#and the hoops that both the game and comic writers and jumping through at the moment

[w0lp3rtinger]

I just had a thought.

We know from 06 that, in that future present, Omega will be utilized to take Shadow down, ultimately betraying him.

However, the very fact that Silver goes into the past, over and over and over again, shows that the future can be changed.

And it can be changed for the better. I do wonder (and hope) that this current stretch that Shadow is on... is just him growing as a person. Perhaps this is a way to rectify the damage Sega seems content to lay upon his character, but consider this. In SA2, he was a softspoken, snarky person who wasn't a villian, but rather, someone who was truly hurting and thought they only had one way out, one way to make right the fact that the only family he had ever known, including Maria, had been destroyed in front of his very eyes.

Then you have Heros which is so fresh after SA2, and he doesn't remember anything. He's in agony over this until he gets to a point where he thinks, you know, it's okay I don't know. I have a new family. I have new people who I care for, and who care for me, and whatever I was, it no longer matters. I'm whatever I choose to be, and that's fine.

THEN you have the Shadow the Hedgehog game, when Team Dark has dispersed, where he's alone with his thoughts for too long, where he relapses into that hesitation and questioning and, honestly, fear. What was he, who is he, why is he having PTSD effects over a thing he can see but doesn't understand? That's terrifying. And then this man who claims to be his father tells him that humanity needs to be destroyed, and if they aren't, they will destroy him. Yeah, Eggman says he's the original in the end, but... that whole event will still stick with you. You were so easily played, weren't you? You were so desperate to be good at something, to be wanted by someone, after your old family seemed to go up in smoke.

You can't do that again. You're homeless, living out of an abandoned Eggman base that you can't even keep because you get the stuffing beaten out of you by a robot. Maybe Rouge realized you shouldn't be alone. Maybe G.U.N wanted to just know where you were. Either way, you're brought back into your family, only to find out that...the thing that beat you, that can destroy the world. You just got the world back, and that scares you. You just fixed your latest and greatest mistake. When you react with violence, you're told to rein it in and calm down, but your fear never leaves you. And when you're friends are threatened again, you are there. Every time Rouge goes missing, or Omega is out of commission, you come in swinging. Yes, you help out team Sonic, but they will never be your first priority. They aren't family to you. Team Dark is, and amongst Team Dark, the only one that truly understand what it means to be a weapon is Omega.

And then, then you're told that's the very person who will undo you.

And everything hurts all over again. Everything is bad, and wrong, and all the people you trusted, you're afraid they're going to lie to you again, that you're a sucker just waiting to be duped, that you're never going to be more than that jackass in the corner with unresolved PTSD who's a sucker for someone you assume is trying their best, because you want to believe everyone is trying their best, because you're trying your best.

And so you shut down.

You quit trying to understand everyone else, even if you want to. You stop trying to fit yourself into the fabric of friends around you because it's not going to work. You give up. You're just going to be angry and bitter because you know- you know- you can't trust them. And eventually, they'll all die, won't they? You're going to be left alone as time takes them one by one.

Except for Omega.

Because at the end of everything, Omega really will be the only one who knew you left, and they're not going to be able to stand alone to defend you.

Ultimately, there is a choice. The choice is to continue to be cut off, accepting that eventually the world will turn against you, and though you will fight it like you always have, you will lose.

Or

You accept who you really are (no, truly) with all your faults and failings and successes and splendors. You accept your limitations alongside of your limitless possibilities . You allow yourself to be kind, to care, to laugh, to love the world around you. You let friends in. You make peace with what you cannot change instead of stuffing it in the closet in your brain. You learn to let things go. You learn to let life in.

And maybe, if you pick the second option, there will be people alive to defend you when the world comes for you, like it will, because it will. Maybe, if you choose to open yourself up again, you won't have to suffer it alone.

