#wish granted tomas

[rascalentertainments]

Wish Granted AU: Sakina and Tomás 👗🖋

Now this is one bio I've been wanting to get to for a long time, Asha's parents! Sabino's will come of course, but for now I finally can talk about these two. And more about Tomás is revealed in the story itself when Asha reads his journal. There will even be a bonus story showing what actually happened to Tomás leading to his death. Since there usually isn't a whole lot on either of them in certain rewrites (for various reasons) Its a good opportunity to give it a try and write info about them in my AU.

So lets start with Tomás. His design is this particular concept art above. And I'm just gonna come out say it, he's kind of handsome. The fact we don't even see his face in the actual movie is atrocious... I'll of course draw him in my style later, but at least he can be featured in some WG art now.

• Tomás was born in Spain, but both of his parents were Jewish.(keeping inline with canon this time. I only found this out from reading the book) They immigrated to Rosas when he was a child.

• He became a philosopher at 25 and has read the works Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They inspired him to reevaluate life and the existence of the universe. He's more of a softspoken man, and his personality is based on Pacha from Emperor's New Groove.

• He met Sakina in Rosas after she made an off hand about looking at the stars all time seemed to be a waste of time. The two eventually fell in love.

• Sabino didn't quite understand what is son was seeing in the stars, but as he grew older, he at least appreciated and listen to him explain his theories.

• Since most philosophers attempt to explain human existence and theorize their behavior, Tomás wanted to try something different. So he began to look at the stars for guidance. Even though they were only described as hot balls of gas, he thought they could be more.

• Given that people use the stars to navigate the world, connect them to create constellations and even foretell a person's future, he started to ponder if there was a connection to stars and humans.

• He theorized that since the stars were as numerous as the people on Earth and varied in size, shape, color and glow, they had to be created to be as unique as humans. Therefore, they had the power to change the things around them, just as humans do. He's even credited the stars for giving him the strength and inspiration for his studies.

• Tomás later began some tests to ask something from the stars to see if he would get something in return. While he had no vocal answer, he could see certain things come fruition. Like the birth of his daughter, Asha.

• He gifted her an empty journal and a hand made pencil as his final gift to her, when he was closer to his passing. He wanted her to keep going for her passion to draw.

• He was the closest thing to a friend Magnifico had, as he shared a sort of fascination with the stars.

• He kept a journal of every new discovery he made about the stars and the result of asking upon one. Since Magnifico came up with the idea of wishes becoming physical, Tomás wondered if there wasn't a physical requirement to get them granted. He also felt a but stronger and optimistic in their presence.

•The man shared this information with Magnifico and Amaya in hopes of helping make the kingdom more prosperous and help the citizens as well.

• Tomás hear rumors of a Hamlet from a certain citizen, and that some people don't trust the royals and secretly created a haven to hide their wishes from them. This is when he started to get suspicious of the king and queen and attempted to get his wish back. Unfortunately, he wasn't more cautious of Sabor lurking around...

•Tomás died in his late 30's by an unknown illness. It wasn't natural causes.

And now for Sakina! (her WG design will come later, so take this concept art for now) It didn't sit well with me that Asha's family was barely in the film and had no impact in the story. Sabino was already robbed of his song, but her mother was barely memorable. Considering they were both used as hostages by Magnifico originally, clearly they had more of a role before. So for Wish Granted, I wanted to at least flesh her out as well as Tomás.

• Sakina was born in Rosas, but both her parents were African. (Once again, keeping in line with canon)

• Her wish is to become the best seamstress and create clothing so beautiful that even royalty would want to wear it. This is actually canon as well according to the art book, but her wish wasn't technically seen in the film. It actually went to some other background character.

• When Tomás fell ill, she went go to the king and queen for their help. Sakina hoped they could use their magic to heal him. Magnifico told her he'd find a cure for him through one of Amaya's spells. She didn't find out until later that they never made a cure.

• She did have plans for having the Rosas citizens have better attire (they're outfits looked a bit bland, and almost like they weren't meant to stand out at all) So she asked Asha to design an example outfit that would bring a bit more culture and style. (the pic below shows what she originally wanted to dress herself in)

• Sakina did become a bit bitter and resentful after her family and life was affected by the royals. Sabino convinced her not to lose herself for the sake of Asha.

• While she and Sabino sometimes argue, it's usually over something small, or not wanting the old man to get into trouble with the other residents. That or he might hurt himself exploring the forest. (Asha seems to enjoy going with him, though)

• Since her original wish was taken, Sakina settled on making clothes for the people of the Hamlet. She also made blankets, sweaters, quilts and much more with the help of three older women. Although the two of them can never agree on some of the clothes being blue or pink.

• Sakina also created Valentino's little sweater!

• She taught Asha and a few other residents how to sow as well. This is the closest she's gotten to her wish, so there's some comfort in that. Now the animals want to help make some outfits after they were given the ability to talk. She doesn't know how to feel about that...😅

• While she's not arrogant, she does have some sass to her, which is where Asha got it from. 😂 Her personality is based off of Chicha from Emperor's New Groove.

• She doesn't pressure Asha to date, but much like Sabino she does want to her find someone special like how she had Tomás. Both Sakina and Sabino hoped that she was interested in Flazino, but nothing happened. She does see him as family though.

• One fact has to be hidden until the end of the story. The only hint I can give is that she's always wanted a son.

And that wraps another bio up! I haven't really seen many of these for her parents in other rewrites, so I wanted to flesh them out some more here! I know Tomás is gone here, but his death is really important here for later chapters. As well as another bonus story showing what caused his death. I just wanted to make sure that they feel like characters and not just extras.

I'll make some more new/updated bios later, but for now, I hope you liked this! Now I'm going to start working on the next chapter and continue making the teaser poster!

@your-ne1ghbor @tumblingdownthefoxden @chillwildwave @jojo-ker06 @snackara @oh-shtars @natsuki208 @spectator-zee @starss-artss @thesafireartist @ishadow246 @pinkninja0708

[dani-luminae]

#disney wish #wish 2023 #ooh I like this! #possible idea: maybe that's why valentino got such a deep voice #tomás wanted her to be able to hear something similar to his voice again

@wish-incorrect-quotes stop making me cry on my own post!!!!!!!!

Okay so I know in concepts that Star was supposed to represent Sabino. But since Sabino's still alive in the final version of the movie, I thought of something else: what if Star is Tomas, Asha's father, who came back to help her when she needed him the most?

[zg0nuwa]

colors ; lin kuei trio

you guys are not going to like me after this one

cw ; angst, hurt&no comfort, character death, unrequited love, this is a song fic (personally i’m not the biggest fan but damn does this work so well with these three), might be a little ooc, i would like to sincerely apologize to tomas enjoyers, NOT PROOFREAD!!!

bi han

“ You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece ”

you knew him from the start, you were there when his father presented him the title of the future grandmaster as he was the firstborn of the family, you were there when he screamed and yelled how it’s not fair that his brothers don’t have to endure the same training as him.

you were there when his mother, the only figure in his life he could consider a parental one, died and you were there when he finally got granted the title of the grandmaster of lin kuei.

you were always there, no matter his failures, small mistakes and fits of rage as something didn’t go the way he wanted. no matter how ragged he seemed to be you saw the same little boy that strived to make everyone proud, strived for perfection.

“ And now you're tearing through the pages and the ink ”

who would’ve thought that the same boy you so admired for his commitment, for his determination would be the cause of your downfall. of course you loved him, how could you not? he tore through your thoughts like spilled ink through paper.

day and night, dawn and noon, sunrise and sunset it was about showing your worth to him. and of course it didn’t matter. he was so oblivious, so engrossed in his goals and ideas that he didn’t even consider spending his time on foolish matters like love.

he believed a person in love is a fool, an idiot, a naive moron that believed anything the loved one said. and he was right.

“ Everything is blue; his pills, his hands, his jeans ”

after the betrayal you tried so hard to rid yourself of the color of his vest. the blueness spilling everywhere from your walls, your clothes, the sky outside your window during exhausting days and sleepless nights. it was like a ghost was following you, eyes playing tricks and your brain showing the so dreaded color in the corner of your eye.

so when he actually arrived at the doors of shirai ryu you didn’t believe it. it was like a fever dream, they way his eyes gazed at you with pure hatred and resentment. you stared hoping to see something deep in there, like a confession, that he wished he didn’t have to do it, that he did it because he cared about you, that he loved you.

but there was nothing there, just the endless pit of rage.

“ And now I'm covered in the colors, pulled apart at the seams ”

you knew you wouldn’t stand a chance, not because you were not a warrior, you were, a great one even but even Achilles had a weak spot right? the only difference was that while Achilles had his heel you were standing face to face with your weakness. and he knew how to use this advantage.

“ you were supposed to be on my side. what a disappointment you are. ”

the hunting blue about to drown you, his clothes, the dark sky, the ice forming around his forearms, the color that now represents the clan which brought so much destruction to your home, the same color you once could even said you loved to death, just because it belonged to him.

“ And it's blue… ”

he stood above you with the bloody ice spear in his hands, directed perfectly at your beating heart. the heart that beat of him, at the pace he played. and of course he struck right where he wanted. he just couldn’t be more perfect, right?

tomas

he thought he lost everything he could, two families torn apart and he couldn’t comprehend what sins he must’ve committed to deserve such thing. but even with that he never lost hope, he didn’t care how childish it sounded. he still had kuai liang, he still had you.

“ Everything is grey “

you know what they say right? how everything has its end? good or bad, things will always end one way or another. and tomas knew, but oh how he wished things never ended. not now that you finally setteled in together at the shirai ryu he thought things will finally go the right way for him.

not everything was picture perfect, he still felt the immense guilt for “separating” the brothers and dragging you just by affiliation into this mess. sleepless nights spent with silent tears while you slept peacefully. harsh trainings and to top it off clumsiness from lack of sleep.

bruises and cuts becoming a normalcy for him. and so did become this far away, clouded look on his face.

“ His hair, his smoke, his dreams ”

you tried everything to get him out of that state, but if there’s one thing he shares with both bi han and kuai liang it’s the god damn stubbornness. you loved each other dearly, theres no denying that but the wall he created between you was becoming too much. for both sides.

the last time you confronted him about all the nights you spent alone or the times he ignored you during the day it ended in a screaming match. even if for him it was like a nightmare come true he couldn’t help but think he deserved you walking out on him with a loud and heart-wrenching scream.

“ i’m tired tomas, i cannot take this anymore! ”

oh how he wished it had never come to this.

“ And now he's so devoid of color ”

and now as he holds your body close to his chest, both your faces covered in blood, he understood that if there was someone to be deserving or undeserving of something, it’s you. you deserved better than him, better than what he had put you through, and you certainly didn’t deserve for your life to end this way.

“ i’m sorry, i’m so so sorry, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. ”

he didn’t know what hurt more. the sight of your face slowly losing color, eyes slowly losing life, and the hold on his cheek becoming less and less firm or the fact that after all this, you still forgave him. it felt like someone had just shot him in the face, right between his eyes…

…and the scar stayed, for a long time. just like the shades of gray in his eyes and heart after losing the only source of color in his life.

