#ultimate arcane woman

[krunchycrispy]

Disclaimer: this isn’t meant to be a sexywoman kind of poll, just your fav arcane gal! You can pretend it is if you’d like to :)

I also have the men version on my blog, but I cannot make links on these for some reason. Hopefully I can soon! They’ll be under the ‘arcane poll’ tag on my blog.

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Reverse 1999 and the Nature of Tragedy: Analysis on how the tragic structure is used and potentially why (spoilers for Chapters 2,3 and 6 mainly)

Reverse 1999 loves tragic characters, we don't go any patch without suffering. Here Im going to explore how the tragic structure in literature is presented in the game through at least three main story chapters.

Tender is the Night (although I have covered aspects already in previous Chapter Two analysis)

Nouvelles et Textes pour Rien

E Lucevan le Stelle

What is Tragedy?

Tragedy is often described as a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character (thank you Oxford Languages)

Yes this is common knowledge but the core to a tragic narrative is the inescapability on the tragic ending - the way I usually describe tragdies is like a cake no matter how you slice it, it is either too sweet or stale and never a perfect bite.

Tragedy in Tender is the Night

This will be short as I have analysis on the chapter in previous posts so here will be specific bits. Schneider here can be considered the tragic character as she ultimately gets taken by the storm, while I don't consider her to have a traditional tragic flaw the status as a human pretending to be a arcanist does doom her character. She is denied by the Foundation/ the Chicago Branch so attempts to find safety in the Manus by lying that she was adopted into the Greco family, however likely Manus had captured Mariam and after being tortured by them reveals Schneider's identity.

Throughout Chapter Two there is a moments of false hope that she might be saved, somehow surviving multiple bullets (I mean really she was shot so many times arcane healing must do wonders) . It is only the very end to we realise Schneider was never going to survive (gameplay does trick us as well since we can play as her in the boss fight of Ch.1 and for some reason still in the final tutorial stage which I only found out at lvl 40 when I wanted clear drops lol).

Tragedy in Chapter Three

A large part in tragedy is the helplessness the audience feels at being aware of all events yet unable to prevent events from happening. We get the perspective of Constantine setting up the conditions for the Breakaway attempt to occur on the day of the Storm, even making us watch chess board style how Vertin and her friends are lured into a trap. Tragic characters do not need to experience a literal death, as Vertin could be considered the tragic heroine here, her hubris being the hope and desire for the outside world that led her to attempt to leave SPDM. Ofc she doesn't die but her actions result in the reversal of her friends and cementing her role as the Timekeeper.

The point of no return could be seen in the children choosing to escape on an earlier date, unable to see the scheming and manipulation of Constantine to create loopholes the children view as opportunities to escape rather than a trap.

Tragedy in Chapter Three

This is a big one as operas and plays tend to be tragedies themselves. Isokania is a tragic relationship as both Isolde and Kakania regardless if they lived each other were doomed from the start: being an unethical doctor and patient relationship, Kakania not being a licensed doctor therefore completely misjudging her patient's wellbeing, Isolde's own mental instability, dangers of her arcane powers, the history of her family ... the list goes on. Even if they ended up together they would not truly be happy.

Isolde is a tragic character, other than being a reference to Tosca, she is doomed by the nature of the arcane power and the nature of her family. A family own for misfortune as a result of their arcane skills (her sister dying at age 3 to a seance) + the social pressures of being an upper class woman in the 1910s.

Book six having a reference to 'A Streetcar named Desire?'

So we already know Book Six reference multiple tragic operas such as Tosca but I want to suggest the final chapter in this patch potential makes reference to a 1940s tragic play called "A Streetcar Named Desire".

(This is a stretch since Tennesse Williams published the play in the 1940s not the 1910s)

So. In this scene Kakania attempts to interrogate Isolde on the nature of The Salvation, to confront the fact that she was the co-creator to the painting, the fire was caused by Theophil who hoped to end both his and his sister's suffering but was shot by Isolde instead.

It is notable that Isolde repeatedly asks for the lights in the room to be turned down, refusing to look at the truth in the painting. While we could just view this standalone I think we could make a guess or suggestion that this scene is meant to reference another tragedy.

(Maybe there is an older tragic play that employs a similar scene but Ive only studied this one, someone can tell me in comments)

A Streetcar Named Desire sees a fading Southern Belle Blanche Dubois move into New Orleans with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley effectively as a last resort, her past is filled with "leaky roofs" and instability with sleeping with men to survive, alongside the destruction of the Old South leads to her to seek refuge with her only surviving family.

She almost finds salvation here, finding love in an ordinary man named Mitch. However this is a tragedy. Late into the play Stanley, Stella's husband confronts Blanche on her lies about her past, putting a light to her deception in order to reinforce is own authority over the house. Eventually succeeding in sending Blanche to a mental hostpital (Im summarising a play, I may miss other details and this is long)

And what about Isolde? Like Blanche she is forced to confront the truth she had tried to repress in her memory, remember in a previous seesion with Kakania the detail that she shot Theophil with intent (again who allowed her a gun and who taught her? I guess she can channel the spirit of a sharpshooter?) is omitted, similar to how Blanche in the play distorts the truth with lie, the "what SHOULD be true" could be viewed as Isolde making the world her stage, everything as a performance that never ends.

The idea of having to confront the truth of events being forced into the light is similar to Blanche's reoccurring motif of bring adverse to strong light, revealing all her flaws. However the person forcing them to see the truth is different, where Kakania acts out of a determination to right her wrongs and find the Storm Immunity Ritual to save everyone, Stanley (similar to Mr Karl) acts out of self preservation and malice.

Here's the big one: why does Reverse 1999 employ so much tragedy?

Tragedies are usually employed as a message to the audience, a commentary on the state of the world about people/ individual facing the impossible force of society, its expections and its demand for conformity.

There can be many answers, we still have more chapters to explore the narratives of this game but so far it seems Reverse 1999 wants to tell a story about overcoming adversity, to not be defined by others or your past, to "beat onboard boats against the current" (see what I did there?) even if the odds are surmountable. It is a struggle for both the truth and the future even if the odds are against you.

