#Luigi's Mansion AU

[megamagimugi]

He's-a Gone

Luigi time! To suffer, that is.

(CW: character death)

This is obviously a sort of comlementary piece to I Was-a Too Late. But it's more than just that as it also illustrates a certain fun, dark what-if idea I had. Please keep reading if you're intrigued!

Lore:

Luigi's Mansion, the first game. Everything goes the same as in canon until the final boss fight, when Luigi defeats King Boo in his Bowser costume. After King Boo comes out and Luigi intends to suck him in, the villain laughs and reveals the truth: Mario's painting was an illusion, so was everything Madame Clairvoya saw. All just to mess with Luigi. Meanwhile the real Mario wasn't just captured by the Boos, he was immediately killed by them on their King's orders. The only physical thing that's left of him in this realm is the five items Luigi found - hidden by the Boos for Luigi to find, another part of King Boo's sick game.

Luigi is able to finish the fight despite his shock and grief, fueled by the anger King Boo never expected from him. After getting out of the painting the plumber discovers that it is indeed empty, no Mario or anyone else in the portrait.

Heartbroken and guit-ridden, Luigi goes back to Professor E. Gadd's lab and gives him back the Poltergust 3000. He doesn't even want to stay long enough to see what is going to happen to the ghosts. Of course the Professor tries to offer some semblance of comfort, but we all know it's not his forte.

So Luigi leaves, only taking Mario's five items with him. He notices that the mansion has disapeared without a trace. The reality of it all finally hits him, and he practically collapses onto a nearby tree's large root protruding from the ground, putting down the precious items around himself, only leaving the matching red hat and the letter in his hands. He should have known something was off. After all, the Mario he saw in the painting was wearing his hat and both gloves.

Looking at all these items, to his growing horror he can't help but imagine what exactly might have happened to his brother and what his last moments might have been like. He hugs the hat to his chest and rereads Mario's note several times, knowing that the brief warning was his brother's last words to him.

Luigi can do nothing but cry for the beloved brother he couldn't save, desperately wishing it was his warm, living and breathing body pressed to his chest rather than just a couple of his belongings.

But Mario is truly gone, apparently having met such a horrific fate that not even a single part of his body is left in the physical world.

[Good night]

…I'll leave the rest up to your imagination ;) Sorry if I got carried away with my description. Occasionally even I enjoy being a little dramatic, though I'm no writer whatsoever.

Yeah, I'm not apologizing for making this one - I was nicer to Luigi than to his bro, at least here the Mushroom Kingdom and everyone in it (except for Mario lol) is still okay!

But alas,

You can no longer play as Mario

Rest in spaghetti, funny wahoo man.

@federthenotsogreat I'm tagging you because you said you wanted more Mario art like I Was-a Too Late, thought you might like this one too!

@drones-of-innocence Also tagging you because you were interested in my idea.

Edit: Tagging a few more mutuals who might want to see this based on their reaction to my previous angsty work just in case, feel free to ignore. Or ask me to remove the tag if you want, no problem.

@silenzahra (remember, no rush) @c-lavanda @jell-o101 @stripetkattelalala54-gf

@luigixfanxayjay @itsavee4117

And you @giddlygoat just because you have a Luigi's Mansion AU and I thought you might appreciate this... Also because I'm a fan 👉👈

[pianokantzart]

The Super Mario Bros. Redux (Pt. 7)

What would happen if, in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, after Mario and Luigi are separated, Mario was the one who ended up in the clutches of Luigi’s eventual arch nemesis, while Luigi teamed up with some of his own close allies to go rescue him?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 8 ________

Back in Evershade Valley, we return to a now far more quiet royal ballroom, where Mario's frozen portrait hangs on the wall over King Boos throne.

King Boo seems anxious, and when a lone boo approaches him his mood sours and he demands news on where is Boolossus.

The boo hesitantly explains that Luigi had captured Boolossus, and that word from the Birabuto Ghosthouse warns of an assembled Sarasaland army heading in their direction.

As the little boo talks, King Boo grows visibly angry, the magic of his crown flickering and distorting the room around them, but when the army is mentioned King Boo's mood shifts, and the room returns to normal.

"An army? You mean they're coming to us?" he cackles. "How stupid, but fine by me! Let's take a big boo breath, and blow them all away!"

We then go to the assembled army: a fleet of monoplanes of varying shapes and sizes, soaring through bright blue sky. Center of them all is a great winged airship where E. Gadd, Princess Daisy, and Luigi are congregated.

While Princess Daisy stands at the helm, steering the ship and giving orders to the surrounding fleet through the intercom, E. Gadd reviews the plan with Luigi:

The soldiers of Sarasaland will hunt down the missing pieces of the dark moon so that it can be re-assembled, thus returning the ghosts to their peaceful state. Then, while that mission serves as a distraction, Luigi will sneak into King Boo’s mansion, find the portrait gallery, and free all the hostages using a new attachment on The Poltergust.

After the professor finishes the debriefing he hands Luigi a piece of tech– one that looks like an exact copy of the hand-held device E. Gadd had used up to this point... the “Dual Scream”

Before E. Gadd can explain the purpose of the gift, the sky suddenly darkens with strange, unsettlingly familiar thunderclouds. From them emerge boos numbering in the hundreds.

