#BUT THEN MARIO RETURNS WITH PASSION

[kissablelips-desireslure-vol2]

MARIO (2018)

MAX HUBACHER (as Mario)

&

AARON ALTARAS (as Leon)

[canvaswolfdoll]

okay, might as well just do rune factory, as there's actually no video game property that's broken my heart, but rune factory is what i talk about a bunch.

so here are my mandates

1. rune factory 1 special and rune factory 2 special officially on lock for switch and pc. let's just do it already.

1.1 they are not receiving any new features. we're preserving the experience as much as possible.

1.2 i might make a concession to tweaking rf1's features and romances that require multiplayer. just for future proofing.

2. frontier is getting a rerelease. update the polygon count, but keep the color palette and locked camera.

2.1 the runeys are getting a heavy overhaul. make them easier to vacuum, less dire if they fall out of balance, and you can hire candy to 'lock' the runeys as is.

3. tides of destiny is also getting a rerelease. tides of destiny is also getting a hoe and watering can, because you're meant to be farmers in rune factory, being a jrpg spinoff of story of seasons was the point.

4. no more garishly bright color palettes in future games. frontier had the best palette, but i will allow up to what tod had going on. the ethos is painted animation cells, not digital coloring.

5. there is going to be strict guidelines for the loli bait characters going forward. i am hesitant to ban them, just because i don't want to hinder creativity in that manner, but the goal is more like annette and elena, less like amber and fuuka. ie, write them as adults with careers who look young for their age.

6. throw the community a bone, give them a big breasted bachelorette or two.

7. still can't date the hot moms.

8. we're doing rivals again.

8. farm fields are back inside the dungeons, mostly immune to weather, dungeons have set seasons.

9. return of misty bloom cave shenanigans. no racing through the plot, there's going to be speed bumps set by the season. take your time and chill.

10. sharance is now the benchmark for character personalities. rf4 and rf5 had too many bland personalities for romance. date some real freaks, it's good for you.

11. ads are going to be very clear: rune factory predates stardew valley by a good long time, and has been better than stardew valley since day one.

12. i want an anime. i want official merchandise. i want a pokemon x rune factory cross over game.

then, as a bonus fun treat for myself, make a spiritual successor to frontier with optional polyamory for that game only, then never bring the feature again just to watch the fanbase clamour for its return ever after.

YOU! Are granted the power to suddenly own ONE video game franchise, and to hire the best people who have ever worked on it (and/or anyone else you want in on it).

What video game franchise are you rescuing--er, acquiring?

[iidrk3i]

☆ LAZY DAY IN

hq -- kenma kozume x gn!reader

summary: a day of video games with your boyfriend, kenma.

warnings: nothing, fluff!

word count: 391

it was a lazy saturday afternoon, the soft glow of the sunset casting a warm hue through the curtains of kenma’s room. you sat criss-crossed on the floor, controller in hand, focused on a game of mario kart. kenma, reclined on his bed with his handheld console, occasionally glanced over to watch your intense focus as you navigated through the tracks.

"watch out for that banana peel," he murmured softly, barely audible over the cheerful music from the game.

you chuckled, maneuvering around to avoid the obstacle. "thanks for the warning," you replied, your eyes flickering to meet his for a brief moment before returning to the screen.

moments like these were cherished in your relationship with kenma. he wasn't one for grand gestures or extravagant dates, but there was a quiet comfort in these simple, shared moments. gaming together was a significant part of your bond, a shared passion that brought you closer in ways words couldn't capture.

after a competitive race that ended in a close tie, kenma set aside his console and joined you on the floor. he leaned against you lightly, his shoulder brushing yours. it was a gesture that spoke volumes in its simplicity—a silent reassurance of his presence and affection.

he gives your temple a quick peck. "want to try that new puzzle game i downloaded?" kenma asked casually, breaking the comfortable silence that you were in.

you nodded eagerly, setting aside the controllers and reaching for the second console. as he booted up the game, the two of you began to solve the intricate puzzles together. kenma’s quiet voice occasionally guided you with subtle hints, his eyes lighting up with a rare spark of excitement when you solved a particularly tricky level.

hours passed with shared laughter, gentle teasing, and the occasional shout when you passed a difficult puzzle. the day led into evening, and eventually, the soft glow of the moon replaced the fading sunlight outside.

as you sat together, side by side, surrounded by the soft hum of consoles and the warm comfort of each other's presence, you couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction. with kenma, it wasn't just about the games or the moments spent together—it was about the quiet understanding, the unspoken support, and the knowledge that in each other's company, you were exactly where you belonged.

a/n: who do i write next😨

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 23/12/2024

PRIMEneria

Season 8 Featured on: Thickmas

Ripped by Yassir F.

I don't know if words could even begin to describe the emotional rollercoaster I have been on since December 19th, 2024.

It's such a funny thing, following this channel for so long. Throughout the early days in Season 1, the team would cobble together ideas for rips, events, and story in mere weeks' time, seemingly just to get reactions out of the fanbase. Beyond the inherent lunacy to The Reboot and I Saw a Brainwasher Today, this was also the year where one contributor just decided to tell a storyline about the Australian rental service Mr. Rental's titular mascot and his hatred for mashups back on Mr. Rental [B Side] ~ Out of Options; this was the year where legendary folk singer Bob Dylan became a reoccurring joke on the channel, just because PinkieOats was on a voice call and sung a cover in a captivatingly shoddy impression back on Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday - as performed by Bob Dylan; this was the year where the termination of the original GiIvaSunner channel was explained in-universe as being a scheme by Angry Joe, in a slapdash meme tribute to Baneposting in the one year that it was relevant on the channel. It was a mess we all adored following due to the clear passion for entertainment that lay underneath; and when Season 2 returned with an unbelievably explosive bang and showed just how much could be made with this chaos of a story being told, I was more excited than I can put into words. As said back on ULTRA S+G, Season 2 was when it felt as if EVERYONE was aboard the ride that the SiIvaGunner team was promising; shooting for the stars for quality and evolving the lore into something shockingly compelling despite its absurd origins.

It's hard, especially as someone who hardly ever lost their passion for the channel in the first place, to pinpoint exactly where things started to lose Season 2's momentum. Perhaps it was the two years spent covering Season 4, with all the focus spent on an event of unprecedented scale that all ultimately was an aside from the channel's typical mold; during the production of which many core team members wound up leaving to never return, including channel founder Chaze the Chat. Perhaps it was Season 3's more low-key format and direction, one that Chaze the Chat himself appeared adamant to steer away from when Season 4 Episode 1 first began; or perhaps it was all inherent to Season 2's overambitious nature, with the Christmas Comeback Crisis episodes growing ever more vast in scope, eventually resulting in a 6-year long gap between Episode 10 to 11. Perhaps it was later, perhaps it was sooner; nevertheless, its undeniable that the wait occurred, and the driving narrative that had enamored us all throughout Season 2 was left on ice, forever frozen in time on December 2016.

Yet it felt, in a way, inevitable that things would grow in this way. The SiIvaGunner team was growing, its members maturing, its worst influences leaving; and most important of all, their creative juices were flowing like mad. To be confined to one 12-episode run of a fake visual novel couldn't contain the ambitions this team have; even before the CCC began, the aforementioned Mr. Rental and projects of its ilk show just how hard it is to keep SiIvaGunner's contributors from doing what they want. Gradually, it felt as if both the team and us in the audience came to accept that inevitable constant – that the only predictable thing about SiIvaGunner is its unpredictability – and so the side projects grew to the scale of main projects. We'd see experimental projects still hinting at the main story such as The Lost Rip and The Life and Times of Wade L.D.; not long therafter, we'd get everything from the King for Another Day Tournament and NIGHTMARESCAPE ~ Unrestrained Hypercam 2 ~, to The Disappearance of Super Mario and Your Best Nightmario, to entire festivals containing their own events, art direction, and self-contained storylines. SiIvaGunner was no longer just on one lane, but doing so many different concepts and events and journeys with such excellent finesse; even though many had given up on the return of the Christmas Comeback Crisis itself returning, it was impossible not to be impressed and enamored by the effort put into everything that was, effectively, taking its place.

I've made it no secret that Season 5, despite having events I greatly enjoyed such as the aforementioned Mario incident and everything discussed on Epic Rap Battles of History: Funny vs. Funnier, was the time at which my interest in the channel (particularly from a narrative perspective) felt more muted than before. Especially without the behind-the-scenes knowledge I know now of the team's troubled state, it to me was the year when I began to feel as if the channel was forever going to drift along in this excess of creative endeavors. Past an incomplete Christmas Comeback Crisis now filled with sideshoot stories, we still had Mr. Rental left unresolved, now had an AI running the channel that we knew next to nothing about, had a gigantic cast of 32 characters left from the King for Another Day Tournament that each seemed to be prodding at some sort of developments of their own, had Nutshackwoodman34's unexplainable cacophany still up in the air, had everything relating to Astronaut in the Ocean and Yankin', and a multitude of audio dramas with a canonicity that, at the time, felt largely up in the air. I'm well aware of how bizarre this all sounds and I want to clarify that I've long since accepted and adore just how much SiIvaGunner team have been able to do; but back then, I couldn't help but feeling as if things had steered out of control for the lore. In essence, I had to accept that SiIvaGunner was now primarily focusing on its rips, events, and quality; long-time followers of the channel's lore were becoming vastly outnumbered by a growing audience of KFAD kids, Friday Night Funkin' fans joining through excellent rips like Satinpanties Symphony, and those simply here to enjoy what the channel could offer.

This, then, brings us to Season 6 and Season 7. Despite not technically continuing those stories that I was longing after, throughout almost every corner of Season 6 I got the sense that the team was eager to make some genuine change to their status quo; as expressed back on Bramble Blast Collab and I've won, but at what costI've won, but at what cost, there's a solemn feel that underscores the season, the realization that one can't stay hung up to the past forever, which all culminated in its beautiful season finale. It felt as if the SiIvaGunner team had themselves realized just how large their world had gotten and were beginning to grab their many bulls by the horns; and, once grabbed, Season 7 felt like a year-long celebration of each and every facet of the channel's long life. With a series of tribute beautiful enough, as said on The Paragoomba and the Wiggler one whole year ago, to bring me to tears, paired alongside the unbelievable return of the core series Christmas Comeback Crisis with an eleventh episode freed from development hell; I felt as if I was finally, completely on track with everything SiIvaGunner could throw at me. The past was the past, its many endeavors had been celebrated; and now, everyone was caught up and ready to finish that story started so many years ago.

