Plasma Vessel Arc of JJK> It's also more of an AU, taking place when all characters are 18+.

AO3 LINK | Story Directory

Ever since your last encounter with Suguru, you haven’t been able to think of anything else. Even when you were out doing the simplest errands, you would get the most minor reminders of him. Whether it was the savory scent of his eucalyptus cologne at the florist or the taste of his favorite soba from the shop across the street, you couldn’t get your mind off of him.

 It had been a few days since you last saw him. He told you that Jujutsu High was going to keep him busy for the next few days but as soon as he had free time, he would stop by. 

You didn’t know much about Jujutsu High, only that Suguru and his friends were very dedicated to whatever they were doing there. Sometimes he'd come back to you after being gone for a week or so, stressed and worn out. 

You had to remind him to take care of himself mentally and physically or else he’d burn himself out. He would just smile as if nothing was wrong and tell you not to worry yourself. He felt he had to carry this burden on his own but you wanted to show him you were there for extra support.

Sugu

[3:23] Are you home, love?

You hastily grab your phone and read the message, a grin spreading across your face. 

(y/n)

[3:23] Yeah! I’m home!

[3:24] Are you coming over? I miss you.

Sugu

[3:26] I’ve missed you too.

[3:26] Yeah I’ll be over later. I’ll bring some groceries.

[3:27] I’ll cook for you tonight ;)

Dropping your phone, you rushed into your bedroom and started digging through your wardrobe looking for something to wear. Usually, you would wear whatever’s comfortable and call it a day but tonight, you wanted to wear something special. You wanted to convince yourself it was because Suguru was cooking for you but you secretly were wishing that there was a repeat of the other night.

Eagerly, you changed into a baby pink satin slip dress that hugged your curves in all the right places. You did a quick turn in the mirror, admiring yourself for a moment before opening your jewelry box and putting your favorite diamond studs in your ears. For makeup, you kept it simple and went for light mascara and eyeliner. You finished the look with a thick strawberry-flavored lip gloss. 

By the time you finished getting ready and tidying up around your apartment, you heard a knock at your door. Your heart throbbed and for some reason, you were starting to feel anxious once again. Maybe getting dolled was a bad idea. What if he thought it was too much for a home dinner? Groaning, you pause and take a deep breath.

“Just answer the door. Just do it.” 

Hastily wandering over to the door, you swing it open to reveal Suguru standing there casually with two bags of groceries in his hands. He was more casual in his dress, wearing an oversized band tee and baggy jeans to match. His long, black hair was tied up in his usual man bun and a silver chain carelessly hung from his long neck, glistening under the fluorescent lights of the hallway. 

“Wow, babe.” He grins at you, taking in you in all your glory, “You look beautiful.”

Before you could realize you’d moved, you had your arms wrapped around his waist in a warm embrace and your face pressed into his chest. The familiar scent of that high-end cologne you loved wafted over you, relaxing your every muscle.

“I’ve missed you so much.” You look up at him, “Are you feeling okay? Are you eating well?”

Suguru sighs and kisses your forehead, “I’m doing just fine, sweetheart. You’re always taking care of me so I wanted to take care of you for a change.”

You bury your face into his chest again, “You do more than enough…”

Suguru heart flutters at your softness. Only you could make him feel this defenseless. 

“Come on. Let me make you dinner.”

Suguru spent the next hour preparing delicious homemade ramen. He admitted to not having the best culinary skill and having to look up a recipe online but you didn’t care. As long as he was making it and having fun, you were happy. 

After fumbling around the kitchen for what seemed like an eternity, the meal was finally finished. He set the pot to a simmer and made you both a hearty bowl. The two of you enjoyed dinner at your kitchen island, talking about a myriad of things ranging from how your days went to the latest episode of a mystery series you both binge. 

The rest of the night was spent on your balcony stargazing and watching the restless neighborhood below you. Suguru had propped his feet up on the railing while you just laid back and enjoyed the sounds of the hectic city nightlife. 

As you sat in silence, you began to reflect on your blossoming relationship with Suguru. You thought about how lucky you were to find someone as kind and considerate as him. Not many men were patient enough to deal with someone as new to this as you were. You knew it was a turn-off to some but Suguru respected your boundaries. He didn't make you feel bad or insecure about learning at your own pace. No matter how slow that may be. He was perfect.