The Professor is confused. He knew that the powers of King Boo were growing due to the gemstone in his crown, but he didn't think he was already strong enough to bring such a large army so far from their home.

Luckily, Sarasaland's monoplanes are well equipped to fight the phantoms. They flash bright lights to disorient, shoot bolts of ice magic, and move fast enough to outmaneuver the spirits.

However, the winged airship carrying Princess Daisy, E. Gadd, and Luigi isn't as speedy as the monoplanes. Though Daisy is a skilled pilot, and though the monoplanes form a barrier to keep the princess guarded, Luigi is still fighting desperately with The Poltergust to suck up the all the ghosts that get past their defenses.

Despite these setbacks, all seems to be going well until Princess Daisy spots a familiar figure in the distance. She alerts E. Gadd, who grows nervous upon seeing that King Boo himself has shown up to this fight.

"Princess, I'm afraid things are about to get really strange," he warns. "Tell your army to not trust their senses! They need to focus only on the boos and their fellow soldiers, anything else is an illusion!"

Princess Daisy hurriedly relays the announcement through the intercom, though it's clear that some pilots are already falling victim to King Boos tricks. A few planes fall out of formation, with one or two even crashing into allies in apparent panic.

Meanwhile, Luigi is also suffering the effects of the illusion magic. He loses track of the attacking spirits, distracted by images of mad dogs, clattering skeletons, and towering walls of purple fire that cause him to freeze up.

Professor E. Gadd can't make his way to Luigi's due to the boos swarming the deck between him and his apprentice, so he calls out at the top of his voice: "Luigi, my boy! Focus! Just keep sucking up the boos! Nothing else is real, I assure you!"

Luigi seems to heed the professors words. For a time he is snapped out of his paralyzed state and fighting back, until he sees something that causes him to stop listening completely: A portrait. A portrait of Mario, rigid and frightened, floating just out of reach.

Luigi tries to free his brother with The Pultergust to no effect. After a few failed tries, he puts away the nozzle and draws closer to the painting, reaching out to take hold of it...

Suddenly, the image of Mario attains a malicious smile, and the entire illusion disappears as Luigi feels the ground fall out from under him. A boo slams into his back, fully sending him hurtling over the edge of the airship and falling helplessly toward the mountains below.

Luigi can faintly hear Princess Daisy yelling his name as he plummets until the air whizzing past his ears and his own panicked screams drown out everything else. Flailing in utter helplessness, Luigi is unable to do anything other than brace himself as the ground rushes toward him.

Then, before he makes impact, something snatches him by the overalls and slows his descent.

He looks up, and there is Polterpup. The dog playfully drops him the final foot to the ground unharmed, where Luigi leaps up and wraps the dog in a grateful hug.

When he eventually releases Polterpup from the embrace, Luigi looks around to try and understand his surroundings. The land, while mountainous and rocky, is covered in flat landings of lush green grass. All around are blue warp pipes and square boulders carved with glowering faces that give Luigi a start when he first notices them. To his relief, they prove to be nothing but lifeless stone upon closer inspection.

Suddenly, the DS (Dual Scream) in his pocket rings and vibrates, once again startling poor Luigi. He clumsily pulls out the device and flicks it open to see E. Gadd's face on the upper screen, while data tracking surrounding spectral activity scrolls along the lower screen.

"Luigi! You're alive!?" E. Gadd's voice asks, crackly but audible despite the sounds of mayhem in the background. "I saw that your device survived the impact, but I didn't think you survived the impact too!" "Heh, yeah," Luigi answers with a smile, glancing down at a very proud looking Polterpup. "It's okey dokey. I-" "That was quite the leap you took! No parachute or tanooki leaf or anything! Sonny, how on earth are you alive!?"

Before Luigi can answer, the voice of Princess Daisy suddenly interjects. "No way!! Is that really him!? Is he okay!? Let me talk to him!" A flowery glove and a puffy orange sleeve slip into the view of the screen briefly before E. Gadd wriggles out of her grip. "Princess! Please! Focus on steering! We're still in the middle of a war zone!"

The princess could be heard saying something else, but she stays obediently at the ship's steering wheel while the professor continues. "Believe it or not Luigi, you couldn't have landed in a more perfect spot! Er... all your bones are still intact, correct?" "I think so?" "Perfect! Then I'm sending you coordinates to one of my labs. It just so happens that I've got a device in this very location that will make getting into King Boo's mansion easy! Even easier than if you hadn't gotten knocked off the ship, in fact!... if the device works, of course."

Luigi looks up at the sky. It is dotted with long smoke trails from damaged planes, and in the distance he can still see and hear the sounds of battle. "What about you?" he asks nervously. "And Princess Daisy? and-"

"Don't worry about it," E. Gadd assures. "Just focus on your side of the mission. This unexpected attack just means the army will have to split up earlier than expected to collect the pieces of the dark moon. Boos are stronger as a group after all, breaking them up will make them easier to deal with, and now that King Boo thinks you're dead and that The Poltergust is no longer a threat, we've got the element of surprise on our side!"

With that reassurance, the professor's face disappears from the screen, replaced with a map and little flashing arrows indicating which direction Luigi should go. Luigi, with little other choice, gives Polterpup a gentle smile as he starts heading in the assigned direction.

