#not that it has to be super faithful or anything but its good for what it is coming from someone who grew up with the og

[cs-eg]

scare tactics remake is rlly good??

[txttletale]

this is in good faith but I genuinely don't understand what you mean when you generalize all college work into "if it can be done by chatgpt it's busywork and the teacher is lazy". there's plenty of English assignments and other writing assignments that are based on one's personal life or fictionalized stories that would not require any citations and are just testing your ability to write a compelling narrative, no? As well as the ability to look over chatgpt work and replace any ghost citations with real ones- obviously this takes a bit more skill than just copy pasting with no edits but I'd still argue looking over essentially a prewritten essay and adding citations is not the skill meant to be tested by most history assignments asking students to think critically and formulate their own argument or whatever.

i mean i want to be absolutely clear that i don't think that teachers in higher education are 'lazy', when i criticize assignment that would give chatgpt a passing grade. like i was in academia for a stint, i am extremely aware that there are a lot of external pressures on these people and they are mostly just exhausted and doing their best -- my point is moreso that the entire system is fundamentally broken.

like, i think that if you're writing essays at a university level you should already be able to write coherent paragraphs about a topic -- and the fact that universities under capitalism are an institution of bourgeois class accrediation rather than institute of 'learning' is kind of made super apparent by the fact that's not the case, right? like to be ultra-clear, my position is that higher education as it exists in much of the world is a fundamentally broken institution and the 'chatgpt cheating epidemic' is a reflection of much of this.

i mean like, very simply, right, if the point of doing a history degree is to learn about history, why are people who've gone into significant debt to do a history degree getting a computer to write their essays when they themselves have signed up to the Learning About History Institution? and the obvious answer is that, well, the idea that universities are institutes of learning is a polite fiction: the university administration wants to maximize its student numbers (because it turns a profit) & the students are there to get a degree so they can get higher-paying office jobs. so this results in a bunch of people doing degrees in Whatever and So-and-So who aren't any good at research or writing (so grading standards have to be low) and who don't actually give a shit about Whatever and So-and-so (and so are incentivized very heavily to cheat).

so, like, i understand i came off as very glib, but i wasn't trying to do a personal attack on university course teachers or anything -- just express that i think that (as usual) the New Scary Technology is not so much introducing a new structural problem as it is making unavoidably obvious one that has been there all along.

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

Astro thoughts : short n sweet <3 Jupiters Moment

Jupiter in the 1st - Beneficial factors play a lot with this group. However they have to work harder to get it. It is because their life is based of their beliefs, they have to work to maintain a certain mindset to keep the luck from straying away. Have beautiful spirits and are capable of anything, that is because they chose to walk that path & not by how easy it looks.

Jupiter in the 2nd - Needs peace & stability at all times. Good looking. Money making abilities are stagnant until they learn to grow with their consciousness. Not everything is what it seems, so try to be on the look out for something new and different. Thats when the luck begins. Take a risk, and use your intellect to get what you need.

Jupiter in the 3rd - Needs a lot more quiet time, hermit mode. Have gifts in astrology here. Some may op for a new path every few months or so. It's because their destined to know a lot in this life and go after anything that interests them at the moment. Could be open to trying new relationship tactics and going with the flow much easier. Have a different perspective than most & they dont keep quiet about it for long. Mature presence. Very odd but likeable at the same time.

Jupiter in the 4th - Royal family. Heritage & traditional values are stored in this vessel. Mysteries and traditional secrets from the family bloodline may come out at some time. This is a very special house placement because its so much to explore in a short time.

Have faith in your lineage, you're the one who breaks the code!

Jupiter in the 5th - Creativity flows through these cats like no other. Very special essence and can be well liked by almost anybody. This comes from their talents btw. If you're good at drawing, singing, dancing, acting, etc. You might catch a lot of attention on you at some point. This placement gives me Johnny Bravo energy. like you're capable of getting the girls to like you with just your looks and personality. Just dont get to happy, no body likes a super boastful guy ;)

Jupiter in the 6th - Unique flow when going after what they love. They work the hardest when its something they know is divinely ordered for them to achieve. They don't mean any harm, their just trying to get their needs met. Super optimistic when live seems to be in order and balanced. But when off balanced, it seems as if a fire has striking them and they become the great dragon. Don't stare at them to hard, they'll begin to overthink a lil.

Jupiter in the 7th - My my my, this is what I call a royal placement. Because this gifts an individual with a great sex life. Could be unattainable to say the least. You're not everyone's 'favorite' but your presence is also something that people want to receive. How that work? You have a value to you that keeps you at bay from onlookers that don't have nothing to give, but something to take. Be more weary with the company you keep, you don't know how good you got it, and how special you are.

Jupiter in the 8th - Very deep, raw personas who are captivated by the knowledge they receive in the dream realm. They have a lot of issues very psychologically, and this gets deeper with the maturing of their path. They have a light & dark persona but its given to sustain balance in this life & the after life. They have integrity and morals and most times it is based of tradition. Other times, their really a rebel, and go after everything they came for. Because what's a life to live when you can't live it freely?

Jupiter in the 9th - Free spirits and ultra loving character. Can be a bit of a know it all but thats fine. This house is their rightful home, so a lot of good energy can be bestowed on them from time to time. Great luck. Adventure is something they should seek from all ages of their life. It is good to have someone around when going on many great journeys of the soul. These people could be a friend you never forget.

Jupiter in the 10th - Likeable nature. Their personalities fit that of the audience they are naturally connected to. Very bountiful energy. Could look like they got it all going on, but deep inside you may not know the true darkness they carry. This is a capricorn ruled house, so they tend to battle some challenges here and there. But with great restraint & an amazing mindset to go with it they come back on top, each and every time.

Jupiter in the 11th - Sweet personas and balanced personalities. They could be in a lot of groups and can know a lot of people with just their smile and cool personality. They could end up being in groups where they are teaching something to a large mass of people. Could be very inspiring and open to anyone they meet.

Jupiter in the 12th - They feel things a lot heavier than most would like to believe. They see the world differently than their peers and this could make them the odd ball at times. Their personalities mesh well with artistic individuals because they've mastered the eye of sight. Meaning that their good at understanding things from a point of view only them and God could understand, but that doesn't mean that it can be explained. In other words, they are extremely complex to the human brain, not an individual you can describe. Very spiritual, very contagious energy. Bright speakers and just super angelic.

[forestclan-clangen]

MOON 11 (Part 2)

<< FIRST | < PREVIOUS |

While out on patrol, Perchpaw was seen sharing fresh kill with a kittypet. Windfur recognized the kittypet; his father, Lucifer. When invited to the Clan, Lucifer turns them down. He had some cats to look after...and while he'd always be an ally of ForestClan, his time with it is now over.

(Windfur, medicine cat, male, 25 moons. Lonesome) (Perchpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Adventurous) (Lucifer, kittypet, male, 74 moons. Confident.)

---

Windfur was really, really tired. Physically and emotionally. But, here he was. Digging for burdock root. Dragging a really disinterested apprentice to help him.

Perchpaw seemed keen to do anything but help him dig. She was half-heartedly pawing away at the snow, her blue eyes bored and annoyed.

"...Digging involves your claws." Windfur said crossly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it's just cold," Perchpaw grumbled.

"...It's leaf-bare. Everything will be cold."

"I know," she sighed with exasperation, putting in a bit more effort. Windfur spotted the roots finally peeking out from the wet dirt.

"There," he said, stopping her. "That's what burdock looks like. Now it needs to be extracted carefully."

Perchpaw sniffed at the roots questionably, until seemingly, something else grasped her attention. Her ears perked up and her gaze darted into the bushes near the border. Windfur scowled.

"Perchpaw."

"Wait - Mom said she really wanted a vole earlier…"

"Perchpaw, you're not on a hunting patrol - "

"I'll be super quick, I swear! Warrior's honor, Windfur, I'll help you with the burdock," Perchpaw interjected before dashing into the bushes without even looking at him.

Windfur didn't even bother to call out to her. He sighed deeply and stared up at the light gray sky above. StarClan, he knew that Perchpaw was restless, but this was too much. He didn't need an antsy apprentice right now, and Hopechase's claim that she could use a "patient paw" for an afternoon was a load of mousedung. Windfur wasn't stupid; the entire Clan could see that she wanted to spend some time with Iciclepool. Why they weren't mates yet was beyond him, but he felt like the Clan's personal scratching post for the past two moons, and he hated it.

Windfur stared at the burdock flatly, then carefully started digging around it.

Shiverpaw would've been patient and focused. But Tree was ill and she offered to stay and look after them. Windfur wasn't stupid on that front either. Shiverpaw seemed to have some sort of crush on Tree, whether she recognized it herself or not. She liked being around them. And she pointedly didn't like being around Windfur.

He felt a tinge of frustration in his heart. He thought she knew where its exact location was. The trip should've taken no more than fifteen minutes. She was attentive, good natured, and always asking questions - why wouldn't he have faith in his own apprentice to do her stars-damned job -

Windfur ripped part of the burdock.

He yowled in aggravation and raked his claws on the nearby tree, his tail lashing. He scratched at the bark for a few, long seconds before taking deep breaths. His ears folded back and he pressed his head against the bark in shame.

No…no, it wasn't her fault. Iciclepool was right. She was nine moons old. She never experienced the start of a blizzard or how much it would impact her line of sight. She wouldn't have seen the trail markers correctly.

But Chicoryglint sent him to find herbs during a very hot leaf-fall once. He figured out how to stay cool thanks to the river. He was nine moons old, then, too. Chicoryglint praised him for pushing himself to be better. Resourceful. He figured out how to help himself. He just assumed…

…What did he assume?

...Was her praise worth dehydration, at the time?

Windfur took a deep breath. Then exhaled. Thinking about Chicoryglint hurt his brain. Thinking about Shiverpaw upset him. This was not helpful. Right now, he was supposed to be helping Perchpaw -

His eyes flew open. How long has it been? Oh, foxdung -

"Perchpaw?" He called out, immediately smelling the air and chasing her scent through the bushes. Oh, StarClan, had Hopechase taught her about Nature's Mockery yet? Windfur's eyes dilated as anxiety surged through him and he whipped his gaze around to find her lilac spotted pelt. "Perchpaw!"

He continued following her trail. It was going towards the border. His pelt rose as he caught her scent - and blood. Oh no. No, no no no -

"PERCHPAW!" He shouted as he dashed through the trees and towards their border to the Twoleg Place. "Perch - "

Windfur's voice was caught in his throat as he skidded to a halt and saw Perchpaw sitting at the border with a skinny, grey tom in front of her. Both cats' eyes whipped towards Windfur's direction and stared at him with startled expressions.

Windfur was flabbergasted as he scanned the scene and processed what he was looking at. Perchpaw was pushing a dead vole towards the grey tom. Blood. It was the vole's blood.

"W-Windfur, I-I - " Perchpaw was stammering with fear in her eyes.

"...Son?" the grey tom hesitantly stepped forward, his yellow eyes filled with recognition.

"Eh, what?!" Perchpaw retorted, bewilderment smashed across her face as she glanced between the stranger and Windfur.

Windfur's pelt prickled as he realized who this was, and his voice mantled over his adrenaline. "Father." Windfur forced his fur to fall flat, then slowly approached them, his heart still racing. "Perchpaw, I shouldn't have let you go. Never do that again."

"B-But - "

"No, he's right," the older gray tom interrupted. "Never wander alone in the woods."

"Hey!" Perchpaw hissed. "Then why were you hunting near here? Actually, better question, you're related?" She gestured between him and Windfur.

"Yes. I'm Lucifer," the gray tom responded. His yellow eyes softened. "I'm Windfur's father."

Windfur cautiously glanced at Lucifer. He hadn't seen him in several moons. The last time they met was in greenleaf, where he timidly asked how the clan fared under Redstar's leadership.

He never knew how to act around his father anymore. A moon after he became the sole medicine cat, his father approached him and said that he was leaving ForestClan, and he wanted Windfur to come with him, if he wished. Windfur felt numb, back then, and shocked. Lucifer - then named Ferncreek - didn't push him to have an answer, or forced him to join. He just looked at him with love, and sorrow. Even deeper behind those yellow eyes were imprints of pains and horrors far beyond any cat should be forced to endure in their lifetime. Windfur wanted to lash out at him, but he couldn't bring himself to. After Chicoryglint vanished from his life - he was just happy that Ferncreek wasn't leaving him without answers. Windfur said that he had to fulfill Chicoryglint's promise to stay with ForestClan. Ferncreek merely nodded, and said he understood.