I never quite knew what to expect from Season 8, aside from an understandable sense that the team needed plenty of rest and time after having just finished up the biggest story-related release in the channel's entire history. And so, after just a few events of time to get to know our lovable new channel host Joke-Explainer 7000, I labeled this the "silly season"; a year for a new character to bring back some lower-key whimsy to the channel after the prior two seasons had so expertly reminded us of how much the team genuinely do care about the world they've (almost inadvertently) built. I had no qualms; Joke-Explainer 7000 was hilarious to follow through rips and events such as Super Ludacris JB World, the rips have been higher quality than ever through efforts like Wake Up! It's Friday! and no more nuzzles in my skin, and we were all on the same page in knowing exactly what would come next, eventually. The conclusion to it all.

Yet once again, history repeats itself; the only predictable thing about SiIvaGunner is its unpredictability.

On the train to my family home for a Christmas weekend, I check my phone to see a server-wide ping within the SiIvaGunner discord; was this related to that Direct that I'd told myself to watch after the fact? I shrugged and checked it out althesame, only to be met with an ominous link and a wish of good luck; https://hwcinternaldb.highquality.rip/. A portal into an in-universe file directory divided into five intriguingly named folders, collections of confounding yet alluring files. I return to the Discord server to confirm my suspicions; sure enough, for the first time in 7 years, the SiIvaGunner community is tasked with solving an ARG; a quest across websites, image files, encrypted text, file formats and high quality rips to uncover a truth buried deep within the channel. Yet to say it was only one truth would be misleading; with five folders came five separate branches, five separate community subsets, and five different endpoints.

Inexperienced as I am in ARGs to begin with, I was sadly also too occupied with the holidays to partake in these great mysteries being solved. Yet at every moment I had to myself, I would refresh myself on everything being discovered across all three branches, gradually growing more and more amazed at what I'd called the "silly" season was delivering. More than just providing further teases toward the finale to the Christmas Comeback Crisis, each path was addressing its own loose end from those intermediate years that I'd been so divided on. The FOOLS path explored the aforementioned The Lost Rip duo of NutshackWoodman34 and his best bro and actual brother Jerome, connecting their absurdist videos and reality-bending powers to the Fool's Spirit teased back in Season 7's April Fools event covered back on Christmas Spirit [FILE-07] (Beta Mix); The AIRTH path, meanwhile, uncovers buried logs, thoughts and feelings of the SiIvaGunner AI across all five years of its time spent as host of the channel. Most surprising of all to me, the BLACK path covered something I never thought I would see revisited; Season 2's alternative "Genocide ending" to the first-ever SiIvaGunner storyline, The Reboot, wherein Chad Warden instead chooses to take immediate control of SiIvaGunner for himself rather than sacrificing himself for the greater good. The release of Nice, Slick, Blackness was one of my most treasured memories in all my time following the channel, and seeing its events ACTUALLY explored so many years after the fact – alongside loose ends that I had long since given up on knowing the resolutions to – felt genuinely unbelievable.

I understand that, to even a lot of the channel's biggest fans, being as invested in its lore as I am may come across as a little ridiculous. But to say that this ARG was an absolute dream come true for me was an understatement; as if Seasons 6 and 7 weren't enough affirmation in themselves, as if the SiIvaGunner team hadn't already matched and exceeded all of my expectations with the treatment they gave CCC Episode 11 last year, the ARG and its revelations exceeded every expectation and idea I could have ever had for tying these eight seasons of the channel together. A Visual Novel, an Undertale fangame, an all-new KFAD Mojo! site, a Mr. Rental Choose-Your-Own Adventure game, the best-yet episode of NutshackWoodman34's escapades, and one more as-of-yet unrevealed reward to close the entire season with, a grab-bag of reveals unlike I could have ever thought of...

...all happening while the SiivaGunner YouTube channel itself – along with all the people blissfully unaware of the ARG happening – was uploading rips almost exclusively using hit YouTuber KSI's awful hit song Thick of It. Yeah, remember? PRIMEneria is what this blog post is meant to be about! Cast like a veil over all that's transpired since December 19th, the YouTube-only audience continued to blissfully truck along with one of the most obnoxious-yet-funny rip trends we've had in recent times.

The juxtaposition between the insane lore and fanservice being delivered behind the scenes versus the YouTube channel providing what may be the funniest possible stretch for Winter-themed song to base their event from is genuinely still making me giggle even days after the event's all wrapped up, and the best part is of course that the rips themselves were genuinely really good. Given my track record of covering Jake and Logan Paul rips like Logan Paul's Shop and It's Everyday Lake and last week's post on If Air Man came to life, that would be creepy, it should perhaps come as no surprise that awful YouTuber music is a pet favorite rip source of mine; yet the sheer quotability and horrendous flow of Thick of It makes rips like PRIMEneria special even by those standards. The change in pitch (key?) to the song itself sets it off on such a strong foot immediately, and though the initial 20-seconds or so of the rip are already a really funny mashup, it's what happens therafter that really makes shit funny. Toward the end of the first loop, and for the entire rest of the rip, KSI's vocals are pitch-shifted for specific segments to follow Corneria's punchy hi-octane melody in a way similar to something like no more nuzzles in my skin; and it's arguably even more funny given the song used.

The fucking gall of the SiIvaGunner team, man. The sheer audacity to make my every possible dream for the channel's future and legacy come true practically over the course of a week and to pair it with rips of KSI's Thick of It happening at the same time. Perhaps I wasn't so wrong after all; Season 8 may well still be the silly season, and PRIMEneria is the clearest, funniest showcase of that there could possibly be, capping off the year in unabashed style.

Rock the fuck on, SiIva team.

[stardew-shitposterino]

Stardew Valley Bachelors and whether I think they’d be dom, sub or switch

Hehe ok idk this just came to mind. This refers to whether they like to be in charge, be on the receiving end or enjoy both. I’m not too familiar with bdsm kink stuff so this is mostly very vanilla 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m not the kind of person to provide you with that soz

Content warning: filth lmfao MINORS DNI

Sam:

-switch, loves to sub though

-bro is weak in his knees when you take charge

-loves when you whisper sweet nothings paired with dirty filth into his ear

-call him a good boy please

-he doesn’t like being treated like a slut, so no insults please, it doesn’t do anything for him except make him cry. You gotta praise him so he can thrive

-when he tops, he will feel so powerful and grin like a fool the entire time. He’s almost too cute to be taken seriously

-Loves kissing every inch of your body and leaves hickeys if you let him

Sebastian:

-sub, big fat sub

-he tries taking the lead every once in a while, but he isn’t feeling that role

-likes receiving oral a lot, he’d be fine only ever doing that tbh (will finger you in return or suck you off)

-he whimpers into your ear when you tell him to

-btw, he likes when you tell him what he should do

-Thinks it’s sexy when you treat him like Bowser treats Luigi in the Mario movie (don’t ask me why I chose that as an example)…so TEASE HIM

-if you can, wear some sexy e-girl ensemble for him. It will have him come before you even touch him

Harvey:

-switch, but I have a feeling he is especially hard for you when you take charge

-loves being teased

-give him praises and sweet romantic gestures

-loves when you’re a gentle dom, will be a gentle dom when he takes charge

-oddly enough, he likes when you call him daddy. He didn’t initially like it, but when you started saying it, he lost his cool and melted in your hands

-hold his hand when you make love (yes that’s right, this man doesn��t fuck, he’s too pure for that)

Elliott:

-dom or switch…switch who likes to take charge? Yeah sounds right

-he is a man of great romantic gestures, so expect him to want to pamper you in bed as well

-enjoys seeing and hearing that what he does makes you feel good

-coos sweet nothings in your ear like a pro

-“that’s right, does this make you feel good, my love? You feel so good around me. Come for me, darling, will you?”

- when you take charge, he will enjoy whatever you decide to do. He finds the gesture of you wanting to reciprocate arousing enough

-…treat him like a princess though…you don’t have this from me but he’d never admit to liking that lol

Shane:

-switch that loves to be dom, but when you are the dom for once …MAMA 😩

-said with the wise words of Kim Petras “treat me (him) like a slut”

-bro loves being a strong lead, aka he’s VERY passionate and will show you how much he wants you

-he eats you out like 👏🏻 a 👏🏻 champ 👏🏻 (he loves giving oral so much, but especially eating 🐱)

-when you take charge, he wants you to ride him so badly please do it! It will make him into putty underneath you

-my man growls, groans, moans. He is VERY vocal and his deep voice makes it extremely sexy

-will whisper utter filth into your ear and will enjoy it even more when you do the same for him

Alex:

-DOM💀

-will sub every once in a while if mandatory

-loves seeing you all happy and mischievous when you give him pleasure, buuuut he prefers being in charge

-He will treat you like a prince/ess, does everything in the books to make you have a great time

-he worships your body. No matter what you have going on, he will make sure you know that he loves every bit of it

-he’s not the poet type, so don’t expect him to be very creative when it comes to vocal stuff

-will try out the wildest positions with you though because he loves showing off how strong and flexible he is. But at the end of the day, he loves nothing more than the tried and true missionary position 🤷🏼‍♀️ he wants to see you underneath him and hold your hand

[anothertimdrakestan]

Ahh I am soo excited 🙏

I am dying for a fic with Jason and Y/N at the gala. Just him being protective and a gentleman. My inspiration is your Damien Wayne at the gala with Y/N.

Feel free to delete this ask, I am just soo excited for the opportunity 🙌

Undying Philanthropy - Jason Todd x Reader

Staring at yourself in the mirror, you couldn't help but admire the floor-length crimson ballgown you'd chosen for the upcoming gala. The velvet dress was the definition of elegant, with a subtle V-shape that drew the perfect amount of attention to your eyes. Excited to rub shoulders with some of the wealthiest, most influential faces in the city, you were hoping to find a real story to bring back to the Gotham Gazette. There was only one, very dangerous and very influential person in the way.

