awkwardshyterrified

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Dude, I love this. It’s beautiful.

As much as I love sweet pictures of characters sleeping, I *adore* art of those same characters *totally passed out*. It’s that kind of deep, ugly sleeping that people ever enter either alone or with someone they love and trust.

The posing is so complex and fun and those faces are beautiful and your art is just always so bright and adorable!! I love your style!!

How Peach and her Snuggle Bear sleep most nights🧸❤️🩷

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This is actually a pretty old piece I did forever ago so please excuse the kinda wonky-ness of the whole thing. This was before there was even a remake in the works.

But this was one of my favorite parts from Superstar Saga just cuz of how crazy it was.

The alpha dream games are my absolute favorites.

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I decided to illustrate something to go with my “Runt” story teaser that I posted here.

My markers decided to die and ruin the color. Guess I’m switching back to digital art. TwT But I’m no good at digital hhh.

I really hope I can write that whole story someday. And “Infected”. And a few other ideas I’ve had.

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This is seriously so cute! The perspective is great, his expression is adorable, and I just love the pastels!

I also really like your lineart!! I’m always a fan of those thick outlines! It makes me want to draw stuffs too!

Hiiiii u-uh i’m Jradical and, like- i’m an artist sometimesssfhbf 😞😞🤓

Mawrios karlt… ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

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Another of @tinydragontoonz amazing Mario designs! This time for a “Mr. M” a la Super Paper Mario. I had to include the little pants patches cuz I loved the extra flair of color it added!

I’m having so much fun actually drawing again! If anyone has any suggestions of what to draw next or other prompts or ideas, I’m always happy to hear them!

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“Runt” TEASER CHAPTER

I’ve been wanting to post this so so bad but I’ve been super scared cuz it’s old but I still want to try and I might take it down after a little while but this is the farthest I’ve ever gotten with sharing my writing in many many years.

This is the teaser chapter for an old story concept of mine with the working title of “Runt”. It’s hard to explain the whole thing without going into too much detail, but it mostly focuses on Mario and Luigi and their bond as brothers and how much they are willing to sacrifice to stay together.

Please let me know if you read this. It took all my courage to post it and I am fighting really hard to leave it up and not delete it immediately. Thank you.

Teaser;

The cozy crimson fire greedily took hold of the new log being offered to it, allowing it to once more grow to a substantial size. Now well fed, the flame crackled and popped happily, sharing its radiant light and warmth as thanks.

Mario deftly brushed his hands together, removing the small pieces of bark and other wood debris from his gloves. With dinner out of the way and with the fire having been tended to, he could finally continue what he had started. Taking a final look at the flame within the fire place, he breathed a sigh and wandered back over to the plush maroon arm chair near the wall.

Flopping down with a hushed grunt, Mario made himself comfortable before turning to the end table beside him and plucking the single leather covered book from its glass surface. He opened it carefully and thumbed through the pages with thick fingers, the books insides yellowed and worn, a clear sign of its age. It was a book the castle librarian had loaned to him; an old informational piece detailing the many curses, spells, and powers  found all across the Mushroom Kingdom, written by a brilliant professor who was well known for his bizarre and somewhat unbelievable theories formulated later in his life. Controversial or not, Mario was running out of options. These paranormal 'fairy tales' were his last chance at finding an answer to his problem.

Somewhere down the hall, a flurry of small footsteps came plodding closer and closer, a quiet, airy laugh accompanying the percussion. Luigi awkwardly rounded the corner and entered the quiet lounge where Mario was sitting, a tiny knitted yoshi gripped tightly in his equally tiny hand. He dashed through the center of the room, his mouth open in a wide smile and holding his little toy high into the air. Mario briefly looked up from the book in his hands and smiled, relieved to see Luigi's good mood persisting despite the chaos earlier that day.

After completing a lap or two in wild winding circles around the room, Luigi came to a stop just in front of the fire place, lowering his arm back down to his side. Almost instantly, his face changed to an expression of awe and curiosity, as if he had only just noticed the cozy fire quietly crackling in its stony cell. His immature brain tried its best to process what he was looking at; how it worked and why it seemed to breathe a lively warmth into the room. But the concept of combustion had escaped him the day the spell took effect, gone the way of all his memories and knowledge gained during his adulthood.

Losing interest in the dancing blaze, Luigi's beady blue eyes wandered back to the soft green dinosaur plush still grasped in his hand. Resuming where he had left of, he raised the yoshi back into the air and took off once again, this time quietly whispering 'no, no' to whatever imaginary threat he pictured chasing after the toy. As he began picking up speed, he stumbled over his own clumsy feet and bumped into the wooden coffee table between the couch and the arm chair. Though unharmed, he had knocked it hard enough to send the framed picture perched atop it to the floor, landing on the rug with a quiet thud.

Mario instantly lifted his head to the sounds of crashing and falling, his gaze locking immediately onto Luigi, scanning for any sign of injury.

