#maybe i'll make a youtube channel once i figure out how it works because in tumblr i'm kinda scared people will question me like:

[ohnoitstbskyen]

So I'm thinking about doing Business

I'm going to experimentally pay for Tumblr's "Blaze" on one of my posts to see what the effect is, if any. I don't plan to use it often, but if I'm using this site as part of my silly little content creator job, maybe it makes sense to advertise some things?

I don't even know what it would make sense to use that feature on, either... posts with my official video releases? Stuff like that article I wrote about the experience of going viral? ... posts about my merch store? (oh god I don't want to advertise the merch store, I haven't added anything to it in ages).

Anyway, if you see one of my posts with a "promoted" tag on it, that's why. Just figuring out if that's something that should be part of my job on here. There are some extended personal reflections on using Tumblr for My Job™ below the cut.

On the other hand, Twitter was never that much of a Business Platform for me, either. That site and app is insanely bad at driving traffic anywhere else, which is part of why its ad revenue was so low depite the huge user base. Getting people to click away from Twitter to anywhere else is like pulling teeth, even for people with million dollar marketing budgets, and so I just... kinda never tried, really. Partly because it never seemed worth the work, partly because it was my personal Twitter before it accidentally became my Business Twitter.

Tumblr in that regard is different though. Four years ago, someone posted an outtake from a shitpost video I did laughing myself half to death over an article about how millennials are killing mayonnaise. That outtake went some degree viral on Tumblr, and that virality did prompt a lot of people to go find the full video on YouTube, making it briefly the most successful video on my whole channel.

So I dunno. Maybe it makes sense to use Tumblr for Business™ in that way. Not that I think I can manufacture a viral hit, of course, but maybe paying to have my work shown to more people on here could be worth it? I guess I'll find out once that Blaze goes through the moderation.

It sorta ties in with a broader pre-post-Twitter reflection I've been having about how I use social media, though.

I don't want to be my job

My personal twitter became my business twitter entirely by accident, and while it was fun at first to have thousands of followers on my personal shitposting, it wasn't fun at all in the long run. At a certain point, usually somewhere past the 10k follower boundary (or if you had the misfortune of having a pre-Elon checkmark), people stop treating you like a person or a fellow poster, and start treating you like a brand, a celebrity (however minor), like a Public Figure. And on the one hand that's good, kinda, because if you have a larger platform, you do deserve more scrutiny. On the other hand, it means you can't be a person on your own social media.

Dark humor, in-jokes, dumb shitposts with friends, dunking on some random hot take, all of that starts to come with the danger that some stranger, who is determined to misunderstand what you post in the absolute worst possible faith, will see it and start yelling about it.

And if, as a person who has a bigger platform, you yell back at them, or dunk on their bullshit... yeah, there's a real risk that you're the one being the bigger asshole, actually. When you have a big Twitter audience, you have some responsibilty for what happens to the things you put in front of that audience. And if you have fans, they might want to defend you, and if you have a lot of fans, some percentage of them aren't going to know how to act or where the line is, and go way the fuck too far.

It's the reality of having a public profile. People will come at you in absolutely wild ways, accusing you of saying absolutely insane things that they have derived from truly deranged (often willful) misinterpretations, and you can't respond to that like a person responds, or you run the risk of being the one who does more harm.

And so you can't be a person on your social media anymore. You now have to be a Public Figure, and if you don't figure that out you're gonna get in trouble. I should have made a private friends-only account on Twitter far, far earlier than I did, I should have made an official brand account far, far earlier than I did. But the only way to know that is in hindsight.

... which leads me back to Tumblr. I've been thinking about Doing Business™ on Tumblr - Blazing my posts, doing SEO, promoting my brand and all that other shit that technically comes with the job I ostensibly have.

I fled back here when I saw Twitter start to torch itself, because I need to post somewhere, but do I need to post for myself, as a person?