“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”

“Nothing.” You purr.

He chuckles, “If you say so.”

“Suguru?” You play with your fingers nervously, “What made you come up to me?”

Suguru peers through his bang at you, a goofy smile on his face, “You were just so adorable. I couldn’t pass you up.”

“Suguru, I’m being serious!” You whine.

He snickers, “Okay, okay. Let me think. Honestly, you looked so sexy that day. That tiny, little skirt? Those thigh highs?"

Suguru's eyes meet your legs and you press your knees together anxiously. 

"Then when I finally got to talk to you and I realized you were as sweet and innocent as could be, you had me wrapped around your little finger. I thought maybe you were playing with me, but nope, you were the real deal. Honestly, it turned me on. You turned me on.”

A wave of heat washed over your body. 

“Is that really what you thought?” You whispered, your breathing slowing as you felt a dampness between your legs.

He props his cheek against his knuckles, “Mhm. I thought about eating that little cunt of yours, too."

“B-Baby!” You squeaked, turning away from him out of embarrassment. 

Suguru grins, “I’m sorry, baby. Couldn’t help myself. Was just being honest.”

There was a pause.

“Suguru? H-Have you ever done that before?”

He perked up, “What? Eat pussy?”

You nod, keeping your back turned to him, “Y-Yeah.”

“Yes. I enjoy it very much.”

You swallow the lump in your throat. 

“Do you want me to do that for you?”

You jump, “O-Oh-! I-I…um…”

You were actually considering this. If your face could get any hotter, you’d explode. You wanted to go further with Suguru but you weren’t sure you’d be able to handle something like this. He’s never even seen you naked before! What if he didn’t like what he saw? So many questions ran through your mind. You were scared, but you trusted him.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, sweetheart."

“I-I…wanna try this with you, Sugu." You turn to face him, "I wanna feel…it."

Suguru studies you, "Feel what?"

"Y-Your tongue on me…"

His pants were feeling tight all of a sudden.

"Will you be gentle?” 

Suguru hummed, “Always, baby.”

Standing up from his seat, Suguru strode over to you and held his hand out. Obliging, you take it and allow him to lead you back inside your dark apartment and into your bedroom. The space was starting to feel foreign to you now that you were in it under these circumstances. Your whole body was starting to shake with adrenaline and Suguru stopped you right at the foot of the bed.

“You sure you’re up for this, sweetheart?” 

You nod, “Yes. I want to do this with you. Only you.”

You stand on your tippy toes and pull Suguru into a heated liplock. You usually weren’t the first to initiate kisses. Suguru wasn’t complaining, however. Snaking his arms around your waist, he pulls you in excruciatingly close, your body meshing almost painfully with his own. His hands crept up the curvature of your back before dropping themselves to your ass. He squeezes it firmly, a gasp escaping you much to his liking.

“So cute, baby.” He guides you to the bed and allows you to perch yourself right at the edge. Your hands fall to your lap as he towers over you. “Do you wanna keep your pretty dress on? It would be a shame to ruin it.”

You shake your head, dumbfounded. He smiles at this and dips a finger underneath the strap holding it up, carefully sliding it down your shoulder inch by inch until your dress falls to your waist, completely exposing your bare upper body. Your mind was whirling at this point, the urge to cover yourself with your arms rising in you. 

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, you know that?” 

Suguru leans over your body and kisses you, engulfing you in his own overwhelming heat. His necklace dangles wildly between the two of you, the cool feeling of the silver occasionally grazing your fevered skin. 

“Can I touch you?”

“Y-Yes, please.” You murmur.

A cold hand rests itself on your breast, tenderly massaging the supple skin. Suguru studies your expression, making sure you are content before moving to capture your perky nipple between his middle and index finger. He gives it a gentle squeeze, making you squirm uncontrollably. 

“You’re so gorgeous.” He whispers as he drops to his knees in front of you, letting his hands follow behind him to your hips as he settles himself in front of your legs. 

Looking up at you with unbridled lust, he peppers sugary kisses from your kneecap to your inner thigh, slowly prying your legs open as he moves in to get a better look at your core. His kisses felt like little sparks against your skin. 

“Fuck, you’re always so wet.” He mutters to himself, hooking his fingers into your lacy panties, “I’ve thought about this for a long time.”

“Y-You have?” 

