#has anyone done this with Luigi and Bowser yet?

[itsamenickname]

Bowuigi artists! I have a challenge for you!

Draw this meme but with Luigi and Bowser:

[istadris]

You told me you had Antasma headcanons. Go. Nuts. And tell me EVERYTHING!!!

Okay first of all : I think Antasma's potential is severely unexplored.

Granted, that's on me for expecting too much depth from a Mario villain. Still, it annoyed me that Antasma has such a cool design and concept...yet I was frustrated with how his comical "screeching bat with a Dracula accent" side was really played up despite being the main antagonist...

And then the betrayal. Again, it's a Mario game but even then, was I the only one frustrated by how obvious it was that Bowser wasn't going to share the victory with anyone ? It's presented as a surprise, but come on Antasma, even if Bowser was willing to share, you weren't exactly subtle with your manipulation.

Yet I love this character so much!! Onirism and nightmares are such fascinating themes and Antasma vs the Pi'ilo explores them, but it could have been pushed even further!!

In general I think Antasma's flaws are M&L: Dream Team's general flaws : amazing concept, but the story takes a lot of efforts to get to the interesting part and some of the jokes could have replaced by more interesting moments.

And it's interesting how it sometimes feels like Antasma and Dreambert have some kind of history; at least that's how I see all the moments where Dreambert tries to appeal to Antasma, and even how he pities him once Bowser turns on him...or maybe that's just me reading too much into details.

ANYWAY regarding Luigi and Antasma, I also have a LOT to tell about them :

I find it very, very interesting that even before any of the characters had any hints of Antasma & Dreambert, Luigi dreamed about him...and not just Antasma in his bat form, but in his most powerful one ! And it's never explained ! how did it happen ?? Did Antasma feel Luigi's "attunement" to the Dream World and try to exploit it ? Does Luigi has divination abilities ? We just don't know !

Another little frustration I have is that Antasma never pays any attention to Luigi...even if he's the key to fight him back. Without Luigi, Mario wouldn't be able to get to the Dream World, nor would he have enough power to fight the bat king. (Technically, Luigi is also responsible for Antasma's return, since he opened the first portal by taking a nap in the Pi'ilo castle...)

And it drives me insane ! But it makes sense at the same time, everyone always overlooks Luigi, except Mario, who knows his brother is the strongest ally he can count on! So while Mario isn't suprised one iota by it, their ennemies are always baffled by the brother's victories relying on Luigi.

But for real, all Bowser and Antasma had to do was to kidnap Luigi while he was asleep and either wake him up and force him to stay awak (and trap Mario in the Dream World), or keep him asleep but trigger effects by exposing him to elements that would slow Mario down...or just end his game. Like, the solution was there, guys.

Antasma's boss battle is my fave of the entire game because not only does his musical theme SLAP, he also has interesting moves...and he can PUT SOMEONE TO SLEEP IN THE DREAM WORLD!!! And he can CAPTURE DREAMY LUIGI !!!! Something that is NEVER done before this moment !! He changes the rules ! He rewrites the game !! How to not like it !!

But for an eventual AU where Antasma comes back, I have two very different ideas of how it could go :

Option A : the Redemption Road.

The battle left Antasma so weakened he barely survives in the Dream World. He doesn't even have enough energy to be angry anymore. He's just wasting away, waiting for his end. He doesn't recognize this part of the Dream World and doesn't care. He's dying, and for the first time, he's scared.

But what he doesn't know is that he's not trapped in the typical Dream World...but in Luigi's dreams. Luigi who has had strange dreams for weeks where he feels there's something with him whenever he dreams, but can't find it.

As his sleep gets worse and worse, he ends up returning to Pi'ilo Island, hoping to get help from Dreambert. Except the prince is currently away or too busy, which bums him a bit. Thankfully one of the Pi'ilo accepts to help him, or maybe he just finds a petrified one who hasn't been freed yet and despite not having Mario with him, he decides to try and rescue them by himself.

...Oh waaaaait. What if that petrified Pi'ilo is actually Antasma ?

So Luigi travels in the Dream World...and finds Antasma, curled on himself, pathetic and near death. A miserable little bat.

Who immediately jumps on his face and tries to feed off him.

What ensues is Luigi first panicking, but being too kind to just abandon someone in need, (not to mention he DOESN'T want Antasma stuck in his dreams anymore!!!) and being forced to cooperate with the bat king to free him.

Of course it's a long and frustrating road...and yet for once, Antasma isn't threatened or confronted or betrayed. He's lonely, and not used to kindness, and he ends up slowly warming up to this fool.

Option B : The Smart Villain Road

Antasma manages to survive and goes into hiding, and plots his revenge...but this time, he's learned his lesson.

He's been right before about Bowser being a more useful ally because of his power. But he realizes that not only Bowser is too egoistical to ally with, but he isn't even the most powerful.

Instead, he focuses on Luigi. Luigi and his almost unique connection to the Dream World. Luigi who's been the powersource of Mario through the whole adventure. Luigi whose subconscious is able to change the layout of the Dream World. Luigi who can summon a huge version of himself, almost as powerful as the Dream Stone Spirit...

Luigi who, Antasma is convinced, is the key to his success.

So his plan this time is to get his hands on the younger Mario Bros. By hiring goons, or sneaking into Luigi's dreams, or kidnapping him himself, or allying with other villains again (*cough* King Boo and/or Dimention *cough*), he will do anything to finally taste this incredible, untapped power, and seize it for himself.

[useless19]

Still going with this.

Tw: vomit

...

Bowser curses as he fails to turn around. The palace toilets might be a step above most of the ones in the castle town, in that the flush works and they look clean. However, none of them have been built on Bowser's scale. His shell has gotten wedged every single time he's tried to use the loo.

Granted, that's only been twice so far (once during his armour fitting and now), but that's plenty!

Bowser grits his teeth as he twists around. He (stupidly) picked the stall at the end of the row, so now he has a rough stone wall on one side and flimsy wood on the other. The wood groans as his shell spikes gouge into it, bowing it horribly.

The bathroom door bangs open. Bowser freezes. The last thing he wants is to be known as the guy who got stuck in the toilet. He's not even officially employed yet.

There's some shaky breathing, then the other person retches. Bowser can hear the splatter of liquid into the sink. Eww. He'd been half considering actually washing his hands for once and now this? There's another cough and splutter and then a weak sob.

Okay, screw this. Bowser shoves his way out of the toilet (taking out the cubicle wall and knocking the door off one hinge).

Prince — very soon to be King — Luigi stares at him. He's unhealthily pale and his hands are shaking.

"How long have you been there?" Luigi asks in a thready voice.

"Your pre-coronation party was boring." Bowser waves at the destruction. "Petty vandalism is way more fun."

Luigi frowns at the splintered wood, but instead of growing angry and shouting for Bowser's arrest like his brother would have, his eyes widen in realisation as he looks at Bowser again.

"Oh, that's…" Luigi coughs into his fist, clearing his throat. "I'll have to speak to the architects about remodelling. Is there any other part of the castle that you think might need adjusted?"

Bowser crosses his arms, annoyingly embarrassed. "It's fine, it's big enough. Too big for stumpy humans like you."

"Stumpy? That's the first time anyone's called me short," Luigi manages the ghost of a smile.

"Get used to it."

"The castle doesn't feel big to me," Luigi says. "Maybe it's just because I grew up here and I'm used to it. Sometimes it feels too small for anyone. Claustrophobic, even."

How an entire castle could feel small, Bowser would never know. One thing's for sure; he doesn't need it rubbing into his snout that he didn't grow up in luxury. He can't stand up in his childhood house without bashing his head on the ceiling (that is, if it had survived the fire).

This is going to be a miserable job if the king insists on showing off his wealth and privilege at every opportunity. Bowser reminds himself that the pay is good as he turns away to wash his hands in a different sink.

"Are you done throwing up in sinks now?" Bowser asks gruffly.

"I…" Luigi loses what little humour he had when Bowser glances at him. "I'm sorry. I'm nervous about, well, everything that comes with my coronation."

"Everything," Bowser says flatly.

"It's a lot of pressure and I don't know if I'm up to the task." Luigi says. "It's a difficult job. What if I mess up and people think I'm a terrible king?"

"Oh, boo hoo," Bowser snaps. "I'm the king and I get to live in a massive castle and sleep in a feather bed and never have to worry about where my next meal's coming from, but I still worry that people won't like me! I'm so privileged I can't appreciate that my bathroom has consistent running water. I'll just whine about my petty little problems to everyone because I don't even have to play the social game because I'm the bloody king!"

Smoke hisses through Bowser's fangs with his words. He knows he's scary when his fire threatens. Prince Luigi's fists are balled and trembling as he glares up at Bowser. Good, let him fear.

"Are you finished?" Luigi says.

"Depends if you're going to complain about how hard such a cushy life is again," Bowser says, flexing his fingers.

Luigi looks at his reflection, anger blotching his cheeks. Bowser folds his arms, wanting… more, somehow, but he doesn't know what it would be. How hard can it be, really, being the king? You want for nothing and everyone has to do as you say. The last king knew that and —

Shoot.

This isn't Mario. This isn't the king that Bowser's spent most of the past five years railing against over petty laws and unnecessary arrests (mostly his own). This is someone unprepared for their new job and still grieving a family member.

Fine, whatever. Bowser knows how to be delicate. Or at least he knows how to get someone refocused on the job again. Same difference.

"So when do you need to be back out there?" Bowser asks, nodding towards the door.

"I should be there now," Luigi says. He splashes some water onto his face but only succeeds in making himself look like a drowned squeek.

"They can't have the ceremony without you. When do you want to go back out there?" Bowser says.

"It doesn't work like that," Luigi says. "Even if I'm royalty, I still have to follow the rules or —"

Bowser rolls his eyes. "I don't mean you have to order people to delay it. No one does everything on time all the time. If you want to put it off for another day, find an excuse."

"I don't want to put it off," Luigi says. "I'm not going to get more confident for waiting."

That's abundantly clear. Bowser tilts his head as he thinks. Has Luigi honestly never lied to a tutor to get an extension on his work? Or told his advisors he was meeting with someone reputable in order to sneak out to a party? What a straight-laced wimp.

"Alright, on your head be it," Bowser says.

"It will." Luigi coughs, hiding what Bowser is sure is a smile. "The crown, I mean."

Bowser can't help his snort of laughter. "That's terrible."

As awful as the joke is, it's at least wiped away the worst of the misery clouding Luigi. Bowser straightens Luigi's fancy fur-trimmed cloak before remembering that randomly touching royalty is the sort of thing that can get lowlifes like him a one-way ticket to the hangman. Well, he's never met a situation he couldn't brash his way through.

"Drink some water, go back out," Bowser says, shoving Luigi towards the sinks. "And I'll get a rumour spread that you narrowly avoided assassination so those poncy nobles think you look shaken because of that."

"Which would also highlight the importance of hiring on a bodyguard," Luigi says wryly.

"Now you're getting the idea."

Luigi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He splashes water on his face again and then takes a drink using one of the cups on the shelf behind the sinks (who puts cups in a communal bathroom, seriously?). He doesn't look ready to do anything as important as getting crowned, but he doesn't look a shade away from passing out like he had before.

"Okay, let's go," Luigi says.

He pauses at the door and turns back to face Bowser instead.

"Is running water still a problem in the castle town?" Luigi asks. "Mario had the pipes overhauled a few years ago; I thought —"

"Nah, not anymore," Bowser says. "But I bet you didn't have to worry when the urchin infestation was at its worst."

"No, you're right, I didn't," Luigi says. He sighs. "Sorry."

Bowser groans. "Stop that."

Complaining about the silver spoon in his mouth is one thing, being pathetic is another. Bowser refuses to put up with self-flagellation while he's working, it brings down the whole mood.

"Go knock 'em dead," Bowser says.

Luigi gives one last determined nod and then leaves.

Bowser runs a hand through his hair. He's going to have to wait a few minutes before heading out on his own and then he really should hang around at the ceremony for a bit. Mostly he needs to make sure he's a visible presence at court because half the job of being a deterrent is reputation, but also partly because assassination attempts are a legit concern. There probably won't be any (if Bowser's luck is anything to go by, this is going to be the most boring day of his life), but maybe it'd be fun to make it look like there's a threat to watch all the rich people panic.

Bowser counts to a hundred and then shoulders his way out of the bathroom after the soon-to-be-king.

[oh-hell-help-me]

Day 29: Shadow

Had anyone been looking for him, it would still be near impossible to spot Luigi in the building’s shadow.

After the second time that Bowser put them in Nest Arrest, Luigi was a bit more careful in leaving the castle- after ensuring that Mina is being babysat, of course.

Kamek and Kammy have been his saving grace, especially as he explained why he left. They were giddy enough to poof him right into town, which really helped him save time for The Project, and promised to look after his bambina.

