#yes I did Kirby for both of them shut up

[fryedfish]

Color palette challenge things I did with my friends on insta

[uluvjay]

Birthdays-K. Dach

Kirby Dach x fem! Reader

In which Kirby makes it a birthday to never forget

Warnings?; Kissing, light drinking, crowds, teasing, prob some errors, I hope you enjoy!!

“Do I really have to wear the blindfold?” You huffed as Kirby pulled the soft material over your eyes.

“Yes, it’s a surprise for a reason.” He laughed tying the back into a secure knot.

You playfully shook your head with a sigh that quickly turned into a giggle as he pinched your side, feeling his large hand wrapped around one of yours as he walked you two towards something.

“Someone’s not gonna jump out and kill me are they?” You teased.

“Hmm..maybe, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Kirby!”

While you couldn’t see it due to the material over your eyes from the way giggles floated from his mouth you knew there was a big grin covering his face.

You figured you were heading to the car and when you heard the familiar beep of his G-wagon unlock you knew you were right.

“If we’re going to dinner why can’t I know where we’re going?” You questioned as he began to drive through the roads of Montreal.

“Because it’s a surprise.” He laughed not changing his answer from the last seven times you’d asked him about what, where, and why.

You eventually gave up and resumed a normal conversation for the rest of the car ride, butterflies beginning to flutter around when you felt him pull into a parking spot and the large car shut off.

“Are we here?”

“Yep” he spoke softly before exiting the car and rounding your side, opening the door for you and guiding you out.

He kept a tight hold on you as he walked you into some building, it was oddly quiet for a restaurant or something and it didn’t smell like food and for some reason it sounded like you were back at your house?

You were about to question him but his soft voice in your ear had you halting.

“You can take it off now.” He whispered as he placed a kiss just under your ear and stepped back.

“Finally.” You laughed pulling the soft material off only to be met with loud shouts and cheers coming from close friends and family.

“Surprise!!” Filled throughout what looked to be a venue, your parents running to hug you.

You felt tears prick your eyes as their arms surrounded you, leaving them back home and being in Montreal wasn’t easy and you had been missing them more than you’d like to admit.

They pulled back after a moment, both placing kisses to your head as more people came forward for hugs and to wish you a happy birthday.

There were many familiar faces from the team, players, ex players, wives and girlfriends that you’d gotten close with and Kirby’s family as well.

After many many hugs you set out to find the man that made this all possible, finding him tucked in a small corner of your kitchen with a snack and drink you wasted no time running over to him.

He smiled as you reached him, his arms surrounding you as your wrapped around his middle.

“You did all of this for me?” You cried into his chest.

“Of course, you deserve every bit of it.” He spoke softly.

“Thank you.” You said as you pulled back to look up at the Canadian.

“Don’t have to thank me baby, I wanted to do this for you.” He replied, dipping down to place a sweet kiss to your lips.

He held you in his arms for a few beats longer until he pulled away with a kiss to your head, his hand moving to wrap around yours as he pulled you to show you some of the decorations around the house

After about two hours of mingling and catching up with those you hadn’t seen in a while Kirby came up and pulled you from your conversation with Arber and His girlfriend.

“You wanna bring food out?” He asked softly.

“Yes please, I’m starving.” You blushed as your stomach rumbled right as the words left your mouth.

“Noted” he laughed before heading off in the direction of a kitchen.

A little bit later there was a table filled with food and a line around the table as people gathered for food.

“Arber dude, leave some for the rest of us!” Cole laughed from his spot behind the defensemen in line.

Arber simply replied with the flip of his middle finger causing the Slovakian behind Cole to giggle at his friends antics.

You joined in line behind Juraj but he quickly moved and put you in front of him.

“Juraj you don’t have to move, I’m find being behind you.” You laughed.

“No you’re the birthday girl, you go ahead of me.” He waved you off.

You shook your head in reply but stayed in your spot, moving down the line for food laughing as Cole continued to pick with Arber before finally filling your plate and having a seat at one of the tables.

You were in your own little world when you felt the chair next to you pull out and sat was your boyfriend but with no plate.

“Where’s your food?” You frowned.

“Wanted to make sure everyone got some first, I can wait.” He shrugged.

You moved to stand to go get him a plate but his hands on your arms stopping you and his little giggle had you freezing in place.

“Baby I’m fine, sit down and eat.”

You hated that even though his voice was soft and sweet there was still an edge of dominance in there that had you sitting in seconds.

You stabbed one of the potato’s on your plate before holding it front of him, watching as his mouth wrapped around the fork and his eyes locked intently on you.

“Don’t look at me like that.” You breathed.

“Like what?” He smirked

“You know what.”

He winked in response watching as you turned away and went back to eating your food, a soft blush not coating your cheeks from his teasing.

Once everyone was done eating most people found themselves outside in the large yard. A makeshift dance floor had been created, couples and friends dancing to the music that began to spill from the speakers Kirby had installed outside last summer.

You were watching Cole attempt to dougie when a hand slipped in yours and pulled you onto the dance floor.

The familiar scent of Kirby’s expensive cologne filled your senses as you pressed your back to his chest, his arms wrapping around your front as he swayed the two of you side to side.

“Are you having fun?” He questioned.

“So much fun, I really wasn’t expecting this.”

“I’m glad I could surprise you, wanted to make this day special for you.” He smiled softly.

“It’s been amazing.” You spoke as you turned to face him, arms thrown over his shoulders while his rested on your hips the two of you moving to the song that played through the speakers.

After a bit of dancing with him you were pulled away from some of the other Wags for pictures, many of them taking singles of you for you to post later and many group ones.

You once again found your way back to the tall brunette, this time in his lap as he rested in one of the patio chairs nursing the same beer he’d had for over an hour now.

“Do I get to know my gift?” You smirked down at him.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Have you earned it?” He teased.

“Earned it?! I’ll have you know I’ve waited alllll year for this mister.” You giggled.

“That right?”

“Mhm, been waiting to see how you could top last year.” You smiled thinking about the little kittens he’d gotten you for your birthday last year.

They’d been dumped and rescued together and after finding out they were bonded Kirby knew he couldn’t leave one and that’s how you ended up with two little furry children.

“I don’t think anything could top our babies.” He laughed.

“Definitely Not.” You agreed.

“But, I guess I can go get your gift for you.” He huffed playfully.

“You know you could get me a rock and I’d love it right?.” You asked.

“I know baby, and that’s why I like to spoil you whenever I can.” He smiled, placing a kiss to your cheek before singling for you to get up as he stood and headed into the house.

You went back to the girls, talking about trips they’d taken and offseason gossip, new things at target and everything you’d all missed in your short weeks apart.

You truly hadn’t noticed the body behind yours Until Gally’s Wife pointed behind you and you turned with a confused look on your face until you found your boyfriend down on one knee below you.

“Oh my god.” You cried, tears already begging to fill your eyes.

“Baby, these past years with you have been so special. You’ve stuck with me during some of my worst and hardest points in life and have never given up on me. Everyday you show me an unconditional love that I am beyond lucky to be able to experience, you show me how lucky of a man I am to have an outstanding woman like you to come home to. Waking up and getting you love you and our sweet fur babies everyday is something I want to do forever. So with that, will you marry me?.” He spoke, tears of his own escaping.

“Yes! God yes.” You cried jumping slightly as he slipped the gorgeous ring on your finger.

You pulled him into a kiss the second his lips were on yours, hands holding his scruffy cheeks tightly as tears began to mix into your kiss.

“I love you so much.” You sobbed.

“I love you more baby.”

He held you close for a little longer until you pulled back to take another look at the ring.

“This wasn’t the kind of rock I was talking about earlier but damn it’ll do.” You said causing both of you to break out in giggles.

“You like it then?” He asked

“It’s perfect Kirbs.” You smiled pulling him into another quick kiss before turning to the crowd and throwing your hand in the air.

Everyone cheered loudly, your family pulling you into a tight hug and Kirby’s after before you made it to your friends.

The girls screamed and cried with you, everyone looking at the ring and taking a picture of you with your hand up.

After all the commotion had died down a bit you found him once again, making your way to him you tucked yourself under his arm observing the crowd full of people you loved.

“Just so you know this didn’t top the kitties.” You laughed playfully.

“Like I said, nothing can top them.”

-

Dedicated to @turcott3 🎈

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Prince Fluff -The Grail Prince

Background Info: Empathic touch/ Papa Fisher /Fluff's Mom

Making Fluff the son of the Grail King was the best decision I ever made it adds depth and zest to his character.

Before the events of Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yin-Yarn tried to take over the kingdom. Knowing the queen had vanished and the king had died... But nope Grail says NO! (Due to the protection of the Grail "may not unworthy kings sit on the throne".) That's why he couldn't take over Patchland and just settled to take over Dreamland.

Of course, his rage quits and all he can do is mess with the Magic Yarn... But not before revealing the truth of Fluff's birth.

(the deal he made with Fisher in exchange for him & his wife to have a son...).

Fluff blames himself for the death of his father, (he was always told that he (Fisher) died due to an illness)... he was the cause? This leads him to ruminate on his mother's disappearance.

All Fluff could gather (what he thinks happened) is that she left because she was so heartbroken after Fisher's death that she mentally shut down. She was still able to run the kingdom... but you could tell she was just barely holding on ... then 2 years after she vanished without a trace, magically wiping anything left of hers.

Fluff's mom leaves for a different reason (a perfectly good reason). But with all this pressure he's been under (that he is now the sole ruler) this terrible reveal makes him think:

"Did she leave because... I took Dad away from her?"

Leaving him absolutely scattered: it was in this distraught state that Yin-Yarn was able to snatch the magic sock. And then wind up in Dreamland... (However, splitting up Patchland wasn't the only thing that happened after cutting the magic yarn.)

It also interfered with Fluff receiving his father's letters. So it's only after this talk with Kirby that the very first one of King Fisher's letters to Fluff reveals his past before he hides Patchland away. Which is why it's a great source of comfort to not only Fluff but to Kirby.

(The citizens of Pathland all knew of the Fisher's past mistake but due to the love & respect they had for their king... They left it up to him to tell his son the truth. ) The people of Patchland truly did love their King and prince.

This is (another reason) why Fluff got extremely emotional when confronting Flaspar with his dad. His father's past mistakes made him feel less alone. And thanks to Kirby's power, not only can he read his father's letters and listen & see his father read them...

Keep reading for extra info & what's to come~

This also comes fresh off the heels of Marx Arc & the Fall out of Fumu/Tiff & Bun/Tuff. So Kirby getting transported to Patchland and meeting another kid who's just like him was exactly what he needed.

Each character Kirby befriends deals with an aspect Kirby must tackle within himself. (The events of the anime really messed him up... defeating Nightmare didn't fix his problems...) Prince Fluff's arc deals with Kirby's self-doubt...

Seeing someone who he comes to admire share the same doubts & isolating feelings as his title... it was like he was looking in a mirror. They already had an instant connection when they met, but this was a defining moment for Kirby: "Maybe I'm not the only one..."

I imagined this scenario long ago (not exactly like this, before I made Fluff the Grail Prince.) Now this is what solidified it for me~ Their relationship is built on "Nobody quite gets me like you." They're a sense of comfort for each other & understanding.

Other characters understand Kirby (yes) but no one quite as well as Fluff... these two are both kids who have these great responsibilities pushed on to them due to circumstances. They are each other's rocks & confidants throughout KBASW.

And as you can see I reconned a lot of things about Fluff's character. Especially his mom, so Fluff's coronation situation doesn't happen... I'm gonna have to rewrite that.

AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY I SHIP KIRFLUFF!

I hope I was able to portray the feelings I wanted to convey (especially that imposter syndrome). It wasn't intentional though it's one of those things you plan out but: when you feel the vibe of the story and the chemistry of the characters... by the end of the writing process/planning you realize "Oh my gosh, I've built a ship!"

(I know guys I haven't touched the fic at all due to the Kirby OC Tournament but don't worry I refuse to leave you guys lore-starved, so I'll be doing little snippets of the characters. )

Everyone's as an... Arthurian/ folklore twist: and special prev. to the next person I'm gonna be explaining which is our dear Marx who is:

THE PIED PIPER

Similar to his counterpart the people of Hamelin royally screwed him over and became the trickster that arrives in Dreamland...

Coming up soon, hope you guys stick around for that!

[gummie-cat]

Pizza and secrets.

Desc: Charlie finds you diary and reads what you wrote about him in it.

warnings: Kissing, making out, closeted feelings, fluff, crushes

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After school you normally had Charlie over. it was a basic routine you've had in place since the 6th grade. And its now your senior year in high school and you're still doing the same practice. Today your guys agreement was to study. You both knew you wouldn't end up studying and you'd just get distracted but you enjoyed the company. Especially when its a guy you like.

You guys finally got out of school and were rushing to your car which was parked in the student lot off to the side of the school. You were so excited to get home. You absolutely HATED your school. "soooo what did you need help studying with again?" Charlie asked as soon as you guys sat down in the car. "just some homework shouldn't take long." You say as you start up your car and put some music on.

When you guys finally make it to your house the shut off the car and go inside. Both you and Charlie make a b-line to the kitchen to pig out. You see your mom sitting at the kitchen table doing some work (you assume) and say hi. "honey, me and your father are going out in a few for our anniversary. we probably wont be back until late can you please let out and feed the dog?" your mom said following slowly behind you guys as you made your way to the kitchen. "Yeah sure thing mom." You say opening the fridge and pulling out the lemonade. Charlie grabs 2 cups and slides them over to you. "Oh and by the way Charlie can stay over if you want because its a Friday." Your mom adds as she walks away going to her room to get ready.

You nod and you and Charlie walk up to your room with your stuff. "so what class is the homework for? or did you just fool me." Charlie says taking a seat at your desk and turning to face you. "I do actually have homework thank you very much. its for fucking geometry." you say sitting criss cross on your bed. "here lemme see if i can help." He says as he rolls your desk chair next to your bed. You pull out the paper and hand it to him and he takes one quick glance at it and says “yeah fuck no.” as rolls away back to your desk. “ughhhh” you exclaim as you toss the paper to the side. “ya know what. im gonna go order pizza. you stay here loser” You say as you get up and leave your room. “REMBER TO GET-“ you cut him off before he can finish “HALF PEPPERONI GOT IT.” you say marching down the stairs.

You pick up the phone and dial the local pizza place number and place your order. You then walk slowly upstairs and when you get to your bedroom door entrance you see Charlie flipping though and reading your diary. ‘SHIT. i left it out’ you think to yourself as you walk up and snatch it out of his hands. “Jesus y/n…” He says clutching his chest like you just scared him. “Stop snooping around in my room.” You tell him hitting him on the head with it. “Correction, i wasnt snooping. It just so happened to be on your desk.” He said puffing out his chest a little. You roll you eyes dramatically “are you done?” you say crossing your arms. “not yet… did you mean what you said about me? like all the ‘being jealous of kirby because im obsessed with her’?” He replies looking at you seriously. You blush and curse yourself for allowing you to leave your diary out and for this situation to happen. “Maybe…” you say nervously. Afraid of loosing a life long friendship. “So you meant what you said when you said you would kiss me?” He says. Now getting up from your desk chair and inching closer to you. “i- uhm… maybe?” You say obviously blushing even harder. You just wanted to die because of the embarrassment. If he told anyone you would never hear the end of if. “so would it be okay if i kissed you now?” He said slowly walking up to you and stroking your arm gently waiting for your response. But you’re dumbfounded. You can barely think. “y-yes…” you say growing redder and redder by the second.