[snazzy-suit]

Luigi: Liaison of Ghosts Chapter 9 Snippet(s)

Heyoooo I'm currently sick af and thought I'd share a couple snippets of the next LLoG AU installment. In this chapter, we see how the uneasy truce between Luigi and King Boo began. To no one's surprise, peace-talks following King Boo's release don't exactly go smoothly.

For context, Luigi, Mario, Gooigi, and King Boo are in an underground portion of E. Gadd's lab that's specifically designed to keep ghosts/spirits contained. The professor is watching the following events from the safety of an observation room. He communicates through an intercom system.

Currently, King Boo has snatched up Luigi in a large glove construct (think a smaller version of Master Hand) and is holding the man hostage...

___________________________

“Not another step, plumber! If you so much as twitch I will not hesitate to eat your scrawny brother!”

Mario freezes, aghast, and Luigi supposes he, too, should be alarmed by King Boo’s grisly threat. Instead, a memory drifts to the forefront of his mind, and Luigi feels himself relaxing minutely. He schools his features into some semblance of calm and meets Mario’s panicked gaze.

“He’s bluffing.”

Luigi is grateful his voice comes out level, and his confidence in his statement only rises when King Boo squawks indignantly.

“I most certainly am not!” the monarch snaps, voice shrill. “What could have possibly led you to draw such an idiotic conclusion?!”

“Gee, I don’t know,” Luigi begins flatly, “how about when you wanted to gargle bleach the first time you ever tasted me?” He looks to Mario, and deigns to elaborate. “Back at The Last Resort, King Boo slammed me into a door with his tongue—knocked the wind right out of me. He had the perfect chance to trap me in a portrait while I was catching my breath, but instead he chose to whine about how bad I tasted.”

The reactions to this little revelation are mixed. Mario looks like he isn’t sure whether to be horrified at Luigi’s close call or relieved by King Boo’s pettiness. Gooigi, if his gurgling laughter is any indication, finds it downright hilarious.

“First time?” E. Gadd murmurs through the speakers. “Stars above lad; just how many times were you in King Boo’s mouth that night?”

“…Professor, I am begging you to never repeat that in any capacity ever again.”

Gooigi laughs even harder. King Boo growls lowly, face heating with anger and no small amount of humiliation. He hefts Luigi higher with a snarl.

“How’s this for bluffing?” he hisses.

The construct grasping Luigi moves to hover over King Boo’s head, and the monarch quickly tilts back as they open their mouth. Luigi yelps when the large glove shifts so it is scruffing him by the back of his shirt. He now dangles precariously over tongue and toothy maw. Varying cries of alarm echo throughout the room. King Boo cackles, the metaphorical ball now back in his court.

But not for long.

_________________

(Let's jump ahead a bit in the scene, shall we?) Luigi has broken free from King Boo's grasp and an enraged Mario has powered up with a Super Star to deliver the ultimate beatdown. Luigi is quick to intervene before things go too far...

_________________

“Why are you still defending them?!” Mario demands, growing increasingly more frustrated with each passing second. “They just tried to eat you!”

“But they didn’t,” Luigi stresses.

“Only because you broke free!”

Luigi shakes his head. “No,” he refutes patiently, “they still wouldn’t have gone through with it.”

“How can you know that for sure?!”

“I already told you. Back at The Last Resort—”

“That was then!” Mario interjects. “This is now, Luigi. King Boo is trapped with nowhere to go. He could have just killed you out of spite!”

“I know, but—”

“But nothing!” Mario cries, cutting a hand through the air. “King Boo is dangerous and that’s never going to change! He’s just going to keep coming after us! Aren’t you tired of dealing with them?!”

“Aren’t you tired of dealing with Bowser?!” Luigi snaps.

Mario blinks back at Luigi, startled by his retort. “…what?”

“He’s dangerous, he’s tried to kill us multiple times, and he won’t stop abducting someone we care about,” Luigi says, counting off his fingers as he goes. “Who am I describing: King Boo or Bowser?”

Mario opens his mouth for a retort, but nothing impactful is forthcoming. His jaw works uselessly in the wake of his failed rebuttal. “That’s… that’s not a fair comparison.”

“You’re right,” Luigi agrees, “One of them gets invited to play tennis afterwards.”

“Luigi—”

“Do you not see the double-standard here?” Luigi continues sharply. “Look me in the eye and tell me it’s fair that Bowser—who attacks us and abducts Peach every other Tuesday—gets to walk free while King Boo—who has only targeted us three times—has to be imprisoned forever?”

Mario says nothing. It is silent but for the ambient hum of machinery. Even King Boo, always one to fill the air with his arsenal of targeted barbs and sardonic quips, has been rendered speechless. Luigi can feel the spectral monarch’s gaze boring into his back; it makes the hairs on his neck stand on end. He tries to ignore it. He keeps his focus on Mario, the latter struggling to meet his eyes.

The prismatic light enveloping Mario’s body begins to flicker—slowly, at first, but then in an increasingly rapid pattern until it finally snuffs out. Mario’s shoulders sag, whether it’s in defeat or weariness from the sudden loss of surging power, Luigi can’t say for certain. Luigi finds his own posture slouching, but with relief. He slowly closes the distance between them and places a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Look,” he begins quietly, lowering his voice to a more private volume, “I’m not exactly thrilled about all this either, but I made a promise to the other ghosts and spirits that I would free everyone. If I go back on my word without giving King Boo a proper chance, how are they supposed to trust me?”