Or do I need to post because I am TBSkyen the YouTuber and posting is part of my job, my brand and my online personality which I crafted as a layer of separation between myself and the audience but which has at this point become so entangled with my real self that I don't know the boundaries between them anymore?

Am I going to look back on this and realize, as I did on Twitter, that I should have made a private, friends-only Tumblr account right from the start, and not mixed the personal with the professional and with Posting? I have around 2000 followers right now and this is still fun and casual, but what happens if I manage to luck myself into a real following again? When am I going to dunk on something I think is dumb and cause the person who posted it to receive actionable threats because someone who likes my videos doesn't know how the fuck to act?

Anyway, this is the kind of shit that gets powerblasted through my brain when I pay $10 to make some more people see one of my posts on a website - how's your morning going?

#tb blog #personal post #youtube #being a public figure is weird #there is no such thing as being an ethical youtuber if i'm being realistic #but i'm still going to agonize over attempting to be one #of course i'm only posting this to make myself look good and boost my brand awareness and parasocially manipulate my audience #and then monetize that parasocial connection and use my fans as a shield from reasonable criticism #my plan to enter bourgeoisie proceeds without hindrance #are these tags contrite self awareness or just another layer of manipulation?? #seriously though don't invest youtubers with too much of your trust we will eventually let you down #listen to bo burnham: if i'm not entertaining you and giving you what you need then kick me to the curb

[taffywabbit]

for a while now i've had some kind of weird curse where the creative part of my brain just completely stops functioning if i try to arrange a cover/remix of an existing song. basically i'll say "i love this song! i wanna try putting my own spin on it!" and then i realize i have like, nothing to actually add to the conversation and also can't fully reverse-engineer the funky compositional tricks involved that helped make me so obsessed with it

it's happened with songs from games like 4 or 5 times in the past couple years (examples off the top of my head include BEAST BASH from SLARPG and, much more recently, Enemy Retreating from Undertale Yellow) and usually i'm having an ok time until i get stuck analyzing one specific chord or technique, overthink the progress i've already made, and inevitably give up with only a few bars of actual music once i realize my obsessive analysis has robbed the cover of anything interesting or unique compared to the original song

ANYWAYS i think i might have figured out a workaround and that's that i need to like... get crazier with it from the start? i need to change the overall beat/style, or at least make the song noticeably faster/slower and in a different key, to kinda switch off the part of my brain that's like "ok, the goal is to copy. i gotta be really accurate and scrutinize every note OR ELSE i will get a bad grade in Perfectly Replicating An Existing Song, because that is the objective now for some reason instead of having fun and getting silly with it". bonus points if i have the song stuck in my head thoroughly enough that i can do the bulk of the work without going back and comparing it to the original song. i THINK this might be the key. i'm not sure. i have no idea how people have entire youtube channels dedicated to doing like 95% faithful covers and rearrangements of songs because apparently i am just not wired that way, but i CAN do remixes if they're different enough for me to not get stuck in my own head about it

but yeah i realized this because i recently jumped back into working on a cover of a Muse song i started back in September, and it occurred to me that all of the above things definitely factor into why i'm having so much fun with this, yet struggled with those other abandoned projects. maybe eventually i will have a good idea for how to mix those up more thoroughly and do them justice too but for now i'm just glad to know i'm not ACTUALLY cursed lol

#buny text #the song i'm covering is Panic Station btw #if i was REALLY motivated and had too much free time (and also knew how to get swing beats working in OpenMPT) i'd do TWO covers #cuz i was envisioning a slower funky 'act 1' version and then the current one i'm working on as 'act 2' #if anyone out there CAN tell me how to add swing in OpenMPT (or even just music trackers in general) i would greatly appreciate your wisdom

[crisp-sweet-pink-lady]

General Thoughts on the rest of Berry in the Big City Season Two

Netflix put the entirety of season two up today (I figured they would, but since not even half the season has gone up on the youtube channel, there was the chance that they would hold off on the whole thing), and I managed to watch all the episodes that haven't gone up yet, despite having my long day at work. Overall, I enjoyed it! There were some things I suspected would happen, and some I definitely didn't. And of course, we got some good songs along the way (so seriously, where's that official soundtrack?).