#shadow #shadow the hedgehog #sth #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #theory #listen- I am really just trying to make sense of the whole fucking sega mandate thing #and the hoops that both the game and comic writers and jumping through at the moment #but like- it also works #and I know that everything is suppose to be forgotten at the end of 06 but it's not like he wouldn't find out a different way #so the point still works #writing #read #me stuff

[jeonjeonggukenergy]

Anti-Hero

summary ~ in search of wine at a party that’s so not your scene, you run into jungkook, the weeb from your film class, and become determined to learn just how much he lives up to his big reputation.

pairing ~ jungkook x reader

genre ~ fluff, light smut w/ more to come - college!au

wordcount ~ 1.7k

warnings ~ light smut, drinking/partying, mentions of dick?, basically just making out, feat. long hair jk :)))))

a/n ~ this is my first time posting a fic!!! costume idea inspired by @ddaenggtan‘s iconic weeb-ass jk in chasing butterflies lol, and I got the idea to write this in general from wondering what a scenario like @joonbird​‘s literally flawless fic passionfruit would be like from the opposite perspective bc I kept reading it (and rereading it...and rereading it...) and loving the connection but I’m much more like joon in that au than the reader oooop. anyway thank you to all the writers on here whose work i have loved and my friends who have encouraged me and made me bold enough to embrace such a fun new creative outlet xxx u know who u are :’)

next: chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 (coming soon!) 

~ read on ao3 ~

CHAPTER 1 ~ dress up

You never intended to end up at this Halloween party. You didn't even know who to expect to see here, other than your roommate's friend from high school, the host, who had invited y'all as a package deal even though she knew you didn't really do parties. At least not ones like hers, where every bedroom ended up occupied by the end of the night and nearly no one went home alone. Thrilled to break out of your lame group of friends for a taste of flirtation and fun, you tried to relax into the scene but the unspoken expectation of casual sex intimidated you the tiniest bit.

Speaking of casual sex, there was Jungkook.

Used to admiring him from afar in your "14 Films To See Before You Graduate" class, you paused to take in the sight of him in what you supposed was a more natural habitat. Everyone knew Jungkook got girls, thanks to the rumor his first freshman-year hookup had started about his seriously impressive dick. He had a beautiful body too, carefully crafted muscles obvious even beneath his usual baggy black clothes, so as the more intimate rumors spread and various co-signers confirmed every detail from length to curve to (you had always hated this word, but...) girth, getting a piece of all that became a badge of honor among the girls in your grade. You had never really understood how the awkward boy who hid manga under his desk in class could supposedly be such a sex symbol, but you almost felt bad for him. That kind of reputation following you around everywhere couldn't be all fun and games. If anything, though, it had intrigued you even more about the rest of him, all his little weeb quirks and the way he debated your points in the discussion boards like he actually cared. He wasn't exactly studious in general, but he clearly loved film and you enjoyed speaking up in class just to see how he would jump off of your observations. You hadn't really talked to him other than that, but he didn't seem to be talking to anyone else tonight either. From the corner, you let yourself appreciate the way his nervous hands tugged at the skinny black tie of his costume, freeing more of his throat from a thin yellow button-down shirt.

At least you no longer felt overdressed in your Nancy Drew outfit. The retro headband, brown loafers, and bookish plaid knee-length skirt set a much more sophisticated tone than most other ensembles you'd seen, but Jungkook's weeb ass had basically worn a full suit to channel Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. With his grown-out hair tousled and a navy pinstripe jacket cinched tight with two strips of electrical tape over his tiny waist, you couldn't deny that he rocked it. He leaned against a long plastic table left in the hallway, bobbing his head to the music in the next room and adjusting the too-slim suit pants around his thick thighs. His translucent cup stayed hidden behind a hip until he raised it quickly to his face for another sip of...red wine? Probably Franzia, knowing tonight's crowd, but anything was better than beer. You made a beeline for the one boy with taste at this party, your sole mission now to get wine drunk, sneak some Usher throwbacks on this playlist, and drop it low enough to leave some dude hard on the dance floor. #wastehistime2019, yknow.

"Hey!" You got his attention, grabbing the hand with the cup before he could lower it out of view again. His eyes grew comically wide and his mouth formed an "o" in shock before you demanded "Where is the wine?" and he pressed his lips back into a line, stuttering.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I just brought a bottle because the beer here sucks but I think it's all gone by now, I tried to hide it but yeah anyway you can have the rest of this one if you want though." Wincing at his own ramble, he ruffled the retro pouf of his hair with one hand and proffered the plastic cup in another. Both actions highlighted how pretty his hands were and you were just slightly tipsy enough to thread your fingers over his in the also-pretty black waves falling over his yep-still-just-as-pretty cheekbones.