“Mhm. Told you, I’ve been waiting to eat this pretty pussy since day one.” He slides the thin fabric of your undies down your legs until they're off your body. He then stops for a moment to examine you and you clamp up.

“I-Is something wrong?”

He shakes his head, "No, baby. I was just thinking you really do have a pretty pussy. And it's all for me. May I touch it?"

You shook and gave him a nod, "Y-Yes."

He hums and settles his hand right above your pubic area, letting his thumb rub tight circles into your swollen nub. A loud moan erupts from your chest at the sensation and you fall back into the cushion of your mattress, unable to keep yourself steady anymore.

"Look at you. My tongue isn't even on you yet and you're a wreck." His thumb speeds up, "If this is how you react to my fingers, I can't wait 'til I get to fuck you."

Suguru removes his thumb, earning a disappointed whimper from you but he'd make it up to you. Gripping your thighs, he nips at the skin and gets close to your opening. You were still so wet from his previous ministrations but the thought of him burying his face between your legs made your pussy practically leak.

"Suguru, w-what does it feel like?"

"I don't know, hun. Never had my pussy eaten before." He jokes lightly. You gave him a little kick to his shoulder with your foot and he giggled. 

"I assume it feels amazing. A lot of girls like it."

"They do?"

"Yes, especially when I do it."

Another shiver.

"Most men aren't too good at it. A lot of them are fucking mediocre at it honestly. But me," His eyes flick to yours, "I'm not."

His words hung in the air. They felt like a promise.

You took a deep breath, "Sugu-"

"One more time. Are you still up for this?" He hums.

Unable to think, you just nod. Suguru didn't take this as an answer. He wanted verbal confirmation to ensure you were fully aware of what you were getting into. 

"I need you to use your words, sweetheart. Tell me what you want."

"Yes, Suguru. Please. I need your mouth on me."

He couldn't resist you. Propping your shapely legs against his shoulders, Suguru moves in close enough that his breath wafts against your drenched skin. He slowly proceeds and gives you an experimental lick up the entirety of your cunt. A sudden bolt of energy shot up your spine from his touch and you were arching up off the bed because of it. You didn't expect it to feel this insane.

"Fuck, you're just as sweet as I imagined." He moans, his fingers digging into the fat of your thighs to keep your legs from shutting against his face, "No one's ever eaten this cunt before?"

You shake your head, stunned.

"Lucky me." 

Suguru's ribbed tongue prods gently at your tiny opening, teasing you for a bit before circling your clit carefully. He diligently watches how you whine softly and tighten up every time he goes to playfully stick his tongue in your previously untouched hole. He could do that all night and have plenty of fun from it, but the urge to have you cum on his face was greater.

Skillfully, Suguru's tongue strokes your pulsating nub, gaining a loud, wavering cry from those pretty lips of yours. He was already getting hard off your taste alone but your sounds were making it much worse. He continues whisking his tongue around until one of your hands darts to his hair, seeking purchase of any kind to keep yourself from thrashing around.

"M-Mmph-" 

Your fingers faintly massage his scalp. You were no longer holding back your delicate sobs of pleasure, your hips hesitantly swaying with his motions. His dick was straining against the confinement of his jeans at the sight.

"Oh, I'm gonna end up addicted to you, baby. Those pretty moans of yours are driving me crazy." He grunts, slapping his hand against one of your ass cheeks. A ragged gasp follows.

Craving to hear more, Suguru wraps his lips around your clit and suckles hungrily, chasing your addicting sounds of ecstasy. The pleasure was starting to be too much to bear. Your moans were flowing freely from your lips now, loud enough to possibly wake the neighbors from their slumber. You were starting to feel it again. That feeling from the other night.

"Suguru-" You call his name in a pitched voice, "I-I feel it again-"

He moans into your cunt, the vibrations making you go numb for a split second. He had no plans on stopping but he wouldn't push you if you decide to pull back. Reaching upwards, his hands settle on your neglected breasts, giving them firm squeezes as he starts sucking harder on your abused core.

Your legs start to rattle and a thin layer of sweat covers your body as you creep closer to the brink of release. The muscle in your chest rapidly thrummed in your throat until it became almost painful. Your heart felt like it would give out any second and Suguru was going to be the one that caused it.