He pulls you in by the jaw and kisses your lips passionately. Then he pulls back and smiles at you. “w-why’d you stop?” You say looking up into his eyes. “because i wanted to make sure you were okay and i didn’t want to assume you wanted to make out… which now im sensing was what you thought was going to happen.” He said smiling softly chuckling lightly. “I mean I did but like only if you wanted to because i want you to fee-“ you’re cut of by his mouth making contact with yours again. But a lot more aggressive this time. You quickly gather a rhythm and he starts to slip you his tongue. God you’re melting and your core is starting to become soaked just from getting touched the tiniest bit. He bites your lip and you whimper. He quickly swallows your whimpers and grins against your mouth. He starts to walk you back towards the bed and you fall on your back. He pins you to the bed and he starts kissing you. Slowly moving down to your jaw and then you neck to find your sweet spot. He knows he finds it because you whimper his name weakly. And once he finds it he abuses it. He starts sucking and nibbling quickly relieving the bite with his tongue. Meanwhile your whimpering his name as you become needy and sensitive. Suddenly you hear the doorbell. The pizza. He lifts his head from your neck and turns back around to face your bedroom door. “That must be the pizza huh?” He says looking back at you and grinning. “yeah uhm we should probably…” you say gesturing to your guys’s position. “Oh yeah right.” He says getting up and stumbling a little bit. Scratching the back of his next nervously he has a stupid look on his face. You cant help but give him a little smile before running down and paying for the pizza and bringing it back up to your room. You find charlie waiting on the bed for you. You bring the pizza box over and pop a movie on your tv. But its just background noise as you snuggle up into his arms. “ya know… im not obsessed with kirby.” He speaks up over the stupid show you guys are watching. “huh? what do you mean?” You say lifting your head to look at him. “I mean i wasn’t obsessed with kirby this whole time… i was obsessed with you. It was just a cover up. I love you” you snuggle up more into his side. “ I love you too Charlie.” You slowly close your eyes and fall asleep.

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word count: 1200 words

A/N: okay so it wasnt really smut but this is what i wanted to start it off with. I’ll work on one thats a lil more smutty next time but yeah hope you enjoyed :) I know this is a bjt short but ive been having sum writers block so i hope you enjoyed!!

this was also posted to my wattpad @Alex66035

[desultory-novice]

Why do I see Magolor using his ship to look into other timelines, to which he ends up stumbling upon the timeline where Adeleine and Noir end up fusing into that... thing and ultimately die. (Or any alternate timeline of Apologies really, they're all despressing and messed up!)

He probably turned the screen off pretty fast.

[Requiem For a Mask]

-

Magolor:  "Heheheh... Kirby and friends will be SO surprised when they see these masks!" (And I'm giving them a two for one deal! Am I generous with my genius or what?)

Magolor:  "But what to do for Adeleine? No offense, but from what I've seen, she's pretty boring--...I MEAN! She's a good girl with a stable head on her shoulders!" (...No one heard me say that right??)

Magolor:  "But that makes it hard to imagine a good alternate mask for her. Maybe she gets more interesting in another timeline? Lor...? Do me a favor and search her dimensional signature for me!"

-

BZZT KSSH

Adeleine:"...You're not allowed to leave, Noir." Noir:"...I don't want to leave you either..."

-

Magolor:  "...Hmm? This looks different. ...I'd heard she had a brother, long, long ago. Is that what he looked like before he got turned into...?" (...You know what? I'm not ready to go there...)

-

King Dedede: "Hey, I think these two are still alive...!" Waddle Dee: "But...what are they...?" Meta Knight: "They don't look like anyone else alive on this planet." "Frozen remains of an extinct species?" "But how are they the only ones who..." King Dedede: "What they are is kids in need of help, obviously!" Meta Knight: "...Well, Kirby? It's your decision." (Hey, don't go above me! I'm the king here...!) Kirby: "I say we help them!"

-

Magolor:  "Ahh, yes, yes. And they get rescued! Happily ever after~! Just what I expected from Kirby and friends! ...Only difference I can see with her here is that she's not wearing that hat. Boy! Does that girl have a forehead you could park the Lor on or what? Heh he--"

-

Noir:"Adeleine...!! What did you DO to her?!" Dee Child: "We didn't do anything! We just asked if...!" Dee Child 2: "The ground!! It's turning to snow...?" Adeleine: "N...No...ir..." Dee Child: "Is that...her doing...?" Noir: "Don't TOUCH HER! Stay back...!" "...Stay away...from BOTH of us...!!"

-

Magolor:  "...Hmm? What's happening to...?" "O-Oh... Ohh Stars......."

-

""Is ts He un rk tr sa MD oe rm ea TS he ah nT Jo ut sn tI Mg yn Hi eh at ry tr .e Iv tE He ug rn tu sl IP no MT yt Sn oa uW lI""

-

Magolor:  "......Shut it off, Lor. Back out. Cancel the stream. Now."

- King Dedede: "Don'tcha hear them screamin' in there?!" Meta Knight: "...Of course I can! Which is exactly why we nee--!"

-

BZZT KSHOO

-

Magolor:  "................"

Magolor:  "...Boring is good, I think."

-

Magolor:  "Let's stick to boring."

-

-

-

-

Zero III's dialogue reads: "It hurts more than just my heart. It hurts in my Soul." "I want to plunge everything into the same Darkness."

-

Since we're here, I just wanted to take this moment to regale how hair-pulling it is to write Zero III's dialogue!

It starts with thinking up something somewhat fitting for both siblings to say (Adeleine's dialogue always leaning towards sad or naive, Noir's always leaning towards rage or guilt) then stretching and twisting and trimming till they are the exact same number of characters, which generally means making a good guess, finally flipping Noir's backwards and painstakingly inserting each letter after Adeleine's, one by one, until I realize I was off by ONE letter and have to start the WHOLE PROCESS over again!

This happens about three times per attempt. All to come up with a dialogue quirk that NO ONE can read and that I have to spoil what they say at the bottom of the post anyway! XD

-

Also, Magolor's feelings on Adeleine do not reflect my own!! I think she is a good girl (/genuine) and I apologize for writing up a bunch of timelines where awful things happen to her! (...Looking at my Marx, Magolor, DMK and others, that's kind of a theme with me, isn't it? ^^;;)

And while the sadness will continue for a while longer, I can assure you that Apologies DOES end with Adeleine, Noir, and the rest of their new family both safe and content!

[almightyhamslice]

KDL3 Stage 1-1: Tulip's stage!

I'm approaching these with a similar format to my KDL2 posts, except divided by stage rather than level since each stage is very unique in KDL3. This also means this is going to take me forever LOL. In terms of standalone ability drawings, each one will contain Kirby AND Gooey, since they have the same movesets. They're only placed next to each other for comparison though since like I said they can't BOTH wear the necklace at the same time. So far I think Gooey likes Spark the best!

This level has Rick and Nago, but I never used Rick since it was too risky-- too much of a chance of him accidentally stepping on the flowers!! Nago is preferential since he has 3 jumps. I would NEVER take Gooey here unless I was playing w 2 players though. His CPU is SO bad lmao (worse than any Helper in the original Super Star if you can imagine). That's how it is for the entire game quite frankly, but I REALLY like the idea of Kirby and Gooey going on the whole adventure together, so I'm pretending I did this whole thing with 2 people LOL.

I can tell you a little more about Nago since this post is very Nago centric! He's 19 years old and is honestly a completely normal guy... other than being able to turn into a giant cat anyways LOL. He can't use copy abilities for himself, but he's very crafty. He likes to help Kirby come up with new methods and angles to use his abilities. He has some difficulties befriending the other animal friends since he feels like he can't relate to them, so for now he's only friends with Kirby and Rick. He doesn't like when Kirby chooses to hang out with other friends over him. I guess that makes him n Rick more alike than I realized LOL. He is prone to expressing his emotions in catlike ways since he's a werecat.

I don't have much to say about this level's resident character, Tulip. She's a flower nymph, and she has 4... kids? counterparts? I don't know what they are to her. None of them transform, and the little flowers don't talk or anything, they just have eyes. Though, they can move underground by tunneling I think. Only between areas without grass though! They're very particular.

Ramblings abt Nago and calico cats in general under the cut since I have a special interest in cats and genetics:

So if you were unaware, calico cats (and tortoiseshell cats) are almost always female IRL! Thsi is because 'red' (orange) and black fur colors are both linked to the x chromosome, so a cat can only have 1 of those 2 per x chromosome. If the cat has only 1 x chromosome, it can only be red or black, never both. So this means that even though he's a male character, Nago must have 2 x chromosomes for his coat color to make sense. I think one could interpret him as transmasc, intersex, or they could say he has Klinefelter syndrome or some other chromosomal condition? So I chose to depict him as transmasc in my gijinka AU since I'm transmasc and he was my favorite animal friend when I was a kid!!

Did the designers working on KDL3 intend for him to be trans? Probably not, I think it was just an oversight. They wanted a funny cat character and calico is a very cute and popular color for cats! Though idk it is possible he was intentionally transgender since Kirby's probably like, the queerest popular nintendo mascot I can think of?? If he's gender neutral is it that farfetched for Nago to be trans or intersex? I don't know, I'm not his original designer.

Anyways another funny fact abt cats that Nago's designers might've known-- cats squint/close their eyes as a sign of trust in others! So Nago's eyes are usually shut because he's showing Kirby that he can trust him! (yes that means he's VERY upset when Kirby uses the needle ability or switches to a different animal friend cuz his eyes widen. TBF, if my friend was shooting chunks out of his face and turning them into needles, I'd be pretty distressed too LOL). I really like this detail cuz it means at least one person on the design team rlly rlly loved cats lol.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Had some ideas for how things might be going for the other SMG universes in Washed up Memories:

-All That Shit definitely wouldn't have stopped Jayin and Mr. L, so they still took Nimbus, Tulip, Irene and their worlds (they couldn't reach the Mushroom Kingdom to get Juliano any more than anyone else could, which was obviously not ideal, but it was... acceptable. really), and with the heart of the Meme Alliance shut off like that what should've been a rescue mission that lasted an arc and maybe a movie turned into a several months long all-out war with harsh losses on both sides (Tulip never really recovered from Olimar's death), not helped by the fact that it dragged out long enough to overlap with the Abyss's Computer Hell Jailbreak plan. They did manage to get the games back but it was. Bad. Real Bad.

-Gamer Girl, Zack, Jim and Larry were in the Pokemon world on one of their adventures when everything went wrong, so similar to Amy the three of them were spared from the whole Flood World thing at the expense of never being able to return home. Larry in particular Did Not Take It Well and struck out on his own across the internet, with rumors and brief glimpses across the centuries as the only trace any Adminspace-affiliated characters can find of him. Yes, even to this day. Koopas are magic turtles, Royal Koopas even moreso, and with a little luck their lifespan is essentially just Yes.

-Speaking of, between the SM64 Universe's problems and losing Olimar the Admins and Glitch Productions couldn't bring themselves to continue expanding the SMG Project. They still look after the existing Meme universes of course, but they won't make any more new ones

-No idea what eventually went down with the Grid but in this timeline it's now a legitimate company under Alyssa's control (I hc that for these Major Timeskip AUs IRL Time and Computer Time desynchronize for a while so it hasn't been hundreds of years IRL even though it has been inside) and the First Five MRU Universes ended up being the only MRU Universes. By sheer luck Astra and Piper weren't in the SM64 universe when everything went down.

-With just how long it's been, most of the original Chosen Avatars and Anchors are gone, either from old age or Incidents, with Kirby, Laharl and Timmy (who ended up becoming a Fairy at some point) as the last of the old guard. Since he's the oldest as far as "Time Spent as an Avatar" goes (and possibly overall but he'll never tell) Kirby's ended up in a similar position to Juliano's back in the day.

-Between losing her friends, losing her father figure, and What Ghosts Are Like, Floyd's been drowning in grief ever since it happened. There's a massive forest on the edge of Dreamland that's been completely devoid of life and color for as long as most of Popstar's inhabitants can remember.

-It's not all Doom and Gloom. Eventually GG decided that she did, in fact, return his feelings, and they've been together ever since. And yes, he is still around despite how long it's been thanks to GG's whole "turn character-levels into code-levels and back" power. They're actually currently the Admins of the Kirby universe (Look. Chip and Bandwidth are incredibly old even by Code Entity standards in the main AU's current time. Realistically they're not gonna be around forever and it makes sense that they'd name their surrogate granddaughter and her partner as their successors).

-Speaking of which the other two members of the First Four are also retired and/or dead (it's not really relevant which it is, considering), with Antivirus naming Mira and Amy (who also took the offer of GG's ascension power to stay with Mira) the new rulers/wardens of Computer Hell and Dave just following protocol (since he actually had a protocol to follow) and promoting whoever in the Archives was next in the chain of command.

-Jim did not do the ascension thing and just lived out the rest of his natural life in Dreamland. Possibly got hitched and had kids at some point I dunno it's not really relevant to the current situation.

-No one has given up on the SM64 Universe. The Admins and Meme Alliance are still doing whatever they can to try and either break in or at least make contact with someone on the inside.

(As usual if any of this doesn't fit with whatever you already have planned for the AU feel free to ignore it)

Oh, I love all these!! They fit super, super well. Sooo,, canon! All of em!

[dastardlydandelion]

i’ve honestly always wholeheartedly adored kirby tbh. i’ll never forget seeing scream 4 at a formative age and wanting to be just half as cool as her so bad lmaoo. i don’t know if this is really related at all but i think at least in 4, she was a little more flawed as a person than some people really pick up on. and i think those flaws genuinely make her a more interesting character. she’s a little rude, blunt, callous, whatever. doesn’t outwardly care too much about her friend getting brutally murdered right in front of her. still goes to stab-a-thon, has a good time, flirts with charlie, hosts an after party, brags about her movie knowledge. which good for her with the last one ❤️ but she does come off a little self involved. she’s also a teenager so. fair enough. but she obviously has a lot of good moments as well. she seems to care deeply for jill and shows a lot of courage, heart, and vulnerability in that final scene trying to save charlie’s life. she wasn’t perfect and that’s what makes her pretty compelling to me. i think mindy shares a lot of these qualities as well but she didn’t really get a heart and vulnerability moment like kirby did with the trying to save charlie debacle. i feel like she’ll be getting one in 6 though, not gonna lie. idk but i do love them both and i’m excited to see them again <3

agreed in full, buddy, agreed in full!!

and to be fair, as self-involved and blunt as she comes across, uh, even kirby's more callous lines don't compare to robbie tbh. iirc like, olivia's body is barely cold and he refers to her as "the girl who'll now never date me," or if not that exactly, something to the effect of it (now i have to re-watch scre4m yet again). like. fuck man.

also when kirby tried to save charlie (as far as she knew) and started shakily rattling off whatever remake come to mind, hayden panettiere's performance was so raw and compelling that on the first watch i didn't even realize it's supposed to be the film taking a crack at how derivative and lazy so many remakes are!! the commentary totally flew over my head bc i was so wrapped up in her urgency and desperation.

although my favorite kirby moment will always be when she yells at trevor after her interrupts her and charlie. her face is a whole mood, i swear if this movie had come out a handful of years later than it did kirby prolly would've become a reaction gif. 😂

and mindy! yes, ofc i adore mindy. and she is similarly kind of harsh. like when she refuses to go with richie to the basement and he goes alone and like, as soon as the door shuts behind him she's all, "well he's dead," and shoves her hand in a bag of chips. LMAO. to be fair tho, to be fair richie is irritating af and that prolly would've been my reaction too. anonymoose friend, i am sorry if u like richie but he just aggravates me, personally, he was getting on my nerves the whole movie.

i do feel we'll be getting more vulnerability from mindy come scream vi tho, more development for her character in general. jasmin savoy brown has the range!!! and already the super bowl ad heavily suggests her girlfriend is going to get killed.

i keep re-watching it (and all the other ads, ngl) trying to work out the mechanics of that scene.

it looks like anika is already wounded? she's covered in blood. yes, it could be someone else's blood but i'm thinking it's hers bc in the one shot it looks like mindy is helping her on the floor? it's blink-and-miss-it, but it's there, for the life of me tho, which trailer or tv spot was it in?? i don't remember, they're all blurring together. but also it seems that mindy gets on the ladder before anika does, that she's left her in the bloody bedroom (quinn's bedroom?) and that makes me wonder if the plan is for mindy to go first bc anika could potentially successfully play dead if ghostface enters the room, given that she's already injured. if that is the plan it clearly doesn't work, but. still.

anyway, yes, i love kirby and mindy and i'm very excited to see them both again and hopefully we'll get some good interactions between them too!!

