Basically fandoms and stuff I like. A lot of Red vs Blue, RWBY, Supernatural, Frozen, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Other stuff pops up too, like Harry Potter, Disney in general and Hunger Game. I don't own anything on my page cause I can't draw or write very well. Enjoy
As some of you already know, I'm starting my first longer comic.
It's based on my Mario fanart I Was-a Too Late that I posted in July. Let's say it also works as the comic's cover art.
Since this is going to be more of a long term fan project, let me just give you a quick heads up that the updates will likely be irregular and mostly slow. But I do want to finish this at some point in my lifetime, so let's say that I'll do my best to post at least one page a month. Hopefully I can stick to this plan, but we'll see ;)
Now for the TW/CW for those who need them: character deaths (including major), blood and some gore, violence (graphic depictions included, especially for Mario standards), and some heavy psychological stuff related to the aforementioned themes. I'll be putting specific warnings in the tags accordingly.
Based off of a concept by @multicolour-ink and @wiz-witchâ where the warp pipe in Brooklyn breaks down, leaving Mario and Luigi stranded separate dimensions: X.
From there I just went off the rails.
Mario (Brooklyn Side)
Mario has not stopped working toward finding a way to The Mushroom Kingdom since he and Luigi were separated, and has run himself ragged in the process.
He started off trying to discover if there is a working warp pipe somewhere else in the world. After all, if there was one just under their noses in Brooklyn, surely thereâs another somewhere! He just needs to search, and search hard.
Heâs always on the move, working some side-gigs to stay afloat while spending every second of free time pursuing and studying warp pipes. He eats bad, sleeps bad, and even smokes sometimes when heâs sleep deprived and canât focus (though he always feels guilty about it afterward. Luigi would NOT approve.)
Mario hates being alone, but spends most of his time alone, because he feels thatâs what he deserves at this point. Heâs reached so many dead ends he feels like heâs already failed his brother, but refuses to slow down all the same.
When heâs feeling particularly hopeless or lonely, sometimes he talks to nobody as though heâs talking to Luigi. This helps a little.Â
He calls his family ever couple of months to let them know heâs okay, and to see if thereâs any sign that the Brooklyn warp pipe is working again. These phone calls are brief, and he never properly explains where he is or what heâs doing.
 Mario has stolen (and usually returned) many ancient artifacts and documents, and broken into many a location trying to uncover a warp pipe. He hasnât hurt anyone, but his impatience and determination has earned him a bit of a criminal record in the human world.Â
In his travels, Mario found one or two working warp pipes, but they led to weird alternative dimensions not even close to The Mushroom Kingdom. He has done some heroism in these places whenever the situation presents itself (heâs still a good guy), and has been rewarded with helpful information about warp pipes and how they work.
Through knowledge he gleaned from his travels, combined his own advanced skills with traditional plumbing, Mario eventually pieces together how to repair warp pipes, which he uses to fix his own pipe back in Brooklyn.
Luigi (Mushroom Kingdom Side)
When Mario first got trapped in Brooklyn, Luigi desperately tried to fill his brotherâs shoes until he returned. When Bowser inevitably reattempted to destroy The Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi tried to channel his brother by taking on the tyrant on alone. He was very nearly killed as a result.
DK, Toad, and Peach successfully fended off Bowser in the end, but Luigi was left physically and emotionally scarred in a way he has not quite recovered from.
Luigi still does his best to be a hero despite everything, but is only barely functional unless he has someone backing him up. Princes Peach sticks close to him whenever possible, and Toad is ecstatic to have him as a friend and adventuring buddy.
 Luigi has an official place on the Toad Brigade, and is happiest when heâs doing missions with them.
He eventually develops into one of the most formidable heroes in the dimension, especially after he gains the powers of the thunder hand. He rarely gets recognition for this though, because he very much does not behave like the traditional hero, and far prefers the sidekick position. He wouldnât have it any other way. Â
Luigi does not spend a lot of time in his and Marioâs house, save to keep it clean and tidy. He has not moved any of his brothers things, except to keep them dusted. A part of him still holds out hope that heâll be back one day.
Princess Peach hooked Luigi up with an apprenticeship with Professor E. Gadd during one of his slumps, and he spends most of his nights sleeping over at the lab. The professor is happy to have him around; Luigi keeps the place so neat and organized, and makes the best cup of coffee!
Though they have some wardrobe changes, both Mario and Luigi have their original hats, and are extremely protective of them.Â
Oh my goodness! This is great! Such a lovely surprise đ
I love the idea of Mario travelling around trying to fix the warp pipe. That is something he would do; and Luigi having to fight but on the sidelines - pretty in character too. I love the art as well â¤đ
Luigi had always felt like he was living in the shadow of his brother Mario, never quite measuring up in his own eyes. As the pressures of their adventures and the constant feeling of being second-best weighed on him, Luigiâs mental health began to deteriorate. He became increasingly withdrawn, plagued by feelings of worthlessness and despair.
One day, unable to cope any longer, Luigi disappeared from the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and the others searched for him frantically, but it was as if Luigi had vanished without a trace. Months passed before they discovered that Luigi had checked himself into a rehabilitation center for severe depression.
The once-cheerful hero now spent his days in a stark, sterile room at the hospital, his green cap and overalls replaced by the plain clothes of a patient. The nurses spoke kindly to him, but Luigi hardly responded, lost in the depths of his sorrow. His only comfort was the stack of tissues by his side, which he used constantly to wipe away his tears.
