#It’s About The Designated Arcane Specific Skin

[sunshine-zenith]

I’m stuck at the airport, I haven’t eaten today yet, and I can’t stop thinking about the new Savior Viktor skin

(For the record I think it’s beautiful but also hilarious because LoL had so many actual looks from the show to choose from)

[fujouppy]

watched whitepine 1. i think i want to gather all my thoughts on part 1 before moving on to the next installments but oh wow im excited to see where this story goes

[hcneymooners]

⋆ arcane but it's a private university au ( for the girls: pt. ii )

ice princess!f!reader x multi. f!characters. men & minors dni.

synopsis: private university!arcane headcanons but it’s really specific bc it’s based on my time at catholic private school except this au is just a private hold the catholic.

cw: this part contains scenarios for jinx, sevika, & ambessa. writing for jinx was actually my favorite portion (ambessa, please forgive me.) suggestive content. notes: i love them so bad. you can find part one here. i didn't include the intro since i did it in the first one! i love you.

jinx : the "bad influence." 

୨୧ the two of you met mid-sprint, fleeing a party broken up by the police. it was one of those raw, electric moments where adrenaline surges and strangers become allies in chaos.

୨୧ in the frenzied escape, she tripped, her knees hitting the pavement hard. without hesitation, you yanked her up, kicking away an overzealous officer with surprising precision.

୨୧ all you caught were glimpses: two impossibly long blue braids swinging like a pendulum and wide, heavily-lashed pink eyes that lingered on yours, a strange curiosity etched into their neon stare.

୨୧ your fingers found hers without thinking, and together you ran—your heeled feet stumbling across glitter-streaked concrete littered with shattered glass and discarded red cups.

୨୧ the chase ended in a hole-in-the-wall thai spot, rain pouring in sheets outside. bundled in your oversized vintage fur coat, dark brown and impossibly warm, you glanced at her—soaked, shivering, and unapologetically smug.

୨୧ against every instinct, you shifted, lifting the bulk of your coat to drape over her smaller frame. pressed close, you felt the cold bite of her skin and the cherry tang of her perfume, thick and sharp. her stomach—toned, pale, and adorned with vibrant tattoos—drew your attention as it flexed when she flagged down the waitress.

୨୧ she was so deeply beautiful and so fucking close to you and you’re shivering and wet together.

୨୧ silence settled between you as she grew overly familiar, stealing bites from your plate and feeding you egg rolls with a crooked grin. her nails scraped against your bottom lip, and she laughed when you blinked, stunned, swallowing more than just food.

୨୧ at some point, she leaned in, stealing a sip from your drink, her lips lingering on the rim.

୨୧ you paid.

୨୧ "thanks, ice princess," she murmured as you left. only then did it hit you—she knew you. you must’ve crossed paths on campus, and yet, she felt like a stranger from a different world.

୨୧ she pressed a glossy pink kiss to your cheek, saluted with mock reverence, and vanished into the seedy underbelly of the city.

୨୧ you thought about her for weeks.

୨୧ you didn’t expect to see her again. but days later, there she was on campus, leaning against the vending machine in your dorm building like she belonged there.

୨୧ “ice princess,” she greeted, that crooked grin pulling at her lips. “guess we’re neighbors.”

୨୧ you didn’t know what to say. it was one thing to pull a stranger out of trouble and share a meal in some forgotten corner of the city. it was another to see her here, part of your world, like she’d been there all along.

୨୧ she started showing up more often after that—slipping into your study sessions at the library, tagging along when you grabbed coffee. she was loud and reckless, her laughter echoing off the quiet walls, drawing stares that you pretended not to notice.

୨୧ it wasn’t long before she started pushing you out of your comfort zone. sneaking you into underground parties, dragging you to rooftop hangouts where the city stretched out beneath you, glittering and endless.

୨୧ she made you feel alive in a way you hadn’t realized you were missing.

୨୧ you couldn’t stop staring at her tattoos, the colorful, intricate designs that covered her stomach and arms. one night, without thinking, you reached out to trace a line along her skin.

୨୧ she caught your hand before you could pull back, her fingers curling around yours. “you like ‘em, huh, mama?” she said, her voice low and teasing. your cheeks burned, and you stammered something incoherent, but she only laughed, pressing your palm flat against her stomach. “gonna get one just for you. we can match.”

୨୧ she had a habit of being overly familiar—feeding you bites of her food, letting her fingers linger against your lips as you swallowed. one time, her thumb brushed your bottom lip, and you caught her smirk as she let her teeth graze her fork, slow and deliberate.

୨୧ you knew you were falling for her. it was impossible not to. the way she leaned in close when she talked, her perfume sweet and enticing, her lips always just a little too close. the way she made you feel like the only person in the room, even in a crowd.

୨୧ not everyone saw her the way you did. when someone from your social circle made a snide comment about her, you didn’t hesitate to defend her. “she’s smarter than all of you combined,” you snapped, your voice colder than ice. “and she’s got more heart than you’ll ever understand.”

