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imjustdreamingig · 27 days ago

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Isn't that sweet, I guess so

Part 1, Part 2

pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

summary: The secret's out, Steve's proud of himself, and you can't seem to keep your mouth shut

A/N: chat there is no way I put out 2 fic in the past week, this has never happened to me before! yay everyone cheer. again, i have no idea where this story is going how far im gonna go, i def want to try writing other stuff and idk if this is the best place to put and end to whatever this series is but again, we shall see i guess. thank you all so much on the love on my last two works you have no idea what that means to me! please please PLEASE send me asks or comment what you'd like me to write next or if you want a pt4 i need help people

warnings: sfw, swearing, fluff, idiots who like each other

Facing your fears is tough. No matter what it is, no one would actually choose putting themselves through a situation in which they know would cause them extreme distress. For some that may be going on a rollercoaster, interacting with a clown, going into a dark forrest alone, it could even be making a phone call by yourself to schedule a doctor's appointment (which is a valid fear to have, thank you very much.)

And here you were, facing your fears: being sat in your living room with Steve Harrington 3 feet away from you for an extended period of time. It's only been about 15 minutes, where no talking has happened since minute two.

You hope you can get to 30 minutes without fainting.

As you attempted to focus on the book in front of you, Jane Austen's words, who usually kept your focused for hours on end, were not being absorbed by you in the slightest. How could they, when Steve fucking Harrington was in your house.

Steve is the type of guy who Jane Austen would write about, you thought, eyes flickering towards him as he hunched over his book, face crinkled in concentration, trying to understand said author's musings.

The swoop of his hair, the two moles near his neck, his deep, beautiful, chocolate eyes, his gorgeous smile, and my god those arms? Yep, Jane would be absolutely obsessed with him.

"God, why did I agree to do this book?" You are snapped out of your daze at Steve's words. "What do you mean?", you replied. He gave you a look that can only be described as "seriously?"

"I mean, that I can barley understand what any of these characters are saying half the time, and honestly, it's a bit boring. I thought you would have better book recommendations," he said, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face.

A scoff left your mouth before you could stop it. "Excuse me, are you actually hating on Pride and Prejudice, the best romance story of all time, the romance story, period." You leaned over and snatched his book. "I mean, come on! You are literally only 6 pages in, you can't just judge it that quickly, you haven't even gotten to the good parts yet!", you exclaim.

Steve watched you with an amused look on his face, unbeknownst to you, who kept rambling on, trying to convince Steve this book was worth continuing.

"— and Elizabeth, she is just funny, like actually hilarious. There is one part where she basically tells someone that I'd rather not be wasting my air talking to someone like you, like please, how did she even come up with that? Also, I'm just obsessed with this proper English style of speaking, or writing I guess, because they're basically talking shit but covering it up with fancy words! And when—"

"You talk a lot, don't you?"

You look up from the book and towards Steve, eyes widening slightly, realizing you had indeed been talking too much.

"One of my greatest faults, some may say, and by faults I mean my mom, but she only tells me this when we're arguing, so..." You glance away from Steve's face for a little reprieve. God, he's so hot.

"Well, like a good partner," you continue. "I'm trying to help you get some of this project done, and maybe if Robin were here, she could've helped," you defended yourself, crossing your arms, "which I'm still confused about, by the way. You said something about her telling you earlier how I invited you guys and some other people to work on the project together, but then she doesn't show?"

Steve leans back in his chair, also crossing his arms. You glance down for a quick second and send a quick thank you to anyone who's that Steve is wearing a tight shirt that beautifully enunciates his biceps. Or maybe you should be mad at them, you don't know yet.

"Maybe it's the fact that she noticed, like I did, that it's been a month since this project was assigned and we haven't even started," Steve countered, "which is unlike you, you usually want to get stuff done ASAP."

You look at him in confusion. "How the fuck do you know that?"

Steve smirks, "I also happen to know that you don't have a sister, thanks to that lovely dinner with your mom." You shake your head in disbelief, mentally making a note to yell at your mom later.

"Isn't that what you said one of the many times I asked you to work on the project?" Steve looked so amused with himself, all cocky and proud that he had uncovered your lie. Your brain tried desperately to come up with a realistic enough explanation, but nothing was coming up.

You throw your hands up in defeat. "Ok, fine! I lied! Is it just so hard for you to believe that maybe, just maybe, not everyone in that high school wants to spend time with you outside of it?" Oh my God, why the fuck would you say that, you screamed internally.

Steve stared at you for a second before letting out a chuckle. " You know, I did think of that actually, but only for a bit." He reaches out for the book and grabs it from your grasp, flipping to a random page.

"You can only run away from a guy so many times before he catches a hint," he peers over at you, " and I mean literally, you're a fast runner, did you ever do track?"

"Yeah, in middle school," you answer quickly. Steve lets out a hum of agreement before placing his attention back on the book. You open your mouth, about to quip about being careful to not rip the pages when he speaks again. "I know I'm dumb, but I'm not an idiot, ya know?"

Your gaze snaps to his face. "Steve, I don't think you're dumb." He doesn't look too convinced. "Eh, I think you do. But you're interesting, you took me a lot longer to figure out than the others since girls just typically throw themselves at me."

You make a face of disgust, "Ok, you sound like a total prick, you know."

"Yep, heard it after I said it, but that's not the point here." He point his finger at you, "You have a crush on me."

You splutter out a sound of indignation. "Hello, what?" In your head, fire alarms are sounding. It's a code red, all hell is breaking loose. "Pfft, no I absolutely do not."

Steve raises his eyebrows. "Then how else do you explain the running away when you see me anywhere at school? You always have an insane excuse why we're not able to meet up to start the project, which some are hilarious," he admits, "but you've got me complaining about not doing homework, look what you've done to me!"

At this point you've gone silent, mouth agape with an excuse stuck in your throat refusing to come out. Steve's expression has changed, his eyes bore into yours with earnest, almost as if he's anticipating a certain answer, hoping for it. "So?"

You muster all the courage you have left and just when you're about to respond, Steve interrupts you again for like, the 15th time.

"Anyways, I've to get going, have some things to do and whatever." He gets up, shrugs on his jacket and then places his books in his backpack. You get up too, having absolutely no clue how to tell him not to go, that you want him to stay. "Steve, what do you mean?"

He glances over at you, "Nothing, I just have to go. I'm a busy guy." He starts making his way to your front door, leaving you behind in the kitchen, trying to understand what the fuck just happened. First, he accuses you of having a crush on him, which you do, and then he just thinks he can leave?

Oh, absolutely not.

With a new wave of determination, you catch up to Steve just as he's finishing putting on his shoes. "Say thanks to your mom for me for dinner, it was great," he says as he grabs the door handle. You don't let him continue with whatever stupid thing he was going to say next.

"Listen Harrington, I don't know what the fuck just happened back there, but the fact you think can just, leave after dropping a bomb like that is ridiculous," you say, glaring at him in annoyance, and Steve's just staring back at you with that stupid, stupid, smirk that has not left his face since the moment he stepped foot in here.

"So what if I did like you, huh? What if I did have a crush on you? Because I do, but that, quite frankly, is none of your business, none of your concern, actually, so... yeah." Steve is looking at you and you're looking at him, a little out of breath after your declaration. You don't have the energy right now to fully process what you just said.

All of a sudden, Steve seems to break character, the smugness gone, replaced with subtle endearment. He leans down and presses a swift kiss on your cheek before whispering, "Well, it's a good thing I like you too." He straightness back up and says, "I told you I knew you were different, you're a mystery. You're lucky running away seemed to work on me, by the way. I don't think it would for everyone else," he says while you stare at him in shock. You've been rendered silent once again, with nothing but the thought that Steve likes you back, repeating over and over again.

You clear your throat before speaking, "Well! Um, yay?" You truly have no idea what to do right now. Steve chuckles at your reaction, like he can't believe his words have caused you of all people, who continuously talk and talk and talk, to not have anything profound to say for once. He's kind of into it.

Steve grabs your hand and encases it with the other. "Come over to my house tomorrow after school, I'll drive you. We can work on the project and you know, talk, if you want." You nod fervently, "Yeah, yeah ok."

He smiles and drops your hand. "I really do have to go though, I wasn't making that up," he remarks as he opens the front door. "Oh, sure, that's fine," you reply. You hold open the door for him and watch as he descends the steps and makes his way towards his car. You watch him, holding onto the door for dear life.

As Steve gets into the car, he looks over at you and waves, "I'll see you tomorrow!" You wave back and yell back, "Yeah, tomorrow!" You don't go back inside until the car is out of sight. As you shut the door, you press your back against it, trying to wrap your head around what exactly happened in the last few hours.

Holy shit, you though, Steve Harrington likes me. Steve fucking Harrington. You let out an involuntarily squeal of excitement and immediately regret doing it as your mother calls down from upstairs. "Mija, are you ok? What happened?" Hearing her voice reminds you of her involvement over the events that transpired tonight.

Putting your happiness on hold for a moment, you start to storm up the stairs. "Mom!", you yelled, "How could you embarrass me like that, asking him to stay over for dinner, you know how I feel about him, I just about fainted 5 times throughout the night, how does that make you feel!? You almost killed me an—"

You would thank your mom later, because ultimately she helped, but for now, you'll stick to this.

#what am i doing #stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x y/n fluff #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x female reader #stranger things fanfic #fluff

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anxiousnerdwritings · 1 year ago

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I can totally imagine that, after getting absolutely no where, Jokerized!twin darling just has an Azula-level breakdown. Especially if the Batfam or God forbid Damian somehow manages to subdue the unpredictable mess. There's no way that Twin!Reader doesn't resent Damian to a degree, especially after everything he put them through... so seeing his twin brother not only be accepted but also find a family that was willing to have him? While Twin!Darling was just used and abused in some shape or form? Absolutely breaking down!

Twin!Reader wholeheartedly holds an immense amount of resentment towards both Damian and Talia. I really like the idea that Twin!Reader was more akin to being that of a normal child born outside of a family full of assassins than to acting like one who was. Like, Twin!Reader was on par with Damian when it came to the proficiency of their training but the mentality just wasn’t there for them. They couldn’t just aimlessly kill, they couldn’t just walk away with someone’s blood on them and not feel something. Not only that, they just weren’t emotionless to any degree like how their mother and brother so easily were. They laughed, they cried, they felt fear, they felt hurt. Like, I’ve had this scenario in my head for a bit of there being a thunderstorm or a blizzard and Twin!Reader seeking out Damian because they’re scared, they sneak into his room and they just want comfort. They just want to be together with their twin brother in their moment of need. And Damian begrudgingly allows it cause they won’t go away no matter what he says but he still makes comments about how weak they are for something as ridiculous as a storm to have them acting like this and that the Reader better be out before mother finds out. I especially like this kind of scenario being what Twin!Reader holds onto when they need something no the better side to look back on. It didn’t happen often, nor did it come without berating, but there were a few moments that Twin!Reader had with Damian that they’ve held onto, that they’ve cherished.

I also really like the idea of Talia having tried to kill Twin!Reader behind Ra’s back, leaving them for dead only for them to survive and that’s where we go from there. I think it really adds to the whole familial betrayal thing and gives more to the Reader eventually going off the rails, especially as they’re in search of somewhere to belong, for someone who willingly and genuinely wants them for them. It makes it even more of a surprise and gut punch respectively for Damian, Talia, and Ra’s when the Reader pops back up. Especially, after being Jokerized.

All their life, Twin!Reader as been used and abused in some way, shape, or form. And even after being Jokerized that’s all they’re met with. Even if it isn’t to the same extent it was with Talia and Damian, these new people the Reader is trying to find belonging in all have ulterior motives. They want to use the Reader against Batman (or one of the other main people the Reader’s been associated with), they want something to have and hold over Batman’s (or whoever else’s) head. That’s all it is, at least in the beginning. Eventually these people do come to have some amount of care for the Reader but by then it’s too late and the Reader is in the wind and on to the next one.

I do really love the idea of Damian and Twin!Reader sharing their love for animals. I especially love the thought of the Reader’s first pet/companion being a hyena Joker and Harley (probably just Harley) gifted them after their initiation into the Clown Family. That hyena would mean the absolute world to the Reader, as far as the Reader was concerned it was their first friend and the first thing that ever stayed around for them. Wherever the Reader went, so did it. I love the thought of the hyena being protective of the Reader, sticking close to them for both security and comfort. The hyena very quickly becomes the only thing that Twin!Reader truly cares about anymore. Not to mention, there’s no doubt that after everything Twin!Reader’s been through before and after being Jokerized they have constant nightmares, even some night terrors, and the only one there for them is their loyal hyena. It’s there to curl around them protectively, to give them a warmth they’re not used to and a sense of being looked over that they’ve never felt before. I can even see the hyena bringing the Reader snacks to remind them to eat and take care of themself.

I can really see the Jokerized!Twin!Reader being thrown into an all out breakdown if their hyena died, especially if it died protecting them (whether from the batfamily or some rogue rando). That was their only friend, the only thing that truly ever cared about them and now they had nothing anymore. They had no one. They were lost all over again. If any of the batfamily members had anything to do with the Reader’s precious hyena’s death there would never be any forgiveness. If someone else were the reason for the hyena’s death than the Reader wouldn’t think twice about killing them and getting revenge for their beloved companion. Either way, no matter who caused the Reader’s hyena’s death I can see the batfamily all trying to subdue them from enacting any revenge on whoever. No matter how feral and berserk the Reader is in the moment, no matter how hard they fight, how hard they hit, I see Bruce, Jason and Damian especially not letting go of them. They hold the Reader the entire time, unrelenting in their grasp no matter how hurt they get in the process. If the Reader is as unrelenting as they are then they’ll have to knock them out. From there the family will take Jokerized!Twin!Reader home, where they’ll be safer, where the family can watch over and be there for them.

After their breakdown, there is no way in hell, Damian and Bruce especially will be able to go on with the Reader not being with them. Seeing how absolutely destroyed they’ve become, how much of a broken husk they’ve been turned into after everything they’ve been through, Damian and Bruce can’t allow anything more to happen to their sibling/child. No matter what it takes, how long it takes, Damian and Bruce aren’t giving up on Jokerized!Twin!Reader. They will save them, they will put them back together again. They will be the family that the Reader should have had all along.

God forbid if Ra’s was there to see his precious grandchild breakdown like that in front of him. Damian and Bruce be damned, he’s taking them home with him and Talia will be thoroughly dealt with for her part in all of this, in destroying his pride and joy.

