#I have so many unanswered questions and theories about this man

[too-many-rooks]

Alex Rider; S1, E1.

[sparrowrye]

Alastor x Fem! Reader {soulmates} Part 5

Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes.

Part 5: digging deeper

Part Pilot | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue, which was a little longer than usual, along my sharp teeth. The sharpest ones were my canines that slipped past my lips when resting.

I touched around the base of my horns. The skin was tight near the bottom and paler than the rest of my skin. My horns jutted up, curved down a bit, then back up to a point at the very end. I tried bending them but they were sturdy, even near the tip.

I clicked my claws together then on the counter. It felt strange to have something that felt like elongated nails. I poked my arm until I drew blood, noting how quick it took to do so. My toes also had claws. They weren't as long as my fingers but they were definitely sharper. The skin on my feet felt extremely tough, almost rubbery.

I turned off the light and sat on the cushions by the window. I rested my head on my arm and stared off into the ocean. For the first time in a long while, I tried to think back into my memories.

I was only able to get snippets, though. I could envision myself in small, specific scenes but I couldn't remember anything past my first rounds of fighting. What did my parents look like? Did they give me to the rings? Did someone kill them? Was I born in hell? How much magic did I have and what kind was it?

I had so many unanswered questions.

I met Husker for dinner again. I couldn't stop looking at my claws as I tried to go about normally. Using a fork was new; long nails made it surprisingly difficult. Husker tried not to laugh and I caught him smiling several times.

"Did you know?" I asked him.

"No. Alastor told me he thought you might be a demon but I was skeptical."

"Why?"

"Well it takes effort to have a human appearance yet you always had one when you were asleep or unconscious. Plus you only used Slight magic when we fought."

"So Alastor knew."

"It was more of a theory." The Radio Demon materialized at the end of the table. "No one had ever heard of a human and demon being soulmates." My eyes fell to my plate. I hated looking at him and I hated hearing the word soulmates. "Once you've finished we'll head back to Rosie's."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight.” He almost sounded annoyed. “She wants to unravel your curse as quickly as possible. She said something about it putting a strain on your mind." He touched a pointed claw to his lips. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Husker rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his drink. I offered to help clean the dishes but he refused. Alastor wrapped an arm around my shoulders and practically dragged me outside. I peeled his hand off and walked up to the scorched symbol on the ground. It didn't look like anything I recognized but it was always there.

He pulled me against him by my waist and stuck his cane into the ground. The ground gave way and I held my hair to my neck. We teleported to a different location this time and I soon discovered it was behind Rosie's store. The quiet town had all their indoor lights and radios turned on.

Alastor knocked twice on the glass door before it opened for him. We walked right into the same meeting room as before. Rosie was setting down a hot teapot.

"Welcome back dearies," she curtsied. "Come in come in. I just took this off the stove. You'll love it."

"I have a matter to attend to but I'm sure you'll take good care of my darling," Alastor said. My darling?

"Oh of course. Go off and do your man's work. Us ladies will get to know each other better." She hooked her arm around mine and lead me to the chair again. "I'm sure you've got lots of burning questions." This time I accepted the warm tea. "But I have to warn you sweetheart. This time, when we go back into your memories, it's going to be a lot more dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"If you get too wrapped up in the emotions and feelings of your memories, you can get stuck there."

"Stuck? In my own head?"

"I'm afraid so," she sipped on her tea, "When I feel you starting to fall down that rabbit hole, I'll touch your leg to let you know. When you feel me touch you, I need you to reel your emotions back in. Do you think you can do that? If not, there's no shame in waiting for tomorrow.”

"No," I said quickly, "I'll be okay. I can do this."

"I believe you. Now. Let's begin."

She sat beside me on the stool and took my hands in hers. I stared down at my black claws as she asked me to go back in time. I closed my eyes and skipped through my teenage-hood and into my early childhood. I tried to push away the sinking sadness of my first friend's death.

"What did your first master look like?" Rosie asked.

"I know he had white hair. Long, white hair. He always had a scowl on his face and he dragged me around."

"What about your very first fight?"

"I was...I was against another kid. Another girl. She had short brown hair and looked...inhuman."

"Inhuman, how?"

"She...her eyes...they were red and...she just looked insane. Her hair was all matted and she was down on all fours. She was drooling a lot too. I remember she...she ran after me and started clawing and biting my arms. She went for my face and I shoved her off. She chased me in circles around the ring. I can still hear all the men cheering above. They were laughing."

"What did you do?"

"I uh...I grew tired and she eventually caught up to me. She grabbed my foot then went for my face. I don't remember much but I...I remember kicking her off then kicking her head. It bounced off the walls and then she didn't get up after that."

"When did you start to learn how to use magic?"

I paused for a moment. “I…I had a master before him? He…he was the one who taught me. Every so often he would come back during the day and take me into the ring. He showed me how to use it. First it was with wind. He told me to throw sand and dirt in my opponents' faces."

"What else did he teach you?"

"He taught me...how to use my sweat as a weapon...how to pull apart the earth so their foot would get stuck or so that they would trip...he taught me a lot."

"Did you warm up to him?"

"When he was teaching me I was happy. I loved learning how to use my magic. And he praised me all the time when I did well. Eventually he stopped being rough with me. It felt like...like he cared about me."

"But?"

"But..." I felt my heart sink with sadness. "But...he...gave me up...to someone not nice."

"Do you know why?"

"Yeah...he was...apparently just someone who trained children in basic magic then...then sold them off to the highest bidder. I was...I was so angry at him...I thought I was going to make him proud and live to be set free but...but I was nothing to him."

"Very good. Now, what can you tell me about when you first met him? When you first saw his white hair?"

I paused. "I remember...I remember looking up at him. He was such a tall man. I was holding someone's hand but I can't...I can't see their face."

"It's okay, don't push it. Tell me about the hand you're holding. What does it feel like?"

"Soft. But...tough? It's definitely tight."

"Good what about-"

"No. Wait...there was another man with white hair. But his...his was shorter."

"Tell me about him. Where were you?"

"I was...I was in a cage. I was...with someone. I remember seeing him come to the cage often. I was...the person I'm with would always get tense when he did. Why can't I see this person's face?"

"It's okay. Take your time. Tell me what this person is wearing."

"A short sleeve. Her skin is...covered in scars and bruises. She's...she's always stroking my hair."

"What else does she do?"

"She...she hums a lot. There's a small radio in the corner and she hums to it a lot. And...I can feel it in her chest when does. She rocks me back and forth until I fall asleep." I suddenly grew very sad and angry. My hands tightened and my hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"What is it, doll? What's happening?"

"He's...the man...he's wearing a white suite...exactly the color of his hair...and he's yelling with her. They're fighting. There's yelling. He hits her. She's arguing back but not fighting. Why won't she fight?"

"Stay with me dear." She touched my lap. I tried to lower my tense shoulders but it was hard.

"He picked me up and...he closed the door on her. She's screaming. Why is she screaming? Why is he taking me away from her? I can't...I can't reach her. I don't...where is he taking me? I don't want to leave her."

"Enough sweetheart, come back. Come out of the memory." She touched my shoulder this time. "Come back to my store. Come back to this world. It's all just a memory."

"I can't stop crying. Why...is that my mother?"

"Sweetheart, you need to come back. You're going in too deep. Stop the emotions."

"But...I want to see her."

"We'll look next time. We can come back next time but you need to take a break. Come out of the memory. Come back to the store. Blink twice and look up."

I stared at the figure reaching out to me through the bars. I was so close. I just wanted to touch her hand one more time. But it was just a memory. She wasn't really there. She might not even be alive at all.

I blinked twice and looked up to meet Rosie's dark eyes. She let out a huge sigh and patted me on the head. "That was a little too close for comfort."

I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down to see a black tail that ran all the way to my back. I stood up and spun around in an effort to look at it. I felt something pulling on my back and realized I had a pair of black wings to go with it.

"What the..." The black on my hands had stretched all the way down to my elbow now. I found the closest mirror and noticed a pair of long ears sticking up from my human ones. Was I a type of dragon?

"I see you're making lots of progress." Alastor's staticky voice cut through the silence.

"Quite a lot, actually," Rosie answered. "I must say, you sure got lucky, Alastor. She looks like she's got a lot hidden away in her."

"Which is why you're the perfect person to help pull it all into the light."

"How do I hide them?" I asked Rosie, still turning in circles to look at myself.

"Oh, uh..." she tapped her sharp finger to her sharp teeth.

"Picture them receding into your back," Alastor answered. I grimaced at the thought of listening to him but gave it a try. The tail shivered but did nothing.

"I'm sure it'll take getting used to," Rosie reassured me. "But I'm sure you're absolutely exhausted. You should go home and get some rest. We can figure out more later."

"Good idea," Alastor agreed. "Come along, darling." He put his hand on my back but I pushed it off. I thanked Rosie and walked out of her store, my wings hitting the edges on the way out.

"So, what did you learn?" he asked as he shut the door.

"What's it to you?"

"Just curious is all."

"You can stay that way," I mumbled. He grabbed my waist and sent us back to the cliff side manor. As soon as my feet touched solid ground, I pushed his hand off and walked inside. My wings hit anything and everything, frustrating me even more.

"Whoah, ain't you something," Husker commented from the sitting room. I didn't respond, clambering up to my room and locking the door behind me. My legs buckled and I collapsed onto the floor. I sobbed into my arms as the new memories replayed themselves in my mind.

Who am I?

[suqueenaryomen]

Twins, Uncle/Nephew, or Something Else?

Why do I still feel like the situation with Sukuna and Yuji hasn’t been clearly explained by Gege? It’s as if the uncle and nephew relationship has been misunderstood or mistranslated (which happens a lot in JJK lately). Some people still believe that Yuji and Sukuna are twins, and some remain skeptical. This leaves many people doubtful and with many unanswered questions (hopefully Gege will soon explain everything in detail so we don’t misunderstand it again):

1. We are talking about twins, not siblings born at different times. Twins are born at the same time and look alike. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, Yuji would have to be the same age as Sukuna. This means Yuji is not a 15-year-old boy but actually an old man or an adult like Sukuna. Or conversely, Sukuna would have to be 15 years old like Yuji. The best example is Maki & Mai, same time, same age (clear and simple, nothing else).

2. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, why does Yuji have multiple parents? Jin Itadori, Kaori Itadori, DNA scientist + creator Kenjaku, who is also considered both mother and father 😅. Then they would all have to be Sukuna’s parents or relatives too? If Sukuna is really Yuji’s brother, then they have the same parents? (We are talking about twins here).

3. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, why does Yuji have multiple siblings like his brother Choso? Then they would all have to be Sukuna’s real siblings or relatives too. If Sukuna is really Yuji’s biological brother, then they share the same siblings?

4. If Sukuna and Yuji are twins, who the hell are their real parents? I mean seriously. Only the parents of these twins. A mother (who gave birth) and a father (the progenitor). Face to face, DNA to DNA, blood to blood, etc. (You’d go crazy thinking about it) xD

5. We finally know that Sukuna confirmed he ate his brother and also did not want to be born as a twin. However, he did not say who his brother is or how it happened. He only mentioned something about the soul, so this could imply a connection to the soul or that someone has the same soul as his brother. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Yuji or Jin Itadori. It could also be someone else who simply has a spiritual connection to the entire Itadori family, possibly passed down from generation to generation.

6. Or Kenjaku actually played around with all the DNA & soul of Sukuna’s twin brother and manipulated it without permission, creating new disasters for the whole family. (Family drama) would actually be the simplest explanation!

It looks like a flashback of Sukuna will appear soon. We are getting closer to the truth. I hope we finally find out what happened in this family?

I once wrote something similar about the skeptical twin theory:

[thehighpriestess1]

August : 12

Summary : There is more to Gojo than that meets the eyes. Y/n allowed herself to feel loved and tries to keep an open mind.

Pairing : Gojo x y/n

Word count : 10k+

Warning : TW : mention of self harm and sui***e, 18+ only.

Masterlist : Previous

Ask box

Picking out clothes with Gojo was not as fun as you had expected. He wanted everything in every color. Everything was too cute to pass on to. His excitement was fair. You had been in a similar place a month ago. This was his time to be a father. You wondered as you watched him look at one overall after another, how excited he would have been if he was there when Keisuke was born. It hurt you that even if you chose to stay there was no photo of Keisuke and Gojo in the hospital. No family photo. In a month Keisuke would be 3 months old, maybe this was the right time to get one. There was still hesitation in your heart about Gojo. But you promised him one month. So for one month you would weaken the barrier just a little. Give Gojo a chance to prove himself. You didn’t know whether you wanted him as your husband though. It was still too soon to decide and there were wounds that would take years to heal. There were many unanswered questions but all of that could wait a month. You were not that oblivious, you could see the tiredness and lack of sleep on his face and you knew your son well enough to know that he does not adjust quickly to new environments. You didn’t bring it up and neither did Gojo which made you wonder that maybe he was a good father or at least meant to be one. But a good father is not always a good husband..right?

You walked over to him and put your arm on his shoulder, “You found anything?”. You asked and looked at the two cashmere sweaters in his hand. Gojo had quite an expensive taste when it came to clothing and it reflected in his choices. In the past two hours he had already bought three matching sets of coats for the three of you to wear. You had never seen this cheesy side of Gojo who wanted to wear matching clothes with his family, who wanted to buy every soft toy that he laid his eyes on. Some toys were even bigger than your son but that didn’t stop him.

“I can’t decide. I want both”. He looked at you helplessly. “Can we please get them both?”. He didn’t have to ask you, you thought. It was his money and he could do whatever he wanted but your heart melted a little every time he did.

You chuckled. “Fine. We can”. Gojo smiled widely and asked the sales associate to pack them both. You had lost count of how many clothes you had bought so far as all the shopping bags were sent straight to the car. Gojo was frivolous when it came to shopping but he was not careless. Each item of clothing was carefully examined. He had gotten a list of fabrics from the daddy and me blog that were best suitable for newborns and he would match the composition with that list. If there was even one material that wasn’t in the list, that item was discarded. Gojo had a whole document about color theory and avoided clothes that might induce anxiety in a two month old. You thought it was all a bit too much but Gojo was a bit too much. 

Of course you didn’t miss the heart eyes of every female associate that you came across. It didn’t bother you, Gojo was an attractive man. His frame stood out amongst the common people, with towering height and muscular frame he became the center of attraction wherever he went and at this point you were used to it. But today he looked especially handsome. He was clad in all black with black trenchcoat. His snowy white hair swayed with every head turn, his skin glowed with every curve of his smile and his lips had never looked this plump. You shook your head before you could get any further with your imagination. Of course it wasn’t a crime to admire your husband, the father of your child but you were hesitant to admit your attraction. 