(This is giant speculation, nothing concrete but yeah feed the brainrot)

(We could analyse each 'focus character' of each patch because I think they generally follow this theme but that's alot, the game is still updating and i have uni soon so)

[phoenixlionme]

Caitlyn S2 Defense Post

I'll get this off my chest by starting with this: Caitlyn is one of my favorite characters in Arcane, actually my most favorite character. And I know she isn't perfect either. She can be entitled, not to extremely arrogant levels but it's there; she's insensitive; and while not as noticeable as Vi, she can be just as reckless, I mean she broke a prisoner out of jail and lied about the approval from jayce. She can also be prideful. However, she has proven to be an ultimately good and heroic woman who does want peace between cities and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Unfortunately, I have seen a number of people bash on Caitlyn for what they saw in the leaks but completely absolve Jinx, even though the latter has WAY worse stuff by comparison. So I wanted to post this reminder.

Caitlyn was nearly blown up by Jinx in episode 4 when the latter pretended to be a scared and trapped child. She also was present when the other Enforcers were caught in said explosion.

She was nearly killed by the ruthless and murderous Silco before she and Vi could escape.

Jinx held a huge gun to her with intention for harm at numerous times.

She was held at gunpoint by the corrupt Marcus just after she witnessed him shoot an unarmed Ekko. And then she was caught up in another of Jinx's explosion (this time to frame the Firelights) which left her injured and to witness Marcus dying breath

She was kidnapped, in her home, her place of safety and privacy, by Jinx. While she was showering. This act was a moment of extreme boundaries crossing and left Caitlyn most likely traumatized to be exposed in such an intimate manner.

Then she was kidnapped, tied up, gagged, and forced to be a part of Jinx's messed up mind game she was playing.

Hit with the bottom of Jinx's very big gun.

Let's be honest, we know Caitlyn's mom is going to die, and Caitlyn was forced to watch the rocket heading to where her mother was and unable to stop it.

Caitlyn has every right to be vengeful and hateful. Any reasonable person would be in her position, and she may do some morally questionable things and while I will understand that I won't defend or excuse her actions. Caitlyn may be a hero but she's not without faults and complexity, but I do have faith she'll realize her mistakes and correct them.

[that-ari-blogger]

A Perfect Metaphor And A Perfect Joke

I put out a post a few days ago discussing some Critical Roll speeches, and I couldn't help but notice how people seemed to like that. So, I thought to myself: CR has some phenomenal moments, and I happen to have some more thoughts on them, so why not share?

With that said, Loquatius Seelie is a fascinating character played by a phenomenally skilled improviser. Allow me to explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CRITICAL ROLL CALAMITY

Before I unpack this speech, I would like to briefly examine who Loquatius Seelie is. And I'll start with an analysis of his mechanics. I'm not going to go into detail on his spells and abilities, instead I would like to instead bring up his choice of class. In the EXU Calamity Wrap-up, Sam suggested that Loquatius began at 1st level as a warlock, and took the remaining 11 levels as a bard, and I think that is quite interesting. Where everyone else was a liar pretending to tell the truth, Loquatius was an honest man pretending to be a liar. He had got swept up in the drama of it all, and kept taking levels in bard as he descended more into the personality he created for himself.

"Fire"

I feel the need to stress that this speech was written in the break. There was no clever marketing team who laboured for hours. This was Sam Riegel pseudo-improvising. That's not what I'm analysing, it just needs to be said.

Anyway, what is this speech about?

Life. Life needs things to live, and a world needs people to inhabit it. But there's more, this is a farewell to the age of arcanum, and in a fitting send off, it breaks down all of the pompous ceremony and for the first time in a while, gets real.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the replenishment is cancelled. Our centuries old bond, severed."

This is all nice, but what happens next is fascinating. Its the end of an era, and instead of looking back at what has happened, the speech looks to the future.

"Our two cities are like a married couple. We may have our differences. We may not have the same goals. We may even separate for a time. But we are connected by love for eternity. We made a promise to each other, and its one we must fulfill."

The symbol of marriage is a ring, it's a fascinatingly old tradition, with discoveries in ancient Egypt that date back 3000 years, and the symbolism behind this is both obvious, and subtle. The ring represents a cycle, an infinite loop. The ring doesn't represent the marriage, but the promise to each other.

In this broadcast, Loquatius brings the Age of Arcanum to a definitive close, tricking an entire city of hubris to go down in flames in order for the new world to be born. And to everyone else, he invokes marriage, the ultimate promise of a future, everlasting.

"Remember your Avalir siblings and the sacrifices we made for you. Remember Cerrit, the Eyes of Avalir, and his bravery. Remember Nydas, the Dragon, and his sense. Remember Patia Por'co, Keeper of Scrolls, and all the wisdom she brought. Remember brave Zerxus and Evandrin, the First Knights of Avalir. And remember the Architect Arcane, Laerryn, the most beautiful woman in the world. And also, remember the Market of Wonders"

This is such a phenomenal send off, not just because of who he's mentioning, or because of the sheer force of acting skill that Sam is throwing around. This is phenomenal, because of what it asks the next age to remember. Bravery, wisdom, and beauty.

Loquatius can never know what will happen in the next age, but he begs whoever will hear this, to take just these things forwards. Be brave, be wise, be beautiful.

But that joke. "Remember the market of wonders." Brennan has credited Joseph Campbell with the phrase: "Comedy completed the revelation that drama begins." And for the life of me, I couldn't find where Campbell said this, so I think this is a Brennan Lee Mulligan original.

Perspective is important, and if you have only good things, like the Age of Arcanum, you get complacent. But if you have only bad things, such as the calamity is shaping up to be, the pain loses its meaning. Your senses dull. This joke is a dying man going out with a defiant smile, but its also a message to the world. Don't give up on joy, or hope, in the face of Armageddon, because that's when you need those things the most.

"I'm Loquatius Seelie-- And I'll drop my golden complexion and just use my true face, my true changeling face-- saying: Seelie you later."

This is unironically my favourite moment of the speech. Because its the final moment, and the face of an age has stopped all pretences. No special effects, no whimsey or buttering up the truth. The dead cannot lie, at least, not as easily. Try as you might, you go out as you are, you can pretend to be something else, or you can change, but when you finally shuffle off this mortal coil, that's it, there's no more pretending. Loquatius Seelie goes out not as a performer and presenter, but as a husband, and a hero.

[sheegons]

Wait where is the 2nd picture with Damian in an Arabic mansion come from? (or is it AI? Because its looks like AI)

it isn't AI it's actually from "infinite crisis - fight for the multiverse" which is a tie-in for a game called "infinite crisis." a moba that ultimately flopped and got shut down 6 months after release.

Damian isn't exactly a main character but he's part of the main team. Half vampire damian who is the grandson of ra's (Dracula) al ghul and son of the bat, working with nuclear post apocalyptic wonder woman, arcane magical green lantern (hal), gotham by gaslight catwoman and, because we can never have enough of him, prime earth bruce.