#anxious answers #yandere damian wayne #yandere bruce wayne #yandere batfamily #yandere ra’s al ghul #yandere dc concept #yandere concept

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clownyclaushoe · 1 month ago

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art the clown x reader 🔞 | i taste blood and it's turned into an obsession series

part four | drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart

art visits reader's apartment for first time. reader rides art, with some knifeplay, minor (?) gore and brief cunniligus cause art can't get enough of reader's pussy 🥺 brief mention of cannibalism, but it doesn't actually occur, aside from some blood tasting. chapter title from howl by florence + the machine. so it seems there *might* be more chapters as i have a few ideas of what would happen next but tbh i don't know exactly where this will go 😅 except that it's likely to get darker and more twisted 👀

one | two | three

🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤

you had fallen into a kind of domesticity with art, or as much as one could have with a murderous demon clown. though you rarely were one for conventionality, and art certainly was the most unconventional being you'd ever met. one morning you had woken to art licking away the drool from the corner of your mouth, something you'd been embarrassed of in the past, especially if you were sharing the bed with someone; all the while art's mouth was spread with his signature grin, but there was a softness to his expression that made your heart swell. he appeared like an adoring puppy, too excited not to wake their owner with loving kisses. when you had met art you recalled a similar brief vulnerability, and after getting to know him better it seemed you were the only person to make him feel safe enough to be vulnerable.

the miles county demon clown needing safety? you had snickered at the thought, bringing your hands to art's gaunt face. art looked at you curiously, wondering what was funny. he could communicate so much with just a look, by the twinkle of his eyes or the tilt of his head.

you shook your head, pulling him in for a kiss, and soon all thought was pushed aside, in exchange for wanting and needing and consuming and being consumed. the truth was you were long consumed by your feelings for art, and you had decided soon after you met that there was little you wouldn't do to make him happy.

art seemed to feel similarly, having made changes to his hideout to make your stays there more comfortable, including getting a massive bed and converting a corner into a kitchenette of sorts. he had allowed you to bring your own decorative touches to the space. something that meant a great deal when art was so particular about keeping his possessions a certain way within his own organized chaos.

tonight's plan was for you both to leave the clandestine safety of his lair for art to visit your apartment for the first time. you had wanted him to for months but never expressed it, for fear that he wouldn't be interested. a shiver of anticipation and anxiety passed through you, and suddenly you feared he would think it too mundane, too boring, too human.

you were grateful the walk to your building wasn't far, as your heartbeat intensified with each step you drew closer, so persistent you were certain art could hear it, could feel the hot pulse of blood thrumming through your heart.

art took your hand in his, entwining your fingers together. you exhaled, the small but meaningful gesture making you relax a little. he held your hand until you reached the doorstep of your apartment, allowing you to unlock the door and step inside, biting back the instinct to apologize for the messiness of the space, considering he's a creature that revels in filth and his own bodily functions, as well as yours.

you watched intently as he slowly walked inside, as if taking in every detail, while tilting his head curiously. art's attention suddenly zeroed in on your kitchen, shuffling his feet quicker to reach his desired destination to stand before the knife block sitting on your counter.

unsurprisingly, he grabs the large chef's knife, his thumb tracing over the blade. he looks at you, grinning, his brows raised; he's shaking with anticipation for whatever plan he has in store for you, his chest heaving at the thought.

he suddenly steps to you, grabbing your arm and leading you in the direction of your bedroom, sitting you both on your large bed.

he kisses you, and your lips part for him, his tongue scouring inside your mouth, his large free hand moving over your body. although you'd been fucked by art for the first time only a week ago, you'd lost count of how many times you'd fornicated since - you were insatiable for each other - but no matter how many times art kissed, touched, and screwed you, everything about him made you feel weak, the feeling of being completely filled by his long, thick cock making you gasp each time.

you swooned, having to brace yourself on the bed, delicate moans and whines leaving your throat while his strong fingers pressed against the crotch of your leggings, feeling the wetness through the thin cotton, so good but not enough at the same time.

you groan his name, noticing his erection bulging obscenely, and your fingers wrap around what you could, stroking along his fully hardened cock pressing against the tight confines of his clown costume.

art's mouth forms a suprised O then a grin, wiggling his brows and you laugh, your heart shuddering in its beat. you love him more than you've ever loved anyone or anything. you'd sacrifice yourself for his happiness.

art quickly removes your clothes, practically tearing them away to reveal a lowcut black lace bodysuit. he grins, trailing his hand over the soft material, to stop at your hip.

"i wanted tonight to be special, baby."

art nods, wagging his finger enthusiastically as if reminded of something. he takes off his hat and clown cowl, something he rarely ever did, whatever he has planned must be something significant. he moves to lie on the bed, offering you the knife, taking hold of your hand to guide the blade up to press at his neck, a gleeful twinkle in his eyes.

"fuck, i wanna ride you, baby." you exhale out. it was always one of your favorite positions, and the previous time you'd done it with art on the dirty concrete floor of his lair, he seemed just as partial to it. "do you want that?" your fingers tease over his cock, touch now much gentler. art tilted his head, raising his brows and widening his eyes, gaze moving over your body. "take off your costume."

art shook his head, emphatically shaking your hand still gripping the knife.

you take the knife, shifting down to straddle art's thighs, and cut the fabric at the crotch, careful not to nick his cock. though you know art would love if you rode his bleeding dick.

once his erection is free, you slap it few times. art gapes as he looks up at you, obviously loving the slight abuse on his painfully hard cock.

"your big, fat, dumb clown cock wants my sweet pussy to milk every drop of cum, hmm?" you slap it a little harder. "answer me."

art licks his lips, his dark eyes twinkling in the dim light of the room. he leans up from to bed, taking hold of your hips to drag you over his cock, hoping you'd take the hint now. his jaw drops as the full weight of you presses down on him. you move your hips forward and back as much as his strong hold on your hips will allow. you pause to pull the fabric aside, your bare wet pussy rubbing against his throbbing cock.

after a few ministrations, art looks up at you indignantly, and you finally decide to put both of you out of your misery. you grab his dick, stroking a few times before lowering yourself onto it, the stretch of him filling you a shock to your senses, already sending sparks of pleasure throughout you.

you brace yourself on art's chest as you pause momentarily with him fully inside you, brokenly moaning his name. art insistently points at the knife still in your other hand, and you remember art's silence request earlier. you press the blade at his throat as you start to move, careful not to press too close, and you have to remind yourself he's immortal, impervious to injury. even after witnessing a handful of would-be fatal injuries to art that healed on their own, you had insisted on tending to and dressing his wounds, emblematic of your nurturing side.

art was amused you'd go to the trouble, and you explained that people do acts like this to show they care, stopping yourself from calling it an act of love.

though you liked rough and kinky sex, sometimes venturing to light bdsm, it had never crossed over into knifeplay, and you never would've considered doing this with previous boyfriends or hookups - you would've been too worried it would go wrong.

art sensed your hesitation, leaning slightly against the blade until it cut the skin, a gash of red staining the steel. art's mouth parts with a silent moan, and your pussy throbs at the sight of art's pleasure.

he grips your hips to help you bounce on his cock, all the while you keep the knife at art's neck, one time your hand slipping and slicing so deep that blood trickles from the wound, staining your black silk sheets even darker. at that, art grins up at you, his cock throbbing even harder inside you, as if the blood pulsing in his cock mirrors the blood quickly pumping from his wound - intensified by it even - so that you could feel the vibrations all through your pussy, against your pulsing clit. you nearly scream at the sudden pleasure this creature is giving you, beyond anything you've ever felt.

art pulls the lace barely covering your tits aside, the instant they are bare, his hands are cupping and squeezing them together. you continued bouncing on his dick, slamming down with such force the metal bedframe bangs against the wall. you couldn't care less if your neighbors complain about the noise, not when you're about to have the most earth-shaking, back-breaking orgasm of your life.

you come, squirting on art's cock, your hand jerks with the sudden blunt force, gouging out a chunk of skin from his throat, and the blood comes quicker, some of it spurting hotly on your hand as he suddenly comes inside you. you moan in ecstasy at the heat of his cum once again filling you, knowing you had pleasured him adding to your own bliss.

the knife slipped from your grip, falling into the pillow beside art's head, before sliding onto the sheets. you arched your back, baring down completely, riding out your climax. art wrapped his arms around you, leaning his head up to latch his mouth on your tits, suckling and nibbling both at your nipples, in turn.

when you both come down from your respective highs, you climb off of art, lying beside him. he doesn't spare a moment before shifting down to settle between your legs, bringing his hand to his neck, gathering blood on his fingertips. you'd expected he'd fingerfuck you with the bloodied digits, but they trace along the skin of your lower torso, writing "ART WAS HERE", as if claiming you, but he'd already claimed you before he'd even touched you.

he smirks up at you from between your thighs, and you swear you're getting wet again at the sight; at a loss for how this filthy, demented clown could be so damn hot.

his cum is leaking out of you, and you dazedly think of how you've never used condoms with art, though it would've been futile with his already large cock's seeming ability to grow to a near monstrous size. perhaps another instance of his supernatural capabilities.

you remembered the first time art fucked you, and how you had begged him to breed you with his demon-baby, wondering if it were even possible to create a human demon hybrid baby, a living embodiment of your love. you'd never had genuine interest in having kids, but your heart swells at the thought of art knocking you up, of claiming your womb.

art leans in and nibbles on your pussy lips, hard enough to send a spark through you, but gently enough not to pierce the skin. he presses closer, noisily licking and sucking your mixed cum away from your pussy, wet smearing all over his nose, mouth and chin; hungry and ravenous in a way that only seems to happen when he's eating your cunt.

the thought of art literally eating your pussy enters your mind, aware of his cannibalistic urges - the idea of offering part of yourself to him in that way makes your gut twist, turning you on almost as much as his tongue now plunging into your pussy.

"ohh, art," you whimper softly. he strokes his dick, jerking off quickly as he continues to eat you out, and when he's close he sits back on his haunches. his face contorting as he comes on your stomach, cum splattering and mixing with the blood traced there.

you grip the pillow as you come again, so drained, but so very satisfied. at takes you a few moments to realize there's blood on your fingers - you're bleeding - you must've nicked them on the knife still lying somewhere amongst the pillows. you offer your hand to art, and grins wide-mouthed, grabbing it at the wrist, bringing it up to taste your blood, sucking at your fingers. your pulse quickens in the way that doing something you shouldn't could only provide.

🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤❤🖤

plesse like, reblog and/or comment, i'd really appreciate it. hope you enjoyed!

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dragonfly0808 · 1 month ago

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TimeBomb (Fix-It?) Fic with a side of Zaun Revolution

The inspiration really hit today, I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden I had 7k of a new fic.

what is it about? Well…

Whilst I really enjoyed s2 of Arcane and I loved almost everything about it, I will admit there was one specific plot point I was really disapointed didn’t go anywhere and one character decision that I just couldn’t get behind.

First off; watching Arc 1/2 and especially episode 4 I was fucking pumped at the idea of a Zaun revolution plotline, and, since i watched the seasons back to back, I’ll be honest, watching episode 4 combined with the fact that in the opening credits we see Jinx waving a flag, my immediate thoughts were OH MY FUCKING GOD JINX IS GONNA LEAD A REVOLUTION AND FULLFILL SILCO’S DREAM OF AN INDEPENDENT ZAUN…

Obviously I felt like a clown when that did not happen

and then for the character decision… I’m not really a fan of the ‘you’re too far gone the only thing you can do now is sacrifice yourself for the greater good/to save someone’ character arc. Especially because I really wanted to see Jinx get better since, at the end of s1 her identity crisis is over, she choses Jinx and then I thought that maybe we could get maybe not a redemption arc but at least see her get better whilst staying partially chaotic

A part of me really likes what they did (up until her sacrifice) but a greater part of me is just- disappointed. Especially after the whole ‘No matter what happened in the past it’s never too late to build something new’ bit. It just felt a little cruel.

And i know of the Jinx is alive theory and I believe it but still- I just don’t like that this was the end for Jinx in Arcane, I would’ve loved to see her and Cait having to come to terms with both their crimes and what they allowed their respective grief to turn them into.

also Ekko didn’t deserve to end the series alone, not after everything he did and everything he gave up.

and so, with these two specific things in mind, pondering on it I found myself writing a little smth.

A fic that takes place right after the Stillwater breakout BUT- Jinx, Sevika and Isha escape before the Beast gets there AND Ekko returns from the alternate timeline early, pushing Jinx along with Sevika to convince her to be a part of the rebellion.

So far, I’ve got 7k words on this and I’m thinking on how to involve Vi (another thing is that I felt we should’ve gotten a bit more time with her) since, in my mind, the revolution of Zaun should’ve been led by Vi, Ekko and Jinx.

Ekko to represent the fight for the future and as the face of the Firelights.

Jinx to represent the fight for the present (since her arc would involve starting to heal and finding smth worth fighting for) and of course to also represent Silco and his dream

And Vi to represent the past (since a big part of her character is being stuck in the past) and Vander

Jinx and Vi get to right the wrongs of the past and join forces like Silco and Vander never got to! (Because why include that letter if nothing really came from it?) also, as a sister who’s had a lot of ups and downs with her big sister, I would’ve KILLED to get to see more of their new dynamic ‘Here’s to the new us’.

Also Isha lives because she deserved better and also Ekko gets to be her dad.

still unsure on how/if I incorporate Cait cause I LOVE her arc and would love to write her and Jinx/Ekko interacting

but yeah basically, this is a Timebomb fic with a heavy focus on Jinx becoming the leader of a revolution (since at first it’s more, Jinx is the symbol, Ekko is the brains. And maybe at some point it’s more like; Ekko is the heart, Jinx is the symbol/leader and Vi is the strength OR Ekko is the leader/brains, Jinx is the symbol/leader/face and Vi is the heart, you know cause- YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART DON’T EVER LOSE IT)

Also a big part of chapter 2 somehow wound up being a look into Sevika’s mindset and why she’s lowkey the biggest supporter of Zaun? So if you like Sevika I got you!

so uhh… yeah.

i’m thinking on the name and just to know what yall think, knowing what the focus would be what title do you think would work best?

Will prob start posting once I’ve got 5 chapters, which, if I keep up the pace will prob be in 2 or 3 days

also, should i tag it as Fix-It? Not sure if I should tbh

Here’s a few little peaks! A tiny part of Ekko convincing Jinx to be a symbol (that was a LONG scene)/Part of the speech that starts it all/Isha being adorable in the Firelight’s base

Ekko adjusted his coat on her, she hadn’t really noticed him getting close enough to do so, “I fought so long to make the undercity a better place, or to at least create a safe place in it, but I got so wrapped up in all the ways that we’ve been screwed over, failed, in all the ways that it wasn’t even half of what I’d dreamed of no matter how hard I tried that I was starting to lose hope. But seeing that world… it helped me realize that… no matter what happened in the past, it’s never too late to build something new.”

Jinx forced herself to met his eyes, unsure of what to do under the weight of his soft eyes and the careful way he’d somehow gotten his hands in hers, stopping her from digging her nails into her palms.

“…someone worth building it for.”

Jinx felt something in her starting to crack, “I don’t know if I know how to build anything.”

