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hostess-of-horror · 3 years ago

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Danse Macabre

Finally! After so many days of writing, I have finally finished my biggest fanfic yet! It's another Phantom x Peach fanfic and it is a bit of a sequel to my previous one "Encore at Midnight". I had this really cool story concept for a little while and I felt like I just could not do anything else unless I write it down. It was a bit of an experiment since I had to do a little bit of research just to pull some things off (however, it is far from perfect, so please forgive me). Also, I have officially made some OCs for this fanfic, yay! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy what I have created!

Number of Pages: 17

Word Count: 9358

[Content includes: Themes of Death/Mortality and Some Suggestiveness (not smut though!), OC “Death”, Graphic Body Horror, and Slight Profanity]

For @salamifuposey, @kindpopstar, @jawaii-chan, and everyone else who wants to read this fanfic!

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My Dearest Princess,

Forgive my absence these past few days. I have been preparing the final touches in my newest masterpiece, and I have been dying to show you what I have created. It is something I have not done before; consider it an experiment of sorts. My excitement cannot be contained any longer! Tonight, I invite you to a performance unlike anything you have seen before. I have arranged a carriage to arrive at your castle at around midnight. It will take you to Spooky Trails, where I have made refuge, and you will be accompanied along the way. She will be your guide, and I assure you she will not lead you astray. I pray you receive this letter and that you accept the invitation.

Your Humble Host,

---

Princess Peach reads and rereads the letter. So many questions run through her mind. What does he mean by “experiment”? What kind of performance will this be? And who is this guide? She looks up from the letter, and across from her is an unfamiliar face. Sitting across from her is a woman looking out of the carriage window, admiring the night sky. Or, at least it seems like she is, for the bright reflection on her tea shades completely covered her eyes. Her guide is abnormally slender and taller than her, however she could not tell exactly how much. Her alabaster skin pops in contrast of her dark attire, which consists of a frilly ivory blouse and high-low trail skirt, a velvet violet corset, leather pants, and a long onyx black coat embellished with jewels. Her frizzy, unkept silver hair is pulled up into two buns with small strands of hair shimmering like a diamond. Peach had never seen anyone quite like her before; it’s like she came from another world entirely. The guide turns her attention from the view towards Peach and smiles. Peach averts her eyes and looks towards the window – it was rude to stare, especially at a stranger. “So, you must be the one my master has been interested in all this time? He has told me so much about you.”, the guide spoke. Peach brings her attention back towards the guide. “I am, miss.”, she responds, “And, he has?”

“Oh yes! He is simply infatuated with you! I dare say, obsessed, even. And now that I have a chance to see you up close, I can definitely see why.”

“Infatuated is a good word to describe him. He has shown his affection quite often since our first reunion.”

“Has he now?”

“Mm-hmm. He’s been nothing but a gentleman towards me, even if he does get pretty… excitable from time to time.”

“Consider yourself lucky, your highness. Having an enthusiastic partner makes the relationship a lot more interesting!”

“Well, yes, I agree… I- um…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Phantom and I have only met a little while now; almost a month I believe. I’m not sure if I want to start referring to him as my partner.”

“Just yet, you mean?”

“Oh, please don’t get me wrong, I do like him! I just like to… take things a little slow.”

“Ah, I see. I completely understand. You want to get to know him a little bit more before you make any decisions. A rather smart move on your part.”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t tell anyone this, but my master isn’t one to do such a thing. That is not to say he’s completely reckless, but whenever there’s something – or someone – he’s interested in, he becomes determined. Stubborn even. And personally, it is not his best quality sometimes. It makes him look like a moron. A blind one at that.”

“I guess you can say he becomes inspired. Phantom is an artist, after all. Art is meant to invoke emotion, no matter the medium. It would make sense that he himself is the same way.”

“Insightful! And right you are.”

“Not to mention, Phantom is an opera singer. Opera, of course, is highly emotional and very dramatic, and so is he.”

“That too. I know this might be a personal question, but your first reunion with my master…”

“Yes?”

“What happened that night? I ask because I remember seeing him wallowing in shame after his trip over to the Mushroom Kingdom. When he returned, he threw himself onto his fainting couch, murmuring curses, almost about to cry.”

“Oh my! Well, Phantom was in the ballroom inside my castle that night. He was singing this beautiful melody. When I found him, we talked for a bit and discovered we both have something in common.”

“And what would that be?”

“Companionship.”

“Ah…”

“As we talked, he told me about his life after that battle at Spooky Trails a few years ago. He was so lonely, unable to find friends to call his own. Soon he became… anxious. I cannot describe exactly what came over him, but it was obvious he was in pain. Then, his eyes turned red, and suddenly darkness. I fainted.”

The guide stares at Peach, her mouth slightly agape. Although her tea shades cover her eyes, her expression is readable. It is a look of shock – that look of knowing exactly what had just happened with Phantom on that very night. She sighs, “I see. That is not the first time he has done that. My master can be terrifying when he has his moments.”

“Everything was just so overwhelming. I was scared, yes, but afterwards I was more concerned of his well-being. I cannot bear to see someone in pain; being alone can take a toll on anyone… Oh, that poor thing! He must’ve thought that he harmed me when I fainted!” Peach exclaimed. Silence takes over the conversation. Peach’s eyes wander towards the carriage floor while the guide’s attention never breaks. Her eyebrows furrowed, Peach fidgets with her gloves. The guide adjusts her position, leaning over towards the worried princess. She reaches out and holds her hand; Peach stops fidgeting. “I’m glad that you care about him, your highness. Very few do.” she gently smiles, “There have been many times I believed that the only people who care about him is me and the others.”

“The others?”, Peach asks.

“The rest of my master’s theatre troupe. Just like him, we are all one with music.”

“…may I ask what is your name?

“My name? Oh-! my name, how could I forget my manners? How rude of me! I am Dolores, your highness.”

“And if I may ask as well, if you don’t mind, where do you come from?”

Before Dolores has a chance to answer, a flash of shadows sped by the carriage. Dolores motions towards the window, her head peeking out, looking over the view. Her pearl white teeth shows as she grins from ear to ear. “We’re almost there! Ah, soon you will experience the greatest show yet, Princess Peach!”, she exclaims with glee. Peach takes a look at her window. Memories flooded her mind like a rushing river coursing through the barren earth. Spooky Trails.She remembers now; it was all coming back to her. This was all leading to the very location where her battle with Phantom took place. She, alongside Mario, Luigi, and a few Rabbids, witnessed Phantom’s creation and fought him as he flaunted about on the old, decrepit stage. To think, he was an almost entirely different person. Phantom wasn’t as gentlemanly as he is as of recently, but since their first reunion, he has been wanting things to change.

He wants her. Her heart. Her soul. Her beauty. Everything.

To think it has come to this. To think the princess, who has been known for being saved by her plumber in shining armor and being in love with him, would fall for such a character. But has she truly fallen for Phantom? Or is it all just nonsense? If it was just nonsense, then why would she accept the invitation? Peach takes in the environment as the carriage rolls across the cobblestone path, driving through the dead trees and the old, seemingly abandoned village. Despite having never returned after the battle, Peach regains her memories of Spooky Trails, almost to the point of knowing exactly where Phantom resides. Dolores returns to her position, her shining grin still on her face. Peach turns her attention back at Dolores and asks, “What was the inspiration behind this performance?”

��I would tell you, but it would ruin the surprise! My master has ordered all of us to never reveal his masterpiece until it is time.” Dolores answers.

“Oh…”

“All I can say is that this is no ordinary performance. My master is quite the visionary, you know!”

“Very well, then. I won’t ask any more questions, if it’s going to ruin the surprise.”

“Are you excited, your highness?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not often that I get invited to such events.”

“Really? But you’re royalty! I thought you would be invited to all sorts of performances.”

“I do, but it just doesn’t happen that often, and I honestly don’t know why. I adore the theater!”

“We all do too. Our lifestyle is nothing but the theater… quite literally!”

“Gosh, that must be so wonderful, to be part of a theatre troupe. To perform for all to see, to entertain others through amazing plays! I’ve always wished to join when I was a little girl.”

“Oh! Would you look at that! We’ve finally arrived!”

After what it seemed like more than an hour, the carriage, at long last, finally stops. Dolores gets up from her seat, slowly crawling her way out of the carriage. Her elongated body almost struggles through the small door, but she succeeds with grace. She then offers her hand to Peach with a softer smile, “Your midnight show awaits, Princess Peach…” Taking Dolores’ hand, Peach steps out of the carriage and immediately she is greeted by a massive silver gate. The very gate that stands guard the entrance to Phantom’s stage. It is beautifully sculpted, shaped into swirls and patterns holding up an illuminating full moon, with two music notes placed on each side as the borders. Yes, Peach remembers now. Dolores walks up to the gate and peers through it. She waves at something or something – Peach could not tell – and opens it, allowing themselves to enter. Peach follows behind. She didn’t know how tall Dolores was when they were in the carriage, but now she could get a good look at her stature. Dolores was tall – taller than any human she has ever seen before. If Peach could guess, her guide was three to four (maybe five!)feet taller than her and was practically towering over her. Ever since they met, she had this feeling of uneasiness. Who is this woman? What is this woman? Where did she come from? So many questions. There was something off about Dolores, and it wasn’t necessarily her abnormal physique. There was something, but Peach couldn’t put her finger on it. Whatever it was…. Perhaps she doesn’t need to worry too much about it.

Approaching the decrepit stage, the two ladies are met by a small man wielding a large, glowing lantern. This man is the opposite of Dolores in terms of height and physique. He is a short and stout dwarf, donning a regal yellow robe over his slightly mismatched clothes. The light emanating from the lantern reveals his nicely trimmed beard, his long, curly chocolate brown hair tied back into a ponytail, his fluorescent amber eyes giving them a warm welcome. His smile grew bigger once Dolores waves again; he waves back. “Dolores, there you are! And you brought our special guest! Wunderbar! It is a pleasure to meet you, eure hoheit.”, the dwarf greets them, bowing in courtesy. “Are the others ready, Stefan?”, Dolores asks.

“We’ve been ready for a while now. Just making sure everything is perfect for tonight.”

“And what about our master?”

“He will not show his face. In fact, he wants me to tell you that no one must see him until he has shown himself to us all.”

“Ah, well that makes things interesting.”

“I agree. Anyway, enough chit chat! Let us proceed! We must not keep our master’s little freundin waiting.”

“Por favor, Stefan! Don’t tease… that’s my job.”

Stefan chuckles as he ushers them to go into the stage. Dolores follows Stefan, and Peach follows Dolores. They all walk deeper through the torn platform and dusty curtains. Damaged props, broken wires, hanging ropes, and mangy fabrics scatter the place. The further deeper they went, the larger the backstage seems to be. Peach looks in awe as she continues to follow her guides. Who knew that this abandoned stage held such secrets? After a few minutes of walking, Stefan places his lantern on the floor, lighting up the entire floor, and begins to crawl on his hands and knees. His fingers trace the nooks and crannies of the floorboards, mumbling to himself. He searches until he finds a small hole and grabs it. The hole turns out to be a handle, and Stefan pulls and lifts up the floorboards. He reveals a decent sized door leading to a much darker pathway – a long stone stairway stretching far into a secret tunnel. Stefan’s lantern gave light to the darkness, making the trip down into the underground refuge much less intimidating. Dolores holds Peach’s hand as they go down the stairs. This was such an odd way of attending a performance. Peach could not imagine what kind of performance involves having to venture underground in order to see it. What could she possibly expect from all of this? Part of her mind began screaming for help, pleading to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Part of her mind wanted normalcy, no surprises. It wanted her to stop and return to her chamber, to her castle, to Mario and her friends. However, the other part was curious. It was that familiar curiosity – the same curiosity she had when first reunited with Phantom. She could never forget that night. Never in a lifetime. Everything about him, whether it be music or shadow, is just so…. Alluring.

Alluring… Beguiling… Captivating… Enchanting…

Her mind finally gives in. She goes for the latter. How could she not? She has ventured too deep into this tunnel to start leaving. For once, she is able to take a break from her royal duties. To forget her troubles. To finally experience something new. For once. As for curiosity, she was more concerned about Phantom. Why would he not allow anyone to see him? Of course, it must be for the performance, but what exactly does Phantom have in store? The more Peach thought about him, the more impatient she became. Phantom. Oh, where are you, Phantom? Her mind falls into that familiar trance. She wants to see him again. She wants to hear him again. Perhaps Peach has become just as obsessed as he is with her. This must be an addiction. It must be. If it wasn’t, then she would never be where she is right now. Whether it be curiosity, obsession, or madness, Peach will continue to walk into shadow if it meant she will meet her friend again. Stefan, Dolores, and Peach finally reach the end of the tunnel, finding a wooden door decorated with gold etchings, which looked out of place amongst the cobweb-shrouded stone walls. With a strong push, Stefan enters through, allowing the door to creak wide open. Behind the door is a humongous hallway, adorned from wall to wall with a vast multitude of paintings, flyers and posters of plays and musicals, candles, and curtains. To think a dusty tunnel would lead to a beautiful makeshift palace! It’s like discovering a treasure chest inside of a dank, murky swamp. Is this where Phantom was residing all these years? Peach gasps. Dolores turns around and smiles, “Welcome to our humble abode, your highness. In this place, music is our lifeforce. We eat, we drink, we breathe, we sleep in music. Just like our master, we are not only creators of art – we are art itself. And tonight, we shall once again breathe life into another masterpiece. I cannot describe how immensely happy we all are. We are so glad that you accepted our master’s invitation, you will not regret it! Now, come along with me, let us go into the Ladies’ Dressing Room. Natasha has designed a wonderful costume for you to wear, and Ophelia will help you with your hair and makeup. I assure you they will make you absolutely gorgeous. Of course, that is not to say you’re not already beautiful.”

Stefan leaves the two ladies and heads towards the Gentlemen’s Dressing Room, which is across from the Ladies’ Dressing Room to the left, placing the lantern onto an iron hook built into the wall. “Well, I’m going to get myself ready and meet up with the others. I’ll see you all at the Gallery! Bis bald!”, he says as he closes the door. Dolores enters through the door to the right and holds it open for Peach to walk into the room. There sitting inside are twin sisters, both garbed in fine, flowy silk and chiffon gowns, working on their latest projects. To the left is a somber young lady sitting near a vanity, dressed all in Aegean and periwinkle blue, her pale pink hair intertwined into exquisite dreadlocks that reaches down to her shoulders. Wrapped around her head is a flower crown composed of lavender, Baby’s Breath, Fairy Foxgloves, and Forget-Me-Nots. To the right is a cheery young lady wearing a similar gown but in shades of fuchsia and rose, checking over the details of an extravagant costume, which is porcelain and peach in color. Her pale blue hair is also made of dreadlocks, as well as composed with the same flowers with the addition of small vines, but is pinned up into a lovely cornrow braided bun. The twin in pink looks up from her work and gasps, “Dolores, you’re back! And the princess is here! Ophelia, look! They’re here!” Ophelia turns around, her saddened expression softening into a weak smile, “Oh, hello again. And it’s nice to finally meet you, your highness.”

Dolores greets them back, turning her attention back to Natasha’s project, “Is the costume ready?”

“Yes, it is! I was just making sure everything’s perfect!”

“It looks amazing! Buen Trabajo!”

“Aww, thank you!”

“Alright, now we must hurry. I need to be in costume. I’ll meet you all in the Gallery, and don’t dottle please.”

“Don’t worry, Dolores, we’ll be ready as soon as possible.”

Dolores leaves Peach with Natasha and Ophelia, entering through a darkened room to get ready for the performance. Once she leaves, Peach witnesses what is perhaps the most amazing thing she has ever seen. The speed in which Natasha and Ophelia got her ready for the performance was astounding. What should have lasted for about a few hours or so ended up lasted for a few mere minutes! No human possesses this level of speed, especially with makeup. Any makeup artist would take their time getting every detail right. There would be no possible way anyone could apply eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, concealer, lipstick, and every other detail really fast without messing up. But Ophelia proved that such an ability was possible. Natasha was no different. She helped Peach get into the extravagant costume without any struggle at all, as it fit perfectly onto her frame. How did she get her size just right? And it’s so comfortable too! “And… done! Oh, look at you! You are just beautiful, your highness! Don’t you think so, Ophelia?”, Natasha exclaims happily, proud of her job well done. “Oh yes, I agree…”, Ophelia smiles weakly again. Peach looks over to a nearby mirror. They were right; she is beautiful. Perhaps even more so, she thinks to herself, for she had never worn anything like this before. It is true that, being of royal blood, she is accustomed to an extremely elaborate (and expensive) wardrobe. But this… this is different from any other dress. It is a ballroom gown, completely encrusted with diamonds and pearls, with lovely black roses making a long trail from her waist down to the skirt. The white skirt is massive, flowing down towards the floor like a mass of billowing fog. Her shoulders and bosom are exposed completely, giving room for a glistening choker made of the same jewels. Her hair is done up in a high bun, lightly sprinkled with silver glitter, and tied together with another black rose.

She looks heavenly. Like an angel.

With everything all set and done, Natasha and Dolores begin preparing themselves. As they do, Ophelia pauses for a moment. “Oh, your highness! I almost forgot something. Before we go, our master wanted me to give you this.”, Ophelia says, handing her a small card. It reads: For the Princess. Before heading back to primp herself, her expression slowly turns gloomy, barely keeping up with her smile, “You are so lucky to be chosen…” Peach turns over the card as she waits for the twins to get ready and continues to read:

Tonight’s performance is a one-of-a-kind experience. You, my dear, will not only be the audience, but also part of the story! Everything and everyone around you will be interactive, so please do not be shy. Converse with your newly found friends! Eat, drink, dance with your heart’s content! And please, do not wait for me. I hope you enjoy my masterpiece.

- P

Ah ha! So, this is what Phantom’s performance is! It is a role-playing experience, and based on what the card says, it must be a party he’s hosting. What delightful news! Although, Peach must admit that she has never role-played before, especially in something like this. But wait – didn’t she say to Dolores earlier that being part of the theatre was her childhood dream? Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to try out her acting skills! Peach beams. She could not believe Phantom would make something like this. Whatever this role-playing party entails, she thinks to herself, she’s going to do the best she can. “We’re ready!” Natasha exclaims in a sing-song tone, “Are you ready, Ophelia?” Ophelia nods. Natasha excitedly takes both her and Peach’s hands, leading them out of the Ladies’ Dressing Room and into the Gallery. Peach almost could not keep up with the twins, for they have remarkable speed, as shown by their natural talents on makeup and costuming. How fast can could they possible go? If this is how fast they can walk, then how fast can they run? Natasha’s ecstatic giggling echoes through the hallway, and with every step they take, the upbeat tempo of music could be heard from behind the Gallery doors. The closer they went, the louder it became. The melody drifts in the air like a calm perfume for the ears, capturing Peach’s attention with its harmonious essence. A delicious delicacy for the senses. Just like Phantom’s voice. He must have composed this melody, for there is no way Peach could have been so immersed and entranced by its sound if it wasn’t. The three ladies approach the Gallery doors, the music muffled behind them. Natasha takes a glance back at Peach and Ophelia, unable to contain her excitement anymore.

She pushes the doors wide open.