The day he left felt like a betrayal to ForestClan at first, until he expressed his reasons and his pains. The long goodbye ended not with anger, but with grief, and it was the only time Windfur had seen Redstar weep openly. The Clan shared tongues with their former clanmate one final time before he left, padding towards the Twoleg cabins in the distance.

The next time he saw him after that - Ferncreek had taken the name the Twolegs called him. Lucifer, he said. His name was Lucifer, and he was happy.

Which is why he didn't know what to say to him, now that he was here, and he was skinnier than a kittypet should be.

"...What brings you to the woods?" Windfur asked.

Lucifer merely blinked at him. "Hunger."

"I said you could keep the vole if you left," Perchpaw mumbled. "I mean…don't you want it?"

"I would, actually," Lucifer meowed sheepishly.

"Take it," Windfur sighed. "But what happened to the barn? I thought the Twolegs left it open during leafbare?"

"They do."

"Then…" Windfur gestured at him.

"It's…complicated," Lucifer replied reluctantly. "There's…a few more cats than normal there now. I'm trying to be kind."

"To the point of starving?"

"Come now, I'm not starving," Lucifer scoffed with a flick of his tail. "Lower amounts of prey during leafbare isn't a new occurrence."

"But you're in one of the Twoleg storages. There should be an abundance of prey there."

"Windfur," Lucifer interjected sharply. His yellow eyes brimmed with intent, and for a moment, Windfur forgot that this was a former warrior. "I appreciate your concern, and I understand how you feel. But remember, you needn't worry about me." Lucifer gently pawed the vole away from Perchpaw, and towards himself. "After all, leafbare is coming to a close. I expect the ground keepers to return full time during the next moon. I'm only housing a few wayward cats right now. From their actions, I anticipate that they are eager to leave once the weather gets warmer."

Perchpaw was listening patiently until an idea occurred to her, her expression lightening. "If they want a place to stay permanently, they could stay with ForestClan! Um…but if they're pregnant, maybe they shouldn't…but, after that, they could come," she meowed. Windfur winced at this statement and was about to chide Perchpaw for trying to make a leader's decision, but Lucifer purred sympathetically. 

"Seen the tendrils, then?"

Perchpaw froze, then stared at the ground, as though caught in a memory. She blinked, then replied quietly. "Yeah."

"Tendrils are indiscriminate. They don't solely target ForestClan." Lucifer's tail twitched. "...A Clan would provide more protection, for certain."

Windfur's ear twitched. "...Would you need that protection yourself?"

"I appreciate the offer, Windfur. But I've made my decision many moons ago. I will always be a friend to ForestClan, even if I live a different life. May StarClan forgive me." Lucifer offered a bow to Windfur. Windfur felt a tang of hurt and discomfort as he saw his father show him any sign of reverence. He wasn't…he wasn't StarClan. He was just a cat.

"...Can you promise to stay safe?" Windfur prompted.

"Always. And if you need any help - I trust you know where to find me."

Windfur nodded. Lucifer returned the gesture, then blinked slowly at Perchpaw with kindness. He grabbed the vole and walked away from the border without looking back.

Perchpaw watched the tom leave, then tilted her head. "...He seems nice."

"...Yes. He is." Windfur paused, then scowled as he looked back at Perchpaw. "Now. Let's finish uprooting the burdock. And please," he hissed with emphasis. Perchpaw's ears folded back meekly. "Please do not run off like that again. I thought," Windfur stopped, then sighed. "...I thought…you were hurt when I smelled blood."

Perchpaw's eyes widened. "...O-Oh. I'm sorry…"

"Just…please remember that it's dangerous to be in the forest alone. And Lucifer might not have been a friendly cat."

Perchpaw stared at the floor and licked her chest in embarrassment. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Windfur said nothing. Maybe there was just nothing left to say. He trusted that Perchpaw understood him. He turned around and headed back towards his herb patch, the apprentice's footsteps padding not far behind him. ---

Cottonkit and Deerkit interact with Tree after hearing that they were hurt, trying to keep their mind off of their sickness. Cloudthunder admires how kind and thoughtful her kits are. Tree also appreciates the kits' distractions.

(Tree, warrior, non-binary, 42 moons. Adventurous) (Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 44 moons. Adventurous) (Cottonkit, kitten, female, 1 moon. Fearless) (Deerkit, kitten, female, 1 moon. Noisy)

Branchpaw shows off the hunting crouch she learned to Airkit. Airkit is clumsy and falls over when trying to mimic her. He's glad that Branchpaw pretends not to notice it.

(Airkit, kitten, male, 1 moon. Polite.) (Branchpaw, apprentice, female, 6 moons. Ambitious)

Morningspot tells Shiverpaw a secret - that she met a loner at the border recently, and was hoping that she could bring a spot of marigold for them. Shiverpaw allowed it - as long as she came with her. This turned out to be Endie - who was recently injured, although she doesn't reveal from what. After being helped, she disclosed her full name, one she does not give often - Endless.

(Morningspot, warrior, female, 13 moons. Nervous) (Shiverpaw, medicine cat apprentice, female, 11 moons. Loving) (Endless, loner, female, 47 moons. Sneaky.)

---

Shiverpaw wasn't stupid. Morningspot also seemed to have come to that conclusion, upon looking into her eyes and noticing her skepticism. The warrior started grooming herself nervously under the weight of the healer's gaze.

"...Someone needs marigold?"

"Y-Yes, that's right. Marigold helps with cuts, right?"

"Which clanmate is injured?"

Morningspot looked like a dog vanished into thin air. Her mouth hung for a moment, as if she had something to say, only to close it and stammer, "M-Me. It's, um, it's me."

"Where's your injury?"

Frozen and caught again.

Shiverpaw stared at her for a long while, before the young warrior's fear seemed genuine. Shiverpaw's heart tightened, and she decided to answer softly. "Morningspot, it's okay if it's not for you. Is it a clanmate?" she stopped, then asked with a bit more hope, "Did…Riversnow change her mind about taking herbs? Maybe she's embarrassed to ask?"

"Isn't marigold bad for…" Morningspot thought out loud before her eyes widened. "Oh, wait! Yes, yes that's right, she…um…she…"

Shiverpaw winced. "Morning, come on…"

Morningspot stopped and let out an exasperated hiss. She closed her eyes and her ears flattened. "...Ohh, it's no use. I'm awful at this," she groaned. When she opened her eyes again, she stared at the floor in shame. "...I…I want to tell you, but I can't. I…I promised I wouldn't let anyone in the Clan know, but…"

Shiverpaw's ears twitched intently. She slowly started to reach for the marigold, but couldn't bring herself to grab it. Windfur would notice. He would ask. She needed an explanation. If someone in the Clan was hurt, Morningspot would've just said so. She wasn't hurt. So someone else was.

"Morningspot, I'll help you with the marigold…but I have to come with you."

Morningspot's fur bristled before Shiverpaw continued. "Please, Morningspot. I don't need their name. I understand, you're trying to keep their privacy. But if they're hurt…then I want to make sure their injury doesn't get infected."

A tense quiet fell in the medicine den between them. It was interrupted by the sounds of Cloudthunder's kits squealing as they play-fought outside the nursery. After a few moments, Morningspot's fur flattened and her tone fell with defeat.

"Okay. If it means she gets help…"

******

Shiverpaw had a bit of difficulty keeping up with Morningspot. Not that she was running or anything like that, but she was speedwalking towards their destination. Shiverpaw worried about the condition of the cat Morningspot found. Were they more injured than she let on? Shiverpaw offered a prayer to StarClan and hoped that she could help them - quickly enough before anyone noticed her or Morningspot's absence from camp.

Morningspot's amber eyes brimmed with worry as she leapt on top of a fallen tree. The path must've been traveled often, Shiverpaw noted - the log was free of snow and ice, cleared by animals that traveled over it.

"Are we getting close?" Shiverpaw asked as she followed her lead. Morningspot tasted the air, then looked around nervously.

"I saw her around here. We're getting close. Please, please don't panic, okay?" Morningspot asked.

Shiverpaw's fur bristled. "...Why would I panic?" Shiverpaw refrained herself from adding if she should be worried.

"She's - look, I…it'll look bad, but she's really resistant to help. She only agreed to herbs if I didn't tell anyone else, and…"

Oh, good. Shiverpaw sighed. It was already enough that she and Windfur couldn't convince Riversnow to take strengthening herbs for her pregnancy. She wasn't keen on facing that again, but…

She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. This wasn't about her. Someone was scared and by Morningspot's words, it seemed they really needed help. Compassion. Someone who cared. She could do that. She could care for a cat in pain.

A few minutes passed before they found themselves close to the border, near the Twoleg Greenleaf place. Then, after a few moments, Shiverpaw smelled wet earth, blood, and cat. Her fur bristled on end. Morningspot must've picked it up too, but she had a different reaction than Shiverpaw anticipated.

"E-Endie? Are you there? I…I have the marigold," she called out hesitantly. Shiverpaw looked at her friend incredulously.

"Morning?" Shiverpaw's voice was tight.

Morningspot let out a silent hiss and brought her front paw to her mouth, indicating for the younger cat to stay quiet. Morningspot's ears twitched as she strained to hear something, then hesitantly stared at the tracks in the snow and started following them towards a nearby trench of stone and dirt. Shiverpaw cautiously followed behind the warrior, her fur still bristling.

"Endie?" she called again, looking around.

Morningspot looked at a lowered pine branch, layered in snow, and stared at it. Shiverpaw felt her paws prickling with unease. She tried to level her breathing and pick apart the smell. The scent of Woodcrawler was faint - it was like how Tree's claws smelled when Windfur was treating them, last leaf-fall. The smell of blood was dry.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a hiss came from under the lowered pine branch.

Morningspot began stammering. "Wait, Endie, please, I…I know that - "

"I said you could give me marigold if you told no one," a snarling voice retorted. Shiverpaw's eyes widened as she realized what was being shielded beneath the branches, their form dug beneath the snow and sheltering around the roots of a pine tree. She barely noticed the cat that hid below, their long, brown fur nearly blending with the bark and the dead nettles layering the floor.

Their head was shadowed by the pines. She couldn't see the cat's eyes.

"I tried, I really did, but…"

"No, you didn't. You brought someone from your wretched cult here," the cat hissed again with more vitriol.

Shiverpaw's eyes widened with surprise. Cult? She thought for a moment about Riversnow. She had made passing comments about ForestClan being "a cult", seemingly as a joke, for the first moon that she was here. She had stopped saying such things the longer she spent time speaking to them, but for a while, Shiverpaw didn't understand why she got that idea.

Morningspot's ears flattened against her head. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, and looked at the hidden cat. "Shiverpaw is my friend. She's a healer. She…she knows more herbs that can help you. No one else but her knows about you, Endie, I promise. She won't tell anyone."

"Won't tell anyone, just like you?" Endie's voice ended in a haggard laugh. "Of course. Why should I expect anything else from a Clan cat?"

Shiverpaw's heart raced. Slowly, she lowered herself to follow Morningspot's lead. Then, her eyes widened.

Oh.

The left side of Endie's face was covered in crusted, dried blood. She still couldn't see the upper half of her face - but considering the amount below, Shiverpaw was haunted by what must have happened to this poor cat.

She understood why Morningspot asked her not to panic.

"What are you looking at? Deciding if I'm a good sacrifice?" Endie hissed at Shiverpaw.

Normally, Shiverpaw would bristle and defend herself. But her heart just wasn't in it. She knew. She knew what it was like to be chased by a Woodcrawler. To…to see a horrifying monster beyond one's imagination and believe, in that moment, that the world was filled with hatred, and apathy. To believe that she was going to die.

The panic and derealization when she realized that she was alive, and would have to keep living in a world that tried to kill her.

Shiverpaw calmly took her herb pouch, and opened it. She gently began pulling out herbs, and unraveled a long weave of cobweb - strengthened with linen from boiled grasses, split until it became simple linen. Gently, she spoke.

"I'm a medicine cat apprentice. I want to heal you."

"Ha. Apprentice? Oh, good for you, the woods didn't eat you," Endie hissed. "I don't want help. Not from you, and not an untrained cat."

Shiverpaw's ear twitched. Again, she felt her heart tense to retort, then leave her body. She remembered Olive lashing out at Windfur. Grief. Pain. Endie was in pain. That's all this was. "I am trained. I have been taught how to heal wounds. I am capable of helping you."

Shiverpaw heard the cat's tail thrash on the forest floor. "I don't want your help. I wanted your marigold and for you to leave."

