#i did enjoy adding Luigi though

[originallymarysue]

Chapter 7 is here!

Summary: The crew are going shopping today! Hopefully nothing goes wrong and no arguments happen for once!

[silenzahra]

Green, Orange and a bit of Purple✨

This story was originally written and posted on 14th February 2024 in two different posts. My dear friend @itsavee4117 reblogged them, which I obviously appreciate, but I'm afraid some time after he did, I edited both posts to add the chapters to Tumblr so people could read them here as well.

That's why I thought of redoing them, and I decided to share the entire story in just one post so as not to drive everyone crazy 😅 You can find the story on AO3, where you'll see it's divided into two chapters (and I even added a title to them 🤭), or read under the cut to find the entire story. It's long though, so make sure to grab a snack and/or a drink. Of course, likes, comments and reblogs are always more than welcome, as well as kudos on AO3! 💖

My original source of inspiration was @sarahrsketches's comic Plumber's Bouquet, which you can see dubbed here!

Special thanks to @itsavee4117 @whippedcremepi and @mario-movie-brainbug for reblogging the old posts and to @elitadream for leaving such wonderful feedback on them 💖 (You can find them here and here if you're curious).

For those of you who will read this for the first time or would even like to give it a reread: I really hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for your support, and please remember that my asks and PMs are always open for you. Reblogs are deeply appreciated 💖

Also, this story got many lovely comments on AO3, which I'm obviously very thankful for! Still, it didn't get much feedback here on Tumblr (no disrespect to those mentioned above of course 🫂). I hope it's not too much to ask, but would you please consider leaving some feedback here, even if it's just one sentence? 🙏 I'd love to hear your thoughts on my beloved Luaisy story! 🥰

@vulpixfairy1985 @bberetd @peaches2217 @ask-rosalina-and-her-family @aqua-peri

@kimasousparky @megamagimugi @jellyfishinc @pepperycar @keakruiser

@teegeeteegee @supergay-64 @kelbreyworshipper @dragon-fly34 @artycomicfangirl

(Of course, if you want your tag removed, just let me know! 💖)

Without further ado: Luaisy for the soul! 💚🧡✨

Chapter 1: The beginning of the date

Luigi can’t believe it.

What he has been wishing for months is finally going to happen.

His first date with Daisy is about to begin.

Nervously, he smooths out the green shirt he’s wearing, the most elegant in his closet, so that there’s not a single wrinkle on it. From the corner where he waits, the one closest to his building, he takes quick and constant glances at the pipe through which Daisy is going to arrive, located at his back. Fortunately, it’s hidden in a seldom-traveled alley, so the chances of New Yorkers stumbling upon it by accident are slim. Of all the pipes in Brooklyn that are connected to the Mushroom Kingdom, this is the one closest to Luigi and Mario’s former home.

Which makes it the perfect pipeline for the brothers and their new friends to travel between dimensions while going unnoticed by the inhabitants of Earth.

As he patiently and with growing anxiety awaits Daisy’s arrival, Luigi goes over and over in his head the places in his city that he wants to show her. Everything will be fine, he repeats himself. He has been planning this date for months, long before he could even muster the courage to ask Daisy to go out with him.

He recalls that instant in his head very often. The way his legs trembled. His dry throat. His back sweating from nerves. How he kept fiddling with his fingers as, step by step, he approached the spot where Daisy was sitting in the garden of Peach’s castle, with whom she was having a lively conversation. Mario’s words of encouragement echoed in his head, along with the sentences they had rehearsed together so Luigi could say them to Daisy later. He remembers that Mario was waiting for him not far from there, hidden behind a corner and ready to intervene should Luigi require his aid. He remembers that Peach, as soon as she saw him arrive, apologized to Daisy and hurried to join Mario, giving Luigi a quick nod of encouragement as she passed him.

He remembers that Daisy, upon noticing his presence, smiled and greeted him by waving her hand with her usual energy, which made a smile blossom on Luigi’s lips. He remembers that, when he finally reached her side, she got up to give him a quick hug, causing his heart to bounce in his chest and her sweet vanilla scent to envelop him, before inviting him to sit next to her.

Of course, Luigi obeyed. Smiling nervously, he listened to her chatter for a few minutes, his eyes fixed on the dimples that appeared when she smiled and on the constellation of freckles that dotted her cheeks. Meanwhile, he was trying to find the right moment to start talking and the courage to push the words out of his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he distinguished that Mario and Peach, from their hideout, were gesturing to him. She did so discreetly and sweetly, but he was waving his arms and vocalizing in an exaggerated way, to incite him to finally start.

And Luigi, after swallowing, chose to do it in the same way as when removing a band-aid: in one go and without thinking.

“Daisy.”

His voice was barely a nervous whisper, but it was enough for the desert princess to interrupt herself and give him a warm smile.

“Yes, honey?”

“Er...” Luigi looked down, flustered by the affectionate nickname, and took a deep breath before continuing. “I-I thought that... W-well, I thought that m-maybe... you’d like to... c-come to B-Brooklyn?”

He scolded himself for his stammering. He’d practiced endlessly with Mario until he managed to deliver his sentences without stuttering, but standing in front of Daisy, the first person he’d been drawn to in a very, very long time, and trying to carry out the plan as intended was a very different thing.

“Luigi.” Her voice, full of curiosity, caught Luigi’s attention, making him set his eyes on her at last. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

Her voice sounded defiant, of course, but Daisy accompanied it with a mischievous and amusing look that Luigi even found... suggestive? No, he must have been imagining it, he was too nervous and his eagerness to spend more time with her was playing a trick on him, Daisy could not be...

... Or could she?

“Uh-huh... W-well, uh...”

What should he answer now? Why hadn’t it occurred to Mario that Daisy might react like this? Why hadn’t it occurred to him?

“W-well, uh, I-I don’t know, I mean, o-only if you want to, I mean, I thought you might want to, but if you don’t, it’s okay! Of course you don’t want to, why would you, it’s a stupid idea, I-I’m very sorry...”

With every mumble that escaped his mouth, he felt himself shrinking more and more, to such an extent that he wished he could disappear, bury his head in the ground like an ostrich and never have made that suggestion to Daisy. Why did he think she would be interested? Why did he think she would want to spend time with a simple, clumsy, skittish plumber like him?

However, Daisy surprised him with a soft chuckle in which there was no trace of mockery, but rather... tenderness?

“Oh, Luigi,” she exclaimed, and slapped him on the shoulder so hard that Luigi thought she had just broken a bone. “Don’t underestimate yourself, sweetie! Of course I want to!”

Despite the pain in his back, Luigi sat up like a spring and turned to her with wide eyes.

“R-really?”

“Of course!” Daisy nodded vigorously, her grin so wide that it brought back those dimples that made Luigi feel like he was melting inside. “I really want to see Brooklyn, and I can’t think of a better guide than you!” she added with a wink.

With his back leaning against the red bricks so characteristic of his district, Luigi smiles, his cheeks flushed at the memory. Daisy’s joy at his suggestion was genuine, as was her eagerness to tour Brooklyn with him. Luigi really hopes, wishes, to be up to the task and get Daisy to have fun by his side. He fiddles with the flower he holds in his fingers and wonders if the desert princess will be much longer in coming.

He can’t wait to see her again.

A hand on his shoulder startles him so much that he lets out a shriek and is about to drop the flower. At the last moment, he manages to hold it close to his chest and places his other hand around its petals to protect it. As his fluttering heart tries to calm down, he hears a well-known chuckle, and a familiar and adored vanilla scent reaches his nose.

“D-Daisy,” he mumbles with a smile, beginning to turn his head.

“Sorry, honey,” she apologizes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Luigi is about to reply that it’s okay, that it’s his fault for being so easily scared, but he can’t do it.

He’s speechless.

Daisy looks gorgeous. More than that: she looks stunning, dazzling, radiant. Her pretty auburn hair shimmers in the evening sunlight, and a sparkle under her ears reveals the golden, daisy-shaped earrings she has chosen for the occasion. Her lovely eyes, as deep blue as the sea, gaze at Luigi with affection. He notices the eye shadow that Daisy has applied, a beautiful shade of purple that matches the full skirt she is wearing, which reveals the lower half of her legs. Her sandals, on the other hand, are orange, and the heel of them causes Luigi to see her even taller and slimmer than usual. Her blouse, matching her shoes, is adorned with yellow flower patterns, and leaves her slender shoulders bare. As he notices them, Luigi swallows, wondering what it would feel like to put an arm across them and thus touch her beautiful skin, just to see firsthand if it’s as soft to the touch as it seems.

But what catches his attention, no matter how hard he tries to avoid it, are her lips. Daisy often puts on lipstick, but today she’s wearing a nice earthy color that matches her beautiful brown skin, and Luigi is seized by the sudden and compelling need to find out what they taste like. He reddens immediately and chides himself. This may be a date and they may have both dressed up for the occasion, but it’s not like him, nor right for Daisy, that that, kissing her, is all he can think about at that moment.

He wants to say something, anything, make some silly joke to try to relax and make her feel welcome, but only one word comes to his mind.

“Beautiful,” he whispers.

Daisy covers her mouth with her hand to hide a giggle as her freckled cheeks light up under the blush she has applied.

“You think so?” she says playfully. “How cute.”

Luigi gasps. Did he just say that word... out loud? He feels his whole face burning immediately with embarrassment, and he’s about to apologize when he finds Daisy looking him up and down intently.

Suddenly he feels ragged, disheveled, very far from the elegance of the young princess. Almost unintentionally, he takes a quick glance at himself, searching for any wrinkles or stains on his green shirt or his blue jeans, even though he has carefully washed and ironed them for the occasion. His brown shoes are also shiny, as he has rubbed them incessantly, and he has used more shampoo than usual when showering, as well as making sure that not a single hair was left out of place when combing his hair. Including his moustache.

All in the hope of making a good impression on Daisy, but it wasn't enough. How could it be? He works non-stop day after day, he gets dirty often, so he's sure he's left something out, some tiny detail that he's missed because of his nerves, and Daisy has noticed it immediately and is judging him and is going to leave at once, because how could she want to go out with him?

“Handsome,” she then says, slowly, looking him in the eye.

“Wh-what?”

“You just used an adjective to describe me,” Daisy says, and winks at him. “So I just used another one to describe you.”

Again, Luigi is speechless. He pants, trying to find his voice, but he feels like a fish that has been plucked from the sea and thrown to the bottom of a volcano. A green, clumsy fish that doesn’t know how to react to the fact that the girl he’s getting crazier and crazier about every day has just paid him a compliment. To him, no less. Does that mean, then, that there’s no problem with his appearance?

In a reflex action born out of fear that Daisy will laugh at him or, worse, get tired of waiting for an answer and leave, Luigi stretches out his arm in her direction. She gives a start and looks down, and a beautiful smile lights up her face when she notices the gift he is offering her.

“A daisy?” she says, delighted, and brings both joined hands to her cheek. “And it’s purple!”

“Y-yes,” he manages to murmur, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I-I grow them in my garden, in my house in the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“I love it! Thanks, Luigi!”

Daisy reaches out with both hands to take the flower, and Luigi struggles to ignore the tingle of excitement that runs up and down his body as her fingers brush his and send a pleasant electric shock sensation to his nerve endings. Daisy brings the flower to her face to inhale its scent and admires its pretty purple petals with delight. Luigi smiles tenderly as he sees her take the aster to her head to try and pin it in her hair.

“Wait,” he offers without thinking, reaching out his arms to her. “I’ll help you.”

Daisy slowly lowers her hands and lets him do it. Luigi holds the stem of the flower and carefully moves a lock of Daisy’s silky hair aside, taking care not to muss it. He places the plant so that it’s held securely to the side of her face and its purple petals sparkle almost level with Daisy’s lovely blue eyes. Which, Luigi suddenly notices, are watching him attentively. Surprised, he turns away from Daisy and takes a step back while letting out a nervous giggle, blushing again. He hadn’t even noticed coming so close to her, nor that his tongue, as it usually does when he’s focused on something, was sticking out between his lips.

Fortunately, although Daisy is observing him with interest and a wide smile on her face, she does not utter a word. She just stares at him, as if seeing him for the first time, and Luigi suddenly finds himself at a loss for what to do with his arms.

“W-well... D-do you want to...?”

He points forward with his hand, unable to finish the question, as his throat feels dry and he needs to drink urgently. Daisy’s jump, as if her mind had wandered away from there and just suddenly returned, disconcerts him and makes him wonder if he has inadvertently done something wrong because of his usual clumsiness.

But Daisy soon pulls herself together and gives him a dazzling smile.

“Sure!” she exclaims enthusiastically. “Where are we going?”

“Not far from here.”

Luigi starts walking in the direction of Punch-Out Pizzeria, which is almost at the end of the street. It’s one of his favorite places in Brooklyn and he can’t wait for Daisy to try their famous pizzas. He really hopes she likes them, because then he’ll always have an excuse to invite her to dinner.

As they walk down the street, Daisy stops to look in the windows of the various stores they pass. She points at them with her finger, which she presses against the glass, and talks to Luigi about how much or how little she likes the products for sale and how exorbitant or affordable she finds them depending on the price. He listens to her without interrupting and smiles, his heart full of tenderness at the genuine enthusiasm with which she examines everything.

When they get to the bookstore, however, it is she who listens to him talk. This is Luigi’s favorite bookstore, the one he goes to at least once a week to browse through the new releases and, if possible, take home a new book. The same thing happens when they reach the florist’s shop, although this time the enthusiasm is shared, as they both have a passion for gardening.

By the time they finally get ready to enter the pizzeria, it’s almost dark. Luigi can’t help but be surprised, as the walk from his house to the establishment usually takes him no more than five minutes. But he’s not going to complain, since, almost unintentionally, he’s had a chance to take a nice walk with Daisy and show her two of his other favorite places in Brooklyn besides the pizzeria.

Luigi opens the door and steps aside with an exaggerated bow.

“After you, milady,” he pronounces with feigned refinement.

He hears Daisy let out a soft chuckle that, unexpectedly, makes him feel connected to her in a way he’s unable to explain.

“Very gallant, gentleman,” she replies as she passes him, imitating his tone.

Luigi stands up straight, laughing as well, and enters after her. Daisy moves to a free table by the window and Luigi follows her without hesitation. He feels strange: on the one hand, he’s on familiar ground, in the pizzeria he has been coming to with his brother since they were teenagers, which floods him with an intense sense of security so powerful that he believes nothing could bring it down. In fact, he knows for sure that, if he’s been able to make that little joke with Daisy when opening the door for her, it’s thanks to that feeling.

On the other hand, his companion is none other than the ruler of the Kingdom of Sarasaland. A warrior and brave princess who’s won his heart with her exorbitant and inexhaustible energy, her desire to prove herself all the time and her lively personality. A princess, a young woman, who has the power to make him feel as if his limbs were made of butter, his face a burning coal and his heart, an organ foreign to his body that belongs entirely to Daisy, so that it accelerates like a runaway horse when she is near.

And now she is near.

She’s sitting across from him, flipping through the menu, but the tables at the Punch-Out Pizzeria aren’t too wide. Luigi knows that, if he stretched his arms out just a little, there’s a good chance Daisy’s hands would brush against him when she drops the menu. He swallows. Should he do it or not? Would it be too bold? Would it be too brazen to try to hold her hand? Would Daisy even want their fingers to touch?

“What do you recommend?” she asks, her eyes still fixed on the food list.

Luigi gasps. He feels as if he’s been caught red-handed, as if he’s been doing something wrong. He shakes his head a little and ducks it to see his own menu as he tries to sort out his thoughts to answer Daisy.

“W-well, Mario and I always order the bell pepper pizzas.”

“Let me guess,” she asks him, her voice laden with a challenge that causes Luigi to look up, curious, and their eyes meet over the table. “He orders the red bell pepper, and you order the green bell pepper.”

Luigi laughs and rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Is it that obvious?” he asks, embarrassed.

Daisy laughs softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, just below the flower.

“Actually, I just went by the colors you two usually wear. Is it a coincidence that your favorite colors match your favorite pizzas?”

“I guess so.”

Luigi shrugs and she giggles again.

“If there was a purple pizza, I’d order it,” she states, returning her attention to the menu.

“You can try mine if you want to.”

Luigi purses his lips as he realizes he just said that out loud. It’s just a silly idea that has crossed his mind, but Daisy most likely doesn’t want to share. Why would she? He should’ve thought better before saying such a silly thing.

To his surprise, however, Daisy looks at him decisively and nods.

“What’s your second favorite pizza?” she asks, very seriously, pointing her finger at him.

“Er… C-carbonara,” he stammers, dumbfounded.

