#so many dramas here started because some of us could not shut the fuck up and ignore someone doing something in their own space

[pendragora]

Our fandom whines about the lack of nuance and critical thinking, but then fails to comprehend the complexity of human emotion when it comes to seeing something you like being ruined or executed poorly

[itneverendshere]

THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE - rafe cameron (+18) - seven (finale)

request: "a rafe enemies to lovers 🫣 the reader is jjs sister the whole drama before but then she gets left behind on the ship and rafe ends up comforting her and then yea that’s all I got you can do whatever else the rest 😛" + "def some little smut during the enemies part and a long story"

word count: 6.3k

warnings: last chapter <3

You’ve been to Kildare County Sheriff’s Department way more times than you care to admit

Being the oldest kid in your family—and somehow the only actual adult—you lost count of how many times you had to drag your dad out of jail between the ages of sixteen and twenty. It felt like a full-time job.

Then there were the countless times you’d been there for your friends. 

JJ, for instance, had been taken in more than once for public disturbances. It was almost a given that he'd end up in that shithole whenever there was a party or some kind of trouble brewing. You knew every officer by name, and they knew you too. Some gave you that look—you know, the one that said, “Oh, sweetie, you again?”—while others just shook their heads, probably wondering when you would finally stop playing caretaker and start looking out for yourself.

But you always showed up, no matter what, because that’s what you did. You took care of your own.

The first time you had to pick up your dad, you were sixteen. Brand new driver’s license, barely knew how to parallel park, and boom, you’re getting woken up at like 2 a.m. because your dad’s been arrested. You were shaking the whole time, gripping the steering wheel like your life depended on it, eyes blurry with tears. It wasn’t the first time you’d seen him wasted or bruised up, but this time felt different. This time, it hit you that this was gonna be your life now.

You were stuck.

You remember pulling up to the station, parking all kinds of crooked because your hands wouldn’t stop trembling. You ran inside, still half-asleep, and the officer at the desk gave you this sad little smile. “He’s in the back,” he said, like you didn’t already know.

When you saw your dad slumped over, bruised, and barely awake, something inside you just... cracked. He looked up, and for a second, he recognized you. “Hey, kiddo,” he mumbled, still drunk, still out of it. Back then, there was still some part of him left, some shred of the man he used to be.

You signed the papers, helped him stumble to the car, and drove home in silence while he passed out in the passenger seat. It was the first of so many nights like that. And you knew it wasn’t gonna be the last. When you finally pulled into the driveway, you helped him inside and onto the couch. He mumbled a thank you before passing out, his snores filling the room.

Now, sitting in the small, stuffy waiting room of the sheriff’s department, you glance around, feeling a knot of tension tightening in your stomach, the fluorescent lights doing little to help, making everything appear sterile and unforgiving.

You wish you could be anywhere but here.

JJ’s next to you, his leg bouncing like he’s got caffeine running through his veins instead of blood. You’re already annoyed, and it doesn’t help that Rafe is sitting on your other side, looking just as pissed off.

“Will you stop bouncing your leg JJ?” You grit out, already irritated from waiting longer than an hour.

“Why the fuck did he have to come?” JJ mutters, throwing daggers at Rafe with his eyes.

“JJ, not now.” You put your hand on his arm, trying to keep him from starting something. The last thing you need is another fight.

JJ glares, but his jaw clenches shut. “This is so messed up,” he grumbles.

“Messed up is leaving your sister alone with your drunk piece of shit father.”

“Like I knew he was there, you dumbass?” JJ shoots back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Maybe stop leaving her alone.”

“Oh, here we go,” you mutter, feeling the tension rise again. The last thing you need right now is for these two to start another fight.

Ever since JJ came back to the mainland only to pick you up from Taneyhill, things had been…tense. It was one thing to talk about you and Rafe, it was a completely different thing to see you together.

You know your brother hates every second of it. 

“Oh, but you wanna talk about drunk pieces of shit? How many times did your daddy bail you out?” 

Rafe’s eyes narrow, his fists clenching, “How many times did you make your sister bail you out, huh?”

"You wanna talk about sisters too?"

You shut your eyes, attempting to ignore the way they’re clawing each other’s throats out with tainted insults. It was a miracle they're standing in the same room without killing each other, but you can only take so much. It’s like they’re about to throw punches, right there in the middle of the sheriff’s office.

"Shut the fuck up Maybank."

“Fuck you, Cameron!” JJ snaps, standing up so fast his chair skids backward, “You think you’re better than us?”

Rafe stands up too, stepping closer to JJ, “Better than you? Yes.”

“Don’t act like you’re doing this for her,” JJ scoffs. “You’ve never helped anyone but yourself, you manipulative asshole.”

“That’s enough,” you snap, standing up and stepping between them, pushing them apart. Your voice is shaking with frustration. “You two are going to shut the fuck up or take this shit outside. It’s nine in the morning. I didn’t get a wink of sleep, and I’m not gonna sit here and hear you two bitch it you.”  

JJ glares at Rafe over your shoulder. “We don’t need this asshole’s help. We can handle it ourselves.”

Rafe sneers. “Handle it? Like you’ve handled everything else?”

Your brother lunges forward, but you push him back, your voice shaking. “Sit your ass down or leave, I’m not going to repeat myself.”

They both just stare at you, their harsh words still hanging in the air of this stuffy room. The tension is almost suffocating, but there's no way you’re letting them keep tearing each other apart. You’re exhausted, emotionally and physically drained. The last thing you need right now is to play mediator between them… again.

Rafe finally sits down, arms crossed, biting his tongue—for your sake, you know. JJ’s sitting too now, still fidgeting like he always does, tapping his fingers against the armrest.

"Look," you say, your voice still firm, "We're here for a reason. Let's just get through this and get out, okay?"

Your brother just grunts, glaring at the wall like it’s personally offended him. Rafe lets out a sigh and gives you the tiniest nod, like a reluctant “fine.” You sit back down, feeling a bit of the weight in your chest ease up. Rafe leans in and gently takes your hand, mouthing, "I’m sorry." You give it a little squeeze—apology accepted, for now.

JJ notices but looks away too quickly for you to read him. You know he’s pissed, but at least for the moment, he’s staying quiet.

The minutes crawl by, each one feeling like forever, and finally, a cop shows up at the door, calling your name. The three of you stand up at the same time, and Rafe and JJ follow behind you, silent but close, as you walk down the hallway.

The clanging of barred doors shutting behind you makes your stomach twist, and you eventually end up in a small interrogation room. The officer gestures to a chair, "Take a seat." He heads off to get paperwork, and you glance at Rafe, who’s watching you like he’s afraid you might disappear. You know he won’t relax until your dad is completely out of the picture.

Your brother, on the other hand, leans against the wall with crossed arms, a brooding expression on his face. He's always been protective, even if his way of showing it often led to clashes with others. You wish things could be different.

Officer Malcom comes back with a stack of papers, but before you can even look at them, Rafe’s lawyer, Mr. Johnson, walks in. Rafe's had him on speed dial since the whole mess started, and honestly, he's been a lifesaver. He sits beside you, reviewing the papers calmly, and just having him there makes everything feel a little less scary.

“Alright, folks, let's go through this step by step. The first form here is the petition for a temporary restraining order. It outlines the incidents and reasons for seeking protection.”

“Are these incidents documented with the sherrif’s office?” Mr. Johnson's expertise is evident in the way he examines the document meticulously.

“Yes, sir. We have reports dating back to—" Officer Malcom stops for a second, checking the data, “About eight years ago, give or take.”

Rafe’s head snaps in your direction, brows furrowed, clearly pissed off that this has been going on for that long without anyone doing anything. You try to ignore it, focusing on the papers in front of you instead.

“What happens after I file this?

“Once filed, a judge will review the petition. If approved, a temporary restraining order will be issued, usually effective immediately. Then, there'll be a hearing within a few weeks to determine if a permanent order is necessary.”

“What if he doesn't abide by the temporary order?” 

The officer only nods sympathetically. “Violating a restraining order is a criminal offense. He could face fines, jail time, or both.”

Rafe’s still looking at you, “Does she have to serve him personally with these papers?”

“It’s crucial that he’s officially notified. We handle that part, though.”

Rafe’s lawyer is taking notes when he speaks up again, “If he contests the order, he’ll have the opportunity to present his side at the hearing. Both parties can bring witnesses or evidence. But based on your father’s behavior, that’s unlikely.”

You hope to God he doesn’t. The thought of seeing him again makes you feel like you might throw up. You take a deep breath, hands itching to twirl a piece of your hair.

“How long does the process usually take?”

You feel a hand touch your shoulder, gently tightening the grip around the skin, you don’t have to look back to know it’s Rafe. By now you know the lines and the ridges of his hands as if they are your own.

"The timeline can vary, but typically, from filing to the hearing, it might take a few weeks. It depends on the court's schedule and any potential delays."

You nod, absorbing the information while trying to steady your breathing. None of this feels real. Not the legal stuff, not the fact that this could actually be over soon. As the conversation continues, Mr. Johnson outlines the next steps clearly, discussing what will happen during and after the hearing. 

The officer quickly gathers the papers in his hands, “I’ll get everything started then. Just a moment.”

As he leaves to process the paperwork, a brief silence settles over the room. You exchange glances with JJ and Rafe, both of them entirely too interested of the concrete floor. 

“This is the right thing to do, right?”

You know it is. You’ve known for years, but it’s still hard to understand how it came to this. Your life could’ve been so different. 

JJ nods, fiddling with his shark tooth necklace, the one you’d given him when he was seven. “Yeah. He shouldn’t be able to just...” He trails off shaking his head.

Rafe squeezes your shoulder once more, then lowers himself to your level and plants a quick peck on your temple, “You’ve got this. It’ll be okay.”

Mr. Johnson finally puts his pen away, turning to you, “I’ll stay on top of the filings and keep you updated on any developments.”

This moment is a culmination of years of struggle. It's daunting, but you’re not alone. 

 "Thank you.”

JJ shifts his weight, his agitation visible. "I hate this," he mutters. 

"I know," you reply, not knowing what else to say.

The door swings open again, and Officer Malcom re-enters, holding a stack of papers. "Alright," he says, handing you a pen. "Just sign here, and we'll get this process started."

You take the pen with shaky hands, knowing there’s no going back after this. As you sign your name, you can't help but sigh in relief.

This is a step towards freedom.

Rafe watches you intently, his eyes full of concern. He reaches out, placing a hand on your back, a little reminder that he's here for you. JJ stands close by, his protective instincts on high alert.

After you finish signing, Officer Malcom takes the papers and gives you a reassuring nod. "We'll take care of the rest. You should hear from us soon about the next steps."

You stand up, feeling a little lighter, but the emotional toll of the day still kicks your ass. As you make your way out of the room, Rafe keeps a steady hand on your back, guiding you.

Once outside, the morning sun feels almost blinding after the harsh fluorescent lights of the station. JJ immediately lights a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling with a sigh. 

Rafe looks at you, his expression softening. "You're good?"

You nod, managing a small smile. "Yeah, I think so. Thank you for being here, both of you."

JJ smirks, though there's a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Where else would I be?”

You glance at the two men beside you, each representing a different part of your world. Your brother stubs out his cigarette, glancing over at Rafe with an exaggerated sigh. He smirks, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

“Gotta admit, I never thought I'd see the day when 'Rafe the Retch' would be helping us out.”

A laugh escapes your lips before you can stop it, but you quickly cover it up, turning it into a cough. You’d forgotten about that one.

Rafe’s eyebrows shoot up. “'Rafe the Retch'? Seriously, what the fuck?”

“Ask her,” JJ nods in your direction.

“You called me that shit?”

You bite your lip, “To be fair, I called you worse things.”

Rfe tilts his head, hands on his hips, “Like what?”

“You don’t want to know.”

The three of you start walking toward the parking lot, as you reach the cars, JJ pulls you into a quick, tight hug. “We’re gonna get through this,” he murmurs, his voice filled with determination. 

You hug him back, “I know, Jay.”

Rafe stands a few feet away, watching the exchange with a thoughtful expression. When your brother finally lets you go, he steps closer, “Ready to go?”

JJ looks at you, the concern in his eyes clear. "I gotta head to work. Do you want a ride home? It's on the way.”

You glance at Rafe, then back at JJ, sensing his reluctance. “No but thank you.”

JJ’s shoulders tense, but he nods, trying to hide his disappointment. "Alright. Just... call me if you need anything, okay?"

You smile, appreciating his concern. "I will. Drive safe."

He nods again, glancing one more time at Rafe before getting into his truck and driving off. You watch him go, knowing that things are still far from being okay between the two of you.

You know he’s never going to change his opinion about Rafe, maybe not until he witnesses the changes in him, but you hope that one day they’ll find some common ground. It’s a lot to ask from your brother, you know that, and it’s why you never push him. 

“You sure you’re doing okay?”

You nod, leaning into Rafe now that he stands behind you, “Yeah, just a little tired.”

He wraps an arm around your shoulders, guiding you towards his car, “Did you get any sleep last night?”

"Barely," you admit. "Just couldn't stop thinking about today.”

He unlocks the car, opening the passenger door for you. "Well, now that it's done, you can rest. I’ll even put that bullshit show you like.”

You gasp ready to punch him in the shoulder, but by the time you turn he’s already on the other side of the car, “Love Island is not a stupid show!”

He chuckles as he starts the engine. "If you say so.”

“You watch it too.”

“Only because you force me to,” Rafe counters, a playful glint in his eyes.

It’s been a month since the nightmare with your dad, and you’ve pretty much been living at Rafe’s new place ever since. Sure, you’ve got your own house, but it just doesn’t feel like home anymore. Rafe’s apartment though? It’s like your little safe haven now. You don’t officially live there, but who are you kidding? Most of your stuff is in his drawers, he’s stocked the bathroom with all your skincare, hair stuff, even a toothbrush. He tried to go all-out, buying you everything, and you kept telling him to stop, but it’s like talking to a wall. You gave up eventually.

As he pulls out of the parking lot, his hand slides over to grab yours. It’s such a simple thing, but it makes the tight feeling in your chest ease a little. You’re both quiet for most of the drive, but it’s not awkward or anything. It’s actually kind of nice. You never imagined he’d be so...attached. Things between you are still...somewhat undefined, but it definitely feels like a relationship. That thought is pushed to the back of your mind for now. It's just not the right moment to talk about it—not with his father’s trial only weeks away and your own dad still recovering in the hospital.

When you pull up to his apartment, the building feels familiar in a way that makes your stomach flip. He hops out of the car and, as usual, rushes around to open your door for you. It’s such a small thing, but it always makes your heart race.

Once inside, the place feels so different from the craziness of the day. It’s cozy, warm, and just... safe. You kick off your shoes and flop onto the couch, sinking into the cushions.

“Wanna watch your show?” Rafe asks, giving you that half-smile you’ve come to love.

You chuckle, feeling lighter than you have all day. “And you say you don’t love it.”

He grabs the remote and turns on the TV, navigating to the show. As the familiar theme song starts playing, you snuggle closer to him, finding comfort in the routine. It's all trashy drama and ridiculous contestants, but it’s the distraction you desperately need. Rafe’s arm stays around you, like always. But as the episode progresses, your eyelids grow heavy. The events of the day, combined with the sleepless night, catch up to you. You feel yourself drifting off, your head resting against Rafe’s chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm lulling you to sleep.

“Rest, baby,” he murmurs, his voice a soothing whisper. “I’ve got you.”

Next thing you know, you wake up to the smell of something cooking. Blinking your eyes open, you realize Rafe’s in the kitchen, and the living room is dimly lit. A blanket slips off your shoulders as you sit up, and when you look over, he’s already smiling at you.

You’ve seen him smile more times over the past month than all the years you had “known” him combined. It looks good on him, makes him look younger. 

Stretching, you ask, “What’s all this?”

“Dinner. Figured you could use a good meal,” he says casually, like it’s no big deal that he’s cooked for you.

You sneak up behind him and wrap your arms around his waist. “Look at you, Chef Rafe.”

Ever since he moved in on his own, he’s been slowly learning how to take care of himself. You’ve caught him watching cooking and deep cleaning videos more times you can count. You find it endearing. It makes your chest ache, in a good way, to watch him slowly turn into his own person, not the Rafe his father shaped him to be.

He chuckles, giving you a quick forehead kiss. “Eat before it gets cold.”

You sit down, and the first bite has you practically moaning. He snorts at your reaction, but you can tell he’s proud of himself. As you eat, though, you notice he seems a little off. His shoulders are tight, and there’s something in his eyes that makes you pause. You reach across the table, placing your hand over his.

"What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Rafe. What’s wrong?”

He hesitates, then sighs. “Got a call from my lawyer. About Ward.”

The mention of his dad sends a chill down your spine. “What about him?”

Rafe’s thumb brushes your knuckles as he looks down. “He wants to talk.”

“Do you want to talk to him?”

Rafe's jaw tightens, and he lets out a slow breath. “Yeah. But every time I’ve tried to stand up to him, it’s backfired."

You squeeze his hand, “He can’t hurt you anymore, you know that, right? You're not the same person you were before," you remind him gently. "You've grown so much, Rafe. You’ve made your own life."

He looks up at you, his gaze softening. The intensity in his eyes is clear—vulnerability, determination, and a deep-seated fear. It's as if he’s silently pleading for your reassurance, for the strength to face his demons.

“You think so?”

It's in the way his eyes become softer when they meet yours, the slight quiver in his lips, the way he holds your hand just a little tighter.

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“Okay. I…I’ll think about it.”

The two of you finish dinner, the conversation shifting to lighter topic. After cleaning up, you find yourselves back on the couch, the TV playing quietly in the background. 

Everything feels so domestic it pulls at your heartstrings. And it hits you how much you love this, just being here with him.

But you can still feel the tension rolling off him. You turn to him, tracing little patterns on his chest. “You’re still worried, huh?”

He sighs, throwing his head against the cushions, his hand coming up to rest on yours. "Yeah. I’m scared talking to him will pull me back into that dark place.”

You press a kiss to his clothed chest. “You won’t go back there. Not while I’m here.”

He tightens his hold on you, “You know you’re too good for this world. It’s ridiculous.”

You narrow your eyes, “Am not.”

“Yeah, you are, Pretty Maybank.”

