#((damn it definitely SEEMS like it's mario time))

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Keeper of my Heart

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~3.6k

Warnings: mostly fluff

Summary: You live in a world where people’s hearts are kept in pocket watches to give to that one special person. You go through life thinking you’ll never find the one when you run into Bucky one fateful night.

Square Filled: au: steampunk (2020) for @buckybarnesbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

“How about this one?”

You walk out of the closet wearing the dress you wore for Homecoming in high school. It’s purple, goes down to your knees, and is strapless. You lost some weight since then so the dress fits you not snug like a glove but good enough for this blind date. Vanessa looks at you and shakes her head.

“Why do you still have that dress? Throw it away. That’s like you’re saying high school was a peak for you.”

“Then I don’t know what to wear. I haven’t been on a date since Mario, and I don’t know what to do. Maybe I shouldn’t go,” you sigh.

“You’re thirty-one, Y/N, and you still own your heart. It’s time you find someone to give it to.” You groan as you walk back into your closet, already annoyed by the story you know is coming. “As you know, I gave my heart away when I was eighteen to Vaughn. Oh, it was magical. Sure I was dating him all throughout high school, but I took one look in his eyes and knew. He was the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. I look at you and become sad that you don’t have that person to share things with. You live alone.”

“Thanks for that very touching story that I definitely haven’t heard before,” you say sarcastically, “but I’ll be fine.”

You walk out of the closet wearing a different dress. It flows all around you loosely, has pink flowers on it, and has puffy sleeves that go down to your wrists. It’s very flattering, and judging by the way Vanessa’s eyes light up, you found the one.

“You’re my little sister, Y/N. I will always worry about you.”

“I know.” You smooth down your hair and start looking around your room for something. “Now if I can only find my heart. Where did I put the damn thing?”

You look on your messy vanity desk but it’s not there. You fling clothes out of your closet looking for the damn thing. You’re always losing your heart which is not a good thing. If something bad happens to it…

“It’s on your bed, Y/N,” Vanessa sighs.

You walk over to your bed and pick up the delicate pocket watch. You open it and stare at your heart beating rhythmically inside. When people are born, they are born with their hearts in a sac outside of their bodies. Doctors then provide a pocket watch to put the hearts in, something that will protect it always. Everyone outgrows their first pocket watch, so parents gift their children new ones every few years to keep up with their growing organs. By the time someone turns eighteen, their heart is at the biggest it will ever get, so they get one pocket watch and stick with that one for years, decades even.

Everyone goes through life looking for their special someone. Time and time again, you’ve heard stories of people finding true love and giving their hearts over. It’s supposed to be magical. Vanessa never misses an opportunity to tell the story of how and why she gave her heart to Vaughn. Your mother gave her heart at a young age, and your friends have already given their hearts over.

You’re the only one who hasn’t found your one true love or whatever shit people say these days. You’re not good at dating, and you seem to mess up every relationship you’ve ever been in. With Mario, you thought he was the one until you accused him of cheating. He broke things off with you and made you feel bad about accusing him like that. 

Turns out he was cheating on you, and you haven’t been on a date since.

Vanessa found someone at her work to set you up with, and you agreed only to keep from hearing her annoying story again. You close the pocket watch and place it inside your small handbag. Vanessa sees you out, and you drive to the bar to meet Jerry, her coworker. You’ve heard a few stories about him but not enough to develop an opinion. Maybe this date will go well. Maybe Jerry might be the one.

You enter the bar and find Jerry already at a table sporting a tall glass of beer. He smiles when he sees you, and you’re suddenly cautious of the way your legs look in the dress.

“You must be Y/N,” he smiles with unbelievably white teeth.

“Yeah. You’re Jerry,” you chuckle nervously.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet me with me. I know how blind dates usually go. Vanessa has told me so much about you.”

“I don’t know if I should be scared or not.”

“Don’t worry, it’s all good things.”

Jerry seems pretty cool, and you two hit it off from the start. This might be looking like the date is going well until about three drinks in.

“So, Vanessa never told me what you do.”

“Oh, I work at the local bookstore, A Thousand Lives.”

“Yeah, but what do you want to do in life?”

The question makes your hands clammy. Your voice drops a few tones. “I work at a bookstore.”

“You want to do that for the rest of your life?”

You open your mouth to respond but nothing comes out of it. Do you? You love working there. You’re surrounded by a thousand little lives and amazing stories.

“I guess I never really thought about it. I like writing but that’s something on the side. I don’t do it a lot.”

“So, you have no ambition?”

Suddenly, you don’t feel like being here with Jerry. This needs a change of topic. “What do you do? I mean, I know Vanessa works with you but she didn’t really touch on it.”

“I work in finance. I’m one of our top accountants. I’m quickly earning my place on the boards. I hope to be CEO one day.”

“That’s amazing. I hope you get it.”

He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his pocket watch. “I hope to give this to someone special one day.”

“I have one too.” You put your purse on the table and sift through the contents. “Fuck, where did I put it?” you laugh nervously. “Sorry, Jerry. Give me a second.”

Jerry sighs and pockets his watch again. “I gotta go.”

“No, wait.” You practically dump half your purse onto the table before finding the watch. “I found it.”

You look up but Jerry isn’t sitting across from you anymore. In fact, he left the bar. You sigh sadly and put the watch back into your purse. You should have stayed home. After cleaning the table of your things, you walk to the back where the bathrooms are. This is the last time you have Vanessa set you up with anything. Maybe it’s fate that you end up alone. Just you and your books.

After you’re done, you walk out of the bathroom with your eyes on your phone. You’re not looking where you’re going and end up knocking into someone. Your purse falls and all of the contacts scatter across the ground.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” you gasp.

You look up and notice dark blue eyes. Dark, short hair. A strong jawline that’s covered in facial hair. Slight freckles on his face. Bulging muscles. Fuck, he’s attractive.

“No, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault,” you mutter and drop your knees.

The stranger gets on his knees to help you pick up your things. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Your hand brushes his when you grab your things from him, and heat floods your body from the slight contact. “I’m Bucky.”

“Y/N.”

“Are you here with someone?” he asks when you two stand.

“I was just leaving, actually. Not really my scene. It was nice to meet you, Bucky. I’m sorry, again.”

You blush and duck out of view before he has a chance to say anything back. Bucky watches you leave the bar, his mind already fuzzy with the thought of you. A stranger but he finds himself wanting to know you more. After using the bathroom, he walks out and notices something shiny on the floor in the hallway.

A pocket watch. It’s delicate, a reminder that it’s fragile yet heavy and sturdy enough to protect the heart that’s inside. Some people put their names on it in case they ever get lost, but there isn’t a name on this. Bucky opens it and sees the precious heart beating. He can’t just leave it here, and he doesn’t trust the owner of the bar enough to leave it with him.

He pockets the watch and leaves the bar.

After your date with Jerry, you tried avoiding your sister as much as possible. You declined her calls and refused to see her, claiming you were busy with work. A couple of days go by with you working at the bookstore when Vanessa walks in with determination on her face.

“Shit,” you mutter under your breath.

“Way not to call me back.”

“I’m busy with work.”

She looks around the empty bookstore. “Clearly.”

“What do you want?”

“How did the date go? Did you and Jerry hit it off?”

“He’s not the one for me.” She opens her mouth to protest but you cut her off. “I’m not good at this whole thing, and he seemed a little too arrogant for my taste.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find someone else for you.”

“No, Vanessa. I don’t need your help. I appreciate it but this is something I have to do alone.”

“Fine.”

You just don’t know how to tell her that you might be alone for the rest of your life.

Bucky walks into his home, tired from the day’s events. He shuffles into his room and yanks off his police belt before tossing it on the bed. His precinct just got a new Captain, and he hasn’t been exactly welcoming to the team. All he needs is a hot shower, some food, and a good night’s rest.

He sits on his bed and allows himself ten minutes of blissful silence, but that’s when he hears it.

A heart beating.

He takes out the pocket watch he found and opens it. Still beating. It doesn’t even know it’s missing from its owner. He’d give anything to know who this belongs to. Bucky reaches into the drawer beside his bed and takes out his own pocket watch. Both hearts are beating but out of sync.

Beat. Beat.

Beat. Beat.

Beat… 

The two hearts find rhythm together and start beating at the same time. Suddenly, every bone in Bucky’s body starts relaxing. He doesn’t even know who the heart belongs to, but he feels safe with it. He feels like whoever this belongs to wouldn’t judge him or the mistakes he’s made in the past. The steady beat of both hearts is enough to lull Bucky to sleep… still in his uniform.

It’s only the next day when you notice it’s missing. You just about turned your house upside down trying to find it. Your heart is missing. Vanessa is on her way over to your place right now as soon as she gets the frantic call from you.

“I’m here!” she announces when she walks inside. She pauses at the state of your house. “Whoa. Y/N?”

“In my bedroom!”

She steps over the fallen pieces of furniture and walks into your room which is even messier. “Wow, you didn’t waste any time.”

“I lost my heart, Nessa! If I show up to Mom’s without it, I’ll be ridiculed. Like I need to give her yet another reason to be disappointed in me,” you sigh.

“Don’t freak out yet. When was the last time you had it?”

“At the bar with Jerry. I bumped into this guy and my purse fell, but I could have sworn I picked it up. It could be anywhere by now. If it gets damaged…”

You let the sentence hang unfinished. If a heart is damaged, the owner can get really sick or die depending on what the damage was.

“Don’t worry. We’ll go down to the police station and report it missing. These things have trackers on them.”

“The new ones do, Nessa. When we were born… They don’t have trackers in them.”

“It’s okay. It’s going to be fine. Come on, I’ll drive.”

Bucky walks into work feeling better than he has in years. He doesn’t remember a time when he slept and didn’t have nightmares. It’s all because of that heart he found. He should have reported it missing and posted something on local social media sites, but he can’t seem to part with it. What if the person doesn’t like him? What if the person hates him for stealing it? He’d never let anything bad happen to it which is why he carries it with him everywhere.

Right where a heart should be.

“Damn, Bucky, you look refreshed.” Bucky looks at his best friend and partner, Steve. They both joined the force right out of high school. “Did you get laid?”

“No, I just had the best sleep last night. No nightmares.”

Bucky walks to his desk and gets started on the paperwork he left last night. After about two hours sitting at his desk, he grabs his empty coffee mug and heads to the break room. He passes by the front door to get to it, not seeing you and Vanessa walking toward the building. He disappears into the break room at the same time you enter, and you look around the precinct for someone to help.

There is a blond man at his desk with his eyes on his phone, and you decide he’s the officer you want helping you. Everyone else looks busy.

“Excuse me, Officer?”

He looks up and puts his phone away. “What can I do for you ladies?”

“I’d like to report something stolen… missing… whatever. It’s my heart. I don’t know where it is.”

“What makes you think it’s stolen… missing… or whatever?” You give Officer Rogers your statement about the entire night you knew you had it. Meeting Jerry, showing it off, and bumping into someone. “Alright, I’ll look into this. I’ll give you a call if I find something.”

There’s not much you can do except wait, so you and Vanessa leave with a sinking feeling in your chests. The second you leave the precinct, Bucky walks out of the break room and heads to his desk with a fresh cup of coffee.

Instead of going to your mom’s for dinner, you decide to stay at work the whole time. It’s better than being at her place and being judged for not finding your “one” yet. You’re always being compared to Vanessa or your cousins since they’re all in successful relationships and you’re not.

You’re sitting behind the counter playing a game on your phone when the bell rings, signaling someone walked into the bookstore. You look up and meet familiar dark blue eyes.

“Bucky, hi,” you smile.

“You remember me?”

“You’re kind of hard to forget,” you mumble with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if you had a certain book in store. The Giving Tree. My niece’s birthday is coming up, and she loves that book.”

“Yeah, it’s upstairs in the kid section.”

Bucky nods and walks off but comes back seconds later. “I always get lost. Will you show me?”

You smile and step away from your desk. You look at Bucky’s uniform in thought.

“I didn’t know you were a cop.”

“We only talked for three minutes,” Bucky laughs.

“Fair point. Do you like being an officer?”

“Love it, actually. I love being able to help people and bring justice to those who need it.”

“That’s very honorable. Better than being in this bookstore, I imagine.”

“Now don’t sell yourself short. This is a good place to work. You’re a guardian for a thousand worlds.”

“I actually haven’t heard that one before. Thanks,” laugh.

You and Bucky find yourselves lost in conversation even though you showed Bucky where the book was several minutes ago. You’re both single, you both prefer alone time rather than the bars, and you both love reading. Eventually, you have to go back downstairs to check him out even though you don’t want the conversation to stop.

“I hope this isn’t too forward but you’re very easy to talk to. I can tell you’re a good guy.”

Bucky leans on the counter with a dazzling smile. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow? I can pick you up.”

“I’d love to,” you grin.

That’s the start of your relationship with Bucky. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your small bookstore or at a crowded restaurant, he makes everyone around you two disappear. All your problems melt away when you’re with him, and you think he feels the same about you. A few months pass of flirty comments and romantic dates when you think about asking him to be your boyfriend, to be in a more serious relationship.

Bucky can’t contain his happiness even at work, and Steve watches him with a slight smile on his face. It’s been a long time since he’s seen his friend be this happy.

“She makes me happy, Steve. I want to ask her to be my girlfriend.”

“Are you having any more nightmares? Even from my apartment, I could hear your screams.”

“They’ve gone away. Ever since I found that heart, I’ve been sleeping better.”

“What?”

“What?” Bucky asks in confusion.

