Star vs The Forces of Evil
The Ballad of Earth-Mewni
Disclaimer: Star vs The Forces of Evil was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of Star vs.
Episode 40: Family First
Episode Summary: The first Thanksgiving feast in Earthni is set to commence. Star has invited many of her closest friends & loved ones for a magnificent feast to celebrate their bond, with some having a little piece of business to attend to before the feast.
Original Release Date: May 19, 2021
A/N: If all goes according to plan, this will be coming out on the two-year anniversary of "Cleaved." I didn't originally plan this story to end on that anniversary, but it feels rather appropriate. With this chapter, we'll be chronologically right around where "Beautiful Christmas" begins, and it just makes sense to end this book here instead of doing a time skip. The story will pick up at some point in the next book - titled "Earthni Sweet Symphony" - but as of now there's no timetable as to when that next book will start up. I'm gonna take a little hiatus after this chapter to get my head straight because I can feel burnout happening with these last couple of chapters. Even if I wanted to do a time skip within this book, it wouldn't feel right to continue trying to pump out chapters every month if I have to push myself unreasonably to make the creative wheels turn. But rest assured, the story absolutely will continue in a new book at some point.
Until then, thank you for keeping up with this post-finale world I've created the past couple of years. It's been one hell of a ride and I'm so grateful for the fandom friends I've made along the way. Y'all are amazing. And now, please enjoy the finale of "Star vs The Forces of Evil: The Ballad of Earth-Mewni"
It was the last Thursday of November. With many of Earth's traditions having carried over into the new Earthni world, that meant it was the time-honored tradition of Thanksgiving Day. And what was the traditional way those that celebrated the holiday would ring it in? With a gigantic feast, of course. And that was the plan for today: Star Butterfly had invited a bunch of her closest friends & loved ones to the Butterfly Castle to share in a massive banquet of meals & reminisce the half-year they've all had in the new world. It was sure to be a wonderful experience for all. But before the festivities could even begin, there was business to attend to for each of them.
This business in question began wtih Marco & his parents. At the Butterfly castle, they were handling the meal preparations. With so many guests anticipated for the afternoon feast, it was imperative that they made more than enough food to satisfy every hungry stomach. But the temptation to take a taste of some of the food was tantilizing for Marco. So much so that his father, Rafael, had to playfully slap his hand away. "Aww, Dad!" Marco playfully whined.
"You can wait just like everybody else, mijo." He jabbed at his son before rustling his hair.
"So, sweetheart..." His mother, Angie, said approaching him from behind. "Can we see it again?"
After a brief moment of silence, he lovingly sighed & acquiesed; he pulled out his wallet & took out what they were dying to lay their eyes on: a driver's license. Since the first test Marco took to get his license went so poorly, he decided to hold off on trying again for a while, keeping himself busy with Star & everything else going on in the world. But following Star's heart surgery & subesequent recovery, he decided to give it another go, studying up on driving tips & tricks, while also doing whatever he could to avoid having Miss Skullnick as his driving instructor again. When he went for his license a week prior, his efforts paid off handsomely, as he aced both the writing portion & the driving portion, and he earned his coveted driver's license. Both his parents were incredibly proud of him, and gazed lovingly at the license he was showing off.
"Look at you, you're so handsome..." Angie said with a giggle, causing an embarrassed blush to surface on Marco's face.
"I wasn't even ready!" He gruffed about his picture, containing one of the most awkward smiles of his life.
"They always ambush you with the picture, sweetie."
"Have you told your partner in crime yet?" Rafael asked his son.
"I've been meaning to surprise her, but with everything that's happened I've...kinda not been sure how I should break it to her. You know, should I just be direct & show her, or should I wait until I get myself a car & drive up to her place & surprise her-"
"Stop overthinking it, sweetie, she's going to be so proud of you." Angie assured him. "She'll probably lose her voice cheering for you."
A huge smile crossed his face. He knew she was right. "Oh for sure."
"In fact, Marco, why don't you surprise her today?" Angie reached into her pocket & pulled out a set of car keys. "Just don't get yourself into trouble, okay?"
The boy's eyes lit up the second they rested on the keys she was holding. They were the keys to their family car. "W-Whoa...a-are you sure?"
She nodded proudly. "We can work on getting you your own car another day. But for today we can just pretend." Marco hesitated, but eventually reached his hand out and carefully took the keys from her, his eyes still shimmering with pride.
"...Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad."
"Oh and don't forget to tell her about college. I'm sure she'll want to hear all about it."
"Ooh, thanks. I almost forgot about that. I can't wait to tell her!" But just as he was about to rush out in excitement, his eyes darted over to the stove, which was beginning to burn the pot that it was cooking. He raced over & shut it off quickly to avoid any catastrophe. "On second thought, I can wait until after the food's cooked."
"What? You don't trust us not to burn the place down?" Rafael chuckled, though Marco's unmoving, stern look quickly quelled the laughter.
"I just don't want anything going wrong. I do want to marry their daughter one day." He felt a soft touch of his shoulder by none other than his mother.
"You'll be a great husband. You already are."
"Does she call me that when she talks to you about me?"
"Only every chance she gets." Was her response. All he could do was roll his eyes and laugh as the three returned to the stove to resume cooking. They had a lot of food to prepare and only so much time to get it done.
Another person with business to attend to was Jackie Lynn Thomas. Today, prior to the big feast, she was with her girlfriend Chloe, out by the skate park, sitting back on the sidelines & watching others either master their skating techniques or fall flat on their faces trying to do so.
"I remember when I couldn't even do an ollie." Jackie joked while chuckling.
"I still have nightmares about my first rail grind." Chloe remarked, getting the two of them to laugh about it. Scraped my knee so hard it looked like a grapefruit."
"I've seen the photos, you don't have to remind me again." A hearty laugh was had between the two as they embraced each other to quell their nervous energy. To outsiders, this would seem like a normal outing for them at the park. But that wasn't the case at all. "So...when are you leaving?" In approximately a week, Chloe was set to step onto a plane & return to France, her home, to visit her extended family for the winter holidays, with the intent of returning to Echo Creek to spend Christmas proper with her close family & Jackie.
"In a week. They're going to go through the silly holiday motions for me early so I can jettison back here for you."
"Aww, that's sweet." Jackie smiled, touched by what she presumed the gesture to be. But Chloe's sulking expression & slumped shoulders told a different story. Something was off. "Isn't it?"
No, it was not, as Jackie would soon learn. "I...don't think they want to meet you." Talk about dropping a bomb.
"...Oh?" And it took almost no time for the devastation to become palpable on Jackie's face. But that, combined with Chloe's clearly uncertain & cautious sigh led to the atmosphere becoming incredibly uncomfortable very quickly.
"I don't know, I can't seem to gauge whether or not they support...you know, us."
"Well let me ask you something." She rubbed her girlfriend's shoulder in comfort. "Are people in your home country-"
"Oh you're kidding. France is one of the most LGBT friendly countries in the entire world. It's practically known as the "gay capital" of the world."