[theultimateultimateweapon]

Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades (Chapter 5)

“Meta Knight is on another rampage!”

“Another one!?”

“Popular restaurants are being destroyed, one after another!”

“Don’t forgive Meta Knight at all! We should be angry!”

Such news ran through the galaxy in a blink of an eye. Captain Vul and the Meta Knights knew the confusion was inevitable. Of course, it was Beryl that was rampaging, but not everyone knew this.

After all, he was wielding the Galaxia pretending to be Meta Knight. He was even running around politely saying, “I’m Meta Knight! Remember it!”

“Damn…! Beryl!”

Captain Vul paced in the lobby and shook.

Javelin Knight said, “He’s going to ruin Meta Knight’s reputation and become the number one swordfighter in the galaxy. He’s doing a pretty good job at it too!”

“I won’t let him do that!” Captain Vul shouted.

“Well, the real Meta Knight will get better… I’m sure… I’m sure…” Captain Vul had a dark look.

Meta Knight was being treated with great care by well-known doctors. However, he still hadn’t regained consciousness. Thanks to the treatment he is stable, but if his condition continues for a long time it won’t matter.

“Yeah… let’s see what Kirby is doing!”

Captain Vul stomped and shouted. “Axe Knight! Contact Kirby!”

He ordered Axe Knight in the communications seat.

Axe Knight sighed. “Are you sure? We can’t do anything with Kirby and the others because we don’t know where the enemy will appear.”

“Yeah… I know! I know…!” He couldn’t help sitting by doing nothing.

Therefore, Captain Vul contacted Kirby and the others many times day and night to complain to them.

Axe Knight turned to the communication equipment.

Meanwhile, Kirby’s team was doing their best.

No matter how desperately they chased Beryl, their opponent was quick to escape. Even if they rushed to the news of Meta Knight’s rampage, he had already escaped. They couldn’t stop it.

What’s more, Kirby and his friends would arrive at the scenes and see restaurants with broken windows and destroyed towns. All they could hear were furious grudges against Meta Knight.

Even if Kirby and his friends told them “It’s a fake that’s rampaging!” no one cared.

People would even shout at them “Aren’t you a member of the Meta Knight!?”

“Sigh… I’m sorry!” Blade Knight kicked the stones at his feet.

King Dedede said with a moody face. “Why do we have to do this, it’s all because of Meta Knight!”

“Hey, shut your mouth!” Sword Knight and Blade Knight roared at King Dedede in unison.

“It’s not Meta Knight’s fault!”

“Yeah, it’s the fake doing these bad things!”

“Tch… I know that…” King Dedede sounded defeated.

Sword Knight’s child-like communication device started ringing.

King Dedede said with a disgusted face, “Well, it’s Captain Vul! Calling to complain all day instead of listening to what we’re going through…!”

It’s as he says, the captain has made millions of small calls throughout the day. Kirby and the others were fed up with it.

Sword Knight had no choice but to respond to the call. “Yes… this is Sword Knight…”

“This is Captain Vul,” came an annoyed voice. “How is the situation? Did you get any clues about Beryl?”

“No, it’s not good. He moves too fast… is there any new information on your end?”

“Umm… no.”

“How is Meta Knight?”

Unfortunately, Captain Vul gave a heavy answer. “He hasn’t woken up yet.”

“...Is that so…”

“The doctors are doing their best. Chase Beryl with all your might! We might catch him soon!”

“Of course.”

Sword Knight cut off communication.

Then…

“He...hello…”

Someone approached Kirby.

It was a little boy. Looking around Kirby and his friends, he spoke in a frightened manner. “You guys are chasing Meta Knight, right?”

“Yeah? What of it?”

When Blade Knight asked, the boy weakly replied.

“My town was attacked by Meta Knight. The flowers I cherished were also trampled…”

Tears came to the boy’s eyes.

“Please don’t give up. Defeat Meta Knight.”

Blade Knight said sullenly, “That’s a misunderstanding. It’s not Meta Knight who is rampaging. It’s a fake disguised as Meta Knight!”

“...Eh? But he was calling himself Meta Knight…?”

“It’s a lie. It’s a bad guy who’s disguised as Meta Knight, his real name is Beryl.”

“Is that so? I’m not sure… this…” The boy presented a piece of paper. “The man who attacked our town, dropped this paper.”

“What!?”

“I thought it might be a clue…”

“Show me!”

Blade Knight tried to grab the paper, but King Dedede snatched it from the side.

Immediately, King Dedede’s complexion changed. “This is…!”

“What’s on there!?”

“It’s a list of towns.” King Dedede showed the paper to everyone.

On the paper, the names of the towns that Beryl had attacked so far were written in order.

Sword Knight said, “This is… no way, Beryl’s plan…!?”

“Uhuh!” King Dedede snorted and nodded.

Blade Knight shouted with excitement. “In other words, we know the next town that he will attack!”

“Yes. At the end of the memo is ‘Planet Charm - Ancient Temple’!”

“He’s gonna attack that next!” Kirby jumped and shouted. “Let’s go! Let’s defeat Beryl!”

The boy who brought the note was relieved. “Good! Now you can get rid of Meta Knight.”

Sword Knight and Blade Knight screamed in anger. “Not Meta Knight!” “It’s a fake!”

“I-i’m sorry! Anyways, please defeat the bad guy, please!” The boy bowed down.

Waddle Dee called to the boy but he started to run. “Oh, wait. That…” However, he ran off without turning around.

Waddle Dee tried to chase after him, but the boy disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“I know… that kid… somehow…” Waddle Dee thought.

Regardless of what Waddle Dee thought, Kirby and the others knew what they had to do next.

Sword Knight shouted in a brave voice, “We’ve done it! This time we can get him!”

King Dedede nodded. “Uh, hurry up! Planet Charm!”

“Oh yeah, I have to tell Captain Vul.”

While Sword Knight was speaking to the communication device, Waddle Dee spoke up to King Dedede.

“Great King, I’m worried about something.”

“Oh? What?”

“That memo… is it real?” Waddle Dee looked worried.

“What?” King Dedede was stubborn.

“I think it’s suspicious.” Waddle Dee opened his arms and shouted. “Beryl is a very cautious and evil guy. How could he accidentally drop a note?”

“Mmm…? What do you mean?”

“The boy may have been Beryl in disguise.”

“...What!?” King Dedede was stunned.

Kirby, who was listening on the side, was surprised and shouted. “No way! He was a kind boy. He was totally different from Beryl!”

“It sure seemed so!” King Dedede laughed away. “No way, Waddle Dee. No matter how much, Beryl can’t turn into such a weak child!”

“Beryl is a master of disguise.” Waddle Dee became more and more anxious. “He can change his appearance and voice as he likes. If he can disguise himself as Meta Knight or Captain Vul, it must be easy to masquerade as a young boy.”

“Um… um… if you ask me…”

King Dedede thought with his arms folded.

Waddle Dee continued.

“And it’s weird that the last place written is an ancient temple, even though Beryl has only hit populated towns so far.”

“Yes, that’s right. There’s no reason to attack an unpopulated place like an ancient temple…” King Dedede nodded loudly. “That’s a good point, Waddle Dee. Now that I think of it, the speed of that escape was similar to Beryl’s. He could have disguised himself as a boy and handed us this memo to lure us in. That creep!”

At that time, Sword Knight finished his call.

“I told Captain Vul what was happening. The battleship Halberd is urgently heading to planet Charm.”

“Don’t go to Charm.” King Dedede told him what Waddle Dee had noticed.

“I see… I see.” Sword Knight heard the whole story and nodded. “Beryl tried to lure us out with that memo.”

Blade Knight also spoke up. “In other words, the ancient temple must have a trap like that pit. In that case, we should avoid it!”

“I have to tell Captain Vul. The trip to Charm must be cancelled.” Sword Knight got out his communication device.

However, Kirby shouted. “Yeah! Let’s go to planet Charm!”

“Kirby?” Blade Knight said, amazed. “Did you not hear the story? This is a trap.”

“I know, but if Beryl will be there, then we have to go.” Kirby’s eyes gleamed with power. “We’re chasing after Beryl. We finally have a clue, but if we don’t go after him, then we’ll be back to square one!”

King Dedede looked at the others.

Sword Knight pondered, and Blade Knight roamed around.

Usually, they agree to go with Kirby without hesitation. However, they’ve seen the horrors of Beryl’s traps. The last trap left Meta Knight wandering between the border of life and death. It’s too dangerous to walk right into a place they knew would be trapped…

It was King Dedede who opened his mouth first. “...Hmm. I know the situation is rough, but it’s exactly as Kirby says.”

Sword Knight and Blade Knight raised their faces.

King Dedede laughed bluntly and raised his fist. “Whether it’s a trap or whatever, we can’t afford to miss the chance! Let’s go to the planet Charm!”

Sword Knight and Blade Knight hesitated and nodded.

“...Oh, oh. Alright then.”

“We have to catch him as soon as possible.”

“Let’s go, and of course, be careful of his traps.”

Sword Knight and Blade Knight, as if they had decided together, put their hands on the handles of their swords and squeezed them tightly.

It was Kirby who blew away the heavy air. “Then, let’s go let’s go~! Before that, I want a snack!”

“A, a snack?”

Both knights looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Hey, Kirby!”

“Don’t play around!”

“Play? What are you talking about!” Kirby replied with a serious look. “We’re going to beat Beryl! We’ll be in trouble if we go on an empty stomach!”

“I’m telling you, you guys!”

“Be serious!”

“I am serious!” Kirby looked up at the sky and shouted. “Seriously, we’ll need some snacks! Cookies, chocolate, candy! If we only have sweets we’ll get bored, so rice crackers and popcorn too!”

“Not so fast, Kirby!” King Dedede slammed Kirby with a harsh voice. 

Waddle Dee looked up at him with respect.

The great king turned around and said, “You really think that’ll feed you? If you’re like me you’ll need a huge shortcake and 100 large rice cakes!”

“...Your majesty…” Waddle Dee gave us his respect and dropped his face.

Kirby’s eyes shined. “Yes! Then, 100 meat buns and 100 steamed buns!”

“We’ll also need a drink. Maybe strawberry juice, cream soda…”

“And apple juice and orange juice! And coffee, milk, cocoa, and…!”

If they kept going, it seemed like they would go on forever.

“Okay, okay. You can buy as many snacks as you want. We need to go!”

(Chapter 4 - Table of Contents - Chapter 6)

[maxwell-grant]

One last one for the moment; top five superheroes who definitely AREN'T Pulp Heroes, but could be with a little tweaking?

Oof, that's a hard one. It's a hard one because, again, there ultimately isn't that much separation between the two to the point there's enough of a hard line in there to work with, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now that I've staked claims on there being differences between them.

Okay so, not counting superheroes who are deliberately modeled after actual pulp heroes, so no Tom Strong or Night Raven here. I'm sticking mainly with comic book superheroes (barring one oddball exception) since the medium separation is important), who I think could become pulp heroes with some tweaking.

5: Captain America

Sort of cheating because I already covered it here, but I definitely have to include Captain America in here, especially in the stories they actively go for a "pulp" vibe as well as the earliest ones.

Fun fact about Marvel: As Timely, they actually began life as pulp publishers. Not just pulp publishers, but specializing in some of the sleaziest, ghastliest magazines of the era, and you can bet this carried over to their superheroes. Where as DC's superheroes took inspiration from the big pulp heroes such as The Shadow and Doc Savage, Timely's superheroes seemed instead much more inspired by Weird Tales stories and Poverty Row horror films, and even in the 60s, Marvel never really abandoned their horror roots, the trick was just using them as a baseline to create superheroes. In DC, the world's first contact with superheroes begins with the world looking in wonder at a friendly strongman. In Marvel, it began with the world looking in panicked horror at a flaming monster rampaging through the streets desperately trying to not burn everything it touches. It should come to little surprise then that the majority of characters I'm including in this list are Marvel characters.

People think Captain America's first comics largely consisted of him fighting Nazis left and right, but they were actually much more often based around him encountering monsters and creatures of horror, like the above panel where it looks like Cap's staring down the beginning of Berserk's Eclipse (RIP Miura).

The early Captain America comics pretty much consisted of Kirby dipping his toe into the monster comics he'd make in the 50s which would later bleed into the 60s Marvel entourage. They even tried repackaging Captain America into a horror anthology in the 50s titled "Captain America's Weird Tales", just imagine how different the character would be today if that somehow stuck.

Imagine a world where Steve Rogers never became leader of The Avengers, never got to become the shining beacon of heroism of an entire universe, and instead, when he was unfrosted, he woke up to find a world running rampant with crawling nightmares and Nazi tyranny, and he has no idea what's become of his former sidekick. That definitely sounds like the start of a promising pulp adventure.

4: Namor

Another Timely creation. In Namor's case, he didn't so much encounter horrors from beyond imagination, as much as HE was the terrifying thing beyond us ready to rampage upon mankind, whose first on-screen act consists of the calculated slaughter of a ship full of innocents. The first true villain protagonist of comic books. Not just an anti-hero, a villain intent on wiping out the human race.

And not just a cardboard supervillain, but the beautiful prince of a race of ugly fish monsters, a momma's boy who's doing what he thinks is right by warring with surface dwellers. While Namor's become largely defined by his gargantuan arrogance, here, he's almost childlike, despite being much more brutal and villainous here, spurred on by the whims of his mother, who even acknowledges that Namor had no real reason to kill the divers but did so anyway, and now encourages him to genocide. His mom even tells him "Go now, to the land of white people!", and the very last panel of the story even states he's on a "crusade against white men".

