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winged-self-indulgence · 10 months

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Why Do People Like Yanderes?

Hi everyone, my name is Diya, and this was going to be a YT video-essay-type-thing but I'm too poor to afford a mic and too busy with college to learn how to edit videos, so here's my vague exploration of the psychology behind why people like yanderes so much through the lens of my favourite Visual Novels.

TW for uh. yandere content. Mentions of sex, gore, and non-con, particularly in the last topic. This is more like the first draft of an academic paper so while it's not explicit, I do go into some detail.

Introduction

If you’re a fan of anime or visual novels, then you’re probably already aware of what a yandere is, or at the very least you’ve seen that one picture of Yuno Gasai. Still, for the sake of thoroughness, let’s take it from the tippy top. The term ‘yandere’ is a Japanese portmanteau of ‘yanderu’ – the progressive form of ‘yami’ – meaning ‘sick’, and ‘deredere’ which roughly translates to ‘loving’. Together, the word refers to someone who is – in short – extremely lovesick. Obsessive to the extreme, and with little morality to spare, the standard yandere is characterized by a dangerous fixation on a chosen target, often appearing shy and caring at first only to flip the script and become violently aggressive towards perceived threats (Kroon, 2010).

It should be noted that yanderes are not a strictly romantic or sexual trope. The Ancient Greeks classified at least six forms of love, from familial (storge) to guests (xenia). Modern psychologists may distinguish love as either Companionate or Passionate (Kim & Hatfield, 2004) or consisting of three dimensions of Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2018). Realistically, possessiveness shows up in a variety of relationships. However, people are generally primed to view certain dynamics as inherently amorous. Societal norms tend to encourage the idea that romantic bonds ought to rank above all others, and therefore if Person A is bizarrely fixated on Person B, then clearly there must be an element of sexual interest involved regardless of the actual relationship between the individuals in question.

Regardless, yanderes remain quite popular in fiction. Many dismiss it as a fetish, which it can be, but that isn’t the case for everyone. While there is nothing wrong with indulging in kinky fiction, not all of us get horny at the thought of being chained up in someone’s basement, no matter how hot our captor may be. So why is it so pervasive? Why is this trope so appealing that most writers cannot help but include at least a single line of dialogue implying that – if circumstances had been ever so slightly different – my wholesome shoujo romcom might have turned into a psychological horror?

Hybristophilia

‘Hybristophilia’, also known as Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome after the titular criminal couple, is a word is derived from the Greek word ‘hybridzein’ meaning ‘to commit an outrage against someone’ and ‘philo’ which means ‘a strong preference for’. Sexologist John Money reportedly defined it as a paraphilia in which an individual is sexually aroused by a partner who has a predatory history of hurting other people (Money, 1986, as cited in Matuszak, 2017). In his book, Serial Killer Groupies, true crime and crime fiction author RJ Parker distinguished two forms of hybristophilia: passive and aggressive. The former is when an individual contacts a criminal with the intention of striking up a relationship with them, allowing themselves to be seduced and manipulated but having no interest in committing a crime themselves. The latter are far more dangerous, as the individual not only derives sexual pleasure from their partner’s atrocities but are active participants in carrying out or covering up the crime. To quote Griffiths (2013, as cited in Pettigrew, 2019):

“[They] help out their lovers with their criminal agenda by luring victims, hiding bodies, covering crimes, or even committing crimes. They are attracted to their lovers because of their violent actions and want to receive love yet are unable to understand that their lovers are psychopaths who are manipulating them.”

In some ways, hybristophilia is the nearest thing we have to a realistic understanding of why people love yanderes. I mean, much of the fantasy surrounding such characters and their media tend to be filled with posts begging to be spat on or calling the rightfully terrified main character ungrateful for being a teeny bit upset about finding surveillance cameras in their ceiling. However, enjoying fictitious immoral activity does not predict real perpetration, so what does? There exists little consensus amongst psychologists as to what sparks this particular predilection, and that was strange to me. You would think there would be more studies into this topic, in spite of or perhaps because of its controversial nature. Heck, that one dude wouldn’t shut up about white women’s obsession with Bundy and Dahmer, and I assumed he had gotten that information from somewhere, but it turns out that was just him using modifiers to justify sexism.

However, I believe that we can hedge a few guesses, and over the course of my research, I’ve organized the main rationalizations under four umbrellas which I will explore through the lens of my favourite yandere-themed Visual Novels. Please keep in mind that most of these games are rated as mature due to sexual scenes and/or gore. Additionally, in the spirit of transparency, this ramble will be focused exclusively on male or masculine yanderes. So, without further ado:

Call Me Bob the Builder Because I Can Fix Them

If you’re familiar with DC Comic’s Batman, or just happen to have attended any costume event held over the span of the last 20+ years, you may be familiar with the character of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harley Quinn. Initially created as the Joker’s one-off sidekick in Batman The Animated Series, she was so well-received by audiences that she became a recurring character in the cartoon and was eventually given a proper origin story in the form of a one-shot titled Mad Love.

Harley’s origin story has seen some alterations over the past decades, but the core aspects remain largely untouched. In the beginning, Harleen Quinzel was a promising young woman who wanted was a degree from the university’s prestigious psychology department, which she gained through…less than scrupulous means.

(Listen, I’m not sure if the authors were leaning on the Dumb Blonde stereotype, or if they simply thought that casting her as a genuinely bad student would make her later actions more believable. Either way, the idea of Harley as someone with a legitimate PhD came later)

After landing an internship at Arkham Asylum – a half-hospital and half-prison straight out of the 1870s that might as well be built out of one-ply tissue-paper soaked with gasoline and left next to a crate of fireworks – Harleen set her sights on the then incarcerated Joker. At the start, her fixation on the criminal wasn’t remotely sympathetic. She didn’t want to help him, she wanted to use him. Harleen Quinzel wanted piggyback off his infamy and write a tell-all tale detailing what sort of messed up childhood resulted in Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime. Yet the more she interacted with him, the more the Joker took advantage of her empathy. By the end of their sessions, Harley no longer saw him as a violent serial killer with a clown schtick, but as a “lost, injured child looking to make the world laugh at his antics.”

But Diya, you may be asking, what does this have to do with the video? The Joker never loved Harley, and it could even be argued – as Shehadeh did in a 2017 essay – that her obsession with the pasty-faced clown is more akin to Histrionic Personality Disorder. While that may be the case, I believe that Harley’s story provides one of the reasons yanderes are so popular: their backstory.

Whether they were abandoned by their family, bullied by their peers, experimented on by evil scientists, starved on the streets, died under mysterious circumstances and then trapped in a haunted VCR tape for decades, or are simply so impossibly inhuman that they frankly do not understand why it isn’t socially acceptable to imprison their crush in a pocket dimension made of meat and non-Euclidean geometry, yanderes often have fairly sympathetic or at least understandable explanations for why they are Like That. Your mileage may vary significantly depending on how much you sympathize with these motives, but the point is that yanderes always make sense to some degree. Their morality and priorities may be twisted or even completely incomprehensible, but the audience almost always knows the reason, and that can be comforting. In the real world, other people aren’t always straightforward, and we never really know what they’re thinking, but narrative coherence demands a semblance of internal consistency lest the audience end up frustrated and confused. So yanderes are not only easy to sympathize with, but also fairly predictable. In-universe they may be unhinged freaks with a blood fetish, but to you watching from behind the safety of the screen they’re just acting out the script written for them based on a prototype. And if you understand the why behind their loose gears, then you might just be able to put them back together again.

The concept of rescue romances or “I Can Fix Them” has been around in our stories for thousands of years. The Epic of Gilgamesh detailed how Shamhat essentially ‘civilized’ wild man Enkidu through ritual lovemaking, and a concerning number of religions push the idea that women are dutybound to save men from the follies of sin. Yet men are not exempt either, with one notable example being the German fairytale, King Thrushbeard. Call it what you will regardless: Knights in Shining Armour, the Florence Nightingale Effect, or a plain old case of Because You Were Nice to Me, studies have shown that human beings generally like helping [DA2] others, even when the reason doesn’t necessarily stem from pure altruism. I will delve deeper into this later, but care and compassion are deeply ingrained in human nature, and arising from those roots is the appeal of this mentality: You can save them. You can change them. You can make them better. You are special, and the way you treat this person carries a weight that has not and will never be matched by anyone else for the rest of their mortal or immortal existence.

The illusion is a delicious one, especially if the person you’ve helped turns out to be a billionaire CEO with cash to burn, a super powerful ghost king willing to raze continents to dust for you, a demon having fun on a Friday night, or just your average hot creep with a knife. Moreover, different people have different ideas of what ‘fixing’ even means. Maybe you want to single-handedly rehabilitate your yandere into a functional member of society. Maybe you’re cool with the incessant stalking but would like them to stop slaughtering your friends, family, and local service workers. Maybe you want to make them much, much worse.

Not only do yanderes provide immediate proof that your actions have a tangible impact on the lives of others, but the fantasy also includes the desire of being seen as special. Of being admired and adored by someone whose life you inexplicably made better by virtue of simply being yourself, or an idealized version of yourself. In this fictional world, in this imaginary setting, the person you are is so uniquely, impossibly irreplaceable to someone. And if that’s the case then they can’t risk losing you, can they?

The Allure of Obsession, or ‘Til Death Do Us Part (Literally)

It shouldn’t be necessary, but here is my obligatory disclaimer anyway. Ahem: obsession is not a good thing in real life. Fixating on another human to the detriment of your own wellbeing and that of those around you is dangerous, as is encouraging someone else to obsess over you. You might think you are being worshiped, but real life is not a visual novel. The outside world doesn’t come with an age rating, the author’s guiding pen, and a convenient fade to credits sequence once you’ve reached an ending. The consequences will still be there in the morning, so don’t do it. Just don’t.

PSA out of the way, it’s natural to want to be wanted. Maslow’s Hierarchy places it just above physical safety, but I’d argue that it could easily be compared to baser drives. According to many psychological and anthropological studies, much of humanity’s continued survival and environmental dominance is largely attributed to our ability to form groups, cooperate with one another, and maintain complex interpersonal networks. Social support, intimacy, and a sense of belonging are linked to emotional and physical benefits, such as more optimistic health perceptions, higher subjective well-being, increased creativity and innovation, and greater self-efficacy (DeWall & Bushman, 2011; Harandi et al., 2017; Wang & Sha, 2018). Therefore, it’s perfectly understandable that rejection of any sort would be construed as a threat.

But if someone is obsessed with you, then you have no reason to worry about that, right? No more nights spent agonizing over how they feel about you, asking yourself whether your last text made you sound too desperate, or if you’re boring them because you spent the past hour info-dumping about Stardew Valley farm layouts. With a yandere, there will never be any doubt that they care about you. Sure, they might go about it in weird, manipulative, and insidious ways that violate your physical and mental autonomy, but you can’t deny their loyalty. They do love you in their own bizarre way. You are the sun around which they orbit. When you’re in the room, no one else exists. Every single messy flaw is just another bullet point on the mile-long list of why they adore you.

In essence, yanderes are not only attentive, but their love can be virtually unconditional. A yandere might know everything about you, and still revere you. It’s unhealthy as hell and you might genuinely question their taste, but it can be tempting to pretend that all of you, right down to the ugliest parts of yourself – the traits and choices that you would never share with another living soul even at gunpoint – are worthy of understanding, if not open praise and affection.

Attractiveness, or Okay but Have You Considered That They’re Hot Though?

I mean what am I supposed to say here? They’re hot, what do you want from me?

No, but in all seriousness, fictional media paints an idealized version of the world, and most yanderes are hot because they have the freedom of existing purely behind that screen; artfully arranged and edited to forever appear compelling to anyone who happens to enjoy their particular style. And there are a lot of styles to choose from. Whether you want them pretty faced and disarmingly cute, or scarred up and big enough to pin you like a butterfly, yanderes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that are meant to pique your interest and draw you in like a naïve little fish being lured towards the mouth of an angler fish, unwilling to believe that anything bad might happen to us when the bait is this pretty.

This is often referred to as the Halo Effect, a form of cognitive bias referring to the tendency for people to assume that a single obvious positive trait must be associated with other positive traits. The go-to characteristic is typically physical attractiveness, but a nice voice, good humour, and cooking skills are also factors which serve to influence our perceptions.

So, conventional physical attractiveness is one thing, but that’s only skin deep. What about beyond that? After all, the yandere still has to talk to you before they enact their master plan of tying you up in their basement until Stockholm Syndrome kicks in.

When I showed my friend a picture of John Doe from the game John Doe, she told me that he looked like a creepy slob, and she’s far from the only person who’s ever thought so. Look at them. I feel like if I tried to comb that hair it would simply eat me, and some of the CGs really put the scopophobia in Scopophobia Studios. I love Doe, but he is not hot, and he doesn’t behave in a normally appealing way either. If the player chooses not to take a bath, Doe will immediately comment that you “smell good” before following you home, breaking into your house, and leaving a bloody organ on the floor for the player to trip over. Many yanderes can at least fake a veneer of normalcy, but from the get-go Doe doesn’t even bother to pretend he’s anything less than an otherworldly creature stuffed into a vaguely person-shaped meatsuit. In an effort to find out why so many people had latched on to Doe – including me – I shopped around social media and YouTube for answers, and what I found was a widely unanimous sentiment.

While some were drawn to his fun design and goofy personality, most simply thought that he wasn’t inherently malevolent, just very confused. In addition to being a supernatural being with a completely alien axis of morality, Doe’s meta-awareness and unbridled attempts at winning the player’s affection lends him quite a bit of support from the audience, especially if you yourself also happen to struggle with social cues and relate to his pure earnestness. In Ending 7 of the extended version, the player character has the option to tell Doe – who has altered himself to pass as more ‘normal’ – that they prefer who he truly is, at which point he grows visibly flustered and sports an adorable pair of literal heart-shaped pupils.

Whether they’re charismatic, seductive, cute, sweet, funny, nurturing, or generous, the best yanderes have engaging personalities. Even while they’re committing truly heinous crimes against God, man, and your guts, you still kinda want to hang out with them, and you want them to acknowledge you as being just as interesting. And this is all fine in fiction because you’re the one in charge, and if you ever get bored or uncomfortable or busy with something else, then you can simply close the tab or window with zero consequences, which brings us to the final and most important reason.

Power Dynamics and Consent in Fantasy (I Couldn’t Think of a Joke Here Guys, This Is Kinda Serious)

Once again, I feel that I must preface this section just for the sake of my own peace of mind: sexual coercion and assault are vile and disgusting crimes that should never be emulated or tolerated in the real world. We are speaking purely of fictional media, specifically adult-oriented media in this case, so please be mindful.

