"100 Themes Challenge"
"Author's Note:" A lot of these are loosely (or not so loosely) based on RP ideas, and the bits with original characters might be a little hard to follow. Originally, I wasn't going to post anything here until I had completed the challenge, but...well, I don't really know if I will complete it. And that's fine, because there won't be any cliffhangers this time!
This will focus mostly on Bowser, the Koopalings, and their family and friends. Pairings include Roy Koopa/Elizabeth Lockheart (OC); Elizabeth Lockheart/David Everett (both OC's); Bowser/Clawdia; Ludwig Von Koopa/Novia Von Koopa, nee Faricot (OC, not mine). More pairings may be added later on, depending on how these go.
These will be interconnected, but the timeline will jump around a lot. Rather than posting 100 separate stories, I will group these together into one long group of chapters. Anything that needs explaining will be included in an Author's Note at the beginning of a chapter. Since the timeline won't be followed in a linear manner, there will probably be spoilers and mild confusion, hence the AN's. I will try to avoid plot holes and mistakes, but the bigger the project, the easier it is to miss something. Installments will be written out of order, but the correct theme number will be given at the beginning of each chapter.
This will be rated 'T' for language, some violence, and mild adult content.
OC warning; contains a shameless self-insertion, which some might consider a 'Mary Sue'. It's just how the character worked out in RP's, and I don't expect everyone to like it that I've included one. Relax, guys; it's just for fun.
Finally, everyone knows who the canon Mario characters are. I don't own them, or anything having to do with the Mario franchise. They belong to Nintendo. I'm debating whether or not to include character profiles for my own OC's here, but whether I bother or not will depend on peoples' interest. As it is, I think I'm stretching it with this humongous AN! If I post any character profiles, they'll go on my FFN profile, since I don't think we're supposed to simply post those as a separate chapter or story. IE, I'm covering my butt!
Now, on with the challenge! I hope you enjoy it.
"Theme 1: Introduction"
"So, dis girl you and Novia want me to meet..." Roy leaned back in his chair and took a long swig of his Koopa Kola, ignoring the straw completely and gulping the soft drink directly from his red plastic cup.
"Yes?" Ludwig Von Koopa peered warily at Roy over the top of his menu. He and his brother were sitting in Roy's favorite pizzeria, waiting for their lunch guests to join them.
"Is she cute?"
Ludwig sighed, putting aside his menu. "I am not a dating service, Roy. I warn you, you are to treat her with respect. She and Novia will be here soon, and you will be on your best behavior. Is that clear?"
Roy smirked at the clipped tone of voice that crept into his brother's speech. Ludwig's slight German accent, which was a hold-over from early childhood when their mother still deigned to show her pretty face around the nursery, had become more pronounced. Not only did Ludwig mean business, he was also avoiding the question.
"Right, right. No playin' grab-tail wit da lunch guest. Got it. So, is she cute or not?" His smirk became a grin when he observed his brother's pained expression.
True to form, Ludwig did not rise to the bait. "I refuse to incriminate myself on the grounds that I would very much prefer to remain in the marital suite, rather than spend my nights on the sofa."
"Ah, c'mon!" laughed Roy, "Your wife ain't even here yet!"
Now it was Ludwig who smirked, shaking his head as he picked up his menu once more. The crown prince adopted a carefully neutral expression as he perused the meager choices that were available to him. When it came to restaurants he was, admittedly, a bit of a snob. He was accustomed to establishments that required one to make a reservation in advance, and a Koopa in a nice tuxedo would seat the guests personally. He liked places with soft Classical music playing in the background, where their waiter would offer them a selection of fine wines to go with their sumptuous meal. He loved being able to open a thick menu with a vast selection of elaborate dishes to choose from. All the better to impress his wife and treat her to an evening befitting a delicate socialite.
What Ludwig got this afternoon was an inexpensive lunch at a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria, so dimly lit that he could barely read the so-called menu. A laminated sheet of yellow paper with typo-ridden print on only one side of it, liberally speckled with bits of tomato sauce, was hardly even a menu in his book.
A juke box at the back of the room blasted loud, obnoxious rock-and-roll music. The waiters were all wearing blue jeans with their generic black work smocks, and at least two of them were chewing gum. The atmosphere was easy and casual, but for a man so used to formality it was hardly comfortable.
'Not a cloth napkin or a piece of metal silverware in sight...' Ludwig pursed his lips and scraped a tomato seed off of his menu with a flimsy paper napkin. 'Couldn't he have chosen a nicer place?'
Ludwig's train of thought was derailed when Roy suddenly did a spit-take. Thankfully, though, the menu had blocked most of the Kola-splatter.
"What the!" Ludwig reared his head back and flicked the menu a few times before making a grab for the napkin holder. "You're disgusting..." He informed his brother, fussily cleaning up the mess and paying special attention to drying his hands. He was too preoccupied to follow Roy's line of sight, otherwise he would have turned to see why the younger Koopa looked so shocked.
"Ludwig!"
A young woman's voice finally snagged Ludwig's attention, and he rose to greet his wife and their new friend. "Novia, liebe!" he smiled as she drew near.
Novia Von Koopa was a vision with her heart-shaped face, blonde hair down to the middle of her back, and a light purple spiked shell. Her facial 'mask' was the same shade of tan as her muzzle, and she was tall and slender. She met her husband's kiss with one of her own, and they greeted each other briefly in German before she moved to stand at his side.
Ludwig then greeted the other woman with much less familiarity, but with just as much warmth. With a very slight bow, he took her hand and gently kissed the knuckles. She gave Novia a quick glance for signs of annoyance, but of course there were none; he was merely being a gentleman. "Ms. Lockheart, it is wonderful to see you again. I am so glad you were able to make it."
Their guest smiled back, shaking her head. "I keep telling you guys to just call me 'Liz', but it's nice to see you too. Novia was just telling me..." She trailed off, and her smile disappeared as if it had never been there at all.
"Mm?" Ludwig frowned at her expression, wondering what was wrong, and turned to see what she was staring at. All Ludwig could see was his brother...
Uh-oh.
Roy Koopa slowly placed his palms flat on the table and stood up, his brow ridges lowering behind his shades in a fierce scowl that his brother knew all too well.
The woman appeared to be human, but Roy knew better. She stood at around 5'10", which was tall for a human female, but standing next to the 6'8" Novia, the girl seemed quite the shrimp. She packed quite a punch, though. Roy had found that out the hard way...
She was neither ugly nor beautiful, and even though her auburn hair almost reached down to the backs of her legs she certainly wouldn't have stood out in a crowd if it wasn't for three little traits that most people didn't notice right away. The gold eyes that used to be dark brown had taken on a cold and impassive look as they glared back at him from behind purple wire-frame glasses. Her fingers, tipped with pale claws, flexed a little as if anticipating a fight. Her lips tightened so that the very tips of her slightly elongated canine teeth peeked through.
Roy gave a measured exhale through his nostrils, spouting twin jets of smoke and filling the air with the faint scent of brimstone. The memory of auburn fur and slashing claws surfaced as a howl echoed in his mind.
"Er..." Ludwig cleared his throat and spoke up, trying to salvage their outing. "Ms.-I'm sorry, Liz, this is my younger brother, Roy Koopa. Roy, this is Elizabeth Lockheart, the new friend I told you about. Since Novia and I have been seeing a lot of her lately, we thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to the family."
Elizabeth Lockheart's glacial stare met Roy Koopa's fiery glower. "We've met." they said flatly in unison, and the restaurant's temperature seemed to drop below freezing.
Ludwig and Novia exchanged a wincing look. Something told them this was going to be a long, awkward lunch!