“ He don't know what it means ”

the hope was all lost now.

kuai liang

“ You were red and you liked me 'cause I was blue ”

‘childhood sweethearts’ was what a lot of people described you two as. friends from day one, that’s what comes with being a child of the grandmasters closest friend. you did everything together, all of your firsts were with the other one present.

“ But you touched me and suddenly I was a lilac sky ”

a sweet reality, truly. your best friend being your actually first ever friend, being your first handhold, your first kiss, even your first time. but isn’t it somewhat normal? teenagers exploring their possibilities, their sexuality, their bodies. it all seems harmless until feelings come in the way. they started after the kiss and only got worse.

it would be normal to consider that he liked you too, right? so when he asked you to meet up in your secret spot because he had something important to tell you? oh boy you were losing your absolute mind.

choosing your best clothes, doing your hair, you obviously wanted to be your best in that moment. waiting in the spot was becoming an agonizing activity, you came over half an hour earlier then you were supposed to because of excitement.

“ And you decided purple just wasn't for you ”

it was supposed to be the best day ever for you until you saw him leading a girl you recognized. harumi, of course you knew who she was. you were always jealous of her, her stupid perfect face, her stupidly beautiful hair, her stupid smile. and yet here she was, standing in a place you wanted so badly to occupy.

and kuai liang stood proudly in front of you, a smile on his face, his chin held high in pride. he looked happy, maybe even happier then he ever been. happier than he has ever been when with you.

“ i wanted you to be the first one to know, harumi is my girlfriend ”

because best friends since childhood always share their firsts. and it’s so sweet.

feeling a bit silly tbh :3

[aeragan]

[anon: could you do a nsfw alphabet for raiden??!!] i am also so sad about the lack of raiden stuff in general, like im mk1 he's just the sweetest!?!?! like he's so bbg. and in like every other game he's so fuckin hot, dont sleep on him cmoooon. i also apologize for this taking so long to post, ive been getting so distracted lately its kinda hard to focus fully on. anything. BUT IM MAKING UP FOR IT I SWEAR!!!!

cw: amab, nsfw, pretty vanilla tbh, proofread. MINORS DNI

ʀᴀɪᴅᴇɴ || ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴀʟᴘʜᴀʙᴇᴛ

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Raiden's aftercare routine is second to Tomas'. He loves you, and he refuses to skip aftercare. Doesn't matter how he is, or how tired you are. He's going to run a bath with all sorts of dried herbs and some Himalayan salt, he'll even hop in if you so wish. From there, he'll be hands on, or hands off. Whichever one you like. If you want some space, he's more than happy to give you some. He'll change the sheets, and get you some clean clothes. He'll also make a full on meal for you. But if you'd like him to stay near, he'll sit at the edge of the bath and just talk with you. About the sex, about you, about him, about anything, really. And after all that, he'll carry you to bed,- he refuses to let you walk- and lay down with you.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favorite also has to be his hands. He's very proud of his training, especially after becoming Earthrealm's champion. They're strong, and he also loves how they look on your body. He's gentle, always. He's also particularly proud of how soft they are, especially since he was a farmer and now fighting for Earthrealm's protection.

On you, his favorite body part is your chest. He likes how it displays your strength. Not to mention, he's simply drawn to your chest during intimacy. As much as he's Earthrealm's protector, he likes know that you can defend yourself and that you have your own strengths as well. He also enjoys your back, how defined it as, and the little noises you make when he runs his fingers down your spine.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Raiden prefers to cum outside, specifically on your lower back. He simply likes how it looks. He refuses to cum inside, he feels like it's almost undignified. Don't try to convince him to.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He wants to be ridden by you until he sees stars. He's so sure you wouldn't mind it, but you are his first and he's rather apprehensive about sharing. It's the first thing he thinks of when he masturbates even, watching your body grind against him, in a desperate search of pleasure.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

You are his first. He had saved his body for someone he had felt comfortable and a real connection with. He enjoys learning about sex with you, especially when you take the lead. Of course, he gains more experience the more you two fuck, and he gets quite good at it. His focus is all on your pleasure, and always will be.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

With his aforementioned secret, he loves cowboy. As much as he loves cumming on your back, he needs eye contact. It is very important to him. He likes to know he's treating you well, watching your face twist in pleasure. It also makes it easy to tell how well he's doing, since he makes sex all about you.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Raiden is serious. Granted, he's shy, but he's fully serious about sex. It is something he had saved himself for, and he prefers if you are serious about it.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He's got a little body hair everywhere. Some arm hair, some chest hair, a delicious happy trail, and some pubic hair. He keeps himself trimmed, however.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Raiden is by far the most romantic. Like I said, he focuses on you during sex, and your pleasure. He does everything to keep the moment intimate, and he makes sure you feel beyond loved. He cherishes you, and as such, he makes you feel like the only boy in the world. You're his one and only love, you're his. He's going to make sure you know how much he loves you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He prefers not to masturbate when he has you. Even if you two haven't been able to enjoy each other for a while. Now, if he's absolutely yearning for you and you aren't available, he'll jack off then.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

His only kink is praise, really. He loves seeing your reaction when he calls you a 'good boy', listening to your soft moans as he throws all sorts of sweet words & praises your way. He also responds quite fondly to being praised, he likes to know how he's doing. Whenever you praise him, you can always feel a shiver of electricity run from his body to yours.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He always prefers his room. It's comfortable, private, and quiet. He's hesitant with sex, so he enjoys the environment of his own place. It's almost a sanctuary for both of you. He rests easy knowing no one is peering or listening in.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Initiative. Raiden is rather timid, so knowing your yearning and knowing you are okay with taking the initiative really sets the mood and gets him going. He particularly enjoys it when you trace his arms or his hands, and give him that sly smile.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything rough, he hates the thought of harming you, even for your pleasure. He cannot, physically, mentally, or emotionally. If you ask, it is an immediate no. He wants to make you feel good, not make your hurt.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He actually prefers receiving, he just finds it hard to ask. But he'll go down on you if you ask. Anything for you. He's actually really good at giving head, even more so as he continues to learn about all your body's tells and quirks. But if you go down on him, he'll be the loudest, most appreciative man.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Raiden's default is slow & sensual, and he'll only pick up the pace slightly. He takes his time with you, he likes the mood to be right and proper. Doesn't mean he can't make the time worth it though, he makes you cum like no other. As said beforehand, he catches on quickly to your body language. He knows every single sensitive spot on your body, where to touch to make you moan just right. He loves having you give in to his touch and lay against him.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

It doesn't matter how long you two have been apart, he refuses to do quickies. He wants the moment to be perfect, to be right. He wants you to feel his love, and he cannot find a proper way to appreciate your body with quickies.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

There is only one thing he wont mind trying, and that's using his powers. He's thought about it, more than once. But he is afraid of hurting you. Of course, he'd only use them on a smaller scale, shocking you just a little here and there. But anything else, he really can't do. If you ask him about using his powers in the bedroom, prepare for a full conversation about it. It is only until he has proper consent that he will try it.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

His stamina only increases as he spends more time with you. But he can only last for about 3 rounds, however, he puts his all into every. single. round.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Raiden doesn't see the appeal, to be honest. Perhaps if you ask nicely, he'll use any sort of stimulation toy on you. But why do that when he can use his powers? Creativity is a naughty thing, my friend.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He can't bring himself to tease you, not now, not ever. He hates it when you beg, actually. His whole goal is to satisfy you, and if he has you begging, then that means he's not doing his job right.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Raiden is loud. He's sensitive, he's comfortable, and you just make him feel so damn good. Sometimes it's hard for him to form words properly, that all you can hear is the very start of his praises melting into sweet, sweet moans and sounds of appreciation.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He really enjoys coming up with little names for you. And he always loves your reaction bed when he uses them. It's always something sweet, 'My light' is the most common one he'll use. Regrettably, he picked up 'Sweetheart' from Johnny, but the way he says it sounds so perfect. He does prefer using your name, especially during sex, because it just feels intimate.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Raiden's more of a shower, and he's around the average size. He's 5.7" in length when hard, and 1.7" across. He leans slightly towards the left & is slightly veiny.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

His sex drive depends on you, really. He'll fuck you whenever you wish, as long as time permits it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Raiden's mind is an active one, so it takes him a while to fall asleep after you do. He isn't worried about his performance, no. He's just got a lot on his mind, and sometimes your naked body lingers in it for a bit too long.

[fantasygerard2000]

After addressing numerous times that Magnifico has always been a shady ruler at best and straight up power hungry narcissist at worst, to which few refused to acknowledge, it's best to focus on the other person in the room and the "supposed" scapegoat to Magnifico's actions into villainy, Asha.

Like with Magnifico, Asha's character gets a lot of misreadings and unlike with Magnifico, she gets most of this mischaracterization which is flat out unfair to borderline accusatory. A blatant example of this is from post I saw on Twitter about her "pushing away the wishes during At All Costs to get her grandfather's" which apparently shows that she's selfish. However, like in my previous post about Amaya, I wanted to discuss more about the Asha we have and less about comparing the version detractors made up.

Asha grew up in a loving community, having being taught by her father, Tomas about how the stars are there to remind her to always have hope and are there guide her when she struggles. As stated in a previous post, Asha knew what grief felt. She dreamed for her father to get better but when he died, that dream was crushed. However, she held what her father taught her, to always have hope in the darkest times and support those who been in her position.

She applied for the position to be Magnifico's apprentice, as she has heard from her community that he built her home to be a place where wishes and dreams can come true through kindness and generosity. I like to think that her father's death, despite her grief and loss her experience has encouraged her to pursue in helping others who are going through the same. So, what better help she can do than be the apprentice of the man he built this kingdom on, so she can encourage him to pursue in helping his subjects.

When Magnifico interviewed her, she felt like a failure after embarrassing herself before him til she reminds him about her father, to which Magnifico knew and was familiar at some point, so it's likely he has heard that one of his known subjects, a philosopher has passed and that Asha is his daughter. They connected by expressing their desire to make their kingdom and community a place for those who experience loss and hardship to support each other. This discussion is what lead to Magnifico letting her in his private chamber where he kept the wishes.

Upon seeing her saba's wish, she kindly asks for Magnifico to consider granting it as it was his 100 birthday, to which Magnifico started to act oddly as if she offended him. She even apologizes when he reminds her that apprentices get their and their families wishes granted after months to a year after servicing him. When Magnifico tells her that her saba's wish to inspire others as "dangerous", she opposes this as having leaving with Sabino for all her life, she knows that he would never encourage to insight a rebellion that will destroy his own community.

Asha learns from Magnifico that he does not intend on granting most if not majority of the wishes for he considers it his duty to protect his kingdom. Asha considers that he could just return them and encourage his people to pursue to achieve their dreams, but he tells her that he believes achieving dreams are a struggle not worth chasing and so he makes his people forget what their dreams are so they have no aspirations to pursue them. To her, she sees this as something what Rosas is against. People forgetting their dreams and taking away their ability to pursue them.

