#Luigi went to a Mansion where should Mario go

[hall0wedwyrm]

Only Scott would think 'let me make a fake game about my movie only to prank everyone and allow me to make a bunch of jokes'.

Literally the best type of Fnaf games.

[silenzahra]

❤️ Without him 💚

Ahh, my beloved @megamagimugi... Did you think that I only had ONE birthday present for you? 😌🎂

Turns out that, a while back, when you posted this, I knew that someday I'd want to write something inspired by it. Then you also made this (specifically Mario's drawing) and, well, my mind got to work 🤭

And finally, after working non-stop for the last couple of weeks, I'm delighted to present you a fic entirely inspired by your amazing and astounding art 😄🎉

I really hope you'll enjoy this both as a birthday present and a Mar10 Day celebration, dear friend! A couple of warnings though: this has a few TW that I'll list in a minute, and it's LONG. I remember you telling me I should let my stories grow as much as they need so... I did 🤭 So please make sure to take all the time you need and, maybe, grab a drink or a snack. Enjoy! 💖

I hope it's okay that I tag some friends who might be interested, but of course it's totally fine if you'd rather skip this one for whatever reason 💖 @vulpixfairy1985 @smokszyvverstar @bberetd (only if you want to, my dear bestie 🫂💖) @pepperycar @stripetkattelalala54-gf (at your own time of course 💖) @itsavee4117 @dragon-fly34 @roscolate @doodleydoo101

Without further ado, get ready for some brotherly angst... and love ❤️💚

TW: Blood, injuries, mourning, character death

✨ AO3 LINK ✨

Click to keep reading down below 👇🏻💖

❤️ Without him 💚

It’s still dark when Luigi emerges from the mansion.

Or perhaps sunlight never reaches this cursed area.

Luigi doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything anymore.

Trying not to drop anything he’s carrying in his arms, he just walks towards the outside of the building.

His heart feels heavy on his chest.

It’s all been a lie.

King Boo has been making fun of him from the start.

Mario is dead.

Luigi is unable to utter these words when he meets Professor E. Gadd in his laboratory to return the Poltergust 3000. Even so, the fact that he’s returned alone, as well as his somewhat robotic attitude and his reluctance to speak, are enough for the scientist to understand what’s happened without Luigi having to openly say it. Still, he decides not to stay to listen to whatever the old man was planning to say in order to try to console him. What for?

He just wants to mourn his beloved brother in peace.

He doesn't even mind where. He just knows that he wants to be alone, to leave this horrible place behind, to go away and never look back.

With narrowed eyes and his mouth a thin line, Luigi heads out of the laboratory. He doesn't bother to turn around to give one last glance at the iron door he crossed just a few seconds before, behind which now there’s only an empty lot whose atmosphere, however, is still disturbing. Luigi simply walks away from it with his arms full, his face impassive, his body numb, unable to sense the discomfort of the few scratches and blows he’s received while battling the ghosts, nor the tiredness that’s gradually taken hold of him as the night progressed.

Nevertheless, his throat...

Luigi doesn’t know when it appeared, but he feels a lump in his throat that just keeps growing. Knowing that he won’t be able to contain it for much longer, the plumber decides to sit on the gnarled root of a tree and slowly arranges the objects he was carrying in his arms around him.

One by one, he observes all of Mario's belongings that he’s collected during the night and which, unbeknownst to him at the time, would end up being the last things he’d have left of his twin. They were what he held on to in search of a glimmer of hope as he wandered through the mansion alone, thinking only of the moment when he’d finally find his sibling and, after making sure he was fine and safe, he could give him back everything he’d lost. A shoe, an ordinary one, just like the ones he wears. A glove, also like his, but a bit wider and a little wet. A star, which he himself insisted that Mario take with him when he went to explore the house on his own, so that he could protect himself if necessary, but which he didn’t have time to use before...

The twinge in his chest is so intense that Luigi is forced to squeeze his eyelids and lips with all his might. No matter how hard he tries to avoid it, his treacherous mind shows him the images of what must have happened: Mario, arriving alone at the manor, ready to inspect it and make sure it wasn't a trap, is suddenly attacked by a horde of Boos. They’re so numerous that his poor brother barely has time to notice their presence before several of them seize his arms and legs to prevent him from trying to defend himself. The star rests in his back pocket, longing to be utilized and turn its owner invincible.

But the Boos are stronger when they are united.

Mario didn't stand a chance.

The first tears begin to escape from the corners of Luigi's eyes and slide down his cheeks. The plumber doesn’t hold back the accompanying sob, which is followed by several more as his heart slowly bleeds. His shoulders shake and he brings a hand to his face while, with the other, he presses the last two objects he has left of his older sibling against his chest with all his might.

The hat. Luigi was surprised to find it in the washing machine, as at home he’s in the habit of washing both his clothes and Mario's by hand, but he simply took it to Madame Clairvoya as soon as he had the opportunity so that she could reveal something about the whereabouts of his twin. Now, Luigi not only understands that everything the ghost told him was a lie, but he also feels sad that the cap is so clean. It retains none of his brother's warmth, not even a single strand of hair, which was a shade of brown slightly lighter than his own.

Luigi is grateful to keep the garment, but, for him, it’s as if it never belonged to Mario.

And then there's the letter. Literally the last words his twin wrote to him. Coming from Mario, it could only be yet another attempt to protect him: “Look out for Boos, Luigi!” How did he manage to write it if the specters ambushed him? Why didn't he think of using the star to defend himself first? Maybe that way he could have escaped...

But no. Mario's priority was always to protect Luigi. Always.

Until the last second of his life.

Salty rivers flow from Luigi's eyes without any control. His body shakes in harsh convulsions while, deep inside, his shattered heart cries, tearing his soul apart. His soul, which will never be whole again, which has been broken forever. Mario... What will Luigi do now without him? How will he be able to go on without his sibling by his side? They’ve been together since they were born, they’ve never spent more than a few hours apart, they’ve always had each other's backs.

Especially Mario.

Never in his life had Luigi felt so useless.

What has he ever done for Mario? He never defended him, not in the same way that his brother defended him. He never got involved in a fight to protect him. He never had the courage to stand up to those who made fun of him, or rather, to them, because they always went for Luigi first and, as soon as Mario got involved, they turned to him.

But Luigi, despite the rage that welled up inside him and mingled with his fear, was never able to intervene.

And now he’ll never have the chance to try.

Heartbroken, he once again berates himself for all the mistakes he’s made that have led to this situation. First of all, how could he have been so stupid as to believe he had won a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere when he hadn't even entered a contest? Of course it was a trap! And of course Mario, much more battle-hardened than him, sensed it from the start.

And of course he’d do everything in his power to protect his younger twin.

Luigi sniffs, his face soaking, but he doesn't bother to wipe it. He doesn't want to let go of his brother's hat or letter. He wants them to remain close to his heart, as a way of keeping Mario's memory alive.

And also, perhaps, to lessen the guilt.

Because the biggest mistake Luigi made was to allow his sibling to go to the house alone.

Because of him, Mario fell right into the trap set for him by the Boos.

Because of him, Mario had no chance to defend himself.

Because of him, Mario is dead.

And Luigi will never be able to forgive himself for it.

Perhaps, if he had insisted more, his twin would’ve been happy for them to go together. Perhaps, if he had been with him, Luigi could’ve tried to protect him in some way. Perhaps he could’ve freed him from the clutches of the Boos. Perhaps he could’ve thrown him out of the building, away from the reach of the phantoms. Perhaps he could’ve saved him even at the cost of his own life.

Luigi would gladly give up his last breath if it meant bringing Mario back.

But who is he trying to fool? If he wasn’t able to face human aggressors in the past, how could he possibly muster the courage to do so with the Boos? Particularly considering how much he fears ghosts... Besides, he's not as strong as Mario. In fact, he’s quite the opposite: weak and faint-hearted. What could he have done against a legion of specters? He didn't even have the Poltergust 3000 when he arrived at the mansion.

Not that it helped him much.

Yes, in the end he captured the Boos, but one by one. Yes, he also defeated Boolossus, but, again, he did it by splitting him up with those ice statues so he could catch each spirit separately. And, yes, he beat King Boo. Despite the grief and pain that surged from the depths of his soul as soon as he heard the terrible truth, for once, anger took over and Luigi was finally able to trap his enemy.

And for what? For nothing. It was all in vain.

Mario was dead all along.

---------------------------------------------------

Mario wasn't expecting the ambush.

The Boos caught him completely off guard. They appeared from everywhere, illuminating the hall of the manor with their glimmering shine and pouncing on him before he even had time to understand what was happening. Despite his good reflexes, which helped him dodge the first Boos, Mario was being overpowered.

He fought tooth and nail. He punched and kicked as he ran and jumped, trying to reach the main door of the house, from which he had made the mistake of moving away. He only had to go down the stairs, maybe he could even buy some time if he tried to hang from the central lamp. Not having much time to decide, the plumber put his idea into action.

Two Boos intercepted him in mid-leap and Mario suddenly found himself floating upside down, held only by the leg of his overalls. The shrill cackles of the specters echoed around him. What the hell was going on? Why didn't those Boos turn around as soon as he looked at them, as happened in the haunted mansions he explored in some of his previous adventures?

Where had these ghosts come from?

“Let go!” he yelled, enraged.

He shook himself violently and even tried to reach the beings with his hands, trying to bend his body as far as possible, but the Boos would not allow it. Unexpectedly, they swung him before launching him into the air, which drew a shriek of terror from him as he feared fracturing something as soon as he hit the floor.

But then other Boos caught him, this time holding his arms sternly to prevent him from twisting. Mario, of course, put up a fight, eager to break free just so he could escape from there and hurry to warn Luigi. His brother was on his way to the manor. He had to stop him from setting foot in this ghost-infested place!

However, as soon as he realized how the remaining Boos were gathering in front of him like a swarm of bees, Mario stopped resisting, confused by the spirits’ attitude. Silently, he watched as these tiny and not at all scary Boos merged to form a single, enormous, round one, with a mocking expression that it fixed on him right away. Mario gasped, startled, unable to comprehend what his eyes were witnessing, and he couldn't contain the chill that ran through him when the newly formed specter’s glance flashed with pure malice, blazing like lightning.

The first blow, and the most lacerating, was to the eye. It was so fast, so sudden, that he didn't even have time to close it. Pain shot through his head as if a knife had been viciously plunged into his skull, and he was unable to contain the scream that escaped his throat. Instantly, the laughter of the Boos who were still grasping him flooded his ears, together with the guttural guffaw emitted by the enormous being that had just hit him. Mario barely had a moment to catch his breath before it attacked him again, this time in the stomach. When the Boos released him without warning, the plumber couldn't even shout as he plunged to the ground.

He fell on the stair landing with a dull thud, his nose hitting just above a step, so that the skin over his upper lip took the blow. He could barely utter a soft groan even though his whole frame felt the impact, but there was no air left in his lungs. He soon felt blood running down from under his moustache to his mouth. He was unable to try to raise his arm to wipe it away.

But the Boos were not done with him.

Mario felt a cold, ghostly hand grab his shoulder and force him to turn around without any care, so that his damaged body was left shoddily leaning against the wall of the hallway. Mario inhaled, trying to shake away drowsiness, and managed to focus his gaze just in time.

The huge Boo was hurtling towards him at full speed.

With a cry, Mario forced himself to cling to the steps beside him and held on to them to pull his frame. He tried to move his knees too and clambered awkwardly on all fours to dodge the attack, unable to stand up.

Although he managed to avoid the blow, as he struggled to get up, he felt the same spectral hand grab his ankle. Mario screamed and clung with all his might to the railing at the top. He shook and swung his foot up and down, without stopping for a second, angry and fed up at the same time, until he finally felt the extremity slip down his foot. It was taking off his shoe, but he didn't mind. He had to escape.

Finally, with one last jolt, Mario managed to free himself and hastily got to his feet. With one bare foot, his white and green striped sock being the only thing protecting him from the cold floor, he ran towards the double door in front of him, opened it in a hurry and went through, then rushed to close it behind him. He wasn't sure that a door would be an effective barrier against spirits, but he had to try.

He had to warn Luigi.

Breathless, his heart racing, Mario fell backwards against the door he had just gone through and began to rummage through his pockets. In his left pocket he found his pen and in his right pocket he found his notebook, which he always carried with him in case they received an unexpected call and he had to write down the details of a client who required the plumbing services that he and Luigi offered.

Never in his life had he appreciated having them so much as then.

With his hands trembling and blood starting to drip down his chin, Mario began to turn the pages. His eye still hurt a lot and he was sure that the damned being had caused him some serious damage, but he forced himself to try to open it to see something in that half-dark room. In the middle of his race, he hadn't even stopped to examine it, and he barely raised his head at that moment, just enough to make out a couple of candles whose faint light provided too dim an illumination for his injured eye.

But it would have to be enough. He had to warn Luigi.

If he was going to die there, if those Boos weren't going to let him reach the exit, he would at least try to leave a note for his twin as close as possible to the entrance door.

The handwriting came out crooked and somewhat shaky due to his state of nerves, but he didn't let that stop him. As soon as he had written his warning, he tore the page out of the notebook and pressed it against his chest. He needed a plan. He needed to reach the exit, either to escape or at least to be able to leave the note somewhere where Luigi, hopefully, would see it.

Hopefully, he thought, his little brother would have thought twice and would not go to the mansion.

Mario couldn't even imagine the fear Luigi would feel upon encountering such a dark, gloomy place, and, to top it all, one plagued by ghosts. He himself felt terrified, as he would’ve never expected the Boos to be so violent.

He desperately wanted to get out of there. He wanted to leave and not look back. He wanted to find Luigi before he set foot in that damn house and return home together.

He didn't want to spend another second without him.

Determined, Mario got back on his feet. He was still clutching the note to his chest when he put his ear to the double door, trying to hear something. He chose to ignore his surroundings completely, as he had no interest in discovering anything more about that house. He was resolved to leave, whatever the cost, or at the very least, to make sure that Luigi was kept safe, even at the cost of his own life.

Neglecting what was around him was the biggest mistake he made.

Once again, he didn't see the blow coming. He only felt something hard and heavy fall on his head, so violent and savage that the searing pain caused him to lose his sight in a matter of seconds. Before his body hit the carpeted floor of the building, Mario had already lost consciousness.

---------------------------------------------------

Luigi wonders if he’ll ever run out of tears. If his heart will ever stop aching as if a claw were squeezing it with all its might.

If he’ll ever learn to live without Mario. If he’ll ever stop mourning his absence.

If he’ll ever be able to forgive himself.

He knows with absolute certainty that the answer to all these questions is no.

His throat hurts like hell because of the loud, choking sobs that come out of it, which have been increasing, hand in hand with the anguish that floods his soul and has spread throughout his entire anatomy. The crying tears him apart inside and threatens to break his sternum in two halves. He doesn't care. It seems like little punishment to him. It’s too small a price to pay for being the main person responsible for the murder of his sibling.

“Oh, Mario...” he murmurs, his weeping unstoppable.

The loneliness was already weighing on him in the mansion, having to face all those ghosts on his own, but he did it for Mario and would do it again if it meant bringing him back.

But spending the rest of his days alone knowing that it’s his fault that his brother is no longer there...

What will he do now without him?

His anguish prevents him from hearing the creaking of the door to the professor's laboratory. The hurried footsteps on the ground, some of them somewhat muffled. Not even the approaching rapid gasps. The pain has plunged him into a dark and impenetrable world in which there’s no room for anything other than guilt and sadness, suffering and hopelessness.

However, there is something that does manage to make its way into the darkness of his mind.

The only thing that could.

“Lu?”

With a start, Luigi falls silent as he opens his eyes. He holds his breath as he makes out a figure in front of him, a silhouette trimmed against the gloom of the forest. He has to blink several times, though, until his vision, clouded and blurred, clears up enough, and then, silently, he looks up slightly and observes what is before him.

But he cannot believe what he sees.

No. His eyes are deceiving him, as are his ears.

It's not real. It can't be real.

Luigi shrinks. He’s undoubtedly in the presence of a spirit. A spirit that has somehow escaped from the mansion that has become its tomb and, full of a wholly justified thirst for revenge, is ready to torment him until the end of his days.

A spirit that, nevertheless, seems very solid and... is it panting?

Luigi swallows, unable to believe it. He notices the tear in the specter’s red shirt, more or less at the height of the elbow of his left arm, where a bloody wound stands out. He notices the naked hand at the end of it, also covered in blood. He notices the dirt on his overalls. He notices his green and white striped sock, visible because his right shoe is missing, stained with dirt, earth and a few drops of blood.

Slowly, Luigi lets out an exhalation as he raises his head with wide open eyes. He then sees that the supposed ghost, his hair tangled and messy, is smiling at him. A somewhat strange smile, because he has a black eye, a bruise on his cheek and blood. Blood that rises from his forehead and rushes towards his damaged eye, and blood that spurts out from just below his mustache and drips down his chin.

But it's still a smile, after all.

Then, the spirit of his brother, puffing less and less, holds out a hand to him.

“Lu,” he says again.

His voice doesn’t sound guttural or shrill, as one might expect from a specter. On the contrary. Luigi believes that he could touch the warmth and affection that oozes from the tone of Mario's ghost.

Mario's ghost.

His heart skips a beat.

He really is seeing Mario in front of him. His twin really is grinning at him. He really has held out an arm, and Luigi suddenly discerns just how close his fingers are to his face.  Ignoring the dirt on the only glove Mario is wearing, all Luigi manages to do is keep the letter in one hand while, with the other, he places Mario’s lost hat on his sibling’s palm.

The giggle he emits as he grabs the cap also sounds very real. As authentic as that of the real Mario.

Like when he was alive.

As he watches the being lay the hat on his tousled curls, Luigi tells himself that, given that Mario was murdered when he was missing all these objects and, no doubt, put up a fight against the Boos, it makes sense that his spirit would manifest itself in this way: gloveless, hatless, shoeless, and looking like he's been beaten up.

His heart shrinks even further in his chest. How unfair that this was how Mario’s life ended. How angry he feels that he wasn’t able to do something to help him.

How ashamed he feels for not having been at his side so that, at least, Mario wouldn’t have had to go through that hell without him.

He’s the worst younger brother in existence.

He barely perceives the new tear staining his right cheek. He simply blinks as the specter, after adjusting his hat, turns his attention back to him. Luigi barely has time to behold him for a moment, his soul shrieking with hope at the sight of his twin, hat and all, being again in front of him, when, once again, his sibling, or what’s left of him, holds out his hand to him. Without hesitation.

This time, Luigi doesn't know whether he should give him the letter, or maybe the star, or perhaps the glove. So, undecided, he stares for a few seconds at Mario's outstretched limb before, uncertain, looking up at his face. His brother, despite the blood, despite the bruises, gives him a broad and sincere smile, the affection he has for him shining in his only open eye. As blue as the midday sky and as bright as when he was...

Alive.

-------------------------------------------------------

Even though he couldn’t know it then, Mario was about to face a long and agonizing captivity.

He remembered, even before opening his only healthy eye, the pain hammering at his skull and causing him excruciating dizziness. He remembered noting the blood sliding down his forehead. He remembered noticing the lack of his hat and the glove on his left hand when, in a futile attempt to mitigate his suffering, he massaged his temples.

He remembered the vision of an empty and lonely world, where fire danced in the dark sky and, all around him, there was only an endless stone pavement, with no trace of buildings, trees or any other living thing. He remembered the feeling of being lost and alone, the hopelessness of realizing that no matter how far he went, he never got anywhere, the fear of never being able to find a way out. He remembered the stale, almost unbreathable air and the dim light, to which his good eye soon became accustomed. He remembered the physical pain of all his wounds, his body complaining with every step he took, but above all, he remembered the panic that took hold of his soul.

The dread of never seeing his sibling again, of having to spend the rest of his days in that strange and horrendous place without him, overcame everything else.

Mario simply walked, unwilling to give up, ignoring his bare foot. He had to get out of there, he had to go back to Luigi, he had to stop the Boos from doing the same damage to his twin as they had done to him. He deeply regretted not having found a way to get the message to Luigi before the damn ghosts attacked him. Because of them, not only had he been unable to warn his brother, but now he was also bleeding from his head. He didn't care, although this time he did try to wipe the blood from his forehead with his sleeve, and also from his chin.

When Bowser fell on his back with a tremendous noise that destabilized him, it took him by surprise just like the Boos attack.

What the hell was the Koopa King doing there? Was he in cahoots with the specters? Mario didn't have much time to think about it, as Bowser immediately attacked him with his fire. He felt tremendously stupid when he recalled, in his eagerness to find a way to beat him, that Luigi, always so cautious, had insisted that he at least take a power-up with him before leaving home in case he needed to defend himself. How right his younger sibling always was and how grateful Mario was to have him. Maybe he could have used it against the Boos, he thought, berating himself, but he’d been so worried about escaping and warning Luigi that it hadn't even crossed his mind that he had a power-up that would give him the advantage.

Until, rummaging in his back pocket, he found it empty.

Those damn Boos!

His hat, his glove, his shoe, the letter he wrote to warn Luigi, and now his star too? Mario grumbled under his breath, feeling very guilty and useless for letting himself be knocked out so easily. He should have resisted more. The damn spirits had taken advantage of his incompetence and had made sure to leave him as helpless and defenseless as possible.

Equally frustrated and scared, Mario realized that he was going to have to face his archenemy the old-fashioned way. He was aware that he wasn’t in the best condition for a battle, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. Without a second thought, he began to run around Bowser to throw him off, but to his surprise, King Koopa, cackling, started to turn on the spot and didn’t take his eyes off him for an instant. Damn it, the plumber thought, annoyed. It seemed that his old tricks would no longer work...

Suddenly Bowser's head detached from the rest of his body.

Mario shrieked and fell backwards, horrified. He watched, with his good eye wide open, as the head floated on its own while the lower part stayed behind, and in the midst of his terror he was perplexed to discern that there was no blood anywhere.

What on earth was going on? What kind of twisted nightmare was this?

He got his answer when, from inside Bowser's neck, a Boo emerged, bigger and chubbier than the one that had attacked him in the mansion hall. It wore a crown with a brilliant ruby on its head, which sparkled as it reflected the glow of the burning sky. Its crooked smile revealed pointed fangs and a blue tongue, and its eyes, red and gleaming, fixed on Mario with a flash of hatred that made him swallow.

“Welcome to your new home, Mario!” the specter bellowed in a shrill voice. “You'd better get used to it, because you're never going to leave here!”

“W-what?” Mario muttered as he struggled to stand up and conceal his fear.

“You’re finally going to pay for what you've done!” the being continued, as if he hadn't heard him. “I've been planning this revenge with my Boos for a long time... Do you remember them? They're the ones you've been scaring and frightening non-stop, and that's a ghost's job! Do you hear me, you two-bit trashy plumber? Not some short, stumpy idiot’s like you!”

“Hey!” protested Mario. “Who are you calling stumpy?”

“The one I'm about to finish off!”

Unable to help himself, Mario shrank back as the supposed King Boo pointed one of his spectral arms at him. Overwhelmed, he looked around, but he knew he wouldn't find anything there, no weapon with which to defend himself, nor food or water to regain his strength.

He was doomed.

He knew he’d be ashamed for the rest of his life of what he was about to do, but at that moment he couldn’t think of any other option. So he was forced to summon up his last reserves of energy and choose the only alternative he would have liked never to have to carry out: he turned around and ran.

He immediately felt like a coward. He wasn't the type to run away, but rather to stand up to the situation. However, he quickly remembered that, sometimes, his younger brother also escaped from dangerous situations to buy time, come up with a plan and then, at last, face the threat.

The problem was that Mario had nowhere to take shelter. Behind him he could hear the heavy footsteps of the fake Bowser, whose body he imagined King Boo had just mended. Oh, if only Luigi were there with him... Mario’s sure it wouldn't take him long to come up with a strategy for them both to emerge victorious.

Even so, for nothing in the world would Mario have wanted to see his twin there. It would be definitive proof that they’d both lost, that they’d both been victims of that excessive desire for revenge that King Boo harbored against them. Or against him, rather, despite the fact that, in the past, Mario used to just turn his back on the Boos and walk away from them. He couldn't understand why King Boo felt such enormous aversion towards him just for that.

But, in any case, Luigi was not to blame for anything. Mario wanted to see him, of course, but not there, not in that empty, stinking place. The longing to see him again, to hold him in his arms once more, to feel his warmth and affection enveloping him, flooded him all at once, intense and fierce like the waves in the middle of a storm, but he cared more about his safety. He cared more that Luigi never came to that house, that he didn't fall into the Boos' ambush, that he wasn't caught in that horrendous world like he was.