"B-Baby-", Your hands cover his own on your chest for support as you were finally teetering on the edge, "Please-"

You sounded so frightened.  He ached at hearing you in such sweet torment. His brain wanted him to back off. To let you gather yourself. But he refused. He knew that the pain would quickly fade. 

Flicking his tongue sporadically, Suguru harshly dragged you closer to him so you couldn't run off. His pointed nose was pressed flush against your skin and his mouth latched on for dear life. You couldn’t take it anymore. 

Gripping the sheets deathly tight, you slammed your eyes shut and you wailed Suguru’s name one last time into the cold air of your bedroom. You’d erupted, your body convulsing with every pulse of your walls around the empty space he left you with. Suguru secured your legs as you bucked wildly against his face, riding out the high until you were completely drained. 

Coming down from your euphoric peak, you lay motionless, utterly spent from what you just experienced. You could hardly catch your breath. You could feel Suguru press one last sloppy kiss to your core before backing away. Damn, did he look good.

He looked just as spent as you. His breathing was agonizingly slow, a thick layer of your juices covered his handsome face, and the sultry look of want was plastered over his features. He looked as if he was ready to crack and take you right there. He really did enjoy it just as much as you did.

“You alright, babe?” He asked, standing up to tower over you again, "Was it too much?"

“I’m okay. It was kinda scary.” You confessed.

“You did so well. I'm so proud of you.” He gives you a smooch and you could taste your essence lingering on his lips. “I know something like this wasn’t easy for you.”

You smile, “I’m glad I did this with you.”

You sit up and look between your bodies to see Suguru was still hard. 

“Did you want me to-?”

He shakes his head, “No, it’s okay. Tonight was all about you. We’ll have time for that soon enough.”

He rolls off the top of you and rests beside you on your queen-sized bed. He sets his hands on his abdomen and lets the chaotic energy of what had just occurred settle down. You both just took in each other's presence in tranquil silence.

"(Y/N)."

You turn your head to see him staring blankly at the ceiling.

"I wasn't completely honest with you earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"About the day we first met."

What could he have possibly meant? 

"I’m usually never nervous when I approach a girl, y’know? But you…you made me nervous that day." 

“I-I made you nervous?”

He nods, “I’ve never got involved with someone as soft and genuine as you. I was worried I’d scare you off. I come across as kind of cold to a lot of people. I'm aware of this. I'm not used to being so open with my emotions and that's something I'm working through. Honestly, I felt inadequate. Undeserving of your care. But you made me want to do better. To be better because…"

There's a pause.

"Because…I didn't want to break your heart. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I hurt the one pure thing in my life."

You hide your face away in his bicep, tears threatening to spill from your eyes at his heartfelt confession. He freezes when he notices this.

"I-I didn't mean to upset you-"

"I'm not upset, Suguru. I'm happy." You beamed, the salty droplets running down your cheeks one after another, "I'm happy that we met."

He sighs, "I'm happy we met, too."

<- PREVIOUS CHAPTER. || NEXT CHAPTER. ->

[scumgristle]

Top 10 Books of 2024

COYOTE by @pothead_fuckbrain SLASHER REDUXXX by @snatchellearnestwylden THE DREAMER’S PURSUIT OF A SELF-REFERENTIALITY by @deathwithaskullofice GUILTY CREATURES by Mikita Brottman MILLENNIAL NASTIES by @ari_hellraiser I’M STARTING TO WORRY ABOUT THIS BLACK BOX OF DOOM by @jasonkpargin VIOLENT FACULTIES by @charlene_elsby UXX.GOV by @bb5bb5bb5b REJECTION by @tonytula FERALS by @jonnixfilm

[booksrbetterthanpeople]

Please, I beg you: put the Coven Box in Scarlet Beetle and ikati Black! It’s just too good!

Alright, let’s see…

Maison Kurtzberg is dead

Nathaniel discovers the Coven Box in his room on the anniversary of his death, finds out he’s 1/64th warlock, and that his father was Scarlet Warlock, beloved underground hero of Paris until his untimely passing

With Maison now gone and seeing that Nathaniel has come of age, he is now the Guardian of the Coven Box and next in line to become the next Scarlet Warlock

Of course, Nathaniel’s freaking out, becuase how can he possibly live up to the standard his dad set?!