“Perfect.” Daisy picks up both cards and winks at him. “How about we order carbonara and green bell pepper? Then we can both try each other’s pizza.”

Relief floods Luigi with the intensity of the swell. Daisy’s solution seems perfect, so, trying hard to overcome his shyness, he raises his arm to call the waiter and places their orders. When the man leaves, Luigi places both elbows on the table and drops his hands over the edge of the table, close to his stomach. He doesn’t know where to look, so he wanders his gaze absentmindedly around the room.

Inevitably, his eyes end up meeting Daisy’s, so he forces himself to compose a smile. He’s so nervous, however, that it comes out weak and insecure.

But Daisy doesn’t seem to notice.

“Well,” she says lightly, also leaning on the table, and watches him intently. “So what else do you like to do?”

“Uh... Sorry?” Luigi feels lost.

“Apart from reading and gardening,” she says, smiling sweetly at him. “What other hobbies do you have, Luigi?”

“Oh! W-well...” Luigi shrinks back a little. Will he bore her if he goes into detail about his other hobbies? “I-I like photography. I like... to be able to save an instant, a memory, a place, and freeze them in time so that they become eternal.”

“Wow,” she exclaims admiringly. “That’s very profound.”

“Really?”

Luigi looks at her with wide eyes, unable to believe that, as is practically his case with the rest of the world, Daisy doesn’t think he’s being too intense or ridiculous in expressing himself that way. The young woman nods vigorously, a sincere smile glowing on her face, and her expression of sheer interest is all Luigi needs to launch into speaking.

He tells her that sometimes ideas or images come to his mind, and he needs to get them out of his head, to bring them to life. They drive him to write or draw, depending on what comes to him, which is why he collects notebooks and sketchbooks. He tells her that, every Christmas, he gives his brother a wool garment he knits himself, because Mario is quite a mess and his clothes hardly last from one year to the next. He tells her that on Saturday nights, he and Mario stay up late watching a movie in the living room of their new home, and that they always have trouble choosing because their tastes are so opposite. She listens to him, attentive, and from time to time lets out a giggle or makes a comment but does not interrupt him. Luigi, finally, tells her that on Sunday afternoons, and sometimes also on Fridays, he and Mario play videogames, and at his explanation about them, Daisy’s eyes light up more and more.

“That sounds amazing!” she exclaims, excited. “Oh my gosh, now I need to try those... What are they called?”

“Videogames,” Luigi clarifies, and leans forward, his eyes sparkling, sharing Daisy’s enthusiasm. “And you’re more than welcome to come try them out! I’m sure Mario would love to play with someone who’s not as clumsy as I am,” he adds with a laugh.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re not that bad.” Daisy playfully punches him in the shoulder, which makes Luigi’s giggles increase. “Keep in mind that I’ve never played. Of course you’re going to be better than me!”

“That is, until you get the hang of it,” Luigi says, massaging his shoulder. “And I’m sure it won’t take you long at all.”

“Well, thank you for your blind faith in me!”

Daisy laughs too and brings a hand to her chest, but, in the midst of their chuckles, she stops and gives him another intense glance. Luigi’s laughter barely lasts a couple more seconds before it stops abruptly, as he feels overwhelmed by the intensity of her deep blue eyes.

“You’re very sweet, Luigi. Did you know that?”

Daisy’s cheeks glow as she utters those words, but her smile remains, serene and confident, no trace of nervousness or embarrassment on her beautiful face. Quite the opposite of Luigi, who is convinced he could fry an egg on his forehead.

“Th-thank you,” he mumbles, looking away, and rubs the back of his neck again, flustered.

Daisy giggles.

“And you look so cute when you do that.”

Luigi’s blush grows, which causes Daisy’s laughter to increase in turn, and Luigi, despite his rosy cheeks, suddenly finds himself feeling that he can go on behaving like this forever if it will make her chuckle in such an uninhibited and sincere way.

At that moment, luckily, the pizzas finally arrive, accompanied by their drinks, and the young woman’s attention turns to the food. She contemplates both pizzas attentively, almost as if they were works of art, and this time it is Luigi who has to hide a giggle. He watches, expectantly, as Daisy takes her first bite of her carbonara pizza, and waits, on the edge of his seat, for the girl to pronounce her verdict. Her face, thoughtful as she chews, doesn’t even hint at a simple clue, which makes Luigi, almost without realizing it, hold his breath.

Until Daisy, after swallowing, gives him a beaming smile.

“It’s delicious!” she nearly squeals, waving her other hand in the air in excitement.

“Yes!” Luigi exclaims in turn and raises a victorious fist.

For the next few minutes, he finds himself devouring, not even knowing how, small bites of both pizzas, his and Daisy’s. He cackles, half surprised, half overwhelmed, when Daisy, without so much as by his leave, moves her head forward to take a rather savage bite of the slice of green bell pepper pizza he holds in his hand. Her expression is so delighted, so self-satisfied, that Luigi can only cover his mouth with his free hand to try to stifle the fit of laughter that assails him.

After finishing the pizza, Luigi suggests they have some tiramisu. And, if Daisy was already impressed by the flavor of the pizzas, she’s completely thrilled when she tastes the dessert.

“Oh my goodness, Luigi,” she mumbles after devouring the last slice. “No wonder this is your favorite place in Brooklyn. You have to bring me here often!”

“Anytime,” he offers before finishing his tiramisu.

“How about...?” Daisy begins to say, casting a casual glance around the place before laying her eyes on Luigi as she rests her chin on her hand. “Tomorrow?”

Luigi almost chokes on his tiramisu. Daisy hurries to bring his drink closer to him, and even though there’s barely a sip left, it’s enough for Luigi to stabilize himself. Speechless, he stares at Daisy, astonishment dancing in his expression.

“T-tomorrow?” he repeats, still gasping for air.

“I mean, if you want to,” Daisy replies, though she keeps smiling.

“Yes!” Luigi almost shouts, unwittingly stretching out on the table. “Yes, I mean, yes! Of course I want to! B-but you…”

“Me what, honey?”

“You...” Luigi lowers his gaze, unsure, and begins to rub the tips of his index fingers together, wanting to look at her, but not daring to do it. “Y-you want to?”

“Of course!” she assures him. “I love what I’ve seen of Brooklyn so far. I want to see more... and I want,” she adds, gazing at him purposedly, “to see my handsome guide again.”

The air disappears from Luigi’s lungs. His heart is racing, galloping so hard against his chest that he thinks it’ll end up opening a hole in his skin and running away to Daisy’s arms. She, in the meantime, stares at him casually as she bites her lower lip.

“I know I’ve told you this before,” she says softly, “but I love it when you do that.”

“A-actually,” Luigi replies with a nervous chuckle, “y-you said I’m v-very... cute... w-when I do th-that...”

His voice trails off as he realizes what a stupid thing he’s doing. Why does he stop to point out something so silly when the important thing is the message Daisy is conveying? Why is he unable to come up with an answer according to what she has just told him?

“Both options are true,” she replies without raising her tone, shrugging her shoulders.

Still flushed and uneasy, Luigi gives a weak smile. He is thankful that Daisy hasn’t for an instant pointed out the ridiculousness of his remark. In fact, it doesn’t seem to bother her one bit that he’s been the awkward, embarrassed bundle of nerves he’s always been all dinner. Quite the contrary: judging by her words and the intensity with which she contemplates him, Daisy loves that Luigi is so... like this. So him.

And he loves that Daisy is so her.

He swallows slowly, determined to tell her so too. His eyes remain fixed on the wooden table. His fingers, again, fiddle with each other. His cheeks burn, as they’ve been doing for most of the night. His voice comes out hoarse at first, as if it wants to remain a prisoner inside his mouth, and Luigi is forced to clear his throat to force himself to speak.

“I-I t-too... like you. V-very much.”

He lets out a small sigh of relief, pleased with himself for finally daring to say it out loud. He even breaks into a small smile, the urge to laugh bubbling in his throat.

“Just... very much?”

Daisy’s voice sounds suggestive. Insinuating. Provocative, even. Luigi, very slowly, dares to raise his head. Daisy hasn’t wiped the playful, cheeky smile from her mouth, as mischievous as the wink she gives him when their eyes meet. Luigi purses his lips. Blushing as he is, he plucks up his courage and holds her gaze, even though inside he feels like he’s made of jelly. When he speaks, he gives his voice all the seriousness he can muster so that she understands that he’s not playing games or exaggerating.

“Very much so.”

He almost feels like applauding himself for being able to say it without stuttering. He smiles again, trying to appear confident, and he doesn’t take his eyes off Daisy’s. He wants her to read in them the sincerity with which he speaks, just like him, in her gestures, in her smile, in her beautiful gaze, has been able to see from the beginning that she was not joking when she expressed how much she liked the way he is.

Daisy’s smile widens slightly, in a barely appreciable way, as she hears the vehemence of his tone, but Luigi notices it. She then places her hands on the wood and leans on it to stand up.

“Luigi, you are adorable,” she states as she gets up, and the way she says it, her voice filled with fervor, her face as if she were simply talking about the weather, completely disarms Luigi. “I’d love to take a walk with you. Would you like that?”

“Oh!” Luigi’s throat has gone dry at the compliment, but he struggles to find his voice and stands up too. “S-sure! Th-there’s a park near here. W-we can... stroll there. I-if you want t-to.”

Daisy smiles and nods, smoothing her skirt with her palms, and touches her hair for a moment to make sure the flower is still firmly attached to it.

“That would be great.”

She places both hands on her purple garment and smiles at him, and Luigi grins too, staring at her. It takes him a few seconds to realize that Daisy is waiting for him to move first, as he is closer to the exit than she is. Feeling clumsier than he has ever felt before in his entire life, Luigi stumbles until he reaches the door and, again, opens it and steps to the side to give way to her.

As Daisy walks past him, she gives him a low chuckle that has no mockery in it, and Luigi, his face burning, imitates her, though his laughter sounds a little louder because of his nerves, which, though they had settled during dinner, have returned more impetuously. When she steps out into the street, Luigi closes his eyes for a moment and takes a slow breath, trying to calm himself, before following her.

The blush on his cheeks increases when his eyes meet Daisy’s, who gazes at him with a smile full of affection. After clearing his throat, Luigi puts one hand in his pocket as he raises the other.

“The park is that way.”

As he drops his arm, a slight electric shock elicits a soft cry of surprise. He staggers back in surprise and carefully examines his hand. Behind it, he notices Daisy’s confused gaze, watching him in astonishment, her own hand raised. They both drop them slowly, their breaths a bit shaky, their eyes caught in each other’s. Luigi does not understand what just happened. Bewilderment washes over him, and Daisy’s expression tells him that she, too, feels disoriented.

Until, suddenly, she smiles a somewhat... shy smile?

“Wow,” she says. “Looks like we have chemistry.”

“W-what?” Luigi raises an eyebrow in confusion.

Daisy covers her mouth with her hand to hide a giggle.

“We accidentally brushed against each other,” she explains. “And sparks flew.”

Luigi lets out a low “oh” and looks down at his hand again as his brain processes what has just happened. His cheeks start reddening again as a smile, much more self-conscious than Daisy’s, blooms on his lips. When he returns his attention to her and finds her as flushed as he is, Luigi feels again that tug of affinity inside him that pulls him towards her and makes him understand that, without a hint of doubt, they are somehow connected.

“I guess we’ll have to be careful,” says Daisy, “or we’ll short-circuit each other.”

Luigi laughs and nods, though the immensity of his feelings doesn’t diminish for an instant. Then Daisy extends her arm, smiling warmly at him, and Luigi stares for a second at those fingers waving in his direction in a silent invitation.

“Shall we try again?” Daisy suggests.

Luigi looks up at her again with a cheerful grin and, without hesitation, stretches out his own hand. At the first touch of his skin against Daisy’s, he does not feel a new electric shock, but a mixture of excitement and disbelief that only increases as his fingers slowly intertwine with the princess’, their palms touching, as if this is their place, as if this is where they belong, as if this is where they always should be.

United. Glued. Together. Being one.

That’s exactly how Luigi feels when, as he lifts his fascinated gaze from the union of their hands, his eyes meet Daisy’s. She smiles at him, a slight blush covering her tanned skin, but Luigi, to his surprise, doesn’t feel insecure or embarrassed for the first time all night.

For the first time, he knows that what he’s doing, holding Daisy’s hand and pressing it lightly, feeling his bond with her deepening, is okay. It’s more than right. It’s perfect. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what he wants to experience all the time, every day of his life, if she feels that way too.

And, judging by the speed with which Daisy is quick to return his squeeze, Luigi has no doubt that the young woman does, indeed, reciprocate his feelings.

With a soft chuckle, Daisy nods her head in the direction Luigi pointed when he left the pizzeria. Luigi responds with another giggle and, not letting her hand go, starts walking.

Chapter 2: The end of a wonderful night

Walking with Daisy hand in hand is a very different sensation from walking with her by his side. Now, even if Luigi still finds it hard to believe, he is touching Daisy’s warm skin, which turns out to be much softer and silkier than he had imagined. He is feeling her slender fingers wrap around his hand. He is feeling her palm press against his, seeking his touch the same way Luigi seeks hers.

He feels so exhilarated, so euphoric, so blissful, that, almost without realizing it, he begins to swing his arm, rocking Daisy’s as well. She laughs when she notices the movement, but she doesn’t try to stop him, quite the contrary: she starts swaying her arm with so much momentum that soon is she who leads the motion, which makes Luigi laugh out loud while, thrilled, he lets himself be carried away.

They soon leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind to dive right into the greenery of the leafy park where Luigi goes for a walk from time to time. Daisy smiles, delighted, as she notices the dense nature around them, and reaches out her hand to brush the trunk of one of the trees they pass. She can’t take her eyes off all the beautiful flowers that populate the area, her eyes wanting to capture it all, and Luigi gazes at her with a deep feeling of tenderness flooding his heart.

“I used to come to this park a lot when I was a child,” he tells her, his eyes also wandering around the place. “My Mom used to bring my brother and me here when we were just babies. We’d play together in the sand,” he adds, pointing to a section in the park where a children’s area is visible, “although at first Mario preferred our mom to swing him. It was too scary for me,” he confesses with a chuckle, “so I’d rather stay there building castles with my colored blocks.”

Even though he was very little, Luigi still remembers one of those occasions when, after he had finished building a big fortress with his blocks, a boy suddenly stormed in and stole the flag he was trying to crown it with. Luigi recalls the feeling of helplessness when the boy, with a brutal kick, smashed his castle, and the momentum caused him to fall backwards and crumple to the ground while the boy cruelly taunted him. 

Until, behind his aggressor, something red unexpectedly appeared, hit him on the head and snatched the flag from his hand. Luigi still remembers how surprised he was when he noticed Mario, who, standing protectively in front of him, held out the flag without turning to him, his defiant and furious expression fixed on the boy. The latter, after getting up, gave them an angry look before running away. Only then did Mario turn to Luigi with a reassuring smile from ear to ear, and Luigi, still somewhat stunned by what had just happened, tried to return the smile, though he could barely compose a weak grimace. 

From then on, however, Mario began to play more often with him in the sand. He still went on swinging, of course, and soon began to go down the slide without their mom’s supervision, but he never took his eyes off Luigi. Years later, moreover, that park was crucial in Mario’s recovery after his first love breakup, since Luigi, after several days of taking care of him and comforting him while his brother cried his heart out in his arms, managed to convince him to leave the house and go for a walk together. The fresh air of nature felt so good and cheered him up so much that, soon, it was Mario himself who began to look for Luigi to go for a stroll in the park.

A sigh escapes Luigi’s lips as he recalls those memories. This park is very important for him, so he’s glad to be showing it to Daisy. Since she wanted to see his favorite places in Brooklyn, this little garden hidden in the heart of his district could not be missed.

“What do you think?” he asks, turning to her, his hand firmly clasped in hers.

“I love it,” Daisy declares, looking everywhere to soak in the beauty of the park. “It’s a very beautiful place.”

She turns her face towards him as she takes a step to cover the short distance between them. The fingers on her other hand lightly brush Luigi’s arm, making him give a start. The touch is so faint and intense at the same time that he feels himself melting.

“Thank you for sharing it with me, Luigi.”

Her head rests gently on his shoulder as she releases a sigh, her hair, and the purple flower, tickling his ear. Luigi’s heart, at this point, has jumped into a runaway gallop that brings a smile to his lips, nervous and plethoric at the same time. His skin burns so much, it’s been burning so much all night, that he wouldn’t be surprised if the next day he finds burns all over his body, as if he had gone to the beach and forgotten to apply sunscreen.