What words could possibly describe the sheer extravagance of the Gallery? To think that all of this is completely underground! To think Phantom created this gargantuan chamber, big enough for him and perhaps one hundred guests! Maybe even more than that. Peach could tell, just by admiring the Gallery, Phantom is quite the fan of marble, silver, and velvet. Marble floors and pillars framing the chamber and silver-framed mirrors and portraits decorate the walls. Deep black velvet curtains cascade from the middle of the ceiling and down towards the floor, giving the appearance of one massive Bohemian tent. In the middle hangs a glamourous jeweled chandelier, giving a dim light to the darkness. Looking around, Peach notices there are seven rooms divided by the curtains, each one color-coded, with three rooms on both towards the left and right. To the left are the colors blue, purple, and green, and to the right are orange, white, and violet. The seventh room is located right in front of the ladies, right across from the Gallery entrance. Inside is completely shrouded in shades of red – wine, scarlet, crimson, garnet – and there sits in a shiny throne a crowned gentleman – a prince – with a glass of Amontillado in his hand. His wavy, champagne blonde hair falls delicately around his party mask and square facial structure. His rosy lips gently purse as he raises his glass to drink. He is accompanied by two other women, who are garbed to the nines in the richest finery, blushing and laughing amongst themselves. Every now and then, the prince would turn to one of them and whisper in their ear, making their faces turn into deeper shades of red. As Peach follows Natasha and Ophelia, she finds more guests, all conversing amongst one another in the color-coded rooms. The costumes they wear are vibrant in color and theme, ranging from jesters, to creatures, to knights, to fairies and pixies. These guests, including the prince himself, must all be part of Phantom’s theatre troupe. Peach begins to count: one… two… four… six… nine… eleven. Eleven members of the troupe. She wonders if there are any more, considering how large the Gallery is.

The prince turns his attention suddenly towards Peach, and so do the two women. Soon, almost everyone begins to stop for a moment and do the same. Simultaneously, Natasha and Ophelia bow, gesturing to Peach, “My Lord, we have brought you your special guest, Princess Morrigan of the Stygian Border.” The prince sets down his glass on a nearby silver platter, and stands right up from his throne, adjusting his vest and coat. “C’est magnifique, my loyal subjects! Now the masquerade can truly begin! Come, come! The night is young, gather around everyone! Let us celebrate all of our blessings and forget our grievances!” he declared, “May we prosper in these trying times, and may we never run out of wine to drink.” The crowd laughs and cheers, some of them raising their own glasses. He turns to Peach, his eyes wandering up and down, and smirks, “My, my… Enchantee, your highness. I must say, you look… ravishing tonight. I am Prince Fortunato, at your service. Why don’t you join me, my dear, in the Red Room? Surely, we can have some… fun together, what do you say?” Greeting her, Prince Fortunato places a soft kiss on her hand, his emerald eyes admiring her beauty. Or perhaps something else. Although Peach has to be polite, she immediately had no interest in him. Too cocky, she thinks to herself, too full of himself. It reminds her too much of Bowser. Then again, Phantom was that way, too, at least in the past. But she learned that he was not licentious. He never looked anywhere else but into her eyes. He never searched for anything other than her eyes. He ever seemed like he was after a particular goal other than seeing her whenever they meet. That is the one thing Peach was sure about. Ah, but remember! This is only roleplay; nothing is real. Prince Fortunato, as well as everyone else, is only pretending. In that case, this gentleman is an excellent actor!

Prince Fortunato leads Peach back to his throne, the two women still standing to accompany him. Envy fills the air. Their expressions turn sour as they watch Peach get even more attention than them. Peach could already tell that this is no ordinary masquerade. She has been to many royal revelries throughout her life, and all of them were filled to the brim with sophistication. Every guest, staff member, and host had class – anything that was considered less than classy wasn’t allowed. This masquerade is different in terms of the usual standards of hosting such parties. It was as eccentric as its Gothic décor, consisting of tables filled with silver platters of fruits, meats, bread, and desserts, goblets of beverages, and candles. Every once and a while, a few guests would stuff themselves and each other with this feast, disregarding etiquette for sheer pleasure. Peach isn’t used to the cacophony of this kind of merrymaking. All of this was nothing but pure, unadulterated debauchery – something she was taught never to delve into. She is a princess, after all, and princesses never do those sorts of things. However, did she not accept the invitation to let herself loose? Did she not agree to join this performance – this masquerade – to experience something new for once? For once? Feeling out of place just standing idle amongst Prince Fortunato and the guests, Peach goes over to one of the tables and picks at a plate of grapes. She watches as the guests gather around Natasha and Ophelia in one huge circle, clapping to the music’s rhythm as they frolic together. The fabrics of their dresses fly with their movements as if they were colorful wings dancing in the darkness. As she plops the grapes delicately into her mouth, her eyes continue to wander over the décor. Suddenly, she stops at a grim sight. There as the centerpiece sits three skulls, two of them from a different species, ones Peach isn’t familiar with. The skull placed in the middle, however, is human. She could not tell if these skulls were real. She hopes they aren’t real. Taking a closer look, an engraving is found on its forehead: Ars longa, vita brevis.

Without warning, the Gallery doors burst open! The music stops – the crowd jumps in surprise! Prince Fortunato rises to his feet, alarmed by this sudden interruption. Peach turns around. There standing in the doorway is an aged peasant woman in old, torn rags, her hair glowing bright red like a burning inferno. Her complexion is dirtied, her makeup is smudged, her eyes red-hot with fury. She scowls as she approaches the partygoers, her hands clenched as if she is about to attack. “For shame!Have you no shame?!” the peasant chants, flailing her arms with rage, “Have you no compassion for your people?! The plague lays waste throughout the land! And yet, here you are, surrounding yourself with wealth and whores! They are suffering! They are dying! There is no hope for us! For shame! For shame! Have you no shame?!” Peach watches as everyone else steps back, avoiding her filthy presence. Twelve. Twelve members in Phantom’s theatre troupe. Prince Fortunato steps forward, confronting her, “Who dares… who dares interrupts us?! Who dares trespass Fort Fortunato and speak against the Crown?!”

“It is your undoing that dares enter your home! This, all of this, will be your downfall!” she responds back angerly, gesturing to the masquerade.

“Leave this instant, or else I’ll have your head for this!”

“I have seen it, Prince Fortunato! I have seen your fate in the deepest of dreams! Doom is upon you all!”

“Ah, it’s one of those so-called soothsayers my people love so much… how lovely. They love having their fortunes told, don’t they? Superstitions and all that. Hmmm. Well, in that case, go on. Amuse us with your… dreams and visions, fortune teller. We do love to be entertained.”

“It will come, Prince Fortunato, in retribution of your indulgences. You and your party may hide all you want; it will still find you! Mortals cannot escape from what is inevitable. In the end, it shall visit us when our time comes… and your time is nigh.”

“Qu’est-ce que tu racontes? What is this ‘it’ you’re talking about? Whatever ‘it’ is, I am sure it will not ruin this masquerade. Princess, do you hear all this? She’s simply mad!”

“Our time is nigh!”

“Tu es timbre!”

“For shame! For shame!”

“Quitter cet endroit!”

“Have you no shame?!”

The peasant stops. Her eyes shift towards Peach. A look of horror falls upon her face. “You…”, she whispers, slowly raising a pointed finger at her. Peach watches as she approaches her, still pointing, terrified. Her expression contorts as if she is studying, searching for something. “You… are to be Death’s Bride… Yes! You are Death’s Bride!” she exclaims, falling to her knees, clutching Peach’s skirt, “Oh, you poor soul! So young… innocent… all to be swept by its dark embrace! I beg of you, your highness, leave this place! Forget these fools! Forget all of this! Save yourself!” With a swift grab, Prince Fortunato pulls the peasant away by the shoulder and pushes her aside. “Unhand her this instant! You trespass my fortress, you waste our time with your superstitions, and now you insult me and my guests?” he yells, “Everyone! Let us show this insolent wretch what it means to insult those higher than her! Bring me a chair! Bring me some rope! Let’s play a game with her, shall we?” Peach could not believe it. A prince sacrificing the well-being of his people for an elaborate masquerade! And now, he and the other guests have decided to torture this poor woman! She cannot stay silent any longer – she must act! “Wait!” Peach cries, making everyone stop in unison, “Have mercy on her! Please!” Prince Fortunato scoffs in amusement, “Why, and for what? She insulted us, you heard her!”

“Yes, but none of that would have happened if you attended to your royal duties as Prince and took care of your people!”

“E-excusez-moi?”

“This poor woman is in dire need of assistance, and you have all the wealth to help her! Maybe you should consider.”

“Ha! My dear, you jest! I have no need for peasants! Why should I dabble in their affairs?”

“Because their affairs are yours as well. They have relied on you for so long, and you rely on them. Without your people, you’re done for!”

“Do you not see the extravagance of this masquerade? The bountiful feasts presented on the tables? Our costumes? The wine in our glasses? I am rich, Princess Morrigan! Wealthy beyond imagination!”

“Wealth that came from people like her! Please, my Lord, have mercy.”

“Are you mad? Ha, you must be! Just as mad as the fortune teller!”

“If I am as mad as her, then I must be! Yes, that’s it! Perhaps your foolishness is just another wild hallucination, for what respectable royalty spoils themselves to the point of gluttony and greed?”

A crowd of gasps shatter the silence. The crowd glance at Peach, then at the prince, then back at her, awaiting another response. Prince Fortunato stands silent, completely stunned by her audacity. His face becomes flushed, his teeth gritting, his emerald eyes bright with anger. His fists clench. “Oh…. I’m a fool, am I? Am I a fool?! I am not a fool! I am Prince Fortunato, the next in line! Heir to the throne! I am as respectable as royalty can be!” he furiously shouts, “I will not be insulted like this! I will not be degraded like this! I need not your judgment, or hers, or anyone else’s! I am no fool, do you hear me? I am not a fool! I am a Prince, full of riches and beauty! I am perfect! I am powerful! I am untouchable! You think I’m a fool? You call me a fool, eh? Ha ha! Well then, let me entertain you all! Come, gather around, my lovely guests! Let me show you what a true fool really is!” With a whip of his cape, Prince Fortunato rushes from the crowd and goes behind the throne. Everyone watches as he switches his coat and cape with another coat and removes his crown with another accessory. In a matter of seconds, he reappears, this time donning a shiny blue coat and a mask in the shape of a rabbit’s face. Raising his arms, he presents his new costume to the crowd, “Here! Here! I am now a fool! But Prince Fortunato? Oh no, no, no! He is no fool! You imbeciles! He is a national treasure!” Has Prince Fortunato finally lost his sanity? What could he possibly gain from this? Peach is stunned, as much as the rest of the others. However, she is not as terrified as everyone else. She sees Natasha and Ophelia cradling each other, comforting one another despite both being in distress. She sees Stefan in costume backing away, almost seeming to run away and hide somewhere safe. She sees Dolores frozen in utter fear.

Peach remembers what she had said: “My master can be terrifying when he has his moments.”

No one could help but watch as Prince Fortunato danced along the ballroom floor, singing random songs in a mocking fashion. He flails his arms, waving his hands wildly as if no one is watching him. Is this even part of the roleplay? This moment feels too spontaneous to even be scripted. Peach could not imagine Phantom having his own theatre troupe mock him, regardless of whether or not it would be intentional. Whoever is playing Prince Fortunato must truly be a fool. Prince Fortunato sings in a sardonic tone:

🎶“Look at me!

Watch me float and gloat and show off my coat!

Watch me as I sing about plumbers – oh, how I hate them!

I hate them so much, oh what a bummer!

Watch me as I make sweet, sweet love to my precious spotlight

Under the moonlight!”🎶

Although the song is less than perfect, Peach admits to herself: he has an amazing singing voice! And he sings opera, just like his master! She wonders if all of the members of the theatre troupe can sing as well. Ah, no! Enough of that! Don’t get distracted now! As he sings, Prince Fortunato runs and leaps onto a nearby table, knocking over huge plates of food, skulls, and candles on the floor. Everyone else watches as he spins and taps his feet on the table, his arms still flailing around. No one in the theatre troupe tries to stop him – they’re all too shocked and afraid to even do so. They did not want to get involved in such mockery. Peach could. However, what would happen if she did? As much as she would like to stop him, she just couldn’t. For whatever reason, whether it be out of shock, or out of fear, or out of curiosity, she did not move at all. Still, the Prince continues:

🎶“Imbecile, imbecile, imbecile!

Everyone’s an imbecile but me!

Listen to me, listen to me!

My ego is as big as it can be!

Come, my Princess, marry me please

Or else I’ll cry, cry, cry!”🎶

Then, the sudden drone of a large bell rings! It brings everyone into a hush, sending an immense chill down their spine. No one moves. The drone continues. And continues. And continues. Is this what the peasant woman was talking about? The impending doom that is to fall upon this masquerade? The fate of everyone who stands here on this very night? This inevitability that will claim those who still walk on this earth? Whatever is coming for them… has arrived to make its debut.

The Gallery doors creak open. Seeping through the entrance is a cloud of fog, billowing across the floor like a massive white sheet. It surrounds everyone, almost rising up to their knees, and soon the entire chamber is filled to the brim with gloom. Prince Fortunato finally steps down, his eyes staring in fear at the entrance, and retreats behind Peach. As fate approaches them, soft murmurs of terror arise from the crowd. One by one, each and every actor and actress trembles in anticipation. Peach awaits as well, but more out of curiosity than the shock of terror. This feeling; she remembers it all too well. She has to know what happens next. She has to know what kind of resolution this entire roleplay performance is coming to. Although the resolution is frightening, it was the satisfaction of discovery that keeps her within the Gallery. She will not leave. Fear will not take over. Only curiosity. Only awe and wonder. Only fascination.

And lo and behold, there stands the face of Death in his newest and blackest masterpiece.

He stands tall, bejeweled and shrouded in crimson, emerging from behind the murky darkness. The sheer size of him is intimidating enough, but the opulence in which he had adorned himself gives him an almost divine presence in the masquerade. Out of all the costumes Peach has seen, this one is more magnificent – more vibrant and elaborate – than the rest. Blood red veils cascade down from his large cavalier hat and alongside his cape. His vest a skeletal ribcage, patterns of bones scatter his scarlet greatcoat, and in his paws is a colossal gold cane. Hidden underneath the shadow of his hat is a golden mask, formed into the shape of a skull. Everyone slowly backs away as this masked red-clad stranger approaches them. But not Peach. Instead, she stays, completely in awe. She has become too enamored by his Gothic glamour to even be remotely scared. Finally. After so many days, they finally meet once again. She could see his sapphire eyes peering through and meeting hers with a sign of notice. He stops for a moment. That look… that tender gaze! Although they had only met for a little while before this moment, Peach confesses to herself: she could never have enough of those bright eyes. Those gleaming sapphire eyes. Even through that skull mask of his, she could stare into them all night long.

Alluring… Beguiling… Captivating… Enchanting…

Phantom shifts his attention to Prince Fortunato, his eyes wide with fury. The partygoers cower as he floats over to the foolish prince, towering over him as he looks down. Prince Fortunato scrambles, quickly taking off his blue coat and rabbit mask, full of sweat, almost hyperventilating. His face is revealed with a terrified expression. His eyes look up at Phantom, awaiting whatever fate – whatever punishment – shall bestow upon him. Phantom twists his cane and slowly he pulls it apart, revealing it to be a scabbard with a long, sharp sword inside it. Peach gasps as he unsheathes his weapon, raises it up in the air, and points it down at a quivering Prince Fortunato. “Please, monsieur!” Prince Fortunato gasps and swallows, “Spare me! It was only a mere jest! I was only having some fun entertaining my guests! I-I am the host, after all! Monsieur, please… Have mercy…!” Everyone watches in horror as he pleads for forgiveness. Phantom takes in a deep breathe; music begins to play again. It is in minor key, deep and dramatic – the orchestral equivalent to an imposing force. Peach holds her breath. Finally. With a smooth, baritone voice, Phantom sings his haunting solo:

🎶“Fortunato!

Surrender to me,

Look upon the face of Death!

It is meant to be,

Now savor your last breath!

Fortunato!

Your time has come at last,

Take your final drink of wine!

For your sins in the past,

Oh Prince, your soul will be mine!”🎶

“No!” the prince cries out, “You cannot take me! I will not let you! My guests need me! My people need me!” What hypocrisy! What foolishness! Peach watches intently. What is going to happen next? Will this masked presence spare Prince Fortunato? Will Prince Fortunato’s mockery be forgiven? She anticipates what comes next, whatever that may be. But although she tries to expect the unexpected, there is one thing she is certain about: the masquerade was doomed from the very beginning. Phantom lowers his sword, just by an inch, almost as if in contemplation. A few moments of silence passes. Everyone watches him in anticipation. Peach. Prince Fortunato. Dolores, Stefan, Natasha and Ophelia. Everyone. Anticipating. Anticipating. Anticipating.

Phantom smirks, letting out a soft chuckle. His sword lowers even more, and finally inserts it back into the scabbard. A sigh of relief fills the Gallery…

Then sudden horror! It happened so swiftly. So much so that if one were to blink at that moment, they would miss it completely. A scream pierces the silence! It was Prince Fortunato, now on the floor collapsed to his knees! He screams in agony as his covers his face! Phantom had made a sharp wave of his hand, almost as if he were to slap him across the face. But no! It was much, much worse. A terrible fate had fell upon the prince.

Blood…!

Oozing from his face is a gush of crimson blood! His eye sockets, his nostrils, his mouth, his pores – all drenched in blood! Horrid blemishes begin appearing on his flesh, leaving opened, pus-filled wounds as they pop one by one! Tears and yellow fluids mix with the blood, staining the floor with a pool of secretions! And the screams! Oh, the screams! Prince Fortunato tries to hide his face once more, only to find that it hurts too much! His hands pull away from his face – and, oh God! His flesh, his flesh – it is rotting away! What was once the pristine beauty of a spoiled, gluttonous prince is now the face of nightmares. He coughs and chokes; he cannot scream anymore – blood has filled his throat! He falls onto the floor, panicking, suffering! To think that this is what his people had to endure while no one was there to save their lives. With eyes stained with tears and blood, he rushes over to his guests and reaches for help, but in vain, for who could ever touch a diseased man? With a final cry of fear, Prince Fortunato falls. There lays on the floor is a twitching corpse, the face mutilated by the worst of illnesses…

This display of gore puts the guests into a state of frenzied panic! More screams and sobs fill the Gallery, as well as the sound of footsteps running and chairs and tables knocked over. If they don’t do something, Phantom will come after them next! Anything to get away from this face of Death. Chaos ensues! All except for Peach. Peach stands still amongst the disorder of the partygoers. Her widened eyes are fixated on Phantom. Is it shock? Is it fear? Is it something else entirely? Of course, anybody would be frightened by the sheer grotesqueness of the prince’s death and the possibility of meeting the same fate. But strangely, it seems to not bother Peach at all, almost as if she isn’t aware of the situation. Perhaps she is still mesmerized by Phantom’s extravagant appearance? Perhaps she is somehow desensitized? Whatever is going on, Peach still remains, as well as the peasant woman. The two ladies stare as Phantom slowly turns to watch over the terrified crowd. He observes the scene quietly. All in unison, the panicked guests rush toward the Gallery doors. With a wave of his hand, he blocks the entrance, slamming it tightly shut. Ophelia throws herself on the doors, slamming her fists frantically, “Open the doors! Open the doors! Oh please, open the doors!” Everyone begins to do the same. But alas, their attempts of escape are futile, for their master – the Red Death – had already claimed their souls. Once again, Phantom sings:

🎶“Crowned with privilege and villainous

Bathe in the blood of your wickedness

Tonight, retribution is at hand

For this masquerade shall be damned

Mask yourselves to hide your shame

But in the end, they know your name

Into the earth, your corpses will sink

May your blood be the wine they drink…”🎶

And one by one, each guest fell, forming a massive pile of bloodied bodies in front of the entrance. Peach takes in what had just happened. She had never seen something so macabre before. Roleplay, she thinks to herself, this is all just roleplay. This is all just pretend. No one is hurt. They are all just acting. This is all just roleplay. But by the stars, it looks so… real! There is blood everywhere. Not just the red pool on the floor, but also smeared handprints on the doors too. How did Phantom do all of this? This must have taken so much effort and hard work to even pull off such a remarkably gory scene! Peach couldn’t help but wonder what exactly went through Phantom’s mind when making this performance. This was something she never expected, let alone how absolutely graphic it was going to be. But regardless, the entirety of the roleplay screamed Phantom. It was bold. Dramatic. A complete subversion from a usual masterpiece. There was grandeur, there was beauty, there was mystery, there was tension. Then finally the payoff – an act of karma against the avaricious Prince Fortunato and his hedonistic friends. Now only she and the peasant woman are left. Peach cannot imagine what this powerful reaper is going to do next. Ah, no – she suddenly remembers!