"Aw, it's okay, I don't want to take your wine. No more liquid courage for me," you grinned, dotting the lightest kiss on his nose. It was an innocent gesture, but as your face naturally lowered so your noses touched, leaving your lips centimeters away from each other, something snapped—in him.

His wine discarded on the table, a hand curled around to clutch your ass and you practically felt his tongue before you felt his lips. Slamming your body abruptly into his, he nudged a thigh between your legs to grind it up on your center and as your arm got caught between your bodies, the tension you sensed filling his frame gave you pause. You pushed him away gently but firmly with the hand already flattened against his rock-solid abs. Looking down at the slight space restored between y'all, you removed his hands from his hair and your ass and laced them in yours to guide him back against the wall.

"I...what was that?" you almost giggled. You definitely weren't trying to laugh at him, but you couldn't hide your surprise at this first potential proof of his fuckboy reputation.

"I'm—" his whole face crumpled, both from the simple sting of your seeming rejection and the possibility that he had broken a boundary or forced himself on you against your wishes, which made him so sick he could barely face you. Squirming under your light hold but not quite resisting, he rambled again: "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to force myself on you or anything, don't worry I would never try anything if you didn't want to, I just figured we might as well get to the point if you did because, uh...when girls touch me like that or even talk to me at these things it's pretty much always just because they...want to."

"Jungkook," you breathed, pulsing your hands over his in reassurance. He squeezed his eyes shut, still distraught, and when they opened, you had craned your neck to meet his averted gaze.

"I never said I didn't want to."

His eyes widened again. "Uh...uh...then..." he trailed off, never having needed to directly proposition a girl like this before. He really had been inexperienced before the rapid escalation of college, and was at a loss for how to get to the good stuff from here via anything more eloquent than a rushed "Wanna fuck?" You shook your head silently, nose grazing his again, and let go of one hand to cup his face with care, like he was something precious you were scared of breaking.

"What? You want to get right to fucking me?" you murmured into his ear. He shivered at hearing you curse for the first time, freed from the constraints of class discussions and closer than he ever guessed you'd get to him. "Is that really what you want? Or is it what you think I do? Because if it's alright, I think I want something better. For you."

You pressed a new kiss to his nose, only slightly stronger than the one that had started all this. He held his breath and his untouched, open mouth trembled as you scattered soft introductions of your lips across his forehead, to his temples, over the scar that sliced his cheekbone. Finally inhaling a skittery heave of your shared air as you passed closer to his lips, he forced it back out in frustration when you ducked away to nudge under his jaw instead. Returning your hand to his hair, you grinned, enjoying the spike in his pulse under your thumb and skipping the tip of your tongue lightly over his neck right up to the earlobe. You lifted the choppy ends of his waves away from the dangly silver hoop they hid, tensing the strands just slightly between your fingers in an inability to hide your glee. Something told you this was going to drive him crazy.

Taking a slight detour to suck his pierced lobe between your lips, you responded to Jungkook’s low moan of surprise by wedging your tongue through the first oversized hole and letting your teeth clatter over multiple rings of metal. He was trying so hard to stay pliant under you, but the tease of slight pain in a new and unusual spot made him want your mouth more, anywhere he could get it. No one had ever spent this much time tracing so few inches of skin.

And so many girls had buried his face in their necks, craving evidence of an encounter with the Jeon Jungkook, that a strange kind of empathy caught him off guard when you showed him how good it could feel to receive. You connected your lips to the hollow right under his ear, feeling the tendons stretch as his head lolled away from you. Working him through a cascade of light gasps, you stepped away satisfied once you had sucked a dark bloom to the surface. He watched you leave with his mouth agape and chest heaving, unable to believe you could just walk away with a wave and a "See you in class!"

But you did, and he would.

"Shit!" he swore, a shaky hand darting straight to the spot. Now he had to keep his hair long for at least another two or three days. If he showed up to discussion on Monday and had to watch you admiring your work on his skin, he would probably just die on the spot. And that would not be very Spike Spiegel of him.

next chapter

#jungkook x reader #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook x reader smut #bts smut #bts fic #college!jungkook #college au!jungkook #bts college au #jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts jungkook #my writing #anti-hero #anti hero

[junker-town]

Western Illinois’ Final Four run in Year 20, continued

The epic conclusion of Western Illinois’ Cinderella run to the Final Four as a No. 12 seed in College Hoops 2K8.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April for full context. As a reminder, I simulate every game in this series (even the ones we watch on Twitch) and only handle the recruiting and coaching strategies.

