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twsted-outro · 1 month ago

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FOR I AM YOURS

PAIRING: Yandere!Genshin Impact Characters x Gender-Neutral!Reader (separately)

CONTENT WARNINGS: yandere themes, mention of poison, stalking, abduction, minor mention of underwear thievery, implied invasion of privacy, implication of taking advantage of someone when they're drunk, infantilization (kind of), obsession, the reader is called pretty (ganyu's part), manipulation, genuinely don't know if zhongli can appear in dreams, this was pre-sumeru so I made this during 2022 iirc, brief thoughts about harming reader in Kokomi's, abduction, stalking, ei's part is before her 2nd story quest, threat, stealing your personal belongings, manipulation.

SUMMARY: Genshin Impact characters and their love for you.

NOTE: migrated fic from w*ttp*d :crying emoji:.

MONDSTADT

ALBEDO:

» ALBEDO FINDS love to be something new. Love is foreign to him - unfamiliar, but being around you ticks all the tell-tale signs of being infatuated. His heart races when you're near, his thoughts always trail back to you regardless of what he's doing, he always longs to spend more time with you within the confines of Dragonspine - Albedo's sure of it, this must be love. And when you're in love, isn't it normal to do outlandish things for it? To secure that no one else gets in the way of your developing relationship? So when Albedo concocts up a new potion (poison or toxin, that's for him to know) and decides to experiment it on someone who's been suspiciously close to you - well, it's not like you'll ever know. Not when Albedo has the chemicals necessary to clean up any evidence of a dead body. And at the end of the day, Albedo would patiently wait for you to come visit him up in Dragonspine, where he'll relish in the addicting sensations of feelings only you can make him feel.

DILUC RAGNVINDR:

» For the lack of a better word, DILUC is a man who's emotionally constipated. He finds it difficult to outwardly express any deep emotions, even more so when it's in the pursuit of love. Every time Diluc encounters you (In the city square, the forests, or the tavern) he tenses up and gets as stiff as a rock - all while he initiates a conversation with you or at least the resemblance of a conversation in his current state. Diluc can't help but inwardly groan at his poor attempts of romancing you, left with no choice (seeing as he can't hold a civil conversation with you, at least right now) he resorts to stalking you and hiring people to collect private intel. For someone with eye-catching red hair, he's inconspicuous in his stalking - skillfully tailing behind you and knowing the right amount of distance in order to not be detected and he stores any information his intel provides into the recesses of his mind. Until the day he can act like a normal human being when in your company, Diluc will settle with this.

EULA LAWRENCE:

» It's no surprise that someone like EULA is awkward when it comes to romance. She's inexperienced in this field but still, she'll grasp at any straws she can get - all in the name of you being hers and her being yours. She can come off a little rough around the edges, from the way the conversations she held with you are stiff and awkward, but she tries. Really, she tries. Eula even forgoes any pride she had in favor of gaining any advice from Amber and picking up books specializing in romance from the library. In a moment of epiphany, Eula realizes that her relationship with you can develop faster if she just abducts you away from your comfortable house. This way, no one else can ever ogle at you ever again and Eula can appreciate you all she wants in the comfort of her quarters - it's a win-win situation in her eyes. So stop crying, can't you see she's doing this for the benefit of both of you? Maybe you don't understand now but she's sure it'll all click into your head once you inevitably fall for her too.

KAEYA ALBERICH:

» Every word that slips off KAEYA's mouth is sweet, deceivingly so. He puts up an act of a close friend in order to get close to you, acting like he isn't interested in a relationship, and claims that your friendship with him is too precious to throw away like that (the way his thoughts are plagued with you kissing him stupid contrasts this, though). It isn't necessarily a lie, Kaeya truly does value the bond and friendship he's built with you but you don't need to know the things he's plotting in his mind. As a certified 'nice guy' and friend, Kaeya offers to look after your house when you're going on trips - unknown to you, he uses this opportunity to steal a few of your undergarments for his own pleasure. If you ever notice some of your underwear missing, Kaeya gaslights you into thinking that you must have misplaced them somewhere or that maybe some got lost while drying them outside. You trust Kaeya, he's a dear friend, after all. So his judgment must be right. Right?

MONA MEGISTUS:

» MONA, a prideful astrologist and a fool in love. She takes advantage of her hydromancy, putting her scryglass into good use and using it for knowing more about you. Nothing is left untouched by her scryglass and everything is revealed to her delighted eyes - the date of your birth, your life until now, trivial information about yourself, secrets that you'd rather no one knew about; Mona knows every tidbit of information there is to your name and still craves to know even more. It's greedy, she knows. But she can't help it, not when you're the most interesting person her eyes have ever laid upon. Besides, isn't it to her benefit to know more about you to aid in her romantic endeavors? She's just doing this to not embarrass herself when engaging in pleasant talk with you - knowing what to say and what not to say, making sure that talks with her are good enough to land her into being friends with you. She has to start somewhere, especially when she's planning on making you her lover.

VENTI / BARBATOS:

» In your eyes, VENTI is nothing but a playful bard who loves to drink the finest alcohol Mondstadt has to offer. He's cheeky and playfully touchy - constantly swatting your arm, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, and sticking close to you - it's all in jest, or so he claims. He's a pleasant company to have around when you're drinking, he's a chatterbox and the topic of things to talk about never runs out when you're talking to him, sober or not. Unsurprisingly, It takes a lot for Venti to get drunk, (in fact not once have you ever seen him tipsy in all the time you've known him) resulting in you being the one he has to take care of when you inevitably succumb to the effects of alcohol. Unbeknownst to you, Venti doesn't really walk you home. What he does to you when drunk, well, it's a secret that he'll never tell.

LIYUE

BEIDOU:

» Carefree and joyous - that's the woman BEIDOU is. Regardless of how you act and what your personality is, you can't escape Beidou's constant pleas for you to relax and have fun - she always invites you to sail the seas with her crew, even if it's just a little bit. When she's so persistent and skilled in the art of persuasion - how can you refuse? So with a vacation leave from work, you board the Alcor with Beidou and her crew whooping in joy around. It's a mistake on your part for ever accepting her offer, you soon learn. It starts off unsuspecting; Beidou conveniently 'miscalculating' the number of rooms in her ship leading to you sharing a room with her, Beidou 'underestimating' the winds that day causing you to cling onto her for dear life, Beidou sending 'mixed signals' to her crewmates leading to them all thinking that you're in a romantic relationship with her. It's all small errors, right? There's no way Beidou would purposely do all of that and even if she did, what would she gain from it... Right? (You're so easy to take advantage of, you have no idea).

GANYU:

» GANYU is a worrywart. In her free time from work, she can be found fretting and fussing over you - her crush. Ganyu really hadn't meant for things to turn out this way but before she knew it - She had developed romantic feelings for you. In times of dire need, Ganyu turns to cloud retainer for help as she had no idea what romance entails. Cloud retainer, having a messed up perception of love, ended up indirectly enabling Ganyu's obsessive tendencies - causing her to hover over your shoulder anytime she has the chance to. In her eyes, as a mortal, you are incapable of most things - which is why you need someone like her in your life. All you need to do is sit pretty and let her do all the work, she promises. After all, it's quite domestic in that way, no? It already feels like the two of you are married and the thought brings a flush to Ganyu's face. Disregarding the fact that she practically forced you into her abode, such details are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

HU TAO:

» Wherever you go in the harbor, you're bound to be pranked by your dear friend HU TAO. She's playful, incredibly so. But you don't mind, you went into this friendship fully knowing what her antics are and the shenanigans she's always scheming. As your best friend, Hu Tao earns the privilege of knowing you more intimately than most - knowing the things that scare you, the deepest secrets that you have, and your favorite spots in Liyue - bits of information that acquaintances and other friends of yours wouldn't know and Hu Tao takes pride in that fact. She's selfish and gatekeeps you to the best of her abilities; purposely omitting mentions of you and discouraging anyone who wants to be a friend of yours. Maybe it's a little unsettling for Hu Tao to restrict friendships on your behalf, but then again, when has she ever been a part of normal people? She revels in the fact that she's your best friend, eventually working through the list of your other friends until she's the only friend you have - before worming her way into your heart as your lover.

NINGGUANG:

» The jade chamber is your home, regardless if you consented to it or not because NINGGUANG likes to keep you in arms reach at all times. You're her little alleviation from grueling work as the Tianquan, serving as her pretend lover (In her eyes, it's not pretend) and smothering her in affection. She gifts you exquisite riches and allows you to roam free around the jade chamber - even encouraging you to savor the breathtaking view of the skies. It's a gracious life, is it not? To be loved so dearly and to be gifted so affectionately - As long as you ignore the fact that you're forever trapped high up in the skies akin to a princess trapped inside a tower. Ningguang likes to keep her riches close, and you - as her most valuable possession, are kept the closest.