By then, their footsteps have led them to the pond that rules the place. It’s a large lake inhabited by several families of ducks, where, during the day, passers-by can sail in small boats. Luigi promises himself to bring Daisy here again soon, so that they can ride together in one of the boats in the sunlight. He knows for sure that she’ll like the experience.

Right now, all they do is gaze at the calm waters under the bright light of the full moon, along with many other couples also strolling through the park. Luigi notices that there are some clouds scattered across the sky but hopes that they won’t rob the moon of its brightness and allow them to continue enjoying the peace and warmth of this summer night. 

“Luigi, look!”

Daisy’s alarmed voice, together with the light tapping she gives him on the arm, makes Luigi lower his eyes again. He gapes at a duck that is approaching them, swimming calmly across the pond, tracing a clear straight line that emerges from the small house in the center of the lake, where all the ducks live, and concludes, without any doubt, at the exact point where Luigi and Daisy are standing in this moment.

“How strange,” Luigi murmurs, puzzled. “I thought all the ducks would be sleeping at this hour.”

“Maybe it’s a vampire duck,” Daisy suggests.

Luigi gives a snort and looks sideways at her. 

“You think so?”

“Maybe it’s coming to drink your blood,” adds Daisy, running two fingers along his arm.

“Or yours,” Luigi counters, ignoring the shudder that runs through him at the young woman’s touch. 

She laughs, and the sound of her laughter makes Luigi’s heart beat faster, full of tenderness.

“I don’t think so. My blood is blue,” Daisy points out, gazing at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m a princess, remember?”

“Then maybe it’s a bewitched prince who needs to be kissed by a beautiful princess.”

The words have come rushing out of his mouth, not even thinking them, his eyes fixed on Daisy’s. He scolds himself once again, convinced he’s gone red in the face again, but Daisy’s sly smile silences the apology that was about to burst from his lips.

“I can think of a much better candidate than a prince to kiss this princess.”

Again she runs her fingers along his arms as she speaks, so slowly that Luigi thinks he’ll pass out. Her eyes, two glittering sapphires, gaze at him with intensity, even brighter in the moonlight. Luigi is breathless, but the beauty of her look so mesmerizes him that he is unable to take his eyes off her. 

A sudden squawk startles him so much that it makes him stagger and fall backwards, a shriek of surprise escaping his throat. Luigi closes his eyes just as his lower back hits the grass and he lets out a soft moan of pain, but Daisy’s screams immediately catch his attention.

Opening his eyes, Luigi gasps when he sees that the princess has placed herself in front of him in a protective attitude to defend him from the duck, the cause of his fall.

“Get away from here!” she shouts at it angrily, trying to shoo it away.

The animal flaps its wings, still quacking, but Daisy’s impetus, her eagerness to keep it away from Luigi, ends up causing the duck, although reluctant, to begin to waddle in the direction of the pond, to which it finally returns. Only then, Daisy lowers her arms, her breathing accelerated, and turns to Luigi with concern painted on her face. 

“Oh, my, Luigi, are you all right?” she asks, holding out both arms to him.

And Luigi, who had been staring at her, completely fascinated, blinks suddenly, trying to get out of the state of confusion in which he’s immersed, and shakes his head.

“Y-yes,” he murmurs, laughing nervously, as he raises a hand.

Daisy clutches it at once, her fingers closing tightly around his palm and wrist, and Luigi feels that warm, pleasant shock again as soon as his skin comes into contact with the princess’. Daisy pulls him to help him up, and he embarrassedly massages his back with his free hand. His other hand is closed tightly around Daisy’s, and he has no intention of opening it. 

“Sorry,” he apologizes, embarrassed. “It caught me off guard.”

Daisy, not letting go either, lets out a faint giggle.

“Don’t apologize.” She removes her hand from his wrist, only to place it under his chin and sweetly turn his face towards her. “It wasn’t your fault, but the vampire duck’s.” 

They both laugh, sharing a knowing glance, and Luigi can’t help but stare at her, spellbound, still unable to take in the fact that this brave princess has just saved him. Even if it was from something as random as the attack of a duck from the pond.

“Thank you, Daisy,” he says wholeheartedly, his eyes shining with emotion. 

Daisy’s face lights up with a smile that, once more, brings out the dimples in her freckled cheeks. 

“You’re welcome, Luigi.” Her eyes stare at him again. “You’re... so charming.”

Luigi’s legs tremble, and not because of the fall. He feels that his smile is like jelly, flimsy and unstable. A scream rises in his chest and spreads throughout his body but does not reach his throat. His cheeks, of course, burn, even more intensely. And his heartbeat is so loud, so booming, that he’s convinced Daisy can hear it clearly.

She keeps looking at him, her expression full of warmth. Is it Luigi’s impression, or is her face now a little closer to his? His eyes, as if deciding for themselves, drift to those beautiful lips, so full and suggestive, that he so badly wants to kiss. Is it possible that Daisy... also wants to... kiss him? Him?

Suddenly, a soft melody reaches his ears. With his eyes still locked on Daisy’s, Luigi doesn’t lose any detail of her reaction: a new sparkle, naughty this time, shines in her eyes, while her smile turns mischievous. With a giggle, the princess puts a finger to his chest and pushes him gently, making him back away, at the same time that she herself takes a step backwards. Luigi laughs, stunned, though his mirth dies when Daisy’s hand slowly slides across his palm until the touch is broken, leaving him with a sensation of emptiness that makes his chest feel hollow.

“Wow,” Daisy exclaims playfully, as she places both hands behind her back. “This music is perfect for a dance, don’t you think?”

Luigi laughs again, but, somewhat confused, he takes his eyes off Daisy for a moment to search for the source of the melody. He then notices a figure, under a tree near the pond, sweetly sliding a bow over the strings of a violin, inviting the many other couples strolling around to dance to the beautiful song and take in the intimate and romantic atmosphere.

A throat clearing from Daisy impels Luigi to rest his gaze on her again. The princess does not look directly at him, but her eyes are raised to the sky.

“I wonder,” she says, pretending to be oblivious to his presence, “if there’s a handsome gentleman around here who would like to ask this lady to dance.”

Luigi gasps as he realizes Daisy’s intentions. His heart pumps wildly at the fleeting wink she gives him. Dancing? Together? Like in those romance stories set in bygone eras? His throat goes dry. Of course he loves to dance, and of course he’d love to dance with Daisy, but pretending to be a gentleman asking a lady for a dance? And a princess, no less. He’s just a simple Brooklyn plumber – how can he possibly live up to her expectations?

But it’s Daisy. The girl who has driven him crazy practically since the first time he saw her. The warrior, feisty princess who won his heart with her impulsiveness and her spontaneity. The bold, sassy woman he has fallen for head over heels. And, besides, she looks so beautiful, with her pretty orange blouse, her cheerful full skirt, the purple flower pinned to her lovely auburn mane, shimmering under the moonlight...

He wants to do it. He wants to dance with her. He wants to feel her close, he wants to feel her hand in his again, fitting together like two pieces of a perfect puzzle. He wants to please her, to whirl with her until dawn if necessary, to be carried away together by the sweet melody that flows from the violin and floods his ears.

So, without a second thought, Luigi plucks up his courage, shortens the distance between them in two strides and, with a slight bow, extends his hand to her.

“Would you do me the honor of granting me this dance, beautiful lady?”

Daisy’s smile widens at his gesture, her dimples appearing once again on her cheeks. She brings one hand to her chest in feigned surprise and slowly reaches out the other to place it softly on Luigi’s palm.

“With pleasure, handsome gentleman.”

Luigi’s fingers unconsciously close around her delicate hand. When he straightens, however, Daisy lets go, but does not pull away from him. With her eyes fixed on Luigi’s, the young woman places one hand on her partner’s shoulder and reaches for his fingers with the other, so that, at last, their hands are joined again, palm against palm, the fingers of one of the back of the other’s hand. Instinctively, Luigi raises his other hand to, with some uncertainty, rest it on Daisy’s waist, whose smile widens, and she gives him a slight nod of approval. Luigi sighs in relief, his grin a little more confident, and then, to the rhythm of the music, they both begin to move.

At first, of course, Luigi’s feet stumble, his legs shaking like a leaf. Daisy laughs faintly at his embarrassed expression, but she gently squeezes his hand and, whispering, begins to set the beat to help him. 

“One, two, three... Now!”

And Luigi obeys, and strives to follow the pace she sets, and manages to complete the steps so precisely that he surprises himself. He watches Daisy with enthusiasm shining in his eyes, and she, smiling tenderly at him, falls silent, because she understands that he no longer needs her to guide him.

And suddenly, they’re dancing.

Luigi can’t believe it. The delicate cadence of the melody propels his feet, which move in near-perfect synchrony with Daisy’s. They whirl around the park together, close to each other, Daisy’s purple skirt tangling around her legs. She, with her eyes closed and a serene smile on her lips, rocks in Luigi’s arms, feeling the music, living it, and he soon catches the passion with which the young woman dances. The song floods his mind, reaches his heart and urges him to dance with his soul, devoting himself entirely to the beauty of the music.

Without letting go of Daisy, Luigi reaches out his arm to spin her around, and watches her beautiful hair float behind her, making her look even more attractive in his eyes, if that’s even possible. The purple daisy, still clinging to her mane, slips a little to rest on Daisy’s ear, and, at the conclusion of the spin, she falls into Luigi’s arms with a soft exhalation of awe. Luigi holds her, one arm behind her back, his hand gripping Daisy’s firmly, and breathless, she gives him a rapt smile, her free arm coming up to encircle his neck. Luigi, to his surprise, finds himself smiling gallantly at her, completely immersed in the music and the intimate atmosphere of the place. He helps her straighten up and resettles his hand on her waist, as Daisy’s hand slides back to its place on his shoulder. As they continue to dance, however, her fingers lift slightly to graze his ear, sending a tingle of pleasure to every nerve ending in Luigi’s body.

By the time the harmonious melody concludes, they’re both breathing heavily, their hearts beating fast to the rhythm of the other’s. They glance, smiling, their hands still intertwined, Luigi’s palm still on Daisy’s waist, Daisy’s fingers still resting on Luigi’s shoulder. Their bodies are very close, their chests almost pressed together due to the posture. Luigi, for the umpteenth time that night, finds his eyes entwined with Daisy’s, caught by that depth that so reminds him of the ocean. She too seems unable to stop gazing at him, a pretty smile gracing those beautiful lips that Luigi is so eager to taste. His heart gets a little faster if possible at the thought, but the princess drives him so crazy that he can only think of having her closer, a little closer, just a little bit closer. He feels totally imprisoned by her spell, hopelessly wrapped around her finger, and he’s enjoying every second of it.

His breath intermingles with Daisy’s. Hers is a bit shaken, while he feels like a bundle of nerves. Still, Luigi’s instinct is screaming at him to keep his head down a little, and who is he to resist.

“Luigi,” he hears her say then, her voice barely a choked whisper, “if you want to stop... you’d better do it now.”

Despite her words, Daisy doesn’t sound too convinced. Luigi can’t stop the corners of his lips from lifting slightly, his heart full of tenderness, and his voice comes out hoarse and low as he manages to answer her.

“I don’t want to stop.”

Fleetingly, Daisy returns his smile. She continues to move closer, raising her head a little higher, and Luigi continues to tilt his, both anxious and excited with anticipation.

Until, at last, their lips meet.

And Luigi feels like he could die in that instant.

Daisy’s lips are sweet, soft, far more delicious than Luigi could have imagined, and he melts inside with delight. He thinks he might burst into tears from the joy of finally seeing his greatest wish fulfilled. Is Daisy, the princess he’s madly in love with, really kissing him? Is this not a dream? But no, the touch of her velvety lips against his is so real that he’s about to lose his mind.

He wants to give himself completely to this madness and never let go. 

They linger for a second with their mouths pressed together, enjoying each other’s touch, until Daisy begins to move her lips. At first she does it slowly, tempting him, tasting him, and Luigi, delighted, lets himself be guided by her lead and enjoys the movement.

Then Daisy opens her mouth, inviting Luigi to explore her, and lets go of his hand to wrap both arms around his neck. Luigi barely notices, so lost as he is in the kiss, so fascinated by the flavor of the young woman that he can’t even realize that now both his hands are squeezing her waist, instinctively pulling her closer to him. 

They both raise their tongues at the same time, so they meet somewhere in the middle of the union of their mouths. Luigi moves his away for a moment and allows Daisy to be the first to explore his mouth, and he feels his legs tremble at the gentleness and tenderness with which she does so. Next it is Daisy who pulls her tongue away and, again, opens her lips, and this time Luigi accepts the invitation and marvels again at the intoxicating taste of the pretty princess.

They continue to kiss and savor each other, not wanting to stop, not wanting to move away from the other, not wanting this sensual and exciting experience to end. They press more and more against each other, the kiss is more and more ardent and passionate, Luigi feels more and more flushed and heated, but he doesn’t want to stop for anything in the world. He feels that he could spend all his remaining life kissing Daisy, lost in her lips and in her flavor and feeling how she entangles her fingers around his neck in an attempt to bring him even closer to her.

Suddenly, Luigi begins to feel a slight discomfort on his arms, something cold and wet that makes his skin prickle, but he ignores it, for Daisy’s lips are more important. However, the discomfort increases, now falling on his hair as well and slipping through Daisy’s fingers. She lets out a little cry of surprise against his lips and Luigi can’t help but smile, but doesn’t release Daisy’s mouth, eager to prolong the kiss for all eternity. 

Nevertheless, even though she doesn’t seem to want to break away either, she begins to say his name giggling as she places her hands on his chest to try to push him away a little, gently but firmly. Luigi, thinking it’s just a game, laughs and pulls her a little closer, ignoring the cold he feels in his arms and head. Daisy presses her lips on his for a moment more and, to Luigi’s disgrace, she moves away and says his name again, still chuckling, raising her tone a little. He finally opens his eyes but doesn’t erase the infatuated smile from his face nor take his arms away from her waist.

“It’s raining,” she points out with a giggle. 

“How nice,” he mumbles, enraptured, and seeks her lips again. 

Daisy is about to burst into laughter, but it’s drowned out by the intensity of his kiss. However, after a few seconds of kissing him back, she pulls away again and places her hands on his cheeks.

“Luigi,” she insists, amused. “It’s raining!”

Oly then does he manage to process her words.

“It’s raining?” he repeats as he instinctively raises an arm to place it over both of their heads.

When he glances up, he realizes in frustration that the clouds he saw when they arrived at the pond have ended up hiding the moon and have broken the magical moment he was sharing with Daisy. He purses his lips in annoyance. They’ll get soaked, and the flower he gave the princess will be ruined. 

She, however, covers her mouth to hide a giggle, amused at his reaction. Luigi, without a second thought, grabs her hand and runs away. She laughs heartily, letting him lead her, and Luigi guides her through the flora of the park and back to the city. He runs, pulling Daisy and catching her loud laughter, unable to help it, and takes her to the only place he can think of: his parents’ house. They enter and stand in the doorway, close to the ascending stairs, sheltered from the sudden storm that has burst over their heads. Breathing heavily, they look at each other, wide smiles on their faces, their hands still clasped together.

Luigi, lost in Daisy’s beautiful eyes, raises his free hand to check the condition of the flower, which, to his surprise, is holding firm, resistant to the rain. On impulse, Luigi begins to stroke the princess’ freckled cheek, and she widens her smile and tilts her head a little to enjoy the caress. Luigi’s heart fills with tenderness, and he, captivated, wishes to be lucky enough to see this girl every day.

He wishes to be lucky enough to kiss this girl every day.

“I had a very great time,” Daisy says softly.

“Even with the storm?” Luigi asks, giggling to hide his blush.

“Even with the storm,” she nods.

They laugh again, feeling deeply connected once more, and Daisy’s hand rises to rest on Luigi’s, who hasn’t stopped brushing her cheek with infinite fondness.

“Although...” Daisy stands on tiptoe so she can whisper in his ear. “What we were doing just before it started raining was my favorite part.”

Luigi is sure his whole face is now redder than Mario’s hat. He swallows, as his throat has gone dry, and notices his heart hammering in his ears. When Daisy looks at him, he smiles and nods in an awkward attempt to tell her that this was his favorite part too.

“We’ll have to do it again,” Daisy adds suggestively.

Seizing the fact that she was still on tiptoe and that their faces are close together, she rubs her lips against Luigi’s, just for an instant, just a quick caress of her mouth on his. For Luigi, though, it’s more than enough: he grabs her waist again and opens his mouth to deepen the kiss. Daisy gives a soft giggle, but immediately reciprocates his gesture and cups his face gently.

This time they’re interrupted by the sound of footsteps running down the stairs. Startled, they separate, although their hands remain in the same places, and they look up just in time to see Mario arriving, at full speed, at the hallway of the building.