“That’s alright,” he quickly assured her, his own eyes glittering with tears, “we can learn. This right here Jinx… this is our chance. I saw the murals, the posters, what you said back in the airshaft- if Piltover is targeting us… then maybe- just maybe, this could be our chance to bring all of the undercity together. To stand against Piltover, make them finally see us. I’m not saying we burn them to the ground but- we can fight back, fight for respect, for a seat at the table.”

Jinx took a step back, shaking her head, “I can’t- I’m not like you- I’m not a leader or- or some inspirational figure. They’re just desperate for anything to believe in. I’m not- I don’t deserve their faith.”

“But you’re the first to take a real stand in a long time. Sure it was an… explosive stand but a stand regardless. Directly against the Council, the people who have passed all the laws to try and make us less than them in the past. Who have had no trouble ignoring our struggles and claiming blissful ignorance when they screw us over. You have the chance to help bring people together. If we can stop killing each other over Piltover’s scraps and for territory… we can stand our ground. This could be the start of a rebellion. A revolution.”

“…I’ll screw it up. I always do.”

“You won’t… and if it does go wrong… it won’t be on you. We can do this Jinx, together.”

Jinx looked back out to the city line.

It’d been Silco’s dream.

To be recognized by Piltover.

He hadn’t been able to bring Zaun together, sure, but everything he’d done had forced Zaun into progress… even if it wasn’t always in the best of ways. His biggest dream had always been of Zaun being it’s own nation.

It was the dream that’d been within his grasp, close enough to touch but that he had meant to reject in the end.

For her.

She’d bombed the Council as a way to honor him.

To finally show them all.

Everything had gone to shit the moment he was gone.

But now… now all of Zaun had a common enemy.

There had been no singular group in Stillwater. Instead a coglamoration of Jinxers and Firelights and members from every gang Jinx knew of.

That meant that there had been no division at Sevika’s rally.

That for once, every part of Zaun had been open to the possibility of fighting for the same cause and had been promptly punished for it.

Jinx slowly turned back to Ekko.

Building something knew… he’d said Powder used her abilities to create instead of destroying… could she do the same?

Someone worth building it for… she thought of the hopeful look in Ekko’s eyes. Of the way the people of Zaun had, for a moment, embraced her, wrapping her in gratitude and misplaced but real hope as they passed by her. And of course, she thought of Isha, who deserved so much more than… this.

“I’m not saying I’ll be good at it… but I suppose I could give it a shot.”

Ekko reached out quickly, Jinx barely having time to flinch before he was tugging at her and-

Pulling her into a hug, all but crushing her against him, arms wrapped tightly against him.

She exhaled, falling against him, hiding her face against his chest.

They stayed like that for what was possibly an embarrassingly long time.

When she eventually managed to pull back, she turned away to wipe away her tears.

“So… how exactly does one start a revolution?”

—————————

“This is the time to stand together!” Ekko’s voice came as he stepped out from the crowd, wearing his firelight mask, going to take it off as he went to stand next to Sevika, “To leave aside the labels and separation and to work together, it’s the only way we’ll survive what’s coming next. Piltover wants us divided. They have always benefited from us killing each other, being at each other’s throats, fighting for territory and for their scraps. Not anymore! We need to stand together! To show them that we will not backdown! That they can’t invade our streets, our homes and expect us to just lay down and take it! That-”

“Where is Jinx?!” Demanded a voice, thought she couldn’t tell exactly where it came from.

Ekko sighed, casting a glance her way, waiting.

Jinx took a deep breath.

“Right here!” She called out as she went to take off her cloak, the people around her quickly going to clear a path as she sauntered on forwards, stopping next to Ekko for a moment before going to stand on the metal box Sevika had left on the floor, “You wanted to see me? Well here I am!”

Most of the crowd gathered around her, after a moment of stunned silence, started applauding, whilst some other looked like they wanted nothing more than to shake her and ask her what exactly her plan was.

Jinx glanced to Ekko, who gave her a quiet encouraging nod.

Welp, she didn’t really have anything to lose.

“Now… I don’t know much about leading, or about being some- revolutionary… but I do know about fighting. And I know about Piltover’s crimes.”

She recalled all of Silco’s sermones and every story and complaint he ever told her about all Piltover had and constantly took for granted.

This had never been her dream. But it had been her dad’s. And maybe it had started becoming her own the moment Isha had dropped into her life.

“I know that Enforcers have killed hundreds of us, a lot of times, for no good reason other than to show us that we are lesser than them, for us daring to stand up for ourselves, for doing what we gotta do to survive. That they have thrown dozens of us in cells without a trial just because they can. But the second we lay our hands on a single one of their precious Council members they suddenly have the right to invade our streets? To cry for justice to be delivered? It’s bullshit!”

A lot of them started nodding along, she could see the anger rising up in them.

——————————

Jinx took a deep breath before gently placing Isha on the railing, keeping a hand on the back of her vest, “Look at that kid. You like it?”

Isha’s eyes widened in a way that would’ve been comical if it weren’t heartbreaking. This was probably the first proper tree she’d ever seen.

Jinx set her down on the floor and the girl started jumping from foot to foot, clearly thrilled.

Ekko chuckled as he went to crouch down, “You see that platform to the right?” He asked as he pointed, Isha following before nodding, “That’s where the kids we have here play. We even managed to get our hands on some Piltover toys if you wanna go check it out. Jinx and I will be by the base of the tree if you need us.”

Isha hesitated, going to grab Jinx’s leg.

The girl had gotten a lot more confident since Jinx had first met her but it was obvious she had some anxiety about being apart.

Jinx went to crouch as well, gently running her thumb over Isha’s eyebrow before playfully pinching her cheek, Isha trying to act annoyed and push her away but smiling, “You should go kiddo. See if they got any good stuff. I’ll be right down there, I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Isha inspected her for a long moment before nodding along, adjusting her metal helmet as though it were armor before starting to make her way towards the platform.

“She seems like a good kid.” Ekko said.

“She is. She’s the best.”

#arcane #jinx arcane #ekko #jinx #arcane violet #vi and jinx #ekkojinx #ekko and jinx #timebomb #arcane s2 #sevika arcane #sevika #Cait? Maybe?#I feel like I’m on shimmer #arcane vi

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loonylesbian · 8 months ago

Text

ok i am very much so not a writer, or at least not creatively. but i had this idea and i couldn’t get it out of my head so i decided to write it out. it ended up being 6.1k words so feel free to not finish it cause i’m sure it’s not good. however if you do read the entire thing i hope you like it and don’t clown on me too hard. long story short either you’re welcome for this or i’m sorry for this. there is no inbetween

naked in manhattan // k. martin

10 years ago

“Kate can you believe it! We’re starting high school!!!” you scream, hugging your best friend on the last day of summer. If you were being totally honest, you were nervous never being good at making friends, always relying on Kate for that. Her being so outgoing and friendly, it’s not that you weren’t nice, you really were, if anyone asked Kate would say that you’re the sweetest person she’s ever met, you were just shy. Talking to just about anyone made you nervous, in fact, you had a short list of people who didn’t make you nervous.

“I know! It’s gonna be great, I’m gonna do my best in basketball and volleyball, and you, my little genius, are gonna be the best in every class, and make tons of new friends,” she reassured you as if she could feel the nerves radiating off of you in waves. You were grateful for that, she had always been able to know exactly what you were feeling and how to help, even if you didn’t. It was one of your favorite things about her, sure there were too many things you loved about her to count, but that was one of your absolute favorites.

“I promise I’m gonna do my best to make it to each and every single game of yours,” you told her holding up your pinky while looking up at her, she giggled and interlocked her pinky with yours in a pinky promise, something you have insisted on doing since you met. You swore that it was more real than a regular promise, and made it to where the universe let the promise happen, not just the people involved.

“Well if it’s a pinky promise, I know you're never gonna miss a game,” she replied with a smile reserved just for you.

7 years ago

So far your promise had held, not without some struggle, but you had still attended every game Kate had for both sports she played, and just about every other game she just wanted to watch. There were a few games where you were late because of your job, studying, or other things that had gotten in the way, and the two times where you sat as far away from everyone else as humanly possible because you didn’t want to get them sick but also didn’t want to miss Kate’s game, but for the most part you sat right at the front to cheer on your best friend.

After the game tonight you guys were gonna have a sleepover as tradition for Friday night games, whether it resulted in a win or a loss. Either way, you usually ended up in her arms bringing her comfort, whether that be her knowing that she deserves it because she played well and won to bring her down from that high or wishing she had done things differently to change that loss and you reassuring her that it wasn’t all her fault, because as far as your were concerned basketball was a team sport and a loss couldn’t hang solely on one person's shoulders. After all, you were her number one supporter, never failing to let her know how proud of her you are and how much you love her no matter how she feels. You made everything feel okay for her, but it was the least you could do, afterall she did that and more for you.

when i sing that lana song it makes you cry

On the drive back to her house listening to the radio, she couldn’t help but look at you as much as she could without crashing the car. She couldn't help but feeling like she was was really listening to the song for the first time as you were singing along to “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Ray. She didn’t quite know what it was but when she looked at you and listened to you singing she couldn't help but feel her heart race and her body flush, she swore she could listen to you forever. Had someone told her in that moment she would never get to hear you sing like that, she would swear she’d cry And if anyone asked, she would tell them she liked girls, it wasn’t like it was a secret, and she’s had crushes before, she knows what it feels like. But she never thought she would have a crush on you, purely because you were her best friend, she couldn’t do that, it could ruin your friendship. That wasn't something she was willing, or at least wanted, to risk. A friendship that you've had since kindergarten, although now that she thought about it, it was basically a lesbian right of passage to fall in love with your best friend and-

mean girls we watch every night, and we both have a crush on regina george

“So wanna watch Mean Girls?” you ask abruptly interrupting her thoughts. Truth be told she’s glad that you did, it was probably best that she didn’t dwell on those thoughts for too long. Little did she know she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t having completely friendly thoughts about the other. She was just the only one who wasn’t in total denial about liking girls in the first place.

“Obviously. As if we would watch anything else first,” she replies with a scoff as if it were crazy for you to even ask. Although, to be fair it was crazy of you to ask because that was the first movie you watched anytime you had a sleepover, and it had been that way for years.

“Sorry. Sorry. I forgot you had a crush on Regina George,” you said with a small chuckle, brushing off the twinge of pain you felt at the idea of Kate having a crush on anyone else, even if it was a fictional character from a movie. Because why would you be sad or jealous about that? She was just your best friend, right?

Kate flushed even more red at this comment if that were possible with the combination of the game she had just played and watching you. Even though it was chilly outside and in the car, in that moment it felt like it was 100°. She wasn’t sure if it was nerves or joy that was causing her to feel that way, but she did. In that moment life was perfect, the chill in the air, the rain falling around the car they sat in, the now soft music coming from the speakers, and most importantly you. She wished she could stay in that moment forever, just taking you in, stuck in that perfect moment forever. She let out a slightly nervous chuckle, lightly biting her lip, before she replied, not wanting to break the peace she felt.

“Okay, okay, don’t act like you don’t have a crush on her too. I know you have a thing for blondes.” She finally lets out trying to wave you off and ignore her pounding heartbeat, all while trying to steal another glance at you. What she doesn’t notice, however, is your face flushing or your fists clenching when she says that as if she uncovered a deep dark secret, that you hadn’t told anybody. And to be fair that’s exactly how you felt, you did have a crush on this mean girl and you did have a thing for blondes, but you hadn’t quite come to terms with that yourself, let alone talk to anybody about it. So if anyone asked, the blondes you had a thing for were blonde guys, but you were hoping nobody would ask. Even if that person was Kate, your best friend.

And you didn’t notice her grip on the steering wheel tighten a little bit, waiting for a response. Hoping you would do or say anything to acknowledge what she had said, telling her she was right or wrong, waving her off altogether, laughing. She waited for any acknowledgment of what she had said for the rest of the ride home, but it never came. Instead, you changed the subject all together after sitting in silence for a few minutes. You hoped she didn’t notice that, but she did.

And so you followed your typical Friday night game routine, going to her house, watching Mean Girls, finding yourselves tangled up together but never acknowledging it, and then turning on some other random show or movie before falling asleep. Still in each other's arms. Still, just best friends.

6 years ago

Today was the day, the last full day before your crush best friend was leaving you. Ok well not you per se, but she was leaving. And yes you were also going to leave and go even farther in a few weeks, but that’s beside the point. It still felt like she was leaving you and it just didn’t feel right. You couldn’t exactly put into words how or why you felt so badly about it, but you did. Maybe the fact that you had never been apart for longer than a week played a part in it. Sure, you were both gonna go off and hopefully live your dreams, but it just didn’t feel right to do that away from each other. However, she was going to Iowa and you were going to New York and there's nothing you could do to change that now. And you did genuinely think about going to Iowa instead, but New York was your dream, so when you got into culinary school there you decided to go. You knew you loved it and you knew that New York was a great place to start, not to get started on the fact that it could take you literally anywhere you wanted to go. That didn’t make the decision any less painful though.

“I’m gonna miss you so much,” you whispered in Kate’s ear giving her a hug. You honestly don’t know why you’re saying it right now, it’s not like she's leaving right this second, but you still need to say it, and you’ll probably say it about 1,000 more times before you actually have to say goodbye in the morning after your final Friday night sleepover, even if it didn’t follow a game you guys have grown into the habit of doing this almost every Friday night. She squeezes you tighter if possible when she hears this, trying to burn that moment into her memory, knowing she loves you but it’s too late to do anything about it now, at least not anything serious. It wouldn’t be fair to either of you, to admit her feelings for you after years of friendship less than 24 hours before you guys go to different states for college. It would be cruel, and she told herself it would almost be more cruel if you felt the same way about her. She knew that you came to terms with being queer, at least enough to admit it to her and yourself, what she didn’t know is that a big part of that was you coming to terms with being in love with her. But still, it was too late and she had to let that be.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” Kate said with a big sigh before releasing you, muttering a quick “more than you could know,” under her breath, hoping you didn’t hear. Happy when you showed no indication of hearing the last part.

“But we still have a whole afternoon/night to do all of our favorite things together before I leave. And we can go get our favorite breakfast in the morning,” she said with a more upbeat tone, poking your sides slightly, trying to lighten your spirits too. Slightly succeeding when she saw you perk up a little, putting a small smile on her face.

“Okay, okay, so what do you say to popcorn, Mean Girls, and a bunch of candy?” you asked, slightly mimicking her accent. She replies with an eager nod. Grabbing your hand and pulling you to her room after making a pit stop for the snacks, failing to notice the blush that covered your cheeks. You simply follow her rushed pace, happy you decided to wear sweats and a tank top, as opposed to something like jeans to lounge around in.

By the time you were about halfway through the movie, you found yourself wrapped in her arms, like usual. But for some reason not knowing when you’ll see her again after this, and the cheesy high school coming-of-age movie in the background made you a little more confident. Not super confident to where you would outright tell Kate that you’re in love with her, but confident enough to try and hint at something, which is more than you’d ever been willing to do with anyone else. So that’s what you do. Especially after spending years denying your feelings, and almost a whole extra year hiding them.