SHENHE:

» Admittedly, SHENHE is ignorant of most matters concerning humans. Raised by an Adeptus, she's unfamiliar with the norms and customs in the mortal realm and thus, she's a little uncertain how to go about pursuing you. While she is aware that she's deeply infatuated with you - obsessed, even, she's incredibly inexperienced in that subject; all she knew most of her life is how to kill. And so, she does. She uses her combat knowledge to her advantage by wiping out any threat of competition of your affections - no one is spared from her polearm and not a day goes by where her weapon isn't drenched in blood. She's straightforward when talking to you and has no qualms in admitting she committed murders for your sake - even acting confused when your face twists in horror. She doesn't get it, what's so bad about her making sure there's no one else in your heart but her? Isn't it all fair in love and war? Maybe dragging you inside her abode will enlighten your mind... yeah, that's a great idea.

XIAO / ALATUS:

» XIAO has endured countless centuries of suffering - courtesy of his karmic debt. It's agony; relentless torture - so is it really so bad that he finds comfort within your arms and presence? Xiao hadn't expected to ever fall in love, the idea itself is ludicrous but the emotions you stir in him say otherwise. Thus, it's only logical for him to protect the one dear to him - even if it's at the cost of your hatred. Trust him when he says that confining you within Wangshu inn is just him looking out for you - the world is a dangerous place, a land that's filled with nothing but horrors; can't you see? Xiao is simply doing you a favor. He can't stand the idea of someone dear to him dying once more, he won't let you perish like his previous Yakshas - he won't. So just shut up and accept your new living condition, because it's clear that Xiao won't be freeing you anytime soon.

YELAN:

» Keeping her cards close to her chest - YELAN eyes you like one would in a game of chess; calculating and scheming. Yelan pursues you in a straightforward manner, tilting your chin upward with her hand and leaning in way too close for comfort before professing her love with no shame and boldly declaring that you'll be hers by the time the year ends. She's flirty, you realize - flirty only to you. With her hydro vision, it's laughable how easy it is to stalk you; it almost exudes her no effort to dematerialize herself from the naked eye. In times like these, Yelan has to admit her vision comes useful - aiding in both combat and personal matters. When she's busy and can't personally attend to you herself, she orders her little helpers to stalk you and to report every detail to her ears. Oftentimes, when work is lenient on her shoulders - Yelan invites you to join her for tea in the Yansheng teahouse, where everything you order is free of charge, courtesy of her. There, you let your guard down around her and unknowingly feed her bits of your utmost, truest personality - Something that she'll make sure to take advantage of. All in the name of love, she supposes.

YUN JIN:

» YUN JIN's crush on you is only revealed through the ears of her most trusted servants - people that she confides in. A little lost on how to maneuver around love, a topic she's unfamiliar with, Yun Jin has no choice but to trust her servant's advice. On a more advantageous note, Yun Jin uses her newfound infatuation into songs for her Operas - leaving her audience to wonder who she was singing about. She's tame, for the most part - just unbearably, irreversibly in love with you; her first and only love. Just don't brush off her company in favor of another and she's content, not needing to resort to extraordinary means.

ZHONGLI / MORAX:

» ZHONGLI, A worker from the funeral parlor, finds himself being romantically interested in you. It's peculiar, to feel a new emotion after living for thousands of years - and unsurprisingly, Zhongli yearns to feel more of this emotion. And so, he gets close to you under the guise of a young man wanting to share the knowledge he has of the nation, subtly praising Morax in the little anecdotes he has. He often meets you for tea during the weekends, something that Zhongli isn't satisfied with; but he knows he must be patient - so for now, he'll settle on appearing in your dreams, pushing you to think about him more during the daytime. He's tempted to break into your house when you're unsuspecting but he finds that method unbecoming of him, not when he knows that he'll have all the time in the world to relish in your home once you're his. And while right now, Zhongli may appear to be a trustworthy guy, it won't be long until the cracks of his facade start shining through.

INAZUMA

ARATAKI ITTO:

» ITTO IS rambunctious and unruly in every sense of the word, always being a bother to the citizens of Inazuma city because of his loud voice. He's annoying, even more so in the department of romance - Itto isn't really sure what had drawn him to you (was it the way you carry yourself? Or maybe your sense of humor just ticks his boxes?) all he knows is that he wants you, badly. And in desperation comes desperate attempts; he always interrupts you in the middle of work to give you hand-plucked flowers, when you're out in the streets of Inazuma you can always count on Itto to ruin your time to yourself, and when you're walking home Itto will always be loitering around just in case you get yourself into danger. Somewhere down the line, Itto deludes himself into thinking there's something going on between the two of you and his gang is no help as they directly (or indirectly) enable his delusions. Because trust us, boss! There's no way they don't like you, have you seen the way they looked at you yesterday!? If that's not love, then I don't know what is! (And Itto always eats it up every time).

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA:

» KAZUHA loves obsessively, every part of you is vehemently adored by him - no exceptions whatsoever. It doesn't even matter what your personality is, you could be the most selfish person in all of Teyvat or the complete opposite - Kazuha will be swooning either way, because in his eyes; everything that makes you, well, you should be appreciated equally. Trust him to be waxing poetic about you in his free time (the free time in question is when he's not stalking your every move and mannerism) and dreamily sighing at the memories he has shared with you. A hopeless romantic, really. And maybe it would have been endearing if he wasn't such a creep, such a weirdo that follows you everywhere you go.

KAMISATO AYAKA:

» Elegance is something that's engraved within AYAKA's entire being, both on the battlefield and in etiquette. But that same elegance is not found in the way she courts you - the keeper of her heart, she fumbles like a fool, cheeks stained with a vibrant red, and stutters over her sentences like a child; her servants may deny it all they want but Ayaka is clearly head over heels for you. It isn't her intention to make such a mockery of herself within your company, but what else can she do when your eyes land on her face? Just the thought has her reeling. Still, Ayaka is determined to establish a relationship with you - because under the layers of her shyness and embarrassment lies an unquenchable obsession with anything that's you. She just hides it well, enough for you to remain blind to her unhealthy behavior.

GOROU:

» GOROU is loyal to a fault and this trait of his strengthens when it comes to you. He's a nice guy, you think. Especially since Gorou is somehow always around to help you with menial tasks - carrying things, obtaining something that's nearby, giving helpful advice in a time of need - it's like he's developed a sixth sense for when you're troubled! Because of how trustworthy and helpful Gorou has appeared in your eyes, you allow him more into your personal bubble. Your small talk evolves into actual conversations between friends and the two of you occasionally meet up in Inazuma city for a 'friendly' outing. Gorou couldn't be happier! Still, greed claws at him and urges him to desire more. Why settle for friends when you can be their lover? It's not like there's anything that's in the way, just take the leap and ask. And if you reject Gorou? Well, missing people had always been frequent nowadays.

SANGONOMIYA KOKOMI:

» The divine priestess' intelligence really shines through when it comes to trying to win you over because KOKOMI can not stomach the thought of you belonging to someone else that isn't her. She acts all calm and poised around you, but her mind is working overtime trying to come up with different ways and strategies to make you love her back. Seeing you roam free out and about in Watatsumi (sometimes even in lands beyond Inazuma) has Kokomi fighting back the urge to cripple you and causing you to never leave her grasp ever again. Then, something clicks in her mind. Maybe she won't cripple you, instead, she'll just confine you inside her humble abode. That should be fine for you, no? Your entire limbs remain working and intact, while Kokomi gets to have you all to herself. Yes, that would make an ideal situation. Now, all she needs are the materials needed to properly abduct you - just don't be afraid when you wake up blindfolded, okay?

KAMISATO AYATO:

» As a man with great influence, AYATO uses this to his advantage. It's unclear in his mind how and when did he develop an infatuation for you, but he welcomes it regardless. And as a man in love, Ayato is relentless in his pursuit - using everything and everyone to his advantage, just so he can get an inch closer to you. Shuumatsuban ninjas are instructed to follow you every day and the servants within the Kamisato estate are told to keep a lookout just in case you make an impromptu visit. All the while, Ayato keeps a clean image in front of you, resulting in you knowing him as a benevolent and friendly man who always insists on inviting you to drink tea with him. It's unknown to his underlings what exactly Ayato's plans are because that's only for him to know. But at least he's 'kind' enough to warn them in advance to not be surprised when they see someone else laying on his futon, wrists, and legs bound together - with their mouth gagged with fabric.

KUJOU SARA:

» SARA is an uptight woman, the only thing she had always known was how to battle and handle politics - things that certainly do not concern love. Still, she tries her best to educate herself before going out to 'romance' you, as embarrassing as it may be. Sara tries to go for the normal approach at first; offering to walk you home, accompanying you out in the streets of Inazuma, gifting you sentimental items, and immediately drawing her bow when danger nears you. Her movements are stiff and her cheeks are when she interacts with you, but it makes an endearing sight - never failing to make you chuckle (a sound that brings even more redness to her cheeks). It's nice, for the first couple of weeks until it isn't. Maybe something occurred that caused her to snap, stress building up - or maybe it's just been hidden deep within her being, but Sara gradually devolves into a possessive freak. She abuses her position within the Tenryou commission to keep tabs on you, doing the same for others but for entirely different reasons. Sara reasons to herself that it's okay to be possessive over you - you're hers. So it's fine to falsely arrest men and women that had interacted with you, it's fine to sign death executions for others that had wronged you. It's completely fine.