The massacre of explorers at the hands of something beyond their understanding. A monster born of an interracial coupling. A race of fish monsters with bulging eyes, antagonistic towards humanity but are shown to have positive traits just the same. A dash of racism. There is no mistaking The Sub-Mariner's pulp horror influence.

A non-white superhuman warrior born from a Lovecraftian horror story, who gradually moves away from his villainous crusade into becoming more of an anti-hero, never truly putting aside his hatred for humanity, remaining a temperamental, unpredictable outcast, with a strong, palpable undercurrent of anger in his stories. I could very easily buy Namor as having crawled out of a Weird Tales story and I can't think of other superheroes whose origins are as steeped deeply in pulp horror.

3: Doctor Fate

Technically we already have a pulp hero version of Doctor Fate in Doc Fate, and I'll get to him separately, but even besides him, the earliest Doctor Fate stories in particular feel very much like he's a character steeped in the worlds of pulp and pulp horror who decided to put on a superhero costume and show up in comic.

He's got a similar set-up to The Shadow, from the pulp Shadow in the sense that he's a mysterious, eerie crimefighter who dwells as a presence more often than an active character and who kills criminals without remorse, always watching and waiting for the right time to strike as a a wrathful old-testament force of vengeance, and from the radio Shadow due to him using superpowers to fight crime while being accompanied by a smart, fierce love interest.

Originally, Fate was not a sorcerer, but instead a scientist who discovered a way to manipulate atomic structure, of his and other things, thus making it appear that he can do magic (although we never see his face, and he's implied to be thousands of years old, before they settled on the Nabu origin). And going back to Lovecraft, a lot of it appears in the earliest Fate stories. Fate was given powers not by a sorcerer, but an alien worshipped as a god. He barely encounters traditional monsters, but instead contends with hidden races, zombie slaves, abandoned alien monoliths, and half man and half fish creatures. Fate may have actually been the very first pastiche of Lovecraft in pop culture.

And of course we can't forget the gloriousness of Doc Fate pulling an Indiana Jones on us.

2: Wolverine

I don't even think you'd have to tweak Wolverine at all. You'd just have to get him out of the costume and Avengers/X-Men associations (although the X-Men have a substantial background in pulp sci-fi stories like Slan and Odd John, so they aren't really at odds here), maybe tone down his powers a bit and, that's it. Logan's already the kind of character who has such a varied sandbox history, whose powers can lead to so many different scenarios, that it's not a stretch at all to picture Wolverine in the usual pulp hero scenarios.

You can have half-naked Wolverine running around in the jungle with animals Tarzan-style, take him to Savage Land if you wanna throw dinosaurs in there. He's already Marvel's foremost "wandering samurai/cowboy" character which was one of the stock and trade types of the pulps. Western? Done. Samurai? Done. Wuxia? Just put him in China and add a couple extra fantasy elements. Wanna make a sword and sorcery story with him? He already comes with a bunch of knives and savagery and ability to survive grisly injuries. Horror? The MCU is crawling with them, or alternatively, tell a story from the perspective of someone who's being hunted down by Wolverine. Wanna tell a detective/noir/post-apocalypse story? Logan's right there.

Wanna have him crossover with pulp heroes? He's lived through the 1800s and 1900s and traveled all over the world, you could feasibly have him meet up with just about any of them. Logan may actually be the purest example of your question, because he's very much not a Pulp Hero, and yet, he definitely feels like a character who could have been one, at just about any point in the history of pulp magazines. He's perfect for it.

1: Wario

WAAA-okay, look, bear with me for a second here, I'm not just picking Wario because I love oddball choices and he's one of my favorite characters, I got some logic to this.

Okay so, the first question here: is Mario a superhero? While I'm usually adverse to calling characters prominent outside of comic books superheroes (hence why I'm definitely not interested in debating whether Harry Potter or Goku or Link or Frodo are superheroes), I do think it's a pretty shut case that, yes, Mario is a superhero. Superheroes don't just come in the form of skintight crimefighters, right from the start comic books have had varied types of superheroes appearing in comics and comic strips. For example, the "funny animal" superheroes are a type older than superhero comics, and they were arguably not only the most successful type of superhero of the 40s-50s era, but arguably defined trends dominating nonfunny animal superheroes, traits that predated or influenced Captain Marvel as well as Otto Binder's reshaping of Superman that defined much of superhero convention as we know it. It's part of why the question of "Is Sonic a superhero" has a very clear Yes as an answer.

So upon establishing that, yes, funny cartoon characters can be and are superheroes too, is Mario one? Well, I'd say yes. He's got an iconic uniform, he's got superpowers, he goes on fantastical adventures, he is both a nebulously general do-gooder as well as having a clear mission as protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. His adventures span multiple storytelling formats, he's got catchphrases, he even dresses up in Superman's colors and has a Super prefix iconically associated with him. Not a superhero the way we usually think of, but a superhero nonetheless.

And Wario? Well, putting aside Wario-Man who's more of a running gag than anything, Wario does just about everything Mario does. He's got all the traits that define Mario as a superhero short of a Super prefix and the selfless mission (which isn't exactly a rule). He goes around and gets into crazy adventures, he picks up items, beats bad guys, conquers the odds, and gets some kind of prize for it. He's got Mario's physical traits, and Mario's costume, and just about the same name short of a single letter. The caveat being, of course, that he's Wario, and so everything Mario is or does has to be exaggerated to gross extreme.

Mario is paunchy and strong, Wario's round and built like a powerlifter. Mario's got a friendly face and a fluffy mustache, Wario's got a massive horrible grin and jagged razors for a stache. Mario is a bit of an overeater, Wario can and will eat anything in front of him. Mario gets around with acrobatics and magic power-ups, Wario brute forces his way through everything and just rolls with whatever injuries he picks up along the way.

Mario gets fire powers by consuming magic flowers. Wario sets himself on fire and barrels around destroying everything in his path. Mario harnesses the elements or abilities of beings around him to clear obstacles and solve puzzles, Wario gets turned into a zombie, a vampire or a drunk to get the same things done. Mario befriends and rides dinosaurs who raised him from infancy, Wario piledrives dinosaurs and then uses their bodies to beat up more dinosaurs. Mario pals around with fellow heroes, princesses and friendly fantasy creatures, Wario pals around with aliens, witches, mad scientists, cab drivers, and lanky weirdos. Mario always ends his adventures joyfully leaping to the next one, Wario usually ends up either cackling in a pile of treasure or completely broke.

Mario races through plains to rescue princesses, Wario invades pyramids to hunt for treasure. Mario jumps through planets with baby stars guiding his path, Wario crashes into the Amazon jungle and fistfights the devil. You can see where I'm going with this.

If you were to take one of Nintendo's heroes to make them into pulp heroes, Wario, specifically the Wario Land Wario, may be the only one who really could do it, because in essence, he's the videogame equivalent of Professor Challenger. He's Bluto moonlighting as Indiana Jones, the weird brute adventurer for weird brute adventures where everything's off limits and you can trust our intrepid hero, who really shouldn't be a hero on all accounts, to deliver us a good time, give or take a couple deaths, scams, shams and oh-damns to complete said mad treasure hunts.

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

The car stopped at the entrance of the diamond mine. Mr. Fugo got out of the car and glared at his subordinate.

"Take the hostage and come with me. Don't let him escape."

"Understood."

"Mr. Fugo ... " Waddle Dee looked up at him. "If you start the ancient machine, it will cause a huge crisis in the Town of Wind."

"Hmph. I deciphered the ancient characters," Mr. Fugo said as he walked quickly. Waddle Dee pleaded with him.

"Please. Don't make everyone in the Town of Wind unhappy ... " 

"Don’t you know? This diamond mine belongs to me. The machine found here is, of course, my own. What’s wrong with doing as I please?" Waddle Dee stared at Mr. Fugo with sad eyes, but Mr. Fugo didn’t even look at him and hastened ahead.

They headed into the far depths of the mine. Eventually, they arrived at a large den with a huge machine in the middle of an open area. Waddle Dee was wide eyed. The ancient machine had a mysterious shape—there were things like eyes and a mouth attached to it, and it looked very similar to a cat's face.

"This is ... the ancient machine ...? " Waddle Dee murmured. That made Mr. Fugo laugh. 

"That’s it! It's a great invention that will make me extremely wealthy! It’s much more valuable than diamonds! The greatest treasure in the world is mine!" Mr. Fugo walked over to the machine with the three gears in hand.

"Power of an ancient civilization ...! " He fitted the first gear into the machine. There was a rattling noise, and light shone from its first eye.

"Give me money ...! " He fitted the second gear. Another sound, and light shone from the second eye.

"Give me more money than anyone could spend in a thousand years—!" He shouted and fitted the final gear into the machine.

Waddle Dee drew back. A mysterious sound rang out, like the meow of a cat. The ancient machine awoke from its long slumber, and finally began to move.

Kirby and others caught up shortly after Mr. Fugo entered the diamond mine. They chased him cautiously so they wouldn’t be noticed. Mr. Fugo had just walked up to the ancient machine with the gears in hand the moment the group arrived at the discovery site. 

"Wait, President Dedede! Don't go out yet!" Kirby stopped President Dedede from jumping out.

"Kirby! What’s the holdup!? Fugo is going to put the gears in the machine!"

"It’s okay, watch."

"Can’t you see!? If this goes on, the Town of Wind ...! "

"Shh! Shut up!" 

"But ...! " 

"Kirby has a strategy, President Dedede. Let's do what he asks of us," Meta Knight told the impatient president.

"That’s right! Let’s believe in the strategy of Kirby!"

"Magolor! Why do you seem to be our ally!"

"Eh? I'm everyone's ally!"

"Shh! Be quiet!"

In any case, the party held their breath and watched Mr. Fugo from the shadows. The gears were fitted in one by one, and the eyes of the machine shone and regained power. President Dedede let out a groan of despair.

"Come on ... the Town of Wind is going to fall to ruin! What are you going to do, Kirby ...! "

Kirby stared at the ancient machine. 

"Okay!"

The machine made a squeaky noise like a cry of a cat as it operated. Mr. Fugo waved his hands and skipped around, cheering.

"Yes! I did it, I did it! I am the world! No, I am the universe! I am rich!"

Brrrum ...! There was a tremendous noise. —And in that moment, the mine began to transform. The rough diamonds shifted in hue. Mr. Fugo was so delighted he started dancing.

"More precious than diamonds! The greatest jewels in history—!" Meta Knight, President Dedede, and Daroach all looked around in a daze. From somewhere came a pleasant, sweet smell.

"W ... what ...? This is ... this scent is ...! " Meta Knight mumbled. 

Daroach moaned. "It’s chocolate ...! "

Precisely. The rough diamonds in the mine transformed into fragrant chocolate one after the other. Daroach scooped up some of the soft chocolate with his finger and licked it. Immediately, his face shone.

"Delicious! I’ve never had such fine chocolate. A rare treasure, this one ...! " 

" ... Huh ... It’s chocolate!?" President Dedede scooped up some and licked it as well. His eyes widened. "Uh ... uwaugh ...! What is this!"

"Hooray! It worked, Waddle Dee!" Kirby rushed over to Waddle Dee who jumped at him with both hands spread.

"That was incredible! My heart’s pounding!"

"Mine too, but it was exactly as you thought, Waddle Dee! Exactly as you expected!" Meta Knight called out to the pair holding hands and jumping with joy.

" ... Kirby, Waddle Dee. Did you two know this would happen?" They nodded, full of energy. "Please explain. What is all this ... " he said and glanced away. 

A bit farther away was Mr. Fugo. He was lying down, awestruck, dreaming of money that could never be used up and still unaware of what had happened. 

"What a pity. His face when he learns the truth will be a sight to see. Kirby, Waddle Dee. I’m asking you for an explanation," Meta Knight repeated.

"Uh-huh!" The two nodded and started to talk.

First, Kirby said, "It was Waddle Dee who found the clue. He deciphered the meaning of the scribbled ancient characters at the bottom of the photo!"

"Really? Was the truth written there?" Meta Knight asked.

"Yup!" Kirby replied with a smile. "That scribble meant something like this ... " Kirby and Waddle Dee spoke in unison.

"I hate chocolate!" 

" ..... Huh?" Meta Knight, Daroach, and President Dedede stared blankly at the two.

"What do you mean? ‘I hate chocolate ...? ‘" President Dedede said.

"That’s right. That sentence scrawled there was the soulful cry of the great ancient wizard." 

"Soulful cry ...? " While President Dedede shook his head, something clicked in Meta Knight's.

"Really!" he shouted. "The ancient text definitely said the ancient machine ‘turned stone into priceless material.’ Of course, I thought it meant any stone lying around, but it wasn’t like that at all. Did ‘stone’ refer to these rough diamonds?"

Daroach whistled. "I get it. ‘Priceless material’ meant chocolate. I've heard about this. Chocolate is still a luxury item, but in the old days, that wasn’t the case. It used to sell for much higher than diamonds ... "

Waddle Dee nodded. "The ancient machine was a machine that turned solid diamonds into chocolate, so the aristocrats profited and became very rich," he said.

"I see. Chocolate also gives off a sweet scent that spreads all throughout town. The ‘stink’ was the scent of chocolate," Meta Knight said.

"Yes, the wizard couldn't stand the sweet scent because he hated chocolate, so he pulled out the gears and sealed them."

"The rough diamonds that were here originally were changed into chocolate by the ancient machine, but when the machine stopped working, it changed back into diamonds. Now, it’s returned to chocolate again. Huh! That Fugo’s a nice guy," President Dedede said.

Everyone's eyes were on Mr. Fugo. He had finally returned to his senses, and was sitting down looking around relentlessly, though drowsily.

"I ... it’s ...? Than diamonds ... the treasure that can make a lot of money ... where ...? " Daroach began to laugh.

"Ahaha! Sorry, Fugo. Your diamond mine has turned entirely into chocolate."

"Wh ... what ...? Why ...? " He didn't seem to understand yet. He was speechless and wide-eyed.

"Was you being held hostage part of the plan?" Meta Knight asked Waddle Dee. Waddle Dee nodded.

"That's right. We couldn’t win unless we let Mr. Fugo have the gears. I decided to get caught so we could hand them over without suspicion."

"I told him to think of a different plan because I thought it was too dangerous, but he said it was okay," Kirby said. "I was worried because I wasn’t sure if everyone would drop their weapons for Waddle Dee, but ... " Kirby looked up at President Dedede. "President Dedede rushed to help him right away! I couldn’t believe it!" 

"S-so noisy!" The president turned red and swung his fists. "I’m in trouble if I don’t have a mechanic! Waddle Dee’s just nice and convenient to have around because he works so hard!" 

"Thank you, President Dedede." Waddle Dee bowed deeply.

"Hmph! How inexcusable! You tricked me by teaming up with Kirby. From now on I’ll work you harder than ever, so be prepared!" 

"Yes, okay!"

While everyone talked, Mr. Fugo stood up, staggering.  

"My diamonds ... my property ... it’s all over ... everything is over ...! " he moaned with hollow eyes.

"It's not over," Meta Knight said. "From this moment on, your wrongdoings will be exposed."

"What ...? " Mr. Fugo’s deep blue face turned red. He glared at Meta Knight with fury in his eyes. "Was it wrong? What did I do wrong?"

"Don’t play dumb. You wanted money and were planning on bringing the Town of Wind to ruin for it!"

