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annymation · 2 months

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The Tale of A Witch and A Prince.

"Kingdom of Wishes- Wish Rewrite" Prequel

It's time to FINALLY talk about Amaya's backstory! AND HOW THE EVIL COUPLE WE LOVE TO HATE MET! WOOOO!

So here's how this will work, this will be ONE chapter, summarizing where Amaya came from and what led her to Rosas, how her and young Magnifico met, and how they started dating. If you think that's interesting, then come along! And I'll tell you their twisted fairytale!

IMPORTANT: This is purely based on Magnifico and Amaya from my rewrite, if you're new here and haven't read it yet... Well this might not be for ya, it's just gonna be kinda confusing, but hey, here's the link for my Wish rewrite.

Also, here’s how everyone in this story looks, thank you @uva124 for drawing these amazing designs!

Part 1- A Provincial Life

Once upon a time, in a simple village in Athens, Greece, there lived a beautiful, kind and generous young girl, called Amaya.

Amaya was hard working, always helping her family with chores such as cleaning, cooking and taking care of farm animals and anything else that they needed her help with.

However, she wanted more for herself than that, not necessarily anything grand. She just didn't find enjoyment in these simple activities, specially taking care of the animals. She hated farm animals.

But those responsibilities were expected of her, she had to be useful in the community, and she wanted to, she wanted to help others and make her family proud, she wanted to fit in more than anything, but she wanted to do that her own way.

One day, Amaya went to explore away from her village, and she found an abandoned temple, that used to preach Circe, the Goddess of sorcery. Amaya was curious, so she went inside, and in there she found many scrolls containing potion recipes for all sorts of things: potions for healing, changing one's appearance, improving in a talent, making someone more fortunate… And even make someone fall in love.

She was fascinated, in that temple she found everything there was to know about potion brewing. Amaya was already a very studious girl, she loved to read, and she also loved gardening, and understanding plants is a big part about making potions.

So she decided to give it a try.

And thus, she discovered her calling. Amaya started out secretly practicing potion making, and as her talent grew, she began to share it with the people.

She could finally be useful in her own way, and fulfill her deepest wish... Make others happy.

Everyone loved it, Amaya shared her potions for free, to aid the ill, give better voices to aspiring singers, make elders feel younger, make the food taste better, her people couldn’t be more thankful.

She gained the respect of her town, and many friends too, everything was wonderful... But... She still felt like there was something missing, yes, the people loved her for her talent, but she couldn't help but feel that the people didn’t love her… For who she was... She was surrounded by people, but she felt alone.

She wondered if she’d ever meet someone that loved her regardless of what she could give them... And sure enough, she did meet someone.

Adonis was Amaya’s first love. She met the handsome lad when she was an young adult, and he loved her deeply for who she was. He never asked her for a potion, no favors, all he wanted was her company, to listen to her talk, and admire her beauty. Amaya was absolutely smitten, and she didn’t want to ever let go of this feeling. The girl felt like she finally found her happily ever after...

But we all know that’s not how her story ends. For that ever after was taken away from her...

There was another girl in the village who also loved Adonis, her name was Harmona. The girl grew jealous, so one day she asked Amaya for a love potion, and Amaya, so naive, made her one with no reservations, after all Harmona was her friend, so she trusted that the potion would be used wisely.

She couldn't have predicted what her "friend" did next.

One day, when she was picking some flowers to her love... She found him and the girl sharing a tender kiss. Amaya could only watch, frozen in her grief and heartbreak, as the girl smiled maliciously at her and handed to Amaya an empty flask of love potion...

Amaya tried to hold her once lover by his arm, begging him to resist the spell... But Adonis didn't even turn to look at her... She was sobbing and he didn't listen.

He was gone.

Amaya spiraled down into depression. Completely lost in her heartbreak and misery.

Days went by with her making no potions for the people in the village. Some friends tried to give her support... But it didn't take long for some of them to ask her when would she prepare the potions they asked for.

... Amaya realized... Those "friends" didn't care about her, no one in that village ever did... Only he did... And now he's gone.

They all just wanted to use her.

The kind hearted girl was gone, her heart turned into stone. She vowed to never let anyone else take advantage of her ever again, and she would make them all feel the same pain that she was feeling, if not worse.

It was the day of the harvest-festival, a day to celebrate the goddess Demeter and share their plentiful crops and fruits, the people joyfully gathered to feast... And then, it began.

The curses.

Some people started aging rapidly, others became depressed, some lost their sanity, their memories and even their sight, but most were turned into animals.

Any other curse you can imagine was casted upon them.

Amaya had poisoned the crops with the most wicked potions she could find in those scrolls. She couldn't stop laughing watching the chaos unfold around her.

"What's the matter?! I thought you all wanted more of my potions!"

The few villagers that managed to resist the curses tried to capture her, but Amaya had already planned everything for her escape. She prepared a boat and left it ashore with food and water, she'd sail off far away from Athens, leave everything she ever knew behind.

Amaya managed to escape. All she could hear as she sailed away were the screams of the people she once called friends, neighbors and even family, all of them calling her:

A witch.

Part 2- The King and The Prince

After months of travel, only stopping by in a few islands to rest, and then sail off farther and farther away, Amaya eventually got lost at sea, and she was caught by a storm that sent her off her course. She was passed out on the boat when she was found... By a fishing boat, with a flag that had a Rose insignia.

When she woke up, she was laying on the most comfortable bed she ever felt... She looked around and realized she was in a lavish room, that could only be fit for a castle.

"Ah, veo que finalmente te despertaste!" A young and cheerful voice said from next to her, speaking in a language she didn't understand.

The girl got startled, and she quickly turned to the sight of a young man wearing royal attire. His hair was shoulder length and black as ebony, his skin white as snow, and his smile was friendly and innocent. The young man was sitting next to the bed on a comfortable chair while reading a book.

He looked sorry for scaring her and seemed to apologize, but Amaya still couldn't understand him

"No entiendes ni una palabra de lo que digo, ¿verdad? Espera, sé qué hacer" He starts to move his hands, and Amaya's eyes widen in shock as she sees blue magic flowing from his fingertips, he looks at her reassuringly that there's nothing to fear before snapping his fingers, making the magic go straight to Amaya's heart and enchant her.

She doesn't feel anything different, until he speaks again.

"There, that should do it!" The sorcerer said joyfully "Now, let's try this again-"

The young man introduced himself as King Florian of Rosas.

The king explained to Amaya that his men found her adrift at sea, and he requested she'd be brought to the castle immediately so he could be of assistance. He told her he was a sorcerer, a wish granting sorcerer, and it was his sworn duty to make sure all the people in his kingdom had their wish granted... That is, unless they felt like they could grant their wish by themselves, which the young king greatly encouraged too.

Amaya thought it was quite odd for a king to be so... Young.

He was younger than her. He was 19, and she was 24. She asked if he had lost his parents too soon or something. The king explained that no, he just so happens to be the heir that was more... Qualified for the job... Florian realized he accidentally spoke too much and asked her to keep that between them, his older brother wouldn't like other people knowing about that.

"Anyway! Enough about me, I’m sure your story is way more interesting, right? Please, do tell! What got you on that boat? Where do you come from?" The king asks curious, crossing his legs and leaning closer to her, excited to hear all the details.

The girl knows very well that she can't tell this king anything about her past... So, she pulls an innocent girl act, which comes naturally to her as not long ago she was an innocent girl herself

"I... I rather not speak about it, your majesty... It's all far too painful to even put into words" Her voice cracks and she looks at him like she's about to cry.

The king's eyes are full of pity "That's alright, all that matters is that you're safe now, far from whatever you had to run away from. You may tell me what that was when you're ready." He comforts her, talking quite maturely for his age.

Amaya gives him a gentle smile, this king is quite adorable... And gullible. If she plays her cards right, and manages to brew some love potion... She just might become the queen of this land.

"You're so kind, your majesty. How may I ever repay you?" She asked giving him an alluring look that could put a siren to shame.

"Oh perish the thought! You have nothing to repay haha I'm just making sure you feel welcomed here in Rosas!" He says gleefully, completely missing that Amaya tried to flirt with him, to her disappointment "Which reminds me, we must get you settled here in the kingdom at once, I can give you a tour an-"

Then, they heard a voice coming from outside of the room, shouting with rage:

"FLORIAN! Now where's that little- How many times must I tell you to NOT get near my half of the study?! I found one of your books in there! DID YOU LOOK THROUGH MY THINGS?!"

The girl was surprised by the yelling, and ponders who'd dare to speak with the king of the nation like that.

The young king just gave her an embarrassed smile and said

"Heh heh please forgive my brother, he has... Uh... A bit of a temper sometimes."

A tall man with dark brown hair wearing royal clothes just like Florian's barged through the door

"There you are! Now explain wh-" The man stops when he sees Amaya laying on the bed.

... Amaya eyes widen when she sees the handsome man at the door... Her heart skips a beat… She felt something... Something she didn't feel in quite a while... But somehow, it was even more intense this time.

The two stare at each other mouth agape for a moment with Florian sitting between them looking side to side awkwardly, so he breaks the silence:

"... *Ahem* Amaya, this is my older brother, Prince Magnus. Magnus, this is Amaya, the girl found by the fisherman that I told you about this morning... Or did you forget?" Florian asks with an eyebrow raised, already used to his brother not listening to him most of the time.

Magnus blinks a few times like he just snapped out of a trance, his previous anger vanished completely and is replaced by an almost shy smile as he bows respectfully to her "It indeed slipped my mind that we'd be in the company of a guest today, so pleased to make your acquaintance."

Florian looks surprised with how polite his brother was, usually he'd just find an excuse to leave the room whenever there were people visiting the castle... He turns to Amaya and sees how she was blushing, her eyes sparkled while she stared at his brother.

... Oh... Florian smiles widely knowing just what to do.

"SAY! Amaya, I just realized, I haven't asked for your wish yet!" The young king says excitedly

"... My wish?" She turns to the king, also snapping out of her love struck trance "Is- Is giving you my wish a requirement to live here?" she asks concerned, knowing that if the king takes a look into her now tainted heart’s truest desires he might get suspicious of her.

"Oooh no! Hahah of course not, it's your own decision. But I have a gut feeling you know just what it is, so I might as well grant it, right?" Florian discreetly gives his brother a wink like he's doing his big brother a huge favor

Said big brother has no clue what that wink was about, so he just looks very confused.

Amaya thinks... She wants to get this king to fall in love with her... But then again, his brother is way more gorgeous, maybe she cou-NO, nononono no she couldn't! She couldn't let herself fall in love again, besides, marrying his brother wouldn't make her a queen... Unless she killed Florian... WHICH WOULD BE AN UNNECESSARY RISK!- NO she had to listen to her head! She had to think what would be the easiest way to get closer to the king and give him a love potion?... Working in the palace.

"I don't think your magic will be required to grant my wish, your highness. All I wish is to show my gratitude for your hospitality, perhaps if I could... Offer my services here in the castle-"

"Done. What can you do?" Florian accepts in a heartbeat.

Amaya is surprised by how quickly he accepted, she thought she'd have to convince him a bit, but okay, she rolls with it "Oh- well, I can... I can..." She thinks for a moment, she really doesn't want to return to those chores she had in her past life, of cleaning and cooking... Would he grow skeptical if she told him she was a potion maker?... He was naive, so maybe "I can brew potions." She says casually.

The two brothers both raise their eyebrows at that, Florian asks in shock "As in... MAGIC potions?"

Amaya realizes she may just have blown her chances, but she continues "Y-yes, but-"

"THAT'S PERFECT!" Florian jumps from the chair, absolutely ecstatic "Potion making was never one of my strengths! It's decided, you shall be my royal alchemist!" He announces enthusiastically, Amaya smiles at that, successfully getting just what she wanted "Did you hear that broth-" Florian turns to where Magnus was standing, but he's no longer there "... Aaaaand he's gone... *sigh*" Florian looks rather disappointed and then turns to Amaya "He always been more of an introvert, ya know? Hehe"

Amaya smiles at the young king, masking her true intentions with the same kindhearted expression she always had before her heart was broken. Now, all she had to do was bind her time, and soon, she’d go from a witch to a queen.

Part 3- In The Woods

Amaya was welcomed to stay in the palace until a new house was prepared just for her, sure, she could stay lodged at some family's house, but Florian insisted for her to stay in the castle in the mean time, she could sleep in the guest room on the west wing of the castle. How could she refuse? It was like the king wanted to make this easier for her.

Days went by, and she'd do everything to gain even more of Florian's trust... Not like that was hard, all she did was stay hours listening to him blabbering about the history of their kingdom, how important wishes are, how much he cared for his people and other stuff that Amaya had to try her hardest not to roll her eyes over.

... Oh, and his older brother was there too, but he mostly stayed silent in the background, only throwing some sarcastic remarks here and there during Florian's enthusiastic speeches, some that even got a chuckle out of Amaya.

He'd often observe Amaya very closely and attentively while she made her potions... She started to wonder if maybe he was on to her plans, after all, he seemed way less naive than his brother... Well, she could deal with him if he ever got in her way, though it would be such a waste to kill his pretty face she wouldn't let anyone get in her way.

After enough time had passed... Amaya started to put her plan into motion.

All she needed was the ingredients to make her love potion. She went into the woods to gather the last ingredients she required.

Amaya was humming sweetly as she gathered some herbs... But she wasn't alone thought, as she hears a voice coming from behind a tree

"Not that I think someone who traveled such a long distance as you did is helpless but..." The charming voice startled Amaya, she turns to the tree and sees Prince Magnus reveal himself, walking from behind it holding a rose "A maiden such as yourself shouldn't be walking all alone in the woods, care for some company?"

"Oh! Prince Magnus, what a surprise!" Amaya says innocently with a smile, hiding that internally she's wondering why would he follow her? Florian mentioned once how his brother never leaves the palace... He's definitely suspicious of her, so she keeps her little act "Of course! I'd be delighted hihihi" She giggles

"I'm glad to hear that, but please, do me a kindness and cut the act." He says it dryly with a knowing smug.

Amaya eyes widen at that, her face turns worried, but she quickly makes it so it looks like she's hurt by the king's comment and not that she just got caught

"Act? W-what do you mean by that, your majesty?" Her voice is filled with confusion

"Heh heh Oh please, you may have fooled my little brother, but you don't fool me... I know what you are." (🏳️‍🌈?) He keeps a distance from her while walking around the trees with his hands behind his back, his tone is casual like this is just some small talk.

Amaya is calculating her next moves in her head, maybe he's bluffing to get a confession out of her "What do you think I am?" she asks, genuinely curious to hear the answer, as she knows there's no way he knows the whole truth

"Weeeeeell allow me to share some deductions" He leans on a tree while looking at the rose on his hand, and starts to explain his thought process "When you arrived here, I noticed you were wearing a chiton, a garment commonly worn in Greece. Which is faaaar away from Rosas. So you made quite the voyage all on your own, as if you were running away from something." He gives her a look like he's very impressed, then he continues "One may think "Oh the poor thing, she must have been desperate to run far far away from some horrible people"... But I believe that, most often than not, the ones seen as wicked are the ones who run away the farthest."

