#and I need to cut in the action animations I did for game

[foldingfittedsheets]

It’s a special kind of insult to have someone email me with a plug for their masterclass in animation on my animation reel.

Bud, I just paid more money than you can imagine for that degree in Digital Art and Animation and if I really want to improve more I’ll use my free alumni credits.

[gffa]

With the confirmation of The Acolyte not getting a second season, I can't say I'm surprised, the numbers for that show were really bad given what its budgets was, like I kept an eye on The Acolyte's numbers and they were really, really down across the board (Ahsoka's numbers aren't super great either but that's getting its second season because it's Filoni's pet show, I suspect), like set aside all the other complicated stuff, whether it was good or bad, how much of the fandom's reaction was pretty heinous and racist, it just was not getting the numbers it needed and it's making me wonder about how all of these shows are not doing well. Mando is doing all right, OWK did all right, Andor's doing okay, but none of these shows are setting anything on fire anymore (ratings-wise, that is), what would it take to create something that takes off again?

I strongly suspect that The Mandalorian only took off because of Favreau, who really does know how to make something really good and fun in the beginning. Filoni gets a lot of credit for that show, but I'd be willing to put ten dollars on the table that Favreau was driving the vast majority of the success of that series. And that makes me wonder about the future of these shows, because I don't think Filoni is strong enough to really carry a show on his own, most of his best work is when he has a strong partner actively working with him or when he was working under Lucas.

And the creators they bring in to create these shows aren't setting anything on fire, either. Yeah, the sequels made a billion dollars for each movie, but I think it's pretty telling that we're not getting comics or books or games about those characters anymore, the way we did for the prequels characters for more than a decade after they came out. Yeah, Tony Gilroy and Deborah Chow had shows that did solidly well, but they're not anything that Star Wars can build future content off of, they're already backstories for other movies themselves. And I don't think Skeleton Crew is going to light anything on fire, either.

Lucasfilm just doesn't seem to know what to do with Star Wars TV and movies. They had some really good early success with their projects, but almost everything ultimately fizzled out after a few years or ended really badly, and it feels like the only thing that's really hitting with audiences are more Clone Wars-era content and The High Republic novels and maybe still The Mandalorian.

Honestly, if I were Lucasfilm, I'd cut out the live action shows and go back to animation and think long and hard about setting up a new movie series. I think, with the right creative team (and not just who they think is a big name to write/direct), they could have a great trilogy with The Old Republic era stuff, because they have got to expand beyond the PT/OT and the Skywalkers, especially since the sequels put a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths about how Luke, Leia, and Han's stories ended.

(I mean, in my ideal world, we'd get an animated series set in between TPM and AOTC or set like 30 years pre-TPM and getting to see the backstories for characters like Mace and Plo and Shaak and Luminara and Yarael, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.)

[kitoshii]

Omg i just love your first fan fic definitely needs a part 2 maybe where bunny reader finds out that they actually got pregnant with mr.wolf and reader is just so confused but he decides to tell mr.wolf the news and mr.wolf is just watching t.v when bunny reader comes in and wolf is just so horny that he drags bunny reader to their room and do the cha-cha but this is just an idea write you're fan fiction how you want to write it

hellooo nonnie ! so your request did help me decide on a part two, but i changed some things ‘nd cut the pregnancy part, i really hope you don’ mind ! | pt 1 here

whos ? subbot ! bunny hybrid ! male ! reader x domtop ! wolf hybrid ! male ! character

lovin ? heavy orgasm denial , predator / prey themes , hair pulling , breeding , size kink , marking , overstim , full nelson , feminization , readers dick referred to as a clit

stretching your arms over your head as you lean back in your plush gaming chair, a soft pop echoes from your wrist. the sound makes you shake your ears, before standing up and closing your laptop carefully.

tugging your shorts down your legs, the soft click and thump of the front door had your ears twitching in attention, a little smile gracing your face as you assumed it was your mother coming home.

you opened your door, quickly flitting down the stairs with your moms name at the top of your tongue, before skidding to a stop, your socks slipping on the slick wooden floor, falling on your butt at the last stair. a loud squeak escaped your mouth, and your hands flung out, attempting to grasp onto the tight shirt of the tall wolf in front of you.

your hands retracted as quick as they had come, delicate fingers clasped against your chest. there was a moment of silence before your wide eyes nervously looked up, only to find him already staring down his nose at you with narrowed eyes. to your fear ridden mind, it seemed like they were glowing with a predatory urge and your breath hitched, suddenly reminded that you were in fact a prey animal.

a smirk spread across his lips, his eyes narrowing further for just a second before turning to his father, who peered around him curiously.

“he slipped.” he muttered, watching as the older wolf nodded, a concerned look on his face before walking to join your mother in the kitchen.

your eyes were still locked onto his frame, and when his met yours again you flinched, realizing you were still on the ground. shaky legs planted themselves on the ground, your arms attempting to push yourself up before a large hand was tucked under your arm, pulling you to your feet. you stumbled forward into his chest, face planted there until his other hand carded through your hair, tugging your head back to look up at him.

“you’re clumsy, cottontail.”

you almost whimpered at his actions, closing your thighs together without thinking, trembling hands coming up and grabbing onto his shirt. your eye contact only faltered for just a second when he glanced down, a cocky - and slightly predatory - smirk one again gracing his face. he tugged on your hair harder, leaning down so his lips were next to your ear.

“run, little bunny.” he whispered, his words accentuated by a deep, quiet growling that seemed to come from the back of his throat. his grip on you faltered and you were still for a moment, before you stepped back, foot slipping on the steps, and suddenly you were scrambling up the stairs, reaching your room ‘nd slamming the door behind you.

“what was that?” your mother called, peeking out from behind the wall to the kitchen, making eye contact with the younger wolf.

“it’s nothing.” he smiled, waving his hand ‘nd walking to the living room to sit on the couch, leaning back ‘nd manspreading his legs with the remote to the t.v in hand as if nothing had happened.

his father and your mother passed by the couch, his hair being ruffled by the small woman. “your dad and i want to go out for a bit, is that alright with you ?” she asked sweetly, leaning over the armrest of the couch, his father playing with her bent ears idly.

“thats fine,” he grunted, sitting up from his slouched position. “how long will y’ be gone?”

“don’t know yet. we’ll text Y/N when we’re on the way home, kay?” the youngest nodded in acknowledgment, and his father patted his head before they were on their way, the front door shutting behind them with a soft click.

you came walking down the stairs not long after, your steps slow and tentative. you noted the lack of shoes by the front door, coming to the quick conclusion that the adults had left - and you had half a mind to go back up to your room and not come out, but you had caught his eyes quickly and now his attention was on you.

offering him a nervous smile, you kept your head down and walked quickly to the far side of the couch, sitting down and focusing on the television. a short chuckle left his mouth as he took quick notice of something.

“what happened to the pretty pink shorts you were wearing earlier?” he asks, his eyes still trained on the tv in front of him, and you could only look down, embarrassed, because you had in fact changed your shorts to some plain black ones after soiling the others - but theres no way you could tell him that.

“.. they were too small for me.” you mumbled after a few moments, and he looked over to you, his eyes trailing down to your thighs and back to your face with an eyebrow raise and you realize how stupid that excuse was because these shorts are also tight - hugging your dick and squeezing your thighs.

your face flared in red, crossing your legs and tugging your sweater down.

“let me ask you again, doll,” he started, reaching out and tugging you towards him by your waist, his body moving so he was facing you, one knee resting on the couch. “why’d you change your shorts?”

you stared at your hands that were on your lap, holding your sweater down over half of your thighs.

“i… i told you..” you stumbled over your words, breath hitching when you felt his hand tighten around your waist. you only heard him grunt before you were stumbling on your feet, a harsh grip around your wrist.

your back hit the mattress, his large hands pulling you towards him roughly, plush thighs resting over his muscular ones. a whimper from you made his fluffy ears twitch, sharp eyes narrowing as he ran his big hands over your thighs, reveling in the way your body jerked.

your soft ears perked up as he began to talk, his deep ‘nd demanding voice sounding ominous to your muddled mind.

“now, i can either….” he started, big hands running under your sweater ‘nd across your stomach, “abuse your poor little clit,” he continued with a chuckle, squeezing your small cock to accentuate his words, making your back arch, “nd use you for my own pleasure without lettin’ you cum once,” he pushed up your sweater, flicking your nipple harshly, “or you can tell me the real answer, ‘nd i’ll fuck you like a good boy deserves to be fucked.”

you panted harshly, closing your eyes tight and gritting your teeth, your knuckles turning white as your small hands fisted the sheets under you.

“i- i… i fuckin- told you!” you gasped out, shaking your head as he flicked your dick with a sigh.

“well, i did warn you.”

“h-hnghh !” you squealed, voice muffled as your head was pressed into the mattress by his strong hands, struggling to breathe between your heavy breaths and lack of space.

he’d been fucking you for a while now, harsh teeth marks clear around your nipples, on your neck, and even your arms. you felt completely ruined, your hard, leaky, and red cock bouncing underneath you with every thrust, the hairtie around the base of it stopping you from cumming throughout this whole session, although you’re sure you’re multiple dry orgasms in.

his big cock presses against your prostate unrelentingly, strong arms pressing into you at different areas as he holds his weight against you, his thrusts so harsh ‘nd so fast you can barely tell apart his thrusts in and slides out of your poor, ruined hole.

a loud sob is ripped from you when his hand that was holding your head down is suddenly wrapped around your cock, his finger teasing the tip.

“you wanna cum, bunny?” he asks with faux sympathy, teasing the area around the hairtie, his cock still fucking into you with no mercy.

“y-yes! g-gna cum ! cum - please!” you squeak, your legs kicking up from the bed, feeling your gut twist once again with the painful need to release, your body convulsing under his as he only grins with pride.

“that’s too bad, isn’t it?” he practically coos in your ear, his voice lust filled, condescending, and predatory. theres a grunt from behind you and suddenly you’re being lifted, your chest to his back, legs slipped from under you, his muscular arms holding them in the crook of his elbows, and he wastes no time in pummeling back into your ruined hole in that position, cock kissing places you didn’t even think existed inside of you.

you feel like the breath is knocked from your lungs and you attempt to scratch at his arms because your small cock is so fucking ruined, ‘s pathetically leaking precum like a faucet, bouncing against your stomach as it loses some of it’s hardness - simply because the dry orgasms have taken so much out of you.

“look at that.. little clit’s showin’ me just how useless it really is.” he growls, biting deep into the marked skin of your neck afterwards, his swollen knot pressing against your puffy hole as his dick twitches inside of you, his head spinning and overwhelmed with the need to bulge your belly with his puppies.

“shit, bunny.. got me cummin’ so soon.” he huffs, a sloppy grin on his face as his hips never falter , even with how daringly close he is to teetering over the edge ‘nd filling your hole up.

his head shakes, ears twitching as his breathing picks up heavily, trying to center his mind, as it runs to fucking you until you pass out, using your pretty holes till youre filled with his cum and covered in his scent - his strong arms and hands increasing the grip he had on your legs.

he adjusts his arms so your legs are practically touching your ears, his hand coming up to shove large fingers in your mouth, his own baring his fangs into your shoulder - thrusting deep ‘nd hard into your little cunt, filling your stomach with his cum.

a loud wail is muffled against his digits, sobs wracking your chest as you convulse so harshly you’re practically pushed out of his arms, your head shaking back and forth.

“shit..” he mumbles, barking out a laugh. “forgot you had that on.” theres a large grin on his face as he sets your legs down, turning you onto your back. his hands work at untying the hairtie from your dick - rutting back into your hole with a few deep, rough thrusts once it’s off, bathing in the scream you release.

“y’said you wanted to cum, yeah?”

ahhh, i did it ! y’guys proud of me? ૮꒰ˊᗜˋ ꒱ა

[liveontelevision]

Sweet Radio Demon Alastor x Reader

As promised, here she is -

It's inspired by Living Tombstone's song Alastor's Game!

CW: Reader is a cannibal and it's a p big part of the story so mentions and details of cannibalistic intent and murder

♡♡♡

Some people just don't belong in Hell. The structure of divine judgment must be rigged, punishing any poor soul who commits sin without realizing it. Those individuals don't belong.

Then there are those who do. Those who realize there's an afterlife and instantly come to terms with their placement. That's when all the Oh, I'm definitely going to Hell for this jokes start to bite back.

It's always easier for those who choose to be sinners to adapt to Hell's settings. The job market for porn stars and actors is extensive, and protection is almost guaranteed despite the souls owed or deals made.

But, what interested you the most, you depraved sinner you, was the loveliness of Cannibal Town. Not only was it the nicest part of Pentagram City, but you felt right at home considering your appetite when you were living.

It was immense. Some kind of craving that you could never satisfy, no matter how many callers you invited into your home and how many of them never left. You got creative, playing with recipes, spices, and cooking methods, but it was never, never, enough.

Sometimes, you'd wonder how you got to this point. You were a normal enough kid, went to school, had a nuclear home life, and you were comfortable financially, the works.

You remember it feeling like a stomach ache.

A stomach ache that brought you to tears and kept you from school some days. You almost assumed it was something every child went through until you learned what subdued the pain.

Meat.

It was the solution. You ate like a carnivore at first, then the food became increasingly rare as you aged up. Until you stumbled upon some strange forums online (There's something online for everyone, I suppose). You gave in to the cryptid suggestions. You tried rodents at first, only after thorough mental and food preparation, but fuck did it do the job. It made your body shutter and your mind hazy, momentarily melting any thoughts of guilt you might still have.

As time went on, you grew hungrier. Animals weren't cutting it.. but maybe he could.

You found him online, chatted for a while over some messenger, then discovered how much of a dirtbag he truly was. That seemed to disarm you from the whole idea.

Poor thing.

Maybe if he was kind enough, he would have been spared.

You invited him over.

As you watch him approach your door, you tussle your hair, and adjust your clothes that leave little to the imagination. With a continuous, you can do this, you can do this, you're drawn to the knocking of the door.

"Damn, babe, if I knew you actually looked like this, I would've come over sooner." He props his arm on the doorframe as he speaks.

Is.. is that supposed to be a compliment?

Your eye only twitches a bit before you cover your expression with a cute giggle. Holding your hands behind your back, you lean forward.

"Not too bad yourself, big guy. How's a movie sound?"

One thing leads to another, you're seated on your couch, and his hands are immediately on you. For someone who acts so big and tough, his touch is awkward and uncomfortable. Like he doesn't know what he's doing.. probably because he doesn't know what he's doing.

The inexperience helps.

You didn't take into account how large he was. Assuming this would go as planned, you'd be set for weeks, but the actual action of getting him down still worries you.

You're barely an hour into the movie, which you can hardly remember, before his sloppy lips are on yours, which you respond to with a grimace. He doesn't seem to take into account your reactions, grunting against your very unresponsive lips.

Disgusting.

Pig.

He places a large hand on your waist, pulling you roughly to him.

Strong.

Muscular.

You need more. You need to evaluate your prey. You place your hand on his wrist, delicately running your fingers up the entirety of his forearm, tracing and digging into each vein and muscle you can find. That continues up to his chest. Before long, you find yourself straddling him, his wide hips forcing your legs apart a decent amount. Despite his build, his composure clearly shows he's nearly at your mercy. While you're running your hands along his body continuously, occasionally kissing him or letting out fake moans to his ear, you're feeling his ever-growing length pressing into your leg.

You'd be disgusted by the sensation if you weren't planning your next move internally.

You hid weapons everywhere. If you remember correctly, there should be a knife sitting in the crevice between the couch’s armrest and the side table. You just have to reach -

"Take this off." You command with a breathy voice, tugging at his t-shirt that had some unknown stain on it. You almost regret putting so much effort into your appearance.

Oh, well. You're taking notes in the back of your mind for any future endeavors.

You guide his desperate hands to pull the shirt over his head. In one movement, you drop the shirt and take the hidden knife into your hand. You hadn't realized until just now, but -

You're shaking.

You let out a deep breath. With your arms reaching over the arm of the couch, you're essentially caging him in. Nothing looks suspicious yet. Not to him, at least.

You lean in to give him one final kiss. You aren't exactly sure why. It's not doing anything for you. Maybe some sort of sympathy is crossing your mind?

… You'll have to work on that.

You pull away slowly, giving yourself time to examine the state he's in. His eyes are glazed over, his breath shallow.

Now.

Do it now.

You're ready. You've studied anatomy, disarmed yourself to the idea, and prepared for the worst.

You have to do it now.

You straighten your back, the knife now visible to him. He doesn't seem to notice at first until your arms are in the air, hoping to find some momentum in the stab. With your eyes still open, you find the spot where it should end this without too much pain for either party. You dive as fast as you can, but you made a fatal error.

You shut your eyes.

The moment was immediately silenced by the tension of his hand fisting the blade of the knife. He caught it. He stopped it just before it could pierce his chest, only bleeding from his palm. You both sit silently, in disbelief, perhaps.

A silent curse slips from your lips, and that seems to snap him back to this failure of a hook-up.

"You fucking psychopath!" He screeches. He stands, effectively throwing you off his lap as he does so. The action forces a small yelp out of you, and your grip on the knife is immediately taken from you. You stare up at him from the ground.

The tables seem to have turned. He's looking down at you, stumbling and struggling to find his grounding, all the while holding the knife. Despite this, despite his large build and his newfound advantage, he bolts for the door.

Was this better than him attacking you? Will he go to the police? You almost hope he's fragile enough to not admit he was attacked by a frail creature, or that he'll use this as a story to brag to his friends over, I escaped a psycho bitch last night.

You start cursing again. They become more frantic and louder as you follow him out. You watch him stumble off your patio and back to his car. You manage to find reality when a previous thought hits you.

You hid weapons everywhere.

A shotgun sits by your front door. It wasn't the most hidden, but in your defense, it was dark enough outside that it went unnoticed. And you're in a rural enough area that some wouldn't bat an eye at the sight of it.

With shaky hands, you pick it up, already loaded, and aim it at him. He's already in the driver's seat, but you're too exposed to let him just drive off at this point.

You didn't really know much about guns. But in an emergency such as this, it seemed like it would come in handy. So when you took your shot, you never considered the consequences of shooting bullets at a running car, especially with your poor aim.

You come to moments later, fire and pieces of metal surround you. You try to take in your surroundings, but your ears are ringing, and your senses are overwhelmed by the severe burns covering most of your body. You manage to find your home, still mostly intact. The car, on the other hand, is completely decimated.

In the corner of your eye, you think you can spot some resemblance of your date sprawled along the asphalt. With a heavy breath, which you consider might be your last, you let your head drop onto the pavement.

-

"My my, what a predicament you've got yourself into!"

A voice?

It echoes through your head. You can still only see the crackling of the fire surrounding you, and your ears still ring, but the voice seems clear as day. There's a bit of a static to it, but still it's clearnes startles you. You attempt to respond through the pain.

"W-Who-"

"Save your strength, my dear. I'll be quick since it seems you won't be with us much longer." The voice says. You can hear footsteps, a clear clicking of heels that echo in this ethereal space you find yourself. You struggle to lift your head, only catching a glimpse of the stranger kneeling in front of you.

"I'll clean up this little mess of yours, and we can discuss my repayment once you're in less of a.. scorched state. Deal?"

How could you consider the consequences? Or even comprehend his words while you’re like this? You aren't sure what he means, and you have no time to question. Your consciousness seems to be honing in on the burns.

You let out a horrific scream, clutching your arms, only intensifies the pain. If you could see the stranger, you'd see a disturbingly unphased smile.

"Help me - H-Help me! Please!" You beg and cry out, finally reaching out your hand to him.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

"Deal - Deal! Fuck- I-It hurts..!" You sob, biting your blood-dampened lip to prevent any more screams.

He takes your hand, gripping onto the raw skin of your burns. Your next scream comes out silently. You feel your vision blur before your body finally comes to terms with its seemingly sealed fate.

-

You shoot up from your bed, your face running with tears. They feel cool, running down your heated cheeks. You quickly wipe your face, leaving a wet smudge of makeup and sweat across your fingers.

Right.. make-up from the date.

You scan your bed, no man in sight. It’s a relief to wake up in your bed alone. Shifting out from under the covers, you look to your hands, waving them in front of your eyes and running your hands across your own skin.

Smooth.

Maybe even softer than you remember previously.

Some sort of calming amenity seems to be sweeping over your body. With glazed eyes, you examine your body that should be severely burned, yet you feel nothing.

Still, in a state of shock, you rise and wrap yourself in your blanket before leaving your bedroom looking a mess. You roam your home, looking around with still-damp eyes. You feel like a tourist. Like none of this is yours.

Not anymore.

You find yourself standing by your front door, opening it without hesitation. It's a clear sunny day. The grass is just as green, if not greener, and there were flowers there that you don't recall ever planting.

Suddenly, your bare feet against the heated pavement sends a slight panic through you, as the more gruesome details of the previous night conjured in your mind.

That's why nothing looks right. You were sure your porch was blackened by the fire. The grass was a flame, and there was a car - and that man and the voice -

You approach where his car was parked, only to find a torn-up strip of rubber, assumingly from its tire.

"What the.." unable to even complete a thought, a familiar voice only brings up more questions.

"Ah, my apologies! I assure you it is quite out of character for me to miss a spot." You see a disturbingly tall figure come from behind, swooping down to pick up the rubber scrap. He examines it within his red talons, turning it back and forth. You stand dumbfounded, but he goes on anyway.

"So, what exactly caused your date to ..implode? Was he not to your liking? Too handsy? Too-"

...

You're too tired for this.

You rub the sleep from your eyes, turning on your heels and letting the blanket drag across the rugged pavement behind you as you head back inside. You almost expect some sort of resistance from him, a qwip on how rude it is to walk off in the middle of a conversation, but there is none. Maybe you just imagined that little interaction. Maybe there wasn't really anyone there, and you're still tired or still sleeping.

You open the door, and that same bright smile greets you from inside your own home.

That seems to wake you up.

Your wide eyes scan his face, then peek inside your home behind him. You turn back around to see where he previously was, and obviously there's no sign of his travels. You slowly turn back.

"May I speak now?" His voice is laced with a radio filter, and it hits your ears in the strangest way. The reality of the situation turns your exhaustion into apprehension, yet you nod your head anyway.

"I may have caught you in the midst of your disarray, but I must admit, I'm curious about what led to it." He steps aside and gestures for you to come inside. To your own house.

"H-He got the upper hand is all." You decide not to comment, moving inside sluggishly. As far as you know, this strange being has no idea of the sins you've committed. You quickly fib.

"He attacked me, actually."

"Oh, how devastating!" He lets out a saddened sigh, a hand over his heart with fake sympathy. "Now, was that before or after you attempted to drive a knife through his chest?"

With a defeated groan, you flop onto the couch.

"What are you? A sleep paralysis demon? A.. nightmare? Am I still asleep?" You grumble, running the possibilities out loud and not expecting a true answer. You actually hoped that it would all go away. That this voice in your head, this hallucination, is just that.

In your head.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that.. A nightmare~ has a nice ring to it wouldn't you say?" He stands in front of you, his hands folded formally behind his back.

"Now. Enough with the compliments. What truly happened, my dear?” When his voice suddenly turns sympathetic, you find yourself actually in need of someone to vent to.

“Well, since you're clearly just a nightmare - or.. something - ” You sit up, take in a deep breath, and with its release, you reveal yourself.

All of you.

Every single animal you've killed to curb your pain, what seems to work and what doesn't, and the previous nights failure. You talk about the number of friends and family you've scared off throughout the years, everything.

“I.. was gonna eat.. him…” You squeak out your final sentence. You've never really said it out loud before. And never in front of someone else. It made your own blood run cold. Not the thought of the act itself, but just sharing it aloud. your eyes stay fixed on your fidgeting hands in your lap when a loud cackle interrupts your anxiousness.

“My word, aren’t you just the cutest basket case? You're lucky to be dealing with a demon of similar tastes.” He hisses his final words, all with a sly smile. He sounds prideful in his admission. His words seem like they're meant to disarm you, and even though he essentially admitted to being a cannibalistic demon, it works.

“Well.. since we have sooo much in common-” Your voice drags, the notion of being similar to this demon feeling strange to mention out loud, “-would you.. help me? With all this..?”

Expecting another laugh, maybe some more teasing, you're met with a confusing expression. His smile is still there, unmoving, but you catch the smallest twinkle in his eye. He stands and faces away. The hope of finding an outlet for your cannibalistic intent starts to dwindle.

Your misplaced disappointment is overtaken by the flickering of lights and the soft tunes of a radio nearby, one that you recognized but were sure had been broken for decades. He turns his head unnaturally, looking over his shoulder to meet you with blackened eyes.

“I would be absolutely delighted.”

-

“Lucky for you, some of your late-night delivery seemed to withstand the flames!”

You follow that transatlantic accent to your kitchen, unamused by his continuous puns and casual speech. This big scary demon friend of yours presents a commically large plate, with a very familiar carcass sitting atop.

He did nothing to make it look any less disturbing than it truly was. the skin was nearly burned off, the smell was just awful, and the shirt was somehow still recognizable through it all.

You cover your mouth in response. The fact that it doesn't smell much different than some of the other carnivorous meals you’ve prepared nauseates you more than the sight of the corpse itself.

“Quite a specimen, very good choice! But, you needed tips, correct?”

All you can think of to respond is a simple nod of your head.

“Then let's get started!” With a snap of his clawed fingers, a sleek black apron covers his suit.

The next few hours were grueling, but.. fun? If you're allowed to call it that. You were given multiple pointers, and sure, they were all quite helpful, but they were in excruciating detail. What certain parts of the body you should pick or avoid was one thing, but discussing what wine pairs with what organs? It's not a conversation you ever thought you'd have.

