#bowser has one son

[lore-of-the-mushroom-kingdom]

The Koopalings Are Not Bowser's Children

So I realize I have not made a post addressing the Koopalings and their status, only ever referring to it in passing. So as we know the Koopalings in the manuals were called Bowser's Kids, and that this led to external media such as the Super Mario Adventures comic and Super Mario Bros. 3 show depicting him as his kids.

While this was the original intention this was retconned and the Koopalings went from being Bowser's kids to his commanders. Note: There might have never been a retcon to begin with, however they still aren't his kids. I made another post going into detail on why this is. In a Gameinfomer titled Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series interview when asked "In Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings were supposed to be Bowser's children. But there's also Bowser Jr. Are they all his kids, and are they all from different mothers? Is Bowser Jr. a Koopaling?" Miyamoto responded with the following "Our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr., and we do not know who the mother is."

While many people have come to the conclusion that they are still his kids and they are just adopted, this isn't accurate. First off the intent is that they aren't his kids anymore, and you are still someone's kid if you are adopted.

The next part is the simple fact that they are never called his kids in any newer media. On the official website for NSMBWD they are only referred to as "leaders of Bowser's Troops." In cards they aren't called his children either.

The Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia outside of lifted text from old manuals which the Encyclopedia even notes, the Koopalings are never called his kids.

There is also the fact in game they are never called his kids, nor any implication they are adopted.

There is also the fact that they are too old to be his kids, and could even be as old as Bowser if not close to his age. In Color Splash Roy talks about attending night school or in other words he's in college. "I guess I'll just have to hope Lord Bowser can defeat you…" "Yeah, I know what irony is. BOOM. Knowledge is power, so I started going to night school."

There is the fact that the Koopalings only ever refer to Bowser by titles such as Lord Bowser and never father or stepdad, and they do the same for BJ calling him Lord Junior. They never talk about Jr being their brother, they talk about how he will be their boss one day, and they are even called his friends. "That punk will eventually be our boss!" "All right, Lord Junior.. We'll be facing off against Shy Guys in this next battle." "Well, he is Bowser's kid. There were bound to be some speed bumps." "They say that helicopter parenting doesn't work anyway. Just let 'em run wild!"

When Bowser asks them to watch over Junior they don't watch over him like older siblings, and even refer to it as being a form of parenting. They even directly refer to him as Bowser's Kid. There is also the fact Bowser beat up Iggy after making fun of Junior in front of Bowser. With all that being said, the Koopalings are not Bowser's kids but rather his underlings.

[itsamenickname]

The perfect family 💚🧡💛💚🧡💛

[cherryfennec]

what are some of your favorite Super Paper Mario headcanons?

I wasn't sure how specific you'd want those to be but I tried to think of a few that I personally enjoy/tend to apply myself!Includes spoilers.

Some general headcanons:

SPM takes longer than than a day/few days (maybe about a month or two)

Flipping into 3D is a nauseating experience and it takes time to fully adjust to it (especially for Mario, he never really managed to get over it).

Pure Hearts emit a comforting aura, a sense of warmth and calm, while the Chaos Heart feels like a thousand voices are whispering in your ear.

Some character specific headcanons:

Mario finds himself confused and lost more than he ever did in his life during this adventure. His usual confidence and grounded attitude are shaky because almost everything in these other worlds makes no sense to him, which is rather frustrating, especially at the beginning of his journey where he's completely surrounded by strangers and forced into the hero role. (Seriously, Mario couldn't even go home if he wanted to because he's stuck not on an island but between dimentions where he was TELEPORTED IN. There isn't really a door that leads to the Mushroom Kingdom.)

Peach's parasol is hardened by steel and enhanced by magic with a sharp tip at the end. She changed her heels to something more comfortable on the Flipside and put her hair up so it doesn't get in the way during travel and unavoidable combat.

Bowser takes his 'marriage' very seriously. He cares more about Peach than Mario in the team so when she's trouble he'll dash to assist her (he can run when he really wants to huh), but if the red plumber's in trouble he'll pretend to not see it or brush it off. (unless his lovely wife nags him about it).

Luigi, after landing is the Underwhere, finds lots of stuff in his pockets that he doesn't remember squirreling away like firecrackers, bolts and a small screwdriver. He is in fact very confused.

Count Bleck isn't very emotional. Most of the time he only has one, sad and dull expression. Any type of larger emotion showing through means that you've REALLY pushed it to the extreme.

The minions know the kind person that the Count is deep at heart so they're not put off by his frown, except for Mr.L. A default reaction that the brainwashed soldiers get as a 'bonus' from Nastasia is the highest respect for the Count, yes, but also fear of him. The fear ensures that they are most obedient but it's more of a failsafe than anything. You can imagine how it looks when Mr.L, an exploding and tempered personality, runs around the castle causing havoc like a brat and then suddenly just FREEZES on the spot at the sight of Bleck.

On the topic of the quirks of Nastasias ability, usually a person only needs to be brainwashed once. HOWEVER due to a certain someone who likes to provoke the man in green and his subconscious she is required to sometimes strengthen the control on Mr.L as she doesn't trust the magician with keeping his mouth shut. At one point she directly orders L to actively stay away from the jester, even forcing him to follow her around when she works.

Dimentios poncho and hat are covered in glitter and his mask is porcelain-esque, also the idea of him being the "son of the magician". I just think this theory is quite fitting and I like the thought of him being actually 3000 years old. He's not very popular at the castle but everyone has a silent agreement to not bother him. He however bothers everyone and likes to stare. When he's intrigued he tends to tilt his head slightly.

Mimi enjoys designing clothes and tries to give fashion advice to her teammates (to absolutely no avail because who cares we're literally ending the world, we're evil and depressed blehhhh). She and Dimentio have an 'annoying sibling' dynamic and she wouldn't hold back against him in battle at all for all the times he's messed with her. She also enjoys filing her nails to be super sharp.

Nastasia is a very strict person who takes her duties seriously but she does have a side for fun. You just need to search for it a little.

O'Chunks likes to spar with Mr.L in his free time. Mr.L is in general one of the few people he can do this with since Mimi says that 'she doesn't want to ruin her dress over such a stupid thing' and Dimentio always finds an excuse or simply dissapears.

