#[ BUT ALREADY JUST THE FRIENDSHIP THEY ARE DEVELOPING ]

[book-lore]

No shade to the OP on this one because I do know some people who will do this and what I am going to bring up here might be specific to me, but I would still encourage people to be enthusiastic about their horror interests anyway.

I work in a library and thus I have access to EVERY. SINGLE. WEIRD AND MORBID BOOK you've heard of and so very many that you haven't. My reading list is a joke among my colleagues because while some of them are reading the newest Sally Rooney or Jennifer Colgan, I am regaling them (gently, but I'll get to that in a minute) of my favorite books that have featured some truly awful things. And yes, I've told patrons about this too, some to confusion and others who find it very useful. I get that this context is different from someone who might meet at a random social gathering, but if someone is going to meet you with suspicion about what you are reading, and they aren't going to hear you out about what makes it great, they probably won't be a lot of fun to talk to in the long run anyway. My coworkers think it's funny that I read such heavy, depressing topics because I am really friendly and upbeat at work. They also like that if they are looking for something a bit spooky but not going to plunge them into a story that they can't finish, they know I have them covered because of that whole gently telling them thing. I take into account their comfort level and when they ask me about my favorite topics, they know they can trust me not to send them into the deep end.

And maybe some random person has read all this and thought "that's fine in a library but that doesn't work in meeting people in other spaces", actually it does. One of my closest and longest enduring friendships began with someone who insisted they did not like horror stories or movies. They were not interested in the scary stuff, according to them. Over time, they realized that I wasn't going to make their life miserable by making them watch stuff beyond their comfort level and they developed their own taste in the genre, a lot of it from the media they already liked. They just thought those things didn't count. This wasn't always the case for people who I talked to, but the ones that mattered, especially with one of my best friends, it turned out that they weren't so quick to judge.

So talk about your obsessions. Talk about the things that excite you and make you happy. Maybe it won't be for everyone but it's not supposed to be and some people around you are still going to find it fun to listen.

being someone who's passionate about their interests when you're a horror fan really is a special layer of hell because every interaction you have with another person where the conversation turns to your hobbies and personal entertainments is a trial where if you show too much unrepentant glee at getting an opportunity to talk about your preferred subject you get to watch them mentally move you onto their list of untrustworthy individuals to avoid in the future in real time

[itshermocrates]

Some thoughts on Vander and Silco's relationship

I already talked about this when Arcane S1 first came out, but now that the show is over and we got to see a different reality where everyone has a good ending (except for Vi I guess) I want to bring back my Silco x Vander thoughts

So yeah, vanco ?? silder ??? post

Even if in Arcane S1 there’s some sort of parallel between Jinx/Powder and Silco + Vi and Vander, in my eyes those two were made for an old man yaoi story

Now that we have seen Jayvik’s evolution and that glimpse of them together in a “better future”, I realized that Vander and Silco (+ Felicia) could have something similar to what was happening initially with Jayce and Viktor (+ Mel)

Two best friends working together for a common cause, one hopelessly in love with the other while his partner can’t see ―or doesn’t want to recognize― his own feelings. Since I already have a Jayvik analysis in my drafts, I’m going to focus on Silco and Vander

This will be half a theory - half a fic + I also posted this on BlueSky so yeah, if you see it there it was also me lol

[Pinning, Unrequited love and love confessions that go wrong ahead]

I think Silco and Vander were the perfect duo back in their youth, together they had the brains and the strength, using both charm and cold logic to make people eager to follow them. What Silco lacked, Vander was able to provide and vice versa. Together they were the greatest leaders Zaun could ever ask for.

They not only completed each other like two puzzle pieces, but also shared a bond that had been nurtured since childhood. They had been facing hardships and Piltover’s aggressions since they were little kids, so it was natural that the years of friendship brought them impossibly close.

Some even said that they could have entire conversations without exchanging a single word.

At some point Silco developed a crush on Vander, how could he not? Despite his strength and sometimes scary appearance, Vander had always been the big sunshine boy who was looking after him. That urge to protect and take care of others seemed to be part of his very essence, and if someone benefited from this, it was his best friend.

Of course, they needed to fight and get dirty in the deepest hellholes of Zaun, but even when Vander got his knuckles drenched in blood, Silco could only see the kind man with bright eyes and a dream for a better life that Vander truly was.

Silco really thought that this new beginning for them was only possible because Vander was there with him, since when hope seemed completely lost, when the circumstances took another member of their little family, Vander always remained firm in his stance. They would find a way, they would fight back, they would keep pushing forward and they wouldn’t stop until they finally had the future they deserved.

Oh, wasn’t he convincing? Always the beacon in their times of need, who else could lead them out of their misery?