The story of the comic follows a basic infinite crisis storyline, it's about 36 issues digitally and 12 physically (same amount of story thought ones just split up very weirdly)

In the actual game damian has three skins:

Default

Arabian Assassin (unreleased but in the game files):

and Crimson Dusk

these were all from 2016 so before the rise of any competent AI, though I'll admit i don't know the actual artist of these by name

I know you didn't ask for this much information i just like rambling

[ladyzirkonia]

Saw this and had to make one for Doc, this one was the easiest one because I already had a lot of inspos from the beginning creating her.

Some explanations under the cut 😉

Doc art by @amalthiaph , screenshots are mine or from pinterest

left on top: Viktor (Arcane): voice (or better accent) claim, brilliant yet tormented scientist, driven by his vision to improve humanity through technology, in conflict with his own physical limitations and ethical boundaries

left middle: Tech (The Bad Batch): I think there are no further explanations necessary 😁, exceptional mind, curious, loyal and the 'tism

left bottom: Dr. Pershing (The Mandalorian): cloning scientist, becomes a scientist because he lost his mother and hopes to heal others with his technology, but he ends up involved in the Empire's dark plans and faces a moral struggle with his work on The Child

right top: Jinx (Arcane): troubled and unpredictable fighter, haunted by her traumatic past and struggling with her own madness, causing chaos wherever she goes

right middle: Marie Curie: dedicated and pioneering scientist who made groundbreaking discoveries in radioactivity, sacrificing her own health in the process and ultimately losing her life due to prolonged exposure to radiation

right down: June Osborne (Handmaids Tale): resilient and courageous woman, possesses a sharp intellect and a fierce determination to survive in the dystopian world she lives in

[wasted-women]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 3 OUT OF 8!

Cause of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Sky Young

Cause of Death: Disintegrated while attempting to save her friend/crush

Propaganda:

She literally only exists to be fridged, which is a shame because her death by probably the void would have made her an excellent tie-in champion for League. But no, she just gets dusted for Viktor’s character arc.

Her death was pointless aside from making Viktor feel guilty. Her whole character was that a) the was a brilliant scientist and b) that she was in love with Viktor and he didn't know. He was pursing dangerous magic for himself, and it's shown that the magic wouldn't have even killed him because he's now connected to it (through choice!). Sky died trying to save him from something that wouldn't have even killed him. Her death was literally just to make Viktor realise that the magic was bad/dangerous. Even though it clearly already was, but now it really is.

Princess Allura

Cause of Death: Sacrificed herself to save the universe

Propaganda:

The show has so so so many issues, but taking the black female lead and reducing her to a love interest and then killing her???? I never even got to the finale (bailed on the show seasons before) but I am still so fucking mad about this

The first case of fridging that many young girls saw.

Pyrrha Nikos

Cause of Death: Turned into dust after being defeated in battle

Propaganda:

Badass, powerful, beautiful. A warrior of virtue who tried to do the right thing. Was willing to risk having her entire personality overwritten in order to protect the world even though it scared her and conflicted with her ideals and concept of destiny. Everyone looked up to her. She was kind. She was smart. She was strong. She was one of the best characters in the show. And ever since she died, her death has only ever been brought up when it pertains to how it affects the one blond haired blue eyed author insert. Pyrrha deserved so much better.

There was SOOOOOOO much good build-up for Pyrrha's death. Like she's literally ACHILLES. With her trying to decide whether she should sacrifice herself to become the maiden or not and then when she finally decides to but it's taken away from her at last second when Cinder comes and kills Amber. How that contributes to her decision to fight Cinder even though it's certain suicide; that's sort of what she wants. She thinks she should have died before so she's going to fight Cinder to the death. And her final battle and ultimate death!!!! But then after her death happens we only see it in the lens of JAUNE. Like to an extent I get it because Jaune was close to her and he was the last person to talk to her. Him melting down the gold in her armor for his armor is a good moment. BUT ONLY JAUNE??? Volume 4 onwards, the only time we see any main character grieve it's always Jaune. RUBY LITERALLY IS THE MAIN CHARACTER AND THE PERSON WHO WITNESSED PYRRHA'S DEATH but she is barely given any screentime grieving!!! It's all Jaune and his manpain and how he is sad that she is gone and how they loved each other and it's like God give me a break. Even Pyrrha and Jaune's other teammates, Ren n Nora, never are given any screentime to grieve besides a quick second after Jaune looks at Pyrrha's statue. They don't even have a real good conversation about how fucked it was that Ozpin's team put Pyrrha in the situation that made her so suicidal in the first place other than outright dismissing it. For a show that loves to dissect and criticize Ozpin and his decisions they really didn't come back to that. Can a death retroactively become fridging? Because that's what this is.

[eemamminy-art]

Extremely difficult top 5: Top 5 butches

I've sat on this for a long time because I wasn't sure how I wanted to approach it! Do I pick real life butches, butches that are expressly called as such in their medias, or characters that I interpret as butch?

Ultimately, I opted for the last option, because I think that will be the most fun in terms of me trying to argue my case lol

Faris Scherwiz — Final Fantasy V

"James Kidd" / Mary Read — Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Agrias Oaks — Final Fantasy Tactics

Vi — Arcane

Zero — Final Fantasy XIV

Further rambling and pictures under the read more cut because oh my goodness this is. Long.

Faris Scherwiz — Final Fantasy V

This character awoke things in a young me, playing a fan translated ROM of FFV. Faris is this pirate captain, initially presented as a beautiful man, later revealed to be the lost princess who made a new life for herself after being lost at sea.

She thinks of herself in masculine terms, and has an honor among thieves sort of outlook. She does put herself, her crew, and her friends first, but she's not so cowardly as to run away when she sees the world is at stake and there is a higher calling for her as a warrior of light. She's very loyal and brave, but lacks the chivalry of a knight.

She's fearful to go back to the life she had before as a princess, because she loves the person she is now. The only thing that really gives her pause is that her sister very deeply wants a relationship with her, and she has reservations about growing close to her and thus to the life she left behind.

"James Kidd" / Mary Read — Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I know Mary Read was a real person but stick with me here. We all know AC plays fast and loose with portrayals of real life figures so I'll be proceeding as if talking about the fictional character, not the real life pirate.

When in her persona as James Kidd, he is as smarmy as can be on the outside, but hints that there is a deeper complexity to him. He's deeply enigmatic and flirtatious. He's clever, and drips juuust enough temptation to guide Edward onto the path of the assassins.