He’s just glad to now have direct access to what he needs.

On another note, he’s happy to know that the Koopalings and Junior are bonding with Mina, taking the time to visit her and introduce her to their interests.

(Luigi has also heard of a competition going on for someone to be her ‘favorite sibling’. Whether or not he and Bowser are making bets on that is an entirely different story.)

Looking at the town square, he’s relieved to see what he’s looking for.

Hopefully, the process will be relatively painless.

Unknown to either Bowser or Luigi, Junior was organizing a Koopaling Meeting in the nursery- Mina included.

Yes, he nabbed his baby sister from his grandparents. No, he did not see a problem with having Mina disappear out of their eyesight (they seemed busy arguing), nor yelling at his other siblings to meet him at the nursery.

It got him to where he was now, his sibling sitting in varying degrees of attention towards the billboard he made.

As always, Ludwig is the first to break that attention. “Why are we here, Junior?”

“To plan for a wedding, of course!”

There is a silence that is only broken by Mina’s happy babbling. He assumes it’s a sign of her approval because the rest of his siblings aren’t helping at all.

“Junior.” Aaaaand there’s Wendy, who is more busy picking at her nails than looking at the board. “You should let the adults handle this. Daddy could handle it.” She pauses. “Although I haven’t heard of any preparations from his end yet.”

“That’s because Mama is proposing!”

“Wait, WHAT?!?”

“WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!?”

“HOW IS MAMA BEATING DAD TO THE PUNCH?!?”

“Wait.” It’s Iggy that cuts through the shock, adjusting his glasses in a way he claims makes him look ‘purr-septive’. “How did you know that?”

“I have ears everywhere.” The disbelief on everyone’s faces destroyed any bravado he had. “And I heard him tell Kamek and Kammy about it since he wanted them to babysit Mina.”

As one, the other Koopalings turn to said baby, who has somehow crawled near the billboard without them noticing. She seems to be trying to reach for the step called ‘Step 3: Wedding Dress’, and Junior felt a burst of smug pride that she seems to like it.

“Junior.” He immediately deflates, because it’s rare that Roy uses that tone. “Did you take Mina without telling them?”

“They weren’t paying attention when I asked- and they didn’t say anything when I did!”

“Junior…” And Ludwig looks visibly defeated, “what have you done?”

“What do you-“

“WHO THE FUCK TOOK MY BABY?!?!”

That… was Bowser.

Oh.

Wait- “HELP ME HIDE THE BOARD!! HE CAN’T KNOW BEFORE MAMA-“

And the nursery was in chaos, with a giggling Mina as a witness.

Bowser had been under the impression that everything was fine as he handled the castle finances. More than that, he was eager to finish early and spend some quality time with Luigi.

And then the Magikoopas poofed in.

They were talking over each other, yes, but even he could pick out ‘missing’ and ‘baby’….

“What.”

“She was in her crib, sire-“

“And then she’s gone- no one came in-“

And Bowser would have been ticked off that they couldn't tell him outright what was wrong, but-

"The FUCK you mean she's missing?"

And they do quiet down for a second, maybe he can avoid having an aneurysm-

"She was there-" "And we hadn't seen who took her!"

He finds himself yelling anyway.

“-OOK MY BABY?!?!”

Luigi had only been gone for an hour- an HOUR- just to retrieve his commission. How in the world has it already gone into chaos?

Concentrating, he could easily pick out Bowser and his anger-panic-fear. Kamek and Kammy are mostly panic-fear, but the growing emotions of protectiveness are just as poignant.

Somewhere farther, perhaps in the nursery, he feels a mass of panic-excitement-shock-resignation that he belatedly realizes to be the Koopalings-

And Mina.

Oh boy…

Bowser's not sure where Luigi is, but if he finds out-

(He remembers the crushing fear that Pulsed out of Luigi when he received Mina. That feel that again- to SEE that again along his grief...)

He's already dashing out of the office and doesn't pay mind to anyone he comes across other than his soldiers- shouting to launch a search for Mina and-or whoever has possession of her.

He heads straight to the nearest exits, checking every guard station as he frantically searches.

Eventually, the only place he hasn't checked was the Main Gate, and he makes his way there just as quickly when-

"Ooof!"

He collides with something small and cool, hearing something skitter across the stone floor, and he would have kept going-

"B-Bowser?"

If it wasn't the one person who he didn't want to know what happened.

"Bowser, what happened?"

And he is blanking out with panic, because how can he tell Luigi that their baby girl is gone- taken somewhere that he couldn't follow and doesn't know where to look-

"Dad! DAD!" It seems Junior caught onto the commotion too, and how the hell is he going to tell the kids-

A familiar gurgle comes from the same direction-

And, snapping his sight to the direction, he sees Junior giving Mina a piggyback ride-

Oh.

Oh, thank Grambi and Jaydes! She's alright!

"Erm..."

The Koopa turns back to his lover, who looks lost as he looks between the three of them.

"Did I... miss something?"

"No!" "Nope!"

"Okie dokie.... Oh!" He looks towards the floor, and it's there that Bowser realized that the 'skittering' was a brown paper package, but he doesn't catch much other than a glint before Luigi scrambles to collect it.

Even as he hides it behind his back, all three Koopas (even Mina) were staring at him.

"Luigi?"

"Yeah?"

"What is that?"

"Some things."

"'Things'?"

Luigi seems to struggle to reply, not meeting their eyes as he squirms there.

"I... um...." He sighs, and brings the package back out with resignation. "Well-"

And promptly drops to a knee in a pose that looks familiar-

Bowser feels his breath catch-

A pair of obsidian rings, respectively decorated by copper and cobalt ‘veins’ that are polished to a bright shine that catches the torchlight.

"I wanted to do it at a better time, but-" His beautiful, wonderful human shrugs shyly, eyes glittering brighter than the rings he held.

"Bowser..."

He feels like his heart is beating out of his chest.

"Will you marry m-?"

"YES-" He's collapsing on his own knees, reaching out even as Luigi offers a ring-

But Bowser instead takes him into a tight, rumbling hug.

"Yes, yesyes- I love youIloveyou-" And he's crying, but fuck those tears he's HAPPY and he was utterly wrong in thinking getting Mina was the happiest he's felt (even as it's very close).

"I love you too, Bowser. Ti amo- ti amo..."

[s-creations]

Excavation - Chapter 1

Now that everything's calmed down slightly, Daisy explains why she's there. Mainly looking for the heroes' help in solving a problem that's coming from deep in one of her Kingdom's temples.

The group divides into two parts: One to solve the temple issue while the other tries to convince the Desert King to join forces against Bowser.

To everyone's surprise, it doesn't quite go according to plan.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario & Luigi & Wario & Waluigi Additional Tags: Pretty Much Everyone's Here, Named OCs - Freeform, world building, lore building, sometimes in the most painful way, Treasure Hunting, another mural to worry about, Mentions of Blood, we have a lot of people opening up in this one, cursing, heavy cursing, like I haven't used this heavy of cursing for this story for quite a while.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Daisy gave a nod to encourage herself and started. 

“One of our oldest temples has started to crumble. We’re unsure as to why, but there are some warning signs pointing to something powerful currently trapped inside. And that it’s trying to get out. Quickly. Causing quakes to happen more often. While we’re worried, we also don’t have anyone who can go in to figure out what’s going on. No one’s ever been trained to ever traverse such dangerous areas, and there’s a fearful thought that we don’t have time to train them before something goes wrong.”

“My father refuses to try and reach out for help, from any kingdom. But I know that my home is in danger yet I’ve been held back from trying to figure things out. That’s why I’m here. My kingdom, my home, needs your help. If whatever is trapped inside is released, I’m terrified of what could happen.”

The room was quiet after this. Peach sharing a worried look with Mario. Who gave a short nod back with a smile that caused the princess to relax. 

“Of course we will help.” Peach offered, beaming as Daisy’s shoulders dropped in her own relief. “We’ll pack up and leave as soon as we can.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Wario waves his hands. Leaning on the table to stare the princess in yellow down. “If you’re not training anyone, then what has your father been doing? And how dangerous are we talking about?”

Daisy frowned softly at the question, “In order to figure out what’s really going on, he would need to send some citizens in to start digging down to where we think this problem is located. So we don’t really know how dangerous it is. As far as your first question…basically nothing? I mean, planning on figuring out ways to get in there. But, basically nothing.”

Slowly nodding, Wario eventually slammed his hand down onto the table. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

“What?” The room collectively called out. The eldest brother let out a small groan before continuing. “Need I remind you all that I have gone treasure hunting before.”

“Yeah, a century ago.” Waluigi added. 

Wario glared his eyes at his younger brother before continuing. “Bottom line is that I have the skills and the knowledge to get the job done!”

“I mean…I did just come here for the heroes.” said Daisy, waving a hand over to where the twins sat. 

Only for Luigi to whisper out, “I don’t want to go back underground again.”

He shrank back slightly as all eyes turned to him. 

“So, Wario and I will go,” Mario quickly answered. “With his skills and my…fire ability, we’ll be fine. Figure out the issue and either report back or solve it ourselves.”

Letting out a huff, Waluigi leaned on his hand in clear boredom. “Why do I feel like this is the blind leading the blind kind of situation.”

Peach clapped her hand as she stood up from her chair. “We’ll make the best out of this situation, shall we? While Wario and Mario handle the temple, Waluigi and Luigi will help me with rebuilding the relation between the two kingdoms. Simple solution.”

Daisy bit her bottom lip, “I don’t know if a crowd arriving at the castle would be the best idea… I just came for these two.”

“If you want the heroes, you’re dealing with all of us.” Wario argued back. To which the princess in yellow just pouted as a reply. 

“Happy that’s decided,” said Peach, “I would advise that we separate for now and prepare as we need to. We’ll leave tomorrow as early as possible.”

“Noon?”

There was a slightly silent scuffle as Wario was piled onto by the remaining three brothers in an attempt to keep him quiet. 

Peach pointedly ignored this and continued with, “6am it is! The castle will be open for anyone if they want to sleep here tonight. To save on travel time. Make it as easy as possible.” 

“Thank you, princess,” Mario replied with a smile. Which slipped away when he toppled over as Wario finally broke free. 

Being the only ones who needed to leave, the brothers shuffled out of the castle and their designated homesteads. Wario and Waluigi were practically ready in no time. The younger more than used to packing part of his life away quickly. Suitcase in hand as he watched, brows raised in disbelief, as Wario just shoved whatever he could reach into a stained duffle bag. Slinging it over his shoulder once it was jammed full and giving a confidence filled wink to his brother. Who merely rolled his eyes. 

“Really, you’re going like that?”

Wario snorted and shook his head, “Of course not! I have to get my tools also.”

“Oh, right.” Waluigi shifted back to allow Wario out of his room before following, “You sure you’re going to be okay? I wasn't joking when I said you haven’t done this in a while.”

“Eh, it’s like riding a green pipe! You never really forget how it goes.”

“One, that saying is for a bicycle. Two, being swooped from one end to the other is not even close to treasure hunting. Let alone treasure hunting abandoned temples!” 

Placing his bag down, Wario gave a pointed look to his brother. “You’re being overly weird… Feeling nervous? Or sick?” 

“Well, forgive me for realizing how bad of an idea this all was.”

“Look, this is just a part of what we do now. I guess. Daisy said no one was skilled in this sort of thing. Well, I have the knowledge and tools, while Mario is the hero.”

Waluigi gave a weak thumbs up. “What great points you make.”

“The point I’m trying to get to is that this will all be okay. Unless it literally crumbles while we’re inside it or we possibly run into someone else… But we’ll be fine! Besides, you will have the hard part. Having to please daddy and mommy dearest.”

“Meh, it’s just using colorful words to sway people. Not really the main issue of this whole story.”

“We’re just playing to our strengths. Try and keep calm, it’ll all work out.”

“Sure…calm.” Waluigi gave a small smile when Wario offered a cry of triumph as he pulled out a dusty and very old looking satchel bag. One that had clearly not seen the light of day for a long time. 

Calm was not what they walked into when arriving at the twin’s household. The first floor was left unscathed, but the upper floor looked as if a bomb went off. Mainly, a clothing bomb. Outfits and articles scattered everywhere, pouring out from the open doorways leading to the bedrooms. Wario and Waluigi took tentative steps moving forward as if waiting for something else to go flying out. Only to find the twins sitting on the floor at the end of Luigi’s bed. Both leaned against each other as they stared at the wall. Clearly showing some kind of defeat. 

Polterpup, who had been resting at Luigi’s feet, perked up as the other brother’s walked in. Letting out a happy bark as they trotted over to the other two.

“Alright then,” Waluigi muttered, “this is interesting. What exactly did we walk into?”

“We don’t know how to pack.” Mario replied back.

“...What do you mean?”