But the Kwamis assure him he’ll do well when the time comes

A week before the start of school, Nathaniel comes across an old man who introduces himself as Wang Fu, the Guardian of the Chinese Miracle Box

He has Nathaniel follow him to the massage parlor and warns him about the Butterfly Miraculous being discovered and used for evil purposes by an unknown user

He explains that the Ladybug Miraculous can be used to purify Akumas, but it needs a worthy holder and need to be balanced out by a holder worthy of the Black Cat Miraculous

So, naturally, he wants Nathaniel to choose someone

Nathaniel: WHAT?!

Master Fu: Yes, I trust your judgment.

Nathaniel: You just met me five minutes ago. How do you know I’m not some psycho?

Master Fu: You would’ve incapacitated me and ran off with the other Miraculous.

Nathaniel: … True. Okay, I’ll choose someone.

When the first day of school arrives, Nathaniel is terrified, because he’s worried he’ll choose the wrong holder and doom Paris once the Butterfly holder sends out an Akuma

So, Loki gives him a hand. After transforming into Nostradamus, he gets a glimpse into a limited number of possible futures, showing different people in his class with the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous

And, the best possible future is the one where Kim has the Ladybug and Max has the Black Cat

So, he’s got his answer

It works out well, they defeat Stoneheart… Then more Stonehearts appear, but they’re frozen, so that’s good!… The. Ivan gets Akumatized again and leads his Stoneheart army

After calming Nathaniel down and assuring him he made the right choice, Screech prompts him to transform into Scarlet Warlock and aide Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black

He amplifies their powers, allowing Scarlet Beetle to create non-physical lucky charms such as a bright light to blind the Stoneheart army, and allows Ikati Black to destroy whatever he commands, and makes the ground crack under the Stoneheart army’s feet, trapping them in a deep hole

The Butterfly villain makes their appearance through a bunch of Akumas, introducing themself as Malachite (Malachite is a species of butterfly)

After Scarlet Beetle purifies the Akumas and defeats Stoneheart, Scarlet Warlock makes himself known to the other heroes

Of course, they’re freaking out, becuase there’s a new incarnation of the previous Scarlet Warlock

He informs them that he chose them to wield the Miraculous and that he’s the new Guardian of the Coven Box. Whenever they need backup, they can let him know until Master Fu is ready to make himself known

So, meanwhile, Nathaniel is scoping out possible holders for each Miraculous. He takes one Kwami with him to school so they can get a better look at those with potential

Here are the candidates

Lunaa: Aurore, Marinette, DJ

Faate: Reshma, Sabrina, Jean

Wiisp: Jean, Myléne,

Lokii: Juleka, Gerard

Slypph: Simon, Alya

Jabb: Denise, Ivan, Mindy, Spinelli

Hoppy: Lacey, Rose, Lotta, Adrien

Hiss: Ismael, Sabrina

Snapp: Marc, Austin T, Gia

Tazz: Zoé, Nino

Cammo: Cosette, Juleka,

Faawn: Mireille, Victoria

It’s not long before the media eventually catches wind of the new Scarlet Warlock, and now he’s being swarmed by reporters questioning if he’ll ever be able to live up to the previous hero, which pisses Nathaniel off a bit

While Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black help take some of the attention off of him, there are still some nosy people

When a new Akuma arrives, Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black realize they need a new ally, and Scarlet Warlock has the perfect choice

They meet Lady Nevermore, the Raven Heroine who’s able to defeat the unpredictable Akuma using her power to see into the future

And surprise, surprise, it’s Juleka!

She’s actually had a suspicion Nathaniel is Scarlet Warlock and it was confirmed when she caught him transforming. Of course, she let him know and gave him his word she wouldn’t tell anyone since she knows the consequence

It eas at that moment, Lokii found their holder

Meanwhile, in his civilian life, Nathaniel’s become quite enamored with a certain writer but has no idea how to go about it since Marc is clearly out of his league and probably has dozens of guys after him

Let this be a lesson. Even gorgeous people can be super antisocial introverts

Also, he’s been meeting with Master Fu on weekends to learn how to become better acquainted with the Coven Box. According to legend, Miracle Boxes part of a bloodline can form a connection with the Guardians, but as it gets passed down, that connection needs to be formed again to build familiarity

Soon, Nathaniel is able to turn to pages written by previous Scarlet Warlocks (And one Witch), which were locked by the Coven Box

And the best part… SPELLS! They kind of got the same vibe as Eclipsa’s spells, but they’re totally safe… Yeah, they are