“A few months ago, Y/N came into the precinct to report a missing heart. You never mentioned it before, and I’ve been waiting for the owners to get back to me with the footage inside the bar. I was just about to look at it.”

Bucky gets up and walks behind Steve so that he can see the video. Steve takes out the flash drive that’s on his desk and plugs it into his computer. Footage of the bar comes up on screen, and Steve fast-forwards it to the night you were there with Jerry. There is only one camera pointed at the main dining area, so they can only see the back of your head and Jerry’s face. 

Thirty minutes go by when he leaves, leaving you all alone. You leave to go the bathroom and Steve switches to the camera that’s in the hallway where the bathrooms are. When you leave, you end up bumping into Bucky and your purse falls to the ground. Something clunky rolls away from you two and skirts to a stop in the corner.

Forgotten about. Left for anyone to find. Left for Bucky to find. Your heart.

After you leave, Bucky ends up picking the heart. Bucky reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out the heart he’s come to be so fond of.

“This is hers?” Bucky whispers.

“You know what you’ve got to do.”

Right before your shift ends, Bucky walks into the bookstore wearing dark jeans, a black button-up, and a black jacket. He looks so devilishly handsome.

“Hi, Bucky,” you greet. You lean forward and kiss him across the counter. “I’m just about finished with my shift.”

“Okay,” he nods.

“Are you okay? You look nervous.”

“I’m okay. I’ll wait until you’re done.”

You finish putting away the last of the books back on the shelves before changing into your date night clothes. It’s a simple sundress that stops at your knees. Perfect for the warm weather outside.

“I’m ready,” you grin.

There is a restaurant that was built right next to a calming river that Bucky takes you to. You’ve wanted to come here but you didn't want to go alone. Bucky gets a table near the river so you can enjoy the sound of trickling water while you eat. After the waitress takes your drink orders, Bucky clears his throat.

“Okay, why do you look so nervous?”

“I want to ask you something but I can’t knowing I have something of yours.”

“Of mine? What is it?” Bucky takes out your pocket watch from his jacket and you gasp softly when you see it. “I’ve been looking for that for months. I thought I lost it. Where did you find it?”

“At the bar when you ran into me.”

“You’ve had this for months?”

“I didn't know it was yours until this morning. This is mine.” Bucky takes out his pocket watch and opens both of them. They’re still beating in sync like they belong together. They only do that when you’ve found the one. “I’ll give you yours back but what I’d really like to do is give you mine. You make the… The first night I took this home, I didn't have any nightmares. I’ve been having them since I was a teenager. You make them go away.”

“Bucky,” you whisper.

“I know it’s selfish bringing this up but I really like you. I was going to come here and ask you to be my girlfriend. It was supposed to be this whole thing, but I understand if your answer changes knowing I’ve had your heart the entire time.” You stare at him like he has three heads, and he sighs. “Am I messing this up?”

You grin after a few seconds. “No. I’m usually the one who messes it up.”

He reaches across the table and grabs your hand. “What I feel for you, I’ve never felt about anyone else. Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes,” you say without hesitation.

He slides his pocket watch over to you. “This belongs to you now.”

You grab it and hold it close to your chest. “I’ll cherish it always.”

You make a vow there and now that you’ll never misplace a pocket watch ever again.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[plumberpower]

     "Wowie...! All-a Mario can-a say?"

     "What a good time to be a plumber~!"

[maiaczy]

Terence mayhaps

What if Terence D'Arby was in the Jojolands

Who do you guys think each of them would main in mario kart (my headcanons under the cut)

Jodio - Shy Guy (specifically the dark blue version)

Lowkey a pro at this game. Likes to challenge himself in time trials and knows all the best cart combinations. If there is a shortcut on the track, he WILL take it (and will almost always be successful). Actually enjoys Rainbow Road (the real reason for his psychopath diagnosis).

Dragona - Pink Gold Peach (I could see them picking Daisy too)

Just there to have a good time tbh. At least most of the time, because every now and then when they're doing particularly well their competitive streak kicks in, and trust me – once they get into it, they get REALLY into it (cross them at your own risk). Favorite track is Cheep Cheep Beach.

Paco - Bowser

He thinks gaming is dumb and a waste of time (definitely not because he sucks at it). On the rare occasion he does get convinced to play, he keeps bumping into walls and other players (it doesn't help that he picks one of the heaviest characters in the game). Known for notoriously running into banana peels. Gaming sessions usually end in him "inviting" the other players to the gym.

Usagi - Luigi

Relates to Luigi on a personal level for being the underappreciated helper of the group. He's actually quite good at the game. His aim is freakishly accurate and he loves to hoard items to target other players (for unknown reasons they seem to hit everyone but Dragona). Similarly to Jodio, he takes shortcuts almost every chance he gets, but unlike Jodio, it doesn't always go so well. Also probably likes Baby Park like the freak he is.

Charmingman - Dry Bones

Used to play with Mauka a lot, so he's surprisingly good, and can get quite competitive too. Drives solely on bikes, which give him some good ol' maneuverabilty to avoid all those damn banana peels Usagi keeps throwing around. Secretly loves the music tracks and sometimes listens to them while riding his bike irl, imagining himself to be in a race. Favorite item is Boo.

[nickssidewitch]

👾🕹️ List of Games the Triplets Should Play if They Stream Again 🕹️👾

Can y’all share this everywhere if you like my list because I’m sick of Fortnite-only streams and I damn well do not want to constantly see Roblox…

Obviously no hate to Fortnite because yass kings grind 😤💪🏾‼️. But like… let’s switch it up a lil’ bit, boys. Get sexy idk.

Horror🔪

💉 Outlast: Horror. Thee scariest game on this list!!! Great story, but even if you’re not interested in the story, the gameplay is interesting and nostalgic. May be a bit jumpscare-y at times. Not too much gore, but enough to make the spine tingle.

🧸 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Horror. Honestly, I highly doubt they’d actually play this because it’s probably the second scariest game on this list and they don’t seem like they could handle it. But, a one-off stream of this game would be nice idk. If they do, I’d suggest the first and second ones because they are good, Otherwise, the third one is ass, and the fourth one is way too scary. The other installments are forgettable (no shade 🥱).

🌙 Little Nightmares: (Mild) Horror. One of my personal favorite games. Right amount of scares, but definitely nothing like Outlast or FNAF. The main character is literally the cutest little thing!

🌺 Poppy Playtime: Horror. Similar to FNAF in the sense that you’re in a world where childhood characters come to life wnd become murderous villains, but the story is incredibly unique and eye-catching. There are a few Gaming YouTuber surprises in there as well.

🩸 Fears to Fathom series: Horror. This series is an indie gaming community favorite! Real-life people sent in submissions of their actual true experiences, and the developer made each story into actual games! I love the simple retro feel of the design, and the stories are very intriguing especially since they are all true stories.

🧟‍♂️ The Walking Dead: Horror, Story, Action, Adventure, Apocalyptic. The hype for this game never dies (imo)! Matt would absolutely fall in love with this story and its characters!! I feel like it would definitely cement his love for TWD as a whole. And if he ever played the Michonne DLC?? omg. Someone get this man to play TWD! Chris and Nick would love it too I feel.

Story 📖

📸 Life Is Strange: Story. A story-based decision game series. You play as young adults who have special powers that develop through difficult life experiences. Each game delves into different aspects of sexuality, love, mental health, and other real-life experiences. I’d like if they played only the first one, but the other games are also pretty cool if they like the first story.

🌄 Until Dawn: Horror, Story. A story-based decision game set u like a classic “cabin in the woods” thriller… with a twist. There’s a new remake as well, so that adds a bonus point to the overall enjoyment and the hype of the experience.

🤖 Detroit Become Human: Story, Sci-Fi. I know the hype for this game is gone, but I need it! The world is set in the future where robots and androids roam the Earth amongst humans. It’s such a great story with great graphics. And every single one of the choices matter. I feel like they’d genuinely enjoy it if they immersed in it.

😷 The Last of Us: Horror, Sci-fi, Story. It’s the game that inspired the TV show. I personally think the game is better than the show, but I digress. Great story, the best characters with such various traits.

🐈 Stray: Adventure, Sci-fi, Puzzle. (This is more for Matt than anyone else lowkey highkey). You play as a stray cat, but it’s more than just a cat simulator— it’s a journey set in the future. Everyone, but especially Matt, would love this. Very great graphics. Pretty calm, but can definitely get the heart racing at times. Will pull at the heartstrings.

Miscellaneous 👾

🍄 Mario Kart / Mario Party: Multiplayer, Party. This is a given 🤷🏾‍♀️

☠️ Dead By Daylight: Multiplayer, Horror. When Nick’s computer is finally fixed, they can all play together and probably even get some friends (or play online).

💎 The Sims: Simulation. Honestly, this can be like a game they play ironically. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I just wanna see them argue about how to customize their characters.

🌚 Among Us: Multiplayer. They’ve played it before both online and with fans, but I’d love if they played some rounds that were more organized with real-life friends and maybe even their mods/subscribers on Twitch!

🔫 Call of Duty (any of them): Shooter, Action. Literally just wanna see how good they are since they were flexing in that one stream they did a while back. 😒 Like where’s the proof?

🤺 Mortal Kombat: Fighting, Action. Any of the recent additions. I don’t need Story Mode if they don’t care to know the lore! I just wanna see them beat tf outta each other 🤫 ! Nick playing as Mileena would be a gag! 🤷🏾‍♀️

🦸🏻‍♂️ Injustice 2: Fighting, DC Universe. It’s similar to Mortal Kombat, but just set in the DC universe with characters like Batman, Harley Quinn, etc. I think made by the same developers as MK? Wanna see them beat each other up.

🎰 Liar’s Bar: Multiplayer, Gambling (not actually, but—). You play as up to four characters. You get cards in your hands. It’s up to you whether you play truthfully, or lie and place whatever cards you want all without getting caught. And if you get caught, now you gotta survive a round of russian roulette. It’s actually so fun for a few rounds if you have a good party.

Please share this across platforms! I’d love that! I really wanna see them at least try some things from this list. It’d make my little gamer heart so happy 😭 And I’m sure the other fans who like videogames as well would agree.

And I’m sure the boys would definitely appreciate the ideas since they seem open to them. 🥰🤍

[the-oblivious-writer]

Let the Light In |4|

Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader

Chapter Four: Leave That For The Adults

Summary: Tara has been driving herself crazy trying to figure out what she's feeling and you're not making it any better. And you get stuck having dinner with a certain teeth edging family member

Warning(s): Some angst, swearing, mentions of underage drinking, intoxication, dry heaving, gagging & throwing up

Notes: We get to see a little more of R's past in this one and I think you're gonna like one specific scene I wrote 🤭

Masterlist|Previous Part|Next Part

For what felt like the millionth time, three out of four of the ”core four” were over at your apartment to hangout with Anika. You, of course, like every time before, were hiding in your room—at least hiding is what Anika called it, but she couldn’t outright prove that. It wasn’t like you being in your room for hours at a time was out of the ordinary.

Each time they came over, Anika would try to convince you to hangout with them but your answer was always the same. They were just never your crowd, not now nor highschool, and you were fine with that. Anika, on the other hand, cared. She wanted you to get to know these people. They were her girlfriend’s friends, and now they’re her own—of course she wants you to find some common ground. She was fully aware of your rocky relationship with Tara, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying. 

According to Mindy, your hatred for each other began out of the blue in high school. Her girlfriend still remembers when just hearing the faint sound of your voice was enough to put Tara on edge, and it seems it still does.

This was definitely going to take a lot more work than Anika initially thought…

“Chad, I swear, if you don’t stop throwing that blue shell at me,” Tara said in a threatening voice as she swerved along with her kart.

“It’s not my fault your Mario Kart reflexes suck—” Tara threw a pillow at him, “—Hey! No pillow throwing!”

“And…. victory is mine!” Mindy cheered as she raised her arms victoriously. “Take that, losers!” She continued the cheer, bragging away, as the others continued to groan.

“Since we agreed the glorious winner gets to choose where to eat, I say that diner around the corner,” she said, a satisfied expression still plastered on her face due to her win.

“Alright, I’m gonna take a leak before we go,” Chad sighed, evident defeat in his voice.

A light bulb goes off above Anika's head, a slight smile crossing her face at her thought. It’s practically full proof, she thinks to herself. “I’ll just be a second,” she tells Mindy and Tara before walking down the hall to your bedroom door and knocking.

“Yeah?” she hears you call out from the other side.

“We’re going to that diner around the corner, wanna come?” she asked you.

Well, shit. She knew damn well it was your favorite place to eat, its only flaw being it doesn’t deliver. Your groaning and shuffling could be heard by Anika, she knew she got you this time. You confirmed it when you swung your door open and said, “Sure, I’ll go.” 

She looked at you—it almost looked like she was analyzing you or something. You weren’t wearing anything terrible… right? You were wearing jeans and a Batman t-shirt, but you guess the t-shirt wasn’t enough for the chill fall weather in your roommate’s eyes. 

“Aren’t you going to be a bit cold?” she asked. At this, you rolled your eyes as you turned around and grabbed your older brother’s letterman jacket that was draped over your chair.

 “This should do the trick. Happy, Mom?” 

She smiled, rolling her eyes, before saying, “Very. Now come on.”

You trailed behind them the entire walk to the restaurant, since it was just around the corner the walk wasn’t long. When you all arrived at the restaurant, Anika made sure you sat at the booth with them—but she couldn’t stop you from hiding behind your menu, staring at its contents as if you weren’t going to just order your usual.

 Anika and Mindy sat on your side of the booth, and Ethan, Chad and Tara sat in front of you. Multiple conversations were happening around you, you were blocking it all out before the sound of your name made you blink. 