That certainly shot a hold in Jackie's initial theory. Still, she persisted. "Well...what do they really think about me? I mean, have you...have you talked to them about me at all?"
She hesitantly shrugged. "I...mentioned you once at the beginning when we met, but you...don't come up in conversation often." Chloe looked visibly embarrassed to admit this.
"How did they react when you told them about me?"
Another shrug from Chloe. "They weren't against it, if that's what you mean. I guess they were...happy...?"
It was obvious that Chlole's level of discomfort was rising as the conversation moved along. Jackie had no desire to prolong the discomfort, but she needed to know. "Chloe...you're not...you're not ashamed of me, are you?"
Just the mere thought made Chloe's head snap right in Jackie's direction, a look of sheer pain crossing her face. "...No. Never." And she moved to quickly prove it by passionately kissing her girlfriend. "I will never regret taking the leap with you. But what if they don't support us."
"But if your parents already support us, why wouldn't your extended family?"
"They're very...old fashioned..."
"Ah, I see."
"Maybe it's my own fault. I'm...scared of how they'll take it and I'm afraid they may-"
"Ostracize you or something?" The nod Chloe gave her was all the answer Jackie needed. "Look, maybe...maybe that's what happens, but...if what...we have...is what you really want, then isn't it worth the risk?" Again Chloe nodded, agreeing with the logic she was presented with. That didn't mean it was easy to swallow, though. "Maybe you just gotta sit down with them one day and really talk to them about me, about...us. Maybe they'll surprise you." By this point Chloe was finding it difficult to even look Jackie in the eye, as she turned her head away to avoid her seeing the tears forming in her eyes. "And hey, if they don't like me, then that's their loss, isn't it?" Sure, that got Chloe to lighten up. "I am pretty cool."
"That's an understatement." She retorted back with another kiss.
"You sure you don't want me to come?"
"Don't upheavel everything you had planned for now just to appease my grumpy extended family. I'll talk to them, and...we'll go from there."
"...If you say so. But if you run into any trouble, put me on video phone & I'll try to straighten them out."
Chloe wiped some tears away from her eyes & smiled as the two of them hugged again. "Well, let's hope it does not come to that. You have your own things here to tend to. Like that super cool princess..." She smirked & winked at Jackie, who in turn burst out into laughter. She knew exactly where this was going. "She's not very good at subtly, is she?" Star's crush on Jackie had been an ongoing thing since the beginning of the summer. It was something that all of the parties were aware of, but none of them knew that the other party was aware of it, creating a messy albeit amusing stuation for all involved. There was no animosity in any of the rank & file, and both Jackie & Chloe were taking it in stride. "Was she really your first girl crush?"
Jackie felt her face go a little red. "Don't tell me you're jealous of that."
"Jealous? No. Amused? Certainly." She playfully jabbed Jackie's arm to release some of her tension. "Was she really your first girl crush?"
Jackie nodded. "Oh yeah. But the pieces never really came together for me until...I met you."
"I have been told I have that effect on people."
"Well they were right."
"But hey, that goes double for you. You are the total package."
"Oh come on, stop. Now you're starting to sound like Star." The two of them could barely contain their laughter at this point, reveling in the amusement they were getting out of the scenario. "That girl..."
Chloe put a hand on Jackie's shoulder & smiled. "She's pretty out there, isn't she?" Jackie nodded silently with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. "You never did tell me what happened during that "sleepover" that one night..." Chloe winked rather jokingly.
"Well, nothing did happen. Nothing like that if that's what you're asking."
"I'm surprised to hear that, if you want the truth."
The truth, in turn, ended up confusing Jackie. "W-Why? You thought something would?"
"It's more like I was prepared for it to happen."
"You really think I'd do that?"
"Come on. I was on a date with one of those cheerleaders from your high school the night it happened. Nothing happened with her, but I knew I had your green light if something wanted to happen...just like you had mine."
Yes, while Jackie & Chloe were deeply committed & loyal to each other, they were in the midst of experimenting with an open relationship, and had been for the past few months. Both parties were fine with the arrangement, and to an extent they both were even having a little fun with it. Still, some level of caution needed to be exercised in order to keep the bond strong. "I...really didn't plan on anything like that happening. And I don't think they did either. We just...went with the flow, you know? Star & Marco are a lot of fun to hang out with. Next time I have a sleepover with them you totally have to come."
"Is that a date?" Chloe smirked with a wink, garnering a laugh from her.
"Only if you want it to be." More laughter sprung between the two before a kiss broke the tension, as the two decided to break off from the skatepark & head elsewhere before they had to arrive at the castle for the feast. "Oh!" Suddenly Jackie remembered something she wanted to tell Chloe about the sleepover. "So we were playing a video game and we were congregated on the bed & I wasn't paying attention, and I think I sat on the bed awkwardly, because in hindsight, I felt I was sitting on their hands."
"No...way." One could tell that Chloe was getting a kick out of this conversation. "You are lucky."
"I wouldn't say that. They didn't do anything with it."
"What?"
"Yeah, I know. I'm kinda disappointed about that, it probably would've been nice."
"I'll bet you money that they're disappointed, too." One more playful smirk, followed by one more kiss, and then off they went out of the skate park.
In another part of Echo Creek, Tom & Janna were just finishing up a visit with Janna's parents, having themselves a mini Thanksgiving feast themselves before heading out to the castle for the Butterfly Thanksgiving feast. "Did you enjoy the Adobo, Thomas?" Janna's mother asked as he took away their now empty dishes.
"It was fantastic, Mrs. Ordonia." Was Tom's answers as he patted his stomach. "Wow, it was filling. And the Pansit wasn't half bad, either."
"It's a family recipe." Janna remarked. "And nobody does it better."
"Oh you're too kind." She left with a chuckle with the plates, leaving Janna & Tom by themselves for a moment to their own devices.
"You realize if we eat anything at the castle now our stomachs will explode, right?" Tom jokingly said to Janna to lighten the mood.
"Oh lighten up, Demon Man. Thanksgiving is, like, one of the only holidays where you can really pig out without any repercussions."
"Oh, is that right? Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know getting fat from big meals just magically stopped just because it's a holiday." As time had gone on, and Tom & Janna's relationship had progressed, he felt much more comfortable getting snarky & jokey with her as opposed to fearing whatever crazy retaliation her twisted mind could possibly come up with.
"Hey now, fat shaming is a blemish on our society and we do not tolerate it in this household. In any case, the holidays are meant to be for chillaxing & kicking your legs up, not having any worries, right? Who cares if you'll be so full you lose some pants buttons tomorrow?"
It was difficult to argue with that. Not just because Janna could occasionally be terrifying, but because the prospect of a meal prepared by the former monarchy of Mewni sent Tom's taste buds into overdrive. Their food was always delicious, and with Marco at the helm for the cooking, it was sure to be even tastier. "Can't argue with that." Tom started to stand up, his full stomach slowing him somewhat. "Shall we get going?"
"Yeah. But we gotta make a stop first. They asked us to bring dessert, remember?"
