#shipshape game

[chiropteracupola]

finally... the blonde sailor collection...

(l -> r: ben hawkins, jack aubrey, william laurence, røde ruben, alexander smollett, chadwick goodfellow, & gwilym parry)

[ben, goodfellow, and parry have been lent to me by @benjhawkins, @natdrinkstea, and @sailorpants, and the delightful idea of collecting this lad pile was inspired by @gigamuffin!]

[shaykai]

Okay so I need to hurry up and finish replaying ME3, the Dragon Age series, and PMD EoS, because as soon as Baldur’s Gate 3 drops I don’t think I’m going to play anything else ever actually

[atyourperil]

🥛 [MILK] What is your OC's relationship with their biological parents like? What about their relationship with any non-biological parental figures?

FOR SAT

HI WYATT TY FOR THE ASK!!!!!

their relationship with their parents was pretty good throughout their childhood, but they do not really keep in touch once they’ve moved out & their vision starts/paranoia increases, which contributes to their feelings of isolation while on the seals.

wrt non-bio parent figures, they only really have the one - @frosteee-variation’s drafty shipshape (though @courfeyracs-swordcane’s azalea recused could probably be something approaching a parent figure if she put her mind to it). the only seal who came close was probably pidge (they weren’t anywhere near close enough with anyone else on the team, the only people sat even bonds with are zamanda, kumi, millenia, june, eliot & ikari ) but while pidge was probably the closest with (& nicest to) sat, she is a close friend, not anybody’s parent.)

sat started out as very very antagonistic towards drafty, pretty much entirely avoiding them out of fear & anger, which went on for ~3 weeks. drafty & sat do end up having a conversation about how sat got to the Guys & they both realized they’re more similar than they are different (the plot of the satdrafty fic i talk about all the time lmao). drafty feels a lot of protectiveness toward/sympathy (masking a LITTLE pity) for sat. drafty realizes pretty early on that sat is going to kill themself trying to live up to the seals’ memory if nobody stops them, and drafty helps sat memorialize & grieve their teammates in a healthier manner than they would otherwise. i think they also bond a lot over being living warnings that will never actually be heard, and being permanently in the wrong time, and both not really knowing how old they are. i’m really normal about how similar they are despite how fucking different their lives seem. they’re also both haunted & i think that 1) drafty is one of maybe 3 people sat willingly lets see them when they’re actively haunted & 2) they help each other learn how to better cope with being haunted. they both kind of grow & help each other heal by virtue of getting to know the other. i’m super fucking normal about them.

[suppermariobroth]

Mario & Luigi: Brothership contains an early version of Shipshape Island in its files (left column, compared to the final version in the right column).

Outside of the level of detail, the biggest difference is the shape of the Uni-Tree and the position of its roots. In the finished game, the roots are all underground and can be seen emerging slightly from the sides of the island.

However, in the early version, the roots were aboveground and the paths around the island involved passing underneath archways created by the roots.

Main Blog | Patreon | Twitter | Bluesky | Small Findings | Source

[smallmariofindings]

In the beginning of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the first island that Mario and Luigi access from Shipshape Island is Rumbla Island. As the player has no access to the ocean map at that point, sailing past Rumbla Island would be undesirable as there would be no way to check where Shipshape Island is relative to it, and thus how long the player would have to wait to see it again.

Due to this, there is a special failsafe for this situation. If the player waits for long enough so that Shipshape Island would have passed Rumbla Island, Rumbla Island will simply reverse course and start drifting alongside Shipshape Island so that it never actually leaves the player's sight. This behavior is not exhibited by any other islands later in the game once the Ocean Map is accessible.

Main Blog | Patreon | Twitter | Bluesky | Small Findings | Source: M&L:B

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

To preface this, I know there are parts of this that make me look bad. I know. I've been a substandard boss and I should've taken care of the situation a long time ago. But I'm in a bind and I really just need to know if I'd compound my assholishness by doing the main thing I'm about to ask.

I manage a manufacturing business that also has a delivery component. We make the product and make sure it gets where it needs to go--which I'm sure you understand isn't as easy as it used to be, with Amazon and Temu and all of those nipping at our nose. The manufacturing sector is working fine, no complaints, absolutely shipshape. It's in deliveries where the problem starts.

We have a newer employee who...let's just say stands out from the rest of the bunch, who are mostly old guard. They're reliable, I've been working with them for years, but they're set in their ways and have been giving the new guy shit, especially over his appearance. It's not even about something he can control, poor kid, but I don't want to get more specific than that. I've been so swamped with getting everything ready for the holiday season that I dropped the ball and let them treat the kid pretty poorly. I know I can't dictate what they do outside of work, so them leaving him out of social events was out of my hands, but I've caught them calling him just awful things when they thought I wasn't around. I should've come down harder but I was afraid our productivity would suffer as a result. (And if I'm honest, I thought a little bullshit would toughen the kid up. Our industry isn't for the faint of heart, after all.)