“You know what sucks,” you start off looking up at her waiting for any kind of acknowledgment. She finally looks down at you with a light “Hmm?”

“I’m about to go to college and I haven’t even had my first kiss,” you say unable to stop your eyes from glancing down to her lips. This statement took her off guard, sure, you had never talked about anyone, guys or girls, but you’re you and she figured you had your first kiss and in your typical shy fashion, you just hadn't wanted to bring it up.

“What? No way!” she says laughing a little only realizing her mistake when she saw your face drop.

“No no no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t get how you of all people haven’t had your first kiss yet!” she exclaims “I mean you’re literally perfect, you’re beautiful, you’re smart, you’re funny, you’re a great cook, I mean you're my favorite person in the world. I just don’t get how no one’s kissed you yet!” she finished off her little rant with a small huff.

“Well no one’s wanted to,” you mumble looking down a little bit, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

“That’s not true,” she mumbles quieter now than she had been before, suddenly feeling almost as shy as you while taking you off guard. It was pretty obvious what she meant, no hidden meaning laced in with her words, unable to pick her gaze back up to your eyes once they dropped down to your lips.

“I mean would you?” you question with a little more confidence once you notice where she's looking. You can’t help but follow her lead and look down to her lips, before going back up to her eyes, even though she still wasn’t looking.

touch me baby, put your lips on mine

“It doesn’t have to be weird or anything, it's just you’re my best friend, and I’ve never kissed anyone, and you’re leaving tomorrow and I don’t want to go to college without at least having my first kiss,” you kind of spit out hoping you don’t sound pathetic or desperate, or make her want to kick you out.

“Would you want me to?” she questions back, already knowing your answer but just wanting to ask to know that you were sure.

“Yeah, I’d like that” You rush out in a kind of whisper to her nodding, so she nods back to you. You can both tell that you’re nervous, each for different reasons. All it takes for you to start leaning into each other is locking your eyes again. In that moment she looks like an angel, with the soft glow of the lamp making her hair look even more golden than usual, to the way she was looking at you, not to mention how you felt about the grip she had on you. You barely even had time to actually look at her before her lips crashed onto yours. And that’s exactly what it felt like in that moment, like waves crashing onto cliffs, a completely overwhelming feeling, yet still, it brought you a newfound sense of peace. She pulled you as close to her as possible, knowing that this may be the only time you get to do this, not wanting to be even an inch away from you. At this point you were basically straddling her while she was leaning up against her headboard, both wanting nothing more than to be together, knowing you couldn’t.

You had never kissed anyone before but thought to yourself that in that moment that if this is what it is like you never wanted to stop. Kate had kissed people before, and you knew that, but what you didn’t know was that none of those felt anything like with you. They couldn’t compare. Not by a long shot. If she didn’t know how much she loved you before, she definitely knew now. The only issue is that she knows this, it’s gonna make it even harder to leave you in the morning.

By the time you guys pull away breathless from a mixture of kissing, nerves, and giddiness, you can’t help but feel at peace, resting your foreheads against each other’s. Sure you knew that nothing could come of this, that nothing would come of this, at least not right now. But you were happy. Happy that you got to show her how much you love her in one small way, one new way. Happy that you got to know her, and happy that she felt the same way about you. Even if you guys didn’t necessarily talk about it, or say outright say it, you both knew that was always one of the best things about your friendship, you didn’t have to actually talk in order to communicate and get your point across, and even when you did need words you didn’t need many of them.

So when you guys make eye contact again you come to a silent agreement, you have that night, and the next morning to talk if you want. You know you love each other, but also that there's realistically nothing you can do for you to start a relationship at that moment and have it work out. Not when you were about to be nearly 1,000 miles apart. It wasn’t right to risk it. And you both know that you’re too important to each other to risk your friendship, especially when almost all of the circumstances are pointing to it not working out. So, you have that night, after that, you’re friends again, maybe not even best friends, and if it works out you can be together in the future when you can be closer. But for the time being this is for the best, this is safe.

April 2024 || Present Day

It had been years since you and Kate had last seen each other properly, there were brief passings when you were both in your hometown that resulted in short conversations, but you were both barely there, you less than her, and when you were your family made sure you never went longer than 20 minutes without them other than to let you sleep. You had stuck to being friends, not best friends, just friends. Never talking about that night, your last night together. Not wanting to risk it, not yet. Other than that, you guys have managed to text each other occasionally to check-in. Keeping each other updated on your lives, but not close. It was as if you had both come to the understanding that you should keep a certain level of distance so as not to ruin what you had. Knowing that if you talked more, you would’ve talked about what could have been more. And you just couldn’t risk it.

id love if you knew you were on my mind, constant like cicadas in the summertime

That’s not to say that you didn’t keep an eye on her and her basketball. You had been her #1 fan since day one, and even if you didn’t talk or see each other as much as you used to, you wouldn’t let that change. You still felt the exact same way when you thought about her, even if you tried not to. Even when you knew you shouldn’t. You just couldn’t stop thinking about her. While you obviously couldn’t go to all of her games anymore, you still watched every single one, even when you were at work during them you would try to either watch it on your phone or record it and watch it when you got home later. You even managed to take off work for both the Final Four and the Finals this year to watch her and her team, even if you didn’t make it in person, you still had to watch the games live. And once you heard that she had declared for the WNBA draft you had to get a ticket for that, it was perfect, it was in Brooklyn so you didn’t have to travel more than taking the subway. And this time you told yourself that you would talk to her, not go up to her at the draft but you would text her and let her know that you were gonna be there if she wanted to meet up after, or at any point while she was in town. You would make an effort to see her. You really didn’t know when the next time you’d get the chance to see her again would be, it’s been so long since the last time, partially due to schedule, partially due to nerves, and you were about to move across the country to Las Vegas for a new job. You figured it was now or never, and you really hoped you would get the chance to see her so you could get her out of your mind.

You knew you had to try. Try to talk to her, try to see her, try something. You couldn’t stand it anymore, constantly thinking about her, you needed closure, even if there wasn’t necessarily anything to get closure about. You still had to try. So even though you had grown up a lot in the past six years, you had learned to start a conversation instead of stuttering your way through when someone came up to you, gotten more friends, and most importantly gained confidence and figured out a pretty good idea of who you were. You were nowhere near as shy as you used to be, but still the mere idea of Kate brought back butterflies that made you feel like you were in high school again. Frankly, the feeling had to be classified as something stronger than butterflies. So obviously the idea of calling her went out the window for you, you figured she was so busy anyway that she probably wouldn't answer, and you told yourself that if she chose not to answer a text it would hurt less than not answering a call. And after a lot of thinking and rewriting, you finally sent her the text.

“Hey Kate, I heard you’re gonna be in town for the draft and I know you’re probably busy but I would love to see you. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been keeping up with your games, I’m so proud of you, still your #1 fan, and can’t wait to see where you go. I’m gonna be at the draft rooting for you, just like I have been every step of the way even when I couldn’t physically be there. So if you wanna meet up after the draft or at any point while you’re in town let me know.”

Once you hit send you waited, and waited, and waited. Once it hit six hours with no response you figured you weren’t going to get one. Now that you had sent it, you realized that it was more nerve-wracking to sit and wait for the possibility of a response than to try and figure out what to say and hit send. Every possible reaction she could have had to your text was running through your head, well not every one, just every bad one. You didn’t know what she was thinking, or how she thought anymore, and that was terrifying to you. The nerves were so bad that to anyone watching you probably looked like a mess, flushed cheeks, sweaty, a little hunched over, and very clearly looking nauseous. But you were fine, it was no big deal.

You lied to yourself, it still hurt that you didn’t get an answer, but still decided to go to the draft anyway. Even if she didn’t want to see you, you still wanted to support her, figuring it was a big event and the chance of you seeing each other let alone talking were slim to none. You could go and didn’t have to talk if she didn’t want to. Plus you didn’t want to waste your money after you already bought the ticket and more than anything you wanted to support her, she was your first friend, your best friend, so far your most important friend, and now she's about to be a professional basketball player. You had to be there to see it come full circle, after spending the better part of ten years being able to count the number of her games you hadn’t seen on one hand, and saying you were her #1 fan, you just couldn’t miss it. Not for you, and certainly not for her.

By the time you had actually gotten to the draft and it started you were so focused on listening for Kate or her name, you couldn’t focus on anything else. You couldn’t hear anything that wasn’t related to her. You were confident that she was going to get drafted, but there was still a “what if” sitting in the back of your mind knowing your heart would break for her if she didn’t, maybe more than hers. Then you heard it, “With the 18th pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, The Las Vegas Aces select Kate Martin, University of Iowa.” you were so focused on her getting on a team that you didn’t think of the city she might end up in. You wish you could hit rewind when you heard it, almost not believing it. She got drafted to the Las Vegas Aces, you would be in the same city for the first time in 6 years. There could be a chance of you guys actually happening. Of course, she still had to go through training camp and make the roster before she was officially on the team, but you have no doubt that that’s going to be the easy part compared to everything else that it took to get to that moment. Not to mention text you back. When you’re finally able to focus again, there have been a few more picks you decide to go on your phone and check Twitter to see what they are saying about the draft. What you didn't expect to see when you opened your phone, however, was a message from Kate.

🏀Kate 🏀

“Hey, sorry I didn’t see your message or get back to you earlier! I’m so happy that my #1 fan came to support me just like you have been all these years. It means the absolute world to me to know that you came here for me tonight because I wasn’t even sure I was gonna make it. I haven’t been on my phone like at all today, but I’d love if you’d come celebrate with me and my friends tonight? It only feels right that you’re there, you’ve been there for pretty much everything else already, you should be there to celebrate now too.”

When you read the text you could’ve sworn your stomach quite literally did flips, while a giddy feeling erupted through your body, even releasing a small, relieved, laugh. At this point, the last thing you were expecting was to get a response, at most expecting to go to a bar close to your apartment for a drink or two, if you were feeling frisky. But upon seeing her text, you decided “Why not?” and decided to respond.

“Yeah of course I’d love to celebrate with you and your friends!! You deserve it after all the hard work you put in to get here. Just send me the time and place and I’ll meet you there.”

You tried to keep your response short and sweet, not trying to read too much into what she said or trying to seem too eager. Although, you were quite excited to actually see her and have the opportunity to talk to her again. You figured it wasn’t guaranteed that you were even going to talk more than a simple greeting, let alone that she would want to talk about what happened the last time you spent any substantial amount of time together. Hell, you weren’t even sure you’d stay longer than half an hour. But before you could dwell on it too long, you got a response, with nothing more than an address and a time.

By the time you show up, which is 20 minutes late due to nerves alone, you are sure Kate had forgotten that she had even invited you. What you hadn’t expected was for everyone to automatically know who you were, greeting you excitedly. You thought at most one, maybe two people would vaguely know who you were, but you didn’t expect all of your friends to recognize you and know pretty much everything about you. Including things you were pretty sure you hadn’t told Kate when you would catch up.

But that’s exactly what happened, all of her teammates knew who you were, Jada, Gabbie, and Caitlin, even people she barely knew. Never in a million years did you think that she could possibly talk about you that much. You didn’t think there could possibly be that much for someone to talk about regarding you, let alone that anyone would want to, especially after 6 years of limited communication. Yet it warmed your heart, it made you happier than you had been in a long time, to know that she talked about you, that she cared about you enough to talk about you that much. Jada went as far as to say,

“We finally get to meet you after her nonstop talking about you for I don’t even know how long. We were starting to think Kate made you up,” before giving you a hug in greeting. You could tell from that alone that she was an absolute sweetheart.

new crush, high school love again

By the time you had been able to talk to Kate for any substantial amount of time, it was clear that you both had a few drinks. Neither one of you could help yourselves from embracing each other in a long overdue hug, slightly rocking as she lightly rubbed your back. You couldn’t help but feel like you belong there. You had always felt like you belonged when you were with Kate, fitting together like two puzzle pieces. Like you had wasted time not being there. You never wanted to leave her side again. You didn’t think you could stand it. At that moment, hugging each other again for the first time in you don’t know how long, you both felt like you were in high school again. You knew she still gave you butterflies, but in that moment you could have sworn you fell in love with her all over again.

“I’m so proud of you, I knew you could do it,” you whisper while pulling away from the all-too-long hug. Looking up at her, you were filled with an all-new type of butterfly, a bird maybe. Filled with a sense of joy knowing she was happy to see you, and a sense of contentment knowing that you were going to be in the same city again, for the first time in years. Knowing that you know each other, without really knowing each other. In a sense you know each other, you kept each other updated on the big things, relationships you were in when you talked, basic interests, but you didn’t know what really mattered. You didn’t know the little things, the day-to-day, the highs and the lows, and you missed that. You missed knowing the one thing that made her day unbearable, or the one thing that got her through the day. It was always you, to this day. But she wasn’t willing to tell you that yet. She loved you, and you her, and you both knew that, but you only knew that past tense.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she says into your ear sending a shiver down your spine. You had officially fallen even more in love with her than the last time you saw each other, and you barely talked yet. And just like no time had passed, able to see the change in your demeanor, she grabbed you by the hips before looking into your eyes.

“I’m serious y’know? I really wouldn’t be here without you. You made it all worth it,” she pauses, eyes briefly scanning the room. “Every time I felt like I couldn’t do it, you made sure to tell me that I could. You made it clear that you believed in me, but you weren’t ever gonna push me into something I didn’t want. Even when you weren’t there I still thought of you. Thought of what you would say, how you would make everything better. You got me here baby,” she finishes off. Her eyes found their way back to yours while she talked, the intensity of her gaze alone could melt you.

“Even though I wasn’t there I never missed a game. I watched every single one, even if it was just a recording. I'm still your #1 fan, and I can promise to never miss a game of yours in the WNBA now either. I’ll even be at all the home games,” you smile up at her looking to see if she caught onto your words. You can see her trying to figure out what you meant, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion as she was thinking before a smile eventually broke out on her face.

“What? Are you moving to Vegas?” she asks, her volume growing with each word. She grabbed you by the shoulders before lightly shaking you in disbelief. As if trying to figure out whether or not this was really happening.

“Yeah, I got a job there and I’m moving at the beginning of May,” you say laughing at her clear excitement. To her it felt like she was about to burst, this is what you had been waiting for, this was a sign. It wasn’t planned and neither one of you had any idea it was going to happen, but you were going to be together again.

the rush of slumber party kissing

“I can’t believe it! Are you joking?” she asks looking down at you for any hint of a lie coming from you, but she found none, so she continued. “Like we’re actually going to live in the same city? This is amazing, I can’t believe it.” and then it slips out, she doesn’t mean to say it, but she does, “We could try. Like we could actually be together, for real-” By the time she realizes what she said she was looking at the floor and couldn’t bear to try and meet your gaze. After all, she basically just confessed that she was still in love with you after 6 years of barely seeing or talking to each other.