By the time the meal looks normal, all decorated with spices in a baking pan and in the oven, you instinctively go to do dishes. As you fill the sink and start bringing things over, a little creature has you nearly tripping. You look down, seeing a strange little stitched doll carrying most of the dishes to the sink. No matter how strange it looked, you respond with a curious hum, fully desensitized to it at this point.

“Huh..” is all you can say. You take any remaining dishes and follow suit, plopping it all into the water. The little doll seems to be tugging at your leg when you try to walk off. It's holding its arms up to you, letting out little murmurs that sound restrained by the stitches across its mouth. You hesitate at first, but scoop it up in your arms and place it aside the sink. And it gets to work scrubbing away.

“Damn, you're cute, and you clean? Can I keep you?” You ask it quietly, giving it a quick pat on the head. It seems to smile.

“Quite a delightful little thing, one of my better creations, I must admit.” The response from him seems to scare the poor thing straight. It immediately lowers its head and focuses on cleaning. You scoff at the interaction between the two. if his own toy is scared of him, should you be as well? “That being said, I simply can not part with it. My apologies.”

“Oh, I was kidding. Mostly.” You reply quietly. You hear the first chuckle from him that seems genuine. No ill intent, just a joyous response to your little quip. It felt kinda.. Nice.

-

“So, Mr. Scary Demon Man-” You clear your throat before you speak. “-why are you here, exactly? did I do something to summon you? Or-” He cocks his head to the side at the title, a little twitch to his eye.

“Not at all, my dear. I simply wanted to help you in your little endeavors, from one cannibal to another, Haha!” His tone goes back to that of a salesman. Like he’s trying to convince you he’s something he’s not.

“Well.. thank you, I guess. I don't really understand why you’d want to help me without wanting something in return, though. You don't seem like-”

“-A charitable man? I suppose that’s fair.” He doesn’t give you a chance to reply. “If you’re so desperate to return the favor, why don’t we strike a deal? Just a little one. Between friends.”

You weren’t stupid. His words made it clear that this was his intention from the moment he chose to save your life. You shrunk a bit.

“Sure, between friends.” You let out a sigh, your somewhat chipper attitude immediately fading. He takes no time to be empathetic.

“Good! Now, you seem to have an eye for food. This meal was ideal considering your poor execution.” You can’t stop your eyes from rolling. “And you can’t get meals quite like this where I’m from. How about you keep providing, with my assistance, and I’ll make sure it’s prepared to the best of my abilities. In exchange for all my hard and generous work, I get half the spoils! Seems far more favorable on your end, but I’m feeling rather generous today.”

Where he’s from? You want to question it. You want to know more about him, you want to know -

“What’s your name?” Your sudden questioning leaves him speechless for a moment, but he’s quick to recover his charming smile. “You never told me.”

“Well, considering you won’t need my name if you don’t agree to this little game, how about I throw that in as well? You provide the living flesh, and I’ll handle the rest. And, you’ll get my name.” He stands before you, a bit too close for your comfort, as he reaches his hand out to you. “Call it a deal?”

An ominous green glow surrounds the two of you. It sends some kind of wind through your clothes and hair. His hand is especially bright, and his eyes go back to that frightening black that you experienced previously.

At the end of the day, if this is what you have to do to stifle those damned pains, it doesn't seem all that bad. You extend your hand, instinctively flinching at the seemingly impending danger. But that still doesn't stop you.

“O-Okay.. Deal.” With the touch of his palm against yours, the glow flashes, forcing your body to tense and your eyes to squeeze shut. It only lasts for a moment, though. When you open your eyes, you first examine your connected hands. His hand is huge compared to yours. From this proximity, you can truly take in how unnaturally tall he is.

Attempting to tug your hand back, his grip tightens, forcing your hand to his lips for a quick kiss to your knuckles. An outdated and surprisingly intimate action leaves you a bit flustered.

“My name is Alastor. It’s been a pleasure, my dear~”

-

And so, your transactional deal went on, right until your demise. You used a similar tactic to bring more meals to your doorstep, finding a handful of poor saps online. You weren’t exactly sure what he meant when he offered his assistance, but when the time came, a strength took over your body that you never experienced before. There were no more shaky hands or sympathy. Your aim was always true, and it was just so easy. Any impending dangers or possible retaliations were alerted to you by a subtle whisper, a voice, coming from just behind you. It was startling at first, but quickly became a comfort.

When it came to preparing the food, which Alastor said he’d handle, you’d essentially leave your victim's remains in the kitchen and would come back to a meal ready for the oven. Sometimes, you’d leave the body as is, limp on the couch, or sprawled on the floor, only when you were too exhausted to deal with the clean-up. On nights like that, you’d wake up to a completed meal the next morning. You liked to picture him going through your home, rolling up his sleeves and wearing that apron, cleaning things up, and cooking in your kitchen how he did that first night.

That being said, you didn't normally see his physical form. There was the lent strength and whispers during your hunts, but other than that, contact seemed to nearly cease. Why was that upsetting you? You cursed yourself for being too much of a romantic - for making this seem like anything more than a delusion you conjured up to make this whole action easier for you.

And that pain? That constant hunger that was never sufficed nearly went away. In fact, you’ve never felt fuller.

He did return on especially rare occasions. You never complained, and you attempted to hide your excitement when you'd catch him lurking in the corner of your eye.

Sometimes, it was to cook for you again. Despite the deal being in full swing, you would ask him to show you some of the recipes. Normally, it would just appear, looking delicious and homemade as always, yet you still pestered him to show you how to prepare some things. He always acted burdened by it, but seeing him cooking felt.. Domestic. Like, when he was cooking, he was truly in his element. It made it easy to forget what he was, which you found yourself questioning less and less. It simply didn't matter anymore.

One particular visit was late into the night. He actually woke you up from the racket, which had never happened before. Stumbling out of your bed, expecting to see police raiding your home or something worse, you’re instead met with a swaying radio demon and a shattered vase. Whenever he was around, soft music would play from your busted radio, a contrasting notion to the fumbling man in front of you now.

“Alastor?” You call out, a wave of relief hitting you and bringing the baseball bat from your hands to the floor. “What the hell are you doing? It’s like.. three in the morning..” The realization of the time makes the previous adrenaline seep out of you.

“Ha-ha! Isn’t that an interesting concept? The Devil’s Hour. Throw some religious implications, and it drives people mad! In reality, it’s just when your feeble body is at its most vulnerable.” He rambles on, spilling the drink from his bottle as he exaggerates his actions. He walks to you as he goes on, his body still swaying. “When your little fragile human heart reaches its lowest speed. When waking you would cause.. distress.” He goes on, his words suddenly sounding melancholic.

“Your breathing is erratic.” He adds, staring intensely at your heaving chest. “And you are hot to the touch-” The back of his claws trace the apple of your cheek, where even you can feel the heat radiating from your skin. Because his voice has no filter. You’ve never heard it like that before. You’ve never heard him sound so human.

His hand traces down your face to press against your chest. He’s feeling your heart. And it’s beating erratically.

“Your heart is fast. Are you distressed?” He leans in closer, to the point where you can smell the alcohol on his breath. “Do I make you distressed?”

In a flustered panic, you push him away. His closeness, his touch, it all threw you off guard.

“N-no, I’m just tired. You woke me up in the middle of the night, asshole.” You cross your arms over your chest, watching him laugh and struggle to find his bearings after being shoved. With a groan, you pull him by his slender arm over to the couch. He sits down with a thud, and you sit a careful distance next to him.

“That is what is so refreshing about you, my dear.” He lets out a dreamy sigh, and you pull the whiskey from his hand before he can break anything else. “Why - you have no idea who you’re dealing with, I could be a powerful demon overlord,” He slurs his words. “But, to you, I’m just your sweet radio demon~” He sings out.

Alastor leans into you, uncharacteristically tapping your nose. You swat his hand away, forcing another loud chuckle from him. He stays leaning forward, even seated beside you, he towers over you. Your wide eyes meet his.

“Even your eyes show no sign of fear. How curious.” You stay like this a little longer. His breath still reeks of expensive whiskey, but you can’t seem to tear your eyes from him. You’re terribly focused on keeping your distance, but he doesn't seem to have the same concern.

With a sly smile, he removes his coat and flips to his back, laying his head in your lap. With his long legs crossed over each other and hanging very much off the couch, you’re almost nervous to touch him. He wasn’t especially touchy, only doing so when necessary; fingers brushing against fingers, a hand on the shoulder for a mere second- why can you remember each moment so vividly? Why is it so fresh in your mind?

“Alastor, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you at home? or.. wherever you are when you're not here?” That’s still something you’ve questioned. You weren’t one to pester him so insistently, wery on losing the good thing you have going on.

“Unfortunately, I’m not sure! Be careful with your alcohol, my dear! Ha-haa!” He slurs out with a grin. “I suppose.. I prefer to be here.”

“What? Why? If you’re some powerful overlord, don’t you have somewhere better to be getting sloshed?” You scoff, keeping your eyes away from his head that was still perched comfortably in your lap. He seems to even nuzzle into your thighs a bit, and it only flushes you more. You take an unpermitted swig of his confiscated drink.

“Hm! Well, I can’t exactly get meat this fresh in Hell-” He taps his chin in thought to your rhetorical question that clearly went right over his head. “-besides! It’s not nearly as nice without you.” He sounds so matter of fact, so sure of his words. You hold your breath, suddenly reliving every moment together before this.

You’d chat and joke around in the kitchen, but you’ve really learned more about him than you thought. How he sews together those strange little creatures. And he seems so proud of them, despite their clear fear of his presence. You noticed he always puts some sort of spice in the meals he cooks, and that even if it's too much, you eat it anyway. How he simply hates getting dirty despite his occupation. He rolls up his sleeves, has that dumb apron, and uses those little toys of his to keep clean.

You loved it.

You’ve done nothing but enjoy every moment with him. You don’t need to know what he is to know that.

Wait, did he say Hell?

“You’re from Hell? There’s a Hell??” With a more shocked exclamation than feared, you finally look down at him. He’s too far gone, humming along to the music, he barely hears your questions. With a clearly defeated sigh, you brush his hair from his face. He winces from the action, his smile wavering but not breaking under your touch.

“Ah, I wish I knew how you survive this cozy little life.” His voice is quiet and mumbled.

You.

I can live this way because of you.

He manages to finish off the bottle with one more swig - when did he take that back?

Your thoughts begin to wander, absent-mindedly twirling strands of hair through your fingers, raking your fingers down his scalp, only to startle yourself with the sensation of animalistic ears. And they’re twitching. Whether it be your reaction or his, it seems to force a little yelp from you, so you reel your hand away.

“I didn’t mean to alarm you, darling.. Could you - or.. You can.. Continue. If you’d like.” His voice had dropped that strange filter again. You feel woozy. That whiskey you had shared, maybe it was strong. Or.. it was the middle of the night, you were sure you were just tired. You spiraled to come up with any reasonable excuse other than developing feelings for a Hellbound demon. You wonder if you-

Oh, you’re definitely going to Hell.

But, could it be something to look forward to?

Your intimate thoughts cloud your mind, leaving your hand mindlessly petting a literal demon. Your fingers combed through his hair, delicately clawing up the ears and pinching the softness at the tip of each one. Despite your thorough and elaborate massage, your mind has wandered to how a relationship with a possible hallucination of a demon would work out. But that's ridiculous, isn’t it?

“Alastor, can I ask you-” your words are brought to a halt and your eyes drop. A quiet hum of satisfaction, leaving a barely conscious radio demon, who’s head still sat in your lap. With a curse under your breath you decide you're trapped.

There was absolutely no chance of escape. What, were you supposed to wake him? What if you upset a powerful overlord demon, or whatever he claimed to be? Albeit uncomfortable, you force yourself to sleep. Enjoy it while you can, who knows if it's even real?

You didn't see him for awhile after that.

-

Alastor was a poinient man. He never missed a pick up before. So when you realized the meat you've portioned off for him was still sitting in your fridge, you start to worry. You're not exactly sure why, you’ve pushed any and every intimate thought from your mind.

This is purely transactional.

Even though his portion had gone untouched for a few days.. A few weeks, if you really think about it, you already had a date set with another victim.

It went on as usual. A dumb hunk of meat thinks he’s all that until you’re straddling him. You decide to stick to what you know works; a knife to the heart.

You mapped exactly where to plant it, as he fiddles with your top, and with a raised arm, you go to claim your next victim.

There was no warning.

There was supposed to be a warning.

The next thing you know, you're pinned to the floor, your wrist being gripped so tightly you have no other option than to scream and lose your grip on the knife.

Your date took no time. No hesitation.

The last thing you see is the opposing view. A stranger straddling your body with a knife held high above his head.

It seems so quiet.

And it's awful.

Where was the warning?

If anything, you should've at least heard Alastor's voice telling you how to avoid this. You always do. A slight pang of worry hits you, but it's quickly overtaken by anger.

With a final yelp that's fueled with frustration, hurt, and a broken heart, you met your demise quickly and alone.

By the time you've come to, you're surrounded by a handful of black eyed children. You immediately scramble backward, hitting your back against a brick wall. You’d notice your surroundings if these little scavengers werent eyeing you with an innocent curioustity. You let out a hiss, holding a hand over your eye. A streak of blackened blood comes from it, your palm thoroughly stained with it.

“You must be new~”

“You’re very handsome!”

“How did you die?”

A bombard of tiny voices and questions go straight over your head, a ringing in your ears forcing your mind to go hazy.

“Alright, give ‘em some space, kids!” A sweet voice seems to bring you back. You look down to your seated body. Your skin is a deathly gray, and your top is stained with your own blood. It’s still red. “Don’t overwhelm the poor thing, I’m sure they’re quite shaken!”

Your eyes then trace up the silhouette of a vintage looking entourage, then to a sharp-toothed smile. The woman stands before you, a hand held out to you.

Her eyes are just as black and her skin is just as pale as those children that now whisper and giggle to eachother nearby.

It didn’t take you long to realize your misfortune.

You died.

You’re upset sure, but you find that you’re mostly angry. None of this wouldve happened if you- if he-

“Come on, cutie! Let’s get you cleaned up.” Her considerate smile clears your mind almost immediately. You don’t hesitate accepting her assistance.

-

“He was supposed to help me. He said he would be there for me! I died because of him..!”

A strained smile and a quick nod is the only response you get to your angered rambling. The kind face that scooped you off the streets was Rosie, one of the most powerful overlords in Hell, who just so happens to own most the souls in Cannibal town.

Lucky you.

She did exactly as she said, having her fun and playing a bit of dress up with you. It wasn't exactly your style, but there were more concerning things when it came to your appearance. Your eyes were just as black as Rosie’s. As those children who have been following you around.. In fact, most residents of cannibal town had this feature.

You really are in Hell.

Right where you belong.

Right along side people who are just like you. It almost felt.. Comfortable.

You confided in her, going on and on about some jerk of a demon who broke a promise that cost you your life. How he had been helping you in fights, saved your life a number of times, taught you how to cook, showed up drunk to simply sit in your lap, then just fucking disapeared when you needed him most. Your face was turning red, from anger or the way you gushed about him, Rosie couldn’t quite decipher.

What wasn’t comfortable was the period clothing you were put in. But according to Rosie, it’s Perfect! What a doll!

“Is Alastor. The radio demon?” She completes your sentence with a sigh, standing to tower over you and placing a hand on your shoulder. “I hate to break it to you, hun, but no one’s seen him in quite a while.. If i’m being entirely honest with you, he’s a dear friend of mine.” You instantly tense at her words. You just went on a rant about how shitty he was, only to find out he’s disapeared with no explanation. Maybe it was a good reason. A good enough reason to leverage your own life? You aren’t sure.

“I have to find him!” You finally say, as if a lightbulb switched in your head. He seemed so unattainable all these years, but now? You’re in his house. “Miss Rosie! Can you help me? His name-”

“I can’t say he didn’t wrong you, but he’s a man of his word, hun.. If he’s not holding up his promises, then he might be in some real trouble.. ” You hear her voice crack, yet she doesn't let her smile drop.

Another factor to consider that Alastor might have bitten more than he can chew, yet she still sympathises with you. You nearly knock the wind out of her with your arms encircling her small waist. Your head rests just at her chest. You can’t see her face, but her arms are around you almost instantly.

-

As you got settled in town, you did actually use the skills that Alastor had taught you throughout your lifetime. You understood why he made your previous deal. Demon flesh was just fine, but you really needed to spice it up to be anything special. And even then, it still couldn't compare to fresh, living, meat.

You started off just making and baking your own food. Then, when one cannibalistic child asked to try some, they told their friends, who told others.

After a while, you were cooking for half the town. You had a line every morning out of your own home. Once Rosie took notice, it was time for you to make a deal.

“Why can’t I sign a contract with you? You’ve done so much for me, I trust you with my soul.” You had taken Rosie out for dinner, where you planned to discuss a potential deal. Even with you barely being in Hell for a year, you heard plenty about Extermination Day, contracts, dealing in souls, all of it. You did your research. You talked to some of the townsfolks and saw no real downside in giving your soul away. Your proposal seems to surprise her, though.

“You still have your soul? Didn’t you make a deal with Alastor?” She asks, quieting her voice when she says his name, as if just the sound of it would make you upset. It only makes your eye twitch, though, just at the thought of the whole ordeal.

“I did, but he didn't say anything about my soul.. Was he.. Supposed to take it?” You question.

“Well.. he’s made deals like that before, favors for favors, right?” You nod. “But to go all the way to Earth just for some food? That’s.. Not like him…” Rosie seems to be lost in thought, trying to piece together his intentions. You clear your throat, and attempt to calmly bring her back. You slide a tupperware container of lady fingers you had made just before this.

“I want a restaurant, Rosie. I’ve been keeping an eye on that abandoned shop in the town square. I can feed everyone in town if you’ll let me. And.. protection, of course. Would that work?”

She opens the box with a sparkle in her black eyes, almost immediately popping one of the delicate treats to her lips. With a hum of satisfaction and a snap of her fingers, the glowing golden paper floats in front of your eyes.

“It’s a deal, darling!”

-

You could barely call it a restaurant at first, but you were elated. Rosie granted you some extra hands to make deliveries and assist in the kitchen. Everything seemed to be going your way. Your first extermination day went by quickly. For some reason, angels weren’t destroying everything in town. And you and your little shop were both safe, untouched, really.

You had a steady job, loving customers, and a residency near the center of town. You were almost surprised how having a shared interest, in eating human flesh, can bring people together. And after just a few years, you had a community.

You had a family.

Something you never really though you’d have, in life or death; A home.

Things were going so well. This was supposed to be your happy ending. It had been a few years since you had signed the contract, and you still feel satisfied with your decision. You could really be yourself here.

In Cannibal Town.

In Hell.

It made you laugh sometimes, how much joy the underworld brought you.

On a say that seemed like any other, you had sold out your stock for the day early, and went on to send the rest of yout employees home, when you heard a ruckus near the gazebo.

The screech of a microphone, and a very distant agitated Susan, is all you can truly hear from where you are. You drop everything to join the crowd.

It was the princess of Hell.. You weren’t one to keep up with politics or media, there was no need for you. You entertained yourself plenty just by residing in town. But, you managed to hear her blow up before being dragged away. A tall, rugged figure takes their place, ready to entertain the crowd while the Princess gathered herself.

“Come one, come all! While our little princess is collecting herself, who would appreciate a quick song, hm?”

“There is no fucking way..” You mutter to no one but yourself.

Alastor.

He holds his hand up to his ear, waiting patiently for the adoring crowd to praise his presence before he went on. You knew Rosie was a friend of his, he was a cannibal afterall, but for the entire town to love him just as much? Including Susan?

It’s absurd.

He went on to perform some showtune, one that sounded familiar to you. The crowd excitedly surrounds the pavilion, dragging you nearly to the front. You held a look of disgust. A look of betrayal.

You didnt want to see him, you told yourself. Things were perfect as is, you felt no need to repair a relationship with your imaginary friend you conjured up while alive.

Although, you never thought you had to. He had been gone for years, he nearly became just a passing thought.

An unreasonable part of you stayed put. A part of you wants him to see you and recognize you, to remember what he had forgotten. You stood with your arms crossed, your heart beating rapidly just at the sight of him.

He looks entirely the same, completely unphased. You’ve changed so much visually, and you’re happier now. Bolder. You’re not shying down now.

He catches your eyes.

The music screeches to a halt, sounding like a record player needle dragging across the disc. You’re holding back a smile, almost proud that you were able to stop him in his tracks. This had to be the first time he’s thought of you in over seven years.

And stops singing.

Lucky for him, the princess is finally ready to make her own point. You stick around, not exactly paying attention to her lyrics. You keep your face of disdain strong, stepping away and flinching at any advance Alastor would make to reel in the crowd. He seems to distract himself just fine until Charlie whisks away the crowd. Again, you're firmly planted in your spot.

Alastor turns to you, much more apparent of who he’s dealing with now that you stand alone from the crowd. His ears are flat against his head, and his smile is turned at the corners. His eyes seem to dart back and forth as if he’s deciding whether or not to stay. To be with you.

Oh, he’s nervous.

You’ve never seen him nervous before. It feels good. You’re making the almighty Radio Demon nervous. You smile just slightly. But not a smile between old friends, but a smile in response to his realization that he fucked up.

Despite your delay, Alastor continues on with the rest of the parade. Your body immediately lost all tension once he leaves.

-

“Well, well! I knew I recognized that menu. I was ready to tear apart some poor sinner for using my recipes.” A familiar, antagonizing voice echoes throughout your little empty shop.

You turn on your heels, almost startled by the sudden intrusion.

Almost.

But, you'd be lying if you said you weren't hoping for it.

Just a little.

Of course, he'd come back. Maybe to make another lowly deal. Or to get you to do more menial tasks for him, to flaunt his power and authority.

“Yeah, well.. when you've been left for dead, and all you have is your skills, you do what you have to, to survive.” You snap, turning your back to him to continue wiping off an already spotless counter. “Plus, it never hurts to marginalize.”

“I've actually tried some of your food here.. Hm! And I hadn't the slightest idea who prepared such a meal. You've gotten better, I'll give you that! Such a small world.” He says with a nostalgic sigh. You can hear his heels clicking throughout the empty store, circling the room before eventually approaching you.

How can he speak to you like you were still.. aquitanced?

“I hope whatever kept you busy these seven years was worth my life.” You mutter. You weren't sure if you wanted him to hear that or not. Maybe if he did, he'd finally apologize or-

“Oh, it was! A nice little sabbatical is exactly what I needed.” You quickly turn to see him polishing his claws against his coat and smiling quite brightly. “I will say it is a pleasure to be meeting you here! I'm glad you settled in so easily.”

“You killed me, Alastor! You were supposed to keep me safe.. and now I'm dead! Because you disappeared without a word!” You start to scold him, finally hitting a breaking point. All he does is scoff at you.

“Oh please, I didn't even take your soul. And it's not like you'd end up anywhere else if you were to perish later on.” He speaks so casually about it all.

But, you were ready to cry. To kick and scream at his arrogance.

The feeling of sharp fingers engulfing your shoulders leaves you suddenly tense and puts your murderous thoughts on hold. He's vanished from in front of you and now looms over you, his eyes meeting yours from over your shoulder.

“Plus, you seem to be quite happy here! Why don't we just call it even then, hm?”

He can not be serious.

You pull away from him, the tears welling in your eyes finally letting loose.

“Alastor, stop!” You yelp, turning to face him. “That’s.. so unfair! You broke a promise! And you-” you hold your finger out to scold him even more, but you feel your body simply going slack. “-you hurt me.. I just.. thought that after all that time, after that night, you'd care a little more..” You look up to him, in the hopes of being met with some sort of sympathy. But his unnatural smile goes unwavering. You rub your arm awkwardly, losing your confidence as your words turn more vulnerable without your realizing.

“Oh, I can feel your pain, not to worry dear. I truly meant no harm when I couldn't hold up my end of the deal.” He's smiling and drawing out his words, only setting off a sense of unease within you. You finally let out a shaky sigh.

“With everything you've done for me.. I thought that.. you might've liked being around me…” You let out, your voice running slightly ragged from the previous shouts. “I thought we were having a good time! Then after all this?” You grow an uncertain smile.

A previous sight that made you giddy before only brings you dread now. His ears are flat, his eyes struggle to meet yours. He's losing his composure.

“I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted it to happen.” You laugh through your words, your hands raking through your hair in a stressed manner. In your little pits of passion, you don't get the chance to see his wavering smile, the grimace on his face, any of it. When your words are met with silence, though, that's when you finally look up to him.

He's nervous, again.

“Oh.. my-” your sentence barely starts before he attempts to cover his slip up.

“Now let's calm down, I really didn't mean for- I didn't intend-”

“Isn’t there rules to this? Were you ever allowed to meddle with my life in the first place - let alone - be on Earth??”

“-God! You killed me on purpose?? Just so I could come down here to do your bitch work?” You snap, your laugh becomes delirious and your tears betray the anger you're meant to be showing.

He’s scrambling for a witty reply, his expression finally showing his true intentions for the first time in a long while. He’s speechless.

“I’m such an idiot.. Of course, you never cared. Bastard.” You mumble your words to the room, losing any fear of him hearing your insults.

Your vulnerability sends a strange shiver down his spine. One he’s never felt before, one that makes his chest ache and his muscles tense.

“Well - Now, let's just talk for a moment before you-” Alastor extends his hand out to your turned back, but it never reaches you. A delicate grip takes his wrist, bringing him to a full stop. He stops, unnaturally snapping his neck to see who would dare disrupt the Radio Demon himself.

His ears flatten against his head, and with a sudden disbelief in what he’s seeing, his eyes return to their normal crimson.

Rosie towers over his hunched form, her eyes stern.

♡♡♡

“Al, sweetheart, you gotta go. You're disturbing my client.”

