#so glad the goat finally has returned

[iwantflyingpigs]

did i absolutely stop understanding a single shit that is happening after shibuya arc? yes. BUT- am i hyped af with gojo being back and serving cunt once again? also yes.

[dangopango00]

GIVE HIM SOME ATTENTION

What does he do when he wants some attention?

BLLK x S/O!GN Reader

Characters: Isagi, Bachira, Chigiri, Kunigami (Pre&Post WC), Gagamaru, Rin, Nanase, Sae, Shidou, Barou, Sendou, Nagi, Reo, Oliver, Otoya, Karasu, Yukimiya, Hiori, Kurona, Zantetsu, Raichi, Aryu, Kiyora, Kaiser, Ness (In that order)

CW: Suggestive as hell in Aiku & Otoya’s parts, A little angsty in Shidou, Reo & Ness parts

A/N: Idk all of them toooooo well but they’re all interesting to me so I’d like to try also I excluded some people who are irrelevant in my mindscape (i'm so sorry) (Nagi is honestly lucky to be here with the flopism he has been displaying smh) Gagamaru my goat ntm on him also added Zantetsu in honor of him finally getting his cover art

HCS UTC

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Yoichi Isagi

I think if he’s craving attention he’d probably be a bit hesitant because it's embarrassing for him to ask (since he likes a lot of attention so he’d be asking all day LOL). In order to save himself the embarrassment he’ll usually just hold your hand and give you a serious look– if he can muster that (sometimes if he’s feeling shy he’ll just put his hand on yours while looking away). Well when he does look at you he thinks he’s giving you a serious look but surely all you see is him giving you puppy eyes.

Meguru Bachira

Oh if he’s craving attention YOU WILL KNOW. He’d probably cling to you as if you were a missing part of his body he was trying to reconnect. He’ll hug your arm or pepper you in kisses and he’ll seem way happier than usual because he’s just so glad to be around you. He’s a bit ridonkulous he might even jump on you, making you both collapse to the floor, or if you’re in a place with a hard floor he’ll instead pull you towards him and squeeze you like a giant teddy bear.

Hyoma Chigiri

He’s a bit tricky honestly. He has a good amount of pride so he doesn’t like to seem too clingy but that doesn’t mean he’ll back down if he feels like he’s being neglected. If he wants attention he’ll try to make you the one who’s embarrassed and craving attention by flirting subtly though incessantly. He’ll wrap his arm around you and lightly ghost his thumb over your skin or even ‘innocently’ kiss your jawline and then just as quickly as he started, he’ll stop and go back to whatever he was doing before so you’re the one asking for attention from him now.

Rensuke Kunigami (PRE Wild Card)

Honestly? Upstanding young man ass dude he’ll probably just start giving you attention until you reciprocate. He’s stubborn too so you know he won’t stop until you give in unless you’re seriously not in the mood for whatever reason. He’ll sneak up behind you and hug you and start kissing up your neck; eventually turn your head so he can kiss you on the lips if you’re willing to indulge him. The kind of guy who’d just lay up in your arms and gently lay you down with him after a long day.

Rensuke Kunigami (POST WC)

Ok I know he SEEMS insanely different but tbh I don’t think he’d change all that much. He’s probably a little bit more socially awkward because for a while all he’s done is train with little social interaction. When he wants attention, I think he’d likely use the same tactic but in a different way. He’d probably nip your neck or shoulder (not painfully; he is trying to be playful) and when it gets your attention, he’d start to pepper you in kisses or lay his head down on your shoulder if it's been a long day.

Gin Gagamaru

I don’t have a great grasp on this guy (despite being one of my goats 🥹) but I think he’d probably have like mannerisms for it like pointing at where he wants to be kissed and kisses you back when you oblige him. He also seems like the kind of guy who’d bring you something from his journeys in the wilderness as like a homemade gift and hopes you’ll give him the attention he seeks in return (you can definitely tell because he just stares at you as you open the gift, hoping you like it and then continues to stare expectantly when you do like it)

Rin Itoshi

Imo if Rin decided to get into a relationship with someone he’d dedicate himself to them just as he does soccer because he wouldn’t want them to be hurt the way he was hurt (someone you love acting coldly towards you) but he doesn’t really know how without cringing. SO his way of asking for attention would be somewhat sweet although awkward. I think he would likely try to do some semi romantic gesture like laying his head on your shoulder/in your lap (although he’s pretty tense) or just making general contact like touching knees or brushing fingers together and will absolutely WHIP his head away if you look at him.

Nijiro Nanase

Nanase is just a guy; another upstanding young man. I think he would probably flatter you if he wanted attention. He’ll probably start talking about the things he likes about you and how much he loves you, giving you a kiss on the cheek along with his praise as well. He is very aware of the fact that you think he’s the cutest thing to hit planet Earth and he will use it to his advantage!! Of course, he means what he says but if saying it out loud will get him covered in kisses he’ll say as much as you want because he’s never gonna run out of things to say.

Sae Itoshi

This guy… Is a real piece of work but, like his brother, I think if he’s willing to get into a relationship then that means he's willing to put in the effort but doesn’t know how, although he respects you a ton. If he’s craving attention I don’t think he’ll even realize it; he’ll just get really irritated when you aren’t around and when you are around he’ll stare you down so hard he could burn a hole through you but the fact that he doesn’t even look angry is what tips you off to what he wants. The look in his eyes isn’t insanely soft but it's not a hard stare either, he looks like he's daydreaming or zoning out tbh.

Ryusei Shidou

If Sae is a piece of work this dude is a whole project. It’s easy to say he’s like Bachira, which he is during the day, but I think it’d be more interesting to talk about him during the night. When the day comes to an end he said he “becomes nothing” so I think it would be the number one time where he craves attention and validation that he exists and you’re really there. It’s a somewhat vulnerable time for him but he plays it off like he’s just his usual clingy self and probably places himself in front of you at any opportunity. Looking down? He’ll lay on your lap. Facing forward? Well here he is in front of you. And by the time it’s finally time for bed he's completely wrapped his body around yours.

Shoei Barou

It’s kind of hard to imagine how he’d show affection in a relationship buttt I think similar to Kunigami, I think he would just give you attention until you give in. However, I think Barou is probably a bit more aggressive about it and he’d probably go up to you and kiss you, then pull away just enough to await your next move. If you take too long to decide though he’ll start kissing around your face: on your nose, your forehead, etc. He’s pretty bold but he is a tiny bit embarrassed/hesitant when it comes to feeling ‘soft’ with you so he’ll kiss you to distract himself from it.

Shuto Sendou

This guy is peak loserboy activity whew he is a huge sucker for being spoiled so he wants attention OFTEN. I think he probably just stands really close to you and complains about how his day was soooooo horrible and how he worked so hard but if being standoffish isn’t working he holds onto your waist for dear life or plops himself on your lap and hugs you, waiting for attention when he gets desperate. If he’s super desperate he’ll start kissing around your neck and complain even more. He even starts to say how betrayed he feels at how easily you’re ignoring his woes.

Seishiro Nagi

He’s pretty efficient in the way he shows he wants attention. Since he’s the spoiled type he’ll usually try to get your attention the normal way first: acting cute and laying his head on your shoulder or on your lap while he plays his game (he is expecting you to play with his hair) but if you don’t he’ll honestly be confused at first because he’s usually given whatever he wants. At first he’ll try to put your hand on his head but if you keep taking it away he’ll make you lay down with him and literally try to immobilize you by putting all his weight on your body; will even pretend to be asleep if you protest.

Reo Mikage

He’s a lot bit codependent so if he’s feeling neglected he’ll do everything he can to get your attention. He’ll usually shower you in gifts and/or take you on a romantic date. He’ll plan out a whole ass day of pampering just because he wants some attention. Please remind him he doesn’t need to do. All that. Because he often feels a bit useless if he doesn’t have time to do that. Not only does he feel useless but he’s somehow convinced himself subconsciously that he doesn’t really deserve your attention if he hasn’t done anything for you.

Oliver Aiku

If he wants attention from you, he’ll give you an insane amount of attention. Unlike Kunigami and Barou, he’s very forward and will text you, showering you with sweet words while he’s on his way to yours and when he gets there, he’s practically already all over you. He’s going on about how much he loves you and how he missed you so much all while kissing you wherever he can reach you. Tbh if he's craving attention, he probably just wants to have sex since he’s not a very clingy guy so he's probably already backing you into a wall and trying to undress you.

Eita Otoya

Honestly his appeal to others is usually him being the “cold but caring” type so, like Aiku, he’d probably text you before getting to yours but it’d be even more bare bones like, “i miss you” or “can I see u” even if he DOES genuinely like you he doesn’t really think deeply about his feelings and impulsively texts you when he wants attention. Unlike Aiku, he is a clingy guy and if he’s really desperate for attention he’ll still escalate it to sex if he can; just slower. Probably wants to lay his face in your chest or lap and makeout.

Tabito Karasu

Oh this smartass. He’s probably similar to Hyoma in the fact that he makes sure it's you who wants his attention by pampering you one minute and acting like nothing happened the next. However he does tend to like smart people so if you’re smart enough to see through his hot-and-cold act he’ll eventually hold you and hide his face in your chest, admitting defeat but he’d still be smiling because either way he wins. He’s already got you and he won't let go until you fill the quota of kisses you owe him.

Kenyu Yukimiya

He’s the type to feel a bit embarrassed about wanting attention at first but will be more forward if you don’t pick up on his subtle hints. His hints include sneaking glances at you or holding your hand whenever he gets the opportunity. He’s honestly pretty charismatic so I think that when being more forward he would probably kiss your hand and help you with anything you may need to get done or finish anything he may need to do so that you can completely focus on each other when there’s nothing left.

Yo Hiori

Honestly craving attention is a somewhat rare occurrence for him so it's a bit embarrassing, especially since you two are used to kinda doing your own thing. Probably gives you little ‘hints’ like starting off by asking if you want to play a game with him as an excuse to get you close to him. Another hint would likely be him invading your bubble whether it be by scooting close to you or hooking his leg over yours a bit or whatever it may be. If you still aren’t getting it he probably says something that tips you off while looking directly at you or glancing at you like, “Do you mind me being clingy?” or something along those lines.

Ranze Kurona

He’s such a sweetie he probably braids your hair if it's long enough (if it’s short he’ll still try a root braid if you want but he’s not very good at it). If not he’ll usually get you both stickers to mess around with, putting some on your face, others on various items and sometimes you put them in random hidden places as a nice surprise when you find them again. Typically this is enough to get the attention he’s looking for, but if you’re teasing him or simply forgot, he’ll lightly nip your shoulder or lightly graze his teeth over your shoulder (Since you two got together you have definitely encouraged him to be comfortable with his teeth around you)

Zantetsu Tsurugi

This guy often tries to be something he’s not so he’d probably try to do a bunch of romantic gestures that aren’t his style. Knowing him he’d probably put together some poems. They aren’t very good but it IS very sweet and he’d keep doing this for a while until the poems start to sound the same and he starts to get frustrated. He’d try learning an instrument, impressing you with his knowledge on a subject you like etc. until eventually he would just force himself to suck it up and ask you for attention outright and just straight up admit how much you mean to him because all these other things are draining and they aren’t him.

Jingo Raichi

He’s another guy who finds it a bit embarrassing to be ‘soft’ so when craving attention he’ll often ‘starve’ himself of it. Usually you’re the one who has to give him attention but if you haven’t for whatever reason then he’ll be angrier than usual that day with his teammates. He’ll probably give up by the time he gets home and just crashes into you grumbling about how his day has been SO unsexy. Probably won’t let you go until he falls asleep tbh and even then he still has a pretty good grip on you.

Jyubei Aryu

When he wants attention Aryu would probably start flaunting his beauty, pushing his hair back, striking poses, modeling clothes for you, whatever stylish thing he can think of– he will do it and then glance over at you to make sure you were paying attention. If that doesn’t work then he’d have you do some stylish things like he might have you try on some clothes he bought you or ask you to style his hair because he is “lacking inspiration” (He actually just knows you like playing with his hair smh)

Jin Kiyora

This dude is a freak, it's a lot bit funny. When he wants attention he probably asks you to watch a movie with him (You’re already suspicious that he didn’t put on Fight Club for the umpteenth time or another action movie). He honestly put it on as background noise and thought it looked boring so he’d probably just tell you to lay down with him and lightly kiss you until you get the picture (Spoil him). Can and WILL turn the movie off and hide the remote if you neglect him smh (He will not enjoy the returned energy next time he wants to watch fight club so for both of your sakes just give him some kisses).

Michael Kaiser

Complicated individual, rightfully so. If he wants attention he’d simply demand it. Bye. He would likely just pull you towards him without any further commentary, he might even look a bit annoyed. If you didn’t know him you’d think he was in a bad mood and upset with you but you know how he gets. However, he’s more clear when it’s been a long day and he’s feeling a bit beat down or unsure of himself. He’d just shove his face into your back or your midsection and let you play with his hair as he conks theee fuck out.

Alexis Ness

Another complicated individual whew. What is up with these codependent purple dudes who found the worst possible person to depend on? Ness has yet to find a relationship where he is properly loved and not essentially abandoned so if he feels like you’re slipping away he’ll panic and do everything in his power to convince you to keep him around. He needs a lot of reassurance tbh and spends a lot of his time in your arms. When he’s craving attention he’ll usually just be sulking around all day like a sad wet cat. Every now and again he turns to look at you wistfully and walks past very slowly like that damn homeless ant. Show him some love he needs it now more than ever ayayayay.

[annymation]

The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 15- At All Cost?

Chapter 14

Asha is now in the middle of the wishes room, staring at the queen standing on the king's study.

She feels her heart racing for a moment, she's scared... But then she remembers what she's holding right now, her sketchbook and her magic pencil.

She has nothing to fear, if anything, it's the queen who should be scared.

After glancing at the objects in her hands, Asha takes a deep breath and calms down, and faces the queen boldly.

The queen smiles at that, as she begins to speak with her usual honeyed voice "Hello dear, such a pleasant surprise to have you back so soon." She looks down to Valentino, the goat in cowering between Asha's legs and shaking in fear at the sight of the lynx next to the queen, her smile widens "Awww and you even brought a little snack for my pet, how thoughtful." she lets out a quiet chuckle.

Bravo is salivating, staring at the baby goat with predatory eyes.

Asha starts to think on what she can draw, the queen hasn't moved yet, so maybe she can ramble with her for a bit and then catch her off guard...

Asha realizes how the queen looks older than the last time they've met, not too old, but the white hair streak and the subtle wrinkles on her previously perfect skin are noticeable... Just like Aster, she sees this change as an opportunity to make fun of the royal.

"Yeah, glad to be back. Though I thought my last visit here in the castle was 2 days ago, but judging by your face it must have been AGES, huh?" Asha says with a smirk, knowing that would infuriate the queen.

And she was correct, for the queen's smile immediately fell into a cold glare.

(This is the closest I could find in the movie of Amaya looking evil)

"It is churlish to comment on a woman's age, have you no manners?" Her tone is condescending.

Asha simply smiles, seeing that struck a nerve "These are just the manners you deserve, "your highness"" She says the formal title with sarcasm.

The queen looks at her with a serious expression as she raises one eyebrow, almost impressed with how much that sweet and insecure girl they met changed so much in so little time... But her smiles returns slightly, because she has already planed on how to take all that courage out of her.

"You really think so? This way you might hurt my feelings, child..." She places a hand in her chest making a fake sad expression, that instantly returns to a wicked smile as she takes a potion flask from inside the front of her dress "Perhaps I should give you just what you deserve as well."

Asha notices the flask and instantly turns to her sketchbook to try drawing something "What a coincidence, I was thinking the same thi-"

But before she starts to draw, she notices... The floor she's standing on is covered with something... Something shiny, that look's like blue sand.

She glances around the room and sees that the whole floor around her is covered with a thin layer of this weird sand, Asha has a puzzled expression.

The queen notes her confusion "Ah, I see you finally noticed the fire salamander ashes, quite pleasing to look at how they sparkle, don't you think?"

Asha feels a chill run down her spine as she hears the word "fire" coming out of the woman's mouth "W-What?" She turns to the queen, and sees she's now opening a flask with an orange shinny liquid inside.

"Oh yes, it is known as one of the most inflammable components in the magic world, and it also so happens to have such a beautiful reaction when mixed with dragon's blood..." She explains like she's just sharing an interesting fun fact about her hobby as a potion maker, her tone becomes sinister as she opens the flask and asks "Would you like to see?"

"No- NO NO WAIT!" Asha screams in desperation, completely forgetting about her magic pencil as she takes Valentino in her arms to protect him from what she already knows is coming.

The queen drops one single drop of the shiny liquid on the floor, and a HUGE blue flame forms in front of her, spreading slowly to the whole room covered in fire salamander ashes.

(If you're wondering where the heck Amaya get's all these ingredients, let's just say that line she had in the movie about "Why a sorcerer needs what a sorcerer needs is not your concern" is a line Magnifico probably said to a lot of soldiers he sent off on dangerous quests over the years.)

The queen laughs maniacally as she snaps her fingers, making the huge door made of mirrors close in front of her, trapping Asha in the fiery room.

The flames are spreading and approaching Asha slowly, she thinks fast and pulls from her sketchbook the drawing of the flying carpet.

As the carpet flies out of the page, she jumps on it with Valentino. Now they're both safely flying above the flames, surrounded by the wish bubbles.

The queen has no idea they're safe from harm, and Asha smiles with that notion. She'll open the door sooner or later to see if Asha is dead, so all the girl has to do is play along and pretend she's in mortal danger.

"THERE'S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU LADY!" Asha yells from the carpet, trying her best not to laugh while faking she's scared for her life. Valentino also catches on to the plan and lets out some fake scared bleating, Asha pets him to show she's proud.

The queen falls for it, as she says in sarcasm "Who meee? Why, all I want is to give my beloved pet some freshly cooked meat" She's sitting down with her back against the wall of mirrors, as she too pets her lynx's head gently... Her eyes light up as a devious idea pops in her head, so she says with her words dripping with venom "...Besides, wouldn't you agree this is the most fitting end for you? To burn into ashes just like your dear mama and papa?"

Asha is stunned at the mention of her parents, but her surprise quickly turns into anger "Don't you DARE talk about my parents!" She almost forgets she's supposed to sound scared right now

"Awww sensitive topic, my flower? If it serves as any consolation, they would've suffered way more had I picked how to kill them." Her voice has a twisted sense of humor hanging on every word.

Asha's eyes widen "... Wait... What did you just say?"

"You see, Magnus has always been more of a "Get things done quick" kind of man, and although I love that about him, I oh so wish we had gone with my plan of poisoning their garden..." Amaya continues casually like she's just sharing small talk with the poor girl that is having this terrifying revelation unfold before her "But oh well, I suppose starting a fire with magic was simpler. Such a shame you weren't inside with them, would've spared us a lot of grey hairs." She says as she holds a strand of her newly white hair streak.

Asha feels her world crumble as she process what Amaya just told her...

All this time she thought it was just bad luck, that they had an accident with the fireplace or dropped a candle... But it was them...

Everything was because of them. The reason she never got to learn how to draw with her mother, the reason she never got to hear her father stories, the reason she never got to grow up with them, the reason she and her Saba were alone... It was all THEM.

Asha sees the fire consuming half of the room bellow her, the flames are reflecting on her eyes as she asks with her voice more furious than ever "WHY?! WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO YOU?!"

The queen laughs at the question "You are just like them, darling. They were worthless little weeds festering in our garden, inspiring our roses to grant wishes by themselves. We simply had no choice but to root them out." Amaya explains with her voice turning more and more maniacal as she finishes "And now, it's your turn to join them!"

... That was the reason? Because her parents encouraged people to chase after their wishes? Her parents lost their lives... Because these two sickos wanted to control EVERY SINGLE PERSON in Rosas?!

Asha sees that the room is almost fully consumed by the flames, and so is her heart consumed by anger. So she lets out a scream, from the pain she feels in her chest and also to trick the queen into opening the door.

"AAAAAaaAaaaAAAAAaAAAH!!!"

The queen is content hearing the girl painful screaming, thinking that's the last sound she'll ever hear from her.

"It seems your meal is ready, Bravo" She says with a twisted glee while getting up, Bravo looks just as exited as his owner.

The queen snaps her fingers, opening the huge door made of mirrors. The whole room is covered in bluish flames. With one drop of another flask she had with her, this time with a blue liquid, the fire is quickly extinguished like the flame of a candle being blown out.

Once the fire was gone the queen expected to see the girl and her little goat lifeless bodies laying on the floor... But they're nowhere to be seen.

"... What in the-"

"Looking for me?" Asha's voice comes from above.

The queen quickly looks up, gasping in shock when she sees the girl flying on a magic carpet.

The queen barely has time to react before Asha jumps from the carpet, and with one swift move of her hand, points to the surprised lynx, wordlessly commanding the carpet to deal with him.

The carpet flies towards the queen, and she cowers in fear and closes her eyes trying to protect herself. But her eyes quickly open again when she hears her pet meowing desperately, the carpet took him and flew with him to outside the window.

(Ya know, originally I was gonna write a chase scene between Valentino and Bravo, but I realized we kinda don't have the time and I'm not feeling like writing that, soooooo I just throw the cat out the window instead. He'll be fine.)

"MY BABY!" The queen shrieks, worried sick for his safety

"Relax, I sent him somewhere safe. Unlike YOU, I'm not a monster." Asha sounds fierce but also with a hint of pain in her voice, like every word that comes out of her mouth gives a sting in her heart, as she's fighting to not cry in front of the queen. "Valentino, go hide while I deal with her." Her voice is serious, while she's flipping through the pages of her book, and once she finds the one she was looking for she pulls out a sword just like the one she used to practice sword fighting with Aster earlier.

The queen sees Asha doing magic in disbelief, as she's now walking backwards slowly shaking her head "no" with a terrified expression.

Asha doesn't hear Amaya whisper under her breath "That boy didn't say anything abo-"

The queen stops mumbling when Asha begins to run, charging towards her with sword in hands, ready to attack.

Amaya tries to run out of the way, but she trips on her own dress and falls on the floor.

Now, Asha is the one in control, pointing her sword to the woman laying down beneath her. Her enraged face shows clearly that she's after revenge.

Amaya for the first time loses her composure, and stutters in a desperate attempt to reason with her "A-Asha, now now ca-calm down, listen to me-" her voice is helpless.

"NO! YOU LISTEN!" Asha's voice echoes through the large room "All the pain and suffering I've went through ALL MY LIFE ties back to the two of you! All because you wanted to keep this SICK AND TWISTED sense of control over everyone in Rosas." She points the sword closer to Amaya's neck, the older woman is shaking "But guess what, no matter what you did, you could NEVER control me! I overcame everything you threw at me, and now, I'll make sure you two can NEVER hurt anyone else ever again!" Asha raises the sword above her head to strike down the witch-

...

But Asha stops.

She can't do it.

She's not like them.

Asha looks down on the queen breathing heavily and lowers her sword. She doesn't know if she's doing the right decision... But that's her decision.

The queen sees Asha's hesitation... And a smile slowly creeps in on the corner of her red lips "You can't do it, can you dear?... Because unlike me, you're not a monster." She repeats what Asha said moments ago with a faux soothing voice.