“We’ve never packed before,” Luigi answered weakly, “We’ve never had a reason to.”

“Never moved. Never went on a vacation. What do we bring? What are essentials?” Mario finished.

Letting out a low groan, Waluigi practically slammed his belongings into Wario. Who doubled over for a moment while the tallest of the brothers said, “Okay. Wario, you wait downstairs. I have my work cut out for me, apparently.”

“I could help.” Wario frowned.

“Absolutely not. Stay downstairs. Keep Polterpup entertained. You two, get up, we need to start packing. I would like to get back to the castle before nightfall.” 

_____________________________

The next day started early with a quick and sleepy breakfast while the carriages were packed up during that time. Mario bore the brunt of holding up the rest of the brothers as they slept, waiting on the sidelines for when they could finally board. Polterpup, seeming to burst with so much energy, was rushing around. Either weaving in between the empty spaces or just phased through everything. Trying to take it all in.

Eventually, after rolling Wario into their marked transport (literally), three carriages moved out from the Mushroom Kingdom before the sun even began to rise. 

It was as they passed the kingdom’s border, the sky painted a pastel pink that Mario felt Luigi shift slightly. The older twin assumed the other was starting to wake up again. He didn’t say anything as he just focused on the scenes passing the large window. Doing his best to ignore Wario and Waluigi snoring softly as they slept. 

Luigi, on his part, gave a small groan as he began to wake. Sitting up to slowly work out his sore muscles while letting out a wide yawn. Resting across his lap was Polterpup. Who had apparently worn themselves out from that excited early morning. Undisturbed as their owner stretched. Eventually, Luigi slumped against the seat and looked over to Mario. 

“‘Ello…” Luigi gumbled softly. 

“Hey,” Mario reached over to ruffle Luigi’s hair, “extra sleep help?”

“Little sore, but yeah.” There was a nervous twitch when Waluigi gave a heavy snore. “Geez, have you been listening to that this whole time?”

“Afraid so, and now you get to join me.”

“Joy.” The unwanted noise was quickly forgotten as Luigi’s attention went to the window. Mario more than happy to let the other leaned over him to get a better look, while Polterpup let out a huff. Who was now annoyed with the constant movement. Floating over to Waluigi to rest on his lap instead while the twins took in the sights. 

The large rolling meadows of the Mushroom Kingdom were replaced with mountains and heavy forests. Creatures not seen by either of the brothers scuttled along the trees or flew above the foliage. The vibrant colors of their homes were replaced with warmer ones. Arrays of reds, oranges, and yellows out weighing the brown and tan, making the twins think of autumn. 

“We should move here.” Luigi teased. 

Mario laughed softly, shuffling to lean against his brother, “Think they celebrate Halloween here?”

“Oh goodness, I hope not. They have actual ghosts here. Could you imagine what else we would have to face down that would relate to Halloween monsters?”

“Funny how you mention ghosts but not the giant, fire-breathing turtle.”

“Well, then, don’t remind me.”

They shared a chuckle at that.

“How about we just talk Peach into a vacation here? A chance to explore more.” Mario continued.

“Maybe? I’m sure she wouldn’t be against it. But I would love to make sure we went somewhere we wouldn’t face some kind of danger.”

“With how this place is built? Good luck.”

“Aww…”

“If you had to pick, where would you want to go? Beach or mountains?”

“Hotel.”

“That wasn’t even an option!”

“I’m selecting a luxury hotel and you can’t convince me otherwise.” Luigi held back a screech as he pulled away from Mario, trying to avoid the fingers digging into his side.

There was a brief but silent scuffle as Luigi tried to keep Mario at bay. Both pausing when Waluigi let out a large snort before shifting to lay across Wario. The twin letting out small snorts at the action, deciding to settled down to allow the other brother’s to sleep peacefully. Both content to just watch the strange world go by.

The autumn themed forest eventually gave way to dry, grassy plains, the rolling hills of golden sand. The carriages only able to traverse by remaining on the pathways of what appeared to be tightly compressed sand. The twins needing to lower the brims of their caps to the sun wouldn’t blind them as they tried to take in all they could see. 

Which wasn’t much, as it was just a lot of sand. But having never seen a desert on Earth, this was still a new experience. 

Waluigi began to wake at this point. Cracking his neck as he sat up, pushing away from Wario while holding Polterpup closer, quickly turning his attention to the twins. Letting out a snort seeing their squinting faces. “Enjoying yourselves?”

“Don’t mock,” Mario said, “We’re just curious.”

“So, sightseeing trumps keeping your eyes from cooking inside your skull?”

“Okay wise guy, what genius idea do you have in mind?”

Reaching forward, Wario pulled the tinted shade down over the window. Snorting when the twins looked at said item in shock.

“Oh,” Luigi said, “...To be fair, we didn’t know about that.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that.”

Mario turned to sit back down properly, focused on Waluigi as the younger twin brought down the shade for the other window. “Do you think we’re close?”

“Don’t know, it’s all just sand. No landmarks. It’s all the same to me.” Waluigi casually commented back while running a hand along Polterpup’s back.

“Haven’t you been to this kingdom before?”

“Pfft, no, what gave you that idea? New Donk was the first time out of the Mushroom Kingdom for me. All I know about this place is that it’s stupid hot. So, I hope you like the heat.”

Luigi gave a small groan in defeat, but nothing more was said.

“So, you haven’t even met the king and queen from this place?” Mario continued. 

With a small hum, Waluigi settled back into his seat a little more. “I mean, King Olivine visited the Mushroom Kingdom from time to time. Guess you could say I’ve seen him. But I’ve never met the queen. And even with Olivine, it’s always been from a distance…”

“You dated Daisy, but never visited or met her parents?” Luigi frowned.

“Do you really think any of those royal bloods would be happy to hear that their only heir to the throne was dating a commoner? Even more so, dating a well known criminal?” Waluigi grumbled, “We kept our relationship as best of a secret we could. Letters were easy to hide and cheaper than trying to find passage to and from here.”

“Has anyone in this carriage been to the Desert Kingdom before?” Mario asked. 

“Think that through again and look at the two of us. What do you think?”

“...Good point.”

“We’re all getting a first look at this kingdom. This’ll be interesting.”

The carriage jostled slightly as the pavement beneath suddenly changed. Tightly packed sand changed to rather bumpy cobblestone, Polterpup slightly annoyed to be woken up again. Those who were awake leaned over to see all they could out of the window. Just catching a glimpse of wide doors before stepping onto the large castle’s entrance grounds. A large pool of water greeted them first. One that stretched back towards the towering structure of the castle itself. Occupants inside the carriage noticed small pathways of water breaking away from the larger source. All flowing past the castle and into a tightly packed town that laid past the royal structure. 

The carriages continued their way in approaching the castle. Only stopping when they were right in front of the grand steps leading up. 

“...Anyone notice how quiet it is?” Waluigi mumbled out. 

“I was about to say the same thing.” Mario replied.

Turning away from the window, Luigi looked at the other two, “Where are the guards?”

As if waiting for that cue, there was a sudden flood of cactus-like beings dressed in silver armor and carrying spears rushing towards the carriages. All becoming surrounded very quickly as said weapons were brandished towards them. Mario instantly pulled Luigi away from the window, the younger twin letting out a small yelp from the sudden change. Polterpup’s hackles raising as they let out a low growl, moving to the floor and focusing on the carriage door.

“This is really not the welcoming I was expecting,” said Waluigi with a frown, “I mean, I wasn’t waiting for a warm reception but- Would you wake up!”

As Waluigi shoved his brother off, Wario hit the wall of the carriage. Waking with a harsh snort and grunt. Looking around frantically as he searched for his ‘attacker’. “What happened?”

“We’re here.” Waluigi replied back.

“You couldn’t have woken me up normally!”

The argument was cut off when the carriage door was forcefully opened. With numerous calls of ‘Get out!’ pointed at the brothers. Mario took the lead while having a hold of Luigi’s arm and keeping the younger twin behind him. Polterpup barked as they floated between the four brothers, doing their best to keep the guards away. The twins on edge as they were led towards the castle’s front steps. Wario and Waluigi follow at a more easy pace. Keeping an eye on everything, just in case, but trying not to get too worked up over it.

When they found Peach and Toadsworth being led further on, Luigi had to grab onto Mario’s arm to keep the other from rushing forward. Daisy soon joined them, not held at spear point, but still caged in from every side. Arms crossed with a look of clear disgust on her face. 

“Daisy! Oh, my dear Daisy.”

Attention was pulled to the grand golden steps. Where a slim woman, seeming to sparkle and shine in the sunlight, quickly descended. Long golden hair seemed to merge with her flowing veil when both billowed from behind her. Even her tan skin appeared to merge into her dusty golden gown. Her clear green eyes stood out further from her complexion, which were directed at Daisy. She waved her hands as a silent command for the guards to step away. Allowing her to pull Daisy into a tight hug.

“Mom,” Daisy let out a low groan, “stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Well, pardon me for being concerned about my daughter who just left us in the middle of the night! What were you thinking? You don’t even leave us a message?”

“I was on a rescue mission! Look! Look who I brought back.” Daisy pulled away to stand next to Peach. Who looked a little nervous when the desert Queen turned her focus. 

“Oh…is that Peach?” the queen breathed out, eyes wide.

Peach offered a low bow as she quietly said, “Hello, Queen Monazite. It’s been…many years.”

Toadsworth offered a small bow of his own, “Madam, it’s good to see you again.”

Letting out a small coo, Monazite lifted Peach to stand back up. “Look at you. You’ve grown into a wonderful young woman. What a horrible greeting this is! Put those weapons away, we have guests. Goodness, we know better than to act in such a way.”

All were able to relax as the spears were lowered. Monazite gave the guards a hardened glare before her face softened to greet her guests. “Even with how sudden this visit is, we happily welcome all of you. And I believe I see some new faces among the crowd.” 

The four brothers stood a little taller as the queen approached them, Polterpup hunkering down in front. Just in case. Guards parted the way quickly as their queen walked forward while Monazite offered each a warm smile.

“I welcome you all to the Desert Kingdom, and to the Sarasaland castle. Despite the rather rough opening, we are happy to have you here.”

“Mom,” Daisy stepped in, “This is Wario and Waluigi, old childhood friends.”

“I do believe those names are familiar. Your father may have had a few stories about two young rebels that interrupted some meetings. All in good fun, I would hope,” Monazite gave a small laugh, “Wonderful to finally put a face to the names. And what of-”

The smile that held strong slipped away as her attention turned to the twins. Appearing to be in stunned silence before whispering out, “Humans.”

“These are the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, and the main reason why I just…left. I figured they could help us! You know, with the recent issue we’ve been having?”

The surprise fell away as Monazite fixed her daughter with a pointed frown. “Daisy-”

“That temple is causing too much trouble and you know it! Dad’s being an ass for not asking for help and we can’t just keep sending random people in! So, I decided to go get the help we need. I brought the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom here to help us.” Daisy beamed as she placed her hands on her hips. 

Monazite, however, did not seem to share this optimistic.

The queen turned to the small group once more, her smile a bit wary now. “While I’m happy to have you here and that you would willingly arrive with the intention to help… Our king will have the final say in this. Which will be hard to do at this moment.”

“Because he’s a stubborn ass.” Daisy mumbled. 

“Don’t say such things, Daisy.” 

“But-” The retort fell silent when Monazite held up her hand. 

“They will not be allowed entrance unless the king grants it. Your father has the final say.”

“We’ll talk to him,” Peach said, “I’m sure if we state our caste, we’ll be able to convince him.”

“...Very well, if you believe this. Please follow me.”

The guards followed close as Monazite led the way into the large castle. Unlike the solid walls with tall windows as found in the Mushroom Castle, this building was as open as they could be. No glass covering the wide arches to allow a breeze through, the windows decorated to distinguish against the doorways. Even with the openness, the interior was in shadows that paired well with the comforting breeze. 

Monazite waved her hand to one of the large rooms, one that held numerous maps and papers. Both hanging on the walls and littering the long, narrow table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. Opposite from where the group entered was Kind Olivine, surrounded by bi-pedal mouse creatures wearing robes of yellow and red. Small spectacles resting on their pointed noises as they peered over as many pieces of parchment they could grab onto.

Olivine’s gruff and very stressed demeanor that had been focused on the table melted away when he saw Daisy. Gently pushing past the group of scholars to pull his daughter closer. “Daisy! My darling flower, where did you go? What were you thinking disappearing on us like this? Are you hurt?”

“Dad, I’m fine.” Daisy’s voice was muffled by the king’s golden robes.

“I’m so happy to hear this… I suppose you’ll also be fine with being confined to your room for at least a week for this action.”

That got Daisy to push away, looking absolutely indignant with what had just been said, “You can’t be serious!”

“I should be saying that to you. Do you even know the panic you put us into? I had my top men shift focus from the ruins to trying to figure out where you could have gone.”