Mario offers no verbal reply, but his grimace and averted gaze convey his discomfort well enough. Luigi sighs.

“Mario, you’re right to be wary of King Boo—I’m not trying to say otherwise. He’s one of the biggest threats we’ve ever faced. One of the few that’s ever…” Luigi trails off, a connection forming in his mind. “…gotten the upper hand on you.”

And as the words leave his mouth, Luigi is struck by a sudden realization. Why Mario’s reluctance to set King Boo free surpassed his own. Why Mario is seemingly content to let Bowser run amuck while simultaneously condemning King Boo for the same actions. Why he is so uncharacteristically angry.

Mario… is afraid.

___________________________

And that's it for now! This is all unedited and susceptible to change, so there's no telling what the final work will look like yet. As cruddy as I feel, it'll be a while before I can seriously focus on this again. Hopefully this little sneak peek will hold y'all over until it's ready!

[alby-rei]

Prologue (IkeVamp; Luigi's Mansion AU, Part 1)

a/n: Heavily (more like, entirely) inspired by @scummy-writes's playthrough of Luigi's Mansion. 'Twas a lot of fun merging the wackiness of that game with the IkeVamp universe! Multiple parts have already been written, to varying degrees of polish, so I'll be posting them on a schedule (Tentatively, one part per week). Without further ado, Enjoyyy ✨

Series: Comte's Ghost Mansion Tags: Humor, Crack treated seriously, Luigi's Mansion AU, Spooky scary spectral vampires, Ghostbuster MC Word Count: 1000 words Characters: You, Sebastian, Comte (mentioned) Next: Part 2

~*~

You woke up in a dark endless abyss with a headache.

"Where...am I?"

You were not sure how long you were out for, but it must have been a long time.

Last you remembered, you were walking around the Louvre museum in the daytime. A handsome man in a three-piece tailored suit had graciously retrieved your earring from the ground, only to drop and forgot his own handkerchief.

You, wanting nothing more than to return the favor, sought to return it to him. Your quest led you to a secluded section of the museum, barren of any foot traffic, and past a set of large double doors that appeared, at the time, as part of the museum experience.

In hindsight, the dwindling number of visitors around you should have alerted you to think otherwise.

Lightning flashed and the hallway blinked in view, like a snapshot captured with a camera shutter. Thunder cracked once, twice, forcing you out of memory lane and back into the present.

In the split-second that you saw the hallway, a line of tall arched windows stood to your left and closed wooden doors to your right. A high-backed chair was stationed between each door, and a framed picture hung above it. A wall blocked the path at one end and extended into darkness in the other. So, not an endless abyss. But it was not the Louvre museum, either.

Slowly, hesitantly, you took a step forward, and another, and then another, keeping your eyes peeled for any signs of an exit. A door creaked nearby.

You scrambled to hide behind the nearest curtains, but you were caught by two firm hands. Your heart lurched in your throat. You turned around to face your assailant, and a second round of lightning gave you a chance to get a good look. It was a young man with grayish hair swept to one side, his eyes narrow and inquisitive.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" He asked, though he did not wait for a response. "Doesn't matter, let's get you out before the others notice."

You followed him through the maze of hallways, each turn taking you down an identical path. It was a wonder that your guide could tell heads from tails in the darkness.

"Watch your step," he called out as the two of you descended a set of grand stairs.

Just when you thought you reached the bottom, you were met with more stairs. Blood pumped in your ears as you focused on getting out of here, one step at a time. You sighed in relief when the first sliver of light peeked through the grand double doors at the opposite end of what, you assumed, was the foyer.

Once outside, you gawked at the building you just escaped. It was a three-story mansion. Grapevines crept around and across the walls and into some open windows. Dark clouds loomed over the estate, but the rain died down into a drizzle.  

"Don't fall behind, now!" Your guide called out from the garden up ahead. Rather than continue straight ahead and out the gate, he took a turn going behind the mansion. You stared at the open gate, contemplating your chance of survival. Feeling unsafe venturing out into the unknown, you kept up pace with him along a narrow cobblestone path.

He stopped abruptly, causing you to bump into his back, and asked, "Where did you say you were from?"

You huffed and said, "If you would've let me speak the first time..." You explained your situation to him, and he furrowed his brows. You then barraged him with your own set of questions. Rather than answer any of them, he turned on his heel and talked on the way.

He introduced himself as Sebastian. He woke up in a similar way to what you had described a few years prior.

“I’m sorry, did you say years?” You gaped. What hope did you have of returning home if he had not done so yet?

He continued. "I came face to face with the head of this mansion, a French nobleman who goes by the title, Le Comte de Saint-Germain. He gave me an offer I could not refuse, and so I serve the mansion as its butler."

He stopped in front of a quaint wooden garden shack.

Facing you, he wore a wry smile as he said, "I would like to consider myself lucky, as I haven't seen another human in quite some time. But you, I'm afraid, are out of luck to end up here."

Your eyes shifted. "What do you mean by that?"

"Wait here."