“Wow,” he exclaims with a chuckle. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Luigi gives him an embarrassed smile and hopes that Daisy’s hands, still resting on his cheeks, hide his blush. She, without a trace of shyness, widens her smile and leans a little towards him, so that her hair grazes Luigi’s chin. His legs automatically turn into butter again. 

“I see the date went well,” Mario observes, smiling mischievously at them.

“Better than that,” replies Daisy, and her fingers begin to affectionately squeeze Luigi’s cheeks, making him feel the urge to laugh and hide underground, all at the same time. “Your brother and I are boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Her words fill Luigi’s heart with so much joy that, not caring that his brother is present, he gives Daisy a fully beaming glance. 

“Does that mean I can treat you like a sister now?” Mario asks amusedly.

“Weren’t you already doing that?” replies Daisy, following his joke.

“Maybe, but I guess it makes more sense now.”

Daisy responds with a laugh, her hands coming down to Luigi’s shoulders. He manages to emit a nervous chuckle, and his eyes suddenly meet Mario’s, who, slowly, has continued to approach the door. At that instant, however, Mario stops, his gaze filled with understanding and affection, and Luigi’s heart swells in his chest, his smile a little hesitant at his brother’s sincere joy for him. Luigi nods slightly, hoping Mario catches the appreciation in his gesture and in his eyes, for, after all, his brother has helped him from the beginning in everything concerning his feelings for Daisy. 

Luigi would not be experiencing his exciting first date with Daisy were it not for his beloved big brother’s invaluable help.

Then Mario, not taking his eyes off Luigi’s, approaches him in two strides and gently pats his shoulder.

“See you later at home, Lu,” he says, a warm smile tattooed on his lips.

Luigi nods, feeling a little reassured by his brother’s familiar touch, and takes one hand off Daisy’s waist to place it on Mario’s shoulder.

And, for an instant, Luigi holds in his two hands the two most important people in his life and for who he would gladly give his last breath.

Not even realizing it, he tightens his grip around Daisy’s waist as he gives a light squeeze on Mario’s shoulder. His brother, after a final pat, slowly pulls away from him and turns towards the door.

Then Luigi realizes something.

“Mario,” he calls out to him, worried. “It’s raining. Didn’t you take your umbrella?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Lu,” Mario replies, waving his hand to play it down. “The pipe is quite close. I won’t have time to get wet.”

Luigi smiles and shakes his head slightly, resigned. 

“You’ll catch a cold,” he scolds him affectionately.

“And then I’ll have two Moms instead of one, I know,” Mario says in the same tone, making both Luigi and Daisy giggle. “See you, lovebirds!”

And before Luigi or Daisy have time to answer him, he’s gone. 

Luigi sighs, the resigned smile still on his lips. His brother will never change, and he adores him for that very reason.

Then he turns to Daisy, who also turns her face towards him at that instant, and they smile at each other, knowingly, their cheeks reddened. There’s something Luigi wants to ask her, but he doesn’t know how to broach the subject. Daisy, however, is faster in taking the initiative.

“Where were we?” she murmurs, running two fingers provocatively across his chest.

But Luigi, despite the embarrassment, despite the shudder of pleasure that runs up and down him, still needs to get something off his head, to ask her something about what she just declared in front of Mario.

“D-Daisy,” he mumbles, and rubs the back of his neck for the millionth time that night. “Th-that thing about... us being... y-you know... b-boyfriend and girlfriend... W-were you s-serious?”

“Absolutely,” she says without hesitation. “Unless you don’t want to, of course.”

“Yes!” Luigi shouts, almost at a faster speed than when they were at the pizzeria. “Y-yes, Daisy, I-I mean, o-of course I do, I...” He stops for a moment and takes a deep breath, trying to order the words he wants to pronounce. “Of course I want to go out with you, Daisy. I-I r-really l-like... you.”

She laughs softly, a bit blushed, and bites her lower lip, still running her fingers down his chest and sending shivers down his spine.

“I really like you too, Luigi,” she confesses, her voice a faint whisper. “You’re... so sweet. In every way.”

She places a tender kiss on Luigi’s lips, which makes his heart skip a beat. But before he can reciprocate, she pulls away for a moment and looks at him with sparkling eyes.

“See you tomorrow, my sweet Green Bean?”

Luigi jumps at the affectionate appellation and flushes again, but finds that he likes, no, he loves it that Daisy addresses him that way. A smile blossoms on his face and his grip around her waist tightens.

“I’m looking forward to it, my Desert Princess.”

She grins and, to Luigi’s surprise, reddens too. Captivated, he caresses her cheek as she watches him intently. Then he slides his hand into her beautiful, velvety auburn hair, taking care not to drop the purple daisy, and she cups his face again. And, lost in each other’s eyes, they lean in until their lips meet once more.

But this kiss, even if it is also intense and sweet and deep and passionate and intoxicating, tastes like a farewell.

“I’m already counting the hours until we meet again,” Luigi murmurs, pulling away for a second, only to kiss her again as soon as he finishes speaking, with greater intensity and passion.

“I was about to tell you the same thing,” she replies, resuming the kiss a second later.

And they kiss, and kiss, and kiss, and his hands stroke her waist and her mane, and hers get lost in his tousled hair and encircle his neck, and their tongues dance a dance that both would like to last forever.

And in that moment, not being aware of it, they both inwardly promise themselves the same thing.

That, someday, it will be.

[transamus]

Also here's my thoughts on the various aspects of Mario Eclipse, major spoilers though- I recommend going in blind if you plan on playing it at all.

Il Piantissimo feels phenomenal to play as. Not having FLUDD is compensated with a double jump, and the increased speed & jump height is insane. Luckily, you cannot choose to play as him in any episode where you would not be able to accomplish your goal. Additionally, the presence of water bombs for all characters when not using FLUDD works really well to make him still viable.

Luigi feels like the perfect middle-ground between Il Piantissimo's faster movement / higher jumps and still being able to use FLUDD. I choose to play as Luigi more often than not.

Warship Isle was full of tedium, my least favourite new level: however, where all the new levels do have some tedium, the tedium itself fit perfectly into the game. Nothing was more tedious than what Nintendo themselves asked of the player, and so it kinda ended up balancing out pretty nicely.

Lighthouse Isle had some camera issues, but overall starting the level stormy was a great choice, the custom boss battle was really well-done, and I enjoyed it a lot. My only other criticism is that the soundtrack was more "Grant Kirkhope" than "Koji Kondo", but none of the other levels' soundtracks had this issue.

Erto Rock was a beautiful level and a great way to interpret the concept from the cut content. I'm not a huge fan of how often, though, in new levels, you start with a mission that has a timer; I'd prefer personally to be able to take my time exploring the new levels first rather than kinda have to take it all in as quickly as possible. It's also nice having a more vertical level that feels simultaneously like it takes advantage of the Rocket Nozzle where the base game did not, as well as not making it entirely mandatory either.

Hotel Lacrima is a hilarious way to interpret the cut content; they chose to make it mafia based, because... hotel la-crime-a. That's really funny. The organized crime didn't feel out of place for a Nintendo game of this era, either, weirdly enough. The level itself is designed in such a way that the camera feels accommodated for really nicely, despite the inherent issues with the game's camera.

All of the new transition levels / areas feel really cute, and the vibes are immaculate.

Needing to beat shadow Mario in all of the new levels as well was unexpected, but I felt like it fit really nicely. This is usually one of the biggest criticisms of Mario Sunshine itself, but I think the amount of post-game content makes up for this.

Starting the game at Peach's Castle was also a really great choice; in the base game, you have all of 3 seconds to familiarize yourself with Mario's moveset before you obtain FLUDD. Having even this small change I think fixed that issue really well.

The ability to enter Corona Mountain pre-flood was a really nice touch; I do wish that it had been expanded into a full level, though. The attention to the cut detail of it being a Shrine was very appreciated.

I'm only just moving into the post-game content, but having it based around Daisy's Cruiser is a really adorable touch. The post-game content genuinely feels like Official DLC for the game, expanding the map outwards off of Isle Delfino rather than continuing to pile onto the island.

As a Blue Coins enjoyer, I'm really glad that they didn't remove the Blue Coins from the game, and in fact added some to every single new level. I've always stood by the fact that I'd rather have Blue Coins as a "portion of a major collectable" than distort the value of major collectables by throwing them literally everywhere (looking at you, Mario Odyssey).

While the original plan for Eclipse was to restore the beta Delfino Plaza, the beta plaza is nowhere to be found. On one hand, I wish they would have, and put it maybe on the north side of the island or something? but on the other hand, not restoring it does feel like it honors the choices the developers made more, making the mod feel, again, like an Official Product. I think the beta plaza would have stood out design-wise, and- like in the base game- was probably not included for good reason.

As someone who is super autistic about Super Mario Sunshine, this really feels like it hit every single thing I would've wanted in a theoretical remake- it feels like this is the game Nintendo's team would have made if they had been given unlimited time and budget to do so.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (11/12/2024) Episode: Prank Day Potluck

“This potluck is such a delight” Luigi lied, wishing he had stuck to the plates he had prepared himself earlier. He didn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings, especially when he knew the issue was less their dishes and more his very high culinary expectations.

Skye was glad no one was asking him about his meal. The bangers and mash Isra had made had looked quite tasty, but something about the combination of greasy sausage and fluffy potato really weren’t doing his tummy any favors.

Once everyone was finished eating, they broke into small groups to catch up with each other and enjoy some fun in the sun.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Skye told Bruce as he and Elyse sat with the other kids, “My dad said you got hurt pretty bad at the trials.”

“Tales of my downfall were greatly exaggerated” the teen quickly replied. Elyse, who shared classes with Bruce at Copperdale and had seen him hobbling around after he’d been cleared by his doctor to return rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.

“Anyway” Bruce continued “the trials were stupid, but I heard a wild story there. Did you know that stargazing can get you abducted? This guy I met heard it from a guy whose cousin works at the science lab.” Skye listened, rapt. Who knew using a telescope could be so dangerous!?

“I can’t believe Skye is almost a teenager!” Noemi lamented to her girlfriends “I swear some days it seems like only yesterday I was waddling around the university, feeling as big as a house, wishing the desks were bigger and my classes were closer together!”

Breanne laughed. “The teen years will fly by too, believe me. It seems like only yesterday my oldest girl Bailey was dating the captain of the chess team, and now she’s married and expecting her second little one.” ���Congratulations!” the others chorused.

“So, do you want to host Skye’s birthday party at our place again?” Isra asked. “Thanks” Noemi replied “but Luigi and I are planning to take him on one last trip with just the three of us. Once he ages up, I’m not sure when we’ll get to see him again without making an appointment with Elyse first.” Isra chuckled “So you say, yet I seem to recall both our kids spent all morning at your house!”

“Sheesh, someone needs to lay off the garlic noodles!” Beau complained, holding his nose while waving his hand in Luigi’s direction.

“What!? That wasn’t me!” Luigi protested before his friend started laughing uproariously “Gotcha!” “Argh, I should have known! I’ll get you back for that, just you wait” Luigi told him as the men enjoyed a game of cards.

“Hey, when will you have that Cyberworld item from the Expansion Pack ready for us try out?” Rhys asked, tactfully changing the subject. “I can’t wait to battle myself in the game!” Beau agreed, adding with a grin: “and I can’t wait to have another way to kick both your butts! Seriously man, let’s test it!”

“Soon” Luigi promised “we’re still working out some kinks in the interface. Creating a virtual world within a virtual world turned out to be significantly more difficult than it seemed; but I just know its going to be awesome when we get it right.”

“Thanks for agreeing to help with the motion capture and voice your NPCs.” he continued, before turning back to Beau “I think the new candle making hobby is going to go over well too. I don’t know how Breanne does it all day, my fingers were sore for hours after my visit!”

“My wife is a pro” Beau smiled proudly “only noobs like your highness get singed every 5 minutes!” he laughed “Honestly though, thank you for thinking of her. She was thrilled to participate and having the official hobby lot in the game be modeled after her shop was very flattering.”

After a few more hours talking, pranking, and enjoying some snorkeling and deep-sea diving in the waters surrounding the bungalow Luigi and his family said their goodbyes and headed home, happy to have spent a wonderful day enjoying one of their favorite holidays with some of their favorite sims.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[coffeecat1983]

Can you please write #64 "Yell, scream, cry, say something, anything" for Mario bros if you haven't already? Thank you! :)

It was answered here with Tony and Arthur, but I'm happy to spin it again with Mario and Luigi. Enjoy!

#64 "Yell, scream, cry, say something, anything" Feat Mario and Luigi

     "Easy, sweetheart, you're going to wear a hole in the floor." Marianna said, trying to coax her youngest to relax. Luigi stopped in his tracks and ran his fingers nervously through his hair.      "Why haven't we heard anything?" Luigi blurted out. "They call Mario back, don't say what's goin' on and..."      "Hey, kiddo, deep breath," Tony jumped up from his seat and put an arm around him.      "You'd think he was havin' the kid." Arthur laughed. Tony rolled his eyes. "Eh, like we were any better with Bria. You nearly needed new shoes after that day."    This made the family laugh and Luigi relaxed a little. They had gathered at the hospital when Peach went into labor, opting to have the baby in Brooklyn rather than the Mushroom Kingdom. It seemed like something was wrong, though, as the nurse had called Mario back but nothing had been heard since.    That was two hours ago.    As Tony led Luigi away to try and calm him down, Giovanni leaned in towards Marianna.      "Mar, I gotta admit I don't like this. We should have-" he stopped as Mario entered the waiting room. All eyes turned to him, the young man looked exhausted and pale.      "Bro?" Luigi stepped forward. "What happened?"      "You okay kid? How's Peach?" Arthur chimed in.      "And the baby?" Marianna added.    Mario wobbled slightly and his mother hurried over to guide him to one of the chairs. He sat back, looked dazed.      "Well?" Giovanni prompted.    Luigi couldn't take it. "Mario, say somethin'! Laugh, cry, scream, anything! What happened?!"    His frantic voice did the trick. Mario seemed to snap out of it and looking around, he let out a faint laugh. "It's a boy." he managed. "A little boy."    Relief swept over everyone, laughter and chatter building up. Luigi came over and hugged his brother tightly. "And Peach?" he asked, letting him go.      "She's tired, but good. They thought it was going to be trouble at first, that's why they called me back."      "Next time give us a heads up!" Arthur teased. "Your bro was losin' his mind."      "I was just worried, that's all." Luigi said, rubbing his neck. Mario took his hand as he stood and motioned back to the hospital rooms.      "C'mon Uncle Weege, come meet your nephew."

END

By "CC"

[trashyswitch]

Short People Problems

Mario and Donkey Kong are doing obstacle courses and casually teasing the hell out of each other. But one joke about being short ends up making Mario discover something about Donkey Kong he NEVER would've expected. But...Being short means you gotta be extra careful messing with a large gorilla.

Thanks to @theybibsxi for helping me with this fanfic! And this fanfic was based on some headcanons I made a while back. I hope you all enjoy!

Also, I will be spending the next week on vacation with family. Though I will likely continue writing during this time, I won't be uploading any more fanfics until next Saturday. So...I'm hopping off for the week. Try not to die while I'm gone! <3

Mario and Donkey Kong were walking around the Mushroom kingdom, just chilling out and smashing whatever bricks they found and using whatever power ups they could come across. Though they weren’t really best buds quite yet, they were still getting to know each other a lot better now. Though, that didn’t mean they didn’t taunt each other now and again…

Mario had pulled himself up onto a group of floating bricks and sprinted across them. 

“Move it, shorty.” Donkey Kong jumped up and hit the brick right below Mario’s feet, making Mario fall through the hole. Mario yelped as he felt his stomach ascend into his chest as he fell to the ground.

Though Donkey Kong was a funnyman, he wasn’t a jerk who was gonna let Mario fall on his face. So he caught Mario with his hand as he ran. 

But Mario clearly didn’t approve of such heroism. “I’m not a baby.” Mario muttered. 

“Prove it, then!” Donkey Kong declared as he gave him a good throw into the air to reach the next platform. 

Mario soared through the air and landed on his feet onto the platform before taking off running again. Mario sprinted up the stairs and headed to the elevator. He went up the elevator before heading to the two walls. Now, Mario had done his fair share of wall-jumps. So this part was gonna be easy for him. Mario jumped up once towards the left wall. When he landed, he jumped off the left wall to get to the right wall. When he got to the right wall, he jumped off it to get to the left wall again. Repeat this a few times, and you successfully wall-jump a wall. 

When Mario reached the top of the wall, Donkey Kong ran by him. “Not bad, Red.” Donkey Kong reacted. 