Morningspot rose to her feet, looking at Shiverpaw anxiously. "S-Shiverpaw, maybe…maybe we should just…"

Shiverpaw shook her head. If they left, she would likely die. She didn't want that. "I can give you the marigold. But horsetail would be better for you. I also want to apply a bandage over your injury."

"I said I don't want your help."

"Will you be able to escape the Woodcrawler again, as you currently are?" Shiverpaw's words held no bark, she was asking in earnest. If the cat could still see out of their left eye, then that would be enough. An eerie silence sounded Endie's reply.

"...I wasn't attacked by a…whatever the hell a Woodcrawler is," Endie hissed.

Shiverpaw was caught off guard by that for a moment. Based on the smell, and what Morningspot told her, she just assumed… "Then…what injured you? Was it an infected predator?"

"I'm not telling you what got me. I've been healing fine."

"But not well enough, right? It's why you agreed for Morningspot to get marigold."

Silence.

Shiverpaw continued. "I'm not asking you to trust me, or to like me. I'm asking you to be honest about your condition."

"I'm not going back to your stupid camp!" Endie bit back in anger.

Shiverpaw tilted her head. "I'm…not suggesting that? I have the medicine right here. You don't need to come back to camp with us." In truth, Shiverpaw really wished this rogue would come back to camp - she would be able to get more suitable treatment there. Especially if she wasn't attacked by a Woodcrawler like she said - but if Endie didn't want to come with them, then she would have to do the next best thing. Shiverpaw softened, and stared at the shadows beneath the pine tree. "Please. I…I don't know what you've heard about ForestClan, but it doesn't sound like it's anything good. I can't change your mind on that. But…I'm just a young cat who wants to help others."

A tense silence fell again. Endie's tail grazed the dead pine needles on the ground. Then, she said coldly, "You may be different. But your leader isn't."

Shiverpaw's pelt bristled. She felt like she was getting nowhere. "Then how about this - I treat you right now. As I said - I want to give you horsetail alongside marigold. I have it here. If you can let me treat you here and now, then we can part ways, and no one has to know we were here today."

There was a long pause. Endie had lowered herself and inched out from under the pine tree slightly. "...Why risk punishment for a stranger?" she asked. Shiverpaw noticed the genuine confusion in her voice.

"Because it's the right thing to do."

Endie scoffed, but after a few hesitant moments, she slowly crawled out from her hiding place, revealing the true extent of her injuries. Her right eye, a bright emerald sheen, was filled with skepticism.

The left side of her face had been torn. Most of her left ear was torn out, and her cheek fur was sliced off. Shiverpaw could barely tell where her injury started - she was coated in dried blood from her ear to her lower shoulder. Morningspot failed to suppress a gasp, which received a retaliatory hiss from the rogue.

Shiverpaw hadn't seen a wound this bad before. She closed her eyes as she forced herself to remember something from her early training. She remembered Windfur's teaching. You have to stay outwardly calm. Even if they're on death's door - if you're afraid, then your patient will panic.

When she opened her eyes again, she calmly approached Endie and slowly brought her nose to the side of the injury. Endie flinched, her paw raised off the ground, but she refrained.

Shiverpaw traced the line of the injury with her gaze, nervous. The shoulder seemed to have scabbed successfully - it wasn't as inflamed as she expected. But her head was the worst of it. No animal would have done this. The faint smell of rot told her all she needed to know.

The fact that this cat was alive was a miracle.

The trio sat in silence as Shiverpaw mixed a poultice of marigold and horsetail and applied it to Endie's head. The brown molly hissed at the sting, but said nothing. Shiverpaw then gently started wrapping the bandage around the worst of it.

"You should keep this on for as long as you can. If you can find more marigold, it'd be useful to reapply it every day. This is all I brought," Shiverpaw mumbled. She backed up slowly to see if her work was satisfactory, and she decided that it would do. She could feel the brown tabby getting tense the longer she worked.

Morningspot watched quietly the whole time, then softly piped up, "Is your left eye okay?"

Shiverpaw's fur turned hot. Oh, mousedung, she completely missed that Endie kept her left eye closed. She started forward to examine it, only for the rogue to raise her tail to stop her.

"It's fine," she grumbled. "I can open it just fine. Just didn't want blood getting into it."

"Can you open it for Shiverpaw? Just in case. Please," Morningspot pleaded, her voice small. "Just…to make sure."

Endie scoffed, her tail twitching. But she took no action to appease the warrior's request.

"...The blood is dried. Your wound is covered. There's no reason to keep it closed anyway, right?" Morningspot prompted again.

Endie's tail twitched. She paused, then made a tacit decision. She turned towards Shiverpaw, who returned her gaze. The brown tabby then slowly opened her left eye.

And

something was

wrong

…and

everything

was fine.

Everything was fine.

There was nothing wrong with her eyes.

"Um…S-Shiverpaw?"

Shiverpaw blinked. All of a sudden, the world recentered around her as she felt a paw on her shoulder. Her head swiveled to meet Morningspot's amber eyes, her expression concerned. Shiverpaw blinked quickly in confusion, feeling displaced.

"Y-...Yes?" she forcibly stammered.

"Is her eye okay?"

Shiverpaw looked back at the injured tabby, and…yes. Her eye was fine. She was staring at Endie, her green eyes flickering with intent. Her left eye had avoided any kind of damage from the attack. Her pupils were even.

There was nothing for her to do.

Shiverpaw swallowed, feeling like a stone had settled in her stomach. Something was wrong, but she couldn't explain it.

It didn't help that Endie was suddenly very, very calm. "It's alright. Isn't it?" she asked.

Shiverpaw couldn't explain it. Staring into her eyes felt like an impossible task. But what else could she say? She saw nothing wrong with them. "They're…they're fine," she forced out.

"Okay. That's good," Morningspot replied. She turned towards the rogue with a relieved expression. "Thank you for letting us help you, Endie."

The tabby stayed quiet for a moment. Shiverpaw glanced at her and noticed that her prior aggression had lessened. She was still wary, the tip of her tail twitching. But there was something else in her deep green eyes now. An emotion that flickered in and out of her eyes.

"...That's not my name, you know."

"It…isn't?" Shiverpaw said. The young she-cat froze as the stranger's eyes fell back on her.

"...Endie is the name I give formally. Less…explanations to provide."

Morningspot tilted her head at her, an there was a soft flame of hope that rested in her expression. "...Endie is a fine name for strangers." Morningspot blinked slowly with reassurance. "Do you…have a different name to offer to…friends?"

Shiverpaw expected the brown tabby to retort or scoff, but instead, she heard a ragged mrrow of amusement. "No, not friends. Bold of you to make that offer. You're a stranger, and it will be left as such."

Morningspot's ears folded sadly at her side, but she perked them up rather quickly. "Well…if not Endie, what would you like to be called?"

Shiverpaw found herself unable to tear away from the injured stranger's gaze. Despite everything in her paws telling her to slowly step away, she found herself frozen. For a brief moment, she felt like…like the time she saw the monster in the wall, in the bunker. Unable to leave. Unable to move.

A small smile spread across the cat's face.

"Endless." ---

<PREVIOUS | NEXT >

[lovelytsunoda]

the puppy bowl. | lance stroll

summary: one simply does not wear a joe burrow jersey to the puppy bowl. or, an important fact gets left out of the super bowl party invitation

pairing; lance stroll x girlfriend!reader

warnings: miscommunication, the relationship is still fairly new , kinda gets a bit frisky in like the middle-ish, lance gets wherever the dog version of baby fever is, i talk about lance's tattoo again because its one of my favorite lance related topics.

“brad said the guys are on their way, they’re just stopping to get some beer. you guys want anything?”

yn shook her head, placing a large bowl of doritos on the coffee table, next to a tray lined with soft drinks. “I’m good, you guys know I don’t drink anyways. but if you guys want something go ahead.”

“you sure? not even a coffee or anything?” ella asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I can send brad to tim’s. he won’t mind.”

“go on then, grab me a medium white hot chocolate. has he picked up lance? I haven’t heard from him all morning.”

by the tv, her other roommate, faith laughed. “he’s fine. james took his phone when he got in the truck. last I heard they were singing wonderwall in a liquor store parking lot.”

the girls had lived together for going on five years, an arrangement that had started back in college when they were randomly selected as roommates by the colleges matching system. they survived the three years of hell spent in student accommodations before faiths parents (who owned a property rental company) helped them pool their resources together and get the house together. somewhere along the line, this vaguely sports related party had become a tradition, with their boyfriends joining one by one, starting with brad.

“be nice to him, guys. we’ve only been going out for a few months, and I’d like him to stick around.”

elle giggled. “what, do you think we’re going to haze him?”

she paused, thinking about what had happened to james during his first puppy bowl. “something like that.”

“he’ll be fine! I’m sure he can handle james and brad. they’re harmless.” faith insisted, pulling y/n in for a hug. “I can’t wait to meet him properly.”

there was a knock at the front door that was clearly intended only as a courtesy as they could hear a key turning in the lock shortly after. brad pushed the door open, marching inside with his ball cal on backwards and a six pack of budweiser in his hand.

“who’s ready for some sports, bitches!”

“language!” elle scolded, walking around the couch to give her boyfriend a kiss. it was only a matter of time before they moved in together, but the housing market was harsh and it was more likely brad would be moving in to the rental house than elle moving out of it. “hi sexy.”

slinking in the back and helping james carry some boxes was lance. yn’s heart warmed at the sight of him. his goofy smile, fluffy hair contained in a backwards baseball cap. and was that a cincinnati bengals jersey?

“oh, sweetie, did they tell you this was a super bowl party?” she tried not to laugh as she kissed him gently. “this is a puppy bowl party. we aren’t sports people.”

a slow, horrified look spread across lances face as brad and james burst out laughing. faith rolled her eyes and smacked her boyfriend playfully in the chest, and yn did the same, reaching for a pillow on the couch.

“hey, it was brads idea!” he insisted “hurt him, not me!”

faith smiled apologetically. “I apologize for my boyfriend. hes a bit of a wanker.”

“come on,” yn insisted, tugging lance gently in the direction of the small staircase leading to the backsplit addition. “I’ve still got a few of your shirts in a drawer somewhere that if forgot to give back.”

she was acutely aware of the wolf whistling behind them, followed by a muffled apology from brad. she was also very aware that this was the first time that lance would be seeing her room.

she opened the door slowly, shyly ducking in and closing the door behind them. lance walked towards the bed, taking in the pale blue walls, the collection of postcards tacked above her desk, all the places she had been on the travels. the bookshelves lining one wall, filled with colourful spines. the double bed in the middle of the room, with it’s simple duvet and mountain of stuffed animals.

"don't mind brad and james. they can be a little overzealous when they've been drinking."

lance snickered. "i think james had already had a few by the time we got to costco. try and keep him away from the bud light if you can. get some water in him."

"so that's how you ended up singing wonderwall in the liquor store parking lot?"

she crouched in front of her dresser, opening the bottom drawer and extracting the shirt on top, a linen button down of lance's that hse had borrowed and never given back.

"you listen to frankie goes to hollywood?" lance asked, nodding towards the crates of vinyl records sitting by her desk. "i thought only people my dad's age liked them."

"funnily enough, that crate is all ones my dad didn't want any more." she laughed, tossing him the shirt. "what can i say, i'm an old soul. you've been in the car with me, you know what i listen to."

"i love your old soul." lance encouraged, tugging her closer by the belt loops. she rested her hands on his shoulders, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"need help getting that jersey off?"

lance laughed, stretching up to kiss her. "you know i can never say no to you."

"so if i asked for oasis tickets you could make it happen?'

"do you even have to ask? i will carry you on my shoulders for the whole concert if it means i get to see your face light up when 'don't look back in anger' starts playing."

she smiled softly, kissing him again. "i love you. and it's okay if you can't say it back yet, i just want you to know how i feel."

lance kissed her again, smooth hands traveling over her thighs. "no need. i'm in love with you too. all of you. your old soul, your bright smile."

laughing, she kissed him again, harder this time, her fingers gripping and tugging at his bengals jersey. giggles got caught in clambering kisses as lance picked her up, flipping their bodies over so that he was caging her against the bed. somewhere in the movement, his baseball cap flew off, landing on the hardwood somewhere. he tugged the jersey over his head, mussing his hair and exposing his gorgeous, toned chest.

she ran her hands over his chest, and then over the tattoo on his ribcage, the delicate hebrew under her fingers.

"what does it mean? the tattoo?"