Amaya feels a sweat run down her forehead "Your highness, do you think I'm a bad person?" She sounds heartbroken and places a hand on her chest

"I didn't say that." He smirks at her, still leaning on a tree "I said "SEEN as wicked" heheh but anyway, you're well versed in potion brewing, a talent that isn't exactly frowned upon there, I mean, followers of Circe and Hecate are all about it." Magnus wasn't as much of a bookworm as his brother, but he knew a thing or two about Greek Mythology, after all a king must know about not only their kingdom's culture but also all cultures that may visit the kingdom... Even though he never got to be king "However, it would be very frowned upon if... Used with ill intentions." He starts walking towards her now.

"I- I would never do such a thing! You got it all wrong!" She exclaims, trying her hardest to think of some sob story she can tell him to explain what made her leave her home "I'm- Uh- I just don't want to talk about-"

"My dear, please, I believe you're the one who got this all wrong" He holds her hand gently and kisses it "I just wish to know the real you." His blue eyes gaze at her passionately.

Amaya finally realizes... He's in love with her as well. And like she has been suspecting for a while now, he's not good intentioned like his brother, no, he wants the crown too...

And he wants to USE her to get it, just like they used her in the past.

Amaya finally does drop the act, her face goes cold and irritated as she pulls her hand away from his hold.

"Was that's really all it took for you to figure it out? My dress and the fact I make potions?" She asks, looking at him with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

Magnus actually looks pleased to see her in a different light.

"Actually, what really gave it away was you not giving your wish to my brother, all you wanted was to "work in the palace", pffft yeah right, once I heard that I knew... You want the crown... And so do I." He smiles devilish with that notion "So, since we both desire the same thing, I thou-"

"You want me to kill your brother so you'll be king, and then we get married, correct?" She interrupts him sharply, her eyes narrowed.

"That's right." He confirms with a grin "Now, I know it sounds sordid, but-"

"No." She cuts him off once again and just walks off into the woods to get her ingredients.

Magnus is surprised by that, quickly walking after her "W-why not? You'd get what you want, and you'd marry someone who actually understands you!"

The woman just laughs at that as she walks away from him "HAH! Understands me? You don't even know me!" She starts walking faster deeper into the forest

Magnus has a harder time to moving around, as he hasn't stepped foot in the forest since he was a boy, his mother used to take him there to have picnics.

(Shocker: Magnifico was a mamas boy)

"But I did just read you like an open book, did I not?" He asks confidently while trying to catch up to her "Come on, you feel it too, don't you? We are meant to be! And doesn't this sound like quite the fairytale? A bitter prince and a spellbinding witch-"

Amaya stops on her tracks when she hears that last word... Oh, she's gonna give this prince something worse than the slap in the face he deserves.

"WELL! Since we're reading each other like open books now, I suppose it's my turn." She turns to him with fire in her eyes, Magnus realizes he might've made the wrong choice of words as he locks his mouth shut "For you see "Your highness" I happen to also know EXACTLY what you are: A fraud." His eyes widen and he scrunches his eyebrows at that comment, Amaya smiles now that she finally got a reaction out of him "That's right, I noticed how your brother's hands always sparkle when he uses magic, while yours don't. And the very few times you did use magic to levitate a book or open a door, King Florian was conveniently hiding away, once even behind the thin curtains, from where I could SEE he was the one using magic, just helping create the illusion that it was YOU!" Magnifico cursed his brother internally for his incompetence, even though that was Florian's idea in the first place. "So once again, my answer is NO, I won't help you with your little regicide, just so you can get the crown that "daddy dearest" promised you when you were a little brat. I know your type, you'll throw me away as soon as the deed is done and I'm no longer of use to you!" She says that furious like she's trying to remind herself that this will happen if she follows her heart again.

Magnus looks shocked, no one has ever talked with him with such anger before... But he senses there's something more than anger in there. There is pain.

She was hurt before.

Amaya turns around, thinking maybe now the prince will get the message, but she's stopped by his voice

"Amaya, wait." He didn't call her by her name before... And hearing it come from him made her heart skip a beat for a moment, she's not facing him but she can hear his voice approaching "... Was your heart broken?" His voice is of genuine worry, no hint of malice or second intentions, because for once there are none.

Amaya feels her heart tighten with the question, she looks down as memories of what she once had start flooding back. "... That's none of your business" she says harshly, trying to mask her sadness.

"Alright... But I just need you to know, I would NEVER make you suffer. When I look at you, I don't see a peon to be used, I see the queen I've always dreamed of having by my side, to protect forever." He speaks gently and tries to hold her hand... And Amaya lets him, feeling her heart flutter with every word "... I understand what I propose is a great risk, for both of us... But I have a plan, and if- WHEN we succeed and rule over this land, I promise you, I'll give you the whole world and more!" He declares to her, probably the most honest words he has spoken in years.

Amaya takes in what he just said... There's more passion in his words than anything Adonis ever said to her... And most importantly, he makes her feel loved, for who she is.

Magnus sees her sad expression change into a comfortable smile, he looks at her in the eyes and offers her the rose he had brought with him "So, what do you say, my queen?"

Amaya looks at the rose... She does raise her hand to hold it but she stops herself... Who's to say he's being honest?

She looks at him intrigued "And why should I trust you?... Or rather, why should you trust me?" She inverts the question with a malicious smile now, and threatens him, just to see his reaction "Perhaps, once you're my little husband I might just put some poison in your tea.”

Magnus actually finds the threat quite enticing, and just tries to use it as a way to flirt... Somewhat. "Well, if you were my wife, I'd drink it." He says with a seductive voice.

Amaya's smile drops into a dumbfounded stare, as she doesn't understand what he means by that.

... Magnus realizes what he just said, his confidence vanishes and he awkwardly tries to explain what he meant by that "W-wait no!- I- I don't mean I'd want to DIE if we were married! Hahah- I uh I meant to say that IF you wanted me dead I'd gladly die for you! You know??? Is that cheesy???" He kept trampling over his words trying to explain himself.

Amaya looks at him nervously stutter away, blabbering about how he'd devotedly die for her... She smiles, and even giggles a little, amused by his sudden flustered state. Her eyes sparkle with fondness for the prince as she sighs. She knows now that she can trust him, he's not pretending to love her... And she's done pretending that she doesn't feel the same.

She grabs him by the collar of his royal vest "Shut up and kiss me, you fool."

She kissed him. The man's eyes widen for a moment in surprise but then he melts into her kiss like his bones are now made of jelly.

Once they break the kiss, Amaya looks at him wickedly and grabs the rose from his hand, feeling it's sent before she asks "So... You mentioned you had a plan?"

Magnus recovers from the kiss, and begins to smile just as deviously as they both gaze upon eachother’s eyes.

And 1 year later, they put their plan into motion...

But that's a story for another time.

(And that story is here, here’s how they killed him)

Final Thoughts

MAN! THIS TOOK LONGER THAN I THOUGHT!

Okayyyy so that was Amaya's long awaited backstory! And boy did it go through changes over time, I'm actually glad I took this long to share it because I had time to perfect it.

See, for a long time, Amaya's tale began in a typical fairytale setting, a provincial village like the one Belle lived, however, as I developed her design with @uva124 I realized it made a lot of sense to make her greek, because her story reflects Megara's, a young girl that wants to have nothing to do with love because her heart has been broken before. And her cursing a whole village after her boyfriend broke up with her? That's some vengeful greek goddess attitude, she actually reminds me a lot of Medea, look it up.

But speaking figures from greek mythology, the name Adonis for her ex wasn't random, see, initially I was just gonna make it a disney reference, so I looked up "Megara's ex" to see if he had a name, and sure enough, he does! He appeared in the Hercules TV show, and his name was Adonis. I decided to look up who is Adonis in greek mythology... And what I found could not have been more perfect:

"In Greek mythology, Adonis was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. Later, the two goddesses began to compete for the boy's company, and had to submit to Zeus' sentence. He stipulated that he would spend a third of the year with each of them, but Adonis, who preferred Aphrodite, also spent the remaining third with her. This myth gives rise to the idea of the annual vegetation cycle, with the seed remaining underground for four months."

... Do you see it??? Adonis got them girls FIGHTING!!! Zeus had to intervene!

Anyway, this mirrors my story so perfectly its hilarious. With Amaya being Persephone, who later married Hades, who happens to be a big inspiration on Magnifico's character (The Disney Hades I mean) it's like it was written in the stars.

Then there's Harmona, the girl who stole Adonis, her name is to reference "Harmony", the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. And Harmona just sounds like a evil name to me, so it fits.

About Amaya herself though, I love this woman so much, girl really cursed a whole population and then dipped out into the ocean like freakin Moana. Then as soon as she got rescued by a king she was like "Oh I can pull a gold digger scheme here" Like girl is not playing, she's done being a disney princess she wants power, I respect that.

And Florian, this lil OC that I love so much. Poor guy was Magnifico x Amaya (Magaya?) first shipper, all he wanted was to be a good wing man for his big bro, and that got him killed. Tragic.

But in all seriousness, Florian is such an interesting character for me to write, cause in a way, he's a mix of Asha and Aster. He has Asha's ideals of people being allowed to grant their own wishes, which was something that he encouraged people to do, and also Aster's cheerfulness and innocence.

Also he's straight up male Snow White, not just in how he looks but also personality wise... And cause of death wise.

Now, I mentioned a LOOOONG time ago how Asha kinda mirrors Amaya, and how Magnifico kinda mirrors Aster.

Well, now I can finally show what I meant. Asha and Amaya wished for the same thing, to fit in, and to make other's happy.

Amaya in chapter 5 is the one who suggests how they should change Asha's wish, almost like she's eager to destroy it, because it reminds her of herself, she sees a younger version of herself in Asha. She wants Asha to go through the same pain she went through, of facing the reality that in the end, trying to please others in order to fit in is pointless, no matter how many people are around you, you're still all alone.

The word "Alone" is kind of a theme with Amaya in the rewrite

When Amaya confronts Asha in the plaza, she says "But you miscalculated, my dear, for we are mighty, and you? You are all alo-"

Then right before she says the word Aster pushes her away from Asha.

Then near the finale, Amaya is about to strike Asha withe a sword, and she says

"I'm afraid this is where your story ends, with you... All alone"

Then Dahlia kicks her like "SHUT UP WITCH!"

So point is, Asha was never alone, even if Amaya really wanted to make her feel that way, the same way she felt alone all those years ago.

Thing is that maybe Amaya wasn't even alone for real, she's an un-reliable narrator there, not because she's lying but because her mind was so distressed that she THOUGHT her friends didn't care about her, but that was paranoia. Asha did have a whole kingdom thinking she was a weirdo, but she still kept her head high and cherished her friends, that's what makes her different from Amaya.

About Aster and Magnifico though, it's way more simple, as they're both more simple characters when it comes to their backstories honestly.

Aster wanted to prove himself to be just as good as the other stars, but wanted to do things his way, he did, and he got his happy ending because of that

Magnifico wanted to prove himself to be just as good as the kings that came before him, but he wanted to do things his way, by not granting wishes and not learning magic because it was too hard for him... And he didn't get his happy ending because of that, he got replaced by his little brother.

So basically, what differentiates Aster and Magnifico, how the world around them reacted to their actions, and how they reacted to the world.

How a character deals with trauma is what differentiates them from a hero to a villain.

Let's see... Anything elseeee... Oh yeah, the way that Amaya held Adonis arm and cried for him to look at her is a parallel to Amaya and Magnifico's pose when they're turning into statues, she re-lived that exact moment again, with the man that promised to "Never make her suffer". And Aster makes a comment to Magnifico about how "Then you don't love her, all you want is to use her" and that REALLY stings on Mag exactly because he promised to never use her.

So you see, this whole story re-contextualizes a whole lot of stuff in the rewrite... Or not, maybe I'm just losing my mind, anyway, see you guys next time, my job is far from over with these characters! But I'll try to do something Asha x Aster related now because this was A LOT of villain couple for my system.

Thank You For Reading!

#wish rewrite #wish reimagined #disney wish #kingdom of wishes #wish #disney #wish 2023 #wish movie #wish disney #wish star #king magnifico x amaya #king magnifico #amaya x magnifico #queen amaya #magnifico x amaya

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luniise-kel · 27 days

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redesigned the evil fellas and rewrote some of their lore,,

for any1 who cares, basically donella is now a healer / medic. when she and ulla found the eternal library, they still got into an argument but this time don wanted to go home because they found what they wanted to find while Ulla wanted to keep going deeper. accidents happen and ulla is cursed to stay in the library while don is cursed to stay out of it. don then dedicates her life to trying to get her bestie out of there. The curse also caused her to get a lazy eye plus a scar. Hugo used her scar eyebrow slit as inspiration for his own eyebrow slit. Most of the people who work for her are people she has healed / provides medicine.

her muscle for hire (cyrus) got a massive design overhaul bc i thought they both looked far too Evil. He works for Don because his brother is a bit ill and he cannot afford the meds normally, so he acquires them through don instead. I think hes a bit like laios from dungeon meshi in terms of personality, kinda goofy and well meaning. when he has to attack Varian and Co, hes like keeps apologizing because he feels bad hurting kids (hes like 30is).

Hugo comes to work w don bc of his arm (in me and my sister’s rewrite, hugo doesn’t have his left arm no more (blonde and no arm trope) ) and don is the one who made sure he didnt bleed out so he kinda owes her. also she helped to Make his arm. She tends to set him up with jobs here and there, before she sends him on the Eternal Library quest mostly to test his trust.

In terms of visual design, don gives people that weird metal wrist band to show other rogues and criminals that they are under her protection. She gave hugo one but he mistook it for a Strange hair tie and uses it as such. He uses a wrench to tighten it btws. anyways, don doesnt say anything about it because she dgaf.

uh sorry for the long ramble, i just have a many of thoughts about vat7k (specifically my ver) uh but yeah, i have more to say but just so the post isnt too long lmao (also funny snufkin doodle bc i was watching moomin)

#vat7k #varian and the seven kingdoms #donella vat7k #cyrus vat7k #luniise art

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the-s1lly-corner · 11 months

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Hi. Can I request something similar to the immortals outliving you? Could it be with the rest of the characters and us passing from other causes?

Their reactions to losing you

I wasnt sure if you wanted the immortals as well, so I added them in here as well!