One day, a reporter from the Mushroom Kingdom News came to interview Luigi, hoping to shed light on the toll that heroism could take on even the bravest of hearts. As the camera rolled, Luigi struggled to find the words to explain his pain. His voice trembled as he spoke, and soon, tears began to flow down his cheeks. He reached for a tissue, his hands shaking, and dabbed at his eyes, but the tears wouldnât stop.
"I just⌠I just wanted to help," Luigi whispered, his voice breaking. "But it was never enough. I was never enough."
The interview was heart-wrenching to watch. Luigi, who had always been the one to stand by Marioâs side, was now a shadow of his former self, broken by the weight of his own self-doubt and the relentless expectations placed upon him. As he continued to cry softly, wiping his eyes again and again, it was clear to everyone watching that Luigiâs journey was far from over. His battle was no longer against Bowser or any other villain, but against the darkness within himself.
And as Mario watched the interview from their home in the Mushroom Kingdom, his heart ached for his brother. He knew now more than ever that Luigi needed himânot as a hero, but as a brother. Mario vowed to be there for Luigi, to help him find the light again, no matter how long it took.
Thanks to my unending insomnia I was able to push this update out two days sooner than planned lol. Things are starting to heat up in the story, and the next update will be even wilder. If you enjoyed the chapter let me know, comments and reblogs really help. I put a ton of effort into drawing and coloring these pages. Anyway I'll be taking a two week break to prevent burnout before I start working on the next pages :)
TRIGGER WARNINGS: comic typical violence, inappropriate reactions to pain, threats of violence, possession, fire
Not knowing what to say, Bowser looked around himself. He was alone. Many eyes were on him, looking at him with disgust, fear, and hatred for what he had done.
Filled with emotions too much for him to handle, Bowser turned around, running out of the school out the nearest exit. The moment Bowser was out of sight, Mario immediately focused on his brother once more.
Luigi's eyes were filled with terror. At the same time, he felt tired, but he was fighting to keep himself awake.
"Mar...--"
That was all Luigi could mutter before coughing a bit of blood.
"You're okay, you're going to be okay," Mario reassured with a shaky voice. "I've got you..!"
The crowd of people around them still stood there, unsure of what to do. However, seeing Bowser leave, the teachers immediately sprung into action. Some quickly ran into their classrooms to call on the phone for someone to help, and others came over towards the brothers to check on Luigi.
One such individual was a particular purple toad with the name Mr. Toadsmauve who was not there at first, but he came right as Bowser ran away. He was Mario and Luigi's English teacher at the time. He had quite a good relationship with both brothers, but Luigi in particular always stood out to him. Luigi had always managed to write amazing essays, and there were even times where Luigi had written stories that he shared with him. He was even Luigi's favorite teacher.
Seeing how terrified Mario was during the situation, Mr. Toadsmauve did what he could to help reassure the one in red that his brother was going to be okay. He told Mario that help would be arriving shortly. After a few moments, the teachers who had previously left to call for help soon called for their students to return back to their classrooms. This was so the hallways could be properly cleared so that the medical professionals could get in with no problem once they came. Once all the students and other teachers left, it was just the two brothers and Mr. Toadsmauve left in the hallway.
Still battling to stay awake, Luigi slowly turned his head to look at his teacher.
"M-Mister..." Luigi said weakly. "I'm s-sorry...I might miss..."
"Luigi, you have far more important matters to worry about than my class," reassured Mr. Toadsmauve. "And your grade is the best in the class. Don't worry about missing it today. You and your brother will both be excused."
"And save your energy," the English teacher added.
In the distance, sirens could be heard outside the school building. Mr. Toadsmauve would stand up, backing away a little from the brothers.
"Mario, make sure you take good care of your brother, okay?" asked Mr. Toadsmauve. "He needs you right now."
"Y-Yeah..." Mario agreed worriedly. "Yeah, I will. Thank you, Mr. Toadsmauve."
Mr. Toadsmauve would nod, and a nearby door leading to the outside would open. Paramedics and EMTs were beginning to enter the building.
"Stay safe, you two," Mr. Toadsmauve added. "We'll be here for when you both come back."
Mario would nod, and Mr. Toadsmauve would back away a little more to give the medical professionals space to do what they needed to do. As they were getting Luigi onto a stretcher, Mario told them what had happened to his brother. He then soon followed them into an ambulance, which began its trip towards the hospital.
-To be concludedâŚ-
-------------------------------------------
Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746341252448043008/my-heart-hears-you-part-1?source=share
Part 1.5: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746341378314944512/my-heart-hears-you-part-15
Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746500897895514112/my-heart-hears-you-part-2
Part 3: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746506353298767872/my-heart-hears-you-part-3
Part 4: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746920665451495424/my-heart-hears-you-part-4
Part 5: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746921486930034688/my-heart-hears-you-part-5
Part 6: https://www.tumblr.com/jaybleu25/746923474412568576/my-heart-hears-you-part-6
"Have you forgotten sir, we were at war? A fight with an alien race for the very survival of our species. I feel I must remind you that it is an undeniable, and may I say fundamental quality of man, that when faced with extinction, every alternative is preferable."
"When you spend every day fighting a war, you to demonize your attackers. To you, they're evil, they're subhuman. Because if they weren't, what would that make you? What I'm trying to say... is I've been afraid to see you for what you really are. You're our brothers. Our sisters. And the things we've done to one another are unforgivable."