Nathaniel doesn’t really have a reason to use them as Scarlet Warlock, but it’s pretty cool to know how to use magic

As more creative Akumas show up, Scarlet Warlock calls in more allies for Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black- Scorpix, Pack Leader, Spotlight, Charmer, Nocturno, Killer Croc, Jane Doe, Wydowna, Kero, Sarcophia, Trioceros

They’re allowed to keep their Miraculous, but only transform when the situation calls for them so that so many Miraculous aren’t out all at once. It gives the users time to train themselves a little bit more, too

[luffysfakebeard]

I dunno I’ve met some pretty cut throat finance workers 😬

[starrypawz]

Kiss prompt 34 “to pretend” – ship choice is yours

AO3 Kissing Prompts

There’s a part of Gerry that does wonder if he should be concerned about one: how easy it is to get into places he shouldn’t and two: how comfortable he’s become getting into places he shouldn’t. 

And tonight the place he shouldn’t be in and is far too comfortable about the fact he’s in somewhere he shouldn’t is a former English department building on a university campus that seems to have been commandeered by the drama society as surplus storage. There’d been a lock but it felt more from appearances sake with how easy it was to get past (There’s also a part of him that should be worried about how blase so many places seem to be about their security).

(And judging from the empty WKD bottle he’d nearly tripped over and something on the floor that looked suspiciously like a condom wrapper he had a good idea how else this building has been repurposed by students taking advantage of the lax security) 

He’s focused on a bookshelf hidden behind a couple of clear plastic crates which contain haphazardly shoved elements of costumes. (According to the label on the box these were from a production of Grease and well there is the arm of a pink satin jacket poking out of one of them so that tracks)

“Move the torch down?” 

Nemo does. 

“So what are we looking for?” 

“A copy of The Waste Land…” He pauses for a second, nearly all of these books are more than a little dog eared, cheap paperbacks clearly used and abused by countless students until their inglorious retirement, falling right into that category of books that are old but not actually worth anything.

 And that’s… that’s… Frost. 

“Let me guess… End?” 

“What?”

“Like… if it’s The Waste Land it’s going to be connected to The End right?” And then Nemo adds after a moment, “Or Spiral?” 

Frost… Frost… Fucking Frost. 

“Actually… Hey move the light to the right a little…” Nemo does, “It… It might be Buried?” 

“Huh…” Nemo feels an answering little drop in their stomach that they try to ignore. “There’s… not a lot about this one,” Gerry then finds way too many Wordsworths, “I mean it makes sense,” Gerry shrugs, “The Waste Land has themes of collapse and that is actually a feature of the Buried” 

“Right…”

He picks up on the twinge of discomfort in Nemo’s voice, “Nemo?”

“I’m ok…” Nemo sighs, “Just… you know,”

“Yeah…” Gerry sighs, and his thoughts drift back for a moment to that night in Camden “I know,” 

“I mean… at least I met you?” Nemo gives a soft chuckle,

“Yeah,” Gerry gives a fond sigh, “Romance for the ages right?” He skips over some Keats and Kiplings, “But yeah, Buried, just a hunch,” Still nothing, “There’s not a lot about this one, I think thankfully not many people have interacted with it,” He pauses as he checks a few more, no luck “Mostly heard accounts about feelings of doom,” 

Nemo snorts, “That narrows it down,”

Gerry laughs. He’s on the bottom shelf now but still no Elliot, looks over a few more books and. 

“Fuck,” He mutters

“No luck?” 

“Yeah,” Gerry sighs, he checks again and no. 

“Are you sure it’s here?” 

“Yes,”

And then he realises that came out way more terse than he intended and sighs, “Sorry,”

“It’s ok…”

“It’s just,” Gerry stands up, “It’s around here somewhere,” He pauses, “I Know,” 

An innocuous masquerade of an outmoded, long forgotten, battered, dog-eared paperback, spine cracked, black ballpoint scribble on the pale blue cover. Hidden amongst countless others in a former English department building a relic left behind after its replacement with a glass fishbowl. 

He takes a deep breath and focuses on that pull deep down, it’s always subtle but he’s found most of the time it’s in his best interests to follow. 

Entombed, lies in wait with those destined to meet their end. 

He starts to move and Nemo follows. Away from the shelves and to a corner and a stack of archive boxes that on closer inspection are marked To Be Pulped. 