This is all written in one go since tumblr doesnt let me save drafts for asks so I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes <\3 it's like 1am rn

CONTENT WARNINGS, idk what all needs a warning but I'd rather play it VERY safe:

M*rder

M*rder revenge, almost all of them touch on it tbh, love me the revenge trope

Snorts^

D3ath, obviously

Grief and the general hurt that comes with it

In EJs case he sees your death first hand

Does violently slamming yourself around count as SH /genq, because if so that's vagued in EJs part as well

Maskys handles a hit and run but its vague

Masky also hints to a smoking addiction

Nonspecific illness in hoodies part

Slenderman;

I remember that I mentioned this for Slendermans part, but I had an idea that he already accepted that fact that you wouldn't last forever

But I don't remember if I mentioned/vagued the idea of how he'd react to you're life being forcibly cut short

Accepting the fact you'll eventually pass away does nothing when he finds out someone else was responsible for your sudden end

All that comes out is a cold rage, something that the creature hasn't experienced in a long time

Writing this, it makes me remember that clip from the first episode of castlevania where dracula appears in the fire in episode one, after they kill his wife

But instead of carelessly showing himself to the world in a fit of rage, he fiercely protects everything that you touched; his forest, your home, your grave, ect

But despite the rage he doesnt immediately take down the person who caused this

Nonono, he does what he does best; he chips away at the person's mind through stalking and paranoia, essentially tormenting them for.. god knows how long until he gets bored

When he does decide hes through with them he'll make sure their... death... is drawn out

Basically don't meddle in the life of a forest monster; he may be a very... passionate.. lover

Splendorman;

Incredibly similar to the other version of this post where he naturally outlives you

But if you pass unnaturally, he'd be even more torn up about it

His time with you was already going to be short to begin with, but it was cut down even shorter

Doesnt matter the cause; murder, illness, accident, ect.. he'll be just as broken up

There's no real significant changes; he still mourns and honors you the same way for the most part

Laughing Jack;

It was an accident; one day you were there and the next, gone

He would stay in the house for a few days, not even knowing what was going on

At first he'd be worried and confused, before those feelings would deepen into something debilitating

He'd probably eventually find out through the news, after turning on the tv to pass the time and fill the silence

His worry immediately morphs into ice cold; he could feel his heart drop

He'd throw caution to the wind and try to track down whoever did he

He doesnt care if it was an accident, he wants justice and compensation

He follows a similar route as slenderman; the only thing is, is that jack lacks the patience to draw it out

After everything is said and done he's beside himself; avenging you didnt bring him back and it hardly made him feel better

He likely just. Goes back to what he was doing before he met you; drifting from house to house and causing havoc; but now he carries a melancholic aura

Eyeless Jack;

Another story of revenge, but with a twist so his part isnt too similar to LJ and slenders

So I'll be using the idea I should've given slenderman (but I'm too stubborn to rewrite his part)

Like Slenderman, Jack is seen as a cryptid and thus, there are naturally going to be people trying to hunt him down. Especially considering before he was a cursed monster he was a normal dude who got caught up in a whole... thing... and who's body was obviously never found as it still walks

Jack is.. semi used to that; but one day he completely catches him off guard, and what's worse is that you were there when it happened

It was a group, too, usually they come in two; but there were more that day. If it were less Jack could have easily put a stop to it all

It escalated

You had tried to step in to help him, to buy him some time so he could run; but it all went wrong

I don't like going into detail about this kind of thing, so this will be up to interpretation

The whole thing flings him into a rage and he makes quick work of the remaining hunters, but it's all too late

Even if he wasn't, how could he help? He cant just leave the woods and dump you at a hospital... but he doesnt have the supplies to help you then and there... and even if he did you were both much too far away from the cabin

It just leaves him helplessly trying to stop the bleeding

He hardly ever leaves the woods after that; not even to eat

He's resorted to.. rather violently subduing the monstrous side of him that craves flesh

There's broken furniture everywhere

He blames himself

He should have had you stay in the cabin

He should have told you to run

He should have told you to hide

He should've...

The worst thing is that he begins to believe that it was his fault; afterall he let you out of his sight when he began fighting. Even worse, and perhaps stupidly, he believed this wouldn't have happened if he never met you

Its

Rough

Masky;

He just sits there, quietly

Be it shock or something else he just sits there

But his mind is going a mile a minute to try to figure out what exactly happened to you

You were.. in a wreck, and the other person just. Fled.

As feral as I tend to write and interpret masky, he can be thorough when it comes to investigating

Though I'm torn in whether or not he'd actually be able to find the person; especially because I'm kinda. Dumb when it comes to crime stuff and I'm not about to do mental gymnastics on something I'm not confident in <\3

In terms of grief, he seems... lost...

I don't usually hc that Masky smokes; that's just a Tim thing

But I feel like the smoking would bleed into Masky and become a whole... issue.. whether or not Tim as his own person knows about you/was involved with you is up to interpretation; as I tend to write the proxies as a separate.. thing

Still trying to find the correct term

But yeah

Focusing back in on Masky, he's kinda just lost. Angry, definitely, but mostly just. Wandering through life

He doesn't want to forget you

Hoodie;

Similar to Masky he's quiet and lost

Similarly he would feel the urge to try to find out who took you away; but I feel we've had enough "S/o dies at the hands of someone else" for this post, so we'll do something else... and because I fear hoodies portion will be too similar to maskys

You got sick, to put it simply

It's.. odd..

He's well aware that you're deteriorating, and he's aware that time is running out

But he can't help but feel calm in your presence; its only when you're apart that he feels that dread, and its constant

Maybe it's the fact that when he's with you he can easily convince himself that, in that moment, you're alright

It hurts when it finally happens

Out of all the guys, he's probably the most normal(?) About the situation

He visits your grave, a lot of the time, leaves little gifts there

He doesn't talk much, but he probably talks to you

Likely keeps something on him to remember you, like a locket or something

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mxigo · 1 year

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soul sick | part 2

SERIES SYNOPSIS: It’s hard enough watching the male that holds your heart pine for another woman, one that is the definition of beauty and grace, but to watch him fall for another yet again after you feel the mating bond snap into place is its own hell. A hell that makes you dangerously ill.

CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: lucien pays you a visit to ask a favor, and things come to a head with azriel

WARNINGS: angst, swearing, graphic descriptions of vomiting

WORD COUNT: 3.2k

AUTHOR'S NOTE: FINALLY. oh my god i finally figured it out and was able get the plot done and chugged through the angst. as usual, please let me know if there are any errors. enjoy!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER

MINORS & AGE-LESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. YOUR AGE MUST BE SOMEWHERE IN YOUR BIO OR YOUR BYF.

Your mood improved ten-fold after having lunch with Cassian and Mor. They did everything they could to get you to forget your miserable night, and they did for the most part. Although, they caught you staring off into space once or twice, and they knew you were trying to understand where you went wrong with your relationship with the Spymaster.

The remainder of the walk consisted of the three of you talking about senseless things until they each give you a hug before they leave, Mor winnowing out of the street with a pop.

When you walk through the door, you can’t help but sigh, letting the rest of the tension fall off your shoulders. Blessed relief floods through you as you shuck your shoes off in your room near the wardrobe’s door, pushing past clothes to find a sleep set to wear.

You throw your hair up out of your face, padding into your bathroom to wash your face of the little makeup you did wear today. It doesn’t matter that the sun had just set behind the horizon. Once your pajamas were on and you took off your face, you were not stepping foot outside again today, and you planned on shutting yourself in your study to continue your work for the priestesses.

While you were not a priestess, you feel at home in the library in the House of Wind, and you loved helping them with rewriting and translating anything new or old for them. Before you had friends of your own, you had books and the stories that they told. And although you have made some friends throughout your life, your love for books has never waned.

In the kitchen, you pour yourself a glass of rosé before making your way to your study, letting the door close behind you with a soft snick. The entire room is lined with shelves upon shelves of books of just about every genre of fiction and nonfiction, organized carefully so that you know where every book was right off the top of your head. Cassian likes to poke fun at you and call you anal, but it literally drives you crazy if a book is put back in the wrong spot and then you can’t find it the next time you need it.

The dark mahogany shelves exude warmth throughout the room, pairing perfectly with the desk of the same material, gifted to you from Rhys when you bought the townhouse. This place is your safe place and has a perfect view of the dazzling lights of Velaris at night through the double glass doors leading to a balcony.

The hardwood floors are cool beneath your feet as you walk over to the desk, sending chills up your spine. You grab a blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping it around your shoulders before settling into the comfortable chair. The stack of books that you need to work on is tall, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

The first book is thousands of years old and seems to be a second edition one as well. The spine is nearly falling apart, holding together by sheer will alone, like merely touching it could make it disintegrate into dust. Dust and dirt is caked into the scratches and grooves of the cover, but you can still make out the title. Orys: Prythian’s Fourth High Lord of the Night Court. A smile tugs at your lips. You’re almost excited to read about one of Rhysand’s distant relatives.

A sharp knock at your door interrupts you, pulling an annoyed sigh from you. You grab a sweater to throw on before you walk down the hall to the door, praying that it’s not Azriel. You just don’t have the strength to talk to him about last night just yet.

But you’re surprised to see Lucien at your door instead of the shadowsinger.

“Lucien? To what do I owe the pleasure,” you ask, completely taken aback.

He is noticeably distraught, his hair looking like it needs to be washed along with forming dark circles under his eyes. He looks like he has not had a good sleep in a few nights.

“I—I need some help.”

For a moment, you are speechless. There could only be one thing that he would need help with, and you are a bit afraid to confront it.

“I just opened a bottle of rosé from my favorite winery on the Sidra. Would you like a glass while we talk,” you try, earning a nod from the lordling in response.

You stand back, opening the door wider for him to step into your home, suddenly self-conscious about how you are dressed in the presence of a male that you hardly know. You wrap your sweater around you a little bit tighter at the realization.

Lucien follows you into the kitchen where you left the bottle, telling him to get comfortable while you go to retrieve your glass where you left it on your desk. When you return, Lucien is staring off at the table, a pained expression shrouding his face. His hands are curled around each other, supporting his head as they rest under his chin. Taking a deep breath, you walk over to the counter where the bottle sits and pour a generous glass for your guest before settling across from him, tucking a leg under yourself.

Neither of you speak first, and you wait so Lucien has the time to gather his thoughts and think about what he might say. After a moment, he finally unfurls his hands to rest them in his lap.

“I fear that I may be losing my mate to the shadowsinger.”

Oh dear gods. Your heart aches for the male in front of you, suddenly understanding his pain, and feeling your own at the same time. You wet your lips, shifting as you try to come up with something to say, but you suddenly feel sick, and your heart is beating too loud to hear anything.

“Could it be possible that their relationship is just platonic,” you ask, your voice airy.

You take a long draw from your glass, watching as Lucien shakes his head, finally looking up at you, and his golden eyes find your own.

“No. I catch glimpses of her emotions and feelings occasionally, especially when they’re together. It’s not platonic.”

Your eyes fall shut, attempting not to panic at the thought that Azriel might share the same feelings for the Archeron sister.

“I’m sorry this is happening. I can’t imagine the pain that you might be feeling.”

“But I think you can.” Your eyes snap open, freezing on him.

“What?”

“You have feelings for Azriel, do you not?” His straightforwardness makes your mouth drop open.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You are quite obvious about it. It’s puzzling that he hasn’t caught on yet,” Lucien says, leaning back in the chair and taking a sip from his glass.

Your face burns, undoubtedly red. This time, you take a gulp of the wine.

“I’m hoping because of it, you can try to persuade him to turn his efforts elsewhere, perhaps yourself.”

“Lucien, I understand you are upset, and rightfully so, but I think you should talk to Elain, not me.” You shake your head, unbelieving of what he is asking of you.

“Then try to talk to Azriel and explain what he is doing, even if he doesn’t realize it,” he fights, his desperation seeping through. “He is taking what is supposed to be my moments with her.”

Neither of you speak, the tension having peaked.

“I’m sorry, that was a bit much,” he whispers, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“It’s ok. I’ll try to talk to him the next time I see him. Although, we’re not really on good terms right now.”

“For the same reason?” You nod.

“Hm. Well, thank you for listening to me, but I should get going. Mother knows that Rhysand will start to wonder where I slinked off to.” He stands, knocking back the rest of the rosé. “Thank you for the drink. You have lovely taste,” he adds with a smile, which you return.

“You’re welcome, Lucien. My door is open whenever you need me.”

He nods once before winnowing out of the house, leaving you to think about his proposal.

Just the very thought of talking to Azriel about relationship with Elain makes your stomach roll, and there is a very good chance that Azriel won’t take your advice the right way either. Historically, he is not one for getting over someone that he cannot have.

A knock from behind you makes you jump, nearly screaming when you see a shadowed figure outside your home, but you sigh when you see a pair of great leathery wings. Your heart thunders in your ears as you try to decide whether to go out and talk to him or ignore him and send him away. You decide on the former.

Taking a blanket from the living room, you walk out the door and onto the patio, allowing yourself to lean against the wall. The night has quickly turned brisk, a sharp wind ripping through the balcony, and you pull your blanket tighter. It’s silent for a moment, waiting for him to speak first.

He is dressed casually tonight, the swirls of his tattoos spilling from underneath the hem of his short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of pants loose around his thighs. Not that you’re looking.

But as you look to meet his eyes, you blink in surprise at their seriousness, staring at you with a look that you can only describe as distraught.

“Why was Lucien here?”

You blink again, not quite sure of what you heard.

“Excuse me?”

“Why did Lucien come to you at this time of day?”

“What? Can a friend not come for a visit?” you ask defensively, crossing your arms.

“We both know that he’s not a friend, Y/N. There’s a reason that he came here, and I need to know what it was.”

You stare at him, mouth agape in disbelief. Is this really happening right now?

“He came to me for help.”

“Help for what?”

You take a breath. “Az, I think you should take a step back from Elain for a while.”

His face screws up instantly, offended by what you have said.

“Is that what he came here for? Because he’s jealous?”

“Azriel, think about what you are doing. Regardless of what the two of you think, there is a reason they are mates.”

A feeling of unease is palpable from him as he switches his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

“You know that Rhys’ parents were mates and look how that turned out.”

“But Lucien is not Rhys’ father, Az. He is so far from that, or Feyre wouldn’t have brought her with him to Velaris. He is a good male, and you are actively standing in the way of their relationship.”

Azriel’s mouth is agape, at a loss for words, but he quickly turns to gather himself.

“I’m just trying to help her assimilate into our life, Y/N. She lost a lot when she was Made, and I’m helping her understand that there’s a whole new world that she can explore now.”

A weightless feeling begins to overshadow you, not believing the words that are coming out of his mouth.

“That is Feyre’s job as her sister to do that. She is also mated to someone that happens to be living with us and is dying to get to know her, Az, and you’re taking that away from him and stealing those moments that are meant for him for yourself.”

Azriel scoffs, his gaze sour.

“A mate that had a hand in having her kidnapped from her home. Of course she doesn’t want anything to do with him, Y/N, and she doesn’t have to.”

Silence stretches between the both of you as you allow the gravity of his words sink in, a cold terror gripping you.

With a blank face, you ask, “what do you mean by that?”

He just shakes his head, letting his wings unfurl. In a desperate attempt to get him to stay, you grab his hand, and your eyes meet once again. Then, suddenly, you feel it. You feel the bond snap into place as your soul realizes that male in front of you is your mate, and your heart breaks for the second time tonight. Your eyes go wide, breath catching in your throat as your skin erupts into chills. Hope fills you as you wait for any recognition from him, but there’s nothing, only his face screwing up.

He shrugs your hand off, just as you did to him. Your heart is thundering in your ears, and you struggle to figure out what to do next over the onslaught of emotions, both yours and glimpses of Azriel’s.

“Az, wait—”

“I love her, Y/N.”

Everything goes numb, your hearing cutting out. There is no possible way you heard him right. He can’t be in love with her because he’s your mate, it can’t be right.

You must look pitiful, staring unbelieving at him, waiting for him to say something different, but he only looks at you.

“I’m sorry,” he says before launching off of the patio and into the sky, disappearing into a black spec in the night, leaving you alone to unravel the fresh bond that will never be returned.

†

Sleep evaded you the entire night, having left you to your thoughts and to relive how your mate essentially rejected you without actually knowing what he was doing. All because you didn’t have the guts to tell him how you felt, and now he is no longer yours in any sense of the word. You had centuries to tell him but waited too long, and he took the opportunity that opened for him to have someone of his own, despite her already having a mate.