“What else do we have on the list?”. You asked, looking at Gojo.  Somehow between making breakfast and taking care of Keisuke while you got ready, Gojo had made an elaborate list of things he needed to buy. You had painstakingly reminded him Keisuke did not need a mini car at 

this age. He could barely sit on his own.  

“Before that..”. Gojo trailed off and one of the men brought the same green juice you had this morning in a glass bottle. “..you need this”

You took the bottle in your hand and gave a confused look. “What is this?”.

“It’s good for your anemia. I spoke to Shoko and she suggested this”. 

“But..I had it this morning”. You reminded him.

Gojo nodded. “But we have been shopping for the past two hours so drink a little so you don’t get tired”. 

You stared at the bottle in your hand and then back at Gojo. He was serious. He was serious about this.You had no defense for this. You were tired and felt a little dizzy. You opened the metal cap and took a sip. It didn’t taste bad but it wasn't something you could drink all day. 

"I'm fine Gojo". You rolled your eyes..

"If you say so..Gojo". Gojo smiled and intertwined your hand.

Your breath hitched the moment his fingers locked in with yours. It was so easy. So easy for him to hold your hand like he was the only one who could reach through the walls around you whenever he wanted to. Like the barrier you spent a year building around yourself did not exist for him. 

But the reality was different. Much different. Gojo had been debating on reaching out for you the moment the two of you sat in the car. The fleeting touches on shoulder and arm were not enough for him. He had been itching to hold your hand. Sneaking glances between the two of you. He tried multiple times but you turned away to look at a onesie or a chair. Even now, he looked calm on the surface but on the inside he was going insane. He looked like he was staring into a distance but on the inside he was admiring the feeling of your hand in his. He had waited a year for this and now it felt worth all the pain. Your hand felt warm in his, he gave it a light squeeze and when you didn't pull away his knees almost gave up. He didn't want to let it go ever. He looked away from you to hide the red coating his cheeks. He bit his lip to control the smile on his face. He cleared his throat to stop his words from quivering. His body didn’ feel like his own anymore. Blood rushed to his head making him a little dizzy and his heart was thumping loudly. He wanted more..much more but for now he was content with your hand in his. 

"We should..umm". You spoke first to diffuse the tension. "...see the crib". 

"Right!". Gojo spoke almost immediately and turned towards the store that sold handcrafted cribs. Neither of you spoke on the way to the store. While you were debating your attraction to him, Gojo was going crazy over every single thing, the smell of your perfume, that one loose strand of hair falling across your cheeks, your lips, your eyes..everything was driving him insane. He smiled to himself, just a week ago he lived in a world without you, a colorless and painfull world, and now you were here. Even if you don’t let him near you, even if he has to live with holding just your hand for the rest of his life, he would live happily. 

You walked between rows of exquisite cribs. It was hard to decide on one. You looked at the price tags and before you could even count the zeroes Gojo was already onto the next one.

“This one is made from ebony and is lined with fine silk curtains. It comes with a built-in baby monitor. All handcrafted with gold inlay and one of the ten pieces available worldwide”. The associate beamned proudly.

You chewed your bottom lip and looked at the crib. It was beautiful and sturdy but something felt off.

“Do you like it?”. Gojo asked. He could read your face and knew that you were doubtful about this one.

“I don’t know. It’s beautiful but I can’t imagine Keisuke in this”. You looked up at him.

Gojo smiled. “Me neither. Let’s look at some more”.

You nodded and followed him.

The associate guided you towards another and then another but for some reason none of them seemed like the right one. You felt guilty about turning down and you could see the disappointment in the associate’s face each time you turned down a crib.

"This would be perfect for your baby. It's handmade in Italy and comes in with a built-in temperature sensor. It has a hidden camera in all four corners and the surface is coated with white gold to give a calming appearance". 

You looked at the crib, it was similar to the one you had in the village except that one was not coated with gold. You walked towards it and kept your hand on the railing, it felt strong and sturdy. 

The associate smiled and stood on the other side. "It also comes with a fine Muslin curtains on the inside for night time and it can withstand a total of 120 kg"

Gojo didn't pay attention to the associate. He stood next to you and kept his hand on yours over the railing. "Do you like it?". He asked, looking at you. He didn't care how fancy or hi-tech the crib was. Your opinion is all that mattered to him..as for security Gojo knew that he can take care of it.

You smiled and looked up at him. "I like this one. What about you?".

"I like it too". He smiled back and rubbed his thumb over your knuckles. 

The sales associate visibly relaxed. "Then should we finalize this?".

Gojo nodded. "Yes". 

The car ride home was tiring. It was almost lunch time and you were getting drowsy. Unlike before, You and Gojo sat in the middle, holding hands. Gojo wasn’t doing any better. After the tiring night and busy morning, all he wanted to do now was hold you and sleep. He loved Keisuke, he truly did but at times like this he wished that he could have gotten more time with you. Just you and him. 

“Y/n..”. Gojo whispered.

“Yes?”. You turned towards him. 

“Should we…”. He hesitated.“…..Nevermind”. He turned away. 

“Satoru..what is it?”. You tried to read his face to understand what he wanted to say.  After everything that he has done, why would he hesitate now?

“Should we..I mean..Can we get a nanny for Keisuke?”. Gojo bit the inside of his cheeks.

You nodded your head and averted your gaze. “I can take care of him on my own. I know it’s a lot but you don’t have to help if you don’t want to”. You said, looking out now. 

Gojo immediately realized his mistake. He turned completely towards you and took both of your hands in his’. “No love. I didn’t mean it like that”.

You looked down at his hands and then up at him. “What did you mean then?”.

“I meant... A lot has happened y/n and I want us to spend some time together. I want to know everything that’s going on in your head other than Keisuke. I want to know about so many things”. Gojo gave your hand a light squeeze. 

You didn't expect this. What was he up to now? You gave him a short smile. “You can ask me whatever you want to know about”.

Gojo smiled and shook his head. At times it was adorable how clueless you could get. “I mean..I want to take you out to dinner and spend some time with you”. 

Your heart skipped a beat, you didn’t know what to say. “I..I don’t think we need to spend any time together. After all, we are only together because of Keisuke right?”.  

Gojo stayed silent for a few seconds and then he smiled. “No. I told you that I want both you and Keisuke in my life. You mean more to me than just the mother of my child. You are my love y/n and I don’t want you to forget that..ever”. Your words had left an ache in his chest but he didn’t care. 

You pressed your lips together and looked down. “I..I’ll need time to think about it”.

“Take your time. I am not going anywhere”. Gojo smiled and sat back with a sad smile.

You turned away to look outside. You couldn’t face him. He sat back and faced the other side. He knew he deserved all your hatred but it still hurt so much. The pain spread from his chest to his arms and legs. His whole body felt numb. He looked at a couple walking outside and thought to himself, if only he had not left you ever, if only he would have shown up that night in the park, if only he would have stayed back that day, then maybe it could have been you and him. If the gods were to come down to ask him for all his wealth and power in return for a happy life with you, he would take it in a heartbeat. 

-X-

“Where is Satoru?!”. Yuri demanded as she stormed into the private wing of the mansion. 

“He has gone out”. Jerry replied and stood sternly in front of her, preventing her from proceeding any further.

Yuri scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. “I need to get a file from his room”. 

“I am sorry but no one is allowed beyond this point”. Jerry smiled. It was true. No one other than Jerry and few other maids were allowed beyond the lobby in your and Gojo’s absence. 

“I am not just another person around the house Jerry. I am his family”. Yuri tried to reason.

Jerry gave a polite smile. It was not in his nature to be crass to people in the house and neither did he think he had ever hated anyone. But he hated Yuri with every fiber of his being. He was a gentleman, trained to be ready for every situation but somehow Yuri managed to find a way to get on his nerves. He wanted to remind her of her place and tell her that if she had really been his family then she would have the Gojo name but he didn’t say any of the witty insults. Instead he preferred to do it his way. “Mr.Gojo and...Mrs.Gojo would be back shortly, you can visit him then”. He gave another polite smile.

Yuri scoffed.“Jerry..do I need to remind you that until two days ago you were obeying me? Do I need to remind you what happens to those who disobey me?”. Yuri stepped closer to Jerry and pouted mockingly. “Only I can order you-”.

“What’s happening here?” Gojo’s voice rang in the hallway.

Yuri immediately stepped back and had her good girl mask back on. She turned around, smiling with doe eyes to see Gojo walked towards them. Her smile faltered a little when she saw you walking next to him. She wondered how can someone look so sad and angry all the time when they have a man like Gojo next to them?

You let go of Gojo’s hand the moment Yuri turned around but Gojo grabbed it again and held it tighter this time. Gojo didn’t understand why you let go and thought your hand must have slipped because he wasn’t holding it tight enough. Afterall underneath all this he was indeed a simple man who just wanted to hold hands with his wife. He didn’t see things for what they were.

“I just wanted to get the file I gave..y/n last night”. Yuri spoke and looked at you with feigned politeness. She looked in between the two of you and saw the way Gojo had intertwined his hands with yours. Were you that possessive that you had to hold his hand all the time? Or were you jealous of her? Either way, holding hands meant nothing to her.

“It’s in my office. You can take it from there”.

“I need to talk to you Satoru”. Yuri stepped towards Gojo and looked up at him through her lashes. 

You bit your lip in frustration. This was annoying. She was annoying. You hated her but you hated Gojo for letting her into his life. Was this your replacement? Just the thought that Gojo relied on someone while you were alone made your blood boil and skin crawl. 

Yuri stepped closer to Gojo and fiddled with the buttons of his coat and now there was hardly any distance between them. Gojo frowned and stepped back but she was quick enough to grab his free hand. She pouted, “I didn’t know that and Jerry said that I was not allowed to go to your room..anymore”. She said the last words looking at you through the corner of her eye and smirked a little when she saw your jaw tense. 

You yanked your hand away and stormed ahead without waiting for Gojo. You didn’t care how it made you look. You just wanted to be away from her. Your head was spinning and it felt like the air was sucked out of the room.

Gojo was surprised by your reaction. It happened suddenly. One moment Yuri was in front of him and the next you had waked out. Did he do something? Were you mad at him?Was this about the nanny ?He ignored everyone around him and ran after you. 

“Y/n! Wait!”. He called out but you didn’t stop walking.

Gojo jogged ahead and stood in front of you. He dismissed everyone around and looked down at you. You didn’t look up. Gojo cupped your face with both of his hands and titled it upwards. “What happened?”. Gojo was panicking on the inside. The last thing he wanted to do now was hurt you more than he already had.

You gritted your teeth. Did he really not know or was he playing dumb? You yanked his hand away, “Nothing”, you said sternly and walked away but Gojo followed you around. 

“Are you mad at me?”. Gojo asked with a frown on his face.

You stayed silent and turned around the corner to enter the bedroom.

“Y/n look at me!”. He pleaded.

You stayed silent and made your way to the bed where Keisuke was sleeping peacefully surrounded by his toys. The help in charge of looking after him bowed and took her leave leaving only you and Gojo in the room. You walked to the closet and Gojo followed you. “Is this about the nanny?”.

“No”. You took your coat off and tossed it on a bench. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves but nothing helped.

“What did I do?”. Gojo asked as he took his coat off too.

“Nothing”. You said and walked out with Gojo still following you around.

Keisuke was sleeping peacefully in the center of the bed, surrounded by pillows. You tucked the sides of the blanket. You caressed his cheeks softly and kissed his forehead.

Gojo couldn’t focus on anything. He felt like he was having another panic attack. He was growing restless. Why won’t you look at him? Why were you running away from him? What did he do? Were you going to leave him again? 

“Are you mad at me?”. He pleaded quietly. 

“Satoru, I am not mad at you”. You spoke softly and stood up to make your way to the bathroom.

Gojo followed you, “Yes you are. Did I do something? I..I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. If it's about the nanny then we don't have to get one”. Gojo frowned. His heart was beating rapidly. The sudden shift in your behavior worried him. Was it because he held your hand? Did he do too much or did he not do enough? He didn’t know. All he knew was that something happened and now you were upset. He stood behind you and looked at you through the mirror.

“Please…just..talk to me”.

You looked at his reflection in the mirror and your breath hitched when you saw the faint tears lining his lash line. Was he..was he crying? You were upset but you didn’t mean to hurt him. 

“Please…tell me what happened”. Gojo took a step towards you and now stood directly behind you. You could feel his coat brushing against the back of your arms.

Your gaze softened as you witnessed his fragility and it shook your walls. Maybe he wasn’t the big bad wolf you thought him to be.

“Don’t run away from me”. Gojo spoke with his eyes closed. “Yell at me or hit me, I don’t care but...never run away from me”. His voice quivered. His hands were trembling by your side. He was scared.

You were so angry that you wanted to cry. You were angry at yourself for feeling this way. If you didn’t love him then you shouldn’t be feeling this. If he loved you then how could he let another woman get near him? Did she mean more than you did? Why did you care about it so much? It was all too frustrating. You turned towards him but refused to look up at him. The distance or the lack of it, made your heart race and your thoughts made your head spin.

Gojo looked down at you. He knew you. He knew that when you were upset you refused to look at anyone. He knew that he had hurt you somehow. He kneeled in front of you and held both of your hands. 

You heat shot up and saw his teary eyes staring at you. “Satoru..”. You said bleakly. 

“What happened? What did I do?”. Gojo whispered. 

You took a deep breath. “I don’t want..”. You sighed. “I don’t know what your relationship is with Yuri but I don’t want her to be anywhere near me or Keisuke”.

Gojo frowned. Why were you talking about Yuri now? Did she do something? Did she say something? You and Keisuke? “There is no you and Keisuke…”. Gojo said, eyes scanning every inch of your face. 

You frowned.”What-”

“It’s us. You, me and Keisuke. Don’t..separate me…not yet at least”. Gojo cupped your cheeks. “I promise you, she will never come near us ever again”. 

Your heart skipped a beat. You could see that he meant every word he said.In that moment you felt the love seep through the cracks of the wall you spent a year building. You smiled and nodded your head. 

“Let’s go and wake up our baby now”. Gojo smiled sadly.

You followed him out but deep inside you felt guilty for telling him what to do when you weren’t even sure if you’ll be with him in a few weeks.

You nudged him to sit on the bed. He didn’t let go of your hand but leaned down to press a kiss on Keisuke’s cheeks. His cheeks jiggled when Gojo pulled away,making you chuckle. “How can someone be this adorable”. Gojo whispered.

You shrugged. “You know..”. You said looking at Keisuke. “I was so mad when he was born because he looked so much like you”. 