He ducked inside and came out with a backpack that looked an awful lot like a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum tube in his hands only further confirmed your suspicions.

He reminded you of a ghostbuster.

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to get you home. But what I can offer is a means to defend yourself for the night.

"Defend myself?" You echoed. "Against what?"

That was how you ended up back inside the mansion, carrying Sebastian's 'Poltergust 1899' (as he proudly called it) on your back, alongside an oil lamp in hand and an item pouch around your shoulder.

What’s the pouch for? You may be wondering.

After much debate with the butler, you agreed to retrieve "items of interest" for him if he promised to investigate a means of getting you back home. His final remark was to avoid disturbing the mansion's esteemed residents and, contrarily, to report back any interesting behavior you encounter, seemingly of said residents.

The main entrance door creaked open. The mansion's foyer was bedecked with a carpeted floor that stretched up its wide central staircase. White Ionic columns lined the sides. At the top of the stairs, bright moonlight shone through, enveloping the room in a bluish hue.

The door slamming shut behind you pulled your flighty spirit back into its boney prison. Several voices murmured behind the walls.

You caught some of their words, or so you believed.

"A guest?"

"They returned!"

"Oh dear."

"How delightful."

"Go away."

You wished you didn't.

~*~

Back to Masterlist

[lunareel]

A friend and I have been working on an idea for a Luigi's Mansion Sprit Tracks au. Bowser and King Boo have teamed up to kidnap Princess Peach and takeover the Mushroom Kingdom. It's a shame that King Boo never intends for Bowser to see the plan to fruition. He steals Bowser's body through the use of a strange crown and he sets his sights on ruling both the Ghost and the Living Realms. (The Ghost Realm is based on by the weird dimension King Boo brings Luigi into during Luigi's Mansion 2 for his final fight.)

The Ghost Train is an idea we had where what if there is a ghost dedicated to taking new ghosts to the Ghost Realm from the Living Realm. We also just love trains so we just combined the two (drawing trains on the other hand is just pain.)

Below the keep reading is a page of cut sketches I did when initially drafting this.

Sleepy Time hero: Pajama outfit for Luigi, potentially have Ancient Dragon plush as a weapon. Might come back, but if it does redo pose and probably remove the plush.

Bowser colorations I either thought didn't look good or were too visually busy.

Original train design and coloration. Didn't have the silhouette I wanted and the coloration didn't mesh well together.

[giddlygoat]

based on this au i made. don’t worry, i’m sure they’ll work it out

[jessadamsdraws]

[artsy-imogen]

✩ king boo let’s his true bias slip out from time to time during these sorts of debates, which he hates lol

(no luigi’s were hurt during the making of this comic, his hat tho ? different story)

[ohmaerieme]

| Next

1-6

[rainnydayzz]

Mario doodle dump timeeee

Old sketch I forgot about, just lightning practice but I liked it :)

Luigi trying not to have a complete mental breakdown as E Gadd processes his treatment toward the plumber. (Meaning he treats him more like Mario, forgetting about his anxiety and definitely real autism)

Related to my small Possessed!Luigi thing where Mario, Bowser, Toad, and Peach go out to rescue him. Mario and Bowser are obviously pretty at odds with each other but Mario has no idea about Bowser and Luigi’s relationship.

I just think it’s funny. Bowser hates it but Luigi thinks it’s cute and funny, which only makes him blush harder.

Luigi being a poker master but Bowser doesn’t know that. “It’s called a hustle sweetheart” okay you can shoot me now✌🏻

[camprell-art]

This is a poster for the Au, I guess, and I'm so tired of working on it, it's been days!!!

I may do more eventually, I just have to take a break now and have another idea kasjhd

[snazzy-suit]

Luigi: Liaison of Ghosts Chapter 9 Snippet (Electric Boogaloo)

Have another sneak-peek at the next installment; this time, before the viOlEnCe!

For context, Luigi, Mario, Gooigi, and King Boo are in an underground portion of E. Gadd’s lab that’s specifically designed to keep ghosts/spirits contained. The room is bisected by a barrier. On one side stands Luigi, Mario, and Gooigi. On the other, is King Boo. The professor is watching the following events from the safety of an observation room. He communicates through an intercom system.

Currently, Luigi is informing King Boo of his mediating work with spectral entities...

_____________________

“Mediator? Contacts?” King Boo mutters. “I don’t understand. You hunt ghosts and spirits—you fear them!”

Luigi quirks a brow incredulously. “You were spying on me as I recovered all the elevator buttons at the Last Resort. After everything you saw then, and what you’re witnessing now, do you honestly still believe that?”

King Boo scowls in place of an answer. “You still capture them,” he hisses.

“I do,” Luigi agrees with reluctance, “but only when I’m given no other choice. Nowadays, I mediate conflicts between specters and mortals. Finding a peaceful resolution is my top priority, not capture.”

King Boo clicks their tongue in disbelief. “I do believe Professor E. Gag has a gallery lined with portraits and canisters full of ghosts that says otherwise.”

“…about that,” Luigi replies slowly. He presses his hands together, fingers splayed as he takes a deep breath. “We… set all of them free.”

{“Quite a while ago, actually,”} E. Gadd adds. {“In fact, you’re the last one to go!”}

Luigi closes his eyes with a grimace. “Thank you, professor,” he sighs.