“So, Y/N, you’re into Batman?” you heard a voice ask. You put down your menu and slightly tilted your head as you looked at the curly haired boy who sat across from you. “It’s—It’s just I noticed your Batman shirt,” he stuttered as he briefly pointed to your shirt.

You slightly glanced down at your shirt. “Oh, yeah. He’s cool. You?”

He smiled, happily nodding. A conversation between the two of you eventually picked up. The conversation being Ethan excitedly asking you questions and you responding with short answers or a hum. But during all this, you couldn’t help but feel like someone was looking at you. It was probably just your mind playing tricks on you yet again, so you tried to ignore it. 

Eventually the food came, pausing your conversation with Ethan. You were quietly munching on one of your fries when Tara spoke up. “So, Y/N…” Here we go, “You only come out of your room for food and the occasional bathroom breaks… You’re kind of like a deer,” she chuckled before sipping her water. 

You furrowed your eyebrows. “A dear?” you practically scoffed. “What—well you’re five foot nothin,’ I don’t know why you’re talkin.’ Not to mention you’re bambi reincarnated,” you shot back. This wasn’t the first time somebody’s compared your habits to a deer.

“I’m five foot one!” she defended. “And what do you mean I’m bambi?”

“Those stupid eyes of yours—don’t change the subject! Why are you keepin’ track of my routine, anyway, huh?” 

“Oh, you are so full of it,” Tara said while crossing her arms. 

“Full of what? I haven’t accused you of anything yet, my little stalker. Simply asking,” you smugly replied with a shrug. 

Ugh, how Tara wanted to ki—smack that smug look right off your face. “Don’t you still sleep with a Spider-Man plushie?” she retorted before taking another sip from her water, her eyes never pulling from you. 

“Technically I don’t sleep with him, he just sits on my nightstand,” you embarrassingly admit in a quiet voice before you realize something. “Wait—how do you know about him?” you asked with a tilt in your head.

She suddenly avoids your eyes as she swirled her straw around in her cup. “You mentioned it at some point,” she finally murmured, clearing her throat at the end.

“You remembered that?” She remembered that? Even you couldn’t remember mentioning that to her.

“It’s not a big deal, not like it’s hard to remember.” It suddenly got silent between you, the others exchanging looks to one another. 

Eventually, all of them drifted off into their own conversations as you silently nibbled on another one of your fries whilst recounting the last few minutes to yourself. Your phone vibrating in your pocket pulls you from your thoughts. You reach down to grab your phone, but the message you're met with hits you like a ton of bricks as your eyes widen.

Sperm Donor (8:56 pm) I’m coming over this weekend.

“Shit,” you muttered. 

Anika turns to look at you. “What’s wrong?” she asked just before her eyes caught the words you were staring at. A second barely passed before you began to type a reply.

Y/N (8:57 pm) Is that tomorrow?

A moment passed—then another. You began to push down on your thumb’s cuticles to cope with the anticipation that was clawing at your chest.

Sperm Donor (9:01 pm) Yes.

Tomorrow was Saturday. You were initially going to help Tara with one of her assignments and hangout with Henry when you finished, but all your original plans just flew out the window. Now you would be stuck with your father tomorrow, which certainly wasn’t the ideal situation. You were never his favorite.

A foot gently tapped your own from under the table, pulling you from your thoughts. You glanced up to see Tara with her eyebrows knitted. You only cleared your throat while slightly shaking your head, trying to show you were fine. She gives you a once-over, an unreadable expression on her face, before she returns to her conversation with Chad.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to turn your head and look at Anika. “Do you need the apartment this weekend? It’s not a problem if you do,” she said in a reassuring tone.

“It’s alright. I’m just gonna take him to dinner. He doesn’t need to know where I’m living,” you replied in a voice so only Anika could hear you. You turned your head back before you could get a reply, but you saw her nod from the corner of your eye.

From the moment the six of you left the diner, you and Tara returned to your bickering. Chad rubbed his stomach, letting out a groan. “Shit. I shouldn’t have drank the milkshake and soda.”

Mindy rolled her eyes at him. “I told you not to drink both.”

You and Tara walked slightly ahead of the group, in your own world with the other as you squabble. 

“Yeah but if—are those ghost socks?” you suddenly asked.

Tara looked down to her ankles for a moment before looking back at you. “Yeah, and?” she said defensively.

You shook your head with a subtle, stupid smile on your face—she would have missed it if she wasn’t already looking at you. “Nothing. You look cute in them. Anyways, back to the point I was making—” Tara didn't hear anything after the word ”cute.”

Why are you acting as if you didn’t just call her cute? You were doing this on purpose, right? You must be, making her feel like this. Surely you knew. Surely you knew about the feelings you were inflicting—which are just stress! This was just another way for you to get inside her head—

“Watch out for dog shit,” you said as you pulled her by the waist, stopping her from stepping on the crap she was about to step on. She still felt the ghost of your grip when your hand fell back to your side. “You okay?”

She turned her head. “Yeah, fine,” she responded before looking back ahead.

“You seem… out of it,” you said.

Tara raised her eyebrow at you.

You hesitated, only for a second, before elaborating, “I just mean—usually you’d have a rebuttal for me by now. You doin’ okay?” You were now fully looking at her. Oh, how Tara despised your concerning eyes.

She looked to the side, no longer able to handle the weight of your eyes. “I said I was fine, didn’t I?” Tara let out an aggravated sigh as she  crossed her arms.

“Okay then…” You gave her a tight lipped look before hanging your head low as awkwardness swirled in your stomach. 

When you all returned to your apartment, you placed your leftovers on the counter. You were about to go to your room to change and bury yourself under your covers, but you’re interrupted by a phone call. You tense up, slowly taking out your phone and taking a peek at the caller id; you let out a quiet sigh of relief at the sight. You go to your room for privacy, leaving Anika and the rest of them in the living room. 

You didn’t realize just how long it’s been since you heard your mom’s voice; you wish it was under better circumstances. She checked in with you before making sure your father told you he was going to be in town—as vague as he was—and she also told you that her and your younger brother, Stephen, would be joining you and your father for dinner. You didn’t have any complaints, the last thing you needed was to be left alone with your father.

After about ten minutes, you stepped out of your room and walked into a living room full of people you completely forgot about. You stopped in your tracks, their heads turned to you for a brief moment. Tara was biting her nails, but dropped them once she saw you, quickly looking towards the television.

“Great. You’re all still here,” you retorted unkindly before sitting down in the loveseat. Your blatant comment earned you a kick to the feet by Anika.

“Be nice,” she mouthed. 

You lifted your legs, resting them on the loveseat’s armrest; you had no idea why you were sitting out here, anyways. Originally, you came out of your room thinking they had already left. You definitely weren’t in the mood for company.

“‘But when are you ever?” both Anika and Henry would remind you.

“Oh, um, Tara. I’m not gonna make it tomorrow,” you said after a few minutes of silence. 

“Why?” 

She sank further in the couch when she heard just how disappointed she sounded.

“Getting dragged off to this dinner thing—but I’ll make it up to you,” you answered. You wore that same stupid expression she could never put her finger on, that small, stupid smile that she was convinced she would miss if she blinked. In this case, it seemed you were using it to be… reassuring. 

You got up from your seat and went to your room, Tara’s eyes never pulled from you. 

Mindy looked between the both of you with raised eyebrows, a smirk playing on her face by the time you were fully out of the room.

“What?” Tara asked, her tone bored. 

“‘I’ll make it up to you…’” Mindy dramatically mocked you, cupping her hands together by her cheek.

“Shut up,” Tara mumbled, sinking even further into her seat and hiding behind a nearby pillow. Mindy would never let her live down the foolish grin she was wearing right now.

—

You haven’t seen your father since you moved to Woodsboro your sophomore year. He didn’t even come to see you after everything with Ghostface, not that you expected any more from him. This was just the type of man he was. 

When you get to the restaurant, your mom and younger brother are the first person you see. She greets you with a kiss to the cheek, and you and your brother settle for a simple nod. Once you’re all settled in your seat, you ask the question that’s been on the tip of your tongue since you walked in. 

“So, where’s Dad?”

Your mom sighed a sigh you knew all too well. “He’s on his way, there was just a little traffic. Stop worrying, honey. Leave that for the adults.” She looked at you with a gentle smile in an attempt to ease her words.

You exhale through your nose, moving your index finger against the glass cup in front of you. I am an adult, you wanted to say, but this wasn't the place for that. Not now.

“What’s college like?” Stephen asked, pulling you from your train of thought.

You continued to burn holes into the glass in front of you, half zoned out. “Still there,” you said. You could hear your mom clear her throat, causing you to glance at her for a second before glancing back at the glass. “Some of the classes are worth looking forward to, I guess that’s something.”

“Well, that’s good,” your mom spoke up. “You’ve been keeping up with your homework?” 

You nodded, but before she could get another word out, you felt a familiar grip on your shoulder. 

“Sorry I’m late, traffic was a bitch.”

“Dad,” your brother said, far too excited for who it was directed towards.

“Hey, buddy. How was the train?” your father asked while taking the vacant space beside your mom.

“It was okay,” Stephen answered him.

“Y/N.” 

You finally looked over to him. “Dad,” you responded with less enthusiasm than your brother.

 Stephen and your mom shared a look before she spoke up again. “Do you two know what you want?” she asked you and your brother. 

“Yeah,” Stephen said; you only hummed.

Your father cleared his throat behind a closed fist. “Did Stephen tell you yet?” he asked. 

You looked at him, then to your brother. “Tell me what?”

A proud grin crossed your father’s face, chuckling, as he delivered the news with glee. “He's gonna be a cop—just like his old man!”

Your mom silently sighed as you took in his words. “Great,” you said dryly as you went in for a sip of your water.

“I know it is. He’s gonna be great,” he went on while Stepehen nervously chuckled in his seat. 

“It’s not a big deal, Dad. It’s just something I’m thinking about.”

But your father only shook his head, replying, “It’s a calling, bud. You’re going to do amazing.” He was certainly pleased with the thought. You expected no less from tonight, your father always managed to make everything about his work. You were ten when you realized it would always be ”Officer” before “Dad.”

The waitress came with the food, leaving just as the interrogation began. “So…” your father started, “You’ve been staying out of trouble?”

You rolled your eyes, exhaling through your nose. “‘Course I’ve been.” You refused to look up from your plate.

He grunted, rubbing his scruffy chin before picking up his utensils. “Less of the attitude. I’ve got plenty of reasons to ask—or did you forget the shit you put me and your mother through back home? Huh?” 

You rolled your eyes again, slightly shaking your head. “That was forever ago, I don’t do that stuff anymore,” you said.

“Quit rollin’ your eyes—it’s a bad habit. Keep doin’ that and they’ll get stuck like that,” he continued with a familiar edge to his voice. 

The rest of the night continued like that; your father bringing up your track record, getting a rise out of you, and you responding with quips as you picked at your own skin under the table. 

Not much has changed since you were fifteen.

The best news you got all night was that your father would be heading home the same night. Relief washed over at the sound of his words, and as much as you love your mom and brother, you were grateful they had their own ride home. You were far too exhausted to be behind a wheel tonight.

You were not far from your apartment and you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. You took it out and saw a message from Anika. 

Nik (10:53 pm) hey, went to carvel today. there’s a chocolate and vanilla swirl waiting for u in the freezer

You were now off to the side, leaning against a shutter, and slightly smiling. You replied to the message, typing a quick thanks, before continuing your walk to your apartment—but then, a hotdog stand caught your attention. The smell was alluring, and you felt your stomach grumble. Damn it. 

It was dinner with your father, how could you get much eating done? Your mouth was too busy arguing rather than chewing and swallowing. You were well aware with how unreliable street food was, but at the moment, you truly didn’t care. You stuck with a simple order; one hotdog with ketchup drizzled on top. You got a water from the store nearby, before sitting on a bench and eating. This was the most you felt at peace all night; sitting on a bench, listening to music with one side in, eating a hot dog and washing it down with a refreshing drink.

But peace could only last so long.

When you got home, you expected Anika to still be out with Mindy, you went to turn on the light, but it was already on. You furrowed your eyebrows and stilled. Anika usually doesn’t forget something like that.

“Anika?” you called out. You began reaching for the bat you had secretly tucked underneath your couch when you first moved in.

“Y/N? Yeah, in here!” It sounded like she was in the bathroom. You reluctantly retract your hand back to your side, and walk to the bathroom.

“Hey. Is something wrong—” You cut yourself off when you see an ill looking Tara hunched over your toilet. Mindy was holding her hair back as she gagged. 

Anika turned to you. “Hey, um, sorry to just drop this on you. I know you probably had a long night, but could you help us with something?”

You briefly glanced at Tara. “Yeah. What do you need?” You could hear the Carpenter’s gagging as Anika spoke.

“Can you keep an eye on her while we get her some supplies from the pharmacy?” 

You nodded, murmuring, “‘Course.”

You swiftly switched places with Mindy, lifting Tara’s hair while pushing a few extra strands from her face. She was clearly drunk, and you couldn’t help but admit how you despised seeing her like this. You didn’t go to a lot of parties, you only ever went if you were dragged to them, but from what you’ve heard, most of her free nights end with her being drunk.

“You’re never gonna lemme forget this. Are you?” she said between gags. You subconsciously move one of your hands to her lower back, rubbing soft circles as your other hand continues to hold her hair.

“You think I like seeing you like this?” you asked, tone genuine. Surely she knew you didn’t… Right? Seeing her in such an unhealthy state only brought the sense of—well you couldn’t find the right word, but you knew it was anything but a positive feeling.