Post SPM headcanons:

There is little conflict with the neighbouring kingdoms after the void incident. Peach, Mario and Luigi use that free time to have fun and just relax after everything that happened. They need eachothers support for the time being.

'Team Bleck' still meets up often after everything and hangs out. They don't necessarily talk about the Count but it's nice knowing that there are other people who understand what you're feeling right now. *They've been trying to have a full group reunion with Luigi included for some time now. Things are a bit awkward among them but it's still nice when he agrees to come along.

Luigi inherits some of Dimentios mannerisms which shine through from time to time such as laughing patterns, hand gestures and a rather malicious looking grin... A bit more unrelated and physical change is that his hair tends to turn white when he's around strong sources of power. (Dream Stone and Dark Star levels kind of powerful ykyk maybe Super Star as well or stardust in general cause star child origins) and the eyes somewhat darken.

He's also never really informed about the specifics of his Mr.L and Super Dimentio arc. Mario doesn't really want to burden his brother with something that was in the past and not a necessary in his eyes knowledge since it wasn't truly him.

The Chaos Heart isn't completely gone. It rests, slowly regaining power within it's host, accumulating all the scattered fragments like puzzle pieces. Try all you want but you can never fully get rid of chaos, it's an inescapable force.

I might gather up some more another time but I'd say that's it for now! You might've already heard some of these before but I hope it was at least a good read.

[legobiwan]

I know we've all been talking about revisiting the Super Mario Brothers Supershow since the release of the movie, but as a Super Mario Brothers 3 cartoon enthusiast, I would like to give you all a compelling list of insane reasons you should go watch this on YouTube right this instant:

The opening theme kind of slaps.

A lot of people get turned into dogs for some reason???

George Bush (Sr) ends up kidnapped by the Koopas and sent to the bottom of the ocean? Which, honestly, may have been the best outcome for 90s American politics.

Peach is into surfing and has an implied fling with some California stereotype surfer dude on Hawaii. Get it, Peach.

You want de-aging tropes? Baby Mario and Luigi? Get 'em here.

Luigi is sent to seduce Wendy Koopa and succeeds. (This is Mario's plan, meaning Mario has utter faith in his brother's natural rizz). You have to watch this for Luigi's voice change, it's incredible.

Speaking of seduction, Luigi is mistaken for a 1,000 year-old mummy's husband. Mario is mistaken for...their son.

Yes, the brothers get into a BLOWOUT fight and it's amazing. Mario ends up brainwashed by Ludwig's mind-control device and the brothers have a very brief altercation.

I don't what the deal is with the Mario franchise and brainwashing/possession/mind control, but in a separate episode, Luigi and Bowser fight over a mind-controlling music box.

Peach is apparently a big Milli Vanili fan (you have to love the 90s) and rope Mario and Luigi into going to a concert in the Real World. Look at these two DORKS compared to Peach, who is effortlessly fashionable. (Granted, Toad gave them bad intel, but I don't think either brother has been "cool" in his entire life).

NERDS.

Mario ends up with a case of PTSD after almost drowning. I wish I was kidding, but this episode goes kind of hard if you think about it. (Not to mention the fish lady who is relentlessly pursuing him for marriage).

The Boys Do Venice.

Bowser takes a "Nice Guy Potion" in order to try to sabotage an election.

Three words: Zombie Trash Koopas

A family from Wichita end up in the the Darklands in their very typical station wagon. Hijinks ensue.

Some of the later episodes kind of turn into awkward Saturday afternoon specials with messages about gossip, racism, recycling, and worker's rights, which isn't exactly what one would expect from a Mario Brothers cartoon, but if you remember the 90s at all, this kind of tracks.

This being said, the episode where the Koopa kids go and try to take over the 7 continents relies on some unbelievably (awful) hilarious stereotypes (again, it was the 90s). But we do get to see Luigi on ice skates, which is a win.

Bowser kidnaps Luigi as bait. It works.

I'm just going to leave you all with this final screenshot.

[fangirlingpuggle]

Another very very dumb Bowuigi AU/fic prompt idea of matchmaking Kamek.

Just Kamek who cares deeply about his surrogate son Bowser and really wants him to have a good partner, he’d be trying to hint about Bowser not focusing on the princess so much but he doesn't know who else there is he’s been trying to find someone worthy of his son but no luck. He has like a full list of requirements and no one comes close.

That is until he starts noticing the green one, normally he pays him no mind but then one time after Mario’s beaten Jr and the other Koopalings he’s about to pick them up when he sees the green one arrive out of breath clearly trying to keep up with his brother and failing, and he’s about to hit him with a  spell when he sees the plumper stop and help the kids up seeing them look angry and sad and instead of running after his brother offers to get the kids some ice cream.

Kamek starts paying attention after that, seeing that Luigi actually meets all the requirements. Not only do all the Koopalings like him, the other residents also like him he see’s him following Mario and turning Goomba that Mario’s knocked over up right as he follows his brother.

Luigi is very confused when Kamek keeps appearing out of nowhere asking random questions and then looking happy and disappearing again, he looks out the window and Kamek is just there.

Basically everyone decided Luigi would be a good dad/co king and literally perfect for Bowser. Kamek starts trying to hint and match make and it’s not working, not that they don’t like each other he’s noticed Luigi get all flustered and Bowser stare at times before shaking his head and brushing it off.

He’s one more hint away from calling the Broodals to help plan the wedding and just shove them both down the isle and he knows the kids and the whole army would help him.

They have a plan tell Bowser they’re trying the same basic wedding plan again this time they know how to stop Mario and it is the same only the kidnap Luigi not Peach.

Mario of course freaks out but Peach can see whats happening and is very excited for it and spends the rescue mission pointing out all the times Luigi has been a blushing mess over Bowser ect Mario is now 1) happy his brother might like someone who likes him 2)IT’S BOWSER WHY LUIGI YOU COULD DO BETTER 3) How dare they not invite him to his brothers wedding!