I love when Alastor fucks up and found out

THIS IS A TWO PARTER I PROMISE

Tag list:

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[scourgeofmyownbrain]

Edit: I MADE AN UPDATED ONE GO LOOK AT THAT ONE IT'S BETTER I CITED MY SOURCES AND SHOWED MY WORK AND EVERYTHING

Ladies and Gentlemen, Bitches and Bastards, Witches and Wizards, Mothers and Fuckers. Esteemed robot enjoyers, I present to you a semi-accurate height comparison of Bumblebee across the multiverse (as of July 2024). This really helps visualize the truly staggering differences between universes, at least height-wise. Also, three of these characters are Canonically the Same Guy; guess which ones.

I spent way too much time on the chart in the back it's not even funny. I will probably make more height charts for more TF characters and universes in the future. Don't expect it soon though, because when I make these, I am fueled by pure I-Got-Bored-At-Work-And-I-Have-Decided-To-Fool-Around-With-Robot-PNGs, and that fuel supply is inconsistent at best.

Hey Fun Fact, Did you know that Generation 1 Optimus Prime is around 19 Feet Tall? Bet some of you already knew that. I have no ulterior motives for bringing this fact up, what are you talking about.

My height explanations are below the cut, because you couldn't shut me up if you tried.

In an order:

Gen 1 - ~10 feet (the wiki says greater than 3 meters so I rounded up to the first whole number because round)

Netflix Cybertron Trilogy - ~10 feet (He looks identical to Gen 1 so... the reason his photo looks weird is because I couldn't find a good full body photo with him standing straight up facing the camera so I put two images together to make the worst looking photoshop job you have ever seen)

Earth Spark - 10 feet (There is no confirmed height yet but using a screen shot of him standing in front of a barn door I was able to make a reasonable guess.)

Animated - 12 feet (I have no genuine source for this, I think this info is just someone's guesstimate, but it seems reasonable. He's a tiny two door mini car, how big could he be)

New Live Action - 15 feet (The wiki hath declared. Also do we have a name for this universe because we need one I don't want to keep saying like 6 words to differentiate this one from bayverse)

Bayverse V1 - 16 feet (This is like the first 3 movies minimum, I don't remember when he hits his growth spurt. also wiki my love)

Cyberverse - 18 feet (I'm gonna be honest, the only info we have is from a really shitty screen shot of a magazine. SO if any one has a copy of this book from the video below, a high quality scan would be greatly appreciated and I will kiss the ground you walk upon. Yes I found the video where the screen shot comes from leave me alone)

Bayverse V2 - 18 feet (movie 4-5 I can't remember which one, I'm not re-looking this up. I fucking love the bayverse tho, this is the only universe with concrete and consistent this-character-is-this-height info)

Aligned Cont. WF/FOC - 20 feet (video game info screens you god send, kiss me sweetly)

Aligned Cont. TFP/RID15 - 21 feet (I do not know exactly where these numbers were found, but I fully fucking believe them. Just by looking at these characters on the show I can verify these numbers in my mind. They made specifically this universe to be full of freakishly tall robots for some fucking reason.)

And for any one who doesn't know, the three tallest are the same guy. Like the 20 feet tall one and the 21 feet tall ones, same guy. The ones in three wildly different art styles and designs. Let that sink in...

I fucking hate the aligned continuity why is that one my favorite.

[kitscutie]

snow and roses: part III (coriolanus snow x fem!reader)

pairing: coriolanus snow x reader

warnings: none except the nature of the Hunger Games franchise! later on in the series there will be hints to dark!coriolanus snow and lots of angst so be prepared!

summary: you and coriolanus have been dating in secret for months, all it takes is one songbird for everything to come into the light.

a/n: part three is finally hereee! sorry it took so long i've been dealing with some shit and doing a lot of work as life's just gotten very busy but don't worry - nothing will be left undone and trust me when i say i already have the ending for this series planned out :)

im sorry to say guys but i will have to close my taglist as the size has began to affect my posts and tumblr keeps glitching out, sorry!

word count:2k

find parts one and two in my masterlist!

After the incident the previous day between Brandy and Arachne as well as the suggestions from Coriolanus taken on board, the mentors had been allowed one hour with their tributes to discuss tactics.

It was good yet bad all at once. You wanted to give Wovey advice, a fighting chance but yet you knew no matter how hard you tried, no matter how much help you gave her, she stood no chance compared to people like Reaper and even Lucy Gray.

She was small and innocent, young.

"In spite of yesterdays - tragic events, our president has decided that the games must go on. Show everyone the Capitol is unafraid of such acts of terror, to which I and Doctor Gaul wishes you to preview the arena this afternoon - with your tributes. Later this evening, there will be a specialised television presentation of each tribute to our audience to, well get to know them. You will have an hour to discuss strategy. You may begin." Dean Casca Highbottom spoke into the echoey room, so large it was almost comical.

All of the tributes had been chained to the tables like animals and it made you sick to your stomach. You were aware they may harm you but at the same time such treatment would drive anyone to violence, it wasn't simply because they were District.

"Hi Y/N." Wovey smiled, so innocent. So naive.

"Wovey. I was thinking about how you might approach the games and I figured what might be best is to hide. You're small, an advantage that the other tributes don't have. I'm sure we can find some spaces this afternoon that might prove useful?" You suggested, not wishing to make this conversation more painful and personal than it had to be.

"Sure." She murmured, gaze positioned on the chains around her wrists.

"And if you wait until it's dark and everyone is sleeping you could go to the middle - collect whatever weapons they have left, just in case but otherwise I recommend waiting it out. If they can't find you they can't kill you." The sentence left a bitter taste in your mouth, you had never pictured yourself recommending a child to wait her death out in your life. The Capitol Academy was sold to you with visions of wealth and power, and now you has gone from student to mentor.

"I don't want to kill anyone." She frowned. She didn't even care that she could die, only fearing harming others. You felt your heart ache and yet, you could do nothing. No words would be good enough to reassure her, no actions would be able to save her. For once, you were useless.

"Wovey-" You began your sympathetic speech though Casca cut you off.

"Snow, Y/N. Let's go." He said as peacekeepers arrived to escort you to Doctor Gaul.

You rose without another word to Wovey, aware nothing you could say would be of any help at this time.

You knew it was about Coryo's proposal which you had not helped in and yet you weren't too upset about it. You didn't need the Plinth Prize nor did you need Doctor Gauls' approval and so you set out to let her know of your lack of involvement in this task.

"How is your tribute?" Coriolanus asked after minutes of silence.

"Her name is Wovey and she's fine. A little frightened but aren't we all?" You said, you were hesitant to tell him too much of Wovey's weaknesses and you didn't know why. This was Coriolanus. Your best friend of over ten years and your boyfriend of a few months and yet, you had a feeling whatever you said would be used against you.

"I suppose." He answered. You supposed his tone was meant to come off charmingly but all you felt was unease.

"This proposal. I haven't done it." You let him know, it was the least you could do before facing the psychopath known as Head Gamemaker.

"We have. I handed it in this morning." He answered with a hint of pride. Impressed with himself that he had taken initiative, helped you.

"I thought I made it clear the other day that I wanted no part in this plan to profit off of peoples lives, Coriolanus." You muttered, increasingly angry with his dedication to the Games and what they stood for.

"Well if you want to help Wovey, I suggest you don't tell Doctor Gaul that." He smiled, holding the door to her office open for you in a feign attempt at being a gentlemen.

As you walked into her office you couldn't help but feel disgusted. It was littered with mutants, clearly created to kill, all sat in glass jars on shelf upon shelf. Stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

"Mr Snow, Miss L/N. Come and see my new babies." Gaul said as she appeared at the back of the room. Where she had been hidden, you had no clue.

You did as she said, never one to disobey your superiors, climbing the snake tank alongside her.

"Is there a point to their colour?" You asked curiously. The snakes were surprisingly beautiful, chromatic as they shifted around on top of one another.

"There's a point to everything Miss L/N. Or to nothing at all, which brings me neatly to your proposal. Which one of you actually wrote it." She asked, as if to catch you out but you felt no remorse in admitting it wasn't you.

"Coriolanus, Doctor." You answer, sensing Coriolanus' hesitation in baiting you out.

"Well, how shocking. I expected more of a conflict." She replied, as though she were annoyed by your honesty as she reached into the snake tank, pulling Coriolanus' proposal out. "They're good your suggestions. I'm going to recommend my team implement as many as possible for tomorrow. Now run along you have an arena to promote, and Miss L/N I must say - I am most disappointed by your lack of involvement in these brilliant ideas."

"Well thank you, Doctor Gaul for your offer but, I thought Mr Snow had it safely under his control." You smiled politely before you both left to 'promote' but more so survey the new arena. "Wait." You said stopping Coriolanus before you got into the truck. "I don't know what has become of you Coriolanus Snow, but I want the little boy who fought to provide for his family while also caring for others back. You are turning into one of them, and I'm not going to be there to watch the world burn beneath your feet." You spat, leaving him to think as you sat in silence for the rest of the journey.

It seemed Coriolanus felt spiteful towards your words as he too ignored you up until this very moment as you walked into the arena.

You smiled reassuringly down at Wovey who looked just so scared. You were only three years older than her and yet you felt a motherly protection towards her, one you couldn't shake off.

Infront of you was Coryo and Lucy Gray. At first you pitied the girl, coming from twelve must be hard as they were food deprived and worked to the bone and yet now, as she stood holding your boyfriends hand in her beautiful rainbow dress, you loathed everything about her.

Your eyes rolled as far back as they physically could, your disgust clear to anyone looking but only one person was. Sejanus. He looked at you with pity and for once, you appreciated it. You decided he must know about you and Coriolanus and seeing as nobody else did they all whispered about him and Lucy Gray, how sweet they seemed.

You walked around alone before he appeared at your side.

"You deserve better, Y/N." Sejanus said, eyes never meeting your own as you continued to survey the arena, never even noticing his eyes stuck on his watch.

"Debatable." You chuckled, feeling a sense of self responsibility for getting with a man as dangerous as Coriolanus Snow in the first place.

"I wouldn't worry. If there's anything I've learnt about Coryo it's that he likes shiny things, new things - and she's definitely a spectacle." he chuckled to himself, it was safe to say Lucy Gray's ability to impress a crowd hadn't been missed by anyone.

"He'll grow tired eventually. I was his precious rose once." You sighed as the reality of the situation finally settled in.

You soaked in the silence for a few moments before you realised Sejanus' lack of response, turning in annoyance to see his eyes following the hand of his watch clock closely as he mouthed a countdown of the minutes.

"What are you-" You began.

"We've got to go." He said, grabbing your arm and beginning to walk towards the exit cautiously, not catching the attention of any guards.

"What do you mean? Sejanus?" You asked as he would not slow, not for anything. You looked around, seeing everyone else still stood stationary as they calmly conversed.

"Just follow me, Y/N." He said, still attempting to stay calm but you noticed his wide eyes.

You walked in silence, your heartbeat getting louder in your ear with each step until you hearing went completely silent, vision going black as both you and Sejanus were thrown to the floor in a cloud of smoke.

It took a few moments for you to be brought back to reality as you sat up, dazed hearing the yells of people around you. Once again before you could even figure out what was happening Sejanus' grabbed you, pulling you to your feet as you ran out of the door. 'Enjoy the show' now sounding muffled.

"What about Coryo?" You cried out in desperation, no matter what he put you through he was your first love and you had always pictured him to be your last.

"If we go back now, Y/N, we'll die." Sejanus replied as he continued dragging you until you reached the fresh air outside. Your charred lungs welcoming it.

As you looked back through the doorway you saw nothing, no one. Simply black smoke. You felt guilty and yet still - deep down - your heart yearned for the death of Lucy Gray.

It had been five hours now, sat around Coriolanus' bed alongside Sejanus and Tigris.

He hadn't so much as twitched and it had your heart racing with panic, if he died, you knew a part of you died with him.

Tigris comforted you as best she could in her own worry, noting how his chest continued to move up and down steadily and that the doctor only mentioned an injured arm, not that he was at risk of death.

The appearance of bright blue eyes caught everyone's attention as you rushed to be by his bed.

"Coryo." You said, a large smile on your face. You watched as his eyes flickered around in confusion, landing on you for a few moments. You don't know what you expected, a look of love? What you most definitely didn't expect was one of disgust.

"Lucy Gray, is she-" He stated, looking to Tigris for an answer.

"She's alive." Tigris responded through gritted teeth as she looked to you with sympathetic eyes. Her reply was lost to you as the ringing in your ears after the explosion returned. Your heart beating loud in your chest. You placed a hand over it, feeling it pound against your palm.

Your eyes glazed over as you walked away into a secluded corner, waving Sejanus off as he attempted to follow you.

It felt now more than ever so official, so real without a doubt. You had lost Coriolanus Snow. He no longer loved you, cared for you or even worried for you.

The cage that was his heart had opened wide, setting you free and instead capturing something new and desirable. A songbird.

TAGLIST: @savannahsteen, @shine101, @tfimherewhy, @iloveyou3000, @summerli-u, @coconut-dreamz, @serrendiipty, @zucchinimalfoy, @mus-tbe-a-weasley, @-ice-heart, @aza-writes, @bellstwd, @kaitlyn2907, @wheepsworld, @sarahskywalker-amidala, @velvet-spider, @gloryekaterina, @prettyinsatiable, @bduchrnskei, @riddlerloveb0t, @girlalwaysathome, @thegoldenskies, @runningfrom2am, @riordanness, @charmed-asylum, @suvgs, @podiumprincess, @annaelise, @mywitchycat, @italiekim, @darkestbeforethedawn16, @stelleduarte, @leafydinosaur, @witheringawayagain, @clementinechatsshit, @lokidala, @notyourwildestdream, @prettyppetty, @motley-baby, @taylvvrr, @autistic-deer, @gamorxa, @jakesguitarpick, @pepperonipastas, @sbrewer21, @emma-andrea1, @nekee-lilac02, @tabea3, @im-sidney, @rosarosse, @jenifer0305, @Idontwanttobeehere, @chiyopipi, @coisas-da-dani, @sunnydays-funnydays, @italiekim, @andrew-garfield-is-bae, @rororo06, @soulessjourney, @upwritingallnight, @kierramofficial, @cellui, @xav-ie, @Stwoosevens, @LightVo1d, @lilanna34, @pinki-minki, @annaelise, @alexameliamg, @gloryekaterina, @bia-wayne-west, @hinata7346, @yunloyal, @perks-of-being-jojo, @iheartfike, @lucygreene, @utopiakys, @ennycutie, @eggmia, @malayawr18, @chess1ca, @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf, @elynswan, @siriusly-rem,

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[miifu666]

"Let me go back, to a time before it was too late"

Happy Halloween!!! (Update: im late. Very late.) i haven't seen much love for Animation Wukong from the game :( so i decided to try that style when making this reel. Also bonus point cause i had the audio that perfectly sounds like how i imagined Suklha! And i got too ambitious and put too much thought into this animatic my bad ♡

"A trickster monkey, with a heart of gold"

Is what she would always say, chuckling at his unusual and life-threatening antics. Both are thrill seeker, one daringly more composed and mature than the other. Yet, they both have the same wreaking havoc amongst mankind mindset.

Time will only tell which of the two would suffer a gruesome fate.

Unsurprisingly, the mammal is more tempered than the arthropod. It has always been his flaw, seeing things in red before opening up his mind and look around. Fate has always been on his side, so far he hasn't suffer the consequences of his action too much, once he did something bad. He's been punished for it. But he's still living, breathing, enjoying the peaches on flower fruit mountain.

He's still living.

He's breathing.

Time feels so slow.

He can barely feel his chest move.

He's not dead is he? No that can't be, he's a sage now. Immortal even.

Yet why does he feel so numb as he look at the mirror infront of him? A ritual, that pig said. A rumor he heard, mankind likes to do anything within their power to rewind the past just like him.

"So why dont you try it, kid?"

As time waits, he stares at his own reflection in the mirror. Worn out and fatigued plastered around his eyes, his cheeks, his wrinkles. This is ridiculous. Why would he believe what that pig said? What if its a stupid way to trick him?? Wukong didn't have time to get angry, he heard of a way to turn back the time and he went along with it. Impulsively.

He is.

He's doing it now. The good amount of incense and red candles filled the room, maybe thats why he's feeling heavy. The smoke filled room decreased a fair amount of oxygen. He peeled the peaches, just as bajie said. He's trying, his hands trembling as he cuts it into 8 pieces. Make it look perfect, he thought.

Scaring the vendor near the town when he bought a large amount of incense and candles, stole a fair amount of peaches, and scoured around the forest for a shrine with a mirror. He was desperate.

The monkey's eyes fallen shut. Maybe he needs some good sleep, just a while. He's been waiting a long time to have the time right.

Just for a while.

Maybe if he can't see her now.

He'll see her again in his dreams.

Its all his fault anyway-

"Monkey?"

Artwork ©️ Miifu666

Writings ©️ Miifu666

[t-5seconds]

i'm doing a hunger games simulator of @linked-maze ! game under the cut- although i hit the tumblr image limit, so i will need to reblog this (here's a link to the reblog with the rest of the game in it)

here's the lineup! i needed 24 characters, but linked maze doesn't quite have that many characters yet- so, some characters are in here twice, in both their hylian and animal forms. this gives them twice the chance to win, good odds, but in the hunger games, it's less about odds and more about blind luck. let's go!

a lot of running away from the bloodbath. a reasonable but boring course of action

a lot of weapon gathering as well, but still no violence. maybe this will be the first ever peaceful bloodbath

more running, and koridai steals a mace from wolfy! i didn't know wolfy had hands

wow. i can't believe it. a bloodbath with literally no blood. they all just ran away. onto day 1, let's see how long the peace lasts

the peace did NOT last. wolf time attacks hylian time, despite the fact that A: they are on the same team and B: they're literally the same person. but both times survive. meanwhile, sheerow gets the first kill! rip minish

compass kills hyrule (the hylian. fairy hyrule is still in the game)! meanwhile, everyone robs wind

at the end of day 1, friendship blooms on the battlefield. that's nice

minish and hyrule are dead. sheerow and compass have one kill each, meaning they're currently tied for first place!

shadow makes four kill wolf time, but he spares bunny bunny! why did shadow do that to his own teammate? i don't know. at least hylian time is still alive. also, twilight kills wind. poor wind, everyone raided his camp and then he died.

wild dies in a frozen lake... yeah, cold water is like the #1 most deadly thing in botw and totk, that's fair. rip. and djaevel kills warrior! i would not have thought he could do that, but i guess i thought wrong

SHEEROW KILLS AGAIN! bunny is dead (the hylian one. bunny the bunny is fine). ravio lets time into his shelter, which i personally think is a bad idea but maybe it will work out. now for day 2

twilight runs away from ravio. i think twilight would win that fight but i guess he's not as sure as i am

sheerow continues to be a menace. now that wind is dead, everyone's stealing from four instead. djaevel falls in a hole and dies, which is embarrasing for him, and that's the end of day 2! 6 people died

despite the deaths, no teams are wiped out yet. sheerow is in first place! for now. onto night 2

i guess ravio letting time into his shelter did pay off after all! time is now extending kindness to world, and ravio gets to stay in someone else's shelter too

everyone has a bad night. maybe sheerow is experiencing guilt for his murdering ways, and angel might be mourning djaevel, since he fell in a hole and died

how did bunny start a fire? why did he cook his food, when bunnies do not need to do that? a mystery for the ages. onto day 3

navi kills twilight! everyone else (including wolfy) just kind of runs around thinking about murder

sheerow and koridai both discover a cave. is it the same cave? who knows! meanwhile angel does exactly what she usually does. a short and uneventful day (except for twilight dying, i guess)

sheerow is still in first place! and there are still no eliminated teams. time for night 3

four spares sky. angel dies of hypothermia? i guess she is naked, and it's cold. bunny cooks his food again. why does he keep doing that

fairy friends! compass kills spirit! sheerow (who is a bird) loses sight of where he is, even though he can FLY. and that's the end of the night!

everyone's doing well. or as well as they can be, given the circumstances

bunny the bunny plans murder. what a short day!

sheerow and compass are back to being tied for first! in an interesting twist, the first team to be wiped out was the twili siblings, followed shortly by wind and spirit.

fairy hyrule spares compass, despite the fact that she killed hylian hyrule. time lets a wolf into his shelter like an idiot

end of night 4! that was pretty short. hopefully day 5 is exciting

day 5 is very short, but it is a little exciting! world makes sheerow kill koridai, putting sheerow back in first place!

district two, minish and koridai's team, is wiped out. i'm starting to think sheerow is going to win, but you never know. onto night 5

(in the a reblog, because i hit the tumblr image limit. see the rest of the game here)

[rascalentertainments]

Wish Granted 🌟👩🏾🎶 (Wish Reimagined)

Chapter 7: Royal Pains

Chapter 6

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" The queen playfully mocked the two of them. "Time to stop playing games."

"You wouldn't attack two of your citizens in broad daylight. Don't want to damage the precious image you've built up for yourselves." Asha retorted, standing her ground.

Sabor growled as he narrowed his eyes towards her.

"For your information, I don't plan on making a scene here. We can settle this matter quite easily." Amaya gestured to Star. "Hand over the star there and I'll let you return to wherever you came from. With your life intact." Her eyes flickered green as if posing a threat.

"You think I'm just going to give him to you? I'm not stupid, Amaya. You're going to have to go through me if you want him." Asha stood in front of Star, while Valentino bravely jumped in front of both of them. Sabor licked his whiskers as he eyes the goat.

Amaya sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to waste my magic on killing you. But I'll try not to make a mess." she grabbed a small red vial with a skull on it.

Star realized that Amaya wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"WAIT!" exclaimed as he jumped between the two of them. He turned to Asha. "I'll go with her, just run away. Now." He told her. Then gave her a wink.

Asha hesitated for a moment, not sure what he was planning, but she trusted the star. The girl took a few steps back and then took off with Valentino on her heels.

"How sweet of you. Sacrificing yourself for someone you barely know. Its rather foolish, but I'll let it slide." Her voice dripped with fake sincerity.

The star raised his hands to signify his compliance. "All right, you got me. But I gotta ask, why do you need me? I mean, you guys seem pretty powerful. Don't know what you need a star for." He attempted to stall as long as he could.

"Magnifico needs you for something... special in mind for Rosas." Amaya responded, but wasn't telling him the whole story.

"Besides, its not like you're actually a real human." She saw the star's face twitch in reaction to the comment. She found a nerve to hit.

We quickly cut to Asha and Valentino, whom after being far away enough from the queen's view, they decided to sprint around the alley.

"Maaaah??" Valentino questioned Asha's actions.

"Of course I'm not leaving him. I just had an idea. Its a little basic, but I'm just making this up as I go." She admitted.

The two made it around back and Asha quietly sneaked against the wall. There were dozens of crates nearby. She could hear Star talking to Amaya, but he was running out of time.

"Look at yourself." She gestured to his disguise as she took a step forward. "You may look like one of us, and speak like us, but its all just a silly costume for you. You could never be human, or be enough for the girl." Her voice was callous.

Star looked down at his hands. They weren't glowing, but they were still yellow and cartoonish. Humans don't look like that. Or turn into animals.

"...I..." he found it difficult to speak.

She took a look at the crates and got an idea. Asha began to push The crates forward as best as she could, but she was concerned that it wouldn't fall in time.

Suddenly she heard whispering behind her. She turned and saw Gabo from earlier. He seemed rather for someone that was supposed to be being chased.

"Hey, weren't you the guy that was being chased?" She asked.

Gabo snorted. "That snoozer always falls asleep before he can catch me. He's off somewhere taking a nap probably." He waved a dismissive hand.

(Actually, he was.)

"Since you're here, you mind giving me a hand?" Asha usually wouldn't ask anyone in this city for help, but she was desperate.

Gabo took a look at what she was pushing, where it was going to fall and put the pieces together. "I like the way you think, stranger." He rubbed his hands together.

"That's something no amount of magic is ever going to change. You would've been better off in the sky." The woman raised her hand, preparing to throw a red vial at the star, when suddenly—

CRASH!! 💥📦

The large stack of crates crashed down on the woman, and the red vial fell from her hands and rolled away.

Sabor yowled in surprise and rushed to aid his master.

Star snapped out of his trance and he saw Asha and Gabo.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that!" Gabo laughed.

Asha was just relieved it worked. Maybe Star's spur of the moment ideas was rubbing off on her... "Thanks for your help, but we have to go. Like now!" She leaped over the crates and took Star with her.

"Hey, no problem! Need anymore help against these guys, you can count on me!" He said to them as they ran off together. The crates began to move and the guy ran off before the queen could get up or the non sleepy guards arrived.

Just in time, because a few showed up mere seconds later.

"Your majesty, are you all right? Who did this to you?" One of them asked as they pulled the crates off of her.

"I'm fine." She asserted as she snatched her arm away from a concerned guard. "The traitors are here and we need to alert the people. Go warn Magnifico. Now."

Perfect time for us check in on Magnifico:

"You think I'm a fool? You think I can't tell when my own apprentice is lying to me? You've been hiding something from me for far too long, and today I will have my answer." The tip of the king's staff grew a brighter green as he spoke. It was only mere inches from Flazino's face.

Flazino slowly raised his hand in defense. "I wasn't do anything, your Highness! I was just uh..." His voice trailed off, his mind going blank thinking of an excuse.

"You've taking independence with your magic lately. Hearing how you've spreading been it here and there to 'help' some of the citizens. All without my permission." The king continued, his eyes full of suspicion.

The apprentice was only slightly relieved. Magnifico wasn't talking about the Hamlet, but it was still a problem. The king never liked the idea of Flazino using his magic for anything outside of his lessons or demands.