Gojo chuckled. “He does!. Doesn’t he? I didn’t want to brag about it but now I can”.

You rolled your eyes and smiled. “I just hope he doesn’t get your personality”.

“What’s wrong with it?”. Gojo pouted.

“I can only deal with one clingy child!”. You laughed.

Gojo smiled. “Y/n….”

“Yeah?”.

Gojo bit the inside of his cheeks,”About Yuri…. She means nothing. If you don’t want her around then she won’t be around”. 

You smiled. It did feel better to know that even if you got together a day ago Gojo still prioritized your happiness and wants. “Thank You”. You gave his hand a squeeze.

Gojo pouted. “You insult me by saying that. So don’t do that”.

You giggled and shook your head. Keisuke cooed in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes. “Look who’s up! My baby woke up! You missed me?!”. Your eyes widened and you spoke in your baby voice. 

He looked at you with all the love in his eyes. You were smiling gently, a strand of your hair fell softly across your cheek but you didn’t notice it. Your gaze fixed on your baby. Gojo could feel his heart turn into a jelly. He could just stare at you being you all day. He didn't want this moment to end. He didn’t want to lose you. He would rather die in this moment than see you walk away from him. His life wasn’t his anymore, it was yours. His love was yours. His happiness was yours.

Yuri stood there for the longest time,paralyzed,frozen in the moment, stunned, everyone left one by one. Gojo didn’t bother stopping for a second to talk to her. She had never been treated like this before. Ever. It hurt her heart but it hurt her pride more. The look on your face was ingrained in her mind. She turned around to ask for someone but everyone had left. She sighed and made her way to Gojo’s office to take the file she needed. She smirked thinking how Gojo was playing the part of a doting husband but a Tiger never loses its stripes. Soon he would be bored of the redundant domestic life and would be back to his old self. But you, you had to be dealt with as soon as possible and Yuri knew just what to do.

-X-

You stood next to Gojo and watched the men set up the crib right next to your side of the bed. Both of you were unsure about letting Keisuke sleep alone in another room. There were many reasons behind your hesitation, safety, attachment but above all you weren’t sure if you could stay in the room with Gojo all alone. 

Though Gojo didn’t share your third problem he shared the first two. By now he was used to Keisuke’s sleep cycle and surprisingly woke up seconds before he did and rocked him back to sleep. He didn’t mind doing this at all. In fact he was proud of it. Everytime Keisuke fell asleep on his shoulder his heart healed a little. The little drool droplet staining his t-shirt reminded him that he was a father now. Gojo had spent countless sleepless nights the past year but these were the best kind. The kind that he wanted. He had learnt a lot in the past few days, like Keisuke needed Mr.Carrot everytime he was being fed. He did not like being held in his left arm. He loved playing with your locket or your hair. He liked his blue sock more than his red sock and his favorite jumper was the one that you had knitted for him. 

There were things that he picked up about you too. Somehow you could differentiate between a hungry cry and an irritated cry. You were still shy while feeding him, which Gojo didn’t understand. You always get tired after feeding him and at that time it’s best to let you sleep for a while. You had to take your medication twice a day at 11AM and 7PM. You bit your lower lip and rolled your eyes everytime he played with Keisuke. Your favorite word to call Keisuke was “munchkin” and Gojo knew, with all his heart, that you liked holding his hand even if you’d never initiate it. He looked over to you and then intertwined his left hand with yours. He could see the corner of your lips curl up and smiled to himself. 

“It’s done sir”. The manager that came along spoke with a wide smile.

Both you and Gojo walked over and inspected the newly built crib. It was sturdy and comfortable. You connected your  phone to the built-in camera and were quite satisfied with the security system. While Gojo thanked the men, you stared at the crib and couldn’t help but think about the empty one sitting in your old apartment. Amidst all this you had forgotten about that. 

“Everything okay?”. Gojo asked as he walked over to you.

You nodded your head but your eyes were fixed on the crib.

“If you don’t like it we can get another one”. Gojo said. Your face was hard to read at times like this. It scared him. 

You shook your head and smiled at him. “It’s nice. Bit too big for him but it’s perfect”.

Gojo smiled hesitantly. “It’s big enough for the two of you”. 

You chuckled. “For now let’s see if he likes it”. 

Gojo tried to put Keisuke down in the crib but Keisuke gripped his hair making Gojo wince a little. You walked over and tried to take Keisuke out of his hand but he wouldn’t let go of Gojo’s hair. 

“Let Satoru go, baby”. You took Keisuke in your arms but he refused to let go of Gojo’s hair so now Gojo stood next to you with his head bowed down as Keisuke giggled. “This tiny devil. Where does he get his strength from?”. You muttered as you tried to open his fist wrapped around Gojo’s hair. 

Gojo chuckled as he winced. He was having just as much fun with this as Keisuke. 

“Stop laughing Satoru!”. You warned but couldn’t control your own laughter as the father son duo bursted out laughing harder. “Stop! What do I do with the two of you?!”. You groaned but they started laughing harder. It was annoying knowing that even though you were stronger than Keisuke, he was a baby and no matter how hard  you try you could never show the full extent of your strength. You wondered how Gojo found this amusing given that he was now bent down to your height and you were sure his back hurt. 

Gojo’s neck hurt but Keisuke’s giggled mixed with your annoyed laugh was worth the pain. He stepped forward to make it easier for you to hold Keisuke and untangle his hand, unintentionally caging you between his body and the crib. His hands rested on the railing on either side and Keisuke was only pulling him closer. His heart was beating out of his chest. He was so close to you. He felt like a teenage boy being in close proximity to his crush.

Keisuke let go of his hair when you tickled him. Gojo stood up straight with a heavy sigh and your mouth hung open when you saw his flushed face. 

“Oh no”. You frowned. “Did it hurt a lot?”. You said and started rubbing the spot behind his ear where Keisuke had his death grip. “Ahh it must have hurt”.

“I’m fine, y/n”. Gojo smiled and bent down with his hands still by your side and smiled at you. “I am perfectly fine”.  He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.  

You bit your lip and turned around to face the crib and gently put Keisuke inside. Gojo pulled out his polaroid camera from the bedside drawer and stood next to you. He focused the camera on Keisuke and clicked his photo. “His first time in his new crib”.

Gojo had been taking pictures of you and Keisuke ever since your first day. You didn’t mind him doing that. It made him happy. You bit your lip nervously contemplating your intentions. But looking at Gojo smiling widely at the photo and then crouching down to show Keisuke his photo made all your doubts disappear.

“Satoru..”. You spoke and rested your hand on the railing.

“Yes?”. Gojo looked up at you and then stood up.

“Do you..”. You bit the inside of your cheek. “Do you want to see ..ummm..photos?”.

Gojo stared blankly at you. “Which photos?”.

“Mine and Keisuke’s..I mean when I was..you know..carrying him?”.

Gojo’s silence made you question everything you just said. But then he smiled, “Yes! Yes I do! Can we see them now?! Please”. Gojo couldn’t believe it. This was a win for him. You were letting him in your life. Heck yeah he wanted to see the photos!

You chuckled. “Didn’t you have that meeting?”. You remembered Jerry reminding Gojo about a seemingly important meeting he had in the afternoon. 

“It can wait!”. Gojo was getting too excited. You chuckled, he was already ready to head out for the meeting as soon as the crib was finished. Now his light blue shirt had a tiny dark blue spit stain on the right shoulder. His sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hair disheveled. He looked more like he was returning from the meeting than heading to one.

“Alright, I’ll get the album”. You shook your head and turned to walk to the closet where you had kept the bag. You were still hesitant about using the clothes he had bought for you and relied on the ones you bought at the mall. It upset Gojo a little but he gave you your space and time.

“There is a whole album?!”. Gojo exclaimed as he followed you.

“Satoru calm down! Sit with Keisuke and I will get it”. You spoke without looking back but you knew Gojo stopped and sat on the bed obediently. 

When you walked out with the tiny baby blue album you saw Gojo sitting on the bed with his back resting against the soft backrest and his legs crossed in front, he had a small pout on his face but what made him even more adorable was the fact that he was playing with Mr.Giraffe.

You crawled on your side of the bed and sat next to him. “Ready?”? You asked, keeping the album on your lap.

“Yes!”. Gojo spoke excitedly.

You opened the album and the first photo was of your ultrasound. Gojo slid down and rested his head on your shoulder. You realized that this was the closest you had been with him but you didn’t move him. 

Gojo touched the photo and saw a glimpse of you in that room, looking at the screen. He could almost imagine himself to be sitting by your side, seeing your baby for the first time. “He looks like a bean”.

“Yeah he does”. You smiled.

“But I can already tell that he is as handsome as his father”. Gojo said smugly. It was something he would have said had he been there at the moment.

You chuckled and slipped the page. The next photo was of you in front of the mirror with the hem of your tank top lifted up to reveal the almost there baby bump. “This was in three months..almost three months”. 

Gojo hummed. You looked beautiful. Tired. Exhausted but beautiful. He could see your eyebags but he could also see your beautiful smile. “You look tired here. Why?”. He asked, staring at the photo.

“I had trouble sleeping those days”. You flipped the page.

Gojo didn’t need to ask why you had trouble sleeping. He knew. He knew very well.

You chuckled looking at the next photo. “Mrs.Itadori insisted that I have a maternity photoshoot. It was so awkward”. You smiled looking at the photos of you taken in the backyard with blue balloons and blue cake. 

Gojo smiled. It was adorable. He wished he was there standing behind you. His eyes welled up thinking that no matter how much he tried he could never be there. It was all in the past. He cannot go back in time and sit by your bed when you had the ultrasound, or feel the first kick, or deal with your cravings and morning sickness. He was never going to be there. As you flipped through the pages your belly grew and so did your smile. Gojo’s heart felt lighter knowing that you were happy. Some photos were taken candidly when you were working at the snack bar and others were taken against the light yellow wall of your living room. 

As you showed him the last photo of you holding Keisuke in your arms in the hospital, Gojo felt like he was witnessing it firsthand. He felt like he was the one standing behind the camera. But he knew that at that time, in that instant he was far away from you. He stared at the photo blanky and felt guilty, guilty for not being there to hold your hand, guilty for not being there to wipe the  sweat off your face, guilty for not sitting by your side and listening to every curse word you threw at him. 

You could sense his body tensing at each photo and you wondered if you had done the right thing. But sooner or later you had to show him these. 

"Are you okay?". You asked, looking sideways.

Gojo rested his chin on your shoulder and smiled widely. "You are a beautiful mother". 

"Don't you have a meeting to go to?". You asked.

Gojo held your eye contact and smirked. "I don't want to go". 

"Satoru..you should go".  You spoke softly. 

Gojo held your hand instead and pouted. It made you smile how similar this needy face was to the one in the crib. "Please don't make me go". 

"The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back". You raised an eyebrow and hoped that your reason falls on the smarter part of his brain.

"But if I don't go at all then-".

"Satoru!".

Gojo groaned and got out of the bed. He leaned over the crib and smiled at Keisuke. "Your mom is a meanie". He scrunched his nose and turned to walk towards the door where his coat hung neatly on the stand. 

You scoffed. "Ouch. Are you taking it to him now?". Your gaze followed him as he walked over to the stand. 

"Someone should listen to me". Gojo winked as he put on the coat. 

"Have a good time". 

Gojo chuckled and walked out of the bedroom. 

You sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over the crib. "I'm not a meanie". 

Keisuke blew a raspberry and you got your answer. He was your adorable munchkin but he was Gojo's little devil. 

-X-

Gojo walked through the marble hallway, adjusting his Gojo clan cufflinks. Everyone moved out of his way and he didn't notice how many doors opened for him. You were right, the sooner he is done with this the sooner he will get to go back to you. But every second away from you seemed like a wasted time. His heart was hardly at peace. He was also excited. Excited to finally sleep next to you. Maybe you'll let him hold you. He blushed slightly thinking about waking up tomorrow with you in his arms. Men stiffened when he walked past not knowing that once called as the ice Prince was now gushing on the inside.

He walked into his chamber. It was different from his formal office. It was made entirely out of white marble with black carpet covering every inch of the flood. Gojo's trusted men stood on either side of the room. These men were the ones who handled various aspects of his clan business. Some managed exports. Some managed casinos. Some managed real estate. They all reported to him twice a week. 

Today was going to be a long day. Gojo had to take care of many things which included administering justice over those who hurt his business. He walked over to his chair or as others referred to as his throne and sat down. His men sat in their respective chairs lined on either side of his'. 

"Start". Gojo said. His face, devoid of any expression or emotions.

"Sir". One of the men stood up and bowed down to him. "I will be sending my men to vacate the village for our new factory. It will be done by this weekend but I need more manpower".

Gojo started at the man. "Leave it. We don't need to make that factory anymore". 

"But sir we had promised Mr.Ian the partnership. He had invested 120 million and now he is asking about the work".

Gojo knew it was the same village where he had met you. If he goes ahead with the plan then it would crush your heart but moreover it would be unfair to people who take care of you. He wanted to thank them the best way possible and maybe this was his chance to do so.

Gojo's gaze sent a chill down the man's spine. "Pay him double and tell him that I changed my mind. If he creates any more problems then set up a meeting with me". 

The man smiled politely and bowed down. "Yes, Sir".

"Next". Gojo said, taking a sip of his tea. 

Yuta stood up and bowed down. But before he could speak the doors opened. Everyone turned towards the door and shifted slightly in their seats as Yuri walked in wearing a form fitting red dress with a slit so high that it almost reached her waist. The sweetheart neckline plunged deep enough that left little to imagination. Her heels clicked on the floor as she smiled sweetly looking at the only man she wore the dress for. 

"Hello, Satoru". He spoke softly as she bent down to kiss his ring. 

Gojo gulped harshly. He felt irritated in her presence. He felt like the closer she was to him the farther you'd go away from him and he didn't want that. "What are you doing here?". He asked coldly. 

Yuri's smile faltered. Gojo was never cold to her. Not this cold anyway..

"I came to attend the meeting". Yuri smiled. 

"You are not required here".

"Oh come on Satoru. Only because I am a little late that doesn't mean-".

Before Yuri could finish what she was saying, Gojo stood up, making her take a few steps back. All the men stood up immediately.

"Get out now!". Gojo warned. "Let me make it clear to everyone". Gojo spoke, looking straight at Yuri but his message was for everyone. "Yuri… is not allowed on this estate anymore. Her work is limited to the office. Am I clear?". 