We pick up with Western Illinois in the Final Four of the 2027 NCAA tournament. Here’s a recap of everything that has happened so far this season:

Western Illinois entered the season seeking redemption after losing to Cal in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. We began the new season rated as a 96 overall with three new starters. We went 3-6 against a difficult non-conference schedule before sweeping the Summit League and again capturing the conference tournament championship. We enter the NCAA tournament at 24-6 overall.

We earned a No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament. We defeated No. 5 seed Minnesota, 89-72, in the first round. We beat No. 4 seed Ole Miss, 116-85, in the round of 32 as senior wing Wilky Henry set a program record with 46 points. We defeated No. 1 seed Dayton, 109-82, in the Sweet 16, and then we beat No. 2 seed Indiana in the Elite Eight, 105-69. You can read a full recap of our road to the Final Four here.

We recruited for one scholarship and are poised to land five-star JUCO shooting guard Edwin Wolfe after the season.

Read: Western Illinois, Year 20, 2026-2027

Read: Western Illinois’ NCAA tournament run in Year 20, continued

Here’s a look at our roster heading into the Final Four:

It seems like just yesterday I was a fresh-faced 25-year-old taking over arguably the worst program in college basketball. Now in my 20th season, our Leathernecks are making their fourth Final Four appearance and looking for their third national championship.

Our opponent in the Final Four is No. 2 seed Pepperdine. The Wave enter the game at 34-2 on the season. You can find their roster here. We’re rated as a 99 overall, they’re rated as a 94 overall. Here’s how the two teams stack up:

I could feel the heat when we started this tournament run. The program came maddeningly close to breaking through in Year 16, Year 17, and Year 18, which each ended with a loss in the Elite Eight. The first round exit last season only made matters worse. Part of me always felt like this would be the year before the year given that three of our top players are juniors. At least that’s what I was telling myself when we were under-seeded yet again by the committee and given a difficult opening round matchup vs. talented Minnesota team in the 5-12 game.

I was expecting an all-out battle with the Golden Gophers, and we got it — for the first 20 minutes. Second half team has become a rallying cry for our Leathernecks on the Twitch streams, and we pulled away after halftime again. From then on, it’s been nothing but blowouts.

Round of 32 vs. Ole Miss: This was The Wilky Henry Game. Our senior small forward set a program record with 46 points on 10-of-16 shooting from three-point range.

Sweet 16 vs. Dayton: The Flyers were the top-seed in our region, but we turned the game into a beatdown by halftime. Junior point guard Tron Whaley led the way with 21 points even as he sat on the bench the entire second half.

Elite Eight vs. Indiana: Just a 36-point victory to punch our ticket to the Final Four, no biggie.

We were winning by an average of 27.75 points per game on our road to the Final Four. We have never approached anything like this before, not even during our two other national championship seasons. This team was firing on all cylinders, but it didn’t mean a thing without the ring.

This team just has so many weapons. Junior power forward Allan Cunningham — 6’11, 290 pounds — is an absolute monster on the interior and has soft touch out to three-point range on his jump shot. He feels like the best four in program history. Wilky Henry is everything we want out of a wing — big, athletic, always ready to fire from three. Tron Whaley has given us a point guard who can take care of the ball and stretch the floor. Mathew Alloway has a super bright future and has held his own as a freshman starter. Pat Giddens is comically large and is finally starting to play up to his rating.

I am very confident entering the Pepperdine game. I am nervous about the potential national championship game matchup against the winner of Villanova vs. Maryland. As we simulated into Final Four weekend, Tron Whaley goes up one point to 90 overall, and Alloway goes up one point 86 overall. That has to be a good sign.

We streamed this game on Twitch on Sunday night. As always, I’m not controlling Western Illinois; we’re watching a simulated game played by the computer. I’m not playing any of the games in this series, I only do the recruiting and set the coaching strategies. The game will start when you press play.

FINAL FOUR, LET’S GO!

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Win, 93-70. We’re going to the national championship game!

No star performance this time around — the whole team balled out. Again, we blew this game open in the second half. The most impressive thing is we didn’t even have a particularly good shooting night, only hitting 26 percent of our shots from behind the arc. It didn’t matter because we dominated the glass and made so many big plays defensively — 20 combined stocks (steals + blocks), many of them leading directly to offense going the other way.

