#polterpup is the hero

[trashyswitch]

Teasy Tickles on Floor 7

Luigi is locked in the bathroom by a slinker and a hammer ghost. Mid-fight, the ghosts find out a funny little secret about Professor E. Gadd's assistant, and happily exploit it.

This fanfic was suggested by an anonymous user. I hope you enjoy!

Luigi had made it to Floor 7, and had made it into the bathroom. Luigi had sucked up the trash can and used it as a wrecking ball to break the toilet, the front of the bathtub, and the sinks. Luigi then pulled on the green, spiky vine that was penetrating the window, killing it. After doing his little celebration dance, Luigi walked up to the door. 

But then…The door flashed purple as a purple, glowing gate revealed itself against the door! Luigi jumped back, to save himself from getting stuck in the gate mid-reveal. But worry quickly filled his face as he realized he was stuck in the room against his will. Then, Luigi began to hear what sounded like cat purrs, followed by leaves rustling. Luigi looked to the right and noticed a collection of brown leaves starting to float up and around the man. 

“Wha? Whoa!” Luigi reacted, seeing as the leaves circled around to his left, before moving in front of him, and over to the right again. When the leaves reached the right side again, that’s when the noise finally revealed itself! WAH! A big, purple, boxy ghost with two tails and giant fingers, had revealed itself to him! Luigi cried out in fear and froze in place, before slowly turning towards the wall and chattering his teeth as he struggled with the fear of yet another ghost…

Luigi finally started running around, trying to find the evil ghost. The room was stuffy and dark, which slightly hindered him. Running around, he tried to look for the purple smoke that filled the room in the right light whenever it moved. If there was purple smoke, then the slinker wasn’t very far behind. 

Luigi looked around and flashed a few different spots, in the hopes of catching the ghost off guard. But after one of the failed flashes, the ghost came up behind him and scared him! 

“WAAH!” Luigi screeched! The slinker picked him up by the Poltergust G-00’s red handle on the top, and started carrying the Poltergust, and Luigi, around like he was a handbag! Anxious to get out of the slinker’s grip, Luigi took those Poltergust's straps off his own shoulders, and fell to the ground with a belly flop. The slinker looked at the Poltergust G-00, and laughed at Luigi before throwing the backpack into the pile of leaves in the bathtub. 

Luigi got up onto his feet and ran to grab it. But suddenly, a big, red, boxy ghost had shown itself from under the leaf pile! Luigi shrieked and jumped back, before attempting to run away from it. But the poor man had run right into the slinker’s grip! 

Luigi shrieked yet again as he felt the slinker pick him up by the left arm. “WaaAAH! LET ME GO!” Luigi begged as he attempted to get his hand out of the Slinker’s grip with his other hand. But the slinker was much stronger than the boy had expected! 

Meanwhile, the red ghost had turned on the Poltergust purely by accident, before using it to remove the leaves that were covering his eyes! Though the Poltergust uncovered its eyes, it also sucked up a small bit of his face. Thankfully, with a few pulls, the Poltergust vacuum let go of his face and turned off. With his face free and uncovered, the red ghost placed the Poltergust G-00 down beside the bathtub, and flew up to Luigi and the slinker. 

Luigi squeaked and covered his eyes as best he could with his one hand while the red ghost looked him up and down. The ghost rubbed its chin as he looked at Luigi with much curiosity. Luigi slowly uncovered his eye by separating his index and middle finger, ready to re-cover his eye again if he needed it. 

Luigi blinked once, and screeched when the red ghost had gotten even closer to him in a single blink! Luigi pulled on his arm and tried once again to get his trapped arm out, but to no avail. And when the slinker saw what he was doing, he quickly picked up Luigi’s other wrist. Luigi yelped again and pulled on his other wrist, before muttering a fearful “Oh no…” for both ghosts to hear. 

While both the ghosts were laughing at Luigi’s conundrum, Luigi was pulling on his arms one at a time to desperately get at least one hand free. He tugged on the left arm, but to no avail. He tugged on the right arm, but it was no use. 

Then, the ghosts started talking to each other! And with only a few garbled words exchanged, Luigi was thrown up, caught bridal-style by the Slinker’s hands, and thrown towards the red ghost! The red ghost caught him bridal-style as well, before wiggling his fingers and letting out a low, evil laugh. 

Luigi screeched and wiggled around, scared out of his skin and praying his own wiggling would help set him free. But when the few seconds of wiggling didn’t work, Luigi covered his eyes and brought his knees slightly to his chest, just awaiting his doom at this point. 

This was it…He was done for. 

*Poke* 

“eEEK!” Luigi reacted, uncovering his face and pulling his legs closer to himself as he hugged his own stomach. 

“Oooooh!” The slinker reacted, pushing Luigi’s hands out of the way before poking the man’s stomach again. 

“WAH!” Luigi yelped, a slight wobbly smile showing up on his face before looking at the slinker. 

Seeing Luigi looking at him, the slinker started giggling and wiggling his fingers at him. Luigi widened his eyes and looked at the wiggling fingers with nervousness. Either this was just another scare-tactic, or the slinker was tickle-teasing him. 

Luigi looked at the red ghost with nervousness too, who was laughing evilly in his deep, bellowing voice. 

“Uhhhh…mercy?” Luigi said awkwardly. 

That was the last word Luigi managed to get out that wasn’t filled with laughter. Both the slinker and the hammer ghost started tickling the poor boy to bits. The hammer ghost was treating Luigi like a toddler and tickling his belly while in his arms, while the stinker was poking his left side and occasionally tweaking his left hip too. 

“MAMA WAHAHAHAHahahahaha!” Luigi laughed, wiggling around in the Hammer ghost’s arms. The Hammer ghost chuckled loudly and kept saying things to tease him. Though the garbled teases were embarrassing enough, the words sounded a lot like “Coochy coochy coo” and “Tickle tickle tickle”...Which was SO NOT FAIR! 

Amidst his laughing, Luigi’s hat managed to slide off his head and clap against the floor. When the slinker saw this, he eagerly grabbed the green hat and tried it on his own head. The Hammer ghost stopped tickling for a moment, but still had a good grip on Luigi. With this, Luigi started to calm down slightly. 

But when Luigi took one look at the slinker, he went beet red and covered his face with embarrassment. The slinker was wearing his hat and making surprisingly accurate imitations of Luigi’s laughter and giggles. It was so evil and so teasy. 

It just wasn’t fair! None of this was fair! 

The Hammer let out evil laughs of his own as he took the hat from the Slinker, and plopped it onto Luigi’s head. But instead of fixing the hat, Luigi pulled it off his head and used it to cover up his face. “Plehehease let me goho.” Luigi begged. 

“Awww…Is E. Gadd’s assistant too ticklish for his own good?” The hammer ghost teased in his low voice. 

Luigi widened his eyes under the hat. These ghosts could talk the whole time?! WHAT?!

The slinker laughed and tweaked Luigi’s hip one more time. 

Luigi squeaked and tightened the grip on his hat. “NOHoho stohohop!” Luigi whined. 

“Now which spot tickles more, I wonder…” The Hammer ghost tweaked his left side. “Here?” 

“BaHAHAhahaha!” Luigi bursted out, momentarily uncovering his face and revealing the toothy, wobbly smile that filled his red face. 

The Slinker flew up and tweaked Luigi’s left hip next. “Or here?” the slinker asked, his voice somewhat higher and more goofy-sounding than the Hammer ghost’s voice. 

Luigi stretched out his legs and let out a long stream of cackles. “LEHEHEAVE MEHEHE ALOHOHONE!” Luigi yelled. 

The hammer ghost laughed. “I think we have a winner.” He replied. 

Slinker giggled as he flew up to Luigi’s brown boots. “How ticklish are your feet?” The slinker asked. 

Luigi pulled his feet up to his chest and hugged them. “NO! Don’t you dare!” Luigi yelled. “Nooo touchy!” Luigi warned.  

The slinker shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Luigi by the arm again. “Call me evil but…” The Hammer ghost let go of Luigi, letting the man’s lower body fall. “How ticklish are your armpits?” Slinker asked next. 

Luigi squeaked and tried to cover up his armpit with his free hand. But the Hammer ghost would prove this strategy to be quite ineffective. He started skittering his big, red fingers on Luigi’s underarms, leaving Luigi squeaking and laughing. “EEEhehehehe! No-nohoho! Stahahap-”  Luigi would quickly manage to shoo the hand away and cover his armpit. But despite what he originally believed, this didn’t stop anyone. The Hammer ghost would only move his fingers down to the ribs, or the sides, leaving Luigi squealing and laughing all over again. 

Everytime Luigi would cover up a ticklish spot, the Hammer ghost would just go somewhere else. It was so unfair, and so evil. Luigi was ultimately left a powerless mess of giggles by the end. Though for some reason, the man kept on trying to cover up the same spots over and over again, despite knowing it was doing jack squat. 

“Ohohokahahay, thahahat’s enohohough, plehehehease.” Luigi begged. 

The Hammer ghost chuckled and shook his head, saying something to the slinker next. The slinker giggled and grabbed Luigi’s other arm, holding both arms up this time. Luigi widened his eyes as it quickly dawned on him that Luigi wouldn’t be able to cover up anything this time! If they started tickling him, specifically in his armpits, then he would have to just endure it. 

When the red hands got closer and closer, Luigi started to feel sweat dripping down his face nervously. “W-Wait! What do you want from me?!” Luigi asked, squeezing his eyes shut. 

The Slinker just laughed. “For being so vulnerable, he's not afraid to speak his mind.” The Slinker reacted with a laugh. 

The hammer ghost rolled his eye sockets. “He should be speechless.” The Hammer ghost muttered before lifting Luigi’s chin. “Just be glad you aren’t dead yet, kid.” The hammer ghost reacted. 

Luigi yelped and looked at the hammer ghost with fear and nervousness. 

“Any more last words?” The hammer ghost asked with a smirk, lifting his chin up a bit more and gently tickling his chin with his second finger. 

The scratching tickled a lot more than Luigi expected, making Luigi wanna lower his chin to cover it up. He was embarrassed and still quite giggly. “Yohou will regrehet messing with Luihihigi.” Luigi said. 

With that said, the Hammer ghost let go of his chin and immediately started skittering his fingers all over Luigi’s armpits. 

Luigi squeaked and kicked his feet. “AAHAHA! BAHAHAHA- NO! NOHOHOT MY AHAHARMPIHIHITS!” Luigi screamed, throwing his head back as the laughter began to overtake him once more. 

“Imagine…” the hammer ghost started dragging its index fingers down the armpits to the upper ribs. “-being this sensitive…” he moved his fingers back up towards the armpits again. 

“eeeEEEHEHEEE! NO! NAHAHA! NOHOHOHOOO!” Luigi yelled, pulling on his arms and cackling almost like a mad man. “-And being unable to stop my fingers…” The ghost continued, adding a second finger to each armpit and skittered really quickly. “-from completely destroying you inside and out.” He finished. 

Luigi wheezed and let out a long fit of cackles. “PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE! IHIHI’M GOHOHONNA DIHIHIHIHIEEE!” Luigi shouted. 

“Having any regrets yet?” THe Hammer ghost asked. 

Luigi could feel himself quickly growing exhausted from all the tickles. “THIS IHIS SOHOHOHOHO UHUHUNFAHAHAIR!” Luigi yelled. 

The Slinker just laughed. “You really thought this would be a fair fight?!” The Slinker asked. 

The Hammer ghost chuckled and looked at his own fingers. “What would happen if…” He moved his fingers inches away from Luigi’s armpits. “-I left my fingers right close to your armpits…” The ghost asked, still wiggling his fingers. 

Luigi looked at the fingers on either side of his armpits, letting out nervous giggles and attempting to get those wiggling fingers at least another inch away. Though being teased like this lessened his laughter dramatically, it still left him with a serious case of the giggles. 

“I’m not technically tickling them, but…” The Hammer ghost smirked evilly. “You do seem to be laughing anyway.” The ghost added. 

“You can tickle him without actually using your hands?!” The Slinker reacted.

“Yup. Some humans are so sensitive, they don’t even need to feel the fingers against their body.” The Hammer ghost added. “Some humans can start reacting just by teasing them like this.” The ghost told his friend. 

Luigi tugged on his arms as much as he possibly could. He tried to calm himself down with breaths in and out. But his breathless laughter kept making that really difficult. He knew that no matter what he tried to do, nothing would change. He was not the one in control. The ghosts were. He couldn’t do anything except laugh, giggle and wait for them to get bored. 

Suddenly, a loud bark filled the room. Luigi lifted his head up with shock, while the Slinker widened his eyes. 

“Wha- OUCH!” The Hammer ghost yelled in pain, before flying all over the room with something white attached to both his tails. Luigi let out a breath of relief, smiling as he saw who it was. It was Polterpup, coming to save him in his most desperate moment. 

The slinker ghost yelped and let go of Luigi’s arms, before trying to fly away. Amidst his flying, the Slinker flew into the gate, knocking it down and now rendering Luigi free. Where the slinker went, no one could tell you. 

While Luigi fell to the ground, Polterpup continued barking and chased the hammer ghost out of the room. When the Hammer ghost was gone, Polterpup grabbed the Poltergust G-00 from beside the ruined bathtub. He placed it down beside Luigi, before giving Luigi some kisses on his cheeks and face. 

Luigi giggled and got up, wiping his face before hugging Polterpup. “Thank you, puppy.” Luigi told him, kissing his head. 

Polterpup woofed excitedly and kissed his ear back, earning some more giggles from his owner. In times like these, Luigi was so thankful to have a ghost that was always on his side no matter what. As Luigi left the room with Polterpup, he began to wonder how he managed to get through two other mansions on his own all that time…

[charlie-the-ghost64]

Heard you want asks?

Whats your favourite Luisley moment? Can be from game or from fan content.

Or even better if you have any Luisley stuff you have floating about in your head if you want to share?

For favorite scene… definitely when Peasley gives Luigi that rose. That moment was probably what sparked my love for this ship.

What he says about yellow suiting him nicely just- UGH. They’re precious, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

As for Luisley floating around in my head.. I don’t have much. I can give a few random headcannons though.

When Peasley gets the opportunity to plan a date, 8/10 it will be exercise related. Training with his hero/partner in case they ever get to fight in battle together once more? He can’t think of anything more romantic. Though occasionally he will ask Luigi to join him for a walk through the castle gardens before he has to attend to his royal duties. Or perhaps a fancy dinner with the perfect candlelight that he insists on paying for.

Luigi meanwhile plans more casual dates. Book dates where they’ll go to a bookstore and each chose a new book to read together or in the presence of one another, then spend the whole afternoon snuggled up near each other reading. And of course snacks and tea. Other date ideas include taking a hike together, movie night, and tennis.

Peasley gets a new appreciation for those less fortunate than him after visiting Luigi’s home for the first time. It gave him a reality check of just how privileged he was. Luigi didn’t have someone to make him tea or fold his laundry. He just had himself (his brother and/or Yoshi depending on the au) and Polterpup. He had just enough to be comfortable. He had heat and ac when needed, he had a nice tv, and a backyard big enough for a small garden.

Not to mention just how grateful Luigi was to be able to have all of these things. Peasley made a more active effort to ensure the welfare of his people after that. He’d never not cared at all. Of course he’d want the best for his people. But hearing his boyfriend, the man he cared for most, just be so grateful over heat and ac was something that would stick with him forever.

Peasley is fascinated by Polterpup and loves taking him with them on whatever outing they can. The dog has a lot of energy like himself. He adores that dog almost as much as Luigi does.

[bestest-dead-best-friend-bracket]

New Bracket Announcement!

This one is kind of huge compared to what I usually do, and it’s probably going to be a bit before there’s another one this big.

As such, I’ve divided it into four Blocks, which will each run separately before the winners of each block participate in the semifinals.

The theme this time is

Ambiguously Dead Friends

Since there are so many this time, the lineup will be below the cut, but I encourage you to see if anyone you know is there! Please reblog to spread the news and to remind yourself to come vote!

Round One of Block A starts this Monday.