"I was just being a good friend to the people. As you're supposed to be doing, sir." He responded. And we see a shot behind his back where he grabs an item off the table that looks like a magic wand.

"Don't get cocky with me, boy." Magnifico hissed and lowered his staff. He raised his left hand and and motioned for a wish orb from above. One gently came down and he presented it to Flazino. "Remember who holds your fate in their hands."

The image in the orb is fuzzy from a distance, but Flazino already knew it was his own wish: To learn magic and help others with it.

"So choose your next words carefully. Where have you been these past few nights?" He slowly put pressure on the orb as he asked the question.

Flazino could already feel the pressure on his heart. "N-nowhere...sir. I- just go straight h-home." His breathing was becoming slightly irregular and he struggled to get his words out.

Magnifico looked at him with annoyance. "Do you side with the traitors, Flazino?" A small crack appeared on the orb

"No. No....You know I would never side with a traitor of Rosas." His face began to sweat as the strain was growing.

*Knock knock* 🚪

"I am busy at the moment!" Magnifico yelled.

A guard burst through the door, out of breath. The king quickly threw the orb back up into the air and Flazino felt he could breathe again.

"I'm sorry, your majesty...*pant pant* but the queen has had a run in with the traitors." The guard explained.

The king's eyes widened. The star was here! "No need to apologize! I'm greatful to anyone who proves their loyalty to me." He eyed Flazino. "Call the citizens to an assembly. They need to know about this and help us catch them for the protection of Rosas."

He looked at his apprentice. "And you'll be coming with me. Just to keep an eye on you."

Flazino gulped.

We head back outside where Asha and Star had escaped as far as possible from the queen. "Okay, we're officially in crisis mode." Asha said as she pushed through the crowd. "Amaya knows we're here, and its only a matter of time before Magnifico knows too." Her voice sounded shaky.

"Well, I guess my planning skills end here, cause I'm all out ideas." Star shrugged. "And I really don't want to run into the queen again...but I'm sure I can handle Magnifico though." He assured her.

Asha tried to think of another idea, when she felt a tap on her. "Not now, Valentino. I'm trying to think of how to get inside." She shooed him away.

Valentino looked confused as he looked up at Asha.

Asha realized it wasn't her pet at all. She turned and saw the girl with glasses from earlier. Oh great, another problem...

"Hey. Hi. Sorry to bother you but I saw you earlier with your friend and wanted to ask. Is your name really Asha?" She asked, adjust her glasses.

Asha hesitated. "....Yes?"

The woman smiled and gave her a big hug. Asha was still getting used to be hugged by Star, but now this stranger(?) had the same habit too.

"Its me, Dhalia! Remember when you used to live here?" she beamed as she saw her face.

Asha's memories came back to to her. She pushed anything to do with Rosas from her mind since she was a kid.

"You really know her?" Star asked curiously.

"Of course she does! We were best friends when she lived here!" Dhalia answered for her.

Asha was slightly less enthusiastic. "Yeah, actually we were. I just never expected to see you still here." She couldn't admit it hurt to see her former friend still living under Magnifico's thumb.

"My family is greatful for the king and queen. We came here with nothing but a little food we hand cooked, and now were cooking v for royalty!" Dhalia continued. "He's such a kind king..." She sighed dreamily.

Now Asha understood why Flazino was partially stressed about having a crush on Dhalia.

Dhalia shook her head quickly. "I can't believe you're here! I need to know everything. Like, what happened to you and your family? When did you come back? And how did you get a boyfriend of all things?"

"BOYFRIEND?!" Asha exclaimed.

Star was so flustered he had to pull the hood over part of his face, with only his mouth showing. "You're moving so fast on me, Asha!" He nervously chuckled as a bright glow started to show from his face.

(Extra fact: When stars get embarrassed or flustered, their glow brightens and act as the equivalent of a human blush, showing intense emotion)

"For pete's sake..." she ran her hands down her face.

"Oh no, that's fine we were just-"

"I insist! I'm sure our wonderful King and Queen can help you find a place here. And we'll be able to catch up!"

Oh boy, this was going south.

The sound of fanfare trumpets suddenly filled the streets.

"That's the king's assembly call. It must be important. Please, please, come with me!" Dhalia took a reluctant Asha's arm and walked with her.

"By the way, what's your name?" She asked Star.

Star completely forgot he hadn't picked a name yet. "Uh.....Ast- no, Ori- no, Betel, I mean-" this poor guy struggled.

Asha covered for him. "Cosmo! His name is Cosmo."

Star sighed in relief. "Yeah, a completely a normal human name!"

"Oooo, you must be from an exotic country!" Dhalia pointed out.

As she went forward, Asha lightly hit him on the shoulder. "What was that? All those names you've learned and you couldn't pick one?" She whispered in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, I could've picked Betelgeuse. But I don't think I would've remembered that..." Star said in defense.

A crowd gathered outside the castle, completely packed with people from across the kingdom. The royals (and Sabor of course) stood before them, with Flazino far enough in the back.

"Now, now. Settle down everyone. We brought you here because we have an important announcement." Magnifico announced.

"Is it because of that light you did to help us sleep? Cause I really needed that." Simon asked. He really didn't look all that rested though.

"Yeah, I never had a sleep that restful!"

"It was wonderful, thank you your majesty!"

The citizens voices started to multiply as they agreed about last night's magical sleep. Star got a little bit of joy from hearing he helped others without knowing it.

Maginifco began to look annoyed. He took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, that wasn't my magic last night." He hated admitting that.

The crowd slowly stopped cheering.

"While that power came from a source I can't identify, it was quite clumsy and amateur compared to mine." He chuckled. "Its almost like a child did it."

Star was highly offended. "Amateur?! Why you-" he started in an angry whisper, but Asha shushed him before anyone noticed.

Amaya cleared her throat. "Despite this childish display, its also forbidden. Which can only mean one thing: there's a traitor lurking in Rosas."

A collective gasp and whispers emerged amongst the crowd.

"Yes, they used this magic to challenge us and put you all at risk to do it. They have no shame in who they hurt to get to us." Amaya pretended to look sorrowful.

Dhalia whispered to Asha. "Who would even want to hurt them?"

Asha and Star were dead silent.

"But don't you worry your pretty little heads!" Magnifico assured them and giving some positivity in it. "They're no match for us! We are the strongest sorcerers in the world! And I assure you, when they're caught..."

He put out his hand that two tiny figure made of green magic. With a quick clench of his hand, they turned to dust. "They'll be dealt with permanently."

As the crowd cheered, Asha and Star exchanged a nervous glance. They were in the Lion's Den now. Flazino was visibly sweating, but kept his composure.

"Tell us any news you have. Someone acting suspicious, strange magical sightings or even late night outings after curfew." Amaya advised the citizens. "Starting with you." she pointed to a woman in the front.

The woman looked around. "Me?" she questioned.

"Yes, you..." Amaya's voice trailed off trying to remember the woman's name.

"Wendy." Flazino coughed.

"Wendy, yes. Have you seen anything suspicious?"

Asha knew now was the time to leave before anyone questioned them, or worse yet, they were recognized.

"Oh, I just remembered, we have to go. There's a few things I haven't shown Sta- Cosmo around here, but we'll keep in touch." Asha lied through her teeth. She quickly grabbed Star and they made their way past the crowd.

"Um, sure, sure! Just keep your eyes peeled for those traitors!" She warned them.

Once they made it far away enough without being seeing seen. The two of them tried to come up with a way to get inside. Their options were pretty low at this point.

"Okay, I'll just go so fast that they won't see us coming through. I'll be like a blur!"

Asha raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that's actually going to work?"

Star paused. "Worth a shot right?"

He carried her in his arms in a bridal style while she held Valentino. "You better hang on, cause we're going to infinity and beyond! Well, maybe not that high, but you get what I mean." With that, he took off like lightning.

Magnifico or Amaya hadn't noticed anything, and neither had the citizens. Only Sabor felt something in the sir and looked around for it.

Asha was startled during the take off, but she slowly found herself having fun during the ride. And maybe the view of Star wasn't bad either.

(Screenshot from @orbitalmoonrat's animatic)

A few more moments and the two of them reached the top of the steps and touched the ground. "Wow....that was incredible!" Asha said nearly breathless.

Star gently put her down. "Aw, that was nothing. You should see me when I'm in the sky, I can do all sorts of tricks up there with the extra room!" He gestured upward.

"I'd like to see that, actually." She gave him a warm smile as she helped adjust the hood back on his head. The two of them shared a look for a few moments when they heard a tiny voice from behind them. They looked down and saw Valentino, shaking.

"Oh! Sorry, buddy. I guess I went a little to fast for you." He said sheepishly. 😅

"BAAAAAH!!" Valentino exclaimed in anger at Star.

Star put his hands on his hips. "Well, there's no need for name calling there..."

Asha pushed opened the heavy doors with both hands and they slammed against the walls once opened. In front of them was an unexpected sight. Magnifico's room was filled with artifacts and relics from other lands encased in glass. On the right side of the room was a miniature replica of Rosas. Apparently that caught Star's attention more. 😂

"Look at that! How did he shrink a kingdom down to this size?" Star flew over to get a better look. "And its got little people in it! How do humans do this stuff?" He admired it with curiosity as he picked up some of the figures.

"Star, stay focused here. We have to find the-" She stopped once she got closer to the objects. "No way...All of these are rare artifacts."

Star's pointed ears perked up. "Artifacts?" His curiosity immediately moved to the next thing as he put the little figures in his pockets and joined her.

Asha grabs her sketchbook and flips to a few pages with several random items drawn on each of them. The camera takes focuses on each object she announces. "There's Horvath's Hat, the Glass Slippers, the Enchanted Rose," she gasped at the fourth item, "The Sword of Fa Zhou! Flazino never told me that the king got his hands on any of these!"

"Huh. Finally something that Flazino doesn't know. Hey, what's that there?" He pointed to a golden lamp in another glass case.

"Now that's a genie lamp." Asha explained. "Legend says if you rub it, a magical being will come out and grant you three wishes!"

Star's eyes began to shine. "Wow! Wait, only three?"

Asha was going to respond when she shook her head. "What am I doing? We're supposed to be getting the wishes." She walked off, annoyed at herself.

She couldn't believe she let herself get sidetracked like that. She'd always been fascinated by historical artifacts, magic or otherwise, but she couldn't do that right now! Star's first one Asha's met to actually take an interest in it and she couldn't even enjoy it...

"The wish chamber should be close by, so we don't have far left to check."

Once they continued, they saw a huge black door standing between them and the wishes.

"All we have to do is get through here and we're set." Asha explained. "Flazino never got to tell us how to open this. Any ideas?"

Star stepped towards the door and could see his own reflection along with Asha's. He looked at the door carefully. "Maybe we just knock?" He knocked on the door three times.

Asha rolled her eyes. "It couldn't be that easy-"

The doors automatically opened.

"Oh my gosh, it was that easy..."

Once the doors opened, they finally entered the Wish Chamber. The room had a huge blue tint covering it. Within it were Amaya's potions and a small lab that was filled with all sorts beakers and tubes of different shapes and sizes.

To the left was a large bookcase filled with magic spell books and its histories on every shelf.

"Hey, what's that?" Star pointed to a large bookcase.

Before Asha could question his comment, she looked where he was pointing and saw the the center of the bookcase contained a large book locked up inside. It had a green dragon right in the center.

"I....don't know actually. I've never seen a book like that before, and trust me, I've read enough books to open my own library."

As she was talking, Star suddenly was very quiet. He could hear small whispers coming from the bookcase, they were slowly blocking out Asha's voice.

"Power."

"Give me your power."

"Release me."

The camera slowly zooms in on the book as the voices slowly grow louder, it cuts to Star's face who seems mesmerized by the voices, but still unsure if he should go forward. He felt something hit his leg and heard a different voice.

"STAR!" Asha's voice became so loud the whispers stopped. The star shook his head to come back to his senses. He looked down and saw Valentino had headbutt his leg, only this time it finally worked.

"Are you all right? Its like you were in some kind of trance." the girl asked with a look of concern.

Star blinked a few times. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I think we need to stay away from that book though. Its the only thing I don't want to touch."

Asha agreed and the three of them walked away from the bookcase. The dragonmarked book's green glow slowly faded.

They walked to the center of the Wish Chamber and Asha flipped through a few pages of her journal.

"All right. The wishes should be over here. You can grab my saba's wish first."

Star nodded. "Sounds easy enough!" He gently floated upwards. "This thing will be a piece of..." His face changed to worry. "Oh boy..."

They both looked up and saw a nearly endless amount of wish bubbles floating around the room. It was like looking for one star amongst the entire galaxy!

"How many wishes do those two need?!" Star exclaimed, taken aback by the sight.

"They shouldn't have any of them." Asha explained. "This is what I was talking about, Star. All they do is take and we suffer for it."

"Seesh, how many are up here? A million?" Star asked, scratching his head.

"1,937." Asha answered rather quickly. Star looked down at her in surprise. The girl shrugged. "I-I've always been a fast counter." She cleared her throat and showed the star a picture of Sabino playing his mandolin.

"You should be able to see anyone's wishes once you look inside them. This is how my Saba's looks. He's wanted to inspire people with his music his whole life."

(Concept art by James Aaron Finch)

Star floated closer to get a better look. He admired how happy he looked in it.

Once he got a good mental image he floated back up to the wishes and began searching. "Say, what are you gonna do? This might take a while." He asked as searched the sky blue orbs.

Asha walked over to the large bookcase across the room. "I'll see what else I can find about the king and queen. There's so many books here, one of them has to have something showing a weak point in their magic. It can help us put a stop to them permanently."

As she took out a book, Valentino brayed, wanting to know his own role.

"You can watch the door and warn us if anyone is coming here." As Valentino trotted away to his ask, Asha looked the cover of the book raises an eyebrow. "What the heck are 'Heffalumps and Woozles"? she questioned.

We cut back outside of the castle, with the crowd not really giving the royals much of a lead they need. Magnifico's face was looking more irritated.

Sabor pawed at Magnifico's feet. "Not now, hairball." He hissed at the lynx, then continued. "Now sir, I assure you that magic isn't good- ack!"

He looked down and saw Sabor had sharply dug his claws into his leg. The lynx growled as he pointed up towards the tower.

The king looked up and saw a quick bright flash shine from it window. His eyes widened dramatically. The star is here!

"I'm sorry Mr...." he started.

"Peter, sir." Flazino told him.

"Yes, yes, whatever. I have an emergency I need to tend to!" Magnifico hurriedly said as he stepped backwards. "You can continue to ask my darling wife or even my young apprentice about anything you might have as well!"

He whispered to him, "Don't get any ideas, boy. Sabor will be watching you closely." He then darted off into the castle.

"Oh good, Flazino usually listens more anyway!" an elderly woman said.

Flazino bristled. "Hey, hey, Don't drag me into this, ma'am!"

Back inside, Star is looking at different wishes. As he touches each one, the color of the orbs turn from blue to yellow.

The orbs themselves have images that move in sand animation. (Think of it like the sandman from ROTG for the dreams)

Star felt connected to each person's wish as he looked. One displayed an elderly woman wishing to sail across oceans and meet other lands. Another one showed a man who wished to fly great heights. (Star really liked that one) A third showed a father wishing to be reunited with his two sons.

Star could feel everyone's desires. He began to feel something he hadn't before now, something stronger than joy. These wishes meant everything to the people, and they couldn't seven pursue their own desires.

He finally reached Sabino's wish, and the particles within the orb formed the man playing for a crowd of people. He looked blissful as he played. The star gently held this wish in his hands as he watched. He could feel all the love the old man had for music, and now he understood why Asha was so determined to get the wishes back.

Asha continued to look through the books. There were books on magic from all across the world, but none of them seemed to match what the royals used. "There has to be something were missing..."

"Asha! I found your saba's wish! Its beautiful!" Star announced from above, with a slight echo.

"Perfect! Bring it down, I just need to find one book that...." Her voiced trailed off once she saw a tattered book amongst the more immaculate ones. She quickly grabbed and opened the book.

Inside were sketches of constellations and variations of stars. Other pages included entries about connecting to the stars and how the man became inspired by them to continue his work. He felt a great power from them whenever he and his daughter looked upon them together.

"That lowlife." She seethed, her grip on the journal tightened. "He stole my father's work! All of it!" Her voice grew louder, no longer caring who heard. "I swear the next time I see him-"

Her threat was cut off when a pair of green hands had grabbed her around her waist.

Star felt something was wrong. "Asha? Are you all right?" Star began to float down when a green chain clasped around his leg. "Hey, hey, what's this?" He began to panic as he tried to pull the chain off.

"So you're that philosopher's daughter, Asha. My you've grown up to be quite a young woman. I hardly recognized you earlier." Magnifico said looking smug. Valentino had been caught as well, with the green magic wrapped around his snout to keep him quiet.

"I have to thank you, Asha. You brought the star right to me and I didn't even have to waste more magic trying to pull it down again!" He chuckled.

"I'll never let you have him! I've seen what you can do with too much magic, and you're not going to do the same to Star!" Asha hissed at him.

Unphased, the king responded, "We'll just see about that. Besides, you're not supposed to name it. Once you name it, you start getting attached to it."

Magnifico then slowly looked above him. "Now then....let's see what this star looks like up close." He used his staff to summon him. The chains slowly pulled down Star to the floor. As he floated down, the hood covered most of his face, making him look ominous. He still held Sabino's wish.

The king held his breath as the music swells. He had been waiting years for this moment, but he was anxious on what this creature could possibly look like, when it could quite literally be everything. "Show yourself!" He commanded.

Star slowly raised his hands and pulled the hood back, revealing his true face: a yellow glowing human(?) with bright white hair.

The music comes to a halt after the reveal, leaving Magnifico dumbfounded. The same stranger with Asha earlier was him? He narrowed his eyes at the star. "What is this?"

Star looked around, but saw nothing.

Magnifico shook his head. "No. No, you can't be a star!" He raised Asha up with his magic as she attempted to free herself. "This is what you called on?" He turned back to Star. "You're a child! I was really scared of a mere child?!"

Star crossed his arms, offended. "Hey! I just turned 18 last month. I'm far being a child, your highness. I could grow facial hair if I wanted to!"

Magnifico chuckled at first, and it slowly turned to laughter. "No wonder I couldn't find you, Amaya told me you could change forms, and you were right under my nose the whole time! I was scared of a boy! Ohhh, I needed that laugh." He wiped a tear from his eye as he finished.

He quickly jerked his staff and it dragged Star to him. He then grabs him by the collar. "At last my years of searching have come to an end. With you, we'll have all the power we desire. My wife and I will rule this world as the ultimate sorcerers!"

(Credit to @kirimanga's Magnifico animated for this shot)

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Star grunted as he tried to break the chains.

Magnifico growled. This thing was putting up a fight? Why bother? It had no right, it wasn't even human.

"There is one thing I don't understand. You have the power to be anything you want on Earth...and you pick this?" He gestured to Star's human form.

Star looked him straight the in eyes. "I want to look like this." he said through gritted teeth. "And Asha called me down here because she needed me."

Magnfico's smile faded. "Fine. If you don't want to show me your full power, you can stay weak. But first," He looked over at Asha. She was terrified of him, but she refused to let it show. "You can watch me kill your little friend before I absorb you."

A bright light appeared behind the king. Before he could turn around, Star had turned into a mouse and jumped right on the king's face. "What the devil are you doing?!" He shouted as he tried to knock him off.

"Just mousing around!" the star's tiny voiced squeaked as he scurried across the man's body.

(Trying to reference that Ratatoullie scene with Remy biting Linguini, this is the best image I could find to reference it. 😅)

The magic on Asha dissipated once his attention to her was gone. He was so frantic that for a moment, he didn't seem as intimidating.

She immediately rushed to grab her father's journal and catch Valentino before he fell to the ground.

"You okay, Val?" She asked her friend. Valentino nodded and licked her nose.

"Where's that darn cat when I need him?" The king finally got a hold of the mousey Star and threw him to the study desk.

Another bright flash and he had turned into a parrot and landed on a globe. "Come on, pretty boy. I'm right heeeere! Sqwuak!" He mocked him as he flew over his head.

"You little pest-" Magnifico started shooting green magic at Star, only for him to keep evading him. "Wasting your magic on becoming little beasts for fun!"

Asha ran to the desk and started grabbing anything that was important along with Sabino's wish and put it in her satchel. As she grabbed what looked like a wand, she looked up at the wishes. There had to be a way to get them all down.

As Magnifico kept blasting at Star, he kept changing animals with each missed shot just to mock him. He changed back to a human to deliver this: "Hey, Maggy! I've got some magic words for you: 🎵Meega, nala kweesta!"🎵 He mocked the king in a sing-song tone.

Magnifico was getting furious. "You dare mock me? I'm the most powerful man on Earth! You were just an accident. Called on by a desperate girl!"

Star's expression changed at that last remark.

Unfortunately for Star, the king took advantage of him being distracted. A chain wrapped around his foot and it yanked him from above. "Got you!" He exclaimed in victory.

With all his strength he flung him across the room like a ragdoll and the star crashed onto one of the desks, destroying some of the equipment.

"Its time to finally claim what's mine!" The king took the pointed end of his staff and stabbed Star in the right shoulder. He let out a painful scream. As the yellow magic was beginning to fill the staff.

"Star!" Asha exclaimed.

Her worried eyes turned to hate as she looked the king. The heat of the moment, she looked for anything to use against him. So when she aimed the wand at him, he was met with a burst of blue light at his face. The staff stopped absorbing the magic.

Asha looked down at the wand in her hand, the magic seemed to only have one shot in its reserve. "How did I-"

Magnifico's laugh sounded borderline maniacal. "Well, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo! You can use magic too!" He then aimed the staff at Asha and the green hands grabbed her instead.

Valentino hid under the other desk to avoid getting caught again.

"I'm ending your little rebellion right here and now. I just need your wish."

Magnifico brought the girl closer until they were face to face. His eyes had a flash of anger in them. He put hid hand near her heart and waited for her wish to become physical.

But nothing happened. How??

"What is this? Why can't I find your wish?" He snapped, frustrated at his failure.

"So much for your threat." Asha smirked. She wasn't even sure how this happened but she was greatful.

The king growled. "Then I'll do this the old fashioned way." The green hands clasped around her began to tighten like a vice. Asha screamed as she could feel herself being crushed.

At the same time, Star was feeling that same tightness around himself. It was as if his heart was being squeezed to death. He weakly opened his eyes.

He was horrified at the sight: Asha was going to be killed right in front of his eyes. Those same eyes that suddenly flared a bright yellow.

"Say hello to Tomás for me." The man grinned wickedly.

A loud, thunderous boom echoed in the room. Magnifico thought it was outside, but it was only cloudy. The room itself turned dark and air chilled.

Maginifico stopped torturing Asha for a moment and slowly looked behind himself.

What stood before him was a large humanoid figure that nearly reached the ceiling. It was a mixture of black and gold with white sparkles within it. There were gold clouds surrounding it as the figure had furious yellow eyes.

"Mother of Gothel..." Magnifico whispered in awe.

Star quickly raised his hand and SMACK!

He hit Magnifico hard enough to send him flying, and crashed into the bookcase in the study, leaving a crack in the glass that contained the dark book. An avalanche of books fell on top of him as he lay unconscious on the floor.

Once the threat had passed, Star looked and saw Asha slowly picking herself up. His anger dissipated and the clouds swirled around him. In a moment he was back to his glowing yellow self. He quickly came to Asha's aid. Valentino was already by her side.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked worried as he held her.

"Thanks to you, I am." she gave him a small smile. She then realized something. "Wait, what about you? You got stabbed!"

Star scoffed. "Oh that? That was nothing. I'm fit as a fiddle!" He lied.

Asha sighed in relief. "We need to get out of here. There's no way we can stay."

"What about the other wishes?"

"We'll have to save the rest of them later, we just need to go. Can you change into something that will get us out of here, fast?"

"You got it!" He placed Asha and Valentino on his back and started running towards the exit. As he passed through and picked up speed, he transformed into-

"AN ELEPHANT?!" Asha exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Trust me, this is way faster!" he said as he ran though the halls. They could see a group of guards heading towards them, clearly responding to the commotion inside.

An idea sparked into her head. "Star, put some of your magic on the armor!"

"Omigosh, I love that idea!" Star trumpeted some his magic as they passed by and armor instantly came to life.

"Get em' fellas!" Asha commanded them with a grin.

The living armor followed commands and rushed after the Rosas guards. They started to combat each other.

They saw the sight before them and ran back down the stairs. "I feel like I'm going mad!" One of them shouts.

"We're all mad here!" Star answered them and laughed. He leaped over the guards by growing his giant ears big enough to glide over them.

As he flew down the stairs, he saw the doors were wide opened to the outside.

"I sure hope those doors are big enough!" Star exclaimed as he touched the ground and went full speed.

"Any other questions that aren't stup- I mean important?" Amaya asked the crowd.

A blonde teen raised his hand.

"Yes, Dario?"

"Yeah, um, you gonna talk about the elephant in the castle?"

Amaya raised an eyebrow. "You mean in the room?"

"No, I mean in the castle, there's one right behind you!" Dario frantically pointed behind him.

The apprentice started to feel a rumbling underneath his feet growing stronger. He turned and saw a giant yellow elephant stampeding towards him, with Asha on top barely hanging on.

"COMING THROOOOOOUGHHHHH!!!" Both of them exclaimed.

"HOLY- EVERYONE, RUN, NOW!!!" Flazino yelled at the crowd. It didn't take long for them to listen. The people scattered to get out of the way of the stampeding star. His trunk trumpeted as he cleared through the castle entrance and into the city. Not far behind him were a group of soldiers running after them.

Simon, who was slightly dozing off suddenly was wide awake when he saw the giant animal and ran the fastest he's ever ran before.