Asha quickly points the sword back to Amaya's neck, as a warning that if she moves Asha won't hesitate anymore, she speaks with the queen with a cold expression "I never intended to kill neither of you anyway, the plan was just to-"

"Apprehend us and have Rosas decide our punishment?" The queen finishes her sentence, now with a full smile. Asha's eyes widen in surprise "I must say, I found that part of your little plan quite adorable, so nice of you and your friends to show us mercy." Her voice mimics a sweet tone, dripping with sarcasm.

Asha feels a chill run down her spine when the queen mentioned her friends... This, and the trap that was set up for them in the kitchen... How did they know?

"How? HOW did you know we were coming?!" Asha tries to hide her fear, speaking angrily while getting the blade closer to the queen's neck.

Amable doesn't even flinch, she simply warns her "I'd be careful with that blade, my sweet. You lay one scratch on me and my darling king will be quite upset." That doesn't really phase Asha at all as she just squints her eyes at her, wanting some answers, so the queen gives her an answer "Let's just say a... Sleepy little pawn of ours made himself quite useful."

Asha's eyebrows scrunch in confusion, she thinks for a moment and... Realization hits her.

"... Simon?" Asha's mind is rushing, she's stares at the queen nodding positively in front of her, and she feels like she's the one who was cut by a blade... He betrayed them?... No, he wouldn't, the king must have forced him "What did you two do with him?!" She asks furious.

"Nothing at all, he ratted you out. For you see my dear, our "sick and twisted sense of control" you speak of runs oh so much deeper than you think" Asha is staring at Amaya straight in the eyes, so she doesn't see that the queen's hand is reaching for something inside the a hidden pocket inside her long skirt "You can't trust anyone in this kingdom, in the end, they're aaaaall just little pawns in our game of chess."

"You're wrong... Simon didn't tell you our whole plan. If he did then you'd have known about my magic." Asha says with certainty, not fully understanding what happened yet, but still believing that her friend at least fought against telling them everything.

"Indeed, he failed to mention it, which gave you an advantage... However, it hardly matters how many advantages you get, for when playing chess-" Her smile widens into a maniacal expression, and she raises her hand holding a potion flask that was hidden inside her dress "The QUEEN is the strongest piece on the board!" She throws it on the floor, it shatters, creating a cloud of thick blue smoke.

Asha coughs, that caught her completely off guard. She looks around and can see nothing but the thick blue smoke, she tries not to breathe too much of it in by covering her face. Still holding on to her sword tightly.

The queen is no longer on the ground, Asha can't see where she went... But she hears the sound of something made of metal hitting the floor.

She turns to the direction of the sound-

Queen Amable took a sword that was previously decorating the wall, and is now running to Asha ready to attack.

Asha gasps in surprise, raising her hand drawn sword to defend herself, and she succeeds. The two are now pressing their swords against one another, with the queen trying her hardest to get Asha out of balance to stab her.

The queen fights the girl with finesse and precision, like this is something she has experience with, while Asha's movements are more clumsy and rigid, but she's still more agile and relatively stronger than the older woman, since she was cursed and is now 10 years older than she was previously.

(Cute fun fact I guess: for the longest time Magnifico was a bit paranoid that if people found out they were evil and a "hero" could try to defeat them, so, just like how Asha practiced with Aster, he taught Amaya how to defend herself just in case anything happened to him... I hate them, but I also love them as a couple)

As their swords clash against one another, the metallic sounds echo through the room. Asha tries to show confidence, smiling while they fight "Y-you two won't win! Magnus doesn't stand a chance against Aster in the forest, he's gonna be here soon and-"

The queen can only laugh darkly as she speaks "Oh darling, it is your little star who doesn't stand a chance! For you see, dark magic is not be his only weakness! Hahaha"

Asha is still fighting, but her face looks concerned...

Aster's weakness?

Now... We cut to the woods.

We see a dash of light quickly flying through the trees, until they reach a specific one and flies to the top of it.

The dash of light is obviously Aster. He sits on a tree branch and knocks on the tree "He'll be here any minute now, you guys ready?"

From a role in the tree, two round shinny eyes open, and a voice comes out sounding mysterious: "Of course, a pleasure to be of service."

"Great, thanks again for the help fellas" Aster smiles excitedly, he looks down, just waiting for Magnifico to show up on the trail bellow.

... But then he hears something...

Instruments... Again.

The instruments sound slow, like they're warning Aster of something, and judging by Aster's annoyed face it's something they've already been alerted about before

"Yeah, I knooooow I can't let him get my magic. Don't know if you guys realize but that's the whole reason I'm trying to break that staff in the first place." Aster speaks looking up with narrowed eyes.

The instruments sound... Worried? I don't know how one would describe a worried orchestra, but it's like they're playing cautiously.

Aster this time responds calmer, trying to reassure them "I am being careful, I swear. I won't let him-" Aster stops for a moment and thinks... He doesn't actually knows what would happen if the king got his power, well, except for the part that without his magic he can't exist so the king would pretty much kill him. But Aster doesn't know what would happen to the king and queen... He might as well ask "By the way... Has that ever happened before? A human absorbing a star's power?"

The stars go quiet for a moment, before a single flute plays a small sad melody

"I see..." Aster has a worried face "And what happened then?"

Aster listens to the orchestra sounds, it's an ominous percussion mixed with some erratic violins.

Aster listens to it all attentively, his face slowly becomes more and more shocked, as if he's listening to something out of a horror story.

He slowly nods, humming a little with the concern now growing inside him too.

But then he hears one thing that gets his attention.

"Wait wait wait back up" The instruments all stop "What was that about "The human fell into madness"?"

A single cello plays a small melody... Aster's eyes widen.

"Huh, really?... I wonder if the king knows about that..." Aster ponders quietly. Then Aster hears a sound that is not instruments this time, but a twig breaking on the ground bellow, Magnifico's coming "And speak of the devil, that's your cue friends." Aster says knocking on the tree.

Down bellow, Magnifico is walking on the trail, with trees all around him. He's holding his staff over his shoulders casually as he singsongs to himself:

"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are..." the king looks around the woods... It's quiet... Too quiet. The star is plotting something, but that's alright, because so is he "Come out come out lad, we both know you can't hide from me the whole night long... I just wish to have a little chat with you." The king says in a faux friendly voice.

"Yeah you can keep wishing that but I ain't granting it!" Aster's voice comes from the tree tops

The king looks up with a wide smile, ready to cast a spell to capture the star. But his smile instantly vanishes as the green light from his staff reflects on many tiny eyes staring down at him, revealing that on the trees above there's a whole army of Genets ready to pounce:

(Genets: Slender cat-like nocturnal animals that can be found in Spain... Imagine a bunch of these fellas staring down on you at night, terrifying me thinks)

They all jump on the king, climbing all over him and scratching his clothes. Magnifico screams while holding tightly to his staff and trying to protect his already scarred face

"AAAAH GET OFF ME YOU WRETCHED- NOT THE FACE NOT THE FACE!!" Magnus is wobbling around covered in wild cats.

Aster lets out a childish laugh as he cheers while flying above the desperate king "Yes! Get the face everyone! And also those fingers if you can! Hahahaa"

The king turns red with fury "ENOUGH!" he uses his magic to throw all of them away from him, some genets scatter while others stay, ready to attack him again, but the king is having none of that "GET NEAR ME AGAIN AND I'LL MAKE FUR COATS OUT OF YOU"

The all get scared, and run away to the depths of the forest.

Aster looks sad for a moment but he has no time to think too much about it, for the king immediately turns to him and tries to capture him once more.

Aster swiftly dodges the king's magic and hides behind a tree.

He then shrinks down to the size of a hand. He's the size of tinker bell.

The king is catching his breath after all the commotion, but he has enough energy to scream some facts to the star "Just accept it, boy! You can't best me! throw me your plants and I'll burn them, throw me your animals and I'll scatter them!"

Aster face is deep in thought, he hates to agree, but they have indeed been in this game of cat and mouse for a while, and Aster is not even close to getting that staff, not to mention how they hate to put even more animals in danger...

The king upon receiving no snarky comment in return, calms down slightly, knowing that the star deep down is just as tired of this game as he is...

He reaches for something inside his vest.

"So how about we stop playing, and just talk things out, hum?" Magnus voice is once again "friendly" but with a clear ominous undertone.

Aster thinks... He might be able to catch the staff while the king is distracted blabbering whatever he has to say... So he plays along.

"You really must love the sound of your own voice, don't ya? All you do is talk all the time." Aster's snarks while hiding behind the tree "Fine, what do you wanna talk about so bad?"

We don't see what Magnifico pulled out his vest, but he's holding a small object on his hand. Looking at whatever it is with a mischievous smile.

"That girl... You love her, don't you?" The king asks nonchalantly.

Aster's eyes widen in shock... EVEN HE NOTICED?!

Aster knew he couldn't let this man know how he and Asha felt about each other, as he'd totally take advantage of that, so the star tries to lie "W-what?! What you talking about?! We-we like- We just met 2 days ago! That's crazy talk!" Aster is a terrible liar by the way.

Magnifico has a pleased smile, as he walks forward to where Aster's voice is coming from, he's holding his staff with one hand while hiding the other behind his back. "And I fell in love with my wife in two minutes or less, what's your point? Heheh" he chuckles like he's reminiscing of something, but then continues, sounding as if he's talking to a stubborn kid that refuses do admit something obvious "Come now, starlight. Wishing stars are supposed to only give humans some guidance, but here you are going waaay above and beyond your purpose, breaking all the rules for her... Because you love her~" He singsongs that last part as if to make fun of the star.

Aster is about to say something when he notices that Magnifico is getting closer to his hiding place, so he flies to the ground, still on his miniature size, trying to hide in the low vegetation and move to somewhere else.

Magnifico notes the silence, and just chuckles "Well, either I'm right, or you're just too incompetent to even guide her at all, aren't you?" The king says jokingly.

That strikes a nerve with Aster, as he's quite done with the stars calling him incompetent and naive for so long. The star is still hiding in his small size but his voice is just as loud as it would be if he was normally sized:

"You know what?! YEAH we are in love! And it's thanks to our love that we'll defeat you! Because we'll fight to protect each other, at all cost!"

The king's grin grows even more devious.

"At all cost? Hmm, how charming." The king coos, and we see him holding the mysterious object tightly and focusing to perform a spell... He whispers some words in latin:

"Ligneus. Pupa. Crescere. Et dolus."

Aster doesn't hear what the king just said. but suddenly, he starts to hear the stars all speaking with him at the same time, the instruments play alarmingly all at once. They're speaking over each other, so Aster doesn't understand, the star looks up in frustration and whispers "Guys o-one at a time please- UGH I don't understand nor have time to talk ri-"

"Did you hear that, Asha? I told you he cared." The king speaks sweetly with someone else.

Aster feels the world stop when he hears that name come out of the king's mouth.

Aster flies out of the bushes and sees it... Magnifico is holding Asha by her shoulder, she's tied up by a rope made of green magic, her mouth is covered and she's struggling to free herself.

The star doesn't even think before he returns to his normal size, their animation looking rough and sketchy as he yells "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF-"

Aster sees a giant green hand made of light coming in his direction.

The star remembers he can't let himself get caught. In the blink of an eye he stretches his body down, like he's made of rubber... Get it? He's animated like a rubber hose cartoon for a second.

Aster dodges the king's magic once again and flies to hide behind a large tree.

"Ha! Almost caught you this time!" The king exclaims victorious while laughing.

Aster's mind is rushing with questions as he starts to panic... How did he get her? Is she hurt? Their plan went wrong? How can he save her?!

In the confusion that is their mind, they can't focus to listen what the stars are trying to tell him, the stars are just muddled voices to him now.

"I bet you're wondering how I found her, aren't you?" The king asks with a sadistic sweetness in his voice, holding the girl close to him "See, while you were flying away and hiding, like a coward, a guard came into the forest to tell me they found the poor thing lost in our garden" His voice is filled with a mocking fake sadness like he's describing a tragedy "And she just wouldn't stop calling your name... So here he is Asha, your daring "hero" hahaahaha!" His evil laugh echoes through the woods.

Aster didn't even know he could feel so much fear and anger at the same time. He places a hand on the ground and uses his magic to try attacking Magnifico with vines.

The king notices the plants beginning to grow next to him from the corner of his eyes, and his smile just grows as he says "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were youuu~" He points his staff to her face, with the green gem shinning brightly and menacingly.

Aster can hear Asha muffled screams in fear, and he get's the message. He stops the vines from growing. The star looks down defeated.

Magnifico sees the vines retreating, and takes the staff away from her face "That's better. Now! How do you feel about a little bargain?" His voice is full of excitement like he's a con man ready to make a big deal.

Aster may be naive but even he knows where the king is going with this, and his not falling for it "Do you think I'm an idiot!?" The star asks angrily

"Why, yes! Very much so!" The king answers gleefully.

"You want me to surrender in exchange for Asha's life... But we both know your word isn't worth anything!" Aster is trying to speak boldly to mask how scared he actually is.

"*Gaaaaasp* You think I would lie?? Meeee??? I'd never!" The king says dramatically with sarcasm clear as day "Hehe jokes aside, I can assure you I NEVER break my end of a deal... If you don't break yours." He puts emphasis on that last part, he then begins to speak very quickly the terms of their deal "So here's the trade off, you surrender in, let's say, the count of 5, and in return I'll have your little doll here sent to some other kingdom where she'll be safe from harm and can live on to thrive and chase after her dreams yada yada yada happy ending! What do ya say? Come on."

Aster is too overwhelmed to think- He obviously can't trust Magnifico's word, but if they don't do as he says then Asha is done for- But who's to say she'll be safe later when the king has his mag-

"Let me make this easier for you... One"

The king starts counting.

Aster mind is spinning, he tries to think clearly, but his emotions are clouding his judgment. The stars voices are just white noise.

"Twooo"

The king prepares to use his magic on the girl.

Aster feels some tears form in the corner of his eyes... He promised Asha he would't let himself get caught but-

"Threee"

Aster hears Asha's muffled voice screaming for help, but not the stars above him...

He breaks his promise.

"ALRIGHT!" The star yells, flying out of their hiding place, with his hands up.

And before he knows it, there are glowing green chains on his writs that quickly pull him closer to where the king and "Asha" are. Once the chains are on him the sound of messy orchestra instruments stops all together, since Aster's powers are diminished by the dark magic, he can no longer hear the stars.

The star doesn't struggle, accepting his loss. The king pulls him in closer and closer until Aster is standing right in front of him, Magnifico looks down on him with a cruel smile.

Aster is not looking at him, his eyes are full of sadness and fixated on the ground, unable to face "the girl" the king's holding.

"Awww why the long face, little one? Here, she's free just as promised." The king snaps his fingers and "Asha" is free from her restraints, now just standing still next to him. "... Any last goodbyes before I send her off?" Aster doesn't notice but Magnifico is trying his best to hold in his laughter.

Aster can only look down, not wanting to face her yet, but he apologizes for not granting her wish "... Asha... I'm sorry... I tried everything I could but- I failed." a single tear runs down the star's face as he begs her "When you're away from here... DON'T come back, and DON'T look back... I just want you to be safe and-" Aster stops as he finally looks at her face.

It's devoid of emotion... And her eyes are soulless... Like a dolls eyes.

Aster is worried that Magnifico did something to her, he reaches out to hold her hand "Asha? What's wro-" but when he holds her hand... There's nothing... No star inside of her... That's not Asha.

As realization dawns on the star, Magnifico can't hold it in anymore "Pffft HAHA HAHAAHAHAAH HAHAHAAH"

With every "ha" Aster's face becomes more furious, both angry at the king and himself for falling for his trick.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Aster shouts as he tries to get away from Magnifico, who simply pulls him closer by the chains so they're face to face.

"Did I? I thought I was quite clear." He smiles sadistically "I said I'd "have your little doll sent somewhere safe", remember? Aaaand" He snaps his fingers, and the magic that made up the fake Asha disappears like it was blown away by the wind, and all that is left of her is a small wooden doll. The same wooden doll Magnifico made for Asha all the way back in chapter 4.

(... Get it? He turned a wooden doll into a real girl... Like Pinocchio... Heheheheh *Jumps out the window... Gets back to write the rest of the chapter* ahem, anyway, congrats @gracebeth3604 you guessed it, I made Magnifico pull a Hades move on our wonder boy)

"Here she is!" Magnifico exclaims excitedly while placing the doll inside Aster's chained hands "She's all yours, lad! You can even choose where you want me to send her while we go back to the palace." Magnifico says like he's doing Aster a favor. He starts walking and pulling the star to come along.

Aster looks at the doll with rage and throws her away into the bushes.

Aster tries to pull away from the chains and keeps himself still with his feet fixated on the ground "I AM NOT LETTING YOU USE ME TO HURT THEM! IF YOU THINK I GONNA JU- GHHAaaAAaAAAaaaA!!!" Aster feels a shock wave of pain course his body as the king uses a spell to electrocute him, his animation becomes fully disjointed like he's struggling to keep his physical form. Once it's over, Aster can only kneel down in pain.

"Not so funny when it happens to you, is it?" Magnifico's eyes are now full of spite, highlighting the scar over his left eye "I've enjoyed this little game of ours but we really must hurry, I'd hate to keep my queen waiting... Not to mention, your girl is just DYING to see you too."

Aster is weak from the pain but he manages to look up to the king.

"W-what...?"

Did they get her?

We now cut back to the palace, Asha is still fighting with the queen.

The girl looks exhausted, swinging her sword around and defending herself from the unhinged woman. She doesn't have time to stop and take her sketchbook to draw something else to attack.

But Asha slips up, and Amaya manages to disarm her, throwing her sword away to the other side of the room.

Asha gasps in shock.

"NO!- UGH!"

The queen KICKS the girl's legs, making her fall on the ground, now their positions are reversed from how they were before.

Asha looks up horrified to the queen pointing the blade to her face, she's looking down on the girl with a smirk "So... Ha ha- how's that for an "old lady" huh?" The woman is panting like she could collapse from exhaustion at any moment, but she still keeps her composure as she threatens the girl bellow her.

Asha tries to reach for her sketchbook tied to her belt, but the queen quickly takes it off her hands. Asha doesn't have time to react before Amable throws it away to the other side of the room.

Asha is petrified, she has nowhere to go.

She can see Valentino hiding behind the curtains of a window, he's scared.

"You put up a good fight child, but I'm afraid this is where your story ends, with you... All alone." Amaya raises the sword to end the girl's life.

Asha can only close her eyes and prepare for the impact... Until she hears a familiar voice

"Think again WITCH!"

Both Amaya and Asha are startled by the sudden scream, however, a smile quickly appears on Asha's face when she sees who it is.

Amaya turns around and is quickly knocked out of balance by something pushing her to the side, away from Asha. The queen drops the sword on the floor.

What pushed the queen was Dahlia's crutch, as the girl is now standing in front of Asha offering her a hand with a relieved smile "Sorry we took us so long, you okay?"

"Better now you're here!" Asha hold her best friend's hand and goes in for a hug, feeling relieved to see her safe. While they hug, Asha opens her eyes and sees that behind Dahlia there's also Gabo, Hal, Bazeema, Safi and Dario. All of them glaring at the queen laying on the floor.

"Ho- HOW DID YOU BRATS GET IN HERE?!" The queen demands to know, her hair is partially covering her face, she looks like an absolute mess.

Hal points to the small elevator on the wall, used to get food from the kitchen straight to the king's study "Did you forget how you get your meals everyday?"

(How did all 6 of them fit in the elevator?... Same way they did in the movie, cartoon logic)

Amaya just groans in frustration as the teens walk closer to her.

Asha gets her sketchbook on the floor, she sighs in relief before saying with a smile "*sigh* Alright, just like we planned, everyone" She begins to draw some squiggly lines on her book, and as she touches the page the lines come out as long pieces of rope.

Her friends all get a piece of rope. And they walk to tie up the evil queen.

(Hahah get it? The 7 dwarfs references are the ones who save her from the evil queen! Heheheeh I love when references fit the narrative)

The queen's screaming for them to stay away from her in the background. But we focus on Asha, who's calling Valentino to come out of his hiding place.

The baby goat does so, rushing to her arms happily. Asha hugs him with a big smile "It's alright, I'm fine" She reassures him, and also reassure herself.

Asha looks around to her friends and notices... There's one missing.

"... So it was true" She begins to speak with Dahlia, the only one that didn't go help tie up Amaya, preferring to stay by Asha's side "Simon really did betray us..." She sounds hurt.

Dahlia places a hand on her friend's shoulder and explains "At first, yeah, he did. But who do you think pulled us up here?" She smiles at Asha, and gives her a wink.

Asha's eyebrows raise "Wait... So he changed his mind? How?" She asks confused

"Let's just say the king's mind control was no match for the power of friendship... Also Gabo kept screaming and swearing at him like a sailor." Hal said joyously.

"I told him bad words he didn't even know existed! And I'm literally younger than him!" Gabo says proudly while pulling a rope to tight up the Amaya's arms on her back.

"He can pull himself up the elevator, so he'll be here to help us pretty soon!" Safi comments.

Asha is happy that her friend came to his senses... But she still has a bad feeling.

"Did he say how much he told about the plan to Magnifico?" Asha asks Dahlia, with concern clear in her voice.

Dahlia's smile fades, she also seems worried "He doesn't know actually, he can't remember much about how the conversation went."

Asha looks down and thinks for a moment "... Okay, he didn't tell them about my pencil, so maybe he didn't tell them everything, we can still win." She smiles confidently.

Asha and the teens are suddenly startled once they hear a familiar voice shouting aaaaaall the way down the stairs of the palace:

"NO NO IT'S FINE, I CAN GET HIM UP THERE ON MY OWN! YOU ALL JUST SOUND THE TRUMPETS AND GATHER THE CITIZENS!" The king's voice echoes through the castle, he's talking to the guards in the entrance.

"Aster!" Asha exclaims worried.

The queen is all tied up, smiling in the background.

"I- I gotta go help him! You all stay here." Asha rushes to the door.

"Oh no we won't, we're not leaving your side again!" Dahlia exclaims holding her wrist.

"No, you don't understand, Magnifico CAN'T get even close to you all, not while he still has that staff, I won't let him hurt you." Asha explains to her friend with a serious expression "I'll find a way to save Aster and break it... Somehow." She doesn't sound so sure of herself, but she knows she has to try.

"And how can you do that?" Bazeema asks concerned

Asha holds her sketchbook and her pencil and starts drawing a key "I'll use my imagination" She smiles.

Asha pulls out the key from the page, she turns to tell her friends one last thing before leaving. But when she turns something catches her attention, on the king's desk there's a a small cloth bag full of blue sparkly sand, the bag is labeled "Fire Salamander Ashes". Asha takes the bag from the table and says quickly "Also this might come in handy."

She opens the door with her hand drawn key and tells her friends one last thing "No matter what you guys hear, don't leave the room." She runs down the long flight of stairs.

Meanwhile Magnifico is dragging Aster up the stairs, the king looks exhausted as he tries to perform a teleportation spell to get them to the top, but he can only teleport a few steps up.

"ARGH I'm gonna give myself a splitting headache because of you!" Magnifico says, with a hand over his forehead, he speaks to himself under his breath "Never had to teleport so many times in one day, thought such a simple spell wouldn't exhaust me that much..."