Death’s Bride. She is to be Death’s Bride…

Her thoughts are interrupted by another cry, this time from the peasant woman. She turns to find Phantom approaching her, his hand lifting up to claim another soul. But why must the good die? Death is inevitable, it is true. Life is short. Peach knew this. But what did this poor woman do to deserve such a fate? Why do bad things happen to good people? Perhaps it is meant to be, just like what Phantom said. Roleplay. It is all just roleplay. Should she stand by and let things take its course? Or maybe… what could she do? Roleplay…. Ah, of course! Peach dashes over and stands in between them. “Wait!” she says, defending the peasant woman, “Have mercy on her!” Phantom pauses, taken by surprise for a moment, but then resumes in character. “Young or old, poor or rich… Death waits for no one. Her time has come.” Phantom calmly responds, his voice low. “Can you at least give her enough time to live another day? Can you see she has suffered enough? Please, I beg of you.” Peach pleads.

“You stand in front of the face of Death… and yet you are not frightened. Are you… not afraid of me?”

“I do not fear what is inevitable. I just want to give her another chance.”

“Such compassion… and all of this for a stranger. However, as painful as it may be, you cannot persuade me to spare her.”

“If that is not enough, then I will offer a gift to you.”

“And what is this gift you speak of?”

“For this woman’s life, I offer you myself. You can have my soul. You can have everything, all of me, and I will not refuse you.”

Phantom is rendered speechless, despite staying in character. Do his ears deceive him? No, it couldn’t be. It couldn’t possibly be! Deep down inside, he could not believe what Peach had just said. He watches as Peach ushers the peasant woman to flee the masquerade, and so she does, retreating to a small secret entrance hidden by the large curtains. Silence. As much as he tries, Phantom seems to be unable to speak. Now only he and the princess are alone. Together. Just like that one night. “I believe that is enough to persuade you?” Peach says with a soft smile. That smile. Oh, that sweet smile! He could stare at it forever! “I can be yours, and yours only. I will not leave. I will be not be frightened.” she continues, “It must be lonely, going around the world and reaping souls for those who’s time has passed. You don’t have to be lonely. You can have a companion! Someone who will join you by you side. Don’t you want that?” Companionship. Is Peach talking to Death or to Phantom himself? The lines between roleplay and real life begin to blur before his very eyes. He could not differentiate which is just acting or an actual confession. She must be playing a trick – she must be! This could not possibly be real! This is just too good to be true! Taking in a deep breath, staring deep into Peach’s pretty eyes, Phantom sings one last solo:

🎶“Oh, Sweet Maiden!

Surrender to me,

Look upon your paramour!

It is meant to be,

Together forevermore!

Oh, Sweet Maiden!

Your time has come at last

Take your final drink of wine

For this spell I shall cast

My Bride, your heart will be mine!”🎶

With a wave of his hand, two shiny, black feathered wings sprout from Peach’s back! Peach glances over in surprise, admiring her new wings. They sparkled under the light of the chandelier with iridescent glitter. Natasha must have added these in while making her costume. Once again, she continues to be impressed be Natasha’s work. Then her eyes glance over towards the Gallery entrance. Peach stops. Something has changed. Her eyes squints as she tries to make out what she is seeing. Confusion floods her mind until realization hits her.

The bodies… are those…. Mannequins?

Phantom places his paw on her cheek, delicately turning her face towards him. The softness of his caress fills her senses, and she is greeted by his tender gaze. What a tender gaze he has! As her eyes are locked in his gaze, Peach feels herself being gently embraced around her waist and leaning back into a dip. Her heart begins to race. Beat after beat it quickens its pace, her breathing becomes more and more shaky. It must be adrenaline – all of this is so new to her. Peach finds herself reaching out towards Phantom and, ever so gently, she takes off his skull mask, revealing his face. At long last, she finally sees him. Oh, how she missed him! “Did you enjoy the show, your highness?” Phantom grins, “I must admit, there were some things that weren’t… intended to happen, but as long a—” He is stopped, as Peach catches him off guard. Locked in a tight hug around his neck, he feels his lips being locked with hers. It was passionate yet gentle and warm. Peach, the princess he has adored for so many years, is giving him a kiss. A kiss! Is this a dream? Is this actually happening? So many thoughts went through Phantom’s mind. He could not process all of them at once; his head could possibly burst from excitement! His eyes flutter and close, letting himself melt into Peach’s embrace. If they could pull each closer than they already are, they could. But no matter how much closer they can be, it just wasn’t enough. They wanted each other. They craved each other. The unbridled desire for connection and companionship broke loose, and immediately they find themselves losing all control of their yearning. Their lips break apart, their hot breaths mingling with each other. They open their eyes; Peach grins and so does Phantom. They kiss again, neither of them wanting to stop. “Ah…!” Phantom gasps in between her soft lips, “Mon ange de la mort…!”

Overwhelmed, Peach swoons as Phantom dips her even further and surrenders herself to his kiss of death.

---

She woke up the next morning. The first thought that would have come to her mind was how she even managed to return to her castle without any notice. But no, the very first thought that came to her mind was what happened last night. She laid in her bed and, as stares up at the ceiling, touched her lips softly with her fingertips. Then up her rosy cheek, then down to her neck, and across her bare shoulders. She could still feel his touch. She sighs deeply – what a performance that was! Peach stretched her whole body and curled up, sinking back into sleep. A love stricken grin appeared on her face as she whispered to herself, “Until we meet again.”

#my writing #OTP #fanfiction #shipping fanfic #Phantom x Peach #phantom of the bwahpera #OCs #princess peach #mario rabbids #mario rabbids kingdom battle #tom phan

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cosplayinamerica · 4 years ago

Photo

Princess Daisy : pencils_and_pincushions // photo: that_fedora_photographer

I’m a Canadian cosplayer who has been cosplaying since 2007. I’ve had a love for Victorian fashion since I very young age (my little kid brain basically made the connection that Victorian dresses = women dressing like Disney princesses IRL), but the thing that kickstarted my desire to learn sewing was going to a fabric store with my mother when I was in my senior year of high school and seeing a Butterick pattern catalogue that had Victorian-inspired costumes. Almost instantly I had a lightbulb moment that if I learned to sew, I could actually wear those big fancy gowns I loved.

I entered university and, over the next few years, spent my free time reading and learning everything I could about sewing. In 2007, my best friend invited me to Anime North - she was going as a gothic lolita-inspired version of the Queen of Hearts, so I decided I would make a Mad Hatter to accompany her.

I was so excited that I jumped in completely head-first, and it ended up being my first foray into both sewing and pattern drafting. In hindsight it was wildly ambitious for a first project (and I’m still a little surprised that I actually pulled it off!), but I’m so glad that my enthusiasm made me persevere and psh through the challenges, because I learned a ton from that experience and ended up with a cosplay I was thrilled with.

I remember seeing myself in the mirror the first time and being so happy when I realized I’d been able to bring something to life from my imagination. When my friend and I got to the con, things only got better from there - the atmosphere was so energetic and colourful thanks to all the amazing cosplays, and it was filled with so many fun, enthusiastic, and friendly people. From that day I was officially hooked on cosplay.

I’m part of the Toronto Steampunk Society and, each year at Fan Expo Canada, we hold an Annual Costume Challenge where we pick a theme and encourage people to make a costume based on the theme. A couple of years ago, the theme was ‘steampunk video game characters’ and one of my friends in the TSS, Modern Myths Cosplay, thought it would be cute to do Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.

I loved the idea and, after more discussion, we decided to do a steampunk twist on the Super Smash Bros Brawl version since it was fancier and seemed to lend itself well to a steampunk interpretation. Though Daisy isn’t officially in Brawl, my friend was fortunately able to dig up some fan edits of Peach in Daisy’s colours, so with that we were set.

I usually make my outfits myself, but since my friend and I wanted to ensure our cosplays matched, we decided to work collaboratively and divide things: I would create the bodices and accessories for both gowns, and she would create the skirts and crinolines.

I started off by drafting the base bodice patterns. Since I draft all my costumes, I used my existing bodice block/master patterns for myself and drafted a bodice block from scratch for my friend based on her measurements. One neat thing about working this way was that it basically turned into a girls’ weekend where I was able to teach my friend more about pattern drafting, which ended up making the process unexpectedly fun and memorable.

After I finished fitting my friend’s bodice block, I got to work drafting our bodice patterns based on the reference pics we had collected. Being able to tackle both bodices ended up working well since it enabled me to draft them in a way that made them visually match identical while taking our respective body shapes into account.

A couple of mockups and fittings later, we had an idea of how much fabric we needed, so we went fabric shopping. My friend suggested that we go with richer, more regal-looking tones instead of strictly game-accurate colours, so when we found a place selling gorgeous peau de soie and sparkle organza, I was instantly sold on a gold and burnt orange colour scheme.

We split the fabric based on our respective portions and worked on them separately. I cut and sewed the bodices, which was fairly straight forward but time-consuming! The part that sticks in my mind the most was the center front panel because it had so many pieces and layers - two types of satin, two types of organza (including one that had to be ruched to the base panel in multiple places), five rows of lace, interfacing...and that doesn’t even include the lining!

I also created our jewelry and crowns. The brooches and earrings were made from filigree settings that I painted, glued gems, and attached pin backs and earring hooks to, and the crowns are made from craft foam painted in gold acrylic, with embellishments assembled from painted filigree stampings and gems.

My friend created our cage skirts from 1/4 PEX pipe and brown grosgrain ribbon, which ended up being the perfect hoop skirt material since it was cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to support the huge, heavy skirts. She cut and sewed our skirts (including attaching meters and meters of trim that I’d painted white to better match the game colours) and she also made our bloomers.

The gowns were a huge undertaking and, thanks to work and general real life eating up time, we did end up engaging in the dreaded con crunch, but fortunately in the end we were able to get them to a state where they were pretty and wearable!

The response at the convention was absolutely amazing - I don’t think I’ve ever had a costume elicit the reactions that Princess Daisy did. We figured that, since we were cosplaying the princesses from Mario, there was a good chance we might be recognized, but the thing I wasn’t prepared for was how genuinely happy and excited people were, especially when they saw us together. We literally had kids waving at us from across the street when they spotted us.

Even grown-ups loved it - we were frequently stopped for pictures, and even a couple of the folks in the dealer’s room who were running booths would break into huge smiles and ask for pictures. Plus, people loved the steampunk twist and were delighted when they realized how much our costumes matched.

The best, most heartwarming response to my Princess Daisy cosplay happened when I met up with some other friends and one tapped me on the shoulder, pointed behind me and said, “I think she wants a picture with the princess.” I turned around and, standing a few feet away, was this adorable, super shy little black girl who was staring in my direction. My heart instantly melted and I went over to her and had a little chat and took a picture with her.

As a black cosplayer who has run several panels on BIPOC cosplay and spoken about the importance of diversity and representation in cosplay, being able to show that sweet little girl that someone who looks like her can be a princess - and showing kids of other races that Princess Daisy can be black - was a vivid reminder that representation does matter.

Since I got into the hobby, cosplay has been a big part of my life and has positively impacted me in so many ways. It has been an incredible creative outlet that has given me the chance to express myself, and it has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people - many of whom are now among my closest friends. However, I think one of the most rewarding things about cosplay has been how it has allowed me to provide BIPOC cosplay representation and visibility within my local cosplay community. I often do Afro-steampunk cosplay, and one of the most unexpectedly moving things I’ve experienced has been other BIPOC saying to me that seeing my outfits make them feel like they can cosplay.

It has been humbling and has motivated me to get more involved in the cons I attend. For the past several years I’ve run panels on diversity in cosplay/steampunk as well as sewing and cosplay construction, which has enabled me to share the knowledge and skills I’ve learned. I also lead the steampunk section of the Anime North Fashion Show, and I’ve made a point to recruit as diverse a roster of models as possible. I’m happy that we’ve been able to showcase steampunk looks inspired by various cultures including Chinese, Indian, and Morrocan.

Another plus is that the sewing skills I’ve learned from cosplay have come in handy in other areas of my life. It has been fun - and surprisingly empowering - to be at a point where I can use my sewing ability to create one-of-a-kind outfits for formal work events (like office holiday parties) that make me feel pretty and confident.

Something I’ve frequently mentioned during my BIPOC cosplay/steampunk panels is that the simple act of showing up to a con or event in cosplay can have an impact because you never know how much that visibility can inspire other BIPOC to get into the hobby, so my advice to anyone wanting to get into cosplay is to do it! Overall I have found it to be a fun, creative, energizing experience.

While I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had overwhelmingly positive experiences while cosplaying, I recognize that, unfortunately, BIPOC do sometimes face harassment and outright racist comments (especially online) that can make getting into the hobby seem scary. Finding welcoming, supportive spaces in person and online can be a big help (the POC Cosplay group on Facebook is great for this) - plus, thanks to things like #28DaysOfBlackCosplay, there is more visibility and inspiration out there than ever before.

The other thing I’d add is to treat each cosplay as a learning experience. Being able to work so closely with my friend on creating a cosplay was a completely different creation process than I’m used to, and it was really cool to be able to learn from each other’s different working styles and experience. It was great to teach her pattern drafting and see how happy she was to learn skills she could apply to future cosplays, and I was so excited when she showed me her PEX pipe hoop skirt method. Looking back on my Princess Daisy cosplay makes me smile because it’s almost like a physical representation of the fun we have cosplaying together.

#princess daisy #princess daisy cosplay #cosplay #black cosplay #black cosplayer #poc cosplay #poc cosplayer #cosplay interview #steampunk

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decayedflower · 4 years ago

Text

Stranger II

⋆ gif is mine

Pairing: Yang Hongwon x Reader

Genre: Underground rapper!Hongwon, Barista!Reader | angst, fluff

Word Count: 5.6k

Summary: Don’t get attached. This was his number one rule. Attachment means getting hurt. Attachment means vulnerability. You are the only person you can trust. So how could she so easily sneak past and break the walls he had worked so hard to build around his heart when all she is, is a stranger?

Warnings: cussing, some angst, hamin being a noodle

A/N: Sorry this took forever to upload, life happens ya know? Next chapter should be more exciting as the ball gets rolling. Hope you guys enjoy :)

You told yourself that no matter how in love you were with someone, you could detach yourself from your emotions enough so that—should the day come—you could live your life without them.

Looking at yourself now, you admit you’re a little ashamed. You couldn’t stop bawling your eyes out for 2 weeks straight. You guess you didn’t do as good a job ‘detaching’ as you thought you did.

You mentally slap yourself. You once lived your life without him bitch, you can do it again.

It was on a rainy Monday afternoon that you found yourself in bed—cheeto dust on your titties—marathon watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo. Curse Nam Joohyuk. How could a man be so goddamn perfect? He was handsome, funny, loving—and most certainly not a CHEATER.

You sigh and decide that you should probably get up and shower before Hyeri comes home and sees your miserable state. You feel bad worrying her so much. She’s always been way too kind and selfless for her own good.

You grab a fresh set of pj’s and determinedly head to the bathroom. The least you could do was stop moping and try to clear your thoughts of him. For both your sakes.

Just as you finish that thought, you catch sight of the item sitting on top of your dresser. Your favorite hoodie. His hoodie. You scowl and toss it into the trash bin. If only all men were like Nam Joohyuk. The world would be a much more peaceful place.

“Sooo, hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You know how Princess Peach is always getting her ass kidnapped?”

You laugh at the odd question. “I do recall the kidnapping of the Princess Peach ass, yes.”

“Well, it just hit me. Why doesn’t the bitch ever fight back? I mean,” Jin places a hand on his hip thoughtfully, “how is it that she manages to get kidnapped by the same dude every single time? She’s a princess. Shouldn’t she have high level security?”

“Huh. I never really thought about that.”

“How could you not! She has marshmallows for bodyguards. It’s outrageous.”

“Does it really matter?” you ask.

He sounds genuinely offended. “Of course it does. You ever see Daisy getting kidnapped?”

“Well, no but—“

“Besides, isn’t it a little ridiculous how there’s this expectation that Mario has to save her? I mean, he’s not even a prince or a knight, he’s a plumber! An italian plumber! The amount of disrespect is just astronomical considering the lengths he goes to—”

“Seokjin why are we talking about this?” You ask, baffled. You take a look at your workstation and head to the stockroom to get more large size cups. Jin trails behind you, obviously upset with your lack of interest in the conversation.

“It’s a legitimate concern, Y/N. Someone needs to pay attention to these details and it is the duty of I, the consumer, to voice the—whoa whoa whoa, since when do we have oatmeal raisin cookies?!” He screeches mid-rant, staring at a pack of cookies he holds in his hand.

You whip around to have a look, not believing your ears. “What the fuck?”

It’s true. The box of oatmeal raisin cookies sits atop the third shelf, right next to the double chocolate chip cookies.

“The boss sent an email out on Sunday,” Yoongi stands at the doorway holding a box of promotional flyers. If it were possible, you swear tumbleweed would have made its way between the three of you with the silence that follows as you and Jin stare at each other blankly.

“Which,” Yoongi drawls out, “I guess neither of you read.” he states dryly, walking away.

“Who the hell likes oatmeal raisin?” Jin asks defensively. Personally, you couldn’t agree more. Oatmeal cookies on their own were tolerable—it was the raisin part that completely ruined the entire cookie.

“They’re Satan’s spawn,” he scowls, tossing the aforementioned cookie back in the box as if it had personally insulted him. You chuckle and shake your head, walking back to your station with the box of plastic cups.

You start stocking them back up on the counter, making sure it looks neat.

“Hey Jin,” Yoongi calls out from the front of the store, “can you grab that window marker and write out the menu again? The rain washed some of it off.” He says, examining the missing bits of letters, nose scrunched in annoyance.

You could practically hear the way the older boy starts seething at Yoongi’s lack of use in honorifics. The tips of his ears flare a bright red, his eyes wide in disbelief.

“I’M SORRY, COME AGAIN?! I couldn’t hear you over the DISRESPECT.”

Seokjin takes great pride in being the oldest of the crew. He enjoys taking care of the others as if they were of his own blood, you included. He has a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor—but never overbearingly so—always exaggerating his facial expressions and reactions, which you personally find charming. Seokjin is also infamous for his constant dad jokes, the younger ones usually cringing at their cheesiness and have you bending over in laughter. (The other boys beg you to stop egging him on as it only fuels his desire to keep them going.) That being said, Jin is not someone who gets easily irritated. When it comes to certain things, he is just, well, a bit of a drama queen.

You stifle a laugh, watching as Yoongi pinches the bridge of his nose, a heavy sigh leaving his mouth, very obviously regretting his choice of words. “Hyung, will you please go rewrite the menu outside?”

“Thank you! Can’t you just do that from the get go? I swear you kids are so ungrateful sometimes. I mean, you all seem to forget how I practically raised you brats—”

“Hyung, please get your ass outside or so help me I will go into that break room right now, clock out, take the longest nap of my damn life and just leave you two out here to die.”

“Alright, alright,” he says, putting his hand up, “I’m going geez. What a drama queen.” He huffs his way to the entrance, shaking his head, marker in hand. “And you guys say I’m the dramatic one.” He scoffs, shaking his head.

Yoongi stands there looking up at the ceiling with his hands on both hips as if silently asking the heavens for a tiny shred of patience.

You snicker behind your hand. You swear hearing those two bicker is your daily source of serotonin.

It’s 3 more hours into your shift when Hamin shows up at the front counter with his signature soft boy smile.

He first visited the cafe during the summer one day back when you had just been hired. The intense summer heat wave had him coming in search of some shelter from the sun and a drink to cool off. The Grind was promoting the seasonal summer drinks and naturally, as a new hire, you tried your best to advertise it. It was only your second day on the job and in your nervous state you sold him a drink that, to just your luck, wasn’t available that day. You apologized profusely afraid that he would turn out to be a Karen, but Hamin had been very sweet about it. He befriended you after that, making frequent visits to the Grind, declaring that he had found a hidden gem.