Individual episode thoughts under the cut:

Scaryoke - Like last year, this year's Fright Fall episode is also a song episode, courtesy of Huck. While the song isn't nearly as catchy as last year's song, it does get points for including Bread Pudding this time (he even does a small duet with Huck). And I love everyone's costumes!

Save the Pumpkins - I feel like someone should have mentioned that the pumpkins they had were already picked and thus probably had no preference over being carved or not at that point, but I'll admit, I did like the message (just because something is tradition doesn't mean you have to do it if it makes someone uncomfortable) and the punchline at the end.

Traffic Jam - aka the Money Blueberry/Huck ep. Since I already saw the majority of this one from that preview clip, I don't have too many thoughts on it. It plays out about how you think it will, but Blueberry and Huck's interactions are fun.

Berry Bounty Bolt - the return of the families, and this time Lime's other dad, Dr. Pops, gets actual dialogue. There's a lot of fun dialogue and interactions in this one, and an outcome I did not see coming at all.

Snow-Aisis - Another fun one, but not one that I really have anything to say about.

Mission Unfrostable - The holiday heist from the trailer! As one might assume from that description, this was a lot of fun, with some especially good animation and lots of good expressions. I particularly like Blueberry's SSC ice creams and how petulant the Pieman got when his ruse was found out.

The Magic's In You - Another song ep, but we also get some lore about the Winterswirl holiday, whose Santa analog is Cinnamon Swirl (and thus probably the girl from the concept art on WildBrain's productions page) with Berrykins instead of elves. Which means, once the winter special comes out next year, there will have been Berrykins in all four versions of SSC.

Best New Year's EVER - Out of all the characters who could have returned in this show, Sherry Bobbleberry is not one I would have expected. Granted, in this version she's a pop star with a fairy motif, not an actual fairy, but still. The actual episode is just okay, getting points for the other girls being all "Go, live your dream, we're happy for you" and for some Strawberry/Raspberry bonding time.

All in the Palm - Another just okay one.

Granola Crunch - the titular character is voiced by another BBA alum, Shannon Chan Kent. We learn a little bit more about Aunt Praline's job, and there's a good message. It's an enjoyable watch, but not one that needs a lot of commentary.

Strawberry Nightmare - I suspect that the "advice" the Pieman gives Strawberry is what happened to him in the past, leading to his cutthroat nature in the present. The dream business was predictable, but Strawberry does wear ruthless very well.

LemonLime Back in Time - This episode is the best of this batch, as it's not only incredibly fun, but it also answers a question most of us have had since the beginning of the show, namely Why do Lemon Meringue and Lime Chiffon share a cart when they don't seem to have anything in common? I loved all the 80s fashions, and Lemon and Lime's more extreme counterparts. The only thing that would have made this ep better was an 80s Bread Pudding in the background.

The Case of the Missing Spoon - Good on Strawberry for never doubting her friends. A lesser episode (or maybe just a longer one) would have had some seeds of doubt, but she never waivered on who was the actual culprit, just the how. Also, Captain Cackle is canon to BitBC! Even though he wasn't called by that name, and the ending implied he's going to be Sour Grapes' pet, it still counts.

Strawberry Bake Fail - While I've never tried to make my own macarons, I understand they're really hard to get right, so I feel Strawberry's pain. Best joke of the episode, an image of Huck appearing when Strawberry mentions, in the context of making cakes, density.

Berry Competitive - the Orange/Lemon episode I didn't know I needed, plus Plum Pudding returned! Not sure we needed to see Lime Tart and Lemon Tort again, but they served their purpose. And Strawberry being roped into giving Lemon Meringue's invention validity was amusing, too.

Music in Our Hearts - Most a song ep, but the intro shows a side of Huck we don't usually get to see.