Mario didn't know how, but he would find a way to return to his sibling whatever the cost. He was going to survive, if only to annoy that damned Boo. He was going to resist, for he was determined to embrace Luigi once again with all his might.

He was fed up with that nightmare, but he was even more fed up with every second that passed without him.

Then, overcome by tiredness and thirst, Mario stumbled.

As his already aching body hit the hard stone floor, Mario realized that he wouldn’t have a chance to fulfill his desires. He wouldn’t have a chance to return to Luigi. He wouldn’t have a chance to escape from there. He knew he was defeated, for pain and exhaustion had taken hold of his flesh and bones, and the darkness was eager to take him with it. He didn't want to give up, he didn't want to give in, but there was nothing he could do.

It appeared that, at last, his enemies had managed to beat him.

Bowser's footsteps stopped behind him. Mario waited, gasping for breath. He expected, perhaps, to have a paw stepping on his back or a claw lifting him up by force. He was even ready for the fire to devour him in no time, leaving nothing but ashes.

Nevertheless, what he felt was a slight brush against his shoulder, so cold and subtle that it sent a shiver down his spine.

“By the way...” King Boo's voice sounded like a terrifying whisper next to his ear. “It seems that someone has come to the mansion looking for you...”

Mario jumped and opened his eye with a start.

“Luigi?” he muttered, panting.

No! No, no, no, that was the last thing he needed to hear...

“But don't worry,” the being continued, reveling in his alarmed reaction, “my Boos will take good care of him, Mario. You’ll soon be reunited!”

He concluded with a shrill laugh that pierced his skull, but he didn't even mind.

Luigi. Luigi had ended up going there to search for him. Luigi was going to fall into the Boos' trap.

And Mario could do nothing to prevent it.

At that very moment, his heart ached much more than any of his many physical wounds. Mario hung his head, dejected, trying to find the strength to get to his feet, to look for a way out, to try to find a way to help Luigi. He had to do something.

Tears of impotence suddenly flooded his eyes and slid down his cheeks, mixing with blood. Mario cried in silence for a few seconds, feeling useless and very guilty about what his poor brother was about to suffer. If only his body didn't hurt so much, if only he could have been stronger to stop the Boos, if only he could have remembered the damn star...

He was grateful to have been left alone. At least no one would see him crying. At least no one would hear his low sobs or witness how tremendously pathetic he really was. What a hero. The shame of the Mushroom Kingdom. The most pathetic loser anyone had ever heard of. The disgrace of his family. The furthest thing imaginable from a role model.

He woke up when Bowser fell back, with all his weight, right next to him.

Mario wasn't even aware that he had fallen asleep, but, although he was still sensing the pain of all his lesions, he forced himself to shake the drowsiness off and stand up. Before he could fully stabilize himself, however, King Koopa turned on himself, with his back to him. The plumber began to back away, confused...

And then Bowser turned around at full speed and his tail struck Mario's left arm with unusual violence.

All Mario could do was scream as he was hurtled away, his skin burning from the blow.

He shouted again as he landed on that same arm, his hand and cheek scraping against the stone floor. He was barely able to utter a low groan. He didn’t even know which part of his anatomy hurt the most, which injury bled the most, if he would ever open his damaged eye again.

Bowser's footsteps echoed behind him, drawing nearer. His roars sounded more furious than before. Mario watched him approach with his eyelid half closed, still confused and disoriented. Everything was happening too fast and he, unable to forget the words that King Boo whispered to him before he lost consciousness, still felt guilt weighing on his chest at the thought that Luigi...

Mario’s eye fluttered open as he understood that Bowser's anger, which was actually King Boo's, had a reason.

Luigi.

Of course! His younger sibling was smart, brave and fast. He knew how to make the best plans and always had the best ideas. If there was anyone capable of standing up to the Boos, if there was anyone capable of finding a way to defeat their king, it was Luigi.

His incredible, agile and intelligent twin brother.

Mario felt terrible for having given in to despair. After all, hadn't he himself thought that Luigi would undoubtedly know how to face King Boo? How could he have allowed hopelessness and discouragement to take over his soul? Luigi could handle anything.

And Mario had to hold on, survive, resist. For Luigi.

He had no time to wallow in his pain.

Mario got up.

He resumed the race. He ignored the bellowing of the fake Bowser, which often mingled with the shrill shrieks of King Boo himself. He ignored the screams of his own body, begging him to stop and rest. He ignored the pleas of his poor throat, desperate for a simple drop of water. He even ignored the roars of his empty stomach, longing for a small morsel to fill itself up with. He ignored the weeping of his heart at the prolonged separation from his beloved sibling.

He ignored everything. He concentrated on running. And when he could no longer hear his enemy behind him, he dared to take a quick look over his shoulder before giving in and letting himself fall.

He didn't know if King Boo would return. He had to make the most of the time he had alone to give his battered frame a break, but he couldn't let his guard down. This time he wouldn't sleep. He’d stay alert. Watchful.

He was going to survive. King Boo was undoubtedly enjoying torturing him with every minute that passed, but Mario was planning to get his own back.

He would survive, escape and give him what he deserved.

And then he’d rejoin Luigi and never spend another second of his life without him again.

---------------------------------------------------------

Luigi can’t help but observe the ghost of his brother, unsure of how to react to his outstretched hand and apparent kindness. Should he trust him? Surely it's not... another trap?

“Luigi,” Mario says in a low whisper, “it's-a me!”

His words are interspersed with a soft chuckle that sounds like it wants to burst out, but which Mario tries to contain. Luigi catches sight of how his lips move when he speaks, how his chest rises and falls, how solid the limb he’s extended seems. He can’t help but notice, once again, how real his voice sounds when it reaches his ears.

Doubts and disbelief battle against hope inside him when, biting his lower lip, Luigi dares to raise his arm. He’s convinced that this is a huge mistake, that he’ll only find air, that he’s imagining things and his mind is deceiving him and it’s all in vain...

His breath escapes him the moment his fingertips find the palm of Mario's hand.

Solid. Firm. Real.

Just like the way Mario hastens to close his fingers around his own in a protective gesture.

Always protecting him, always looking after him, always watching over him.

Luigi gasps, staring fixedly at their clasped hands. He squeezes them, trying to convince himself that his older twin is really standing in front of him, and not a specter or a projection from the afterlife come to torment him.

And Mario squeezes back.

Luigi lets out a sound halfway between laughter and surprise. Fascinated, he looks up and finds a radiant grin from ear to ear on the bruised face of his sibling, his blue eye flashing, not losing detail of his reactions. Holding his breath, Luigi dares to put the letter he still had in his other hand on the root of the tree and slowly lifts his arm up.

His trembling palm finds Mario's chest and rests on it, unsure. His brother then places his own fingers on top of his and presses them gently, inviting him to keep them there for as long as necessary. It feels warm and real...

... As does Mario's pulse, steady and calm, which Luigi soon begins to perceive.

He inhales, on the verge of laughing or sobbing, he doesn't know, and clutches the fabric of the overalls of his twin, who lets out a low giggle. Luigi observes him again, biting his lower lip so as not to let out whatever is bubbling in his throat, and, without haste, starts to lift his arm, dragging Mario's along with it, as he doesn’t seem willing to let go of him.

When his palm meets Mario's cheek, he’s enveloped by the familiar warmth emanating from his skin through his glove.

His sibling tilts his head slightly towards his hand, closing his eye to enjoy the contact, and he exerts a slight pressure on Luigi’s extremity to better feel his caress.

Luigi is unable to discern the tangle of emotions that are swirling within right now, threatening to make his heart burst. Tears well up again, but this time they’re accompanied by a smile that gradually takes shape on his face as his mind finally takes in what’s happening.

Snickering gradually forms in his stomach and rises up through his sternum. Luigi, without letting go of Mario's hand or taking his palm away from his cheek, jumps to his feet as he releases the guffaw, sonorous and vibrant, which is promptly followed by that of his brother, just as powerful. He doesn't understand how, he doesn't understand what has happened, but it doesn't matter to him at all at the moment.

All he cares about is that Mario, the real one, the authentic one, is standing in front of him, gripping his hand securely, his laughter an echo of his own. All he cares about is that he can stroke Mario’s cheek, sense the warmth of Mario’s skin, feel Mario’s fingers lovingly covering his. All he cares about is that his twin, determined to return the gesture, ends up bringing his hand to Luigi’s cheek to wipe away his crying with his thumb, his face, real and smiling and alive, full of tenderness.

All he cares about is that he can finally hug him again.

“Mario,” he whispers, his tone still tinged with disbelief.

He closes his eyes and tilts his head, his body this time shaken by the chuckles he can’t stifle. He soon feels Mario’s forehead meet his, which brings forth a sob that wells up from the depths of his being. His sibling’s touch, as always, is comforting, reassuring, a balm for his poor shattered soul which, at last, begins to recover.

“Lulu,” replies Mario in the same tone, his palm still resting on his cheek.

With a new sob, Luigi slides his hand from Mario's cheek to the back of his neck to draw him towards him, and, after releasing his limb, he wraps his other arm around his beloved older brother and holds him close. He hugs him tighter than he can remember ever having done before, running his fingers through Mario’s tousled hair and crying into his shoulder. His broken heart slowly initiates the road towards healing thanks to the presence of his twin, who, without hesitating for a second, has in turn wrapped him in his arms and embraces him with the same intensity, his hand gently stroking his back in an attempt to convey some peace and tranquility.

Even so, as always, Mario doesn't pressure him. Silently, his sibling cradles him in his arms, the warmest blanket in the middle of winter, while Luigi gives free rein to the dizzying roller coaster of emotions he’s experienced in the last few hours. The uncertainty about Mario's whereabouts, the concern that something bad had happened to him, the horror of seeing his fear confirmed when King Boo told him that his Boos had killed Mario as soon as he set foot in the mansion, the grief, the guilt, the pain, the loneliness...

Finally, little by little, Luigi frees himself from it all. With each tear, with each sob, with each instant that passes clinging to his brother, his soul begins to heal and his heart starts to be restored, its pieces coming back together in his chest now that his other half is by his side again. The simple fact of having Mario next to him, of feeling his sturdiness in his arms and his breathing in his ear, is a strengthening relief for Luigi that is born in the depths of his being and gradually spreads to every corner of his anatomy, taking away all that’s negative and leaving room only for the immense joy of having his twin back and the placidity and peace that his bear hugs always give him.

Only Mario, with his gentleness and affection, his strong arms and delicate caresses, is capable of calming the storm that had been unleashed inside Luigi and that threatened to drag him into utter despair.

“Sono io,” Mario whispers then, his velvet tone filled with the cadence of a lullaby. “Sono qui, fratellino. Sono davvero qui e non vado da nessuna parte. Mai.”

Luigi's next sob turns into a giggle. Yes, Mario really is there with him, he really is holding him, he really is speaking to him in their native language to assure him that he’ll never leave his side again. His arms clench around his sibling, and he needs to catch his breath a couple of times before he’s able to reply.

“Ti voglio tanto bene, Mario,” he stammers, his voice strangled.

His brother pats him sweetly on the back, hugging him just as vigorously.

“Anch'io, Lulu,” he replies, and his soft, melodic tone fills him with calmness and serenity. “Anch'io ti voglio tantissimo...”

Clutching Mario's neck, Luigi laughs and cries at the same time. His words, spoken with such love that they make his soul tremble, provide him with all the warmth and comfort he had been longing to receive all night, since he set out on his unsuccessful search alone in the middle of the darkness. It still almost seems too good to be true that his twin is truly here, next to him, wrapping him in his protective arms like a shield that keeps him safe from all the evils of the outside world.

Mario is here, Mario is talking to him, Mario is embracing him, and Luigi can only cry with pure happiness.

Finally, with the last tear, Luigi manages to banish all traces of doubt and sadness left inside him. These are soon replaced by joy, which leads Luigi to vigorously clutch his brother, making him chuckle in surprise. Immediately, Mario hugs him tighter, and Luigi laughs even harder as he confirms that, as expected, his sibling’s energy is still intact and could take his breath away with a squeeze. He doesn't mind at all. Nothing could ruin the euphoria of having Mario back.

His rapture is such that, almost inadvertently, he begins to spring up and down in place, and it doesn't take long for his feet to move further away. As he continues to hold on to Mario, neither of them willing to let go of the other, he drags him along with him, but his twin doesn't seem bothered. In fact, Luigi suddenly feels how Mario's arms firmly encircle him around the waist and, the next thing he knows, his feet leave the ground, causing him to clench on to Mario even stronger as a loud squeal of surprise escapes his throat.

His brother's guffaws reverberate in his ear as he spins him around in the air, and Luigi joins in just a second later, his heart swelling in his chest at the bliss of the reunion.

When Mario finally sets him down gently, Luigi steps back a little, still snickering. His hands remain on Mario's shoulders, and his sibling, in turn, doesn’t let go of his waist. Luigi has to blink a couple of times to focus his still blurry gaze, and he jumps back as soon as he looks at his twin again.

“Mario!” he exclaims, cupping his brother’s face. “You're hurt!”

How could he have been so careless? The black eye, the blood... Luigi carefully runs his thumb over Mario’s injuries while, in his mind, he tries to remember if there’s anything within reach that he can use to help him. He’s going to need ice to apply to his eye, and gauze to clean the blood, and...

Mario's quiet laugh brings him back to the present.

“I'm fine, Lu,” he assures him, even though it's obvious that it's a lie. “They're just... war wounds.”

He shrugs and Luigi, much to his regret, smiles. He’s more than used to his twin always playing down the damage he receives during their adventures, no matter how serious. Still cupping his face in his palms, he leans down to kiss his sibling on the forehead, his affection for him warming his heart, and his grin broadens, full of tenderness, as he notices that Mario has closed his eyes the moment his lips have come into contact with his skin. When he moves away, they both exchange a loving expression that speaks for them.

“Come,” Luigi says shortly afterwards, reaching for Mario's hand, which he had raised to his shoulders. “I'm sure the professor has something to cure those war wounds,” he repeats jokingly, making Mario stick out his tongue. “In fact,” he exclaims as he realizes this, “he's going to be shocked when he sees you!”

To his surprise, Mario covers his mouth with his other hand to hide a giggle as he walks behind him.

“In fact,” he says, stealing his words, amusement coloring his voice, “I just came from his laboratory.”

“What?”

Luigi stops, open-mouthed, by the base of the tree and stares at him in silence, his fingers clenching his brother's.

“It's a long story,” Mario explains, looking around him doubtfully. “Do you think ...?”

As has sometimes happened when he’s seen Mario hesitate, Luigi, surprising himself, manages to react quickly.

“Say no more.” He puts his forefinger to his twin’s lips and grins. “Let's collect your things and go with the professor. You can tell us about it while I take care of you. I'm sure he'll be able to give you something to eat too.”

The smile Mario puts on is, to Luigi's amazement, timid.

“That would be great.”

At his response, Luigi abruptly realizes that, like him, his sibling must have gone hours without eating. And maybe even without drinking. He’s seized by the sudden urge to take Mario to the laboratory at once, to make sure he eats and drinks something before he starts to explain anything, to have the opportunity to begin treating his injuries. He gazes at the one on his elbow, which hasn’t stopped bleeding, and berates himself for having allowed his twin to pick him up in his condition. Is he blind? What kind of brother is he?

Hurriedly, Luigi bends down and picks up the shoe and glove. At least, he thinks, he’ll finally have a chance to return everything to his sibling, just as he intended. He would’ve liked the circumstances to be different, for the two to feel as best they could, but Luigi is well aware that, even so, he can't complain. What matter is that Mario is alive, and he’s going to make sure he gets better as soon as possible.

He's slightly startled to note that Mario is trying to grab the glove himself, so, taken aback, Luigi lets go of the garment. Looking distracted, Mario takes it with his right hand while stretching out his left, as if he were ready to put the filthy glove on his bleeding fingers.

Luigi almost has a heart attack.

“No way!” he stops him, holding his wrist. “It's very dirty and you're hurt. Your wounds could get infected!”

Mario chuckles.

“I just wanted to see your reaction,” he admits, giving him a slight push. “And you fell for it hook, line and sinker!”

“Very funny,” replies Luigi, folding his arms.

On his lips, however, a smile dances. It's a very good sign that his brother feels like teasing him despite his condition.

And how good it feels to be joking with his twin again.

For the next few minutes, Luigi enjoys every second of them both busily picking up Mario's objects, as his sibling never misses an opportunity to tease him whenever he can, pretending that he’s going to put his shoe on the sock stained with dirt and blood or that he drops the star when Luigi turns it over to him.

Still, when he picks up the letter, Luigi notices that there’s no trace of amusement in his brother’s gestures. Silently, he watches him unfold it and read it, and something breaks in his soul with the sigh that escapes from Mario's lips. Suddenly he seems dejected, as if he were being plagued by a flood of unpleasant memories, and Luigi wants to do something to erase them, to eliminate that expression from his twin’s face, to restore the joy and lightheartedness with which he was joking with him just a moment ago. He wants to pull his sibling out of the pit of sadness and desolation he has just sunk into and prevent him from falling back into it.

Then Mario looks up and, with a smile that’s anything but cheerful, holds out the paper to him.

“This is yours.”

Without a sound, Luigi reaches out and picks up the letter. He doesn't need to read it again, because he knows full well that it was a warning, a last attempt by his brother to keep him safe.

“I wrote it for you,” adds Mario.

Luigi tries to return his gesture but only manages to raise the corners of his mouth a little. Mario's shadowed gaze reveals to him that, much to his regret, he’s still immersed in those memories which he hopes he’ll soon share with him.

Perhaps, if they carry the burden together, it won't be so heavy.

“You have a lot to tell me,” he says, trying to give his voice a light tone that he’s not entirely sure he can achieve.

At least he manages to make his twin’s grin wider.

“And you me too,” says Mario, this time sounding much more carefree.

Luigi finds himself chuckling. He’s amazed by his sibling’s ability to overcome negative emotions. Deep down he knows that this is nothing more than a mask, and that Mario won’t be able to feel entirely better until he reveals all his fears and experiences to him.

But, for now, it’s enough.

----------------------------------------------

The first thing Mario did when he woke up again was to curse himself.

He shouldn't have fallen asleep again! He was supposed to stay alert! King Boo could return at any time, and he had to keep resisting. He had to go back to Luigi. He couldn't give up, even if he didn't know how to get out of that deserted world. He couldn't give up, even if his body kept complaining, at the end of his tether.

He couldn't give up even if it was the last thing he did in his life.

All he wanted was to see Luigi one last time. He’d be satisfied with that. He’d go in peace if he could only see his younger brother, safe and sound, before everything was over.

His defeatist thoughts came to a screeching halt the second his good eye revealed that the landscape around him had finally changed.

Surprised, he sat up, perhaps a little too quickly. A wave of dizziness plagued him, but he forced himself to ignore it.

He was no longer in the world of emptiness.

Mario had appeared, he didn't know how or why, in a room with stone walls and embedded columns. It seemed to have been very luxurious in the past, but at the moment there was nothing in it except a lamp hanging from the ceiling. Its light, although dim because it only had two bulbs, was enough to blind him, after his only healthy eye had become accustomed to the dull atmosphere of the lifeless place in which he’d been trapped for who knew how long.

Hope lit up in his chest as soon as he made out, at the back of the room, something that could lead him to his long-awaited freedom.

A door.

Mario didn't feel able to stand up again. His legs ached from all the running. His lungs begged for a long breath while his throat, dry and sore, protested ever more feebly, not to mention his growling stomach. His arm, his hand, his head and his mouth were bleeding, fresh blood mixing with the dried blood staining his skin. His eye was hurting more and more and he even feared he might lose it. His scratched cheek was throbbing as if he had a second heart just beneath it.

But the prospect of finally seeing Luigi caused all his physical pain to fade into the background.

There would be time to rest, to eat and drink as much as he liked. There would be time for his wounds to be properly treated. There would be time to give his body all the care it needed.

What mattered most to him now was to finally heal the pain in his soul.

Despite King Boo’s torture, Luigi hadn’t disappeared from Mario's thoughts for a moment, much less from his heart. He’d been unable to stop wondering how he was, if the Boos had hurt him, if King Boo had made good on his threat. Fortunately, he knew that if Luigi had fallen, he would know it deep down inside.

That would have been the signal to surrender and let himself be defeated.

There would be no point in living in a world without him.

In that instant, as he slowly got to his feet and started walking towards the door, Mario could only bring one hand to his chest to try to calm his weeping heart, which was protesting at the too-prolonged absence of his other half.

“Presto, cuore, presto,” he said to himself, gasping.

Speaking in his mother tongue, even if it was just to himself, brought him relief and reassurance that warmed him from within and made him feel closer to his younger sibling, even though he hadn’t yet been able to find him. The two often spoke to each other in the language of their homeland, inherited from their parents and grandparents, and it was how they used to comfort each other when they went through difficult times.

Italian was one of the many things that united the twins.

Soon, Mario reached the door. Fortunately, it opened without a problem and led him into a long stone corridor. The plumber began to walk down it, his pure love for his brother and his eagerness to see him being the driving force behind his legs. The corridor was winding and led to another door, which he could also open easily.

From then on, he was swallowed up by the darkness.

With every step he took, Mario regretted more and more not having a flashlight or a torch with him. There was nothing to illuminate these tunnels, and the realization that he was underground was somewhat overwhelming. He groped his way forward, his fingers feeling the stone walls, anxious to find an exit soon, an end, something.

Then his hand came across something and Mario stopped in his tracks, hopeful. He used all his fingers to slowly touch whatever it was that was in front of him. It seemed to be a smooth and resistant fabric, like that of... a canvas? Was he perhaps inside a painting?

He wasn't about to let that stop him.

“Hello?” he shouted, starting to hit the canvas from behind. His voice sounded hoarse and parched from lack of water, so he had to clear his throat before trying again. “Can anyone hear me? Please! I need to get out of here!”

He still had to ask for help a few more times before he finally perceived movement on the other side. Holding his breath, Mario leaned back and waited until someone finally removed the painting that was keeping him locked up.

The sudden artificial light dazzled him. He could barely take a quick look at the kind of art gallery he had ended up in before the person who had freed him caught his attention.

“Mario!” exclaimed the tiny little man, still carrying the canvas he’d just taken down from the wall.

He was short, shorter than him, which was saying something, and he had no hair except for a white streak that stood out on his forehead. He couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing glasses with spiral lenses, as well as a lab coat.

Had Mario stumbled upon... some kind of scientist?

“You're alive!”

The little man, delighted to see him even though he didn't know him at all, carefully put the painting aside and held out his hand to help him down. Mario accepted his offer, but despite this, he almost fell as he descended from the gap in the wall, as weak and dizzy as he was. Somehow, he had already become accustomed to people, especially the Toads, recognizing him and getting excited whenever they saw him in the streets of the Mushroom Kingdom, but when this person helped him up, he appeared genuinely pleased to have run into him, as if he missed him even though he didn't know him. Mario smiled at him, grateful and also very relieved to finally be able to interact with someone other than the damned King Boo, but he couldn't pay attention to the man’s words. He had to get his bearings in order to finally find Luigi.

It was, in fact, the name of his twin on the lips of the professor that caught his attention.

“Luigi?” he exclaimed, springing to him. “Is he here? Is he all right?”

“He's outside,” the old man explained, and his enthusiasm faded a bit. “He's... well, he thinks that you're...”

He didn't need to finish the sentence. Mario's shoulders sank slightly as he understood what his brother must be experiencing, but he was immediately overcome with determination.

“I have to see him,” he declared, clenching both fists, one bare and wounded, the other covered by a glove that was far from white. “Where is he?”

“Over here, son!” The scientist was soon cheered up again and led the way. “He's going to be so happy to see you!”

Mario was pleased to tell that the man seemed truly delighted. He wondered if he had been assisting Luigi while he remained trapped in that horrible environment that he preferred never to remember, and he was glad that his younger sibling had been able to count on his help.

Anticipating the second when he’d finally be reunited with him, Mario didn’t even pay attention to the rooms he passed through after the professor. He simply followed him up the stairs, ignoring the noises coming from some rooms whose doors remained closed, the pain of his lesions and the exhaustion of his body completely forgotten. He focused on the wooden door his guide was heading for. The man opened it and, with a smile, stepped aside to let him pass.

Mario took a deep breath as he found himself, at last, in the open air in a world he knew.

He might have been greeted by a dark sky and a gloomy and unwelcoming environment, as well as an unpleasant gust that ruffled his dirty, tangled hair, but it was still better than that cursed place where he’d been forced to flee from a fake Bowser. He couldn't help but notice, with surprise, the huge, now empty, plot of land where the mansion that had almost become his tomb used to stand. Mario wondered what had happened to it, why it was no longer there even though the entrance gate was still intact.

He didn't care.