"fortune favours the bold." he said it again in hebrew, his voice soft as he caressed her face.

he leaned in to kiss her again when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"the pre show is starting!" faith shouted "you'd better not be getting naked in there! and if you are, use a condom! i'm too young and fabulous to be an auntie!"

they paused for a moment, staring at each other before they burst out laughing.

"come on, let's head back down. you won't want to miss this, especially if you've never seen a puppy bowl before." yn beamed, slipping out from underneath lance and passing him his shirt. "stay here tonight?"

she could have sworn she saw a blush take over his pale features. "you really want me to?"

"yeah. yeah, i do."

still smiling, the went back to the living room with rosy cheeks and intertwined hands. elle and faith were sitting next to each other on the l-shaped couch, their boyfriends on their other sides. the "L" of the couch was still available, and lance was all to eager to cuddle up with his sweet girl.

"hey, man. sorry about the super bowl thing." brad said apologetically. "we did it to james too, but we meant nothing by it. you're a great guy, welcome to the group."

"thanks man." lance grinned, reaching over to give brad a fist bump.

"guys, guys!" elle shouted. "it's starting!"

"that's him, the cocker spaniel is my guy!" james yelled, jabbing his finger at a cocker spaniel named sparkles that was trotting onto the green.

yn's heart melted as she saw the puppies take their places at the start. if she had the space (or the money) she'd adopt one of the puppies herself.

"we should get a dog." lance whispered behind her.

"babe, where is the dog going to stay? we don't even live together."

"we can coparent." he insisted. "come on, look at that dachshund with the tiny legs and big eyes. is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

well, lance had a point there. the doxie, named peanut, was adorable, the way she trotted across the green, trying to tug the squishy football from the mouth of a labrador three times her size.

"one day. i promise you that. but let's get through the housing crisis first." she insisted, kissing lance softly. "let's be dog parents."

her phone buzzed by her thigh where she left it on the couch, the screen lighting up with messages to the roommate group chat.

ellie: he's a keeper! such a sweetie!

faith: keep him!!! you guys are so good together <3

she smiled to herself, resting her head against lance's chest. he curled an arm around her, pressing his lips to the side of her head.

"i love you." he whispered, running a hand up and down her arm.

"love you too." she smiled, sinking into him.

"james!" faith shouted in the background. "no more beers for you! get a goddamn glass of water!"

[nanamineedstherapy]

Grandpa Sukuna Buys a Phone

Ft. UncKuna Ryomen Sukuna, Retail Worker GN!Reader, Gen Z Android User Itadori Yuji, Millennial iPhone User Inumaki Toge (Can & will speak), Hot Crush at First Sight Fushiguro Megumi

Normal Modern AU - No Curses/No Powers Summary: Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses, discovers the horrors of modern technology while trying to buy a phone. Yuji drags his immortal uncle through the chaos of retail hell, Inumaki records everything for clout, & Megumi accidentally becomes the Internet’s newest thirst trap. Or: In which Sukuna learns about Bluetooth while he and Yuji gets a crush, & Inumaki becomes the worst kind of friend. (Feat. awkward flirting, grandpa rage, accidental simping, & enough secondhand embarrassment to power a small city.) A/N: Hey, besties! ✨ So, this fic is 80% crack, 20% feral demon king trying to understand iOS vs. Android while getting his first crush in 1,000 years. 😌 You know, normal JJK things. Expect chaos, TikTok clout chasing, and Sukuna having a midlife crisis over Bluetooth. Also, if you’re here for tall, dark, & broody men with questionable tech skills, this is for you. (And if you’re not, wtf are you doing here? ����️👄👁️) This fic is dedicated to everyone who’s ever had to explain technology to a relative who still yells at the TV remote. I love you. 💖 Never written anything for Suku x Megs, its my first time here hehe.

A neon-lit Android store in Shibuya. The walls pulse with LED ads for the latest tech, promising “LIGHTNING-FAST SPEEDS” and “CRYSTAL CLEAR DISPLAYS.” You sit behind the counter on a swiveling stool, scrolling through memes and pretending the customer in front of you isn’t about to snap the demo phone in half.

Ryomen Sukuna stands over your counter like a disgruntled RPG boss. Tall, covered in tribal tattoos that definitely don’t follow workplace dress code, and radiating an aura that screams, “I don’t belong in this century.” The demo phone in his hand creaks under his grip.

“This device,” he growls, glaring at the phone like it owes him money, “what does it do?”

You suppress a sigh, eyes darting to the store’s emergency exit. “Uh… everything? It’s a smartphone. Internet, calls, apps—whatever you need.”

His scowl deepens, eyes narrowing like you just insulted his ancestors. “Explain ‘apps.’”

You blink. “They’re like… little programs that do specific things.”

He leans in, crimson eyes glowing. “Specific things like trapping human souls?”

You pause. “No.”

“Then what?”

You’re struggling not to laugh when the door slams open, and two guys stumble in, mid-argument.

Yuji & Inumaki Enter the Chat

“Uncle Sukuna!” the pink-haired one—Yuji, 21—calls, grinning as he pulls out his earbuds with the kind of energy you’d expect from a puppy on five shots of espresso. His hair has those soft, fluffy highlights that suggest either a TikTok influencer or a guy who let his little sister pick his dye job.

Yuji knows Sukuna is his “uncle” thanks to a totally legit backstory Sukuna fed him two days ago: he’d woken up from a 1,000-year coma caused by “Super Rare Amnesia Disease Syndrome” (SRADS™), a condition that erased all his modern knowledge but conveniently left memories of being Yuji’s estranged uncle intact.

Yuji, being both kindhearted and gullible, bought it immediately.

Beside him, Inumaki—a 22-year-old with the energy of a stressed-out millennial, oversized hoodie, and fingers glued to his phone—sips a violently purple bubble tea, eyes flicking to Sukuna like he’s assessing the final boss of a horror game. He’s got the disinterested aura of someone who just lost all faith in humanity and is about to roast someone for it.

Yuji jogs up to the counter, clapping Sukuna on the back. “Whatcha doing, old man?”

Sukuna snarls, baring fangs. “Do not touch me, boy.”

Yuji just grins, unbothered. “Trying to buy a phone? Good luck, dude. You’re gonna hate it.”

Sukuna’s eyes flicker. “You dare mock me?”

Inumaki steps up, flicking his bangs out of his eyes. “He’s not wrong, though. You’ll have a mental breakdown trying to figure out the Wi-Fi settings.”

Sukuna glares. “Don’t patronize me, brat.”

Yuji just grins wider. “You’re literally 47.”

“Old age brings power, boy.”

Yuji pats his shoulder like a nurse dealing with a particularly confused patient. “Uncle, it’s a phone. You can call people, text, watch cat videos, whatever.”

Sukuna squints. “It contains cats?”

Inumaki snorts into his bubble tea, the pearls clinking against the plastic. “Not literally, Grandpa.” He taps his iPhone. “iPhone’s better, though. No debate.”

Yuji rolls his eyes. “Bro, no. Android’s superior. More freedom. Better battery life. Customization.”

Inumaki leans against the counter, smirking. “Yeah, if you want your phone to look like a Craigslist ad.”

Yuji’s grin sharpens. “At least my phone doesn’t cost a kidney.”

Inumaki flicks a bubble at him. “iPhone has FaceTime.”

“Discord exists.”

“Better camera.”

“Pixel 8.”

“Ecosystem.”

“Android has an actual file system.”

You glance at Sukuna, whose eyes are twitching like a demon contemplating mass slaughter. You’re pretty sure if he knew what Wi-Fi was, he’d try to curse it.

He lifts the phone again, staring at the bright, mocking icons. "What is this 'Bluetooth'? Does it refer to a creature?"

You press your lips together, trying not to laugh. "It's for wireless connections."

His eyes narrow. "Connections to what?"

"Speakers, headphones, car stereos..."

He glares at the phone. "Does it speak?"

Yuji snickers. "Nah, but Siri does."

Inumaki lifts his iPhone. "Yeah, and it actually works, unlike whatever knockoff AI your Android has."

Yuji bristles. "Bro, don't disrespect my Google Assistant."

"Literally no one uses that."

"I use it!"

"Case in point."

Inumaki pulls up TikTok, flashing the screen at Sukuna. "See? iPhone's perfect for this." He hits play, and a chaotic, ear-splitting sound erupts from his phone. "Crisp speakers. Smooth playback."

Sukuna's eyes flare. "This... this device screams?"

You bite the inside of your cheek, watching as Sukuna's patience with modern tech frays like an overused charging cable.

---

Yuji claps him on the back, nearly sending him into a murderous frenzy. "Relax, Uncle. You'll get used to it. Just buy the Android. It's way more user-friendly."

Inumaki shakes his head. "Don't listen to this peasant. Buy the iPhone. It'll save you from having to watch pixelated TikToks."

Sukuna glances between the two phones like he's choosing a weapon before battle. "Which one is superior in combat?"

Yuji frowns. "Bro, what?"

Inumaki deadpans. "Neither. They break if you breathe on them too hard."

Sukuna's eye twitches, and you're pretty sure you see him clench his teeth.

Yuji groans, like he's been waiting for this. "Bro, don't start. Android's superior."

Inumaki flicks a pearl at him, which Yuji barely dodges. "Better camera. iPhone wins."

"Yeah, if you're an Instagram model," Yuji fires back. "Androids are for real users."

Inumaki raises an eyebrow. "You mean broke ones?"

Yuji's jaw drops. "Say that again, I dare you."

You rub your temples, regretting every life choice that led you here.

---

While the boys bicker, Sukuna corners you again, red eyes flashing.

"What is 'storage space'?"

You sigh. "It's how much data you can save."

He scowls. "And this... 'RAM'? Is it a type of curse?"

You deadpan, "It's memory for multitasking. Not a curse."

His frown deepens. "Why does this one have a 'triple-lens camera'? Are three lenses necessary for mortal eyes?"

You bite your lip to keep from laughing. "For better photos."

He snorts. "I don't need mortal 'photos.' I'll remember your faces when I'm tearing you apart."

Yuji, still mid-argument with Inumaki, calls over, "Uncle Sukuna, stop threatening people!"

---

A few minutes later, Yuji grabs Sukuna's arm, yanking him toward the counter where the demo phones are lined up. "Here, look. I'll show you how to take photos."

He flips the camera to portrait mode, about to snap a picture of you, when the door chimes. A guy walks in - tall, dark-haired, and dressed like he's about to drop a million-dollar tech startup. He heads for the headphone section, expression unimpressed.

Both Yuji and Sukuna freeze.

The guy, oblivious, casually picks up a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, turning them over with an appraising look.

Yuji's fingers tighten on Sukuna's arm. "Holy shit."

Sukuna narrows his eyes, for once at a loss for words. You glance between them, confused.

Inumaki, who has been aggressively snapping selfies for TikTok, finally looks up. "Oh. Damn."

The guy's eyes flick over to the trio for a moment, brow furrowing slightly before he turns back to the headphones.

Yuji's mouth hangs open, and you're pretty sure you can hear his brain cells frying.

Sukuna leans in, voice low and strangely unsteady. "Who is this mortal, and why do I feel the urge to... validate my existence in front of him?"

Yuji looks equally horrified. "Bro, same."

Inumaki deadpans, "That's called a crush, grandpa."

Sukuna sputters, genuinely looking alarmed for the first time since he stormed into your store. "Crush? I am the King of Curses! I do not 'crush'!"

Yuji hisses, "Dude, he's looking this way. Play it cool!"

Sukuna stiffens, lifting his phone like he's about to curse it. "How do I 'play it cool'?"

Inumaki just smirks, pressing record discreetly on his phone pointed at Sukuna and Yuji. "Good luck, old man."

The mysterious guy - tall, with spiky but soft-looking hair, sharp-jawed, and wearing a designer coat that probably costs more than your rent - wanders over to the checkout counter, noise-cancelling headphones in hand. He's got that lowkey irritated vibe of someone who hates small talk but needs to get this over with.

You mentally brace yourself.

"Hey," he says, voice deep and slightly raspy, like he's been up all night brooding on a fire escape. He sets the box down on the counter, hands long and elegant.

You swallow. "Hey."

Behind you, Inumaki's phone is definitely recording. Yuji, for once, is silent, eyes darting between you and Sukuna like he's watching a slow-motion train wreck that includes him.

You scan the box - a pair of Razor Kraken V5.2 Ultra-Supreme Noise-Cancelling Headphones with 360-Degree Spatial Audio and Bone-Rattling Bass. Price tag: ¥85,000.

Nice. The man has taste.

"Buying the fancy ones, huh?" you say, trying to sound casual.

He raises an eyebrow. "I like good sound."