"I was? I was planning that despite being so highly respected by the people? No way!" Mr. Fugo laughed brazenly. "I am always thinking the best for them. I was planning on starting the ancient machine to enrich the town and make everyone happy!"

"You were the only one who was going to be happy. For that reason, you thought it would be okay to destroy the Town of Wind."

"Not at all! I was planning on creating a new town for all of the residents here. I wanted more food for them too, and to have plenty of places for people to play so that everyone could be happier than they are now."

"That’s a lie!" Waddle Dee shouted. "I heard. I asked you not to make everyone in the Town of Wind unhappy, but you said, ‘Don’t you know? What's wrong with doing as I please?’"

"What did you say? You couldn’t have heard me say such a terrible thing." 

"But I heard you clearly ... "

Mr. Fugo smiled at Waddle Dee fearlessly. "Who will listen to your words? I am the most admired man in this town. The citizens will, without a doubt, place their trust in me!" Then—there was a gentle voice.

"No, no ... I also heard clearly. You said you were going to trample the Town of Wind, Fugo."

" ... Eh?" Kirby and his friends startled. The man who came forward was dressed in black. It was Mr. Fugo’s subordinate, who had captured Waddle Dee.  

Mr. Fugo was aghast. "W ... what ... You are ...!? " he said.

The man stroked his face. It transformed as if he had removed a mask. He was an older gentleman with a white beard.

"Oh—!? The old man of the Magic Guild!" Kirby shouted.

"T-the— Elder—!? W-what!?" Magolor shouted as well, so shocked he nearly toppled over. The one who took off his disguise and revealed his true face, and the one who gifted Kirby the Star Compass, was the Elder of the Magic Guild. The Elder smiled. 

"If Waddle Dee tells what really happens, and I testify, I think the truth will be communicated to the citizens."

"W ... what do you mean? Old man, why are you here ... " 

"The blood of the wizard was blessed. When I heard the ancient machine was found, I couldn’t stand still," the Elder replied when Kirby asked.

"In other words, you disguised yourself as Fugo's subordinate so you could see the ancient machine ...? " Meta Knight said.

"That’s right!" He nodded exaggeratedly.

"Now someone who might be the Guild Elder pops up ... There’s too much going on," Daroach muttered.

The Elder looked back and squinted at the large machine. "Wonderful ... As you said, I concealed myself because I wanted to see it with my own eyes. A beautiful figure ... just as the legend said ... "

"Legend?" Kirby asked. "There’s a legend about the ancient machine?"  

"Uh-huh. It has been passed down through the Magic Guild since ancient times." 

"Then, old man, you knew the ancient machine was really a machine that turned diamonds into chocolate?"

"No, not just that." The Elder shook his head slowly. "That’s not the sole purpose of the ancient machine. It’s a machine that fulfills everyone's wishes."

"Wishes ...? "

"Mhm. It's said that any wish will come true. Long ago, the residents in this town probably wanted to eat a lot of sweet chocolate. This machine was able to make that happen. Though the gears were pulled out and it remained dormant for a long time, it has now, again, regained its strength."

"Really ...! Then I have to thank those ancient residents," Daroach said. "Thanks to their wishes, we can eat a lot of good chocolate."

"Waddle Dee! It was just as you said, Waddle Dee!" Kirby took Waddle Dee's hands and bounced excitedly. "Waddle Dee said that it would be nice if the ancient machine could fulfill everyone’s wishes! Amazing! Right on the mark!"

"Uh ... Uh-huh ... "

"The ancient machine has fulfilled Waddle Dee's wish! We can eat chocolate until our stomachs burst!"

"Heh ... hehehe ... I can eat the chocolate I’ve longed for, for the first time in my life ... I can’t believe it ... " Waddle Dee said, blushing. He reached out and covered his hand in chocolate, then hesitated. "But ... I’m nervous ... Heh ... Really ... can I eat this ...? " Waddle Dee withdrew his hand and stretched it out again anxiously. 

"Yeah! What are you doing!? Do you or do you not want to eat it!" the short-tempered President Dedede yelled at him.

"I-I want to eat it!" Waddle Dee hurriedly licked the bit of chocolate. The moment he did, tears slowly surfaced in his eyes.

Kirby was surprised. "What’s wrong, Waddle Dee!? Is the chocolate not delicious ...? " 

"It’s different! What is this! This is chocolate ...!? " Waddle Dee shouted and wiped his tears. "10,000 times more than I had imagined ... No, a million times more sweet and delicious than I had imagined! I can't believe something so delicious exists ... It’s incredible!"

"Alright! Well then, here’s where my specialty comes into play. The race to make the best sweets is on," Daroach said with a laugh.

"Huh?"

"Chocolate can be eaten as it is, but it’ll be even more delicious if you use it for parfaits and cakes." He nimbly flipped over his cloak and put away his silk top hat. "Starting today, Diamond Town will be renamed to Chocolate Town. To celebrate, let’s feast on some of the best sweets!"

"Really!? Yippee!" Kirby leapt up into the air. President Dedede and Waddle Dee (and Magolor too, while they were at it) pranced about. The Elder of the Magic Guild also smiled happily.

"Outstanding sweets! I'm glad I’ve lived for so long."

Behind the happy group, however, someone stared bitterly. It was Mr. Fugo, of course. He mumbled and muttered in a low, envious voice.

"Chocolate Town ... I refuse ... This town is ... Diamond Town is ... It’s mine ...! " He jumped onto the ancient machine with surprising vigor. Mr. Fugo was trying to remove the gears again. 

"Stop, Fugo!" Meta Knight shouted when he noticed. But faster than he could stop—the eyes of the ancient machine moved steadily. An intense light shone from them.

"Ahh!" Kirby and his friends involuntarily cried out and shut their eyes.

—When they opened them again, Mr. Fugo was gone. Instead, where he once stood, there now sat a large clump of dripping, melted, chocolate.

"W ... what ... That’s horrible!" the Elder shouted out in fear. "It's the curse of an ancient civilization! Fugo had the wrath of the ancient machine brought upon him and turned into chocolate ...! "

" ... Huh!?" Kirby and the others were shocked.

"That’s so ... so ...! I'm so sorry ...! " Waddle Dee said, shaking.

"H-hmph! He was repaid for his evil deeds," President Dedede said, turning away.

"That's right ... though this is ... too much ... It’s a pitiful fate," Meta Knight said in a quiet voice.

... Then, the lump of chocolate began to move. Kirby looked at it and shouted.  

"That!? That chocolate seems to be alive ...!? " 

Arms extended from the clump and started wiping off the chocolate that clung to its entire body. The chocolate ran down, and Mr. Fugo's grimace appeared.

Daroach was taken aback. " ... What. He didn’t turn into chocolate, he was just covered with it," he said.

" ... Didn’t you say it was a curse of an ancient civilization ...? " Magolor looked at the Elder suspiciously. The Elder blushed and rephrased.  

"I said it was a curse that covered one with chocolate. That’s the wrath of the ancient machine. Oh, so horrible!" 

Mr. Fugo spit out the chocolate that got in his mouth. 

"S-s-sweet! Disgusting!" he yelled. "I ... I ...! " And then, he repeated the same words as the great wizard of ancient times. 

"I hate chocolate—!"

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[prettyboyjackhughes]

-Little Crosby- |D. Cozens| [Part 3]

Part 3! Honestly, I think this might be my favorite part so far! But thank you for all the support and love you guys have given this story so far! Also, thanks to @prettyboycozens​ for all her amazing ideas and support she’s given me! Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!

Also, here’s the link for the playlist again!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HG4PMWBlx3woCb5T33wXY?si=28fe34362e8b4442

Dylan and I spent almost every free minute I had together after that night. Dad’s busy with business things and the uncles have been doing God knows what all day, every day. So really, Carter and I have spent the last week of our trip by ourselves. Dad actually decided we’re going to stay in Toronto for the rest of the month and the first half of next month, giving me more time with Dylan.  Taylor went to visit some college friends back in Nova Scotia and had offered to take us with her, since Grandma and Grandpa were there but we decided to stay in Toronto. Carter and Kirby were together just as much, but they mainly just made out and cuddled.

As the 4 of us pile into Kirby’s car to go get ice cream late one Friday night, Carter and Kirby in the front seat, and Dylan and I in the backseat, Dylan won’t let go of my hand.

“Dill Pickle, I’m not going anywhere. You can let go.” I say, patting his knee as Kirby starts the car. Dill Pickle is the nickname I started calling him the other day and have now decided it’s his new nickname.

“Nope, I like it better this way.” He says, tugging me across the seat so I’m closer to him. As we start to drive, Carter starts to play music, gracing us with her awesome DJ skills.

“This is shitty music.” Kirby says, looking over at Carter. Her brow furrows.

“If you want what we talked about later, you’ll shut up and deal with my shitty music.” She says, leaning towards him. He smirks and leans over to steal a kiss. I attempt to keep my eyes from rolling and look over at Dylan who is paying no attention to anything going on in the car.

“What even is this?” Kirby asks, his hand slipping over between Carter’s thighs. Their relationship is much more physical than Dylan and mine is. And honestly, I’m okay with that. I like taking things slow with Dylan.

“This is the wonderful, amazing, talented band One Direction who happens to be the loves of Ava and I’s lives.” Carter says, looking back at me with a smile. I nod and Dylan suddenly rejoins the conversation.

“I know this song!” He says, tapping on my hand with his thumb. I laugh and lean my head on his shoulder.

“I have loved you since we were 18…” He sings terribly. I laugh as he looks up at me. And as he looks up at me, my heart flutters. The words he just sang register in my mind.

“Oh wow.” I mutter, shifting away from Dylan.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asks, sitting up and looking over at me.

“N-Nothing. No I’m okay.” I say as Kirby pulls the car into a parking spot at the ice cream place. Carter glances back, checking to see that I’m okay and I nod quickly, keeping my hand clutched in Dylan’s.

“What ice cream are you gonna get? I think I might get…” Dylan says, his voice trailing off. Carter and Kirby walk inside but Dylan pulls me to a stop.

“Hey, Avs. You okay?” He asks, wrapping his arms around my waist and looking at me.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” He raises an eyebrow and looks down at me.

“You’re freaking over something, I can tell.” I shake my head, attempting to step back away from him.

“Ava, come on. Tell me.” Dylan asks, his eyes begging.

“You said that you love me. Earlier. In the song? I-I didn’t think we were there yet. I mean, we aren’t even together yet!” I say, finally bursting. Dylan steps back, a confused look on his face.

“Wait, Ava, you’re freaking out over that?” He says, looking down at me.

“I know it’s stupid and that I shouldn’t be freaking out but I am!” I say, throwing my hands up in the air. He pulls them down, trapping my fingers between his.

“Ava, Ava! It’s okay! You want to know how I feel? What’s happened between us over the last month? I never thought I’d fall this hard for someone, especially someone who just appeared in my life. You’re...You’re the most important thing to me and I love being around you. You’re beautiful and funny, sometimes.” He says, looking down and smirking at me. I roll my eyes and he starts to talk again.

“I guess what I’m saying is, I want you to be my girlfriend. But I need to be honest. What I’m saying is, I don’t not love you.” My heart falls, just for a second, but then I realize what he just said.

“You jerk! I love you too.” I say, swatting his shoulder as he pulls me in and hugs me to his chest.

“Now that you know that, can we please go get ice cream?” He asks before he presses his lips to my cheek. I nod and we walk into the ice cream parlor. Kirby and Carter and huddled in a corner booth, both eating their ice cream. Carter rushes over to me as I tell Dylan that I want a vanilla milkshake.

“You two took forever. Did you get lost?” She asks, nudging me as Dylan orders for the two of us. Carter and I head back towards the table Kirby is sitting at. As we reach him, he stands up and plants a kiss on Carter’s lips.

“Mmm, you taste like chocolate.” She says. I turn to look back at Dylan who is now licking his ice cream and hands me my milkshake.

“Can we go to that park out by the pond?” I ask, looking over at Dylan next to me. He looks over at Kirby who nods.

“I call the car!” Kirby says, nudging Dylan as we walk out to the car. Carter looks over at me with an evil grin on her face. I roll my eyes and sling my arm over her shoulders.

“Be responsible kids!” I say as we climb in the car. Kirby laughs and shakes his head.

We’re all pretty quiet on the drive over to the park, finishing our ice cream. The only noise is the radio playing quietly and the noises from my straw. We pull into the parking lot of the park, which the sign says closes at dark but there’s no one around to stop us from going in. Dylan leads me out of the car and we settle on the ground next to some trees.

“You know you get the most boring ice cream in the entire world, right?” Dylan says, nudging me as I curl into his chest.

“Mhm. What did you end up getting?” I ask, looking at him as he eats the last bite of his cone.

“It was some Hawiian island thing. Pretty good but not the best thing I’ve had.” He says, smiling down at me as I glanced up at him. His eyes find mine and then flick down to my lips. I climb onto his lap and wrap my arms around his neck.

“You’re pretty.” He says as his lips brush against mine.

“You’re a cutie.” I say as his lips finally hit mine. It takes my breath away in a second. It’s everything I wished it would be and more. He knows exactly what to do and it makes my mind race. But the longer it goes on, the harder it gets for me to breath.

“Hold on hold on.” I gasp, pulling away from Dylan.

“I-I can’t breath.” I choke out. He looks at me, concerned. As I gasp, his face goes from concerned to terrified.

“Carter!” He yells, looking between me and the car. Somehow she hears him and gets out of the car. As I sit there, struggling to breath and choking every breath out, Carter starts to yell in spanish at Dylan, something she does when she’s stressed or angry.

“¿Qué sucedió? ¿Qué le hiciste a ella?” She yells, running towards us. Kirby gets out behind her, his hair messed up.

“I don’t know what you’re saying. Don’t yell at me!” He yells back.

“¡Idiota, llama a su papá o al 911 o algo así!” She yells again. Kirby finally steps up and is the voice of reason.

“Either call her dad or call 911! Don’t just stand there!” Dylan finally snaps out of shock and grabs my phone. Dad and all my uncles’ numbers are in my emergency contacts. So all he has to do is slide the lock screen and press Dad’s name.

“It’s ringing! Oh God.” He says, holding his hand up and showing everyone how much he’s shaking.

“Hi, um I’m your daughter’s boyfriend, Dylan. Um we’re taking her to the hospital. Because I think she’s having an allergic reaction.” He says, running his hand through his hair. He glances between me and Carter, a terrified look on his face.

“Yes Sir. Yes Sir. I’ll have Carter text you what hospital. Okay, bye.” He sticks my phone in his pocket then helps me to my feet as I fight for every breath. The next 45 minutes are a complete blur. Kirby rushes us to the hospital where Dad and all the uncles are all waiting. I get rushed into the emergency room and everyone else has to wait in the waiting room. It turns out I was having a severe allergic reaction to coconut, which happened to be in the ice cream Dylan had. When he kissed me, it triggered the allergy. Somehow, in the last 18 years, I managed to avoid coconut. But the doctors decided to keep me at the hospital overnight since I was still struggling to breath a little. They were also worried that I might have another reaction. Dad and everyone was allowed in to see me after the doctor decided I was somewhat stable for the night. Everyone else tells me how happy they are that I’m okay and everything. Dylan gets a few minutes alone with me and presses a kiss to my forehead.

“Avs, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll make it up to you.” He says, his eyes sad. I smile and pat his hand.

