#this luigi will never be dirtied for as long as I live

[neoyi]

PERSONAL HERO MET! GOAL ACHIEVED!

I can cross that off my bucket list!

[alessiamalfoyzabini]

Dark Moon | Chapter Six

Pairing | yandere!Jimin x Reader

Word Count | 3,2k

Warnings | +18, yandere themes, blood, unusual and dangerous use of a knife, revenge, violence, explicit and dirty language, this is not for minors.

This fanfiction is yandere, if you don't like the genre, don't read and if you are not of age, don't read.

I don't want to hear any complaints in the comments, thank you.

This does not reflect my way of thinking or living at all, it is just a work of fiction, it is like watching a horror movie, many of us love horror movies, but we would never dream of what we see in those movies happening in reality as well.

Simply put, this story was written for entertainment purposes, it should not be seen as a reflection of my values, opinions or morals. I absolutely do not condone such acts.

⤷ Summary | She just wanted to escape her past, take charge of her life and break out of her steel cage, praying in God for a miracle that could change her life for good.

And her prayers were heard, but it was not the Divine that answered her.

That was certainly the devil in the guise of an angel, she thought as those corrupted and empty eyes searched her soul with extreme voracity.

He turned a sweet, false smile on her, before pushing her into the abyss.

➢ Author's Note | Hi, guys! In this chapter there will be a slight change for MC, I hope you will enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think! 💜

Taglist: @katherine-kookie, @dragons-flare, @m00njinnie, @seokjins-luigi, @pjmsneverland, @jimincrystal, @ajkwww, @ungodlyjoon, @hecateslittlewitchling, @namjoonsbuspass, @darkuni63, @xicanacorpse

Taglist is open!

Chapter List - Previous - Next

"How is she?"

The dark-haired boy lifted his eyes to Seokjin, who was staring at him with his hands in his pockets, still dressed smartly and wearing perfectly polished-toed shoes.

"They stitched her up and now they're giving her an IV, she's lost too much blood," was Jimin's laconic reply, who was leaning against the wall of the waiting room pondering what to do.

They were in a private clinic, there was no danger of awkward questions; it belonged to a cousin of Seokjin's. That was where they went when they urgently needed a doctor.

"And what are you going to do with Ester?"

"I was just about to talk about her," he broke off from the wall, "She's one of your girls, but she disrespected me, Jin."

"You don't want to kill her," Seokjin said, although it was clear from his tone that he wasn't all that interested, but Jimin shook his head and the man relaxed his shoulders; every woman present at the Dark Moon was a big, juicy source of income.

"I want to teach her what respect is for me and my orders, I won't allow just any whore to challenge a decision of mine," he said harshly.

"You're right, besides it might stir up the others to do the same in case there are further jealousies" he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, irritated, "All right, instruct her" he gave his consent and made to turn on his heels and leave, but Jimin blocked him.

"I'll take her."

"How?" he had heard perfectly well, but he wanted to push him to be more detailed.

"You made me a proposition and this is my last answer, I'll take her."

Because the Dark Moon was a den of snakes and she would only be safe in his arms.

"I'll prepare the bow, then," smiled Jin, Jimin snorted, smiling faintly.

Then she saw him leave and his smile faded, he had a score to settle with Ester and it didn't take him long to return to the Dark Moon, Namjoon greeted him with a look of understanding.

"Hanon locked her in her room, all she did was scream and throw objects everywhere."

Just the thought of such a scene irritated the man.

"I'll give her a good reason to scream if she cares that much," he hissed, Namjoon nodded, knowing his friend, he would not go lightly.

When he entered the room that had seen better days, Jimin found a mad woman inside, messy locks fell across her red, furious face, and broken and bruised objects were scattered everywhere, victims of Ester's rage.

The woman stopped only at the sight of the man stuck on the threshold watching her; Jimin's expression was indecipherable, but his eyes were harder than ice, a detail that made the young woman's lips tighten.

Jimin took two steps inside the bedroom, closing the door behind him, turned the key already in the lock slowly, and a boulder dropped on her stomach.

"Jimin..." the nasal voice because of the hysterical crying and the punch she had received sounded whiny, which did not faze him.

"Ester" dropped the key into one of his pockets and gave it his undivided attention, "Tell me, Ester.... That stupid scene, what do you think it would have led to?"

The girl swallowed, suddenly frozen.

"I asked you nicely to take care of her, to explain things to her," continued Jimin calmly, "And instead you send her to the hospital," he chuckled without amusement.

Ester did not know what to say, she felt only cruel satisfaction in knowing that Y/N's condition was so critical as to require qualified medical attention.

The bitch had to be punished, she thought.

"How do you explain this?"

"I'm yours," asserted the woman simply, "You shouldn't have let her take my place, who is she? You don't even know her, she doesn't know what you like in bed, and even if she did she wouldn't be able to satisfy you, you've been looking for me all along," she growled through tears, Jimin raised an amused eyebrow.

Perhaps Y/N did not know what he liked in bed, but for what little he had had her, she had managed to give him an unforgettable blowjob; Ester's jealousy amused and irritated him at the same time.

Ester could claim to be his, but he certainly did not belong to her.

"I don't know how true that can be," the man crossed his legs, "You say you're mine, but I've seen you satisfy many other men before and after me...besides, who says I've only ever sought you out?" he asked with a smile, remembering vividly that he had had sex with countless other women. The fact that at the Dark Moon he had chosen Ester as his favorite had been totally random; everyone had chosen a girl and he had done the same, choosing one of the prettiest and best. He didn't think that this would make her head swell.

"You've come back to me now," remarked the woman, giving no sign of having listened to a single word Jimin said, blatantly pretending.

The boy remained impassive a few moments before opening his legs slightly.

"Come here," he patted his own powerful thigh wrapped in tight dark pants, Ester remained interdicted and guarded, making the boy snort, "Don't make me repeat myself," he hissed.

The woman took a few steps in his direction, when she saw that Jimin had no strange intentions she became braver, even going so far as to sit on the man who waited patiently for her.

"Lively little girl," he smiled sweetly, arranging a few strands behind her ear, Ester's heart beat inexorably, enchanted by the heavenly vision that was Jimin, "Repeat to me what you told me at first."

As if bewitched by the boy's charm, Ester repeated his words once more, "I am yours..." Jimin nodded, leaving a kiss on the woman's neck.

"Again, Ester," the woman threw her head back under the tender strokes of Jimin's tongue along her skin, inside she exulted in lust.

"I'm yours...!" she moaned when her intimacy came in contact with Jimin's cock, she felt the tip press against her core through the tight fabric, Ester shuddered at the idea of being able to enjoy that rapturous hardness once more and vibrated excitedly when Jimin pushed her against the bed, straddling her body.

"Say it again and again..." he whispered hoarsely, touching the intimacy of the young woman, who arched her back at the contact, thrusting her hips against his hand, which crossed the barrier of her dress to tickle her clit directly.

Long moans dispersed through the room, Ester not holding back from letting everyone know what was going on in there, as if to prove that Jimin never intended to punish her, that she would always remain his favorite.

That is, until Jimin's fingers were replaced by something icy, smooth, and hard that penetrated her slit.

She had not even noticed that the boy had retrieved the object, nor did she know where he got it from or what it was.

Maybe it was-

"Stop moving like a bitch in heat," Jimin ordered her, Ester frowned, she was about to cum, why would she stop-, "Stop if you don't want me to slice you, Ester" was his final warning.

"Jimin, what-"

"Go ahead, say again that you're mine-until you yourself realize the bullshit you keep babbling," he hissed, scrutinizing her cruelly with a derisive smile, his hand made the object penetrate deeper, which caused Ester to squint.

Jimin's words confused her-what game was he playing? And most importantly...

"What do you have in your hand, Jimin?"

"Are you referring to the thing you're sucking up so easily? Hmm... in my opinion you can get there," he said vaguely getting no answer, he huffed, "Come on... you always asked me to give it to you, which is impossible given the rules here at the Dark Moon," he chuckled, holding the base tightly.

At those words Ester blanched.

The switchblade that Jimin always carried with him.

"Jimin... this is a joke, isn't it?" she asked tensely, the boy replied by pressing the knife handle harder against her walls, just a simple gesture and the blade would snap like a spring.

"A whore without a pussy would be worthless," reasoned Jimin, there Ester had confirmation that the man was serious, she began to tremble and break into a cold sweat.

If before pleasure was the only thing she felt, now terror had encompassed every fiber of her body.

"Jimin, please..." she cried tremblingly, but the boy shushed her.

"Your arrogance has always disgusted me, Ester.... but your disobedience is the worst thing about you, I've always let it go because it was pleasurable to fuck you, but now I can't see what attracted me to you anymore," he spat, "Do you want it fast or slow?" he asked mellifluously, smiling fearfully.

Ester quickly denied with her head, she was a lake of tears and unrestrained sobs, "Don't! I-I won't give you any more trouble, I swear, I swear!" she screamed breathlessly, unable to move her body because of the terror she was feeling.

The man after a few moments moved away, withdrawing his weapon accordingly, Ester relaxed slightly before she felt a hissing sound cleave the air and something liquid dripping from one of her cheeks.

Wide-eyed she brought a trembling hand to her face and with a horrible foreboding saw blood, she was breathless when she realized what had happened.

Jimin watched uninterestedly as the woman's despair, her face scarred, ran to the mirror to ascertain her condition, he saw her collapse on her own knees amid sobs and cries, the only thing he felt was annoyance at that scene which he said was ridiculous. She had touched Y/N's face, he had done the same to hers. Permanently.

"You'll be able to satisfy clients with perversions like that, too, aren't you happy?"

He walked out of the room as he entered it, meeting Namjoon's gaze.

"I hope you haven’t damaged it too much."

Jimin shrugged, "Clients care about what's between her legs, she was unsightly even before," Namjoon rolled his eyes.

"I'll go get someone to treat her, she's screaming more than before," he hissed holding the bridge of his nose tightly between two fingers.

Jimin patted him twice before heading out of the brothel, ready to finish the job he had started.

The man cast a glance at the woman sitting in the back seat, she was still dazed from the medication that prevented her from feeling pain, she stood staring out of the tinted windows.

A large medical patch covered her entire cheek, just as a bandage wrapped her head tightly and securely.

At her side Taehyung made sure she did not attempt any strange moves; the boy was dressed in casual clothes unlike the young woman who was wearing only pajamas and slippers.

It was nighttime, Jimin had made sure to pick her up in a safe time frame for everyone so as not to raise even the slightest doubt.

"Where do you think I'm taking you?" broke the silence Jimin, Y/N barely lifted her head.

"To the Dark Moon, that's where I belong, isn't it?" she replied apathetically, a slow smile lapped the young male's face.

"You got it wrong this time, honey," he said, leaving her interjected.

"What do you mean?"

"I found a better use for you," he chuckled, almost breathing in the fear of the poor girl, who upset cast a glance at Taehyung.

She hadn't known him long, but in the clinic when she was surrounded by doctors, he had given her the impression that he was a calm and lucid man, or so she thought, although she remembered perfectly well that if Jimin wasn't there, then Taehyung himself would be there to give her that "checkup."

"Calm down, kitten, if he wanted to hurt you, he would have already done so, right?" he affirmed, instantly procuring a glare of lightning from Y/N.

"He did hurt me," she huffed inviperately, squeezing herself into her seat.

Jimin looked at her from the mirror, studying the woman's emaciated contours, her lips tightened into a line were a sign of her strange inner turmoil.

He did not want to get to the point of hurting her again, yet the way he had been raised left no room for pity, if she tried any bullshit he would pay for every single consequence.

After a few kilometers the car stopped in front of a seemingly very luxurious apartment establishment, a garage opened up for them and Jimin wasted no time in getting in, Taehyung on the other hand did not lose sight of every corner of the street, although from the angelic faces they remained gentlemen of the underworld. Seokjin as already specified had his hands full just about everywhere, dealing not only in his brothel - a source of more than excellent income - but also in dealing and often murder for hire.

There were not exactly a few of their enemies.

Y/N squared off with a bad feeling the other cars present-where had they taken her?

"Get her out," ordered Jimin, Taehyung opened his door first and going around he allowed the woman to get out as well, holding her firmly by the arm, not only to prevent her from escaping - she had nowhere to go given the enclosed space they were in - but also because he was unsure of her strength, the young woman in fact was unsteady on her own legs.

Out of the corner of his eye Jimin noticed that Taehyung was about to take her in his arms, which inexplicably irritated him. He knew that his friend had no interest in the girl, but that did not stop him from harshly jerking the other away from her to take her personally in his arms stunning not only Taehyung, but Y/N herself, who tried to shrink as much as possible under his dark gaze. The man's grip was firm, but she felt herself falling into the arms of her tormentor.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with a knot in her throat; Jimin did not answer immediately.

First he climbed stairs that led them to a larger door, from that opened a long, dimly lit hallway and then more stairs to climb until they reached a landing with an elevator.

When they entered and the doors closed he finally spoke.

"You are in your new home."

A thousand questions poured into Y/N's head, confused and agitated. Had she been sold? So, is this how it was going to end?

She had basically ended up like her sister, she thought sorrowfully, regretting several times the absurd idea of looking for a similar job to support herself.

"More to the point, you are in your new home, yours and Jimin's," Taehyung chuckled, as the elevator doors opened to show a series of numbered, digitally locking doors.

"What?"

Taehyung typed a code on the keypad on the door with the number 7, which opened with a soft, almost imperceptible click.

The first thing the woman saw was a spacious, modern living room with an L-shaped sofa of soft dark leather that drew all the attention to itself.

"What does that mean?"

Jimin made a sign to his friend, who understood instantly. He wanted to be alone with Y/N.

"I'm off, see you soon kitten," he greeted her before disappearing, carefully closing the door behind him, the resulting sound no longer sounding so soft to Y/N's ears.

She felt she was being teased.

"What does that mean?" she repeated more somberly, Jimin took a seat on the sofa, crossing his legs in a pose that screamed elegance and power.

"I bought you, that's what it means."

It was a lie, Seokjin had made a gift of her to Jimin, but the latter with that statement tried to give himself an intimidating aura, buying a person after all was not something everyday, one had to be a powerful and influential person to do so, the man wanted her to feel fear in his presence.

She was stunned, "Why would you do that? You hate me, you find me useless! Is this another way to torture me?" she hissed with tears in her eyes, "You made me lose everything, what more do you want from me?"

She was broken.

She had run away from a monster to save her sister, but she had lost her and had been humiliated in more ways than one by Jimin and his former lover, if she could have ended it to avoid more suffering she would have taken the chance.

"I don't hate you, silly," sighed Jimin as he took off his jacket, "You irritate me with your stubborn attitude, but I don't hate you...it's other people I reserve my poison for, it's precious, it's the fuel that gets me going, my beautiful girl" he got up from his seat to go pour himself a few shots of vanilla rum, the crystal mini bar displayed his small but expensive collection of drinks, they were mostly classic brands, Jimin must have been an experienced drinker.

He sipped slowly from his glass, the plump, glossy lips matched perfectly with the transparent rim, soaking up the amber liquid, the piercing tapped lightly against the crystalline surface. Y/N imagined the sinful taste they had, wondered why she had not met him in his angel form, why she was given the devil, after the hell she had already been accustomed to.