Yuji, not-so-subtly whispering to Sukuna: "Bro, that's a voice."

Sukuna, glaring: "Shut up, brat."

You slide the headphones toward the register. "So, uh... you into gaming or just vibing to, like, lo-fi while you contemplate the universe?"

He snorts, eyes flicking up to yours. "Both."

God, why does his eye contact feel like a judgemental cat sizing you up?

"Nice," you blurt out, swiping the barcode. "Uh, you know, these are great for drowning out existential dread."

He pauses, lips twitching slightly. "Good. I have a lot of that."

Inumaki is barely containing his laughter behind his cup.

"Yeah," you say, forcing a laugh. "Same."

The air between you is so awkward you could cut it with a plastic spork.

Beside you, Sukuna's fists clench, and you can feel the temperature in the store drop by about five degrees. He's glaring at the mystery guy like he's trying to decide whether to curse him or write him a love haiku.

The guy - completely oblivious - taps his card against the reader.

"Thanks," he says, meeting your eyes again. "Have a good one."

"Y-Yeah," you stutter. "You too."

He turns, strides out of the store with the grace of a noir film protagonist, and disappears into the neon haze of Shibuya.

The door closes, and the silence that follows is deafening.

Yuji, in a stage whisper: "Bro, what the hell was that?"

Sukuna's fingers twitch, veins popping. "He has the presence of a king."

Yuji's eyes snap to his uncle. "Uncle Sukuna, did you just—"

"Silence."

Inumaki finally breaks, letting out a wheezing laugh as he stops recording. "Oh my god. You guys were so awkward." He immediately starts typing the TikTok caption: "Retail Worker and Demon King Simp Over Guy with Expensive Headphones While I Watch" #Cringe #NoRizz #SimpGrandpa

You groan, burying your face in your hands. "I want to die."

Sukuna snarls, still staring at the door like he can mentally will the guy to come back. "I do not 'simp.' I am the King of Curses."

Yuji pats his back. "Yeah, bro, you also just got verbally bodied by a guy who didn't even break eye contact."

Sukuna growls, shadows flickering around him. "Cease your insolence, boy."

Inumaki snorts, sipping his bubble tea. "You're both hopeless."

Yuji leans in, whispering like he's plotting a heist. "Dude, we gotta find out who that guy is."

Sukuna's eyes gleam, fangs flashing. "Yes."

Inumaki just shakes his head, already uploading the TikTok. "I'm so posting this."

As Sukuna's internal monologue spirals from "Why is this mortal so captivating?" to "I should just eat him to stop these cursed feelings," Yuji grabs both phones and slaps them on the counter.

"Uncle Sukuna," he whispers, eyes darting to the door. "Dude, breathe. You're acting weird."

Sukuna growls, shadows flickering like he's about to spontaneously combust. "I do not 'act weird,' boy."

Yuji rolls his eyes, pushing both phones toward the register. "Just buy these and let's go. You're embarrassing me."

Sukuna, still in a post-crush haze, slams a thick wad of cash on the counter, the bills spilling everywhere like the world's least organised drug deal. You stare at it, stunned, because you're pretty sure you just saw a 10,000 yen note that looks older than your grandparents.

He grabs the bags, one in each hand, and turns with a flourish, nearly knocking over a display of overpriced phone cases.

"Keep the change, mortal," he snarls, stalking out of the store with the energy of a man who just rage-bought his way out of an emotional crisis.

Yuji facepalms. "Bro, you bought both phones."

Sukuna freezes, one foot already out the door. He turns, slow and deliberate, like a vengeful spirit. "What?"

Yuji sighs, rubbing his temples. "You bought both. That's like ¥400,000. You just got scammed by capitalism."

Sukuna's eye twitches, jaw clenching so hard you half expect his fangs to crack. He looks at the bags in his hands, then back at you, like this is somehow your fault.

"Foolish mortal devices," he mutters, storming out, nearly shattering the glass door with his exit.

You exhale, leaning against the counter as the air pressure finally normalizes. Inumaki's phone is still recording. You glance at him, too tired to even protest.

"This is going viral," he declares, flicking his bangs aside with a smirk.

---

Later That Night

The door slams open. Sukuna looms in the entrance, the Android's screen flashing an angry red error message.

"This infernal machine mocked me."

Two hours later, he returns, now glaring at a system update prompt.

"What is this 'system update'? It demands I agree to its terms."

You stare blankly. "You have to accept to use it."

"I will destroy this wretched device," he snarls, shadows flickering around him as you reach for the return forms. Retail hell just got a supernatural upgrade.

---

One Slow Tuesday Later

You're stacking overpriced phone cases when the door chimes. There he stands - the headphones guy, dressed in another sleek, all-black fit, the kind of effortless style that screams, “I’m emotionally unavailable but in a hot way.” His hair is slightly mussed, jaw clenched, eyes sharp enough to cut through your last remaining shred of dignity.

Your pulse spikes like a faulty heart monitor.

You swallow. Your palms are suddenly clammy, and you’re pretty sure you’re about to do something embarrassing again.

He strides up to the counter, setting down a phone case with the kind of precision that makes you question your own motor skills.

"Hey." His voice is gravel wrapped in velvet.

“Hey,” you manage, praying you don’t sound like a 12-year-old meeting their K-pop bias for the first time.

He leans in, voice low, eyes narrowing slightly. “Why the hell am I all over TikTok?”

Your brain blue-screens.

“What?”

He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his phone, and flips the screen to face you.

Your soul exits your body as he shows you Inumaki's viral video: 3.4M views, comments glaring up at you.

“Retail Rizz at its finest.”

“Bro, who’s the dude in the coat? I’d let him ruin my credit score.”

“Not the tall, dark, and broody customer giving main character energy.”

“Lowkey want him to step on me.”

Oh. Oh no.

Your eyes dart to the store’s corner security camera, then to the still-displaying LED ads for the same overpriced headphones this guy bought last week. You feel your sanity crack like a cheap phone screen.

“I… I didn’t… It wasn’t me,” you stammer, your brain flipping through excuses like a malfunctioning Rolodex.

"Didn't say it was." 

“Oh.” You blink. “Right.”

He pockets his phone, the weight of his stare making your knees weak. “Just… tell your friend to stop being weird.”

Your brain finally catches up. “Oh, yeah. Definitely. Sorry about that. I’ll, uh, talk to him.”

He stares at you for another beat, like he’s trying to decide if you’re worth the effort of being mad at, then turns and heads for the exit.

You exhale, heart rate slowly returning to a somewhat liveable BPM as the door chimes again, and the guy vanishes into the Shibuya chaos.

A second later, your phone buzzes. It’s a group chat notification.

Inumaki 👁️: Bro, did your crush just come back to the store? I see him on the camera feed. LMFAO

Yuji 🦑: WAIT WHAT WHERE

Inumaki 👁️: Nah, too late. He left. I’m posting the part where you both froze like NPCs again. 😂

Yuji 🦑: BRO I HATE YOU

You: I’m blocking you both.

---

Meanwhile, In The Cursed Geriatric Group Chat

Cursed Geriatric👑: Boy. This ‘FaceTime’ feature. Why does it demand my ‘contact permissions’?

Yuji 🦑: LMAO, you gotta allow it or it won’t work.

Cursed Geriatric👑: Allow it? I will not allow anything. I am the King of Curses.

Inumaki 👁️: Old man can’t work his phone 😂

Cursed Geriatric👑: Silence, brat. I will curse you through this wretched device.

Yuji 🦑: You’d have to accept the terms and conditions first.

Cursed Geriatric👑: What are these ‘cookies’ it demands I accept?

Inumaki 👁️: Not the demon king getting ratio’d by iOS settings.

Yuji 🦑: Bro, chill. Just click accept.

Cursed Geriatric👑: Fools. I have clicked it. I will not be controlled by your cursed ‘clouds’ and ‘Wi-Fi.’

Yuji 🦑: You literally have two phones now.

Cursed Geriatric👑: They shall become my weapons. Fear me.

Inumaki 👁️: This is going on TikTok too.

Cursed Geriatric👑: I will end you.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading! 💥 Now that you’ve survived Sukuna trying to understand modern tech: let me know in the comments or I’ll assume you hate me & my serotonin will flatline. 🙃 (Jk, but not really. Please comment. I will fold like a cheap chair.) Okay, love you, bye! 💜✨

All Works Masterlist

Beta - @blackrimmedrose

[cosmic-light-fics]

Watching season 3 ep 2 of The Bear for "funsies" (still trying to wrap my head around it after nearly a whole year has passed lol). Mainly watching for Sydney. I'm mad that the episode begins with this super sweet, rare moment between Syd and her dad because it's literally working so hard to lull you into a false sense of security. We've never gotten such a domestic view of Sydney before. She's a little whiny from having to cut her bathroom time, but she's happy, cracking jokes and reminding her dad to take his medicine for the umpteenth time. She even sounds happy to say she's going to work. She has no clue of Carmy's hostile takeover until it smacks her in the face and there's absolutely nothing she can do about it by then. All that happiness and those good feelings and familiarity that started the episode, yeah that's gone.

Sydney's excitement for the menu? Gone. The warm atmosphere of a ship and its crew finally being on the right course? Gone. Having a partner she could rely on and share ideas with? Did she ever really have that?

What's worse is how the Berzattos unceremoniously shove their proposal of ownership on to her. Like they expect Sydney to just be on board with the daily scheduled program of their, specifically Carmy's, chaotic bullshit. Not gonna lie, I'm thoroughly sickened by how they did not care in the slightest how Sydney would feel about having ownership. "Oh don't worry, you don't need to discuss anything with us, it's all been drafted and looked over by one of our guys. Oh no, you don't need an attorney, we already have one for you. Just sign this legally binding document so we can move on. It's not like you wouldn't want to."

It took only five minutes for them to destroy any faith Sydney had in this restaurant being different. But she can't leave because she's too invested, as is shown in the last episode of the season. The Bear staff is her family, for better or worse, and it's eating her alive.

[dekusdante]

Things that annoys me in the Jujutsu Kaisen Fandom

Sorry but this is going to be all over the place.

Am I the only one tired of the same trope being used when it comes to Gojo from JJK? In other words the enemies to lovers trope where the oc or reader is basically Utahime with out the name.

Like we all remember the episode where he gave out what type of person he was into which was a nice girl or something along those lines. I that as writers you have to take creative liberties but why are all the readers in these stories are exactly the same.

They either hate Gojo or is super easily annoyed at him. Jerks but its okay cause for some reason he loves them unconditionally. This is so annoying cause there is no push back from Gojo in these stories. Just him taking back the reader or waiting for them to return his feelings when in actuality he shouldn't.

Another thing that annoys me is why is it always the guy that's simping why can't it ever be the woman being madly in love and trying to win him over?

This enemies to lover trope has completely taken over the Reader x Gojo fandom and its so overused. Now I will admit there are some gems out there, but I just don't even bother reading anything that is enemies to lovers anymore. I'm just tired of reading the same thing over and over again with the same copy and paste formula/reader.

Also why is smut so strong on here. Like don't get me wrong those writers are killing it with the plot aspect but man does all the smut kill me. Like I want more plot these are really good and creative ideas but man the smut kills me lol. Still reading the plot but stop at the smut parts which is usually the end so we gucci.

Hmm, another trope I refuse to read in these are arranged marriage were we are supposed to be upset with the guy who is forced to marry someone they don't want too. Why? Well for starters it always start with the reader being mistreated by the guy for some reason and the reader putting up with it until something happens and the guy falls in love with them and has to gain both their trust and love again.

I can get behind this but they always make the guy so unredeemable in these that it would be crazy if she takes him back. [She always does] Another thing is we are supposed to hate the guy because he wants to remain faithful to the person he was with before the arrange marriage. Like why are we bashing a faithful man?

Another trope I hate is when the guy is always in the wrong. A while ago I read a Gojo x reader fic were reader was mad that Gojo couldn't spend a lot of time with her so she broke up. Okay valid even though I am sure this would have been addressed before or earlier in the relationship but okay. What annoyed me with this story is that she then goes on to get in a relationship with Nanami who then calls Gojo an idiot for losing a woman like her.

I could not believe what I read. Like what the hell did Gojo do? At this point Gege posted about Gojo's life and how the man is booked to the max and I couldn't help but think how distasteful it was to first make it appear as if Nanami would do something like that to Gojo and secondly pretend that they don't have more free time compared to him. Like Nanami even understood why Geto did what he did.

Anyway that's all I got for now. I am not here to argue but I would love to hear about what you think on this. A second opinion is always welcomed and if you have a trope you don't like then I would love to hear it.