Dead Best Friend Bracket

Block A

KK (Ghostwire Tokyo) vs Alma Karma (D.Gray Man)

Makise Kurisu (Steins;Gate) vs Kokonose Haruka (Kagerou Project)

Kofune Ushio (Summertime Rendering) vs Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Bruno Bucciarati (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) vs Iris Sagan (AI: The Somnium Files)

Marnie (When Marnie was There) vs Cassim (Magi)

The Snatcher (A Hat in Time) vs Professor Turo (Pokémon: Violet)

Asriel Dreemurr (Undertale) vs Sakurane Shoka (NEO: The World Ends with You)

Hayakawa Aki (Chainsaw Man) vs Fubuki Atsuya (Inazuma Eleven: Blizzard)

Block B

Audric (Dragalia Lost) vs Komikado Harumichi (Ohayou, Ibarahime)

Mondo Owada (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc) vs Brook (One Piece)

Kite (Hunter x Hunter) vs Yukine (Noragami)

Naruse Kakeru (Orange) vs Polterpup (Luigi’s Mansion)

Alear (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs Lief (Bug Fables)

Hoshino Ruby (Oshi no Ko) vs Lyman Banner (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Shizu (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) vs Zera (Fairy Tail)

Acht (Splatoon 3) vs Honma Meiko (Anohana)

Block C

Gugu (To Your Eternity) vs Falin Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Mia Fey (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) vs Natsuki Subaru (Re: Zero)

Tikal (Sonic Adventure) vs Hinazuki Kayo (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)

Mari (OMORI) vs Sunny (Pokémon)

Sabito (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) vs Indou Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died)

Excellen Browning (Super Robot Wars) vs Dimple (Mob Psycho 100)

Daruk (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs Maria (Silent Hill 2)

Claire Foley (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future) vs Ethan Winters (Resident Evil)

Block D

Lemiel Silvamillion Clover (Black Clover) vs Hanako-kun (Toilet-bound Hanako-kun)

Pandoria (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) vs Brown (Rule of Rose)

Queen Sectonia (Kirby: Triple Deluxe) vs Joe Tazuna (Your Turn to Die)

Reginald Kastle (Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) vs Missile (Ghost Trick)

Shuu (Inazuma Eleven: GO) vs Yokomizo (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Sothis (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) vs Vanilla (World’s End Club)

Shirakumo Oboro (My Hero Academia) vs Auron (Final Fantasy X)

Dhurke Sahdmadhi (Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice) vs Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club)

[s-creations]

Excavation - Chapter 2

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

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

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

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

Special shout-out to @cantankerouscanuck for dropping a lot of DK lore and world building on me. Much appreciated!

Now, who's ready for some Waluigi angst! It is time. XD

The group traveling to the crumbling temple was larger than Mario had expected. It hadn’t just been him, Wario, Daisy, and Polterpup. There was a large entourage of bi-pedal mice, carrying supplies ranging from blankets and tents to cooking supplies to no doubt create the feast Wario was expecting. All distributed between three covered carriages that moved away from the large castle. All sitting in silence as they traveled along the golden sand. 

Once arrived, Daisy set about making sure everything was set up. Shouting orders on what needs to go where with far rougher authority compared to Peach. 

Mario and Wario, with Polterpup trotting behind, pulled away from the group to get a good look at the front entrance. Or, what remained of it. The once no doubt grand entrance was now blocked by a large pile of rubble. There was a small opening near the top. Large enough for the mice beings to fit through. For them, there would have to be some shifting, but they could get it to work. 

Wario looked over when Mario let out a slow sigh, “You doing okay over there?”

“Yeah,” Mario answered quickly, “Yeah, it’s just… Underground has some unpleasant memories.” 

“Fair. But you have a good handle on your Firebrand now. I doubt we’ll have an issue. I doubt you’ll have an issue.”

“Yeah…”

Wario frowned softly, but wasn’t able to push the issue as Daisy joined them.

“So, you two ready?” the desert princess asked. 

“Yes.” Mario answered quickly.

“I have a few more questions, if that’s okay.” Wario asked.

To which Daisy nods and replies with, “Go ahead.”

“What are we expected to see in there?”

“From what we can tell, the disturbance is coming from deep within the temple. And I mean deep . We never had any tunnels or pathways that went that far down before. Now, it’s become sort of a mining operation. Just trying to get out as much ground out and setting up a railing system to travel down quickly.”

“Has anyone in this kingdom mined before?” Mario asked. 

“Ah, no… But they did their best?” Daisy offered weakly.

Wario, however, didn’t look that impressed. “No wonder this has become such a nightmare for you. There are probably more death traps than anything else in that place.”

“You’re still going to help though, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, just wanted to know what we’re going to see inside there.” Wario shuffled the bag further onto his shoulder as he faced the entrance again. “Alright Mini-Me, let’s get in there and get this fixed.”

Mario gave a small, hopefully reassuring, smile to Daisy before following Wario. The desert princess watched on as the brothers shifted a few more rocks around, expanded the entrance, and climbed in. Polterpup only phased through once the other two made their way in. Daisy let out a tight breath when they disappeared. 

“Good luck you two…”

The entrance to the cavern was a weird feeling of cold mixed with damp, Mario unable to place how that feeling was being created. Current area they were walking through was a long hallway with compressed stone walls holding carved images and words. Some areas cracked and crumbling away. Mario’s fire seemed to cast deeper shadows over it all. Polterpup led the way, allowing their body to illuminate more on what Wario’s held light and Mario’s fire couldn’t.  

All peering around in silence as they made their way further in. The hallway eventually opened up into a large, domed room. What was normally a place for congregation and prayer had been sloppily converted into a mining operation, as Daisy warned. The altar seemed to be the only place that had been left alone, with dozens of carved holes seeming to appear at random. All disappearing into the ground so far that Mario wasn’t able to see the ending. Each holding their own set of railings that followed along the carved paths. 

“Wow, this is shitty work.” Wario commented as he gently tapped on the railing. Eyes traveling to each of the laid tracks that disappeared into the darkened areas. 

“How bad?” Mario looked back. 

“Eh, bad, not terrible? I mean, we’ll survive if that’s what you’re asking. We’ll just need to make sure we don’t hit these or else we’re going to have a rocky time… I was just expecting a path down, not this. This is way more dangerous than I previously thought.” 

“How many rails do you think they have laid down?”

“No idea. A lot, from what I’m seeing here. But if they’re being really desperate, who knows how many they’ve actually laid down. Between these quakes and this quick job, I don’t know how stable this place really is.” 

Both looked away hearing something squeak. Watching as Polterpup pushed a car forward. Pausing when they just reached the opening, sitting down to look back at the other two. Panting happily. With a shared nod, Mario and Wario joined at the cart. The fire wielder picked up the spectral pup before climbing in. Sitting near the front to allow Wario room to jump into after he pushed them forward. 

Tossing the bag and a few more tools in, Wario let out a grunt as he pushed everything forward. Leaping in at the last second, settling down as the cart tilted downwards. 

They followed along a carved out tunnel, flickering lights lining the walls. All of them flashing by, eventually smearing by as the cart picked up speed. Mario and Wario bending down into the cart as the wind rushed past them. Holding onto their respected hats to keep them from flying away.

The tunnel, far too soon, fell away, the tracks now seeming to hover open a large pit. Both risked leaning over to see if they could find the bottom. Only for everything to disappear into the darkness. If the depth of the pit wasn’t enough of a worry, they'd received their answer with how many tracks had been laid down. 

It was clear it wasn’t just the temple entrance that had the tracks. It seemed any direction that could reach this area was utilized. From every direction the tracks appear, twisting and turning together as they all descend into the depths. Even tracks that went the same direction the group was traveling along didn’t seem to be limited to where they’d come from. 

“There really was no rhyme or reason to any of this!” Wario called out in disbelief as he looked around. “They just went crazy with this.”

“I’d hate to ask, was this temple in operation before this?” Mario asked.

“I really hope not.”

“Guess we can’t focus on that for now. We’ll just have to ride this until we reach the ending. …Do we have any ideas on how we’re going to stop this thing?”

“How about we put a pin in that when we reach that problem.” Wario frowned. There was a sinking sensation in their stomachs as the cart started to dip down further. The tracks seemed to press closer together as they went along.

“They really had no idea what they were looking for,” Mario said, worriedly. “We’re not going to have that issue…are we?”

Wario gave an assured shake of his head. “No way, we have better tools for the job. Trust me, this coaster of craziness we’ll be the worse of our-”

Both tensed when Polterpup let out a low, warning growl. Focusing on the other entrances, teeth bared and their hackles raised. 

“Polterpup?” Mario carefully rested a hand on the spectral pup. “What’s wrong? What do you-”

“Avast, ye landlubbers!”

The call echoed through the carved cavern that was followed by a number of other cries and cheers. As attention was turned behind them, the duo found at least twenty if not more other carts following after them. Traveling along rails that had not been from the temple entrance. Each cart filled with two or three bi-pedal lizard being. Mario mentally commented they looked like crocodiles. Yellow eyes narrowed on Wario and Mario’s cart, mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth were pulled back into a wide smile. Waving either guns or swords in hands. Bags of Bob-ombs just barely peeking out. 

The clart closest to the duo was only carrying one creature, but was by far the largest out of them all. Body showed a number of scars that stood out against the leather tan skin. Eyes of vivid green seeming to shine out from the heavy shadow casted by the pirate hat he was wearing.

“What the-”

“Are you fucking kidding me!” Wario’s cry of disbelief drowned out Mario’s question. The other looked furious at the yellow lizard that was drawing closer. “What the hell are you doing here!?”

“If it isn’t me ol’ treasure huntin’ partner!” the lizard replied with a laugh. “Did ye really think ye’d never see Kaptain Skurvy again?”

“It was a desperate plea to Grambi, to be honest.”

“Ah, ye wound me.”

“Wait, you know him?” Mario asked. 

Wario replied back with an annoyed growl. “Unfortunately.”

“Now, now, don’t ye be sour,” Skurvy called out, almost alongside their cart. “Ye seem to be doin’ well. Even got yerself a new, wee little partner. A weird lookin’ one, ta be honest.”

Mario pouted at that. “A little rude.”

He didn’t fight back when Wario pulled him away. The older brother pulled out a familiar hammer, with a foot on the edge of the cart as he pointed it at the lizard. “What are you doing here Skurvy.”

“That be Kaptain Skurvy to ye, traitor.” Was growled out.

“Like hell I would call you that. Now what do you want!”

“Do ye think ye little dessert princess is the only one interested by whatever be lying in this sinkin’ ship? We just be on a job. Ain’t that right boys?” Skurvy waved a hand back to the rest of his crew, who replied back with a happy cheer.

“What the hell does your crazy king want with this kingdom?” Wario’s furry turned to genuine worry, causing Mario to panic further. 

Skurvy’s jovial attitude suddenly switched off at the question. “Bold of ye to assume who we’d be workin’ for.”

“What else am I supposed to say? That’s who you were working for before-”

“Enough of this!” The scaly captain pulls his own sword free. Pointing it into the air before drawing it down directly to Wario. “I ain’t here to be takin’ trips down memory lane. I’ll offer the two-”

Polterpup barked.

“Pardon, the three of ye one chance to walk away quietly. Or else my crew will have to deal with ye personally. What do ye say? Peaceful partin’?”

Wario let out a laugh before swinging his hammer back. “When have you known me to back down, you salty dog?”

“So be it. Knock them off!” 

Wario and Mario faulted when the rails suddenly rocked, the motion quickly followed by an explosion. Both turning back to find their path back crumbling away into the darkness. Those closest to the brothers preparing another Bob-ombs to be thrown over. One waiting to light while the other waited to hand an unlit one. 

Mario was up on the ledge without a second thought. A deep red fireball in hand that was launched to the cart he could reach. Aiming specifically for the pile of the unlit explosives. There was a momentary cry of panic. First directed at the fireball being tossed their way then to the lit Bob-ombs. Said lizards jumping out from the cart before it exploded. 

“Ye didn’t tell me ye new partner came with party tricks!” Skurvy called out, glaring at the larger brother. “What else ye hidin’ from me?”

“Shove off you!” Wario called back. Pulling Mario back into the cart to allow himself room for a full swing. The head of the hammer launches a lit Bob-omb back to its sender. Another cart going down. 

Letting out a growl, Skurvy leaned over the edge of his car. Foot over the lip while his sword was lowered to his hip. Clearly intended to jump into the brother’s cart. Only to be stopped when a spectral pup seemingly popped out of nowhere. Skurvy letting out a cry of surprise as he attempted to swat Polterpup away. 

“Ye annoyin’ pest!”’

“Polterpup!” Mario called out in worry. 

The cart dangerously shifted once more, but no explosion followed this time. Instead, parts of the rails started to fall away. Not just from the brother’s line, as all rails started to crumble. Those in the carts only able to watch in horror as their companions started to fall into the awaiting darkness.

“What’s going on?” Mario frantically asked. 

“The problem I said would happen if we damaged these railings!” Wario answered. “These structures were never sound and they’re not holding up to these attacks, we’re all going down!”

The stunned realization was pushed aside as their rails falling away started to catch up. Wario pulled Mario close and compressed them both into the cart as best he could. Their cart soon started to free fall down. The other was only able to watch as Polterpup looked on with worry. Skurvy’s cart followed along soon enough. The rest of the crew either cried out in worry as their captain fell away or screaming as they also headed towards the depths. 

_____________________________

In one of the many provided guest rooms, Toadsworth, Peach and Waluigi were resting on a long, plush sofa. Peach sat up while the lanky brother flopped out until he took up most of the space. The princess sitting between Waluigi and her caretaker. With Toadsworth looking unhappy with how close he was to Waluigi. Even with Peach acting as a barrier. 

All watched as Luigi nervously paced the length of the room, mumbling to himself as he stared at the ground. The younger twin eventually stopped in front of the other three. Clapping his hands together before properly facing them. 

“So…what’s the plan of attack?” Luigi asked with a nervous smile.

“You were the one who pulled us in here. I thought you were the mastermind.” Waluigi answered. 

“I was also hoping for some help.”

“Monazite will need to be the first person we talk to,” Peach started. “She’s very caring and would certainly understand our mission. She may already be on our side. But it’ll be good to know where she truly lies on all of this.”

Waluigi shifted to sit up a little more. “But, she’s also not our main concern here.”

“Toadsworth, what’s your insight as to why Olivine pulled away so long ago?” Luigi asked Peach.

The elder Toad shook his  head. “It’s the simple story of King Olivine believing that King Matsutake was not using his power and time wisely. While I understand Olivine’s position, considering Bowser’s threat was growing faster than we expected, Queen Dahlia was growing ill during the same time. Our King was more worried and focused on his wife. Olivine did not take this well and claimed that Matsutake was focusing on the wrong thing. Leaving to be out of the ‘damage zone’, if I’m recalling the words correctly. Anything further than that, we’ll need to talk to Daisy, if you wish to skirt around approaching Olivine for a few hours more.”

“Oh, I very much doubt that,” Waluigi huffed. “Daddy dearest clearly hasn’t been upfront with what’s been going on.”

Luigi sighed weaky, “Then how do we break down the wall when we don’t have the appropriate tools to do so?”

“Get more people to help out.”

The group couldn’t help but jump when the bedroom door was knocked upon. Peach calling out  ‘Come in’, with said door opening and Dew poking her head in.

“Pardon for the interruption,” Dew spoke softly. “But Queen Monazite is asking for an audience.”

Peach stood, offering a smile. “Of course. We were actually about to ask your queen for the same. Would you be kind enough to-”

“A-Apologies princess. But the queen has specifically asked for Waluigi to join her. Alone.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted to a weird feeling. Luigi sharply turned, eyes wide, as he looked bewildered at the lanky brother. Toadsworth’s eyes narrowed on Waluigi while Peach’s face turned to an overly worried expression. All clearly confused by this request. 

Even Waluigi’s eyes widened hearing his name, breaking away from his bored demeanor. Blinking a few times as it all settled into his brain before slowly standing. “Ah…are you sure you didn’t mishear? I mean, she could have mumbled something at the beginning before saying Luigi’s name. You know, one of the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom?”

Dew gently shook her head. “No, she asked for you. No mumbling occurred.”

“...Okay, well…” Waluigi straightened his cup. “I guess, lead the way.”

“Waluigi-” Luigi faltered when the other raised his hand. 

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine. Lead the way, Dew.”

Without a look back, Waluigi left the guest room, following the bi-pedal mouse. Led away from those areas marked for guests and the citizens who asked for an audience, towards the rooms saved for the royals. Grand bedrooms, ballrooms, and dining areas, Waluigi did his best to not grumble under his breath. A bubble of bitterness expanded in his chest seeing how yet another portion of the 1% lived. 

As they turned the corner to a more private area of the castle, the plain walls changed to bursts of colors. Nothing but swirls of hues that calmed Waluigi’s silent grips to the building. 

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Dew beamned. 

“Do they mean anything?”

The mouse shook her head, “Not that we’re aware of, especially out here anyway. The rooms that line these halls do hold murals, but we’re only able to guess what it all means. Those stories have been lost to the ages, unfortunately.”

Dew stopped before another archway. Turning to Waluigi and offering a bow. “Queen Monazite awaits you inside.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Waluigi replied back quietly. Side stepping around the mouse to walk in.

It was a small tea room. Big enough to hold two rather comfortable looking chairs with a small table situated between them. Which held a tray with tea and some interesting and tasty looking treats. Monazite stood from the chair she’d claimed to greet Waluigi, who was standing in the archway.

The lanky brother offered a short nod with a quiet, “Your highness.”

“Hello, Waluigi, I’m so glad you could join me. Would you care for a seat?”

“Suppose I will…” Waluigi walked further into the room. A flash of vibrancy appeared from the corner of his eye. Looking back to find the entire wall filled with a mosaic mural. 

What stood out first were seven yellow sprites that look like small sons. All placed around the archway and starting the wall being divided by the same number. Each section depicted a different area that Waluigi had never seen before. Framing all of it, decorating the edge of the wall, were tendrils of shadows that were encroaching in on the scenes. Uncomfortably familiar sparks of green appeared on occasion that mixed in with the shadows. 

Waluigi’s brows furrowed in worry.

“An interesting little piece, isn’t it?” Monazite casually commented as she joined him.

“Kind of creepy…and a little on the head with its depictions.” Waluigi reached out to run his hand over the sprite floating in the desert portion of said mural. “This is the Desert Kingdom. I’m pretty sure that’s the Sarasaland castle in the background.”

“That appears to be true.”