Yuri scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "Is this because of her? God I can't believe she could be so jealous! Did you forget that I was there with you when you thought that she was dead! God! That fucking bi-"

Yuri's words died down in her throat as her eyes focused on the gun pointed at her. "I dare you to finish that sentence". Gojo had a devilish grin on his face. His insanity reflecting in his eyes. He didn't care. He was insane, he knew that. He knew that he would pull the trigger without a second thought if Yuri, or anyone dared insult you.

Tears rolled down Yuri's cheeks. This was insulting…heartbreaking. "Sa..Satoru". 

"I asked, am I clear?!". Gojo yelled, loud enough for the security outside to hear.

The guards immediately marched in and stood around her. 

"Escort Ms.Yuri out and make sure she doesn't step foot in this estate again!". 

Yuri watched in horror as the guard stood between her and Gojo. She turned around without any resistance but held her head high as she walked out.

Gojo sat down and gulped down the glass of water kept on the table. He couldn't believe Yuri would do something like this when he had told her not to show up at the estate under any circumstances. She defied his orders and risked his marriage. What if you would have seen her here, dressed like that? Behaving like that? Gojo couldn't risk it. He immediately picked up his phone and opened the app which showed the video from his bedroom. He was glad he had gotten cameras installed in the bedroom the day the two of you went out. He smiled gently when he saw that you were playing with Keisuke. You were fine. There was no way you could have seen her.

He calmed himself down and took another sip of his tea.  

"Where were we?". He asked looking at Yuta and continued the work.

The meeting was going on for longer than he had thought. He was tired and exhausted. His head was hurting listening to his men argue over some petty thing. He knew that sometimes it was necessary to let men fight. But he was getting sick of the same he said-she said. 

"Enough!". He yelled. The men stopped arguing and shared a look of fear. "Now you..". Gojo pointed to the man on his right. "Pay him back the money you borrowed!". 

The man stepped forward with tears in his eyes and bowed down. "I can't. I need more time".

Gojo leaned back. "You promised him money in six weeks so you will pay him back".

"I can't. Sir, my wife just gave birth and both my daughter and wife are admitted in hospital. I need money for their bills. Just 6 more weeks and I promise I will pay him back". 

Gojo contemplated for a while. “I will pay him back on your behalf and you have 6 months to pay me back”. Gojo said calmly. 

The man had tears in his eyes and bowed down to thank him. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”.

Gojo smiled warmly. This was the last meeting of the day. He checked his watch, it was already 10 PM. He got up and dismissed everyone. He was tired and could feel his body giving up. He needed sleep. 

-X-

Groggily he made his way to his..your bedroom. He struggled to keep his eyes open and mind focused. All the work that he had kept aside for the past weeks hit him like a tidal wave. Even in the state of tiredness he still remembered the album you showed him. He smiled to himself. He didn’t tell you but a part of him broke at the thought of not being there when his son was born. Regardless, he had time now. Time to heal your wounds and save his life.

He entered the dim room and squinted his eyes to see clearly. Were you asleep already? He sighed and slowly made his way into the room. 

“Satoru?”. 

His head turned in the direction of your voice and saw you slowly get up from the bed. “Hey”.

You got off from the bed and made your way to where he was standing. 

“It’s alright. Please go back to sleep”. Gojo whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you up”.

You chuckled as you subbed your eye. “It’s alright. I just put Keisuke to sleep”. You looked up and saw the pair of tired eyes looking down at you. “You look tired, Rough day?”. 

Gojo nodded, he held your hand and shook then gently. “Rough day”.

“Did you eat dinner?”. 

Gojo pondered over your words and then shook his head. “Too tired”. 

You sighed. On one hand you knew it was not right for him to skip dinner and on the other hand you could sense his body swaying and struggling to stand up. “Should I make something for you?”.

Gojo shook his head again. 

“Do you want to wash up first?”. 

Gojo shook his head again. 

You smiled to yourself. “Fine, let’s sleep then”. 

Gojo followed you back to bed but instead of getting on his side he made his way to the crib. “Did you guys have a good day?”. He asked before leaning down to press a kiss on Keisuke’s head. 

“Your son got into a fight with Mr.Giraffe”. You smiled and watched as Gojo walked over and got on his side of the bed. “You’re not going to change?”.

Gojo shook his head as he removed his cufflinks and belt and kept it on his bedside table. Maybe it was the tiredness or maybe it was the raw need to feel you close to him after a day like this but as soon as Gojo got inside the blankets he did not hesitate to pull you closer to him. HIs one hand draped over your waist and the other rested snugly under your head. 

You were shocked…surprised…scared…happy. Your mind went from adjusting to the proximity to how big his biceps felt. You were engulfed by his expensive cologne and you were sure you’d smell the same by morning and for some reason it made you happy. Hesitantly you put your arm over him and relaxed into the embrace. 

“So tell me, what did Mr.Giraffe do?”. Gojo asked as he rubbed slow circles on your back. 

You chuckled and looked at him. “How do you know it was Mr.Giraffe at fault?”.

“My son..our son..at fault? No chance”. Gojo smiled.

“You are going to spoil him, you know that right?”. You corked an eyebrow and whispered in the space between you two.

“I know”.

“Go to sleep Satoru”.

Gojo hummed. He was tired but he didn’t want this moment to end. He had never felt more alive. He had you in his arms. After years that felt like ages. He could feel the softness of your body, your curves, he could smell the sweet mixture of shampoo and bodywash, he could feel the softness of your hair, he could feel you breathing in his arms. He knew that things could take a turn for worse at any moment and he wanted to preserve every second of his moment. 

“Satoru?”. You called out again and Gojo snapped out of his thoughts.

“I don’t want to sleep just yet. Keep talking to me..please”. 

You smiled and began narrating your boring day to him. He listened intently about Keisuke’s fight with a stuffed giraffe and how he threw a fit when you bathed him and that’s how you got baby shampoo in your eyes. He listened to you rant about how Keisuke refused to wear the yellow onesie and only agreed to wear the red one. He smiled at your frustration with your son and your concern that Gojo's behavior was rubbing off on him. Somewhere between the evening walk in the park and dinner you fell asleep. 

Gojo smiled, he didn’t wake you up. He caressed your cheek softly and pressed a featherlight kiss on your cheek. “I love you..so much”. He whispered and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.He watched you breathe softly in his arms, to him you were the embodiment of purity and innocence. A ray of hope in his dark life. He thought how twisted his fate was, but maybe the gods were testing him. Maybe they wanted him to be a better man to deserve an angel like you. But he knew that even if never became the man the gods wanted him to be, he would still fight for you. The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep was how you clutched his shirt in your sleep. He fell asleep with a smile on his face thinking how both you and Keisuke had this one trait in common.

When you opened your eyes the next morning you realized how tightly Gojo held on to you in his sleep. His shirt crumpled, hair disheveled, mouth agape, soft breaths. You tried to lift his arm but he only pulled you closer. He didn't seem awake at all and yet he didn't want to let you go. You relaxed into his embrace and watched the way his hands wrapped around your waist. You gently ran your finger over his pink and scarred knuckles. Your heart sank thinking how the hands that hold you so delicately and firmly are the same hands that have taken a life. Life of your friend…your mind went back to Hiro. It was still unclear what happened to him. Gojo denied killing him but he didn't give any further explanation. You knew Hiro was dead. You knew it in your heart but you needed to know who killed him..

"Good morning love". 

Gojo's raspy voice sent a shiver down your spine. "Good morning". You smiled softly.

"Slept well?". He asked, looking at you through half lidded eyes. 

"Mmhmm. You?".

Gojo didn't reply but smiled and nodded his head. 

"We should get up". You tried to get up but his strong arms brought you back to your place. 

"I don't want to". Gojo groaned. 

"Satoru!". 

Gojo groaned and huffed for a while before loosening his grip on you. 

-X-

You walked in the gardens of the estate with Keisuke in his stroller. Your mind had been stuck on the same question, Who killed Hiro? You wondered if you could take Gojo’s word for it and move on with your life. He has been a good father and great husband to you. You knew you loved and believed him when he told you that he loves you. You knew that he loved Keisuke more than his own life. You knew that nothing could ever harm the two of you as long as you were with Gojo and yet…you wanted to know one thing you didn’t know. Who killed Hiro? The one month mark was closing in on you and so far you had no reason to leave Gojo. You had asked about his character to maids and other workers and they all had good things to say. He helped people who worked for him without expecting anything in return, he wasn’t strict and uptight. He wasn’t cruel. You had no reason to leave him and it terrified you. It was scary to think that you had probably punished a good and innocent man. Took away so many things from him. 

You bit your lip nervously and shook your head. You were sure he had killed people. You were sure of that. But you knew he wasn’t like other ordinary men. Nothing about him was ordinary. He was born into this out of the ordinary world and he did what he had to do to survive. But did you have the right to punish him for that?

“Is everything alright Mrs.Gojo?”. 

You snapped out of your thoughts and turned back to see Jerry standing with a silver tray. “Oh! Hi Jerry. Yeah everything is fine”.

Jerry studied your face for a minute and then smiled. “Perhaps we should sit and have some tea, the sun is getting high now”.

You looked at the sky and scrunched your nose. Jerry was right. You had lost track of your time and now your morning walk was turning into a noon walk. You nodded and followed Jerry to the Gazebo on the shadier side of the garden. 

The two of you sat down and you checked to see that Keisuke had fallen asleep. 

“Is there anything bothering you?”. Jerry asked as he poured  iced tea in a crystal glass.

You pondered over his question for a bit and instead of answering it, you presented a question of your own. “Jerry, if I ask you something about Satoru, would you be honest with  me?”.

“Absolutely!”. Jerry sat down opposite you.

“Even if the answer is unpleasant?”.

Jerry smiled warmly revealing his experience in smile lines and wrinkles. “Especially if the answer is unpleasant. You are his wife and it is my duty to serve you with loyalty and honesty”. 

“Can you..I mean..I want to know what happened in the last year with Satoru”.

Jerry’s warm conduct was now shadowed by a dark cloud. It felt like he didn’t want to visit those memories in the past and yet he knew that he had promised you honesty.

“I didn’t know much about what happened whenMaster Gojo was away for those few days but when he returned, he was not the man I knew. For the first few weeks he refused to leave his room. He would barely eat or drink and would stay in his bed all day. Then it started…”. Jerry drifted off.

“What..started?”.You asked hesitantly.

“I think we can call it hallucinations…”. 

Gojo opened his phone to check up on you. It was about time for you to return from your morning walks. He frowned when he saw the bedroom empty. His heartbeat picked up and he refreshed the screen again and again. Nothing. He picked up the desk phone,

“Is she back from her walk?”. Gojo asked as soon as the head of security of the estate picked up.

Gojo cold rattling and shuffling. “Is she back or not?!”. He screamed on the phone.

“Np, sir”.

Gojo picked up his jacket and was about to walk out to search for you when he heard the man speak again, “She is in the garden”.

Gojo frowned and sat down. “At this time?”. 

“Ye sir, it seems she is having tea with Jerry”.

Gojo’s phone chimed and he picked it up to see a live feed from the gardens. He could feel his pulse slowly return to normal. He smiled at the screen, he could see the stroller and was sure that Keisuke was asleep. He locked the phone and leaned back against his chair. Everything was fine. You were safe.

“..so you’re telling me that he saw ghosts?”. You frowned. Everything that Jerry had told you shook you to the core. Gojo was traumatized. You did that to him. 

“Well you are right here so I am sure it was hallucinations”.

You nodded your head slowly, “Is he still seeing his therapist?”.

“No ma’am. He stopped a month before he met you”.

“Why is that?”. You leaned forward and twirled the glass in your hand. The honey coloured liquid inside danced along with the reflecting sunlight like it was enjoying listening to the misfortune of a man.

“His insomnia was in control and he hadn’t had any panic attacks in a while either”. 

You hummed and sipped the last of your drinks. 

“Ma’am, Mr.Gojo is not as strong as everyone believed him to be”.

“What do you mean?”.

Jerry sighed and gulped hard. “He ..has tried to do things”.

“What things?”. You had a bad feeling about this but you had to know. If it was about Gojo you had to know. 

Jerry looked up at you apologetically.

“Please, Jerry. I have to know. You know I do”.

Jerry averted his gaze and nodded his head. “Mr.Gojo, on more than one occasion had tried to take his own life”. 

The glass slipped from your hand and landed on the cool terracotta floor. You couldn’t hear the birds chirping or the window blowing. You couldn’t feel the sunlight on your skin and neither did you hear Jerry calling out to you. “Sa…satoru…why..why would he..?”. You looked up at Jerry with tears streaming down your cheek.  

"He really thought he had lost you. I have raised him ma'am. I have taken him to school and worked on his school homework. His father, may god rest his soul, was not a kind man. He was so hard on him. Physically and mentally. Master Gojo was so young, too young to understand what's right and wrong. He had made many wrong choices in his life but I had never seen him like that. He didn't shed a tear during his father's funeral but I have heard his cries from the other side of the door everyday for the past one year. His life looks good from the outside but I have seen his life. It's anything but picture perfect". 

You sat quietly and listened to Jerry. Everything seemed to make sense now. Gojo was not a perfect man but that doesn't mean he deserved what he got. You wiped your eyes and took a deep breath. You wondered the strength it took for him to overcome all that. He didn't know what love was as a child and yet you have seen him give his all to Keisuke. 

"He is… truly something then". You chuckled. 

"Yes ma'am he is".

"Jerry, would you please take Keisuke back to room. I'd like to see Satoru". 

-X-

Gojo checked his watch, it was almost lunch time. He could either have lunch or go back to you early. His priorities were clear. Right now he sat opposite two ruling party leaders talking about the outcome of the coming elections. Elections cost money. Gojo had money. 

"Mr.Gojo, we understand that the Gojo group can not openly support us but your contribution matters a lot. We appreciate that our ideas align".

Gojo smiled diplomatically. Gojo hated both sides and he was funding both the parties. Regardless of who comes in power they were all puppets to him anyway. 

He thought he heard your voice outside but ignored it. Then he heard it again and now he was sure something was happening on the other side of the door.

He saw a guard walk towards him and raised an eyebrow. 

The guard bent down and whispered near his ear, "Mrs.Gojo is here to see you. Should I send her away?". 

Gojo smiled, "let her in".

Gojo rested his chin on his knuckles and watched the wooden doors open. The two politicians turned their heads in the direction of his gaze. 

You looked confused. Cute. Adorable. Gojo bit his lip looking at your doe eyes trying to take it all in. You looked out of place in this room in your white floral dress and messy bun. You gave him a short smile as you walked with your hands clasped at the front. Gojo smiled back, Letting you know that you were okay.