Also if you have a story that you would like to promo then please do so in the comments. It is a okay if you want too. No pressure,

[ganondoodle]

totk cataclysm event wasnt just a great (but utterly missed) opportunity to change the map in techincally little ways that has drastic consequences both in stakes and in gameplay (like i mentioned before, flooding the gerudo desert would have meant devastating consequences for its ecosystem- like imagine little islands of sand still poking out, acting as a sort of last doomed refuge for sandseals- but also cahnged the entire gameplay of it, good chance to introduce some neat new ways to surf on water like a new ridable creature or an ice shield freezing a path while you surf on it, the gerudo being forced to save the city from drowing in various means or now living on the roofs, trying to adapt by building boats ect - also call back to older games?? since totk loves that so much ..-, vah naboris serving as the savest refuge being high above the water, even if non functional; similarly takign away ALL water from the zora region, gaving it all dry out would imemdiately turn into something way different and could mean death for the zora- forcing them to move to the lower parts of akkala for example- maybe vah ruta is still halfway functioning bc the faith the zora have to mipha, dorephan and sidon is, while not enough to keep it fully functional, but enough to generate some water so the most stubborn or brave zora set up around it like a last oasis; i know its somewhat done with death mountain but the gorons dont really suffer from it bc their only problem is a drugged rock that makes them mean and lazy ..- what about collapsing or exploding it, leaving a large crater that over the course of the game could start to grow with plant life since vulcanic earth is so fertile- some never seen before ones that was dormant in the lava and now that its cooled off is springing to life, which might seem good at first but for the area and its wildlife means loss of their habitat; the rito freezing over, but actually having to move, maybe into the tabantha canyon, building their new makeshift homes in between the walls of it- generally just switiching things around a bit would have done so much wihtout having to edit every last detail ((seriously tho, how did this game take so long given that botw took similar but they did that ENTIRE main map as detailed as it is AND made it all coherent with itself and its themes- im ranting again ..)

-but it ALSO would have been the perfect opportunity to introduce new weather types created by the sudden change in environment, somethign like a super strong wind that slows you when walking agaisnt and lets you jump much farther when with it- a darkness thing that clouds the world in utter darkness with only little light getting through anything that is caused by mushrooms from the udnerground invading the surface and their spores snuffs out all light (which could explain the weird darkness in the ruins from botw too!!), or just simply mist! making everything misty changes the entire feel of any environment drastically- you could make vertain enemies spawn only in certain weather conditions, lessening the repetive overuse of them; and that is only on the surface- what if the sky had sunbeams so strong it sets anything on fire if you dare to leave the shadows- to comabt it get a armor with a giant hat!! the underground could have been filled with different environments in the first place, but then of course thered be those dark spores of mushrooms, an entire forest you have to carefully travers other wise making them release their spores and make it all more difficult, glowy mushrooms, MORE glowy mushroms, theres so many weird ass shrooms IRL you could take inspo from!! maybe soemthing like a forest of kelp, long flowy plants obstructing view and making you anxious by any movement- there could be one thats a mimic or infected with miasma, slightly off color and its knobs are malice eyes that open only if it thinks you cant see it

(also for the idea of taking botws stuff and recontextualizing it, the guardians or shrines, now non fucntional, could be infected my miasma sometimes, maybe randomly to keep you guessing- an overgrown shrine suddenly lifting itself up with hands clawing at you when you get too close or do sth wrong to distrub it- similar with guardians tho the effect might be less since you know them as a threat already- or sth i mentioned in another post, a tower being used as a weapon by a gigatic miasma monster- the one in the gerudo region with the bottomless pit for example, perfect for an arena for you to run around in the spiral while its swinging at you etc etc)

JUST taking what botw had and mixing it up, expanding on it, even if technically little change, it could do so much but in the actual game death mountain and rito is the only ones that saw anything of a change like it, and it largely .. didnt change anything or was reversible easily, and had no actual consquences that meant anything, neither stakes nor environmental or narratively (the gerudo felt like it at first but its also largely reversible, its just kinda .. adding a bit of city)

i hhhhhhhhhhhhhh have so many thoughts still, i am just better at holding them back .... also dont wanna annoy lmao

[hattersarts]

gomens s2 thoughts, all spoilers!

I spent 10 hours talking to my housemate about the season after we binged the whole thing in the morning but here are the highlights and the biggest takeaways from the season.

okay i did love the ending, i love that we get the conformation of love AND going into the divorce arc next season (if they're not properly together by the end of season 3 however, i am rioting) they're slow burn and a whole season of them getting to the final 10mins was tasty.

HOWEVER. it was an extremely clunky season when it comes to writing, lots of either set ups missed OR set ups repeated 4 times that they're drilled into out heads. there was also lots of dialogue that really needed to be tightened up. the lesbians were so poorly written i thought they might have needed to be cut BUT they just needed to have more bearing on the rest of the plot AND say things like real people would say things and LITERALLY SHOW ONE SINGLE REASON WHY THEY WOULD LIKE EACH OTHER WITHIN THE FIRST EPISODE.

gabe/bulz romance was the one that should have been cut, have them do more of a oh-my-god-my-boss-sucks kind of thing, lean into them complaining about having to avert a civil war after armageddon stopped and touch on the "structural problems" the angels mention later. Have gabe/bulz be super punished for working together which puts huge fear into az and crowley about what happens if you try to team up as an angel/demon pair (but an extra reason why az takes the job at the end so he and crowley can be the same)

imo it works more if the only mirror of their romance is the HUMANS which should lean into themes to season 3 of how they need to team up with humans (re:"us vs them" line at the end of season 1) to actually achieve their happy ending.

Nina and maggies best scene was their last one telling crowley he needed to talk to az but i think that was one that needed to be cut, it would have been far more satisfying to have crowely work out it out himself that he loves az and wants to tell him (still via maggie and nina but more subtle rather than them telling him to his face AND via spending more time with az in the season)

flashbacks were all pretty good, loved the jobe one and that final "lonely" scene. the nazi one needed some trimming the most (why did all three come back to earth, it made scenes too crowed, have them fight to be a zombie)

shax was disappointing, she was kind of just incompetent the whole way through which didnt make the stakes very exciting, (that whole scene of her talking to the legion was unfunny and pointless) i wanted crowley to mentor her more like when he gave her advice in the first few meetings we saw (kind of in a very non-demonic way, not expecting anything in return) and her to then meet him on equal footing in the finale. would have been a little accidental taste for Crowley to have his good deeds come back to haunt him while showing he's different to demons.

speaking of the finale fight, that halo had NO set up, it was sick as hell but ??? the fuck did that come from. the fight should have been won by az and crowley performing another HUGE miracle together, discorporating the demons (which then would alert heaven and hell something was up in the bookshop and the final scene can happen)

az taking the job from metatron was very good, its consistent with his character where he still hasn't let go of his faith in good/god, he's only been upset by the angels running heaven and still has faith in the system while crowley has realised none of it works and it's only them together that matters. it was nice to show he still hasn't truly accepted crowley for who he is now (tho imo he knows he loves him, he just hasn't quite unrepressed himself) and him not turning down the job after crowley confesses to him shows he still thinks he can fix it. Crowley on the other hand thinks he's now lost him, az has broken he the trust he had in him, he's going to be in big depression mode

few thoughts of good directions for S3:

finally delivering on what crowley said at the end of S1 I think is the most satisfying. the final showdown should be humans Vs heaven/hell with Crowley and az on the human side, helping them win the conflict. there would be suggestions that this is actually god's ineffable plan, this is a conflict she wants to happen and the things that Crowley and az went through are what make them perfect ambassadors to help the humans.

the set up for az in S3 to finally work out he and Crowley can't work out within the unfair rules of the system and for him to abandon heaven (tho not I think, becoming a demon) is good. a sucky ending imo for season 3 is if az somehow "fixes" heaven and via bureaucracy and not via blowing it all up.

growth moments for Crowley in S3 might be having more contact with humans since he's already abandoned hell and it would put az & crowley on similar footing (as az very much loves humans already) when they decided to side with humans for a humans Vs heaven/hell conflict.

anyway, gay people

[kiaramemes09]

FINAL TETRO TRIAL NOTES

MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS FOR TETRO DANGANRONPA PINK’S FINALE BELOW

It took forever to watch because of how I kept pausing to lose my marbles

I am scared

I’ve been waiting all day for this

IS WADA GONNA BE OUT FOR HALF THE TRIAL?

ITS TWO HOURS?!?

WE’RE IN FOR A LONG RIDE

Hiroaki IMMEDIATELY BLAMING TAMBA FOR MAIS DEATH NOOOOOOOO

I MEAN IF YOU MEAN THIS IN HOW MAI ENDED

WE ARE TWO SECONDS IN

DUDE AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL AFTER THIS TRIAL

HIROAKI IS COMING FOR EVERYBODY’S THROATS

Ken literally just asked if something happened during the investigation

THE WITHDRAWAL IS HITTING HIM LIKE A TRUCK

Hasegawa trying to get them together

YANAGI FINALLY SPOKE

I KNEW HE’D COME IN SCREAMING

Wada’s up! He’s back!

Tamba is actually being nice to him and I am here for it!!!!

Yanagi is ready to LOCK IN

Hiroaki is really snippy

Okay they’re figuring out the bombs

Okay they’re about to get on Wada I knew it

Tamba is trying to have faith in somebody for once

I take that back Tamba is chucking him under the bus

Camera time!

Yanagi trying to bring this debate together, channeling his inner Sasaki

WE HAVE NOTHING

Wada doesn’t know what vertical and horizontal means?

Why does she have blood in her mouth in her portrait then? If the body had none?

I got a theory she was weakened with poison or something, like genuinely, I am not joking x

HES STARVING THATS WHATS WRONG

FIREFLY DUO COULD NOT FIND EVIDENCE THEY WERE STUCK

OMG WE’RE BACK ON THE “YOUR SELFISH NO YOUR SELFISH” STUFF

TAMBA STOP TELLING HIM TO OFF HIMSELF

DONT BRING KAMIMURA’S HISTORY INTO THIS

TAMBA TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT WHERE WERE YOU

ARE WE GONNA GO BACK TO THAT EVE RT TWENTY MINUTES

WAIT MAI LOCKED THEM?!?

YANAGI DEFENDING HER TO THE END

Yeah what would Mai gain from that?

We’re only a quarter the way in, oh boy.

Hiroaki has a point tho all the options have to be explored if they wanna live

Skater boy?

THEY FORGOT TO CHECK POCKETS

HASEGAWA TRYING TO HOLD HIS ANGER IN

Why does Ojima think she can teleport?

SHE WAS SNEAKING LIKE A INTERNATIONAL SUPER SPY

How could anyone break a camera?

THEYRE JUMPING WADA NOW

WADA MADE A D.I.Y CAST

Wada GOT A GUN

FINALLY THEY BROUGHT UP WADAS BASEMENT BAN

Okay I think Wada’s safe he wasn’t accused very late

THANK GOODNESS

HE’S GOING ON ABOUT HOW HE’S A GOOD KID AND BE DIDNT DO ANYTHING

WADA YOU ARE A GOOD KID

HIM REPEATING IIIIIIIIITTTTTTT

HOW DID MAI DIE? HOW DID THEY GET HER?

WHY DID YOU LIE IF YOU STAYED IN THE GARDEN?

WRONG SACRIFICE RIGHT REWARD

THERES NO WAY SHE DID IT

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING AGAIN

I thought he locked up again

SOMEONE TAKE THAT KID TO A HOSPITAL

DONT BRING THE SHOOTING-UP IN THE BATHROOM UP?

YOUR BOTH IRRATIONAL

NO HIROAKI STOP SAYING THAT

I FORGOT ABOUT [Reunion]

TIME TO GO OVER THE EVENTS OVER THE WEEK

PART TWO

They’re all working so hard WHO DID THIS

OMG THEY SWAPPED THE MILK WITH ALMOND MILK IM CALLING IT

OH IT WAS SOY MILK

Does that count as a poison mention?

OMG THEY KEEP STEALING IDEAS FROM OKAZAKI

THEY MADE ANOTHER KEY

Wait Hasegawa didn’t take any of the painkillers?

HOW DID WE GET HIGHEGAWA AND DRUNKJIMA?

Did they forget Okazaki took the cigar box? She taunted him

Okazaki screwing things over from the grave again

I knew they’d get on Hasegawa

SOMEONE GOT OJIMA WHILE HE WAS DISSOCIATING? YOU CONNIVING KILLER.