"And then..." he continued, "I wouldn't let you stay at the Dark Moon a minute longer, I've already told you that but maybe it's better to refresh your memory," he murmured as he approached, the girl took small steps back, nothing compared to the male's two strides, "I won't let any other man get his hands on you, I want you and consequently you belong to me," he said casting a languid glance at the woman's lips.

"And what will you do in case you get tired of me?" she provoked him.

Jimin's eyes darkened, "What should I do with a stupid little girl like you?" he asked, not answering her question.

Neither of them would have liked the answer.

He took a lock of her soft hair in his fingers, bringing it to his nose he inhaled its light fragrance, the hospital had turned the girl off. He decided to leave her alone for the time being, she needed to recover, and from her thin, depressed appearance he guessed it would take quite some time.

"Here is a room with a bathroom for you, you will also find clean clothes, you may go," he turned away from her, who resumed breathing normally. Jimin was lethal and she feared it was not for one simple reason.

It may have sounded absurd, but no matter how much her instincts screamed at her to escape from the clutches of that monster, a much darker part of her could not stop pointing out its bewitching and sinful aspect.

Hers was a desire that had to be kept silent and hidden inside the closet because it was shameful and sick.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9

Today's (7/26/2024) Episode: Birthday With Friends

Luigi’s rise to fame came just in time for him to age up. In one way it seemed like he’d just begun “adulting” as he’d so recently graduated university, but in another with his young son, high paying job, and all the medical drama it felt like this birthday should have happened ages ago.

It surprised no one when he decided to go “all out” to celebrate. Rather than having 1 big party he chose to split the merriment over multiple days, planning separate get togethers for his family and his friends.

First up was a small beach party with his buddies. This was perfect for socially awkward Noemi who felt at home within her small circle of friends.

While the boys and the happily child-free Bonnie enjoyed a little snorkeling on the tropical reef paradise, the moms settled in the shade not to far away to chat and keep an eye on all their tiny and not so tiny loved ones.

With Skye playing quietly at her feet Noemi checked in on how Isra was doing parenting little Elyse while also pregnant again, and with twins to boot, while Breanne kept an eye on the intrepid Bruce, who was happily crawling away to some grand adventure up the hill.

Isra was already in her second trimester. She’d been a “lonely only” growing up and had worked hard to get pregnant again as soon as her doctor told her it was safe. She told the girls that she had no regrets about the “double trouble” coming her way soon; in her opinion the more the merrier!

Noemi couldn’t relate, having been quite happy as an only child herself. She was pretty certain that Skye would also be her only, but she nodded along and silently hoped it all worked out well for her interesting new friend.

Later on, everyone headed back up to the house where Peachy had set out a tasty meal near a cozy campfire. He decided to save his voice for filming, entertaining the family with some classic guitar music as Blossom and her kittens crawled all over the yard investigating the visitors.

Luigi took the opportunity to ask Beau: “How would you like to adopt Marigold or Tulip here as a fine feline companion for little Bruce? Noemi and I don’t really want three cats, and it would sure be nice to send one home with a friend.”

“Well, as long as it’s free, I wouldn’t mind a tiny tiger for my little adventurer”, Beau replied. “Cats are great indoor playmates, and easy to care for.”

After saying goodbye to their friends, and little departing Marigold, the couple got Skye to sleep and retired to the living room to unwind before bed.

“It was so great to catch up with everyone!” Luigi said, a big smile on his face. “Can you believe Isra? Excited about having two newborns AND an infant?”

“I know!” Noemi replied. “I’m glad she and Rhys are happy, but no more for me please. Unless you want to have the next one?” she grinned evilly.

“No way!” he quickly replied. “You’ve seen the pictures of dad when he was pregnant with me” he shuddered “I am never doing that to my body. Not to mention the prize at the end of it all is major surgery and more dirty diapers, and I don’t want either of those!”

“Well… it’s a good thing we’re all set up to have fun without having any more babies.” Noemi leaned in close to show him exactly what was on her mind.  The TV show they’d planned to watch was quickly forgotten as her fiancé eagerly responded: “I love the way you think.” leaning in to get their little private party started.

This idea of two birthday parties was inspired by how a friend of mine always celebrates birthdays in her family. When she told me about it, I told her I simply had to use it in my story, and it seemed like just the sort of thing Luigi would do.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[queenshelby]

Foreigner – Peaky Blinder Fanfic

PART ONE – WAY BACK HOME

Featuring: Tommy Shelby x Reader

Warning: Angst (don’t worry, Smut is coming in the next part for you dirty minded people)

Words: 3462

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Your Story

It has been 8 years since you left Birmingham and embarked on a journey to the US with your parents. Your brother was killed by Arthur Shelby, after having stolen from the Lee Family and getting involved in your father’s business.

It wasn’t your brother’s fault that he resorted to stealing. In fact, it was all he had ever known since he has been a young boy. He was stealing to feed you and your mother while your father was preoccupied interfering with Thomas Shelby’s gambling business.

Over 8 years ago, your father was employed by the Shelby Family to fix races but, at the same time, he was trying to skim money from their forged winnings and it wasn’t long after your brother’s and father’s actions had come to the attention of Thomas Shelby that a war emerged between your family and the Shelby gang.

The war was bitter and a threat made by Thomas Shelby against your father’s life caused your family to flee to a safe haven offered by your aunt Esme Bortelli in Atlanta.  Just like you and your parents, your aunt was gypsy. But, she made a deal with the devil after her first husband had passed away from Spanish flu.

Her second husband was no other than Luigi Bortelli. Luigi had a direct affiliation with the North Italian Mafia in Atlanta. He enjoyed the dangers in life. Handling and dealing with cocaine, heroin and alcohol, which, at the time, was prohibited in the US.

Luigi was shot a few years ago by police along with his brother Pepe while collecting a shipment of cocaine from the port of Atlanta. Following Luigi’s death, your aunt Esme took over the family business and dealings with the North Italian Mafia. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t taken serious by some of her suppliers. It wasn’t common for a woman to be in this kind of business. Your father became her assistant, taking shipments and dealing with suppliers on her behalf. Nonetheless, it was her all along who pulled the strings.

The business ran smoothly for several years until, one day, a dispute occurred between the Sabini family and yours. As a result, your mother was shot in your family home by Sabini’s men. Giovanni Sabini resided in the UK and was Darby Sabini’s brother. He had family in the US which operated a rival gang importing the same products as your aunt Esme. After your aunt Esme ignored several of Giovanni’s demands to cease dealings in the area and accept shipments from the UK arranged by the Changratta family, he sent his men to send a message and kill Esme’s sister (your mother).

Esme and your father soon declared war on Giovanni Sabini but, your family’s local men turned against Esme as word came to them that Sabini had turned on the Changratta Family and, as a result, Luca Changratta was killed in Birmingham and the Peaky Blinders took over the supply of alcohol and cocaine to Atlanta exclusively to Giovanni Sabini’s men. This caused the Sabini family to gain greater power within the Atlanta area, much to the disadvantage of your aunt and the North Italian Mafia.

Your aunt Esme saw only one option to rectify this issue and replenish her standing within the North Italian Mafia. She sent your father back to Birmingham to make Thomas Shelby an offer he could not refuse, namely an alliance between the Peaky Blinders and the North Italian Mafia, guaranteeing exclusive supply to the entire West Coast.

Since you had become interested in the family business over the past few years and your aunt had taught you a lot about her supply and trading operations, you demanded that you join your father during his trip to Birmingham. Whilst your father had grown fearless and calculating, you were smart and practical which is just what your aunt Esme needed in order to represent her business.

Unfortunately, whilst your aunt was suspicious of your father’s recent behaviour, what she didn’t know was that he had a very different plan of his own. He wanted revenge on both, Arthur Shelby and Giovanni Sabini, even if it would cost him his own life. For this reason, your father was against you joining him on this journey. You were his only living child.

But, aunt Esme demanded that you join him and so you went.

‘Watch him and his men and report back to me’ were your aunt’s words as you left the port of Atlanta.

Back in Birmingham

After a three day boat journey, you and your father arrived in Birmingham along with several of his men.

Three of your men were questioned by border security upon their arrival. Fortunately for them, aunt Esme’s men in Birmingham had already made pay offs and you were escorted to your hotel.

Birmingham has changed a lot since you have been there last. Most factories, bars and residences were owned by Shelby Company Limited and even the hotel you were staying at was owned by Thomas Shelby.

You never met anyone from the Shelby family. Your father and older brother both worked for the Shelbys for many years until conflict emerged between them. Nonetheless, during this time, your father shielded you and your mother from these dealings. He always said there is no place for women in this business. It therefore comes as a surprise that your father works for aunt Esme now.

You know that your aunt does not trust your father. She always tells you that your father is a danger to himself and you have begun to believe it. His anger and hate has taken over in the last few months and that is why aunt Esme has sent you.

As you finally arrived at the hotel, it became clear to you that Shelby family already had tabs on you. A note from Thomas Shelby was left at reception for your father. It was an invitation to a charity event.

‘Smart’ is what you thought when you read it. Thomas Shelby obviously doesn’t know whether or not he can trust your father. What better place to discuss their business could there be than a public event where your father and his men cannot strike against him. After all, most men in Birmingham work for the Shelby family in one way or another.

Your father, however, was not impressed with the invitation and liaised with two of his men. A message was to be delivered to Thomas Shelby at the Garrison. You only ever heard of the Garrison in conjunction with your brother’s death. This is where he was killed just over 8 years ago by members of the Lee family. But, despite this, you recalled your promise to aunt Esme, to keep an eye on your father and his men.

Shortly after the two men had left to the Garrison, you sneaked out of the hotel.

The Garrison

‘Excuse me sir, how do I get to the Garrison?’ you asked the delivery driver who was delivering Gin to the hotel you were staying at.

‘The Garrison? This is really no good place for you Love’ the delivery driver said.

‘I have business to attend to at the Garrison. I am new in town and am looking to promote a new type of champaign to all of the establishments in the area’ you explained.

‘I don’t think you are going to have much luck at the Garrison Love, but I can take you there after I finish unpacking these. It’s my next delivery stop’ the man said.

‘Thank you sir, I much appreciate it’ you said as you climbed into the man’s truck.

The drive was less than 10 minutes and after you gave the man a couple of pounds for his troubles, you climbed out of the truck and went inside the Garrison while keeping a careful lookout.

The Garrison was full of drunk men, some steel factory workers and some men nicely dressed in suits.

Unfortunately for you, you could not see the men your father had sent. You carefully removed your hat and ordered a glass of whiskey.

‘Top shelf please sir’ you said as you sat down at the quite end of the bar. To your surprise, the bar tender didn’t question you or your choice of drink. It wasn’t common for women to drink in establishments like this. In fact, it was prohibited.

You decided to stay for maybe ten or fifteen minutes to see whether your father’s men would turn up. You took a careful look around every two minutes or so but the men couldn’t be found.

There was, however, one man who caught your eye. He was incredibly well dressed for a place like this and accompanied by a beautiful blonde woman. It was obvious to you that the woman wasn’t his wife. In fact, she looked just as much out of place as you did.

His eyes were blue like the sky on a sunny day in Atlanta and his hands were perfect, clean and masculine as if they had been crafted by an artist.

You couldn’t stop starring at him. His charisma was almost overwhelming.

It wasn’t long until he noticed you too. His eyes gazed over to you several times, much to the dislike of his female companion.

His looks were intimidating and you didn’t know whether he noticed you starring at him or whether he had taken an interest in you. Probably the earlier, considering that he was obviously much older than you.

After 15 minutes had passed and you felt surprisingly awkward in this man’s presence, you quickly finished your drink and decided to call it a night. You did not think that your father’s men were going to appear any time soon and it was getting quite late.

As you left, you noticed two drunk men following you.

“Ey Love, how much for the both of us?” one of the men said as he followed you.

‘In your dreams’ you said with laughter as you turned around for a brief second as, all of a sudden, the man grabbed your wrist.

‘Feisty… I like feisty girls’ the man said as he pulled you closer towards him while his acquaintance approached you and ran his hand over your blouse.

‘Fuck off and leave me alone’ you responded angrily and with some ignorance towards their actions.

‘Oh, you like it rough love?’ one of the men shouted in return while the other pushed you against the wall.

You tried to reach for your gun which was pinned to your left upper leg as, suddenly, you heard a gunshot from near the entrance to the Garrison.

It was a dark and foggy night and you couldn’t see much more than a shadow of a man approaching you and the attackers.

‘The lady said that she wants to be left alone’ another man said from the distance while pointing a gun at the attackers.

‘Piss off man’ one of the attackers yelled in a rather drunken tone, ignoring the first gunshot that had already been fired by the mysterious man.

Suddenly, you heard a second gun shot and a loud scream from one of the drunk men right beside you. He had been shot into his left knee and was in agony.

‘The next time I will aim higher’ the gunman said as he approached you closely, just before the uninjured drunk man scrambled and ran off, knocking you down onto the gravel in the process, while the other man began pleading for his life.

‘I am… I am very sorry please. I won’t…It will not happen again’ the man said. The tone of his voice was frightened and you could tell that the men knew each other.

‘I will not see you and your friend at the Garrison again, you understand?’ the gunman said angrily before allowing the injured attacker to leave.

You were lost for words. This mysterious man may have just saved your life.

Getting to know the Stranger

‘Are you alright, Miss?’ the man asked as he put away his gun and reached for your hand to help you up.

‘Thank you, I am fine’ you said quietly.

As you looked up towards the mysterious man you noticed that he was the man you had seen before, at the bar, with the beautiful blonde lady by his side.

With thoughts racing through your head, you almost didn’t notice that your legs were shaking and you had an awful pain in your left knee.

‘You are bleeding’ the man said, but you barely noticed the red staining on your white skirt. It was like you were hypnotised by this stranger.

‘Common, lets get this sorted out for you, ey?’ the man said with a caring voice and, without further words, you followed his lead back to the Garrison.

The Garrison was still as busy as when you had left and no one really noticed you walking in.

‘Bring us some bandages and whiskey. Top shelf, two glasses’ the man said before guiding you to a private room next to the bar.

‘Thank you for your help but I am fine, really’ you said to him as he pulled out a chair from beside the table in the middle of the room.

‘If you do not get this cleaned out, it will get infected. Now sit down love’ the man instructed as the barmaid brought bandages and a bottle of top shelf Irish whisky with two glasses.

The man poured you a glass of whiskey and handed it to you. Without words, you took a hasty sip knowing that, what was about to follow, would hurt. Your mother used to clean out your wounds with whisky on numerous occasions after you had fallen off your bicycle, just not as expensive as the bottle that was standing on the table right in front of you at this moment.

Without warning, the man kneeled down in front of you and lifted up your skirt just above your knees. He poured a good amount of whisky onto your wound, which caused you to clinch your teeth and some tears escape from your eyes. He then used his handkerchief to carefully pull some pieces of gravel and broken glass from your knee before wiping the wound again with some more whiskey.

‘So, tell me, what brings a girl like you to a place like this? You are clearly not from here’ the man asked as he wrapped your knee up with a bandage.

‘Business’ you clinched as you grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the table and poured yourself another glass while the man finished bandaging you up.

‘Business?’ the man asked surprised as he sat down opposite from you while lightening himself a cigarette. ‘What kind of business?’ he added.