Daisy looked a little uneasy at that. “You haven’t sent anyone else in, have you?”

“No…but the situation has grown worse. I’m fearful of the weakened structure our excavating has done.”

At that, Peach stepped forward. Doing her best of royal control. “How much worse?”

Olivine faltered once more, a soft whisper of ‘Dahlia’ escaping him. Only to quickly push past that with a stern face and a sharp, “Princess Peach, I was not aware you were…”

“Clearly. Daisy arrived at my kingdom saying that you needed help. To which I’ve arrived with, um, our heroes.” She gestured a hand over to where Mario and Luigi stood.

Sharp eyes turned to the two humans, both faltering slightly under the cold gaze. The desert king seeming to fully take everything in. Instead of being impressed by the heroes or relieved that some kind of help had arrived, Olivine appeared furious. 

“While the offer is appreciated, it won’t be needed. Thank you for bringing my daughter home. I will request that you return to your home at this time.”

“What- Dad!” Pulling away from her mother’s hold, Daisy blocked Olivine’s path as he made his way back to the group of advisors. Narrowing her eyes as she started him down. “If the situation is becoming worse, then this already stupid plan is now painfully classified as a suicide mission. It was bad enough before! But now I really have to question if you really care about our people.”

Olivine puffed out his chest, clearly angry. “Daisy, I will not be talk to as-”

“Too bad! You pulled me out of Peach’s life before with a stupid reason of having me focus on our kingdom. The very one that you’re clearly tossing aside! For what reason? Pride? I think with how the world is going, it would be best to forget about all of that. Can you please start being a decent king for our people? Can you do that?”

Taking a deep breath, Olivine lowered his raised shoulders before addressing his father once more. “I…understand where your concerns arise from. However, with the target on the Mushroom Kingdom-”

Daisy let out a noise of disgust, rolling her eyes. “I’m calling on my status to allow the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom to help us. They have my full permission to do what they need and go where they need to keep our kingdom safe.”

“Very well, if you’re so sure. I’ll allow you this overruling.”

“Oh trust me, I don’t need your ‘allowance’.”

With that, Daisy turned and made for the door. Making sure to grab Mario and Luigi’s wrists to pull them along. Peach, Wario, and Waluigi quickly followed after. Leaving Toadsworth in the room with a clearly angry Olivine and silently amused Monazite. The elder Toad tapped his cane to pull attention. 

“I’m unsure where your head is at the moment, your highness. But I would advise you remove it from where it’s lodged.” With that, Toadsworth turned to Monazite. “I don’t suppose you could find accommodations for us?”

“Of course, follow me.”

Olivine was left to feel gobsmacked, the room filled with nervous tension. The advisors flinching slightly as their king turned sharply to face them. Not a word shared as they shuffled the paperwork once more.

A few hallways away, the twins were still being dragged along by a clearly furious princess. Daisy seemed to not have a plan on where to go. Just stomping around, hissing and mumbling with heated words that the brothers couldn’t really make out. 

“Daisy, y-you’re going to pull o-our arms out.” Luigi whispered frantically as they stalked the hallways. Only to wince when Daisy practically threw their arms down. Both rubbing their shoulders once free.

“I can’t believe him!” Daisy let out a noise of rage as she began to pace. “What a stupid, stupid man-”

“You can’t worry about…all of that right now. You’re calling the shots at the moment, and it seems like we’re on borrowed time. We need to get to that temple. Now.” Mario said in a hopefully calm demeanor. 

It did calm Daisy down enough to stop pacing. Looking past the twins as the rest of the party joined them. Luigi let out a sigh of relief as Polterpup pressed against his sore shoulder. The chill giving comfort as the heavy conversation began again.

“I can’t believe you pulled something like that.” Peach hissed, looking more than a little worried.

Daisy waved her hand, “It’s been a long time coming, to be honest.”

“Well, it’s not going to make the conversation about re-establishing our kingdoms again easier.”

“You know it was never going to be easy.”

“You didn’t exactly help.” Waluigi mumbled out. 

“Pardon me for putting my foot down,” Daisy crossed her arms. “I hope you know we wouldn’t be able to have this conversation if I hadn't done anything!”

“Joy. Now this already stressful situation is 10 times worse.”

“Listen here you-”

“Okay,” Wario quickly stepped in. Actually holding onto Daisy’s arm to keep her from hitting Waluigi. “Let’s try and keep a cool head. We need a plan on how to handle each part.”

“Do you have the tools we need for this?” Mario’s question points to Wario.

“Yep.”

Luigi held out a bag with a few golden bones to his brother. “Just in case you get separated from Polterpup.”

“You sure?”

“You’ll need someone good with searching, and with going through walls.”

“That is a good bonus.” Waluigi added. 

“Then we’re about as prepared as we can be without actually being there,” Wario nodded, “What about the rest of you?”

“Queen Monazite may be our best first goal.” Peach stated with Luigi nodding.

Waluigi, however, looked unsure. “She’s not very vocal.”

“Mom’s not a fighter,” Daisy weakly agreed. “But if we can get her on our side, we might have a better time convincing dad.”

“Let me try and talk with her. Maybe I’ll be able to find some even ground.” Luigi offered.

“Do you think a queen will open up to a new commoner?” Waluigi frowned.

“Would you like to talk with her?”

“...Not really. But I’ll be nearby for emotional support.”

Peach nodded with a smile, “Same.”

“Couldn’t ask for more.” Luigi beamed. 

“And while you’re dealing with that,” Daisy faced Mario and Wario with a wide smile, “I’ll be with you two.”

“You’re not going to-” Mario’s worry was paused when Daisy shook her head.

“I’ll be waiting for you two outside. But I need to be there to grant you authority to enter these areas. Plue, it’ll also be nice to have someone to greet you once you get out.”

Wario slowly nodded, “That…sounds reasonable. I like that idea. I’m expecting some good food when we get this problem fixed.”

“You got it.”

Mario shook his head with a small laugh. Twitching slightly when Polterpup jumped onto his shoulder, a small chill fell over him. He looked over as Luigi drew closer. 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Luigi whispered softly.

“Of course,” Mario pulled his brother close with a smile. “We’ll be back by nightfall, no doubt. You just focus on what you can while you’re here, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Luigi pulled Mario into a tight hug, who returned it. Both taking a few seconds to relax into the embrace before pulling away, their names being called. 

Mario gave a small nod with a smile, turning to join Wario and Daisy. Polterpup happily resting on his shoulder. The younger twin remained rooted to the spot as he watched the other three disappear around the corner. Only turning away when Waluigi placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“They’ll be okay.” The taller brother said easily.

“...I hope so.” Luigi replied back. 

[fanfiction-butterfree]

THE NANNY NAMED LUIGI

CHAPTER V: Berries and Pancakes

The Darklands. A land with a history stretching back millenia to a time before the old kingdoms ruled the world. With monuments and buildings so old that the very events that led to their construction have gone from history, to romanticized tales, to folklore, to mythology. In one of those buildings whose origins have long been lost, the current ruler of the Darklands, King Bowser Morton Koopa was lying in his bed, dormant after a long night in his office. 

Lemmy: GIMME BACK MY TOY! 

Larry: NO IT'S MY TOY! 

Until now.

Bowser: Another day, another argument. 

The king of the Darklands groaned into his pillow. 

Lemmy: IT'S MINE! 

Iggy: DAD!!! 

The king of the koopas prepared to give his usual speech. 

Luigi: Huh this is a nice toy. 

Lemmy: GIVE IT BACK! 

Larry: IT'S MINE! 

Luigi: Hmmm, no. Until I can determine whose toy it is, I'm keeping it. 

Iggy: DAAAAAADDD! 

Bowser: LISTEN TO THE NANNY! 

Lemmy, Larry, & Iggy: NOOOOOO!!!!

There was a brief sound of fireballs. 

Lemmy, Larry, & Iggy: WE SURRENDER! 

Luigi: Now clean up and get ready for breakfast. 

Lemmy, Larry, & Iggy: Yes sir! 

There was a knock on Bowser's bedroom door. 

Bowser: Come in! 

Luigi: Just wanted to tell you breakfast is al….

A subtle blush appeared on the nanny's cheeks. 

Bowser: Al what?  

Luigi: You're…

His blush increased

Bowser: I'm what? 

Luigi: Not wearing any shirt..

His blush increased further. 

Bowser: Oh… Like what you see?

Luigi: I-I-I. BREAKFAST IS ALMOST READY! 

He ran out of the room, his face redder than a tomato. 

Bowser: Guess not. 

Bowser took a quick shower and got dressed. 

He decided to wear a dark chocolate colored single breasted three piece suit with notch lapels, a waistcoat with notch lapels, a white cutaway collar shirt with french cuffs and gold coin shaped cufflinks, a black tie in a windsor knot, a dark red pocket square, black dress socks, and brown dress shoes. 

On his way to the large dining room Bowser couldn't help but think about the night before. He and Luigi had talked and joked for hours, he couldn't remember the last time he'd done that with anyone. He paused, and suddenly remembered. It had been a few nights before his wife died. He straightened his tie and continued walking.

Normally his kids would grab their food from the table, eat it somewhere else, and then give their empty plates to the servants.

Bowser: It wasn't always like this.

He muttered to himself. 

Before his wife's passing they ate almost every meal together. Now they only ate together if there was some state event that required the press to take pictures of them as a family. 

Bowser: Family. Ha. 

He snarled. 

The last time they had a single meal together that didn't involve cameras was about a month after his wife died, on what should have been her birthday. 

It was also the last time he didn't eat alone 

He reached the door to the dining room. 

The king didn't want to turn the knob, he didn't want to eat alone anymore, he wanted to see their smiling faces again and not just when they wanted something, he wanted to be treated like a person again. 

Bowser: Suck it up! 

He growled to himself. 

With dread the lord of the koopas turned the knob. 

Luigi: Morning Mister Bowser! 

Bowser Junior: Hi papa! 

Lemmy: Hi pops! 

Larry: Morning pops! 

Iggy: Hello pops! 

Before the king stood a table surrounded by his nanny, and four of his children. 

And they were smiling?

He rubbed his eyes. 

They couldn't be smiling, he hadn't seen them smile like that in years. And yet here they were grinning happily, looking at him with a warmth he hadn't seen in so long. 

There was a chair ready for him

The king sat down in it, right between Bowser Junior and Iggy. His two youngest children. 

Luigi: Toast sir? 

Bowser: Yes, Mister Luigi. 

In front of him were stacks of toast, pancakes, kachhua berries (roughly the size of strawberries, the shape of grapes, and with taste best described as peach mixed with honey and rosewater), bacon, grilled kame roots (eggplant like in structure, a mix of potato and avocado like in taste. Its appearance is akin to pale white ginger), fried eggs, fried darklands mushrooms, and eastern mountain rice sweetened with sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. 

The king smiled.

Bowser: Lemmy pass me the bacon, i'm feeling hungry today.

Lemmy: Sure pops! 

The lord of the koopas stroked the heads of his youngest children, then dove into the food. 

The rest of the meal was filled with a rare joy as the king and his children happily shared their breakfast. 

But throughout it one question was on Bowser's mind. "How did the human do in one day what others couldn't do in years?" 

The king of the darklands spent his day from morning to night preparing for the conference the following day. Rulers and ambassadors from across the world were going to gather in the Fire Hall. 

The Fire Hall is located in the Iron Castle. A section of the Bowser's castle carved out of an active volcano by the Armored Emperors. The Armored Emperors ruled the Darklands during the Age of War when the Ruined Kingdom and the Alliance of the Seven Empires fought a long and brutal series of wars, and ended when the Ruined Kingdom fell. The Iron Castle was built to be able to withstand the strongest attacks of the time, and is still considered one of the safest parts of Bowser's Castle. 

Within the Fire Hall the Rulers and Ambassadors were going to gather to discuss a variety of topics ranging from determining how much water each nation got from a shared river, to fruit tarifs, to the stationing of troops along borders. 

Bowser sighed. 

In his mind there was one topic that mattered more than any other. Which nations were willing to form an alliance with the Darklands. 

Despite the years of peace, and the many efforts by the nation's Ambassadors and celebrities, the Darklands was still regarded as the Beast Boo of the West by most if not all the leaders of the world. An inherently hostile but supremely powerful nation, that countries only traded with because they feared what might happen to them if they refused to. Something the King of the Koopas knew all too well. 

He'd spent four years trying to change the nation's and his own reputation, and if tomorrow failed to produce even a sign that one state was willing to form an alliance, then those four years were wasted. 

A malicious smile appeared on the Ruler of the Koopas face.

Bowser: Hehe, then again, I can always force someone to become our "ally".

He heard a knock on the door.

Bowser sighed. 

Bowser: Come in. 

The nanny in green walked in. 

