The Dark Side of Mushroom Kingdom

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#1
Inspired by a TVTropes page, which was discussing the value of the coin in Mario. In the relevant interest, it's value dropped to 1% of its starting value over the cours of a side quest.


So the premise is this:


Princess Toadstool is corrupt. Either she never grew up from the spoiled princess who loves to play, or she's an evil despot who doesn't care about the lives she's ruining.

However, being smarter than most, she gets herself a scapegoat, who she can blame all of their troubles on. Enter Bowser, who "kidnaps" her quite frequently, and keeps her in lavish "prison cells" completely with attendants.

The downward spiral of Mushroom Kingdom is blamed on the loss of their head of state, as well as Bowser's diabolical schemes. The economy does marginally improve when she's rescued, since everyone is a bit more motivated, but that dissipates soon enough and the collapse continues.

The people are ignorant of the truth behind the scenes, and Peach and Bowser, are free to enjoy the luxuries and pleasures obtained through the suffering of the masses, laughing all the while.



Probably not good for more than a one shot, but it could be an interesting mirror to the Mario-verse.


What do you guys think?
 

Georsama

Well-Known Member
#2
Its sounds interesting, I'd actually like to see this explored.
 

Canis

Well-Known Member
#3
Where do Mario and Luigi come in? Are they in on it, or are they patsies?
 

TerraBull

Well-Known Member
#4
Lol, seeing Mario and Luigi as Mob Enforcers, or "Negotiators" on the way to meet the 2.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#5
In this scenario, I see Mario and Luigi as simple, naive, well meaning guys. They are unaware of the machinations of Peach and Bowser, and don't concern themselves with things that aren't right in front of them (like why they don't upgrade Peach's guards or the army.)

If Peach were to laud her evil deeds over them, they would b horrified, and do whatever it takes to save mushroom Kingdom, even if it means overthrowing the ruling family.

Hm... could provide a good segue into the Communist Mario conspiracy. :snigger:


I suppose Luigi could be the more worldly of the twins, thanks to Princess Daisy, but that would be up to the author.
 
#6
Peach is actually some sort of non-human entity/automaton/idiot god-infant that doesn't really know what she's doing, she's just doing it, operating off instinct and whimsy. The Mushroom people love her for it, either because they're too simple to know better - or because they created her to do just that sort of thing in the first place. Bowser, meanwhile, is a charismatic union boss/leader (a sort of fire-breathing-turtle-lizard-thing Jimmy Hoffa, if you will) of the different races marginalized by the Mushroom people - like the Goombas and Koopas - trying to break the Mushroom people's (unknowing?) yoke on the peoples who follow him, and feels that the best way to do this is to remove the queen from power.

Only Peach really is too innocent to know she's doing wrong (and possibly even the Mushroom people - save perhaps a small, secretive cabal that might not even exist - haven't figured it out yet), and Bowser can't bring himself to just massacre his way to victory, but at the same time he's too concerned with keeping up his tough-guy image to try a more pacifistic approach, so he constantly kidnaps her (keeping her safely locked away in the lap of luxury) in the hope of drawing out whoever is controlling her, if anyone.

The Mario Bros. meanwhile simply see an opportunity to save a Princess and be heroes, a childhood dream they were probably quickly forced to abandon growing up in Brooklyn as second/third-generation Americans. The shadowy potential-plots and machinations are completely beyond them. Bowser might even be drawing on this, using the Mario Bros. repeated heroic efforts as an attempt to drive the Mushroom people to change themselves for the better.

It might even be working.
 

GenocideHeart

Well-Known Member
#7
You know, it'd be funnier if Bowser was also set up through his hopeless infatuation with her and Peach was, in fact, the supreme evil of her world.

Bowser being the Koopa tyrant-king? Suggestion from Peach, because 'real manly men-- er, Koopas, must be royalty!'. Him kidnapping her in a flashy way all the time? Also her suggestion, to 'put on a show' for the masses. Mario, Luigi, Bowser and basically everyone else? All manipulated for her amusement. The best part? Everyone's either too naive or too stupid to realize it.
 
#8
That wouldn't be funny - it'd be cliche. "Seemingly innocent and good-hearted character X is actually evil and manipulative" has been done so many times before it's not funny in any sense of the term.

If you DO want to go the "Peach is actually the true evil in the world" route, have her be a force of evil that either isn't aware of her true nature or is actively fighting against it. Not just Manipulative Queen Bitch #9583.
 

GenocideHeart

Well-Known Member
#9
Dark Knight Gafgar said:
That wouldn't be funny - it'd be cliche. "Seemingly innocent and good-hearted character X is actually evil and manipulative" has been done so many times before it's not funny in any sense of the term.

If you DO want to go the "Peach is actually the true evil in the world" route, have her be a force of evil that either isn't aware of her true nature or is actively fighting against it. Not just Manipulative Queen Bitch #9583.
Being cliche doesn't automatically mean not funny. Otherwise no videogame ever would be fun anymore, because they all have been done many, many times in the past.
 
#10
While this is true, I still think Peach secretly being an evil mastermind is still far less interesting than the alternatives.
 
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