Vander’s kindness was disarming, and his light was so bright that Silco couldn’t help but fall in love with him. He loved him so deeply it made him feel sick, but he could do nothing about it. Vander had been in love with Felicia for almost as long as Silco had loved him, and even if she wasn’t really interested in him, there was no way that man could get over his emotions.

Just like Silco himself couldn’t make his own feelings go away. He pinned for years, forcing himself to hide how he felt so nothing changed between them and he didn’t lose his best friend. He had to protect their friendship, but, above everything else, he had to protect their dream of a free nation for Zaun.

Silco pinned and suffered in silence until he couldn’t take it anymore, until his unrequited love felt like an open wound badly infected, moments away from killing him. Then, and only then, he confessed.

Vander didn’t make a huge deal out of it, he was understanding and visibly confused. It was an awkward situation, but he could be nothing but kind, even as he broke Silco’s heart. Of course, he didn’t feel the same.

Or maybe he did, but he was too blind to see it, too infatuated by the idea of a future with Felicia to give a shot to a real future with him.

Vander had used a very familiar word to excuse his lack of introspection, one that served him as a shield while unknowingly harming Silco as if it had used the sharpest of blades.

“Silco, you’re my brother…”

They used brotherhood a lot to describe their relationship. Their found family, their friends, their allies in the Zaun revolution and even the fucking pilts, they all could see how deeply they cared for each other. And every time that was the reason they assumed to be behind their bond.

No one could ever deny the love in their eyes, the protective gestures, the smiles... It was obvious, but everyone assumed that what they shared was a blood bond. For Silco it was much more than some stupid liquid running through their veins, what they shared had been built over years of companionship, years of pain and struggle, blood was fucking nothing in comparison. Their souls were connected in a way no one could ever imagine or understand.

And Vander knew this. He knew how strong their bond was, but he hadn't really asked himself if what he felt for Silco was something more than brotherhood. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do if it wasn’t the case either, but he didn’t go as far as to truly consider it.

Vander didn't know how to react to Silco's confession, he didn’t want to hurt him or change their world forever. He was happy as they currently were, it was easy to live with Silco as a brother, but he didn’t know what was waiting for them if he ever allowed himself to analyze his own feelings.

Because of this, and completely unaware of the pain he was causing, Vander uttered that seemingly harmless word that Silco couldn’t stand anymore.

Brother.

The softness in his tone didn’t make it any less devastating. The pain in his eyes, as he knew how badly he was breaking Silco's heart, didn’t make it easier to hear.

The countless "I love you"s he pronounced after that, reassuring that even if it was not the same feeling, Silco was still one of the most important people in his life didn’t soothe the agony of his reopened wound.

None of that mattered.

Because he didn't feel the same as Silco.

The same word that once had been forced on them was now stronger than anything he had built together.

Silco didn't want to feel that pain, he couldn't allow it to stay inside his chest, not when it was so profound.

So he decided to leave The Last Drop. It would be only for a couple of days, to distance himself a little from the source of his pain and try to stitch close that damned cut.

During that time, alone and completely heartbroken, he focused on thinking of ways to achieve the goal they had been fighting for since they were teenagers. The Zaunite revolution and Zaun’s independence. He ignored his pain and used all his anger to plan their next move in their fight against Piltover, thinking of new ways to finally defeat their enemy.

It was during those days, blinded by the pain of his aching heart, that he understood they could only win against Piltover if they showed their true nature to the world. He knew by then that they needed to be more aggressive in their methods and destabilize, not only their government, but also their peace.

Let their own people know what monsters they had for leaders.

Let the people of Piltover suffer the same pain they had suffered since the very moment the City of Progress came to be.

The fight had turned into a way for him to forget his own suffering, and in his anguish, provoking pain to others stopped feeling wrong at all if that meant they could get closer to their goal of freedom.

It was at this point where the conflict with Vander started. Suddenly, the word "brothers" didn't quite fit them anymore, it seemed too caring for them. Now it was a word pronounced in a low voice, and when it was Silco the one saying it, his tone could only express disgust. He rolls his eyes as if the word was some sort of sick joke he hated to voice out loud, a reminder of what could never be.

Silco’s pain is a heavy weight preventing them both from going back to what they once had, and seeing this wounded Vander every single time his friend reminded him of his rejection. This, and how differently they started to approach their fight, made them step further and further away from the other.

And when they saw each other during important meetings, Silco threw the word “brother” extremely carelessly, always with the intention to wound Vander instead of calming him and expressing how much he still loved him.

It had turned into a word that neither of them could ever forget, and that would hunt Silco until the end of his days.

It had turned into a word that neither of them could ever forget, and that would hunt Silco until the end of his days.