But now we're down to the deadline and I think he's our only option. He's the perfect choice, and the kicker is it's BECAUSE he's different from the rest of the guys. But I'd feel like a bit of an ass if I asked him to swoop in and save us after the way everyone's treated him. WIBTA if I asked Rudolph, with his nose so bright, to guide my sleigh tonight? Time-sensitive question, sorry mod, but maybe just this once you can move it up the queue? After all, I did bring you that Pokemon game you wanted more than anything when you were ten!

What are these acronyms?

[efy727]

ABC kids

That's just my nickname for them. First seeing Buddy, I thought these three could have been good friends. Not replacing Junior, to make it clear. I just think, Buddy deserves more of friends.

Ramblings below. With Spoilers.

I need more Brothership, that game was AMAZING. I've been into Mario and Luigi since 2014, with BIS as my first game. I love the combat, the story, the characters, like this is my type of game.

The only lacking part was boss density. All Extension Corps members should had gotten individual fights, so the player can get quite the surprise on how they work as a unit, like the Mage Sisters. But that's my main gripe.

Is wild it's made by the developers of Octopath Traveler. I didn't know until after beating the game. I've played both entries; so, knowing them, it causes quite the shock. But the soul of Mario and Luigi it's still there. I hope to see what more could they do with the series.

Anyway, I have a feeling that there could be DLC, despite neither Octopath, nor Mario and Luigi getting those as far as a I remember. There are a few things I perceive as loose ends.

Mainly what Arc tells you before storming Fortress Zokket again, that if we navigate all currents, something good might happen. Of course, I passed through all of my remaining dark blue currents and... nothing. Is just, what is the purpose of that line of dialogue? Am I the only one hung up on that text?

Another thing is Dewy Fightem, still saying that he will continue his monster research after defeating Glohm Pipegunk and disappearing from Shipshape after beating the final boss. It would be cool to get rematches with the final stretch bosses.

Another thing, I would be nice to be able to find Patriarc at some point, even if optional. Dude disappears from the story, and I just kept expecting him to show up. He only does in the credits.

Reviewing them again, maybe not the best "evidence", but I can dream. Besides, they could at least do a post-game with the tree Connie gives Mario at the end.

Well thanks I you got here. Have an extra sketch. I might do something out of it someday.

[flonbowe]

MAJOR BROTHERSHIP SPOILERS, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO ZOKKET!

You have been warned

So they’re like, a toxic relationship right?/hj

OK JOKING ASIDE These two are very interesting to me, and since we've known about Zokket longer, I'll be talking about him first in this thread of reblogs and posts

Zokket

So to get the elephant out of the room, I earnestly don’t believe he is just Cozette brainwashed

Like Aside from small details like the body shape being larger than she is, Zokket's voice sounding very much so different in not just the voice bleps, but in his actual grunts and noises (Especially so before his boss fight), there's things like Zokket's personality, behavior, hell he's even flat out referred to as a separate person a couple times.

Cozette after being freed only ever mentions being under Reclusa's control, and putting on a mask to become Zokket. A mask that breaks once Zokket is beaten.

The way Zokket is defeated, the way the Glohn energy flees off of Cozette's body, coupled with the fact it was specifically a mask Cozette said she donned to become Zokket, tells me outright that Zokket isn't exactly brainwashing, but instead a type of spirit or possession used to carry out Recluse's will. Now All this to say Zokket is his own person, and a very interesting person. Unlike most other Mario characters, he's a very flat character. Intentionally so don't get me wrong, that's the point. He's focused more on numbers than people. He doesn't "misremember" names, he actively doesn't care. His first proper scene is him misnaming the Extension Corps multiple times, with him getting more aggravated the more they try to correct him. He visits Shipshape a couple times through out the game, and most of those visits usually end with him mocking the idea of having connections and overall being very bitter. He's a cold cold man, and even during his boss fight he revels in making the bros hurt each other. There's also some interesting extra details via hidden logs from Cozette while being possessed, and Zokket writing his plans through her body. Quoting from those logs "The egg says its name is Reclusa. Yes, it told me its name, and that makes sense. The egg speaks directly to my brain. The egg has also shared this important truth. Loneliness is sublime . The egg only SEEMS not to move. But it definitely speaks in my brain. I now know my only calling: the resurrection of Reclusa. Loneliness is sublime . All connections will be severed. Reclusa will rule a new era of isolation. Once I have completed my task, I, too, will know the bliss of isolation. Loneliness is sublime . Approximately 284 hours, 56 minutes, and 29 seconds until the resurrection. "Beyond the Glohmatic Ray" "I have distilled the isolate energy from Spite Bulbs. That will be the source for Glohm. I can then focus and amplify it through the Great Lighthouses..." "The So-Called Extension Corps." " I met these buffoons on Slippenglide Island and employed them as generals over my army. They are intensely incompetent but loyal. Do they seek glory, or are simply afraid? They will be superfluous after the rebirth. I will need some means to dispose of them" "Building an Army" "My soldiers, my hands in the wide world, are simply junk repurposed and rebuilt. I gave them language so they might cooperate., but it is absurd to see these junk piles speak. I cannot imagine a place for them in the new world after he is reborn. They will suffer. They may rebel and become ungovernable. No matter--they are ephemeral things." after Recluse was revived, Zokket intended to torture the Zok Troops, his minions, of which HE created. Zokket doesn't just hate bonds, but seems to actively wants to break them. He strayed from his goal of reviving Reclusa by using some of the Glohm to make handheld rays to make people miserable and hate each other, instead of just using the Lighthouses for Reclusa. He threatens the Corps when the revival is almost complete, which would have come to fruition anyway had they succeeded. Zokket seems to fully understand bonds, and despises them. He's not apathetic, he's actively resentful... Except For Reclusa Excluding voice clips, the only time he laughs, is here.