There it is. That nickname. “You know that’s so stupid, right?”

He grins, completely unbothered. “You love it.”

You nudge him with your elbow. “I tolerate it.”

He catches your hand, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. “Fits you perfectly.”

You roll your eyes, but you can’t help the grin tugging at your lips.

“If you say so.”

His eyes soften as he looks at you, his thumb tracing gentle circles on your hand. “I do.”

“Shup up,” You feel a blush creeping up your cheeks. “Don’t even know how you came up with that shit.”

Rafe laughs, the sound low and rumbling, his hand moving to rub your leg.  “It’s really stupid.”

You raise an eyebrow, teasing. “’Course it is.”

“Remember when we were fourteen, and we were both at the beach for that huge surf competition? You were this cocky, skilled little girl with an ego bigger than the waves.”

“And you were a suck-up mother—"

“Anyways,” He rolls his eyes, ignoring the way you tried to cut him off, his hand now lightly squeezing your knee, “You were out there showing off, catching wave after wave. I was so fucking annoyed."

You raise an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look. “Oh, so you were secretly in awe of me?”

“Maybe,” he admits with a sheepish grin. “Or maybe I was just bitter because you made me look bad.”

“I made everyone look bad.”

“Okay, Gabriel Medina. You were out there showing off, making everyone watch you like you owned the ocean. All the boys were ogling you, calling you pretty, and you were loving every second of it.”

You smirk, remembering the day. "I was pretty good, wasn’t I?”

“Good?” He snorts, shaking his head as his fingers trail up and down your thigh. “You were more than good, you were unreal.”

"Yeah, yeah, so how does that tie into the nickname?”

“You came out of the water, hair all messy, sand on your skin, but you had this huge smile. One of the boys called you 'Pretty Maybank,' and you just laughed, brushing it off. But I— I guess I remembered it. It fit you.”

You blink, momentarily thrown off, "I...I didn’t know you remembered that."

“You’re kinda hard to forget Maybank.”

Your heart flutters at his words, the sincerity in his voice making it hard to breathe, “Shut up.”

He leans in, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss, his hand cradling the back of your head. It only lasts a few seconds, before you’re pulling away, mumbling against his lips.

 “You know, it’s funny. Back then, I thought you were just this arrogant piece of shit who was always trying too hard to fit in.”

“That’s so sweet.”

You cup his face, brushing your thumbs across his cheeks, “Hmm. You were always showing off, too.”

“Well,” he drawls, pulling you a little closer, his arms wrapping around your waist, “We both grew out of that phase. Mostly.”

“Mostly,” you agree with a grin. “But I guess some things never change.”

“Yeah,” He doesn't take his eyes off your face, “Some things don’t change. 

There’s a brief silence, filled with the quiet sound of the TV and the comfortable presence of each other. His fingers continue to trace patterns on your hand, and you can feel his earlier stress easing if only a little.

“I don’t want to mess this up,” He admits quietly, “With you.”

“We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”

Rafe’s fingers gently brush a strand of hair behind your ear, “Yeah, we have.”

“I’ll keep you in check, Cameron.”

He holds you tighter, his breath mingling with yours. “You're too good for me, y’know that?”

You laugh, “I know.”

Before you can react, his fingers are dancing across your sides, tickling you mercilessly. You squeal, wriggling and trying to escape his grasp, but he’s relentless.

"Rafe!” You gasp between fits of laughter.

"Say sorry,” he demands, his fingers still working their magic.

"Never!" you manage to choke out, tears of laughter streaming down your face.

He grins wickedly, the movement driving your tummy insane.

"Wrong answer."

You squirm in his grip, the tickling intensifying. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" you finally relent, breathless and giggling.

Rafe stops, his hands coming to rest on your waist. His grin is triumphant, but there's a softness in his eyes that makes your heart skip a beat. "That's what I thought," he muses, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to your forehead.

You catch your breath, still smiling. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be a tough guy, you’re surprisingly good at this domestic stuff."

He chuckles, pulling you closer until you're nestled against him.

"What can I say? You bring out the best in me, Pretty Maybank."

"I like this," you admit softly. "Being here with you, just... us."

"Me too," Rafe murmurs, his hand gently stroking your hair. "Feels right, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does.”

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Three weeks later, Rafe finally agrees to visit Ward in prison.

His lawyer arranged the meeting, emphasizing the importance of having this conversation to find closure. Despite your protests, Rafe insisted on doing this alone. Plus, prison's security measures are stringent, and there’s no way you could accompany him inside.

Instead, you’re stuck waiting outside, the anxiety killing you slowly. You're sitting on a bench outside the high-security prison, your foot tapping nervously against the ground.

The sun is blazing, making the wait even more unbearable. You wish you could be in there with him, supporting him. You glance at the ugly building, feeling desperate to get the hell away. Your phone buzzes, snapping you out of your thoughts. It’s a text from JJ.

"how's it going?"

You quickly type back.

"he just went in. kinda losing my mind out here."

"he’ll be okay. devil spawn and all yk".

"not helping???"

"my bad sis, just trying to lighten the mood. seriously though, he's got this."

You sigh, putting your phone down and glancing around the barren surroundings. The high walls and barbed wire of the prison seem to loom even larger now. Time drags on, every minute feels like an hour. You find yourself looking at the entrance every few seconds, hoping to see Rafe walk out.

Inside, Rafe is led through a maze of corridors, the echo of his footsteps bouncing off the cold concrete walls. The guards are stoic, their faces expressionless as they guide him to the visitation room. His heart pounds in his chest, but he forces himself to stay calm, to stay focused. He's going to be just fine.

When he finally walks in the room, he sees Ward already seated, the older man looking surprisingly composed. Of course he'd care about his appearance even when he's locked up. There's a glass partition between them, with phones on either side for communication. Rafe sits down, picking up the phone with a shaky hand. He wishes you were here. 

Ward's eyes are piercing as they lock onto Rafe's. "Look who finally decided to visit," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Took you time, boy."

Rafe takes a deep breath. This is it.

"Only came to tell you something."

Ward raises an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Oh? And what's that? That you’re an ungrateful piece of shit?”

Ignore him, your voice echoes in his head. He knew Ward was going to try to get a rise out of him and he hates that it might work.

"I'm done," Rafe says, his voice steady. "You don't control me anymore."

“After everything I've done for you?"

Rafe's grip on the phone tightens. "You didn't do shit for me. You did it for yourself."

Ward leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "You have no idea what you're talking about, boy. You need me."

"No, I don't," Rafe retorts, “No one needs you.”

Ward's eyes flash with anger, but he quickly masks it with a calculating smile. "Is that what you really think, son? That you can just walk away from everything? From me?"

Rafe feels a rush of anger fighting it's way up his throat, but he holds it back, remembering your words. He takes another breath, steadying himself, “I don’t care.”

Ward's smile fades, replaced by a sneer. "You think you're so strong now, don't you? Do you think you can survive out there without my influence? The world is a cruel place, Rafe. You won't last a day. You think that Maybank trash is gonna solve all your problems, huh?”

“You’re not getting under my skin.”

Ward's eyes narrow further, and he leans in closer to the glass, his voice dropping to a whisper. "So, it’s about her now, is it? What makes you think she’ll be any better for you than I was? She doesn’t know you like I do."

Rafe’s temper flares, but he forces himself to stay calm. He can’t take the bait.

"Keep her out of this.”

“You think you’re so righteous, so superior. You’ll need more than just some girl to get you through.”

“I don’t need you,” Rafe insists, his voice firm. “I never did.” 

Ward’s expression turns cold once more, but there’s a flicker of something—maybe regret, maybe just a reflection of his anger. “You can pretend you’re free, but you know I’m not so easily forgotten.”

Rafe takes a deep breath, forcing himself to stay composed. “I don’t need to hear anything else from you. I’m done.”

“You won’t be able to keep her safe.”

He knew the conversation wouldn’t be longer than five minutes.

He stands up abruptly, the phone clattering against the partition as he drops it. He doesn't need to hear Ward any more. He turns his back on his father and walks out of the room, the door clanging shut behind him. As he walks back through the maze of corridors, his thoughts turn to you, knowing you’re outside overthinking and ready to hug the live out of him. 

He’s striding to you the moment he sees you. You're still on the bench, trying to distract yourself with your phone, but it’s no use. You jump up, rushing over to him. You’re always so endearing to him it pains him to know he hurt you so badly over the years.

“You okay?”

Rafe’s arms wrap around you, finally breathing normally. His breath is warm against your ear as he whispers, “Yeah. I’m okay.”

You wrap your arms around him, holding him close as if you can protect him from the Ward’s harshness. “I was going crazy waiting out here.”

“Sorry for making you wait,” Rafe murmurs, his voice muffled against your shoulder. 

“I don’t care,” You pull back slightly, your hands moving to cup his face. Your fingers trace the lines of his jaw, feeling the faint stubble beneath your touch, “You did what you needed to do. And I’m proud of you.”

He smiles a small, tired smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, “Needed to hear that. Thank you.”

You nod, your thumb brushing against his cheek. “For what?” you ask, leaning into him again. “You did great, baby. You stood up to him. That takes so much strength.”

You take his hand, your fingers intertwining with his as you lead him away from the prison. His grip is strong, his palm warm against yours. The two of you walk in silence for a moment, the only sound the gravel crunching beneath your feet. You glance at him, noting the way his shoulders have relaxed a litte.

“I felt it. Like a weight lifting off me. It’s not completely gone, but it’s lighter.”

You stop walking, turning to face him fully. Your free hand reaches up to brush a strand of hair from his forehead. It had grown so much over the past few weeks. “And it’ll keep getting lighter,” you assure him. 

“You think?”

“I know. You’ll keep needing to stand up to him,” you acknowledge, “But it will get easier each time.”

His hand brushes a stray hair from your face, copying your earlier movement. “And you’ll be here with me?”

“Always.”

Rafe’s expression softens, the hard edges smoothed away by the promise in your words. He leans in, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

His lips linger there.

“You really are too good for me,” he murmurs against your skin, the sound blending with the hum of the car engines in the distance.

“I know.”

He pulls back slightly, his eyes searching yours. The intensity in his gaze takes your breath away, but it’s a different kind of intensity than you’re used to seeing in him. It’s softer, more open, and entirely focused on you.

“Let’s go home."

You nod, a smile spreading across your face. “Yeah, let’s go home.”

[the-soliloquies-of-sadists]

#373

“What the fuck is this I’m hearing about you?  My buddy Deputy Watson asked me why I have a faggot working for me?  He tells me that you have a record for sex in public bathrooms.  Is it true?

“Of course it is!  I can see it on your face.  Have the common decency of at least admitting it….  Jesus fuck!  You know when I hired you, I told you I didn’t want any drama.  And now I have to deal with this.  I can’t be thought of a sperm burper.  With my wife filing for divorce and living across the state at her sisters, people will start to think nasty shit about me once they find out that I have a fag working for me.

“You were recommended to us because you are a hard worker; you keep your head down.  You don’t drink and you don’t cavort around in town.  Now I know why. 

“Watson was telling me that you were caught once before at a rest stop in South Dakota getting cornholed.  He also said that the charges were dropped.  Lucky you.  So you must like sucking on random dick at some nasty assed bathroom.  What the fuck is the draw?

“Nothing to say?...  I want an answer….

“…You like to blow straight men?  Why would a straight man want to get blown by some fag when he can get it at home?... 

“…Watch your mouth!  The last time I got a blowjob has no bearing on this conversation.  You know damned well that Louise and I are going through a divorce.  I haven’t had anything in a long…  Wait a minute, are you looking to give me head?

“…Back to being silent…?

“Uh…

“Uh…

“Awww, fuck it….  I could go for some head.  You want it?...  No one will ever know that this happened, you got that?  Good.  Then get on your fucking knees. 

“I got a lot of skin….  God damn!  You are eager!  My wife makes me get hard first before I…  Oh fuck!  Oh man. 

“Fuck!  Watch your goddamned teeth!...  I will knock them out.  Trust me I will.  My dick may not be long, but it gets really fat.  Those teeth better know their place.

“Damn, not many women could deep throat me.  Fuck I will be using this mouth again.

“Fuck!  What did I tell you about your teeth? 

“Fuck you faggot!  You want me to hit you again, keep up with the teeth.  You hurt me, then I hurt you.  What do you have to say?...  Hunh?...

“Damn right you’re sorry.  Look up at me.  Open your mouth.  Let me feel your teeth….  Holy shit!  That’s some jagged teeth you have there. 

“I want you to make an appointment with your dentist.  I want him to grind them smooth.  You got that?  I pay for your dental, let me benefit from that.  And make that appointment as soon as possible.

“Look at me….  That slap means I’m serious about this.  Now get the fuck up.  You take men up your shitter?  Of course, you do.  Get out of those Levi’s. 

“A fucking jock strap?  You are such a fag.  Leave it on.  I’m not interested in what you have in front.

“It’s been years since I fucked an ass.  Most of the time it was to put a bitch into place.  You’ll be the first faggot, but it will be for the same damned reason. 

“Spread your legs further.  Damn.  That’s a pale ass.  Hold still….  Oooh.  You have been fucked before.  I can’t remember when my head went in so easy.  So I guess I don’t have to wait for you to adjust to me. 

“Right to the root!  Fuck your pussy is treating my cock so well.  Aw, shut up.  I don’t want to hear any goddamned complaints from you.  If you wanted more lube, you should have put more spit on my dick.  Next time think to do that.

“Now shut the fuck up.  I’m in the middle of fucking here….

“Your cunt knows how to take a pounding.  I like that.  I like that a lot….  Do that again.  Fuck, this is one talented cunt.  And it’s right here every day.  Yeah.  This cunt is going to be used going forward. 

“Fuck yeah.  I’m taking ownership of this cunt.  It’s mine.  You got that?...

“Answer me motherfucker.  Who’s cunt is this?

“Damned right.  You will give up other men.  It’s mine.  You understand faggot?

“…You better.

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna cum.  Get ready.  You gonna get flooded with a huge load.  Here it cums.  Here it goddamned cums!  Urg!  Urg!  Fuuuck.  Shit!

“Don’t fucking move.  Stay put.  Clamp down.

“Dammit faggot.  No wonder so many men use you like this.  Not anymore.  I wasn’t kidding when I said you are to give up other men.  That cunt is mine.  I don’t want any other man touching my property.  You got that faggot?...  You say, ‘Yes Sir!’

“That’s better.  You understand that I will be fucking it after we get done work every day?

“I’m one horny son of a bitch, a controlling one at that.  That’s why my wife is filing for a divorce.  You are going to be taking over her duties of taking my nut.  Let’s go up to the house so you can fix me some dinner. 

“No leave those Levi’s there.  You don’t deserve to wear pants.  The jock is all you need.  As I said before, I’m not interested in what you have up front.  In fact, it shouldn’t be any of your concern either. 

“Now get up to the house….  Goddamn, that’s a nice ass.  I don’t know if I will be able to make it through dinner without plowing that cunt and unloading a second time.  My dick can go all night, especially a cunt that treats my dick well.  That cunt will be so full by the end of the night.  Now get moving.”

[its-vannah]

The Alternative | Warren Rojas x Reader

A/N: Again, this took over a week for me to write because I get distracted easily. It's a shorter one, more like a blurb, but it's cute and does the job 💕

Request: hiiii warren request🫣 can you write a one shot where warren and reader sneak off at camilla’s housewarming party in ep. 4 to get high and there is a lot of sexual tension and they end up hooking up. THANK YOU

Warnings: Getting high, mentions of the band fighting, reader and Warren sneaking off

Taglist: @celestialstar111 @stokzr

Daisy Jones and The Six Masterlist

There were many things you could look past when it came to The Six's behavior. Their constant arguments were one of them.

Once the disagreements started, you knew better than to stick around and watch it play out. So you just took your things and sat on the back porch, waiting for the yelling to die down.

On most days, it was Billy telling everybody to fuck off. Other days, it was Eddie telling Billy to fuck off. And some days, it was Karen telling them both to fuck off.

Being their neighbor, you heard most of their arguments. I mean, there wasn't much space between your houses and they weren't exactly quiet people.

Regardless, you had grown to love them. You, Karen, and Camila hung out every Thursday night at your place so they could get a break from whatever shit the boys were getting into.

Other days, Warren came over with his drumsticks to test how they sounded on your pots and pans—which he claimed "sounded different" than the ones they used at their house.

He'd spend hours just banging on different pieces of metal until he found a beat he liked. Then, he'd take your face in his hands, loudly say, "I'm a genius", and run back to show Billy what he's figured out.

Of course, Billy told him to talk to him when he wasn't high on marijuana—which wasn't often.

Those were the moments you enjoyed. Not wanting to ruin your friendships with the band, you stayed out of any drama that ensued between them for your own sanity. Sure, you had plenty of things you could say, but you'd never be able to finish a sentence without being spoken over.

So you kept your mouth shut, grabbed a bottle of wine, and sat in what had become "your chair."

Tonight was like most nights, the band was having a small spat. Billy was irritated that Daisy was there, Graham and Karen were God knows where, Eddie was sulking, and Camila was trying to fix everything.

You were in the same spot as always, rocking back and forth with a bottle in your hand, looking up at the endless array of stars.

It was peaceful and oddly humbling—knowing you were just a tiny fragment in the world. God, you were drunk off your ass.

Light footsteps behind you broke your train of thought and you watched as Warren came into view.

"Hey, neighbor," He said with a smile, nursing a bottle of beer, "Mind if I join you?"

"They're still fighting?"

He shrugged, sitting beside you in the other rocking chair, taking a swig of his drink, "Billy's not happy."

"When is he?" You scoffed, throwing back your wine, finishing the bottle, "He's always in a fucking mood."

"That's Billy for you. Always grumpy."

You dipped your head back with a groan, "I don't know who's worse—him or Eddie."

"Oh, Billy. It's definitely Billy."

Unable to stop yourself, you burst out laughing. The alcohol was starting to take a toll on your physical state, "So, what brings you out here? You stargaze often?

He grinned at your teasing tone, breaking eye contact and looking down at his feet, shaking his head, "No, no, just wanted to keep you company. And see if you'd do weed with me."

"Better than the alternative."

"What's the alternative?"

You gave him a knowing look, "Not doing weed with you."