The brother looked over, “So, what does it mean?”

Monazite let out a small sigh, “We’re unsure. We can pull some information from what we can see. It’s an understanding that our kingdom holds one of these yellow sprites. But we’re unsure where it is, what it does, or where else these sprites are located. Even the tendrils of shadows are a mystery to us.”

“Joy…” Waluigi grumbled. Making a mental note of how there was another mural for them to worry over. 

He twitched nervously when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Monazite offered a warm smile as she gently pulled Waluigi away.

“Why don’t we put this away for a moment. I asked for you to join me so that we could have a polite but private discussion.”

“Oh, right, sure…” Waluigi tentatively sat down in the unclaimed chair while Monazite sat down in her previously claimed seat. 

The queen took a few minutes to pour a cup of tea for each of them. Filled with a deep red liquid, leaving a little bit of room left over for one. Said cup was handed over to Waluigi. With Monazite gesturing over the container of milk, honey, and sugar. 

“I wasn’t sure how you preferred your drink.”

“Thank, um, this is fine.” Lifting the cup up tentatively from the saucer, Waluigi took a small sip. Eyes widening in pleasant surprise of the taste that washed over his tongue. A look he quickly formed back into a neutral one when he realized Monazite was watching him.

“It’s good.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Have as much as you want, I can always make more. No issues there.”

Waluigi raised a brow at that, “You…make it?”

“Of course, it’s a family recipe. A long standing tradition to share with new guests.”

The brother let out a low hum as he took another sip.

“You don’t seem to believe me.” The queen laughed softly. 

“I just didn’t think that those of royalties would stoop so low as to dirty their hands.” Waluigi bit his tongue when the words slipped out of his mouth. Focusing on his cup as he tried to sink into the chair. 

Monazite slowly nodded as she nursed her own cup. “That is understandable. After all, the rich do love to flaunt their possessions without much work on their end, don’t they?”

There was another round of laughter from Monazite while Waluigi could only chuckle weakly. Gently dabbing a finger to the corner of her eye, the queen continued. “But truly wealthy people know better than to rely on gold and jewels to be fulfilled. That feeling only arrives when you work for your worth in an honorable way. Getting your hands dirty just means you’ve created physical proof of what you’ve built.” 

Waluigi nodded slowly. “Yeah…sure. Um, not to cut to the chase suddenly. But why did you request a meeting with me?”

“Well, I was hoping to have a private conversation with the person who broke my daughter’s heart.”

Hot tea through the nose was not a fun feeling.

Waluigi took the offered cloth thankfully as he tried to clear his throat by coughing out the remaining liquid. Quickly wiping the sprayed tea away from his face, covering his mouth with the same cloth. Allowing himself a moment to take a few deep breaths. Only lowering his hands when he’d controlled his breathing once more.

“...I don’t know what you could be referring to…”

“Mmm, clearly.” Monazite said easily as she took her own sip.

Waluigi nervously pulled at the napkin, the silence stretching on until he blurted out, “How did you know?”

“You think I’m unaware of what goes on in my daughter’s life?”

“If you're so observant, why didn’t you know where she went before?”

“I had a hunch as to where she went.”

“And what do you mean ‘broke her heart’?”

“Well, with the way she screamed in rage after you both broke up, I assumed you two had been dating. I’m also assuming that you broke it off. Otherwise, Daisy would not have been that upset. A little bitter, sure, but not breaking things in her room upset. And would you believe me if I told you she was even further hurt upon hearing that you suddenly just disappeared in the middle of the night.” 

“Trust me, she’s made me very aware of that.” Waluigi mumbleed weakly. Rubbing his arm where a large bruise was still forming. 

“So, what caused such a shift in your life?”

“What?” He looked up in surprise. He’d been expecting harsh words, not a ‘soul-searching’ question.

Monazite placed her cup down to focus on Waluigi. “I will not sit here and say I understand your motives or what you were going through at the time to cause such a change. But to come to such a rash decision overnight. Leave everything behind without a word to anyone where you were going and why…” 

“You were clearly holding onto something that just…broke that evening. I’m also sure that you’ve never shared your reasoning as to why, close connections make it hard to be honest. Meaning you’ve been stewing on your own over all of this.”

“And what, you’re going to help me make all of this better?” Waluigi snapped. 

The previous nerves were falling away, quickly being replaced with anger. The sudden change caused a rush that got Waluigi to stand up as his face burned. The queen made no move to defend or worry over this reaction. Staying still as her hands rested gently in her lap with a neutral look on her face. Remaining as such as Waluigi continued. 

“You have the comfort of judging me while sitting in your ivory tower. I’m sorry I hurt Daisy, I am. But maybe I wasn’t as emotionally stable to deal with all of that. Maybe I was embarrassed to think over how I was supposed to keep a princess interested in me. Maybe I woke up late that night in a cold sweat realizing how I had done nothing with my life and that was killing me.”

“Maybe I’m pissed that I was poor and associated with being a troublemaker because our father was a fucking liar. That I had hoped and prayed that I would be able to stand above that as I grew older but was never given the chance. How Wario and I just wanted to fucking help so we could be seen in a better light. Only for that resulting in people not trusting us. And we were sick and tired of being belittled. Maybe that’s why we started to act out, why not! Why not play the role everyone just expected us to be!”

“But no, let’s just chalk it up to how we were raised! That has to be the problem, right? Being told grandeur lies that our father told, making us think that he was someone to look up to. All of that just amounts to him just leaving and having our mom die by a broken heart. Maybe that’s just something that runs in the family, yeah? Hurting people and just leaving without a word. At least I came back!” 

“Is it bad that I wanted to go someplace where no one knew who I was? It is fucking wrong that I wanted to try to make a name for myself that didn’t involve people glancing my way with raised brows and whispers? I wanted to make a new start, I wanted to be more than just my family name, I wanted to be more than my father. But I guess that’s just too much to ask for, isn’t it!”

Waluigi’s fast pacing stilled as he turned to glare Monazite down. Who still hadn’t moved, watching it all with calmed features.

“You know what, fuck you, let’s just turn this script around. What don’t we judge your character, yeah? For someone trying to ‘care’ about her daughter, you sure have been missing a lot from anything involving Daisy. Or even anything about your fucking kingdom! Never seen you once until I got here. Always saw the king. Stuck up king who crawls away when his feelings get a little bruised. Why don’t you go pick him apart, huh? You married him, why don’t you deal with that baggage to make him realize that maybe ignoring a friend wasn’t the best idea while his wife was dying.” 

“Why don’t you use your fucking title of ‘queen’ to actually do something!”

Breathing heavily, Waluigi felt his shoulders and ears slowly drop and it dawned on him what he’d just said. Flinching away when Monazite finally moved, the queen now stood up from her chair. The anger felt only a few seconds before now cooling into actual fear. Waluigi mentally berating himself for cursing and flinging accusations at the queen . This was not going to the plan they had. Then again, Peach or Luigi were supposed to have this talk. How were they supposed to recover the damage Waluigi had just made?

The frantic thoughts were silenced when arms were gently wrapped around him. Tencing, his own arms stuck straight at his sides as he felt slim fingers gently stroke through his hair that they could reach. 

“My people are quite literally part of the desert,” Monazite spoke softly. “My form and self only remain when I’m able to connect with the very sand that I came from. Leaving the desert could cause my demise. This is why I’ve never left my home. I do wish I could travel, but I’m fearful that it’s not possible.”

“As for my silence, my words are spoken by my husband. I’m here to offer him support and my view on situations. Do you think I’ve not berated him for how he easily left his friend’s side? Especially at such a horrible time. I know my husband hurts himself for the actions he’d done during that time. He hides his shame by staying here. Tucking himself away so no one can see him. Until he can remove himself from his indignity, Olivine will suffer in silence. Nothing I say will change that.” 

“...It’s just stupid fucking egos, yeah?” Waluigi mumbled weakly, slowly melting into the hold, his throat becoming tight. 

“I suppose so… But I do hope you lot will put my husband in his place. Grambi knows he needs someone besides myself to show him what this world is heading towards…” Monazite gently pulled Waluigi back. Tilting his chin up so they could look at each other properly. The queen silently noted, with wide eyes that held such exhaustion and ears drooped down, how young Waluigi looked at this moment. 

Not a bitter adult, but now a lost child.

“It’s unfair how the children have to suffer the mistakes of their parents. Such a weight should not be placed on their shoulders…but who else could tell adults how stupid they truly are.”

Waluigi let out a weak huff, doing his best to keep himself collected. Unhappy that his vision became blurring, deep breathing returned as he tried to look away. Jaw clenched as a final attempt to hold it all in fell away as a hand gently cupped his cheek. 

“Other’s actions have such a way to harm without knowing, don’t they?”

The only reply was a choked sob that Waluigi attempted to cover it up, a hand reaching up to rub under his nose. More than happy to sink back into the motherly warmth that he’d not felt in years. His own arms reached up to wrap around the queen and he buried into her dress. Monazite hummed softly as she placed a hand on the back of the other’s head, her other arm wrapping around Waluigi tightly.

Toadsworth stood just outside of the archway in the chilled hallway. Brow furrowed in thoughts and worry. Eventually turning away and back down the hall towards the guest bedrooms. 

[gee-arid]

Observe: my blorbos.

I have many thoughts.

Mario and Luigi would be considered the player characters/heros/agents, that makes sense.

Peach and Daisy would be Idols, think Squid Sister vibes-

I dont have a concrete story line but eventually Peach and Daisy retire or quit, taking up their own things, probably Turf war or anarchy.

After them comes Rosalina as an Idol, she and Luma (fishie :) ) i suppose take over Off the Hook.

Something something- she hangs out with Geno.

Outside of timeline stuff- Toad and Toadette run the general store together, they alternate on the day they work. During Peach and Daisys Idol time they can be found helping them out in the set on their off days.

Also Polterpup is a ghost shrimp :) He probably sticks with Professor E. Gadd most days.

Since this i have designed Yoshi, Birdetta, Bowser, and Geno... and this doesnt even include Peasley, Junior, E. Gadd, or Peach and Daisys alt. designs (non idol outfits)...

[istadris]

An entire essay about Boouigi? Please, go ahead! Rant and rave to your hearts desire! ❤️

OKay first let's talk about how King Boo is the perfect nemesis to Luigi the way Bowser is to Mario.

Mario is constantly associated with fire, is a physical, direct fighter. He's straightforward and simple in his concept, and so is Bowser : hero vs dragon, loud braggart vs silent humble guy, that kind of thing.

Luigi is...a weird case. He's more flawed and complex; he's scared, he's greedy, he's feeling overshadowed, he's clumsy, he's a loser. He's usually Mario's counterpart when it comes to ability but that's hardly consistent : is the opposite of fire lightning? Ice? Water?

What is Luigi's deal ?

One of the most consistent theme of that yin-yang is the Sun/Moon theme. Mario, bright, burning, shining, warming through his presence and bringing life. Luigi, shy and secretive, hiding in the shadows, weird powers abound, and his games are all focused around night and ghosts (and by extension death).

There's some moral ambiguity in his actions too: fans have been debating for years about how much E.Gadd and King Boo are justified in their respective actions. Is E.Gadd a sinister scientist capturing sentient creatures and people into portraits, or a well-meaning scientist trying to prevent ghosts from being dangerous? Is King Boo trying to protect his Boos or is he just a petty bastard? You wouldn't get that kind of debate about Mario fighting Bowser (unless you're an edgy youtuber trying to make noise)

And people have pointed out before me, but Luigi is often paired with nice people and villains alike, because where Mario is incorruptible as the Hero, Luigi would be more vulnerable to the sirens of evil, even if he never actually turned evil, because he's a sweety pie.

EDIT : HERE'S THE POST I WAS THINKING ABOUT REGARDING LUIGI'S WEAKNESS TO CORRUPTION

He's more like King Boo than he would like.

There's also the supreme irony of Luigi being so terrified of ghosts that of course his main enemies are all kind of ghosts, spirits and such. And yet ! He can be friendly with them! Polterpup of course, and other ghosts, he wouldn't attack them if he could! He just wants to take a nap without someone trying to murder him!!! So it's funny for me to picture him befriending the Boos, including their King, especially when at first the latter wants to KILL KILL BITE BITE. Speaking of which, I love fanarts in which KB has a gaggle of lil boos cheering him up in his attempts to woo Luigi. Go get'im, boss! You're irresistible, surely this time he'll fall for you!

Oh yeah, because I LOVE the trope of KB having been trying to seduce Luigi all this time and kidnapping his family was the best he could come up with. Honestly, look at how long he let Luigi run around in every Mansion instead of just swarming him!

(Now I want a fic where KB just goes "you know what, screw it, I've waited long enough ,ALL ON HIM!!" ...how angsty or humorous it gets is up to you ;p)

I had a joke at some point (and now it fits with the ghost seducer AU) that all that money Luigi finds is KB paying Luigi for cleaning up, or sugar daddy-ing him up and trying to get him to stay.

KB : *throws gold ingots and diamonds at Luigi* TAKE MY MONEY, WHORE!!

And oh, the naughty, naughty things King Boo could do with this tongue...

[snazzy-suit]

Luigi: Liaison of Ghosts Chapter 5.4 - Hey! Creatures! Leave Them Kids Alone!

MP - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5.1 -5.2 - 5.3 - (5.4) - 5.5 - 5.6 - 5.7 - 5.8 - 5.9 - 5.10 - 6 - 7.1 - 7.2 - 7.3 - 7.4 - 7.5 - 8

Part 4 of 10

[Prefer to read on ao3? Click here]

In which the final kid is found and Luigi deals with ghostly back-talk (and not in the way you think).

______________________________

When Luigi re-enters the house, he immediately notices that the atmosphere feels, for lack of a better word, lighter. The oppressive energy from before has almost completely dissipated, like a heavy fog burning away in the morning sun. It’s incredible how much a difference it makes now that the home has four less entities darkening its halls. The improvement is welcoming, but Luigi doesn’t allow it to lower his guard.

Pepper once again leads the charge, snout to the ground as he tracks Gooigi’s scent. They trek silently through the halls, Luigi staying extra vigilant as the Polterpup focuses on their task. Soon, the duo find themselves at the bottom of a narrow staircase.

So, they’re on the second story, are they? It makes sense, now that Luigi thinks about it. Koojo had implied the summoning had taken place in a room upstairs.

Pepper abruptly leaps up onto the fourth step. They pause and turn around, looking at the plumber expectantly. Luigi holsters the Poltergust’s wand and silently ascends after them. He can’t help but wonder if the stairs have been tampered with—another haunting classic among ghosts and spirits. The thought has Luigi suddenly gripping the railing like a lifeline, memories of steps folding unnaturally like blinds in a window drifting to the forefront of his mind. He rather not have friction burns added to the growing list of tonight’s endured abuse.

A low growl pulls Luigi from his scrutiny of the old planks. His head snaps up to find Pepper just one step shy from the landing. The spectral canine's tail is low, though not tucked, and had the spirit possessed proper ears, Luigi is certain they would be drawn back. Luigi’s brows furrow with concern and trepidation. With each ghost he captured, Pepper had slowly begun to relax until they were more like their happy, go-lucky self. To see them so suddenly back on edge does not bode well.

“Pepper?” Luigi whispers, cautiously approaching the spirit, “What’s wrong?"

The Polterpup gives no indication that they heard him. Then, without warning, they leap the remaining distance to the second story landing. The air ripples around the spectral canine, and they vanish before they even touch the floor.

Now, disappearing from the visible spectrum is not exactly an unusual thing for spirits—especially Pepper—but Luigi knows magic-based shenanigans when he sees it. The Polterpup didn’t turn invisible, they were forcibly displaced.

The spirit canine had passed through a portal.

Luigi swears under his breath. He doesn’t have the tools to determine the nature of the portal—where it leads, if it is a one-way trip—and he doesn’t have the time to retrieve them. Still, it would be foolish to proceed without at least informing the professor of the situation. Luigi pulls out his battered phone and sends E. Gadd a quick update (as well as a silent thanks for “hero-proofing” the device). With that done, the plumber cautiously ascends the remaining steps. He hesitates at the landing.

He steps forward.

A fragile veil shatters like glass, and a thick miasma crashes into him like a wave. It’s as if Luigi had walked out into a blizzard after spending hours in a sauna. The air practically vibrates with negative energy, and the pressure is borderline suffocating. Luigi braces himself against a wall as he takes a moment to catch his breath and adjust to the staggering change in atmosphere.

And he thought the first floor had been bad.

Luigi has dealt with his fair share of dark entities in the past, but he can’t recall a ghost with this kind of power. Spirits, yes, but they didn’t usually exude such… malice. Not even King Boo. As difficult as it is for Luigi to admit, the spectral monarch isn’t necessarily evil. An egomaniacal jerk, certainly, but not evil. This ghost? Well, the plumber understands now why Nolem had been so disturbed by it.

Luigi distantly wonders how his partner felt when he had first breached the delicate barrier. As a supernatural entity himself, it may not have been as harsh, but certainly disconcerting. The plumber shudders involuntarily at the thought of what the kid must have endured. They would have adapted to it by now, but paranormal miasmas like this are especially taxing if you lack any experience with them.