“Don’t you?” she slurred. Clearly she hasn't puked up all the alcohol just yet. 

You looked at her, really looked at her, and sighed. You took your hand off her lower back to reach into your pocket for a hair tie. Tara missed your touch, it just did more than any painkiller could do for her, but she could never tell you that. She simply scolded herself, pouted, for even thinking such a thing. 

You ran your hands through her hair, brushing it back and tying it into a loose, but secure, ponytail. You push a single loose strand behind her ear which causes your knuckles to brush against her cheek. Tara’s breath hitches as she blushes. 

She hated you.

“No, I don’t,” you finally said. 

She wanted to say something, but before she could, she began dry heaving again. Your hand immediately went to her lower back again, rubbing gentle circles. You could hear the faint sound of your front door opening, and a few moments later, the bathroom door carefully opened. 

“We got everything,” Anika said while carrying a pharmacy bag.

Eventually, you and Anika were able to get Tara onto the couch in one piece while Mindy set everything up in the kitchen. “Oh, before I forget—Tara’s staying the night. Sam will freak if she’s brought home like this,” your roommate whispered while you wiped the remnants of drool and throw up off of Tara’s face.

You thought for a second before speaking. “Okay. She can take my bed.” Tara was now passed out cold, hugging a pillow close to her chest.

“Are you sure?” Anika asked. 

“I’m sure. We might not be on great terms, but my mom raised me right. I’m not leaving her on the couch. Besides, I’m assuming Mindy’s also staying to keep an eye on her, and you two shouldn't have to get stuck cuddling on a couch all night,” you said.

After Anika hesitantly agreed, you set up your bed and returned to the couch to retrieve Tara. She was still fast asleep, and it didn’t seem like she was getting up any time soon. You bent down and scooped her up, lifting her bridal style, and started walking to your room. Tara mumbled something incoherent, and her eyes fluttered open. She appeared confused, looking around then up at you.

“It’s okay. Go to sleep,” you said in a soft voice. Tara felt her cheeks warm at your voice hitting her ears.

You placed her on your bed and pulled the covers of her; you gently lifted her head to put your pillow under it. Her eyes were, once again, shut. You assumed she was asleep, looking at her for a moment, before leaving, but not without leaving the door open a sliver. Just in case something were to happen and she needed you—or anyone.

When Tara woke up, she was instantly shot with a pounding headache. She groaned, rubbing her temples, and after a minute, she looked around. This was not her room. Has she been kidnapped? If so, she is going to get the biggest “I told you so” from Sam. But suddenly, memories of last night came flushing in. All the embarrassing memories. She could remember starting off with a shot… then two… then three… then she woke up to Anika and Mindy helping her up and walking her out of the party. She had complained about not wanting to go back to her own place because Sam would kill her for the state she was in, so they brought her to Anika’s apartment, and Mindy messaged Sam that they were staying the night at her house. After that she felt like throwing up… and she did. A lot. She didn’t stop for a while, and then—oh, this is when the embarrassment comes in. That’s when you came home, and you took over while Anika and Mindy ran out for supplies.

Oh, you were so gentle with her. She nearly let out a sigh whilst looking back on it until catching herself. Snap out of it, she scolded herself, but then another memory appeared; you carried her to your bed and tucked her in… 

No. Mindy was wrong, and Tara still despised you. You were still the same asshole from high school who always got on her nerves.

She heard two soft knocks on the door. She looked up and saw you carrying a place of scrambled eggs. You stayed at bay—the door frame—as you awkwardly stood. “I wasn’t sure if you were awake,” you murmured. You walked over and placed the plate beside the water and aspirin you left her. “Anika made some scrambled eggs, and eggs are good for hangovers, so…” You shifted back and forth on your feet, arms behind your back with one hand gripping the other’s wrist. “I’m gonna go.” With that, you left the room, not waiting for a response from Tara. 

Tara finally leaves your bedroom after five minutes, immediately greeted by Mindy who was eating breakfast with Anika at the kitchen counter. “There she is!” Mindy smiled at her before putting a grape in her mouth.

“So loud,” Tara groaned, putting a hand to her head.

She lifted herself onto the stool beside them and put her head down, only lifting it slightly to look at her surroundings. She noticed a certain nuisance wasn’t there to bother her. 

“Where’s—” she began to ask, but Mindy seemed to have read her mind.

“Your lover girl had a morning shift,” Mindy said.

Tara didn’t have the energy to make a retort. She only said, “She’s not my lover girl,” before settling her head back down with heavy eyelids.

“What time is Sam expecting us?” Anika asked.

“Eleven, so we should probably get ready soon,” Mindy answered as she got up from her seat.

After a few minutes, Tara went back to your bedroom to gather her belongings. She suddenly realized she was wearing something unfamiliar—it was a hoodie. She looked down to see a black hoodie that went down to her thighs. When she tilted and turned her head, she could see a red and blue outline of Spider-Man in the middle. She could recall seeing you wearing this around before, both on campus and in high school. It certainly carried your scent. She could never admit she actually appreciated your gesture, but she didn’t mind it; the t-shirt you put it over wasn’t doing much to keep her warm.

It would hurt to keep the hoodie, right?

She looked over to the scrambled eggs you had brought her. She then sat down at the edge of the bed, swinging her feet, as she thought to herself. If I don't eat breakfast now, it’ll probably be hours before I eat. Anika went through the trouble, after all. She ate a few bites over your nightstand before taking an aspirin with the water that was left right beside it. 

When she got home, she greeted Sam as shortly as she could before collapsing on her bed, replaying last night over and over again. How was she supposed to face you in class the next day?

—

“Hey. You look like you got run over by a truck,” you said to Tara as she sat down.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, do I?” she rhetorically asked, making a face at you as she took out her laptop.

Throughout class, her mind was constantly trailing back to your gentleness that night. Anika simply told you to watch her, she didn’t tell you to wipe the drool and throw up off of her face, or put her hair in a ponytail, or softly rub her back as she gagged and puked. The fact that you had somehow found your way into her head was really pissing Tara off. So pissed, in fact, that instead of going about her usual routine of bantering with you, she chose to ignore you.

You weren’t sure why Tara was ignoring you. Obviously something seemed off with her, but you had no idea what. Was she mad at you? She didn’t appear her typical mad—no, this was different. She's never taken her aggression out by ignoring. She always went the opposite route, using colorful words, but never did she use silence.

You must have done something terrible. But what?

As you walked to your next class, you thought back to yourself, retracing your steps to see what it is you could have done. You hadn’t done anything you haven’t done before, there wasn’t anything out of the norm. By the time you reached your apartment later that day, you were still trying to figure out what you could have done to upset Tara.

You immediately dropped to the couch, sitting with your head leaning back, as you held a pensive look. Anika walked out of her room just in time to notice your distressed demeanor. Before she said anything, she walked into the kitchen and returned with your chocolate and vanilla swirl, handing it to you. 

“Thanks,” you said.

“Wanna talk about what’s got you like this?” she asked, moving to sit in the love seat.

You slowly moved the spoon around in your ice cream. “I just… I don’t know what I did, but T—uh, t- this person is giving me the silent treatment. I don’t know why. I’ve been trying to come up with something, a reason why they’re ignoring me, but nothing’s been coming to me.”

“Well, you can be kind of an asshole sometimes. Seems like you’ve thought pretty hard on this; you care a lot for this person?” 

Her question catches you off guard, making her laugh. No way she’d ask this if she knew I was talking about Tara.

“Goodness, no. She’s just an—an acquaintance? If you can even call her that,” you said.

“You seem pretty sure of that.”

“‘Cause I am.”

“Then why do you care so much if she’s ignoring you?”

“I—okay. I could easily move past this whole thing if I wanted to,” you defensively argued.

“Then move past it,” she challenged.

“I will.”

“You’re gonna lose sleep over this,” she confidently said, walking away to her room. You huffed as you ate your ice cream, bitterly thinking to yourself, I won’t lose sleep over Tara freakin’ Carpenter.

Later that night you were sprawled on your bed… and thinking about Tara freakin’ Carpenter.

-----------

A/N: wonder what's gonna happen next 🤔

EDIT A/N: One of my favorite chapters of this series, so far

Taglist: @t-wylia @lesbianpepsi @jennasfav @alyciaddict @justafoolinlove @steffido1993 @niqmandu @severelyuniquereview @darklron @ravenousinferno @smut-religiously777 @beautifulmongerbanditsalad @vanatalye

[vbnhuet]

I’ve been home for a bit but more bowser head cannons!

I feel like he has his spiked chicken and bracelets in a bunch of different colours for various occasions

And since he has a giant shell and doesn’t usually wear clothes I feel like he has or thinks about wearing a dress from time to time since it just seems like a kind of clothing that wouldn’t be as restrictive for movement

Since in Mario odyssey Bowser have silver bracelets for his wedding outfit instead of black ones, yeah he definitely have a collection of them.

You talking about Bowser trying on dresses made my inspiration spark, so I just have to draw it. There's plenty of Luigi being in a dress, but I want to see Bowser in a dress too! He either saw Peach or Luigi wears them and wanted to try as well. Probably say something like "damn, do I look hot" after seeing himself. Thank you for the ask, please have a nice rest of your day :D

[edgy-ella]

IDW SONIC READERS, PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

I am begging you. On my hands and knees. Begging. More so than anything else I’ve asked of this fandom.

Please please buy the Fang miniseries when it comes out

Don’t just read it. Buy it. I will admit that I’m very guilty of reading through a lot of IDW Sonic through…less than legal means, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. But I think it’s really important that for this miniseries in particular, you actually go out and buy the damn thing. Show your support with your dollar.

Really think about it for a second—they gave Fang his own miniseries. Fang! An underutilized, underrated fan favorite for sure, but hardly a mainstay of the series. I’m sure that this was at least somewhat prompted by Superstars, where Fang is a major antagonist…but Bean and Bark weren’t in that game, and it already received its own online promo comic prior to the game’s release (notably, with Fang as the star).

Classic Sonic stories have also exclusively been relegated to one-shots in IDW, not a full on miniseries like what Fang is getting. Basically all of the IDW Sonic miniseries we’ve gotten so far have been plot relevant side stories to the main IDW comic that focus on side characters with little to no involvement from Sonic himself. Tangle and Whisper, Bad Guys, Impostor Syndrome…the only odd man out besides this Fang miniseries is Scrapnik Island.

Really think about it for a second. FANG is getting his own focus comic BEFORE KNUCKLES.

And that’s why it’s so important that we buy it.

I think Sega is using this comic to test the waters to see if people like Fang and want to see him in more future projects—be it comics, games, or even cartoons. But there’s more to it than just that.

See, Superstars hasn’t been doing that great. I know I said in an earlier post that people seemed to like it, but I retract that statement. It was damned by faint praise at launch, and now most of the discussion I’ve seen surrounding the game revolves around its flaws (chief among them being the middling OST and that the Steam version stealth installs an Epic Games service along with the game). No sales numbers have been projected as of writing, but it’s definitely been beaten out by Mario Wonder and Spider-Man 2.

So, Classic Sonic games aren’t doing too hot right now (I’m sure that many modern fans are jumping for joy at the prospect). But the classic characters are.

People really like the extended classic Sonic cast, just as much as they love the extended modern cast. From my experience, the two fan favorites are Mighty and Fang. Fang stands out to me in particular for a couple reasons: people were really upset that Sega specifically said no to Fang, Bark and Bean coming back after Ian snuck in a reference to them in IDW Sonic #3 (using their old team name from Archie, the Hooligans), and the fanmade 16-bit remake of Triple Trouble, Fang’s debut game, received private praise from many members of Sega and Sonic Team. People like Fang and the media he’s in, and Sega is starting to take notice. That’s why we’re getting this miniseries.

That’s why it’s so important that the miniseries sells well. If the big boys at Sega and Sonic Team see Superstars’ iffy reception but see Fang’s comic sell above expectations, then Sega will want to continue to use Fang (and potentially other “classic” Sonic characters as well) in more narrative driven projects. That means modern Sonic.

“But Sega won’t let any classic Sonic character into a modern Sonic project!” I hear you thinking. And to that I say, so? Sega changes its mind all the time. Remember that whole two worlds nonsense? That was thrown out with in Tailstube. Characters debuting in Boom and the comics were previously barred from the mainline games, but they’ve broken that “rule” in both Speed Battle and Frontiers. Hell, they’ve even been talked out of some of their sillier comic mandates, like characters not being able to wear different clothing.

For all their flaws, Sega does listen, and money speaks louder than anything. If this miniseries fails, Sega will just assume that people aren’t hot on Fang or the extended classic cast anymore and throw them back in the bar. But if the comic sells well, then Sega might take it as a sign that, hey, people like this character (and his two lackeys), we should put him in projects that fans are more interested in. Mighty and Ray probably wouldn’t be too far behind, especially given Mania’s success. Whether that means comics or games, modern or classic, who knows. What’s important is that it sends the right message to Sega, and they will listen to their consumers. That means us. If we don’t support this miniseries now, we might have to wait another thirty years for another chance.

[saytrrose]

Can we see More about your racing AU please?

Looks so amazing and i love It so much

I do suppose I could share the character design line up!

I really just need to finish designing all the go karts, (atleast most are done!) and then I can make proper cards for them and really get into the written details.

To be honest it’s a little hard to just ramble about info and details without specific questions to go off of, so I’ll try my best hhh

for starters, the tent? Not a tent!

It’s actually a stadium, the amazing digital race!

