#I know of the 'mushroom kingdom here we go' line but even i expected it to sound excited for the rat

[fumagus]

I saw Strange World today!  Very Marnie-core, and just pure, fun action.  A solid 9/10.

But I also had the misfortune of hearing Crisped-Rat Mario right before.

[duckapus]

(this would obviously be after Emulator's corruption has progressed significantly, to the point where she's well aware of the problem but the malware has such a firm grip that it can force her to keep it hidden from the others, though it doesn't yet have full control. Key word being yet.)

Deep within the horrific fleshy caverns beneath the Mushroom Kingdom, Emulator stands amongst the ruins of the old castle, where the infection wracking her code is at its strongest. Here, she can drop the illusions that she's been forced to apply, revealing a web of pulsing, glowing fuchsia veins covering her model and a twitching photorealistic eye where her brooch should be. Her face is twisted in both pain and concentration, eyes firmly shut. Floating in a circle around her are seven different-colored Wonder Flowers, each with several lines of pink-and-yellow code spinning around them in thin cylinders.

This will only delay the inevitable you know.

She shuts out the voice, and she has every moment of every day since it became clear enough to understand.

Plus, are you really gonna drag a bunch of randos into your mess?

Focus Emmy, you're almost done.

And of course there's the fact that you'll just be trading one known flavor of corruption for seven different mystery flavors at once. Bet that'll go over well.

Just tune it out, girl. You got this.

And while they're all dealing with this mess you're making, I'll still be right here, chip-chip-CHIPping away at your mind.

Focus.

You're already so tired, Lovely. We could be so good together if you'd just let me in.

Another assault on the parts of her mind that are still her own, this time forming the impression of a gentle, delicate hand brushing along her jawline, and she can't help but shudder before stubbornly, desperately picturing a vivid memory of a fluffy purple tail performing the same action.

FOCUS damnit!

Still thinking about other girls, are we Lovely? Don't worry, when we're finished here we can go liven up that stuffy office and let her join our fun~!

She very firmly does not think about that, thank you very much, instead transporting the modified Wonder Flowers to random, scattered locations throughout the kingdom, before sitting down on what's left of one of the staircases to wait.

'I'm sorry everyone, I wish I could've done more.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, up in the Showgrounds, Domain and Forum are telling the Crew (or at least some of them. A few aren't there right now due to prior obligations...or a nap in Melony's case) about the SAA/Diamind 6 fused universe.

3 winces, "Yikes, and here I thought you couldn't get any worse than our activation."

"Oh, ours is still considered the worst. This one was pretty bad, though."

"Anyway, we were wondering if a few of you would be willing to visit their world. You know, introduce them to the multiverse, see how they're settling in, that sort of thing."

4 smiles, "That sounds like a great idea. Guys?"

"Mario's ready to go! How about you, bro?"

Luigi nods, "Sure! November's pretty slow for flower sales anyway."

"Hell yeah, maybe I can make deals on some new kinds of space drugs!" Bob...will be Bob, I suppose.

Marcy raises a sword, "could I come as well? I usually miss the interdimensional adventures."

Meggy side-eyes the two of them and leans over so she can whisper to 4, "I'll try to keep the wonder twins from getting us arrested again."

"Good call. Juliano, Tari, how about you?"

"I'd love to, but I'm having a bad leg day at the moment," sure enough, Juliano's leaning on his cane more than usual.

Tari, however, has no such issue, "sure, it sounds like fun!"

Toad...is still in his house, not having bothered to show up to the meeting. Even if he now likes the Crew enough to live with them like this, he still very much values his "Me Time" and not getting caught up in Adventures if he doesn't have to.

As you might expect, the kids (just the three who live in the castle, since the Haltmanns are with their mom this week and everyone else is still at their own homes) are pretty excited, "Space trip! Space trip! Space-"

"Now hold on there!" 3 gives them a stern look, "These kinds of trips usually take multiple days since we don't know exactly where our destination is, and tonight's a school night. So the four of us are staying right here."

The three deflate a bit, "Figures."

At this his gaze softens, and he kneels down to their eye level, "Sorry, but I've gotta put my foot down this time. You kids already miss enough school from the adventures we can't keep you home from. Besides, it's not like this trip's a one-off. We already visit the other SMG universes all the time, and this won't be any different."

4 looks at this exchange with great fondness, then turns to the group, "So that's everyone set, right?" At the various sounds and gestures of affirmation, he grins, "Then there's no time like the present."

He opens up a portal to the new universe, and the typical goodbyes are had all around, with one longer exchange between the SMGs.

"Don't have too much fun over there without me, Scrub."

"Only if you try not to destroy the place while we're gone, Edgelord."

"Hey, you're the one who's gonna have three Avatars to deal with."

Predictably, Mario leans back out of the portal in his SM64 model, "HEY! You two should kiss!"

The two turn to glare at him, "Shut up Mario!"

Once he's gone, they end up laughing, "Okay, but seriously. Be careful out there, alright?"

"I'll do my best," he goes to step through the portal, then pauses partway through, "Oh, and I know you can handle things just fine, but you do your best to be safe too, alright? I've got a weird feeling."

"Roger that." as he finally leaves and the portal closes, 3 rolls his eyes, "right, like the world's gonna get flipped upside-down or something just because a third of the team's gone. We'll be fine!"

Right as he makes that assertion, the scene changes to one of Emmy's modified Wonder Flowers appearing beneath the Ferris Wheel in the deeper parts of the Showgrounds...

[redorich]

Hello! Can we get a little something for the hermit canyon AU? I was thinking something Karl centered, maybe they accidentally find his library or otherwise find out about his "travels". They're probably invisible for the whole thing, but do they do anything afterwards? Do they leave little notes and reminders? Would they try to help at all? Or would they push it to the back of their minds and try to forget about it?

Unlike most discoveries made by Hermits, Joe does not find a secret location on a normal surface run. When Etho found the Pogtopia ravine, it was a mystery to him, unsettling and vivid. When Grian found Technoblade's snowy cabin, it was on complete accident, just because Grian needed to explore, to get out of the canyon for a few hours.

When Joe exits the canyon, as he rarely does, he makes a beeline for Karl's library. Time is... not something Joe concerns himself with, but he prefers to constrict himself to the linear travel of the fourth dimension nowadays-- if such a thing as "nowadays" can be said to exist when tangling with time.

Where was he? Ah, yes. He moves quickly, because he dislikes spending more time away from Xisuma's side than absolutely necessary, even if the admin has been having a run of good health days and there are twenty-two other Hermits to attend to the admin in an emergency. He doesn't bother with invisibility, or walking, or other mundane things. Joe simply hovers in the air, flying toward his destination and perhaps fiddling with the tick speed just a little, just enough to get him there faster.

There's a residual feeling of familiarity, like a relationship with an ex-girlfriend which has long since turned sour, near the canyon. There's a whisper there of magic, of gleaming white spires, but all Joe can see is red.

"It's a shame, what they did to this library," Joe mutters with a tsk. Posters of hazy LSD-esque drawings of various time periods and locations line the walls, molding away as red vines climb on them, devour them.

He shrugs. Might as well move on; nothing of value remains here.

To the south is a place Etho has visited only briefly and in passing: Kinoko Kingdom. It's a hotspot of activity at times, and a ghost town at others. Etho didn't even know the name of the place until Puffy reported it. Joe doesn't care. For all that Etho likes to present himself as a cryptid, scaring poor innocent wood-dwelling folk who are just looking for a big fuzzy triclopean spouse, Joe is the one with experience as a cryptid. Let them see him. What are they going to say, "I saw Herobrine"?

He touches down, finally, in front of another library made from mushrooms and wood. Allowing his eyes to flash white for a moment so that he can ferret out the building's secret room, he is both disappointed and unsurprised to see it empty of life. Karl Jacobs, resident time traveller, is not there.

Joe closes his eyes. He doesn't want to have to do this. For decades, there was a place he called home, a place he built from the ground up. It was a place in between life and death, and so he called it the Inbetween.

He opens his eyes, and he is there. It's like walking down a street you've been down a hundred thousand times before; even with your eyes closed, you know where you're going. There are no longer dozens of imperfect copies of himself running around, brainless and waiting to be culled like lambs to the slaughter in order to fuel an affront against nature. Now, there are many iterations of Karl, all wandering aimlessly... save one.

The only version of Karl wearing color stands in an open-air corridor near the courtyard. Even from a distance, Joe can see his chest rise and fall far too rapidly for him to actually be getting any air. (Joe sees everything here, where his eyes are white and cannot be anything but white.)

"Why am I here?" Karl babbles to himself. "I haven't time-travelled-- or did I already forget?"

"You didn't forget," Joe reassures him. It does not have the intended effect.

Karl screams, turning around so quickly that he falls on his ass. He scoots away like a crab missing a leg, scrambling for some distance. "Your eyes--!"

"Come closer," Joe says. "I won't hurt you."

"You're Herobrine!"

Joe exhales slowly. "I was Herobrine. What I am is the only person who can help you."

Karl warily clambers to his feet. None of the other Karls dressed in white pay the two men any mind. "What do you mean?"

"You've got yourself stuck in a dimensional loop of Homestuck proportions, Karl," Joe says. "So did I, when I built this place. It took me decades to figure out how to get out of it, and I knew what I was doing. You don't have that."

"Am I stuck here forever, then?" Karl says mournfully. He waves a hand at the carefree automatons wearing his face. "Will I become one of them?"

Joe takes a few slow steps closer, keeping his hands where the stressed-out time traveller can see them. "I'll take care of things on this end. You won't ever have to come back here again."

Karl sags in relief like a marionette with its strings cut.

"Does the name Eret mean anything to you?" Joe asks. It's a name he's heard from Puffy's lips once or twice, and if her information holds true, things could get much easier.

Karl blinks. "Uh... Yeah? What about them?"

Joe continues. "Dark hair, tall, white eyes like mine?"

"I've never seen Eret without their sunglasses, but I guess, yeah," Karl replies. Of all the things he would have expected Herobrine to ask about, Eret isn't one of them.

"Imagine what Eret looks like," Joe suggests. "Think real hard about them. Imagine them here, in the Inbetween, right in front of us."

Karl has no idea why Herobrine wants him to daydream about Eret (even if their voice is very nice), but if the man is pulling his leg, well-- it's fucking Herobrine, he can do what he wants.

Speaking of that nice voice, Karl hears the voice in question scream out of nowhere. Karl flinches away from the sudden loud noise, before his eyes catch up to his brain and he realizes that he just magicked Eret into existence in the Inbetween.

"What the fuck," Eret says. "H-Herobrine, uh, long time no s-see..?"

"Sorry about that time I kinda tortured you," Herobrine says brightly. "I'm nicer now."

"I doubt--" Eret begins caustically, then remembers exactly who they're talking to and shuts their mouth. "...Why is everything so dark?"

"Take off your sunglasses," Herobrine suggests.

Eret grimaces, but obeys. This place is practically humming with magic, so they just know they're going to get blinded by it the moment they remove their glasses, but they remember what happened last time they pissed Herobrine off.

Wincing, they remove the sunglasses, expecting pain and receiving... nothing. The glint of light on quartz is a bit uncomfortable, but that's a normal human uncomfortable that Eret hasn't experienced since they were a teenager.

Herobrine smacks them on the forehead with his palm. "I take back what I said about 'living with this power for the rest of your life', and all that," he says. "You can turn 'em off now. I'd recommend not turning those eyes back on, though-- at least, not here. It's a little bright, magic-wise."

Eret gapes. All these years, they feared the day they'd meet this powerful man again, imagined what they'd say as they cursed his name or begged his forgiveness... and here he is, giving them exactly what they desperately hoped for but knew they'd never receive simply because he's 'nicer now'.

"Herobrine," Eret says, "why have you done this?"

"Call me Joe," Herobrine says.

Karl interjects, "Joe mama," under his breath. It is with the utmost shock on Eret's behalf that Karl does not in fact get immediately smited into oblivion, merely smacked on the forehead.

"Now you won't forget," Herobrine-- Joe says. "Anyway, I have shenanigans to be up to back in the canyon, so I'll send y'all back now. Those red vines are bad news, and so is their egg, so y'all better take care of that, please. It's really messing your server up."

Karl blanches. "The canyon?"

"Oh, look at the time. Have fun, be safe, bye," Joe says with affected mild disinterest.

Both Karl and Eret have so much to say, so many questions to ask, but they fade away before they get the chance.

[ktheist]

Can I request Tsundere!Yoongi from sentence starters fluff 3. “Have you seen my hoodie?” “Nooo.” “You’re wearing it, aren’t you?” Thank you! 🥰

“have you seen my hoodie?”

“no...”

“you’re wearing it aren’t you?

muses. human tsundere!yoongi x cat hybrid!reader

warning: implied smut

note. this is also posted on my other blog because it wasn’t showing up on searches. i’m posting this here as well as a formality!

x

are all humans this odd?

min yoongi gazed at you like you’ve got the most magnificent horns in the kingdom. silly, cats don’t have horns. minotaurs do.

you’ve met a few on your journey to find a mate. they’re not very nice. their heads are too big for their little feet. their dicks are big though. not that they’ll get anywhere with that kind of personality.

and you say journey but actually, you venture a little beyond the borders of the felidae’s territory because all the males tend to go for your elder sisters, leaving you with nothing but your fingerpads to get you through your heat.

this year, you’ve decided to find yourself another species, a different breed. white lions are too possessive, stallions tend to mate with too many, songbirds are get attached too easily and you can’t kiss vipers without being intoxicated on their essences.

you keep walking, deep in thoughts as the trees you pass by start looking the exact same. before you know it, the forest line cedes and the blades of grass that caress your soles have turned to hard, solid earth.

in front of you, stands a boy - your nose crinkles - no, at first sight, those sleepy eyes and slightly puckered lips look like that of a boy’s but this- this person without any distinct feature to identify his breed, is definitely a man.

min yoongi is a man in every sense of instinct.

“wh-what are you doing?” that’s when his droopy eyes come to life, and as you said, as if you bear two magnificent horns on your head.

but he’s not looking at your head. he’s looking at your chest.

“oof!” you breathe out at the soft material that lands on your face, the scent engulfing you smells strongly of him.

what is he?

“w-wear that,” his voice trembles but you’re more interested in this fur-like material he’s telling you to wear. it has one big hole and three smaller ones.

“fuck’s sake, all i wanted was some mushrooms for dinner,” odd. yoongi, he-

“do all your kinds speak to yourselves?” you ask once your ears pop out of one of the holes and then your head.

“don’t your kinds?” he answers, sighing before crossing the distance between you and him and placing a hand on top of your head, “you’re wearing it wrong. don’t you hybrids have clothes?”

the world goes dark for the briefest moment as you feel the material - clothes, he says? - shift around and finally gets pulled over your head. the hole is much larger and comfier around your neck.

“it’s warm,” you hum, rubbing your cheek against the material on your shoulder, “it smells good too. it smells like you.”

you’re not sure why but his species get red especially on his cheeks and ears.

“th-thanks, i guess.”

“you’re welcome.” you grin.

x

“so why were you walking around in the forest owned by humans?” yoongi asks when he closes the movable plank that’s attached to his cube-looking cave. it’s well carved.

ah, so the journey you initially set out has lead you far beyond the felidae territory.

“are you a human?” you answer his question with another question.

he doesn’t seem to care and instead starts making a fire and setting up shiny containers on the fire. you expect him to start cursing and looking distressed again when the container melts - are all humans this stupid? - but the container remains intact in its natural form.

is it metal?

metal is the only thing that can withstand fire but the pantheras tend to keep the those for themselves to make arrowheads.

you shiver at the remembrance of those golden eyes. the pantheras may have been part of the fedilaes but they’ve long since abandoned their origins, claiming that they were more superior.

“you can have some mushroom soup and leave, i’m sure a kid like you can find her way home,” he has a similar material - clothes - that and put it on while you were deep in your thoughts.

“i’m not a kid - well, i haven’t mated yet, but i’m not a kid,” you say.

he laughs. it’s the kind of laugh that those arrogant minatours do but he’s actually cute so you’ll let it slide, “yeah? so how old are you?”

“in fidelae years, twenty-three,” you say, bringing your legs to your chest under the ‘clothes’ and hugging yourself, enjoying the softness of the material until a loud clang reverberates from where he is.

you’re on your feet in an instant, padding towards where the human male is, cupping his hand and gazing down at it with a sort of grimace.

“give it to me,” you say, gently prying his uninjured hand off and directing his finger to your lips.

it takes a few seconds for the blood to stop flowing from the cut, when it does, you release his finger, giving it a few licks before looking up at yoongi who’s face has turned beet red yet again.

you pick up the scent of his arousal as he looks again, muttering a “th-thanks, but you shouldn’t do that to other people - not even males of your kind, got it?”

“yoongi,” you finally say his name, fingers tugging on the hem of his ‘clothes’, “if you don’t want me to treat other males like that, then take me. make me yours.”

when he twists his porcelain neck to face you - he looks like all the blood in his body is rushing to his head. it’s a surprise that he hasn’t exploded. but you guess, as he cups your cheek in his hands, the trace of blood from the cut brushing against your skin and crashes his lips on yours - he explodes in a different way.

x

min yoongi tastes divine. like the dew drop of first light after the blue moon. he tastes different from you.

you might have been a little curious and decided to lick your juice coated fingers after you’d taken care of yourself.

“y-your teeth-” he stammers, propping his elbows on the thing he calls bed as he looks at you with the most adorable lust-filled gaze.

you ran your tongue over your canines. well, they never hurt you but they’re still pretty sharp. either way, you’ve licked him enough to know just how good he tastes like.

he tastes divine but he must feel better.

you grin, traces of your excitement pouring over his hardened dick as you stand over it on your knees, “thank you for accepting me as your mate for this year!”

and then you take him all the way to the hilt. the pent up frustrations from all those years you’ve lost to your sisters when it comes to finding a mate blooms in your core and spreads all over your body like sweet, sweet venom.

do all human dicks feel this good?

yoongi’s making the prettiest sound with that pretty face of his as you bounce on his dick. and he lets you do whatever you want. you heard from your sisters that the males of your kin have too big of an ego to let the females take the lead.

“take the hoodie off,” yoongi tugs on the hem of your own clothes.

“why? it’s so comfy!” you whine but know that you’d succumb those pretty pink lips and those clouded eyes anyway.

“i wanna touch you too.”

and so the clothes -hoodie - comes off. and all of a sudden, you’re the shy little kitten that’s hiding her face in her hands as the human male teases your erect nipples. then he pulls you lower until his mouth traps your nipple and his other hand starts coaxing your hips to move again - you’re not sure why or when you stopped.

but you’ve shed off some of the shyness as your bodies mold together into one and an unfamiliar yet familiar spasms of climax shoots through your body.

you end up reaching for the hoodie despite yoongi’s complaints - something about “can’t be naked alone”. he declines your offer to help him into his own hoodie and opts for wrapping his arms around you, his chin on the top of your head and his jawline brushing against the side of your ears, “i’ll keep warm like this.”

x

humans may be odd but they’ve got good stamina. every waking moment of your and yoongi’s lives, you both spend them tangled in his bed or cuddled up on his couch - sometimes you end up on the floor, and that’s nice too because yoongi lends you his arm as a pillow while you cuddle up to him.

but lately, something seems to be bothering him and you find out why on the last day of your heat.

“you thanked me for being your mate for this year... do you change mates every year?” he’s staring at the ceiling with a sort of thoughtfulness that’s never usually there.

he’s either sleepy or horny most of the time.

other times he gets up to cook for the two of you.

“we’re encouraged to look for different mates in order to find the strongest that we can use to bear children with and continue the royal bloodline but the nobles and below don’t need to try so hard to find mates. they usually stay with their first mate.”

yoongi’s thoughtful hum vibrates under your fingerpads that lie on his chest - you enjoy feeling the different patterns of his heartbeat.

“wait... are you a royal?” his wide eyes gaze into you like the first time you met, as if you’ve grown horns on your head.

“my father is amun, the conqueror of the kingdom,” you nod, “but since i’m the youngest, the pressure to procreate isn’t that big, i doubt anyone notices i’ve been away for three months. i should probably go back.”

“yeah,” he looks like he’s about to cry any moment, “you should,” but he turns away before you can say anything.

x

ever since yesterday, yoongi’s been acting odd.

cold and distant, as if you’re both strangers living under the same roof. you want to wait until he wakes up to tell him goodbye but it’s a few hours past first light and your guardians, having been lifted from their heat, may be searching high and low for you. so you slip out of yoongi’s bed and out of the plank - door.

as you thought, jennie and lisa were on the verge of crying and going to your father to offer their heads for failing to find out their master’s whareabouts.

“my lady,” jennie nose crinkles as she takes repeated whiffs of your scent, “this scent- it doesn’t belong to a felidae.”

“did you mate with a pathera?” lisa’s round eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

you giggle before bringing your index finger to your lips, “shh, don’t tell father but- he’s a human.”

