Author's Notes:
Hey! I'm gonna keep this short because I've already made you guys wait long enough for this chapter, but there is one thing I want to say before you guys read this really exciting chapter. Thank you. Thank you so much for following my story even when I take forever to update. My ADHD makes focusing really hard, so getting these chapters done usually proves difficult to do, but with every chapter release, you guys continue to show up and I couldn't be more thankful. With that being said, I really hope you enjoy the chapter. I've changed my mind so many times as to how I wanted this to go, but I'm really happy with how the chapter turned out and how my plans for the remainder of the story are coming along. So, please, enjoy the chapter. I'll see you at the bottom!
TW: Extreme Violence Including Death And Lots Of Blood (Chapter Wide)
…
Chapter Eleven: Restitution III
Toffee met Voracius's nearly lifeless eyes with what little compassion still resided inside him. He knelt by his former apprentice's side, awaiting his final words.
Voracius was tired, and even his heart pumped for the final time, sending the last of his blood out from his wounds, he didn't flinch. He met Toffee's gaze with his own, searching for an answer to a question he had only just begun to consider.
"Is this the only way," Voracius finally asked, his voice weak.
Toffee sighed, his face falling. Without a word, he nodded.
Voracius rolled onto his back and stared into the bright sky, his breaths raspy as his lungs slowly failed. Several seconds passed by before he finally met Toffee's eyes.
"Then don't fail."
Voracius's face was stern, a lifetime of terror flashing through his mind—his entire family's death, all of the lives that he had taken, all of the blood that he'd given.
Toffee slowly got to his feet, his gaze landing on the distant Butterfly Castle, clouds looming over the horizon.
"I don't plan to," Toffee finally affirmed, stepping away as Voracius's final breath left his lungs.
Toffee's fists clenched as he leaned forward, gnashing his teeth as he made his way to his final destination.
In the distance, Star watched on, holding Marco's hand in her own.
"There he is," she pointed, turning to Marco.
Without a word, he nodded, the duo springing from the ground instantly.
Hordes of monsters stood in their way, but with their true enemy in sight, they merely evaded the attacks, weaving through every monster all the while keeping each others' hands in their own.
Within seconds, they grew near, but Toffee didn't even turn to face them. Again, Star turned to Marco, and again, he nodded, thrusting her forward with her fist outstretched.
She swung forward, but just before her fist could land, a thunderous force smashed against her from the side and into a large rock, which cracked as she made contact.
"Star," Marco screamed, sliding to her side as she held her head in her hand.
She met his eyes with uneven pupils, unable to focus without her head aching intensely. Immediately, Marco knew that it was a concussion, but he knew better than to try and explain that to her, instead choosing to stand ahead of her, turning to the monster that had caused her such pain.
He glared as his eyes drifted to the towering figure ahead of him until finally, he recognized who stood before him.
Star turned to face the monster as the words left Marco's mouth.
"You- I thought you were dead," Marco mumbled.
Star's eyes widened, her body stiffening as she stared into the eyes of a monster she thought to be dead.
"Buff Frog," she called, her voice weak as images of the attack on his home flashed through her mind. She was sure that he died. She knew what she heard, but even now, he stood before her without emotion in his eyes.
"You don't get to call me that anymore, Star Butterfly."
He stepped forward with a mace in his hand, his massive gut spilling from his chest plate as he glared down at her.
A knot formed in Star's throat and unconsciously, she crawled away, her body growing cold as she met his eyes until finally, a thought came through her mind. She gasped.
"If you're alive… does that mean that Katrina-"
"No," Buff Frog dismissed, clenching his fist angrily, "Mewmans took her from me."
Star's face fell and Marco stepped in front of her as Buff Frog grew near, raising his sword with a stern expression. His soul stirred with conflict as he stared into the monster's soulless eyes, but he knew one thing for sure. He wouldn't let Star get hurt. Not again.