"These guys want to use us, take us away from our families, and send us all over the dad-gum galaxy just to test if their agents are ready for the big fight? Well... guess I'm interested in showin' em exactly what a big fight is all about! So I'm not ordering you to go. I ain't even asking. You do what you gotta do, Private."
came from the same series whose standard fare is lines like:
"What in the hell are you two doing?" / "We're being executed by our own men, sir." / "Cut it out."
"I only drink the blood of my enemies, and the occasional strawberry yoohoo."
"You always said I could sleep when Iâm dead, Sarge, and guess what? I am dead. This purgatory is about to become purga-snore-y, yawn!"
...and both categories manage to be a poignant statement about the nature of war and what it does to the people in it.
Hi, I just want to say I love Standing Still so much, tysm for writing it!!! If possible may I know other ron fics you'd rec? I'm pretty new so I would love fics even if they're old fics, also do ypu know other fics that focuses on the golden trio? Sorry u don't have to answer these questions my main focus is to just thank you for writing Standing Still, read it up all night tysm it's amazing
This one is amazing, but incomplete. The author was bullied off of fanfiction.net. I high rec it. They were amazing and I miss them.
Here's a more extensive list I've ever added to my favorites for Ron . There's a couple just Harry ones in here that slipped in, but its literally like 2. Have fun!
say some time travel shenanigans occur and the pre-AI pfl-era freelancers come to present day, maybe sometime during S13 so they plop right in the middle of the war against charon? before wash gets (any more) brain damage from his neck injury, before retirement can soften some of his edgesâ
I think wash takes his helmet off in front of them for the first time, and york or south instantly make the joke, âthe rookie finally grew up!!!â because they donât know yet that all those lines on his face are from stress, not agingâthey werenât pulled that far into the future, and yeah heâs really gained that amount of scars in such a short time period, too. but then wash scowls without a hint of pink on his skin, freckles doing little to mask a frustration that seems to be too familiar for their wide-eyed naĂŻve lil rookie; the pfl-era freelancers see that no one else seems to view this as abnormal for present-day wash, and start to key in on what mightâve changed with him.
the thing about loving nora so damn much is that i legally have to Make Her Go Through It. sometimes though, it feels so so so mean. however. i have to make my headcanons make sense from top to bottom.
so. per my headcanons on how her semblance works... once she was struck by lightning and her semblance unlocked, her passive ability unlocked too. rather than dissapating the tiny bits of electricity that her body naturally produces, like everyone else does, her body stores them. it's up to nora as to how she can deal with it.
before she gets a handle on it, she's a walking static producer. ever walked around in socks on carpet in the winter? she's like that, all the time. discharging whenever she touches anything that can conduct electricity. some of the less helpful instructors at tocsin (the vale combat school that my ren and nora attended from ages 13-17) force nora to wear rubber gloves when she's in class.
this, of course, doesn't actually help. she's still storing it up. nora copes by energizing herself with the excess electricity and just. Being Hyper. she always has been excitable but now she just bounces off the walls, because she doesn't know how else to spend the energy outside of combat.
ren doesn't know how to help her either. his semblance is strictly defensive/supportive. he has always been under intense stress to make sure he keeps it under control. they aren't on the streets anymore but nora feels compelled to make sure, should they ever end up there again, that she can pull more weight when it comes to keeping them safe.
if nora is worked up or stressed, she starts sparking. arcs of electricity come off her skin and they can hurt whoever gets close. it's a easy way to help her discharge, if you can get a grounded lightning rod close enough.
other lesser signs that she's not quite keeping it under wraps are, in order of increased severity: increased fidgeting/stimming (hilarious as a marker, as she's audhd af), static field as observed by her hair strands lifting up as if rubbed by a balloon, indigestion & nausea (too much energy messing with peristalsis); uncontrollable hiccups (excess electricity causing her diaphragm to spasm), and finally, the sparking.
these first two markers goes pretty much unnoticed by nora herself, though the rest of jnpr is pretty good at noticing when her hair starts going flyaway. ren can tell the difference between normal nora fidgets and too much energy! nora fidgets at a glance. when nora gets so bad that these side effects show, she tends to skip indigestion and nausea and go straight to hiccuping. rarely, like if she's in an argument with someone who doesn't know her well enough to point out her hair, she might reach the indigestion stage (for example, cordovin). however, hiccups come on fast when she's having a breakdown. they are her major sign that she needs to find some way to calm down and rein in her semblance.
she has two choices for doing so: sequestering it for later (a choice she makes when she's likely to be in combat soon) or discharging.
sequestering (storing) it requires her to rein in the electricity and sink it into her muscles. typically this means her thigh and butt muscles, as they are the largest. she creates a circuit of circulating electricity deep in her muscles and they slowly store the energy for later. (don't ask me about the biology here unless you want to be here all night; that is a promise, not a threat). she can also then use it to jump and leap. this is also why she skips so much!
storing/sequestering is what nora refers to as "sinking". it's not a term she really explains to anyone. in fact, she loathes explaining her semblance to people. firstly, no one expects her to understand how her semblance works, because she's hyper and bubbly and girly. secondly, people tend to get weirded out and wary of her when she explains, at least they did at tocsin. ren loves that she knows how both hers and his works.