At the ceremony, she now sees Magnifico differently and how the ceremony, an event that used to be a hopeful occasion now as a ritual where the people in her community have their dreams taken and locked away forever. Just when she has little hope of her saba's wish being granted on his birthday, Magnifico grants someone else's, much to her and her friends and family's dismay. After being told that he declines her application to be his apprentice and that he'll "protect her family's wishes forever", she felt hopeless about the future of her family and community. The future of her as an apprentice of a man she thought understands her and working with him to help their community is crushed.

Despite this, she has the courage to tell her saba about how unfair it is for his wish can be deemed dangerous to grant. However, upon hearing him dismiss her for telling so and asking her if she wants to break his heart, she apologizes and leaves. Presumably realizing that she unwillingly made him to feel the trauma of loss and hopelessness she experienced.

Remembering what her father taught her, the spark of hope reignited as she seeks to the stars and makes another wish, but for her family and her people to achieve their dreams. This "selfless" wish causes Star to come down from the heavens to the earth. Their light shines throughout the island as its inhabits that are illuminated in it felt a loving wondrous hope.

Upon meeting Star, she asks if they can grant wishes to which she quickly apologizes upon realizing that she came of as selfish. Upon explaining to Star about her family's wishes, Star agrees to help. When they retrieve Sabino's wish, he sees what he dreamed of. And upon putting in back what was his, Asha sees the saba she grew up with as whole and complete.

When Magnifico arrives to her home, he accuses her of stealing what was "his". With courage, she speaks up to him that he should not take people wishes and they deserve to have them back. However, he refuses to listen and punishes her by crushing her mother, Sakina's wish before them. In this bit, I interpret Asha reliving her trauma of loss as Sakina's reaction to her wish getting crush is similar to how a wife was informed of her husband's sudden passing.

On the boat, she breaks down, feeling responsible for her mother reliving that feeling of loss again as she knows that Magnifico will do the same to the rest of her community. When she looks at Star, she is encourage to return and save the wishes and stop Magnifico for good.

After managing to get her friends to help, as well as the Amaya the queen, she conducts a plan use herself as bait to lure Magnifico away from the wishes. Seeing how Asha puts herself into dangerous situations before and how they won't be with her this time, Star gives Asha a piece of them, their magic as they care about her safety.

When Magnifico successfully manages to capture Star and absorbs the remaining wishes, she succumbs to hopelessness again as Magnifico tosses her around as she is nothing to him, and knowing him, knows what his people are to him now. Finally remembering her father's advice and what Star taught her, she wished. Soon, her people also wished as together, their hope brought Star back and stopped Magnifico.

After freeing the wishes and returning them to their rightful owners, they start to do what they should've done when Rosas was built, encouraging each other to pursue and achieve their dreams. Seeing Asha selflessness and the struggles she faced to help her people, Star rewards her with a magic wand. She refuses, because she was terrible with magic but more so thinks she is unworthy. But after encouragement from her friends and family, she accepts the wand and the role of fairy godmother, to help others at their time of need and give them the tools to pursue their dreams.

Asha'a and Wish's moral resonates with people who dream of pursuing a career they dreamed of having but the struggles are too hard to overcome. With encouragement from their own fairy godfamily and support from each other, they are able to achieve their dreams.

My hypothesis about Asha having trauma of losing her father is something noteworthy as her losing her father is painful, but it's her hope that drives her to go through that pain and makes it so other won't go through what she had. And when they do, she's their to help them go through it.

Say what you will about the execution, but Asha's story will always be universal to those who want to pursue their dreams and inspiring others to do so.

[elffees]

MK12 Bi Han Analysis

Y’all bringing out the essayist in me so now I gotta make a Bi Han post.

Ahem

So contrary to extremely popular opinion, I actually think Bi Han was given a bit of depth in MK12. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking but I thought this was the most compelling he’s been since Mythologies. At least to me.

“Had we not held back, you would not have survived.” — Bi Han to Kung Lao after the bar fight

I can actually understand his frustrations with Liu Kang. While I think the bar fight between the Lin Kuei vs Raiden & Kung Lao was super fun to watch and interesting from Liu Kang’s POV, it had to be pretty humiliating for someone as prideful as Bi Han.

Liu Kang told them to intentionally make themselves seem weaker just to give actually weaker fighters more of a chance. Not only that, but they had to come off like they were nothing but obnoxious & lowly thugs, instead of the elite, powerhouse of a clan the Lin Kuei actually are.

Not to mention the relationship the Lin Kuei have with Liu Kang irritates him just in general. It’s clear Bi Han doesn’t like having to take orders from someone, and wants to be the boss rather than an underling. But with the Lin Kuei’s goal being Earthrealm’s protection, and Liu Kang being Earthrealm’s protector, that’s always the dynamic they were going to have with him. To operate underneath FG Liu Kang. There’s no way to be equals with a god.

This is only reinforced once it’s revealed to everyone that mere Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang is actually Titan Liu Kang, manufacturer of their entire timeline and all of their destinies. All of the characters have different opinions and concerns about Liu Kang’s actual status and involvement in their lives. Bi Han included.

“This is what you were meant to do. Defend Earthrealm.”

“I am not allowed to desire a different future?” — Convo between Liu Kang & Bi Han in Khaos Reigns

There’s no way to be equals with a god, but there is zero chance in hell of ever being equal with the Keeper of Time and ultimate creator of your destiny who knew and fabricated your life’s path before your ancestors were ever even conceived.

But circling back to before the reveal, Bi Han already had issues with working underneath Earthrealm Protector God Liu Kang.

I’m not excusing Bi Han’s actions, but I think the game did a decent job of making us understand why he was so frustrated with Liu Kang. The Lin Kuei are powerful, but at the rate they were going, they would always have to bend to Liu Kang. For members like Kuai Liang, Tomas, Cyrax, etc. this was not an issue. But for those like Bi Han and Sektor, it clearly is.

And this all goes into why he accepted Shang Tsung’s offer when he, Kuai Liang, and Tomas infiltrated the hideout. Some people have said it was too sudden, I disagree. Bi Han went there to take them out, then got curious, and only agreed to join after he and Kuai Liang had been taken prisoner. He was hesitant at first and wasn’t interested in Shang Tsung’s proposal, but his frustration with being inferior to Liu Kang was the perfect in for Shang Tsung to persuade him, because anyone could see Bi Han was not satisfied with his current position in life.

I wouldn’t even say Bi Han trusted Shang Tsung, but that it’s just as Shang Tsung himself said:

“I’m sure you’re asking yourself: ‘Can I afford to trust a man I have never met?’ But the true question you must ask is: ‘Can I afford not to?’”

This scene told me it’s not about genuine trust. Bi Han just views “being Liu Kang’s inferior forever” as a worst fate than anything Shang Tsung could do to him. He viewed Shang Tsung as the lesser of two evils. Whether that’s objectively true or not is irrelevant.

Afterwards, Bi Han actually shows remorse about aligning with Shang Tsung. This is evident in his intros.

“Your mother’s death is regrettable.” — To Kitana

“If it is asylum you want, I won’t grant it.” — To Shang Tsung

“You have been cold to my entreaties.” / “Because you proved you can’t be trusted.” — Convo between Shang Tsung & Bi Han

“I was wrong to trust you.” — To General Shao

“I wasn’t aware of Shang Tsung’s experiments.” — To Liu Kang

Alongside his regret with aligning with Shang Tsung, Bi Han does NOT want to kill Kuai Liang. Shocking I know, but it’s true!

This is probably the first game I’ve seen where he actually values Kuai Liang as his brother. PLEASE BARE WITH ME I SWEAR IM NOT INSANE LMAO!

In both the main story and in Khaos Reigns, Bi Han clearly states that his intention is to capture and imprison Kuai Liang.

“And you must be imprisoned alongside my brother.” — To Cyrax in Khaos Reigns

And while hypocritical as hell, I do believe Sektor’s “immense shock” at Kuai Liang willing to leave Bi Han trapped and brainwashed in Havik’s timeline is because she knows, in turn, that Bi Han doesn’t plan to actually kill Kuai Liang, only punish and imprison him. (I am not saying her annoyance was well founded! It was for sure hypocritical. I am simply explaining why she was shocked and what she knows of Bi Han’s intentions.)

Does this mean Bi Han cares about those around Kuai Liang? No. He doesn’t care at all about Harumi and was fine with killing her if she got in the way. She is not Lin Kuei. Even worse, she’s hinted to have ties with the Umgadi and Outworld. A fact Bi Han and Sektor may be aware of since in one of their intros together (with Bi Han as Noob), they say she’s a “formidable problem”.

But, interestingly, it doesn’t seem as though Bi Han wants to kill other Lin Kuei that have turned to Kuai Liang’s side. When opposed, he threatens to punish and capture Tomas and Cyrax, not kill them. Just like he does with Kuai Liang.

Alongside this, in most of his and Kuai Liang’s direct conversations with each other, it’s mostly Bi Han defending his stance and encouraging Kuai Liang to return to his side. Frequently telling him to “heed” and “obey” him as Grandmaster.

“You could have ruled at my side.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“Your rebellion stings.” — To Kuai Liang in an intro

“End this, brother! Embrace the future.” — To Kuai Liang in the main story after he aligns with Shang Tsung

“You would shed your brother’s blood?” / “Because you CHOOSE to stand in my way!” — Convo between Kuai Liang and Bi Han in an intro

“Your brotherS regret losing your fellowship.” / “Then THEY shouldn’t have disobeyed my commands.” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han is definitely pissed and plans to beat his ass, that’s not debatable, but it’s clear he’d much rather Kuai Liang just come back to the Lin Kuei than them full on fighting each other. And he has no intention of actually killing Kuai Liang. He will punish his “treachery” and imprison him, but never talks about straight up killing him. The one single time he references Kuai Liang’s possible death is when he’s boasting to General Shao in an intro, who he has currently lost all respect for and sees as an enemy (plus Shao is the one who mentions Kuai Liang first in that convo).

He thinks Kuai Liang made the wrong choice when refusing to stand with him, and seems to think their current feud is Kuai Liang’s own fault. That they COULD reconcile, but it’s Kuai Liang who is refusing to “see reason” and support him. Bi Han truly thinks he is “defending” the Lin Kuei from Kuai Liang’s poor vision. He does not actually view himself or his actions as evil, despite what fans seem to think. He even opposes this perspective in-universe whenever a character says he’s turned evil.

“There are many in the Netherrealm just like you.” / “You conflate ambition with evil, Ashrah.” — Convo between Ashrah and Bi Han in an intro

Bi Han’s real malice is reserved mostly towards Liu Kang. He hated having to work underneath the Fire God, and now with the Titan status revealed, he’s even more furious and thinks Liu Kang has always only ever been about control. This is made especially evident in his intros.