Luigi: I made some fresh Lasagna for dinner and was wondering if you'd like to join me? 

Bowser: Dinner? But it's only

He looked at the intricately carved grandfather clock next to his desk. 

Bowser: Ten at night….

Luigi: Lost track of the time? 

Bowser: That's one way to put it. 

The king looked at his desk. 

Bowser: But I don't have time for dinner. I still have work to do! 

Luigi: What kind of work?

Bowser: I have to make sure everyone at the conference gets meals they'd like! 

Luigi: Your chef can handle that. 

Bowser: Check the cameras in the Iron Castle. 

Luigi: Your chief of security can handle that. 

Bowser: Make sure the kids don't bother the people coming to the conference. 

Luigi: That's my job. 

Bowser: But there's still so much to do for the conference tomorrow! 

Luigi: And you've done enough! 

Bowser: What?

Luigi: You've spent over twelve hours working on preparing for tomorrow, and that's just today. I don't know how much time you've spent in total, but I know when its time to stop, and that's now! 

Bowser stood up. 

Bowser: I'M THE KING OF THE KOOPAS, EMPEROR OF THE DARKLANDS, SOVEREIGN OF SHYGUYS, MASTER OF BULLET BILLS, RULER OF GOOMBAS, AND LORD OF ALL WITHIN THE BORDERS OF MY KINGDOM! HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!?!

An emerald fire appeared in the human's eyes and fists. 

Luigi: AND I'M THE NANNY! 

Bowser sat back in his chair in shock. No one who worked for him had ever defied him. 

The flames in the nanny's eyes and hands dissipated. 

Luigi: Besides, if you die from exhaustion I'll need a new job. 

The nanny grinned warmly 

Bowser chuckled

Bowser: You have a point. 

Luigi offered his hand

Luigi: So I'll ask you again. Would you like to have dinner with me? 

The King accepted his hand.

Bowser: Yes I would.

The pair left the office, and continued talking. Thoughts of the next day far behind them. 

In some distant land far from the Darklands a storm was raging, as a certain golden haired ruler stared at her invitation from the confines of her blood red and bone white colored fortress. 

Golden haired ruler: Soon Bowsie. Soon you'll be mine. MWAHAHAHAHA!! 

She laughed maniacally as her servants cowered in fear. 

Meanwhile in a different part of the world, a certain black haired hero woke up with a start. As he felt something he hadn't felt in four years.

Mario: Something's headed for my brother. 

He ran out of his house. 

Mario: Something evil. 

[creativesnek]

Going Against the Current: Chapter 2

 

I want you to make me a dress.

            The words rattled in Luigi’s mind. His jaw dropped. He stared in utter shock at Bowser, almost believing he misheard him. 

Bowser.

His incredibly tall, handsome, and buff fire breathing Koopa of a boyfriend.

Wanted a dress.

            Not just any dress. But one designed and made by his own hands. Luigi never foresaw this coming. Bowser had a rather masculine disposition. He was a gym rat and car enthusiast. He was boisterous and proud; the top of the relationship! Bowser doesn’t let anyone get in the way of his goals. Sure, he had a soft side, especially towards him and his kids, but that was it. A king with an infamous reputation, a leader of a powerful military. Yet here he was asking for something delicate. To say this was uncharacteristic was the understatement of the century.

            Luigi blinked once. Twice. Standing completely frozen on the spot. Bowser, worried about his boyfriend and anxiously waiting for his response, snorted and nudged him with his head. “L? You good?”

“...”

           The king gently cupped his face with his hand, an easy feat due to their size difference. Luigi’s face reddened at the gesture, shyly looking at the scaled hand holding him before gazing into the ruby-red eyes that were staring at them. Swallowing saliva, he said “Excuse me?” in a squeaky voice.

Bowser put a hand on his hip. “I want to commission a dress from you,” he repeated. 

Luigi’s lip quivered. “W-Why?”

The king shrugged. “I’m curious.”

“Curious about wearing a dress?”

            The royal chuckled and released his hold. Luigi’s face reddened further; he was unsure of how to react. There’s certainly more to this than Bowser was letting on. He crossed his arms. “Well, you indulge in my hobbies sometimes, so I thought it would be fair to do the same for you,” he replied.

Luigi tapped his chin, “T-that’s true… B-but you don’t have to!”

“I want to. It makes you happy and I’m curious of what it’s like,” replied the king with a wink. “You know I do whatever I want.”

            Luigi could not resist the laugh that escaped from him. It was true that Bowser did what he wanted when he wanted. In a way, that’s what he finds alluring of the beast before him. He was unafraid of taking initiative; it made him a great king and military leader, as well as a good father. While some people may disagree with this, seeing it more as a villainous trait, they fail to see the bigger picture. Without such a strong sense of charge, the Darklands may have crumbled. In such a harsh environment as this kingdom, one has to be quick on their feet and of sharp mind; Bowser had both qualities.

            Still… His shock was more than warranted. Luigi has done commissions for all kinds of people, but he’s never done one for someone like Bowser. It would certainly be challenging, considering how customized this dress would need to be; he doesn’t want it to rip when Bowser’s taking a deep breath. Plus, his brain was currently imploding at the thought of him wearing such a thing. Bowser in a suit? He can handle that… Kind of. But a dress? A-all those chiseled muscles b-being held back by d-delicate fabric-

“Already ‘planning’ what I’ll look like?~”

            Luigi elbowed him and pulled his cap over his eyes. Bowser crept behind him and twirled his mustache with his claw, “I don’t blame ya, I am irresistible~” he growled. The flustered human made a choked squeaking sound and pushed his giant boyfriend away. 

“Not the stache! I just groomed it!”

            The Koopa King let out a belly laugh. Distancing himself, Luigi ran his fingers through his facial hair, shaping it to its iconic state. Bastard, he thought. But he's my bastard, so I’ll allow it. Having laughed himself silly, Bowser wiped a tear away and gathered himself. He crossed his arms, “So, whadda ya say, babe? Up for the challenge?” he asked with a cheeky smile. 

Luigi nervously scratched his face. “I guess it could be fun… Yeah sure.”

             Bowser smiled. Luigi was taken aback by his reaction but swiftly found it heart-warming. It reminded him of the time he revealed his cross-dressing hobbies to him. One day he was trying on his newest creation, a navy and lime green dress with puffy off-sleeves. He had been so engrossed with his reflection, he didn’t notice Bowser had walked in until he heard him chirp. When Luigi looked at him, the koopa’s eyes were fully dilated and his tail was nothing but a blur. At first, he had been terrified, fearing Bowser would lose interest in someone like him; however, he could not be farther from the truth. He swiftly commented on his appearance and praised his handiwork; heck, the next day, Bowser had this sewing room made just for him. 

            As the drive grew within him, Luigi quickly collected his measurement tape and other miscellaneous tools. He looked at Bowser with a smile; his lover responded with a toothy grin.

.

.

 .

            It has been a few weeks since the king's unique request, and the mustached human sure was determined to deliver. After taking the mighty ruler's measurements (ignoring Bowser's flirts), Luigi set out to work. Luckily, Bowser’s request was not too dramatic; in fact, he pretty much left it up to Luigi.

Surprise me, he seemed to say. 

            Luigi felt giddy as he worked. He adored the feeling of fabric between his fingers and imagining his boyfriend’s reaction was excellent motivation. Knowing Bowser, he would like something flashy yet practical with dark colors to match his sharp accessories. So, he designed the darkest fabric he had and started on his task.

            Designing and making something like this for someone so big was challenging; Luigi even pulled a few all-nighters to get it done. He spent hours sewing and stitching, carefully crafting every detail of the dress. During his forced breaks, all he could think about was his special project. One time, when he got home from the Darklands and went to sleep, Mario said he had gone to check on him and it looked like Luigi was sewing in his sleep! And after those long weeks passed, Luigi’s handiwork stood before him, standing in all its glory on a custom-made mannequin.

            The little man in green straightened the fabric, admiring the ripped pattern of the skirt. The gothic dress was as dark as night with lace off-shoulder sleeves, perfectly polished crimson diamonds decorating the waistline. He was particularly fond of the “tattered” appearance, almost as if the wearer had just returned from battle. A very Bowser thing to do. Luigi fanned his hands, stimming by the excitement, then he rushed out of the room. He traversed the lava-lit hallways of his castle, feverishly looking for his royal boyfriend. Oh, Luigi just couldn’t wait to see his face! He wants to see how it looks on him! 

WHERE TF IS HE?

            Luigi checked the throne room, the kitchens, the piano’s den, but found no one. He has some of the staff and they all directed him to Junior’s room. Luigi sprinted through the halls, giggling to himself as he took turn after turn, practically tripping over his feet. He slowed down once he saw a large wooden door with an orange insignia, Junior’s face grinning mischievously back at him. As quietly as he could, Luigi pulled the door open and peeked inside, smiling at the sight before him. 

            Junior was on his father’s head, mashing the buttons of his Joy-Con; meanwhile, Bowser tapped on the delicate buttons, skillfully performing combo after combo with a triumphant smirk on his face. The characters on the large screen on the wall were thrown back and forth across the arena; by Junior’s growls and snorts of smoke, it didn’t take much for one to know he was losing.

GAME!

            The little prince groaned and rolled off his father’s head, landing in his hands. Bowser nuzzled him and laughed. Junior shook his tiny fists, “Cheater! You rigged the game!” he shouted.

“Now, now, Junior. Don’t be a sore loser.”

“*grr* You only won because Mama taught you to play,” Junior grumbled.

            Luigi guffawed at his reaction. The two royal koopas turned to him. Junior jumped away from Bowser’s grip and sprinted towards him, trapping his legs in a tight hug. The human male ruffled his hair, earning a few pleased clicks in return. Luigi looked up at Bowser, eyes twinkling. The king walked over to them and rubbed his face against Luigi’s, making a deep bellowing noise. Junior jumped and made grabby hands at them. The parents lifted him up and hugged him. Becoming Junior’s parent was one of the greatest presents life has given him. He loved the rambunctious bambino; Junior never fails to make him smile. None of the koopalings do. They all have such unique personalities and outlooks on life that it was refreshing.

            After a few moments, the trio split apart. Junior gently tugged on his pant leg, “Mama, can we play a game?” he asked.

“Later, piccolino. I need to borrow your dad for a moment,” he replied.

Bowser patted his hand “I think the others are having a race, why don’t you go join them? I’ll see you later, lil’ man.” he said.

            The young prince gave his parents one final hug before sprinting down the hall, giggling impishly. Luigi watched him go before suddenly being pulled by a hand on his waist. Bowser kissed his cheek, “Now what’s got you all fired up?” he asked. Luigi did not bother answering; the Italian climbed up his arm and sat on his shoulder. Bowser froze. “What’re you doing?” he asked with a chuckle. 

Luigi playfully tugged on his horns, “I did it! I finished the dress!” he exclaimed.

“Really? Then let’s go then!”

            The duo headed back to the sewing room. Once they arrived, Bowser reached for the doorknob but Luigi stopped him by covering his eyes. The king laughed, the movement almost shaking Luigi off his shoulders. After blindly opening the door, he carefully walked inside. He sniffed around, surprised by the new smell of fabric; L must have imported some materials from the neighboring kingdom, for they lacked the ashy, volcanic smell of Darklandian fabric. Luigi urged him forward; the beast took a few steps before stopping. “All right, you can get off now,” he said.

“Don’t open them yet!”

“Okay, okay. I won’t!”

            Luigi jumped off his shoulder and took his hand, moving him forward. Then, he moved away. 

“Okay, now open them!”

            His boyfriend slowly opened his eyes, the nictitating membrane pulling away to reveal those mesmerizing red eyes. It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at. Luigi bounced on the balls of his feet, watching with wide eyes as Bowser circled around the mannequin, sniffing it every now and then and softly feeling the fabric between his fingers. His eyes glittered with all sorts of emotion: curiosity, amazement,��pride. Luigi’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. Moments of praise and appreciation were greatly cherished by him, having lived on the sidelines for a great portion of his life. These moments were even more special considering they were coming from his boyfriend.

A heavy thud pulled him away from his thoughts.  

            Bowser has removed his shell, casting it to the side. He started taking off his spiky bracelets but stopped and looked at Luigi. “...I’m gonna need help putting this on,” he said with a blush. Luigi smiled at him, then rolled his sleeves up. 

            With his sharp jewelry and armor gone, the two undertook the daunting task of putting the gown on. Bowser, so unfamiliar with the dress feeling, would flail a little, nearly knocking Luigi over with his tail; the sight looked comical, it was like dressing up a massive doll. Nevertheless, he did it. And the king looked absolutely dashing.