NOOOOOOOOOO OJIMA

SOMEONE GET THIS KID THERAPY

HE BETTER GET BACK TO HIS BROTHERS

DONT SUGGEST HIROAKI WOULD DO THAT

EVERYBODY GETS TO YELL

SOMEONE SNUCK UP ON HIM IT WASNT HIROAKI

EVERYBODY is a suspect

The fact that Von called her dumb but literally everyone here is convinced she’s very intelligent

We’re approaching the final quarter of the trial

The one thing keeping me from looking at Hasegawa is how helpful he’s being

YANAGI IS FIGHTING FOR HER HONOR

KEEP HAMA OUT OF THIS WE JUST SAW HIS MESSED UP PORTRAIT

Mai would not kill them all

THEY ARE IMPLYING SHE PULLED A WATARI

THE MEDBAY INCIDENT IS GONNA TRAUMATIZE THOSE GUYS FOREVER

SHE WANTED THEM ALL OUT

SHE IS NOT THIS PETTY SHE DID NOT CARE ABOUT THE FILES

OMG HIROAKIS TRYING TO DO A CLOSING ARUGRMENT

SHE GOT DOUBLE-CROSSED

OMG HE HAS NO IDEA

HOW DID SHE DIE?

Back on Wada or Tamba

WHY DOES TAMBA HAVE THE SCARED SPRITE

WHY DOES SHE HAVE THE SCARED SPRITE

NONONONO

WE GOT A QUARTER LEFT COME ON THERES NO WAY

WHY DOES SHE HAVE THE SCARED SPRITE

NO WAY NO WAY

THIS IS A YANAGI OR TRIAL-TWO HAMA CASE RIGHT?

THERE IS NO WAY

SHE LOOKS TERRIFIED NO WAY

SHE AND YANAGI WERE AT THE BOTTOM OF MY SUSPECT LIST

HOW WOULD SHE KILL HER

WHAT WAS THE SAFETY SACRIFICE

YEAH IT MAKES NO SENSE

She herself said she’d never confess

SHE WAS SO GENUINE LAST INVESTIGATION

SHE COULD BE ACTING OH NO

IS SHE GETTING FRAMED?

I CANT BELIEVE IT

NO NO NO

I DONT KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE

ARE ALL THE GIRLIES GONNA DIE?

LITERAL BACKSTAB?!

WAIT WE GOT LIKE HALF AN HOUR THERES NO WAY

I knew the cleanup would be with pool water

Hellbent reference?

We got nothing solid

ARE WE GONNA GET A BLACKENED WIN?

I can’t tell

I cannot tell

OMG WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE END?

ON ONE HAND WE KNOW SHE’D NEVER CONFESS AND SHE WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN ESCAPE

ON THE OTHER WHAT IS SHE SUPPOSED TO SAY TO THIS?!

Hayashi isn’t a genius but she isn’t blindly trusting

She suspected Yanagi of all people for just a moment after all

We got twenty minutes still

THERE IS NO WAY

MONOMOKO WANTING THEM TO BE SURE OMG THEY’RE ABOUT TO MAKE A MISTAKE

MONOMOKO JUST SAVED THEM

YES THEYRE GONNA LISTEN TO HER

THEY REALLY GOT ME THERE

Monomoko hinting!!!

THE FORESHADOWING

OMG OKAZAKI DID SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY HELPED OMG

IT WAS THE SAFETY REWARD

WAS IT KEN?

KEN TELL ME YOU DIDNT DO THIS

THE YANAGI SPRITE CHANGE

HE LOOKS ACTUALLY TERRIFYING KEN RUN

YANAGI IS ABOUT TO EXECUTE KEN HIMSELF

How is Hasegawa this calm?

WHOS HOLDING HIM BACK? Hiroaki?

KEN YOU EVIL GENIUS

WHY DID YOU TAKE INSPO FROM OKAZAKI OF ALL PEOPLE YOU DESPISE HER FOR WHAT SHE DID TO TOSHI

YANAGI IS GOING TO LOSE HIS MIND EVEN MORE HE WAS THE LAST PERSON WHO COULD OF POSSIBLY STOPPED IT

But he fell asleep.

THEYRE DEBATING AS THEY RESTRAIN YANAGI OMG

HASEGAWA WOULD BE BIG BRAIN ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LIFT HER WITHOUT RAW STRENGTH

HE TIED HER TO THE GURNEY AND KILLED HER HASEGAWA

THEY HAD GURNEYS?!

SPIKES AGAIN?!

THE WAY THIS PARALLELS OKAZAKIS PLOT

HE DOESNT CARE LOOK AT HIS FACE

He. Does. Not. Care. Anymore

HE WAS MY TOP SUSPECT

OMG HE LIED AND MANIPULATED THEM

HE LIED ABOUT BEING HURT BY OJIMA

HE KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS OPPONENTS

HE WAS PLAYING 4-D CHESS WITH THEM

Maybe you locked yourself in there to punish yourself for your wrongdoings, your failures towards him, killing everybody?

Hiroaki’s explanation also makes sense

WADA CLOSING ARGUMENT HECK YEAH

I THOUGHT WE ESTABLISHED HE SUCKED AT LYING

I guess picked up a book on lying?

HE RAGED PSYCHOLOGICAL WAREFARE

Okay I don’t know when but Yanagi looked like he chilled out a little, he doesn’t look homicidal anymore

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE PLAN I EXPECT NOTHING LESS OF YOU QUIZ SHOW GUY

BUT ALSO CURSE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THESE PEOPLE

AND MAI

SHE’LL NEVER GET TO GO HOME BECAUSE OF YOU

NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT—YOU KNOW HER PARENTS WOULD NEVER STOP LOOKING FOR HER DONT YOU?

THAT IS JUST—DUDE.

IT WAS REMOTE?

HES DOXING THE STAFF

YONEKURA HERSELF HAD TO JUMP IN

THE ALARM TO SHUT HIM UP

HOW DID HE FIND THOSE NAMES?!?

THATS WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT? YOUR GONNA DIE

IS YANAGI STRANGLING HIM?

EXPLAIN. NOW. KEN.

THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH ISONO?

I KNEW HE DID THIS BECAUSE KAMIMURA DIED

His self-loathing man

OF COURSE THIS TIES INTO HIS GUILT OF KAMIMURA’S DEATH

It wasn’t all his fault, not even any of his fault. IT WAS ALL OKAZAKI AND SHES DEAD NOW

EXACTLY YANAGI

THEY ARE NOT AWFUL AWFUL KEN DUDE STOP PROJECTING YOUR GUILT ONTO THEM

“You only care about keeping yourselves alive” *Makes an entire plan the hinges on Mai’s selflessness*

He is delusional

HE. DOES. NOT. CARE.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR MOM AND MAO AND YOUR DAD AND HIS GIRLFRIEND THEY LOVE YOU THEY WANT YOU TO GET HOME BOY

He felt like he had it all, and then it was all ripped away

He was secure, he had a loving family. His quiz show earnings would ensure he and his loved ones be able to live comfortably for life.

He even made a best friend here!

Then he gets butchered across the hall from him

Could Kamimura forgive him for this? All of this? I do wonder.

He just wants to get this over with

HES TALKING TO US WATCHING FROM THE VOID HE HOPES WE AT LEAST ENJOYED THIS

HES TELLING US TO DIE

Those were his last words…

This is definitely at least top two in terms of favorite trials for me.

This series was a wonderful and painful experience.

[tiny-minecraft-rabbit]

One of the ranchers forgot what golden apples do and ate one and they are now desperately trying to hide their screwup

Caving had been fruitless for Team Rancher. They had a handful of iron and not much else and the break was about to end soon. Tango draped himself over Jimmy as the other was picking away at some coal, "This is ridiculous! We have to have the worst luck on the server."

"Tell me about it," Jimmy huffed, mining further into the cave wall. "There has to be somethin–" He yelped as the stone fell away into a room.

The two of them tumbled into a completely enclosed zombie spawner. They scrambled to light the area and kill the multiple zombies that had spawned, breathing a sigh of relieve they didn't die between sessions. That would have been embarrassing.

Tango poked through the corner chest, sighing at the string and horse armor, "You got anything good over there, rancher?"

"Golden apple!" Jimmy cheered holding it out. "Not much else."

"Sweet! Finally, I– Wait. No. Golden apples are banned this season," Tango sighed, head dropping to his hands, "It's garbage! Nothing but garbage here."

Jimmy grumbled, tossing and catching the apple, the gold glittering in the torch light, "Why're they banned anyways? Seems unfair."

Tango shrugged, "Grian said something about it being unfair or some nonsense. I wasn't really paying much attention besides bemoaning the fact the sweats have ruined any chances of people like us winning."

"Hey! Hey, none of that. We still got a chance. We just, y'know, have to outlast everyone else!" Jimmy insisted. He looked over the apple, rubbed a bit of dust off on his shirt and took a bite.

"Yeah, and with my temper and your curse that's a– let me make the calculations. Fourteen divided by two and multiplied by a hundred and of course when you carry the one you get—drum roll—Zero Percent!" Tango cheered, breaking the chest and letting the items roll out of it.

"Tango, man, have a bit more faith," Jimmy said, finishing the apple. It wasn't like he was using it during the game, so no problem.

That is until a skeleton poked its skull and bow through the tunnel they had just mined and hit Tango square in the shoulder. Jimmy winced automatically, expecting the hit to ripple through him as well. It didn't.

For a moment he wondered if he was mistaken, and the skeleton had just missed or Tango had dodged, but there the arrow was, sticking right out of Tango's shoulder as his soulmate cut through the skeleton. "Stupid! Stupid! Take that! Jimmy, you alright?"

Jimmy blinked a few times, staring at the arrow in Tango's shoulder. He took a step forward and punched Tango in the arm.

Tango yelped and skittered away, "What was that for! What I do?"

"I didn't feel it," Jimmy answered, eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, you punched me so– Wait. Wait you didn't feel it at all?"

He shook his head.

Tango frowned and pulled his sword out, swiping it at Jimmy. It hit him square across the chest, and he winced in pain before everything stitched itself back together, the magic of the golden apple working through him quickly. Tango's jaw fell open, "What– What– are we no longer soulmates?? They're not making us switch, are they? I don't want to! I like you! I like Team Rancher."

Jimmy looked down at the core of the golden apple he had tossed aside, "Uh... no, I think I remember why Grian said no golden apples this season."

Tango followed his gaze to the golden apple, "OH! Oh, we screwed up! Oh no– Oh no."

"It's fine! It's fine, Tango, we'll just tell Grian and he'll put it back and–"

"Or–!" Tango interrupted, hand flying to cover Jimmy's mouth, "Or we tell nobody! I've just had a great idea. A splendid idea. Think about this: we're the one soulmate pair that doesn't have double damage! It's a super advantage!"

And so, they told no one.

Sometimes Jimmy wished he was anyone else, cause he's pretty sure anyone else could have made this plan work.

It wasn't long into the session, a couple of the soulmate groups hanging out, when Joel swung at Jimmy, nailing him in the back of the head. "Ow! Joel!"

"Boo-yah!" Joel laughed as he quickly skirted away.

Jimmy scrambled to follow him, ready to punch him right back. It wasn't long before Joel turned on his heel and, considering Jimmy was all bark and no bite and Joel was bite worse than bark, the chase was immediately reversed. Joel had pulled his sword out and Jimmy babbled pleas as he tripped over himself.

What he didn't see, while being chased, was Scott looking over Tango with scrutiny. He pulled his bow off his shoulder and aimed it Tango, and before Tango could dodge it lodged in his shoulder.

"Scott! What the heck man!" Tango whined, shaking the arrow out of his arm.

"Your soulmate bound is broken!" he exclaimed, gesturing widely to Jimmy, who did not dodge the most recent sword swing from Joel.

Tango winced belatedly, "We are! We totally are!"

"I'm messaging Grian," Scott said, pulling his comm out.

"No! Scott!" Tango exclaimed, reaching to stop him, "Come on, don't be a buzz kill, we found a hack! It's a hack, we actually have a chance against you try-hards now."

"By cheating?" Scott asked.

"It's not– It's– Fine! It's a little cheating" Tango grumbled, "Just call Grian or whatever– Jimmy! The jig is up!"

Jimmy stopped running, "Already?" he asked, just as Joel stabbed him in the side. "OW! JOEL! STOP!"