“Right, of course. The mad scientist just let you release his entire collection of prized specimens,” the monarch scoffs. “Now I know you’re lying.”

“No, really!” Luigi says earnestly. “It’s been a long process, but everyone has been set free and safely reintegrated into society.” He reaches into one of the pockets of his overalls and pulls out a collection of business cards. “Madame Clairvoya has a fortune telling business, Van Gore has his own art studio, Neville started a book club, Melody gives piano lessons…” He flips through the cards, showing each one off as he goes. “Johnny Deepend is a fitness instructor at our local gym, Dr. Potter runs a plant nursery, Soulfflé has a cooking show, Morty directs movies and teaches filmography on the side—”

“Alright, enough! You’ve made you’re point!” King Boo snaps. Their irritation shifts into a more thoughtful look. “Is that why I was moved to a separate canister? To keep me in the dark?”

“Eh… partially?” Luigi says, tilting his hand in a so-so gesture. “Mostly it was for security reasons.” He pauses, silently weighing the pros and cons of full disclosure. “We also thought it would be best to separate you and Hellen Gravely—for both of your sakes.”

King Boo grimaces upon hearing the name of his old partner in crime. He glances about uneasily, as if the mere act of acknowledging the haughty entrepreneur would summon her from the very shadows. Luigi would find the normally unflappable monarch’s alarm funny if he didn’t share similar sentiments regarding the hotel owner.

“Ah… so Gravely has been moved elsewhere.” King Boo comments, attempting to sound nonchalant, but failing rather miserably. “You’re keeping her in another lab. Somewhere… secure?”

{“Ms. Gravely isn’t being kept anywhere,”} E. Gadd replies. {“She’s staying in her suite at the Last Resort; free as everyone else.”}

“You let her go as well?!” King Boo cries in disbelief.

“Unfortunately,” Mario grumbles. It speaks volumes of his own opinion of Hellen that he doesn’t take the opportunity to revel in King Boo’s distress.

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” Gooigi adds, “we filed for a restraining order on your behalf.”

“…with magic enforcement?”

“The strongest in all the known kingdoms.”

King Boo heaves a relieved sigh. They school their expression into something more regal and raise a nubby arm as if taking an oath. “For your act of service, I vow that when the time comes to strike you all down, I will make it quick and painless.” They pause with a hum. “…mostly.”

“How gracious of you,” Luigi says wryly.

“It’s just one of my many virtues,” King Boo agrees. “There’s a reason why my subjects address me as ‘your grace’.”

“No one calls you that.”

“And how would you know?”

“Because I’ve spoken to a lot of your followers,” Luigi says, giving the monarch a flat look, “and I’ve never heard them refer to you that way.”

The revelation seems to take King Boo aback. “…you’ve spoken to my Boos?” they ask incredulously, eyes narrowed. “What a bold thing to say. Care to back up your outrageous claim with some names?”

Gooigi waves urgently at Luigi to get his attention. “Don’t tell him!” He signs. “Snitches get cursed by witches!”

“That’s not how that saying goes,” Luigi corrects the ectomorph, tone tinted with amusement, “But I agree that it’s not my place to say.”

“My, my, how convenient,” the monarch drawls. “Do you want to make any other baseless declarations while you’re at it? The floor is open.”

Luigi frowns in consideration. It might be best to just drop the matter and move on to presenting the actual offer they’ve long since digressed from. This could, however, be a good opportunity to further prove his integrity. Which of King Boo’s followers can he call upon without potentially putting them at odds with their king?

“…Boolossus.”

The monarch’s smug grin drops. “What?”

“I had a long talk with Boolossus when I set them free,” Luigi continues. “I won’t claim we’re on amicable terms, but we managed to come to an understanding before parting ways.”

“Liar,” King Boo snarls. “Boolossus would never have left this lackluster lab without me; not of their own free will. Their loyalty runs deeper than the filthy sewers you call home.”

Luigi squints at the fuming monarch. Do they think plumbers live in sewers? Or just Mario and Luigi in particular? King Boo’s rather poor understanding of mortals sometimes makes it difficult to tell whether they sincerely believe a falsehood or are cracking a joke. Luigi shakes his head, quietly electing not to ask.

“You’re not wrong about their loyalty,” Luigi affirms. “Boolossus was… resistant to the idea of leaving you behind—”

{“Resistant?”} the professor huffs. {“They just about destroyed half my lab!”}

“—but I gave them my word that you would be freed next.” Luigi raises his hand when the monarch opens their mouth to dismiss him. “Before you say anything, no, they didn’t believe me. I don’t think there’s anything I could have said or done that would have convinced Boolossus of my sincerity, and I anticipated that. Which is why I brought along a trustworthy Boo to vouch for me.”

King Boo laughs condescendingly. “There’s not another Boo on this mortal plane that could pull the sway you would have needed.”

“Oh, I can think of one,” Mario smirks.

King Boo sneers at Mario’s smug expression. “And just who would that be?”

“Lady Bow.”

_____________________

Before you get too excited, no, Lady Bow will not be in this installment (unfortunately).