Star stared at the ground with contemplative eyes when suddenly, two familiar figures zipped past her, dashing ahead of Marco with weapons drawn.
Star gasped.
"Mom," she questioned, "Dad?"
Both parents glanced back at her, meeting her uneven pupils, then back to the monster, hatred in their eyes.
Star's eyes widened.
"Wait-"
The Queen launched the King forward with his sharp blade pointed forward. Buff Frog reached forward as quickly as he could, but the King's snapped staff still sliced against his bare gut, drawing a splash of blood.
Immediately, Marco's turned to Star, his eyes wide.
"Star-" he stammered, "Wh- What do I do?"
Star turned to the fight, her words escaping her as her breaths grew unsteady. Marco followed her eyes, his face falling as he realized what he had to do. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before springing forward.
The King lunged forward with his blade outstretched once more, but just before he could stab the beast in the back, Marco knocked the blade away with his sword.
Buff Frog swung in Marco's direction, but he quickly dodged away, meeting the King's furious glare.
"Just what do you think you're doing, Marco," the Queen interrogated.
Marco kept his eyes ahead, squeezing his sword's handle with frustration.
Star watched from a distance, her hand on her head as it ached. She scanned from side to side, her eyes landing on her handbag, which must have fallen from her shoulder when Buff Frog hit her on the side.
Her eyes narrowed as she willed her way to her feet, clumsily trudging forward as her balance failed her.
Marco watched her stumble toward the bag, his gaze snapping toward the Queen when he heard a familiar sound.
The royal wand gleamed as a blindingly bright blue ball of magic grew at its tip.
"Crap," Marco mumbled to himself, kicking off of the ground as the magic bubbled over.
He lunged forward as Buff Frog turned to face the attack, leaping between the two. The ball of magic twirled through the air, the Queen's eyes widening as Marco raised his sword. The magic ricocheted off of Marco's blade and smashed against a stone wall behind the queen, but before he could even get his feet under him, Buff Frog swung his mace down.
Marco dodged to the side as quickly as he could, but several of the mace's sharp blades still dragged against his side, his blood splashing to the ground as he rolled to safety in front of Star just as she managed to reach her bag.
"Here," Star shouted frantically as she tossed Marco her dimensional scissors.
Again, the battlefield fell silent, Toffee watching from a distance with a disinterested expression.
"Please," Marco cried, struggling for breath, "Stop trying to kill each other! Buff Frog doesn't deserve this!"
"He is a monster, Marco," the Queen rebutted, refusing to lower her wand.
The King turned to his daughter, his face softening as he looked into her eyes.
"That-" Marco struggled, "That doesn't mean that he's evil!"
The King met Marco's eyes with a conflicted expression.
"Marco, my boy, this 'Buff Frog' just tried to kill you. He tried to kill Star. For what possible reason could you defend him?"
"Because he's good! He-" Marco paused as Star tugged on his hand from the ground.
He met her eyes with confusion, helping her to her feet as blood trickled from her forehead.
Star turned to her parents, unable to support her own weight.
"His daughter died," Star stated bluntly, Buff Frog clenching his fist, "... and it was my fault."
River's eyes widened, his face softening, but the Queen still gripped her wand, having no intention of standing down.
"If I hadn't run away, then you wouldn't have had to send the knights after me and-" she struggled, her face falling as her eyes welled over, "...and Katrina would still be alive today."
Buff Frog huffed, raising his mace and charging toward the princess with tears falling from his furious eyes.
River instantly dashed between the two, but Buff Frog cast him aside effortlessly, his eyes bursting with tears as he tore toward the stranded princess. Marco raised his sword, but even faster than the King had been thrown to the side, he was slammed to the floor.
With what little balance Star had left, she dodged to the side, crawling away as quickly as she could, but within seconds, Buff Frog pivoted, once again sprinting toward her.
Mere feet away, he swung his mace down, but before it could hit the Princess, Moon shot a beam of magic toward the monster, shattering the mace out of his hands.