"Oh you sure as hell are not going, and definitely not if you're gonna look that good." Jason's voice echoed through your apartment as you rolled your eyes.

"I swear I locked my door." you grumbled, not looking up at the towering hero who was yet to take his eyes off you. He snorted "you're smart enough to know a lock has never once stopped me babe." You didn't give him the courtesy of a reply, hoping if you ignored him he'd go police some other reporter.

The minute you grabbed your purse he spoke up again, his voice deeper, far more assertive: "I said, you aren't going." You locked eyes with him and crossed your arms, "and why is that? Did I suddenly become your property all of a sudden?" you gave him a glare, but he just returned one.

"It's gonna be dangerous, you're insane if you think I'm letting you get hurt."

"Sounds like a story, I'm there." you retorted. Jason groaned, "why am I so obsessed with you," while he stalked into the bathroom you'd just come out of. In a few seconds he burst out, eyes scanning the room for you, his shoulders relaxing when he realized you were still there. He was wearing a black dress shirt with a crimson overcoat, suspiciously matching the exact colour of your dress.

"Nice jacket." you grinned, he just gave you a wink.

"Always gotta have a plan B when I'm dealing with your stubborn ass. And, you have no idea how many weapons I can store in this jacket" which only made you more nervous for the events to come.

You entered through the back door, waving a media pass to garner entry into the ballroom. Exquisitely dressed strangers were mulling through the event, exchanging pleasantries to each other and signing their names on various philanthropic programs, a promise of funding from Gotham's most successful. You were planning on finding one of these blossoming non-profits and following it's story. Hoping that if you wrote a strong article, the Wayne Foundation would most likely double whatever revenue was produced at this event, it was a quite likely occurrence seeing as you already had plans for chinese takeout and mario kart with the Wayne Enterprises CEO tomorrow night. Something about knowing powerful people...

Speaking of, your table assignment was surrounded by wealth, having Jason as a sort of body guard to protect you from wandering eyes and desires that littered the ballroom. And it was a job he took seriously. While you hopefully perused the various community programs Jason kept a hand glued to your side, shooting daggers at anyone who took more than a glance in your direction. He tried to be active though, nodding in bitter agreement when you pointed out a brilliant program to refurbish and donate old computers to underprivileged students or melted at the sight of foster puppies brought by the Gotham Shelter, his eyes never lingered too long in one place, in a state of alert on your behalf. You tried to get him to let loose, but he was firm that as long as you were safe and having a good time, he was as well.

Sitting down at your table you happily began chatting with the other guests, explaining your aspirations and dully noting each of their professions and passions. Jason joined in, pointing out your various publications, lacking complete subtlety in the way he adored you. Now, his hand was draped loosely across your thighs, thumb mindlessly swiping up and down as a way to curb his boredom. As speakers presented he grew obviously impatient, frequently leaning over to press overly wet kisses to your neck. You gave him scolding looks, but that only made his hands more explorative below the table, and as you squirmed out of his handsy embrace with a giggle, you were approached by Marcus Swan, a well known billionaire with a penchant for young girls. Jason stiffened at his presence, while you simply exchange a soft smile, which apparently was all the invite the elderly man had desired.

"You look exquisite Ms. Y/N." the man croacked.

Jason coughed, "L/N. Ms. L/N to you." you pressed your leg to his, hoping it would made him back down.

"Professional are we? Well, I was hoping I could actually catch a moment alone. You know, my businesses have been in the black this year, and I'd love to hear what foundations you've chosen to write about, I do so value your opinion, Ms. Y/N." Mr. Swan extended a hand, and Jason stiffened as you took it.

"I'll be like a minute Jay, you have my location, always." you pecked his cheek and let Mr. Swan lead you away, the last time you humored him with a drink he donated $250,000 to the Women & Children's Shelter, and you'd already warned Jason you might see him again at this event.

The bar was in a quieter room, and you noticed two guards lock the door behind you as Mr. Swan led you to the bar. Your stomach was doing uneasy flips as you ordered a glass of red wine, repeatedly telling yourself Jason was just a few meters away.

"Now that we've got a little more quiet, I must be honest Ms. Y/N" Mr. Swan said, swirling his whiskey glass before taking a long gulp.

"Swan Tech has been... less successful, than I would be pleased to admit. But, after tonight, I am hopeful I'll have come into a substantial amount of wealth." your eyes shot to the door, gauging the head start you'd need to run to Jason.

"Please don't consider going back into that room, until my business is finished. I do not lie when I say I do enjoy your company. I suppose I see you as this beacon of hope, I could't let your light be put out like the rest of the snakes in that ballroom." the billionaire said casually, throwing back the rest of his drink. "If nothing else, I've given you the story of the year! I do so hope you'll include a bit of a memoir on me and my philanthropic tendencies. To the bitter end I suppose!" he mused, reaching behind the now empty bar, the bartending having clearly ran as far from the venue as possible, to grab the rest of the whiskey bottle to pour himself another few fingers.

Your voice was shaking, "what are you doing to them?"

"Nothing they don't deserve," he yawned.

"My boyfriend is in there!" you burst out of your chair, realizing the one person on earth you couldn't lose was trapped.

"I was going to invite him, but he was awfully rude, so I let my pettiness get the better of me. We can't all be saints I suppose." the man chuckled as you began striding towards the double doors.

Before you could get too close, the doors burst open, seemingly kicked in by,

The Red Hood.

"Thank god" you crumpled to the ground in front of the familiar frame.

"Get behind me," the masked hero commanded, before striding towards Swan who took one last gulp.

"I suspected you bratty heroes would intervene, but I didn't do this for myself, I did it as revenge! And now, I'll take my much deserved exit!" Mr. Swan laughed maniacally before swallowing a pill you knew would be his demise.

"Jokes on you, I got here before anyone could be hurt. Some mastermind." The Red Hood called back, Swan's eyes widening in realization just before they glazed over.

"You are literally never coming to one of these again." the hero muttered as he stalked past you, to which you couldn't help but agree. You followed the Red Hood back into the ballroom, where the guests looked dazed and confused, but wholly alive.

As you made your way back to your original table, Jason was seated as if he hadn't moved at all, "there you are! We are getting out of here, you won't believe what some psycho tried to do!" Jason said, really hamming up his worry as he whisked you out of the gala.

Back in your apartment you'd both changed, sharing a pint of icecream as Jason explained to you the poisonous gas Swan had set up to ruin Gotham's elite, leaving him and his family as the sole benefactors to billions of dollars. Jason also let slip that Tim had tipped him off on the villain's plans last week.

"Why even let me go?" you shook your head, but Jay replied, "you really think I could've stopped you? Also, if I just agreed to go, you'd never let your guard down enough for me to slip away and find the machinery Swan had set up. Though, I can't deny I have to respect the guy, if I went crazy you'd be the one girl I'd save too." he winked at you.

"What on earth would I do without you Jason Todd."

"Exactly what you're doing with me, make the world a better place, even if it costs you your life. I'm just here to may sure you never have to pay the price of your empathy with your life." he paused, chuckling to himself before saying "I just pay it with a gun" which had you rolling your eyes at his morbid joke, but still wholly thankful for his undying protection and love. Truly the best body guard you could have asked for.

~

I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for the prompt <3

[igncrxntripley]

their secret weapon: first kisses

a/n: @witcherfromwallachia​ has spoiled me nonstop with TSW one-shots so this is for her and for being an icon. 

mentions: SFW, cute as shit, poly!judgement day, fem!reader

taglist: @thesithdiaries @cassiesgreta @roseheartsworld @theworldofotps @babybatlover @ripleyswhore @auburnwrites @obl1vionblackhart @emogoblin-666 @hereliespumpkin @embertargaryen @neptune-lover @bunnysmyname @i-have-issues-lol @ares-athena @thatonepansexual2000 @witcherfromwallachia @infamousvampcx @christinabae 

finn:

he wasn’t the easiest member to open up at first. finn has a tough exterior, one that isn’t the easiest shell to crack. it wasn’t his fault though; it was no secret finn has his own inner demons that he battled on a regular basis, and he was known to be tough on those he worked with. but he did it because he cared, not because he meant harm. 

her first kiss with finn, even though their relationship had its ups and downs in the beginning, was genuinely sweet. the two were working together in the practice ring at the performance center, finn teaching y/n new drills and rope work that would only take her to the next level in the ring. after awhile they’d found themselves sitting in the ring to take a break, sharing some snacks as finn told corny jokes that make y/n giggle more than she had in a long time. 

y/n blushed though, noticing finn looking at her with a small smirk. “like what you see?” she teased and ran a hand through her sweaty hair. the two were sat pretty close together, their knees practically touching. 

finn’s hands were gently rubbing y/n’s thigh to bring relief to the soreness she’d complained about earlier in their workout. “most definitely.” he smiled softly, his beautiful eyes looking right back into hers. “i just...you’re gonna think i’m being cheesy.”

she playfully rolled her eyes and took another sip from her water bottle. “spit it out, you goof. can’t be any more cheesy than those jokes you were just telling me.”

he smirked and looked down at his own lap when his cheeks flushed red. finn opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but hesitation ran through his body and prevented anything from coming out. in exchange for his words, finn leaned forward and pressed his lips to y/n’s in the most gentle kiss he could muster, but still one that was passionate enough to show her the way he felt about her. 

y/n was shocked at first because she wasn’t expecting it. but it only took a split second for her to relax into the feeling of his lips. she reciprocated the kiss, and the blush across her cheeks matched finn’s at this point. by the time he pulled away, they also both had matching smirks on their face. “i just can’t stop thinking about you.” finn whispered softly. 

she giggled in return and reached for his hand. “it’s nice to know i live in your mind rent free, prince.”

rhea:

rhea was much more open with her affection once y/n got involved with the judgement day. the aussie was always fairly clear about the way she felt about people, especially when she was attracted to them. from the time y/n was even scouted by the group, rhea was often handsy and would flirt with her. 

but now, as a bonafide member of the judgement day, rhea’s affection shifted; hungry desire was now replaced with gentleness, a side that the eradicator didn’t always show to those outside of the group. y/n also learned a lot about who rhea was outside of the ring and what she was interested in, such as her fondness of video games when she was able to have some alone time. rhea may not have always known what she was doing when she played, but it didn’t stop her. 

with y/n being fully moved into the judgement day home, she found herself slowly acclimating to the routines of her stablemates. this included joining rhea for her video games, and eventually even playing with her rather than just watching her girl. the two sat cuddled under a blanket together, competing in a round of mario kart where the two were right on each other’s heels the entire time. 