Luigi straightens and gives his head a clearing shake. He fully turns around, not surprised, but no less uneasy to find the stairs are gone. In its place is a wall. When he reaches out to touch it, he finds it is completely solid—the portal had been one-way after all. On a whim, Luigi retrieves his phone and attempts to contact the professor. There isn’t the faintest signal. Luigi sighs, thankful that he had the foresight to contact his mentor before entering the unknown. He pockets the now useless device and begins making his way down the empty hallway.

There’s no turning back now.

Luigi silently takes in his surroundings as he goes. The walls are sparsely decorated with family photos and tasteful paintings. The jade-green wallpaper beneath them is minutely faded, but Luigi gets the impression that’s intentional. A plush, wine-red rug lies beneath his feet, narrowly concealing the worn floorboards below.

Luigi grimaces at the color-scheme. Definitely not to his taste, but he isn’t here to critique interior design.

The plumber pauses at an intersection in the hall, looking down each of the alternate paths with a frown. It’s unnervingly quiet, and there’s no visible abnormalities to indicate where the ghosts or wayward spirit hound may have gone.

Visible…

Luigi retrieves the Poltergust's wand from its holster and activates the Dark-Light. He aims the beam downward and sweeps it along the floor. Sure enough, a set of glowing paw prints shimmer into view, trailing down the adjacent hallway. With a silent cheer, Luigi follows Pepper's tracks.

The prints lead Luigi to the end of the hall and take a sharp left. Luigi silently follows, distantly noting that the trail has intermittent gaps near areas where the hallways branch off. Time passes. After turning what feels like the dozenth corner, Luigi finally stops—struck dumb by a new development.

The tracks are now pointing toward him.

Luigi frowns. He has been diligently following the paw prints, never straying from their path, and there’s no shift in the tracks to indicate Pepper had changed direction. So far, it’s been an oddly straight trail. The plumber turns in place and shines the Dark-Light down on the carpet behind him. He is further baffled to find the tracks abruptly end at the corner he had just rounded.

Luigi tears his eyes from the anomaly to properly inspect his surroundings. Now that he is paying closer attention, Luigi realizes that the hallway feels oddly familiar. The placement of the doors, the console table adorned with family photos, the painting of a lush meadow... he’s been here before. How had he gotten so turned around? It’s a large house, sure, but the plumber has navigated sprawling manors with little difficulty—this should be nothing in comparison.

Unless...

Dread settles in Luigi’s stomach as a theory pops into his mind. Without a word, Luigi returns the Poltergust’s wand to its holster and takes off down the hall. He turns left when it intersects with another hall, and again at the next corner. If he’s picturing the floorplan in his head correctly, he is currently in a hall that runs parallel to his starting point. Luigi turns right—

—and finds himself at the end of a very familiar hallway.

Luigi stares at the meadow painting with a neutral expression, but internally, he is screaming. The path he took should have led him away from here. It makes no logical sense that he ended up back where he started. But logic has no place here, Luigi realizes. Not where the paranormal are concerned.

There’s not a doubt in Luigi’s mind; the hallways have been enchanted. Specifically, where they intersect. Tracking Pepper is going to be next to impossible unless Luigi can establish a pattern.

He decides to first test the enchantment’s consistency. Will taking the same path yield the same results? The plumber dashes down the hall and turns left as he had before. He nearly trips when he winds up right where he came from.

Luigi glares at the meadow painting as if it had personally offended him. The drop-off points are indeed inconsistent. For clarity’s sake, he retraces his steps to see if it makes any impact. This time, Luigi ends up in a different hallway, one he doesn’t recognize. He can say this with confidence, because this one has an onion lying in the middle of the floor, and he would have certainly remembered passing that little oddity. 1

So much for finding a pattern.

Luigi distantly recalls a towering hotel and a floor ruled by a trio of ghostly magicians. How he traveled from room-to-nonsensical-room in search of the next elevator button. At one point, the triplets had placed an enchantment on the doorways, and the plumber found himself entering bathrooms instead of hallways, and stages instead of suites. There had seemed to be no rhyme or reason to where the doors led, but they had at least stayed consistent—the path remaining the same when he found himself backtracking.

Whatever spell this ghost is using is completely random. There's no puzzle for Luigi to solve, and that just makes things infinitely more difficult.

A familiar bark at his left quickly pulls Luigi from his silent musing. He whirls to the sound and is beyond relieved to find his canine companion sitting halfway down the adjacent passageway. Luigi moves to join them, but hesitates at the threshold of the intersecting halls, afraid he will be thrown into a new area should he dare cross. Seeing his hesitation, the Polterpup confidently trots up to the plumber and tugs on his pant leg until he crosses over the metaphorical line. Pepper releases their hold and dashes back down the hall with a bark of encouragement. The plumber casts a furtive glance over his shoulder, bemused.

Why hadn’t the enchantment worked that time?

Luigi quietly approaches Pepper, offering the latter a hushed reprimand for running off. His half-hearted scolding sputters out as he takes notice of what has captured the canine's attention. The pup is plopped before an innocuous, oak door. There aren’t any visible barriers, and the plumber doesn’t feel any malicious energy warning off potential intruders. While relieving, it doesn’t ease the trepidation settling in the plumber’s gut. He glances at the Polterpup; they don’t appear to be bothered by whatever lay on the other side of this door. Luigi cautiously grasps the handle, and when it offers no resistance, he opens the door.

The plumber isn’t sure what he expected to find on the other side—other than an angry ghost—but a cramped hall closet certainly wouldn’t have been his first guess. He is greeted by an assortment of coats, shoes, and—to his quiet amusement—a vacuum cleaner. Luigi quirks a brow at the bland discovery. Why did Pepper lead him to a closet? What was he supposed to find here?

Luigi reaches toward the wall of coats, intending to part them, when something suddenly lunges from the storage space’s depths.

“Take this, evil ghost!"

Luigi narrowly avoids being brained by a swinging clothes iron. When his attacker misses, their forward momentum sends them crashing to the floor in a heap. Luigi hastily steps back but pauses in his retreat as he takes in the ambusher’s appearance.

They’re a Doogan—an adolescent with russet fur and pale blue eyes. The longer patch of hair on their head is hidden by a baseball cap bearing a team mascot Luigi doesn’t recognize, presumably from the kid’s school.

Pepper curiously sniffs at the fallen teen. The Doogan scoots away with a startled yelp, holding the clothing iron up like a shield. “Stay back!” he barks. “I’m warning you!”

When Pepper ignores the threat and steps a little closer, the teenager thrusts his unconventional means of defense out to deflect them. Pepper, rather unimpressed, simply catches the ironing tool in his maw. The Doogan fumbles his hold in surprise. With a shake of Pepper’s head, the iron goes flying back into the closet.

The teen looks between his discarded weapon and the Polterpup with wide eyes. “What the—? Why didn’t it work?! I thought ghosts couldn’t stand iron!" 2

“Iron, as in the metal,” Luigi corrects, somewhat amused, “not the tool you use to get wrinkles out of clothes. Also, iron isn’t as effective as folklore makes it out to be.”

“Oh." The teen frowns to himself. “I knew I should have tried to whittle a stake instead."

“...where are you getting your paranormal information from?"

“The s/cryptids page on the ‘seenit’ forum. Those guys really seemed to know their stuff, so I, uh..." They trail off, looking up at the plumber with sudden recognition. “Star bits and pieces—you’re Luigi.” The teen smiles, laughing nervously. “Luigi’s in my house. I’m being rescued by one of the Mario Brothers. This is awesome."

Luigi can’t help but smile back, amused by the reaction. Mario faces star-struck gawping almost every day, but for Luigi, such encounters are still largely novel (he honestly doesn’t know how his brother handles it). “You must be Dane."

“Wha—Oh! Yeah, that’s me. Dane—Dane Pawper. Well, my parents named me Larry, so my full name is Larry Dane Pawper but who wants to go by Larry?" He blinks, suddenly looking embarrassed. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous."

“No worries, I’m the same way." Luigi offers Dane his hand to help the teen up. They happily accept the offer, but grimace as they feel his damp glove.

“Hey, why are you all wet?” Dane asks, brow raised.

“I shower with my clothes on.”

That startles a laugh out of the teen, and Luigi is grateful they hadn’t been put off by his flat tone. Sometimes his sense of humor comes off as a touch derisive, even if it’s not his intention.

“No, but seriously, what happened?” The teen glances up and down the hall, as if searching for the cause of Luigi’s saturated state. “Did one of our pipes burst again?”

Luigi imperceptibly cringes, feeling a tad self-conscious. “A Blooper ghost threw your pool at me.”

“Oh...” Dane rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, looking anywhere but at Luigi. “I’m sorry. I... This is my fault. All these ghosts are here because of me," he mumbles. “I’m the one that read from the book."

Luigi’s brows rise marginally. Dane was the summoner? That certainly explains why the strongest ghost targeted him. “I don’t think it’s fair for you to take all the blame. From what Koojo told me, it was a group decision."

The Doogan’s eyes light up. “You talked to Koojo? Is he okay? What about the others?"

“He’s fine, they all are," Luigi assures. “They’re outside waiting with a friend while my partners and I handle the rest of these ghosts."

Dane’s shoulders sag with relief. “Thank the Stars," he sighs. Then, curiously, “Wait, partners? As in more than one? Is Mario here too?"

Luigi fights back a laugh. His brother is talented in many things, but for whatever reason, Mario flounders whenever he tries to wield the Poltergust.

“No, ghost hunting isn’t really his thing," he says mildly. “Pepper and Gooigi are my partners in crime tonight."

The teen perks, suddenly looking elated. “Dude! Same here!”

When Luigi gives him an odd look, Dane reaches into the pockets of his orange jacket and procures a pepper shaker and a pair of sunglasses with a large stylized ‘G’ printed on the arms. Luigi stares at the items with thinly veiled dismay.

“Good Grambi,” Luigi mumbles quietly, “The Boos back at the mansion would adore you.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Dare I ask why you have pepper in your pocket?”

“For protection,” the kid says like it’s obvious. “From demons!”

Luigi takes a deep, composing breath. “Remind me to make some book recommendations after we get out of here,” he says tiredly. “And to clarify, Pepper is my dog. Also, I said Gooigi, not the fashion brand.”

“Goo... igi...?” Dane repeats slowly. “Is that a portmanteau of ‘Goo’ and ‘Luigi’?”

Luigi offers a somewhat solemn nod.

“Uh... would this ‘Gooigi’ person happen to look like you if you were a lime-green fruit snack?”

“You’ve seen him?”

The teen suddenly looks embarrassed. “Yeah... I, uh, kinda ran away... from him...?” His voice lilts as if asking a question. At Luigi’s blank stare, he hurries to elaborate. “I didn’t know he was a good guy!”

“You just said he looks exactly like me.”

“Man, I don’t know! I thought he was some kind of evil shapeshifter the armored ghost summoned to try and trick me! When I first saw them, they were standing together all buddy-buddy, looking at that awful spell book.”

Luigi frowns to himself, unnerved by the revelation. Gooigi knows better than to attempt magic on his own. Luigi and the professor both were very clear in teaching him about the dangers of the arcane arts. What could have pushed Gooigi to ignore their warnings? And then there was the other matter...

“Armored ghost?” Luigi asks. Nolem had said Dane’s attacker was wearing a hood. He didn’t mention anything about armor…

“Yeah, it was a Koopa wearing old armor—really old armor—and he talked weird.” Dane begins to wring his hands nervously. “Anyway, your buddy tried to convince me he was there to help, but while I was distracted, the armored ghost snuck up behind me and grabbed me! Then it got really cold.” The kid shudders. “Next thing I know, I’m on the ground, and Gummy Man is reaching for me. I freaked out and ran past him, and then both of them started chasing me!” Dane frowns to himself. “I thought they were working together, but looking back, your buddy must have just been trying to stop the other guy...”

A dozen questions pop into the plumber’s mind. The first to leave his mouth is, undoubtedly, the least imperative.

“...Gummy Man?"

“I’m not very creative."

Maybe not, but Luigi is definitely going to tease his partner about this later. “What happened after that?”

“Magic hallway shenanigans,” Dane shrugs. “I turned a corner, and they were gone. I considered trying to find the stairs again, but I wasn’t about to risk another encounter with that armored jerk, so I hid in this closet instead. I’ve been here ever since.”

Luigi nods slowly to himself as he processes the teen’s words. When he doesn’t respond after a couple beats of silence, Dane regards him with apprehension.

“Hey, uh, you’re not mad at me, are you?” he asks timidly. “Cause I’m sorry about running from your friend—”

Luigi quickly shakes his head. “No! No, I’m not mad. Just... confused,” he brings a hand to his chin, but quickly aborts the move at the unpleasant feeling of his damp glove. “Your friend, Nolem, told me the ghost that came after you was wearing a hood, not armor.”

“Oh! No, he was right,” the Doogan nods emphatically, “The hooded ghost came after me first. The armored ghost didn’t start chasing me until after he fought the hooded guy.”

Luigi can feel a headache coming on. He’s been so focused on contending with the hooded entity that he completely forgot Koojo had said there were six ghosts. He sighs, resisting the urge to rub at his temples. “How about you start from the beginning? Right after the ghosts were summoned.”

“Uh... okay...” Dane scratches at the edge of his cap. “Well, we immediately knew something was off about the ghosts, but we—dumbly—tried to ask them questions anyway. They just... started laughing. Real creepy-like. All except for the armored and hooded ghost. I tried to read the spell that would dismiss them, but the hooded ghost swiped the book from me and then, boom! I’m suddenly pinned to the wall by magic.” The Doogan wiggles his fingers with emphasis. “All the other ghosts chased after my friends.” Dane pauses for a moment, looking uncertain. “Wait, no... not all the ghosts. The armored ghost stayed behind and started attacking hooded mcfreako. I think they were fighting over the spell book...”

Luigi winces imperceptibly. Whatever those dark entities wanted with the book, it couldn’t be good. “I take it the armored ghost won?”

“Not at first. The hooded ghost wasted no time in making use of that book. It did... something to the armored ghost—cast a spell on them, I think—and while our knight in rusted armor was recovering, it... called for back-up.”

...no. Oh please don’t let that mean what it implies.

“Dane,” Luigi says quietly, “How many ghosts are up here?”

“Including the hooded and armored ghost? Four.” 3

Luigi briefly closes his eyes, sighing heavily. It’s still less than ideal, but he was anticipating much worse. “Can you describe the other two ghosts?”

“Yeah. One of ‘em was a Clubba—shadowy, like the others—and the second ghost was... I don’t even know. They just kinda looked like a bad Halloween costume. Not very threatening. At. All.” The teen frowns suddenly, scratching their head. “Things sort of get fuzzy after that. If they summoned anything else, I don’t remember seeing it. I must have blacked out at some point, because one second everyone was fighting, and the next the hooded ghost was gone. Then the armored ghost had the book, and they were coming after me and I ran and somehow managed to lose them, but I couldn’t find the stairs because magic and then I saw your green friend with the armored ghost and got the world’s worst hug and freaked out and ran even more and—!”

“Whoa! Easy there, Dane. Deep breaths.”

“Sorry! Sorry, I know, I’m rambling again.” Dane takes an exaggerated breath and sighs. “Anyway, you know the rest from there. I ducked into this closet and... here we are.” He looks to Luigi, eyes imploring. “I don’t understand... Why are these ghosts so angry? All we wanted was for them to tell us our fortunes!”

Luigi stares back at the teen, utterly bewildered. “You summoned dark entities to tell you your fortune?”

“We didn’t know they were going to be evil ghosts! That’s not what the spell said!”

“What, exactly, was the spell?”

“…I don’t remember. Hold on, let me check.” Before Luigi can ask what they mean, Dane pulls a cellphone out of their pocket. “I took a picture of part of the page. It’s in a weird language, so I plugged part of the spell into Goomble translate. It says something about fortune telling ghosts.” The teen passes their phone to Luigi, who accepts it with raised brows.

“You have a signal up here?”

Dane shakes their head. “Nope. Not a single bar. But lucky for us, I had the foresight to do a screen cap on the results before we started the séance.” He frowns to himself. “Too bad I didn’t have the foresight not to read from the book in the first place.”

Luigi doesn’t deign to comment, too focused on scrutinizing the image on the Doogan’s phone. He vaguely recognizes the language, and though he is far from fluent, he can discern a few words and phrases. They, unfortunately, don’t line up with Goomble’s shoddy translation.

Luigi grimaces, looking rather pained. “Dane, this isn’t the correct translation.”

“Wait, Goomble translate is wrong?” Dane asks, eyes wide, “Since when does that happen?!”

Luigi isn’t sure if the kid is being sincere or facetious. Before he can decide whether to answer the question, Dane plows ahead with another one. “Well, what’s it say, then?”

“I can’t give you an exact translation, but I can promise you it’s not a spell to summon ghosts that tell your fortune.” Luigi pauses, looking more and more exhausted the longer he studies the image. “It summons ghosts that bring misfortune.”

Dane stares quietly back at the plumber. “…Someone at Goomble is getting fired.”

“I doubt it,” Luigi sighs, returning the teen’s phone. As an afterthought, he reaches into his pocket and procures a purple business card. He hands it to Dane. “Here, if you want to meet a real fortune telling ghost, I recommend Madame Clairvoya. She’s a bit… eccentric, but she won’t destroy your home or abduct your friends, so… there’s that.”