Aster hears that, he's still struggling to not get dragged away by the king as he exclaims "If just teleporting a bunch of times to get us here gives you a headache then you REALLY not gonna like what'll happen if you get my magic!" This isn't a bluff, but an actual warning, as Aster remembers what the stars told him... Maybe he can convince Magnus to stop "LISTEN! My powers may seem weak now, but even the most powerful of sorcerers couldn't handle the power of a star inside them, it's TOO MUCH for a normal human to handle!"

"Yeah well, good thing I'm no normal human." The king says with a frustrated expression while dragging the star up the stairs.

"YES YOU ARE, MAGNUS!" Aster screams, trying to reach out for some sense of humanity inside him.

"Don't call me that." The king warns sternly, he's not looking at Aster as he speaks.

"You only have power at all because of that green gem on your staff. And even with it, you're not strong enough!" Aster continues while still getting dragged by the king

"I'd really not test my patience right now if I were you, boy." He sounds more and more angry.

"I'm trying to save you! If just performing a spell way too many times gives you a headache then MY POWER will make you LOSE YOUR MIND-" Aster tries to spell it out to Magn-

"AND I WOULD RATHER LOSE THAT THAN LOSING THE WOMAN I LOVE!" Magnifico shouts, now looking straight to the star behind him, enraged in a way the star has never seen before.

Aster goes silent, staring at the king in shock and... For the first time feeling like the man was 100% honest with him.

Magnus takes a few seconds to realize what he just said out of anger and exhaustion... He puts himself back together, straightening up his posture and taking a deep breath, before looking down to the star with his usual smile full of sarcasm "Thank you for the concern, Aster. Really appreciated, but you have nothing to worry you shinny little head about" He taps on the star's forehead with one finger "I've already planned on how to get myself a-... Let's say a "Power boost" before performing the spell to get your magic humhum" He chuckles lowly, excited to show the star what he means by that "Besiiiiiides, all the sorcerers that tried to yield the power of a star only went mad because they tried to do it on their own, while I have someone to share it with."

Aster is dumbfounded... The king KNEW that the power of a star can drive someone mad... And he choses to go after it anyway because he THINKS that by sharing it with his wife they'll be fine?... Aster realizes he is too far gone.

"Nothing I say is gonna change your mind, is it?" Aster asks with frustration in his voice, the king simply shakes his head "no" with a smug "... Then you don't love her at all, you just wanna use her to get more power." The star says with a scowl.

The king is stunned for a second by the gall the star has to say that, before his rage comes back at full force, he doesn't take his eyes off the star as he makes shock waves of pain go through Aster's body again, the star kneels down in agony.

"ASTER?!"

Asha's voice comes from the top of the stairs, surprising both the star and the king, but they're surprised for completely different reasons.

Aster looks up to the top of the stairs with a huge smile despite the pain he's in right now "ASHA!"

The king however turns to her in bewilderment "YOU?! HOW ARE YOU STILL ALI-" He stops as he has a realization... His face turns into a cold glare, hiding a hint of worry in his voice "Where's Amaya?"

Asha ignores the king's question, as she's already drawing the first thing that came into her head to stop him.

She throws out of her sketchbook what she just drew and...

A hand drawn piano manifests right above the king

"WHAT THE-"

BLAAAAAAM

The piano fell on the king. And keep in mind Simon didn't mention the magic pencil, so from Magnifico's perspective Asha just randomly manifested a piano out of nowhere.

Aster is free from the king's restraints, and he quickly flies up to Asha and gives her a hug, Asha hugs him back and the two have a second to breathe and be relieved that they're both okay.

"I was so worried about you! Are you okay?" Asha asks holding his face with both her hands.

"I'm the one who should be asking that!" Aster sounds worried sick.

"I'm fine, the others saved me from the queen, she's all tied up. Now we gotta focus on breaking that staff" She looks down the stairs to the destroyed hand drawn piano that the king is under "Do you think that was enough to knock him out?"

Asha's question is immediately answered by the remains of the piano being engulfed by green magic. It begins to float as the king violently throws it out of the stairs.

(Yeah sorry, he's unfortunately fine, because cartoon logic and this ending would be underwhelming.)

They can hear the loud sound of the piano falling on the ground bellow, as well as the sound of the king practically roaring in anger. He gives the two teens a death glare while trying to stand up.

"NOPE!" Aster answers, holding her in his arms, Aster flies as fast as he can up the stairs, fast enough that the king doesn't have time to catch them with his magic.

He does however have enough energy to do one simple spell. He snaps his finger, which locks all the doors that lead to the wishes room.

Asha and Aster are in the treasure room, the dimly lit room where Magnifico and Amable sang "Wish Away" to her.

The two of them are startled when the entrance they just went through shuts behind them and one second later the exit does too, they're trapped in the dark and large room full of treasure exposed like a museum.

But Aster quickly comes up with a solution.

"I-I'ts okay, I can unlock the door!" The star reaches out to use their magic, but Asha holds his arm.

"No! We can't keep running away from him, otherwise we'll lead him straight to the study, to where my friends are." She explains to Aster with concern, but also determined to fight back instead of running.

"Then what do we do?" Aster asks her quickly.

"I- I... I have a plan." Her face lights up with an idea, as she holds the star's hands "I don't have much time to explain so pay attention-"

"Oooooh Asha~" The king's voice comes from the other side of the door, he's getting closer.

Asha holds the star by the wrist and guides him to hide behind one of the many artifacts in the room "Aster- Turn into your human disguise NOW." They're now crouched down, hiding behind a small pillar with an old vase on it.

Aster is confused "What?? But I can't use my powers when I'm in that form." Aster explain nervously as they hear the king's footsteps approaching

"You can't glow either, you need to stop glowing so we can hide in the dark." She whispers quietly, her glance is practically rushing the star to just do as she says.

Aster doesn't know what she's planning but he trusts her wholeheartedly. He quickly goes from a 2D drawing with shiny hair to a 3D animated character like Asha, with normal blonde hair.

"Okay, so what do we do no-"

They hear the door opening.

The two teens keep their mouths shut.

"... Playing hide-and-seek again, little star?" Magnifico's voice echoes through the room, he lets out a low chuckle and says "Alright, let's play one last game."

Aster and Asha are staring at each other, it's dark but they can see one another thanks to the dim blue lighting above the treasure they're hiding behind. They hear the king's foot steps as he slowly walks around the room looking for them.

Asha can feel her heart pounding, how can she tell the plan to Aster if they can't speak?

...

She remembers they both know how to communicate without speaking.

She begins to speak in sign language, Aster can see her hands under the dim light:

"I'll make a distraction, while you take this and spread it all over the floor when he's not looking" She signs and takes from her belt the bag of blue dust she took from the king's desk.

Aster doesn't understand what that is or how she can distract him at all, he signs to her back "How are you gonna distract him?"

She's about to sign to answer his question, but then the king begins to speak casually

"Ya know, Asha. I'm actually so glad you evaded Amaya's trap, truly I am." We see the king looking at his own reflection in one of the artifacts in the room, not really in a hurry to find them "For you see, I have a little secret I wanted to share with you... Wanna know what it is?"

Asha obviously doesn't respond, she's holding her sketchbook and pencil like she's preparing to draw something, she tries her best to focus and ignore whatever the king is talking about.

"Your grandfather's wish." Asha's eyes widen, she stops drawing "The very thing that started all this... Yeah, me and my wife miiiiiight have told you a little fib, shocker I know heheh" he jokes, as they both know all they've done is lie to her from the start "But I decided to come clean, since I happen to actually remember now what his wish was: "To inspire the people of Rosas with my songs"" The king quotes what the wish was, with a clear tone of disdain.

Asha feels like everything fell into place... Saba really was just like her... Or maybe she was a lot like him. This is probably the first time anything the king says brought her a sense of actual comfort.

Aster is surprised as he himself didn't know what Sabino's wish to the king was, but by pure coincidence it's the same thing he guided Asha to do.

But the king obviously is not sharing that to give her a wholesome moment or anything, he continues with a smirk "I'm sure now you see that I did him a favor by never granting that wish."

Asha's face becomes an angry glare. And she begins to draw something in her sketchbook quickly.

The king can hear the sound of the pencil sliding on the paper, and he follows it while speaking calmly "I mean, if I did grant it, he could've ended up crossing the line... Like you did."

Aster notices he's getting closer and looks at Asha anxiously as if to rush her to finish what she's drawing already. Asha looks like she's almost done.

"And when you cross the line..." Magnifico grin widens, he get's closer to the sound and...

He sees Aster dragging Asha to a different hiding place as fast as he can, but not fast enough.

Magnifico uses his magic to grab Asha with a giant hand.

"AAAAGH!" Asha screams as the king raises her up.

"NO!" Aster yells in desperation

"THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES!" Magnifico says with a twisted glee, and he throws the girl all the way to the other side of the room.

Aster runs to where she is, but to no avail as Magnifico holds him with his magic. The man is laughing maniacally as he walks to the girl.

"Ha ha aaah and it looks like I win our little game, now who would've thought?" Aster is struggling to free himself from the king's magic while Asha is laying on the floor, looking up in fear "But I'm afraid you won't get to see what happens next, my dear." He grins as he points his staff to her, but just when he's about to charge up an attack-

"W-wait!" Asha exclaims, looking up terrified "... Can I just a-ask one thing?"

The king raises one eyebrow "Your last words? Hmm it's cliche, but oh alright I'll allow it, what is it?" He asks with a relaxed smile.

Asha looks down defeated "I- I just wanted to say..."

She looks back up to him with a smug.

"I got way better at drawing self portraits, didn't I?" "Asha" asks full of confidence.

Magnifico's evil smile disappears, replaced by a face of pure confusion, completely taken aback by the girl's random comment.

"Wha-"

"Oh yeah! You look amazing, and I look pretty good too." "Aster" comments cheerfully, still tied by Magnifico's magic, but he doesn't seem to care at all anymore.

The king turns to the star in confusion, not understanding what these kids are talking about... But he notices something he didn't see before because of how dark the room is... "Aster" is black and white.

Before he has time to fully process that, the two living drawings smile at him while going from 3D animated, to 2D, to looking like rough sketches, until they both disappear completely.

... He got tricked.

"Hey Mag!"

Asha's voice comes from behind him. He turns around in shock, and sees the REAL Asha and Aster as standing in front of the now open exit. Aster is back to his 2D glowing self, and he's holding a now empty cloth bag.

The floor is shining with blue dust all over it.

"Here's a little trick your wife taught me!" Asha exclaims with a defiant smile, and she throws a hand drawn fireball from her sketchbook.

The fire hits right in front of Magnifico. A large black and white flame grows, it looks like scribbles one would draw on paper, but it shines and burns just as much as normal fire, and it's spreading all around him.

Magnifico get's so startled by the fire that he finally lets go of his staff for a second.

And that second is all that Aster needed. The star stretches his arm all the way to the other side of the room, grabbing the staff and bringing it to them.

(I mentioned on Aster's "How I'd Reimagine the Characters in Wish" blog that he could stretch his body, but he kinda never used this ability, so what better moment to have him use it than now)

"No-NO WAIT!" Magnifico is trying to avoid the flames as he begs.

Aster spins the staff in the air before HITTING IT ON THE FLOOR with all the strength he can manage.

"AAAGH!" Magnifico quivers and yells in pain.

The gem is broken.

Asha and Aster run out of the room, and Aster locks the door behind them with his magic.

They can hear the king's painful screams coming from the other side of the door...

The two run up the stairs that leads to the wishes room, Asha is breathless as they stop in front of the door of the king's study.

"... We did it? We won?" Asha asks almost in disbelief, but with a smile already beginning to form in the corners of her lips

Aster looks to the staff now with no green gem on his hands, and let's go of it, letting it fall on the floor, he looks to her with a bright smile "... Yeah, it's over!"

Asha hugs him and laughs in relief. Aster holds her tightly while spinning her in the air.

"That was GENIUS!" Aster exclaims once he stops spinning "You finally figured out how to draw yourself!" he sounds proud of her, as he knows that was a skill Asha always struggled with.

"All I needed was to understand what I was drawing... And now I do." Asha says with a warm smile, placing a hand on her chest, reflecting on how this whole experience helped her understand who she really is.

She pulls Aster by the hand for them to go through the door of the wishes room. "Come on! Let's go tell the others."

Once she opens it, they see her friends all around the door waiting for them, Gabo is holding the sword Amaya was fighting with earlier, like he's ready to attack if who came in was Magnifico.

"ASHA!" They all scream in excitement and relief. Everyone rushes for a group hug

Including someone who wasn't with them earlier, but managed to pull himself up the rope elevator.

"YOU GUYS ARE OKAY!" Simon exclaims, embracing the whole group with his big arms.

Asha is smiling despite almost suffocating in the group hug "Heheh yup, we're fine, but we still got some wishes to free!"

Her friends let go of the hug, fully focused on the task at hand.

"Right! Aster, give us a lift to the ceiling will ya? There are some pulleys up there, that must be how we can open it!" Gabo exclaims, pointing to the top of the wishes room.

"Oh-ho! A few lift ups coming right up!" Aster says cheerfully, and uses his star dust on a few of the king's books, making them float to the wishes room, just waiting for the teens to get on them so they're lifted up there.

The teens run to the wishes room, Asha stays behind in the study for a moment to see... The queen is all tied up, looking at her in horror.

"Where is Magnus?"

If it was anyone else Asha would probably feel sorry for her, but this woman deserves no sympathy. So Asha just says with frankness "Burning down stairs. You're a widow, again. Consider that my wedding anniversary gift."

(Yeah I couldn't fit anywhere else so here's a reminder that back in chapter 2 Dahlia's mom said they had to go to the market to get her some ingredients, because she had to make a cake for the king and queen's wedding anniversary, and guess what? That is TODAY! So uuuuh yay tying up with the 100 anniversary disney movie theme... Also they kinda canceled the celebration for obvious reasons.)

The queen holds in a gasp, as if her cold heart just shattered.

Dahlia was next to her friend and is surprised by her tone "Woah Asha, I know she's evil but y-"

"They killed my parents, Dahlia." Asha puts it simply to her best friend while walking to the wishes room to join the others.

"THEY WHA- OOOH That's what you GET you WITCH!" Dahlia shouts in Amaya's face, now fully on board with Asha.

(I love that witch is the closest I can get to have them calling her the B word)

We see Gabo, Dario, Safi, Hal and Bazeema all being lifted up by the books, as there are 5 pulleys for each one of them to pull.

Aster is flying around the wishes, looking in amazement to the blue ones, and holding the green ones, which makes them turn back to their original blue color, un-cursing them. He is flying around repeating the process on as many as he can.

Asha looks up to her friends and the wishes, she smiles in relief that everything is finally falling into place... But then she notices Simon is standing in the corner of the room, his eyes are downcast.

Asha walks to him "Simon, you okay?" She asks him worriedly.

Simon doesn't even know where to begin his apology, for everything. He looks at her full of regret "Asha... I'm sorry, I am so so sorry." He begins, Asha looks to him and listens attentively "I don't expect you to forgive me. I was so scared that we could get hurt- I just- I couldn't believe that everything we knew was a lie" he begins to tear up "... And I wanted so badly to believe in him-"

Asha gives him a hug.

"... You were hurting in silence for so long because of the things he did... And I was too, we all were." Asha says calmly, trying to reassure her friend "What matters is that he's gone now, he can't hurt us anymore."

Simon has tears running down his face but he hugs her with a smile.

Aster flies closer to them, holding a wish bubble "And I think THIS belongs to you!" The star says warmly

Simon and Asha still can't see what's inside the bubble, but just by getting close to it Simon can feel it "My wish?" Simon asks in surprise "... No, I don't deserve it, I put all of us in danger and-."

"Everyone deserves to know their wish" Aster tells him with a bright smile "He tricked you, so what? Happens to the best of us, literally happened with me today"

"The important thing is that you see the truth now." Asha says, she looks at Simon and then at the wish with a smile, as if to encourage him to get it.

And he does so, reaching out for the bubble, and once he holds it reveals the image of Simon wearing knights clothes... Simon's smile is replaced by disappointment.

"Well... This is awkward." He says letting go of his floating wish "That's not what I wish for anymore... Guess I can't have it back."

"Hey now, that's not how it works." Asha smiles as she holds his wish "It's not about what the wish IS, it's about what it MEANS." She repeats what Aster told her back in the cave when they were talking about her wish, the star smile widens at that. Asha continues to explain "Sure, on the surface it may look like all you wish for is serve the king... But there's so much more to it than that." She places the wish in his hands "You wish to protect those you care about, like you've been trying to protect us this whole time, because even without your wish, THAT'S who you are. This wish is what makes you... YOU." Simon's smile returns "And NO ONE should live a life without being themselves fully." She finishes, her eyes sparkling with joy for her friend finally getting his wish back.

"... Thank you." Simon takes his wish and brings it to his chest, it is quickly absorbed.

Immediately there's a change in him, the bags under his eyes are gone, he gets a better posture as his back becomes straight, his smile widens once he realizes for the first time in 3 years he's not feeling exhausted.

"Woah... I forgot how this felt like heh" Even his voice is more full of life now.

"Uuuuh hate to interrupt the wholesome moment, but we're having some trouble up here!" Gabo's voice comes from above them.

Asha, Aster and Simon look up, seeing that the teens are struggling to pull the ropes to open the ceiling

"Do you think you can use your magic to open it, Aster?" Asha asks him

"Those panels are waaay too heavy for my dust to make them float..." They explain disappointedly

"We need more weight..." Hal says, she looks down and thinks for a moment, and an idea pops in her head "Alright! Who here ever wished to be an acrobat?" She asks them excitedly while preparing to jump with the rope tied to her hand

"What are you doing???" Safi asks her worried

"Follow my lead! YOOHUUUL!" She jumps with the rope, pulling the triangular plate from the ceiling right open.

All the teens understand the plan, as Dario doesn't hesitate and jumps right after her, followed by Bazeema, Safi and lastly Gabo.

The ceiling is open.

Asha is jumping with joy as the wishes begin to fly out of the castle.

"Well done guys! You're ready Aster?" She asks the star thrilled

Aster is just as thrilled as her when they answer "I fell down here ready!"

He flies up to the middle of all the wishes. The star focus his magic and opens his arms wide, magically turning all the green bubbles into blue ones.

The teens and Asha clap and cheer from bellow. While Bazeema is holding Valentino in her arms.

Aster looks beyond relieved he was able to actually do this... After this, Asha's wish will be granted.... And even if that means he'll have to leave, he couldn't be happier that he could give that to her.

Aster prepares to send all the wishes back to Rosas "And now! Time to return you all to who you belon-"

(*siiiiiiiiigh* ... I hate myself for what I'm about to do with these kids)

...A giant green orb holds all the wishes...

Aster sees he's surrounded by dark magic. He is mortified by fear.

And so is Asha as we see her and the teens looking up in horror... The magic that created the orb came from behind them.

Asha can't move, she doesn't want to turn around, but she hears that condescending voice she thought she'd never hear again... And he sounds very excited about his big entrance:

"Surprise~ Did you miss me?." Magnifico's voice echos, and all the 7 teens turn around to see who they already know who it is.

King Magnifico is completely unharmed, holding the staff with no green gem on it with one hand, while hugging a now untied Amaya with the other, they're both smiling deviously at the frightened teens.

Asha hasn't turned around yet.

"I certainly did, darling. Although, I didn't doubt you'd come back for a second." The queen says honestly, as that heartbroken expression she made earlier was just an act, she knew Magnifico had a precaution in case they got his staff.

Asha finally turns around, she's trying to hide her fear as she speaks "How? W-We broke the gem from your staff, how did yo-"

"Oh you mean this gem?" Magnifico says casually while pulling a glowing emerald from inside his vest... The actual gem from his staff.

Asha is stunned, and so is Aster, watching them from the bubble, trying to get out.

"Fun fact about magic power sources, kiddos." He explains like he's teaching a class, while placing the gem back into the staff "Although it is easier to use them in an amulet or staff, if you have it with you anywhere then its magic can still be used however you please." He fits the gem back into its original place, finishing his little explanation "And that includes making it LOOK like the magic is coming from a fake power source, such as that one you broke down stairs." He smiles at Asha triumphantly.

"... You knew we were planning to break it." Asha already suspected it from the moment Amaya told her Simon betrayed them... But she was hoping maybe he didn't say that part of the plan, or the king was too full of himself to come up with a precaution.

The two royals are walking towards them as the queen says "Of course. Thank you so much for the tip, Simon, we really couldn't have done it without you." Her voice once again has a mocking motherly tone to it as she speaks to the oldest of the group, who looks like he wants to burry himself on the ground right now with all the regret he feels.

"I- I DON'T REMEMBER TELLING THEM THAT!" Simon exclaims to his friends, who are all looking at him with sadness in their eyes, except for Gabo who looks ready to kick his kneecaps

"Well you were rather sleepy, perhaps it slipped your mind heheh" The king's eyes glow green, just to indicate what he did.

The two of them are approaching, but Asha is not about to just stand by and let them win like that, she's in front of her friends as she prepares to draw-

"Ooooh no you don't." Magnifico uses his staff to snatch the sketchbook off her hands

"NO!" Asha tries holding it with all her strength, but it's no use, as the sketchbook flies straight to the king's hand.

And just like that, Magnifico summons a green flame with his hand and burns the sketchbook.

Asha feels tears form on the corner of her eyes as she watches all her drawings burn in front of her.

She still has her pencil though, which she discreetly hides inside her sleeve.

"Welp, this was fun and all, but I think it's high time we get to the main event of the night." Magnifico says as he and his wife walk, looking up to the trapped star above them, who has been throwing himself on the walls of the large bubble all this time trying to get out.

Asha wipes away the tears forming in her eyes, she's NOT letting them win, she's not letting them get Aster.

"ASTER! Can you hear me!?" The star stops trying to get out and looks down to her, nodding "yes". So she continues to shout "If you get ANY chance to escape, do it! GO BACK TO THE SKY!" She begs him, knowing that's the only way to protect him and Rosas "Don't look back! It doesn't matter if my wish isn't granted! I just need you to be safe!"

Aster is looking down to her already with tears in his eyes. She's saying pretty much the same thing he asked to that illusion the king created in the woods...

And said king is standing right behind her "Giving up at last? Good. But I'm afraid our star is not going anywhere." He grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her closer to him, threatening to use his magic on her while looking up to Aster with a threatening smile "If he does, I might take my anger out on someone else, and we wouldn't want that, would we Aster?"

Aster looks down shaking in fear, his animation is more sketchy... He can't do it, he can't leave her.

Asha get's out of the king grasp and turns to him in defiance, refusing to show weakness "I'm not giving up! And neither will anyone else in Rosas, even if you get Aster's power, they will NEVER knell to you!"

Magnifico and Amable just look really amused and even intrigued by her boldness, after everything she still has spirit... And they can't wait to break it.

Magnifico leans down to look at her angry eyes "You really think so?" His eyes move away from hers, and he changes his focus to the 7 teens "Hmm let's test that theory..." He begins to walk towards them, ignoring the girl "Ooh Simon~ I believe you just stole something of mine-"

Asha doesn't think twice before holding him by the cape and pulling it.

"Leave them alone! I'm not letting you hurt them-"

Magnifico holds her with his magic and THROWS Asha to the bookshelves on the wall, the girl screams in pain upon impact and falls on the floor.