[There's still a lot of resentment in Silco's expression, and in this scene before saying brother, Silco rolls his eyes. The man was PISSED]

In conclusion, I think "brother" was Silco and Vander's equivalent of Jayvik's "partner" and I bet Viktor was pissed as hell everytime he heard someone reffering to him as Jayce's partner AND JUST THAT, for both scientific pride and his hopeless crush on Jayce Talis.

[lloydfrontera]

tfw when you write an entire novel with two protagonists that spent the entire plot getting closer to each other, becoming best friends and eventually both of them deciding they would rather die than allow the other to not live a long, fulfilling life, their friendship carrying most of the emotional weight of the entire plot and the emotional climax being one of them sacrificing his life so the other can live and then the other crossing literal universes to find him, a tearful smile in his face as he confesses how much he missed him. which is the scene you wanted to write and show the most because, again, this is the pay off to the slowburn you've been writing in the entire novel and what everything has been building up to since the very first chapter. and then you end the novel by having them share a smile, finally confident they'll be able to have a happy future.

but you also just gotta have one of them marry offscreen because everyone knows you can't be happy if you're not in a het marriage with kids lmao it's whatever it's okay i'm fiNE-

[apparently-artless]

[fictionadventurer]

I didn't realize just how much Little Town on the Prairie meant to me as a book. I've barely started and every bit feels iconic. This one and Little House on the Prairie feel more like home than most of the other books do.

[forcedhesitation]

video editing is turning my brain into mush, take a wip of lae and my deep gnome druid pomona

[nifaraswife]

This was so wonderful to read! With the amount of detail that went into setting the scene and all the lovely descriptions I can honestly say it felt like I was reading a novel 🥺

I know you said at the beginning that this was your first blades fic but honestly you captured the dynamic for Mal, Arwen and Tyril as a trio perfectly here! Their banter throughout this was just delightful and Mal purposely annoying Tyril at the inn was so accurate for him 😅

“Mal is closer to the door,” she whispered, “They’ll get him first, and you’ll have time to reach for your sword.”

And I loved this part! 🤣

“Just say a word and I’ll toss him overboard.”

“Nah, he’s nice. We better keep him.”

I remember it was mentioned somewhere in book 1 that Tyril & MC had been talking in the time that passed between chapters, so it was lovely to see those missing scenes expanded on here! And I always love seeing elf!MC yearning for a greater understand of their culture and identity like Arwen does here 🥺

To finally have another elf at arm’s reach was more than she ever dreamed.

Honestly these are some of the most poetic descriptions about Tyril I’ve ever seen! And of course he wouldn’t stop gripping his sword even while he’s supposed to be sleeping, it was sweet of Arwen to try and make him more comfortable 😊

The black hair clinging to the side of his face like a river streaming down to his neck and her eyes lowered catching a glimpse of the hilt of the sword, tightly encircled by his hand.

Even with his face peppered with red from the mayor’s blood, he looked beautiful and terrifying as a rainstorm.

And I loved the scene where they’re talking alone under the moonlight in Flotilla and this part ☺️

“The company was adequate,” Tyril replies, at last, his voice almost as low as a whisper, and the same purple hue tinting his cheeks.

This was so, so beautiful! I loved seeing this part of the journey through Arwen’s eyes and how different it all felt for her compared to how she was living in Riverbend, along with how exciting it all is for her. That part where she was singing to Nia was so sweet and despite being set early into the adventure they’ve already developed such a lovely friendship! 

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the second part ☺️💗

Bonds of Sea and Fire - Part 1 (Blades of Light and Shadow)

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow Pairing: Tyril x Arwen (MC - F!Elf) Summary: What if Tyril accepts the offer to share the bunk with Arwen? The first scene takes place in Chapter 4, after the ship is hit by the storm, and the next one after Chapter 5. Word count: ~2.500 Rating: PG-13

Notes: * English is not my native language; * This is my first attempt writing for this book and the characters. This fic has been forever on my drafts and got much longer than expected; * All characters belong to PixelBerry.

This is my submission to Choices May Challenge - Day 21: Sleep. @choicesmaychallenge​​ and @kinda-iconic

Tagging a few of you who might enjoy reading this: @princess-geek​ @ownworldresident​​ @dianalend​​

“Tyril can sleep with me.”

The feminine voice resonated in the confined room below deck where the group’s sleeping arrangements had quickly escalated to a quarrel between the rogue and the elf. The boldness of her suggestion silenced everyone for about two seconds and drew every pair of eyes to Arwen, who did not know where those words – or the courage to express them – came from.

Keep reading

[anonymouspuzzler]

Are those other three kids from school Minnie’s actual friends or is it more of an acquaintanceship?

at the point the comic starts, she actually doesn't know any of 'em! I'll leave the circumstances vague for now, but they meet much later on. the three of 'em plus Nemo are all already friends with each other at the start of the comic, though, and probably have been for at least a year or two if not longer

[devilbeez]

Okay I love hazbin hotel, I really do. I love the characters, I love the song. But I’m willing to admit that it have flaws and one of it being the pacing.