“I’m sold.” Dane flips the card, inspecting it. “Hey, why is this dry when you’re still all soggy?”

“I get all my business cards charmed by a stationary wizard.”

The teen blinks back at him.

“Yes,” Luigi says eventually, “that is a real thing.”

“Okay… why not get your clothes charmed, too?”

“Have you ever tried washing waterproof clothes?”

“…I see your point.”

A sudden growl startles the two mortals, drawing their attention to its source: the Polterpup. Pepper is staring down the hallway with utmost focus. Luigi follows their gaze. The hairs on the back of his neck rise.

At the end of the hall stands—err, floats—yet another Vitiate. They are a Koopa wearing armor from a time long passed. It reminds him of what the Koopatrol stationed at Bowser’s castle wear, only slightly more elaborate. They don’t appear to be carrying a weapon, but that offers little comfort; there, hovering at the entity’s side, is an old, worn book.

There’s no doubt about it, this must be the armored ghost Dane had told him about. But... where is Gooigi? Didn’t the kid say he was with the ghost when he last saw them?

‘They must not have appreciated Gooigi’s interference when they tried to capture the kid,’ Luigi thinks grimly. He sends a silent prayer to the Stars that his partner parted from the ghost in one piece.

“What’s with your dog?” Dane whispers, shielded from view by the open closet door. “Is there a ghost cat around here or something?”

Luigi shakes his head imperceptibly, not taking his eyes off the looming Vitiate. “We have company,” he quietly replies. “Get back in the closet. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out. Pepper? I want you to go with the kid.”

Dane looks like he’s about to protest, but seems to think better of it and squeezes back into the closet with a final uncertain glance at the plumber. Luigi looks down at Pepper. The Polterpup continues to stare down the hallway, seemingly ignoring him. It isn’t until Dane wordlessly beckons to Pepper that the canine finally moves. Luigi watches them slink away into the closet, bewildered. He shakes his head as he closes the door behind them. He could worry about Pepper’s strange behavior later.

Luigi has barely taken his hand away from the door when he detects movement from the Vitiate. He whirls around, poised to attack or defend, should he need to. Luigi tenses as the dark entity slowly stalks toward him. No... not stalks. The ghost’s movements don’t resemble that of a predator. They are being cautious, Luigi realizes. They are as wary of him as he is of them.

The armored Vitiate halts a few paces away and regards him quietly. Luigi finds himself mirroring their silent scrutiny. It takes him an embarrassingly long moment to register that the Vitiate’s eyes are glowing red instead of white. Now, usually red eyes are indicative of something sinister—something to be wary of—but that’s not necessarily the case when dealing with these types of ghosts. In life, this had been no run-of-the-mill Koopa—they had been a Dark Koopa. Dark species thrive in, well, darkness, and not just literally. Negative energy does not affect them the way it does other species. This carries on into the afterlife, shielding them from potential corruption.

In other words, they aren’t completely nuts. This makes peace-talks considerably more viable.

“R̸ets͢am̡ ̧s’̢melog ͜e͘m̛ilş ͘e̷ht e̢b ͠ts̷um ùoy̵.” 4

Luigi blinks. Or... maybe not.

The Dark Koopa nods to itself. “Yn̵n͠a͠c̸nų ́s̡i͏ ec͜na͢lb̨m͏e͞ser͘ eht͢ …se͡y. E͠ga͘ḿi͏ ͡rúo̸y ni ̢m̢e͡ḩt͘ ̨e̶d̡am ͘y͏l̷r͏a͞èlc ̵o͝uy̴.”

“Uh...” Luigi says intelligently, “What?”

“E͏c͠na̢ra̛ep̀pa͝ ͝ŕuoy ̕d̵n̷o̡y̢e̴b̷ ̕s̵e̸įt̕i̡ral͞imi̢s ͜e͡r͝a͢hs ͟uoy ́ta͟ht ̕ees̸ I...” the ghost sighs. “Evi͞tąr̛e͝p̢oo̢c͜ e̡r͢om ̨èb̛ ̛lļiw͢ ̢uoy epoh̸ ͏y̢lno ̴ņa͡c̢ I.”

When Dane had told Luigi that the armored ghost talked strangely, he had assumed that the entity spoke with an accent or another dialect—perhaps a different language altogether. But this... the ghost sounds like the time he and Mario had played one of their records in reverse to see if there really were secret messages hidden in the lyrics.

And the white knight is talking backwards...

…Backwards!

“That’s it!”

The armored Dark Koopa recoils slightly at his outburst, and Luigi is quick to placate them. “I think I have a way we can communicate. Hold on...” Luigi retrieves his phone and opens an audio recording application as the ghost watches on, perplexed. He holds the phone up, pointing the receiver toward the ghost. “If you speak into this, I can play it back in reverse and then I’ll be able to understand you!”

The Vitiate eyes his phone critically. They look back to Luigi, and even though he can’t see the entity’s face, Luigi gets the feeling they’re annoyed.

“Yr̀asse̢c̢e̴nn̸u ͘y̧l̷e͡r̷i͘tn̶e ̴s͏i͠ s͠ih̷t ͏t͞ub, ͝g͏n͟i͏k͏nih̵t reve͜lc ruo͏y ̛d͟nèmm͢o̸c̨ I̛,” they rumble. The ghost suddenly calls the floating spell book forth and opens it. They turn the open tome to Luigi and emphatically point to one of the passages. “Ka̕ęr̛b l͟l̴i̵w͝ ̵y͟aw ̀s͢ih͘t k̸a͞ep̛s͠ ͡o̢t̕ ̡em͟ ͡gnic̨r̢of ̢xeh̸ eh̶t̶ ͜d̴na͘ ,̀d͞uo͏ļa ͜s͏i͘ht ̸dae̵r͝.”

Luigi nearly trips backwards as the book is abruptly thrust in front of him. He can feel the blood drain from his face as he regards the book like one would a serpent poised to strike.

“Um...” he breathes shakily, “Magical books and I don’t really get along.” Luigi holds out the phone once more. “Look, I’m sure there’s a good reason you want me to perform magic, but I’d rather get a little context before I read from a book that was used to summon dark entities.”

The Vitiate growls angrily, but acquiesces despite their clear displeasure. Luigi breathes a sigh of relief as the spell book is called away from his personal space.

“Lĺe̕w͟ yr̷e̡v,” the ghost huffs. “Er͜u̧tan̷ ̛ỳm fo ͠ytįtne̢ na̕ ̀ni̶ ͏ht͝i̡af d͟ni̶ĺb eca͜lp̴ o̵t hsi̢lo̷of eb dlu̡o͡w ̨t̀i͠ es̴op̢p̡us ̸I̴. E̛t̷sa͟h ek̵a̛m t́ưb̶! ...tn̢emom͠ yn͘a ͜ta ̵rae̢pṕa ͞dl͡u̵o̸c̀ ͜ŗe͞ts͟a͢m ̢y̸m.”

Luigi doesn’t need to understand the Vitiate’s reply to pick up on their sense of urgency. He sets the phone to record audio and holds it up to the dark entity. “Okay, now tell me what spell you’re trying to get me to cast.”

“E͜sre̕ve͝r ͞ni ̴k̕a͞e̴ps ̢o̕t e̡m̕ ͜gn͜ic͢rof xeh͞ ́eḩt̶ ͡k͝a͢èr̨b̀ lliw ̀k̴oob ̨e̕ht͟ ́ņi ͘nóit̷at͝n͏a͢c͞ni ̵eh̕t. E͡ro̸m̀ g̸ni͟ht̕on͟.”

Luigi stops the recording and reverses the playback.

<< [“Nothing more. The incantation in the book will break the hex forcing me to speak in reverse.”] <<

Luigi hums thoughtfully. The two statements seemed to be out of order. Did the speech reversal go by sentence? How would the hex know where a statement begins and ends? Does the speaker have to already know what they’re going to say before they can talk?

Magic is weird. And complicated.

Luigi shrugs to himself. The plumber supposes he should be grateful that the hex’s reversal doesn’t go by word—that would make translation even *more *difficult. The audio still sounds a little off, but he at least can finally understand the ghost’s words. He starts a new recording. “Did you have my partner attempt to break the hex?”

“Kr͡ow t̴’n̢di̴d ti ̨os̸,̴ f͏fo saw̢ ̶n͡oit͞ai̶c̨n̴une͢ ̴şih͢ tu͘b, ͜s̢e̶y —” The Dark Koopa ghost stops suddenly, narrowing their eyes as they regard him. “...me̵l̀o̢g em̧ils ̡r͟uơy t̢em̵ I̵ wonk̵ ̴ųoy did͜ ̵w͘o̴h?”

<< [“How did you know I met your slime golem?”] << a pause << [“Yes, but his enunciation was off, so it didn’t work—”] <<

Luigi frowns marginally. Slime golem? That’s... an interesting way to describe his paranormal partner. “Dane, the kid that summoned you, told me he saw you two together. Speaking of which, where—”

“Hct̷e͟rw ͞t͢a͡ht ot͞ ne͘ko͏p̛s ͘e̡v͡’͟ùo͞y͜?!”

Luigi reels back, startled by the Vitiate’s ferocity. He wordlessly starts a new recording. “I... didn’t quite catch that, but I have a feeling your angry interruption has something to do with Dane?”

The ghost growls lowly. To Luigi’s growing unease, their head turns to the closet door just over his shoulder. “…écn̡e͝ser̸p͡ ̷ym̕ ̵d̢e͏cnuón̸n͘a t́i re͢tfa͡ m̵oo͏r ta͡h͠t͢ otn̛i͠ ͝ret̢s͟kc͝írt̷ ȩh̨t d̵e͘re̛h̨su ̶uo͏y.” The entity’s eyes narrow. “Eh͜ ͜t’͘n͜s͠i ̀,̴ereh̷t͝ ̕ni̸ g̨n͞id͘i͢h̀ ̕s’e̛h? D̨r̷awoç eht͝.”

Before Luigi can think to stop the recording and play it back, the subtle creak of a door hinge captures his attention. He pleads to the Stars that it’s Gooigi or another ghost exiting a nearby room, but his partner can’t open doors and somehow an angry specter seems too merciful in the given moment.

“Uh... Luigi? Did you call my name?” Luigi whips around at the voice, wide-eyed. Dane is peering at him from around the partially open closet door. “’Cuz I heard you say ‘Dane’, like, twice now.”

“Er̕a̷ ̸u̷o̶y ̡er̕ȩht!”

Luigi snaps his focus back to the Dark Koopa in time to see them conjure up an honest-to-stars battle axe. Their piercing red gaze is honed on the Doogan, and they look positively murderous. Luigi, perhaps foolishly, is quick to leap between them.

“Wait!” he shouts, hands raised, “I know you’re angry at the kid for bringing you here, but this isn’t the way to handle it!”

“Nam̕u̵h,̶ g̡nihto̡n ̶w͞onk̸ uoy͟!” The ghost snarls, cutting their hand through the air in a command to move. “Dl͡i̴h͏c ̶ęht́ re̛t̕f͜a ̷to͟n m̴’i̸! Ed͞is͢a p̕ȩt̶s̛, wo͠n̴!”

Too afraid to take his eyes off the furious entity, Luigi forgoes checking the audio and hastily stuffs his phone back into his pocket. Keeping one hand raised, he allows the other to drift back to hover over the Poltergust’s wand. “Hold on,” he pleads, “I’ll read from the spell book like you asked, and we can properly talk this out, okay?”

The ghost turns their gaze back to Dane. For a terrifying moment, it looks like they aren’t going to yield. Then, to Luigi’s relief (and no small amount of dread), the spell book is called forward once more. It opens as it comes to a stop in front of the plumber. A section of one of the pages brightens slightly with an ethereal glow.

“K̵c̕iuq́ eb̶.” Luigi looks up from the old tome. The ghost hasn’t taken their eyes off Dane. “Ŗeg͜no̸l tnemo̡m a̷ tiaw ͟t’́nt́s͜um͘ h͘tur̸t e̡h́t,̀ ͠e̶k̀a͏s̵ r̸ùoy͝ ̷r̡o͞f͢.”

“Luigi! What are you doing?!”

Luigi dares a glance over his shoulder at the trembling, partially hidden teen. “Kid, get back in the closet! Let me handle this.”

“But you can’t seriously be considering using that book, right?!” he cries. “After everything you’ve seen tonight?! That armored jerk is probably trying to trick you into summoning more ghosts!”

“Dane, I know you’re scared but—”

“U͡oy ̴tc͢a͜r̛t̢s̶ìd ͘ot g̛ni̧yr͡t ̛e͠ra’y̡eh̕t; d̨e͡èh͟ ̛on̛ ͢me͢ht̨ ya͘p.”

The armored Dark Koopa gestures urgently at the book. “Ec͝n̕ah͝c̡ a eváh ll̕it̴s̨ e͘w ̧e͏l̢i͞h͞w wǫn͠ ́xe̕h ͠eht̸ ͏k͟aer͢b!”

“I don’t know what that thing just said, but don’t listen to ‘em! What if that spell curses you or something?!”

“E̵t̡ąti͘seh ̴u͡oy od̀ ́y͞h͜w?! G̷n͢il̢l̨ats ͢e͜r̛a ͡y͝e͝h͢t t͘a̶ht͏ ͘e͏e͏s̸ ̕t̷on ͠u̡oỳ na̴c —!”

“Maybe it did something to Gooigi!”

“Ru͠ç ͝u̷o͜y̕,͘ ̀e̡cn̢e̕l̸ìs͡!”

Before Luigi can react, the dark entity hurls their axe over his head with a furious snarl. Dane shrieks as the weapon sails past the door, inches from his face. Another axe quickly forms in the Vitiate’s hand. Luigi doesn’t give the ghost a chance to correct their aim. With practiced motion, the Poltergust’s wand is quickly swiped from its holster, and Luigi takes a familiar stance as the Strobulb charges. The Vitiate registers his movement and looks to Luigi right as the Strobulb flashes.

The ghost reels back with a cry. Ordinarily, this would be the part where Luigi activates the Poltergust’s intake, but... he hesitates. The dark entity shields their eyes and darts backwards, putting distance between them. As they retreat, the Vitiate blindly throws their axe in Dane’s approximate direction. It falls short of its target by a large margin, but the attempt is enough to scare the kid out of hiding.

“See?!” he shouts, scrambling to Luigi’s side, “That creep tried to kill me! I knew we couldn’t trust it!”

A white blur dashes from the closet, cutting off any retort Luigi may have had to Dane’s proclamation. It shoots past him and snatches the spell book, still floating before him, out of the air.

“Pepper?!” Luigi yelps, “What are you—?”

The Polterpup darts back the way he came before Luigi can finish. But instead of returning to the closet, the ghostly canine sprints to another door across the hall and barrels through it.

“Yeah! Pepper’s got the right idea!” Dane cheers, “Let’s split!”

A furious cry pulls both of their attention back to the Vitiate. They watch as a line of spear constructs materialize in front of the Dark Koopa. With a wave of the ghost’s hand, the spears align themselves so that their points are trained on the Doogan. Luigi takes note that the ghost has deigned to lower the visor of their helmet, rendering the Strobulb useless.

“...we’re boned,” Dane squeaks.

The Vitiate reels their hand back and quickly thrusts it forward, the spear constructs following suit. Dane takes off down the hall with a panicked scream, and Luigi quickly leaps between him and the oncoming attack. At the last possible moment, he activates the Burst function of the Poltergust. The constructs are blown away by the powerful gust. Before the Dark Koopa can summon more, Luigi levels a Suction Shot at their visor and fires. It hits its mark, sticking to the face plate and obscuring the ghost’s vision. As the latter struggles to remove the hinderance, Luigi turns to address his charge, only to find that the kid has already fled into the room where Pepper disappeared.

“Stars give me strength,” he mutters.

Fighting the urge to tear his hair out, Luigi quickly dashes through the open door and slams it shut behind him. The room he’s entered appears to be a bedroom, most likely for guests if the lack of personalization is anything to go by. Along the far wall are two large windows that overlook the side yard. Pepper paces beneath them, spell book still firmly clamped in his maw. Dane is standing in the middle of the room, staring at the plumber with wide eyes.

“What do we do now?” the teen asks, voice shaking. “We’re trapped.”

Luigi looks to the windows and back at Dane. “Do those windows open?”

Dane blinks slowly. “Uh... yeah, but—”

Luigi wordlessly passes the kid without waiting for him to finish. He hovers a hand over the glass of the nearest window, checking for traps. Finding none, he quickly flips the latches and, with slight difficulty, lifts the window open along its neglected tracks. There is a ledge below the window wide enough for them to stand on. He doesn’t immediately see an easy way to climb down, but it won’t prove to be a concern. He’ll have Pepper gently lower Dane to safety.

“Wait, you’re not seriously suggesting we climb out the window, are you?!”

“Not we,” he replies briskly, “you. I’m staying behind.”

“Huh?”

“I still have a job to do, and I need to get you somewhere safe,” Luigi nods to the window. “Climb out onto the ledge. You don’t have to worry about finding a way off the roof; Pepper will lower you down.”

“How can they—? Oh. Right. Ghost dog. They can float and stuff.” Dane steps over to the window, glancing back at the plumber. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

“I’ll be fine.” Luigi takes a knee in front of the Polterpup and extends a hand. “Here, Pepper, give me the book and help out the kid, okay?”