[telleroftime]

Oh hey another thought share

Y/N is Junior's babysitter. Ik he wasn't in the movie but canon is a suggestion to me so he is there now

And is it'd just so happens, DK kinda gets a crush on them

Junior however doesn't like that and every time DK gets a little too close, Junior shoots a fireball at him, much to Y/N's dismay as they've been trying to teach him to not fireball all his problems away

To make things worse for DK, Bowser also notices this crush. He doesn't like it either

Unfortunately Bowser also realizes that damn it, he, too, has a crush on them. He just didn't realize it before, as he'd gotten so used to them being around he didn't think that it'd be possible to lose them, he just assumed they'd always be there, and he certainly doesn't want to lose them to anyone, let alone DK, that'd be almost as bad as losing them to Mario

I love the idea that Reader knows about both of their crushes. DK has been showing off a lot more around them and Bowser is starting to act like a rooster that's unwilling to share. They're not exactly subtle, especially not when they're around one another.

But their sentiments won't stop Reader from being a great caretaker. As DK and Bowser fight over Reader's attention, Reader continues to take care of Junior. And not just to Junior. They end up taking care of Diddy and Dixie too. It'd take some time for the three to get along, but Reader is happy when the children eventually play nice. That, and the kids bond over the fact Reader tells of Bowser and DK whenever the two act like infants.

Depending on who's affection Reader wants to get, their main conversation will always end up with Bowser. If they have a crush on DK, they will make it clear to Bowser that they are not interested. They will make their boundaries clear, and if Bowser doesn't accept that then they'll threaten to no longer babysit Junior. And seeing as Junior would much rather play video games with Reader than with Kamek, Bowser has no choice but to accept Reader's rejection or face a rather upset son.

If the Reader has a crush on Bowser, they will come straight to him. Words of affirmation will be thrown out. Reader will make it clear that they have no interest in DK and that Bowser doesn't need to worry. "I'm not worried," though Reader knows better. Only when Bowser is settled would Reader go to DK to explain how they feel. DK would be dejected, but I feel like he would take it well.

Alternatively, I do also love the idea that through it all, Reader is aromantic and has no interest in either one of them. They make that clear, but the two are too busy arguing who's more manly and aren't hearing any of it. Junior would listen though though he still would try and shoot fire at DK. Diddy Kong wouldn't tell DK, but he would laugh whenever he saw his cuz' walking past him.

Kamek would 100% know and both Reader and him would be able to have tea parties whilst the two leader figures continue bickering.

[batneko]

A "wicked enchantress" is running around inflicting people with fairy-tale-inspired curses. Peach's castle gets hit with a Sleeping Beauty curse, and the usual solution doesn't work so Mario and Luigi go chasing down the enchantress.

They catch up easily enough, but she blasts Mario with a spell that turns him into a wolf in a red hoodie. Luigi has just enough time to think "wait a minute, Little Red Riding Hood isn't about a curse," before he's zapped with a "Cinderella" curse. He's stuck in a green ballgown and masquerade mask that won't come off.

Of course, that doesn't bother him much, and turning Mario into a wolf only gave him natural weapons, so they kick the enchantress's butt for a few rounds before she runs away.

Meanwhile, Bowser's castle was hit with a Beauty and the Beast curse... while Bowser wasn't home, meaning Junior is now stuck as a beast and honestly having a great time. The servants are pretty unhappy though and it'll be a pain having Junior shed all over everything (and privately Bowser feels bad he wasn't there to protect everyone, plus kissing Junior's newly-fluffy head didn't break the curse which makes Bowser terrified that he doesn't fully love his son and really is as selfish as people say) so he sets out to find whoever did this and rip them apart.

Soon thereafter he runs into what appears to be a princess with very cool taste in pets, and can't resist turning on the charm.

Luigi would have cleared up the misunderstanding right away, except Bowser is so bad at being charming that it loops around to actually being charming. Telling him who he is after flirting back would just make things awkward and maybe get Luigi set on fire. And Mario, despite lacking thumbs or proper vocal chords, is making it extremely clear that he doesn't approve of Bowser and "Princess Emerald" getting too close. Better to cooperate until they find the enchantress and high-tail it out of there as soon as she's defeated.

Unfortunately it turns out the curse still follows Cinderella rules, so at midnight the ballgown disappears and Bowser finds out after all. He's just as pissed as Luigi was afraid he'd be. There's some fire breath tossed around. But he's more embarrassed than anything else, and the fact that he's the only one without a curse (and that the "dog" is actually Mario) cheers him up enough that he decides to stick it out as part of the team.

He doesn't admit that he'd really started to like Princess Emerald in the afternoon they spent together. She was nice. She listened to him. She laughed at his jokes. And he can admit he's got a thing for big blue eyes. The fact that all those traits are the same whether Luigi's in a dress or in overalls is not one he wants to think about.

(The curse affects Luigi from noon to midnight so he still gets mornings to look like himself. Honestly it wouldn't be bad at all except a ballgown isn't very practical and Luigi's mildly offended that the curse also shaves him.)

So they go on, Bowser tries not to flirt, Luigi tries not to fall for his flirting, they both fail and wolf!Mario suffers.

Eventually they do catch up with the enchantress (probably after a lot of other curse-induced fairy tale shenanigans) and try to fight her. The gang is winning when she suddenly blasts Bowser with something that seems to kill him outright. Luigi, devastated, kisses him before getting up to keep fighting.

The enchantress sees this and goes, "Eewww!"

Turns out she's a little girl who got her hands on a powerful magic artifact. True Love's Kiss didn't break any of the curses because she's seven and kissing's gross! Now that they know she's a child (and that Bowser is just sleeping like Snow White) Mario and Luigi are reluctant to fight at full strength. Instead Luigi distracts her with his pretty pretty princess accessories, so Mario can dash in with wolf speed and steal the artifact.

Bowser is extremely confused when he wakes up, saying something about a weird dream he had, but all the curses are broken and everyone can go home. Problem solved. Definitely no lingering feelings and awkward secrets.

Definitely nobody is going to keep thinking about that teary goodbye kiss when Luigi thought Bowser was dead...

[eggcats]

Bowuigi fic where the entire reason Bowser spends all his time kidnapping Princess Peach to marry her is because the first time he kidnapped "Princess Peach" it was actually Luigi and they had an actual connection.

Like, the first time Bowser does his whole "kidnap the princess" scheme, he's intending it more as a show of force to take over another kingdom or negotiate terms of trade or something. (Not saying he's Right, but hey he was trying as a new monarch.)