And ngl I think I found out why and it’s because numerous reason

Production. When Hazbin got confirmed for season 1 for all we could know the team only know that they get 8 episodes and that’s it. They don’t know about season 2 yet so either they got confirmed for season 2 when season 1 already out into work to the point there no fixing the script, or season 1 is don’t in production stage going to post when season 2 is confirmed. Giving benefit of the doubt there’s a certain panic to explain everything to the fandom so it’s just plot point after plot point being stuffed in one season without time to breathe.

Episode. This involved with the previous reason because if you happen to live under a rock, for some reason there seem to be a trend in shorten episodes seasons. It went from 26-25 to 12-15 and now less than 10. There’s not enough time to develop a character to the fullest. It seem rush because with the pressure from fandom and the uncertainty of confirmed seasons.

Lastly, it written like a musical but have TV show concepts. I feel like this is most confusing and might just be me so lemme explain. Hazbin hotel from ep 1 to 6 feel like a one whole musical where they kinda have to rush it a little? Cause musicals usually have 2 Maybe 3 hours and 40-50% of it are songs so you have to rush throughout the dialogue a little bit and let songs expressed the characters the most. I feel like this is what the show been doing, it rush through the dialogue and development to throw all the emotions we supposed to feel in songs and don’t get me wrong if it have one theme, one major problem like a musical it would work. However, Hazbin have all these problems, heaven forces, Lilith and Alastor sudden disappearance, the Vees, Angel’s arc, Charlie’s arc etc etc it all isn’t a minor problems like “oh these kids wanna be respected and accepted as they are” in School of rock or “this demigod lost his mojo” like in Moana. These problems are all main problem worthy and most of the time tv series have time to deal with this. Maybe one season address one of those problems, maybe one season have 2 main problems for first and later half. And so when you have musical writing with mostly songs where you need to have concise story but instead have tv series concept with multiple arcs what you get is a story that feel rush

This have been my tedtalk

[doomed-era]

one day i'll be able to tell you where gboh link and zelda's friendship goes...ONE DAY...

[ithurielkeepsgettingkidnapped]

interesting insight op! I’d like to add my two cents:

Would it be possible that okarun and aira both ‘inherit’ the attitudes or personalities of the yokai whose powers they borrow? for instance under acrobatic silky’s influence, aira uses significantly more formal speech and is (at least at first) more settled into her skin, more comfortable with who she is. I’m inclined to believe that aira’s ongoing shtick of ‘i must save the world because I’m a beautiful young girl’ stems from the desire to prove herself. She is very assertive and constantly tries to establish her importance in the group (going with okarun to train, calling herself the ‘leader’). Even among her social circles at school, prior to chiquitta/loch ness fight, she is the person everyone follows. The mangaka has yet to expand on this quality of hers since she’s gained her powers, but I believe its pretty obvious that aira is very self conscious about how other people see her. Despite her appearances she seems insecure.

On the contrary acrobatic silky seems to refer to herself in a ‘diminutive’ way. She refers to okarun as ‘takakura-sama’, implying a sort of obedience and subservience to okarun, the object of her affections. This is in stark contrast to the pseudo kiss scene,where she confesses and pushes okarun for an acceptance in a very assertive way.

i theorise that this is due to acrobatic silky’s experience with men and the way she takes a very passive role in her life. From what we glimpse of her, her outward demeanour could not be more different from aira.

Hence: the formal speech. The assured way acrobatic silky aira faces life could also stem from yokai acrobatic silky’s nature as both a mother and a mature woman. I don’t recall any traits in acrobatic silky aira the way okarun’s protectiveness of momo is heightened, but i might have just missed something!

Which brings us to okarun. Turbo baba okarun is, as op has already established, nihilistic and pessimistic to a debilitating degree. At the same time he discards all formality and is incredibly protective of what he cherishes: jiji’s wish to be friends with the evil eye and of course ayase momo.

Does this not sound similar to yokai turbo baba? Her protectiveness of the girls who died untimely and injust deaths, the kitten she adopts in the outtakes. Turbo baba is abrasive and demeans others, while taking care of them reluctantly in her own way. I could even argue that the land god’s loneliness (recall the way it pleas momokarun to give turbo baba back and how it chases them across a city to do so?) amplifies the loneliness okarun already felt in his formative years prior to dandadan, resulting in the ‘that’s depressing, yo’ personality.

so going by acrobatic silky aira’s persona acting as a contrast to aira’s real personality courtesy of yokai acrobatic silky, the same theory could be applied to turbo baba okarun. They share the trait of being protective of people/things they cherish, but the similarities end there. Okarun has trouble expressing himself but is painfully genuine, while turbo baba hides her feelings not unlike a dragon with its inverse scale. Okarun maintains his boundaries with others by being formal and polite, but turbo baba seeks to intrude that space with insults.