Pepper stares blankly at his hand. Then, to Luigi’s growing shock and frustration, the ghostly canine backs up in a clear refusal.

“Pepper, buddy, this isn’t the time for a game of keep-away,” he says, desperately trying to keep a level head. “Please give me the book and—”

A startled yelp from the teen abruptly draws Luigi’s focus away from the Polterpup. He turns and finds that Dane is gone.

“Dane?!” Luigi frantically rushes to the window. Did the kid fall?!

Before he can reach the windowsill, Pepper leaps past him and through the opening, spell book in tow. But, just as the ghostly canine passes over the window’s ledge, a familiar shimmer envelopes them, and they disappear.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Luigi whispers in disbelief. Apparently, the ghosts had been prepared for this. And if there’s a portal attached to *this *window, it’s likely the other windows are enchanted as well.

So much for an easy escape.

The hairs at the back of Luigi’s neck abruptly stand on end. He whirls around and has to bite back a scream when he comes face-to-face with the Dark Koopa Vitiate. Before he can react, the entity seizes him by the straps of his overalls.

“L̸o̸of̡ ͘g̀ni̶n̶aȩm͞-͟ĺle̕w͏ u͘oy̸, dnah ̷s̛’̢r͝e̵t̸s͡a̧m̕ ̡y͡m o͞tni ͞t̡hg̸i̷r gni̸yal̸p̴ ̵e̶r̕’uo̷y!” the Vitiate hisses. “Dnat͡sr̨e͡ḑn̴ư ̡u̵òy͟ eka͏m òt̨ ́e̢va̡h͠ ̶tsuj̷ l̀l’i̵, ne͜t̸s̛i͝l̀ t’̴no͏w͡ ̡uoy f͝i.”

The ghost lunges forward with a snarl, and Luigi feels a sharp chill shoot down his spine as he is pushed out the window. The next thing he knows, he is falling. It’s a very short distance, but Luigi is unprepared for the sudden drop and lands in an awkward heap.

“Luigi! Oh, thank Jaydes! I thought the ghosts found a way to separate us.”

Luigi looks up to find a very relieved Dane hovering over him. The teen smiles and offers Luigi a hand. He blinks dumbly at the appendage before slowly accepting the kid’s help.

“Thanks.” Luigi inspects his surroundings as he’s pulled to his feet. He’s dismayed to find they are back in one of the upstairs hallways. Fortunately, it’s not one occupied by an angry ghost.

But... why didn’t the Vitiate come through the portal as well?

“Well..." Dane says, breaking through Luigi’s stupor, “So much for that window of opportunity, eh?”

Luigi briefly closes his eyes and takes a deep, composing breath. He doesn’t know if that was an intended pun, but he refuses to comment on it either way.

“I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple,” he admits tiredly. “It rarely is.”

“In all fairness, I don’t know how you could have foreseen that our guest bedroom window would dump us out through a painting.”

At Luigi’s quizzical look, the teen points at a spot over his shoulder. He turns and is further exasperated when he spies the painting of the meadow.

“Actually, you’d be surprised how often I deal with painting portals in my line of work.” Luigi tentatively taps the canvas. Like with the staircase, it appears to be a one-way trip.

“Oh.” Dane eyes the painting with furrowed brows. “Do ghosts really like art or something?”

“…or something.” Luigi unconsciously frowns at the meadow painting. “Though I wouldn’t call it art.”

Dane says nothing. Luigi is suddenly uncomfortably aware that he had said that last part out loud. He cringes as he turns to find the teen staring at him. He begins to apologize, afraid that he may have offended them, when Dane cuts him off.

“Do… do ghosts have a thing for doors, too?”

That’s when Luigi realizes that Dane isn’t looking at him, but past him, down the hall. He follows Dane’s line of sight and must do a double take. The walls of the once-familiar hallway are lined to the brim with identical doors. Looking over Dane’s shoulder reveals the same sight.

“Not to this degree,” he answers distantly. “Those weren’t there a moment ago, were they?”

It’s a rhetorical question, but the teen shakes their head, confirming his belief. Luigi tiredly massages his temples. Things were only getting more complicated.

“Apparently the ghosts did not appreciate our escape attempt. They’re going to do all they can to make it difficult to try again.”

“What do we do now?”

“We find my partner.” Luigi looks to the Polterpup. He is quietly relieved to find that during his brief absence, the dog had relinquished their hold on the spell book. “Pepper, can you pick up Gooigi’s scent?”

The spirit canine lowers their snout to the ground and paces up and down the hall. They return to Luigi, whining dejectedly.

“Looks like we’re doing this the hard way,” Luigi sighs. “We’re going to have to check all the rooms.”

Dane looks at the plumber with wide eyes. “You mean we have to go through every single door?”

“Fortunately, no—most of them are fakes—but it’s still going to be pretty tedious.”

“Yeesh, no kidding.” Dane strides across the hall. “It would probably go faster if we each took a wall. How about I get this side of the hall and you get the other?”

“Ah... I don’t think that’s wise. There’s no telling what spells may have been placed on these doors. You could get hurt.”

The Doogan waves a hand dismissively as he approaches one of the doors. “I’m just gonna take a peek, is all. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Dane grabs the brass knob before he can respond. Luigi lunges, hand out-stretched in warning.

“Wait! That one is a—!"

The door swings open upon contact, slamming the teen harshly against the wall and pinning them in place. Pepper rushes over and begins futilely scratching at the paranormal trap. Dane’s muffled screams shock the plumber into action. He hastily retrieves the Poltergust’s wand, aims the nozzle at the door’s center, and activates the Suction Shot. Luigi yanks on the rope with one sharp tug, pulling the door off its hinges and shattering it into pieces. Dane collapses to the ground with a miserable groan. He blearily peers up at Luigi.

“I walked right into that one, didn’t I?" he wheezes.

Luigi grimaces, offering the Doogan a hand up. “I find it’s best not to say things that can tempt fate."

Dane stands with Luigi’s help, eyeing the plumber curiously. “How did you know that door was a trap?”

“It’s... kind of a six sense I have.” 5 Luigi shrugs. “Look, I appreciate that you want to help, but in this case, it’s best if I’m the only one checking doors.”

Dane cringes, watching as the remains of the trap fade out of existence. “Hard lesson learned.”

“And,” Luigi continues, a tad sharply, “when I tell you to do something—or not to do something—I need you to listen. Do you understand?”

The Doogan straightens from their slouch, nodding at Luigi with wide eyes. “Oh. Yeah, no problem.”

“I’m serious,” he says firmly. “Your actions back there escalated a situation that may have been resolved peacefully had you stayed hidden like I told you.”

Dane shrinks in on himself at the plumber’s tone. “’m sorry...” he says, contrite.

Luigi sighs quietly. “Okay then.” He walks over to where Pepper had left the spell book and scoops it up. An alarmingly powerful urge to open the book washes over him. Luigi stares down at the cover, startled. Is this the book’s influence? Does everyone who touches it feel this way?

Maybe letting Pepper keep it isn’t such a bad idea...

“Hey, uh... I can carry that for you, if you want.”

Luigi tears his gaze away from the book and looks back at the kid. He hopes he doesn’t look as unnerved as he feels. “What?”

“You know, so you can have your hands free,” Dane mimes a boxer’s stance, “for beating up ghosts and stuff.”

A fistfight with a ghost would go rather poorly, Luigi thinks, but the teen has a point. He can’t sufficiently defend anyone with a book tucked under his arm. Still, the notion of handing over the spell book fills him with dread and an anger that doesn’t feel like his own. “Okay,” he says, “But you must promise me not to open the book unless I tell you too, understand?”

“Yes sir!” Dane offers a mock salute. “I read you loud and clear.”

Somehow this doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but Luigi relents. Every fiber of his being is screaming at him to keep the book, to open it—!

“Here.”

Dane accepts the tome with a nod and tucks it under an arm. Something desperately urges Luigi to take it back, but he quashes the command with placation. ‘It’s only temporary,’ he tells himself.

“You okay, man?”

Luigi gives himself a quick shake. Focus! “I’m fine,” he says, convincing no one. “Just... do you feel anything while holding that book?”

Dane frowns. He gives the old tome a thoughtful look. “Buyer’s remorse, mostly. Why, do you get weird vibes from it?”

Luigi mirrors his frown. “...among other things,” he says.

“Cryptic.”

Luigi shakes his head. “Never mind.” He quickly takes up the Poltergust’s wand and approaches the next door. “Let’s get started."

______________________________

Luigi: "The ghosts manifested these trap doors to make it more difficult to escape. They must be very cunning."

The ghosts: "Hey, you know what would be really funny—"

And so begins the second story shenanigans. I'm not super thrilled with how this chapter turned out, but it's also been rewritten to death, so I might just be tired of looking at the damn thing. Next chapter will be more fun (Gooigi's coming back y'all!).

Anyway, the final kid wasn't supposed to have as big of a roll as he ended up having, but my muse had other ideas. Please bear with me if you find him tiresome; things will start to (hopefully) make sense soon enough. ^^'

--

It's a surprise tool that will (not) help us later. ↩︎

When I first wrote this, I was going to have Luigi correct Dane by telling him that iron is a deterrent for faes, not ghosts, but when I was looking up different folklores for reference, I learned otherwise. Apparently, that's why a lot of older cemeteries are surrounded by iron wrought fences—it's to keep the ghosts contained. The more you know~  ↩︎

All the ghosts in this story are of established Mario-verse species/races. I'm clarifying this, because I want people to know it's possible to figure out the identities of the ghosts that have only been described so far. I've looked at this chapter so much at this point I honestly can't tell if I've made it too obvious or too vague... ↩︎

And now you know what the chapter summary was alluding to. I am. SO sorry for this. ^^' Fortunately, all key dialogue will be translated within the story. The rest is up to you. It's possible to read backwards, but if that's too tedious, you can paste the dialogue in the top text box here and it will reverse it for you. ↩︎

I always thought it was a neat detail that Luigi will look at trap doors as he passes them in the first Luigi's Mansion. Meta explanation: a subtle game mechanic that allows new players to sus out trap doors without having to constantly check the map. In-universe explanation: Luigi has an inner BS-ometer that is tuned specifically to doors. ↩︎

[yaoipigglet]

I did I thing.

Inspired by certain someone who did this art work.

Please go follow them!!!

A young beautiful man wearing a soft green dress walked through a large mushroom forest. The sun shining in his crystal blue eyes, his sweet chocolate brown hair, tied back under his head scarf. His ghost dog floating next to him.

‘Little town, it's a quiet village

Every day like the one before

Little town, full of little Toadies.

Waking up to say-”

“Bonjour!”

“Good Morning!”

“Hiya!”

“Hello!”

“Yo!”

Luigi laughed as he walked through the town.

‘There goes the baker with his tray like always

The same old bread and rolls to sell

Every morning just the same

Since the morning that we both came

To this poor, provincial town’

An old looking toad sat on his porch and waved as the young man passed.

“Good Morning, Luigi”

Good morning, Señor Jean!”

“Where are you off to?” He laughed, tapping his cane on the floor.

“To return this book to Père Robert?

It's about two lovers in fair Verona” Luigi swooned, spinning on his toes. A look of happiness on his face.

“Sounds boring,” the old man laughed, sipping his tea.

‘Look there, he goes, that boy is strange, no question!’ Other toads gossiped.

‘Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?’

‘Never part of any crowd’

'Cause his head's up on some cloud!’

‘No denying he’s a funny boy, that Luigi!’

“Bonjour!”

“Good day! How is your family?”

“Bonjour! Good day! How is your wife?”

“I need six eggs!”

“That's too expensive!”

‘There must be more than this provincial life!’ Luigi sighed as walked into a building.

Walking into a small library, Luigi called out to a light green toad, putting books away on a shelf.

“Good Morning Señor Père!”

“Ah, if it isn't the only other bookworm in town!” The old one laughed, fixing his glasses.

“So, where did you run off to this week?”

“Two cities in Northern Italy

I didn't want to come back!” Luigi giggled.

“Have you got any new places to go?”

“I'm afraid not,” he sighed sadly.

“But you may re-read any of the old ones that you'd like!”

“Your library makes our small corner of the world feel so much bigger.” he smiled kindly, squeezing the old toad’s hand.

“Bon voyage!” Père smiled back as he walked off.

‘Look there he goes, the boy is so peculiar!’

‘I wonder if he's feeling well!’ Others spoke as he passed.

‘With a dreamy, far-off look

And his nose is stuck in a book!’

‘What a puzzle to the rest of us is Luigi.’

Luigi sat down on a bench, his dog sitting in the air beside him.

‘Oh, isn't this amazing?

It's my favourite part because you'll see

Here's where she meets Prince Charming

But she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three!!’

Polterpup barked happily back at his owner.

‘Now it's no wonder that he’s called a 'Beauty!

His looks have got no parallel’ a few female toads laughed.

‘But behind that fair facade

I'm afraid he's rather odd!’ Another smirked.

‘Very different from the rest of us!

He's nothing like the rest of us!’

‘Yes, Luigi is different from the rest of us!.’

Meanwhile, somewhere in a large ghostly castle, a tall male ghost stared at our hero through a crystal ball. He wore an old white suit and large purple jewelled crown.

“Look at him, LeFou, my future husband!

Luigi is the most beautiful man in that village!

That makes him the best!”

“But he's so clumsy and timid, while you're so athletically inclined!” His smaller minion gulped, looking at the same man as his master.

“Yes, but ever since the war against that stupid reptile!;

I've felt like I've been missing something

And he's the only man that gives me that sense of-”

“Mmm, je ne sais quoi?” The minion smiled.

The ghost glared at his servant angrily.

“I don't know what that means!”

They look back to the ball.

‘Right from the moment when I met him, saw him

I said he's gorgeous and I fell!

There in town, there's only he,

Who is as beautiful as me!;

So I'm making plans to woo and marry Luigi!

‘Look there he goes

Isn't he dreamy?

Master Boo!’ Cried some Victorian ghost women hiding behind the door.

‘Oh, he's so cute!

Be still, my dead heart!

I'm hardly breathing

He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!’

Back in town, Luigi walked past everyone, buying food for him and his brother.

“Bonjour”

“Pardon”

“Good day”

“Mais oui”

“You call this bacon?!”

“What lovely flowers!”

“Some cheese”

“Ten yards”

“One pound!”

“Excuse me”

“I'll get the knife”

“Please let me through”

“This bread”

“Those fish”

“It's stale”

“They smell”

“Madame's mistaken”

“Well, maybe so!”

‘There must be more than this provincial life!’ Luigi sighed to himself as he walked back home through the forest, his dog at his feet.

‘Just watch, I'm going to make Luigi my bride!’ King Boo laughed.

‘Look there he goes

That boy is strange but special

A most peculiar young man!

It's a pity and a sin

he doesn't quite fit in

'Cause he really is a funny boy

A beauty but a funny boy

He really is a funny boy

That Luigi!’

@angelxd-3303

[mefiman]

I had this crossover idea for quite some time and I figured it could be be shared here as another Bowuigi idea.

The 7D x Super Mario Bros

For those of you who are not familiar with the 7D, here's the wiki about the show:

It's my favorite show packed with comedy, great singing and wholesome moments!

Anyways, here's the crossover story!

So, it starts with Queen Delightful having her royal stroll around her kingdom with her assistant, Lord Starchbottom and her beloved pet dog, Sir Yipsalot.

When they were passing through the woods, Sir Yipsalot gave chase to a squirrel, causing the queen to worry. The royal pet collided with a friendly ghost dog roaming and soon, both became best friends. The queen and her assistant soon caught up to the two pooches.

"Oh, I'm a-sorry but is he your dog?" The queen looked up from hugging her pet poodle and immediately fell head over heels the moment she saw a tall, handsome, sapphire eyed, brunette mustached man dressed casually yet regal in green.

"A-Ah yes! And may I know who are you, good sir?" She hastily stood up, helped by her assistant, Starchbottom.

"My name is a-Luigi, madam." The man bowed respectfully, kissing the back of her outstretched hand like a chivalrous gentleman.

"Madam? Sir, you're speaking to Queen Delightful, queen of Jollywood!" Lord Starchbottom informed.

"Ah! My apologies, Your Majesty!" Luigi bowed again. They both chatted for about a while before Luigi decided to resume walking his ghost pet, Polterpup. By then, the queen was absolutely besotted with the green clad stranger. He was everything she wanted in her ideal partner: besides being tall and handsome, he was gentle, patient, intelligent, and mature.

The minute she returned to her castle, Queen Delightful went straight to asking her magic mirror about Luigi. The mirror told her about who he was: one of the Mario brothers who were heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom. When the queen enquired about whether the man was single, the mirror was hesitant to directly answer.

"Well... He's married. To King Bowser of the Koopa Kingdom."

The Queen felt her entire inside self drop already at the revelation that her love-at-first-sight was not a bachelor but added with the fact that he was wed to one of the most terrifying monsters ever known throughout the lands?! As Delightful went through her siren tizzy, she recalled stories and rumours she heard about the infamous monster king who abducted Queen Peach (back then, both she and her were princesses). Two heroes constantly thwarted the Koopa King and rescued the princess. The heroes were the Mario Brothers.