So he shows up, and is like "Surrender to me the Princess, or I deploy my troops and destroy your toads!" Like an ultimatum or something.

So! In a panic, Luigi and Peach swap outfits and they go into disguise as each other. (This ultimatum gives them the time to pull this off.) Peach so she can escape and rally help to rescue Luigi, and Luigi because they don't know what Bowser intends and they don't want Peach to be in any legitimate danger. (They've literally never met Bowser before this, who knows what he's going to do!!!)

Except! Peach!Luigi and Bowser never get to determining terms of trade or anything, because they start talking and hit it off. Peach!Luigi meets Jr and Bowser sees how good "she" is with his youngest kid, and now suddenly Bowser IS thinking of marrying her and making her Jr's mama.

Bowser even says a cringe-corny pickup line to Peach!Luigi and while Kamek is facepalming in the background, "Peach" is blushing and laughing at it, enjoying their banter.

By the time Mario shows up to rescue "Peach" all "her" and Bowser have done so far is have dinner, say cringe flirts to each other, and play house with Jr. Literally nothing was accomplished except Bowser thinking he has a girlfriend now.

(Luigi might have forgotten that he probably shouldn't flirt with the dude kidnapping him, especially not dressed as someone else. Listen, he's under a lot of pressure and Bowser made him dinner and introduced him to his son, sue him.)

Luigi then assures Peach that Bowser wasn't doing anything mean or cruel to "her" and that he's actually pretty decent, all things considered (he did still kidnap her, after all.) So now they know that the next time Peach is captured (for real this time) they still, obviously, need to rescue her but it's not a critical life or death situation.

Except the next time Bowser shows up, he just tries to talk to Peach. But she won't even listen to him or give him the time of day! So! He kidnaps her, hoping that doing the same thing as last time will reignite their chemistry, but nothing he does works! She's not even that interested in talking to Jr this time around!!

Obviously Mario did something to make his Peach no longer like him! How dare he!

And so, the "kidnap the princess and marry her" schemes arise, because Bowser KNOWS somewhere in there Peach still likes him, he just has to remind her! If she spends enough time with him she'll come around!

More drama is that sometimes Bowser will kidnap Peach!Luigi again and they hit it off fine, so Bowser KNOWS his plans are working!! Peach does actually like him, he's just not trying hard enough.

Luigi doesn't even think HE'S the cause of all this Bowser drama because, like, of COURSE Bowser would want the princess? She's a princess? He doesn't realize that the ONLY reason Bowser wants the princess is because of him. (Luigi in no way thinks he's special enough to have caused all this. This could be in part because he doesn't know that "marry the princess" was never even Bowser's original scheme.)

Maybe one time during a kidnapping Bowser will lament to the real Peach about what changed since the first time he kidnapped her? They had such a connection! And Peach has to reveal to Luigi after the fact that, hey, I think I'm getting kidnapped because Bowser has a crush on you? What did you SAY to him???

Who knows what turn of events will eventually reveal the truth on who he actually connected with, or how he handles it.

[istadris]

Totally blaming @dibujos-de-la-orilla , especially after this post with Mario, Luigi and Peach helping Bowser and Junior in their time of need and Mario being the best at cheering up kids.

Anyway.

AU where instead of Junior wanting his dad to be with Luigi because Luigi is the best Mama (nothing against this trope! It's cute AF), Junior does everything to get his dad and Luigi together because Mario is the COOLEST. Mario babysat him on accident/in an emergency a couple of times and Junior LOVED IT and wants to do it again! Mario always has cool ideas for games and has so much energy, he's not like the grown ups who sit down and ask Junior to "go have fun", instead Mario wrestles with him!! And he races Junior in any vehicles ! And he always buys ice cream !

So while Bowser is racking his brain trying to explain to his son that he's dating one of their oldest enemies, Junior pulls every trick in the spoiled kid book to get his dad to spend more time with Luigi...and leave him in Mario's charge in the meantime. Because Bowser is an idiot, he doesn't realize he's being played by a kid, and instead angsts over leaving his son with his nemesis (which, as much as he hates to admit it, is the person he trusts the most to keep his hyperactive, powerful brat in check but safe; most of his castle staff aren't equipped to deal with fire-breathing Royal Koopas and Kamek isn't always available).

You'd think Luigi would be jealous of Junior clearly preferring Mario to him, but secretly, he's very relieved : he likes Junior, he really does, but unlike Mario who's a born natural with kids, Luigi needs more time for kids to warm up to him, and right now he's at the stage where he would rather focus on developing his relationship with Bowser. So if Junior enjoys himself with Mario while Luigi is enjoying himself with Bowser ? It's a win for everyone !

Mario isn't fooled either, he finds the situation hilarious and never minds having Junior around. Peach was a bit worried at first that Junior would fixate on her as a Mama again but she was quickly relieved; Junior has outgrown that phase, now he wants to beat Mario at every video game in existence and also show him this cool rock he found and, and, did you know Bloopers can grow back their tentacles ?! "No they can't", Mario says with a smile hidden under his moustache, prompting Junior to say that yes they can!!

"Well let's test it then, okay ? I heard there's a giant Blooper on Delfino Island..."

"!!!!"

Bowser is the only one who doesn't realize everyone is very happy with the arrangement and is worrying he's being a terrible dad and a lame boyfriend.

[unhetalia]

"A Love Without A Name"

Word Count: 3,408.

Rating: Mature

Summary: Alfred's freedom hinges on his ability to guess a magical creature's name. He doesn't take the task very seriously.

Notes: Written for @usukweek Day 1 - Fairy Tale AU. Because I was late to starting, this fic is current unedited - I'll post it on AO3 once I've cleaned it up.

***

“So… do you know what my name is, darling?” England asks, his expression is mild as if he were out on a midday stroll, as opposed to fucking his hips in and out of Alfred’s willing body.

In contrast, Alfred lies beneath him gasping out his pleasure. His nails are clawing at England’s back, desperately trying to pull him closer. His heaving gasps are England’s only answer.

England has asked him this same question every day for a hundred years; Alfred hasn’t bothered answering in fifty. 