His only use of positive language, and its when he's dying, where he should be at his lowest. Instead, he gets excited, happy, happy to see his Great Inspiration finally return to this world. For a man who hates bonds, he seems to have a great deal of care for his master. A master he was willing to die for, who he was destroyed for. Not even Connie, who he can't forget because of Cozette's lingering consciousness, all Zokket can muster for her is remembering her name, unlike Reclusa. So Who is Zokket? Zokket is a very cruel, bitter person. He's distant and calculating, planning and very exact, very precise ways to revive his master. But he's also sadistic, planning misery for anyone and everyone involved in his plans, for the goal of isolating the world for his master, Reclusa. a master, who he has a deep level of fondness for, the only person he actively shows happiness towards, a person who he spends his alone time with, his purpose, his great inspiration. That's Zokket (At least, my thoughts as to who Zokket is)

[megamagimugi]

The Cruel Fate of the Left-Behind Toad

M&L: Brothership spoilers below!

I need to talk about something that happened to me during my first playthrough of the game, because it still haunts me to this day. And I don't think it's a very common experience among the players. This is going to be a long post, so please bear with me.

You know the sidequest called "The Left-Behind Toad"? You fish and find a note in a bottle that goes like this:

"How long's it been since I was sent flying to this island? It's a small island, that's for sure. There's almost nothing on it. Just pipes. That's it. Pipes. I'm bored! Nothing to eat but grass. Only clouds for companions! Now my cap is drying out. I have little hope that I'll be rescued. But maybe throwing this message out to the sea will do something. Whoever you are, if you're reading these words, PLEASE HELP."

There's also a crumpled page saying:

"Oh, Mario and Luigi, I hope you're both doing well. Please, Princess Peach, forgive me. I won't be returning for a while."

Of course, with a message like this and the very name of the sidequest, I felt bad for that poor soul and naturally wanted to help him as soon as I could. I imagine it must be the same for most people. So I did what the game suggested and immediately went to see those adventuring brothers from Allsand. They showed me the islet in question on the ocean map. The only problem? After that interaction, I lost the way. I don't know how. I just couldn't find that darn Inphant Islet. When I tried again on my replay after beating the game, it was so easy, it was RIGHT THERE and I have no idea why I couldn't find it on the map the first time. Guess I must have gotten distracted by other sidequests and the main story soon after. I never completely forgot, though.

After an embarrassingly long time, I finally discovered that stupid islet. But it was too late and the sidequest had expired. I launched Mario and Luigi to Inphant anyway. What I found shocked me. The poor Toad had been glohmed! I still wanted to do what I could, and found my way to him through the maze of warp pipes. Sure, the fact that there was also treasure to find gave me extra motivation, but I really still wanted to help that Toad. But as one might expect, when I tried talking to him he responded in the same way all glohmed characters did. He wanted to be left alone, and there was nothing we could do. It was honestly quite heartbreaking. I didn't want to leave him there. I wanted to bring him back to Shipshape, cure him and then bring him home to the Mushroom Kingdom. But the game didn't give me any way to do that from that point onwards.

Honestly, I wish they had let us carry Toad like an object even against his will and force him to come with us. Heck, it could have even been quite a funny little scene as Toad would try to resist and protest all the time as we carry him through the pipes and then to the cannon. But alas, no such luck. The game let us know we failed and we were forced to come back with nothing except for the treasure.

Too bad I didn't take any pictures or videos of that moment. I suppose I was simply too shocked. I just couldn't believe there was nothing I could do. If the same thing happened to anyone else who does have some footage/screenshots, I'd appreciate it if you shared them in a reblog!

Think about the implications of this failure, guys. That Toad was already in a bad physical and mental state when he was writing the letter. How much time did he spend on that little island before I found him all glohmed? And then once I was forced to leave him there, the game never gave me another opportunity to rescue him. Sure, once we beat Reclusa and saved Concordia, the Glohm was gone, but then what? The islets were never part of the main land of Concordia. He was still left all alone on Inphant. Really, I'd say that his best chance of survival were those two Allsand brothers who might discover him there - but will they make it in time before he dies there?

And as I found out today when I was playing some of Brothership again using my old save files, it gets even WORSE. I swear the little dude can't catch a break.