A headache sprung up as well, bursting right behind your eyes, throbbing with intensity. You haven’t had a headache spring up like this since before Rhys was Under the Mountain, but the stress of the past few days could definitely have caused it, especially from last night. The morning brings no relief, as you remain curled up in bed with the blinds pulled shut to prevent the harsh light from attacking your eyes. You managed to make yourself a cup of tea to sit on your bedside to drink, but you are so exhausted that you have not been able to muster the strength to sit up and drink it.

A groan slips from you as you roll over to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but as you do, your stomach turns, and your mouth suddenly fills with saliva. Eyes snapping open, you scramble up from your bed, bolting to the bathroom to make it to the toilet just in time for your stomach to reject everything that was in it. You grip onto the cool porcelain, choking on the painful onslaught. The rejection is so strong that after each contraction, you sag against the seat, heaving. Even after there is nothing left to come up, your body keeps rejecting, causing you to gag and cough until you are gasping for air like a fish out of water. After an eternity, your stomach finally lets you rest, allowing you to sag to the floor, sighing against the cool tile upon your flushed cheek.

This continues the entire day, waking for bouts of dry heaving until tears leak from your eyes, and your chin trembles as you fight back a sob. You have no clue as to what time it could be, surely deep into the day, but you are confined to the bathroom in fear that your stomach will revolt again. You finally submit to whatever has a hold of you, deciding that you will sleep in the bathroom, you carefully pull your duvet from your bed to drag it into the bathroom to have some kind of comfort on the hard tile floor. Finally, sleep peacefully takes you.

†

A soft touch pulls you from your dreamless sleep, your eyes peeling open to look blearily at whoever is kneeling in front of you. The headache persists, and the light causes you to clamp your eyes shut again, hissing at the light.

“Y/N, can you hear me?” Cassian’s voice whispers in your ear. You nod but don’t open your eyes again.

“Rhys has been sending you notes all day inviting you to dinner, but you never answered them. Have you been here all day?” Another nod. “What has you so messed up, sweetheart?”

“I dunno. Just woke up like this. Can’t stop throwing up.” Your voice is scratchy from the abuse it has suffered, and it hurts to swallow. “Just put me in bed and set a bucket next to it. I wanna sleep.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the House?”

“No, no House. I’ll sleep it off. It’ll be fine, just stressed out,” you insist, still not opening your eyes.

Despite his better judgment, Cassian carries you back to bed, tucking you in and replacing your cup of tea with a glass of water and brings the bucket that you wanted. You haven’t moved from how he laid you in bed, and his eyebrows furrow in concern. It’s not often that fae get sick, especially with whatever you have.

He kneels next to the side of the bed you are on, letting a hand run itself over your head.

“I’m going to get going. If we don’t hear from you in a few hours, I’m bringing you to the House and we’ll get Madja. Do you understand?” Yet another nod.

Cassian sighs, registering that you have a slight fever. He stands up, leaning over to tuck you in before he leaves. With a last once over of your room and leaving a scrap of paper and a quill on your bedside, Cassian leaves.

He still doesn’t feel right about leaving you at your home, but he will be going back if you don’t write back within a few hours to check on you.

Everyone has moved to the sitting room by the time he gets back, each with a drink in hand. He notes that Elain is sitting in a chair next to Azriel but refrains from saying something. He settles into a seat next to Rhys, and Feyre notices that Cassian is back, but without her friend in tow.

“Did you see her?”

“Mhmm. She’s sick. Found her asleep on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet, all wrapped up in her sheets. She refused to be brought here, so I told her I would be back if we didn’t hear from her.”

“Oh Mother. We just saw her yesterday, Cas. How could she have gotten sick so quick?” Mor asks, face warped with concern as she leans forward.

“She said it’s from stress, but I don’t know how stress could make her throw up so much that she had to sleep on the bathroom floor,” he sighs.

Across the room, the Spymaster listens intently to Cassian’s words, his heart dropping as he realizes that he is the “stress” that has physically manifested as a sickness.

TAGLIST: @positivewitch @brekkershadowsinger @baebeepeach @toobsessedsstuff @lucyysthings @marigold-morelli

#azriel #azriel x reader #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #azriel angst #mxigo.azriel #mxigo.masterlist.soulsick #mxigo.masterlist.azriel #mxigo.masterlist.acotar #mxigo.soulsick

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alex-the-nonsensologist · 4 months

Text

Wish Rewrite

Thought I’d try my hand at rewriting Wish for fun. In my version, Asha is Magnifico's daughter. This gives them a more compelling relationship, a more plausible reason for Asha to find out his secrets, and officially makes Asha a royal princess to boot. Additionally, Magnifico is a sympathetic tragic villain, and Amaya has passed away. While I would love to see a fully evil version of Magnifico that’s better written, along with an evil Amaya (I LOVE @hah-studios‘s version here), my version of the story features a twist that heavily depends on his relationship with Asha.

Of course, this version would be 2D animated (or at the VERY LEAST have more ambitious and stylized CG that perfectly mimics 2D), and have songs written by people with actual musical theater backgrounds.

I am not a writer, so I apologize for the disjointed and clunky ideas.

Opening Storybook

“Once upon a time, in a world of magic, on an island in the Mediterranean Sea, there was a little kingdom called Rosas. The harvests were never quite plentiful, the town was barren and gray, and the work was long and hard. The people of Rosas knew life could be better, and spent many days wishing it were so.

“A young man, who called himself Magnifico, spent years studying magic to become a master sorcerer, in order to better the lives of those around him. He believed magic was the solution to make one’s deepest desire come true. The King of Rosas was impressed by Magnifico’s skills, as was the king's daughter Amaya. Magnifico and Amaya fell fast in love and soon wed, becoming the new king and queen of Rosas. Together, they brought joy and prosperity to the kingdom. It was a celebrated occasion when the queen announced she was with child.

“Unfortunately, the queen fell ill and died shortly after giving birth to the princess. The king was saddened by the loss of his wife, but he vowed to raise his daughter to become a worthy queen like her mother, and to better himself as a sorcerer so that such tragedy would never befall anyone ever again.”

Young Asha and Magnifico

Every Disney heroine this era has had an intro flashback of them as a child, so it only seems fitting Asha should get her own as well. We cut from the storybook to a scene of Magnifico, with a visible gray streak in his mostly brown hair, showing young Asha the stars before tucking her into bed.

She asks if anyone wishes on the stars anymore. Magnifico explains that people stopped doing that because the stars never answered. Perhaps the stars could be magic, but no one has ever been able to study them because they're so far away. Perhaps one day.

🎶 At All Costs is reframed as Asha's lullaby.

Transition

Asha finally falls asleep and Magnifico kisses her on the forehead. Camera pans up to the night sky before fading to black. For a short moment, there is complete darkness, then some very faint sparks of light. Someone is calling Asha's name, but their voice sounds very far away, before it’s suddenly clear and Asha wakes up; it is morning. We are now in the present and Asha is 17. This establishes that she's always had the same odd dream of a dark void with faint sparks for as long as she can remember.

Present Day Asha

Asha is studious and hardworking, but is frustrated that her father does not trust her with more important duties. Magnifico is training her in magic to succeed him, or at least he promised he would, but he seems hesitant to teach her more advanced magic than the basics. Asha has memorized every law textbook assigned to her, as well as a handful of magic textbooks she snuck from her father’s study.

Today Asha is going down to give a tour to new visitors, and she takes this very seriously. Dialogue implies Magnifico was hesitant to let her do this, but eventually gave in, hinting at how overprotective he is. Even more than wanting to prove her worth as a future ruler, Asha wants to connect to the people, and secretly wants a friend her own age.

Dahlia and Simon

In this version, Dahlia is older, and renamed to something like Yuki or Bianca to more subtly reference Snow White instead of Doc. Simon is also older and serves as Asha’s bodyguard, and references the Huntsman from Snow White instead of Sleepy. (Two new character designs would be created to reference Doc and Sleepy, and the seven teens are relegated to one-off townsfolk.) “Dahlia” and Simon are the only people Asha is close with, since her father is reluctant to let her leave the castle except on supervised royal duties. “Dahlia” serves as an auntie figure, and Simon is very understanding of Asha’s frustrations of being cooped up in the castle and occasionally lets her sneak off (but he always emphasizes safety and resourcefulness). She can confide in them when she feels she’s being ignored by her father.

🎶 Welcome to Rosas

The song would be cheery at first glance, but on closer inspection, it’s apparent Rosas has seen better days. There’s some cracks in the buildings, and the murals and statues have lost some of their shine. The townsfolk and Asha explain it’s just a bunch of minor hiccups, and they’re working on it.

The visitors ask if there are rules for wishes being granted. Asha and the townsfolk explain the basic rules (which include no wishing for death or harm, no making people fall in love, and no wishing for the dead to be brought back to life; as a shout-out to Aladdin). Also, Magnifico does not grant them right away, but needs time to make sure the work is done just right. After all, magic is a science as well as an art.

When the visitors ask the townsfolk about wishes that have previously been granted, they're told about relatively simple things, like being given a new food cart or a pet cat. This foreshadows what Magnifico does with their wishes. When the townsfolk are asked if they had ever wished for something more significant, they stumble for an answer. They say they're just content with what they have, but they seem unsure. Some of the townsfolk appear lethargic, and some even slightly fumble during their dance routine, but manage to make the big finale. They ask the visitors if they’ve been convinced to live in Rosas and are given a noncommittal answer, “Too soon to say. We'll just stay the night and see how it goes.” Asha brings the new visitors to her father. (Sabino’s character design can be re-used here as one of the visitors, as he’s no longer Asha’s grandfather in this version.)

Side note, I would love it if some of the townsfolk were given a few notable quirks to stand out. The artbook for this movie was lovely, but in the final film, all the townsfolk sort of blend together into genericness. The only one I can recall from the movie with clarity is the girl who wished to fly and meets “Peter Pan” in the end. Even Ecanto’s “We Don't Talk About Bruno” had memorable townsfolk and most only had a single line of dialogue or less. The seven teens would of course feature in this song number.

Present Day King Magnifico

Magnifico's hair is completely gray and white now, and he’s got wrinkles under his eyes. He seems burnt out from his job, but puts on a professional face for his subjects and visitors. Asha is the only one Magnifico shows any tenderness. But for the most part, Asha feels her father has been distant for a long time.

Magnifico thanks Asha for bringing the visitors and tries to dismiss her, but she argues she should start sitting in on the wish-granting sessions so that she can properly learn to take over from her father. This is an argument they have gone over many times before, and her father finally relents today.

The inciting incident

They begin the consultation, starting with Sabino. Magnifico specifies that the wisher must meditate and reach deep within themselves, and recall their desire with every fiber of their being, which manifests as a wish orb. In this version, while a wish orb contains the many memories of the wish in question, handing it over does not automatically erase the memory of it from the wisher.

When Asha and Sabino’s backs are turned, Magnifico does something to the wish. This hints that Magnifico steals wishes and plants false memories, so that the wisher is unaware that they were granted a false wish. In many cases, Magnifico grants a much simpler wish than what the wisher desired (This is hinted at earlier in “Welcome to Rosas”.). Magnifico finishes collecting wish orbs and tells everyone to come back later tonight for them to be granted. Asha wants to stay and help her father more, but he quickly dismisses her.

Later that night, when Magnifico grants a false wish for Sabino, and Asha is suspicious because she knows it is not what he actually wished for. (Sabino’s wish could still be the same one from the movie, perhaps refined to something like, “I wish to leave a lasting legacy that will inspire the next generation, and that I won’t be forgotten.” And when Magnifico grants the wish, it has been reduced to “Your wish to write a memorable song.” or something along those lines. Side note, in the movie I was totally expecting Asha to tell her grandfather that he already inspires her everyday, so his wish had in fact already been granted, so I was quite disappointed when that did not happen.)

Magnifico deflects and dodges the question, and tries to gaslight Asha into thinking she misheard or misinterpreted Sabino’s wish, and that this is why she’s not ready and should wait a while before she’s taught more magic, and basically shoos her away for the night. Asha is too frustrated at her father to dwell on the discrepancy she caught, and storms off.

🎶 This Wish

This song is reframed to be a more straightforward “I Want” song. In this version, Asha wishes to be taken seriously and supported by her father. She feels quite alone and wants someone to believe in her. “Please stop seeing me as a helpless child. …I wish someone would notice my potential.” Star descends.

Star

Would of course, follow the scrapped shapeshifter design from the artbook. I refer to Star as male here, but I am also open to the idea of them being designed as a genderless character. I also think it would be fun if Star could rapidly switch between art styles when he’s excited (2D classic, CG, 2D sketchbook, 2D Picasso, CG mimicking stop-motion / paper puppets, etc). Maybe he can also occasionally transform into his chibi form from the movie when sneaking around.

Star is very weird, almost like an alien. He seems to have general knowledge of various things on Earth, but can never seem to get them exactly right. For example, he never transforms into a normal animal. There’s always a fantastic element; instead of turning into a normal rabbit, he turns into a jackalope. In addition to having a personality inspired by Peter Pan and Genie, he is also a less chaotic version of The Collector from The Owl House and Discord from My Little Pony.

Star would also be incredibly powerful. Instead of only making animals and plants sing, he can also change their size, color, species in the blink of an eye (and maybe even change their art styles). He can spontaneously conjure random outfits from all time periods (including the future) for the animals to wear. He can also change the shape of the landscape; at one point, Asha could suddenly find herself in the middle of an elaborate maze that Star conjures to tease her.

🎶 “Star’s Song”

A new song inspired by Genie’s “Friend Like Me” and Maui’s “You’re Welcome”. Replaces “I'm A Star”, which I didn’t really like. (It had far too many words to poorly explain weird worldbuilding, and I wasn’t a fan of the rhythm. Though to be fair, I dunno if the worldbuilding in my version is all that strong either, lol.)

Star basically shows off all kinds of weird things he can do with various transformations and conjurings. He elaborates he comes from “someplace beyond the edge of the world” and that he’s often found Earth fascinating, but never found any reason to descend until he heard Asha. There’s something special about Asha he can’t quite put his finger on. This foreshadows the reveal.

Valentino

Quick detour, I don’t hate Valentino. I think there is great story and humor potential, especially in regards to his deep voice provided by Alan Tudyk. Unfortunately, in my version, I felt Asha’s sidekick needed to be someone who could quickly keep up with her. At first I thought about changing him into a bird, but then I thought it would be funnier if he was a pet goldfish and Star granted him the ability to fly and breathe out of water. Fish Valentino is happy to not be cooped up in a pool, but is fond of Asha and content to stay with her instead of flying off. For the most part, he offers moral support and perhaps helps Asha make friends with the other animals, but otherwise I don’t really have many ideas for what to do with him.

The Middle Part

Admittedly, I couldn't come up with a definitive idea for this part. Basically, there needs to be a reason for Magnifico to be occupied and unaware of Star’s presence; a reason why Asha does not immediately tell him about Star. One silly idea I had is Asha immediately tries to tell him, but we turn around and find Star’s conjurings and alterations gone and everything is back to normal. Magnifico brushes this off as Asha having a weird dream and tries to tuck her into bed. Star reappears later and explains he wants to run around and have fun first before being “studied” by Magnifico. Other ideas include:

Asha thinks Star is the answer to Rosas’s and her problems. Star agrees to grant various wishes, and let Asha take the credit, in hopes that her father will notice her and finally take her seriously and teach her real magic. Star thinks this will be a great opportunity to see more of Rosas and have fun, and Asha is frustrated enough with her father being dismissive of her to agree to this.