            The gown’s skirt billowed out at the waist, falling down in layers of black material. Light reflected off the gemstones stitched to the waist, as well as Bowser’s scales, giving him an almost ethereal glow. It suited him very well, accentuating his immaculate physique. Luigi tugged on Bowser’s hand, “Down, please.” After gathering his skirts, the king obliged and kneeled before him. The human ran his fingers through his fiery hair, pulling some tufts over his eyes and sweeping the rest to his shoulder. 

“H-hey! Watch the mane!”

Luigi hushed him and continued styling his hair. Then he moved away and uncovered a nearby mirror, “Take a look!” 

            Bowser stepped forward, a cooing noise escaping his face. He stood there in awe for a second, taking in his reflection. He couldn't believe how magnificent he looked. Here he stood in a gown made of the finest materials, with intricate embroidery and sparkling jewels adorning it made by the person he loved with all his heart and soul. Bowser had never felt so elegant and powerful before. The colors, the ripped style… It all felt like him. Despite being a man in a dress, he still exudes that powerful, ominous aura. 

I’m ready to take down an entire army, and I’ll sure as hell look good doing it.

He turned to his consort, who stared at him in amazement.

"Behold!" Luigi declared, spreading his arms wide. "All hail Bowser! The most beautiful warrior king to ever live!”

            Luigi whistled and clapped. Bowser basked in his adoration, feeling more confident than ever. He felt unstoppable (more than usual) with his awesome new look. He suddenly felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around his waist, realizing it was Luigi hugging him. Without hesitation, Bowser picked him up. The human squealed with glee, having grown accustomed to his boyfriend’s habit. The Koopa King peppered his face with kisses and kitten licks, purring incessantly and his tail thumping against the stone floor. 

            Suddenly a beeping disrupted their wholesome moment. Bowser snarled, having half a mind in pulverizing the device responsible. Luigi murmured an apology before reaching into his pocket. The Koopa King reluctantly put him down so he could tend to his Dual Scream. He tapped on the tiny device, then sighed.  

“It’s E. Gadd. He needs help with some ghosts giving him grief,” he said. 

            Bowser quirked an eyebrow and gave him a look that said Really? Luigi nervously rubbed the back of his head. He sighed, then pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, “All right, fine. I guess I can share your attention, but just this once.” he said.

Luigi looked up from between his pecs, “Hmm. How thoughtful,” he quipped.

“Don’t sass me, green bean!”

            Luigi playfully rolled his eyes and tried pushing him away, but Bowser’s grip remained. He rubbed his face against Luigi’s, “Just be careful and give those annoying ass boos hell,” he whispered. 

            With a nod and a kiss, Luigi climbed off his arms and moved away from his arms. He looked up at him, “You need help getting out of this?” he asked. 

“I got it, babe. Now go make sure Boo doesn’t get loose or something!”

            Luigi jumped up and gave him another kiss on the lips before racing out of the room. Bowser touched his muzzle and sighed sadly. Oh well, that’s what he signed up for when dating a hero. He lifted the skirt, giggling impishly before he exited the room too. 

            As the beautifully dressed traveled through the halls, his minions stopped in their tracks, dropping anything in their hands. Bowser paid them no mind as he had more pressing matters to attend to; there has been a change of plans regarding his wedding attire.

[superbherbz]

my mario AU teehee

less of an AU, more of a potential continuation after the movie:

the star power had never been used before (or, not as far as anyone knows anyway).

it is the only known one to exist. so the effects of it weren't fully known before the brothers used it

the penguins had it in their possession circa the start of the movie because they'd actually been studying it, but it was taken from them before they could figure out anything substantial (all they'd ended up knowing for sure, and all they'd been able to pass on to their allies, was that it was very powerful)

worth mentioning that in this AU, only humans can use power ups, nobody else

this makes bowser's stealing of the star to get to peach a little different. peach is one of the only people in their world who could possibly harness its unknown power, so there's more of an undertone that he's just planning on using her for this ability

(of course he's still a little obsessed with her... not sure if this came before or after the plan to use her)

daisy is a human who exists in this world too, but she's not yet known, so peach is the only viable option to bowser

ANYWAY

enter: the mario brothers. two more humans in the mix, two more people who could potentially harness this power!

because humans are so rare and so potentially powerful, they're kind of mythic in this world (this is part of the reason peach rose to power, though obviously she didn't make people fear her or anything, just people(toads) knew she had power and this garnered respect)

this means having 2 more humans (tripling the number known to exist!) is just insane. it's scary, bowser has to capture them, because if they managed to power up with the star, he wouldn't know how to control them like he would peach as part of his plan

(his plan was ridiculous, he wouldn't have been able to control peach, it was all based on him assuming he already knew everything about her, when all he really knew was the made up version of her in his head that he was obsessed with)

BUT THE POINT STANDS! these 2 could get in the way! he has to eliminate them!

then things happen basically the way they happen in the movie. uh oh! he does not eliminate them and they do get the star power!

(plus apparently there's a whole other world full of humans. that's scary...)

but of course the bros are awesome, they beat bowser and send him home, and the star power wears off and all is well.

now scientists from the ice kingdom, as well as science ambassadors from all over are having the bros come over to be poked and prodded and interviewed about what exactly the star power was and the exact abilities it gave them. (I'VE GOT TO WRITE A FIC WHERE THEY ARE BEING EXPERIMENTED ON ISH LMAO!!!!) they have no other source for this, bc it was the only one, and now it's gone.

when they scan the bros, their bodies are a little strange, different to peach, but at first they think it's just bc males are built different on the inside in humans (they don't have any other comparisons!) and the bros aren't doctors (oh doctor mario... if only...) especially not magical doctors; they don't understand this technology, they don't understand that something is a bit off about them!

so they get let go after the experiments and scans are done, but they wanna check in every once in a while to see if anything changes

BUT SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT!!!!! there's still star power in their blood! they've got this weird energy inside them, both of them do! they just have to unlock it

SPOILER ALERT mario got fire power firebrand luigi got lightning power thunderhand heeheehee

[noelledeltarune]

7,8,13 for mario or pokemon please please please i love reading your hater thoughts

7 : what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? i don't know.... i don't think there's any character i have it in my heart to hate solely because of the fandom.. mario specifically is something i've always been into in a very self-contained way because being a nintendo series with like 200 games will, by nature, give many people many different interpretations of the characters. and i have a very specific interpretation myself so if i disagree with something it doesn't really affect my own viewing of the characters? if that makes sense. i will admit though i don't really understand the geno hype. i have played most of smrpg but he hasn't really done anything noteworthy yet????? (i'm not DONE but i'm at like the cloud kingdom place where mallow found out he's a prince) and a lot of people ship him with mario but i just don't get it yet. idk if it's a fanon substance thing or if it's just my own fault for playing the game too sporadically to really pay attention to the original characters.. but i love booster. i love mallow. i love how mario and peach and bowser are written in the context of this specific game. but geno has just not wowed me. less of a "began to hate because of how fandom acts" but "fail to see the appeal despite how fandom acts". this will probably change but it's my biggest mario series confusion. what do you all see in him 8 : common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about on a light note i will say luigi autism mario adhd. i have always seen mario autism luigi adhd personally. this has never been a big deal i just think that the roles should be switched occasionally on the "mario bros autism-adhd solidarity" posts. on a more annoying but slightly related note people like to write that mario is more impulsive than luigi to a significant extent like "luigi has to hold him back from doing stupid shit" extent and that is WRONG. we are clearly not talking about the same luigi who just randomly slept on a magic bed in a resort's museum and jumped on a glowing magic artifact in the middle of a wedding and published a book about himself where he lied about every single detail and renovated his house to build a secret diary room that he then sealed after like a week... and has literally anyone ever seen mario do something and luigi try to hold him back from it. no he is god's #1 enabler 13 : worst blorboficiation YOU KNOW WHAT. honestly mario. luigi is treated like shit also but mario has it so so bad. like we all know luigi has it so bad but SO DOES MARIO and no one talks about it. he has silent protagonist syndrome where people go "no dialogue? time to project EVERY annoying trope onto him so i can make his dynamic with luigi really weird!" like not to quote my own post but.

it bothers me so much because people who are obsessed with luigi (SPECIFICALLY bowser x luigi fans) LOOOOOVE writing mario as this like extremely overprotective older brother figure in a way they JUST DON'T ACT LIKE in canon and it's SO BOTHERSOME. it's exactly like how people write sans with papyrus x mettaton and it's just so. aren't we all tired. aren't you all tired.

just. fandom be normal about characters who are twins for 2.7 seconds challenge IMPOSSIBLE. and it's hard to talk about mario's characterization without luigi's because a lot of it is linked to me but dear god there is no shortage of he would not fucking say that. and there's not as much of this now but like. MATPAT. has RUINED my LIFE. that stupid fucking mario is evil theory makes me so mad like NO THE FUCK HE IS NOT.

it might just be me being crazy but i feel like where luigi DOES get treated like an incompetent baby or really resentful/jealous or whatever he's just such a more widely written character than mario by virtue of often not being the player character / protagonist the same way. like with luigi there's always a sense of (barring a few obvious things) "i can imagine him acting like this under certain circumstances" (not always the way that he's portrayed but often enough comparatively) whereas with mario it's like. dude has 7 personality traits and you're fucking it up.

like did you even read the source material 😔did you play A mario game. once. i just feel like he has it bad in a way that's less surface level. like peach and bowser and daisy also get pushed aside pretty frequently and reduced to surface level characteristics but with mario it's like. that's the protagonist. and the surface level characteristics he's reduced to aren't even ones he actually has. NOT TO MENTION that he has a really bad case of post-movie adaptation characterization 😭 HE IS NOT THAT INSECURE. WHERE IS HIS WHIMSY. HIS SILLY SWAG. PLEASE!!!! IT'S ALL HE HAS!!!!!!!!

[itsamenickname]

Can someone please recreate the "Peaches" scenes from the Mario movie, but instead of Bowser singing about Peach, change it to where Luigi is singing about Bowser?

[istadris]

Okay time for a Bowsario idea :

Bowser hatches one of his usual schemes that takes him somewhere in a distant land with his kids, with Mario chasing after him since he's stolen a Powerful Artefact. Thankfully Peach wasn't the target this time and Mario left her home with Luigi to watch over her.

But when Mario gets to the land Bowser went to...no sign of Bowser. Looking for info in a marketplace, he catches sight of an auction sales for...a Koopaling ??? Wait, is that Morton ??

Mario doesn't even think before punching the auction guy in the face, freeing Morton and running away with him in tow. Once they're hidden, it takes some time to properly communicate (between Mario being non verbal and Morton's issues when speaking), but here's what Mario learns :

In this land, Koopas are NOT well liked at all, and royal Koopas like Bowser and his kids even less. And sadly, the government of that land has tools specifically made to subdue powerful Koopas, so Bowser and his kids were captured and separated; some to be sold as slaves or pets, some as prizes for the government members, Bowser for unknown reasons. Only Junior managed to escape. But now where are the others? And where is Bowser ?

Once Morton is done telling his story, Mario nods, adjusts his cap and stands up with a determined glint in his eye. He walks some steps before looking back at Morton : is he in or out ? He's not going to force him to risk his life but he's not going to order him to hide if he wants to help.

Morton is a bit confused (this is Mario! He's their enemy! But he's nice to Morton. And he's not Mean like the people here...) but he immediately follows Mario. He wants to help Bowser and Little Bowser and all his siblings!

Lemmy quickly latches onto Mario when he's freed and doesn't leave his side. Morton's presence helped a lot.

Mario goes on with his quest to free the other Koopalings. Some immediately join him to help; others don't want anything to do with him at first, even trying to convince the others to leave him and look for Bowser themselves... but Mario, being both brave, gentle yet utterly done with any nonsense, slowly earns their respect.

Haven't yet decided of the order in which they're rescued but :

Larry runs away as soon as he's freed and lurks from afar for several days before finally joining, arguing that at least Mario is smarter than whoever else would be in charge otherwise (and causing a big brawl)

Iggy causes Mario to be captured himself as he causes a mess during his escape. He then shows up in Mario's prison, so amused by the shenanigans that he wants to return the favor.

Wendy outright refuses to be helped by Mario at first. Mario doesn't take no for an answer and carries her out by force, to her great indignation. He then drops her on her ass and leaves her to decide whether she wants to try her luck alone or stick with her siblings.

Ludwig willingly joins but tries to backstab Mario as soon as it seems practical to do so; only when half of the Koopalings dogpile him and threaten to break his shell does he stop.

Roy threatens to break the legs of anyone who still follows Mario, calling them traitors and mocking their weaknesses. Mario then flexes, which Roy takes as a challenge ; they fight, and once Mario has kicked his tail enough times yet helped him back up each time, he begrudgingly accepts his authority.

I can't decide if they find Junior before or after freeing Bowser. In any case, Junior is very angry, lost and confused about everything and especially about Mario being so nice to him in their darkest hour, and yet needing that comfort badly.