“Thanks.” Mario replied. 

“For an amateur, anyway.” Donkey Kong added with a laugh. 

Mario rolled his eyes and followed him. “Did you really need to add that last part?” Mario asked. 

“Well I didn’t want you thinking I’m complimenting you or something.” Donkey Kong replied. 

“You worried about being seen as a softy?” Mario asked. 

“No. Are you?” Donkey Kong asked. 

“Sometimes.” Mario admitted. 

Donkey Kong chuckled and hopped down the platform onto the ground below. “Maybe it’s because you are.” Donkey Kong joked. 

Mario hopped down next. “And you’re not, I’m guessing?” Mario asked. 

“Me?! No way!” Donkey Kong replied. 

“Uh huh…” Mario hummed, not believing him. “I’ve seen the way you act around Diddy Kong.” Mario added. 

Donkey Kong raised an eyebrow at him before smirking and leaning on Mario’s head. “Oh yeah? And I’ve seen the way you act around Luigi.” Donkey Kong added. 

Mario frowned and crossed his arms when he felt the gorilla’s arm on his head. “...Dude.” Mario said. 

“Mhm?” He replied, casually looking at his nails. 

“Get off me.” Mario ordered. 

“Whaddaya mean?” He asked with a smirk. “I’m not even touching you.” He added. 

“Get off!” Mario yelled.

Donkey Kong’s smirk grew into a toothy smile as he poked Mario’s cheek playfully. “Or what? You’ll beat me up?” He teased. 

Mario growled and poked Donkey’s ribs and armpit. “GET OFF ME!” Mario yelled. 

Donkey Kong wheezed and instinctively pulled his arm back against his side. “WoHO- HEhey!” Donkey Kong laughed. “Wohow! I feel bad for your bro.” Donkey Kong reacted. 

Mario narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” Mario asked. 

“You can’t even take a joke!” Donkey Kong told him. 

Mario glared at him. “There’s a difference between joking around, and being a pain in the neck.” Mario let him know as he poked his side. 

Donkey Kong yelped and curled away from the touch for a moment. “Q-Quit that!” He reacted. 

Mario’s frown softened when he saw Donkey Kong’s reaction. He looked at the area he had poked, before looking up at Donkey Kong. “Wait…” Mario attempted to poke his side again, but yelped as his hand was slapped away by Donkey Kong’s larger hand. “Ow!” Mario reacted. 

“Don’t touch me!” Donkey Kong yelled. 

“Why?” Mario asked, smirking slightly. “Ticklish?” He asked. 

Donkey Kong blinked, and looked down to the side slightly. “I-” He muttered. 

Mario’s facial expression only grew when he heard Donkey Kong stutter. “...Wait, seriously?!” Mario asked, not fully believing it at first.

“Shut up.” Donkey Kong ordered. 

“I will, but…” Mario looked at him. “I’m surprised.” He admitted, pointing to him. 

“Don’t. Try it.” Donkey Kong ordered. 

Mario looked at Donkey Kong…then at his stomach…Mario reached his finger out and started to bring it closer to his belly. “Juuuust-” Mario widened his eyes the moment his hand was grabbed by a fluffy, large, brown hand. Mario yelped and screeched as he was lifted up off the ground by his wrist. “WaitwaiT- AAH!” Mario shouted. 

“You think you can tickle me and get away with it?!” He asked before poking Mario’s side, earning him a surprisingly high-pitched squeak. “Just try me. I DARE you.” He added with a smirk as he skittered three of his fingers on Mario’s side. 

Mario widened his eyes and covered his mouth, refusing to let Donkey Kong hear his laugh. Though Mario really liked his own laugh, he knew that if he let it out…then Donkey Kong was gonna keep tickling him just to tease him about it! And why in the world would Mario give him that satisfaction?! 

Mario shot him the best glare he could considering the circumstances. But it didn’t look threatening like he wanted…because Donkey Kong only laughed at him. “Was that supposed to scare me?!” Donkey Kong asked. 

Mario soon removed his hand from his face, showing off his wobbly smile in the process, so he could cover up his side as best he could with one hand. “Yohoucan’tbreakme.” Mario spat through his pent-up laughter. 

“Oh I’m not trying to break you.” Donkey Kong told him. “I’m just trying to tickle you. Make you laugh.” He told him. “And you’re holding out on me!” He added, moving his finger up to his armpit. “And I don’t like it.” Donkey Kong added, poking his armpit with an evil, toothy smirk. 

Mario screeched and looked visibly scared as he tried to wave his hand away from his armpit. “NO! Not there! Anywhere but there!” Mario begged. 

He removed his finger and wiggled it. “Ohooo! Does that mean it’s…” His finger touched down right in the dip of his armpit. “Ticklish?” He teased in the most evil voice he could muster. 

Mario gripped Donkey Kong’s finger as best he could, and attempted to remove it. “NOo, no it’s not.” Mario shot back. 

Donkey Kong flexed his finger, making it wiggle and tickle his armpit one single time. Just this alone, made Mario titter and squeeze his eyes shut. “If your armpit isn’t sensitive…” He flexed his finger again to tickle Mario just once more. “Then why are you smiling so much?” Donkey Kong asked with fake curiosity, referring to the wobbly smile on Mario’s face that had just grown to show off his teeth. 

“DonkeyKongIswearto-” Mario gasped as he felt Donkey Kong’s finger wiggle again…only for it to wiggle continuously in his armpit. “GohohoHOHOHOD!” Mario finished his threat before throwing his head back as he felt the dam break right open. 

Donkey Kong’s face brightened as he heard the man break open with laughter. “Wow! There you go!” He reacted. “Took you long enough.” He added with a chuckle. 

Mario immediately let go of Donkey Kong’s finger and flapped his free arm around as he laughed full-force this time. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha!” Mario laughed, pulling his arm in and keeping it tense against his side. 

“Not gonna lie, you’ve got a pretty good laugh. I can see why the princess likes you.” Donkey Kong told him. 

Mario could feel a slight blush showing up on his face from that compliment alone. “SHUHUHUT UHUHUP!” Mario yelled at him. 

“Nah. I rather like teasing you, Red.” Donkey Kong admitted. “Maybe if I tease you enough, your cheeks will match your shirt.” He added. 

Mario lowered his head down and held his stomach as he kept laughing. By this point, Mario had given up trying to stop Donkey Kong from tickling him. Mario couldn’t do any damage to Donkey Kong without a power up, thanks to how big and strong Donkey Kong was. So the man had to just take it. 

And right as Mario was starting to get used to the tickles, Donkey Kong started dragging his finger down to the ribs. “Coochy coochy coo~” He teased evilly. 

Mario’s laughter seemed to stay about the same, only this time, his feet started kicking a bit more wildly. “YOHOHOHOU’RE SOHOHOHO MEHEHEHEAN!” Mario complained. 

“Says the one who continuously heeded my warning and tried to tickle me anyway, despite me saying ‘Don’t try it’ at least once.” Donkey Kong added. 

“STOHOP STOPSTOP LEHET MEHEHE TAHAHALK!” Mario begged. “PLEHEHEHEASE!” 

Donkey Kong shrugged his shoulders and stopped tickling his ribs. “Okay.” He replied. 

Mario’s laughter lessened super quickly. The man breathed in gulps of air and let out long breaths of relief. “Gohohosh…” Mario muttered. 

“What did you wanna say?” Donkey Kong asked. 

Mario looked up at Donkey Kong, and let out another breath. “You…technically didn’t say ‘Don’t try it’.” Mario told him. 

Donkey Kong narrowed his eyes. “Oh really?” He leaned in. “Then what did I say?” He asked. 

“You actually said ‘Don’t’ with a pause…and then ‘try it’.” Mario replied with a growing little innocent smile. 

Donkey Kong looked at him with the most unamused face he could possibly show him. 

This look made Mario burst out laughing despite still clearly being overpowered. “Yohohou look so done with me.” Mario added, giggling into his own hand. 

Donkey Kong rolled his eyes and let go of Mario, making him drop to the ground. When Mario sat himself up, Donkey Kong pushed Mario down onto his back and held the man’s wrists by the sleeves just above his chest. “You done talking yet?” He asked with a smirk before moving his fingers towards Mario’s belly. “If not, then you might as well laugh instead.” Donkey Kong concluded, skittering his fingers on his little, jean-covered belly. 

Mario’s laughter seemed to erupt from his lips almost right away this time, surprising them both. “aaAAHAhahahahaha! Ohohohokahahay! Ihihi’m dohone tahahalkihing, I promihihihise!” Mario replied. 

“Well that’s a relief.” He teased. “But laughing doesn’t really count as talking, does it?” He asked, wiggling his fingers near his vulnerable sides. 

Mario’s body language, as well as his laughter, noticeably doubled when his right side was merely stroked by the gorilla’s fingers. “Ihihihi dohohoHOHON’T KNOHOHOhohohow!” Mario admitted, his voice moving up and down in volume. 

Donkey Kong’s smirk widened the moment his laughter got stronger. He quickly looked up at Mario’s face. “Ticklish sides?” He asked before poking his right side a bit harder this time. 

“HeheHEHAHAHA- NoHO!” Mario attempted to turn himself onto his right to cover up his ticklish side. “N-No, no way. They’re not. Honest.” Mario argued, pulling on his sleeves rough enough to try and get out, but gentle enough as to not rip his sleeves. 

Donkey Kong chuckled and shook his head. “You are the worst liar I have ever met.” Donkey Kong admitted with a laugh before giving Mario’s sides a few squeezes. “Like, a toddler would be able to lie better than you!” Donkey Kong teased. Mario threw his head back and let out a long, strong cackle. “SOHOHOHO WHAHAT?!” Mario yelled back. 

Mario’s laughter only continued in long bouts when Donkey Kong squeezed his side a bit faster. “Wow! I’m glad you found that as funny as I did!” Donkey Kong reacted. 

Mario shook his head as he kicked his feet somewhat wildly. “NOHOHOT FUNNYHEEHEEHEE!” Mario shouted at him. 

“Another lie! You seriously think lying about my humor is going to work when you’re clearly laughing?!” Donkey Kong joked. 

“BUHUHUT IHI’M NOHOHOT! IHIHI SWEHEHEAR!” Mario yelled at him. 

“Ohoho, you’d better not be swearing that you’re not laughing…because that would be yet ANOTHER lie!” Donkey Kong reacted. “Speaking of which: why are you laughing so much, Jumpman?” Donkey Kong asked. 

“WHYHY DOHO YOU THIHIHIHIHINK?!” Mario spat back. 

Donkey Kong shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I can’t read your mind, Mario.” Donkey Kong teased. “You’re the only one who can tell me why you’re laughing.” 

Mario whined through his laughter. “BEHEHECAUSE YOHOU’RE TIHIHICKLIHIHING MEHEHEHEHE!” Mario yelled back. 

“What?!” Donkey Kong stopped his fingers and let go of Mario’s sleeves before moving them up into arrest position. “No I’m not!” Donkey Kong reacted. “Look! My hands are free!” He insisted.

Mario held his stomach as he curled up into a ball, giggling and laughing from the leftover phantom tickles. Even though Donkey Kong was obviously not tickling him, Mario was still laughing almost as hard as he was when DK’s hand was squeezing his unbelievably ticklish side. 

“See? I’m not even touching you, and you’re laughing yourself absolutely bananas! What is so funny?!” Donkey Kong reacted, acting all innocent. 

Mario’s laughter slowly began to die down. Keyword: slowly. Though they were less than before, Mario’s cackles were still strong enough to keep Mario’s face a little bit red. Normally a person would start snorting by now. But here’s the thing: Mario is not a snorter. 

But don’t let this discourage you…because there’s something else I need to tell you:

Mario may not snort…but he most certainly hiccups when he laughs for too long. 

And that’s exactly what Mario started to do. Mario had only let out one single hiccup, which made Mario impulsively cover up his mouth with his palm. But even with his mouth covered, you could still hear the recurring hiccups through his hand. “Hahahaha- *hic* -Hehehe *hic* Hehe sohohorry- *hic* Hehehehe-” Mario muttered. 

Donkey Kong widened his eyes and stared at Mario. “Are you…hiccuping?!” Donkey Kong asked. 

Mario’s blush only seemed to deepen when Donkey Kong simply mentioned his hiccups. He sat himself up and tried to calm himself down. “Ihihihi *hic* Hihihihi- *hic* Hihihehehehe- *hic* Yeheheah…” Mario muttered. 

Donkey Kong chuckled. “Does anyone else know about your hiccup laughs?” Donkey Kong asked. 

Mario groaned and covered his face, clearly embarrassed. “Shhhhutup.” Mario muttered. 

Donkey Kong laughed and offered him a hand. “Want help up, overalls?” 

Mario bit his lip and uncovered his face. “S-Sure.” Mario muttered. When he felt ready, Mario took his hand (or rather, his index finger) and got up onto his feet. “Now…please don’t tell anyone.” Mario told him. “I don’t want rumors to spread about this.” Mario admitted. 

Donkey Kong nodded. “Wouldn’t want such adorable information to get into the wrong hands.” Donkey Kong added. 

“Yeah, pretty-” Mario froze. “Wha- HEY!” Mario punched Donkey Kong’s arm, earning him a laugh from Donkey Kong. “I’m not adorable.” Mario warned. 

“I’d beg to differ…Have you seen yourself in the catsuit?” Donkey Kong teased, wiggling his fingers like a cat paw. 

Mario rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Sh-shut up.” Mario muttered. 

This made Donkey Kong laugh even more. “Fine, fine.” He said. “But in return…you can’t tell people I’m ticklish either.” Donkey Kong ordered. “That stays zipped up in your head. Got it?” Donkey Kong ordered. 

Mario nodded. “Fair enough. I can do that. Truce?” Mario asked, offering his hand. 

“Truce.” Donkey Kong replied, shaking his hand with his finger while his other hand moved behind his back.  

Mario nodded his head before letting go of Donkey Kong’s finger and looking over at the obstacle course. “So…..” Mario looked over to the main toad village. “You…you wanna visit the toad shops?” Mario asked, pointing to the town.  

Donkey Kong narrowed his eyes. “Shops?” He asked. “I could not think of a more boring activity.” Donkey Kong teased. 

“I dunno…I heard they have some interesting antiques over there…” Mario mentioned. “Haven’t been able to check them out myself though…” He admitted. 

“Hm…” He looked at the town. “Do you think there’s anything I haven’t seen before?” Donkey Kong asked. 

Mario chuckled. “Only one way to find out…” Mario mentioned. 

Donkey Kong chuckled and poked his side. “Fine.” He replied before taking off running. “Race ya!” 

Mario yelped and jumped back, before taking off after him. “WAIT! YOU CHEATER!” Mario shouted. 

“JUST CATCH UP, SLOW POKE!” Donkey Kong shouted back. 

“WATCH ME, SMASH MONKEY!” Mario shouted back as he sprinted after him. 

It didn't take long for the boys to make it to the village. And to Donkey Kong’s surprise, there were actually lots of antique items that he had never seen before. And Mario ended up purchasing a couple new power ups that he hadn’t tried before. Despite the one-sided tickle fight that had just transpired, the boys seemed to keep things civil between each other. Later on, Mario would end up getting tickled all over again. Why? Because Donkey Kong may or may not have been crossing his fingers when he shook Mario’s hand earlier…Go figure…

But let’s face it: Mario would’ve done the same thing. They both have that competitive brotherly energy to them. It’s what seemed to help them cooperate when it was needed. 

[blu193]

Mrs. Monitor Lives (SMG4 AU): A Concept

[aka: Hal Monitor wins squid game and sells the lifetime supplies of PS5s for money to pay for his wife's surgery]

(WARNING: I LOVE THINKING FAR TOO HARD ON SILLY SHOWS AND GAMES I ENJOY, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)

What if Hal Monitor won in "SMG4: If Mario Was In.... SQUID GAME"? What if Hal got the prize and sold the PS5s for the money he needed? Well I'm gonna rewind and try to show you my take on if he did win, and how he did it.

PART 1: HOW.

The first question would be HOW does he win SQUID GAME? Well, we can deduce where he originally lost by checking the roster between games, as even if they are removed offscreen, they show who survived at the start of the next game.

To which we find he was eliminated during the marbles minigame, which leaves us with a couple of questions:

Who did he versus out of the winning group? We can immediately eliminate Mario and Wario, as we see them win against their opponents: Old Man and Waluigi respectfully. We can Also eliminate Squidward, Dipsy (Teletubbie), Colonel Sanders (KFC mascot), Donkey (SHREK ICON), Buff Carl, and Joker (Persona 5) as they weren't apart of the group shown for the marbles minigame and are included in the glass bridge minigame as a gag. Which leaves Meggy, Steve, or Luigi as our final suspects. Personally I'm more likely to believe it was Steve, as his capablities of throwing random stuff as a gag would fry Hal's system and thus, lose the match. So instead, Hal would possibly load all his marbles into a makeshift gun and shoot Steve, eliminating him on the spot.