EI / BAAL:

» Eternity is something EI had always longed to achieve, even more now that she has you, her darling lover. The thought of you being stagnant, never changing; always staying the same, and loving her for all eternity - it's such a salivating idea and Ei simply has to have it, no matter the cost. While Ei can't prevent her citizens from succumbing to the inevitable effects of time, she's sure she can preserve you to remain the same centuries after centuries. She's made a puppet that's almost human - what's stopping her from making her lover immortal? Nothing should stand against love, even mortality. Through trial and error, after searching far and wide - when Ei has finally achieved your immortality is where her happy ending lies. There's nothing more blissful compared to her ruling Inazuma with you by her side, bound by eternity. Your love for each other transcends time and everything mortal, isn't that romantic?

YAE MIKO:

» A cunning chief priestess and chief-in-editor, YAE is relentless when it comes to flirting with you. From sly winks sent your way to intentional touches on your body, she's not afraid to show her interest in you so blatantly. She heeds no mind if you were to respond so... Null to her advances, you'll warm up eventually, she just knows it. But if that lukewarm reaction extends onto long periods of time where it's no longer funny, but an annoyance - then maybe it's time for Yae to dig deep into your life, just to see if anyone holds your heart. And if there is? Yae isn't above using underhanded methods for them to discard you completely or worst-case scenario, make them disappear into thin air. Hopefully, that experience will be a lesson learned, if you know what's best for other people that like you.

SHIKANOIN HEIZOU:

» Mischief runs in HEIZOU's blood. He's cheeky and a tease when you're around him, playful remarks and teasing jabs are sent your way. Just because he likes you doesn't mean you're exempted from his annoying attitude, ya know? It's best to just shut up and take his teasing into stride, or to tease back. Heizou actually likes it when you make remarks back to him because, in his mind, it creates an image of a couple (a married one, if he's being specific) that's lovingly bickering with each other. In your playful quarrels, he basks in the sight of a smile blooming on your face - a smile that's caused by him. When that smile is caused by other people, well... Heizou gets miffed. It's best to disassociate with them when there's still an opportunity to do so before Heizou completes his perfect crime plan and decides to act it out.

THOMA:

» THOMA is polite by default, almost painfully so. He's the picture-perfect image of a gentleman, he respects your boundaries, is always eager to help, always looking for ways to lessen your burden - boyfriend material, if we're being honest. And that's what Thoma strives to appear in your perspective; someone that's worthy of being your lover (or ahem, husband). This doesn't mean his help and small favors aren't genuine - they are, he wants to help you! But it's like killing two birds with one stone this way, he gets to be reliable and appear to be a guy with a good reputation. Because it isn't far-fetched to say Thoma absolutely worships you - his collection of your personal belongings back in his room can be a testament to this. He revels in your company as one would in front of a god, if could he'd kiss the ground you walk on - he loves you so badly. Won't you indulge him for a little while?

#genshin impact #genshin #x reader #genshin impact x reader #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere headcanons #tw yandere #genshin impact headcanons #yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin #genshin x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin x you #dead dove do not eat

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novankenn · 1 month ago

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Tenuous Partnership (3)

After a short visit to his Aunt Glynda's apartment situated in the teacher's dorm of Beacon, they headed out deep into the Emerald Forest. Jaune carried his newly custom made recurve bow. His practice one still sitting in his basement dwelling.

"Don't be worried Jaune." Glynda commented as the pair continued to walk for another twenty minutes. "All the students are either preparing to depart or have already left for their monitored practicums, and until the second year teams and first year initiates arrive no one will be out here."

"It's still..."

"You know I understand your hesitation." Glynda informed her nephew. "I have been where you currently are. It's hard to suppress what we can do. Even now I still fear what would happen to someone if I used my true strength."

"Does it ever get easier?"

"In time, yes it does." Glynda stopped and looked around the small clearing they had walked into. "This is as good a spot as any. Now."

"Yes?"

"What are your strengths?" Glynda asked as she reached up and undid her bun, allowing a sudden nest of golden vipers to materialize, completely replacing her hair.

"I am physically stronger than most average huntsmen."

"By what factor?"

"A factor of three I think?"

"What else?"

"I am more agile, Have higher reflexes, by factors of six and twelve respectively."

"Good. Anything else?"

"My blood." Jaune answered

"What about it?"

"That collected from my right side is considered a powerful curative agent. The left side the most virulent of toxins."

"Good." Glynda stretched her arms above her head allowing her retractable claws to extend for the first time in weeks. "Any additional abilities?"

"The serpents that are my hair, are highly venomous, and when they are not transformed allow me to detect the approach of anything from my blindsides." Jaune informed his aunt. "I see in the infrared spectrum, and..."

"And?"

"If I focus my gaze upon the eyes of a target I can paralyze them for a short duration."

"How short?"

"Fifteen seconds."

"Good. Very good." Glynda gave Jaune a loving smile. "Jaune remove that horrible visor and lower your hood. We are safe out here."

Jaune hesitantly reached up, and pulled back his hood, before removing his visor, to reveal much like Glynda that his head was in fact a writhing nest of golden vipers, and that his azure eyes contained very reptilian features.

"Much better."

"Am I going to be expected to attend classes with the other first years?"

"Sorry to say yes you are, but you will also need to be having private courses with me."

"For?"

"To fine tune your control." Glynda replied, "I know you've been working on it, and it is impressive Jaune, but there is still room for improvement. Now..."

"Now?"

"We hunt."

"Hunt?" Jaune was a little confused. "Hunt what? Grimm?"

"Yes." Glynda responded. "I want to assess your abilities to use and not use your abilities. I also want to see how well your marksmanship has progressed."

Jaune said nothing in response. He just took a long slow breath, and knocked an arrow into his bow, making it ready to draw and loose in fractions of a second.

==> One <==> Two <==

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #headmaster ozpin #utter and complete insanity #jaune is a gorgon #pyrrha is a monster hunter #glynda goodwitch #glynda & jaune are related #glynda is also a gorgon

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gatheringbones · 1 year ago

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[“How do we, today, make the poor in America poor? In at least three ways. First, we exploit them. We constrain their choice and power in the labor market, the housing market, and the financial market, driving down wages while forcing the poor to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. Those of us who are not poor benefit from these arrangements. Corporations benefit from worker exploitation, sure, but so do consumers who buy the cheap goods and services the working poor produce, and so do those of us directly or indirectly invested in the stock market. Landlords are not the only ones who benefit from housing exploitation; many homeowners do, too, their property values propped up by the collective effort to make housing scarce and expensive. The banking and payday lending industries profit from the financial exploitation of the poor, but so do those of us with free checking accounts at Bank of America or Wells Fargo, as those accounts are subsidized by billions of dollars in overdraft fees. If we burn coal, we get electricity, but we get sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide and other airborne toxins, too. We can’t have the electricity without producing the pollution. Opulence in America works the same way. Someone bears the cost.

Second, we prioritize the subsidization of affluence over the alleviation of poverty. The United States could effectively end poverty in America tomorrow without increasing the deficit if it cracked down on corporations and families who cheat on their taxes, reallocating the newfound revenue to those most in need of it. Instead, we let the rich slide and give the most to those who have plenty already, creating a welfare state that heavily favors the upper class. And then our elected officials have the audacity—the shamelessness, really—to fabricate stories about poor people’s dependency on government aid and shoot down proposals to reduce poverty because they would cost too much. Glancing at the price tag of some program that would cut child poverty in half or give all Americans access to a doctor, they suck their teeth and ask, “But how can we afford it?” How can we afford it? What a sinful question. What a selfish, dishonest question, one asked as if the answer wasn’t staring us straight in the face. We could afford it if we allowed the IRS to do its job. We could afford it if the well-off among us took less from the government. We could afford it if we designed our welfare state to expand opportunity and not guard fortunes.

Third, we create prosperous and exclusive communities. And in doing so, we not only create neighborhoods with concentrated riches but also neighborhoods with concentrated despair—the externality of stockpiled opportunity. Wealth traps breed poverty traps. The concentration of affluence breeds more affluence, and the concentration of poverty, more poverty. To be poor is miserable, but to be poor and surrounded by poverty on all sides is a much deeper cut.Likewise, to be rich and surrounded by riches on all sides is a level of privilege of another order.

We need not be debt collectors or private prison wardens to play a role in producing poverty in America. We need only to vote yes on policies that lead to private opulence and public squalor and, with that opulence, build a life behind a wall that we tend and maintain. We may plaster our wall with Gadsden flags or rainbow flags, All Lives Matter signs or Black Lives Matter signs. The wall remains the wall, indifferent to our decorations.”]

matthew desmond, from poverty: by america, 2023

#Matthew desmond #currently reading #history stuff

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ultraericthered · 8 months ago

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One Villainous Scene: My Precious Babies

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In all the Pokemon franchise, even to this day I don't think there's been a villain who utilized Realism-Induced Horror better than Lusamine, the President of the Aether Foundation, mother of Lillie and Gladion, and the true chief antagonist of the games set in Alola. And this scene here exemplifies it best, but it is an interesting case where there are two different versions of it, one that features a completely inebriated, unfiltered and crazed Lusamine that really maximizes the horror aspect, and one that downplays that horror due to Lusamine being in a right state of mind this time which might honestly make the moment even more unsettling in that context.