“You are content being Liu Kang’s servant?” — To Raiden

“Liu Kang wants to help, Bi Han!” / “No, Tomas. He wants to control.” — Convo between Tomas and Noob!Bi Han

“Earthrealm isn’t yours to rule!” — To Liu Kang

“You’ve turned Kuai Liang against me!” — To Liu Kang

“Come in from the cold Bi Han.” / “And again kneel before you?” — Convo between Liu Kang and Bi Han

I suspect that the sole reason Bi Han prefers being Noob is because it was against Liu Kang’s design for him. In a lot of Noob’s intros, he praises his newfound “chaos”, but in a very easily missed few, he says these:

“Is it best for you to remain this way?” / “It is best for the Lin Kuei.” — Convo between Sektor and Noob!Bi Han

“Weren’t you supposed to be on ice?” / “Liu Kang’s plan has been disrupted.” — Convo between Takeda and Noob!Bi Han

“I’m envious. The things you must have seen…” / “No one should experience such chaos.” — Convo between Shang Tsung and Noob!Bi Han

“Throwing the Lin Kuei into chaos-” / “Is NOT what I am doing!” — Convo between Kenshi and Noob!Bi Han

I don’t think Bi Han enjoys being Noob simply for the “sinister nature” of being Noob Saibot. I think it’s actually because the transition was against Liu Kang’s plans. A sort’ve rebellion even though it was also forced upon him. This is just a theory though.

I want to clarify: BI HAN IS AN ASSHOLE!

I am in no way saying that Bi Han isn’t a douchebag and should be pitied.

This post is solely intended to refute the claims that he’s not a complex character. There is actually a lot of subtlety in how he’s been written so far. There ARE genuine reasons he doesn’t want to keep bowing to Liu Kang (who is a proven liar love my boy tho). He does NOT want to kill his own brother, and would actually prefer Kuai Liang come to his side, rather than them being at odds.

Bi Han is an asshole. He’s arrogant, impulsive, selfish, and overwhelmingly prideful. But he DOES actually care about Kuai Liang as his brother and doesn’t have any interest in killing ex-Lin Kuei members. His goal is to punish their treachery, but then imprison them. Not kill.

And while he heavily dislikes Tomas and doesn’t hold any respect for him, Bi Han slips up and does acknowledge Tomas as his brother when talking with Liu Kang in one of the intros I shared above. A very small part of him does subconsciously view Tomas as his brother. He will never ever admit this though.

Not counting Mythologies, this is probably my favorite rendition of Bi Han to date. I could actually see where he was coming from most of the time, and he didn’t seem just “one dimensionally” angry and evil. He’s a raging dick, but he’s not just “evil to be evil” nor is that his goal.

He regrets some of the events that have come from his actions, has affections for Sektor, refuses to abandon the Lin Kuei after becoming Noob (unlike past Noobs), and still values Kuai Liang as his brother with zero plans to actually kill him only imprison him.

In Khaos Reigns, even Liu Kang states that Bi Han’s desire for a different future isn’t actually an issue, it’s just his methods that are.

Bi Han is a massive problem child, but he’s not a one dimensionally evil thoughtlessly written character. I actually think this is the most compelling iteration Bi Han’s ever been (TO ME) and I find the current nuances in his and Kuai Liang’s dynamic more fascinating than ever.

[snackara]

The King and the Thief (Part One)

Once upon a time there was a kind and gentle young boy named Tomás.

His father was a general, and as such Tomás learned to be hard working and humble. He helped his family and his kingdom of Rosas whenever he could, and became well-liked. Many people expected him to have a bright future and become a general like his father, though really he wanted a plain life. His wish was simple: to make people happy.

Though he didn’t realize it, that dream died the day he met the prince.

His father had insisted on bringing him to the palace one day to have a look around and even meet the royalty. “You will likely work here one day, so it is best you know the palace ahead of time,” he told the boy.

Tomás nodded, and followed his father up yet another flight of stairs. He gripped a book tightly to his chest. It was his favorite, filled with myths and fairytales from across the globe with one connecting them. Tomás’ father was hesitant to let him bring it, but the boy had insisted, thinking it would be better to read than listen to boring talks from the adults.

Finally the two made their way to a large room, where they found three people: the King and Queen of Rosas, Enrique and Carmen, as well as their own son Manuel. The adults made polite, cheerful greetings to each other. When Tomas’ father introduced him to the royals, Tomás only shyly nodded and stared at his feet. The king seemed disinterested in him anyways.

It wasn’t long before the adults left the room, leaving the two boys alone. They stood in silence for several awkward moments. Tomás took the time to look at the room around him. It appeared to be a study, with a desk placed by a window and several bookshelves along the walls.

“How old are you?” Manuel finally asked.

“Ten.”

“I’m eleven. Well, not yet. But I will be when November comes around. It’s only, what, two months away?”

Tomás nodded.

“When’s your birthday?”

“The ninth of May.”

“Oh, that’s the perfect time for a birthday. Much better than November anyways. November is way too close to Christmas. And Dias de los Muertos. Imagine having the same birth month as the month we celebrate the dead.”

Tomás quietly nodded.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Manuel asked, tilting his head. “Or am I talking too much? I can stop if you want.”

“No, it’s fine.” Tomás shook his head. “I guess I just have don’t much to say. I never do, really. Maybe that’s why I like reading so much.”

“is that why you brought that book?” Manuel asked, pointing to the book Tomás was clutching. The other boy nodded. “What’s it about?”

Tomás blushed and looked away. “You’ll think it’s stupid. Everyone does.”

“I won’t. It can’t be any worse than the one my father wrote. That thing was a mess,” Manuel replied.

Tomás was a little taken aback by how openly Manuel had just insulted his father, the king no less. Tomás never dared to step out of line with his own father, let alone insult him behind his back.

“Do you promise?” Tomás asked.

Manuel covered his heart with his hand and held the other one up. “Upon my life.”

Tomás smiled with a little amusement and sat down on the floor, opening the book. Manuel sat beside him, eying the pages curiously.

“It’s about the stars. So many cultures around the world have their own stories about them. How they came to be, stories behind certain constellations, things like that. My personal favorite is the Greek myth about Leo,” Tomás explained as he flipped through the pages. Pictures of constellations and angelic beings flew past. Manuel studied the pages in awe.

Tomás stopped on a page with a picture of a glowing being and a man, with the title above reading Wishing Stars.

“What’s this one about?” Manuel asked, tapping the page.

“Oh, this is one of my favorites too,” Tomás said. “It was said that long ago, some stars could come down and grant people’s wishes. It’s not like how your father does it though. They would come down and give people the tools they needed to succeed, but the person who made the wish had to make that dream happen.”

Manuel blinked in confusion. “Why didn’t they just ask their king to grant their wish? It sounds a lot easier than this.”

Tomás rolled his eyes and playfully shouldered the prince. “Not everyone has a wish-granting king, dummy. That’s why everyone comes here, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Manuel looked down with embarrassment. “Wait, it says here they stopped. How come?”

“People got greedy, and tried to take the magic for themselves. One even succeeded, so they stopped coming down to help people.”

“Oh,” Manuel’s brows furrowed with thought. He flipped through the pages and smiled again. “This stuff is fascinating. Why did you say it was stupid?”

Tomás shrugged and pulled his knees to his chest. “I don’t know, that’s what my father always says. He thinks I should focus more on studying academics or training to become a knight like he was.”

“Huh. No wonder he kisses up to my father so much,” Manuel said.

Tomás let out a surprised laugh. “He does not!”

“Oh come on, you know he does as well as I do. They’re both so focused on research and working, they’re perfect for each other.”

They sat there trying to surprise their laughter for a minute before finally calming down.

“I gotta say, you’ve gotta be one of my favorite people,” Manuel said.

Tomás blinked with surprise. “You’ve known me for less than a day.”

“I know. And you already are. To be fair, you don’t have much competition. Everyone else tries to act all polite and dignified around me or ignore me. But you…you seem different. I like you,” Manuel smiled at him warmly.

Tomás felt himself blush and looked away shyly. “Well…thanks. Does this mean we’re friends now?”

“I guess it does,” Manuel her his hand out. Tomás beamed and shook it.

A few moments later the door opened, and Tomás’ father stepped inside. “There you are. It’s time to leave.”

Tomás frowned and nodded, grabbing his book as he stood up. “It was nice to meet you, Man— your highness.”

Manuel stood up. “When will you be back?”

Tomás glanced up at his father, who shrugged. “I’ll bring him back with me tomorrow if you wish, your highness.”

Manuel grinned. “Great! I’ll show you our library tomorrow. We have a ton of books you’d love, I’m sure of it.”

Tomás smiled back. “I’d like that.” He turned around and followed his father out, back down the long staircase. He had been nervous about the idea of working at the palace, but with a new friend by his side it didn’t seem so bad.

Author’s Note

“Mom can we see Mufasa?” “We have Mufasa at home.” Mufasa at home:

Soooo…hello. Been a while since I wrote for this fandom, huh? This is mostly a pallet cleanser for me to be honest, since the cast of The Marcach Chronicles is currently going through some shit…again.

So I decided to write a little fluff about Manuel and Tomás’ first meeting. Manuel is a little neglected in this rewrite, since his parents are always busy studying magic themselves or working. They care about Manuel, really. They’re just also very workaholic parents and don’t have much time to care for him outside of teaching. So when Tomás comes along, he’s ecstatic to have someone to talk to and play with. They make for honestly a pretty good duo, and it was super fun to write them as kids. I’m sure their friendship won’t be tarnished or end horribly whatsoever.

Also this a random side note but Manuel’s exact birthdate is November 18th as a little nod to Steamboat Willie. Tomás shares a birthday with Kermit the Frog. No there’s no significance to that. I just thought it would be funny.

@rascalentertainments @thesafireartist

@tumblingdownthefoxden @your-ne1ghbor

@flicklikesstuff @uva124 @ishadow246

@spectator-zee @a-storytellers-wish @dangerousflowerpanda

[theladyofdeath]

Lady Death's Lover {10}

Lady Death's Lover Masterlist & Summary

19th Century Period AU Nesta x Cassian Secret Affair / Enemies to Lovers / Forbidden Romance Fanfiction / Characters from Sarah J Maas / ACOTAR Based on a prompt sent in by anonymous

A/N: NSFW (actually, just make the same note for the next few chapters)... Thank you for reading, reblogging, liking, and commenting. I love to see it all! x

TW: marital abuse, sexual content, language, depression, alcohol abuse

This story is for readers 18+. Mature readers only. Content should not be read by anyone under 18.

<.>.<.> Nesta <.>.<.>

His kiss was like nothing I have ever experienced.

I lie alone in my bed, wishing he was here with me. I long for his mouth on mine, long for that mouth of his to explore every inch of the bare skin that is rolling beneath my sheets, lonely with need. 

He confessed his love for me. All of my being wanted to reciprocate the feeling, but I just couldn’t. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him. I know it was wrong but I have no regrets. If I am to be bound to Tomas for the rest of my life, I am glad that I felt what it was like to be completely in love, completely enveloped in a kiss if only for a second.