Aster can't be heard from the bubble but he's clearly screaming. While the teens gasp in fear.

"Frankly Asha, you REALLY should start worrying about yourself once in a while." He says sarcastically while turning back to the other teens, specifically to Simon.

Asha is laying on the floor in pain, but she sees the books that fell down from the bookshelf... Paper.

That's all she needed.

"Now where was I? Ah yes, you stole a wish from me." He chuckles darkly and speaks in mocking reprehending tone "Tsk tsk tsk first you break your end of our deal and now this? Asha really is such a bad influence."

Simon is no longer scared, but rather furious with every word the king just said "This wish is MY wish! And YOU are the one who broke the deal! You said Asha wouldn't get hurt!"

"Ah ah ah wrong in both instances. First of all: I said IF you kept all your friends locked up, then I, as in ME, Magnifico, wouldn't hurt her... But my dear wife promised you nothing, sooo really it's your fault for forgetting she existed, young man." He explains smugly.

"Indeed, how dare you?" Amaya complements, like she's offended he forgot about her.

Asha is quietly ripping off a page from a book on the floor. She tries to think on something to draw... But nothing comes up, her head is pounding in pain after being thrown to the bookshelf. And all the ideas that do come in her head just sound too risky, if she messes up the king will break her pencil.

"And second of all: ... I believe you misunderstand what I actually DO, Simon. So allow me to explain." His voice is more menacing this time as he approaches them, Simon has his arms open to shield his friends behind him "When you give me your wish, you're not just lending it to me, no no no, you GAVE it to me... So I can do whatever I want with it."

That get's Asha's attention as she tries to get up, using the desk to balance herself.

"No one agreed to tha-"

"SO" The king interrupts Simon and places a hand on the young man's chest, surprising him and all the others "If I say I want to change your wish, I will. If I say I don't want your wish to be granted, then it won't be" A blue light starts glowing on Simon's chest, the boy looks scared at the king smiling deviously to him "... And if I say I want your wish BACK"

He pulls out Simon's wish. Simon immediately feels himself grow weaker.

"Then I'll take it back." Magnifico says simply while looking at the blue orb.

Simon feels hopeless, the fire he had in his eyes a moment earlier is all gone.

Asha sees this happening all the way back in the king's study, she hides the piece of paper she got inside her sleeve. She's still trying to stand up as she asks.

"Y-you ugh- You can STEAL people's wishes?!"

"Oh I "wish" heheh" He laughs at his own joke "But nah, I can only take back from those who have given it to me once willingly." He holds Simon's wish in his hand with a smirk "Now the question is... What should I do with this one?" It's a sarcastic question, as he knows exactly what he'll be doing with it.

Simon is horrified, thinking the king will change his wish into something else, maybe even control him.

"Ah I know, how about a little demonstration of what happens with wishes in this real world? heheh" His grip begins to tighten on Simon's wish.

Simon gasps in pain as his legs go weak, his friends all worriedly ask what's going on with him and try to help him stand up.

"They get CRUSHED." The king destroys Simon's wish. Absorbing it's energy like it's the most wonderful sensation going through his veins.

Simon collapses, his knees on the floor as his face is now lifeless.

His eyes are unfocused. He's catatonic.

"Si-simon?" Dahlia tries to shake him to wake him up, but he's not responding, he's just breathing.

Asha is still in the king's study, shaking her head "no" in disbelief.

Magnifico pulls her back to the wishes room with his magic.

"What was that you said about Rosas "never kneeling to me", Asha?" He says smugly, pointing to Simon kneeling in front of them.

"What did you do with him?!" Asha is struggling to get out of his magic's grip

Magnifico just ignores the question and lets go of her, as he walks to the center of the circular room.

But Amaya gladly explains with a wicked smile "Have you forgotten what kind of wishes he takes? Your deepest desire that shows who you ARE, one might even call it... Your soul." Asha and the other teens look at her shocked. "Or at least HALF of it, people still need the other half to keep living or whatever." She finishes dismissively

Magnifico hits the floor with his staff, sending magic waves all around the room. And before they know it the whole room is being lifted up.

He then turns to Asha with a menacing grin "And ya know, your sweet little star did mention I'd have to be very powerful in order to sustain his magic... So take a wild guess where I'm getting that extra power from." He gives her a clue by looking up, as if he's pointing to the wishes trapped above them with his eyes.

Asha looks up at all the wishes and then to him in disbelief "No... You can't- They didn't do anything- They don't deserve-"

"I decide what everyone deserves." He puts it simply with a grin, as they reach the top of the tower.

Chapter 16

Final Thoughts

... So... How many of you fell for it? I mean, maybe it just felt like an obvious fake out death to me because I'm the twisted and sleep deprived mind that came up with it, but come oooon ya'll didn't think I'd only end ONE of them, right?

But if you're DONE with Magnifico and Amable, don't worry I am too, can't wait for them to be defeated next chapter, for real this time, no cap, we'll get a happy ending for our traumatized heroes I swear.

But let me lighten the mood with an imagery that cracks me up every time I think about it... Magnifico sneaking in the room while Asha is having her little speech with Simon.

Like dude just got in like:

Then he unties Amaya and listens as Asha is like "He's gone now, he can't hurt us anymore" and they're both thinking like "OOOH WE GONNA HURT THEM SO BAD LMAO" like the abusive parental figures they are, because that's what they represent by the way, they're like Mother Gothel and the whole population of Rosas is Rapunzel.

Asha is better than me by the way, like, if I saw this man alive again after ALL that I'd just do like Bravo and jump off the window. But she just keeps going, keeps finding new ways to fight back, I love my girl so much, like, you guys may think I hate her for putting her through this, but I can't wait for us to get to her happy ending! BUT I CAN'T RUSH IT OTHERWISE IT'LL RUIN THE WHOLE THING.

Anyway, this is already way too long, pray for Aster, I think ya'll can guess what'll happen to him next chapter, and pray for Rosas, because Magnifico will not be making them knell down by being chaining them to the ground like in the movie... Sooo yeah.

Thank You For Reading!

[satureja13]

The Morning after Winter Solstice

When Ji Ho woke up, Vlad had already left. And Ji Ho was glad he did. It would have been too awkward to wake up next to him. There was a lily on the bed. A symbol of Vlad's love for him. All obstacles are out of their way now. No curse and no need to cut the Bond anymore. They have a home now in the Otherworld and they are save there. Only thing Ji Ho has left to do is to learn how to love Vlad...

Vlad stepped out of the sanctuary. Dtui and Rubyn are already up and busy with the pedestals. They are trying to figure out how to send the Boys back and forth between their home in the Otherworld and this world. Dtui: "Morning Vlad! It went very well as I see. You have your eyes back! The others are at Ichiraku's." Vlad: "Morning. Ah, yes ^^' and thanks!"

Jeb and Jack noticed Vlad's good old eyes: "Oh my finally!" (Saiwa is sulking because neither Vlad nor Jeb told them why they showed up without their shirts yesterday... Jeb even in his hot cowboy outfit...)

And really, Vlad regained his black eyes! It seems the Bond has forgiven him for trying to bond with Morgan and murder the Bond...

A little later Ji Ho joined them. Jack: "Ji Ho! How do you feel after you shoved Caleb Vatore from your bed and your neck? For Vlad ^^' "

Ji Ho flushed. But he sat next to Vlad <3 Saiwa to Vlad: "You must be a very good boy now to not make Ji Ho regret his decision ;)" Jack: "Ah lucky Genji! He left together with Lady Demon and Caleb in the limousine!"

They indulged their breakfast and chatted for a while. Knowing they'd return to their new home soon. Together. Ah, it's been a while since I've seen them so carefree and happy! Only - Kiyoshi's place is empty. Let's hope they get him out of that tree soon.

Saiwa: "You still haven't told us why you showed up without your shirts yesterday..." Vlad: "What happens behind the fence, stays behind the fence." Saiwa: "Yeah? What if I kill you behind the fence?" Jeb: "Vanië, such things happen when riding the fence. I told you it's dangerous. You never know from which leg of the Trousers of Time you'll emerge when you hop in the waistband. Let's just forget about it, hm?"

Pff. Sai went over to Dtui and Rubyn to discuss when they are going to send them back home. Rubyn: "We still have no idea how to send you back and forth by yourself. If we send you back now, either Vlad or Ji Ho has to stay here with their meteorite." Saiwa: "Oh. No that's not an option. Other Jeb urged us to stay together..." Dtui: "While I cast my spells here yesterday, I figured a few things out. We already know that the meteorites, together with the crystals, allow you to teleport to certain places. Rubyn could be able to build a portable device for you. But we need more information about the powers of the crystals."

Saiwa: "Oh we'd found an amazing website with all the information about the crystals when we were on the clue hunt in Selvadorada!" Dtui: "Unfortunately we need information from a specific old book. This wisdom is not shared on the internet. Saiwa. We can't send you home yet. We need you to go to the library in Windenburg to find this book. Make sure nobody recognizes you there. The Council is still after you. I'm sorry." Rubyn: "Hey, you've already managed harder stuff, right?" Oh no...

Then poor Saiwa went over to the Temple with Dtui to discuss Kiyoshi. Saiwa: "We've made good progress and I'm positive we'll get him out of that tree. Little Goat already shows up from time to time. I'm just not sure how to interpret Other Jeb's message. When he urged us to stay together, did he also mean Kiyoshi? And If yes, how is he supposed to stay with us in the Otherworld when he has his duties here at the Temple. And for the Resistance?" Dtui: "I fear Kiyoshi can't return back here anyway. Kōjin banned him from the Temple. And he's of no use for the Resistance either as it is. Keep him with you and look after him. He still has so much to learn." Oh no...

Ji Ho: "I hope Genji isn't sad I chose Caleb. Over him..." Jack: "Don't worry. He also chose Caleb ^^' Anybody would ;) " Vlad: "Tch...this bigheaded goth kitten. And what is even going on with his hair?..."

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest 🛺 'Home crappy Home' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: 🌴 'The Expedition' from the beginning ▶️ here 🎤 'Putting the Boys Back together' from the beginning ▶️ here 🥀 'Disbandment of the Group' from the beginning ▶️ here

[mental-health-and-jesus]

9-23-2024 | Bible App Their Verse of the Day | Luke 12:40

‘You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”’ Luke 12:40

#Bible - Verse of the Day | 2 Chronicles‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬

‘and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.’ ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬

Bible App | Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Prodigal Son 💛

‘Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing. Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. The son declared, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile the older son was in the field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what was going on. ‘Your brother has returned,’ he said, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older son became angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘Son, you are always with me,’ the father said, ‘and all that is mine is yours. But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”’ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭15‬:‭11‬-‭32

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[mimastuff]

M,kay so like, may I request the 4 turns finding out that they were Y/n's pet before draxum stole and mutated them.

(this can be romantic if y/n got them when they were so a baby or platonic if y/n got them when they were older)

Thank you!

ILYSM this is a good one 😌

Pet teetels

——————————————————————————

Raph❤️ - non established relationship

- your family owned a very cool breed of turtle

- As a kid you used to adore him

- He was your pride and joy :)

- That was until one fate full day your aligator snapping turtle was snatched up by some tall goat freak show of a man.

- You wanted revenge

- but since you weren’t even old enough to go out on your own you waited the day you set your eyes on your beloved turtle

- Now things have changed

- You met April though your new school in New York

- You both took a photograph class and now you guys have been great friends since !

- She soon introduced the turtles when she was ready

- Now you stood in front of four human sized turtles.

- Except for one.

- This one looked vaguely familiar…

“This one is Leo and this is raph!” You waved sheepishly at them all which the one in orange soon returned. “It’s nice to meet you all finally! April has been bragging about you guys for weeks !” You felt a small hit to the arm as you all chuckled. The brothers even let you stay for dinner ! As the pizza boxes were being put out you couldn’t help but stare at the turtle. “Hey , do you need help with those? Also I couldn’t help but notice your cool fighting skills! April showed me a video of you fighting some feet clan or something?” Raph looked up at you with sparkles in his eyes. No one had ever had full interest in who he was beyond his green skin and stink. “Oh yeah ! I think you mean to foot clan but yes , our dad splinter taught us how to train . Well as most he could anyway heh” you chuckled and picked up the rest of the boxes and brought them to the group. “Jupiter Jim anyone ? “ the blue one shouted. Everyone lit up as you nodded with a smile. You say the pizza boxes down and everyone took a slice. You and raph talked throughout the whole movie. Whispering of course 😊. As the last scene finishes you couldn’t help but ask for raphs number. He was super interesting and not to mention handsome as all hell. Once you got home he texted you first.

“Hey it’s Raphael! I’m really glad I met you today , it was fun :)”

“Yes it was ! Hey I forgot to mention that you look really familiar to me. I can’t stop thinking where I have seen you !”

“Heh , that’s weird. Maybe did you have a pet turtle or someone you knew did ? “

“ I actually did , but he got taken by some funky goat man when I was little . The turtle was older than me by like 3 months lol”

“Umm well I think I might need to do some explaining but I think I was your turtle”….

Donnie💜 - non established relationship

- you couldn’t help but realise how your friend Donnie looked vaguely familiar

- Could it be his eyebrows ?

- Or maybe his mask?

- The question replayed in your head but a ding in your phone shut your thoughts up

Ding ding. Your phone went off. The smooth ring tone you had set for Donnie rung loudly in your room filling up the lingering silence and loudness of your thoughts. You expression changed when you saw the picture he sent you. Rather the selfie he sent you. It was him in a fight with some , goat man? Omg ! The same man that had stolen your soft shell turtle has a kid !!! You text Donnie back quickly.

“ that goat man stole my turtle as a kid :(“

“What.”

“Yeah. He was the family pet we had. But he stole my angry little soft shell turtle.”

“ you know he mutated us right ? And umm I’m a soft shell … surprise I might be your childhood pet …”

Mikey🧡 - established relationship

- mikey was your sweetheart of a boyfriend

- But he had a familiar feeling about him

- You felt as though those same hands you held that you have touched before

- That same cheek you have kisses , you have kissed before

- Mikey feels the same , that’s when you both realise something …

You and your turtle boyfriend are cuddling on the couch and watching Jupiter Jim. You turn to him with a smile on your face. He looks down at your sparkling eyes and pauses the movie. “Are you ok baby cakes ? You’re looking at me with stars in your eyes:)” you look into his eyes once more , holding eye contact while you spoke. “You know , when I first met you, you seemed really familiar to me. Now that we are dating I can’t help but feel that it’s getting stronger. I just don’t know where it’s come from !!” He looked at you with a sudden surprised expression. “No way , man ! Me too. Like when you hold me it feels , nostalgic.” You looked at the tv again. A goat had been mutated to an alien on screen. “Hey I knew someone who was kind of a goat man. He stole my turtle when I was younger! “ oh. Mikey finally clicked. You had heard of his past and how he was mutated. You both smiled at the same time and in sink squealed! “You were my pet as a kid !! I loved you , still do !! <33” mikey felt the need to hug you in that moment.

Leo 💙

- your blue boyfriend was swinging his swords in training.

- You looked up at him to feel an unknown sensation

- As if , you knew him before ?

- Like maybe in a past life ?

- No , too far.

- But his laugh felt too nostalgic to be a coincidence….

Leo turned to you as you gave him a curious look. The way his sword swooshed in the air , the way his bandana tails swayed with every hit of the air around him. He felt kinda like home. You really loved your boyfriend. He meant the world to you. Before when you were just friends, in the early stages of your guys relationship it really felt as if that you had know each other for years. It was a spark that ignited into a forest fire of warmth. His stupid witty jokes and smirks felt all too familiar in this moment. You clearly have a horrible poker face as he came and sat next to you. “You good babe ? You have been weird all day, any guys ass I need to kick ?” You chuckled , always with the jokes to lighten the mood. “Nah I’m good just can’t shake this feeling that I have met you before we properly met.” He thought for a second. “Maybe in a past life ?” Definitely not. “No it feels more now. You know I had a red slider turtle just like you as a kid. Some one ended up stealing him tho :(“ Leo’s face lit up , draxum ! You both giggled at the fact of fate working its magic again. You two will always be connected wether you like it or not.

——————————————————————————-

Two tonight , woop woop I’m on fireee

Seriously tho I had no ideas for this so it took ages bug I just love you guys so much I pulled through 😍😋

[baileys-3]

NEW CHAPTER ONLINE on AO3

Sneak Peak:

During breakfast, they discuss their plans for the day. They come to a quick agreement that they don't need any exciting events or activities and just want to spend the day together since they will hardly see each other for the next five days. Lucy suggested visiting the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market, which is always held on Sundays.

There are local farmers who sell fruits and vegetables there. She needs to fill-up her supplies anyway, and there's also live music and they can even find something to eat. The market is not far from her place, so they only need to drive a short distance. They plan is to spend the rest of the day at Tim's house, so they don't have to worry about when Tamara gets home.

The market is bustling with activity and a pleasant atmosphere. Many families are present, as there are various children's activities and even a petting zoo. Lucy and Tim pause at the petting zoo, observing the children and animals. That's when Lucy spots a goat. It reminds her of Gerald; she glances at Tim, who clearly is thinking about the same thing. He raises his eyebrows "I hope you closed the window." he says jokingly. Lucy can't help but laugh.

There are numerous stalls with delicious ripe fruits and fresh vegetables. Lucy buys a few different types of berries from an older woman, who is wearing jeans with a few patches, a blue and red checkered worker's shirt, and a scarf. At first glance, she fits the mold of a farmer's wife. Lucy strikes up a conversation with her as she makes the purchase and can almost feel Tim rolling his eyes next to her. But she doesn't care. She learns from the woman that she has been running this stall for almost ten years. The woman shares that she usually comes to the market with her husband, who recently fell off the roof while repairing it. Fortunately, he only broke his foot. However, he has become grumpy due to his forced inactivity, which has started to get on the woman's nerves. So much so, that she's glad it's finally Sunday and she can get out for a few hours and sell her goods at the market while chatting with people in a good mood. From the woman's tone and language, Lucy can tell that she doesn't take her husband's moods seriously and is relieved that nothing more serious happened to him.

Of course, she needs to buy some apples and tomatoes from the woman now. When she asks which pear variety is recommended, she hears Tim clearing his throat quietly next to her. The woman looks at Tim and smiles at him, as if she is used to dealing with grumpy bears with soft hearts. Her husband is probably the same.

"You know what? You can just leave the items with me and pay when you pick them up later. Then you don't have to drag everything around the market."

Lucy exchanges a knowing smile with the market woman, before turning to Tim.

"Sounds perfect, doesn't it?" But before he can say anything in return, she turns back to the vendor, adds the pears to her purchase and wishes her a good day and her husband a fast recovery.

Just a few steps away from the stall, Tim puts his arm around her shoulder, pulls her close and speaks in a low voice so that the woman can't hear him as they continue to walk.

"You know, you really are hopeless. As soon as someone tells you a tale of woe, you have to buy half the stall out of pity." But he says it in such a gentle voice that she knows he's not really serious.

[randomeanonjustwatching]

I HAVE RETURNED FOR MORE OF YOUR AMAZING WRITINGS

If it is possible could you do bendy with a really sweet reader who tries to be friends with everyone and who carries a bendy plush everywhere they go

Sorry if it’s too complicated

Have a good day/night :D

Bendy with a reader who's really sweet

"What is going on? " You mumbled quietly.

You hadn't been to the studio in years. Not since you were a kid.

Looking around, you saw a bendy plush and decided to pick it up.

Thinking you were going to be alright, half ink covering you body, you walked onwards.

You tried to be nice to everything, but everything either manipulated you or hurt you, one of the two.

"Y/n...there you are."

Something in a low voice growled to you, and when you turned around, a large 7 foot demon goat like creature was standing above you.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T CARE! KILL ME ALREADY, EVERYONE ELSE HERE HAS TRIED!" You screamed, which caused the ink demon to freeze.

"Kill..Kill you?.."

The creature had said before changing form, looking up at you confused.

It was Bendy.

The same exact thing, exactly like the plush you were holding In your hands.

But real.

"Bendy?" You started to say, but quickly changed to something else. "So you're not going to hurt me?"

Bendy had nodded.

"Oh, well okay!" A soft smile reached your lips, finally glad someone here was going to be nice.

"I'm glad you're nice. Do you mind staying here?..I'm going to sleep."

[mysterioushistorian]

A Perfect Life

A Homestuck fanfic about my GamTav old men AU. A lot of fluff!! Enjoy ^-^

—

It feels like forever ago.

But it has just been a year. A year since you walked in that hall in a white dress, flower bouquet in hands, petals being gently thrown over you and your lover standing there, wearing a nice tie and a purple ribbon wrapped nicely on his badass left bull horn, waiting for you. It was a simple wedding, only your friends were invited, yet that was a meaningful moment, one of the best days of your entire life.

The presents were wonderful. Despite many of your so called "friends" still being in odd terms with you, they still agreed to come to this special day, even if most of them came for Tavros only. Aradia gave you a brown mug with your purple sign on it. The inside of the mug had a small text in purple saying "happy wedding 0u0". Tavros seemed to get a similar mug, his being purple with his bronze sign stamped on it. Aradia is so sweet, you’re glad to be on good terms with her. She makes your Tavros happy. She’s almost like a human sister to him.

And just like Arasis, Fefsis is also good with you. In fact, you dare to say that her present was the best of all. She all up and used her miraculous life powers and extended your Tavbro’s lifespan to equal yours, so you don’t ever have to worry about outliving your love. You were in tears, and tackled her in a tight hug, thanking her all the way for that glorious, impeccable gift.

You were responsible for baking the wedding cake, and you are really happy to see how much people liked it. You very rarely eat sopor now, you finally got over it after many years and much support from Tavros. Since Subjuggulator profession is gone now, there’s no need for sopor slime in this planet, but many trolls — including you and your bronze husband — stick to it, as they’re used to it.

When you and your newlywed husband got home that night, you both fell on the couch and cuddled until you fell asleep, content with the life you’re living.

—

You were shaken out of your thoughts by a slight tug at your mess of a hair. You zoned out in the bath, again, remembering how it’s been a year since you and your husband got married. Speaking of him, he’s taking a bath with you, washing your hair that has been growing quite a lot lately, and despite how messy it is, you both like it. So you keep it, even if it’s awful to take care of it.

Tavros tried to be as gentle as possible. The feel of his big, rough but sweet hands scraping gently against your scalp feels very good, you love when he takes care of you. You gladly return the favor, by cooking his faves for him, and massaging him whenever he has back pains, or if he’s stressed you curl up with him on the couch and puts Pupa Pan for him to watch.

“You okay over there?” He asked, regarding the amount of knots in your curls. He has grown so comfortable around you, he rarely ever stutters with you nearby anymore. You feel so happy for him.

“Yeah man, ’m good.” You waved him off and allowed him to resume washing your hair. When he finishes, you turn around to hug him and rest your chin atop his head, your growing goat beard slightly tickling the shaved area of his scalp. He gladly returns his gesture, wrapping his strong, muscular arms around your skinny, but not weak body. You let out a sigh of contention. You enjoyed peaceful moments like this, just the two of you enjoying the silence and each other’s company.