"Oh, no, I forgot." He made his way over to Janna to help her out of her seat. "Did they say exactly what to get?"
"Nope. All up to us and the three brain cells worth of creativity we possess."
"Hey, rude. I think we have a little bit more creativity between us than that."
"We'll just have to agree to disagree there. Come on, Demon Man. Let's go load up on the sugar." They both started to head for the front door to leave, only to have Tom stop them just as they reached.
"Speaking of sugar..." He looked deeply into her eyes, as if he was piercing her soul, and his laser-focused stare was one of the most awkward looks from his face that Janna had ever gotten from him. She suspected she knew what he was about to try to do. She told herself that she was prepared for it when the day came...and yet the unabashedly uncomfortable look he was giving her as he prepared himself for the leap.
"Oh for the love of!" But instead of waiting for him to make his move, she decided to go for it herself. She grabbed his collar, pulled him in and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. A quick one, yes, but a fierce kiss nonetheless. Unbeknownst to them, Janna's parents were peering in from the other room and silently squealed with glee. As Janna pulled away to end it, she caught a glimpse of Tom's utterly dumbfounded facial expression. Did that really just happening? Was it all a dream? Yes it did happen, and no it was not a dream, though speaking od reams, Tom appeared as if he was about to faint. "Well...say something, dude."
She took note of the wheels obviously turning furiously in Tom's head as he tried desperately to conjure the words. "...I...I like peppermint..."
And Janna couldn't help but laugh with the demon boy. "You really are a weeb, aren't you?" She grabbed his hand & led him out the door. "And you tell anyone I did that, I will deny it & stuff your pants with chocolate sauce.
"What's your name again?" He asked, clearly still dazed from the kiss. Janna shook her head & chuckled, walking away with him in hand.
Over in another part of Echo Creek, Eclipsa found herself at a book store, partaking in a classic tradition that new authors find themselves in: book signings. Yes, Eclipsa's book, the one she had spent the last several months - really, the past year & change - working on was finally published. The raw, honest look into Eclipsa's life & the life of those around her that directly impact the former kingdom of Mewni was out for all who wanted to read it. Early reception to the book was rather positive, and it had quickly garnered a small cult following. And it wasn't just a following consisting of monsters, either. No, it was a rather healthy mix of Earth humans, Mewni monsters, and mewmans that took interest with the book & what Eclipsa had to say. Her loving, faithful husband Globgor was standing next to her, dressed up nice & all, saying hello to all those that stepped forward to have their newly purchased book signed. All while cradling baby Meteora in his arms.
"And who would you like me to make this out to?" Eclipsa asked sweetly, feather quill in hand. The person she was signing for, ironically, was Ruberiot, the former songstreil of Mewni, and now husband to Foolduke...as well as father to their newborn child.
"Make this out to "To Foolduke, the world's greatest jester...and mother-to-be." His hesitation before dropping the bomb on his revalation caught Eclipsa and Globgor off guard. But once she came back to her senses, she & her husband were delighted at the news. To this point in time, only a select few knew about Foolduke's status, including Star & Marco. But now Eclipsa & Globgor could be added to that list.
"Oh my, that's incredible! Congratulations!" She declared as she signed the book for him. "When is she due?"
"In a few months."
"How exciting!" Globgor exclaimed, applauding him. "You two will be wonderful parents."
"With my musical gifts & her unmatched ability to induce laughter, our child will be the divine intervention that this world sorely needs to save it from the grips of mediocrity!" Sure, buddy. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
Eclipsa & Globgor exchanged silent looks with each other before turning their attention back to Ruberiot. "S-Sure. W-Whatever helps you sleep at night." She quickly finished signing the book and passing it back to him. "Thank you so much for your patronage." He didn't seem to pay her any mind as he took the book & scurried off quickly. "Next, please!" She looked back at the line and saw her next two customers. It just so happened to be Tip & Finnly, the two monsters that were also Manfred's childhood friends. Tip was sitting on Finnly's shoulder, while Finnly was holding three books, rather than just two, with the intent on giving one of the books to Manfred. "Oh hello you two!" She greeted warmly as they handed her the books to sign. "Oh, you have an extra..."
"Yes. For Manny." Tip proudly proclaimed. Eclipsa hesitatingly slowed down her signing.
"...I see. Do you...think that's a good idea?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...I do go into...well, the most recent excursion with magic, and...Manfred's involvement in the whole ordeal. Do you really think he would want to read about that and relive that terrible chapter of his life?"
"I agree. But he asked us to."
"...Did he now?"
"I guess his curiosity piqued him. Sitting in a prison cell doesn't provide for much entertainment on its own."
"Well they're not designed to, are they?" Globgor countered while Eclipsa continued the signings.
"From my own personal experience, no, prisons are not designed to be fun or hospitable." She handed the books back to Finnly. "How is Manfred?"
Finnly shrugged. "He's dealing. I don't think he's...quite forgiven himself for what he did. Aside from seeing us, he tends to keep to himself. Maybe this book will perk him up a little." He picked up the three books & sighed.
"I'm sorry your reunion with him has been relegated to the confines of a prison."
"But look on the bright side. We're reunited again!" Tip proclaimed, big smiles crossing his and Finnly's faces. They prepared their leave with the books in hand. "Farewell!"
"Have a lovely day, boys!" She waved them goodbye & checked a nearby wall clock. The time of the big feast was gradually approaching. She couldn't keep signing books all day. "Globgor, would you be a dear and cut off the line? It's almost time for us to head back to the castle."
"As you wish, my dear." Globgor, ever the loyal husband, acquiesed, leaving the room & heading outside the front door to cut off the line & help wrap up her signings. Boy this was sure going to be a fun experience to talk about with the family at dinner, wasn't it?
That brings the story to Star, who was with Moon & River at the orphanage, helping to whip up their very own Thanksgiving feast for the children. As Star wasn't going to be there for the actual meal itself, she wanted to leave the kids - plus Reggie & Greta - enough food to enjoy themselves. Moon, in particular, was making her now-embraced pies for the children to eat. This unique set up allowed for some bonding time between Star & her folks, bonding time that they hadn't previously had thanks to a combination of political obligations to the kingdom or Star's continued emotional woes that caused her to remain reserved from them. With the former behind them & the latter made significantly better by Star's therapy, the bonding between child & parents was growing stronger than ever.
As the kids waited happily but impatiently at the table for the food, Moon couldn't help but find himself looking back towards the table, observing the children chatting & playing with each other as only pure children could. She took extra note of Miles and his interactions with the others. He was always the one making others laugh & building them up. He was always the first one to give out hugs & laughter. He always carried his Star doll everywhere with him, hugging it as tightly as he could whenever he could. His devotion & love for her daughter was what won Moon over...
"Mom!" And just as Moon was slipping into dreamland, she found herself awakened by Star and her attentioned turned to the stove, just as the food was about to start burning. Thankfully some quick thinking from Moon & River helped avoid the catastrophe, but it didn't take long for Star to notice her mother being so distracted. "Careful, we don't wanna burn their cute little tongues."
