#tee's commentary

I was in a writing rut around the time I began writing this fic. However, the inspiration for this one came from what someone correctly referenced in a reblog from when I posted this story here.

As I mentioned in my notes on AO3, this story was inspired by a playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII on my Switch. The scene in particular was the first flashback with Laguna and his friends having drinks in the Galbadia hotel lounge after a mission while listening to the beautiful pianist Julia playing. Laguna admired Julia in more ways than one, but he never thought he had a chance with her. However, that changed when Julia approached him and invited him to her room for an intimate conversation.

Thanks to that scene, I came up with the idea of Mario and Pauline in a similar scenario. I chose Pauline as the love interest because of the music connection, although Pauline was a singer and not a pianist. I also had the setting in Brooklyn/New Donk City since this was before the Mario brothers ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Basically, as the synopsis states, the story is about Mario being infatuated with Pauline and him visiting the jazz lounge she performs at every Friday evening after work. Yet, that one night changed everything as Pauline seemed to notice and might have taken an interest in him.

I wrote the story similar to how the flashback in Final Fantasy VIII played out, but I added some of my own ideas and used references from the Mario series. My two favorite sections were Pauline's performance and the conversation between her and Mario in the dressing room. It was those two moments in which I didn't want to stop writing.

I did love writing this story, and it helped reignite the spark to write again. With that said, I am not making any promises, but I have an idea or two for a sequel and may consider it should there be strong enough inspiration.

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I've rewritten the summaries of my previous stories but kept this one mostly the same since it's fine the way it is.

I've been bottling this up for quite some time, but I’m finally ready to say it out loud: Princess Peach is my favorite character in the Mario franchise and one of my all-time favorite fictional personas, period. I’ve mentioned before that she’s my comfort character, but she embodies so much more. I adore her beauty, her gentle spirit, and her unwavering optimism. I admire her readiness to fight when the situation demands it and her fondness for the color pink. Above all, however, I truly value her unapologetic embrace of femininity. She distinguishes herself in a time when characters like her are often scorned in favor of those who display more masculine traits or a less feminine approach. This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with those other characters; I actually admire several of those archetypes. Nevertheless, I hope for a future where the more traditionally feminine characters are celebrated just as much, like Marle from Chrono Trigger, who remains less popular than Lucca and Ayla.

Admittedly, I’m quite sensitive when it comes to criticism of my favorite characters. I make a conscious effort to steer clear of negativity surrounding them. For instance, if I’m diving into a fanfiction and see my favorite characters being mocked, belittled, or if it’s obvious that the author has a disdain for them, I’ll promptly stop reading, no matter how well-crafted the story is or how invested I’ve become. Peach is the main character I’m particularly protective of. One of my top pet peeves is when a character receives accolades while Peach gets torn apart. I’m of the belief that can be admired without having to belittle another. A moment that seemed to really stoke the fire of disdain towards Peach was the controversial Super Mario Odyssey ending. It seemed like the criticism towards her increased exponentially after that. I often hold back from reacting or defending my cherished characters, knowing it can exacerbate the situation. However, even with my usual patience and understanding, there’s a breaking point to how much negativity I can tolerate directed at them.

This is where Positive Validation comes in. My inspiration for this narrative struck me when I noticed a relentless wave of criticism directed at Peach. I wanted to incorporate these genuine criticisms into the story, illustrating how Peach learns of them and their influence on her psyche. While she tried to maintain her composure, the words clearly weighed heavily on her heart, leading her to seek out Mario—the one who consistently puts himself in harm's way to rescue her—and understand his perspective on the matter.

In the tale, Peach openly articulates her feelings regarding the comments made about her, admitting that some of them hold a grain of truth. To reinforce this theme, I made a passing comment about Mario and Luigi heroically rescuing Peach from Bowser once more before her travels. Mario comforts her by pointing out that much of the criticism is baseless, as the critics don’t truly know her. This dialogue also allows Mario to share his own vulnerabilities, with Peach offering him the same encouragement. Ultimately, both characters finish the story feeling uplifted and their bond strengthened. To lighten the mood after such a serious discussion, I sprinkled in some lighthearted humor at the end.

Although I chose to narrate the story from Mario’s standpoint, it certainly could have been told through Peach’s eyes. In truth, I feel the story might have been more compelling if it had been written in the latter, as she was the central figure. One day, I might just rewrite this tale from her perspective, but don’t hold me to that!

Overall, Positive Validation was admittedly a self-indulgent story, and that’s what makes it one of my personal favorites. It seemed to resonate with some readers and commenters who are just as enthusiastic about Peach as I am. Witnessing my work evoke such feelings in others is truly rewarding, enhancing the entire experience. 😊

This was a rather interesting story to write. It’s a far cry from my other stories, which emphasize lighthearted friendships and romance. This one is more serious and focuses on drama and moral dilemmas.