‘Export of products to the US’ you said carefully. You didn’t know who this man was so you didn’t want to reveal anything that could be of detriment to you or aunt Esme.

‘Now that is interesting’ the man said with a grin before taking a short pause. ‘Let me guess, you want to export alcohol to your country because of the prohibition’ he added.  

‘What makes you think that?’ you asked carefully with a little pretend chuckle. It was not your place to discuss matters like this and you were surprised that he caught onto you almost immediately. Could he read you, you wondered, and regretted saying anything at all.

By this time, you were quite intimidated by this man and were contemplating to leave. On the other hand, you didn’t want to be rude. After all, he had just saved you from an attack.

‘What else could you possibly export from Birmingham to America? You manufacture machinery, vehicles and weapons yourself. This means you have no need for them. You are after something you cannot get where you are’ the man said as he leaned back into his chair.

‘Let’s not talk about business’ you said nervously. You felt as though you had been cornered.

‘Alright…let’s talk about something else’ the man said before pausing again. ‘Maybe let’s start with your name. What is your name?’ he added.

‘Y/N’ you said.

‘It is nice to meet you Y/N…’ and, before the man could introduce himself, another, older man stormed into the room.

‘They fucking got him, we need to move now’ the man yelled.

‘I am sorry Y/N, I have one of my drivers take you to wherever you are staying’ the man said before storming out of the room and grabbing two guns from behind the bar. With him were several men and all you heard was yelling and cars driving off within moments after.

Family Confrontation

A young man came into the room and introduced himself as ‘Finn’.

‘Apparently, I am your driver’ Finn said rather annoyed. ‘Where are you staying?’ he asked.

‘Renaissance Hotel’ you answered.

‘Alright, then let’s go’ Finn said in a haste.

This was an abrupt ending to an eventful night and the drive back to the hotel was rather quiet. Finn didn’t speak a word with you, not a single one.

As you approached the Hotel, Finn wished you a pleasant night before racing off. Your guess was that he was going to join the others for some kind of fight.

It appeared to you that life in Birmingham wasn’t so much different to life you knew in Atlanta. Violence, gangs and conflicts. It all was the same.

‘Y/N, what the fuck did I tell you?’ your father shouted at you as you entered the penthouse suite.

‘Father, I am not a child anymore. I can look after myself’ you said.

‘What is this, on your knee? Your skirt is full of blood’ your father asked worryingly.

‘I fell. It turns out that heels do not go well with all the horse shit on the streets here. A nice man at the Garrison helped me to get bandaged up. It is not a big deal’ you explained, not wanting to admit that you had gotten in to trouble.

‘The Garrison? What the fuck did you do at the Garrison? This place is dangerous, you hear me Y/N?’ your father said angrily.

‘I am keeping an eye on your men, something which you have obviously failed to do as they weren’t there’ you answered, causing your father to raise his hand at you.

‘Careful Y/N. This business is not for you and I wish that your aunt would learn to understand this. Get yourself cleaned up’ your father said before walking away.

And, so you did. You ran yourself a nice warm bath, knowing exactly that it will hurt, but this was exactly what you needed. Sometimes pain makes you feel alive and there has been a lot of pain in your life in the past eight years.

Your mother never got over the grief of losing her son while your father never gotten over his hate for the Shelby and Lee family. Your aunt Esme was the one who took you in, who ensured you were educated and who had confidence in you.

Being in business with her was something you wanted. You both felt that change was needed and the success that came with the business was something that gave you satisfaction. You were running her accounts for the past two years and you knew how lucrative this business was. But did your father care about it? This was always something you were wondering about.

‘Perhaps these questions and thoughts were for another night’ you said to yourself as you poured yourself a glass of whiskey and climbed into the warm bath.

It stung terribly but soon the pain went away and all you could feel was the warmth over your body.

Your mind soon drifted off into more pleasurable thoughts about the man you had met tonight.

You only ever had been with one man before and it didn’t take long for him to bore you. That being said, he was barely a man at all. He was the same age as you and studying to become lawyer. There was no adventure and no intensity. But, this man you met tonight, who was a fair bit older than you, he appeared to be far from being boring. There was some kind of intensity in his eyes, it was almost hypnotising. His voice was calming but yet intimidating and the thoughts that appeared about him in your mind were unfamiliar to you. They were intense. They were pure pleasure.

You kept wondering who this mysterious man was and whether you would see him again.

[anomander-dragnipurake]

Aftermath

A proper continuation of Possessed. I had this scene stuck in my head so I wrote it. There might be more but I make no promises because I'm bad at those and I'm just here to write whatever's fun to me at the time.

~

“You’re back?” Mario said upon answering the door. He sounded and looked genuinely shocked as if he’d expected to never see Booigi again. He also looked tired; bags under his eyes, his clothing a mess.

“Is it really that surprising?” Booigi faked a nonchalant attitude to hide how awkward this was. He’d considered not coming back at all but… he just couldn’t. He still cared about everyone his past selves had cared about even if it would be easier not to.

Mario half shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought that since King Boo ran off that one time that you’d… but you’re not really King Boo so… I don’t know. It’s been a couple weeks though so… I just didn’t think you’d come back.” It was hard to tell if he was pleased or displeased by having that expectation proven wrong.

“Well, I’m back. You can send me away if you want though; I’d understand if you’d prefer to never see me again.” It would be heartbreaking but it would at least make navigating this relationship that much easier.

It might’ve been Booigi’s pessimistic imagination but Mario seemed to consider it for a few seconds before shaking his head and stepping back. “No, no, come in,” he said, welcoming him inside with a small hand flourish.

Forcing a cocky grin as if he’d expected that answer all along, Booigi stepped in and�� immediately had to fight to keep a level face. The living room was a mess; empty pizza boxes, dirty dishes and laundry littered the floor, coffee table, and couch. It was absolutely disgusting, feeling him with equal parts anxiety and disdain. It was the messiest it had ever been as far as he knew.

“Sorry about the mess,” Mario said as he closed the door, sounding a tad embarrassed. “But uh… your new look is nice.”

“Thanks.” Luigi and King Boo’s fashion senses combined be halfway between casual and fancy with the preference for the colours green and purple. He’d gone out of his way to wear one the green dress shirts today, coupled with a pair of nice jeans it was almost something that Luigi would’ve chosen to wear if he had to dress nice for an event. The shoes were still the same white show-offish ones King Boo had bought because he liked them. He’d also repainted his nail alternating purple and green that morning in part because he’d wanted to but also to differentiate his look a little more.

The silence stretched between them for a few seconds before, needing to say something and wanting a distraction from the horrible mess in the room, Booigi broke it. “What have you been up to the past couple weeks?” Other then making a mess of his house.

“Well… not much really. I just… I don’t know. What have you been doing?”

“Talking to the ghosts at the mansion and… trying to figure out my new existence, who I am and all that shit.”

“Oh uh… any luck with that?”

“Nope! My two halves were basically polar opposites in a lot areas, making me a giant fucking mess.” And he hated it. Feeling so unsure about so many things kind of made him want to break something but also kind made him want to hide somewhere and never come out. He’d been tempted to drink himself into oblivion often, the only thing stopping him was knowing it was more likely to make it worse than to help.

Mario deflated, leaning his shoulder into the wall as he looked away. “Yeah, they were opposites; King Boo was the absolute worst and… Luigi was the best.”

The awkward silence returned because what were they even supposed to say to each other? What had Booigi even come here expecting? He still loved Mario like a brother but there was no way he could have the same kind of relationship with him that Luigi had had. Half of his soul had been King Boo’s for Pete’s sake and Mario rightfully hated King Boo. The fact that this whole thing was entirely King Boo’s fault could only complicate Mario’s feelings further.

Maybe Booigi should just excuse himself and leave. He wanted to talk to E. Gadd and Gooigi too anyway. Navigating whatever his relationship to both of them had become should be a bit easier, right? Since Luigi hadn’t known them literally his whole life. Mario might just need some more time to grieve, Booigi could give him that. But as he took a breath to say that, Mario broke the silence instead.

“I miss him.” His voice was almost a whisper and he didn’t look up.

Booigi’s first instinct was to respond with something rude because no duh Mario missed ‘him’, the tired look on his face and the horrible mess in the living room attested to that far better than words ever could. But there was nothing that could be done about it so why would Mario even bother bringing it up right now? If Booigi said that though, he’d regret it big time later. So instead, concealing his annoyance he said, “I’m sorry,” because apologizing for his existence was all he could do.

Mario didn’t respond. After a couple seconds more of silence, he turned away and walked into the kitchen. Now would be a good time to leave and Booigi probably should, he clearly wasn’t wanted right now, but… he followed.

“Look Mario, I’m not him, not really anyway, and I know you probably don’t want me around right now and I’ll leave soon but first… I just want to say that I still… feel like you’re my brother.” Whom he still cherished and looked up and always would.

In the kitchen, Mario paused and turned around to look at him again at last. “You do?” His eyes were filled with unshed tears.

“He’s like half of me, remember? So of course I do.” King Boo had hated Mario but those feelings felt distant, like a memory of a time long ago. It may not be a universal truth for everyone but for Booigi, in this instance, love was stronger than hate. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of hate; he hated his past selves immensely due in large part to the fact that they’d hated each other with a fiery passion. He wasn’t sure yet if that translated into self-hate but he hoped that he could see himself as a separate enough entity that it wouldn’t. “I’ll leave you alone now though. If you ever want to talk my phone number’s still…”

Mario hugged him. It wasn’t one of his warm friendly hugs but instead one filled with sorrow and desperation. Booigi’s only option was to hug him back. And when he started softly crying on Booigi’s shoulder all he could do was hold him a bit tighter and hope it was enough to be a little bit comforting at least. It wasn’t much or anywhere close to enough but it was all he had to offer.

[meloncubedradpops]

Repo! The Corona Opera

For every rotation that Earth has completed around the sun since the dawn of humanity, humans have created art to cope with the realities surrounding our everyday life. We weave stories in songs, movies, plays, books, paintings, and so forth, that help digest the world around us and provide an entertaining escape from the cruelties we endure. Some stories take place in abstract universes or in the future, and we rely on what we know in our present reality to build upon these fantasy societies. My favorite movie, Repo! the Genetic Opera, certainly makes this list. We are currently experiencing perhaps the most surreal year of our collective lives, and with each passing day I argue that we find ourselves closer to the world crafted in Repo. I have seen this movie, at least 20 times. If you haven't watched Repo! the Genetic Opera or you haven't seen it in a while, I recommend giving it a view. The movie is unique in that it falls under three distinct genres: musical, horror, and sci-fi. And while the jury is out on whether our future society is going to go full on gothic aesthetic, I can say that the Repo! movie experience offers a glimpse into a dystopian fascist post-plague world wrapped in unapologetically hilarity with a heaping side of camp. It doesn't offer any spiritual cleansing that our souls collectively need, but it does show us what a new normal could look like if we really go off the rails.

As things stand, right now, so much of our daily lives and culture are impacted by the coronavirus. All of our institutions have been impacted, from school, to work, to family, to the way we interact with strangers, and especially our economy. We have all felt the effects in one way or another, and honestly? Most the impacts are of our own undoing, for better or for worse. I am going to write three pieces analyzing Repo! the Genetic Opera. First I will create the foundations that bridge our contemporary life and the world of Repo! Second I will explain how the Repo! universe operates under the definitions of fascism. And third I will weave together parts one and two into our contemporary world (particularly in the context of the United States) to highlight the dark path we heading towards. My viewpoints are of mine, and my own alone. Let's dive into part one.

Part I Repo! the Genetic Opera takes place in the year 2056. Humanity was on the brink of collapse as a result of a medical crisis that caused massive organ failure.

I never gave the premise much thought, at least not until recently. We aren't given much detail beyond the fact that entrepreneur Rottissimo "Rotti" Largo solved this crisis through his company GeneCo. GeneCo provides organ transplants that can be repaid through a payment plan. Witnessing the coronavirus unfold in real time and seeing its wrath, particularly on severe cases, honestly makes me wonder if the writers had some sort of "super plague" in mind when creating this universe. For the purpose of this analysis, I will assume that humanity suffered at least one infectious disease crisis. And just to reiterate covid-19 particularly, we really *don't* know what it's going to do to us long-term. Let the parallels begin. 

The world in Repo! the Genetic Opera, operates as normally as the citizens possibly can, which appears to be quite limited. I have noted how dated some the technologies look.

For a world 30 years in the future, it lacks cell phones and easy access to internet. When we enter Shilo's world (aka her bedroom!) she watched Blind Mag sing on a busted up tiny ass TV and the program itself looks like an ad on Home Shopping Network.

The Graverobber is shown reading headlines on a newspaper. The news reporters shown in the ribbon cutting ceremony during the 1st Italian Post-Plague Renaissance have old school cameras with flashbulbs.

The most contemporary technology appears to be a Wish.com version of an Apple watch, and even that looks like a leftover prop from Spy Kids.

Obviously the people who made this movie intentionally inserted these anachronisms, but why? This is a science fiction movie after all. I speculate that they reverted back because the impact from humanity's crisis resulted in an overall professional "brain drain" from the sheer volume of professionals that dropped dead. In fact every scene depicting medical procedures looks dimly lit and lacking in sanitation. We will see this as we struggle to contain the coronavirus, at least in America. Healthcare workers have already died from this thing, and I am sure many prospective college students will have second thoughts about a career in healthcare. I mean hell, look at no other than GeneCo itself. That company employs workers called "Genterns" who are most definitely not in full PPE. I don't doubt their medical expertise, but they appear to be disposable (please see: that time Luigi killed one for NO REASON in "Mark it Up").

On that note, it really was quite incredible how China built the pop-up hospital in Wuhan in under 4 days, but it was also not the most safe or structurally sound building by far (it collapsed, people were hurt!). Maybe at this point, the people in Repo! don't have much of a choice. I am sure there were likely legit hospitals, but the fact that the Renaissance had gross surgery tents is a bit unsettling.

This is a world that is completely built upon the social more of valuing your health above all else. There had to be a turning point in the GeneCo business model where they really played on up-selling organs for the benefit of "genetic perfection". "I needed a kidney transplant desperately. GeneCo showed this single mom sympathy. This makeover came for a small added fee. Now I look smashing on live TV!" Imagine signing the documents for your power of attorney while actively going into renal failure, when your doctor chimes in with an up-sell for breast implants. When all is said an done, your body is now not only functioning again, but you're hot! Even in a post-plague dystopia we are still holding value to having a nice rack. What's not to love about GeneCo? Obviously we know right away that GeneCo has a dirty side. Rotti Largo personally lobbied to make organ repossessions legal, and he does not hesitate to recollect his property. The concept itself is, of course, wild. In America, our healthcare system is incredibly broken and expensive.  You would wonder how it could get worse without us backpedaling many steps on the industrialization timeline. And in a lot of ways, I could see a company like GeneCo thrive here. We already hate the poor, and we have political think tanks that salivate over the idea of cutting social programs that keep people alive. Our president has wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act while many people are unemployed during a pandemic. In Repo! we hear about those who don't pay, but obviously there are plenty of people who do. Those who can will happily pay, either for vanity reasons or to stay alive.

And while society cites Rotti as being a "hero" for humanity, we see more and more evidence that the crisis is both not under control and life is cheap.

