Marco is a Smurf character, and a protagonist of the Butterverse.
History[]
Marco Smurf is one of the current generation that currently resides in the village, although he is often away on trading business on his ship, the HMS Pepper.
Marco has had several run ins with Pepper Pirates, spice thieves, the last encounter of which left him half blind and with noticeable scarring, the story of which he is reluctant to share.
Personality[]
Marco is a brave and adventurous Smurf who lives for the high seas. He is daring, and will often go to great lengths to help out others, appearing as a much more mature figure in the village as one of the older Smurfs of the current generation. Marco tends to be perceived as cunning, although this sometimes crosses over with his stubbornness, which can lead to him putting himself in risky situations in order to follow through promises, mostly to get his spices. He is known for being empathetic, but rather no nonsense.
Appearance[]
Marco is quite tall and of great physique for a Smurf. He wears standard white leggings and a white mariner hat. His accessories include a gold earring on his right ear, a medallion attached to blue ribbon, and an eyepatch that covers his right eye. He has two diagonal scars visible under his eyepatch, an X shaped scar on his left cheek, and two more X shaped scars on either elbow. He speaks with an English RP accent.
Role In The Village[]
Marco is the village spice trader, and as such is often away on long trips which can take years to complete, although aren’t usually more than 2-4. The rest of the time, he remains in the village to help out with chores or to take the Smurflings out on more local adventures with Dreamy. Marco has slowed down the spice trading in recent years in order to stay closer to the village with his family, but he will still venture out when needed.
Relationships[]
Captain Peter Pepper[]
Captain Pepper is Marco’s arch rival on the seas, and a frequent nuisance to his pursuit of the pepper spice in particular. Marco’s original run-in with the pirate was being kidnapped and held above deck on his way back to Smurf village, although Marco was luckily rescued by some Smurfs from the village.
Several years after this incident, Marco was caught unaware at a small overseas traders market, where he had returned to his ship tipsy, only to be caught by the pepper pirates and taken prisoner again. Captain Pepper was older and arguably madder by then, and he kept Marco tied below the deck of his ship as revenge. After two months, Captain Pepper dragged him up deck in his weakened state to sword fight. He cut the ropes (giving Marco the scars on his elbows) and the two proceeded to fight, where Marco would gain his facial scars. Before Captain Pepper could deliver any fatal blows, Marco threw himself overboard to take away the satisfaction of his enemy killing him. The two have not run into each other since, but Marco wonders if he’s still out there plotting.
Sirena The MerSmurf[]
Marco was saved by Sirena after diving over the side of Peter Pepper’s ship. This saved his life, and he was grateful to her, promising he would somehow return a favour. This lead to the Smurfs discussing the possibility of Sirena moving to Atlantica with Marina, which thanks to Handy’s influence, managed to pass. Marco still remembers the kind deed, although he has not seen her since.
Dreamy Smurf[]
Marco is one of Dreamy’s closest friends, and the object of his Smurflinghood affections. As a Smurfling, Marco had been star charting one night by the River Smurf, when he heard a noise and noticed a struggling Smurfling. He saved them from the river, finding out that Dreamy had sleepwalked out of his hut that night. Marco became the source of inspiration for Dreamy’s sea loving life.
As adults, Marco is aware of Dreamy’s crush on him, although he does not return these affections since he sees Dreamy as his friend that he does not wish to place in dangerous situations, and tends to see Dreamy as the Smurfling he saved from the river still, thinking him somewhat naïve, although not in a bad way. Following the events of the fickle flower combining him with Tracker Smurf, Marco believed that Dreamy would be happier with Tracker anyway, and is pleased he can still keep his good friend.
Tuffy Smurf[]
After some rather unpleasant experiences on the high sea, Marco decides to come back to Smurf village for quite a while. Noticeably, he has a few scars and a spooky eyepatch. If any Smurf asked about either however, he'd merely grunt 'Pepper Pirates' and say no more. One night in the Smurf bar, a rather dishevelled Tuffy is loudly complaining about the unfairness of him losing another wrestling match to Hefty, pretentiously claiming about how 'tough he is'.
Tuffy switches idolisation from Hefty to Marco after that (which Hefty was somewhat relieved about) and tries to prove himself as tough as he claims to be, but actually just clings to Marco like an eager puppy. This initially annoys Marco somewhat, who rather likes solitude. Over time, he eventually warms up to Tuffy’s attitude and finds it endearing instead, and falling for Tuffy as his first Smurf partner, even opening up about his scars for the first time ever. Marco does eventually propose, although this is not for quite a few years.
Vitriolic Smurf[]
When faced with the possibility of applying for a Smurfling, Marco was a little hesitant at first, knowing that he may be away from the village for months at a time. He was also concerned for his potential Smurflings reaction to his appearance, knowing it had been a sore subject to him for years. When his daughter turned up at the doorstep, Marco’s concerns seemed to vanish. He’d always considered himself something of a lone Smurf, but knew he’d made the right decision the moment he held her. Vitriolic does grow up to be far more like Tuffy, something Marco finds amusing when she’s not being mouthy with him, but despite her venomous personality, the two remain close and enjoy sailing trips together. Marco does try to limit his recent trips in order to spend more time at home these days.
Rover Smurf[]
Marco is close to Dreamy and Tracker’s son Rover, and views himself as an uncle figure to the Smurf. He loves sharing stories of his adventures, and taking both Rover and his own daughter out on sailing trips with him. He’s aware Rover will defend his scars from other Smurflings, and has always been appreciative in secret for it.
Trivia[]
- Marco has dated multiple species of fae during the years over his travels, and probably has the most relationship experience of all of the village residents
- Marco tends to say ‘ahahaha’ when mocking his rivals
- Marco was responsible for fetching the antidote to the sleeping death plant when Tracker Smurf fell ill. He has admitted in private that he wasn’t sure he could make it, but went without sleep on some of the nights just to ensure Tracker’s recovery, a feat he does not regret
- Marco enjoys singing sea shanties with Miner Smurf