When you first enter this secret top room of Lusamine's manor that's at the heart of Aether Paradise, the silence, the pristine whiteness of the room, the idea that Lillie, Lusamine's child, had no idea this room even existed until just now, and a confidently smirking Lusamine simply telling you to "come this way" is enough to give you a chill. And when you do as she says, it's made clear that these many boxes that line up and decorate this room...are containers for Pokemon that have been cryogenically frozen. The Aether Foundation's stated purpose, Pokemon conservation - this, to Lusamine, is the ultimate expression of that purpose, but it's not meant for the Foundation or for the public to even know of. "What do you think? It's my private collection. My precious babies...they will all be preserved for eternity here!" That this "private collection" exists in both game versions and Lusamine says these exact same lines, speaking so lovingly of the creatures she has condemned to this fate, makes clear that this is something she began doing while not on any toxin. She did it as a response to her grief of losing her husband to something that was completely beyond her ability to control. Her heart's anguish gave way to mental paranoia about how many other loved ones she could suddenly lose and have no control over it happening or where they'd go, so she picked out all of her most cherished Pokemon in the Paradise and had them frozen on the spot. In place, unmoving, not able to go anywhere, completely under her control, all her's to love. Speaks so much to her psychology - if she could go back and freeze Mohn in place before the Ultra Wormhole took him, she would do so. Poor Lillie is visibly horrified to see how far over the edge her mother has fallen, and to learn for how long she'd been falling over the edge.

It's after this point that the scene diverges in some key places - inebriated Lusamine muses that the Ultra Beast she looks to bring out from the wormhole would not be frozen there and that it in fact should not be because, in her rationalization, it will need freedom and an outlet to "express its feelings" of confusion and fury, so she'd be glad to let the beast, and all Ultra Beasts in fact, go out into the Alola region to do as they please....even if "as they please" might pose a danger to everyone and everything else in the region! Clear-headed Lusamine, meanwhile, keeps her focus to her "precious babies" in the room and all those in the Paradise, rationalizing that a loss of light from the world would be akin to a loss of love, or more exactly, her ability to give her love to the Pokemon, again making this a matter of Lusamine desiring control. And to make it clearer that she seeks to assert control and validate the grandiose sense of self she's been losing her grasp of, Lusamine declares that she will personally defeat and capture Necrozma - it's not enough just to protect Alola's light from this threat, she needs to conquer it, capture it, and make it a slave to her love, the crown jewel of her new, improved paradise.

Hau and Gladion then enter in both versions and while in only the second does Gladion bring up their missing father, Lusamine's husband Mohn, in both Lusamine snaps at her children and openly calls them "wretches" who "betrayed her" by leaving her, even though full context of the situation reveals that it was Lusamine's possessive, overly strict and abusive parenting in combination with the unethical things she was using her company to do to Pokemon that drove her son and daughter away from her, but like the classic narcissist she is, Lusamine casts herself as the faultless victim and gaslights her kids to think that they were the problem all along. While inebriated Lusamine has just plain given up on her family and favors putting Nihilego in place of them in her heart, clear-headed Lusamine acts as though they'd disowned her first and so she had to reciprocate in kind, but that even then she will still save them too, going into this sickening self-aggrandizement about how perfectly loving she is.

After the point where Lillie pleads with her mother to not use Nebby to open the wormhole because it will involve potentially killing it to do so (obviously not a very kind and loving thing to do!) but Lusamine goes ahead with it regardless, the scenes just become completely different from each other: inebriated Lusamine gleefully uses the boxed up Nebby to open a wormhole so that Ultra Beasts come out and invade Alola while clear-headed Lusamine just charges up electrical power to zap the Nebby box so that it can open a wormhole only to be met with resistance from Nebby, which she has to admire because love and all that, but her self righteous rationalizations for her selfish actions refuse to yield to this, as she declares she'll use the power of the cage itself to turn Nebby's power against it so that "it cannot resist any further!", essentially condemning the Cosmog to die with a straight face and a cold glare. Guzma then enters in both versions, and you have to battle Lusamine either because she acts like an unhinged womanchild demanding to "love her sweet beast" in peace and for us not to upset the beast so we need to be silenced, or because she wants to prove to her worried children that she's strong enough to face the dangers of Ultra Space and Necrozma on her own, with her own Pokemon. (In the latter, Gladion's concern for what might befall his mother on the other side of the wormhole is met with a despicably guilt trippy "So now you worry for me?" God, I just want to slug her across the face and then kick her across the room!)

Following the battle is how it ends, and I'll admit - the S/M version is pretty lame. Lusamine throws another tantrum, then out of nowhere the wormhole starts to destabilize and vanish, so Lusamine and Guzma hurriedly run towards Nihilego and the wormhole with the intent of catching the beast with a Beast Ball once they're on the other side in Ultra Space. Weird effects happen, Lusamine smirks and waves goodbye, and then she and Guzma are just gone. Just like that, the big, intense event at Aether Paradise is over. US/UM more than makes up for it, with Lusamine, if you defeated her, doubling around and saying "OK, I'm not strong enough on my own, but that's alright since I'll have Guzma with me and we together WILL be strong enough!" just so she can still get her way and go off to capture Necrozma. At Gladion's protest, his mother condescends once again, repeating her earlier line of "children really would all be far happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them!", now said with a spiteful, malicious edge to it. Using Nebby to fully open the wormhole, Lusamine visually displays the core of her character by walking backwards into danger, away from her caring family, her eyes closed and her face calm, her arms outscretched in a strong, saintly, messianic pose. The sheer narcissism levels are off the chart!

While vastly different in service of different directions taken in these games stories, both versions of this scene convey the same basic fundamental flaw of Lusamine: regardless of what befell her husband and how she managed her grief, regardless of whether or not she's doped up on alien parasite jellyfish toxin, she is a sinner who is a saint only in her own mind, a prideful, power-mad woman so obsessed with control and possession that she conflates with the concept of "love", so deranged in her devotion to her public image and self-image as a loving matriarch, that she refuses to recognize that her ways of "giving love" are suffocating rather than nourishing, and it's her own family, whether they be her biological offsprings or her most beloved Pokemon, that end up taking the damage from it. The very family she currently looks to discard in favor of the Ultra Beasts she now obsesses over. So it speaks volumes that in both game sets, her actions only bring darkness to Alola rather than light.

#One Villainous Scene #Pokemon #Sun and Moon #ultra sun and ultra moon #Aether Foundation #Lusamine

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theprofessionalpromptmaker · 8 months ago

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Military Spouse Appreciation Day & National Public Gardens Day & National Small Business Day

Person A is a military spouse and often spends their time in the public gardens and meets Person B, who runs a local plant store, and they start to catch feelings for each other. But Person B is actually a very specific botanist who sells poisons, toxins, and such they harvest from their private collection of incredibly poisonous plants, to killers. As Person B starts to fall deeper for Person A and Person A finds out their partner is cheating, Person B asks their various connections for the favor of getting rid of Person A’s spouse.

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chrysaliscreatorii · 1 year ago

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Absol - Poison type

The Miserly Pokémon

One of the most private (or in this case, even more so) of the Absol species, sightings are particularly rare, but most are accompanied by tales of bad experiences.In particular explores or hikes of obscure woods, swamps or general marshlands.

Accounts telling of how after eating some fruit or other local flora, this Pokémon would suddenly appear and use its venom to incapacitate people and Pokémon alike. Victims recall the experience after being poisoned as foggy or groggy, only to wake up hours later at a medical facility. The reason for the displacement being that this Pokémon seemingly drags those it attacked out of its territory and close to a populated area, almost as if ejecting them altogether.

As mentioned before, this Pokémon seems to only attack those that actually eat or collect the unique fruit and resources of its home, leading many to believe that that it is not fond of partaking any of it and will attack those that dare try.

On a scientific note, it is observed that this Pokémon has a unique biology as it seems to posses different types of venoms within its body.

The one on its tail seems to be some kind of sleeping agent toxin that causes those injected to become groggy and fall to the ground unconscious, in addition to that, it seems to chase specific substances in the body, but so far does not seem to pose any mayor threat.

The one on it’s fangs seems to be some sort of pain killer, that (if used alongside the one of its tail) knocks one out and numbs the body further, making the body unfeeling to any kind of stimulus.

The one that seems to confuse researchers however, appears to be a third toxin that they haven’t been able to confirm it’s penetration and introduction method into the body. It has been described as the worst of the three and seems to vary or alter a lot (almost as if it were multiple or different agents), it has been described as a sting that slowly starts to worsen over time over the whole body but thankfully(?) seems to be very slow acting an treatable, and unlike the former two that seem to complement one another, the third seems to be in direct opposition, as certain enzymatic activity shows them affecting each other in an conflicted manner.