Queen Delightful came to the conclusion that the King must be fed up with constantly failing to marry the princess and resorting to snatching Mario's brother to spite the shorter hero. With that, the Queen left in haste, not hearing the Mirror trying to call her back. Delightful summoned the 7D and together, they journeyed to the Darklands to rescue Luigi from the forced union.

Upon arrival, Queen Delightful and the 7D crashed Bowser's castle and stormed inside to the throne room, only to find that Luigi is not unharmed but he is in fact, the kind and compassionate Queen/King Consort over the Darklands. He and King Bowser were and are still blissfully married after a long, secret relationship and with Queen Peach and King Consort Mario's blessings. (It took quite long for the latter to approve Bowser as his younger brother's husband, it was understandable considering their history.)

Delightful and the 7 dwarfs were very, very dumbfounded that the slender, timid and shy brother of the famous red plumber-turned-king, married the huge, hulking, terrifying blood eyed and haired turtle dragon monarch and that he was a monsterfucker.

Luigi apologized to Delightful for not telling her that he was already married. He and his husband thought all the kingdoms were well informed about their union. Turns out that Jollywood was not one of the most known kingdoms and the Darklands' fearful reputation still lingered even after the peace signed by other kingdoms and the Darklands. This sometimes causes problems like what happened just now to happen. Queen Delightful apologized for assuming the worst and jumping to conclusions.

The Queen was sad that she lost her chance to have her love-at-first-sight but nonetheless, she was glad to see he was happy with his marriage and loved dearly by his spouse. And Queen/King Consort Luigi noticed one of the 7D, a certain shy, green clad dwarf gazing longingly at Delightful. He smiled fondly, having a feeling that Delightful may still have a chance of finding someone sooner than later... ;)

And that's that! What do you guys think?

The 7D, Super Mario Bros and their characters belong to their respective creators. I own nothing except this idea.

Edit: I edited Luigi's lines a bit by his well known Italian accent. I have no grasp of Italian so please don't be offended. 🙏

[flickynightdarkness]

Waves 19-21 Of My Comfort Characters List

Waves 1–18

Snufkin (Moomin)

Eric Duckman (Duckman)

Fake Peppino, Noise (Pizza Tower)

Toad (Mario)

Polterpup (Luigi's Mansion)

Luz Noceda, Willow Park (Owl House)

Shota Aizawa, Ochaco Uraraka, Ordinary Woman, Kota Izumi, Hawks, Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi (My Hero Academia)

Lila (Spooky Month)

Clowny (PIGGY)

Cinccino, Pikachu (Pokémon)

Scarecrow (Nolanverse)

Genie (Aladdin)

Shannon, Darrell, Fink (OK K.O)

Devil (Cuphead Show)

Pom Pom, Selever (FNF)

Medic (Team Fortress 2)

Fifi (Fifi and the Flowertots)

Groot, Rocket Raccoon (Marvel)

Plankton (SpongeBob)

Cindy Lou Who (The Grinch(2017)

Dory (Finding Nemo)

Donutella

Millie (Helluva Boss)

Marc martinez the su#cide mouse fan (YouTuber)

Monomi/Usami (Danganronpa)

Zenitsu (Demon Slayer)

Felix the Fish (Andy's Apple Farm)

Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro)

[mwolf0epsilon]

Eps's Advent Crimbo: Days 1-5

In honor of @british-hero 's "homemade" Advent Calendar finally arriving, I shall share with you the bounty of days 1-5!

Starting with technical difficulties caused by Rogue's obsession with taping everything to hell.

Aw nuts...

Lots of goodies in here, and 3 of them are not packaged but I shall practice self restraint and leave them to days 23, 24 and 25.

Now, onto the 5 mini parcels!

An assortment of cute little fellas!

A Dark Goultard minifig from the Dofus/Wakfu franchise (I honestly forgot Rogue got me this ages ago).

A glow-in-the-dark Polterpup keychain (which brings me a step closer to weaponizing my house keys >:3c).

A very cute mimikyu figurine (the knitting needles are such a neat detail!).

A Bodhi Rook Lego Minifig (he's adorable!).

A GCBC Lego Minifig (The alt face is Good Cop and not Scribble Cop).

[nintendouniverse2023]

My OC Mara Mario

Bio: Mara was born in Brooklyn and 8 years younger than Mario and Luigi. She grown to like the Mario Bros as they spend time with each other all the time, felling like they’re were never apart, they played soccer, baseball, Go Karting, Golfing, Medieval Times Pretend and Watching Disney Movies *Espalley Princess Movies*. By the time Mario Bros becomes adulthood, They still keep in touch into this day not long after Mario give her his bandanna. 6 years later, news report that Mario and Luigi was declared deceased as the bodies were never found. This leaves her devastated and confused just who. She dedicate her life in order to find her brothers even if it takes that everyone to hold her back.

3 years later, Her relatives and friends kept telling her to just give up and move on as they worried her insanity was getting worse for her. She still refuses to give up. The last time the brothers were seen is in the same place the brothers disappeared at the Wipe House as it was shut down as it clams to be curse. Mara goes to investigate the pipes only to get sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom. When Mara got their and saw the Toads, she attacks them as they interrogates what they have done to her brothers. Only to be confronted by the hero, after stopping and recognizing only to reval her brother “Mario” They was so emotional for seeing each other again Along with Luigi.

After that, She and the brothers had a lot of catching up to do as she moves into the Mushroom Kingdom and gotten into College. They introduced to their girl friends which is Mara’s favorite from Disney Themed or Medieval Times “Princess Peach” and “Princess Daisy“ as they told her about their adventures and spend time. Her cousins even also made it, She is not happy to meet “Wario” but is for “Waluigi“. She was later discovered and captured by King of Koopas, Leader of the Koopa Empire and Darklands “Bowser”. Who founds away to get his revenge on Mario before his next move. She was later had someone help her escape. Peach agrees to train her like she did too Mario. Overtime before Mario Bros and Mara had to face Bowser and his army again, Mara meet other characters and allies and villIan’s that lead to the only point that she has so much to learn.

Full Name: Mara Mario

Age:19

Personality: Determine, Funny, Tuff, Silly, Cheerful, Curious

Status: Single, Having a crush.

Resident: Brooklyn New York (formerly) Mushroom Kingdom

Likes: Spending Time with The Bros and Princes‘s, The Kong Clan, Luma’s, Toads, Yoshi’s, Sports, Racing, Disney Princess Movies, Adventure and being inspired.

Dislikes: Being Scared, Koopa Empire, Kremling Empire, Watching her friends getting Hurt, Wario and Cranky’s additued and Won’t be able to see Mario and Luigi again.

Favorite Food: Pasta with meat sauce, Ramen Noodles, Chicken Breast Sandwich and Biscuit’s.

Favorite Animal:Cats, Apes and Monkeys *Favorite Tiny Kong*

Favorite Power Ups: Squirrel Suits and Boomerang Flower.

Family: Jump Man/Mario Mario Sr (Father), Pauline (Mother), Mario Mario Jr and Luigi Mario (Twin older brothers), Wario and Waluigi (Older Cousins)

Allies/Friends

My OC Amatory the Mushroom Kingdom Guard My OC Gill Koopa  Mario Luigi Princess Peach Princess Daisy Toad Toadeete Yoshi Waluigi Starlow Rosalina Donkey Kong  Diddy Kong Dixie Kong Cranky Kong Funky Kong Candy Kong Tiny Kong Lanky Kong Chunky Kong Kiddy Kong Swanky Kong My OC Roxanne Kong My OC Loxie Kong  My OC Goldie Kong  My OC Mama Kong Professor Egadd Mona PolterPup Krunch Kremling

Frienimeies

Wario Captain Syrup Bluster Kong Some Goombas and Koopas Kalypso Kremling Pom Pom Lakatus Wiggler

Enemies

Bowser Kamek Bowser Jr Roy Koopa Morton Koopa Jr Ludwig Von Koopa Iggy Koopa Larry Koopa Wendy O Koopa Lemmy Koopa Boom Boom Eliot Trio Nabbit Fawful King Boo Ghost and Boos Dry Bones Petty Piranha Clown Koopa from Mario 3D World My OC Edward John Koopa Sumo Koopa King K Rool My OC King K Rool the Second My OC Queen Sofia Rool Krusha Klump Kudgel Kritters Klaptraps Pirates Bad Goombas and Koopas Evil Robots

Thanks for Reading and No Criticism Comments

[itsmepage]

Her Hero

Luich || This idea has always been the back of my mind after playing Luigi Mansion and honestly Luigi deserves it p.s I apologize for this being so short 

Summary: Peach bakes a cake for Luigi after returning home from the haunted Mansion

Fluff

Warnings: Talk of loss of sleep, implied kidnapping, dog licking/barking & kissing

_✍︎︎

It was sunset when they returned home, and poor sweet Luigi was still so exhausted when they returned to the kingdom so Peach ordered to let the two boys in the castle for the night. Luigi practically dived to the bed in the guest room, quickly falling asleep when Peach, Mario, and the Toads gathered all their- and by ‘their’ it’s Peach’s stuff- settled in. It was completely nightfall, and everyone was asleep from the haunting day and Peach was still awake; in her pink matching pajamas, in the kitchen stirring up a small cake, the bright lights and a nap from earlier, keeping her awake.

Baking for others has always been Peach’s favorite way to show her appreciation for others; that’s just her love language in general, gift-giving. Sometimes she can’t put her love into words, so she pours her heart out though actions like gift-making. Luigi deserved it after all. Oh, Peach couldn’t control her smile when placed a cherry on top of the pastry, Peach had adored Luigi for quite some time, she loved how shy and scared he was at basically anything and yet, despite this, Luigi had always powered through it: going on adventurous despite his worry, meeting new people, and fighting against his biggest fear to save his loved ones, like a true hero. Her hero. In other words, she admired his bravery and just like all her other heroes, Peach had to show her gratitude, with a kiss and a cake. Even though her hero was currently resting. She grabbed the plate and made her way to the guest room where Luigi was whisked away in dreamland. She gently opened the door, careful not to make any noise awning at the sight of Luigi cuddled up in the blanket with Polterpup glowing in his arms. Peach, watching her steps, went next to the nightstand with the lightened lamp. Gently placing the plate- not too close to the edge or too close to the lamp- with prep coverage and a fork when he wakes up. She slipped a note from her pocket in the nightgown folding it on the plate away from the cake. As Peach tiptoed, her way back to the door stopping her movements when she heard a sound from Luigi, well it wasn’t him, he was still snoring but Polterpup was awake and barked in excitement seeing Peach, she shushed as quietly as she could but nevertheless he ran up to her for pets and of course, she sighed, knowing she had to give it to him but at the expense of Luigi’s well-earned rest. Also he was a great dog and deserved all the loving. 

“Princess..?” Luigi yawned rubbing his eyes as Polterpup went back to him after hearing the sound of voice. “Is that-a you?” He said, accepting Polter’s kisses. Poor thing, Peach could still see the sleepiness in his eyes, he was still in his every day overalls, now unkept and mess as the pants were lose. His green hat was on the bed next to him and his brown hair was a mess. “Oh yes!” Peach answered back in a whisper. “But you can go back to sleep, I was just giving you a gift.” She shyly admitted. Luigi looked around the room, his half closed eyes going wide when he saw the small cake for him. Peach’s smile brightened when she saw blush creep up to his cheeks in the dark atmosphere while Luigi took the cake in his lap pushing Polter away for the time being. “T-thank you..” he said shyly taking the time to eat it, even though he might prefer to go back to sleep, eat it another time he didn’t have the heart to. Peach probably worked hard on this for him and probably lost sleep because of it! He’ll be damned if he didn’t eat it on the spot! Peach decided to sit with him bringing Polter to her lap so he could enjoy his treat.

The two talked for a while, when after Luigi was done with the cake. Mentioning the events of the mansion and what Luigi went through while Peach, Mario, and the Toads were trapped in paintings, laughter sounded throughout the room as the two talked the night away, ending off with a confession, a kiss and a cake.

[s-creations]

Hues Chapter 3: Mush-Fever

Mario forgets. Just because they're in a new place…doesn't mean old problems disappear.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario & Luigi (Nintendo), Wario & Mario (Nintendo), Waluigi & Mario (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo) Additional Tags: Mario needs help, Luigi's not feeling great, Wario and Waluigi are not overly great with the whole 'comforting' thing.

‘Top story this morning: we’ve officially entered into Mush-Fever season. A few reports are already coming in of Toad’s being checked in. Medical professionals are warning that this season’s gonna be a rough one. It’s advised that you keep an eye out for early symptoms and call your doctor immediately if you suspect someone’s sick. 

Early symptoms are: 

High Fever

Extreme Fatigue/Constantly Sleeping

Loss of Appetite

If someone starts sprouting abnormal growths, call it in immediately. Better to be safe than sorry.’

Mario let out a wide yawn as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing. Barely taking in the news report that was on the television. Really just wanting background noise while he tried to wake up. 

Normally, Luigi would be up and about before Mario. But everyone was still recovering from King Boo’s attack a few weeks prior. And if everyone else was still shaken just dealing with the Ecto-Ghosts, Mario couldn’t even begin to imagine how Luigi felt. 

So, if Luigi wanted to lie in bed, Mario was going to let his little brother sleep for as long as he needed. Left to battle through his morning slog alone

Mario perked up when the coffee announced it was finished. Pouring the wonderful caffeine into a red mug, topping it off with milk and sugar before shuffling into the living room. Nursing his drink as he watched the screen flash before him. Still not really taking in the information that was being presented.

A familiar chill fell over Mario. Giving him ample warning before Polterpup phased through the ceiling. Who let out a small whine as they sat next to Mario. 

“Hey doggie, you sleep well last night? …Do ghosts sleep?” Mario frowned softly in thought as Polterpup nudged his arm, whining again, “What’s up pup?”

The special pup jumped from the couch. Turning back to the human, letting out a bark before pointing towards the stairs. Still confused but realizing that something was wrong, Mario was up. 

“Alright, what’s going on?” Mario’s eyes followed Polterpup as they floated up the stairs. Soon close behind, finding said pup now sitting outside of Luigi’s room. Polterpup nervously tapped the ground as Mario walked closer. The hero gently knocked on said door.

“Hey, Luigi, you doing okay? Polterpup came down to get me and they seemed really upset about something. …Luigi? …I hope you’re decent, cuz I’m coming in.”

“Oh, hey, you’re still asleep? You’re sleeping the day away! Come on, how about we get started, yeah? …Luigi? You need to get up.”

“Lu?”

“Weegee?”

Even with the mask that was covering the lower half of his face, it was clear that Luigi was in pain. Skin pale, breathing harsh and shallow, eyes screwed up in pain, hand clutching desperately to the sheet covering him. Numerous Toads, masks tied around their heads to cover their mouths, were rushing around. Not just focusing on Luigi, but also the other patients resting in the beds. Occasionally, a Toad would pluck off a few green mushrooms from Luigi’s skin. The human wincing every time his skin was pulled.

Mario could only watch from the wide window. Stuck in the hallway as his eyes remained on his brother’s tense form. Hand pressed against the cold glass, feeling as if he was about to break. 

He couldn’t do this again.

Not again.

“He’ll be okay,” Peach kept her voice even, knowing how hard this was for Mario. A small smile on her face in an attempt to offer comfort. “Luigi has the best people looking after him. This is a common illness, it happens every year. There’s nothing to worry about.”

The last sentence caused more damage than help. Mario reached up to pull his cap down over his eyes. The hand pressed against the window turning into a fist. 

“Mario-”

“Common doesn’t mean non-deadly,” Mario choked out. 

“Luigi will be fine.”

“You can’t promise that. Not…Not with how he is…”

Peach bit her lip, “Why don’t we go and-”

“I can’t leave him.”

“...You can’t do anything here, this isn’t helping you or Luigi.”

“Don’t!” Mario pulled away, eyes blazing, “Don’t…say that. You don’t understand, you can’t understand… Just leave me alone.”

He marched over to the bench located on the opposite side of the hallway. Eyes going back to the window, even if he couldn’t see Luigi anymore. Remaining tight as he stared the pane of glass down. Peach remained frozen for a few moments before nodding. 

“Very well… If you need anything, I believe it would be best for you to find a Toad. They’ll be able to help you find what you need.” And with that, she turned. The clicks of her heels soon gave way to silence, leaving Mario to these thoughts.. 

As the silence settled in, so did Mario’s realization as to what he’d done. He let out a low curse before throwing his hat onto the ground in frustration. Digging his fingers into his hair. Vision blurring. Hoping the external pain would drown out the internal pain. 

It didn’t.

Letting out a heavy puff of breath, Mario sat back up. Leaning against the wall while furiously rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. Sitting as such before picking his hat back up, shoved it back onto his head. Uncaring that it now lay lopsided on his head.

Eyes flickering back onto the window, his heart sank further. Knowing Luigi lay just on the other side. Out of reach for him to help.

The disgusting feeling in his stomach seemed to grow. 

“Excuse me.”

A green-capped Toad jumped hearing the new voice. Peering up to see the Kingdom’s hero. Who looked a little worse for wear. “Oh, hello Mario! What can I help you with?”

“I don’t suppose you have a phone I could borrow?”

_____________________________

Wario and Waluigi barely gave notice to the passing glances sent their way as they power walked down the castle halls. Fully focused on their goal. Practically skidding to a halt upon their last turn. They cautiously peered around the corner to find Mario sitting on the bench. Staring at the ground, hat in his hand, looking wilted.