“a-a human?” jennie whispers under her breath, “my lady, you know what they say about humans! th-they’re like gods! they have the purest forms without tails or thorns on their body!”

“i know, that’s why you two must keep it a secret.” you say but the moment you walk down the pillars leading to the throne, you know everyone can smell the scent of yoongi on you.

your sisters’ alarmed gazes doesn’t go past you but you take your spot on the far end of the throne anyway.

“___ - you- who was your mate?” your sister, agatha, asks.

she’s been rubbing the fact that she’s had more mates than your years of living.

“why should i tell you?” you shoot her a victorious grin.

she huffs, displeased, “wait until father knows about this.”

and as if on cue, the horn begins to blow and silence settles all over the throne as a beast larger than two- no, three felidaes in their beast forms combined, struts down the pillared isle, his steps light and graceful as is his transformation as the beast gets on two paws and takes the remaining of his steps on his two feet.

“felidaes, thank you for gathering here on this wonderful day after yet another successful mating season. i look forward welcoming new cubs to our prides,” he announces.

“and to ___, my youngest, when will i be able to meet this human mate of yours?” he turns to you, pride laced around his words as agatha and the rest of the people’s eyes widen at the word ‘human’.

you giggle, feeling the blood rushing to your face - this must have been how yoongi felt every time his face goes red, “father, you know how humans are different from us. please give us more time.”

x

humans are odd.

min yoongi especially so.

he acts like nothing’s changed from the time you were living with him to the time you’ve left him. it may have been a short period - has it been a month? - of running away from the ladies that try to pry the story of you and your human mate and the males that sudden have their attention turned to you, trying to court you with offerings of the ancient relics and deepest colored gems.

your tail sways over the ledge of the window as you watch the human male set walk pass you and set up the table before going back to the kitchen only to stop midway. as if he’s seen a ghost.

oh well, at least it isn’t horns.

then he slowly turns to you with eyes round and awake - shocked and disbelieved, even.

“____, y-you came back?” he stammers out.

you grin, hopping off the ledge and bounding right into his arms, your own wrapped around his neck whilst your naked breasts press up against his chest, “i missed your hoodie, so i came back.”

yoongi looks like he’s about to scold you and cry at the same time, but he does neither. instead, he cups your cheeks in his hands and kisses you like he’s never had a drop of water since the day you left.

and you kiss back, savoring the taste of your human mate whom you’ve chosen to spend your whole life with.

you spend your days cuddled together in his sheets like you did before except you’re not licking his neck with every chance you get - it’s the part where he smells most divine besides his dick.

it turns out a human’s heat is all year round. during winter, his hand slips under the hoodie and touches your lower lips. during summer, he keeps trying to take off the hoodie. in autumn and spring, he doesn’t mind the hoodie as much. but you suppose you can’t be hogging all of them at once.

“have you seen my hoodie?” he means the one he claims to be his and is supposed to be steal-proof.

the bright red one with a skull at the back.

you feel your ears perking at the word, thankfully the hood’s covering your head, “no...”

a good few seconds pass without yoongi saying anything, before he sighs, “you’re wearing it, aren’t you?”

underneath your black hoodie, a piece of bright red peeks from the neckline. so you peek up at the human male, laughing sheepishly, “it’s just so comfy and it smells like you...”

“i should start charging you for fees,” he plants his hands on either sides of you, resting his forehead on yours as he smirks deviously.

“f-fees?” you laugh, “w-well, the kingdom is filled with minerals you humans seem to love.”

“pay up with your body,” there’s a glint in his eyes - the kind that used to get buried beneath blushed skin and shyly closed eyes.

you feel your ears perking up, your tail swaying behind you as you tilt your head in just the right angle to kiss his lips. when you pull away, his face is glowing beet red.

“okay, i paid my dues, right?” you shoot him one of your smiles.

he looks like he has more to say, disappointed even, but he settles with a “y-yeah.”

tugging on his hand and swiftly pulling him down onto the bed, cradling his waist. his face looks like it’s about to explode. you giggle.

“you- you’re teasing me,” his forehead creases and he looks like he’s about to kill you and kiss you at the same time.

humans are odd.

min yoongi, especially so.

x

note. reminder that this drabble is also up on my other blog!

[casiavium]

I've been editing old stuff instead of writing anything new so I'm going to post some of the parts of my fanfic that I don't hate and work well out of context!!

The crunch of leaves under Link's feet filled the forest, but for once, he wasn't afraid to alert others to his position. They were safe now.

Though it was hard to tell back in the perpetual springtime of Skyloft, time had passed since he fought Demise.

As the months wore on, the surface showed it. The stories of changing leaves and colder breezes that had been passed down for as long as anyone could remember turned out to be true. The world below was filled with brilliant reds and yellows, the air in Faron woods sharper than it had been before.

Link wasn't paying attention to where the path was leading him. He knew the woods well, even if they hadn't made the final move to the surface yet. He wasn't too worried about running into anything dangerous, as it seemed without a leader the bokoblins and moblins had vanished.

Though Faron appeared safe, Link wanted to wander farther. In the middle of their maps was a blank space where a kingdom once stood. He knew ruins laid there, hopefully with the answers to unsolved mysteries regarding gods and demons. Zelda wouldn't let him go alone, but the plans to move meant no one could be spared.

He sighed out loud, stopping in front of a fallen log. He didn't know the area beyond it very well, down a tunnel that looked like it was leading to a canyon. He really should turn back, people would start to worry. Climbing up the log onto the ledge, Link looked back out over the forest.

He wasn't familiar with the area. If he turned around now, he could head straight back the way he came, and be sure to end up at the Sealed Temple. Zelda was waiting for him there, discussing the future of both the surface and Skyloft with Groose. He had said he would be right back, he just needed a minute to get some air. They'd be looking for him soon...

Beyond the tunnel, a faint noise rang through the canyon. Link whipped around, sure he had imagined it. He hadn't heard the soft sound of bells for three months, not since he had left the Master Sword to rest in the past. Wandering farther down the path, Link ignored the instinct to head back.

He had been here before. A long time ago, now. Though the walls of the canyon hid it, Link knew a temple was sitting at the end, surrounded by a grove of trees and wildflowers unlike any others on the surface. The winding path dropped off abruptly in places, fraying rope the only way to cross.

It was dangerous. Alone, if something were to happen to him, he would be trapped. Not expecting to adventure today, he only carried a simple training sword.

At the bend of the path, a shadowy figure flickered at the edge of Link's vision. The chime rang through the canyon again, this time a little louder. When he turned to face the figure head on, the shadow disappeared.

Something was wrong, Link thought, as he felt himself follow the shadow. He had done this before, at the beginning of his quest, with Fi, but this time... the energy that was calling to him felt different. Like it wasn't meant for him. He still followed.

Link almost lost his balance crossing a rope bridge when the shadow appeared at the end. It was small, dark, and still. He couldn't recognize the outline, a vague humanoid, but the chime it sent out sounded so familiar he couldn't ignore it. A soon as he corrected himself, it was gone.

As he followed the path, Link began to worry. He could have been hallucinating the apparition, but more than likely, it was leading him somewhere. A thought crossed his mind that it was guiding him to certain death, luring in a victim with a false sense of security. At the back of his mind, probably the worst thing to have in this situation, was hope.

The similarities to Fi, but darker, different... Link knew it was dangerous to wish for, but he was praying to Hylia the shadow figure was Ghirahim, calling to him as his own sword once had. He knew the spirit was alive, he saw him, Fi told him to find Ghirahim again, but it had been three months. There was no sign of the demon, no idea of where to even start, and Link was close to giving up.

As the shadow appeared in and out of his vision, Link continued down the path leading to Skyview Temple. Soon, he found himself at the front steps, staring up at the building before him.

He really should head back now, get backup or at least a better sword. He had actually turned to leave, but there it was again, the shadowy figure in the corner of his vision. At the entrance to the temple, it flickered, beckoning him inside.

Despite his better judgement, Link followed. There shouldn't have been any bokoblins to deal with, and though his sword was not the best, it would hold up against skulltullas well enough. The temple hadn't changed, and Link was lucky to find every door left unlocked from the last time he had been there.

At the end of the maze of passages, Link once again came to the broken bridge, the room taken over by vines and trees. Across the chasm, the shadow waited in front of the golden door, a dark contrast to the scattered glow of stray mushroom spores.

This was the first time he was able to look at it head on. The figure stood as tall as the keyhole, touching the floor but almost floating as it waited for him. It wasn't solid, a few glowing dots drifting through its body, and as each second passed Link could swear it was getting dimmer.

He couldn't say how much time was spent staring ahead. The figure blinked out of existence once more, and Link finally moved to follow it. The rope before him shook under his weight, and he nearly lost his balance a few times, but he had made it to the other side.

The large door was still unlocked, and open by just a sliver. Drawing his sword, Link pushed through.

Nothing had changed. The empty room stood before him, shattered pieces of pottery from the last fight that took place lining the edges. There was no figure, no demon nor sword waiting for him.

Link lowered his blade. He hadn't expected anything, really, but the confirmation of his fears stung. The sunlight had been very bright outside, the figure must have been a mirage his tired brain kept conjuring. Even so, he felt it would be a good idea to let the others know in case of some sinister new enemy. Placing his sword back in the scabbard, Link turned to leave.

"Did you really just sheathe your sword? Foolish boy."

At the voice, Link spun around with a racing heart. Across the room, where they had first met, Ghirahim was waiting for him.

"Hello, Link."

He looked the same as when Link last saw him. Taller than he was used to, eerily similar to Fi, glowing core exposed. He looked less worn down, but signs of battle were still etched onto his skin, cracks in the gem revealing the glow underneath. His hand held onto the sword, nearly as tall as Link, a reflection of the demon himself.

"It's been a while."

"It has." Link whispered in response, scared to walk closer and break the spell. "What took you so long?"

"Me?" Ghirahim scoffed. "I've been waiting here for you. I thought you'd come back eventually."

Link was confused. Looking back over his shoulder, he had the strange feeling of being watched. "So you weren't the shadow?"

"I don't know what you mean. Does it matter? You're here now."

Still wary, Link turned his attention back to Ghirahim. "I... yes. What... what happens now?"

Ghirahim twisted the sword in his hand. Picking it up, he walked towards Link, offering the blade to him. "That is up to you. I was under the impression you no longer have a sword, correct?"

Link absentmindedly brought his hand up to the training weapon. "Yeah."

"You are a swordsman in need of a blade. I am a blade in need of a master. Surely you see how we can solve these problems?"

Link stared at the black blade in front of him. He had imagined this day for months now, wanting nothing more, but he had never told anyone. Hesitation at taking the weapon clouded his mind. It would be difficult to explain.

"... what exactly does this mean?"

Growing frustrated, Ghirahim snapped, "You've had months to think about it. It's no different than your old spirit, and I promise, if you still worry that I may try to hurt you or your precious spirit maiden, this is the only way you could stop me."

At the mention of Zelda, Link stiffened. She wouldn't react well to this. Yet, Ghirahim had a point. Under his command, Ghirahim wouldn't hurt anyone. Fi had seemed okay with the idea, encouraged him to take it, even. He had been through so much... he deserved this one thing, at least.

"I'll take it."

"Good."

Reaching out for the blade, Link closed his eyes as he grasped the cold hilt. His fingers brushed against Ghirahim's for a moment, before the spirit was gone. Cracking an eye open, Link watched as the sword glowed, red flames lighting the room as it changed before his eyes. Just as when using the sacred flames on the Goddess Sword, the blade transformed under his grip, fitting to his palm and becoming much easier to handle.

The final form was smaller, the edges of the blade smoother. It looked similar to the Master Sword, yet rougher at the edges and still distinctly Ghirahim. Link lifted the newly transformed blade to the light, watching the last of the flames fall away.

Behind him, a hand rested on his waist. This time when Ghirahim leaned over his shoulder, tongue flicking out by his ear, Link did not flinch away. He was pulled against the other's body as that tongue traced his jaw, lips stopping to rest on his neck. Cold against his skin, he could feel them move as Ghirahim whispered,

"It will be a pleasure to serve you, Master."

[ganymedesclock]

Hungry Knight & Characterizing Ghost

Y’know, it’s interesting, as far into Hollow Knight as I am, and having been aware of Hungry Knight for some time, I haven’t checked it out before very recently. Upon rectifying that, there’s really something interesting in how much of the game is recognizable from this bare bones, two-minute little thing. Obviously there’s a grandiosity and complexity of story that Hollow Knight possesses that Hungry Knight simply couldn’t be of the scale of, but as a sort of primal eggshell the rest of the game hatched out of, it’s very interesting.

The three guardians that are hunted in Hungry Knight are simply boss enemies; they are not given backstory, and hunting them is basically an unambiguously good action. It’s interesting how this progressed to the execution of the Dreamers in Hollow Knight- but what I find illuminating about the Hungry Knight’s journey to its ‘proper’ game sequel is that at its most bare bones, Hungry Knight is a story about Ghost- our Ghost, as we recognize them- who is hailed by Mister Mushroom as the same being, even though he’s sort of breaking the fourth wall to do so and thus Hungry Knight is not in-universe canonical to Ghost’s history- hunting three beings, in order to save the life of a being like themselves.

With many of the major beats of Hollow Knight following an extended, more elaborate imagining of Hungry Knight’s simplistic two-minute plot, I think this characterizes Ghost’s perspective and motives for returning to the kingdom interestingly. 

Another related area of interest to me is that Ghost is very finished compared to everything else in this game that received intense reimagining. Their mainstays remain nail attacks and dashing; the hunger system is a clear predecessor of soul- in essence, Ghost as they are in HK does “hunger” and need to “feed” themselves- it’s just that the timing of such is dependent on the damage they take, rather than time.

However- Ghost also, in Hungry Knight, talks. Not to any NPCs in the game world, because they have no one to speak to- but directly to the player. 

Ghost speaks twice; in the opening card explaining the controls:

I’m a knight. I have something I need to do.

And I’m hungry.

I need to eat every 10 seconds or I will die.

I must search the area carefully.

I must strike swiftly and remorselessly

I must be nimble to avoid danger

I must not fail, whatever happens. I am ready.

And at the end:

Thank you for your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Again, given how polished this proto-Ghost is to the finished character in Hollow Knight, I want to take this as an indicator of how Ghost would speak through some kind of proxy around their voicelessness. What follows is basically take-it-or-leave-it headcanon, but going off Hungry Knight as a guideline:

Ghost is very blunt. They contain a bit of the eloquence that perfumes all dialogue in Hollow Knight, really, and they’re not shy of using fancier language, but they express their ideas in very simple words. They seem to think it’s rather important that they are specifically a knight- and this statement exists in absence of them being a knight of or for anything. They do not seem to have an order or affiliation, or- in fact- loyalty to anything in the game world of Hungry Knight except their fallen friend.

They also show a predilection towards imperatives, which is interesting. Outside of the hunger limit which is a factual stating of boundaries, they cite four edicts with rather intense gravity:

Search the area carefully

Strike swiftly and remorselessly 

Be nimble to avoid danger

Do not fail, whatever happens

The existence of these edicts is interesting. The idea of Ghost as someone who internalizes certain things that they take completely seriously and unflinchingly / refuse to compromise on is one not foreshadowed by their very subdued body language. But it betrays a whole host of implied values. That Ghost values precision, caution (they are not reckless in the risks they take) and adaptation, but, also, believes firmly that this caution and adaptation must ultimately serve their end goal.

The biggest reason this is interesting to me? Zote.

Here’s the thing about Zote: he was pretty clearly designed in Ghost’s likeness. Their cloaks are similar. Their weapons are similar. The shape of their horns are similar. While he is in other ways clearly his own character, Zote was conceived as a caricature of Ghost.

Zote insists that he is a principled creature, insists that he is a knight, and has an exhaustive, lengthy list of personal edicts that he insists lead him to success through every situation; however, those edicts are in some ways useless advice; in others, they are useful, but not in the way that a personal creed generally would be.

So, if we’re going off Hungry Knight: Zote as a caricature of Ghost, may, with his 47 Precepts, be caricaturing the idea that Ghost themselves carries and lives by a personal creed.

Some of these things are implied per my earlier headcanon, that the more “neutral-seeming” notes on the top half of the Hunter’s Journal entries represent Ghost’s impressions. These upper-half journal entries, and overall gameplay of Hollow Knight, would seem to align with Ghost’s stated edicts in Hungry Knight.

“I must search the area carefully” -> Ghost’s notes, compared to the Hunter’s, are detailed and factual. They often discuss what weapons a creature uses, whether or not it is trained, its origins... and, take special note of anything that is or used to be a knight, or adhering to a personal creed. (note the sentry enemies in particular, and how much Ghost mentions their hierarchy and weapon choices. The White Defender is also described as “gallant”, in contrast to the dismissive way the Hunter speaks of the Dung Defender). What’s more interesting is that some of the most formidable enemies in the game- Radiance, and Nightmare King Grimm- are given extremely sparing descriptions by Ghost- as if they are struggling to describe what they are beholding.

Likewise, a huge amount of Hollow Knight’s gameplay, especially if you want anything besides the worst ending, or just to make your going easier, involves scouring the game world tenaciously. Both Hornet and Hunter suggest Ghost has a predilection to dogging others’ trails; Quirrel and Cornifer both suggest Ghost is a kindred spirit to them as someone grasped by the love of exploration, and the Old Stag likewise commends them when they open the Queen’s Station.

“I must strike swiftly and remorselessly” -> not only is this one spoofed by Zote (he has a precept about exploiting weaknesses, a precept about felling enemies in a single stroke...) but Ghost is basically never reluctant to throw down with anything that seems about to attack. The Hunter cites Ghost as approaching without fear after he roars at them, and Quirrel’s dialogue outside the mantis village suggests that without much of a clear sense that the mantises are obstructing Ghost’s progress, they’re eager to challenge the Lords. Likewise, the Radiance does not attack you immediately, but Ghost still hops to the highest peak of her domain and tells her exactly how they feel with a single brandished nail.

Likewise, everything Godseeker tells them seems to galvanize them onward, even though initially their motivation may have been curiosity. This even lines up with, according to Hungry Knight, at least, that Ghost defines themselves first by their job, and second by the fact that they have something they need to do- and they do not consider failure any kind of viable option.

As far as remorselessness... there are in fact several times in the game you can cut someone down and then realize afterwards maybe you shouldn’t have. Encountering fully infected Myla is basically set up to encourage it- a player might assume that in defeating her, she could be saved, or just be startled by her attack and retaliate the way that the game has trained us. Her unique dying cry, to me, suggests that the game expected us to hear it.

Likewise, the Nailsmith asks to be cut down, and, if you oblige him, it happens extremely quickly and without effort.

The interesting other side of that is someone who tells themselves to act without remorse, is, generally, someone who is predisposed to regrets- which we know Ghost is, given the canonical information available about the Shade, and that the Shade is already pre-loaded into the Hunter’s Journal on unlock... suggesting Ghost has been forced to contend with it before in the wastelands beyond the kingdom.

Similarly, both Grimm and Brumm in the Grimm Troupe questline prod at the idea that Ghost must make their choice, knowingly, and choose something they won’t regret doing. There’s also the absolutely heartbreaking song of the Hollow Knight battle, and Godseeker’s comments on the Pure Vessel fight that Ghost may yearn to be close to their sibling, but can only get there through combat.

So this particular edict is something emotionally shaky to Ghost- they feel like they have to attack quickly without hesitation, and it’s seen them through many enemies, but... as far as attacking remorselessly- they, uh, don’t always succeed.

“I must be nimble to avoid danger” -> platforming and evasion are huge parts of the game. Given the amount of health bosses have, hanging back, moving around attacks, and finding the right places to heal is an imperative regardless of play style. There are few bosses you can really efficiently face-tank through and you need to do a LOT of charm work, and screaming of either the internal or external variety to succeed there (ask me how I know,) The majority of the upgrades you unlock are about maneuverability. 

“I must not fail, whatever happens.” -> Much of the game, especially Hornet, is basically about interrogating Ghost’s resolve, and whether or not they’re okay with what’s going to happen to them. This refusal to give up in the face of outstanding adversity is a huge quality of Ghost’s, and basically one that the game sympathetically cultivates in the player. This is a game with a harsh and demanding learning curve, and, basically, if you’re going to see it through, you need to commit to it.

However, like Ghost’s belief they need to lack remorse, this walks a dicey line. At their worst, Ghost can ignore everyone and everything, write them off as distractions, minimize their observations of their surroundings and blind themselves to everything except the next obstruction in the way of their goal.

However, in that worst ending? Ghost does fail, if you look at what Hungry Knight says about Ghost’s motives. What proto-Ghost thanks the player for is being able to save their friend and leave that place together.

In the base ending of Hollow Knight, Ghost is unable to save Hollow. Instead, they cut Hollow down, and replace them, making a meaningless sacrifice that won’t save anyone else, either- just buy them more time, in a stasis that has already led to decay.

“Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

All of the better endings are facilitated by engaging with other characters. For Dream No More, you need Hornet and the White Lady’s help, and seeking closure from the Pale King’s body and the bottom of the Abyss. Ghost has to confront their past there- twice- and face, and embrace, their regrets. The opening to dream nail Hollow rather than cutting them down is only created by Hornet believing in Ghost enough to risk her life entering the Black Egg Temple and tackle Hollow to hold them down.

Embrace The Void takes that even further- you need all of those criteria, and then you need to rummage in two different areas, very far away from each other, to find first a key, and then a sarcophagus, and keep prodding the weirdo that falls out of said sarcophagus, even when she’d really rather you didn’t. And even that has unpleasant consequences unless you go even further, and rummage enough to find a way to deliver a Delicate Flower to Godseeker.

Ultimately, Ghost only gets what they want by letting others in. They only accomplish what they do with help. And this is important, when, again, Hungry Knight would point towards the idea that everything Ghost does is to the end goal of saving another person. They want, ultimately, to protect Hollow.

[talesofsonicasura]

Stand Needed

Snatcher and Moonjumper contract a nasty undead illness. Luckily, Hat Kid knows someone who could help in exchange for a price. Too bad it's another weirdo on a whole other level.

Every creature can get sick. Dogs can contract illnesses, cats can get sick, rats can carry sickness and humans get sick from small colds or deadly diseases. Though no one ever thought the undead could contract an illness but it is possible especially for soul-devouring species.

There is an illness that can disturb the magic energy of powerful spirits, particularly those whose power grew greatly by consuming the life force of innocence more than the damned or vice versa. This causes their magic to malfunction, spells to fail or backfire, and if not treated in time that spirit in question will become stone.

The Subcon Forest, a dark and mysterious biological creature born from the ghostly energy that soaks deep in the soil. A fallen kingdom that's entire population was devastated in a single day by deadly frost and then revitalized into this maze of trees by powerful ghostly fire. Magic flows throughout the forest, haunted noose that come alive to snatch their victims, cherries that became crystalized then exploded when introduced to ghostly energies, swamps that drag treaders into the deep abyss and even bells that affect the spiritual plane.

Two types of inhabitants make this dead land their home under the laws of their ruler. Dwellers, spirits that are tied to the world by the masks they wear and capable of revealing the spiritual plane to others. And then there are the Subconites, dwellers whose spirits are given physical form through puppet bodies so they can interact with the world.

Both under the rule of the Snatcher, a powerful ghost that haunted the land. Trespassers he caught are forced to sign magical contracts with their souls as the price. All but one had made it out with their soul not getting devoured and bodies dumped like garbage. Another spirit did dwell within this ghostly forest and commanded the Dwellers that didn't want to be involved with the ghostly ruler.

This spirit known as Moonjumper also was a soul stealing entity that was at odds with the Snatcher. Clashes between both spirits were given and often depleted their magic to the point souls were required to replenish them. Snatcher fed on ones that belonged mostly to the innocent since they trespassed on his land more often and Moonjumper took those who were destined for hell as they fled to his part of the forest after performing dastardly deeds.

And this is where their problem all started. In a large tree lined with giant mushrooms and carved into with a jack o lantern was the dwelling for a particular specter. The Snatcher, a ghost around 20 ft long in size with a body similar to a serpent but covered completely in a mane of dark purple fur, a thick curly tip mane followed by glowing yellow eyes and mouth often found on a child's jack o' lantern with two fangs and spindly arms with two clawed fingers.

The spirit had a book in hand that's cover read 'Ghostly Magic and Illnesses' with eyes narrowed in annoyance and frowning in distaste. His powers had been acting finicky as late as last night. His warping magic left him in the wrong location than what he wanted, hands burst into flame without reason but the biggest sign was one of his contracts. The paper looked dead than it's pristine yellow cut.

Thus he delayed any new contracts and halted his duties to immediately find what was going on with his powers. A magical sickness wasn't what he expected. Especially as one as deadly to him like this. The Chaos Petrification, a sickness that manifests in soul eating entity's who had too much of innocent or damned energy in their appetite.

"...The only cure is the energy from a being with an immense fighting spirit. A soul whose willpower is so powerful that they can bring their inner being to life. By consuming some of this energy, the sick spirit's powers will return to proper balance. These souls are very rare and the illness will take four days to permanently petrify the spirit. What the peck?!" He shut the book with a huff.

"How the peck am I supposed to find a soul with an immense fighting spirit? What does that even mean by willpower that can come to life?!" He exclaimed with his animalistic rough growl mixed alongside the mischievous jovial balanced tone of his voice echoing through the forest. This wasn't something that needed to happen. You can't rule over a forest if you are a stone statue.

"Guess I'm not the only in this same predicament." A much softer male voice with an echo made the Snatcher's frown turn into an annoyed snarl. Turning around to bore holes into the head of the corpse possessing spirit at his home's doorway. The spirit was much smaller than him, around the size of a human man if he was missing his legs.

Their head was a pale blue moon shaped mask flipped on its back, red stripes going down the bottom side of the mouth, two eyes of slightly different sizes with red stripes or star spots in them, the fangs making the mask bear an aura of madness, his spindly body covered in torn remains of a prince attire consisting of a white ascot and red coat but manacles with broken chains around his wrists.

"Moonjumper, how did you get here? Have you forgotten you are banned from this part of my forest?" Snatcher growled whilst looking at this intruder with aggravation. "Trust me, I wouldn't have impeded on your land if it wasn't for good reason. I believe Chaos Petrification being both our problems." Those words were enough for the violet ghost to drop the book an instant.

"You have it too? This is really bad. Magic is the only thing keeping that witch's frost from eating the whole forest. And I really don't want her anywhere near that pecking border." The spirit shivered upon the thought of the ice witch that dwelled in a small section of the forest. All three of them were at odds but neither of the two males hated the other more than the female demon by their borders.

"As much as you hate me, neither of us wants our land to become frozen over with ghostly ice. We need each other to keep her at bay. From what I overheard is that the cure is the energy of a soul with a powerful inner will?" Moonjumper said, picking up the dropped book and opened it back to the page the other specter had it on.

The page in question held a person shaped hieroglyph and multiple wisps around them with a giant wisp at the center. Underneath the image was a scrap of text that seemed unreadable. With a flick of his fingers, red string manifested on that tiny part of the page. It covered the area before they vanished upon burrowing into the pages as restored text that read 'Stand User' in its place.

"Stand User? A bizarre name but much better than nothing. Though it's the first I heard of it." Moonjumper hummed looking at those two words that were the key to their salvation. "Maybe the kid might know. She may be a weirdo but she's a weirdo from space so the Hat Brat might have a clue." As if on signal by the violet ghost, a soft thump was heard by his tree alongside a childish girl saying Tada.

Then walked in a little girl who seemed to be around 8 years old in age, hair a chocolate brown ponytail and bright blue eyes wearing a purple top hat with a gold ribbon, a purple Victorian looking shirt, white pants, black shoes and a violet umbrella decorated in stickers. "Hey Snatcher! And Moonjumper you here too?! Bowie was wondering where you were!" The child who was known as Hat Kid said with honest surprise.

Both ghosts decided to inform the young child about their current predicament. The girl may be young but her actions in the past showed she was a force to be reckoned and a good source of help. After all, no one had ever bested Snatcher in a fight or escaped the manor of the Subcon's Ice Queen alive.

"A Stand User? Don't know what that is but I think my new friend might know!" That caught the attention of the two specters. Hat Kid has a habit of making friends with very interesting individuals. These very people were often useful to Snatcher in particular considering his special contacts known as Death Wishes.

"Really? Who's this new friend of yours and where are they now?" Snatcher questioned nearly getting into the kid's face. "Her name is Jodie Joestar and I met her in Mafia Town! She looked extremely lost and said something about a Stand thingy that took her from her friends! In fact she's waiting on my ship right now since I said you guys might know a way for her to get back!" Hat Kid exclaimed, both ghosts were quite pleased to hear this.

It shouldn't be so hard to ask the woman about it. Though even if the Snatcher wouldn't think or much less admit it, Moonjumper was quite curious on what kind of person was this Jodie Joestar. A question he was glad to ask Hat Kid about on their way to her ship.

"What kind of person Jodie is like? She's quite cool and very nice! Her hair is blue and the surprising thing is that it's completely natural! Jodie also knows some cool tricks I could do with my hat and apparently loves to sing. I plan on asking her if she wants to hang out later and show me these special comics she has called Manga! Oh and she has a lot of siblings, like 7 brothers and one sister! One of her brothers is her twin too!"

Snatcher could only do a small dry cackle in his head. This Jodie sounded like another weirdo. They had to be crazy to stand the little purple hat wearing alien girl known as Hat Kid. Plus having 8 siblings was guaranteed to drive someone up the wall with madness. Then again, might be another soul that could be a new contractor. His forest did need some maintenance that didn't involve the kid.

Hat Kid's spaceship could be described as very colorful and imaginative to anyone who goes inside. Various rooms with bright color carpets, different setups being connected by various sized tunnels which most were crawlspaces to any adult guests, displays with the subjects of each one floating in midair or the massive pile of pillows that could be found in the bedroom.

Each room contains a telescope, a type of transporter that took others to certain parts of the planet that it was locked on to. Funnily, the telescope in her room leads straight to Subcon Forest which was also the same place the trio arrived in. Though they weren't exactly counting on the sound of music above them.

This music sounded very strange. It was like a flute with a higher pitch mixed with the tone of a harmonica and light notes found in an ocarina. The song itself was very soothing despite it's somber tune and all three of them had different thoughts upon it. To Hat Kid, it sounded like something that could be heard from a fairytale. There was this sort of magic to it that you would only find from unexplained wonders.

For Moonjumper, it was very calming to him. It reminded him of whenever he was stargazing, his inner turmoils were quelled and he could feel himself at peace despite his cursed afterlife. And for Snatcher, the tune reminded him of home. Before Subcon had become the haunted forest it was now. Where children were playing, the sun was shining and everything was filled with peaceful life. The time he was truly happy and had a better honest outlook of the world.

They all looked to see the source of that melody on top of the pillow mountain. It was a young woman with slightly long curly blue hair and the music was coming from a leaf she had pressed to her mouth. She appeared to be around 5'10 in height with light peach skin and her body completely covered in a peculiar style of clothing.

It consisted of a black long sleeve kimono to the point that it completely swallowed her arms and legs, a torn sleeveless white long coat with seagreen bottom starting from halfway, a long blue sash like harness around her waist and brown hiking boots. This had to be the girl that Hat Kid was talking about, Jodie Joestar.

From her closed eyes and no reaction to their arrival, it was clear she didn't notice them yet. 'She's quite talented if she can create such music with a simple leaf. And cute…' Moonjumper immediately shoved that last thought in the back of his mind. No ogling a human girl especially one you don't know nothing about.

Jodie opened her eyes and immediately spotted the little girl alongside the two ghostly guests. She then placed the small plant piece in her pocket before sliding down the pillow mountain. "Welcome back Hattie-san! I see you brought guests too! Konnichiwa!" Her voice was light, peppy and had a soft energy to it as she bowed to the two ghosts much to their surprise.

"Konnichi-what? Sorry girlie but I don't speak alien or bow to random strangers." Snatcher snarked but the young woman didn't let it bother her much. "Sorry about that. Konnichiwa means Hello in Japanese and bowing to someone you first meet is a sign of respect from Japan as well." Jodie explained, her voice riddled with modest honesty.

"Quite an interesting custom. Sorry for not introducing ourselves. I am Moonjumper and the large fellow beside me is Snatcher. You must be Jodie Joestar?" The chained ghost's question was met with a small nod. "Correct. Hattie-san said you could be of assistance with my particular situation." That's right, Hat Kid did say she was stranded but how bad could it be?

"It depends on how bad it is and what you can give in return, kiddo. Nothing in this world is free." Snatcher had slithered around her side before his face got up close and personal to the woman with a finger to her face. She merely moved his finger aside much to the specter's surprise. "It's rude to put your fingers in someone's face Snatcher. You wouldn't want someone to do the same to you." And then she booped him on the area where his nose would be if the ghost had one.

Hat Kid giggled and Moonjumper had put his own down seeing the flustered face of Snatcher as Jodie walked over to Hat's bed and sat at the end. He clearly was having trouble processing the fact that some random stranger booped him, Snatcher the Ruler of Subcon, on his face in pure nonchalance. The sound of the kid's laughter and Moonjumper's amused look had him push it to the side as he glared at the two then Jodie.

The bluenette wasn't even a bit fazed as she spoke once more. "To put it simply, this isn't my world. I was sent here by the power of an enemy Stand, I believe he called it 'When They Come For Me'. Stands are the manifestation of a person's fighting spirit and each one is different from the other. They come in many shapes, types and forms. Some are named after the tarot deck and lately music or songs."

It had to be another world. He had to jinx himself. Moonjumper had to resist facepalming for that one. "Stand Users have a habit of attracting other Stand Users and some aren't really nice learning that." The violet ghost decided to butt in. "I guess that means you're a Stand User too since 'Stand Users have a habit of attracting other Stand Users.'" Jodie ignored his snarky interruption with a placid face.

Snatcher really was trying to aggravate her but he wasn't going to be easily satisfied. "Very astute. I am a Stand User but lucky for you is that I'm one of the friendlier and more rational ones. If you would've asked someone else that then they would attack or in a worse case scenario kill you in very gruesome ways. Trust me when I say you don't want to make an enemy of someone who could erase you from existence or turn you into a living bomb with a single touch."

And the peaceful ambient mood immediately shriveled up and died from Jodie's words. 'Erase someone from existence? That peck neck kid could've got us destroyed in an instant if she brought some fool capable of that on board! I may be powerful but I'm not stupid. Though I had to applaud her for killing the mood so quickly.' Snatcher had to reluctantly admit that last bit in his head.

Jodie then continued. "Don't worry though if there are any other nasty Stand Users then I can easily handle them. It's sort of my job to keep the bad nuts under control with my Stand: What's Up Danger!" Almost on cue something large and white had appeared in front of the bluenette causing the two ghosts and child to jump back in surprise.

Standing proudly before then was a white lion/dog hybrid beast with a ragged green and red bowtie on their chest around a good 12 ft in size, a seagreen underbelly alongside horn like ears and sharp bladed claws of that same color, a mouth of oversized monstrous fangs and tusks that looked like something from a horror movie, two eye sockets filled with various colored eyes than just one, dark blue bladed spikes on each side of the back, and a blue tail ending with a plush viper head that had blue bunny ears alongside a stitched mouth.

"That is a big freakish cat. And seriously 'What's Up Danger?' At least some fool knows what they're getting into once that comes out." The beast or What's Up Danger rolled their eyes at the violet specter's snark. "Kitty!" Then Hat Kid just pounced on the large feline with a big hug much to everyone's surprise. Jodie immediately became as flustered as her Stand who clearly was not used to random hugs.

"Hattie-san, you are one of a kind because no one has ever called Danger a kitty and hugged her." The woman couldn't help but chuckle as the feline plucked the child off her leg and settled the little girl on her back with her tail. Moonjumper merely looked at the peculiar creature with a curious gaze. It's not everyday a ghostly demonic feline jumps out of someone.

He then noticed Jodie giving the two ghosts a look that clearly read: 'You can get closer if you want.' Moonjumper came closer with no issue while Snatcher held back a groan and settled with a skeptical look before begrudgingly coming over. Danger merely sat down and watched them making it clear she had no problem with what they did. Especially since Hat Kid was petting her much to the feline's pleasure.

"So you said you were looking for my assistance but for what?" Filling her in on the situation was apparently easier than they expected. "Turning to stone sounds really awful. If you need some of my Stand Energy then take what you need. Danger and I have no problem with it. Right, girl?" A soft mew confirmed the feline's answer to her partner.

"Thank you very much Jodie. You are a 'lifesaver' I believe what people say these days. Please hold out your hand or paw." The duo followed Moonjumper's instruction and pulled out their respective left limb. Snatcher had cautiously taken Jodie's while Moonjumper took Danger's. he vast difference in size was made clear as the violet ghost and feline practically overshadowed their respective partner's hand.

Both females felt a large prick at the center of their being that vanished as fast it came, a flu shot being the closest to compare the feeling. The reactions of the two ghosts were instant once they let go. A large burst of blue flame ignited from Snatcher's hand before manifesting as a pristine gold contract paper with a large bright smile and strings whipped from Moonjumper's in an elegant controlled fashion.

"I'm back in business! Maybe even better than ever since my contracts never had such a perfect pristine look to them." The specter couldn't help but admire the elegant masterful craftsmanship of the calligraphy and detailed fabric/paper of the very item in his claws. "My magic feels much better as well. It has been some time to be able to manipulate my strings like this after escaping the Horizon. You have an incredible spirit Miss Joestar."

Jodie and Danger couldn't help the big smile on their beaming faces at the Moonjumper's praise and the sorta gratitude from Snatcher. "Now to get you home! You know the telescopes on my ship, the ones that I use to travel on different parts of the planet." Hat Kid's inquiry earned a round of nods from the room's occupants.

"I was thinking that we can power up one of the telescopes so it can send you back! And the best ones for the job was Snatcher and Moonjumper." That didn't sound like a bad idea. All of them had seen how the strange objects worked, most of them even used it, they were very accurate on where they warped to and from.

"Doesn't sound too hard considering we got a sample of the kiddo's soul. It'll act like a guide to her planet and last location before ending up in that stupidity infested town. The telescope used for my forest will boost our chances since it's linked to the realm of yours truly." A larger smug smile grew on the specter's face that earned him an eye roll from the other ghost.

With a simple spell, the telescope to Subcon had undergone a significant change. It was now larger with the brown cover replaced with a deep violet marked by red spirals, a second notch by the lenses marked with a J, and a mechanism that changed the lense for a bright sea green one. "There we go. Now the telescope can warp to your world and not just Subcon Forest with a turn of the notch." Moonjumper didn't expect the sudden hug from the woman and Snatcher didn't expect her to hug him next. Hat Kid's hug wasn't a surprise.

What's Up Danger vanished as Jodie recalled the being back into her own soul. "Thank you guys! I hope we can meet again in the future someday but for now this is goodbye. My family is probably worried or on a crusade for that Stand User so best to put out the flaming torches and put down any Stand Rushes quickly as possible. Sayonara and Arigato." With a smile on her face, the girl vanished in the light of the telescope.

Snatcher and Moonjumper stared at the object a bit longer before instinctively looking at Hat Kid. She had a very familiar disaster impending smile on her face. "You're going to follow her, aren't you?" The chained specter was answered by the smug look in the child's eyes. "At least give her three days. I want to see what kind of face she makes when we pop up. Plus there's a book of spells that might come in handy."

An impossible thing to knock about Snatcher and Hat Kid. When you grab their interest expect to follow you with every chance they get. And prepare for the impending mayhem to follow. Ghosts and children always tend to cause mischievous mishaps after all.

This is another Hat in Time crossover but instead I used Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Hat Kid here is a bit more chatty because I want to practice all sorts of interactions especially with two diverse sets of characters from two different franchises.

While Unappreciated Hunter was exploration in its style, this is more of how these very unique series interact with another when you take into consideration how vastly different they are. Kind of like a melting pot as characters handle brand new situations and the oddities provided.

This is all my first attempt at writing Moonjumper so I hope I did good. Until next time folks!

This is Jodie Joestar and her Stand What's Up Danger! Alongside the song that her name comes from.

[mariofallenstar]

Kamek’s Answer

Bowser Jr. had not been pleased when he’d been told Kamek was too busy to see him.

“Tell him he’s not busy anymore!” he’d barked. “This is urgent!”

Since his childhood, Bowser Jr. had more than doubled in height. The Koopa trembling before him was reminded vividly of the old king in his prime.

Still, his fear could not change his answer.

“I-I’m terrible s-sorry, Your Surliness, but Kamek gave us strict orders not to interrupt him for any reaso-”

He hadn’t even finished before Bowser Jr. rose to his feet with a snarl of irritation. The Koopa yelped and ducked into his shell, but the shell only bounced and clattered harmlessly against the floor as the infuriated king strode past him.

Junior knew there was only one line of work that would keep Kamek from seeing him, but he was determined not to let his old caretaker escape. The castle was as imposing and hollow as the pipes of an organ, and many of the souls living there heard the reverberating booms and crashes of their king’s progress down the twisting castle steps.

Junior burst through the doors to the basement lab, and squinted against the flickering solar flare he found there. The mass of incandescent orange and yellow lights flashed with a brilliance that tore through the eyes like butter and seared the tissue of the brain.

Silhouetted below this agonizing light show, a small cutout in black threatening to be drowned out by the dancing aurora behind it, was Kamek. The round, black goggles over his eyes held a double image of the dancing beam as he flicked his wand and gestured his hand in an arcane pattern of commanding loops. The magic circle on the ground turned steadily on the floor before him, each facet of the ring sending forth a magic chain to wrap tightly around the outraged light. The tightly-wound chains warped the shape of the light until it no longer even remotely resembled a star, just a rod of crumbled, warbling energy.