In 2009, Bivoni and Critelli conducted a study on 355 undergraduate women with the goal of assessing the reasons behind fantasies of non-consent. At the time, there were two leading explanations of this phenomenon. One stated that women with high libidos but repressed views of sex used these imaginary scenarios to alleviate the guilt they had grown to associate with sex. Because the simulation was a purely mental exercise and they themselves were cast as helpless victims in the scenario, they were able to remain blameless while still finding sexual gratification. The second stated that these fantasies were an expression of liberation by women who were adventurous and comfortable enough with their own sexuality to engage with taboo ideas that they weren’t at all interested in performing in real life. Which do you think was more common?

If you guessed the second option, you’d be right. The study found that of the 220 women who had experienced such fantasies, 45% found theirs erotic, 46% were mixed, and only 9% reported pure aversion. One justification for this outcome relies on psycho-biological theories, for example masochistic preferences or the unintended activation of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequent mis-attribution of arousal. Other reasons have to do with higher order thinking and are tied to the power dynamics within such fantasies. On the surface is the appeal of being so desirable to someone that they simply cannot control themselves, but then there is a deeper impulse, which the researchers referred to as Adversary Transformation. To quote the article: “[fantasies] involve a struggle between an assailant and a potential victim in which it is relevant to consider who is the winner and who is the loser. At one level, it is a struggle over sex, but the woman's non-consent may be feigned or token. At another level, the woman may be seeking a victory that is not about whether sex occurs, but about what happens emotionally between the protagonists.”

Basically, the imaginary perpetrator may have ‘won’, but the self-character need not have ‘lost’.

Media provides an extra layer to the illusion, one that you as the viewer have absolute control over. If you are choosing to engage with a piece of media that explicitly labels itself as including R18+ yandere content, then you clearly have some expectations, and that background awareness goes a long way in reducing long-term discomfort and allowing audiences to make informed decisions. If you don’t like the plot, you can simply turn it off it with the click of a button, and when the screen goes dark it’s not like the yandere is going to punish you for saying no. Strade isn’t going to break into your house with a drill, there are no homicidal clown ghosts hiding in your TV, and no suspicious pink-haired hackers watching your webcam. They aren’t real, and the consequences aren’t real either. You have all the power here.

Conclusion

In summary, Yanderes are appealing for a variety of reasons. Whether you want to save them, think they’re attractive, wish to indulge in a dream of being utterly coveted, or simply enjoy a bit of spice in your me-time, it’s obvious why the trope has persisted for so long and will likely continue to do so. If you enjoy yanderes but are worried that having a taste for the less wholesome side of things might imply something about who you are as a person, don’t be. The notion that fantasies and media preferences directly reflect subconscious desires is not only painfully out of date debunked nonsense but also indicative of restrictive ideologies wherein bad thoughts = sin. This isn’t 1984. You haven’t committed a thought-crime by having a weird kink. You aren't going to superhell for fantasizing. The human mind is hardly ever so mathematically rational, and the point of fiction is to allow us to safely engage with and explore various ideas, provided the everyone involved is mentally, chronologically, and emotionally mature enough to do so.

Thank you all for listening to me. If you learned something or were just a little bit entertained. If you're curious about knowing more, I've listed my sources below

REFERENCES

Bivona, J. M., & Critelli, J. W. (2009). The Nature of Women’s Rape Fantasies: An analysis of prevalence, frequency, and contents. Journal of Sex Research, 46(1), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490802624406

Critelli, J. W., & Bivona, J. M. (2008). Women’s Erotic Rape Fantasies: An Evaluation of Theory and research. Journal of Sex Research, 45(1), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490701808191

DeWall, C. N., & Bushman, B. J. (2011). Social acceptance and rejection. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(4), 256–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411417545

Flynn, F. J., Reagans, R., Amanatullah, E. T., & Ames, D. R. (2006). Helping one’s way to the top: Self-monitors achieve status by helping others and knowing who helps whom. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(6), 1123–1137. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.6.1123

Harandi, T. F., Taghinasab, M. M., & Nayeri, T. D. (2017). The correlation of social support with mental health: A meta-analysis. Electronic Physician, 9(9), 5212–5222. https://doi.org/10.19082/5212

Hazen, H. (1983). Endless rapture: rape, romance, and the female imagination. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL3161300M/Endless_rapture

Kroon, R. W. (2010). A/V A to z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms. McFarland.

Matuszak, M. (2017). Hybristophilia White Paper. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55dfd21ee4b0718764fb34cc/t/5cb7cabee5e5f00ab13be58b/1555548863275/Hybristophilia+White+Paper.pdf

Oarga, C., Stavrova, O., & Fetchenhauer, D. (2015). When and why is helping others good for well-being? The role of belief in reciprocity and conformity to society’s expectations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 45(2), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2092

Parker, R. (2014). Serial killer groupies. RJ PARKER PUBLISHING, INC.

Wang, T., & Sha, H. (2018). The influence of social rejection on cognitive control. Psychology, 09(7), 1707–1719. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2018.97101

#reference list is completed!#yandere #sunny day jack #my dear hatchet man #mdhm #stnaf #ddlc #john doe #boyfriend to death #tpof #degrees of lewdity #your boyfriend #14dwy #br<3ken colors #camp willowpeak #br0ken colors #obey me #binary star hero #favor vn

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ot3 · 3 months

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If you genuinely believe it is acceptable to join the us military because you're desperate or you don't know any better then you are prioritizing the right of an American citizen to be ignorant and self interested over non-americans right to live. Yeah I understand people have to make certain difficult choices if they're poor! But you have to draw a moral line about what you would or would not do to improve your own economic status at some point. The place I draw that line is at joining the united states military and if that's not where your line is drawn then you either don't know enough about what this country has done and should really look into it, or you're too racist for harm committed outside of this nations borders to impact your decision making.

Talking about how "vulnerable" the people who join the military are is something that can only hold any weight if your frame of reference for vulnerability begins and ends within the borders of the united states. Even the absolute least privileged US citizen reaps imperial benefits that are completely out of grasp of most people on the planet. Being ignorant of the crimes the us military has committed is the privilege of someone who has never been victimized by them. Being in a position where you have the option to economically benefit from participating in the military occupation of foreign countries, participating in any step of that apparatus at all, is arguably one of most the definitive and egregious manifestations of colonial privilege that the average american has access to.

Meanwhile, the people in many of these formerly colonized and/or currently occupied countries have had their economic opportunities gutted. The upward mobility you all seem to think justifies any amount of service to the empire is not even an option for them. Cobalt, coffee, rubber, chocolate, bananas, sweatshop, chemical plants, all of their labor and natural resources being siphoned off to boost our economy, funnel money into our military, which is then used to continue massacring them and collapsing their governments if they dare to try and improve domestic conditions. God forbid they own their own water and land! And God forbid they try to come here either because we all know how that works out!

I don't know how else to say it. I am begging you to consider these people as being as fully human as you are. If you wouldn't justify murdering your neighbor for college tuitionyou shouldn't justify joining the army for it either. The bare, bare, rock bottom minimum of allyship against colonialism is not joining the army and not justifying anyone else's decision to do so either. I'm not trying to moralize. I'm not trying to grandstand. This is a fully earnest plea to please consider the wellbeing of the people victimized by imperialism, not just the ones carrying it out, coerced or otherwise. There are plenty of moral gray areas in life but this is not one of them if you consider the lives of people in the global South to be valuable.

#As you can imagine my activity page is pretty atrocious right now

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decolonize-the-everything · 8 months

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MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) is a human rights crisis of violence against Indigenous women in Canada and the United States

Quick facts:

4 of 5 Native women will experience violence

1/3 of Native women will experience sexual violence (and over 2/3 of that is committed by non-natives)

Murder is our 3rd leading cause of death

On some reservations MMIWG2S are murdered at 10x the national average rate

In general native women and girls are raped at twice the average national rate

According to a report by USA today, native women also go missing at the twice average national rate

Nearly all rapes are perpetuated by off reservations settlers who also face no legal repercussions (legal loopholes state you must be on tribal ground to be persecuted by tribal police and most don't stick sround)

Less than 1% of MMIW cases are logged

It's been awhile since I've since Ive posted about this, but it's a very important topic and one that's especially important to me right now.

Some of you following me have all the context clues but I'll say it plainly here on this post. My cousin is one of the many MMIW that have died awful deaths. I myself am one of the natives who've experiences violence and sexual violence. The article is right. I don't know a native who hasn't. And that shouldn't have to be our reality.

But it doesn't change without more support and we don't get support by keeping people in the dark. Unfortunately resources are directly tied to public interest in an issue. The actual MMIW site for example says it's on hiatus when you go to the resource section.

So please share this so that someone else can learn and become an ally to the cause. The way people treat native women, girls, and two spirits is awful and deserves more attention than it's getting.

May 5th is MMIW awareness day; please wear red, share our posts, schedule a vigil, make your own graphics/posts in support, etc. Make some time to show you care that day.

Just don't use the red hand over your mouth, this is representative of the violent silence MMIW are forced to keep in their graves and how those of us alive must speak for them. Its a heavy symbol that carries responsibility so it's best left alone if you aren't indigenous.

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bnhaobservation · 2 months

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Did Enji atone to Touya (and his family) and stepped up on his role as a father?

Boku no Hero Academia has a grave 'flaw'. The fact that's strongly tied to Japanese culture and Buddhism makes it a very interesting work but also makes it a hardly international work because way too many cultural things are left unexplained because they're assumed to be a given. Only they're not when the work is read by foreign readers. And this lead to confusion.

The Todoroki plotline is an example of this.

In the west many feel Enji did nothing for Touya or did too little because the little he did is a given in the west. The point is... it's not a given in Japan. In Japan is a BIG DEAL. So let's go though it.

First, the fact that he doesn't want to kill Touya even though he's a criminal

Todoroki Enji ‘Ore wa ikinobite mo... ENDEAVOR wa shinda. Tairyō satsujinsha (read: musuko) to tatakaenai.’ 轟炎司「俺は生き延びても...エンデヴァーは死んだ。大量殺人者（むすこ）と戦えない。」 Todoroki Enji “Even if I survived... Endeavor is dead. I can't fight against a mass murderer (read: my son).”

Let's compare it to these two scenes of "Death Note" and see how Yagami Soichiro, a policeman, is taking the idea his son might be a killer and how, although Misa protests, the story doesn't present it as him being crazy but as it being his duty.

That's why Hawks doesn't want to send Enji, who's on an atonement path, to face Dabi, because Enji might end up in a situation in which he would have to kill his son and he would refuse... which is more or less what happens.

Second, Enji acknowledges that what Touya said is true, Touya is his son and Enji did what he did. In such a situation many would lie. Dabi's video proves nothing. He is a Villain, they had a doctor in the team who could create Nomu, the paternity test could be fake, even if Dabi were to provide a sample of his blood or skin they could insist that's fake.

Society didn't want the truth, they don't want Enji to confess, they wanted him to reassure them, they even commented he should have lied because yes, that's what's done often.

Basically he put his honor on the chopping block. A public apology like this one is a BIG DEAL in Japan. It's much more serious than in western countries and he does it when he could have spared himself and say Dabi lied but that would have meant to deny his son.

Third, it connects to the first in a way. While Enji is unwilling to kill Touya, he's willing to die with him. It's ‘shinjū’ (心中 Lit. “Mind/heart center/inside” but more likely means “oneness of hearts”, probably reflecting a psychological link between the participants) and it’s a word used in common parlance to refer to any group suicide of two or more individuals bound by love, typically lovers, parents and children, and even whole families. People who commit shinjū believe that they would be united again in heaven, a view supported by feudal teaching in Edo period Japan, which taught that the bond between loved ones would continue into the next world, and by the teaching of Pure Land Buddhism wherein it is believed that through shinjū, one can approach rebirth in the Pure Land. By volunteering to die with him, Enji is basically agreeing to remain with him in their next reincarnation.

For us it's crazy, it's Enji giving up on saving him. In Japan it sounds like 'I love you and I want to be with you'.

Forth, he'll apologize to Touya. As said before it's a BIG DEAL, especially since Enji is the family head and, although for us most of what he did is wrong, in Japan most of what he did is well within what he can do. Marrying a woman you don't love in a combined marriage to expect the child who'll be born from it will fulfill your ambitions and not really bothering to raise it because that's a mother job, well, things are changing in Japan but none of the above is a crime. In a not so distant past it was actually the norm. Yet Enji apologizes even though normally a family head wouldn't.

Fifth it's a bit in the first point and in the second but it'll drag on through all the story, Enji won't reject Touya. He's the only one (except Fuyumi who however doesn't get to say much) who never calls him Dabi after the reveal, and he won't strike him out of the family register but will keep on considering him his son.

Look at the Tobitas instead and at how they kick their son out.

Don't think Hawks is cutting strings with his parents solely because they were abusive, the Tobitas show us how you should just cut strings with a criminal. Same as the Togas.

Have "Theseus no fune" in which a man accused to be a murderer, send a birthday gift to his son and watch the reaction of his wife.

They don't want to keep contact with a criminal. It's scary because they'll be mistreated if they are discovered to be related to him.

And, in this vein, the fact he wants to go see him, that he'll keep on seeing him till the end instead than turning his back on him, is seen as important. It's seen as him being his father.

To many of us it seems as if he's forcing his presence upon Touya. Actually, from a Japanese perspective he's instead not abandoning him like many others would.

And since Touya is dying, very likely the talking will be the talking that's done in a Buddhist culture when someone is dying. Death should occur in a calm and peaceful environment, with close friends and family in attendance. Together they should reflect on the good deeds the dying person has done throughout their life, in the hopes it will help them in their next reincarnation. Additionally, family and friends can perform good deeds on behalf of them, which they believe will be of merit to the deceased.

So, since Touya is dying he won't get a scolding like Chisaki, they'll all only tell him nice and soothing things so he'll die peacefully.

Now... in the west all this is absolutely way too little, and in some points even feels wrong. Dying together instead than insisting in trying to save him? Deciding unilaterally to show up every day? Not our thing...

We can totally say 'thanks, I hate it' because we grew up with Darth Vader who instead gave his life to SAVE his son. All this accepting that Touya instead is going to die so Enji can at best die with him or keep him company until he does... well, it's mostly not our cup of cultural tea.

In in Japan though, all Enji does is important. Enji is doing something for Touya as a father, something important many fathers wouln't do for their sons.