He scoffed, immediately pulling a crooked dagger from his pocket and jamming it down, but as quickly as the mace had vanished, Moon shot a second beam, blasting the frog away as she calmly stepped between the two.
Marco pushed off of the ground as he held his side. On the ground ahead of him were two objects and two choices. The scissors or the sword.
Instinctually, he reached for his sword, but as he turned to Star, she shook her head.
His face fell as his grip on the sword loosened until, finally, he turned to the scissors, his eyes narrowing as he finally reached out.
He fell to his knees as a wave of pain shot through his side. He winced, holding the scissors ahead of him.
River stood over him sternly, his dirty palm shaking with adrenaline as Marco finally reached out, pushing off the ground and turning to the rampaging monster.
The Queen launched volley after volley of attacks at the monster, but time after time, he pushed forward.
Marco took a deep breath, his foot digging into the ground as he limped forward as quickly as his body would allow.
Moon continued her relentless assault, but the distance between her and the frog only shortened with each second. Even as quickly as Marco moved, he knew he wouldn't be able to make it at the pace he was going.
Again, he took a deep breath, his teeth gnashing as his body ached. He leaned forward, his blood streaming down his side as he gained pace.
Buff Frog screamed with rage as Marco finally made it past Star, brushing shoulders with the Queen as the frog lunged forward.
Marco reached as high into the air as he could manage, stabbing the scissors down and pulling them to the ground so quickly that he fell with his immense momentum.
Buff Frog continued to barrel forward, stumbling through the portal, which closed the instant that the monster made it through.
Marco winced in pain as he lay on his side, blood oozing from his wounds to the ground beneath him. Almost instantly, Star stood over him, collapsing by his side as her parents turned toward the lingering Septarian.
Silence lingered as the dust settled on the battlefield.
Without a word, Toffee turned away, walking with his hands toward his back as he approached the castle.
Instantly, the Queen sprung into pursuit running with a head of steam toward the monster. River turned to his daughter, meeting her eyes. Only when she nodded did he finally depart, leaving Star alone by Marco's side.
"Star," Marco muttered, trying and failing to turn his head, "Toffee- He's escaping."
He coughed, blood splashing from his mouth. He winced, holding his side as his eyes slowly overflowed with pained tears.
Without a word, Star lifted Marco's shirt, cringing as she stared at his deep, jagged wounds. She brushed her hand across the cuts, painting her palm as she wiped away the blood.
Her brows came together as she squeezed her eyes closed, holding her hand over his wounds. She focused, her cheeks flickering as she dipped down into her deepest reserves of magic, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't maintain it.
The light in her cheeks dimmed as her eyes blinked back open. She tilted her head as tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Marco," she whined, blood trickling from the top of her head as she met his pained eyes, "I- I can't…"
Marco gripped her hand, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He finally turned to her, wiping her tears away with his weak arm. He sat up slowly, using Star as a brace.
He pulled his tattered hoodie over his shoulders and fastened it around his waist. He winced, blood leaking from his open mouth. His breaths were unsteady as he settled in his pain. He stared in the distance as Toffee grew closer to the castle.
He met Star's eyes with worry.
"Star," he called, the Princess shaking her head.
"No," she dismissed.
"You need to go," he remarked, gesturing in the distance, "Your people need you, you-"
"No," Star interjected with a shout, "You need me. I-"
"Star…"
"No, I-"
"Star."
"No," she shouted, "I promised! That night, I- I told you I wouldn't leave you alone. I told you I'd stay by your side. How could I- How could I leave you?"
She squeezed Marco's hand, his face softening as seconds passed. He sighed, his eyes fixated on her own. He smiled.
"You're not leaving me alone," Marco remarked, letting several seconds pass before continuing, "I'll be waiting for you. I-"
He winced, Star cringing as his body trembled. She opened her mouth to object, but Marco interjected before she could get a word out.