The idea for this story was so rooted in my head that the only way for it to bloom was to write it out. The basic plot is Mario sets out to rescue Peach from Bowser’s clutches again. However, upon reaching Bowser’s castle, he learns that not only is Bowser holding Peach hostage, but he has also imprisoned Luigi. Things are already bad enough for Mario; however, Bowser has a surprise for him that makes everything worse. He forces Mario to choose between Luigi and Peach regarding whose life he wishes to save, while the one he doesn’t is certain to meet a fiery demise courtesy of the lava pits beneath them. Mario is overwhelmed because they are the two most important people in his life and doesn’t want to lose either of them. Both Peach and Luigi willing to sacrifice themselves in order to spare the other doesn’t help matters either. Nonetheless, both survived the harrowing ordeal relatively unharmed. Mario, however, becomes enraged to the point where he asks Luigi to escort Peach back to the Mushroom Kingdom while he hunts the Koopa King down with the intent of making him pay for his nefarious stunt.

One of the things I did to drive home the gravity of the situation was to place Peach in actual danger. One headcanon I have, and one that may be true in the original material, is that Bowser does not physically harm Peach while she is his prisoner. The worst he’ll do is grab her too tightly when abducting her. This is something Mario also considers while deciding who to save. Here, he chose to save Luigi since Peach has a better chance of surviving the fall due to her float ability. In this case, however, Peach nearly plummets into the lava pit after falling from her cage and her ability not lasting long enough to guide her to safety. Fortunately, Mario caught her before she fell in and was able to pull to her safety with some help from Luigi. The fact that Bowser wasn’t bluffing regarding Peach’s life being at risk was the thing that really set him off.

Another theme I wanted to focus on was the aforementioned moral dilemma. After a long, hard fight, Mario is in a position to finish Bowser once and for all. However, Peach and Luigi return to Bowser’s castle and, though it took some strong persuasion – mostly from Peach, prevented Mario from doing so. Mario realized that he was acting out of anger and that although Bowser has shown himself to be a monster on both the outside and inside, taking Bowser’s life in his state of mind may have turned him into one as well. It makes for a great discussion; in fact, I had a great one with a guest who left a comment talking about this very thing. In the end, not everything is black and white; some things are a shade of gray.

This story is a direct continuation of The Mayor and the Princess. After becoming friends, Pauline accepts Peach’s invitation to a round of golf after learning she had nothing scheduled for that time. They meet at the Bonny Greens golf course, where Pauline is introduced to Princess Daisy and Rosalina, and they hit it off almost immediately. Unfortunately, she also encounters Wario and Waluigi, who are less than desirable company. Despite this, the four women enjoy their golfing day, with Pauline receiving helpful tips and encouragement from her new friends.

I can only speak for myself, but I find that writing about a subject or person you know well is generally not too difficult, especially when those subjects ignite such positive or passionate feelings. However, exploring something or someone less familiar can be a bit tricky, yet it can also be incredibly fulfilling. Having been a part of the Mario fandom for many years, my stories have primarily focused on Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, or a blend of these characters. Still, I wanted to stretch my creative muscles and write about a character who I haven’t focused on much and seems to have a minimal following. As I considered my options, the perfect character came to mind. Who could be more intriguing to write about than someone who has been around since the very beginning?

Without a doubt, I’m referring to the original damsel in distress: the incredibly gorgeous Pauline! 🥰 While she has been featured in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, that series doesn’t seem to garner the same popularity as the core Mario games and their various spinoffs. However, Pauline enjoyed a wonderful resurgence in Super Mario Odyssey, where she serves as the mayor of the bustling New Donk City. Speaking of spinoffs, she has appeared in several of them since her SMO appearance, including Mario Kart and the Mario sports games. Excitingly, she will also be a playable character in the upcoming Super Mario Party Jamboree, marking her first appearance in the Mario Party series.

In light of everything discussed, she seems to have a minimal following, with even fewer fan works dedicated to her. With this in mind, I chose to create a series that focuses on Pauline as she becomes more integrated with the main Mario characters following the events of Super Mario Odyssey. The first story in this series is already summarized, so I won’t reiterate it here.

A bit of a spoiler here: Peach wished to have a private conversation with Pauline about Mario. I wanted to explore how Peach grappled with her feelings for Mario after she had turned him and Bowser down on the moon. The situation became even more complex when she discovered that Pauline was celebrating Mario and had even penned a song for him during the New Donk City festival. Knowing that Mario and Pauline had a past, Peach felt the need to ask if Pauline still had any romantic feelings for him. To her relief, Pauline confirmed that she and Mario were just friends and had no interest in rekindling their romance. Furthermore, Pauline affirmed Peach's decision to reject Mario on the moon, expressing her belief that Mario still thinks highly of Peach in spite of it. In the end, Peach recognized that Pauline appeared to be a good person and chose to befriend her, even inviting her to join for a round of golf the following weekend.