Turbo baba okarun inherits her tendency to impose on other’s comfort zones yet retains his kindness, so he addresses momo and aira more familiarly and affectionately than he would normally. But since they share the same trait of skepticism (in okarun’s case, the impression that he is somehow less deserving of momo’s friendship than she his) and protectiveness, it turns into pessimism and turbo baba okarun hiding his insecurity behind ‘I’m too tired’ and ‘i cant do anything’.

tldr: the personalities and attitudes of yokai are inherited alongside their powers! Which may open another opportunity for examining why their personalities are paired up the way they are and what purpose it serves in developing their powers! And also: why is momo the only one with ‘inherent’ powers?

So a common headcanon/theory I’ve seen floating around is that when Okarun shifts into his yokai form, the personality shift he undergoes is representative of a “truer” inner self. I can see the line of logic that led to this, but the more thought I’ve put into it, the less I’ve agreed with the premise. And I’ve put so much thought into it at this point that it’s had to become its own whole post separated from the analysis it was originally a part of, so strap in.

Disclaimer: if this is your personal headcanon, I’m not here to try to prove you wrong or make you change your mind, I’m more so discussing this from the theory side of things and what I think will happen as the manga continues. Also slight manga spoilers for up to chapter 172 !!

So as the theory goes, the personality that comes out when Okarun’s transformed is a more genuine version of himself, where his yokai form removes his anxieties and allows him to act more confidently and openly show the depression and pessimism that’s lived in him the whole time. On a surface level this tracks, as being in this form does make him more confident, blunt, and he completely drops the formal way he speaks to people, going so far as to adopt a cute nickname for Momo.

I don’t think this fully makes sense for a number of reasons, though. Firstly is that throughout all 175 chapters that are currently out, I can’t recall any moments where Okarun ever acts in a way that would hint at his real inner workings reflecting the personality and behavior that come out when he is transformed. I could have missed something, of course, but when so much of Momo and Okarun’s relationship is built on them being their genuine selves around the other (more on that in this great video I saw), I’m inclined to believe that there isn’t going to be another shoe to drop nearly 200 chapters in.

To explain my other reasoning, I’m going to have to go into a little bit of a side tangent about Aira, and first I want to establish why I think comparing Okarun to her in this instance makes sense. So up until the cursed diorama arc, the only character that really has comparable yokai related powers to Okarun is Aira. They acquire these powers in different ways, and Seiko says Okarun has Turbo Granny’s “spiritual power”, whereas Acro-Silky says she gave Aira her “aura.” Given the contexts of the scenes these are said in I would assume they are meant to be two different concepts, however it’s not ever explicitly stated or shown how the difference there affects them or their yokai abilities, so I am treating them as functionally the same thing for this analysis. Regardless, the similarity between them seems to be that in one way or another, they have been left with the spiritual energy of their respective yokai, which allows them to transform in very similar ways. Their transformations affect them both physically in making them taller and stronger, as well as their personalities, with Okraun becoming less formal overall, and Aira becoming more formal in the way she addresses people.

Even though they are affected by their transformations in very similar ways, I haven’t seen any kind of headcanon or theory that the way Aira behaves while transformed is how she truly is or feels, which makes perfect sense considering her first character arc. From when she’s introduced, she’s shown to have a dynamic with Momo, Okarun, and her other peers at school, where even before she’s able to use Acro-Silky’s abilities, she’s pretty two faced. In chapter 51, Momo even says, “There’s our Aira!” when she and Okarun pull Aira away from her class and she immediately shifts to her more snarky attitude towards Momo. The manga makes it quite clear that the way she acts at school, and on occasion towards Okarun, is an act, and that her genuine personality is a little nasty and rude (which she is loved for! By other characters and audience members of taste). And with that established, of course no one put that much emphasis on how her behavior changes when she’s using Acro-Silky’s powers. She’s still the same person, her mannerisms and the way she speaks are just altered slightly, which is also pretty much how I feel about Okarun’s yokai form.

That being said, I don’t want to fully dismiss that the shifted personality could mean something, and in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if Okarun did still have some repressed feelings and pessimism from his time growing up without any friends, but at the current point in the story I’m not sure if I could see that being shown explicitly tied to his yokai form. As of chapter 165, Okarun gets his final ball back, and as per his end of the deal, he returned Turbo Granny’s spiritual power to her, and she left with them and hasn’t made an appearance since. Okarun no longer has access to his yokai form, but at this point he’s surrounded by friends, he’s confessed his feelings to Momo, and he’s even grown physically strong enough to hold his own in a fight without any powers. As far as what we’ve been shown, Okarun has developed and his life has changed so much that he doesn’t really have any of those reasons to be a pessimistic downer that he had before the events of the series. Not to say he has no reasons to be sad, of course, we still haven’t been given even a hint of what his family and home life is like, and I expect something will happen with that eventually. But with where the story has gone so far, I don’t see this theory being true or narratively compelling.