Parking Problems - I've stated before that I'm not crazy about eps with one joke that it follows for the whole run time, and that is still the case here, as Strawberry struggles to find the perfect place to park her food truck at the Poachella festival. The addition of Lime Tart and Lemon Tort helps elevate it, but that's about it.

Find Your Voice - I was right about that singer in the trailer being Cherry Jam! But there are some other returning characters in the band: Peppermint Fizz and Raisin Cane! Who would have guessed?

Fashion Forward - I've been waiting for an episode of Bread Pudding and Lime Chiffon hanging out, and this one did not disappoint, though it was mostly a Bread Pudding ep. But I love when my boy is a huge dork, and this episode fulfills that to a tee. We also get another returning character, Crepes Suzette, who, like her 2003 counterpart, is a fashion designer, though here she's only aspiring.

Slumber Party - Everyone in pajamas! Raspberry being part of the friend group again! A BitBC version of Pride and Prejudice! (Pride and Pomegranates?) Suffice to say, I enjoyed this one.

Legend of the Crystal Cupcake - Slightly misleading title, as that makes you think they're specifically seeking it out, when they find it by accident at the end. I like that this ep shows the Purple Pieman is still a legitimate threat, but after that it's just all right.

Sweet and Sour Grapes - Ever since the first episode, I knew that eventually there was going to be an episode that addressed Raspberry getting added to the main friends group but not Sour Grapes, and while it took most of the season to get there, it was worth it. I liked that the misunderstanding between Sour Grapes, Raspberry Tart, and Bread Pudding was a subtle and understandable one (she felt pushed out by them joining the main friends group, they thought she didn't have time for them because of working for her uncle). And Lemon being the one to relate to Sour Grapes felt very satisfying. A solid ep.

Peculiar Purple Partner, Parts 1 & 2 - The climax of season two's story arc. The Purple Pieman gets a jazzy villain song to seduce Strawberry into joining him, all as a ruse to claim her foodtruck as his own by firing her for flimsy, but contract-bound, reasons. And just like Strawberry, I did not see that coming. I knew he had something up his sleeve, obviously, just not that particular plan. Strawberry's friends rallying around her in the aftermath was super touching, but none more so than Bread doing a meaningful echo of his first words to her back in episode one of season one. As soon as Lemon said she puts mics in everything, I knew that's how the Pieman would get his comeuppance, and while he may not be part of the Berryworks any more, time will tell if he'll be around to cause trouble in season three.

Let's Go to the Movies - While I know it's for the sake of the episode, I kind of have to wonder why so many people got to the movie so early. Episodes about the little annoyances in places like this aren't my thing either, so I'm just glad that the movie itself was good.

Let the Good Times Roll - I 100% appreciate the roller rink being called Starfruit Express, which is no doubt a nod to the musical Starlight Express (where the cast perform on roller skates to portray anthropomorphic trains). As the season ender, I liked that we got to see most of the characters we met over the season, and the song itself was pretty good, too.

Well, it took way longer to write all this up than I expected, so I'm going to close it there.

#strawberry shortcake #strawberry shortcake berry in the big city #berry in the big city #sscbitbc spoilers #episode thoughts

[hellsbellschime]

Thank you for answering all those youtube questions. I find it really interesting. Especially considering the algorithm seemed to love a video like the creeps of asoiaf when I would have thought it would be restricted at best. How long does it take you to make a video? Or does it vary depending on the topic? How long did it take to get monetized? Are these ideas you’ve had for a while or do you tend to get video ideas from asks you get on tumblr? Do you have any desire to go into other types o commentary videos (like IRL stuff or movies) or are you more happy with staying with tv/books? Sorry I keep thinking of new questions. I don’t have any desire to make a channel of my own, but I’ve always been intrigued by the ins and outs of establishing a channel and having to figure out what works best on YouTube and all the bts stuff that goes into it. Your videos are always really nice to listen to while I’m working and I can’t imagine the work and research you put into them while also having a full time job.