It wasn't long before he heard some sobbing that drew his full attention. Turning to his right, he saw the leafless forest through which he had accessed the area, with a few crows perched in the highest branches.

And there, sitting on a large root protruding from the ground, he made out, with his back to him, the person he’d been looking for since he was attacked by the Boos.

His heart sank. His twin’s sobs stabbed at his soul like sharp daggers. He needed to make them stop. He needed to reassure Luigi that he was all right, that it had all been a lie, that it was all over.

He needed to embrace his beloved brother.

Ignoring the necessities of his body for the umpteenth time, Mario ran towards him, eager to reach his side. He forced himself to restrain himself, however, when he spotted the objects lying next to Luigi. His lost shoe, the one that that brute Boo had torn off him while he was trying to break free from his grip. His glove, resting on the root as if it were a ghostly hand. On the other side of Luigi, leaning against the tree, Mario made out the glint of the star, the one that could have saved them both so much suffering if he had only remembered to use it at the right moment.

Now that he was closer, Mario noticed that his younger sibling, in the midst of the grief he hoped to erase soon, was pressing two objects against his chest: his hat, which looked much cleaner than the last time he had it on his head... and the short letter he had written for him.

So, in the end, Luigi had found the note.

Mario let his shoulders drop. He was unable to smile while his twin was still in tears, but he felt a bit relieved to know that his warning had reached its intended recipient. And after all, Luigi was there, safe and sound. He had certainly outwitted the Boos. In fact, Mario then realized that he must have defeated King Boo too, or else he wouldn't be there right now.

Pride filled his heart and spread throughout his hurt frame, and he had to restrain himself from pouncing on Luigi and wrapping him in his arms with all his love and joy.

His brother was sad. He had to proceed slowly and carefully so as not to frighten him. He was going to prove to him that King Boo had lied to him. He was going to embrace him and allow him to cry in his arms while, he hoped, offering him the comfort and affection he needed.

Grinning softly, Mario held out his gloved hand and pronounced the name he used to call his sibling.

--------------------------------------------------------

“Lu.”

Luigi is startled by the concern that shines through his twin’s voice. He blinks a couple of times, returning to reality, and manages to focus again. Mario is staring at him with a smile full of adoration, but in his eyes, now that both are open, he can read a clear glint of worry.

Luigi purses his lips. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve for his brother to be so attentive to him, to go out of his way for him, to look out for him even when the most harmed one and who’s had the worst time of the two is Mario. Luigi only got a few bruises here and there, so slight that he doesn’t even remember them anymore. At least he’s glad he was finally able to treat his sibling’s wounds, especially his eye. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, seeing the condition of Mario’s left eye, Luigi came to fear that it was beyond saving.

Fortunately, it seems that, for now, applying ice to reduce the swelling and the ointment that the professor lent them will be enough for the eye to begin to heal. Luigi has decided that the first thing he’ll do the next day, as soon as they’ve rested, will be to take Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom hospital. His eye is going to need more than just ice to heal completely.

Luckily, the other lesions are healing well. Luigi has taken care to disinfect them all before bandaging or covering them in some way. His heart tumbled as he registered the seriousness of all of them and he berated himself, once again, for his negligence when he met up with Mario. He almost had to carry him back to the laboratory, as dizziness was taking over him even though Mario tried as hard as he could to hide it. His poor big brother... Now he has a bandage around his head to cover the huge injury that Boolossus caused to knock him out. That damn Boo... If Luigi had known what he’d done to Mario, if he’d had the slightest idea, he would’ve made sure the being paid for daring to hurt his twin.

He consoles himself by thinking that, at least, the specter is locked up now, like his king and all the other Boos who were bold enough to cause his sibling so much suffering. At least they’re paying for what they’ve done. At least they’ll rot forever on those canvases, from whence they should never have left.

Luigi jumps a little when Mario's fingers, with extreme delicacy, graze his cheeks. He lifts his gaze from the arm he’s bandaging and, looking back at his brother, Luigi notes that his eyes are blurry, and is surprised when his twin’s touch makes him perceive the dampness on his face.

At what point did he start to cry? Was it when he heard the way Mario attempted to escape Boolossus' brutal attacks to try to warn him not to go to the mansion? Could it have been the moment his sibling described everything that had happened in that other world, surely a dimension created by King Boo? Or perhaps they were tears of emotion caused by the way relief washed over Mario as he realized that he was no longer trapped in that horrendous place and, therefore, they could be reunited again?

Or maybe they’re simply tears of rage at the impotence he feels at not having been able to save his adored older brother from all his ordeal.

And to think that he felt alone and terrified as he wandered through that gloomy building alone... He could almost laugh at his stupidity. What he went through was nothing compared to what Mario had to face.

And it's all his fault.

He was the one who believed wholeheartedly that the contest was real. He was the one who got his hopes up thinking he had won something. He was the one who told Mario about his supposed new house.

He got him involved in all of that and Mario almost died.

Only to protect him.

If only there were a way to go back and spare his beloved twin all that torment...

Unable to contain himself, Luigi lets go of the bandages in a haphazard manner and pounces on Mario, who jumps back startled. However, his sibling is quick to return the embrace with a slight tender chuckle, and Luigi takes a deep breath to try to hold back his sobs as he senses Mario's reassuring pats on his back. He brings him closer and forces himself to release the air slowly.

“It's all over, Lulu.”

Mario's voice, sweet and reassuring, is like a delicate and loving caress that makes him smile. Luigi hugs him a little tighter as he nods, unable to speak.

“We're together, okay?” his brother continues, his tone full of serenity and adoration. “We're together and we'll never be separated again.”

A soft, warm kiss is pressed on his temple, and the love and care present in the gesture cause Luigi to melt. He tightens his eyelids as hot drops flow, wetting his twin’s shirt and drawing from him a sob that he cannot repress. Luigi sniffles for a moment and presses his cheek against his sibling’s, who strokes his hair affectionately. When he moves away from him, Mario hastens to cup his face and continues to gently wipe his tears away.

Luigi blinks and purses his lips in an effort to calm himself down. His brother's grin, as well as the sweetness with which he tries to comfort him, warms his heart and helps him, at last, to smile back.

“M-Mario, I...” he manages to say, his throat trembling.

He raises an arm to reach for one of his hands and Mario does not hesitate to interlace his fingers with his. Luigi clings to him and to the firmness that the contact transmits to him in an attempt to ground himself and try to find his voice.

The squeeze that Mario gives his hand is enough for him to manage to form the words.

“I'm so sorry, Mario,” he apologizes in a strangled tone. “I'm so sorry for dragging you into this...”

“Hey, hey,” Mario interrupts in a low but firm whisper.

Luigi perceives his twin’s palm pressing lightly against his cheek, trying to deepen the caress. He closes his eyes, moved, but, as much as he wants to, guilt won't let him stop crying.

“Lulu, you didn't drag me into anything,” Mario assures him. “King Boo framed us both, remember?

“Yeah, but I fell for it...”

“And so did I,” interrupts Mario, smiling, and lets out an ironic cackle. “In any case, we'd both be a couple of complete idiots, wouldn't we?”

That makes him giggle. His sibling always knows what to say or how to act to make him feel better, and Luigi is aware of his immense luck for having Mario in his life. He still feels guilty and undeserving of his forgiveness, but the quiet chuckles that his brother manages to draw out of him do lighten the weight on his heart a little.

“If only I could’ve spared you so many bad wounds,” he laments, observing, one by one, the injuries he has just bandaged.

“Well, every cloud has a silver lining,” replies Mario, amused. “I already have a costume for next Halloween: I'm a mummy!” he adds, lifting his half-bandaged arm and pointing at his head.

Luigi's guffaw comes from deep within and is genuine and thunderous. He’s amazed at himself for having emitted such a sound, but he has no regrets: not only does he feel better thanks to his twin, no longer wanting to weep, but Mario also joins in his laughter, looking at him with shining eyes. Seeing his older sibling amused again, slowly healing thanks to his nurturing and the food the professor kept in his laboratory, fills Luigi with so much joy and peace that he’s unable to describe in words, but which fill his soul with placidity and harmony.

He can't wait to take him home and make him one of his favorite dishes. Lasagna, perhaps, or spaghetti Bolognese. Or maybe he'd prefer his favorite pizza? Luigi doesn't mind, as long as he can take care of his beloved brother as he deserves and, in his own way, try to make up for everything he’s suffered.

He then notices the intense glance Mario is giving him, his blue eyes so glistening with affection that it only makes his smile widen.

“Besides, Lu...” Mario sighs and gently squeezes his hand, “you know I'd do it for you again. I'd go through the same thing all over again just to see you in the end. I wouldn't change a thing.”

He concludes with a shrug, as if what he’s just said means nothing, as if he didn’t just completely open his heart to his twin and fully reached Luigi's. He grins, his smile and his gaze full of love and devotion, as if he wanted to proclaim to the four winds how much he adores his little brother, but it was enough for him that Luigi knew.

Luigi, of course, needs no more to be moved. His lower lip trembles and his eyes are misting again, this time because of the tenderness that his sibling’s words have awakened inside him, but he tries to keep his throat clear.

“And-I t-too, Mario,” he says from the heart. “I w-would do it again t-too.”

Without letting go of his fingers or lowering his arm, Mario lets out a moved chuckle.

“Oh, Lu, you don't have to. I know how much you fear ghosts. You’re so brave for facing them all, but I’d never ask you to do it again.”

“I would,” Luigi assures him, nodding vehemently. “For you, I would.”

This time it's Mario's turn to get emotional. Luigi can see it in the way his eyes shine and his lips purse, in the unhurried way he takes a breath and releases it just as slowly. As if he can't believe his luck in having a younger twin like him.

But the lucky one, of course, is Luigi.

“Ti ho già detto quanto ti voglio bene, Lulu?” stammers Mario, his voice faltering.

Now it’s Luigi who, unable to contain himself, giggles tenderly, so much more moved than he feels able to express.

“Ti ho detto io quanto ti voglio bene, Mario?” he replies in the same tone.

The two chuckle in unison and close their eyes. Their foreheads touch, with extreme care due to Mario's bandages, but that doesn't stop him from placing his fingers on the back of Luigi's head to draw him closer. With their hands joined, they laugh and cry in silence, without haste, for everything they need is right there in front of them.

Mario is the first to bend down to put his arms around Luigi. He rests his head on his shoulder and embraces him tightly, squeezing him hard on purpose to make him laugh. Luigi, delighted to receive one of his older sibling’s bear hugs again, can only squeeze him back with the same enthusiasm.

He’s missed him so much.

“It feels so good to have you back with me, little brother,” Mario whispers in his ear, and Luigi thinks he could melt.

“It feels so good to have you back in my arms, big brother,” he replies, cuddling him.

Mario giggles, unwilling to release him, and rubs his head against his shoulder. Luigi is even more moved when he realizes that his twin is snuggling up against his chest.

“I swear you’re just as soft as a pillow,” Mario mutters without opening his eyes, his voice a little muffled.

Luigi lets out a soft chuckle at his brother's attitude and the serene smile that adorns his lips. Without a doubt, after all that’s happened and having stayed awake long enough to tell his story and for Luigi to tend to his wounds, the time has come for Mario to finally rest.

Judging by how unwilling his sibling seems to open his eyes again, Luigi gets that he’s beaten him to the decision. Laughing again, he holds Mario close and strokes his head gently.

“If you want, I can be your pillow,” he offers in a whisper, cradling him lovingly.

“That would be very nice.”

Mario's voice sounds weak, barely a murmur. Luigi knows very well that his twin is about to fall asleep, so, without letting go of him, he begins to lie down. He’s grateful that the professor has ceded his room to them so that they can have some privacy and a place to give in to drowsiness, and he’s pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the mattress is on which he’s now reclined. He looks down at Mario and what he sees fills him with warmth and tenderness.

His older brother, lying right on top of him, has curled up against his chest, his extremely placid expression and his slightly parted mouth are clear indicators that he’s already in the land of dreams. Luigi exhales and holds him tight, wondering if he’ll ever come to understand the magnitude of everything his sibling has lived through, of everything he’s suffered, for him.

Sensing his grip, Mario sighs in his sleep and clings to the strap of Luigi's overalls, who in turn sighs, his heart swelling so much he thinks it could burst. After that long and scary night, he could ask for nothing more than to have his twin like this, resting in his arms, finally safe and feeling so secure and warm that he immediately dropped off. Love floods his body when Luigi, taking care not to wake him, leans down to press his lips to Mario's forehead, on a spot free of bandages, and keeps them there for a few seconds, wishing that they can transmit to his brother all the peace, serenity and affection that he’s experiencing at the moment. With luck, they’ll bring him golden dreams.

“Sogni d’oro, fratellone,” he whispers, each one of his words filled to the brim with love.

Feeling the new breath escaping from Mario's half-open mouth, Luigi is satisfied and, without letting go, he lays his head on the pillow and closes his eyes.

Now that the nightmare is over, he too can afford to take a nap.

After all, he’s finally with him again.

[thedeadlymusicbox]

Lumi bio:

VERY LONG TW.

Name:

Lumi Pastina

Ancestor:

Lillian, the star witch

Age:

24

Species:

She doesn't know. (Weird hybrid of human and luma)

Gender:

Non-binary (any pronouns)

Sexuality:

Questioning, able to ship

Relationships:

Decendecent of Lillian

Mario and luigi's adopted sister

Abilies:

Can make her body glow (one of two abilies she can only use in the mansion)

"Rewind time" (the other ability she has in the mansion. and only the mansion! Basically a save and load system)

Can make her hands summon violet fireballs. (In the after verse)

Can hover

Can turn into a star creature if scared (a luma!)

Likes:

Her siblings, witches, magic, reading, sleeping, adventuring, the sun, stars, and space

Dislikes;

Glass shattering, sudden noises, mirrors, knifes, darkness, being locked in somewhere, her brothers leaving her without telling her, being alone, not living up to expectation

-----------------------------

Bio:

Warning for suicide ideation and attempt + LONG

----------------------------

Lumi pastina is an adopted sibling of mario and luigi and is seen as more childish than her brothers. She woke up in the kingdom with no memory of her life and was mario and luigi was tasked to watch her, of course later on they had a more sibling relationship and cared for her like another sibling.

She always felt like a burden to her brothers. I mean, they were tasked to watch her. What if they didn't like her or care about her and was lying to her? Besides, she knows some of the looks she gets from some toads. She knows she is seen differently than them.

She has a very close familiar relationship with luigi and has a familiar relationship with mario since mario usually left Lumi and Luigi behind during an adventure to protect them. Even if luigi and lumi had an odd relationship with their brother, they still loved their brother to pieces and will do anything to help him.

Mario one day left to go to a mansion since he heard rumors from Princess Peach and was very curious about what was going on. He told luigi about the rumors and teased him a bit due to his fear of ghosts. Lumi was asleep so she didn't know what was going on. He went into the mansion without informing anyone since he wanted everyone safe and went to learn what was going on.

Luigi left a little bit after since he was worried about his brother and Lumi woke up, alone, and tired but sees a note left from luigi saying he is going to a mansion where his brother was and that she should sit tight.

Of course the woman didn't listen! Why should she? Her brothers are out in a mansion and left her alone! So she changed her clothes and went out to the mansion as well.

She went in, trying to find her brothers, instead found visions of her brothers dead or dying, saw a memory of someone that looked like her, and was chased by some fucked up creature. She ran and ran before she tripped down the stairs and got knocked out.

When she woke up, she was dazed and felt a wound on her forehead. She slowly got up and went to look around again. She goes through the mansion, gets killed multiple times in different ways, finds luigi and mario, tries to get mario to snap out of it, stays with mario as luigi ran out, trying to knock some sense into him before getting into a verbal fight, lumi yelling at him for why he was being so fucking stupid and stubborn while mario was yelling at her that she wouldnt understand and she should go with luigi if he was stupid and how he never even cared about her.

It was just a violent yelling match, of course mario wasn't thinking when he said that and he did try to apologize but she just got quiet, turned her heel, and walked out. Not saying another word. She was tired of this. Luigi was right to leave. She wondered off, before getting hurt again, seeing more visions, getting lost, and saw luigi, but he seemed different.

Luigi seemed angry and wanted to hurt her for some reason that she didn't understand, she ran and hid before luigi went to go for mario instead. She already had thoughts that her brothers didnt like her. But now this? She went around to find a cliff. Maybe. Maybe it be better if she wasn't here. She went over to one, looked down, and was going to keep leaning so she coulf hit head first. But before she could do that, lumi was stopped by her ancestor, who basically told her everything in her past life. How mario was just like Marchionne.

So she also went to try to kill mario. Mario and Marchionne apologized to the two. Mario apologized to his siblings and Marchionne apologized to his brother and the witch as well. And basically all the ancestors made up while lumi was passed out and luigi left again.

Lumi hands were burnt and mario decided to find a bed for her to rest in. Later on mario was in trouble, lumi seemed to came out of no where and helped mario out, lumi apologized for what she said and forgives mario and then they find luigi, help almost everyone, mario also forgives alice and let her move on, luigi and lumi thought it was weird, but did know mario had a heart of gold

And they go home, mario burns the journal he had, mario did allow luigi and lumi to help more after that and they gain a healthier relationship!

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Bowuigi Valentines

“Sir, I assure you this is a rather unwise decision,” Kamek said as soon as Bowser finishing telling him where they were headed and why. This was exactly why Bowser hadn’t wanted to bring him in the first place but he’d invited himself aboard and they’d took off before Bowser had realized. But it was too late, they were already on the airship, well on their way to the Mushroom Kingdom. “And I’m not just saying that because I disapprove of you wanting to date him, even though there’s that too. What if Mario’s there or Princess Peach?”

Bowser hadn’t considered that but… “It’s Valentine’s Day, why would they be at Luigi’s place?�� Surely, they had to have better things to do be doing in general but especially today.

“They could be. Also, what makes you think asking the brother of your former nemesis out on a date is a good idea? It was bad enough you’re being friendly with each other and letting him babysit your kids. What if he betrays you, huh?”

“First off, Mario is still my nemesis, the fact that I haven’t kidnapped Peach in ages doesn’t change that. Second, Luigi’s not going to betray me.” Bowser was typically pretty skeptical of people too but with Luigi, he just didn’t see it happening. And that was a large part of why Bowser had fallen for him. Of course he could still turn Bowser down which would suck but… it didn’t hurt to try, right?

Kamek adjusted his glasses in that obnoxious way he always did before going off on a rant about why Bowser should or should not do something. Thankfully before he could even get out a single word, the airship bell rang outside, indicating they’d reached their destination and were beginning to descend. Bowser quickly gathered up the heart shaped box of chocolates and bouquet of flowers off the desk and fled the captain’s cabin.

He’d never been to Luigi’s home before but it being a mansion made it a bit hard to miss even before he’d reached the ship’s railing. It was bigger than Luigi’s description had made it seem. And despite having only relatively recently been cleared of ghosts, it didn’t look haunted, just kind of old and a little dilapidated, fancy though. Overall Bowser liked it even if his castle was still better.

As the ship neared the ground, Bowser vaulted over the railing, landing with a thud on the ground below. He didn’t look back at it as he started down the path for the front door. Let Kamek be mad and disapprove, he was old and single so what did even know about romance anyway? Besides Bowser was the Koopa King and thus he did as he pleased.

Despite his resolve, he faltered a little as he reached the front door. He was a big bad fire breathing reptile, a former enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, what were the chances someone as pure hearted as Luigi could possibly feel even slightly romantically inclined towards him? Not good, right? Even if they were friends now. … He was already here though and going back now would be the same as listening to Kamek so… with a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell, careful not to push it too hard.

He had to ring it twice more a couple minutes later before Luigi answered. That was just like him, he had a whole mansion and a bunch of money but did he hire any kind of house staff? Nope, of course not. Why would he when he could just do it all himself?

“Who…” Luigi cut off, freezing in place as he stared up at Bowser. “Oh uh… hey Bowser. What are you doing here and uh… um… why are you dressed so nicely?” Ah, good he seemed to like the suit. Or maybe not, it was hard to tell but he’d certainly noticed it and felt some way about it.

“I came to ask if you would do me the honor of being my Valentine?” With a flourish, Bowser pulled the box of chocolates and flowers out from behind his back to offer to Luigi.

Once more Luigi froze solid, only his eyes moving as he looked at the gifts then back up at Bowser’s face and then back again. He made a vague gesture towards himself. “M-me? Really?” That wasn’t a ‘no’ so… perhaps Bowser stood a chance after all?

“Yes, you!” It wasn’t often Bowser was unsure or nervous about something but… he really didn’t want to mess this up. “I already have a diner reservation at the fanciest place in my kingdom or yours if you’d like to go with me.”

“I uh… um…” Luigi shifted, looking away. … Oh no, he was going say ‘no’, wasn’t he? That made sense. What was Bowser even thinking, coming out here to ask him this?

“It’s fine if you don’t…”

“Yes!” Luigi interrupted with surprising amount to intensity. “I mean uh… I would love to be your Valentine and uh… go on a date with you.” He accepted the flowers and chocolate with a large smile.

Intense relief washed through Bowser, making him feel almost like he needed to sit down. “Wonderful,” he said because he needed to say something. “Whenever you’re ready go, the airship awaits.” He gestured back towards it. As per his instructions the shy guys had lowered the boarding plank and rolled out a carpet on it. They flanked it, waiting for Bowser and Luigi to board. Kamek was nowhere in sight, he was probably still sulking in the captain’s cabin; whatever, he’d get over it eventually.

“Oh wow uh… I should get ready then, huh? Just… give me a moment. And uh… feel free to come in.” Luigi ducked back inside, leaving the door open for Bowser to follow.

Inside, the foyer was unsurprisingly clean and tidy. The floorboards creaked under Bowser’s weight which was the eternal problem with wooden flooring. Luigi was already off somewhere, presumably to his room to get ready, leaving Bowser to wait here for him. Which was fine, he needed some time to get over his nerves anyway.

He didn’t have to wait long though, not even five minutes later, Luigi reemerged from the upstairs room. Bowser’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and what he wore; a lovely flowing green dress. “You don’t mind if I wear this, do you?” he asked as he nervously descended the stairs. “I can change again if you’d prefer.”

“Nah, don’t. It looks good on you.”

Luigi seemed to almost let out a sigh of relief as he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Also uh… before we go, I went back and forth a lot on whether or not I was going to mail this to you and then it eventually became too late so I thought I wouldn’t but then… here you are so… here.” As he reached Bowser, he pulled out a card he’d been holding behind his back and handed it to him.

‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ was written on the front in fancy lettering in the middle of a large red heart. Inside Luigi’s handwriting was neat and tidy. ‘Dear Bowser, you’ve come a long way since I first approached you about no longer going after Peach to fight Mario and we’ve been friends for a while now. Honestly, I’ve grown rather fond of you so I hope it is not too forward of me to ask if you’d perhaps like to try being more than solely friends. Answer next time we chat or just ignore this if you’d rather not, it’s totally fine. Yours truly, Luigi.’

Bowser chuckled as he looked back up at Luigi. He hadn’t been the only one thinking this at all, wonderful. “I’d like that very much.”

Luigi’s mustache partially hid his blush it was still unmistakably there. “I’m glad! Though… this does mean we’re probably going to have to tell Mario, huh? Keeping a friend secret is one thing but keeping a romantic partner a secret is uh… something else.”

True and that was honestly the only real downside to any of this but… “We’ll worry about that later.” Bowser waved that thought away, it didn’t matter right now so why even bother thinking about it? “We have a date to get to if you’re ready.”

“Uh… yeah, we can worry about that later. I’m ready to go.”

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #835: A New Me (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

9:45 p.m. at Smash Mansion's Living Room........

Tifa: (Smiles Brightly While Getting her Hair Trim and Cut by Daisy) Thanks again for doing this for me, Daisy. I had no idea you know a thing or two about doing someone's hair.

Daisy: (Smiles Back at Tifa) It's no problem, Tif. I've learned about all of this since I was a kid.

Tifa: You don't say.

Daisy: Yep. I accidentally signed myself up for hair stylist class instead of football.

Tifa: What makes you wanna signed up for football classes in first place?

Daisy: Thought it was cool at the time. I also thought the whole hair stylist gig was boring at first, but I'd actually had a good time there. I learned a lot about too: did you know that the growth rate for humans' hair is just under a 1/2 inch per month which is equal to about 5 inches per year?

Tifa: Huh. I.... actually didn't know that until now. Interesting.

Daisy: I know, right? There's a crap ton of facts about hair that I didn't even know about until now, but I'll tell you about all of that later....Are you sure you're okay with me cutting your hair like this, Tif? I can tell you had it for a really long time now.