It is a second I will never forget, a second I will never take for granted. 

His lips were softer than I had imagined they would be. It was a pleasant surprise, the gentleness of this man that did not radiate gentleness whatsoever. He held me as if our lives depended on it, and for a moment, I swore they did. 

The house is quiet; there’s nothing but the cackling of the fire to distract me. Even the cackling cannot distract me enough from imagining his roaming hands. 

Unable to fall asleep, I let my mind wander. 

I imagine him in bed right next to me, his body bare and intertwined with mine. I imagine his lips dancing across my skin, imagine his hands wandering, exploring, desperate with need.

I imagine his cock, long and thick, thrusting into me again and again and again. I’ve seen its outline, although I have pretended I haven’t, but I know that it does not compare to the real thing, released and wielded. 

I can only imagine the pleasure he could endow with such a weapon. 

Pretending my fingers are that weapon, I plunge them inside of myself again and again. I go deep, quickly, imagining the hardness of his body sliding against every inch of my soft curves. Finding that sensitive bundle of nerves, I cry out, not caring that the help could possibly hear. 

I hate that we stopped after a measly kiss. A kiss that I started, a kiss that should have never been, a kiss that I cannot help but fixate on, obsess over. 

For the first time, I’ve felt wanted. I felt loved, cared for, cherished. I can only imagine what it would feel like if things had escalated, if the help was not right outside, wandering through my husband's house. If we were alone, I would have let him take me. I would have let him have all of me. 

Unsure of what that says about me, I continue to live out my fantasy. With every fictitious thrust that Cassian grants me, I come alive. Tears fill my eyes and even I pity myself for the pathetic nature of my situation, but I push that feeling aside and continue to find pleasure, dwelling in the sensation rising up inside of me. 

It’s his name I cry out when I find release. 

When my body stops shaking, when my chest stops heaving, I close my eyes and it is his smiling face that I see.

This is absurd.

I cry, shamelessly, surrounded by flickering candles that are slowly dwindling to their deaths. Sorrow and longing and an odd sense of jealousy flood my body. I am jealous of every woman who has married for love, who had the opportunity to avoid being in a marriage of convenience. After the jealousy comes the loathing.

I hate Tomas.

I hate him as a husband and as a man. I rue the day that I must give him an heir, a child that makes us a family, that shackles me to him further. I hate how he treats me, how he orders me around like I am one of the servants, how he takes out his anger and bitterness on every inch of my skin. I hate how he touches me in bed, how he makes me feel dirty after every time I am forced to carry out my marital duties. 

Cassian is twice the man that Tomas will ever be. I am jealous of the woman who will take his hand in marriage, who will become the mother of his children, who will run his household alongside him in love and dignity.

I am envious that it will not be me.

It cannot be.

I have already been spoken for, claimed by the devil himself. 

Opening my eyes, I stare at the ceiling as my sobs have grown to silent tears streaming down the sides of my face, absorbing into my feathery pillow. Candlelight dances along the ceiling, grounding me. 

I should be his.

And he should be mine.

The truth that is so painfully obvious occurs to me and I do not deny it any longer. I stopped denying it the moment that I kissed him. I love him. 

I am in love with him.

A gentleman, a man who is not my husband, a man who looks at me as if I am the only woman in all of existence.

Rising out of bed, I wipe my eyes and dress quickly in a pair of slacks and a shirt I keep for riding when Tomas is out of town. After donning my boots and cloak, I pin up my hair and sneak quietly into the hallway and out of the manor, toward the stables. 

I, Lady Nesta Mandray, deserve to be loved, too. 

________________________________

<.>.<.> Cassian <.>.<.>

The whiskey isn’t cutting it tonight. 

I’m on my second glass at the gentleman’s club, but I cannot feel a thing. Nothing that’s real, anyway. I can still feel every touch of her hands on my chest, of her lips on mine, and it is torturous. The image, the feeling, the utter sensation is branded in my memory. I’m convinced that nothing will ever compare to that fleeting moment. 

Fuck.

The things I would have done to her if we were anywhere else but in the home of her husband. Husband. She’s married. It’s a fact that I’ve always known but have never fully accepted, and now that’s coming back to bite me in the ass. 

I took it too far. She was the one that kissed me but I sure as hell didn’t deny her. I would never. I’m incapable. She could ask anything of me and I would do it with no hesitation. I’m in too deep and I simply don’t give a damn. 

It was a perfect moment. I have no regrets. The only regret that I have is that there simply was not enough time. There was not enough time for me to truly show her what she means to me. There was not enough time to lay her down, strip her bare, and worship every inch of her beautiful skin. I meant what I had said, what I had confessed. I am in love with this woman.

I drain what’s left in my glass. 

The empty glass haunts me as I slide it across the bartop and hop off my stool. I hear the echoes of goodbyes behind me but I ignore them all, unable to fully hear their farewells. My mind is occupied. 

I return home the same way I came: meandering beneath the famous starlight. The stars seem dimmer tonight as if they’re mourning alongside me. 

I’m selfish. There is no reason for me to mourn. You cannot mourn for something you never had. 

I have no idea how much time has passed when I make it to my townhouse. The lantern by the door is still burning as I open it up and slump inside only to be greeted by the silence of an empty house. At this hour, I have no doubt that my butler and the handful of maids that keep my house in a state of perfection are sleeping soundly in their beds. At least, I hope they are. They work hard enough as it is. 

After locking the door and tiptoeing across the foyer, I find a lamp to light and carry it up the stairs. 

The space has never felt so big. 

After walking past the sitting room and the study, I find my bedroom at the end of the corridor and kick off my boots as I walk inside.

The shadow of a figure sitting on my bed shifts, and I nearly drop the candle in my hand and wake up every servant in this household when I curse.

Loudly. 

“I’m sorry,” the figure breathes, and the tone of her voice instantly calms me.

I hold up the candle and see her watching me, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. “Nesta.” “I’m sorry,” she says, and it looks like she’s about to panic. “I…I don’t know what I’m doing here.” She jumps off my mattress and starts pacing. “I was just…I was in bed, thinking about you and before I knew what I was doing, I was here.”

In bed.

Thinking about me.

I don’t give a damn what else she says. That’s enough.

“I should go.”

I close my bedroom door. “How did you get in here?”

Nesta opens her mouth, then closes it, then she huffs a laugh. “I…am no saint. I learned how to scale a wall pretty young.”

The image of her scaling a wall makes me laugh. Then I realize that she’s wearing a shirt and trousers beneath her cloak, the fabric hugging her curves. I swallow as her words settle in. “No one knows you’re here?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“And you’re here because…?”

She shrugs, shamelessly. “I had to see you.”

I take a moment to reply, careful to be certain that I heard her correctly. “Earlier, you said—”

“I love you,” she says, and her words are so quiet that I have to halt my breathing to hear each word clearly. Her eyes shine in the dim light. “I had to let you know. I couldn’t live without you knowing. And I am sorry that I am here, being selfish, but I love you, Cassian. Even if this can never be.” 

The words rush out of her and I cannot stop myself from moving towards her. I set the candle down on my dresser as I pass it and before I can collect my thoughts, I’m standing in front of her, looking down into her eyes. The room falls into silence and I have to convince myself that she’s really here, in front of me. 

When it’s clear that she is, I kiss her.

Our bodies press up against one another as I grab her by the waist and draw her close to me. She doesn’t hesitate, her tongue brushing along mine.  

“You taste like whiskey,” she says, breath warm against my lips. “Are you drunk?”

“Do I seem drunk?” I tease, cradling her face in my hands.

“No,” she says, suppressing a smile. 

“I tried to be and failed,” I confess, brushing my thumbs along her smooth ivory skin. My own seem so dark in comparison. It’s a welcome contrast. 

“I am glad you are not,” she says, leaning into my touch.

She kisses me slowly, savoring every passing second. I am the one to pull back this time.

“This is inappropriate.”

“Wholly,” she agrees, sliding her hands up my chest. “To say the least.”

I swallow, stilling her hands. “There is no going back.”

As much as it pains me, I feel the need to warn her. If we continue, I will not be able to stop, and if we go through with this, things will never be the way they once were. Our words will be more than words. They will become something greater. 

Her eyes do not waver. “I do not want to go back. I want to know what it is like to make love to you. Even if it is only once.”

The thought of doing it once and never again is agonizing.

The thought of not having her at all is so much worse. 

When I kiss her this time, there is no going back.

I lift her up, gripping her backside as her legs quickly and comfortably wrap around my body. Our mouths are a battle of teeth and tongue, clashing together, unable to get close enough. Forgetting about every reason that we shouldn’t, every obstacle we are about to face, I carry Lady Nesta Mandray to my bed and lay her down. 

[dragoneyes618]

Thoughts Upon Reading The Wish Novelization

I still haven't watched Wish yet, but I've read the novelization, and here's my thoughts about it. Because I am the kind of person who wonders about random background unimportant details and asks way too many questions about how things work. I've noticed that I'm not a very good companion to watch a movie with. ;)

Asha's grandfather is one hundred. She is seventeen, meaning he was eighty-three when she was born (give or take a year).

To compare, take the Madrigals from Encanto. Isabela and Dolores are 21; their grandmother is 75.

So wouldn't Sabino be kind of too old? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be Asha's great-grandfather instead? Or did Asha's parents and/or grandparents get married late or something?

Also is Sabino her mother's father or father's father?

Never mind, it says on the wiki that he's Asha's father's father. So that answers that. Also that Asha's father's name was Tomas.

And now the wishes! Okay, so everybody gives up their wish when they turn eighteen. Why eighteen? In the medieval period in Spain the age of adulthood was not eighteen. The medieval period anywhere, really. I read that in Spain people were considered under their parents' jurisdiction until the age of twenty-three for men and twenty-five for women, unless married (which applied to both men and women). Most certainly not eighteen. Then again they weren't going to make the main characters in their twenties. But then they might as well have just had the age be sixteen or whatever.

And then you just...forget your wish? What's the point of that, then? Why would you want it to be granted? If you don't remember it anymore you have no desire for it anymore.

And the wish ceremony is only once in a lifetime, but what if your wish changes? What you wish for at eighteen is probably a lot different from what you wish for at forty.

What if by the time your wish is granted you don't want it anymore? After all, you moved on because you had no memory of wanting it!

Like that lady who wanted to create the best dresses. Why would she want to create them? Presumably that was her job. Maybe she's a seamstress from a family of seamstresses. Or something. But then her wish to create the best dresses is taken from her and she has no memory of ever wanting to make them. She has no desire or drive to at all. So she becomes something else. She does a different job. Maybe she becomes a baker or something. Then all of a sudden she's granted the ability to make the best dresses, after years and years of doing something else because she had no desire to create dresses anymore. Now what?

And there was that one wish of someone holding a baby. Presumably the wisher wished for a child. Does that mean the wisher will remain infertile until and unless Magnifico grants the wish? And how would that work anyway? Would a baby just appear out of nothing onstage?