“get away from me!” y/n laughed, sitting comfortably in first place while rhea was getting closer and closer to her. rhea laughed as her car kept bumping into y/n’s in order to distract her and try to get a leg up, but nothing was working. 

“don’t be a sore loser!” rhea laughed as well, giving it one more go and trying to throw a turtle shell at y/n’s car which she artfully avoided to finish the race in first. y/n cheered and clapped her hands, continuing to laugh as rhea wrapped her arms around her to tackle her to the couch. 

y/n couldn’t help but squeal as rhea held her close. “i can’t even try to stay mad at you, even when you cheat.” rhea smirked, looking down at y/n. 

“i didn’t even cheat! you’re just mad that i’m better than you.” y/n giggled one more time, catching her breath as she and rhea made eye contact. before either of them really registered what they were doing, both girls leaned in towards one another and locked lips in one of the more gentle kisses they’d exchanged at this point. the feeling of rhea’s lips against hers was like electricity; it brought a shock up her body, but at the same time it was exciting. it was a shock that never got old to y/n, and one she never wanted to end. 

rhea was the first to pull away, a silly smirk on her face as she only got more love drunk on the taste of y/n’s lips. y/n’s expressions only mirrored her partner’s, and the two of them went right back into a fit of giggles. “fuck, you’re too cute.” rhea mumbled, and didn’t even hesitate to press her lips to y/n’s again. 

dominik:

how else would the two youngest members of the judgement day bond? of course, by playing pranks on their other partners. 

y/n and dom played off of one another when it came to the jokes and pranks they’d play on the other members. when one had a prank in mind, the other only encouraged them or had an idea to make it that much worse. this instance was no different, as the two goofballs had just finished the classic ‘tickling someone under their nose and smearing whipped cream on their face’ trick with their parters who were trying to peacefully sleep on the couch. 

finn was the first to wake up, but before he could do anything the two pranksters had run to their hiding spot in the house; a spare closet that had nothing but some coats and cleaning supplies. “you gotta be quiet!” y/n teased dom, giving him a playful slap to the thigh as they both tried to stop their giggles. 

they could hear the commotion from everyone waking up downstairs and knew they only had a couple of minutes before someone eventually found them. y/n and dom stood toe to toe in the closet, her hand eventually coming up to hold his mouth as he couldn’t stop giggling. y/n was no better though, because she was holding back her own giggles. 

but as the two stood in such close proximity to each other, dom’s big brown eyes and long lashes locking with hers, y/n couldn’t help but melt at the sight of her best friend. even in the dark of the closet, the two were clearly infatuated with one another. 

dominik’s hands found y/n’s hips and pulled her just a little bit closer, as if they weren’t already on top of one another in this tight space, and moved away from the palm against his mouth. “chica...” he whispered. dom didn’t even finish his sentence before he was leaning in and giving her a kiss. whereas the others in the judgement day tended to be a bit more gentle at first with their kisses, dominik was gentle yet had so much ferver and desire. almost like he needed more with each time his lips connected with that of one of his lovers. 

y/n relaxed under his kiss, even if there was an underlying desperation to it, and she gripped his t-shirt between her fingers as if he’d disappear into thin air. “dom, baby,” she giggled again as dominik started to give her quick pecks on the lips and cheeks. “you’re gonna get us-”

her words were interrupted by the closet door opening to reveal damian, the large man having whipped cream smeared on his face. he looked less than impressed. “this pranking business is getting real old.”

damian:

he was a “bad guy”, right? damian priest, the punishment of the judgement day, was supposed to be a bad guy?

sure. in the ring he never hesitated to be the bad guy. but when he was with his partners, in the comfort of their home or a hotel room? he was anything other than that big bad guy. y/n had quickly come to realize that, and it only made her connection grow with damian that much faster. this man who went to the ends of the earth to protect the four loves of his life, doing whatever they needed to make them feel comfortable and happy. 

this instance was no different; y/n, who’d slipped out of the bed upstairs as her mind raced. with just joining the judgement day, she was still trying to find her place in the group. often times she struggled with falling asleep at night because her self doubt was just too loud and vocal in her mind. normally she managed to be downstairs alone for awhile before eventually being able to go back to bad. but this time, she was spooked by footsteps coming downstairs and damian locking eyes with her. “don’t think i haven’t noticed you escaping the last few nights.” he teased softly. 

a man whose teasing was normally met with giggles, this time was only met with silence and a sad look on y/n’s face. her cheek rested on her knees which she’d had pulled to her chest, and she could barely even make eye contact with damian as he sat next to her. 

“hey, princesa, come on.” he said quietly, a large hand coming to rest on her back. “talk to me? let me know what’s going on?” damian asked softly. 

his words were met with a small shake of the head from y/n, but from previous conversations he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. he gave a gentle sigh, but didn’t bother to move away from y/n. if anything he got closer, gently turning her face towards his. 

“fine, just listen if you don’t wanna talk.” he gave a gentle smile. “if this is about the same things we’ve been talking about, all the self doubt and not believing you’re enough,” damian brushed some hair from her forehead. “then i know it’s not something we can fix right away. but for right now, you just need to remember that you’re right where you belong. with us.” he said softly. 

the twinkle in y/n’s eye as she listened to every last word was the sign for damian to continue talking. “you’re ours. the four of us are going to do everything in our power to make sure you have what you need. you just need to trust us and let go all this weight you’re carrying on your shoulders.” he smiled. “everything will be okay. but you just need to give it time.” 

the corner of y/n’s lip lifted into a small smile as damian looked down at her with the same pride he always did. he sealed his words with a gentle kiss on the lips, his hand coming up to hold y/n’s cheek to keep her in place. the two stayed like that for awhile, exchanging those same slow kisses in an effort to ease y/n to the best of his ability. 

she pulled away to catch her breath, a slightly larger smile on her face as she looked up at him. “you have a way with words, mr. priest.” y/n teased softly. “and a way with your lips.”

damian chuckled and played with her hair again. “i’ve been told that once or twice.”

[prisma-luna]

Chibis! (The Mage and The Dreamer)

Made some chibis of my Magolor/Lor-inspired Kirby OCs/sonas Prisma (she/they) and a new sona whose name I haven't decided on yet (she/they -- bottom design is more recent, top design was me brainstorming a bit)! I went for a scrapbooking aesthetic (I was also inspired a bit by the cutscenes from Return to Dream Land!)

Bonus silly rambles:

I really tried to lean into a bit of a Frutiger Aero aesthetic with my new sona! Their cat ears are usually attached to their headband but float "up" when they're using their powers!

Prisma's magic circle only has 5 "triangles" instead of 6 like Magolor's, she's got a ways to go in improving her magic skills but she probably makes up for it with sheer passion XD

Prisma LOVES konpeito candy and pretty much always keeps a stash of magically-charged konpeito (basically Star Bits -- oops, my Mario obsession is showing XD) on her at all times! don't mess with her or you're getting bonked by the Star Bit Staff™!

My new sona has some mysterious technology-related abilities -- she can probably summon "simulations" of objects/people by tracing them!

I'm also going to post a little associated song to each doodle that I like! Snail's House my beloved <3

[auroraknux]

I'm still terrified about posting these, but I keep seeing other people posting headcanons/fanfics about Mario and Peach having kids, and I've caught the fever too. I won't be cured until I get all of this out of my head. So, here are my own headcanons/ideas about them as expecting parents (also featuring Luigi x Peasley).

Mario and Peach are both being depicted as trans here, FYI. Yes, that means Mario is the one carrying the babies. If you comment with anything transphobic, or about this being "cursed" or something, you're getting blocked. If you don't want to read something like this, then scroll past.

This is all taking place in some kind of game/movie combo AU, just to clarify.

Mario's mom knows before anyone else does. He's recently been dealing with nausea and dizziness, and feeling unusually tired. His symptoms act up when he and Peach visit his family. His mom experienced similar symptoms when expecting him and Luigi, so she recognizes it immediately. She convinces him to see a doctor. Sure enough, he's pregnant.

As soon as he tells Peach the news, he finds himself being showered in kisses. She's already thinking of names.

Luigi is so excited to be an uncle! He jokes about how much he's going to spoil Mario's kid.

When Luigi is visiting the Beanbean Kingdom, Peasley lightly teases him about his excitement. Luigi says that Peasley can be the kid's uncle too, and Peasley half-jokingly asks if Luigi is proposing. Turns out he is. He nearly drops the ring, before shyly asking if he wants to get married. Peasley finds it endearing, and answers with a passionate kiss.

Toadsworth is overjoyed when he finds out he's going to be a grandfather, to the point that he can't stop crying. (On a side note: I like to imagine that, aside from being Peach's father figure, he's also become like a second dad to Mario.)

Turns out it's twins! Seems like it runs in the family. Mario is ecstatic.

Mario and Peach aren't actually married yet. They decide this is as good a time as any to tie the knot. They don't announce the pregnancy until the end of the ceremony, but everyone kind of guessed because Mario's baby bump is visible through his tux. (Mario's family, who are obviously there too, already know and have barely been holding back from blabbing about it.)

Luigi, along with his and Mario's mom, frequently drop by to give Mario and Peach food that they've cooked. This is something they've both already been doing for a while, but they do it a lot more during the pregnancy (and for a while after that, while Mario is in recovery).

Mario's dad is aware of the fact that he wasn't exactly the greatest dad to Mario and Luigi when they were growing up. He promises to try and be a better grandfather.

Peach loves singing lullabies and reading to the babies. Mario finds it adorable.

Mario finds it difficult to get around in the later months, and has to be helped around the castle all the time. He's very grouchy and stubborn about it.

He's especially grouchy when he gets put on bedrest near the end. Peach tries to make him feel better by pampering him a lot, and giving him plenty of cuddles.