Bazeema was frozen with fear until Safi jumped in and saved her from being trampled.

Amaya gave a direct order to the guards. "Don't let them escape, you dolts! They're the traitors!" She then ran inside to find her husband.

"These guys just don't quit!" Star exclaimed, looking back at the group.

"STAR, WATCH OUT!!!" Asha warned him as she pointed ahead. Star looked forward only find himself tearing through many of the stalls along the path. Each one crumbled beneath his large feet. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" he kept apologizing with each one he destroyed.

We see Gabo laughing at the sight as Star ran. "Now that's what I'm talking about! Tear it all down!" He cheered on the two of them. He had no idea this was all one big accident.

Sabor was charging in to fight Star, but once he saw just how big Elephant!Star was and fast approaching, he screeched in fear and bailed out quickly. He went to look for Amaya instead.

As the people continued to run in fear, Flazino helped Dahlia get to safety since she couldn't run as fast as the others. "Flaz, what the heck is going on?! Its like the whole kingdom's gone crazy!" she demanded.

"I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job, I hate my job-" Flazino swore under his breath. He vowed he was going to quit the minute the royals lost their power.

Star continues to run and getting closer to the castle entrance. The few guards standing there at first stood their ground, but then scrambled to get away. "I'm not getting paid enough for this!" One of them exclaimed.

"Star, I'm not feeling so good." Asha said as she touched her forehead. She was feeling a bit dizzy. Valentino looks at her with concern while thunder was beginning to rumble in the distance.

"No problem, We'll go back to the forest. Just hang in there!" Star exclaimed as he continued his stampede through Rosas. He blew his trunk to warn the rest of the citizens to move. The people dove out of the way just in time. The guards from the castle got blocked by the debris Star left behind and could follow them anymore.

The trio finally made it out of the castle, they may have left a lot of damage in their path, but they were still alive.

The starboy began to feel tired and changed himself to a horse. He appeared to be going slower than he was as an elephant.

"Okay, where do we go now?" He asked, but there was no answer. He looked behind him and saw Asha was unconscious, Valentino was very worried.

His long face was in horror. "ASHA!" Star once again changed his form to a gorilla and continued, but was he was feeling even more tired. As if he'd been running for hours, he began to lose his breath. Rain began to drizzle down but none of them took notice.

Star then changed one more time to his human form and began to move even slower. He was struggling to carry Asha and fly. As they approached the forest, Star assured an unconscious Asha.

"Its...its all right, Asha. We're gonna...make it." He slowly desenced to the ground as his flight wore off and his vision began to blur. Valentino jumped in front of him and brayed.

"Nah. I'm good, buddy." Star sounded more out of breath, his feet dragging on the ground. "I just....need to....rest..." with that, Star had fallen to the ground with Asha still in his arms. The yellow glow around him faded as well and his hair from sparkling white to grey. He had landed at the edge of the forest away from Rosas.

Both of them lay unconscious on the ground as the rain started to fall harder. Valentino brayed with worry. Neither of them were moving no matter what he did. The little goat wanted to go get help, but would that put them in danger? He began to whimper as he gently nuzzled himself between Asha and Star.

After he closed his eyes, a shadow appeared over the three of them. The screen then fades to black.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

FINAL THOUGHTS

*Collapses on couch* My gosh, that was long! I promised so many things to come at the end of the last chapter, and I don't like not keeping promises, so I had a LOT to add here. This is probably my most busy one since "I'm A Star", and literally everything happens! 😂

I actually got a lot inspiration from other rewrites and even many of the classic Disney films I've been rewatching recently. The biggest inspiration for Wish Granted is actually Hercules, since its one of my all time favorite Disney films. I loved how all the Disney Renaissance films had tons of humor, which made the action and darker scenes even better to watch, so that's the vibe I'm going for here. Though I never thought I'd use a Monster's Inc. quote in a cruel way...😅 Also yes, I'm making a point that the royals keep referring to Star as "it" and "thing" while Asha is the only one who addresses him as a person with "he".

And with this chapter, it finally happened: Star and Asha have officially joined the angst club! 😂 (Flazino has had angst from DAY ONE) They both have been messed up by the royals one way or another, its just Star is feeling pain for the first time, while Asha's pent up anger towards Magnifico and Amaya has been building up for years. And now we get a glimpse of what Star looks like when he's angry/hurt without a filter. Mags here pushed him very close to the edge of rage. It was satisfying knocking Mags senseless though. I have a design for that form I'm working on, since it'll fully appear in the final battle/chapters.

One extra thing I decided to add is that Asha carries a little bit of a trait from Belle. Only instead of just reading a vast amounts of books, she's fascinated by artifacts and its history from other lands, magical or otherwise. I thought it would be fun to have her be a closeted fangirl for fairytale relics, and treated it like a Disney version of loving comics. Think of it as a similar thing with Po being a fanboy for Kung Fu history and figures. Or a parallel to Disney experts who grew up with the movies. (Disney objects = world artifacts in a nutshell)

There's going to be another long break before the next chapter, working on the aforementioned Star's rage form, as well as designs for the royals, Sabino and Sabor. And I'll do my best to get some of those art challenges done too.

Thanks for reading!

@signed-sapphire @oh-shtars @chillwildwave @tumblingdownthefoxden

@your-ne1ghbor @snackara @annymation @uva124

@kenihewa @ishadow246 @natsuki208 @cocoapowderpictures

@spectator-zee @gracebeth3604 @emptyblog7 @lazytitans-world

@mythartist21 @emillyverse @flicklikesstuff @cielos-pintados

[pls-hold-me-im-justa-weeb]

Zoro x Fem reader fluff! You know how Zoro has an unimaginable amount of debt towards Nami? Well, S/O has been paying Nami time after time to slowly repay Zoro’s debt because she loves him so much and she’s sweet enough to do that. Nami does decrease his debt to a point where even Zoro notices his debt decreased. When questioned, Nami confessed what S/O did for him and how she’s so sweet that she didn’t have to and Nami collected all the money to give to Zoro so he could make it up to S/O.

So cute omggggg. As you wish my lovely! I kept this as broad as possible, with an S/O who likes music, which I think is pretty broad, but if it isn't, don’t come at me pls I’m just a baby.

I think in One Piece, they have like CD players where you plug in headphones and you can carry it around, at least that's what was shown in the anime when people were lining up for Brook's concert after the time skip. I can't remember the name of it, but it used to be a popular thing. I made it a spring island because its (supposed) to be starting to be spring where I am, but we just started our second winter (as per usual with the midwest lol).

Warnings: paying off partner’s debt behind his back, cheating at GAME, Zoro being broke lol.

It's just fluff man idk what else to say.

“Witch.”

“Unsanitary marimo” Nami replied easily, keeping her focus on her magazine. Zoro’s eye twitched, but he held his tongue.

“Since we got loot at the last island, how much are you pulling out of my debt for my share?”

Nami’s ear perked at the word “loot”, and she did some quick mental calculations.

“Hmmm. All but your allowance. But I’ve been considering reducing that for you”

“Oi! Why would you cut my allowance?”

Nami shrugged.

“You only buy alcohol”

“So?”

“So you don’t need that much. Besides, after a couple months of a reduced allowance, you’d be down to at least an imaginable amount of debt.”

Zoro paused. Why was his debt going down? He wasn’t paying unless she demanded it. Had he paid that much? Or did they get that much loot at the last island?

“How much did we get at the last island?” He asked. Nami glanced up at him.

“It’s kinda creepy how you’re showing interest in money, but about 734,286 Beli” she said. Zoro only focused on the seven hundred thousand Beli. He wasn’t great at math, but knew when that was split between the crew, his share would hardly make a dent in his debt. So why?

“That doesn’t make sense” he muttered. Nami looked at him curious.

“No?”

“My debt was… I don’t even know how much. So why has it been going down?”

“Hmmm. Maybe I’m just generous!” She smiled sweetly at the swordsman, putting on her most innocent act. He narrowed his eyes at her. She knew something.

“What do you know.”

Nami glanced around, as if making sure anyone besides the swordsman was within earshot. Zoro furrowed his brow at the action.

“What is it?” He muttered, arms crossed. Nami sighed.

“Look. You should thank her by doing something nice for once. She’s so sweet and kind, and I have no idea how you ended up dating her but… I saved the money she’s been paying me for your debt. I thought maybe you knew, and I was going to smack some sense into you but she begged me to keep it quiet," Nami shrugged and picked at her nails before continuing, "Technically, it’s been going towards your debt but I figured I could be nice and generous for once, and ask you if you wanted to accept it. Once you found out, of course. But if you want, I can give it to you and you can spend it on her instead.”

Zoro’s jaw clenched, and he looked down. You had really been doing that? For him? He only mentioned being annoyed by that damn debt when Nami held it over his head when he had to do the dirty jobs for her. He could be mad at you for thinking he couldn’t handle it on his own, but honestly? He couldn’t handle it, and he couldn’t be mad at you. He just ignored the debt, hoping it would eventually go away, and you were so kind to him. He hardly deserved you.

He scraped a hand through his hair, sighing as the other hand landed on his hip.

“I… I don’t know how to… I want to do something for her to pay her back. But what?”

Nami leaned back in her chair, gesturing for the swordsman to sit next to her. He slumped into the chair, brow furrowed as he thought.

“In a day or two, depending on the weather, we should make it to another island. Think about what she likes, not you. Go and enjoy it with her, together. Support her passions, and it’ll mean so much to her”

Zoro huffed.

“How much did that advice cost me?”

“Free for this time, only because of her. Not you. It would be 100 Beli otherwise”

“100?!!”

“I could make it 500.”

“You’re scamming me.”

“You’re the one who needs my help. Why should I give my help for free?”

Zoro sucked his teeth and stood to walk away but paused. The navigator looked up questioningly. He looked off into the distance, a stoic expression on his face.

“Thanks for the advice” he muttered. He obviously meant it, so Nami smiled in return, and he walked off to find you.

He found you playing a card game with Luffy and Usopp, laughing as you laid down your winning hand. The other two complained loudly, groaning and flopping back. Luffy accused you of cheating, and Usopp backed him up.

"Me? Cheating? Never" you teased, giggling. You looked around as you heard heavy footsteps behind you, eyes landing on your boyfriend. You turned back to the other two in front of you and stood, producing a card from its hiding place, tossing it on the pile of cards.

"You guys are pirates, think of this as training to learn when someone is cheating at a card game"

"Hey! You were cheating!"

"No fair!"

"Like I said- training, not cheating"

Zoro stood behind you arms crossed and a smirk on his face at your antics. You turned around, hands laced behind your back, trying to look innocent. You batted your lashes at him, smiling sweetly.

"Right, Zoro?"

He looked at you and grunted, seemingly unfazed by your act. Inside, his heart skipped a beat with how cute you looked.

"Don't tease them. They're idiots"

"Hey!" "We're not idiots!" Luffy and Usopp protested in tandem. You sighed, pouting at him. He blinked at you, keeping his face neutral despite his sudden desire to kiss the pout right off your face.

"C'mon. I wanna ask you something" Zoro said instead, turning on his heel and leading the way. You followed, but not before turning and tossing the last card you cheated with on the pile. Luffy pulled his eye and stuck his tongue out, and Usopp blew a raspberry at you. You stuck your tongue out in retaliation, and skipped off after your boyfriend.

You followed him, unsurprisingly, to the crows nest, scampering after him on the ropes. You were a little nervous. Zoro wanting to ask you something could range from giving your humble opinion on a sword technique, to if you loved him even though he was aggressive. You simply didn't know. You entered the crows nest with practiced movements, eyes falling on the swordsman sitting on a bench near an open window.

You approached him, slightly hesitant.

"What did you want to ask me?"

He hummed, acknowledging your question and indicating he was constructing his answer. You furrowed your brow. He hardly ever thought through his words. He spoke once you had sat next to him.

"What do you know about the next island?"

You cocked your head.

"Nothing really just that it's a spring island... should I know something?"

"Just curious. Is there something you've been wanting to do lately? Like something that can really only be done on an island?"

You thought. Nothing in particular came to mind. But maybe...

"I uh. I want to buy some music to listen to. I know we have Brook, and he's amazing but... I dunno. I miss my music player a lot, and hearing whole bands at once and different singers... I mean Brook is a great singer and he does different genre's, but sometimes you want to shake things up so you're not listening to the same artist all the time, ya know? But I usually end up buying some other things I need instead" you shrugged. You looked at Zoro. He wasn't looking at you, instead was looking out the window. He grunted.

"Show me"

"Show you what?"

"Show me what you listen to, and what you like. I'm not really familiar with music all that much, having not listened to it much growin up or... ever really."

Excitement grew with every word. He wanted you to introduce you to music? To the music you listened to and liked? What would he like? Would anything surprise you? Warmth spread from your chest, through your body, and you bounced in your seat, a grin curving your lips.

"Really?! Oh my goodness there's so much to show you! I can't tell if you'd like softer music like R&B or maybe you'd like hard rock... I'm not sure you'd like pop punk but you might! Maybe some pop songs, but you might be picky about that. French jazz might be meh for you, but it might remind you of Sanji so maybe we should stay away from that... Maybe some other jazz? Or probably something with a good beat. Like workout music?" You babbled on excitedly, pondering the possibilities. You continued talking, not completely sure if Zoro was listening, but you didn't mind.

A small smile formed on Zoro's lips as he listened. Nami had been right, frustratingly, but this way, he would get to see a side of you he hadn't yet. Even if he didn't like the music you did, experiencing it would be good for him, and more importantly, you'd be happy. He saw the little scrunch of your nose that you got when you were really happy and excited, and he huffed a laugh.

"and maybe- what are you laughing at?" you looked at him, smiling still as you interrupted your chatter. He finally faced you fully, leaning his head on his hand, his arm propped on the back of the bench.

"Just you. You're cute when you're all excited about something. You get a little scrunch in your nose when you smile when you're happy like this."

Your hand rose self-consciously to cover your nose. He gently smacked it away with one hand, swooping in to kiss the tip of your nose gently.

"Don't cover it. It's cute"

You blushed, flustered. A thought suddenly occurred to you.

"Why are you asking about what I want to do on the next island? Normally, we do what catches your interest, which don't get me wrong, is typically entertaining, but... why the change?"

"You."

Your brow furrowed in confusion.

"Me?"

"You've been paying my debt to Nami"

"Whaaa??? Psshh nooo~ I never. I mean. I would, but I haven't?"

Zoro raised a singular brow. You swallowed, eyes flicking to the side.

"That so?"

"Uhh. Yes?"

"You are really a terrible liar. How can you cheat so well at card games but you can't lie to save your life?" he teased, a rare soft smile curving his lips as he spoke.

"You're intimidate me and fluster me at the same time! I can't help it!" you whined, before shyly asking, "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad at you for taking care of me?"

He ruffled your hair, and you squawked in indignation.

"Thank you, really" he said softly. You looked at him, smiling.

"You're welcome"

The two of you sat in easy silence, listening to the waves and distant chatter of Usopp and Luffy.

"So music, huh? What do you like?"