"Oh, gracious. I'm so sorry, dear."
"Let's finish their meals first. Then we can play with the babies." Star playfully winked at her mother, which drew an embarrassed gasp from her. "Oh don't play dumb, I saw the way you were looking at those precious gifts from above." She herself turned to look at the children, who all took notice of Star staring at them & waved excitedly.
"I think you've mastered the art of, of what do they call it? "Sitting on babies?" River interjected, prompting a loud chuckle from his daughter.
"Yes Dad, that's what they call it." As the three finished food preparations for the children, they brought over the plates to the dinner table & set them down, unveiling them one by one for the children to gawk at. "It's dinner time, kids!" The children all cheered again in anticipation of the deliciouis food. "Now before we settle down, what do we say?" She turned to Miles. "Miles, do you know what we say?"
He stared intently into Star's eyes for a short moment before speaking again. "...I wuv you..." Not the answer Star was quite looking for, but it pierced her heart in such a good way that she instantly began crying & hugging the child. The other chidlren followed suit with variations of "I love you" to Star, Moon, and River. Without further hesitation, they began dishing out the food to each of the kids, settling them down before stepping aside into the next room.
"My word, pumpkin, you really have quite the way with the tykes." River reiterated. "You've come quite the ways since the days of you watching over Buff Frog's adoptive children."
"Yeah, I've done a lot of growing..." Suddenly Star found herself becoming sus. "Wait, how do you know about that? I never told you."
"Buff Frog likes to brag about anything when it comes to his kids."
"Oh, that Buff Frog. Always blabbing."
"Now Star, there's nothing wrong with a parent taking pride in their little miracles." Moon jumped in without hesitation, hugging her daughter unprompted. "If anything, society should be more willing to brag about their little babies. Children deserve all of the love they can get."
Even after all this time, Star was still a tad uncomfortable with the increased affection Moon was hellbent on giving her. But she stuck with it as best she could. "Yeah, I guess."
"You know, you never did tell us how you actually ended up with this job."
It was true. Her business with the orphanage did not come up very often. For it having been a sore spot for her for a while, Star figured it was finally time to truly open up about her experiences. She turned her head back to the kitchen & gazed at the little boy Miles devouring his meal & laughing. "It was during that huge Earthni rainstorm. Marco and I...we stumbled into an abandoned alleyway & found that boy walking around aimlessly. We...We think he somehow got out & got lost. When I earned his trust, we took him back here to get cleaned up. Honestly it was total chance that we even found this place at all. But finding this place has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got to meet all the wonderful babies, I got to feed them, play with them, take care of them, love them...and now I get paid actual money to do it!"
"And you're completely infactuated with this job."
"Oh you don't know the half of it, Mom." Her talking managed to get Miles's attention once more. The boy babbled & waved towards Star; she answered with a wave of her own. Moon also found herself waving towards the smiling ball of light. "It didn't take much for me to earn all of their trust. I just...played with them & helped feed them. It was more like being their babysitter, but I guess for them that's enough..."
"It's about being there for them & showing you love them. You're good at that, sweetums. Much better than most people in your life." The slight change in tone in Moon's voice when she said that last sentence was not lost on Star.
"I do love them. So much. And I don't take a single day I have with them for granted."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not going to have them here forever. This place isn't meant to be their home for life. We're always trying to reach out & find people that want to adopt these kids and give them a forever home. We've had a couple of adoptions since I came around, but...not that many."
"Now why would anyone want to pass up on bringing these little balls of light into their life?"
"Well, some of these kids could be seen as...problematic for some families." She pointed out Miles again. "See that boy? That boy has a disability called Down Syndrome. Basically, when he was in his mother's womb, he...didn't develop properly. He has minor motor & intellectual issues, and you can even see his eyes aren't quite slanted the right way. But he's just as much a wonderful kid as anyone else without it. He's got some...special needs that need to be cared for constantly, and...that's pushed some potential adoptive families away from him."
"What's the matter with folks? Why turn a blind eye to a child clearly in need of molding & support?"
"Earth can be just as prejudicial & judgemental as Mewni was. What others will see as a super high-maitenance boy whose disabilities may be a challenge, I see as a sweet, loving, adorable child that couldn't love you any harder if he tried. He is so affectionate. All he wants is for people to love him." He waved towards Miles, who again babbled & waved towards her, cheering as loudly as he could. "I wish we could find him a forever home."
"Well whoever ends up with that bundle of joy is going to make their lives so much more fulfilling."
"Yeah..." And of course Star couldn't help but drift off into dreamland, wondering about her future as a mother with Marco by her side. "I can't wait to have my own kids."
"You're not quite old enough for that, dear." River interjected. "No matter how busy you and the boy get." He followed that up with a wink & a hard shoulder pat, and just as quickly her face turned a dark shade of red.
"Dad!"
"You can try all you want, but we know it's impossible for you to hide your enjoyment of his company." Moon also got in on the teasing. Eventually Star relented & breathed a sigh of relief, her blush gradually fading. "All that matters is that he treats you with the respect you deserve."
"A day hasn't gone by where he hasn't. He's always the most selfless, considerate, gentle person he can possibly be with me, whereever we are. But especially in bed. Even with I say he can basically do whatever he wants, he...still holds me close & kisses me like I'm the most important person in his life. Like I'm some sort of fabigre egg. He's assertive but gentle..."
"I tell you, pumpkin, when the day comes where you are ready, you and that boy will make terrific parents."
Again Star looked over at the kids. "In a way, it sort of feels like this job I have is like a training session for when I eventually become a mother. And I just hope I do these kids justice."
"It's quite evident you're doing just that." River couldn't help himself; he embraced his daughter, beaming with pride. "Just make us one promise, pumpkin."
"What's that?"
Now it was Moon's turn to hug her daughter. "Don't rush into parenthood. Enjoy your youth now while you can. Life won't quite be the same for you once that happens."
"Oh don't worry, I know. We use triple protection every time and I am in no way ready to go that extra step yet. Buyt that's okay, thanks to these little angels, I know that...I'll be ready to do it right." As if on cue, there was a double horn honk right outside. Star peered through the window & recognized the Diaz family car sitting right in front. "Oh, that's our ride. I guess we should head back & finish preparations."
"Actually, dear..." Moon interrupted. "Would you mind if we stayed behind a little longer? Just to ensure everything's fine with the children."
Safe to say Star was a tad confused by this request. "...Um, sure, b-but-"
"You go on ahead with Marco & finish the food. We'll catch up once we're done here." She took her daughter's shoulders. "Sweetheart you've done so much for these wonderful children. It's our pleasure to help."
And that was that, wasn't it? No use arguing with them. They were hellbent on seeing to it that they could help her however they could. And she was forever grateful for this newfound attitude. "Okay..." She hugged them back. "Thank you. But don't stay too long. We don't want you to be late to the party." She went into the kitchen to say her goodbyes to the children. "Okay kiddies, Mama Star has to head out now." The kids playfully whined & feigned disappoined, but still held their arms out to receive a hug from their favorite person. "But it's okay, my parents are going to stay a little longer to take care of you guys. Is that okay?" To her surprise, the kids loudly roared when she mentioned her parents. "Aww, thank you guys. See I told them you would love them. Okay you guys be good, and I'll see you soon, okay?" One more cheer for their favorite person before Star took her exit.