For shizzle! And yeah I thought it was weird too, I mean I'm pleasantly surprised but I didn't expect that to go well algorithmically.

And yes, the time it takes generally depends on the topic, I mean some videos are like 10 minutes and others are like 30, but even the long ones don't take an outrageously long time because of how simply I actually make them. But I also don't tend to make them all at once, usually one day I'll write the essay out, I try to review it at least twice at separate times, then I record the audio maybe the next day, and then edit the audio and video for a day or two after that. And it's sort of a mix of ideas, I have a lot of ideas that I put on a list whenever I think of them but I also get asks for them that I will usually do at some point. It's kinda hard to tell how long it actually takes because I do a lot of it intermittently, but obviously what I do now is incredibly simple so it doesn't feel like a lot of work. Really the only "hard" part is actually recording my voice because it's surprisingly tiring to speak nonstop for like 35-60 minutes straight and I have a little grit in my voice that tends to get worse/more painful the longer I have to talk. It also takes so long because naturally when you're reading that much you're going to flub lines, and I also talk with my hands a lot so sometimes I'll actually get a really good read through on a sentence but then accidentally hit the microphone with my hand or something, LOL it doesn't happen a ton but it is SO ANNOYING when it does.

You can't actually get monetized on YouTube unless you've had 4,000 hours of watch time and have 1,000 subscribers, and I hit the watch time mark quite a while before the subscriber mark but once I actually passed a thousand it only took a few days for the whole monetization signup process to go through.

And yeah, if I have the time and it grows enough I'd definitely like to branch out and do more stuff, I think it would be fun to do reaction/commentary/analysis videos to other shows and to movies, and if I ever start making enough money where it's basically worth it to reduce the hours/days I work for my job now in order to make video content I think it would be fun to do things like livestreaming watch parties for HotD and other shows that I watch as well as maybe more interpersonal and less strictly structured content about the same topics I already cover. But that's all based on a lot of pretty big ifs and if I'm not in the position to do that at any point then basically doing meta videos is more than enough too.

But I'm glad you enjoy! And honestly I do actually do it simply because I really like it, I mean I hardly ever write for work anymore but I feel like that is my biggest strength, and once I actually start writing it's typically fairly easy. Plus, because once my brain starts going it's hard to stop, usually my "research" consists of reading like one chapter about one character and going off on a 4,000 word rant about it so it's not that hard.

#youtube for ts

[musicallisto]

HELLOOO CLARA~

I’ve missed you so much love!! I have many things to say;

1) if you’re feeling exhausted despite getting a good nights sleep, it’s probably a sign of a depravity of something else - iron, perhaps?

2) I agree with what Olive said on your accent post - your English is very good! And it is only on a certain words, how you choose to say things that would make me think “ok she’s not a native speaker” I am very proud and impressed, since I do NOT have a talent for languages at all

3) you’ve made me yearn to go get ice cream and walk down main street with you … perhaps we are all wearing floppy sun hats and twirly skirts, and gaze at the rivers and trees and flirt joyously at every cute boy passing us by, ruining it by our vivacious laughter??

4) I know this may sound odd - but what language do you think in? Do you think in French and actively translate everything you read/hear, and translate in your brain before you speak? Or is it as easy as breathing? (I hope I’m not being ignorant, I think you are beautiful and I am simply gazing at a work of art)

Anyways I miss you so much!! Literal oceans separate us and I want to hold your hand and kiss your cheek 🥺🥰

✧˖°࿐ Lindsay!!!! I'm so happy to be talking to you, it's been way too long and I'm consciously ignoring my math homework to answer your ask. (it's been so long that my laptop doesn't autocomplete 'tu' to tumblr anymore, I feel so betrayed) how are you lovely? i hope everything's fine for you and that you're having an excellent time 💜

it could be - I hadn't thought of that! last year I also had some difficulty sleeping and weird bouts of dizziness at random times of day, but it went away, so I attributed them to stress - but maybe there's an underlying cause because they're back now and I'm most definitely not as anxious as I was last year. idk though because I've never had any kind of iron deficiency or anything of the sort? I tried meditation and breathing exercises and stuff and for the most part it helped, so I'll see how it goes!