Shortly before the twins' birth, Mario expresses worry over whether he'll be a good dad. He talks about how his dad was tough on him, and how it was because of his dad's own upbringing; he's afraid of repeating the cycle. Peach assures him that won't happen, and that he'll be a wonderful father.

When Mario goes into labor, Luigi knows because he senses his brother's distress. He shows up to give extra support.

During labor, Bowser attempts to attack the kingdom. I say “attempts”, because Peach absolutely snaps, and sends him running with his tail between his legs. She quickly returns to Mario, to the relief of a panicky Luigi (whose hand was nearly broken).

Luigi is too worried for his brother to leave, but seeing him in so much pain makes him anxious. He is given tasks as often as possible, so he isn't just sitting there and freaking out the entire time. Somehow, he fusses over Mario more than Peach does.

Peach does everything she can to comfort Mario. Holding him close, kissing his head, stroking his hair, whispering encouraging words to him. She's as anxious as Luigi is, but desperately tries to stay calm for everyone else's sake.

The firstborn twin is a girl with brown hair and Peach's eyes. The second is a boy with blonde hair and Mario's eyes. They both have the Mario family nose.

Mario bursts into tears when he holds his children for the first time. He's wanted to be a dad for such a long time, and he can hardly believe that it's finally happening. He already loves them so much.

Luigi sends a photo of the newborns to Peasley, to tell him that he's an uncle. He receives a very long-winded response gushing over how cute they are.

Mario's whole family shows up to see the new babies. He's happy to see them, but is still very tired and quickly gets overwhelmed. Peach gently but firmly asks them to give him some space and let him rest. The family's attention redirects to Luigi, who now has to deal with questions about when his wedding is, and whether he's having any kids himself.

Peasley shows up a couple days later, with a ton of expensive gifts for both the new parents and the babies (and Luigi too, obviously).

After several months have passed, Luigi and Peasley have their own wedding. Mario and Peach leave the babies in the care of Toadsworth and the Toads. They love being parents, but are very tired and appreciate the break.

Between the Toads and Mario's family, Mario and Peach always have a lot of help with the babies.

Luigi and Peasley don't currently plan on becoming parents, at least not anytime soon. They love spending time with their niece and nephew, though. In turn, the kids love their Uncle Weegee and Uncle Peas.

[shootingcookielover]

Introducing: Jay!! My ducktales oc!! (If it wasn't blatantly obvious lmao)

Do you want to know more about them? No? Too bad!

Jay, aka January was the first ever clone F.O.W.L. created. However, due to a lab accident, Jay ended up not only with scrooge's DNA, but also Bradford's. Deeming the clone a "failure", Heron drops the created baby off at an orphanage.

(Bradford becomes enraged when he later learns of this - a child with his and scrooge mcduck's dna?? Just out there??? Has Heron no concept how problematic that could shake out to be???)

Jay spends the first 9 years of their life kinda bouncing from foster home to foster home (kinda developing a bit of a thing abt people seeing them eat. Because of how their beak is a bit weirdly aligned, they can't eat quite the same as most others, and people stare.). But eventually they scrape together enough resources for like, one of those online-dna testing kits that spit out who you're related to.

Turns out their parents are Scrooge McDuck!!! (And some random vulture guy? Weird)

Thus, Jay sets out to become an adventurer like their dad, to meet him one day on their adventures!

Except, first adventure they immediately get trapped in a parallel, kind of very hellish dimension. They get out after three years, but they're pretty traumatized - and pretty much pu off of adventuring forever.

(Though they do find and keep a magic amulet in [hell dimension] that they use to cast spells. Mostly teleportation spells, really.)

Deciding they don't really want to meet a guy who's whole schtick is adventuring, they instead begin their search for dad#2, that vulture guy.

They find out he works for scrooge mcdad (of course he does) but don't judge him too harshly yet. From what they can find online (public libraries for the win!) the guy doesn't really... Do anything. Let alone go on adventures.

So Jay decides to find out where he lives and well, just kinda shows up at his door.

Much surprise is had, it's not quite the family reunion Jay was hoping for but they haven't been kicked out so they count it as a win.

Staying with their dad is pretty great, actually. He even hires a private tutor for homeschooling, since Jay missed 3 years of school and has a lot of catching up to do.

(they definitely hoard food in their room somewhere, just in case. They also have a bug-out bag ready at any given time. Just in case.)

Turns out, Dadford doesn't only also hate adventuring with a passion - he has a whole secret organization to take over the world and stop all adventuring! Forever!

(Jay found a secret stash of files on the computer they use for video games.)

Thus, at the ripe age of 13 they become the youngest FOWL agent ever!

And because they are kind of a big security risk now that they know, they get moved out to live in the outpost at the library of Alexandria instead, together with a bunch of the villains Dadford recruited.

(including Phantom Blot who Jay has an ongoing rivalry with just because they use magic sometimes lol)

(they and the villains play mario kart/party together on sundays)

Eventually, (three years later) season 1 happens and seeing the mcduck family successfully overcome the rift that della's absence left, dadford decides to put one of his better pawns into play.

Through some posturing, magic pyrotechnics and a fake mystical artefact, Jay gets planted into the mcduck family as scrooge's "magic child/clone".

(this happens during the episode "The Depths of Cousin Fethry", while huey and dewey are out meeting their cousin, scrooge, louie and webby go to find an invaluable treasure and return with Jay. Cue scrooge introducing Jay as his kid and Huey and Dewey going "wtf did we miss")

They go along on an adventure or two, mainly because saying "I hate adventuring and I don't want to do it because I was traumatized and hate it" doesn't make sense for someone who was just created from an ancient magic artefact. But after a couple adventures they can finally just put their foot down and stay home. It's chill.

They draw sometimes, do a few commissions.

Scrooge wants to bond with them so they teach him how to play video games and they watch some shows together.

Eventually, the last adventure rolls around.

At the point where Webby pretends to be June and kidnaps... Herself (yknow what part i mean. Probably) Jay comes with the clones, obviously shocking Webby.

But they make it to the library without any particular incident - except Huey getting discovered, obviously.

Jay stays behind to "escort June and Webby". They've very much realized the switcheroo that Webby pulled and use their (thus far mostly benign) magic to switcheroo back.

They nod to June, explaining that they didn't say anything earlier so that Director Dad doesn't get on her case too bad about "failing".

After that, Jay kinda just goes off to hang out a bit. Drink some pep. Chill.

On the way to Webby's cell, she wakes up and takes out June. (Because of course she does. She's Webby.)

Cue the rest of the finale.

Right up until Dadford is fighting McDuck and his fam. Because now, he calls Jay forward, who kinda immobilizes the fam with their magic for a bit.

Dadford throws his employees into the death pit, but oh shock! He picks up to throw Jay in as well.

And he does. He does throw them in.

Luckily, Jay is a master at magical teleportation and nobody realizes they weren't, in fact, erased from existence.

Bla bla bla, scrooge signs the papyrus, "family is the greatest adventure of all", boom the other vilalins show up to defeat dadford once and for all.

But what's this? It's Jay, with a magical barrier, protecting her dad from being turned into a non-sentient vulture!

They teleport themself and Dadford outta there.

At this point they're assuming they got thrown in the pit as a sort of surprise/back up, to make everyone think FOWL was already defeated when they were still there and alive. Yknow, a backup plan.

They live on the street for a bit, but Jay manages to get a job, securing the two of them an aprtment.

Dadford doesn't rlly come out of his room for a while.

Jay gets it; having ur thirty year-long plan derailed like that couldn't be, yknow, pleasant.

At some point, Louie finds them at their job and basically blackmails them into helping him out during adventures. (They kinda hide in his shadow, basically/louie summons them, so when something particularly dangerous happens they can subtly magic it away.)

Dadford eventually emerges from his room and drops the bombshell we all already knew: he very much did intend to kill Jay that day.

Jay is kinda shellshocked. They sort of robotically just return to their routine; go to work.

Louie summons them to deal with an adventure again, and wouldn't u know it? Its an adventure in that hell dimension that Jay got stuck in as a kid.

This, coupled with the revelation that one of their dads tried to kill them, kinda makes them very uncareful. They get revealed to the rest of the family but manage to get everyone out of there.

They reveal that Louie's been blackmailing them and the fact dadford tried to actually kill them sorta spills out in the same, emotionally charged rant and to their surprise scrooge offers to allow them back in the mansion, despite everything.

Jay hesitantly accepts, but mentions that they would like to keep working their current job. This is agreeable to everyone.

Jay returns to their apartment later, under the cover of "going to work" and find dadford packing his things.

They're like, what r u doing? Where would u even go?

And he's like, idk, i'll dip into my grandma's account or smth, its not like u want me here anymore, what with the attempted murder.

And Jay's like, I didn't say that.

Stunned silence.

So anyway, Jay sighs and tells dadford he's allowed to stay at the apartment and that Jay will stay at the manor again.

This is how far ive gotten. If u have any ideas/thoughts/complaints, drop 'em somewhere i can see 'em!

If anyone's even read this far lol.

If u have, have a virtual cookie, you've earned it🍪

[legobiwan]

What do you think the rest of the mario crew thinks of luigis villains?

Oooh hoo hoo. Fun question, anon! I'll include my projected opinions of Bowser, Peach, Mario and maybe a little addendum of E. Gadd as they're the main players who would have definite and varying things to say about each villain.

Bowser

Antasma: Thinks he's an absolute pushover and annoying, to boot. 10/10 would join forces with and betray again as it was almost a little too easy.

King Boo: Is extremely wary of him and tries to avoid entering any deals or partnerships with him, as even Bowser thinks King Boo is seriously deranged and from the rumours he's heard from the Boos who immigrated to the Darklands, he is a petty, tyrannical, and insane ruler. (Not that Bowser isn't petty and tyrannical - at least in his own mind. But, in reality, Bowser is pretty fair according to Darklands culture and treats his minions well, even if he yells and stomps around a lot).

Dimentio: Hates him with a burning passion and wants a chance to go one on one with him, just so he can personally stuff a sock in the smooth-talking jester's mouth. Bowser is always open to less-than-healthy alliances for personal gain, but even he knows Dimentio is someone you do not do deals with if you want to live. But by the lava gods, would he love to dig him up from the River Twygz, just for the opportunity to bury him again.