She left the building & saw the car sitting out in front, realizing quickly that it was Marco driving the car. "Marco!" She sprinted to the car & got it, hesitating not one bit in hugging him. "Hi! I didn't expect you."
"You thought it would be my parents, didn't you?"
"Well...yeah, they're the ones that have those silly little driving card things, right?"
He chuckled. "It's called a "Driver's License," and...about that..." He reached into his pocket & pulled out his license to show her. It was the first time she had seen him with one, and I don't have to tell you how thrilled she was for him, do I?
"Oh my gosh, Marco!" Evidenced by her quick reach out to embrace him & kiss him, she was clearly estatic. "Congratulations!"
"T-Thank you..." Marco said through wheezing breaths. "I can't breathe..."
And she didn't hesitate to pull away in an instant. "Oh, sorry..."
"Now I can drive you anywhere you want to go when we're out on dates. Instead of making our feet hurt."
"...Aww, Marco. You don't have to worry about that. Any time that I spend with you is time well spent. Even if it is inside a car."
"My parents are gonna take me car shopping soon, and if you want, you can tag along with us to see just what Earth vehicles have in store for us."
"Ooh, that sounds like fun! I wonder what kind of car I'd look good in."
"Oh come on, hon, we both know you'd look good in anything. And everything."
"And nothing." Leave it to Star to flip the conversation to flirting. "Come on, Marco. Say it. I know you want to."
He rolled his eyes about as hard as he could, but this time he didn't fight back. "And nothing. You definitely look really good in nothing." Of course if he was going to cave on the flirting, he was going to run with it how he wanted to. And that was exactly what Star wanted to get out of all of it.
"Well, why don't you show me later just how good you think I look in nothing?" She purred with a wink.
"You're on." And as customary at this point, the two kissed. "You know what? It'll be great; I'll get to tell you all about the stuff I got done while you were laid up in bed."
"Ooh, like what?"
"Well, remember when I was out looking for colleges, and...and you were worried that it meant I was leaving?"
"But you never left."
"And now I don't have to!" He reached into his hoodie pocket & pulled out some papers. "I got into a college that offers online classes, which means I can take them from the comfort of my home. That way I can still spend my time with you and we don't have to miss out on anything!" Star studied the papers carefully: Cornfield University, a school that offered classes on home economics, world history, martial arts, cooking, etcetera. There was a wide variety of classes Marco had the option of taking.
"Ooh, wow, it's...extensive! Marco, have you figured out what you want to do for a career or whatever?"
He solemly shook his head. "No, not really. But I think going to this school will help. There's a lot of variety in what they're offering, so I figured by the end of my time there I'll know what I want to do."
"Well, whatever you want to do, I'm sure you'll be amazing at it. You are the most amazing person I've ever known. You can do whatever you set your mind to." But as happy as she was, something kept pounding the back of her mind. "But...why did you wait to tell me?"
He looked away in somewhat embarrassment. "I've been a little nervous about telling you."
"But why?"
"I...I didn't want to risk doing anything or saying anything that might put you in a worse spot than you'd been all summer. I didn't want to upset you-"
"Marco how could I possibly be upset? This is wonderful! You're getting the chance to find yourself & live out the dreams you want to live out! That's all I want for you. You deserve to be happy, too. You deserve the chance to find it. And I'll be right there to give you all the love & support you need to get it. You've been there for me. Now I wanna be there for you."
"You have been there. Every step of the way. But...thank you, that means a lot to me." Another kiss between the two; they ensured this one stopped quickly before it got too saucy. "Let's go back to the castle & finish cooking the food." And that was that. The two took off in the car, leaving Moon & River behind at the orphanage.
"Took them long enough." River remarked from inside just as Reggie & Greta - the two frequently running the orphanage - came down the stairs.
"Is she gone?" Reggie asked, to which Moon & River both nodded. "Excellent! Now we can get some work done." He approached the front desk & pulled out a smalls tack of papers. "We have some paperwork to get through." It wasn't just any paperwork though. Yes, indeed, these were adoption papers. Moon & River weren't just adopting any of the kids. It was indeed Miles, the baby with Down Syndrome, that the two had decided they wanted to bring into their home. His connection with Star & his love for her as a person were unmatched. Over the past few weeks, Star had opened up more and more about her work at the orphanage. Every story she told heavily involved bragging about the children, Miles especially, and how they were always so well-behaved & try-hard with her.
They entered the kitchen & approached Miles, who was busy laughing away with his friends next to him. "Miles, sweetie." Greta softly spoke, immediately grabbing his attention, as well as the attention of all the other children. "Do you know who these people are?"
He studied Moon & River's faces very carefully. Eventually a light bulb went off in his head. He picked up the Star doll that was comfortably sitting next to him & started waving it around & giggling. The other children around him also laughed.
"Yes, sweetie. We're Star's mommy & daddy." Moon leaned in closely & kissed the boy's forehead, eliciting another laugh. "We know how much you love her." He continued to laugh. "You'd like to see her all the time, wouldn't you?" He nodded even more assertively. "Well...what if we said we could make that happen?"
The laughter slowly died down as the gears in Miles's head started to turn. All of the other kids quickly picked up on what they were conveying, and they all instantly started cheering. They knew what was coming: adoption. An open secret at the orphanage was that Miles had lived there longer than any of the other children. He was the hardest to find a home for. Tragically, he was a painful lesson that discrimination was still rampart in the world; how else could one explain a refusal to take in such a sweet, loving, playful child? Slowly, Miles's face began to perk us as well. "Yes, sweetheart. You remember that big castle you all visited when Star came out of the hospital? That's our home."
But slowly the smile faded as he looked around the room at his friends. Despite them still smiling, he could feel himself losing that joy. "B-But...friends..." He whined, reaching out his arms to nobody. The adults all helped the children out of their chairs and onto the floor, where the children embraced Miles on the spot to quell his impending crying. He loved the idea of getting to see Star all the time & love her like a sister, but he loved his friends too. He didn't want to upset them by leaving.
"It's okay, Miles." Reggie spoke, patting the boy's head. "I'm sure Star will bring you here to visit when she stops by to work. She is still going to work here."
"But what if they get adopted before he sees them again?" Moon asked.
"Oh don't worry, the boy took care of that." He and Greta led them into the main lobby towards the front desk, where their computer was set up.
"The boy? You mean Marco?"
"Come, let me show you." Reggie led them to the desk & showed them the computer screen. "Star advocated for a way for the children to all stay in touch with each other. So the boy took it upon himself to create for us this handy database, keeping track of where each child that was adopted ended up & with who. That way when we want to schedule a reunion for the children to all play with each other, it'll be a cinch." The irony wasn't lost on him that the idea that such a database did not exist prior to Marco entering the picture was a damning indictment of how things were handled. "We'll always know what happens to each of the kids so they'll never truly be far apart."