Bowser's liberation takes all of their efforts to pull off. The government leader wanted to use the Koopa King in a Big Ritual and so had him under max security. Bowser by this point is absolutely enraged and the sight of Mario doesn't help, causing him to go berserk.

Mario and the Koopalings almost manage to free Bowser before something goes wrong ; Mario hesitates, then kicks off the escape route once the Koopalings are on the other side, trapping himself in the stronghold so the kids can escape, and getting captured as well.

Bowser is furious...and confused. Why would Mario do that ? Doesn't he hate Bowser's kids as much as Bowser himself? Why come all the way here ? He convinces himself it's because Mario needs the Artefact back, but otherwise would just dump him in lava like he did in the past.

Thankfully the Koopalings manage to come back and this time pull off the escape successfully, freeing Bowser. Who is about to leave, and then notices Mario still there, knocked out by the battle...and he tries to not let his guilt show, but he can't risk upsetting his kids by saving their enemy, right?

Except three of the Koopings have already rushed inside, freed Mario and Morton is carrying him on his shoulder. And when Bowser protests for the principle, he's met with a row of loud protestations and complaints.

The trek back to the Darklands/Mushroom Kingdom is a long one, with the cruel government on their tail. It's not all smooth sailing; the Koopalinfa are still brats and Mario is horribly stubborn, constantly butting heads with Bowser. Who...finds himself liking it. Mario is one of the only people who is never afraid of him and doesn't hesitate to call him on his crap. Yet he's also always down for rough housing with the kids, listens patiently to thei ramblings, manages to soothe them back to sleep when they had a nightmare (when asked about it, he taps the letter on his cap and signs a L : he's used to taking care of his brother.)

And despite the danger and the strange situation, Bowser finds himself thinking that for once, just hanging out with Mario is...not so bad...? And when Mario starts spending more time by his side...Bowser likes it ?

It's a long way until home. It'll probably go away by then.

(It wooooooon't)

[omniversalobservations]

Epic Sends Out Survey Listing Potential Crossover Characters Including Peter Griffin, Goku, And Geralt

Epic has sent out a survey to Fortnite players asking them about their interest in certain crossover characters, including Peter Griffin, Goku, and Geralt of Rivia.

Prominent Fortnite insider and leaker ShiinaBR posted the list of possible characters, saying, "Yesterday, Epic sent me a survey in my emails asking for my opinion on many characters/people/franchises. I'll just post some of the most interesting ones here! Remember that Guggimon (Season 7 BP) was also in one of these surveys before he came into the game!"

The list spans several different categories including anime, movies, games, influencers and musical artists. There are some not-so-surprising choices like characters from The Matrix or influencers like Dr Lupo, and then there are some really strange choices like How I Met Your Mother and a slew of Nintendo characters, despite Nintendo not having anyone in the game so far.

Strangely, there are some characters on the list that have already been included in the game, such as Lara Croft, Harley Quinn, Batman, and Kratos. This hints that the survey might be based on old data and choices, or it could simply mean that Epic was measuring the reaction to characters who were already in the game.

There are several inclusions that correlate with files released during the Epic vs. Apple court trial earlier in the year, including Naruto, who was previously mentioned to be in discussion to come to the game. Another interesting choice is Family Guy - which presumably refers to Peter Griffin - which has already been referenced in the game through an emote that shows Peter in an edited version of the chicken fight.

It's worth noting that these characters surveys don't necessarily confirm any of the names mentioned. Epic sends surveys out like this quite often to gauge interest in possible crossovers. As Shiina said, Guggimon was on a previous survey before coming into the game, so they can be taken as little hints at what might be coming to the game.

Source: TheGamer

TV Shows

* The Witcher – This one seems inevitable given the size of the franchise, and I’d expect to see it closer to when season 2 debuts on Netflix. * Naruto * Seven Deadly Sins * Supernatural * Scooby-Doo * Ted Lasso – 11 more weeks until this season’s over, so they’d have to act relatively fast. * The 100 – Don’t underestimate how intense the fandom for this show is, even if it’s done airing. * Lost in Space * Gotham * How I Met Your Mother - What? No, no way. * The Joy of Painting - Bob Ross skin? Absolutely. * Star Wars: Clone Wars – Absolutely believe we’re getting an Ahsoka skin at some point. * She-Ra and the Princesses of Power * American Dad * Berserk * Dragon Ball Z – Dragon Ball Z is listed in a bunch of different places on this list, so would not be surprised to see that down the road. * The Boys – Once they run out of Marvel and DC heroes, time to give us Homelander and The Deep. * Breaking Bad * Peaky Blinders * Star Trek – I actually thought they had teased this already for the alien season, but nothing has shown up yet.

Video Games

* Uncharted – Could easily see a Nathan Drake skin coming in the future with the PlayStation collaborations they’ve already done * Clash of Clans * Rocket League * FIFA * Runescape * Ark: Survival Evolved * Rainbow Six * Borderlands – They already did this with a Psycho, but I would love to see actual Vault Hunters make their way into the game. * GhostWire Tokyo * Yoshi/Yoshi’s Island – How exactly does this work? Is he a mount? Also interesting that only Yoshi is here but no Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, etc. * Valheim * Control * Angry Birds * Horizon Zero Dawn – They already did an Aloy skin, maybe new variants when Horizon Forbidden West hits? * Paladins * Among Us * Final Fantasy – Probably would be one of the most popular skin pools to draw from, given the vast selection of characters they could use. * Madden NFL – Not sure how this would be different than the NFL skins they already did? * Crash Bandicoot * Splatoon

Comic/Anime

* Conan the Barbarian * Majin Buu – Here’s DBZ popping up again, suspicious. * Ghost Spider/Spider-Gwen * Daredevil – Not sure why, but there are a bunch of superheroes on this list that have already appeared as skins. Maybe just new costumes for them? * Darkseid * Drax * Squirrel Girl * Aquaman * The Sandman * Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia) * Ochaco Uraraka (My Hero Academia) * Falcon * Green Lantern – He and Wonder Woman are probably the two most major DC heroes yet to appear, so I think it’s only a matter of time for them. * Graham Aker (Gundam) * Riku Mikami (Gundam) * Wonder Woman * Iron Man * She-Hulk * Darth Vader

[...]

Movies

* Lord of the Rings – One of the biggest franchises this side of Harry Potter that hasn’t appeared in Fortnite yet. With an Amazon series coming up, this seems inevitable. * The Matrix * Jungle Cruise – So this would mostly be…The Rock wearing a hat? * Scream * The Expendables – Extremely random to see this here. * Nightmare on Elm Street * Independence Day * Harley Quinn (Birds of Prey) – They have already done the next three on this list, so not sure why they’re here. * Predator * Venom * The Grinch * Back to the Future – Something you sort of want if you are collective Metaverse IP. * Pokémon – Yes, give me those OG Ash, Brock, Misty, Jesse and James skins. * Zoolander * Eternals * Transformers * The Wizard of Oz * National Lampoon’s Vacation – What? Why? * Iron Man

Cartoons/Anime

* Bleach * Looney Tunes * Haikyuu! * Animaniacs * Batman * Transformers * Tom and Jerry * Invincible – Yes, Omniman skin when, complete with meme emote. * Mobile Suit G Gundam * Spongebob Squarepants – Would  be popular but also seems like it would be easy to shoot a giant yellow rectangle. * JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure * Mobile Suit Gundman Seed * Darling in the FranXX * Pink and the Brain * Masters of the Universe – I would die if they did this and only did a Teela skin, not He-Man. * Jujutsu Kaisen * The Fairly Oddparents * Family Guy * Gundam Build Fighters * Sword Art Online – Interesting not to see Attack on Titan or Demon Slayer on this list.

Video Game Characters

* Byleth * Luigi * Captain Price * Little Mac * Lara Croft * Trevor – Yes, Trevor and Franklin from GTA are here. Seems logical to include IP from the best-selling game in history. * Franklin * Steve * Hero * Chris Redfield * Joel – Could easily see Joel from TLOU coming over. No Ellie? Seems odd. * Kratos * Cammy – Yes, probably the only thing that could get me to stop using Chun-Li. * Goku – I mean I know he’s in video games but… * Ratchet * Snake * Naruto * Lady Dimitrescu – Obviously just want to see how they handle this in-game. * Meta Knight * Captain Falcon

So, those are the main choices. Wondering which of these will stand out, though my money is on Dragon Ball Z first and foremost.

Source: Forbes

(image via YouTube)

[istadris]

Oh I didnt mean "better" as in "more healthy or rational on the long term" XD

I think both are an awful outlook on the situation...as you point out, he can define his role in the massacre either through failure or helplessness.

It's not a healthy outlook, and I'm sure Bowser (or someone else) will point it out to him, but in Luigi's situation, i was guessing that if he pretends he has failed, he could have the illusion that it's on him only; that if it had been someone else, all those people could have lived.

He's wrong of course; there's no guarantee anyone else would have done better (look at Mario and Bowser, or even Daisy, who he would probably consider stronger or better than him, and yet got lured and captured or killed just as easily). And now the guilt is eating him alive. But the alternative is as terrifying if not more, and someone has to be blamed for the disaster so he can make sense of that horrifying situation.

It hurts so much to see how much Luigi thinks he could have changed things..."I should have gone earlier. I should have seen the signs. I should have stayed. I shouldn't have let him go. I should have done *something*"

And yet it's probably better for him to think this than to admit there was *nothing* he could have done to prevent the massacre.

That's an interesting take...

To me, it seems worse to drive yourself crazy over what you could've done and assign blame to yourself for something that was always out of your control.

But I can totally see your point. The fact that there was nothing Luigi could've done can give a sense of hopelessness.

You're either a hero that failed their duty or just some guy called a hero that was as helpless as everyone else.

[oh-hell-help-me]

Day 26: Nesting

It was hard after Bowser made a public announcement.

Surprisingly, it’s not for the reasons Luigi dreaded.

There was stares as he made on effort to go out more, yes, but they weren’t as hostile or scared as he was prepared for. In fact, some of the Kingdom’s citizens just seemed curious. Even then, it only took a few moments for them to simply carry on.

There was whispering, but most of the whisperers didn’t feel… wrong (his new sense didn’t come with an instruction manual, sadly)?

There was even the occasional confrontation, but they were over how he missed meetings at the book club (Shyly was very adamant about his attendance- when did he become a member?), or wanting to talk about The Plan. Some even sent him for Bowser over new developments.

It was… reassuring. To have his fears be just that: fears.

The problem lied in the fact that Luigi felt restless.

For three consecutive days, he had little to no sleep.

He should in all rights be fine! GREAT even!

He and Bowser settled into an official relationship, the progress of The Plan had whittled down the unemployment and homelessness rate to near-nothing, and he has a better grasp of himself than he has been a week ago!

But he still couldn’t sleep.

Of course, he hasn’t told anyone and had tried everything from warm milk (he stopped trying at three cups), to exercise (which didn’t tire him out), to counting sheep (he didn’t see much point after 152).

So he did the next best thing: skulking about the castle garden.

It was raining again, but it thankfully wasn’t the kind of night for lightning. Even then, getting wet doesn’t bother him as it did before he… changed.

He can count that as a perk, right?

So there he was, sitting on the castle wall (not as a 'shadow', for once) when something in the distant sky was spotted.

He had thought it was a cloud, or maybe a Paratroopa having a joyride (which is unsettlingly common).

Then he realized it was coming closer.

Luigi couldn’t say what made him freeze, but the sight of the rapidly approaching object had stuck him to that garden wall.

It's white and... orange? And seems to almost be as big as him-

It soars above his head, turning into tight, fast circles as it descends and-

It's a stork? Carrying... a soaking cloth bundle?

“…Huh?”

The bird doesn't answer, not even as it hefts the bundle into Luigi's startled arms- "Um-" and takes off with a flourish of dripping wings.

He would hate to admit it, but it takes a solid minute of standing there, watching the stork leave, before he realizes that the bundle feels solid.

He parts the cloth and looks inside.

Oh, it's an egg.

... HOLY SHIT IT LEFT AN EGG!!!

And of course Luigi is panicking!

Eggs should be warm, right?

He- tries to feel its temperature, but nearly slaps himself because he KNOWS he's cold-

And the egg has been traveling in a wet, wind-swept rag.

He sprints back to the castle, nearly slipping in the hallways as he tunnel visions for something- anythingplease-

He arrives at the Royal Wing, and hope never felt so good as when he turns to Junior's Room.

(Later, he'll realize that it's strangely empty for a reason.)

No one had taken apart the nest yet since it was still Storm Season, and he can only thank the Royal Koopas' pragmatism for having it relatively packed with soft warm blankets.

It doesn't stop Luigi from nearly putting it into disarray as he nearly buries the egg into it, nor lining the outside with an old heating blanket that he never quite trusted due to its high temperatures but-

It might as well be perfect for this.