And Sabino's wish. It seems that his wish was to create music with his lute. It would've been a lot simpler if his wish had been worded that way instead of "create something to inspire future generations." Magnifico was actually right that ideas can be dangerous. Of course, Sabino would never hurt anyone, but the people he inspires might, or the people they inspire might, and so on and so forth. For all Magnifico knows, Sabino's inspiration is a rebellion or something, instead of simply music.

And now Magnifico. A name like Magnifico is a bit on the nose, no? I assume that was not his original name. Maybe he renamed himself after gaining magic. A magnificent name for a magnificent sorcerer king! 

He was not born a magician. It says that when he was young his family was attacked and he didn't have magic then. Where did he get magic from then?

And I'd like to know a bit more about this "great loss" he suffered, wouldn't you?

He founded Rosas. Why did he pick the name Rosas then? Isn't the way these things usually work is naming the kingdom or city or whatever after some derivative of his name?

And what exactly does the king's apprentice do? Apprentice to a sorcerer, but there weren't any other sorcerer's around in Rosas, were there? What happened to the other apprentices, and if you've ever read the Wings of Fire series I'm worrying that the same thing that happened to the dragonmancer apprentices in that series happens here. (Spoiler: They died.)

And Amaya, the queen, knows exactly who Asha is. Alright so it makes sense that she'd know the name of whoever was applying to be the next apprentice. Also I thought it was so sweet that she was giving Asha advice.

But apparently she's been watching Asha and knows how she acts and feels and so on. She's the queen and Asha is a random person in Rosas. I get the feeling it's a pretty small kingdom. It must be, though, for everybody to be able to gather once a month. Probably that one town is basically the whole kingdom.

Also I wonder whatever happened with that poor guy who had the interview right before Asha.

And Magnifico seemed to trust Asha very quickly and then revealed his true motives to her also very quickly. Did he think she would agree with him but drastically misread her intentions?

You know a lot of the wishes could have been fulfilled on their own. Like Simon's wish was to be a loyal guard. He could have fulfilled that wish by.....joining up with the king's guards and training with them and becoming one of them. Obviously he's already loyal if he wants to become a guard in the first place.

And I want to know how Amaya and Magnifico met! I want to know more about them in general!

My guess is that they met and married only after Magnifico became king because she constantly calls him mi rey.

Although on the other hand maybe they were married before that and she calls him that because she's so proud that he became king.

Also you'd think Amaya would have had some questions after Asha's interview. Like "if Asha isn't being your next apprentice why did you want her to sit with me then." 

And it seems that that weird green forbidden magic changed Magnifico. He could be reasoned with, before. But afterwards he threatened Amaya. I thought he truly loved her, but he was willing to hurt her with magic. I think the magic changed him, made him worse. And once you embrace it, there's no going back....

But Amaya seems to accept evil Magnifico with surprising ease. Once she sees that apparently it's impossible to undo the magic's influence she just...accepts it. Like you'd think she'd try to talk to him or something. Like even after he's in the mirror you'd think that she'd try to talk to him and ask him what he was thinking and see if he knows of any way to undo the forbidden magic now that he can't harm anyone else. But nope.

I did think that part was kind of funny, though. She's like "Well you do love mirrors!" She's seen quite enough of him staring into mirrors and preening over how handsome he is.....

But also Asha figured out that the queen was on her side and would go against her own husband just from seeing how changed she looked after realizing what Maginifco was doing? Aren't queens, like, trained never to let their true emotions show in public?

Also random but Magnifico says he granted fourteen wishes last year but he grants wishes once a month. What are the extra wishes?

Maybe, in addition to the monthly granting, sometimes he grants an extra wish on notable occasions, like the anniversary of the kingdom’s founding and holidays and so on. Which might be why everyone expected Sabino's wish to be granted - he was surely the oldest one there, and a 100th birthday is indeed an occasion.

And also why is sixteen year old Dahlia working in the palace kitchen? Is she apprenticing to someone? Do her parents work there?

Also I think it's funny how half the kingdom has a crush on Magnifico despite him already being married. Like Amaya is literally right there.

And then the ending with Asha being a fairy godmother. Crossovers aside, I don’t care about that, and I want an answer that is not bashing the movie, please, why did they word it that way? Why did Asha's friends say she should be their fairy godmother as opposed to "You'll help us all fulfill our wishes" or "you'll grant everyone their wishes" or so on? Asha is very much a human, not a fairy at all. and it's not her magic, it's the star’s magic.

So the fact that they specify fairy godmother implies that fairy godmothers already exist in the universe of Rosas. Which is maybe a clue as to where Magnifico got his magic from.

Back to Magnifico I wondered why he didn't immediately suspect that the light was Asha.

Although I thought it was funny how everybody was cheering the light and he was like "No, it wasn't me, it's a traitor!"

Like somebody figures out his true colors, he reveals his true motives (didn't he worry she would do something or tell people?) and then literally that night somebody's meddling with magic. He didn't suspect her?

When Magnifico and his guards showed up at her house I thought he'd finally come to that conclusion. But then it turned out Simon told him.

Also how did they escape on the king's horses? They're unfamiliar to the horses and likely have less experience riding. Shouldn't the horses reject them in favor of their own riders, or at least be slower and confused? Like it should have taken them longer to get the horses to trust them and let them ride them.

And Magnifico kind of doomed himself in the end. Overnight he went from a beloved wishgranting king to one trying to destroy all of them and blot out the stars. Made it pretty easy for the population to celebrate his defeat. As opposed to what he had until then, which was the word of one random teenager against him.

Especially considering his wife was against him! That definitely convinced a lot of people. Amaya seems pretty popular.

I wonder what the everyday people were thinking. One day out of the blue there's a traitor, who seemed like a nice ordinary girl but she meddled with magic which the king says is illegal and he's the king so his word goes. Then the king starts doing creepy magic and people's wishes start being destroyed and he tries to kill Asha.

Also does Bazeema have a crush on Gabo or something? She kept popping up right next to him.

And I wonder what Asha's mother's wish was.

Also Magnico states that he doesn't even charge his people rent. But how does that even work? Every kingdom and country in history has charged taxes. You need money for a kingdom to function. Basic. How does Magnifico pay his guards, then? Pay his servants?

Maybe he uses wishes as payment. Like with his guards, maybe they have to work for X amount of years and then he grants their wishes. Plus while they’re working for him they get food and a place to live and so on. Magnifico using wishes as payment wouldn’t completely solve the money question, but it would go some way to.

Also, the fact that Magnifico didn’t charge rent, nor presumably any other form of taxes, suggests that he really really wanted people to live there, to the point of forgoing any money he could make from them, so he could have their wishes….

Also say what you will about the ending but I think it could actually make sense for Magnifico in the mirror to be the Evil Queen's mirror. So they didn't destroy this mirror, right? It stayed in the palace. It's still there for the next generation of rulers, and the next. It gets handed down throughout the centuries and eventually they forgot the story behind it; they just know that their family has a magic mirror that can tell them anything. Because he has magic and can use it to find out anything. Now Rosas is in Spain and I think Snow White is in Germany but this could work. Back in the day royal families from different countries married each other all the time to create alliances. So somebody from the royal family of Rosas married Snow White's ancestor and brought the mirror along. And the mirror was passed down through a few more generations until it came to the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen was royalty by marriage, so the mirror could have belonged to her husband. It could have already been in the palace when she came. 

Also I was thinking! Magnifico's changed green magic that turned Simon evil! Isn't that sort of like what happened to Magnifico in the first place?

And I also want to know how long ago Magnifico founded Rosas. It must be pretty recent; it's still a very small kingdom. This is probably why he's so eager for people to visit and move there.

Sabino is 100 years old; presumably he moved to Rosas in his lifetime and wasn't born there? Maybe he knows about how it was founded and so on.

Imagine being older than the kingdom you live in! Quite an accomplishment! (Most kingdoms aren't new, so....)

So Magnifico can grant literally any wish, which he uses to encourage people to live there. Okay but this is literally any wish. Maybe this is another reason why people are coming to Rosas! They want their wishes granted! Literally any wish! Never mind the wishes to fly or swim or whatever! Where are the wishes for things like endless wealth or to be king, things which people have most certainly wished for over the centuries? Where are the desperate people traveling to move to Rosas to get their wish fulfilled? Where are the wishes like "I wish my dead brother was alive" and "I wish my fatally ill wife was cured of her illness" and "I wish my son who got run over by a cart last month was completely healed?"

[shinobi-illuminator]

Asha's dad bugged me so much-- his design SUCKED! We don't even get a name! So here's my take after getting inspiration from Mustafa from The Prophet. So meet Tomas the Astronomer.

Magnifico's previous kingdom was run by his parents who were gifted mages who helped grant wishes. But after a few spells backfired this caught the attention of the Spanish Inquisition who put Magnifico's parents to death as heretics and burned the city down. Magnifico escaped with the few followers he had, one of them being Asha's dad Tomas.

Tomas was a gifted philosopher and astronomer and he worked with Magnifico as a messenger. Soon the island was established with the new kingdom of Rosas. Still, both Magnifico and Tomas knew many of their people remained scattered and were living in fear under the inquisition. So Tomas went on a pilgrimage for the king to try and help guide their people to their new home as a sanctuary.

Sadly Tomas was caught by the Spanish inquisition and was tortured, demanding for the location of Rosas. But Tomas didn't say a word, he couldn't betray his people. As a result he was executed as a heretic. Sakina was heartbroken, she raised her daughter alone afterwards. She saw a lot of her husband's spirit in Asha and tried to stifle it out of fear she could lose her too for having too many "good ideas".

[hellcatinnc]

Get To Know The Amnesia Boys

I thought would be cool to have alot of the amnesia boys info in one place to come back to and share. This is for all the amnesia lovers.

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CLOVER ROUTE

Kento (Kent) ケント

Age: 25

Birthday: September 23rd

Height: 190 cm (6'3")

Blood Type: B

Western Zodiac: Libra

Occupation: University Graduate

Likes: creating math puzzles and observing things

Colors Associated: Green & Black

Architect Type: Kuudere

Best Friend: Ikki

Voice Actors: Akira Ishida & Tyler Galindo 

Fav. Quotes:

“Argument and logic are not always the right path to take. Honestly expressing emotions is important. You were the one who helped me realize that.”

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SPADES ROUTE

Ikkyu (Ikki) イッキ

Age: 22

Birthday: June 1st

Height: 183 cm (6'0")

Blood Type: AB

Western Zodiac: Gemini

Occupation: University Student

Likes: Darts, Pool, Table Tennis, Math Puzzles

Colors Associated: Blue & Gray

Architect Type: Flirt/Teasedere/Hiyakasudere

Best Friend: Kent

Voice Actors: Kishō Taniyama & Blake Shepard

Fav. Quotes:

"If you lose your memories again , I'll tell you everyday i love you, no matter what happens I'll protect you"

“There’s always been something heavy in my heart that’s made me suffer. But when I hear your voice or see your face, that something starts to melt.”