Honestly, I thought our center Pat Giddens was the player of the game. Giddens has been heavily criticized by the fanbase throughout the year despite being a projected lottery pick and the highest rated junior in the NCAA tournament at 94 overall. While Giddens has been knocked for being unpolished as a scorer and a little underwhelming as a rim protector, he put it all together vs. Pepperdine. He made some sweet moves offensively and anchored the defense with six blocks. I know the fan who wrote “The Case for Pat Giddens” on our Subreddit had to be thrilled.

There really isn’t too much else to say about this one. We were clearly the better team at both ends of the floor. Here are some clips from reader Abby, starting with my favorite play of the night: this monster dunk from backup freshman center Kevin Brazzle:

Great ball movement leading to the Wilky Henry three:

Brazzle with the block, Wilky Henry with the powerful two-handed slam. This is when the flood gates really started to open:

One win away from title No. 3.

Our opponent in the national championship game is No. 5 seed Villanova, who defeated Maryland in the other Final Four game.

No. 12 seed Western Illinois vs. No. 5 seed Villanova, national championship game, 2027 NCAA tournament

Villanova was the team we didn’t want to see. The Wildcats have been about as good in our simulation as they’ve been in real life lately, which is to say: really damn good. Nova is the rare team with the size up front to compete with Ham and Giddens. They have dynamic guards too who will be a threat out past the three-point line.

Nova enters the game rated as a 100 overall, one point higher than us. Here’s a full look at the Villanova roster:

This is going to be our toughest test of the tournament. It’s been five games and five blowout victories so far. Something tells me that’s not going to happen again against Villanova.

We streamed this game on Twitch on Sunday night. We had more than 1,700 people watch at least part of the stream and we hit 500+ concurrent viewers at one point. The game will tip off when you click play, but you should click through and watch it on Twitch’s interface to read all of the comments. Thank you everyone who came out. New fans are very much welcomed and appreciated.

One win away from a national title. LET’S GO!

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Win, 97-67! THE WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FOR THE THIRD TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY.

Just pure dominance, man. I can’t believe we just 30-pieced Villanova in the title game. This team just completed a six-game NCAA tournament run where they won by an average of 27.3 points per game.

And we’re the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NCAA tournament, breaking our own record back in Year 8. Not bad for a No. 12 seed.

Our best players carried us in this one. What more can we say about Wilky Henry? The man is a legend. He finished the title game with 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting to complete arguably the most brilliant individual tournament run in program history. Allen Cunningham was every bit as good. He finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Ham turned the game with 17 minute left. We were only up five when he unleashed this poster dunk for the and-one.

It was pretty much curtains for Nova from there. We have had some great teams at Western Illinois in my 20 seasons as head coach, but this feels like our most complete group ever. We had size, we had shooting, we had depth. At no point did I ever think we were going to lose. What a team.

Here are a few clips from the title game, starting with this three + stare-down (!) from Silky Wilky:

Ham from NBA range!

Wilbur Ager with the MJ shrug:

Legends, all of them.

Western Illinois became America’s team with an unlikely run to the national championship in Year 8, or 2015. Our second title in Year 13, or 2020, solidified the fact that this program is for real. Now our third title in 2027? Well, that just proves we’re one of the greatest college basketball programs of all-time.

This one’s for you, Neck Nation. There’s only one thing left to do at this point: enjoy this “One Shining Moment”.

Please check out our beat writer Matthew Morrow on what this third title means the fanbase and the legacy of head coach Ricky Charisma. To whoever edited the Wikipedia page for the most national championships by one head coach in college basketball history ... thank you.

The game gives you 40 seasons before it forces you to retire, and I plan on playing it out. I’m coming for you, Coach K.

National champs, baby. Let’s hang the banner!

The scary thing? We could be just as good next year if Giddens and Ham decide to bypass the NBA draft to return for their senior seasons. Let’s go to the offseason — just skip to the end of the title game to watch me play through it on Twitch.

Offseason

Your 2027 national champions: the Western Illinois Leathernecks. 12-seed. Soak it in.

Wilky Henry gets selected in the NBA draft. One of the all-time greats

GIDDENS AND CUNNINGHAM ARE COMING BACK. Oh my. I thought we were for sure losing one of them. Year 21 is about to be lit.