But that's all I have for now! Everything in this snippet is susceptible to change, so we'll just have to see how it all turns out in the completed work. Until then~

[alby-rei]

The Frivolous Phantom (IkeVamp; Luigi's Mansion AU, Part 4)

a/n: What do you mean this silly ghost AU has LORE??? What will you do against a playful ghost who can split himself into multiples? Only one way to find out! Happy reading~ ✨

Series: Comte's Ghost Mansion Tags: Humor, Crack treated seriously, Luigi’s Mansion AU, Spooky scary spectral vampires, Ghostbuster MC Word Count: ~1900 words Characters: You, Sebastian, Arthur Previous: Part 3 Next: Part 5

~*~

You returned to Sebastian, retelling the events of your incursion. The rain had stopped by now and the clouds parted. He scrawled furiously in his notebook, like your words were made of gold. You expected him to be mad at you for capturing a couple of his esteemed residents.

“While I should be, I’m more impressed that you succeeded at all. They’ll be fine. Keep up the good work.”

He took the Poltergust off your shoulders.

“I suppose an explanation is in order,” he said.

“About time, yeah.”

“Follow me.”

Sebastian ushered you into the garden shed. It was a lot bigger than its exterior suggested. Sebastian unlocked a compartment at the bottom of the machine. Two portrait paintings emerged, one for each captured resident. The musician maintained the scowl he wore upon capture while the trapeze artist smiled ear to ear with his eyes closed.

“He’s a writer actually,” Sebastian corrected you regarding the latter.

“A clown-ish one,” you added.

Sebastian chuckled. “It’s part of his charm. Come, I made you some food. You must be starving.”

“Yes, please!”

He asked for your choice of beverage, impressing you with the variety he listed. Alongside it, he brought you some bread, cheese, and a handful of washed grapes.

“I grew them myself in this garden,” said Sebastian, referring to the grapes.

You thanked him for the food. While nowhere near a full meal, it regained some of your energy.

“How long till the sunrise?” You asked.

“Not for another six hours or so.”

This was going to be a long night.

A yawn escaped past your lips, but you had no desire to sleep. You returned the conversation to the portrait paintings. Sebastian explained that the residents weren’t originally ghosts, but some mysterious event caused their spirits to roam at night.

One of the residents, a bright-minded inventor, built the Poltergust 1899 to take care of that. As the only unaffected human, it was Sebastian’s job to capture them, lest they escaped the mansion and never returned.

Every night, Sebastian patrolled the halls. And every morning, he placed the portrait painting above their bed to return the spirit to its vessel. When the residents woke up, they retained no memory of their ghostly wandering.

“And what made you think it was okay to put me in harm’s way?” You said, quirking an eyebrow.

“Harm? They won’t hurt you. Unless you disturbed them in some way, like I had specifically instructed you not to.”

You mumbled some excuse, but Sebastian was not convinced. What you had not noticed before were the dark circles under his eyes. Fighting off those ghosts was not so terrible, you persuaded yourself, and you had nothing else to do for the next six sleepless hours. It was kind of fun, in a strange way. A far departure from your regular life. And if it all turned out to be a dream, you wanted to see it through till the end.

After a good while of rest, you asked Sebastian to hand over the refueled Poltergust.

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re willing to go back in?”

“You, sir, still need to find me a way home. But until then, I’ll take care of it.”

He thanked you profusely and became quite animated. Upon seeing your shocked face, he pardoned his excitement and returned to his stoic self.

To ease your journey, he replaced the residents’ belongings in your pouch with a master key and a map.

You decided to explore the west wing this time. The first unlocked door revealed a massive library with aisles of bookshelves on two floors.

You’ve come to realize that everything in this mansion was so…grand. No wonder the butler looked tired. If he held sole responsibility for the whole manor’s upkeep, of course he would jump at the opportunity to enlist your help.

Walking by the bookshelves, your bookworm heart could not help but inspect the titles of each aisle. Most of them were written in French, some were in English, and the rest were new to you.

Something skittered down from the ceiling. It was a colony of cotton-like creatures with little bat wings and dotted black eyes. You waved the tube of the Poltergust at them, but they weren't affected by your presence. They seemed harmless. Cute, even.

"There you are, Sebas!" A voice called out behind you.

You tried to turn around, but you could not move, as though you were tied up. "Oh dear, you're not Sebastian at all." The voice lilted, sounding amused rather than disappointed.

"Let me go!" You wiggled as hard as you could. As you did, the invisible rope around you took shape as two tweed-covered arms.

"Easy there, dove. It wouldn't do for a pretty bird to injure itself in its haste."

You pushed your elbows as far back as you could; you just needed to reach the switch on the machine.

"Where are my manners? The name's Arthur, mystery writer at your service, but you can call me anytime." He winked.

Another writer, another clown. But some things were better left unsaid, you reminded yourself. You implored him again to release you.

“Humor me, why don’t you? I’ve been deprived of good company for so long.” You could practically see his pouty lips and puppy-dog eyes matching his tone. “Oh, I’ve got it! Let’s play a game, shall we?”

He let you go. Just as before, when you reached for the doorknob, it was locked. You readied your Poltergust 1899, bracing yourself for whatever he may throw at you.

When you turned back around, there were three of him. Three separate, identical copies of him. They all wore the same blue three-piece suit with a loose tie, just as they all wore the same cheeky grin.