When she reveals herself to be a woman, she keeps the same demeanor as always. It's a secret she keeps close to her chest, and reveals it only to use her body to her advantage to create a distraction. Her dedication to her friends and to her freedom matters far more to her than her presentation.

I'm grateful that even despite the era in which this game came out, there's not a total personality switch after the reveal. She's still so much herself, regardless of how she physically appears or which names or pronouns she uses. She makes it clear that she considers herself a woman, in spite of how she normally presents, and she's just bursting with so much confidence. Goals, honestly. She's a hugely inspirational character to me.

Plus I mean. Oh my gosh. She has this rumbling, sultry voice with a Yorkshire accent. Swoon.

Agrias Oaks — Final Fantasy Tactics

I want to first preface with an anecdote, that the lesbian subtext between Agrias and Ovelia is so overt that while growing up, my brother's best friend refused to believe Agrias was a woman and headcanoned her as a male knight to justify it in his head (he also headcanoned Ramza as being a woman to justify the gay subtext between him and Delita.. 😂 lmao FFT is extremely gay please play it)

But onto Agrias herself: she is really the textbook definition of a knight. She would give everything for her kingdom and her princess. She is lawful good to a fault, which is not an easy feat in the world of Ivalice. Chivalrous, devoted, stern but kind when it comes to Her Highness... 🥺

So normal about them... they are like THE yuri ship in final fantasy, but not a lot of people played FFT!! 😭

They even mention it in FFXIV in Orbonne Monastery... love wins......

Vi — Arcane

Going to first say I don't play league of legends, mobas give me hives lol but Vi was phenomenal in Arcane. I am missing a lot of context for the character because of that though, so my take on her is purely based on her portrayal in Arcane.

She's headstrong, she lets her emotions get the better of her, she gets into fights, she's scrappy as hell, she's protective and devoted. What stands out sooo much is that, these are traits you might find in a male protagonist in other media, but the way Vi goes about it is just so in touch with her womanhood. Just a more masculine womanhood.

All of the characters in Arcane are written so well, but I found it very very refreshing for there to be so many well written women with all sorts of personalities and archetypes, and not just the usual tropes you see for female characters.

Zero — Final Fantasy XIV

I waffled a little bit on this pick, because the butch identity is very much about demeanor as much as it is appearance-- if not more so.

Zero is a little bit of an odd duck in that way. She has some very vulnerable, sensitive moments. She's sometimes downright meek. Overall she is cool, confident, business-like, and has her own sense of morality forged by her losses, her time spent bound in contract as a voidsent, and the harsh world of the Thirteenth.

I admit, I initially found her softer moments a little off-putting. Putting it into perspective though, butches do have these moments of vulnerability and softness. It's something really key in the dynamic of butch and femme, that where butches are strong and protective, they need stability and soothing from femmes. A feminine strength to heal the damage that the world has inflicted on the butch while she stands as a shield to herself and other women.

I don't think it was the writers' intentions for her to read that way, I'm pretty sure this is me seeing what I want to see lol. But I think it's still nice! I only didn't notice at first because I play as a gay male wol so her being vulnerable with him activated my fight or flight response. But outside the context of my own OC as the warrior of light, in the context of maybe a female wol (or better yet an experienced and no-nonsense femme like Y'shtola 👀) it's really nice to think about. I think also the pacing of the Endwalker patches didn't do her many favors, but when given time to reflect on her character arc, I think there's a lot of room there, especially when interpreting her in the context of a butch/femme relationship.

She is also pretty new to the whole human thing. She's like a baby butch, still very soft. She can bite and hit hard, but when things break through her shell, they cut deep. Which makes her worthwhile adding to this list, in contrast to the others who are much more experienced and able to protect themselves and others.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

I'm interested in learning about more examples of characters who are held accountable for their flaws and actions, even if they are sympathetic or redeemable. I only remember Sick Valachlorophenol from Kaiten Mutenmaru and Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist.

I think Kaiten Mutenmaru could have handled the relationship between Astar Tame and Trishna Nolamine better. Astar's care for Trishna is meant to be a redeeming quality, even though he is outwardly indifferent at best and rough at worst for most of the time. But I appreciate how the webcomic handles the relationship between Astar and Tetsujin Granchio.

Astar and Tetsujin were once comrades when Tetsujin went by the name Tetsujin Unit No. 1. Astar was a human, while Tetsujin was a robot created to destroy humans. Their relationship soured when Tetsujin developed a desire to surpass his programming, which Astar didn't take seriously. Tetsujin yearned to experience human emotions after being influenced by an elderly woman who mistook him for her son, Granchio, and inadvertently taught him about love. When she passed away, Tetsujin parted ways with Astar and found meaningful connections with others.

Astar took the opposite path, unable to find purpose in life outside of the battlefield. Eventually, Astar became a monster under Sick's influence, believing that true strength could only be achieved by eliminating everything that makes a person human and vulnerable. Although Tetsujin and Astar were once old friends, neither the narrative nor other characters assert that everything bad between them is Tetsujin's fault for leaving Astar and pursuing his own identity beyond their relationship. Instead, it is Astar's refusal to see beyond his narrow perspective that damages his relationship with Tetsujin and ultimately leads to his downfall.

interesting!

here are some other sympathetic antagonists who are held accountable for their actions (some of them were redeemed, some of them weren't):

Jinx (Arcane)

Simon Laurent (Infinity Train)

Zuko (Avatar The Last Airbender)

Lord Viren (The Dragon Prince)

Grace Monroe (Infinity Train)

Azula (Avatar The Last Airbender)

Hugo (Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts)

Peridot (Steven Universe)

Claudia (The Dragon Prince)

Sasha Waybright (Amphibia)

[mollysunder]

Why Did Jinx Make Fishbones Look Like Finn?

You know, as much as Fishbones works as a touching homage to Silco, with its clever inclusion of Silco's visual motifs like his scarred eye and aquatic apex predator imagery. Fishbones also works as a subtle dunk on Finn.

Compared to the original canon, Arcane's Fishbones is more personalized to Jinx's history. So while Fishbones now captures a lot of Silco's style, Fishbones also gets a golden jaw, and only one person has that kind of prosthetic, Finn.

But then you'd have to wonder what makes Finn so special to include on this masterclass weapon that was Jinx's ultimate gift to Silco. These two chembarons couldn't be more different in style and motivation. They wouldn't be in the same room if they both didn't explicitly need something from the other. That's when I realized that in a technical level, Jinx and Finn serve the same purpose for Silco.

