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pixiedustandfairypowers · 4 months ago

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A Different Type of Loss

It was a mildly pleasant evening as the sun steadily dipped through the trees and giant mushrooms of the kingdom’s valleys. The day was winding down, and Luigi decided to retire to his room for the evening. He should be feeling excited, and yet here he was with a somber expression on his face.

Luigi sat down at his bed and picked up a picture frame of him and Mario. It was the day they had graduated high school, their faces grinning, holding up their diplomas and holding onto each other. He set that one down and picked up another. This one was their first day at Spike’s Wrecking Crew. Luigi continued looking through the other pictures he had on his phone, in his photo albums, and so on, until he got to one of the more recent ones.

This one was different. Instead of just him and Mario, Princess Peach was in the photograph too, her smile every so slightly different than the grins of the brothers. She was wearing a pink and gold ring on her finger, having just accepted Mario’s proposal. Luigi felt upset at himself for feeling down.

He had helped Mario come up with the plan to propose to her, just like they had done everything together. He had grown quite close to Peach, to Luigi she was already a sister to him. He should feel nothing but joy at the fact that his bro was finally getting married in two days’ time to a woman that he dearly loved and who loved him dearly in return. Luigi was going to be the best man at the wedding for goodness sake! He shouldn’t have any right to feel sad.

Looking away from the photos, Luigi started up at the ceiling, and then at the walls of his bedroom. Almost everything of Mario’s was gone, and what was remaining were just a few pieces of furniture that were going to be removed while Mario and Peach left for their honeymoon. Luigi, of course, had volunteered to do it, but Peach and also asked Toad and Toadette to help him.

Speaking of which, Luigi heard a knock on his door. He answered it, and there he was, the little mushroom man who was Mario’s self-proclaimed best friend.

“Heya!” said Toad.

“Oh. Hi, sorry, I wasn’t expecting company, well aside from Mario,” admitted Luigi. “Uh, come in, I’ll make you some tea!”

Toad happily sat down at the table. The house wasn’t very large so there wasn’t much room for extraneous furniture. Still, it was cozy enough for Mario and Luigi to sit down for meals together as well as have the occasional guest.

As Luigi heated up the water, he asked “Hey have you seen my brother lately?” Mario was usually home right around now, and while they had split up to run some last minute errands separately, Luigi had been under the impression that his brother wouldn’t be too long.

“Actually, yes,” said Toad. “Mario actually sent me over to let you know that he was not going to get back until late this evening. Seems like it was a last minute date night with the princess.”

“Oh.” Luigi’s expression changed to be less politely hesitant and a bit more wistful. He quietly poured two cups of tea, handed one to Toad, and then put both his hands around his mug. Instead of drinking it, Luigi just stared into it.

“But hey, I’m totally down to hang out!” Toad suggested, hoping it would improve his friend’s mood.

Luigi continued to stare at his tea, barely acknowledging Toad but still trying his best to be polite. “Oh. Yeah, yeah you can stay…” he trailed off.

“Can’t believe the wedding’s the day after to tommorow already,” grinned Toad. “Princess Peach is so lucky to have your brother, and I’m so relieved to be part of a wedding that isn’t some coercive sham. Time flies so fast! Seems like only yesterday that we dodged THAT Bullet Bill, quite literally, eh Luigi?”

Luigi shuddered. Perhaps enough time had passed that Toad felt comfortable joking about it, but a lot of things from his experience were things he tried to block out of his memory. He refused to do so completely, as he’d made good ones too, like the sheer relief at Mario saving his life, finally getting the chance to give Bowser the pummeling that he deserved, and being recognized as a hero. But he could never quite move past the fact that he had been mere inches away from death on several occasions.

“I’m so sorry,” said Toad, regretting that he had brought the subject up. “I only wish that you and Mario had arrived here under better circumstances… To be honest, I was shocked when the two of you had decided to move to the Mushroom Kingdom. After all that happened, I’d figured that you probably didn’t want to have anything to do with us…”

“It’s not your fault and never was,” Luigi reassured him. “In fact I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you and Peach, and for that I’m eternally grateful.” He finally took a sip of his tea. “Besides, while living here has taken some getting used to, the Mushroom Kingdom is quite beautiful and the neighbors are lovely. Even if we have had to deal with Bowser’s shenanigans on more than one occasion.”

Toad decided to change the subject. “So, do we have any last minute wedding prep that needs to happen? I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re forgetting something. I thought about helping you move the rest of Mario’s furniture but when I checked in with him he just said to leave it until after the wedding.”

“No, I don’t think so. The rehearsal went fairly well yesterday,” said Luigi. “I suppose I could workshop my best man’s speech a little bit more though… It can be hard to know the right thing to say when your bro…”

“That’s right!” exclaimed Toad. “Oh Luigi, you are so lucky to be the best man at the royal wedding! Do you want me to look it over for you?”

Luigi started to feel a lump in his throat. Tears were already welling up in his eyes. “Toad, I- I’m-“ he started, but not knowing how to get it out. He gulped down another sip of his tea, then blurted out “I’m scared! I feel so horrible for saying this, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to do this!”

Toad’s eyes widened in alarm. “WHAT!? Why? I thought you looking forward to this!”

Luigi rubbed his head with his hand. “I know, and I love and support my brother one hundred percent! I love Peach like a sister already, and I can’t think of a better woman for him to marry! I should feel so good about this, have nothing but pride and joy, but I’m scared that- that-“

“That what?”

“That I’m losing him!”

#super mario bros #the super mario bros movie #luigi #smb toad #fanfiction #hurt/comfort #wedding blues #a different kind of loss

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metalandmagi · 1 year ago

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Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess).

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

Blue Box- A sports romance about an aspiring badminton player named Taiki Inomata who has a massive crush on the girls basketball team's star player Chinatsu Kano. Through a twist of fate, the two end up living together and having to hide it from the rest of their classmates, all while Taiki tries to work up the courage to ask Chinatsu out. It's so sweet and wholesome, and it's a great blend of sports anime and romance that can appeal to anyone who is more hesitant to get into the romance genre. The animation is also so freaking gorgeous!!!!

365 Days To The Wedding- A workplace romance between the two most awkward people you could possibly imagine! The story takes place at a travel company that is about to open a new branch in Alaska, but because our two main characters are...like I said...very awkward, they come up with a plan to avoid being sent to work at the new branch...by telling their boss they're getting married. Because they wouldn't want to split up a married couple by making one move away, right? As ridiculous as the premise sounds, hilarious shenanigans ensue, but there's also a surprising amount of serious discussions about romance and marriage. The main characters also have major autism coding, so if you're looking for a neurodivergent romance, this is it. (There's also an episode that involves a princess wanting to give up the throne to pursue a life with her girlfriend!)

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

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