she gets a lot of confidence and joy from it as jnpr works in private to train for the vytal festival, because jaune and pyrrha think her semblance is super cool. by the time vytal comes around, she's just stoked to be able to show off for the first time, since jaune decided they should keep it a secret until then.
on the other hand, discharging it is exactly what it seems. it's what she does when she doesn't need the extra energy or wants to be sure she's safe to touch others. she can discharge into the air (which causes a thunderclap of varying decibels, depending on how much electricity she discharges) or into the ground or to any grounded source. she can also do this offensively by throwing a bolt or striking something with precision.
after spending most of her time at tocsin wearing gloves, she keeps them in her beacon outfit, though fingerless, because she likes to comfort and the compression, but also she likes to know she's capable of safely touching people.
the mean thing that i was thinking of, which prompted this post, was nora being threatened with, and perhaps once subjected to, tocsin's cruelest 'therapy' which is to forcibly break a student's aura so that their semblance won't hurt anyone until they get it under control. which. may or may not have happened to her when she took a shower while charged, knocking out tocsin's campus water plant and electrocuting anyone who was also taking a shower at the same time. đ
anyways. i want to write a series of oneshots and drabbles that contains all my headcanons for the main kids' semblances and how they work and how they've adapted to them over time. im just a big sucker for logistics and after blake's semblance driving me batshit for months, i think it's what i deserve.
after her semblance is unlocked, it's a bit of a toss up as to whether nora's muscle cells have always had up to twice as many mitochondria as normal or if the cells began to produce as many then. nora is never going to know, because it's not like she had any cause to check before then. her smooth muscle cells (intestinal, involuntary) only have 1.25x more. her cardiac muscle cells (heart, involuntary) have 1.5x which is enough to maintain and shield her heart from the increased strain the electricity causes (especially when she uses her semblance as a pacemaker! for funsies!). her skeletal muscle cells (what make up what you typically think of as a muscle, voluntary) get the biggest upgrade with 2x the amount of mitochondria. they're also already multi nucleated but they are even more so now to adjust for the increased demands on each cell.
however, once her semblance is unlocked, all of her mitochondria are capable of a new task: electrosynthesis. this allows her to turn electricity into stored energy, in the same way that plants turn sunlight into stored energy (glucose) via photosynthesis. it's literally the same process; all she needs is electricity, water and carbon dioxide. she still exhales CO2 as a by-product of cellular respiration (CR), but so much less!
oh cool, twice the mitochondria! you say. she must be doing electrosynthesis and CR in equal measure, right? WRONG.
this is a NIGHTMARE for her initially. she has no idea why she wakes up with her blood sugar so dangerously low. she can barely make it to breakfast to refuel those first few weeks. her food hoarding tendicies take on a completely different purpose and she has to start making sure she has something sugary to eat as soon as she wakes. she loves apple juice, but it's harder to smuggle out of the dining hall. but if she can sneak out a danish and down it before breakfast, she can make it to breakfast and drink her weight in juice.
a mitochondrion's job is, and always will be, primarily CR, especially since CR is catabolic and releases energy. it's more natural (tends toward entropy) than electrosynthesis, which is anabolic. while it would be cool, she doesn't have a human version of chloroplasts, which only serve to photosynthesize and have no other purpose. she just has more mitochondria. so if she's not actively sequestering excess electricity (such as when she's sleeping) she's using more energy as mitochondria are all engaged in turning stored sugars into energy.
it takes her a while to figure out she can actively sequester electricity through the day to build up enough sugar to use throughout the night. also, eating as much as she can doesn't hurt either. to everyone but ren, her body's refusal to get any taller or buffer is baffling- no one can tell that she's eating just to maintain! if she keeps up with her appetite, she can use electricity for combat, instead of maintaining her own existence. holy high metabolism batman!! is it exhausting? yes.
but after a year or so, it becomes like second nature to her. she trains and, as much as she hates it, learns to meditate, aided by ren in this practice. she figures out how to make sequestering a background process in her mind. it's not perfect, of course, especially at the tender age of fourteen. and gods above, it isn't easy. sleeping is probably still the most difficult hurdle. she does her best to mediate her unconscious minds inability to continuously sequester by waking up periodically or, more practically, waking up much earlier to lay in bed and sequester the electricity that built up over night. it makes her a very very bubbly morning person! who wouldn't be, when you can basically make your own internal coffee first thing in the morning?
by the time she graduates tocsin and gets into beacon with ren, she has her semblance under control almost 24/7. she has all of her coping strategies in place. she can and does wield her semblance to do things like jump ridiculously high, perform improbable acrobatic feats, and fuel magnhild's ammo. she plays pull my finger pranks on people she likes and zaps the scrolls of people she doesn't like.
since ren and nora don't use dust, the idea of using lightning/yellow dust to power her up doesn't really occur to them until beacon, until jnpr. jaune, ever the strategist, starts thinking of ways she can get a boost that doesn't rely on her anticipating a fight and storing energy ahead of time. through trial and error they find out that with a medium sized dust crystal, nora can take in enough electricity to power a few reasonable sized lightning bolts or recharge her muscles.
drawing in electricity... it hurts. there's no bones about it. just like yang (and unlike adam and hazel), she feels the hit, even though she knows it's making her stronger. that's what allows her to power through the pain, in addition to her complex of not wanting to be seen as incapable of handling the incredible power she's been gifted with. she's stellar at hiding it but when she gets over charged or unexpectedly charged, it's hard for her to pretend otherwise. sometimes "acting" hurt works in her favor (see: tyrian vs jnrr) but other times she's truly caught off guard (see: hazel vs nora).