I used a save file from the time when Reclusa has already been reborn and trapped a lot of people in those strange VR headset flowers. I deciced to visit that Toad since, even though I've already rescued him on my second try during my replay of that part, sometimes I still think about this particular timeline. And guess what! Of course that poor Toad who had already spent who knows how much time all alone on that islet was caught too! Guess the game really wanted to let me know I had royally scewed up.

This time, I have footage, so you can see for yourself what happened. Watch with the sound on and until the end.

The noise he makes at the end after I'm done talking to him? He mutters to himself like this all the time when we're on this islet, even farther away from him. His distorted voice sounds scary, too. And look at what he's saying, what he's dreaming about. I think all of this means the poor fellow lost his mind, stranded among nothing but pipes that kept confusing him. His biggest dream at this point is simply finding his way through them with ease. So, not only is he most likely going to die here, he couldn't even keep his sanity. This Toad did NOT deserve this fate. I'm so sorry for failing you, little guy :(

For me, it was hands down THE darkest part of this entire game. Even though technically it shouldn't have happened. It's definitely very dark for a Mario game. What's more, Mariowiki says:

Clearly, this is not the case. The Toad is present alright, at least in body... Or at least he was during my playthrough, heh (if nobody says it happened to them too I'm totally starting an "every copy of Brothership is personalized" rumor xD).

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thank you. I needed to share this with the world and would love to hear your thoughts. Here's a little rough doodle I drew before writing this post.

...Yeah. I'm sorry, little buddy. At least there's a timeline where I did save you <3

[pianokantzart]

After that last ask im wondering: what are your criticisms, if any, for the game?

Well... I've already touched upon my critiques for the way Luigi controls. Heck, about everyone has complained about the switchup between the A button and the B button on his action select screen.

Luigi's AI also has a little bit of trouble keeping up with you if you parkour across some areas too quickly (albeit never to a game breaking degree, and 99% of the time he's golden.)

There are some tutorials that are pretty hand-holdy, but they are very easy to skip past if you already get the gist.

Another tiny issue I have is the way you receive side quests. Sometimes you encounter someone who needs help, sometimes you'll find a message in a bottle while fishing, but most of the side quests just kind of... show up in you select screen like the bros have extrasensory perception. I think it would be better if there was a bulletin board on Shipshape you could stop by and read in order to know the available side quests. That tiny detail would do a lot to make the world you're exploring feel a bit more real.

Speaking of the select screen, it is... fine... but very generic. However, I always think back to the original Superstar Saga with the suitcase/passport theme, and how cute and charming that was.

Given how long you're going to spend in Brothership's select menu trying on new gear and forging battle plugs, I think it would've benefitted highly from an aesthetic upgrade. Like a nautical theme or an electricity theme or something...

But yeah, 25 hours in and those are the only complaints I can think of so far. Mostly just tiny quality of life and visual tweaks.

[pap1llonbleu]

Close Yet Far (Brothership Aftermath)

Hello! I wanted to make a little story based around a sort of aftermath of Mario & Luigi Brothership. I made one for Odyssey, so I thought I should (plus I've been dying to have an excuse to write about certain headcanons I have from this game). This does have Brothership spoilers!

I hope you all enjoy!

…

"Mario!"

Luigi's voice called out to his brother a few seconds after the two of them touched the ground. They were brought back to the Mushroom Kingdom, near the place they were at before their adventure started. As soon as they touched the ground, Mario leaned against Luigi, feeling quite weak. Luigi put his arm around him to help keep Mario standing.

He and Luigi were both injured quite badly in Concordia, but Mario had the worst of it.

"I'm okay, Lu..." Mario reassured. "Just...a bit tired."

'A bit tired'. Luigi knew it was more than just that. However, he knew it wasn't the time to start anything. Wanting to help relieve his brother of some pain, Luigi would pick his brother up, carrying him back home despite the pain he had himself.

…

During their time in Concordia, one of the first major things that happened was their battle against Gobblick. In the battle, Gobblick used its arms covered in thorns, wrapping them around Luigi. The experience reminded him of a time long ago, a time when he was tangled in vines thanks to a cruel jester that was now sharing his mind. Once Luigi was let go, he was too shaken to keep fighting. Injured quite badly, Mario finished the fight himself, quickly rushing over to aid his brother who was now covered in cuts.

Little did Mario know he soon would experience something similar.

Once they reached Allsand Island, the two brothers were warned by a nearby individual to avoid the sharkbones that were inhabiting the island. Seeing how drastic the situation was, the two did their best to be careful, trying to avoid the sharkbones as much as they could.

Unfortunately, the only way past them was by getting through quick sand, which slowed them down.