Alternatively, Star will teach her magic. Problem is, Star’s magic is wild and unlike anything Asha has studied in her father’s books. Star is incredibly powerful and Asha has to constantly ask him to tone it down. She runs around trying to fix the chaotic results of the wishes he grants, and this attracts the attention of her father.

Alternatively, with Star’s help, Asha grants small wishes, and fixes things around town. For the most part, everyone is grateful, except for one grumpy older citizen (maybe an older version of Gabo) who remembers “the good ol’ days” and thinks Rosas needs more competent rulers than Magnifico and Asha. An argument breaks out and attracts the attention of Magnifico. Alternatively, again, this could also be replaced with someone who instead wants a selfish wish like a mountains of riches, or to be king and replace Magnifico, and Asha refuses to grant it, leading to the argument.

🎶 “Not What I Expected”

Montage of Star and Asha granting people’s wishes. Includes lots of hijinks of Star overdoing things and Asha getting Star to undo them (For example, someone asks for a new cottage, and Star conjures a giant mansion with mismatching colors and architectural details, and upside-down rooms.). “Dahlia” and Simon help them to ease tension with the townsfolk, especially after Star reveals himself to be a non-human magical being. The seven teens can also appear here again in one-off gags. Along the way, Star and Asha experience the joy of community and begin falling in love with each other. Star slowly learns about being human and cares about the townsfolk as much as Asha does, and Asha is given the freedom to take charge and be responsible but is also surprised to find just how good it feels to finally connect with the townsfolk after being cooped up in the castle for so many years. Star and Asha both find each other fascinating and full of energy, and are glad for each other's support.

Perhaps there’s a dance with the townsfolk. When earlier during “Welcome to Rosas”, the townsfolk were lethargic and clumsy, here they are more spirited and coordinated. Star is incredibly happy and shines bright, and his light “melts” away Magnifico’s false memory spells. The townsfolk finally wake up and are confused as they recall their true wishes and do not understand why Magnifico lied to them. Asha and Star go to confront Magnifico.

Confronting Magnifico

Star senses something in Magnifico’s study. They find a secret room that holds the records of every wish Magnifico has ever stolen. Asha is in disbelief, but can’t ignore the fact that her father has been distant and negligent of the town for a long time. And maybe this would explain why Magnifico doesn’t teach her magic or let her do anything, because he had no intention of giving the throne to her. They find some documents about using wishes as life force, and conclude that maybe Magnifico was using everyone’s wishes to become immortal. Magnifico walks in on them.

🎶 “Everything I Do”

Replaces "This Is The Thanks I Get?!" and "Knowing What I Know Now" This new song is not quite a villain song. It’s a duet between Magnifico and Asha, of them arguing back and forth. Asha argues to her father that he’s lost sight of his responsibilities and that he only cares about staying in power; Magnifico argues that Asha is naive and could never understand that everything he does is for her benefit, and she argues back how could she when he never tells her anything.

The reveal

Magnifico had an impossible wish: to bring Asha back from the dead. Baby Asha in fact died almost immediately after birth. Magnifico could not bear losing both his wife and his daughter, and desperately wished for Asha to live again. However, no magic can bring the dead back to life. Instead, what ended up happening is a new baby was created from Magnifico’s wish orb. In his anguish, his desire was so strong it brought a new person into being. (Side note; this does in fact mean that the original baby is still dead, so Magnifico had to secretly bury a dead baby to hide the fact that Asha is an artificial human taking her place. Perhaps a bit too morbid of an implication for a modern Disney movie, but my mind likes to go to weird places.)

At first Magnifico was happy. It was a miracle come true. But over time, the magic would run out and Asha would begin to fade. Magnifico used his own magic and tried to wish again to fuel Asha's form, but it took a toll on his health and age. This explains why his hair turned white so quickly. So eventually he began using his subjects' wishes. The more heartfelt and significant the wish is, the more powerful it is, which is why Magnifico ends up replacing the townsfolk’s wishes with simpler things and false memories that didn’t require much magic.

As Asha grew older and became a more complex human, more wishes were needed to fuel her. This is why Magnifico refuses to teach her magic, because he is afraid that she would accidentally use up the magic that makes up her being instead of the magic that a regular sorcerer would draw from the environment around them.

Magnifico grew more desperate to draw in new citizens to get more wishes, while also exhausting more wishes from the townsfolk already living in Rosas, leading them to become lethargic. Keeping track of so many wishes and false memories to cover his tracks took a toll on Magnifico’s mental state. Also a growing bitterness that he has to live with this burden that no else could ever know, and perhaps resenting the people of Rosas for getting to live worry-free.

This is why Star answered Asha's call: she is a living wish who made a wish of her own.

Asha's death

Magnifico and Star fight. Asha gets caught in the crossfire trying to stop it. It’s a heart-wrenching moment as glowing cracks form all over Asha’a body. She looks to her father with absolute terror in her eyes as cracks spread across her face. Her legs snap. Magnifico runs to his daughter a second too late and just fails to catch her body as she disintegrates into stardust.

Star stares in disbelief as Magnifico screams in agony: “YOU COULD HAVE LET ME SAVE HER!” He looks like he’s about to attack Star in revenge, but quickly gives up and falls to his knees.

“...Nothing matters anymore.”

There is no need for an evil book as a lazy plot device. Years of paranoia and bitterness have reached a breaking point with Asha’s death, and now Magnifico’s magic is corrupted green by his anguished heart. He transforms into a monstrous dragon-like creature (in homage to Maleficent). This creature is blind with rage, and in a great roar it bursts from the castle, causing it to collapse. The creature summons storm clouds that cover the sky and fierce green lightning that strikes the town, destroying buildings and terrorizing the townsfolk. Monster Magnifico also spreads a green fog that drains everyone’s energy. As the good king he brought joy and hope, but now as a monster he brings only despair. (Inspired by Madoka Magica, when magical girls turn into witches.)

Star attempts to stop Monster Magnifico while also shielding the townsfolk from harm. Rubble from the buildings collapse and bring the camera to black.

Beyond the Edge of the Universe

A short moment of complete darkness and silence.

Slowly, faint sparks shine in the darkness. Asha’s voice weakly asks, “Where am I? ... Who am I?”

The faint sparks grow into a kaleidoscope of colors. Asha has been reduced to a single spark. Her consciousness floats in the chaotic void beyond time and space, where Star comes from. She quickly feels overwhelmed in this sea of color and sound. It’s a great big cacophony of voices all jumbled together, like musical instruments all playing off-key all at once.

A blue light in the distance grows brighter and closer before it reveals itself to be the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio (Disney's first wish-granter). She welcomes Asha’s consciousness. “Hello, little one.” She explains this is a space between worlds, where the emotions of humanity reach far across time and space.

“Listen carefully…” The Blue Fairy helps Asha’s consciousness tune into the voices of the void to hear the words clearly. These voices will be familiar to the audience.

Asha’s consciousness hears the hopeful, longing voices of Snow White, Ariel, Hercules, Rapunzel, and Moana. (This can include snippets from their “I Want” songs.)

She hears the wicked laughter and the dark, selfish wishes of Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar, Scar, and Facilier. (This can include snippets from various villain songs.)

She hears the sad voices of Cinderella, Belle, Quasimodo, Tiana, and Mirabel at their lowest points. ("There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing." and other such lines.)

(Yes, this basically establishes a Disney multiverse. As I’m writing this, I think visually this could resemble the Ahtohallan scene in Frozen 2, but in space instead of in ice.)

(February EDIT: I randomly thought it was also be a neat idea if all magic in the universe originates from this realm. Pieces of magic fall into the different worlds and adapt to make their own unique rules depending on the world. For example, Cinderella's fairy godmother could come from here, as well as the drop of sunlight that grows into Rapunzel's flower. A drop of magic could fallen into a certain world, becoming a trident and transforming the local sea life into merfolk, who would then go on to build Atlantica. Little sparks seeping to random worlds could also explain certain things in otherwise non-magical worlds, such as why toys and video games come to life.)

Not many humans come here after death, but Asha is a special case, as she is literally made up of hopes and dreams. She is spontaneous life (The Blue Fairy of course has experience in this department.). Asha’s consciousness finds herself moved by all the voices of the dreamers and wishers throughout the universe, and thinks she wouldn’t mind going to sleep forever in this void. She just feels so tired. She almost fades away until she hears Star's voice, her father's voice, and the people of Rosas whose wishes made up her very being. She remembers being human. The spark of Asha’s consciousness shines and she returns to her human form. The Blue Fairy asks her, “What will you do now, little one?”

Asha hears the anguished cries of the people of Rosas in trouble, and she decides she must return to help them. The Blue Fairy smiles, and tells her, “Before you go, there’s someone who’d like to meet you.”

She gestures behind her to reveal Queen Amaya and the baby Asha. Asha is stunned to see them, but is overcome with emotion, and Amaya embraces her.

“I am so proud of you, Asha. I wish I could have stayed and been your mother. Please, take care of your father for me.” Amaya gives her a kiss on the forehead, and the baby Asha gives her a happy giggle. The Blue Fairy tells Asha to close her eyes and think of home.”

Return to Rosas

Asha is reborn in a great big burst of light in the sky and gains a new dress made of starlight. Monster Magnifico has not noticed her and is still rampaging the kingdom. Asha sees Star has been defending the citizens, but is exhausted, and Magnifico finally manages to strike him down. Finished with Rosas, Monster Magnifico turns to the coast, intent on continuing his destruction to the mainland.

Asha descends to help Star get up. He is surprised to see her, but her appearance reinvigorates him, and explains the situation to her. They turn to the frightened people of Rosas and promise them that they will fix this. They take hold of each other’s hand and fly to confront Monster Magnifico.

🎶 Combined This Wish and At All Costs Reprise

Monster Magnifico does not recognize Asha, and tries to strike her, but she and Star conjure a magical shield. They dodge lightning and repel Magnifico’s fire breath. Asha begins singing, determined to reach out to her father. There is a moment where it appears Magnifico has gained the upper hand.

“Dahlia” and Simon are inspired and lead the townsfolk into the song. Asha and Star, combined with the hope of the people of Rosas, shine brighter than ever before, dissipating the fog and melting away Magnifico's monstrous form. The storm clouds are cleared away in a shower of sparks. Asha grabs her father’s unconscious body and holds him tight in her arms as she slowly descends to the ground and sings her lullaby. Magnifico is very disheveled (maybe even a little bit of fanservice with his top torn off), but is otherwise alright. He soon comes to.

"...Amaya? ... ASHA!" Magnifico is in disbelief, but overjoyed to see his daughter alive and well. He embraces her and bursts into tears. “I thought I lost you! I thought you were gone!”

"I was. I disappeared beyond the edge of the universe. But I came back!"

Rebuilding Rosas

They turn to the townsfolk. Asha gives a speech about how not every wish should be granted, but that does not mean they’re not worth pursuing. It just requires careful consideration, and being open to finding a something new. (Someone with better writing skills please step in to write this speech without making it too sappy.)

Magnifico is greatly ashamed of the harm he has caused and steps down as king. Asha understands if the townsfolk do not want to see them anymore, but promises to do what she can to help them rebuild, and to help them pursue their dreams in an ethical manner. Star concurs. The townsfolk, having been touched by her earnestness and genuine emotions from when she helped grant their smaller wishes, embrace her with open arms and express that they would love if she remains their ruler. They are hesitant to forgive Magnifico, but think it's for the best that he be allowed to stay with his daughter.

Cut to some time later, and there is scaffolding all throughout town and the castle. Star and Asha have been using their magic to help with the rebuilding, with mixed results. Progress has been slow, but the people are hopeful. Asha and Star hold daily consultations with the people who were granted false wishes. Some are easy to grant, while others Asha advises that they can pursue on their own. (The girl who wished to fly meeting "Peter Pan" can be re-used here. I honestly thought that was a clever bit. While she could easily fly with magic, I like that the movie implies she'll find more meaning in learning to build a flying machine.)

Asha visits the original baby Asha’s grave. She renames herself. Perhaps to something like Stella? “I loved being Asha, but now I think it’s time I return your name back to you. Thanks for the loan.” She conjures some flowers for her and Amaya's grave, and goes to join the celebration.

🎶 “Finale Party Song”

Asha/Stella, Star, the townsfolk, and even Magnifico join in on the grand finale. Asha/Stella and Star kiss, and Hidden Mickey fireworks light up the sky.

End Credits

While the end credits were cute, I would revise them to include characters from the missing movies (the package films, The Rescuers, Black Cauldron, Meet the Robinsons, etc.). I would also change some of the character selections (For example, I'd have the three kittens represent The Aristocats, instead of just Marie by herself. It always annoys me to no end when they market Marie by herself. I'd also swap out Yokai/Professor Callahan with Baymax. What an odd decision to have Yokai of all characters represent BH6.). And also have some of the characters be animated instead of just still images. (I liked for Cinderella's credit they had a trail of sparkles surround her, but it would have been even better to actually see her transform from her ripped dress to the ballgown.)

Closing notes

There are a lot of things in my version that could use some more polishing, like the build-up to Magnifico's reveal about Asha. There should be at least one scene that foreshadows that the times when Magnifico tucks Asha into bed is when he magically absorbs the wishes into her to fuel her.

In addition to the whole wish theme, I thought it would be neat to also include themes of legacy, to tie in to Disney's 100 Anniversary. Disney Animation has come a long way, but is still capable of making big missteps. With many of the old talent gone, it's understandable that passing the torch to the next generation would make anyone nervous, but despite it all, I do have faith that Disney Animation can make a comeback. They've been through low points before; we just have to wait and see.

#wish rewrite #includes a plot twist and a connection to the Disney multiverse #disney wish #wish 2023 #wish movie #princess asha #king magnifico #star boy #star x asha #asha x star #wish critical

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winterchimez · 3 months

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A Fairytale Encounter | Jacob Bae

SUMMARY: becoming an herbalist in Clarines wasn't all fun and games when you always knew at the back of your mind that you had a huge debt to pay to the prince of Tanbarun. But who would have thought that a fateful encounter with the prince of Clarines would turn the tables around, potentially rewriting the future that you had been prepared to accept for the past decade?

PAIRING: prince!Jacob x f!reader (feat. bodyguard!Kevin)

GENRE: akagami no shirayukihime au, royal au, fluff, angst, suspense, slight thriller

WARNINGS: pg-13, Jacob is adorable and the sweetest prince ever yes that is a warning, minor injuries, mentions about yn becoming a concubine, kissing, slight fighting scenes, petnames (sweetheart, pumpkin, girlie), Jacob is scary when he's serious / on the battlefield (and also hawt whew 😮‍💨), Minhyuk is such a jerk here (sorry ophelia) 😃

WORD COUNT: 6,569

A/N: this was written for k-vanity's not your shoujo love story event! and ofc, also written specially & dedicated to @snowflakewhispers 🩵 happiest birthday boo 🥳 you're like a long-lost sister to me, the sunwoo to my eric, and despite all of the bickering and you making me lose my shit on a daily basis, I still love you loads regardless. accept this little birthday gift from moi & i hope you like it 😚🩷 thankiew my pookies @itsbeeble @momhwa-agenda for reading this through for me too ❤️

“Miss Y/N! We have another order for you!”