- - -

You and Warren were laying on the floor of the back porch, laughing hysterically at something he said—but you couldn't exactly remember what he said—and neither did he. That itself added to the humor of it all. At least, it did for you.

Nothing could disturb the two of you, not the lights going out, Julia's crying, or the loud sound of the swarm of people inside of the house.

"So she walked in to see Eddie in a dress and Graham in nothing but his—his—" You couldn't even get the words out without laughing.

Warren slapped the wooden boards beside him, laughing so hard he was practically snorting, "I wasn't any better, I was a pirate."

You kicked your legs, holding your stomach, "I can't—I can't breathe—"

Warren sat up, leaning over you, "I can give you CPR."

You were pretty out of it, but you understood what he was saying. The thing is—you didn't want him to give you CPR.

"We could just go to my place instead."

Warren raised his brows, "You think we can make it that far?"

"I think we can at least make it to my front lawn."

He got on his knees, grabbing the rocking chair to pull himself up. The chair swung back, causing him to fall back down to the ground.

You looked over at him—and as soon as his eyes met yours, the two of you burst out laughing.

Pushing yourself up off the ground, you reached your hand out, "Come on, let's get you out of those clothes."

You've never seen him run faster in your life.

[heavyhitterheaux]

Harlowchella

First Lady of Private Garden Instagram AU

Requested by: the treacherous twin @harlowsbby 💖

Liked by jackharlow, saweetie, urbanwyatt, jessicakelce, blancahood, estgee, champagnepapi, lolabrooke, and 3,962,051 others

y/ninsta: guess where we're on our way to? 👀

saweetie: the matching bracelets have me MELTING 😭

y/ninsta: saweetie hubby got them for all five of us

jackharlow: two of my favorite girls. daddy loves you both

y/ninsta: jackharlow lmao shut up

jackharlow: y/ninsta Ivy, Axel, and Autumn weren't the only ones calling me daddy last night, don't act brand new smh

quiiso: here they asses fucking go

urbanwyatt: quiiso same shit, different day lmao

y/ninsta: jackharlow can you be serious for once in your life please? smh

jackharlow: I can literally count on one hand how many times I've been serious, when I asked you to be my girlfriend, when I asked you to marry me, when we got married, and when you made me a father. other than that... nope.

y/ninsta: yall see what I have to deal with? smh

jessicakelce: and I can vouch for that, jackharlow been wild since high school and following y/ninsta around like a lost puppy

jackharlow: jessicakelce and?!? yall not going to get on me for simping over my wife

druski2funny: where yall goin?!?

y/ninsta: I'm going going back back to Cali Cali

allthingsy/n: aww to support her mans as he performs at coachella! we love a supportive couple

jackandy/naremyparents: can't wait until y/n starts performing again, we miss her!

jackharlowsource: jackandy/naremyparents agreed! and the only time we got a little performance was her diss track to dani and drama and that was months ago

allthingsy/n: oh I forgot about those lying ass bitches smh like she really cut them both off and doesn't mention anything about them which I get because I can imagine that it still hurts. her and dani were inseparable

jackandy/naremyparents: but moving on! still can't believe that their someone else's parents other than mine 😭😭😭

jackharlowsource: I wonder if Jack will bring her out on stage, he needs to do it for the Harlow stans because we are DESPERATE to see her

jackharlow: 👀

jackharlowsource: what those eyes mean sir? you planning something? SPILL IT!

Liked by y/ninsta, jackharlow, urbanwyatt, blancahood, softtcurse, jackharlowsource, traviskelce, calumhood, privategarden, and 1,003,489 others

jessicakelce: she said I could say something about it so here goes! here supporting our baby at her first performance since becoming a momma to three beautiful angels. we are so so proud of you and can't wait to see you kill it on stage tomorrow 💕

jackandy/naremyparents: THEY'RE BOTH PERFORMING!?!?!?

allthingsy/n: I'm so excited that I'M ABOUT TO THROW UP

jackharlowsource: IT'S HAPPENING! THIS IS NOT A FUCKING DRILL! I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A FUCKING DRILL! JACK AND Y/N ARE BOTH PERFORMING AT COACHELLA!!!!

y/ninsta: thank yall for being here with me, just like in high school some things never change. been the realest since day one and I'm so happy we're reunited again.

blancahood: y/ninsta wouldn't have it any other way, you know we always got your back, but for now... SHOTS!

y/ninsta: blancahood jackharlow has the babies soooo pass them my way!

jackharlow: yall better not get my wife drunk

jessicakelce: jackharlow you worry too much! we'll bring her back in one piece! we know better because we cannot leave you in charge with three babies by yourself so I know privategarden is there at the hotel helping your ass. you would fall apart without your wife

jackharlow: jessicakelce I'm tired of you always calling me out

urbanwyatt: of course we're here and jackharlow is trying not to lose his mind without her. I'm getting flashbacks from when she went on that girls trip

yungskylark: urbanwyatt DO NOT BRING UP DARK TIMES

neelamthadhani: yeah because I thought we were all going to die

quiiso: and the fact that neelamthadhani bought jack a plane ticket and was like please go see your wife so you can stop getting on everyone else's nerves 😭

shloob_: oh shit and remember when y/ninsta spotted him at the beach house?!? jack was like 'hey babe! funny running into you here'

2forwoyne: lmaooo her ass was PISSED

normani: we were all thoroughly confused lmao and y/n was just looking at him in disbelief before he proceeded to take her upstairs and fuck her brains out.

theestallion: typical Harlow behavior

jackharlow: that was in the past and yall need to let it go smh

2forwoyne: jackharlow but how you're acting tonight isn't because once again we feel like we're about to die and she's only 20 minutes away

y/ninsta: aww do my babies miss me?

jackharlow: YES I MISS YOU, HURRY UP AND COME BACK

y/ninsta: jackharlow not you, the triplets!

jackharlow: y/ninsta YOUR BIG BABY MISSES YOU AND I NEED SOME ATTENTION

jessicakelce: jackharlow YOU GET HER ALL THE TIME, CAN'T WE HAVE HER FOR ONE DAMN NIGHT?!

jackharlow: jessicakelce no.

jessicakelce: 🙄

Liked by jackharlow, urbanwyatt, lolabrooke, champagnepapi, nlechoppa, estgee, geazy, privategarden, 2forwoyne, and 4,754,092 others

y/ninsta: yall ready for Harlowchella? Because me and hubby jackharlow ready to step on yall fucking necks

jackharlowsource: WE'RE READY SIS! I GOT MY SNACKS AND I'M READY TO SHAKE MY ASS!

jackharlow: my favorite position to have you in to fuck that throat of yours

y/ninsta: JACKMAN, PLEASE 😭

jackharlow: y/ninsta what I say?!? wait until both of our sets are over so you can get this work

urbanwyatt: so that means I'll be on babysitting duty again tonight smh

jackharlow: urbanwyatt for just a few hours and then we'll come and get them

y/ninsta: jackharlow I literally cannot take your fucking ass anywhere because you don't know how to act

2forwoyne: I second this

urbanwyatt: he hasn't known how to act around her since we were fourteen

claybornharlow: y/ninsta little baby has arrived

jackharlow: claybornharlow good, we got another baby sitter so I can hit the back of her throat for a longer period of time

sza: jack please lmaoooooo

y/ninsta: claybornharlow hiiii little baby, Autumn was missing you. she saw your picture and all she kept trying to say for the rest of the day was your name. it came out as Tay, but I obviously knew what she meant lol

claybornharlow: y/ninsta my little babies miss me jackharlow how your kids love me more than you tho?

jackharlow: claybornharlow imma kick your ass but who is currently cuddled up on me? AUTUMN. she not thinking about you

claybornharlow: jackharlow once she sees me, you'll be an afterthought

jackharlow: y/ninsta get him before I do

y/ninsta: jackharlow claybornharlow will you two behave?!

druski2funny: this man doesn't let up but ummm y/ninsta I can take you off his hands any time

y/ninsta: druski2funny aren't yall life partners? at least you were convinced that you two were

jackharlow: no me and druski broke up, jaysontatum is my life partner now

druski2funny: jackharlow but you were the one out here cheating!

jackharlow: druski2funny with who?! my actual wife who has my last name? make it make sense

lilnasx: druski2funny give it up already

dualipa: come sit on my face please

jackharlow: dualipa only face she's sitting on is mine, you know better

Liked by y/ninsta, urbanwyatt, claybornharlow, generationnow, champagnepapi, jaysontatum, quiiso, 2forwoyne, and 6,903,461 others

jackharlow: Harlowchella Part 1 with yours truly

y/ninsta: absolutely killed it baby, so proud of you! and so were our babies! they saw you and couldn't stop smiling. love you smush.

jackandy/naremyparents: WHO CUTTING ONIONS UP IN HERE?! 😭

saweetie: okay little brother, I see you

jackharlow: y/ninsta love you more than you know

y/ninsta: jackharlow but not more than I love you

2forwoyne: OKAY ENOUGH, WE GET IT. YALL LOVE EACH OTHER.

y/ninsta: 2fo is just mad because I didn't get a chance to make him a pound cake last weekend

urbanwyatt: y/ninsta because jackharlow was too busy eating your cakes

urbandjack24: lmaoooo AYE YO!

y/ninsta: urbanwyatt and what about it?!

jackharlow: Bon Appetit 😏😏😏😏

softtcurse: y/ninsta you better watch it before he impregnates you again lmao

y/ninsta: softtcurse HE BETTER NOT

jackharlow: y/ninsta imma put 5 in you this time so we can get to 8 and then we're done

y/ninsta: jackharlow WHO THE FUCK IS CARRYING FIVE AT ONE TIME? I CARRIED THREE AND THAT WAS ENOUGH. GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT. (but if you get someone else pregnant imma hurt you)

jackharlow: you'll look so gorgeous though and you know I'm not getting anyone else pregnant but you

y/ninsta: jackharlow and won't be able to walk. absolutely not. I could barely get around with three. I'm good.

jackharlow: y/ninsta fine, how about twins this time?

y/ninsta: jackharlow NO MULTIPLES

normani: you said that last time and ended up having triplets, make it make sense

jackandy/naremyparents: she was a baddie pregnant though, not that she wasn't already but pregnant y/n will forever have me in a chokehold

dualipa: make me a step mommy again

y/ninsta: WHY THE HELL DO YALL WANT ME TO HAVE ANOTHER BIG HEADED CHILD THAT LOOKS LIKE JACK AGAIN?! I JUST HAD THREE! ARE YALL HOES NOT ENTERTAINED ENOUGH?

jackharlow: outta pocket wifey and my head is not that big, I'll show you a big head

jessicakelce: y/ninsta but Ivy looks like you, Axel is a mix of both of you and Autumn looks like Jack but acts like you and I am definitely down to be an aunt again

blancahood: BRB planning the baby shower

y/ninsta: NO NO AND NO

Liked by jackharlow, generationnow, yungmiami, saweetie, jessicakelce, 2forwoyne, blancahood, and 10,869,114 others

y/ninsta: full circle moment and I just have to say how proud that I am of myself. the little girl from the southside of atlanta made it to coachella. I never thought in a milliion years that this would be my life, but here we are. fine ass husband, three adorable babies, the greatest parents on the face of this earth, and best friends who always want to see me win. to my beautiful fans, thank you, thank you, thank you, now let me finish before I start to cry 💖

Your girl has now officially returned

saweetie: not your ass having me up here getting teary eyed

saweetie: I love you so very much and it was only right for me to give you your flowers. I am always going to be here for you and I always want to see you win. my best friend is the SHIT!

y/ninsta: saweetie and here come the tears 😭😭😭

jackharlow: my baby girl, killing it like always. proud to be your husband.

y/ninsta: jackharlow proud to be your wife.

2forwoyne: our queen has OFFICIALLY returned!

urbandjack24: TRIPLETS WHERE?!? YALL SEE THAT BODY?!

jackandy/naremyparents: SHE FUCKING ATE AND LEFT NO GOT DAMN CRUMBS YASSSS MRS. HARLOW FUCK.IT.UPPPPPP!!

lilnasx: my baby did that!

allthingsy/n: HARLOWCHELLA!!!!!!!!!!!

druski2funny: soooo you gonna twerk on me like that?

jackharlow: druski2funny you just had to say something outta pocket. cut the fucking shit now.

claybornharlow: so proud of you!!

jessicakelce: AHHHHHHH YOU DID THAT MAMAS!

saweetie: and for people who keep asking why some of her closest friends call her Latto or Big Latto is because she always talked about winning at everything in her life and her angel number is 777 which she has a tattoo of. it's short for lottery and she definitely hits the jackpot with everything that she does. like I still remember when we first met and me and jackharlow trying to convince her to release her music, and now look at her!

urbanwyatt: go best friend!! yall better put some respect on her name

2forwoyne: watched her prepare for this for awhile and still get blown away every time I see her perform

yungskylark: and to think that she only wanted to write music, and now look

y/ninsta: PG, my day ones, I love yall bad and yall can always make my heart go boom. so blessed to have yall in my life and don't want to have it any other way. all jokes aside, thank you for being amazing friends to me and always helping to see what's important in life and protecting me.

shloob_: damn, y/n is usually always the one to cry, but now it might be me

blancahood: you kill it every damn time

y/ninsta: saweetie I love you so much bestie and thank you for always being there for me even if I get on your nerves sometimes lmaoooo

saweetie: y/ninsta never leaving your side. we in this shit for life 😘

urbanwyatt: you know we're going to protect you until the end of time

quiiso: we have no hesitations to beat someone's ass over you lmao

y/ninsta: quiiso and that goes both ways lol

Liked by y/ninsta, privategarden, theshaderoom, coachella, champagnepapi, blancahood, urbanwyatt, softtcurse and 9,204,761 others

jackharlow: so proud of my wife. you killed it baby 🥺

She was so nervous and didn't think she was ready, but I assured her that she was. I could tell how much she missed performing and I know how much it meant to her. so what better way for the queen to come back then on the coachella stage?

bottom line: my wife a baddie

Harlowchella was a success

y/ninsta: POOKIE, I LOVE YOU 😭

jackharlow: y/ninsta love you more than anything mamas

jackandy/naremyparents: we love a supportive husband. we stan, we stan, WE STAN

urbanwyatt: and she pushed herself harder than ever to prepare for it and it definitely paid off

jackharlow: she made everyone in the damn house go vegan for three months smh

2forwoyne: oh. what I was eating was vegan?

quiiso: 2forwoyne we know your dumbass don't care what it is as long as she makes it for you

saweetie: and jackharlow was calling me complaining about how he needed for me to sneak real food into the house because he was hungry smh and urbanwyatt too lmao

blancahood: saweetie LMAOOOO my mans was going through it!

jackharlow: saweetie your best friend was starving me smh

y/ninsta: jackharlow I was not! weren't you the one to say eating pussy every day keeps the doctor away? YOU GOT FED PLENTY

sza: well shit

normani: his dumbass would say some shit like that

jackharlow: I plead the fifth

dualipa: feed me next, please. but on a serious note, I'm very proud of you and all that you've accomplished in such a short time.

jackharlow: dualipa she's not feeding you a got damn thing smh

urbanwyatt: yeahhhh vegan isn't for me and I learned the hard way with being her test taster for everything smh

2forwoyne: urbanwyatt then stop being so damn greedy smh

jackharlow: 2forwoyne I KNOW FOR A FACT YOUR ASS ISN'T TALKING SMH you worse than my damn kids. you hear a package opening and your ass SPRINTS to the kitchen on some usain bolt type shit.

yungskylark: I was about to say the same thing lmao

2forwoyne: no 2fo slander will be tolerated smh

y/ninsta: jackharlow look now. I cannot have your big ass head on my chest along with two of your spawns while you hold the other one. YALL ARE HEAVY.

jackharlow: y/ninsta look they wanted you so I had to come through for my babies and we are NOT heavy!

normani: jackharlow I know you've seen how big your head is in the mirror, stop playing

jackharlow: normani CUT IT OUT

y/ninsta: jackharlow I know otherwise, but I vote you to be the one to wake them up so we can get ready for our flight later... at 3 am.

jackharlow: y/ninsta WHAT BY MYSELF?

y/ninsta: jackharlow urbanwyatt will help you. I carried them for 33 weeks, it's literally the least you can do. I'm sleepy.

urbanwyatt: now why am I in it?

jessicakelce: lmaoooo the definition of get somebody else to do it

jackharlow: y/ninsta imma get you back for that, just watch🙄

Taglist:

@harlowsbby

@babyharleezy

@hoodharlow

@stefansalvatoresgf

@jackiehollanderr

@primadxna-girl

@dessmxsworld

@cockslutslurper3000

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@fluidsentiment

@charli123456789

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@alinaharlow

@carma-fanficaddict

@minaxcarter

@arination99

@xjup1t3r

@venusvinc

@jacksmoviestar

@jackharloww

@midnight-star47

@minkookie95

@inluvwithladybug

@exoticr0ses

@jharlowsangels

@jackierose902109

@jackmansbabymama

@cmalass

@megawhoree

@softtcurse

@sia2raw

@miniaturehideoutmentality

@hoya122

@nattinatalia

@jackslover12

@skyesthebomb

@jackharlows-world

@louisianalady

@fdl305

@automaticpeachsong

@harlowcomehome

@gassyandsassy1

@babygirlwilly

@amethyst09

@harrycanyonmoonn

@toocriticalharlow

@tattered-tales

@sisiking99

@dessxoxsworld

@gillybear17

@jacksdaycare

@iheartharlow

@disaster-rose

@babyvinnie

@evansxchalamet

@chtkmyharlow​

@itsyagirljaz

@neon-lights-and-glitter

@awhore4moree

[lonelylonelyghost]

Re-watch of The Spirealm. Episode 23

Nature in all its ominous glory

As far as the last images you see before you die, this is pretty good actually

RIP girl

Nice picture btw. I wouldn't want it on my bedroom wall, but if it was hanging somewhere near the entrance door, to scare the guests and myself occasionally - that'd be pretty cool.

"You stand on the bridge to view the scenery,

and people who view the scenery look at you upstairs.

The moon decorated your window,

and you decorated someone else's dream."

Nothing quite like a piece of cryptic poetry to start off your day

I need to see more of the Mistress's dress, it seems to look amazing. I want official full-body posters...