“Really? You’d want that?” you ask her, grabbing her face and lifting it to meet your eyes. You couldn’t believe she wanted you, after all this time she still wanted you. So you did something Kate never in a million years thought you would’ve done, you kissed her. She wasn’t sure where your confidence had come from whether it had been her basically admitting that she never moved on from you, or the drinks you had, or just simply you growing up and actually being more confident. But she couldn’t think about that now. Now she had you in her arms, for the first time in years. She had you in a way she thought she had missed out on because she waited. And in that moment she knew she wasn’t going to let you go ever again.

#kate martin x reader #kate martin fluff #kate martin #iowa wbb #iowa hawkeyes #wbb #ncaa women’s basketball #ncaa wbb #wnba draft #wnba #wnba basketball #lv aces #las vegas aces

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gatorbites-imagines · 1 year ago

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Kinktober day 16

Jason Todd + leather or Latex

I had like, no ideas what to do with this prompt ngl, so I just kinda went with whatever came to me when writing.

Crime lord Red Hood has always had a special place in my heart

Kinktober 2023 masterlist.

Working for The Red Hood wasn’t too bad, especially compared to the other rogues you’d had to work for in the past. With Hood you didn’t have to fear suddenly being shot because Two-face suddenly felt like it, or being eaten by whatever plants Ivy had conjured up, or answering whatever riddles the Riddler came up with that day.

Best part was probably the uniform though. All rogues put their people in specific clothes. For the joker it was clown masks and all that junk, Riddler wanted you in stuff with question mark print, penguin wanted you well dressed in suit and tie, the list went on. For Hood just wearing red seemed to be enough. Most seemed to just resort to wearing a red hoodie under their jacket, and that was enough.

Interestingly enough, working for Hood also came with some benefits, like being allowed to keep stuff from different conflicts as long as it didn’t cause issues for Hood. That was where you found your first leather, some rich guy from Metropolis tried to set up in Gotham and was quickly dealt with. If Gotham hated anyone more than each other, it was outsiders trying to barge in and make a name for themselves.

The guy had been wearing a sturdy but not too flashy leather jacket, so after checking the pockets and for bullet holes and seeing it in one piece, you tucked it over your arm and brought it home. You had to cut the tags out and changed the inner fabric to something cheaper, and most importantly, into something red, but the quality was no lie.

You realized you might have had a thing for Leather one night when you had needed to go out for some small run for Hood, and you’d been too tired and lazy to put on a shirt. You ended up going out in a pair of low waisted denim pants, some well worn boots, and your jacket. No one batted an eye, at all, seeing a shirtless guy was far from the weirdest shit in Gotham, but the feel of leather on your skin seemed to have lit something inside you.

After that you might have subconsciously started looking for the stuff whenever you went on raids or into fights for Hood and his territory. Who cared if you stole some hotshot from star cities leather west and hat, or that guy from Texas whose black leather boots you stole right off his feet. You didn’t touch the pants though, even though you really really wanted too, you just didn’t trust them not to be contaminated by all kinds of junk.

You honestly thought you hid it pretty well, your draw to leather that is. Everyone had their thing, and you always wearing your jacket and boots was just something you did. If you went home to get dressed all the way down to just your jacket and boots though to jerk off was another thing entirely.

But it seemed your draw to the last targets pants hadn’t gone fully unnoticed by your boss. Imagine your surprise when he shoved a package into your arms one night and told you to only check it when you got home, the modulator of his helmet making him seem way more serious than he probably was.

You wouldn’t say you were outright friends with Hood, no one could really be friends with their boss in the criminal world, but you cracked jokes with the guy and even got him to laugh on the regular. You patched him up when he needed it, and he dragged you to Leslie’s clinic when you got knocked around a bit too hard, which happened more than you liked to admit.

When you got home you had almost assumed that the package would hold weapons or maybe even drugs, even though Hood didn’t personally deal the stuff. But instead, you found what you immediately noticed was leather, a card placed on top of the neatly folded leather. The letter was in Hoods writing, and you felt your face heat up a tad at the words on the page.

“Next time just let me buy it for you instead of stealing it off bodies” it said, and when you unfolded the leather, you felt your insides flutter. It was pants, they seemed even better quality than the ones you had been eying the night before. But it wasn’t just pants, there was a newer jacket, it was brown and heavy and was very well worn, and when you held it out in front of you, you could see it was one of Hoods own jackets.

You could feel blood running downwards, leaving you fumbling with your clothes as you got undressed, feeling almost desperate to pull the pants up your legs and hips. They were tight, but not too tight, and there was no question about the quality. Your original jacket fell to the ground with a heavy thud, your fingers quickly grabbing the heavy well-loved leather of the brown jacket and pulling it on, a shaky breath leaving you as the smell that was so clearly Hood filled your senses.

It smelled like leather, gun oil, the cigarettes he smoked when he was annoyed or on edge, and something undeniably Hood, and it had you tenting your new pants. Or tenting as well as one could in leather, which meant it was more a visible bulge running down the inside of your thigh. It had felt so good on your skin that you had found yourself grinding against your hand on your couch like some inexperienced fool. Your back had arched off the couch as you stained the inside of your pants, the leather growing slick against you as you groaned.

It was only later when cleaning the leather that you noticed the writing in the waistband, near the back so it would sit near the bottom of your spine. “Red Hood” it said, like some kind of statement of ownership, and you had shivered and exhaled shakily, rubbing a hand over your face to dispel the thoughts it awoke in your body.

Next time you saw Hood you had worn the pants, but the jacket was left at home. The worn jacket didn’t go well with the newer shinier leather of the pants, so it was your normal jacket and boots, which had some of your friends joke a bit about you being some kind of leather daddy because of your interest in the stuff. You had let the jokes run off your back, joking along every now and then.

You hadn’t even noticed Hood being there until he had appeared behind you, his gloved hand grabbing your ass and giving it a squeeze. Youd almost snapped around and decked him, assuming it was someone else, that was until you heard his modulated voice. “You’re wearing my gift. You like it?” he purred obviously enough that you could hear it even through the voice changer.

You could feel your skin growing clammy as you gave a small nod, not even daring to look at hood as he pressed his crotch against your back, his erection obvious even through all your shared layers. “Good, you look so hot in it” he rumbled, giving your thighs an extra squeeze before he stepped back and wandered off, leaving you unsteady on your feet as you tried to force the obvious hard shape in your pants away, for once cursing how tight they were.

It continued on this way for a while, Hood leaving you presents, and you would wear them around his headquarters. It was never expensive or high quality enough for anyone to target you, but Hood seemed to enjoy it very much. It felt almost like having a sugar daddy or some kind, but he had never demanded much sugar, only grabbing your ass at times, or rubbing his hands up and down your torso that time you’d worn a leather shirt under your jacket.

He was a tease, and you could hear the shit eating grin through his helmet as you ground against his thick thigh one day. You felt so wound up from his lingering touches that you had found yourself in his office one day, or what you guys called his office anyways. Maybe you wanted a fight of some kind, you weren’t sure, but one thing led to another, and you pinned up against the wall, his thigh between your own.

And now you were grinding against his thigh like some kind of pervert, your fingers digging into the worn leather of his jacket as you gasped into his shoulder. You didn’t even notice as he pulled off his gloves or spat on his fingers, it was only when one of his hands was shoved down the back of your leather pants and between your cheeks that you realised. A groan left you as he rubbed the pad of his finger against your pucker, his voice cocky as he asked if this was what you wanted.

You tried to glare at him, but it only seemed to fuel him more as Hood pushed his finger inside, letting you adjust before he started moving to the best of his ability, your tight pants not leaving much room to move his wrist. The stimulation was driving you crazy, the tight leather of your pants doing nothing to lessen the experience as you ground forwards into his thigh, before you pushed back onto his hand.

Running your hands down his torso and up his shirt, you could keep the moan from leaving you as you felt something too smooth and slick to be leather. It was Latex, he was wearing a latex shirt under everything else, maybe it was even a full body thing as it continued as you thumbed at the waistband of his pants.

Your exploring just seemed to fuel him more as Hood added not just a second but a third finger at the same time, letting you just barely adjust to the stretch before he started moving his hand once more, causing you to grind harder against his thigh.

It was impossible to fight back the orgasm that rocked through you, thoroughly slicking up the crotch area of your leather pants as there was no fabric to soak it up, letting it splatter against your thighs and lower body. You could feel yourself twitch a bit as Hood removed his fingers, instead grabbing onto your hips and lifting you up, making your legs wrap around his waist.

You couldn’t find it in yourself to ask what he was up too as he walked backwards, plopping down on his chair with you in his lap, sighing softly as he started rubbing his hands up your torso, flicking your chest through the leather shirt you had chosen to wear. “You alright baby?” he asked, voice warm and caring, leaving you feeling all types of mushy.

You just scoffed and leaned forwards, resting against his broad shoulders and coiling your arms around him. Hood rubbed your back for a while before rolling his chair close to his desk, the taping of keys letting you know he was working on one thing or the other. In the end you found yourself with both your hands up his shirt, rubbing at his latex covered torso as you rocked lazily against his thigh, no hurry in your movements as you knew you had all night, and it would happen soon if the twitching bulge between Hoods thighs meant anything.

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rivalsforlife · 6 months ago

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pardon me if you’re tired of discussing this but. we know aa7 is on capcom’s radar on some level. and now they’ve rereleased every game right?? they’ve finally run out of backlog material after almost yearly releases since 2019…. Not to put the clown wig and nose back on too early but do you think we’ll actually get news about, or get to see, aa7 next year?

Never tired of discussing this!! This is right around the time of year where I'd be preparing to make my yearly AA7 Speculation Post anyway so this is great timing. (TGS, my enemy, is approaching.)

So just to make sure everyone's on the same page, here's a quick recap of where we're currently at:

In November 2020 we got internal Capcom leaks which included a calendar from 2019 with the roadmap for the AA series the next couple of years. This included:

DGS1&2 collection, which I did not think was going to happen ever, releasing April-June 2021

AA7, releasing around October-December 2021, right around the 20th anniversary.

Through late 2019-mid 2022, reconsider porting 456

We got DGS1&2 (a bit later than in the plan, but by like a month), we got the 456 ports, we got bonus AAI ports, we have nothing for AA7 nearly three years after it was supposed to come out. The pandemic is an obvious feature that could contribute to its delay, but at this point with 456 ports out I think we can safely say that this was not the only cause.

Some other things that may or may not be contributing to AA7's delay include:

Yamazaki, the previous main writer for 5&6 and the AAIs, left Capcom in 2020. If he was involved in AA7 at all, that could throw a wrench into things, but I recall hearing he intended AA6 to be his last AA game (I AM STRUGGLING TO FIND THE SOURCE THOUGH SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME), so I don't think this contributed very much. It does, however, mean that we're unsure about who the next main writer is - depending on what Takumi's up to or if they had to bring someone new on, there could be complications related to that.

I think TGAA did way better than anyone expected, which I covered in this post. It's possible that this could have shifted Capcom's priorities to porting more old games / porting to all modern consoles. It may have made people at Capcom think "damn everyone loves Takumi" so they tried to lure him back to AA7, and I have no idea how well that would have gone or if Takumi is even interested in continuing mainline AA right now. (I do think this at least contributed to the Ghost Trick ports.)

In my first ever AA7 speculation post I talked about how the ending of AA6 kind of wrote them into a corner re: how to continue with the series and which protagonist to use. I still stand by that argument even if a lot of that post aged badly.

Console ports! Previously new AA games were for whichever Nintendo handheld is out now (GBA, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS). But now that the series is doing really well on all consoles, they may have decided to try to make their next mainline entry on all consoles, which would take more development time. Adding to this is that the Switch is near the end of its lifecycle with the Switch 2 (or whatever the successor will be) being announced soon - meaning that, if AA7 is coming out soon, Capcom is in the position of "do we try to squeeze this into the end of the Switch's lifecycle" (which, I'll need to find sources for this, is speculated to be some of the reasons behind why AAI2 and DGS2 sold badly when they were first released, and they can't make the same mistake thrice... right...?) or "do we try to time it with the release of the Switch 2"?

Also, a lot of this depends on how far AA7 was into development whenever it was derailed. If it was derailed from the pandemic, then according to the calendar, it would likely have still been in the prototype stage. It may be early enough that they would have had to start from scratch whenever they picked it up again. I don't work in the gaming industry so I have no idea how long it takes them to make a game or how easy it would be from what stage they're in.

One thing we can compare to is some of the comments about the recent AAI ports: in this interview, Shunsuke Nishida, the producer of the AAI collection, says that development on the collection began in 2022. He also mentions that this began once development on 456 was concluded. This leads me to believe that (contrary to my previous assumptions) 456 and AAIC were not developed concurrently (or if so, had very minimal overlap), and that the process of upscaling graphics, porting, and localization took them... about a year, maybe? So that takes time, even without taking into consideration how long it would take to come up with a new idea + write the script + the bulk of the programming that would have to be done that isn't considered with porting + probably way more than I can think of because again I do not work in the gaming industry.

There's also the question of why 456 and AAIC weren't developed concurrently. The calendar from 2020 shows that TGAA and AA7 were meant to be developed at least somewhat concurrently, and the staff from TGAA would eventually merge into working on AA7. Once again, we don't know what happened to the staff that were supposed to be working on AA7. It's possible pandemic complications meant they got shuffled onto other projects. It's possible the AA-related team is smaller now than it was in 2020, so they only have enough people to work on one project at a time. It's also possible that there's a team that was working on ports, and a team that was working on a new game, and now the "port team" is freed up to work on the "new game team".

Either way though, pretty much every interview with the staff for the 456 or AAI ports are all saying "look forward to the future of the series", which is definitely Corporate Speak, but unless they're bringing the ports of the Layton crossover (fingers crossed) that can only mean one thing. (AAI anime?) Plus, like I've discussed in this post, AA is having fantastic sales in general. They've seemingly either hired a new social media manager or changed the strategy so there is much more engagement on twitter. And AA is getting on bigger and bigger announcements - though AA trilogy ports were announced at TGS (at an AA-specific panel), TGAA duology ports were announced unceremoniously on twitter. Afterwards, 456 ports got announced at the Capcom Showcase during Summer Game Fest. And now AAI collection got announced at a Nintendo Direct, which I imagine is even more expensive, so the series must be going in a good direction for them to think that's worth it!

That's a lot of rambling for me to say I definitely think it's coming.

When are we going to see it though!!

Coming up in September is my eternal enemy Tokyo Game Show. Since AAI collection is being released at the beginning of September... it might be a bit too soon to announce a new game, but who knows. They might think it's profitable to ride the hype they're building now for AAI collection to announce a new game. Or they might let it sit for a while.

With AAIC getting announced at a Direct, I'm thinking they'll want to make AA7's announcement a) big and b) global. AA6 was announced in Famitsu, but the problem with that is that it's a mostly Japanese audience, and some interviews have been talking about how AA's global audience is particularly contributing to how big it is right now. So I'm expecting AA's next announcement to be at something major and something that will get attention from overseas audiences.