Here. It’s here. Somewhere. 

Follow the pull follow follow and…

This One

He’s on his knees, and rifle through the box with gloved hands. The books in here have been placed haphazardly. And they’re even more battered and dog eared than the ones on the bookshelves. To the point he picks up one and the cover detached.

He puts his hand in once more and 

There.

“Got it!”

He holds the copy of The Waste Land aloft. Pale blue, dog eared and with a ballpoint pen scribble on the cover. It’s little surprise the contents of the box are dusty as dust motes float away caught in torch light, but this book is suspiciously so.

“You were right,” 

Gerry shrugs, “Just a hunch,” As he focuses on unzipping his rucksack and getting the book secured away in a heavy canvas bag. 

“Right,” He gives a sigh of relief as he stands up and shoulders his bag, “Let’s-” 

“Shit!” Nemo pulls (or at least does their best to do so and he follows) them more into the corner

“Nemo-”

“There’s… someone around-” 

And then he hears it. Echoing footsteps from outside the room, heavy ones that from experience he knows tend to belong to security guards or police. (He hopes it’s the former) 

“Shit!” Gerry echoes and tries to think. There’s only one door, and the windows are not an option (He had tested one on the way in and had found they’re that sort that only lets you open them enough to get a breeze in) 

There’s a flash of light through the glass and the sound of a door opening 

Maybe we could-

He loses that thought as he finds himself pulled down and kissed. He gives a muffled sound of surprise and it takes more than a moment for him to kiss back. 

This works

He gives a soft sigh as their positions change, Nemo now up on their toes and he’s not sure where to put his hand on the small of their back. And despite everything he feels himself start to melt into the kiss as he’s reminded yet again how Nemo seems to fit perfectly against him. And then Nemo’s hand dares to slip under the hem of his shirt (A recently broached frontier) and he shudders from both the touch of Nemo’s chilled fingertips (Not that he minds, if anything he’s found there’s something about the sensation against his skin he’s starting to crave) and how sensitive the skin of his stomach is anyway.

He feels his pulse kick up and he’ll take this reason for it kicking up rather than that ‘I am currently running for my life’ way he’s far too familiar with especially as it’s followed with that warmth from deep down that’s becoming a regular feature by this point and-

Suddenly, they're bathed in light. Too bright and even with his eyes shut he winces. 

There’s a part of his brain still working, not lost in the result of Nemo’s attentions that reminds him of exactly where they are and how this ruse might not…

“Bloody students!” Comes a brusque mutter before the footsteps pick up again. Whoever found them has probably, hopefully decided it’s not with the paperwork and the late night phonecalls. 

They probably could stop kidding once the door shuts. They probably should stop kissing but they don’t. They keep kissing even as the steps trail off into the distance. 

(They might come back? Better safe than sorry right?)

(At least that what Gerry tells himself, this is necessary for the ruse)

And then they pull back, both flushed and lightheaded (And Nemo looking more than a little smug) “Right…” Gerry waits for his brain to catch up, “Let’s go… Need to go burn this,” 

. And then he feels that warmth from deep in his core that’s becoming a regular feature and-

Suddenly they’re bathed in light. Too bright, and if his eyes weren’t shut right now he’d be wincing from.. And Gerry’s not so lost in Nemo’s attentions to totally forget where they are and how this ruse might not… 

“Bloody students!” 

Comes a brusque mutter before the footsteps pick up again. Whoever that is probably deciding it’s not worth the paperwork and the late night phonecalls. 

And they probably could stop kissing the moment the door shuts and the steps trail out of earshot. 

But they don’t. It carries on

. But they don’t, it carries on for longer than necessary to maintain the ruse (They could come back, better safe than sorry right?) before they both pull back more than a little lightheaded. (And Nemo looking more than a little smu

“Uh… let’s go,” Gerry manages after a long moment. “Need to burn this,” 

[terriblelizbians]

im surprised at how i feel about it because a whole lot of the book was characters describing their political/societal opinions, and another whole lot was very stressful in a reflecting-real-life way, both of which are things i often find annoying in media. but i thought pargin did it well. in a way where if someone said those were the specific aspects that made them dislike the book i’d be like yeah i absolutely get that that’s fair. but it just scratched my brain personally just right. want to rotate it in my mind forever and ever. i need to pace around my room for an hour instead of sleeping

[read-your-bookshelf]

✨Review✨

I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC provided through NetGalley

Pub Day: 09/24/24

What do you do when a random woman orders a rideshare and then asks you to drive her and her mystery box across the country, for $200,000 dollars? Well, if you’re Abbott Coburn, apparently you agree. You leave behind all your electronics and head east on an old fashioned road trip. What could possibly go wrong? A mysterious box in an SUV headed toward DC could never lead to any sort of wild speculation, right?