"I'll be with you, no matter-"
Star lunged forward, gripping Marco's head by his loose strands of hair as she pulled him in, his lips soft as she pressed forward, their breaths synchronizing as the world seemed to go silent around them.
Everything was perfect at that moment. He wasn't hurt. Her world wasn't on the brink of collapse. They were just there, together.
She lingered in the moment for as long as she could before Marco finally pulled away, meeting her eyes with a loving glance.
"I-"
Star pushed her finger against his lips, slowly struggling to her feet.
"I know, Marco," she remarked as she finally turned away, watching her parents as they sprinted in pursuit.
She dug her foot into the ground, seeing double as she stared away. She narrowed her eyes, taking a deep breath before finally setting off.
…
Ahead of Star, the King and Queen ran as fast as they could in pursuit of the monster, hurling attack after attack behind him until finally, he stopped.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes remaining ahead as he stood at the base of the Butterfly castle.
River and Moon slid to a stop. Gusts of wind were all that separated the pursuers and their prey, but Toffee was more than that. He was cunning. The King and Queen were too experienced in battle to foolishly give him such an easy advantage.
Still, as Toffee stood seemingly harmlessly at the foot of the stone castle, he didn't even face his foes. Instead, he merely sighed, his eyes glazing over the entire structure ahead of him. It was like he was peering into every individual crevice—every nook and cranny that made up the home of the Royal Butterfly Family, but somehow it seemed as though he had no interest.
His body was relaxed. His hands were behind his back. Even his suit was clean. It wasn't just like he had been there before, it was like he was at home.
Only after a full minute did he finally glance over his shoulder, a satisfied grin plastered on his scarred snout. He tilted his head playfully as his smile grew.
The Queen's knuckles cracked as she gripped the royal wand, hatred flowing through her veins as the monster she hated most stood before her unscathed.
Toffee's smile only deepened as the tip of the wand began to glow, chuckling.
"Good luck with that," Toffee remarked carelessly as Moon gnashed her teeth.
"I call the darkness onto me, from the deepest depths of earth and sea," she muttered angrily, her cheeks glowing as her body trembled with rage.
River's eyes widened as he turned to his wife, but her gaze remained fixated on her target ahead.
"From ancient evils unawoken, break the one that can't be broken."
Dark, thick lines ran up Moon's arms, as if the darkness in her heart flowed in her very veins, climbing up her arm from her wrist. Her eyes overflowed with warm tears as her daughter finally stumbled to her side, her eyes wide with confusion.
"To blackest night, I pledge my soul and crush my heart to burning coal."
Toffee scoffed, finally facing the Queen. His smile deepened as her rage grew.
"To summon forth a deathly power, to see my hated foe devoured!"
She screamed. Her arms were overtaken by deep violet as the magic erupted from her wand in a massive beam, unlike anything that even she had seen before.
The beam covered the monster entirely and she didn't stop screaming for several seconds as the magic continued to consume her until, finally, her legs couldn't support her any longer.
She collapsed, both of her arms completely canvased by the dark magic.
A cloud of dust lingered where Toffee stood, fading slowly to reveal a terrible sight.
There Toffee still stood, still unharmed, still unphased. Again, he chuckled to himself as Moon fell to her knees.
Immediately, both Star and River knelt beside her, trying to hold her up, but she resisted, clinging to the ground as Toffee's chuckles turned to laughs.
"After all this time," Toffee remarked, "You actually thought I'd let that work again?"
"Mom," Star called frantically, ignoring the Septarian's taunts.
"You Butterfly are too arrogant," Toffee continued to prod, "Every generation is the same. You think you can oppress us and when we finally rise up, you always fall."
He stepped forward, ripping his suit away effortlessly. He pointed to the center of his chest, where a familiar crystal sat. The right half of a broken star was encrusted into the monster's very flesh, oozing with viscous, corrupted magic.