After talking to him some more you learned that Hamin had studied psychology for two years at a local college before he decided to drop out and pursue his musical career. Of course he didn’t tell you that last part up until a couple of weeks ago, so you had been under the impression that the reason he spent so many hours at the coffee shop was to study for his exams. You weren’t the type of person to pry into someone’s personal life unless they decided to tell you themselves so you never asked. Ever since Hongwon confessed to you that both he and Hamin were working towards becoming musicians, Hamin began to share more about himself to you. He figured that now that the cat was out of the bag, he could be more open with you. Prior to that day, you knew very little about Hamin’s personal life.

“Hey you! You’re back,” you beam.

“Yeah, gotta grind,” he pats his bag for emphasis. “Ha! Grind...” he snorts suddenly. “Get it? Cause we’re at...” he gestures to the shop and laughs to himself. He looks goofy standing there in his bright lavender tie dye hoodie, a big contrast to the muted colors of the walls. His tall lean form stands out like a sore thumb. An Adidas baseball cap adorns his head but it’s so washed out you can’t even tell what color it is—or is supposed to be.

You laugh, shaking your head.

“Oh come on, it was funny,” he says, leaning on the counter.

“It was funny the first couple times Jin said it when I just started working here,” You correct.

“You still laughed though,” he winks at you, making you laugh again. “Anyway,” he straightens up, “Can I get the usual, please?”

You grab a cup and start writing his name. “Just you this time?”

“Nah, my idiot friend is coming but he’s gonna run late so I’ll just order ahead of him.” He sighs, reaching into his pocket in search of his wallet. “How much is it?” He asks, fumbling through a bunch of receipts and cards.

You wave him off. “On the house.”

“No way, I can—”

“Hamin, dude, relax. You do this every time. I keep telling you, discount: friend. Total: zero.”

“You gotta let me pay every now and then. I don’t want your coworkers to think I keep coming here to leech off you…”

“Look, if you were really taking advantage of me, you wouldn’t keep disappearing on me for weeks at a time. Consider it an advance payment for when you finally let me hear a song of yours. ”

“Sorry…” He smiles sheepishly, “It’s a deal then. Thanks Y/N, you’re the best,” he grins. You flip your hair dramatically, playing along.

You make his drink and note that work is slow enough, so you head over to his table instead of calling him over.

You place his drink on the table, “so what’re you working on today?” He looks up and thanks you, taking a sip before he answers.

“A solo project. I don’t have anything now that’s worth listening to though…” He says dejectedly. Admittedly, he’s been going though somewhat of a writer's block.

“That’s okay! I didn’t mean to pressure you. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be glad to give it a listen if you’re still willing to let me. Good music also takes time, right?” You smile encouragingly.

Someone yells out your name before he’s able to respond. You turn at the sound, “Oh hey!” you exclaim when you see your roommate. You turn back to wish Hamin luck on his writing.

“Thanks for the lunch, Hyeri,” you pat your stuffed tummy in satisfaction. “I forgot to prep mine last night so I was honestly just gonna wait until I got home to eat,” you confess meekly.

She showed up during your shift planning to ask you what kind of food you were in the mood for so she could bring it to you, but Yoongi caught on and sent you on your lunch break so the two of you could eat together instead. Min Yoongi was a godsend.

“I knew it! Y/N, you have to eat your meals! Do you know how detrimental it is to your health if you’re constantly working and skipping your meals?!” you cower as she scolds you.

“I know…sorry. I just forgot...” you squeak.

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice, I just worry about you,” she sighs, taking her seat again.

“And I’m so thankful!” you say quickly placing your hand on hers, “I’m sorry you’re always having to take care of me. I’ll work harder so that I don’t become a burden to you. I promise. I haven’t been myself these days but...just give me some time.”

She grabs your hand with both of hers, “Hey. You’re never a burden to me, Y/N. You’re like a sister to me. And I would never put your emotions against you. You need time to heal and that’s okay. Take it at your pace. I will always look after you, no matter what. Okay?”

Your heart warms at her words. You were so grateful to have her for a best friend. You engulf her in a hug and look at the time.

“I should head back. My break is just about over. Thank you for everything, Hyeri. Are you staying? I’ll make you a drink. On the house. You can study there?” you ask.

“Well, I was planning on going to my school’s library, but I guess I could use a drink…” She paused for a moment. “Is Jungkook working today?” She asks, hopeful.

Her crush on your coworker was so amusing. “Unfortunately for you, not today, sorry.” She pouts cutely.

“I’ll make you a green matcha latte?”

“Pretty please.”

You giggle, “Okay, let’s head back then.”

It was a good thing the two of you decided to eat at the chinese restaurant across the shop, so the walk isn’t long. You came here so often that the kind elderly woman who owned the restaurant had memorized your order. You couldn’t help it that their sweet and sour chicken was bomb as hell. What you would give for that recipe.

You’re internally groaning at the thought of having to go back into work when Hyeri stops in front of the entrance and lets out a low whistle.

“Whoa, hey. Which one of your coworkers drives a damn motorcycle?!” She points to a sleek, graphite motorcycle parked on the curb, two cars away from yours.

“Whoa. Uhh...no one, not that I’m aware of. Jin drives a Honda Civic and Yoongi ubers cause of car issues.” You shrug, opening the door. “Must be a customer’s.”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s just me, but that thing is screaming big dick energy.” She says, following behind you. You laugh and smack her shoulder.

“You say that but what if it’s some old bald dude that listens to metal?” You ask, leading her to a table farther in the back so she can study peacefully.

“Well err...hopefully not. I’m just saying whoever rides that thing, I wouldn’t mind riding too. Hell, I could ride all night…” she trails off. You bury your embarrassed face in your hands and try to hold in your laughter so you don’t disturb the customers.

“Oh my god. Stop talking. You’re gonna get me in trouble.” You point at a chair, “Sit here and I’ll bring your drink. Behave,” you warn playfully.

“Yes ma'am,” She winks and points shooter fingers at you. You laugh with a roll of your eyes, heading back to clock in.

“You seem...distracted.” Hamin says, amusement lacing his words.

“Huh?” Hongwon turns at the accusation with wide eyes.

He sighs. “I mean,” he says crossing his arms, “ever since you got here 15 minutes ago, it’s like you keep looking around for...something.”

“So, you’re saying for the past 15 minutes you’ve been watching me like a creep?” He turns his attention back to the music software in front of him. “I told you I don’t swing that way.” he says, clicking random notes on the half-finished project.

Hamin snorts. “Don’t change the subject. What‘s got you so distracted dude?” He asks, slurping up the remains of his drink through his straw.

“The only distraction here is the eggplant sitting in front of me...” He trails off when you enter the coffee shop with your friend in tow. You’re laughing, giving her a smack on the shoulder playfully at a joke she tells you.

Hamin stops his obnoxious slurping when he follows his friend’s gaze. “Ohhhhh!” he grins.

“What?” He snaps. “No ohhhh. Whatever you’re thinking, stop it right now.”

“I’m not thinking anything.” Hamin brings his hands up defensively. “Brain empty. No thoughts.” He taps the side of his head with his index finger. “Buuuttt if you were so interested you could’ve just asked, you know.”

“And what would I have asked exactly?” He asks with a tinge of annoyance.

Hamin tsks under his breath, exasperated. “Oh come on. I mean Y/N. You wanted to know if she was working. Am I right or am I right?”

“Why the hell would I wanna know that? I don’t even know her. ”

“Hongwon!” He’s caught off guard at the sound of your voice. He internally slams his own head against the table and forces a smile when you approach the table, avoiding Hamin’s gaze.

“Y/N, hey…”

“Hold on, you know each other already?” Hamin asks obnoxiously, “I only briefly mentioned you to him, but you already know his name!” Hongwon shoots daggers at the side of his head.

“Actually,” Hongwon says through gritted teeth, “we talked for a bit when I was on my way out the other day. It would have been rude of me to not introduce myself since she’s your friend.”

“He was even kind enough to walk with me on the way home even though it was raining. Thanks for that by the way, you really didn’t have to do that.” Hamin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Shit. The smile you give him is so sincere that he almost misses what you say completely.

“Really!” Hamin grins, clearly enjoying the situation. He pats his shorter friend’s head in mock endearment. “That’s so sweet of him! I mean, considering he lives in a completely opposite di—” Hongwon sends a swift kick to his shin underneath the table.

“Fuck!” Hamin rubs the spot and laughs through the gritted teeth. “I mean...that’s sweet of him considering he’s normally so shy.” He growls at Hongwon and plasters a smile when he looks back at you. You probably think they’re both lunatics.

“Right…” You laugh, unsure of what’s happening. “By the way, did you want a drink? I’ll make it for you.” You tell Hongwon.

“Oh, uh yeah I was just gonna get an americano. Let me just—” He starts to stand up and take out some cash when you stop him.

“Are you sure that’s okay?” He asks. “I don’t want to get you in trouble…”

“Don’t worry, I get free drinks and pastries since I work here.” You say.

“And she shares them with me because I’m her favorite customer. Right, Y/N?” Hamin wiggles his eyebrows at you. You laugh and pick up his empty cup.

“Is he always this much of a moron when he comes here?” Hongwon asks, scrunching his face in distaste. You laugh and ask them to wait while you bring them coffee.

Hamin waits until you’re completely out of ear shot before he begins his interrogation.

“You know, for a pair of strangers, you two seem very well acquainted.” He states, eyes narrowed.

Hongwon scoffs. “You know, I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this but somehow you have a really punchable face.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you’re a terrible liar.”

“Oh shut up. I didn’t lie. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think I needed to.”

“‘I don’t even know her,’” Hamin mimics.

“I don’t know her. I know her name, that’s it. Not the same thing.”

“So you like her.”

He laughs. “What are you, five? How could I like her? I just met her, idiot.”

“You walked her home.” He says pointedly.

“Part way. I only did it because it was getting late and she’s your friend.”

“Ha! Since when do you care about my friends?”

“She’s a girl, it’s different. If something happened to her because I looked the other way, it’d be on my conscience.”

“You live in completely opposite directions.”

“So what?”

“You wouldn’t even do that for me.” Hamin deadpans.

“Yeah but you’re not a cute girl.” He shrugs, crossing his arms.

“So you think she’s cute!” He slams both hands onto the table, leaning forward to peer into Hongwon’s face accusingly.

“So what? She is cute.” He shoves him away, “that doesn’t mean I like her.”

“Hmm. Okay.” Hamin smirks and leans back in his seat.

“What?” He snaps.

“Nothing,” He says with a look on his face that screams everything but nothing.

Hongwon drags his hands over his face. “You really piss me off, you know that?”

“You may have mentioned that before,” he replies, appearing unbothered.

He’s lucky you decide to come back at that moment. He swears he’d have slapped the smile off his face had he been left alone with Hamin for a minute longer.

You set down the coffee and start to walk back to the counter. “Well, I shouldn’t bother you guys too much so I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait, Y/N!” Hamin shifts in his seat to face you. “Are you busy Friday?” This puts Hongwon on alert.

“Hmmm...no, I don’t think I have anything going on actually. Why what’s up?”

“You’ve been wanting to hear some of our music for a while now, right? Well,” he loops an arm around Hongwon’s shoulder, “guess who has a gig that night?”

“No way!” You squeal, covering your mouth with both hands. “Wait, but I thought you didn’t have any music that’s finished.” You frown.

“Well, it’s not that we don’t, I just kinda wanted you to hear our new stuff first. But now that I think about it, this is as good a time as any. If you’re interested, a friend of ours is hosting a party and he asked a couple of artists to play for him. It’s at the Henz Club.”

“You mean that scary looking club in Mapo-gu?”

“Scary? I mean sure, some odd looking people hang around there, but they’re all pretty chill for the most part. Right Hongwon?”

Hongwon slaps his arm away. “Right. Well, you’re welcome to come but you don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.” He supplies. “We’d understand if—oof!”

“Nonsense!” Hamin butts in, shoving his elbow into Hongwon’s side. “You can bring your friend over there if you want, so you don’t have to worry about being alone.” He motions his head in the direction of Hyeri who—not so discreetly—pretends like she hasn’t been trying to make out what the three of you have been talking about for the past 10 minutes.

“Ah, but either way we won’t ditch you after the performance, I promise. How about it?”

Hongwon is still recovering from having the wind knocked out of his lungs and before he knows it, somehow you’re agreeing and Hamin is giving you the details.

“I’m so excited, I can’t wait to hear you guys.” You say cheerfully.

“You should see this guy on stage,” Hamin gestures to Hongwon, “he really puts on a show. Like a true rockstar.”

“You know, you saying that doesn’t make me feel good,” Hongwon says with a frown, sitting back in his chair defeatedly.

“Oh and don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of screaming.” He ignores him, “There’s always a lot of fangirls, especially for Hongwon. They literally come in swarms, it's crazy.”

“Oh my god. Stop. You’re so embarrassing.” He groans, looking away.

“Wow, you’re really hyping him up,” you laugh.

“Ignore him. He’s just saying whatever the hell he wants.”

“No way, it’s really the truth.” He insists, folding his arms across his chest.

“Y/N! We need you in the back!” Yoongi calls out, his head poking out from the staff only door.

“I gotta go. I guess I’ll see you guys on Friday!” You say, waving. “Coming!” You call out, following after your coworker.

Hamin smiles stupidly as you leave. “Isn’t she sweet!”

Hamin and Hongwon hang around at the café for a few more hours until they decide to grab a bite to eat. For the remainder of the time they spent working on their music, Hongwon had not uttered a single word. The most Hamin had gotten out of him was a “sure” when he suggested they get burgers before heading home.

He exits his car, watching as Hongwon removes his helmet to fix the mess it makes of his hair.

Sighing deeply, Hamin leans against the side of his car, hitting the park button on his remote. “Come on, don’t be so cold. How long are you gonna give me the silent treatment for?”

He slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans, dreading to ask but needing to know. “Are you really that pissed off because I invited her?”

Hongwon slips the hollow side of his helmet onto the handlebar and mimics Hamin, leaning against his motorcycle. “Depends,” he says, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket to light one up, “why’d you invite her?”

Hamin considers his answer carefully, shifting his weight onto the other leg. It’s obvious that Hongwon is already upset, so anything he says will probably get him angry anyway. “I was hoping maybe you guys could hit off,” he says at last, deciding to be honest.

In truth, Hongwon isn’t surprised to hear this—he actually suspected it—but it still pisses him off nonetheless. It wasn’t the first time Hamin tried setting him up with someone. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. This was something he had told him countless times and yet, he continues to pull stunts like this.

“I know you said you aren’t looking for a relationship,” Hamin continues when he proceeds to bring the cigarette to his lips without a reply, “but I just think you could at least talk to her and—“

“And then what? We fall in love, get married and ride off into the sunset?” He cuts him off abruptly.

“No, I just—“ he starts to say but stops when he can’t think of how to word it correctly.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking Y/N went through a bad breakup, and so did I. You think maybe the two of us can find the comfort we couldn’t find with our previous relationships, in each other.” He pauses to take a drag of his cigarette.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that's a load of shit. This idea you have that love can just make me forget about all my trauma, is a load of shit.” Hamin flinches at the sudden aggression in his tone. This really didn’t come across the way he intended it to.

“Guess what, I’m fucked up Hamin!” He continues, raking a frustrated hand through his hair. “I have too many damn issues and I don’t need some chick to try to figure me out or fix me. I told you already, I’m happy with the way things are. I’m not gonna play into your stupid games just because you want to play fuckin’ cupid.” Hongwon scowls, taking another drag of his cigarette.

Hamin keeps his gaze on the ground, frustrated with how easily and accurately Hongwon is able to guess what he’s thinking. He didn’t realize how terrible it all sounded out loud. He racks his brain for something—anything—to say and argue that those aren’t his intentions, but Hongwon is speaking again before he’s able to do so successfully.

“I don’t care if you invite her. Just don’t go expecting anything out of me.”

He nods his head weakly. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that, bro…” He says scratching his neck, “I’m not trying to find someone to fix you...” he trails off.

“It’s cool.” He sniffles, the cold air getting to him. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to snap like that.”

Hamin is taken aback for a second, not expecting him to apologize. He kicks the floor with his sneaker, “S’cool.”

“You still hungry?” Hamin asks, afraid that their little spat would create unnecessary tension between them.

Hongwon tosses his cigarette onto the floor to put it out with his sneaker. “Fuckin’ starving.”

You went home together with Hyeri later that afternoon once your shift was over. It was always nice to go home when the sun was setting and the air felt cooler. You loved how quiet the city got, allowing you to simply be one with your thoughts.

Unfortunately for you, today was not one of those days.

You release a sigh as you continue to pretend to not notice Hyeri’s constant fidgeting. “Hyeri, if you want to know so badly just ask already.”

She releases a giant breath as if she had been holding it this entire time. “Oh thank goodness because I felt like I was actually going to die if you didn’t say something soon,” she says grabbing your arm excitedly, like a puppy who was just called over by its owner.

“What were you doing with those two hotties I’ve never seen before?” You couldn’t tell what made her more excited―the fact that she found them so attractive or the fact that you were talking to men other than your coworkers. “Is one of them single?” she stops walking and gasps, “Are they both single?!”

An older lady walking her Chihuahua gives you a scornful look as she passes the two of you and you bring your finger to your lips to shush Hyeri. “Sorry,” she says with a giggle, “but this is huge!”

You pull her along with you to cross the short crosswalk and to the steps of your apartment complex, “It’s not a big deal. Besides, you’ve seen Hamin before.” You say, slipping your house key into the lock and opening the door.

“Okay but, this time there was another guy too. And you guys talked for like 20 minutes! On your shift!” She says, removing her shoes quickly to stand in front of you excitedly. You stop untying your shoelaces to give her a look.

“He’s a friend I made through Hamin. Who is also just my friend,” You tell her slowly as if you were explaining it to a child but you can tell by her smile that she’s not listening. You sigh and slip your work shoes off, putting them in the hallway closet. Hyeri hovers behind you, not wanting to be too pushy but also too worked up to leave you alone.

You stand up straight and turn around. “Okay fine. Hamin invited me to this party,” this already has Hyeri clasping her hands over mouth, “he and his friend are playing a gig for a friend—”

She’s squealing and jumping around before you can finish your sentence. “And they want you there as their plus one! Oh my—”

“But I think Hamin knows about the breakup and he feels bad and that’s why he invited me,” you say quickly. Hyeri stops mid spin to give you an incredulous look. “I mean, they kind of saw the whole thing since it happened at work,” you say glumly.

Hyeri wraps her arms around you when she sees how you deflate at the reminder. “Hey, don’t make such a sad face. You guys have been friends for a while now, right? I haven’t met the guy but I’m sure he invited you because he wants you there and not because he pities you.”

“Sorry. I think I’ve been trying too hard not to think about it so all the negative thoughts are really hitting me now,” you say, resting your head on her shoulder. She always had such a comforting mom warmth to her.

She releases you and gives you a comforting smile. “Do you want to go?”

“Well,” you sit on your bed exhausted, “I actually didn’t know Hamin played music until recently. I’ve really been wanting to hear some of his stuff and apparently his friend does music too..”

“Girl, there’s your answer! Who says you have to spend your days sad and alone after a breakup? If you want to go, go.” She encourages you. She had a point. Although somewhere in the back of your mind, you felt guilty. When Hamin invited you, you were super stoked and set on going but now that you were really thinking about it, you couldn’t help but think of Jaewon.

“I can tell you’re overthinking this,” Hyeri says. “Don’t. You’re a free woman! Free from a man who took advantage of you and didn’t know how to treasure you. Do whatever the fuck you want because it’s no one’s business. It’s not like you’re planning to go sleep around.” She crosses her arms across her chest, “and even if you are guess what, it’s still no one’s business.” She says vehemently.

You pick at your nails and bite your lip. “Okay.”

“Okay?!”