It was these chains, this circle, that kept the Havoc Star contained.

The Star, as always, emitted a high-pitched wailing that pierced through the eardrums like a dentist drill, but even so, Junior’s booming voice was able to cleave through the noise.

“Kamek! I need to speak with you!” he roared.

Kamek turned, indignant. 

“Your Majesty, this is a very delicate operation!” he screeched at the top of his voice. “Wait outside!” 

“NOW, KAMEK!”

Kamek frowned. Even over the earsplitting noise, he recognized that tone. He had heard it for decades from Junior’s father, and he had heard it for decades from Junior himself. Kamek feared Bowser Jr. no more or less than he had when his ward was smaller than himself, but he knew no amount of reason, wisdom, or basic fact could prevail over that tone. It was a commanding voice accustomed to shaping reality. 

Kamek flicked his wand, and a bubble crisscrossed with geometric shapes enveloped the chained Havoc Star. The siren-like wailing was abruptly choked off and the flickering glare dampened by the slowly turning bubble.

Kamek lifted up his goggles with an unimpressed look and fished his glasses out of his robe. “I suppose if not blowing this castle sky-high is so unimportant to you, I can spare a few minutes,” he said dryly.

“Can the sass!” snapped Junior, “I need to ask you something.”

“Well, what is it?”

Junior stepped further into the room. The ceiling entered Kamek’s range of vision as he looked up to meet his gaze.

“Do you remember when I was a kid, I asked you if dad was a bad person?”

Behind his glasses, Kamek’s eyes narrowed. He had not been expecting this, but he wasn’t surprised, either.

“Yes, what of it?” he said.

Bowser Jr.’s voice was stern. “You never gave me an answer,” he said.

Kamek huffed. “As I recall, Your Majesty, I told you you would have to determine the answer for yourself.”

“Like I said, you never gave me an answer.”

Kamek snarled in irritation. “It wasn’t my place to judge your father’s actions.”

“I’m asking you to,” snapped Junior. “So answer.”

Kamek threw his arms out. “What, you can’t make up your own opinion? You need me to figure it out for you?

“Will you stop DANCING AROUND IT?” With a roar, Bowser Jr. slammed his fist into the lined shelves of glass bottles. Shards of sopping glass spun over the floor. Kamek felt a familiar cold shill race under his shell, and he shrank down.

“The entire world hates us, Kamek!” Junior thundered. “The entire world! They call us monsters! People are killing themselves to get rid of us! You don’t do that for things that are good! Do you?”

Kamek bristled. “Well, you seem to have made up your mind, so I don’t see the point of asking me.”

“The point is you lied to me!” Junior roared. “All the time I was a kid, you made me think we were doing something right!”

“When did we lie to you?” Kamek spat. “When? When we told you we hated Mario? That was the truth! When we told you we wanted the Mushroom Kingdom? That was the truth! What part of what we said was a lie?”

Junior faltered. He had been so full of righteous fury as he’d thundered down the steps, so sure that he had been wronged. He knew he had been deceived, but upon Kamek’s words, he inexplicably found himself put on the spot. He floundered, groping through his memory for anything definite, anything unmistakably duplicitous.

“He... He told me Peach was my mother,” was all he could manage.

Kamek snorted. “Even as a child, you didn’t believe that! Are you honestly telling me that little white lie is why you barged in here? You can’t fool me! This is about that girl, isn’t it?”

Bowser Jr. felt suddenly as though the front of his shell had been ripped open, exposing something raw and quivering underneath. 

“She... She has nothing to do with this!” he yelled, and he couldn’t stop the shaking in his voice.

Kamek snorted again. “I wasn’t born yesterday, you know. I know exactly what’s going on here. You were content to sit on the throne your father won for years, and then all the sudden that girl appears and flashes you that arrogant smile and you want to throw it all away!”

“It isn’t like that!” Junior felt his cheeks burning with a heat that had nothing to do with the captive star or the embers popping in his own throat. 

“Now who’s dancing around it?” Kamek knew there was a decent chance he would pay for these words later, but he had seen the troubling signs of interest in the young king, and he knew them all too well.

“Your father spent years running himself ragged for one woman! He hasn’t even glimpsed her face for years, and the thought of her still haunts him! Do you want that to happen to you? You think that girl will ever accept you, stand with you at an altar with a bouquet in her hand? Give me a break! It’s a fool’s errand! It always was! You can’t win her! Crush her, throw her away, and forget her! It’s for your own good!”

In his mind’s eye, Junior saw her. The girl with the wild, brown ponytail. The girl with the bold brows and flashing blue eyes underneath the brim of her pink cap. The girl who’d once said to him, “You are standing in between me and my throne.” Then she’d said, “I’ll be a better kind of ruler. That’s why I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

And then, she had said: “You deserve to be free, too, Junior.”

“I... She’s not... We don’t...”

“Very well!” Kamek shrieked. “If she really means that much to you, then by all means, run away with her! Bend down on one knee, offer her a ring, leave all this, your castle, your subjects, your family, leave it all behind! Abandon your father and tear down the home he built for you! Everything else has abandoned your father, why shouldn’t you?”

Junior winced. He couldn’t help it. “I never said I was going anywhere!”

“Of course you’re not! Because you’re not an idiot!” Kamek thudded the bottom of his staff against the cavernous floor. “You ask me about right and wrong, good and bad? You’re not a little boy anymore. You should know by now that there is no distinction. Good and evil are just words to dress up ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Tell me, do you truly feel it’s ‘right’ or ‘good’ to turn against your family?”

Junior looked away. He thought of his aged father, ailing, bitter, consumed with obsession and rage. “Torch that little brat!” he’d roared. The “little brat” who fought so ferociously and, every once in a while, smiled at him so kindly.

It was true. He wasn’t a little boy anymore. It had been a long time since he’d thought of Peach as his “Mama.” It had been a long time since he’d thought of Mario as a “bad man.” 

But his father was still his father. And his father was alone.

A low, rumbling snarl poured out between Junior’s teeth as he abruptly turned to pound back up the stairs. Kamek blew out the huge breath he had been holding in and flipped his goggles back into place. 

Doubt was a new thing. His father had never wrestled with doubt. Kamek was too old, too set in his ways to change course. He hoped he had convinced Lord Junior the same, but he was not fool enough to believe it. He knew better than anyone of the obstinacy of the young.

Junior, for his part, found himself stopping partway up the third staircase. He knew he couldn’t abandon his father. But forget her? He might as well try to detach his own arm. Every time he saw her face or heard her voice, he would think of the sad look in her eyes when he’d...when he’d offered her the kingdom.

“We could rule together! It doesn’t have to be like this! I’ll take care of you, Stella!”

Did Kamek know about that? Did he know that he had already tried the “idiotic” thing Kamek had railed against? Perhaps, by turning him down, she had proven herself to be less idiotic than him.

“That won’t work, Junior. Don’t you see that?”

He could never kill her. But if she had made up her mind to fight, then he would just have to beat her. He would thrash her so painfully, so completely, that she would retreat and never return. It was her only chance. 

For a moment, he imagined a scene from a different world. Mario was alive. Junior was still a kid. The stands surrounding the tennis court were filled with cheers and banners. And Princess Peach, still lovely with her golden hair that tumbled below her waist, pulled forth a squinting, brown-haired toddler as she smiled down at him patiently.

“Junior,” she would have said, “this is my daughter, Stella. I hope you two can play nice, at least for today.”

Junior shook his head and pulled himself further up the stairs. That had never happened. Don’t torture yourself. You know the way things have to be.

For the remainder of the day and all through the night, the castle was quiet.

[kessielrg]

[DA + KH] Hurricane and Venus

Summary: In which Ventus is distracted by an Orlesian bard. Inspired by, but not directly related to @chibi-mushroom's Dragon Age AU for Kingdom Hearts, because I needed an excuse to write about Sabrina and Ventus again. It’s been over a year, and that’s too long.

Rating: K+

Word Count: 2,448

-

She had been following the trio for three solid days now. If the older two had noticed, they certainly didn't let it show easily. Not that she actually had plans on intercepting them at any point. By now, rumors and legends could easily identify the blue haired woman in that trio; the Gray Warden, the Hero of Ferelden, Aqua Amell. Traveling with her were two male companions, one about the same age and one younger. The one close in age to Aqua was another Gray Warden; Terra. The younger one, the one she was slowly growing an odd fondness for as she watched the trio travel, was actually the son of a Ferelden arl; Ventus.

The trio were on a mission, given to them by a friend, and it was one that she could have been a part of. But seeing the trio now? From just watching them deal with wildlife, and bandits, and those dumb enough to make known that they were hunting the trio down, she realized that she had made the smarter move here. Old habits wouldn't let her stop watching them, however. She simply wasn't trained to remain idle when people of interest came along.

And Ventus? He was very much a person of interest to her.

She just needed to get a little bit closer…

. . .

At first, Ventus thought he was going insane, hearing flute music come from somewhere deeper in the woods. Terra didn't seem to notice it, and Aqua had already gone out to scout the area. He didn't really tell Terra that he was going -more of an over the shoulder 'I'll be back' kinda deal- but he didn't expect that flute to be so far into Ferelden's dense forests either. The idea that he shouldn't have come alone didn't even hit him until the music suddenly stopped. Dead silence rang in the young man's ears. He considered tracing back to their campsite before he heard someone say;

“You must be some kind of idiot- following strange music in the woods like this.”

Surprised, Ventus turned around and found himself almost face to face with someone new. This person was a young woman, her shoulder length raven hair tightly curled and gently resting on her left shoulder. An ornate mask, designed in the shape of a rabbit head, covered her face- preventing him from knowing what her eye color was.

Ventus knew that, because she wore a mask, it meant that she had come from Orlais. He wouldn't have assumed that at first, though. Her voice barely contained the familiar Orlesian accent- only coming through with the way she'd lengthen her 'A's and 'S's. He wondered if it meant she was Ferelden, then taken in by an Orlesian family. Or perhaps it was the other way around, and she was losing the accent? Was that even a thing?

“W-who are you?” Ventus questioned. “And why are you-” he didn't finish his sentence, because his mouth almost betrayed him by saying 'so pretty.' And that was ridiculous. He didn't even know her; for all he knew, she was another one of Luxu's guards sent to kill them. Besides, how could he find her pretty when there was so little of her to be seen? The mask covered most of her face, and her clothing hid even the tiniest bit of skin from showing.

The woman straightened up a little at him. She walked toward him, offering her hand out in peace.

“The name's Sabrina. Means 'princess.'”

“You should be.” Ven sighed before he could stop himself. When he realized what he said, he flinched and quickly started to babble, “I-I-I mean, you… you should be going! Y-yeah! Going! I'm a lot more dangerous than I look! Oh yes, you haven't seen nothing yet. Absolutely nothing.”

“Just shake my hand, you idiot.”

Ventus suppressed the urge to say 'Yes ma'am' before quickly taking her hand. Her hand was much smaller than his- with a jolt he wondered if it meant that she was younger than him too. He had been so focused on how small her hand was that he nearly jumped out of his skin when she asked; “And what's your name?”

“Ventus.” he replied, almost too quick and with a high squeak. “Ven. Ventus.”

“Well, which one is it?”

“My friends usually call me Ven.”

“So what am I to you?”

“I… I don't know yet.” he admitted. “We just met.”

Sabrina's mouth curled as she thought this over. She eventually started to bob her head in agreement. “Not a bad answer.” the young woman decided. Ven momentarily froze. Had there been a wrong answer? What if he did give bad answer? Of course, he wasn't completely defenseless, but if this was just an elaborate ambush…

“I've been watching you and your friends for awhile.” Sabrina then decided to tell him. “If I wanted to kill you, I would be dead just like the other morons that tried to intercept you three.”

Well, that answered that question.

“Then why are you here?” Ventus wondered. “If you're not here to kill us, and you've been watching us for this long, then why make yourself known now?”

For this, Sabrina offered a small roll of her shoulder. “I guess...” she mused, “I guess I wanted to see you.”

Ven's face suddenly became a deep scarlet in surprise. “Me?”

The young woman nodded her head, folding her arms in thought before looking back up at him.

“How long have you been away from home?” she softly inquired. “A week? A month?”

“Well, it's been… uh… um...”

Sabrina took a rather large step toward him. They weren't close enough to actually touch each other, but Ven could almost feel the heat come off of her. He could definitely feel the intensity of her eyes from behind that mask, though. It was an odd feeling- simultaneously making his heart race and his stomach queasy.

“You're just so… green.” she continued to observe. “And I don't mean by how obviously nauseated you are to be in my presence. No, there's this innocence to you. Like your whole body radiates in a warm light...”

Another step forward and Ven was sure she could hear his ragged breathing. He could definitely hear her softly exhale as she looked over him. Ventus tilted his head, slightly, at her. He couldn't describe it. He just wanted… something. Something he was sure Sabrina could give if they were just a little bit closer.

Likewise, Sabrina was trying very hard to fight the thoughts she was having. Ventus wasn't the first she'd been this curious about. Her training as a bard dictated that she was to never get attached to anyone. Too bad that they were close enough now that if she didn't stare into his deep blue eyes, then she'd be looking at his lips. She was sure they were very inexperienced. Inexperienced boys were the absolute worst- but they were more susceptible to distraction..

“Ventus,” Sabrina carefully said in a low voice, “Have you ever given someone a thimble?”

“A thimble?” he repeated, his voice reduced to a husking rasp. He was drifting closer to her now. He could almost see that the eyes of her mask were covered in some kind of mesh- half lidded dark brown eyes were hidden under them.

“A thimble is a precious thing.” she informed him, mirroring his movements. “You should never give them out lightly.”

“Never?”

Sabrina let out a soft laughter. “Well, I guess one misplaced thimble wouldn't hurt...”

Ven didn't know who was the first to kiss the other, but at that point it took him a moment to realize that they even were. His brain ran off into autopilot as his heart pounded in his ears. He could barely notice that Sabrina had made a small movement before deepening their embrace. The young woman was the one to break the kiss. It was with a surprised gasp as she pushed Ven a small distance away. Ventus could only stumble backward a bit- his mind was reeling from what had just happened.

“Drop the knife.” a voice resembling Terra's carefully demanded.

Ventus's mind was still in a fog. Knife? He didn't have a…

“Urg, fine.” Sabrina grumbled. The sound of something heavy hit the dirt ground with a thud. Ventus's eyes trained numbly to the ground. Sure enough, there was a knife laying there. A very ornate one too, with hand pressed curls on the handle and a very sharp blade.

Ventus looked up at Sabrina to find her mouth in a thin line. He noticed something shining behind her- his heart jolted in shock to find that it was Terra's sword. Commanding the sword was Terra himself, his face red with anger and looking hard enough to kill. That was when Ven woke from his stupor and moved quite a bit away from Sabrian.

“Terra, don't!” he started to plead, waving his hands in defense. “She was just…!”

“She was just about to kill you, Ven.” came the blunt interruption. To Sabrina he said, “And just give me one good reason why I shouldn't run you through with my sword. No one assaults my friends. No one.”

“Assault?” Sabrina repeated- a small, bemused chuckle crossing her lips. “I hardly consider it assault when he was the one leading.”

Terra growled before pressing his sword further into Sabrina's back. The young woman let out a small sound of surprise in response.

“Stop Terra!” Ventus cried. “This isn't like what happened with Aqua! Let her go!”

“I'm gonna tell you what I told him,” Sabrina said to Terra from over her shoulder, “If I really wanted to kill you, I'd already be dead. I'm practically a foot in the grave now and I've barely done a thing!”

“Please Terra,” Ven once more tried to plead. “Just put the sword down.”

The look on Terra's face indicated that he did not plan on standing down. It was with a lot of reluctance that he moved the sword from Sabrina's back- pointing it to the ground, but not placing it back in its sheath. Freed from the spot, Sabrina bent down to retrieve her knife, but was quickly stopped by Terra placing his blade right in her eyesight.

“You can leave that there for a little longer.”

The side glare the bard gave him was a dark one, but she didn't argue against it. She came back up to cross her arms in defiance.

“You're being so unfair.” the bard pouted. “Poisoned Apple didn't even have poison in it today.”

“Poisoned Apple?” questioned Terra, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

“The knife.” she explained, even giving a small gesture to the object. “That's what I've called it. There's a hidden compartment in the handle that holds poison. When it cuts, it releases the poison. The knife has been in the deIsigny family for generations.”

“deIsigny?”

“A fallen noble house from Orlais. You may be more familiar with the derogatory name 'Disney.'”

“Well that explains the mask...” Terra mumbled over his shoulder.

“As if it were ever in doubt?” Sabrina teasingly mused.

“I thought the symbol of the deIsgny family was a mouse?” Ventus then interjected. “If you're from the deIsgny family, then why are you wearing a rabbit mask?”

“You really are kinda innocent, aren't you?” the bard laughed. Not unkindly, but it wasn't intended to be pleasant either. “Heraldry of a noble house can change for many reasons; their main source of income switches, sometimes the old one was just plain ugly to look at, or -in the case of deIsgny- their golden child gets snatched up by the Circle and is never heard from again.”

“You know quite a bit about nobility.” Terra noted. To this, Sabrina merely shrugged.

“What can I say? I enjoy The Game.”

Terra's body tensed upon hearing this. His grip on his sword tightened as it took it with both hands. “Ven has absolutely nothing to do with Orlesian politics.” he told her.

If they had seen it, both boys would have seen Sabrina cock an eyebrow at him. “No?” she mused. “I heard he was Orlesian by blood. That makes him a player by proxy.”

“Ven has nothing to do with Orelsian politics.” Terra repeated, this time much darker. This led him to finally ask, “Who sent you? And why are they after Ven?”

“Well, someone tried to buy me to kill all three of you off. But I declined.”

“Why?”

“Because you three aren't truly part of The Game, that's why.” There was a small huff before the prudent addition of, “But I'm a curious girl. Goldilocks over there was a lot cuter close up than I thought.”

Ventus's cheeks flared a deep scarlet, but Terra still wasn't budging.

“Who tried to hire you?” Terra questioned. “Who?”

“Terra? Ven? What's going on?”

The two young men and the bard turned their attention to the newcomer. The bard held her breath in realizing that it was the Hero of Ferelden herself. If there was anyone who could easily kill her for kissing a naive moron, Aqua Amell was the one Sabrina was sure would do it. At least, that's how the rumors went. Seeing the Hero of Ferelden now was soon proving at least two thirds of those rumors false.

“It's nothing, Aqua,” Terra tried to quickly dismiss, “We were just...”

“I was just leaving.”

All attention turned to Sabrina now. A devious smile traced itself on her lips- this was her favorite position, with all eyes on her. In a single motion, she bent down at the hip to neatly scoop up her knife, placing it in a holder attached to her upper leg. Her head was held particularly high as she started to leave. Sabrina stopped next to Ventus- their shoulders brushing slightly.

“If you ever find yourself in Orlais,” Sabrina started to muse before moving a bit closer to his ear, “Come find me.”

Sabrina's fingers gently grazed against his own, causing a small shiver to run up Ven's spine- his lips parting slightly to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding until then. The bard could not hide the satisfied smirk on her lips as she departed. Even moments after she was out of eye range, her presence was still felt between Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

“Ven,” Aqua eventually spoke up, breaking the silence, “Are you alright?”

For a moment, the younger between the three of them didn't react. Slowly, Ven started to look up at his friends with a wide smile.

“I'm fine.” he assured them. “But I think I just gave away my first thimble.”

[formalmess]

For Your Entertainment ~ Chapter Six

Summary: Luigi and Peasley retreat to Pi’illo Island.

Warnings: Gore, Character Death, Murder, Emetophobia

“And you’ll promise to write?” Peasley turned around as he questioned Peach, clutching his ornate suitcase close. Luigi followed, head held low. He was holding Polterpup in his arms, a fraying duffle bag strapped over his shoulders. 

The pair was walking out on the balcony of the Mushroom Kingdom castle, anticipating the arrival of a blimp sent from the port of Pi’illo Island. 

Peach nodded, following the couple close behind. “Of course, Peasley. If I get any word from the citizens or Mario, or even Bowser, I’ll be sure to let you know right away.”

“Thank you, Princess. And thank you for helping to arrange this with Dreambert…”

Peach smiled before glancing out toward the cloud-filled sky, noticing a mass approaching from the distance. The outline of a blimp made itself visible, a figure waving eagerly at the waiting trio. The blimp came into port, hovering beside the castle.

“Prince Dreambert!” Peach called.

“Hello! It’s always a pleasure to see you, Princess.” The Pi’illo royal hopped off of the blimp to greet his to-be guests. He walked past Peasley, approaching Luigi.

“Dreambert.” Peasley nodded politely, bowing his head as Dreambert passed.

“Peasley.” Dreambert replied before rushing up to Luigi, hovering above the ground as he offered Luigi a smile and spoke to him. “How are you doing, Luigi?”