He lightly flutters his wings — pupated wings, a true miracle in your honest opinion — and playfully splashed you with water. Despite you two being grown up adults, your goofyness and sillyness from childhood are still there. You laugh and splash him a bit too, engaging in a small war of who can splash the other more.

You left the bathtub laughing and giving each other light kisses on the face. You put on a royal purple robe while Tavros wrapped himself in a black towel with polkadots, and went to your room.

You headed to the kitchen to make dinner while he chose a book to read — you love it when he reads it out loud for you. While cooking, you caught yourself thinking about something that has been on your mind for a while now. Despite loving this simple life you have, just the two of you, it’s still lonely for part of the day. Tavros works, while you stay at home to do the domestic chores.

Your Tavros got a job as what humans call a veterinary, meaning that he takes care of sick lusii and beasts. He just doesn’t like seeing the poor creatures suffering and wants to do anything to help them. He is such a sweetheart, one of the many reasons you fell red for him.

He uses his communion abilities to find out exactly what the problem is, and by informing the other vets about it, the job gets much easier by knowing exactly what to do.

He also takes some time to work out. Sure, when he was in a wheelchair he got some upper body strength, and those horns, man, those things must be so heavy. Not any troll could handle that weight, but your Tavbro has a strong neck and body. After you — quite easily — convinced Equius to build him a pair of robot legs, he began weight lifting. You just love to see him lifting up those things, and you know he would never use that strength for any malice.

Wait, what were you thinking about again? Motherfuck, you zoned out again. Got distracted by your miraculous husband. You were thinking about... Hmm– Oh yeah! About how you wanted to talk to him about something important.

You finished cooking and put them on the table, along with the silverware. Your husband came from the room wearing freshly clean pajamas, stretching his gorgeous body and giving his miraculous wings a flutter. He smiled when he noticed you and you grinned widely back, both of you showing your fangs.

“I can’t really smell much, from our block but, uh, what’s for dinner?” Tavros asked.

“Glad you asked bro, I was all up in the mood to try something motherfucking new, so I did some really nice human dishes, just not anything containing those motherfuckers originating from beasts, I know how you all up and dislike that shit.” You replied. You weren’t wrong, Tavbro is a vegetarian, meaning that he doesn’t eat meat. He cares about those creatures so much.

He sat down and you followed along. You two ate in a peaceful silence, enjoying the moment and the company of one another. After you two finished, you decided to leave the dishes for later. Tavros picked up the book he chose to read and laid down on the couch and patted his stomach, inviting you to lay there. You happily did so, being extremely careful of your horns which are becoming very tall — just like the rest of you. Soon enough you wouldn’t be able to lay your head on his belly anymore, the only way you’d be able to lay on him was resting your chin on his body, horns far from hitting his handsome and perfect face.

His wings were sprawled out nicely, and even though they were sensitive to the touch, your Tavbro always lets you touch it. He opened the book, but before he could begin reading it, you cleared your throat, catching his attention.

“Um, is something wrong, Gamzee?”

“Nah motherfucker, just... wanted to talk about something that has been taking alota place in my fuckin’ thinkpan for some time now.”

“Oh? What is it, then?” He started petting your head, effectively easing your tension — which you didn’t even notice to begin with.

“Well, y’know.. we’ve been all up and together alone for so motherfucking long now, and, well, it gets even lonelier when my hun isn’t around and shit, you know what I’m saying?

I mean, I ain’t saying I don’t enjoy our time alone, of course I motherfuckin’ do! But, um,” You took a deep breath. “I guess what I’m tryin to all up and say is that, I wanna adopt some motherfucking grubs, s’all.”

Tavros’ bronze eyes widened, a light blush covering his cute cheeks. But then, he laughed. Not in a mean way, absolutely never, but that laugh that was always music to your ears. “Gamzee, are you suggesting that, we should become lusii? Or, what the humans would call, uh, parents?”

You nod, a purple tint filling your cheeks. You stopped wearing face paint a long time ago, and also because Tav loves seeing your face.

“Oh Gamzee, you should’ve told me sooner, I would love to, form a family with you!” He left the book somewhere you couldn’t see and wrapped those beautiful arms of his around your chest, your face becoming more purple. But you can’t deny the true happiness you felt.

“Really? My Tavvy wants to raise some miracles with this motherfucker?” You were grinning really wide, your purple irises so full of joy and excitement. Tavros chuckled a bit more and tightened his grip just a bit.

“Of course I do, you silly. But uhm, first, we have to separate a room for them, and buy the necessary supplies.” The bronzeblood pointed out. You tried to nod, but it was a bit difficult to, so you just hummed in agreement. You kissed your husband’s arms and hands, and began feeling drowsy in his warm embrace.

“I love you, Tav.”

“I love you too, Gamzee.” He gently resumed petting your head until you drifted off to the land of miracles and dreams.

Yeah, you do like the way things are going now.

—

You are staring at the window of your comically oversized car, watching the city go by aa your husband Tavhun drives you to the orphanage. A few days ago you had filled the profile of your desired child, and now you just got an email saying that they have found a compatible match. They said the child has a younger sibling, but that was okay with you.

“We’re here, Gamz.” Tavros told you. You shake your head a bit while he parks the car. After exiting the vehicle and entering the building, you looked for the guy who attended you last time, and they said she was waiting for you on a certain room. You got the directions and followed along.

When you found it, you were faced with a violetblood troll — who seemed to be around 14 years old — playing with a human girl, who you assumed must be their younger sister, probably around the age of 10.

They looked at you with wide eyes, and you couldn’t help but grin widely of happiness, while your husband waved at them.

The woman introduced you to the children and told you that you had to come and visit them a few days to have a walk or engage in conversations, so you get to know them better and they get to know you. After getting closer, and if the relationship goes well, you will be allowed to adopt the kids.

Yeah, you think that will work.

—

3 years. 3 years have passed.

3 years since you have met the girls, got to know them, got close to them...

Was allowed to take them home.

You remember when you couldn’t contain your happiness. Tavros had to hold you while you cried purple tears of joy, thanking every Messiah out there for being able to adopt these children, being able to form a family with your lovely Tavbro.

You’re sitting in the couch with your husktop in your lap. You let out a deep breath and close it. You just uploaded a new recipe to your blog — which is quite popular, you must say. You see a lot of people making your recipes and you just feel so proud of yourself.

Your daughter Docmut — the violetblood troll — is sitting beside you, reading Tavros’ favorite book, Pupa Pan. Her human sister, Ella, is on the other side of the couch on her palmhusk (or phone, as humans call it) scrolling through social media. You feel Docmut tugging at your sleeve.

“Dad, I want to eat a cupcake.” she asks you. She loves your sweets, and you’re more than happy to make some for her. But that’ll ruin her appetite for dinner.

“Not now girl, y’know daddy is all up and eager to make some motherfucking baked good for my little girl, but it’s almost time for dinner and you will lose yer hunger an’ shit.” You explained to her. She pouted a bit.

“I’m not that little anymore, dad. I’m 17!”

“Ya will always be dad’s little girl.” you proceeded to wrap her in your arms in a big hug. She struggled but eventually gave in with a sigh. Ella chuckled a bit.

You heard the door opening and you all looked at it, seeing Tavros returning home from work. “I’m home!”

“Dad!” The girls shouted simultaneously, your husband coming to the couch and allowing them to hug him. You let go of Docmut and got up too, walking to your lover and crouched a bit to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Welcome home, Tav.” Your daughters went to sit on the couch again and you kissed him on the lips, which he gladly kissed back. You pulled back your lips and instead pulled an arm around his shoulders, still crouching. Man, sometimes it sucks to be tall. “How was work, motherfucker?”

“Ah, it was alright. Not much, things happened today, uh, just the usual.” He replied.

“Miracles.” You kissed his cheek.

“So dad, what’s for dinner?” Ella asked, and you looked at her.

“Man, I’m all up and tired today, not feeling up for cooking those motherfucking goods my miracles enjoy so much, y’know?” You pulled your arm back and stretched, and also slightly popped your back.

“So, do you want takeout?” Tavvy asked, also stretching and giving those miraculous wings of his a flutter.

“Sounds good to this motherfucking. What about my girls?” They nodded, agreeing with ordering food from tonight.

Tavbro went to take a shower, while you pulled up your palmhusk and ordered pizza. You went to join him while Docmut and Ella organized the table. When it arrived, you were all dressed in your pajamas and had a nice family dinner together. Your daughters talked about their hyperfixations which you were happy to listen to, even if you didn’t understand anything. You just love seeing them so passionate about something, it reminds you of when you and your honey were around their age, how he talked about his Fiduspawns — which he still enjoys a lot — and you didn’t understand anything, but loved hearing his voice.

After eating, you all washed the dishes together and then it was time for the girls to sleep, they shared a room, and even though Docmut was a troll, she preferred sleeping in a bed instead of a recuperacoon. You think she got used to beds back in the orphanage, or maybe thats just a seadweller thing. Thinking better, you don’t think you have ever seen a violet or fuchsiablood sleeping in a recuperacoon.

Anyways, you turned off the lights and they got comfortable. “Goodnight honeys, your daddys loves you.” And then you closed the door.

Since it was a friday night, you and your husband decided to have some alone time before going to sleep. He laid on the couch and looked for a movie watch, you carefully laid on top of him, resting your chin on his buff, hairy chest. He smiled and wrapped an arm around your skinny, yet slightly muscular body. You weren’t even paying attention to the movie he put, you were more interested in staring at your beautiful Tavros. His beautiful brown eyes, his grown mohawk (can it still be considered one?), his slight moustache and beard and his gorgeous muscular body.

“I love you.” You muttered, almost unheard by him.

“I love you too.” He replied, his voice drowsy from tiredness. Not much later, he was asleep, snoring lightly. You turned off the TV and carried him to your room. Despite him being much bigger than you, you could still carry him easily. That was one of the good things about being a highblood, your natural super strength.

You carefully laid him on your shared recuperacoon and immediately joined him, clinging to his body and being extremely careful of your horns, joining him on the land of sleep not much time later.

It was another peaceful day on the Nitram–Makara household, and you couldn’t be more happy for the life you have now.

—

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check my designs and headcanons for older Gamzee and Tavros. The kids designs were made by my friend @transmascjade be sure to check their account! ^-^

Also I've did some research regarding adoption of children, so apologies if i got anything wrong ^^"

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

The Kingdom of the Stars Chapter 19: The Reunion

Previous: Chapter 18

Next: Chapter 20

“Can you reach it?” Ana called, floating a few meters overhead as she held Phoebe toward the tip of the bell tower.

“Yes!” she answered, adjusting her grip on the final piece of golden flower decor, as the crowd watched with bated breath. 

Both turned their glances down below, giving Asha a nod, before she turned to address the waiting crowd.

“Alright, everyone! This is it!” Asha held up her fingers, as she could feel the air practically crackle with excitement. 

“3-,”

Phoebe reached her small hands towards the pole.

“2-,” 

Her fingers were mere inches from it as the crowd below watched with bated breath.

“1-,”

Phoebe carefully placed the decoration around the belltower’s pole as the crowd erupted into cheers with several tossing their hats and flowers into the evening twilight. 

After hours of hard work and planning, The market decorations had officially reached completion. . 

She couldn’t help but smile as she basked in the soft glow of the now-lit lanterns that, along with the old wilted tree’s blossoms, had practically breathed new life into the market.

It was perfect really, and she couldn’t have asked for more than that.

After all, None of this would’ve been possible without their creative vision and assistance. 

She looked around the joyful crowd, soaking in the atmosphere as she watched the people begin to go about their business. 

The musicians immediately began to play their festive tunes as Mrs. Alina, Mrs. Akinemi, and several others, danced. 

She squeezed through the crowd, murmuring words of excuses and apologies as her eyes searched for one face in particular. A face that she was both glad yet frightened she couldn’t find.

“PLLLEEAAATTT!”

“Oh, Valentino,” she stopped, watching as the goat came into view. Several of Ana’s birds were perched on his back. Their soft chirps and songs quietly reminded her of her birds, who she hoped had returned to the castle safely. “You haven’t seen…him  have you?” 

The goat shook his head as she let out a sigh of relief. 

Her eyes quickly landed on the night sky above, where the hole in the thick thunderclouds had quietly slipped into view. 

‘Maybe he’d gone home?’ After all, he had granted her wish, hadn’t he? 

All of her tasks were completed, so if she’d gotten what she’d wanted then there’d be no reason for him to stay. 

Those rules he’d sworn had kept him here would’ve effectively become null, and with that he’d have no choice but to go home! 

This night couldn’t get any better, could it?

 She beamed at Valentino who pleated at her curiously. “I have a very good feeling about this,” she whispered, watching Ana’s birds quickly disperse as two figures approached her. 

“Wonderful job on the market, miss!” She heard Captain Silver call as he gave her a firm pat on the shoulder, before turning to Mr. Bjorn. “See now didn’t I tell ya that she could do it? Hmm?” Bjorn scowled in reply as Silver grinned. “Now hand it over,” he reached towards the elderly man with his bandaged hand. “A deal’s a deal, remember?”

Mr. Bjorn grumbled, turning to her, “Just for the record, I knew that you would do an amazing job decorating this market. I just didn’t think Allard would let you do it while she was still…alive…but ah,” he sighed before shrugging as he dug into his pocket for three golden coins that he grudgingly handed to the grinning sea captain. “I suppose stranger things have happened in these parts before.”

“But ya losing a bet is not one of them,” Captain Silver called before victoriously stuffing the gold coins into his pocket. 

“I wouldn’t speak so loudly if I was you! Pride cometh before a fall! And no one in Rosas has a history of Fallin like yourself!” Bjorn argued back as Asha watched them walk off into the now busy market crowd together. 

She glanced towards one part of the market where several people gathered for the renewed baking competitions. It was something she’d eagerly looked forward to seeing how it would unfold, given how the reigning champ, Dahlia, was no longer present to dominate.

“Want to take a look around?” She asked Valentino. “There’s a lot to see and do.” The goat nodded, quickly trotting alongside her as the pair began to venture towards the more crowded part of the market.

“Come get your chance to win a new toy in a game of marbles!” A nearby merchant called as several others began to open their shops, all promising prizes and fun games.

“Feeling brave? Try your luck at the fiercest Noughts and Crosses champion!” the man gestured to a grinning child seated around a table. 

“Are you the new sack toss champion? There’s only one way to find out,” a woman called as she gestured towards her stall. “Try your luck…you might win a prize.”

“It’s beautiful Valentino,” Asha contentedly sighed, continuing to take in the sights and sounds of the market around them as they continued to stroll through.

Valentino pleated in agreement, before both paused, watching a few people pass them all of whom were headed towards the enormous crowd that now surrounded Mr. Armin’s stall.

“You were the one who provided the papers and strings for these cranes, right?” she heard a noblewoman ask as he nodded. “Good, well I’d like to place an order for your next shipment of these as soon as possible.”

“Of course! Of course ma’am!” he nodded, hurriedly scribbling the order down.

“I’d also like to place some orders as well! For whatever you used to make this!” a man called as he held up one of the makeshift streamers that Mr. Armin had created with some of the flowers from the old wilted tree.

“Certainly! I’ll have your order ready before the end of the week.”

“I’d like to place an order for those too!’ someone else called.

A nobleman stepped forward, gesturing to the young stoic-faced girl who stood at his side, “Tell me, good sir, do you take apprentices? My daughter would like to learn-,”

A small grin made its way to Mr. Armin’s face as he answered,  “It’s been a while since I’ve taken in an apprentice. But I’ll see what I can do.”

She watched on, hope blossoming within her that this could be the start of something new or bigger and better, for not only his business but for the other teachers and hopefully the townspeople as a whole. 

It was, after all, the least they deserved for helping her out. 

“Come on Mom! You’ve got to try this! They’re amazing!” She heard a girl call as she began to tug her mother towards the long line for Mrs. Kurkaus and her husband’s stall. 

“Alright alright,” her mother chuckled before speaking to a woman following her “These things seem to be a hit with the kids you know-, he says they call it something like ice cream- can you imagine?”

“Ha! We’re certainly not making it out of the dark ages with that one, are we?”

“Not a chance. 

“You know…My son tried one earlier and hasn’t been able to stop talking about it since. He swears it’s the best thing he’s had since Tarta de queso!” the woman chuckled before the trio wandered out of earshot. 

The best thing since Tarta de queso? 

She exchanged glances with Valentino. There was only one way to find out, wasn’t there? 

Admittedly she’d nearly been tempted to join the insanely long line but the sound of Diego hollering overhead brought her to a stop. 

“Woooooooohooooo!” She, along with several others glanced overhead,  watching in amazement as Ana soared through the partially clouded sky while holding an excited Diego in her arms.

“Remember to keep your arms stretched!” Ana called. “We fly faster that way!”

He nodded as she watched them briefly soar out of view.

“Someone seems like she’s having a lot of fun,” Asha commented as she looked at Valentino, who pleated in agreement, probably wanting to be next in line for a ride as well. 

Ana had mastered her gift in a remarkable time, as she now flew so well that Asha was half tempted to think that she’d been born for flying. 

But come to think of it, it seemed as if everyone who’d had their wishes granted had mastered their newfound gifts rather quickly, hadn’t they? 

She watched as Mrs. Bellerose stopped the rain from her cloud with a simple gesture before she prepared her next customer’s bouquet. Mrs. Kurkaus nearly did the same as she patted her snow cloud for a few icicles. Even Julian had moved with a surprising amount of efficiency when he’d been on a rampage earlier.

It was funny really, Asha had always thought that the king and prince made it sound like magic took years, if not a lifetime to master, but everyone who had had their wishes granted today made it look so simple .

Was it simply a difference in the type of magic or was it something else? Asha would never know nor would she want to. 

She took a mental step back, carefully thinking over everything.

The chaos, the success, the work.  

A lot had happened, mostly because of the star.  But as much as she hated to admit it, everything that the star had disobediently done had seemed to help in the long run. 

Granting Mrs. Bellerose’s wish had not only revived her business but it had allowed her to add all sorts of flowers to the town’s decorations, giving them a vibrancy that Asha had never even thought they’d need. Then Mrs. Kurkaus’s wish led to her selling and inventing even more delicious treats that the townspeople would gladly appreciate. And then there was Ana who was now giving the children fun rides with her ability to fly.

But all three of those wishes were something Asha wouldn’t have been able to grant on her own, nor were they wishes that she could see the king even consider granting.

She couldn’t make someone fly, nor could she create a cloud that could rain or snow on command. But  All three wishes had positively contributed to the market, and ultimately to her teachers' wishes. 

Even Julian’s wish, despite how destructive it had been, was the only reason why any of this was allowed to come to fruition. 

He’d destroyed the market’s decorations, hadn’t he? Then he’d injured the officials. 

He’d inadvertently left them no choice but to go with her plans; plans that most definitely wouldn’t have materialized if Allard nor her decorations had been burnt.

It was an upsetting thought, but perhaps not an incorrect one, she reasoned, as her gaze settled on the golden branches of the old wilted tree that now peaked from behind some of the buildings. 

She wasn’t sure what the star had exactly done to the tree, but as she stopped, taking in the soft glowing flowers that they’d integrated from the tree into the decorations, she knew she couldn’t deny that the tree was breathtaking at the least.

It had done wonders for raising morale, as she’d noticed that the people had seemed even more invigorated once they’d caught sight of the tree.

It had been a sign. 

A miracle, and that was exactly what she needed.

Had the star done it coincidentally, or intentionally? 

Nothing about him gave her the feeling that he was some grand mastermind, and yet she couldn’t help but feel that some of the things he had said, and done felt…premeditated.

 But then again, maybe she was giving the star too much credit and too much of her time.

He was gone now, wasn’t he? So why even bother to waste time thinking about him when she had the king to address? Letting him know about the dangers in the wish garden was her top priority now, but she’d need somewhere private to tell him about it. Somewhere that she could convince him to-

“PLEEEAAATTTT!” 

“Valentino?” she blinked, watching as the goat fervently leaped, his eyes darting towards the other side of the market as several incoming figures pushed themselves through the crowd, panting as they looked around with widened eyes.

“T-The king!” she heard the town crier call, pointing behind him as the crowd began to stir. “His highness has arrived!”

“ The king?!”

“The king is here?!”

“Already!?!” 

Quickly the crowd moved aside as the king, mounted on his favorite horse, came into view. 

“Whoa! Whoa!” He called pulling the horse’s reins as the queen and several other apprentices came into view: all mounted on their own horses as well. 

Granted she’d expected him to be here, but she hadn’t expected him to bring the whole calvary with him!

A sudden hush fell over the crowd as she watched everyone quickly bow. Commoner and noble, Maintainer and guard. Everyone bowed deeply to their king as she watched his eyes scan over the crowd. 

“Good evening Rosas!” He called, circling 

 the market several times, his eyes curiously sweeping over the decorations. 

 “Not bad,” he muttered to himself, as she watched him bring his horse to a complete halt next to Mr. Leitus’s chalk mural. His eyes lit up as she heard him call, “Oh! Now this is nice! Amaya do you see this?” he called, as the queen rode to his side, quietly observing Mr. Leitus’s chalk mural of them. “Someone is definitely working overtime to get their wish granted~,”

“Finally!” she heard Mr. Leitus whisper as a few members of the crowd seemed to relax.

At least he seemed to be in a good mood, and a happy king was the best king to deal with.

 Finally, the king’s eyes swept the crowd once more before finally landing on her’s and gesturing to the queen. 

Had the king himself been looking for her?

No, he couldn’t be. 

He had no reason to. But the look of relief in the queen’s eyes told her otherwise as the thought hit her. 

 Sebastian.

He’d left her behind that night, hadn’t he? She grimaced. The sight of the horse returning that night without its rider must’ve worried them. 

Her thoughts were only confirmed when she saw a surprised Safi riding atop the familiar black stallion. 

Her eyes quickly returned to the king’s, not missing the way how his brows furrowed as she saw a tick in his jaw. 

Was he upset with her? Suspicious? She braced herself for the inevitable cascade of questions, questions that never had the chance to materialize as the crowd did the unthinkable. 

They cheered.

They cheered far louder and harder than they had before, Asha swore she felt the ground shake as the king looked on in surprise, exchanging a glance with his queen who merely shrugged. 

“Long live King Magnifico and Queen Amaya!” she heard someone yell, as the crowd roared in agreement, all wishing their blesses to the royal couple.

Somewhat recovered, a half-grinning king muttered something to the queen, before turning back to the crowd with a newly placed smile.  “My people of Rosas!” he called, holding up his hand as the crowd fell into an awe-filled silence. It had been the first time since arriving did Asha hear the marketplace be so silent. “May I say that it is truly an honor to be with you all again this evening!” He grinned, looking over the crowd before glancing to the uneasy maintainers. “I can tell that this certainly was no ordinary market decoration, was it?” he asked, eyeing one of the fallen golden petals from the old wilted tree.

“We are truly honored by both your presence and blessings, your highness, even in the most unpredictable circumstances…” answered someone from the crowd. Asha was willing to bet that said person had been a maintainer, perhaps one of the few people who’d be brave enough to lead with such a statement.

“Is it true that you were the one who granted our wishes earlier?” someone else asked.

“It wasn’t the work of the rumored rogue sorcerer, right?”

“Why have you decided to grant wishes before the wishing ceremony?”

