Editing Fort Francis

'''Fort Francis''' is the setting of Chapter 3-4 in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''. It is found in [[The Bitlands]] and is the home of [[Francis]], a nerdy chameleon obsessed with video games. The [[Fortress|fort]] is also staffed with various [[Meowmaid]]s, robots that serve Francis and guard the fort from outsiders. [[Mario]], [[Princess Peach]], and [[Bowser]] visit the fort after Francis kidnaps [[Tippi]] while they are looking for a [[Pure Heart]]. Fort Francis was once a [[castle]] owned by the [[Tribe of Ancients]] where they sealed the Pure Heart, as [[Merlon]] explains after the chapter is completed.

In Francis' room and lair are the keys that unlock the room where Tippi is being kept, but the door prevents anyone who is not an attractive female from entering. If Mario or Bowser attempt to open the door, it attacks them with laser beams. If Princess Peach attempts to enter the room, the door quizzes her on various nerdy topics to discern if she is romantically compatible with Francis (every question involves a simple true-false answer, with the answer always being true). Once Peach enters the room, she angrily confronts Francis. Francis immediately freaks out about the "hot babe" in his room and boots up [[Swoon.exe]], an interface that lets him interact with Peach while emulating a [[wikipedia:Dating sim|dating sim]]. Francis then attempts to woo her as if she was a character in a dating sim, and Peach's responses (as chosen by the player) vary from inviting to irritated.  

Regardless of the outcome, Peach eventually becomes annoyed with the responses given to her, as well as the entire "date", and blows up the entire interface with [[Boomer (Super Paper Mario)|Boomer]]. Francis is distraught by the loss of Swoon.exe, but quickly realizes that Peach came to rescue Tippi (whom he calls Francine). He vows to protect Tippi from who he perceives to be an intruder, and a boss fight ensues. Francis attacks by using his camera flash to stun the player, summoning [[Meowbomb]]s to blow up the player, and grabbing the player with his tongue. He also turns invisible, which makes him invulnerable to attacks. Once he is defeated, he gives up and runs away, and Tippi is rescued. Tippi is so overcome with joy at seeing her friends come to rescue her that a [[Pure Heart]] suddenly appears. The group takes the Pure Heart for themselves, ending the chapter.

 

After they return to Flipside, [[Merlon]] explains to the heroes that the castle once belonged to the [[Tribe of Ancients]], where the Pure Heart was placed under a seal that could only be broken by "a powerful pulse of love and trust".

[[File:SPM Flipside Pit of 100 Trials Mural 4.png|300px|thumb|right|The full mural]]

|Fre=Fort Francis

|Fre=La bataille de Fort Francis

|FreM=The Battle of Fort Francis

|KorM=Showdown! Fort Francis

*The fort is filled with references to the other ''[[Paper Mario (series)|Paper Mario]]'' games and the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] in general; for example, posters of [[Bow]], [[Bootler]], and [[Petuni]] are visible in Francis' room. There are also numerous Nintendo consoles put on display, including a [[Wii]], a [[Nintendo GameCube]], a [[Family Computer]], a [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], and a [[Virtual Boy]].

*The password 2828 can be read as「にやにや」(''niyaniya'', grinning / smirking) or「にゃにゃ」(''nyanya'', meow) in Japanese. Similarly, 2323 can be read as「兄さん兄さん」(''nii-san nii-san'', elder brother / young man), an affectionate way to call one's "master" in otaku culture.