You bowed at the politicians and now cursed yourself for interrupting his meeting. You looked at him, smiling at you, like everything that happened with him never happened at all. Now you could see the scarred and broken man behind the sweet smile. 

"Hi". You spoke and gave Gojo a short wave.

Gojo chuckled. "Hi, how can I help you love?".

"I…". You looked at the two men staring at you wide eyed. "...I can come back later. I don't -".

"Leave". Gojo cut you off. 

Your heart dropped to your stomach. You pressed your lips together and nodded. You were about to turn around when Gojo stopped you.

"Not you love". He spoke softly. He glared at the two men.."you two, leave". 

Your mouth hung open as you watched the two men, whom you were sure you had seen on TV scurry out of the room.

Gojo walked around the table and sat on the edge of the table with his hand crossed. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having my wife visit me at work". He spoke in a tone that made butterflies flutter in your stomach.

You stepped closer to him, hesitantly. "I..I was thinking about what you said. I think we should get a nanny". 

Gojo's eyes widened and that surprised you. "It's not that I can't take care of him. I-". 

Before you could finish your nervous rant Gojo pulled you closer to him. His hands wrapped around your waist. You could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin material of the dress. 

"We'll get a nanny". 

You smiled. He looked just as he did years ago in the office but something was missing.. "You don't wear a tie anymore?". You asked suddenly. 

Gojo's smile dropped. "Yeah…I don't feel like wearing it anymore". 

You understood the reason and felt stupid for bringing it up. To lighten the mood you resolved to teasing, "Be honest Satoru, is it because you still can't tie it properly?". 

Gojo looked at you and then burst out laughing. He pulled closer and now had you standing between his legs. He groaned thinking that you'd leave now and he'd have to go another five hours without you. 

"Don't go". Gojo pleaded. 

"I live on the other end of the house". 

Gojo rested his forehead on your shoulder and gave your waist a gentle squeeze. "Too far". 

You chuckled. "I have to go and deal with another clingy baby".

Gojo looked up at the wall clock, "he must be asleep now and he will probably sleep for another 30 minutes".

You were surprised. "Satoru! That's…accurate". 

Gojo beamed produly. "I'm a good father right?".

You looked at him, even though his eyes had a hint of sarcasm you knew that deep down he wanted the affirmation. "Yes you are. You're the best dad". 

Gojo's smile after hearing your words could only be described as one of a kind. 

"The nanny will be here by tomorrow morning. You can meet her before letting her see Keisuke".

You nodded your head. "Satoru…". You asked, absentmindedly playing with the buttons of his shirt. 

"Yes, love?". 

"I think we should get a family photo. Keisuke is still quite young so it's the right time". 

Gojo smiled a wide…devilish smile. 

"Nothing too extravagant!!". You protested before Gojo could even say anything.

He laughed at your response. "Alright alright. Tell me what kind you want and we'll get it". 

"Good! Now I gotta go to my other baby". You scrunched up your nose and tried to pull away but Gojo won't let you. 

"Satoru!". You widened your eyes to warn him.

"I didn't do anything". Gojo shrugged. 

"Let me go!". You tried to break free but he didn't budge. 

"I'm not stopping you". He said nonchalantly. 

You rolled your eyes and huffed. "Do you really want our son to murder Mr.giraffe?".

Gojo hummed. "We can't have that happening". 

"Exactly we can't. So let me-".

"But on the other hand-".

"Gojo Satoru!". You warned. 

Gojo let you go and gave a 90 degree bow. You chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Focus on your work! I'll see you for dinner!".

"Yes ma'am!". Gojo straightened up with a smirk. 

You walked out of the office smiling like you haven't smiled in years. 

Gojo turned around as the door closed and got back to his work. But he was not the same person he was moments before. He still wanted to rush through work and run to see you on the other side of the house but before everything, he ordered 30 ties. Truth be told Gojo has been tying his tie since he was five.

@hiqhkey @chemtrails-club @simplyrosesxr @foggyperfectiondragon @sofi786 @vesta-ro @kimvmarvel @mykyoon @shintin @attackonsimpp @pyschopotatomeme @lilith412426 @shuxjodie @sagejin @cloudsinthecosmos @hecateria @froggylust @lightblueexorcist @watyousayin @creolequeen11210 @s13nnnna @shartnart1 @the-crane-wives @musababy @loquia @ackerstain @allofffmypeaches @regalillegal @erintaro @commandertorinshepard @gojo-sunglasses @tspice283 @iam-mia9 @screwyou3 @denypipa @smolkazumi @winter-bearv @mc-reborn @pangolynnn @sindela @daintyazra @purpleguk @iam-mia9 @sammyiguess @ritsatoru @5seos

Thank you guys for supporting the story so far 💖

I love you 💖

[happilyhertale]

Love at first sight- Aemond Targaryen x female!reader

Summary: You are the daughter of Lord Borros Baratheon. You have been betrothed to Prince Aemond Targaryen for three years now. You fell for the prince immediately, but your fear that you won't quite fit into the Targaryen family because of your physical appearance never quite leaves you.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Author’s note: Hey you (:

This one shot story is the result of a request from a dear Anon.

I hope you will enjoy it! English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (:

Word count: 4.1 k

Second part of this Story

Other stories of mine

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The sun is shining through the window of the carriage. You are excited. You are on your way to King's Landing. You would see your betrothed again after three years. You were introduced to your betrothed when you were 10 and 6 years old. At that time you immediately felt how his looks made you nervous. But not nervous in a bad sense. His warm purple eye caught you immediately. He was incredibly nice and sweet. And also very obliging. He treated you with the utmost respect. You walked together a lot in the gardens and talked about literature and history. You also exchanged philosophical theories. You will never forget the way his eye sparkled when he told you about his favourite theory. You couldn't help but fall in love. You never thought you would be lucky enough to have such a sensitive husband, let alone a husband you would love.

Over the three years you wrote letters to each other. There was never a letter or a question from you that went unanswered.

Every time a letter arrived from Prince Aemond, you rushed to your chambers with it. You sat at your window, let the sun warm you and read his words again and again. He was so eloquent and often made you smile with his thoughtful words. It never took you long to write him back. But you were not prepared for the letter, for which you waited a little more excitedly than usual. You dared to tell him that you would like to know how his lips would feel on yours. Your septa would have reprimanded you for that. A lady does not say such things. Especially not to a man. But you had to do it. After all, you have spent many nights imagining how he would kiss. And so you wrote the letter with flushed cheeks. You dared to tell him that you were curious. Curious about how his lips would feel on yours.

When the letter was on its way to Prince Aemond, you almost regretted it. You were almost certain that he would consider it an impertinence.

But when you held his answer in your hands, your breath was taken away. He did not see it as an impertinence at all. He agreed with you. Blood immediately rushed into your cheeks. 'As my betrothed, you are very much entitled to feel, no, to experience… To feel how my lips feel on your lips. On your skin… It seems to me that the best opportunity would be when you are in the capital, to attend the tournament for the name day of my brother, Prince Aegon.'

You went straight to your father, the letter was still in your hand.

"Father?" you literally stormed into his chambers. A smile on your lips.

He looked up from his desk, "Y/n? What's the rush?"

"We're going to King's Landing?" you were still breathing heavily from running all the way to him.

He smiled at you, "Yes. I thought the upcoming tournament for Prince Aegon's name day would be the perfect opportunity for you to see your betrothed again"

You just nodded and found it hard to suppress a grin.

And so it is that you sit next to your father in the carriage and see the Red Keep coming ever closer.

When you arrive in the courtyard of the Keep and your carriage comes to a halt, it is not long before your father is announced. "Lord Borros of House Baratheon"

Your father steps out of the carriage and you follow him directly. As you stand in the courtyard, you see the royal family standing there. But your eyes immediately fall on Aemond. A faint smile plays around his beautiful lips. You see Prince Aegon leaning over to Aemond.

"Brother... Your brown-haired betrothed has arrived..." he whispers to Aemond. But Aemond pays no attention to him, he only has eyes for you.

Your families greet each other until the rest of the servants enter the courtyard and lead you and the rest of your family to your chambers.

The next day the tournament takes place. But tonight there will first be a dinner with all the guests present. You want to change your dress before you see Aemond again. You have chosen a dark green dress with golden applications. Your green dress highlights your green eyes perfectly. Your hair falls in soft waves down your back. The dress reveals some of your cleavage, but not too much. Your arms are covered by light satin.

Together with your father you enter the great hall in the evening. The hall is festively decorated and many lords and ladies are present. At the end of the hall, at the large head table, the Targaryen family is gathered. Some of the faces you have never seen before. They must have come especially for the tournament. As you move towards the table, you become more nervous. This will be the family you will soon belong to. And you notice that all the heads at the table, except that of Queen Alicent, Prince Jacaerys and Prince Lucerys, light up brightly. It almost looks as if numerous halos are gathered around the table. It almost intimidates you. How will you ever fit into such a prefect family..?

As you stand before King Viserys, you curtsey. Your father bows his head slightly.

"Lord Borros! How good of you to dine with us tonight!" King Viserys greets your father.

"Your Highness, it is our honour to celebrate your son's name day and to begin today with a dinner. And it is also a perfect opportunity to let my daughter y/n continue spending time with Prince Aemond"

You have to smile and out of the corner of your eye you see Aemond looking at you with a smile. King Viserys nods to your father and you take your seats. Aemond has his eyes on you the whole time.

The dinner is served shortly and you are talking to a Lannister Lord sitting opposite you at the table. After a while, the Lannister Lord asks you if you would like to dance with him and you happily accept. As the musicians begin to play and the music fills the hall, many other lords and ladies are already standing around you, ready to dance. The Lannister Lord spins you around until you end up in the arms of the lord standing next to you. After a few turns you are back in the Lannister Lord's arms. He lifts you up in the air by the waist and does a half turn with you. As you turn around to take the next lord by the hand, you are briefly startled. The beautiful purple eye looks at you warmly and the full lips, which you find hard to resist, smile at you.

"Prince Aemond," you gasp with a smile. His smile widens, "Lady y/n. I told you to call me Aemond"

Aemond spins you around, but suddenly you have no interest in being in anyone else's arms. The musicians stop playing their instruments and Aemond leads you off the dance floor. He gets you both a cup of wine and at the edge of the dance floor you both watch the other lords and ladies dance.

"Are you looking forward to the tournament tomorrow?" you ask curiously.

Aemond shakes his head slightly, "Not really... I'm not interested in tournaments"

You nod slightly, "So I won't get to see you fight?"

He chuckles lightly, "I don't think you will"

"Very well... That's too bad, I would have loved to watch your sword skills. There is a rumour in the realm that you are good at it"

Aemond hears a slight sadness and watches your features.

"My love... I think there will be some more opportunities. After all, you wanted to feel my lips for the first time... we don't have to experience everything for the first time right away. That would ruin the further excitement," he winks at you lightly. Your cheeks turn a deep red colour and you hear Aemond chuckle slightly.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, my lady. I would also like to feel your lips…," you notice Aemond hesitate briefly, "I will see you tomorrow, my love," he whispers in your ear before he leaves the hall.

You are almost caught off guard by his quick farewell, but still you cannot help but smile.

But Aemond had to leave the hall. He had never felt that before. A woman who almost made him forget his self-control. How you stood there, with your beautiful wavy brown hair. Your beautiful green eyes that looked at him so innocently. The dress that perfectly enveloped your body.

The next day you sit on a wooden bench in the stands. You watch the tournament. Aemond sits next to you. He chuckles from time to time when he notices you gasp and get scared when someone gets hurt down on the field.

"You seem jumpy, my lady," he whispers to you.

You have to smile, "I'm not used to seeing men attack each other so openly," you confess.

"Perhaps it is not such a bad thing that you are not in the tournament," you continue.

He smirks at you, "You would be afraid for me?"

You blush slightly, "I wouldn't want you to expose yourselves to such danger"

He chuckles slightly again, "You should have more faith in my abilities"

Aemond doesn't leave your side during the day. Every now and then he gently strokes your arm or your lower back. He always makes sure there is light physical contact between you. You enjoy it. But towards evening Aemond is persuaded by his brother Prince Aegon to drink wine with him. It is his name day, after all. He kisses you fleetingly on your cheek, "A little foretaste of our first kiss," he whispers in your ear before disappearing with Prince Aegon. You look after him, your cheeks slightly flushed. You spend your evening with Princess Helaena and other ladies. You also drink some wine and giggle a lot. You like Princess Helaena. She is very nice and attentive. At one point her cheeks are all red from the wine and she confesses to you that she is happy that you will soon be her good sister, that Aemond is a wonderful man and will always be good to you. You are happy about these kind words and for the first time you feel that you could really belong to this family. Aemond never makes you feel like you would never belong to this family. But hearing such kind words from another Targaryen family member makes you smile.

Aemond, meanwhile, is drinking with Aegon. In fact, they have an almost pleasant time together and laugh from time to time. Until the two of them get drunk at some point and Aegon begins to want to provoke Aemond.

"So brother... You don't even have a Targaryen betrothed... It was kind of obvious that you would be betrothed to a Baratheon slut... I mean, you didn't even have a dragon as a kid..," Aegon chuckles into his wine cup.

Aemond tenses his jaw.

"Brother… Don't talk about my betrothed like that," he hisses.

"It's alright brother... It's alright... But you still won't manage to produce pure Targaryen heirs," he grins mischievously at Aemond.

And these words stick in Aemond's head. He continues to drink. And keeps thinking about Aegon's words.

Of course he manages to father pure Targaryen heirs. By now he has almost emptied the third jug of wine. But he needs more. He needs to numb this dull pain. The old familiar pain of not being good enough.

At some point he sits alone on a bench and continues to drink. He cannot imagine fathering children who are not pure Targaryen. After all, he is a pure Targaryen. And his mother has brown hair... like you have. And yet he and his siblings have silver hair... Aegon has no idea... Or maybe he does? Aemond continues to drink.

Is that why he was betrothed to a Baratheon lady, because he is not worthy to father pure Targaryen heirs?

He keeps drinking. He drinks a lot. Far too much.

And the next thing he knows, he is thrusting into the woman beneath him. Again and again he thrusts all the way into her. Their sweaty bodies collide. Her breasts bounce with every thrust. She moans with pleasure. She reaches for his biceps. He senses that she is about to come and screams his name again and again. Her walls clench around him and he notices how his cock starts to twitch in response. With a deep grunt, he pumps his seed into her. But when he looks up from her body to her face, he sees no brown hair.

He sees silver hair.

He is shocked. This cannot be. But suddenly he remembers. A cousin. A Targaryen cousin. He's not even sure what her name is. That's how distantly related she is to his family. And she probably just happens to have silver hair. Her eyes don't even have that clear purple. Only half of her right eye is purple.