Jinx is a well known and feared agent for Silco that makes weapons and dishes out violence, she's practically a one woman army. While Finn's gang, the Slickjaws, operate as hired guns and weaponsmakers. Finn was probably so ready to undermine Jinx in the eyes of the other chembarons and Silco himself because she made Finn less relevant to Silco.

Finn could still be an important chembaron as his gang ran an lucrative industry in Zaun, but Silco never had to be completely dependent on Finn in his Shimmer operation because he had Jinx. And for a businessman like Finn, Jinx was practically working for free! So it's not like he could buy her out, or outright kill the boss's daughter. One, dumb move, and two, low chance for success.

This all begs the question, how deep did the rivalry and resentment run? Was it one-sided? Probably not, because Jinx isn't an idiot and knows when people don't like her. Jinx probably never killed Finn, one, because I'd doubt he ever talked about her the way he did to her face. Two, because she wouldn't outright disrupt an important business relationship for Silco, at least not until recently. But with Fishbones, that all changes, it's the pinnacle of her talents that far surpasses what others like him could do. Fishbones is not just an act of love and dedication, but a power statement against anyone who challenges her position. For Finn and the Slickjaws in general, she can easily replace them with whatever she chooses to make.

Alternate theory: Hell, maybe Silco had Jinx train under the Slickjaws, possibly in an apprenticeship like how Renni's son worked in Silco's factory. Renni's son was probably sent to study the alchemy of Shimmer production, he wore a mask like the original chemist in the Cannery did. And when Jinx proved to be incredibly talented in weapons-crafting and fighting, Silco likely made sure she stayed by his side. Finn could have resented that he lost out on a great asset that turned into competition.

[allol12]

Songs from The Oh Hellos that would work well in Arcane fanfics:

I'm doing The Oh Hellos first just because I've been listening to them more recently. Buckle in, this is a long list.

Dear Wormwood:

Bitter Water: About a toxic relationship!! Great for angsty pairings.

Lyric Spotlight: “Even now you mark my steps, lovely bitter water, all the days of our delights are poison in my veins, I know I shouldn't love you, I know”

Exeunt: About a toxic relationship!! Great for angsty pairings. Especially if one of them leaves the other.

Lyric Spotlight: “So, my little dove, I'm afraid I am leaving” “I will not abide all your raging and reaving, I have set my mind and my will, I am leaving.”

Dear Wormwood: About a toxic relationship except it’s not a romantic one it’s about a human telling a demon to screw off basically. In the wise words of Maggie and Tyler Heath, the singers and songwriters, this is a Screwtape Letters fanfiction. Great for fics where a character is battling with their own metaphorical demons, looking at you Jinx.

Lyric Spotlight: “I know who I am now, and all that you've made of me, I know who you are now, and I name you my enemy”

Through The Deep Dark Valley (If I’m being completely honest here I struggled to not put the entire album because very song in this album fits at least one character.):

The Valley: According to Genius, “’The Valley’ is a song about the struggle and confusion caused by being born into wickedness.”There is one very simple reason why I included this song in this list. It feels like Piltover vs. Zaun from the point of view of Zaunite children. The whole song is about a generation of people having to pay for the decisions and crimes of those who came before them.

Lyric Spotlight: “We were born in the shadow of the crimes of our fathers, blood was our inheritance, no, we did not ask for this”

Like the Dawn: This one is about Adam meeting Eve. It’s pretty interesting though cause it’s sung by a woman (Maggie Heath) from the perspective of Adam. It’s a pretty romantic song so it can be for any ship, especially if it’s one that’s doomed by the narrative.

Lyric Spotlight: “You were the brightest shade of sun I had ever seen” “And you will surely be the death of me, but how could I have known?”

Second Child Restless Child: This one has too much lore so I won’t go too much into it. Think of it as the troubled younger sibling anthem. Looking at you again, Jinx.

Lyric Spotlight: “See, I was born a second child, with a spirit running wild, running free, and they saw trouble in my eyes, they were quick to recognize the devil in me”

The Lament of Eustace Scrubb: This song is once again C.S. Lewis fanfiction. Idk much about Narnia so I can't explain this much but think of this song as another instance of battling inner demons. Looking at you for a third time, Jinx. And honestly? Viktor too.

Lyric Spotlight: “Father, have mercy, I know that I have gone astray, 'cause when I saw my reflection, it was a stranger beneath my face”

In Memoriam: Yet ANOTHER song with too much lore. It can be interpreted as romantic, but I don’t think the original version was romantic by any means. Nevertheless, it’s very good for fanfic especially for smth like caitvi, you’ll see why in the lyric spotlight.

Lyric Spotlight: “But I've never been a wealthy one before, I got holes in my pocket burned by liars' gold, and I think I'm far too poor for you to want me”

Notos:

Constellations: According to genius, “’Constellations’ explores what it feels like to have your own perception of the universe challenged and ultimately fall apart” If I’m being honest with myself… I put this here for Jayvik, skyvik, or literally any ship regarding the hextech team.

Lyric Spotlight: “Like constellations imploding in the night, everything is turning, everything is turning, and the shapes that you drew may change beneath a different light, everything you thought you knew will fall apart, but you'll be all right”

Eurus:

O’ Sleeper: Genius only tells me where the name comes from so if I’m being honest I have no idea what this song is truly about, but it does have a very nice domestic opening scene.

Lyric Spotlight: “While the weary nations weep, awakening me from a dream, I see the moonlight steal across my sheets, my love is lying fast asleep, chasing its beams, she stirs, and then she turns her back to me”

Boreas:

Rose: This song is about the change that needs to happen within Christianity. If you look this song up on genius, do not be fooled by the first commenter explaining what this song is about. They are wrong. ANYWHO, this song has banger lyrics that can work for angsty ships.

Lyric Spotlight: “No, love’ll get you slaughtered, like a ram at the altar, what is safe ain’t the same as what is good”

Zephyrus:

Soap: In my own personal interpretation, this song is about a couple who although may be different, and although may have their own personal issues, are still trying to make it work. Look me in the eyes and tell me this isn’t caitvi. The song literally has oil and water in the lyrics. I rest my case.

Lyric Spotlight: “I've heard, since I was younger, that oil and water don't mix, they're polar opposites, with a molecular rift you can't fix”

The Oh Hellos Ep:

Hello My Old Heart: According to genius, “The narrator of “Hello My Old Heart” addresses his broken heart.” Great for any angsty ship/character especially those who guard their heart.