Tifa: Yep. I've always had it this long ever since I was a little girl. (Smiles Fondly of the Memories She Has in the Past) We've been through a lot together: Good times, bad times, in betweens. But nowadays, the longer I keep having it around, the more it got me to think and realize that....the long hair itself, represent my past a lot more thoroughly than I thought it would and that maybe....it might be time for me to start moving on from it entirely.

Daisy: So what you're basically saying here is that getting your hair cut down would help you feel more new to yourself in the present going forward.

Tifa: (Happily Nodded a Little) Exactly!......That.... doesn't seem too ambitious, does it?

Daisy: (Smiles Brightly) Of course it doesn't, girlfriend. I totally get what you're coming from in all of this.

Tifa: You do?

Daisy: Yeah. Back in my younger days, when my hair used to be dark and long-

Tifa: Wait. Was it during that time Mario saved you from an evil alien?

Daisy: (Simply Nodded) Correctamundo. I think his name was Tango or something like?.... (Sighs While Shrugging her Shoulders) I don't really remember. But anyways, I was so convinced that beauty and royalty was everything and that it was the only thing that matters to being a princess. (Starts Rolling her Eyes at the Past Memories) So much so that became an actual phase.....

Tifa: (Starts Snickering) A phase?

Daisy: ('Sigh') Yeah. A phase. Hated it every time I think about it...... Buuuuuut eventually, I realized all of that was complete bogus, left it all behind me .....(Smiles Proudly) and became the woman I am right now. Or....rather back when I was a kid. But....you get where I'm coming from in all of this right?

Tifa: (Happily Nodded) I do. And if you ask me, I prefer the current you over the past anyday.

Daisy: (Heart Begins to Melt in Happiness by Tifa's Words) Awww~ Thanks, Tifa~

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) You're welcome, girlfriend. If anything, I should be thanking you for sharing this with me.

Daisy: Eh. It's no problem. (Does One More Trim Before Stopping and Taking a Deep Breath) Okay. I think I'm finish now. (Gives Tifa a Handheld Mirror) What do you think?

Tifa: (Gasps Lightly as She Sees a Reflection of Herself Having a Perfectly Cutted Short Hair) Oh my gosh.....(Smiles Brightly and Excitedly) This looks amazing on me!~

Daisy: You really think so?

Tifa: (Got Up From her Seat and Gives Daisy a Hug) I know so, Daisy. Thank you soooo much~

Daisy: (Giggles Softly as She Hugs Tifa Back) It's no problem at all, Tif. I mean, damn. I never expected it to turn out THIS good.....

'Door Open'

Cloud: (Walking into the Mansion with Luigi and Dedede) ('Sigh') This is the last we'll ever let you talk to the police, De.

Dedede: (Glares at Cloud) Oh come on now! How was I suppose to know she would go ahead and give me another ticket?

Luigi: Your majesty, you can't just going along and flirt with a police officer like that. Even if she was, and I quote, "Prettier than a Strawberry Ice-Cream Sundae".

Dedede: Hey, you can't blame an old man for trying at least. I really thought it would work that time....

Cloud: We can and will. And no, it didn't work.

Daisy: WEEGIEEE!~ (Makes her Way to Luigi and Hugs Him Before Pouting at Him and the Others) What is this we hear about you three getting stopped by the police tonight?

Luigi: (Chuckles a Bit Awkwardly) Sorry about worrying you guys, Daisy. We kinda drove our motorcycles pass the speeding limits on the empty roads.

Cloud: (Starts Rolling his Eyes While Pointing at Dedede) It gets worse when casanova over here thought that flirting with an officer would actually get her to give us a warning instead.

Daisy: (Starts Snickering) Casanova and flirting?.... I'm sorry. But are we REALLY talking about the same Dedede here?

Dedede: (Glares at the Laughing Princess) Oh hush up, girl! I can be a well-balanced ladies man anytime I want!!!

Daisy: Yeah right!~ (Already Has a Teasing Smirk on her Face) And how was that flirting tactic with the police lady went again?~

Cloud: Terribly.

Dedede: (Starts Growling Angrily) I'm warning y'all!!....

Tifa: (Sighs While Making her Way to the Gang) Well, regardless, we're glad you three came back home safely.

Cloud: Thanks, Ti-(Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise at Tifa's New Looks) fa?.....

Luigi: (Eyes Widened at Tifa as Well) Tifa.....Is that really you?

Dedede: Dayuum, girl. That haircut looks great on you.

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) Thanks, your majesty. Daisy got it cut for me a few minutes ago.

Luigi: (Turns to his Girlfriend) You did?

Daisy: (Proudly Nodded) Yep!~ You might not know this about me, Weeg, but I've made a pretty decent name for myself as a hair stylist growing up....I mean, it has been years since I've done this. So I'm not entirely sure if I did a good enough of the cut or....

Luigi: (Smiles Softly) You did a great job, Daisy.

Cloud: (Nodded in Agreement) I agree. It looks amazing on her.

Tifa: (Eyes Widened at Cloud a Little in Genuine Surprise) You really think so? I mean, aren't you gonna miss the long hair I always had ever since we were kids?

Cloud: I will, but I'm always up for a change every once and while. Plus, I'll always think you're beautiful no matter how different you look.

Tifa: (Heart Begins to Melt in Pure Happiness as She Hugs Cloud Lovingly) Has anyone told you how much of a sweetheart you really are?~

Cloud: (Shrugs) Eh. Doesn't really fit my style. Luigi's more of a sweetheart than I'll ever be really.

Daisy: FACTS!

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) I mean, yeah. But you'll always be my sweetheart~ (Kiss Cloud on the Cheek)

Daisy: Hey, Cloud!~ If you want, I can give your spiky hair a fresh new look-

Cloud: I'll pass.

Daisy: You sure?

Cloud: Yep.

Daisy: Positive.

Cloud: Positive.

Daisy: ..........I mean, if you're absolutely su-

Cloud: I'm sure, Daisy.

Daisy: ('Groans a Little') Fiiiiine..... (Turns to Luigi) You want me to do your hair too, sweetie?

Luigi: (Smiles Sheepishly at his Girlfriend) Maybe some other time, dear.....

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@ma-lemons

@26shann

@albion-93

@italian-love-cake

@illyrilex

[snazzy-suit]

LLoG Chapter 5.4 (Snippet) Hey! Creatures! Leave Them Kids Alone!

Hey, it’s been a while! Like, what, over a year since I last updated this arc? And this isn’t even a complete chapter, just a little sneak-peek at a potential scene in part four (I say potential, because part four has been re-written so many times I’ve lost count, so who knows if it’ll make the cut). 

But yeah, I thought it was about time I post something, even if it’s just a rough, unedited snippet.

Enjoy!

=

For context, Luigi and the Polterpup have made their way to the second floor of the house, and are searching for Gooigi and the final captured kid. This picks up at the moment Luigi and Pepper reunite after briefly becoming separated. 

===

Luigi quietly approaches Pepper, offering the latter a hushed reprimand for running off. His half-hearted scolding sputters out as he takes notice of what has captured the canine's attention. The pup is plopped before an innocuous, oak door. There aren’t any visible barriers, and the plumber doesn’t feel any malicious energy warning off potential intruders. While relieving, it doesn’t ease the trepidation settling in the plumber’s gut. He glances at the Polterpup; they don’t appear to be bothered by whatever lay on the other side of this door. Luigi cautiously grasps the handle, and when it offers no resistance, he opens the door.

The plumber isn’t sure what he expected to find on the other side—other than an angry ghost—but a cramped hall closet certainly wouldn’t have been his first guess. He is greeted by an assortment of coats, shoes, and—to his quiet amusement—a vacuum cleaner. Luigi quirks a brow at the bland discovery. Why did Pepper lead him to a closet? What was he supposed to find here?

Luigi reaches toward the wall of coats, intending to part them, when something suddenly lunges from the storage space’s depths.  

“Take this, evil ghost!"

Luigi narrowly avoids being brained by a swinging clothes iron. When his attacker misses, their forward momentum sends them crashing to the floor in a heap. Luigi hastily steps back, but pauses in his retreat as he takes in the ambusher’s appearance.

They’re a Doogan—an adolescent with russet fur and pale blue eyes. The patch of hair on their head is hidden by a baseball cap bearing a team mascot Luigi doesn’t recognize, presumably from the kid’s school.

Pepper curiously sniffs at the fallen teen. The Doogan scoots away with a startled yelp, swiping at the ghostly canine with their impromptu weapon. They gape in shock when the iron passes harmlessly through their target.  

“What the—? Why didn’t it work?! I thought ghosts couldn’t stand iron!"

“Iron, as in the metal,” Luigi corrects, somewhat amused, “not the tool you use to get wrinkles out of clothes. Also, iron isn’t as effective as folklore makes it out to be.”

“Oh." The teen frowns at his useless weapon. “I knew I should have tried to whittle a stake instead."

“...where are you getting your paranormal information from?"

“The cryptids page on the ‘seenthat’ forum. Those guys really seemed to know their stuff, so I, uh..." They trail off, looking up at the plumber with sudden recognition. “Holy crap you’re Luigi.” The teen smiles, laughing nervously. “Luigi’s in my house. I’m being rescued by one of the Mario Brothers. This is awesome."

Luigi can’t help but smile back, feeling partially relieved. The kid can’t be in too bad of shape if they’re able to feel star-struck, right?

“You must be Dane."

“Wha— Oh! Yeah, that’s me. Dane—Dane Pawper. Well, my parents named me Larry, so my full name is actually Larry Dane Pawper but who wants to go by Larry?" He blinks, suddenly looking embarrassed. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous."

“No worries, I’m the same way." The plumber offers Dane his hand to help the teen up. They happily accept his offer, but grimace as they feel Luigi’s damp glove.  

“Hey, why are you all wet?” Dane asks, brow raised.

“I shower with my clothes on.”

That startles a laugh out of the teen, and Luigi is grateful they hadn’t been put-off by his flat tone. Sometimes his sense of humor comes off as a touch derisive, even if it’s not his intention.

“No, but seriously, what happened?” The teen glances up and down the hall, as if searching for the cause of Luigi’s saturated state. “Did one of our pipes burst again?” 

Luigi imperceptibly cringes, feeling a tad self-conscious.

“A Blooper ghost threw your pool at me.”

“Oh...” Dane rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, looking anywhere but at Luigi. “I’m sorry. I... this is my fault. All these ghosts are here because of me," he mumbles. “I’m the one that read from the book."

Luigi’s brows rise marginally. Dane was the summoner? That certainly explains why the strongest ghost targeted him.

“I don’t think it’s fair for you to take all the blame. From what Koojo told me, it was a group decision."

The Doogan’s eyes light up.

“You talked to Koojo? Is he okay? What about the others?"

“He’s fine, they all are," Luigi assures. “They’re outside waiting with a friend while my partners and I handle the rest of these ghosts."

Dane’s shoulders sag with relief.

“Thank the Stars," he sighs. Then, curiously, “Wait, partners? As in more than one? Is Mario here too?"

Luigi fights back a laugh. His brother was talented in many things, but for whatever reason, he seemed to flounder whenever he tried to wield the Poltergust.

“No, ghost hunting isn’t really his thing," he says mildly. “Pepper and Gooigi are my partners in crime tonight."

The teen perks, suddenly looking elated.  

“Dude! Same here!”

When Luigi gives him an odd look, Dane reaches into the pockets of his orange jacket and procures a pepper shaker and a pair of sunglasses with a large “G” printed on the arms. Luigi stares at the items with thinly veiled dismay.

“Good Grambi,” Luigi mumbles quietly. “The Boos back at the mansion would adore you.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Dare I ask why you have pepper in your pocket?”

“For protection,” the kid says like it’s obvious, “from demons!”  

The plumber takes a deep, composing breath.

“Remind me to make some book recommendations after we get out of here,” he says tiredly. “And to clarify, Pepper is my dog. Also, I said Gooigi, not the fashion brand.”

“Goo... igi...?” Dane repeats slowly. “Is that a portmanteau of ‘Goo’ and ‘Luigi’?”

Luigi offers a somewhat solemn nod.

“Uh... would this ‘Gooigi’ person happen to look like you if you were a lime-green fruit snack?”

“You’ve seen him?”

The teen suddenly looks embarrassed.

“Yeah... I, uh, kinda ran away... from him...?” His voice lilts as if asking a question. At Luigi’s blank stare, he hurries to elaborate. “I didn’t know he was a good guy!”

“You just said he looks like me.”

“Man, I don’t know! I didn’t really make the connection at the time!” Dane throws his hands up. “I just saw a walking Gummy Man wobbling around and freaked out! I thought they were one of the things the hooded dude summoned.”

A dozen questions pop into the plumber’s mind. The first to leave his mouth is, undoubtedly, the least imperative.

“...Gummy Man?"

“I’m not very creative."

Maybe not, but Luigi was definitely going to tease his partner about this later.

===

And there we have it! I know it’s not much, but I can’t include much in the way of action without spoiling things. This scene is one of the few that has remained fairly consistent through all the drafts, so I felt it was safe to share. Plus I enjoyed writing the dialogue. Honestly, that’s some of my favorite stuff to write. 

Now, as far as where I am in drafting this thing... well, fun fact: Part 4 ain’t the end of this. Part 4 became Part 5, and Part 5 went on into Part 6 (and I am begging the universe that it doesn’t try and get a Part 7). I’m pretty sure I’ve already said this before, but this arc has gone off the rails and I am struggling to get it under control. Currently, I am working on the first draft of Part 6. Weep for me. :’D 

[go-dark-turtle]

A day off with an opportunity and a rescue mission?

(A Mario x Nintendo loop crossover fanfiction) 

Chapter 2: Now it's personal.

 "Say Toad, where did you get that lighting bolt?" Luigi leaned closer as he held onto Toad's headrest. 

Toad sat in the driver's seat of the Parade Kart, he was just about the right height to see the road. His eyes fixed on the road as they drove back down the bumpy hill towards Princess Peach's castle. 

"Oh! Well when I ran off to smash some vases I found one in there and kept it in case we had to make a grand exit. We sure did ha ha ha." Toad laughed "Served them right, taking the princess like that." 

Luigi sat back down and looked behind him and saw the mansion was still small, he sighed and folded his arms "You guys didn't have to wreck the place..." 

"Luigi! We were worried about you and we had to find you quickly." Mario nodded to his brother. 

Luigi huffed and looked to Yoshi "... and you, did you have to eat those curtains?" 

Yoshi shrugged and rolled his eyes. Luigi, feeling more fed up, sighed more and rested his arm on the side and looked at the view heading back to the castle. 

Meanwhile....

Everyone in the mansion had met in the lobby as everything started to shake and become smaller. Andi rushed to Irri's side and helped him up as BreadSquid and Ralfonic ran in from the tea room.

"Gah! We have to go after them at once! I won't allow what they did to MY lobby!" Irri demanded in a squeaky tone as he dusted himself down . 

Andi and BreadSquid started to laugh and Irri glared at him, they both looked to the floor with the odd giggle. 

Irri sighed "If you two would stop acting like children, we can see where they went! To the car!" 

They walked towards the main doors still broken from earlier, the whole mansion started to rumble all around them as everything went back to normal.

"Sorry boss.." BreadSquid let out a small giggle

"Yeah sorry.." Andi bit his lip to hold in his laughter.

Irri rolled his eyes, huffed at the both of them. Andi ran on ahead to push aside the broken door out the way. Everyone ran out and Irri saw the damage that Mario and the gang had left for them. 

"Ack! My beautiful fountain! That took 3 months to build and now there's a damn kart in it!" Irri clenched his fists and turned to Andi, who was just standing there. "Come on, what are you waiting for?! Get the car and let's go!" 

"Irri... they took Goldie.." Andi started to sniffle and he turned around and held onto his shoulders and burst into tears "They took my precious car Irri..." 

"Eww, you nicknamed your car Andi?" BreadSquid placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow. 

"Yes I nicknamed my car. She is mine you know!" Andi turned his head to the inkling, he rubbed his nose into his sleeve and sniffed again. 

"Ugh, Andi here have this and sort yourself out." Irri reached in his pocket and pulled out a packet of tissues, he gently passed them to Andi. He then started paced up and down the pathway thinking on what to do next. "Aha! I've got it!" 

Andi and Breadsquid glared at each other and Irri cleared his throat and pulled out his flip phone, with a flick of the wrist, he pointed it to the sky and smirked. 

"I can summon a car with this trusty mobile device!" Irri stood proudly with the old school phone in his hand skyward. 

"So dramatic.... Uh boss, you know that model is like 15 years old now..." Breadsquid folded her arms.

"Well I don't see any new phone working on Boo network now do you?" Irri smugly smiled and walked down the path and started to punch in the numbers.

"I mean it's true, no one uses Boo network anymore, Irri." Andi poundered to himself.

"Shh!" Irri covered the speaker with his hand and glared at Andi before continuing his telephone conversation. "Ah yes, hello there, we wish to summon one of your finest taxis please. Oh what's that? My address? Ah yes of course, it's south of south Toad Town, Irri house. Excuse me? What do you mean you don't know where that is?! Ugh, don't get sassy with me, just drive south and you can't miss it. How long? 25 minutes?! Alright, fine! But please hurry, this is an emergency! Good day!" Irri let out an angry sigh.

He snapped his flippy phone shut with a loud SNAP and shoved it in his pocket and shrugged at the others. 

"Well it looks like we can't do anything until the taxi gets here. Tea and scones anyone?" Irri smiled at the others.

"Ah boss you read my mind, a cup of tea sounds lovely after everything we've just been through." BreadSquid jumped up with excitement and then turned to Andi, who was sitting on the step, sighing to himself "Oh come on Andi cheer up, we will get your karty back soon." 

"Goldie actually. Bready get the name right..." Andi huffed stood up and walked down the steps.

"Oh sorry I got your stupid car's name wrong." Breadsquid scoffed and looked up at him.

"My car isn't stupid. How dare you!" Andi huffed.

Ralfonic growled and stood in between them baring his teeth. 

"No Ralf, I won't back down Bready said my car was stupid" Andi folded his arms and looked down at BreadSquid. 

"Says the one nicknaming their car..." BreadSquid wiggled her eyebrows.

"Well I'm just going to get myself a tea. Have fun... Come along Ralfonic. " Irri stepped past them both and entered back into the house. "Call me when the taxi gets here won't you."

Andi stared down at the inkling, she smirked, her hand at the ready by her splat bomb. Andi reached slowly for his back pocket for his lighting bolt.

"What are you gonna do Andi?" BreadSquid smirked.

"Me? Ha! You shouldn't worry about that." Andi smirked back. 

"Well what are you waiting for? DRAW!" BreadSquid encouraged. 

"If you say so!" Andi raised his eyebrow. 

They both fired at the same time, the lightning bolt struck BreadSquid and the splat bomb landed on Andi. Ralfonic watched from the window, curious what was going on.

"Ralfonic, I wouldn't stand too close to the window dear, you might get zapped or splatted." Irri was sitting on the velvet sofa and enjoying a warm cup of tea. 

Ralfonic nodded and sat beside him and looked up to him, Irri smiled down at the wolf and petted his head. 

"Just stay by me and pay no attention to them." Irri sighed as he heard them both squeal and argue. 

"ANDI!" BreadSquid shouted at him as she got smaller and her voice became more squeaky.

"Ha ha ha. Serves you right for what you did. Look at my shirt, it's covered in purple stuff..." Andi groaned at the ink splattered over him. 

"Ha ha ha ha. That's what you get for challenging me Andi." She pulled out her N-Zap 89 and pointed it at him. "And just so you know Andi, it's not purple stuff, it's ink get it right."

"Don't you dare Bready! I will snipe you with my green shells!" Andi smirked.

BreadSquid shot ink ahead of her, turning into squid form and swam into the mansion. Andi shook his head, pulling out a green shell and smacked her right on target. BreadSquid returned to normal size but due to the impact of the sudden snipe of the green shell, she went flying into the tea room. Andi ran up the stairs and pointed at her and laughed.

"HA! I told you!" Andi chuckled. 

"Oh you are DEAD Andi!" BreadSquid used the table to help get her balance back. 

Irri sipped his tea and watched them exchange words with a deadpan expression, BreadSquid smirked at Andi and tried to pull out another splat bomb but Andi nudged her and threw another lighting bolt at her.

"ANDI!" Breadsquid shouted in a squeaky voice again.  "Come here!" 

"Pfft, you are so tiny, Bready. Look at you so small~" Andi smirked and pointed at her. 

BreadSquid pouted, shot Andi with her N-Zap 89 and sneaked out the room. Andi fell backwards on the table, the plate of the scones went into the air. Ralfonic saw them fly and he grabbed the plate and dashed about gracefully catching them all. Irri nodded to the wolf and smiled. Andi quickly scrambled out the room to find BreadSquid, he stood on the landing of the top floor looking up and down the hallway. He giggled slightly as he approached the stairs.

 

"Oh Andi my dear, please do not think about sliding down the banister." Irri called out.

Andi had already climbed onto the banister, paused in his tracks and his eyes widened. It was like he knew what he was thinking but it was a known habit at this point. 

"Uh, I wouldn't dream of it, Irri...." Andi called back with a nervous laugh. 

Once everything fell quiet again Andi let out a breath of relief, knowing he was alone he smirked and pushed himself downwards.

"EEEEEEEEEERIKA!" Andi giggled with glee as he felt like a kid as he slid down the banister. 

He jumped off at the end and sneaked about the main lobby and bumped into BreadSquid. He flinched and BreadSquid grinned.

"Oh you lied to Irri, I'm SO telling him. Hey Boss!" Breadsquid smirked and nudged past him and started to run up the stairs. 

"Bready, no, stop please, don't tell Irri." He chased after her and pulled out another green shell "Come on Bready! We are fellow guardians, no need to be like this." 

"Boss, Boss, Boss, GUESS WHAT?" Bready smirked. 

"Irri, don't believe what Bready is saying. She is lying!" Andi nudged past her and threw the shell at her feet. 

Bready smirked "So predictable Andi..." She shot the shell with her N-Zap 89. 

They both rushed to the top landing nudging and shoving to get to the tea room first, but a sudden honk from outside stopped them both in the tracks. 

"Uh... is that the taxi?" Andi whispered to BreadSquid.

"I don't know. Maybe you should check." BreadSquid whispered back.

"No, you!" Andi pointed at her.

"No, you Andi!" BreadSquid folded her arms.

Andi pushed her and she shoved him back, they both started to pout. They glared at each other unaware that Irri was right behind them.

He cleared his throat and smiled "Would you both be a dear and check to see if that is the taxi, hm?"

The both of them jumped out their skins and turned around so see a not impressed Irri raise his eyebrow at them. 

"Well see, I was going to but then Andi..." BreadSquid quickly spoke but got pulled back by Andi. 

"I didn't do anything. Bready started this, don't believe what she tells you!" Andi stepped forward and held BreadSquid back

Irri sighed and held the bridge of his nose as the honking got louder and more frequently from outside and the both of them started to shove each other again.

"WOULD YOU BOTH GO AND SEE IF THE TAXI HAS ARRIVED, PLEASE!" Irri shouted at them both. 

Seeing the sudden change in Irri's attitude both of the guardians scrambled down the stairs as quickly as they could. Ralfonic lowly grunted as he stood at the top of the stairs by Irri. 

"Hey boss, the taxi is here! Oi Andi, that front seat is mine!" BreadSquid called back into the house. 

"No! That seat is mine! Have fun sitting in the back Bready~" Andi smirked as he opened the front passenger door and sat down. 

BreadSquid, annoyed, folded her arms and waited for Irri and Ralfonic. Everyone got in the back seat with Irri sitting in the middle, BreadSquid sitting behind the driver and Ralfonic sitting behind Andi. 

"Alright then, where are we off to?" The driver asked in a posh voice, the driver turned out to be none other than Toadsworth himself. 

"TOADSWORTH?!" Everyone was surprised. 

"Of course, the one and only." He turned around smiling but it faded when seeing Ralfonic "I wasn't informed there would be a dog in my taxi. No pets allowed." 

"Excuse me?! Ralfonic is a wolf, not a dog. How dare you!" Irri leaned closer and glared at Toadsworth. 

"Oh you are in big trouble now, you better apologise." Andi whispered. 

"Ah! A wolf you said. Oh, my mistake I'M, terribly sorry." Toadsworth turned back around nervously chuckling. 

Ralfonic huffed and sighed loudly. Irri noticed his behaviour and sat closer to him.

"Shh, it's okay, Ralfonic. He didn't mean to call you a dog, no please, don't howl..." Irri petted his head again to console him. 

"AWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ralfonic howled loudly. 

Everyone covered their ears and clenched  their eyes shut. 

"Oh look what you've gone and done. He's upset because of you!" Irri shouted over the howling. 

"I said I was sorry!" Toadsworth felt bad for the mixup. 