You wiggled excitedly, chattering away with Zoro asking the occasional question, even as he started training again.

~~~

"You're buying this?? Zoro, hon, I can get it" you pleaded, eyeing your pile of CD's and your brand new player.

"Nope"

"You can hardly afford alcohol! How could you afford this?"

Zoro ignored you, producing some other CD's you had reluctantly put back earlier, unable to afford them.

"These too" he muttered to the cashier. You repeatedly smacked your boyfriends arm, getting rougher with each one. He finally caught your hand.

"Stop hitting me, woman! Nami gave me the money you paid her for my debt, and now I'm spending it on you! Accept my love, damnit!"

You froze, looking at him in awe and surprise. You started as the cashier cleared his throat.

"Th-that'll be uh... the a-amount you s-see right there... s-sir" the poor teen stuttered, obviously intimidated by the swordsman. You would've snorted had you not been filled with love and awe for your boyfriend. Zoro paid the cashier and took hold of the bags. You followed closely, still aware of yourself enough to know he would get lost without you. Again.

"Thank you, Zoro" you finally said. He smirked at you.

"Of course."

[randomsufff]

ALRIGHT since at least 6 of yall wanted it here it is- my Adachi Channel concept 🎉 (ft. a quick comic of how their intro dialogue would go)

Boy where to start- there’s quite a lot under here so beware

Ok so- my first thought was “ if Adachi had a channel, what would his dark secret be” and I thought it would be that he secretly loves the Dojima family and wants so bad to be officially part of that (the adajima shipper in me saying he would love to get with Dojima and sort of become an official dad figure to Nanako) and so scared of them leaving him

I think in game, it’s shown Adachi actually cared for Nanako a lot, as he was always looking out for her and felt remorseful that she got hurt because of his actions and he even says in his letter at the end that he valued his times with the Dojimas

But it’s also largely based off of the Persona 4 Golden anime, where there’s a little section that expands upon Adachis background and his relationships with the Dojima’s. Specifically, that one part where Dojima, Nanako and Adachi are all holding hands before Nanako runs off to greet Yu and then it cuts to those three walking while Adachi stands dejected behind.

Anyways- within this background it’s shown that Adachi has pushed away every opportunity to connect with his peers in any way, no matter how much he wanted to, because he wanted to focus on his studies. And it ended up being all for not anyways because he never won any awards or got any serious recognition for his efforts and was instead relocated to Inaba (middle of nowhere town as someone says).

So here Adachi is- no serious friendships or relationships, who just moved to a town where there isn’t much to do anyways, who meets Dojima and his daughter who end up being his first genuine friends/companionship in YEARS.

Despite Adachis whole thing about thinking relationships are stupid and restricting, I think he finds himself caring about these two, and having them care for him, in a way he’s never experienced before. OF COURSE he going to latch onto that, and is going to be terrified to lose it when Yu- someone who’s ACTUALLY blood related to the family and not some sad coworker who tags along cause he got no friends- swoops in out of nowhere and starts taking their attention and affections.

So how does that relate to 1950s American housewives- well, again, if Adachi whole thing is wanting to stay together and wanting to keep their affections- and Yu who’s a part of the family is taking priority over him- best course of action would be to place himself into the family. Becoming a wife type to Dojima and a mother to Nanako.

Now not sure if Japan had a similar era, but I know the 50’s were alllllll about appearances and LOOKING like a perfect family; the woman stayed at home and were perfect wives and mothers who did all the cooking and cleaning while the men did all the work. I think that’s also why the “killer housewife” trope came around, cause they snap under being so much pressure. This not only fits into Adachi mask of being a dumb detective when he’s actually a villain but also how he views his relationship with each of them.

Adachi is an assistant for Dojima, and we see in game how mistreated he is: getting coffee and beaten around. Unfortunately, I feel like that’s very similar to how woman in the 50s were often treated by their spouses- as assistants rather then wives. Obviously, as I’ve said, he’s taken on a motherly role towards Nanako- being concerned over Dojimas lack of parenting towards her and trying to look after her himself.

And since Palaces often take these sentiments to the extreme- I thought Shadow!Adachi would think himself as a replacement of the dead mother, (I forgot her name 💀) saying he can take her place and give them everything they need.

OK SO HOW WOULD THIS FIT STORY WISE IN THE GAME? So people show up on tv if they’ve caught the eyes of the public right? And Nanako got on cause of an interview so I would think Adachis rise of interest in the public would be the similar. At the very least, when the tv covers the two murders, Adachi would do some stupid thing that would accidentally be caught on camera and everyone would wonder who that bumbling idiot was. In my eyes, I think this happens after everyone had joined (so after Naoto) but before any of the endgame stuff with the red herring and Nanako and stuff. So perhaps the news does a follow-up on the lead detectives on the Telephone Pole murders since there’s not been anything new happening and they want to know if it’s passed or if they still have to keep working, and eventually Adachi comes along and like- idk spills coffee on the reporter or something, and since it’s live- the everyone figures out Adachis name after Dojima barks it at him to get his act together.

Boom he’s on the tv, boom the guy chloroforms him and throws him in the tv, boom Adachis like aw fuck.

I don’t understand how Adachi got his persona in the first place? I looked it up and it said it was cause he was so fucking lonely and because he had no relationships he developed a persona. Ok???? Didn’t know that was an option??? But in this universe- Adachi doesn’t have his persona and instead awakens it after confronting his truth like every other person, because thems the rules, instead of just developing one because you’re chronically lonely. (If we REALLLY wanted to it could be like a Akechi situation where he has two- but eh )

(Oh also- I’d imaging his channel introduction scene thing would be like, sitcom esc? Like a- ha ha come see how quirky my family is or something? Like I Love Lucy or any of those old American sitcoms)

So anyways he’d be like “fuck, welp this can’t be too hard to survive, I just have to keep being in heavy denial like I always have-“ and tries to keep up the stupid act, especially when the Team rolls in, but then the Shadow gets to him by implying he has a meaningful relationship with the Dojimas (aka he NEEDS them cause he prolly would have offed himself months ago from boredom and/or lack of friends ) which pisses him off and triggers the fight.

(This could be some slight foreshadowing the Adachi is not what he seems as his masks slips and as his Shadow occasionally spits out some of his ideology and stuff)

Boom, fight ends when Adachi confronts that yes, maybe he does have a meaningfully relationship with the Dojimas. He’ll then be like, well obviously I can’t join your team, I’m part of the actual detective team, but maybe I can share insider info with you guys- while he secretly gets the first hand scoop of the Teams plans.

Obviously this does not undo what has been done, and with everything rolling to its natural conclusion there’s nothing Adachi can do to stop what has been started. He’ll keep doing what he’s doing tho, It’ll be even more tragic when he realizes he’s put both Nanako and Dojima in serious danger and make him spiral more into denial towards the end. Saying how those relationships don’t actually help him with anything, that they cause him more pain more suffering then when he had no one to care for but himself, that’s he’s still in a shitty place in the world etc etc.

Bam- after he’s defeated and the God is defeated it’ll smooth his transition into slowly accepting that friendships do help, and his connection with Dojima and Nanako stay strong after everything is proof of that

Ok I’m kind of just writing shit now- it is very late and I wrote a lot so if it doesn’t make sense, oof, but I how you get what I mean cause this concept fits like perfectly in all aspects into Adachis character 👍

[lunariamv]

curbing yandere gojo satoru ♡ yan gojo x fem reader; obsessive + possessive behavior, manipulation, gaslighting, slight misogyny, stalking, attempted kidnapping, violence, death shoutout to the anime death battle matchup threads on reddit so i could write this dumb shitpost gone girl and breaking bad vibes accidentally (lol)

Okay, what the hell. This is not fair.

Life has seemingly cursed you if this is what your fate is. Ever since you were little, your jerk-off parents were controlling psychopaths. They prioritized the clan. It's always been about the needs of the family and never you. Your clan, a bloodline of gifted sorcerers, with incredible powers passed down the family tree. They're incredibly prestigious, and super airheaded. The childhood you had was filled with training, studying, and striving to be the best to prove your worth. Thank the gods you were able to keep your wit and you never became an arrogant husk of your former self as a result of your stressful upbringing.

Since the clan wants to breed nothing but powerful sorcerers, they try to keep the family to be strictly sorcerers of a high class… which was why as soon as you were brought into the world, you were assigned to marry someone from another powerful family. Mind you, that you had never met. A betrothal out of your control, and it was to a nameless, faceless spouse. If that wasn't already terrifying, it wasn't until you were older that you finally met them, and desperately wish you hadn't.

He's too weird for you. Gojo Satoru had given you the ick when he tried to get incredibly mushy with you. The first impression was so awful it left a permanent scar on your potential relationship, and never healed. Honestly, you didn't see how people thought he was hot. In fact, you thought he was kind of stuck up. Sometimes you'd find yourself thinking, maybe if someone inflates his ego enough, his head will explode.

You know who you actually like? Nanami Kento! The two of you met in Jujutsu High, and you've been head over heels for him ever since. He's handsome, intelligent, and stern, your ideal type. Though Gojo tried his hardest to keep you away from him, it was nearly impossible to stop your schoolgirl crush from blooming. So it really sucked when he quit being a sorcerer while you and Gojo continued on to be alumni. Still, you made time to visit him when you could. Even though Kento came off as strict at first, the two of you had pretty good chemistry.

Then one day he disappeared without a trace. Everyone who cared had written him off as the salary man who just needed a break, but you didn't buy it.

So for the past few months, you've been investigating his disappearance on your own. Gojo keeps trying to hinder you, monitoring your actions and intervening under the guise of 'trying to bond with his fiancé,' but you're pretty sure he knows something. Hell, maybe he did it.

Needless to say, you're incredibly skeptical of Gojo. Ever since you first met, he's leaned into the whole fiancé romance trope way too hard, which you despised, since you held feelings for someone else. It's so annoying, how this grown man acts like a lovesick puppy around you. Saying you were disgusted was putting it mildly, and this resulted in you rejecting his advances at every turn. Even now you're trying to push the limits on this whole 'fiancé' thing. Maybe you should just cut ties with your family and break up with him. What exactly is stopping you?

Gojo. Gojo is stopping you.

Unbeknownst to you, Gojo's been madly in love with you for as long as he can remember. Primarily due to the fact that you were strong and capable enough to be his equal. Not only that, but the fact you weren't easily phased by him drove him absolutely crazy. Even when the mask was off and he wore his glasses, you didn't treat him any differently, compared to most women who melted in his presence. He loved messing with you and trying to win your affections, so much so it's become a game to him. The sardonic, witty personality you have contrasts with him well. The two of you are clearly made for each other, so why do you play so hard to get?

Gojo was currently resting at his nice apartment. Consumed by thoughts of you, his cute soon-to-be wife. Unlike you, he was incredibly excited about the marriage. In fact, he wanted to just hurry up and tie the knot already, if it weren't for you being hellbent on trying to stall it for as long as you could. He might be considered traditional, but part of him wanted to know if he could turn you into a stay at home housewife. You'd definitely protest, seeing it as demeaning, but he liked the idea of you only being subservient to him alone. You'd live a quieter life, safely at his side, and you'd be solely for his eyes. At the moment, he was stalking- watching you on his phone tracker. It should be about now…

Oblivious to this fact, you were heading to your new apartment. Merrily, you had just gotten it and (oops!) forgot to tell Gojo about it. Before you went to the building though, you decided to get a snack at a nearby café. For the first time in a while, you leisurely went through your phone, paying more attention to your device than you normally do. It was just to do some cleaning up of apps you didn't need anymore. That's when you saw it.

What the hell is this thing…?

Never in your life do you recall installing this app on your phone. It was submerged, buried in the endless pit of your apps, as if it was playing hide and seek. At the top bar, you could see something was running, too, and it was sucking up your battery. Narrowing your eyes in confusion, you pulled up your search engine and looked it up.

Oh, it's a tracking app?

The reveal was so unsettling that you find yourself smiling. An amused yet horrified chuckle escaped you. Eyebrows furrowing, you muttered under your breath. "Oh no, get this shit off, I don't want this…" As you were saying that, you were deleting all of the suspicious looking apps on your phone. You even went ahead and did some extra research about tracking and put up some extra scans.

The white haired man frowned in displeasure upon realizing the GPS was stuck. The blip was frozen. Either it was as awful as the reviews warned, or you figured it out. What a pain. Regardless, he still held your last known whereabouts right there. Guess he shouldn't rely on technology so much and instead do things the old fashioned way, right? With that in mind, he went out to the last place the marker had placed you.

Back at your place, you were resting on your couch. You were still trying to wrap your head around the tracker on your phone. Who put that there? Gojo, most likely. He must've set it up the last time you two crossed paths, while you were distracted. While you wanted to be shocked at that reveal, you couldn't say you were surprised. He always struck you as a weirdo, to the point you were under the impression that he was borderline obsessed with you or something. It doesn't shock you in the slightest that creep would stoop this low.

Perhaps this was the tipping point you needed. After all, he just violated your privacy, and who knows what other things he's done. Holding up your phone, you called your parents to break the 'terrible' news. Needless to say, they didn't take your declaration to call off the wedding very well. No doubt this would kill relations between your family and the Gojo clan. Though, you found yourself feeling rather apathetic to the matter.

For nearly all of your life, you had taken a backseat for the good of your lineage. Years and years of enduring painstaking training, studying, and then a forced engagement for them, and for what? Virtually nothing in return. It wasn't even going to a good cause anyways, as this involuntary construction of human life served only to benefit an outdated, egocentric family tradition. The only 'good' you can argue you've done was saving lives as a sorcerer, which was just a byproduct of their success.

In that call, you told them to disown you if it pained them that much to have a disappointing daughter. To fully break away, you'd move to another country or something. Even though your intent was to sever the ties, there was a sliver of remorse deep in the recesses of your heart. Despite your cruel upbringing, you did feel some attachment to your parents. They were your family, and they were all you had. However, you couldn't marry someone you didn't love. Especially someone who was this clearly unhinged.

They were protesting all the while before you hung up. After a moment, you dialed another number.

There's a slight deep chuckle over the line. "…Well, it's about time." Gojo's voice ardently crooned over the phone. You could practically hear the smug grin on his stupid face. He sounded rather pleased that you finally called him for a change, like he had been waiting for this moment his whole life.

The cocky tone voice in his voice almost made you laugh. Almost. It seemed you beat your parents or his in delivering him the bad news.

"Hi Satoru." You said casually, as if you weren't about to drop a bombshell on him. Then you spoke the following lines. "I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."

There was a brief pause. One that drew on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"Mm…? Did you say something, (Y/N)? I didn't quite catch that." He asked innocently. However, you're absolutely certain he heard you the first time. Even so, you decide to be nice, and twist the knife even further.

"I said," Your voice becomes more stern as you narrowed your eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't marry you Gojo. The wedding is off."

"It should be obvious, but I'm not too fond of you, and I'd rather marry someone I actually love." The words flowed out of you like a river. A cool wave of relief washed off you as you truthfully spoke your mind. Speaking the truth felt incredibly good. For once, you felt like you were taking control. No more sitting aside, waiting for someone else to tell you what to do.

There's another split second of silence before Gojo spoke again. "(Y/N), I sincerely think you should reconsider." He drew a breath. "Think about your family, remember what this'll mean for them. Both your family and mine have been waiting for this since we were kids. Do you really want to do this to them?" He's trying to be rational, trying to convince you otherwise. If he was as crazy as you're theorizing, he must be suppressing his anger right now. Though, you're just as insane as he is. You know this'll drive him to his boiling point, and with that in mind, you continued your sprint across the thin tightrope.

"No, I'm pretty sure. Don't bother, I've already informed my parents about my decision. I hope you can forgive me for being selfish." At least you're kind enough to apologize. With that, you pulled your phone away from your ear. A digit hovered over the red button.

"(Y/N)--" Before he could reply, you hung up the call. Relief washed over you. With a genuinely content smile, you went back to whatever you were doing before.

On the other line, Gojo sat there motionlessly with his phone, the dial tone ringing in his ears. Silently, he held a haunted expression on his visage. Pale with wide eyes, it was like he had seen a ghost. It quickly faded once the anger set in, and his face twisted into a furious scowl. He's practically seething. Why are you doing this to him?! He wasn't oblivious to your tendency to reject his advances, but he didn't expect you to go this far. He'd figure you'd come around eventually, not throw it all away! All you had to do was go along and marry him. It was going to be perfect.

No, don't worry. Gojo faintly smiled to himself. This is still salvageable. He just needs to talk to you in person. Once you're face to face, he'll get you to change your mind, with a little persuasion, of course. Trying to suppress his raging anger, he calmed himself down as he swiftly walked down the streets.

Unbothered, you were laying on the couch, currently browsing the web for potential places to go. Singapore seems really good right about now…

"(Y/N)? Open the door!"

Ugh, there he is. It surprisingly didn't take that long for him to find you. To be fair, you deactivated the tracker a block down from where the complex was. He most likely found it and then asked your landlord for your door. Kinda stupid of you.

With a tired sigh, you lowered your head and fell silent for a moment. Maybe if you ignore him, he'll give up and go away.

Of course, he doesn't. Suddenly, your front door was violently kicked open. The loud slam made you gradually raise your head, drawing your attention. Your gaze flicked over to it, and lo and behold, Gojo was standing there at the entrance.

"…Well that's rude." You uttered with a nonchalant tone. Was breaking your door really necessary? Wonder what the costs are to get that fixed…

Maybe he was trying to play along, because he ended up gently closing the broken door behind him. He walked dangerously closer to you. "(Y/N), please. I'm begging you to reconsider." He spoke up. Although his voice was sultry, a smooth cadence like marble, there was a mild urgency hidden in the depths. "I love you. You're my darling fiancé, and I want you to marry me."

Standing up, you narrowed your eyes. A disapproving glare formed on your features. Perhaps in another life, or another universe, you would've found his declaration sweet. It was truly heart stealing stuff. Something that would make you melt into his arms like chocolate. Unfortunately, you wouldn't fall for it in this timeline. "How many times do I have to say it, Satoru? I'm not into you."

Tilting your head about an inch, your gaze bore into his. If he wasn't so upset, he would've been reveling over how gorgeous you looked right now. "I've officially broken up with you. So while I'm asking nicely, give up while you still have your dignity." You warned him.

Your threat garnered a low chuckle from Gojo. To him, it was nothing. While he did consider you to be 'equals', there was a clear difference in strength. He was one of the strongest sorcerers in the world, if not the strongest. While you were no doubt strong, he was much more powerful. If anything, he should be saying those words to you.

"That's cute." He nonchalantly commented with a smoldering glance. While his tone held intense admiration, the grin on his face was condescending. Either way, it's gross, and made you grimace slightly.

Despite the growing tension in the room, you refused to back down. If he was going to try to force you to be with him, you'd gladly fight against it. After all, it'd be a shame to let all your intense sorcery training go to waste. When he stepped closer, you got into a fighting stance.

Gojo stepped forward, and you anticipate it. His Limitless.

You’ve sparred with him before, so the concept of his ability wasn’t foreign to you. Taking a deep breath, you watched him carefully. Heightening your awareness, your focus sharpened, and you seemingly step out of your body for a moment. The heightened focus was like an astral projection.

The man dashed towards you in the blink of an eye. He went to strike, and you swiftly moved with a deflect. However, your counter attack doesn’t hit and you’re sent skidding back a few feet. Gojo chuckled again, and you could tell from that and his attack that he’s not taking this seriously. You’ll make him.

The two of you start fighting. Gojo engaged by trying to hit you, and his movements were fast, but you’re able to counter him to the best of your ability. Still, he’s holding back, and you figured that asshole enjoyed messing with you. Even so, you still used all your strength to fight back. If he wouldn't give his all, you most certainly will.

Meanwhile, Gojo realized you’re serious about putting up a fight. He’s been holding back as to not hurt his darling fiancé, but this was starting to become a pain in the neck. Might as well put an end to this already, even if it meant knocking you out.

In an instant, Gojo came at you. Time decelerated to a drag, and you forced your body to the side. With one swift motion, you evaded his grab for you. Following your movements, a sharp breath escaped you.

That’s when you observe the two of you had fully switched places. Finally, after dancing around him, your form was by the door, and it’s prime time to make an escape. To subtly inch toward the exit during the fight, that had been your plan all along.

Unfortunately, Gojo had long anticipated this ploy of yours. He simply played along because he could easily stop you. He raised a hand.

That’s when you call it. Limitless.

Gojo was going to close the gap and catch you. You wouldn’t be able to hit him. It was over.

Though, there was no fearful look in your eyes. They were stern and full of conviction. “That notion… I'll veto it.” You declare softly.

Silence followed your words. There was still a large gap of space between you two. What should've happened was a deletion of space, there was nothing of the sort. Caught off guard by this revelation, Gojo stopped and furrowed his brows slightly in confusion. His outstretched hand dropped about an inch.

What just happened?

His split second bewilderment opened a window of opportunity to you. Taking advantage of his stunned disposition, you spun on your heel and took off running out of the building.

Thankfully, you got the feeling in your leg back in the nick of time. You ran away.

A sigh escaped your lips. Back pressed against the side wall of the locked bathroom stall, you stared at the tile for a moment. The women's restroom of this coffee shop was empty, the only sound being the constant hum of the ventilation. Once you believed you were ready, you delved into your pocket and took out a card. Flipping it over, you read the printed numbers and inputted them into your burner phone. It was only a few seconds of ringing when the other line picked up.

You lowered the card. "I'm looking for a Hoover Max Extract Pressure-Pro Model 60."

It was burning hot in the car, so you had the windows rolled down. The cool wind blew your hair back, a reinvigorating feeling to the senses. You were driving down a long stretch of road. No other cars or people in sight. The yellow baked sun highlighted the dry, sandy grass patches surrounding you that seemed to go on for miles. With one hand on the wheel, you pushed up your sunglasses before resting your arm on the window of your SL Mercedes. Traveling to a new country was a whole different ballpark, but you were going to make it work. After being cooped up in a stuffy cargo plane, the open road was a sigh of relief.

Growing up, you and Gojo went to the same schools together to Jujutsu High. This meant he knew your sorcerer abilities pretty well. As far as he knew, your curse ability boiled down to energy manipulation.

Although the ability is labeled as ‘energy,’ the underlying truth was that's only the surface level explanation. There's more to it. The true extent of your abilities was kept a secret, thanks to your discreet, privileged family. As a child, you were told you had been graced with intense power. Though, you were vowed to keep quiet about the secret art you had.

The power to negate power.

In order to perfect it, you’ve been training it all your life. Surprisingly enough, this was the first time you’ve had a sincere reason to use it. For the binding vow that accompanies it is concerning.

At the price of negating forces of nature, altering the flow of destiny, an suitable exchange must be made. By contingency, the exchange offers up a functioning part of your body. A fair trade.

“To negate something means to willingly negate a piece of you,” your mother would tell your younger self.

The moment you cancelled Gojo’s Limitless, you had lost the feeling in one of your legs. It had gone numb, like a useless piece of plastic. In that state, you wouldn’t be able to move too fast. Thankfully, it came back quickly so you could make your escape.

For that reason, it was a double edged sword. Dangerous, but handy. You’d have to keep on your toes for the rest of your life, and you’d have to keep up your physical fighting, but as far as sorcery goes… Gojo can’t touch you. And you… can certainly hit him.

Thanks to your ability… you were able to escape him that day.

It was incredible. Being able to take control of your life, gave you a rush that you’d never think of ever having.

Once you escaped, you did everything you could to discreetly change your identity. Using your leftover riches from your family name, you were able to call in a person to help you ‘disappear.’ Gojo would never be able to track you. And with that, (Y/N) (L/N) vanished off the face of the earth. She was gone.

It was a nice, sunny day. You were relaxing at home.

It's been three years since then. By now, you should try to settle down, right? However, your cautiousness made you hesitant. If Gojo ever did come for you, the last thing you wanted was for someone to get caught in the crossfire. Like Nanami.

Upon reminiscing, you frown in realization. You never did find out anything about Nanami’s disappearance, didn’t you? Maybe he was dead after all. It wouldn't shock you if it turned out Gojo made him vanish. It'd line up with how creepy he had been thus far.

You offered him a small prayer in your mind. Hopefully he was at peace, wherever he was now.

After that, you went out onto the backyard porch. The crashing waves of the ocean ahead always set you at ease. The warm sun heated your skin. Leaning against the wooden railing, you closed your eyes, and lost yourself to the sound of nature.

"What a lovely sight." The sudden voice made you jump. What scared you the most was not that it terminated your solitary without warning, but that it took you years to forget about that cadence, until now.

Standing a few feet away on the platform, leaning against the railing, was a forbidden sight. A man that shouldn't exist in your little safe paradise. Somehow, he got here undetected, past all of your locks and security cameras.

Gojo turned to you with a charming smile. As if this was a reunion between two old friends. In a malevolent way, it was. "Though you could do much better than this, it's a nice place."

Remaining silent, you didn't say his name. You wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

How did he find you? Your benefactor, with no ties to the Gojo clan, changed your records, your appearance, and virtually anything that had to deal with your identity. Not a single trace was left. And yet, here he stood in your home.

Why couldn't he just leave you alone?

There were plenty of women out there he could easily have. Any of them would be happy to grant his desires, or even replace you as his estranged wife. You didn't understand why he insisted on having you.

"Why won't you give up already?" You asked calmly, an apathetic look in your eyes. At least three years have passed since you escaped the shackles of your predetermined live. Plenty of time for him to move on and find someone else. In a way, hiding was supposed to be your form of encouragement.

Between the two of you, he was much more stubborn. Arrogance paved the way for greed, and he refused to lose when it came to anything. A man with the mentality of a spoiled child. Such entitlement of course, extended to you. He didn't give up because he didn't want anyone else. Letting you go and moving on was too easy. Why settle for something he can get with ease, when it was much more exciting to chase what he can't have?

"I've already told you, (Y/N). Millions of times over…" He stepped closer while you retreated back. "I love you." His voice was warm and genuine.

"And it's a lie." You retorted with a razor-like glare. If he truly cared as much as he says, he would let you go. He wouldn't still be here. It was a selfish act, not one out of love. Perhaps he did a long time ago, but his sentimental emotions were corrupted by his egotism. "If you loved me, you'd leave me be."

"(Y/N). Why are you so selfish?" He asked, and you paused. As if a switch had been flipped, his expression grew cold. "Running away from your family, running away from me, and running away from us. You had a good life, and became a powerful sorcerer. Why would you throw that all away? For cowardice? For your insecurities?"

He held up his hand. A hopeful, promising shine was in his eyes. "I came here because I refuse to give up on you. I care about you. Come back with me, and I promise to help you. We'll get through this together. I'll make you happy." He proposed with a warm smile.

A pit formed in your stomach. Even now, he's still trying to manipulate you. Twisting the narrative to belittle your desire for freedom as an insecurity. Justifying his stalking and chasing after you as some sort of savior situation. That your autonomy was something that needed to be fixed. If you weren't so disgusted, you could see yourself laughing at the absurdity of it all. "No. I don't want to go anywhere with you." You gave him your answer.

"Aaah… that's not the right answer." He sighed with a hint of amusement. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned his back to the railing. Then he faced you and held out his hand.

He tried to use his ability, but you were quick to stop him. Your arm went limp, but you raised your leg. Kicking him as hard as you could, he was sent flying through the wall. He quickly recovered and got back up.

He dashed forward, and you swiftly dodged out of the way. You got a few good hits in, since he was wary to not use Limitless in excess against you. Now that he couldn't use it to protective himself, everything was fair game. You threw anything you could that was in the house. Lamps, décor, and even furniture. He dodged most of them.

"Enough with this, (Y/N)!" He called out to you. The house was nearly destroyed from all the fighting. Gojo grumbled under his breath. Now that he was aware you could nullify his ability, he had to get creative.