The Sun, the Death, the Noble Jester, The Giant and the Ghost

A gang

Jawline.

shut up.

He's so worried for his Lingling...

"You should let me leave this world. Me appearing in the game is equivalent to cheating. If you get caught you'll be punished severely."

"As long as you're here with me, I'm not afraid of any punishment!"

The ride or die!...

"I'm offline now. I'll die if I go out. I'm content to just be here with you. I played this game because I was lonely. But I met you. And now I'm not lonely anymore..."

ಥ_ಥ

The red string!!!

I noticed that the show treats Xiong Qi' and Xiao Ke's story is in some way similar to Nanzhu' and Qiushi's, in that they don't state clearly about the nature of their relationship, but make it as intense as possible. Ready to do anything for each other, literally tied together with a red string of fate, so who cares about the labels? They are each other's person, and that's enough. This is by far my favourite kind of m/f dynamic. GIMME MORE

Not to ruin the moment, but I think this is the only instance when the drama can legitimately show on screen Nanzhu getting on top of Qiushi

The RAGE!

Nice

"We both are women. I know how you feel. Many women have been hurt by love. We are easy to be bullied and mentally controlled. I've acted many eye-candy roles. None of these characters are divorced. I envy you. You're going the wrong way, but you've been looking for a way out."

"Is improper behavior also worth to be envied?"

"Of course! One day, you'll reach your solution. The Twelve Sufferings you drew is dreary. I don't like it. I like this one the best. Art and insights don't matter at all. What really matters is your choice."

Tan Zaozao is terrified but still reaches out to the Mistress with kindness. Have I told already that I love her?

The portrait is beautiful

(It looks a bit like it was drawn by Shen Yi)

And she's starting her life anew 🥲

"See you in the next Door"

😭😭😭😭

"Thank you." "And how exactly are you going to thank me?"

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" "...I haven't decided yet."

"Have a rest. You can think it over once you've recovered."

Well, Qiushi walked right into that one, didn't he

"Don't leave. Stay with me a little longer." "Alright."

COME ON!

"Tan Zaozao, do you think that I'm too weak now to teach you a lesson?"

"Lingling-ge, calm Ruan-ge down, he wants to beat me!"

"What tool do you want to use? The fruit knife?"

You asked the wrong person to defend your honor, Zaozao! ehehe

OK, alright, ok, so....

[unholy screeching]

First of all, I officially will be reminded of THIS moment every time the lychees are mentioned in ANY context for the rest of my life.

Second of all, WHAT. WAS. THAT. Like seriously. How was that filmed? How was that supposed to have any heterosexual explanation? Just bros being dudes, hand-feeding each other fruits sensually? Like, be for real.

And third of all, Qiushi's face???????? Oh, he knows what he's doing and what kind of effect he has on Nanzhu, the amount of power he wields over him. And he uses this power to just take care of him!...

This one (and the Bite Scene TM) are the most homoerotic moments in the history of forever.

I rest my case.

what the FUCK

"Cheng Yixie? How did you know we were here?"

"I could smell you."

I...😳I did NOT remember this bit of the dialogue...

[scarefox]

Ok since we are already talking about the toxic side of shipping culture. Here is a post that is marinating in my drafts since weeks

And since we today finally got the closest Net & James ever got since months on a picture / video, let me rant a little

Because it is so very obvious that they are not allowed to be seen on each others posts atm due to the fan backlash of their separation... and this is so fucking sad. EVEN THO they ended their acting-partnership clearly stating they are still friends and supporting each other. That nothing bad happened between them. AND it is also so obvious that they are constantly at the same events. If it's Domundi group events, some party, birthdays, concerts from their coworker etc. There are so many photos and videos of Net and James taken few seconds apart, almost standing next to each other. You can see by the location, background, their clothes, the people standing next to them.

But the problem with this is, that people think they had a fight and this must be the true reason for their separation...

If they had bad blood they would not still like each others posts. And sure as hell would not sit near each other at such a big event in the photo, where they could sit next to whoever from their coworkers. They just had to put Nat between them so toxic shippers can't use this as "NetJames reuniting" or whatever.... (also once again reminder: James did not quit acting nor Domundi, he just quit from one acting job while Net stayed and gets a new partner... why is this even such a drama)

They can't win this either way:

if they show they are still hanging out and interact, the toxic shippers will keep annoying and begging them to get back "together" and continue their actor-ship instead of Net getting a new partner. It could even endanger Nets new partner getting hate, if they keep showing up together. (he already got hate for being excited that "Love Upon a Time" can now finally get started since he found a new partner, but he didn't show excitement when James still was his partner... people with brain might understand why that is, when James was unsure about his decision since months which paused the project)

but staying on distance looks like the haters are right that they had a fallout even though they said they are still friends. Hater and toxics eat that up and are looking for who of them to blame for the ship bubble to burst (which is James because how dare he quit a job for multiple personal reasons that are nobodies business but are officially: James has other life goals he wants to focus on as well & got a leg injurie that takes forever to heal properly. But unofficial yet also obvious: James mental health & some secret issue they mentioned but don't tell, which means it is nobodies business)

I would love them to go option 1 with a clear shut down message to the problematic crowd.

It's sad and ridiculous. I just hope this doesn't harm their friendship behind the screens....

It's so mindboggling for me how so many people are (still !!!) looking for someone to blame and put hate onto, even though it's one of the most peaceful and understandable mutually agreed on separations... I don't get it, why people can't just leave it at that and be happy about the good things they both gave us as a duo. But instead they have to turn it into a war... like it's not even the first time ship partners go different ways or someone drops out of a production for personal reasons. Chill.... there are worse things in life. And I say that as big NetJames fan. Like half of the NetJames posts in the tumblr tag are from me.

I have to admit that they both felt more distant with their online presence for months before James quit LUAT. Maybe they tried to soft launch the separation since they knew for a while. Maybe they drifted apart as people. But watching their last fan meeting vlog together, they seemed fine despite them not hanging on each other the whole time. Also their snowboard trip, they both had friendly jokes with eo on xitter and on the photos literally a day before James injury and him dropping out of the drama shortly after.

But those (and the OffGunTayNew thing) are reasons why I hate this real shipping culture in this current form. Don't get me wrong I do love actors having fun together, fun-flirting and them enjoy fanservice even on the most unhinged levels they feel comfortable with. So many of the actors clearly state nowadays that they are not dating, that they are just buddies, coworkers and teasing for fun and good vibes. NetJames were always honest about that too. But some fans are still not able to take the "shipping glasses" down and separate between the acting jobs, promo and them just being coworkers who are also friends. Even if they would have dated for real and now broke up it still wouldn't be fans business to butt in and demand explanations on who, why and what and then even demand them to stay together despite it not working for them.

[undrgrnd-nft]

Tezos Goes Big

I really didn’t want to write this, I swear. I have real work to do, podcasts to edit and my daughter is home sick; but, it’s like holding in a sneeze, when I have something to say it’s best to get it out.

This is not about the @tezos event at Art Basel Miami. It may be what is driving the conversation but this is not really about the displays in a lobby of a hotel.

This is the culmination of years of disrespect to a driving force of adoption and endemic of the crypto space (and society) at large.

Art rejuvenating dead space is not a novel concept. In fact, in Miami, there’s an entire area that could have been used as a template by all blockchains. It’s called Wynnewood, look it up and you’ll get the New York Times article I reference all the time.

What was once an industrial park became a hub for restaurants, music and entertainment: culture.

Why? Because some graffiti artists began painting on the cold gray walls of a concrete jungle.

Did those artists share any of the financial gain brought to the neighborhood? No, but think of the exposure!

Web3 was not built by nor built for creatives like us (yea, I’m putting myself in that group, shut up about it). It was built by boys and men that look, talk and act like me (white, male, presumable douchey based on appearance) but lack a moral and emotional foundation.

They use the right words, have picked up key phrases and platitudes, but at the core it’s not about the things many of us value. It’s not about art.

It’s not about a reorganization of institutions that were built to keep specific classes, races and sexes subservient.

It is not building a utopian-Marxist future where the moral and decent are rewarded financially for their collective effort.

Look at the state of streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, Peacock, Max. What was once meant to disrupt the cable industry has now become Cable Networks 2.0.

The same is true in crypto. What started as a revolution has become a hype parade led by influencers masquerading as cultural relevance.

Remember the @TezosFoundation Permanent Collection drama? In a Twitter space shortly after things began to spiral downward, one of the leads made a comment on the criticisms, “if this is the response maybe we won’t do this again.”

We all knew it then.

But many of us came here to create something better. So we, many of them my friends, gave second chances, put a positive spin on it and took their opportunity when it was offered.

I was jealous.

Because I would have done the same.

UNDRGRND is just me: a stay at home dad, taking care of a toddler who disrupts the means of production constantly. I know how hard it is to put together something and share it with an audience.

But so does every artist I write about.

So when we watch people with large budgets, people who are able to make a living on crypto already, getting paid to present the work of others and the result is done with the level of care it takes to hang a Missing Cat poster on a telephone pole, it’s infuriating.

Many of the artists I’ve gotten to know over these past three years were creative directors in their web2 lives. Do you know what they could have done with a fraction the amount of money @tezos has in its war chest?

It’s disrespectful.

It always has been.

I’m going to push post on this in a few minutes and the anxiety is rising. I know others are going to criticize what I’m launching in the coming months.

I’m in a glass house throwing rocks.

The difference is I’m not deluded enough to think I have all the answers or have an ego like I’ve done anything yet.

I’m just a guy writing about the things I like while my four-year-old sleeps on me.

This was never about the display.

It was about the devaluation of creatives for years and the continuation of a broken social contract that promised an idealistic future.

So heed the lesson because we’re tired of this shit.

And I’m fucking coming…

- Founder of UNDRGRND, @NFTjoe

[lady-october]

Pairing : Oli Sykes x Female Assistant Genre : Romance, Smut (18+ Only) Previous Chapters : 01-16 On Ao3

Story Content : 18+, Smut, Drama, Choking, Power dynamics, Romance, Sadism/Masochism, Dom/Sub, Mentions of addiction & self harm, Degradation, Praise kink, Exhibitionism, Breath play, Dirty talk.

Summary :

“Don’t you see what a dangerous game you’re playing? Why did you have to look so fucking delicious tonight, I couldn’t stop undressing you in my mind, thinking of all the twisted things I want to do to you.” She had only worked on the touring team for three weeks, but her mind had been hijacked by dirty thoughts of a man she barely even talked to. Sure, he was very attractive, but were there other reasons she was so uncontrollably drawn to him? This is a filthy story of pain, self discovery, and love.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 17: Oh, give me a break

Chapter title is lyrics from "Ludens"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I can’t believe I told him I have feelings for him, just one day after realising I even have them at all.

What the hell am I doing?

I was leaning against the door I’d just shut behind me, still holding the handle after leaving Oli in his dressing room, wearing one of his oversized shirts turned inside out to make it less obvious it belonged to him, clutching my cum stained silk dress, balled up in my other hand.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I’d ended up agreeing to two dates, with two different men, when I’d just been questioning whether I should be dating at all within the near future.

Yet here I was, drowning in dates.

Pushing off the door I began wandering down the corridor towards my dressing room, my mind racing with thoughts.

Tonight had been eye opening in many ways. Spending so much time with Oli had been nothing short of incredible, making me want more time with him. So, despite my fears, it had been hard to turn down another opportunity to get to know him better.

But Mat?

Sure I hadn’t actually talked to Mat about a date yet, but considering how concerned Oli was about him, I might as well spend some time with him to settle Oli’s worries. If nothing else it was an opportunity to solidify a friendship I would very much like to have in the future.

Because while Mat was incredibly charming, it was honestly hard to place him in a sexual setting. There were just no real sparks between us.

Unlike like with Oli, where things were so electric they should come with a high voltage warning.

When I reached what I thought was my dressing room, I mindlessly opened the door, not stopping to think that maybe I should be a bit more cautious since all these doors look the same.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw behind the door that most certainly did not belong to my dressing room.

Mat was sprawled on a large arm chair across the room, leaned back with his plaid shirt open to reveal a hairy chest that was covered in a decent amount of ink work, trousers around his ankles and his hand wrapped around his cock, stroking it slowly with his head leaned back in ecstasy right before cum started shooting in long shots across his stomach. His hand squeezed the armrest, making the veins on his arm pop as the muscles there tensed where his sleeves were rolled up.

I was completely stunned, my heart got stuck in my throat but also somehow managed to travel down to my pussy within milliseconds.

More cum shot out, going a bit further this time, hitting his chest, eliciting a moan from him – low and guttural as his head came back up. He must not have heard me when I opened the door as he appeared surprised to see me – yet his orgasm continued, clearly too all-consuming to stop what he was doing despite my interruption, so the surprise quickly glazed over with a hungry, piercing stare that threatened to bring me to my knees if I didn’t focus.

“Alice,” He breathed as more cum flowed onto him, the surprise creeping slowly back into his features, snapping me out of my stunned state.

“Fuck– Wait!” Is all I heard as I instantly slammed the door shut and began sprinting down the corridor.

So much for not being able to place him in a sexual setting.

How was I ever supposed to get that image out of my head?

I heard the door open, so I desperately darted my eyes around to find my own dressing room, but I was thrown off, turned around, and uncontrollably turned on.

“Alice, wait!” His words echoed down the entire length of the corridor.

I started randomly opening doors hoping one of them would magically lead to my dressing room, but I heard his footsteps getting close, so I begged the universe that the next door would be the right one.

It was not.

I shut the door, about to dash to the next one, when a warm hand suddenly appeared on my wrist. I froze in place for two reasons; the wrist in question was connected to my hand clutching the cum stained dress, and while I should be worrying about him seeing the dress – seeing the very obvious stains and putting the puzzle pieces together – I could only seem to focus on the fact that the warm hand on my wrist had just been wrapped around Mat’s hard cock.

I swallowed.

“Alice, I’m so sorry, I thought I’d locked the damn thing.” 

His words made me realise my eyes had been transfixed on his hand, so I looked away, only to take in all the other extremely distracting things going on; such as the still hard cock straining against his zipped up but unbuckled jeans, the bare chest that had just been covered in cum.

How did he have time to wipe it all off?

And finally his flushed face, and green eyes that caused me to inhale sharply as they met mine.

He looked so worried, yet some of the same energy from the piercing stare he gave me during his orgasm was still lingering there.

“N-no, I’m sorry, I should have knocked, I thought– I thought it w-was my room.” I felt myself starting to ramble, and I would probably have gone on for a lot longer if he hadn’t cut me off.

“None of that, it was completely my fault.” He let go of my wrist before he continued, and I tucked my hand behind my back, attempting to hide the dress. 

“Can we just pretend this never happened? I really don’t want this to ruin anything between us.” I could hear him speaking to me, but I’d gotten distracted by the slight movement on his chest. 

I looked down to see a single drop of cum he must have missed when cleaning up in a hurry, which was now slowly running down his chest, lacing through the hair there.

While deeply distracted, my mind had somehow still managed to process what he was asking of me – it just took a bit longer than usual.

“Sure, we can do that.” I breathed, clearly flustered, clearly turned on. Panicked, I darted my eyes back to his to see if he’d noticed my state, and he very clearly had. His stare had turned dark and dirty, and I felt the air thicken with sexual tension.

But I couldn’t go down this path – couldn’t even begin to process this path, so I straightened, cleared my throat and spoke as collected as I could, “But don’t worry, we’re fine.” My words came flat, which I was very happy about, as it caused Mat to straighten as well.

“Good.” He returned, just as flatly, making it clear we’d both agreed to not let the tension build any further. He took a deep breath, releasing even more tension, “Are you alright by the way? You never came back tonight.”

Crap.

I hadn’t crafted a lie yet for why I ran after Oli tonight instead of spending time with Mat as planned, so I opened my mouth and hoped I could come up with something on the spot.

“I didn’t mean to disappear for so long. I just remembered, I–”

Thankfully he cut me off again, cause I had nothing.

“No need to explain love, as long as you’re okay, yeah?” While he still had cum running down his chest, his expression had thankfully returned to the usual warm smile that so often played on his lips.

I smiled back at him, glad that he was so understanding and patient with me.

“I’m alright.” I said softly, realising for the first time how warm my face was – I must have been blushing deeply this entire interaction.

Suddenly Mat leaned back some, appearing nervous, “This is probably the worst possible time to do this, but I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to the lake near the hotel tomorrow afternoon with me.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond before it was his turn to ramble, “Oh, and you don’t have to decide now– think about it, and we’ll talk tomorrow– or you could–”

So it was my turn to cut him off, “I’d like that.” I said without thinking, knowing I’d already mentally agreed to a date with him.

Somewhere in the back of my mind it occurred to me that maybe I should have taken a bit longer to decide considering recent events.

The surprise was back in his eyes, “Oh, okay, great!” He exclaimed with a massive smile, “I think you’ll enjoy it – one hell of a view.” 

I’m sure it was, yet the only view in my head at the moment consisted of his piercing eyes on me as he was coming all over himself.

I hadn’t realised it, but my gaze had wandered down to his crotch again. 

He was still hard. 

As soon as I caught myself I snapped my eyes back to his, which were suddenly swimming with lust again – having noticed what I was doing, how I was looking at him.

“I’ll let you go.” He said low and distant, clearly restraining himself.

I nodded shakily, “Okay.”

Slipping out of his close proximity, I began walking down the corridor, trying to collect myself.

“Alice?”

I stopped and looked back at him, confused.

“Your dressing room’s that way.” He pointed the opposite direction I was heading.

Kicking myself mentally, I threw him a sheepish smile, turned around and walked past him again.

My mind was racing so fast I thought it was going to explode, I wasn’t even aware someone could be this utterly confused.

All I could do was focus on getting my things and heading to bed.

As I was getting into my bunk I noticed Oli’s curtain was already shut, in fact, only his and Liam’s were. 

I paused for a long moment, considering joining him since everyone here already knew about us, but the thought of facing him after what just happened with Mat made me nauseous, so I crawled into my own bunk and closed the curtain behind me.

Picking up my phone, I stared at our chat history, considering how to tell him – if I should tell him.

No, I knew I had to tell him what happened; I couldn’t bear the thought of starting anything with Oli while hiding the fact that I’d seen one of his best friends having an orgasm.

