#[ HI MEL. HAVE THIS. 😭 ]

[sukibenders]

"You can't ship MelVik because Mel was mean/looked down on/was classicist towards Viktor, and it's obvious Viktor doesn't get along with her because of how he looks at her!" But you ship JayVik, which equally has its moments of Jayce looking down on Viktor and carrying his own form of classicism, has his being mean or just inconsiderate here and there (and Viktor to him in vice versa), and even Viktor himself has been shown to argue or not always be on the same page as Jayce, but you have no problem shipping them together. This isn't about trying to influence people to ship MelVik, because whether you do or don't, the argument usually against it (or from what I've seen) from these certain types of fans is so surface level and often always paints Mel in this weird light like she's the sole perpetrator of everything bad in Viktor's life and/or acts like two characters suddenly disagreeing with one another is grounds for a ship being incompatible, even though worse things can happen between a pairing and they still will be enjoyed. And this argument is usually, even outside of Viktor, aimed towards ships involving Mel (eg. MelJay or Melvika) and it's not hard to know why, especially with how rampant misogynoir is in this fandom. Again, not saying you have to ship MelVik, but if your reason behind that is the excuse I listed above and you're aligned with the rest of this post....I need you to analyze that.

[harmonytheme]

dillon + the thumb thing

[m0thlegs]

maybe the real Viktor arcane season 2 character arc were the friends we made along the way

[thaliajoy-blog]

I don't get the hate for Jayce/Mel I love them I love their dynamic he's her smart ass little puppet (sometimes he rebels a little bit but they work it out) and they're in love ❤️

[clonedchaos]

I started binge watching Arcane this morning at work and like——

[lemongogo]

[iniziare]

At the very top, within the wood just above where stone turns to wooden rafters sits a raven, curious and unblinking, head tilting one way, watching the elf’s ever graceful strokes of the paintbrush. A curiosity, it seems, that the very imagery reflected in what is perceived at first as mere reflections of one’s inner demons shows in such a way. The question remains, what is Solas confessing with the flicker of colors dappled across the tower wall. As prickly as he is, it remains to be seen the true details of his reasoning. She doubts he will say the entire truth when asked, just as she doubts his willingness to learn more than what his perception of the world is… and yet somehow, all the more the mystery, all of this reminds her of her mother. And like her time with Flemeth, all Morrigan can do is sit, listen…. and watch.

Familiarity, that was the way in which the sound of rustling feathers met the shell of his ear, and encompassed him; but it would not do more. No, it could not draw the scrutiny of eyes of ashen grey, a gaze in which the faintest trace of violet lay hidden, unbidden— its presence a secret that lay barely concealed, and yet held within itself the capacity to unveil a truth of an assumed apostate mage that only the plaster before him, and its pigments that would soon follow it, could rival in revelation. The violet of ancient Elvhenan could never release him, as it was him, as certainly as the breath in his lungs; and thus was that which could most easily betray him.

And though such revelations were not for the present yet, the reality of such a time neared, the ending to an Inquisition's journey, and his existence therein; and Skyhold would prove to be no different. Much as it had succumbed to such a fate in its past, it would yet again yield to the eventual passage of time, abandon, and slumber. And these depictions, as vivid as they may all be now, would be no more than records of what had once been; more memories to be foregone to potential ignorance if he failed (he would not). But he would remember nonetheless, he could once walk such halls again in wistful recollection, and remember the tales of those that had battled Tevinter once more, bravely so, recklessly so. And he would remember the yearning of a heart, the heart of this mortal form that had become his as much as it had once been anything but— for another. And yet she, he would not, could not, depict with any pigment known to this world, nor his own of long ago. No, but she would live, vividly, and ever brightly so, within his memories, within his regrets— ones that he would treasure more than any fulfilled promise that the future should hold. Vhenan. Almost, almost, had this poignancy then permitted his gaze to be drawn from the wall and upward to this esteemed guest, away from his plaster, away from that which would be the last of its kind within this rotunda, from the memory it would soon hold, and the plea that would be held tightly within it.

It bore a sentiment of amusement, how silence proved time and again how it could deafen the existence of all that surrounded him. Or perhaps, it was his curiosity that brought all sound to heel, or was it hers— hers? In truth, he knew not for certain whom such presence belonged to, though he held his suspicions. No raven would sit in such a place, in such quiet contemplation in an environment wholly ill-fitting to its nature; and even though lost of powers he'd once held, the energies rooted in the Fade were as intrinsic to his being as nothing else could be: this was no raven, and the familiarity in the air belonged to times only recently passed. He would give her no name, for she'd sought no announcement or introduction, and so he would grant her neither— but wondered instead, perhaps as much as she: what answer is it that you seek from me?

Prompt: Unprompted, I love you dearly. // @grimoirefate

[sukibenders]

I'll never forget when Arcane was airing and Mel fans were pointing out the symbolism between her and Viktor, only for that side of the fandom to be so hateful towards her and her fans like it was bad. But now that their fave is gone and has nothing to do with the Noxus story like Mel does, that side of the fandom wants to talk about the symbolism all of a sudden but, here's the kicker, with only in regards to Viktor. Oh, they aren't even trying.