#drawing #creatures #own art #fakemon #absol #18 types #poison type

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doctorhelena · 2 years ago

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One line, one fic

rules: pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by @beautifulwhensarcastic and @thesokovianaccords! Thanks, guys!

(I am terrible at decisions. So, I have 45 fics on AO3 right now, and I sampled a random line from the middle of every 4th fic.)

1. Between the Acres of the Rye (Peggy/Steve)

“Well, I really would like some of the strawberry tart too,” Steve confessed, and Peggy laughed, leaning forward to kiss him in return, her lips warm and soft against his, their noses brushing, her hair falling like a curtain against his cheek so that it felt, even more than a moment ago, that it was only the two of them in the world.

2. Life, Uncovered (Peggy/Steve)

“Exactly,” Steve said, and Peggy smiled at him in the mirror, then tugged his hand back down to rest on the faint curve of her belly, her skin smooth and warm under his palm. “You really do have a while yet before anyone's going to be able to tell,” he said, into her ear.

3. Comfort and Joy (Peggy/Steve) (this one has 10 chapters so I went to the middle of Chapter 5)

“The fact that you couldn’t find either of us doesn’t mean we disappeared together,” Steve pointed out. “We’re actually not always both in the same place.”

4. The Scandalous Secrets of Spies (Peggy/Steve, minor Edwin/Ana Jarvis)

The illness went through Agent Thompson, both the Jarvises, Mr. Stark, and in the end nearly half of SHIELD headquarters, with only two small consolations: the first being that it was a short-lived, if intense affliction, and the second being that Miss Carter had almost certainly infected McKay as well and, with any luck, his entire organization.

5. Private Displays of Affection (Peggy/Steve)

“You know perfectly well what we were doing in there,” said Peggy, evenly. “We were searching the office for that list of names.” She cleared her throat, colour creeping into her cheeks. “Once we realized the room was bugged, we had to improvise a little.”

6. You Must Have Danced (Peggy/Steve) (this one is a collection of Tumblr ficlets, with 7 chapters, and I went to the middle of chapter 4)

She drew in a shaky breath. “I still haven’t quite forgiven you for not giving us your coordinates,” she said, into his shirt. “Particularly, since, as it turns out, we could have rescued you almost immediately. However,” she pulled back, and their eyes met. “I’m afraid I have found myself quite unable to move on.”

7. A Slight Miscalculation (Peggy/Steve) (this one has 4 chapters, and I went to the middle of chapter 2)

Peggy took Steve’s arm as they walked out the heavy front door into the cold night. “Do you think someone else is after the toxin?” he asked, slowly, contemplating what the coat check girl had said. “Or are there really just that many couples sneaking up to, uh -”

8. It’s Classified (Peggy/Steve) (this one has 2 chapters, and I went to the middle of chapter 1)

“You know, you’re rather good at feeling your way through a situation,” she said, a little hoarsely, once she’d recovered.

9. The Best That We Can Do (Agent Carter, minor Edwin/Ana Jarvis)

Peggy shrugged. “Well, let’s hope he doesn’t know me by sight,” she said, and set about disheveling her hair and removing her jacket. She dug for her tube of Sweet Dreams, applied a coat, then considered and opened the top two buttons of her blouse. Howard’s eyebrows crawled toward his hairline. “Oh, shut up or I’ll kiss you too,” she said, dropping the tube back into her case.

10. Expanding the Agency (Peggy/Steve)

“Good Lord!” said Jarvis, looking mildly horrified. He collected himself and came back to sit in the chair next to her. “I hope you realize that Phillips would be a fool to change his mind because of this. And I am quite certain the man is not a fool.”

I’m tagging @roboticonography, @buckywiththegoodhair86, @teaandatale, @theawkwardterrier, @invidiosa, @eliza49-7190, @behindthelabels, @followingyourbliss, @formerlyir, and @melliabee

#tag game #my fic #steggy #mostly #thanks for the tag!

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neoninky · 2 years ago

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TWST Fanfic "Her Ivory Crown": Chapter 11

Hey y'all - I'm back to repost the last stretch of 'Her Ivory Crown' after a nice cliff hanger lol. Once again, comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated! You can read the rest of this finished fic and its sequel on my AO3 page here.

Ch. 11: Open Season, Good Hunting

Luna and Cowrie Cerith, the mermaid and rumored siren sisters of the Cerulamare dorm had reputations that proceeded them. Luna was the cool, collected, and more sensuous of the two always held her cards close enough to her chest until the time to strike like an underwater venus fly trap. Luna was also very proficient in love potions and enchantments which let her name travel through many different circles for various reasons. Cowrie, two years younger, was much more straightforward, seemingly more playful and teasing of the two. Her talents were more physically and stealthily inclined. Sometimes toxin-based as well. But it was her curiosity that motivated Cowrie in her most sly moments. So really, poor Reine should have known better than to have her little tryst in front of a large open underwater tank. Cowrie just happened to be in the mood for a swim right around the time Riddle and Reine decided to break away from the party. And the younger mermaid just happened to notice the two getting comfortable with each other and decided to get a closer look, hiding among the seaweed. Cowrie's bright eyes lit up with excitement when she saw the two suddenly lock lips again and again and internally squealed when she silently made her way back inside.

"Lu, Lu, Lunaaa~"

The elder mersister smiled at her younger sibling's excited face as she sat next to Elise in the same booth, "Cowrie, did you enjoy your swim? I'd like to go next."

The smile on Luna's face grew as her sister leaned in to whisper excitedly in her ear. Cowrie was so cute when she discovered something interesting. "Really," Luna's brow lifted in interest at this juicy information. Her sister just giggled and continued. Elise was still talking to Azul but was distracted by the two sister's suspicious whispers. This was always a sign that they were up to no good.

"And what has you two so entertained?"

Cowrie didn't hesitate despite the fact that Azul and the twins were right there, "I saw Reiny-senpai with the little rose king. Looking rather cozy~" she was practically wagging her tail she no longer had in glee. Elise just frowned and scolded her junior like a disappointed parent.

"Cowrie! It is very rude to spy on people! Especially on Reine who rarely gets privacy as is-"

The mermaid just ignored her dorm leader and blurted out, "And they kissed! And kissed...and kissed...aaaannnd kissssseeedd~" Cowrie giggled wickedly at Elise, Azul, and even Jade's shocked faces. Floyd giggled along with the younger sister, finding this all very interesting.

"Oooooo Goldfish-chan and Mantie-chan? Sneaking off and making out together?! Heheheeeeh~"

Elise ignored Floyd and tried her best to keep order in spite of the internal glee she felt at the news of her best friend and Riddle getting a moment together, "As I said, Cowrie! Rude! And keep your voice down! I doubt Reine would want the entire room knowing about this."

Cowrie pouted as Luna patted her on the head, "Elise has a point, baby sister. It's not nice to pry into our dear friend's private moments like that."

"Ellie-senpai's just grumpy because stupid Rielle had to leave the festival early and now she can't dance with him-mmf!"

Luna covered Cowrie's mouth with her hand but still snorted at her sister's jab at Elise's history of missed opportunities with the mermaid prince. Oooo was this a sore subject! Elise's face glowed bright pink, "Y-You! That is enough out of you, Cowrie!" Azul said nothing but the twins definitely noticed how his furrowed brow twitched at the mention of Prince Rielle's name. Luna saw Riddle leaving the lounge in quite a hurry.

"Ohh? There goes the little rose king now...all alone. My, what could have happened to give him that face?"

Elise quickly motioned for the sisters to move so she could leave the booth, seeing her chance at escaping before these devious sisters could embarrass her further, "Excuse me, Mr. Ashengrotto, Jade, Floyd. I'm going to go check on Reine," her polite sweetness turned sour when she looked at the Cerith sisters, "And you two. Come with me. I can't take you or leave you anywhere!" she huffed before storming off. The sisters just snickered, showing off matching pairs of shiny, sharp teeth that caught Azul's eye.

"Before you go, ladies...what kind of mermaids did you say you were?"

"Snowflake Eels." they chimed in perfect sync, their bright eyes shimmering with mischief, Luna's yellow-gold, and Cowrie's pale blue. "We're a smaller breed of Morays but no less vicious when need be," Luna added melodically, giving the three boys a wink.

Azul had several questions, the first being how and why a human princess came to befriend two eel mermaids. Just sitting across from two more rather devilish eels made him feel both intrigued and nervous. The brothers, however, felt their previous suspicions confirmed and rewarded with a shiver of instinctual excitement running up each of their spines. Floyd gave the girls a toothy smile with the same glint of mischief in his eyes while his brother remained a bit more stoic behind a simple but curious grin.

"Oh...dear."

Reine's eyes were bloodshot and still leaking tears when Elise found her, curled into herself on the cushions in the secluded little area. Elise immediately went into caretaker mode and propped Reine's head onto her lap once she was seated. She gently stroked the sad princess' platinum locks and cooed, "It's alright, my rose, tell me what happened." Sure, Cowrie kind of ruined it but Reine clearly didn't need any more reasons to be upset. For a few minutes, Elise couldn't make out any of the words Reine let out in between soft sobs but she just kept stroking her hair, patiently letting her cry it out. Elise saw the sisters peak around the corner, looking far less amused and spirited now that they saw the state the princess was in. Cowrie and Luna just kept their distance, making sure no one else would come that way and intrude on the two princesses.