TLDR: There’s not much evidence going for this theory, and several things against it, so I personally don’t see it going anywhere in the canon series. The way Okarun acts and the feelings he expresses in his yokai form could still potentially mean something, so I won't completely dismiss it, but with where the story is currently I don’t think this theory being true would add much or be a compelling element of the plot.

[cyberfunsupporter]

ok maybe i’m self absorbed but also i don’t think o/mori’s the game for shipping aside from k/imbrey… idk i don’t think it fits & sunny / basil (respectively) wouldn’t be in the right place mentally to be dating ?! aubrey’s the only one bc she met ppl outside of the og friendgroup & kim’s her best friend. so

[chatonnoir]

Adrienette stans wanna gaslight Ladynoir stans who don’t like this plot point and act like Ladynoir was always meant to be platonic from the start and Adrienette was obviously always meant to be the side that would start dating .... No.

My dudes there is a reason Ladynoir has always been more popular than Adrienette among the online fandom. There is a reason the bulk of the fancontent when the show first came out focused on romantic Ladynoir. Hell there is a reason Zag chose for their expensive piece of ship merch to be a $300+ Ladynoir statue. They’re even using romantic Ladynoir scenes to advertise their movie now. Stormy Weather, the pilot episode, the episode meant to introduce us to and sell the show to us and networks, was 99% Ladynoir. Every “Valentine’s” episode (Dark Cupid/Glaciator) has been heavily Ladynoir-centric. Chat Blanc, despite starting with Ladrien followed by an Adrienette dating montage, was heavily Ladynoir centric. “Our love did this to the world" came through Ladynoir. We were shown Ladybug getting upset any time Chat Noir seemed to show interest in another girl. We were given “maybe if Adrien didn’t exist, I’d feel differently about Chat Noir...” in s1. We were given Ladybug explicitly dodging Chat Noir’s question of if things would be different between them if her “other boy” wasn’t a factor. We were given “maybe if I show Ladybug my true self, she’ll fall in love with me,” followed by that very thing happening. We were given a second coup de foudre in Strike Back. The first kiss in this show happened through Ladynoir. The first kiss they were both conscious of happened through Ladynoir in Jubilation. We were shown Ladybug blushing after Chat Noir kissed her cheek in Glaciator. We were shown Ladybug progressively learning that Chat Noir is more sensitive than she thought and not the kind of guy she thought he was and growing closer to and more fond of him over the course of the series -- the plot of like every good romance worth reading (Pride and Prejudice anyone??).

Everyone picked up on the romantic vibes and the depth of their relationship over the past 7 years and now y’all wanna pretend we were hallucinating all along just because your fav side is canon and y’all don’t want to acknowledge the fact that cutting out Ladybug’s feelings for Chat Noir after 4 seasons of development and literally /3 episodes/ of actual visible feelings is an insane choice because it gets in the way of said side being canon. We all picked up on the fact that Chat Blanc and Ephemeral both told us explicitly that Adrienette can’t safely be together as civilians because Gabriel can and will use it to his advantage even without knowing their identities and now y’all want to pretend we’re the ones who weren’t paying attention when even the show was telling us that Adrienette is the side that can’t happen. Apparently the payoff of the 7-year-buildup of Ladybug realizing her romantic feelings for Chat Noir was ... three whole episodes. Followed by her ditching him entirely. Y’all are okay with completely ignoring the insane choice of having Marinette and Adrien not at all worried about abandoning their partners and spitting on “I’ll never abandon you” and every time they’ve ever said “you and me against the entire world” because all you see is weee cute Adrienette scenes <3333.

Like I said I and many others did not watch this show for a generic school romance we watched this show for a Love Square with identity shenanigans because that’s what was being sold to us yet apparently it was never about the "falling in love twice” and the parallels between the two relationships and two loves even though that’s what the past 4 seasons told us it was because it was actually just “adrienette with some obstacles” all along and oBvIoUsLy it was always just meant to be about romantic Adrienette!!!1!!1 I did not watch 7 years worth of romantic development on the Ladynoir side just for Adrienette stans to decide to tell me that I was actually hallucinating that whole time and that Ladynoir was always meant to be platonic

[hella1975]

i have such a reputation that four separate people incorporated pringles into my birthday gifts. be that girl

[hyperfixationcritter]

Thinking about this again and turns out I have a LOT more thoughts about this so I'm just gonna put it under read more.