He turned to Star as he chuckled to himself with satisfaction.
"I told you before, Princess… I let you blast me to the magical dimension! I couldn't have gotten there without you! All I had to do was grab the crystal when the wand exploded."
Star shook her head as she refused to meet his eyes.
"The demise of your people is your doing alone," Toffee prodded, towering over the royal family.
Toffee paused, his expression souring as Star finally met his cruel eyes.
"...And you had the gall to give that little speech to my people? As if you, a Butterfly, would ever keep to your word."
He spat on the ground beside Star, glaring at her with immense hatred. He shook his head as he turned away, facing the castle once more.
"No more will my people be tormented by your wretched promises," he remarked, his eyes fixated on the tip of the tower.
"No more," he repeated to himself, his face softening as he took a deep breath before once more turning to the royal family. He knelt down in front of them, retrieving the royal wand from in front of the Queen and smiling.
He met the Princess's eyes as he gripped the wand in his hand, cruelly smiling as he crushed the wand to pieces in his palm, only leaving the one piece he still needed.
He held the second half of the star in his hands, its vibrance dimming with every second it touched his skin. He delighted in the sorrow in Star's eyes as the star was finally corrupted, pressing it into his skin beside its other half.
In a mere two seconds, the pieces bound themselves back together, their disgusting ooze only hastening.
His eyes rolled back with pleasure as magic coursed through his veins, climbing up his arms as they had for the Queen. He screamed with satisfaction, his muscles bulging as the scars vanished from his skin.
"Yes," he muttered as he held a ball of corrupted magic in his hands. He turned to the castle, his smile widening until, finally, he heard shuffling behind him.
Star stared down her enemy with balled fists and unwavering spirit.
Toffee sighed, "The hard way it is then?"
Star met Toffee's eyes. Her vision was still blurred, but she made a promise to herself and she wasn't one to back down.
She smiled, and within a second, Toffee hurled his corrupted magic in her direction. Seeing this coming, she dodged to the side as quickly as she could, swiftly leaping forward only for Toffee to launch another attack before she could even blink.
Again, she tried to dodge away, but she couldn't completely avoid being harmed.
The magic grazed her cheek before her feet could land, burning into one of her pink hearts. She winced, but as she turned back to Toffee, her vision seemed to have cleared up some.
Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she turned to face her foe once more. Her smile deepened as Toffee's anger grew. Again, he launched a volley of attacks in her direction, but even faster than before, she zipped to the side, dodging every single attack until, finally, her fist slammed against the monster's jaw.
Toffee screamed with anger, slamming his fist into the ground, and creating a shockwave that launched Star away.
Still, she got her feet under her, sliding to a stop as Toffee seethed with anger.
"You don't understand, do you," he jabbed, "You won't win. You can't win. Today is the day that we 'Monsters' get our restitution. Today is the day that you fall."
Star lowered her stance, fury in her eyes. Toffee stepped forward, but she didn't flinch.
Uncharacteristically, she didn't say a word. She merely stared death in the eyes, ready to face whatever would come.
"Insolence," Toffee remarked.
Another massive ball of magic formed in the monster's hand. Star readied herself, but with every passing moment, her adrenaline faded, leaving her vision blurred.
She saw two versions of Toffee standing in front of her, which meant she had two choices. She could only dodge in one direction. She just had to pick the right one.
Toffee smiled as he saw the confidence vanish from her eyes. He held his magic in his hand and launched it in Star's direction.
Her knees grew weak. From her point of view, it looked like she would die no matter which way she dodged, but she knew that she couldn't stand still any longer.
She squeezed her eyes closed before throwing herself to the side. She tensed as she braced for impact when she was suddenly struck from the side.
Her body crashed to the ground as the ball of magic whizzed by her. Immediately, she opened her eyes, her vision blurring with tears as she met her father's pained eyes.
He fell to his knees as he grasped his chest. A massive, dark crater covered nearly his entire torso, his organs visible and charred.