***

There is a story about a beautiful maiden who made a deal with a Creature. Her first born child for all the riches in the world. The beautiful maiden had no plans to marry or have children and believed she was tricking the creature, but it wasn’t even two years later that she fell in love and became pregnant. Eventually, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.

The story goes that when the creature came for her son, the woman was prepared. Cunning in her own way, and unwilling to let the creature get the upper hand again, she convinced the creature to make a bet. I bet you that I can guess your name, creature, she crowed.

The creature disagreed, and was so sure she would never know his name that he agreed that if she was able guess it, he would renege his claim on her son and let him stay with her.

What the creature hadn’t realised was that the woman had known his name all along, though at first she had pretended to guess a variety of incorrect names. Is it Frederick? Or John? Blake? Bud? Bowser?

Eventually, though, she said, I think I know your name, Creature and said his secret name, and the creature wailed and screamed but had no choice but to leave the woman and her baby alone.

And of course, the woman lived happily ever after, and her son grew up healthy and strong, and they never saw the creature again.

Or so the story goes.

***

Alfred is newly eighteen when England comes for him. He is walking home from work - a small school with only eight students where he teaches basic reading and arithmetic - when he notices a horse drawn carriage beside him. It’s odd, because he’s pretty sure that the carriage wasn’t there a second ago. I must be really tired, he thinks.

A man steps out of the carriage, and the first thing Alfred notices is that the man is exceptionally handsome, with messy light blonde hair, striking green eyes, and even more striking eyebrows.

The second thing he notices is that the man must also be exceptionally wealthy. He’s dressed in the way of aristocracy, wearing a dark suit and white gloves that would surely be stained in any other occupation than ‘sitting around and being rich’. 

Alfred instinctively smiles at him, even though his mother had always warned him about doing such a thing. The man smiles back and says, hello, Alfred.

Which -

“How do you know my name?” he asks. He is suddenly alert, because his mother has spent years warning him of many things, to the point that Alfred doesn’t quite remember what all the warnings were, only that strangers knowing his name must be one of them.

The man keeps smiling, and steps closer. Alfred tries to step back, but finds that he can’t.

“I know your name because you’re mine,” the man says.

And then Alfred’s world goes black.

***

Alfred is England’s because the stories are wrong, and the creature - call me England, creature gets a bit tiring, don’t you think? - and the fair maiden never made a deal for riches, and she never knew his real name.

Instead, the true story is still about a beautiful maiden, but this one gets pregnant out of wedlock. The father is a noble already engaged, who would never leave his comfortable life for a kitchen maid. The maiden was fine with this, and fine with raising her child on her own, because she had loved them as soon as she knew they existed.

Everything was going perfectly fine, until the day she started bleeding and bleeding, and she knew that if it didn’t stop, she and her baby would both die.

This is when England comes in. He doesn’t know how she knew about him - only that one day a woman summons him in order to bargain for the life of her child. 

I have a sister who will care for them, and so I can die. But please, let my child live.

Young maiden, you are not destined to die today, England had said. Only your child.

The young maiden was not happy with his answer. 

Let me die instead, she begged. 

That’s not the way it works. No single life is the same, and so no life can be traded for another. He paused. But I can make you a deal. It comes with a guarantee - eighteen years with your child. - a son, by the way. If you win, you get his full life. If you lose, he will be mine after his eighteenth birthday. I will treat him like one of my Court, and he will be safe, but you will never see him again.

Desperate, the maiden agreed readily, though she made him repeat his promise to take care of her son - a son, she was having a son.

If you figure out my name, maiden, he is yours. If you do not, he is mine.

***

Alfred’s mother had been obsessed with names when he was younger, he remembers. She had pieces of paper all around their little cottage, filled with names from books and stolen from travellers who passed through. Jeremiah and Josiah. Kallen and Maurice. 

A real name, though, is made of more than one name, but of multiple stuck together. One does not guess anyone’s true name.

His mother’s obsession had petered out when he'd turned seven or so. Instead, she had made herself fully available for Alfred. They weren’t wealthy, but she was a doting, loving mother. She taught him to cook, and bake, and clean. Most importantly, she taught him to read and write - a luxury not afforded to many in their village.

He knows now that the disappearance of her interest had come with the realisation that one cannot guess a name. Instead, she had decided to make every second with her son count.

England offers Alfred the same deal. Of course, if you figure out my name, you can leave and go back to your mother and your job and your small life. Until then, you are mine.

***

Is your name Dylan Parkinson?

No, Alfred. That is not my name.

***

England’s aristocracy is a facade. He dresses well, and the one room they stay in inside the giant castle he takes him to is furnished well enough, but when Alfred explores the rest of the castle, he finds it dilapidated and dirty, empty of anything that makes it a home. 

The one livable room has a giant, four-poster bed shoved in one corner, with a cot laid out at the foot of it meant for Alfred. The cot isn’t nice, especially not compared to England’s bed, but to Alfred, it;s better than the scratchy collection of hay and linen he was used to back home.

England doesn’t seem to actually want to do anything with him. Mostly he sits around while the man goes through paperwork. Paperwork for what, he doesn’t know. Was there some kind of Creature bureaucracy?

Alfred tries to escape a total of one time, wherein he twitched slightly with intention and England said don’t even think about it, then put him to sleep for an hour. It doesn’t seem worth it to try again.

“What am I even here for if I’m just gonna sit here and watch you stare at pieces of paper?” he complains. 

“Look,” England sighs. “Unfortunately I don’t actually have a use for you yet. Maybe a spell will require a human sacrifice at some point, then you’d be handy, but as of right now just. Sit still.”

Alfred carefully ignores the mention of human sacrific and stands up, hands on his hips. “How about I clean your house and like, cook for you and stuff? You eat, right? Sitting still is impossible for me - my mum used to say I needed to be walked like a dog.”

England waves him off. “Yes, do that, if you want. Just remember that I’ll know if you try to escape and that I can’t be poisoned.”

Alfred, who had never even considered poisoning another huma - err, living being, balks at the statement. “What the - I don’t posion food! That’s sacrilege! And just you watch, this castle is going to look amazing!”

He doesn’t think England really cares what he does as long as he’s not constantly hovering and bothering him, so Alfred decides it’s perfectly alright for him to make all the decisions regarding what to do with the rest of the non-England occupied castle.