Does it would satisfy a Japanese audience? They'll get the message better than us... but things are changing and anyway it can still feel too little. "Death Note" is dated 2005/2006 and back in it Misa was already questioning the idea of a father killing his son and then killing himself. BNHA is more innovative as Enji doesn't think to kill Touya but he still goes for the 'let's die together' route... and Horikoshi subtly criticizes it by having the rest of the family decising they'll try to stop the fire before just giving up. They're willing to die, but not before trying.

Enji represents plenty of old theories after all, which Horikoshi acknowledges were moved out of wrong beliefs, not moved by mean intents... which, is possible, would still not be enough for Japanese readers either because among teenagers, the target audience, there's an increasing number of teen who, in Japan, are forced to leave home (the Toyoko Kids) and often ends up committing crimes to survive and the league seems to be based on all the kind of homeless people Japan has.

While for a kid at home with a loving family being told that your father will die with him if he messes up instead than just dumping him might be comforting... for a kid that was abused and forced to leave home this might feel not enough.

People want to be saved, being told it's too late to save them, might be a lesson for those who hadn't done anything wrong yet so that they won't do it, but it's surely not a hopeful message for who instead got himself into troubles.

But well, that's something for the Japanese audience to ponder.

There's also to point out that, even though the message is not hopeful, Horikoshi is seeing the homeless people and acknowledging they should be helped.

Japan in regard to the Toyoko kids is mostly like the old woman who pretended not to see Tenko but that, in the end, helps that new boy.

I think Horikoshi's message desperately wants to be hopeful even for them, that he wants BNHA be like Midoriya's final stand, something that will push people to acknowledge they exist and reach out to help them.

It just that... it gets lost in what I'll call the 'litteral translation'.

No one explains us how we should jusge the scenes and, since we lack the cultural background, to us they are perceived differently because to us things work differently.

And, personally, even when I think I figured out the author's intent and can see the positivity of it, the cultural filter is still too tick and the picture gets blurried.

It's like being beginner at speaking a foreign language and having to constantly translate it in your head. The message loses its natural beauty, get simplified and not fully grasped.

I think I understand how Enji's atonement work in regard to Touya... it still doesn't feel fulfilling to me. But enough about Touya.

'Now,' you might rightfully say, 'fine, I'll bite, let's assume what Enji has is an atonement arc for Touya. It doesn't work at all in the west but let's give it a pass. What about his other kids?'

Natsuo and Fuyumi's wishes are in conflict.

Fuyumi wants the five of them to be a family (at the time she doesn't know Touya is alive), Natsuo doesn't want to be part of a family with Enji.

Enji's solution is giving Fuyumi a house in which she can welcome her mother and live with Natsuo (and Shouto when he comes home), while he removes himself from the equation. The solution fulfills Natsuo's wish of not seeing Enji because it makes him feel bad. It only partly fulfil Fuyumi's wish because it'll allow her to have her mother back (Rei couldn't bear meeting Enji either) and to stay with her siblings... but Enji takes responsibility for it, he doesn't tell her it's due to Natsuo that he can't live with them, so, in theory, it won't be Natsuo the one who's stressed to be at home when Enji is there and the one who has to leave home because he can't stand the sight of Enji.

There are many things I can say on how this is not a good solution (it doesn't make Natsuo feel better, it just stops him from feeling worse), but there are two points to consider. The first is that Enji is getting old and it would be his children's duty, due to filial pity, to take care of him, instead he's basically giving them the means to leave and take his wife with them.

Actually, since Natsuo is now the oldest MALE, it should fall on him specifically. Yes, Enji always intended to have Shouto inherit his mantle but this doesn't free Natsuo from his duties. Instead Enji is letting all his children free.

Even with Shouto, he doesn't insist anymore for Shouto to learn Flashfire Fist as his heir but just as an intern.

I take this is big in Japan.

Here again, not so much, especially in the countries in the west that think kids should leave their parents' home as soon as possible and we don't think our children are obliged to inherit our mantles.

Note how the story implies that this was meant to be the end for the Natsuo/Enji arc.

Natsuo made clear he didn't want to meet Enji again, he does it solely because they've to stop Touya and, once they've stopped Touya, he makes clear he doesn't want to see him again.

If we want though, the fact he's leaving the family can be seen as a concession in a way.

Since apparently Rei wants to stay with Enji (and likely their old house was devasted because that's what happens to relative of criminals) Enji can now move with Fuyumi and Rei and Natsuo won't have to see him because he'll leave home... to make his own home.

As for Shouto... Horikoshi answered his request by basically showing him Enji being a father for Touya and then promising he would protect them from the fiery fallout, which Horikoshi doesn't show at all because it's another thing that's a given in Japanese culture, it'll be hell for Enji to protect them, but not for us.

Just to get an idea of the fiery fallout here are some images from "Theseus no fune" again showing you how bad is this sort of thing.

Back to Enji, Horikoshi gives us verbal confirmation that Enji is now being a father by being willing to do this, by having Natsuo, who never called him as such, calling him father for the first time.

For Horikoshi that's Enji being a father.

Again, we've no idea of which hell Enji will suffer because that's not part of our culture. I've posted above screencaps of "Theseus no fune", that's how the fallout should be so not pretty at all.

So the fact that Enji will try to protect them from it is, again, BIG.

So yeah, Enji did do BIG things to atone and keeps on doing them and if he'll ultimately get forgiven by Natsuo (the rest of his family wanted to forgive him way before he were to do something), that's up to Natsuo... Horikoshi likely left this as open ending because he wanted to let it up to readers so as not to make them feel they were forced to forgive Enji.

In the general hopeful theme of the manga and with Natsuo acknowledging him as a cool father I guess his idea is that Natsuo too will eventually forgive him because he's kind.

I don't want to say that Natsuo forgiving Enji would be a culture clash because there's people even here that forgive their horrible parents and that's valid. Forgiving is a personal choice and one has the right to make it even if said horrible parent did nothing to deserve it.

It's up to you.

But sure is, if again we take the story at face value and not in its cultural contest, we can't see what Enji does to atone, because for us is nothing big.

It's even made worse by how Horikoshi doesn't show at all the hell Enji will go through (as for him is a given) so for us IT DOESN'T EXIST. We see Enji as having it easy, talking big but not having to face anything at all.

Honestly though... I think this is a bit of a flaw of the manga as a whole.

Way too often it prefers to focus on the good than on the bad so that the bad gets sidelined to much to the point people forget it.

There were horrible Heroes who committed crimes and had no intention to repent or stop... and we never met them. Nagant killed them off but we never met them.

Mountain Lady, who became a Hero for money and fame, then sticks to the job even when it's bad. Desugoro, who left the job when it turned bad, then came back to help. Enji is on an atonement path and, anyway, on work he was always a good Hero.

In the same way Horikoshi prefers not to show Enji's hardship but focus on how he'll have the support of his sidekicks, driver and Hawks... partly also because it ties in so well with the general message of everyone reaching out.

The result is that the Midoriya plotline of everyone reaching out becomes more important of the Enji atonement arc and overshadows it.

Enji's atonement arc ends in 426, chap 430 doesn't feel the need to tell us if Enji is keeping up with it despite the hardship, nor how his family is doing. It feels the need to reassure us that people will reach out for him even if he's in hell, that even if he had to give up on his family, he now as a new found family.

It's thematically consistent with the theme of reaching out but... the fact it overwrites the atonement arc honestly FOR ME doesn't work so great.

I think it's an overall problem of the 'reaching out message'.

While in itself is beautiful... it saves nothing I was lead to care about.

In Enji's case I was interested in his atonement arc, in how he could help his kids. I wanted more of that, partly because his atonement arc is so far from my culture, partly because it touched characters I cared about, I wanted to be reassured he would keep on working on it and that his family would be well.

Yes, he should be in hell, but the story didn't really work hard on trying to make me worry for him as it established already a support network for him. The story made me worry for the kids, for Touya, who was dying, for Fuyumi, who wanted back her family and won't have it, for Natsuo, who's marrying an unknown character so young, for Shouto, who has to cope with the loss of the brother with whom he wanted to connect.

I don't really care Burnin, Onima, Kido and Hawks are willing to continue to protect Enji, to reach out to help him, I knew they would, I wanted to be reassured Enji's kids are safe, well and protected. I wanted to see ENJI reach out and help them.

In this vein I don't really care the old grandmother saved a nameless abused kid, or, at least, not as much as I cared for Tomura to be saved. It's nice she saved him, it's nice he gets to live the life Tomura was denied but honestly, he's a mob character with a super tragic backstory created deliberately to force us to emotionally connect to him.

The message he now will be saved is good, but my emotional investment to him is too little.

The same applies to Uraraka's Quirk counsueling program, we knew next to nothing about the Quirk consueling previous program beyond that it didn't work (a real problem in Japan as they have a school consueling program that didn't work... and changes are in progress) and that now it supposedly does.

To how Shouji now solves peacefully plenty of conflicts caused by Heteromorph discrimination, which Horikoshi tossed in later and never really showed how to solve (and, don't take me wrong, it's not solved even by Shouji, he just solves peacefully the conflicts, how is up to everyone's speculation).

Long story short, I think Horikoshi worked really hard for BNHA to have an optimist, hopeful message... but part of it goes lost in cultural differences and part of it goes lost in how the story didn't try to get me invested in the things it's now saving.

So yeah, I'm still sad for this little panel in chap 430

I guess I'll eventually get over it. Today though, it's not that day.

On a positive note... if we count the pages of all the chapters that should go in vol 42 they're only 132. The chapters that were meant to go into Vol 39 had 165 (which yes, Horikoshi further expanded once the volume was released).

So yeah, unless Vol 42 will be slimmer than usual or that he'll add to it some sidestory or extra story, it's possible we'll get more plot in terms of epilogue. We'll see.

(also yes, I'm not touching Rei in this post. Rei is another can of worm entirely and one, I fear, Horikoshi doesn't care about. The poor woman doesn't even get a profile while Ikoma Komari does. And really, I do think Rei is much more important than Ikoma Komari)

Last, but not least, since someone seems to get the wrong idea, in case it wasn't clear enough, I'm not Japanese. I research on this. Through books, through the net and yeah, since I like to read manga and anime also through them which I often use as a source of comparison because they're easy, accessible to many and represent the same kind of media BNHA is so they more or less move according to the same or similar rules. I might have messed up somewhere. I encourage you to also research on the topic and take everything with a grain or two of salt.

#boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #Todoroki Enji #Todoroki Rei #Todoroki Touya #Todoroki Fuyumi #Todoroki Natsuo #Todoroki Shouto.#bnha ramblings

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duchess-of-mandalore · 3 months

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Star Wars, friends. I know this is not why you follow me, but please make this my most shared post.

You are here.

We're living the lead-up to Revenge of the Sith, and it scares me so much a) it feels like there is so little we can do, and b) young people are acting as if there is nothing we can do.

If you don't know what's going on, I need you to wake up and get engaged.

I have two history degrees. My whole life I've always been the person saying, "When people say, 'This is the most important election ever," it just shows how little they know about history.'"

So please believe me when I tell you that THIS is the most important election (cycle, not just presidential race) that you will likely ever be a part of.

Trump is not Hitler. He's too stupid to be Hitler.

But our democracy only held together in 2020 because of a few people like Mike Pence who were willing to stand up against Trump when it was truly the last line of defense. I know that's hard for some of you to hear, but whatever you think of his beliefs, Pence showed he has integrity and stands by the Constitution.

There will be no Mike Pences this time around. Trump will not make the mistake of surrounding himself with those who are not fully committed to him.

Trump is a convicted felon. He is running to avoid his convictions and likely jail time more than anything else. If he wins, he will be able to pardon himself of his federal crimes, but he's going to keep acting like Donald Trump. If he's still alive in 2028, do you think he will leave the White House peacefully and just submit to further cases against him?

Please watch John Oliver's recent expose on Project 2025 and Trump's Second Term. It is linked in a comment below.

Trump and his administration are already putting in place plans for sweeping reforms that truly will make America look like The Handmaid's Tale. Presidents usually will push for more when they're in their second term because they don't have to worry about another election campaign, but this is different. This is about dismantling the democratic system so that it only benefits the most radical conservatives and Christians.

Christians, I am one of you. I was raised Evangelical (capital E meaning politically motivated culture warrior), and I am still evangelical (lower-case e, referring to theological beliefs). This is not the posture of Christ-followers. There is no good that comes from state-mandated religion, which both coerces people to claim that they are believers for social and cultural clout AND waters down the true religious fervor of the church because most people are only nominal believers.

There is NOTHING about Christian Nationalism that is in the best interest of Christians or in the best interest of the neighbors Christians are called to sacrificially love. If you need a reminder of who your neighbor is, read Luke 10:25-37.

Please start talking with your friends. Young people, please register to vote and bring your friends to do the same.

I know so many of you are disillusioned. I am too. Things that are going on in Palestine and Ukraine and so many other places make it very hard to vote for people with "D"s behind their names (especially after the recent presidential debate).

But punishing Joe Biden is not the revenge you want to pursue here. Are you unhappy with him giving Israel $12.5 billion? I am too, but do you think that number won't be repeated multiple times under Trump? Again, I was raised Evangelical. A staple of (politically-focused) Evangelicalism is that Christians (and thus America) must support (the modern state of) Israel no matter what because they have a hyper-literal understanding of the verse where God tells Abraham that he will bless those who bless him (including his descendants who became Israel).

Do not underestimate the importance of that view in their ideology. Nearly every member of my biological family has shunned me for suggesting that this is not a blanket endorsement of every action the modern state of Israel takes.

Trump is a criminal running for president to save his skin. He supports Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel who is now himself wanted for war crimes. Trump has aligned himself with the authoritarian leaders/dictators of Hungary, China, North Korea, and Russia. He is open about his love for Russian president Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime and stands against Ukraine's democracy and national sovereignty.

This is what happened before World War I and World War II.

I know this isn't what you follow me for.

But George Lucas was showing the dangers of authoritarianism. He shows that democracy is hard. It's frustrating trying to negotiate with people you disagree with vehemently. It may seem like nothing gets done.

Go and watch the Naboo picnic scene. Go and do it. And after chuckling at all the funny memes it's given us, let me tell you why it scares me so much.

Because Padme laughs.

Anakin tells her who he is, and she laughs.

She passes it off as a joke, or as flirting, or maybe even as just the ignorant views of a boy who views life as far more black and white than she knows it to be.

But the alternative to all of that frustrating democracy, all that gridlock in the Senate, all those choices and compromises you have to make in order to benefit the people at all ... the alternative is a dictator who says, "I will make all the decisions for us."