He struggled for words as he met his daughter's eyes, collapsing to the ground.
Star's ears rang as her blood boiled with rage. Her eyes took on a glow brighter than ever before, her cheeks following suit as her body slowly floated from the ground.
Toffee scoffed with a smile, but as he turned to the Queen, his confidence began to waiver.
In her full Butterfly form, the Mewman Queen stared down the Septarian with an inhuman expression in her eyes.
Without warning, she shot a beam in Toffee's direction, but the monster quickly deflected the attack, dashing to the side and doing the same as Star launched another quick attack.
Star's golden aura surrounded her as she honed the magic inside of her, but her mother only continued her assault, launching attack after attack at the monster that killed her husband.
Star tried to come to her aid, but Moon sent a blast of her cobalt magic in Star's direction, launching her away. Her eyes narrowed. She charged back into battle, her mother trying to push her away once more as she pushed Toffee back.
She sent another blast in her daughter's direction, but Star was far too cunning to be deterred again.
She zipped to the side as quickly as she could, slamming her fist against Toffee's side.
The monster once again roared with fury, slamming both fists into the ground and sending an even greater shockwave than before.
Both Moon and Star were launched back, a massive crater blown into the ground at the base of the Butterfly Castle, cracks in the base of its structure visible as the dust slowly settled.
Toffee smiled as the corrupted magic flowed further up his arms, his immense power surpassing even his own high expectations.
He chuckled to himself as he observed the damage he'd caused, his wide smile only growing.
The mother and daughter were quick to get to their feet, staring down their foe, undeterred.
"You two are no fun," Toffee remarked as he swiped dust from his shoulders.
The Queen twitched, lunging for the monster without warning. Star followed close behind, but before she could close the distance, Toffee landed a devastating strike to the center of Moon's chest, launching her away to a harsh landing.
Star flinched, watching with panicked eyes as her mother tumbled to the ground, and even faster than he had hit her mother, he dashed in front of Star, slamming her to the ground even harder.
"You Mewmans are so feeble," Toffee taunted as he pinned Star down with his foot, her golden aura dimming as she winced in pain.
Moon struggled to her feet, but as she took a single step toward the monster, he shook his head, pointing his hand at Star's head. He shook his head.
"No," he said, "You won't be doing that again."
Moon froze in place, her body trembling with rage.
"I already told you, today is the day that you fall," Toffee explained, squishing Star down with his foot.
"Mewni will be returned to monsterkind, and seeing as without your magic, you Mewmans are weak, eradicating every last one of you will be easy, like-"
SCHLUCK
Toffee gasped as a sword stabbed through his chest, his eyes widening as he watched his magical crystal clank against the ground.
He gripped the blade with both hands, unable to form a word as his own thick, dark blood coated his hands.
Behind him stood a barely standing boy with a ripped hoodie tied around his waste.
"Good thing I'm not Mewman then," Marco remarked with a weak voice.
"Marco," Star shouted with surprise.
She turned to her mother, her eyes widening as she saw the ball of energy growing in her hands. She pushed Toffee's foot away as soon as she heard her mother utter the first word.
"I call the darkness onto me, from the deepest depths of earth and sea," Moon practically screamed.
Star reached for Marco's hand in a panic. He pulled his sword from Toffee's chest, the monster falling to his knees as the teens sprinted away.
"From ancient evils unawoken, break the one that can't be broken."
Blood spilled from both sides of Toffee's mouth as he met the Queen's eyes with disbelief.
"To blackest night, I pledge my soul and crush my heart to burning coal."
Star pulled Marco away with all of her strength, but suddenly, Marco tugged her back, pointing to her father's body on the ground. Without hesitation, the two sprung toward the body, Marco pulling Star's dimensional scissors from his pocket just as Moon finished her spell.
"To summon forth a deathly power, to see my hated foe devoured!"