thank you very much! <3 Olive's post was super insightful and I loved having my accent analyzed like that, I felt like I was being reviewed by that dialect coach on the Wired youtube channel lol. it's definitely true that there are certain words I just can't pronounce the American way, no matter how hard I try, and it makes me cringe a little bit, but hey, if it adds charm and character to my voice, i'll take it!

oh my god please,,,, I want this SO BAD. the number one thing I need right now is a day out with friends and the number two thing I need right now is ice cream. combining the two? I'll SWIM over to Canada if I have to, because I want this to happen. Then we can go iceskating, and you'll teach me, because I never have, and I figure I'm probably dreadful at it because I couldn't even stand on rollerblades when I tried. i've been to Canada once but I would die to come back and hang out with you.

it's not a weird question! I've gotten it before, actually. it's kind of difficult to explain - but it's like my brain has different modes and I can switch them on and off. default mode is French because it's my first language and the one I use on a daily basis; when I think to myself 95% of the time it's in French. but sometimes the situation requires me to switch to Spanish or English, and it's like changing my brain's whole layout. French then takes a seat back and it's like I changed the language in my brain's settings, lol. taking the example of your ask, I didn't read each sentence and consciously translate it to French word for word - it immediately registered in my brain, like it would for any native English speaker reading normally. and as I'm answering it, my brain hasn't switched back to French, so every thought I might have now (even if it's totally unrelated, like what could be for dinner) will be in English. as soon as I hit 'answer' and see a word in French, it will switch back again. sometimes the switch isn't automatic, so it may happen that I'm lost in thought about something in Spanish or talking to my mom on the phone, and someone asks me something in French and I blurt out the answer in Spanish because my brain just goes ??? i have no idea what we're doing now ???? but basically, to answer your question, I read naturally and don't translate word for word, even more difficult sentences that may take me a few rereads to process. Thinking in English is a bit weird though, almost dissociative; it doesn’t feel totally organic, more like I’m talking to a friend rather than really... hearing the little voice in my head. but I object - you are the work of art here 💜 edit: rereading your ask you also wondered about speaking, so speaking is mostly automatic as well, but requires more effort than listening and comprehension. which is why you’ll hear me make a lot of pauses and use a lot of filler words - I am not as dumb as I sound, I’m just trying to find a way to express what is abstractly crystal clear in my head in a way that will not outrageously violate the rules of English I also get asked a lot what language do I dream in, lol, and the answer is mostly French but sometimes I'll have a dream that's entirely in English or Spanish for zero reason or there's just one character in the dream who speaks in a different language from the others and it's all just a big mess.

#hope this made sense because i'm 99% sure that it didn't whatsoever! #the wiring for english in my head is rusty the best i can do is math nowadays so like. i have to fall back into a comfortable rhythm #because yes my english does get rusty like how you'll be all rusty from not writing or not practicing your instrument - it really does #and i'm like 'are words make sense???? what is words???? i have not know?????' #˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ lindsay #— ask.

[classicdaisycalico]

For the Love of the Game

Hey, guys! I haven’t been writing any fics as of late because of school and because my creative streak right now is Awful, but somehow an idea came to me after watching SirEnobMort’s playthrough of “Mario Super Sluggers” on the KoopaKungFu channel on YouTube, particularly the ending cutscenes of the challenge mode and what might have possibly gone on between those two scenes. Really, I just wanted to put a little more depth into them. Enjoy!