We lose an assistant coach. I love seeing our guys get head coaching jobs. I think we found a pretty good replacement: 72-year-old Leighton Merriex, who has an A+ rating in teaching and a B+ rating in scouting. Welcome to the staff.

We only had one scholarship to recruit for this season, and we’re been chasing the same player all year. He signs on the first day of spring recruiting: five-star JUCO shooting guard Edwin Wolfe out of Federal Way, Washington. We’re excited to add to him to the program. We’ve had a few stellar JUCO players through the years and we’re hoping he can be next.

Now it’s time to set our schedule for Year 21. Here’s what I came up with:

@ Dayton, Maui Invitational, @ LSU, @ Louisville, @ Charlotte, vs. Illinois, @ Kansas, @ Florida.

Year 21 is going to be a ton of fun. In addition to having a team that can repeat as national champs, we also have four scholarships to recruit for. We need to make sure our present is as bright as our future.

Year 21

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 21:

We start the year at No. 18 in preseason polls. How are we not No. 1???? The disrespect never ends.

Unfortunately, Wolfe came in lower than we were hoping: he’s a 70 overall with C+ potential. He’ll redshirt. Either way, we’re totally stacked next year. We’re going to stream the regular season in Year 21 on Friday, Aug. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Twitch. Please join us.

Western Illinois, Year 21, 2027-2028 regular season stream

Game: Western Illinois Year 21 regular season stream. We’ll watch one regular season game, recruit for four scholarships, and sim to the NCAA tournament.

How to watch: My Twitch channel

Date: Wednesday, August 28

Tip-off time: 8:30 p.m. ET // 7:30 p.m. CT.

I hope to see you there.

NATIONAL CHAMPS! Go ‘Necks.

[breadinpain]

While you were too busy having a social life, I copied the entire wiki about Waluigi

Waluigi (ワルイージ Waruīji, [ɰa.ɾɯ.iː.ʑi]) (English: /wɑːluˈiːdʒi/) is a character in the Mario franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, often for the sake of causing mischief and problems. He was created by Camelotemployee Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet, who described Waluigi as someone who has a lot of self-pity and would "cheat to win."

First debuting in the 2000 Nintendo 64 game Mario Tennis to polarizing reception from the media, Waluigi has since attained a cult following,[1]especially helped through his use as an Internet meme.[2]

Contents

1Creation and characteristics

2Appearances

3Reception

4References

5External links

The symbol "

Γ

" on Waluigi's hat and gloves

Waluigi was created during the development of the game Mario Tennis, to serve as the bitter rival to Luigi. He was created by Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet.[3] His name is a portmanteau of Luigi's name and the Japanese adjective warui (悪い) meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Luigi".[4]

He is said to be a mischievous, cunning man who dislikes the happiness of other characters.[5] Martinet stated that the cornerstone of Waluigi's personality is one of self-pity, a character who feels that everything goes right for everyone but himself.[6] As displayed in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Waluigi features the ability to summon a body of water and swim towards each game's respective ball, which IGN editor Rob Burman described as "baffling".[7]

He is the same age as Luigi,[8] and wears black overalls, a purple long-sleeved shirt, a purple hat with a yellow "Γ" symbol (an inverted L, paralleling Wario's W as an upside-down M), orange shoes, and white gloves with a yellow "Γ" symbol as well. When asked whether Waluigi was a brother to Wario, Martinet stated that while he did not know, he felt that they were just "two nice, evil guys who found each other".[9]

Waluigi's first two appearances were in the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color versions of Mario Tennis, establishing himself as Luigi's supposedly long time rival and Wario's doubles partner, whom he would remain partners with for most future instalments, the one exception being Mario Tennis: Power Tour, the only time that he appeared in-game without Wario. Since his introduction, Waluigi has appeared as a playable character in every Mario sports game. Notably in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis, he holds up the sign for Camelot Software Planning to signify the game developers in the opening movies.

Alongside Princess Daisy, Waluigi would also join the Mario Party series starting with Mario Party 3, where he owns an island filled with traps and explosives. In the game's story mode, he is faced as the penultimate foe after he defeats Bowser.