[stevie-petey]

I have an idea for a Jonathan x Steve x reader blurb

You know how gaten matarazzo is a singer and does Broadway? How about Dustin and bug are both former choir kids. Like had solos in recitals and everything. I'd imagine Mrs/Ms. Henderson being super proud of her talented ass children, but Dustin and bug quitting choir as soon as they transfer to Hawkins. Like Jonathan's the only one who knows about it until Jonathan or Dustin bring it up trying to tease / embarrass bug. Steve just being surprised and impressed while Jonathan's laughing his ass off, telling Steve about every performance he knows. Bugs just sulking in the back having so many embarrassing memories come back." You guys are dicks you know that?"

anon this was sent back in JANUARY and i just want to say: u amaze me. idk how u guessed so accurately my bug being secretly good at singing because of her mom plotline

spooky. anyways, enjoy !

"just one song, angel." steve follows you around the store, pestering you. "promise i wont laugh."

"yes you will."

"why do you have such little faith in me?"

"because im a loving girlfriend."

steves about to complain, but the bell above the front door cuts him off. he turns, ready to greet the customer as if he works there, and sees jonathan instead. "oh, youre here."

jonathan gives him a funny look. "im... sorry?"

"you should be," steve scoffs at him, annoyed that hes interrupting a very important conversation with you. steve is determined to annoy you into singing for him. its a hill he will die on if he needs to.

"did i miss something?" jonathan is completely confused as to why steve is being so cold to him. he thought they put aside their differences by now. sure, they arent necessarily friends, but jonathan was willing to call steve a loose acquaintance by now.

guess not anymore.

you walk back from the storage room and pat jonathans shoulder. "ignore him," you glare at steve, warning him to knock it off. "hes just mad that i wont sing him anything from theater camp."

as soon as the words have left your mouth, you know youve made a grave mistake.

the confusion on jonathans face slips, and an evil smirk replaces it. your blood runs cold, he has that look in his eye that has only ever meant trouble for you. "is that so, steve?"

"... yes?" steve doesnt trust the guy. jonathans always been on your side. hes never once gone against you, so steve is a little skeptical of where this is going.

"jonathan byers dont you dare-"

jonathan covers your mouth and shoves you behind his back, which you fight against pathetically. holding you back, he tells steve, "i have tapes of her and dustin performing at least five musical numbers. costume changes and all. i can show you them, if you want."

steve cant believe what hes hearing. its too good to be true. you and dustin? hed kill to see that. "youre so full of shit, byers."

"im serious-ow!" jonathan flinches and pulls his hand away from your mouth. theres a bite mark on it, red and fresh, and he glares at you. "was that really necessary?"

"youre going against me!" you then turn to steve, hit his chest, and he flinches as well and rubs at the wound. "you both are! stop it, go back to hating one another!"

steve drapes an arm over your shoulder. "no can do, angel. jonathan and i are about to become best friends."

"we can watch the tapes at my house." jonathan drapes an arm around you as well, each boy on opposite sides of you. steve nods eagerly, giving you pleading puppy dog eyes to say yes, and you groan.

its going to be a long, long day.

“COME HOME” BLURB MASTERLIST

if you’d like to buy me a coffee ☕︎

[megatruxfr]

The FAST crew getting angry...?

So basically this thing came to my mind because Burn is angry al the time (why dreamworks what did u do to my girlboss) so i questioned, what if the other members got angry? What would they do?

Turbo

I think the best way to piss Turbo off is to be unfair to him. Turbo has a very strong sense of trust and if you break it he wont be so chill about that. I think Turbo won't like it either if you don't believe in him, explicitly mention hes crazy or you tell him hes bad at racing. He wont attack you or heavily insult you, he'll just bery clearly give you a piece of his mind by sharing his opinion. He wont listen to people that look down on him.

Whiplash

The one thing that frustrates and annoys Whiplash the most is if someone doesnt listen to him. If you don't listen to Whiplash or you give him the feeling his voice doesnt matter he will not like that very much. Whiplash is also shown to hate it when you question his leadership. He is very firm in his opinions and he is good at defending himself, mama didnt raise no bitch. What i think would genuinly anger Whiplash - not just frustrate him, really anger him - is if you shame him or bully him in front of others. He will NOT buy that shit and shoot into self defense. Whiplash isnt very good at dealing with shaming i think, he wants to appear strong and big, if you break that image he will out his insecurity by trying to restore it the minute its broken. Whiplash wont laugh away pain or hide it, he will shout and get angry. The rest of the fast crew is pretty chill and wont get angry super fast but Whiplash is willing to break bones. Watch out.

Skidmark

Skidmark is barely angry or annoyed throughout Turbo FAST. What i think would annoy him most is if hes continuously disturbed while hes working on something and clearly wants to be left alone. I think thats his biggest annoyance. I also don't think Skidmark likes loud noises, hes used to loud noises and doesnt really care about it, but that doesnt mean he likes it. I dont really see Skidmark get angry, hes mostly jjst turned to himself. But if he wants to be alone you just shouldnt disturb him. Easy as that :D

Smoove Move

Smoove Move is very relaxed and generally calm, so annoying or angering him is pretty hard. Smoove Move doesnt really care what other people think of him and he trusts himself and has faith in himself, if you tell him hes dumb, ugly or bad at making music he'll be like "okay" and let you be. What i think would annoy, and if its really bad truly anger Smoove Move is if you force him into something and make him do things he doesnt want to do, especially if he has told you no and clearly has shown he isnt interested. Of course it depends on the situation, but i think from what i have seen in the show that thats Smoove Moves biggest red button. I also noticed in the show that Smoove Move doesnt like entitled people that think theyre better then everyone else, he wont go very far into it but he will definitley give you some hints that scream: "bro, just for the record: i don't like you." He probably doesnt think theres anything wrong with being rich, but if you act all entitled over it, he won't be impressed.

White Shadow

2 words: equality and honesty. White Shadow is very easy and relaxed just like Smoove, but he will get annoyed faster. White Shadow has kind of a childish mindset but he will notice it if he himself or someone else is treated unfairly and wont be afraid to stand up and say it. White Shadow is also not a fan of lies and dishonest people. He isnt good at noticing it, but if he finds out he wont immediatly get mad, he'll just ask why, and if you don't answer him or lie more, THAT will anger him. Then you broke his trust and he'll let you know.

Chet

Chet is pretty straighforward and i-will-say-it-once-and-not-again- type dude. Chet is as we know a safety fanatic so his biggest annoyance is people not listening to rules. He would also not like it if someone, especially someone he cares about, brings themselves in danger. The more Chet cares about someone, the more frustrated he will get if that person brings themselves in danger. Chets way of expressing he cares about someone in those kids of situations is that he'll try to give you a reality check and keep you away from the in his eyes danger, wich mostly doesnt really work out. He ends up realizing that and he'll apologize. Hes just trying guys :')

[wander-wren]

sometimes i wonder about what fandom is going to look like in 5 or 10 years. i think we might have already started to see a shift.

because, look, most of the oldest, biggest fandoms are from tv shows and movies, in particular ones that go on for years and scores of episodes. star trek, star wars, stargate (is everything star?), doctor who, supernatural…even sherlock really got its biggest popularity boosts in the modern day from tv adaptations. marvel and dc were comics first, too, but movies made them more accessible; their “cinematic universe” tags are the biggest on ao3 by far.

but what tv shows are we getting now? short, 8-episode things that get canceled two or three seasons in, that are usually less-than-faithful adaptations of other media anyway.

what movies are we getting? well, marvel turns more to slop every day, and everything else is remakes and sequels no one asked for. the general populace will still go see them and find some good movies that they like, but there’s not much really for fandom to grasp onto.

the best shows for fandom that we’ve had recently, that i can think of, are stranger things, game of thrones, and maybe our flag means death. stranger things is dying off, especially since they’re looking at a 3-4 YEAR gap between s4 and s5. game of thrones’s popularity plummeted after its final season, we all know that. our flag means death is still chugging fairly okay, but after that second season a lot of the fandom dropped it, and with it now being cancelled, i don’t see it sticking around.

yes, we can chalk part of this up to a new generation to of fans having this growing idea that fandom is super temporary, to be abandoned as soon as its not on trend. but media used to be on trend for a whole lot longer than it is now. seasons were longer, we had filler episodes, things were lower quality sometimes but at least they came out on a consistent schedule. i don’t mind if supernatural isn’t an artistic masterpiece, but if i was a stranger things fan waiting until 2026 for the final season, i would be annoyed if it wasn’t damn near perfect. that’s assuming i watched it at all—we’re all so used to not getting endings and moving on, so why would i bother?

i think there are two types of shows doing sort of okay about this. one is procedurals—9-1-1 is a popular one i’ve run into, and it started in 2018, around the beginning of the decline, but it’s managed 7 seasons in those six years, most of them with 18 episodes. the other is, honestly, anime—though we can and SHOULD talk about the terrible working conditions that make the fast turnarounds there possible. look at how big some anime fandoms are.

judging by the relative fandom popularity of other procedural dramas (grey’s anatomy, law & order, criminal minds), i think that’s going to remain sort of niche. fandom likes fantasy and scifi best, and they just don’t tend to have as strong of an overarching arc to dig into. at least, that’s why i wouldn’t watch them. i think there’s also a good chance these will start to die out in the coming years as well.

anime could also die out a little bit. better working conditions would necessitate less/slower content, and it’s true that most of the popular anime fandoms have been around for years, even decades.

so, what, no new, lasting tv show or movie fandoms anymore?

what will the biggest fandoms be in 5-10 years?

podcast fandoms have a shot. the magnus archives is still going strong, and i’ve been seeing a lot about dungeons and daddies. i think we’re kind of almost past the golden age for podcasts, but i am an outsider, so maybe that will change.

book fandoms seem like a kind of obvious choice, but they just don’t get as big without, you guessed it, a movie or show adaptation. and the downsizing has hit them, too—can you think of anything from the last 5 or 10 years that rivals harry potter, percy jackson, warriors, lord of the rings, hunger games, acotar…even game of thrones (asoiaf) again? i can’t. the collapse of the publishing industry is another post entirely.

2020 is really what cemented these changes, though they were starting in the late 2010s, at least. with actual industries shutting down, there was room for indie creators making things alone in their houses to pop up, and people had more time on their hands to try new things out and get into them.

the two things that have really been on the rise since 2020 is rpf and video game fic—often both combined. we’ve got genshin impact, call of duty, minecraft of course being huge, rpf of various youtubers, and k-pop rpf. now, i think rpf is contentious enough that it won’t really become the main fandom, but video game fic…might be it.

even video blogging rpf can often be a blurred enough line that people are more comfortable with it. and the thing is…youtube creators are actually more reliable than mainstream television these days. they need to be, to maintain their platforms. they need to not cancel series and to live up to their own hype as best they can and to not abandon the channel for 3 or 4 years at a time. and again, you can talk about burnout and unrealistic expectations and all of those things, but it’s still true.

maybe i’m completely wrong. maybe in 10 years the film and publishing industries will all sort themselves out and we’ll go back to the status quo. but i think this position fandom is finding itself in is interesting, and i wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if what’s most popular (both in the specific source material sense and the medium/genre sense) is different some time down the road.

[malakaie]

so - full disclosure i am saying this from the perspective of someone who isn't super informed on all things adam cole. i came into the party a little late in general and the devil storyline in its original iteration kind of confused me/the pacing of it felt a bit weird and made me zone out a little

HOWEVER

i'm finding the spot adam's in atm pretty interesting... i was kind of pleasantly surprised that he didn't finish his race to 3 wins, not only because i didn't think takeshita should lose to him but also because it puts him in a more interesting spot now.

he vanquished two "demons" (house of black members). the second one even seemed grateful for it, affectionate toward him. maybe he saved someone who was evil by nature or by intent, or at least set them on the path toward being saved. that makes him a good guy, doesn't it?

... so why is kyle o'reilly mad at him? why is roddy still hurt? why is mjf still trying to destroy the things he loves and take his friends from him? he's supposed to be the good guy, isn't he? by his own version of the story, he had to undermine mjf because mjf was dangerous. because mjf was the problem. because mjf was the bad guy all along

but

he's learning that he's not actually in control of the narrative. vanquishing/saving house of black didn't fix anything. he's still the same flawed, messy, manipulative-and-manipulated adam cole he's always been. his friends are the same people they've always been, and they don't necessarily play by his rules or have tidy feelings he can control.

what does a self-proclaimed hero do when he saved the town from a monster, or saved a monster from himself, and nothing has actually changed? the town is still in danger. his life isn't any better. the people that love him aren't following him into the abyss in blind happy faith the way he thought they would.

but he can't admit that the problem - the common thread between all these situations that are falling apart around him - might be him.