"Ah boss, I have an idea. Here take this." BreadSquid pulled out her switch and gave it to Irri. 

"Good thinking BreadSquid. Hey Ralfonic look Miitopia, it's your favourite." Irri placed the Switch in front of him. 

Ralfonic stopped howling and looked at the screen and wagged his tail. Everyone sighed with relief. 

"If you could please, could you drive us to Princess Peach's castle? Thank you." Irri sighed as he leaned back in his seat. 

"Certainly." Toadsworth reversed the taxi and drove past the broken gates and drove back down the bumpy hill at a steady slow pace.

[Mario Circuit from Super Mario kart totally plays here]

"Soon, we will have our car back and I can ask Princess Peach for a replacement of my velvet curtains... and pay for the damages to my lobby and my fountain..." Irri folded his arms and closed his eyes and nodded.

"Ah soon Goldie, I will be at your side." Andi clasped his hands together. 

"Ohhh~ Goldie, baby, mwah mwah mwah, I wuv you." BreadSquid mocked Andi. 

"Shut it Bready!" Andi turned around and glared "Don't make me.. uh..." he stopped as he saw Irri shake his head and glare at him. "We will talk about this later, Bready." 

"Sure Andi~" BreadSquid smirked but then it faded as she looked out the window and saw how slowly they were driving. "OI GRAMPS! Mind speeding it up a little? We have places to be, you know."

"Gramps?! How dare you!" Toadsworth's eye twitched. "Fine as you wish!"

Toadsworth shifted the gear stick forward and pressed his foot down on the accelerator pedal. Everyone was flung backwards into their seats and braced for the fast and bumpy ride. 

"You just had to go and open your big mouth, didn't you!" Andi nervously hung onto the handrail above him seeing everything up close from the front seat. 

"Oh shut it Andi, at least we are getting somewhere now!" BreadSquid smirked.

"Andi, BreadSquid, we can talk about this later. Toadsworth please slow down." Irri asked nicely. 

"We are nearly there, hang on tight." Toadsworth grinned as he entered Toad Town. 

He swerved the taxi about the town, missing everything and everyone with an inch to spare. The townspeople screamed and ran for it seeing the small taxi come towards them. 

"Toadsworth, this is great, keep going!" BreadSquid jumped up and down in her seat. 

"You got it!" Toadsworth smirked and drove even faster towards the castle "Look just up ahead just another minute and we are there." 

He took a shortcut and drove off a ramp and glided all the way to the castle's front gates. Andi closed his eyes from the intense height before him. BreadSquid was still excited in the backseat and Irri petted Ralfonic to keep him calm. Toadsworth tilted the car upwards and came in for a landing. THUD! The taxi landed with such an impact everyone jumped out of their seats.  

"Here we are. Princess Peach's castle." Toadsworth smiled. 

[End of part 1]

[trashyswitch]

Pocket’s New Year Reactions: 2020 Edition!

2020...boy oh boy…

I made this channel on January of 2020. And thank god I did! My blogs and participation in the tickle community, were the only thing keeping me going throughout this year! It was a really hard year but with COVID, I got to meet tons of new people, make so many friends and return to writing fanfics! 

I’ve made fanfics for a very long time. 5 years, actually! But I have never felt so invested in my writing than I have this year. In 1 single year, I managed to make a total of 122 fanfictions! This year! And it all ended with my first SCP Foundation-only fanfiction: 049 and the ‘unkillable creature’. 

Yup: I have really fallen down the rabbit hole this time…

But to celebrate: I wanted to recap the different fandoms I wrote for this year, the amount of fanfictions I wrote for them, the highest amount of notes I got on a fanfiction and lastly: 

...Well, I’ll keep that a surprise. 

So: Let’s recap all that happened on Pocket’s New Year Reactions: 2020 Edition! 

Let’s a-go!

I’m gonna start off with the fandoms I wrote the least fanfictions for: The Tiny Bundles!

For the very first tiny bundle: I wrote 1 single fanfic for Luigi’s Mansion (3, to be specific). 

This was a fanfic about Polterpup and Luigi bonding, as well as Mario showing up near the end. I ended up closing this fandom because as much as I liked this fanfic, I wasn’t really as interested in writing more for it. 

For the second tiny bundle: The Animal Crossing Series with 1 fanfic! This fanfic was mostly about Jacksepticeye and Gabsmolders’ Animal Crossing avatars hanging out during the Coronavirus epidemic. I really liked writing for Animal Crossing, and I wanna write more for it. But, I have to come up with more ideas. 

For bundle #3: 1 single Markiplier TV fanfic! This fanfic was about Wilford Warfstache, Darkiplier and Yandereplier being a family. This specific fanfic was also based on an AU made by a couple of cosplayers: One of which is no longer on TikTok, sadly. I may write more fanfics in this fandom in the future, but no guarantees…

For #4: I wrote an original work upon request from a friend. This fanfic was about a cute couple who were just being playful and bonding. I sense that I may be writing more original works in the future, but again: we’ll just have to see. 

For #5: I have 4 Youtuber Fanfics that involve different fandoms. One of them was written about platonic Septiplier, the second two were on Jelix, and the fourth fanfic (and most recent) was on Unus Annus! UNUS ANNUS! I will definitely be considering writing more Unus Annus. As for any other youtubers: Maybe. 

For #6: I have 3 (technically 6) fanfictions written under the SCP Foundation! Though 5 of these fanfics were technically fandom collaborations with Sanders Sides, I did make 1 single SCP Foundation-only fanfic. I do plan on continuing to write more SCP Foundation fanfics. I just don’t know if they’ll stand alone, or if they’ll be collaborations again. We’ll see. 

And now onto the 3 top fandoms I wrote for this year: 

In at #3: is Five Nights at Freddy’s with 25 fanfictions: I swear: 90% of these are based on the Afton Family in some way or another. I have a problem...I will most likely be writing for FNAF in the future. I still love the fandom, and I still love the lore behind it! Sooo: Upcoming FNAF fanfics!

In at #2: is the Jacksepticeye Power Hour Fandom with 31 fanfictions! I love these guys so much! It’s too bad they were kinda thrown by the wayside by a lot of the viewers...But, I’ll still be working on a couple more fanfics. Specifically The Unexpected Roommate! I LOVE THAT SERIES! I look forward to writing more of it all the time! 

And #1...for the most fanfictions written: Is Sanders sides with 59 freaking fanfics! If there's a need for proof that I’m obsessed, then THIS is the proof. But, that’s okay! I love writing fanfics on this series! I will 100% continue to write fanfictions on this series. I love this series to bits, and it’s my most popular series on Tumblr as well! 

And now it’s fine for: Highest Notes! 

This was the part where you could really tell what fanfictions were loved by fans, and what fanfictions were thrown aside. This is all gonna be taken off Tumblr, since almost all of the fans are on it.  

First one that I will proudly show: My Unus Annus fanfic with 43 notes! This fanfic was a HIT the moment it came out! I swear! ‘Ethan and Mark Experience Torture Methods (Feat. Jacksepticeye)’ was a HUGE HIT! But I think the reason everyone loved it so much, was because everyone misses Unus Annus and its relativity on YouTube. I miss it too. Memento Mori, Unus Annus. 

Now I will show my top Fnaf Fanfic! Now these were very close...So: 

At #3 is ‘The Grumpy Ol’ Bunny’ at 28 notes. 

At #2 is a tie between ‘The Suspiciously Strange Night’ and ‘Robot Anatomy Vs. Human Anatomy’ at 36 notes. 

And the #1 spot goes to: ‘Jeremy and the Mysterious Robots’ at 37 notes! You’ll see what I do with this fanfic sooner than later…

And now we move on to the top Sanders Sides fanfic! This one had a huge variety of numbers! And boy, it was hard! But worth it! 

At #3, we have ‘Snakes Need Tickles Too!’ at 91 notes! 

At #2 is ‘The Upside of Hoodies’ (The very first one!) at 153 notes! WOW! 

And last but not least, at our #1 spot...we have: ‘Voodoo Duke-craft’ at 196 notes! How in the world- I don’t really know why it got so many notes. But: you’ll see what we do with this one as well, veeeery soon!

And now the surprise you’ve all been waiting to hear about: I’m gonna re-read and react to the two #1 spots! 

‘Jeremy and the Mysterious Robots’. I’ve actually re-read this one a couple times throughout the months. I liked re-reading about anxious Jeremy! I definitely wanna write more of Jeremy. He’s an underrated character. 

Here we go! 

[Jeremy has heard all the rumors.] 

Well, I assume he probably did some reading about it before starting there. You should know a bit about a place before you start working there...you don’t wanna end up in a dumpster fire. 

[He’s heard the urban legends about the child killer in the animatronic suit, and the children’s deaths. He’s heard about the children’s corpses being shoved into the animatronic suits. He’s heard about the ghosts of the children that haunted each and every diner. He’s heard rumors about the animatronics being alive because of these children. He’s heard multiple ideas of-]

Okay, okay, we get it! He heard rumors about the lore behind Five Nights at Freddy’s. He’s heard about the murders and supernatural stuff. Skip!

 [Are any of these urban legends true?

 If so: why did Jeremy sign up for a job at the one place that gives people the creeps?!]

 Gee...I dunno! Why WOULD you choose to take a security guard job in a place that’s still haunted? Besides: instead of hiring a security guard, why not hire an exorcist? Seems cheaper and you’d actually get a problem fixed! (Or not...we’ve all seen Annabelle…) 

 [It was the second night of working at this nightmarish party place. All Jeremy wanted was the paycheck at the end of the week. He did NOT sign up for this stupidity…]

 Teeeechnically he DID sign up for this stupidity. He didn’t have to take this job. He could’ve waited for more job offers to come up! Even if the Phone Guy had romanticized the risky job, he did warn him that ‘the animatronics get a little quirky at night’...Jeremy could’ve just abandoned ship right then and there and quit! 

 [Should he have reconsidered taking the job? Maybe.] 

 Um, HUGE YES!

 [Is he regretting taking the job? Somewhat.] 

 Just somewhat, huh? 

 [Is Jeremy gonna survive the week? God, he hoped so.] 

 I hope so too! Spoiler alert: he does. 

 [Jeremy turned on the iPad and flipped through the cameras. It looked like the party rooms were empty. Next, he checked CAM 05 and CAM 06: empty. Thank goodness. Jeremy looked at the other cameras and found out something strange: camera 11 wasn’t working! It was just showing pure static.]

 Okay, here’s some behind the scenes: I had to look up two separate maps for the FNAF 2 location. One with the camera locations, and one of the overall building layout. From that, I had to determine everything for this fanfic. I would later refer to these images for future fanfics as well! 

 [He realized that what he was gonna do was risky. But…what other choice did he have?] 

 Um...Don’t go??? That’s a choice. 

 [Jeremy grabbed his flashlight, and walked out of the office through the small hall towards Pasillo Central.] 

 “WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?!?!?! WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?! THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!?!” ~SammyClassicSonicFan, vine.

 [It took a little bit, but Jeremy managed to find the problem: a black wire was unplugged…] 

 I actually have no idea if this was the actual confirmed problem in the FNAF series. I just made it up as I went.

 [Jeremy’s eyes narrowed in curiousity. Now when did that happen? It was working perfectly fine yesterday. Who unplugged it?] 

 First off: Curiousity. Curio(u)sity. Do you need any more proof that I’m Canadian? XD

Second off: I actually think camera 11 never actually worked during the game. I don’t quite remember though, so don’t quote me on that. 

 [Jeremy decided to double check for any miswiring.] 

 This would prove to be a fatal mistake. 

 [Suddenly…a couple heavy footsteps could be heard behind the stool, in the gaming room. Jeremy froze in place. Oh god…Is that what he thinks it is?] 

 “It was at this moment he knew...he fucked up.” ~McCulley Quinn, Vine

 [Jeremy could feel the presence of a super tall figure behind him…Jeremy, growing extremely intimidated and anxious, slowly turned himself around to look the animatronic in the face.]

[...The first thing he noticed, was that the animatronic was brown. A chocolate-shade of brown with an orange hue on its belly and inner face.]

 I wonder...Just WHO COULD IT BE?

 Just kidding. It’s Freddy Fazbear. 

 [The eyes were open wide, staring at Jeremy with its light blue iris’s.] 

 Hmm...Hold on- 

 *aggressive typing noises* 

 Okay. Just had to double check. He does in fact, have blue iris’s. 

 [Jeremy just stared back at it, looking at the big bear as the visibly shaky flashlight shone onto it.] 

 Hehehehe...Anxious boi. Shouldn’t have chosen the haunted job, Jeremy!

 [“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” Freddy shouted.]

 🎶Do you hear that sound?🎶

  [Jeremy shouted-] 

 🎶That beautiful sound?🎶

  [-and threw his flashlight up in terror.] 

 🎶That is the sound, of, clean, white, shorts turning brown!🎶

 🎶TORTURE AND PAIN!🎶

 Beautiful Sound - Beetlejuice soundtrack (sorry not sorry) 

 [Jeremy jumped and quickly attempted to take a few steps back…only for his body to fall much more backwards than he wanted!] 

 “Nice job, dickface!” ~Anthony, Smosh: Pokemon In Real Life

 [“WELCOME EVERYBODY, TO FREDDY FAZBEAR’S PIZZA!” the animatronic shouted. “I’M FREDDY FAZBEAR, AND I’D LIKE TO WISH YOU, THE BIRTHDAY BOY, A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” the voice declared very loudly.]

 HAHA! That’s not creepy at all! *Michael Jackson moonwalks the fuck outta there*

 [Everything went silent for a moment or two. “…Kill you?” the same voice said.]

 WhAaAaAaAt?! A TwIsT tHaT eVeRyOnE sAw CoMiNg?! X’D

 [“He fell off the stool, and I caught him.” Freddy explained.]

 Freddy Fazbear nearly saves Jeremy from a concussion, a skull fracture or a brain bleed! 

 [“Now that I mention it, he hasn’t thanked me yet.” Freddy mentioned.]

 Dude!

 [“Oh-um…Thank you…for catching me.” Jeremy finally said.]

 Good boy. *pats the man’s head, even though he’s technically older than me* 

 [“Are you gonna kill me? Shove me into a suit? Leave my dead body to rot inside the suit?!” Jeremy asked, still overwhelmed with anxiety.] 

 This guy’s gonna need some whiskey after this incident. 

 [“It looks like Mr. Emily hired another 'daredevil’ night guard. Do you really believe those rumors?” Chica asked.] 

 In case you didn’t get the twist before: the animatronics are NOT gonna kill him. Why? Because my fluffy ass doesn’t like writing about confirmed death. (At least, not yet...I later write ‘Don’t Release the Spirits’...

 [“That’s a big child.” Chica commented.

 “He’s grown up. He’s a male, grown up child.” Freddy corrected.] 

 Another reminder of the obvious: Jeremy is an AdULT in this fanfiction! He is not a ChiiiLD! XD

 [“Flip him over.” Chica suggested.

 “Okay.” Freddy replied.]

 Insert long montage of Jeremy getting flipped over by animatronics who don’t know how to handle humans. 

 [“Let me go!” Jeremy yelled at Freddy, still pushing against Freddy’s fingers.

 “He’s wiggling a lot. Is he having a temper tantrum?” Freddy asked curiously. Chica looked at the squirming, frustrated man in Freddy’s grasp.] 

 Ha ha funny? Get it? Cause he’s an adult? And he’s being treated like a child? 

 XD I’m just being silly. I actually found this part fun to write. 

 [“I think so.” Chica replied. “Try throwing him up in the air and catching him. I’ve seen parents do it. Kids love it!” Chica suggested.

 Jeremy’s eyes widened in horror. Was he about to be thrown up like a toddler and caught by an animatronic?!] 

 Spoiler alert: Yes. 

 Insert long montage of Jeremy nearly shitting his pants while Freddy Fazbear breaks many laws against mishandling of an adult male, and extreme negligence if he were a child. May we advise that these animatronics are NEVER made in the future. 

 [By the time the sixth throw and catch had happened, Jeremy was visibly shaking in the arms of the animatronic. Jeremy’s face was visibly traumatized.] 

 HmMmMm...I wOnDeR wHy?! 

 [Without any warning, Chica fluttered the finger up and down, on Jeremy’s exposed neck. Jeremy’s body jumped and curled inwards to cover up the spot. A squeal left Jeremy’s mouth before he began flailing his hands towards the finger’s direction to stop it.]

 Voila! Tickles! They have finally arrived!

 [Jeremy’s eyes widened to the side of saucers! He began protesting as much as possible. “No, please! L-look! I’m feeling a lot better! See? I don’t need tickles!” Jeremy pleaded, putting on a fake smile to prove it.] 

 Probably any other time, this probably would’ve worked. 

 [But, Chica was persistent!]

 But of course, it doesn’t. Because y’all wanted tickles? You’re getting your tickles!

 [“Yeah! You were being a naughty little boy with a really bad attitude. I think you deserve some cheer-up tickles for that.” Freddy added, unintentionally teasing him.]

 I think those tickles were a little more intentional than ya thought…

 [“What- What are you doing?” Jeremy yelled. Freddy removed the slip-on shoe off of Jeremy’s foot, and let it fall to the floor with a loud clap. “Hey! Put my shoe back!” Jeremy yelled.] 

 But why would they do that, when they clearly wanna tickle your feet?

 [“Here: Your turn to hold him.” Freddy said, before throwing Jeremy old-granny style over to Chica.] 

 UH…

 [Jeremy was NOT ready for that. No human should ever be ready for being thrown like that! It’s impossible usually. But if it IS possible, It’s always frowned upon for being inhumane! But, why should animatronics know that?] 

 It’s kinda nice that Jeremy is making up for the fact that all the animatronics share 2 brain cells. But these animatronics could’ve SHATTERED BONES. When is that EVER considered okay?!

 [Freddy tilted his head. “You don’t like my cold fingers?” Freddy clarified.

 “IHIHIHIT’S COHOHOHOHOLD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Jeremy reacted.

 “Oh. Well I’m sorry, but I can’t help that! You’re gonna have to sit tight and get used to my cold, fat fingers.” Freddy teased.] 

 Basically what happened: 

 Jeremy: “KEEP YOUR HANDS FROM ANTARCTIC AWAY FROM MY FEET!” 

 Freddy: “Not happening! Suffer, you ticklish piece of shit!” 

 [Somewhere in the room, a quiet music box tune could be heard, twinkling in the background.] 

 GUESS WHO’S BACK! BACK AGAIN!

 [THE MUSIC BOX! MARIONETTE! HE’S ESCAPED THE MUSIC BOX!]

 MARIONETTE’S BACK! BACK AGAIN!

 [Was he gonna die? Was the marionette gonna kill him? Was the camera going to record is very last moments? Were people gonna watch the camera to figure out how he died?…Would they blame his death on bad decisions? What would happen to his body?! WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?! JEREMY DEMANDED TO KNOW!]

 [This is it…he’s gonna die…He’s gonna be found in a few hours, ripped apart on the floor…He could guarantee it.] 

 Anxiety in a nutshell. 

 [This animatronic isn’t cold. It’s covered in some kind of fur-like fabric.] 

 This was actually confirmed on the FNAF wiki fanpage. Marionette’s fingers are covered in fur fabric. 

 And now Jeremy’s gonna get ultimately tortured by Marionette’s 3 fingers on his feet. May his soul rest in peace. 

 [Then…Marionette did something only Satan himself would be capable of: Marionette pulled a couple of Jeremy’s toes back, and began scratching the more exposed spaces underneath the deathly ticklish toes.] 

 *looks at a watch* ...How the fuck is he not dead from asphyxiation? He’s been getting tickled heavily for at least an hour. He should be passing out. 

 [Jeremy was cackling like a mad man. The poor guy was losing energy rather quickly. His pushing and squirming had began to slow, and tears had started forming in his eyes.] 

 See? It’s about time. 

 [Not to be confused with tears of pain, of course.]

 Wait, what? 

 [This wasn’t painful for Jeremy. Though this kind of fighting presents itself with a few cons, It wasn’t torturous either. It was…strangely playful. It sort of reminded Jeremy of the stories his friends would tell him, of the tickle fights they had with their siblings growing up. Some tickle fights were pure playfulness, other tickle fights were slightly torturous. But in the end, they still loved each other.]

 ...Well, go figure. 

 [Was Jeremy beginning to like the animatronics? Not intimate of course, but…Was Jeremy beginning to appreciate the animatronics’ tickling? Surely not! That’s absurd!…unless…] 

 Go figure. Yup. Gotta make sure it’s somewhat enjoyable so the reader can enjoy it without feeling bad! Cause that’s how I write. 

 [“Oh Cohohohome ohohohon! IHIHIHI THOHOHOHOUGHT YOHOHOHOU WEHEHERE DOHOHONE!” Jeremy yelled as his laughter grew louder. Marionette had reached its fingers into Jeremy’s armpit, and began scratching lightly.

 “Your laugh is very fun to hear! I wanna hear more of it!” Freddy explained.] 

 Of course, you have to add a comment about liking the person’s laughter! Cause that’s always important! 

 [So, Jeremy gave them a nod to proceed. Then, Jeremy abrupted into brand new fits of laughter! How long was Jeremy gonna be like this? Who know? Jeremy didn’t care. Not one bit…] 

 Aaaaand that’s the end! 

 A little predictable, but still fun to read. Jeremy is still my favorite character in this fanfic. 

 And now, we’re onto the next re-reading! 

 Voodoo Duke-Craft! I’m proud of this one! I was happy to finally be able to come up with a fanfic idea involving voodoo dolls, and this was the first one! And EVERYONE LOVED IT! I swear, I’m not kidding! 196 notes says a lot!

 So, here we go! 

 [Remus came to the front of the yellow and black room, and knocked on the door. As he patiently waited for the door to open, Remus looked down at the liquid-free blood bag with the doll laying upside down in the bag.]

 Hehehehe! I like the idea that Remus holds his things in a blood bag-turned purse. XD

 [The door finally opened. As he predicted, it was Deceit.] 

 This entire fanfiction is gonna involve Janus being called Deceit. Why? Because Deceit’s name hadn’t canonically come out yet! And this fanfiction came out long before the name reveal episode. 

 [Remus happily comes into the yellow-colored room, lined with snakes, Law and Order posters and Judge Judy posters.]

 Because...Selfishness Vs. Selflessness! And law! 

 [Despite the doll coming from Remus, the doll appeared to be really well made!]

 That’s a compliment! 

 [Deceit looked up from the doll. “And you’re positive this thing actually works?” Deceit asked.

 “Yup! Positive. I tried it on myself before giving it to you, as you can see-” Remus said as he pointed at the green heart on the voodoo doll. “You can try it too, if you want.” Remus suggested.]

 Remus: “I already tried it on myself, so you don’t need proof to show it works.” 

 Also Remus: “...But if you don’t believe me, I suppose you could try it on me...just to see…” 

 [“I suppose this works really well. I will use this voodoo doll to my advantage. Thank you, Remus.” Deceit said with a grin.] 

 ...You SUPPOSE? You just tickled the man till he belly flopped the floor! Of COURSE it works!

 [With everything in place, Deceit was ready to start tormenting the other sides. He left his room and closed the door, allowing Remus to process the mistake he’d made in his room.]

 I doubt Remus would consider giving Janus a voodoo doll, a ‘mistake’. More like ‘the most evil idea ever’! 

[Deceit walked around, looking for potential contenders. While walking down the hall, Deceit gazed his eyes upon a light blue-clothed figure. Recognizing who it was, Deceit his behind a wall and grabbed the light blue heart out of his pocket.]

 Oh boy! It’s Patton first! 

 [Now, if it truly worked, Patton should be bonded with the voodoo doll. Just as a test, Deceit gave Patton’s neck a little flutter with his finger.

 From a few feet into the living room, Patton let out a yelp of surprise.] 

 Huzzah! It works! Turns out putting a fabric heart onto a voodoo doll, will hook Patton up to the doll and make him feel everything that touches the doll’s head. Becaaaause MAGIC!

 [Deceit began tickling the sides of the doll’s neck, fluttering his index finger on both sides of the neck one side at a time. Right side, left side. Right side, left side…

 Patton squealed as his back fell onto the couch. “EEEEHehehehehehehe!” Patton giggled more, flapping his hands absolutely everywhere around his head.] 

 Oh NO! I could sense that! Nope nope nope nope NOPE. 

 [To make things feel a little better, Deceit turned the doll around and gave it a hug.

 Patton smiled as he felt physically hugged by an invisible pair of arms. It felt so warm and snug. Like being held by a security blanket.]

 Awwww! This part has always been a personal favorite part due to how loving it is. It’s times like these that make me wish I had a voodoo doll…

 [Deceit allowed his mouth to morph into a toothy smile as he moved his tickly fingers over to the sides of the doll’s belly.]