“F-Fine, Prince Dreambert…”

“Oh, don’t worry about formalities, Luigi.” Dreambert fixed his cape, turning. “Come, we have not a moment to waste! I have an entire itinerary planned for us... The Pi’illo people have all been working hard toward making this vacation absolutely perfect for you two!”

Luigi’s gaze softened. “D-Dreambert, you really shouldn’t have…”

“It’s the least I can do! For all you’ve done for my people?” Dreambert held out a hand for Luigi to take, leading him onto the blimp. “You are an esteemed hero, Luigi.”

Luigi blushed.

Peasley picked up a few remaining suitcases and followed, coughing as he gestured for Dreambert to move along. Dreambert nodded. A few other Pi’illo people and workers were staffed on the blimp, greeting the newcomers.

Seating themselves upon pillows lining the couches along the blimp, Peasley and Luigi exchanged a glance before they looked back over the edge of the blimp toward Peach.

“Goodbye!” Princess Peach called as the blimp took off. “Send me a postcard from Pi’illo Island!”

Peasley waved, Luigi smiling down at Peach as he offered a weak wave.

The trip from there was very relaxing, Luigi nearly dozing off several times. Peasley continuously nudged him to keep him from falling asleep, but he let Luigi nap on his shoulder for a bit, watching the clouds go by.

After awhile, Dreambert turned to his guests with a smile on his face. 

“We’ll be at the Blimport soon… I just can’t wait to show you two everything-“ He paused, realizing Luigi was snoring and nuzzling his sleeping form into Peasley’s lap. He stifled a laugh, Peasley glancing up at Dreambert through narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing! I’m just used to seeing Pi’illo people being used for pillows… not Beanish people.”

Peasley shook his head, smirking as he glanced out at the expanse of clouds lining the horizon.

“Peasley?”

“Hm?”

“Is he… okay?” Dreambert’s smile faded, sitting down beside Peasley. “Peach told me everything. I… I can’t even imagine…”

Peasley exhaled, running his fingers through Luigi’s hair. “He’ll be alright. So long as we hide out here for a bit.”

“I can’t even imagine someone holding a grudge like that, wanting to destroy everything you love.” Dreambert cringed, trying to block out memories of a certain bat from his mind. “I’ve held grudges in my heart… but never could I think it would get to that extent.”

“It’s rather frightening.” Peasley confirmed, sighing. “I just want to keep Luigi safe, no matter what.”

Dreambert nodded. “Hopefully today will help to distract him from…” He released a sigh. “...everything.”

Glancing up as a worker approached him, informing him they were close, Dreambert stood up. He walked off, preparing for their arrival.

When they landed in Pi’illo Blimport, they were greeted by a crowd of Beanish, Pi’illos, and Brocks, all excitedly swarming the group. Avoiding the paparazzi and crowd, Dreambert led his guests to Wakeport to find a room to stay in the hotel district. Luigi had requested they stay in a homier location, in contrast to Dreambert’s original idea of them staying at the Pi’illo castle. Despite that, Dreambert still promised to come visit them in the mornings to ensure their stay was going well.

They dropped their stuff off in the hotel room, the space rather large with all it’s rooms and functions. It had a kitchen with all necessary electrical equipment, a living room with a rickety television in the corner, a bedroom with one of the most lavish and finely constructed beds Peasley and Luigi had ever seen, and two bathrooms.

From there, their day was consumed with shopping in Wakeport, hiking up Mount Pajamaja, and treks through Somnom Woods. The entire tour was led by Dreambert, who was happy to be their tour guide.

He excused himself later in the night to handle some diplomatic duties, which left Peasley and Luigi alone to go explore and relax in Mushrise Park.

The sun began to set in the distance, hues of red and orange melting over the expanse of Pi’illo Island. Polterpup was playing with a Brock dog, the two canines yipping and barking. Peasley and Luigi watched, having found themselves seated on a bench in the park.

Peasley yawned, watching as the sun disappeared just past the line of the horizon.

“You tired?” Luigi inquired.

Peasley nodded, rubbing at his eyes. “I don’t know what it is… I’m not usually this tired so early in the evening.”

“This island is known for having a special power that makes people sleepy.” Luigi explained. “Maybe that’s it.”

“Magic sleeping powers?” Peasley scoffed, chuckling. “Mm, I probably just didn’t get enough sleep last night…” He leaned on Luigi’s shoulder.

Polterpup leapt up on Luigi’s lap unexpectedly, yawning with a whine before curling up in his owner’s lap.

“You’re tired too, doggy?” Luigi questioned, running a hand over Polterpup’s back. “Then… we should probably head back…”

Peasley murmured something softly in response, drowsily standing. Luigi caught the prince before he fell over from fatigue, lifting him up over his shoulders. Polterpup trotted behind the two, following them all the way back to Wakeport, where the streets had already fallen to hushed silence.

They retreated to their hotel room, Luigi setting Peasley down on the bed. Peasley instinctively clutched the covers and pulled them over himself, snoring. After changing into pajamas, Luigi fell back beside his husband, falling asleep in mere minutes. Polterpup slept at his feet.

The night was completely still. The three slept peacefully.

                                          - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Luigi woke up early. It took him awhile to adjust to the new covers and environment as he slowly opened his eyes. He shifted, hugging his pillow for a moment before he sat up, stretching lazily.

He’d had one of the best sleeps of his life last night, partly because of the overwhelming exhaustion and partly from the expert craftsmanship of Pi’illo Island’s comfortable beds. Dreambert certainly wasn’t lying when he’d said Bedsmith had prepared the finest accommodations for them…

Yawning, he leaned over to move the covers at his side. “Peasley,” he whispered, rubbing at his eyes. “Are you awake…?”

Luigi froze. He felt his stomach sink, heart pounding as he tried to steady his breathing.

Peasley was nowhere to be seen.

Luigi practically fell out of bed, scrambling to stand as he called out Peasley’s name desperately, searching the room for his husband.

“PEASLEY!”

Every thought he had was a terrible nightmarish prediction. He felt so sick, throwing the covers from the bed and scanning the room, trying to find answers. 

“PEASLEY?!”

Oh Grambi, no, no, no… Where was he? 

A sturdy knock sounded at the door, interrupting Luigi’s horrific train of thought.

“Luigi?”

Yelping instinctively, Luigi approached the door with hesitant steps, hand trembling as he gripped the knob. ”W-Who is it?”

“Dreambert.”

Luigi exhaled, but still opened the door carefully, slowly peeking through the crack in the door. He met Dreambert’s concerned gaze, squinting as he came to realize it was a lot brighter outside than he’d anticipated.

“Oh dear. I’m sorry if I woke you.” Dreambert inhaled. “Are you okay?”

“Dreambert, do you know where Peasley is?”

Dreambert blinked.

“Peasley? Yeah, I just saw him, he was out walking your dog, I believe. He told me he left a note for you, but to let you know, just in case.”

Luigi breathed a sigh of relief. Releasing a nervous chuckle, he placed a hand on his chest. “O-Oh… I-I… I-uh… I guess I’m just t-too worried about... e-everything…”

“I can only imagine. It’s understandable, with all that’s been going on.” Dreambert’s gaze drifted. He sighed, forcing a smile as he placed his hands on his hips. “I assume you slept soundly?”

“Oh, y-yeah! It was amazing! Thank you for everything, Dreambert.”

Dreambert laughed. “Good to hear. I didn’t expect anything less from Bedsmith’s work. He may be… a little odd, but he’s certainly skilled with his work.”

Luigi opened the door completely, leaning against the doorframe as a smile met his face. “Is he still obsessed with trying to nap on you?”

Dreambert nodded, trying to hide a light blush on his face. “As always… b-but, nevermind that. I just dropped by to give you this.”

Dreambert moved, revealing a large box lying on the ground behind him.

”It was dropped off this morning at the castle, sent in from the Mushroom Kingdom overnight.”

Luigi paused, inhaling shakily. 

“F-From who?” He questioned, trying to push away any scarily intrusive thoughts. He left that behind. He was safe here.

“Um, someone named T…” Dreambert bent down, squinting to read the tag. “Tay… Tayce T.? Does that ring any bells?”

“Oh!” Luigi smiled. “She’s a nice lady from Toad Town! She’s a friend of mine and a really talented baker and chef.”

“She sounds nice.” Dreambert smiled before he heaved, huffing our air as he gripped the package and stood, holding it out in his arms for Luigi to take. Luigi took it with careful hands.

“What do you think it is? It’s kinda,” Dreambert exhaled. “Heavy…”

“Dunno. Some ingredients, probably.” Luigi shrugged. “I had a pretty constant order I picked up from her…”

“Nice to know she’s thinking of you.” Dreambert grinned. He fixed the golden bands on his wrists, absently fiddling with his cape before turning. “I apologize for such a short visit, but I’m afraid I must be off. I have some other duties to attend to… if I’m late, Eldream won’t let me hear the end of it.”

“I understand.”

Dreambert nodded before heading off, waving goodbye to Luigi as he went.

Luigi shut the door behind him, bringing the large box over to the kitchen counter. He glanced at the tag carefully, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized Dreambert hadn’t been lying about Tayce T. having sent the package. It felt nice still being connected to home in a way.

He opened the package without hesitation, reaching past the flaps and removing a small letter that was lying on top of tissue-paper and packaging.

‘Luigi,

Here are a few ingredients I thought you could use in your recipes. Hope you like them!’

The letter was written in flouncy ink, a smiley-face drawn neatly after the kind message.

Luigi smiled, setting it aside as he began to dig past the tissue paper. He withdrew a few wrapped items, tearing off the white tissue paper to reveal a jar filled with a murky red substance.

He felt his stomach twist.

He tore away the rest of the tissue paper of similar cylindrically-wrapped items, revealing ground-up meat with flakes of skin stuffed into jars, torn-out eyeballs, casually-manicured severed fingers, small organs, and strands of white hair in the many different jars.

Luigi nearly dropped the disgusting jars to the linoleum floor, his mind clouded with thoughts.

“T-Tayce…?” He whispered softly, horrified at the thought.

At the bottom of the box was the cook’s apron, stained with dried blood.

No… how… w-why?!

He realized the apron was lying atop of something, picking it up and setting it aside. Underneath was a tape, labeled with a 3. A note was stuck to the front of it.

‘Now how’s that for a surprise?

This tape contains one more surprise for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy this part of the show.’

Luigi froze in horror, shaking his head as he stepped away from the tape and box.

He flinched, shrieking as he heard something in the bedroom fall to the floor with a crash. He ran toward the source of the sound, breathing heavily as he tried to maintain a brave persona despite the tears leaking from his eyes.

The crash turned out to be nothing more than a fallen hand mirror left out by Peasley, having fallen off the vanity and shattered on the ground. Luigi plucked up the large pieces, brushing them away and exhaling as he sniffled.

He exited the bedroom, intent on running out of the room to go get help, when he abruptly froze. Luigi turned his head slowly to the sound of humming static emerging from the old television in the corner, his eyes wide with pure unbridled terror.

The television hadn’t been on just a second ago.

So… who…?

The video on the static screen slowly came into focus. The only thing Luigi was aware of in the clip was a continuous beeping sound and a clock-like timer positioned on the wall, a spotlight set upon it.

A large darkened mass sat against the far wall, unconscious, if the indications of a rising and falling chest were anything to go by. Time passed by gradually, the ticking and beeping making Luigi’s numb go numb as he watched the screen, frozen in fear.

With a confused grunt and uncomfortable snarl, the figure sat upright. Groaning, the shrouded figure tried to move their hands, only to find they were handcuffed together behind their back.

“Hey!”

Bowser.

That was Bowser’s voice.

“What’s going on here?”

It was odd to hear Bowser’s voice almost trembling in fear, even if that terror was subdued. It felt… wrong.

“Ah, so the notorious arm-flailer finally awakens!”

Luigi’s heart pounded as Dimentio’s chilling voice sounded eagerly. He was nowhere to be seen, causing Bowser to glance around angrily in search of the voice taunting him. He huffed, growling as smoke puffed out from his nostrils. 

“Hey, listen! I don’t know who you think you are, punk, but you had better put a stop to this funny business before I acquaint your stupid-sounding sorry self with my fist!”

“Oh, already threatening me, are we?” Dimentio mocked sorrow. “I assure you, Bowser, this is no funny business. Quite serious, actually.”

“How do you know my name, you weirdo?” Bowser snarled defiantly, trying to pull his hands apart despite the chain-link keeping them held together. “Why don’t you come and face me, huh? Or are you too scared?!”

“I’d much rather not. My goal is not to fight you. Only observe your attempts.” Dimentio replied suavely, his voice echoing in the dark chamber of the room. “And I know your name because we’ve met before. You know me, too, do you not? I mean, you helped to end my game, so I would’ve thought so…!”

“I think I would’ve remember your wimpy voice.”

Dimentio exhaled. 

“I believe your name for me was… oh, what was it…?” Dimentio’s voice was low, trying to stifle deranged laughter. “Mr. Frilly Pants? Clown? Lame? Does that ring a bell, Bowser?”

Bowser was silent, trying to think back as his expression scrunched up in confusion.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter. We aren’t here for introductions, after all.” Dimentio clapped his hands together, the sound echoing. “We’re here to put on a show! And you, Bowser, are going to be the star!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Allow me to explain…” With a snap, the spotlight on the timer above Bowser’s head brightened. “I’ll be giving you a minute. Sixty precious seconds. Do you understand?”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Can you hear that ticking sound, Bowser?” Dimentio’s tone lowered. “...That’s a bomb, hidden somewhere in this room. And I’ll be giving you sixty seconds to find and defuse it.”

Bowser’s eyes significantly widened, his breathing becoming panicked.

“You’re… You’re crazy!”

“Another fine name to call me. I’ll be sure to add it to the list.”

Bowser ignored Dimentio, trying to use his raw strength to break the handcuffs off. He scanned the small room he was trapped in hastily, attempting to find an exit.

“The rules are simple. Find the bomb, defuse it, and you’ll go free! ...Or else you’ll be suffering a rather,” Dimentio laughed sharply. “Explosive demise!”

“Listen, you lunatic, I have a kingdom to run and a family to take care of… you’re making a big mistake. I mean, I’m a bad guy too, but this is going way too far!”

“I’m only putting on a show, Bowser.” Dimentio laughed. “Oh, and… if, by some chance, you don’t make it out of this alive, I’ll be sure to let everyone know! Wouldn’t want to keep your little family in the dark, now would we?”

Bowser glared around him, moving to stand shakily. He winced. “You better leave my kids out of this, or so help me-“ Bowser snarled, shouting out obscenities to the jubilant voice that echoed throughout the chamber.

“It shouldn’t be a problem for you, hm?” Dimentio’s voice remarked sarcastically. “The oh-so powerful and intelligent King of Koopas?”

“You’re crazy, you little-!”

Dimentio cut Bowser off. 

”Enough chatter. Let us begin.”

With a resounding snap, the timer began to tick down seconds, the beeping growing louder.

“You have sixty seconds. Go.”

With wide eyes, Bowser snarled as he tried to move the handcuffs over his head to bite them off, but he couldn’t raise them over his scalp. He growled, positioning the chain under one of the spikes on his back and pulling hard. With a comfortingly sudden snapping sound, the chain broke in half. Bowser smiled confidently, raising his clawed hands up to his eyes before looking back at the clock.

He had forty-five seconds left.

His eyes darted around the room, trying to locate any signs of a door or an exit. This yielded negative results, forcing Bowser to scramble around the small space, searching for the source of the beeping. In such a confined space, the sound travelled unreliably and bounced around the walls, leaving the koopa king confused.

And all the while as Bowser stomped around, trying to find anything the bomb could be hidden under or behind, Dimentio just laughed. He cackled and giggled, taunting, mocking, clapping his hands with glee. He showed no signs of remorse or mercy, even when Bowser seemed to lose his composure.

Anxiously running hands through his hair, he turned and clawed at ground and walls, nails bloodied and chipping off as he snarled. 

He kept his fiery gaze fixated on the timer as he searched, his eyes becoming wild and desperate with every second that passed by.

Twenty seconds.

Bowser turned his back to the camera, turning his head to glance around. 

And that’s when Luigi came to the realization.

Strapped to the back of Bowser’s spiked collar was a small blinking explosive device, far outside of Bowser’s vision.

Luigi wanted to scream, to help in any way, but he knew it wouldn’t do anything. He felt like he was watching a horrific movie, watching every event unfold in front of his eyes, but this… this was all real.

And he was too late to stop any of it.

Bowser rammed his weight into the walls, hoping to collapse or break through one. He breathed fire, the dark walls further blackening to an ashy hue, but it didn’t help his case at all. He raised his hands up to his face, trying to regain his breath. He listened closely.

The ticking, the beeping, the ticking, the beeping…

The laughing. The ticking. The beeping.

It…

It was following him.

He gazed back.

Ten seconds.

Bowser’s hands wildly flailed, trying to feel the back of his neck. His head was ringing. He paused upon feeling the coarse surface of a familiar texture. Sure enough, the sound of the beeping WAS following him. The bomb was attached to his neck.

He grunted, trying to maintain a steady grip on the bomb to tug it off of his spiked collar.

Five.

Laughter.

He curled a fist around the bomb, pulling hard on it. It wouldn’t budge, securely attached.

Three. 

Two.

Bowser released a sudden scream, pathetic and desperate in nature. One final attempt. He was crying, pleading with whoever was pulling the strings behind everything. With whoever was laughing in amusement at his struggle.

One.

Luigi squeezed his eyes shut. He knew he and Bowser weren't on the best of terms, but he couldn’t watch his game end like that. No one deserved that. Trembling, Luigi held his hands over his ears to block out any sounds as well, eyes kept shut.

But, nothing happened. No sounds came.

Hesitantly, he opened one eye to watch, just as Dimentio broke into uproarious laughter. The clock had stopped ticking, but Bowser was fine, still intact and in one piece.

“...F-Finally change your mind?” Bowser ventured hesitantly, trying to hide the fact that he had nearly broken down sobbing. “Listen, pal, maybe we can…”

“You should have seen the look on your face! Ahahahahaha!” Dimentio continued laughing. “Like a goomba caught in kart headlights, having lost all hope for living! Ah, that’s rich!”

“So… this was all a prank, then?!” Bowser growled, shouting at the space around him. Bowser was tired of trying to talk to and reason with his captor. “You were just messing with me?! YOU MADE ME THINK MY GAME WAS GOING TO END-!!”

“What?” Dimentio questioned, his laughter subsiding. “Oh, no, no. This was all very real, Bowser. You failed my test of wits. Which is, unfortunately, a punishable offense…”

With a snap, Dimentio released one last laugh.

A resounding BOOM erupted from the recording.

Luigi moved to bury his eyes in his hands instinctively, but he proved to be too slow. 

He witnessed as Bowser’s head and upper chest exploded to pieces. The spikes on his back shattered to pieces and scattered across the floor, hitting the walls like debri. Bits of brain and flesh hit the camera lense with a squishy splat, the decapitated figure falling to the ground with a thud. His whole body was mangled and disfigured, leaking blood and organs out on the floor.

“Oh dear… My finger must have slipped!” Dimentio giggled. “Didn’t mean to detonate it THAT soon… Ah, clumsy, clumsy jester…”

Luigi peeked at the video through his fingers, stifling sobs.

Bowser was missing more than half of his body. Blood covered the walls, guts and bone visible.

Luigi stood at once, numb and trembling, darting over into the bathroom. The same images plagued his mind, sickening him to his stomach and rattling his body. He felt his stomach lurch, doubling over as he puked into the toilet.

He heaved, wiping his mouth and using the sink to try and stand. He steadied himself, wobbling slightly as he glanced up at the mirror before him.

His face was pale, his eyes were sunken, and his cheeks were flushed of any color. Streaks of tears ran down his face, having broken out into a cold sweat. He shivered, spitting up into the sink. He held a hand to his mouth, sobbing gently.

He stood there for several minutes. He moved his gaze up to look at the mirror once more. 

Freezing in terror, he realized a figure was reflected in the mirror, standing just a few feet away in the living room.

They were smiling.

Luigi turned, screaming, only to realize the figure was gone. They’d seemingly vanished into thin air. With shaky steps, Luigi forced himself toward the living room to investigate. He fell to his knees beside the couch, glancing around anxiously.

The television had been turned off.

A note was now placed on the table in front of him, set delicately atop the tape labeled with the 3. Luigi leaned forward, grabbing the note hastily. When he opened it, the dust-like remains of one of Bowser’s spikes fell to the ground, entirely eviscerated. 

Luigi could just barely read the lines through his misty eyes.

‘So we’re playing a little game of cat and mouse, are we?

You’re smart, Luigi. You should know already that running away won’t help you.

But… I must admit, this was certainly fun. Watching your attempts to run away are as amusing as a small fly trying to futilely escape a spider’s web.

So, run as far away as you want. I’ll be watching, and following.

See you soon.

Ciao!’