And rooms? Sort of tweaked, they are more like each character owns a personal garage, a large open space where they store their vehicles and then have a loft above that showcases their cozy safe havens. Bed, entertainment, basically a small room in a much larger one.

I haven’t revealed Ragatha, Zooble or Gangles karts yet but I’ll go ahead and just talk about all of them!

Caine:

Caine has a motorcycle, specifically one inspired off of the motorcycle I’m saving up for this summer, a Kawasaki Eliminator. It’s a cruiser, I’m thinking he has a 600cc model but considering Bubble is his right hand man and operates as the races pit crew- he’s definitely tinkered with Caines bike, making adjustments and improving the engine. God only knows what the little psycho did, but it’s a damn good bike that’s not supposed to rev as loud as it does.

Pomni:

Her kart is inspired off a Volkswagen Beetle, seemed very VERY Pomni to me. Her car mimics her outfit design a lot, I might do some color changes to be honest but it will be super minimal, it’ll be final when the cards are done! She definitely stops at the pit the most often despite her placement in a race, are my tires okay?? Do I need my oil?? I know you just filled it but it went down- is anything damaged?? Sweetie you did one lap..

Jax:

Jesus Christ he has a giant supercharger on the hood of his car, and he is absolutely one of those annoying mfs that reva their engine OBNOXIOUSLY loud all the time like he’s super cool. If you’re wondering who most of the skid marks on the track are from, that’s also Jax. Hes the best as drifting, and he loves to show that off. His car isn’t based too much on an actual vehicle?? I stared at Mario karts and pieced it together, but also gave it a very sports car look, the wing on the back fr fr I think Jax would dig that.

Kinger:

OHHSOSK I was so creative with his little wagon,,, it’s castle shaped!! And the best part? Operates like a rocket. In the back past the battlement (the crown looking thing you see atop castle pillars) ARE GIANT exhaust pipes and yes, they do spit fire !! Operates like a rocket. It’s very cool! (Also he has a great muffler because unlike Jax he’s considerate of others hearing 💔) Oh also, he has one of those silly horns, I forgot how to describe it but you can just look at how I drew it on his kart and you’ll know heheh!

Zooble:

Our second motorcyclist, owns a trike! If you don’t know what that is, picture a bike with training wheels but super badass. 3 wheels! It’s inspired off the Harley Davidson freewheeler, I like that design a lot but it’s def not actually a Harley because istg when you buy those bikes your just paying for the fancy name brand- expect it to be in the shop all the time, smh not good- BUT ANYWAY!! The looks are inspired off it though and I can’t wait for this one because it’s just as crazy kooky as Zoobles design is.

Gangle:

Her kart is based on my favorite car, classic style but not too cool because you can bet she has anime stickers on the back and a decal that says “please let me merge before I start crying.” It’s similar to a karmann ghia convertible, 1963. Cherry red (so so pretty) She always has the top down, unless competing because damn you gotta go fast. That car itself is really slow, top speed normally is 68mph, however people have modified them enough to get up to 120mph. Thats still pretty slow compared to others, but her kart only reflects the appearance of the ghia! It’s much faster and I assume Bubble works on all their vehicles if asked to.

Lastly, Ragatha:

Our 3rd motorcyclist. 4 Karts, 3 cyclists. Her bike is a futuristic style, if you want a good idea then look up “icare bike”! Not so much a straight forward posture, she leans over ofc, you’ll likely get the idea when you see her bike. I’ll be honest, I haven’t gotten too into her design yet because I haven’t started drawing but!! Dark blue leds,, everywhere yes yes so cool ❤️

Sorry that’s so much 😭 but yeah! Just need to finish 3 kart designs for you guys and I can make official ref cards 👀

[dellalyra]

JUJUTSU KAISEN - Where do they take you on your first date?

A/N: pixie attempts headcanons.

N A N A M I

Nanami is definitely bringing you to dinner. It’s classic, timeless and tried and tested. He’ll pick a nice restaurant, not pretentious or obnoxious and very cosy - with good food. He’s showing up to pick you up with a simple bouquet of flowers, after dinner perhaps a stroll in the nearest park or he will walk you home.

G E T O

I feel like Geto is a coffee shop date guy. Simple but casual. He’ll show up with that damn smirk in a black oversized sweatshirt and pay for both your coffees. It’s just easy with him, there’s no airs or graces and god do you have fun. He leans over the table to wipe some foam from your lower lip and then licks said foam off his own thumb, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

G O J O

The most gorgeous little French patisserie, all soft colours and macarons and cream puff pastries. He’d feeding you little pastries the whole time and you don’t think you’ve ever seen such delight in a person’s eyes or laughed as much in your life. Neither of you want the date to be over, so it carries over into buying take home desserts and sitting on the balcony of his penthouse apartment, giggling as he manoeuvres you into his lap and you battle it out on Mario Kart.

M E G U M I

Bookshop. Don’t @ me on this. It’s cute, he has two hot chocolates in hand as he picks you up and then you stroll around the large bookshop picking up books to recommend each other, you end up buying one for the other to read. Before you part ways, you grip his scarf and pull his head down to your lips and kiss him gently and quickly.

“Bye, ‘Gumi.”

Adorable, he’s so blushy you might faint.

Y U U J I

ARCADE. He lets you win everything. Wins you 100 prizes and you’re following him around like he’s an excited puppy. He gets really excited because he wanted to show off so he decides to do just that by setting the record on the boxing machine. When the highest record lights and bells ring out he pulls you into his arms and spins you around and kisses you in a flurry of excitement. Seems shocked with himself when he sets you down, he goes to apologise but you just pull him to kiss you again.

C H O S O

Okay hear me out. The aquarium. He wouldn’t know really where to go so you suggest the aquarium, it’s one of your favourite places and you think he’d enjoy it. You have never seen anything sweeter than how enchanted he is by all the sea creatures, when you get to the rock pools and you can pick up starfish and other small animals he is so gentle with them you might just marry him then and there.

I N U M A K I

Talking isn’t his strong suit, for obvious reasons. So the cinema is perfect, he buys you both HUGE buckets of popcorn and then holds your hand or has his arm wrapped around your shoulders the whole film. He is so smooth and doesn’t need a word to do it. You go for milkshakes afterwards and giggle through text and sign language if you know it about whatever film you saw.

Y U U T A

The zoo. You both just wander around cooing over the animals or laughing at the silly things they do. If you pick up a silly animal hat then he will definitely wear it because the smile you give him could convince him the sky was yellow. He has a little picnic for you both to share on one of the sweet picnic benches together - full of your favourites that he had asked around to find out.

N O B A R A

Eh? Shopping.

M A K I

A hike is something I can definitely see her enjoying as a first date, it’s easy to find things to talk about on a date - it’s active so she’s still happy and it’s something you both enjoy doing - when you need a hand jumping a small stream, she’s taking your hand to balance your jump, “Atta girl.”

N O R I T O S H I

Escape room. No question.

[rat-n-atty]

MEET MY SMG4 OC CLOVE!

(fucking finally)

(Also a bit of a redesign since I kinda changed my style a bit lmao)

Meet Clove! (Enid) a 22-year-old "mad" scientist who has made the poor decision to be Smg3's assistant but who exactly is she? What's her lore? What are her goals? Why is she an Ex-villain? and all the other amazing questions you might have (or don't idk) will all be answered here!...hopefully...

"Enid Gadd" (Backstory)

Enid comes from a long line of talented and successful scientists (like her grandpa, E. Gadd more on that in a bit) but she was always seen as a black sheep of the family in short.

Ever since Enid could even talk, she has always aspired to be a great scientist just like her family but it seemed like everything she did, it meant nothing so she became E. Gadd's student when she was young (considering she was practically raised by the guy damn)

It seemed like everything Enid did though was still not enough for her parents so she said "fuck it" and decided to become someone else's assistant in hopes that she could be a better scientist than all of them and that is when Smg3 comes in...

"Clove" (assistant days)

Now, Bowser was a terrible assistant so Smg3 decided to get a new one instead so one day while Clove was just walking around the Mushroom Kingdom city; she saw a purple Mario recolor next to a stand on the side of the street with a sign that said LOOKING FOR AN EVIL ASSISTANT (WILL NOT GIVE VACATION DAYS) (why would look for one in broad daylight you dumb bitc-)

So she took her shot, lied to 3 about being "inherently evil" but she also added that she was pretty good at making bombs (which was also a half-truth) so she became Smg3's assistant from that day on.

She didn't really know what to expect at first and she thought that Smg3's main goal of being a villain at the time was kinda dumb but it was better than home so she stayed and she stayed for a long time.

She eventually became evil and she got better at her inventions and her scientific studies all for the goal of ruling the world with Smg3 and telling her entire family (not including E. Gadd) to suck it...which now brings us to the YouTube Arc...

YouTube Arc (this is where shit goes down)

Smg3 and Clove had just started on their goals of making Snitch Productions but after Smg4 destroyed it all for no damn reason (like wtf man?) they wanted revenge and they wanted it bad (Smg3 more so than Clove)

So they came up with the anti-cast and got to work but after that failed Clove said "fuck it" and started her own projects again but she found out about the YouTube remote while she was doing her research ("The World's Cursed and definitely Powerful Objects that would destroy the world if laid on the wrong hands" (great title I know) ) So they all came up with the plan to steal it.

Things had started to take a toll after they had successfully stolen the Remote per sae because now Smg3 was drunk with power to the point where it was kinda concerning Clove a bit and this is the part where Clove found out Smg3's true intentions of using the YouTube remote; It was so much more than taking over Smg4's channel, it was deleting Smg4's and his crew's entire existence. Clove knew it was too much, even for 3 but she kept quiet about her conflicting feelings (but put a pin in this later )

A big-time skip later where Clove had actually caught Mario trying to steal Smg3's phone (to hopefully get everyone out of the graveyard, you probably watched the Arc lmao) but she betrayed Smg3 by giving it to Mario anyway and freeing the entire cast out of the internet graveyard in order to stop Smg3; Everyone was confused why but they didn't ask.

WOTFI 2020 (redemption arc begins)

The final battle was here and after Clove was revealed to be a traitor and helping the Smg4 crew, it's no wonder that Smg3 lost but he was never expecting his assistant, no...someone closest to him like a friend to betray him like that.

Since Clove was the only one who really knew how to work the remote (and she was the one who had it in her hands at the time) she was the one who sent Smg3 to the Internet Graveyard for the greater good of everybody else but now that 3 was gone...she felt like she had no meaning...no purpose anymore...

After she had gotten forgiveness from Susan, Smg4 offered Clove to stay with the rest of them at the castle but she declined and said she would just lock herself up in her lab instead.

Clove's lore goes on for ages...so I'll have to make a part 2

BI GUYS!

(update: there is a part 2)

[the-chessboard-is-personal]

season 2 time wahoo another damn liveblog am I right??

(liveblogging ii season 2, for if it's not obvious. same style as last ii liveblog)

1 - woahh! okay I love the style tbh. wait. Super Mario 3D World/Initial release date: November 21, 2013. this episode: Apr 2, 2013. INANIMATE INSANITY PREDICTED THE DOUBLE CHERRY???? ...huh. weird. why does MePhone have an app for that? y'know, RESURRECTION?

2 - MePad ? can teleport? ?? yeah that egg is gonna be relevant again isn't it

3 - BOW INATOR?? holy shit holy shit ohhg waow,,there is something in this episode that I want so much. lmao. "umm huh, lmhuehyahahuh.." (<- me attempting to spell what test tube said at the end of the ep)

4 - I didn't think the elimination song sucked.. hey wait why does it sound like they get killed or something when they go through the portal. also where does the portal lead

5 - SEVEN?? MeOS SEVEN??? oh huh. is that why someone who dies in space can't come back? OH THE NO SERVICE COMMENT WAS FORESHADOWING!!? wait why is that how it works. why does MePhone specifically get notifications about people dying. wh- okay?? that was ominous ?MePhone what does that rnean. ..chESS MENTIONED

6 - aaand there's another one. ANOTHER TWO??? .oh :| ...what the entire fuck. and yep this episode makes me uncomfortable. who would've FUCKING GUESSED

7 - oh so THAT'S where the portal lead. ..as down as the WHAT- ouhjghhu nooo... not a song

8 - ah yes, MePhone got The Common Code- oh. also idc what the objects say, ftrEwy7u9iop8oaTE7gI is a wonderful name for a challenge. or a password. each new MePhone gets less understandable because of the "techy" voice effec- oh he's dead. [sees Steve Cobs's reaction to the egg] ohh okay. one moment [walks away from the computer]please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp plehokay. oh I don't like him

9 - ...I'm not crying you're crying.,, uohg this is the second time a show like this has had something that felt like it was directed at me. and the other time was Gothi talking to Xanu in Fool's Gold,.,. which was also about moving on.. is.. is that wh- oh hey a gravity falls reference. haha lol :) ...oh this is the depression eppisode. BITCH -> 🌮 <- BITCH

10 - aha! I've figured it out! the secret is MPABZCEAS!! holy fucking shit my joke was immediately kind of relevant. wha..suitcase?? y'know that voice kinda sounded like MePhone

11 - wHUH SMG4 SOUND?! oh wait that sound probably isn't from SMG4, that's just the first time I heard it. still though, neat. ...wild theory. I'm gonna sound like Fan here, but. "Is anything on this show real?" seems.hmm idk. sus. I call foreshadowing. hokay something's definitely going on with Suitcase. oH FOR FUCK'S SAKE yep don't like this episode either

12 - oh fuck they're in episode 1. oh fuck they're in HWUH ?? ..ohh MePhone hates Cobs too. hey if anyone's read this far, I want to know who's your favorite character from the alternate timeline, because why not! mine is Traffic Light

13 - woahhh MePhone backstory! oh. oh I do Not trust that "screen protector". HEY HEY WHAT WAS THAT WHISPER [turns on captions] oh. oh REALLY. HMM. ...wh. what. what what what what what ROBOT ADAM?? MEPHONE 3???? WHAT WHAT WHAT AAAAAAAA UH OH! UH OH OH NO UH OH!! ohkay this is the panic time, the time in every show tumblr freaks out about where things go CRAZY. OKAY OKAY I'M READY AAAAAA

14 - so the person who told me I should watch ii said I need to watch all of season 3 after this episode. I have no idea why! oh fuck! but anyway. that rneans I'll be splitting this section into actual paragraphs since this is the last episode of this liveblog. (<- said that before starting the episode). anyway.

okay. okay Fan just got abducted. ..hhhow did he know that. how did he know that MePad let Marshmallow leave. .hey hey what's with the shot of that panel with the hole in it. maybe I'm just tired but that doesn't seem..right. and not in the bad writing way.

uhm. hey 17:36 isn't supposed to be hitting me too whY IS IT HITTING ME TOO WAUGH.