nora also has a little kit, what amounts to a fancy fork that she calls her charging tine. it's forged from specially condictive metal and she'll use it to carefully draw power from electrical outlets. not something she likes to do, especially if she doesn't have advance info on the building and its electrical rating and thus can cause an outage, but she has it as a back up.
after her v8c3 misadventure in reckless self sacrifice/destruction, her permanent scars are also permanent subdermal pathways that act as a back up circuit. now, between hiccups and sparks, she has an intermediate stage. she glows, as electricity circles through the closed loop just under her skin. the scars glow in increasing intensity from dark tan all the way up to neon pink. then she'll start sparking.
one note, by the way, is that nora's energetic imperative doesn't keep her from getting tired! however, she doesn't present tired in a typical way. she's much more prone to simply passing out and falling asleep where she is. ren carries her a lot when this happens. it used to scare him, but now he usually forgets that it also scares other people. the first time nora passed out in front of jaune and pyrrha, they were understandably freaked out when ren didn't react at all.
i feel like i didn't ramble enough here but uh... *sets this down and runs away*
sooooo many people have hc'd nora as having nerve pain because of her overloading her semblance. i know im not the first. but let's look at this at on a [very basic] biological level.
so what allows electrical impulses to travel through the body? it's nerves, specifically a covering on the axon of the nerves called myelin. it's a lipid (fatty) based sheath that insulates the nerves, similar to the way we insulate wires. electrical impulses jump between myelin sheathes. to not have these sheathes causes a fuck ton of nerve pain!
so, to be able to take a lightning strike, or several, let's say nora has stronger myelin sheathes. not thicker, because that causes ita own problems, but a stronger composition that can withstand the amount of voltage nora produces and channels. rarely does she have an extended contact with a high voltage source. lightning strikes are short. her body allows her to withstand short bursts of high voltage, allow her to channel and store it almost instantly rather than discharging it into the ground like any other lightning strike victim.
now. consider.
consider how long nora drained the security gate. she held magnhild to it for 6 seconds minimum, possibly as long as 8 seconds. lightning strikes last only a fraction of a second.
her nerves are NOT meant to handle that. she gets lichtenberg scars that a normal person would after getting hit by lightning, because the gate exceeds her natural capacity. nora is made to be struck by lightning. but this?? she is not meant for this. she arguably knows it. hazel got her pretty good at haven, but it wasn't nearly as much. (i feel like hazel was holding back at haven but that is a conversation for another time).
nora knows it's going to hurt like a bitch. but she's the only one who could do it! (sound familiar?) so she does it, at the expense of her own health. (god fucking damnit jnpr. look at you fucking idiots. all of you are like this. stop doing this!!!!!) she does it anyway. they have to get out there! they have to help penny (nuts&bolts, my beloved)!!! she has to do the only thing she (thinks she) knows how to do which is is to be strong and hit stuff with her hammer.
i have to imagine nora woke up and felt how bad she hurt. the pain she feels is what she always feels when she's struck but it's so much worse. it's constant. it burns.
overloading herself costs. she doesn't regret it. she doesn't. penny needed her. it's fine.
so, even with jaune helping, his aura boost only helps a little bit to restore her myelin, an already slow replenishing resource. with his aura boost and her aura regenned and working to heal her and assuming someone in vacuo can diagnose her and has access to restorative treatments, it's still going to take weeks, if not months, to get back to her normal levels.
the first time she tries to pick up magnhild, she drops it. the pain is too much. she has to focus every drop of her willpower just to get her hands to find those familiar positions.
correct me if im wrong, but the only time she actually wields it post v8c3 is in the ironwood fight, right? im just imagining her arguing with everyone as they made the plan. "fuck you, i deserve one hit." everyone makes a 'so help me gods face' at her. "okay fine, but only one," jaune insists. (ill live and die on my 'nora, second in command and jaune, the only person who can successfully tell her no' hill) "I'll make it count."
which is why she gets to smash his fucking face in. get his ass, girl. but she doesn't really do any fighting after that! she rides magnhild (mobility aid!!!) and directs people to the portal. and even at the close of v8, she's too busy sobbing at the one way portal to foght the grimm, right???? I don't think she's even in the final shot, is she??? (she probably is. i only see ren, emerald, and oscar in my memory though. I don't have time to go back and look.) point is, she is still recovering!!!!!
anyway, i think vacuo is a time for nora to grieve and mourn. without pyrrha, without jaune, without ren (he's there but yknow), who is she outside of jnpr? she's someone experiencing chronic pain, a completely different beast from the acute pain she's used to. she's mourning the loss of her friends, her home(s), her world as she knows it. she's dealing with grimm she's never met in a place she's never been. the heat doesn't bother her (think about how hot lightning is!) but she sunburns so godsdamn easy. she's trying to get along with SSSNN and CVFY and everyone else in vacuo. trying to help keep the refugees organized. trying to get along without relying on ren or oscar who know she's in so much pain everyday
trying to exhaust herself enough in the day so she doesn't dehydrate herself by crying herself to sleep at night.