"...That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard." Moon felt some tugging at her dressed & looked down to see Miles standing there, with all the kids standing around him & hugging him tightly. Miles didn't want to leave his friends, but his friends wanted him to finally have a forever home. "Sweetums...I know you love your friends."
The boy nodded softly as River knelt down & gently ruffled his hair. "But we know you also love our daughter. And now you'll be able to see her & love her every day!"
The children standing around Miles began laughing & cheering, which gradually perked Miles's attitude up again, resulting in him joining in the cheering. Moon picked Miles up off the ground & held him in her arms. The longer she stared into his bright, loving eyes, the happier she felt herself become. "But listen, sweetie, we're going to need your help." Miles's cheering stopped temporarily as he listened intently to his adoptive mother-to-be. "We want to surprise her. So you'll have to keep this out little secret for a little while. Can you do that for us?" He nodded as quietly as he could, then reached out his tiny arms towards her, asking for a hug. She quickly accepted & hugged the little tyke tighter than she ever did. "Oh, I can't believe this is happening!"
"We just have to get through some paperwork." Reggie told them. "Then just a couple of weeks for official approval, and then you're all set." And so it began. Reggie got the paperwork back & sat it down on the desk. The process to formally adopt Miles into the Butterfly family was underway. The best development for the Butterfly family since the Cleaving was now only a few formalities away from becoming a reality.
At last, it was nearly time for the feast to begin. Everyone was set to be arriving shortly. Marco, Star, Angie, & Rafael had finished setting the table & put the food out. "Holy toledo, everything here looks to die for." Star said, practically salivating at all the delicious food that would await them.
"Star, sweetie, close your mouth. You're drooling." Angie pointed out, to which Star quickly cleaned herself up in slight embarrassment. "Just try to hang in there, everyone should be here soon."
"Yeah I know, I know, but can you blame me? You guys are the best cooks I know." There was a fierce knocking at the front door, so the four of them made their way through the maze that was the castle & arrived only a moment later. "I just hope we made enough for everyone. We're expecting a lot of guests today..." Star opened the door; her face exploded with joy upon seeing Jackie & Chloe standing there. "And look who it is!" She reached out to hug the two of them, as Marco joined in shortly after. "So glad you could make it."
"WE would not have missed this for the world." Jackie responded in kind. "Besides, it'll give us a chance to plan out our next sleepover."
And both Star & Marco's faces went bright red. "T-That sounds like fun!" Star stuttered. "Will Chloe be joining us this time?"
"We'll have to see when we get there. You wouldn't mind if she was?"
"No no no, not at all! The more the merrier!"
"I heard the last one you had was quite the adventure." Chloe crossed her arms & looked over at Jackie, winking at her & then at Star & Marco.
"Oh it totally was." Jackie said with a hint of flirting in her voice as she now winked at the two lovebirds. She was enjoying this, as was Chloe. The two walked past them & into the castle, finding themselves greeted by Marco's parents, while he & Star were momentarily left to their thoughts.
"She's totally messing with us." Marco said, still at a standstill.
"You think?" Star asked as Marco shrugged. "Naw, it's Jackie. She likes us but not like that. She wouldn't do that."
"No, she would." Came the voice of Janna, as she & Tom made their way up the steps & meet them by the door. They were holding various cases of desserts, such as cake, cupcakes, pies, etcetera. "Sup, girl?"
"Janna! Tom! You made it!" There was no faking the excitement in Star's voice. Unfortunately, any showing of affection would have to wait, lest they wanted to be cleaning up desserts off of the walkway.
"Wouldn't miss it." Janna winked as she & Tom walked past them & through the door.
"Oh you must be starving! Well, soon as everyone gets here, we can start digging in!" Poor Star, she had no idea they had just had a mini meal with Janna's folks. Guess she was going to learn the hard way. For now, Star & Marco had to tend to the arriving guests. And next up was none other than Buff Frog & his tadpole children. "Buff Frog!" As always, his appearance delighted & calmed her, evidenced by her massive hug to him.
"Former princess! Is so good to see you! And karate boy!"
"I'm so glad you could make it."
"I never pass on chance to regail in glory days with best princess and squire-" Ooh, bad choice of words there. Before he could even get the full word out, her face scrunched up in distress. Luckily, Buff Frog instantly recognized this and caught himself quickly. "I-I mean best princess and knight."
"Thank you." Her sore spots were no secret to anyone. Fortunately for her the right people in her life knew how to work with and around them. "Oh you're going to love what we've cooked up today. The food is to die for!"
"It better be!" Katrina yelled out in response. "We've been practicing abstinence!"
...Oh dear. There could not be a more incorrect word choice if she tried. "Um...ha ha, what?"
"Abstinence. We've been abstaining from eating all day so we could feast tonight!"
"Oh is that right?" Marco chuckled nervously. "Well, uh, good for you, then." He leered over at Buff Frog rather nervously.
"That not what that word means?"
"...I'll explain later."
"Well don't just stand there. Come on in! Go find your seats, we're gonna start chowing down soon!" Star announced, prompting the group to head inside & find everyone else. There were still plenty of guests left to arrive, and the next ones to arrive were Ponyhead & her sisters...and Kelly & Jorby.
"Yo, B-Fly!" Ponyhead shouted as she & the group arrived.
"Ponyhead! You...brought your sisters I see. And...Kelly? Jorby?"
Kelly held up her hand for a high-five, which Star was quick to meet. As did Marco. "What's up, guys?"
"I didn't know you were here. H-How did you-"
"Oh, so like, you know that weird thingy that can make portals now even though there's, like, no more magic or whatever?" Ponyhead went on to explain. "So, like, your demon ex-boyfriend let me borrow his and me & my sisters wanted to screw around with it for a bit and then we ended up in Kelly's world, and then we told her about that big feast y'all's havin' here and she wanted in and stuff."
Of course, as was tradition for Ponyhead, it wasn't the whole truth. Kelly looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "You told me she already knew I was coming."
"Yeah, and you believed me?"
"W-D-W-Yes, Yes I did!"
"No no, it's okay! Really!" Star tried to quickly quell the tensions. "We'll have plenty of food for everyone. Heck Janna & Tom just brought over a bunch of dessert plates, so I think we're all set!"
"You sure we're not crashing on the party?" Kelly's question caught Star slightly off guard.
"N-No, of course course. We're happy to have you here. Come on in, go grab a seat!" She & Kelly quickly hugged before she, Jorby, & the Ponyhead sisters all ventured inside. The seats inside were rapidly filling up, but there were still a few quests they were waiting on. And speak of the devil...
"Marco!" Up came Alfonzo, Ferguson, & Amanda - aka Starfan13 - arriving with plates of their own.
"Hey, guys, you made it!" Marco shouted out, delighted to see his friends arriving.
"We wouldn't miss hanging out with you for the world." Ferguson told him.