This book was not what I expected. I tried to go in with zero expectations, but as we all know that’s basically impossible. So I expected, while this was a standalone novel, it would function much like his other works: a story taking place in our world, but not really. The John, Dave, and Amy books are cosmic horror comedies, and the Zoey Ashe series is a near future, sci-fi series, so they deal with modern day topics through the lenses and expectations of those genres. I’ve always liked that about Pargin’s work. It is close enough that the real world problems are there, but they are exaggerated by the fantastical elements the genres bring and allows for them to be talked about in really interesting ways. . . with fart jokes. This book was the most uncomfortable reading experience I’ve had reading a Jason Pargin novel and that’s not a bad thing.

With none of the trappings of horror and sci-fi through which to filter the discussions of humanity, you are left with a story, set in a very real world, that can be uncomfortable to inhabit. Every POV character has a valid point. Every POV character makes bad choices. There seems to be no good guy to root for. There seems to be no bad guy to root against. They are all just people. Making their way through life, making the best choices they can, with what information they have, in the most difficult world: ours. But isn’t that kind of the point?

This book has compelling characters, a fun plot, and a lot to say about how humans interact with each other, in person and online. And if you’re interested in discussions about online spaces and how they have been affecting our lives for the last 30 years, this is a very entertaining way to approach that subject matter.

As a long time fan, this story felt new while also staying true to the voice Jason has cultivated over his previous seven books. The ability to discuss difficult topics in a nuanced way has always been my favorite thing about Jason Pargin's work, and that is alive and well in Box of Doom.

[astrofish]

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom: A Novel The mechanical suggestions by algorithm-driven software? “If you like this, a number/percentage of people also liked this…” This was a title that kept getting bounced in front of me, along with subsidiary works. That made it both appealing and off-putting, as I tend to like to find stuff organically as possible, by looking, fondling, and…

[landofwindandskyscrapers]

48/52 I'm starting to worry about this black box of doom

So, it took me two months to read this book. I start with this factoid because the author (Jason Pargin) is one of those people I hold in high esteem; because I actually did enjoy the book; and because I was primed to enjoy it. But for me, taking two months to read a book is an eternity, and I actually had to force myself to read it at times. Instead of wasting time on the internet, on my smartphone, on social media and other crap. Which is a bit ironic, considering the subject matter of the book. What do I mean? Well, what the book's about, its themes, are all about how having the internet in everybody's pocket is changing society. The plot of the book is that a young woman hires a hyper anxious young man to drive herself and a mysterious black from California to Washington DC - with the caveat he can't bring any electronics with him. THE INTERNET winds up with this information somehow, and through a series of coincidences, decides it's a terror plot to bring a nuclear bomb to the US capital.  (Or possibly an alien corpse). Hijinks ensue. Now, this book has a lot of interesting ideas and discussion starters, but the author himself is the first one to say that it doesn’t have answers, just a lot of “hey, isn’t it weird that…” And that’s something I don’t see a lot of! All the online discussion I see always starts by assuming you’re agreeing wholeheartedly with the conclusions of the speaker, and that you should be outraged, outraged I tell you, by what’s happening. Which...yeah, sometimes you should be angry that something happens. But it also seems like that’s the only emotion on tap from the titular black box of doom which is in everybody’s pocket. I’m going to do something I haven’t done yet but should do in the future for stuff I review and include some interesting quotes: “what was life but a series of hard jobs you had to endure because you’d screwed up the easy ones?” “So much of a modern life was just sitting back helplessly and watching disaster unfold, in real time and in high definition.” “All this, over that.” I strongly recommend this book. But yeah, it doesn’t have answers, only a lot of questions. Like “hey, are we as a species going to be able to adapt to this amazing technology in time?” And I don’t think you can really expect more than that from people. Subscribe now via https://ift.tt/FedjCBI