thing about vacuo though... not a whole lot of storms in the desert and precious little lightning dust to go around. with her body so taxed, she's advised to not use her semblance. she constantly discharges in to the ground as she walks basically, so the buildup never gets high enough to hurt. the only time she doesn't do this is when she's on mission; then she slowly charges magnhild throughout the mission. she keeps a little for emrgencies but even then almost never uses it. by the time jaune and rwby get back several months later, she can count on one hand how many she's actually used it without magnhild being an intermediary.
it frustrates the hell out of her because, her semblance is part of her identity. there's few things that she can readily identify as being her and her only; that's one of them. ever her personality, which is so complementary to ren's, isn't hers alone. kinda fucked up, huh?
she does find that she loves who she is, even when she's the same without ren to counterbalance and her semblance to give her her usual pep. i like to imagine she gets a small missions alone and ends up helping some kids or something and she finds that who she is is plenty enough for herself and others, that she can be herself who is joyous and strong and tired and honest. i don't know. i think about her v7 'here kitty kitty!' line and her exhaustion afterward. she's allowed to be grumpy and tired and funny and sweet. she's so much and i can't wait for her to realize it again.
One-shot based on @elitadream's Body Swap AU.
It's set in the aftermath of Mario's eventual rescue, (it also comes with a few drawings because I was in a mood.) Please note that the Bowser I drew is, for the sake of consistency, based on elitadream's (fcking awesome) Bowser design, and is not my own take.
If you like this AU/concept, please check out the masterpost! There is soooo much good stuff on there.
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Inexperience and desperation fueled an inferno that turned the bright green fields on the outskirts of The Mushroom Kingdom as black as the heart of The Darklands.
Kamek clung to his broom high above the mayhem, and through the smoke and roaring flames he caught glimpses of the two warring bodies, each utterly detached from their senses, unaware of either fatigue or pain as they grappled for dominance in a struggle far more explosive than anything he had witnessed before.
Mario aloneâ equipped with Bowserâs bodyâ seemed to have some sort of a goal beyond delivering as much damage as possible. As clumsy as he was with his giant claws and heavy form, he remained keenly aware of where Luigi and Princess Peach were, and always made sure he was positioned to shield them from the worst of the heat.
Though Luigi and Peach struggled to assist in whatever way they could, the raging inferno that encompassed the fight made even comprehending what was happening around them near impossible, and even Kamek, accustomed to the fire whirl and magma pits of home, felt overwhelmed.
Yet, out of fear for his king, he ventured closer, weaving about the spires of flames upon his broomstick to get a better look.
Though Mario and Bowser alike were to blame for the surrounding destruction, he was surprised to find a majority of the fire was radiating from the body of the plumber. Bowser had wielded firebrand with reckless abandon, clearly unaware of such magicâs limitations, barely even noticing the redness and blisters forming upon his skin wherever patches of his gloves and sleeves had been burned away.
Marioâs body was more resistant to heat than that of the average human, but itâ unlike Bowser's original bodyâ was not immune.
Kamekâs concern grew into a subdued panic when, at length, the fire began to lose intensity. Bowser strained to refuel the inferno, staring with unfocused confusion at his all-too-human hands as he struggled to make sparks when he once constructed torrents of white hot flames. He didnât know what was happening, but Kamek could tell that the abused body was finally failing him.
As the heat lost its intensity, Luigi and Peach slowly made their approach, careful to avoid the patches of earth that boiled red-hot from the encounter.
Seeing where the chips fell, Kamek knew what needed to be done.
Thankfully, the spell that had switched Bowser and Marioâs bodiesâ though difficult to conductâ was childsplay to undo.
With the wave of his wand and a whispered charm, both souls were returned to their original form. Luigi and Peach witnessed the flash of light, and the great change in both Marioâs and The Koopa Kingâs expression.
Immediately, Bowser felt it: the weight of being and the connection to his old flesh. Like waking from a heavy sleep he noted the tiredness in his arms and the ache in his chest, as well as the pain of the bruises and the burns he himself had inflicted in his scuffle with a borrowed body.
His newfound sense of weakness triggered a rage. A low, familiar growl rumbled throughout his draconic form as he turned toward the magikoopa hovering nearby.
âKamek!â he roared, âI did not order you to return me to my body!â
Kamekâs broom came to a landing at Bowserâs sideâ now the true Bowser, through and through. Kamek had expected his lord to be displeased, and yet he couldnât help flinching, clutching his wand to his chest at the severity of the voice.
âIâm sorry sire, but I had no choice! Your old vessel, it⌠it could not carry on!â
âWhat!?â
Bowser blew a puff of smoke and looked to where Mario stood, although âstoodâ may have been too strong a term. The little plumberâ himself, slowly growing aware of his own bodyâ wobbled unsteadily in place. Outside of the injuries heâd undergone in the fight there were other markings; his cheeks sallow and his eyes sunken, his breath labored and his lips cracked and chapped.
His knees began to buckle, and the princess and Luigi rushed together to catch him before he hit the ground.
Bowser smirked, taking no small amount of satisfaction in the fear that flashed through Marioâs eyes as he steadily crumbled into the arms of his companions.
âSee? Your efforts werenât for naught.â Kamek continued cheerfully, âyour hated enemy is defeated, worn thin through âhisâ decimation of The Mushroom Kingdomâs defenses. We merely need to press forward with the invasion, and victory shall be yours!...â
Kamek was about to continue, when he was interrupted by a violent flash of blue light and the crack of thunder.