As they were getting closer to the other side of the quick sand, a sharkbone suddenly appeared in front of them, going straight for Mario. It bit him, and Luigi immediately did everything he could to get the sharkbone to let go. When it did, Luigi quickly carried Mario to safety. With Mario slowly losing consciousness due to how severe the bite was, Luigi quickly gave him a mushroom to help. It helped a little, but the injury was still present. It wasn't something a simple mushroom could heal. As Mario slowly gained a bit of energy back, Luigi and Snoutlet insisted on going back to Shipshape, but Mario refused. He was stubborn, and he wanted to continue reconnecting the islands. Reluctantly, they agreed, and the three of them continued to the lighthouse, where they were finally able to reach Shipshape.

Once they got back, the brothers rested there for a few days, much to Mario's disapproval. Mario wanted to keep going, but his body couldn't take it at the time. Normally, bites like that would take months to heal, a toad on the island explained, but with the situation they were in, they couldn't exactly stay and rest forever.

After a few days of rest, they kept going.

But things kept getting worse.

Soon, they met face to face with Bowser. During their fight, Bowser became furious, not wanting to lose. Using all his strength, he punched Mario as hard as he could, sending him flying backwards. Mario was already injured enough as it was, and now it was even worse. Mario took a few minutes to try and recover, but after coming back to reality, he watched as his brother tried his best to fight Bowser alone. Not wanting Luigi to get hurt like he did, Mario pushed himself to get back up, joining the fight once again.

They kept going.

After quite some time, they eventually reached Zokket. By this point, Mario was running on so much adrenaline that it was blocking out most of the pain he was feeling.

That feeling of fear and adrenaline got even stronger as he saw his brother get cut by Zokket's wire cutters.

Luigi was cut severely, going on one knee. Mario tried to rush over to help his brother, but he stopped once he realized his brother was not only injured, but he was now under Zokket's control thanks to his glohm. It forced Luigi to move, making him attack Mario despite his injury. Mario resisted fighting back, not wanting to hurt Luigi even more than he already was thanks to Zokket. After knocking Luigi's hammer away, Luigi's legs gave out from under him due to the amount of pain his body was in. Mario tried to reach out to him, calling out Luigi's name.

In that moment, Luigi broke free.

Once he did, Mario immediately went into action, giving Luigi a mushroom to help with the pain for now. Still unable to really move much, Mario carried his brother for the rest of the fight.

After the fight was over, the brothers and the others quickly got back to Shipshape, with Mario still carrying Luigi. Spotting Peach on the island, Mario rushed over to her, asking her desperately if she could help heal Luigi with her magic. Peach did her best, healing it as much as she could, but with how tired and stressed she was, she couldn't heal it completely.

Thankfully however, it was now at a point where the injury was tolerable. After getting it wrapped in bandages, the brothers quickly went back into action, going off to try and stop Reclusa from whatever plan they were up to.

...

Now that they were home, they were finally able to rest.

With Luigi helping Mario inside the house, the first thing they both did was tend to each other's wounds. Fortunately, they had quite a lot of bandage wrap. Once that was taken care of, the brothers painfully and tiredly dragged themselves to their bedroom, where they got dressed into more comfortable clothes and immediately went to their beds.

As a few days passed, Luigi took the responsibility of taking care of both Mario and the house. Even though it was hard for him to walk with the cut on his side (and the cuts all over his body from Gobblick), it was even harder for Mario. Not wanting his brother to deal with any more pain, he let Mario rest. Luigi made a few meals for himself and Mario, only doing tasks around the house whenever necessary. He didn't want to push himself if he didn't have to.

However, Luigi couldn't help but feel a sort of lonely feeling during all this.

He wasn't used to doing stuff around the house on his own. Sure, he was completely able to just fine, but normally both he and Mario would be moving around. With it just being Luigi, he missed being near his brother, even though he knew his brother was just a floor above him resting peacefully. It was even weirder knowing that this never happened before, even with all the times Mario had gone out on adventures alone. While those times felt lonely too, this felt...different.

At the end of the day, once dinner was eaten and cleaned up, the brothers were now in their beds. Luigi turned off the light once he came inside the room, tucking himself in.

"Buonanotte, Weegee," said Mario.

"Buonanotte, Mario…" said Luigi.

Mario would turn onto his side, with Luigi laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. It was quiet. Luigi tried his best to sleep, closing his eyes, but he couldn't due to the feeling in his chest that hasn't gone away.

A feeling of longing.

Luigi laid there silently for about an hour or two. He was restless, unable to sleep at all no matter how much he tried to find a comfortable position (though with his injuries it was hard to find one). After a while, he gave up, going back to laying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

He didn't know why he was feeling this. Mario was right there. They were in the same room. But Luigi still couldn't help but feel a sort of distance between the two of them.

He couldn't stand it.

"Mario..?" Luigi whispered. "Are you still awake..?"

It was silent for a few seconds.

"...Yeah," Mario responded, turning in his bed to face Luigi. "Can't sleep?"

Luigi would shake his head.

"Me neither," Mario confessed. No position he laid in was comfortable.

Both brothers tried to think of something to say, leading to more silence. However, Mario could tell something was wrong with Luigi by the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Mario asked.

Luigi tried his best to think of the right words to say.

