#( IT'S SORTA SHAPED LIKE SANDBAG )

[rreskk]

👁👁 hi again and happy Easter/ it's like Halloween because you get candy still lol

Trevor and/or Michael HCS/writes with a fem reader (but enby) that was a pro wrestler and boxer lol

(Ex: my oc was in WWE specifically NXT and in UFC in the late 90s and beginning 2000s while also boxed and cage fight when a teen and was pretty flexible. After like 2 decades she still works out and exercises at home early in the morning, specifically with a those sandbags you beat and stuff she loves punching and craves violence)

Sorry to ramble was just using my oc as a example (god I love her/them) anyhow happy Easter and eat all that candy!! 💀✌🏻

---A/N: Shiiitttt, I do boxing lol. I've sorta based this on personal experience but also what I've seen from TV. Great idea though! I've always wanted to write about Trevor with a boxer (self-insert type fanfics) but never get the chance to.

HEADCANON: Michael and Trevor with a S/O that is a professional fighter.

TREVOR: -He loves himself a strong partner. He’ll sneak up on your gym and watch you train. He secretly enjoys the arousal of watching you practice fight with someone.

-“Teach me again, I wanna get good at this shit.”

-He’s good at a street fight but being educated on the difference between a boxing fight, he’s eager for you to teach him. Alas! You bring him into the gym most days. When he isn’t banned… From beating someone up. Literally.

-On your fighting days, he’s nervously in the crowd biting his nails. Trevor watches the fight intensely and will insult the opponent when they manage to strike a good punch.

-“HEY, BACK OFF, DUDE! THEY’LL KICK YOUR  FUCKING ASS!”

-He doesn’t have to worry about doing all the handy work. Trevor walks around freely knowing if a fight was to happen, it’ll be teamwork.

-“I’ll pay you $50 if you just punch Mikey in the nose.”

-Will boast about being your boyfriend. He’ll make you show off your muscles or shadowbox randomly. It is awkward but seeing him so naturally happy, you just gotta do it for him anyways.

-Trevor understands you are very dedicated to your career. He’ll drop you off and pick you up from the gym most days. He’ll ask about your days and how hard you were working.

-“Wrestle me. Yeah? I don’t care that I’m partially naked, it’s apart of the fun! Now… Wrestle me.”

-He gets adrenaline rush when you win a play fight against him. The feeling of how you flip him over your shoulder. It makes him feel… Things.

MICHAEL: -He’s refreshed to have someone so active in practical sports. He’s impressed by your physique and work.

-Actually helping him get back in shape. You show him all the ins and outs of professional fighting and he’s naturally good! He lacks confidence though, but you are eager to help him.

-“Woah! Shit, you are really good at this.”

-Michael is at every fight. In the crowd. Cheering you on.

-He’s not as aggressive as Trevor, but he will help you out, even if you were fine. Michael can’t let you win a street fight without his help.

-“You got some strong arms! I’d pay you to wrestle Trevor. Put him to sleep for a bit… Haha! Joking, only joking… I’m not. Please. Do it.”

-He’ll join your morning jogs as training.

-“This beats fucking yoga, anyday!”

-Sometimes he’s a pain in the ass to get moving. You’ll be at the gym with him yet he’s taking time out. You have to constantly motivate him.

-“Hey, hey! Be careful, my love. You have quite the heavy hand. Let me handle this.”

-Michael will purchase a small gyms room just for you. He’ll sometimes stop by to hit the punching bags but he’s more amused by watching you train. He’s fascinated by your strength.

[picorihero]

@smashmeltingpot 

In a show of thanks for all it does, and all the fun its provided for Link and his friends, he wanted to give Sandbag something! 

Though it’s hard to think of what it’ll like. He hopes this ‘Smashing’ Top Hat should suffice! It’s a Madame Couture original! And something to wear to the post game celebrations perhaps?

[winterhawkkisses]

976.

Bucky had never ascribed much to the idea of hell, but now he knew a little more he didn’t think it burned. No, he was pretty sure that hell was cold. Cold, and dark, and wretched, and lonelier than you could imagine being when you were surrounded by the sniffles and the whimpers and the rough voices of men. Fuck, but it was cold in the trenches, and this corner of heaped sandbags and stolen secrecy was maybe the first time in his whole goddamned life he had ever truly known warm. 