Luigi had left his brother in the arms of the princess and leapt in front of them, electricity shooting from an outstretched hand, across the charred plane, into the body of the magician.
Kamek, blindsided, received the attack with full-force. He jittered and contorted, unable to emit so much as a shriek as electricity ricocheted through his elderly body, until at length he fell to the ground limp as a ragdoll.
All eyes shifted to Luigi.Â
Anyone who had fought with The Mario Brothers, whether as their ally or opponent, knew firebrand had horizontal range and thunderhand had vertical range. Both were capable of incredible destructive power in close quarters, and when Mario and Luigi worked as a team, few had the opportunity to get near enough to feel the full force of their magic.
By all accounts, Kamek should have been out of range. Even Luigi appeared utterly bewildered by what he just accomplished, breathing heavily as he looked at his own hands, shivering from adrenaline and sparking uncontrollably.
Bowser, equally bewildered, bent down at Kamekâs side, and examined him in a moment of what appeared to be genuine concern.
With the enemy distracted, Luigi took a step back toward Princess Peach to deliver the harried bullet points of his plan.
âYou need to get him to The Mushroom Kingdom before the invasion. Get Mario help. Get everyone ready. Iâll keep him busy.â
âLuigi!â
The princessâ voice was pleading as she gathered Mario into her arms.
Truthfully, she knew Luigiâs idea wasn't a bad one. Bowserâs body, despite being in better condition than Marioâs, had not emerged from the battle unscathed. Given the current circumstances, Luigi stood a chance of holding his own, and The Mushroom Kingdom desperately needed time to ready its defenses before Koopa Troops showed up in droves to carry out Bowserâs planned attack.
Nonetheless, Peach detested the thought of abandoning him. He had suffered too much on his own already. Furthermore, he and Mario had just been reunited, and she preferred any other possible avenue over splitting them apart again.
Luigi glanced over his shoulder, and forced a reassuring smile that didn't quite fit his words: âIâm sorry! I was so scared I- I didnât do anything right! I shouldâve done more⌠protected everyone sooner." His voice cracked, those old familiar tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Please, let me do things right this time.â
Mario, through his fight to maintain consciousness, heard every word, and hated them with every fiber of his being.
He attempted to speak, to reach out for his brother, to do anything to console him⌠but his tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth and his arms hung limply at his sides. All he could manage was a barely-audible murmur.
Luigi had no right to feel this way. He wasnât the one who had fallen for Bowserâs trap, who had allowed himself to be chained up in the underbelly of the world, who had given over to despair.
Luigi, through no fault of his own, had been suddenly abandoned to the whims of a monster, and yet he had escaped and traveled all the way to The Darklands to save him. How could he feel guilt for this? How could he feel anything but proud of himself?
âLuigiâŚâ Peach whispered, but before she could say anything more, there came a thudding of heavy steps. A giant clawed hand cast a shadow over them as Bowser, who realized by now that Kamek wouldnât be roused any time soon, rushed forward to finish the fight.
Luigi leapt over the attack on instinct while The Princess rolled out of the way, holding Mario close to her chest as Bowserâs heavy hand shattered the earth inches from her back.
The King of The Koopas turned to Peach, poised to bring down another blow, when Luigi landed upon the back of his neck. One hand clung to his horn, while the other slammed down against the thick, scaly skin of his neck to deliver another pulse of electricity.
This time, Bowser felt it, and the sound of his pained roar fueled Luigiâs determination.
âGo your highness!â He shouted, struggling to maintain his grip as Bowser fought to shake him off, âI wonât be far behind!â
Princess Peach hurried to her feet, hesitating for only a moment longer as she tightened her grip on Mario's body. She felt him grow limp, heard his labored breath slow, and felt the decision had all but been made for her.
With a heavy heart she turned and ran toward The Mushroom Kingdom, pouring whatever magic she left into Mario's unconscious form. The burns could be fixed easily, but the effects of starvation, dehydration, and sleep deprivation were not so easily undone. Slow damage required slow remedies, and the worst of his condition had been over a week in the making.
She didnât dare look back, keeping her eyes focused on the twinkle of the castleâs familiar stained glass window in the distance, shining like a beacon above clouds of ash and smoke as the world behind her echoed with the sound of monstrous roars and crackling thunder.
Hello peeps! :D As promised, here's a cumulative post including all the awesome contributions that have been made about this concept. đ¤ As I'm writing this, there are three other works still in progress that I'm aware of, and which I will be happy to add here once they're finished! ⨠If I'm somehow forgetting any, please let me know and I'll make the adjustment immediately!!
The response to this idea has honestly been phenomenal and I can't thank you guys enough for your involvement and interest. ^-^ đ
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My art (in uploaded order):
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (TW) | 6 | 7 | 8
@pianokantzart:
The Line of Fire | Impromptu | Where There's Smoke | Fanart
@mrspockify
Malicious Intent | Left Unsaid
@keakruiser:
Shocking Revelations | Finding Solace | Healing Together
I saw this post by @elitadream for her Body Swap AU.
I then blacked out, and when I came to I had written a one-shot.
Enjoy! As usual, be mindful of the triggers.
ââââââââ
"Don't look so gloomy, you should revel in the fact that you held such power! You were the sole pillar that held The Mushroom Kingdom aloft!â
Kamek reached out a hand and patted the great chained beast on the snout like it was the head of a small child. Mario winced and tried to turn his face away, but the enchanted shackles held him firmly in place. In his helplessness, he locked eyes with the malicious magikoopa, and blew a puff of smoke in a silent threat.