"I don't...I don't know," He muttered, confused. "It's just...a-after we came back from Concordia...something just felt...off. I-It's like...this weird feeling in my chest that won't go away. And it makes me feel upset. Like I want to hug something."

As Luigi let his thoughts out, Mario listened quietly. Mario could relate to Luigi's pain the more and more he explained.

"But it's weird because...you're here," Luigi continued. "But I still feel it. You're only a few feet away from me, but it still feels..."

"Far?" Mario asked.

Luigi was surprised by Mario finishing his sentence. But he was right. Mario did feel far away.

"...Y-Yeah," Luigi whispered, looking down. "Do you feel that..?"

"Yeah," Mario agreed. "Ever since we got back...I don't know what it is, but...every time I watched you leave the room, I just felt a sense of dread. As if you just...left forever. Or something was going to happen to you. I knew that wasn't true, because I could still hear you downstairs, but...it still hurt. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Luigi muttered.

The brothers then went quiet again. They didn't really know what to say after that. But knowing that they both felt the same pain as each other hurt.

Mario didn't want Luigi to feel that way. And Luigi didn't want Mario to feel that way either.

Feeling slightly more upset, Luigi buried half his face under the covers of his bed.

"Hey, Lu?" Mario called out.

"Yeah..?" Luigi whimpered.

"Do you want to move over here?" Mario asked, moving over slightly in his bed so Luigi could have more room.

Luigi nodded, sitting up in his bed and moving over to Mario's. The second he did, the feeling in his chest was gone. He felt safe. He felt comfortable.

He didn't feel alone anymore.

Mario felt the same way.

"Better?" Mario asked.

Luigi teared up a little, a smile forming on his face.

"Y-Yeah..." Luigi smiled. "Better."

Luigi then gave his brother a big hug, one that he had been wanting to give him for a while. Mario gave him a tight hug in return, holding onto him and not wanting to let go.

Finally feeling their bond with each other once again, they both finally started to feel comfortable enough to sleep.

"Buonanotte, Luigi."

"Buonanotte, Mario."

-END-

[mao-likes-2-draw]

ace attorney is the best game of all time. how can a case where some hip-hop enthusiast animal keeper chugs fish and becomes a buff ass pirate to diss phoenix wright in court, and also a case where a fucking orca is the defendant pull at my damn heartstrings like this. i need a workplace comedy with the shipshape aquarium staff. marlon rimes im so sorry. case 5-6 is like “what if you found your family at work” and its beautiful. this is my intro to dual destinies im crying its so good i love this game….

rip azure summers we lost a baddie

dr herman crab representing the arospec nation is incredible and i love him and his penguin baby to death

thank you shipshape aquarium oh my GOD 😭😭

[bowletta]

my thoughts on mario and luigi brothership!

(spoiler-free edition!)

(click here for the Major spoilers version)

I will sort my thoughts into 3 categories: the good, the bad, and misc (not necesarily good or bad just in the middle)

The Good:

+ the animation. I didn't think theyd be able to recreate the charm the sprite animation had, but they nailed it.

+ great job translating the 2d sprites to 3d models. This was one of my biggest concerns when the game was revealed, but as much as I miss the sprites... they did a good job. Love how they added the blue accents from sato's early m&l artwork.

+ the cutscenes look so good. Very charming

+ probably the best boss battles in the series. Every one (except the 3rd lighthouse one >: [ ) was the perfect balance of fun and difficulty without dragging on too long.

+ extremely fun combat (jump attacks, hammers)

+ the characters. I really really enjoyed the characters.. I wish they cut a few of them to give others more screentime, but I was surprised how attached I got to them

+ the extension corps. Early on i thought they were just a rehash of the bffs from bowser jr.s journey... but I feel that they executed it 100 times better. I wont spoil, but they have a good arc : )

The Bad:

- I think the #1 problem plaguing brothership is the pacing. It is atrocious. The first 5 hours are so boring. It really drags its feet to get anything interesting happening. The villains arnt introduced until nearly halfway through the game. Why.

What sucks is I feel like if you can get past the first ocean, it starts to get really good! But looking back at all the leakers quitting a few hours in... I cant blame them.

- adding onto this, bros moves and battle plugs. It takes 5 hours to get your first bro move. You are stuck with standard jump and hammer for the entire first ocean. As much as i like performing those moves, it got old fast. You get bros moves so far apart, and several of them are introduced so late I didnt bother trying to learn them.

I wish the battle plugs were introduced sooner as well, I think it wouldve helped make the early combat more interesting.

- game feels way too long and bloated.

- why do you select luigi's actions with 'A' in battle. Why is there no option to change it. I struggled with this and fumbled my attacks literally until the 4th ocean. Why.

- frame rate issues. Upon booting the game I thought 'oh this is rough'. But then I got used to it. But as you progress, and more people join your ship, it gets bad. By the end, shipshape island is a choppy powerpoint presentation. I could hear my switch's fan struggling from my couch lol.