But Luigi looked fine, if a little shaken. He looked to the picture now face down on the floor. "Oops." He mumbled almost apologetically, raising his eyes to his older brother and hoping he hadn't done something to make Mario angry.

It seemed that no damage had been done, neither to Luigi nor the photo he had relocated to the floor. Mario could see his younger brothers posture had become far more submissive, waiting to hear how the older sibling would react. With a sleepy smile, Mario gently shook his head. "It's okay, you're fine." He breathed. "Could you please pick that up for me?"

Relieved that he was off the hook, Luigi's blue eyes instantly lit back up with young blooded energy. He obediently shuffled over to the photo frame on the ground and, with his nubby little hands, picked the object up and flipped it over to see its image. But instead of putting it back like he was asked, the young child stared quizzically at the picture behind the glass, furrowing his brow. When he finally did start moving again, it wasn't towards the coffee table but rather towards the armchair and his older brother seated there.

Noticing the approaching child, Mario set the faded book beside him, facedown and still open to save his page. He could see in Luigi's expression that something was on his mind, but couldn't pinpoint what. That is, until he saw the frame he was now clutching beside his knitted yoshi.

Luigi clumsily grabbed at Mario's overalls and climbed his way on top of his lap, standing on his thighs with his shoes before flopping down atop one of his knees. He settled in to the small space between his brother and the armrest of the chair, then lifted the photo frame so Mario could see.

"Who's that?" Luigi innocently questioned, gesturing to the small picture.

Mario only just realized what photo it was that his younger brother brought him. Without a word and with a frozen expression, he accepted the picture from Luigi's hands and held it close to his shimmering aqua eyes, which were now glistening with a light layer of moisture. It was a photo Peach had taken around a year and a half ago. Luigi had insisted that Mario take him to Delfino Island for a vacation, and Mario had given in, also inviting Peach and Daisy for the trip. This particular photo was at Pinna Park, an amusement park located in the tropical paradise. Mario was standing in the center of the shot with his arms folded, attempting to make an angry expression but failing to hide his obvious smile. His eyes pointed towards Daisy, who was half cut off on the far side of the shot. She had picked up the 'You Must Be This Tall' sign for the roller coaster and was holding it more in frame and high enough to make it appear as though Mario was just an inch shorter than what was allowed, her roaring laughter captured permanently on the film. And on the other side of Mario, leaned over top of him with an arm around his shoulder, was Luigi. He squeezed Mario to his chest, purposefully making him lean backwards to make their height difference appear larger than it really was. His eyes were tightly shut with moisture forming at the corners, as he had been laughing uncontrollably at Mario's fake 'angry face'. Peach was absent from the shot, having been the one holding the camera.

It was one of Mario's favorite photos. It had beautifully captured that moment of joy and excitement; a perfect summary of that entire vacation. Not a lot of photos had truly caught a moment of the brothers acting, well, like brothers. But this spontaneous shot Peach had randomly snapped did just that.

The memories that flooded his thoughts brought a smile to Mario's tired face. He quietly chuckled to himself, remembering the exact moment and just how silly it had all been. But his expression quickly changed as the young child upon his lap repeated his question, pointing a miniature finger at the man beside Mario dressed in green. Reality struck him in an instant, reminding him that the Luigi in this picture was gone. A spell of dark magic had taken him away, reverting him back to a child with no memories of ever growing up. Though his heart was now aching, he tried his hardest to keep smiling so as to not alarm his innocent younger brother.

"That's... An old friend..." Mario whispered, knowing that the true explanation would be too much for the small child's mind to comprehend. "We were... Best friends. We did everything together." Mario's facade began to fall even if his smile refused to fade, and tears broke free of his hold and flowed freely down his face. "He's gone now..." He hiccuped unevenly. "I miss him so much..."

Luigi studied his older brothers face with wide, curious eyes. After a moment of thought, he wordlessly clamored off of Mario and back down to the floor, then quickly crossed the room to the coffee table. Mario's eyes didn't stray from the photo as Luigi shuffled around and eventually returned to the foot of the chair. It was only as he was climbing his way back onto his lap that Mario looked down once more.

He couldn't help but chuckle through his tears as he realized what his little brother was up to. The young child was now clutching a fistful of tissues and, with his little sneakers planted on Mario's thigh, gently wiped his face with the crumpled wad of kleenex. Luigi's innocent little mind couldn't understand what the photo was or what it meant, but he instantly realized that it had made his older brother upset, and all he wanted was to make him feel better. His sweet little gesture eased the pain in Mario's heart, and just like in the photo, he couldn't hide his smile.

"'t's okay." Luigi mumbled, switching his hand to Mario's other cheek. "I can be a best friend."

Mario closed his eyes and chuckled again, gently wrapping his arms around his tiny brother and pulling him into a soft embrace. "You'll always be my best friend." He whispered, using one hand to ruffle the red brown hair beneath his brothers oversized cap. Luigi chirped a joyful giggling and began nuzzling into Mario's neck and chest, instantly comforted by a feeling of unconditional love and protection.