How would he succeed the glass bridge minigame? As the glass bridge is one of the two minigames he must win at before being crowned the winner, he needs to pass this to contiune onto the next and final round. If he were replace Steve, and (for a super spy gag) had a way to differentiate the wrong or right way for glass pathing, we could still use the "Wario trips up Luigi and immediately faces the consequences of his actions" bit by Hal just chokeholding Wario and yeeting him into the pit saying that "Wasn't very legal" as he threw him.

Onto the Squid Game minigame and we run into the final obstacle: Would it still work to have Meggy and Mario both get past the glass bridge minigame to battle with Hal Monitor in the final frontier? Considering Meggy's skill with a splattershot, and both Mario and Meggy's training for the Splatfest, I doubt it. Mario did win with a gag so odds are he might've not stood a chance against someone like Hal, who is taking this FAR more seriously than himself if Meggy wasn't there. Say she is still there though, which can still play out well in a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" format: Mario defeats Meggy, and Hal quickly defeats Mario while he's distracted by beating Meggy.

PART 2: SO WHAT IF HE WON?

Finally the ending of the episode after getting the money:

Hal and Jr are waiting in the hospital hallway, sitting on a bench outside the room. Hal's leg is going a mile a minute as Jr just sits, resting his head (toaster face?) on his father's lap. Hal got the money just in time, but the wait during the surgery was unbearable. The father-son duo glanced at each other, practically seeing the same amount of fear, paranoia, and dread on the what ifs for their dear microwave. The hospital door creaks open by a smiling E. Gadd. "The procedure was a success. Aside from needing to ease back into walking again, she should be clear. You both can see her if you'd like." But E. Gadd was quickly interrupted as the duo shot towards the door only to halt in the room and slowly step towards the medical chair where their dear Mrs. Monitor sits, assessing her newly added arms, merely astonished by the movements and gestures she could now make with just her hands alone. But what E. Gadd was far more than just arms, no he gave her a whole cybernetic body; legs, body, neck, and even making the microwave door of her face into a whole face plate! As she looked up from her hands, she saw her loving husband and their sweet boy gaze at her with a relived and loving gaze. Their fears were finally over. Hal and Jr go in to give her a big hug, that she just as quickly accepts with her new arms, tears welling up in her new eyes. Their family was finally back together again, and all is finally well for them in the world.

END OF EPISODE.

As always would love your thoughts on this and hope you enjoyed!

[veinsfullofstars]

⭐ Welcome! ⭐

Henlo. Hope you’re doing well. Thanks for poppin’ by. I’m Veins, an art goblin on the internet with abnormal levels of anxiety and chronic video game brainrot, and this is my introduction post. Any updates or news on my end will be added here as well. I hope you’ll be patient with me and enjoy your visit!

(Last updated 11/25/24)

---

Who are you?

A sad pile of meat filled with regret barely surviving on a very lucky rock hurdling through space, just like everyone else... but you can called me Veins. Ivan or Yves is fine, too. Nice to meet you!

Wait, didn't you already have an account here? With the same username?

I did. I, uh, panic-deleted it in response to the data-scraping fiasco and regretted it almost immediately. As a result, you might see reblogs from the deactivated account still floating around. There is, unfortunately, nothing I can do about those unless the blogs that shared them take them down themselves (and, hey, if you happen to be one of those folks seeing this, I'd super appreciate it if you'd maybe remove the old reblog and replace it with the new one from here if you can). It's my mistake for overreacting, and now I just have to live with it. Sorry for any confusion.

What are your preferred pronouns/gender?

Thanks for asking! I’m non-binary, and I use they/them pronouns.

How old are you?

Ancient (in my 30s).

What is your avatar supposed to be?

A goblin. Very smol, very nervous, very puntable.

What are you using this blog for?

Art, mostly. I draw digitally and rarely make stuff with yarn. I've also been writing since I could hold a pencil (though I don’t have much finished, so art will be the main focus for now). Also, expect a lot of reblogs, shitposts, and/or silence between posts - I am a simple hobbyist and neurodivergent as hell in a very exhausting world. I’ll do my best, but - again - I hope you’ll be patient with me if things go quiet from time to time.

What are your interests?

I love stories. I love characters. I love folks who can weave whole worlds with nothing but words on a page or color on a canvas. I grew up on fantasy novels, short horror stories, and late ‘90s/early ’00s animation. Later on, I learned to appreciate slice-of-life and slow-burn romance (especially the queer kinds). Mythology and folklore also slaps, and I wonder sometimes if I should’ve majored in psychology instead of lib arts. My playlists are nothing but video game OSTs with a little heavy metal and j-rock sprinkled in for flavor. I sold my soul to Nintendo years ago, but sometimes I find indie darlings to fall in love with for a time. Dogs are adorable little menaces, and I love them all with my whole chest. Cats are okay, and I am allergic to them. (Does that answer the question? I think I lost track towards the end there…)

Any current hyperfixations?

Tons, but the biggest ones at the moment are Kirby, Hollow Knight, and Paper Mario. More nebulous interests include (in no particular order) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Rain World, Stardew Valley, most Soulsborne titles, Hades, Darkest Dungeon, The Legend of Zelda, Undertale/Deltarune, OFF, The Binding of Isaac, Ace Attorney, Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, The Magnus Archives, Sonic the Hedgehog, and countless more. When I say “multifandom,” I mean it, homie.

Do you have any other social media?

Just this and an AO3 account. So, if you see my name anywhere but these two places, it’s probably not me. For now, Tumblr will be the best place to keep up-to-date with my stuff. If anything changes, I’ll let y’all know here.

Do you have a list of tags you use on your posts?

I tag things obsessively, but I’ll try to sort out the most relevant/unique ones I use here:

#veins art - for any art I’ve made (chrono link)

#veins fanart - for art I’ve made featuring characters from other IPs

#veins ocs - for art I’ve made featuring my original characters/stories

#veins sketches - for any of my unrendered doodles/sketch dumps

#veins old art - for reposts of older art I made before moving to Tumblr (Note: these posts are here for archival purposes and may not reflect my current style/interests.)

#veins writes - for any written works I’ve made

#veins ships - for any posts (reblogs included) featuring romantic pairings; I will also try to include specific pairings as “#(blank) x (blank)” and/or any ship names

#veins rambles - for random thoughts/text posts

#veins answers - for any of my responses to asks sent in (chrono link)

#veins in dream land - for any rambles/headcanons about the Kirby series specifically

#veins reblogs - for anything I reblog, obviously

#childhood friends au - for art from my Kirby AU where Dedede and Meta Knight first met as kids (masterpost | chrono link)

#kintsugi au - for art from my Kirby AU centered around the Mirror World, the Wave 2 gang, and the Darkroach ship - warning: may contain angst and suggestive content (masterpost | chrono link)

#kirbtober 2023 - for my Kirbtober 2023 art (chrono link)

#kirbtober 2024 - for my Kirbtober 2024 art (chrono link)

#mtddweek2024 - for my MetaDede Week 2024 art (chrono link)

I’ll update this with new tags if/when they pop up. Anything else will have generic tags to fit the context of the post. I also mark trigger warnings with tags like “#(blank) tw” if necessary.

What do you use to make your art?

For digital art, I use Clip Studio Paint and a Wacom Intuos Pro S drawing tablet. I don’t draw traditionally as much anymore, but, when I do, it’s usually just quick sketches with pencil and paper. For writing, I use TextEdit or whatever generic rich text editing software I can find. For crafting, I use yarn and plastic canvas.

What brushes do you use?

For sketching and linework, I use a slightly modified version of the Wick Pencil from the 8 Particle Pencil catalog made by saturns_day. For flats and rendering, I use the default CSP hard round brush, airbrush, and G-pen. For effects and extras (clouds, textures, sparkles, etc.), I use default effects brushes or whatever I can find from the CSP Asset Shop.

Can I share your work through reblogs? And are tags okay?

Of course! Reblogs are absolutely fine and always encouraged. I’m also fine with tags as well (though I ask that you not mark anything as a ship unless I’ve marked it as such on the original post - look for the tag #veins ships if you’re ever unsure).

Can I repost/use your work for my own personal/commercial use?

Absolutely not. While I am always in support of creators inspiring each other with our works and endeavors, that does not mean anyone should engage in art theft (intentional or otherwise). Under no circumstances may you repost, reupload, reproduce, copy, trace, modify, sell, use, tokenize, scrape/integrate into A*I, and/or otherwise claim as your own any of my art/written works. Never assume a piece of art shared online in yours for the taking - that is someone else’s hard work and passion, and you need to respect that.

Can I dub one of your comics?

As flattering as that would be, I worry about lack of credit or my work being stolen for others’ content, so I sadly have to say no.

Why is there a big watermark on your art?

People are just kinda garbage sometimes, so I make sure to sign and WM anything original I post. I know it’s not exactly fun to look at (maybe even distracting or bad for engagement), but I’d rather be safe than sorry, so we'll both have to just deal with it.

Do you have an askbox? Can we send in questions/comments/etc.?

Yes, the ask box is currently open, and I'm more than happy to receive any questions, comments, etc. you guys might have (even if it makes me a bit nervous, haha)! I just ask that you read the rules first before you submit anything.

Do you take requests/commissions/suggestions/collabs/etc.?

Sadly, I do not take art requests or suggestions unless I put out a specific call for them. I'm also not really in a position to take commissions either. Collabs I'm on the fence about - maybe with mutuals or folks I know personally, though no guarantees (chronic social anxiety is a real bench sometimes).

Is this an inclusive space?

Of course! This queer little goblin accepts everyone under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, along with folks of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, disabilities, and colors. That said, there will be absolutely no tolerance for (inhale) racism, sexism, transphobia, queerphobia, xenophobia, misogyny/misandry, bigotry of any kind, ableism, p***philia, inc*st, selfc*st, z**philia, RPF, trolling behavior, self-promotion, the promotion of N*FTs or A*I art, or any otherwise harmful, toxic, or hurtful rhetoric. Anyone seen behaving as such will be blocked, reported, and forgotten. I do not feed trolls - I let them starve. :)

Is this an all-ages space?

No. While I probably won’t be posting/sharing anything too lewd or graphic, I’m not opposed to things like swearing, angst, fluff bordering on suggestive, and discussions of mature subject matter (all of which I will make sure to tag with content warnings as necessary). Obviously, I can’t police everyone who wanders into this blog (especially since some people omit or lie about their ages online), so the best I can do is ask for good faith on your part. If you are under 18, interact at your own risk. The last thing I want is to make anyone - myself included - uncomfortable because there are kids in an adult-allocated space. Again, I hope you understand.

What is your stance on shipping?

The vernacular around pro- or anti-shipping confuses the hell out of me, so I’ll just try to explain my personal philosophy on it: I have ships I like, ones I’m indifferent to, and ones I won’t touch with a ten-foot pole. I only reblog (and tag) ship-related content I’m in support of, even if it’s not one of my personal favorites. Most importantly, I don’t bother others about their personal preferences. Anything I don’t like or don’t support, I simply do not engage with. Or, if it makes me too uncomfortable, I block outright. The same should apply to your experience as well - if you ever see ship stuff here that you don’t like, feel free to block the tags (look for specific pairings, ship names, and/or my personal tag #veins ships) or even the blog entirely. You are not obligated to like the things I like or engage with media you don’t enjoy. Respect for each other and curation of your personal online space is always key. Additionally, I 100% will not ship minors, blood relations (including adopted family), self x self, anything relating to b*stiality, or anything relating to RPF.

Are you okay?

No, not even a little bit... but fuck it, we keep going.

Why do you put a comma before the “and” in a sequence of three or more words?

You can take my Oxford comma away from me when I’m cold, dead, and rotting in the dirt.

Is there anything else?

Nah, I think we’re good for now. Thanks for taking the time to read all this. Hope it wasn’t too rambly or weird - just trying to cover all my bases. I hope you all have a lovely timezone out there, wherever you are. Be sure to wash your hands, wear your mask, and stay hydrated. Remember to be strong, be safe, and, for the love of dog, be kind. Peace!

-Veins (originally posted 08/07/23, reposted 02/29/24, updated as of 11/25/24)

[pokerninja2]

Cowboy Jed gets behind the wheel and rides to victory in Super Mario Spikers! This is far and away my deepest cut yet for this roster, and I'm really happy with how he turned out. He was so deep of a cut, in fact, that when I alluded to his addition earlier today, no one was even close to guessing who he was.

Normally I'd dedicate the rest of the tweet to talking about all the things that went into Jed's art, but I really feel like I should actually explain who he is first. Cowboy Jed was the star of some commercials for Mario Kart Wii, advertising the game and its karts for sale at his store, the Mario Kart Emporium. Yes, he's ridiculously over the top, and yes, it's glorious.

So while Jed's obviously not in Mario Kart Wii, it's kind of funny to consider him as such, as he was from adverts made for the game.

While not the first non-game character to join the roster as I already added Hooded Robin from the Super Show and the Penguin King from the movie before (even though I don't think I've shown the latter off on tumblr yet), he IS the first "live-action" character. I wouldn't get used to these. I'd consider real-life people, such as people who appeared in games like Mario's Time Machine or Mario is Missing, and the live-action guest appearances from the Super Show, to be really, really low on the totem pole, if you know what I mean. But Cowboy Jed is so cartoonishly hammy that a character like him would fit the Mario universe like a glove. I like to think the Cowboy Jed ads are actually in-universe advertisements for the Mario Kart tournaments going on in Wii, and his emporium is where the characters get all their karts. That's what I point out in the bio, at least.

Now onto the art itself! I didn't change too much about Jed's appearance, mainly because for the more obscure characters I don't really have to. Still, I did take a few design liberties. I gave him some nice shoulderpads, along with tassels(?) along his jacket, just to kind of break up the color pallet more and make him more fancy. I also put a blue band around his stetson for similar reasons. To my knowledge, we've never seen Jed below the waist, so I decided to give him white boots. Also, those spokes are actually based on the three-star ranking from Mario Kart Wii! Thought that would be a cute touch.

Probably more immediately noticeable than his outfit is the fact he uses a Wii Wheel to drive an invisible kart around! This is obviously based on the game's boxart, as well as the game's intro where Mario and Luigi drive around with Wii Wheels. The motion controls were a pretty big part of this game's identity, so having that represented in someone who is decidedly a "Mario Kart Wii" character fits perfectly. I also based Jed's pose off of this shot from the opening.

The wheel is also Cowboy Jed's team icon. His super spike is another reference to the wheel, being based on the golden one you can get in your rankings if you're masochist enough to use motion controls enough to unlock it.

I always enjoy adding extremely obscure characters, and there's very few who are as obscure as this. Jed was a really fun one to bring to life, and imagining him take on the likes of Bowser or King K. Rool is probably what pushed me to draw him in the first place.

My tweet of him is gaining a lot of traction on Twitter too, moreso than most of my other characters. So others seem to like him too! I have to wonder just how many people had no idea he existed before they saw my art of him though.

[c7thetumbler]

Quick Game reviews: 2023 (Part 2!)

Continuing on! These were ones I played closer to the end of the year, but also as I remember them throughout. Other than that, order doesn't matter

Let's keep this ball rollin!

Kirby's Dreamland 2 (Switch online)

The only Kirby's dreamland I never played! I enjoyed it quite a lot, though of course it's a pretty easy Kirby game. Back in the day this would've been a lot of fun, and still is as a quickly little romp through a classic Kirby game. Nowadays it doesn't really hold up vs SuperStar DX and Planet Robobot, so not an essential playthrough by any means

______________________________________________

This next section's going to be about playing and 100% every Super Mario Advance game! How incredibly pointless interesting!

To put an age on myself, GBA was my late kid/early teen years and I have a long history with these games. Since they all got added as part of NSO+ or whatever I'm mooching off of Keewy's subscription (love you so much bud), I figured it'd be fun to go back and 100% all of them. Mixed results, but let's get into it.

Super Mario Advance (Switch Online, GBA)

This one was the original Mario Advanced, and more first into into SMB2 (Doki Doki Panic). Since it was fresh to me I didn't realize at the time that it was just a remaster, and thought it was difficult but a lot of fun. The addition of the findable Yoshi eggs adds some replay-ability, but mostly in the form of a tedious hide and seek.