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Total Drama Smash Bros: Episode 2, Part 2 Something Fishy This Way Comes...

*Wario wanders around a dark and fog-filled campground by a lake, looking in vain for the tell-tale signs of the Camp in question, unfortunately it seems like he's in the wrong place*

Wario: Welp, that's it, I'm lost. Sakurai damn it! What's a guy got to do to steal a measley twenty-million around here!?

*An unknown 1st Person POV shot begins tracking Wario through the abandoned campground while breathing heavilly*

Wario: Dammit Ganondorf! You couldn't of hidden your summer camp of torture somewhere more accessible?! And what's this shit about not inviting me to help in your revenge fetish story?! And what the hell is up with this place?! Camp Crystal Lake?! What kind of bullshit name for a camp is that?! You might as well name it Camp Super Happy and be done with it! Why I outghta-

*Wario is interrupted from his rant by the 1st Person POV approaching behind him. Wario turns to see a massive mountain of a man in ragged clothes wearing a hockey mask and wielding a machete.*

Wario: Oh, hey there buddy. You okay? You're breathing kind of heavy. You need a cough drop or something?

*The man does not respond, merely continues breathing heavily and glaring at Wario*

Wario: Hey, buddy! I'm talkin' to ya! *More silence* Look buddy, you're kind of violating Wairo's personal space, so I'm gonna have to ask you to back off.

*The man does not respond, merely lifting up his mask and allowing Wario to see his face before replacing it*

Wario: Woah! Buddy, that's one hell of a condition! I've got some skin cream in my bag, here let me get it for ya. *The masked man raises his machete as Wario fishes through his pack.*

------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------

Back at the Fishing Grounds

*The boats have shoved off and the teams have departed. Some are doing well! Others are doing... not so well.*

(Erdrick and Robyn's boat)

Erdrick: I got one! We're eating good tonight!*Begins reeling in his line*

Robyn: Wow. That was fast.

Erdrick: Almost here... almost here...! *he reels it in revealing it to be... an old boot* Aw, tartar sauce. *he glumly throws the boot into the boat*

(Roy and Samus' boat)

Samus: Jeez, how do you use this thing? It's so primitive!

Roy: Well, how do you usually go fishing?

Samus: I get on a aqua terrain suit, load up my spear-gun, and take the offensive. None of this waiting around crap.

Roy: Right, future, forgot. *sighs* Here, let me show you.

Samus: Right. So, where's the prime interface so I can load up the targeting system?

*Roy facepalms*

(Link and Bonny Janet)

Link: *staring at the water thoughtfully, surveying the whole area*

Bonny Janet: Oi! Elfy! Ya goona let ma in oon tha' big secret?

Link: Just determining the best place to fish. Have to take into account water currents, sunshine, and a whole bunch of other- fuck it. *Link jumps into the water and reemerges a minute later with a Spotted buck-Salmon clenched between his jaws*

Bonny Janet: BLOODY HELL! Do ya always fish like thaat?

Link, spitting the fish into the boat: My ancestors used fishing rods, but Mipha taught me to fish like a Zora. Lots more efficient.

Bonny Janet thinks for a moment before an evil grin comes over her face: Oi. Ya think ya could get moore tha' way? We git moore, oone fer each oof our team... an' wee've goot a good chance o' winnin'!

Link, pulling himself into the boat: Huh. Good idea Bonny.

*The two look over to see Marth struggling to thread a fishing line through a hook and Joker shooting into the water with his gun, trying to hit one of the fish.*

Bonny Janet: Oi! Princey! Witch-son! *Bonny throws the fish Link caught at their boat, smacking Marth in the face, knocking him down*

Joker, picking up the fish from an unconscious Marth: Thanks Bonny!

*Link and Bonny Janet give a thumbs up which Peach sees and grows frustrated*

-

Confessional

Peach: This is bad. Link and the imp working together?! This is seriously bad news.

-

(With Erdrick and Robyn again)

Erdrick: Ooh! Ooh! I know I got one this time!

*Erdrick reels in his catch only to be another boot.*

Erdrick: Gods dammit!  *tosses it beside the other boot*

(With Lucina and Dark Pit)

*The two are sitting in silence together*

Lucina: Hey, DP, you want some? *holds up a bag of chocolate covered peanuts*

Dark Pit: Sure, hand 'em over.

*Lucina gives DP some*

-

Confessional

Dark Pit: I appreciate Lucina. She's knows that sometimes people just don't want to talk.

-

*Lucina suddenly gets a bite on her line*

Lucina: Shit! It's a big one! *Lucina does her best to reel in the catch. Dark Pit comes up behind her and helps her haul up on the line* Almost! There!

*The catch finally breeches the surface and they see that they have hooked a massive shark. All three simply stare at each other for a long moment before Dark Pit slowly reaches forward and cuts the line. The shark disappears beneath the waves and Lucina slowly puts down her line, curling into a ball*

(With Peach, Zelda, and Pit's boat)

*Peach, Zelda, and Pit have carefully followed Link and Bonny Janet as they've fished up a small pile of their prey to distribute to their team.*

Peach: Okay Zelda, now's your chance. Drive the wedge! Drive it!

*Zelda looks reluctnant but nods*

Peach: And Pit. I need you to sneak over and steal all those fish while they're distracted!

-

Confessional

Peach: I hated to drive Zelda and Pit like that, but I need this prize money! Bowser's conctant kidnapping of me, destroying my kingdom over and over, and the subsequent repairs and reparations have left the royal coffers practically empty! The Mushroom Kingdom needs the financial boost.

-

Confessional

Pit: I'm not sure I like how Peach is running this alliance. I want to win too, but Link and Bonny seem to be finally making friends. I know I'm not very smart, that's why I let Peach and Zelda call most of the shots... but I don't know about this.

-

Zelda: Oh, Link! You're real good at this!

Link: Thanks Zelda! It's good to know we're still friends even though we're on different teams

Zelda, looking even more guilty now, continues: You probably could have caught more if Bonny had contributed more.

Bonny Janet: Oi! Where do ya get oof ya pastel pint! Ah've helped more than ye've helped yer team!

Link: Hey! Lay off Zelda! She's not used to doing stuff like this.

Bonny Janet: Ooo ya! She joost sits in 'er castle 'an let's folk like ye do all the werk! Didn' know ye were soocha  doormat Elfy!

Link: Zelda's done lots to help Hyrule! And I'm not a doormat.

Bonny Janet: Soonds lake soomethin' a doormat would say!

*As they argue neither notice Pit surfacing from the water beside their boat*

Red: Hey!

*Bonny and Link turn to see that Red and Leaf have come up near them*

Leaf: Both of you, cut it out! You're on the same team! You can tear each other apart AFTER we win. You're teammates aren't you? Act like it!

*Both Link and Bonny shift uncomfortably*

Bonny: Aye. Ah' suppose ah' woos a wee bit harsh.

Link: And I think I spoke rashly.

Bonny: Aye... peace? *she offers her hand*

Link: Yeah, pea- HEY!

*Both turn and see Pit swimming away with their catch*

Bonny Janet: YOU DIRTY THIEF!

Link: Dammit!

Red: Sorry guys.

Bonny Janet: Oi! Elfy! Can ye catch more?!

Link, frowning: I don't know... maybe?

*Peach, meanwhile, grabs her team's bucket of bait, a load of chum, and hurls it into the water around Link and Bonny's boat*

Link: Oooh, that's not good.

*Instantly over a dozen sharks surface around them with evil grins on their faces*

(With Erdrick and Robyn)

Erdrick: Oh boy! Finally!

Robyn: If it's another damn boot.

Erdrick: No way! It's way too big to be a boot! *Begins to reel it in* We're... guaranteed... to win! *Erdrick hauls up his catch... only to find it a massive crate full of boots*

Robyn: I don't know why I expected any different.

*A massive whistle suddenly sounds out and they all turn to see Ganondorf on the shore*

Ganondorf: And that's it kiddies! Time's up!

Corrine: Time's up! But you- You- uggh. I'm not even going to bother.

Ganondorf: Good call! Now haul in and let's see what you've caught!

--------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------

*The Campers are all assembled. The Koopas all hold fish distributed to them by Peach's team's ill gotten gains. Link and Bonny, bruised and beaten from their shark attack, glare at the three offenders. Pit and Zelda look down guiltily.*

Ganondorf: What a fishing trip that was! Way better than I thought it was gonna be.

Red: Yeah. *Glaring daggers at Peach and company* A lot more theivery than I expected too.

Ganondorf: True, but not against the rules. *Ganondorf takes in the teams* Now, only Marth and Joker managed to bring in a fish... but it's the biggest one! Goombas take this one!

*There's a bit of shocked silence before the Goombas start cheering and the Koopas look on in shock and anger*

Peach: But! B-but-

Ganondorf: If you'll recall, I said only that the team “with the biggest fish wins”. Not how many. Quality over quantity.

Bonny Janet: Boo yeah!

Link: Hell yeah! *the two high five each other*

Ganondorf: That mean that the Goombas will have the advantage in part two of today's challenge. We'll be right back with the exciting conclusion of Episode 2... of Total, Drama, Smash Bros!

[mrneighbourlove]

A Gerudo Story: Klinge and Zarazu

Zarazu took a breath of fresh air as she stepped off the cart. It was such an inconvenience to travel by horse, but due to Klinge’s distrust of Ba’Puu, he vowed to never ride him, despite how much faster he would have been. The dragon was never too far though; the only time he wasn’t with Zarazu was when he was with his own children. Covarog stepped out after her, taking his wife’s hand as he awkwardly got out of the cart. The first thing he noticed was how humid the area was. Lurelin Village was indeed as tropical as Klinge indicated it would be. The king had not heeded the commander’s word to be dressed accordingly, instead wearing stuffy business attire. It was immediate regret.

“It’s much hotter than I expected it to be, especially around this time of year.”

Klinge got off from the front of the carriage, internally sighing at the King. “Lurelin Village has a unique geography that keeps it in a pocket bubble from the rest of Hyrule. The only time it is cool is at night or when it rains. I brought you a change of clothes in the back.”

“But what about keeping proper business attire?”

Klinge pointed to a group of men approaching, and Zarazu had to stifle a giggle. The tanned hylians lacked any shirts, simply clothed in shorts. The lead spoke in a thick accent, waving his dreadlocks as he walked. “Ah! King Covarog! Thank you for traveling to our village! I hope that the trip wasn’t too bumpy!”

The commander held his tongue. They had traveled through a jungle full of dangerous bugs that had seemingly targeted him, and him alone, to drain him of what little blood he had. It had been anything but a smooth ride. Covarog simply shook his head in light hearted fun. “Ay,  a little bity maybe, but we turned out alright. Excuse me a moment, wasn’t expecting it to be so hot.”

The chieftain nodded as he turned to Zarazu. “Ah, you must be the lovely Queen Zarazu! I can smell a fellow ocean lover from a mile away!”

Zarazu giggled at the man’s compliment. This environment felt incredibly nostalgic to her, feeling much like home. The houses were large tiki structures made of tropical wood. A small port held fishing boats and stands full of fresh merchandise. Despite being much smaller, the little village did make her feel at peace. “Why thank you. A man who knows the ocean, knows life itself.”

“I second that my Queen. Apologies that the gathering is for the King’s special touch only, but I didn’t want his lovely wife to feel left out. Please enjoy the charms of our little sunny home!”

“I’m sure I will!”

Covarog finished getting changed in the cart, looking to Klinge. “Look after her, chief bodyguard.”

While Covarog found the notion of Klinge being Zarazu’s personal bodyguard to be rewarding and a safe investment, Klinge had found this to be a massive emotional burden. It was not that he didn’t care for Zarazu. She was his closet friend, whether he cared to admit that or not. No, it was due to how it came about. Ralnor had planted the idea in his brother in order for Klinge to stay out of the prince’s affairs. It kept Klinge on an invisible leash, always staying close to the Queen now. To the king, he would never know the depths of Ralnor’s trickery or Klinge’s contempt. “…You look ridiculous in shorts.”

Covarog frowned, but then shrugged. “At least I can pull them off.”

Leaning up, Zarazu gave her husband a kiss. “I’ll be waiting for you so that we can start to enjoy our time here.”

“Certainly. Have fun with the iron giant here.”

“Will do.”

Klinge shook his head silently at the king’s childishness. Once Covarag and the chief started to walk away, he was surprised to see Zarazu pull him by the arm. “Come on! Let’s go to the market!”

“Must we?”

“Like you have anything better to do? Or do you just want to stand around like a big grump in that unfashionable black armour?”

“… You don’t like the black armour?”

“Not in this environment Klinge. You deserve more colour in your life.”

Klinge paused at that, contemplation filling him. As they walked, he took in the sun glowing down on them. “I find it fascinating that you are so vocal about believing that.”

“Of course Klinge. You put yourself through the wringer so many times for this family - over and over. I want you to enjoy life like anyone else.”

Reaching the dock, Zarazu looked over the fish the locals had caught. They were big and colourful, and some small and exotic. A merchant offered Zarazu some mushrooms, explaining the fish loved them so much that it could help you catch them by hand if you stayed still enough.

“Klinge, do you like traveling with me?”

“Your company is enjoyable Zarazu.”

“That’s not what I meant. With the orders?”

“My orders take me where I need to go. I find purpose in serving my kingdom.”

“As a servant?”

“Because I like the people in it.”

Zarazu smiled brightly and gave a light giggle. She felt that slowly but surely, she was having a positive influence on him. Klinge wasn’t exactly sure why she giggled here and there, but it was comforting. The woman had a light in her that made him feel more at peace. He had never appreciated the value of friendship until the recent decade. Picking out a few arrows from a shop keeper, he exchanged a bag of rupees for them, turning back to his Queen. “And what of you? Do you enjoy this old warrior’s company?”

“Oh, stop that, you aren’t that old!”

“I could be anyone’s great grandfather in this country ten times over.��

“Would you like it if I referred to you as gramps then, hmm?”

“Very well… small child.”

Zarazu waved her hand and laughed. “Fair enough.”

Having bought a mushroom to test the fisherman’s tale, Zarazu continued walking down the beachside with Klinge. “What’s on your mind Klinge?”

“Pardon?”

“I know that something is eating at you.”

Klinge looked around the sky, not a cloud spotted with only the sun to make its shining mark. Looking at the seaside he watched his reflection as he kept walking. This undead black knight with a sword in hand. “I’ve been thinking about how everything has been changing around me.”

Zarazu listened intently, feeling that the tropical heat could put them in a perfect mood for relaxation and opening themselves up to discussion. “Such as what?”

“This Kingdom for starters. I thought I knew everything about it, down to every rock, only for new developments to occur. A partnership like never before blossomed between Ganondorf and Zelda. That  gave birth to those beautiful children, flaws and all, a brand new line of Gerudo. It also made me open to new alliances and tribes I never would have made contact with on my own beforehand. And face forces of Darkness that laid dormant. Because if it isn’t Ganon, it’s always something else… If it weren’t Zelda taking the first step, and Ganondorf accepting her hand, I would still be content being a hate filled monster of the blackest hearts. And I’d never have met you on more friendly terms.”

The Queen was confused by that. “More friendly terms? Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh I’m sure you would have still attempted your little raid against the castle to recover your stolen artifacts once you heard the Dark Lord Ganon had taken his hold around Hyrule. Then you might have even teamed up with the legendary hero to stop him, slay whatever forces he had, and I’d fight and die defending my lord, or perhaps wait all over again for the cycle to continue once more.”

“Well, for what its worth, I’m grateful that fate allowed for a better outcome for the world. Is there more to it?”

“Yes… It’s those kids I watched and took care of all these years. They’ve become adults now, some with kids of their own. Kanisa and Tebanam, my …”, Klinge paused himself, not wanting to come across as too possessive or protective. “… they’ve grown up and even left Hyrule. Out of my protection from god knows what.”

“You wanted to kill Vidar and Faris.” Zarazu stated bluntly. She still wasn’t happy Klinge gave into his anger with those two.

“I didn’t try to kill Faris. My heart wasn’t entirely into it. It was more of a test to know he could protect Tebanam when I am unavailable.”

“And Vidar?”

“He was a dog who stuck his nose in places it should never have been… But if Kanisa loves him, and he’s good to her, then she can keep her pet.”

Zarazu chuckled with concern at that statement. “R-right.”

“Yet, as they grow older and move on with their lives, I remain the same…”

“No. I don’t think that’s so.”

“Zarazu?”

She turned to look him in the eye, her perfect smile radiating in the sun. “I think their love for you has changed you. They grew up with you in their lives, and you made an impact on them.”

“For better or for worse…”

He received a flick on the nose of his helmet, the Lorliedain having to stand on her tippy toes to give him that. “Hush. And just listen without going into an angsty self-loathing like some teenage boy.”

“… Continue…”

Zarazu backed up and raised her hands in self defence. “Sorry. Maybe a little too far, but you know I’m a little right. You have so much to be happy for.”

“Humour me.”

“For one, a happier family. You gave them the skills to defend themselves. That type of security is a special thing to have. Not to mention the security you’ve provided, in that anyone can come to you with any problem and you won’t judge them for any personal weakness. You want to make sure that everything is ok for everyone. Deep down, you’ve become a kind person. This kingdom doesn’t need a black knight of war anymore. And I believe you’ve adapted yourself to a happier lifestyle with time.”

Klinge pondered on her words. All the children of Ganondorf had indeed given him new motivation in life. Their quirks had mellowed the undead with time. When was the last time he was so goal focused? Everything was… peaceful. True, there would always be another threat, but it wasn’t his focus anymore. He valued the people that he protected, instead of the mission to do so, more now.

Just outside the village, the two of them reached a channel of water further into the mainland that lead to the ocean. Zarazu found a nice rock to sit on and relaxed as she let her bare feet cool off in the water. Taking the mushroom, she dipped it into the water and waited. Soon enough, a carp swam up, swimming around Zarazu and nibbling at the mushroom. “Hey! Look at that!”

There was that innocence again. She was right, he had become happier with this lifestyle. Klinge finally decided to heed Zarazu’s words, and allow her to be the first to witness a piece he had been preparing.

“You know, there is something I have been working on with some help from Tebanam.”

“Oh? What?”

Klinge took a deep breath and focused his magic. With a snap of his fingers his figure glowed brightly. After the light vanished, he had stripped away his black armour, stepping into the water. “What do you think of this?”

Zarazu turned back and her eyes widened. “Holy Vatra, look at you!”

Klinge’s armour was much brighter, with golden brownish plating. Attached was a old Gerudo loincloth that the first incarnation of Ganondorf once wore. His helmet now had decorative horns and, etched in each, Gerudo writing that spoke his name as a Blade of the Gerudo. Right in the centre of his chest was a bright red emblem of his people. “I take it that you like it. Tebanam had shared ancient designs of our people he has discovered. I’ve been working on this particular set for over a year now.”

“I love it! It’s amazing on you!”

Klinge shrugged, to modest to boast. He felt incredible pride that she enjoyed it though. “Thank you my friend.”

Zarazu pet the fish below her in the water. After feeling its scales, she threw the rest of the mushroom out into the ocean. Rising up from the rock, she smiled brightly, actually able to see her reflection spots on the armour now. “Its very dashing, but still very you. Scary to outsiders, but now you have a symbol to be proud of connecting you to those you love.”

Klinge tapped his sword on his right shoulder plate. “I still have a reputation to uphold you know.”

“I bet you do. Say, would you say your armour is lighter now?”

“Hmmm, I’m not entirely sure. Why do you ask?”

Zarazu grinned mischievously. “Because whoever makes it back to the village has to buy the winner lunch!”

Before Klinge could say another word, the Queen was bounding off. With a light sigh he chased after her, the noise of the ocean waves and seagulls wringing in his ears as he bounded after the Lorliedian. The sun shone down on them as they went back to the village. Zarazu was proud of her friend becoming more and more free with himself.

(Merry Christmas! This gift goes to Lindsay of @ridersoftheapocalypse. Art is done by the talented @dreadlock-detective. She’s the literal best, and I wanted to give you the best. Happy Holidays Everyone!)

[icequeenoriginal]

Super Sarcastic Bros 2 (Prinxiety fanfic)

(Another fanfic for @sugarglider9603 Mario AU. Enjoy!)

Pairing: Prinxiety and Logicality

Warning: kidnapping and fighting

Virgil sighed as he watched Logan and Patton flirt with one another on the way to Prince Roman’s kingdom. They were lost in their conversation that Virgil couldn’t seem to understand. Roman watched the clouds as the little voice in his head kept repeating You will never have this.

It wasn’t that Virgil didn’t believe in love, far from it. He only had to look at his brother and Patton to know about it. He just didn’t believe it would ever find him. He wasn’t like his brother. He wasn’t as adventurous as him. He didn’t just throw everything aside to save a prince from a dragon man.

Don’t misconstrue his thoughts. He adored his brother. He thought he was amazing and he was so happy that Logan has Patton in his life. His brother was a kind soul who deserved everything good he got. But that’s what made the brother’s different. Logan took risks, Virgil didn’t.