“Yeah, I’ll go.”

She squeals again and launches herself onto you. You land with an oof on your bed, her head barely missing yours by an arm hair. “Oh, one more thing though,” you manage to say from beneath her. “They kind of invited you too.”

Hyeri lifts herself up at this. She stares at you with wide eyes, “what do you mean?”

“I guess they saw us talking together and figured we were friends. Also, they caught you trying to eavesdrop on our conversation.” You tell her.

“Nooooooooooo,” she cries and runs to throw herself onto her bed face flat.

“It was the hiding behind an upside down textbook for me,” you snicker.

“Y/N, please I’m in the middle of dying of embarrassment.”

#Young B #yang hongwon #yang hongwon x reader #yanghongwon #Khiphop #khiphop reactions #khh #khh scenarios #kpop imagines #smtm8

102 notes · View notes

tyranttortoise · 5 years ago

Note

how long have you been writing stories? and did you start with undertale?

I started out on FF.net with Inu-Yasha fanfiction, actually, which was around 2002. I wouldn’t recommend any of those, though; I was super young and it showed. Like, I wrote one where Kagome became a stripper for no real reason?? Because I was in middle school and strippers made my writing more edgy, I guess?? It’s really embarrassing to look back on!

(Speaking of Inu-Yasha, did you guys hear about the sequel that’s coming out?!)

Next, I moved on to Super Mario fanfiction, where I wrote about Bowser and Peach. I like that a little more, and I really want to do a re-write of my Bowser/Peach fic because it was my most popular one on FF.net. I still occasionally get messages asking me about it, and it even has a TV trope page someone made for it where all the tropes get broken down really well.

After that, there’s like an eight year gap before I wrote Broken Promises and Timelines for Undertale, and during that gap, I stuck to just roleplaying. I’ve always been a big roleplayer, and it’s where most of my writing experience comes from. I’d like to get back into it sometime soon.

I also wrote some original stuff during the gap, too, but it was all YA fiction that also was pretty lacking. The only one I really liked was a fairy tale told from the POV of an Evil Overlord’s minion that tries to capture a princess on her wedding day, but ends up losing her and going on a journey to re-kidnap her with a group of people that mistake him for a hero that’s trying to save her. I also had a universe fleshed out that involved a constellation falling from the sky and being reborn a human that I really liked, but never got around to finishing. It was all about Greek mythology and astrology.

I still love writing fanfiction, though, and I’ve been doing imagines over on @devildom-tyrant because the Obey Me fandom has my muse right now. I’m definitely still writing Undertale, so no worries there, but I do plan on writing a fanfic for the Obey Me fandom that’ll be a lot like SSLL because reverse-harems are my thing. I won’t start that until I update SSLL, though, but I’ve got a lot of the next chapter finished.

#the tortoise talks #about fanfiction #personal #i've been writing for a long time #sometimes i get too depressed to write but i've always got ideas #and i'm usually jotting them down in a notebook or texting them to myself #writing's one of the few things i'm passionate about #and when i feel like i do have the drive to write it really messes with me #i started playing ff14 with a friend and he said he wanted to hear my character's backstory #so i sent him 8 paragraphs of lore #and it took me a minute to realize he wasn't a roleplayer so i didn't have to go that in-depth #Anonymous

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differenceenginegirl · 5 years ago

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Everything seems a little dark and scary at the moment, so I have complied a list of links to cultural and/or educational things (and some just streams of cute animals, or just plain fun) that are available to watch or listen to or do for free (mostly) online. Some of these will only work for the duration of the current situation (marked with a *), but most are permanent (so far as I know) so can be kept around for a little bit of sunshine on a rainy day.

Feel free to add to this with your own links or ideas, and remember, we’ll get through this together (with the appropriate social distancing). Follow the advice that’s been given, wash your hands, and be kind to one another.

The majority of links were brought to my attention by @theyahwehdance, @elleflies, and @buckysleftarm (plus a bit of a deep dive through my drafts). Under a cut because hoo boy it got long...

(Some links in the linked lists may be broken, some may be region-locked, and some may be duplicated, I haven’t checked them all.)

Culture and Education!

The Metropolitan Opera, free nightly (19:30 EDT, 23:00 GMT) broadcasts of operas, available for 20 hours following the broadcast too. (Schedule for the first week)*

Berlin Philharmonic: 30 days free access to their virtual concert hall (redeem before 31st March 2020)*

Playbill have compiled a list of 15 professionally recorded musicals you can watch at home (Not all free) and are inviting people to join them in watching Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Starring Lesley Ann Warren on 20th March at 20:00 ET! (video may be region locked)

12 highlighted virtual museum tours and a whole load of others from around the world!

Science Twitter, a series of Skype with a Scientist virtual lectures! (A sign up with an email is required through the link in the tweet, running from 12:00-14:00 EST, (16:00-18:00 GMT)

30 virtual field trips! Links to virtual tours and live cameras of many different places! (Aimed at kids)

Animals!

Cincinnati Zoo Facebook Live virtual safaris, every weekday at 15:00 EDT (19:00 GMT)* Completed safaris will be posted to their website shortly after the Live finishes, and also kept on their Facebook.

Live Monterey Bay Aquarium Cams: 10 different cams showing various tanks and enclosures, and the bay itself!

Live San Diego Zoo Cams: 9 different cams showing various creatures in their habitats!

Atlanta Zoo Panda Cam

Danish Sea Eagles Cam (this site in Danish, and may go dark, as the equipment is solar powered): A live feed of a Danish Sea Eagle nest!

Peregrines in Norwich and Bath!

Live Animal Cam, Ohio: A cam focused on a feeding station, with night vision so the feed continues even after the sun goes down! (This shows wild animals, so there is no guarantee that you’ll see creatures)

Shedd Aquarium let their penguins out to explore! (Under supervision) More exploration here!

Two Oceans Aquarium did too, and look at these little cuties on the stairs!

A livestream of adoptable kitties!

And here’s a thread with some of these cams, and more!

Music!

Various people (started by cellist Yo-Yo Ma) playing/sharing music that comforts them on Twitter.

Virtual High School Musicals! (Original Thread) (Wider Hashtag) Many High School kids are now finding themselves unable to perform the musicals they’ve been working so hard on, so Laura Benanti invited them to video themselves performing and share it with her, so they still get to perform for an appreciative audience! (Some of these are absolutely stunning!)

Never before heard Hamilton track demo!

A playlist of Quarantunes on Spotify, compiled by Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’ wife)

A playlist of 101 Feel-Good songs on Spotify, compiled by @lanamlouise

This guy made a really cool instrument out of PVC pipes!

A group of engineers in Stockholm turned a set of stairs into a piano to encourage people to use them rather than the escalator!

Stories!

Josh Gad reads a bedtime story (Olivia goes to Venice) with voices!

Various celebrities reading kids stories, as part of a charity initiative to keep kids fed during school shutdowns.

A bunch of free short stories, essays, audio and video by the wonderful author @neil-gaiman (Plus two photos of him in an ancient hat!)

Find your local indie bookstore and support them while also getting a new book! (US only)

And of course, you can’t leave out the marvelous Archive Of Our Own for fanfiction and fanworks for almost every fandom you can think of! (Remember to make use of the tags and filters to narrow your search or avoid things you don’t want to see/read!)

Food!

A recipe for Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares! (Apparently like sugar cookies, but in bar form and better)

A fudgy brownie-in-a-mug recipe!

A really nice chocolate pudding (in the British sense, so like a cake) with spiced chocolate sauce! (I love the whole cookbook that this is from, and it’s especially good for Discworld fans. Available from various sellers, I have linked my favourite money-sink, the Discworld Emporium: Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook)

My favourite biscuits (cookies) to make! Honey and cinnamon, with a picture book (Honey Biscuits by Meredith Hooper) that you can read alongside to explain to kids where all the ingredients came from!

Creativity and learning new things!

LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems! (13:00 ET weekdays, videos remain post-stream) Aimed mostly at kids, but don’t let that stop you doodling with the Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence!

A little list of doll makers/dress-up sites!

How to take really good photos of the night sky with a phone! (Please continue to observe social distancing rules while taking your pretty pictures)

Fancy making a language? Here’s a site with resources to help you get going with that!

A long list of sources of inspiration, arty websites, and some that are just fun!

Make your very own Peaches the Mouse by @my-darling-boy!

Want to learn 3D modelling? Fusion360 is free (for hobbyists and students) and professionally used, with a good network of tutorials and an, imo, fairly intuitive interface! (I use this a lot)

Want to play with Photoshop but don’t have the money? Here’s a free, in browser version! (Has ads, but they’re unobtrusive)

Want to try your hand at creating a sim? The Sims 4 Character Creator Demo is free! (Limited options, but still fun to play with)

Whether you play D&D or not, this is a really cool custom miniature creator, with loads of options that are being constantly added to updated! (And if you have the money, you can get it in a printable format, or printed for you in a variety of materials!)

Fancy learning something new? Memrise has a load of free courses, ranging from real languages like French or Spanish for beginners to fictional languages like Quenya (one of the Elven languages from LotR) or Klingon, or trivia bits like Harry Potter Spells or Noble Houses in Game of Thrones, and many more! (Available in multiple languages, although not all courses may be available in all languages)

Ever fancied trying to build armour or cosplay props from foam? R31 Studios has you covered with free PDF templates for all sorts of bits!

Meditation and Calm!

60 second meditation tool! Put a worry into a star, and watch it float away with a calming soundtrack and

Meditation with Lizzo!

Customisable Rain Sounds!

Customisable Train Sounds!

And many more customisable noise generators!

Play with liquid/particles! (Warning: this one made me feel a bit motion-sick, but pretty!)

Interactive generative art!

Random bits I couldn’t catagorise!

Don’t want to dine alone? Have dinner with the Gaffigans!

A series of Mildly Interesting images from @catchymemes!

A group of stuntmen doing Super Mario!

Another list of Good Links (Really well organised!) by @secretladyspider!

@thelatestkate draws wonderfully reassuring cartoons! (On Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook too!)

World Record Egg Instagram! Lots of nice little positive cartoons.

Happy news from The Happy Broadcast on Instagram, The Happy News, and HuffPost Good News!

Here’s an ongoing list of good stuff by @pftones3482! (Check the notes for more good stuff, and the latest addition)

Some feel-good browser games!

And finally, a little frog here to give you some reassurance!

#positivity #feel good #happy things #reassurance #link list

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anoesjkaax · 5 years ago

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Playing Mario Kart with Jungkook and Tae

Established relationship Yoongi x YN, Idol!BTS x YN AN: So I decided to give writing another go seeing as I am temporarily unemployed because of the Corona measures in my country. If you like this please leave a message and/or a like 😊 If you’d like me to continue writing please let me know, it has been years since I last wrote and it is a new fandom I am now writing for. Feedback/messages are always welcome 💜

“Y/N! You promised you would come and play with us! We want attention too.” The Maknae line stated blocking the show Yoongi and you were trying to watch. “As much as I love you guys, I promised that 5 minutes ago, and I said I will after our show is over.” Three pouty lips appeared. You heard Yoongi sigh behind you while he reached for the remote. “Babe you better go, they will not let this go anytime soon. We will continue our show later and I will go and work a bit in the meantime.” Yoongi said standing up, kissing your forehead before walking away. “You are weak Yoongi, born to be a tiger but rolling over like a dog!” You tried to tease your boyfriend as you saw him walking away. “Love you too Babe, go kick their asses.” He said before turning around the corner.

You turned your attention to the three boys standing right in front of you with way too much mischief in their eyes. “Ok Maknaes you asked for it. What are we playing?” You said standing up. Jungkook standing in the middle, revealing a box of Mario Kart from behind his back. “This battle will be fought on the Mario World grounds. Are you prepared Sister?” Taehyung stated in his deep voice. “This is my game Brothers BRING IT ON and prepare to be crushed.” Taehyung and Jungkook just looked at each other before they turned their heads back in your direction. “Your little ass sure has attitude.” Jungkook stated. “The little one sure thinks she can beat us, Kookie, how cute.” Tae added, they both crossed their arms and stared at you. “YAH! I liked it more when you ganged up on Jimin and his height.” You said but soon got smacked by Jimin on my arm. “Hey, not nice!” Jimin said while sighing. “You know what, you three play against each other, I don’t think I want to be in this competition. I’ll go and make some snacks to enjoy the show I am sure is about to take place.” Neither of you breaking the staring contest you all seemed to have. “What do you think guys? Think you can handle me?” They both scoffed at your confidence. “Prepare to swallow your pride guys because you are both going down!” You said while reaching for the first controller. “Let’s play” Jungkook stated as he and Tae made a run for the second one.

It had been an intense couple of rounds. You playing as Peach, followed by Jungkook playing as Boo tied with Taehyung who is playing as Yoshi. The difference is one point. You all agree to play one more round, for 2 points, seeing as Jin and Namjoon had already complained a few times about the noise. They clearly did not see the importance of this competition.

It was a neck to neck round, constantly following each other hot on their trails, hopping over each other like bunnies. Sweat was actually starting to appear. Banana peels, bombs, shells, Thunderbolts were flying around like pieces of wood out of a woodchipper. Two more turns were all that was left of the final lap. The stress chewing from Jimin and Hoseok, who had joined him, was oblivious to you three. All that counted was that last turn. You were leading, Tae and Kookie right behind you. The technique of the last turn would decide who will win the game. You made a perfect drift at the right time, smelling the sweet scent of Victory nearby. Yet Taehyung started spinning and making dramatic gestures trying to control Yoshi.

And then it happened…

It all went by so fast.

Like QUE dramatic chaos music.

Taehyung knocked the remote out of your hands with his elbow.

Right before the finish… your cart started going to the side and ended up smacking against the side of the road.

Silence settled over the Livingroom for what seemed minutes.

“Oh my god…” Your audience on the sofa whispered.

“You are a dead man” Jungkook whispered to Taehyung.

“Y/N, it is not what you think. It was an accident.” Taehyung started pleading.

“Run.” You said while still looking at the screen.

“What? Y/N co-.” Tae tried.

“I NEED U to use them freakishly long legs of yours and RUN while you still can.” You said calmly looking him right in the eyes.

“You can’t be serious… it was an acci-.” “Three.” “Come on little one, don’t be mad…” He tried petting your head. You raised a finger and tilted your head. “Two. I am going to make you regret thinking calling me little one in this situation is going to help you. Short people are closer to hell and you are not about to see the Best of me. RUN.” You saw Tae swallow, something clicked. He crawls up faster than his legs can support. “One.” And you followed right behind him, starting the chase that would serve as revenge.

Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok sat motionless in the living.

“Did she just use our song titles?” Jungkook questioned. Jimin just nodded absently. “I think so but was too scared to breathe to really think about it.”

“For a small girl, she is quite scary when being wronged.” Jungkook added.

Hoseok released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Her dating Yoongi makes so much sense now…” He whispered.

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

AN: I forgot how much fun this is but also how much of a struggle it can be lol. 😅It has been sooooo long since the last time I wrote something. Glad I tried it again.

I also want to thank @carrotgirll and @padaleckispsycho/ @jiminsprincesca for patiently waiting for me to write once again but never stopped pushing me 💜 I also want to thank @bangtan-sonyeonddaeng for inspiring me and for supporting me ^^ 💜

#bts #BTS jimin #BTS suga #bts jhope #bts fic #BTS jungkook #bts v #min yoongi #park jimin #Jung HoSeok #jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #bangtan #bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts reaction #bts imagine #bts scenario

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morganamysticblog · 4 years ago

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The Royal Romance - The Anniversary - Part 3

Liam awoke early from a restless sleep. He had replayed last night’s conversation over and over in his head. Heather was right, he was becoming his father. He tried to think back to the very beginning, remind himself how things were when they were madly in love. The thoughts and images came flooding back. He remembered when he couldn’t stand to be away from her even for a minute. How he couldn’t take his eyes off her. How his heart jumped every time he saw her. She was his every waking thought, every dream, every fantasy. It wasn’t just love he felt for her back then, she consumed him. His whole reason for being was her. That intensity, that level of love is what he had to get back somehow.

_____

Heather woke up and got dressed. She walked down the hall to Eleanor’s room to wake her up for her breakfast and morning lessons.

HEATHER – Good morning my sweetheart.

ELEANOR – Morning mommy.

HEATHER – It’s time to wake up.

ELEANOR – I’m still sleepy.

HEATHER – I know you are, but it’s time to get up.

ELEANOR – But why?

HEATHER – It’s breakfast time. Then you have your morning lessons. I believe you have reading with Mrs. Fitz today.

ELEANOR – Ok. I guess.

Heather helps Eleanor get dressed then they head downstairs to breakfast. Liam is sitting at the table sipping some coffee and reading a newspaper.

ELEANOR – Good morning daddy!

LIAM – Good morning Ellie. Did you sleep well?

ELEANOR – Oh yes. It was all cupcakes and rainbows. How about you daddy?

LIAM – It was ok. Heather, did you sleep well dear?

HEATHER – Uh, yeah.

LIAM – So what are you plans for today Ellie?

ELEANOR – I have reading lessons today. But can we play later daddy?

LIAM – Of course. What about you, Heather? Any plans for today?

HEATHER – I may go in to town for a bit this morning. I haven’t decided yet.

LIAM – Would you like some company?

HEATHER – I’ll be fine. Thank you. If you’ll both excuse me.

Heather gets up from the table leaving Eleanor and Liam together. She heads back up to her room and calls Drake.

DRAKE – Hey Heather.

HEATHER – Hey Drake. Um…are you busy today?

DRAKE – No. I have the day off actually. What’s up?

HEATHER – Can I come over for a little while?

DRAKE – Of course. You do understand you’re killing my Super Mario Bros. time, but I guess I can put it down for a little bit for you.

HEATHER – Thanks. I’ll be there soon.

DRAKE – Ok. See you soon.

Heather goes back downstairs and asks one of the house staff to bring a car around for her. Liam comes out of the dining room as the servant walks away.

LIAM – I’m sorry about last night. I really did not mean to start an argument.

HEATHER – I know you didn’t. I know you had good intentions. I just think you don’t think these things through all the way.

LIAM – I got excited about the possibility of being able to step back and just be with you. And I didn’t think it through, you’re right. I will come up with something, I promise.

HEATHER – Ok.

SERVANT – Your majesty, your car is ready.

HEATHER – Thank you. Liam, I’ll be back later.

LIAM – I will be here.

Heather leaves and drives to Drake’s apartment.

Drake opens the door for Heather when she arrives. She plops down on the couch.

DRAKE – Rough morning?

HEATHER – The morning has been ok…last night was a whole different story. I can’t take this anymore Drake. I have to get out of here.

DRAKE – So, where do you want to go?

HEATHER – Drake, can I ask you something?

DRAKE – Anything.

HEATHER – Have you ever wondered about me? I mean like my past. Where I grew up, my parents, things like that?

DRAKE – Maybe a little. I just never really thought to ask, I guess. Why?

HEATHER – If I tell you something, do you promise not to freak out or think of me differently?

DRAKE – Uh, ok. Sure.

HEATHER – The times you were in Texas, have you ever heard of a place called North Fork Ranch?

DRAKE – Yeah, I think my mom mentioned it a couple times.

HEATHER – And have you ever heard of Riley Oil?

DRAKE – Vaguely. Why the sudden interest in Texas?

HEATHER – Because that’s where I’m from. Texas.

DRAKE – I thought you were from New York.

HEATHER – I moved to New York when I was 17, my junior year in high school. After…after my parents died.

DRAKE – So you had family there?

HEATHER – No. I just moved. I had to get away and New York always seemed so cool and exciting, so I found a good private school, and I moved.

DRAKE – Ok. I’m still not quite understanding.

HEATHER – Drake, what is my name?

DRAKE – Heather.

HEATHER – My full name?

DRAKE – Heather Riley.

HEATHER – Uh huh…

DRAKE – Riley…Riley Oil…you’re Heather Riley. Oh my God. You’re Riley Oil.

HEATHER – Yeah.