His son murders multiple people, in front of others, with seemingly no repercussions. In the scene where Shilo meets the Graverobber for the first time, adjacent to the graveyard and tombs owned by wealthy families who could afford grave markers, lies a poorly constructed wall hiding thousands of corpses piled on top of one another. We even get a glimpse of a truckload pouring more onto the pile. I would not be surprised if there is a disinformation campaign there keeping the public in the dark (although you'd think the smell would be unbearable at this point).

There are multiple indications that propaganda works in society (still), and no one is getting the full picture of how much of a raw deal the people in Repo! have. We see poster after poster about GeneCo, in the literal absence of other corporations. 

And a lot of them bear resemblance to 20th century Russian propaganda. It would be a real shame if the goals outlined The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia were actually realized. Imagine going to visit your mother's grave and hearing commercials for hardcore analgesics play through the cemetery. Also, there's a police presence too. Apparently the police are called Genecops and have authority to execute any assumed graverobbers on site.

Imagine the hellscape it would be to live in a world where your loved ones may have died from a terrible pandemic, and you face a non-zero chance of an over zealous cop murdering you thereafter, and because their qualified immunity bypasses the judicial system entirely...oh wait. Anyways let's circle back to the Graverobber character.

Graverobber's role in Repo! appears to be minor on the surface. Rotti's daughter, Amber Sweet, appears to almost despise her relationship with him. And that relationship involves him supplying Amber with what he describes as the "21st Century cure". This cure you ask? A super effective painkiller with the clinical use to accompany GeneCo surgeries. This drug is called Zydrate, and it has a street version that he acquires and sells, with clients including Amber Sweet.

Graverobber makes his living sucking the glowy blue brain corpse goo and injecting them into people on the streets. Yum!

Not everyone who needs an organ transplant can pay for it all upfront. Luckily for them, GeneCo provides payment plan options! The caveat to this is if you fail to make those payments, legally GeneCo can come and repossess your newly acquired organs. If you find yourself past due, you will soon see the last face before your doom, the Repo Man. He will harvest GeneCo's property, and it won't matter where you are or what you are doing. There is no anesthetic, and you will likely die! This was all made legal through Rotti's lobbying efforts.

Society, as it's set up today, allows for property repossessions. This can be as straightforward as a repossession of your vehicle to as heartbreaking as a foreclosure on your home. At the end of the day, the impacts of that are difficult and life changing. Currently millions of people in America are out of work, and the threat of losing everything is at stake for many. We could lose our homes, our vehicles, and our sense of purpose. And while many government bodies have created temporary moratoriums, they have not provided any substantial financial relief to keep the proverbial repo man at bay. What went wrong in this dystopia to normalize the concept of death due to nonpayment? Fascism! Ah yes, the dreaded f-word. In my next essay, I will outline the 14 characteristics of fascism and how it relates to the universe in Repo! After I will relate that to our modern world so that we can try and stop this from becoming our reality.

[dweemeister]

2020 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (final round)

(Yet again, tumblr has not fixed bullet indentations. So this post doesn’t look as clean on your dashboards.)

TAGGING (among others): @addaellis, @cokwong, @emilylime5, @halfwaythruthedark, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @introspectivemeltdown, @maximiliani, @memetoilet, @monkeysmadeofcheese, @myluckyerror, @plus-low-overthrow, @shootingstarvenator, @themusicmoviesportsguy, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, @voicetalentbrendan​, @thewolfofelectricavenue, and @yellanimal.

I would also like to tag some followers/previous participants as well who I also would welcome to participate in this final round: @birdsongvelvet​, @bitch-genius​, @dog-of-ulthar​, @loveless422​, @lvl9gay​, @mehetibel​, @phendranaedge​, @poncho-honcho​, @sayaf​, @shadesofhappy​, @thethirdman8​, @uncoolforelimb​, and @wehadfacesthen​. Regardless of whether you were tagged or not, all of my followers can participate if they wish.

Happy Holidays to all! After a fascinating preliminary round, now begins the final round to 2020's Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). This is the eighth time it has been contested and the seventh year it has been open to involvement from family, friends, and tumblr followers. I begin every new year not knowing whether I will be able to share with all of you these songs and the movies they come from around November/December. So on the day that MOABOS becomes viable (usually around mid-year), it's a long stretch of anticipation to this point.

For those who have never participated in this before, my classic movie blog traditionally ends the year by honoring some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time this calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey"; rewatches do not count) with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category, save one: Best Original Song. It is the only category I can think of that does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. I know some of you wonder why I bother with this quixotic social experiment. But I have always considered it a sort of cinematic-musical thank-you for your moral support in various ways - in the hopes of introducing to all of you films and music you may not have otherwise encountered or sought. A small slice of the 2020 Movie Odyssey, so to speak.

This final will be contested by sixteen songs. As I've mentioned before, for the first time ever, there are no MOABOS entries originating from this year that made the competition - a MOABOS first. I have seen one 2020 film since the prelim (Wolfwalkers... at a drive-in mind you), but this entire final is one of yesteryear. Even without any 1930s songs, this year's final is probably the oldest on average. There are some very recognizable songs that made it straight to the final, bypassing the preliminary; those songs are contained within. Among them, a city anthem and a song that should be a city's anthem. Elsewhere, this is the first final to ever feature two classic Bollywood songs - but no classic Bollywood song has ever cracked the top ten. Elvis has three songs in this final, a MOABOS joint record along with Prince and the Bee Gees (both in 2016). But also appearing in multiple entries are Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. With five non-English-language songs in the final, this year’s final ties 2017 with the largest contingent of finalists not in the English language.

INSTRUCTIONS Please rank (#1-16) your choices in order. The top ten songs will receive nominations. The tabulation method used in the preliminary round is being used for the final only as the second tiebreaker (the tabulation method that will be used principally for the final - aka "single transferable vote" - is described in the “read more” at the bottom). There is no minimum or maximum amount of songs you can rank, but because of the nature of single transferable vote, it is highly recommended to rank as many songs as possible, rather than only one or two. Those who rank fewer songs run a greater risk of their ballots being discarded in the later rounds of tabulation. Again, this is all described in the “read more”.

Please consider to the best of your ability: how musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration); its lyrics; context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films); choreography/dance direction (if applicable); and the song's cultural impact/life outside the film (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor). Imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song. I encourage you to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The deadline for submission is Thursday, December 31 at 8 PM Pacific Time. That is 6 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time / 10 PM Central / 11 PM Eastern. That deadline is also Friday, January 1 at 2 AM GMT / 3 AM CET / 4 AM EET. This deadline has been pushed back two consecutive times due to a sizable non-response rate - but I very much do not want to do so again.

I have compiled most of this final round's songs into this YouTube playlist. Please note that neither of Kaagaz Ke Phool’s two songs are contained in the playlist. You will need to access them using their respective links.

Enjoy the music! Feel free to listen as many times as you need, and I hope you discover music and movies you may have never otherwise heard of that you find fascinating. The following is formatted... ("Song title", composer and lyricist, film title):

2020 MOVIE ODYSSEY AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG – FINAL ROUND

“Angela”, music and lyrics by José Feliciano and Janna Merlyn Feliciano, Aaron Loves Angela (1975)

Performed by José Feliciano

(English-language version) / (Spanish single version)

Played over the opening credits to this teenage drama that is partly a blaxploitation film, partly an interracial coming-of-age romance. The movie wasn't a hit, but the Spanish-language version of this song was received well in Latin America.

“Blue Shadows on the Trail”, music and lyrics by Eliot Daniel and Johnny Lange, Melody Time (1948)

Performed by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers

This is the introductory song to the final segment of Melody Time. That segment is dedicated to the legend of Pecos Bill, and this atmospheric song leads into the telling of that story.

“Can’t Help Falling in Love”, music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss, Blue Hawaii (1961)

Performed by Elvis Presley

(film version) / (single version)

Chadwick "Chad" Gates (Elvis) has just returned to his home state of Hawai'i after a stint in the Army. Not wanting to work on his father's pineapple plantation (seriously), he rekindles his relationship with his girlfriend, Maile (Joan Blackman). This song is sung as an accompaniment to a music box he gives to Maile's grandmother (Flora Kaai Hayes, a former Hawaiian Territorial Representative to the U.S. House). This song is among Elvis' best-known and most widely-covered.

“Dekhi Zamaane Ki Yaari / Bichhde Sabhi Baari Baari”, music by S.D. Burman, lyrics by Kaifi Azmi, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959, India)

Performed by Mohammad Rafi (dubbing Guru Dutt)

Lyrics in Hindi - roughly, "I Have Seen How Deeply Friendship Lies / I Have Seen People Abandon Me One by One"

Part 1 (3:44-8:27) / Part 2 (2:16:29-2:20:42)

Make sure to turn on the video’s English captions

In this romantic tragedy, Suresh Sinha (Dutt) is a washed-up director looking back on his life. In the first part, the song leads into the rest of the film - which is almost entirely a flashback. In brief, Suresh is unhappily married to a woman whose in-laws look down on him because, to them, working in films is contemptible to their social class. Suresh meets a woman, Shanti (Waheeda Rehman), on accident and she is soon cast as the lead for his next film. They fall in love, but it is never consummated for various reasons. Eventually, his career crashes after a box office bomb and her career is ascendant. Leading into the second part of the song, Suresh is penniless and working as an extra at the movie studio. Shanti recognizes him, wants to help, but he refuses to revive his career on the back of her success. Kaagaz Ke Phool has elements of autobiography, and Suresh's fate has parallels with what happened to Dutt after this film was released.

“(Do You Know What It Means to Miss) New Orleans”, music by Louis Alter, lyrics by Edgar De Lange, New Orleans (1947)

Initially performed by Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong and his band; reprised by various

(initial film performance) / (Louis Armstrong single version)

Endie (Holiday in her only appearance in a feature film) is a maid to the affluent Smith family, whose matriarch looks down on jazz as a disreputable genre of music. In secret, Endie frequents a gambling and jazz establishment in the historic Storyville district of New Orleans and performs here with Louis Armstrong (playing himself) and others when she gets the chance. The matriarch's daughter (Dorothy Patrick), an classical operatic soprano, is transfixed by this new music she has never heard before.

“ Exsultate Justi”, music and lyrics by John Williams, Empire of the Sun (1987)

Performed by orchestra and chorus under the direction of Williams

Lyrics in Latin

In this historical epic, affluent British school boy Jamie Graham (a young Christian Bale) is living with his parents in Shanghai when the Japanese invade. Jamie is separated from his parents and placed in an internment camp. Soon before the end of WWII, the prisoners are moved elsewhere, but Jamie hides and stays put. This song plays as Jamie bikes around the empty camp and continues to play as he encounters liberating U.S. troops. Jamie is dirty and malnourished when found; one can argue that this song is used ironically. It plays once more over the end credits. "Exsultate Justi" is a variation on a theme John Williams develops over the course of the film and harkens back to Jamie's past, attending Anglican services with parents.

“Farewell to Storyville",  music by Louis Alter, lyrics by Edgar De Lange, New Orleans (1947)

Performed by Louis Armstrong and his band, Billie Holiday, and company

In New Orleans, the Storyville district was a den of drinking, gambling, jazz, and prostitution. The district was the home to a heavily black populace. The U.S. military, about to establish a Naval base nearby, forces the city to close the district for good. This song is a swinging dirge to a center of jazz - a musical genre looked down upon by many of the city's upper-class whites due to its ties (real and imagined) to crime.

“Happy Endings", music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, New York, New York (1977)

Performed by Liza Minnelli and company (that's Jack Haley - who played the Tin Man and was, at the time, Minnelli's father-in-law - roughly seven minutes in)

(use in film) / (soundtrack version)

It is highly recommended one sees how this song is used in the film. Bear with me: this song is part of a movie within a movie. Within that movie within a movie, there is another movie. "Happy Endings" is the title end song to a film called Happy Endings within New York, New York. Singer Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli) has made it big as a recording artist and caps off her hit film, Happy Endings, with this song. We see Francine's ex, played by Robert De Niro, in the audience as the film ends. "Happy Endings" is a homage/deconstruction to midcentury Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) musicals. It serves the film as "The Broadway Melody" does to Singin' in the Rain (1952) or the 17-minute ballet does to conclude An American in Paris (1951).

“Here They Come (From All Over the World)", music and lyrics by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, The T.A.M.I. Show (1964)

Performed by Jan and Dean

The link above provides the entire film. You only need to watch from 0:00-4:11. If you like music from this era or want to hear more, this film is highly, highly recommended.

This is the opening credits song to a concert film recorded over two days in Santa Monica, California on October 28 and 29, 1964. The Teenage Awards Music International (T.A.M.I. - yes, I know it's an awkward name) Show included many of the most popular musical stars of that time - almost all of them name-dropped in this song. Jan and Dean, a surf music duo, served as hosts (and performed during) the show. You folks are lucky that this is the only original song from this film!

“Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?", music and lyrics by Yôjirô Noda, Weathering with You (2019, Japan)

Performed by RADWIMPS

Lyrics in Japanese (translation)

Weathering with You is a romantic fantasy anime about a high school boy who runs away from his rural home to Tokyo, where he meets a girl who can manipulate the weather. It has been inexplicably raining for weeks without interruption in Tokyo, so they form a business to help clear the inclement weather for special events. The melody of this song is heard throughout the film's score. It does not appear with lyrics until late in the film. The song is played under the boy's seemingly impossible attempt to save her from an unwilling human sacrifice.

There is so much plot in this damn film (it's all Makoto Shinkai's fault) - I can't explain the context of the song or this movie in a reasonable amount of space.

“Moonlight Swim”, music by Ben Weisman, lyrics by Sylvia Dee, Blue Hawaii (1961)

Performed by Elvis Presley

In a musical packed end-to-end with songs, Chadwick "Chad" Gates (Elvis) has taken a job with a tour guide agency. On his first day, he drives his first clients - a school teacher (who not so secretly is attracted to Chad) and four teenagers (one of whom becomes smitten) - to their destination.

“Personality”, music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke, Road to Utopia (1946)

Performed by Dorothy Lamour

(in-film performance) / (live radio performance)

In the fourth film of the Road to... comedy series, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's characters have just overpowered two Alaskan thugs with a history of murderous violence. As they enter a saloon dressed up as those two thugs, all of the patrons - in a town that only knows the thugs by reputation - shut up in terror. They are treated to a performance by Sal (Lamour), who is trying to find a map of a gold mine that the real outlaws supposedly have. A visual narrator (Robert Benchley) interrupts the scene before the song briefly.

“Please Don’t Stop Loving Me”, music and lyrics by Joy Byers, Frankie and Johnny (1966)

Performed by Elvis Presley

(in-film performance) / (single version)

Johnny (Elvis) and girlfriend Frankie (Donna Douglas) work on a Mississippi River riverboat as performers. Johnny is addicted to gambling and believes that another woman is spurring on his recent run of good luck. During a fit of jealousy-as-acting, Frankie accidentally shoots Johnny during a bit of musical theater (someone switched out the blanks for real bullets). This song occurs after Johnny has recovered from the accident.

“Theme from New York, New York”, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, New York, New York (1977)

Performed by Liza Minnelli

(in-film performance) / (Frank Sinatra single)

For most of the film, saxophone player Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro) is trying to compose a song but cannot figure out the lyrics (this plays out as a subplot). His eventual girlfriend/later ex, Francine Evans (Minnelli) provides said lyrics. Some time well after they have broken up, he finds her singing this song - which he previously brought to the top of the jazz charts - in the nightclub where they first met. This film flopped (musical movies were out of fashion by the mid-'70s, and a musical didn't seem "on brand" for director Martin Scorsese). But the Frank Sinatra single popularized this song, and it has been used in many venues of popular culture.

“Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam”, music and lyrics by S.D. Burman, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959, India)

Performed by Geeta Dutt (dubbing Waheeda Rehman)

Lyrics in Hindi - roughly, "Time Has Inflicted Such Sweet Cruelty On Us"

Song begins at 1:03:31 and ends at 1:07:51

Make sure to turn on the video’s English captions

In this romantic tragedy told in flashback, Suresh Sinha (Guru Dutt) is a director looking back on his life. Suresh is unhappily married to a woman whose in-laws look down on him because, to them, working in films is contemptible to their social class. Suresh meets a woman, Shanti (Waheeda Rehman), on accident and she is soon cast as the lead for his next film. They fall in love, but it is never consummated for various reasons. This song is the most explicit statement of that love in this film. How much of the scene's set-up is observable by the characters is up to the viewer's interpretation.

“You Make Me Feel So Young”, music by Josef Myrow, lyrics by Mack Gordon, Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)

Performed by Del Porter (dubbing Charles Smith) and Carol Stewart (dubbing Vera-Ellen)

(use in film) / (Frank Sinatra cover)

In this rarely-seen musical (*insert plea to Disney to restore the massive 20th Century Fox catalogue they now own and are almost certainly neglecting*), three chicken farmer sisters decide to travel to Atlantic City in hopes of marrying a rich husband when they learn their aunt's inheritance is not nearly as much as they want. There, youngest sister Myra (Vera-Ellen) - despite the sisters' original intentions of marrying men of wealth - becomes involved with a waiter named Mike (Charles Smith). They go on a date, and they sing this song. A somewhat overly-literal fantastical dancing sequence ensues, complete with Vera-Ellen's dancing skills. This song was popularized by Frank Sinatra years later and has long enjoyed status as a big band/jazz standard.

Contact me however you wish if you have questions or comments regarding MOABOS' processes or something specific about a song or a few. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are having difficulty accessing one of the songs (especially if it is region-locked) or if there is an error in the playlist.

Once more, I thank you all for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally - no matter how long I’ve known you or in what capacity. There are no hard feelings if you cannot get to this, although I will be checking in as the deadlines get close. Please wear a mask. Practice social distancing. We'll see each other again on the other side of this pandemic.

TABULATION The winner is determined by a process distinct from the preliminary round. For the final, the winner is chosen by the process known as single transferable vote (the Academy Awards uses this method to choose a Best Picture winner, visually represented here - you should really watch this video if the below doesn’t make sense… which it probably won’t):

All #1 picks from all voters are tabulated. A song needs more than half of all aggregate votes to win (50% of all votes plus one… i.e. if there are thirty respondents, sixteen #1 votes are needed to win on the first count).

If there is no winner after the first count (as is most likely), the song(s) with the fewest #1 votes or points is/are eliminated. Placement will be determined by the tiebreakers described below. Then, we look at the ballots of those who voted for the most recently-eliminated song(s). Their votes then go to the highest-remaining and non-eliminated song on their ballot.

The process described in step #2 repeats until one song has secured 50% plus one of all votes. We keep eliminating nominees and transfer votes to the highest-ranked, non-eliminated song on each ballot. NOTE: It is possible after several rounds of counting that respondents who did not entirely fill in their ballots will have wasted their votes at the end of the process. For example, if a person voted the second-to-last place song as their #1, ranked no other songs, and the count has exceeded two rounds, their ballot is discarded (lowering the vote threshold needed to win), and they have no say in which song ultimately is the winner.

A song wins when it reaches more than fifty percent of all #1 and re-distributed votes.

Tiebreakers: 1) first song to receive 50% plus one of all #1 and transferred votes; 2) total points earned (this was the first tiebreaker in the preliminary round); 3) total #1 votes; 4) average placement on my ballot and my sister’s ballot; 5) tie declared

Previous years’ results for reference: 2013 final 2014 final (input from family and friends began this year) 2015 final 2016 prelim / final 2017 prelim / final 2018 prelim / final 2019 prelim / final

[mariofallenstar]

Super Mario Bros.: Fallen Star AU (Part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

What did Luigi feel in the face of his approaching execution?

A lot of jumbled-up things, most of them seemingly incompatible with each other.

See, Luigi had no intention of saving himself by giving up Peach’s location to Bowser.

After being captured for what seemed to be the final time, he looked over the course of his heroing career and saw nothing but failure.

He hadn’t been able to save the Mushroom Kingdom or Mario.

He’d rescued many Toads from Bowser’s tyranny, but there were so many more left behind.

And even the ones who had been saved were now living in exile.

Luigi, in some twisted way, saw himself dying to save Peach and Stella as a redemption,

A redemption it never occurred to him he didn’t need.

His silence was the one thing he still had left to him.

If he could keep his silence, his niece and her mother would be safe.

Well, he wanted to think like that,

But when he thought of his family, not just Stella and Peach but Daisy and his own children,

He nearly broke.

He didn’t want to leave them. He wanted to stay with them.

Each time he tried to reconcile himself to his “sacrifice,” their faces appeared in his head, and he railed against the deep unfairness of it all.

Little did he know,

His niece had no intention of letting her uncle die.

Stella emerged from the warp pipe hidden in an empty mine where Bowser’s forces wouldn’t think to look.

This was the first time she had set foot in the Mushroom Kingdom since she was sixteen, and the first time she had ever done so alone.

She was in awe as she traversed the country she still thought of as her birthright.

“This rock is mine. This tree is mine. That horizon is mine.”

Of course, that’s not how royalty or property works, and to some extent, Stella knew this,

But she was also young and mentally overwhelmed. 

She looked over the terrain the way a farmer would survey the untamed patch of wilderness they had just purchased,

Seeing both what was there and what would be underneath once every obstacle was cleared away. A sort of greedy double-vision.

But, of course, Stella had a job to do.

Luigi’s execution was in six days. She had to make her way to the site of the old castle and interrupt it somehow.

She didn’t really have a plan,

And the Mushroom Kingdom had become an unwelcoming place.

Everything about the country had changed, even its name.

It was called “New Bowser Kingdom” now. 

Much of the old cities had become industrialized, and new towns had sprung up surrounding ember-spewing weapon factories.

The sky was choked with pollution, and the air filled with the metallic clang of hammers.

Toads had been reduced to second-class citizens who toiled in dangerous and thankless jobs. 

And, while many were still secretly loyal to Princess Peach and dreamt of the day when she would return,

Others were consumed by bitterness, thinking that Peach had abandoned them.

Many of them had lost their last shred of hope in the wake of Luigi’s upcoming execution. 

Stella was deeply saddened as she moved through these sad, soot-filled cities.

These were her people. They needed her.

But she had no idea how to help them.

For the first time, she understood something of the full weight of what her mother and uncle were up against. 

Now, naturally, a human girl in the isolationist New Bowser Kingdom was bound to attract attention,

And if anyone discovered she was Princess Peach’s daughter, that could jeopardize her rescue mission.

But, Stella had a cover story.

She told any Toad to whom she showed her face that she was a reporter from the Metro Kingdom. 

She had come to see if living conditions in New Bowser Kingdom were truly as inhumane as the rumors claimed.

When people heard she was a reporter, they became eager to talk to her. 

They all seemed to have something they wanted her to say to the outside world.

Some felt it was important to communicate how bad living conditions really were.

They told Stella of overly long hours, low pay, strict rationing in winter, merciless fatigue in summer, how a coworker had fallen into a smelting vat and the smell had lingered for weeks.

Others had loved ones who had already escaped or that they had simply lost track of.

They urged Stella to send out inquiries and give names.

“It’s me, Todd. I’m still alive. I miss you.

“Publish that for me, will you? Maybe she’ll see it.”

Still others had messages they wished to convey to Princess Peach.

“Long live the princess!”

“This kingdom is still yours, Princess! It will always be yours!”

“We’re fighting for you, Princess Peach! We know you’ll come back one day!”

It was this last group that hit Stella the hardest.

She found her eyes welling up with tears as she heard those earnest words, pledges of loyalty to her mother.

The Toads were taken aback by her tears.

“It’s just very moving how much you care for your princess,” she managed to choke out.

The Toads came to see her as a living bottle, carrying all their messages. They wanted to protect their messages,

And so they tried to protect her.

Stella found people willing to hide her in their homes, people willing to share their food. 

Still, there were a few close calls.

Stella found herself unable to stand back and watch as an overworked Toad was disciplined by a Hammer Bro. for passing out in the street,

So she jumped in and fought the Hammer Bro. off.

She knew it was probably a mistake, but the testimonies of the Toads had left her so riled up, she felt she would explode if she didn’t do something.

She’d had to retreat before reinforcements appeared by crawling into the sewer.

It was there, sloshing through who-knows-what in the dark,

That she discovered her uncle had not been the only one fighting for the kingdom’s freedom.

As previously stated, Luigi had been very hush-hush about his rescue work in New Bowser Kingdom. There were many aspects that he had never told Stella about.

That included his allies.

Stella found herself confronted with a cluster of very dirty, very fierce looking Toads. 

They were the remains of the Toad Brigade.

No longer an exploration team, they now served as the major resistance organization in New Bowser Kingdom. 

In the intervening years, Captain Toad had changed from a wide-eyed idealist into someone much more jaded and cynical.

Stella, overjoyed at having found a real resistance, confided in him her real goal of rescuing Luigi.

Captain Toad told her she was out of her mind.

Luigi was already dead. They couldn’t count on Mario, and they can’t count on Luigi.

They had a hard enough time keeping their numbers up as it is. Risking the entire Toad Brigade to rescue Luigi was a foolish gamble.

They had already seen so many brave souls fall.

He didn’t even want to mention what had happened to Toadette.

Before Stella even had time to ask, “Who’s Toadette?” Captain Toad had already turned away.

“Forget him. Head home. Nobody asked you to meddle in our business.”

The Toad Brigade had been tracking Stella, but they didn’t know who she was, and they were not impressed by what they saw as her feeble efforts to be a hero. 

Stella had no choice but to play her final card.

She opened the backpack she had been carrying and pulled out a hat.

It was a plumber’s hat, much like her father’s and uncle’s. It was in pink with an “S” above the brim.

She put it on and told Captain Toad to look at her.

He did.

He huffed.

“That stupid cosplay isn’t going to change my mind.”

“It’s not cosplay,” said Stella.

“Look in my eyes.

“Don’t you know who I am?”

Captain Toad looked.

He blinked. 

He couldn’t look away.

Stella’s eyes looked exactly like Peach’s.

And that determined expression underneath that hat...

“Princess Peach...the hero you called Mario...

“They’re not strangers to me, either. 

“I already lost my dad. I don’t want to lose my uncle.

“I know you think we failed you, but I promise it will change.”

In spite of himself, Captain Toad was in tears.

“Has it really been that long?

“Is she really a mother now?”

“Please, help me!” said Stella.

But, Captain Toad shook his head.

“Go home. Go back to your mother.

“Do you think we want to lose you, too?”

But, Stella was tired of being protected, tired of being told it was enough just to live.

She had never felt more strongly that she had so much more to offer than her continued survival.

“If you don’t come with me to save Zio, I’m going alone.”

Looking at her blazing blue eyes, Captain Toad saw Mario.

He knew she was serious.

He agreed to help her.

The Toad Brigade bowed to their princess.

Luigi’s execution was in two days.

[maggotsandcream]

I like to headcanon that boos in the Mario games (in particular Luigi’s Mansion series) adhere to the rules about needing to be invited over thresholds, but that it doesn’t act retroactively. Here me out on this (it’s is pretty long):

Well they are undead after all.

You don’t really see boos infesting inhabited houses. They tend to show up either in abandoned places or in magically constructed abodes that they have absolute dominion over.

Super Mario Sunshine might seem like an easy counterexample to the above, but that can be explained away as either A) all those boos actually being made out of paint and therefor not true boos or B) hotels don’t have threshold rules applied to them since they’re businesses not homes.

It would explain why King Boo and his boo buddies don’t just ambush Mario and Luigi at home while they’re sleeping, especially since that was basically King Boo’s plan at the beginning of LM3 when they were in a hotel (aka not behind a protective threshold).

This might also have been his plan in LM1, foiled only by Luigi showing up later than expected and throwing their schedule out of whack.

King Boo has no problem with fighting dirty, he just isn’t given the opportunity as often as he’d like.

This might actually apply to Bowser and his baddies, too, now that I think about it. Peach could be so vulnerable to kidnapping because her castle doesn’t get a home’s threshold as it’s more of a government building than a proper home so he can just march right in and start shit. The only times he’s succeeded in kidnapping Mario or Luigi they’ve not been at home.

Having it not be retroactive would explain why in LM1 the boos are still able to hang around the mansion despite it belonging to Luigi at that point and him never inviting them in. Also, that seems to go pretty well with most portrayals of undead and threshold protection rules.

This would bring King Boo down to the level of dumbassery of all the other Mario characters. I don’t have anything to particularly back this part up, I just think it would be funny.

“Ah yes, to lure the plumbers out of their house, we need some sort of bait. I know! Let’s give them some real estate in the middle of Boo Woods and ambush them when they arrive. Oh wait, this isn’t going as planned. They kicked us all out of the property and we can’t get back in. We just offered up an impenetrable stronghold in the middle of our territory to the people most likely to defeat us? Oh sh-” *gets sucked into Poltergust*

So you know how in LM1 E. Gadd says that King Boo broke into his lab to break out Boolossus after he captured him? Seems like a pretty solid objection to this theory. But!

Ain’t nothing saying E. Gadd actually owned or was renting the place where he’d stuck his lab in LM1. Plus, it actually seems to be on the property the boos handed over to Luigi. E. Gadd is a squatter who just built his house on ghost property while flipping them the bird is what I’m saying. It’s not like Gadd’s characterization has ever implied he takes the law seriously anyways. This could easily disqualify his house/lab from being protected by a home’s threshold.

Making the piece of property that the boos handed off to Luigi include E. Gadd’s lab might also have been an attempt by the boos to get Luigi to kick out Gadd for them. Sure they were able to get into his lab, but they were also scared of the Poltergust, kind of like trying to evict someone who’s very fond of their shotgun. But maybe a couple of plumbers showing up at their new house to find some kooky old guy already living there might force him out. Also consider that LM plays into a lot of western horror tropes, and horror movies often include the scientist/expert that gets ignored and or suppressed at the peril of the protagonists. This is basically what happened to Mario before the game starts.

Of course, it’s not like Luigi is going to kick Gadd of his property after LM1. The guy helped save his brother and built him a house, he’s probably welcome to stay as long as he likes.

LM2 and LM3 have King Boo able to get into Gadd’s lab again, but those aren’t at his main house shown in LM1 so the threshold can’t protect him.

I love the idea of King Boo trying to get an invite over to the Mario bros’ place for the purpose of getting up to some shit. Mostly because Mario might actually invite him over considering it’s canon that he thinks of the villains as friends.