"is that what you said to Pickle" OHH DAMN MY HEART DROPPED LIKE THE SCENE HOLY SHIT. wait IS FAN DEAD FOREVER??

wait didn't test Tube get eliminated? why did Microphone go through the portal??

looking at the comments for. tbh I forgot what reason when i saw this one

uh knew what KNEW WHAT OH FU-

anyway. so Fan glitching is. gonna be foreshadowing? oh boy let me guess... uhh.. wait why would Fan glitch. other things that glitch are..the tree MePhone made for Cobs? MePhone himself when Tissue Box sneezed on him?? that MePhone 3?? but none of that has anything to do with Fan..

unless.. AHA!

FAN IS A PROJECTION MADE BY ONE OF THE NEWER MEPHONES

COBS IS GOING TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AS LONG AS FAN IS THERE!!

although with Fan eliminated, th- oh there's an after credits scene?

UH. UM. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

AND THE OMINOUS OUTRO THEME. UH OH

okokokokokokayokayokayokay. that's obviously some kind of MePhone. the Meeple logo is there and it's phone shaped, so. that's pretty obvious. but not one that's been seen before, right? like not even a model that's been seen before, because none of them have the grabby hands.

because of the red X imagery I'm gonna guess this one is called MePhone X. and if not, well I'm gonna refer to it as that until I find out otherwise

with how scary that moment was clearly intended to be, we can all agree that Toilet just got permakilled, right? like. despite not being in space? that was definitely. not anything good that happened to Toilet there. I'm just gonna assume Toilet's dead, yep that just happened. aaand now there's a seemingly murderous (although maybe it had a grudge against Toilet for some reason, but I find that unlikely) MePhone roaming around. n e a t .

thiiiiinking that thing is the exception to the "each MePhone we see is dumber than the last" rule that seems to be present. hm. wonder who the Big Villain is going to be

welp it's too late to binge s3 rn so uh. yeap. okay. sure. that's a thing

[legobiwan]

Mario and Luigi for the drabble, “When I’m with you, I’m home.”

Thanks!