“I oughta feel worse about this,” Bucky said, voice low, his thumb brushing against the ring on Clint’s left hand. It was cleaner than it ought to be, the way mud was caked under Clint’s nails, and in the grain of his skin. “Not as bad as you should, maybe, but -” 

Clint’s arms tightened a little around him, and Bucky hitched on a small, cold, trembling sorta smile as Clint kissed his temple, the side of his face. 

“You gonna tell her, when you get back?”

Clint’s breath was warm, too, tucked into the crook where Bucky’s neck met his shoulder, the kinda place you hunched down to protect when the bullets were flying, even though any place was a filthy place to get hit. Vulnerable, that was what it was, and that was what Clint was too, ‘cos his breath hitched in the middle like it was caught up and tied in barbed wire. 

“Maybe it’ll be easier for her,” Bucky said dreamily, “if I don’t make it outta here. Maybe she’ll forgive you.” 

The soft noise Clint made sounded torn out of him. Bucky leaned back and rested his head on Clint’s shoulder, turned his head so he could brush a kiss to his cold, grimy cheek. It was a risk, doin’ this where they could so easily get caught, but what the fuck wasn’t in a place like this? And it was worth it for how Clint turned his head to meet him, opened his warm mouth to Bucky’s, kissed him gently like he was dying. 

“Maybe don’t tell her you said you loved me, though,” he whispered, ‘cos if he said it too loud the universe might overhear, and this wasn’t the kinda place you got to keep things like that. 

“I love you,” Clint whispered back, fervent and honest and unafraid, “and you’re gonna make it out of this, and someday you’re gonna understand -” 

He moved, his arms pressing a little closer against Bucky’s sides as he grabbed his ring with his right hand, tugging at it like it was welded in place. Felt like Bucky’s breath froze solid in his chest when Clint took hold of his hand next, pushing the ring onto his finger like it was made to sit there, weaving their fingers to hold it in place where it was a little too big. 

“Clint,” Bucky croaked, because he didn’t know the shape of this cold hurt, he didn’t know how the hell to rebuild himself around it. 

“It’s yours,” Clint said, impossible warmth against the shell of his ear, “I promise, I promise it’s gonna be yours, you’ve just gotta make it through.” 

[tarithenurse]

On my mind , in my soul - 16

Prompt:  “Love your work, On my mind in your soul!!! Prompts: A collar, a chair, and “Movement” by Hozier. Hope this works for you ♥️” That’s the words of a wonderful Anon whom I’ve decided will be the instigator to…well…you’ll see ;) Pairing: Loki x Burglar!reader. Content: Swearing as usual, loneliness, isolation, tiny bit of angst, jealousy, possessiveness, Jotun, lemons with “leashes”, some fluff ? A/N: All I wanna say is...it’s not my fault. Anon made me do it. Please reblog if you liked! You know the drill by now.

Of halves and wholes

You move silently, body tight and breath shallow as you navigate the halls of the Stark Tower on your own. Dressed in your own training gear (which Romanoff had picked up at your place – without being asked to or told the address) the plan is to locate the gym because sitting cooped up is starting to drive you crazy. It’s been ages since Loki left with most of the Avengers. More than a week at least! After a heartbeat to count, you correct the estimation: three. Days. Shit.

This is worse than expected. The tower isn’t your home, and not even a thirsting curiosity can distract you from the discomfort of being somewhere that takes your freedom and control away. Not to mention the people. Despite some shady backgrounds here and there, the Avengers stand for law and order and although they don’t put the letter of the law before the spirit of it…well, shared interests aren’t exactly plenty.

It’s more of a feeling than anything else that makes you duck into a spin where your water bottle is launched through the air. But instinct or not, the container nearly finds a target below the belt of the only one of the heroes you can talk to: Barton.

“Close call,” he mutters, but there’s a smile on his lips, “guess ye’re not much safer to sneak up on.”

You push to your feet, a bit frazzled. “At least I’m not carrying weapons all the time.” Yeah, I’m not gonna feel guilty about this.

“Anythin’ can be a weapon.”

Barton lops the bottle back in a gentle arch, probably confident that you don’t stand a chance at beating him. Which you don’t. But still.

“That sounded like the Russian duo.”