The king grinned, but Asha could see it, the slight but subtle tension in his shoulders, before he relaxed, a chuckle escaping his lips, as he glanced towards the queen.“Ha, a rogue sorcerer, can you imagine?…” He chuckled once more, before waving his hand dismissively as he smiled towards the awaiting townsfolk, “There’s no need to worry about that. That sorcerer has been taken care of long ago. As for your wishes…Well, with my young apprentice coming to assist, I was hoping to provide you all with assistance of sorts for the decorations. Something that could make this upcoming celebration truly incredible! Now tell me, how are you all enjoying your new gifts?”

From the corner of her eyes, Asha could see the maintainers and officials relax, as the crowd began to stir.

“It’s wonderful, Your Highness!” Ana called, briefly levitating.

“You saved my business!” Mrs. Bellerose called as she glanced at her rain cloud.

“I used the ice you gave me to make a King Magnifico ice cream treat, just for you!” Mrs. Kurkaus commented as she held up a frosted treat that heavily resembled the king.

 Now the king looked impressed, maybe even flattered. 

“You saved my shop!” Mr. Armin commented.

“And ours as well!” Called another merchant.

“We would’ve lost everything had you not sent the rain storm to save us from the fierce and fiery hold of Julian!”

She could see the tick in his eyes, the tiniest note of surprise, but it had vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving in its place an air of undeserved satisfaction and pride. 

Years of addressing the public had trained him well.

He hadn’t granted those wishes. 

There was a good chance that he hadn’t even know who or what said wishes had been granted, but Asha had a feeling that there was no way that the king was going to let the people know that. 

It would make him look as if he wasn’t in complete control of the wishes, nor could he protect them as well as promised. It would imply that he had an equal, a superior even- and that was when it dawned on her. 

There was a reason why the star had gladly given the king all the credit both for the tree and the other wishes. 

It wasn’t out of kindness, no. 

It had been out of strategy.

It was possible that by giving the king credit for the wish-granting, the star had put the king in one of two positions. 

He could A) be honest to the people that he hadn’t been the one to grant these wishes- that this magic, a magic that could possibly rival his own had come from elsewhere, or B) he could take credit for it. 

As honest as option A was, if he admitted this magic wasn’t his, then it would no doubt leave the king’s ability to protect both Rosas and its wishes from the outside forces looking inadequate, especially during a time when the hole in the clouds still persisted, and then there’d been a curfew because of an allegedly rogue sorcerer. If said sorcerer had gotten past his ‘barriers’ so easily, admitting the truth would’ve been an insult, both to the king’s capabilities and pride.

Then there’d been option B. He could lie, which seemed to be exactly what he was doing now

Was he upset that someone else in Rosas apparently had the magic to grant wishes? Most likely. 

But if the people praised and accredited him for such things, then in the eyes of his loyal subjects and to the world at large, he wasn’t only just doing what he’d promised, he was excelling at it. Over delivering. Being every bit the benevolent king that they believed and wanted him to be.

The only obstacle that now stood in his way was Julian’s horrific wish. 

But even that had a solution.

Perhaps he could paint himself as the benevolent overhead trying to give a troubled youth a second chance only to have said youth take advantage of the situation in the worst way possible, and honestly? 

That would’ve been more than just the perfect lie.

Julian already had a history of suspected attempted arsonry and trouble-causing, so there was a very good chance that most would take the king’s word for it without a second thought. 

It seemed as if the king had shared her train of thought as she watched his face soften, sadness becoming visible as she heard him say, “Julian?” the king repeated, looking a bit confused as his grip on his spear tightened. “Ah you mean Julian- of course, of course. You see, I granted Julian has always been a close friend of my nephew. I’ve known him since he was a small boy, and back then I knew that he was a studio child, with a good heart, a heart that I fear had been unfairly plagued by the troubles of life.”

Most of the crowd seemed to coo in a sort of sympathy that Asha was certain hadn’t been present before.

“I wanted to give him another chance,” the king continued as he glanced into his scepter. He looked devastated, as she watched the queen gently lay a hand on his back. “I wanted to prove to the world that there was still some good in him, that he could still do good… ” He sighed, shaking his head, “ I only wish he hadn’t taken it for granted.”

It was hard to see the king’s expression from this angle as she heard a guard gruffly call out, 

“The bloody fool! Give us the word and we’ll teach him to never take anything from our king for granted again!” 

The crowd cheered in agreement, leaving Asha’s stomach feeling uneasy. 

They’d taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker, and just like that. No questions asked, no flags raised, nor suspicions aroused. 

It was ironic.

 Julian’s wish had turned him into the perfect fall guy who would not only ruin his life but ultimately paint the king in a far more sympathetic and benevolent light than he could’ve ever wanted. 

Had the star been gunning on the king being cocky and dishonest enough to do this? 

She wasn’t sure, but he’d been right either way.

He’d seemed so smug that she nearly believed that he knew what he was doing…and if he was, then there was no doubt that he definitely knew far more than he let on.

“People, please,” the king sighed, hiding his mouth behind his hand as he regained his posture, acting as if he’d been forcing himself to move forward. 

Every movement was so subtle and telling, no part of his body language seemed extra or wasted.

 “I appreciate your spirit, but I’d much rather prefer to speak to him myself, as in all my years of ruling, protecting, and guiding Rosas, I can promise you that the best way to solve a problem is not to destroy it, but to understand it. The situation will be dealt with accordingly. I can promise you all that much.”

The crowd murmured, mostly in respect and awe for the king as Asha’s eyes searched the crowd, thankful that the star was absent. 

“But enough of that, you were having a festival, weren’t you?” the king asked. “One that despite all odds has persisted and flourished!” the crowd victoriously cheered, as she sighed in relief. “So, how about we get back to the festivities!” 

The crowd cheered once more, this time inviting their king to join them. 

As much as Asha wished to partake in their joy, she knew that if the king were to get involved in this (which he most likely was) along with the investigations that the maintainers were running, then there was a good chance that he’d find truly find out that she’d-

She shivered, cutting off the thought. 

There was no need to think about it, at least not here in public where she’d risk making herself look even more suspicious. 

Right now she needed to- “Asha!” The voice of her mother cut through her thoughts as she heard the crowd begin to cheer once more, no doubt at whatever the king had said. 

Her mother quickly came into view, pushing and shoving her way through the crowd before tightly embracing Asha. “Oh thank God,” she gasped. 

“Mama?” Asha choked out.

“I was so worried. We were all so worried,” her mother muttered, before slowly letting her go to face her. She looked her over, once, twice, and then sighed. “Thank goodness you’re safe,” she placed a hand over her heart before Asha saw her frown re-emerge in full force. Uh oh. She only frowned like that when she had an earful for her.

“Asha!” She exclaimed. “where on earth have you been?! Do you know how worried we all were?! We nearly tore up half of Rosas looking for you!”

“Ha, well, you see mama, it’s a funny story really- but, I was doing tasks for the king,” she whispered, watching as the crowd cheered this time for both the king and queen who was still addressing them. “A lot of tasks, and one of them involved overseeing the decorating of the market, and I would’ve contacted you sooner, but I got caught up in… some things. But I’m finished so at least I have time off now! I think.”

She winced, taking note of her mother’s unmoved expression before she heard her mother sigh and embrace her once more.“I didn’t know you had to do this much just to get time off! Do the other apprentices have to do this much work for their time off as well?”

She shook her head “No, it’s not usually like this. I think the upcoming events have just given everyone a lot to do,” She wasn’t sure why she’d said that of all things. It wasn’t as if she’d regularly ask for time off, and even then, she was quite certain that none of the other apprentices had to do anything remotely similar to this. 

Maybe she was just feeling grateful.

 As cumbersome as the tasks had been, some good had come out of them. She’d brought the prince back and helped grant some wishes.

She’d made people happy, or at least tried to.

So as much as the king didn’t deserve her excuses, she could at least admit that his tasks had somewhat helped in the long run.

Finally, her mother released her, looking around. “You really decorated and designed all of this?”

“With a lot of help, but I mostly oversaw it and did a few designs here and there,” she admitted.

Her mother smiled. “It’s beautiful!” “I haven’t seen the market like this in years! How did you convince the head official to let you do it?”

Asha grimaced, “It was less convincing on my part and more so a series of unfortunate events.”

Her mother raised a questioning brow, nearly about to ask for elaboration when Mrs. Chidera stepped towards them. 

“Chidera!” her mother had cried before embracing her as the crowd cheered once more.

“Hello Sakina,” Mrs. Chidera called, as she embraced her mother before stepping back.

“How have you been?” 

“Honestly?” Mrs. Chidera’s smile shrank as she shook her head. “It’s a long story. A stressful story, but at least it has a satisfying conclusion.”

Asha reasoned that satisfying was one way to put it, but it could’ve been much worse for her if the king had been honest.

“Stressful? Is everything alright, Chidera?” 

“No, no, it’s fine now. We just had some… issues earlier, but it seems as if they’ve been resolved. So there is nothing to worry about.”  A slow smile spread across her face, one that Asha would remember not quite reaching her eyes before she massaged her temples. “Unfortunately I have some business to attend to for the time being, but I do hope you both enjoy your evening,” she called, glancing towards her colleagues before quickly taking her leave.

Now her mother looked beyond worried. She looked concerned as she turned to her and asked, “What exactly happened in the market earlier?”

Asha had no idea how to answer that, and thankfully she didn’t have to as she heard the king’s nearing voice say, “Asha! We’ve been looking all over for you, where have you been?” 

She was surprised at the relief she felt as she watched some of the surrounding eyes turn to the king and queen’s approaching figures.

“Your Highness,” She curtsied, hoping that she looked more confident than she actually felt. “My apologies for any concern or issues I've caused you. I’ve been here overseeing the market decorations…”

“I can tell,” the king called as he looked around. “It’s…prepossessing, to say the least. Well done.”

“Thank you, your highness. I couldn’t have done it without some assistance from my fellow townsfolk and Lady Allard herself.” She didn’t miss how some of the surrounding townspeople frowned at her words, and in any other situation, she was sure she would’ve hated herself for saying it too, but not now. 

As much as she hated to admit it, The king wasn’t the only one who could make friends or scapegoats. Not if her family’s safety was at stake. 

She couldn’t let him realize the connection between the wishes and her goal, not if it would lead to him being suspicious. So she needed for him to believe that Lady Allard had been an ally and not a hindrance, even if it meant sacrificing some of her credit to do so. 

“Lady Allard helped you with this?” the king asked, raising a brow as he looked around the marketplace.

Asha nodded as she withdrew the noblewoman’s ring from her pocket. “She did. ” she lied. “Before the event of the attack, nothing happened without her approval or knowledge. She even helped suggest some ideas as well.” She gestured to the lanterns, an idea that had been her own. “And with her blessings, I was able to continue it even after she was injured and integrated some of the designs and suggestions from the others.”

“I see,” the king answered, glancing from her to the ring. Relief consumed her as she realized that the king had accepted her answer. “And how were your other tasks?”

She could tell that he was anticipating her failure, but she was afraid she’d have to disappoint him.

“Finished, Your Highness. Just as you requested.”

“Finished?” the king repeated in near disbelief, as she nodded. “I know you’ve taken care of the other side of the market, and this one, but what of the last one?”

It took everything in her to not smile as she said the words,  “In the Iron Explorer Inn, Your Highness.”

The king stepped back, exchanging a surprised glance with the queen before he cleared his throat, quickly regaining his posture. With a simple nod, two guards took off towards the inn, leaving them all alone as she saw the other apprentices look on with baited breaths.

“Well, I must admit, I am very impressed.” His nearly stoic yet polite expression said otherwise. “You’ve somehow managed to achieve the impossible,” he gave her a nod, before turning to the surrounding crowd who’d been listening in, “so let’s hear it for Asha, hmm? For all the diligent work she’s put in to make this happen!” The crowd cried and applauded so hard that she could’ve sworn that this time she did feel the cobblestone ground beneath her feet shake. 

“Grant her wish your highness it’s the least she could get for putting up with us!” she heard Mr. Armin call. 

Her heart stopped as she felt the king’s gaze linger on Mr. Armin almost as if he was thinking.

She held her breath, waiting for the king’s response as she watched him smile, thoughtfully tapping the butt of his staff onto the ground. “You know it’s funny that you say that. If my memory serves me correctly, we’re due for another wish ceremony, aren’t we? In about a week I believe, right?”

She could sense the heavy implications his words offered as the crowd started to stir once more, answering with the obvious reminders of the upcoming ball and ceremony. 

Her heart sank as she began to realize where this conversation was headed.

She didn’t want to do this.

She couldn’t do this!

She glanced towards the queen, desperate for any sign or way of salvation, but it seemed as if the queen’s attention was on a guard who’d stepped forward to quietly address her. 

“Do you hear the sound of that?” she heard the king call from over the sounds of cheers. 

She’d opened her mouth to speak, but a heavy weight had centered itself on her chest as she watched the king swim in the adoration and attention that the crowd provided. While still looking towards the people, he spoke, “Those are all the people who are wishing you well both at the ball and ceremony… It’s wonderful, right?”

Hesitantly, she felt herself nod, “Yes your highness, it is, and I’m honored really-,”

Now he turned to her, his grin in full display “Good! Then I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the castle to talk about it.”

“T-tomorrow?” she repeated, a bit caught off guard. Hadn’t she completed all of her tasks?! Why was he asking her to return to the castle?!

As if sensing her thoughts, he nodded, adding, “Only for a few hours of course! What, did you think I’d go back on my word? A promise is a promise Asha, and you know I would never purposefully break a promise.” 

She nodded watching as he began to step in the opposite direction. “And besides it’s Just to ensure all of the finalizations for the ball! These things do take practice, you know. So I’ll see you there before dawn,” He paused, gesturing for the rest of the apprentices to follow him as he made his way through the adoring crowd. 

The crowd bowed and cheered for the passing royals with a few even asking some of the other apprentices for autographs.

They were the guests of honor weren’t they, or at least a part of the royal entourage, so she supposed it only made sense for them to enjoy the festivities while it lasted. He halted once more, this time grinning as he looked over the still applauding and roaring crowd.

She could tell that he was loving every bit of this.

He had to be.

Never mind that the king hadn’t even asked her to accompany him or spoken about his promise to fund her projects but she supposed that would have to be dealt with tomorrow when she’d tell him of the danger. She hated having to delay it, but she knew better than to interrupt the king when he was like this in public.

She watched as he held his staff high in the air as he declared, “To the new era of Rosas!”

“To Rosas!” the people echoed. 

She could hear the sounds of drinks clinking as the music resumed, leaving her to hopelessly watch as the crowd swallowed the king, and his entourage up. 

Somewhere in the dying cheers of the crowd, she could make out the brief words of thanks and congratulations for her wishing ceremony. 

Mrs. Chidera had told her, “A personal invitation from the king to attend your wishing ceremony? Sounds like someone is on the right path for a promotion!” Or disaster. 

“You deserve it, Asha! After how you took down Julian earlier, the king should be granting at least hundreds of your wishes!” Mr. Armin had said.

“Remember me, when you get your wish granted, eh?” Mr. Leitus joked. “You were always one of  my favorite students .”

Oh gosh. How could she tell them all that she hadn’t even planned on attending the wishing ceremony to begin with? How could she tell them the truth?! 

Somewhere in the ruckus of her muddled mind, Asha heard Valentino pleat as she felt him gently nudge her leg. She could see from the expression on his face that he was concerned. 

“I’ll be fine,” she murmured, but if it had been to reassure Valentino or herself, she wasn’t sure. 

“Asha?” she heard her mother call. “Are you alright?”

“Yes mama, I’m fine,” she lied, nodding towards her. She was not fine. She was anything but fine. She knew from her mother’s expression that she didn’t believe her as she glanced past her most likely towards the king.

Her mother was definitely starting to suspect something. 

But how could she tell her?

The king of all people who roped her into this, and everyone in Rosas knew better than to refuse an order from the king, no matter how small or unfair said order was.

How exactly was she supposed to attend the wish ceremony when she didn’t have a wish? Better yet, how was she supposed to attend the astral ball, when she could barely waltz? 

She was going to make a fool of herself at both. She knew it. 

“And the night had been so close to being perfect,” she whispered under her breath as she sighed.  Leave it to the king to unintentionally make her life harder for his own entertainment. 

She sighed again, pinching her temples as she tried to reassure herself. It wasn’t like the night could get any worse, right? 

“Asha!” she heard the voice of her grandfather call. 

“Saba!” she called over the now cheering crowd that watched the queen easily score a point against the town’s champion in sack toss. Ignacio hadn’t been kidding when he called her athletic.

He narrowed his eyes towards her as he pointed his old wooden cane in her direction. “Want to give me an explanation for why you were running around with a boy this side of Rosas?”

“Boy?” Her mother repeated, glancing from her grandfather to her with a shocked expression. “Boy?!”

“Saba!” she yelped before she turned to her mother and quickly shook her head. “Mama it’s not like that, I swear.”

“She’s right,” she watched the old man lean towards her mother. “It’s worse .”

She shook her head “No! No! It’s actually super complicated, and accidental….”

“Likely story,” her grandfather scoffed before waving his hand dismissively. “A warning would’ve been nice you know, or just a small message informing us of your gallivanting. Do you know how many message hawks I had to use to find you?!”

“I wasn’t gallivanting. Wait a second, how did you-,” her voice trailed off as she watched a few children come into view, all eating the familiar pastries from her grandfather’s bakery before giving her a knowing smile. “Traitors,” she muttered.

“He bribed us with brownies!” Edda protested.

Thatcher took another bite from the pastry. “He also promised to teach us the move you did today too!”

“Brownies, really?” she placed her hands on her hip. “You couldn’t even sell me out for something better, like cake? You’re resorting to bribery brownies now, Saba?”

Her grandfather shrugged, “Eh, it’s the best pastry to bake before a funeral.”

“A funeral?” she repeated. “ A funeral?!”

Of course, he didn’t elaborate as she watched him grumble something to himself before glancing around the crowd. “Where is this boy you speak of? Bjorn told me that he saw him this morning.”

“Oh him?” Asha paused looking around, relief filling her. “He’s gone.” Thankfully . “He was just passing through, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to-,”

“I was wondering where you’d been, Asha,” came a terrible voice from behind her. A voice that she knew most definitely should not have been here.

Why?!

Why was he still here?! 

He should’ve gone back to the sky ages ago!

She cringed, forcefully swallowing the cry in her throat as she looked back, taking in the sight of the star who stood there with a cup of Mrs. Kurkaus’s frosted treats in his hands. “Sorry I was late,” he said as if he wasn’t ruining the very fabric of her existence by standing there. “The line for these things is shockingly long, but it’s worth it. See? I got you one-,” his voice trailed off as she watched his eyes full of blues, purples, and oranges settle on both her grandfather and mother.

“Asha-,” her mother began, looking from her to the star. She cleared her throat, offering the star a polite smile. 

She could tell that her mother was trying to be polite, but unfortunately, the sentiment wasn’t shared as her grandfather frowned. “Asha, who is this?”

Oh boy.

One minute passed, then two, then three, and by this time Asha was very certain that she was cursed as she heard Valentino pleat excitedly. Unlike her, he wanted to see how this would unfold.

“Hello, ma’am!” The star said with a small wave and smile that could’ve won anyone not named Sabino or Asha over.

“Hello,” her mother replied. “You must be Asha’s friend!” She offered the star a polite smile. 

“Yes ma’am, you could say that,” the star answered while casting a glance in Asha’s direction. 

“I thought you said he was your acquisition-,” she heard Edda mumble.

“The word was acquaintance,” Asha sighed, even though she had a sinking feeling that Edda’s words hadn’t been entirely far off from the truth. 

This was such a weird situation. Why did it have to happen to her?!?

“Where are you from?” her mother suddenly asked, far more interested in the star than Asha would’ve hoped.

Please , she mentally begged him, ‘ Please don’t say anything outrageous. Please attempt to be somewhat of a normal person. Please!’ Asha knew the star could do a lot of things, but now she hoped that mind reading was one of them.

“Oh me?” the star blinked while pointing to himself, his eyes matching the pleasant colors of the passing twilight. “I fell out of the sky yesterday night, ma’am.”

NO! NO NO NO NO!

“Well at least he’s honest,” her grandfather mumbled with a shrug. 

Her mother’s brow furrowed in confusion as she looked towards the old man, “what?!”

“HA, HA HA! You’ll have to forgive him! He hit his head earlier,” Asha interjected as she lightly pushed the star away.

“Is he fine?” her mother asked, concern making its way onto her face.

Asha nodded with a nervous laugh, “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s just not from around here.”

“We can tell,” her grandfather answered.

“Sabino be nice,” she heard her mother warn while still looking somewhat confused.

“And this isn’t really his first language, or second, for that matter. But that’s how they greet each other where he’s from-,”

“It’s true,” the star nodded like he wasn’t absolutely insane. “It’s the most respectful greeting one can give.”

“Interesting! So you’re passing through for the astral ball and ceremony?” her mom asked once more. 

“I am,” the star politely answered. “I even helped Asha to decorate the market!”

“So I’m guessing this was your work, then?” Her Saba asked as his cane gestured to a few scattered golden petals.

“Some of it,” the star admitted. “But a lot of people helped! So it was actually pretty fun!”

Her grandfather muttered something incoherent under his breath as she heard her mother comment, “Well if you don’t mind me asking, do you have any accommodations? 

“Accommodations?” The star repeated, looking a bit confused. 

“Yes you know,” she paused, looking a bit surprised by the star’s confusion. “someplace you’ll be staying overnight?”

“Don’t use that kind of speech with him, Sakina,” she heard her grandfather interject. “They never get it at first.” He took a step forward, this time gesturing to the star as he said, “Your family isn’t with you, right?” 

“I’m afraid not. I usually travel alone,” the star admitted. The curiosity in his eyes had changed as he watched her grandfather carefully. 

“You’re here by yourself? Where will you go after the market finishes tonight?” Her mother asked, sympathy making its way into her voice much to Asha’s dismay. Now was not the time to show the legendary Rosas hospitality! 

“I…I’m not sure,” the star admitted, glancing towards Asha as if to ask for help. “But I’ll figure something out.”

The star’s words had unknowingly hit a little too close to home for her mother as she heard her ask. “Would you like to stay with us? At least until you get yourself settled?”

Before the star could answer, Asha stepped in, grinning. “Could you please give us a moment? I just…need to talk to him about a few things! We’ll be back soon! Bye!” she called, dragging him away as she watched her mother’s expression of polite curiosity slowly intermingle with suspicion. 

As soon as she was certain she’d dragged the star from her mother and grandfather’s earshot, and into an alleyway she quietly exclaimed, “You fell out of the sky yesterday night?! WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT!”

He blinked, “It was the truth-,”

She facepalmed, “I thought I told you NOT to tell people anything crazy!”

“But I didn’t! Don’t people fall all the time? I mean someone nearly fell off one of the ladders earlier-”

“Yes but not out of the sky! WHEN THEY FALL OUT OF THE SKY THEY USUALLY DIE!” she roughly whispered, before taking a few forceful yet deep breaths to calm herself. 

Yelling at the star would get her nowhere and as much as she wanted to know why he was still here, the consequences of someone accidentally overhearing their conversation were far too dire.

So that question would have to wait until later, but for now- she needed to ask him something.