"He kissed me...and I k-kissed him...and...everything just got all messed up...a-and he just left-" that was all Reine could get out before another sob hiccuped out of her. Elise sighed softly as she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and started to dab her friends' eyes, "Goodness, all this fuss over some kissing? Rosebud, what's wrong with that? You did kiss him back, right? You wouldn't have unless you wanted to and for good reason."

"I told him it shouldn't have happened," she sniffled, "b-but I wanted it to! But...I'm supposed to..."

Elise smiled sadly down at Reine as she looked up at her with teary, searching eyes. Elise had known this girl since Reine was fresh out of kindergarten and she hadn't seen Reine this upset since those days. 'Suppose to' had become part of Reine's everyday life since then and each day following, Elise watched her become more and more obedient and subdued. It never occurred to her to question it, Reine seemed perfectly content and would say so if asked. But now...

"You're supposed to what, Reine? Make yourself absolutely miserable over every little decision you make? Sweet rose, no no..."

Reine couldn't say it out loud because it was so obvious that what she was expected to do wasn't at all what she wanted to do and it hurt too much. Elise just hushed her gently and continued to dry her tears, giving her time to calm down. Once she did, the Cerith sisters came out of hiding to give their dorm leader's best friend a hug from both sides, protectively cooing at her like she was a tiny frightened animal.

"We'll take you back to the dorm. Clearly, today has been a bit rough for you," Elise smiled gently at the princess cuddled in between her girls. Reine appreciated the offer but shook her head.

"You should stay, Elise. You're the biggest reason there's a party to begin with."

Before Elise could argue, Cowrie took Reine's hand, "I'll take her back, Ellie-senpai. You and Luna should stay. Luna promised Floy-Floy a swim anyway~"

Luna pouted at her younger sister's waggling eyebrows and smug grin, "My you have been busy keeping tabs tonight, baby sister, but yes you are right. I don't wanna keep Floyd waiting. He seemed awfully eager..."

Elise decided not to ask, getting enough info from the flirtatious smirk on her vice's face, and just turned to Reine, "Alright, if you're sure. You message me if you need anything though, you hear me?"

Trey was greeted with a loud, miserable groan as he entered Riddle's room. The dorm leader had retreated to his bed where he was completely buried, determined to let himself rot. The vice dorm leader just sighed and borrowed the chair from Riddle's desk where he sat and waiting patiently for Riddle to start talking. It seemed like it was going to be a long wait when Cater and Che'nya also invited themselves in after several minutes of silence passed.

Cater gave Trey a questioning look as Che'nya just waltzed in and sat on the edge of Riddle's bed, gently patting the lump that was Riddle's head, "Heeey RRRiddle! What's wrrrong? Why are you hiding??" No answer came from the mound of blankets except more mumbled groaning that sounded like he didn't want to be disturbed but it was already too late. Cater announced he was going to go make some tea while Riddle's childhood friends kept trying to coax him out of his hiding spot. Eventually, Riddle decided to come out and face his friends. They'd never leave him be if he didn't. Che'nya and Trey both jumped a bit in shock at Riddle's disheveled hair, clothes, and exhausted scowl. Oof, it was far worse than they thought!

"Hey, Riddle..." Trey started out gently as if talking to a cranky child, "What's wrong? You left the party in such a hurry out of nowhere."

A deep sigh fell from Riddle's lips, signaling the beginning of a long story, "...I kissed Miss Reine...a few times...actually." His face grew hotter with each word as they reminded him of the princess' sweet lips and touch. Trey and Che'nya just looked at each other and him with wide eyes until finally, the other shoe dropped. "...and she kissed me back."

"Oooh!! RRRiddle! You and Purrincess RRReine?!" Che'nya's smile couldn't get any bigger as his tail swished at lightspeed, "Hmm hmm!! OH Zehn will be so furriousss hmm hmm hmmm!" He was clearly enjoying himself but as soon Zehn's name was mentioned, Riddle's mood grew even darker.

"Ugh that bastard...I almost forgot about him," Riddle held his head in his hands, "I'm not much better than him now, am I?" NOW his friends were even more confused.

"Hold on, what?! Riddle, what are you saying?"

Riddle told them what happened between him and Reine. Everything. The talking, the flirting, the kisses, and even the awkward, sudden end. The entire time, it was obvious he was sick with guilt and something akin to regret but not quite.

"Ugh what she must think of me now?" Riddle muttered into his palms as he covered his face, "she was just...just right there...being entirely sweet and beautiful. Then I launch myself at her like some kind of brute. After an entire day of having other guys aggressively hovering about her every other second, snapping at each other like feral beasts. Of course, she reacted the way that she did! It was so...it was too much."

Riddle immediately felt worse and confused once Trey, Che'nya, and yes, even Cater who heard the whole thing from the doorway, burst into laughter. His temper practically shot flames out of his ears with how fast it rose through his system, "W-WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Oh Riddle, you are so adorable sometimes," Cater wiped a tear from his eye after he set down the tea tray on the dorm leader's desk, "Ahh young love and all it's high's and low's...ok but seriously, stop with the dramatics and think back to what you said before: she kissed you too yeah? Doesn't sound like it was too much for her to me."

Riddle's temper lost all traction to how obvious those words were. Che'nya giggled and grinned at the redhead knowingly, "And RRReine is not the kind to give lovey-dovey kisses to just anybody. She doesn't even give them to Zehn. She barely holds his hand honestly, heheheeh~" Riddle would never admit it aloud but that last comment gave him a tremendous near intoxicating rush of satisfaction. Still...

"I know I said it was inappropriate. I-I mean it was, I should have asked permission first at the very least! But...ugh I'm so...so confused. It seemed like it was going so well and then the next thing I know, she's getting upset and apologizing... and I'm running out of there like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs." Saying it out loud made Riddle just want to bury himself in the actual ground.

Trey put his hand on Riddle's shoulder and gave him a calm smile, "The real problem doesn't sound like you or Reine. Being the next queen, I'm sure her situation is very complex but...I think you should talk to her."

"Yeah, Dorm Leader! Forget that Zehn guy, the princess doesn't even wanna hold hands with him!" Cater laughed, "So really what chance does he have that you don't?"

Riddle deadpan stared into the void, having thought this through a ridiculous amount of times in the last hour of his life, "The current Queen's favor gives him a pretty big advantage. The last time I checked, the future queen doesn't have to love or even like her king for them to get married. He just needs a pretty, silver-spooned pedigree which is something I've never had. And be tall and handsome or some nonsense..." Good grief, why was he suddenly having flashbacks to that ludicrous ghost wedding incident?!

The three seniors quickly rallied before they completely lost Riddle to this unusual defeatist stance he adopted out of nowhere.

Cater sat on the bed and shoved a cup of herbal tea into Riddle's hands, "Hey hey hey! No! Stop that right now, Riddle Rosehearts! YOU are the King of Heartslabyul! And you took the throne with a vengeance like two seconds after getting here! Common status be damned, you are our amazing dorm leader, one of Night Raven College's best students, and you are the sharpest looking dorm leader we've ever had!"

"That's right, RRRiddle! You and RRReine are a purrfect match: a clever, strong, and determined king for a beautiful, compassionate, and resilient queen. She may be actually rrroyalty but she's sweet on you even though you are not. It's clear as day! A pretty purrigree has never mattered to her and it's her opinion that matters the most, yes?"

Riddle did feel a bit bolstered by his friend's comments. He still didn't know if he really stood a chance but he knew that he really wanted one. Trey handed out the other teacups as the four of them got a bit more comfortable as the atmosphere lightened, "Like I said, you should talk to her. Clear the air and just see where things go. She'll hear you out, I don't doubt it for a second."

"And once you two understand each other, start off with something simple: ask her to the daaaance. You really think she wants to spend another dance with stick-up-his-ass Cavalier?" Riddle gave Cater a questioning gaze, "...what? The Rosabyrine girls like to talk."

"They aren't wrrrong," Che'nya confirmed, "Zehn is very pushy. Reine wanted to go with me for fun to the last dance Royal Sword hosted so his 'frrriends' stomped on my tail and locked me in my dorm room so I couldn't leave," Che'nya growled at the memory, "I wanted to tell her but they threatened to do worse if I did...they get away with all sorts of harassment."

Riddle scoffed, "He threatened me face to face at the music contest today..."

"Whaaaat?" Cater and Trey's faces both fell into wide-eyed shock as Riddle recounted that memory as well. Neither of the Heartslabyul seniors got angry very often but after hearing Che'nya and Riddle's experiences, this...this was the last straw.

"Riddle, surely there is some rule somewhere about defending your lady queen-to-be from scoundrels like Zehn Cavalier. If there isn't one, you should personally make one right now!" Cater huffed. Trey crossed his arms and nodded in stern agreement.