Is that what I was doing, starting something with Oli?

The all-too familiar edge of panic began scraping along my spine at the thought, causing me to put away my phone.

I felt hopelessly lost in unknown territory, bone chilling uncertainty lurking around every corner; every unexpected bump in the road, every new and all-too exciting surprise leaving me jarred and horrified over and over again.

I sighed deeply.

Despite how terrified I was, all I wanted to do right now was entangle my limbs with Oli’s, cuddle up close, and fall asleep in his arms as I listened to his steady heart beat.

At some point my daydreaming must have turned to actual dreams, because before I knew it Liam’s alarm was blaring again.

I’m not sure how he’d managed to find such an annoyingly high pitched, screeching sound for his alarm, but it sure was effective at waking you up.

However, I wasn’t ready to get up yet. I wanted to stay in my bunk for at least five minutes, giving the others some time to get dressed and get out of here so I wouldn’t have to face both Oli and Mat at the same time.

After hearing multiple steps on the stairs followed by distant voices, I decided it was a good time to get up.

It was not.

In fact, I couldn’t have picked a worse time to pull back the curtain.

Mat was standing in the aisle, his bulge showing through his boxers, framed by jeans that were pulled up but still unzipped. He was mid slipping a shirt over his head, but his eyes locked with mine as soon as his head popped through the neck hole, shooting me an intimate, flirty smile that sent a shiver down my spine.

I looked away immediately.

But without meaning to, my gaze had landed on Oli.

He was still laying in his bunk with the curtain pulled back, revealing nearly all of his ink covered skin besides what was hidden under his boxes – which were riding dangerously low and barely concealing what looked like the late stages of fading morning wood. He ran his hands through his hair, causing all his muscles to move beautifully, perversely, before he sat up, his sleepy hazel eyes meeting mine with a lazy, absolutely filthy smile as his messy locks fell back over his face.

I swallowed, heat spreading through me, knowing exactly how much trouble I was in, before I grabbed for whatever clothes I could find and disappeared downstairs into the bathroom.

Thankfully the utter chaos of work took over as soon as I was done getting ready, with Liam ordering me to do things left, right, and centre – not giving me much time to either think about or interact with the men that I had dates with later today.

Until it was time to set off.

We were only about an hour away from the next venue, which is where we’d park the bus with all the equipment, taking a rented van to the famous hotel that I’d grown quite curious about, having heard nothing but stories of beautiful scenery, perfect rooms, and incredible food, making me wonder if the place really was as magical as everyone made it out to be.

While walking towards the tour bus I pulled out my phone, daring to check my messages for the first time today. 

There were three unread messages from Oli, all sent within the last forty minutes.

“Oli: Alright love, told the lads I’m taking you on a lil adventure tonight.”

“Oli: Didn’t know Mat already asked you out tho, did you run into him last night?”

“Oli: Wear some underwear when you’re with him.”

Not a question, but an order.

I considered responding before crossing the parking lot, but a stressed Liam spotted me, waving me towards the bus.

“Get a move on, love! I want to be done with this bloody morning!” He yelled before disappearing through the bus door.

I couldn’t blame him, no one was looking forward to this hotel more than him considering how tired he was from non stop driving. This would be our longest stay in any one place since the tour started, with it consisting of three entire nights, giving him a rather long break from the bus.

As soon as I stepped on the bus the door closed behind me and Liam set off, threatening to send me flying to the floor, but I held onto the interior as I clumsily made my way to the seating area.

“Hiya love, come have a seat.” I heard Oli say before a familiar hand appeared in front of me, offering to help me get seated as Liam rushed to get us onto the motorway.

I looked up to see Oli smiling sweetly at me, a similar softness to his expression from last night after I’d all-too impulsively confessed I have feelings for him, causing butterflies to suddenly flutter in my stomach.

“Thanks.” I responded before I slipped my hand into his. I couldn’t help but dart my eyes around the bus to see who was watching us with my hand in his, as it somehow felt incredibly intimate and almost wrong to do this in front of everyone, regardless of how innocent of a gesture it actually was.

Only Lee and Mat were downstairs, and while Lee didn’t pay us any mind, Mat was sitting on the sofa across from us, watching us, appearing quite tense as Oli pulled me in front of him.

For a moment I felt as if I was being guided towards him, to sit in his lap, bringing me close to a panicked state, but thankfully he kept guiding me to the seat after his – next to him.

As soon as I got into my seat Oli’s hand slipped away to immediately grab for a notebook and pen he’d tucked between himself and the seat, scribbling words down that I couldn’t quite read from this angle.

“Alice, do you like risotto? They make an incredible one at the hotel, thought I’d bring some for the lake today.”

My eyes snapped to Mat who had asked me the question, but before I got a chance to respond Oli spoke up next to me.

“Don’t know, but she likes sushi.” He muttered, clearly too focused on whatever he was writing to realise he’d spoken on my behalf. As soon as he’d said it, he looked up from his notebook, wide-eyed, realising what he’d done, “I think anyway– was that right, Alice?”

“Oh, I love sushi!” Mat said cheerfully, but his chipper expression quickly turned to a frown, “But I don’t think they make that there.”

“I like both.” I responded quietly, wanting the incredibly awkward moment to come to an end as soon as possible.

“Great.” Mat gave me a very thoughtful, almost apologetic smile, as if he could tell how uncomfortable I was.

A horrible silence fell, causing Oli to return to his writing.

I considered picking up my phone, to respond to Oli’s texts, but Mat spoke up before I could gather my thoughts on what to type.

“I could really use some more caffeine, you alright to whip up a coffee, love?”

His thoughtful smile had turned more cheeky, almost as if he had an ulterior motive for his request. 

No, that thought seemed ridiculous, so I pushed it aside at the same time I pushed myself out of my seat.

“Of course, what do you want?” Thankfully we were on the motorway by now and it was perfectly safe to walk around again, or to handle boiling water. While it had initially seemed like a horrible idea to make coffee while driving, the band seemed to run on caffeine, so after many days worth of practice, I’d gotten pretty good at it, having only burnt myself a handful of times.

“Just black, please.”

I noticed Oli’s attention on his notebook falter, giving me a side glance as I prepared the drink.

“Perfect.” Mat said low, nearly under his breath, as I handed him his coffee, giving me a similar smile to the dirty one from last night, eliciting images from his hand wrapped around his cock, how he breathed my name as cum spilled onto his stomach.

Get your fucking shit together, Alice.

Right as I was about to turn around, to sit back down next to Oli, Mat moved over in his seat, clearly indicating for me to sit next to him instead.

I froze.

“Smells good that.” Oli said loudly behind me, shutting the notebook with a slap, “Alice, make me one too.”

I looked back at Oli, but he was staring at Mat, as if to say two can play at that game.

But I didn’t want to be part of the game, in fact, I wanted the game to go somewhere very far, far away, and never return.

Yet all I could think of to do was follow Oli’s orders.

When I finished making his drink I walked over to him, trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever would come next, hoping this would be the last of it.

“Ta, love.” He purred, giving me the same wicked smile that nearly floored me the first time I was introduced to him – now it stirred so much more in my chest than just attraction.

“You know what, can I get a sugar?” Mat said casually behind me, causing my heart to sink, but Oli’s eyes on me were unwavering, making me wonder if he’d expected Mat to continue their ridiculous game.

“Of course.” I breathed anxiously as I went to grab some sugar packets.

Lee let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly annoyed by their antics, “Fucking hell lads, start swinging fists at each other instead, so the poor bird can take a bloody seat.”

While I wanted to disintegrate, Oli seemed nothing but amused by Lee’s outburst.

“Can’t do that, I’d never hurt the elderly.” Oli said with a wide grin, staring teasingly at Mat.

Mat huffed, but he also seemed oddly entertained, “Fuck off, I’m like six months older than you.”

I slipped some sugar packets on the table next to Mat, but he didn’t pay me any mind as he was too preoccupied with Oli, so I took a seat on the other side of the sofa, close to Lee – a neutral statement, not publicly picking either man's side.

Oli’s eyes on Mat intensified, also not paying attention to me anymore, “Eight actually– you think you could take me?”

Mat just laughed at him, “Of course, you fight like a headless chicken.”

“When did you ever see me fight?” Oli asked with a frown.

Mat fidgeted slightly as his lips bloomed into a guilty smile, “In school.”

“You gonna judge me on my fighting skills from fucking 20 odd years ago?” Oli asked in amused disbelief.

“It’s either that or Call of Duty last week, and we both know how that went.”

Oli’s frown deepened as he leaned forward in his seat, pointing at Mat, “Hey– that’s not fair, you kept fucking with my controller.”

Their banter was friendly, fun even, clearly showcasing both how well, and how long, they’ve known each other, and while I was happy they so quickly moved away from the original predicament; me, it didn’t stop me from nearly suffocating by the weight of all my guilt, which was accumulating at an alarming rate.

The idea of potentially putting a crack in such a good friendship was horrifying, and everything in me was screaming to put an end to it, to make things simple for everyone and just leave the touring team.

But there were already feelings involved, made painfully clear by how my heart tugged every time I looked at Oli.

As I watched the men joke and enjoy each other's company, I realised I was in entirely too deep to walk away now; the only way out of this mess was through it, so I would approach today with an open mind, trying not to let my fears rule me like they have my whole life.

Lee leaned in to speak close to my ear as Mat and Oli were still joking around.

“You alright, love?”

My eyes snapped to him in surprise at his question, but he was staring at my lap with a frown, so I looked down at my hands in my lap; I’d unknowingly been clutching a sugar packet so hard it had burst open, spilling sugar all over me – and I hadn’t even noticed.

“Just a bit tense.” I said, knowing damn well I was close to a panic attack.

Knowing damn well that fear still ruled me.

... Subscribe to the story on Ao3 for future updates

[archivalofsins]

Let's just barrel through these what's the last question I discussed again-

Oh, yeah the third.

How many in are we now? Eight- There's eight now. Gunsli what exactly have you been doing? Honestly I've been working on the ocmilgram with Star and also watching Utena. Outside of that I'm going to level with you all. I'm actually bored with Kotoko's interrogation.

These questions are like the worst of trial two. It's like no one even knows who Kotoko is as a character. So, let's break down why I feel this way while emphasizing what I meant when I said if a person tells you who they are fucking believe them.

(Editted: 04/02/24 2:00pm For clarity and to add extra information that was neglected due to the draft glitching out like several times and me just wanting to be done.)

Q.04 How familiar are you with the other prisoners' changes?

Kotoko: Wouldn’t you know more about that? What I have is just from things I’ve observed and a bit of prior knowledge. I’ve been collecting information on criminals for a while after all.

I'm going to try to be brief with this question because all the ones after this go rather in depth. So, here's a list of all the times Kotoko has expressly stated that she's gathering information on the prisoners as she goes.

Kotoko's Trial One Voice Drama,

"Guard-san. No... Es. Don't you want to join forces with me? I think the two of us would make good partners."

Join forces with you?

"With you, in the role of the Prison Guard with the information that you gather from interrogations, and me, in the role of Prisoner with the information I gather from my daily life here- Working together and sharing our findings. What do you think?"

Kotoko states from the beginning that she will use her position as a prisoner to gather information on the other prisoners.

Basically, offering to be a mole for Es or go undercover. Pretending to be just another prisoner while secretly having an alliance with the guard and feeding them information on the others. Now it's up to personal opinion whether she's good at that or not. Especially since she completely throws that idea to the wayside in favor of being hired muscle as soon as her behavior is validated.

However, she does blatantly admit that she doesn't know much about the prisoners which is why she plans to observe them or has already started observing them in some cases. As she flatly states that she's already been observing someone.

If you're going there, then I'll ask. When did you sneak into the interrogation room? Even if it's true that you saved me, I don't remember promising to forgive you for that rogue-like behavior.

"Is that so? Then I'd like to ask; is Milgram purposefully designed in that way?"

Designed that way as in... Letting prisoners do what they want?

"You should be the one to know about this. The cells here don't even have locks."

I... should know?

"For example, me being suspicious of Mikoto Kayano's actions, carefully tracking him and his behavior, it's all under your permission."

Then the information she gives Es within her first voice drama to prove how useful she could be is all stuff she and the audience were capable of observing through Milgram.

21/10/26 (Kotoko’s First Trial)

Kotoko: ……come, Es. Let’s fight together.

"Heh..... It seems like, as always, you're a stubborn one."

Say that again, why don't you.

"Haruka Sakurai. There's more vigor to his actions than before. Although he comes off as weird and immature, it appears that he now has a budding interest in the conversations of those around him."

21/04/19 (Futa’s Birthday)

Haruka: U-uh, um, Futa-kun! Um! Um!!

Futa: Huh? Shut up already… Didn’t I already say not to make a big fuss about my birthday. I’m not some kid who gets excited by stuff like that anymore!

Haruka: ……?? Ah, er, i-is it your birthday……? Th-that, ah, um, h-happy birthday……

Futa: ………… You will tell nobody about this conversation.

21/06/22 (Haruka’s Birthday)

Mu: Haruka-kun, are you awake……? Happy birthday.

Haruka: M-Mu-san? I… I-I’m awake…… Th-thank you, very much. I’m… glad……

Mu: ………… Shall we talk? You know, recently I’ve been pretty interested in you.

Haruka: ……!! I-in me…? Hehe, hehehe…… interested, in me.

1/09/02 (Yuno’s Birthday)

Haruka: Y-Yuno-san. Good morning! T-today’s your birthday, right……? Ha-happy birthday……!!

Yuno: Oooh…… Thanks? You’ve definitely changed a bit huh, Haruka. You speak a little louder now, and actually look people in the eyes when you talk.

Haruka: Eh, ah, i-is that so…… I wasn’t, aware of it myself, but...... Heh, hehe. Is that so.

Yuno: Ding ding! My sensor is telling me…… this is probably a girl’s influence. Well, everyone here is slowly changing, I guess. Even me.

...

"On the outside, Yuno Kashiki doesn't seem to have changed much. However, I think her habbit of going along with others all willy-nilly is fading out. Or maybe the real Yuno Kashiki is only starting to reveal herself now."

21/07/05 (Mu’s Birthday)

Mu: Yuno. Don’t you have something to say to me?

Yuno: Huh? To you? Me? ……ahh, uh? Your birthday, right? Happy birthday~

Mu: How mean… Since it’s my birthday, I really wish you’d said something before I had to come and tell you myself.

Yuno: Right, right, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in future~ Later! Haha… things have become even more of a bother… ……so was that Mu-chan’s real personality, then? It’s probably because the guard did something, right?

Hey, what kind of performance is this?!

"Futa Kajiyama has definitely undergone a major change. He's now lashing out at others less and less, although he's justifying and defending himself more than ever-"

21/01/17 (Mahiru’s Birthday)

Mahiru: Fufu, it’s a special day today. I can’t help but feel something good’s going to happen.

Futa: What’s with all the muttering to yourself. It’s creepy.

Mahiru: Geez, you really don’t understand, Futa-kun. You’ll never have a proper romance with that attitude!

Futa: Who cares. Obviously this is because today’s your birthday. It’s just the day you happened to be born, it doesn’t mean anything. Here, I’ll give you my tomato, so just shut up and eat it. That’s your birthday present, so be grateful.

21/10/06 (Mikoto’s Birthday)

Mikoto: ……ah, Futa? What’s up? Did you come to celebrate my birthday?

Futa: Hah!? Like I care about your birthday. ……what’s up with you, though, you’re usually a lot more excited. I thought you were the sort of idiot who’d make a big deal over your birthday.

Mikoto: Yeah, usually that’d be the case. ……I think I must be getting tired. It’s like I’m anxious over something but I can’t really explain what it is…… Like, the feeling that I’ve been totally wrong about something. Haha, but it’s not like talking to you about it is gonna do anything.

Futa: Yeah, yeah, just like you say. Talking to me about it isn’t gonna help. ……but, it’s not like I don’t get what you’re saying. Or rather, I understand exactly what you mean. And if it’s the same thing as I’ve been feeling, then it will just get stronger as time goes on…… probably. But anyway, rather than talking to someone like me you should go and bother the others. Go and get showered with their stupid birthday wishes.

KOTOKO-

"Heheh... Have you realized... That following their interrogations, all of the prisoner's actions and intentions have gone on to change?"

Literally every detail she brings up about the prisoners in her first voice drama are things that were covered and alluded to within the portal timeline conversations that took place before her trial. One of said interactions concerning Futa directly involving a man she admits to stalking. So, she more than likely overheard that interaction.

Oh, but now from this answer we know that she had some prior knowledge, isn't that interesting?

NO! Of course, she'd have fucking prior knowledge and got damn it I'm sick of bringing this up but-

Kazui states in his first voice drama

"Murderous, huh...? Well, I won't deny that."

Mm? You’re acknowledging it, huh?

“I do. At the very least, I believe I’m a murderer. And I regret it. Not that there’s any use to that remorse.”

“Use to your remorse”…?

“Putting that aside, what even is your source of information? I don’t think there are many people other than myself who would consider me a murderer.”

What do you mean?

“For example, why would someone gather a bunch of acquitted murderers together and try to make them repent?”

It's confirmed through articles in Deep Cover that Kotoko was in fact taken to court for her actions and acquitted. This makes it more likely that even though Kazui states what he's giving is an example it's more than likely what's actually occurred and he's just being indirect to see how much Es actually knows.

Considering that there were articles on Kotoko's case there's a chances that their are articles on all of the other prisoners cases as well. Except unlike Kotoko who genuinely feels she has done nothing wrong and any decent person will agree with her and has no issues displaying that information because of it. The others have rightfully avoided disclosing hard information on the cases they've been involved with more so focusing on their subjective feelings on the situation.

Yet, we have allusions to there being consequences for their actions outside of Milgram from the beginning.

This is seen in the board from After Pain,

Brought up in Kazui's first voice drama and written interrogation,

"I don’t think there are many people other than myself who would consider me a murderer."

Q.08 Which do you prioritise between logic and feelings?

Kazui: I put my feelings first and it ended badly. So, I don’t want to act just based on feelings again.

Q.13 Who do you want to see right now?

Kazui: They won’t see me anymore.

This is also shown through the ending of Bring It On.