I realized I'm answering this one out of order. Whoops! Anyway, have some pre-Mushroom Kingdom conversations and lore-building as your author reminisces about the New York of the '90s.

~~~~~~

He wonders, sometimes, what their lives would have looked like if they had never left Brooklyn.

Barring a miracle - pretty bleak, in all honesty. Maybe being here, in the Mushroom Kingdom, was the miracle. He remembers the frenzied few days leading up to their disappearance. The previous few months had been a mess of unpaid bills and awful business decisions governed solely by spite and fear. They were probably a few months of missed rent payments away from eviction. They were definitely two days away from getting their kneecaps bashed in by some loan shark’s goons. 

He and Mario had gone for a walk, all the way down to Coney Island, 75th to Stillwell to Bowery, to the decrepit-looking Wonder Wheel and a depressingly empty Nathan’s Hot Dogs. It looked like the last of the hotels, some once-bright vestige of his mother’s era, had finally been condemned, tall wire fencing curling up towards the grey winter sky, a perfunctory guard which did nothing to keep out the local graffiti artists and homeless population. 

Luigi jammed his hands into his jean pockets, shivering. He couldn’t tell if he was freezing or terrified.

“What are we gonna do, Mario? We can’t stay here. If he doesn’t get us, the landlord will. You see how they’re starting to develop all that stuff around 86th Street. It’s going to travel north and we’re already behind two months in rent. We can’t stay in Bensonhurst.” Luigi sighed, little frozen puffs of air floating from his mouth. “I don’t even know if we can stay in Brooklyn at this rate.”

It was a miracle they weren’t out on the streets already. For once, their landlord’s habit of sitting around with a bottle of Thunderbird watching Honeymooners reruns and screaming at “that bum El Duque” to throw more strikes fell to their advantage. Sure, there was no such thing as maintenance in the dilapidated six-floor walk-up. But they were plumbers, tradesmen - a leaky faucet or misbehaving shower wasn’t going to be an issue.

Unfortunately, they weren’t also exterminators. 

Mario took a large bite of his hotdog, mustard splattering on the gum-stained sidewalk. It looked like something they’d hang in one of those trendy galleries that kept popping up in lower Manhattan, down around Houston Street. 

“We’re gonna be fine, Lou,” Mario said between bites, bits of bun falling from his mouth.

“We’re gonna end up homeless.” Or missing our kneecaps. Or worse.

Mario crammed the last of his dinner in his mouth, finishing off the hot dog with a few loud chews. He gave a contented sigh, licking at his greasy fingers before wiping his hands on his pants. “No, we’re not gonna be homeless. I’ve told you a million times, Lou, we could be in a cardboard box under the Van Wyck. When we’re together - “ Mario slung an arm around Luigi’s shoulder, pulling him in tight. “When I’m with you - I’m home. We’re unbeatable. And that means we’ll make it through this.”

Luigi eyed his brother’s yellow-tinged fingers and stained shirt cuff, hoping the impromptu moment of fraternal affection would pass. He could deal with Mario’s sunny optimism, usually. But living in a studio apartment one step up from a garbage dump had apparently encouraged his brother’s disposition towards a more slovenly existence. They might be home when they were together, but it wouldn’t hurt if Mario took a damn vacuum to himself once in a while. 

“Mario, I think this time - ”

“Oh, I get it.” The warm arm around his shoulder disappeared, his brother’s voice hardening. Luigi snapped his head to the side, his heart rocketing into his throat. What did I say this time?  

“It’s the location, isn’t it?” His brother gave him a searching, serious look. He looks just like Dad. He even seemed as if he were towering over Luigi, just like Dad used to, despite Mario being the shortest of the three of them. “You’d prefer a box under the BQE.”

Luigi gaped. “I - what?”

“Nah, nah, okay,” Mario waved his hands. “Let’s talk location. You wanna be by the Belt? Or maybe - “ A sly smile grew under his brother’s burgeoning mustache. “You want to move to Queens.”

“Oh my God,” Luigi groaned, slapping his forehead with his palm, pulling his hand down over his eyes. I’d move to Jersey if it got us out of this mess. “Mario, be serious.”

“I am serious! Your secret’s safe with me, bro. Even if you would betray Brooklyn like that." Luigi felt two steady hands take him by the biceps. “Besides, we’re gonna be okay.”

“Vinny Razzanti’s uncle said we had forty-eight hours,” Luigi groaned between his fingers.

Mario barked out a laugh. “Vinny Razzanti’s uncle couldn’t tell a pizza from a clock if we arranged the pepperonis the right way. The guy’s a dumbass.”

“Yeah, but he’s - “

“No, I ain’t hearing it.” Mario gently guided Luigi’s hands from his face, keeping his fingers wrapped around either wrist as he brought Luigi’s arms to his sides. “Look at me, Lou.”

Luigi swallowed down the wet desperation clawing its way up his throat, opening his eyes to his brother’s concerned, but steely gaze.

“If he comes, he comes. I’ve got a baseball bat next to the mattress and you can - “ Mario waved one of his arms in a broad gesture. “I dunno. Make some kind of exploding gadget or something. You used to want to show off your stuff to Cooper Union, right? Well, think of this as practice, you know, for the application.”

Luigi gave a small shake of his head. I don’t think home pyrotechnics meant to fend off low-level mafia muscle are going to impress the admissions committee. Not that they were going to waste their time with a twenty-one-year-old plumber’s application, anyway. That dream was long gone, buried in Cypress Hills along with their parents. 

“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Mario’s voice broke through his dreary ruminations as he guided Luigi towards Bowery Street. “We’re gonna walk home, maybe pick up a cannoli on the way. Then we’re gonna check the answering machine. If we’re lucky - and I’m feeling pretty lucky right now - there will be a call from some lady in Borough Park.” His brother’s eyes gleamed. “No, even better, some widower in Carroll Gardens. One of those nice brownstones. She’s going to ask for our help. Clogged drains, backed up shower, toilet’s kablooey.” Mario made a slobbering sound meant to resemble a backed up toilet. Luigi thought he sounded like a dog on downers. “The whole shebang. We’ll say, of course, we can fix this, but we’ll have to charge the emergency rate. You know, business and all that. Three hours later - maybe four - boom! Vinny Razzanti’s uncle is out of the picture and we’ll be on our way to the good life.”

“You make it sound so simple, bro.” Luigi couldn’t quite contain the bite of sarcasm that accompanied that statement. 

As always, his brother took his waspishness in stride. Long strides, in fact, as they hurried past the metal skeletons that made up the Coney Island Train Yard, the whirr of traffic from the Belt Parkway rushing and thumping above them. Luigi felt like at any moment some old, rusted buckle would give way, sending a line of cabs and buses crashing into their heads.

He felt like that most of the time these days, to be honest. 

“It is simple, Luigi. You just gotta think positive. You never know what’s around the corner.” Mario tugged at his sleeve. “Now, come on. If we walk fast enough, we can get to Villbate’s before they close.”

“Alright, alright, you win, Mario. Something’s around the corner and for once, maybe it won’t be a guy with a baseball bat.” No. It won’t be a bat. It’ll be something worse. Like a flamethrower. Luigi was too tired to argue with his brother’s indomitable optimism. “Maybe we’ll get to your widower in Carroll Gardens and find the answers in her bathroom.”

Mario slapped his brother on the back. “That’s the spirit, Lou! Could be a whole new world waiting for us. Now let’s go - there’s a pistachio cannoli with my name on it and I am not missing out.”

“Hey, the pistachio cannolis are mine!”

“Not if you don’t run fast enough!” Mario gave his brother a playful push, taking off down Stillwell Avenue. Luigi watched his brother leap over a pile of trash bags, skittering between two cabs, one of which blared its horn in anger.

“Where you go, I guess I follow,” Luigi muttered to himself, adjusting his cap before taking off in his brother’s direction. And who knew? Maybe something was waiting for them around that corner.

[freezeyourchill]

I am once again thinking about the differences between Paper Luigi and Luigi literally anywhere else. Paper Jam be damned this is the most definitive proof that the Paper Mario universe is a separate reality

Think of any Luigi appearance other than the Paper Mario series (Luigi's Mansion, Mario & Luigi RPGs, 2023 Mario Movie, SM64DS, Galaxy, anything) and they'll have a decent amount of consistency. Luigi is characterized as timid, brave given the circumstances, usually quiet, always silly billy certified, and a bit clumsy but very sweet.

But most crucially for this post, he follows Mario's lead but never seems to mind. He's the butt of endless jokes and not nearly as renowned as Mario, but it generally doesn't get to him because he's got his big bro and that's all that matters (the Smash universe is also an entirely separate secret third thing so his Negative Zone from Brawl doesn't count)

Whenever Mario saves/finds him in the M&L RPGs, his first instinct is to collapse into Mario's arms with a big hug, sometimes with relieved tears. In the newest Mario Movie he's chattier than usual but he still firmly believes that any situation will be okay as long as Mario is there (another big hug upon their reunion). In LM3, Mario immediately rushes off after he's saved (again, with a big hug) but instead of being annoyed or even afraid, Luigi just grins and follows his lead, happy that he's back and they can work together again. In Dream Team we see Luigi's deepest darkest most intense subconscious emotions and revealed to us is immense love and care for his brother, unconditional support for whatever he chooses to do, and at worst a fear of Mario leaving him behind.

The point being that Luigi is happy to depend on Mario, perhaps to the point where he stunts his own potential, because Mario is his rock. They're a package deal and if you don't like one, the other will certainly not like you.

Compare this with the Paper Mario series. Some of the previously listed traits are still true: Luigi is a timid silly billy who obviously cares for his brother. Being with Mario still helps give him security and confidence, as seen in SPM.

No hug. Suspicious. Anyway, even if he does depend on Mario at times, the main distinction is that he strives to be more independent from him, if only to prove a point. He wants to prove that he's just as cool and doesn't need to rely on his big brother to succeed. He wants to do things himself, and play it off coolly.

As opposed to Paper Mario's more quiet attitude (which deserves its own post actually), he's chatty, snarky, and direct. And according to that one Toad in Origami King, he characteristically sneers. What's up with that?

Unlike other versions of Luigi, Paper Luigi is overtly jealous. He's got this odd inferiority complex that makes him want to be independent from Mario while also getting jealous of people who spend time with Mario on his adventures. Compare this with M&L Superstar Saga where Luigi was more than happy staying at home doing the housekeeping, and got physically dragged off with Mario via circumstance.

Famously, Luigi stretches the truth or outright lies to Mario about his own escapades in TTYD to appear as cooler and more competent. Luigi's companions will make sure to enlighten Mario with the real story. But the strange part of this comes from the collectable Super Luigi books that you can buy.

'Older, though less talented brother'? A 'no-doubt inconsequential errand'? In fairness he didn't write the books himself, but he describes them as being in 'excruciating detail' and 'like a history book'.

And I'm not at all saying he dislikes Mario. It's because he holds Mario on such a pedestal in comparison to himself that he tries to overcompensate and make himself appear more capable so that he can keep up. He loves his brother and nothing will change that, but there is this more psychologically complex aspect to him and how he regards Mario. Mr. L isn't as far off from his base personality as people like to think, and being the ideal host for the Chaos Heart isn't all that surprising. Besides, how many times have you seen Paper Luigi hug Mario?

[mayflowers515]

@tiaragamin

I played two games of Mario Party 9 not too long ago + a minigame mode!

First time through, I played as Bobby (Peach) with Hoppy, Kickin, and Picky (Daisy, Wario, and Birdo respectively). Kickin chose the board most likely (it was Blooper Beach anyways). So basically some interesting notes I picked up from that + potential hcs...

Kickin seems like he would be pretty good with minigames that require some skill. Bro literally got a perfect strike in Goomba Bowling. Funny enough, Picky also got a strike there- (she was determined ig). Ngl, Hoppy only got 13 points there, but I feel like she might've done better with that minigame (taking account the events that DID happen though, she probably was a little salty Kickin and Picky got it with that much ease-). Meanwhile Bobby didn't get any points. She tried copying what Kickin and Picky did, but... it didn't quite work out for her T^T

Okay, when it came to that and the previous minigame Player Conveyor, it made me think that Bobby isn't the best with certain minigames compared to others. She managed to get better in this round after the mini boss with Lakitu, though. (She struggled with that a little in the beginning but has pretty much gotten the hang of things by the time he was all mad and stuff-)

At one point, Kickin landed everyone on a 1v3 space and he picked the minigame Mob Sleds. I feel like, talking about characters here, he picked that thinking he wasn't going to get caught. But no joke- LITERALLY AT THE LAST SECOND BOBBY GOT TO HIM- Hoppy just dying laughing in the background and teasing Kickin when that happened. Picky was probably like, "Oh damn..." and Kickin is just sitting there with his jaw dropped like- "HOW?? HOW?!?!" (his ego got crushed there lol) Also, made me realize those Wario poses are literally him 💀

By this point, Bobby has gotten a better hang of the minigames. She was likely more desperate to try to catch up at least since she was in last originally- The others are impressed but also probably like "Oh, now it is on!" with her lol (if we're talking character here, she may not be so desperate to the point she would make everyone else get in the path of Mini Ztars, which I feel bad about btw because that's literally what I made her do and then I was thinking back about that decision and made me realize that Bobby would've just taken the Mini Ztars for the party's benefit T^T Ig the excuse I could put here would be that she was desperate because she kept falling behind before)

She still didn't do THAT good with all the minigames though. Particularly Upward Mobility (she wasn't as fast with it as the others were; partially due to my own inability to win that minigame lmao). I think she also does the memory related ones well. She wouldn't have THAT good of a memory as Bubba ofc, but she did good in minigames such as Plunder Ground.

Btw, not only is Bobby a total tild card in the minigames, but she is also pretty much the group's savior. The second the event happened where Mini Ztars were filling the board she just happened to get the right number needed to reverse them back to Mini Stars. The group was probably relieved as heck when that happened-

HOPPY'S MINIGAME SHOWED UP AT ONE POINT :)) Unfortunately she didn't win though 😔 (she definitely would win that more going by character though) Kickin and Picky were neck and neck by the end, and Picky ended up beating him. He was pretty salty about that since he was sure he would win now that Hoppy's rocket fell behind (his ego recovered in that gap between Mob Sleds and Launch Break ig and now it cracked again lol). Bobby did lose ten mini stars from getting 4th this time tho since they got Launch Break through a Fire Bro battle minigame... (this is weird cuz like, you want to feel bad because she keeps getting the short end of the stick when she doesn't win. She got fourth in quite a few of the minigames where she didn't get first, but like- she's also doing very well with them at the same time 😶 She literally kept swapping between receiving 1st and 4th with BARELY an in between- Talking character though, I feel like she'd be more likely to get like 2nd or 3rd in minigames. When she loses though, OH BOY SHE LOSES-

By the homestretch, the party was getting more into the Bowser Spaces (not AS frequently as that one experience that was mentioned for a different round but it was still a lot). Mainly Kickin kept getting those spaces, and let's just say... my dude's got LUCKY with those! 2 times out of 3 he landed on giving mini stars to last place, but the thing is... HE IS IN LAST PLACE LMAO. HE JUST KEPT RECEIVING MINI STARS FROM BOWSER. Even in the one time Kickin didn't get that in the Bowser Roulette he still didn't lose Mini Stars. There was a reverse mini game at one point (Thwomper Room) and he WON. By that point, Kickin was just joking like- "BOWSER SURE LOVES ME TODAY". Hoppy and Picky were just rolling their eyes. Bobby in the background just listening but also being sad that she didn't get out first (she and Kickin got hurt by the thwomp around the same time, but Kickin seemed to have gotten to it a frame before she did TvT' Also ig the excuse for Bobby wanting to get out here is that she couldn't imagine the others getting hurt by the Thwomps lol- The others would be like "Sure sure..." She can be mean against them if she wants to, but probably wouldn't be so mean to the point that they can't recover).

Also thought it'd be funny to mention that during the homestretch, Bobby just to happened to get the lucky space TWICE that led the party to the star island, but Picky was always the one that won all the Mini Stars at the end. She really did get lucky there- After this point, most likely everyone was certain Picky was going to win considering where she stood between the rest of the party, so they started to get a bit tense about that I think lol.

Near the end with the Bonus Stars, I genuinely thought Picky was going to win the Minigame Star since she kept getting first in many minigames. I guess I didn't keep track of how often she did, tho- Bobby still won it despite how many times she got 4th in some of them (she has really gotten better near the end ig). Speaking of Bobby and Picky, Picky had a LOT of Mini Stars in general, but because of Bobby landing on the Boss Battle space, receiving first place from Wiggler AND the captain bonus, I'm pretty sure that was the upper hand she needed cuz SHE WON!! Nobody was mad completely though since she was getting kind of screwed during the rounds. Though I can imagine Hoppy used what Kickin said earlier about Bowser loving him to her advantage though since he ended in 4th lol. Hoppy herself got 3rd (she was a little salty about that since she thought she'd do better, especially with the minigames but they were surprisingly not her strong suit this time. Kickin probably tried to tease her back about that lol). Meanwhile, Picky was just proud of Bobby for winning, though deep down kinda sad because she thought for sure she would win ;v; Bobby beat her by ONE mini star lol. For context, Bobby got 71 Mini Stars, Picky got 70, Hoppy got 53, and Kickin got 46.

Alr, second time through, I decided to play as CatNap (Shy Guy) with DogDay (Toad), CraftyCorn (Yoshi), and Bubba (Koopa). The board chosen was Toad Road since two out of the four Critters in that round (DogDay and CraftyCorn as was mentioned before) have that as their favorite. So what happened here that could be potential hcs? Well...

Not TOO much happened at the very beginning. Though at 10 to Win, I can imagine Bubba was absolutely trying his hardest to remember where every single card was despite how scrambled they all were. He didn't do too badly, but some of the cards were mainly ones he didn't want to get completely. CatNap's the opposite I imagine. He just chooses whatever seems right. That didn't work too well for him in this round, though (he got last ;-;) Crafty kept getting cards that supported everyone from what I remember (probably relieved her to know she could've gotten worse than she did). Pretty sure DogDay mostly won because of the cards the others chose (like a 1st card Bubba ended up getting at some point, DogDay was in 1st at the time and I can imagine Bubba just facepalmed when he did that-)

Just want to mention that Shy Guy's fourth place animation did make me think of CatNap, though I feel like if CatNap showed how he'd react to last place, he would just sleep away his sorrows if he got last lol

Speaking of CatNap, I feel like he's a menace in Mario Party. Like, anywhere else he's pretty chill, but make him play a game? Oh, it's like there's another side of him sorta- (he still keeps his laid back energy but he's clearly having fun against the party) Mainly thought of that because of him getting a 1v3 minigame (Spike-n-Span) and he pretty much wasn't holding back. He got EVERYONE.