That's why there are people who applaud Palpatine. That's why we as viewers see Bail and Padme as the reasonable ones and think it's crazy that anyone would applaud, but they do.

The applaud because Palpatine says, "You don't have to be frustrated anymore. You don't have to be worried about those who disagree with you anymore." Safety and security and ease are powerful temptations when you live in a polarized society, and Palpatine offers them all of those things.

That's why many people applaud Trump, too.

There were also people who applauded Palpatine who did see the danger of what he was doing. But they applauded because it was easier to do so. He had already amassed power because they didn't stand up to him before. They applaud him now because standing against him now would have dire consequences they wouldn't have faced if they had stood against him before.

So vote. And get your friends to vote.

If there is any part of you that believes Star Wars has important things to tell us about real life, then I need you to fan that flame into a fire.

Otherwise, you won't be living in the prequels anymore. You will be living in the time of the Empire.

Vote.

#Star Wars #The Clone Wars #Star Wars Rebels #The Mandalorian #The Acolyte #Padme Amidala #Satine Kryze #Anakin Skywalker #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Obitine #American Politics #Politics #Donald Trump #Joe Biden #Vote #2024 Elections #John Oliver #Christianity #evangelicalism

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slavonicrhapsody · 1 month

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honestly i think the most that can be assumed from hornsent wearing the caterpillar mask is that hes okay with the jarring process, since it has such heavy connections to bonny village+the gaols, plus i think itd make an interesting parallel to marika where you have these two traumatized characters who lost everything to horrific acts of violence whod them go on to condone OTHER horrific acts of violence just because it happened to The Other Guy (hornsent losing his family to the crusade, being okay with jarring shamans cuz its an important ritual of his people and he desperately struggles to retain any last connection he can to them; marika losing her family to jarring, sending messmer to crusade against the hornsent without caring about his methods just so shed have her vengeance)

theres even something to be drawn about marika from how hornsents quest ends ("if miquellas redemption would quell the desire for revenge i feel, then i dont think i want him to redeem anything after all" <-poorly summarized dialogue lmao) wherein, combined with the shaman village lore, we can draw the parallel that marika didnt *want* her thirst for vengeance slaked, because much like how killing messmer didnt bring back any of hornsents people, becoming a god was equally disatisfying for marika. in much the same way marika tramples over corpses to become a god, hornsent metaphorically walks over messmers corpse to try and take his place as crusader, this time against the people of the erdtree.

it also paints messmer in a REALLY interesting light. hornsent is so consumed by revenge he doesnt focus on anything else beyond a nostalgic reminiscence. miquellas goal, as told to him, is to give the hornsent a chance at peace and to rebuild, and hornsent would rather sacrifice that to feed his own flames of vengeance. similarly we can assume marika never told messmer the location of bonny village or the gaols because theyre untouched by the crusade, despite definitely knowing where they are, and the gaols indicate that even after bonny village stopped sending jars, they remained in use by utilizing prisoners (potentially even prisoners of war+deserting soldiers) for at least SOME time before we find them. indicating that also, to marika, it was the death that was important. the fear, and the killing, and the slaughter. messmer by contrast sets up a clinic for the jarred shamans, is capable of being convinced against crusading and burning certain areas such as salza arguing in favor of sparing rauh, and has a library dedicated to the people hes genociding that stores information about their culture and anatomy (judging by the models he has hanging in the storeroom).

messmer, who places himself symbolically between the hornsent and marika to spare her the shame of being the face of the crusade, committing atrocities out of sympathy and love for his mother, vs hornsent who desires to commit atrocities out of an overwhelming need for revenge, vs marika who DID commit atrocities for revenge and desired them to never stop even if it meant losing the things she cared about (despite initially showering messmer with blessings and affection and special physiks, eventually she stopped saying anything at all about the war without grace or honor, and only miquellas prying reveals it all again, including the son she loved and left behind)

like UGHHHH i LOVEEE when characters have foils and you can use the patchwork of lore to help fill in the blanks about everyone theyre connected to

oh Hornsent and Marika are ABSOLUTELY meant to be parallels… both are on revenge quests where their goal is to keep killing and killing until every single person related to their enemy is dead. Marika has Messmer burn the Hornsent cities to the ground in vengeance for her murdered village, but most of these people were civilians, farmers… familes and their children who had probably never even seen a jar — their only crime was to be part of the same society.

Hornsent, though he despises Marika and Messmer for burning his family to death, does exactly the same thing that she did: he vows to kill Marika and ALL her kin, and he goes after us even if we helped him simply because we are one of Marika’s chosen. It doesn’t matter that we gave him scorpion stew and that I’m sure deep down he wants to like us, we were always marked for death in his eyes just because of who we are.

This is exactly the purpose of the caterpillar mask… feeling any guilt or regret about his actions would get in the way of Hornsent’s sworn mission. Hornsent having this mask implies that he had some knowledge of what the potentates did and sought out their attire for their violent rituals as a touchstone for his own violent quest. A lot of people act as if the jarring process was something the entire hornsent population explicitly believed in and supported, and it’s true that the practice is basically built into the society’s entire prison system, but the ritual slaughter and jar worship are implied to be esoteric practices carried out only by specific groups of people… I highly doubt this is a practice that every Hornsent knows of intimately and enthusiastically supports. And we know some did explicitly oppose the jar rituals; the greater potentate who wrote the cookbooks we find was disgusted by the practices of his village. So Hornsent finding and wearing the potentate mask is like him knowingly embracing the darkest, most violent parts of his society in order to use them against their enemies.

Messmer’s position in this story really is interesting because with Hornsent’s quest, he’s set up to be like his “final boss,” the guy who cruelly slaughtered his people and called them savages. But when we actually get to Messmer, he’s so much more subdued then we’d have thought, like an apathetic shell of his former self… he doesn’t even verbally acknowledge Hornsent’s presence, like he means nothing to him. The war against the Hornsent was never Messmer’s war, it was Marika’s. Messmer carried out this violence in vengeance for his mother and her village, but when Marika stops speaking to him altogether, the war starts to feel more and more like pointless violence, like he’s just going through the motions.

I won’t go so far as to say that Messmer had much sympathy for the Hornsent he was murdering; the specimen storehouse was more of a project said to be created by his fire knights who were uncomfortable about letting an entire society’s knowledge go up in flames (but chose to burn it anyway). but he absolutely has a different attitude than his mother… he feels more like her tool… used up and discarded

and lol no worries

#asks #elden ring #hornsent #marika #messmer

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himegureisu · 6 months

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4 | the Woman

Summary: There are times when cases need a woman's touch. This is where you finally introduce yourself to your brother-in-law. This is set at the end of S2 E1 A Scandal in Belgravia.

Pairing: Mycroft Holmes x Female Reader

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“There are people we can get into this,” Mycroft said,

“I tested that theory for you. I let Sherlock Holmes try for six months,” she bragged, “Sherlock, dear, tell him what you uncovered through that x-ray of my phone,”

Irene Adler, professionally known as the Woman, a dominatrix of significant influence was obvious. Her only advantage was the fact she was playing against men.

Half a year, the Holmes men stumped at what to do. What a sight, however, it’s best to end their misery.

The Woman hands over her list of requests. However, that’s not going to happen, not on your watch.

“Oh, that’s a shame. Can’t I join in the fun?” you said.

Their eyes shifted as you entered the study in your battledress. Her exchange pauses as you stand behind Mycroft. Your brother-in-law quietly observes and thinks by the fireplace. His head towards the three of you.

“I did hope Sherlock would get this one,” you sighed, as you stretched your hand out to Irene, “May I?”

“Be my guest,” she offered.

“You’re rather transparent,” you twirl the mobile in your hands, “You don’t need a genius to unlock this. Just a woman that understands her kind,”

“Oh, do go on,” she stands, to sit on the edge of the table.

“There are times when women are affected by their interests. Others would say this is a disadvantage. Yours are the Holmes men, specifically, Sherlock. There was no other way to get to Sherlock without committing a crime except in your profession, you could pursue a different avenue,” Your eyes rest on Mycroft as they start to figure it out, “Two birds in one stone. Agitate the older brother, you get the younger. Women play a different kind of dirty and you played a game against men that was your advantage. God, did you pull their strings well but that ends tonight. The psychology of women, gentlemen, is that the most obvious is sometimes the most overlooked,”

“Craving the distraction of the game I sympathize entirely but sentiment?” Sherlock stands, walks over, and reaches out to you for the phone which you finally hand over, “Sentiment is a chemical element found on the losing side,”

Oh, Sherlock how wrong you are on that. Love and sentiment can be an advantage.

“When we first met, you told me that disguise is always a self-portrait,” Sherlock mused, facing the Woman, “How true of you. The combination to your safe, your measurements, but this is far more intimate. This is your heart, and you should never let it rule your head.”

“You just couldn’t resist, could you?” you interjected.

“Everything I said, it wasn’t real,” she whispered, silently pleading to Sherlock, “I was just playing the game,”

“This is just losing,”

I AM SHER LOCKED

“Thank you for the additional information,” he addressed you, “It was enlightening,”

“There you are, brother,” he passes the device to Mycroft, “I hope the contents may make up for any inconvenience I may have caused you tonight,”

“I’m certain they will,” Mycroft assured. His brother started to stare out the window, “If you’re feeling kind, lock her up otherwise let her go,”

Willaim Sherlock Scott Holmes was nearly outsmarted by a woman. What a brilliant turn of events.

It wasn’t long until someone escorted the woman away leaving you to the Holmes men.

“I thought he wouldn’t get it,” you address Mycroft, sitting on the chair he previously occupied to observe Sherlock, “Then again if he knew where to look for the safe code, he would get it eventually,”

“Why are you here?” Mycroft said. You give a look and say, “You know why I’m here,”

“Who are you?” Sherlock asks.

“Do make a deduction, Mr. Holmes,” you challenged, standing up for a better view, “What can you say about me? Oh, I heard you’re quite good at this,”

His eyes quickly take a once over you. To the way you did your hair, makeup, and casual clothes. His brother, your husband, hovered on the other side of the table.

What will Sherlock say about you?

“On your dominant hand, your middle finger is calloused from how you hold your pen, suggesting office worker. In a high position, by the value of your shoes. Your makeup suggests you like to be presentable but not elaborate or gaudy. Your clothes are clean except for a few loose strands of hair. No pets. Your engagement and wedding rings, shiny and clean, happily married then. Your husband is successful in his career by the size of that diamond and…”

His ramble paused. His eyes meeting yours, you give a casual curious gaze. His senses were on overdrive, recognizing the particular scent of leather of a car that often escorted him to his brother.

“No, that’s not possible,” Sherlock withdrew, “Has my brother found himself a goldfish?”

“No, not a goldfish, brother mine,” Mycroft defends. His ring, matching yours, shines in the firelight, “No, she’s out of their league,”

“How long has that taken him?” you asked Mycroft, in front of you as Sherlock remained speechless, “A minute,”

“A good minute, yes,” he confirms, as he goes to stand by your side, “I do wonder why you decided to reveal yourself, my dear,”

“I was fed up. You two dancing in her tune for half the year,” you complained, “You ditched Christmas Morning traditions,”

“I promised to make it up to you, my dear,” Mycroft reminded, however, unable to act on his plans yet, “And I did return earlier than expected,”

“Six years, Myc! We never shirk on trad —”

Before you can finish your ramble, Mycroft leans in and presses his lips against yours in a tender kiss. It was a pleasant interruption.

One Sherlock didn’t appreciate.

Your eyes widen for a moment before you melt against him. Your arms wrap around his waist, returning the sentiment. Sherlock clears his throat, breaking the moment between you and Mycroft.

“Years?” he remarked, “I never knew the Iceman could melt,”

“No, just thaws from time to time,” you cheekily smile at Mycroft who rolled his eyes, “Are you two finished? I’d like to turn in before the sun comes out, ensures at least one of us gets sleep,”

“We are finished,” Mycroft affirmed, walking toward the door, “Do us a reprieve, brother mine, don’t take cases on the weekend. You don’t know what it does to our schedule,”

“It was nice meeting you, brother-in-law,” you teased, your smile caught him off guard, as you walked to Mycroft’s side. He didn’t remember the last time someone was pleased to meet him. They were often annoyed or irritated. “Have a good evening,”

His brother has been married for years, and he didn’t know. How could he not know?

“Shame I’d wanted to see the Woman in cuffs,” you comment, as you walk side by side through the halls, “It would have made for an interesting night,”

“Would you like that, my dear?” Mycroft asks.

“If you’re open to it,”

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#mycroft holmes #mycroft #bbc mycroft #bbc mycroft holmes #mycroft holmes x reader #mycroft x reader #bbc sherlock #xreader #mycroft holmes x you

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favcharacterpoll · 1 year

Text

ROUND 4, MATCH 13: MARINA VS. MILES

here before "why would you pit two bad bitches against each other" its Marina Ida from Splatoon facing Miles Morales from ItSV/AtSV. Who do you like more?

[NOTE: A TIE WILL RESULT IN THE TWK FIGHTING AGAIN IN ROUND FIVE]

Marina Propaganda:

"there should be Splatoon 3 DLC where she and pearl get married"

"She’s a DJ, engineer, pianist and vocalist!! Hee songs kick ass!! She builds her own stages for splatfest!! She can ride a motorcycle! She can draw!! She skipped multiple grades bc she’s so smart!! She heard a song so good she decided to escape from the oppressive underground Octarian society!! She helped Agent 8 escape the metro and save the world!! She’s all but stated to be in love with her costar!! And she’s gonna show up in the next DLC too!!

She’s one of the most interesting and lovely characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing about and I hope you can see just how cool she is too!!"

"marina makes kickass music and has cool outfits and has a womderful short wife and is tall also she draws shoujou manga about the people she knows and is so. argargargagrhargargghhhhh"

"MARINA MARINA MARINA THIS GIRL MADE WEAPONS OF WAR AND LOVES EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT VOTE MY LESBIAN MARINA"

"have you considered Marina has committed several war crimes and is also autistic and lesbian"

Miles Propaganda:

"love this dude. so amazing"

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drunk-person · 2 months

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Please please please (Modern Au) P.4

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x cousin!reader

Summary: One of the most talked about gossips among the lower class servants in Kings Landing is the fact (or not) that Aemond Targaryen got involved with his cousin Y/n Targaryen when they were both teenagers. Mainly due to the fact that at the age of 17 she was sent to Old Town overnight. Some employees claim that Aemond was caught between her legs. Some say that, like her father, she had had a horrible fight with her uncle and aunt and was sent away. And other than that none of this happened, she just became interested in the course offered at the Old Town conservatory. But now five years later, Y/n Targaryen is back, and rumors haunt those who favor them.