So, if one has been paying attention to all of the prisoners stories her having some prior knowledge wouldn't be surprising or new information either. Kotoko is shown getting all her information from online and even looking into articles pertaining to her own case where her name isn't mentioned. It isn't hard to believe while looking into stuff for that she came across articles on the other prisoners cases as well. Especially since she states this in regards to Futa,

Q.09 Which of the other prisoners do you think resembles you the most?

Kotoko: That’s a hard one. I’m only able to answer based on my guess on what they did. But I think the one that probably resembles me the most is Futa? Though he’s also the person who resembles me the least.

If the other prisoners cases were like hers and their names not mentioned within articles discussing them than it's no surprise she can only guess what they may have done.

Yet if she was looking into cases similar to her own and came across Futa's that would add depth to her wanting to see what his justice was and her taking a bit of an interest in him from the start.

Q.05 How do you deal with evil that can’t be bested by strength?

Kotoko: Force it so that it can. No matter how long it takes, no matter what means I’ll need to use.

If she can't use her excessive violence in broad daylight because there's a chance someone will stop her- She'll wait and watch as a crime happens just so who she wants to hurt is by themselves when she attacks and no one can interrupt.

Hell, she'll even go home and change clothes then come back instead of helping immediately.

Then she'll say she caught the person in the act of abducting a child and they got into a scuffle to cover her own ass.

From the beginning Kotoko has shown the sort of person she is. She hasn't covered it up in the slightest. Of course, if there's a situation where she can't use force, she'll simply create one. She showed the audience her doing this three times already.

We see her do this in Harrow then she does it over the course of the intermission as well.

Though most importantly in my opinion she was introduced to the audience while doing this. From the beginning Kotoko has made her dislike of Mikoto incredibly clear.

20/07/01

Mikoto: Hey, hey, Koto-chan. I’ve been thinking this ever since I first heard your name, but don’t you think the names “Mikoto” and “Kotoko” kinda sound like siblings?

Kotoko: No.

Mikoto: Don’t say that! Let’s get along well from here on as the Koto-Koto combo!

Kotoko: I’m not doing that.

20/08/03

Mikoto: By the way, Koto-chan. Who’s stronger between you and Kazu-san? You both know martial arts, right?

Kotoko: ……if it was a fair one-on-one fight, probably Kazui.

Futa: Isn’t that obvious? What a stupid question. There’s no way a girl could win in a fight against a man. This is real life, not a manga. There’s too big a difference in body size. And that’s what determines the weight of your attacks.

Kotoko: ……Futa’s not entirely wrong there. In a lot of martial arts, they specifically split up divisions based on body weight for that reason. I’m bantam, and he’d probably be either cruiser or heavy. Well, I’d still break an arm or two though.

20/10/07 (Mikoto’s Birthday)

Mikoto: ■■…… gh…… Gah…… ■■…… aaa…… nh…… ■…… ■■■■■……!

Kotoko: …………hm. Have you finally calmed down? Kayano Mikoto.

Kotoko: ………… So you want me to wish you a happy birthday? I don’t really mind, but is that really something for you to be saying to me?

Mikoto: You’re the last person I need to have the whole group. If there was just one person left it’d be bugging me all night and I’d never get to sleep, right? At times like this you have to abandon your pride and just say something, right~?

Kotoko: Ok, here you go. Happy birthday. ……if this is what will help you sleep soundly.

Mikoto: Oh, thanks! Now I don’t need to worry~

21/08/13 (Mikoto’s First Trial)

Mikoto: Ugh… ow, ow…… Ahh, first I get stepped on, then I get kicked, what even is this……

Kotoko: ……welcome back. How was it?

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan, I’m back. Honestly, where do I even start!? Just look at this lump on my head! It’s huge! I don’t even remember what happened, but this is violence!

Kotoko: Hm… How unfortunate.

The Second Trial Teaser Movie

"What do you think? Does it hurt? Purge complete. This is the appropriate punishment."

22/12/15 (Kotoko’s Birthday)

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan. It’s been a while. Both of us have kinda split off from the group, but how’ve things been? A lot’s happened, but fr now let’s try to get along. I mean, it’s your birthday today, right? I got the feeling nobody else was going to do anything, so I came to celebrate.

Kotoko: ……how carefree. It doesn’t matter, a villain like you won’t be forgiven next time either. And when that time comes, it’ll be the end for you. I’ll make sure of it myself.

Mikoto: Ahh?? Just try and do it, you nutjob. I’ll crush anyone who hurts me…… You’re gonna be totally beaten at your own game……! [TN: The word “me” here uses first person pronoun “boku”.]

Kotoko: Hm. The border between the two is getting a lot vaguer. Your entire existence is a crime. And I will see you’re punished for it. That is what Milgram, and Es, and I have chosen.

Double

Why, why, if only I were never born, if only- Why, why, I’m so sorry.

Deep Cover

"Don’t remember a thing, not a thing, poor Me poor Me."

Kotoko First Trial Written Interrogation

Q.14  Are there any prisoners you don’t get on with?

Kotoko: Mikoto. He’s loud and bothersome.

She even admits to stalking Mikoto outright in her first trial voice drama and disliking him from the beginning.

"For example me being suspicious of Mikoto Kayano's actions, carefully tracking him and his behavior. It's all under your permission."

In deciding whether to forgive or not... One has to observe the human nature...

"It's something like that."

Because she had her suspicions about him. Because he was annoying and loud. Because she doesn't think he should even exist. Which is why she says this to Es in regards to saving them in her first voice drama,

"What's this, staring at me with that expressionless face of yours?"

Last time... Thanks for watching out for me.

"Heh, I should be the one thanking you."

Because it was never about helping anyone. It was about making sure the people she doesn't believe should exist stop existing. If it was ever about protecting anyone she would have intervened as soon as she saw a crime in progress not just stand by and let it happen until the person she wanted to attack guard was down the most.

Because as she continued to say-

"Everytime death comes the soul moves forward."

"I want a reason for judgment execution, I want it."

"So make yourselves my reason."

"Becoming light-headed again, it all becomes crazy. The normalcy sought for, Fading away, Everytime death comes The soul moves forward."

"I wanna perpetrate, the justice I’ve been looking for. I wanna crush, that nasty destiny. So ridiculous, so ridiculous. Come on, rely on me, go on."

In order for Kotoko to commit the justice she seeks, to enact violence she wants to while feeling vindicated in doing so a victim is needed. Whether that victim is currently being victimized or was victimized earlier doesn't matter as seen through the second man she jumped in both Harrow and Deep Cover.

In Mikoto's first voice drama Es filled the same role that the child in Deep Cover did.

All these "weaklings" were and always have been are an excuse for her to do something she already wanted to do. It doesn't matter how hurt they get in the process because the more hurt they are the more vindicated she can feel.

Q.06 Don’t you feel scared of killing people?

Kotoko: If it’s for the world. How I feel about it is completely irrelevant.

This is basically a reiteration of her first interrogation question 12 and her second trial glitched voiceline.

Trial 1 Written Interrogation

Q.12  What is your motto?

Kotoko: “There’s no other way that could let us live, so I walk this path.” [TN: Quote from Mushanokouji Saneatsu.]

MILGRAM / The Second Trial Character Voice Trailer [Full Ver.]

"From the beginning I've never asked for your understanding! My actions, one by one, are bringing Earth closer to peace. Useless Weaklings should just shut up and let me protect them!"

Q.07 Why did you choose law school?

Kotoko: Because I have my suspicions. That’s the majority of my reason to why I chose to study it. Cause it’s unsightly to spout complaints without having proper knowledge

This sentence while it may make sense as a translation is a bit clunky in English to me. So, I asked @doctorbunny about it and he graciously broke it down for me.

疑問があるから = gimon ga aru kara = because there are/I have doubts

学びのきっかけなんてそういうものたし = manabi no kikkake nante souiumono tashi = That's my excuse/motive for wanting to study/learn [law]

ろくに知識も得ないまま。文句だけ言っているのは 醜いではく = roku ni chisiki mo enai mama. monku dake itteiru nowa minikui dewaku(?)

The question mark there is indicative of his uncertainty on the last kana in this phrase. However, he stated the sentence can still mostly be read as-

"Not knowing enough but still complaining [about something] is unslightly."

This was how he ended up translating her answer as a whole,

Kotoko: Because I had some doubts about it. That's my excuse for wanting to study it. I think complaining about something you don't fully understand is disgraceful.

I personally find this way of translating it easier to comprehend. Plus it aligns with her annoyance during this interaction with Futa,

20/06/06

Futa: Ahh...... This is really pissing me off. I can't believe they won't let us have computers or phones in here...... Don't they understand our human rights? I'm gonna ask them for better treatment.

Kotoko: Human rights for murderers, huh...... Well, it's not like there aren't any facilities that are like that. For example, in Norway, the Halden Prison allows its prisoners access to computers. Not only do their cells not have iron bars locking them in, but apparently, they're even allowed to return to their houses and go out shopping. Even compared to this place, it's very lax. But as a result, the rate of second offences in Norway is the lowest in the world......

Futa: Ahh. Yeah, Norway! That famous thing they have there! It just shows they respect their prisoners' rights. On that point, you can really tell Japan is lagging behind the rest of the world. Because all our politicians here are just idots.

Kotoko: ......I'm the idiot for expecting to get a reasonable debate here.

Kotoko gets upset not only because Futa just agrees with her outright but because she engaged in the conversation with good faithat all. Thinking that he'd know at least a little bit on what he was complaining about. Outside of just spouting surface level nonsense. This is why she immediately blames herself and not Futa.

Along with why she says this in her first trial written interrogation-

Q.09 Which of the other prisoners do you think resembles you the most?

Kotoko: That’s a hard one. I’m only able to answer based on my guess on what they did. But I think the one that probably resembles me the most is Futa? Though he’s also the person who resembles me the least.

Along with showing a genuine interest in him within the portal timeline as we discussed before-

20/09/18 (Futa’s First Trial)

Futa: Haa…… haa…… Ok……

Kotoko: What’s up, Futa. ……your breathing seems a bit uneven.

Futa: Huh!? I’m getting ready to fight. That guard is looking down on all of us……!

Kotoko: ……hmm. Is that so…… I’m looking forward to it. To seeing what your “justice” really is.

However, we see in Deep Cover and through her first written interrogation that she was not impressed by what she found.

Bringing back the cocky hero again? How embarrassing.

She admits that she and Futa are the most similar and dissimilar. They are dissimilar because she finds the way Futa does things childish and at times not going far enough. She find it's embarrassing trying to act like the hero who blows the horn of justice, gives out warnings, and stops when apologies are made.

"Now let’s be reasonable. We are the ones that blow the horn for justice We will punish you down, this is a warning."

It's not out of line to think that she'd find his way of implementing justice a bit naieve. Their first trial songs even contrast eachother lyrically to better highlight these differences in opinion and methods.

"All evil hypocrites should disappear I won’t stop until you say “sorry”. Now let’s begin to hunt down the liars."/ "It’s a tie after saying sorry? What are you hoping for?"

"Fuck it! You won’t be forgiven, it was stupid licking each other’s wounds Justice assemble! Till the end!"

Q.02 Have you heard of the ‘Justice Alliance’?

Kotoko: What. I don’t know what that is but it’s probably useless if they need to band together to achieve justice.

"It was stupid licking each other’s wounds." - "Oh no, surrounded, lynched by the masses!"

"Pressure, pressure! Applause receding far away. Me, the result of blame-shifting, no, can’t find that funny. With just one mistake and I’m out of chances Bless me, please, with one more chance. It’s not even my fault, not even slightly."

"Everyone else was having fun weren't they? What about them? Why is it just me?"/ It’s probably useless if they need to band together to achieve justice.

"Let’s keep on winning till the end- Assemble! Assemble!"

Q.06 Do you remember the name of the person you killed?

Futa: I think I remember. I saw it a lot.

Q.16 Do you have a lot of online friends?

Futa: I don’t know whether they count as friends or not. There are people that I can get excited about the same stuff together with, but I don’t know if I can really call them that.

Q.09 What do you think about the first trial’s results?

Futa: You and me are the same, aren’t we.

"Pick up your mouth-piece."

"Grind your teeth and strike a pose."

"Just like O2, burn yourselves into oblivion. Burn, burn! Open this door and check if you want to I’ll deign to hear your last words if you want, a vanishing FIRE."

Tangent aside-

Kotoko has shown that she likes to know what she's talking about before discussing it. At least that's her own understanding of herself.

This is how she misleads herself into believing she's being objective. However, like Yuno pointed out in her second voice drama Kotoko is the type to come to conclusions without discussing things with others and then act on what she's concluded.

She's the sort to form an opinion first then go to look into the subject only to find justifications for what she'd already assumed before going in. She's a cherry picker.

The Cherry Picking Fallacy is when a person or group carefully and purposefully only picks out and puts forth facts that support their point while conveniently omitting anything outside of that.

It's something that many people in fandom spaces should be used to. Since those within said spaces have been known to do that with the media they discuss. A good example of this is the post I made on nuance a while back and how it's basically used as a blanket statement term to belittle and discount genuine discussion around a media or it's characters. This extends to calling any discussion around a character that is not praising said character misogyny, misandry, sexist, homophobic, racist etc. A bunch of real things that can impact fandom in a myriad of ways but are not applied equally when discussing a media. Regardless of what media it is.

These terms are usually reserved for a select few topics of discussion within the space in order for certain diehard fans to go stop being mean to my fave. Sure, I may not do anything about these issues in real life and it may seem like I don't care how my obsession impacts real marginalized individuals but stop saying mean things about my favorite little projection box please.

That's how Cherry Pickers are they don't care about how well you state your point. Because they've already drawn a conclusion about you or the subject you're discussing and are only looking for ways to prove themselves right through whatever way possible. Even if they have to force it. Even if they have to make shit up. Even if they have to say the group or person who made the media made it wrong.

It does not matter. They do not care. They will say whatever and pick out the tiniest thing from what you said to get mad about. Because they decided before coming into this they were mad and you were wrong. So, that's how they're going to behave. They're going to be mad and state that you're wrong. The only thing you can do is decide how seriously you're going to take a person like that.

Logically Fallacious Lucid Philosophy

A cherry picker will see ten times something has failed each time someone brings up a time it has worked.

Kotoko is the same exact way when it comes to law. She's already concluded that it's flawed. She's just looking for more ways to highlight how.

This is shown off within her first voice drama.

"Yuzuriha Kotoko, twenty years old. I'm a university student, but I dropped out. Thinking of it now that the interrogation's started, I'm still not planning to tell you much about myself."

Excuse me?

"At least not before I know what your intentions are."

Hah? What in the world do you mean?

"I'll confirm this with you once more. Milgram... Everyone in this place is a murderer, right?"

Of course. Milgram says all ten of you are murderers. This is Milgram's unshakeable first requirement.

Kotoko introduces herself and bluntly states that she has dropped out of law school. Over the course of her first trial voice drama she ends up alluding to why this is.

Then bluntly states why in her first written interrogation,

Q.07 What did you study at university?

Kotoko: Technically, I’m studying law. I’m on a break right now because there’s something else, I want to do, though.

This time instead of saying she dropped out she says she's on break because there's something else that she wants to do which is taking priority. Given the change in her wording here it is possible that the verdict had an impact on how she viewed attempting to continue school. Casuing her mindset to move toward ways to correct the issues with the law within the system, instead of working entirely outside of it.

It would be a subtle change but it is one none the less.

However, this may not be due to the verdict at this point at all. She could have this view on the law simply because it's aided her in getting away with the things she's done in the past. It can be used to justify her previous actions in the situation she finds herself in now too.

Since Kotoko also brings up the law to defend her actions to Es later on in her first voice drama claiming what she did was justifiable self-defense. A lot of the prisoners in Milgram fall back on their old habbits when defending themselve from criticism in Milgram now. The series has highlighted this as well as it possibly can. Kotoko's first voice dramas being one of the best examples of this. We'll go further into Kotoko's first voice drama in the second part.

"To conclude, I've come up with a hypothesis. I think this is a place with the goal of determining the good and evil of the truth."

The good and evil of the truth?

"Is it really necessary? Ignoring the World's pre-existing methods of judging evil, going through all the effort to gather up this group of murderers, questioning whether or not they have sinned? We're told that we are prisoners, but we are not restrained and are even given the right to roam this place freely. What's the point in prying into their true nature to judge them?"

...

"Even if you think otherwise, Milgram has to be the result of someone who considers the modern judgment of good and evil unsound."

You're not wrong. Milgram doesn't rely on the law as a basis. It's the same with my judgments... All this time, I've been finding my own basis...

"Hmm~ We can really work together."

Kotoko states that she can really work together with Es once they admit to her that they aren't judging the prisoners based off the law but their own feelings. Once she is told the system she has stated having her doubts about isn't a determining factor within Milgram she's quick to relax. Even going on to state.

"This is a really unbelievable, unreal place. But personally, I don't find it that bad. It's even helped me reduce my workload."

Then elaborating further,

"Heh, I want to be like you."

"I refuse to tolerate sin."

Just don't refuse to wait for the next part of this post. Because this one has too many images! Unlike the second part of that Amane post this is literally almost done. While with the Amane post... You know when you start something and stop midway then like forget everything due to life shit- So, it's just in limbo always at the back of your mind ringing a little bell like task not completed to the point that you don't know how you'd live without that over your head.

The second part of that Amane post is at that point. I'm so afraid of touching the part two draft of that one. That I just don't anymore but literally this other thing is mostly written. I literally just had to transfer it to a different draft from this post because this one went over the image limit. I have been writing this all day.

I am not paid for this; I am very broke... This is a labor of love. Please if you have issues with this don't take it up with me just write your own post. I've been writing this since eleven am, it is thirty minutes past midnight, and it isn't completely done. So yeah, this is what it is for now. I'm gonna keep trying my best to show my appreciation and interest in this series in my own way.

Hopefully, everyone else can do the same.

I am going to pass out now.

[taehyungisminee]

BANGCHAN : Arguments and Apologies~

● Warnings⚠️ : Fluff, harsh language used like once.

𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 :- 1,034 words 5,500 characters

"Are you coming home yet?" You asked pressing the phone closer to your ear.