I guess Bubba learned about how easy it was for CatNap to win that minigame because literally when he landed on a 1v3 space himself, HE CHOSE THAT SAME MINIGAME- He probably leeches off of the experiences he witnesses in the game and uses what he has seen to his advantage (it doesn't help for the others that Bubba has really good memory so he would probably know what to do to win; this could go for Mario Party in general tbh). Unfortunately, Bubba lost the minigame that time- Ironically enough tho, CatNap got out first lol

Every time the party kept getting Bowser Jr spaces, it was because of DogDay. I find it funny that Bowser Jr always paired him with CatNap tho (probably bc of him being first player tbf tho). First Bowser Jr minigame they played together wasn't so good. They played Sand Trap, and CatNap was a little confused on what to do. DogDay wasn't faring much better though. I feel like he was mainly waiting to see what CatNap was planning so he took his time. When they lost that one, I feel a part of CatNap was probably thinking "If we go down then we go down together :>" but another part of him felt bad because he legit had no idea what he was doing. DogDay was likely assuring him after that, hopeful that they'd win against Bowser Jr again next time. Sure enough, when DogDay landed on another Bowser Jr space, they did :) That minigame was Double Pounder. The instructions were easier for them to understand by that point. CatNap didn't really mind that DogDay got Mini Stars too that time (pretty sure DogDay wasn't in first by that point from what I remember). DogDay was just happy the two were able to win together. Probably gave CatNap a small hug after that. (Meanwhile Bobby in the background is just going: AWWWWWW 🥹🥹)

Oh yeah, Crafty was just chilling with her first place status in the first half too. She had about 33 mini stars during that point. She's not exactly planning on bragging about her status. She was just internally hoping she wouldn't get destroyed later TvT (she got this ahead because of a lucky space she landed on where climbed up a vine and got all the mini stars in that area- 12 MINI STARS) At some point, CatNap was catching up to her in terms of Mini Stars so there likely was some tension by that point. Crafty is just scared but at the same time defensive about her stars. Meanwhile CatNap was probably just silently hoping something happens to her stars and that he can get ahead-

This especially shows when Crafty got the Captain event. She legit chose CatNap to go last 💀 She was hoping it would be less likely for him to get the stars at the end if he was last. For more context, she chose Bubba to go first, then either herself or DogDay, but considering she was still in first, I think she was thinking that she could get the Mini Stars if she rolled high enough, so she would've needed to be the third person to do that- Unfortunately, Crafty's ploy didn't go too well. CatNap STILL got the stars at the end. Pretty sure that made them even in Mini Stars by that point-

CatNap just casually dominating most minigames... Pretty much like that with minigames like Pinball Fall. My guy literally didn't fall down a hole ONCE during his run- I think he probably has a bit of luck similar to Picky but he also is genuinely determined to win and happy to see the others struggling in the minigames deep down. Doesn't exactly voice this, but if you paid attention to his expressions, you'd know

Also, I think CatNap just pretty much wins a lot of the Reverse Minigames. The minute he hears that's what happens when the group lands on a Bowser space, he's like "K. I always wondered what happened if I just willingly jumped into this" in the most casual tone. DogDay would just look back at him concerned-

Meanwhile for Bubba, poor guy barely won many of the minigames (much less end up in 1st). I feel like he would still do very well in certain minigames taking character into account. He probably wouldn't be super fast though since he would prefer to calculate his moves I can imagine. Probably why he waited so long to even try to hit in the minigame Logger Heads (ironically enough though, he still ended up hitting a bomb at one point-) What made things worse for him was that he got no points and it was a Bowser minigame where they fought between half of the whole party's Mini Stars. He was already in last place by that point. He was likely frustrated about that, but pretty calm about the frustration anyway. Just silently facepalming and grumbling at himself for doing something he sees as dumb. Can also imagine that in general, Bubba would get much more quiet if he was in last due to the frustration but also because of trying to focus and think about ways to get himself back in the game. The party would probably be concerned about that-

Okay, I just wanna say for the record... The bosses in this round are the exact same as last time. For highlights there, Bubba got the captain bonus for the Lakitu boss and Yoshi's 4th place animation legit made me think: "Yeah, that looks like Crafty right there" because I could imagine her doing that 🥺 As for the Wiggler boss, CatNap was literally dominating everyone in that. He didn't even lose any points either. He also had the captain's bonus lol I imagine he just did all that with the most chill expression ever, too lol. He'd probably just be like "Imagine losing..." to everyone else in a casual way. If Kickin was playing against him, he would get offended by that so much lol

Speaking of dominating, there was NO CONTEST with the winner by that point. CatNap beat everyone by at least 60 MINI STARS- HE GOT 104 TOTAL COMPARED TO CRAFTY'S 40, DOGDAY'S 37, AND BUBBA'S 30 NEAR THE END- I blame that on Logger Heads tbh. The minute that minigame happened, CatNap just dominated Crafty in winnings. There wasn't really a chance for her to win now T^T Bubba was disappointed in himself but at the same time, not surprised that CatNap won now. He also blames CatNap's winning on Logger Heads and luck (since CatNap could get the captain's bonus easily since he was only a couple spaces away so he could use his 4-6 dice he kept on him) Meanwhile DogDay is just absolutely amazed by how well CatNap did. No bad blood against him at all. He's just happy for him :> (We love the golden retriever and black cat energy)

Finally, I decided to do one of the minigame modes for fun. I chose to play as Kickin this time and also adding Bobby, Crafty, and Bubba. I chose for them to do Choice Challenge. They had to choose between five minigames, which were Thwomper Room, Urn It, Tuber Tug, Polar Extreme, and Pit or Platter.

Bubba was the only one to choose both Thwomper Room and Urn It. LITERALLY JUST HIM. He got 200 points right off the bat. Bobby and Crafty were pretty worried by that point, but Kickin wasn't at all expecting that- He was probably making sure he won the next minigames he chose. Funnily enough, he was trying to go for Thwomper Room, too, but he must've accidentally chose another minigame. It would've been a StarStudent matchup there (sorry StarStudent shippers ;-;)

Bubba didn't choose Tuber Tug and Polar Extreme but Bobby, Crafty, and Kickin did, so it was literally just competition against those three for a bit. They practiced Tuber Tug first through Kickin's plea because he was wanting to make sure his Wii Remote worked (he wanted to make sure he could dominate his competition- Don't blame him). I can imagine Hoppy would likely be calling him a chicken in the background for not going straight into the minigame despite knowing how to do it. Either way, Kickin won the minigame and got 100 points. Crafty got 50, and Bobby 30. No practice was done for Polar Extreme as the instructions were simple. (Btw, this was the minigame Kickin accidentally picked over Thwomper Room-) All three of them still never made it to the goal, though Bobby survived the longest so she won. This time Bobby got 100 points, Kickin got 50, and Crafty 30. Considering how well she did with the minigames last time they played together, I can imagine Kickin would get pretty suspicious of Bobby. Though he isn't nearly as worried about her as he is with Bubba. Y'know... THE DUDE WHO GOT FIRST PLACE AND DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY TO GET THERE.

Everyone chose the Chance minigame, Pit or Platter. Kickin's ego was probably kicking in again by that point because he's usually good with skill minigames. This one wasn't his best attempt at it though. Hoppy calling him out probably cut him deep so he didn't choose to practice this time, even though he probably needed it- Either way, he just wanted to make sure it wasn't Bubba that won. Sure enough, Bubba didn't win that minigame. Bobby did

Bobby really proved to be a wild card when it comes to minigames, but it actually goes in her favor this time- She actually won against Bubba by 30 points. She had 280 and he had 250. Crafty and Kickin were pretty far down in terms of points though. Poor Crafty didn't get first place once- Kickin meanwhile is just glad Bubba didn't win but also a little salty that Bobby won since she won against him last time- It didn't really matter to Bobby that she won anyway. She was just happy to play with her friends. She let them know that too through her usual affection :>

(Sorry this was so long, but I had a lot of fun doing this- It's not everyday I'm able to play on my Wii due to college stuff 🙃 I hope you liked what I listed tiara, and in general, I hope y'all enjoyed =v=') Speaking of tiara, credits to her for the Mario Party 9 headcanons idea for the Smiling Critters. These were fun to come up with :)

[puckdoll]

2024 Writing Roundup

i was tagged by @cuprun! thank you so much for the tag, reflecting on this past year's writing was a treat

i posted a total of 39 fics this year, which i definitely think is the most i have ever posted in a single year. not all of its good, but im glad i actually got back into the groove of writing somewhat

FEBRUARY

all the same people who scold you (dont deserve to hold you) • sid/geno some of these fics im really going to have nothing to say for them because they were either written for someone else as a prompt or were apart of a fic challenge, so it's not like i put a lot of thought/effort into them? for these first two fics, they were a part of a much bigger fic that i knew i was never going to finish, so i edited them so they'd be able to work as standalones.

thank goodness for the gossip that gets us through the day • sid/geno another standalone that i cut off from that much bigger fit. i love exploring the way a family has to deal with rumors, especially about parentage, and i felt like this series in particular was a good one to do it with.

MARCH

drooling and waiting • sid/geno this starts the first of the prompts for mpreg march! not a lot of creativity to be had this month imho because i was given a prompt and just wrote something for it. writing pregnant g masturbating was very fun though

help me out • sid/geno who doesn't love a little bit of emotional distress and being taken care of by your lovely partner?

touch my skin • yadi/waino i didn't want to just write sidgeno for this entire month, so i ventured off to some of my ships that have less fic. also false heat is SUCH a good trope.

never a tear • sid/geno more baby of mine! but this time dealing with miscarriage. it was a part of sid and geno's story that i always wanted to touch but had never gotten the chance to until this fic.

exquisite taste • leon/connor just a silly little thing, trying to publish something happy instead of just the constant angst. also, leon being irritated by something as little as the wrong chips made me giggle.

your skin glitters in the dark • flower/kris stripclub + stripping + pregnant + lapdances + cross-dressing. this fic was self indulgent for me and me only

idol • jagr/kris no one else seemed like they were going to write jagr/kris, so i took advantage. i love sleazy jagr taking advantage of kris' starstruckness.

and its like the fog has lifted • sid/geno, jake/tristan more baby of mine, but i wanted to look at the future. jake growing up, having his own family, some of the stressors that'd happen. was v happy with this one.

imma mess up (oh!) • ricky/petey i need silly ricky/petey in my life i swear!!!! its the only fic in the tag which is a damn shame bc theyre so cute and work so well

sweet and condensed • geno/mario, sid/geno this is by far my favorite fic i wrote for mpreg march. sleazy mario fucking geno, geno being manipulated to come to america, sid not being able to get too close to geno because he wants to fuck him so bad. just, hits all my buttons.

for as long as you'll need me (i'll be here) • nolan/goldy nolan/goldy my beloveds!!!! i had to write something for them during this too, and what better than steppign up? i wanted this to be so much longer, but unfortunately i ran out of time.

be sweet to me (but you wont) • flower/penguins, flower/sid young flower is so pretty, i needed him debauched by the pens and baby sid doing something because he thinks its for the good of the team and his leadership, not necessarily for himself or for flower.

i'll take care • sid/geno omega geno is the being we all need in life and im tired of acting like its not!!!! so a continuation of that

a dream is a wish your heart makes • jamie/tyler wanted to explore some other ships so jamie/tyler!!! they were fun to write, but i dont necessarily think i caught their characterization good in this.

take what you want from me (but not that) • sid/geno goofy fic again. i literally had no other idea for this fic, so geno kidnapping alex l. who knew by the end of the year id want geno fucking kris.

roommates with benefits • kris/ek, kris/poj the way i desperately needed ek getting cucked!!! and poj fucking his parental figure. like yes hello help that man out

baby mine (don't you cry) • sid/geno more baby of mine! i feel like at some point i started just making these baby of mine to just give it to the people who like that au, not necessarily because i really enjoyed it

the places that feel right • kris/ek my first foray into trying to write kris consistently. it was not very good but i cherish her <3

punished for the sins of others • nolan/freddie, nolan/goldy there was no winner's room brpf so i decided to fix that!!! also i cant stand freddie and i cant stand the way the series happened, so what better than making him a little evil bastard

APRIL

leon the second • leon/connor the first of my locked tomb au!!! i have written parts of the other (there was going to be a total of nine fics) but my mind got distracted and i have yet to finish another. leon the second was really fun to write though, so i hope people enjoy it as much as i do.

still you take up my mind • sid/geno this was a fic that had been sitting in my wip folder since contractgate and i finally got the inspo to finish it bc i decided to fully go in on the manipulator/asshole sid part of it. im not fuilly happy with how it turned out, but im glad that i was able to finally get it out of my wip folder!!

MAY

felt like a new man • willson/sonny this fic is still insane. i still cannot believe Sonny Gray Himself went into the locker room between innings and stripped down naked and changed into a new uniform because he was That Superstitious. so ofc i needed to write handies for it

looks good on you • nolan/goldy one of the many prompt suggestions from lucy!!! just some good old tender goldynado during a season from hell

burning beneath my skin (awaiting your touch) • burly/donnie inspired by another video!! its one of burly chasing donnie around while he's mic'd up and donnie stubbornly refuses to say anything. ofc smut must occur.

whats a home without you • yadi/waino some (two years late) feels for bader <3 i still hate that they traded him, my beloved golden haired child.

JUNE

all you have is your fire • nolan/goldy this was originally supposed to be a longfic to get elliott into baseball, but i couldnt do it :') so some vague dubious consent + heat sex had to do

JULY

to be alone with you • sonny/willson god i will never forget that video of willson getting injured and how it activated the primal urge in me to make a deeply emotional fic between him and sonny, plus also tying it into a fic i had written the year before.

wet in my hand and between the cheeks • brandon/masyn more prompts! i love rookies bullying veterans into sex

dream a little dream of me • nolan/goldy consensual somno+wet dreams? hand it ovvveeerrr. i think july and march were just my smut months bc i wrote sooo much smut.

in over my head • lance/ivan i just realized i wrote two fics where rookies bully the shit out of big long-haired veterans and i cannot help but say thats what i want more of in life. bully that old man

catch me when i fall • yadi/waino more smut!!! old men fucking!!! yadi calling the shots!!! i need to write more of this bc my brain will never be satiated.

jupiter sun • willson/sonny public sex + reunion sex makes me go nuts. also love it when a guy just gets all dribbly and incoherent bc he's just getting fucked too well.

AUGUST

relax and let me in • willson/sonny free use baby!!! the dynamic between a pitcher and a catcher could just be so special.

born anew, bathed in rays of gold • nolan/goldy horror fic! this was something i wrote of in a fit of rage and i wish that more people were into brpf + horror fic bc i think its really good. goldy basically Comes Back Wrong and i adore it.

SEPTEMBER

you in my reflection • burly/donnie insecurities plus bottoming for the first time?? count me tf in. ntm burly is a Big Boy (they dont call him burly biscuit for nothing) and i just love donnie being in control.

OCTOBER

interlude [adieu] • kris/geno my beloved interlude <3 i think ive given up on a fic per game bc i got so far behind that i just couldn't catch up, but i think ill continue to update when i have inspo. i just feel bad in a way because its 1) not proofread and 2) not the greatest bc i was just trying to write without thinking. some of the chapters are probably extremely cringy, but idc!!! krisgeno baby!!!

NOVEMBER

scale dance • kris/geno i love me some good ol' monster fucking!! also geno being so enamored with kris' other side he desperately wants him in him despite their bodies not exactly being compatible. also kris as a dragon hybrid lives rent free tbh

this was a fun reminder that i had actually written a lot this year, and that i wasnt sitting around and not being productive. i was at least doing something, and it was a well-needed reminder.

i tag @theflirtmeister @barkovsasha and @hischiersjohnston

[sinisxtea]

DOYOUNG ALBUM THOUGHTS

ok welcome to my album review rant today we're reviewing doyoung's album. it's a quite lengthy album too. tbh surprised at the amount of songs i actually enjoyed because ballards are usually a hit or miss for me, because i don't like hearing just straight vocals.

(im a doyoung stan i must stream yknow)

not going to review every song on the album bc i tuned out some of them... 😭

little light

upon first listen, i lowkey almost tuned it out, i'm sorry... but second time listening to it, since it is the title track, i'm paying more attention to it. the song is very j-pop coded?? in my opinion, the ballad-rock kinda vibe does fit doyoung and this was what i expected, but a teeny tiny part of me was hoping for a little bit more sm core style of music, with the experimental stuff, but this works too. havent watched the mv yet but i'll check it out soon, maybe look up the lyrics translation, cause songs have more meaning when you understand the lyrics too.

from little wave

tell me why it's giving mario kart... imagine listening to this while driving on rainbow road damn. no but this is such a car cruising driving song, and i pretty much liked it immediately upon first listen. the chorus is SO GOOD??? like doyoungs vocals shine on the whole album cause he's that talented but this one really demonstrates it i think. you can disagree with me lmfao idc. it's kinda giving 80s love ballad, and that's such a beautiful vibe of music i really like it a lot...

time machine

lowkey was a surprise to see mark and taeyeon featured on the album, but i actually really like this one. the vocals hard carried obviously, but mark + doyoung combo really hits hard lowkey they should do more stuff like this together. i'm a sucker for male-female vocal duets, so this one was so cute and sweet. i know why mark considers himself an "ARTIST" not a rapper lmfao. (also im waiting for mark's solo album...... SM PLEASE)

lost in california

THIS IS THE SONG I WILL BE REPLAYING OVER AND OVER THIS MONTH I THINK. hello it's so good why wasn't this the title track? it reminds me of "i don't think that i like her anymore" by charlie puth and that song hits hard. also the vibes are immaculate. seems way more sm core than ballad so obviously i prefer this lmfao... love the little harpsicord instrumental too that was so neat. sm pick ur title tracks better thanks.

rest

i got more appreciative of the song after the chorus came on, but it gives like jpop vibes?? jpop really has that hard metal/rock aspect, and this album has quite a few songs like that. all in all, this wasn't really a favorite favorite, but it definitely stood out to me because it wasn't a ballad lmfaooo. didn't add this one to my playlist but i do think it's pretty good.

dallas love field

this is so country coded guys...... and guess who actually listens to country? me anyways neat cause it's called dallas love field... but regardless i quite enjoyed this a lot, and seeing the country core vibes radiate off of this... like damn im gonna make doyoung cowboy edits soon just watch. (for legal reasons thats a joke im a doyoung stan don't come for me) the only weird part is the bridge, with all the voices chiming in, but other than that i like the phillips phillips vibes that remind me of my 2010s era.