He needs to take whatever freedom he can get, after all. 

***

Is your name Aaron Baker?

No, Alfred, my name is not Aaron Baker.

***

Alfred knows he’s a good cook. His mama was a kitchen maid for royals, and she’d taught him everything she knew. Still, the awed look on England’s face when he tries Alfred’s stew is worth more than every compliment the villagers had given him over the years. This is a being of magic, and yet he still looked at something Alfred created as if it was out of this world.

“Maybe I won’t use you for human sacrifice,” England says, two bowls later. Alfred takes it for the compliment it is, and grins back at him.

***

He doesn’t know when or how it starts, but Alfred starts eating with England. Then, he starts talking with him. He asks questions about what England does when he’s not making deals with desperate women, and finds out that there is Creature bureaucracy, and that England somehow leads it.

“Wait, you’re the King? Why are you living in an abandoned castle?”

“Our royalty do not work in the same way yours does. I must always be alone, except for my intended and my Court. The Court is made up of … well, individuals that I own. Since I prefer not to do that whole ownership thing - well, before your blasted mother wrangled a deal out of me - here we are.”

“And what, you don’t have enough juice to spruce up the castle by yourself?” Alfred asks, incredulous. A castle didn’t seem like much compared to bringing a dying unborn baby back to life. 

“There are … rules. Strange hospitality rules. It’s very stupid and not worth explaining. That is to say, I can not use magic on a home, even if it’s mine.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Quite.”

***

Is your name Rumpelstiltskin?

Rumpel - what? What kind of name is that? No, that’s not my name!

I saw it in a book and thought it’d be good to try it!

***

It takes three years for Alfred to complete the castle renovation to his exacting standards. Every day, England asks him if he’s figured out his name, and Alfred takes a guess. A lot of the time, they’re names of people he once knew, though sometimes they’re names he reads from books in the large library he’d found on the fifth floor (of eight, which is honestly just excessive, no one can blame Alfred for taking three years to finish everything). Mostly Alfred doesn’t put as much effort into it as he should. If his mother couldn’t do it, there’s no way he can. 

The day he finishes, he barges into his and England’s shared room to demand he see the fruits of Alfred’s labour, since he knows England would never see any of it otherwise. When he needs to leave, England just pops out of existence and to where he needs to be, no need to take the door. He hasn’t seen a lick of the work Alfred’s been doing.

Honestly, Alfred expects England to hum and feign disinterest. Well, you’ve certainly kept yourself occupied, he’ll say. Now we need to find you another hobby so you don’t bother me while I’m trying to work

That’s not what happens. England sees the clean floors and walls and the furniture Alfred had either built himself or bought from the nearby village (with money from the part-time teaching job he’d gotten himself, because England truly did not care what he did as long as he came back at the end of the day), and whispers you’ve built me a home, then turns around and shoves him against the nearest wall in order to kiss him senseless.

***

Apparently those dumb ‘can’t use your magic to build your own home’ rules are due to courtship rituals. Alfred still has no idea what exactly those rituals are, because how exactly is he supposed to remember anything when England is biting at the junction between his neck and shoulder just enough for it to hurt so good?

***

“Uh, Beef Stew.”

“You think my name is Beef Stew?”

“What? No, I’m thinking about what to make for dinner.”

***

Five years after the day England ravished him against the wall of their newly renovated castle, Alfred realises he hasn’t aged.

“My darling, I despair for you,” England admonishes. “How could you not notice you haven’t aged? It’s been eight years!”

“Wh - I’ve been busy!” I’ve been getting fucked silly every night, I’ll have you know, he carefully doesn’t say. England is too smug already.

“Well,” England begins. “Technically, I own you, so you’re tied to my life force. And because I’m immortal, well… I’m sure you can extrapolate.”

“Oh.” Alfred takes a moment to think. “So if you didn’t own me, I’d be mortal again.”

“Yes, you wouldn’t be part of the Court, then.”

And then England would be alone again, doing magical paperwork in the same room. He wonders if the castle would fall into disrepair again, without Alfred around to clean or to repair anything that breaks?

“Huh.”

***

Alfred finds England’s name by accident. 

The fifth floor library is one of his favourite places, and often he takes a few books to the school to read to the children. Quite a few of the villagers stop by to listen to the stories alongside the children, and there’s been talk of doing night classes for any of the older folks who want to learn to read themselves.

One day he finds a book that looks a lot older than the others. It’s made of brown, aged leather , and has a strange, gold symbol embedded on it that somehow looks like an infinite amount of intertwining circles. When he opens it, the first page proclaims it to be the property of Prince Arthur James Kirkland. It’s a child’s diary, though the contents are confusing, as if the child was writing about fantasies as opposed to any real places or events. Maybe Prince Arthur was never actually a prince, but a boy with a vivid imagination?

He decides to take the book to the school to show one of the other teachers, a woman by the name of Agnes who loves all things fantasy. Except when he tries to show her, she only looks confused and asks Alfred why he’s trying to show her an empty book.

He realises later what it means, and who the book must belong to. A magical book, in a castle owned by the King of Creatures, who must have once been a prince, a long time ago.

This is England’s, whose name is Arthur. This diary was a record of his childhood, before he was an all powerful king.

Alfred has found out England’s name, but finds he’s more interested in reading stories of what he was like as a precocious child, running away from nannies and scaring mortals against his mother’s orders.

***

When England - Arthur James Kirkland - asks him to guess his name that night, Alfred says, “Cinnamon Buns.”

***

England’s wrung all the pleasure from Alfred’s body that it can handle, and then some. Their last round had started with England on top, but eventually he’d maneuvered Alfred on top of his cock and made him ride him until he’d cried, cock unable to come with England’s magic wrapped tightly around it. Eventually, England had sat up and licked into Alfred’s mouth so he could swallow his lover’s cries as he undid the spell and finally, finally let Alfred finish. 

Now, Alfred’s arms are wrapped loosely around his neck, Alfred’s head laying on his shoulder. England lays him on the bed like a child, kissing his eyes, his nose, his lax mouth.

When Alfred is comfortable, England slides in beside him, chuckling when the other man immediately scoots closer in order to rest his head on his chest. Alfred’s clinginess after sex is a given; routine in the same way The Question is.