“Why’d you invite all these boos over!?” “I wanted to invite them to go go-carting tomorrow but they needed a place to stay overnight. You know how there aren’t any decent hotels around here.” “They’re trying to kill us!” “To be fair, tomorrow they’ll be armed with blue shells which will actually make them even more dangerous than they are now. Try to keep some perspective, Luigi.”

[hellofaer]

sugar daddy! mario x cat boy! @shinsouplays

(not proofread)

mario used to have a happy life. keywords used to. he missed his best friend for life, luigi, who literally got scared to death. mario had told him he was concerned about his obsession with the haunted mansion but luigi just didn’t listen. his companion yoshi mysteriously disappeared after a big argument with his girlfriend at the time birdo. toad and toadette were tired of being in the kingdom all the time which resulted in them running away together. Mario missed all of them, but who did he miss the most? his wife- well, ex wife peach. he thought everything they had was genuine. until he found out that she was sleeping another man- that man was bowser. apparently peach was too scared to reject mario and was seeing a man in a lizard costume behind his back. she had used the “kidnappings” as an excuse. and he believed it. once he found out about her backstabbing he banished her from the kingdom, never to be seen again. he didn’t want to do it, because deep down in his heart the fire still burned aflame for her. but he knew he had to let her go, so he did. mario spent his time dwelling in the kingdom, a lot of the time being seen either crying or eating a lot of comfort meals. but because toad and toadette ran away, no one was there to check up on him. except for his old friend waluagi. it had been years since waluagi had seen his old pal and wanted to check up on him.

little did he know, that call would change his friends life.

brrrring! brrring! brrring!

mario ignored the ringing, his face smooshed down into his dirty pillow. he had cried the night before again, and felt absolutely no energy to pick it up. until it rang once more.

brrrring! brrring! brrring! brrr-

mario fiercely grabbed his phone and answered it without looking at the caller id.

“what the hell do you want?” mario asked in an annoyed tone. no one ever called him, why now?

it was silent for a moment and mario was about to hang up before he heard a gruff voice from the phone. “ah, hello? hello? is this, er, mario?” the gruff voice asked. wait a minute. mario recognized that voice. “WALUAGI?” he asked in surprised, sitting straight up so the blankets uncovered his hairy chest. again, no one had ever called him. he thought waluigi retired and lived at a nursing home.

a loud laugh erupted from the phone, causing mario to slightly pull the phone away from his big ass ear. “yeah! mario, how’s it goin? haven’t seen you, since.. er, the uh, peach days.” waluigi said, the enthusiasm in his voice going down at the end. even though mario was still sensitive about that topic, he was focused on his old pal calling him after years of no contact. he cleared his throat awkwardly. “er, yeah, i think so.” he said with a fake chuckle. “Why don’t i stop by the kingdom so we could chat huh? bring some of your favorite pasta, how about that?” waluigi suggested. he wanted to see how mario turned out honestly. people always spread rumors about how mario let himself go and became a downer but waluigi wanted to see that for himself. mario wasn’t expecting the offer though. mario usually wasn’t a self conscious person- again, until the whole peach situation- and he admits he got bigger and his mustache has gotten a bit wild. mario didn’t want his friend to see him like that, he wanted his friend to think, “wow, mario hasn’t changed since i’ve seen him!”

“Er, how about next week? I’ve got, uh, a lot of.. cleaning up to do! rabbits trashed the place.” mario said with a sigh, rolling his eyes. he feigned annoyance as if waluigi could see him. waluigi sensed that mario was lying, but shook the feeling off. “Heh, good luck with that bud. See you next saturday?” “next saturday, mhm.” mario confirmed, swinging his legs over the bed to slide his feet into his house slippers. “Got it. See you saturday, mario.” waluigi said gruffly, hanging up before mario even got a chance to respond. hearing a small beep, he threw his phone beside him and sighed. “It’s gonna be a long week.”

and he was right.

he worked out and got back into shape (listen ik that’s not realistic but it’s fucking fiction about mario and cat boy kouda alright) and even cleaned up a little bit. his mustache was trimmed and shiny again, and plus he fight into his old overalls and red long sleeves. he had a bit of brightness and life in his big blue eyes again, feeling new and improved. he had even made a little meal for him and waluigi. pancakes, bacon that was a little burnt, and some scrambled eggs with fresh orange juice. mario tried as much as he could to cook, as he was used to toad making his food. mario was just finishing setting the last glass of orange juice down when he heard a knock at the door. “coming!” mario said, hurrying to the kingdom door. he open it, revealing a hunched over old man in purple long sleeves and some overalls. even though his mustache pointed down instead of being high and pointy, you could still tell it was him.

“Waluigi!” he gave the fellow old man a hug. Mario would never admit it, but having arms around him felt nice and warm. “Long time no see, huh?” waluigi joked. they both chuckled, until mario pat waluigi on the back. “come on in, come on in, i made food!”

- time skip 🤩 -

“a what baby?” mario asked waluigi, confused. “a sugar baby. I think it’ll be, er, beneficial to you.” waluigi grumbled. Mario sighed, facing the computer in front of him. He was on http://SugarHoney.com, a website for sugar babies and sugar mommies/daddies to find each other. “How will giving someone my money benefit me?” waluigi laughed. “you won’t be the only one giving. they’ll give you love and support in return.” mario didn’t seem convinced, waluigi could tell by the “what the hell” look on his face. waluigi sighed. “Just look at the profiles, lots of cute boys and girls there yeah?” he suggested, leaning back into the chair. Mario sighed. “Alright.”

and mario scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. “There’s no one interesting enough here.” mario complained.

“Give it here!” waluigi said in annoyance, tugging the computer away from him. “That’s because you’re not looking at the premium people.” waluigi grumbled after looking at the profiles. “here.” waluigi clicked on the premium tab. the premium tab was exclusively for the, how should i say it, *interesting* people on the website. mario sighed, grabbing the computer to search profiles once again. a few minutes passed, and mario still hadn’t found anyone that interested him. his eyes were still glued to the screen though. “waluigi, i don’t think that anybody- mama mia!” if the 😍emoji was real, that would be mario’s face.

arkouda chisaki.

major.

loves pasta.

cat boy.

he had just found the perfect one for him.

——

arkouda was sitting in the drivers seat of his car with his friends, waiting to be next in line at wendy’s. “soo why did you decide to be a sugar baby again?”

sisi asked. “do you see how much money they make sisi?” even though the question was rhetorical, sisi shook her head. kouda rolled with it anyway. “a lot. a whole lot.” he answered, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “I wanna be a sugar baby.” jailani announced randomly, obviously intrigued. Kouda sighed. “Lani, you’re a minor. You can’t do that.” “No no no, but what if i just support them from a distance with encouraging words and they give me money!” “I would much rather get frog stuffed animals than money.” Khloe added, holding her own giant stuffed frog. Kouda only laughed. He pulled up to the drive thru of wendy’s, putting his car in park. “Alright, what do y’all want?” Kouda asked everyone, scratching his cat boy ears (🤩). “A strawberry lemonade!!”sisi answered with a warm smile on her face. “Just a sprite please!” khloe said, poking her head in the middle of sisi and kouda. “Baconator!“ lani responded.

After he ordered everyone’s food along with his chicken sandwich and a cherry mello yello, he drove by a little spot in the woods he knew of. kouda got out of the car, holding the bags of food while sisi and khloe held their drink and lani held a pink and white picnic blanket. They all headed towards their usual hang out spot in a comfortable silence, nearing closer and closer the clearing. lani set down the blanket, mumbling about how if she feels a bug on her she’ll sob. sisi and khloe laughed, setting their drinks down where they were going to sit. “Bugs aren’t that bad lani!” sisi said, sitting down behind her drink. “Yeah dude, they’re adorable.” kouda said, setting the bags down in the middle. Lani rolled her eyes, ignoring the twos words.

soon everyone was happily enjoying their meal/drinks, talking about trauma, character anons, memes and shit about each other. yknow, the normal stuff. until someone’s phone goes off.

Sisi looks at everyone like 👀 because she put her phone on silent. khloe took out her phone and checked her notifications, but quickly put it back away. “nope!” lani shook her head without even caring to look. “my ringtone isn’t boring like that.” she huffed. kouda rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. he got one notification.

http://SugarHoney.com: You’ve got (1) daddy request! From: papamari0

[darkstarcore]

✨💕💢 for mlp? love those funky little horses....

Horses...

✨What draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?

I think it’s a few things:

As a little kid, I liked MLP pre-Friendship is Magic, basically the older generations of ponies. There’s already funky little horses in my life story. That being said, FiM is the one I’m most familiar with (it’s also the best one methinks).

Pretty color? Ooo???

There’s a surprising amount of world building and attention to detail in FiM. It’s a show that rewards you for watching it and paying attention, so that way you can go “hey I remember that pony from that episode!”

Character development? In my horses? It’s more likely than you think

Pretty

It’s a happy show, even when times are rough. Barely anything could be considered grumesome or depressing, and most conflict is eventually resolved. Basically, if you want to have a happy time, watch Friendship is Magic.

For a show about friendship they really do go off with the villain songs 👀 (there’s good hero songs too but the villain songs???)

It pretty

💕 Tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

I already explained why I like Twilight Sparkle a lot in my previous ask: basically, I Am Purple Pony.

I also really like Princess Luna! I think she’s my favorite pony in terms of aesthetics, especially as Nightmare Moon. She’s probably the reason why I still gravitate towards dark/shadowy creatures like the Dark Star (Mario and Luigi) and The Knight/Little Ghost (Hollow Knight). In addition, she’s just a nice princess who tries her best to live a better life post-Nightmare Moon.

“Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?” also made me Big Sad, Luna please be happy 🥺

💢 What do you NOT like about your hyperfixation? is there something you would want to change about it?

The bronies.

Princess Luna is done so dirty in seasons 1 and 2. They don’t do shit with her. Like in season 1 she literally doesn’t exist anymore once she’s un-Nightmare Moon’ed in the series premiere “Friendship is Magic.” Nobody talks about her, she never appears at all, and she’s always excluded while Princess Celestia does everything. Hell even in the season 2 premiere “The Return of Harmony,” Celestia only refers to her once as “my sister,” like girl say her name at least :/

“Luna Eclipse” in season 2 is the first episode after season 1’s premiere where Luna Actually Fucking Exists. She gets her own special episode and it’s great! But then she’s gone again. She still doesn’t appear at all or gets mentioned again until “A Canterlot Wedding” where she makes a grand total of three (3) appearances for all of 5 seconds. She’s not even at the god damn wedding last I remember, not until the after party.

Only in season 3 onwards does Luna exist more, popping in every now and then and actually having a somewhat important role like her sister Celestia. It shouldn’t have taken that long methinks, given she turned evil because she felt unloved and unappreciated. Like... do you want her to be Nightmare Moon again??? God

[krismusings]

INTRO ★

( HARRY STYLES, 28, CISMALE ) I JUST BUMPED INTO [ ROMAN BECKETT ] THE OTHER DAY WHILE WALKING DOWN [ WEST ] KINGSBORO, WHERE [ HE/HIM ] LIVES. I HEAR THEY CAN BE [ LOVING ] AND [ SPOILED ], BUT WHEN I THINK OF THEM I THINK ABOUT [ DESIGNER LABLES, BURNT FOOD, AND JOAN CRAWFORD ] ( KRIS, 30, SHE/HER, EST )

Roman Beckett was born Christopher Jacobs in a classic sob story of a situation. Mother was a prostitute, father was some random deadbeat who of course had no interested in raising a bastard child, and split with no second thoughts. Blah blah blah, yada yada yada, said young mother didn’t really want a kid either. She tried at first, or so he heard, but eventually he was passed on to a family friend, a couple who had been wanting children of their own, and never had any luck. He was given a new name, one his adoptive mother thought fit better, one sounding grand, and worthy of a good new start. Ro really couldn’t complain much about his childhood, and often felt guilty whenever he would get down, and wonder why he wasn’t good enough to be kept around by his actual mother. He had a lot of emotional issues deep down thanks to her, and he’d never get closure for that, because she signed a form saying she never wanted her information given out, didn’t want to be found, nor did she intend to ever reach out herself. Maybe that was why he got into acting, a way to hide behind a different face from time to time.

KINGSBORO

Since moving to Kingsboro after getting a steady job as a barista, and an acting job at a small theater close by his apartment, Ro really felt like he was starting to thrive. This was the perfect window into catching his big break, hopefully, and in the meantime - he just wanted to try and enjoy life. Sex, drugs, strippers, it all seemed to come so naturally to him. It never feels like a risk, and if he suffers any consequences, it never lasts long. Men, women, he’s not picky, and hell, he blurs the lines himself. Rome likes what he likes, does what he wants to do, and has absolutely no filter. If he likes you, he likes the hell out of you, and if not, you’ll fucking know it. Maybe he’s morally “good” deep down, or maybe he only thinks he is, but he’ll kill for his friends. Well, maybe that’s dramatic, but dramatic is the best word to describe him. Psychedelics help him be creative, sex eases the stress, hand and hand - it’s a winning combination. He’s not a selfish lover, he wants his partners to enjoy it as well, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t usually a heartbreaker. At least he’s charming and eadearing. (( TW: mentions of mental illness, past child abuse, substance abuse, kinks )) FULL NAME: Roman Atticus Beckett NICKNAMES: Ro, Rome, Roroyaboat, Roro, Royo, Ramen noodle, Roman candle, Beck, Romeo AGE: 28 DATE OF BIRTH: July 31st ZODIAC SIGN: Leo PLACE OF BIRTH: Manchester, England HOMETOWN: London, England LOCATION: Kingsboro, Brooklyn, New York City, NY ETHNICITY: White NATIONALITY: British RELIGIOUS VIEWS: There’s a happy place somewhere. EDUCATION LEVEL: Graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama OCCUPATION: Actor MENTAL CONDITIONS: depression, anxiety, substance addiction PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS: glasses, contacts, bad back ADDICTIONS: cocaine PHYSICAL APPEARANCE HEIGHT: 6′1 BODY TYPE: athletic, slim, and soft…somehow? EYE COLOUR: green HAIR COLOUR: brown STYLE: All the latest fashions - always has to have a new outfit for each day, will only repeat lounge clothes - but even those are in style. TATTOOS?: ( over 52 ) PERSONALITY POSITIVE TRAITS: outgoing, funny, intuitive, empathetic, humble NEGATIVE TRAITS: gullible, emotional, addictive, insecure, stubborn WHAT DO THEY CONSIDER TO BE THE BEST AND THE WORST PART OF THEIR PERSONALITY?: Roman is probably the best friend to have. He’s always there for anyone who needs him, which is great, but in turn also stresses him a little thin, as he doesn’t know how to say no. His fashion sense though? Always on point. ARE THEY MORE EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED?: Extrovert ANY TALENTS?: Acting, singing, anything involving his mouth ;-) WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS?: making a bad decision, hurting the ones he loves. ANY ALLERGIES?: codeine, squash DO THEY HAVE ANY PHOBIAS?: clashing colors LIST 3 PET-PEEVES THEY CAN’T STAND: not having a routine, chewing with mouth open, no sense of humor PAST BEST MEMORY: Spending summers in Italy with adoptive family WORST MEMORY: the child abuse that went on before he was adopted. BIGGEST SECRET: He was given up for adoption separate from his twin sister, because his mother was a prostitute, and subjected them to a toxic environment. BIGGEST WISH: Being a father someday. BIGGEST FEAR: Losing his loved ones FIRST LOVE : Doesn't know if he's ever been in love. ROMANCE & SEXUALITY TURN ONS: dirty talk, choking, slapping, bondage, flirting, confidence, hair pulling, degradation, roleplaying, dom/sub TURN OFFS: anything involving things that should be done on a toilet. MISCELLANEOUS SPEAKING VOICE CLAIM: Harry Styles SINGING VOICE CLAIM: Harry Styles RELATIONSHIP WITH MOTHER: Birth mother is estranged, adopted mother, they are on good terms, but not as close as they have been in the past. MOTHER’S NAME: Kate Beckett RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER: Birth father is estranged, adopted father, they speak at least three times a week. FATHER’S NAME: Pat Beckett SIBLINGS: Athena Beckett, and Ava Lancaster PETS: A pug named Luigi FAVORITE PLACE: Tokyo ROLE MODELS: David Bowie, Elton John FAVORITE ANIMALS: ALL THE ANIMALS FAVORITE BOOKS: Harry Potter, any good biography, or philosophy read. FAVORITE MOVIES: Mommie Dearest, Gone With the Wind, A Star is Born (every version) FAVORITE MUSIC: Classic Rock, 60′s-80′s FAVORITE FOOD: Sushi QUIRKS ARE THEY RIGHT OR LEFT HANDED?: Right WHAT’S A WORD THAT’S ALWAYS ON THEIR LIPS?: “Gucci” WHAT LANGUAGES DO THEY SPEAK?: English, French, Italian DO THEY CURSE?: Yes. WHAT’S THEIR WORST HABIT(S)?: Weed DO THEY DRINK OR SMOKE? HOW FREQUENTLY?: Drinks socially, smokes weed. ARE THEY AN EARLY BIRD OR A NIGHT OWL?: Night owl HOW TIDY IS THEIR ROOM?: Organized to the Gods HOW LONG TO THEY USUALLY TAKE GETTING READY?: For a quick errand, ten minutes. A night out, an hour or more.