 You can just TELL he’s enjoying the hell outta this! #Janusisbestler2021

 [Deceit’s mischief had just left him at this point. Deceit was actually really enjoying making Patton laugh like this. He was keeping it a mystery, sure, but it was really fun seeing Patton laugh and squirm on the couch.] 

 ...Doesn’t everyone feel that with Patton? Or am I the only one? I probably am. I find that BILLIONS of fans LOVE seeing Virgil’s reactions. And Patton’s been fulfilling all the fans’ needs! So...yeah. I would love to tickle Patton! And I would love to be the tickle monster’s pray. Hehe ^w^

 [As he hugged the doll, Deceit watched as Patton practically melted into the touch. It was here, that Deceit discovered something new about Patton: He’s touch-starved. If he were used to touch, Patton would be eventually squirming for him to let go. But, Patton was perfectly comfortable with being cuddled.]

 I actually forgot I added that little fact in here! This is the most realistic fact I have ever seen in my life. 

 [If Deceit didn’t have anything to do, he would’ve definitely stayed to hug Patton for a lot longer.]

 It’s sure a shame that Janus had 4 other sides to tickle. 

 [But, he had things to do.]

 See? Poor man’s busy experimenting with the ultimate tickle toy that beats the Tickle Me Elmo by a landslide. 

 [Deceit hid in the room across from the red-doored room. The room belonged to Roman, who was admiring himself in the mirror. Deceit rolled his eyes, but smiled as he pulled out the red felt heart.] 

 Would you believe I’ve forgotten the order at this point? Maybe now was a good time to re-read it! I’m losing my memory. XD

 [A couple seconds later, the red heart fabric began glowing. This meant that the heart was now fully bonded with Roman!]

 Still don’t quite know how fabric glows, but whatever. Screw logic!

 [Roman - who had been posing in the mirror with his arm up behind his head - squealed and slammed his arm down as he bursted into laughter.]

 Aaah, yes: the classic ‘surprise armpit tickle when the arms are up’ trick. But, with a twist! I’m surprised he didn’t fall! 

 [Deceit giggled and tried tickling two spots at once: the doll’s left armpit and the doll’s right foot. Roman’s eyes practically bulged out of his skull. Roman fell backwards onto the ground, and rolled around manically.] 

 Oop- aaaand he’s down. 

 [Roman was freaking out. Thank god no one was seeing this! How would anyone react to him screaming in laughter at nothing, and rolling around like a wiggle worm?! He would NEVER be able to live that down!]

 *sniffles* Here lies Roman’s pride and confidence. It will forever be missed. 

 [Deceit decided to listen to him and lessen the tickles dramatically. Deceit removed his fingers and decided to try a different tickle spot that Remus shared with Roman: the thighs.] 

 Remus would definitely do this. 

 [Deceit covered his mouth to silently giggle, before adding a second finger to the doll’s thigh. Roman let go of his knees and allowed himself to kick his legs as he rolled around and covered his face with his hands.] 

 Awww! De widdle bean is getting embawwassed! How adowable! OwO 

 [Deceit soaked up as much of Roman’s giggles as he could, before moving onto the left thigh.]

 #Janusisasponge

 [Despite one’s belief with soft tickles, Roman’s giggles didn’t die down! In fact, they almost got a little louder! Deceit’s very light fingernail tickles were almost teasy in a way! This made Roman’s face heat up in embarrassment.

 “Plehehehehease! Ihihihi cahahahahan’t tahahahahake ihihihit! Ihihihit’s sohohoho ticklyhy, and ihihihit’s wohohohohorse thahahat Ihihihi cahahahan’t seehehehehe whehehehere yohohou’ll strihihihike nehehext!” Roman explained through his never ending giggles.]

 Soft tickles can sometimes kill quicker than hard tickles. 

 [Deceit raised an eyebrow. ‘worse when you can’t see’? Now, Deceit was really intrigued.]

 It’s called ‘blindfolded tickles’ with a twist. Aka: ‘you’re worse than SATAN HIMSELF’. 

 And now Janus is gonna start constantly switching spots, to show Roman’s variety in his voice. As if we don’t hear enough melody variety from his singing. XD

 [His laughter would die down into giggles for a while, before growing into even MORE laughter! It was so strange and unpredictable! Whoever this was, was EVIL and should be given PUNISHMENT for such cruel tickle tactics!] 

 Anyone else agree with this? 

 *sees a sea of people in and out of the tickle community* 

 Okay. 

 Roman is given time to breathe, he’s hugged by Janus and Janus moves onto the next victim. 

 [After going up the stairs, Deceit came across Virgil’s room.] 

 We’re literally given the name of who it is this time. No clothing guesses here! Just immediate names. 

 [Now: Knowing Virgil most of his life, Deceit knew that these tickles needed to be tame and calming all at once. He couldn’t go hard on him at all, or else he will really regret it. Even though he could easily get away with it using the Voodoo doll tactic, he still wanted to make him happy, not make him feel miserable.]

 Janus secretly has a soft spot for Virgil because he is a former dark side. 

 [Virgil gasped and bursted into giggles. “Eehehehehe! Gehehehet ohohout ohohohohof thehehere!” Virgil begged. Virgil zipped off his jacket and lifted up his shirt…Funny…No bugs? Were they invisible? Virgil felt around his belly and found that his belly was as bare as can be!]

 I guess the voodoo doll tactic can be quite...deceiving! HA! 

 Why am I like this…it didn’t even make sense.

 [It didn’t take long for his energy to come back thankfully, due to how easy Deceit was on him. Virgil sighed with a smile, and grabbed his headphones to place them on his head. But, just as he put his headphones on, a fluttery feeling started up on Virgil’s ear!]

 ...I actually completely forgot I chose ear tickles for this part! Talk about a renewed experience!

 [Deceit’s smirk got larger as he tickled the different parts of Virgil’s ears. The back of the ears, the front of the ear, the top of the ear flap itself, and even the bit of skull behind the ear was really ticklish! Virgil was giggling madly, shaking his head back and forth and kicking his legs. He was so confused! How were his ears being tickled right now?! Was it some kind of witchcraft?!] 

 Wow! How did Virgil know?! How did he guess it was witchcraft?! 

 [Virgil just didn’t understand. And, to make matters worse, he couldn’t properly think with his ears being tickled and teased!

 Deceit actually planned it that way. He knew that too many physical distractions would stop his spiraling head. This was for the best.] 

 Janus is actually very understanding and loving to Virgil, which is very nice to see! I should write more Virgil & Janus moments like this. 

 [Virgil gasped and suddenly smiled when he felt the feeling of a nice warm hug surrounding him. Virgil didn’t fully understand where the hug-feeling was coming from, but it was enjoyable! Virgil happily snuggled into his bed and cuddled himself into the invisible hug.] 

 Everyone deserves a nice long hug sometimes. And all the time, depending on the person! 

 [Oh boy! Deceit was REALLY excited for this session. Logan is known for showing very little emotion, so finding Logan’s ticklish spots and getting him to laugh could be a game-changer!]

 Lee Logan be like: 

‘shows no emotion. Therefore; laughter is more rewarding when tickled long enough.’

 [After a few minutes of quiet looking, Deceit soon found a book on the very subject he was looking for: voodoo magic.] 

 Because of COURSE Logan has a book on voodoo magic! And this isn’t sarcasm this time! This is genuine! Logan would definitely have a book on voodoo magic in there! 

 [The Voodoo Doll Spellbook: A Compendium of Ancient Contemporary Spells and Rituals]

 This is actually a book I found online! You can buy this book for $32 on Amazon!

 [When it was 100% bonded, Deceit started off small. He placed his fingernail onto the shoulder of the doll, and drew a line down to the outside of the elbow and down to the doll’s stump at the bottom, before removing the fingernail.] 

 [...Logan paused his reading and looked at his arm. Logan examined it, and discovered a potential fear of his had come true: He’s bonded to a voodoo doll! How did- Who in the world has a voodoo doll of HIM?! And WHY?!]

 Hahaha! That moment when you’re reading a book about voodoo, then you feel voodoo magic being done on you? That’s not creepy at all! A nOrMaL oCcUrAnCe!

 [A large squeak left his mouth as he just collapsed onto the floor in mad giggles. Deceit watched as Logan’s emotionless demeanor just crumbled, and allowed his to fall into such an adorable state only a lean nerd could fall into.]

 Presenting, Logan in a nutshell.

 [Deceit liked seeing this reaction. It was kinda cute! So, Deceit kicked it up a notch! He placed his pinky finger onto the black button and began drawing circles around the outside of the black button on the doll.]

 Janus is just having a jolly ol’ time! He should be a tickle monster more often!

 [“Uuh-…Please! That’s my worst spot! I’m begging you!” Logan begged. Deceit lifted an eyebrow. If Deceit wouldn’t have known better, it would’ve sounded like Logan WANTED to be tickled on his hips! So, Deceit did the one thing he 'begged’ for: He squeezed Logan’s hip. “No! NO! NOOHOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHIHI SAHAHAHAID PLEHEHEHEHEASE! DIHIHIHIDN’T IHIHI?!” Logan asked.]

 Janus being a little shit in 5 minutes or less. Also, when does please EVER work?!

 [It was here, that Deceit decided to walk out from behind the book shelves and in front of Logan.]

 Voila: the big reveal! Janus was behind the voodoo witchcraft all along!

 [“Deceit?! What are you do-” Logan started, before pausing his sentence as he noticed the item in his hand. “…You!” Logan reacted, jumping up to confront him. “YOU’RE the one with the voodoo doll!” Logan confronted.]

 ...Bro...that was so slow. At this rate, Jim Carrey could determine it was Janus before you could!

 [“Indeed I am. Are you surprised?” Deceit asked.

 Logan put a hand in his pocket. “Yes…I suppose I am. I can see the chances of Remus using this, as much more likely than seeing you with the doll. Then again though…You are capable of manipulation…” Logan explained.

 “Manipulation? Don’t you mean…” Deceit started, before lifting up the doll and his finger. “…exposing the truth?” Deceit corrected, ready to tickle Logan when needed.]

 oooOOOOH! I can sense the tension! The idea that someone is holding information about your weakness, and is ready to exploit it at any point?! HOLY CRAP! 

 [Logan’s face visibly morphed into fear. He clenched his teeth nervously.]

 See? Even Logan’s unnerved!

 [Logan resorted to his usual monotone act. “What…is there to understand? I don’t laugh.” Logan explained.]

 Why the fuck you lyin’? Why you always lyin’? MmmmOh ma gahd, stop fuckin’ LYYYIN’!

 ~Nicholas Fraser, Vine

 [“Oh, NOW you cover up your laugh. Let me not remind you that a few seconds ago, you were freely giggling and rolling on the floor.” Deceit reminded. Logan’s eyes widened in fear and shock. He SAW THAT?! OH SHIT!]

 Mm hmm, Yes. He did in fact see that. And now you are what the virgins would say: Fucked.

 [Logan, growing angry at the dominance Deceit had created over the logical side, Logan ran and attempted to grab the doll right out of his hand. But nope! Deceit dodged it and squeezed Logan’s hip as he ran backwards away from the angry side. Not expecting his hips to be attacked so abruptly, Logan made a whining sound and doubled over desperately.]

 ..Well that happened. Tried and failed. #1. 

[“Not a bad attempt. But, you’re gonna have to try a little harder, in order to get this thing out of my hands.” Deceit warned.

 Logan attempted to glare at the evil side, but the glare quickly failed him as the doll’s belly button AND hip was attacked at the same time. Logan let out a muffled yelp and fell onto the ground.

 “Interesting: Despite your logical nature, you seemed to believe that 'giving me a glare while I’m using voodoo magic on you’, will help you in any manner. Yet: it doesn’t.” Deceit teased logically...]

 ...Shit dude! I guess Janus is now the new Logan! 

 [Logan squeezed his eyes shut and helplessly began to let titters out of his mouth. “See? You’re beginning to break now. It’s probably because I’m using an illogical strategy to get you to laugh. No matter how much you laugh, you will never be able to truly understand: Why does a person laugh when they’re tickled? And, where does it come from?” Deceit proceeded to tease in a logical matter.]

 Why are mice ticklish? Why does the world spin round? And one thing I will never know the workings behind: Where do babies come from?

 [Logan’s pent up laughter pretty quickly turned into his regular giggles.

 “Wow! 2 minutes and 30 seconds! Impressive! Yet, at the same time: unimpressive.” Deceit reacted.]

 *crawls under about 10 different blankets and flips off Janus*

 [“How, you ask? Well, that’s simple really: You happened to be born with a collection of nerve ending around multiple spots. But, to narrow it down: your hips-” Deceit squeezed his hips. “your belly button-” Deceit booped his belly button with his pinky. “and…” Deceit said with a smirk, before placing his fluttering fingers onto the doll’s inner part of the upper leg. “…Your thighs.” Deceit concluded.]

 *screams out of my blanket burrito* “STOP TURNING INTO SHERLOCK HOLMES!”

 [Logan couldn’t help his reaction at all! He couldn’t change it either! Logan’s cheeks, against all circumstances, had turned a light red hue! He was blushing! Deceit couldn’t believe his eyes! “Do my eyes deceive me?! Is the logical side…blushing?” Deceit asked.]

 *starts slowly going into a lee mood because of JANUS DECEIT SANDERS!*

 [Deceit tilted his head as he tried something. Deceit tried fluttering his fingers on the jawline and the back of Logan’s ear…Just to see how he’d react.

 Surprisingly, Logan’s giggles heightened slightly as he curled into the strange, but comfortable touch. It was almost a melting spot for Logan. How cute!

 “It would seem that Logan has something that everyone lacks according to my knowledge: A melting spot. You, Logan, are capable of melting into a certain ticklish spot…Almost as if you like it. Do you like it?” Logan explained.]

 MMMMMMMmmmm why tf is this so CUTE?! 

 [Logan didn’t want to answer that question. He was NEVER going to answer such an embarrassing question!

 Though…Logan’s reputation had been left in tatters minutes before this…so…it wouldn’t hurt, right?

 “Fihihihine…Ihihi lihihihike ihihit…” Logan admitted.

 Deceit smirked. “I knew it!” he reacted, still giving Logan’s ears ticklish, cute little treatment.]

 Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!

 [“Hey! Give that back!” Deceit yelled. Logan looked down at it, and smirked. It was a yellow felt heart. Deceit’s bonding heart…]

 Oooooh...I forgot about this part! I actually forgot just how long this fanfiction was. 

 [With the voodoo doll in his hand and the yellow heart in his other hand, Logan could get Deceit back. Only…one problem:

 “How does this doll work? Do I have to clip the heart onto the…black square where the heart location appears to be?” Logan asked.]

 Congrats! You’ve gotten this far. But now, please let us interrupt your much-wanted tickles with some ‘I don’t know how this works’ kinda humor. Pocket’s fanfictions everybody: A place where filler is expected. XD

 [Logan decided to test it. He lifted up his finger, and tried dragging a fingernail down the doll’s right, scaly side. Deceit gasped and hugged his side, showing off a wobbly smile and curling in a little.

 “Fascinating…” Logan reacted. Deceit looked up and watched in horror as Logan squeezed up and down the doll’s side. Deceit squealed through his toothy smile and let out a few high-pitched giggles.] 

 Awwww yeah! REVEEEEENGE!

 [“You know: For an intimidating and sneaky side, you have a very high-pitched giggle.” Logan reacted. Deceit only squealed in reply and continued to curl himself further. “How cruel of me…using such a powerful piece of black magic, for such a simple little reason. kinda makes you regret your previous actions…doesn’t it Deceit?” Logan continued to tease.]

 *claps proudly*

 Ladies and gentlemen: John motherfucking Watson!

 [“There we go! That wasn’t so hard. Was it?” Logan asked.

“YOHOHOU’RE SOHOHOHO DEHEHEHEAD!” Deceit yelled through his strong and overpowering laughter.]

Woooow...Revenge seems pretty sweet!

[“Oh, alright. I suppose I can give you a break from the feet.” Logan compromised and removed his fingers. Deceit happily took the break and tried to replace as much oxygen as he could through his body. 

But, Logan wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.]

No sir! No sir-ee bob!

[Deceit got stuck in Logan’s ticklish wonders for a good 30 minutes. Deceit was completely warn out from all the tickles. Which, how was that fair! Deceit had treated the others really well! Why did HE get the rough tickles?! Well, that’s simple: 

What goes around, always comes around…ESPECIALLY if it’s a snake’s doing…]

 Aaaaand that’s all folks! 

I gotta admit: I loved that. I can see why the fanfic got so much recognition! It was long, it was SUPER TEASY, it was EVIL, and it was fun! I had fun! 

I have to now sign off and spend the next hour with my family. I wish you all a wonder 2021! And may we all leave 2020 behind! 

[aman58]

Morty: (sobbing on his director seat immediately) UWAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

Morty: (wails even harder tears hit his little bro umbrella as the tears cleared up) M M MY M M MEG MEGAPHONE UHAHAHAHHAHAAHA! (Blows his nose by a tissue melts/morphs into a bucket as the tissue fell in it causing Morty to inflate then he returned to normal) T THANKS BUT IT ZE NO USE I AM NOW WHAT YOU SAY? WASHED OUT!

Morty: ZHE TRAGEDY OH HO HO HO IS ZHIS MY END IS ZHIS I MORTY DIRECTOR OF IT FINATS FILMS HOW COULD I LOSE IT? I AM A PUNY WORTHLESS MOVIE DIRECTOR ZHAT ALL EVEN ZHE GLOW FROM ZHIS BEAUTIFUL BUTTON IS NOW NOTHING BUT A DULL HUES AHHHHHHH MY BRIGHT RED MEGAPHONE WHERE ART THOU?! I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO BE ABLE TO HOLD MY DEAR SWEET MEGAPHONE AGAIN DO NOT LOOK AT ME I AM NOW WHAT YOU SAY HIDEOUS! (Morphs into a poorly drawn version of himself) MY ART OHHH HOW MY ART STUFFERS DO NOT SLANDER ME DIRECTOR WITHOUT APPLYING IT TO MOI ME WITHOUT MY MEGAPHONE I AM UNWORTHY OF BEING CALLED SUCH A NAME! (Turns into a sad clown toots his horn gloomy turns into a artist with a blank canvas without a brush or paint turns into a chef without a knife to cut his food morphs into a moping dog without a bag of trash to dig/eat out of) WHAT AN ARTIST WITHOUT A BRUSH HUH? A CHEF WITHOUT A KNIFE A DOG WITHOUT A BAG OF ZRASH? (Shapeshift to himself on paper being stomped on by the word rejected) NOTHING WITHOUT MY MEGAPHONE I AM NOTHING TOO NO I AM LESS ZHAN NOTHING! (Turns back to normal puts hand on face and sobs some more)

Morty: (gasps happily) HAHA! MY MEGAPHONE! ZHANK YOU VERY MUCH AH HAHAHA! (hugging it pauses looks at grabs them both) YOU TWO DEUX WAIT A SECOND HOLD IT RIGHT THERE I DID NOT NOTICE UNTIL NOW BUT YOU BOTH HAVE SOME EXCELLENT FEATURES AND YOUR BUILDS NOT BAD NOT BAD AT ALL (makes pictures poses with his fingers) AHH YES I SEE A MAKING OF A STAR YES MY CREATIVE MIND IS SHAKING OFF ZHE DUST AND IS SPRINGING BACK TO LIFE! (Puts his arms around the two) AHA I CAN SEE IT NOW WILL GO AGAINST THE RAMPAGING KAIJU GHOST AND IT ALL ENDS WITH A KISS SCENE

Morty: WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING PUNK?!

Morty: (as a police officer) OH HO HO HO TASK TASK I AM AFRAID I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE YOU A TICKET FOR LEAVING THE FILM AND THAT INCLUDING ROMANES

Another Morty: (as George floyed) OK TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW?

Yet another Morty: (as a medical doctor) OK NOW SAY AHHH

Yet another Morty: OK IT TIME FOR THE OLD TICKER COUGH PLEASE

Yet another Morty: WHAT THIS WELL (x rays) OH WOW HEART BEATING AS TWOMP SWEATS COMING DOWN YOUR FACE I GUESS YOU HAVE A BAD CASE OF LOVESICKNESS (song song) AND I DO NOT MEAN TO BOTHER BUT YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH THAT WOMAN IS IT (nudged him)

Morty: (snaps his decoys away and snaps back to his French accent) AHA! THERE IS MY STAR COME AND TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL RATHER THAN SHOWING IT I KNOW YOU WILL MAKE YOUR BROTHER MARIO POUD WHAT DO SAY MY FRIEND I AM NOT JUST MAKING THESE MOVIES FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY THIS MOVIE IN PARTICULAR I WANT DJ PHANTASMAGORIA TO SEE OH HA OH! (Smithers in thoughts)

Morty: DJ PHANTASMAGORIA RESIDES ON ZHE 14th FLOOR OF THE HOTEL SHE IS A GREAT MUSICIAN RIGHT NEXT TO AMADEUS GLORIA IS MY MUSE (turns into multi violins as heart shaped notes fly off the strings) SHE HAS BEEN AMAZING THOUGH A ZHOUSAND OF VIOLINS (sighs shows a CD remix that pg has given him) SHE GAVE ME THIS TO KEEP TRACK WITH MY FILMS SHE ALSO HELPS ME WITH MY FILMS IN WITCH SHE COMPOSED AND REMIXED FOR ME BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Morty: COME COME LETS START SHOOTING WHERE MY CREW PLACES EVERYONE TAKE YOUR PLACES AND ACTION! GREAT GREAT KEEP IT KEEP IT UP EXCELLENT WORK YOU TWO MY GUTS TELLS ME ZHIS GOING TO BE A MASTERPIECE TIME TO ACTIVATE STARDOM!

Morty: NOW ZHIS OHHH ZHIS IS ART CUE KISS SCENE

Morty: AND CUT! HEY!

Morty: HERE IS YOUR EMMY AS PROMISED (gives the ninth elevator button)

Morty: NOW I AM GOING TO EDIT ZHIS MWAH BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE YOU HELP CREATE!

Morty: WHAT ZHE EVIL WHOA HA HO! HELP ME! (His tail sudden gets stuck in the rolling film tape as electric sparks starts flying as a blast of static sends steward flying towards the wall as he shook it off)

(FLEE STACH BOOM!)

Morty: AHHHH RAHHHHH (the shadow on the wall detects him turning into a KAJIU turns into mortilza) MORTILZA IS ZE MORE LIKE IT (looks at live cam places on his head) RWAH COME IT STEMS ZHAT WE SHOULD GO AND HELP THEM OUT

Mortilza: ZHIS IS NO TIME TO MANGLE WITH US GHOST WITH ZHE MOST HERE OK I AM THE READY FOR BASHER KITTY COMBET

Mortilza: (nabs the evil cat by the tails and swings her by the tv feels ozzy reverts to normal) OHHHH (shakes head) QUICKLY EVERYONE HOLD HANDS WE ARE GOING LIVE!

Morty: ZHAT IS BECAUSE WE ARE IN ZHE FILM I MADE IT NOW (as a blue version of darkwing duck) LET'S GET DANGEROUS! (They chased after the cat along the way the poor Director was zapped and injured as his friends were trying their best to save him from dying)

(SKEE THUD!)

Morty: WAIT I HAVE GOT A MOTION TO STOP ZHAT PESKY CAT! (Turns into a mouse) COME ON FOLLOW ME INTO THIS LITTLE MOUSY HOLE THAT IS MOI (goes into the hole with the cat following him ) NOW FELLAS CREM HER!

Morty: I WILL STAY PUT HERE WITH MY STAGE CREW AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN ZHE FILM IS READY TO VIEW HA HA!

Morty: MY FILM IS FINALLY COMPLETE

Morty: WHAT! ZHE 14TH FLOOR (morphs into a GameCube) I AM GAME!

Morty: WHERE IS DJ PHANTASMAGORIA? (Starts shaking but stops him) ZHANKS

DJ Phantasmagloria: WHO IS THAT COMING ON MY DANCE FLOOR?

Morty: (crazy French babbling feeling all lovestruck as he melts and turns into a flower and then reverts to normal) H HI PG ZHANKS FOR THAT CD YOU GAVE ME!!!

Morty: oh yes just give moi a second (rushes out of the dance floor)

DJ Phantasmagoria: WHAT CD?

Morty: HEE HEE ZHIS ONE! (Shows pg the cd) ZHIS ONE!

Morty: NO NO SNAP OUT OF IT STOP (morphs into one of the groobs dancers) TAKE ZHIS OHHH

Morty: (crying) O O OH PLEASE PHANTASMAGORIA PLEASE FALL IN LOVE WITH ME!

Morty: (looks at the films) HEY WAIT I HAVE AN IDEA! (Puts film up) WATCH THIS!