Drake just stares at her for a long moment. Looking at her like he’s seeing her for the first time.

HEATHER – Drake, say something.

DRAKE – I just…wow. Why didn’t you say something sooner?

HEATHER – Everyone was so content with me just being Heather, the broke waitress from New York. So, I went with it. Well, that was me, but not all at the same time.

DRAKE – This explains so much. How you were able to afford all those gowns and events, how you knew exactly what to do and say around the nobles. You’re like American royalty.

HEATHER – Basically. At least in Dallas I was.

DRAKE – Wow. Just…wow.

HEATHER – I’m guessing this changes how you see me now, huh?

DRAKE – Actually…no. I mean, you’re still the same person you were a few minutes ago. Just with a whole lot more money. Holy crap, you’re just as rich as Liam. I mean Riley Oil is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

HEATHER – Yeah.

DRAKE – Wow. But you’re still so…normal.

HEATHER – Well, I was away from all that for 10 years before I moved here.

DRAKE – True. Huh. Thanks for telling me. Why the sudden interest to share your past?

HEATHER – I’ve been thinking a lot the past few days about going back. Back to Texas. Back to the ranch.

DRAKE – Ah. Does Liam know?

HEATHER – About me leaving or about my past?

DRAKE – Both?

HEATHER – He knows I want to go somewhere, but he doesn’t know where. And you are the only one here I have told about anything from my past. Daniel is the only other person who knows everything.

DRAKE – Oh wow. You trust me that much?

HEATHER – Of course. After everything we’ve been through, honestly I should have told you sooner.

DRAKE – Huh. So, when are you leaving?

HEATHER – I don’t know yet. Soon. Like maybe in the next couple days. I don’t want to use the royal jet because then Liam will be able to track where I went. And it’s not like I can drive there.

DRAKE – True.

HEATHER – I may call the company and see if I can borrow the corporate jet for a couple days.

DRAKE – Well, keep me posted. I can go with if you want.

HEATHER – That would be great, but I think for now I just need to be on my own. Well, just me and Ellie.

DRAKE – I understand.

HEATHER – So…ready to get your butt kicked on some Super Mario Bros.?

DRAKE – Oh…bring it on!!

___

Liam paced the floor in the grand ballroom thinking. Last night’s effort to prove himself to Heather was a complete failure. He needed to do something to show her how much she truly meant to him. Then inspiration hit him. He called for a servant.

SERVANT – Yes, your majesty?

LIAM – I want to plan a surprise for the queen. I’ll need a cake just like the one we had at our wedding. Chocolate mocha with buttercream frosting, designed exactly the way we had our cake.

SERVANT – Of course, sir. When would you like it?

LIAM – As soon as they can get it here. I’ll also need all the peach roses you can get and have them set up here in the ballroom.

SERVANT – Of course. I’ll call the florist right away.

LIAM – And, Heather’s dress she wore at the reception. Could you get that and have it in her room ready for her to wear?

SERVANT – Definitely. I know exactly where it is, sir.

LIAM – And two bottles of our wine that we had at the wedding, chilled with two glasses.

SERVANT – Is there anything else, sir?

LIAM – Music. We’ll need music. And possibly something to eat. I’ve got it…a simple pasta with red sauce for two.

SERVANT – I will start making the preparations right away. When would you like everything set up, sir?

LIAM – As soon as possible. I don’t know how long Heather will be gone and I’d like to have it all ready when she returns.

SERVANT – We’ll have it ready your majesty.

LIAM – Thank you.

Liam clasps his hands behind his back, a small satisfied smile on his face. Recreating their wedding reception, but just for the two of them. Without the kidnapping and threat of imminent death, of course. And the meal they shared together at the Beaumont estate as their first date.

LIAM – Oh…Heather’s sword. We’ll need that as well to cut the cake. If I’m doing this, I may as well go all the way.

About an hour later delivery trucks begin arriving at the palace. Workers bring in vases upon vases of peach roses and line them along the walls of the ballroom. The baker delivers a perfect replica of their wedding cake and sets it up on a table along one side. Liam places Heather’s sword in front of the cakes. Heather’s dress is laying on their bed waiting. The music is ready. Liam has the remote in his pocket. A cook from the kitchen finds Liam pacing in the ballroom.

COOK – The items you requested for the meal are ready your majesty. I can have everything ready in about 15 minutes when you tell us you’re ready.

LIAM – Excellent. Thank you.

Everything was coming together nicely. Now he needed to change. Digging through the closet in the bedroom he found the white formal suit he wore for their wedding and put it on. He headed back down to the ballroom. The servants were finishing setting up. One small table was set up with two chairs. Two taper candles and a small bouquet of peach roses sat on the table. The swirling colored lights glowed and swayed across the dance floor.

SERVANT – Is there anything else you require your majesty?

LIAM – When the queen arrives, could you please make sure she goes straight up to the bedroom and changes into her dress? Then have someone escort her here.

SERVANT – Of course sir.

Liam looked at his watch. It was almost noon. He didn’t want to rush her if she was busy, but he was also getting anxious to show her his surprise. He decided to send her a message to check on her.

TEXT TO HEATHER – My darling, will you be much longer? I wondered if we could have lunch together.

Then…he waited.

_____

DRAKE – Seriously? What is that 10 times you’ve kicked my butt? Ok…I give up. You are the Mario Bros. master.

HEATHER – I told you I was good at this. Not my fault you didn’t believe me.

DRAKE – And here I thought I was your friend, not your whipping boy.

HEATHER – Ha ha ha ha ha. Only when it comes to Mario Bros. How’s that?

DRAKE – Fine. You getting hungry?

(Heather’s phone buzzes.)

HEATHER – Yeah, actually. Ugh...hang on a sec.

Heather checks her phone and reads the message from Liam.

HEATHER – Rain check on lunch? Liam wants to have lunch together.

DRAKE – Sure. Still giving him a chance, huh?

HEATHER – I told him I’d give him 24 hours. He has 3 left. Might as well go with it.

DRAKE – Alright. Talk to you later.

Heather leaves Drake’s apartment and drives back to the palace. She parks the car in front and gets out heading to the door. A servant opens the door for her before she can reach the handle.

SERVANT – Welcome home your majesty. If you would follow me, please.

HEATHER – Um, ok.

The servant leads Heather up to the bedroom.

SERVANT – The king requested you wear the dress laid out for you. When you’re ready I will escort you to the ballroom.

HEATHER – The ballroom? Is there some spontaneous ball I wasn’t informed about?

SERVANT – No ma’am. Just let me know when you’re ready.

HEATHER – Uh, ok.

Heather closes the door to the bedroom and sees her reception dress laying on the bed.

HEATHER – What the heck is going on? Why does he want me to wear this? Hopefully it still fits.

Heather changes into the white sparkling dress. It fit perfectly. She finds some white shoes in the closet and puts those on. She touches up her makeup and fixes her hair a little more formally. Then she opens the door where the servant is waiting for her.

SERVANT – Right this way ma’am.

The servant leads Heather to the doors of the ballroom. She knocks, then leaves Heather alone in front of the large double doors.

Liam opens the door. When he sees Heather standing there in her dress, he almost faints.

LIAM – You look absolutely breathtaking my love.

Heather notices Liam is wearing his formal suit from their wedding. He looks gorgeous…to the point she’s speechless.

Liam takes her hand and leads her into the ballroom. As she scans the room, candles and roses line the walls, a small table for two sits in the center of what would normally be the large seating area. Everything looks amazing.

HEATHER – What is all this?

LIAM – I wanted to surprise you. Happy Anniversary my darling. I know it’s a little late, and I am so very sorry for that.

HEATHER – Liam, this is beautiful. Is that our wedding cake?

LIAM – Yes. I tried to recreate everything. Well, the good parts. I guarantee there will be no kidnapping and no assassination attempts. Only you and me, together.

Liam leads Heather to the table and pulls out the chair for her to sit down. He sits down I the chair opposite her and the cook brings out the two dishes of simple pasta.

HEATHER – This looks like the dinner we had at the Beaumont estate. ��Our first date you called it.

LIAM – Exactly. I wanted everything to be perfect, just like you.

HEATHER – Liam, this…this is absolutely amazing. I…I don’t know what to even say.

LIAM – You don’t have to say anything. As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters.

When they finish eating, Liam stands and extends his hand to Heather. She takes it and he leads her to the dance floor. He pushes the play button on the remote in his pocket.

LIAM – May I have this dance? (Bryan Adams – Everything I Do begins playing)

HEATHER – I would love to.

Liam holds Heather in his arms as they sway to the music. Holding her so close, he actually begins to feel a little nervous and shakes a little.

HEATHER – Are you ok? You’re shaking.

LIAM – I’m fine. Just a little nervous actually.

HEATHER – Why are you nervous?

LIAM – I haven’t been this close to you in quite a while. Which is my own fault, I know. I just forgot how good it feels to hold you like this. I feel like I did the first time I saw you all those years ago in New York. You took my breath away then, and you still do now.

HEATHER – Liam…

As the song begins to fade they pull apart just a bit. Liam stares down into Heather’s eyes. A soft, sweet smile on his face as he soaks in every feature of her face.

LIAM – You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I promise you here and now that I will never take you for granted again. I love you, Heather.

HEATHER – I love you too.

Liam cups his hand on the side of Heather’s cheek pulling her mouth up to him. He kisses her gently, closing his eyes and floating with the touch of her lips against his. His had sliding to the back of her neck, the other around her waist, holding her close, feeling her heart beat against his chest. Heather wraps her arms around Liam as the kiss turns more and more passionate and heated. She begins to grab and bunch up the back of his jacket with her fingers as their tongues touch and swirl together. She lets out a soft moan. After what seems like forever and mere seconds, they part, staring at each other.

HEATHER – There you are.

LIAM – Here I am. And I’m not going anywhere. At least not anywhere without you right by my side, always.

HEATHER – I missed this. I almost forgot how hot you are. And how good it feels to be in your arms and kiss you like that.

LIAM – Me too.

Liam gives Heather a small seductive smirk, then kisses her again, sliding his hands down her back to her hips.

Heather begins to melt into Liam. His kiss reminded her of their first kiss that day in Paris. Heat and desire emanating from him. Her legs began to go weak. The room disappeared around her. The only thing grounding her were his lips and tongue against hers. She hadn’t felt this much intensity, this much desire, this much pure need in a long time. With great hesitation, she pulls away from him, staring deeply into his sparkling brown eyes.

HEATHER – Upstairs…Now.

LIAM – I was hoping you would say that.

Liam grabs Heather’s hand as they leave the ballroom and head upstairs to their bedroom. A servant sees them and begins to say something. Heather holds up a hand to silence the servant as they make their way up the stairs.

Once inside the room, the door is barely closed before Liam practically jumps at Heather, kissing her with such heat, passion and desire that she is nearly knocked over. Their lips parted, tongues intertwined, caressing each other. They each begin working the fastenings of each other’s clothes without breaking the kiss. Touching and rubbing each other’s newly exposed bare skin.

When their clothes have finally been removed and thrown all over the room, Liam holds Heather tightly in his arms, sliding his hands gently down her body from her shoulders, down her back, to her hips and buttocks. A small moan of pleasure escapes him.

Heather slides her hands down the front of Liam, his shoulders, his strong muscular chest, and down further.

LIAM – Oh my God I want you.

HEATHER – Then come have me.

With her hand slowing rubbing and gliding up and down Liam’s hardness, she leads him to the bed. Kissing and running their hands all over each other, he lays her down, then starts kissing her entire body starting with her feet, up her calves, her thighs, then up in between. She arches her back, leaning up into him. The feel of his tongue and lips against her fuels the passion within her even more. She closes her eyes only to see fireworks start going off behind her eyelids. Just as the pleasure is about to overwhelm her, he slides up the rest of her body and slides himself inside of her.

The comfort of feeling him inside her again almost puts her over the edge instantly. Heather wraps her legs around Liam’s waist and he begins rocking his hips against her. They begin moving together as if molded to fit perfectly. The intensity of passion and desire coming together with each thrust. After several minutes Liam quickens his pace readying himself for the release of pure pleasure. Heather joins him and they both let out moans of ecstasy.

Liam slowly lays down beside Heather, holding her close in his arms, her head on his chest. He takes deep breaths breathing in the sweet sensual smell of her. After a few minutes, Heather bolts up in bed.

HEATHER – There was cake downstairs.

LIAM – Yes, there is cake downstairs.

HEATHER – Let’s spring Ellie early from her lessons and have cake.

LIAM – That sounds wonderful.

18 notes · View notes

edgy-ella · 5 years ago

Text

Super Smash Bros critical hit quotes

To contribute to the recent efforts to turn Smash Bros into Fire Emblem with Nintendo All Stars, I thought it would be cool/funny to add critical hit quotes to Smash Bros characters. Maybe they could say these whenever they used their final smashes (some of them already do lmao). Or, if we ever do get a tactics RPG with Nintendo characters which would be THE DREAM, Nintendo could use these. Some of these were really easy, others were really hard. I bet you can guess which ones.

Also, for characters who communicate with singular noises/grunts, I’ve added a translation of what they’re actually saying.

Mario:

“Lets-a go!”

“Mario time!”

“Mama Mia!”

“Wahoo!”

Donkey Kong:

“Banana slamma!”

“DK! Donkey Kong!”

“You’re an absolute zero!”

“Here I come!”

Link:

“My courage will prevail!”

“This is just between you and me.”

“…Now!”

“I’m dangerous, you know.”

Samus:

“For true peace!”

“You’ve done well.”

“Time to pay up!”

“Mission complete.”

Dark Samus:

“I will corrupt you.”

“The thrill of battle.”

“Touch me. I dare you.”

“Dead on arrival!”

Yoshi:

“Yoshi!” (Peace!)

“Hm hm, hup!” (I’m finished with you!)

“Yoshi yo?” (Fried or scrambled?)

“Yo yo yo!” (Don’t be such a baby!)

Kirby:

“Haiii!” (Hello!)

“Poyo poyo!” (Thanks for playing with me!)

“Uwaaah!” (Hey, that hurt!)

“Hiyaaa!”

Fox:

“Here I come!”

“Better luck next time.”

“It’s go time!”

“Mission complete.”

Pikachu:

“Pika pika!” (Bye bye!)

“Piii, pikachu?” (Oh, you want some more?)

“Chu, pika pi!” (I’m electrifying!)

“Pika pi pi!” (Sparks are flying!)

Luigi:

“Let’s-a go…”

“Go, green!”

“Bang, bang!”

“ACHOOO!”

Captain Falcon:

“Come on!”

“Show me your moves!”

“I’m number one!”

“Guess I’ll have to show off!”

Ness:

“Say fuzzy pickles!”

“Batter up!”

“You stink!”

“Does it hurt yet?”

Jigglypuff:

“Puff puff…” (I’m getting sleepy…)

“Jigglypuff jiggly jiggly!” (Time for a power ballad!)

“Jiggly, jigglypuff puff?” (Would you like an encore?)

“Jigglypuff puff jiggly!” (Sing with me now!)

Peach:

“Sweet!”

“This is fun!”

“Don’t hit me!”

“Want some cake?”

Daisy:

“Sweet!”

“I got it!”

“I’m the best!”

“Hi, I’m Daisy!”

Bowser:

“Bowser time!”

“I’m oughta rip your stuffing out!”

“Even scarier up close, huh?”

“Bwahahaha!”

Ice Climbers:

“Knock ‘em out!”

“Double trouble!”

“You’re wobbling!”

“Catch and release!”

Sheik:

“Time is cruel.”

“For my people!”

“Silence.”

“We will meet again.”

Zelda:

“Victory is a step away!”

“For my people!”

“I will not yield!”

“It would be wise to stand down.”

Dr. Mario:

“You are terminally ill.”

“The doctor will see you now.”

“I diagnose you with defeat!”

“Clear!”

Pichu:

“Pichu pi pi…” (This is exhausting…)

“Pichu pichu!” (My time to shine!)

“Chu, pichu pi!” (I’m electrifying!)

“Pi pichu chu!” (You’re such a baby!)

Falco:

“Had enough yet?”

“Gotta jet!”

“Quit moving around!”

“I’ll take you down with one shot!”

Marth:

“Eyes on me!”

“This is it!”

“Forgive me!”

“Shine, Falchion!”

Lucina:

“Time to change fate!”

“You will not stop me!”

“Hope will never die!”

“Our bonds give me strength!”

Young Link:

“My courage will prevail!”

“No hard feelings.”

“I’ll show you a terrible fate!”

“Hey, you! Listen up!”

Ganondorf:

“Pathetic little fool!”

“Your place is beneath me!”

“I am your demise!”

“Behold my power!”

Mewtwo:

“Do not defy me.”

“Pathetic.”

“You’re a fool.”

“Your thoughts betray you.”

Roy:

“I won’t lose!”

“By my blade!”

“For those I must protect!”

“My flame burns bright!”

Chrom:

“Anything can change!”

“Now I’m mad!”

“I will not fail!”

“Our bonds give me strength!”

Mr. Game & Watch:

“RING!” (NINE!)

“Beep beep bop beep.” (I am beyond your comprehension)

“Breep BOP!” (Now DIE!)

“Boop boop beep bop.” (The time has come!)

Meta Knight:

“Know my power!”

“Behold!”

“Come meet your doom!”

“You will not escape!”

Pit:

“You’re finished!”

“Bye now!”

“It’s game over for you!”

“Say your prayers!”

Dark Pit:

“Goodbye!”

“It’s time!”

“Game over.”

“Nothing personal.”

Zero Suit Samus:

“Be still.”

“You’re mine.”

“I object!”

“Stunning, isn’t it?”

Wario:

“I’m-a gonna win!”

“Stinker!”

“You smell that?”

“WAHAHAHA!”

Snake:

“It’s showtime.”

“War has changed.”

“I won’t shed tears for you.”

“Be quiet.”

Ike:

“Prepare yourself.”

“No holding back!”

“Amateur.”

“Out of my way!”

Pokémon Trainer:

“It’s super effective!”

“A critical hit!”

“Go get ‘em!”

“We’re a top percentage team!”

Diddy Kong:

“You’re outta here!”

“I’m one tough Kong!”

“Here’s my chance!”

“Hoo hah!”

Lucas:

“Don’t back down now…”

“I’m sorry!”

“You must be tired.”

“I can endure this!”

Sonic:

“Now I’ll show you!”

“I’ll always keep on running!”

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re too slow!”

King Dedede:

“You ready to get clobbered?”

“I’ll kick you to the curb!”

“Bow before my majesty!”

“I am D-D-Devious!”

Olimar:

“You were a fine research specimen.”

“Courage, Olimar!”

“I must survive!”

“Carry, fight, multiply!”

Lucario:

“The aura is with me!”

“I can smell your fear!”

“You can’t hide from me!”

“That was your last mistake.”

R.O.B.:

“Now terminating.”

“Initiating critical attack.”

“ERROR: Life not found.”

“I am Robotic Obliterating Buddy.”

Toon Link:

“My courage will prevail!”

“You want a piece of me?”

“Let’s get dangerous!”

“Do you hear the wind blowing?”

Wolf:

“What’s the matter, scared?”

“Playtime’s over.”

“You’re good, but I’m better.”

“Can’t let you do that!”

Villager:

“Now, scram!”

“Time to get buried!”

“This is gonna hurt!”

“Who’s the mighty one now?”

Mega Man:

“Leave it to me!”

“I’ll make you pay!”

“This is for the greater good!”

“You must be stopped!”

Wii Fit Trainer:

“Feel the burn!”

“Let’s get fired up!”

“You’re off balance!”

“No pain, no gain!”

Rosalina:

“I’ll put you to sleep.”

“Children, avert your eyes!”

“Let us begin!”

“Away with you!”

Little Mac:

“Don’t underestimate me!”

“I’m gonna punch you out!”

“This one’s for the Bronx!”

“Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito!”

Greninja:

“Gre nin.” (Silent takedown.)

“Ja, Greninja!” (Now, you must die!)