[inactiive-shit]

Eventually

Masterlist

Sanders Sides Fic

Warnings: implied rough past

Pairing: Logince

Words: 2,121

~~~~~

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” were the words Roman had uttered at the start of the night with a GameCube controller in hand, ready for a relaxing, easy win at a game that no one had ever beat him at. Logan had said, “Please. I was raised on Mario Kart. You wish you could beat me,” and aimed a rare smile just short of vicious at Roman. It had made his heart speed up and stumble, but he had shoved that whole mess back and grinned back as best he could before selecting a character.

But that had been a couple hours ago. Now, Roman finds himself the sore loser of a game that he thought he had in the bag. “Double or nothing!” he declares, throwing up his hand and almost losing his controller.

“We have not bet anything,” Logan says, but he doesn’t seem the least bit confused by Roman’s assertion. He leans back in the bean bag chair (he insisted he hated it but he had let Roman talk him into buying it, so really, who was the liar?) and smirks in that damn infuriating way that he always has. “But if you would like to figuratively lose more of your dignity, the choice is yours.”

Roman gasps in outrage and immediately selects his best character: Princess Daisy. “Oh, it is on like Donkey Kong,” he mutters. Logan snorts and selects his own favorite: Luigi. Not the worst choice he could make, but to ever imagine that Luigi could match Daisy in any way was, is, and always will be ludicrous.

“Which track?”

“It’s time to taste the rainbow,” Roman says. It’s his secret weapon, but when he was young he would play Rainbow Road for hours, over and over again. He can do this in his sleep. 

“I don’t - ah. Rainbow Road,” Logan says. “Interesting choice.” He settles into his seat as Lakitu drops down and the countdown begins. He looks far too smug for someone who is about to be dropped a couple steps down the totem pole, but Roman figures that will be rectified shortly. He doesn’t need to rub his imminent win in Logan’s face.

“Get ready to eat my dust,” Roman snarks anyway. He accelerates at the perfect moment and gets that extra boost of speed, but so does Logan. They are side by side for first place but it won’t keep up for too long. They speed around the bends like there’s no tomorrow, and for Logan’s Luigi, there isn’t. Roman swervs his car to the side and hits Logan. They bounce apart, but Logan flies off the track and has to be retrieved by Lakitu.

“Fuck you!” Logans exclaims, mashing the buttons on his controller despite knowing it won’t get him anywhere faster. Roman cackles and hits a speed boost, leaving Logan as far behind as he can. Logan continues to cuss as he finally gets dropped back on the track and promptly gets hit by a shell. Roman starts laughing so hard he almost drives over the edge of the road. He finishes the first lap in first place while Logan is still slowly working his way up the ranks from where he’d fallen to fifth.

Roman lets his eyes flit back and forth from his half of the screen to Logan’s, keeping a careful eye on where all the NPCs and his competition are. It’s only this that keeps Roman alive to the third lap. He sees when Logan hits an Item Box and gets a Spiny Blue Shell. As soon as he deploys it, Roman stops driving just long enough to be passed up by the Bowser in second place. The shell Logan threw takes him out and lets Roman begin his final lap still in first place with Logan muttering angrily under his breath.

“Get ready to taste defeat, nerd,” Roman says, smirking. Logan doesn’t respond, but he does hunch over his controller even more, eyes laser focused on the screen.

Logan climbs the ranks as they race toward the finish line, and he hits a speed boost that Roman missed. Suddenly, he’s feeling a lot less secure in his win. In the end, though, it doesn’t matter. He makes it barely a second before Logan does and nearly throws his controller down in his sheer excitement over winning.

“Fuck!” Logan exclaims. “You are a dirty cheater.” He is pouting, as much as he might say he’s above such juvenile expressions. Roman laughs outright at him.

“I am a squeaky clean winner, and-” He cuts off and hits Logan’s hand out of the air as it nears him. Logan flinches back, eyes wide and obviously stung. He pulls his hand to his chest, cradling it and Roman realizes that he hadn’t really softened his blow at all when Logan had most likely just been trying to be friendly.

“Shit,” Roman says, face flooding with heat while Logan stares at him, hurt. “I am so sorry, Logan. I didn’t even think, I’m-” He forces himself to stop talking. He’s not going to make any sense if he just keeps going without knowing what he’s trying to get across first.

“Maybe I should go,” Logan says stiffly, setting his control on the ground. It’s a ridiculous thing to say because Logan lives here, too, they’re roommates but it makes Roman’s heart stutter and stop for all the wrong reasons for just a second.

“No, no, please,” he says desperately. “That was on me, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I just wasn’t expecting it. I was-I was surprised.” He holds Logan’s eyes, as uncomfortable and embarrassed as he feels because he knows it means a lot to Logan when someone will look him in the eyes.

“I do not believe that was the only problem,” Logan says slowly. He examines Roman intently. “If you wish to explain what the real problem is, I am more than willing to listen and talk. If not, I will be going on a walk. The choice is yours.” He waits for a moment.

“I…” Roman hesitates, flounders. He can feel the heat in his cheeks increasing. “My family was never...never the touchy-feely type,” he offers haltingly. “In fact, it was quite the opposite. And you’ve seen my brother. We were never very...nice to each other. I’m not quite used to...friendly contact.” Roman hopes that is sufficient enough for Logan to drop the topic, for Roman to change the subject before he gets so embarrassed that he melts into a puddle of unattractive goo or Logan makes some scathing remark as he is so wont to do and Roman has to deal with this moment of vulnerability being betrayed and crushed as has been the case so many times before.

Though he can’t help but feel that here and now it might be a deserved reaction.

“Oh,” Logan says, looking surprised then regretful. Roman doesn’t know how to explain why that reaction jolts him. “You act so much like my brothers that I just assumed-well. That is an oversight on my part. I apologize, Roman, for not considering that you may be comfortable with a different level of physical contact than I am. I will adjust my behavior to accommodate you, if you wish to touch less.”

“I don’t want to bother you,” Roman starts. He’s thoroughly surprised but that is not the priority and neither is the way his heart stutters with every word Logan says. It is not relevant to this conversation (but he can’t help but hope that it might be relevant to them eventually). “You shouldn’t have to-”

“Nonsense,” Logan says. He ignores Roman when he tries to speak again and says, “You are not bothering or inconveniencing me at all. I like to know how to make my friends comfortable, and for you, if that means you would like us to maintain a less tactile relationship, that is fine. You are under no obligation to me to be, as you put it, touchy-feely, for any reason. Or to anyone else, for that matter.” Logan smiles one of his rare, genuine smiles. Roman feels his breath catch in his throat at the look, but just as quickly as it’s there it’s gone. “Okay?” he asks quietly.

“Uh, yeah, Specs. I gotcha. Thanks.” Roman drops his hand back to the controller in his lap. He plucks nervously at the button for a moment before picking it up. “Again?” he asks softly.

“Of course,” Logan says. “But this time it will be you who eats my figurative dust.” Logan eases himself back into the bean bag chair and Roman gets so distracted by watching him relax so fully and replaying all the things he just said in his head that he misses the start of the race and is immediately off to a disadvantage. He laughs though, and Logan does too.

They banter for the rest of the night, and it does not matter to Roman that he does not win another race. Logan doesn’t mention that it is two a.m. and that they have classes the next day and Roman knows they will both probably sleep through their alarms.

“I will see you in the morning,” Logan says, nodding to Roman. He places the controllers carefully back where they go in the entertainment center and stretches, shirt lifting to reveal a thin strip of his stomach. Roman blushes and looks away hurriedly, but he clears his throat as Logan starts to walk away. They are only standing a couple feet apart, and Roman feels oddly present. Maybe it’s the exhaustion talking or maybe it is that Logan saw him and did not look away, but there is something Roman has to say that he can’t stop from coming out.

“Hey, Lo?” he says.

“Yes, Roman?”

“I think I’d like to be able to touch you,” he says. He can’t quite meet his eyes this time, so he focuses on Logan’s lips instead. “I like you and-and I really think I’d like to kiss you.”

“I like you, too,” Logan says, and those lips twist into a tiny, almost invisible smile. “And I’d like to kiss you, if it wouldn’t make you uncomfortable. You do not have to push yourself for me.”

“Oh,” Roman says faintly, but still he takes one step closer so that he is in Logan’s space. Logan is barely taller, but it’s just enough that Roman has to tilt his head a little to look into his eyes, this close. “I’m not, I promise. Just once…?”

Logan slowly closes the small distance between them, giving Roman every opportunity he could ever want to say no, to back out, to realize that he was not ready for a kiss yet. But it’s something he has wanted for so long, wanted and not quite believed he could get, and he does not pull away. He lifts to his toes and meets Logan’s lips with a chaste kiss that cannot last the eternity that it feels like. Roman smiles at him when they pull away.

“Maybe,” he says quietly, “we can do that again, eventually.”

“I would really like that,” Logan says. He pauses and Roman can see the gears turning in his head, the nerd. “Perhaps, if you wish, I could assist you in becoming more comfortable with touching. Only if you want.”

“I think I’d really like that.” Roman says the words, but he’s not expecting Logan to hook his pinkie around Roman’s in the sweetest expression of emotion he’s ever experienced. It sends a jolt of fireworks up his arm, and it’s scary but sort of pleasant. He definitely does like it.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Logan says. He moves slowly and rests his forehead against Roman’s for just a second. “Good night, Roman. I hope your dreams are deserving of you.”

“Night, Lo,” Roman echoes and they go to their separate rooms. Roman is sure that in the morning they will talk more and possibly even hold hands if he wants to, but for now he is still riding the high of being touched so tenderly, of being so seen, of getting so much from someone he has always wanted. It is with a smile that Roman falls asleep that night, and with a smile that he greets the next day, and with a smile that he and Logan brush hands through breakfast and talk about them instead of going to class. It is with a smile that Roman will eventually hold hands and kiss and hug Logan, and eventually, it will not be such a feat. But for the next day, Roman smiles and knows that eventually can wait.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 91: Waffles in the Park

Noemi had a fine time with Luigi’s folks, but she was much more nervous about introducing her new boyfriend and baby-daddy-to-be to her parents.

They had talked about traveling to The Ridge before she got pregnant but could never find the time. Now that they were “on the clock”, Luigi hunted for a place to meet them nearby, and was delighted when he discovered that his favorite waffle chef would be at the café in Myshuno Meadows soon.

Noemi’s parents had been divorced for ages and she was sure they would behave well together in a public setting. At least as well as they ever did.

She met her mother’s judgmental comment about her extra curves with a forced smile, as Luigi tried and failed to set her father at ease with a joke.

They did much better when they traded off.

After Gilbert’s gruff rebuff of his humor, Luigi greeted her mom in a much more reserved and formal way. She made a big deal about complimenting her daughter’s “charming and handsome young man”, helped along no doubt by the opportunity to show herself as friendlier than her ex.

Likewise, Gilbert hadn’t failed to notice his daughter tense up after Shannon sniped at her and swept his baby girl into a big protective hug.

As Luigi led Shannon over to Anderson and talked up the chef’s “Waffles with Love and Hershey’s Kisses”, Gilbert and Noemi hung back and caught up. Luigi greeted their chef like an old friend. They’d met a few times now as Luigi made a point of swinging by whenever the other sim setup shop in the city or near campus. 

Anderson smiled when Luigi gushed that he’d been looking forward to his delicious waffles for days, telling him he hoped they lived up to his expectations!

Once they had all settled at the table with their fresh meals, Luigi placed a hand on Noemi’s thigh under the table in a gesture of solidarity. She had asked to be the one to broach the topic with her folks, and she gave his hand a grateful squeeze before announcing:

“Dad, Mom? I have some big news. We weren’t expecting it, but we’re having a baby. I’m due shortly after graduation.”

Shannon spoke first, “Well, I guess no “little surprises” was an unappreciated perk of the geriatric lesbian you were with before this.” Noemi blinked back tears as her dad gave his ex-wife a dirty look before turning to Luigi. “You planning to stick around and treat my little girl right son?”

Luigi only got as far as “Of course, we…” before Noemi cut him off: “are taking things one step at a time. Right now, that means focusing on graduation.”

Noemi’s mom rose, her plate half eaten. “I’m not going to sit here and cheer you on as you bumble into another reckless relationship. How long have you known this guy? You’re just going to end up leaving more whiny voicemails about the latest loveless marriage you jump into and refuse to leave.”

“Nice, real nice!” Luigi shot back, unable to hold his tongue. “Your daughter is caring and dedicated, and some of us love her for that. If you can’t bear to show a little respect for her or the dead, then don’t worry, nobody will be calling to burden you. We’ll be better off without your hurtful comments.”

Gilbert gave Luigi an amused smile and fatherly shoulder squeeze before wandering off the porch, heading in his ex’s direction.

Noemi buried her head in her hands over her plate. “Ooof. Mom does care; she just has a really hard time dealing with surprises and being pleasant to family. Dad will probably talk her into leaving an apology voicemail before we get home. He was always the best at dealing with her, even after he decided he didn’t want to deal with her full-time anymore.”

Luigi leaned in and gave her a kiss on the top of her head, before sitting back down and popping another forkful of waffle into his mouth.

“Well, it wasn’t the most successful lunch in history, but we got the job done, and in record time!” She laughed and picked up her own fork. “True! I was wishing it would be over quick, and here we are free to finish this lovely meal in peace.”

The pair did just that before tossing their trash and deciding to take advantage of the beautiful day with a relaxing stroll through the park.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[norskkitten]

You’re only a fool if you give up, boy

They’ve been talking about it for weeks. Even though Matteo wasn’t so keen on doing this, it felt like world’s greatest idea to them. Carlos has been bragging about his relationship with Kiki, how great it is to have that special someone in your life. Abdi, still doing nothing about his big ass crush on Sam, also thought it would be perfect for Matteo to finally get some female attention. Don’t get it wrong, he’s had plenty of attention - he would let girls flirt with him, especially during nights out with his friends, always being careful not to flirt back, keeping his “cool guy” attitude. He would let them kiss him every once in a while (if he was drunk enough), trying not to think about how every touch made his chest clench. There was that one party, over a month ago, where he ended up shaking, struggling to breathe after a tiny brunette was forcing herself on him in the corner of someone’s living room. Hooking up at parties was how most boys lived their life, but Matteo felt humiliated. He was overwhelmed, the party was much more than he could handle and after running away, he hadn’t gone out of his room for three days.