But it should be enough, he thought to himself as she seated herself on the bench with him. It should be enough to father Targaryen heirs. Aemond rolls off her. She is still panting and wants to turn to him, but he stands up, almost sober again.

"Aemond..." she breathes, "stay with me..."

He answers harshly, "No. I have to go", he puts on his trousers.

"Why... The night is still so young", she literally presents herself naked before him.

"Because I don't want to be here," he hisses at her.

"Well, it felt different a few moments ago... Your seed is still dripping out of me"

He is disgusted with her. He is disgusted with himself.

"Please. Just stop talking about it. I'm betrothed," he closes his eyes briefly and pulls on his leather waistcoat.

"So what?" she retorts, "There's nothing wrong with having lovers..."

He gives her a warning look, "I won't have lovers. That," he nods at her disdainfully, "was a mistake. And I warn you. If you tell anyone about that night... You know who suffers in such stories... It's not the men who suffer," he hisses to her.

He leaves her chambers.

He stumbles through the corridors. What has he done. This is unforgivable. Why would he do such a thing? Why does he keep getting rattled by Aegon? He's betrothed to you... You're perfect. So untouched.

When he reaches a hall, he stops for a moment. Suddenly his chest constricts. He can't breathe. His pulse begins to race. Cold sweat breaks out on his forehead. He leans against a wall, breathing heavily. He feels like when he was a little boy. The one who didn't have a dragon. The one who was only teased. The one no one wanted to play with. The one who can't do anything right. He sinks down onto his knees. A hand lies over his eye... And... suddenly he notices that his hand smells like his cousin. He wants to vomit.

When he hears you.

"Aemond?" you whisper in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

He looks up, startled. You see his worried look. Aemond's breath catches in his throat. This can't be happening, why do you have to come and see him now?

He just shakes his head slightly and wants to get out, but then you are already next to him, on your knees.

"Hey... what's going on? You're shaking," you say softly.

You carefully reach for his face and he leans a little into your touch. You stroke his cheek and at some point he slowly opens his eye. The warm purple looks at you, but you see tears in it.

"Aemond...?" you whisper. Your heart breaks at the sight.

"I... I don't deserve you... you're so perfect and I... I..." but you interrupt him. Before you can think, you press your lips to his. For the first time you feel his soft lips. And you know immediately that you will never get enough of them.

Aemond is startled at first. But finally he kisses you back. You gently lean your forehead against his, "You always think far too badly of yourself," you say softly, "I don't know how I'll ever fit into the perfect Targaryen family... But I know that we are made for each other... that I belong with you... I love you.. Aemond", you whisper.

He wants to scream. He doesn't deserve this. But he just nods slightly at you, he kisses you again, "I will prove to you every day how much I love you" he whispers against your lips.

He will be faithful to you from now on. No more stupid mistakes. But he can't tell you about this one mistake.

Two years later.

You are Prince Aemond's wife. Princess y/n Targaryen.

Not for a second would you doubt his love for you. It's no secret at court how much Aemond adores you. How harsh he is to others, but how much he loves you. It is not hidden from the public that he uses every opportunity to touch you. As if he is trying to make up for what he missed during the years he had to go without touching you.

He reads your every wish from your lips. He loves you wildly and passionately almost every night. Never has a septa told you how beautiful love can be between a woman and a man.

One day maesters approach you, your monthly bleeding stops. You are with child. You are overjoyed and immediately seek out Aemond. You have the urge to tell him immediately. When you tell him, you see pure shock on his face. You are visibly irritated. You expected anything, but not such a reaction. But he quickly pulls himself together. He smiles at you, kisses your forehead gently and then leaves your chambers. You stay in your chambers. You are irritated, at a loss. Doesn't Aemond want to have this child? You have never spoken about children... But isn't it normal for a woman and a man to have children eventually? Why does he behave like that? Doesn't he want heirs?

In the evening, Aemond returns to your chambers. Visibly drunk. You sit on your sofa and watch him stagger into your chambers. You get angry.

"Aemond? Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

He turns slowly towards you. He is barely able to look in your direction. But he comes towards you slowly and with great difficulty.

He gets down on his knees in front of you. He takes your hands in his. You smell the sweet wine he has drunk.

"My love...", he mumbles. You are visibly irritated by his abnormal behaviour.

"Why are you so drunk?" you almost whisper.

He looks up, he sees the concern in your eyes.

"Don't you want us to have a child...?" you whisper. Tears come to your eyes.

He takes your face in his hands.

"No! No! I want all my children to be yours... I want that so much...", he whispers the end of the sentence.

"What...?" you whisper, a little irritated.

Now his eye fills with tears. You notice how he is getting nervous.

"I... I... already have a child...", he says quietly, you almost don't understand him.

Your breath catches in your throat. You just look at him. A tear runs down your cheek.

"How is that possible...?" you finally ask, "Do you have," you swallow hard, "a lover?"

He immediately shakes his head, "No! My love! No! I would never..."

"Then how is that possible?" you interrupt him.

He breathes heavily. He knows he can't keep it from you any longer.

"The night... when the tournament was... when you found me..."

Your heart stops, "The first time I kissed you?", you whisper.

He closes his eye and nods, barely noticeable.

"Aegon... we drank a lot... way too much... He provoked me... tried to tease me... because... because I wouldn't get a Targaryen wife, wouldn't father a pure Targaryen..."

Your chest hurts.

"...I drank far too much... and my cousin was there... she's been trying to convince me to sleep with her for a long time..."

You close your eyes. You just sit there. You try to breathe.

"My love... please say something..." he whispers.

You are getting warm. You feel nauseous. Everything seems to be happening at once. Your dress suddenly seems unbearably tight. You stand up so abruptly that you almost knock him over. You touch your forehead. You are breathing much too fast, you feel dizzy.

"Y/n..? My love?", Aemond says to you. But you don't hear him.

The thing you were most afraid of has come to pass. You're not enough to fit into the Targaryen family. Your brown hair. Your green eyes. How naive you were to think Aemond would love you. You storm out of your chambers. Aemond can't catch up with you fast enough because of his alcohol level.

You walk through the corridors. Tears stream down your face. You don't know if you meet someone, you don't notice anything. You wander around for hours. When you finally realise that you have nowhere to go... You must return to your chambers.

You go back to your chambers. You are exhausted and tired.

Aemond is sitting there on your sofa. His face is propped up on his hands. When he hears your door open, he looks up. He says nothing, but his eye is red. But you don't look at him, you go to the back of your chambers, to your bed. You sit down on it and there is silence in your chambers.

"Is this child running around the court? Did you make a fool of me in public?" you finally ask.

"I have not..." he says, but you interrupt him.

"Is this child running around the court?" you ask again.

"No... My love... please," he gets up from the sofa and comes over to you.

He stands at the end of the bed and looks at you. You look at the floor and fiddle nervously with your dress.

"I will arrange for my private chambers to be prepared tomorrow... You don't have to sleep in the same bed with me anymore," you murmur.

"No! My love...", he says immediately, but you interrupt him again.

"You know... I thought we married for love... That I was lucky to have a loving husband. Instead I am pulled out of this dream and reminded that I will never be enough... never be a Targaryen," you whisper.

"No..." he rushes to you, kneeling before you again, "My love... we married for love! I love you. It was the biggest mistake I ever made to give in to my insecurities and alcohol... Letting Aegon play with my thoughts... I'm glad you're not a Targaryen... Because you have a pure soul. You're too good to be as corrupt as most of this family is..." he says sincerely to you.

Tears come to your eyes, "Now you will probably have brown-haired children..." you whisper.

He takes your face in his hands, "And if they have green hair! I don't care. I don't care what hair colour... what skin colour or eye colour our children will have. I used to think it was the most important thing. But I was wrong. I'll be proud of our children.. Love them. Just like I love you!"

You smile slightly.

"Where is your child...?" you ask quietly, after a while.

He hesitates for a moment.

"She's in Dorne", he finally says.

You look at him irritated, "Why?"

"She is only distantly related to the Targaryen family. And now she is the shame of the family. Shortly after the incident it was clear that she was pregnant. She didn't tell anyone who the father was... and she was sent away. All the things I detest the most, I have fathered myself. I fathered a bastard and she was sent away for it"

You look worried, but nod slowly, "You... You have never seen your child?" you ask quietly.

He shakes his head, "That would not be good. It's best for everyone this way"

You nod slightly again.

He gently kisses your lips.

"My love... That was my biggest mistake. The biggest mistake I ever made. I know you can't forgive me... but still I want to try that you can forgive me someday. Please let me try. I love you so much," he whispers.

He kisses your hands, "I will prove to you all my life that you are my love... my true love... my only love"

You just nod at him and pull his face towards you and you gently kiss the lips you can't get enough of.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Tag list

@aemonds-wifey @hoshi-miharu-blog @arryn-nyx @aemond-targaryenx @praline357

[garlic-and-vanilla]

This ask is in your inbox because my brain has apparently chosen to title you as The Illithid Understander and I feel like you might have interesting thoughts to contribute to this topic (please don’t feel obligated to respond tho!)

When I played through bg3 for the first time, what really stood out to me about the Emperor as a character was that he is full of ambiguity. Many of the questions about him, on both a personal level and on a broader level as an illithid, simply do not have concrete answers in canon. I thought that it was so neat how the writers enshrined a vessel for open dialogue regarding some of the biggest themes and questions of the game/story in a character. I thought the whole point of the Emperor’s character is that there’s no One Right Answer about: its intentions, its morality, how much it still is or isn’t Balduran, how much it is or isn’t a monster, why it cares so much about the PC, if it made the right choices, etc.

Which is why I was utterly shocked to find out that SO many people played the game and just… unquestioningly seemed to think that many of those aspects had concrete answers. That this character that, to me, was defined by ambiguity, had been determined by so many to simply be Evil.

I have my own theories about each of the questions/ambiguities listed above, of course, based on my interpretation of canon. But I see them as just that, theories and interpretation. Maybe my perception of the Emperor as a bunch of unanswered questions is just an interpretation, too, but then what was the writers’ intent? (Did my success in high school English classes make me overly confident in narrative comprehension? Lol)

I’ve read many an interesting take on the Emperor on tumblr and ao3 that seem to vibe generally with the whole It’s Supposed to Be Ambiguous thing, and I’d love to hear your take.

First of all this is so funny and I am so honored to be The Illithid Understander lmao.

Second I am very sorry I haven’t answered this sooner. Alas I am not used to ever receiving asks and just now realized I even have one. And what a wonderful message!!!

Honestly I think you fuckin nailed it my man. In a game that spends so much time and energy asking the player to think about questions like “what does it take to be a monster,” “what aspects cause a person to become monstrous,” and “when does it become worth it to become a monster” the Emperor is the ultimate answer. The non-answer. His character embodies all the questions the game wants to ask, and then doesn’t answer any of them for you.

The game shows you characters and says “this is a monster.” Ketheric Thorm is a monster, and Orin and Gortash, despite how sympathetic their backstories and motivations might be. It shows you cycles of abuse, manipulation, cult mentality, and indoctrination. The power of grief, love, fear, and ambition to lead people down monstrous paths even as they think they’re doing the right thing, or the only thing.

You as the player character directly help your companions navigate these themes. You see how they’re affected, how they struggle, what they might become if they choose to give in, and what they become if they don’t.

Do they become monsters? Do you let them? Do you encourage them?

The game shows you clearly what monsters are, and waits to see if you’ll become one yourself.

Withers asks you, “Do illithids have souls?”

He claims they don’t, initially, but that story is contradicted the moment he meets the Emperor in the High Hall, and when you meet him after undergoing ceremorphosis yourself. There’s also lore out there that says illithids do have souls— non-apostolic ones.

So far as the game is concerned, I’m not sure there’s supposed to be a solid answer to that question. I think— like you do— that it’s supposed to be ambiguous. He is not a character the game points to and says “here is a monster.”

I agree with you wholeheartedly that the Emperor is made of ambiguity. The lack of answers are my favorite thing about him. He’s a mass of unanswered questions that you look at and see the themes of the story inside.

Is the Emperor a monster just for being a mind flayer?

Is he a monster because he came to embrace the power his illithid nature brought him?

Because a friend turned on him, claimed he was lost, and he killed them in self-defense?

Because he dominated Stelmane, a situation we have no context for?

How much of his behavior is genuine? How much of Balduran remains, and how much is illithid? Does he even know himself? Does it matter?

He’s a big mystery. We simply do not know everything about his past. We don’t know how much of his behavior is real, or an act. We have to make the deliberate decision to take him at his word, or not. To trust him, or not. To love him, or not. All of this complicated by the reality that his mind and experience are alien to us (a whole other post by itself).

Ultimately, there are no answers except what we come to decide about him for ourselves.

Some people have decided that he’s evil, for various reasons, and sure, that’s certainly a way to answer the question. To end the ambiguity by deciding the Emperor is, after all, a simple monster.

But isn’t it so, so much more interesting if he isn’t?

[avionvadion]

I have a question.... What happened to Sesshomaru and his remaining children after being free from the scroll and after his wife's younger self left to see his younger self? That one was left unanswered... Most of the stories I seen regarding on what Sesshomaru is up to in the modern era was him being some kind of business man.... You know some kind of CEO.... Others was some kind of landlord and many others... But could we see your possible theories and interpretations on what he might do.... I think Towa and Airi would help him adjust as they are more familiar with Modern Technology, traditions, and practices.

Good question! I... have not thought that far ahead, lol.

Definitely not a ceo or businessman, though. He's a demon. That hasn't changed in the several hundred years he's been sealed up. Especially since he's been sealed up for several hundred years. He was basically a warlord by the time Edo was happening and demons started to be eradicated since he was trying to keep himself and his children safe.

Demons are just starting to come out of hiding now, too, so he's probably hanging around the Higurashi and Kururugi Shrines when he's not wandering around slaying potential threats. I don't think he'd care much for modern technology, lol. (He'd definitely glare if Towa or Airi jokingly called him a "Grandpa" because of it) Hikaru might have an interest in it, while Sora would probably try and follow the girls to their classes before realizing they go to separate schools since Towa keeps getting expelled while Airi keeps out of trouble the best she can.

Hinami looks a lot like Akane, though, and it's gonna confuse/hurt the siblings for quite a while until they get used to interacting with her, and even then it's still gonna ache. Maria's gonna be getting so many updates from Older!Sess about how Irene lived after returning to the Feudal Era. Although... he might leave out the bit about Irene being cursed. Not even he would wish to risk the wrath of his sister-in-law for not being able to keep the curse from happening.