“Don’t say anything stupid,” Wario whispered to his brother. 

“You’re one to talk.”

“You threw him into the lake last time he was like this.”

“He deserved it.”

“Just…don’t, okay.”

“Whatever.”

Neutral ground decided upon, they slowly walked forward. Mario barely flinched as Wario claimed a seat next to him. Waluigi deciding to stand by the window instead, looking into the medical wing. His frown seemed to deepen upon finding the state Luigi was in. 

“You rang?” Wario teased with a smirk. Only to falter when Mario didn’t respond. “...Hey, Luigi’s tough, he’ll be fine.”

“People get this illness every year. It’s more annoying than anything,” Waluigi added, “Greenie will be sleepy for a while after this. But otherwise, he’ll be fine.”

“Weegee’s not like other people…” Mario mumbled weakly. 

The older two exchanged glances. Wario replied with, “How about we go stretch our legs, yeah? Get some fresh air. I don’t think sitting in a dingy hallway is doing you much good.”

“Get away from here for a while.” said Waluigi.

Mario wasn’t given a chance to argue back. Wario already wrapping his arm around the younger’s shoulder and leading him away. The view to the medical window blocked by Waluigi. Who gave a ‘Don’t even try it’ look when the hero turned back. Mario frowned but didn’t say anything, merely faced forward again. 

The hero winced as he was brought out into the sunlight. Hating how bright the world was compared to his dark mood.

“You’re not taking me back to the lake, are you?” Mario mumbled out.

“No…but that does beg the question of what we are going to do.” Wario answered.

Waluigi let out a heavy sigh as he took the lead. “Thank Grambi one of us has a brain.”

“Hey now-”

“Don’t even argue with me. You know I’m right.”

“Yeah, maybe. But you don’t have to be rude about it.”

“Yes I do. It’s part of my charming personality.”

“You call that charm?”

“Far better than what your skills are.”

Mario couldn’t hold back a smile as he listened to them argue. Or, he supposed, their version of brotherly banter. 

Entering the town proper, the group of three strolled through the main shopping district. Wario mainly focused on the number of food stalls, which didn’t seem to bother Waluigi all that much. Mario quietly noted that a few were pieces that he’d tried and liked before while others were very new to his rather limited palette.  

It was hard to tell what was safe for a human to eat. But there hadn’t been any scares yet.

Wario and Waluigi were eventually carrying a number of bags in each arm.. Mario was still confused as to what they were planning. But listened with interest as the brother’s conversations turned from food selection to childhood stories as each choice seemed to bring up a new memory.

Where they’d gone to school and subsequently expelled from. Where their first business was. Both legal and ‘entrepreneurial’ related. Where they would meet up with Peach when the princess would sneak out from the castle for a break.

One of those places was a familiar one. Mario mentally commented that it was the same tree they’d taken Peach to on their first outing as a full group. He watched from the truck of said tree as the other two set up their small buffet. The hero feeling a small flicker of warmth enter his chest.

“...Is this a date?” Mario smirked at his question. 

Waluigi let out a snort while Wario rolled his eyes. The oldest walked over to Mario to ruffle the hero’s hair. “As if you could afford us. Come on, you got some new things to try.”

Even with the worry weighing heavily in his stomach, Mario felt himself begin to relax. Starting to laugh more at the brother’s jokes and antics. Absolutely thrilled by the new things he was trying. Happy to have a moment when his mind wasn’t focused on the stress.

The afternoon cooled out to a calm evening. Mario and Wario leaning against the tree as they watched Waluigi, who had been pulled into a game by a group of younger Toads. All clearly enamored by the long legged creature that just towered over them and who could casually kick the ball around. It was a few minutes into their next round when Wario broke the quiet.

“So, how are you feeling?”

The uncomfortable feeling settled back into Mario’s stomach. But it wasn’t as heavy as it had been just that morning.

He shifted to pull his knees to his chest, arms crossed over them. Pausing to really think about the question and answer with, “...Better, I guess.”

“Yeah? Listen, I know this is all still new and a little…scary. You two are finding something new thrown at your feet practically every day. Even your days off don’t feel that fulfilling. But we were saying those things to make you feel better. Luigi will be fine.”

The hero let out a low hum in acknowledgement. 

Wario frowned softly. “Do you believe me?”

“I mean…” Mario let out a heavy sigh, “I get it. We’re in a place that’s aware of what the problem is and how to help because they’ve seen it before. It’s common.”

“...But.”

“But no one’s been there when Luigi was fighting for his life. I told you before…Luigi was really sick when we were younger.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Wario nodded slowly, “Bad immune system, right?”

“Yeah, bad enough to…to almost die a few times.”

“Wait, what? You said he was cared for and got better, what do you mean he almost died?”

“I said he got better, but he was always teetering on the edge,” Mario sighed softly, “There were a lot of scares growing up. I had my fill of watching Luigi through glass when we were back on Earth. You can say that this Mush-Fever is common, that everyone gets it. But Luigi’s been taken down by the cold too many times to make anything ‘common’ seem safe.”

“A cold?”

“Um…I’m not really sure how to say this… It’s just Earth’s common illness. That doesn’t mean Luigi could fight it off like anyone else.”

“But…he’s doing better now?” Wario asked slowly.

“I mean, yeah…”

“I have a feeling you’re not telling me the whole story.”

Mario frowned softly. “Our parents were really worried about Luigi growing up. Even after the doctors told them Luigi would be fine. It was just a scary start, nothing to worry about. Except every time he was sick, he found himself in the hospital. Going outside was a gamble. I felt that…if I wasn’t careful, something small could kill him.”

“I made a promise when I was younger that I would keep Luigi safe, no matter what. That I would never, ever, see him again behind a window. I thought…I thought I was doing fine and then…”

Breathing shaky, Mario rubbed his eyes furiously, attempting to hide his tears. But Wario saw right through it. Wrapping an arm around the other tightly so Mario could lean against him. 

“Just let it out, you’re okay,” Wario mumbled, “You’re okay.” 

Despite Wario’s words, Mario pulled himself together quickly. Sniffing softly as he pulled away. “I can’t let anything happen to him. I’ll do anything to keep him alive…even if I can’t be.”

“You’re not serious…” Wario whispered, swallowing weakly, insides turning to ice.

“If it means Luigi’s safe, I’d happily trade my life for his.”

Wario’s eyes looked up to Waluigi. Who was now showing off how far he could kick the balls the kid Toads were playing with. “Yeah…I get it. But still, you know you have us, right?

“I know… I still feel weird asking for it.”

There was a painful stab to the gut hearing that. Wario shifting nervously, “...Take it from me, asking for help isn't that bad of a thing. Besides, I thought you were past this? You came to me to talk about your relationship with Peach.”

“I can’t ‘fix’ myself overnight. It’s still a struggle.”

“Fair.”

Mario let out a choked gasp as he was pulled into a loose headlock, “Hey!”

Wario didn’t miss the laugh that escaped the hero. “Look, if you can come to me for help, then you can go to Peach. She’d probably be the better person to go to, honestly.”

“If she takes my apology.”

“That bad?”

“Oof, that’s unfortunate. But she’s taken mine, she’ll take yours.”

“You’re not dating her.”

“...You’d better have a good plan in place.”

“Oh, thanks! What welcoming words you’ve offered me just make me feel so happy.”

Wario couldn’t hold back his laughter as Mario rolled his eyes.

_____________________________

Peach let out a relieved sigh as she was given a thumbs up from the Toads inside the medical wing. Giving a small wave as her reply. Merely happy to see the patients inside looked far more relaxed than from that same morning.

Luigi appeared to finally be resting peacefully. A comforting red returning to his cheeks.

A cleared throat pulled her attention away from the window. Finding a sheepish looking Mario standing beside her. 

“Hey…”

“Hello. You’ll be happy to know Luigi is past the worst of it and is on the path to a good recovery.”

Mario perked up at that. Quickly stepping closer to the window. Letting out a sigh of relief seeing Luigi’s calm and sleeping form. “Thank you for looking after him…and, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you this morning.”

Peach offered a sympathetic smile. Letting out a slow breath before saying, “My mother died of an illness that no one knew the origins of when I was just barely a teen.”

She could see from the corner of her eye that Mario flinched. The human was clearly scrambling to figure out what to say next until Peach gently took his head. 

“I’m not looking for an apology. This morning was not good for you and you were not in a…good place, emotionally. My comments this morning were not well placed, and for that I apologize. I didn’t want to hear warm regards and standard pleasantries when she was on her deathbed. I’m sure you had your fair share growing up as well. It’s never fun to be the one that has to watch and wait.”

“...I’m sorry for your loss.” Mario eventually said. Flushing softly when Peach placed a gentle kiss on his temple. 

“It’s alright, you didn’t know.”

“I am still sorry for this morning. I…forget that, just because we’re someplace new, not all of our old life was left behind. Wario was right when he said Luigi was tough. He’s been through a lot over the past few months and I guess that gave me a false sense of comfort. Because…I thought something like an illness couldn’t take him down again.”

“Even with your titles and what you’ve both been able to accomplish, that doesn’t make you invincible. We’ll just be better prepared for next year to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Mario smiles softly, “Yeah…next year.”

“Now, with that all out of the way, would you like to see Luigi?” Peach laughed softly as Mario perked up in interest. 

“Really?”

“He’s not contagious anymore. There’s no issue.”  She couldn’t help but laugh again as Mario rushed in. Following in soon after, checking in on her citizens while watching as Mario pulled up a chair next to the bed. 

Mario grabbed onto Luigi’s hand and pressed it to his cheek, smiling softly. 

[istadris]

lm3 time loop anon here :)

oooo i initially only had the thought that it resets on the roof. but the idea of the loop resetting after luigi slips up and dies and king boo taunting him about him ‘losing his focus’ and ‘aww is he getting tired’ is so good. idk how well this would work in practice, but i was also thinking about all the precious injuries luigi sustained would stay and only add up as the loops continued

luigi would absolutely try different approaches with the ghosts and it saves him a lot of time and energy, which is balanced out by hellen and king boo going extra hard on him when he reaches them

i enjoy the idea that luigi gets increasingly more frustrated and aggressive the more times he has to ghostbust. so whenever the loop would reset in the later rounds, he just kinda screams and cries and punches some stuff. poor polterpup is just wondering why he’s so upset and hurt but can’t understand

when they finally break the loop and king boo is defeated, luigi definitely has a good cry telling mario all the ways he saw him die and mario’s lowkey astounded that there were some versions of him that didn’t believe his brother. very cathartic session

ngl i feel like as the loops went on luigi would start to feel worn down and offer finding a way out that wouldn’t involve either of them being defeated, but king boo would just get more and more desperate to beat him and go kinda crazy about it. but them calling a truce and working together is also a cool idea!

damnit if i wasn’t such a slow writer i would absolutely take a crack at writing this wjfjdj

(also if the loops were to happen in the horny au… what. a. night.)

So many good ideas here!

Yes, King Boo would take his frustration of being stuck in a time loop by making sure Luigi feels the pain of each defeat deep within his flesh. But maybe during some loops it's Luigi who snaps and suddenly goes overboard with destroying King Boo (whose disappearance also resets the loop). He feels awful when it happens, and not just because King Boo taunts him about how low the so called hero has fallen, when they next meet.

I'm a bit on the fence about the wounds staying through the loops...on one hand, it's so deliciously angsty, to have Luigi become less and less like himself as the loops went on, to the point his friends start being wary of him when they see him, as from their point of view Luigi suddenly turned up very bitter and covered in scars he refuses to explain...on the other, it would give too much of an advantage to King Boo, since he can't be hurt like a mortal, and accumulating too many wounds would inevitably take their toll on Luigi's body, so I'm not entirely convinced :x

The mental exhaustion is there though; even if Luigi's body and physical fatigue get reset with each loop, he's getting more and more tired, and when the loop is finally broken, he can finally fall asleep for the first time in an eternity.

I love both options and I cannot choose! They would need a LOT of time loops before even considering working together, and Luigi would only do it because he can't see any other options, so might as well try it, why not? And even then, either they finally start to find a common ground, either King Boo uses every truce offering to further torture and manipulate Luigi. Nasty marshmallow.

Luigi doesn't hold against Mario his inability to believe him in some loops, not too much. The loops where he failed to convince Mario were also the ones where he was the most erratic and incoherent, so he can see why his brother has trouble believing his ramblings.

LOOOOL the horny AU happens once Luigi reaches such a point of no fucks given he decides to just take "screw it and fuck you" literally XD King Boo is desperate for some variety in the loops at this point, so he ends up taking pleasure in it as well. And since the loop gets reset each time...I can imagine the ghosts can afford to not be gentle with Luigi :s

[eaterofpi]

Nintendo Direct 9-14-23 Reaction Post!!

That's right, there's another Nintendo Direct, and I am a bit tired, I wasn't able to get any sleep last night!! (There was a dog taking up my entire bed)

It's starting!!

What's first for today...

Oh!! The Splatoon 3 DLC!! I guessed this right, in a Discord!! I wasn't expecting it to be the starting thing though/.. The feel of this is very different to normal Splats.. Is this the... Octo Subway? The Thing from Splatoon 2, but for Splatoon 3.. It escapes my head right now.. Very much a different tone

OH!! Order.. Like.. The other choice from that Splatfest!! Kinda a smart choice

MINI MARIO

YES YES YES YES MARIO VS DONKEY RETURNS??? THIS WAS LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE GAMES.. A REMAKE OF A GAME I REALLY LIKED?? Thank yous Nintedo!! Having to explain the game in the direct... But I wonder if it will still have all that silly music... Woah... Multiplayer... I wonder if it will have the E Reader Levels!! February 16th.. What a nice start..

I've heard of this series before, but after the previous announcement, I already got what I wanted--- Or rather, what I didn't know I wanted

Racing games... It looks like it was lagging a bit in the multiplayer..

A Rythym game--- I know that song.. I think? It feels familar..

AAAAAAAAH OOMFIE 2 JUMPSCARE

Oh! More details on the Mario RPG!! They changed stuff, will people enjoy it? Rematches are always fun!! The iconic Forest Maze Music.. I remember hearing that a lot in the past... Despite not playing the game...

Wait, from the Brawl Trophies... Nintendo really bringing back some dormant franchises.. It's nice to see them return.. I wonder if that other one might eventually return.. that.. I also can't recall the name of right now.. Wait it was just remakes?

The Peach RPG? The Sparkle Theater... New little guys... New designs in a Mario game!! Crownless Peach??

Kirby Peach... I guess this makes a lot of sense for a play, to wear costumes like that! That feels like a Mario Party Minigame.. Is this an RPG? It feels more.. adventure-y?

Showtime???

I can't tell if this is a remake or a new series.. Oh, it looks like a new Entry (Maybe?)

Tomb Raider.. I remember buying a bunch of them on Steam a long time ago... and I never ended up playing a single one.. Oops

Dectective Pikachu 2.. I started my day way too early... Goodman??

THIS GAME?? Trombone Hero.. I thought it was Wii Music 2 for a second.. this game is so silly.. Glad to see it on more platforms.. Wait.. Will there be Nintendo musics??

Some of these headlines are very generic.. Scary... A MOBA Battle Royale... That toneshift was kinda wild.. Contra is back?? Oh! Wayforward helped!!

Famicom Wars? I have no idea what game this could be... It feels weird to not have the normal narrator.. Unicorn Overlord is an odd name.

AAHHHHH Scary.. Luigi's Mansion 2 Dark Moon (very scary) Oh!! They put an "HD" onto the title!! I wonder what they will add!! I watched a let's play of this game way back.. I even was able to do a bit of Download play with a friend back in the day... I wonder if this also means a Polterpup plush rerelease.. Next Summer? That's pretty far off

Nintendo Gallery? Nintendo Muesum?? Nintendo's History is vast.. I would like to eventually see all the cool stuffs.. Amiibos!! Xenoblade Amiibos!! Smash Amiibos are over... OLIMAR SHOWN

F-ZERO?? NOOOOO BATTLE ROYALE??? DIDN'T SOMEONE PREDICT THIS?? I'm also really bad at F-Zero, judging by my current skills on the Switch Online App.. I am glad to see it return in some form.. This feels like... a Monkey Paw case...

A Party too wild... Wait is that just like.. the story of Kirby Epic Yarn?? Okay it has fishing.. awesome.. LEAGUE OF LEGENDS?? SCARY

WARIOWARE SMOOTH MOVES 2, THE FORMS ARE BACK... This game will be awesome.. I really need to make more space for it in my room.. FISHING!! That's quite soon!!

100 Heros.. Like.... Pikmin!!! Sharks.. (Magical Girls)

A Farming Game.. I really should get another one..

Making a Campaign seems pretty cool!!

Fishing!!

The final wave.... Diddy Kong!! FUNKY KONG!! Pauline!! Peachette!! They only showed off one track!!

Sus.... Wait.. New Map?? It's a shame that playing games like this are a bit too stressful for me...

Recaps!! PIKMIN SHOWN!!!

The finale..

PAPER MARIO THOUSAND YEAR DOOR HD... Now people can't complain anymore!!

Wait.. I think I mentioned in a chat that I would play it if they rereleased it...

A pretty nice direct, many games that I may eventually get in the future!!