Waluigi also appears in the Mario Kart series, first appearing in Mario Kart: Double Dash. He would go on to be featured in all future console installments with the exception of Mario Kart 7, where he was cut due to time constraints despite his stage, Waluigi Pinball, being selectable.[10]

Waluigi's most significant role to date was as the main antagonist of Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, in which he wreaks havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom by pilfering special objects called the Music Keys to hypnotize the world with his dancing, hoping to conquer it and spread chaos.[11] The rest of the keys are held by a Blooper, Wario, and Bowser, respectively.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, starting with Brawl, Waluigi appears non-playable as an Assist Trophy item, while his purple color palette appears as one of Luigi's alternate costumes and in later installments, for Mario and Wario as well. During Waluigi's reveal for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, game director Masahiro Sakurai jokingly stated that "just because you try hard doesn't mean you'll make it into the battle."[12] He was also used as an example for K.O.ing assist trophies during the gameplay reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[13] This caused an outcry among fans of the character, to the point where it became a meme.

As for minor appearances, Waluigi appears in Super Mario Maker as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume for Mario to wear in the Super Mario Bros. style. Although he does not make an appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, if the player has both the Wario emblem and the Luigi emblem equipped at the same time, Mario will be dressed in the colors of Waluigi. In Super Mario Odyssey, an outfit modeled after Waluigi's own can be purchased in-game and worn by Mario after the player has either scanned the Waluigi amiibo or collected enough Power Moons, the description also mentions his desire for the spotlight. Waluigi makes a very brief appearance in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle as a figurine in the opening, however, a Rabbid version, named Bwaluigi, appears as a boss alongside Wario's Rabbid counterpart; Bwario.

Since his appearance in Mario Tennis, Waluigi has received mixed reception. Gamervision editor Jonathan Cooper wrote an article entitled "Ten Reasons Waluigi Is Awesome," listing such qualities as his developed personality, his role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and his role in Mario sports games.[14] In the book "Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1", author S. T. Joshi cites both Waluigi and Wario as examples of alter egos, also as evidence of how popular it is to feature such character archetypes.[15] IGN editor Matt Casamassina described him as a recognizable mascot to many, but also as a beloved one to Nintendo fans.[16] Hiroyuki Takahashi, a developer for Mario Power Tennis listed him, along with his companion Wario, as his favorite character in Power Tennis, describing them both as detestable heels, adding that he likes characters with more personality.[17] Gamingillustrated.com's writer Greg Johnson, during his article about Mario Kart 8, described Waluigi's return as one of the game's bright-sides. An article in Gameranx.com, entitled "Waluigi: Unwrapping The Enigma," dwells in Waluigi's self-pity and ambiguous origins, describing him as one of the most misunderstood characters in videogames, and more than capable of holding his own game.[18] In addition, Steve Haske, from Unwinnable.com wrote an article called "Defending Waluigi" that discussed Waluigi's partly negative reception, claiming Waluigi to be an even more interesting character than Wario, praising Waluigi for the comic relief he provides and mentioning his absence as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sad disrespect to his fans.[19] Evilgeeks.com, a website dedicated towards villains, claimed Waluigi to be Nintendo's most evil character, because of his hatred, greed and power, and wrote that Waluigi should have his own game simply so that we could see what he is capable of.[20] In addition to those articles, venturebeat.com's writer Chris Hoadley wrote an article called "The Greatness of Waluigi", describing him as the most cynical Mariofranchise character, and the greatest one of the last decade. Chris wrote about how Waluigi, despite being constantly ridiculed for his lack of importance, has one of the strongest and most developed personalities of the cast.[21]

Waluigi also receives negative reception. GameDaily listed him as one of the characters they wanted to kill but were not able to, describing him as "One of the most unimportant characters in video game history".[22] Kotaku editor Mike Fahey commented that Waluigi was his personal most annoying video game character.[23] GamesRadar described Waluigi as a "lame-o villain" in an otherwise great game, referencing Mario Tennis.[24] Editor Henry Gilbert titled his section "Waluigi: The worst character ever", suggesting that the creation process involved the developers of Mario Tennishaving no one to fill the final character slot, and conceiving him as an "evil Luigi". He describes such an act as "plunging to the bottom of the intellectual barrel". He also calls Waluigi "disgustingly tall and thin" as opposed to Wario, who he calls a "fatass". He later states that the staff of GamesRadar feels that Waluigi is seen as "less than legitimate" by Nintendo, who he feels may not find him good enough to appear in a main Mario or Wario title.[25] IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas discussed him as a possible, yet unlikely, candidate for a "second banana" character to be playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, commenting that Waluigi, amongst other sidekick characters, are not well-liked.[26] IGN staff, while praising Bowser as one of the most memorable video game villains, criticized both Waluigi and Wario as being "evil twin knockoffs".[27]