Sesshomaru is gonna hate seeing older!Koga though. Koga had the self preservation instincts to blend in with human society, but Sesshomaru... oof. Koga is just gonna remind him of Inuyasha, lol.

Here's a sketch idea of Irene when she first gets cursed and Sess' full outfit when he's hunting down Mayonaka after Irene is put to sleep on the mountain.

[cru5h-cascades]

The Final Judgement: My Overall Thoughts on Emio (V1)

MAJOR SPOILER SHIELD FOR THIS POST. READ THIS AFTER YOU PLAY THE GAME IN FULL.

Also side note I wrote this before I found out about the bonus chapter after the main game's story so I'll make an updated version of this after I play the bonus chapter!

So... I finished Emio. My personal Jumanji for the past month plus now. This is what I got from the ending...

I was right about Missing Man being our killer. Sure, I thought some proxy shit was going on and was dead set on Fukuyama being part of all of this, but I never doubted Missing Man was the killer, or at least one of them lol.

I was also right about the child theory sort of! Sure, Emiko wasn't the daughter of Missing Man, but she still meant a lot to him none the less. And besides, I was switching between different possible relationships with this character to begin with. I started off with who I originally thought was going to be named Corrine being a love interest, then aged her down to being a child and thought she was Emio's kid, but in the end she was his sister. Close enough. Thanks fake Emio twitter account for giving me at least something to work with lol.

And finally, I was right about Missing Man Jeff the Killer-ing his face. My god the shock I felt when the face reveal happened lol.

I was wrong about the proxy theory but eh whatever Emio being literally Jeff the Killer (specifically the Pastra version of him) is actually kind of better and kinda funny lol. To think Pastra predicted Emio with a creepypasta rewrite... huh...

I don't have many thoughts about the whole Junko faking the Smiling Man killing Eisuke. Just wow. I did NOT see that coming.

I'm glad that in the end Makoto was found :D

With all of this being said... I still have a lot of questions...

What happened to Emiko? Why did Missing Man talk to the first victim? Why was he jumping from place to place so much before the beginning of the Serial Girl Murders? If the first bag from the Serial Girl Murders was different from the others, what could that mean? What's with the two bag mask variants? What made Missing Man go over the edge and start killing? When did the legend get altered from something sad to a story about the unholy amalgamation of Slenderman/Jeff the Killer goin' around killing sad girls? What was the OG story? And WHERE THE FUCK DID CHILD ABUSE COME INTO THE STORY?? WHY DID THE ESRB RATING MENTION THAT AND A FATHER SLAPPING HIS CHILD??

Anyways, with all of this being said, my final rating for Emio: 8/10. Had me waiting until the very end but it left a bunch of unanswered questions. The post credits scene kinda made it seem that there's going to be more. DLC??? I hope so. They can't leave us with this many questions like this!!

[aihoshiino]

The way i fking SCREAMED MY HEAD OFF when we got these reveals, we saw it coming but still, it feels SO GOOD to know how many of our theories were already correct…but i still wonder about so many things like were the twins born already when they were seeing each other??? This means in a way they likely got in bed several times since the twins were already a year old or so when Uehara & Airi died… If so, what did he ever think of his children, shock? sad? betrayed?…Why never meet them? What about the hospital visit?

And Ryosuke?? Surely Hikaru can't just convince a university kid to join him in meeting his idol of dreams…and even if, why bring HIM along? And Yura? Would Ai really have met him when she had the twins? I feel like the latter is unlikely…is it timelines issue again here? But that can't it be if this movie is from Ai's pov…arrghh MY HEAD

One thing feels certain tho, he couldn't have killed Ai out of revenge…or rather, not only revenge at least. It's also good to see the theory Ai coerced Hikaru to get in bed with her is finally wrong. MAN IM SO READY FOR THE DVD REVEAL NEXT CHAPTER AFTER SO FKING LONG. I NEED AI'S POV LIKE OXYGEN P.S. The way she was smiling when saying "let's not see each other anymore" and while BRUSHING HER TEETH OF ALL THINGS…GIRL

so this is easily the stupidest connection my brain could have made but. when i saw that panel of ai with her toothbrush, i immediately thought of that one fucking channel awesome anniversary movie - or rather, the quinton reviews video about it and in it, there's a moment where doug walker (playing himself, in this masturbatory metatextual sense) has this fictionalized version of himself enter the movie by walking into the living room in the middle of the day while brushing his teeth. and for some reason. ai choosing to break up with her boyfriend while brushing hers had the exact same energy to me.

honestly i was barkin like a dog this whole chapter. i have been wildly oscillating between 'it's so over' and 'we're so back' re: OnK since the Movie Arc started in earnest but seeing how consistently I have been able to nail things about Ai and Hikaru just based on what I could glean from the material in the manga does make me a lot more hopeful for what's to come. Deadass this is the most energized and legit excited I've been coming out of a cliffhanger for a good while.

There's definitely still a lot of really wtf stuff floating in the air and a ton of unanswered questions but I'm pretty confident we'll be getting at least a reasonably solid confirmation of the timeline next chapter depending on how their chat about the breakup goes and from there we can start guessing at other parts of the story, if we don't just end up getting the reveals next week.

Honestly at this point I'm most antsy to see someone mention Yura........ is she still on that mountain or what.........

[girlstacian]

Sukuna & Yujis Skeptical Twin Theory

Why some people don't believe in the twin theory? I will provide some examples of speculations as to why, and whether we may have misunderstood something about the symbol or the word "TWIN." Not everything that is DOUBLE or VERSATILE is automatically a TWIN.

What makes people doubt and leaves many questions unanswered:

1. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, then Yuji would have to be the same age as Sukuna. That means Yuji is not a 15-year-old boy, but maybe an old man. xD or Sukuna have to be 15 years old like Yuji 😂 (just like Maki & Mai for example)

2. If Sukuna and Yuji were twins, why does Yuji have multiple parents? Jin Itadori, Kaori Itadori & DNA scientist + Creator Kenjaku alias Mother & Father at the same time xD. Then they all would also have to be Sukunas parents or relatives. But I think Gege once said that he doesn't have something like that or rather in that direction? Idk...

3. If Sukuna and Yuji were twins, why does Yuji also have multiple siblings like his brother Choso? Then they all would also have to be Sukunas real siblings or relatives? Something is fishy....

4. If Sukuna and Yuji were twins, who the heck are their real parents? (I mean for real? only the Parents of these Twins) Face to Face, DNA to DNA, Blood to Blood etc (I go nuts now) xD

5. Or could it be that all of this is meant differently, and we have misunderstood it regarding the symbol of twins? I mean, the name Ryomen means two-faced or double-faced, right? (One could compare or even confuse this with twins). I mean, Sukuna can have multiple hands, multiple eyes, and even create multiple faces if he wants to. But that doesn't necessarily mean he is a twin. He can only duplicate himself or is just very versatile with his body.

6. But then Why the heck Sukuna say "that boy is from back then? Or from that time?" Sounds like a fighter from Middle Age? Sounds like a reincarnated fighter like Kashimo etc from some era and yet Kenjaku created Yuji? (How the Hell?) Some weird shit is going on again....very fishy.... Gege have to explain a lot of shit (and that's a looot history included his very long breaks). So the Manga can't end this Year it doesn't work like magic, it's impossible (otherwise it's gonna be very lazy and sloppy!) But it's gonna end next year 2024 for another few months for sure! (And If we're lucky, a whole year)

[javaberrychip1998]

Something really interesting about good omens 2 is the fact that the flashbacks include human characters who’s stories don’t really go anywhe

Like, in season 1, the featured humans we see in flashbacks are specifically the ancestors of anathema and newt. The flashbacks featuring Aziraphale and Crowley have very few named human characters involved, save for young Shadwell and the Nazis that die. (Oh, and Jesus. But I think for the sake of this post I’m going to ignore bible characters as they already have their own narratives outside of good omens, and therefore their significance doesn’t really need to be explained. Same goes for Shakespeare, in a way.)

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that all the human characters featured in flashbacks have a significance outside of that flashback.

In good omens 2, not so much. We meet Elspeth and Morag and mr dalrymple. We find out “hey those Nazis are zombies now! Highjinxs ensue!”

And then they’re just… gone?

Crowley tells Elspeth to buy a farm. We find out that mr dalrymple was disgraced and killed himself. But look! This bar is named after him!

He’s referred to as a “resurrectionist” despite the fact that he didn’t resurrect anyone? Nor was that his goal?

The Nazi zombies goof around in a magic shop and in a very half-hazard way help obtain a photograph that never actually amounts to anything? (Not to mention, since when does hell need the help of humans to spy on aziraphale and Crowley?)

I guess what I’m saying is that the characters introduced in flashbacks in season 1 all had purpose, while in season 2 these characters and their stories seem to serve as little more than set pieces in some snapshots of aziraphale and Crowleys historic relationship. Even the modern plot line of Nina and Maggie doesn’t quite come to any satisfying conclusion. They help fight the demons but not with any particular skills. They sort of imply they get together but not really. (Which is fine in many shows, but in this one just feels, “off”. This is the show where anathema and newt slept together while a storm raged around them because fate said so.)

In another show, the unanswered storylines and loose ends wouldn’t be a big deal. But not with this show. Season 1 was so tidy. Everyone had significance. Even the delivery man.

I’ve seen the essay going around about one of many “metaton” theories, and I think I’m mostly echoing some of the points made in that but in a less academic way.

All this to say that something funky is going on here.

Or rather, it better be.

If these characters come back in season three and all/most of the weird unanswered questions are resolved in season 3 in a very clever way, I will be very impressed, and Neil Gaiman will be once again proven to be a brilliant writer.

If these side character’s storylines really are at their end, and season 3 just continues with Aziraphale and Crowley’s storyline amidst a new group of humans… idk about that. If that’s the case, then it may have been better off to just stick to season 1…

But either way, wow I’m gonna have to wait a long time to find out.

[raevulsix]

Clarification for Death and Dark Troopers; TBB & Mandalorian & Rebels ties + Popular Theories

Disclaimer: This is why shows like The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian were created. To give answers to the mess the Sequels also caused in the timelines. So I already assumed most characters in these shows will result in ultimate tragic fates to explain the creation of certain experiments like Death and Dark Troopers and other kind of unanswered questions in the movies and even certain ties with Video Games and Comics.

I have literally been reading just about every wild theory of what will result in the outcome of the Bad Batch and the later events of the creation of Death and Dark Troopers; as well as the events of the Mandalorian and Rebels beginning to tie to one another. So I want to clarify some things because I know most have been getting a few things very wrong on what is what and the terms used for these guys, as the timelines that parallel with certain shows like the Mandalorian and the Bad Batch, and Rebels. So first things first, Death and Dark troopers are both VERY different from one another. 

Dark Troopers

The Dark Troopers however do not show up until later to eliminate rebel bases during the destruction of the first Death Star. And these were also the next generation of Phase Zero prototypes, so completely more ‘battle droids’ than flesh. 

Now, the first test subjects here were for the project of Phase Zero Dark Troopers. These fellas pop up right about the timeline when Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and experiments begin to unravel below the Empire of what was being done to Veteran Clone Troopers. They were CYBORGS. Part flesh and machine. Not droids.  70% of a clone trooper was replaced by mechanical components. Any missing organ or limb were prosthetics.  

The fate of the Phase Zero Dark Trooper resulted in shut down due to failure because these guys began to defect in ways were most became suicidal due to the fact they were more machine than man, so it was eventually seized.

Phase Zero troopers were deployed around the time of the Battle of Yavin.

[Movies that connect to this is Rogue One after Scarif.]

[We see versions of the Dark Trooper in Live action The Mandalorian, Star Wars The Force Unleashed, and certain other Canon Video Games.]

The one of many Popular Fan Theories regarding The Bad Batch

[Warning to minor Triggers]

Tech. This is why even I along with a few others in the community had joked about a ‘Winter Soldier Tech’ being part of this Phase 0 Dark Trooper theory (mostly also due to denial of his fate & state). To simplify, a fall like the one we sadly seen happen to our beloved Batcher could of resulted in extreme injury even Death.

Falling at such altitudes even with water below will result in Death. I have studied a few forensics to know that falling in a very unprepared state into water is like slapping oneself into flat concrete. You will become pieces and literal mush. 

However, this further theory also comes from the fact that in Season 1, we see fellow Batcher, Hunter, take a fall off the Marauder at a pretty great altitude, that forensically speaking, would have been a deadly freak accident to a normal person. Yet he managed to walk away a bit injured and beaten, so it raised a conclusion if this had to do with any enhancements to his physical state to be able to handle heavy injury upon certain heavy impacts.

Back to Tech—The only way I could see him barely cling to life is noting that the terrain in the background, even if barely visible due to the fog, seemed rigid with mountain peaks and dense forest. The train would had to have gotten caught in these peaks if present below which is not far fetched since the train was pretty large in size. However, this meant Tech, upon impact, because he was held tied to the train by a string, would have swung into those rocks violently a few times hitting any obstacle around. And we know he seems to be the least fragile of the Batch, so this itself could result in broken limbs or heavier injury, and even explain why most of his armor could stay intact or scattered, but scuffed and dented by the impact.

This idea was brought to me by the state of his goggles and I believe because of that, there was retrieval of his body or part of it.  This is where sadly, some including myself theorized, that replacing limbs or organs with prosthetics and mechanical components will signify the beginning of the research and creation of The Phase Zero Dark Trooper. 

(However, this theory also will take years into the making, but not far from the timeline when it does become reality.)

It boggles my mind that Hamlock flew right in like a scavenger to retrieve anything from the crash site. Why? Because Tech is one of the few enhanced clones the Empire had, and this is a prized possession regardless of any state any biological retrieval would be in. DNA can still be extracted from tissue, and better yet if it was in a recent disease state. 

Death Troopers

Now, the

Death Trooper

. 

These were part of a Research Project Emperor Palpatine set to literally retrieve ‘Necrotic Tissue’. In lesser words, kind of bring the dead back to life or certain dead cells to life again.  In other words, nearly a creating zombie-like state troopers.  > However this also came from a NON-CANON Legends novel “Death Troopers”. A gruesome story of a zombie-like lethal disease spread in the “Imperial Prison Barge, Purge”. 

In canon, the Death Trooper is more of an enhanced elite troopers trained to specialize in special heavy combat and weapons like demolition and marksmanship,  and had to meet certain criteria like height, build, intelligence and success rates from their piers . They did also undergo certain “surgical upgrades”, giving them the ability to be nearly super human. Their Lethal rates were high and successful, almost leaving no evidence behind when stationed on their missions. [Note that there were however rumors of these troopers to be the result of a top secret Imperial Military Project to reanimate the Dead.]