“I wanna kiss you but I messed that up last time. So we’ll try that again another time. But I can hug you.” He pulls me into his chest and I sigh.

“Hey, Baby, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t even know either so it wasn’t your fault.” I say as Dad walks back in. Dylan looks up and nods.

“Ava needs to get some rest now. Dylan, Kirby and Carter are heading back home. You might want to go with them.” He says, crossing his arms. Dad walks back out of the room, leaving Dylan and I alone to say goodbye.

“He’s mad.” I say, sighing.

“It’s because of me, isn’t it? I’m sorry Avs.” I shake my head.

“Nope, this is because of me. I decided not to tell him. Don’t worry about it, Dill Pickle.” I say, smiling. He kisses my forehead again and says goodbye.

I somehow manage to sleep a little that night but wake up in a terrible mood. The food at the hospital sucks and the only sustainable thing I’ve eaten in the last 24 hours was the milkshake last night.    

Dad still isn’t speaking to me. Which I understand why he’s upset. I mean, I did almost die less than 24 hours ago. But the reason why he isn’t talking to me is because of Dylan, not because I almost died.

“I can’t believe you went behind your dad’s back! What were you thinking, Little Crosby?” Kris asks, sitting on the side of the hospital bed I’ve spent the night in.

“Okay, calm down. This wasn’t entirely her fault. Yeah it was dumb to sneak out of trhe hotel with a boy none of us knew but she didn’t know she was allergic to coconut. But you definitely should not have been kissing that boy.” Marc says, looking down at me with a glare. Carter sits in the corner, on her phone and silent. My family is scattered around the room, with Dad standing in the doorway of the room. The doctor said I should be able to go home tonight. Dad decided we were just going to spend the rest of the month up in Toronto, after my “little stunt” last night. Dad also has my phone, meaning that if Dylan has texted or called, I didn’t know.

“What were you thinking?” Dad finally asks, taking a few steps towards the bed. Suddenly everyone clears out of the room.

“I was thinking that the boy I like wanted to spend time with me. And I wanted to spend time with him. But you wouldn’t like that so I went behind your back.” Dad scoffs.

“Ava, you have to talk to me about things! We’ve never had problems like this before. I thought we were closer than this.” Dad says, sitting down on the bed next to me.

“Dad, I wanted to! I tried to! But you were convinced that the only guys I needed were you, my uncles and Grandpa. You basically told me that having a boyfriend was out of the question! What was I supposed to do?” His hand rests on my knee, and he looks at me hard.

“Honey, I just want to protect you.” He says, stroking my knee.

“You’ve never been like this. You’ve always let me figure things out on my own. You’ve let me do it on my own because I was smart and could handle it. But now all of the sudden, you’ve decided to get protective?” I ask, crossing my arms and pulling my knees up into my chest.

“My little girl is growing up before my eyes. You’re not gonna need me anymore and it’s hard to let go of you. All I can think about is how it used to just be me and you. Remember all the things we did during the first few seasons in Pittsburgh?” I swallow, watching Dad, whose eyes are starting to tear up. My mind wanders to one of the few memories I have from those first few years.

I was 4 when Dad played his first season in the NHL. He moved the two of us into an apartment in downtown Pittsburgh right at the beginning of training camp. I don’t remember much from the first few seasons. But one story Dad tends to avoid, is the one that sticks out in my memory the most. If it ever gets brought up, I always pretend I don’t remember it because it’s a hard topic for Dad.

Right before his first road trip, one where my grandparents would be keeping me for the week, he took me out for a daddy-daughter day. We got pizza for lunch, played at the park, visited the arena that would become Dad and my second home, bought me my first Penguins jersey with Crosby spelled out proudly across the back, had ice cream twice, and just got to spend time together. But then she showed up. For the first time in 4 years, my mom walked back into our life.

“Sid! Sidney Crosby!” She called across the restaurant. Dad looked up, his eyes confused and stormy.

“What are you doing here, Jenna?” He asked, standing up and crossing his arms. I sat there, happily eating my cheese pizza. I was completely oblivious to what was going on above me.

“I wanted to see you! And my little girl!” She said, rushing to him and hugging him. He stiffens and pushes her away.

“You haven’t wanted anything to do with us for the past 4 years. Why now all of the sudden?” He asked, staring her down.

“I decided I want to be in my little girl’s life. Things are getting busy for you now, Sid. You won’t have time to take care of Ava the way she needs. I can.” He scoffs.

“Besides, she’s my little girl. I know how to raise her. You don’t want her weighing you down now that you’re going to be a big NHL star.” Dad puts his hand up, forcing her to stop speaking. He looks down at me, at the pizza sauce covering my face and the front of my shirt. But the thing that stops him is the huge smile I have covering my face when I look up and see him.

“Hi Daddy. Love you.” I say, blowing him a kiss. His glare softens and he looks back up at my mom.

“You’re not taking her, Jenna. You haven’t been in her life for 4 years. I’ve raised her by myself for 4 years because you decided you didn’t want to be a mom anymore. Why would things change now? You don’t get to decide when you want to be a mother and when you don’t.” Mom reels back, baffled.

“You’re trying to tell me whether or not I can be a mother? To my own daughter? You’ve gotta be kidding me, Sid!” And as she starts to cause a scene, Dad seems to grow 10 feet and stares her down.

“No Jenna. You don’t get to do this to us again. You’ll just walk out on her again and I’m not putting my little girl through that. Get out. You’re not allowed to see her.” Of course, Mom threw a fit, claiming she was going to take him to court for custody. She had to be escorted out by security. Dad’s PR team did a really good job with everything, keeping the court case under wraps and making sure nothing got out about Mom’s fit at the restaurant. That was pretty much the start of Dad hiding me away from the world until I was old enough to understand his world that he lived in. Dad obviously ended up winning custody, considering the fact that he had raised me since I was born, with no help from my mom. I spent a lot of time in Minnesota with my grandparents during Dad’s first season. He wanted me with him but he didn’t want me to see everything going on with my mom. But in the end, that was what was best for Dad and I. During my times in Minnesota was when he got close with the men who I now call my uncles. Once I was a little older, Dad sat me down and explained everything to me. He explained why Mom wasn’t in the picture at all, how my uncles came to be my uncles and the fact that during that first season, he considered just signing custody over to Grandma and Grandpa. He had convinced himself that he couldn’t give me what I needed, just like Mom had said. He told me how Geno, Kris and Marc had sat him down and talked him out of it, reminding me how much he loved me and the fact that every goal, every assist; every little thing he did on the ice was because of a little girl almost a thousand miles in Minnesota. And to this day, he reminds me that he’s never regretted the decision to keep his little girl with him.  

Ever since then, Dad made sure I knew that he loved me more than anything else and would give up the world and everything else for me. He made sure that I was surrounded by people who would love me and take care of me, the same way he would. Everything Dad has done since I was little, he’s made sure it’s been the best option for both of us. Nothing was ever about him.        

But then one day I asked him why he and Mom never worked out. He got this faraway look in his eyes and I almost wondered if he would actually start talking.

“Honey, your mom and I weren’t meant to be together in the future. She was the type of girl that everyone warns you about. The one that’ll break your heart, no matter what. I was away from my parents for the first time and we were stupid. We were young. Too young to be as reckless as we were. But I was convinced I loved her. Do I regret what happened? No because you know why? It gave me you and you are the light of my life, Sweet girl.” Dad said, suddenly coming back to reality and looking down at me.

“Daddy, I’m always going to need you. You’re my dad. I couldn’t imagine my life without you. But this is something that was bound to happen. Daddy, Dylan won’t hurt me. He cares about me. He didn’t mean for what happened last night to happen. I want you to meet him, Dad.” Dad’s eyes are still shining.

“Dad, I’ve actually found someone I really like. He’s kind, smart, sweet, genuine; everything you would want me to have in a guy. He’s got the worst sense of humor, just like you. He takes care of me, I mean he did get me to the hospital. But Daddy, you’ll always be the first man that really loved me. And nothing will ever change that. You held me so tight, now it’s someone else’s turn. ” He smiles, his features soft and a few tears slipping out.

“Baby, you know you’ll always be my little girl.” He says, hugging me to his chest. I wrap my arms around him and take a deep breath of his smell. He smells familiar; like my childhood.

“Hey Ava? There’s someone here to see you…” Carter says, walking in and knocking on the door frame. A few feet behind her, Dylan stands with a bouquet of flowers.

“Hey Avs…” He says, his voice trailing off as he makes eye contact with Dad. Dad stands up and crosses his arms.

“Dad, meet Dylan Cozens. Dill Pickle, this is my dad, Sidney Crosby.” Dylan reaches his hand out and Dad shakes it.

“Nice to meet you sir.” Dad nods, his face straight. Slowly, everyone starts to trickle back into the room. I glance towards the door and see Carter and Kirby in the hallway, obviously discussing something. He leans down and catches her chin in his hand and pulls her in for a kiss. Dad and the uncles have started their interrogation of Dylan, which he seems to be handling very well. He looks over at me and winks, which makes my heart melt. After a few minutes, he manages to get away and settles onto the bed next to me.

“Can I kiss you now?” He whispers in my ear and I turn to look at him with a smile.

“As long as you haven’t eaten any coconut lately.” He laughs and leans in.

“If it means I can’t kiss you, then I’m never eating coconut anything again.” He whispers against my lips. My heart melts and I realise just how hard I’ve fallen for Dylan Cozens. Harder than I’ve ever planned on falling for anyone. He easily has my entire heart.

Tag list:

@theblushinglittle

@2manytabsopen

@nhlboyshavemyhart88​

@kirbyy-dach​

[jupiter-river]

Period pains ~ Yachi x Reader

Possible tw: Periods for a gn reader. The personal headcanon that Yachi could beat anyone up in smash bros with no remorse, the briefly mentioned personal headcanon that she takes a Visual arts class. Mention of Tylenol, rude guardian briefly mentioned.

I didn't mention a specific gender, just that they can have periods, so it's still technically a gn reader, maybe, idk?

completely self-indulgent as I am In pain rn ;-;

Word count: 1,793

Sitting in bed surrounded by blankets and pillows was not what you had in mind for your Saturday, no no no, you had plans today, you were going on a date in the park with your girlfriend Yachi since it was going to be a nice day today, but sadly, your cycle had decided to ruin your plans. The cramps were worse than normal and you were so tired since it had kept you up all night and your guardian had gotten mad at you yesterday night and this morning, but of course, they said they would bring home food and assumed that would make it better. All that did was give you an even worse migraine. You had just texted Yachi that you would have to take a rain check and briefly explained why.

She was quick to text back with her sympathies and offered to come over with some homemade soup so you could relax and spend time together anyway, and she could help with the cramps. You thought about rejecting her offer as you didn’t want to trouble her, but you did miss her and you wanted to go on a date. You replied to her that that sounded nice, but she didn’t have to do anything for you, just come over to hang out for a while. Yachi replied in seconds with ‘Okay! ^-^’ and so you went to get up, wincing at the pain, and unlocked the front door for her. While you were up you decided to make your comfort drink and maybe some Tylenol, you didn’t necessarily have the energy to go get it, but you were already here, so why not? You sat on the couch in the living room and sipped your drink slowly after taking a couple of the pills, excited that your shark week hadn’t ruined your plans completely, although it was still a pain, and as if to prove its point you got another really bad cramp, just to remind you it’s still there in case you had forgotten. You clutched your side and winced, grateful that you had already drunk enough of your drink so it didn’t spill at the movements. About 30 minutes later you heard the door starting to open and you hear Yachi call out from behind it, “Hey (reader) I’m here!” you responded with some sort of noise, not able to form actual words at the moment, your cup abandoned at the coffee table, as you got up to greet her. She smiled sheepishly as she saw you look at the bag she had brought in, there were Heating pads, your favorite sweets, what looked to be Yachis’ blanket from her house that you often said was super comfy, a couple of stuffed animals, and Yachis’ laptop. You had also noticed that she had brought in a whole pot of soup and she had already placed it on the stove. “Ehehe, I know you said not to worry about bringing anything, but I thought it would be nice. These always help me during my time of the week, so I thought it would help you! The soups just got to heat up though.” She turned the stove on so the soup would heat up, and set a timer on her phone for when it should be done, and then walked back to you who was still standing on the other side of the island in the kitchen. You didn’t say anything and just hugged her, leaning on her a bit. You did say not to bring anything, but you would be lying if you said that it didn’t make you feel very happy. She laughed a bit and hugged you lightly, not wanted to squeeze too hard and make the cramps act up again. She grabbed your hand in hers, “Come on, let’s sit on the couch and watch some tv or something while we wait for the soup!” she grabbed the blanket from the bag and lead you back to the couch, you grabbed the remote for her while she grabbed some pillows and arranged them around you both, she then preceded to curl up beside you with the blanket surrounding you both. She held your hand and kissed your cheek sweetly before placing her head on your shoulder while you picked your favorite cartoon show to watch for a bit.

Eventually, the timer she had set on her phone rang, so you both got up from the comfortable position and turned off the tv. She wrapped the blanket around you, allowing you to be wrapped in it while you moved around, while she went to the kitchen. She stirred the soup a bit and made two bowls. She placed them on the table, one in front of where you were sitting and one where she would sit, turned off the stove, placed a lid on the pot, and put the pot into the fridge, “alright all done!” she cheered, and went to sit down in front of her bowl. “This is my mom’s homemade recipe, she used to make it all the time for me when she had enough free time. I learned how to make it since I liked it so much, and she couldn’t make it all the time.” she commented, in-between spoon fulls of soup. After your throat had gotten a bit better with some food you said, “It’s good.” a little quietly but loud enough that Yachi had no trouble hearing you. She practically lit up, “Really?! I’m glad you like it. I can always make some more for you if you’d like. I like making it anyways” You just smiled at her. With the size of the pot she brought, you think you could feed a family of eight for four days with it. After you were done, she cleaned the bowls and put them in the dishwasher, “Alright,” she smiled “Let’s relax for today, have that date we wanted, and just enjoy each other” She once again grabbed a hold of your hand also while grabbing the bag of stuffed animals and well as her laptop while you two walked to your room. The both of you got comfortable in the fluffy nest of pillows and blankets, Yachi adding the stuffed animals into the mix and starting her laptop, while it was loading she got out the heating pad and handed it to you to put where you saw fit. After she settled the laptop in between you two and pressed play on your favorite show, she started to mindlessly play with your hand, not that she realized. You smiled at her softly as her attention was on the show. The calming atmosphere, just you and Yachi, made today not so bad, even with the occasional cramps, Yachi was right there, every time you let out a little wince she would gently massage your sides(?) and adjust the heating pack if it had slipped off the area. Slowly during the show watching, you both started paying less attention to the show and more to each other. Yachi would talk about her day, her assignments in art class, or what shenanigans the Volleyball team had been up to, you would usually reply with only two or so word responses but she didn’t mind, it was easy for her to tell what you meant, and the time quickly went by. It was around six o’clock by now, and you had felt much better so you both decided to move back into the more open space of the living room, as that was where your game console was, with the blanket and heating pack. You got the controllers set up and Yachi suggested super smash bros. And who were you to disagree, to see the happy look on Yachis’s face was enough of a reason to play if you didn’t like smash bros. After starting it up and picking your characters, with Yachi maining Kirby and you as your personal favorite who isn’t Kirby, Yachi started to let you have a chance but quickly started to absolutely destroy you without a sense of remorse. You knew this would happen, you still tried your best but she was too good. She started to shout out when she landed a hit and things like that, but you didn’t mind it too much, you found it amusing in a way. The win was quickly hers as you had no chance but it was fun non the less. After a few more rounds of the game, Yachi decided it was getting late, “Do you wanna stay the night?” you managed to ask, Yachi practically jumped up in joy “Yes! I would love to, is it okay with your guardian though?” You thought about it and decided to text them, instead of asking if Yachi can stay over, you decided to just tell them that she was staying here. Not waiting for a response you shut off your phone, and nodded, “They said it was okay” and she smiled, “Okay then! I’ll let my mom know I won’t be home

tonight” even though you both knew by the time she got home, it was probably going to be so late that Yachi would be in bed. Afterward, you found some clothes that she could wear tonight and tomorrow. Even when your guardian came home, they knew they couldn’t just kick Yachi out, so they let her stay over, and mostly left the two of you alone after saying hi. You guys were sitting outside cuddling on the swing looking at the night sky together, both of you silent and just drinking out of your mugs, yeah maybe this isn’t what you imagined your date to be, but it was still as wonderful as you thought it was going to be. Yachi moved a bit to face you, pressed a soft kiss to your lips before pulling away, she saw your questioning glance and just smiled and shrugged, “I just felt like it” she did it once more, a bit slower this time, before settling back into your side with her gaze to the stars. ”They sure are pretty” She said as her actions were catching up to her trying to change the subject and calm her beating heart down. Even in the semi-dark lighting you can see the loud blush donning her cheeks, you kissed her forehead before looking up at the stars as well, they were beautiful, weren’t they.