Lyric Spotlight: “Hello, my old heart, how have you been? How is it being locked away? Don't you worry, in there, you're safe, and it's true, you'll never beat, but you'll never break”

Lay Me Down: According to genius, “’Lay Me Down’ is a song about leaving the beliefs you grew up with and pursuing the truth.” One specific lyric does intrigue me though, as it makes the narrator sound like an adventurous child who wants more than the cards they were dealt.

Lyric Spotlight: “See, I was born a restless, wayward child, I could hear the whole world calling me outside, of the masses I routinely sat behind, and Lord, I had to see with my own eyes”

These are just some examples! I highly recommend listening to The Oh Hellos, they are amazing!!

[summercreolefanfictioner]

Kino: The King of Ghouls

(moodboard + plot headcanons)

Kino. The King of Ghouls. The Incomplete Mage. He Who Wears Darkness as His Cloak. The Lord of Crows. The Prince With No Crown.

while most people in Westeros believed that Shuu is Karlheinz's firstborn son, a few people knew that it wasn't him. it was none other than Kino, his son from Devyn Kang (@secretarykang), the world's most powerful witch

as a child, Kino believed that one day, he would be a king like Karl, reigning over the seven kingdoms with his magic and ensuring every single being in this world is equal with rights and hoping to end humanity's sufferings

well tbh it was also Karl's fault for encouraging him to think that way

and yes it all turned out to be a farce when Karl eventually found out that Devyn wasn't the magic woman in the prophecy and Kino is not the son who will become his heir in Westeros

this prompted Karl to leave the life he built with Devyn and Kino, ultimately burying all traces of them and proceeding to ally himself with Burai and Menae (aka Cordelia's parents)

Kino wasn't fully accepting the fact that Karl abandoned his first family so he went undercover to Westeros, hoping he could change Karl's mind

until he found out that Karl had already moved on with his life, marrying Cordelia and having the triplets as his replacement since they were all touched with magic based on the prophecy

but Kino was stubborn, pleading to the guards that he needed to talk to Karlheinz bcos he was his firstborn

Karl entertained him ofc, promising him that he and Devyn will be a part of their family in Westeros

but it was a lie ofc

the next thing Karl did was burn the whole town of mages in the North, making sure no one escapes

Devyn was powerless to protect Kino so she gave up all her powers to him and placed a curse on Karlheinz that he will die a tragic death unbefitting of a king

and bcos of his immense power, Kino branded himself as the king of Ghouls, animating all the dead mages and controlling them to do all his bidding

there were a few mages who lived, and so Kino had them transferred to Shadowlands with the help of Gilbert Feinze

he even observed the triplets grow until they were 16, watching all their movements so he would know their weaknesses and have his ghouls kill them

ofc he almost succeeded with his first attempt to steal Kanato's eyes, only for Maya to kill his ghouls with her purified arrow.

and at night he would dream abt what Karlheinz did to him and his mother, and how revenge never tasted this good

until then, the cards will fall one by one and he will crown himself as the King of All Seven Kingdoms.

STORY MASTERLIST HERE

[citrusotakutea]

Hey op just curious what makes you hate the new Hellsing fanbase. As a fellow Hellsing fan I was wondering if I’ve completely missed something strange going on lately.

The new Hellsing fandom honestly irks me because of the surface level probing of the source material*. Yes, to most it's a hard core, dark, violent, mad and bad-ass anime but, like I've said so often, for so long on this dumb blog, it has the BEST female characters I've ever seen, recently rivaled by Arcane. Incredible depiction of platonic relationships and morally grey characters. To me, it's primarily a found family story, among other things.

The side characters are incredible, Yumi and Heinkel are the most underrated of the show. I mean come on priest and nun lesbians (lesbian used liberally). Heinkel is confirmed by the author to be an INTERSEX HUMAN. Alucard shapeshifts into a female (which, looking at the Devilman fandom, everyone took for an obvious trans metaphor, why not here?). The source material is as homoerotic as it can get between a lot of the characters (the tension between Sir Integra and Seras during the blood scene). Let's not forget Rip van Winkle, Pip, Walter, and Alexander. Alucard's teasing, Seras' naivety and subsequent maturity, Pip's endurance and playful wittiness. These characters and relationships are stuck in my head forever, they're all incredibly unique, fleshed out and worth remembering, no matter how short a time they spent on screen. And the character designs? As a long-time vampyr and catholic guilt fan, can I just say. Rawr. This show shaped how I dress like irl and my own shitty characters, as well.

Sir Integra is my favorite character of the show and one of all time. Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Like, an actually good depiction of a no-nonsense, androgynous as hell, unabashedly commanding (dare I say) woman? And it's played completely straight? No "Whaaa that's a woman?" every 2 seconds or "heh, you will listen to me despite my womanhood" from her. Powerful in her own right despite being the few "magic"-less humans of the series. 0 sexualized Ultimate scenes (sorry Seras and the "hot down there" comment doesn't count, that was banter). She was fucking knighted by the Queen of England before she was even 25, hence Sir Integra. Canonically bi-racial and South-Asian. I'm not even going to go into her character's willpower and values but. Hellloooo??? 

Not to mention, something noteworthy about the series, but Hellsing works because Hirano made time for silly moments. I mean, hell, one of the scenes I remember most vivdly was the gag of Heinkel lighting Sir Integra's cigar and being mega-pissed about it during the final battle, it's funny yet in character, despite many fans saying the humor throws you out of the "reality" of the show.

Oh no, but what do the new fandom gremlins talk about? "Alufart rails Y/A" "OMG VLADCARD'S BARA HAIRY TIDDIES I WANNA RUB MY FACE AGAINST THEM" (you know who you are) “I drew the most fucked up version of Alucard I could think of in my twisted mind”

and my personal "favorite":

"omg 🥺 what if intewa and alucard kisswdd", it's almost as bad as Seras x Alucard.

Unfortunately, I am a part of the ship police, so I'm gonna say right now that these two are my most hated ships:

1) Sir Integra and Alucard's relationship goes beyond romance to me. Since none of the new fans know the lore, Sir Integra is and will die a virgin (canon), it's literally plot relevant because by having sex, if she gets bit she will become a zombie slave (obvious but apparently needed to be said) and, taking a note from the 2001 anime, gone is any chance to continue the Hellsing mission. If she was bitten, plot armor aside, she'd have to off herself instead of becoming a vampire. (and for you freaks out there/pos, dare I say… ace representation? you can argue about desire and subtext later)

2) Seras and Alucard's relationship was specifically noted by the author to be a father/daughter dynamic, which is kind of obvious in the show. Like I said, fundamentally a found family series. Yeah, you don't need to treat found family like family family but I gen can't stand this ship.