“Be honest with me,” she forced the words out. She knew that despite her uneasy tone, it sounded confrontational, but she needed to know, she deserved to know. She forced herself to meet the star’s somewhat surprised gaze, “are you doing this on purpose?”

“Doing what?”

“Trying to destroy me! Are you intentionally trying to destroy me?”

He blinked. “Why would I do that?”

She shrugged, “Because you’ve made my life infinitely harder as of late! So c’mon…just admit it. I’ll respect you more for it.”

“But…I’m not-, I couldn’t destroy you. Not even if I-” his eyes widened as she saw his lips press into a thin line. “No,” he shook his head. “No. I would never. I could never. There are rules to this Asha.”

“Which is?”

He leaned against the wall, not taking his eyes off of her as he replied, “We can’t harm whoever wishes on us. Regardless of intention. The consequences are quite dire, you know. Why do you think I sent the storm to stop Julian from hurting you?”

She felt herself stiffen. She hadn’t even realized that the sudden yet strange weather occurrence had been another act of the star’s power. But it had saved her. It’d given her the time she needed to disarm Julian safely. 

But it hadn’t been the only shocking thing about the star’s revelation of this rule. He couldn’t hurt her, at least not without suffering from dire consequences. 

Now that certainly changed things! Not as much as she’d like, but hey! At least she could sleep well tonight knowing that incineration by star would not be the way how she died! 

Feeling brave, she finally decided to ask him the question that had been plaguing her all evening. “Did you mean for this to happen?” 

“For what to happen?”

She took a step closer, making sure they were alone as she whispered, “For everything! For the decorations to be unsalvageable, for the head official to be too injured to continue, and to then give credit to the king- did you mean for all of this to happen?”

“I didn’t intend for the head official to get hurt,” the star answered. 

“But you intended for everything else to happen, didn’t you? Is that why you granted those specific wishes? Because you knew they could do more to benefit me?”

“I-,” he started to answer only to come to a pause as she saw his eyes focus on the alleyways entrance as her grandfather’s figure quickly came into view.

“Saba?” She asked, surprised to see him as he quickly made his way towards them. “Saba, what are you doing here?”

He huffed, abruptly turning to leave as they followed. “I could ask you the same question! Running off into dark places with boys you can’t even properly introduce to me! And in this alleyway of all places! Asha, please have some standards! That is no proper place for a murder!”

“Saba I’m not going to kill anyone- I don’t kill people! I’m telling you this is all just one massive misunderstanding! It’s not what you think!” The look in the star’s eyes told her that he hadn’t forgotten how she’d swung her sketchbook at him the night before. But that had been attempted murder, something that wouldn’t have happened if he could just stop sneaking up on her! 

Her grandfather didn’t answer as he paused, whirling around to regard the star. “You!” He pointed to the star. 

“Yes sir.”

Her Saba narrowed his eyes, “What is your name?”

“It’s Cepheus, sir.”

“Cepheus,” he repeated before shaking his head. “Unfortunate. Who are your parents?” 

“My parents?” the star repeated, looking a bit taken aback. 

“Yes! What are their names?”

“Ah, well,” the star fidgeted, glancing from the sky and then finally back to her grandfather as he answered, “their names are…Ray and Evangeline.”

To the star’s credit, those were…shockingly believable answers! Sure they didn’t impress her Saba but it was far better than hearing him say something outrageous. 

But come to think of it, did stars have parents? She’d have to ask him later as she followed her grandfather towards Mrs. Kurkaus’s stall. 

“Searching for you has been as exhausting as it has been stressful,” he stated as they stood in the now short line for ice cream. “So I think I deserve to have this.”

“Hello, Asha, Cepheus, and Mr. Sabino” Mrs. Kurkaus smiled, “How may I help you all today?”

“I’ll have three Rosas specials, please,” Asha smiled. One for herself, her mother, and then Valentino, whom she knew she owed for giving him the burden of watching the star.

“Alright, and what would you like?” Mr. Kurkaus asked the star. “The same as last time?”

“Yes please,” he nodded. 

“And you, Mr. Sabino?”

“I’ll take a nice helping of your finest non-royally themed delicacies,” he stated, before placing a few golden coins on the counter of the stall. Mrs. Kurkaus laughed, nervously glancing towards the king who thankfully was a bit too busy playing against the queen and several noblemen in spellicans to notice. 

“Heh…Coming right up!” she hummed, before handing them all their treats in record time. 

Soon, they’d seated themselves by the fountain, enjoying their treats as Asha glanced at the somewhat empty side of the market. “Where’s Mom?” 

“Talking with some of her clients,” her grandfather answered before taking another helping of his ice cream. “You know how those nobles get around this time of the month. Everyone’s gotta look good for something.”

“That’s good for business though, isn’t it? It’s what keeps the economy going. Even you can’t refute that Saba.”

He scoffs, readjusting his grip on his cane as she hears him say, “Don’t tempt me. You know I can be very unreasonable when I want to be.” 

She grinned, against her better judgment as she placed Valentino’s ice cream on the ground for him to eat. She could always count on her grandfather to have some sort of answer, no matter how ridiculous they usually were.

“BLLLEAAATTTT” she paused, hearing the sound of a distant explosion as the sky illuminated in a brilliant display of lights and colors as the crowd watched. The king must’ve been enjoying himself if he were using his magic to conjure fireworks outside of a ball or ceremony. 

She could only imagine how good he felt now taking credit for wishes he didn’t grant to earn.

“What’s that?” The star asked, looking at the sky curiously. 

“Fireworks,” she replied in between bites while she watched Valentino practically devour his ice cream. “Sometimes we have those at big celebrations…” she paused taking in the star’s expectant expression. “what?”

“Oh nothing,” he shrugged. “I was just expecting to hear your whole science spiel on how they work. And how it’s not magic. Can’t forget the anti-magic attitude!”

She grunted, not in the mood to give magic nor the star any sort of positive acknowledgment as she finished the last bit of her ice cream. 

Her grandfather scoffed, eyes rolling as she watched him turn away from the fireworks, muttering “Illusions. Distractions. That’s all they are…don’t be fooled.”  After a moment or so of fidgeting, he finally settled to his feet muttering something along the lines of “I’ll be back soon,” before walking off towards a group of less than friendly-looking individuals, aka mercenaries. 

She only hoped they weren’t working.

“Ay Sabino!” she heard one call as the group caught sight of her approaching grandfather. 

Someday she’d have to have a talk with her grandfather about his associates from his days before his retirement. Someday.

“Your king seems quite popular,” she heard the star call rather thoughtfully as he examined the crowd. “And it’s not hard to see why. He can grant wishes, can’t he? And that’s what he did today,” The star smiled as he turned towards her. “So It’s best to let a king enjoy himself, especially on a day he'll have to remember favorably. It’d be foolish for him to do otherwise to ruin such a day, don't you agree Asha?” 

She hesitated. 

To do otherwise? She hadn’t gotten what the star had meant at first, but when she heard the crowd cheer for his fireworks it clicked. 

The king couldn’t backtrack his statement of granting those wishes. Even if he’d done a thorough investigation into the matter, he could never release the truth. He could never let anyone know the truth, not unless he wanted to look like a liar. 

No wonder the officials and Mrs. Chidera had seemed so relieved. There was a good chance he’d call off any investigations if he claimed responsibility which was a benefit for all of them. Most Investigations usually cost money and in worst-case scenarios, reputations or jobs.

But it seemed as if she was safe…for now.

“Careful,” Hal’s voice whispered. “Careful-,” The crowded stall fell silent. Hal had worked her way through the market effectively crushing, conquering and destroying everyone in sack toss, which had left her with only one remaining challenger- the champion himself. 

He’d put up an admirable fight, leaving the two locked in a strenuous tie, as Hal was left with the final sack. 

“It’s not too late to retreat,” she heard him whisper. “I’ll respect you for it.”

“Keep your respect,” she called back. “I’m going for the gold!” She readjusted her position before tossing the sack, all anxiously watched as the small sack sailed through the air and perfectly into the furthest hole, breaking the tie.

“We have a new champion!” the stall owner called, more than happy to collect the money that people had betted against Hal. 

“WOOOOHOOOO!” Dario yelled as the teens cheered, all congratulating Hal as she took what must’ve been her twentieth stuffed toy that evening. 

“Congratulations Hal!” Safi said. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thanks,” Hal grinned, turning to the champion as he shook her hand. “Good game.”

“Good game,” he repeated with a courteous bow. “It was an honor, Senorita Hal. But it certainly won’t be the end.”

“Noted. I’m always up for a rematch,” she answered as the crowd around the stall began to disperse. “Well that was fun,” she sighed, turning to her companions as they ventured toward the more private parts of the market. “So what do you guys think we should do next?”

“We could do the baking competitions,” Safi sniffled, as he tossed a few bread crumbs to some birds. 

“I know Dahlia would love that,” Hal grinned, looking at her friend.

Dahlia shook her head, not returning the smile. “No, no. I can’t.”

“Why not?” Dario asked as she watched him begin to take a few bites from his ice cream.  “Everyone knows you’re like the best baker ever.”

“I know,” Dahlia nodded. “So it wouldn’t be fair to just destroy the competition like that. You have to give everyone a chance to shine.”

“We could be the judges,” Hal suggested. “I heard one of them had to drop out after trying one of the mona de Pasqua’s the official’s apprentice made. It got really nasty.”

“Ugh,” Dahlia grimaced. “Thanks but no thanks… Pastries that are baked with more stress than sugar are pastries that are not worth sharing,” she stepped past them, leaning against an empty stall as the three teens exchanged glances.

“You’re still waiting for Bazeema aren’t you?” Hal asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Dahlia shook her head, frustration slowly making its way into her voice, “She should’ve been back by now! I mean we all heard Asha when she said that she’d completed all of her tasks! I’m not crazy!”

“What does Bazeema have to do with Asha’s tasks?” Dario asked, earning a pointed glance before nodding, “Oh right!  The secret mission. You’re talking about Bazeema’s secret mission. The secret mission we all chose to give to Bazeema. That mission?”

“Yes Dario, that one!” Dahlia sighed before rubbing her face. 

“The secret mission for Nachos!” Dario whispered, before taking another hearty helping of his ice cream.

“Emphasis on the secret part,” Dahlia added.

“I can’t believe she found him in less than a day,” Safi sniffed. 

“I told you she could do it,” Hal shrugged as she crossed her arms.

“But she did it so fast- and by herself! How is that even possible?! I mean for her to go to you-know-where and back in time to decorate an entire market- it just doesn’t make sense! What?! Did she fly there!?” Safi exclaimed before sneezing as one of Ana’s birds chirped. “Thanks,” he sniffled, as he withdrew a tissue from his pocket. 

“It’s Asha, so it’s best not to think about it,” Dario suggested, taking in the surprised looks of his friends. “What?” he shrugged, “she’s scary! We know this!”

“I wouldn’t call her scary, but her grandfather…he has a whole sharpened broadsword in his cabinet,” Hal blinked in disbelief as if she couldn’t believe her own words. 

“Well…He wasn’t the captain of the guards for nothing.” Dahlia sighed, as the remaining apprentices, a small pause filling the space before they heard the screams of fireworks overhead.

“Fireworks? Seems like he’s in a good mood tonight,” Dahlia blinked as she adjusted her glasses.

Safi wiped his nose, “No surprises there, I mean did you see him when the crowd started cheering? He’ll have to pass a royal decree to make the doorposts higher from how much his head was swelling!” 

The teens laughed, watching in silence as a few more fireworks exploded before Dario whispered “Hey, just between the four of us…since the king is in such a good mood right now, do you think he’d grant my wish too?”

Hal laughed, “To quote the king- Not a chance,”

“Nope,” Dahlia shook her head. 

“Not in a million years!” Safi exclaimed. “Besides he probably didn’t even grant those wishes to begin with.”

“What?” Dario blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?!”

“C’mon,” Hal leaned against the stall, looking around to ensure they were truly alone before she continued. “We were with his highness all day, Dario. If he did something, there was no way we wouldn’t have seen it!”

Dario deflated, “Ah, you’ve got a point….”

“And besides,” Hal shrugged. “The most wishes he grants when he’s feeling generous is 15, and that’s over a whole year. There were at least four wishes granted today, which is more or less equal to what he normally grants in a third of the year. You want me to believe that he’d outdo himself randomly today of all days and here of all places?”

“C’mon Hal,” Dahlia frowned. 

“Sorry! I mean, let’s be honest, if he were to go splurging with the wish-granting, don’t you think he’d do it to his favored members of the court? Just to keep favor, and all those politics.”

“Fair enough, but if the king didn’t grant those wishes…who did?”

A strange silence fell over the group as the teens exchanged glances with each other. 

“Maybe-,” Safi began, pausing as they heard the sound of galloping hoofs heading towards them. 

“Someone’s coming!” Hal whispered, as the teens scattered, just as a horse came into view, its rider pulling on the reigns, bringing the horse to an abrupt halt. It was hard to see the figure’s face that was shrouded underneath their dark cloak as Dahlia’s eyes darted past them and to the familiar figure who was mounted behind them. 

“Bazeema!” Safi cried.

“Hi!” Bazeema squeaked as the horse calmed. “Sorry it took me so long,” she whispered as the figure dismounted the horse, before offering her a hand down. “Thanks,” she smiled, dismounting as the teens quickly surrounded her and the figure. 

“Nachos?” Dario called, as the figure paused, looking towards him. “Nachos!” he yelled running towards the figure with outstretched arms. The figure stepped forward ready to receive him, only for Dario to run past him.

“So close,” the figure sighed, as Dario ran out of the alleyway. 

“Ignacio…” Dahlia began, her voice quiet as she squinted. “Is that you?”

“In the flesh! And I come with gifts!” he replied as he pulled his hood back, and smiled, holding his arms out, as Hal, Safi, and Bazeema embraced him.

“It took you long enough, Your Highness,” Dahlia huffed, crossing her arms. 

“Sorry! It took me forever to lose the guards my Tio sent for me. You know I’m on a tight leash here.”

“Right, right, I nearly forgot about that” She nodded, taking in his expectant gaze. “What?”

“You didn’t join the group hug-,”

“Seriously?”

“Yes!” he snapped. “I didn’t get banished for three years just for you to miss out on group hugs.”

Dahlia sighed, grabbing her crutch as she made her way over to her friends, and embraced them. Admittedly being together did feel nice, especially when she’d thought it would never happen again. “There. Is that better?” she asked. 

“Much better,” he smiled, before releasing them as Dario made his way back to them, receiving his own hug from the prince.

“I missed you Nachos!” Dario cried before releasing the prince. 

“I missed you too!” Ignacio replied. “All of you.”

“You got super tall!” Hal exclaimed.

He grinned, shrugging, “What can I say? It’s in the genes, right next to the magic-,”

“Speaking of magic, did you hear about the wishes that were granted today?” Dahlia asked. 

“No?” he shook his head, confusion lacing his tone as he asked, “Wishes were granted?”

Hal nodded. “Yeah- I overheard some of the maintainers talking. They said six wishes were granted in the market today. One went haywire.”

“Haywire?” Dario asked.

“Yeah. Some kid named Julian tried to burn the place down.”

“Julian?” Ignacio repeated, as his face paled. “Julian?!”

“Yeah. I think that’s what they said. He was stopped by a storm and Asha. Hey Dahlia, do you know this Julian guy?”

“Somewhat,” she confessed. “He was the son of one of the most influential noblemen in these parts a while back, I think. I only remember hearing about him recently because of all his familial problems. Is something wrong Ignacio?”

The prince let out a small yet uneasy laugh, “No! No, everything is fine! I was just wondering if any of you knew where he is now?”

Hal shook her head, “they didn’t say. The whole thing is under lock and key now. The officials and maintainers wanted to do an investigation, but it got called off.”

“Called off? Who’d call something like that off?!”

“The king,” Hal answered, gesturing to the man who was still amusing his subjects. “But on the bright side now someone can fly, and manipulate a snow cloud and a rain cloud!”

“It’s how we got this!” Dario called as he held up his ice cream. “Seriously! You need to try one of these things! It’s better than flan!”

“Ok, let’s not get hasty now,” Ignacio laughed. “Nothing is better than flan. Except for maybe more flan. Made by a certain someone-.” he glanced towards Dahlia.

“If that’s your way of asking me for some flan then it’s not happening,” Dahlia answered.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he sighed with a small shrug, before looking the small group over as another explosive firework from overhead illuminated them.

“THANK YOU PEOPLE OF ROSAS!” The king’s voice boomed, as the teens all turned to watch him as the crowd cheered at the final firework. “It’s been a true pleasure being with you all tonight!”

“Have you spoken to him?” Dahlia asked, glancing from the king to the prince.

“Not yet,” he answered, slowly clenching his jaw as he looked them over. “Where’s Asha?”

“Not sure. I don’t think the king invited her to hang out with us,” Hal shrugged, as Safi glanced around. 

Ignacio frowned. “She really decorated the market and he didn’t ask for her to show him around?” 

Safi coughed, as Hal fidgeted, no one wanted to answer the prince’s question as Bazeema stepped forward, softly stating, “Last I saw of her, she was with her mother and grandfather.” 

“Really?” asked Dario before he took another bite of his ice cream. “Because that doesn’t look like her mom or grandpa to me-,” he stated before pointing to the other side of the market where Asha’s figure came into view, trying to pass through the outskirts of the crowd, when a second hooded figure appeared.

“Who is that?!” Hal exclaimed, watching as the figure seemingly drew the attention of a few women towards himself. 

“It’s…it’s a boy,” Dahlia repeated in disbelief. “And her grandfather didn’t kill him yet?”

“We truly are living in strange times,” Safi sniffled as the figure continued after her. 

“Why are you asking about Asha anyway?” Bazeema whispered, her voice quietly wavering as the others frowned and looked toward the prince.

He shrugged, “I heard the innkeeper say something about Asha needing some male clothes this morning after she bought a room for two…so I was just curious. That’s all.”

His friends, save for Dahlia let out a sigh of relief, as he watched Dario devour another scoop of his ice cream before wailing “No! I’m almost out!”

“We can always go get some more,” Safi offered, before turning to Ignacio. “You haven’t tried this have you?” 

The prince shook his head, “No not yet. I was thinking of doing so earlier, but the lines were atrocious”

“You might have better luck now, Nacho,” Dahlia pointed out. “Because everyone’s so distracted with the king and his fireworks, the lines should be very short now.”

“Well then! What are we waiting for?” Hal grinned. “I’ll buy!”

“Really?” Ignacio furrowed a brow towards her. “You’d really buy something for a prince?”

“Only because I’m Hamlet’s Sack toss champion,” she beamed. 

“You know Mrs. Kurkaus is making a fortune off of these things,” Dahlia commented as the teens began to move toward the more crowded parts of the market. 

“Definitely. Hey, have you ever thought about combining your cookies with her ice cream?” Ignacio asked.

“Cookies and ice cream?” Dahlia repeated. “You think it’ll work?”

“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” Ignacio called, with a shrug as they all made their way towards the ice cream stall.

Had they lingered where they were for a bit longer, they probably would’ve seen when the king had begun to make his way through the crowd, proudly taking in the words of praise and adoration from his surrounding subjects as he neared the stables.

The night had been a success. 

Granted he had a few…issues to attend to, but overall, the day had gone splendidly well. 

Anyone who was there could have told you that, but where the story falters is what happened afterward.

Everyone remembers the king making his way through the crowd, but very few remember the hooded figure passing him. Anyone who saw it would’ve told you that the figure most likely was a young male, not any older than eighteen who’d stopped to speak to a few noble girls before resuming his trek after someone. 

But what they wouldn’t have told you was how said figure walked past the king, with neither party touching nor sparing the simplest of glances toward the other. From an outsider’s point of view, it’d been nothing more than the king showing comfort in the proximity of his subjects, or at least that’s what it would have been if both parties hadn’t come to a complete halt in the middle of the market.

Only the queen would see her husband’s grip on his staff tighten. “Amor?” she called out, eyes narrowing with concern, as the king took one breath. 

Then two. 

Then three, before suddenly turning around with such force that the audience gasped. Magic flew from his fingers into the ground, snaking along the cobblestones until they reached the fountain, elegantly freezing the water into two sharply angled pristine figures.

“A parting gift for your hospitality!”  the now laughing king called to the startled crowd as they slowly began to clap, all oblivious to the sharpness in the man’s teal-colored eyes as he looked through the crowd. 

His eyes landed on the spot where the figure should’ve been or rather would’ve been, but now, it was empty, leaving behind no trace of its former occupant. 

[skippyv20]

Even Harold is disillusioned with Hollyweird?

Hi Skippy & Friends-Pilgrim checking in with some thoughts on the latest hi-jinks from the Harkle’s & company. How typical of narc/grifter Diva to think she can outdo all the other mega stars in the most elite court-side seats, looking up to see her mug on the jumbo screen! How amazing a Getty photographer just happened to be positioned exactly at the same level as their private suite, having a click fest with her face, while she acts oh so shy, in her “glam” outfit, surrounded by her slobby staff, stuffing their faces. The dynamics are hilarious! One headline said they returned home to their LA mansion…?

Full-face surgery would take months to recover from, not weeks, causing much swelling…hmmm…perhaps new dentures and that “skinny shot”, which makes most who try it very nauseous because it is for diabetics. Her legs are extremely thin and that is saying a lot for her…so they could be cheating their way to being super thin which at a tipping point becomes a health hazard. The body is forced to tap into muscle tissue for energy, which starts the physical dangers of being anorexic, but you don’t have wrinkles or jowls.

The DailyStar says Harold is thinking about returning to the UK for 6 months of the year….could he have finally figured out what he so casually tossed away? Observing up close & personally, how real people live…even those with massive wealth…just doesn’t have the ultimate, magic touch that comes from being royal. Also, just because you can hang out with the super rich or successful, doesn’t mean you can ride on their coattails. CA. is a viper pit of defensive egos.

Perhaps, KCIII has him on the hook and is slowly reeling him in, hoping to land him onboard, so to speak. What about the invisible kids? Will they be transplanted every 6 months? Will ILBW be along for the ride too? GAG A RAMA for the royal relatives and the UK public! Today there was a photo of the psychic goat nibbling on the paper that said they would stay to together. LOL

Finally-The excellent artistic efforts have been really funny! So glad there are lots of us attending art class these days. It is very cathartic and I am working on a new one…over and out for now.

They are just boring…..they are nobodies….a comedy duo….ohhh, I can’t wait for your new artwork!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[stargazer-sims]

New Arrival

Treasure was grateful that it didn't take much effort on her part for Yuri to realize something wasn't right.

Yuri quickly took all her fancy accessories off, and put her familiar, comfortable halter back on her. That made a big difference. The flower crown was pretty, but it had been starting to make her ears itch. Now that she'd felt the first nagging little pain in her belly and really understood what was happening, she was suddenly not in the mood to be tolerant of any unnecessary distractions like an itchy ear.

Treasure: I think it's time. We need to go home. It might be a while before the foal comes, but I don't want to experience any part of this out here in the open.

Yuri: Come on. Let's get you home and settled in your stall. It's going to be a long day for you, but don't worry. It'll be okay. I'll make sure you have everything you need.

It did indeed turn out to be a long day. Early morning dragged into late afternoon, and from Treasure's point of view, things just kept getting worse. She thought Yuri would be with her constantly, but he left at random intervals to do whatever it was that humans did inside their houses. He always came back again, but that was not the point. She was suffering and she hated being alone for even two seconds.