[desultory-novice]

Clearing out the backlog~ with another lightning round~  [REALLY OLD ASKS EDITION!]

-Which planet did Magolor really want? -Nightmare and Hyness and portal magic -Marx's Wings and Mistelteinn -Music: The Last Strike Comparison

Correct! In Japanese, he goes from suggesting he wanted to rule Halcandra to declaring himself overlord of the entire universe! In English, he does seem to state that Popstar will be first!

(Of course, in the Japanese, he ALSO states that he'll go ahead and rule Popstar first. So it all ends in the same place. I do wonder if this was a case of the translators having to translate the games cutscenes with no context. If they didn't realize this scene took place on Halcandra and not Popstar, it would have been perfectly logical to assume "this planet" was referring to Kirby and the gang's planet. Not that rare of a mistake in the world of video game translation!)

But there is that indication that his original (?) goal was Halcandra. Of course, post DX, we know he himself isn't Halcandran, but he seemed to have staked a lot of his hopes and dreams on discovering something there, so it's not too farfetched that he would have been mainly interested in acquiring the cradle of Ancient civilization.

...Or was that the crown already manipulating his mind?

--

I meant to answer this one ages ago and I am so sad I didn't...

Anon, if you're still around, I'm sorry I got it wrong but yes, you are ALSO so very right! And wow, I did not realize the exact same portal is used by both (Parallel) Nightmare and Hyness!

...And in both cases, it's to summon Galacta Knight! It really makes you think they were definitely connected. To use the same kind of magic like that? (To even KNOW that magic!) There's just got to be something up with these three. I'm sure of it...

The portal Parallel Nightmare uses to summon D-Mind is still a bit unusual, looking like a twisted dimension rift though

Of course, even a year after this ask, I'm still trying to puzzle out the mystery that is King D-Mind and the Mirror World and if it has any relationship to the Parallel Worlds. My current hypothesis is that Dark Mind may not just be a Nightmare/Dark Matter fusion but something...even more powerful?! Stay tuned for more!

And yeah, Marx's is not the SAME but close. Of course, it wouldn't be that weird for this to be the case since I'm also almost 100% that the majority of his powers including the wings and the goop and the splitting in half came from Nova ie: the Ancients.

(The question is, as you bring up, is this Elfilis magic or something the "magic-using Ancients brought to the table on their own?)

--

It took me forever to answer this but welcome to the era where Dess refuses to shut up about Marx's wings being a creation of the ancients!

I've already made my post about the wings going haywire (like...the...master crown...) but they're just like the Master Crown! Marx's wings are just like the Master Crown!! The question is... how? How was Galactic Nova able to grant Marx something that was just like the Master Crown? (Albeit, flawed. Or are they flawed... since he's able to maintain more control over them than Magolor was?)

Since the Master Crown brought forth Magolor Soul, this also helps explain that curious flash during Marx's moment of empowerment when we seem to see a vision of Marx Soul.

Seriously these two are SO alike in every other way. Why would this be the place in which they're different? I'm going to become obsessed with this now, I swear...

I have only fanon-heavy theories on why Marx has not been taken over fully by the....hmm, the Master Wings(?) while Magolor was. Mostly relating to the difference of Marx being a "magician" (a creature naturally in tune with magic) versus Magolor being a "wizard" (someone who learns to manipulate magic.)

Or heck, if we go full Dess fanon mode, you could assume that Marx's nature as a Noddy and Noddys being tied to the Fountain of Dreams (another Ancient artifact) is why he's not been consumed by them? ...Yet. But as I've been thinking about this, I can also see the Master Wings as another reason why Marx Soul might still be a lingering part of Marx while Magolor Soul was defeated...

-

I have discovered something since joining this fandom...

I'm TERRIBLE at recognizing musical motifs and references!! I can barely tell when one song is a remix of another (; _ ; ) and I tried to listen to these two in order to hear it but in the end, my brain got too caught up in the flashy colors and effects... 

However, I think this is neat and most definitely intentional! (After all, even if I can't make all the work that does into the songs, we all know that the HAL sound team puts a lot of work into it, Kumazaki too with the detailed naming and such.)

The more we discuss things, the more plants and hearts and more become key symbology throughout the series, and the fact that the Dreamstalk is like Jack and the Beanstalk meets the Yggdrasil and Mistilteinn is well.. Mistilteinn I wouldn't be surprised if the connections continue to, ahaha, grow! (And I know we're both going to be there pouring over them! So excited that the new HAL recruitment notice means we'll be seeing another Kirby game!! ...Even if it'll be a 2~ish year wait!)

[lovely-necromancy]

A Cure for Insomnia CH 11

“Did I meet your friends last night?” Kirby asked as he unwrapped his crunchwrap in the driver's seat.

“uuh...kinda? Like Toby was with me when I gave you the Surge but you sorta just ran off with it.” you pause as you sip a bit of your Baja Blast. “Like a fucking gremlin.”

Kirby lets out a snort and lettuce drops from his mouth. He tries to hide his messy eating behind his hand. Failing miserably, you can't help but laugh at your friend.

“Wha' bout the other two? Kieth said you ditched 'em.” For a man who was trying to cover up his mouth he sure had the audacity to try and talk with his mouth full.

“They're Toby's roommates, I haven't talked to them too much.” he nods as you speak.

“Well I promise I'll be more...together,” he makes a sort of questioning sound as he debates if that was the word he was looking for. He can't really think of anything else so he settles for 'together'. “next weekend. They are coming right?”

After a brief pause he gets his mind back in place, “This weekend, picnic's this weekend.” You chuckle.

“Toby said they'd stop by. Don't think any are really people people.”

“People people?”

“Yup” not going to let Kirby rile you up as he often tries. Not that he could with his current brain power. Sleep haze still has him in it's hold despite being “up” for about an hour now.

Out of everyone in your friend group Kirby is probably the one you're closest to. Along with being a fellow Ace he's an ambivert and you two just instantly clicked over dumb D grade monster movies. He jokes you guys must be long lost siblings. Well he only started the sibling thing because multiple Hornets or other members of the committee kept thinking you guys were dating. Since then Kirby takes to purposefully calling you some variation of sibling when he shows any type of affection. It seems even just being referenced to being in a relationship squicks him out. You don't mind though you'd always wanted an older brother and Kirby is the exact type you would've wished for. The funny dork who was super easy to get along with.

Even when he steals your nachos...like he is now.

“I'm starting to understand the Cain Instinct.” you say looking him dead in the eyes. He lets out a roar of laughter and reminds you he bought “breakfast”.

“Dad tax and all that.”

“You're not my dad! Ugly ass doodoo head.”

“Is that what that kid said? I don't think that's right.” another thing you share is constantly referencing vines or tiktok sounds.

This of course led to an argument of what the kid actually said in the vine. Both of you were determined to get home and look it up to prove the other wrong.

After your breakfast Kirby started the truck as you put all the trash into the Taco Bell bag. You switch on his stereo much to his chagrin. Kirby got a CD stuck in the radio and now the only thing he can listen to is a meme mix tape he made back in high school. It was funny the first two months for him and now he prays that the novelty will ware off on you soon.

Though it has been a few weeks since he last drove you anywhere, and what can he say Discord is always a bop.

Kirby drops you off without much fanfare, you both agree to seeing each other next week at the picnic. Is it ironic that you want to call out for him to get some more sleep? Like you are the one who's been up since five AM and it's now eleven. But you have a medical condition, Kirby is just over worked and stressed beyond Hell and back.

Getting inside you have nothing really planned for today and while you could start heading out to thrifts to find something formal for Jo's recital you really don't feel like it. Productivity wise you've already had a pretty busy weekend so no one can really judge you for taking it easy and just merging with the couch for the rest of it. Even you, you can be so tough on yourself sometimes.

British Bake Off is just the thing you need to enjoy the rest of your weekend. A calming low stress but funny baking show. Just turn your brain off and lose yourself in the soothing monotone of the judges. It's nearly six in the evening when you finally shake off your lazy day haze.

Getting up, bakers still baking, you start making a simple dinner. Fried egg on toast sounds good. Also a good balance to your supreme nacho breakfast from this morning. Dressing one slice of toast in butter and the other with butter, a little mayo, and a dash of Tabasco before placing the egg on it. You head back to eat and continue watching the competition. Your meal fills you and gives the energy you need to continue “leisureing”.

After an hour you get up and wash the dishes from earlier. And while you have no energy to actually play any of your video games right now you do want to log in for your dailies.

A quick trip to your bedroom has you grabbing your laptop before returning back to the comfort of your living room. Couch calling you to it's cozy embrace. You half pay attention to what you're doing as you set up your laptop, muscles running on muscle memory more than any conscious effort on your part. You hadn't even noticed your hands flickering across the board and logging into your email.

By the time you do realize you aren't on your game's site you see you have a new email. It's from Barclay.

'Coming to ask for my help?' you think a little too smug that you'd been right about the cooking being too much for the man.

However, that wasn't what he was messaging you about. It seems he and Leo had been talking and the old man mentioned what your plans for cooking were.

Shortie,

Leo says you're making forager's pie for the picnic. Seasons ripe for ramps and mushrooms. You in for a little adventure through new unexplored territory?

...I'm hunting some lobster mushrooms, could use a hand or two Will share the bounty. ~Barclay sent 12:04 PM

An olive branch in hopes you weren't too sore about his rejection from earlier this week. The message and sentiment is lost on you since you got over that Thursday.

The idea of new terrain makes you a bit uneasy, however lobster mushrooms were pretty good and forage finds were really rare. Barclay grew up in these woods he probably knew what he was doing, not to mention he could easily know where to find ramps. Their flavor would really up your pie game. It's settled you're in for a forage date with big foot as your guide.

Am in Big Feet. When are we going? Sent 7:20 PM

Like with most things a waiting game began, down sides to living in a radio quiet community people weren't as attached to electronics because of the limited capabilities. But now that you know Barclay is emailing you, you can check your phone more often. Shutting down your laptop you close it before sliding it under your coffee table as you slide down the couch getting comfy.

It was two hours before Barclay got back to you.

Fantastic! Does Tuesday work? ~Barclay sent 9:42 PM

Barclay must be in a rush to get those mushrooms. You'd been thinking Thursday or Friday at the latest for the freshest mushrooms. Maybe he didn't need them for the picnic but a personal project. From what Jake has told you Barclay often falls into spells of testing out new ideas with the strangest of ingredients. With varying results but mainly positive ones.

Yea sure. Meet at the lodge after my shift? Sent 9:50 PM

Perfect see you then. ~Barclay sent 9:52 PM

Oki Sent 9:52 PM

Now that that has been settled you are free to continue your chill Sunday. Losing yourself to the lulling voices of the judges you hardly notice as you drift off. Warm in your throw blanket cocoon and cozy on the plush of your couch.

You jolt up right panting after being woken up by a loud bang. Or at least you thought you'd heard a bang, Sometimes auditory hallucinations came to you in your sleep no matter how well rested you were. The room around you is dark as the light from your TV is dimmed with Netflix's 'Are you still watching?' pop up mocking you for your marathon.

Without thinking you hit 'yes' and the bake off resumes. With the brightness restored you can see your living room and hallway are completely undisturbed. An auditory hallucination must have pulled you out of sleep. Nothing more, after all your stalker wouldn't get sloppy now, it's only been three weeks.

'That you know of.' seems to whisper and embed itself in your mind.

Shaking off the worrying thought you look at your phone to see it's now quarter till one. You are hungry and don't feel like cooking. Thankfully you have emergency white castles and fries in your freezer for this exact need. Getting up you go to the kitchen to microwave your food. Popping the fries in first you decide to head to the bathroom before that becomes a problem for you.

Before you go down the hallway you do end up grabbing the bat next to the bookshelf. The whisper from earlier clearly hasn't done much to settle your nerves after your rude awakening. Protection in hand you have a little less anxiety about walking down the dark hallway. You'd have to look into installing one of those cheap wall lamps from Home Depot to help you out in situations like this. Either that or a night light in your bathroom, you can probably get the night light done quicker. Maybe Leo sells them, you'll have to check next week.

You made it back to the kitchen after your bathroom break without any surprises, real or imaginary, jumping out at you. Replacing the fries inside your microwave with sliders, you snack on a few while you wait for the rest of your meal.

It's probably paranoia but you can't blame yourself for it as you continue to keep an ear out for any sound of abnormal movement within your home, as you eat and have the bake show low enough to catch the sounds of another person. None come, and you finish your food without incident. You're willing to chalk the noise up to a hallucination and your paranoia as valid but not necessary in this moment. Without much more thought you place your empty plate on the coffee table and curl back up in your throw blanket. Just like before you don't catch yourself as you fall asleep. This time you don't wake up until your phone alarm goes off for you to start your week and head to work.

The week has been much less dramatic than last week had been. But then again it is only Tuesday and you literally have gay brunch this Sunday. There will definitely be some sort of theatrics this week. Whether they come from homosexuals or your stalker is up to God.

Then later today you'll be going foraging with Barclay. And while that isn't anything dramatic it will be an adventure and, you hope, really fun! Your excitement has been tangible all day and you couldn't hold yourself back from focusing only on the clock in the shop all day. Even giddier than normal for the strike of five. With the energy rushing through you it amped up your tics but thankfully you hadn't hurt yourself in your excitement.

Even Nate is beginning to playfully tease you about your “date” with Barclay.

Great he must've been talking to Little Jo. What is it with this family and wanting you to date the lodge owner? Do you just look like the lead in a Hallmark Christmas movie that moved to a small town in order to feel the joy of the holidays? You could definitely get into the role but you don't think Barclay would be the main love interest for you.