This chapter is a part of a main story The gossip, you can find the previous chapter, summary and general tags by accessing the link.

Summary of the chapter: Rumors slowly grow out of control, a pair of silver heels can make more of an impact than you think.

Warnings of the chapter: 18+ mdni! Smut, p in v, slight codependency, no description for reader.

Word count: 12.800 k 🤯

A/N: I hope you like the new chapter, I'm very happy and grateful for all the dear people who commented on the previous chapter, thank you very much, your comments inspire me! Comments and suggestions are welcome 💕

A/N²: If Aemond had a song in this story, it would certainly be Apocalyptica - "Not Strong Enough". Y/n is a fashion expert, not me. So if you understand fashion and I happen to commit some crime against it, forgive me. If we analyze the title of the chapter and the chapter itself we will discover one of the reasons why Alicent doesn't want Y/n near Aemond. (Apart from the fact that they are both cousins).

❦❦❦

"Good morning Kings landing, it seems that Floris Baratheon is not in a very good mood, as yesterday she got involved in an argument with a clothing store attendant and almost got the young woman fired. The details of what was said were not disclosed , but one would expect more patience and joy from someone who is engaged to the son of one of, if not the greatest, tycoon in Westeros."

❦❦❦

The morning of the next day wasn't much different from the day before for Y/n and Aemond, with the two waking up naked and entangled, exchanging kisses and soft caresses.

-Let's take a bath? - Y/n whispered against Aemond's lips, who laughed and sighed at her at the same time while denying it.

-No bathing together today. - He kissed her lips as he said that. - Or I'll be even more late arriving at the company.

-It's going to be really quick, and you know I also need to go there today. -She sighed, looking at him and biting her lip, slightly apprehensive as she remembered that she needed to talk to her uncle.

Upon seeing Y/n fearful, Aemond lowered his guard and pulled her closer to him, needing to make her feel protected.

-Everything's going to be okay. - He kissed her lips again and suddenly her gaze returned to normal as she tried to convince him.

-C'mon. - She begged, climbing into his lap and kissing him deeper. - It doesn't need to be in the bathtub. - She brushed her lips with his. - Just in the shower is fine.

Aemond then put his hands on her hips and got up from the bed, making her laugh and scream as she clung to his neck.

-What do I do with you? - He arched his eyebrows as he quickly kissed her lips.

-I have many ideas of what you can do. - She smiled mischievously as she returned the peck on his lips, making him smile and roll his eyes.

As Aemond walked towards the bathroom Y/n kissed his neck and chin while rubbing herself against him and practically purring like a sly cat. Aemond could already feel himself harden, and from the angle she was in his arms he could feel her wetness against his own skin.

And when he leaned her against the bathroom wall already involved in a hungry kiss, Aemond accidentally turned on the cold water on both of them, making Y/n let out a cry of fright and cling even tighter to him.

-Aemond! - She shouted while he turned on the hot water too.

-Sorry. - He murmured laughing against her neck. - It wouldn't be so cold here if someone had remembered to readjust the thermostat last night.

-I was busy with other things. -Now it was Y/n who rolled her eyes as she lowered her lips to Aemond's neck again as she fluttered against him.

So needy. And Aemond could never deny it.

And with that thought he guided his cock to her wet entrance and fucked her against the bathroom wall while she moaned against his neck and kissed him contentedly. After they both reached climax he lowered her to the floor and watched as Y/n soaped her own body with an even bigger smile on her face now that he had gotten what he wanted.

-Can I take my shower now, Your Highness? - He asked ironically as he took the soap from her hand.

-Certainly my lord. - She curtsied and then kissed him on the chin before taking one of the towels and wrapping herself up to leave the bathroom while Aemond just smiled.

He took a little longer in the bathroom because he hadn't combed his hair the day before, and now the consequences of leaving it so long had arrived in the form of removing the knots that had formed naturally and by Y/n's wandering hands who loved him. stroll there.

A few minutes later, when he returned to the room with his hair combed and a towel around his waist, Aemond raised his eyebrows when he saw Y/n already dressed for the day.

-Where did you get those clothes? - His voice was confusing as she was wearing loose denim shorts just above the thigh and a black button-down shirt that had some buttons open, leaving a slight cleavage and exposing the sapphire necklace and with the hem inside the shorts, tucked in up to your elbows.

-They're yours. - She replied simply while looking in the mirror and adjusting her clothes to her body.

-I'm pretty sure I don't have any jeans that length. - Aemond said, curving his eyebrow at her, but noticing that the black button-down shirt she was wearing inside her shorts was actually his, but she had placed it in a way that didn't look so big on her.

-Not really, I cut one of your pants. - Y/n shrugged while unpretentiously going through Aemond's things looking for something.

-Did you cut my pants? - He asked with his eyebrows still curved as he looked at her beautiful legs in the shorts.

-Yeah, but don’t worry, I’m sure you didn’t like these. They were a rather strange light color. Who gave you this? - She asked as she walked around so he could admire the clothes better.

Aemond smiled, Y/n was right it had been a gift, he would never have bought those pants with that ugly color, but they strangely looked good on Y/n. He could never understand how she could look beautiful wearing literally anything, or literally nothing. Gods he loved so much when she wore nothing. And then he shook his head, pushing those thoughts away and giving she the answer.

-Aegon gave it to me for my birthday.

-Typical of him, but you were actually lucky. -Y/n rolled her eyes as she grabbed a black belt from one of the drawers and threaded it through the fasteners of her shorts and secured them in place. - Remember when he arrived drunk on my birthday, gave me a French fry as a gift and shouted "get it, little cousin". - Y/n spoke in disbelief while imitating Aegon's voice. - Afterwards he told me that he had found that potato in the trash.

Aemond stared at her, barely listening to what Y/n said, she looked so beautiful wearing his clothes. The feeling of possession that he already naturally had towards her was even stronger at that moment.

-Damn. - Y/n said, looking at her feet with a frown and forgetting the previous topic.

-What's it? - Aemond pulled her towards him by the belt loops, gluing her body to his and feeling even more satisfied when he smelled his own shampoo exuding from her hair.

-My heels won't match this outfit! - Y/n looked at him with a mixture of irritation and upset at the same time.

-Why not? - His hands went up to her waist, squeezing them gently while Aemond looked at her without understanding, the heels were perfectly good and made her legs look beautiful. And he would definitely fuck her wearing just those heels after thinking about it.

Y/n just rolled her eyes at Aemond's question as if he wasn't making sense.

-They are extravagant, and these clothes are obviously over size since they are yours, it won't work.

-Take one of my shoes. - Aemond said simply, kissing her neck slightly wetly.

-Aem.. - Y/n snorted rolling her eyes again. - Your feet are huge, we haven't worn the same size since I was 13.

-I need to buy shoes that match. - She said, already looking at him with those needy eyes and he looked away, not wanting to give in.

-I can't be late at the company today, I didn't go yesterday and I left early the day before. - Aemond mumbled with his head buried in her neck.

-Please Aem. -She said pulling out the last letter as she looked him in the eyes again, as he had lifted his head from her neck.

-Y/n.. - Before he could continue she reached out and kissed him on the lips, wrapping her hands around his neck.

-Please Aem…-Her voice was low and melodious as she trailed tender kisses down his jaw and chin as she rubbed herself lightly against him. - I won't delay you, it will only take five minutes. I swear.

-mhnm. We can stop by a shoe store on the way. - He agreed with a sigh, not being able to resist and Y/n jumped on his neck, kissing his face.

-I'm going to fix my hair. - She gave Aemond one last kiss on his jaw before walking towards the bathroom again while he just smiled and watched her.

Aemond went into his own closet and chose the same formal work clothes that he usually wore. And as he reached for a pair of boxers he heard Y/n's shrill, terrified scream coming from the other room. He didn't even bother getting dressed or wrapping himself in a towel, he just ran as he was towards the bathroom where Y/n was coming from, her eyes full of tears, and when she saw him, she threw herself into his arms.

-Hey Hey. - Aemond hugged her trying to calm her down. - What there was?

-S- Spider. - Y/n stuttered, still clinging to Aemond.

-It's not real. -Aemond spoke in a calm voice as he stroked her hair. - It’s made of crystal, it was a gift from Helaena.

-What is that thing doing in the bathroom cabinet? - She asked calmer but still with a shrill voice.

-I put it there because I didn't know where to put it. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. - His voice was very calm and he was still stroking her hair firmly while holding her very close to him. - I'll throw it away, okay?

-You can't throw Hel's gift away, she'll be upset. - Y/n immediately denied it, still hugging him and with her head buried in his strong chest. - Just… put it in a very hidden place that I will never find in my life.

Aemond nodded her head and then pressed a kiss against her hair.

-Will you bring the brush and other things so I can fix my hair here? -She asked with her voice still a little sensitive as she looked at Aemond with fearful eyes.

-I'll take whatever you want. - He said, drying the tears that had run down her cheeks with his fingertips.

-I don’t like seeing you cry, only in the right way. - He said trying to do her smiling and being happy when he saw that it worked.

-What would be the right way? -She laughed a little at that question as she arched her eyebrows.

-Under me for sure. - He then kissed her forehead before heading towards the bathroom.

Aemond collected everything Y/n needed and not knowing what to do with the black crystal spider that was almost the size of his own hand, he just threw it in the laundry basket to be sorted later. It was a bit tricky having a sister who was obsessed with bugs while he had Y/n with a bug phobia, which was considerably worse with spiders.

-Okay, everything is here. - Aemond placed the things on the bed and Y/n smiled in response.

-My hero.

-I do what I can. - He gave her a peck on the lips as he approached. - Are you calmer? -His voice was soft as she held Y/n's face in her hands and she just nodded at him.

-Good. -He gently kissed her forehead and went towards the closet again, only then noticing that he was completely naked while doing all this.

Aemond got dressed in a hurry while he heard Y/n grumble irritably outside about her hair being unmanageable after the previous day, and that she wouldn't be able to fix it in such a short time. He just smirked, for him it was perfect he loved her hair when it was all crazy and out of control. And he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he came out of the closet, finishing fixing the sleeve of his own shirt, and found her with her hair tied up in a slightly messy bun and with braids on the sides.

-Didn't you say it was impossible to make your hair presentable in such a short time? - It was more than presentable, it was perfect.

-We both know that I can be a little dramatic when I want to. - She squinted her eyes and shrugged her shoulders as she walked towards Aemond who just rolled his eyes and crossed his right arm behind Y/n's back as he guided her to the door.

There was no more time for breakfast at home, and Aemond decided to just stop on the way and grab something quick from a coffee maker while Y/n bought her shoes.

Y/n put on her high heels to go out, as they were the only pair of shoes available at the moment. And Aemond felt his mouth water when he saw her legs in those shorts and those heels, and he couldn't resist pressing Y/n against the door, standing on her back and bringing his lips closer to the shell of her ear.

-You have no idea how hot you look in those heels. - He murmured, brushing his lips gently against her ear, making Y/n catch her breath momentarily. - And if I didn't have so many things to do today I would bend you against that table and fuck you until you cry right now.

His voice saying that stole all of Y/n's breath, and she barely managed to sigh to be able to respond to Aemond.

-Do not make threats that you do not intend to fulfill Aemond Targaryen. - She finally responded with her eyes closed and stuttering a little at the feeling of him pressing her from behind.

-I never do. - He assured her with a mischievous smile as he left a kiss on the back of her head before the two walked out the door.

❦❦❦

Aemond took the usual route to the company while Y/n looked out the window looking for a decent shoe store, as the two agreed to avoid an even longer delay. It was when she saw the golden Tyrell sign that she went into an uproar asking Aemond to stop the car, and he couldn't help but smile softly when he saw her happy.

-Can you give me your card? - She spoke with a sweet and cheerful voice while blinking her eyes - Mine stayed at the hotel.

Aemond rolled his eyes and gave a small smile as he reached for his wallet in the car's gearbox and pulled out his credit card, handing it to Y/n, who gave him a quick kiss on the lips before getting out of the car and heading towards the shoe store.

❦❦❦

Y/n bit her lower lip when she saw Jimmy Tyrell's new summer collection and practically had to close her eyes to pass it by and not try on each pair. Going straight to the one that her thought would look best with the outfit she was wearing. It took all the strength she had inside her not to ask the saleswoman to bring a box of each pair in her size.

The store saleswoman took the black sandals out of the box and Y/n thanked her, saying that she put them on herself.

And when Y/n took off her silver heels, the saleswoman raised her eyebrows and then opened her eyes wide in shock, trying her best to hide her reaction.

Y/n looked in the mirror, appreciating the combination of her new sandals with the rest of her outfit and ended up not resisting choosing a pair of earrings that matched as well since the ones from the night before didn't go well with this outfit, then paying for everything and running back to the car before Aemond collapsed.

The store doors had barely closed after Y/n left and the saleswoman who served her had already run to the back door of the store behind one of her co-workers in an uproar.

-Mila, didn't your aunt say that she saw a pair of silver shoes at Aemond Targaryen's house yesterday morning? - She asked with a frown and biting her lip in curiosity.

-Yes, she told me Joy. - Mila confirmed while storing shoe boxes in the store's inventory. - He didn’t let her into the apartment and then his mother called all strange looking for him. - Mila whispered to her friend again and then looked around before continuing. - My aunt thinks he was cheating on his fiancee.

-Well you won't believe who came in here wearing a pair of beautiful silver high heels and with Aemond Targaryen's credit card. - Joy said, restraining herself from screaming with excitement as she spread the gossip.

-Who? - Mila's voice emanated curiosity and she had already abandoned her work to pay attention to the conversation with wide eyes.

-Y/n Targaryen in person. - Joy practically hummed the words, trying hard not to scream.

-No fucking way. - It was the only thing that Milla could answer with her jaw dropped.

❦❦❦

Y/n admired her new sandals, and adjusted the side buckle so it didn't squeeze her ankle so much, while Aemond took turns watching the traffic and looking out of the corner of his eye whenever he could. Until a happy melody in Shania Tyrell's voice sounded over the car radio and Aemond smiled, turning up the volume as he watched Y/n's smile grow along with the melody.

-Do you still love this song?

-Absolutely. - She laughed and then began to sing along while shaking her head from side to side, smiling.

Aemond, taking advantage of them being stopped at the traffic light, looked at her more directly, and shit, how he had missed the contagious joy that Y/n had. The laugh, the smile, that curve of her cheek every time she was really happy about something. He felt as if the day Y/n left all the happiness had been sucked out of his chest, but now, it was as if a ray of sunshine of pure joy had hit him with her return.