Starting with Jayce, he's a character who's been established in s1 as simultaneously caring about/being dependent on what other's think of him and having some good intentions but (due to his privilege) also doing what he wants without taking others into proper consideration because of his need to be the one to do something when there's a problem.

It's a bit of a parallel he shares with Caitlyn who also goes off and does her own thing by tracking down Vi and going to the Undercity. Jayce also covers for Caitlyn when Marcus alerts him to her releasing Vi from prison.

If Jayce went down a villain arc like Caitlyn, it would just be an extension of these traits and flaws that are already there in both of them.

But if he sides with the Undercity, this would be a way to have his good intentions and genuine care for characters like Viktor and Mel be met with positive growth and real actions that support that and branch out from where his character development ended by s1 act 3. I think I'd still keep his regression in s2 act 1 when he makes the hextech weapons for Caitlyn's team because I think that's a mistake that makes sense for his character in the immediate aftermath of the explosion given his need to do something, caring about Mel and Viktor as individuals but not taking into account the bigger picture/class struggle, and his bond with Caitlyn. I'd just have him afterward be held accountable or hold himself accountable to Mel and Viktor and segway into them ultimately working together as a team.

Going back to Mel, again I think that if her going back to Noxus HAS to be endgame (and I have very mixed feelings on that which other people have articulated) she could at least end things with allies in the Undercity/with Viktor and Jayce. I also wouldn't kill Elora off because I just think that wasn't necessary. Mel sacrifices so much just to end up alone, depowered (despite gaining magical powers), and worse where she started off because both the show and fandom sidelined her. I'd rather have Elora be alive so Mel still has a close friend and confidant if Noxus has to be endgame for her and even if it isn't, we'd also just get to see more of them working together and expand on that already established friendship instead of killing off a useful and interesting support character.

On that note, I feel the need to bring up Sky because if I could change one thing from s1 which I overall enjoy very much and don't have much notes on, it'd be Sky's death. I think she's a side character that could've stood on her own instead of being fridged twice for white man pain (especially when it was so vague about whether or not it was actually her or the hexcore using her image to manipulate Viktor). It would give Viktor someone else in his circle instead of just Jayce (and it goes without saying for me that his dynamic with Mel would be a thing that's actually explored for both their character's benefit and not just as extensions of Jayce's story). It would also give the story another character from the Undercity who made it into the academy with her own knowledge and theories to offer to the story and characters.

I think it would be really cool to see Sky and Viktor be science buddies and have them get closer in s1 act 3 when tension arises between him and Jayce (she'd probably start to feel some tension on her own end too given Jayce's decisions). Someone could still die at the hands of the hexcore but I'd make it the security guard Mel distracted so Viktor and Jayce could prove the hextech theory worked in s1 act 1. It would keep up that side character continuity and allow Sky to be her own person who contributes to the story and future of Zaun. Maybe she still comes in on that happening or Viktor tells her first before Jayce and Mel as a way of showing their personal bond and having them confide more in each other as two people from the Undercity who feel disillusioned with how things have turned out for them and, after the council attack, go back there to help people.

A lot of us have talked about how the show would've benefited from keeping the class struggle front and center. While I do like the magic aspects of the show, it should've been framed as an inherently/ethically neutral resource/tool along with science that different sides and characters were fighting over; liberation and autonomy for the Undercity and suppression/control for Piltover. It would also disprove Heimerdinger's whole "all magic bad" stance because that's too much of a black and white approach/oversimplification to be true/good worldbuilding in my opinion, especially given the themes of systemic oppression in this story.

Both Sky and Viktor's arc could have them regain their autonomy after spending so much time in Piltover where their work couldn't come to fruition. Viktor's transformation would be something in his control. And honestly, if I wanted/if Sky still somehow got injured from the hexcore accident or some later event, she could have some plant based transformations based on her research whereas Viktor's are more metallic based and in-line with his league lore.

I think someone brought up the potential of Sky channeling the energy of this character/illustration which I can vibe with so that's where the idea for her plant transformations came from. I also saw that post about Viktor's machine herald concept art and, I say this as someone who likes his elden ring boss looking ass design in the show, THAT would've been both REALLY COOL AND more in line with his lore. It could also provide a cool parallel to Mel's golden armor/feromancy connections (bet you thought I couldn't bring this back to melvik but I did lol).

I think that's all I have to say about this idea for now. I didn't get much into Ekko, Sevika, Jinx and Vi because I feel like they had more of a solid set up to draw from in terms of where their arcs could've and should've gone whereas the writing for the hextech trio just went completely off the rails/removed them from their place in the class struggle narrative. That and I've seem some other posts that did a good job of suggesting where their arcs could've gone.