Peach

Antasma: Frankly, to Peach, Antasma is another villain-of-the-week who kidnapped her. She has no patience for villains who rely solely on kidnapping as their modus operandi, it's insulting and she's over it. She'll, of course, keep an open line of communication with the Pi'illo Kingdom in case Antasma or someone similar tries to make a pass at the Dream Stone, which is a wildly dangerous artifact.

King Boo: Even though King Boo did kidnap her once, Peach holds less disdain for King Boo than Antasma, as, at least with King Boo, her imprisonment wasn't targeted solely on her. She has a healthy respect for King Boo's powers and does not want to get the Mushroom Kingdom entangled with whatever bizarre blood feud is going on between him and Luigi.

Dimentio: She's just glad he's (hopefully) dead. This hasn't stopped her from drafting up a contingency plan to account any reappearance, just in case. She considers him one of the most dangerous villains of all time and worse, due to the whole Chaos Heart fiasco, that contingency plan she's created? Strategies to contain Luigi are also in that plan, and she hates every word she has to dictate to her scribes.

Mario

Antasma: Hates him for the fact he managed to infiltrate his brother's dreams and not only violate his deepest thoughts, but bring Bowser along for that ride. Good riddance to bad rubbish, as the old saying goes.

King Boo: Wants. His. Head. On. A. Platter. (But also, that whole thing makes him doubt himself? He's supposed to the protector, not Luigi. And three times now, Mario has managed to fail and been taken captive by ghosts. He can't figure out why he's so ill-disposed to deal with the paranormal. He needs to fix it).

Dimentio: Mario simultaneously despises Dimentio and is also terrified of him, as he's one of the only bad guys he's never truly been able to kill. Sure, they brought down Super Dimentio (Mario doesn't want to think about that, the other way his brother was folded and stretched into a grotesque monster of the apocalypse), but even then, Dimentio had one last trick up his sleeve and if not for Count Bleck and Tippi, the worlds would have ended and that damned jester and his in-thrall brother would have been left kings of an empty universe. More than King Boo, the nightmare that returns to Mario again and again is Dimentio rising from Underwhere with dangerous, silky words, somehow convincing Luigi to join forces with him to reignite the Chaos Heart and bring reality crashing to an end.

Post-script: E. Gadd

I think of all the villains, E. Gadd would be most fascinated by Antasma. King Boo is a nuisance, one created - if he were to be honest with himself - in part due to his own negligence. He'll never know everything about ghosts, but he knows a damn lot after all these decades. But to traverse the world of dreams and use them to alter reality - that is something E. Gadd has not encountered before, and he would love to study Antasma's powers and see how they align with the brainwave charts he's taken in secret of Luigi.

[arkus-rhapsode]

Gaming Hot Take of the Day: I feel like companies and costumers really gotta do better with managing expectations.

Now look I’m a bit more lenient of fans cause in a lot of ways, fans enthusiasm is often what keeps a piece of media alive. You got a game like paper Mario TTYD and it’s almost 20 years old now. And for those 20 years you could only legally play it on a GameCube. Fans of that game kept it alive-they were the ones making fan art and games inspired by it (shout out to Bug Fables) hell it’s been a minute from my smash bros fanfic days but it was the first two paper Mario games I remember often being used as the world building for those fics interpretation of the mushroom kingdom.

But there’s recently been a miasma around the sales of the remake. Namely it’s not cracked two million despite all the time it’s been on the market. Now there are factors you can look at like it didn’t release in a holiday season, the switch is on its eighth year, and it’s a remaster which really tend to have a lack of enthusiasm compared to a brand new release.

But for a lot of Paper Mario fans, this game coming back was a holy grail-that if it returned that it would do incredibly well and send a message to corporate. And it did, in Nintendo’s own words, “solid.” Nothing spectacular but clearly not a failure. You can probably guess that like Metroid or DMC, the answer is this type of game does have a bit of a cap on people who are actually interested in dropping $60 for a game despite how iconic the property is.

However, we’re not just talking about luxury products were talking about art and art is often times is tied up in people’s emotions. And sometimes it can be disappointing when there are these great games that only do a fraction of something like Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. A game objectively broken and yet still makes bank. So yes, while I wish more fans were realistic about what a game “deserves,” I understand them. And I think their passion and enthusiasm keeps games alive.

But then there’s companies. Oh lord do I have some opinions on their unrealistic expectations. I know I harped on Nintendo but at the very least that’s a company that at least acknowledges anything of theirs that breaks a million is pretty decent. Meanwhile you got EA and Activision who just abandon properties people love in the name of evergreen money printing ventures.

And boy the marketing doesn’t help. There is so many game trailers these days that always feel kinda flat and I don’t know why I should invest in this. Or if it’s a story driven game where they spoil everything in the trailer.

Look I understand that these companies are businesses they can’t make 300 games at a time and expect to stay afloat. I’m not saying they need to revive every IP. But there’s gotta be some middle ground. I think a game can be a success if you manage your budget, man power, and development cycle more efficiently and pair it with decent marketing. Not everything will sell like Call of Duty and that’s okay. But no it’s always go big or go home.

There’s stuff you can do to mitigate some of this. Make games more accessible and available (Nintendo really needs this lesson) so that people have the opportunity to play these and become fans even if no new game happens. Focus on stronger marketing of what the game is about and what can be expected. Not just teasing with cinematic for an overly long hype cycle. If a game is gonna be exclusive to one system you’re probably gonna need to account for working with a limited user base (Hello Square Enix).

I think of myself as someone who is pretty good at managing my expectations, but that was something I had to do myself. Game companies sure didn’t do it for me.

[artycomicfangirl]

Couple Songs Playlist Headcanons - Mareach and Luaisy Edition

When I was more active in the JoJo’s Bizarre adventure community on Instagram around 2019-2022, I was part of the art and ocs community.

Many people started doing stuff like making Spotify playlists of songs that describe their Oc and other oc relationship aspects. I remember finding this SUPER fun to do. And I miss it. So, I decided to try it out with Mario and Peach first! (Just a teeny break from my much-loved Luaisy fixation!)

So without further ado, here’s a list of songs based on what I can find in my (Many) Spotify playlists. A bit challenging to find good ones!

This will have labels indicating indicating who’s mostly singing about who. Either one person referring to the other, or a Duet that includes both at the same time.

❤️MarioxPeach🍑

- Mario to Peach -

On one side, Mario would have the thought that Peach is simply so amazing. Someone so elegant, pure and beautiful. Someone just way out of his league. These thoughts would often show through hints of resistance at first. He and the Princess are just friends…right?

But the moment he fully accepts his feelings, he becomes so outspoken of his love. So some songs I’ve decided to choose from my playlist, tend to be about wondering if Peach feels for him, like he feels for her. A bit of doubt. But other than that, he shows protectiveness, Being her shield to danger. Also A bit more impulsive, energetic and upbeat in some parts. But with no matter what, he will always give her words of reassurance to make sure everything is okay.

• Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

• Dance - Tim Halperin

• Aquaman - Walk The Moon

• I’ll Always Return - Bryan Adams (Rock Version)

• Nintendo - Todd Carrey (This is more of a comedic tone to it haha)

- Peach to Mario -

Very sweet, reflective and thoughtful. The type of love that whenever she thinks of her hero, she gets so fluttery and bashful on the inside. She is more reserved her feelings though, so some songs may reflect her denying a bit. But ultimately, they all lead to just wholeheartedly accepting her feelings.

• Fallin’ for you - Colbie Callait

• Tightrope - Michelle Williams

• Lover - Taylor Swift

• Next to You - Jordin Sparks

• I feel the Earth Move - Olivia Ong

- Duets -

• The Fighter - Kieth Urban Ft Carrie Underwood

• Waiting for a Star to Fall - Boy Meets Girl

• Am I Feeling Love? - Steve Lively and Bobbi Page ( The Thief and The Cobbler unfinished film, titled ‘Arabian Knight’ for the Miramax version where this song is made.

———————————————————

💚LuigyXDaisy🌼

- Luigi to Daisy -

Luigi is the more sentimental type. One who thinks about the deeper meaning of his feelings. The one who’s able to find sweet comparisons and words when describing love with Daisy. He knows how timid he is. How easily scared he could be. Which is why He holds such admiration of how much of a free-spirited character she is. So some of his songs will reflect almost awe in her character. How much her presence alone just brings his feelings to life.

• Crush - David Archuleta

• Nothing I’ve ever known - Bryan Adams

• So Close - John Mclaughlin

• All That you are - Goo Goo Dolls

• Into the Night - Santana Ft Chad Kroger

- Daisy to Luigi -

The theme I tried to go with Daisy is of a supportive figure, or one that drives Luigi to improve and be the best of himself. Her words may seem to be a bit more forward with some songs. But mostly, she’s the one who has more of her feelings on her sleeve, and will have no problem expressing them more. She reflects more of the intense passion.

• Better When i’m Dancing - Meghan Trainor

• I’m Feeling You - Michelle Branch

• Brave - Sarah Bareilles

• My Superstar - Jessie J

• Kiss me Crazy - Kaci Battaglia

- Duets -

• Wild - Troy Sivan Ft Alesia Cara (A bit more of an intimate song?)

• At the Beginning - Richard Marx and Donna Lewis

• Don’t Let Go - Bryan Adams and Sarah Mclachlan

[supermetyna20]

Looking up at the starry skies Geno x reader

Just a very short fanfic for my favorite super mario rpg character Geno. I love him and I wrote something short and sweet. Hope you enjoy it!

This fanfic is also posted on Ao3.

---

The adventure was soon coming to its end. It has been a long journey to get this far. You have lived in the mushroom kingdom for a while now and when the smithy gang sent their wicked monsters to torment the poor toads, you helped Mario and Mallow to return the peace. Ever since then you joined in on the hunt for the star pieces and gained new allies.

Out of everyone, you found yourself enjoying the company of Geno. You know that isn’t his actual name and he is just borrowing that wooden action figure as a temporary vessel. But you find him to be rather easy to talk to. Strangely enough, even though he can seem cool and collected on the outside. He is rather adorable when he speaks so passionately about the Star road and about granting wishes.

You had always enjoyed the clear night sky yourself, stargazing was a hobby you enjoyed just fine, but until you started sharing it with Geno. You realize how much more you were enjoying each moment.