Suddenly, he disappeared from your vision. Heart racing in your chest, you glanced around the room and kept your guard up. There was no running outside, because he could be waiting at the exit.

You turned and sensed something. With your energy magic, you charged the tv to make it explode. Gojo emerged from the shadows and came at you. He was using his Limitless. You had no choice but to nullify it and prepare to counterattack, but suddenly, your mind went blank.

Just now, you had rolled the dice, and yielded the worst possible results. The worst part to neutralize… your brain. It made you lose.

When consciousness came back to you, Gojo was holding you in a tight grip. Pointed at your neck, the tip an inch away from your skin, was a syringe.

Gojo was breathing heavily. Pressing his built chest into your back, you could hear him in your ear. It was a good effort you put up against him, but now it was over. At last, he had you. "Let's go home, shall we?" He hummed with delight.

Before he could move, you snapped your fingers. A explosion of smoke erupted from your body, and the mass coated the air like a screen. You threw your head back, crashing into his face. His grip weakened slightly and you stomped on his foot with all your might, and jabbed your elbow into his abdomen. With a grunt of pain, he fully released you. Not wasting any time, you ran forward and dashed out the back door.

You spun around to see him emerge from the smoke to give chase. Reaching a hand into your pocket, you darted to the edge of the porch. You vaulted over wooden railing and jumped off. In your hand was a small device. You pressed the button.

A large explosion blew up your beloved home. There was a loud, thunderous crash. Debris flew in all directions, and the source was consumed in fire. Once your feet landed onto the sandy beach, you took off running.

On the run yet again. All the money you spent on disappearing the first time had significantly depleted your sources, and nearly the rest had just gone up in flames. You'd have to get creative with your next disappearance, for whatever time you had left.

As you were running, you suddenly stumbled and halted in place. The dizzy spell was so faint, it took you a second to recognize it. During that fight, the syringe must've touched you.

The unknown drug he gave you… you had no idea how much time you had until you passed out. However much time you had, it most likely wasn't enough to hide where you couldn't be found. All of your options were drying up.

Frozen, you stared at the ground. A blank expression haunted your tired features as you fixated on the gravel at your feet.

Was this it? It's all over?

Closing your eyes, you took a shaky breath. It's not. With your remaining strength, you continued running.

Gojo's manipulative speech to you, at first you completely dismissed it as nothing but deceptive garbage. It was bred on twisting your actions to make him seem like the victim. A gaslighting trap, to warp your perspective of reality, and convince you to return to him. Almost like the domains he put his enemies in. At least, that's what you originally thought. After reflecting upon it, you realized that there was some truth to his words. Even when fabricating lies, there will always be a hint of truth hiding in the cracks.

Maybe he was right.

All you've done is run away. In your youth, you fled from living a normal life to become the perfect child your parents wanted. At the expense of your childhood. You ran away from mistakes and imperfections to strive for greatness. Once that was over, you ran away from your family when they needed you most. Then you ran away from Gojo, from your relationship and your engagement. Here you were, proving him right by running away again.

If you kept going, you'd never be able to stop running. This track you set yourself upon, it was an endless one. A nonstop cycle of running on a wheel, with no destination. Gojo, while rendered vulnerable for the moment, was still immortal in the grand scheme of things. He held too much power. Untouchable and relentless, he'll be chasing you forever.

Perhaps… it was time to stop.

When you finally came to a halt, you were near the edge of a cliff. Below, the gathering ocean, crashing against the rocks. The comforting sound you had come to admire. The sun was setting in the sky, and the stars were finally revealing themselves. You've always wanted to come here, but you never found the opportunity.

"(Y/N)…" Gojo called your name. Though he sounded tired, there was a hint of teasing to it. It was the end of the line, after all. Even if you tried to jump, he could catch you. This game of tag had finally reached it's conclusion. "It's over. There's no need for this."

Silently, you met his gaze. The light breeze swept your hair as you stood still. A few seconds passed when you eventually parted your lips. "You're absolutely right." You said with a faint smile and soft eyes. "I'm done with you. Farewell, Satoru."

A bold choice of words. As much as he rather wouldn't, Gojo decided he'd have to hurt you, just so you couldn't run away anymore. Upon stepping back, you suddenly found yourself in a new space. The area around you was a celestial realm, a starry prison. He called his Limitless, and cemented you inside a domain. This way, you couldn't evade him. Even if you nullified it, he could just cast it again and again until you gave up.

So, he didn't know you were on the verge of collapsing. That was perfect.

Once more, you opened your eyes wide. They began to glow. Channeling all of your curse energy, you took his power, and turned it off.

Upon doing so, there was a sharp pain in your chest. Blood stopped pumping and your breath slowed to a cease. It was then that you lost feeling in your head, then your body. Falling back, you lost your balance and went over the edge. Your vision was growing blurry, and everything felt cold. Faintly, you could feel your body falling.

Cancelling his ability wasn't the ultimate goal. The consequences were. To negate all of his powers at once, you offered up the most important function of your body. The heart of the machine. It was held for as long as you could, and you made it.

Finally, you were away from him. To the one place where he couldn't get you. It might've been one last run, but it was something you did of your own volition. Nobody told you what to do, and you freely made your choice. Maybe Gojo could have given you a promising life, but you would never be happy. This outcome was what satisfied you. Your legs had grown tired from running, and now you could finally rest.

rip girlie

i like how at the start i was trolling but at the end it just got sad :')

dividers: cafekitsune

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[applejuiz]

Gonna post some tlovm feelings under the cut bc it is lovingly critical so if you want that kinda perspective on adaptation challenges read on…

I said out loud when Kash died: “What are they doing!?” and I think that’s a thorough summation of how I’m feeling about s3.

I just remain slightly baffled by the adaptational choices they’re making. I do not envy the amount of compression they had to do or the challenge of this incredibly new kind of medium to medium adaptation. I’m not someone who demands a stringent direct adaptation of media (anymore) but do care a lot about adaptation and how you can transfer the spirit of a story across medium languages. And I’m just finding this lacking.

Glintshore is one of my favorite episodes of c1. I love how exhausted everyone was after earlier battles, I love how it starts with that explosion that puts everyone even lower at the start. I love that half the goal in the battle is just keeping Percy up and that he and Keyleth keep going down. I love the Kynan reveal and Vax desperately trying to connect with him even in the chaos of the battle. I love Percy, on deaths door, forgiving Ripley but taking the shot anyway because he knows that she’s too dangerous. I love “Vox Machina, how do you want to do this.”

There’s a lot of the specifics of the episode on the stream that can’t be transferred to tv. I understand the need for changes to adapt it to this medium.

I understand not having an earlier battle on Glintshore, we don’t have the time. I understand removing Kynan from the show completely, as much as I love him, because there simply isn’t the narrative space for it. I understand without game mechanics we can’t communicate people hitting zero and going down. I understand not being able to convey the exhaustion of three hours in battle to a twenty minute episode of TV.

But the true spirit of Glintshore is everyone desperately trying to keep Percy alive and failing to. Having him fight Ripley alone and his body being found later is the closest I can think to an antithesis of the feel of the original fight. In the same amount of time, with the same animation effort, you could have choreographed a sequence with the team putting themselves on the line over and over to protect Percy from Ripley and ultimately failing to stop her from killing him. There’s the tragedy of Glintshore, that failure and then finally having the ability to come together to kill Ripley when it’s already too late.

You can’t have the power of “Vox Machina, how do you want to do this?” in a TV show. But the emotions invoked there: the teamwork, the solemnity, the bittersweet victory. That you can convey. And the episode we got just really didn’t.

(Also having Percy just explicitly offer Ripley redemption misses the spirit of that moment in the fight. Percy doesn’t need to be motivated by revenge to take action. He is able to maintain his emotional composure and make a clearheaded decision that Ripley needs to be stopped. He can forgive Ripley for what she did for himself and still move to kill her for the good of Exandria. It’s actually very similar to Keyleth’s speech to Raishon, something that could be fun to parallel if the show remembered that Keyleth and Percy are best friends.)

Adaptations are complicated. This one maybe uniquely so. There are a lot of loving references to the stream. Clearly everyone involved really cares about this story. But I do wish there was just more attention to the emotional beats of the original story. I think I and maybe other fans would be a lot more accepting of surface level changes if the emotional experience was preserved.

[t0ast-ghost]

Watching Star Trek TOS for the first time, and here are my thoughts on episode three (Charlie “X”)! (I didn’t do episode two cause I just wanted to watch it but I love Bones)

- so far I really like the kid

- Kirk shut up, let Charlie talk

- oh no he’s frightened by the door :(((

- girls do not look THAT different, getting some bad vibes from you Charlie

- BONES!!! (Why does he stand like that, it’s so curved)

- “I want people to like me” oh god they gave this boy anxiety

- He’s learning about the patriarchy, like Ken

- Kirk making Bones tell Charlie about puberty, he looked so defeated

- SPOCKS EYESHADOW!!!

- Charlie gets a Kirk assigned father, it’s not Kirk himself but he did assign Bones to do it, can’t you see the man is tired Jim?!?

- why is she being mean to Spock in verses? Nvm this is fun and he’s enjoying her singing

- HE SLAPPED KIRKS BUTT WHAT

- “there’s no right way to hit a woman.. you know man to man.. uhh… you understand, Charlie?” That was the worst way to try and explain anything, Kirk

- “I put meatloaf in the ovens, now there’s turkeys, real turkeys” then Charlie’s little laugh

- aww they’re playing chess together, normal husband activities

- “you smell like a girl” “I feel hungry… all over” back the fuck up Charlie

- stop trying to get Bones to explain stuff to him, Kirk

- this episode is just so icky, one issue is that they can’t just have an adult conversation and they can’t explain anything properly to him, they’re just telling him no and that he’s wrong. It’s a good example of how concealing information doesn’t allow people to find their own morals but instead creates a bunch of rules which can be easily broken if the person doesn’t believe in them because they don’t understand the logic behind them. (Not saying that the boundaries they’re setting for him are wrong, he just can’t understand them because they’re not explaining shit)

- SHUT UP SAM HE’S TRYING- oops Sam’s gone

- damn that German expressionist lighting tho, like something out of metropolis

- I FUCKIN DARE YOU KIRK, PICK HIM UP SEE WHAT HAPPENS

- okay Kirk saying it’s his choice is good cause at least he’s teaching him that these things he does are his own actions

- “short tempered, because he doesn’t understand” cause you won’t explain shit without mind games and metaphors

- Spock and Bones DO NOT want to get involved

- when Charlie’s explaining what he did to the Antares Bones looks absolutely terrified (Bones sitting like that on the table is… I have many thoughts)

- OH NO UHURA!

- Don’t you dare call Spock Mr. Ears

- “Teenager with supernatural abilities realizes his full potential and decides to use it for evil NOT CLICKBAIT”

- Why would you do that, why would you turn her into an iguana

- GET HIM!!! Wait no! Janice!

- “I love you” “you don’t know what that means” good for her, fuck you Charlie

- He gave Kirk period pain

- “cause you need me to run the ship, and I need him” Spirk? It’s more likely than you think

- this slide from Bones

- “I don’t think you can handle anymore, you’ve reached your limit” Spock and Bones start fucking shit up immediately for Kirk

- Kirk was so ready to punch a bitch

- nice fucking try Charlie- oh Kirk is defending him- nvm he still gets yoinked

- imagine if Charlie becomes Q lol (is that a thing? Are they related?)

- well that’s done now… where’s Scotty, Sulu, and Checkov? (Sulu appeared shirtless in the credits as I wrote that)

Thanks for sticking around again :)

Here’s a link to the first ramble

And all the other rambles

Below the cut is some thoughts I had on the second episode

Some thoughts on episode 2 (The Man Trap):

- it was kinda funny seeing Jim be like “she’s old as fuck, just like Bones”

- I didn’t realize that was where “he’s dead, Jim” came from and my dad quotes it all the time

- it was interesting that even the creature referred to themselves as an animal

- McCoy in the ending where he really didn’t want to kill somebody he loved even if they were just the image

- would not want to be the person to explain what happened to her to Bones

[homestuckreplay]

Mommy Issues: The Flash Game

(p.388-390)

Page 388 is our first interactive Rose page! I guess p.138 could technically count, but it's the first where we can see her! It's also an iteration on p.90, where John Strifes with his dad. I've been looking at these pages side by side (yes, with the music layered on top of each other), and the animation in Rose's page is both longer and more complex. Even the idle animation - what's happening when you don't click any buttons - has more going on, with Rose doing two separate youth rolls and Rose's mom reacting to attacks, interestingly even when Rose isn't doing anything. Perhaps she is very used to this

We then have four options to choose, compared to John's two. They follow a pattern - the more attack-based moves (shown in Sburb green) begin with AG (Aggress and Aggrieve) - the new one, Aggrieve, is also the name of Rose's theme music that she plays on the violin (p.222) and gets featured here. The more defensive moves (shown in blue) begin with AB (Abjure and Abstain). These are actually Latin word roots, with 'ag-' meaning 'to' or 'towards', and 'ab-' meaning 'away' or 'from'. In the internet age where it's very easy to look up definitions and origins of words, I love that Homestuck is linguistically dense like this, and it doesn't stop it from being accessible to people who are younger or don't have advanced educations.

brief discussion of each of the four options below the cut!

So, these options! 'Aggrieve' is Rose's attack with knitting needles (her kind abstrata) just like John's 'Aggrieve' was a hammer attack - and in both cases, the opponent parries with their own weapon. John's dad almost certainly uses cakekind, while Rose's mom uses... boozekind? beveragekind? martinikind? which gives her incredible possibility for molotov cocktails if she was ever facing down a more formidable foe. It's again a more complex animation than John's, which I think speaks both to Hussie gaining confidence with the flash medium, and to Rose being more experienced with using the knitting needles and with fighting her mom - we learn on the next page that this is a 'daily quota' for Rose's mom.

'Aggress' appropriately becomes 'Passive-Aggress' when we try to select this option. Rose sticks her knitting needles into the broken power socket above the bronzed vacuum cleaner and attempts an 'empty suicide threat' which is some very strong imagery, and honestly a way more manipulative gesture than just passive aggression. We don't see a reaction from Mom, which implies again that this is a daily occurrence, and emphasizes more than anything else so far (in my opinion) just how unhealthy this relationship is. If your kid is making suicide threats, even if what they're trying wouldn't work, even if you think it's "for attention," you should get them some help. What I'm saying is that Rose needs a tentacle therapist of her own.

'Abjure' results in a Guardian Rubric, which for John's dad was 'coddlebrand'. This is from 'coddle' - 'to treat indulgently,' and 'brand' - 'to burn a mark upon with a hot iron', which is really evocative of how John reacts to his dad's coddling, and I think shows us that we're still seeing the fight from John's perspective, even though his dad is the primary actor. In the same way, Mom's Guardian Rubric is 'ironic indulgence', because Rose interprets all her mom's actions as ironic, whether or not that's her mom's intent.

Rose's mom gives her a beautiful pony. Like. For no reason. She brings a living animal into the house, one that requires a lot of skilled care and attention. And it's just a gift she gives her daughter on a whim on a random Monday. I think this shows Mom as a negligent parent far more clearly than any of Rose's words do. If Mom has bought a pony presumably without setting up a stable or learning how to take care of one, it's easy to believe she did the same with Rose - deciding to have or keep a child without understanding how much work went into that, or being willing to learn.

Rose is as resistant to the pony as John was to the cake, but in both cases, they eventually accept the gift. John does this reluctantly because he sees this as the only way to end the strife, while Rose does this after the strife is already over. She creates an illusion of reluctance, but the heart above her head on p.390 suggests that she actually likes this creature. I think Rose is an animal lover in general, someone who'd describe herself as liking animals but not people. She obviously loved her childhood cat a lot and likes this pony too, but overall finds it much easier to acknowledge liking a creature if it's not something typically thought of as 'cute', such as Fluthlu.

Ponies are most commonly an interest of young girls, and the addition of a pink heart and bow make this a very traditionally feminine gift. The same is true of the Pretty Princess Doll on the couch. I think Rose knitting the princess doll an eldritch head and arms is very queer coded, as she twists typical femininity into something less societally approved. I can't wait to see if she does something similar with the pony, maybe swapping out her pink ribbon for something darker and spookier.

The final option is 'Abstain,' another Guardian Rubric. This one is 'ironic negligence,' where Rose's mom offers her the martini to drink and Rose parries with a bottle of water, and as discussed above I don't think it is ironic. I was wrong in an earlier post where I guessed that alcohol was off limits to Rose. It looks like she's been offered alcohol, maybe often, and has responded by being Extremely Straightedge. Maybe she only drinks water and won't even touch kid-appropriate drinks like juice and soda. I think it's not uncommon for children of heavy drinkers to make an effort to not fall into those same patterns, and I also think that Rose intentionally tries to have opposite opinions and behaviors to her mom (even while she's not always successful) and the combination of these two things easily lend themselves to a hardcore water drinker.

Just like in John's Strife, we get to choose which options to click, in what order, and how many times, but we can't win the fight for them. John as the main character had to do that for himself (with some help from the player). In Rose's case, there's no win condition at all and no real goal for either of them. They fight for a while, and then it ends, and they return to their previous activities - Mom doing very real and unironic housework, and Rose leaving the house angrily. John and his dad had conflicting goals they were trying to achieve, but Rose and her mom were fighting for sport because this is a primary way they know how to interact - something to keep in mind for both relationships.

I like seeing the animation get more advanced in Rose's strife - it gets me really excited for something similar with Dave and GG - but honestly nothing in this page beats the sick ass moment where Dad clicks on the lighter and then the music starts playing at the moment all the candles catch fire.

[raya-hunter01]

Lights, Camera, Action! Pt. 12 End

Lights, Camera, Action!

Jey Uso x Black Female OC! (Shantell)

Roman x Black Female OC! Tangela

Solo x Black Female OC! Sofia

Jimmy x Trin

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; oral, sex, fluff, defloration (Virginity) masturbation

Words:

Summary: How do you keep it together as Smackdown’s production director and navigate your life as the girlfriend of Mr. Main Event Jey Uso.  Follow Shantell as she navigates her life as a girlfriend, sister, and confidant to the bloodline. Follow her on her journey to self-discovery of love and happiness.

Four Years Later

Jey & Shantell’s House

Atlanta, Ga

“So how was the game and Did Joshua get to play?” Jey asked me as I frowned at him. “He scored a touchdown and was so happy, until he looked around and you weren’t there like you promised. Good job Papa Kish,” I said smartly knowing I would strike a nerve.

His dad was always on the road and missed a lot of special moments in their life. I knew that always bothered him so the fact he could do it to our son was pissing me off.

“So, he went back to the hotel with Joe instead of coming home. I mean, is he trying to get back at me for missing the game?” Jey asked, a little hurt.

“He’s five years old! What do you mean trying to get back at you!? He wanted to hang out with his uncle, who flew in for his game. We had pizza at the hotel and caught up a little. He wanted Joe to drive him home so he could spend a little more time with him and Morgan,” I said, getting irritated as hell.

I could tell Jey was sensing my anger and chose to remain quiet. “Do you have a problem with the fact he wanted to spend a little more time with Joe and Morgan?” I asked as Jey still said nothing.

The quietness frustrated me as I saw him out the corner of my eye watching me closely as I spotted the empty Tequilla bottle on the living room table.

“So, do you want to talk about why you didn’t come to see Joshua play?”  I asked, trying to remain calm as he sighed, taking a swig of his beer. “Jey, I think you’ve had enough for tonight, plus Joshua will be home any minute,” I whispered as he cut his eyes at me before drinking the rest of his beer.

“So, you just gon’ act like I’m not talking to you, just  standing there like an asshole,” I said not believing his attitude.

“I’m a grown ass man Shantell, I can do what I want. You keep pushing about why I didn’t come to the game. You already know I don’t want folks looking at me Shantell,” Jey said as I looked at him in disbelief.

“Lookin’ at you? What are you talking about?” I questioned as my interest truly peaked at what he was saying.

 “I don’t need folks takin pictures of me, posting online talking bout look at Jey Uso at his son’s game, I wonder how he’s handling not being able to wrestle anymore,” he said very animated as I looked at him in disappointment.

“It wasn’t about you! It was about our son, and all he wanted today was for his dad to be there and you weren’t. What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked, taking the empty beer bottle from him shuffling around the kitchen trying to tidy up before Joe came back with Joshua.

“I’m not me anymore; everything is gone, Shantell!” Jey yelled as I paused at the sink, taking a few deep breaths. “Wrestling was my dream, Shantell; I could do anything! I was somebody, Main Even Jey Uso, now I ain’t nothin', and I ain’t got nothing!” Jey shouted, pacing the kitchen.

I felt slapped by his words as I gripped the counter, slowly turning to him, trying to digest what he had just said to me.

  “What the hell you mean you have nothing? You have a beautiful son and daughter who love you and worship the ground you walk on. They are here! I love you, and I am here, Damnit! Does any of that even matter to you anymore,” I cried as Jey in a panic began walking towards me.

 “I swear I didn’t mean it like that baby, you know ya’ll are my life,” he whispered hugging me. “I know you love wrestling, but I also know there is more to life than wrestling,” I whispered against him trying to understand him but validate my own feelings. 

“I’m just…I don’t know what's wrong wit me," he whispered, kissing my neck, pulling me closer.  Neither one of us heard Joe letting himself in with the kids.

“Everything alright in here?” Joe asked, walking in with Joshua and Morgan as I pulled away from Jey, wiping my tears, hoping Joe didn’t see them.

 “We good, Uce, “Jey said, catching Morgan as she jumped in his arms. “I missed you, baby girl; I’m so happy your daddy brought you,” Jey said, holding her close as she giggled,  “I missed you too!” She exclaimed, trying to hold him tighter; I smiled despite myself.

I missed being in Florida and seeing everyone. Atlanta was great, but I missed home and our family.

Joshua was asleep on Joe’s shoulder. “He’s had his bath, and his football stuff is by the door. “When did he fall asleep?” I asked, trying to calm my nerves as I saw the pissed off look on Joe’s face.

“He fell asleep as soon as we left the hotel,” Joe said, looking at me worriedly as I waved him off from saying anything, letting him know I was okay.  Sighing, he ignored Jey and went upstairs to put Joshua to bed.

“Tee tee can I stay the night?” Morgan asked as I smiled at her. "Maybe another time, baby; we got to get ready to head to New York tomorrow night,” I said, hoping she would understand as she grinned at me. “Otay, we play when you get back,” she said as I kissed her forehead she closed her eyes.

“She’s so beautiful,” Jey whispered, caressing her hair as she fell asleep against him. “Yes, I miss her so much,” I said, trying to memorize every new feature I saw since the last time I saw her.

“Is Jeyla being good for ma and pops,” Jey asked as I smiled. “Jeyla is always a good girl, and you know everyone down in Pensacola is spoiling her rotten,” I said smiling thinking of our beautiful daughter. “I miss my baby,” Jey said pouting a little as did I.

Our daughter Jeyla was two and was a great mixture of Jey and me. I can say these three days without her have been rough as this was her first solo trip down to Florida, staying without us.

 Jey had driven her down to his parents because he had to film a commercial for the WWE, and I had media leading up to the Oscars this upcoming weekend. The next two days were going to be pure chaos for us.

“Ya’ll good down here?” Joe asked, returning downstairs as I got up and hugged him. “Yeah, we’re fine,” I reassured him as he looked to be looking me over. “What, you think I’d hurt my wife or something?” Jey said at Joe like he had grown three heads.

“I didn’t say that, but you ain’t doing her no favors by missing Joshua’s game and all this drinking you have been doing lately,” Joe said, taking Morgan from Jey as he scoffed at him. “Goodnight, princess,” he whispered, kissing Morgan on the cheek before slowly retreating upstairs to his office.

“Are you sure you don’t mind Joshua flying out with ya’ll tomorrow,” I asked as he sighed. “It’s no problem, Shantell, I got him. That’s what family is for,” Joe said as I gave him a small smile, looking towards the stairs, hearing the TV blasting.

“You need to come home to Pensacola so we can help you. You can’t keep doin’ this alone, Shantell,” Joe said as I nodded in understanding, and I knew he was right. “I’m not alone; he’s a great dad, Joe. He’s been supportive of my dreams; it’s just been hard for him some days,” I said, trying to get Joe to understand.

“It’s been hard for you to Shantell; he uprooted ya’ll to Atlanta because he felt the need for a change. He didn’t ask you. Granted, you had awesome opportunities that came your way, but he still should have asked for your input,” Joe said seriously as I rubbed my temples in exhaustion, not saying anything.

“Fine, I will stop nagging you for now; I know you already have enough to stress about going on. Congrats on your nomination. I hadn’t seen you in person to tell you, but I know you gon’ win,” Joe said, changing the subject, smiling at me as I blushed.

“Thank you for the encouragement, but I’m just happy to be even nominated for an Oscar. That alone has had my phone ringing, and I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream,” I whispered truthfully as Joe hugged me.

“This ain’t no dream beautiful, you are amazing, don’t sell yourself short. You earned this moment; you’ve always been there for us when we shined, lifting us up, and now it’s your turn,” he whispered, holding me tight as I cried. “Don’t cry, Shantell, we got Joshua and Jeyla. Just go to New York and have fun,” Joe said, stroking my hair as my crying started to calm down.

“It’s getting late go put my little Mo Mo to bed,” I said, pulling away from his embrace, looking at her little exhausted face, wiping my tears. “I'll leave, but we gon’ talk about this again,” Joe said, giving me a kiss on the cheek and another hug before quietly walking towards his rental.

“I love you, let me know ya’ll got back safe,” I said, waving from the door as he strapped Morgan in her car seat. “Love you too; I’ll text you when we get back to the room,” he said, humoring me. I mean, who would attack his ass? But I wanted to know when my people made it to their destinations. It put my mind and heart at ease.

I quietly shuffled around the house, making sure the doors were locked before heading upstairs to shower. As I passed Jey’s office I peeked in and saw he was watching some of his old matches.

I knew it would be a long night, so I quietly went to get a quick shower before bed. I couldn’t help but think of the night when everything changed, my husband’s light left his eyes, and I left the WWE all in one night.

=========

Two years ago

Madison Square Garden

Talent meeting

Shantell’s POV

“I can’t believe this shit, kill me now,” I whispered as Trin gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s ok, everyone deserves a second chance,” Trin said as I took a deep breath looking at the smirk on Taraji’s face hoping to maintain my composure.

“Taraji has been back with us on the road for a few weeks, but we want to formally welcome her back,” Paul said as Jey caressed my hand, trying to keep me calm.

“Also, I want to congratulate Shantell on her promotion to senior production manager. She has one more month on the road before she goes on maternity leave, so let’s not stress her out,” Paul said as I rolled my eyes, rubbing my stomach.

“Alot of your concerns should go to Tamera; she has been shadowing Shantell; wave your hand, Tamera. Would you like to say or add anything, Shantell?” Paul asked as I took a few seconds to gather myself as Tamera waved her hand as instructed.

“Nah, I’m good it’s the same position with a new name that I’m doing, and everyone knows Tamera. So, I’ll pass; I ain’t entertaining the bullshit today,” I said honestly as I heard snickers from Jimmy and Solo as I winked at them.

 We knew Paul was trying to smooth things over about Taraji being back, and I just didn’t have time for it today. I was grateful for Tamera; she has been shadowing me for the last year and is amazing.

“Well, that’s all I have for today; let’s have a good show ya’ll,” Paul said as Taraji and a few of the guys filed out of the office. “Shantell, I am sorry, Steph wanted her on smackdown,” he said as I waved him off. “I’ll be fine; just let me vent for a minute, and I’ll be good,” I said, giving him a hug before we left.

------

Smackdown Main Event

“Jey Uso has not moved since that powerbomb against the ring apron in front of us,” Cole’s voice said. I felt a chill all over my body as I saw Jey lying unmoving on the floor. “Shantell looks at me, sweetheart,” Paul said, gently removing my headset.

“Tamera, take us on out,” Paul said, leading me away from the monitor. “I have to go to him,” I whispered as Paul shook his head. “No, I need you to breathe, Shantell. I need you to calm down and think about the baby,” he said, rubbing my belly.

 “Someone please call his mom,” I whispered, finally breaking down sobbing as Paul tried to calm me down.

I heard some commotion as I looked up to see Jimmy, Joe, and Solo running towards the curtain. “Keep her back here, no matter what,” Joe said as they took off into the arena.

“Paul that is my husband, ya’ll can’t do this,” I said unwavering as Trin walked up on the phone along with Tamina. “We’re ok, Pops; they are checking on him now. Shantell is here with Paul, and she’s okay,” Trin said as I began to pace.

“It’s going to be ok, sis,” Tamina said, trying to reassure me as I kept my eyes on the curtain. “We love you too, Pops; give Ma our love,” Trin said, hanging up as I continued to pace.

“EMTs are strapping Jey in; he is starting to come around, “Wade said as I ran out into the arena before anyone could stop me.  I was almost to Jey but was stopped by Joe, who stepped in front of me, steading my arms so I wouldn’t fall.

“ I can’t let you see him like this, don’t do this to yourself,” he said, holding me at arm’s length blocking my view. “I have to make sure he is okay,” I cried as I saw Jimmy leaning over, whispering something to Jey as he tried to nod his head but couldn’t. “Fuck!” Jey shouted as Jimmy held his hand. It was bad; I knew it was.