“Gre, ninja gre…” (Just as the flow of the ocean…)

“Gre JAJAJAJA!” (Hiyayayaya!)

Palutena:

“You shall be purified.”

“Time for some divine intervention!”

“I won’t hold back!”

“Say your prayers!”

Pac-Man:

“Get ready!”

“Let’s put a smile on that face!”

“Do you have a fevor?”

“Wakka wakka wakka wakka.”

Robin:

“Time to tip the scales!”

“Checkmate!”

“I have a plan!”

“Our bonds give me strength!”

Shulk:

“This is the Monado’s power!”

“I can change the future!”

“Looks like I don’t have a choice!”

“I’m really feeling it!”

Bowser Jr.:

“I won’t quit!”

“Are you watching, Dad?”

“You need some roughing up!”

“Hope you’re ready!”

Duck Hunt:

“Heheheheh~”

“Grrr…”

“AWOOOO!”

“Ruff, ruff!” (I’ll bite your ankles off!)

Ryu:

“I will finish this.”

“Now’s my chance!”

“Gotcha!”

“I’m not finished yet!”

Ken:

“You’re going down!”

“Get serious!”

“Gotcha!”

“Open your eyes!”

Cloud:

“No hard feelings.”

“Your luck’s run out.”

“I’m breaking my limits!”

“Not interested.”

Corrin:

“This ends here!”

“I make my own fate!”

“I won’t surrender!”

“Open the way, please!”

Bayonetta:

“Let’s dance, boys!”

“New ‘do, dead you!”

“You’ve been naughty!”

“Flock off!”

Inkling:

“Woomy!” (Booyah!)

“Ngyes!” (Aww yeah!)

“Wo squalimey!” (Come on, this way!)

“Say fwess!” (Stay fresh!)

Ridley:

“You’re about to die!”

“I make a big impression!”

“Start screaming.”

“You’ll make for a good snack.”

Simon:

“My path is clear!”

“On my honor as a Belmont!”

“I vanquish the darkness!”

“I offer only defeat.”

Richter:

“You don’t belong in this world!”

“Begone, monster!”

“I vanquish the darkness!”

“Farewell.”

King K. Rool:

“I’ve had enough of this!”

“Nothing can stop me!”

“You’re all doomed!”

“Any last requests?”

Isabelle:

“My apologies!”

“Now you’ve done it!”

“I’m gonna go Isaballistic on you!”

“Will that be all?”

Incineroar:

“Grahaha!”

“Cineroar!” (I’m gonna put on a show!)

“Incin!” (Oh, yeah!)

“Incineroar, cin?” (You want an autograph?)

Piranha Plant:

“Plant gang!”

“You see these pearly whites?”

“For Lord Bowser!”

“I’m about to head out.”

Joker:

“The show’s over.”

“You never saw it coming!”

“I’m going to ravage you!”

“Time to steal your heart!”

Hero:

“But I must!”

“Have you wet your knickers?”

“My turn!”

“Time to get critical!”

“HOES MAD”

Banjo and Kazooie:

Banjo: “I’m sorry!”

Banjo: “Out of the way, please!”

Kazooie: “You can shove it!”

Kazooie: “Get bent, nerd!”

Both: “We’re raring to go!”

Terry:

“Are you okay?”

“Hey, c’mon!”

“Bingo!”

“Take it easy!”

Byleth:

“Here is something to believe in!”

“Allow me to demonstrate!”

“Let this be a lesson!”

“No hesitation!”

Bonus:

Sans:

“You’re gonna have a bad time.”

“Get dunked on!”

“This’ll hurt a skele-ton!”

“Sorry about this, pal…”

Cuphead:

“You’re up!”

“Don’t mess with me!”

“Ready for a walloping?”

“Oh, it’s on!”

63 notes · View notes

illneverrecover · 6 years ago

Text

Better When it Feels Wrong (m)

➛pairing: saeran x reader/MC ; unknown x reader/MC ➛genre: halloween shenanigans. smut. porn with a plot if you squint really hard. ➛word count: 4,643 ➛rating: nsfw/mature ➛warnings: alcohol use, rough sex, unprotected sex, slight dom/sub, rough oral/face fucking (male & female receiving), over-stimulation, squirting ➛notes: Well, here it is! This is the piece I wrote for the @2019loveforallseasons project, which has been released (and is gorgeous, if I say so myself). I was very honored to be included in this with some amazing people, and am grateful for the experience. It still weirds me out to think people own physical copies of my smut, but in a good way 😜. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!

“Truth or Dare?”

“Really Trustfund, you’re asking me?” Zen scoffed, swigging the last dregs of his beer before reaching for a new one.

“Do you have trouble understanding the question? Would you like me to repeat it for you...slower?” Jumin smirks, pouring the remains of a vintage red into his and Jihyun’s glasses.

You couldn’t help but laugh; the light buzz of alcohol pumping through your veins, tinting your cheeks. This wasn’t what you had expected when you invited the RFA over for a planning meeting. The Halloween Bash was only a few days away and there was still so much that needed to be finalized. However, the sight of your boyfriend slumped against his twin, laughing loudly at Zen’s disdain, would surely make tomorrow’s hangover worth it.

Saeran looks down at you before throwing his arm over your shoulder, amusement pulling at his lips as he takes in your glassy eyes and drunk-flushed face. He truly is beautiful, you think, still amazed by the fact that you’re lucky enough to call him your own.

Staring into his eyes, you didn’t hear what Zen was asked to do after he agrees to ‘dare’, instead leaning up to press a quick and small kiss to the side of Saeran’s mouth. While you had been together for a while now, the euphoria of being able to kiss him, to touch him had yet to fade. You linger for a moment, relishing in the way his skin feels under your lips.

It’s the cries of laughter that pulled your attention back the room. Zen was swinging his hips slowly to the music that, up until now, had served only as background noise, sashaying himself closer and closer to a very flustered Jaehee. When his arms cross to whip his shirt off, swinging it in circles over his head, Saeyoung stands up, screeching.

“Okay! Enough, enough! It’s been more than 30 seconds!”

“But I was just getting into it!” Zen pouts, shrugging and sitting back down, reaching for his beer.

Jumin’s eyes were brimming with tears, his hand wiping them away as they spilled over his lashes and down his ripened cheeks. It only took a glance to let you know that Yoosung and Jihyun weren’t fairing much better.

These idiots.

You love them.

“Okay, so that leaves…Oh. It’s your turn,” Jaehee smiles at you, nodding her head as you reach for the drink in front of you and shot it back. The soju burned, but you love the pleasant thrum – only rivaled by the way Saeran was smoothing circles into your shoulder.

“What will it be? Truth or da-“

“Actually, Jaehee, I haven’t gotten to ask anyone yet. Let me take this one.”

You roll your eyes as Saeyoung waggles his eyebrows at you. You know that he was taking this game very seriously and instantly realized that if he was the one asking, there was only one, definitive answer.

“Fine. Truth. And don’t pout at me – your dares are honestly terrifying.” You pour yourself another shot, fingers circling the glass.

“What’s one fantasy you have?”

“Pfff, really? And you call yourself a God-”

“I wasn’t finished. What’s one fantasy you’ve had...that you’ve never told Saeran?”

You gulp then, your eyes widening with a glare. That little shit. He looked beyond pleased, a hand coming to rest under his chin as he stares at you expectantly. Shifting nervously, you peer at Saeran in your peripherals, attempting to gage his reaction.

He gives away nothing.

Your mind immediately goes back to that night…the first time he showed Unknown to you, all those months ago at Saeyoung’s apartment. Unknown...he was rough and dominating; his words clipped and bruised, demanding obedience, and as much as you hated to admit it, you couldn’t help the rush of arousal that pooled in your belly. Ever since returning, he treated you reverently, like a precious piece of glass, one that would crack too easy. Gentle and nurturing, he still pleased you every time you were intimate, always checking in and making sure your needs were met first. But you knew he was holding back, and there was a part of you that wanted him to take control again – to be rough and have you begging. You wanted to be ruined.

Of course you hadn’t told him this. He was still healing from the years of trauma, not to mention that you were perfectly happy with how things were. But, he did ask for a fantasy…and you know if you lied, they would know. Both of those demon boys.

“Um…can I pass?”

“No.”

“I hate when you two speak in unison.”

“Then answer the question, babe.”

Suddenly remembering the shot in your hand, you down it quickly, wincing. Pulling in a shaky breath, you look everywhere except at the white-haired man beside you. “Uh, well, I sometimes think about…Saeran tapping into his ‘Unknown’ side a bit more.” You practically launch for the bottle, refilling your glass quickly, face hidden.

“What does that mean?” Yoosung’s head lolls to the side like a puppy.

“It means our little party planner likes it rough. Kinky,” Saeyoung winks, and poor Yoosung’s face turns bright red.

You choke a bit on the liquor, sputtering into the back of your hand and sending a pointed glare at your boyfriend’s twin. “So anyway, moving on...” You silently hoped someone would take over the conversation before the shameful flush that was working its way up your face reached your ears.

It was a squeeze at your thigh that had you looking over to him finally, a small reassuring smile on his face. He was opening his mouth to say something further, when another voice cut him off.

“My baby brother is a secret freak, huh? I mean, I should’ve been able to guess, with the collar and chains and everything...”

“Saeyoung, sincerely fuck off,” Saeran deadpanned, eyes rolling as the hacker roars into a fit of laughter. The unsolicited comments continued, and even Zen began chiming in, not missing the chance to take the heat off his own back. It was only when Jumin starting offering tips, much to your horror, that Jihyun finally clapped to get everyone’s attention, suggesting that the group end the night there. You offered him a grateful smile. Admitting your fantasy to your boyfriend was tough enough, you didn’t need your closest friends harping on it all evening.

A quick look at the clock tells you that he’s late. You huff impatiently, reaching for your phone to see if you have any missed texts.

None.

It wasn’t like Saeran to get delayed – not when it came to you, anyway – and your anxiety flares at the thought that he had changed his mind. Maybe the costume idea had sent him over the edge? You thought it was cute; you in your homemade Princess Peach costume, while he would be dressed as the Luigi to Saeyoung’s Mario. When Saeyoung first suggested it, your eyes lit up and looked to him expectantly, clapping with glee when he sighed but nodded his approval. But maybe it was too much?

The ring of the doorbell pulls you from your thoughts, and you move to grab your purse before heading to the door, ready to give him shit for making you wait. Which is why you were surprised when you open the door and found the wrong twin waiting for you.

“What the fuck, Saeyoung?”

“It’s not Saeyoung, it’s a-me, Mario!” He pinches the side of his obscenely thick, fake mustache.

You cock a hip, scoffing, “Mario, where is Luigi? Wasn’t he supposed to be picking me up?”

He reaches for your arm instead of answering, tugging you behind him towards his car. He had picked the red one for the evening, of course.

“He had to handle important plumber business. As the youngest and also the side kick, it was his duty.” He snorts then, realizing what he had said. This idiot. “Anyway, he’ll meet us there Princess, don’t worry!” He smiles at you, shutting the door and placed himself behind the wheel. For a brief moment, you could’ve sworn you saw the flicker of a smirk darken his features, but before you could even think about questioning it, he was back to beaming at you.

“Let’s-a go!”

“Please shut up.”

The event was a success, of course – the room was filled with costumed bodies, drinks being poured, heavy bass beats pulsing through the speakers near the dance floor. It didn’t take long to spot your fellow RFA members, offering a quick wave before resuming your search for the one person you wanted to see.

One scan of the floor yielded no results, so you made your way to the bar, requesting whatever red concoction that was currently in the punch bowl. Sipping to calm your nerves, you started your sweep yet again – and finally – you spot him.

Otherworldly ice green eyes pierce the crowd, his hand tangling through his errant bleached locks. A black hoodie was slung off of one shoulder, the obsidian inked eye tattoo on clear display, as well as the laced up red tank top showing off his toned, lean chest. A thick choker rested at the base of his throat; the roll of his adam’s apple drawing your gaze up his neck and to his eyes.

He smirks then and saunters to you, his eyes raking up and down your body. You could feel the heady lust as he drank in your appearance, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Jesus fuck. He had changed his costume. He was Unknown.

“Well hello, Princess,” he cooed once he was within ear shot, his body looming as you unconsciously press your back into the wall. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Sae-“

“Ah, tsk tsk, Princess. That’s not my name and you know it.”

Swallowing thickly, you meet his eyes once more. Heart thrumming with anticipation, you attempt to clear your throat, your voice coming out as a pitched squeak, “Unknown. What are you doing here?”

“Mmm, much better.” His hand toyed with a strand of your hair, amusement ringing in his voice when you tremble under his touch. “Don’t play dumb. You know why I’m here...You asked me to be here.”

Your thighs clenched together at his husky tone, arousal wallowing shallowly in your gut. Biting your lip, you nodded instead of answering, gulping down the sickly sweet punch.

“Is Princess thirsty? Come on, let's refill your cup.”

Pulling at your arm, he started making his way back to the bar, dragging you behind him while you struggle to keep up. A new cup was forced into your grasp, and he studies your face as you take a tentative sip. Smiling, his right hand comes to rest dangerously low on your back. “Follow me.”

Moving on autopilot, you’re guided away, mind churning with thoughts you couldn’t quiet. Was he serious? Did he really want to do this? Is he only doing this to make you happy? You steal a side glance at the towering man, cheeks rising with heat at the darkness swimming in his eyes, a sneer on his face. Fuck, it did make you happy…

The whipping of wind and the sudden blunt deafness of the music alert you that you’d been lead to the balcony, the patio large and overlooking the grounds of the property. Besides the twinkling of a few orange fairy lights draped over a pergola, it was mostly black, shadows blanketing concrete where the moon didn’t quite reach. Another gust of wind had you shivering, and it was then you finally looked around – no one else was crazy enough to be out here, it was freezing.

You were alone.

Suddenly, you’re falling backwards, icy stone of the building making you arch and gasp. His mouth smothered yours, swallowing any noises you make. Strong hands that caged you now slide down until they’ve grasped your wrists, your forgotten cocktail slipping unnoticed as he pinned them both above your head.

Fire smolders in your veins, your eyes rolling back with the intensity of desire that slammed into your every nerve. He was licking into your mouth, demanding control, and you couldn’t remember the last time you had taken a breath – if you could even breathe. He was assaulting every single one of your senses, and you soon found yourself giving in to his devilish intoxication. His lips move lower, nipping gently at the tender flesh of your jaw and breathing hot on your ear. You couldn’t stifle your moan when he rolls his hips against your needy core, the friction delicious before he chuckles lowly. “You never could be quiet, could you? Don’t worry, I’ll have you screaming for me later. ” Pressing another wet kiss to the base of your throat, he pulls away. “But now it’s time to be a good girl and say goodbye to our friends.”

“But, Sae-” you stutter, catching yourself. “Unknown, we just got here. Our friends will notice we’re gone...”

“Say goodbye to your friends now, Princess, or you’ll be greeted with a punishment at home.”

Eyes widening, you stare up at the man in front of you, the rush of arousal at his words turning you into a puddle at his feet. Your body craved to give in to him, to submit, and for once you just wanted to let go. Steeling your resolve, you nod once, turning away with a look of determination on your face, pulling your boyfriend by the cuff of his jacket.

You didn’t say goodbye before you left.

Getting home was a blur, your heart and mind still reeling at what was happening...with what was about to happen. You aren’t sure if it’s the lingering effects of the alcohol consumed or just him, but the next thing you know, you’re in your bedroom, chest heaving as he finally released your mouth from a fervent kiss.

His grip was tight on your hips, mouth scraping and biting at your throat, your collarbone. Moans spill from your lips at an embarrassing speed as you clung to him like a lifeline. Just when one sensation would become too much – his tongue in your mouth, the sharp sting of teeth sinking into milky skin, his strong thigh pressing between your legs – he would move on to something new, always taking, taking, taking. Dizzy with greed, you give in to instincts, and fall pliable under his skilled mouth and hands.

You whine when his warmth leaves you, feeling exposed despite being fully clothed. His hungry glare trails up and down your body as he gasps for air.

Licking his lips, his darkened eyes boring into your own.

“Strip for me.”

It wasn’t a question but a demand. You do as you were told, trembling hands removing your costume piece by piece; crown, gloves, and shoes tossed aside. Your fingers fumble with the zipper of the dress, refusing to find purchase. A soft ‘tsk’ had you looking his way; his expression was inpatient, eyes hard. “Do I have to do everything?”

Before you could question what that meant, his hands were spinning you, your back towards him. He grabbed the top and, without hesitation, ripped it down the seam, satisfied once the flimsy costume was in two pieces. You gasp when you feel his fingers trail up your spine, making quick work of your bra – which you are glad he decided to not tear to shreds – before you were facing him once more, only your lace panties left.

“On your knees, Princess. Be a good girl; don’t tease me.”

Wincing as your knees connected with the hard floor, you peer up at him through hooded eyes, the thought of having him on your tongue making you salivate. Licking your lips, you started to reach for him. “Ah, look how greedy you are for my cock,” he coos, batting your hands away to undo his jeans, sliding them down and off his body. You don’t move until he gives you a slight nod, reaching out to take his thick length into your hands and keening with pride at the hiss he lets out on contact. You place a kittenish lick at the head, swirling it lightly to collect the precum that had begun to pool there, before slowly tracing down his length. Thigh muscles jumped under your touch, and you know you are pushing the line of teasing – but you couldn’t stop yourself. Trailing lower, you press wet kisses on his balls, gently sucking the tender flesh into your mouth. The loud groan that releases from his throat was your reward, and you can’t help but moan when you see his eyes screwed shut, his face looking fucked out under your ministrations.

Just when you are beginning to feel smug, fingers tangle into the back of your hair tightly, wrenching you away from him completely. Titling you back until you could meet his glare, his free hand grabs your jaw, forcing your mouth open.

“I told you not to tease me, brat,” he growls, his hips pressing his dripping length closer to your pliant lips. “I really do have to do everything myself, don’t I?”

He thrusts himself inside your mouth, his hand dropping from around your jaw to join the other in your hair, guiding you down until your nose is pressing into the soft hair at his base. “Fuck, that’s it, Princess.” You swallow around him, gagging at the intrusion, and he pulls back hastily to repeat the action.

He fucks your face and you feel your eyes water, his pace punishing your gag reflex. Saliva drips from the corners of your lips, painting you a mess. He was using you so roughly, feeling emboldened after each stroke in your mouth, and you love it; moaning around him, thighs clenching. Your cunt was pulsing and throbbing with the need to be touched, and it took all your self control to not slide a hand between your legs for relief, knowing the man towering above you wouldn’t allow such disobedience.

Despite the harshness of his actions, you can see the soft smile pulling at the corner of his lips, secret fondness shining in his eyes as words of praise fell from his lips. “Such a good girl, taking me so well. So perfect for me, with her perfect fucking mouth…”

By the time he pulls you off his length you were wrecked; chest red and heaving, lips swollen and slick with spit, eyes shining and makeup smeared. Gasping for air, you didn’t even register that you were being picked up until you were pushed on the bed face first, a sharp grip at your hips positioning you onto your hands and knees. Pressing your face into the mattress, you mewl when you feel his hands slide up and down the backs of your thighs, hot breath fanning over your clothed cunt without ever receiving the relief of his touch.

“You are so needy, aren’t you, Princess? Just need to be fucked good by my cock, don’t you?” You whine at his words, your hips gently rocking to entice him to do something...do anything. Instead, a loud smack rings throughout the room, the suddenness of the assault on your now reddened cheek making you to yelp. “I asked you a question.”

“Yes, Saeran,”

Realizing the name you called out, you cringe in anticipation of punishment, only letting the air in your lungs loose when it doesn’t come. Instead, an ironlike grip yanks the last scrap of fabric covering your core down your thighs, effectively binding your legs together. You can feel how wet you are, your slick coating the inside of your thighs, causing you to hiss at the cool air when you’re finally exposed.

“Then beg for it.”