If they have been working on AA7 concurrently -- and honestly I do think there has at least been some progress on it since 2019 -- we could definitely see an announcement within the next year. I was also saying this in 2020, though, so don't take my word for it. There's been two year gaps between ports up until the AAI collection, and they seemed pretty proud about releasing 456 and AAI in the same year, so... maybe they'll want to keep it going and announce AA7 within the next year, especially if they'll have a longer announcement -> release period than they normally would for ports.

Potential candidates include:

Tokyo Game Show: As previously stated, it's very close to the AAIC release, so I don't think it's the best timing for it. I would not want my favorite AA game overshadowed by whatever the hell they're going to do with AA7. Likelihood: depends on how fast they want to follow up on the hype.

The Game Awards: is the next major gaming event, but that's already massive in terms of the type of games that get announced there, and it's expensive! Nintendo Direct is one thing since AA has always been a Nintendo-first series, but I don't think it's big enough to justify putting in a Game Awards ad. and I already have my clown wig on for persona 6 there. Likelihood: pretty low tbh

Next Year's Summer Game Fest-related Shows: I think this is the most likely, considering both the 456 collection and the AAI collection were announced around this time. For AA7 I'd say a Nintendo Direct to get lots of eyes on it, especially if AAIC sales pay off. Likelihood: pretty high!

Which leads me into my wildcard answer:

Switch 2 Announcement Stream: If Capcom decides to go in and make AA7 one of the first games for whatever the switch successor would be, it could be announced here. I regret to admit that I am a very bad gamer and only like two things, and therefore have not ever been present for one of these things to know how many games get announced as launch games for a new console, but, like, it's possible.

In the above scenario, I'm not necessarily saying that AA7 would be a Switch 2 exclusive - because I think that would be stupid after so much of the support they've gotten from the ports has been from playstation and steam - but I am definitely the kind of person who would buy a console for one video game. Shoutout to me buying a switch in part anticipating that aa7 would come out on it and that is not looking likely

Anyways, that's my speculation!! Reminder that this is mostly uninformed and that I have no knowledge of anything related to sales or marketing or video game development, and as a result of that, I have been wrong (aside from the one time I accurately predicted AAI ports as a joke) for four consecutive years.

#I hope this makes sense. it's kinda all over the place #asks #aa7 speculation #ace attorney #i am. so scared.

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grimmcheems · 6 months ago

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Yakuza Hinami AU🌸

This has been brewing in my head as an idea for like years lmao😭. Idk but I always thought it’d be kinda cool if Hinami’s father was also an important figure in the underground of ghoul society aside from being a doctor bc Jason fr tore him up and Mado was on his ass too. That mixed with the fact that Hinami does become involved with ghoul society later on in canon made me love her even more.

They have her father’s kagune up on display as decor, she obtained it at some point and Akira is pissed about it(though she does not know it is being used this way), newer members don’t know why it’s there and think better than to ask directly, so the older members just got used to referring it as “Daddy”😬

I rly need to start providing the initial context to my ideas bc there’s so much that goes on in my head for my AU lores before I draw a particular setting of it and which characters I choose to include. Hinami is basically a selective mute in the beginning of this after her father is killed by Mado and her and her mother form a close relationship with a ghoul investigator (Nakajima, but before they figure out that Ryouko is one of heir suspects but after his partner is killed by Touka) Later on Hinami is on the run and living in disguise with Touka until her parents followers find her and try to raise her to be the next leader of the group.

The yakuza group is named “The Winds , which is sort of a play on how her parents were inspired by it when naming her, and sort of used as a one liner by elite group members and those who manage to escape the hands of the Doves by saying “it must’ve been the wind”(or something similar to that phrase, it it also how the Doves speak about them in public settings as to not cause alarm and used to brush off any inconveniences they experience from the group itself).

Uta is the spokesperson of The Clowns and they often butt heads with Hinami over territorial disputes and whatnot, so his visits are frequent and he is rather surprised when he sees her for the first time again when she’s older and sees just how far and high up she managed to climb in ghoul society. He mostly teases her and Yomo does not appreciate it. Yomo joined her group at some point because he wanted to maintain ties with Ayato, and he does reveal himself to be his and Touka’s uncle and last living relative (it always bothered me that he never said anything to either of them about that in canon but at least he treasures his niece)

I also gave Uta a lot of color, he was gonna be paler but I thought more color to his face would suit him. He also has a soft expression bc his eyes are closed.

Banjou sort of takes care of the more visual side of things when it comes to Hinami(he does her hair but who does her nails?!?), I love how they have a bond in canon but in this he’s mainly like a big brother and he is always concerned with the way she is presented to others because she’s their leader.

She practically becomes like a legend and spoken of like a myth by the CCG and has a SS(-) rating. They’ve never seen her in combat and only have her combat with Mado on her file record so they base it off that, and she never really has to step in because other people take care of things for her. However being the head of the group they gave her a high rating as well as factoring in her chimera type kagune she’s sure to deal a lot of damage to anyone who’d cross her path. A lot of the wierdo investigators dream of having parts of her like a trophy someday, hence the dialogue of an investigator wishing he could see her kagune up close and in action someday.

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sunderingstars · 3 months ago

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ NOTABLE TOPICS ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: interpretative analysis, elation!sampo, theory, general observations, somewhat list format

— word count: 4.8k

— overview: (as of 2.6) a compilation of notable topics surrounding sampo koski that do not fit into the other analysis sections i’ve covered so far!

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ INTRODUCTION ⌝

Includes: Mr. Cold Feet, Dream Bubbles & Tatalov, Astral Express, Boothill’s Emanator Talk, Trashcan Event, Rating Pistol, Moze’s Splash Art & “Prey,” Photo Event, By Any Means Necessary Curio, Master Thief’s Tentacle, Versatile Joker, Wardance Event, and more!

In the interest of not wanting to burn out talking about my beloved blue-haired man, I have compiled the rest of my findings into a list of notable topics — I may or may not elaborate on these in the future, but I at least wanted to point them out in their own dedicated post!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MR. COLD FEET ⌝

I mainly just wanted to mention how I think the alias of “Mr. Cold Feet” may be a reference to Sampo’s feelings about his “job” within the Masked Fools and his status within the Elation.

As seen below, the phrase “cold feet” often refers to a loss of confidence — or rather, the presence of uncertainty (“doubt,” even, if we want to bring up Clown’s Items). Additionally, “cold feet” is often a colloquial way of saying someone is backing out or leaving.

These definitions make Sampo’s alias all the more intriguing, especially te fact he is known not just for having cold feet, but for doing it so much he is literally known as “Mr. Cold Feet.” Whether this was a name he ascribed to himself or a name originating from others, it doesn’t change the association. Here, Star Rail is making a direct connection between who Sampo is as a character — his name, his identity — and the practice of losing courage to the point of backing out.

I believe this is not meant to be a one-time occurrence (seeing as the “Mr. Cold Feet Pop-Up Shop” event is rolling around now using the name once again), but rather an insight into Sampo’s character and potential situation surrounding his occupation and identity.

On a surface level, this seems to be about Sampo’s general slippery nature. He not only bribes us to keep quiet, which works in some cases, but even in the timeline where we don’t take the bribe, he still manages to get away. Clearly, he’s an expert on “backing out” of situations when they get too hairy.

Going deeper, though, I think this also has to do with the Masked Fools and his discontentment with his “job”. As seen on Penacony, he doesn’t think highly of the Fools (or at least their jokes) and has specific ideas of Elation that don’t line up with theirs. Being part of such a group that is at odds with his worldview would likely cause him to waver in his commitment to said group. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to back out or get “cold feet” towards them, whether that means particular jobs they need him to do or just the organization as a whole.

I also think “cold feet” may refer to some bigger plan, perhaps put in motion by Aha, other Aeons, or other Emanators that Sampo, potentially as an Emanator himself, no longer wants to be a part of. These “cold feet” may even be what’s causing Sampo to help us instead of harm us, deviating from some other plan once he began to have doubts about it for one reason or another. (Also, as a Doll!Sampo truther this could also be him becoming fed up with being a literal punching bag.)

Either way, I believe “Mr. Cold Feet” isn’t just a moniker, but something that is as much a part of Sampo as his blue hair. Although he doesn’t seem like the grand wavering type day-to-day, I think it’s possible that some greater machinations or discontentment with his position in life have led him to, well, lose some nerve due to backstory, psychological, or circumstantial reasons.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ DREAM BUBBLES & TATALOV ⌝

Astral Express Dream Bubble:

(Update: The item description says this bubble is said to contain the “dreams of Akivili,” meaning it’s likely from Their perspective. I’ve revised a bit of this section to reflect that!)

(There is also the chance Aha isn’t involved at all here, but given the references to Elation and Pom-Pom mentioning “that guy who blew up the train into two pieces” at the end, I don’t think it’s off the table!)

I wanted to quickly give this its own shoutout, since it directly shows a discussion about several impulsive and joke-like actions Akivili makes on the Express. Not only is this whole incident really interesting for me as an Elation enjoyer, but I also like the details of the jokes, especially since they don’t seem to be… well… very harmful in nature. Compared to “blowing up the Express,” watering plants with soda and stealing snacks seem so, just, mundane. It’s kind of endearing, to be honest. It almost seems like They’re trying to take a page out of Aha’s book, albeit in a more mundane, everyday-life kind of way. (They just wanted to have a little fun. They were feeling silly, Your Honor.)

Now to be serious: While going through the dream bubble, I realized Aha is referenced, but we never get any indication of Their appearance, or who They were masquerading as at the time, simply being referred to as “that guy.” Not only are we, the player, placed in a faceless role as the viewer of the bubble, but many details are kept vague about this past event. Not even Pom-Pom gives any hints as to what Aha looks or sounds like.

While this small mention might be the natural course of the conversation, it cuts off at a very specific point right after Pom-Pom brings the “incident” up. This might be a side effect of the dream bubble being incomplete or only from a certain perspective, but I also think it’s just as likely that this is intentional. That someone, perhaps even Aha Themself, gave us access to a dream bubble depicting only a small, specific part of the conversation — one with no hints or identifying features. Someone who may want to steer us in a certain direction but not want us to know what Aha looked like at the time. Which is interesting, because… why not? If They can change Their appearance at will, why not? If we haven’t seen Them before, why not? I believe the reason we may not be given these details is because we would recognize Them, or at least Their identifying features.

This can go multiple ways — it’s possible we’re dealing with an Aha!Sampo who simply doesn’t want us spoiling the fun, an Emanator!Sampo who was sent to mess with the Express on Aha’s behalf and potentially even impersonate Them, a former Aha!Sampo long since displaced by a usurper, or even my favorite idea, that Doll!Sampo having the appearance and voice of Aha’s form (even just at the time) would cause a whole lot of complicated confusion that no one, especially the players of the game, can handle right now.

There is also a reference to Elation — “this trailblazing expedition of yours is indeed an ‘Elating’ one” — and Dr. Edward seems strangely insistent on not providing additional details. That, paired with “Akivili?” having a quite noticeable question mark, throws me for a bit of a loop. Elation seems to be very much at play here, but to what extent I’m not sure.

At the very least, I feel this bubble was left for us for a a reason, perhaps even something having to do with the Elation itself.

Tatalov:

Oh Tatalov dream bubble, what can I say about you that hasn’t already been said? A lot, I think, actually.

One, this is Sampo’s dreamscape. While this could mean nothing, it’s also his dreamscape, meaning anything is fair game to connect to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to tell us something through his own mind.

Two, Belobog is the setting, not only implying his predisposition for the place but potentially implying something big will go down there.

Three, when we ask where everyone is, he says “this is a surprise that will be revealed later” — very Elation-coded, very cryptic. Once again implying some big plot development we haven’t yet reached.

Four, he encourages us to take our time and acclimate. Very sweet. Very wholesome.

Five, Sampo’s advice (?). Interesting to-do list — become Garbage King. Makes me wonder what the Garbage King is meant to represent; perhaps Aha, a Masked Fool, leading a revolution, taking control of Belobog, reuniting with lost power? Seems like he’s gunning for the top either way. “Though the trash bags have long been broken” is also intriguing. Implies rising in a sort of fight or revolution — perhaps the trash bags are meant to symbolize Belobog’s people, or perhaps even the other creations/toys when considering Doll!Sampo theory. Maybe both.

(I’m more inclined towards the Belobog angle here, since the dream both takes place there and features the trash bags well-known for being there. Update: Taking the “Ace Trash Digger” occurrence into account, it may be that Sampo aims to become some sort of patron for “discarded” items, perhaps seeing Belobog as something abandoned and forgotten much like himself. In that sense, “become the Garbage King” may mean something similar to him becoming a leader or guide to Belobog — and by extension, other places or people seen as “garbage” — since he feels a sort of kinship with them.)

Six, the dream feels familiar to us. Sampo is once again being cryptic with the whole “anything can feel familiar” bit, but this may be meant to show us the future, in a way. Perhaps it’s so familiar because we will go through it or somehow have gone through it in the past. This could also be something to do with Sampo’s backstory, which feels so familiar because we’re in his dreamscape.

Seven, after the dream is interrupted, he mentions how he was looking forward to seeing how we would overthrow the Garbage King. He mentions the King specifically, which makes me almost think the King is synonymous with a person or single entity in the real universe. Again, this could be Aha, some powerful figure who will threaten Belobog, or even Sampo himself. It’s possible that Sampo, just wanting to settle down for once in his life, is looking for someone to “dethrone” him in a way, so he can either be free or finally get what he wants.

Eight, despite trying to play the fool (haha) during the dream and acting a bit nonchalant, he clearly says it was a “meaningful” dream when Firefly interrupts it. Additionally, he mentions he was looking forward to “seeing your face when the truth dawned on you.” Clearly, this isn’t just a one-off fun side quest, it means something. Once again, I believe there may be something Sampo is trying to tell us that he literally can’t say out loud — either that or he’s just toying around with us.

There definitely a big “secret” implied here, as he clearly thinks the “truth” he mentions will be enough to seriously shock us. This is further emphasized by him insisting he’s not “trying to say” anything, just “reveal the truth”. That’s a very specific distinction that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless he’s under some kind or prerogative to make that distinction, such as not being able to talk about certain things.

The question of the hour, though, is: What truth? What could he have been trying to reveal? Could it be Emanator status, Doll status, Aha Themself? I’m not entirely sure. So much of his character is still shrouded in mystery that even trying to analyze some of these scenes feels like fighting an uphill battle since we don’t have the proper context yet to view them in hindsight. I know this is foreshadowing, I’m just not sure for what. I at least believe the truth to not be directly Belobog-related, as I think whatever “truth” is there to be found likely has to do with Sampo’s identity itself. Beyond that, things get murky.

Ideally, I’d love it to be a mix of everything. A little bit of Emanator!Sampo via Boothill’s run-in, a little bit of Doll!Sampo via those Simulated Universe occurrences, and a little bit of toxic fucked-up Elation speech curse from Aha sprinkled with a creation’s rage against its creator — that’s my favorite soup for sure.