- weakest soundtrack in the series. Its not even close. Theres like 5 tracks I like, but that doesnt make up for the other 40+ being so unremarkable, esp when its one of the franchise's highlights.

- timing when counterattacking enemies is wildly inconsistent. With some, the timing feels too generous (the flying flower enemies) and other times it feels frame perfect (lakitu)

Misc:

> Theres so many instances where I cant tell if its supposed to be a homage to older games or just copy pasted from them. Theres a character introduced very late who is very similar to another late game m&l character. The extension corps and the bffs. Etc.

> the timeline is kind of confusing... Like how long ago did concordia break up? How long did it take connie to grow the tree on shipshape? Like did this take place months ago or decades ago??

>them reusing peach and bowser voice clips from 15 years ago (bis) was very funny

final thoughts:

id give brothership like... a 7.5-8/10. Is it the new best mario rpg? Absolutely not lol. It has some serious issues but... I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I think it couldve used a few more years in the oven, but overall, it was cute. Definently a contender for the new generation's super paper mario.

1. superstar saga

2. bowser's inside story

3. brothership

4. partners in time/dream team

5. paper jam

[nightowlssleep]

While I love Dual Destinies I'm not above wanting to rewrite certain elements so

Case rewrite: (I'm giving Athena more cases guys!!!!)

I'd set it up as the following:

Turnabout Countdown: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council

The Monstrous Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (Trucy tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Reclaimed: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council (Pearl tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Academy: Athena as the attorney, Apollo as co-council (Phoenix and/or Klavier tags along to investigations)

The Cosmic Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (After Apollo leaves, Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council)

Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix as the attorney (no co-council until the mood matrix segment) (Trucy, then Pearl tags along to investigations)

(In my rewrite Phoenix only gets his badge back right before Turnabout for Tomorrow, therefore while Athena doesn't get a lot more cases, she still gets Reclaimed and The Cosmic Turnabout)

• Firstly, Turnabout Countdown: I personally like that this game has a non linear first case, I think it works with setting up the mystery with Apollo and even Juniper

I think letting Athena take over the case is a very good start to seeing her character BUT THAT'S WHEN PHOENIX HAS TO COME IN AND TAKE ALL THE SPOTLIGHT

God I hate that, I get it, it's Phoenix's grand return but still, LET ATHENA DEFEND

Anyways in my rewrite, Athena has her panic attack, Phoenix comes in as co-council (Doesn't have his badge back yet therefore can't take over the case) and helps Athena through the case, nice mentor moment 👍🏻

• The Monstrous Turnabout: I like that this case happens from Apollo's perspective, I'd like it if it would feel a bit more like AA4 since (to me) it's very reminiscent to Turnabout Corner

Anyways I don't have too many gripes with this case, maybe more Trucy to tag along with investigating cuz I'd like to see her and Athena interacting

As for Athena I like that she has an "observing" case where she can see how a more experienced attorney handles a case

I also like that Phoenix is mostly missing from this case (my personal explanation is he's taking the bar during this but he only gets his badge back much later cuz the bar association is still a bit ehhh about letting him pass) (dw Edgeworth helps out with getting it back)

• Turnabout Reclaimed: Oh I love this case

Probably my favourite in the second trilogy (going to an aquarium right before I watched it probably helped with the enjoyment tbh)

Since Phoenix is still missing his badge Athena has to defend (she's also the one who's a big fan of Shipshape aquarium and begged Phoenix to help them so I don't even get why Phoenix gets this case)

I like the idea of such a silly case being Athena's first, I could also see Phoenix using this opportunity to pull Athena's leg a little, so the we can still feel the Beanix in him

Like he agrees that the agency will take the case and Athena assumes that he'll make Apollo represent the orca but instead he turns to her like "Athena you'll take the case, since you're such an eager fan" and that way Athena can experience getting messed with by her boss but also let it be a learning opportunity without it being an overtly traumatic first trial (I don't think he wants a repeat of Apollo's first trial lol)

Anyways student mentor moments, while Apollo and Trucy are practicing magic tricks in the office or something (could be foreshadowing to the fact that Trucy will get her own magic show in the next game)

• Turnabout Academy: No notes for this case's trial segment really, I just wish Klavier would act a bit more like himself, and Juniper acknowledging that her costume was inspired by Lamiroir (It could be a cool call back, like Juniper watched *that* specific performance and really liked Lamiroir's outfit and decided to recreate it or something and Apollo could point it out so we get more of the "I like Lamiroir's aura" thing he says) (Capcom tell him that she's his mother I beg)

I like that this time around Athena jumps to promise defending Juniper, that's good

Also maybe more AA4 call backs?? Maybe a Kristoph mention?? Please??