Chan gave a tired sigh and replied. "No. I'm sorry, Y/N. I have to stay here a little longer." "But it's 2:17 in the morning." You frowned. "Can't you leave it for tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, Y/N. You know I'm on a tight schedule." He explained and you could just tell he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll try to get back as soon as I can, okay? You should get some sleep though, it's late." Your brows furrowed in confusion. "I should say the same to you but, mkay goodnight." You said plainly and hanging up straight away.

You sat back in your chair, trying to ignore the stinging sensation in your chest. You knew he was passionate about his work; you admired him greatly for that, but still, you couldn't ignore the fact that is basically overworking himself. This is the third time this week that he hasn't come home.Maybe it's because he doesn't want to come home. To you. You didn't want to think like that, hoping instead that you'd wake up in your boyfriend's arms.

You didn't. His side was cold. Again. You looked at your phone and saw that there weren't any messages from him, and in that moment, another thought chipped into your brain: You're a distraction he doesn't need. It made something inside of you hurt and the more you tried to ignore it, the more you tried to shut it down, the worse it got.

On your break at work, you swivelled from side to side in your chair, looking down at the phone on your lap. You wanted to call Chan, but you also knew that he and the boys were in the middle of rehearsing for their new album release, so calling him would only worry him. Still, you really wanted to hear his voice, so you took a deep breath and pressed the call icon.

"Y/N?" Chan said, picking up. "Is everything okay?" In just four words, you could already feel the tension build up inside you.

"Yeah, everything is fine." You answered. "Sorry to call you while your at work.""It's okay, but is everything alright? Because if it is, then I really need to get back to work."

You bit your lip. "Um, no. It's just you sound exhausted and you didn't come home last night, the last three nights, actually." The last bit came out a bit harsher than expected.

"I know Y/N, I'm sorry." Chan sighed. "This isn't easy on me either, but it's my job."

"Well, can you at least promise me that you'll come home tonight? I'll make your favourite dinner and then we can just relax?" A moment passed before Chan responded.

"I'll be there. I promise." Later, you brought the food to the table, set for two. Out of habit, you hadn't started cooking until around seven-thirty, knowing that their sessions ended late. You also queued up an episode of your favourite drama on the TV.

An hour later, you sat fidgeting on the sofa, glancing over at the door everyone once in a while in hopes that he would be there and everything would be fine. An hour after, you called, but he didn't pick up. By midnight your appetite was completely gone, and the food laid cold and untouched on the table, a clear reminder of how many times you had your hopes up and just ended up disappointed.

Your eyes began to sting, and you tried your best to hold back your tears that were beginning to form as you put the food into the fridge and turned off the TV. You must've dozed off for a while as you were woken up by the sound of a door unlocking and heavy footsteps padding across the floor.

"You promised." You said, sitting up. Chan flinched at the sudden sound, taking a second to locate your curled up form on the sofa.

"Y/N I-." You felt your eyes burn with newly formed tears as you repeated with a brittle tone. "You fucking promised."Chan put his things down and took a cautious step towards you, his expression hard and tired. "I know i promised and I know its late but I'm here now, okay?"

"No, it's not okay." You retorted. "It's 4:15 in the morning. I begged you to come home Chan. To take a break, to stop overworking yourself and-and it seems like you don't even care."

"I do care Y/N. I'm trying my best but we both know my job-." Chan stopped mid-sentence, his expression mixed with frustration and shock as his words began to register.

"You love your work." You said. "And you put your passions first, but what about me? Why am I even here Chan? Why do I still ask you to be here when i need you, when I know that time and time again, you're just going to ignore me and then ask for my forgiveness? What were you going to say? That your job comes first? Well yeah, you're right. If it was a choice between me and your job, you'd chose your job every single time." You said calmly, while your tears flowed down uncontrollably. Chan stared at you. A pool of guilt surrounding him. This was all because of him. He turned around towards the door and said, "I think I should go."

At those words. At the threat of him walking out the door, you let out a small voice. "Please don't go." You could faintly hear Chan crying as well, rubbing at his eyes furiously before rushing towards you to the sofa, taking you in his arms.

He buried his face into your neck and said, "I'm sorry, Y/N. I'm so sorry." He pulled back just enough to look at you in the eye, his own voice thick and raw with emotion. "I love you so much, Y/N. You are my world. My passion. This job is something i do because I love it, but you are something that I live for, and I'm so sorry that I ever made you feel less than that."

After the both of you calmed down, you wiped away the last of your tears and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. I love you too." Chan brought your foreheads together and cradled you in his arms, gently rocking you back and forth.

"Can I kiss you?" Chan asked quietly, pulling back a little. When you nodded, he pressed his soft lips on yours mouthing little 'I love you's' and 'I'm sorry's' in between each one.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

My masterlist if you want to read more!

𝑻𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 :- @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @nesslum

𝑱𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 ❦

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS LOST EDEN Imajin Webshop Tokuten Drama CD “Goldfish Paradise: The Disaster of the Magic Goldfish” Part 2

Original title: ゴールドフィッシュパラダイス★魔金魚の災い」後篇

Source: Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN Imajin Webshop Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Hirakawa Daisuke, Tatsuhisa Suzuki & Tomoaki Maeno

Translator’s note: I honestly felt so bad for Yuma throughout most of this CD. The poor guy was so serious and genuine about the competition, but he’s over there with barely any fish biting while the two guys just fucking around are getting one after the other. Sometimes it’d be like that in life though. The Magic Goldfish showing up was so random though, but tokuten CDs are known for being quite chaotic and unpredictable, so I can’t complain. 

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

*Plop*

Laito: Aha~ Seems like the strawberry flavored ones are more effective than the lemon ones. They just keep on coming!

Kino: Honestly, fishing is proving to be quite the effective strategy to vent off any pent-up stress. 

Laito: Kino-kun! How many do you have so far? 

Kino: Good question. I haven’t been counting, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got at least more than twenty right now. At this rate, I’ll easily win this thing. …So, how many has Mr. Big Talk caught so far~? 

Yuma: Only…three. 

Laito: Eeh~? I can’t believe you’ve only caught three when a whole thirty minutes has passed already~ 

Yuma: Shut up! …Fuck! At this rate, these fuckers will run away with my prize money! I have to avoid that at all costs…!!

Laito: You say that, but I can’t picture you walking around with any sweets on you, so what will you use as bait? 

Yuma: Actually…I do have somethin’ sweet on me…

Laito: Eh? Really? 

*Rustle* 

Yuma: This thing from the packed lunch Ruki made me take with meー It’s sweet, isn’t it? 

Kino: Eh? What’s that? Could it be…warabi mochi? (1) 

Laito: Pfftー! Geez, Yuma~ I can’t believe you’ve got warabi mochi in your packed lunch. Talk about lame!

Yuma: S-Shut up! Ruki’s been really into traditional Japanese cuisine as of late, includin’ sweets and such as well…It’s not like I’m the one who asked him to put that shit in there!

Kino: I don’t really care about the backstory but…I doubt any fish will want a bite of that. Well, I’ll watch closely as all of your hopes shatter into a million pieces, so go ahead and use it. 

Yuma: Fuck off! Run yer mouth all ya want!

*Plop* 

Laito: Nfu~ You’re not getting a bite at all. 

Kino: I don’t even see any ripples in the water. I guess these fish aren’t particularly fond of sweets. 

Yuma: Why…!? Come on, can’t some random-ass miracle happen to me as well!? 

Laito: I can’t believe he’s trying to threaten these goldfish…Fufu, how embarrassing. 

Kino: Haha! This is painful to watch. Honestly, I feel for the guy. 

*Ding ding ding* 

Kino: Woah there, seems like now isn’t the time to be distracted by some guy trying to pray to the God of all Goldfish. I suppose it’s time for the final spurt to victory!

Laito: I shall do that too~ Actually, fishing is surprisingly easy, don’t you think? 

Yuma: Ya bastards…Ya really think ya can just say whatever ya want, huh? Hah! Just watch me! The true battle starts now!

*Rustle rustle* 

Laito: Oh~? What are you going to use as bait next? A rice cake filled with red bean paste, perhaps? 

Yuma: Hell nah! I’m bringin’ out the big guns this time! Imma throw in Sugar-chan! This one’s special, straight from the Demon World as well so it should be super effective! 

*Plop*

Yuma: Oh come on…Why won’t any of these fuckers bite!? 

Laito: You know…Maybe it doesn’t work on regular animals because it’s a product from the Demon World? 

Kino: I mean…using a sugar cube as bait is just bad taste, don’t you think? 

Yuma: Why didn’t ya stop me then if ya knew that!? I totally wasted it now!!

Kino: Ahー Sorry, my bad. I didn’t think you were that stupid, you wouldn’t even be able to figure out such an obvious thing. 

Yuma: Fuck…My Sugar-chan…

*Bubble bubble bubble* 

Laito: Huh? I think I saw a shadow in the water just now? 

*Bubble bubble bubble*

Kino: I think you’re right. But…It didn’t look tiny like a goldfish…

*SPLASH*

Yuma: O-Oi…What was that huge, black fin just now…? It was two meters long, at least.

Laito: I don’t know but…Since this place is called ‘Goldfish Paradise’, it must be a goldfish as well, right…? 

Kino: Haah!? No way there’s a goldfish so ridiculously big! It has to be a mistake of some sort.

*Creaak* 

Laito: Hey! Something’s tugging strongly onto Yuma’s rod! Could it be that he has that monstrous Goldfish from earlier on the hook!? 

Kino: I’m pretty sure he does. Since it went for the sugar cube from the Demon World…Perhaps it’s a goldfish native to that world as well? 

Yuma: Haah!? And what is that monster doin’ inside this run-down-the-mill fishin’ pond!? Ugh…

Laito: Don’t tell me…Could this place be connected to the Demon World somehow? …Anyway, now that you’ve got it on the hook, you better do something about it!

Yuma tries to reel in the goldfish. 

Yuma: That’s…easier than said…It’s seriously strong…I’m pretty sure I’ll end up in the water with it if I dare loosen my grip for even a split second…!

Kino: Hah…? I mean, can’t you hurry up and either reel it in or let it pull you in instead. That’ll fix the problem, right?

Yuma: Ugh…What do you mean…let it pull me in…!? We’re talkin’ ‘bout a freakin’ monster over here!

Laito: I doubt one sugar cube is enough to satisfy something of such a size! But if it gobbles you up whole, it might just still its hunger for now!

Yuma: Fuck off…! But seriously, it’s no joke how strong this thing is! Damnit…Oi! Help me out!!

Kino: Haah…?

Yuma: I can’t do this on my own, but if we combine our forces, we might just be able to reel it in! Now quit yappin’ and grab hold of my fishin’ rod! 

Laito: Eeh!? Ah, god, guess I have no other choice!

Kino: And why exactly should I get close to this sweaty, smelly guy? I can’t believe this. 

*Rustle* 

Yuma: ‘Kay, don’t let go now, got it? We’ll pull at the count of three! Three, two…one!!

They start pulling the fish in. 

Laito, Yuma & Kino: Ughーー!

*Creaaak* 

Yuma: We’ve almost got him! Give it everythin’ you’ve got, fuckers! Aaaahーーー!

*SPLASH*

*Boing* 

Yuma: Uwah…What’s this enormous, disgustin’ thing? I guess it’s a creature from the Demon World after all…? 

Laito: I think it’s about as big as our entire manor? Also…Its stench is out of this world… (hurls) 

Kino: I believe this could be a…a Magic Goldfish like the ones at Rotigenberg. 

Yuma: Ya know ‘bout these!?

Kino: They’re infamous in the Demon World for causing disaster. Never heard of them? You’ll often see them at goldfish scooping games at festivals and such. …The only downside to them is that they have a huge appetite, causing them to quickly grow incredibly large. 

Laito: Heeh…Well, if they only grow large without much more, I guess we can just let it do its thing? 

Yuma: Yeah.

Kino: Ah, right. I forgot to mention but…Its favorite food is humans. 

Yuma: Ah…? …Which means… ーー !! This is bad…!!

The fish starts cracking its teeth. 

Laito: Uwah…This guy is ready to chow down…What are we going to do about this? 

The people in the shop start freaking out.

Yuma: Oi! Doesn’t it have a weakness or somethin’...!? 

Kino: Let me think…It’s highly resistant to fire and hitting it from the outside won’t have much effect either.

Yuma: Which means we gotta hit from the inside, huh? …Oi, Mr. Fedora! Go and get yerself swallowed by it!

Laito: Eh!? Why me!? No way! Besides, I’m not a human, so it won’t eat me, will it? 

Kino: Then why not randomly pick one of those humans running around over there to feed it? 

Yuma: You can’t do that! The competition will get canceled! 

Laito: Eh!? You still haven’t given up on taking that prize money home!? 

Yuma: ‘Course not! Not only the prize money either, but the 10 kg of salt given as a bonus prize will be mine as well!

Kino: Ah. …That’s it!

Laito: Eh? 

Kino: I’m pretty sure…salt is the Magic Goldfish’ greatest enemy…? I’ve heard that if you sprinkle it on top, it’ll shrink down just like a sea slug does. 

Laito: Then we can just use the salt over there, right? Well then, Yuma…You’re our man when it comes to physical work!

Yuma: …No.

Laito: Eh? 

Yuma: I refuse to give up the prize! That salt is mine!!

*Wriggle wriggle* 

*Thud thud* 

Laito: Uwah! Could it be…Is it reacting to the word ‘salt’...!? 

*THUD* 

Yuma: Uwah! Hey! Don’t run away towards the prize money! …Ah, fine!! I really want that salt but I guess I’ve got no other choice, I’ll do it!!

Yuma runs up to the salt. 

Yuma: Aaaaah…!!

*Rustle* 

Yuma: Take this…!!

Yuma sprinkles the salt on top of the giant goldfish. 

*Woosh* 

Laito: Wow! Amazing! It shrunk in the blink of an eye!

Kino: Haah…My amazing memory saved lives this time. 

Yuma: But the competition is completely ruined…With everythin’ thrown ‘round, we can’t even tell who caught how many goldfish…Ahー …Which means, just fuck it, right? 

Laito: Eh? What do you mean? 

Yuma: I’ll be claimin’ the prize money in return for takin’ care of the Magic Goldfish. See ya!

Yuma runs off. 

Kino: Hah!? Excuse me!? How am I supposed to pay for my microtransactions then!? 

Kino chases after him. 

*Wriggle wriggle* 

Laito: Ahー Oh well, I guess this helped me kill some time. Besides, it could be quite interesting to take this Magic Goldfish home and let it free in the bathtub. …Nfu~ With that settled, I better head home right away!

ーー THE END ーー

[sunnyie-eve]

5 | Family Drama

Series: Odds Together

Paring: Ryan Dunn x OFC Margera!

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Rude Family, Mention of rape

| MASTERLIST |

~

Since that night I went off on my mom, which I didn't fully remember, I've been avoiding any type of conversations about that whole day. I think everyone knew it too so no one ever brought it up.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I ask Bam hearing our mother start to scream. I see he was bashing through the side of the door to make a draw bridge. "And I still couldn't stay out late?" I mumble to myself going back upstairs.

"Anna!" I hear Ryan start to rush after me.

"Leave me alone." I groan shutting my door on him.

"I can open it still... What did you do to your wall?" He sees all the holes.

"That bat plus a not so sober me pissed off equals that." I point at the bat, me, and the wall. "And before you speak... No, I don't wanna talk about it."

"I heard everything you said. I followed you in. She really got on you for doing what we did growing up? The videos and everything?"

"Yes. She wanted me to be the clean cut one out of her kids. Wanted me to get good grades in school, go to college so I could get good paying job. Maybe find a good clean cut guy who knows what he wants to do with his life. Then my dad wanted this perfect princess daughter. When I was super young, I loved Disney princess and he said I could be just like them. I started doing chores at six years old thinking I was a princess. Then Beauty and the Beast came out when I was 12. She became my favorite and I wanted to be like her so that's when I started reading. Growing up I of course realized I wasn't some princess and if I was one I was Cinderella. So when I got to hangout with you and Bam, it felt nice just having fun. But I got chewed out because I wasn't supposed to be doing that. I was supposed to be doing girl things."

"I'm sorry I never noticed." Ryan gives me a sad pout.

"You wouldn't have known because it was always said when I was alone. Bam doesn't even know because he's not super observant. Just stay quiet about it. Please." He nods his head then leaves my room.

~

"We're having a big dinner. All your relatives. All of Phil's relatives." Bam tells our mom.

"You are lying. You would not invite all theses people. No you wouldn't. You wouldn't dare." She tells him.

"We want drama." He tells her and I huff eyeing him.

"Why would you want drama with your family? I'm gonna have a heart attack." She tells him so I decide to speak up.

"One, drama already happened for your don't feed Phil episode. Two, you do know everyone in our family heard about the lies Austin said right? They believed them."

"That's right Bam. I completely forgot. They're gonna bring all that crap up again." Mom tells him.

"If they do, I'll shut it down quickly." He says so I leave the room listening to them bicker.

When my mom comes into the living room she looks over at me sighing, "I'm sorry Anna. For everything. When you said I was one of the reasons you left really hurt me and made me realize I hurt you." She tears up. "I just wanted my little girl to be perfect." She wipes her tears away making me tear up.

I walk over giving her a hug, "I love you."

Bam asks me to go with him and dad to go get Mum mum so I go but when they go inside I wait in the vehicle. She was one of many family members who gave me hell for the lies I apparently did.

"I didn't hear you were back." She says as she get in.

"She got back a few months ago." Bam tells her. "Do you still not say the f word?" Bam asks her.

"No, I don't say the F word."

"What about the S word?" He asks.

"What shit?" She makes us chuckle.

"I'm gonna a tattoo that says the f-word right here." He motions to his chest.

"I'm gonna disown you." He tells him making him say you can't. "I already cut you out of my will."

"Is anybody left in your will? Jesse is right?" Dad asks her.

"No, he wasn't a virgin til he got married."

"That's impossible to do that." He tells her.

"In the olden days people did it." She says making them go off about not anymore.

"Is Anna in it still?" Dad asks making Bam say his name.

"You know she ain't after the things she did." I roll my eyes chuckling as she looks at me.

"I didn't do any of the shit." I look out the window.

"Where's your proof?" She asks making Bam say her name now.

"Proof?" I look at her. "How do I prove I was almost raped by a group of football players and that I wasn't the one who made a move on them first asking for it then decided to play a victim? I did have proof for a negative pregnancy test so the rumor about getting knocked up was proven wrong." I look over at her.