Despite Waluigi's popularity gain as an Internet meme, he has yet to appear outside of Mario spin-offs, most notably being his lack of playability within Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (confirmed when the character was announced as a non-playable Assist Trophy during E3 2018),[28] which was met with negative reception from the gaming press and social media, with websites such as Reddit and Twitter leading the outcry.[29] IGN's Joe Skrebels described his non-playable status within the game as "...a slap in the face for those who want a playable Waluigi."[13]

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has acknowledged the popularity of Waluigi and the desire to have him playable in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, citing that series director Masahiro Sakurai "...will be aware of the groundswell of support that appeared for Waluigi. And in the end it’s his decision to make."[30]

Jump up ^ "The Ups And Downs Of Mario Sports Games". Kotaku. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-06-13.

Jump up ^ "How Waluigi went from Mario Tennis character to all-time great meme". The Daily Dot . 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2018-06-13.

Jump up ^ Fahey, Mike. "Mario's Voice Yearns For Waluigi Games". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 25 October 2010.

Jump up ^ "IGN: Waluigi". Stars.ign.com. 2010-03-29. Archived from the original on 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Mario Tennis 64 Characters: Waluigi" マリオテニス64 キャラクター ワルイージ (in Japanese). Nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

Jump up ^ "Charles Martinet Celebrates 15 Years of Wario with Kombo". Kombo.com. 2008-09-15. Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2009-10-01.

Jump up ^ Burman, Rob (2007-02-09). "Mario Slam Basketball UK Review – Nintendo DS Review at IGN". Ds.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ Waluigi's trophy description Super Smash Bros. Melee, HAL Laboratory, Nintendo GameCube, 2001

Jump up ^ "Interview: Charles Martinet Celebrates 15 Years of Wario with Kombo". Wii.kombo.com. Archived from the originalon 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Waluigi is being 'phased out'". Mario Boards. Retrieved 2014-01-02.

Jump up ^ "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix". Retrieved 2014-01-02 – via YouTube.

Jump up ^ "Miiverse – Nintendo". Miiverse.nintendo.net. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 January2018.

^ Jump up to: a b "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Feels Like a Museum For its Own Franchise". IGN. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-13.

Jump up ^ "Video Game Blog – Ten Reasons Waluigi is Awesome – Gamervision – How Gamers See the World". Gamervision. Archived from the original on 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ Icons of horror and the supernatural ... Google Books. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ Casamassina, Matt (2005-10-26). "Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix – GameCube Review at IGN". Cube.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Camelot Talks Mario Power Tennis – GameCube Feature at IGN". Cube.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Waluigi: Unwrapping the Enigma". Gameranx. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

Jump up ^ Haske, Steve (2012-05-25). "Defending Waluigi". Unwinnable. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

Jump up ^ "Villain Spotlight: Waluigi... The Most Evil Man on the Planet?". Evil Geeks. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

Jump up ^ "Know Your Role: The Greatness of Waluigi". VentureBeat. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2014-01-03.

Jump up ^ Buffa, Chris. "Characters We Wish We Could Kill (But Can't)". GameDaily. AOL. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2014-02-08.

Jump up ^ "The 15 Most Annoying Game Characters". Kotaku.com. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "The Top 7... Mario spin-offs". GamesRadar. 2007-11-12. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Luigi: A life in the shadows". GamesRadar. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2010-06-12.[permanent dead link]

Jump up ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (2007-08-23). "Smash It Up! – Second Bananas – Wii Feature at IGN". Wii.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Top 10 Tuesday: Most Memorable Villains – DS Feature at IGN". Ds.ign.com. 2006-03-07. Retrieved 2010-06-12.

Jump up ^ "Everyone's in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ... except Waluigi". Polygon. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-13.

Jump up ^ "Waluigi was robbed and humiliated by Nintendo, and his fans are furious". The Washington Post. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-13.

Jump up ^ "Reggie says Sakurai "will be aware of the groundswell of support" for playable Waluigi in Smash Bros. Ultimate". Nintendo Everything. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2018-07-06.