Morty: HAHA I FINALLY DID IT! (hops on DJ Phantasmagloria lap as he smiles) I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART!

DJ Phantasmagloria: (gasps) OH MORTY I AM SO SORRY I ACTED SO BADLY IN FACT I AM ABOUT TO SING A SONG WANT TO HEAR IT?

Morty: (gasps melts on pg lap but reverts to normal) SORRY I MEAN YES!

Morty: (bawls) Z ZHAT W WAS B BEAUTIFUL (blows his nose) ZHANKS FOR EVERYTHING!

Morty: YEAH BYE!

They group left with pg following them as they went through many pages of the Luigi Mansion 3 levels

The end

[maggotsandcream]

Finally got around to watching a playthrough of Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time

I have thoughts as always, a lot of them. Spoilers ahoy!

First off, it is 100% on brand for E. Gadd to build a time machine and decide that the most ethical way to test it would be to send his head of state and her entourage into the past while taking exactly zero safety precautions. What's far more eyebrow raising is that clearly multiple other people starting with Peach herself had to sign off on this.

Maybe if past!Mushroom Kingdom employed an army that was composed of more than literally 2 toddlers they wouldn't have gotten so trounced by the aliens that it resembled the first part of a Doctor Who Christmas special.

I should note that none of these things are criticisms. I find the lack of two brain cells to rub together throughout the Mushroom Kingdom both past and present delightful.

I read a fan theory that the reason no one knew about the Shroobs in the present was because they hadn't actually attacked in the past at first and it was the whacky time machine antics that sucked them into the past from the present when they were originally going to attack the Mushroom Kingdom and oddly that tracks pretty well and I think I will adopt that as my own headcanon.

Of course, considering it's also Mario canon that multiple universes exist and the universe they live in periodically collapses and gets shuffled around could easily account for this too.

Baby Mario whacking everything in reach with his hammer is probably one of the more accurate portrayals of toddlers in video games. The rest of it obviously isn't, but that particular aspect jibes pretty well with my admittedly limited experience of 2-year-olds.

The enemies in general have pretty neat designs.

I liked that those elderly toad women being red/green twins called back to Superstar Saga where there were just so many red/green twins hanging around. Oddly, between the hammer bros and the Shroob princesses notably not following that pattern it seems like only twins with a good alignment get the red/green color scheme.

"Honey, the stork has arrived with our new babies! Isn't that wonderful?" "Oh yes but what color are their *whispers* hats?" "Fear not, they have a red and a green hat. They aren't predestined to become at best morally ambiguous." *sighs with relief*

"Toad and Toad, why have you taken to a life of crime? It pains me and your father so much." "You see mother, our favorite colors are...orange and blue." *sorrowful wailing*

"Mama, how come all the other twins in the village are red and green, but Toad and I are brown and green?" "You see Toad, there is this tragic medical condition known as evil twin syndrome..."

Doctors write up case study on a pair of identical twins who were both delivered with red hats. They get put through a whole battery of psych evals many times over to try to determine whether they are good, bad, or in between. Turns out they're literally just normal kids.

Wario and Waluigi would fit this pattern.

You can apparently have a good alignment with any color scheme as long as you don't have a twin, though.

Wait, so Luigi's Mansion implies that E. Gadd is 80 and that he'd been researching ghosts for about 60 years, but Partners in Time implies that he's 40 and has only been researching them for 20 years? I suppose it's possible that the age difference came about through irresponsible time machine use considering that it's canon that he kept the time machine and used it again having learned nothing but who knows.

Actually, how many of these games' plots are the result of E. Gadd throwing caution to the wind, lmao.

Between fat shaming Mario and just plain bullying Luigi, the Star Gate is a bit of a prick. That said, I'm really curious what he told Luigi is horrible sins were that were preventing him from going through the gate. Sure, he was bluffing in order to test Mario, but whatever he said was something that Luigi at least thought was horrible enough to disqualify himself and did not want revealed out loud to the group. I actually went looking for speculation on this because I think it would be really interesting but I haven't been able to find any. So I'll start with a bit of my own speculation:

"I couldn't help but notice you have a little bit of a cowardice and jealousy problem." "I know, and I know that if my brother and our past selves noticed this, the most obvious pair of flaws I have which everyone keeps commenting on, they surely will abandon me and no longer love me.😔" "...You've also got massive problems with understanding how other people perceive you."

"Look, I don't care if he started it, but it was not very heroic of you to threaten to beat Purple Mustache to death with his own tennis racket. Seriously, what's wrong with you? You've got to be the bigger person here." "But he's literally bigger than me." "The fate of the world rests upon my judgment of your soul and you think this is the time for sarcasm and backchat?!" "Oh no, you're right. I am such a selfish person.😔"

"Actually, you're basically fine Green Mustache, but I'm legally required to put the hero through a moral test before letting the party through, the hero in this case being your brother. Can I have your cooperation for the next few minutes? It needs to look like I just scolded you for something." "Yes of course. 😔"

[sodapaladin]

I finished Super Paper Mario again! What a wonderful game. While it was not the Paper Mario sequel I wanted at the time, I ended up loving it anyway, and decided to revisit it over a decade later to see if it’s still as good as I remember.

The story and characters are the best part by far. Everything is so memorable and charming. The dating sim in Francis’s nerd palace where Peach got angry at me for my answers cracks me up.

And so many shocking moments too! Like the Sammer Guys letting you through once the situation got dire, and becoming increasingly worried until the last one has a total breakdown. Damn. Or how about straight up going to hell? I can’t believe a villain was smart enough to just ambush the heroes in a hub world like that.

Even though I knew what Luvbi’s deal was already, the ending cutscene of chapter 7 wrecked me. I was legitimately crying throughout the end and she argued with her parents, but made up. I want to slap the writers for completely ruining the moment when Grambi tearfully asked me to save the world and prevent others from feeling this sadness, only for Luigi to say “Okeydokey!”

The gameplay is also mostly good. The platforming-RPG hybrid is more fun than I expected it to be. It’s a rather easy game, but I was mostly playing for the story anyway, so I don’t mind that. The final boss should have probably been more difficult, but ah well.

Most of the “puzzles” just involved flipping, but occasionally there were some clever bits. Chapter 7 was the only one that I felt really used all of the party members well. 95% of the time, you need to use Mario because flipping is just *that* important. Bowser is brokenly powerful, though, so I did use him as much as I could. I used Peach the least, because floating was only situationally useful, and the game was easy enough that I didn’t need her shielding ability. Luigi joins so late in the game, but since he’s mostly there for story purposes, I didn’t mind that as much.

The biggest issue with the game is padding. This is first apparent in Merlee’s mansion. Working to pay off 1,000,000 rupees was a funny gimmick, but it stretched out far too long before you’re able to cheat the system. Similarly, walking in the world of nothing to find the pure heart. I get that making it looong really drove the point home that an entire world was destroyed, but it went on for far too long. I got the gist halfway through. Chapters 5 and 7 were the worst about backtracking. I’m so glad I held on to an extra fruit for that stupid cloud, or I would have lost my mind.

Overall, I’m super glad I went back and revisited SPM. It’s a delightfully charming game, and I hope Intelligent Systems someday brings that charm back.

[prolongingtheprologue]

Concerning Bycatch by Kathrine Snow Ch. 15 - Penny Drop

In which King Boo has officially had it.

Index

(click the source to read on the Porlonging the Prologue blog! for links to Ao3 and Fanfiction.net, visit the index.)

------

      It was his genuine pleasure to hear the old man scream. King boo rose from the grate, eyes aglow with anticipation, then he froze as he saw a very different person backpedaling across the room. His grin grew wider.  

      “Well, look who finally arrived,” he drolled. “I had begun to think you weren’t coming.”

       The courtyard group watched with exhausted satisfaction as Boolsome’s boos lead the charge, cutting off Luigi’s frantic retreat and driving him into the corner. He recoiled, cowering and protecting his head as they dove at him like a swarm of bees, then fell back, scrabbling, onto the floor. 

      The boos hovered over him leisurely, laughing and mocking:

       “Look guys! Luigi’s finally here! We’re going to do to you what we did to your brother, only worse!” 

       Sparks of lightning jumped across his form and Luigi made a spasmodic swipe at the crowd, one hand still protecting his face. The boos darted back with an excited yatter, then pressed in again as he tried to rise, snickering. Luigi made a grab for something at his side. King boo got a glimpse of red. 

      His grin faltered. It was the poltergust. How did he have the poltergust? 

     The thought was a mistake.

      The instant the other boos felt his uncertainty they faltered. Luigi had recovered himself by now. He was up; pale, pressed against the wall, obviously shaking, but he was up with the poltergust nozzle clutched in his hands. The boos around him recoiled. King Boo watched the hose like something venomous, eyes flashing red and the cracks in his jem sparking as what was left of his magic tried to build. Luigi’s eyes were on him now. He seemed to be trying to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. His face was a twist of extreme fear, but there was anger there too, and a hardness in his eyes King Boo recognized from the all-too-recent encounter in the courtyard. 

     This was not the fight he had come for. 

      “Scatter!” he barked. That was all it took to dissolve the mass. Boos plunged everywhere, through the walls, roof, and floor. In seconds, the room was empty.  

• • •  

      Luigi collapsed against the wall, breath coming in short, sharp gasps. He clutched at the poltergust nozzle, eyes locked on the hatch where the largest boo had retreated. He couldn’t believe—why had they just...

      The hatch sealed shut with a soft, electric click. Luigi jolted upright. 

      He had to follow them. 

      He stumbled forward and dropped down by the cap. It was smooth under his frantic hands, not offering enough purchase to even begin to pry. Its lock pulsed an agitating red. 

      Luigi knelt there, almost in a stupor as the full weight of what had happened leaked through his panic. There were boos here—more boos than he’d ever seen before. And they had Mario. 

      His head was spinning so fast he hardly noticed the gameboy ringing from where he had left it. After a moment, it stopped and there was silence, then it started all over again with its cheery tune. 

      Slowly, shakily, Luigi made his way toward it and removed it from the slot in the wall. 

      “Luigi! Thank heavens!” Blurted E. Gadd. “When you didn’t pick up I thought…” The professor trailed off as he saw Luigi’s pale face. “Never mind what I thought. Are you alright?” 

     Luigi gave a short, jerking nod. 

      “Are you hurt, lad? What happened?” 

     “I need to come back to the lab,” Luigi whispered, the words sticking in his throat.

     “Of course. Do you—should I stay on the line?” 

      Luigi gave a jerky shake of his head. 

     “No.” 

     The professor hesitated for a moment, then nodded. 

     “Alright, if you’re sure. I’ll meet you at the front of the place.”

     Luigi nodded again. 

      Despite the conversation being formally over, E. Gadd seemed hesitant to drop the call. 

      “It’s going to be fine lad,” he said after a moment of uncertain hovering. 

      Luigi nodded one last time and flipped the device closed. He only hoped the professor was right. 

• • • 

     There was an instant of shock, then Mario ran. 

      He ran like a drunken man, pushing off the walls with his hands and making for the half-open door at the other side of the lab. Beyond lay a dank stone passage—what looked to be part of the dungeon. 

      An unpleasant image of Luigi strung up in his old cell flashed across Mario’s mind. His heart pounded, and that yell rang in his ears. 

      The tunnel stretched out in front of him, growing steadily broader. His steps echoed off the stones, rattling among the black passages that riddled the walls ahead. His heart twisted as he lurched past the first entrance. Where should he go? Straight? How was he supposed to know? Then Mario slid to a halt, necked craning round to see the white glow leaking from the tunnel. 

      He doubled back and rounded the corner. There was King Boo. 

      The monarch had his back to him and was speaking earnestly to a group of his subjects. It was the smaller boos who saw Mario first, and their eyes bugged almost out of their heads. It was no wonder—he looked like a thing possessed. 

      The king saw their expressions and turned sharply, eyes locking onto the hero in red. For an instant there was disbelief, then murderous, horrifying rage.  Then he was back to his calm persona, albeit with a particularly nasty smile. 

      “Ah, Mario. I was just coming to fetch you.”

      “Where is he?!” Mario shouted. 

The king ignored the question, drifting forward with his gaggle of minions. 

      “I said where is he!”

      “I admit, I am thoroughly impressed. But as far as your ingenuity has brought you, you’re in no state for the fight you’re so obviously looking for,” Said the king. 

      What did King Boo expect him to do? surrender? Mario held his battle-stance, mouth set and grim. The king made no move at first, giving him time to lose his resolve. 

      “Take him,” he said finally. 

      The boos darted forward, mouths hanging open and squealing. Mario stepped to the side and smashed the first to the floor with a flaming downward slam. The next went much the same way. Then he was thrown back by a crackling purple bolt. 

      King Boo hovered at the end of the passage; his eyes glowed a dull red and his white aura flickered like a near-spent flashlight. Magic snapped around the broken gem of his crown, turning the air metallic until Mario could taste it. 

      “You’re beginning to try my patience,” hissed the king.

      Mario charged him. 

      King Boo held his ground, grin changed to a snarl as the weak sparks amassed around him. He took another shot, a pathetic, lose blob of energy, then vanished into the air. Mario braced himself, trying to muster a blast of fire. Then his hair stood on end as the buzz of loose magic brush through him. He whipped around just in time to see the king materialize, expression seeping with rage. 

      There was no fancy magic this time. King Boo slammed bodily into him, crushing Mario into the wall. But he didn’t stop there. Mario cried out in shock as the stones gave way behind him, like a puddle of thick glue. The king kept pushing, driving Mario through until he fell to the floor on the other side. 

      “Find your way out of this. If you can,” Snarled the King. 

      Mario choked down a breath of sharp, cold air and rolled to his feet, wet clothes peeling up from the frozen floor. The king was already going—vanishing through the wall; Mario lunged after him and slammed into solid stones. 

      He shouted, pounding on the wall, his breath steaming in the air around him. No one bothered to respond. It was viciously cold. After a moment, he rounded on the rest of the room. 

     He was in some sort of walk-in freezer.

• • •

      Luigi all but ran to the front of the mansion, flattening the few ghosts stupid enough to get in his way. He burst, squinting, into the foyer to find the professor waiting for him, just inside the double-doors. 

      The man’s face was tense and drawn, eyes darting anxiously over the room—it was touching in a way. He eyed Luigi intently as he approached, but much to Luigi’s relief, didn’t ask any questions—just held the door open for him and followed back to the lab. 

       Neither of them spoke at all until they had sealed the night out behind them and slid down the ladder. 

      “What happened?” The professor asked. 

      Luigi stripped the Poltergust from his shoulders and set it gently on the floor. 

      “I was ambushed.” 

      “By boos?”

      Luigi nodded, chest heaving. 

      “How many?” 

      “I don’t know.”

      Luigi stepped shakily to the old sofa and tried to sit down, but in a moment he was up again, clutching his hat. E. Gadd watched him with a piercing intensity. 

      “Lad, you have got to tell me what happened.”

      Luigi’s face twisted and he took another deep, calming breath. Quietly, he began to recount the incident. The professor listened without a word. 

      “And Mario’s your brother?” He said, when Luigi had finished. Luigi gave a miserable nod. 

      “Poor fella…” 

      The sound of rain clattered against the tin roof far above, and there was a soft, drip- drip- drip between the rafters. Faint humming escaped from the half-open door to the computer-lab. Luigi began pacing anxious circles around the room, looking dazed and still wringing his hat between his hands. 

      “Your brother’s that foreign treasure hunter, isn’t he?” Said E. Gadd. “The one the princess is so taken with. I dare say that explains a lot.”

      “What-” Luigi took another deep breath. “What will the boos do to him?”

      Gadd hesitated. 

      “I don’t know. I’ve seen some weird stuff, but I’ve never heard of boos taking a person like that. Whatever’s happened, I doubt they’ll kill him. Did you manage to catch any boos before they got away?” 

      “Ah. No matter. You’ve got one already, and at least you managed to split them up. Now you can pick them off before they regather.”

      There was another moment of silence.

     “Professor,” said Luigi, looking up sharply. “In that room, there was a combination to open the grate. What is it?” 

      Again, E. Gadd hesitated. “To open the trapdoor, you mean?” 

      Luigi nodded, still watching him intently. It was the Professor's turn to take a deep breath. “Lad, I don’t think you understand how lucky you got back there. Boos grow in power as their numbers increase. And if King Boo is still here... You wouldn’t stand a chance against all of ‘em at once, poltergust or not.

     “Besides there's a good chance your brother isn’t down there at all. There are plenty of old dungeons in that place. He could be in any one of them.” 

      Luigi visibly flinched at the concept. 

      “But- why else would they all be in one place like that?” he said.  

      “I don’t think that ambush was meant for you, lad. They were probably after me.”

      “Why?” 

     “I’m a ghost hunter. The boos are ghosts—well, spirits. I can’t imagine there are many people they’re less fond of than me.

     “And more importantly, that trapdoor leads to my lab.” The professor chuckled at Luigi’s confused look. “What, did you think this shabby place is where I do my work? This is hardly more than a shed—a panic room.” 

The professor’s grin faded, and he once again became serious. “Anyhow, there’s not a living soul other than me who knows about that trapdoor, let alone how to open it. It makes no sense for the boos to lay a trap there for you.” 

     “I have to check down there,” Said Luigi firmly, “The boos aren’t there now. This is the only chance I’ll get.” 

     Gadd hesitated for another moment, then turned to one of the crowded work-benches with a half-shake of his head. Luigi watched him intently as he teased a notepad and pencil from one of the stacks of junk and scribbled a short number combination. He ripped off the sheet and offred it to Luigi; he took it, clenching it in one hand. 

     “Have you notice that the gameboy beeps whenever you encounter boos?” Asked E. Gadd. 

     “Yes.” 

     “That’s the boo radar: it’s kept me out of a lot of trouble over the years. If that thing starts beeping and flashing red while you’re in the lab, you get out quick. Don’t count on the poltergust to scare the boos off twice because it won’t—I can hardly believe it happened the first time.”

     “I understand.” 

      Silent and grim-faced, Luigi went back to where he left the poltergust, shrugging it awkwardly onto his shoulders. E. Gadd followed behind him. 

       “Don’t look so nervous, lad. It won’t help you in there, let me tell you. Just be careful, and stay sharp. Keep an eye on the boo radar,” he said in his usual enthusiastic tone. “I’ll keep monitoring your progress from here.”

      “Thanks,” said Luigi, and began his resolute climb back up the ladder, the bit of note paper still crushed in one hand.

Previous

Next

Index

--------------------------

Notes:

Welp, it looks like this chapter is just short. It’s not 100% how I want it (I’m not sold on the scene between E. Gadd and Luigi), but it’s not horrible and staring at it isn’t making it any better. 

[rose-of-pollux]

Inktober for Writers, Day 22

Prompt: Ghost Fandom: Super Mario Title: La Gazza Ladra Summary: [Mario Kart Tour, slice-of-life] Polterpup like shiny things.  Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem.

Notes: This is a short slice-of-life piece that was inspired by the official explanation for why Luigi was absent from Mario Kart Tour all these days—that, apparently, he’d lost his keys.  This piece also serves as a prelude to Luigi’s Mansion 3.

The title, “La Gazza Ladra” is borrowed from an Italian opera of the same name, meaning “The Thieving Magpie.”

Cross-posted to FFN & AO3.

Mario was used to his brother keeping things neat and in perfect order.  Needless to say, it was a surprise to Mario when, upon returning to their Brooklyn plumbing business with Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Toad, Toadette, and Pauline all in tow, they all stopped to see the place in total disarray, with Luigi running around frantically looking for something.  Luigi’s ghost dog, Polterpup, watched curiously from the couch in front of the TV, amused at all of the things Luigi was throwing around.

“Oh my…” Peach whispered.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it looked like Link used Revali’s Gale in here,” Daisy commented.

“Hey, Bro!” Mario called.  “What’s wrong?”

Luigi looked up at him with a helpless shrug.

“I can’t find my keys!”

Mario silently indicated the keyring hanging from a coathook near the front door.

“No, not those keys!” Luigi said.  “The keys to my kart—they’re gone!”

“…Well, that’s a problem,” Pauline said, flinching in sympathy.

Indeed, the entire reason that they were in New York was to run some of their semi-legendary kart races with some new scenery.  Bowser and his brood were also in the city, with Rosalina making sure they didn’t try anything; the turtles’ presence in the city went largely ignored, much to the befuddlement of the Koopa King, who now began to realize why Mario hadn’t questioned Bowser’s appearance after he and Luigi fell through the warp zone from Brooklyn all those years ago—New Yorkers, it seemed, could see a lot without getting phased, no matter how strange it was.

But it didn’t help Luigi’s predicament, however, if he couldn’t find his keys.

“We were just about to head to the courses, too,” Toad sighed.

“Well…” Luigi said, scratching his head in befuddlement.  “Don’t let me stop you guys from enjoying yourselves.  You go on ahead and start without me; I’ll join you once I find my keys.”

“We don’t mind waiting, but if you’re sure, we’ll go,” Toadette said.  “If you don’t catch up with us here, just remember—we’re taking a warp pipe back to the Mushroom Kingdom and transferring on another warp pipe to Tokyo afterwards.”

“I’ll remember,” Luigi said.

Toad and Toadette left, followed by a reluctant Yoshi; Pauline quickly realized that they had no way of navigating without getting lost, and she hastily chased after them to make sure they went the right way.

“We’ll help you look for a while, Bro,” Mario offered.

“But the race—”

“We don’t mind, Luigi,” Peach assured him.

“So we miss Bowser’s opening speech about how he’s going to beat us all and then gloat about it,” Daisy scoffed.  “Not a big loss.”

Luigi conceded that she had a point.

Despite the place being small, there seemed to be several nooks and crannies to search.  Polterpup soon moved from his position on the couch, heading over to the mini-kitchen.  He sniffed around, and then picked up several metal spoons and forks in his mouth and began to prance around the place, hiding the silverware.

The others, too absorbed in looking for the keys, failed to notice—at least they did until Polterpup crossed in front of them and they saw him place one of the spoons into a nearby mousehole.

They then watched as he took the last remaining fork and returned to the couch, slipping the utensil between the couch cushions and then sitting back on it with a satisfied smile.

“…Did you see what I just saw…?” Mario asked.

“If it’s the same thing that I saw, then it’s clear to me what happened to Luigi’s kart keys…” Peach noted.

The four exchanged glances with each other, and the ghost dog soon found himself surrounded by people trying to cajole him into revealing his hiding places.  Peach finally made progress by bribing Polterpup with a piece of cake, and he gleefully led them all around the place, revealing all sorts of missing metal items—the silverware, a pair of pliers, some pipe joints, and even jewelry—

“Hey, so that’s where Mama’s brooch went!” Luigi exclaimed.

“Looks like it, Bro—and since Polterpup is your dog, you get to tell her about it.”

“Wha--!?”

“But we still haven’t found Luigi’s keys,” Daisy said, disappointed.

“They’ve gotta be here somewhere, I just need to keep convincing Poltertpup to lead me to them,” Luigi said.  “You guys go on ahead; I’ll catch up as soon as I find them.”

“Are you really sure, Luigi?” Peach asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Luigi assured her.  “There’s no point in you guys missing the race.”

“Well, okay, but if you need help, just let us know,” Mario insisted.

“Of course, Big Bro.”

Mario nodded and glanced back at Polterpup.

“La gazza ladra,” he chided, shaking his head.  “We’ll have to keep track of anything shiny from now on…”

As if to prove his point, Polterpup now snatched a gold-edged envelope from the coffee table.   Luigi yelped and quickly retrieved it.

“Luigi, what is that?” Peach asked.  “It looks like some sort of invitation.”

“It is,” Luigi said.  “This was delivered back at the Mushroom Kingdom, but I brought it with me to think about—it’s an all-expenses paid stay at some hotel called The Last Resort.”  He sighed. “I hadn’t really planned on a hotel stay, especially since we’ll be touring around here, but it is tempting. And it’s been a while since my balloon trip to all those different kingdoms…”

“Sounds like fun; I’d have gone in a heartbeat, but I gotta head back to Sarasaland after our kart tour since I need to officiate some international meetings,” Daisy sighed.

Peach flinched; she knew all about that.

“Well, Mario and I don’t have anything to do after this,” she said.  “We could come along, if you wanted.”

“Oh, yeah!” Mario exclaimed.  “Would be nice to kick back and relax at a resort!  I think you should take the trip, Bro!”

“Yeah, and who knows, if I finish my business up sooner than expected, I can join you guys there!” Daisy added.

“Okay, we’ll go after the tour!” Luigi said.  He sighed, looking back at the mess.  “Now if I can just convince Polterpup to show me where he hid my keys…”

Mario gave his brother a sympathetic look before heading out with the princesses, watching him try to bribe Polterpup with a cookie.