His fingers began tracing slowly up and down your slit, featherlight and expertly ignoring your clit with each sweep. “Please, please give me your cock, I need it so bad, need you so bad,” you pant, not caring about anything but the feel of his fingers against your swollen folds. “I’ll be a good girl, I’ll do anything. Please, Saeran.”

As the last syllable leaves your mouth, he finally slides two fingers into your awaiting heat, curling them expertly to press at the tender spot inside you. His pace is punishing, not letting you ease into the sensation, before he leans forward to lick and suckle your needy clit into his mouth.

“F-fuck,” you gasp, cries of pleasure incessant and becoming pitched. The coil in your stomach was so tight, so close to snapping, and you couldn’t help but catch your breath as his talented mouth and fingers brought you closer and closer to toppling over the edge.

You cry out when he stops abruptly, pouting until you feel his hands gripping the flesh at your hips. He flips you onto your back, tearing your underwear from you and hurriedly sliding back down between your legs. “I want to see your face when you cum for me, Princess. Want to look in your eyes as you yell my name,”

His hot mouth tugs at your bundle of nerves again, fingers sliding home to the soft spot of your walls. “Cum for me,” he murmurs against your skin, another demand. One you were quick to comply with after a few more swipes of his wicked tongue. Shouting his name, white heat courses through you, your eyes screwing shut and thighs clamping firmly around his head. It takes you several moments to remember to breathe, and when you finally drop your legs to release his head he sits up, his fingers still fucking you through your orgasm until the feeling becomes too much.

Flinching, you attempt to push him away, body wiggling in attempt to separate him from you.

“Saeran, I can’t, it hurts.”

Instead of stopping like he normally would, your eyes flash open to see a devious smirk on his face, teeth biting into his bottom lip as he continued to press his fingers into your battered walls. You claw at him to stop, your hands reaching out to grab his wrists before he’s pinning your arms above your head, effectively halting all movement.

“You can do it, Princess, I know you can. It’ll feel even better the second time.” He presses his lips to yours, swallowing down your moans as he pulls his fingers from you. Confusion clouds your face, and it’s not until he pulls your legs up to bend them towards your ears that you realize that his throbbing length is pressing hotly into your core. “You’re going to come again, Princess, but this time it’s going to be on my cock.”

Suddenly his hips are slamming into you, groaning as he fully sheaths himself inside. The stretch burns slightly, but instead of giving you a moment to adjust he’s fucking you. Stars dance behind your eyes, and the heat in your gut is rapidly building at the onslaught of his hips, the powerful harshness of each assault against your center. The angle is too much, too fast; the thickened head of his cock pounding that perfect spot inside you was sending you hurtling towards your peak, moans and broken cries spilling from your lips.

“Saeran, I’m, I can’t-”

“It’s okay, baby, let go.” he growls, a hand snaking down to swipe at your clit. You were thrown over the edge with unbridled force and a loud cry, heat snapping and bursting behind your eyes. You felt the gush of your orgasm flood your thighs, the force of it pushing him from your tender walls. You couldn’t help but mewl pathetically as he continues circling your abused nub.

“That was so fucking hot. Squirting all over my dick. You’re so good to me, taking me so well, like you were made for me.”

Fatigue sinks into your bones, and you want to nuzzle into the blankets until sleep takes you. Instead you feel him pulling you into his lap, arms circling his neck as he grips your hips and starts fucking upwards harshly. You whimper loudly, pressing your face into his neck as he seeks his high, the stutters and gulps of breath telling you he wasn’t far off. With each precise slam of his hips, his persona starts to slip more and more; the Saeran you have come to know and love over the last several months shining through. “I fucking love you, you’re so beautiful,” he moans, a hand leaving your waist to tilt your face towards his. Kissing you harshly, he suckles your bottom lip into his mouth, biting down lightly before releasing the abused flesh. “I’m so close baby, you’re doing so well.”

You watch as his eyes screw shut, the light sheen of sweat coating his face at the effort over his overworked muscles. Knowing he was close, you clench around him, coaxing him to his end. Turning to bite at the lobe of his ear, you beg breathily. “Cum inside of me, Saeran. Please, I need you to cum. I need you.”

With a bite at your shoulder, you feel him tense beneath you, cursing as he finally releases. His thrusts slow as he milks himself inside your walls, hot spurts filling you. You collapse against him, chest heaving with exhaustion and Saeran wraps his arms around you, falling back until you’re both against the bed.

You feel your eyes getting heavy, about to succumb to slumber when he mutters huskily beside you.

“So…Happy Halloween?” You can hear the grin in his voice, your eyes snapping open to meet his. “I hope that was okay… was it too much?”

“I can’t believe you hid this from me!”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me your fantasy!” he chides back, a playful smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“I didn’t want to pressure you…I love you the way you are and the way our sex life is now. I didn’t want you think you had to change to keep me happy. I’m already so happy with you, Saeran.”

Warm hands cup your face as you finish speaking, and soon his nose was nuzzling yours, lips pressing softly against your own. “You’re so damn perfect.” He tugs you into his chest, arms smoothing errant patterns into your back.

You’re enveloped wholly, smiling to yourself at the rapid beating of his heart, enjoying the scent of sex mixing with his cologne. A small part of your brain reminds you that you should probably get up and clean yourself, the sticky mess of your combined release rapidly cooling against your skin. You take a few deep breaths, pressing your lips against his jaw before leaning back to get out of the bed and head into the adjoining bathroom.

“So…are there any more fantasies you have?” his voice rings out, and you laugh loudly, finishing within the bathroom and moving to find one of his shirts to pull over your head. “What? That one was actually pretty hot, I think I might like to live out all your fantasies.” He waggles his eyebrows at you, and you giggle at the sight, tossing his boxer briefs to him.

“Yeah, actually I do have another one. I’ve always had this fantasy of being double teamed by twins…” you let your voice trail away, sighing dreamily.

Suddenly you were pulled back into the bed, a growl your only warning before Saeran was back on top of you, pinning your arms to the bed once more.

“Do I need to punish you? Remind you who you belong to?”

“Who, Unknown?” you stifle a grin, a sharp bite at your throat letting you know you wouldn’t be getting off that easy.

“You are such a brat.”

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger smut #mystic messenger fanfic #saeran x mc #unknown x mc #mysme fanfic #mysme smut #better when it feels wrong #saeran choi #saeyoung choi #jumin han #hyun ryu #zen #yoosung kim #jaehee kang #saeran x reader #writing #my writing #2019 love for all seasons

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formalmess · 5 years ago

Text

For Your Entertainment ~ Chapter One

Summary: Luigi receives a mysterious letter.

Warnings: N/A

A/N: Welcome to the show! This is a dark little horror-esque story I wrote and finished up last year, and since it’s the month of spookiness, what better time than now to post it here? It may be a bit familiar to some people since I’ve published it elsewhere before, but I have changed and polished up some things since it’s publication last year. To the newcomers, welcome! Fair warning in advance though, this story will get darker. Keep an eye out for warnings in the future. But until then and without further ado, enjoy!

“Mail call!” Parakarry’s voice eagerly called out through the morning air.

He flapped his wings before landing, stretching out his arms and wings before reaching into his mailbag. He opened the mailbox outside the manor before him, whistling as he dug through his bag for the mail meant for this house.

He craned his neck, turning up to look at the green manor situated just up a small hill, a stone path leading to the front door. The quaint manor was certainly not the most extravagant of living spaces, but it was suitable. There was a well maintained garden gracing the front lawn, flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes displayed upon the path.

Parakarry wiped the sweat off his brow, readying himself to fly off again when a voice called out.

“Good morning, Parakarry!”

Parakarry stopped, turning.

The owner of the manor appeared, rushing down the stone path to greet the Paratroopa with a smile on his face. The brunette’s hair was messy, his mustache uncombed as visible dark circles became apparent under his bright blue eyes. He had most likely just crawled out of bed.

“Ah, Luigi! Good to see you’re chipper today.” Parakarry grinned, watching as Luigi rushed up to the fence lining the yard, leaning against it.

“How’re you doing today, Parakarry?”

“I’m doing quite well. A bit frazzled, but quite well.”

“A lot of stuff to deliver today, huh?”

“That’s not even the half of it.” Parakarry chuckled. “The post office has been chaos since this morning. Postmaster said there was this little toad girl running around the office asking the rest of the employees about something. She’d been there since we opened. Totally threw him for a loop.”

“Do you know who she was?”

“No idea. The Postmaster thinks she was handing out fliers for something, I don’t know. He was already ordering me to get my tail out here, I didn’t have time to ask.”

“Oh, well, you’re right on schedule, I’d say.” Luigi laughed.

“I’d like to think I’m getting much better at delivering the mail on time.” Parakarry chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “If you happen to find anything in your mail is missing, that’s probably my fault… But, I’ll be sure to drop anything I missed off later, once I finish my route for today.”

“Well, don’t work too hard. Can I get you anything before you head off, Parakarry? I could get you a drink or something…”

“Oh, no. I’m in fine shape. Just have a long day ahead of me. There’s been a lot more letters coming in recently, which I hypothesize has something to do with that get-together the princess has been planning.”

“It’s only a meeting, Parakarry. I don’t think it’s that exciting.” Luigi smiled. “No one’s gonna be sending letters out to their grandparents about some king or prince coming to the Mushroom Kingdom to discuss economics with the princess.”

“Well, Toad Town gets excited over the littlest things, you know. Whether that be royalty figures getting together for, say… a ball, or a meeting, or a conference, or even for... tea time, really!”

“They’re just gonna be talking about trade negotiations and stuff like that. It’s all boring.”

“Oh, right, I’m sorry. I forgot you knew so much about the princess’s business ever since you and that prince got hitched… Your Highness.” Parakarry sneered, bowing playfully. “You’re going to be at the meeting anyway, don’t even know why I brought it up.”

“I’m not really royalty, Parakarry.” Luigi crossed his arms, a faint blush on his face as he turned, exhaling. “I’m just the prince consort.”

“Sureee… whatever you say.” Parakarry shrugged. “Just don’t come crying to me if you ever get kidnapped by Bowser or anything. If his knack for capturing royalty keeps up, that is.”

Luigi chuckled. “Then you’ll have to team up with Mario again to rescue me, I suppose.”

“I guess so.” Parakarry flapped his wings, turning away from Luigi with a hearty laugh. “I really should be on my way, though, friend. I still have so many letters to deliver, and there are so many impatient homeowners out there. A postman’s job is never done, after all!”

“I understand.” Luigi stepped back, smiling. “Be safe out there.”

“Of course!”

And with that, Parakarry flew off. Luigi waved goodbye to him, watching the postman until he disappeared from view into the cloudy sky in the distance.

Luigi stretched before pushing open the fence's wooden gate, retrieving his mail and sifting through it. He yawned, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes as the sun continued to creep up over the hillside.

The mail mostly consisted of bills and scam letters from Waluigi, but a postcard from Mario made him smile, a warm feeling now in his chest. It was nice to think that his brother still had time to send him things, despite how busy he must be, traveling the world with his newfound cap companion and whatnot.

Luigi walked back into his manor groggily, dropping off the mail on the kitchen counter before walking to the bathroom to freshen up.

His pet, Polterpup, followed him curiously, leaping up against his owner’s legs to try and get his attention. Luigi smiled, laughing and promising the ghostly pup playtime later. He still had something to do today, after all.

Luigi did just enough to appear suitable before heading back out the door, walking down the path towards Toad Town. He had been up since early morning only because he wanted to get to Tayce T.’s kitchen before it got too crowded, and morning was his best bet. He didn’t exactly like being out alone at night, and Grambi forbid some poor soul try to go to the bakery in the afternoon. Luigi cringed at the thought.

All he needed was to pick up some ingredients for a few recipes he'd gotten as gifts from Peach for his birthday. While he was relatively good at cooking, he didn’t know a whole lot about making pastries. That was the princess’s specialty, not his. Luigi usually stuck to making various spaghetti dishes. But, most of the recipes given to him were for cakes, muffins, cupcakes, and the like, so he’d have to get a few ingredients from Tayce T. if he hoped on ever finishing even one of the recipes.

Not that he minded waking up early anyway. Early morning walks were always so beautiful. The creatures were starting to stir, and the sun was just starting to rise. He breathed slowly, taking in all the sights until he made his way into Toad Town.

Toads were congregating outside, walking in and out of stores and talking amongst themselves. Luigi’s presence didn’t faze them, not like if Mario was there. But, Luigi was fine with that. He didn’t like being randomly talked to and swarmed anyway. The toads still waved and said hello as he passed though, Luigi politely greeting them in return.

He eventually made it into Tayce T.’s kitchen, the little cook glancing up at Luigi as he entered. A faint smile graced her face as he walked in. She was already moving to reach into a cupboard to retrieve his items before he could even request anything of her.

”Ah, Luigi, welcome in! I’ve been preparing what you ordered. Just allow me to clarify…” She hummed, putting a bag out on the counter. “You just wanted the cake mix and a honey shroom, right?”

Luigi nodded, handing over the sufficient amount of coins for her as he smiled. “Grazie.”

She took the payment hesitantly, exhaling. “It's always so nice to see such a happy face, Luigi. I take it your morning has been lovely?”

”Yep! Actually, I was planning on making something sweet tonight for my hus-” Luigi paused upon noticing Tayce T.’s sunken features. Her gaze wasn’t focused on Luigi, instead staring forward with dull eyes. She looked… sad. “A-Are you alright, Ms. Tayce?”

”W-What? Oh, yes. My apologies!” Tayce T. flinched and held her hands together, nodding. “I’ve just been thinking about… oh, there was this incident this morning and… I don’t know. I'm sure it'll be alright. I'm fine." She offered a weak smile.

Luigi ventured further. “You’re… sure?”

”Most certainly, Luigi.”

"Do you want to talk-"

”Hey!” Another toad’s voice cut in, Luigi flipping around to make eye contact with a very agitated customer, who was tapping their foot impatiently on the floor. “Some of us also want to buy stuff!”

”O-Oh, I’m sorry, I-”

Tayce T. reached at Luigi’s hand, handing him his bag of ingredients. She smiled. ”Take care, Luigi. I trust I’ll see you again soon?”

"Oh, y-yeah!” Luigi attempted before being curtly shoved aside by the other toad.

Tayce T. looked at the customer disapprovingly before softening her expression, Luigi looking back at her. She glanced away before waving goodbye as Luigi made his way out the door.

Luigi sighed, cradling the bag of ingredients in his arms as he started back toward home. The walk back was peaceful, the young brunette catching small bits of conversation as the toads spoke to one another, talking about the day ahead.

”-and you haven’t seen him at all?”

The fragments of a conversation caught his attention.

He turned a corner, noticing a bright pink figure with her back turned to him, talking to a green-capped, mustached toad with glasses on his face. He was looking over a piece of paper, rubbing at his chin.

”...Nope. Can’t say I have. I wish you the best of luck in finding ‘im though.”

The pink figure stared down at the ground defeatedly as the green toad walked away, only perking her head up when she heard her name called.

”Toadette!”

”Luigi…?”

Luigi approached with a smile on his face, but froze, his breath hitching as Toadette turned to face him. Her expression was pale and positively mortified, clutching staggering amounts of paper in her arms like a vice.

”Toadette, a-are you okay?”

”Have you seen Toad?!”

The question caught him off guard.

”N-No… I haven’t. What’s wrong?”

Toadette wiped at the tears forming in her eyes, whimpering as she tried to compose herself. "T-Toad… Toad, he… I don’t know where he is, Luigi!”

Luigi felt his chest stiffen. “What?”

”A-About a week ago, I went out of the house to go hang out with Birdetta, and I left Toad home alone. When I got back later that night, he wasn’t there. And I-I don’t know where he would’ve gone, because I was only out for a few hours and-d he didn’t tell me he was going anywhere, and he would’ve told me if he did, and he didn’t leave a note or an-anything a-and I-!”

”Hey, hey…” Luigi, despite his own growing anxiety, tried to comfort Toadette. “Slow down.”

”I tried to j-just wait it out to see if he’d come home, but he still isn’t back! I wanted to take matters into my own hands, because I don’t know if h-he ran away, or if he got lost, or worse, but I-I couldn’t stand to just sit there while my brother was still missing, so I-I made these...”

She paused, sniffling and reaching towards the bundle of papers in her arms. She handed one over to Luigi, Luigi’s face noticeably paling as he examined the page.

It was a missing poster, the words alarmingly bolded with a photograph of Toad plastered on it, information lining the bottom.

”I tried getting these hung up all over town, the post office, the club, the boardwalk, the kitchen… b-but… no one has seen h-him so far, and I-I…” Toadette released a sob, nearly falling into Luigi’s arms.

”Toadette…” Luigi tried to reach a hand out to comfort her, but she shrunk back.

“I-I guess I’m probably just o-overreacting… he… he’s old enough to do what he wants… I-I just,” she hiccuped between sobs. “I wish he would’ve told me where he was going! I-I just want him to be okay. B-But, if he doesn’t want to be f-found, then…” She shook her head. ”If he doesn’t turn up s-soon, I’m going to go out and find him myself…! I-I have to know if my brother is okay!”

”Th-That sounds dangerous.” Luigi squeaked out. “I-I can look with you, and I’m sure Peasley wouldn’t object to joining us… You shouldn’t go alone.”

”Hopefully it won’t come to that.” Toadette concluded with a sigh, turning away as she rubbed at her eyes. “Just… keep an eye out for him, please. If you hear from him, let me know.”

”R-Right. Of course.”

Luigi didn’t have time to say anything else before Toadette promptly rushed off, approaching another couple of toads, handing them each the posters. Luigi turned to continue back home, despite now feeling a heavy sensation swelling deep within his chest.

An ominous feeling of dread loomed over him as he walked back to the manor.

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

Luigi’s walk back was mostly silent, aside from the occasional heavy sigh or nervous hum.

The thoughts of worry produced by the single haunting image of one of his friends on a missing poster made his stomach twist. He tried to steady his breathing and think rationally as he approached his house, sighing. As he passed the fence gate outside the manor and approached the door up the stone path, however, he paused.

There was an envelope placed on the doorknob, delicately balanced atop it.

Confused, he shifted his holding on the bag of ingredients and picked up the note, flipping it over to see if there was any information on it. All that was printed on the envelope was a picture of a star, colored in a violet ink.

Perhaps Parakarry had left one of his letters in the post office after all.

He pushed open the door, putting the cake mix and honey shroom away before carefully tearing open the mysterious envelope. With cautious fingers, he removed a sheet of paper from within and began to read what was neatly printed upon it.

‘Hello, Luigi.

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Far too long, I’d say. How long has it been? It was quite hard to keep track of time down there, I’m afraid.

I’ve been really busy, you see. It’s taken me ever so long to send you this letter.

They tried their hardest, their very hardest, to contain me. And I admire their amusing attempts. But, I’m quite the persistent person, like a spider weaving its web over and over on a rainy day.

To think, life works in mysterious ways. It’s quite funny, really, how our pasts catch up to us.

You and I have plenty in common. You may hate to admit it, but it’s true. You and I are much closer than you’d like to think. Haven’t you felt lonesome without me? I’m apart of you, after all.

May I indulge you in a secret?

You ruined me, Luigi.

Your weakness brought about my downfall. It led me to a horrific afterlife of endless torment. I endured so much suffering. Loneliness and eternal solitude consumed my days.

But, now, I’ve escaped from that treacherous prison known as death. And, as I had plenty of time to ponder, I know exactly what I want now.

I want to see you suffer, just as I had.

I’m going to make your life a living nightmare. All who you know and love, will be guaranteed a long and painful demise at my hands.

You ruined my chance at happiness and I’m only returning the favor.

I want nothing more than to see you break as you are forced to watch your life crumble apart.

I’ve spent so much time preparing for this, you see.

I shan’t spoil the surprise. Not yet. Nor will I reveal my identity. I want you to experience every moment of this spectacle for yourself.

It will be quite a show.

I’ll see you again soon, Luigi. I’m much closer than you’d like to think.

~ ✦ ~’

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