The smile breaks with a snort of laughter. “Only one’s Russian. Sorta. But yeah, I see yer point.” He walks on the way you’d been headed. “So, let’s see what else yer capable of other than tamin’ an Asgardian and throwin’ bottles at nice guys’ private parts.”

It’s all junk.

Silently appreciating that you’ve got a guide now, you follow the archer down a few levels and into the private and (according to Stark) little gym.

Little my ass. Filled with the best equipment money can buy, the place is bigger than any training center has a right to be and sports several pit-like areas which probably are meant for sparring. Of course there are also an actual boxing ring, several machines where the pins in the weight still are at uncannily high numbers…not to mention an actual stack of sandbags by the wall. Bikes, treadmills, you could go on and eventually not even know what to call the different options for physical exercise displayed before you. At least the smell’s like it should be. Musty leather, dry sweat, and sanitizer. Your nose wrinkle at the familiarity, and a bit of the alienation you’d felt seeps away into the floor, leaving you calmer than you’d been for…since I got here.

“Alrighty, what ye know already?” Barton has found sports tape and wraps while you were ogling and is now waiting for you to hold out a hand.

You gingerly extend your left. “In terms of…what?”

“Self-defence. Martial arts.” He’s obviously done this before because his fingers move nimbly and without hesitation.

What do I know? Sure, you’d taken a few classes and generally kept in shape enough to impress any common thug or rich client getting handsy. Then there was the stuff you’d tried to teach yourself like when Loki was…the memory makes you sigh quietly at the realization that that isn’t so long ago even though it feels like a lifetime. Things could have been so different now if you’d made other choices. Would your life have remained what it once was? Would it have been smarter if you’d run away…or simpler if you’d given in to the demands of the Asgardian? He would never have opened up to you, bared his soul the way he had done when he explained why the Avengers forgave him…

“Hey?” Barton’s voice breaks through the storm of thoughts. “Where y’at?”

Both your hands are wrapped comfortably. “Sorry,” you mumble, “uhm…no experience worth mentioning.”

“Cool. Blank slate.”

You follow him into the nearest pit, finding that the floor is slightly padded. “Tabula rasa.”

“…s’that like Hakuna Matata?”

…   Loki’s PoV   …

What use is a wizard if he will not even ensure the quickest travel? Finally out of the dreadful confines of the jet, Loki can feel his body thrumming with impatience. The Jotun part of him is itching to break free from the restraints of the illusion and to be only with people he trusts unconditionally. And no, Thor - who is hollering after the raven-haired brother - does not exactly fit that bill.

Long strides bring him to the door that leads to what can be considered Loki’s quarters when he has to stay at the Tower. The god prefers his own home, but even he is a slave to practicality sometimes. And this time? A part somewhere in his chest does not disagree quite as much with returning to this place.

Without knocking, he barges in and is met with nothing.

A second stretches like elastic as Loki takes in the surroundings, finding no signs of foul play. The closet is ajar, a pair of jeans slung across the back of a chair next to it which has [Y/N] shoes tugged beneath. The wardrobe itself is near empty because neither resident had brought a lot with them.

This time the steps are rushed and nothing but pure self-restraint keeps the god from breaking into a running pace. Self-respect. Dignity. Loki tempers the roiling desperation, not wanting to let anyone else know exactly how great the urge to hold his mortal in his arms really is. But where is she? Stopping, he realizes that he simply has stormed off in any random direction which is a perfect example on how not to search for anyone.

“Jarvis!” the god snaps, for once appreciating Starks love for the disembodied servant.

...

I still watch you when you're groovin' As if through water from the bottom of a pool You're movin' without movin'

The Asgardian supposes he should be thankful for the facts that [Y/N] is learning to defend herself properly and for the fact that it is Barton teaching her rather than any of the others. The two men do not have a friendship, far from, but the archer had been the first to accept that Loki’s actions on Midgard had not been entirely of his own volition. And so a sort of unspoken understanding keeps them on common ground. Still, looking at the way the two sweaty bodies collide and wrestle for dominance awakens a jealousy within Loki.

Why do I stay in the shadow? It would be simple, stepping forward and claiming the woman he has come to consider his. [Y/N] would be furious if I treated her as a possession…and the god stays in the shadows to watch. And what a sight it is.