Additionally, the playground rumor was if you got ALL of the Yoshi eggs, you can play as him! This is an outright lie. Ryan. You get nothing for finding them all other than the satisfaction of knowing you did it. As far as an experience goes, this is definitely one of the better ways to play SMB2 as long as you can get back the crunchy but frequent voice lines

Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (Switch Online, GBA)

This one was one I spent COUNTLESS hours playing on my old GBA, and continued playing after the DS came out on my Micro. Easily my favorite 2D Mario game, no contest. This is the best way you can experience SMW officially, and I'd highly recommend it since it made some of the more high-score aspects like dragon coins collectibles instead.

Unlike The previous game, this game actually rewards you with some fun screens and congratulations when you finish everything too!

Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (Switch Online, GBA)

Another incredibly solid title! Same as the original but with some minor tweaks and additional levels. This is the definitive version of the original Yoshi's Island, which if you haven't played, you absolutely should.

I Don't remember a reward past the "All Clear" congratulations you get, but still that's enough of an accomplishment because these levels can get tough.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 e+ (Switch Online, GBA

This one and I have a funny history. I got on e-reader at the tail end of it's incredibly short lifespan in the states. While I have fond memories of scanning cards for NES games, Animal Crossing, and this game, I unfortunately was not able to find the packs to play all these e-reader levels. Now that this is re-released, I can finally play all them and see what the reward is for getting all the cards and collectibles in the levels (which involves playing each one at least twice!).

You get nothing! And the card levels vvary in quality, definitely with a very proto Mario Maker vibe to them. They were fun at the time, but honestly they should've just done a bonus world with all the levels already available after beating the game. Playing all this once-lost level content is interesting, but as far as this game goes it can get pretty grindy and overstay its welcome, especially in comparison to things done nowadays in 2D mario with Wonder and Mario Maker

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Switch Online, GBA)

A classic masterpiece. Offers a big, beautiful, wacky world to explore without overstaying it's welcome with unique ways of traversing and interacting with the environment and an incredible battle system. Honestly? I'd suggest playing this over its 3DS remake; what that adds isn't worth missing out on this iconic art that defined a small generation of sprite-artists, and the QoL stuff added doesn't really do that much for this game since it was already incredible.

Will always recommend SuperStar Saga

... And that's all the Mario advanced games! Basically, play Superstar Saga, the rest is up to you but SMW is great as well.

BurgerTime Deluxe (Switch Online, GB)

Me and Burgertime Arcade go waaaaay back to the dentist office where they had a cabinet that I would play when I finished my cleanings but had to wait for half an hour afterwards. I had no idea this game existed!

Similar to Annalynn in the last post, this is a classic Arcade experience that in order to get really good at and beat without failure, you need to deeply understand how all its simple mechanics work. Since it's on NSO, I cheated a bit near the end. Still, This is a great portable expansion on Burgertime the arcade game, similar to how Donkey Kong GB blows the original DK arcade game out of the water! Would recommend you give it a try if only to get that classic arcade feeling.

Vampire Survivors (Steam)

I have a hard time recommending games like this. On the one hand, I did enjoy my time with it and it was pretty fun to slowly get better and find all the things, as well as learn different really cool combos for some crazy shenanigans. On the other hand, there's not really much gameplay here other than wandering in the right direction and a skinner box. It's kinda like cookie clicker to me; not something that I like the idea of fondly, but still some good fun for a little bit. The kind of thing I could easily hyperfixate on without actually enjoying myself, if I'm not careful.

Pikmin 1 (Switch)

So this surprised me. Was not expecting a Switch re-release, but it did make sense. As far as things go, this is a good way to experience the game (legally), and it does fix a number of issues with Wii Play Control versions, but at the end of the day I would've preferred a bit more; either some online high score comparison features or an actual HD remaster. Pikmin's a great time, but this entry shows it's age a bit; I'd recommend Pikmin 4 first.

Pikmin 3 also perfected the challenge mode, so going back to this version's classic mode with no changes or comparisons was just a little bleh.

Pikmin 2 (Switch)

I feel like I can recommend this one a bit more, however it falls into the same pitfalls that rereleasing 1 does. Pikmin 2 is a phenomenal game, but loses all of the stakes of a time limit in exchange for being much larger (and hilariously unfair at times). It's challenge mode is also certainly more engaging than 1, but again it fails in comparison to 3, and I would've liked to see a remaster instead. Especially since Pikmin 3's DLC and later Pikmin 4 confirmed that they had all the HD assets for it. Again, I love pikmin, but Pikmin 4 perfectly captured the Pikmin experience for me, so I'd recommend checking that out first.

Castle on the Coast (Steam)

A fun, easy, short 3D platformer whose mascot is based off of the mascot of a Children's Hospital! How cute.

It's a good time to just play through casually; the movement is a little strange but I was able to get used to it and it was a great time. Another game that feels of perfect length for what it's doing. It's pretty cheap on sale, I'd give this a god if you're aching for a classic 3D platformer game.

Grounded (Steam)

This one's hard to recommend; I had a lot of fun playing it with my good pally pals June and Keewy, but it definitely seemed like it was more fine-tuned as a single-player experience since the scaling for additional people made everything WAY harder. Admittedly I wasn'ty playing my best and I'd still like to try and beat it, but I found myself frustrated a lot. I've not delved to much into the crafting survival genre past Minecraft, and while this one has good visuals and a fun 90s story, I have trouble giving it a thumbs-up

Pikmin 4 (Switch)

After so many years...

It's fucking amazing, best entry in the series. The definitive Pikmin experience, if you've never played Pikmin start here and work backwards if you fall in love. Instant masterpiece, tons of content, but still found myself wanting more

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (Switch Online, GBA)

Finally got around to finishing one of these! It's a very fun 2D Zelda, but is in drastic need of some QoL and modernization. Constantly using the start button to swap items and check the map is as tedious as expected, but in terms of gameplay it's a lot of fun! I didn't play Seasons yet, which feels like it's mandatory for getting the full expeience, and there were a few moments where I found myself lost and frustrated, but past that a solid 2D Zelda entry.

Animal Crossing New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise (Switch DLC)

I had been playing AC to catch up and finally complete the museum, and was astonished by how little content there was in this DLC.

Then I learned that it doesn't Download automatically if you get it for free via NSO+ subscription. Oops.

It goes a long way in adding to New Horizon's experience, which after so many hours playing it can feel strippedof its charm as you repeat the same tasks with a limited number of personalities is refreshing. Is it worth $30? ehhh.

I've designed ~80 homes in it so far, and while it is fun to decorate around their guidelines and play with villagers you may have fond memories of from previous entries, it's very much a make your own goals kind of thing. You'll find yourself very easily bored of it if you don't engage with it seriously and only do the bare minimum to "progress", but it definitely allows AC's home designing experience to really shine.

Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon (Steam)

Wow, this was not good! Incredibly hard platforming levels and bosses scattered all around the world that only Sonic could deal with, with some incredibly janky mechanics for all 3 the new playable characters that don't really work well enough to design levels around (which is good, because they didn't). Boss fights and new challenges are super difficult and annoying as well. The only Positive is the endin g is better, but you can watch that on Youtube. Honestly, the best experience you can have withg a farily good game like this is to play with all DLC downloaded but not going through the portal to this content. It's got 3D Sonic jank, but in a way that's incredibly frustrating and not fun to navigate around.

F-Zero 99 (Switch Online)

I miss Super Mario Bros 35.

... This game's fine, and a fun re-imagining of classic F-Zero experience, but I was never really a fan of F-Zero and thought that the 2D ones were a bit too tough for me so I didn't play it much. If you like F-Zero though, you'll love this

Super Mario Wonder (Switch)

Another hit, highly recommend this one for it's charm alone! It's 2D Mario, you know if you want it or not.

I will say my experience with it is from the perspective of someone who has religiously played every Mario game, and I did actually very much enjoy the game so the rest of this review will be from that perspective.

Game length felt a bit... short to me. There are just as many levels and worlds as you would expect in a 2D Mario game, as well asa lot of things to collect and a bonus world with it's own secrets of course. But I still managed to beat in 100% in about a day, whcih is kinda surprising to me given how much time I spent on other games. 3D World comes to mind as one with just about the same amount of levels, but one I spent way more time playing and had more enjoyment with just because of the way 100% is done. I would've liked to see a bit more is all I'm saying, but it's defnitely a full game.

The online ghost helper features is a welcome addition to the game. It allows you to help or be helped by other players and having that extra bit of interactivity and silent community without getting in the way of playtime. Visually it's also a stunning style, and I hope in future they continue to stylize Mario Games and move away from the Gamecube era models and NSMB styling and get something with much more character like this.

Gameplay wise it's also very fun, though you can feel the traditional 2D Mario formula in every level which is something I wish I could un-know. Badges are neat, but can be a mixed bag. There's one really good badge and then some okay badges and then others you would never touch, which doesn't really encourage the variations in gameplay as much as they would've hoped it does, I think. Additionally while I understand the idea of all characters playing the same (sans Yoshi + Nabbit), I think I still would've preferred unique movement for each character over the badge system.

All in all, it's great, but I want more.

Knytt Underground (Steam)

So for those unfamiliar with Knytt, it was an atmospheric, simple, 2D indie platformer that allowed you to make your own levels and games and let other people play them. It was very popular amoung a certain group of early let's players that overlapped strongly with SMW Rom hacks. This is essentially a sequel/remaster of that style.

This game is just okay. It's very simple, involves a lot of backtracking and the story and characters aren't terribly engaging. It's not a bad time, but feels very much of its time so I can't really recommend this one.

Super Mario RPG (Switch)

A fantastic remake of a trend-setting classic! I had forgotten how short the original was, but this adds a number of features and improvements that make it worth it. I love that they kept the very strange character designs that we never got to see again, as well as how faithful they were to the original's quirks while also fixing the localization issues. $60 is still a lot, imo, to ask for a game that already existed, but like that's a pretty good game and remake so I'd say go for it.

Lethal Company (Steam)

This one I was unsure if I would like or not because I'm a big baby when it comes to horror games. Playing this with friends though changes everything, and I had a wonderful time with it. It's definitely one of those games where the less you know about the enemies the better, as once you start getting "good" at it it feels like a different experience than wandering into the unknown, but I'm looking forward to future updates. I'd give this one a try if you have some friends to play it with!

Paper Mario (Switch Online, N64)

After finishing Super Mario RPG I had a terrible Mario RPG itch that I needed to scratch, and with TTYD remake announced and coming next year this seemed like a good move. I'm glad I did since I only played it once and didn't remember much of it. It's a fun, simple RPG, but the lack of depth to its mechanics and at this point pretty standard Mario story made it age less well than it's predecessor and sequel. I'm glad they're remaking TTYD and not this. It's by no means a bad time, but not one of the essential Mario RPGs over TTYD, Superstar Saga, and SMRPG.

Disney Dreamlight Valley: Eternity Isle Expansion (Switch)

This is one that I mostly watched my Sister play over Christmas but then had to pick up so she could get the rewards for a limited quest she unlocked. This adds an interesting area, a much more thought-out storyline and world, and is overall an improvement. However, the basic flaws are still there, including random crashes and softlocking, stuttering framerate, some very low-poly resources, and just all around tediousness and grindy nature of it. I'd recommend this if you're a huge disney/ Animal Crossing fan, and even then on PC instead. It still feels like an early access game and has some pretty intense monetization, so for the cost of the base game plus expansion I cannot ethically recommend it due to its quality and bad internal practices

... But like, it's not a bad game. It just needs a lot more work.

__________________________________________________

BEST GAME I PLAYED THIS YEAR

Golly, lot of suspense in this one right? I raved about Tears of the Kingdom, but like a LOT of good stuff came out this year and I even enjoyed several incredible indies there.

I mean, you know what the answer is already, but I can pretend for a split second I wasn't going to say Pikmin 4 right?

It was Pikmin 4. Pikmin 4 is the best game I played this year, and nothing anyone says will convince me otherwise.

It was such a long wait and having come out as such a fun and packed experience, basically containing Pikmin 1 and 2 as sub games within it made it easily come out ahead. I just love it so much.

Tears of the Kingdom is 2nd place, and I didn't play Baldur's Gate so that's just not here.

...

Anywho, that's it! Hope everyone enjoyed gaming as much as I did this year, despite, well, you know. Motions vaguely towards entire planet

See ya!

[kakusu-shipping]

1, 2, 4, 11, and 18 for the end of year asks? :0

Aaah thankyou Echo!!! This post might be long, please forgive me!

1. Did you add any F/Os to your list this year? Were they from new media or just a newly discovered love?

Here's every romantic F/O added to the list this year, or at least that I can remember adding this year. Years are long and my sense of time is very warped so it may not be fully accurate.

Most are from new media, or just new parts of media, like the end of the Owl House and the New Pokemon Games. The ones that are new loves from re-visits are Heracross, Smeargle, and Keckleon from Monster Mind, Mario and Luigi from Super Mario, Makarov from Fairy Tail, and Jill from The Wayward Children series.

Though Mario and Luigi are also what I consider my first F/Os, they weren't officially on the list until the movie came out, so I'm counting them in the 2023 yearly wrap.

2. Did you reconsume any of your F/Os’ source media this year? How did you feel about the rewatch/listen/read/etc?

I rewatch Assassination Classroom every year in March and it makes me cry every time. I also replay Hatoful Boyfriend and Holiday Star every December for Kazuaki and Hitori, watch Baka and Test sometime around late Summer most years to ease my seasonal depression, and rewatch Mushishi at least once a year.

Other than that, nothing super meaningful. I rewatched a few LPs of Mario games, replayed through Paper Mario myself, watched Romantic Killer again, Reread Manly Appetites every other month or so, watched The Cat Returns once or twice, played more Pokemon, Restarted Monster Mind (still haven't finished it), and skimmed the Ouran Manga at the library while waiting for them to replace the volume they're missing.

HOWever, this latest reread of Down Among the Sticks and Bones is what got me to finally put Jill on the F/O list, so that feels worth mentioning. I love that book <3

4. Was there anything on your blog that you were particularly proud of this year?

No, not really. My drawings were all very incomplete and sketchy this year with long gaps between them, and my writing really flaked off suddenly, I haven't written more than a paragraph at all this year.

I wouldn't say I'm particularly proud of them, but I did really enjoy making moodboards last month and am kind of waiting for my health to settle so I can get back to them. Making stuff for other self shippers is a lot more fun than writing/drawing for myself atm.

11. Was there new media for any of your F/Os this year? If so, what was your opinion on it?

Yes FNaF Help Wanted 2 came out and gave us New Sun Content and I LOVED IT!!!!! He's such a bitch!!!! A shit!!! A snobby theater kid!!! He's so controlling and harsh I LOVE him <3 So happy to know more about him honestly and that he's not all UwU Caregiver that the fandom made him. I like soft characters, but he's a HORROR character he needs to be a little fucked up!!

18. Did you have a favorite trend in the selfship community from the past year?

I'll be honest, I don't pay much attention to what other people in the selfship community are doing. I follow the tags but if there's like a popular trend thing going around, I miss it every time.

My LEAST favorite right now though is the whole "Stolen from an Anti" thing. I have no qualms about stealing posts it's whatever, but I hate when it's says that in text at the bottom of the post. Just tag it as such so I can filter it please

[lost-harbour]

Super Mario movie spoilers ‼️

I watched the film this week and I think it was good fun! This is my honest review after being able to think about it for a while

Bowser singing Peaches was absolutely horrifying to witness /hj

However I absolutely adored the scene directly after when Bowser and Kamek were at the piano together

Mario and Luigi voices in the commercial at the start were very entertaining and I can sort of see why they didn’t keep them all the way through but it would’ve been very funny if they did

I loved the way Mario and Luigi interacted with each other, I was smiling all the time. It’s so obvious that they love each other and their familial bond is so strong and that’s really nice to see.

I enjoyed knowing the references when I saw them but I felt like there could’ve been more? I was especially excited to see Bowser’s wedding suit from Super Mario Odyssey though!

Some really well known characters weren’t there at all? Like Daisy, Bowser Jr, Yoshi, Birdetta, Rosalina [though she was subtly hinted at]. Pauline only showed up for two seconds which I found odd considering Donkey Kong was a huge part of the film. And the Broodals weren’t there too which was really strange because they’re WEDDING PLANNERS and a key part of the film was the WEDDING, and I know they could’ve added them because there was other references to Super Mario Odyssey.

I have never liked Donkey Kong as a character until I watched this film, also the Donkey Kong theme song being played was the nicest surprise for me.

That blue thing in the cage, I think it was a Luma, the one that kept talking about the sweet release of death. I HATED IT. Never hated anything more, it wasn’t funny in the slightest.