[eveningscoolandquiet]

I knowwwwww Jayce has seen some fucky shit like Viktor himself said his mind had been damaged, I’m sure with context his actions will be understandable, but him showing up at the commune really was just like “well look who wants to destroy the hex core NOW hmm 🤨”

[melverie]

There is no greater joy than accidentally selling my mutuals on my crack theory on Nightbringer's identity because the crack theory works a little too well <3

[toxcicada]

That blimp in the final scene BETTER BE HERS! SHE BETTER BE FLYING THAT THING LIKE BABY POWDER SAID SHE WOULD! I get leaving her end ambiguous; like one article I read [skimmed] said the blueprints Cait was looking at showed that the hex gates had ventilation in the bottom, so maybe Jinx landed on wolf Vander and ducked into a duct as the bomb went off. I *personally* think it's a cowards writing to kill her off... sure makes CaitVi conveniently work tho since Jinx and Cait don't have to reconcile their shit now. Vi just has to grieve her father *again* and now her sister who she never got to *properly* reconcile with. Not that leaving it ambiguous and letting people hold out hope that she's just fucked off to who knows where on a blimp is less of a messy option. But I like her too much to just accept "Oh she sacrificed herself." Also since Arcane is meant to be a prequel to the general premise of League, and she's a main champion [one that came *before* arcane unlike Ambessa who was released as a champion in League apparently in 2024] I don't think she's dead. I'll buy that Ambessa is dead and her being a champion is a promo thing. But Jinx was a staple of the lore before Arcane ever happened... I think if they make another show focusing on a other region, she will make a cameo of some sort. Faking your death to end the cycle is something I *could* accept Jinx doing. Her whole "the past me is dead, time for the new one" type shtick.

[mel-loly]

-Plush of Mario✨

[born-to-lose]

I NEED to go to the record store asap

[bikkinibottom]

Howdy

Bonjour

[duoduotian]

so i finished gilbert's route yesterday i felt like such a trainwreck in the last few chapters...

[hexhomos]

Hello fellow Jayce defender.

First off, virtual kisses on both your cheeks for your Arcane analysis. They're refreshing to read, and insightful as well.

Something that's always bothered me about the way fans interact with Jayce is assuming that he's always the one making the mistakes in any of his relationships. It's almost funny in a way how they strip other characters of their autonomy and arcs just so they can point out how Jayce is failing his partners.

With Mel and Viktor especially, there's this narrative that Jayce simultaneously ignores both of their needs while also prioritising one over the other. Either he neglects Viktor to go and swoon over Mel, or he abandons his relationship with Mel to go play science with Viktor, or he neglects both to go do his own things while they suffer through their own plots.

And it's fascinating how incredibly mistaken these people are, and also how they reduce his character to only being important when he's in a relationship.

I'm here like, "hey, do you wanna discuss the reason for how Jayce seemingly knows how to navigate the ways of high class society very easily is probably because he's had to rely on sponsorships and donations for most of his youth to find his research because his house is too poor to be able afford it?"

Or "It's canonical that Jayce only ever had one friend in his youth before Viktor, and that was the daughter of his main sponsor, do you think it's interesting that this indicates he probably had difficulty making or maintaining friendships and that this is possibly a symptom of the Academy mainly housing elite and rich students so they couldn't relate to his struggles and he couldn't relate to theirs?"

But no, people just want to hate on him for not being the picture perfect boytoy in a relationship.

And I mean, it's not like it's just reduced to Jayce either. So many other characters have had similar treatments where they're reduced to either their most basic qualities or mischaracterised entirely. And I'm really not trying to be the fandom police or whatever - everyone interprets differently - I just find it frustrating is all.

Anyways, you're cool.

YES I never have time to talk about this bc people don't give a fuck but in Jayce's journals we even see him stewing with envy and petty rage at this star-rising student on the academy that he sees as the example of a perfect prodigy (in opposition to how much Jayce fucks things up...)

It also strongly suggests he's on a scholarship, which ties into his suicide attempt.

Jayce is keeping his experiments a secret from everyone to avoid the blowback and isolating himself further and further when they don't work. Jayce is flawed! He's proud of his dream pitch to the point of hilarity. Jayce doesn't like socializing, he does it out of obligation! Even when he's being raised to a councilor position in s1 he's PANICKING. He doesn't want the fucking job, he doesn't like the parties nor the people, his truest honest self is that moment in season 2 where he declares the lab was always his home, and so was Viktor.

But even then he subsumes his own wants spends most of s1 trying to attend to the needs of other people. He routinely asks Viktor if he's alright, if he wants to come up to do the presentation, if he's sure those experiments are safe, etc. He tries to make Heimerdinger proud despite his constant rejections of their projects, and only turns on him when he threatens viktor's wellbeing. The reason why he doesn't announce anything on progress day is that he Was listening to Heimers so-called wisdom and it only bit him in the ass. Jayce gets himself in trouble with the council by being too naive and assuming his new post will allow him to crackdown on Piltovan corruption aided by the Hexgates. Majority of the complaints wrt relationships I see people making of him are just wildly exaggerated. "He was neglecting viktor" bro he talks about viktor in nearly every scene he has with mel 😭 viktor is the one who isolates himself and randomly disappears at times bc he's a grown man with his own boundaries.

Jayce's entire life is defined by the transactional nature of his existence, his work, the patronage receives - all depending on how much he can play the showpony role without fucking it up. It's not a comfortable position. Jayce is stressing out the whole damn show because if one person isn't pissed at him, someone else will be, and it always comes down to revokable money, investments, social standing. if he really was as uncaring and well-off as some claim he wouldn't give a shit. He could just coast along life, but that's not what he's doing ever. He only 'frees' himself in season 2 by abandoning his life's dream and the rotten reality that existed around it. Which is kind of bleak, but at least its over.