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HEART ROUTE

Shin シン

Age: 18

Birthday: November 30

Height: 179 cm (5'10")

Blood Type: A

Western Zodiac: Sagittarius

Occupation: College Student/Law

Likes: Dogs, Melon Soda, & Sweet Tamagoyaki

Colors Associated: Red & Black

Architect Type: Tsundere

Best Friend: Toma

Voice Actors: Tetsuya Kakihara & Houston Hayes

Fav. Quotes:

"I'll protect the sweet, silly part of you, and the hard working part of you...I'll protect everything"

"Please go out with me, I can't see you as a family member anymore"

"It was you who showed me that surrendering to misfortune and giving up is just running away"

"I will definitely protect you. I've decided not to let you get hurt a second time"

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DIAMOND ROUTE

Tōma トーマ

Age: 20

Birthday: April 12

Height: 181 cm (5'11")

Blood Type: B

Western Zodiac: Aries

Occupation: Maid's Sheep

Likes: Spicy Food, Basketball, Cycling, Reading, & Cooking

Colors Associated: Yellow & Black

Architect Type: Yandere

Best Friend: Shin

Voice Actors: Satoshi Hino & Christopher Ayres

Fav. Quotes

“I don't want to see you cry. I don't want to see you sad or see you suffer, either. I always want to see you smile and I want to make you smile.”

“If I can't protect you, should I break you?”

“The truth is, I want to look after you more than anyone. But I can't.”

“I only want to keep you from crying, but even that wish, I couldn’t grant.”

“I love you… I always have, and always will…”

“I always want to see you smile and I want to make you smile. So for that purpose, I don’t mind if you hate me, that’s what I decided. But IT HURTS.”

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JOKER ROUTE

Ukyo ウキョウ

Age: 24

Birthday: March 3rd

Height: 185 cm (6'1")

Blood Type: O

Western Zodiac: Pisces

Occupation: Professional Photographer

Likes: triathlon, cheerleading, hula dance, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, kabaddi, dance, art, riding, debate, braiding hair, collecting underwear, and photography(also cleaning other personality likes)

Colors Associated: Green

Architect Type: Loner

Best Friend: MC

Voice Actors: Kōki Miyata & Patrick Poole 

Fav. Quotes:

“While I was traveling, searching for you, I died again and again, and I finally realized: a world where you and I can both live doesn't exist.”

“Even though I knew I had to give up, I wanted to see you. I wanted you to smile for me one more time.”

“I've lost count of the number of times I've met you and lost you. But I still… still love you.”

“There's only one way to save you. I have to disappear from this world. Let my wish for you to survive come true.”

[rascalentertainments]

🌟Wish Granted AU🌟 👩🏾🌟🐐✨

(Wish Rewrite Currently in Progress, so this'll be updated casually)

Official Story Synopsis

Chapters: 📖

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time... 🏰

Chapter 2: Into the Woods 🏞

Chapter 3: This Wish ⭐

Chapter 4: You're a Star?! 🌠🎵

Chapter 5: Welcome to Rosas 🌹🏙

Chapter 6: Welcome to Rosas (Part 2) 🌹🔥

Chapter 7: Royal Pains 👑⚡

Chapter 8: Trouble A-Brewin' 🌩🌟

Chapter 9: In the Dark of the Night 🌘

Chapter 10: Hellfire 🔥🌳

Chapter 11: (Not So) Jolly Holiday 🐮🐎🐔

Chapter 12: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Doom 🔮✨🌟

Chapter 13: Poor Unfortunate Souls 👸🍪🐂

Chapter 14 (Coming Soon)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ao3

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Characters Bios/Desgins 👥

Asha

Star

Valentino (Coming Soon)

Magnifico, Amaya and Sabor

The 7 Teens

Gabo (Individual)

Flazino: The Sorcerers' Apprentice

Sabino (Coming Soon)

Sakina and Tomas

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Locations: 🌎

Star's Home: The Startopshere 🌌

Asha's Home: The Hamlet (Coming Soon) 🏞

The Kingdom of Ross (Coming Soon)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Bonus Features:

How Asha got Valentino (Short)

How Star Came To Earth (Short)

What Happened to Tomas? (Coming Soon)

Wish Granted Ship Dynamics

Magic System of Wish Granted

Magic System of Wish Granted (Part 2)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Fan Art Gallery (Coming Soon)🎨

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Wish Granted Askbox!: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Here's some more Wish rewrites created by awesome writers if you want some more Wish content!

"Kingdom of Wishes" by @annymation

"The Fallen Star" by @signed-sapphire

"Reach for the Stars!" by @oh-shtars

"The Assistant and The Star" by @tumblingdownthefoxden

"The Wishing Kingdom" by @chillwildwave

"The Girl and the Star" by @mythartist21

"Wish: Rewrite the Stars" by @gracebethartacc

"A Home in the Stars" by @ahomeinthestars-wishrewrite

"The Kingdom of Thorns and Roses" by @your-ne1ghbor

"Upon a Star" by @snackara

"Kingdom of the Stars" by @thisnameisnotspokenfor

"The Last Star" by @yurikalonesome

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

Kingdom of the Stars: The Prologue:

Next: Chapter 1

((Said passage was said to be a rough translation of an excerpt that was officially taken from the pages of an outdated Rosas History Record.))

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a kingdom that lived in peace and prosperity. One of the people who lived in this kingdom was a powerful young man, named Magnifico, who resided happily with his family.

All seemed well, until disaster struck, and the young man soon found himself alone with his fellow survivors, escaping what once remained of their beautiful king. 

Seeking to give his people peace, Magnifico learned magic, vowing to protect the people from their enemies. With the help of his wife, Amaya, and his best friend, Tomas, they turned their once small struggling refuge, into a respectable civilization, offering refuge to anyone who’d been stricken with a similar tragedy as they had. 

As time passed, the young man continued to study the magic of the world tirelessly, gaining all sorts of abilities and through his knowledge, he had gained the power to turn the hopes and dreams of his people into something tangible.

 And for the good and worthy, even grant those wishes… 

But such power did not go unnoticed,

One day, monsters from the heavens descended. They left death and destruction in their path, as the people began to panic. 

Many believed these monsters to be the manifestations of the stars above, who’d come to take the wishes for themselves. 

Very few knew what to do against these beasts until Magnifico stepped in. He used every ounce of his power to protect the wishes, driving the monsters back to the skies.

Grateful to the young man for saving them, the people decided to make him their king, as he promised to protect the wishes of his subjects from those who intended to harm them. Soon, under his and his wife’s guidance, the magical kingdom of Rosas began to flourish, attracting attention and visitors from near and wide. 

Everything was perfect.

The people pledged to serve and give their wishes to their king and in return he would protect and grant them, of course under the promise that they would never wish upon:

A star. 

[cienie-isengardu]

Liu Kang somehow thought putting Shang on poverty and Quan Chi in OutWorld's mines(likely enslaved) would make them a good people. How he thought that was the case, I have no clue.

Definitely one of the more questionable aspects of probably would've been easier if they just admitted Liu Kang had a bias and made their lives worse thinking they'd cause less trouble if they were miserable rather than painting it as a nonsensical attempt at reformation since it'd show Liu Kang is human and flawed.

Like where is the attempted rehabilitation? Shao Khan had a better chance of life than they did. I understand wanting to prevent them from getting power but his solution didn't even work. If anything, it just made them bitter and pissed when they found Liu Kang was deliberately making their lives terrible.

When I heard the Shang Tsung and Liu Kang character intro I too did immediately think about the miserable conditions in which Shang Tsung and Quan Chi were put on purpose. Understandably this is the most logical connection to make, however it is worth remembering that Liu Kang hasn’t said anything about wishing to redeem those two in story mode alone. Intro dialogues are tricky as they often refer to events that happened totally outside the main story (Bi-Han freeing General Shao from prison, Kuai Liang's marriage with Harumi to name few examples), so there is still, however small and unlikely chance the punishment mentioned by Shang Tsung and Liu Kang’s wish to reform him may refer to something else than Fire God constructing a miserable life for still innocent man solely because he has the misfortune to share the same name (soul?) with Liu Kang’s supposedly dead archenemy. It could, for example, be about punishing Shang Tsung for his involvement in the crisis as the final of the game did not resolve much about what happened to sorcerers or other villains and we know some bits here and there solely from intro dialogues. And by punishing I mean forcing him to make amends for wrongs brought against people of Outworld and Earthrealm, a people Shang Tsung has no love or loyalty for, which could explain why both characters have totally different views on the matter. 

Personally I do connect the intro in question to the main story but like I said, intros are tricky things by nature of talking about events but not showing us what truly happened, sometimes without a proper context, so I’m willing to give it a small benefit of doubt. However I too would like if the story examine more Liu Kang’s bias and favoritism, as he was after all a human first then Keeper of Time and I would like to hear more about his reasoning why he fucked up some people’s lives (Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, orphaned Tomas/Smoke) and some granted a great deal of power over other (Sindel and her whole Royal family) on purpose and why he tried so hard to get as similar result to old Timelines than like, rebuild it all anew.

I’m not even that mad Liu Kang for whatever reason decided to make Shang Tsung and Quan Chi suffer by giving them meaningless life but I’m furious that Shao Kahn get a chance at true redemption as Outworld’s respected champion that put him again in place of power if objectively speaking, Shao Kahn always personified the biggest Bad Thing to happen. Shang Tsung was no less of a threat to Earthrealm, sure, but he was also a subordinate doing his master’s bidding (e.g. creation of Mileena) and as other timelines showed, for failing a master he would pay with his life - and even when he did not fail, he was killed to give resurrected MK9!Sindel additional power like ages of dutiful service meant nothing. Shao’s BIO says he was born as a sickly child and it was his father that did not accept it and molded him into perfect soldier

Born into a proud military family, Shao was expected to become a soldier. But he was a sickly child who, though brilliant and eager, had an infirm body. Shao’s disability infuriated his father. He dismissed his son’s physicians and designed an extreme program to build his son’s strength and endurance. Years of toil molded Shao into a physical colossus and forged within him an iron will. And as his father had promised, Shao became the perfect soldier. His brilliant tactics and relentless effort won Outworld many victories and him much fame

and to be honest, I don’t have an idea, did making Shao the sick/disabled kid who - in theory - couldn’t carry on family military tradition was the punishment (backfired by a stubborn father) or was it a plan to make Shao work hard to earn respect/fame and by serving Royal Family, make up for past sins? The story mode says Liu Kang meant for Shao to be Sindel’s loyal follower which implies rather making him a soldier?

Shang Tsung’s BIO states he “grew up in Outworld’s backwaters. Too lazy for hard labor and too shifty for honest work, he eked out a living selling quack cures and fake magic. Though his wares were useless, Shang Tsung’s easy charm always closed the deal. Shang Tsung was resigned to this hardscrabble life [...]” which makes it sound like the miserable life was his own fault, for being too lazy and not interested in honest work but the game gives a different impression of him, at least for me. Especially compared to Shao thriving as top champion, while Shang Tsung calls his life “barely surviving”.