With careful perfection, she copies the trainer’s movements. Already, her motions are fluid and lithe, a show of confidence that empowers the once-upon-burglar more than Loki thought would still be possible, and he could swear on the Norns that no other sight is as captivating. Sleek muscles dance under glistening skin of back, arms, and shoulders with each strike or block. Strong thighs (that have been wrapped around his waist as pleasure wrecks the perfect body) powers each step as [Y/N] drives forward in a tantalizing onslaught. Full of potency and with satisfaction showing on the curved lips. My warrior.

A change in movement, bodies too close for Loki’s liking as the archer wraps the woman in his arm before spinning her away. Only as Barton backs out of the sparring match, does the Asgardian realize that he has marched to the pit. He can feel the jealousy spread like ice over his skin but can hardly find it in himself to stall the transformation…and either way: the bowman is leaving already.

“Loki?” The female voices reaches him through a fog of rage. “What’s up?”

She is so soft in his clawed hands, so pliable as lips meet with a force that clicks their teeth together. “Mine,” Loki mumbles in between the hungry kisses.

“Mm!” He does not allow her to break away fully. “M’not…a thin’…oh…you own!” Even so, she is returning each demanding action with a vigour.

“Still…mine…” [Y/N]’s skin is scalding on his lips as he trails the elegant jawline before latching onto the tender spot below the ear. “My pet.”

Nails scrape against his scalp, sending shivers down Loki’s spine. “No pet…” she whimpers, arching into him in response to the hands stroking her body, “got no collar.”

Finally pulling back, the god is met with a lust-blown gaze. Mouth half-open and chest rising and falling rapidly, she looks so prettily ruined. “Oh, but my dear…you do have a collar.”

And as he speaks, it appears in a shimmer of sparks: thick, green velvet edged with gold and no buckle or joint anywhere for [Y/N]’s probing fingers to find. He sees the challenge rise in her eyes, but simply decides to scoop her up onto a shoulder and carry her away.

… Reader’s PoV   …

Without anything sharp, there’s no way you can get the new accessory off and slung over the Jotun’s shoulder (Must be his “thing”) you really can’t do anything about anything. Instead you wait patiently. Almost patiently. With each step, Loki brings you closer to his room. With each step, he tells you all the dirty things you’ve been longing for while he was gone, making you squirm to prolong the contact as he massages your ass and legs, ghosting close to your clothed pussy when the nimble fingers explore the inside of the thighs.

But when the door finally does close, he doesn’t drop you on the bed, but perches you on a hard chair and before you know it, your ankles are tied to its metal legs and you wrists connected behind its back.

His face is so close you can recognize a turquoise shade in the sea of red. “I might not own you, love, but you’re still mine to do with as I please.” A large hand wraps loosely around your neck, thumb stroking the collar. “If you’re a good pet, I’ll reward you.”

I’ll show you “pet”. Like a dog wanting to lick its owner’s face, you try to rush forward but are stopped by resistance from the neckband. What the –? His smirk chases away the confusion – the bastard has tied the collar to chair too. You can’t move more than a few inches, leaving you completely at his mercy. There’s no doubt in your mind that he would set you free if you truly wanted him too…but you don’t.

When you move Honey, I'm put in awe of somethin' so flawed and free

Instead, you watch as he straightens before you, deliberately slow as he peels off one layer of clothes after the other before he stands naked.

“God,” you moan, following the ridged lines across his shape with your eyes.

His hand drops to stroke his growing cock lazily. “Correct. Your god, am I not?”

A nod is enough. And one more when he’s kind enough to ask if you want to taste him. Stretching as far as you can, you meet him with your mouth, tongue guiding him closer until you sit relatively comfortable again.

It’s messy at first, almost every lick and nibble along the shaft makes his erection bob up and down as if it too is nodding, but when Loki grabs the base the balance in power shifts slightly in your favour. Groans and subtle rolls with the narrow hips as your lips draw his cock in inch by inch until you nearly gag on it. Sure, size isn’t all and the dimensions of the Jotun erection can seem intimidating if it wasn’t for your intimate knowledge of how talented Loki is with it. Right now, however, you’re spellbound by the sinful sounds and twitches as you trace the ridges with your tongue and suck greedily to create a slobby vacuum.

“Such a…good pet…” His breath is ragged and thighs trembling as he dig the clawed hands into your hair for stabilization.