Later that night, when the last of the wood had been burned to ash, the fire finally succumbed to starvation. The last bit of light faded, leaving the two brothers bathed in the peaceful darkness of nightfall. They hadn't moved from their embrace. Instead, they sat still snuggled close, quietly slumbering in each others arms.

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I’m so glad you pointed this out! This is something I’ve noticed as well and something that I think further illustrates the difference in Mario and Luigi’s individual mindsets and personalities.

The bros definitely share the desire to help those in need. They have good moral compasses and are naturally empathetic and kindhearted.

Mario is the more traditional “hero” type. He tends to take the lead and throws himself into the danger so as to carve a path to safety. He wants to be able to save everyone, and he does so by eliminating the threat himself. And while this provides an escape for everyone, he is too preoccupied to make sure each individual is keeping up with him.

Luigi is far more cautious and attentive. He doesn’t feel the need to charge headlong into danger. He’s used to Mario being the one to lead the way. So while Mario provides everyone a path to safety, Luigi is the one who makes sure they are able to follow it. Mario is the “save the world” type while Luigi has a more “save those in need” mentality. He naturally focuses on the straggler who is most in danger at that moment.

Together, these complimenting strategies make them so effective at saving the day. One opens the door, the other sees them all through it.

I also believe this is part of the reason Luigi has this internal conflict where he would much rather stay home where it’s safe but is scared of being left behind. The guy’s so suited for the stay-at-home housekeeper lifestyle. He’s a neat freak, he very much enjoys cooking, and he tends to nap frequently. But he knows how his brother’s brain works. When Mario is busy leading a charge against danger, he isn’t able to keep track of anyone struggling to keep up with him. I think Luigi is terrified of being the one left behind as a result.

Not me noticing how much invested interest Luigi seems to have in taking care of those who are struggling to keep up and/or are at risk of getting left behind

Hmmmm…

Hmmmmmmmm…

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Awww look at those poor puppy dog eyes. He hates not being able to help. This picture is so cute and so very colorful and I love it.

It also fits perfectly with how I’ve perceived Mario’s overall character. I’ve always felt that part of the reason Mario is always so willing to help out anyone and put his own life at risk is that he tends to want to have control of every situation. If there’s even a chance he can make things better, then he doesn’t care how difficult it might be or that the odds of his success might be near nonexistent. Is there even the smallest chance he can fix things? Then he *will* fix things.

And while that’s great for jumping into action and making him sometimes seem truly fearless, I think it also means that he can’t stand things he CAN’T control. He wants to help everyone all the time. But sometimes there’s nothing he can do, and that tears him apart. Sitting by idly while someone suffers feels like torture, and it can quickly spiral into guilt and self loathing.

It goes along with how I also believe he tends to be impulsive and a tad short tempered. He’s just a very spirited guy. He puts his all into everything he does.

Heh, I dunno, I guess that’s kinda my headcanon about it. Sorry to rant, but I just got excited to see some beautiful art that captured that side of Mario that I like to believe is there.

Please keep sharing your wonderful works!

Soooo, early this morning, I woke up feeling a bit like shit. Somehow, I managed to fall back asleep and dreamed that Peach was going through the same thing and Mario was trying to take care of her.

As you can see, it was way too cute not to draw.

Here, Mario's done all he could to help her, but he feels terrible that he couldn't do any more. He hates seeing her like this and wishes more than anything he could make her feel better. Peach, on the other hand, is doing fine and harbors immense gratitude for him and his help. Too bad she can't convince him that she's okay.

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After ages of not drawing anything, I was finally artistically inspired by @tinydragontoonz amazing design for a cooler wing cap power up. It was so awesome that I had to try drawing it too! All credit for the design goes to them!

Despite making the mistake of drawing on the worst paper ever, I still managed to finish it. And it’s only thanks to incredible support that I found the courage to share it.

Im still really struggling to be social and to have artistic confidence, so please let me know if you ever want to do any art trades or be a beta reader for me or anything. I’m finally making progress after years of locking myself away.

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Such a great game. TwT

Honestly, though, this game is very fun. But sometimes it feels like the entire roster is picking on me, hhh

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Ancient concept art for a koopa based antagonist after I realized a story of mine called for a simple one-off villain and none of the canon characters fit the bill.

I only ever wrote a teaser chapter for that story. I’d love to share it, but I’m still very nervous about posting publicly. I can share it privately with anyone who wants to read it, though.

I should really redraw him and write the full story but I’m still wrestling my self esteem, hhh.

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He tried to stay up to greet Mario upon his return, but he just got too sleepy.

The gesture did not go unappreciated.

This art is actually pretty old now but I wanted to post something to give an idea of what my style looks like and I’m trying to psych myself up into sharing more but I’m still very nervous.

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Hello.

I’m really bad at this and have been away for a very very long time and am kind of scared to come back but I’m trying my best.

I apologize to anyone if I come off as annoying or stupid or what have you. I’m relearning how to talk to people.

I really want to be able to share my stories and art again someday and if you are willing to offer constructive feedback I would be happy to privately show some of my stuff.