#but tbh it would probably be the most vile thing I'd ever written and idk if anyone needs or wants that 💀💀💀

[mrspockify]

Wrote a whole ass essay here and I don't even know if it fully makes sense I'm so sorry 💀

TW for discussion of harassment, some suggestive content (nothing graphic)

Ok so what if, instead of just completely shifting into what their body is inclined towards, they're mostly just influenced by the new thoughts/feelings. They're still stuck with their own personalities, so instead of resorting to something completely unlike them, they pretty much merge with these new thoughts and react/interpret them in weird ways.

So like Mario in Bowser's body has all of this untapped rage and these animalistic tendencies, but because Mario is Mario, his affection for Peach and Luigi turns those feelings into an instinctual urge to protect them. So he actually starts getting uncontrollably aggressive towards anyone else who comes near them (and obviously he feels horrible about it when he comes back to awareness, because he would never willingly take a swipe at any innocent toad who unfortunately walked a little too close to their princess at the wrong time).

But it makes him dangerous, too, because he's got fire breath he can't really control, and his body, which he's still getting used to moving around in, is covered in sharp spikes that can stag on anything, or anyone. It's also making it difficult to get anything done regarding switching them back, because Mario's having a very hard time letting either of them out of his sight even for a second, because if he can't see them then he can't keep them safe.

But then you have Bowser in Mario's body, and I think he suddenly, inexplicably finds himself drawn to Peach and Luigi in ways he usually isn't. But instead of recognizing these feelings as love and devotion, it becomes an obsession towards them. Bowser being Bowser, reacts to these strong feelings with his own brand of maliciousness, acting on every human instinct he has when he's around them, because he, like Mario and his newfound rage, can't really control it (not that he even wants to, once he realizes what it can do).

To a degree, he's feeling the way Mario does about Peach and Luigi, but his mind has chosen to interpret it differently. He's not caring and protective of them, he's possessive. Where Mario feels a responsibility towards them, Bowser feels ownership.

With Peach especially, he suddenly has these overwhelming feelings of affection towards her that he somehow twists into something much more sinister and dangerous. He can't keep his hands off of her, can't stop trying to draw every kind of reaction he can from her. He becomes obsessed with having her attention on him in any way he can get it, because that suddenly feels good. Any time she's within his sight he basically pounces on her like she's prey, because she's suddenly the only thought on his mind.

He also finds out very quickly that he can get her attention by acting in... specific ways. He discovers that it's violating touches and suggestive whispers in her ear that bring out the biggest reactions, the most intense disgust and anger. And we've already established that he can't physically feel anything in Mario's body, so it's not as if he can just alleviate his urges through physical pleasure/sex. He's stuck in this weird mental arousal, obsessed with reaching some sort of climax but no real way to get it. He has to resort to insane levels of psychological warfare with her to satisfy whatever this is. I'm honestly not even sure what it might look like, but it's certainly not anything good.

And now you can also imagine that, with Bowser's obsessive behaviors towards Peach and Luigi, and with Mario's instinctual need to protect them at any cost, they're going to have one hell of a time trying to get them in a room together without one killing the other, or even hurting someone else (the poor princess or brother?) who might accidentally get in their way.

Ok so I was watching Brave earlier and I had ✨a thought✨

In the body swap AU what if being tapped in a monster’s body starts to have an effect on Mario where he slowly starts to lose himself to the monstrous urges? Like for a few seconds he’ll essentially ‘black out’ and become one with the beast he’s physically become, and overtime it starts to happen more frequently and he can’t control it no matter how hard he tries.

And when Peach and Luigi eventually rescue him, it happens again; His eyes change color and he starts to talk in low snarls and grunts. They’re both confused, but quickly figure out something’s not right, and they’re forced to back away as he starts to corner them with a menacing, animalistic glare. He raises the claws, but before he can attack he suddenly comes back to his senses. Realizing what he almost did, Mario profusely apologizes and explains that it’s been happening on and off for a while, feeling completely ashamed of himself despite knowing it’s not his fault.

Obviously I don’t expect this to actually happen (nor do I want it too cuz I would literally never recover lol) I just felt the need to participate in sharing ideas hehe

This had me pacing around and banging my fists on the table because YES. That's genius, omg!! 😱 What if the body they inhabit had a direct impact/influence on their psyche long-term? What if Bowser progressively assimilated human behavior while becoming more sophisticated, whereas Mario slowly felt his own mind begin to slip as the beastly side began to take over?

And for it to happen in front of Luigi and Peach too!.. 😭🙇‍♀️ Mario would be utterly mortified to be seen like this, poor dear. 😥 What if he ended up hurting one of them by accident?? It would be so scary for him to feel that shift and be unable to stop it. To slowly - but surely - start to lose the grasp he has on his own thoughts and actions. In a scenario like this one, I imagine that it would be a race against time. A rushed and desperate attempt to turn him back to normal before he forgets who he is entirely. 😣

I love mixing ideas and integrating concepts from different movies into this universe, and the premise for Brave fits perfectly in the body swap AU. 🎭💯 Thank you so much for sharing, dear!! 🙏💖