Why’d they give Mario daddy issues I had to stop myself from laughing in the cinema

The best part of the film was Luigi, hands down. I loved every part of his character, every frame where he was visible was great

The visual style of the film was lovely to look at, especially the background when they were travelling through the green pipes! Everything looked so soft and nice.

WHY IS BULLET BILL BASICALLY A NUKE EQUIVALENT

I absolutely adore King Boo and King Bob-omb, and they both showed up!! I don’t care if they were only cameo appearances, I was really happy to see them. However, I feel as though King Bob-omb could’ve taken on his more proud personality, instead of just being terrified? Also King Boo could’ve been rendered with his Luigi’s Mansion design because otherwise he’s literally just a boo with a hat on, and that’s considerably less interesting.

so overall I thought it was great, despite my criticisms, I have very passionate opinions when it comes to Mario

no one’s gonna see this post lol

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (11/4/2024) Episode: A Household Name

Losing his last living parent was devastating, but at least Luigi was sure that Valentina and his dads would surely be proud of his latest accomplishment.

The sales figures for his new game had started rolling in, and it was clear that it’s launch day popularity wasn’t just a flash in the pan. It looked like Watcher Tales had a chance to become a lasting part of the gaming landscape, maybe even the start of a franchise.

The good news kept coming when Luigi heard from his contact at Unorthobox. They’d loved his footage of their hardware in use at the launch party and they told him they planned to use his star power to help advertise and promote the Ubox version of the game.

Not, they were quick to assure him, it needed much help. Watcher Tales was already one of the most popular titles for the Unorthobox 2 console.

Their manager Patricia at Rainy Day corporate was equally excited about the game’s success when they next visited.

“Sales on PC are phenomenal and buzz in the community so far is mostly positive, even if players are starting to report some bugs.” She told them “There is also, of course, a lot of comparisons being made to Sims Forever. They like what you added the other game lacks Luigi, but they’re also quick to point out what Watcher Tales is missing compared to their old favorite.”

“Well, I couldn’t exactly cram 80 DLCs worth of content into my basegame” Luigi lamented “though I think we did a good job offering at initial release many key gameplay features that Sims Forever locks behind expansion packs. As for the bugs, the whole team is working on a hotfix to address the most commonly reported issues.”

“I’ve got a couple programmers just finishing up another project that can help with the patch” Patricia replied, “I want you to start focusing on those content gaps.” she smiled “You ready to send your humans on new adventures?”

Luigi grinned from ear to ear. They’d had a feeling Rainy Day would be interested in DLC, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon “Absolutely!”

Luigi had already been a household name, but with his game being played and talked about all over his fame skyrocketed to a whole other level.

“You, sir, are a global sensation” Peachy’s favorite late-night talk show host told Luigi the evening he appeared on the program to promote Watcher Tales “The people can’t get enough of these hoo-mans of yours and I want to see what all the fuss is about. Let’s head over to the pit, where my staff has promised me they have your game booted up and a little challenge prepared for the two of us. You ready?”

“Bring it on!” Luigi said with a laugh, his inner child jumping up and down for joy as he followed behind the other sim to get started.

To celebrate their success the couple sent Skye for a sleepover with Grandpa Candor and headed out for a date night.

Taking Orange’s advice, this time Luigi threw on a “celebrity disguise” to help him keep a low profile so he could enjoy the time with his lady love without distraction.  He’d been skeptical about the idea, but the simple concealment did the trick, allowing him and Noemi to enjoy dinner and a drink at the bar without constantly being interrupted by fans seeking his attention.

“This is great!” Noemi hollered over the DJ’s beats on the dancefloor after their meal. “Thanks for going incognito; I have you all to myself for once.”

“You…” Luigi replied, pulling her towards him and kissing her hard “have me today, tomorrow, and always. Thank you for putting up with the insanity. I know the attention I crave isn’t always your fave. Now, are you ready to take your personal Superstar home and try out that new toy we bought?”

“Only if you’re a very obedient Superstar” she replied with a smile, leading him away from the busy club towards a little private fun back home.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[cinemageddonreviews]

Super Mario Bros Movie

So… the Super Mario Bros movie… let me first start by saying that no matter the outcome of this film, Illumination are one of the worst animation companies active today, due to their terrible animation practices and prioritizing of celebrities over voice actors.

I have no respect for them or what they do because of how intentionally cheap they make their movies along with having the most safe and marketable writing they can commission, all so they can make back their money with celebrities they put on the poster.

THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, I am happy to report that not only is the Super Mario Bros movie actually good, not only did it live up to the impossible expectations I set up for it given the company involved and the predictable cast of celebrities they put on their poster.

The scariest part about all of this, is that the movie succeeds in being a good adaptation of the Mario universe, and it also works as it’s own unique creation.

This movie lives and breathes Super Mario, right down to the music which JESUS MADRE deserves all the acclaim it’s gotten. I don’t think I’ve ever been brought to tears out of happiness watching a movie before except maybe when Your Name came out, but Bryan Tyler’s incredible score does 35 plus years of Super Mario’s legacy Justice. Storywise, the film can feel pretty paper-thin, especially given that it still manages some typical “believe in yourself” and “you’re not so small” type of inspirational jibber jabber. To be honest though, the story was honestly more moving than I expected and the fact that they gave Mario an internal obstacle to overcome gave this movie more nuance than anything Illumination has ever done.

Speaking of Mario himself, let’s talk about Chris Pratt… look, we all agree they should have used voice actors and not celebrities, especially not one who’s really only known for using his own voice; That being said… I think we all collectively owe Chris Pratt an apology, because his Mario wasn’t only well voiced, he added so much dimension to the character that not even the games were able to provide.

It doesn’t hurt that he and Charlie Day have great chemistry as brothers and play wonderfully off of one another. The same can be said about the voice acting overall. Both the celebrities they cast and the voice actors involved with the rest of the picture. Everyone’s voice fits perfectly, and no spoilers, but Charles Martinet isn’t wasted.

If there is one thing that took me out of the movie on occasion, it had to be the unnecessary use of licensed songs. And before u all come at me with the whole “The Super Mario Bros Super Show did it too”, I don’t care! It’s jarring watching Mario and Luigi on their way to work and suddenly “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys starts playing. You get kinda used to it after a while, but this was completely unnecessary, no matter how good the songs actually are (I’m never one to say no to Thunderstruck by AC/DC no matter the context).

The Super Mario Bros Movie may not be perfect as a movie, but this is definitely a film that will satisfy everyone who doesn’t care too much about nitpicky bullshit enough to let it ruin their enjoyment of it. The fact that so many kids are gonna be introduced to Super Mario this way is honestly really incredible and I can’t describe the joy in their eyes seeing the movie yesterday in a packed theater with kids everywhere smiling and laughing. This movie is for them as much as it is for us. If it wasn’t obvious, I really enjoyed this movie and I encourage everyone to give it a watch, if nothing else because this movie actually does Justice to both the Super Mario Bros brand, but to Nintendo as well, even paying tribute to the late Saturo Iwata, which they didn’t have to, but I’m happy they did. ❤️

[josephthesnailshow]

Empty (Super Mario World Creepypasta)

Ignore this disclaimer if you want, but I would like to start this thing up by saying if you believe in these video game stories or urban legends, this is not the post for you at all. If you wish to carry on, you may do this if you like.

We all know Super Mario World, but did you know that you can hack the ROM of the game? I'm sure you know you do; there's a website dedicated to hacking the game, and Super Mario World isn't the only hackable Mario game out there; a lot of them are hackable, and it's easy to do so because I tried hacking Super Mario World itself; however, it was a bit hard to do.

Even if you never hacked the game, you might’ve played the hacks that the creative fandom made. I mostly played the creepier ones; of course, there are not any hacks I found creepy that would cause me to write a giant story about them. Unfortunately, I found a hack that would cause me to do that.

I first played Super Mario World on my Wii U, and it was on a virtual console, just like Super Mario 64, which I also own on the Wii U. I enjoyed playing both of them, and they are very good games in my opinion and, most importantly, my favorite games in the franchise.

I didn't have the games on their original consoles, the Nintendo 64 or Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but luckily, I had the games on the Wii U since my dad did get them before the Nintendo e-shop closed down as of now.

I had both of them for a long time.

At the time, I didn't know how to hack my games until I found out that you could emulate them; that's how I was able to try out my ROMs. Here's my story:

I stumbled across the website dedicated to hacking Super Mario World, smwcentral.net. The site had weird, funny, horrifying, and amazing hacks, and I tried each of them. Now, since I don't have any friends, I always had to be player 1, but as Mario. But I could get past that thanks to these hacks, and I could play as Mario’s twin brother, Luigi, as a lot of them have Luigi starring as the main protagonist instead of Mario.

However, one of these hacks made me laugh pretty hard, and it had no title or author at all. I downloaded the ROM hack and started to play out of curiosity and being very intrigued.

The game started, and it showed the Nintendo logo, still in its golden design, and the lovely coin sound. The title screen popped up.

I started to feel uneasy, only to find out that the title screen had no title at all. You can give this hack any basic name, like the exaggerated Mario in all caps or the exaggerated Luigi in all caps, even though this hack has nothing to do with Luigi, at least not right now. I'm not playing with anyone, at least for now. But the true horror in the title is Mario himself; he had no face, only his nose; he was just walking there, and the walk cycle was repeating without anything changing in the title screen.

No credits either, not even from Nintendo or the author; I assumed the creator of the hack forgot to add them.

The fact Mario had no face was a bit weird, but I gave it a pass, and with the title missing, I thought the game was being laggy, as my computer can run laggy at times.

I continued, went past the title screen, and watched the game start. It started pretty slowly, but I got pretty concerned, so I checked my settings and other programs to see what was happening.

Each program and scanner said my computer was normal, so I thought the hack was slow and carried on after the game loaded. It took me to the introduction screen with Mario still missing his face, and nothing was changed during this part; it was informing the player about the plot of the game and King Koopa, aka Bowser, kidnapping the princess as usual.

I stayed here for a while until I looked at my watch, feeling bored.

The game took me to the map; some bushes were missing, signs were broken, and cute faces on the longer bushes were missing as well. If you look at the image I added above, Iggy’s castle appears to look darker than usual, and I could swear, on the right side of the screen, I can see something in the water.

None of it was important, except for the title of the level itself.

YOURHOUSE

This didn't creep me out as much, as if it's talking about my house in real life; it definitely doesn't look like that, unless I'm like the main characters from Adventure Time.

I started the level, still waiting for my computer to start, yelling at it, assuming it could hear me. I do this normally sometimes; usually, it listens sometimes.

I entered the level, but the sky was an ugly yellow; this level seemed darker than usual with the birds missing, the fruit, even though there wasn't any, and the fireplace having seen better days. If you look on top, you may notice how the HUD looks blurry and low quality; it's not normal to see this, as the pixels for this game and everything about it look perfect.

Run-on sentences aside, I didn't care, as I thought the guy who made this hack was just screwing around with the ROM, so I did a small-throat laugh at it.

I looked at the puff coming out of the chimney, and for whatever reason, it was red, and you know exactly what the red is supposed to be.

Ketchup? Kool-aid? Strawberry? No, it's everyone’s favorite, blood. Are you surprised? I thought you were; maybe that’s where they ground up Mario’s face.

That's my guess, however, and the scary part is that I looked closely at the signs, and they had my address. Did this game seriously grab my address and know where I live now? Maybe I could prevent this from happening by simply playing the game until it ends.

I left my house, apparently, and I went to my level to the right, starting it immediately.

The level started, familiar to the title screen; it was just a boring straight line, no enemies or anything; however, I could control Mario freely. What overwhelmed me about this level was the time, starting at 224, so I had to speed up a bit.

It made me happy that the HUD was back to normal, but suddenly, as I was controlling Mario in this boring level, the regular happy-go-lucky music started playing, except louder than usual, causing me to take off my headphones aggressively.

Putting them back on, and if you look at the image I attached above, I will describe the image to you if you can't see it somehow. I was weirded out at the coins and points bar; I collected about 10 coins somehow, and my points were 19350 when I didn't remember seeing any coins as I just loaded in.

Unless the game automatically collected the coins, I didn't hear it.

Anyway, I reached the end and completed the level; however, the other level on the left was already completed, so I went to Iggy’s castle.

I have to admit, this was kind of clever, as the sign was nothing previously, but it was replaced with a simple question mark. However, the weird part about this is that the water was darker.

The reason I said this was clever is the title of the level.

#1 FEELINGEMPTYYET

I got it since I could see a question mark at the bottom, obviously asking me a question, and I answered my computer, assuming it could hear me, by saying yes. I entered the level.

Again, it took a long time, so I waited for the level to load.

I was in a pitch-black room, and like anyone would do, I was walking forward until something happened, which something would happen, explaining why the other level was completed.

Mario stopped, and there was someone tall, green, and faceless like him.

He had overalls and a plumber hat like Mario, and if you guessed Luigi, you’re correct; he stood there and started running until I started chasing him.

I continued chasing him until suddenly, an image flashed on my screen. The image flashed again, and it was clear what it was now.

How can I explain this? It was an image of a mutilated and painted green horse, familiar to Yoshi, and the horse had a red saddle, again familiar to Yoshi. The unsettling part about the image is that there was a huge overweight man with the same familiar outfit as Mario, even though it was unsettling enough.

He was standing there, staring at the body; he didn't look scared; well, kinda; he looked like he was about to pee himself and take a dump in his pants at the same time. Dear god, it must’ve been the Italian food he's been eating. Anyway, there was a skinny guy identical to Luigi; looking like a stick figure, he was standing there looking at the horse with his wide little eyes.

After all of that, the image finally goes away, and I'm finally caught up to Luigi. When I tapped him, the screen jumped out of the frame, and it took me to the final picture.

Mario and Luigi were very detailed, and the image used looked identical to the regular ending picture. No music was playing in the background.

The game then shuts off; however, when I came back to the website, the hack had been recently deleted without a single trace, and I might’ve been the only one to discover this hack.

Anyway, I would like to thank you all for staying here and listening to this post, but here's one thing before I close this thing off.

FACELESS. DOESN’T. EQUAL. SCARY. FOLKS.

Have a lovely day, afternoon, night, or whatever time zone you’re in.

[silly-goofy-guys]

"Why did you name the blog that,Whiskey?..."

"Idk!I couldn't think of anything else!"

"Well,its kinda dumb.."

"Oh shush!No it's not!"

"It kinda is though,Tweek."

"Not you too,Luci!"

"You're ridiculous."

"No,your mom is."

"We all have the same mom."

"Touche."

((Ooc:this entire post past this point is ooc))

Helloski!I'm glad you found this blog!I am your mod/mun may call me Luigi,Willard,Jonesy,or just mod if you wish.

Blog info:

•This is a spooky month oc ask/rp blog (also a tickle blog as I'm trying to get more into that,I'm still very new to that stuff :3)

•This blog shares a universe/continuity with @uneasy-itto

Rules:

•DO NOT INTERACT IF:YOU ARE A HOMOPHOBE,TRANSPHOBE,PRO-ISREAL,ANTI-SEMETIC,RACIST,PEDOPHILE,ABLEIST,PROSHIPPER/COMSHIPPER,ETC,ETC

•M!A are allowed,just don't go too far

•Shipping is allowed with them,but for Tweek it most likely wouldn't be romantic since he feels very little romantic attraction. It would likely be queer platonic.

•Asks and actions can be very mildly and subtly suggestive anything more than that won't be permitted,also avoid doing those asks with Tweek since he's a minor.

•Romantic asks are allowed just will not always he reciprocated,and make sure if it's for Tweek you or the character your playing is 18 or younger

•Interactions from canon characters and ocs are allowed,welcome,and highly encouraged!

Rules subject to he added in the future if needed

Some basic Character info:

Tweek is 16 years old.And he realy likes clowns.He rollerskates everywhere and likes causing chaos.He works at the local roller rink.He's the youngest out of all of his siblings :] his text will be like ,"This."

Luci is 18 years old almost 19,he wants to become a costume designer,he's currently attending college on a scholarship.He currently works at the movie theater with Radford,he also does art commissions on the side.His text will be like,"this."

Crack is 22 years old,he's a college drop out and has alot of college debt,he enjoys spending time with his brother and friends,he likes sculpting.He does odd jobs around the town and can't really get hired long term anywhere do to his criminal history,he sells his sculptures sometimes. His text will be like "This"

I will do an info post somepoint later about them but as of rn if you wanna know info about them you gotta ask

Main blog: @jonesy-squish

Other blogs: @uneasy-itto , @irritated-incendiary , @the-prophet-of-the-universe , @dexter-the-exterminator ,and @jamface-daily

Friends blogs: @blood-guts-goreeee , @father-gregors-guidance , @alicethescenequeen , and @xachanimations