For 8 and a half straight innings, Mario and Bowser's respective baseball teams were at each other's throats. The score was still 0-0 at the aforementioned Koopa King's home turf (literally; his castle was currently housing a temporary baseball field next to a lava dam). Athletes from both sides were sweating bullets, probably enough altogether to outweigh even the heaviest of King Bills. Batters ran through pitchers practically every other hit, and because of that, the fielding lineup never started (or ended) with everyone in the same position twice in a row. By the time the top of the 9th ended, Mario and Bowser were running out of strategies, instead just going back to their respective lineups from the beginning of the game. Everything lead right up to this moment as Mario took his place in the batter's box to face Bowser, captain against captain, enemy against enemy. There were two outs, with the bases loaded, and to raise the stakes even higher, Bowser was at a full count of 3 balls and 2 strikes. How Bowser ever ended up being on the "away" side on his own field was beyond his knowledge; wonky coin toss, perhaps? Either way, if they scored at least one run, they would win, and the giant complex that was the Baseball Kingdom would be out of the Koopa King's control for sure. He wiped some sweat off his forehead. Who would have guessed that baseball was so much pressure? All he and his friends wanted to do was hit the diamond and have a little fun! Determined to win, he made an impulsive move, in true Mario fashion: he eyed the huge statue of Bowser jutting out from the lava dam in center field, and pointed just above it it with his bat. Yes, he was calling his own shot. Mario could hear his teammates draw a collective gasp. Why not? he thought to himself. He read about someone else doing it once, a man called Babe Ruth (That couldn't have been his actual name, right?) and it worked for him! He eyed Bowser, who sneered and wound up. Mario braced himself for a fastball, and... *Crack* The second the bat made contact, he knew immediately that this was one of his best hits. He watched the ball fly high into the air, and sure enough, it flew towards the same direction as the statue at center field. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he heard a sizzling noise from the lava dam. He couldn't believe his ears; the ball actually sunk into the lava dam! And with that, the game was done. Mario's grand slam at the bottom of the 9th put his team in the winning position of 4-0, breaking the long, scoreless run against Bowser and his minions. Every teammate in the dugout met him at home plate, hoisting him up and tossing him into the air. Bowser, on the other hand, was so filled with rage that he smashed his bat into the ground. When that wasn't enough to grab the team's attention, he roared as loudly as his lungs could allow. Immediately, the crowd dropped their red-clad captain as they turned to Bowser, wondering what the fuss was about. "NO! I was really trying, and I still lost!" he exclaimed. Lifting up his bat, he continued his angry tirade. "But I'm not done yet, and I'm not giving up! I WILL beat you! I'll–" "Hold it, Bowser!" From among the crowd, Peach emerged and walked up to the raging king. "Baseball Kingdom is a place for EVERYONE to enjoy baseball," she said calmly. "Come on. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right?" That made him grow flustered. "N-No! Don't be ridiculous! Play with you chumps? I'd rather...I mean–" He was interrupted when Bowser Jr started whining. "Aw, Daaaad! I wanna play baseball! Let's all play together like she said!" The elder tried to shush him to avoid embarrassment. "But son, I–" Peach giggled. "I think the decision's been made!" She turned to her friends. "Come on, everyone!Let's celebrate! Let's throw a party for Baseball Kingdom, and all the memories we made here!" "One step ahead of you, Peach," Daisy said. "Let's all meet up at the Cruiser! There's more than enough space for everyone on board!" The crowd cheered, and all began making their way out of the stadium toward the ship, including Bowser's minions. The only stragglers left after the crowd died down were Bowser, Jr, Daisy, and Luigi, who was just about to leave when Daisy approached him. "Are you coming?" he asked. "I'll get there a little later," she replied. "It seems I have some convincing to do." "You're inviting them?! They're gonna burn you alive!" "Don't worry about me," she said. "You go catch up with the rest of them. I'll be there soon!" There was a hesitant look in his eyes, but he nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll tell them." "Thank you! Oh, and tell Peach to save a little