However as the saying goes, All good things must come eventually to an end. Nimbus land has been saved and tomorrow you will all venture to confront the Smithy gang.

It’s late in the evening and you find yourself unable to sleep. So you sneak out of the inn to take the rare opportunity to stargaze above the clouds. You sigh as you wander in the empty streets and you take in the sights of the detailed starry sky.

“Wow…” You breathe out, impressed by the sight. You make your way where the royal bus stop was and you sit down on the fluffy ground to admire the sky.

A familiar voice calls your name and you glance back to see Geno approaching you. “I noticed you were gone. How are you doing?” He asked and you smiled, patting the ground next to you. “I’m fine. Just doing some stargazing. Do you want to join me?” You asked and without hesitation Geno joined your side. 

He looked up towards the starry sky and after a brief silence, he looked at you. “I must say that it’s a rather beautiful view from above the clouds. It’s just such a shame that the wishes are not going to be granted.” Geno said solemnly and you nod in agreement. “Yeah, but we are going to fix that very soon. I, for one, can't stand for a world without wishes coming true.”

Geno reaches for your hand, squeezing it gently and you smile, thankful that the darkness hid your flushed cheeks. “Thank you. I am grateful to have you as my ally. But very soon I will be…” He hesitated to finish. But deep in your heart you know what he means.

A weight settles on your chest and you look towards the stars. You squeeze his hand. “I know you have to go back to the star road. I’m going to miss you.” You feel tears well up in your eyes and you bite your lip.

Geno wraps an arm around you and he hugs you. He sounded so remorseful. 

“I’m sorry. I wish I could stay a little longer. But I have to go back to my duties at the star road.”

You sigh and you gently squeeze him. “It’s not your fault Geno. But when we fix the star road, the next time I see a shooting star, I can make a wish for you to come back. If only for just one day or for a few hours.” 

Geno gently stroked your cheek and he chuckled. “That sure sounds nice. But you shouldn’t say your wishes out loud. What if they don’t come true?” He asked and you smirked. Shaking with laughter.

“You listen to wishes all the time up there, don’t you? What’s the difference to me telling you now?” 

Geno smiles and he squeezes you. “That’s true. You have got me there. If you make a wish for me to come visit. I’ll be sure to see it granted.”

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 17/06/2024

The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll

Season 6 Featured on: The Legend of Cage: Beneath the Mask Official Soundtrack

Ripped by Grambam36, Ashley, minindo, MJ, smileyshirt

Requested by crickqt! (Discord)

Y'know, I thought long and hard about what rip to return to the blog with, a month away from it all. At first I felt like doing something grand and triumphant, something truly important to the channel's legacy like a Season premiere or finale, something in the spirit of A love letter to this wonderful community and my amazing friends or File Select Fusion Collab. But then I started going down the opposite path, maybe to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Snowball Park - Super Mario 3D World post and by extension the one-year anniversary of this whole blog, I ought to feature something just as irony-filled, a subversion of all your expectations, a big meme-fest all around. That was appealing in some way, but both of these ideas felt like two opposite-end extremes of SiIvaGunner's whole, neither felt like the right way to truly embody what I love about the channel enough to be befitting for the blog's "revival." And it was then that I realized that the most explosive way I could return with was with something I'm truly passionate about, something I've had bubbling internally as something I've wanted to cover ever since the beginning, but never found the right opportunity to truly get into. A feature months in the making, is at last here.

That's right - it's time to finally talk about The Legend of Cage, and The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll.

A lot of what makes SiIvaGunner such a rewarding channel to follow is how well it remembers... just about every one of its thousands upon thousands of loose threads, ones woven since all the way back in 2016. It's as if every rip posted on the channel is bound to end up receiving some sort of tribute years down the line a la Violet Snow Memories, or alternatively rips lead to in-jokes perpetuated by individual rippers that then end up catching on as background gags alongside the channel's typical operations like with guess what​?​?​?​?​?​?​?​?. And due to its nature of allowing just about anything from anyone to be uploaded, Season 1 was when this was at its absolute peak - so many of the channel's ongoing running gags began all the way back during its first year due purely to the whims of individual rippers. The joke with The Legend of Cage stems from an in-joke with content creator Criken, wherein one thing led to another and after three years of development we'd end up receiving a texture pack wherein all faces in the game were replaced with variations of Nicholas Cage. The year was just the same as SiIvaGunner Season 1 - 2016 - and just a few weeks after the texture pack released, the joke breached the Vinesauce barrier through a stream by Vinny - and barely a week after that, the SiIvaGunner member kyokuP struck gold with Cage Town, First Day. It was hardly amidst Season 1's most popular videos - after all, it required knowledge of like three seperate rabbitholes of in-jokes and investment into Vinny Vinesauce's most recent streams at the time, but it was a bit that wound up sticking - as Season 1 progressed, more and more Majora's Mask videos wound up releasing, almost all of which continued the bit that kyokuP started.

Like a lot of these less-prominently-pushed Season 1 bits, it wound up falling to the wayside as the channel moved on with a more narrowed focus during Season 2. But, as is always the case, the SiIvaGunner team never forgets, there's always SOMEONE on there who's attached to the silliest of things - and one legend by the name of GramBam36 took it upon himself at the start of Season 3 to bring back The Legend of Cage-posting in full force. From Season 3 onward, due in huge part to the enthusiasm expressed by one of the channel's coolest rippers (seriously, this is now my 7th post on a Grambam36 rip, SUNGORE and this are only scratching the surface), one of the channel's most bizarre jokes was back on its feet - two years later, the original Criken bit, the Vinesauce stream that inspired it, had all been mostly forgotten, yet the show kept going on. Rip by rip, slowly, the soundtrack to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask grew closer and closer to completion, each of its many tracks given a Cage-ification due purely to the commitment to the bit. And, again, to reiterate: No special attention was being drawn to these rips whatsoever. Like with Collision Chaos Good Future JP [CD Beta Mix] and so many other nuggets in SiIvaGunner's back catalogue, this was purely a passion project underway as the channel's gears kept turning at standard speed. That was, at least, until the final stretch of Season 6, and the SiIvaGunner All-Star Nuclear Winter Festival.

The Nuclear Winter Festival (aka "DoomFes") is a whole other can of worms to get into that's far too large for the scope of this post, but the most important throughline to it (and the Season as a whole) was a sense of...bittersweet finality, for lack of a better word. We all knew deep down that the channel itself wasn't ending, but every part of DoomFes felt specifically focused on tying up loose ends, giving us closure to threads left dangling for all too long. The Metal Gear SGFR album, Paper Jams, the SiIvaGunner AI storyline a whole, all things that felt like coming full circle at long last - and, amidst it all, was a silly little event focused on a 6-year old channel in-joke finally reaching its climax. With The Legend of Cage: Beneath the Mask Official Soundtrack, and with The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll, it was finally time to finish off what was started all those years ago. The joke of putting Nicholas Cage textures into Majora's Mask had taken three years to realize - and after double that time, the SiIvaGunner team was at last able to match the texture pack's visuals with something just as quality in a full-soundtrack remix album, with The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll sitting as the proud crescendo to it all.

It's easy to forget all of this borderline-sappy lore when actually experiencing the rip in question - It is, for all intents and purposes, the culmination of six years worth of Cagey goodness. Led by Grambam36 alongside incredible rippers like minindo of Beautiful Dreamer fame, we're at last given a The Legend of Cage rip with full-on YTPMV visuals, in turn helping depict the rip as a journey throughout the entirety of Majora's Mask, as its medley-like nature of Majora's Mask Staff Roll theme allows it to revisit some of the all-time classic Cageposts very seamlessly. It feels celebratory, of course, due to the very tone of the Staff Roll theme in general, but also due to all the aforementioned context of where Cage-posting was on SiIvaGunner during Season 6 - this event, the one effectively marking its death, was the first time this dumb running gag had really been given special attention by the channel, yet that was part of what made it all so special. I wasn't an "avid" listener of these per se as someone who hasn't played Majora's Mask myself, but I knew of their existence, it always made me happy to keep seeing them crop up - and The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll was the most perfect sendoff these rips could've ever hoped to get.

There's so much to dig into with the rip's quality itself that I don't know where to begin. The rip's opening is front-loaded with such well-done adaptions of iconic Cage sounds, the "Can-can-I get my prescription, PLEASE!!" interlude has stuck with my head ever since I first heard the rip and it only continues from there with Cage sounds being used for just about every part of the original song, the lead, the percussion, the accents, everything. Particularly in this opening section, it slots into my absolute favorite flavor of YTPMV a la The Streamer, where vocal bits from the sources used are audible to a degree where you could reasonably sing along to the song being used. It's all just as much of a delight to hear here, going through the classics of "NOT THE BEES", "A-B-C-D-E-F-K", "Prickly Pear" - yet the rip, as a collab ought to do, escalates into really fun alternate takes on Cageposting, with different visuals, different samples used in different ways, yet all still celebrating the meme's weird yet ever-present legacy on the channel.

Even a year and a half removed from The Legend of Cage's official first and last tribute on SiIvaGunner, I'm still not quite sure where it sits with the fans. The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll, as the most perfect distillation of everything the project ever aimed to be with fantastic visuals to boot, only barely cracked ten thousand views - the original Cagepost that started it all in Season 1 still just below fifty thousand. It was, contrary to the sounds used within the rips themselves, never the loudest meme, nor a very intrusive one, yet it was part of a running gag that was just so fun to see still go on years after its intended legacy passed, with SiIvaGunner's band of YTPMVs teaming up to finish the fight that a bored Season 1 contributed started. Even though it was far from the most popular gag, Grambam36 remembered and absolutely ran with it: and that, to me, is the kind of energy you can only truly get here on SiIvaGunner.

(( And, of course, the kind of energy you'll find with many of its lunatic fans, like myself ;] ))

[creativesnek]

Going Against the Current: Chapter 1

  Flicking through pages, the Koopa King scrolled through a large leatherbound book with a broad smile. Pictures of flowers, banquet menus, location brochures, and other miscellaneous objects. This may as well be the most guarded document in his office; after all, it holds all the details for his and Luigi’s wedding!