Your assistant, Kiara, came running into the pharmacy with a note in hand, hastily making her way towards you with an enthusiastic smile plastered all across her face.

“What’s with the rush, Kiara?” You chuckled, grinding the herbs in your mortar with your pestle while looking up to examine her appearance, clearly indicating that she had been somewhere—the dusty and slightly muddied skirt, the soot on her face, as well as her ponytail being all loose and messed up.

The smile on your face instantly disappears. “Please tell me you didn’t get into trouble, young lady.”

Immediately, your assistant pouted before crossing her arms and staring back at you. “Now that’s just rude, Miss Y/N! I was helping you to spread the news about our little humble business.”

“And that includes getting all dirtied and looking like a homeless person?”

Kiara huffed. “You’ll be sorry if you keep it up like this because you’ll lose a valued customer.”

Teasing your little assistant has always been something you’ve come to enjoy; she always gave the best reactions after all. It was a miracle to have been able to find a humble yet enthusiastic young lady like her. It hasn’t been easy for you ever since both your grandparents passed and you had to take over their well-known pub business in town. You have tried your best to keep up with the tradition and run the business for several years until it significantly died down.

Eventually, you discover a stash of books in the attic where your mother used to keep them away when she was still alive. She was a librarian and kept many books away in the untouched room.

As you were helping your grandparents clean up the attic when you were younger, you stumbled upon various books about using traditional methods and herbs to help the sick. Mainly, you picked it up because you wanted to try your best to support your mother in overcoming her illness.

It went well for some time, and you tried your very best to learn about all of the different herbal methods to treat her incurable sickness—it was usually a game like tug of war where she would sometimes feel better on certain days and then back to being under the weather on the rest.

Despite your efforts and using the hard-earned money you have gotten from working at the pub, your mother eventually passed on, leaving you in your grandparents' care ever since you were thirteen. Years passed, and you tried your very best to help them out as much as possible while continuing your interest in herbology.

Eventually, they passed on when you were seventeen, and you decided to change up the humble pub into a local pharmacy instead, giving care and help to the poor by treating their wounds and sickness with traditional herbs.

Business was slow to begin with, and it wasn’t till a few years back that your pharmacy gained a steady momentum, all thanks to your biggest enemy yet wealthiest customer to date—the prince of Tanbarun, Lee Minhyuk.

Just when you thought that you wouldn’t have to see him again after all of the efforts your family has made for you to escape Tanbarun itself, the prince casually walked into your store one fine day, shocked that you were still alive and well. His demeanour immediately changed, and he wouldn’t stop meddling with you, as he kept reminding you about the promise made years ago.

Be my concubine.

You have never liked him in the slightest—you never really knew how he became prince when his older brother, Eunkwang, could have been the much respected and better prince than Minhyuk ever was. It was all because of how he decided to choose his lover over the throne that he decided to leave the kingdom of Tanbarun, leaving their father with no choice but to pass on the heir to the younger male.

Minhyuk was definitely the so-called dream-like prince in the public’s eye as he was everything the people wanted—charming, handsome, and hell, even a womaniser. Undoubtedly, he immediately gained the public’s attention and convinced them that the kingdom was in good hands.

If only the people knew how wrecked this guy actually was.

Ever since that day, he has always made a note about your little humble store and made sure that the people knew precisely how such a place existed and made sure to complete your little store a huge matter in both kingdoms—your former home, Tanbarun; your current home, Clarines.

Part of you was somehow grateful that Minhyuk found your little humble store; you wouldn’t have been where you are today without that. But another part was how you despised that you needed your biggest enemy’s help for your current success. It still makes you feel sick to the stomach to even associate with a guy like him.

Thankfully, he never returned or made any contact with you since that last visit, even though he made a deal to visit your store, or rather, you, once every couple of months. You figured that he was probably busy dealing with his royal duties, and you were grateful for that as you were holding back from taking a syringe to pierce through his forearm the next time he ever made a move on you again.

Or so you thought.

“The letter reads that we are to prepare a large batch of medicinal herbs that are suitable for warriors as they travel across the border to war, and the prince of Tanbarun himself would be coming in precisely three days to review the materials himself,” Kiara read out the little piece of note that was within her grasp.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

It was one day before the agreed meeting with your so-called “client”, and you were just stumbling around the woods trying to add potentially new medicinal herbs to your inventory. Everything was going surprisingly well—good weather, no distractions as if the woods were completely empty, and the sounds of the birds chirping were what calmed you down, too.

It wasn’t unusual for you to leave the store to Kiara for a couple of hours; you have done it a couple of times in the past, but now that Minhyuk would reunite with you again, you couldn’t help but feel all anxious. You swore that if he ever brought Kiara into the mess you both have had in the past, you would definitely skin this man alive.

Hence, you tried your very best to avoid dragging too long and head back to the store as soon as you finished your business.

Just when you picked up the last medical herb at the very end of the woods, close to the streaming lake, you felt a gush of wind coming in your direction. As soon as you lifted your head to see what it was, a massive white animal passed right through you, and it finally came to a halt.

It wasn’t unusual to see horse riders pass through the woods; it was pretty much normal. But something felt off with this individual than the usual ones you come across daily. The individual hopped off their horse and slowly turned back to look at you. It took you quite a bit of time to get yourself back to reality despite you clearly noticing how the individual’s mouth had been moving, indicating that he was trying his best to speak to you.

The male was taller than the ones you were used to, given that you have encountered most males in Tanbarun and the outskirts of Clarines. Naturally, you have assumed that he was part of the wealthy families from the city, judging from his outfits and how he presented himself. You have pretty much met most of the individuals from the little town you resided in, but never from wealthy individuals from the city itself. Hence, your jaw dropped with the way this male somehow showed you more than enough for you to determine what the people who resided in the city looked like.

And with just how attractive he was.

“Umm, hello? Earth to whoever I’m speaking with?”

You finally came to your senses when the male was just mere inches away from you, waving his hands over your face and causing you to take a few steps back. “Oh my god, I-I’m so sorry! I-It’s just that I’ve never seen someone like you…”

The male cocked his head to one side and stared at you strangely before bursting out loud into laughter. “Well, I’m one of a kind around here, so—”

Right before he could finish his sentence, another horse rider came galloping towards your direction before coming to a halt abruptly. Another tall, well-built male leaps off his horse and walks straight up to the male before giving him a smack on his shoulders.

“Ow! What was that for, Kevin!” The male pouted.

“Who the hell told you that you were to head off all on your own, Jacob? You clearly know that you always have plenty of enemies up against you—”

“Calm down, kiddo. We’re just out in the woods for a little ride; there’s no need to panic or be uptight.”

You were just standing there holding your little bag filled with herbal leaves and taking a few steps back before you eventually stepped on one of the branches, which elicited a snap, making both males redirect their attention to you.

“I umm…I think it’s time for me to leave. Sorry for interrupting!” You bowed frantically before turning and walking away towards the other direction, only for your hood to be pulled back by the male.

“Nuh-uh, wait a second, girlie. We weren’t done talking yet.”

“Let me go! I’ve done nothing—”

Before you could finish your sentence, it seemed as if the male had tugged on your hood a little too rough, causing him to pull it away, eventually revealing the part of you that you were most well-known for in town.

Your long crimson-red hair.

Both males were stunned as they stared at you for a good minute, none moving an inch. You didn’t really know what to say then, so you decided that it was best to keep quiet for the time being.

“You have really strange hair,” the male you assumed was Jacob, replied.

Nervously, you start twirling your hair with your fingers, trying to hide the awkward tension in the air. “Y-Yeah! People often tell me that, actually,” you chuckled.

Just then, you noticed how there was a slit right across Jacob’s arms, and blood was slowly starting to seep through the fabric of his clothes. Naturally, your doctor instincts immediately came, and you quickly dug through your bag to find the perfect remedy to treat the wound.

“You’re bleeding! You can’t leave the wound like that for too long; you’ll get an infection—”

“Stop right there, young lady. What makes you think I’d trust you to put whatever is on my wound?”

You were stunned. “What?”

“You never know; it could be poisonous, and perhaps you’re trying to kill me.”

“W-What? Of course not! I’m an herbalist; I treat patients all the time,” you tried your best to reassure the male, but it seemed as if neither of them was convinced by what you had just told them. You immediately dug through your bag again, looking for something to change their minds.

A scalpel.

Immediately, you made a little slit right on your forearm, earning a slight hiss from you and a shocked look from both males. As the blood began oozing out, you quickly took a clean cloth to wipe the blood away before applying the very same ointment you had just shown the two males earlier before finishing it off with a bandage. With that, you lifted your forearm and showed it to their faces.

“See? I’m not a liar now, am I?”

You were met by silence, and it returned until Jacob started giggling and taking a few steps towards you again. He stops right in front of you and shoves his injured forearm straight into your face.

“Well then, let me reintroduce myself properly. The name is Jacob, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m sorry about how I presented myself back there, Y/N. That must’ve been an awful first impression,” Jacob rubbed the back of his neck with his other arm while his injured one was in the care of your hands, applying the very same ointment you used earlier and wrapping it up neatly.

“It’s fine; it was my fault too for not speaking up more,” you smiled back, trying your best to tell him that it was something that you didn’t really mind at all.

It just so happened that Jacob had a little hut out here in the woods where he often came as a child. Thankfully, the place was still intact, and all of you could take a little break while you tended to his wounds. As you slowly started to patch the bandage up, you couldn’t help but feel as if a pair of burning eyes were staring at you, making you feel a little uncomfortable. Sure enough, as you lifted your head, you noticed that Jacob was much closer than before, leaning in while resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

“W-What?” You squeaked.

“I have never met a girl like you, Y/N. You just seem very different from all the girls in the kingdom.”

“Kingdom?”

Before Jacob could answer, he was earned with a hard slap on his shoulder, and it was none other than Kevin, who was staring down at his friend rather intensely.

“Hey! Can’t you see that I’m a wounded patient trying his best to get treated?” He argued back.

“With all due respect, Jacob. That’s something that you shouldn’t be disclosing easily.”

God, another awkward moment.

Just like before, Jacob reassured the male and gently put his friend’s hand down from his shoulder, giving them a little rub to reassure him that everything was alright. “It’s fine, Kevin. It would be rude to leave a lady in the dark like that. Besides, she helped me, and I think she deserves to know.”

Kevin wasn’t convinced in the slightest, that’s for sure. However, it seemed he would always listen to Jacob’s orders, despite how often you have seen him hit the guy. As Kevin started to back away, Jacob redirected his attention towards you before lowering his voice slightly.

“Say, Y/N. Do you know who I am?”

“Umm…should I?”

With that response, Kevin couldn’t help but snort at that comment you made, causing Jacob to give him a little elbow punch right into his abdomen, indirectly telling him that it wasn’t a laughing matter.

“You do seem and act like an outcast; you’re probably not a local. Are you?”

“Well.” You cleared your throat as you finished patching his injury up, gently nodding your head to tell him that it was fine to retract his arm away from you before you decided to rest both of your palms on your lap, playing with the hems of your skirt to somehow ease your uneasiness away. “I have a good guess that you must belong to the upper class around here, perhaps an aristocrat or a higher-ranking official.”

Jacob smiled at your answer, but he gently shook his head before posing another question right back at you. “Have you ever heard of the prince of Clarines?”

It took a few moments for you to absorb what he just said completely, and you blankly stared back at him for a good ten seconds before you eventually started to connect the dots in your mind.

“No way.”

“Oh, yes way, sweetheart. I’m him, and he is I.”

Unbeknownst to you, you naturally started backing off a bit, slowly moving your hip back until your back hit the end of the couch. Your eyes widened, and your hands were visibly shaking now, and it was obvious to the two that your uneasiness just shot from a fifty to a hundred.

“I-I umm…I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“What makes you say that, Miss Y/N?”

“I-I mean…I just talked to you casually as if you’re an explorer—”

He chuckled before resting one of his hands on your head. “Y/N. Not all royals talk in royal language. We’re all human beings, too, and we basically live our lives just like any other individual in the kingdom.”

You had no idea what in God’s mind made you wonder that royals are a completely different breed than the rest of the people in the kingdom, including your former home, Tanbarun. You have always assumed that these higher-ranking privileged individuals have a completely different taste of life and that they will never understand nor experience the normal daily lives that the public is used to. They are brought up with tight security, good education, as well as different mannerisms compared to the others. They must be on a whole different level than you were.

Another reason why you have panicked and blanked out was that never in a million years would you have expected to come across an actual individual from the royal family, let alone the prince of Clarines. You have heard tales about the male, his achievements and how he was well-loved by the people; way better than the prince of Tanbarun, that is. But you have never seen nor heard about what he looked like, nor have you read any details or information about the royal family of Clarines.

He was actually such a fine, good-looking male.

Before you could continue with your little deduction session about the prince who was sitting right in front of you, the male himself redirected your attention back to reality, asking you a question while he gently rested his fingers on your chin as he lifted your head to look straight into his eyes.

“What were you actually doing out here, Y/N?”

“Like I’ve told you before, I’m here to collect some herbs for the store—”

“You can try to lie all you want, but I’m pretty good at reading body language, miss Y/N. Something tells me that the herbs you are collecting are something much more than just treating your patients back in town.”

“W-What? What makes you say that?”

“Sweetheart, I am often deployed out to the battlefield. Those large amounts of centella asiatica leaves you’ve got there,” he then points directly at your opened pouch that was left on the floor before continuing with his sentence. “-tells me that you’re preparing a large batch of potentially wound healing ointments, particularly for soldiers.”

So he was as intelligent as you have heard from the rumours.

“W-Well yeah…it’s kind of complicated.”

Just when you thought this conversation was going nowhere, Jacob slowly leaned back to the couch before crossing his arms together as he plastered a smile. “You do know that you could always ask for help, right?”

“What do you mean?” you chuckled.

“Something tells me that whatever has been bothering you is no small matter, and my instincts tell me that this isn’t going to end up well,” he replied bluntly; the jovial and happy-go-lucky Jacob was far gone, now replaced with a stern look, perhaps this was truly what the prince of Clarines was really like on the battlefield.

“With all due respect, sir, well… Prince Jacob. There’s no way that I am going to let a royal like you get caught up with my issues.”

“Unfortunately, I insist. I am and will help you resolve whatever is on your mind, whether you like it or not.”

You have never thought a kind-hearted and soft-spoken person could be this persistent, and how he changed his whole demeanour within seconds somehow terrified you, but you also found it attractive at the same time. If he was not giving up on his proposal, then there was no turning back now, and your only option was to comply if you wanted to walk out of this hut freely and alive.

“It’s about Minhyuk— I mean, the prince of Tanbarun.”

With one sentence about the prince from the neighbouring kingdom, Jacob immediately scowled and hugged his arms tightly around himself. By the looks of his demeanour, it seemed as if the local prince wasn’t the best of friends with the neighbouring prince.

“Jacob, you’re frowning,” Kevin replied.

“He pisses me off,” the latter responded.

“You have wrinkles on your forehead.”

“I was about to feed him to the palace dogs the last time I saw him.”

Kevin sighed. He knew exactly the conflict that both princes had with one another, and Jacob always turned into a five-year-old grumpy kid who just had his favourite toy taken away from him whenever that name was mentioned straight to his face. While his friend tried his best to suppress his emotions, Kevin turned towards you and decided to press on for more details.