“Sis, you need to calm down and breathe; we don’t need you going into labor,” Solo said, gently rubbing my stomach as I tried to calm down.

“We need to move him and get him to the hospital,” the EMT said as I looked at Joe, pleading with my eyes to be let go as he sighed, finally letting me go.

“Babe, I’m here,” I whispered, taking his hand as he looked at me. “My back is fucked, I’m done, it’s over, baby,” he whispered as I shook my head. “No, it’s not baby. We going to get you to the hospital, and they gon’ take care of you,” I assured him as the EMT looked at me worriedly.

 “We really need to move; he needs to get an MRI done to see what damage has been done,” he said as I moved, allowing them to do their job as Joe held me close, walking in step with me behind the stretcher.

“Where’s Shantell? Where’s my wife?” Jey asked as everything seemed to be moving fast.  “She’s right behind us, big Uce got her,” Jimmy reassured him. “Keep her safe, man; don’t let her worry about me,” Jey said. I could hear the fear in his voice as I winced in pain.

“I saw you wince. Are you ok, Shan?” Joe asked as I took a deep breath. “Yea, just Braxton hicks,” I said, trying not to worry him as he led me slowly towards the ambulance.

Where are you going? The show is still going on; you can’t leave,” Vince said, walking towards us.

“What the fuck you mean? I can’t leave!” I shouted as Joe stepped in front of me.  Jey heard me and tried to lift his head as Jimmy pushed him back down on the stretcher. “You focus on you, Joe, and Solo got Shantell,” Jimmy said, looking back at me, giving me a look of support.

“I’m going with my husband; Tamera can handle the show. I’ve taught her well,” I said, irritated he would even assume I would stay and run the show when my husband has just been seriously injured is he fucking insane.

“No, you need to be here; you can go to the hospital after,” Vince said. You could hear a pin drop as talent had begun to gather as I looked at the EMTs loading Jey in the ambulance. “Mr. Fatu, I got to get an IV going and some other readings; let’s get you hooked up while we wait on your wife,” the EMT said, beginning to work on Jey in the ambulance as the other EMT stood by the door waiting for me.

“Look, I’m going, and you can’t stop me,” I whispered, trying to calm down. “Shantell, I ain’t got time for this; time is money, so get back to work,” Vince said as Paul stepped in front of Vince.

“Shantell, go to him,” Paul whispered as I moved around them. “You know you should have let her go when budget cuts happened; she can’t even help this company and do what we asked of her,”  Vince said as I stopped walking. “Keep walking, Shantell, it ain’t worth it,” Joe whispered as I looked at him.

“Joe, I ain’t gotta take this shit after everything I’ve done for this company,” I said as Joe sighed, rubbing my shoulders as I tried not to lose it. “You know whatever you want to do, we got you. I just don’t want you to do anything you may regret,” Joe said as I wiped my tears of frustration as Paul and Vince continued to talk about me like I wasn’t there.

“It was distasteful what you wanted her to do, and she’s not an on-air camera personality. That’s her right to deny a storyline, it ain’t her job,” Paul said, trying to cool things off as Vince laughed. “When all this is over, she’s got to make a choice. She’s either going to do what we asked or she's fired. It ain’t like her husband’s getting back in the ring anytime soon,” Vince said as I felt my anger boiling.

“Hey! I screamed as everything and everyone around me got quiet. “My husband is in that ambulance, hurt and scared. I ain’t worried about no fucking show or this fucking job. I am going with him, and that’s all I’m going to say about it. So, you can do what you need to do, Vince,” I said firmly as Joe began steering me further towards the ambulance.  

“Shantell! We ain’t done talking!” Vince yelled as I stepped into the ambulance, not caring. “Aye, you heard her.  It’s done; now leave her be,” Solo said as Vince looked at him angrily.

“Who do you think your talking to?" Vince asked, daring Solo to say something. “I’m talking to you,” Solo said, not backing down. “It’s ok, Solo, I got it,” I said, looking at him as he nodded, putting distance between himself and Vince. He knew me well enough to know what was coming next.

 “Mr. McMahon, you ain’t gotta worry about me because I quit,” I said before the EMT closed the door on a ranting Vince.

I maneuvered around, finally able to sit beside Jimmy as Jey reached for my hand, I intertwined our fingers.  “I’m here, baby, I’m right here, and I ain’t going nowhere.  Sorry, it took so long,” I said, caressing his hair as he closed his eyes.

“Babe, you could have waited until after the show to come to the hospital,” Jey whispered as I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Boy is you crazy; I’m right where I want and need to be,” I whispered, seeing the tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m scared; what if it’s over, Shan,” Jey said as shushed him.

 “You’re going to be okay, I promise,” I said as the EMT finished sending his report to the Emergency Room. I felt Jimmy’s hand rubbing my back as I turned to look at him; seeing the tears streaming down his face broke me as I tried to keep my own at bay as I rubbed his knee in comfort with my other hand.  

“We are good to go; they will be ready when we arrive. I don’t want ya’ll to be alarmed. It’s going to be moving very fast when we get there,” he said as Jey closed his eyes as we began our journey to the hospital.

------

I hated to think of that night because it was the night when Jey’s dreams were dashed, and I quit a job I really loved.  As I lay in bed thinking, I heard Jey turning the TV up, and at times, it seemed like he was jumping around in his office.

I wanted to go to him and comfort him but also I wanted to give him space. I was torn, but as soon as his voice started to get louder, I immediately jumped out of bed and hurried down the hall. The closer I got to the door, the more I could hear what he was saying, and his words truly broke my heart.

Jey’s Office

Jey’s POV

“Main Event Jey Uso is in yo' city,” I said into the remote, hyping myself up, to only remember I can’t do what I love anymore.

“Everybody has something to fuckin’ say telling me how I should feel,” I said, pacing the room surrounded by all my accomplishments. “Nobody knows what I went through to get here! Nobody understands any fucking thing,” I slightly raised my voice, stopping in front of my championship title display case. I had done so much, but it didn’t feel like the end.

I wanted to destroy it, but I couldn’t. It meant the world to me. I saw the door open as Shantell peaked her head inside. “Are you ok, baby?” she asked, slowly coming inside and shutting the door. “Yeah, I’m sorry if I woke you up; I just was reminiscing,” I whispered as she leaned against the door.

My Shantel, always right there trying to break through my walls, always so giving, and I just keep fucking takin’. Sighing, I dropped my head in shame. I had to get my shit together; I didn’t want to lose my family. I needed to talk to her about what was on my mind.

“Jey, you gotta talk about it; this isn’t good for you or us,” Shantell said, slowly coming towards me as I sighed, knowing she was right. “Everything was just taken from me, and it ain’t right,” I said, trying to disguise the evident pain in my voice. I was finally being honest with myself about what I was angry about.

“I know, baby, and I’m so sorry,” she whispered, caressing my face with her hands as a burden released from within me. I had put down the façade; I wasn’t ok. I finally allowed myself to feel my loss instead of letting it consume me.

Two years of frustration seemed to pour out of me in a strangled cry of anger as Shantell pulled me instantly into a hug, I held on to her like she would disappear as we held each other, and I finally allowed myself to feel.

Shantell’s POV

I knew it weighed heavy on him, and if I could take that burden, I would. I continued to comfort him, and I felt him becoming less tense. "Talk to me, tell me what you thinking?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know but afraid of the answer, especially after his last back surgery last year.

 “I took a few bumps with Jimmy a couple of days ago when I took Jeyla to Ma and Pop’s,” Jey said as I tried to remain calm and not freak out as he told me. Shantell remain neutral; he may shut down on you if you act a fool.

 “Uh, Ok, so how did you feel?” I asked as he pulled away slightly to look at me. “I felt brand new, no pain or nothing,” he said gently tracing his fingertips across my back as I stroked his hair, taking a deep breath as he smiled at me.

Damn it, he’s playing hardball with that innocent smile; I can’t even be mad about what he did. “I don’t want you to get hurt, the doctor said,” I started, but he cut me off. “Look at me. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been and feel great,” he said, gently kissing me as I sighed.

“I need to finish what I started, Shantell. I want to go out on my own terms, I didn’t get to do that; a doctor made that decision for me,” Jey said, looking at me with determination in his eyes.

“Josh, they are going to announce you for the Hall of Fame next week. You ain’t got nothing more to prove baby,” I pleaded as he wiped my now-flowing tears.

 “I got something to prove to me, baby,” he whispered, his eyes full of unfallen tears.  I looked at my husband, who had always been my pillar of strength, now seemed so broken, and it broke my heart.

 “I don’t want to be in no Hall of Fame right now; that’s for people who are done with this business, and I ain’t done yet,” he said, caressing my hand as I gently smiled at him.

“So, what do you want to do?” I asked, needing to know how far he wanted to go. “I want to see if anything has changed with my back, and would it be safe for me to wrestle again,” he said, watching me intently as I nodded, trying to digest what he was saying as I bit my lip nervously.

“If you don’t want me to do it, I won’t cause I need you to be wit me on this. I can’t do it without you,” Jey said, kissing my hand. I saw hope in his eyes, a brightness I hadn’t seen in awhile and I couldn’t take it from him.

 “I will always support you; I just don’t know what I would do if something happened to you,” I said as he frowned. “Ain’t nothing gon’ happen to me; if it’s not safe, I won’t do it. I love wrestling, but ya’ll are my life, and I would never do nothing that could take me away from ya’ll,” he said firmly.

 “I need to know from Dr. Andrews that you’re ok. I need to know that for my own piece of mind. If he says it’s okay, I’m in,” I said as he eagerly nodded, taking me in another kiss. “It’s going to work out great; I’m sure of it,” he said against my lips as I relaxed in his arms.

“Also, no more heavy drinking or acting like an ass. We talk about our problems, not drink them away,” I said, pointing to the beer bottles on his desk.” I got you, no more; it’s done,” he promised, taking me into his arms. No more words were spoken as we both enjoyed the moment of just being us again.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Next Day

Stockbridge Primary School

Stockbridge, Ga

Mommy is daddy, ok?” Joshua asked as I unbuckled him from his car seat. “Yeah, Daddy just wasn’t feeling well last night, baby,” I said, trying not to worry him.

“I need you to have a good day and not worry about it, sweetie,” I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Will Jeyla be home when I get out of school,” Joshua asked “No, you’re flying back with Uncle Joe this afternoon, so you will see her at Nana and Papa’s this evening,” I said, smiling at him “I love you, mommy,” his tiny voice said as I smiled sadly at him.

“I love you more,” I said, giving him a hug. “Have a good day, Mommy,” he whispered hugging me tight. “I will baby, don’t worry about me,” I reassured him as he began to walk into the school.

“Incoming call from Trin,” my car radio sang as I accepted the call.

“What is going on, my beautiful sister,” Trin said as I laughed at the bubbliness in her voice.

“Hey, sis, I just dropped off Joshua at school,” I said as I could hear Jimmy in the background trying to pack, asking her where his wrestling tights were. “Joe called last night, and I was checking in on ya’ll,” she said as I took a deep breath. “We’re okay; we talked last night, and he just had a lot on his mind,” I said.

“Hell, so do you; I mean, do I need to come kick his ass,” Jimmy said as I shook my head, pulling into our gated community. That was one of the things I loved about this little area; we lived down the road from Joshua’s school, so I could get there in hardly no time if need be.

“You heard me, sis, Are ya’ll ok? Do I need to come down there?” Jimmy asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“No, we’re ok and also, I heard about the ring outing you both did a couple of days ago,” I said as he coughed. “Uh, look, I tried to stop him,” Jimmy started as I cut him off.

“I know you didn’t stop him because it’s just as much your dream for him to wrestle again as it is his,” I said as he got quiet.

“I’m sorry, sis, he was talking about what he wanted, and I just couldn’t tell him no,” Jimmy said as I released the breath I was holding. “I know, I couldn’t either. He’s setting up a meeting with WWE, and Dr. Andrews is flying in to talk, and they will do more tests. I told him I needed to know he was okay before we even thought about doing this,” I said, pulling in beside Joe’s rental.

“We hope it goes well and Jey gets the answers he’s looking for, Trin said as I exited the car. “Trin, I got to finish packing; I’ll let ya’ll talk. I’ll text you later, Shan,” Jimmy said as I heard him shuffling around the room again. “Be safe out there, Brother!” I shouted as he laughed, “Yes, mama, I will,” he said smartly as I rolled my eyes.

“Sorry our conversation ended up being more of me talking to Jimmy than you, sis,” I said as Trin laughed. “Girl, I talk to you all the time; I guess this time I can share you with him,” she said jokingly before we said our goodbyes as I walked inside. The laughter coming from the kitchen overjoyed my heart as I saw Jey and Joe seasoning the meat to go on the grill, apparently.

“Oh! I like this now, I ain’t gotta cook lunch,” I said, lightening the mood as they both laughed.

“Hey, we still need the sides,” Jey said as I rolled my eyes. “Damn, I thought I was in the clear,” I said jokingly as I saw Morgan lying down on the couch looking at the TV. Jey and Joe had obviously talked while I had been gone; I didn’t want to pry as his mood seemed better.

I left them to it as I went to spend a little time with Morgan. The next few days were gonna be chaotic and busy.

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Sunday

Pensacola, FL

Fatu Family Home

Trin’s POV

“Ok! Everybody be quiet; I’m trying to hear this,” I  said as everyone was getting anxious. “I hate these shows,” Jimmy said as I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, it’s almost over,” Sofia said, curling up against Solo as he kissed her forehead. “I think Shantell has it in the bag,” Tangela said, trying to burp Joseph as he whined against her shoulder.

“Aye, gon’ burp for ya mama lil man,” Joe said, smiling as Joesph finally let out a healthy burp and passed gas. “Eww,” Cameron laughed as Joe ruffled his hair. “Hey, cut him slack, Cam; you used to do the same thing all over us,” Joe said, laughing as Cameron shook his head.

“No, I didn’t, Uncle Ooah,” Cameron said, frowning. “Yes, you did, son, sometimes with a little vomit mixed in,” Solo said, laughing at the grossed-out look on his son’s face.

“Did Mama win yet?” Joshua asked, coming out of the kitchen with Morgan, who jumped in Joe’s lap.” Not yet, but it’s coming, buddy,” Joe said as Morgan grabbed his face. “She has to win! Tee tee is the best ever, Daddy!” Morgan exclaimed as Joe laughed at her enthusiasm.

 “I think she will win, baby,” Joe reassured her as we waited anxiously as the camera began panning to the nominees.

“Don’t they look good ya’ll,” Tanya said, holding Jeyla, who had fallen asleep in her lap. “They look amazing; never in a million years did I ever think I’d see my son sitting in the front row at the damn Oscars,” Sandra smiling at the TV as the camera zoomed in on Shantell and Jey in the front row as Jey kissed Shantell’s hand.

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Oscars

Arena NYC

Shantell’s POV

“I’m so nervous, I mean, are we really here,” I said to Jey as he smiled at me. “You are here, and you deserve to be here; never forget that,” Jey said, leaning over and stealing a kiss.

And the winner for best director in a motion picture is…Shantell Fatu! For Time Waits For No One, Idris Elba said as I closed my eyes in disbelief as I felt Jey gently taking me by my hands, lifting me out of my chair.

"You did it babe” Jey whispered as I kissed him passionately. “ I love you," I said as he held me tight. “I love you more,” he whispered in my ear.

“This is Shantell’s first nomination and the first win,” I heard the announcer say as Jey assisted me up to the podium before walking back down. After hugging Idris, I was finally handed my Oscar. I looked it over in disbelief, trying to process what was happening.

“Thank you all so much,” I whispered into the microphone, trying not to cry as I saw the crowd standing on their feet, clapping as I locked eyes with Jey as he placed his hand over his heart.

“Can you believe this,” I whimpered into the microphone, looking at him as he nodded at me. “Hell yeah, I can cause you amazing baby!” He yelled as I shook my head at him, finally letting the tears flow.

“This is so surreal right now,” I said, looking around the room as the audience began to calm their applause and take their seats. “I would like to thank God, for without him, none of this is possible, and I would like to thank my mom. She’s always been my number one fan and always pushing me to be the best version of me,” I said as the crowd applauded.

“I made a decision a little over two years ago that has brought me to this moment, and I just have to say to my family watching at home, I love ya’ll so much, and thank you for always having my back. To my husband, I know you don’t like all the attention on you, but I have to tell you how much I love you, Joshua. I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” I said, smiling at him as he kissed me. “I’m so proud of you!” he shouted as I wiped my tears.  

“You said a few minutes ago that I did it, but baby, we did this,” I said, holding my award high in the air and pointing at him. The crowd applauded as he smiled brightly at me. “To my babies Joshua and Jeyla, mama loves ya’ll so much, and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” I said, blowing them a kiss into the camera.

“Before ya’ll start the music and push off the stage, let me just leave you with this. Remember, dreams are a starting point; the first no or disappointment doesn’t mean it’s the end. Keep pushing and hold on to your dreams. Thank you all and goodnight,” I said, waving at the crowd before walking backstage.

----

Fatu Family Home

Trin’s POV

“Mommy said my name!” Joshua said, jumping in Jimmy’s arms as he laughed, hugging Joshua tight. “She sure did, my Lil Uce,” he said as I smiled, looking at them both so happy. I knew he would be a great dad someday, and I couldn’t wait. Moments like this made me want to retire and have this man’s babies.

“You ok sweetie,” Sandra asked, grabbing my hand as I smiled at her. “Yeah, Mom, I’m fine,” I reassured her as I saw the apprehension in her eyes. “Ok, kids, time for bed,” Tanya said as Cameron groaned. “Do we have to?” Morgan whined as Joe scooped her up in his arms.

“Yes, it’s past your bedtime,” he said, tickling her as her loud giggles squeezed my heart. “Ok, Daddy,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her upstairs, with Cameron and Joshua following close behind them.

“I don’t see how you do it,” Solo said, helping his mom clear off the dining room table. “Son, I took care of you and your brothers. I can handle a little sleepover,” Sandra said, laughing as Tanya bumped her fist. “We live for this type of stuff to spoil them all,” Tanya said as Sofia smiled at them.

“We appreciate you both for it; I think I can vouch for Tange and Shan when I say them kid breaks be hittin’,” Sofia said as Tangela laughed. We continued to enjoy the rest of the show joking with each other. All that was missing was Jey and Shantell.  

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Two Days Later

WWE Headquarters

Jey’s POV

“Dr. Andrews, thanks for coming all this way on such short notice,” Paul said as he sat with WWE’s personal surgeon Johnathon. “It was my pleasure, and thanks for setting me up in a hotel,” Dr. Andrews said as I gripped Shantell’s hand tighter as she looked at me with a comforting smile.

We had spent practically all day at the hospital doing more tests, and it was time for the verdict.

“So, what do you think doc” I asked finally finding my voice as I felt Shantell caressing my hand.

“I know we have put you through the wringer today, and I must be honest with you; everything looks good. Your back looks amazing,” Dr. Andrews said as I heard a tiny, exhausted sob escape Shantell’s mouth as I pulled her close, kissing her temple as she laid her head on my shoulder.

 “Are you sure?” I asked, afraid he was about to dash my hopes. I was afraid I would wake up from this dream any minute.

“I agree with Dr. Andrews, the surgery worked, and your back looks great. Now, that doesn’t mean steam forward with a full schedule or start doing crazy dangerous things. It means work smart, not hard,” Johnathon said as Paul smiled at me.

“So, I can wrestle again?” I asked, looking at them with anticipation. “Yes, Mr. Fatu, we think you can move forward with a return,” Johnathon said. I felt free. “I told you it would be ok, baby,” I whispered to Shantell as she smiled.

“You sure did, baby, you sure did,” she said as I took her face in my hands, kissing her with everything within me as I heard Paul clearing his throat, smiling at us. “Sorry, boss,” I laughed as Shantell blushed.

“It's going to be good having you back in action, Jey,” Paul said, extending his hand as I shook It eagerly.

“Thank you so much, Paul; I won’t let you down,” I said as he pulled me into a hug. “Welcome back to the action, Uce,” he said as I nodded too overcome with emotion to speak.

Shantell’s POV

“Thank you, God,” I whispered, looking at Jey and Paul hugging as Dr. Andrews gave me a hug. “He will be fine; just be there for him like you always are,” Dr. Andrews whispered as I tried to let everything sink in as I saw Jey on the phone with Jimmy. “Bro, I’m back!” Jey exclaimed as I heard Jimmy screaming through the phone.

“So, do I get a hug, Mrs. Oscar winner?” Paul asked smartly as I rolled my eyes but practically ran into his arms. “Thank you so much,” I cried as he held me close. “It’s no problem; we are glad to have him back,” he said, looking over at Jey, who looked like a little kid smiling while talking to Jimmy on the phone.

“I need to apologize for how everything went down Shantell,” Paul said as I shook my head at him. “It’s water under the bridge Paul, I know it wasn’t you and I’m not mad,” I said honestly as he smiled sadly at me.

“I should have put my foot down with Vince and fought to keep you on,” he said as I smiled at him. “Nah, everything happened how It was supposed to, Paul and I’m good with it,” I said, trying to get him to understand.

“Maybe one day I can get you back here where you belong. I guess for now, I will settle for watching you do awesome things,” he said as I laughed.

 “Well, stranger things have happened, so never say never,” I said, patting him on the shoulder before going to sit beside Jey, putting my head on his shoulder.

“So, are you ready for all this?” I asked as he kissed the top of my head, intertwining our fingers. “I’ve never been more ready, baby,” he said, rubbing my shoulders.  It was really happening Main Even Jey Uso was back in the game.

---------

Pensacola FL.

Jey & Shantell’s House

Shantell’s POV

“I’m glad we decided not to sell the house,” I said, walking around the downstairs foyer, longing to return here again to live.

“About that, I wanted to ask you something,” Jey said as I turned, giving him my undivided attention. “How would you feel if we moved back?" He asked as I screamed and jumped in his arms as he laughed.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered against my ear. “It’s a hell yes!” I cried as he gently kissed my neck, holding me close. “Daddy, are we staying?” Joshua asked, coming out from his old playroom holding Jeyla’s hand.

“Yea, buddy, we are,” Jey said as Joshua hugged and kissed Jeyla in excitement as she began whining. “We moving back, Jeyla!” Joshua said, taking off and running upstairs to his old room.

“Come on, lil mama,” Jey said as Jeyla ran as fast as her little feet could carry her as he scooped her up in his arms. “Lord, she has you wrapped around her little finger,” I said, smiling at her, hugging him tight.

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204,000 likes

Uceyjucey Home is where the heart is. Pensacola, the Fatu’s are back!

View all 1,000 comments.

Trinity_fatu Thank God, I was missing my girl and my babies.

romanreigns Yes! All is right with the world! Now, why is my little mama crying?

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One Month Later

Pensacola Fl,

Ring Rust

“I can’t believe they sent a ring,” I muttered, looking around at the building and ring they had purchased so Jey could get back in ring form far away from prying eyes. We had moved back to Florida but kept the house in Atlanta. It would make for a good vacation spot. Jey has been happy but also incredibly nervous, and it was showing in his ring work.

“Why you bumpin’ scared?” Joe asked Jey as he sat in the corner, nursing his water.  “I got to get back in the groove, is all,” Jey said as Jimmy rubbed his shoulder in support. “We got two months until the Rumble; I think you will be ready,” Solo said, shooting him an encouraging smile.

“Daddy is a little scared, Jeyla,” I said as she smiled at me. “Go, Daddy!” she exclaimed, pointing at him as he smiled in her direction. “You heard what the little lady of this family told you,” I said, smiling at him as it seemed to boost his confidence.

“You ready to again?” Jimmy asked as Jey began running the ropes faster and took a beautiful bump, then nipped back up. “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” Joe said proudly. “It’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget that shit,” Jimmy said, smiling at Jey as I felt a sense of pride knowing they were going to work very hard to make sure Jey was ready.

I saw Joe get out of the ring and head towards me, reaching for Jeyla, who, with a smile, reached for her uncle as he put a towel on his shoulder so he wouldn’t get sweat on her. "So, how is he doing?" I asked as he smiled at me. "He’s doing good; we just got to stop him from hesitating,” Joe said, playing with Jeyla. “I think he’s a little scared about his back,” I said honestly, looking at him and Solo chain wrestling on the mat.

“Do you ever miss it, Joe?” I asked as he looked back in the ring. “Sometimes I do, but I would miss Tangela, Morgan, and Joseph more,” he said as I smiled at him. “I retired because I wanted to be home and not travel so much. I mean Tangela’s business is booming and I’m just enjoying the fruits of my years of labor. So, I’m good baby mama,” he said as I laughed.

“Damn, I thought that nickname wasn’t gonna hold up,” I said, laughing at him.

 “Hey, I told you before you had Joshua; that was your new nickname. I meant that,” he said, kissing Jeyla on the cheek before giving her back to me. I turned after hearing the door alarm go off as Sandra and my mom entered.

“Hey, Thelma and Louise,” I said, laughing at them as they rolled their eyes at me. “Don’t talk about us; all ya’ll girl gon’ be the same way,” my mom said, laughing as I smiled at the thought.

 “We came to get Jeyla; we knew today was going to be hard on Josh,” Sandra said, looking at her son in the ring, trying to regain his confidence. “Ya’ll don’t have to, mama,” I said as she shushed me. “Ya’ll are home now, and you have help. Use it because you ain't got to do it alone, Shantell,” my mom said, taking Jeyla, who was struggling to keep her eyes open.

“See, my baby is sleepy,” Sandra said, pointing at Jeyla as I nodded in agreement. “We are taking her with us to get Joshua also; we’re going for pizza, then back to my house to watch a movie,” my mom said, leaving no room for discussion.

“Thank you both, it means a lot” I said, knowing it was just better to just let them do their thing. “Sweet dreams, sweetie,” I whispered, giving Jeyla a goodbye kiss as they snuck out before Jey saw them.

The guys continued to work with Jey for two more hours as I watched his confidence grow, and he performed his move set a little better. These next few months were going to fly by quickly, and I was finally getting excited about the Royal Rumble.

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Royal Rumble 2028

Madison Square Garden

Shantell’s POV

“I love you, and please be safe,” I whispered as Jey embraced Jeyla and me. “I promise, and I love ya’ll he said, giving me a chaste kiss before kissing Jeyla on the cheek. I could see his nervousness as he approached the curtain and began pacing.

 I stayed by the monitors outside Gorilla, wanting to avoid watching with the crowd gathered at the other monitors and TVs in Gorilla.  I wish I could see Joshua’s face when he sees Jey come out. Trin and Tangela were out in the crowd with him, enjoying the show.

“Who will be number thirty!” Cole screamed as the crowd began to count down. “10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!” beep 

UUUUSSSSOOOO!!

Aye, aye Main event Jey Uso is now in your city! Yah hoo!

“It can’t be! Is it! OMG it’s Jey Uso!” Micheal Cole screamed as I saw Jey bouncing out into the arena amped up and overcome with emotion as he stopped to take in the crowd.

It's just me Uce (Okay) Day one ish It's just me Uce Day one ish It's just me Uce (Okay)

“Mama, no cry,” Jeyla said as I cried softly, trying not to draw attention to myself as I watched Jey walk slowly down the aisle.  “Mama it otay,” Jeyla said, trying to wipe my tears as I smiled at her.

“Look at Daddy, sweetie,” I said, pointing at the screen as she pointed and cheered, “Yay, Daddy!” She yelled as I held her close.

Jey’s POV

“Holy Shit, I’m here; this is really happening,” I muttered, looking around at the sea of people. I felt like my heart was about to explode as I locked eyes with Jimmy in the ring; he was smiling at me, trying to contain his excitement.

I see the fans cheering, but I can’t hear it. It was almost like everything was happening in slow motion as I spotted Joshua in the crowd, with Trin jumping up and down in shock as I winked at him. “I got this, I can do this. I was born to do this,” I whispered, finally sliding into the ring.

Shantell’s POV

“Jey Uso just speared the Miz,” Cole shouted as I smiled through my tears. “Miz has been eliminated, and now we are down to Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, and Jey Uso!” Wade said as Seth and Jey double-teamed Brock.

“He looks amazing,” Joe said, sitting beside me as I wiped my tears. “Yes, he does, almost like he never left,” I said, looking at him doing his thing in the ring. “ Seth Rollins has been eliminated! Jey Uso is so close to making history,” Michael Cole said as Jey and Brock began to circle each other in the ring as the crowd began clapping in anticipation of what would happen next.

“Fuck, that was stiff,” Solo said, walking over to us, looking at the monitor as I cringed at the suplex Brock had just given Jey. “I swear if he’s careless and hurts him, I will kill him,” I said honestly, watching Suplex Jey again.  

“Calm down, he’s good, look at him,” Solo said, pointing to Jey delivering a superkick to Brock Lesnar. “Down goes Lesnar!” Cole shouted as Jey walked around the ring, amping the crowd up.

 Jey bounced off the ropes, jumping into the waiting arms of Brock Lesnar, who threw him viciously over the top rope. “Brock Lesnar is going to WrestleMania!” Wade yelled as the fireworks started going off as they panned to Jey smiling on the floor, just enjoying the moment.

“Brock Lesnar is going to WrestleMania, but the bigger story here is Main Event Jey Uso is back! Two years ago, he suffered a career-ending back injury in this same building, but tonight It’s redemption for Jey Uso.  Jey Uso is back and better than ever,” Cole said as I cried softly, trying to get myself together as Joe rubbed my knee.

“He’s ok, Shantell,” Joe said, reassuring me as I nodded, wiping my tears as I stood up, watching Jey grab Joshua from the crowd as they walked back up the aisle as Brock was still celebrating.

 Applause rang out as Jey and Joshua came through the curtain. Jey immediately dropped to one knee and began praying. “Go to him, Shan,” Joe said as I shook my head no, “I want him to see everyone else first. I know they are going to shove the camera in his face,” I said as Joe pushed me forward and took Jeyla, who had fallen asleep in my arms.

“He needs you, not their praise; they can wait,” Joe said as I walked closer to the crowd that had formed around him welcoming him back. I saw Jey looking around as his eyes finally found me, and he smiled.

He began pushing through the crowd with Joshua as I ran to meet them, and he engulfed me in a huge hug. “I’m so proud of you,” I whispered as he held me tight. We did it, Shan, we did it,” Jey whispered as I held him tighter.  “How do you feel?” I asked as he smiled at me, contemplating my question.

“I missed this chaos, and I’m ready. Are you ready for this?” he asked softly as I laughed into his shoulder. “I’m ready for anything as long as we’re together,” I reassured him. Tonight, Jey was restarting his journey, and I knew we could do it together even though it wouldn’t be easy.

What was next for me, I didn’t know; maybe I would come back and put Paul out of his misery.  One thing I knew for sure was Main Even Jey Uso was back, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us as we travel through this thing called life.

The End

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