The thought makes England frown. He looks down at Alfred’s blonde head, and asks a question he’s been wanting to ask for ninety years.

“Are you ever going to answer with my real name?”

He feels Alfred tense against him. “What are you talking about?”

“About ninety years ago, I left my journal in the library for you to find,” England admits. “I wanted to give you the chance to go back to your village, see your mother again. But that night, when I asked you, you gave me a joke answer. And every day for the next forty years you never once gave the correct one - then eventually stopped even bothering to answer. I have to admit, I - I don’t understand.”

Alfred turns to look up at him, and to his surprise, he’s grinning. “Have I managed to stump The King of The Fae? Why, I think I should be proud of myself for such a feat.”

Alfred presses a kiss to England’s chin. “It’s simple, really, and you’d think that after what we’d just done you’d get it.”

His voice lowers to a whisper. “I’d already decided by then that I quite liked being owned by you.”

[globin--goblin]

Paper Mario: The Origami King has the best depiction of good guy Bowser in the franchise: a short essay

In Super Mario RPG, he's still thinking about kidnapping Toadstool after joining the party.

In Superstar Saga, he acts only because Peach being cursed would be bad for his castle. And after the first area he stops being himself, so the game barely has any "good Bowser" material.

In Super Paper Mario, he's always talking about how he's still married to Peach, and in chapter 7, randomly decides to attack Mario and Luigi over it, only getting a redeeming moment when saving O’Chunks. 

In Bowser's Inside Story, right at the end, when he finds out he's been helping the bros all this time, he decides to attack them. Instead of having a sweet, emotional moment after saving the world, he becomes evil again and ends up bedridden before receiving a proper thanks.

All of these games have one thing in common: Bowser is still a villain. He wants to be the bad guy, and he makes it clear that as soon as this game’s badder guy is dispatched, he’s going back to his usual self. The writers have no intention of taking him out of his regular role, and neither does he. He never sees this as anything other than a short truce. “The moment this is over, I’m back to beating those pesky plumbers for my sweet Peach.”

But in Origami King? It’s completely different. He’s not acting to get his revenge on Mario, take Peach for himself from Olly, or defeat an obstacle in his evil plan. He just wants to save his minions and beat Olly up personally. As he says himself, “Mario needs to rescue the princess… and I need to find Olly and punchify his face for making me like this!”

After Mario saves him from the Scissors in his castle, he never acts antagonistic. He has his usual personality, but no evil plans in mind. He wants to defeat Olly and save everyone. After Mario defeats the Stapler and unfolds him, he finally has his sweet, emotional moment, giving Olivia a pep talk before the final boss. He has an honest speech about dealing with Junior. He reassures the origami girl that it’s all fine, and she shouldn’t be worried about putting him in danger, because he’s not scared of Olly, he can take him. And Olivia is grateful for him, as much as she’s grateful for every friend that helped along the way.

Because think about Olivia’s point of view. She never met Bowser the cartoon villain, Bowser the kidnapper, Bowser the destroyer of kingdoms. All she saw was Bowser the father, Bowser the cool and awesome king, Bowser the good guy that helped save the world. She saw him letting Mario ride the airship to reach Olly, his son and nanny assisting Mario in breaking the final streamer, his subjects bravely fighting against the Folded Soldiers out of their loyalty to him.

After this is over, Bowser is invited to the origami festival. No ifs or buts, no attempts to ruin it for everyone else, no recovering from a beating… They just bring him along as he has fun with everyone else. Bowser Jr, Kamek and the minions are having fun with everyone else. Origami King did the impossible, it developed Bowser out of his eternal bad guy role. All this time, Bowser has been an evil villain and a temporary reluctant ally with a soft spot. But now, as the game comes to a close, he's just a friend. Nothing more.

A few years later, Super Mario Bros Wonder was released, and Bowser went back to his usual villainy, as if none of this happened. But I trust Paper Mario. I believe that, if Intelligent Systems cares about this series’ continuity at all, the next game won’t forget Bowser’s part in taking down Olly, and his final transformation into a good guy.

[uhyeaa-mango]

is that… A BOWSER PMV/ANIMATION THINGY WIP??? NO WAY

anyways epoch pmv/amv wip featuring bowser bc he doesn’t have enough animations for him

still debating the story behind this but i’m leaning towards after bowser gets junior he thinks about his affiliations with other kingdoms and doesn’t want to see his son in their line of fire one day when he takes on the throne - or hell even when bowser himself has the throne still he doesn’t want his son hurt so he goes to peach as the first kingdom to try and have a reconciliation with😇

another thing to mention is that bowser in the first 2 drawings of him is in the past tryna woo over peach😘

enjoy this image as well💋

[opal16trash]

Mario being a good brother comp, along with some notes for each clip

- "wow! You were great!" :)) showering his bro in compliments, so nice :))💖

- Mario defending/protecting his baby brother and still willing to fight Spike is amazing. He doesn't even care that he's taller/bigger than him, he will fight for his brother

- Him making it easier for Luigi to make it across the construction site :)) so sweet

- M protecting Lu from the dog 😭 for a second, you can see Mario actually pushing Luigi out of the way so he doesn't get attacked. AND !! Him throwing the bottle so the dog will go after him instead

- Mario kinda waiting there and seeing if Luigi made it down is nice, always like that :)

- he help him up, back on his feet :)

- oh boy the separation scene. Everything from Marios worried facial expressions, him grabbing onto Luigi and saying "It's all gonna be okay",, oh my heart. Cherry on top is "nothing can hurt us as long as we're together!" when he has the biggest smile on his face,, and Luigi smiles back with hope until he gets swept away 😭

- one of the first things that he tells Toad is thar he's looking for his brother, telling him that he went somewhere with lava and fog. Toad lets out a worried gasp, and Mario looks worried.

- "hang on, Luigi" :((

- Marios look of anger after Toad says "This guys brother is going to die!",, like don't even with his emotions, he is WORRIED

- The look of shock and fear that Mario gives after he hears "Then it's only a matter of time til he's captured by Bowser.",, thats so good. He's only heard nothing but bad things about Bowser. AND !! Again, he doesn't care that Bowser is bigger than him, he will fight and do what it takes for his brother

- the baby flashback :(( always had Luigis back since they were babies :((

- Mario is very much not happy to hear that the Kongs won't join them. In fact, he's pissed and takes control of the situation. "You have another way to save my brother?" "You, sir, have a deal! I'll fight ya son, and win!" He's doin this all for Luigi, whatever it takes to get him back.

