>>537104873
>>537104873
Didn't ask me, but I think I have enough authority to answer as the resident ship-write anon.
Simply put, Mario as a franchise has very little room for romance given its setup and tone, let alone as a priority. You can do it and make romance a focus, but you'll be making compromises on the franchise's charm because it's completely off the original experience (I should know, that is the compromise that I always do when I write a fic)

That is also why I say a SoL would suit a Mario series the most; give us colorful characters doing silly banters and having unique moments of their own; that'd be just golden (and if you put some small bits of romance sprinkled throughout, all the better).