Count it Up (NessXLucas)

Foreword/Preface

Hey, stranger!

Well, you've really done it now. You've clicked on it. This gargantuar of a fic. Chances are, you'll get cold feet at some point. You'll go through several transformations. You'll live out your entire life, and you won't even have reached chapter ten.

Thanks for clicking this, by the way. Whether you're on Wattpad, FFN, AO3, or one of those hacked websites that copypaste random people's fics, I love you. This is a safe space. You're very welcome here.

I hope you enjoy this tumultuous ride. I also hope you enjoy these disclaimers:

— In the Mother and Earthbound fandoms, the lead ship of this fic (Ness/Lucas) is quite contentious. Exciting! I like writing slightly controversial things. I want to express that I obviously do not condone sexualising minors, nor sexualising characters that are minors. Therefore, there will be no smut here. Pedos, that's your cue to close the tab.

— Assume No Canon. None of the canon from Earthbound/Smash Bros/Associated Franchises directly applies. There'll be some interpretations of canon, coupled with some whacked up science, but empty your mind of all pre-existing knowledge.

— This work is rated T/Teen for discussion of some mature themes and instances of strong language. That means you must legally be thirteen years or over to be reading this. (I'm looking at you, twelve-year-old whose birthday is next week. Wait patiently. Or else.)

— In this fic, Ness and Lucas are seventeen years old.

— Despite being set in the mid-industrial-revolution-late-1800s U.K., the landscape and surrounding areas are entirely fictional, and the language used is modernised.

— Credit goes to Nintendo for characters, settings, and several plot points. Credit goes to Leigh Bardugo, RainyTazmily and hollycomb (amongst others) for being constant inspirations to my writing. Credit goes to me for writing 500,000 words without passing out.

— Chapters will alternate perspectives. Chapter One will be Ness, chapter Two will be Lucas, and so on. In special circumstances, there will be some portions from the perspectives of other characters.

Now buckle up. Grab a blanket. Grab a year's supply of pasta, and that old pack of biscuits that's been at the back of your cupboard for a month. It's time for me to throw you into the deep end.

That's right, my speciality.

An ominous prologue.