bit of food for me, won't you?" She kissed him on the cheek and ran off in the koopas' direction. Luigi blushed. Typical Daisy, he thought as he exited the stadium. She's always so happy, it's contagious. I wonder if it'll rub off on those two... *** "Why can't we go with them?" Jr sulked. "It looks like fun!" "He's not wrong, Bowser," a voice rang from by the stadium door. They turned their heads and found Daisy walking toward them. "I think a lot of people would appreciate it if you joined us. Besides, all your minions are at the Cruiser. Shouldn't someone be there to supervise them?" "They'll be fine," Bowser grumbled. "I can always hire more, anyway. These minions are useless." "Maybe that's why they left," reasoned the princess. "Since you're such a bad sport to them all the time, they must have gone off to find other captains who won't bully them so much. You don't see your son insulting his team, do you?" The king ignored her, instead continuing to address his son. "Jr, I think it's past your bedtime. You should be getting some sleep." "But I wanna go to the Cruiser," Jr objected. "If the rest of the team is there, why shouldn't I go?" "Well, I did invite everyone," Daisy said. "And I think he'd have a really nice time there. Look at your son, Bowser," she said as she knelt down to Jr's level. "Look at his poor little face. He looks so sad, and cranky and tired...maybe even a little hungry after such an exhausting game! All he wants to do is hang out with his team and have some nice food!" The little prince's eyes lit up. "There's food?" "Yes, there is. Every cook in the kitchen has whipped up a whole bunch of stuff for just about everyone there! But if you don't hurry now, then all the food will be gone!" She stood back up and looked at Bowser. "And I think I know someone else who can't say no to free food." With that, Daisy extended her hand. "Come on, Bowser," she said. "For the love of the game?" The Koopa King was puzzled as he looked at the outstretched princess's hand, the exact same hand that had once smacked him into oblivion. How could he trust someone who, compared to Mario, Peach, or anyone else, was practically a complete stranger? And yet there was something convincing about the way she stood unflinchingly in his presence, her large, wide-set eyes practically staring into his soul, her tiny arm reaching out to him. Even Jr was egging him on. "Come on, Dad! It's just like the pretty lady said! For the love of the game!" Well, if his son was okay with it...then who was he to refuse such an offer? He shook her hand and let a tiny smile make its way across his face. "For the love of the game." She beamed. "Wonderful! Let's go!" *** Before long, they had reached the top floor of the Cruiser, where everyone was outside, crowded around various tables and watching a fireworks show. Bowser and his son eventually found a place to sit down and have some food, even though there wasn't much left. Even so, he didn't mind having the smallest slice of cake while his son had a slightly larger sherbet bowl. In the meantime, Daisy was happily chatting away with Yoshi, Peach, Luigi, and Toad as they munched on some other leftovers and watched the fireworks. "I don't know how you did it," Toad said. "I would have been shaking in my boots the whole time!" Yoshi shuddered in agreement. "Well, I wouldn't want them to be lonely, would I?" she answered. "Especially poor little Jr. And Bowser will do just about anything to make his son happy." "How did you get Bowser on board?" Luigi asked. "I kinda figured that, really deep down, there was a little part of him that just wanted to join in on the fun with us! No serious competition about it; just letting loose and hitting the diamond while we try to push alliances aside, even if it's only for a short time." "Even if he still has fleeting thoughts about taking over the Mushroom Kingdom from time to time?" Peach inquired. "As long as his mind is distracted from those things, even for a little while, then we're okay." "Well, it lets me breathe a little easier, and Mario and Luigi, too, I'm sure." Peach turned to Luigi. “Where is your brother, by the way?" "He and Donkey Kong are running the fireworks show in the next stadium over," he replied. "He has jokingly referred to it as a 'Home Run Derby' of sorts." "Well, shouldn't we go down and watch them hit some homers?" Toad suggested. Yoshi nodded in agreement. Daisy smiled. "Why not? Let's go!" The friends ran for the exit of the Cruiser, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "Home Run Derby".

#melissa writes #for the love of the game #mario super sluggers #princess daisy #my fave #bowser #bowser jr #princess peach #luigi #mario