“Turning your back in a duel may prove a fatal mistake, my dear,” said one of them. “But I am nothing if not a gentle-ghost. Here’s how this game works: Only one of us is the real Arthur. If you can catch the real me, you win. If you catch one of my clones, we get to play again.”

A one-in-three shot at nabbing the right one. Not the worst odds, you reckon, but choose incorrectly and you may find yourself stuck here way longer than your patience would allow. You had no negotiation power in the matter.

“Fine, I’ll play your little game.”

The three ghosts beamed excitedly, zipping around with incredible speed. They roamed freely in and out of the bookshelves. Every now and then, they would look back at you, like puppies making sure their master was still playing along.

It was one thing to play spot-the-difference when hovered side-by-side, it was another thing entirely when they were zooming around like children riding out a sugar rush. There must be some way to slow them down, you thought.

Your first attempt was to brute force it—aim at the nearest one and see what happens. You caught one on his path out of a bookshelf, but a well-timed levitating book took the hit and blocked the vacuum tube, allowing him to escape. It was a copy of ‘A Study in Scarlet’.

“Cheeky,” he lilted. “But I won’t go easy on you. Unless you could offer me something enticing in return.”

With every word he uttered, your desire to put him in his place only rose.

More books were pulled out of their stations to shield the frivolous phantoms. You tried to move them out of the way, similar to how you did with the violins, but these books were too light and stuck to your tube instantly. There was not enough resistance to redirect their course.

You needed a way to shoot them far enough to secure a capture.

You leaned against a bookshelf between the aisles to catch your breath. You had been running around with little success. Seeing you dispirited, the flirtatious triplets hovered around you, leaning out of the bookshelves with arms crossed.

“Well, this is no fun,” said the first in front of you.

“How about a hint?” said the second to your right.

“And a prize for your efforts!” said the third to your left.

While they chatted over ‘prize’ ideas, you look at each one properly. There actually were some differences between them. One of them, floating in front of you, pushed up his square-frame glasses, and you wondered if it had always been there. The one to your left wore a golden earring at the top of his right ear. It did not seem incorporeal like the rest of him. Like he wore it specifically for the occasion. The last one wore gloves of midnight black.

The earring bearer spoke next, “I can confidently tell you that I’m not the real Arthur.”

The one wearing gloves added, “In fact, he’s the real Arthur.” He pointed at the glasses-wearing ghost.

“Me?!” The accused shot back. “I say that’s a bold-faced lie!”

“And the best part,” said the third. “Only one of us is telling the truth. Good luck!”

And they were back to their zooming selves. The machine weighed you down the longer it remained on your back. It’s low rumble went from soothing to distracting as you tried to think.

If the second one is telling the truth…then the first one is lying. 

There was also the issue of the troublesome books that each one kept near and dear. You kept trying anyway. Each book that you caught was replaced by another. Half of the bookshelves were emptied by now. You wondered if there was a limit to their range. All the while, the frivolous phantoms observed your strategy with intrigue.

But if the first is lying, then there would be two real Arthurs. A contradiction.

The glasses-wearing one had a tendency to loop like an infinite symbol, like his course was predefined. The earring bearer always stayed in your vision, but just out of reach.

On the other hand, if the second is lying… then the glasses-wearer was telling the truth.

Another book obscured your aim. A copy of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. In your frustration, you reversed the strength dial a little too far, and it shot the book up onto the second floor of the library.

And if that’s the case, then the first is lying, too. It’s worth a shot.

“Hey! That was one of my favorites,” said the earring-bearing ghost. He turned to fly after it, and that’s when your opportunity arose.  

It must be you!

With a strong conviction, you cranked up the strength of the Poltergust and aimed at the retreating ghost.

“Looks like turning your back was your fatal mistake, sir.”

As soon as his tail was caught in the machine, the other two phantoms vanished in a show of smoke.

You heard something clank against the floor. It was the golden earring, and beside it was a little treasure chest. Inside it was a brilliant blue gem, and a message saying, ‘Best two out of three?’

You rolled your eyes, trying your best to push down the smile that made your cheeks hurt. The click of the library door signaled that it was unlocked again. You sighed with relief and made your way down the hall to the next target with Sebastian’s map as your guide.   

~*~

Tagging: @starlitmanor-network

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[brave-little-pauper]

Luigi's Mansion but it's an old gothic horror movie

I've always loved black and white horror movies, and I thought the game would fit right into the genre.

Story so far Based loosely in the late 19th century, Luigi and his brother Mario are struggling laborers. One day, Mario leaves in search of work, and Luigi doesn't hear from him for a while until a letter finally arrives with an address.

Luigi ventures through, getting lost in the foggy, rainy night. That is until he comes across a mansion seemingly out of nowhere, and he begs for shelter.

Luckily, the hostess takes him in, claiming that the owner, the self proclaimed "King", always welcomes guests. When Luigi attempts to leave in the morning, the fog becomes impossible to navigate, forcing him to stay. He is offered compensation if he works at the mansion until the fog sets.

But something feels eerie about the place. What do the other residents do? Where is this King? Is there someone watching the mansion? And what sounds like Mario's voice echoing through the corridor?

[First image original post date: June 9th, 2022]

[Second image original post date: June 16th, 2022]

[giddlygoat]

some happy ghost luigi stuff… for the soul 💚

[jessadamsdraws]