"You mean you wouldn't miss a homemade Diaz Thanksgiving feast for the world, right?" Marco playfully mocked with a wink.
"Same diff."
"Star! I made you some fudge brownies!" Amanda excitedly yelled.
"Aww, thanks Amanda, that's so sweet-"
"Hold on...aren't you in charge of the town security system or something?" Marco pointed out. "Is it a good idea for you to be, you know, not there?"
"Oh can it, you worry worm. I got someone to cover for me today."
Indeed, there was someone sitting in Amanda's room, sitting at her desk, doing the job that she normally does. That person happened to be Brittany Wong, the formerly popular cheerleader that loathed Star for reasons that were known only to monsters that go bump in the night. For reasons only other entities would know, she agreed to cover for Amanda's shift, but it was evident she wasn't enjoying herself. "I used to be popular..." She murmurred to herself as she yawned & rolled her eyes.
The three friends zoomed past Star & Marco into the castle, carefully holding their dessert plates. At this point, there was only one more group of guests they were waiting on. And sure enough, only a few moments later, Eclipsa & Globgor came running towards the castle. The former queen was holding two books in her hands, while Meteora, still being held by Globgor, was waving excitedly towards Star. "You made it!" Star shouted happily. "How was the book signing?"
"It was wonderful, deary! I had no idea there would be so many people eager to hear my side of the story." Eclipsa exclaimed proudly. "It was so much fun, I'd reckon I want to do it again! Oh, before I forget..." She handed Star & Marco a book each. "These are for you. On the house." Without prompting, Star immediately turned to the chapter that spoke at length about her, quickly reading through it to ensure she didn't have the same sort of meltdown this time that she did the first time she read through it.
"Aww, Eclipsa...thank you." She looked up at Eclipsa & smiled. "Thank you."
The former queen of darkness returned the smile back & even hugged Star. "This wouldn't have been possible without you."
"So where's the feast?" Globgor immediately interrupted to ask, causing laughter from the others.
"Come on, big guy, it's all in here." The princess laughed as she & Marco led them into the house. The last of the expected guests had arrived.
Everyone had settled down & found a seat at the table, anxiously awaiting for the green light to begin eating. But before that, the Butterfly & Diaz adults all had something to say to the group. "Thank you everyone for coming out today!" Moon announced gladly. "We are all delighted you could make it."
"We all worked very hard to prepare these dishes for your enjoyment, so if you happen to not like something, please kindly keep it to yourself." Rafeal added with his booming voice. His little quip earned chuckles from the patrons, and it was left ambigous as to whether he was actually serious.
"It's so nice to see so many loving faces in the crowd today. Truly, you all embrace the meaning of "family." River also added.
"Before we say our grace & commence food consumption, is there anyone that would like to say a few words?"
For a short moment, nobody moved. Everyone was rather eager to get to the eating. But...slowly & surely, Star raised her hand, first timidly, then proudly. She got up from her seat & scurried over to the adults, stepping forward & clearing her throat.
"Um...hi, everybody." She began her speech with a nervous wave of the hand, but was met with happy greetings from the patrons at the table. "Boy, I, uh...I didn't exactly plan a speech or anything." She unconsciously rubbed her arm, a nervous tick that had become commonplace for her over the past year as a way of dealing with external stress. "I see...I see a lot of friendly faces at the table. Faces that I've become...really close to. Friends for life that I've made. Friends that I...came dangerously close to losing not too long ago..." Whether she was referring to her past actions that resulted in perceived rifts that may or may not have ever formed or the one moment of weakness she displayed that nearly resulted in her bleeding out in glass cuts was up to interpretation. "Our world out there...it's plagued with so much hate & division & bigotry. People that can't stand others just for how they look or how they dress or how they talk.
"But then I look around this room...I see faces of so many different races, faces of people that don't talk the way we do or act the way we do...and yet we all get along. We all love each other. Or at least we're...learning to love each other. We're learning to forgive each other. I don't even recognize the world that I...my family used to live in. One where all we wanted to do was laud our power over the monsters & enable our people to look down on them. That's not who we want to be anymore." She paused to collect herself & wipe a tear away from her eye. "We're all better off now than we were just six months ago...especially me."
Star's continued battles against her depression & mental illnesses were well documented, to the point that it was essentially common knowledge amongst the people in Echo Creek. But with the knowledge of said battles came the experiences of her fighting back & clawing her way out of the hole. "Going to the brink as often as I have has made me appreciate the world around me a lot more. Made me appreciate my friends, my family...the people in my life that never gave up on me when I was looking for any reason to give up on myself. That's what we need more of in this new world we have. We need to learn to not give up on each other."
At the table, Marco had to use every bit of his willpower to not break out into tears. Tom, however, was already bawling from the beauty of Star's speech, with Janna silently covering her face in embarrassment.
"Thanksgiving is suppose to be the Earth holiday where everyone reflects on the things in their life that they're most thankful for. As for me? I'm...I'm thankful for all of you. All of you have played a huge part in my life, helping nurture me into the person that's standing here today. I can only hope that this person makes you all proud." And she did. Every day. "Everyone in this room has played a part in molding me, caring for me, loving me, all for who I am. All my life...that's all I ever wanted. And now, more than ever, I feel like I have that." She waved happily to Marco, who waved back and blew a kiss her way. "I know that we still have a lot of work to do. The centuries of hate seeded in our worlds won't dissipate overnight. But I have faith that we'll all get to where we want to go." She was preparing to finish her brief speech when she felt her eyes swell up again. She wiped the tears away as her mother proudly embraced her, no longer afraid to show those around how much she loved her pride & joy. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"
And her speech concluded with a round of applause from everyone at the table, plus hugs from the adults surrounding her. As they led her back to her seat, she was greeted again with hugs from her surrounding friends, the biggest one coming from Marco, obviously. "That was a wonderful speech, honey." He said proudly.
"Thank you, Marco." She answered back, gently planting a kiss on his lips. "You know something? I...I think I'm...I think I'm finally coming back."
The warmest, biggest smile crossed the boy's face, his eyes shining with pride. "What do you mean 'you're back?" Star tilted her head, confused at the implication of his question. "You never left." Whatever it was about those words, they made Star's eyes water even more as she leaned in to hug & kiss him once more. They were about to say the grace & distribute the food when there was a curious knock at the front door.
"Now who in the name of Earthni could that be?" Eclipsa pondered. "Are we expecting anyone else?"
"We...shouldn't be..." Star hesitantly said, clearly unsure herself. She propped herself up & approached the front door, opening it up to reveal a surprise guest standing there. "...Miss Cher?"
"Hello, dear." Cassandra said warmly. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion-"
"Oh no no no, no please, come in! W-We were just about to eat." The former princess didn't hesitate to invite her into the castle, leading her back into the dining room where the feast was taking place. Cassandra's introduction into the room got the room rather quiet, as nobody quite knew what to expect.
"Oh, Miss Cher!" Eclipsa exclaimed. "We...We weren't expecting you."
"I didn't intend to stay. I only wanted to wish you all a happy holiday & feast before departing."