-Sing with me Aem. - She asked smiling and Aemond denied with a sideways smile.

-Please Aem. - She asked, biting his lip and looking at him from beneath his eyelashes.

-Don't do that. - He begged while biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

-Please Aemond. Just the chorus. - She begged. - I'll give you whatever you want later.

-You'll give me whatever I want anyway. - He couldn't help but smile dirtyly when he said that and Y/n rolled her eyes.

-Just the chorus. - She leaned over and kissed his neck. - For me.

-I hate you. - Aemond rolled his eyes before starting to sing the chorus along with Y/n who smiled even bigger while drumming his fingers against his own thighs.

-I think one of your biggest character inconstancies is that you like reach music. - Aemond mocked.

-Oh, shut up, Shania Tyrell is a music icon! - Y/n protested with a laugh as she continued singing, making him smile.

The rest of the way to the company was peaceful, with Aemond driving calmly while keeping one hand resting on Y/n's knee, who just admired the city's landscape with a small smile on her lips.

❦❦❦

The two attracted all eyes as soon as they left the main elevator, but Aemond didn't even notice, too lost to observe things around him, already heading towards the elevator that would take him to his own office floor.

-Good morning Mrs. Mayotte. - Aemond's mood was visibly better just by the tone of voice, and the secretary almost choked when she raised her head to answer him and found Y/n's figure next to him. - Any complications yesterday?

-N-No. - She replied nervously while shaking her head. - No complications.

-Good. - He nodded before entering his own office followed by Y/n who smiled and waved at Lizze and Sana.

As soon as the door closed, Lizze ran to Sana's desk, who was organizing some files on the computer.

-Sana… - Lizze's voice sounded more like a squeak as she crouched down near her co-worker's desk.

-What it was? - The other woman leaned forward out of curiosity, moving closer so she could hear.

-The shirt she's wearing is his! - Lizze whispered/shouted to her friend.

-What the fuck? - Sana almost screamed with wide eyes and Lizze signaled her to shut up. - How do you know that shirt is his? - She asked more quietly.

-Jaehaerys spilled juice on his suit a couple of weeks ago and he took it off and asked me to take it to the dry cleaners. - Lizze said in a fast-paced voice. - The embroidery on the collar is the same, and I'm sure that if you look under the collar there will be his initials there.

-Holy shit. - Sana's eyes looked like golf balls at that moment, as the two looked at the door in shock.

❦❦❦

-So this is your office? - Y/n said with her eyes shining as she looked around smiling. There wasn't a speck of dust out of place, just like everything that had to do with Aemond.

He just smiled and hummed as he went towards his own desk, already turning on his laptop and organizing some papers in his own folder. After looking around, Y/n sat on his lap, hanging around Aemond's neck while he organized some files on the main computer.

-I need to go talk to Uncle Viserys. - Y/n sighed, still sitting on Aemond's lap and he gently squeezed her thigh with strength.

-See you for lunch? - Aemond smiled sideways at Y/n who nodded positively while leaving a soft kiss on his chin and getting up heading towards the door.

Shortly after Y/n left, Aemond took a deep breath, still feeling his own body light. And after looking at some schedules on the computer, he got up heading towards Aegon's room, he smiled slightly when he opened the door and saw Jaehaerys' silver hair, who was playing with a cart on the carpet absently.

He didn't even have time to talk to his nephew like he always did, since as soon as Aegon saw him he got up and walked towards him.

-Where were you? I had to read a 30 page report yesterday. - The oldest asked irritated and Aemond rolled his eyes.

-I was busy. - He replied dryly.

Aegon's eyebrows arched slightly as he approached his brother, noticing a purple mark just below the collar of his shirt.

-I can see it. - He laughed mischievously, pointing at his younger brother's hickey, who adjusted the collar of his shirt at the same moment.

-But I thought you hadn't wet your cookie since Y/n left. - Aegon curved his eyebrows in confusion at the youngest. And when Aemond just looked away it was as if the realization of what was happening came upon Aegon all at once.

-Holy shit, she just set foot in the city again and you're already making out with our little cousin again? - Aegon practically shouted in shock, putting his hands to his face, but then he looked to the side and found his son's clear eyes watching them.

Jaehaerys looked at his father and uncle attentively and Aegon bit his tongue before continuing the inappropriate conversation for the innocent ears of his little boy.

-Jae, why don't you listen to some music on Daddy's cell phone? - Aegon asked smiling and crouching down next to Jaehaerys who gave him a wide smile as he agreed, extending his hands to take the cell phone and headphones from Aegon's hand.

-I want the baby shark one, daddy. - He practically screamed with excitement as he ran to the couch.

After Jaehaerys put the headphones in his ears and turned on the music, the older man turned to his excited brother again and returned to the topic.

-Did you two just clung to each other or was it really good? - Aegon rubbed his hands and shook his eyebrows as he spoke.

-That's none of your business, Aegon. - Aemond replied irritated with a cold voice.

-Did you fuck her? - Aegon asked with his mouth open, already realizing what had happened just by the younger man's expression.

-Shut up Aegon.

-Seven hells, she arrived a day ago and you two are already back to your old habits. Mom is going to be so crazy when she finds out.

-She's not going to find out. -Aemond replied instantly while he slightly squinted his eyes.

-Hell yeah, just like she didn't find out the first time? - Aegon asked, laughing as he threw himself into the chair and raised his feet on the table, but before Aemond could respond to his brother the door opened without warning, interrupting the conversation.

-Aegon. - A shrill and irritated voice came through the door, drawing the brothers' attention. -What the hell is this?

She was shaking the papers in her left hand, her face closed in anger.

-Data reporting? - He arched his eyebrow and spoke with an air of obviousness.

-No, these are drawings of a naked woman. - She said even more irritated and then her eyes widened, but she sighed in relief when she saw that Jaehaerys had headphones on and was distracted while humming.

Aemond raised his eyebrows and Aegon opened his eyes wide and went towards the woman, taking them from her hand.

-Fuck. - He said, trying to hide the drawings from Aemond who was looking at them over his older brother's shoulder.

-Seriously Aegon, I need the reports for about 10 minutes ago, where are they? - She begged, stamping her foot impatiently on the floor, her face slightly flushed.

-Sorry, sorry. - Aegon said, heading towards his own table and rummaging through all the drawers under the incredulous gaze of Aemond and the girl.

-On here. - He held out a pad of paper, which, unlike the drawings, which were in perfect condition, had slight ears on the edges.

-One day I'm going to kill myself inside this office, and it will be your fault, Aegon Targaryen. - She said, turning around and leaving without even saying a word to Aemond while she smoothed the papers hard, trying to remove the wrinkles.

-Good morning to you too, Miss Lanister. - Aegon shouted as she slammed the door loudly.

-I loved the drawings. - Aemond spoke unpretentiously while moving the anti-stress ball on Aegon's desk. - Mainly that mole on the right shoulder, which actually looks a lot like Ms. Lanister there.

-Shut up Aemond. - Aegon said, putting away the papers with drawings in a green folder and with golden elastic bands.

❦❦❦

Y/n held her breath for a few moments as she found herself at the door of Viserys's room on the top floor of the building. She couldn't run away, she needed to talk to her uncle, but the thought of facing him again after so long made her nervous, and memories of that horrible night five years ago came back to her instantly. With a sigh, Y/n shook her head, as if that would drive away the bad thoughts, and then knocked on the door and entered her uncle's room.

It was still the way she remembered it from the few times she had been there. Well lit, with models of buildings and other installations designed by the uncle spread throughout the room. According to him, only those that he was most proud of.

-Y/n? - Came that still, sweet voice from the other side of the room. - Are you my daughter?

And suddenly the fear and apprehension left Y/n's body as she turned and walked towards her uncle who was waiting for her with open arms ready for a warm hug.

-Ah, my dear, you are so grown up. - He smiled, still hugging her. - Yesterday she was still a little girl and now she's an adult.

Viserys stroked Y/n's hair and she wanted to cry with emotion. She expected screams. She expected him to ask her what she was doing there. Expected anything but to receive affection. And it took everything in her not to break down and let a few treacherous tears run down her cheeks.

-Come, sit here and let's talk. - The uncle said after letting go of the hug, guiding her to the table and sitting next to his niece. - Now that you're back home, what do you plan to do? - Viserys's gaze was curious. - Do you intend to work at the company?

Y/n made an involuntary grimace as she imagined herself working in the family company, the only good thing would be being close to Aemond. Which wasn't even such a good point since he would be working and wouldn't even have time to talk to her.

-No, no working at the company for me. You know I've never had a knack for Targaryen business, it's a lot of boring and not much creativity.

Viserys just laughed softly as he stared at his niece.

-Uncle, what I really want is to work in fashion. - Y/n continued with a confident voice. - I want to open my own brand, and you'll see, in a short time it will be as big as Jimmy Tyrell and Saint Tully! - Y/n's eyes sparkled when talking about this.

-It's good to know that you want to commit to something. - Viserys patted his niece's shoulder a few times, who smiled widely at her uncle's gesture of affection, and taking advantage of the moment of goodwill, Y/n took a deep breath and decided to ask.

-Uncle.. I have the money that my father sends me saved, in addition to what you always saved for me in the same account. - She started insecure. - But I'm still going to need a little bit more capital if I want to open my own brand.

Y/n's look at Viserys was identical to the look Daemon gave him when he had some wild idea, which Viserys usually didn't pay attention to. And thinking about this, and how perhaps with more attention on his part his brother would not have strayed so far, Viserys made the decision.

-Will you stay out of trouble? - He asked, curving his eyebrows a little.

-I will, uncle, I promise. - Y/n responded immediately while kissing her own fingers.

-So the answer is yes. - He confirmed smiling gently at his niece. - I will invest in your project.

Y/n almost screamed when she heard her uncle's yes and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly, making Viserys laugh softly.

-You won't regret the investment, uncle. - She said excitedly. - I guarantee you that in a short time Perzys & Anogar will be a reference fashion in Westeros.

-Perzys & Anogar? - The oldest asked, still laughing.

-Yes, fire and blood did you like it? It's our family motto in Old Valyrian, I took it from a history book. - She smiled even brighter.

-Very good. - Viserys nodded and then became a little more serious. -But what about your percentage in the company? What will you do when you gain control over her one day?

-Aemond can manage my part for me. - Before Y/n could think too much about it, she responded completely unconcerned while gently waving her hand, as if it had already been resolved a long time ago.

Viserys arched his eyebrow slightly when he heard that and Y/n curled her lips down and her eyes widened a little when she realized what he had said.

If Alicent were in that room, it would be the seven hells on earth.

-I mean, he's definitely going to manage Hel's part since she can't stand all of this either. - She waved her hands pretending not to care. - I might as well let him manage mine too.

-And how is your health, uncle? - She asked quickly changing the subject, which worked well since her uncle was easily distracted.

-From strength to strength, I will easily reach 100. - Viserys replied, now more smiling. - Your aunt put me on a diet where I can only eat green food, and the doctor cut out all sugar.

-Are you still using insulin? - Y/n asked genuinely worried.

-A pen a day. - Viserys sighed. - But he has kept his diabetes under control.

-You don't know how happy I am to see you healthy, uncle. - She smiled, shaking his hand firmly and smiling reassuringly.

-Ah my daughter, and I'm happy to see you home. - Viserys smiled back at his niece, even with all the circumstances, with everything he knew that could come from this return, he couldn't help but be happy to see a family member again. And at that moment Viserys thought about how good it would be to see his own brother face to face again.

❦❦❦

Not far from there, Aemond maid Mrs. Dancil went to his apartment again, and before going upstairs she took the keys that Aemond left for her at the entrance when he wasn't at home.

She generally never had much work to clean Aemond Targaryen's apartment. Unlike his older brother, Aemond didn't have many decorations at home that she had to clean, his furniture was simple and without gaps and his things were always in order.

But when she took into consideration the fact that Aegon lived with a huge dog and a child she could even understand the mess in his apartment. Today was one of the few times that she found the apartment slightly disorganized.

The bed hadn't been made, there were some glasses and cups in the sink, the couch and living room were disorganized, and there was more laundry to wash than usual. But the biggest surprise for the older maid was finding a black crystal spider in the laundry basket, next to a very short black dress.

Curiosity gnawed at the lady to know who was at her boss's house the day before so he hadn't let her in, and she looked everywhere, but couldn't find the heels she had seen on the shoe rack near the door.

There was only one question in her head: who was the woman in the black dress and silver heels who was in Aemond Targaryen's house?

❦❦❦

After leaving her uncle's office, Y/n returned to Aemond's office in an uproar, barely able to contain her own smile, not even noticing the panicked look on the faces of Aemond and Aegon's secretaries. She just closed the office door behind her and practically skipped over to Aemond's desk, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw her so excited.

-Based on your excitement, I can tell that the conversation with my father was good. - He hugged her around the waist while still sitting in the chair, and Y/n nodded in response.

-You won't believe it Aem. - Her voice was pure joy. - He didn't fight with me, he was actually very happy to see me. He said he's happy to have me back. - Y/n was beaming when she said that.

-Maybe Aunt Alicent will also be happy to see me. - She said hopefully, and Aemond refused to say otherwise because he didn't want to take away her joy.

-And what else did you talk about? - Aemond changed the focus of the conversation, squeezing her gently around the waist, and Y/n smiled even more.

-He asked me about my plans for the future, and I told him about my idea for the brand. - She bit her lip, looking at Aemond, waiting to speak.

-And then? - He asked, visibly apprehensive, pulling her even closer. - What did he say?

-He said he will invest in my idea! - Y/n practically jumped with joy and Aemond got up from the chair hugging her tightly while leaving a long kiss on her hair.

-Did he say how much he will invest in you? - Aemond asked with a smile looking into her eyes as he enjoyed that glow of joy that he loved so much, and Y/n shook her head.

-No, he just said he was going to invest. - Her joy was palpable, since she was 14 Y/n said she wanted to have her own brand. While Aemond was studying to be a businessman, she was designing clothes, reading about fashion and learning to sew. In the first two she was great, in the last one not so much. And he smiled as he remembered the shirt with one long sleeve and one short sleeve that she had made for him.

-That's incredible. - He murmured smiling against her hair while Y/n hugged him tight and smiled excitedly.

The sound of the door opening made them both break away from the hug and look in the direction of the sound in fear. But to both of their relief, it was just Aegon who smiled mischievously in their direction.