Honestly he'd probably be the one all the viewers cheered for but you'd personally go for the puppy dog partner that has a scarred past. You have a type and your type is emotionally wounded and needing of love. That thought had made you chuckle as you and Nate closed up the store for the day.

Nate kept looking over at you throughout the day, and when he heard you giggle to yourself at closing he couldn't help the fond smile that came over his features. He could feel how his brows lifted themselves from their normally furrowed or downward tilt. He'd have let you leave early had it not been for the new procedures Big Jo had set. It's not often that your excitement shows so visibly. It's not often that the Cowell family has seen you happy like this.

But Nate understands it's not the crush that Little Jo seems to think it is, it's something more bittersweet. It's the excitement that comes from finally waning off of being isolated for so long. And boy does Nate understand that feeling. If he had to guess Nate would say you've been alone for most of your life even if you don't act like it. You need these little hangouts with your friends. So he does his fastest close yet. You both are out the door by five after and he bids you goodnight as you head to your respective cars.

With the close tonight being so quick you made it to the lodge and parked in the half full lot just before five thirty. Getting out of your car you noticed a familiar duo sitting on the stoop of the lodge.

'Something's wrong.' is the only thought you have as you walk towards the lodge.

“Hey stranger.” the brunette looks up to you at your greeting.

In this light you can just catch the slight movement of his pupils in his dark eyes as they widen in surprise.

“oh...hey?” he seems confused to see you here. Must not be used to living in a small town yet. He'll learn soon enough that you run into everyone all the time here. Sometimes multiple times a week as it would seem.

“You good?” motioning towards the hand on the back of his neck.

“Yea, fucking Bri-an Mrrow thought I needed this.” Toby moves his hand to show an ice pack that you assume he's been holding to the back of his neck.

“Heat sickness?”

“Nah, the RV's AC busted. I can probably fix it by the end of the week.” you nod.

That makes sense, after all CIPA affects thermal regulation, at least from a basic skim. You really need to get on that deep dive to make sure you're prepared for irregular injury prevention with Toby. Speaking of, the boy in front of you is just sitting here with Connor, why? Even if he's here to get a room at the lodge why didn't he just go in? Connor is a service dog after all not like anyone could turn him away. So why was Toby just sitting out here, especially if Brian thought he needed an ice pack to the neck to keep cool?

As if the universe heard your question and decided to give you an answer, Aubrey opened the door and poked her head out.

“Thanks for letting me put up Dr. Harris Bonkers. I'll keep him in my room during your stay.” Oh that makes sense Aubrey's rabbit normally has the run of the lodge. Even if Connor's a service dog and well trained Dr. Bonkers is still a prey animal with a weak heart. Seeing Connor may have stressed the poor rabbit out, if not nearly given him a heart attack.

Her russet eyes land on you when she opens the door wider to, you assume, let Toby and Connor in. They widen and Aubrey rushes in to hug you before stopping short as if remembering you don't appreciate physical contact.

“Hey YN! I didn't know you were coming over.” She says a little awkwardly mid pose for a hug.

You won't be saving her from the situation. With a smile, that she can't see, you nod.

“Barclay's taking me foraging today.”

Aubrey nods while lowering her arms and takes a few steps back so you and Toby can enter the lodge. The large foyer of the wooden chalet always looks bigger thanks to the deep red tones in it's color palette. From the dark cherry stained wood to the red rugs and table liners. Always feels a lot warmer too, but in a homey sense not the overbearing swelter of heat sense. You can't wait to see what it's like in the winter. Probably so cozy and welcoming with a fire roaring and the murmur of residents and tourist mingling over the winter festivities. There's a swell in your chest at the thought...it seems nice, you hope you're right.

'Hope you see it.' is the dark whisper that taints your thoughts.

You notice Brian and Tim are over at the counter talking to Barclay who is nodding along sympathetically to the trio's plight. He catches your eye and motions for you to wait. You'd been planning to, after all he's currently working.

Turning to Toby you see he looks a bit paler than normal, which should be a difficult feat. Aubrey had left you both, though you aren't sure if she'll be coming back with her girlfriend Dani in a moment or not. You decide to lead Toby over to the obnoxiously plush couch in the den.

It's not like the lodge is off limits to those who aren't guests, and seeing as most of it's workers live here their friends frequently come around thus using the amenities. After sitting on the couch Toby grabs at Connor's ears and starts shaking them. He isn't being rough with them despite the jerky movements and Connor seems to lean into the pet.

Just from what you can gather it seems like Toby has some pretty bad social anxiety. You really aren't sure of what you could do to help. He calmed down at the movie night with a distraction...oh that reminds you, you fell asleep on him. Figuratively and literally.

“I'm sorry for falling asleep on you.” probably not the most tactful or elegant way of bringing this up.

Toby takes a minute to register you words. Not taking his eyes off Connor or ceasing his movements he says, “Eh.” as he gives a muted shrug and continues, “Your friend...Kirby...gave you a ride right?” He said Kirby's name like a question. You'd have to formally introduce the two at some point. Probably this weekend.

“Yea, he's sorry about being a weirdo Saturday, said he'd be more “present” this weekend.”

Toby doesn't say anything more and you let a silence fall over you two. It isn't awkward, at least to you, and you're content to just sit and wait for a while. However, it doesn't take long before Tim, Brian, and Barclay are all entering the den.

“Knew they'd be here,” Barclay says to the other two, “Sorry 'bout the wait YN, Jake's comin' down to give these guys a tour an' set them up. We'll leave when he gets down.” you nod and give the other two a muted wave 'hello'.

It isn't long before Jake is sliding down the banister and leading the group out of the room before Barclay can get on to him about his juvenile behavior. Sighing at the twenty-three year old's antics Barclay turns to you and looks at what you're wearing. Hiking boots and jeans, perfect but one thing is missing.

“C'mon let's go get duct taped.”

“Duct taped?”

“Yup, keeps ticks from climbing up you.”

So you make your way to his office where he sticks duct tape, sticky side up, around each ankle and just above and below your knees. All while explaining how if a tick started to try and climb up you the tape would make them stick and stay there. You'd end up with less ticks on your torso and hopefully none at all.

In no time the two of your were in the forest two baskets in hand and hunting for your immobile prey. The ramps were super easy to find and the first you knocked off the hunt list. Barlcay said they grow in the same area every year, knowing this you may have to come and grab some the next time they're in season. You can already taste how good your forager's pie tastes with the new earthy tones. Actual mushrooms were much harder to find, aside from the lobster mushrooms you were really only looking for some hedgehog mushrooms. They aren't rare or extremely difficult to find but you two aren't having any luck.

Barclay suggested a spot just past a little pond, and while you didn't find mushrooms you did find some Black Raspberry bushes. Not one to let ingredients go to waste Barclay starts picking some, and you grab some too. Maybe baking an easy Black Raspberry cobbler will be your consolation prize. Though Barclay isn't as placated as you are with the unexpected find. The man is still on the hunt for his lobster mushrooms. So you continue scouring the path and a little bit off it in search.

“We should head back, it's dark.” you state plainly after a few hours of searching and remaining mushroom less.

Barclay agrees, but makes the comment that he'll probably come out again in a day or two.

“If I find any I'll still give you some or helping out today.”

“It's fine I've got my treasures right here.” You shrug it off, because while you are a bit disappointed, you still have ramps and the opportunity to make cobbler. It's not all bad. Barclay on the other hand, you know, will not be letting this go so you expect he'll hand you a container of mushrooms sometime in the coming month if not this weekend.

Getting back to the lodge Barclay helps you cut off the duct tape and disposes of it and the hitch hikers you picked up. He sends you off to shower and check for stragglers before he would allow you to go home. Thankfully you had the foresight to bring a change of clothes and after retrieving them from your trunk you do as you're told.

Barclay was right you hadn't had a single tick on you and you feel much better after a shower. Getting out you already smell the alluring aroma of Barclay's kitchen. You must have taken a bit longer than you intended if he was already done with his own shower and already cooking for the lodge. Heading downstairs with your duffle bag in tow, you are stopped by Dani at the door.

You haven't seen her in a bit so the two of you catch up and have a chat. After a bit Aubrey comes in with a Tupperware container of grilled salmon and veggies over rice.

“Oh I see, you were a diversion.” you said looking at Dani as you take the container. Dani gives a sheepish smile before running off to the dinning room, and after sending you a coy smile of her own Aubrey follows after.

You know you're more than welcome to join them, but you really don't have the battery for that and just want to decompress at home.

“Thank you!” you call out into the lodge, only leaving after hearing the distant chuckles drifting through the hall.

Opening the door you run right into someone. Looking up you see Toby, but he isn't wearing a mask. Instead he's wearing a large bandage on his face to cover the hole. In his hands is a box of similar bandages. Guess if they're staying for a bit he'll need them around the others.

Should you mention the others wouldn't say anything? That this whole place was like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, but for the misfits or the weird and disowned? You aren't really sure it's your place. And you aren't really sure you're comfortable with how comfortable you've gotten with Toby. You're probably crossing some boundary by over analyzing him so much. And he doesn't even know you're doing it.

Toby knocks you out of your head when he backs away and gives you space to exit the lodge.

“Get home safe.” it falls out of his mouth so easily.

You've noticed he has a habit of saying that...why? There you go over analyzing him, you need to stop. Shaking yourself from your thoughts this time you look at Toby with a smile.

“I will...I think you'll like it here.” when you're in your car you want to slam your head on the steering wheel but Toby is still watching. Why did you say that, you're so weird.

[writesology]

Celtic this is all your fault

Extras mentioned in AO3 will be below the cut! And regarding the whole weekly update thing, I tried my best to keep to it, I really did, but it was kinda too much pressure and I got easily burnt out, so hope ya'll don't mind me updating when I can ^u^

The cart mentioned in AO3 ^^^

“Dedede, get off the cart.”

“Aww, but why? Riding on these is always the best kind of fun!”

Meta Knight sighed, landing beside the king. “The Dees and I came here to help you gather supplies for the construction of the Buddy Tower, not to supervise you as you act like an utter fool.”

“Mety Knight! If I didn’t know ya as well as I did, I woulda said ya hate me!”

“I’m very close to hating you if you don’t get off right now, challenge to Kirby be damned. I can very well fight him on my own terms without your help.”

“Ooh, is the esteemed Meta Knight passin’ up a challenge? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Hmph. Come on, we need to find materials and we will not find them if you are lazing about on the cart.” The puff unfurled his wings and began to fly off.

The penguin smirked, grabbing onto the handles at the front and looking at his knight. “The way yer wordin’ yer sentences, it’s almost like yer not strong enough to pull this here cart with me on it.”

Meta Knight froze, his wings flapping slower as he landed again and turned to glare at the king. “What did you just say?”

“I’m jus’ sayin’, maybe ya don’t want me on the cart ‘cause yer not strong enough to-” Dedede’s sentence was cut off with the warrior’s paws gripping onto the handle of the cart and a fiery glare.

“I’ll show you just how strong I am.”

“Left, Meta! All the wood is on the left!” Dedede held onto his hat as the knight flew through the store at record speeds, the Dees holding to the king’s fluffy robe and clutching various materials that they’d picked up, their eyes sparkling with joy.

“Your wish is my command, my liege!” The cart and its riders skidded to the left- somehow not colliding into a single thing- and the king whooped as they flew past the paints. One of the Dees reached out, catching the handle on a bucket of yellow and pulling it onto the cart. Another Dee hooked onto some blue, and the Waddle Dee clinging to the penguin’s hat somehow managed to gather a bundle of paintbrushes.

“Right, Meta! Turn right!” A Cappy jumped out of the way just in time, a look of shock on their face as the knight, king, and Dees zoomed by on their cart.

Meta Knight briefly turned to face them, his wings flapping as quickly as they could. “I can see it! You all get ready!”

“Ya got it, caballerito!” Dedede crowed, the Dees around him chirping happily- some hanging onto their previously caught materials and others getting ready to grab onto the incoming wood. The planks passed by in less than a second, the knight’s Mach-speed flying almost blowing them straight off the shelves, but when they turned into a different aisle and the king looked back, there was a big pile of wooden planks with Dees hanging all over it, all of them trying to keep it from flying away.

“Have we got everything?” The warrior shouted, the cart hurtling down the aisle.

“Everythin’ but the tiles, an’ those are comin’ in tomorrow! Let’s go!”

“Right, the checkout is just around the corner! Get the Deden ready!” Dedede pulled a large bag of Deden out from his coat and grinned, shooting a thumbs up to the puff. “And… now!” The cashier, who had just finished helping another customer, yelped as the bag dropped onto the counter with a loud thump.

“Keep the change!” The king hollered as they barreled out the door, the cart and its riders quickly disappearing from sight.

“There,” Meta Knight said smugly, stopping the cart and gently landing on the hood of the penguin’s car. “Was that strong enough for you?”

“That was hella amazing, Meta! We shot through that store like no tomorrow! I’m so happy I’m doin’ this whole Buddy Tower thing with ya, yer so strong an’ cool! I bet the Dees loved what we just did. Ain’t that right, Dees?” The Waddle Dees cheered and nodded happily as they started loading the wood and paint onto the car.

“Well, I’m glad it was such an enjoyable ride for you all. As for me, I’m quite sure my wings will be sore for days to come. I haven’t flown that hard in years.”

Dedede smirked, leaning closer to his knight. “Sounds to me like you’re gettin’ older, Mety Knight.”

“If you still want to build this tower, I suggest you shut up before I go back in that store and tell the manager whose fault that joyride really was.”

“Hey, no need to be so harsh, caballerito! Ya know I’m jus’ messin’ with ya, an’ as thanks, I’ll serve ya ice cream in bed or somethin’.” The Dees squeaked with a job well done before the king could say anything else. “Looks like they’re done loadin’ everythin’, so if ya can watch the car for me, Meta-”

“Say no more. Hurry back, or we’ll drive off without you.” The penguin flicked his knight’s mask in retaliation, and got up to take the cart back. As he approached the front of the store, he was greeted by the manager, as well as the entire staff.

“Great King, not to sound rude, but what the heck was that?” The manager asked in disbelief.

Dedede raised an eyebrow, something that technically he can't do because he has no eyebrows; just take that as a metaphor. “Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, princess! Was there somethin' wrong with what me an' my precious knight did?”

“The thing wrong, Great King, is that you scared our entire staff and half the customers in the store with that… ride of yours! I appreciate your patronage and all, but I would like it much better if you were never to come back again. You and Meta Knight both.”

“So we’re bein’ banned?”

“In a word, yes.”

“Huh. Well, we do already have everythin’ we need, so that’s fine by me! Jus’ lemme return this here cart, an’-”

“No! Just… just leave it there and we’ll take care of the rest. Please, I insist.”

“Great! Thanks!” The king waved and walked back to the car with a wide grin. When he got there, Meta Knight was already sitting comfortably in shotgun, the fifty or so Dees they’d brought to help all huddled in the backseat.

“You have that grin on your face that tells me I should be prepared for something dumb,” the knight said, looking at the penguin’s face intently. “What happened?”

“Ok, so hypothetically, if I told ya we’d jus’ been banned from this here store for what we jus’ did, how would ya react?”

The warrior blinked in surprise, then groaned. “Why did I expect anything else…”