I know that people will ship characters who've never been in a room together before. I can't stop people from shipping them and these two ships have ALWAYS been popular in the fandom. I typically ignore this and, yes, "don't like, don't interact" is my main rule. However, new fans ONLY talk about this stuff. None of the rest of the show seems to matter, just Alucard's hairy mustached tig bitties and him fucking one of the two women in the main cast. Or someone's self insert.

((tangent but personally my favorite ships are Alexander x Alucard (obviously in an enemies to enemies way), Heinkel x Yumi, and a romance only Seras x s.Integra. Like, you want old women yuri??? There ya go! They were in a mansion for like 30 years (I forgot) together, probably going missions alone and sharing their grief over Alucard and their unique experience/history. Like I said, I can't help who people ship, I'm not trying to say the source material is in favor of my ships or "how dare people interpret these obviously gay characters as straight". like no, that's not why I'm upset and ik alucard and alexander weren't yaoi-ing it up but like. alucard and s.integra shippers dni /j))

Not to mention, I couldn't help but notice, despite this information being readily available to my middle school self, no one knows the fckn lore or background of this show?? I honest to god saw someone comment that Hellsing Ultimate™ was a bad “remake” because it diverged from the original anime.

Here's SOME fun facts:

-the 2001 version of the show has a different ending than the manga because it wasn't finished yet (duh). Hellsing Ultimate is "soooo short" because production took almost a decade and it was trying to be a faithful, well-animated (that takes time bruv) adaptation. Oh, and a bunch of directional changes that I won't get into.

-there are multiple OVAs following Walter's youth in WW2 (Hellsing: The Dawn). Young Walter's design honestly was one of my favorites from the series so. Walter enjoyers. Check it out.

-there is a bonus book explaining a lot about the characters and process of creating Hellsing written by Hirano himself. whenever I got a hold of it, though (8+ years ago) there was no English translation.

-Alucard didn't just transform into a girl that one time, he was in his girl form the entire time during WW2 (hence why when people mention his possible affair with the Queen it might've been a sapphic thing but I think that mostly stems from the abridged series. the queen thing not the girl thing)

-Hirano used to be a Hentai mangaka and actually designed many of Hellsing's characters in said hentai or in short stories (such as Crossfire, it's basically extra, non-canonical Hellsing content) beforehand. Which, this used to be the most popular "fun fact" but has been lost to the sands of time now, so prepare for a lot of people rediscovering this.

-personal lore is I almost named myself Rip van Winkle bc of this show (quirked up Portal, Grell Sutcliff, queer-coded, rifle-wielding shawty)

Anyway, to sum it up, I hate when people don't interpret characters in the same way I do. Yes, I am a bad “fandom elder”, idgaf I am fundamentally a hater.

*I keep seeing this happen with old shows that resurface. Unlike newer or more popular shows where every scene gets scoured, characters who showed up for one scene get analyzed, and endless cafe AUs are made- older shows mostly get fan art of the main charas and the ships of the two hottest characters and that's it. Discussion of lore and themes are completely off the table. So I'm not surprised, just disappointed.

[idkjustletmescroll]

Some incoherent ranting/rambling i guess

I really don't understand some people's obsession with fictional characters doing shitty things just conveniently...NOT KNOWING that they're bad?? Idk if that makes ANY sense at all it's 3 in the goddamn morning but let me explain--

I was doom scrolling, as one does, when I came across a tiktok of a marvel fan explaining why actually wanda maximoff had no idea what she was doing with the hex, which, sure, holds true for the BEGINNING of wandavision. But we're shown pretty clearly during the rest of the show that she knows what she's done, how it's affecting the townspeople, and that it's not real...she just needs it to be real. She can't cope with her ACTUAL reality. Her family is gone, and the ones that remain are busy dealing with their own traumas and families (i.e. clint, who I still argue WOULD have tried to find her and help her post-endgame, even if he desperately needed some downtime with his family--but moving on). I'm a wanda maximoff stan, she's my girl, my favourite, my one and only, but she's not a complete idiot. She knew what she was doing. I don't care that she did an objectively bad thing, I care about why she did it and kept on doing it--which is so much more interesting to me, anyways.

Alicent Hightower in HOTD? According to the writers, had no clue that, actually, years of talking about how aegon should be the heir to the throne would result in people ACTUALLY SCHEMING to get him on the throne, even though she seems to be heading the effort the entire time? Listen, the HOTD fandom is something else, and the way they talk about alicent genuinely scares me, but alicent being worried for her kids' safety, reluctantly cutting off all affection for Rhaenyra because she's genuinely terrified for her kids' lives, even just the spite of wanting her years of suffering and humiliation to mean something; alicent being both a ringleader and a pawn in a man's game, because ultimately she's resigned to the fact that the closest she can get to winning in this system (under this wheel, if you will), is finding the best man to propel to victory/be a pawn for because she as a woman will ultimately never be the victor herself--is SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING than "okay, yeah, she spent years declaring how unfit her ex-bff/stepdaughter is to rule, but she didn't know people would actually take that seriously...she just wants rhaenyra to be OKAY, yall..." (I have a lot of feelings about how the show wrote alicent, okay?)

And arcane is one of my favourite shows of all time, and I've been lucky enough to MOSTLY stay on the good side of the fandom, which, from my end, is usually pretty amazing with an appreciation for nuanced media. But it genuinely makes my blood boil when I see people claim that Vi "could have gone back for jinx on the bridge" (ep. 7), when the moment they're referencing is vi supporting an injured Caitlyn, who almost died by jinx's bombs, RIGHT AFTER JINX SHOT AT THEM BOTH, AND RIGHT AFTER EKKO TOLD VI TO GO. "She left her sister to get beat up--" everything in vi's face in that scene speaks to her reluctance. She's holding up a girl she's growing closer to, who could actually be grievously injured, and she knows, at this point, that jinx is irrational--jinx just shot at her. Like...we knew that vi wasn't going to die, but she could've really easily. Ekko says he'll handle it. There's another bomb. Vi goes back to look for jinx AS SOON as Caitlyn's sitting down somewhere relatively safe (at which point, you know, she sees jinx being picked up by silco and his sidekicks). The point is, people act, with scenes like this one, like jinx was chucking paint bombs, not shooting fucking bullets en masse. I love all the arcane characters; jinx is such an interesting one, and her hallucinations and delusions do tend to make us wonder how much responsibility we can rightfully place on her shoulders. But people are really out here acting like she didn't...almost kill vi and cait there? We, from jinx's perspective, know that she saw Caitlyn as the literal devil; from vi and cait's povs, she just kind of walked up and tried to kill them. Am I making my point yet?

