Okay so now that the Black Swan story quest has officially dropped the lore that Sampo IS in fact a part of the Masked Fools, I think now is the best time for me to present to you my thoughts on what Sampo's fool's mask should be.
Bear with me now, this is going to sound stereotypical, but I have my reasons. I think Sampo's mask should be that of a black cat.
Aesthetically? Flawless. It will make his green eyes pop, go great with the blue hair, and gives the designers an opportunity to give in to the slutty punk goth aesthetic they were kind of already cultivating.
Thematically, I think this is very appropriate because black cats, while nowadays mostly considered to be "bad luck" were initially more about the change of luck. If a black cat crossed your path, your luck would be fated to change, whether for better or worse. As he says, where there is business, there is Sampo. People with cash will suffer because he will sell them junk. People in a bad situation can be taken right out of it by Sampo, but may have to pay a price. He brings luck and he takes it away with a clever word and a flick of the wrist. To a certain degree, encountering Sampo in the story has consistently been in line with this notion! We were having a good time exploring when we found him in the snow, and he got us into an altercation with the Silvermane Guards. Later when we were in a really bad pinch trying to escape Bronya and the guards, he whisked us away (along with Bronya, changing her luck in the process too). When we were in need of a guide to the surface willing to get us in touch with Serval? Sampo to the rescue. Trouble with stolen artifacts during the museum event? Sampo was at the source. Still need help at the museum? Sampo is your man. One can even argue that our luck turning sour on Penacony only started happening after encountering Sparkle disguised as Sampo which can count if you want. Either way, Sampo is a tricksy little creature and luck follows silently in his invisible footsteps.
Therefore I think black cat imagery suits him very nicely, especially with his whole slinking around through dark alleys and knowing the ins and outs of places and always carefully eluding situations that could end poorly. Probably has nine lives and claws to deal with anything he can't wiggle out of. Just as willing to steal scraps as he is to indulge in given treats. Terribly charming in that same way that cats who know they've caused you trouble are, making huge innocent eyes at you until you shoo them off with a sigh. Always capable of appearing when you least expect it and turning the whole situation on its head.
Point is, in my humble opinion, they need to give Sampo a black cat aesthetic for his Fool form because I think it is classic and fits him.
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Hi!!
I'm so excited for this event - I love seeing your writing, and this theme is so cute!!
For my request, may I suggest the combination of Jade with prompt 8 ("by the babbling brook"), and the emojis 🖌,🤝 and/or 🍵?
Best of luck (and have fun!) with your writing!!
*.゚+ヽ(○^▽^○)ノ゙ +.゚*
By the Babbling Brook; Jade Leech
Content; Fluff, gender-neutral reader, I allude to romance but you get to choose your ending ;)
Word Count; 700+
AN; The first of three Jade requests. I have no idea where all the Jade kissers came from, but I'm THRILLED to see it. Hope you enjoy your request! As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist
It was a pleasant day, both in the weather — being not too hot, with a gentle breeze and fluffy white clouds dotting the sky — and in today’s activities. It was picturesque. For you see, you spent the majority of your day painting plein air by a quaint brook. You don’t really know what compelled you to grab the easel, brushes, and most likely expired paint that was just collecting dust in some random closet in Ramshackle, but you didn’t regret it. It was nice, just sitting under the shade of an aging birch tree and painting the scene in front of you. Just you, the sounds of nature, the gentle warmth of the sun, and your paints and easel.
Well, it was just you for the majority of the day. Seems like someone else had a similar idea.
“Prefect,” a familiar voice called behind you, “this is quite a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting to see you here.”
Looking behind you, you saw none other than Jade Leech carrying a wicker basket partially filled with mushrooms and a thermos bag slung across his chest. “Jade? I could say the same about you.” You would have thought that he would spend his summer in the sea with his family, but the mer-eel was very much still on land. At least for today, judging from his rather decent fungi haul.
Jade let out a soft chuckle and chose to ignore the rather large chaga growth on the birch tree in favour of enjoying your company. He could always get it later, your company was far greater worth to him than the fungus anyhow. “I enjoy stretching my legs every so often, plus it serves as an opportunity to explore new places and-”
“Was Floyd getting on your nerves,” you ask, closing the cap on the paint you were using.
A small smile graced his face, and his eyes glimmered. “Hmm, perhaps. Why are you here, Prefect? May I see what you’re painting?”
He leaned over your shoulder and inspected your work. He was so close that you could smell sea salt, the earthy smell of mushrooms, and the scent of matcha. He hummed to himself and stepped out of your personal bubble, giving you a nod. “A rather lovely piece.”
You blinked, “Thank you.” And then you remembered his question. “Wanted to get out, get some fresh air. It is a lovely day, after all, would be a shame to spend it cooped up inside… Would you like to walk for a bit?”
Jade raised a brow, “Fair enough. And where to?” He looked at you with curious eyes, waiting for your answer.
“Wherever we please,” you answer. Painting could wait for later. “We can see where the brook brings us.”
So the two of you walked together beside the brook, an easy quiet with each other. But it was comfortable, and you knew that he would share eventually, so you felt no need to push or fill the air with awkward attempts at small talk. Until you reached a steep hill in which the brook ran under, eroding the soil to form an underground system.
Jade offered you his hand, “Looks like it ends just on the other side.” He looked back at you expectantly, his hand still outreached.
You grabbed it, and Jade helped the both of you get up the steep embankment. Upon reaching the top you saw a small pond, full of water lilies and looking like it was plucked out of a Claude Monet painting. The very setting of a fairy tale.
“Wow,” you breathed out and looked back to Jade.
But Jade wasn’t looking at the quaint pond, he was giving you a soft look instead. “I take it you’re happy with how this trip unfolded.”
You were still holding hands, but neither of you made any move to separate them. Screw it, you don’t get this chance every day. Take your shot! And you brought Jade’s hand to your lips, placing a kiss to his knuckles. You had wanted to do that small, yet world-shifting, action for what felt like forever, and so, you took it. “Beyond happy.”
His eyes widened before he let out a soft breath of air, bringing your hand up and placing a kiss on your wrist. “That’s wonderful… you’re wonderful.”
“You’re wonderful too, Jade.”
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