Storm was conspicuously absent, which she decided really didn't surprise her. Then again, maybe it was in his best interests not to be anywhere near her, as there seemed to be a direct correlation between her level of pain and her feelings toward Storm. The more it hurt, the more she felt she wanted to leave hoofprints on his forehead the next time she saw him.

Treasure: STORM!!! You did this to me! This is all your fault!

Yuri returned just in time. Treasure had reached a point where she was certain she wouldn't survive this ordeal, and she needed him to reassure her.

Yuri: You're doing brilliantly, Treasure. You're so strong, and you're such a brave girl. I don't think it'll be much longer. You'll get to see your beautiful baby soon.

Spot took a break from his daily session of rolling in trash to sneak in and offer some encouragement as well. Treasure never imagined that she'd welcome the presence of the stinky little goat, but she had to admit she was glad he was there. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Just as the sun was beginning to set, Treasure gave birth to a handsome little colt.

Yuri: Treasure, you did it! Look at him. He's perfect.

Both Treasure and the colt were up and standing on wobbly legs, exhausted but proud, when Storm finally made his appearance with Cookie in tow.

Yuri: Storm, look at your baby. Isn't he cute? He has your eyes.

Storm: It... it's a boy?

Treasure: You took your time getting here.

Storm: Did you actually want me here?

Treasure: I did... but I didn't? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm glad you're here now.

Storm: It's okay. I deserved it. I should've been here. Besides, look what you just did. You can get away with saying whatever you want after accomplishing that, as far as I'm concerned.

Treasure: Thank you.

Storm: I should be thanking you. I mean, like... I'm really proud of you. And just look at our awesome boy. Storm Jr.

Treasure: No. We are absolutely not naming him that.

Storm: What? Why not?

Treasure: Because he's not just a copy of you. He's a combination of both of us, and he's his own unique horse. He deserves the best of everything in life, and that includes discovering who he is and being allowed to find his own way. How's he going to do that if he thinks he has to live up to your name?

Storm: Oh. I never thought of it like that. What are we going to name him, then?

Treasure: I'm too tired to think about that right now.

Storm: Maybe we can just let the humans name him. They gave us pretty great names, so I trust them.

Treasure: *nodding* Yes, I'm fine with that. I'm going to try to sleep for a while now. I'll bring our son out to meet everyone tomorrow.

Storm: I'm probably not gonna be able to sleep all night! I can hardly wait for tomorrow, so we can show him off.

Treasure: *amused* So you can show off, you mean?

Storm: Well, yeah. That too.

Treasure: Try not to stay awake all night. That'll really take the shine off all the strutting around you're going to be doing tomorrow.

Storm: Right. Gotta get my beauty sleep. Unlike you, 'cause you don't need sleep to make you beautiful. You're the most beautiful horse on the planet, and maybe in the whole universe. But like, you still need to sleep. You should definitely get as much rest as you can, and—

Treasure: Storm.

Storm: Uh... yeah?

Treasure: Good night.

For once, Storm managed to take the hint. Treasure loved him, but he could be a bit too much at times, and all she wanted right now was some peace and quiet. She wanted time to bond with her baby and recover some of her strength.

Tomorrow would be a fresh new day, in which she and her son could begin their adventures in the outside world together, but she wasn’t quite ready to share him with the world yet. Tonight, she wanted him all to herself, so she could admire him and revel in the miracle of him.

She’d already forgotten the worst of the pain, and somehow his presence felt more like magic and less like misery with each passing second.

That is your name, she thought. Magic.

She closed her eyes. She’d have to think of a way to communicate her son’s name to the humans, but that could wait until the morning.

[toxic-potions-productions]

ElementTale storyline

Fire. Water. Wind. Light. Darkness.

The five elements between monster & human alike. Every human & monster has an element specifically made for them. As well as a gifted weapon based on their elements. But, humans have something else. Soul traits. Determination. Bravery. Justice. Kindness. Integrity. Patience. & Perseverance. You only get one soul trait, but if you're lucky, you might get a maximum of three traits in one soul.

For hundreds of years, monsters & humans lived in harmony with their elements & soul traits blending together wonderfully. Everywhere you went, you saw a monster going about their life among humans as if they were one. They had jobs, they had homes, they had relationships with humans, the world was so peaceful & accepting of this anthropomorphic creatures who, with their charm & friendly personalities, never fail to sweep you off your feet.

Unfortunately, a new element was born from the shadows that caused everything to crumble.

Corruption.

Due to this new threat to the balance of the two species, things began to fall apart at an alarming rate. This element came to fruition because of one human child. A child who only saw the negatives of this world, & hated everyone in it. & the only bearer of that element for years. They didn't have any specific name for quite a long time, but researchers have named this child Chara.

Chara was a persuasive & cunning young child. Doing so much trouble & deceiving so many people all at the ripe age of nine. This young menace caused the peace to slowly crack away every passing year, making humans slowly see monsters differently. & all human eyes were on Chara so that they wouldn't destroy everything more than what they were already doing. No one liked this young demon. But, two monsters gave Chara a chance. Two goat monsters by the names of Toriel, with the Fire element, & her husband Asgore, with the Light element. They took Chara in & raised them as their own. They had high hopes that this child, who everyone has ostracized, would be a spectacular elder sibling to a child they were expecting. & they already had a name for the young boy on the way. Asriel.

No ill will was directed towards Toriel & Asgore for some odd reason, presumably due to this being very in character for them & that they were always trying to help someone out. But, despite raising Chara as their own, it still didn't stop the distrust & bubbling turmoil from the humans. The balance was growing quite fragile now, & one last crack could cause a wild uproar to happen. & everything would fall apart in the blink of an eye.

& that's exactly what happened.

After Asriel was born, the civilians were so welcoming to the newest member of the Dreemurr family. He looked just like his parents, & was the sweetest little baby you would ever meet. & his element was Wind. Unfortunately, Chara wasn't entirely accepting of this new baby kid, & did something drastic. His soul was being developed & so Chara took the white, upside down heart in their hand. They merged it to their own soul for a little extra power.

But, it caused both themself & Asriel to die.

This was the last straw. & humans began to despise all monsters as they all thought they were the same as this demon child. They were glad Chara was finally gone, but at what cost? Toriel & Asgore divorced after this travesty, too. & things weren't looking so good for the humankind & monsterkind who used to be so hand-in-hand for centuries. Some monsters tried to see reasoning & explain to the humans that nothing has ever changed & that they aren't violent.

But, it all fell on deaf ears. & eventually, the war started.

& all monsters have been sealed in the underground ever since. Hidden away in the deepest entrance on MT. Ebott, where all monsters were banished away & humans lived their new lives as if they never existed.

That didn't stop some curious humans to climb the mountain, though. They unfortunately never returned. Rumor has it that the newest bearer of the Corruption element has been capturing these humans that have fallen. It's said that this new bearer is a man. A man with a distorted & cracked face, red eyes, & a red blazer.

W. D. Gaster. The man who, when enraged, speaks in hands.

No one knows what happens to these fallen children, but it's said he captures them, & experiments on them & their soul traits in his lab. He must be the reason why these children have never returned. Because they have all died from his experiments & only their souls remain. Some also say he used to have two children of his own who have little to no memory of their father.

Two sons, both skeleton monsters. One elder, shorter skeleton & a younger, much taller skeleton. Both the bearers of the Fire element with the same abilities of teleportation, bone attacks, gaster blasters, & so forth. No one knows if this theory is true since they look nothing alike to their possible father, but Dr. Gaster knows the truth. But, has no desire to meet with either of them again due to him thinking they're failures to his big plans.

Gaster's current whereabouts & new lab location are currently unknown. But, he is still very much alive & still doing horrendous experiments.

A few years later, a very special human child fell into the underground. The only bearer of all five elements with the ability to save, reset, & control routes as she pleases. With the soul trait of pure Determination, a new young girl has arrived into the underground & instead of finding the barrier & leaving, made the Underground her new home.

Frisk.

Frisk really enjoyed the underground, as she was scolded & lectured for still trusting monsters after everything. even by her own parents. So, to be here was more of a dream come true than you realize. When she arrived, she came across a talking flower named Flowey. Unbeknownst to everyone, this was just Asriel's new body that sprouted when the monsters were sealed into the Underground. She met so many amazing monsters. Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore, & Toriel only to name a few. Toriel saw alot of her killed son Asriel in Frisk & quickly grew a motherly attachment to this selective mute child.

One monster especially, thought she was the sweetest child in the world. a wolf monster, employee at a pub titled "Grillby's" in Snowdin, & one of the many bearers of the Light element. Akise.

Akise was such a sweet & energetic wolf who could basically do it all & you wouldn't hear a single complaint from him. Cook, work, clean, you name it. He was perfect. His weapon was a big hammer titled "Hammer of brightness", but he doesn't really use it that much unless he absolutely has to. He's the kind of monster who will only fight if he's aggravated enough. Frisk quickly began to see him like an older brother. As he basically WAS everyone's big brother.

However, this human child who can control the routes, save anywhere she pleases, has the Determination soul trait, AND is the only child to have all five elements was bound to make Gaster take an interest in her sooner or later. He's tried to capture her ever since, but never any luck. But, he's not giving up since he always gets what he wants.

With the only human living in the underground, that caused a few monsters to scratch their heads in confusion by this new visitor. But, she's only 12 years old, so it was no cause for alarm. & things weren't so bad as they once thought.

Cut to the present day.....A new human falls into the underground. However, this human isn't as monster inviting as Frisk is. At least for now.

A bearer of the Fire element. With Bravery, Justice, & Perseverance as her soul traits & wielding a big red & pink scythe. A high school student named Lydia. She had climbed up MT. Ebott just to unwind from everything, but it lead her to fall. Making her the 2nd fallen child in 10 months after Frisk's fall.

Due to what she's learned throughout the course of her life, that means she sees monsters as awful beings. Seeing her down here was not going to be fun. She thankfully wasn't violent to them, just.........untrusting. So, to say she was in fight or flight mode was an understatement.

She wore a face mask that covered half of her face at the time as a means of hiding her identity from them. Nowadays, she doesn't care one bit. After encountering Flowey, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Frisk, & even Akise, she feels like she needs to leave as soon as she possibly can. Although, Akise had a very odd, fluttery feeling in his stomach after seeing her for the first time. Not so sure what it is yet. Was it fear due to his father hating humans & feeding all of those "claims" about them to him? Or maybe something else? Only time will tell.

Due to Frisk being the only other human down there, Lydia was immediately trusting of the young girl. & because of Frisk's amazing abilities, she decides to go with Lydia to get her home, break through the barrier, & free monsters from the underground so the surface can be what it used to be. & thus, Lydia's journey started from there, leading to fights, mercy, character developments, & so much more.

Can Lydia do it? Can she destroy the barrier & put her soul traits to good use to survive down there? Will she truly be the savior of the Underground?

& that, my friends, is the new & improved Undertale au!! So much happier with this one QwQ

We've come a long way in five years. Why did I make an au that young when I had no idea what I was doing?

Keep in mind, I am VERY much aware someone out there already has the ElementTale title for their au, but whatever their story is, it's much different to mine. So, keep that in mind. i see nothing wrong with sharing a title Either way, I'm MUCH more satisfied with this au of mine. Goodbye, LST, your shortened version sounds like a disease, anyway-

& hello, ElementTale!

[rottenwoodandwiltedsunflowers]

#149- Waffle

Very very very very long time no see. I suppose the imminent end is making me revisit this blog and my regret about not documenting more of my time with the show is pushing me to sit down and make the time among my very busy life.

I'm not sure this is going to be as long as some of my older posts but I do want to document some of my shows from yesterday (Jan 14 Early) for my own memory.

149-Jan. 14th Early

We are old and well, old now so we are buying Oz's tickets because when you are out of town and have limited shows left you want to maximize your time. I've never minded queueing up an hour early but the time now is getting ridiculous. Once again, old now. Not lining up 2 hours early in the cold. Walked in to Maderley to find Vivian Fairchild which was comforting. It's is ALWAYS nice to see other long term familiar faces in the building. Also found some old familiar friends in the white masks and it felt all the more like coming home.

Once I hit the inside of the show I quickly decided to follow Bret's boy witch. Objectively, I think Bret is among the strongest dancers in this newest class. I haven't followed a boy witch for a whole loop in years. I like Bret's performance. He is really fun when he gets to play with the audience. His duet with Jeff's porter was fantastic! He commanded the scene and bullied Porter around with ease. His hair is getting a bit longer and I didn't really realize at first that he pinned it up with bobby-pins. I was the only one to follow him up to 4 and I found myself smiling as I watched him pull the pins out 1 by 1 and toss them on the stairs as he ascended. I really enjoyed his pool table solo. He laid on the table almost seizing as his legs repetitively hit the table. You could see him loosing control. He took a nice lunge off the corner of the table at a white mask before Speakeasy stuffed him in the box. I also loved how Micheala sniffed around the corner of the room like an animal as if she could track him down with her nose.

Going into the rave (and it's something I noticed during the first ballroom) I was really appreciating this asian witch trio. Starting my love affair with the show over a decade ago, it was painfully obvious how white this show was in its casting. Back then there were only a handful of POC in the cast and not all at the same time. As the parent of a Korean daughter, I'm so glad that the representation in the cast has gotten more diverse and I think it was the first time I've seen a visibly asian witch trio. It was such a wonderful evolution of the show to witness. When he had the goat head on, Bret climbed/jumped on the pillar and hung there. Loved it! In his post rave scene, he seemed utterly drained. It was a monumental task to even dress himself. I helped him with his shirt at his request and God bless a boy witch who doesn't hand you pants to help with! As he finished up he suddenly took off into a full on sprint to the stairs. I watched the banquet from the mezzanine and noted Kritsen's nurse. Filed that away for later show reference.

I had totally forgotten the dance he does in the light after he moves trees. That was a total surprise. When we made it up to the lobby for witches 1, it was pretty packed. There was an audience member who was standing in the middle of the scene so that was obnoxious to watch. People are absolutely obtuse. You are not going to get something special by making the actors work around you during their scenes. By the time Macbeth arrived the crowd was so dense I couldn't see so I snuck off behind the end of the lobby desk and watched from the corner.

Bret’s lip sync was so spot on. Much like his shower scene, at the end he kind of shy down for a second. It’s like he needed a moment to reset before drifting back to the lobby desk. After retrieving the tissue from Porter, he had me wipe tears before returning the tissue to the Porter and with a final glance at him, we were off to the phone booth. I never follow boy witch so it’s only the second time I’ve had the 1:1. Objectively, it’s easily the most overrated and anticlimactic 1:1 in the show. Bret did great but I do stand by that statement. We headed back down to the ballroom and I watched him pin his hair back up to start the cycle again.

From there I followed Duncan for a bit. At the top of the show I watched Duncan trying to figure out who it was. I was still thoroughly confused up until the end when I left and checked the cast board. They seemed familiar but I couldn’t place them. After looking at the board, I realized it was Gino Grenek! His dances were A+. I love when Duncan is so engaging the even watching him uncover clocks is captivating. So many beautiful moves and backbends. You can see the drugs working their way into his system throughout the whole scene.

Ventured up to the 5th floor eventually (like I do...) to find Jess' Matron. It was one of the most interesting Matron watches I've had in awhile. Sometimes I just enjoy creeping on the Matron through the creeping hole. You know the one. After every 1:1, Jess sat in the chair and had a visible moment where she needed to pull herself back together. Once I watched her wipe her tears. I was wayyyyyyy too delighted by her cutting tiny mazes with tiny sewing scissors. It pleased me to no end. Like tiny, tiny 1"x2" little maze pages. Utterly delighted!!! She put one down on the windowsill and left it there for like 5 minutes. When she went to go do the chalking I absolutely swiped it. Fair game I think. It was only when I got home the next evening that I took a much closer look at it and realized it has the fucking Grandmother's Tale written in tiny, tiny pencil on it. She must have written the tale then cut the maze design and I will NEVER recover from this discovery.

She headed out and did the chalking and when I looked up for the nurse, I saw...Jenna? Where did Kristen go??? Watched their scene and was invited in for tea afterwards. I took a lap around some of my favorite 5th floor spaces. It's something I find myself doing as my shows wind down. I so desperately want to hold onto those spaces after the show is gone forever. Found Jenna's nurse and quickly realized the show must be coming to an end and it was the last mirror dance. Stayed with the nurse and matron until the finale. As we went down to the Macbeth's bedroom, I looked in and saw Kristen as Lady Macbeth. Guess that explains what happened with nurse.

Some honorable mentions from this show include Omri and Steph T tearing through the hotel lobby first loop on their way to the banquet. They created quite the ruckus as usual but Omri went over to the hotel lobby desk as Jeff was hiding in the phone booth and slammed down on the bell several times before yelling out a crazed "HELLO!" I really enjoyed that choice, it made me chuckle. Steph then grabbed his arm and yanked him to the stairwell. Also, perhaps the most important news from this show...RED LICORICE IS BACK!!! This is not a drill! I'm not talking that bigger red licorice that taste like wax or the one they had for awhile that had a white strip and tasted sweet like sugar but like gross sugar. I'm talking circa 2015 red licorice! Remember right after the shutdown. I, like plenty of others, was like- "it's probably good they don't have unwrapped candy anymore. Not super sanitary to be eating candy 400 other people have touched." I at like half that jar between my 2 shows and if I get covid...that's a risk I'm OK with. It was worth it and it tasted like McKittrick 2014. NO REGRETS! That's about it for show one of the day. Go enjoy some licorice if you are there (assuming they restocked it because I ate it all).

[mislamicpearl]

Thoughts on Danny Phantom: A Glitch in Time

If you want the tl;dr of my thoughts on this graphic novel, it's simple: I LOVED IT! And I want moooore!

SPOILERS GALORE BELOW

I'm soooooo happy with all the dialogue and characterization, it is just spot on! I could perfectly hear the original voices of the characters saying these lines, this comic could literally be a new episode of the show and it would fit seamlessly! No 2020's slang or memes, no wokeness that wasn't there before, just pure Danny Phantom. The only few indications of the comic having been written in 2023 is the use of words like "selfie" and "goat", and those are already old enough now that they don't feel that blatant.

Needless to say I'm sooooo glad this story's main premise is on Dark Danny, the fact that that storyline never came back in the show was always a sore spot for me. And not only Dark Danny but Vlad AND Clockwork come back for major parts to play? This is like the most wish fulfilling fanfic ever, except it's CANON!

But yeah, love that Vlad got to come back, it's always funny when he has to work together with Danny, AND the fact that he gets a redemption of sorts at the end fixes one of the many things I disliked about the show's finale - it had always felt like this was a villain character that could have and should have gotten a second chance to do some good.

Ahahaha I had completely forgotten that Tucker was made mayor of Amity Park in Phantom Planet, and ngl it was a great move on the comic's part scrapping that idea immediately, that had always been pretty silly.

I wish we could've seen just a little bit more of Danny interacting with his parents now that they know his identity as a half ghost, but considering they weren't major characters in this plot (and considering how things end up) it kinda makes sense.

The important thing is that we still got lots of cute wholesome hugs between Danny and his friends. :')

Aaaaaah Dark Danny is so cool! The art style was really cute but the author also managed to make Phantom look just as dark and menacing as he was in the show.

The best and most disturbing joke was Danny seeing that Vlad still had a clone of him in stasis, ahahaha! And this actually comes back to play an important part in the plot later!

I'm glad Valerie got some moments to shine in this too, I never liked how her and Danny's whole thing was just kind of rushed and brushed aside in the show's finale. Now we can see, she still doesn't completely trust him!

If there's just one thing I fault this comic with, it's the whole glitching through different timelines thing to make filler action scenes. I felt like they ate up page time for nothing.

"I put you two in the ground before, I can do it again" HOLY FRICK THAT'S DARK, DANNY!

I really love the lore surrounding the ghosts that was added. Given that Butch Hartman has said the ghosts aren't actually deceased spirits of real people, the explanation given here actually makes the fact that we have ghosts like Poindexter, who was a living boy once, make sense without negating what he said. It also very simply explains why we have weird formless or creature-like ghosts, something I'd never even thought to wonder about.

I did think it was a little too easy for Danny to get his powers back after that explanation (and dang, as if he hasn't been compared to Spider-man enough XD), but I love what it did for Vlad's character arc.

I don't know how I'd never thought before about Dark Danny and Vlad interacting but WOW I needed to see that! God what a deliciously complicated relationship - Vlad literally adopted this version of Danny and made him who he was! And again, what a great way to develop Vlad's character making Dark Danny show him exactly what would result from him getting what he'd always wanted in making Danny his protegee!

Clockwork Dark Danny looked so cool~

"Why was I the one who lost everything?" God this part punched me in the gut. 

Clockwork returning Danny and his friends back to the status quo of the show would usually annoy me, but I totally see that this is the author's way of undoing the results of Phantom Planet and leaving the story open to doing the ending over again - and I'm all for that! You know, if in fact we do get more comics after this.

Which it seems like we will because we kinda left Valerie on a cliffhanger there?

And Dark Danny is now a kid again and back with Vlad, heck yeah! Again, I need mooooore! Bring back Dani next!!

5 stars man, this is a continuation done right in every way!

[baronetcoins]

(grabby hands) 32 for Spotify wrapped

32: Training Montage by The Mountain Goats I'm doing this for revenge I'm doing this to try and stay true I'm doing this for the ones They left to twist in the wind, I'm doing this for you I'm doing this for you

Brief note: This is kind of a sequel to After me comes the flood by Kangoo, so go read that if you want a bit more context about what the fuck is wrong with Ayin!

Cayde came to find her in her apartment. Ayin was sitting at the kitchen table, cleaning and re-assembling the Graviton Lance, wiping parts down with a cloth and series of practiced movements. He walked in without knocking, using his copy of the key. "Hello." She didn't look up. Cayde crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Because we're old friends, and I trust you as much as I can trust anyone, I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself."

"Explain what?" Ayin kept her back turned to him, still methodically cleaning her gun. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." Cayde's voice was deathly serious. "Explain what, Cayde?" She set her rag down.

"Why I have two guardians who've died their final deaths to a series of flaming knives impaling their body. You have a bit of a signature, Ayin. And I'd love to hear it wasn't your doing. Really, I would. But I think you and I both know that isn't true, so I'd really like to know why."

"They were using the darkness." Ayin still didn't turn to face him. "Isn't that enough?" "I could have figured that out from looking at their records. Both spotted using stasis in the crucible. That's not why, Ayin." She slammed her palm on the table and whipped her head around. "The Vanguard has done nothing, nothing, to address the fact people are running around throwing concentrated darkness at each other like it's a game. It's the opposite of everything we stand for—or maybe just that I stand for, Cayde."

"Are you threatening me?" He kept his voice low.

"I'm pointing out a fact." She spat. "If that seems like a threat to you, then maybe you should think about why."

Cayde stood up straight. "You understand that killing another guardian is the kind of crime that gets you exiled, at best." "If this is what the city has become? I'd be glad to leave it." Ayin stood in return, covering the living room in three quick steps and grabbing his wrist where a fragment of ice or two still clung to his gloves. "As long as this continues? I'll keep taking matters into my own hands."