It’s hard to smile with a face full of cock and your jaws ache at the strain. “Mmmmm-mmm?” you hum before circling the crown with your tongue to lap up the salty taste of precum.

With a pop, he pulls out, stumbling back a step to take in the view of you there, drool dripping to your chin and a devilish grin because you may be tied up but aren’t powerless. Innocently, you bash your lashes up at him, making a deal out of admiring the athletic form. Damn, so fuckable. Your clit throbs with each heartbeat and you try to shift on the seat to soothe the need for some release.

Red eyes lock on the movement, glimmering with decisiveness. “Yes,” he whispers more to himself, “and good pets are rewarded.”

Falling to his knees between your legs, the cold of his body soothing on the hot skin, he kisses and licks the worst of the saliva from your face before tracing a path to the neckline of your top. Even through the layers of fabric, Loki can see the puckered nipples to bite them just hard enough for the sting to make you moan with want and distract you from the appearance of a blade. Rrrrrrrrp, and the front of your clothes splits to reveal your breasts and stomach. You would’ve scolded him if he hadn’t been so talented with his tongue and lips, making you arch your back and tilt your hips harder into the hand he’s holding onto you with.

When the god reaches the top of your shorts, there’s no denying the dangerous cold of the blade as it slips between skin and elastic fabric, but this time, you couldn’t care less that more clothes is ruined as long as it grants him access. Scraps fall to the floor, hand reach under your ass to lift and tilt your pelvis a bit and then…gooooods!

…   Loki’s PoV   …

Move me, baby Shake like the bough of a willow tree

Such sweet sounds with each stroke of his tongue, a danced melange of broad, slow, piercing, and fast until her lust is dripping onto the seat. [Y/N] has fallen back and her entire body is undulating with power that is building up within, like water behind a dam waiting to be released. Fine.

Never stopping the delirious torture, Loki only needs a thought to undo the bonds - although the collar stays (he likes the symbolism of it). And before she understands what is happening, he lifts her to the bed. Only then, as he lays down on his back, does his mouth leave her folds so he can see her captured in his grip above him. Perfect. Eyelids flutter and breasts rise and fall rapidly against the tension of being on the verge for so long, already the woman is reaching for some way to find release. Mine.

The Jotun physique is domineering and raw in its need, but Loki manages to move agonizingly slow as he lowers her onto his cock and then setting a snail-like pace for the next dozen thrusts until she whimpers in frustration.

“Pleeaase!” The mortal’s gaze is clouded with lust and desperation.

How can he deny her? Rutting upwards, the speed and depth of each stroke are increased, and the much smaller hands hold on with all they can to his much bigger wrists. Pretty cries fall from her lips, growing louder as a warning, together with the tightness of her cunt, of the impending ecstasy. There! All of [Y/N] seizes and shudders with bliss. Back arched, breasts pushed upwards, and the sight is beyond anything the god could ever want.

Rolling clenches of her core pushes him over the edge with such a force that everything disappears in a darkness where the only reality is the blurry shape of the woman. Her heat and his cold mingles, and Loki knows he must have cried out her name, but it is not until he comes to his senses with the mortal in his arms that he realizes it. Never another.

“Mine,” he whispers into her hair.

The god can feel her smile against his chest. “Yours.”

[andorknuckles]

So, because I’m obsessive I decided to stretch out the partially visible pixels in the blurred Smash Ultimate update...

They’re not perfect, but they do help to paint a better picture of just what’s coming. Discussion below the cut.

Now, the most common speculation for the first image is, of course, that it’s a form of Stage Builder.

A menu on the left with the selected item highlighted in yellow, and a test/save button on the bottom right, with the rest all being a view of the stage. It’s very plausible, and has been discussed at length by others, so I won’t be going over it in much more detail, but I will list the objectively observable evidence that points in its favor, such that those can be used when discussing other possibilities.

There is no dashboard: In Smash Ultimate, a black dashboard fills 10% of the screen when exploring the game’s upper menus. While this is present in Screenshot 2, it isn’t visible here, which would point towards the idea that this is either in-game, or in a menu that is too big or expansive to work with the dashboard, as is seen with the Character Select Screen. A Stage Builder is on the more resource intensive side of things, so it’s only logical for the Dashboard to be left out.