"You don't want to stay?"
The fact that Eclipsa didn't hesitate to follow Star's lead in inviting her to the feast despite not initially expecting her to stop by took her by complete shock. But nobody in the room batted an eye, not even Moon. "Why...thank you, t-that's a lovely gesture. But you don't have any empty chairs-"
"Oh, take mine. I can always sit with my lady." Globgor quickly announced, using his intact monster abilities to shrink himself down to miniature size & leaping into Eclipsa's front dress pocket. "The view is much more wonderful from here anyway." And that was settled. Star led Cassandra to the now-empty chair next to Eclipsa before returning to her own seat next to Marco, receiving a hello kiss from him right as the grace was spoken & the food was distributed.
As the food was dished out & everyone began digging into their meals, Star couldn't help but find herself reminiscing on everything. From the adventures she had on both Mewni & Earth with Marco to all of the fallout that had transpired from the Cleaving. Every person, mewman, monster that was sitting around her had played a part in molding her into the girl she was, for better or for worse. And all of the trouble she had went through, all of the struggles she endured, all of the heartbreak, all of the frustration, all of the pain she internalized...all of it had culminated into the lovely banquet that was before her. As she watched her beloved father stuff his face with as many pieces of turkey & stuffing as one could humanely fit into their mouths, her mother roll her eyes & laugh at the sight of her husband nearly choking, Eclipsa & Globgor happily chatting away with the other guests, & her wonderful friends all laughing & chatting while enjoying the feast, only one thought came into her mind. And it put the biggest smile on her face that she had had since the day she & Marco took the leap into maturity on their getaway.
I'm home. I'm finally home.
And thus, The Ballad of Earthni wound down, leaving in its place a new book of tales to be opened another day...
The End. For Now.
And thus, The Ballad of Earth-Mewni has come to its conclusion. Or rather, it has set up "Beautiful Christmas" which would accomplish that task. As I mentioned, I intend to continue the timeline in a separate book. I haven't decided yet just how I'm gonna approach that one, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But before I wrap things up here, I'd like to give some shoutouts to some really neat people that have been incredibly supportive of my ventures here since I started.
viceversa96 - Love your Starco art and I also look forward to what you and the missus can come up with next. Always warms my heart when I see you've read the next update..
Lordcornwalis - Another Star fan with great Star vs work himself. I've really appreciated your feedback throughout this whole journey.
FungusDungus000 - Not gonna lie, I feel pretty dang honored that it was my work that inspired you out of your semi-retirement. And the Star vs community is all the better for you coming back into the fold, I can say that.
Starco4everr - So glad you've been able to follow this thing until the end. I'm incredibly grateful for it.
KPRS4ever - Probably the person I need to credit most for this book even existing at all. A wonderful person, talented artist/writer, massive Star vs fan, and someone that just inspires me every day to improve my craft. I've very lucky I can call her a friend.
Lord of the Storm - Love your work, even if I don't always get to keep up with it, lol.
And that's just a few that I regularly interact with. But if you've been on this crazy ride with me, whether you were with it since the first chapter of "When Dimensions Cleave" or you've only recently gotten on the train, know that I am eternally grateful for your support. This show means so much to me. These characters mean so much to me. I've had an absolute blast writing this universe & seeing how I can shape the post-finale world, and I have no intention of stopping.
"When Dimensions Cleave" started out as purely a passion project. It had been a couple of years since I was regularly writing fanfictions. It had only been a couple of months since "Cleaved" had aired, and it was - and I guess still is - a hot topic of debate & conversation, plus I was going through a very rough patch in my personal life with my ailing grandmother on the downturn. I needed an outlet. I had had an idea for a Star vs fanficion in my head for years but couldn't ever put it to paper. Finally I just tweaked a few things here & there, said "screw it" and decided to go for it. It came out very fast. Hell, chapters 6 & 7 of that story were written literally in the same day. I was surprised at the reception it got. But once that story wrapped, I wanted more. I wanted to expand what I had put out. Thus, "Unforgettable Getaway" was born.
Truth be told, that story is probably my favorite out of the four I've done for this timeline thus far. I'm a sucker for wholesome Starco, and frankly, I felt like after the show kinda toyed with people like me who thought it was the most sensible relationship & put up a lot of BS just to get there - I further expanded my thoughts on this in my "Idiot's Guide to Star vs" retrospective - I decided I wanted to cram in as much Starco there as possible. Even took a leap of faith into "mature" territory (though I scoff at the idea that it's "smut." I never wanted to write smut, just wholesome intimacy. And even if I did want smut, I'd argue I'm not very good at writing it).
But then the Christmas holiday was coming around, and while I was wrapping "Unforgettable Getaway," I decided I wanted to do a holiday story in this new world...while simultaneously deciding I wanted to pick up right where "Unforgettable Getaway" ended. Thus, "Beautiful Christmas" and "The Ballad of Earth-Mewni" were born. Yes, there was a time where I was writing two books for this universe at the same time. The former was actually for a Discord contest I was a part of - which I won, not to brag - but I decided "why not let it be a part of this world?" And so it was. I'm not entirely sure why I wanted to put a lot of focus on the Starkie relationship. I don't know, I always felt like it was untapped potential. The show hinted at Star being bi & then confirmed Jackie was in her last major appearance, so every interaction between them prior just feels like such wasted potential. But it ended up working well. for both "Beautiful Christmas" & "The Ballad of Earth-Mewni." And it'll probably continue to work well in the next book.
Once that was done, I continued on "The Ballad of Earth-Mewni" full time. The original plan was to have at least one update per month, that felt like a reasonable pace to write the chapters out & publish them. Obviously the actual pace was...quicker. Some updates even happened as quickly as four days apart. It's amazing what can happen when you're so passionate about what you're writing. I don't remember when, but at some point I realized I was going to run into a problem. When I'm writing, I always assume the chapters happen in chronological order, which meant that eventually I was going to reach the point where "Beautiful Christmas" began. I thought about initially just doing a "time skip" & continuing the timeline in the same book. But once I realized I was starting to burn out & wanted to take a step back for a little bit, I decided simply ending this book & continuing the timeline in a new book was the more sensible option. So that's what's happening here.
To clarify, the chronological order of books is "When Dimensions Cleave," "Unforgettable Getaway," "The Ballad of Earth-Mewni," and "Beautiful Christmas." And the next book will be titled "Earthni Sweet Symphony." I look forward to getting that one out whenever I decide to get back into the writing. But I am taking a brief hiatus to recover from some burnout.
If you're following me in the meantime, feel free to check out my YouTube channel. At the current moment I'm working on a long form retrospective on the Total Drama series, which was recently revived for a two-season run on HBO Max/Cartoon Network. The first part is already up, and I'm deep into part 2 as I write this. I can't wait to see the final product!
From the bottom of the thing in my chest we call a heart, all I can say is Thank You. Thank you all for following along on this incredible journey. Here's to whatever the future holds, which hopefully includes Star vs making a comeback!
And as always, please read & review!