No quest meant no prince for Virgil.

Patton led Logan and Virgil to Roman’s castle, Logan refusing to let go of his hand.

“It’s for his safety”

“Sure it is bro”

The first thing that caught Virgil’s eye when they arrived at the castle was the statue. It was entirely made of stone and in the center of the room. It was modeled after what Virgil assumed to be the prince. He felt himself blush, the statue defined the prince’s features nicely. He could only imagine what the prince looked like.

A Talyn was waiting from them in the throne room. They had been pacing around, clearly distraught. They ran to Patton and hugged him. Patton smiled and rubbed their head in response.

“It’s alright. Come now, tell us what happened.” The Talyn took a deep breath in an effort to calm themselves down. A Thomas walked over to help relay the story if needed.

Logan had a feeling he was going to experience deja vu.

~

After Logan had rescued Patton, Patton knew he wanted Roman to know about everything that happened. Roman and he had been friends for the longest of time. They both had lost their parents went they were young so they knew they had to be there for the other. The only problem was distance, and the fact they had no ability to contact each other aside from letters. They were working to change that but it was a painfully slow process. Even so, they always made time to hang out. For the most part, it was tea time but that was because of all the pastries Patton would make.

Patton was far too impatient to wait for a letter to get to Roman. It had been his turn to go to Roman’s kingdom for their tea time when Bowciet had kidnapped him, he couldn’t let Roman think he was mad at him. Besides, Roman needed to meet his new boyfriend. He wanted his “big brother’s” approval.

Patton called a Talyn, the very same Talyn who had asked Logan to save Patton in fact, into his kitchen as he made the thank-you cake.

“Talyn, I need you to do me a favor”

“Anything for you, your majesty.”

“I need you to go to Roman’s kingdom and deliver this message.” He handed them a letter with a smile. “Please do it as quickly as possible.” Patton turned back to his cake batter and poured in the sugar.

The Talyn stood up straight and saluted Patton “Of course your majesty! I am on it.” They ran quickly out of the castle.

“Don’t strain yourself to do it!” His call landed on deaf ears as the Talyn ran all the way to Roman’s castle.

Roman had been knitting when the out of breath Talyn arrived. He ran to them and caught them as they fell to the ground. The Talyn weakly handed Roman the letter. Roman placed the letter on his throne and carried to Talyn to a Thomas.

“Please get them a green mushroom please”

“Right away your majesty.” The Thomas gently took the Talyn and left the room. Roman flopped back into his throne and opened the letter:

Dear Roman,

I apologize for missing our tea time. You see, I had been kidnapped. Roman’s eyes widen as he read the line. He hated that he did nothing to help Patton. He shook his head as he continued to read the letter.

Don’t worry though! Two brave heroes rescued me. One of them is my new boyfriend Logan. He is so brave, smart and kind. You have to come to the castle meet him. Roman smiled as the rest of the letter went on and on about Patton’s boyfriend. He was so glad that Patton had found someone. Someone was going to take care of his best friend when Roman was unavailable.

He even has a brother! That was the other hero who saved me. You two should meet. Maybe we could all go on double dates. Roman chuckled at the line, he couldn’t wait to meet these two.

Before I forget, I should tell you about the man who kidnapped me. Just in case he tries to go after you. His name is-->

Someone banged on the door as Roman went to turn the letter over. He gently put the letter down and walked towards the door. A man wearing a spiked letter jacket, a half-snake face, and a dragon-like tail walked in. Roman looked at his confused for he had not been expecting anyone, especially not this guy.

“Good evening your majesty! My! You are lovelier than I’ve heard” Roman crossed his arms, unimpressed.

“Can I help you Mr…?”

“My name is King Bowciet.” He grabbed Roman’s hand and kissed the back of it. Roman rolled his eyes and was going to politely tell this guy to leave him alone when the now healed Talyn and a Thomas walked in.

“I’m telling you, Thomas! He was huge and had this--” The Talyn turned and locked eyes with Bowciet. “THAT’S HIM! THAT THE MAN WHO KIDNAPPED PATTON!”

Roman had no time to react as Bowciet threw him over his shoulders, pinning Roman’s arms and legs with his arms. He ran as has he could to his ship while Roman repeatedly hit him to get away.

The Talyn screamed “NOT AGAIN” before running back to Patton’s castle

~

Logan took Patton’s hands in his, instantly calming Patton down. As he listens to the story, Patton got mad at himself for not writing earlier in the letter who Bowciet was. Roman would have been better prepared for Bowciet’s arrival. Logan kissed his forehead as he used his thumb to rub circles into Patton’s hands.

“We’ll save him, Pat. I promise.”

“Thank you”

“Virg, let's--” Logan stopped when the door behind them reopened. The Talyns and Thomases rejoiced. Their prince had returned!

Virgil locked eyes with the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He was tall, muscular and had gorgeous eyes that were brought out by the orange in his outfit.

Roman fixed his crown as he walked over to Patton and two men he did not recognize.

“I’m sorry about that everyone, but I am back now” Logan and Virgil stared at him in utter shock.

“Roman!” Patton ran to him and hugged him. Roman smiled and hugged back. He was glad someone said something.

“Hey, Pat! I hope I didn’t worry you too much.” “I was only a little bit scared but it doesn’t matter now! You escaped!” “Yea, it wasn’t that hard either. You know I’m good with that stuff”

That was it, Virgil was now in love. This guy was the entire packet. He would never be interested in you. Virgil sighed, he knew that was true.

“I want you to meet the two heroes that rescued me. This my boyfriend Logan” Logan smiled fondly at Patton, his heart fluttered every time Patton called him his boyfriend. He was so lucky.

“Nice to meet you, Logan.” Roman shook Logan’s hand with a proud smile. Anyone who made Patton happy was good in his book.

“Same to you. Patton has told me so much about you.”

“I hope I live up to your expectation” You surpassed it Virgil thought as Roman made conversation with Logan.

Virgil didn’t realize he was staring until Roman made eye contact with him. Roman smiled sweetly as Virgil looked away flustered. Roman walked over to him and bowed.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Prince Roman.”

“H-Hi...I-I’m...Virgil…” You’re embarrassing yourself.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Roman and Virgil smiled at each other for a moment before Roman abruptly turned. He clapped his hand and his smile widened. “Since all of you are here, how about we have tea time now?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea Roman! Oh please join us, Logan, please.”

“Of course sweetie.” Roman cooed at the newly formed couple He turned to Virgil, making the younger twin VERY aware of how close they were standing.

“Will you join us, Virgil?” Virgil didn't know how to reply. He could never refuse a request by a prince but at the same time, he didn’t know if he would be able to survive the whole time without fainting.

Virgil looked into Roman’s eyes. They were serious but yet playful. His smile was intoxicating to Virgil, he wanted to keep drinking him in.

“O-Okay...if-if you insist.”

“Wonderful!” Roman took Virgil’s hand and walked with him to the greenhouse. Virgil, though in shock that a prince would ever touch him, was thankful for he felt his legs were threatening to give out. Logan walked next to him and whispered with a smirk. “I think he likes you~”

“Shut it!” Virgil whispered back angrily. He felt his face get redder if that was even possible. He was just being nice, he has no interest in you.

Roman led the trio to his greenhouse. Aside from the main path that leads to a small table with two chairs, two more were quickly added by two Talyns, the entire greenhouse was stuffed with flowers. All kinds: Lilies, fire flowers, roses, ice flowers, the works.    

“Your Majesty--”

“Please, just Roman. We’re all friends here.”

“Alright, Roman. You have a very impressive collection of flowers.”

“Why thank you.”

“This is nothing! Tell them, Ro!” “Of course Patton. This is nothing compared to the garden I have behind the castle.” Roman’s head turned to Virgil, catching his eyes. He smiled “maybe  could show you around”

There’s no way he means me. There is no way he means me. There is no way--

Virgil’s thoughts were immediately silenced by Roman winking at him. Virgil had to cover his face with his hands because there was no way he could continue to keep eye contact with Roman. He’d pass out before he could ever ask the Prince out.

Roman let out a very light chuckle “Patton, would you please join me in the kitchen?” Patton briefly looked at him confused before forming a smile

“Of course Ro!” Patton gently kissed Logan on the cheek before following Roman to the kitchen.

Virgil waited until the door completely closed to yell at Logan “You set me up!” “What?” “You and Patton set me up! I bet Roman was never in any danger!” “Virgil, if I ever wanted to set you up, I would set you up to fall into a freezing cold pool, not to find a date.”

“...Ugh, why do you always have to make so much sense?!”

“It’s my job.” Virgil pulled his hat over his face, hoping he could disappear into it.

~ Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Patton was baking cookies as Roman made the tea. Roman hummed as he set up the teacups on the tray. His eyes were closed but his smile was bright.

“Someone’s in love~”

“You’re looking into a mirror Pat.”

“I mean I am in love but you are totally head over heels for Virgil.”

“Can you blame me? He’s so cute and shy! But...” “But?” “I think he finds me too intimidating. He won’t even look at me”

“You said yourself, he’s shy.”

“I hope it’s just that.”

“It definitely is! What’s not to like about you?” Roman smiled at his best friend “Thanks, Pat.”

“Now let’s get back to the blushing boys”

~ “Roman?”

“Yes, Logan?”

“Do you mind if I take a flower?” “Take as many as you like, I have plenty.”

“Satisfactory.” Logan picks up a small pink flower and placed it behind Patton’s ear. Patton began to blush and kissed Logan on the cheek. Virgil sighed, he wishes he was confident enough to do that.

“You’re welcome to take some too.” Virgil jumped at the sudden voice. He turned and looked at Roman who was leaning towards him.

“A-Are you sure…?”

“Of course. Like I said, I have plenty. I would be honored if you took them.” Virgil wasn’t sure if it was Roman’s smile or the sincerity in his voice that caused the idea of relaxation to click in Virgil’s mind but he finally let out the breath he had been holding from when he first locked eyes with the Prince.

“Sure, my room could use some flowers to brighten it up.” Virgil smiled sweetly, making Roman smile more. Patton made his way into Logan’s lap and the couple watches the new relationship bloom.

Tea went by with no issue. Each Prince was enchanted by their respective plumper and visa versa. Suddenly, Patton shot up and took Logan’s hand.

“Logan! I want to show you the hall of paintings Roman has! They are all so amazing!”

“Lead the way love.” Logan tipped his hat at Roman and Virgil before being promptly being dragged away by Patton.

Roman let out a heartfelt laugh. “I’ve only seen them together for an hour and I already know they are perfect for each other.” Virgil laughed.

“Is that so?”

“It’s true! They’re adorable!” “Yea, now they are. Just wait. Soon you’ll get very sick of them.”

“I will, will I? I’d like to challenge your theory.”

“You would?”

“If that means I have an excuse to come and visit then gladly.”

“You need an excuse?” “Yea, prince life is hardly all fun and games.” “Let me guess, doing the same thing over and over again with no foreseeable future.”

“I’m guessing that’s how being a plumber is like.”

“Basically, minus the castle, servants and fancy greenhouse.”

“You can come by anytime you want.” Roman blushed at his own comment and looked away. He rubbed his cheek with his finger. “You know if you want to.”

Virgil couldn’t believe he made Roman blush. As he spoke to Roman, the mean voice in his head slowly became quieter. He felt calm around Roman. He wanted to spend more time with the Prince.

He will never like you.

Virgil sighed as the voice returned. Oh, how he wished that wasn’t true.

“Virg?” “Hm? Oh sorry Roman, I was lost in thought.” “It’s alright. Would you like to see my garden now?” He shows it to everyone. You’re not special. “Oh sure.”

~

Patton and Logan walk out of the back door of the castle. Logan wrapped his arms around a squalling Patton.

“Ah! I’m telling you, Lo! They’ll fall in love before sunsets”

“Like how I fell in love with you?” Patton gasps and turned around quickly. He smiled as he took Logan’s hand in his own. “That was the fire time you said it!”

Logan smiled back softly. “I think I can do better than that.” Logan leaned forward so their foreheads touched “I love you, my prince.”

Patton tackled Logan to the ground and kissed him passionately. “I LOVE YOU TOO!” He continues to kiss boyfriend, who happily kissed him back.

~

Roman and Virgil walked through the garden. Virgil was in awe of how detailed the flower arrangements were.

“Wow...this is...wow”  

Roman laughed softly “You know, you’re actually really cute.”

“I...what?”

“You’re cute. I think you’re cute Virgil.” Roman stopped and took Virgil’s hand. “I also think you’re smart, confident, sweet…” With every word, Roman leaned down towards Virgil’s lips. Virgil’s heart pounded loudly.

A new voice enters his mind. Take a chance. It was his brother’s voice, Logan had said that to him time and time again. Virgil took a deep breath leaned up. He could do this.

Their lips with about to touch when the two flying Koopas grabbed Roman. Roman yelped as they yanked him away from Virgil to Bowciet who was in his flying clown car.

“You thought you could get away from me, didn’t you Princey?” Roman glared at Bowciet, extremely annoyed his kiss was interrupted. “Let him go!” Bowceit turned his attention to Virgil and smirked.

“What’s this?! Another pesky plumber trying to steal a prince away from me?! You don’t deserve him! You’re nothing but a worthless plumber!” “How dare you say that about him!” Roman flipped himself up, landing on top of the Koopas. They were squashed under his feet and fell to the ground. Roman landed perfectly between them. Virgil gawked at Roman’s skill before forcing himself to focus on the battle. Roman handed him a shell and they both kicked it into Bowciet, causing him to go flying.

“That was amazing Roman! How did you do that?” “Just because I’m prince doesn’t mean I don’t know how to put up a good fight.”

Logan and Patton ran to them, checking to make sure they were alright.

“We should head back to the Mushroom Kingdom. I want to get Patton safe in case Bowceit isn’t down for the count.”

Roman nodded and turned to Virgil “I’ll see you soon okay?”

Virgil smiled and nodded, before following Logan and Patton. Roman sighed lovely as he watched him leave. He was officially in love with the anxious plumber. He decided to pick flowers to distract himself. The first flower he came across was bright purple. Roman smiled as he picked it up and kissed it.

Knowing no one could hear him, Roman began to sing. “And if I know you, I know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream~”

~

“You know Virg, you can stay if you want.”

“No, no…it’s okay…” The opportunity was missed.

“If you say so. Just a little advice? You don’t get someone like that by walking away.” Logan lifted Patton bridal style and kissed him “You have to just go for it.” Patton giggled at his boyfriend.

Take a chance. Take a chance. Take a chance.

Virgil bolted back into the castle. Roman turned at the sound of the door being open.

“Did you forget something V--” He was cut off by Virgil suddenly kissing him. Virgil wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck and shut his eyes. Roman kissed him back and wrapped his arms around Virgil’s waist. Their tongues danced in each other’s mouth. It was electric They kissed until they ran out of breath.

Virgil was bright red. “W-Well...see ya!” Virgil ran out of the castle.

Roman smiled sweetly. “Thomas.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“Cancel all my meetings for today.” “Of course your majesty.” With that, Roman ran out of the castle and after Virgil.

Taglist:

@corkeecoderyt @per-seph-o-nee @ohshrekmyheck @3milystuff @thatsthat24

[sweetteaanddragons]

Congratulations on 200 posts! If the slots aren’t full already, can I request Being the Designated Sane One with Belladonna Took and Fëanor, humor? Thank you!

I decided to return to the “To Catch a Falling Star” ‘verse with this one. So here’s the missing conversation between Feanor and Belladonna! I leave it to you to decide who’s being the reasonable one here.

(It’s not quite as funny as I would have liked, I’m afraid, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.)

Belladonna looked up from her book guiltily as the footsteps approached, certain it was the librarian coming to scold her for sneaking in a bag of scones to snack on in the presence of his ancient books.

It wasn’t the librarian, though, it was Elrond, and one of those new elves that had arrived, Feanor. Her guilty blush deepened considerably. Elrond was a good deal less likely to scold her than the stern librarian, but she hated the idea that he might think she was mistreating the books he’d kindly allowed her to borrow. And Feanor . . . well, she’d been quietly dreading the moment that someone would tell him that she’d called that pretty gem he’d made a silly thing and a mathom when she hadn’t really meant any disparagement at all. Tansy Proudfoot hadn’t spoken to her for two years after she’d accidentally insulted the other woman’s pies; it would be terrible if Feanor did the same for she would have long returned home in two years, and it would be a great shame to never make up.

But Elrond just smiled at her before properly introducing her to his companion, and did not seem at all to mind her scone eating, and Feanor looked as if he’d rather like a scone himself, so that was alright.

Elrond quietly vanished soon after the introductions, and she rather wished he hadn’t. She was greatly interested in talking to Feanor, but she wasn’t quite sure how to begin, so she fell back on the basic courtesies. “Would you like to sit and have a scone?” she offered. “They’re quite good, even better than the Brandybucks make them, though don’t tell them I said that.”

Feanor did indeed sit and laid something wrapped in cloth on the table as he did so before reaching for a scone. “Brandybucks?” he asked, eyes alive with curiosity. 

“A hobbit family that lives by the river,” Belladonna explained. “They’re very well off and very numerous, but not they’re not quite respectable, I’m afraid - though, of course, all of that save the bit about the river could also be said of the Tooks!”

“And why should your House not be respectable?” Feanor demanded. “Certainly in all that I have seen and heard of you, your dealings have been more than honorable and exceedingly generous.”

Belladonna’s blush returned a bit at the praise. “Well, that’s very kind of you, but I’m afraid the fact that I’m here at all isn’t quite the done thing. We like to keep to ourselves, hobbits do.”

“Perhaps why none of my sons reported sight of you in the First Age,” Feanor mused. “Or did your people come later?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” she confessed. “I can quote my family tree back to you for ten generations, but we don’t keep histories as well as you elves do.”

Feanor’s brow furrowed. “Then they will not record your part in this tale in song that you may be honored and remembered?”

“Oh!” She was a little startled. “Well, I didn’t do so very much, really. Anyone would have picked it up when it fell, and there’s few that could have denied it to poor Maglor, it was so obvious he needed it.”

“You are quite right in saying that anyone would have picked it up,” Feanor said quietly, “but unless the world has changed greatly in my absence, quite wrong about what they would have done with it then. My father was slaughtered for that Silmaril and its sisters, my nephew Finrod slain in pursuit of it, Thingol slain for it by the dwarves, and the dwarves slaughtered in their turn, the whole kingdom of Doriath sacked for it, Sirion burned for it, Elwing driven to what she believed suicide for it, and, at the last, the Valar relented for the sake of it. That you would give it up without coercion, without even proper plea for it, is remarkable.”

“Maglor told me some of that,” she said with a frown. “It still seems so strange! Not that it’s not lovely,” she hastened to add. “It truly is, probably the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen, but I suppose whatever’s in it that’s worth dying for is quite above a hobbit’s head. Or mine, at least. Finders, keepers is all very well when there’s no one else with a claim to the thing, but once you find out who it ought to go to, you’d be a Sackville-Baggins to hang onto it anyway. So, no, I don’t expect I’ll be remembered for long just for returning some misplaced property, though Bungo might like the story when I return home, and certainly if I ever have children, I shall have to tell them about the time I met the elves.”

Feanor was looking at her with a very strange expression. 

“Oh, dear,” she sighed. “I’ve gotten it all wrong somehow, haven’t I?”

“Not wrong,” Feanor said in a very odd tone. “Merely different. But I assure you, Belladonna Took, you will not be quickly forgotten. My line, at least, shall sing of you till Arda Remade. And because I have been told that hobbits value such things differently than we do, I also thought to bring to you a gift, though I am sorry that I could not craft it with my own hands.” He pushed the little bundle over to her.

Belladonna opened it curiously, keeping her head down to hide the blush that had yet again returned. She looked up again quickly, though, with a gasp of delight. “Mushrooms! And such fine ones! Wherever did you find this variety all the way out here?” It took all her restraint not to devour them immediately. They would be much finer cooked, and she mustn’t waste them. “You didn’t have to, you know,” she said with some reluctance, in case he felt inclined to take them back. “Master Elrond already gave me some very fine ones in thanks for the whole incident.”

Feanor smiled for the first time. It was a beautiful smile, and she wished he would do it more often. “He mentioned that when I asked what I could do for you,” he said. “But whether or not you will believe it, my House owes you far more than mushrooms, and I hardly resent giving you a second batch.”

Two large servings of mushrooms, and all for one pretty rock!

Belladonna was quite certain she had gotten the better end of this deal.

[superwolfiestar]

Super Caballeros Rewritten Ch.3

The three duck toads told them to follow them as they quickly walk through the woods, they stop in front of the bush. In front of them was an enormous abandoned and ruined castle, cover with few lot of vines. It looks like it hasn't been used for ages. Windows are covered with dust, few holes left out on the walls and roofs. Since they didn’t see the full view of the castle. It immediately dropped the plumber's jaws. Jose spouted, "is it me or does that castle look so abandoned."