-Welcome back, little cousin. - He said, laughing and waving his eyebrows as he closed the door behind him and entered the room, making Aemond roll his eyes and Y/n smile.

Aegon then opened his arms as he approached and Y/n, rolling her eyes with a smile, hugged him.

-I'm glad you came back. - He smiled, releasing her from the hug. - I was getting tired of being the only troublemaker in the family.

-No one can compete with you in this regard, Aegon. - Y/n furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

-Based on the quality time you and my little brother enjoy spending together, I'm tempted to say that you two can. - He mocked and then took two steps back, raising his hands when he saw Aemond's deadly look.

-I just remembered that I forgot to leave some food for Sunfyre. - He said scratching his head.

-Aegon, the only two things you do responsibly are take care of Jaehaerys and Sunfyre. - Aemond rolled his eyes. - I know you're just running away from work.

-Well, now that we've established that, I'm going to take my son and go home and watch TV. Goodbye brother, bye-bye little cousin. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. - Aegon said, walking out the door and then opening it again and just putting his head in and blinking as he said. - Remembering that there are very few things that I wouldn't do.

Aemond rolled his eyes deeply at his older brother who just slammed the door again while laughing. And when Y/n and Aemond were about to return to the conversation, the door opened once again and Aegon quickly entered with wide eyes.

-What do you want now? - Aemond snorted at his brother.

-Miss Mayotte said our mother is coming up.- He spoke in a strangled voice and Y/n and Aemond's eyes widened too.

-Shit. - Aemond hissed, looking from one side to the other.

-What are we gonna do? - Y/n squeaked in panic looking at the door, it was one thing to imagine her aunt's reaction to seeing her in person again, another was the real thing. And considering the things she said last time, Y/n's blood ran cold in her veins as she imagined Alicent's reaction if she found her in Aemond's office.

-You hide in my office. - Aegon spoke at the same moment, gesturing towards the door. - And you don't do anything, just stay here and invent something for mom.

Y/n left a quick peck on Aemond's lips, looking at him worriedly, then ran with Aegon out the door and entered the older man's office under the watchful eyes of the secretaries.

The two had barely closed the door when the elevator opened and Alicent got out of it with a look of unfriendliness, stepping firmly towards Aemond's office.

-Good morning Mrs. Hightower. - Lizze greeted her without looking her in the eye, practically sweating coldly with nervousness.

-Is my son in his office? - Her voice wasn't cold, it wasn't cutting and it wasn't nearly as frightening as her son's, but Lizze didn't know why she was equally intimate.

-Yes ma'am. - She shook her head, still without facing Alicent.

-And he is… alone? - The eldest arched her eyebrows and lips as she spoke.

-He has just with Mr. Aegon, ma'am. - She held her breath as she lied.

-Very well. - Alicent didn't say anything more than that before turning and entering Aemond's office without even knocking on the door.

Lizze practically sank into her chair when she heard the door close.

-Do you think we did the right thing in warning that she was arriving? - Sana whispered fearfully while biting the inside of her cheek.

-But of course! Have you gone crazy? - Lizze hissed in a whisper. - I'd rather cut my own neck than piss off the Targaryens. Besides, she can't fire us, he can.

❦❦❦

Aemond was sitting behind his own desk analyzing, or at least pretending to analyze, a data report when the office door opened and Alicent walked in with a very stern face, looking at each part of the office as if someone was hiding somewhere. .

-Mom, it's good to see you at the company. - Aemond smiled, pretending to be surprised when he saw her there, and also pretending not to notice the way she looked at his office. - Is everything okay?

-I came to ask you the exact same thing, my son. - Her voice was careful. - I found out from your father that you didn't come to work yesterday. Have there been any problems?

Aemond could see his mother's eyes shining with suspicion, he could see her hands tightly gripping the strap of her bag as she stared at him as if he were in a police interrogation after committing a crime.

-No problem. - He shrugged his shoulders indifferently with a stoic look as he lied. - Did anyone make it seem like there was some kind of problem?

-No, but you don't have the habit of missing work, Aemond. - She narrowed her eyes looking at him. - Which led me to believe that there was some kind of problem… - Alicent then paused before concluding. - Or perhaps someone causing problems.

-Fortunately you are wrong mom. -Aemond smiled slightly cynically as he lied. - I just drank a little too much at Cercei Lanister's party, and as you know, I don't have a habit of drinking. - He shrugged his shoulders. - I just felt bad in the morning the other day and decided to stay at home, since it wouldn't be of much use in that way.

-So you just stayed alone in your apartment all day because you drank a little too much? - Alicent looked at him somewhat gullibly as she approached the table, and Aemond nodded.

-It was just that, mom. - His voice sounded firm, and anyone would think he was telling the truth, and he normally would, but Alicent knew he was lying because of all the facts that had already come to her attention the day before, and there was only one person that would make Aemond lie to her so shamelessly.

-I hope it's just that, Aemond, and that you're not so foolish as to repeat the same mistakes again. - Her voice was cutting. - Such a thing would be an abomination in the eyes of the seven.

-I learned from my mistakes, mother. I won't commit them again. - Aemond murmured, feeling his own chest compress when he heard his mother's harsh voice directed at him.

Alicent wanted to scream at Aemond. Saying that she knew very well just by looking into his eyes that he was walking with that little snake once again, but she couldn't make such a scandal in the company with so many curious ears listening.

And with that in mind she took a deep breath before saying goodbye to her son with an apology and leaving the company with a hard step. Coming to the conclusion that she would need her father's advice on how to act in this situation before Aemond lost himself for good.

❦❦❦

Y/n and Aegon walked back and forth around his office like two headless chickens. Looks of concern visible on their faces as Jaehaerys jumped on the couch and sang the same song over and over using his father's headphones once again.

-Fuck, fuck, fuck. - Aegon repeated with his hands on his face.

-She can't be that bad yet, can she? People get more malleable over time. - Y/n's voice was anxious as she faced Aegon in panic.

Aegon let out a muffled chuckle.

-Maybe with certain types of things, but this? - He shook his head while making a grimace. - Oh no, she's still totally mad about it.

-Thank you Aegon, it was really very reassuring of you to say that. - Y/n directed a fake smile at her cousin, who just shrugged, pouting.

And without warning, the door handle turned and the two screamed in fright, scaring even Jaehaerys who stopped singing and stared at the two with wide eyes.

-It's me. - Came Aemond's soft voice and Y/n ran towards the door, unlocking it at the same moment and jumping into Aemond's arms as soon as he stepped inside.

She feels so scared. Afraid that in those few moments Alicent had made him change his mind, that he would say again that this was all a mistake and that he didn't want her anymore. And when Aemond crossed his arms behind her back and hugged her back tightly, y/n sighed in pure relief.

-All good. - He stroked her back. -My mother has already gone, she has a meeting with a group of do-gooders from the General Hospital, she can't stay long.

Y/n just nodded and Aegon sighed in relief, but then he raised his eyebrows as if he had suddenly reached a terrible idealization while he brought his hands to his face, pulling his eyes down.

-Shit, now I'm your two accomplice and when mom finds out, and she will, because I've never been able to hide some of the shit I did from her in my life, she's going to kill me too. - He gestured with his hands and walked in circles while talking uncontrollably. -That's a tremendous lack of consideration of you to, getting me involved in this. I already have enough problems on my own!

-Is grandma going to kill you off, daddy? - Jaehaerys asked innocently, looking at the three still standing on the sofa, and Aegon had to hold back a curse when he noticed that his son had taken off his headphones and was listening to their conversation.

-It's just a way of speaking, little mouse. - Aegon smiled and stroked Jaehaerys' head gently. - Grandma loves me. - He spoke with a less confident voice than he should have when referring to his own mother's love.

-Well, since I saved your necks, you both owe me this one. - Aegon grumbled to Aemond as he took Jaehaerys in his arms, making the boy laugh.

-Hello, sweetheart. -Y/n gently tickled Jaehaerys now that she was lighter again, making him laugh a little and hide his face in Aegon's neck. - The last time I saw you you looked like a small grain of beans.

Y/n spoke sweetly to Jaehaerys who smiled embarrassedly at her, but then whispered something to Aegon and got off her father's lap heading towards the small table that was next to the sofa and he used to play. He reached for a drawing of a butterfly and handed him to Y/n with a shy smile before climbing into his father's lap again.

-To me? - Y/n asked smiling genuinely and he just nodded his head. - You really have talent, you know I love drawing too. - Her voice sounded so kind and so gentle when speaking to him, giving so much importance to the little boy when she would give it to an adult, making Jaehaerys smile feeling important.

Aemond felt as if his heart was beating in an unnatural way when he saw Y/n talking so sweetly to Jaehaerys. All the promises they had made to each other were playing in his mind like a symphony, and at that moment all he wanted was to start his own family with his Y/n.

❦❦❦

After all that confusion, Aegon said goodbye and took Jaehaerys home. The rest of the afternoon luckily went without any major problems, Aemond ordered lunch for both of them at the office, and Ms. Mayotte brought it to them shortly afterwards.

And after they both had lunch amidst simpler conversations, Aemond needed to go back to work and Y/n lay down on the couch and smiled when she saw some magazines on the table, but grimaced as soon as she saw the topics. Business, finance, scientific studies.

-There's nothing about… fashion? - She arched her eyebrows, making a slight frown at Aemond, who just laughed.

-I don't have any at the moment, but I can get some for you in the future. - He smiled. - You can try a different reading for now.

-Nah. - Y/n smiled and turned even more towards Aemond. - I'd rather just watch you.

And that's what she did, for the rest of the afternoon Aemond did his best to catch up on the late work again. He made calls, personally rescheduled an important lunch, read and reread reports, wrote reports, signed a multitude of papers, all under Y/n's watchful eyes, even if every now and then she got distracted and started going through Aemond's things with interest, even leafing through a magazine about market analysis.

And when Aemond was almost finishing an exhaustive reading of a contract that the company's legal department had already pre-approved, he lifted his head slightly and found Y/n sitting on the other side of the table looking at him with a look of enchantment, as if the most amazing person in the world was in front of her.

-What happened? - Aemond asked, slightly embarrassed by the intensity of Y/n's gaze, and she stood up and walked towards him, who moved his chair away from the table to face her.

-The way you dedicate yourself to everything you do always impresses me. - She placed her hands on the table and smiled at him. - I've been watching you all afternoon, and it's all so complex, but you make it seem simple.

Y/n smiled at him so sweetly when she said those words, and Aemond felt his heart warm at that. He pulled her to sit on his lap and she did so willingly, still smiling.

-You always do it. - He murmured against her soft neck.

-This what? - Y/n's voice sounded confused.

-Makes me feel like I'm important. - He smiled against her neck and left a butterfly kiss there, making Y/n sigh.

-You are important. - She stated with a firm voice as she snuggled even closer to him, and Aemond just murmured softly in a silent response.

-I just thought of something… - Y/n rambled with her head laying against Aemond's chest.

-What? - He stroked her back gently up and down.

-If I'm going to start my own brand, unfortunately I'm going to need to understand at least a little about all these market and finance things. - Y/n snorted and Aemond mocked her when he heard that.

-I can give you some lessons. - He arched his eyebrows and now the one who mocked was Y/n.

-Please Aemond, the last time you gave me private lessons I learned everything, except what you were supposed to teach me.

-I'm a great teacher. - He said falsely offended by staring at her. - It's not my fault that you're an easily distracted student.

-Yes, because it's very easy for me to concentrate with your hands running up and down my thighs under the skirt. - Y/n rolled her eyes.

-Your thighs always distracted me. - He shrugged his shoulders.

-I thought it was my boobs. - She whispered kissing his neck.

-Boobs too. - Aemond murmured, pouting while squeezing her hips. - In fact, you're all a distraction, for example, right now.

-Well, I could use a little attention now. - Y/n laughed, crossing her arms around his neck when she heard that.

-I'm almost done here and we can go home. - He smiled back at Y/n and with her still in his lap he opened a drawer looking for something, suddenly his features became slightly grumpy.

-I forgot a flash drive in the car. - He spoke grumpily. - I'm going to go there to get it over with. - Y/n quickly got up, and Aemond went towards the door.

-Be right back. - He muttered as he left.

As he passed through the hall he didn't ask for anything, not asked about the work in progress, or gave even more paperwork to the secretariat, which left Lizz and Sana even more intrigued and certain that something was wrong there.

When Aemond arrived at the parking lot, his cell phone rang in his jacket pocket, and he pulled it out, huffing slightly and feeling like vomiting when he saw the name on the display.

Floris.

This certainly was the seven hells on earth. Aemond wanted to answer, he knew he should answer, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't answer that call after having been hugging Y/n about two minutes ago. He could still smell her scent clinging to his, and after the conversation they had had the day before he could not in any way betray Y/n like that.

And then he promised himself that he would go to Floris's apartment for a personal talk and resolve all this, but at that moment he didn't answer his cell phone, he just blocked it and put it back in his pocket while he unlocked the car.

The flash drive was in an easy place, almost impossible to forget, unless you were so involved with a certain person that it took your mind out of orbit. And with a sideways smile he picked it up, but then he saw on the carpet of the car the Jimmy Tyrell bag with a faint glow inside as the parking lot lights hit its interior, and Aemond's mouth practically watered as he remembered the image of Y/n in those shorts and heels that morning.

And without thinking much, something he had already noticed was common when he was around her, Aemond took the bag and returned to the elevator with a mischievous smile.

Lizze and Sana were gossiping in whispers when the elevator door opened again and Aemond got out with Jimmy Tyrell's bag in hand. They both looked curiously, trying to see what was inside the bag without the boss noticing.

-Miss. Mayotte. Miss. Heyors. - Aemond began and both girls instantly froze. - They are both dismissed for today.

They both released the breath they had been holding after he spoke, as he continued walking to his own office, but before reaching the door Aemond stopped and turned around.

-One more thing, Miss. Mayotte… - They both tensed again upon hearing his voice, and Lizze almost began to hyperventilate at the mention of her own name, no matter how good-humored Aemond Targaryen seemed, it was never good to let her guard down. - It's good to know that I can trust someone who works so closely with me, I appreciate that, and as proof of this fact, you will receive a 10% raise.

Lizze's mouth dropped open. She had worked at that company for about three years and had never received a raise in her life, and now she got a 10% raise for gossiping. Aemond didn't wait for a response, he just went ahead and entered the office, leaving both secretaries with their jaws dropped.

-What the fuck? - Sana was in disbelief. - Did he just give you a raise?

-Apparently yes. – Lizze was still incredulous.