The Queen screamed, a massive beam of darkness spewing from her hand as she stared her foe down, enshrouding him in the very darkness that coated her vengeful soul.
Marco ripped open a portal and shoved Star through with her father's body, closing it behind him as he met her terrified eyes.
The Queen's beam burned through Toffee with the power of the sun itself, melting away any evidence that he was ever human, but as the Queen's spell finally finished, Marco saw exactly what he was looking for.
Just before where Toffee had stood were two halves of the same crystal. Just as he took his first step forward, he heard a deep crack coming from the base of the Butterfly Castle.
He glanced to his side and watched as the castle slowly tipped over.
His eyes narrowed as he turned back to the crystal, sprinting forward as quickly as his weakened body would allow. He dove forward, pulling the crystal into his palm before cutting open a portal beneath him.
He fell through, landing just beside Star and her father's body at a forest's edge.
"Marco, why did you-" she paused as Marco rushed to his feet, turning to the Butterfly Castle.
Star rushed to his side, her eyes widening as the castle slammed to the ground, a massive cloud of dust flowing from where the castle had stood.
Star gasped, leaning on Marco's shoulder as her legs grew weak.
Mere seconds later, a bright, amethyst beam pierced the sky in the distance through the tip of a mountain to the side of the kingdom.
Marco turned to Star, words failing him.
"Do you- What was that?"
Star's face fell for several seconds before she finally met his eyes once more.
"I- Marco, this is not good."
Marco's eyes widened as he held his side, his eyes lingering on the distant beam as the sun slowly crept toward the horizon.
Star wrapped her arms around Marco's chest above his wounds, staring off into the distance as her mind wandered.
…
Author's notes:
So, there it is, another chapter in the books, and several characters down. I always planned on the ending of this trilogy of chapters to be this way, but after writing it… just wow. I would understand if you guys have questions and I would of course be willing to answer them. All you have to do is ask. Just send a comment on whatever platform you are on and I will reply to it as soon as I see it.
Special Shoutouts:
Next, there are some people who I would like to thank, who have stuck with me as I've written this story and provided some very valuable support. Of course, I appreciate everyone's support, but these people have been here since the very beginning, voicing their feelings and helping me make this story the best it can be.
First, RockWriter60 on FFN. Rock has been a regular commenter on almost every chapter I've written for this story and has always sung the praises of this fic, which I of course love to see. For those interested, Rock writes fanfiction of his own on multiple different fandoms, of course including SVTFOE.
Second, diego_riser3957 on Instagram. Diego has always shown his support of my story, engaging in most of my posts and even liking my story posts. For that, I am thankful. His engagement has been incredibly valuable for keeping me motivated to keep writing this story.
Third, and last for now, silversand on Ao3. Silversand, similarly to Rockwriter60, has posted several encouraging comments on my story on Ao3, and like Rock, her input has been greatly appreciated, helping me push forward even when I'm struggling to find motivation.
Of course, I'd love to thank everyone who has read my story by now, especially seeing as it's hit 1500 views on FFN and 500 on Ao3, but I would be writing thank you notes all day. So, of course, if you've read my story and plan to continue to do so, I do appreciate you. I see every comment and I reply to every single one. They help me find the motivation to write and I genuinely couldn't have made it this far without them, so, once again, thank you.
Author's notes (cont.):
Finally, and I promise this is the last note, I wanted to make the future of this story clear if I haven't already. It is not over. I can't say whether this is close to the end or nearer to the middle, but all that has happened so far will continue to be used to push toward a finale that I already see in the future. With that being said, there is still plenty of ground to cover and I don't plan to stop now. So, please, continue to support and watch out for new updates of the chapter. As usual, please feel free to leave a comment, Kudo, follow, favorite, or otherwise to show your support, because seriously, every comment makes my day.
As always, I hope you all have a good day and I hope to see you again soon.
With love,
~ lucash21
P.S. Follow me on Instagram for story updates and posts starcovstheworld!