The boys take a quick look around making sure that they weren’t being followed. Huey walked over to the log. He put the log up and it reveals a hidden tunnel, the hole was so big that anyone with big or small size can fit through it. Huey quickly open it as he signaled them to get in quickly as fast as they could.

Panchito and Jose have no other choice but to get in, they got in as the triplets went last as Huey quickly close it with the handle that was attached on the bottom log. They follow Huey through the tunnel as he lifts the lantern up. They tiptoe quietly as Huey explain where they are going.

“We are going to our secret hideout located underneath the castle. We will let Scrooge explains what’s going on and why we were hidden from him.” Huey explain to them.

“Him?” Jose said in the curious tone. “Um… Who exactly is this ‘him’ you are talking about?''

“It’s another story to tell but we will let Unca Scrooge explain.” Dewey told them.

As they walk through an underground tunnel, they reach the end and they are now in some sorta campsite/village of the mushroom people they are in. They walk past them as the people look at these two newcomers. Some stare at them while other whispers at each other. Panchito and Jose huddle together for safety.

They walk toward what seems to be a big tent and they all enter together.

“Hey! We’re back!” Louie announced to the empty room. “And you know who we found! It’s the legendary heroes! They actually came!”

Panchito and Jose stand close to each other as they saw a shadow group figure enter it, they first saw a little duck girl, she wore a lavender dress-shirt with a thin white line near the bottom. A purple vest with gold lining, and in her head was a purple mushroom with white dots, and her white hair was tied into a braid pigtail with a purple ribbon that tie into a small bow.

Another one was a tall, muscular duck. He is about five feet tall with a hefty build. He wore a navy green vest with gold lining, he have red hair, blue eyes, bulky chin by his orange bill. In his head was a white mushroom, with navy green dots. He wore a light grey pant and brown boots.

A tall, muscular stork with flowing blonde hair. He wore a blue vest with gold lining, on his head was a mushroom white cap with red spot on it

The other was a light brown duck with unruly pompadour hair. He is about three-and-a-half feet tall. He wears a blue colored dress shirt with white collar and a light yellow necktie. And in his head was a blue mushroom with white dots around it.

There was a white chicken. He is about four feet tall and rather skinny. He wore a lab coat with black neckline, blue pants and on both of his feet was a brown shoes, and in his beak was glasses.

On the chicken shoulder was a strangle little lightbulb with hands and feet. He wore a small tiny grey vest with gold lining that could easily find in a small kid doll, in his lightbulb was a small white mushroom with grey dots.

Beside him was a headless man horse and his body is a gray horse with a black tail. A red shell with white around it as a saddle on his back.

A tall brown dog wearing what appears to be a butler uniform, he has a white mushroom hat with deep purple dots.

And the last one was a female. She is a big-boned white duck with square glasses. She is about four feet tall. She wore a mauve purple dress-shirt with a thin white line near the bottom. A purple vest with gold lining, and in her head was a mauve mushroom with white dots, and she had grey hair below the mushroom. In her leg was a black high heels and gray stockings.

“They are here!”

“What…”

“I don’t believe it!”

Panchito and Jose look at them, confused. They turn towards them. “You guys are expecting us?” Jose ask them.

“Well kinda, you see. When we’re young, Unca Scrooge used to tell us a story that a legendary heroes with red and green hats would come back to their homeland and save our boy princess and our precious kingdom!” Dewey told them. “This is Webby!” Dewey pointed a girl in a purple dress. “Hi! I’m Webby!” Webby greet them.

“And this is Launchpad.” He point the muscular one. “Hey! Nice to meet you!” Launchpad give them a big smile.

“That’s Fenton over there, he is very knowledgeable.” Huey pointed to the brown duck. “It’s very nice to meet you two.” Fenton smile.

“That is Professor Gyros and his little help, Lill Bulb.”

“Greeting you two.” He said as he fixes his glass and not giving a smile.

“That’s Manny over there.” Huey pointed to the headless man horse. The headless man horse didn’t speak but instead, he tapped his foot as if he’s saying “hello”.

“This is Duckworth.”

“Greetings gentleman.” Duckworth smile at them.

“And this is Mrs. Beakley, she is Webby grandma.” Louie pointed. “Good evening boys,” she greeted them.

“And um… where is Great Uncle Scrooge?”

“Um… who exactly is Scrooge?” Panchito ask them.

“I am.”

—————————

Music:

Dark Dungeon - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Mystery of the Cave - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Swamp Theme - Shrek 2: the video game

[misterewrites]

Welcome to The Underground (original story)

Hey everyone, E here! Still alive. haha it’s been a while. So I wanted to do this for a long time and I decided just to go for it. You know, get back into the swing of things and work on my own projects so I apologize if it’s a little off or not up to my usual work.

So I’ll let the story do the talking but basically it’s heavily inspired by dnd because screw it I might as well embrace the madness, Crypt of the Nercodancer (My favorite game) and Hollow Knight (great game) 

It takes place in a vast underground kingdom in a fantasy style setting.

I hope you all enjoy it, we’ll see if I keep this up because I really did go all out on the world building and had fun and I hope you all have a great week! E out, bye!

We love you Abi. Don’t ever forget it.

“Mom?”

Abigail winced uncomfortably as the muscles in her body painfully ached.

“Why does everything pain? Why so much pain?” Abigail croaked, resisting the urge to move any further than she had to.

Abigail opened her eyes but instead of the blazing sun high above the mossy, wetlands of the Loss Swamp like she was expecting, it was a swirling darkness and towering smooth stony walls on every side.

A single ray of sunshine cut through the dark but small, leafy movement scurried to cover it, swarming the glimmer of light until it was completely engulfed in shadows once more.

“Okay that explains the cold air during summer.” Abigail whispered to herself, closing her gray eyes in preparation “One second then up you go Abi. One.”

No motion.

“I said one Abi” She scolded herself.

She bit her lip, ignoring the dull ache of her arms as she turned to one side on the cold jagged floor.

“Oh god let’s not do that again” she murmured to herself, taking a deep heavy breath to steady herself.

Abigail propped one elbow against the ground, then the other and slowly rose to her feet. The pain faded away and was replaced with an uneasy but manageable soreness she was more accustomed to working on her farm.

She could do this.

Whatever this was.

She stood to her full average height which wasn’t very tall but still better than kissing the floor. She stretched the stiffness out of her body, cracking the bones in her neck and fingers while glancing upwards.

“A cave entrance. The moss probably covered it up. And this is why invasive flora sucks.”

Abigail pursed her lips, wondering how exactly she was going to climb back up to the surface as she untangled her wet long reddish brown hair. As she was crossing a swamp, she hadn’t packed any climbing gear and who knows how deep the cave system really went.

Abigail paused her thoughts as the sound of rustling reached her ears. The scratching of fabric against leather was so oddly familiar...

Her bag!

She whipped around to the source of the noise and regretted at once as her neck muscles ached dully.

“Hey!” Abigail’s voice cracked “Oww, oww, neck. What are you doing!?”

The silhouette of the figure jumped up in surprise, shooting up to their feet, one hand raised in surrender while the other clutched a familiar dark red travel pack.

“You’re alive?” A male’s voice said with hint of confusion “That’s...that’s surprising.”

“Why?” Abigail snarled “Is that why you covered a hole with a rapid growing moss? What kind of sick trap are you running mister?”

“Moss?” The figure shook his head “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And, I checked your pulse. You were as dead as a doorknob.”

“Well obviously you didn’t do it right!”

The man shifted his weight uncomfortably “I mean it has been a while since I had to check a corpse. At least 4 years. I guess I lost my touch. I am really ashamed of myself. Seriously, I….”

Abigail tuned him out as she plucked her trusty dagger from her belt. She gripped it tightly, eyeing the shadowy figure carefully though it was hard to know where he began and the darkness of the cave ended.

“Okay.” He finished rambling “Obviously I was here to shift through a corpse’s bag and...”

“And you lost your chance!” Abigail yelled, lunging forward with murderous intent.

“Oh shit!” The figure cried out, stumbling backwards in surprise.

Abigail huffed angrily as her blade caught empty air.

“Hey!” She cried out as the person disappeared into the dark “COME BACK HERE!”

Abigail chased after him, wildly groping the thick shifting darkness, her blade scratching stone but not much else. It must’ve been seconds but to her it was an eternity when she found the soft light and a silhouette shrinking deeper into the cave.

Abigail gripped her blade tightly as she bumbled her way to the source of light, prepared for an ambush at the end of the tunnel.

She let out a battle cry, jumping around the corner hoping to catch anyone unaware.

“Wow.” She murmured softly as she took in the awe of the sight before her.

The tunnel had open up to a massive cavern: Mushrooms hung from every inch of the ceiling, gleaming with a greenish light that illuminated the cave brightly. The ground was a rolling hill with gravel, loose and uneven much like dirt. Rows of tilted and uneven stone slabs stretched out before her. Tombstones she guessed based on the faded wording and flowers scattered about.

“This is beautiful. I wonder if the mushrooms catch the moisture in the air to...FOCUS ABI!” She shook herself out of her stupor.

She caught sight of the figure retreating further and further away towards a small hut on the far side of the cavern: He wore an elegant jacket and dress pants though the embodied golden lines were faded. Slung around his back was a lute and in one hand, Abigail’s travel bag as the other flailed wildly.

“Revenge!” Abigail cried, brandishing the knife as she resumed the pursuit.

Well, tried to. She nearly lost her footing from the switch from solid stone to loose gravel. Her knife scraped against a weathered tombstone as she caught herself on it.

“Sorry about that.” She read “Lancer Dupoint. What kind of name is...”  

The figure stopped just short of the door, leaning on his knees while he tried to catch his breath “Would you please stop!”

“Never!”

“Look!” the figure shouted “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were still alive. People fall down there and die all the time, it wasn’t anything personal.”

Abigail huffed “If it’s not personal, why do you still have my bag?”

The man looked confused for a moment before he glanced to the bag still in his grip.

“Oh….”

“Oh is right!” Abigail snarled, flinging her knife with all her might.

The man held up the bag to protect himself but the dagger sunk harmlessly an inch away from his face, embedding itself in the wooden door of the hut.

“ARE YOU CRAZY!” he screamed “You could’ve killed me!”

“Did I hit you!?” Abigail replied, scrunching up in fear.

“No! You got the door!”

“Holy shit I got the door?! I never hit anything before! Did it stick?”

“Did it stick? DID IT STICK!? YEAH ABOUT AN INCH FROM MY FACE!”

“Sorry! I never thought I’d make it that far. It’s like what 40 yards?”

“You are crazy lady! Who just throws knives!?”

“I’m sorry I was really mad at you!”

The man let out a crazed chuckle “Mad? don’t throw knives at all! Even when you’re mad!”

“You robbed me!” Abigail raised a finger in accusing manner.  

“Not on purpose. I thought you died.”

The shouting stopped as the wooden door creaked loudly on its hinges.

“Oliver, is there a reason you are currently shouting outside my house?” an older man asked, staring curiously back and forth between the two.

Abigail walked slowly over the loose gravel underneath her foot and finally got a good look at the two strangers.

The younger, named Oliver, was maybe about 2 years older than her. He had brown eyes with black hair, a splash of freckles across his cheeks. He was lanky but not much taller with ill fitting performer’s clothes. Old, long since their prime but clearly one of an entertainer given their quality.

The older gentleman had graying hair that was once blonde with a thick beard, his blue eyes kind yet understanding. Abigail couldn’t place his age: Either was 45 or 60 though the way his body hunched and the slowness of his motions hinted at the latter. He wore a simple robe and boots clearly made of a thick material.

“Hello my dear” The older man spoke gently “I am Roland, the groundskeeper of the West End Cemetery and this” he playfully nudged the younger man “Is Oliver.”

“Hello….” Oliver mumbled uneasily.

“He helps me tend the graves for some extra coin. Not as spry as I used to be you know? And you, my dear?”

“Abigail!” she cheerfully beamed “Abigail Greenfield. I fell through a hole in the Loss Swamp and fell down here where I found that one!” Oliver whistled innocently “Was robbing me!”

“Not robbing” Oliver interrupted “Liberating a departed soul of their worldly possessions.”

Abigail expected a scolding or a disappointed scowl from Roland but none came, only a nod of agreement.

“I see. I’m sure Oliver meant no harm.”

“None whatsoever. She’s the one that came at me with a knife!”

“You were a strange man going through her things as she was passed out. You would’ve maintained the element of surprise too.”

Oliver opened his mouth to argue before he nodding in agreement “Okay fair.”

“Anyway, would you like to come in Abigail? I am sure you have many questions.”

“Nah, just one. How do I get back up to the swamp?”

Roland and Oliver shared a look.

--------------------

“I can’t leave?” Abigail repeated after them, the shock of the statement slowly settling over her, the warm tea in her hands remaining untouched.

“Afraid not my dear.” Roland patted her arm sympathetically.

“T-That can’t be right. This is a vast underground cavern system, t-there must be away back to the surface.”

Oliver gave a casual shrug “Look, I’ve lived down here my whole life. If there was a way out, I would’ve heard about it by now. Anyone who could’ve gotten out probably already did. Mages, clerics, magic folk with that kind of power. All zipped off. Wall are too smooth and steep to climb. Everyone else lives here in the Underground. Or the Fifth nations. Or dwarf land.”

“Dwarf land? Dwarves! They must have an entrance to...wait did you just say Fifth Nations? Like….”

“That’s what they named themselves, I’m just repeating it.” Oliver answered.

“Anyway” Abigail continued “The dwarves must have a way up! They do business with a capital and that’s like 100 miles away from my hometown and across from the swamp. Wait, how big is the Underground?”

“Vast.” Roland sipped his tea “I’d say 75 miles give or take but many roads twist and curl in on itself. Travel to the Dwarf kingdom will be slow at best.”

“And nonexistent at realism” Oliver chimed in “The Underground has many roads but the deepest most of them go is the second level and without armed escort, you’re probably not going to survive.”

“Second level? Like floors?”

Roland cleared his throat “Let me explain life here: The Underground is a vast alliance of city states. We’ve been around for hundreds of years, trapped down here but making the best of it. Most of the citizens are are 5th or even 7th generation of descendants of people who fell though once in a while someone from the surface comes tumbling down.”

“Like me! I was crossing the Loss swamp. I was walking over some mossy covered ground when it suddenly gave out. I guess the mossy is an invasive species not native to the swamp.” Roland gave an impressed nod. Oliver was just confused.

“Anyway” Oliver coughed “There’s 4 levels to the Underground. Most cities are built on the first level. It’s closest to any natural sunlight and water, so most creatures avoid it like the plague. There’s a road or two up on this floor but if you wanna get anywhere, you gotta travel through the second layer. It’s further down, closer to the empty void of the cave’s darkness but it was easier to carve paths through. Much more dangerous. Like more creepy crawlers and things that generally want to eat you.”

“Also bandits.” Roland added.

“Right, those fuckers. Armed escort is heavily recommended. There’s a couple of outposts that offer safe haven and patrols with the odd city or two but not much more than that.”

“And the third level?” Abigail asked curiously.

Oliver snorted “hell if I know, that’s like noooo down there. I’ve never met anyone who ever went to the third level and lived. And I am still pretty sure the fourth level is just a myth.”

“Why were you in the swamp Abigail?”

Abigail bit her lips nervously.

“You don’t have to tell us.” Roland smiled softly.

“Thank you. Umm I….I don’t know what to do now.”

“Same” Oliver rolled his eyes “I guess you live here now. West End is a small town, pretty quiet. You’ll find something here to do.”

“I want to go to the dwarf kingdom.”

Oliver rubbed his eyes tiredly “That’s nice, so you do know what you want to do. I hope you get there. It’s allllll the way on the East side of the kingdom, past the Underground and the Fifth Nation and this is a little village at the other end.”

Abigail turned to Roland, ignoring Oliver’s comment “So I take it West End isn’t gonna have a lot of travel out of here?”

The wind picked up for a moment outside and the hut groaned uneasily though Roland paid it no mind.

Roland scratched his beard thoughtfully “Well, you are right. This is a small village. Not much resources for you here. The capital, Haven’s Nest, is the next city over.  You’ll have much better luck there though travel would be problematic.”

Oliver chimed in “You gotta go through a second floor path. Means you are going to need somebody who knows how to fight.”

Abigail pursed her lips, wracking her mind at possible solutions “Is there a mercenary group here?”

Oliver scratched his chin for a moment before snapping his finger “Yeah, the Swift Slivers. They’re a small group, loyal though and take fair pay but I doubt you have any….”

“My bag had at least 30 gold.”

“30 gold?” Oliver rose an eyebrow before realization hit “Wait! Surface gold?!”

“Umm.” Abigail’s eyes darted back and forth, unsure where he was going with this “Yeeeees?”

“That’s worth a fortune down here! Actually no, don’t pull that out unless you want to get robbed.”

“Right, sure.” Abigail was not sure what was going on anymore.

“Oliver.” Roland began slowly “Isn’t there a music competition you were saving up for in Haven’s Nest?”

“Yeeeeees.” Oliver narrowed his eyes suspiciously “But I still need to save up for the entry fee and paying the mercs to escort me.”

“I think you earned you pay for the month Oliver. I will cover the mercenary fee.”

“If?” Oliver rolled his eyes.

“You agree to take Abigail to the capital.”

It was harder to tell who was more opposed to the idea: The farm girl or the bard.

“Are you kidding me!? He robbed me!”

“She came at me with a knife! Even after I said I was sorry!”

“How can I trust him, he was looting my ‘corpse’!”

“She’s clearly crazy and I don’t feel safe traveling with her.”

Roland raised a hand, stopping the two arguments without a word.

“Abigail. You are new to this land. You have very little options and I can promise despite….first impressions, Oliver will not put you in danger.”

Roland turned to Oliver with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“You want to go compete. This is the only way you’re going to get to the competition in time. All you have to do is take her to the capital where you were planning on going anyway. Are you really going to pass up a free ride?”

“Fine” The two huffed in unison “We’ll behave.”

“Good” Roland beamed, sliding a pouch of coins into Oliver’s hand.

Oliver glanced curiously at the older gentleman “Are you okay. Sir?”

Roland chuckled playfully “Yes quite. I just feel this is the best path forward for you both. Two people in need. A common destination. Two birds, one pouch.”

Oliver was uneasy about that answer but before he could continue with his questioning, Abigail spoke.

“Can I have my bag back?”

Oliver lost his train of his thought as he handed back the bag he had accidentally taken, glancing distastefully at his companion.  

At least she was prepared for travel: Long sleeved red tunic, blue bandana to keep her hair in check and black leggings tucked into hiking boots.

Roland let out a tired yawn, rubbing at his eyes sleepily “Now, if you excuse me, I think I need to sleep.”

“But it’s the afternoon.” Oliver muttered, something about the old man’s behavior not sitting well with him. He had never taken a nap during the day.

“I am quite old Oliver and if you hurry, you may be able to start traveling today.”

He was trying to get rid of them, Oliver was sure of that at least but the why eluded him.

Abigail simply nodded “Thank you Roland, for everything.”

“Goodbye Abigail. Oliver.”

Oliver frowned but shook the hand all the same “Old man.”

--------------------

Roland waved cheerfully at the retreating figures of the unhappy pair. It wasn’t ideal and there was no guarantee that they weren’t going to kill each other but at least they were safe.

Roland took a deep, calming breath as he closed the door.

“You should’ve knocked, old friend.”

Roland turned around to find a cloaked figure sitting lazily in his chair, his golden yellow eyes peering through the shroud of his hood.

“Ello Roland. Long time.”

“Long time” Roland sighed “Tea? Milk?”

“Milk” The figure murmured with a grin “Sounds lovely.”

Roland grimaced, making his way to the kitchen to serve his uninvited guest.

“Nice house.” The figure called out, eyeing the small hut with approval “Cozy. Quiet. Isolated.”

“That’s why I picked it.” Roland answered, pouring the milk into a glass “Nice retirement plan.”

“Agreed.” The figure chuckled “Never thought you’d retire. The most powerful wizard in all the Underground. Toiling graves.”

“Well.” Roland poured a drink for himself “Not all of us want to die pursing endless hobbies.”

Roland made his way back to his guest, handing him his drink and taking a seat across from him.

“You got one ready out there?” The figure gestured to the window.

“Yeah. It’s by the gate. Very nice.”

“Perks of a gravekeeper.”

“Mhm.”

The silence was tense as they finished their drinks slowly. They stared at one another, the moment close at hand.

The figure stood up, drawing a blade hidden beneath his cloak “Would you like to take a read of your book before we start?”

Roland shook his head “I always hoped you would’ve died in this vain pursuit. I suppose I’ll have to kill you myself.”

The figure gave a toothy grin, his eyes gleaming with humor “I am blessed by my lady. You may try but I assure you I won’t be stopped.”

Roland remained silent, his finger tracing symbols in the air. Blue magical runes fill the appear before him as the figure closes the distance.