-And he released us from work almost an hour early? -Sana spoke robotically, looking at Lizze, who just nodded.

-I've never seen him in a good mood in my life. - Lizze murmured, still in shock.

-Did you see the bag in his hands? - Sana whispered. - I bet it's a gift for her.

-You were right, Sana. - Lizze said in shock, but slightly euphoric at knowing the truth. - The rumors are true.

❦❦❦

Viserys generally left the company early, he was much healthier but Rhaenyra insisted that he at least leave work early, and he had barely entered the mansion's door when Alicent angrily approached him, taking him towards the office already talking about Aemond and Y/n before even closing the door.

-This relationship between them is sick Viserys. - Alicent squealed exasperatedly. - Can't you see that this is not love? It's almost an obsession what one has for the other. Aemond didn't have any other girlfriend until Floris because in his mind he would be cheating on your niece if he did.

-But now he has, doesn't he? - Viserys asked impatiently. -Which means he's already gotten over this whole thing.

Alicent looked at the ground, quickly looking away from her husband when she heard that statement. But soon after, she regained her posture.

-What about your niece? Did she get over it?

-Alicent for seven. - Viserys put his hand on his forehead as he spoke. - I spoke to Y/n today and she assured me that she doesn't want to cause any problems, she's just going to work and continue taking care of her own life.

-And she can't do all this away from Kings Landing? - The woman asked, clapping her hands against her legs impatiently.

-Alicent… - Viserys sighed tiredly, as if the subject brought him physical pain.

-Viserys, you cannot be so foolish as to think it was a coincidence that Aemond disappeared shortly after she arrived in the city. - Alicent said, her eyes shining as she drummed her fingers on the table.

-He already told you that he didn't feel well, didn't he?

-It was a lie! Do you think I don't know when my children lie to me? - She hissed furiously.

Viserys preferred not to answer that specific question to avoid an even bigger argument with his wife.

-What do you want me to do Alicent? - Viserys asked his wife again, equally tired. - I told you, Y/n is of legal age and is no longer under my guardianship. I no longer control what she does or doesn't do.

-So Cancel her credit cards! - Alicent demanded irritably. - She depends on your money, she will obey you if you leave her without funds.

-Alicent, I can't leave her without money. - Viserys protested. - Besides, Daemon sends her money too, she wouldn't be so affected if I removed the credit cards.

Viserys also chose not to mention to his wife the fact that he had promised to invest directly in his niece's business idea.

-Listen, husband. - Alicent rested her hands on the table top. - I know that in your family certain things are considered normal. But not mine! I will not accept my son marrying a direct cousin, this will only happen over my corpse Viserys! - She stated vehemently before leaving her husband's office, slamming the door behind her.

❦❦❦

Y/n had her back to the door when Aemond returned, she was sitting once again in the armchair that faced his table, and without her noticing the bag he just placed it next to a pot with a plant that was close to the door already heading towards the table once more.

-What are you doing? -He raised his eyebrows when he saw her with some papers on the table, but as he got closer he could see that she was drawing and smiled.

-I had a sudden inspiration and I needed to draw so I wouldn't forget. - She said excitedly as she scribbled a dress on paper. - It's just a sketch, I'll improve it later.

She shrugged, biting her lower lip as she continued to place the details she had imagined in the sketch. Aemond nodded as she sat down once again, already connecting the flash drive to the computer.

-It's looking great for me.

Y/n smiled in the middle of the drawing when she heard the compliment, and just continued to scribble and Aemond couldn't help but be distracted by watching the way she drew lines with such ease, making the drawing better and better and more vivid, always enchanted him.

And with a sigh he finally looked from the computer and went back to work. Almost an hour later he managed to meet the goal he had set for that day, while Y/n made a list of things she would need to resolve in the coming weeks. Aemond stood up and put his laptop back in his briefcase once again, while Y/n handed him the papers she had used to take notes and draw her ideas, in a silent request for him to keep them.

She then walked towards Aemond with that cat-like smile that made his chest burn with heat.

-You know, I was marking out everything I'm going to need to do in the next few days and I realized that I'm going to be very busy. -She ran her fingers slowly over his chest as he approached. - And I know you're very busy too. -She spoke softly while looking at him with those bright eyes, while she clung more and more to him. - I'm thinking about taking this weekend just for the two of us.

-Mmnn. - Aemond just murmured in response as he listened to her speak.

-We could go to Lys. For the private side of the island where photography is prohibited, no cell phones, no Internet, no one would see us. -She whispered close to his ear. - I want to have a little more of you just for me. Without anyone bothering you.

-I have a lot of work. -Aemond spoke in a hoarse voice as he firmly grabbed her waist.

-Come on Aem. - She whispered, hanging around his neck while distributing kisses and sucks. -It's weekend. - Y/n then stood on tiptoe and sucked his earlobe. - Please Aem. I swear I won't bother you again this week. - She practically begged, purring into his ear as he held her around her waist tighter and tighter.

-Please. - She asked, looking into his eyes after trailing sweet, wet kisses down his jaw to his lips. And Aemond lifted her off the floor without warning and sat her on the table, making her almost scream amidst her laughter. And Y/n instantly crossed her legs against his hips, pulling him even closer.

-Alright, but only the weekend. - He said, rubbing his nose against hers, which immediately opened the most beautiful smile Aemond had ever seen in his life.

-Really? - She asked, holding his face between her palms and when Aemond nodded, Y/n automatically covered him with kisses while laughing. - It's going to be the best weekend ever.

Aemond nodded as he trailed kisses down Y/n's neck with a slight smile on his lips, already moving his hands up from her hips to the hem of her shorts and pulling her shirt off. Aemond long fingers removed button by button from the buttonholes until the shirt was completely open in front, leaving Y/n's breasts exposed to him with the sapphire necklace hanging between them.

He stopped for a few moments to admire her and Y/n barely waited before pulling him towards her again, kissing his lips fervently.

-Wait just a second. - Aemond spoke almost breathlessly as he slowly walked away from Y/n who was looking at him confused. The older man then went towards the bag and pulled the heels from inside, taking them to Y/n who bit her lower lip when she saw Aemond's malicious smile and what he had in his hands.

Without saying anything he bent down in front of her, and unfastened the side buckle of her left sandal, slowly removing it and leaving a soft kiss on her calf before placing the heel on her foot, making her sigh. Soon after, he did the same thing with his right foot and she caught her breath, Y/n couldn't understand why any simple act by Aemond seemed so erotic.

-Ready. - He said, standing up again and kissing her again, Y/n made to let the black shirt slip off her shoulders, but Aemond stopped her, muttering in disapproval as he pulled the shirt back into place.

-Leave it like that for me. - He whispered against her ear. - You have no idea how hot you look wearing my clothes.

-Do you know how difficult it was to spend the day working and working while you were in front of me in those clothes? - He bit her ear while speaking. - The only thing I was thinking about was how I would like to rip those shorts off you and fuck you into oblivion.

-So do it! - She practically begged as she pulled Aemond closer to her by the sides of his jacket. - Please Aem, fuck me.

Y/n rubbed against him like a sly cat eager for touch, and Aemond unbuckled her belt and shorts, getting down from the table and pulling her shorts down, he then felt his mouth water when he realized that Y/n wasn't wearing anything underneath. of clothes.

-Weren't you wearing anything underneath all day? - His voice sounded practically like a growl, and Y/n just smiled mischievously as she slowly shook her head, biting her lower lip, making Aemond moan and pull her into a kiss.

-Whore. - He murmured softly against her lips and Y/n smiled proudly, biting Aemond's lower lip and pulling it slightly, making him moan with satisfaction, while lifting her up once again and laying her on the table with an absolutely malicious look on her face.

-Open those beautiful legs for me. -Aemond practically purred as he admired her lying half-naked on her office desk, and Y/n almost promptly opened her legs gently for him, not even blushing at the action as she stared at Aemond with eyes dark with desire.

Aemond held her by the thighs, carefully caressing the area, and then he took his hands to her intimacy, letting his fingers gently caress the lips of her pussy, Y/n was so wet that he could see the moisture even on the outside of her intimacy. . And then he opened her gently, letting out a sigh at the sight before him, her delicious wetness oozing out as her vaginal canal pressed against nothing making even more grooves flow out. Aemond brought his fingertips there and gently rubbed from the entrance to the clitoris, dragging the moisture there as he admired in wonder while Y/n shuddered.

-Fuck how I missed that cunt. - Aemond practically groaned before leaning forward and sucking her clitoris eagerly, making her moan and hold onto his hair tightly.

-I wanted you all day too. - She sighed as she rolled her eyes in pleasure and crossed her legs over Aemond's neck, making him pant against her pussy as he felt her heels against his back.

He ran his tongue even more eagerly inside Y/n with even more effort when he felt the sting caused by her shoes making her tremble uncontrollably on the table while she shamelessly rubbed herself against his face begging for more. His strong hands firmly held her thighs open for him, and Y/n whimpered and moaned, pulling Aemond's hair eagerly as she felt her entire body go out of control as the feeling of pleasure took over her body and Aemond ate her through the orgasm leaving her breathless, unable to say anything other than his name.

-I love your taste. - He sighed, leaving a kiss on Y/n's right thigh and moving away from her, who was still shaking uncontrollably after the wave of pleasure. - I love the sounds you make when I'm between your legs. - His eyes were dark as he stared at her hungrily.

- You know that, you know that if I could I would leave you like this. - He took his hands to her nipples and squeezed them, making her gasp. - Naked and with her legs spread on the table in my office, so I could have you whenever I wanted.

-I would stay. - She promised, standing up on her arms. - It would stay and it would be good for you. - Y/n nodded positively looking at Aemond with her eyes shining. - I would do everything you told me to do.

And losing what little patience he had left, he pulled her by the thighs, taking her off the table and turning her back towards him.

-Do you know what I want now? - He growled in her ear and Y/n felt her legs give out, having to lean on the table to stand up, and she just shook her head and lost her breath once again when Aemond turned her to face him with just an impulse.

-I want those beautiful lips wrapped around my cock. - He grunted with his face almost glued to hers and Y/n nodded positively, almost anxiously. - On your knees!

Aemond didn't need to say it twice, he had barely ordered it and Y/n was already falling on her knees in front of him ready to take him.

-Always so anxious. - He rolled his eyes, caressing her lower lip with his thumb and Y/n, who was looking at him from under her eyelashes with that look of false innocence that killed him, just stuck out her tongue and gently licked his finger.

-Whore. - He practically spat out the words as he grabbed her by the jaw and looked at her with eyes dark with desire, losing his mind even more when he saw a malicious smile take over Y/n's lips as she slowly brought her hands to his belt, removing it with Careful. She then released the button on his pants and pulled them just enough to release Aemond's dick to herself, Y/n then licked her palms and still facing him began to massage his dick from base to tip in the way she knew how. which he liked.

-By seven you drive me crazy! - Aemond grunted before sitting down on the chair and pulling Y/n next to him. The sight of her kneeling before him wearing only those damn silver heels, the sapphire necklace around her neck and his shirt hanging around her shoulders as she stared at him with eyes dark with desire almost killed him.

And without saying anything Y/n cradled him again in her hands and took him to her mouth after so long without tasting him, moaning with satisfaction when she felt the taste of Aemond again on the tip of her tongue. She guided her tongue along the long vein that ran beneath his length and then sucked on the tip making him moan in satisfaction under her touch.

Y/n felt satisfaction come over her as she took him in her mouth, she looked up and almost moaned when she saw the expression of pure satisfaction in Aemond's eyes as he had his head thrown back on the back of the chair as he enjoyed every touch of her. And when Y/n started to pick up speed, taking him almost entirely in her mouth while massaging the part that didn't fit, Aemond placed his hands on her head, guiding the rhythm while now looking into her eyes without wavering.

-So fucking good for me. - He caressed her face with his thumbs as he spoke. - Such a sweet little mouth.

With each moan she made against his cock, Aemond had to work harder not to cum. Every moment he looked into those eyes full of desire he almost lost control over his own body. And grunting a filthy swear word that made Y/n moan he pulled her off his dick leaving her confused.

-No. - Y/n protested, trying to take him in her mouth again. – I want to make you come.

-Not yet, Your Highness. - Aemond murmured, getting up from the chair and pulling her towards him. - You know things aren't always the way we want them to be.

Y/n gasped when he turned her back to him in one fell swoop, pinning her against the table and leaning her over it again.

-Now be good and be silent. - He whispered against Y/n's ear while pressing himself against her back, who just nodded, whimpering in anticipation.

Aemond then took his hand to the base of his own cock and guided it to Y/n's entrance, rubbing it gently through the folds in a silent tease before penetrating her. And Y/n, when she felt it, dug her fingers into the edge of the table hard as if she needed to keep herself anchored to something to avoid falling off a cliff.

-Always accepting me so well. - He panted heavily as he kissed the back of her neck, and when he lowered his eyes he could see his initials embroidered on the collar of his shirt, letting out a grunt of satisfaction as he pulled the shirt enough to bite Y/n's shoulder. - Letting me take you anywhere.

-Always Aem. - She whimpered at him, dragging him further into the frenzy.

-Such a good cunt. Just mine. -And amidst moans and dirty words Aemond began to fuck her pussy with fervor, the table creaked across the wooden floor and Y/n couldn't contain the sounds that came out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried. Her suppressed moans echoed through the room and Aemond smiled against her neck as he heard them, always proud of the sweet sounds she made for him.

-Being quiet has never been your strong suit, hasn't it, love? - He murmured to her. - Always making these delicious sounds for me. So perfect.

Y/n felt tears in her eyes, she felt her whole body heating up, she felt like her heart was going to come out of her mouth. Aemond's voice destroyed her on its own, combined with her touches there was no chance for her. Each thrust of his took her closer to the end, with each gentle movement of his fingers against her sensitive nipples and she saw more stars, with each kiss he left on her neck and she felt closer to falling.

-Please Aem. - She begged looking back. - Give me more.

Aemond felt crazy, with no control over his own body, the only thing on his mind was Y/n and how delicious her body felt against his. And going deeper and deeper inside her he felt an uncontrollable pressure in his lower abdomen and spilled himself inside her in thick ropes while panting close to Y/n's ear, squeezing her waist tightly and whispering softly how good she was and how she was the only one who made him feel this way. And with those words and that feeling, Y/n came undone against Aemond's dick, shaking and whimpering his name without control.

After Y/n came bent over Aemond's office desk, he still panting over her trembling body spoke softly against the shell of her ear with his voice slurred by pleasure as he left a soft kiss there.

-I warned you that I never make threats that I don't intend to carry out.

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