            It felt like only yesterday that the two started dating. Six years ago, Bowser realized he couldn't keep doing this. He couldn’t continue this life of villainy and kidnapping. He was missing out on his kids’ lives, his citizens were losing respect for him, and the constant defeat just kept making his mental health worse and worse. After failing to wed Peach in the Moon Kingdom, Bowser got stuck there for a little while (his warship suffered from an engine malfunction) and during his brief exile, he stopped for once in his life to think.

           The Mushroom Kingdom may have resources, yeah, but… Bowser doesn’t really need them, his home country is quite sufficient. None of the other kingdoms and nations want anything to do with him because of his behavior, which was once again for a useless reason: he doesn’t like Peach. Well, not romantically at least; don’t get him wrong, Princess Toadstool seems like a lovely lady, and Mario’s one lucky bastard to have her. But, on that lunar surface, he realized he went off the deep end over a crush, a half-baked attraction towards her.

           Bowser has some experience in the romance department (otherwise, how would Junior have come to be?) but… shit happened. Things didn’t go well, a divorce occurred and ever since then, the king has just been afraid to date again. And then he saw Peach and half-assed courted her like an idiot; ego bruised by her well-deserved rejection birthed the familiar villainous routine of today. After pondering all of this, Bowser decided to call it quits. He returned to the Darklands and focused on what he should be doing: taking care of his kingdom and his kids. After several months of peace, Bowser started feeling better. He was actually there for his kids and all their craziness, his kingdom was relieved to have their king again. Hell, he even started hitting the gym properly again and got himself a much-needed hobby.

          And then Luigi came in. Due to his inactivity, Peach became concerned (read: suspicious) and sent the little man to investigate; she didn’t send Mario because he was helping out with an oil spill in Lake Lapcat. Bowser vividly remembers he was sitting in his throne room, listening to a citizen’s grievances when suddenly a guard burst in with Luigi in a floating cage. The king visibly panicked and ordered his immediate release; after clearing out the confusion, the human in green explained his intentions. While he was a little hurt, Bowser understood where Peach was coming from and subsequently told him that he was done. No more kidnappings, no more elaborate schemes. He just wants to be a good father and a good king.

         Most shocking of all? Luigi believed him without hesitation. His eyes had glimmered with joy and pride like he knew Bowser would someday come around and redeem himself; the reaction was refreshing, to put it mildly. Armed with his response, Luigi respectfully exited his kingdom.

Then he kept coming back.

            At first, Bowser felt like they appointed him as some parole officer, periodically coming in to make sure he was actually staying out of trouble. However, every time Luigi visited, he revealed it was out of his own volition; in fact, Mario and the princess had no idea this was happening. He’d bring homemade snacks and talk to him during his breaks; the Koopa King learned a lot about Luigi. He has a passion for cooking and embroidery; despite his naturally anxious nature, he seemed to enjoy his company. And hey, someone who can kick King Boo’s ass was someone deserving of being his friend in his book! It didn’t take long for the king to realize how charming and heartwarming Luigi was and soon enough, Bowser was whipped. And being the boisterous creature he is, he made it blatantly obvious.

            He started out small, gave a compliment here, perhaps reached for his hand there; he was being cautious, he was heartbroken once after all. Bowser would gladly welcome him into his home, practically letting him roam free. He slowly opened himself up to Luigi, indulging him with information he hasn’t really shared with anyone. How he was basically given the throne after his parents were overthrown, how he’s trying to be a better ruler and father for his kids’ sake. When he told Luigi about his turbulent, short-lived marriage, the human hugged him without hesitation, sensing his distress. The understanding, the care for him… It fueled Bowser’s determination to court the human and do so properly.

He’d make or buy Luigi gifts and compliment him.

Bowser gave him special privileges and sometimes took him on “diplomatic” trips to other kingdoms as his ambassador.

            At first, the Italian seemed oblivious, which gave the mighty king deep bouts of anxiety. His kids knew he liked him (correction: the whole castle knew about his feelings) and even placed bets on who would confess first. However, one day, after 2 months of flirting with him, Luigi basically stormed through the castle and into his bedchambers, still dressed in his pajamas and his ghost dog hot on his heels.

“You’ve been flirting with me, haven’t you…”

Gods, he loves this man, but he can be so dense sometimes…

And he still remembers his half-asleep response. 

“Ye.”

            Luigi looked like his brain fried. He stood there for what felt like an eternity; Bowser had even fallen back asleep while sitting, waiting for his response. He was startled-awake when Luigi tackled-hugged him and pretty much confessed while in his arms. The Koopa’s tail had wagged so much, it sounded like a rotor. And waking up with his love in his arms the morning after was the best feeling in the world.

            Maneuvering their relationship took time and finesse since there were some issues. For one, they had previously been enemies and, even though his beef was mainly with Mario, people would be disapproving of their relationship; so, they kept it secret for a while. It was challenging, especially for Bowser since he just wanted to pick up Luigi and shout to the world that this was his boyfriend.

Another problem was their physical differences. Bowser never felt more aware of his size than when he started dating Luigi; after all, he was a full three feet taller, a mountain of muscle and sharp teeth. The royal suddenly became afraid of even holding Luigi’s hand for fear of crushing him. It got to the point that the touch-starved pistachio grabbed his face one day and, in a rather terrifying yet weirdly titillating voice, said. 

“Hug me. Cuddle with me. Hell, PLEASE carry me! Just- anything!”

            Learning to communicate and safely show affection was nerve-wracking but rewarding in the end. Luigi grew accustomed to co-parenting rather quickly; although, Bowser doesn’t know how since he went from having 0 to 8 kids at once. Nevertheless, he did. The castle staff adored his company and treated him like a king. And just like that, six years passed. The two were in a deeply committed relationship and went public roughly four years ago; there was a bit of backlash but that wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was how accepting Mario was of them.

“Who wouldn’t fall for my bro?” he said while chuckling. “He’s happy, right? Why wouldn’t I support that? Plus, it means no more kidnapping of my amore.”

            Bowser chuckled at the memories and softly closed the book. He’s been planning the proposal but every time he looked at the wedding plans, something felt off. Incomplete. It wasn’t the most extravagant wedding in the world since he wanted to respect Luigi’s more modest and quiet nature, but something told him that wasn’t the issue. The theme was perfect, he picked L’s favorite flowers and planned on the event taking place right here in the capital. He mulled over the details over and over again, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. 

            Sighing, the king slowed up and exited his office. As he traversed the lava-lit halls of his castle, he listened to the sound of life. Servants scampered around the corridors, keeping up the palace’s appearance; he could hear the chefs working in the kitchen, and the scent of warm meals floated in the air. Moving on, he entered the castle’s living spaces and made a beeline for Luigi’s room, tail wagging. The king approached the door and slightly opened it.

            Luigi was seated at his desk, working a piece of fabric through a sewing machine. Fully engrossed in his work, he failed to notice his royal boyfriend. Spools of fabric lined the walls, along with mannequins of all shapes and sizes. Racks of finished projects stood neatly in the corner. With a flourish of the wrist, the dashing Italian removed the fabric from the sewing machine and smiled at his work; a shimmering navy blue skirt with silver lining. Luigi softly rubbed the fabric, then placed it on one of the racks. 

            Bower rapped his knuckle on the door, making his presence known. Luigi looked up and smiled at him, waving him to come inside. The king obliged, cautiously stepping inside and ensuring his spikes were far away from the delicate material; he was not going to ruin his beloved’s work. Gently wrapping a hand on his hip, he pulled himself closer to Luigi. “Hi.”

“Ciao, amore. Haven’t seen you since lunch; is everything okay?”

Bowser nuzzled against him. “Yeah, a few of my minions needed help with something.”

            Convinced by his response, the little man in green reached up and scratched his chin; the king purred at his touch. It’s astonishing how this human can cause the Great Demon King to melt at his touch. Bowser would do anything for his husband-to-be; it could be something as simple as his own sewing room to his own galaxy. No matter what, he will make him happy. 

Because in his eyes, Luigi deserves the world. 

“What’s that for?” he asked between purrs and gesturing at the skirt. 

            Luigi pulled his hand away (much to his disappointment) and reached for it. Upon analyzing the piece of clothing, Bowser realized the sparkles resembled stars. Luigi dusted it off, “Rosalina commissioned this. She said she needed it for some event that’s coming up,” he replied. Bowser struggled to keep his face neutral.

So, she finally got my letter…

            Geez, getting in contact with the celestial sorceress had been an absolute nightmare, even more so because he had to be discreet. It was also very awkward considering the chaos he caused a few years ago with the whole “make his own galaxy” scheme. Bowser looked at the other outfits, “Are you planning on wearing some of these? They look amazing!” His significant other blushed at his comment.

“I’m thinking about it. But there’s been a lot of eyes on me lately…”

            Bowser frowned slightly. While he was completely comfortable with Luigi wearing dresses, he knew the public would not be so kind. It saddened and angered him that his partner could not express himself as freely as he should be able to. The castle staff were okay with this and made sure to keep this a secret at Luigi’s request, but that’s as public as he was comfortable going. Bowser isn’t even sure if Mario knows about this, and that’s his twin brother! He knows Red enough to know he wouldn’t be judgemental, but Luigi was still apprehensive. 

            A small knot of guilt formed in his chest. Citizens have been anxiously awaiting the day the two finally tie the knot. And as the king’s consort, eyes are going to be on him, searching for even the slightest hint of an engagement. Bowser felt responsible for all that; he knows Luigi was not a fan of the publicity. And his bravery can only stretch so far…

Wait.

            The Koopa King looked at the articles of clothing, very delicately touching them as he began to think. Luigi was brave, there was no doubt about it. But it depended on the situation. Fighting against boos was drastically different from challenging societal norms. However, Bowser’s form of bravery was consistent across the board. He could give two shits about what society thought of him; he only cared about what his family thought of him. Everyone else? Only enough that his kingdom can stay afloat. Does this attitude bite him in the ass sometimes? Most definitely. But, for what he has planned, it might work out just fine. 

And without skipping a beat, he turned to Luigi. “Babe.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask ya somethin’?”

Luigi put a hand on his chest, “Of course!”

“I want you to make me a dress.”