• The Cosmic Turnabout: Disclaimer: I don't remember much from this case so if anything is wrong, feel free to correct me

I like how mysterious the whole eye patch thing is even though we're in Apollo's perspective, it also makes sense that he'd take the case

To add to the tension I'd mention Phoenix being worried about still not getting his badge back and that's why he can't be there in the gallery (He's arguing his case with the Bar association with Edgeworth probably or something)

I like how hurried Blackquill is during this trial too, he's convincing himself and trying to project that Starbuck is the Phantom because he doesn't have more time and he wants to finish his mission of chasing ghosts seven years past even if it's not the truth, I think that that was done well

I'd like for Athena to notice this, point it out to Apollo, but since Apollo is already on edge about Athena I'd like to think he takes it as "Athena is more worried about a murderer than our case, than about my friend, than about me... Is this a sign?" And that (and the explosion) could be the last push for him to dip from the agency and go on his own investigation (maybe reaching out to Kristoph...? Hmm? Mr "Evidence is everything in court"?)

As for after the explosion, I'd like to think Apollo left the case to Phoenix (cuz he was convinced that Phoenix would get his badge back by that time) but since Nick is still missing his badge Athena decides that she'll take over and defend Starbuck

Anyways all goes the same Athena gets arrested, and with no attorney left in the agency... What now?

• Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix leaves the courtroom alone

Trucy who witnessed the whole thing from the gallery, runs up to him, similarly worried about "what now?"

Phoenix gets a call. From who? We won't know for a bit but we can assume (It's Edgeworth)

Anyways, at last, there's another attorney in the agency who can help... Phoenix got his badge back

Now finally being a full fledged lawyer again, him and Trucy go investigating, we get father daughter moments, unravelling the mystery of the Cykes and Blackquills, everything goes mostly as it happens in canon, after Trucy gets kidnapped Pearl tags along and when Phoenix and her are investigating the space station, Edgeworth shows up with Phoenix's lawyer badge in hand

They're facing eachother in court again

PHOENIX WRIGHT, THE TURNABOUT TERROR, IS BACK IN COURT

Anyways epic return (instead of the random come back in the dlc case???) (Like it's funny that he's defending an orca but still)

Everything else happens like canon, except Athena gets to hug Blackquill after he's freed because they're siblings your honour and she's been working seven years for this to finally happen

Happy end and celebration at Eldoon's Noodles obviously

And that is my AA5 rewrite, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[splynter]

Soooo how do you think Dyode would have reacted if Emmit had been taken over by one of Reclusa's flowers, or vice versa?

OHOHO this is an INTERESTING QUESTION. Okay okay okay so preface, this is a lot of my own thoughts and interpretations based on how they act during the game itself. I rotate them in my brain so much. This is gonna be so long, I'm so sorry

So I think, first of all, that Emmit is much more susceptible to the flowers than Dyode is by default. Dyode already has basically everything he wants: he's rich, successful, he has his own island and wrote his own books, he has a companion in his apprentice, basically he's already set. So putting him in one of the brainwashing flowers doesn't seem like it'd work too well, the only thing I can think of is just... Concordia being fine and him kissing Emmit ig-

EMMIT HOWEVER. Emmit has goals. Emmit really wants to be as good, and even better, than the Groovemaster himself. Emmit wants the spotlight too, so if he had been Gotten it definitely would've been about him being the next Groovemaster (or kissing the groovemaster). It would be much easier to seize him

As for how Dyode would react? Ohhh boy. There's a few scenarios I could think of, I want to be as in tune with their canon personalities as possible yk. Most generic yk would be just him freaking out like all the others, but what I find interesting is how he and Emmit do things in canon in response to the flowers. They keep dancing. Dyode keeps wanting and trying to lift the spirits of those that have survived, and I think he'd still want to do that despite losing his apprentice to one of those flowers

Thing is, how easily could he pull that off without Emmit? When his groove was thrown off by running out of hair wax, he couldn't even find the right words through his emotions. How then, would he feel about losing his whole other half? How hard would it strike him, how strongly would his groove be lost?

I think he would try regardless. I think he would try so desperately to give the people what he believes they want, his dance. But I think there's a chink in his armor now. Cracks that form under the weight that Emmit's absence leaves behind. It's not that he can't dance without Emmit, rather he performs so much under the vibes being right that having Emmit stripped from him completely throws off his everything

I think in the end he'd crumble, just like he did with the hair wax, but this time it's so much worse. So much more personal and intrinsic to him. When it's so natural to have Emmit beside him, it only makes the absence more glaring and hollow

And now the reverse. I think Emmit is more spatially aware than Dyode, at least when it comes to reality. If Dyode somehow managed to get slurped I think Emmit would equally be as devastated, but he'd be more likely to gravitate to Shipshape for help. Similar to Technikki and Arc joining the crew, kinda. He tends to blame himself for not being able to do certain things, but he's so earnest and eager to help. He wants to prove himself so badly

Losing Dyode would fucking rattle him as he just lost his direction, his groovemaster, his dance partner, but there's nothing he can do. Dancing can't fix this. So he goes to the first people he can think of who could fix it

Mario and Luigi. They helped Dyode and Emmit before several times. They helped bring Dyode hair wax, they helped Emmit out of his own dance slump, so surely they could help with this too, right?

Right?