"I don't wanna argue about this right now." She looks away from me.

When we get back home I get out annoyed going straight to my mom. "Mum mum already brought it up because dad was talking about whose in her will." I tell her making her sigh.

"Hopefully no one else brings up that topic." She rubs my back.

"Hopefully no one tries talking to me." I give her a small smile.

When the whole family shows up I sit away from everyone and just read a book hoping to be left alone. When the crew got back with the food they make a big entrance with an elephant and dressed up. I watch mom freak out about the elephant trying to go in the house.

"What do you want Dunn?" I ask as he stand in front of me with an animal head on wearing wings too.

"How do you know it's me?" He asks not moving.

"Your tattoos give you away." I laugh at him so he takes his head off.

"Why you alone like you've been disowned?" He looks at everyone sitting together.

"Because I basically am. Majority of the people here believed in the lies and I don't want to talk about it with them. I already went through it with Mum mum." I close my book as he squats down in front of me holding on to my knees.

"I'll eat with you so you aren't alone. Come on, let's get food." He pulls me up dragging me over to eat. He grabs a big piece and just pulls the meat off to eat. "Open wide." He tries feeding me.

"Dunn..." I move my head away.

"Come on, you gotta eat." He smiles moving the meat towards my face again so I open my mouth and take it. "Good girl." He laughs.

"You're ridiculous." I laugh at him.

"But you love me." He smiles bigger and I stop going to get my own food then go sit alone again.

After eating I pull out my phone and listen to the voicemail I refuse to respond too. When it starts to get wild because of Vito making Mum mum fed up and leaves.

"Ryan, it smells bad." I whine as he puts the animal head on me as he sits on my lap.

"Does it? I can't tell." He takes it off of me smelling it.

"Because you stink." I laugh at him.

"I took a shower." He looks offended.

"When months ago?" I say making him hit me.

"No, fuck you."

"You love me just admit." I laugh making him put an arm around my shoulder leaning his head on me.

"You know one of the rumors was she cheated on Austin with him... Bam's best friend. I believe that look at them." I head someone from mom's side of the family say as they pass us.

"I want up." I try to get Ryan off me.

"Ignore them." He doesn't move.

"Annabelle, how was Ireland?" One of my cousins walk up to us.

"Good."

"I bet you had fun with the boys there." She giggles walking away.

"Okay, I'm done get the fuck off me." I shove Ryan off me so I could go to my room. As I pass my cousin she calls me a slut so I turn around to punch her but Ryan runs over wrapping his arms around me.

"This isn't gonna help you." He carries me into the house.

"You can put me down now." I shake my way free. "I don't care what my family thinks of me. I don't talk to anyone out side family gatherings. Never have growing up before the lies." I go up to my room hearing him following. "Ryan, just leave me alone. Go enjoy things."

"I will by watching Grease with you. It's one of your favorites. Then once it's over we can watch Cry Baby because I know Johnny Depp will make you forget them outside." He smiles taking the movie off my bookshelf putting it in.

"You hate both movies." I watch him.

"I do but I'll pretend to like them for you." He jumps onto my bed getting comfortable. I turn back to look at him laying there looking at the tv then at me, "Get comfortable." He pats the spot next to him so I lay back turning my head to face him. He turns his to look at me giving me a big smile.

[draventhedemon]

IT'S FINALLY OUT!!!

THANK GOD!!!

Thank you for being patient! It's just I needed some of the Dream Drama to die down before I posted this.

Once again ⚠️ Warning ⚠️ there will be swearing

Also I only use the names of some of them because I actually don't know some of their names and I'm too lazy to look them up.

(Y/n pov)

"Tommy, I swear to god! Stop vlogging the dress." I say as I pinch my nose. "Tommy! Get ready, the wedding is in 2 hours and your not even in your suit." Eret says as I see him in his stunning maid of honor dress.

"Tommy, your not even one of the bridesmaids. Go over to Dream's side of the building" I shout as he continues to run around and just film me from multiple different angles. "Tommy, I swear to god my character will go evil again if you keep this up" I jokingly shout as Nick walks in and picks up Tommy. "Clay asked for him, sorry Y/n" he laughs as Tommy is just whining and shouts "why!?!" As the door shuts.

"Y/n, can I paint your nails" Niki says as they come out of one of the changing rooms "At this point, do what you want" I mumble as I struggle to sit down in this dress. But I pick the nail polish and they start making intricate designs.

"Sorry I'm late!" Puffy says as she burst into the room already ready with their makeup and outfit. "Damn! I'm getting jealous, I haft to wear white while all of you dress up in neon fricken colors" I jokingly say as I realize that she is holding a bottle of champagne. "Eret, look what I got! I stole it from the reception!" Puffy waves around the bottle as they place it on the table.

"I'm sorry what" Eret says as she moves closer to pick up the bottle. "Good job Puffy? but I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one?" Eret says with confusion as we all just sit there "Well, how many times is Y/n gonna get married. You gotta make the day special" they smile as we all laugh at the antics

(An hour before the wedding)

"I'm getting a bit scared" I mumble as everyone just stops where they were at and just look at me. "Why? You have no reason to be scared" Eret says as all of my friends huddle around me. "First of all, my parents haven't shown up yet" I say as I look up to try and get no makeup on my face smudged. "I'm sure they will show up soon" Puffy says while hugging you. "Let's hope so." I mumble

(Dream pov because I think it would be funny)

"Tommy! We have 40 minutes and you don't have your suit on!" I shout as He vlogs Nick and George playing Minecraft in their suits. "So they are allowed to play Minecraft but I can't vlog-" "were in our suits Tommy" They both mumble in unison, "that's what I said, JYNX, FUCK" They both drop the game then go into a game of who said it first.

"Tommy, just put on your suit, and if you do" I sigh as I regret what I'm about to say

"I'll tell the Dj to play the Speedrun song at the after-party" I'm gonna get murdered by Y/n... But it's works because the second he hears that he grabs his suit and goes into the bathroom. "Y/n is going to kill you" George laughs as Nick states that fact.

"I know that" as I chuckle and join them in Minecraft.

"you think we could do a Manhunt in the span of 32 minutes?" Nick says as we go into an empty world.

"We can try"

(the wedding, Y/n's pov)

"Eret, my parents still aren't here!" I say as calm as I can as I get up to leave. "Hey, if you're panicked this much. We can always have Phil walk you". "Maybe, but why haven't they arrived!?! They should support me in this moment, what if something bad happened?!? What if they got into a car crash, I need to check on them! What if their dead!?!-" I go to leave as Eret grabs me by my arm.

"They aren't dead, Y/n! Their running late, all people can get stuck in traffic. And you can't keep Dream waiting." Eret says as I look at him and put my head down. "Sorry" I mumble, "hey, what kind of Maid of honor would I be if I didn't stop the Bride from getting cold feet." She smiles as she walks me to the Isle.

(Eret pov)

"Hey Phil, Y/n's parent's haven't arrived. and they were supposed to walk them down the Isle, so I was wondering if you could-"

"sure, why not mate" he smiles and walks over to Y/n with Kristen. "You alright Y/n?" Kristen asks

(Y/n's pov)

"You alright Y/n?" Kristen asks as I nod and give them both a hug. "You ready?" Phil asks "as ready as I'll ever be" I smile as I grab both their arms.

And as I hear the music start playing I know

'oh fuck, this is it, welp, lets go!'

As soon as the door opens

(I made it a Church because idk what else to do)

I see Tommy Standing their with his camera as I begin walking down the Isle. From where I'm standing I can see Clay happy crying. Everyone is their and I've never been so happy.

As I walk down the Isle and get to Clay, I stand there for a second before Clay asks. "What happened to your parents?" "It's a long story, I'll tell you it at our Honeymoon" I say as I smile. "No, were gonna be doing something else at the Honeymoon" he sneaks in one last sex joke as I giggle and turn to the priest.

"Please be seated…" The priest says...

(idk who the priest should be, so I'm gonna call him Joe... Paster Joe)

"Friends, family, and loved ones, we come together today, in the sight of the divine and of you as witnesses to join Clay ****** and Y/n L/n in marriage. We gather around them now in this wonderful place, and we look on with love and hope as these two begin their new life together as one." Paster Joe says as we smile and look at our friends and then back at eachother. "Clay ******* and Y/n L/n, are you ready to proclaim that foundation of love for one another in the sight of the heavens and these witnesses?"

"Yes" Clay says simply, but we're not simple

"Hell fuckin yeah!" I say as I feel Badboyhalo's blood pressure rise.

"Clay, do you take Y/n to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you honor and cherish them? love, trust, and commit to them, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?"

"I do"

And Y/n, do you take Clay to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you honor and cherish him? love, trust, and commit to him, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you both, until death do you part?"

"I do"

"At this time, Y/n and Clay will exchange rings. The wedding ring is symbol of binding. A symbol of attachment and of belonging, not of possession, but of partnership."

As he says that I see Clay kneel down and pick up the rings from on top of patches box.

"oh my god you weren't kidding" I laugh as I take his ring and put it on his finger and he puts my ring on mine. "Now I do believe that you two have prepared your own vows" The Priest says as We nod. And we both go to say our vows together at the same time but we stop.

"you can go first if you'd like" "no, you should go first" " nah, because ladies first"

"you know what" I smile as the crowd of family laughs.

"I would say a Game of Minecraft would settle this but there isn't a computer so... Rock paper scissors" I laugh as We play a round and he picks rock and I pick scissors.

"alright Y/n, we met 3 years ago but It's felt like centuries. Our first interaction was a stupid war in Minecraft. When Wilbur brought you into the smp to play out a stupid drug van storyline. You seemed mature, but apparently don't judge a book by it's cover, because of you kicking my ass in a 1v1" he laughs and looks around at the crowd of family and friends than back to me.

"I will love and cherish you until the day I die, you came from the UK and now live under my roof. And as long as you stay their you will have anything you need on a silver platter" he smiles and I feel tears go down my cheek.

A/N (I'm not romantic, can you tell?)

After than I say my vows with tear filled eyes. (I'll allow you to imagine you're own vows, because I'm not romantic at all)

We go to the reception and see all of our friends. I make a detour to see my maid of honor. "Eret! Did I do well?" I smile as he responds "you cried a lot, but you're vows were beautiful" she smiles as we start up a conversation.

It's going well up until Tommy runs up and says "can you promise me not to kill Dream?" I look at him confused until I hear the music thats playing. "You know that promise he made about an Irl manhunt" I look at the camera. "Yeah?" Tommy mumbles, I smile and say "how about an Irl manhunt, wedding addition. Just to scare him" I chuckle and playfully run through the crowd. And thank god for flats because I would have tripped if I wore anything else.

I see him talking to Nick and George, I run over and tackle him. "We had one rule clay!" I smile and hug him. "It was the only way to get Tommy into his suit?!" He puts on a funny smirk and kisses me on the lips

"I love you" he Mumbles

"I love you too" I hug him once more...

[weebsinstash]

Ok so finished watching Across The Spiderverse in theaters and here are my thoughts, under readmore so you guys won't get spoiled cause I'll mention plot shit

Nonspoiler review: these movies really are works of art, both visually and in sound. They draw on very relatable and powerful emotions of wanting to fit in, feeling like you belong, feeling like you're important, are you doing the right thing, are you living up to the expectations of others. These are the kinds of movies that could introduce people to the franchise and even if you're not into superheroes the emotion and visuals and writing itself is spectacular. Definitely a movie I could own and rewatch later

Now, here's my takes with more spoilers

-Miguel is actually so snarky and sassy. He is 100% done the entire movie and he's sarcastic or condescending almost every time he opens his mouth. He has a sense of humor it's just more mean spirited lmao "well you're gonna have to shut up and trust me" saying "how wonderful" sarcastically to Miles, being all "spiderverse? No thats dumb, its called the Arachnid poly multiverse, which, I guess sounds just as dumb"

-seeing him on the big screen really was like wow. He could be go from being sort of a dork to being so imposing and threatening, like, there was a small part where he steps closer to Miles as a silent intimidating gesture because hes so much taller, he could be so stone faced and cold when things got serious when Miles wasnt taking his warnings, but initially he was trying to be more compassionate, just, mwah, definitely going to help with any writing endeavors and characterizations of this man

-just seeing how the wristwatches and "daypasses" work is useful for any fanfic ideas I'm having ;) but holy shit you could just glitch until you die? I much prefer the concept of "Reader somehow whether being a mutant or an anomaly or just lucky gets transported to other dimensions instead or just back home"

-God just. Gwen's opening was amazing I don't even know how to describe it. When she's recounting her past and she's starting to talk about Miles while she's playing the drums and her drum playing keeps getting more and more intense, her music angry and frustrated and powerful as she keeps saying "and he's not the only one", speaking of his pain and isolation and how she feels connected to him, just, the way these movies write relationships between people and emotions is so human

-Spider Cat my beloved. LEGO Spiderman my beloved. Plushie Spiderman my beloved. Sun Spider is a fancharacter and got a speaking role. The thick, plus size, and fat spiders. Just the variety. It really is fun to imagine a Spidersona and feel represented kwim

-Jesus the intro to Mumbattan was insane. The way these movies constantly have you flying and falling through the air and falling through multiple levels and layers as objects whiz by, the music, the choreography. Just. The visuals and music the entire movie was insane

-HOBIE! definitely a fucking star. He's smart enough to build his own watch dude!! Love that guy. Definitely see him being in some stuff of mine as a helping hand if nothing else. Hobie helping Reader out during the YouTwo drama by offering you safe haven in his universe?

-I'm guessing Miguel has to give himself regular, spider nanomachine whatever injections? His powers kind of seem to have changed from his comic book a little bit. In the comics he has organic webs and was atomically spliced with spider dna but in the movie I think it's all technology idk? Correct me if im wrong, maybe they're red and glowing in the comics too 🤷‍♀️

-something something "smutty story where Miguel boyches a formula and turns himself into like a possessive horny borderline pure animal in heat and of course you're the lucky lady to stumble into him first"

-I got the bunny filter version of Lyla by the way!

Ugh this movie has me filled with so many emotions and also I snuck alcohol into the theaters and was on an edible gummy so I was FEELING this movie and just. Definitely two of my all time favorite movies

[amores-percussit]

🤫 – did you ever keep your relationship secret from anyone?

😵‍💫 – something you do that drives them crazy (in a good way)

😍 – something they do that drives you crazy (in a good way)

🐠 – aquarium dates or museum dates?

CHUUDOLLZAI ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

- tired

🤫 – did you ever keep your relationship secret from anyone? 

“Ooh, a secret relationship? Now that’s something out of a drama.” DAZAI chuckles, shooting the other unamused two a silly look. “But you’re wrong, I would die if I dated Chuuya.”

“What? But you already wanna die?” DOLL turns to Dazai, her arms already crossed over her chest as she leaned back on the couch. CHUUYA lets out a scoff and delivers a sharp glare.

“He’d die because I’d be the one killing him. Not that I don’t already plan on doing that anyways. I’d wanna die if I dated you too you bastard.” He snaps back, leaving Doll with her eyes rolled. 

“Okay so what I’m hearing is that you guys are already dating.” She laughs, only receiving a offended reaction from the two but they all knew better. “Yeah you’re grossed out right now but you guys always eye each other during fights, you’re not slick.”

“Dolly dear are you jealous? You know I always have eyes on you whenever you’re around.” Dazai pouts, leaning closer to her.

“As if, don’t get me involved in your shit. The both of you. Keep me out of it, I don’t want any part in that. That’s your lover’s quarrel, not mine.” She dismissed, but the brunette is already clinging onto her with his arm wrapped around her bicep. 

“Do not insult my taste like that.” Chuuya retorts, shaking his head. 

“Yeah I’d rather date her over you any day.” Dazai sighs.

“As if she’d wanna date you!” 

“Can you two stop yelling in my ear, I’m right here.”

😵‍💫 – something you do that drives them crazy (in a good way) 

“I like it when he acts all tough and serious because the second I show up, she gets embarrassed. Sure she wears a mask most of the time but I know him.” DAZAI snickers, poking at DOLL’s cheek. Doll lets out a loud ‘hey!’ before turning his head away from him, her cheeks quick to turn red. 

“Who wouldn’t be fucking embarrassed when you’re around? God, you greet me like you’re some sort of middle schooler seeing his crush.” Doll muttered, but didn’t push Dazai away.

“I agree with the first part. I like it when you’re confident and stand your ground.” CHUUYA says more casually, like it was the easiest thing to answer. Doll purses her lips in silence, unsure of how to respond.

“He’s embarrassed right now.” Dazai whispers, looking at Chuuya.

“Oh my god, shut up this is embarrassing.”

😍 – something they do that drives you crazy (in a good way)

DOLL blinks at the question, seeming at a loss for words. There were a lot of things that drove her crazy. A lot.

“Oh wow, that many things huh? You have to think about it.” DAZAI teases lightly, batting his eyelashes at her.

“I have to think for you because there’s not really many.” Doll retorts.

“Oh but there’s a lot for me?” CHUUYA asks, he gives her a small grin.

Doll snorts, “Talk like that and they’ll disappear from my head.” But she continues to think, what could she say that wouldn’t be weird or make things awkward. “I guess Dazai when gets all deep into thought. It shows he’s actually using his brain.”

“Most are attracted to my intelligence, I can’t blame you.” The brunette winks at her, which goes ignored.

“I think it’s nice seeing you fight.” Doll turns to Chuuya, answering like it’s a given. “You zone into it and that’s something I admire.”

Chuuya gives her a look of slight surprise, “Yeah?”

Dazai lets out a grunt of overdramatic disgust, “Stop giving eyes to each other, it’s gross.” 

“You are literally all over him all the time, you’re gross.” Chuuya says, jabbing a finger at his forehead.

“Says the two guys who eye each other all the time.”

🐠 – aquarium dates or museum dates?

“Aquarium date.” DOLL answers with a grin, his feet start to swing and forth. The other two let out a small laugh at how fast her response was. 

“I don’t have a preference.” DAZAI shrugs. “But probably aquarium, it’s the opposite of what Chuuya says.”

“How the hell did you know I was going to say museum?” CHUUYA raises a brow, squinting at Dazai. 

“You’re so predictable, of course you’d be into that stuff.”