Lost Brother

Lost Brother/TOOLATE.nes is a Super Mario Bros. 3 creepypasta created by @spiciii_ / @DrBreadpire on January 8th, 2024.
Lost Mario is considered a non-canon continuation of the story, posted on January 10th, 2024.
==Biography==
Lost Mario is a variant of Mario who is haunted by a manifestation of his own guilt, named 'Immoluigi'. It looms over him as an avatar and reminder of his brother's fate.
He now wanders the earth, desperate to be alone - or to find some sort of purpose in a world where he's lost everything he cared about by his own hand.
==Origin==
Lost Brother/TOOLATE.nes is a ROM hack discovered by Twitter/X user @spiciii_, and catalogues his findings within a thread covering its contents.
The story involves a variant of Mario who lost his brother in a terrible accident - where he was too late to save him from a burning fate. Luigi died in a pool of lava, and Mario is lost in his guilt, feeling and knowing he could have saved him.
The story follows Mario, in some sort of purgatory state, looping the same world over and over again. 
The world is empty, and the more Mario tries to reach the end, the more the world loops on itself. He tries over and over again to escape - but cannot. In the end, he is lost to his grief. An apparition of his brother haunts his mind, as Mario loses himself.
He roams alone now - in reality, he kept everyone who cared away, and disappeared for years.
==Behaviour/Mannerisms==
Mario himself is very jaded and isolated - conversations bounce off of him like raindrops on an umbrella. He takes no interest in words, or in people at all. At all times, he is desperate to be alone, as he feels not only is it what he deserves, but that it protects people from himself. 
It's very hard to read him, as he is stone cold, only showing any extreme emotion when his brother or lost friends are mentioned - which lead him to have either heightened sadness or anger depending on the conversational context.
Immoluigi generally seems the opposite, for those that can see him. He at times, speaks on Mario's behalf, for those that can hear him. He is conversive and imposing, generally pushing the 'fight' side of Mario's instincts. He'll be provocative to anything that Mario subconsciously or consciously views as a threat, but otherwise simply seeks to comfort his 'brother'.
==Abilities/Weaknesses==
===Abilities===
*Superhuman Strength/Speed (Mario) Despite his worn body and mind, Mario hasn't grown any weaker in his years - stronger, in fact. He can jump and run ever so slightly faster than his younger counterpart.
*Powerup Usage (Both) At all times, Mario dons a Cape Feather, allowing him flight near on will. This greatly helps with situations he wants to escape from. He can also utilise other powerups, if he ever feels the need to. Immoluigi can also utilise the powerups Mario takes on.
*Phantom (Immoluigi) As a manifestation of Mario's grief, Immoluigi isn't visible to the naked eye. Mario's grief is so potent however, that Immo can freely interact with the real world. Only those with heightened senses or the ability to see the supernatural can see him.
*Shapeshifting (Immoluigi) Immoluigi's form is incredibly volatile - able to alter, rearrange or even duplicate his form at will to fit whatever the scenario requires. He can shift from looking near identical to Luigi to his normal, towering form.
===Weaknesses===
*Dampened Awareness (Mario) In his age, Mario has grown stronger but less aware of his surroundings, contributed to by his isolation. His reflexes are dampened from his younger counterpart, even if he can throw a meaner punch.
*Attached (Immoluigi) As he is a part of Mario, Immoluigi cannot stray too far from Mario. His influence becomes dampened at around 30 meters away from his 'brother'. The further from him, the weaker his influence on the real world becomes.
==Trivia==
*Lost Brother/TOOLATE.nes was created as a reimagining of Mr. L/TooLate.exe, created by @MrPixel110308 - though is distinctly it's own story.
*Immoluigi was designed before the story was written - the first sketch being more reminiscent to I HATE YOU's Luigi.
*Lost Mario is constantly in a state of movement. When he sits down, his right leg stims to help comfort his mind.
*Both Mario and Immoluigi are affected by powerups.
*Lost Mario has lived off a diet of near exclusively mushrooms in his isolation, they're his favourite food.
*As Lost Mario and Immoluigi are essentially the same person, if Mario dies, so does Immo.
==Gallery==
File:Immoman.jpg|The magma pits feel ever colder.
File:Helloihateyou.png|Similar fates, dissimilar people.
File:Yourdearbrother.jpg|'Don't-a come looking for me.'
File:Toolateart37.png|Mario meets his demons.
File:Toolateart43.png|Unable to accept the truth.
File:Immoluigi.png|Immoluigi's original reference sheet
File:DistantMemory.png|"Are your efforts truly worth it?"
File:AltLostBrother.png|An Alternate render of Lost Brother and ImmoLuigi