"That won't be necessary..." Riddle set the teacup down on his desk and straightened up his hair, "I've done enough damage for one night. However, come tomorrow, I will set things right. Cavalier can try to get in my way if he wishes but he will fail." The fire in the dorm leader's eyes put the boys' minds at ease. They knew that look and they knew there was no stopping Riddle Rosehearts once he got it.

It had started to downpour on the way back to the dorm, much to girls' dismay. Not only were they soaked to the bones but Reine was currently jogging back to the dorm as fast as she could with a now transformed eel mermaid on her back. Cowrie wouldn't have been that heavy if it weren't for her long tail. Reine managed to lift the mermaid's torso onto her back as she tucked her arms underneath what would be Cowrie's thighs. The mermaid wrapped her arms around Reine's shoulders and part of her tail around the princess' waist to help support her weight.

"I'm sorry, Reiny-senpai...I'm not as good as holding my human form as Luna is yet," Cowrie pouted.

"Don't feel bad, Cowrie. You're still a first year, after all. You have time to grow into it. Hold on tight. I don't want you to slip." Reine still managed to stay smiling even with a giant eel on her back and rain pelting down all around her. She was just thankful this was the one day she didn't wear all white. Of course, as soon as they got to the garden gates, the rain started to let up. Figures...

"There we go. That's better, isn't it? ...sorry it's not as big as the Monstro Lounge tanks."

Cowrie was curled up in one of the dorm's bathtubs but the water felt nice so she didn't seem to mind. Plus one of the ghosts had found a tiny rubber ducky and left it in that same bathroom so she was as happy as a clam. Reine left her a small bucket and towel before heading upstairs to the bathroom next to her own room. The princess practically collapsed into the tub as soon as the warm soapy water hit her skin. The events of the day just pilled up in a jumbled heap of feelings, firing off one after another. Her sigh echoed off of the bathroom walls almost like she was a ghost too. She had already vented out all of her negative feelings, well most of them. But for a moment as she sank further into the warm water, Reine let herself remember the feeling of Riddle's lips on hers, his hands on her back and waist, holding her close to him. It was the most tender of feelings that made her face heat up with a feverish rush. It gave her an equally feverish desire for more kisses, more touches...more everything.

Everything in her life before now had been decided: who she was, who and what she would become, what she would do, whom she would be courted by, etc. and then one step into new territory and suddenly she was tumbling down the rabbit hole, head over heels, breathless at every new turn. Not just with Riddle but with every new day, every new face, every new experience that she encountered since they arrived on Night Raven's campus. Reine's heart fluttered with a rush of happiness remembering all of it. She wanted to hold onto it tightly so she decided that...she would. Tomorrow, Reine could and would fix things so this feeling would never leave. Hopefully. Her confidence in the matter was shaky at best but she didn't want to focus on that feeling too much.

Reine finished her bath and went back downstairs after changing into her nightgown to check on Cowrie. The mermaid managed to dry off and go back to her room where Reine found her sprawled out on her bed like a starfish in oversized pajamas, snoozing away without a care in the world. The princess tried not to laugh too loudly as she tucked her junior into the bed properly. Cowrie curled up in a ball as soon as she was covered and Reine's heart melted, leading her to take a picture and send it to Elise and Luna before turning off the lights and quietly leaving the room. The princess was about to dive into her own bed before she noticed familiar green fireflies floating outside her window. Reine gasped excitedly and wrapped herself in a blanket before running back downstairs. She poked her head out into the chilly evening, looking for Malleus, and spotted his signature horns ways down the path.

"Lord Draconia!" Malleus grinned seeing the porcelain princess waving to him from the front door, "What are you doing? It's cold and wet out!"

It didn't personally bother him but seeing the little rose queen wrapped in a thick blanket made him aware of the potential hazards. He quickly disappeared and reappeared right in front of her so she wouldn't have to chase after him with her bare feet. The princess beamed up at him with a surprised giggle, "Oh hello. I'm so glad you and Master Lilia came today. Did you have fun?"

Malleus gave a nod and chuckle, amused that the princess adopted Sebek's title for Lilia, "It was a very interesting day, indeed. I brought you a thank you present for inviting me," he mused as he pulled something from his pocket.

Reine gave him a teasing smile, "Oh?? And here I thought an alliance with His Highness, the Future King of Thorns was my gift."

The dragon prince chuckled, "Yes but I do hope you like this even more."

Malleus opened his hand to show her a small red briar rose in bloom and encased in a crystal teardrop pendant, hanging from a silver chain, "It's a different kind of little rose from my home. Consider it a talisman for protection against any more problematic interlopers."

Reine's eyes lit up like Malleus just offered her the heavens themselves, "It's beautiful! Oh, thank you so much!"

The princess was practically bouncing as he put the necklace around her neck. The dragon had never seen anyone so pleased with a gift from him before, aside from Sebek. It made his chest warm with a deep sense of pride. She looked up at him suddenly, an idea alight in her eyes, and asked, "Lord Draconia, may I..give you a hug? As a thank you?"

The was literally the first time the dragon prince had ever been asked such a thing and it showed. He blinked his wide green eyes down at Reine's waiting expression in pure disbelief. His eyes soon narrowed in amusement as he laughed, "You dare approach the terrible, Future King of Thorns with such a request, little rose? What a foolhardy queen you are."

Malleus' teasing was cut short as the princess suddenly wrapped her arms around his torso and gave him a gentle hug, looking up at him like a rebellious child, "Well it's a good thing you gave me this protective charm then isn't it?"

Humans would never fail to surprise him, of this Malleus Draconia was now certain. He just chuckled and gently placed one hand around Reine's small frame and affectionately patted her head with the other.

"You are in daring high spirits tonight, aren't you? Did something happen, little rose?"

Reine's face warmed as she pulled away from him, "Not really," No one in this conversation believed her, "I just...made one very important decision. But now I have an even more important one to make."

"Are you really so conflicted?" Malleus was giving her that look again, it was like he knew everything in the world and yet was still surprised by so much. The princess just let out a deep breath and wrapped the blanket even tighter around herself.

"I know what I want, Lord Draconia. It's just I'm not entirely sure what the other person wants...yet. I wish this was something more simple like just worrying about who's going to ask me to the dance," she mumbled that last part but Malleus still tilted his head in curiosity.

"Dance...?"

Reined looked up at the prince in shock but lo there he was, looking genuinely lost, "There's a dance in three days to celebrate my coronation, on the last day of the festival...did no one tell you, Lord Draconia?" His disappointed pout said it all, "Well that's unacceptable! I'm the guest of honor and I say you should come! I'm officially inviting you!"

Two invitations and a hug? Would wonders never cease with this princess? Malleus pondered over the prospect of attending a dance. He wasn't too familiar with the experience, unfortunately. Once Reine explained the logistics of said dance, the process of procuring a partner, and any and all other details, it did sound interesting. Even so, it did sound like there were going to be a lot of people there and not in a situation where he could easily blend in like at the music contest. His expression didn't change much but somehow Reine still picked up on a hint of doubt coming from him.

"I understand it can be a bit overwhelming. I've been to several dances and balls and they wear me out too, honestly. So you should come but only if you want to, Lord Draconia."

"...would anyone actually want to dance with me?" Malleus was so used to others giving him a wide berth on the most mundane days. Attending a dance in hopes of not scaring the daylights out of the other guests didn't seem very likely.

Reine's enthusiasm got the better of her and even caught the tall dragon off guard, "Lord Draconia! Of course, they would! Even if you don't ask a specific girl to be your partner, I have no doubt the girls of Sacred Crown would love to meet you and dance with you! And even if they prove me wrong, I will be honored to save a dance for you!"

"...I will consider it, little rose." His smile was a bit shy but Reine was satisfied with his answer nonetheless. He knew a certain red tyrant would try to off his head if Malleus did ask Reine to be his date. As amusing as that would be, Malleus knew better than to step all over another king's courtship so rudely.

"Rise in shine, ladies! Hunting season is officially open!!"

Reine mumbled as Manari's excited shout rang up the stairwell. She had one hell of a headache and seemed to be having trouble getting out of her bed properly. Alyssa, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, let herself into her dorm leader's room with a chipper smile, "Good morning, Reine!"

The princess mumbled a greeting in return while rubbing her eyes. The tiny blonde set a small clear case on Reine's bed for her to inspect, "I finished your boutonnière for you since you've been so busy!"

Reine smiled in tired approval at the two-rosed decoration: one white and one red rose wrapped in a checkered ribbon with a small silver crown pin holding it all together. It was perfect. Alyssa was already wearing hers pinned to the vest on her Rosabyrine uniform. It was a yellow gerbera daisy wrapped in a black bow that resembled the one she wore in her hair with a tiny teacup pin. Nice and simple, cute and sunny: it suited her.

Alyssa helped Reine get ready, putting both red and white roses with black ribbons weaved into her braided hair to match her dorm uniform. Once she was fully prepared, Alyssa pinned the rose boutonnière to her vest lapel, "There. You look perfect. Good Hunting today," the blonde giggled excitedly. Reine couldn't help but catch a bit of it too and she smiled, "Thank you. I hope a certain first-year wins your lovely daisy," the dorm leader gave her second a playful wink. They both knew exactly who she was talking about.