 And Matteo loved these fools. They were getting on his nerves, always talking about girls and sex, but they were his friends. Jonas, however... He was hoping Jonas would stand up for him, understand that Matteo doesn’t need girlfriends to be a decent guy (not that he was, in any way, a decent human being) and just let him live his lonely life. So when Jonas came up to their table on Tuesday with a smirk on his face, Matteo felt his heart sink.

 “Good news! I got you a date tomorrow. Her name is Sara, she’s taking Maths with me. She’s blonde, she’s sweet and she doesn’t think you’re a loser.”

 Matteo feels betrayed. He knows the girl, he has seen here a few times in the hallway, always with another blonde by her side, constantly chatting and giggling. She seems nice and she probably is, but that’s not the problem. Matteo just doesn’t feel like dating anyone. He hadn’t had any interest in love since... well, since his crush on Jonas. He would never admit that, but his feelings for his best friend made him question his sexuality and he decided it’d be better to just back off. Better to back off than to admit he might not be what people expect him to be.

 “Luigi! Sara is hot, he got you a good one” he hears one of his friends say, but he doesn’t want to hear it. He thinks maybe if he pretended he never heard it, it wouldn’t be true.

 Much to his dismay, it is still true. Boys keep talking about how amazing this Sara girl is and Matteo can not go through all the reasons why being single is good to him again. His brain is screaming, because as pretty and friendly as she sounds, he still finds no attraction to girls recently. His mouth doesn’t say anything, because he’s a stupid bastard and he can never stand up for himself. He can’t say no.

 So that’s how it is. He’s got a date tomorrow.

 ***

The boys all crash at Matteo’s after school on Wednesday to help him get dressed and to make sure he makes it to his date in the first place. Carlos tries to talk him into wearing a shirt - something he hasn’t worn since, like, 5th grade, but he insists on staying in his way-too-big t-shirt with a pattern that looks a bit like dirty stains (and maybe there are stains too, Matteo isn’t sure). Abdi slaps his hand when he reaches for one of his oversized grandpa sweaters and Jonas finds a grey hoodie he’s only had on three times before, so he’s positive it doesn’t smell that bad. They fight a little and Abdi runs after him with a hairbrush, bu he lets it go and then they just play Zelda until it’s time to leave.

 They are supposed to meet on Alexanderplatz and when he gets there, he still has seven minutes left. He purposely missed the bus, but the boys said he has to be early to make a good impression and made him catch another one only two minutes later. Standing there, he thinks of excuses to leave.

1. His flatmate called. He was dreaming about their date so hard that he forgot to turn the water off and now there’s a big flood going on.

 2. He was so stressed about their date he got nauseous and he’s really, terribly sorry, but he feels like throwing up, so maybe they could meet some other day.

 He tries to come up with another one when Sara catches his eye. It still startles him a little. And the thing is, Sara looks like a nice girl. She is pretty and she’s playing with her hair as she’s making her way to him, sending him a nice smile. He tries his best to smile back, because she’s just a nice girl and she doesn’t know how much he doesn’t want to be there and she probably deserves someone better than him.

 “Hey.”

 Her voice is soft. She seems shy, still smiling at him.

 Matteo isn’t shy. He wants to get the fuck out of here.

 Instead, he nods a little and points to the nearest cafe.

 “Na. Would you like some coffee?”

 “I’d love that.”

  ***

 Now, the thing is, Matteo really hates coffee. He doesn’t really drink much, which probably isn’t the best, but he just finds it hard to care. Suggesting the cafe was his first reaction, because he didn’t want to sound like a dick and greet her with a “flat flood” or throwing up. He orders an espresso, the real Italian he is, thinking it’d be better to drink it rather than a regular sized coffee. Sara, on the other hand, gets an extra sweet caramel macchiato and seems content about it.

 Sara talks. A lot. She talks about school, about her best friend (Matteo learned her name is Leonie), the things they like to do, the music she listens to. Matteo tries to keep his focus and throws some “mmm” and “yeah” in, because that means he doesn’t have to speak much himself. Sara doesn’t seem to mind - she goes on about a party on Friday she would like to go to and the latest movie she would like to see.

 “Well, if you’d like, there’s a cinema around the corner. We could go there.”

 Her eyes lit up and she looks so happy Matteo has to hold his breath. He offered to see the movie with her because going to the cinema would mean they didn’t have to talk anymore. He’s sure he’s hardly said like ten sentences the whole afternoon and the idea of not having to talk, and not having to listen either, makes him feel a little better. He wishes he could just go back to his bed and lay there sleepless forever.

 They head to the cinema. Matteo doesn’t even finish his coffee, while Sara was done with hers after half an hour, and he wishes he could smoke some weed instead. It takes them five minutes to get there and now they’re both staring at a giant poster of Aladdin, Sara talking about how excited she is and how much she loves the actors. Matteo doesn’t really know any of them. He remembers watching Aladdin as a child. He’s not really in a mood for romance right now - neither on-screen nor in real life.

 They go inside and Matteo is taken aback by the amount of people inside. Yes, he knew Alexanderplatz is a popular place in the city (he had a hard time waiting for Sara, there were people everywhere and he really wished he could be home), but he still didn’t expect it to be this crowded. Sara still has a wide smile on her face and can’t stop chattering while they stand in line to the register.

 He’s tired. It’s really loud here, all these people talking and street noise coming through the door. His head starts to ache. He asks Sara how long is the film and he immediately regrets it when she says it’s over two hours. He can feel his face going numb from all the fake smiles he’s trying to put on and his heart starts to beat louder while the line is slowly moving forward.

 Sara seems a little worried about the look on his face and she asks if he’s feeling okay. He opens his mouth to say he is fine, that everything is great, when he sees it. Sees Him.

 “Matteo? Is something wrong?” she repeats the question, but Matteo is frozen.

 He can’t stop staring. The guy at the register is chatting with one of the customers and when he throws his head back, laughing at something a boy in front of him said, Matteo is blushing. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much happiness in his entire life.

 He’s snapped out of it by his date’s hand in front of his face.

 “Yeah, I’m good.” says Matteo. And he means it. Looking at that guy made him feel like he could move any mountain in the world. God, his smile. He could sin all his life if it meant he gets to see that smile again.

 Three boys go away from the cash register and Matteo realizes it’s their turn. Sara takes him by the hand and he follows her wide-eyed, because, to be fair, it’s not her hand he would like to hold right now. The guy offers them a wide smile, still looking happy after his previous conversation and Matteo thinks he might melt to the ground.

 “Hello. What would you like to see today?” the guy asks and Matteo swears he got chills in places he never knew he could get it. His voice is so deep, yet so soft and everything inside Matteo is screaming you because he would like to see him. He would like to see him every fucking day he lives on this earth.

 “Could we get two tickets for Aladdin, please?” Sara links their fingers and Matteo can’t help but wince. He takes a look at their hands and when his eyes go back to the boy’s face, there’s a tiny bit of worry. Matteo suddenly feels uneasy, shame taking over him as he looks to the ground, wishing he could disappear.

 “There’s one starting in 15 minutes. Is that good?” the guy asks and Matteo wants to look at him, wants so badly to look at his olive skin, his dark curly hair and the smile that made him feel like it’s going to get better. He doesn’t.

 “Yes, it’s perfect!”

 They chat for a bit and Matteo doesn’t seem to catch anything they are saying, still staring at his feet. There’s a quiet cough and he finally looks up to them. Looks up to him. His eyes are warm brown and he shoots him a reassuring smile and he keeps looking at him, asking if he wants to pay in cash or by card. And Matteo has no idea what he’s talking about, until he remembers he’s on a date. With a girl.

 As bad as it sounds (and it sounds really bad, especially because Matteo is broke and the tickets are fucking expensive, he already paid for their coffees), it’s a perfect opportunity to step back from her, because he obviously couldn’t take his wallet out of his pocket with only one free hand. He pays with his card and when the guy asks him if he needs a receipt, he says yes, because he wants him to hand him the receipt and he wants to hold his hand and- fuck.

 Matteo only thinks about it for a second before he’s being handed the receipt and their fingers brush. He wants to grab his whole hand and hold it and then grab the guy and hold the guy but he’s not a retard so he takes a step back, the document still in his hand so Sara can’t hold it. After he printed out two tickets for them, he reaches to hand them to Matteo, but Sara is the first to take them and she looks excited and happy and Matteo couldn’t care less.

 The guy guides them where to go and tells them to enjoy the movie. He sends Matteo one last smile and Matteo wants to say something, wants to tell him everything, but he’s on a date with a girl and there are people waiting in line and he has to get this shit to an end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SECOND PART: https://norskkitten.tumblr.com/post/185410831036/youre-only-a-fool-if-you-give-up-boy-part-ii ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uh, I got an idea and I thought I could go with this. I haven’t written anything in, like, at least 3 years. It’s almost 3am and it’s not edited and it’s not even finished, because i’m not sure if I want it in parts or I’ll just write an ending to this and make it a shot. But I love the idea and I ship it so hard.

[peachbowserandastrapon]

smash ultimate sesual headcanons (very dirty seriously don’t read if you’re a baby)

cloud is too busy to have sex but he’s probably into some weird-level shit like knifeplay or something

snake has a gear fetish

bowser is 99% dom top, but very subby in the event he does get fucked. would unintentionally be into k rool but they have bad chemistry they have to work thru first, and finds dedede super cute but won’t admit it. he’ll also happily stomp on any foot lover he meets. the only guy who gets to regularly top him is midbus imo so bowser’s thankful the pig’s not in smash so he can keep his tough guy cred looking strong. 

giga bowser only tops and will likely kill you accidentally in the process but it was probably worth it

incineroar is dom top but i could see him powerbottoming maybe from time to time. biiiiiig bromance with k rool. has a wrestling fetish - you can’t just fuck, you need to fight first. his finishing move is sitting on his opponent’s face. reeeeeeeally wants you to sniff his pits.

captain falcon is obviously into fisting

wolf is obviously a switch and into many things, wears different colored bandannas (look up gay handkerchief code) for whatever his mood is that night. dom as hell whether topping or bottoming. expects you to deepthroat him like right off the bat. has a ton of kinks... going off his bandannas you could say he’s into dildos, nipple play, armpits, fisting and pee and don’t tell me he doesn’t know about the handkerchief code seriously just look at his outfit and tell me he ain’t the gayest guy in space

fox leans way more to bottoming and subbing, he'll only top someone like falco maybe (and not in a dommy way at all). and he's clearly in love with wolf anyway and doesn't really wanna fuck anyone else. would happily let wolf put a leash on him but would act persnickety about the whole thing just to make wolf annoyed and more aggressive

falco talks big but he's a huge sub and would only want to top for bragging rights or something i imagine. so tsundere that it's a running joke with the rest of the starfox cast. i can't remember if he has an ascot too... but i could imagine maybe wolf does it for gay coding but the other two just do it cuz they think it looks cool and maybe don't know what they mean. also idk if falco would have a dick since he’s a bird

lucario is obviously 100% bottom considering his aura mechanic is all about taking a beating.

mario, luigi and peach all want bowser. daisy secretly wants wart from subcon but since she doesn’t see him that often she will settle for luigi, where she's the one calling the shots

adult yoshis would definitely enjoy a night with bowser if they were sexual but they're pretty asexual in general

greninja loves being cloaca fucked by bigger brutish types more than anything

the fire emblem cast all have sex with grave seriousness and they participate in small-scale eugenics projects to try to keep the blue haired gene alive

meta knight is a very considerate and skilled lover but no one wants to fuck him because he's a small blob. gives the best ____lingus in the world but few will ever know

kirby doesn't fucc

i don’t want to think of isabelle fuccing and she’s too busy living a full life to bother imo

villager is celibate but super into furries in an sfw way

olimar always wondered what having sex with a pikmin would be like but he knows it's wrong so he won't try it

wii fit trainer likes bending into different positions, and is not dominative on purpose but just seems intimidating so everyone just lets them do whatever

dr mario has a fetish for giving prostate exams and anal pills. always wears a condom. he never removes the gloves except when showering

mewtwo will use shadow magic to jack your dick/clit off

little mac hooks up with wii fit trainer after a stretching routine

ridley is 100% top but likes ass play like rimming as long as he's not penetrated. his idea of foreplay is killing your parents tho so be careful

donkey kong is a switch top/bottom dom/sub, honestly really just depends on who wins the dominance battle as is the law of the jungle. bad at kissing but can be taught. very experimental and wild style of fucking. will let you sniff his pits but he won’t really get it. wants to touch k rool’s belly but doesn’t know why

bayonetta is a dominatrix, obviously

anyone who tried to go up into rosalina's galaxy within her skirt was never seen again

ganondorf is 100% brutal top and so is ganon, you're going to be in pain in some way if you're under him

dedede loves bigger badder guys than him who will push him around and tease him, 100% bottom sub and wants bowser and k rool to tag team him with lots of demeaning dirty talk. drools while eating. dream land is so cutesy and pure that he’s come to fantasize about the darker types of characters elsewhere. thinks it’s wrong and messed up to be a king and have such fantasies, but can’t stop himself. wants k rool to smack him again. will act like a jackass just to incite others to bully him. 

rob likes the idea of getting people off but no one thinks to ask him about sexuality

k rool is a switch and a complete wildcard. you never know what you’re gonna get, considering he has so many personas. he also knows people are obsessed with his belly and he’s just as into it as you. he’ll even remove the gold armor for a softer experience. wants bowser to stomp on him. also wants to stomp on bowser. hates eating bananas but likes having them shoved into his body. probably has a ton of different kinky outfits in his closet. but he's really only obsessed with dk and wants to dom him. would also do it with funky and chunky kong but not be into it as much and would make them pretend to be donkey instead. has pictures of dk in his room. he and dk are at a constant battle of dominance and wits imo, like two looney tunes characters except trying to dom fuck instead of blow each other up. uses bananas and coconuts as subtext and wonders why nobody picks up on it

dracula gets overwhelmingly horny when he’s in his demon form for some reason

and charizard? obviously dom top but secretly likes to bottom sometimes, is sad because no one is brave enough to even ask to top him.

simon and richter just missionary under the blankets with the lights off usually.

ken loves his wife but she’ll let him jack off incineroar sometimes if she gets to watch

the other adult characters strike me as pretty vanilla except maybe wario is into farts or something