Speaking of arcane, i hope in season 2 we get scenes of characters from piltover who are really rooting for the oppression of the undercity. Not because of what jinx did, not because of the war, not because they "just don't know" how bad it is...because they make a profit off of it, and for that they are perfectly content letting people become dependent on drugs and make their livings from dangerous work in factories and mines. The whole point of "the city of progress" is that it became what it was off the backs of the undercity. We get a lot of characters in season 1 REALIZING the conditions down there, but I want them realizing in season 2 that not everybody was sheltered, they were just making a profit. (I kind of want to see Heimerdinger called out, too. Like, yeah, he's fluffy and cute and stuff, but if he's the founder of piltover, he's also been there since the beginning of the undercity, and didn't care because immortality yada yada. Have I envisioned scenes of ekko calling vi a sellout and she's just like "bitch and who the fuck are you working with?" and everybody's miserable? Yes. Yes I have. And don't come for me, ekko is the mvp of this show. Let a girl dream).

Even people like Tony Stark...people be acting like he's not actually an asshole a lot of the time. Or that he didn't know what weapons did before he stopped distributing them. I like tony, he's entertaining. But I'm not going to act like I need him to be a saint who didn't know shit about the world or basic courtesies to like him.

Idk if fandoms are just weird like that, but you can like your fave even if they do shitty things. They don't always have to be helpless, or just too stupid to realize what's going on. I don't understand why so many people are opposed to being entertained by people who do shitty things. Where's the appreciation for the drama? The messiness? The chaos?

[tobiasbegley]

Book One of Mana Mirror is now out on Amazon! It is up on Kindle Unlimited, as well as for normal ordering. The audiobook is up for pre-order, releasing in July.

This is the novel's description:

When Malachi Baker stumbles into an offer of apprenticeship from the esteemed and powerful Occultist Orykson, he's left in shock and jumps at the chance to learn... Even if it means taking out a few loans.

Unfortunately, his new teacher sees him more as a tool than a student, and has set Malachi near-impossible goals before he becomes worthy of Orykson's full attention, and Malachi's innate power is only somewhat above average.

Worse, it turns out that Orykson has enemies more powerful than Malachi had ever imagined – and now their attention has landed solidly on him.

Torn between the mage who can offer him everything, and a strange old woman who offers him the chance to guide his own path, Malachi is left scrambling to find his purpose as a new mage.

…

"Mana Mirror is an exciting new magical progression fantasy where Malachi, our hero, awakens a long-lost family legacy and trains to unleash its full potential. With a fascinating magic system reminiscent of Sarah Lin's Weirkey Chronicles, but a setting slanted more toward classic wizardry, Mana Mirror is an exciting start to a fantastic new adventure. I couldn't put it down."

- Andrew Rowe, Author of Arcane Ascension

…

And for those of you who only care about the finale of The Journals series, fear not! It’s up for pre-order now, and will release on September 26th! It can be found here! Audiobooks for book three and four are in the works as well :)

...

I know this may not matter to some of y'all, but this is perhaps the most important launch of my career.

This book is the first Amazon release of a new series, and algorithmically, if book one is a flop, it becomes far harder to succeed. I've begun full time writing recently, and this book is going to be what ultimately decides if this will be a

If you can, please leave a rating or review. Even if there's no text, having the stars is super critical to the all powerful algorithm. 

...

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mana-Mirror-First-Tobias-Begley-ebook/dp/B0CYHQG7L4

Audiobook Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Mana-Mirror-The-First-Gate-Audiobook/B0D5SB2784

The Audio is done by the amazing Neo Cihi, and the artwork is by Asur Misoa

[ravenkinnie]

what r ur thoughts about mel in general

mel is so mother, not in a bland girlboss way that people assign female characters they don't actually care about but don't want to be sexist but in a way that I imagine she could inflict emotional violence on me I would think about for decades and also in a gay way because she serves ultimate cunt. I don't like the two ends of the spectrum she gets though, it's either people thinking she is only an evil capitalist manipulator (she is a capitalist but let's not talk about arcanes class worldbuilding issues again lmao) or that she only ever had pure intentions - she did manipulate jayce, she absolutely did work her charm and found cracks in him she could dig her fingers in to make him work the way she wanted and THEN realised she genuinely cares for him. and I love that, I love that she likes a man who is stupider than her and then gets charmed by how earnest he is in his dumbassery

mels issue is fandom is that she's a black woman and people are racist djdjdjkdk and she's attached to a storyline and a man that is largely taken over in fandom landscape by a slash ship so she's always gonna lose, the fact that meljay is a rareship slays me dhsjjs and also her storyline starts kind of late in the season, like it doesn't really kick off until ambessa shows up and by then you have viktor committing unethical experiments and dying and the whole zaun storyline unfolding and everything surrounding jinx-silco-vi triangle is just so enrapturing in its insanity mel stood no chance

but ngl her storyline with ambessa has me gagged, I like gasped when ambessa went BECAUSE YOU WEAKENED ME like the way mel this whole time thought she just didn't live up to ambessas standard and then the realisation that ambessa felt like mel was putting her up to a standard she couldn't live up to and didn't want to accept and that the values she thought she couldn't embody that ambessa did are the reason she was exiled aaaaaaaaa. I hope they get more spotlight next season and noxus becomes more relevant because you see a set number of ways mother daughter relationships are portrayed in media and its rare that there's this sort of violence and strong mindedness present in them the way it often is in father son relationships. I love that mels arc is her rejecting her motherland and their values and building something for herself (like her taking off her family ring and voting for jayces peace treaty even tho the treaty was fucking stupid... jayce is real for that dumb idea just so we could get mels cunt moment and silcos mother coded sophies choice arc)

also there's mels brother who we don't know much about, we know that he was important to mel because duh he's her brother but also she looked up to him in some way. but because arcane moves so fast with its plot she doesn't even get a moment to grieve him

I don't write mel fics a lot tho, just because mel is somewhat smarter than me and that becomes an issue when she has to be written by me, a dumbass. and i cant combat that unlike with another character like with silco who is somewhat smarter than me but he is also extremely delusional and I can balance these out to make it work. acc maybe I need to figure out how to make her more delusional

anyways while I'm here here are mel fic recs: family study this mel/silco fic is one of my favorite arcane fics ever caitmel from linka my fellow Caitlyn Fucks warrior elora/mel that eats character study through being gagged over mels hair insane