What is even more weird, if Liu Kang constructed every character's life, why not just, you know, erase Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and Shao Kahn from history and be done with the problem? As the Jacqui Briggs MK11!Ending proves Keeper of Time can erase a person's existence by simple inference in events (Jacqui saving her dad from death at Sindel’s hand in MK9 resulted in Jax never meeting Vera and thus she was not begotten) so why not just meddle before any one of those were born or alternatively, give them different parents or better families to raise them right?

And if Shao could end in a respected family, why not put Shang Tsung between Shaolin Monks and train him to be champion of Earthrealm and like, give him some worthy purpose? 

So, at the end we come back to the question, did Liu Kang on purpose make Shang Tsung and Quan Chi facing miserable hardship under (false) attempt at reformation or just outright to punish them? On one hand, he is not presented as intentionally cruel person (and he did admit being Keeper of Time demands making hard choices) but at the same time, he favors existence of Royal Family (aristocracy) over democracy / equality, he doesn’t seem to mind Umgadi system that forces first born-daughters to be raised as warrior priestesses, who are stripped from any ties to their biological family, are forbidden to marry/be in relationship and whose whole life revolve around serving and protecting Royal Family - and doesn’t Umgadi system resemble the old Lin Kuei before Kuai Liang’s reformation? Generally, there is an interesting contrast between characters serving and seeking power / freedom to not do so, but that is a matter for another time.

Personally, I do not think of Liu Kang as bad person as he stepped from the role of Titan on his own accord and chose to be mere Earthrealm Protector and all, but that does not mean he is above human flaws, and his (and Raiden’s for that matter) life experiences definitely affect to some degree his choices. And let's face it, both Liu and Raiden have never been fond of Shang Tsung.

[imaginary-wanderer]

@krejong tagged me to list 9 of my favourite shows in no particular order, let's go!

Suburra: Blood on Rome. I mean, look. There's everything: good canon gay character, pining, enemies to lovers (no but also yes), the Vatican is rotten, despair, all the despair.

Hannibal. It's just that good. Good writing, good acting, good production. It's dark, it's twisted, it's beautiful. #SaveHannibal

Tatort. I know, I know, "this German boomer cop show?!" but also, you're wrong. It's not really a boomer show anymore at that point, at it's good, you just have to pick the right team for you and maybe stick to the more recent seasons? Granted I don't know a lot of teams yet, what I know is really interesting. Kudos to them for creating this chaotic bi main character that is Karow. And yes, still acab.

Special mention to Polizeiruf 110 Frankfurt/Świecko, another German cop show, but I'm weak, okay? Adam Raczek? Very good. Vincent Ross? Oh, even better, a canon genderfluid main character as a chief detective? I mean, who does that? (German showrunners do apparently) I have to say, it's not even a what I'd call a "good show" but I love the characters. And it tackles the topic of cultural tensions between Germany and Poland, which is interesting, with actors from both countries and real problematics so it's even better.

In The Flesh. Haven't seen it in a while but it was, and probably still is, a very powerful one. Also: gay zombies.

Mindhunter. I can hear you sigh "another cop show", and I can't blame you. Thing is, I'm a sucker for investigations, for mind puzzles, and I like some degree of darkness and violence, it always brings a special flavor of angst. And it's a very good shows, so, you know.

The Exorcist. Father Markus, sweet gay priest. Father Tomas, sweet bi-to-be priest. That's it. The same way cop shows are acab, any religious related show is also acab. All Clergymen Are Bastard. (sorry not sorry, I'm pointing fingers now) I wish the supernatural side of it was more intense though, but that wasn't too bad.

Penny Dreadful. There's a very special atmosphere in this show, the poetry and the darkness are very intimately tied. And the cast is very good too.

It's only 8 shows but it's early and I'm sure I'm forgetting the obvious. But yeah, those are among my fave shows!

[fantasygerard2000]

Reworking Wish

I know this was already said, but the main gripe people have towards Wish is that the potential was there, it just didn't put on the right amount of effort. A criticism that took me long to agree with after sifting through Starboy simping, Magnifico sandals smooching and parasocial hatred towards the house of mouse.

So, after rewatching Wish for like the tenth time or something, I dunno I lost count, I decided to write down some things in the film that needed improvement. This is going to be taking the film as it is and giving it that little push it needed, more time in the oven to bake.

Also, a side tangent I wanna bring up before we move on. I don't like to use the word "fix" especially since it's associated with some people taking a work and reworking it to suit THEIR tastes and preferences, often without permission and out of spite.

Okay, let's proceed.

The film starts with the shot of the book opening and a narrator explaining the story. A classic Disney staple. The narrator "reads" us the creation of Rosas by Magnifico. However, the opening narration emphasizes too much on Magnifico. I get the intent that this is a form of propaganda he made to get parents to tell stories to their kids about him, but this comes with a caveat regarding his backstory that I will explain later.

So, either you have a different person narrating the opening scene like how in the classic Disney movies do instead of Asha. Or have Asha narrating to Sabino told through hand drawn illustrations she drew about how he and his family came to the kingdom of Rosas, visually through hand drawn animation.

Have the rest of the scene play out but major difference here. Instead of Asha applying to become Magnifico's apprentice, she was recommended the job by Amaya. An issue of show-don't-tell is present as Amaya explains how kind and generous Asha is, but is never shown. Have Asha welcome the tourists but the child is too scared to leave the boat, so Asha sing to them about how wonderful the kingdom is to make the child feel better while also helping the townsfolk on the way in her unique way, reminiscent of Mulan during Honor to Us All. Have Amaya watch Asha guide the tourists on a balcony through a window like the Evil Queen if you like to add a nod to Snow White as well subverting the trope to show that she's a good queen.

A detail I like in the film is that instead of having a servant inform Asha that she's ready for the interview, Amaya herself came to the kitchen to inform her herself.

As for the apprenticeship thing, I like to spice things up by having Tomas, Asha's father once worked for Magnifico who he considers a close friend before retiring once Sakina was pregnant with Asha. Amaya, being more close to her people than Magnifico, knew that Asha is Tomas' daughter and seeing how she's takes after him, recommended her husband to have Asha work as an apprentice.

So, Asha, nervous about becoming an apprentice to her father's former boss/friend/like-a-brother cuz why not make an evil uncle figure. The scene plays the same but little emphasis on Tomas. As well as a "he betrayed me" rant from Magnifico later on.

The At All Costs sequence remains the same and the argument afterwards also kept intact. Additional dialogue has Asha mentioning how her father would have told Magnifico the same but he quickly dismisses her.

The argument scene be tweaked with Sabino still hopeful about his wish being granted next year, making the news that Magnifico will never grant his more hurtful for Asha.

The filmmakers' intent for the animals is that they know much about the universe than humans but considering they can't talk, humans just think they're dumb. I'm a Star plays out the same but additional dialogue is given before the song plays, with the animals explaining to Asha that Star can't speak to answer her questions but they can in song form.

The scenes afterwards remains up to This is the Thanks I Get!? I like to add in minor details earlier like Magnifico checking his reflection during the interview as he "listens" to Asha, subtly showing his narcissism and his ties to mirrors.

Also in the interview scene, he mentions about his old home being destroyed by greedy thieves. This was the caveat I mentioned earlier and how his backstory despite being offhandedly mentioned a few times made him too sympathetic for the simps to defend his nonexistent lack of honor. Either we cut out the "tragic" his backstory and simply have him studying magic and the masses praise him so much that he has enough influence to make his own kingdom.

Once Asha returns Sabino's wish to him, have the unused scene above be kept. An issue with the film is that despite Sabino being the main drive for the plot, he barely appears in it enough for viewers to care. So the scene where he can finally be able to play his lute serves as this.

Magnifico arriving at the cottage to arrest Asha plays the same. Additional dialogue has Magnifico informing Asha and the viewer someone close to her who knows of Star ratted her out. After escaping Magnifico, have him burn the cottage if you like more villainy.

The scene after play out the same with some minor tweaks. The teens have a secret hideout, a cave with the entrance be under a tree, a nod the dwarfs and the lost boys. Asha doesn't know the hideout initially but Dahlia has left a clue for her in a form of a hardened cookie, a nod to Esmerelda leaving Quasimodo a clue to find where the Romani are hiding from Frollo. Amaya discovers the hideout by following Asha.

Instead of just books, Star uses the furniture the lift the teens up to the pulleys. Another scene has Amaya and Dahlia destroy the book in hopes of no one using it again. A major change is to have the book inform the reader that the more the person uses dark magic, the corrupt they become instead of committing once they commit to eternity, which I understand sounds like a lazy excuse to not redeem Magnifico.

Have most of the guards go after Asha who thought they were being led by Magnifico but was actually Simon. Have the animals attack the guards and Simon like in Tarzan and Beauty and the Beast.

When Magnifico blasts Amaya, she gets knocked out and drops her crown. To show his people he was the real traitor and make the crowd and remaining guards turn on him before he quickly overpowers them.

Have the climax be given additional dialogue and show Magnifico treating the wishes badly once he had Star.

Give a few moments to the scene where Asha remembers the "we are stars" message. Have her look at the her and her father's wishing tree and a moment of reflection before she starts singing.

After Magnifico's defeat, have the scene play out the same but with additional dialogue from Amaya towards Magnifico. Additional dialogue from Sakina reveal Asha her wish.

Once she takes after Magnifico's place as ruler, Amaya wears a more colorful dress, particularly a red colored tone down version of her original dress, showing she's a more competent ruler than Magnifico as well being tied to the rose, the symbol of Rosas.

After the brief timeskip, Asha wears a different dress than her previous one that gets sparkly once Star made her a fairy godmother, justifying the Cinderella reference without too being on the nose.

As for other stuff like the songs, they're fine. Just need a few lines change to sound less awkward.

The animation is fine too, though a lower frame rate like in the clip below would've suffice. And yeah, people will accused Disney for copying Spider-verse, but honestly I don't care since they'll accuse Disney of anything bad, even if they included the stuff they wanted.

And that's all what I can think of to "improve" Wish.

As much as I like this movie, I do understand why most people don't to the point of "fixing" it. However, fixing it isn't to add a love interest or a villain couple, it's to figure out what works and doesn't. Which is why as much as I have my own version of Star that is very loosely based after the Starboy concept, I didn't added them in it because it'd be unnecessary and distracting.

Wish's flaws are the intentions that were there and obvious, but the way they were executed was lacking. Hence why some of the "improvements" are what the filmmakers intended but given a tweak. Even stuff I added like Tomas being Magnifico's former best friend and apprentice are things the can be better if executed properly or not.

My general thoughts on the rewrite fandom is that some do have the right idea but just have the wrong priorities.

And as much as I wrote down changes to Wish that could may have and have not improved it, I don't want to be praised for it because they general attitude of "this is better than X" has left a sour mark on my thoughts towards the vocal minority in animation fandom or any fandoms.