Having been imprisoned for so long, Mario passed the time learning to wield and control Bowserâs fire breath in hopes that, at some point, it would be of use. The way the heat built up in his lungs didn't feel too different from how firebrand once burned within his heart and weaved around the bones of his hands. In the dingy silence of his cell, he spat large jets of blinding orange flames, breathed tiny flicks of red embers, and puffed dark billows of grey smoke in a quiet contemplation of what all he was capable of.
While his body was restrained in such a way that he couldnât aim the weapon, the fact he could use it at all proved to be a very helpful form of self-defense against the soldiers who delivered his rations of food and water.
Once the guards had overcome the initial strangeness of Mario inhabiting their Kingâs body, they grew cruel, taking every opportunity to taunt the fallen hero. Physically damaging him was off-limits, but everything else was permitted, and when the usual insults escalated to spitting on him and throwing food, Mario finally lost his temper, releasing a billow of flames and a fearsome roar that cleared the room in seconds.
From then on, whenever a koopa entered his cell, he would growl lowly and breathe smoke. This effectively deterred any further abuseâŚ
⌠unless, of course, it was Kamek.
Kamek was not only accustomed to Bowserâs fearful form, but he knew he was Marioâs sole hope of returning to his own body. Whatever threat was directed at him was nothing more than an amusement.
âOn the other hand," he continued, "you are the greatest crack in their defenses. Never before have we made so much progress in conquering a kingdom in such a short amount of time, and youâre entirely to thank for it!â
âLeave me alone.â
Mario had intended to sound menacing then, but despite his new voice there was no denying the fear and sorrow that muddled every word.
Kamek smiled.
âOh? But donât you want to hear about this progress we made? That the castle is falling? That Princess Peach has disappeared?â
Marioâs eyes widened. The chains holding him back clattered as his massive body jolted. Fear built within him, stoking the literal flames in his chest until it glowed with heat.
Kamek appeared satisfied with this reaction.
âYes! Disappeared entirely! We expected such behavior from your brother⌠hiding himself like a proper coward⌠but we are having a good deal of trouble figuring out where The Princess has gone to!â
Mario suddenly became aware of a strange pain spreading through his body. He had, by now, become accustomed to the burning aches that accompanied being chained up for so long, but this pain was different: more direct and intentional, like a thousand little blades tearing at the sinews beneath the skin.
He now saw that the wand in Kamekâs hand was glowing, the smile on his bespectacled face wider and more malicious.
âNow, your body is still the property of Lord Bowser, and as such is not allowed to come to any harm.â He hummed, âThankfully, I know a few spells capable of causing a great amount of pain without damaging the vessel.â
Mario tensed. The agony spreading throughout his body worsened, and he huffed a small burst of flame from between gritted teeth.
âSo, Iâll ask this only once:â Kamek hissed, âWhere do you suppose the princess has gone?â
Mario answered with a cold glare, then squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation. Kamek, having expected this, obliged by intensifying the spell.
There was the initial surge, white-hot and agonizing, forcing a restrained cry, when the pain suddenlyâ and unexpectedlyâ ceased. Even stranger, Mario felt his restraints fall away, and nearly collapsed in their absence, his limbs slowly shifting in the relief of newfound freedom.
Kamek released a guttural gasp. Mario opened his eyes just in time to see his tormentor struggling against tendrils of bright pink magic that wreathed around him like serpents, until the magikoopa slumped quietly to the floor in an unconscious heap. Behind him stood the familiar figure of Princess Peach, her hands ablaze with magic that sparkled like starlight.
Seeing her in the doorway, disheveled but unharmed, scowling at the fallen foe before her, Mario was suddenly overwhelmed by fear and shame.
Heâd had dreams like this during his captivity, and believing them for even a second proved immeasurably painful when he awoke to find himself restrained and alone. But even if this wasnât an illusion, everything he was at this moment was an affront to her: a strange combination of monstrousness and uselessness.
His alien form complemented his own newfound insignificance, every ounce of goodwill heâd earned over the years now actively destroying all they had struggled to protect.
His body fought to make itself smaller as he stumbled back, only to be immediately stopped by the far wall of his tiny cell.
âS-Sono costernatoâŚâ he began, loathing the sound of his own voice.
But Peach had already crossed the room, desperate to hold him the moment she recognized his eyes. Mario felt the soft fabric of her gloves wrapped around his face, her hair tickling his snout as she pressed her forehead against him.
It was difficult not to hold her in return, but Mario restrained himself. He feared underestimating his own strength and unintentionally hurting her more than he already had, so he simply stood there, basking in the sensation and taking in the undeniable reality of it all.
As soon as I began receiving asks about Junior regarding my body swap concept a few days ago, I knew I wanted to add him in a short sequence. đ
I've considered many different scenes in which he would be included, but there was one in particular that kept coming back to my mind, and it was the exact moment he would agree to safely lead Luigi to "Bowser" (aka Mario). In this specific scenario, he would be mostly oblivious to what's going on, and would thus show palpable mistrust towards Luigi at first, who he doesn't really know and hasn't yet opened up to. But upon seeing how distraught the poor man is, Junior would feel for him and let his guard down. đ¤˛