I also wanted to bring up how in the Tatalov cutscene, we see Sampo at a similar large size as Phantylia once she shed her mortal form, which could be foreshadowing Emanator status.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ ASTRAL EXPRESS ⌝

I find it very interesting how, out of the numerous characters who visit the Express, Sampo is nowhere to be seen.

At first, I thought it was a Masked Fools thing, but then Sparkle started visiting the Express so it’s definitely not that. Additionally, every single Belobog character can visit the Express except for him.

This makes Sampo all the more conspicuous to me, since it raises a clear question: Why?

There must be some reason he won’t board the Express even when others from both Belobog and the Masked Fools do. My current theory is that he shares a similar appearance to Aha or Their human form (either through being a part of Them, created in Their image, or some other complicated backstory shenanigans) and the reason he won’t board is because he’s worried Pom-Pom will recognize him from the time Aha infiltrated the Express.

One thing’s for sure, though — the more time passes and the more characters visit, the more suspicious this whole situation becomes.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ BOOTHILL'S EMANATOR TALK ⌝

Not much to say except I think the “Elation Emanator” Boothill refers to is Sampo. Not only does the Emanator look “no different than that of those clowns,” implying a status within the Masked Fools that we know Sampo has, but Boothill even talks about the reasons Emanators may hide their identity at a different point in the conversation. It seems to me that Sampo may be hiding his status for self-preservation or the protection of others, which seems to be working quite well!

I do find it funny that the Emanator got drunk, though, because that means one of two things: 1. Sampo played Boothill like a fiddle and is trying to drop us some kind of hint, meaning he pretended to be drunk in a likely exaggerated and hilarious way (and Boothill completely bought it), or 2. Sampo “Midlife-Crisis” Koski, an Emanator of Elation, actually got drunk and revealed his status to Boothill in a stupor while probably complaining about his job or means of existence. I’m not sure which idea is funnier to think about!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ TRASHCAN EVENT ⌝

This gives us more insight into how Sampo views “friendship” and potentially by extension “love.” He condenses it down very nicely — “mutual benefit.” As I’ve mentioned in other analyses, Sampo seems to view friendship from a business perspective, something to be gained or lost like currency. Although he is loyal to places like Belobog and likely has deeper feelings of affection hidden in there, he only shows the con-man to others. The only thing he’ll be caught talking about is business, which goes for friendship too.

He also mentions the dichotomy of “paying with money” versus “paying with effort,” implying that there is an extremely give-and-take nature to relationships. He isn’t wrong, but it belies the assumption that love must include a payment or a price. It cannot, will not, be freely given. This may come from a genuine, natural belief, but I find it more likely that this comes from whatever his backstory is. Whatever betrayal he has experienced, whatever “hate” he has allowed to fester in his chest, it has caused him to adopt a rather cynical view of friendship. While I do think he isn’t entirely wrong, that doesn’t mean the way he sees things is necessarily healthy.

(Litter Pony also notes a “bittersweet friendship” from him, which further connects to Sampo’s cocktail of love, hate, betrayal, and enthusiasm.)

Additionally, I believe this interaction points towards how ingrained cruelty towards Sampo is in the universe. Trailblazer has to focus and think very hard to remember something Sampo has done to help us, even though he’s done quite a few notable things (including literally saving our life in the Hook daily) that I think should come to mind much faster.

To me, it almost seems like the Trailblazer is having to fight against some natural current guiding them to be mean or cruel, to think the worst of Sampo at all times and express those extreme emotions to his face, just to find a bright spot of affection. It could be the Trailblazer’s character, or it could be some deeper byproduct of Sampo’s existence. I don’t entirely know, I just find it interesting.

The name “Hazardous Waste” trash can is very interesting to me, particularly because of certain character dialogue and Simulated Universe occurrences that imply themes of creation, abandonment, and festering hatred surrounding Sampo’s character. “Hazardous Waste” could mean many things, but I tend to see it as aligned with a Sampo who was created by Aha (potentially in the pursuit of “perfection”) only to then be discarded or abandoned once he served his purpose.

In this sense, “Hazardous” would refer to the hatred and betrayal in Sampo that makes him so dangerous, and “Waste” would refer to the way he was essentially discarded as trash once Aha was done playing with him. Alternatively, this could be a reference to the Masked Fools and him no longer being as powerful as he once was, since the betrayal aspects could also stem from some sort of incident within the Fools while he was still in this prime.

The abilities of both Sampo (the magician) and the trashcan focus on planting “Hazardous Waste” on the enemy’s side of the field and inflicting impediments. Here are a a few things I noted:

— Each Waste increases DoT taken by enemies. Implies strength in numbers.

— When Sampo uses his ultimate, enemies are inflicted with “Deep Blue Curse” — this not only ties to his character being known for his blue hair (much like in Curio Hacker as well), but ties that moniker with the idea of a “curse.” I believe this may mean Sampo is either cursed himself, has the ability to curse others, or both. The in-universe counterpart may literally be a curse, or may be something only adjacent like bad luck, falling from grace, or the aforementioned betrayal.

— “Deep Blue Curse” inflicts Lightning DoT. Interesting, since Sampo is a Wind character. This might be an easter egg for a future Lightning Sampo unit or a tie to Moze who shares a few similarities with Sampo, or it might literally be nothing.

— “Hazardous Waste” triggers random effects, much like certain Elation occurrences and Path equations in Simulated Universe.

— A part of these random effects is, I kid you not please listen to my insane rambling, to beat up Sampo which then regenerates energy and attack for him. I will say it again he gets beat up for a reward. Much like… an occurrence that rhymes with Baja Bluffed Boy……… Anyways, Doll!Sampo theorists rise!

Here are two of Sampo’s cans on each side of the battlefield. It feels symbolic of something but I’m not sure what. Maybe there are others like Sampo by virtue of existence who may find themselves in conflict? Maybe this is supposed to mirror the chaotic nature and betrayal of the Masked Fools? Perhaps this is supposed to represent an inner conflict where Sampo finds himself in a double agent situation between Paths, needing to determine what route to take? I don’t know, but it’s damn fascinating.

Sampo after he gets hit… much like a doll…. to vent extreme emotions on……

Potentially an implication that Sampo is a mole — the only questions are For who? and Towards who? (I feel like both the Trailblaze and Elation are involved, but for the life of me I’m not sure if it’s a straightforward “Hello Trailblazer, I am betraying you” deal or a “I have been sent to harm you by the Elation but jokes on Them! I hate Them and will actually help you instead” double agent situation. Or a secret third option. My brain is breaking trying to comprehend this.)

This sheds a little light on my confusion, but only a little. He says he’ll rush to help a friend in trouble even if it means “infiltrating the enemy and taking them down from the inside” which implies to me that we, the Trailblazer, (or even the Astral Express) are that friend with how much he refers to us as one, but there’s also the chance that he considers someone else, perhaps even the Elation in general, to be the “friend” he’s helping.

I want to believe that we’re the friend and he’s infiltrating, for example, maybe the Masked Fools or something else to help us, but then again who knows with this man. For all I know, “Belobog” could be the friend and we could be the threat and he’s trying to protect Belobog at all costs from us. Who knows! I’m tired! I love this man but I wish he would communicate better!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ RATING PISTOL ⌝

Ah yes, the infamous rating pistol. I won’t be getting into too much speculation here since everything I could say has probably already been said, but I do want to note how Sampo’s rating is “invalid,” along with other extremely powerful characters including several confirmed Emanators or “part of an Emanator” characters like Acheron and Jing Yuan.

Personally, I think the pistol’s reaction of widening its eye then closing it wearily indicates being confronted with some kind of high power level — the kind that may cause it to feel threatened — whether that power is of an Emanator or otherwise.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MOZE'S SPLASH ART & "PREY" ⌝

Just a note on Moze’s similar color scheme to Sampo (with red switched inside instead of outside), his abilities of marking “Prey” paralleling Sampo’s light cone “Eyes of the Prey,” and the splash art including a suspiciously Sampo-like figure fighting with a fist raised.

I’m not entirely sure what the splash art means yet or if that’s even Sampo (or someone related to him), but if we are operating under the assumption that it’s him, my mind would go immediately to mass-produced creations of Elation (much like the Aha Stuffed Toy or The *Perfect* Grand Challenge’s clay dolls, given the sheer amount of people in chains in the art) rising against whatever system they find themselves in, which could include Sampo as the driving force of rebellion. Moze may even be one of these toys, who knows.

Or I could be wrong about all of this — I just don’t think we have enough to go on yet to make any solid conjectures.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ PHOTO EVENT ⌝

He’s just kinda cute here, that’s all :)

He wants to boast about being a bit of a model and I for one am not going to stop him!

Although, once again, the Trailblazer’s meanness and the absence of a “nice” dialogue option is another connection to the idea that the conditions of Sampo’s existence may push others around him to act in emotionally extreme (usually mean or violent or frustrated) ways :(

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY ⌝

I’m mostly drawn to this Curio because it mirrors Sampo’s “dead bones” motif, plus the phrase “By Any Means Necessary” feels like it could slot into his character quite nicely. With certain parts of his dialogue, it’s implied he may be paying a “cost” or “risk” for the benefit of a reward later on, which would match with the idea of accomplishing something by doing whatever he needed to do, including weakening himself or his powers.

The Curio also rewards the player Cosmic Fragments depending on how many Curios they have, and I always look out for Cosmic Fragment-related items when thinking about Sampo since they’re the Simulated Universe’s equivalent to currency (or money). This one is further amplified by the scaling of Curio rarity, which could be seen as comparable to the relics or artifacts Sampo deals with in-universe.

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MASTER THIEF'S TENTACLE ⌝

Not that I necessarily think this item refers to Sampo specifically, but he is technically a master thief so I thought I would be remiss to not bring it up. Although it has to do with the Xianzhou’s Shackling Prison, who’s to say Sampo never ended up there at one time or another — clearly he gets around the universe quite easily!

However, now that I think about it, the “extra surprise” obtained when winning against an enemy is very… “Surprise Present” Sampo-coded… and “plenty of other tentacles” could refer to his multiple identities…. (Addition: the “tentacles” could also be referring to mass-produced dolls sent to do Aha’s bidding, with the “Master Thief” being Aha themself.)

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ VERSATILE JOKER⌝

I just wanted to note this for being in the “Moment of Joy” category, which has very Elation-coded masks as its cover. The achievement name itself — “Versatile Joker” — points not only towards Sampo’s versatility and ability to blend in with almost anyone due to his charisma, but “joker” puts him even more in orbit with the Masked Fools than he already is. Also, the achievement is “hidden.” Very interesting!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ WARDANCE EVENT ⌝

First, I just want to point out how Hook appears at the Wardance as a special correspondent for the “Crystal Daily,” which is the same organization Madam Poisson says she is reporting for in Sampo’s Character Story Part 1. I feel like this could go one of two ways: either the Crystal Daily is an actual, legitimate publication that Poisson only pretended to be a part of and that Hook somehow managed to report for, or Sampo sent Hook to report on the Wardance himself on behalf of his fake and entirely made-up news station.

Personally, I’m inclined to believe the latter given Hook’s response saying, “No one hired me. This is my summer assignment.” To me, this really sounds like Sampo wanted to let her loose for some Learning & Enrichment Time, and so gave her a “cool important assignment” to go and learn about life outside Belobog, kind of like hiding medicine in a food your kid likes. This also might be Sampo’s way of “spying” on how the events play out, given that he cares about Belobog and its progress so much.

I also am not sure I believe that Hook wrote the entire article herself — some of the parts sound like her for sure, like saying people got “really mad” and said “mean things about the judges, but words like “understandably” and “compliant” are used in a way that sounds a bit too mature for her age. Maybe the writer’s didn’t get her voice down 100%, maybe she’s actually learning from her assignment, or maybe, just maybe, Sampo looked over her writing before she sent it in and helped her edit it.

I dunno, the whole situation seems really sweet to me. I just like thinking about Sampo as this mentor-like figure slowly trying to push Hook out of the nest like a baby bird while still watching over her.

Not entirely Sampo-related, but I wanted to note the narrator’s fourth-wall break here. This was a super interesting little dialogue section on the Skysplitter, and I have half a mind to think it’s Elation-related (if not Aha Themself) speaking to us directly. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s Sampo, but again, it definitely reminds me of Elation fourth-wall breaks and other moments of a self-aware narrator. (Although it would be cool if it was somehow him.)

Lines like “please don’t ask such vibe-killing questions!” really seem suspect to me. Like I know you’re there Mx. Aha. And I love you ♡

Very heartbreaking line I associate with Doll!Sampo. I don’t think the game intentionally put this here to be a link to him, but I am making the connection anyway and also crying. “… Would it have felt like it was being manipulated and toyed with?” JUST RIP MY HEART OUT WHY DON’T YOU!

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ MISCELLANEOUS ⌝

— Sampo’s light cone is featured in the Lucent Afterglow art, probably just because it was one of the first light cones in the game. It still doesn’t get past me that Lucent Afterglow is a more meta-currency of higher origin. Probably doesn’t mean anything, but I figured I’d point it out!

— The Ship of Fools Unknowable Domain occurrence heavily implies Sampo to be a “broken mask” — here’s a link to my post discussing it.

— Sampo has a companion text where he talks about being burnt out at his job and asks us if he should quit. Given the idea he may be sent by the Elation to mess with us but is having second thoughts and Protective Instincts, I say, “Yes, Sampo! Please quit your job!”. He could also be talking about the Masked Fools in general or being in a position of power within them, which, again, I would say, “Please quit your job and come enjoy a nice relaxing vacation with me!”

— An Intellitron NPC in Dreamflux Reef named Kirk has dialogue about Asmon Rim, an Elation planet whose extreme path led them to destroy “any remaining vestiges of their morality” and treat “other lives as toys of entertainment.” As one of those toys, Kirk was deeply unhappy with his life and escaped. While I’m not sure if this has anything to do with Sampo, the methodology of Elation followers treating others as toys does tie in to things I’ve talked about like Aha Stuffed Toy and The *Perfect* Grand Challenge, albeit in a somewhat less Aha-centric way.

— I know Kalevala also exists as a planet in the HSR universe, and if I were to speculate where Sampo is from I feel like this is the obvious answer, but with how Asmon Rim lines up with some of my theories I’m tempted to say perhaps he found his way to one place or the other along the way.

Overall, this man has a lot going for him! He’s very mysterious which makes theorizing all the more difficult, but that’s what I find so fun about it — the journey not the destination and all that. Even if most of this ends up being completely wrong, there are a lot of things that still tie into parts of his character we know for sure to be canon, like his con-man occupation and Masked Fool identity. I’m happy to talk about any of these short topic blurbs more, by the way, I just wanted to include them all together here so I wasn’t posting ten billion separate analyses as part of the project!