[We see these in Rogue One, Rebels, The Mandalorian, Andor, and even certain Video Games and comics.]

Yet another one of the many Popular Fan Theories regarding the Bad Batch

Crosshair. His new armor resembling the popular Death Trooper Armor, and his height, ability, and willing to take lethal measures to accomplish missions all ringed bells to it. Plus, he is a marksman. The many more reasons that tie him to this theory is that Death Troopers specialized in Marksmanship, too. 

It doesn’t have to be clearly Crosshair to also be the one to go into this, any extraction of DNA to create even more clones alike himself can also happen. He is still a heavy needed key subject to do that, though. 

This post can also be updated or reblogged with your own thoughts. Make it a thread, I like to hear more about Theories. If you want me to submit your theory and get tagged to it? I can do that, too. I just like to hear all of it. Even if its to cope with denial after events like The Bad Batch, I like to know anyones takes or if you need Comfort building. Theories are simply conspiracy and not facts, at the end of it. 

[suqueenaryomen]

Sukuna & Yuji's skeptical twin theory

Why some people don't believe in the twin theory? I will give some examples of speculation as to why this is the case, and whether we may have misunderstood something about the symbol or the word TWIN. Not everything that is DOUBLE or VERSATILE is automatically a TWIN. Or a doppelganger is also double. Almost everyone has something like this in life. Someone who looks like you and then there are two of you, but it doesn't have to be your twin who is related to you. (But you could also call this a twin)

What some people doubt and many questions unanswered:

1. We are talking about twins here, not siblings who were born older or younger. But those who were born at the same time and look the same, namely twins! If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, then Yuji would have to be the same age as Sukuna. This means Yuji is not a 15-year-old boy, but in reality an old man or an adult like Sukuna. Or vice versa, Sukuna would have to be 15 years old like Yuji. (the little lost boy Sukuna) 🤣. The best example would be Maki & Mai, same time, same age.

2. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, why does Yuji have multiple parents? Jin Itadori, Kaori Itadori and DNA scientist + creator Kenjaku, who also simultaneously serves as a mother and father 😅. Then they would all have to be Sukuna's parents or relatives. But I believe Gege once said that this is not the case, or rather that it is not going in this direction? It has been officially confirmed that Sukuna has no wife or family, etc.

3. If Sukuna and Yuji were really twins, why does Yuji have several siblings like his brother Choso? Then they would all have to be Sukuna's real siblings or relatives. (kind of crazy the whole thing)

4. If Sukuna and Yuji were twins, who the hell are their real parents? I'm serious. Only the parents of these twins. Face to face, DNA to DNA, blood to blood, etc. (I think I go nuts) xD

5. Or could it be that all of this is meant differently and we have misunderstood it with regard to the symbol of the twins? I mean, the name Ryomen means two-faced or double-faced, right? One could compare or even confuse this with twins. I mean, Sukuna can have multiple hands, multiple eyes, and even create multiple faces if he wants. But that doesn't necessarily mean he is a twin. He can only duplicate himself or is simply very versatile with his body. This must be due to his nature with his ability!

6. But why does Sukuna then say that this boy is from back then? Or from that time? Sounds like a fighter from the Middle Ages or like a reincarnated fighter like Kashimo, etc. Or is this again a mistranslation or misunderstanding. As has happened more often lately, and yet Kenjaku created Yuji? You still wonder how the hell. Strange shit happens here again, I tell you....

Gege has a lot of shit to explain (and that's a lot of history, including his very long breaks). So the manga certainly can't end so quickly. Otherwise, it will become very lazy and sloppy! But it will soon end either this year 2024 in a few months or a whole year again if we are lucky? Otherwise, things will look very different again in 2025!

[polkadotjersey]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

finally doing this :) thank you for tagging me @kingfisherprince <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

currently 22. hopefully more soon :)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

243,150 (kinda crazy to think this is proper novel length by now)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i currently have wips for formula 1 rpf and cycling rpf, also write football rpf (slowly making my way through all sports tags, i suppose.)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

top spot for every other sunday (crazy kudos count, i still can't quite believe it). next are an evolutionary theory of the soul (seb/charles), algorithm (max/charles), little lion man (lewis/max) and in the dark you can't see shiny cars (max/charles). nice pairing mix as well!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Usually, yes. (although i confess i had a rough patch last year and let many go unanswered just because i had no energy to interact anywhere, but i still love each and every comment i get.)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

that... has to be lonely hearts club (seb/charles), i think?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hard to figure. i realize i write a lot of endings as begginings, so... which one is the happiest? I suppose in every other sunday they're quite happy (and also kimi is doing the macarena, so there's that.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope. i love that these fandoms are so chill <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes. the boring kind (sorry!)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

never did. not sure how i'd go about it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

erhm actually yes. wattpad debacle of 2022.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! (thank you to all the lovely translators of my fics, you are the best <3)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no. but i am open to.... 👀

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

no OTPs, i am all about spreading the love

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

charles lifeguard AU (main pairing to be determined). i wrote a lot of the setup, just mainly charles, alex and carlos being chaotic best friends working at a fancy beach resort.

16. What are your writing strengths?

who knows? I think i am good at storytelling (pace, etc). ooh also non-linear narratives. i am quite proud of those.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i write at a snail's pace. can't do past tenses to save my life. still not confident writing in english, so i get stuck a lot.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i only ever did it when it's relevant to the fic (like in a matter of expression (seb/charles), which is all about languages)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

12 year-old me writing bad harry potter fanfiction counts, i suppose? the evidence must still be lost somewhere on the internet

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

time and again (seb/charles) is my all time favourite.

i am tagging @sebchal, @kritischetheologie, @antimonyandthyme, @astronomical-light and @cupidskissx (no pressure to do it, i am just sending my love to you)

[aggressiveguitarnoises]

i have media studies exam (although mock so its fine) that i didnt study for so im gonna force myself to practice by applying barthes narrative theory to season 1 hannibal (vaguely tbh cuz its the whole seasom but ok)

hermeneutic codes(how do u even pronounce this omfg) :

enigma codes, they are def crucial to this show as each episode raises more and more unanswered questions as the audience continues watching the show, questions like who is commiting the crimes, is will ok, does he know how fucked up his clocks are, is crawford fucking stupid, is abigail ok, what the hell is hannibal doing, why are they using cat guts for strings, are the dogs gonna live oh my god please can the dogs be okay for once

usually done by leaving cliffhangers for each episode

it drives the audience forward and interests them so they continue watching the show to find out the answers to their questions

its also a convention to use hermeneutic codes for horror crime shows like hannibal

Proairetic codes:

action codes, the actions done to drive the narrative forward, previous events drive other events into action. ngl this one is fucking stupid to apply i dont get if i ever apply it correctly

in hannibal, proairetic codes tie a lot with hermeneutic codes as the actions of the characters raise questions for the audience questioning their choices and makes the audience wonder what will happen next. the action creates tension and makes the audience wonder how the created problem(if there is one) will be resolved. for example when hannibal lecter called abigails father to inform him that "they know" and that fbi is on the way. this drives the narrative forward as then the audience wonders how the characters will react and wonder how the actions will affect the story. this action ended up with abigail becoming an orphan and their suspect dead, creating a few side plots and introducing new characters. this constant tension created by each action drives the narrative forward and engages the audience to continue watching the show

semantic codes:

connotations, things associated with something, the deeper level meaning of a symbol. this one is hard yet so easy cuz theres literally SO many of them

they basically give insight into the plot and characters, building personalities and maybe even starting the deep questions the audience will have

for example, for hannibal, hes quite sophisticated, the semantic codes for that would be how he wears suits all the time, his overall style and his acquired taste. those things connote sophistication, wealth and even control and power (especially the suit and his high respected position as a psychiatrist)

but another thing that can be derived from things like how hes always careful, always has a cloth that doesn't leave any fabric fibres, how he doesn't use anything digital, only physical things like journals to leave no traces, the fact that hes literally eating his evidence lmao, his knowledge and experience of human anatomy and mind connote that hes a careful, experienced, ambitious man and prob(definitely) is a serial killer

symbolic codes:

it has such an easy concept that its literally confusing to understand. its basically symbols, binaries, a thematic/structural device, but it's basically about themes and contrary signs specifically, which is ig why its kind of difficult to understand since its specifically binary symbols

some symbolic codes in hannibal would be life vs death, clearly a reoccurring theme with all of the crimes happening, good vs bad, murderers and their victims, health? both physical and mental? stability? work vs personal life? idk its so hard to pin point it even tho its so easy and common idk

a better example woukd be the bad vs good binary used in star wars with ghe colours of light sabers

Cultural codes:

literally cultural and social conventions, knowledge that comes from the outside world of the text, specific connotations used

example, FBI for crimes and america, religion and faith, the whole fbi units especially medical, even Christmas is a cultural code as its a celebrated event of certain social and cultural and religious conventions

bruv i cant think of any more examples even tho i know theres so many

hope yall enjoyed my silly analysis of hannibal as my media studies application practice if u read it all xx

[chirpsythismorning]

What makes me not be on board with Will and El being twins and Hopper and Joyce's biological kids theory is that it'd ruin the aspect I love the most about the Hopper-Byers family: found family.

Hop, a divorced man, adopted a girl and found love again with a divorced woman who escaped a toxic relationship and her two sons. It shows that a straight romantic relationship doesn't need to generate descendents to be valid. I also like the idea of an "alpha-male" like Hopper ending up not passing his genes forward and being ok with the idea of not having biological children.

So, I still think it's more probable Will and El being Lonnie's kids. Anyway, I'm looking forward to find out what the writers prepared for us.

I totally get that! And that's how I felt about it too! So no hard feelings at all.

I think for me it sort of got to a point where I had to put aside my feelings and what I had grown comfortable with for so long, based on my interpretation as the series was happening, and how there is evidence going against our assumptions we've had up to this point, going back to the beginning (same applies to byler as well).

I would also argue that found family is equally as epic as estranged family finding their way back to each other in every universe, despite all of the obstacles in their way. Though, not many things are equally as beautiful as found family, so the standards are very high.

I do want to make it clear that I agree completely about the found family side of why the instinct is to sort of not want to consider this.

Found family is beautiful, and I think it's wonderful that more stories these days are working to de-stigmatize our societies idea of what a family even is, because it's not this cookie cutter concept we've all grown to believe it is. Family comes in many forms and it doesn't have to be blood-related.

It just so happens that in this case, there are too many unanswered questions, going back to the very first episode, all tying these characters to each other.

Hopper more than anyone has so much crypticness revolving around his character (he gives off dad deja vu constantly in s1, like it's actually terrifying), and not only that, but David has alluded to unknowns surrounding his character for years. He's talked about how the truth behind Sarah is more complicated than it seems and that she could have connections to the lab. He even went as far as to say that there were easter eggs in s1 that fans wont get until the end, and that it will make the end of the story beautiful. Assuming he was talking about revelations related to his character, it fits very well with a lot of the evidence hiding in the details connecting all of these characters.

This is also a supernatural show dealing with time-fuckery implications and repressed memories going back to s1. Like just rewatch 1x01 by itself and you'll see what I mean. There is a lot of stuff fitting a little too conveniently to not all be connected.

If this was a regular show then of course I would chalk it up as found family bc there obviously couldn't be anything else to it. But it's not and we're dealing with revelations in s5 that have apparently been hiding in the details all along and are beautiful...

I just don't see anything beautiful about revealing Lonnie is their bio dad, when Hopper is right there with heavy hints surrounding him connecting him to Will/El...

You could say that found family is this thing they've been hinting at this whole time and that's all there is to it, but I would argue that we've already got that vibe by the end of s1, and so, where is the beautiful surprise in that revelation happening in s5? Technically found family isn't even a revelation seeing as it's something we subconsciously recognize as being obvious as time goes on. With s5 said to hold answers to questions unanswered since the beginning, while I do think found family is beautiful, I don't think it's the surprise at this point that connects all of these characters.

The good news is, if this theory does play out, they would explain things. It wouldn't just come out out of nowhere, in the sense that there is evidence pointing to it from the beginning (just like byler).

The main thing that makes this theory beautiful to me, is the light that is constantly being associated with Hopper/Will. Like it happens A LOT. One of the most mysterious scenes to this day is the scene in 1x01, of Hopper in the shed with the lights flickering. That has never been explained (nor has Will being able to contact Joyce through the UD been explained) and we all kind of just went along with it back then, but I think it ties into a lot of repetition we're seeing with these characters in reference to light.

Here are just some of my favorites from s1:

This next one is one of my favorites, where we're given Lonnie's priorities after Will's body is found:

And this is Hopper's, in the scene (literal first shot) directly after that scene with Lonnie:

And this:

Is followed by, this:

Same episode. Deer portraits in both Joyce and Hopper's houses as they're freaking out over lights and their kid(s) going missing, while being watched by the lab...

One of the most incriminating though has to be Hoppers' memories of Sarah kicking in at points in moments directly connected to Will:

I'm just going to jump to s4 because this is hilarious to me that this trend carrys out throughout the entire series:

We all joke about Will being Jesus, but idk if it's a joke anymore...

Not saying he is Jesus like literally, we're talking about a show that pulls inspiration from a bajillion different things, but, like... there is definitely some lighting emphasis being applied to Will along with the word Jesus... And the events of s4 happening around easter and this whole resurrection storyline going on with Hopper in s4.

El also has a role in this. The whole time in s1 we're seeing them look for Will, leading to Hopper saying 'What if all this time I've been after the wrong kid?'. How he starts s1 saying that when a kid goes missing 99 times out of 100 they're with a parent or a relative: El and Hopper in s2 just chillin'...

Again, I would agree with you fully if there weren't the supernatural implications at play. If this was just a regular story, I would be eating up the found family storyline like I always do.

However, we're dealing with a show that enjoys hiding the truth in plain sight, and has the capacity to pull this off tremendously, with a lot of the evidence to back it up. If it can do that, why not?

I won't pressure people to believe it if they don't want to! TBH I'm at a point where I'm confident enough in it, like byler, where it's just a matter of waiting for s5 atp to find out for sure. Seeing people's surprise after the fact is going to be more rewarding than convincing them beforehand. So it's like, it is what it is!

It's something that people aren't going to be able to say came out of nowhere, bc pretty much the entire show hints at it along the way. And so same with byler, post s5 anyone can try argue they don't like it for xyz, but it isn't going to take away from the fact that there was in fact evidence pointing to it.

Just going back and looking for stuff to reference in this ask, I found a shit ton more, like... This revelation does seriously make the show rewatch value skyrocket bc you're seeing these characters all be SO close to the truth, yet so far away. Like it is legit beautiful.