“What about him? And how does a commoner like you have any sort of relationship with the male himself?”

Taking a deep breath, you tried your best to explain the situation you always dreaded to recall whenever needed. “You see, I was originally from Tanbarun. It was all thanks to my mother’s effort that she got me out of the hellhole that Minhyuk placed me in. Because of my father’s debt in the past, I was offered to become his concubine when I was finally of age.”

Neither of the two males spoke a word after that—it was either they were trying to sympathise with your situation, or they were trying to figure out what exactly your father had done to offer his very own daughter as a repayment.

“You must’ve been a pretty privileged individual to be able to be caught up with Prince Minhyuk’s affairs,” Kevin replied; you could tell that he was trying his best to ease the situation, and he intended to comment on it fairly jokingly.

“I get that a lot. The fact that he had personally requested that I make a big batch of healing ointments for his soldiers was suspicious enough; I’m pretty sure he has his team of herbalists in the palace. However, he announced that he would personally come to collect the medicines rather than the soldiers…that is something I’m dreading to face tomorrow.”

Jacob immediately stood up from the couch in a furious and annoyed manner, and he began pacing around the room before finally opening his mouth to say something. “Based on my deduction, I’m a hundred percent sure that he would probably make an extravagant event of some sort when he comes to collect your medicines tomorrow in honour of forcing you to come with him finally, that is.”

“Yes, I am fully aware of that, Prince Jacob.”

“So I’ll tell you what, Kevin and I are going to help you out, and again, no more buts. We’re going to stake out the hut tonight,” Jacob began rubbing his chin with his fingers, a smile suddenly forming.

“Jacob, please tell me that you’re in your right mind with whatever you plan to do to that prince,” Kevin pleaded.

“Oh, trust me. It’ll be loads of fun.”

There were about ten minutes left before Minhyuk was going to arrive at the designated spot in the woods. You and Jacob arrived thirty minutes prior, scouring through the woods to see if anything was out of the ordinary, just in case.

As you held the bag filled with ointments you had just made the night before (with the help of both Jacob and Kevin), you couldn’t help but begin trembling as you held onto the handle. It has been a while since you last saw Minhyuk, and you certainly didn’t want to face him ever again, given that each encounter you have had with him has always ended up horribly.

And this time, he would come to force you to become his very own concubine.

You shut your eyes tightly, trying your best to calm yourself down and think of any potential excuses or escape, hoping this will be the last time you will have to face Minhyuk. But at the same time, a deal was a deal, and it was because of your father’s debt that you were in this situation; you needed to repay whatever it was somehow.

Just when you were slowly getting lost in your thoughts, you felt a warm pair of hands rest on yours, and you opened your eyes to turn right towards the male onto your left. It belonged to Jacob’s.

“Hey, we’ve got this, Y/N. You are not alone in this messed up agreement anymore; I promise you that I’ll get rid of Minhyuk easily for you.”

You chuckled slightly when you noticed how his ears were slowly turning red. “Something tells me this isn’t completely about me.”

“N-No! It’s for you and just you,” he huffed before turning his head straight into the direction you both expected him to come from. You smiled at that, seeing how the prince of Clarines was this little humble and, might you add, adorable brunette individual. It must’ve been fate to have met him in the woods.

Just then, you both heard a rustling sound coming from the distance, slowly growing louder each second. Immediately, Jacob retracted his hands from yours and positioned them on his sword, which rested perfectly on the buckle of his hips. His grip on the hilt tightened, and he positioned himself in a manner that showed he was prepared for battle.

After what seemed like minutes turned into seconds, the familiar figure emerged out of the woods, plastering that sickening smile that you have grown used to but also loathe loads.

Minhyuk.

“Why my dear, Y/N, it has been a while; you surely have gotten a lot more beautiful than the last time I’ve seen you,” he smirks as he walks towards you with a smug manner.

Just when he was merely a few feet away, his steps came to an immediate halt when he saw that you weren’t alone as you were told to do so in the letter. “I see that you have come with a guest. Didn’t you know how to read properly, pumpkin?”

Before you could respond to the male with your fist all balled up, Jacob cut himself in and responded with his head up. “It’s none of your business who she decides to bring along. Besides, the woods can be dangerous for a young female like her.”

“Huh. I guess some guys like you just can’t hold himself back,” he spat.

You were used to Minhyuk making these sarcastic remarks towards you, but you surely will not have it when he dumps them upon other people. Your blood immediately boils, and you are going to stomp towards him before Jacob puts his arm around your shoulders, stopping you in your tracks.

That’s right. Know your place and the right timing, Y/N.

It always brings a smile or laughter to Minhyuk whenever he sees you getting all riled up like that, and he begins swaying his body before walking in circles in front of you. “Well, I can see that you have made your promise and gotten my order ready. You truly are meant to be with me,” he said while pointing at the bag of ointments you were holding.

“In return, I have a little gift for you,” he added before pulling out something that he had clearly been hiding since the very beginning.

A basket filled with red apples.

However, you weren’t convinced in the slightest and did not appreciate the gesture in the slightest. “What do you want, Minhyuk?”

“Come on, Y/N. It’s just a basket filled with fruits, that’s all. I’m pretty sure you were a fan of apples, and I hand-picked them myself from the botanical gardens at the palace. I can guarantee you that they are the finest, sweetest and most freshly sourced goods all the way from Tambaram. Surely, you wouldn’t want to miss such an opportunity, right?”

Sure, it was just apples. It could be that the prince himself finally came to his senses and decided to have some morals and repay for what he has done in the past. However, with all of the uneventful experiences you have had with him, you weren’t too sure if you should even accept the gifts at all, even if it came genuinely from the prince himself.

“You can keep them. I’m just here to make the delivery, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh no, Y/N. I came all the way to see you, and you want to leave just like that already? That’s not a very nice way to treat a guest from afar.”

“You have plenty of concubines waiting in the palace for you; there’s no need for you to meddle with someone as lowly as I am—”

It seemed as if you had gotten on his nerves as the look on his face changed immediately. His face darkened, and he reached into the basket to pick out one of the freshest apples among the bunch.

“Look at how beautifully shiny red this one is, Y/N. Surely you would want to take a bite?”

“N-No thanks, I’m good.”

“Not the right answer, Y/N,” Minhyuk holds the apple in one hand while slowly taking a few steps towards you, causing you to back off.

“Don’t do this, Minhyuk.”

“Just a little bite won’t hurt, isn’t it?”

“If she doesn’t want to, I’ll take it.”

In an instance, both you and Minhyuk stopped in your tracks, and your eyes widened as you saw Jacob casually walking straight towards him to snatch the apple out of his hands and examine it to the best of his ability. “It is definitely much shinier than any apple I’ve seen before, and it looks scrumptious if you ask me.”

Just then, Minhyuk began sweating profusely out of the blue, and his speech began to slur as he saw that Jacob was slowly bringing the apple close towards his mouth. “N-No, I don’t think you would want to eat that. Only Y/N would think it’s sweet since this apple would suit her taste buds more,” he chuckled.

You could tell that Minhyuk was trying his very best to convince Jacob not to take a bite of the apple—more specifically, he insisted that it had to be you who would eat it, nobody else. It was the first time you had seen Minhyuk like this, panicking and in a frantic manner. It was new, and it was obvious that something wasn’t right here.

Before you could intervene, Jacob eventually took a huge bite of the fruit, chewing it steadily as he began smiling. “Woah, you’re right! This apple surely is something else. It must be an authentic local produce; your farmers deserve a rise.”

“O-Oh! Does it taste normal for you?” Minhyuk asked nervously as he rubbed his hands together.

“Absolutely! This is insane; you won’t get this anywhere in Clarines—”

Before Jacob could finish his sentence, he immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach for dear life as he began sweating profusely. Your eyes widened, and quickly ran towards Jacob, holding him up to check on him as best you could.

“Jacob! Jacob! What’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong!”

Right there and then, you heard Minhyuk start to pace around and ruffle his hair messily before he began screaming at the top of his lungs at you. “It all would have gone so smoothly if you had just accepted the goddamn apple, Y/N! Why do you always make things a lot harder than they actually are?”

With that, the little knots began forming in your brain, and you finally realised what he was trying to do. “You’re a scumbag.”

“Not my fault that you have turned down my offers so many times, Y/N! Even after I’ve asked you nicely over and over again.”

“I’m not becoming your concubine, ever.”

“Unlucky for you, a debt is a debt, and it still has to be paid. So you’re coming with me, whether you like it or not.”

Immediately, Minhyuk marched towards you and yanked you right out from Jacob, putting way more pressure on your arm that you were certain it would definitely leave a mark once he removed his grip from yours. You tried your best to squirm your way out from him, but he was far stronger than you were, and you were now slowly being dragged further away from Jacob.

“No! Leave me alone! Let go of me— Jacob!!!” You screamed.

Before Minhyuk could drag you back to his carriage, he was stopped immediately when he felt a sharp metal tip on the back of his neck. Slowly, he turned and was met with the one who had always been here witnessing the whole ordeal in hiding.

Kevin.

“W-What now? You brought more friends to the meetup, Y/N?”

“Correction. I was the one who insisted on joining her.”

That voice!

All of you redirected your attention back towards Jacob, who was now slowly getting himself up with the support of his sword pierced through the ground.

“B-But how!? That poison in the apple would take at least a few days to recover without an actual antidote!”

“Unlucky for you, prince of Tanbarun, I’m pretty much immune to most weak poisons like that, especially when I have experienced far worse than this.”

That was when Minhyuk finally saw the family crest that was embedded on the sword that Jacob was holding onto, and his speech began to slur, and his eyes widened upon the contact.

“It can’t be…it just can’t…y-you…” he then points his finger directly at Jacob.

“I’m sure you are well aware of who I am now. Since you have been such a dear and actually confessed to the whole crime just now, it has definitely saved up a whole lot of trouble trying to force the answer out from you back in the trial courts in the palace,” Jacob replied sternly as he swiftly removed his sword and was now pointing it straight towards Minhyuk.

“P-Please let me live…I am the prince of Tanbarun!!”

“Hmm, I don’t think you would still be able to hold on to that title after exposing your crimes to the public. You have done more than enough for the past couple of years, Prince Minhyuk. I have had fun keeping up with your mess and affairs. Especially now that I have witnessed a case like today in person myself, I have more than enough to bring you back to my palace for some questioning, don’t you think?”

Minhyuk then dropped to the ground, and actual tears began streaming down his face, giving Jacob more than enough time to slowly make his way to rest the tip of his sword right below his chin. “Scumbags like you don’t deserve to be king.”

As Jacob looked up to Kevin, the both of them gave each other a nod before Kevin signalled a few soldiers who were around in hiding to personally escort Minhyuk back to their carriage, where they would transport the criminal himself back to the palace.

You stood there motionlessly, refusing to believe that your nightmare for the past decade was gone just like that. All it took was bumping into the prince of Clarines and his companion actually to lend a helping hand, and that was it. As a burden was finally lifted off your shoulders, you decided to lean back against one of the trees before slowly moving down to sit straight on the ground, taking in a deep breath while you closed your eyes to forget about the entire ordeal that had happened before.

Before you could even have a little moment of peace, you immediately let out a hiss when you felt something cooling come into contact with your wound, and you were surprised to see that it was Jacob again, trying his best to patch up your wound.

“I’m sorry that I let him lay a finger on you; it definitely took it a little longer for me to reciprocate from the poison,” he said gently as he applied the ointment onto your fresh bruise slowly.

“W-Where did you get—”

“Oh, well. I may or may not have stolen some of the centella asiatica leaves you have gotten and made a little ointment myself last night,” he smiles as he now takes one of the bandages from your bag to wrap them around the wound. “...and there! That should do the trick, and you will heal in no time.”

“Jacob…you…”

He chuckled. “Look, I read a lot and I myself am interested in botanicals too. I know my way around the battlefield,” he winks before lifting your arms up close to his mouth.

Before you could ask what he was trying to do, he gently leaned down to place a kiss on the wound, resting his lips right there for a good ten seconds before he decided to pull away.

Instantly, you felt the heat rising up to your face, and you tried your best to keep your cool as you asked what it was all about before you eventually failed miserably.

“It’s just a little something my mother taught me. If you give a lot of love and care to a wound, it will heal faster than usual.”

With that, he slowly moved his hand down so that he was now holding both of your hands in his, swinging them gently while ensuring he wouldn’t cause you any discomfort with your wound.

“Say, Y/N. Would you be interested in coming to work as the royal botanist in the palace?”

You were stunned. “M-Me? In your palace? There’s absolutely no way.”

“Hey, never say never, isn’t it? You could always try to take the royal test, and if you do pass, you’ll be here in no time. Besides, I’m sure the palace would definitely need an extra pair of hands in the gardens.”

“I…I don’t know, Jacob…that’s a lot to take in for me…”

“I understand. But you'll know what to do if you ever change your mind.”

In a split second, the young prince pulls you in closer so he can plant a little kiss on the side of your cheeks. Right as he let go of both of your hands, he immediately did a little courtesy bow towards you as he got himself ready to head back towards the carriage, especially when Kevin was about to throw a pebble to his friend’s head to signal him that it was time to go.

“I’ll see you around, Y/N. I look forward to the day when we’ll meet again.”

Just like that, the male sprinted back towards his carriage and gave you a final wave before he and his men took off into the distance. As you were left alone to recollect your thoughts and digest whatever happened throughout the past hour, you slowly lifted your wounded hand to touch the spot where he had just left a kiss.

“Whatever fairytale mess is going on here?”

A/N: may or may not have a pt2 👀

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forever-1895 · 7 months

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CALLING ALL Since I First Saw Your Face fans

Let's work together and post as many supportive things about this story so hopefully the author sees and feels motivated to update!

In case you don't know, Since I First Saw Your Face by Stavia_Scott_Grayson on ao3 (@artemisastarte on Tumblr) rewriting the Sherlock Holmes books from the point of view of Holmes. It very realistically develops the relationship between this iconic duo, taking into account the events which would have happened at that time in history (e.g. Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, Jack the Ripper 1888, etc), and the period typical homophobia is shockingly well researched. Even the concerts Holmes & Watson go to actually happened at the times stated in the story.

At the start of each chapter, there is a painful (3rd person) recording of the time Holmes spent abroad toiling after Moran (the late Moriarty's right hand man) during the hiatus (after faking his death at the Reichenbach Falls); about how he wishes above all to return to England and see Watson again, whom he misses in extremity.

Holmes receives news from England via Mycroft (his brother), which updates him about the state of affairs in England. Apparently, Watson has been wasting away after his wife's & Holmes' death. Mycroft tells Holmes that if he doesn't return quickly, Watson may be no more.

However, Holmes cannot return, as some things still need sorting out. He does however, ask Mycroft to send Watson The Sigerson Papers, an account written by Holmes under the name of Sigerson about the things he experienced in Asia. Watson notices that Sigerson is a lot like Holmes, and asks Mycroft whether his beloved is still alive.

However, even after finding out Holmes is still alive, Watson's condition doesn't improve. He feels betrayed. 3 years of hell, and Holmes was lying to him the whole time. He still loves Holmes, but all the same, he is not pleased.

Mycroft sends to Holmes about this, and Holmes is torn between homesickness and the fear that Watson will no longer like him. Holmes bides his time in Asia, until one day a letter from Watson arrives, telling him that he knows that Holmes is scared to return for fear of how he might react, and that though he is angry, he still loves him and wishes more than anything to have him back.