When he's done, he could only sit at the nest's edge, trembling.

He hates that he doesn't know what to do.

Bowser woke up in a jolt by the worst Pulses he's ever felt.

It wasn't even Luigi's surprise or anxiety, something that is normal even though it was still horrible to feel. It was pure, unadulterated fear-

And it's still coming in overwhelming waves.

He's out of his bed in seconds, only pausing after yanking his door open to see Junior standing there- shivering and just as shaken as he is.

"Dad- something's wrong!"

It's all he needs to scoop up his son and hug him tightly, even as he hurried down the hall in frantic abandon- nearly bulldozing night patrols as he checks his room, the library, the kitchen, the meeting rooms, the garden-

He's not here-

"-ad!"

He couldn't find him, what if he-

"Dad!"

-was kidnapped again and why didn't he keep him closer-

"DAD!" He feels tiny hands smack his arm, having the Koopa look down, realize that he's hugging his son a bit harder than usual, and quickly relax his grip.

"I- Junior, I'm-"

"Not that! I can handle it!" Junior looks at him indignant. "Do you feel that?"

Bowser pauses long enough in confusion to realize that his son is right- the waves seem to be lessening. Almost down to ripples of indecision, shock, and other emotions that at least tell him that Luigi is very much still around.

And somewhat close, now that they can feel the direction where the Pulses are coming from.

Hefting Junior higher onto his shoulder, he heads down a few halls, taking a few familiar turns that eventually lead to... the Royal Wing?

He unwittingly slows down as he gets closer to the center point- closer to Junior's room.

How the hell did either of them miss him?

He opens the door-

And there the human was, already turning around to the sound of the door, next to their little nest-

"...Is that an egg?"

Luigi only answers him with a whimper.

[egadds-mechanics-inc]

my mario AU thingy

Ill link the fanfic at the end of the page, but be warned, its still not done yet.. Enjoy the messy ramblings and reading!

dont be scared to ask me questions! <3

---------

E. Gadd Inc. produces a new branch, for mechanics that can fix air conditioning and lighting, hiring King Boo and Bowser.

- a swap au, mario and luigi being royals and king boo and bowser being workers.

Main roles:

King Boo and E. Gadd’s main role

- E. Gadd makes a mechanical repair team out of Bowser and King Boo.

- King Boo has 2 forms, the human vessel, and the normal boo form.

- Everyone knows about King Boo's leadership and him getting dethrone.

- King Boo's deals w/ the knowledge of some of his people being trapped into and has to deal with the time being.

- E. Gadd makes one deal with King Boo that for every 100,000 dollars the company made, he would let one of the portrait ghosts.

- King Boo is stuck with E. Gadd, not able to be taken out of the Mushroom Kingdoms limit unless E. Gadd is close by. King Boo main task is to get his people out of the paintings, E.Gadd main task is to get cash.

Bowser’s main role

Bowser is an only dad with a biological son, Bowser Jr., and seven adopted kids (the Koopa kids)

Bowser is the only one to apply to this job besides a toad that had to leave at the last second.

He also carries many other jobs.

Bowser lives in a pretty ok house with 4 bedrooms.

Bowser is very caring for King Boo at times when needed.

Bowser teaches King Boo how to do a lot of things, main one is repair

Bowser’s main task is to have a nice life with his family and to carry the company in a way.

Mario and Luigi’s main role

I guess they rule over lands but is that really bower's and king boo's issue?nah, it's not but I feel like egadd would still put them up to the task anyway, so fuck it

they are pretty normal leaders, they can be bad or good

their leadership is pretty cruel still, Luigi is Autocratic while Mario wants them to still be somewhat happy

Cackletta and Fawful’s main role

Cackletta is now the queen of the Beanbean Kinddom with her side is Fawful, they both want was best for themself and the other beanish people. Cackletta doesnt dislike Peasley’s family, rather, doesnt want any issues in the Kingdom.

Peasley’s main role

Pealsey takes the role of taking over the Beanbean Kingdom for his mother and elder metor. He has a strong dislike for the heros of the world but a even stronger one for Cackletta.

The Princesses role

Peach and Daisy take the roles of the bad guys, Peach oftens kidnapped Bowser's kid to hang out with him and Mario for things that she needs like cakes and clothes. Daisy sometimes help Peach.

---------

Their personalities 

King Boo:

still the same fellow that kinda hates everyone and makes heavy banter with everyone, he has a soft side sometimes w/ protecting some people.

Bowser:

a fucking dork and a good dad, he just wants to best for his son. he rather go with peace then fighting but if the peace doesn't work, he will fight still.

Peach:

Just a gal that lives her life in no fear, she will beat some ass if needed but deep inside, she’s still the sweet Peach well all know.

Daisy:

A pretty nice gal that's smart, she like to show off her power to her foes and loves a challenge. 

Prince Luigi:

A snarky, arrogant and opinionated dude thats power hungry, he tends to hide his real, honset personality behind a big false ego. 

King Mario:

A nice dude that likes that doesn't hate anyone in a way, a very smart gentleman that doesnt think highly of himself.

---------

Their looks

E.Gadd:

Just normal E. Gadd.

King Boo

He wears his fancy rich shit and button-up shirts and slacks to work, and a ponytail. He's a lil big boy too.

Bowser:

He wears a black sweater (or something else) and glasses, but other then that, he still has everything else, like his spike collars somewhat of long hair to the side.

Prince Luigi:

He wears a formal royal suit with a ruffled collar thing, white buttons with a hints of green. He’s right eye is missing, cover over with a wraps over his head and half of his body. He’s hair runs down to his shoulders.

King Mario:

He still looks like himself but without the hat. He wears a coat with a huge fur hood, the coat being red while the fur is white.

Peach:

She wears her hair in a ponytail, wears pink pants and a white tank top most of the times. She also sometimes will wear a green koopa shell for armor and style.

Daisy:

She looks the same but just wearing a less formal dress.

---------

Random side people’s info: 

- Antasma, Queen Shroob and Tatanga are also royals.

- Lakitu now runs a news channel under New Donk City with a few koopa helping him. - Dimentio is now a rather famous singer knowed by Flipside and MK residences with dedicated fans standing behind his every move, no questions asked. - Mimi often helps Dimentio with his live shows as a backround player for his rubees in trade. - Count Bleck is having a nice life with his lover, Timpani. - O’Chunks has made a name for himself as a strongman and competition winner, traveling the world. - Waluigi has also became a famous tennis player over the years.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26827543/chapters/65450932

[bungou-stray-dingus]

Video Games Headcanons

Anime : Bungo Stray Dogs

Characters : Dazai, Chuuya, Atsushi, Ranpo

Dazai

* Wants to play Mario Kart since he can’t drive in real life.

* Picks Bowser because he looks cool, doesn’t understand that the weight of his character affects how fast the car will go.

* “WAIT WHY IS YOUR CAR GOING SO FAST!? I’M IN LAST PLACE! Can we start over?”

* Ends up spending fifteen minutes going through character and kart combinations to find the perfect combo for max speed.

* “Oh the blue shell has wings, what does it do?”

* “Yeah don’t throw that, you should keep that.” You’re in first place.

* Throws the blue shell anyway and is very amused when you end up getting hit with the shell.

* “Dammit Dazai!”

* Loves seeing you get frustrated when people pass by you.

* Thinks you look adorable when you get on your knees in front of the TV because “getting closer to the television helps me play better, stop laughing!”

* He ends up just sitting back and watching you play, he finds it much more amusing and he can watch your face.

* “Come on darling, it’s time for bed.” He has to be the reasonable one now.

* “I have one more race to win and I’ll win the cup.”

* Let’s you finish the race, mainly because you look so damn cute when your concentrating on winning.

* Has to pull the controller away from your hands once the race is done so you don’t start another cup.

* He has the songs stuck in his head now and he hums them at work, much to Kunikidas annoyance.

Chuuya

* Fucking lives for Super Smash Brothers. It’s the one time he can kick your ass for fun.

* Takes the game way too seriously, he can’t handle losing. Honestly he thinks anyone he is versing is Dazai

* Button smasher. BIIIG button smasher. “Babe, pressing the buttons harder doesn’t make you hit harder.” You have to remind him before he breaks another controller.

* For some reason he plays really well with Kirby.

* You laughed the first time he picked Kirby. Became really frustrated when he kept sucking you in and spitting you off the side of the stage.

* Somehow turns it into a drinking game.

* “Alright so get this. Every time you lose, you need to take a shot.”

* “You just want me to get drunk.”

* “Wouldn’t mind it.”

* You end up hating Kirby with a passion after the second time you woke up with a hangover due to his bitch ass spitting you off the map.

* Now you both play as Kirby and it’s just the two of you trying to suck each other in and spit the other off the map.

* “MOVE CLOSER!”

* “GET IN MY MOUTH DAMMIT!”

* If you get close to winning he’ll just take the controller from your hands and place them both to the side and end up making out with you so you forget about the game.

* Also he can’t handle losing so he’d rather just kiss you instead.

* VERY SORE LOSER.

* Will rage like a ten year old on Fortnite, but you think it’s super freaking cute so you don’t stop him.

* “Stupid game, I hate it, so fucking stupid. I don’t want to play anymore.”

* TEN MINUTES LATER

* “Hey you want to play Smash again?”

Atsushi

* Picked Mario Party because it sounded like a fun time and the box looked bright and happy.

* Poor boy didn’t know this game is absolutely destructive.

* Wants to invite everyone from the agency over to play with the two of you since it’s a party game.

* Dazai, Kenji, Ranpo, and Kyoka come over to play. Kunikida’s schedule was too booked to come over, and nobody wanted to deal with an angry Yosano.

* Dazai picks Waluigi, Kenji picks Yoshi, Ranpo picks Mario, Kyoka picks Daisy, and Atsushi picks Luigi.

* Kenji and Atsushi are the only ones who don’t look like they’re about to kill someone.

* Mini games are so intense, Ranpo, Dazai, and you are standing in front of the TV trying to sabotage each other.

* “IF YOU GET ANOTHER STAR I SWEAR I’LL KICK YOUR ASS!” You shout and Atsushi is just looking on in horror.

* “I thought this was a party game...” He whispers to Kenji who for some reason looks like he’s enjoying the way you, Dazai, and Ranpo are bickering.

* “OF COURSE RANPO GETS THE STAR!” Dazai exclaims, even though he still has the most stars out of everyone.

* Atsushi doesn’t understand why everyone is so angry.

* He ends up winning in the end because he got a bunch of pity stars. “Oh wow! Look at that guys!”

* Ranpo is more of a sore loser than Chuuya. Tries to explain to everyone why he should have won. Dazai just shrugs it off, he now has kicking your ass at Mario Party mini games as one of the things he has to do before he dies.

* Atsushi has to destress after everyone leaves, cuddling with you on the couch.

* “Do you think everyone had fun?” He is truly worried that everyone hates each other after the game.

* “Oh yeah, we had a blast. We should do it again.” You say, kissing his cheek softly.

* He doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle another night like that. He was worried that everyone would kill each other or smash the tv or both before the night was over.

* He’d have to find another game to play.

* “Maybe we can all play Mario Kart next time.”

Ranpo

* He’s a Tetris boy. It’s the one game that tests his intelligence.

* The only reason he started playing is because he walked in after work and saw you playing it and he wanted to try.

* Figured out the controls of the game quicker than you did.

* He’s pretty calm while playing, and he usually has you on his lap with his arms wrapped around you and his head on your shoulder looking at the TV.

* It’s the one time his eyes are wide open and you can see the beautiful emerald green of his irises as he concentrates on the screen.

* He’s not much of a sore loser, he just doesn’t give up until he gets first place.

* It takes a while for that to happen, but you can count on him coming home from work and hopping right back on the switch to play.

* “Do you want to give the game a break?” You have to try to pull the controllers from his hands as this point, but he just pouts and tell you that he hasn’t made first place yet so you let him keep playing.

* You have to remind him to use the bathroom and to take a break so he can eat and take water breaks.

* ONCE HE FINALLY GETS FIRST PLACE THOUGH

* OH BOY IS HE SO PROUD OF HIMSELF

* “Y/N COME HERE!” He calls from the other room and you come running of course.

* The smile on his face is so adorable and he’s pointing to the tv at his name at the top of the board.

* “That’s great, you did amazing! I’m so proud of you hon.” Your praise is better than first place.

* He plays the game more intensely now so he can get first place, just so he can hear you tell him how proud you are of his success.

* Your gallery on the switch is full of screenshots from when he got first place. He won’t let you delete them to make room though.

* Everyone from work has to hear about how he’s not only the greatest detective in the world, but also the greatest Tetris player as well.

* He now wants to play every single Tetris game.

* You’ve created a Tetris addict and you can’t even complain, he looks so cute when he’s playing.