- THE REUNION SCENE !! HE SAVED HIS LIL BRO :,)) OH GOODNESS MY HEARTT,, MARIO CLENCHING HIS HEART AND LEAPING TO HUG LUIGI,, THEN HE CUPS HIS FACE, PULLS HIS HEAD TO HIS FOREHEAD AND SQUEEZES HIS BACK AND LIFTS HIM UP HE MISSED HIM SO MUCH 😭😭,, CHERRY ON TOP IS "I told ya! See! As long as we're together, everything is gonna be okay!",, HE SOUNDS LIKE HES ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING DOWN :((

[stingynugget]

Bowuigi Idea Dump

Some Bowuigi ideas I've had in my head but not enough motivation to really flesh out:

Princess Peach isn't a princess at all, just a girl in a small village. Mario and Luigi live in the same village. Peach is supposed to be offered to the fae king or some other deity as a sacrifice, but Luigi sacrifices himself to take her place. He gets dumped into a lake, as per the sacrifice, and is transported to the Dark Land via a pipe at the bottom of the lake. There, he meets Bowser, who either is the fae king but people just got his lore wrong or killed the fae king a long time ago. Maybe he keeps the ritual around because he's bored or lonely? Or he's just as surprised to find Luigi there as Luigi is to find him. Cue Mario trying to get his brother back, and Luigi and Bowser falling in love. Based on this prompt.

After countless rejections from Princess Peach, Bowser wished for someone to love him, and he got an egg. However, the condition for the egg to hatch was truly loving someone else. Maybe Beauty and the Beast Bowuigi?

Princess Peach has had enough of Bowser and forces him to sign a treaty and do a rehabilitation program to be a good guy. (Maybe he has to wear a collar that doesn't allow him to harm others?) Basically this episode of Spongebob. But Luigi is the one doing the rehabilitating because he's just that nice of a guy. (Really, Peach doesn't want to be around her captor, and Mario would kill Bowser if he could. So sweet Luigi is their best bet.)

Bowser gets invited to a Super Smash Bros. reunion party but he doesn't want to go alone. So he hires Luigi to be his plus one. Or they just bond by finding each other alone at the party.

Darker world where someone captures Bowser Jr. and sells him off as a slave or pet. Shy Guy version of Luigi finds him and tries to take Jr. to an orphanage, but Jr. demands he be brought back to his papa. The two bond. Then Bowser hires Luigi as a bodyguard for his son full time.

[fandom-go-round]

Bowser changes his mind with peach and asks for his hand in marriage to a caring and gentle motherly figure s/o to serve as junior's mother. (also add some sfw and nsfw for bowser If you're ok with it.)

Warnings: Sex, Sexual Situations, Teasing, Oral Sex, Implied Body Worship, Cumming Inside, Marking Kink, Cum Marking Kink

You didn’t know when Bowser started hitting on you. It was gradual, moving from friendly waves to short chats to low key flirting. You had been living next to Bowser for years, listening to him go on and on about Peach and how she’ll someday fall for him. When you bring it up, face hot after he told you how nice you looked, he gets an expression that seems almost mournful. He tells you that he’s moving on from her and you congratulate him; it’s better for him to go after someone who will care for him. His eyes never leave your face, even as you turn back to your garden.

It takes a few months before he asks you out, even when you invite him over for dinner and make a point to hang out with him. Junior has been spending more time in your house and Bowser comes to get him, embarrassed that his son keeps sneaking out. You never mind, enjoying spending time with both of them. You’re over the moon once you start dating and even more so when he proposes. It’s a match made in perfection.

You never have sex when Junior is home. It means that it can be a while between the two of you spending intimate time together. Bowser isn’t ashamed of you, but he always wants his son to come to him for help. It leads to lots of teasing and sometimes it can drive you crazy. He always delivers once Junior is out of the house and you’re never disappointed. A lot of sex tends to be quickies just because of his schedule and time crunches.

If the two of you have time, Bowser wants to ruin you. He loves to have you fall apart of his fingers and tongue first, proving that he can take care of you and make you feel good. He gets shy when you want to spoil him back but please do. He loves it and it shows that your relationship is truly one of equals. His favorite thing will forever be cumming inside of you; he loves to mark you and this feels the most personal.

[telleroftime]

It just hit me that marrying Bowser would mean that Kamek would be your father in law. I never thought about that until now. I doubt any of us would mind but it's just funny. Imagine the role reversal where the father is like "bring them back by 8pm", but it's Kamek telling you that about Bowser.

Just, Bowser is ready to go on your first date with him and Kamek brought you to the side giving you a little warning mixed with a thinly veiled threat. "If you bring the king back even a minute late the family will be eating frog legs". You know, since he could totally turn you into a frog. Something like that.

Or, Bowser is so in love with you that he doesn't notice Kamek in the background glowering at you in suspicion. You notice but Kamek gives you the look of "you tell my son anything and I'll send you to the moon". So you just stand there, smiling up at Bowser with sweat running down your face.

And it'd be even funnier if Bowser notices your unease and comments on it, but one look at Kamek - seeing him reach for his wand - has you spewing excuses. "It's just so warm here," "I'm nervous about this date," "I just can't wait!"

And Bowser buys it.

Then it's just you putting in all the effort you can trying to win Kamek over. In reality, Kamek already likes you. He's caught you asleep in the royal library way too many times to not grow fond of your presence. The way you took the effort to read and learn Koopa history. The way you treat his grandchildren as if they were your own flesh and blood. The way you look at his son as if you've never seen someone so beautiful.

He likes you but he will keep the charade going for as long as he can. He's a Magikoopa after all, he needs to make appearances.

Bonus thought: You going to Kammy asking what you did to upset Kamek - with Kammy knowing full well you worked so hard just to get a glance of acceptance from the old Magikoopa - will result with Kammy hunting down Kamek to hit him with her broom. She'd squawk at him until he apologised for making you upset.

Not like Kamek meant to be mean.