This one had some good takes on how Ekko could've been more included in s2 act1.

This person's take on s2 as a whole had some good takes on Ekko, Sevika, Vi and Jinx as well. I am 1000% down for Sevika, Jinx, Vi, Mel and Viktor joining all working together!!!!

If you read all this, congratulations! You're now a new partner of hextech lol XD

I personally would've been fine with Caitlyn pulling a bit of a Claudia from The Dragon Prince and staying a definitive antagonist. I think her turn to fascism in act 1 this season fit her character by falling back on her privilege. I still think that was a decent writing decision but they ended up not going through with it. If they did, it would also be an interesting way to show Caitlyn ultimately still doing her own thing despite her initial opposition against rogue plans because of the death of her mom. There's a lot they could've explored with Caitlyn not just falling back on her privilege but prioritizing her family above all else.

When it comes to Jayce, I like meljayvik so I got some bias, but I could potentially be ok with him also becoming an antagonist if it was done well and because I know he and Viktor have pre-established beef in league lore.

Alternatively though, it could've been an interesting plotline to have Jayce, given his development in the first season and even his regressions in s2 act 1, end up taking a definitive stance in solidarity with Zaun, starting with sabotaging any further use of hextech by Piltover against them.

There's a lot of parallels in Arcane but I don't often bring up the parallels between Caitlyn and Jayce as privileged people in Piltover who need to figure out if they're going to look beyond the one undercity person they know/are close with (Vi and Viktor) and take a definitive stance against the Undercity's oppression for everyone's sake or not. The Medardas also play a significant role in their arcs; Mel mentoring Jayce in s1, becoming equals and romantic partners who go through interesting character development together, and Ambessa very easily enabling Caitlyn's dictator arc in s2 for her own ends.

The other layer to Caitlyn and Jayce would be the fact that, while they're both privileged, Jayce was more middle class/lower noble house vs Caitlyn's family who were his patrons and immediately dropped him the moment he was put on trial in s1 act 1.

If Jayce were written to take a solid stance on the side of Zaun and against Caitlyn, though I see it starting out as him still being a bit wishy washy by trying to solely contain the use of hextech because he just resigned as a council member and wants to do science and needs to learn that he should be playing a bigger role in this because he can't separate his scientific ambitions from the political, it would also parallel him telling the other council members, but particularly Cassandra, that he doesn't care what they think of him anymore by fully rejecting his ties to house Kiramman. It would also make for some good "essentially big brother little sister angst" between him and Caitlyn.

It would also give the story as a whole a lead character who starts out in Piltover and chooses to grow and show solidarity with the oppressed.

As for Mel, she already canonically opposes Ambessa and sacrifices a lot to put a stop to things. In this plotline I think it would be interesting to see Mel grapple with how far she's willing to go against her mother at the cost of her place in Piltover. At the end of season 1 Mel already realizes she was channeling her mother by suggesting making hextech weapons and stays true to going against that from that point forward as shown in s2 act 1 whereas Jayce is the one to make weapons for Caitlyn's team without even telling Mel. I would've liked to see a conversation between the two of them about that and for the sake of this plotline idea have them figure out what they want to do as a team.

Mel already knows she's against her mom and Jayce already resigned his spot on the council but to see them both develop into definitively supporting the undercity, not just by extension of wanting to prevent war... I think that could be interesting and also delve more into them and Viktor being the trio that started hextech and see how that relationship with all three of them develops under these circumstances in a way that stays true to themes of classism and systemic oppression in the show. There could still be room to talk about the different types of magic/disprove Heimderginer's "all magic is bad" stance if the writing for Viktor and the hexcore was done differently and the story actually played into him and Mel's parallels in general but in this context, in regards to their magic.

Also if Mel returning to Noxus is still endgame, her sacrificing her place in Piltover for a better future for the people who suffered under them (the Undercity) and to go against her mom taking advantage of the conflict would support that.

These are just my two cents tho but it felt worth it to make a post about it the more I thought about this.

[aqua-dan]

This may be a bad take but I think Garth can always have more good friends. I think he could have a nice relationship with everyone including Wally and not just Roy, if the writer tried. Is that… wrong of me?

Garth just gets written out a lot and for that to happen less he probably needs more established friendships. 😥

I don't think that's a bad take at all! As much as I just complained about Wally and Garth's friendship in WF:TT, I don't actually think that allowing Garth to become closer with his pre-existing friends (or others!) is a bad idea at all! I guess my gripe was more just that I don't want it to come from thin air or thoughtless retcons. Having Garth be closer with his friends in his younger years would have ripple effects that makes a lot of the stories they have together as adults not very plausible anymore. But as adults, I'd love if a writer took the time to really TRY to build up Garth's friendships more!!! As a matter of fact, that would be fully ideal to me!