*inhales deeply*
I've been waiting for this question...
Kelbrey... I hope you know that I got an entire bunch of lore centered around Luigi being a dancer... and I'm about to spill it all right here, right now. You've been warned/j/lh
As for tagging... @peaches2217, @vulpixfairy1985, @bberetd, @megamagimugi, @loud-kid2 @silenzahra (whenever you're ready, love ❤)
@luigixfanxayjay, and anyone else interested in Luigi ramblings and all that fancy shmancy stuff (plus a side of Luaisy or Luisley).
(TW: mentions of bullying, dysphoria, older women cattiness, implied bad relationships)
Childhood
Starting off relatively simple, Luigi was always fascinated by dancing and just art in general. Even as a young kid, he would LOVE watching shows that had dancing and music, and he'd sometimes get up and start dancing with the characters to his heart's content. His family thought this was the cutest thing, and they actively encouraged it! His mom often bought him cute dresses to dance in, and she'd even find songs he could dance to (she didn't approve of Uncle Tony constantly playing Dirty Dancing for him 😅). And together, they'd watch a bunch of old shows, just to see what things he liked. Turns out, he liked things that were vintage ANYTHING (to him, 20's-80's). This one was especially his favorite (... much to his mother's horror):
The whole time, Luigi LOVED it. To him, it was like playing princesses, and he got the lead role (he had a huge princess phase growing up, lol)! Sometimes, he'd drag Mario into his performances, something the older brother enjoyed... but they usually ended up laughing and stumbling over each other more than, y'know... dancing.
His performances also branched out beyond his own home, too. His school would often hold plays, most of which would involve dancing and singing. Luigi never missed a chance to get up on stage and do what he did best. He pretty much stole the spotlight, even when he wasn't the main act, just from his energy and enthusiasm alone! And when his brother joined in... let's just say they deserved that award for "Best Dancer" from their teacher!
When Weegee was a little bit older (around 12), he tried doing auditions for dancing as a sport. He thought that since he could do it for fun, this would be a great opportunity... right?
It was a disaster.
The whole class was one big episode of Dance Moms. The other girls in his class were catty and mean towards him for sticking around his older brother, and often chided him for his "childish" dresses. Luigi even overheard some of the other moms making fun of him in private about his weight and his face (don't worry, Mia gave them hell for this). It also didn't help that he had started going through puberty around this time... and that dysphoria was starting to hit him hard. His self-esteem dropped to an all-time low, and he finally quit, stating that he had lost interest to his mom.
It wasn't until around high school (age 15) that he finally felt confident enough to put on his dancing shoes again, now with a healthy outlet for his dysphoria and the support of his family. This time, he took great precaution in it because he was determined to impress a crush he had (spoiler... he did! ❤)... and because he missed it. He studied any sort of fancy moves he could: ballroom dancing, salsa, tango, ballet, and jazz. He would sometimes spend hours perfecting his moves, his and Mario's record player blaring at all hours of the morning. But in the end, it was all worth it as he was the best dancer at his school's prom (and Destiny quite liked it, too!)
After he and Mario finished high school, he didn't really have much of a need for dancing too much. He still did it occasionally whenever he did housework, but that was about it. He had another partner who he danced with when he was around 19, and they always had a good time (good memories... terrible person, though 😬).
Once his last relationship ended on... not great terms, he decided that his dancing would be kept to himself. And only himself.
Until...
Present Day
For a long time after he and Mario moved to the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi gave up dancing a second time, relegating it only to when he was alone... usually in the bathroom lip-synching to his radio with a toothpaste beard wearing just his underwear. The thought of actually dancing in public or where anyone could see him was just UNTHINKABLE at this point.
And then... she came along.
When he first met Daisy, she and him were mostly just awkward besties. Most of the time, they just read books together and talked about random things that... usually involved books. At the time, both of them were extremely shy, especially both coming out of bad situations (Luigi's last relationship, and Daisy's home life). It took a long time for them to open up... and they eventually did one night at one of the Mushroom Kingdom Balls.
Luigi had gotten overwhelmed by the crowds and had taken it upon himself to find some privacy... and Daisy was the only one to follow along (Mario was busy with Peach at the time). She made him feel better and just stayed with him for as long as he needed... and that actually helped him quite a bit. After some time, they heard a slow song start to play from the party... and they decided to try dancing. At first, Daisy was gonna show him the ropes... but then he took her by the hand and said, "A-A-Allow me... m-m'lady... 😏🌹"
And... let's just say... that was the night they both fell in love with each other. It took a while to admit it... but that was the moment.
After that night, and soon after they started dating, they still continued on. The two would sometimes dress up for the occasion, just to set the mood: one wearing a dress and the other wearing a suit, both wearing suits, or both wearing dresses. Luigi was already a great dancer, but Daisy further enhanced this with her own tastes... particularly a certain genre:
Needless to say, Luigi is a MASTER at the tango (hence why he and Daisy were crowned the Tango Tanglers during the Mushroom Kingdom's Summer Solstice Ball!). It took a little time for both of them to work up the courage to dance around others... but they eventually did it! To them, dancing was what helped them become the people they are now:
Luigi: strong, brave, and probably the best boyfriend on the face of the planet (Daisy's words)
Daisy: um... Daisy!
Later on, he met Peasley (his second partner), who cranked this up to 100. Peasley was always quite the dancer himself (both in combat and personally), and he was rather skilled at ballet. This was something Luigi immediately noticed when Peasley joined him and Mario in battle during their adventures in the Beanbean Kingdom... and let's just say, bro went through the five stages of bi panic real frickin quick 💀
Sometimes, when they had a moment alone, Peasley would guide him through the motions ("To help you become a better fighter, of course!" - Peasley). Luigi often pretended he was terrible at dancing just to be alone with Peasley, but he saw through that, lol. (also, Luigi had been writing to Daisy this whole time, so she definitely knew; she was actually the one who told him to do this 💀)
Fast forward to present day, they still regularly do this... and they love it every single time.
Nowadays, Luigi mainly saves his moves for the both of them... and their kiddos! He loves nothing more than to put on some music and dance with all of them in one arm. Sometimes, he's swinging his girls Vivi and Lily around while they're laughing up a storm, or he's being carried around by Peasley and Daisy... but either way, they're all happy to be by each other's sides in these moments. ❤
So... in short... Luigi's actually a pretty good dancer! ☺❤