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ thanks for reading to the end, and thanks for all the love and support on this project. the official main course may be almost over, but i will likely continue to expand on my theories and thoughts as more sampo content releases! :)

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#⌞ ✎ sunder.writes ⌝#⌞ 🎭 ⌝#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai: star rail #sampo #sampo koski #sampo hsr #hsr sampo #sampo honkai star rail #analysis #hsr analysis #hsr theory

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homestuckreplay · 1 month ago

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🏡 Nine Best Homestuck Moments of 2009 🏡

It’s the end of 2009, and Homestuck is currently sitting at 1088 pages – pretty huge for something that hasn’t even been going for a full year. So as we close out the year and enter what’s sure to be the Homestuck Decade, I thought I’d count down my favorite Homestuck moments of 2009. I’ve loved it all, so it was really hard to narrow down, but when I reflect on this first year of the comic’s existence, this is what sticks in my mind.

9. Rambunctious Crow. (p.350-356)

This is my favorite Dave moment because it’s his irony in action, turned against him by the narrative now that things are getting real. Already knowing that Dave’s losing the betas is a ‘stupid’ and ‘embarrassing’ story (p.294), it still comes as a surprise just how stupid, embarrassing and out of nowhere the reality is. I’m on the crow’s side – it saw something cool and colorful in a grabbable position, and it went for it. It had no idea it was going to get accidentally sylladex-murdered, and I can’t wait to see its new life in Dave’s kernelsprite.

8. Peregrine Mendicant Delivers Justice. (p.844; 892-897; 921-925)

This one is cheating because it’s really ‘everything about PM’. I will give my heart to a paladin character with a big sword and strong ideals, any day – she will kill without a moment’s hesitation if it helps her fulfil her oath to the mail, but she’ll also reward a loyal follower who helps her cause, and this applies to robotic worms as much as it does to other people. She’s a minor character who’s out here behaving like a protagonist and one of her packages could be the thing that saves all the kids.

7. John’s Clever Disguise. (p.45-89)

I wish he was still wearing it. I really do. John acknowledges on page 46 that it’s a really shitty disguise and continues to wear it for several dozen pages. He adds the pipe, switches out the hat, considers a second pipe, and overall tries to perfect it. And he does it all the time too, because Rose calls him out on it! Whether he likes it or not, the spirit of the clown is within John, and I love this section as both a funny surface level gag and when thinking about the deeper meanings of a kid disguising himself in his own home.

6. Rose-Jade Flashback. (p.441-442)

This is my favorite Pesterlog in the comic so far, and sets up a really cool dynamic between Rose and Jade. They’re both talking circles around each other, Rose because she has to sound smart, detached, and in control, and Jade because she has to sound sunny, cryptic, and also in control. But Rose clearly has a lot of respect for Jade, and Jade clearly has a deep understanding of Rose, and those things are surprising – I expected Rose to be more skeptical of Jade’s powers, but instead they’re like light and dark counterparts with similar values of understanding the world around them.

5. Zazzerpan the Learned. (p.358-359)

This might be the one thing that holds Rose back from being my favorite character. How can she possibly ‘find this grisly abomination utterly detestable’. It’s a 20 foot tall statue of a mighty wizard and if you don’t think that’s the sickest shit in the entire world then WHAT is even the point. And the glimpses on page 715 and 757 showing the broken, future Zazzerpan indicate that something is going to happen to him; probably Rose with a giant bludgeoning weapon. Unless I cause a time paradox by appearifying him and putting him in MY house. (He would not fit).

4. Act 1&2 Title Cards. (p.82; 307)

The jokes are excellent, but to me Homestuck is at its best when it lets itself be serious, and page 82 is our first real glimpse of this. These pages let us sit with John and Rose’s mental states for a moment, and they let Hussie stretch their writing skills and play with words. My hope is that these pages will age really well and have a lot of foreshadowing in hindsight, but even if not, they create atmosphere better than any other moments in the comic so far, and they read like prose poetry.

His riddle is Absence itself. It is a mystery dispersing altogether, like the moon's faint reflection, with even one pebble of inquiry dropped in its black well.

Somewhere a zealous god threads these strings between the clouds and the earth, preparing for a symphony it fears impossible to play. And so it threads on, and on, delaying the raise of the conductor's baton.

3. FreshJamz and the Beta Kid Band. (p.77; 222; 337; 822; 830)

All four kids being musically gifted in a comic that incorporates sound is a great move, and the reveal that John can play piano beautifully after he’s spent 76 pages messing up his sylladex and house as he struggles to pick things up was a huge surprise at first. The four kids sharing an interest in video games would have been too obvious, but all of them loving music pokes at the fourth wall and gives them a way to connect on a deeper emotional level even while they are all hiding parts of themselves. It’s a big act of trust to share creative work with people, and seeing all the collaborations on Jade’s FreshJamz page is the best evidence of how close they all are.

2. Rose Adopts Vodka Mutini. (p.926; 1002)

Alright, I love cats. And I know that introducing a cute animal character is a cheap move for getting an audience to fall in love, but cmon, THIS kitten has FOUR EYES that BLINK SEQUENTIALLY and was made in a SLIME CHAMBER as a failed PARADOX CLONE. They CURL UP AND SNOOZE on Rose’s desk and become a TINY VOID CREATURE. I can’t be cynical about this. I am not immune to a tiny sweet face blinking up at me from an anachronistic teapot. I am screaming and crying with how badly I want this cat to curl up with me.

1. [S] WV: Ascend and [S] Jade: Pester John. (p.757; 1073)

I know I’m not alone in loving ‘WV: Ascend’; I’ve read several forum threads where people wax as rhapsodically about it as I do, and I was sad not to see as much love for ‘Jade: Pester John’ (maybe because it does similar work, so isn’t as unexpected). Both these pages are an expansion of what webcomics can do, they perfectly tie up existing plotlines, they’re really well scripted to the music, and it’s both rewarding and enjoyable to watch them several times in a row. ‘Explore’ is one of my favorite Homestuck tracks so far, and Skaia/Prospit during the eclipse is my favorite location visually. I know there’s a lot of skill and technique that goes into creating animations like this and making them feel emotional and satisfying to watch, but sometimes I don’t want to analyze them, I just want to sit and watch and let the Flash Magic roll over me.

Honorable Mentions. A few that were on the shortlist but didn’t quite make the cut because I made myself keep it to nine: the very first page (p.1), Rose putting the bunny back in the box (p.146-147), [S] John: Take bite of apple (p.246), Rose exploring her grimoire (p.301-305), John figuring out alchemy and successfully creating the pogo hammer (p.630-635), Rose attempting to send John the Sburb server CD (p.645-647), WV becoming the Mayor of Can Town (p.685), WV drawing the Skaian cosmology on the bunker walls (p.702-704), and the Midnight Crew’s Homestuck intermission (p.831-832). Yeah, I notice the blatant favoritism towards Rose and John in this post.

If anyone has a favorite moment so far that I’ve missed, send them in!!

#homestuck #ny2010 #milestone #highlights #chrono

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angel-of-the-moons · 1 year ago

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Trick or Treat

Miguel x Curvy!Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None, other than Miguel being a bit thirsty (haha pun intended you'll see what I mean)

A/N: Thanks to @obi-mom-kenobi for the fic idea for spooky day™! (I'm sorry the plot got off track, though asdfghjkl)

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

He should have figured something like this would have happened.

He should have figured that he would do this.

Goddamn Deadpool.

Of course he caused a ruckus in one of the other universes, just to hop to this one to avoid Miguel, taunting him the whole time.

And naturally, it had to be fucking Halloween of all nights in this universe.

Among the Michaels, Jasons, goblins, ghouls, and witches and werewolves there were superheroes.

Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and half a thousand Spider-Mans.

This universe didn't have things like superheroes, not for real. All of that was Hollywood magic for the silver screen; the colorful fevered dream of a comic book artists.

He spent four hours trudging through the crowds, shouldering past drunkards and women dressed in far too little to be classified as clothing...

He finally spotted a Deadpool. The costume was very accurate, right down to the texture of the suit and how many pouches were on his belt.

But he was wrong. It was just some... Guy. Dressed in a "screen-accurate" cosplay.

But it was around the fifth hour (and twelve, terrified innocent Deadpool cosplayers later) that he got so frustrated he actually decided to take a break.

"Puta madre it's like Mardis Gras..." He hissed out, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He'd long abandoned wearing his mask, wanting complete unobstructed range of his sense of smell and hearing. Neither of which have been particularly helpful with the smell of vomit, liquor, perfume and sweets littering the air.

"Wow! Buddy, you look like you need a good time!" A man dressed in some macabre clown suit said to him. When Miguel fixed his crimson eyes on him the man seemed to deflate, the gulp in his throat audible as his posture shrunk and he struggled to keep his voice collected at the imposing sight of the larger man.

He pointed at the door to a bar that seemed full to bursting, crowds chattering, and a group of obnoxious women clucking like drunken hens as they left, shouting rather inappropriate things at Miguel as they walked by.

Miguel sighed and decided to just say fuck it, one drink or so. Deadpool probably already hopped to another dimension already and this could be a pointless waste of time.

The patrons parted around him like the sea for Moses, too intimidated by the man who towered over them to stay in his way as he made it over to the bar.

The seat to the barstool creaked under his weight as he sat down, burying his face in his hand

This is the last time he'd ever chase down a Deadpool. Next time, he would pass it off to Ben or hell, even Hobie...

"Wow! Miguel, huh?" A bubbly voice giggled out.

His head shot up as she mentioned his name, and hi blinked at her.

Uncharacteristically, he felt his mouth go dry at her costume.

The black dress was cut down to the top of her underbust corset, revealing delicious amounts of her marshmallowy soft-looking cleavage. Honestly, if the woman sneezed, she'd probably spill right out of it...

Her hair was... Off. A kind of black beehive atop her head, sharp makeup accentuating her cheekbones and eyes. Bright, crimson lips smiled at him, dimples in her cheeks.

She wasn't rail thin like the other women who had come onto him all night, her body was soft, and squeezable; warm and looking as though he would get decent handfuls of her sweet soft rolls in his hands--

"Wow! You even look like him, too!" You giggle.

His mouth opened and he blinked.

"Ah... El... Elvira. Right?" He tried. He remembered Peter showing him that movie one of the times he'd visited him and MJ's place.

"Ah! Ding ding, my dear!" You grin, tapping your nose. "Some people keep saying I'm Morticia Addams."

"Ah..." He cleared his throat, sitting up straighter.

Even in your heels, you had a feeling that if this man was standing on his own two feet he'd tower over you.

"Wow! You really do look like Miguel!" You gasped, your ruby red lips parted in a sweet "O".

They looked so soft, just like the rest of you--

"Well! What's your name, big guy?" You ask, your long, wispy (maybe fake?) eyelashes batted at him.

"Uh... Miguel." He said stiffly.

You giggle again, a sound he was quickly focusing on, a sound he found he liked amongst the hustle of the other patrons in the bar.

"Pff, no, silly. Your name."

"...Miguel."

Your smile falters a bit as you blink up at him.

"Oh. Oh! Oh gosh, that's your actual name? I'm sorry!" You laugh awkwardly.

He decided that maybe, just maybe... His night wouldn't be spoiled after all.

"Well, I don't think it's bad enough to apologize for..." He said, flashing a smile, his fangs poking out just past his lips.

You giggle a bit girlishly. "Oh! Oh, that's not what I meant... But I mean! At least you're... Well, uh. In character! You got the looks, the height, the name!"

Miguel shakes his head with a deep chuckle.

"I suppose I do." He fixed you with a soft gaze as his fingers tapped the bar top. "What's your name?"

You grinned at him and tapped the name plate on your breast, drawing his gaze downward to your cleavage.

He felt his face heat up a bit as his eyes lingered on the soft swells, until his brain finally processed the name written.

He repeated it back to you, his voice just barely shaky.

"Yep! Don't wear it out!" You wink, leaning on the bar.

Once again, your cleavage on full display, just begging for him to--

"So, no offense but you look absolutely miffed 'bout something." You chuckle.

"You... Could say that." He struggled, clearing his throat. "I was... Supposed to meet somebody but they... Bailed."

"Oh, god, I haaaaaate that for you, bud." You say, leaning back with a click of your tongue. Your long acrylic nails tap on the laminated bar.

"So! What'll it be?"

"Uh... I don't have any money on me. Sorry."

"Hah!" You point up at the whiteboard sign above the tap.

'Those in costume -- First two drinks are free!'

He blinked up at the sign. "That's... Generous."

"Yeah, my boss is big on community. And I'm the one who told him that promising two free drinks instead of one will draw our competitor's clientele away." You wink.

"That's awfully... poachy of you." Miguel smirked.

You shrugged. "What can I say? Capitalism is capitalism and you gotta make a buck somehow. And besides! Halloween and other holidays are the best nights for tips!"

You looked back at him with a twinkle in your eye.

"So! What'll it be mister Spider-Man?"

"...Hell. The strongest drink you have."

"Ooooh! Risk taker! I like it." You laugh in a sing-song as you turn to start gathering what you needed to mix his cocktail.

The gaze of all the male patrons were drawn to you when you started shaking, humming to yourself as you did, looking at the list of things for the drink you were making, not paying mind to the prying eyes ogling your breasts. Miguel was, abashedly one of them. But he stopped himself once he realized what he was doing, the others?

He wanted to strangle all of them. Especially the three men next to him who were making bets on who would convince you to go to their car with them.

They clammed up when Miguel leaned in when you turned away.

"Keep staring at her like that, and I will gouge out your eyes, pendejos." He growled, flexing his talons in the face of one of the men for emphasis.

They all freaked out and ran, not wanting to piss off some 6 plus foot whatever guy with what looked like retractable blades on his fingers, and glowing red eyes.

When you turned back around, the cherry red drink topped with strawberries and a black cherry in hand, you grinned at him, and saw the money on the counter.

"Oh!" You hum, handing Miguel his drink and placing the money in their proper places.

"So... What's in this?" Miguel asked, sniffing the drink lightly.

You smile again at him, a cheeky glimmer in your eyes. "That would be telling, sweetheart. But I will say I put some sour grenadine in it."

"Hah. Fair enough." Miguel said, taking a sip of his drink.

The burning in his throat caught him off-guard. As did the heavy taste of the alcohol, that was quickly snuffed by the fruity flavor as he swallowed it down.

"It's... Good."

"Your cringe says you weren't expecting the punch." You smirk, crossing your arms and pushing up your soft breasts.

"It's... Surprising." He conceded, plucking the black cherry up out of the top of the glass.

He decided to make a bit of a show as he curled his tongue around the cherry, bringing it into his mouth and snapping off the stem, chewing lightly.

Miguel couldn't help but notice the way your cheeks flush a little bit and you busy yourself with wiping down glasses.

Maybe tonight wasn't such a bust, after all.

#miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x reader #miguel x you #miguel spiderman #miguel o'hara #atsv miguel #halloween fic #halloween 2023 #happy halloweeeeeeen

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