After a section detailing Holmes in Asia post-hiatus, there will be a recounting of events years ago, starting from when Holmes first met Watson, who was very weak and ill after returning from the army. Holmes takes a liking to him almost instantly, though he tries not to show it. Holmes describes moving in together, and even pays their landlady (Mrs. Hudson) to provide extra nutritious food for Watson so he might recover faster.

Holmes helps Watson get over his Soldier's Heart (PTSD, I think), Watson accompanies Holmes to cases, Holmes plays the violin for hours on end just for Watson's enjoyment, they go to concerts together, and support each other when one is feeling depressed.

All while this happens, Holmes tells us of his struggles of hiding his sexuality and desire from Watson, the struggles he has fighting his drug addiction, and the struggles of being an invert (homosexual) in the late 18th to early 19th century.

We also have some VERY tense scenes for when Watson is being too kind to Holmes and Holmes is about to let his feelings pour out his mouth like a waterfall, but fear of rejection holds him back.

It builds up to Holmes & Watson first meeting Moriarty at a concert, and then all the trouble starts from there.

Moriarty is constantly trying to cause distress for Holmes, first sending an anonymous letter to the police accusing of the two of sodomy, a terrible crime at the time period, taking advantage of multiple female murders and framing Watson for having committed them, and though disproved, it shows how close Moriarty can get to Holmes without even appearing; it's always one of Moriarty's goons who does it for him.

Moriarty threatens Holmes to end his association with the good doctor at another concert some years later or he will never cease trying to condemn Watson, and sooner or later, he'll succeed in ruining him.

All this unfolds while Watson is chatting animatedly to a Mrs Forrester and a Miss Mary Morstan in another area of the concert hall...

And that's what's happened so far. There's a LOT more, but I don't have time to write it all 😝.

In conclusion, post-hiatus: Holmes is still in Asia pining for Watson, Watson is pining for Holmes in England, and pre-hiatus: Watson has just met Mary, and Moriarty is stirring up a ruckus. SO NOW DO YOU SEE WHY WE NEEEED AN UPDATE? IM DYING HERE!

and to make y'all feel better, in case you haven't read it yet, Watson does reciprocate Holmes affections

#holmes x watson #sherlock holmes #johnlock #artemisastarte #since i first saw your face #pining #wip #ao3 #pls reblog #spread the word

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foressfaction · 2 months

Text

:Ticci Toby:{A Rewrite}

Chapter 7

WARNING:: This story contains EXTREMELY triggering topics such as Domestic/Child/Substance abuse, Death, harsh language, GORE and dissociation triggers. This story mentions mental illnesses and disorders such as Depression, PTSD, ADHD, and Tourette's Syndrome. !!TICS MAY BE TRIGGERING!!

Chapter seven

"Let's go out my window, they won't hear us." Lyra opened her room window that led to the roof and crawled out. Toby followed behind, slipping down the roof a little but eventually they were both able to jump off safely landing on the grass below.

The two siblings started to sprint down the sidewalk, slowly merging to the side of the road. Toby would pass Lyra immediately but the two would both slow down to a steady pace. Toby would fall behind shortly. "Where are we even going?!" Toby would yell, running behind his sister, her ponytail blowing behind her as she kept running, in the lead. Toby was getting out of breath but stayed competitive. "To the abandoned school! It's cool! I wanna show you."

The two kept running, shoes echoing off the old cracked sidewalk that has seen better days. The road was dead and it seemed no one was out at the time. The cold weather pinched at their faces, making their noses red and their faces a little pink.

About midway Toby stopped to catch his breath, bending down to hold his knees, huffing. Lyra stopped, no longer hearing him running.

Toby turned to see the woods, getting a very familiar feeling. He stayed huffing, holding his stomach tightly, he saw a figure…tall as the trees just facing him. It was all black, but definitely unnerving. This time though he felt like he was in danger…not that usual friendly feeling he got from the creature.

His eyes were locked on.

"Toby?" The girl called out. Toby snapped from his daze and looked at her. She was about 15 feet away. "You okay?" Lyra yelled out.

Toby nodded and went back to jogging, passing her who started after him.

He looked back a couple of times.

Lyra wondered why he suddenly went quiet

The two made it to the old school, both huffing to catch their breaths, especially Toby. "Wow, they painted it more since the last time I came here." Lyra hummed out, waking further inside. There was a hole just big enough for them to fit through the boarded door. Graffiti lined the walls on every corner. Almost no negative space was left. "Here!" She tossed Toby a can of spray paint. "Huh? Where did you ge-get this?" he asked, shaking it a little.

"It was laying in the corner over there, some dumb-nuts left'em." She shook her own can and tested it out on the walls. "A gift for us then huh?"

Toby laughed a little, joining her to mark up the walls. She wrote words while he painted his lil symbols, and stick people. That figure didn't leave his mind either. He started to spray paint the tall man, getting the proportions as correctly as he could. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice the girl looming behind him in confused awe. "Who is that, Toby?"

Toby turned quickly and sighed a little. "..A…a friend."

She tilted her head, concerned but played along. She was always worried about her brother. The kid was pretty slow and unique but she loved him anyway. That was one of the traits that made him so lovable. "Oh ahah, a friend? Well tell him I like his tie." She referred to the red tie that Toby painted on. The figure was in a suit.

The wind picked up suddenly. The two had been there for a while, and the sun was starting to set.

The brunette and the blonde girl were sitting against the wall playing with an old toy top they found on the ground. Toby was spinning it, trying to beat Lyra's high score of 30 seconds of pure spinning. His highest was 6..

"Hey, go see if you can find any other little things, I bet I can find one faster than you." Lyra always wanted to play a game out of something. She was a very competitive person. Toby got up quickly. "we'll see then!" He called out.

Toby ran down the hall of the old school, leaving the section they were in and entered a whole new one. His shoes echoed down the halls.

Toby really stopped to take a look at all of the halls. They were all painted on and just destroyed. People wrote satanic symbols, numbers. Some were confession letters and secrets.

'I wonder who Doug is.' Toby thought to himself as he stood in front of a giant wall that had 'I really hate Doug' spray painted on it.

Toby finally caught the eye of a pile of boxes and bags. Bingo! "There has to be something in here!" He thought out loud as he ran over and started to dig through. There were a bunch of burned up books and papers. Toby dug deeper and eventually felt metal against his gloved hand. He pulled it out, a lighter?

He flicked it on and the flame bursted up, lighting his eyes and half of the semi-dark room up. "woaahh.."

"HEY!" A man's voice yelled out.

"What are you doing with my stuff you little twat!"

Toby looked behind him quickly and immediately scurried out of the room, taking the lighter with him.

The older boy chased him, grabbing at the boy's arm and successfully pulled Toby back violently.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Toby screamed out, kicking the other male in the shin, slipping away again and running as fast as he could.

He ran into his sister, nearly knocking them down. She huffed out and held him. Toby was practically hugging her. Lyra was in shock but saw the other guy approaching them fast. "Don't hurt my brother you asshole!" She yelled out, baring her teeth angrily.

"Oh, you're a cute one aren't ya~" The older boy cooed out.

Lyra groaned in an annoyed way and sprayed the guy in the face with spray paint. He screamed and grabbed his face, it getting into his eyes. Lyra took her brother's arm and started to run.

Toby had shoved the lighter into his pocket in the process. "Haha bozo!" Toby laughed out, being tugged away once more around the corner.

Despite that encounter, that was the most fun the two have had in a while.

After the two got home and got showers, they stayed up most of the night in Lyra's room, either reading funny stories from a book of jokes, or making a fort out of all of her blankets. It was the weekend so they didn't have to worry about school or work. Toby fell asleep on the floor in the pile of pillows and blankets. That day was really eventful. The tall man even paid him a visit in his sleep.

••••••••

#creepypasta #slenderverse #foressfaction #ticci toby #toby rogers #creepypasta rewrite #rewrite #ticcitobyrewrite

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blubberquark · 6 months

Text

Your Code Is Hard To Read!

This is one of those posts I make not because I think my followers need to hear them, but because I want to link to them from Discord from time to time. If you are a Moderator, Contributor or "Helpfulie" on the PyGame Community Discord, I would welcome your feedback on this one!

"You posted your code and asked a question. We can't answer your question. Your code is hard to read."

Often when we tell people this, they complain that coding guidelines are just aesthetic preferences, and they didn't ask if their code followed coding guidelines. They asked us to fix the bug. That may be so, but the problem remains: If you ask us to fix your code, we can only help you if we can read it.

Furthermore, if there are many unrelated bugs, architectural problems, and hard to understand control flow, the concept of fixing an isolated bug becomes more and more unclear.

In order to fix unreadable code, you could:

eliminate global variables

replace magic numbers with constants

replace magic strings with enumerations

name classes, functions, constants, variables according to consistent coding standards

have functions that do one thing and one thing only like "collision detection" or "collision handling". If your function does two things at the same time, like rendering AND collision detection, then it must be refactored

rewrite deeply nested and indented code to be shallower

rewrite code that keeps a lot of state in local variables into special-case functions

use data structures that make sense

write comments that explain the program, not comments that explain the programming language

delete unneccessary/unreachable code from the question to make it easier to read or from your program to see if the problem persists

My own programs often violate one or more of those rules, especially when they are one-off throwaway scripts, or written during a game jam, or prototypes. I would never try to ask other people for help on my unreadable code. But I am an experienced programmer. I rarely ask for help in an unhelpful way. Almost never ask for help in a way that makes other experienced programmers ask for more code, or less code, or additional context. I post a minimal example, and I usually know what I am doing. If I don't know what I am doing, or if I need suggestions about solving my problem completely differently, I say so.

Beginner programmers are at a disadvantage here. They don't know what good code looks like, they don't know what good software architecture looks like, they don't know how to pare down a thousand lines of code to a minimal example, and if they try to guess which section of code contains the error, they usually guess wrong.

None of this matters. It may be terribly unfair that I know how to ask smart questions, and beginner programmers ask ill-posed questions or post code that is so bad it would be easier and quicker for an experienced programmer to re-write the whole thing. It is often not feasible to imagine what the author might have intended the code to work like and to fix the bugs one by one while keeping the structure intact. This is not a technical skill, this is a communicative and social skill that software engineers must pick up sooner or later: Writing code for other people to read.

If your code is too hard to read, people can't practically help you.

It gets worse. Unreadable code is sometimes unreadable because it is un-salvageable. It is hard to understand because there is nothing to understand, it would not work, and you need to go back to the drawing board.

Defensive Responses

This is not where the problem ends. Often, after a couple of rounds of back and forth, after questions like "Well, you say there is a bug, but can you tell me what you would want the code to do in the first place?", or "Is this a class or an instance? If it's supposed to be an instance variable, could you give it a lowercase name?" or "Could you give that variable _obj a more descriptive name? It looks like you are assigning different things to this variable in different parts of your loop. Perhaps you could use two variables with different, more descriptive names", you see a defensive response. The original question asker is not interested in making code easy to read, just in making it work. As I explained above, this is a confused way of thinking, because ill-posed questions and unreadable code make it difficult to impossible to make the code work, or to even understand what making it work would look like.

"Style is irrelevant." – This is by far the most common one. Since coding style, comments, variable names, and even re-factoring code into smaller functions do not affect the output, and thus not the correctness of the program.

"I asked for help with bugs, not style." – This is a variation on the first one. As long as there is no concrete and discrete bug, style feedback and questions for clarification can be discarded.

"This is too much work." – The original poster explains that making the code more readable is too much work for them, and fixing the bugs would be easier for others.

"Nobody will see the code anyway" – Nobody will see the code of the finished product, so it's irrelevant. Sometimes there are variations like "We aren't graded on code quality, only correctness" or "This is for a class project, nobody will depend on the code, so we don't need robustness."

"This is just throwaway code, it doesn't have to be good." – Like the previous one, this is frustrating to read because somebody posted the code on a forum for other people to read and asked them to understand it, and then said he doesn't care if it's readable or debuggable.

"I asked you for help." / "I am asking the questions here." – The original poster refuses to answer questions, because he asked, he expects answers, not questions in return.

"Don't blame me, I didn't write it" – We have completely left the realm of correctness and style now. The poster knows the code is unreadable, or doesn't make sense. He tried to protect his reputation. But he doesn't like the tone of the responses. Its not his fault the code doesn't make sense. It's not his fault if it doesn't work. Common variations are "This must be correct, it was the accepted answer on StackOverflow", or "I copied this from a tutorial", or "Don't blame me, this was written by GitHub Copilot". Often part of the problem is that the code has different parts written in different styles, or uses different data structures in different places, and both parts could benefit from a re-write to make them more consistent with each other. At other times the problem is that the code from the book is "correct" for certain purposes from the book, but not really suited for the problem at hand.

"I apologised already" – The poster is frustrated because he said "I am sorry I am a n00b" or "I am sorry for my bad English" already. Then somebody said his code is unreadable or his prose makes no sense. The poster sees readable code, or at least code that is readable enough to understand what the idea was, as a courtesy, as a social custom, not as something necessary to make the whole question and answer thing work. The same goes for a firm grasp of English. The poster apologised already that his English is bad, and you should just see past it. Dealing with this is especially difficult, because Q&A is framed as some kind of status game, and the poster is trying hard to save face already. Push-back will make him feel like he is losing face, and he will only get more defensive.

Causes

So where does the problem begin? Why do people write unreadable code, post it online, and get defensive? I think the answer is a combination of programming skill, social skill, and simplistic mental models.

Software Engineering is Difficult: Obviously, one root cause is that beginner programmers can't already write readable code from the start. Writing readable, well-factored code that is easy to debug, re-use, and adapt is something that comes with experience. Writing code for other people to read can only be learned after one has learned to write code.

Magical Thinking/Limited Cognitive Empathy: The most common and most direct cause of this phenomenon – the refusal to help others read your unreadable code – is not the unreadable code itself. It is the belief that it should be easy for experienced programmers to understand the structure of and intent behind a piece of code, even if the person who wrote it didn't. If you see software as basically magic, and don't see computers as soulless automatons that do what they do because they are built that way, then this is an easy trap to fall into. A variant of this works for language. If somebody is bad at English, or bad at the technical jargon needed to ask his question, he will often think that the question he thought up in his native Klingon was perfectly well-formed, and that other people should have no trouble reading his words, because they also think in Klingon, so they would translate it into a question that makes sense anyway.

Status-Consciousness: Many beginner programmers feel the desperate need to distinguish themselves from other beginners, and if they have been learning JavaScript for two moths now, they want to be seen as real programmers, not as children who play with Scratch and build Redstone contraptions in MineCraft. They want to be taken seriously. This reminds me of a five year old boy who stretches out his arm and tells me he is THIS BIG, and he is already FIVE, going on SIX, and he will go to SCHOOL soon.

Naive Mental Model of De-Bugging: Every program has a certain number of discrete features bugs, and when you remove all bugs, you end up with a program that works. This is of course nonsense. You can write a program that has an indeterminate number of bugs, or a program that implements an algorithm that doesn't quite work, or a useless program, or a program that does random nonsense.

With any luck, sooner or later, programmers will learn the technical side, and the social and collaborative side of software development.

#programming #python #forum culture #stack overflow #teaching programming

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