There are no visible characters, or character HUD elements. This would point towards it not being an ingame screenshot of a new stage or battle mode. However, one possibility is that the lower right yellow blob is an unconventional display for a character’s health, though yellow is not a colour one typically sees in a Smash Bros. display.

The white and yellow on the right is rather unprecedented. It’s highly unlikely to be a scroll bar, given that Smash already has a standardised scroll bar used in every other menu. This means it is most likely some kind of menu, or the HUD element of a game mode.

The bottom right yellow ‘button’ is consistent with many other buttons in the game, including the dark patch on the left, which is likely blurred together from the black on the button and the blue from the background.

In short, what we know is...

1) This is not a standard menu 2) This is not from a conventional game display 3) There is some sort of display or menu on the left hand side 4) There’s a button or other display on the bottom right side

From those, I’ll try and construct as many potential explanations as possible.

1. Tower-ascent side-game

This one’s a very loose idea, but in theory, the left side bar could be a marker used to show how far up a ‘tower’ the player is, while the ‘button’ on the bottom right is where the player’s % is displayed, rather than in the center as it usually is, likely so that enemies and hazards coming from directly below are easier to spot. However, the idea requires one to make lots of assumptions about what certain information is meant to be, ones that aren’t facilitated by currently known information.

2. Home-Run Contest

I think this one counts as wishful thinking. The idea of a back-wall for the Home-Run Contest makes enough sense (the yellow part could just be a giant yellow 🚫), but the colours aren’t ones that would be especially effective for the mode, as a white platform wouldn’t work very well when displayed alongside the Sandbag. Additionally, while maintaining thematic consistency isn’t necessarily going to happen, all previous Home-Run Contests have taken place in a stadium, not what appears to be an open field. Additionally, the perspective required to make this visual work is all wrong.

3. A DLC Character stage

This one doesn’t need a diagram, since the stage could potentially look like anything. If this is a stage, it’s most likely a Persona 5 stage, or the stage for the next DLC character. However, Persona 5 is far more visually distinct than this stage, usually displaying either lots of colours, or striking amounts of colour contrast, making the odds of it being a Persona 5 stage highly unlikely. While aa stage could be derived from a different Shin Megami Tensei game, those tend to be similarly distinct in terms of visuals.

If it’s a stage for one of the two commonly ‘leaked’ Square Enix characters, one feels fairly probable as a candidate to have a fairly generic stage, while the other doesn’t.

(After writing this Joker’s stage sorta leaked, and so things are even less likely to be his stage)

4. Trophy Rush

This one doesn’t really need a diagram either, for what little information would be displayed in the mode. As someone who greatly enjoyed this mode, I’d appreciate seeing it back, but I feel like there’s not much call for it, as the only collectibles in the game already have plenty of ways to obtain them. At least it’s not Coin Launcher. Ostensibly the bar on the left here would be some kind of gauge or countdown.

5. Poke Floats

Not that bad of a theory, but it fails to account for the bar on the left, and even with my best efforts, I couldn’t make a layout that I felt best represented all of the colours we could see. It’s also not the kind of thing I could see being advertised as a ‘feature’. It would make sense to try and bring back such a popular level and modernise it with new Pokemon, but while I wouldn’t rule it out as a possibility, I feel like that idea and this image are a round peg and an octagonal hole. It just doesn’t quite fit.

6. Board the Platforms/Break the Targets

The only evidence I’ve seen given to this is that the bar on the left could show how many platforms/targets are left, with the yellow being a boarded/broken one. I personally think that’s UI overkill.

Overall, I stand by the Stage Builder idea the most. However, when it comes to the other picture, there’s no single idea I see as standing above the rest in terms of likelihood, and in turn, I’ve not seen many suggestions for it. The community seems pretty stumped, but I’m going to go ahead and analyse what I’ve seen suggested, as well as my own spitballing.

Before I do, though, I want to go over some of the elements of this image first.

There is a dashboard: Unmistakable, that black bar on the right is most certainly the dashboard menu. It covers the right amount of screen space, and it’s a very safe assumption to make.

There is a coloured bar across the top: While there’s been some debate as to whether it’s an orange or red bar (it’s likely the brightness has been fiddled with to further confuse the image’s intention), it’s almost certainly one of the coloured bars that often decorates the top of certain menus in Smash Ultimate’s menus. However, most of these menus display these bars at a slant that gets very thin at one side, which would lead one to expect the visual to get a lot lighter towards the right side of the screen. That said, there are exceptions, such as in the options menu or the Tourney display, so it’s possible this is just another exception. The implication of this is that this menu is either under Online (if orange) or Smash (if red). From my edits, it appears more orange, though the original image is easier to see as red.