Well, when considering all of the problems they usually faced, this was, thankfully, on the low end of the scale.

They could be grateful for that, at least.

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Haunted Castle

I don't remember what sparked the idea but basically this fic is based off an idea I had for what might be a cool spinoff or something in the Luigi's Mansion series. We see Bowser as an almost good guy sometimes so I think it'd be neat for him to be the person being saved for once. It's never going to happen of course but I still think it'd be neat.

This was supposed to be a quick drabble just setting up the idea, mostly just as a way to sharing the idea, but then it became 2k words long. It's still just the setup for now but I might continue it, I haven't decided yet.

~

It started with just the doorbell ringing. It set Polterpup off into a fit of excited barking but Luigi ignored it. He wasn’t excepting anyone and therefore it couldn’t be anyone he wanted to talk to. But then after maybe a minute, it rang again, quickly follow by another a few seconds later before whoever it was descended into just spamming it.

With a sigh, Luigi put aside his book and careful to avoid being visible through the front window, snuck over to the door. Peeking through the peephole he saw… nothing. But the bell was still going off and Polterpup was going absolutely mad about it. Before he could pull away to attempt to stealthily peek through the window…

“I know you’re in there. I can hear your dog barking. If you don’t let me in, I’m going to bust through your window.”  It was muffled by the door but it was still distinctly the voice of a child. It was also familiar, Luigi had heard it multiple times before, though he couldn’t quite place where right now.

With that in mind and not wanting to deal with a child trying to bust through his window, Luigi put a hand on Polterpup’s head to finally calm him before answering the door at last. … Bowser Jr. was on the other side, one clawed hand still raised, pressing the doorbell.

“Finally,” he said as he pulled his arms in to cross them over his bandana, puffing out his chest while he did so. “About darn time. Now uh… uh…” he faltered deflating a little before with a growl he kind of just invited himself in, striding into the middle of Luigi’s living room as if he owned the place.

There wasn’t much Luigi could do to stop him short of using physical force which he didn’t want to do if he didn’t have to. So with a sigh, he closed the front door and turned to face the intruder. “What do you want?”

Whatever it was, he clearly hadn’t planned what he was going to say before getting here as he looked off to the side in silent thought for a few seconds. In the hallway behind him, Gooigi stepped out into the living room. They stayed silent though so Luigi let them be.

“King Boo took over Papa’s castle,” Bowser Jr. finally said, regaining his confidence as he looked back at Luigi. “And you’re going come with me to take it back and beat him up.”

Luigi was shaking his head ‘no’ before Bowser Jr. even finished speaking. He even shook his hands ‘no’ for more emphasis. “No, no, no. I don’t do ghosts.” They were scary and he was done with scary things. He was going to have to call up E. Gadd later and scold him for losing King Boo again. … Assuming he had, this being Bowser Jr. meant it could theoretically be a trap.

Bowser Jr. frowned at him. “You’re a ghost hunter though. You’ve beat up King Boo three times now. Also, I didn’t ask, I said you’re going to and so you are.”

“No!” Luigi was proud of the amount of force he was able to put into it. He was done with scary things and he was not going to take orders like that. “Ask someone else.”

Bowser Jr. faltered again, his shoulders sagging a little as he made a visible effort to maintain a confident demeanor. “But… you’re the only ghost hunter in either this kingdom or my dad’s. So….” he growled, balling his hands into fists at his sides, “you can’t say ‘no’.”

Luigi crossed his arms and turned his head away. “I’m sure that’s not true.” There was no way, right? He knew from experience that it was a rather lucrative endeavor so people who weren’t scared of ghost and wanted to make some good mood should flock to it. “You can ask E. Gadd. He’s not really a ghost hunter, he just studies them. But I’m sure he knows some ghost hunters you could ask. I can even call him for you.”  Luigi wasn’t a heartless monster so there was no way he could send Bowser Jr. away completely and he needed to call up E. Gadd anyway. Before he could pull out his phone to do so though…

“E. Gadd’s obviously the first place I went. He’s the one who told me to go to you because you’re supposed to be the best and only ghost hunter left alive. He even gave me your address. So you have to do it because… you just have to, okay?”

Luigi refused to believe he was the ‘only ghost hunger left alive’ because that meant the profession – if it could be called that – was even more dangerous than he’d thought. Just thinking about it made him want to go even less. “I can’t.”

The last of Bowser Jr.’s confidence vanished. “But… but… what am I supposed to do then? He turned Dad and Kamek and all my siblings and… everyone into paintings! I only got away because I hid in the closet like a stupid coward because Dad told me to.”

And now Luigi felt bad, great. He maybe shouldn’t feel bad for someone who was technically an enemy but regardless of anything else Bowser Jr. was a kid who’d witnessed his entire family and probably everyone he’d ever really known get turned into paintings by King Boo. Given those circumstances, it was hard not to feel bad for him and maybe even a little tempted to help him. But… Luigi had already said ‘no’ and he didn’t like ghosts.

He looked back over at Gooigi, still standing in the hall watching. They nodded and gave him a thumbs up. What did that mean in this context? Were they telling him to say ‘yes’ to Bowser Jr.’s ask for help? Or were they approving his ‘no’?

“Let me have you ghost hunting stuff then.” Bowser Jr. stomped his foot and squared up his shoulders as he looked up at Luigi. “I don’t need you, I can just do it myself.

If he wasn’t a child, Luigi probably would’ve handed over the Poltergust and all its attachments with little argument – who was he to stand in the way of someone else catching ghosts, especially in a situation like that? But villainous Bowser’s child or not, he was still just a kid and sending a kid off to fight a castle full of ghosts, boos, and King Boo himself all on his own was just wrong. … And sending him off to look for another ghost hunter when neither of them knew where to even start looking for one was less than ideal as well.

Maybe he could send him off with Gooigi. But could Gooigi handle everything on their own? They were so fragile and their weakness being liquid, made them easy to defeat. An inch-deep puddle of water that couldn’t be navigated around or over would be enough to make it impossible for them to be of any help to anyone. Which meant Bowser Jr. would have to be helping them potentially the whole way which was still asking a kid to run around in a castle full of ghosts and boos, most likely culminating in a fight against King Boo himself.

Oh dear, Luigi’s conscious wasn’t going to let him out of this, was it? … Darn it! Why’d E. Gadd have to go and lose King Boo again? One would think he’d learn from King Boo’s prior escapes resulting in Luigi having to deal with him again. And speaking of that, he was going to go after Mario and Luigi again for sure because he was not the type to let a grudge go. So to protect Mario before he got turned into a painting again and to probably protect himself from a trap later down the line as well, Luigi should go take care of King Boo now when King Boo shouldn’t be expecting him, increasing his chances at another victory. It was the smart thing to do but… Luigi really didn’t want to.

It was so unfair. He just wanted to be done with ghosts and other scary things for forever. Wasn’t facing his worst fear three times more than enough? And… and… he wanted to stick to his guns. He’d already said ‘no’. … Maybe instead he could send Gooigi and someone else, like Mario. Yeah sure, Mario didn’t have any real experience in dealing with proper hauntings or in using ghost hunting equipment but he could learn, right? So that would maybe probably be fine?

“Let’s a-go!”

Luigi looked up to see that Gooigi had apparently left to retrieve the Poltergust from their room which they now carried in front of him. Any question about what their intention might be was erased as the beelined for Luigi with it.

“What is that?” Bowser Jr. asked, taking a step back as Gooigi passed by him.

“Gooigi!” Gooigi introduced themself, twisting their head to look at him in a way that would’ve been unnatural if they weren’t made of goo. Their head snapped back into proper orientation as they reached Luigi. “Let’s a-go.”

“You want us to help him, don’t you?” Luigi asked as if there were actually any question to it.

Gooigi nodded. Of course they did, they’d been brought into existence for the sole purpose of hunting ghosts so it would’ve been odd if they hadn’t wanted to help someone who came to them with his ghost problem.

“You can go. You don’t need me, right? You can ask Mario to go with you to make sure you don’t get into any trouble with water or anything.” And that way Luigi could stay home and not deal with a bunch of ghosts.

Expressionless as always, Gooigi didn’t reply. Instead, they walked around behind him and… pushed the Poltergust to his back. They held it there with one hand as they used their other to maneuver Luigi’s arms into the straps. He could’ve resisted but didn’t because this wasn’t a battle he could win, was it? His conscious, logic, and Gooigi trying to get him to do it made it hard to stick to his ‘no’. Which was not fair at all but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Let’s a-go,” Gooigi said again when they were done, looking at Bowser Jr.

“Uh… what’s going on?” he asked, understandably a bit confused. “Are you two going to help me save my dad now?”

Gooigi nodded and pointed to the door.

“Sweet! Let’s go!” With a grin that made him look even more like his father and namesake, Bowser Jr. hopped into motion, heading for the door. Gooigi followed, tugging on Luigi’s wrist to get him to come along too. And the final nail in the coffin was an excited bark from Polterpup before he grabbed at Luigi’s pantleg to pull him along in the right direction.

Outside on the front lawn was Bowser Jr’s flying clown car. It was a squeeze but the three of them plus Polterpup managed to get into it. The squeeze lessened a bit when Gooigi went back up into the Poltergust’s tank on Luigi’s back.

“Uh… that’s weird,” Bowser Jr. said. “It looks kind of like you but … what is it?”

Luigi sighed. “They’re name is Gooigi. E. Gadd made them to help me hunt ghosts. They’re made of goo and melt when wet.”

“Um… okay. You like for reals going to help me save my dad now though?”

“Yes.” Luigi still would rather not but he wasn’t being given much of a choice. It wasn’t like he hadn’t dealt with hordes of ghosts before though so hopefully he could get this over with fast and maybe convince E. Gadd to get some tighter security protocols on King Boo to hopefully keep him contained this time.

“Awesome!” Bowser Jr. said as he started up the clown car. With the added weight its ascent was a bit more sluggish and unsure than it probably should’ve been but once they got up in the air, there seemed to be little issue as he turned them towards in the direction Bowser’s castle presumably lay in.

“And uh… thank you,” he added with an awkward grin as he looked back at Luigi. Well at least he was being openly grateful now. Bowser and company better be grateful too otherwise Luigi was going to be real mad at them. He’ll have earned the right for some gratitude after this.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #383: Dedede's Church (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

10:30am at the Smash Mansion's Theatre Room

Waddle Dee: (Plays the Organs)

Dedede: (Standing Behind a Stand) Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Dedede Church is now in Section on this wonderful, blissful day known as Easter Day! Can I get an Amen around here?

Familiar Slug Man: Amen!

Dedede: Thank ya! Thank ya! Now as for today.....(Continues Preaching)

Dark Pit: (Already Bored) It's been Five Minutes now and I'm already not a fan....

Pit: (Whispers Back to Dark Pit) I still can't believe King Dedede of all people, actually created his own Church service.

Ren: Pretty sure it's a one time thing here. ('Scoffs') I mean I doubt he'll actually go through with this every Sunday.

Dark Pit: Or Wednesdays....

Futuba: (Eyes Widened) People go to Churches on a Wednesday?!

Dark Pit: (Shrugged) Some do. I dunno...

Bayonetta: (Turn Towards her Kids) Be respectful, my darlings. Your Uncle Dedede is actually doing something productive here and we should give it chance.

Palutena: Your mother's right, you guys. I'm sure he'll have some uplifting and spiritual to say.

Dedede: ..... It's high time we we praise the baddest, toughest, bravest, and magnificent King that is ever known to man....King DEDEDE!!

Familiar Slug Man: Oh Hallelujah!! Praise the King and Lord!! Hallelujah!!!

Dedede: (Laughs Wholeheartedly) That right, brother! And.......(Continues Glout- I mean.... Preaching)

Palutena: ......Or he can just...brag about how great he is or whatever...okay.

Bayonetta: ('Sigh') I suppose I've spoken too soon on this one....

Futuba: (Noticed three Wide-Like Paintings of Dedede Standing a Few Inches Behind Dedede) Huh. Where does the king get these inaccurate paintings from?

Yusuke: (Smiles a bit Proudly) From me, of course. I made them for him.

Ren: Really now?

Yusuke: Yes. A few days ago before, the king requested me to make these paintings for him to use for his service today with a reasonable pay, of course.

Futuba: (Smiles at Yusuke While Gently Rubbing on top of a Sleeping Mona on her lap) You're starting to move up in the world, Inari. I'm proud of ya.

Yusuke: Well, this is my first time doing an artwork request. So I suppose I am doing fairly well for my first try.

Daisy: (Sitting Next to Luigi on the other side of the room, Laying her head on his Shoulder in Boredom) Weegie....

Luigi: Yes, dear?

Daisy: Is this really happening right now?

Luigi: I'd say so, dear. The king does make a good preacher though.

Daisy: Yeah....(Nuzzles on Luigi's Shoulder) Even if he is bragging about himself on stage....

Luigi: (Chuckles at how cute his Girlfriend is) Yeah....

Dedede: Now, I know this maybe the day to celebrate Easter Bunny....

???: Dedede.

Dedede: ....Or that little Chick that usually accompany that Easter Bunny....

???: Dedede.

Dedede: But let me tell ya right now that this is the day, the once and a lifetime chance, to remember and give tribute to the one....the only....King DE.DE-

???: DEDEDE!!

Dedede: WHAT?- Huh? (Noticed Mario and Princess Peach was standing in front of the stage) What's up, y'all?

Peach: (Smiles a Little) While we are all very proud of you for having your own Church service today.....you think we could start our Easter Bash Party now?

Dedede: (A Bit Surprised) Y'all already finished preparing for the party that fast?

Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) We actually finished a few minutes ago. We were just wanted to see how your service is going.

Dedede: Oh.....Well, I mean....(Chuckles Awkwardly) I'm sure the folks here would want to stay...at Dedede's Church for a little while now....Right?

*Silence*

Dedede: ('Sigh in Defeat') Whateva'.... Y'all can go and enjoy the party. I'll be there in a minute.

And with that, the crowd began to happily get up from their chairs and went off to the Easter Bash Party in the living room. Leaving King/Pastor Dedede and the Slug Man the only ones in the room.

Dedede: Eh. It was somewhat fun while it lasted. (Walk Down the Stage and towards a Familiar Slug) Thanks again for comin' over for the service, Escargoon.

Escargoon: No need to thank me, your majesty. I'm just here to support my king and his church service for Easter. (Looks Around the Room) So this is the Smash Mansion you told me about.

Dedede: (Smiles a Little) Yep. My new home. I really love it here, you know?

Escargoon: (Smiles a Little) Well, I'm glad you finally found a place called home. I still missed ya, though....

Dedede: Yeah... I missed ya too, man. But after everything I put the people back at Dreamland through....I think being here it's better this way.

Escargoon: True..... But seriously though, you're not.... Actually thinking about opening up your own church, are ya?

Dedede: Nah. This is just one time thing. And judging by everyone in the room, I doubt they want me to make one.

Escargoon: It's for the best really. Although, you do make a pretty decent Pastor today.

Dedede: (Laugh Wholeheartedly) I do make one Helluva Pastor on that stage today, don't I?

Escargoon: (Chuckles Lightly) Yeah. That's the truth.

Peach: (From the Living Room) Dedede! Where are yooooou?!

Dedede: Welp....I think it's time to join the party as well. Wanna stick around?

Escargoon: (Walk Alongside his King and Friend with a Smile) I'm already right behind ya, old friend.

Happy Easter Everyone

@keyenuta

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@mariah2014

@luigifan00001

@scribblehooves

[bangtanstanst]

Bangtan Unsolved: The Spoopy Spirits of Franklin Castle || 11:49 PM

next

“Built in the 1880s for wealthy German immigrant, Hannes Tiedemann, the ‘castle’ was the site of four Tiedemann children deaths, as well as multiple murders in the secret passageways around the ballroom. In the 1990s, a skeleton was found in a closet. Today, visitors hear babies crying in the walls and spot a woman in black staring out of the tower window.” (x)

And tonight, Bangtan investigates.

series masterlist | bangtanstanst masterlist

characters: reader + hoseok, ft. the rest of ot7

genre: ghost hunter!au, horror I guess?, attempts at humour

warnings: (mentions of) ghosts & demons

word count: 1.7k

a/n: hi everyone! So, as you all probably know, it’s Halloween month! I really wanted to do a Halloween special, so here it is! I’ll be posting the following parts to this as the month continues. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments (especially because this is kind of new territory for me)! Have a great day/night wherever you are, and happy October :)

PS: if you’re wondering, I based the floor plans I had in mind when writing on what I found here!

“… so, as a result, Franklin Castle has become known as one of the most haunted places in the country. And, fortunately for us, the owners of this small castle have allowed us to go inside for a night to help us prove that ghosts,” Hoseok pauses, glancing over at you with a pointed look, “are real,” he finishes, and you just look into the camera, theatrically rolling your eyes. Jungkook glances up at you from his viewfinder and snickers silently, holding the camera steady as you pointedly stand up.

“Well, that all sounds ridiculously far-fetched,” you decide, dusting off your butt as best as you can. Your fingers are starting to lose their feeling, the winter air too icy for even your thick coat or gloves to fight against.

Hoseok just huffs in reply, all too used to your criticism.

You smile at him, holding out your hand. “Let’s go inside before this woman in black catches us, eh?”

He mumbles something you can’t quite catch, though he takes your hand and allows you to hoist him up. Just as you turn to face the small crew of five, all here to help you document your night at the Franklin Castle, Seokjin yells ‘cut!’, clapping his hands for good measure. “Alright, let’s pack up and go in, we don’t have all night,” he says, turning to the crew, who are already packing up.

“We literally do,” you shoot back with a laugh. “That’s why we’re here.”

“You ever hear of a figure of speech?” Seokjin returns, an amused smile breaking out onto his face, though he turns away when something else catches his attention before you can say anything in reply.

Rather than an expected chuckle, you hear Hoseok sigh beside you, and when you turn back to him, he’s looking up at the house with the corners of his lips turned down. You have to admit, it does look a little imposing, especially in the dark of night. The tall building is clearly in a state of decay, dark bricks crumbling. Some of the windows are smashed to pieces, allowing the wind to freely play inside, and you shiver at the thought of having to walk through the door, enter this cold and musty ‘castle’. You can’t even look inside to see what’s waiting for you – all you see is darkness.

Still, though, you can’t help but equate it to the Luigi mansion in Mario Kart – a little creepy, and full of fake-ass ghosts.

Another sigh from the man beside you pulls you out of your thoughts and you look at him, noticing the script in his hand is shaking a little. You lightly pat his shoulder, sending him a small smile you hope will reassure him, even if it’s just slightly. “You’ll be fine, Hobi,” you tell him, leaning against the door with your shoulder. You hear Taehyung and Namjoon’s laughter somewhere in the background as the latter helps the younger man pack up the lights and put some of it back in the van. “It’s just a few hours.”

He huffs, breath coming out in a white cloud. “Easy for you to say,” he shoots back. “You don’t even believe in this stuff.”

You smile up at him, tilting your head. “And yet you keep picking haunted places for us to film at.”

He just sends you a look, choosing to remain silent rather than protest. “Anyways,” he says pointedly, leaning against the door, mirroring your stance as he tilts his head. “You went on a family trip last week, right?” You don’t have to nod, you know he already knows since you had to plan your shoots around the damn ‘vacation’, but you do it anyway. “How was it?” he asks, glancing aside at the crew, watching as Jimin and Jungkook fold their tripods, chattering back and forth.

You groan, leaning your head against the wooden surface of the heavy door. “Don’t get me started. I think I explained my job to my grandma like five times and she still didn’t understand on the ride home.”

“That can’t be all you guys talk about,” he says, clearly fishing for something ‘positive’.

You laugh and shake your head. “No, they also love to talk about my love life,” you reply with a huff, looking over his shoulder into the dark night. “Even if it’s absolutely non-existent.”

He grins at you. “Do I detect a hint of bitterness?”

You snort, shaking your head. “What do you mean? I absolutely love talking to air all night and waiting for a whisper that’ll never come,” you tease, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Hoseok puts a hand to his chest, shaking his head at you. “I came out to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

You snort once more and flick his forehead, stepping back as Yoongi approaches the two of you to check the small microphones attached to your coats. “That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” you retort.

“Not really,” Hoseok says with a shrug, looking at you over Yoongi’s shoulder. “Just so I have someone to sacrifice if we accidentally anger a demon again.”

You chuckle and shake your head. “For someone who claims he’s afraid of ghosts, you sure joke a lot about them.”

“Coping mechanism,” Yoongi remarks with a small smirk, adjusting the position of your microphone a little so your hair won’t cover it during filming. “I mean, right before he starts screaming his lungs out when he hears the tiniest of ‘whispers’,” he adds, mockingly emphasizing the last word.

With a laugh, you turn to Hoseok, who just huffs and crosses his arms, though he allows enough room for Yoongi to fumble with his mic as he did with yours. “I’m not the only one that gets scared here,” he protests weakly, knowing he can’t simply deny all the on-camera instances of him actually screaming his lungs out. “Seokjin can barely keep his mouth shut!”

At the sound of his name, Seokjin looks up from his conversation with Namjoon and Taehyung, raising his eyebrows at the two of you. “What was that?”

“Nothing!” Hoseok returns with an innocent smile, turning back once the older man shrugs and picks his conversation back up. “I mean, remember when that rat scurried over his foot and he basically jumped through the ceiling?”

You can’t hold back your laughter, and you know Yoongi’s laughing too, even if he tries to hide it by focusing on Hoseok’s mic.

None of you will ever forget that night. You’d been stalking around the hallways of some abandoned diner for a few hours, once more coming up empty when, just before you walked out of the grimy kitchen, Seokjin let out a scream you’ll never be able to erase from your mind. He’d even gone as far as to jump on Namjoon’s back, upon which the papers both men had been holding fell to the ground, scattering all over the floor. You’d painstakingly had to pick everything up before you could leave, all the while Seokjin just sat on one of the filthy counters just so he wouldn’t have to touch the floor. You’d left the restaurant about an hour past schedule.

Regardless, it had made for one good episode.

You open your mouth to say something, but you notice the others are heading your way and you swallow your words.

“I’m sure you’ve all seen the schedule, but I’ll repeat it just to be sure,” Seokjin says, taking a sheet of paper from Namjoon’s hands. You and Hoseok huddle around him, Namjoon, and Taehyung, reading along as Jimin and Jungkook return from the van. Yoongi takes the script from Hoseok’s hands, stuffing it in Seokjin’s backpack.

“So we’ll start with the first floor – parlour, dining room, ballroom,” Seokjin begins, pointing to the rooms in question on the map Namjoon has brought along, illuminated by the flashlight Taehyung is pointing at it. “Then we’ll move to the library and one of the bedrooms on the third floor. We’ll go down to the basement around 3, where we’ll do the lockdown.”

Everyone hums at that, slowly nodding as you process tonight’s plans.

“We should be out by 4, but the owners say it’s fine if we run a little late. Besides, our flight back is not until eight PM tomorrow, so don’t feel like you have to hold back on the bickering,” he adds with a smile, at which you hold your hand up for a high five, and Hoseok enthusiastically claps his hand against yours. “Alright, I think that’s it. Everyone ready to go?”

There’s a chorus of ‘yes’s ringing through the silent night air. After Jungkook and Jimin quickly fasten a harness with a Go-Pro around your and Hoseok’s waists – something you always find makes you look slightly ridiculous – you and Hoseok walk back to your spots at the door while you’re shivering from the cold.

“You’re not nervous, are you?” Hoseok teases, raising an eyebrow when your teeth start to clatter.

You keep your jaw still, shivers still running down your back. “Just cold, you idiot,” you say, checking your camera if it’s on and on the right settings, as Hoseok does the same.

“Whatever you say,” he says with a smirk, clearly glad he can tease you for a bit now. All you do is roll your eyes at him, laughing a little.

“Alright, have a good shoot, everyone,” calls Seokjin, and you turn your heads briefly to the crew by your side. Jimin and Jungkook are pointing their cameras at the two of you, with Taehyung in the middle, carrying some of the lights needed to make your footage a little better. Yoongi is right behind them, his headphones on, listening intently to the audio coming through your mics, tweaking it here and there. Meanwhile, Namjoon and Seokjin are standing side by side, papers in hand, ready to fact-check or steer the two of you when it’s needed.

You turn back to Hoseok, who gives you a smile and nod, though you can see he’s already shaking again – and you know for a fact that it’s not just from the cold. Putting your thumbs up, you try to console him in the second you have before the whole circus begins.

“In 3, 2…”

next

a/n: thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you liked it, if you want me to continue this, or if you have anything else to say, I’d love to hear from you! Have a great day/night wherever you are :)

series masterlist | bangtanstanst masterlist