"And what about you? ...will you be going with Zehn Cavalier again?" Alyssa asked hesitantly. Reine didn't seem offended or even bothered by the question as she looked herself over in the mirror one last time.

"No. I don't believe I will," the blonde gasped excitedly as she waiting for further explanation, "Good Hunting, Alyssa." Reine smiled mysteriously and left the room before the blonde who just scurried after her in a huff.

"Reine! You can't just leave me hanging like that!"

It was the day the 4th year students from all three schools came to the campus to present the results of field research or personal study they had been pursuing all year. The lineup of topics was interesting but most of the students who were not involved or attending the presentations were a bit...distracted. Every Sacred Crown girl who had not been asked to the dance already could be seen sporting their homemade boutonnière, pinned to them and waiting to be given away to the boy that won their affections. Honestly, the majority were still waiting. Only a handful had made arrangements beforehand like Adela and a couple of other seasoned third years. Otherwise, it was a beginning day just like every other time the girls' 'hunting season' opened. There always seemed to be this tense feeling in the air like everyone was waiting to see who would be the first brave soul to step up to the plate in hopes of succeeding....granted that was usually with just Royal Sword. How would things go with both Royal Sword and Night Raven in the fray at once? Only time could tell but that didn't stop the excited girls from placing friendly bets. Manari took it upon herself to give the dorm leaders and their vice's code names based on who they had dressed as the day before because why not make things more interesting?

"Alright, so Queenscholar (Adela) already has her date, surprising to no one. My bet is that Mama Snake and Mistress Mushroom are going to be the next ones to go. They're always so stinking popular," Manari was talking about Jinnah and Luna, "What's your call, Deal Maker?"

Elise sipped her drink as they sat in Night Raven's open cafeteria with Charlaine and a few other girls buzzing about, grabbing breakfast, "Our vice dorm leaders do seem to always take the lead don't they, ''Sunshine Royal?" Elise snorted at the ridiculous nicknames Manari had given each of them, herself included, "Luna-excuse me- 'Mistress Mushroom' has a reputation for breaking hearts...and yet the boys just don't stop trying their luck."

Charlaine pouted, "they're both so alluring and beautiful. And tall...and curvy...it's no wonder." Poor Charlaine had developed a complex ever since she became the shortest and most petite of the dorm leaders. She was by no means unattractive just...lacking...in certain areas of her anatomy in comparison to the others. Manari frowned at the tiny songbird's attitude.

"Heeey come on, Beauty Standards! You are absolutely adorable and lovely so hush...granted you are not wrong. I mean we're the dorm leaders and yet it's our second-in-commands that steal the spotlight in these situations. I love our brother school and all but is it just me or are some of those boys kind of...dense?"

Charlaine felt the ice-cold chill of humiliation flood her entire body as she flashed back to the last dance, "...I wrote an entire confession letter to Neige and got up the nerve to read it to his face. He just said thank you and how much he appreciated my support and shook my hands as if I was just another fan at one of his events. I wanted to DIE..."

Both Manari and Elise groaned from second-hand embarrassment, "Wow. That. is. ROUGH. Man, no wonder you didn't seem nearly as smitten as usual at the contest yesterday. But hey! I mean...at least now you can move on right? It's not like you had this big misunderstanding and he thought you were some princess or nobleman's daughter that you clearly weren't and instead of telling him that no, you were just a commoner adopted by some silk merchants out of fear that he would completely ghost you...you just decide to avoid him at all costs, face to face, but keep responding to his messages....with more ambiguous half-truths..."

Elise and Charlaine just stared at Manari who just chugged her drink with an extremely guilty look on her face. Charlaine looked at Elise, starting to mention Prince Rielle but judging from the dark look on the girl's face...

"I don't want to talk about it," Elise said bluntly.

Clearly, not all the SC dorm leaders were having luck in romance lately...

Reine kept laughing at Alyssa's fits of frustration as they were making their way across the campus together. The blonde had been too eager to get more information out of Reine ever since they left the dorm but Reine's lips were sealed tighter than Azul's contract safe. Cowrie was silently following along behind Alyssa as they were classmates and good friends who decided to be each other's wingwoman. Meaning that if any boys who were not Deuce Spade tried to approach Alyssa that day, the mermaid would quickly scare them off. So far four boys found themselves face to face with Cowrie's sharp teeth and glowing eyes. When she wasn't emotionally scaring other freshmen boys, Cowrie was enjoying the outdoor scenery and taking pictures of various plants and bugs they passed with her phone.

"Reeeine, you've been grinning at your phone all morning! And after that half-confession about Zehn, what gives! Tell meeee~"

The princess just giggled, "Oh trust me, the two aren't connected. My favorite cousin - his words not mine - is going to be presenting today and he's been texting me nonstop about getting together. Apparently, he has some 'exciting news'..."

Alyssa's previous concerns were swiftly forgotten, "Jasper's coming today?!" Alyssa was incredibly fond of Reine's cousin, Jasper Elfern. He was from the Red Queen court but he and Reine had always been close. The fact that he had been courting Alyssa's older sister for years didn't hurt either. Hopefully, this 'exciting news' meant that Alyssa was finally getting a brother soon.

The very same Jasper Elfern had also reached out to his old dormmates in Heartslabyul who were unknowingly heading the same direction as the two girls. Riddle was walking tall with perfect posture and purpose in his step. He kept to his schedule like clockwork, given himself an adequate amount of pep talks in the mirror as he prepared for the day ahead, and took extra care to make sure his dorm attire was spotless. It wasn't every day Riddle Rosehearts got to meet the old dorm leader he personally dethroned. There was no bad blood between him and Jasper, though a little honest bragging never hurt, he also wanted to look his best when approaching Reine today...so might as well kill two birds with one stone.

"You're in top form today, Dorm Leader. Go easy on her, wouldn't want Reine to swoon too hard." Cater teased.

"Or maybe he just wants to flex on Jasper a bit as a nice homecoming," Trey smirked.

"You're both being ridiculous," Riddle scoffed and yet a smug smile stayed on his face.

They saw Jasper in his NRC Heartslabyul uniform standing outside the hall where the presentations would be taking place that afternoon, facing the other direction. The tall, dark-haired upperclassman had a bright smile on his face as he was waving to someone coming towards him in the opposite direction. Riddle's eyes widened and he came to a halt when he saw it was Reine.

"Jasper!" she practically skipped right up to him and threw her arms around him looking happier than ever, "Welcome back!"

She let out a high-pitched giggle as the tall boy hugged her tight and twirled her around playfully, "My sweet little cousin! Look at you, when did you get so grown up and beautiful?" he laughed.

Cousin? ...did he hear that right??

COUSIN???

Riddle's brain all but exploded. The same Jasper Elfern that was once the Heartslabyul Dorm Prefect that Riddle challenged and usurped as a first-year was also the crown princess' COUSIN?! Trey and Cater looked just as shocked as their dorm leader.

"Hold on...does this mean he's like a PRINCE or something?!" Cater whisper-yelled to the other two, "...wait...not only did Riddle knock down an actual prince but also his crush's cousin?!"

Riddle Rosehearts suddenly did not feel so confident...why was the world so small and so cruel? Jasper's wine-red eyes caught sight of the three Heartslaybul boys and he waved them over, "Hey! Long time no see, fellas!" Cater didn't waste a second and practically teleported over to his old dorm leader and the girls, "Elfern-senpai, why didn't you tell us you were royalty?! And you're also Reine's cousin?!" The boy's smile didn't waver at all, "Oh so you guys know my cousin already! Great to hear! Not surprising at all though, she's been itching to meet my dormmates ever since I told her about a certain freshman knocking me down a peg." He laughed as Reine's expression turned bright red. More puzzle pieces fell into place as Riddle looked at the pleading wide-eyed look Reine was giving her merciless cousin. "Is that so...?" Riddle asked in a bemused tone. Jasper put an arm around Reine's shoulders and grinned mischievously, "Oh definitely. She couldn't get enough of my stories about living in the dorms with you guys! So how does it feel to finally know the infamous Riddle Rosehearts, cousin? Has he lived up to your expectations?" Poor Reine could only give a muffled reply from behind her hands, "Please stop, Jasper..." The three seniors were momentarily distracted in their reminiscing, giving Riddle a moment to speak one on one with a still very pink Reine. She had a bashful expression he couldn't help but find adorable as she finally came out from hiding, "...I may have been a bit curious and learned about you before we actually met," Reine confessed quietly. Riddle felt a strange sense of power in that moment. It wasn't that his awkward feelings about the night before had suddenly vanished but now knowing that this shy princess had been curious about him before they even crossed paths certainly gave his ego a healthy boost. His smug smile and previous confidence returned as he asked her, "Well? Have I lived up to your expectations...Reine?" Hearing Riddle say her name so straightforwardly without a hint of nervousness threw her for a small loop, taking Reine right back to that moment the night before. What she didn't see was how his heartbeat took off like a racehorse as her eyes shined and she said: "Oh no...you have definitely exceeded them, Riddle Rosehearts."

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