There are a loooooot of different colours, and they don’t seem to line up to any particular shape, making it very difficult to make an educated guess.

1. Character Editor

Starting out with the alleged leak that I heard while making this analysis. The rumour goes that the player will be able to create their own colour palettes for each of the game’s characters. The details on this are unclear, but for simplicity’s sake I choose to assume that players will be able to select various specific parts of a character’s body (Mario’s hat, buttons, or shoes, for example), and apply a colour to it.

This has a number of things going for it, moreso from design elements found outside of this image.

Firstly, it would explain why there are so many wildly conflicting colours in the image if the player is applying multiple different colours to a character’s model

This has been the first Smash game to take extra time to load in character colours on the character select screen. While this could be chalked up to the game having to load in almost 800 renders, it’s also possible that this is simply something that’s been designed to account for additional (possibly unlimited) extra costumes.

The added ability to select costumes by hitting A over your character portrait is mildly convenient (after everything has loaded), but it does seem slightly unnecessary. If the idea is to be prepared for when players are able to select from dozens of character costumes, this would make sense.

Additionally, the character colours are all labeled. But even in cases of split characters like Alph or the Koopalings, the label names are simply “Color 1″ through to “Color 8″. It really doesn’t make any sense to add these labels when they’re not going to add anything informative, so all they end up doing is filling up space, and forcing the stock icons to cover up some of the portrait. This in particular bodes well for this theory.

The recently datamined information on Joker having a special 8th costume would line up well with this, if the idea is that players will be able to freely add their own versions of that costume.

However, various things also go against this theory.

The bar up the top indicates this is a mode in Smash or Online, when such a character editor would probably be in Games & More (blue), Vault (Magenta, which this could just be a corruption of), or Options (purple).

It’s hard to make out any one specific character who is being modified, one would at least be able to see some elements that add up to a visible character in some shape or form, even if they were radically re-coloured.

The dashboard doesn’t appear in any parts of the game where a character model is being rendered. While it’s possible that the visual used for this mode is the character’s render instead, that seems somewhat dubious since one would likely want to see what they’re making.

Overall, it’s a solid idea, but more for what’s been seen on the character select screen than this image.

2. Additional Challenges

It would explain the eclectic colours, and the bar on the right is in order, but the colours at the top and bottom don’t match those of the blurred screenshot, regardless of what page of Challenges the player is on. The only way for this one to work would be if the intent is to add a special page to Challenges, one that has a different overall design to the rest. (Daily Challenges? Super Challenges?)

3. Destiny Islands stage

Now here’s a viewpoint I’m hard pressed to debunk, and that’s mostly because the idea here is that the image above is a screenshot of the stage within some kind of announcement display. We haven’t gotten any new stages yet, so having them get descriptions of some sort isn’t impossible, it’s just that it doesn’t strike me as likely. Additionally, aside from the blue of the water, most of the colours seem out of place.

4. Smash Run 2

Eh, it’s not impossible, just not a game mode that plays to the Switch’s strengths. Specifically that doing Smash in split-screen would likely be very taxing on the system’s resources, especially with all the enemies they’d be displaying. One possible explanation is that playing the mode requires multiple Switches (either online or locally), and so the orange bar could be explained that way. The dashboard only being there because the screenshot is of the mode’s submenu or explanation.

Overall I don’t think this is especially likely, as such a mode would absolutely require an exorbitant amount of development time, and so for it to release in spring, the bulk of it would need to be finished before release, and there’s simply no indication that such a thing has been worked on in the game’s data.

Overall, it’s hard to say for certain just what this second image is. Personally I lean in the direction of it being an additional online mode, mostly because of the orange bar, and due to the odd layout of buttons on the online menu that seems to indicate there’s more to come (as seen in my mockup):

When it comes right down to it, however, this kind of speculation is fun, and I’m so very glad the development team gave us something to pore over as we await the next batch of content. I’ve personally always felt that an ARG is a great way to keep fans invested in upcoming information, and this is possibly the closest Smash has ever gotten to one.