୨୧ it was after that that she started pulling away. her laughter came less easily, her touch less frequent.

୨୧ “you don’t get it,” she told you one night, her voice brittle. “i’m… broken. you shouldn’t—”

୨୧ “jinx,” you interrupted, your tone firm but gentle. “i’m from a legacy family. and, according to my family, i "choose" to like girls. i’m definitely fucked up. so how could i judge you?”

୨୧ she stared at you for a long moment, her eyes softening, and for the first time, she was at a loss for words.

୨୧ your first kiss wasn’t rushed or reckless. it was quiet, heavy with the weight of everything building between you. 

୨୧ you were sitting together on the roof of her sister’s apartment, the city lights stretching out below, and she was looking at you like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

୨୧ “you’re staring,” you teased, your voice barely above a whisper.

୨୧ “yeah,” she said, her grin softer than you’d ever seen it. “so what?”

୨୧ before you could answer, she leaned in, her lips brushing against yours like a question. when you didn’t pull away, she kissed you deeper, her hand cupping your jaw, her thumb tracing your cheekbone.

୨୧ she tasted like strawberry chapstick and danger, and you never wanted to let her go. when she finally pulled back, her forehead resting against yours, she smiled.

୨୧ “told you,” she murmured, her voice soft and warm. “you’re stuck with me now.”

୨୧ you smiled back, cheeks aching. "i'm not stuck. i'm right where i want to be." ୨୧ she leaned back, dragging you into her lap. a slender finger dipped into your skirt's waistband and fingered the lace dip of your panties. your breath hitched, and she kissed your throat. "c'mon. lemme hear you, mama."

୨୧ from that moment on, you were hers—completely, irrevocably hers.

p.s you say fuck it, choose her over your fuck ass homophobic family, get disowned, get married, start a million dollar engineering empire, & have isha. 

sevika: the older student.

୨୧ you first noticed her in your advanced biochem lab—all sharp angles and calculated movements, her mechanical arm gleaming under fluorescent lights as she measured solutions with military precision. 

୨୧ sevika was notorious among grad students: brilliant, ruthless, and absolutely not interested in working with undergrads. which made it particularly unfortunate when professor silco paired you together for the semester's research project.

୨୧ she was older than most students—whispers said she dropped out years ago and came back after “handling some things.” no one was brave enough to ask what that meant, but her reputation kept most people at arm’s length.

୨୧ her expression when your name was called could have curdled milk. you lifted your chin, met her gaze steadily, and pretended your heart wasn't racing. 

୨୧ sevika didn’t bother to introduce herself. she just crossed her arms over her broad chest and grumbled, “you’re doing the talking.” her voice was low, almost lazy.

୨୧ "i'm not carrying dead weight," she said at your first session. you noticed a scar bisecting her left eye, the way her jaw clenched when she spoke. "if we're doing this, we do it my way." “thought you said i’d be talking,” you snapped back.

୨୧ 'her way' meant late nights in the lab, your designer clothes traded for practical cotton, hair pulled back from your face. she worked you relentlessly, expecting perfection in every measurement, every calculation. but beneath her harsh exterior, you caught glimpses of something else—the way she'd correct your form without mockery, how she'd appear with coffee when your hands started shaking from exhaustion.

୨୧ it was after one of these late sessions that it happened. you were walking back to your dorm, mind fuzzy with fatigue and feet stumbling, when rough hands grabbed you from behind. before you could scream, a low voice cut through the darkness: "let her go, or i remove your hands permanently."

୨୧ sevika stood there, golden eyes burning in the streetlight, her mechanical arm whirring softly. the would-be mugger took one look at her and ran. you stayed frozen, heart thundering in your chest, until she clicked her tongue in disapproval. “get it together, princess. come on."

୨୧ she led you to an alcove and watched you flutter with delayed panic like a bird, mouth twisted with an unreadable expression. "you need to learn to defend yourself," she said finally. it wasn't a suggestion. you opened your mouth to argue, but she cut you off. “gym. tomorrow. six am. wear something you can actually move in."

୨୧ that's how you found yourself spending your mornings with sevika, learning to throw punches and break holds. she was a harsh teacher, but her hands were surprisingly gentle when correcting your stance. "again," she'd say, and you'd try to ignore how your skin tingled where she touched.

୨୧ soon enough, she started showing up wherever you were—whether it was a coffee shop, the library, or your favorite bench on campus. “just passing through,” she claimed. still, the way she always ended up sitting beside you said otherwise. she knew you were anxious, your body tensing whenever someone passed by. your airpods haven’t been in noise cancellation mode for three weeks.

୨୧ her mechanical arm fascinated you. one day, you asked about it, your curiosity outweighing your hesitation. she shrugged, but you caught the faintest twitch of a smile when you told her you thought it was beautiful.

୨୧ the project evolved, and so did whatever was growing between you. she started letting you help maintain her arm, teaching you the intricate mechanisms. your fingers would brush as you worked, and sometimes she'd let them linger. "careful," she'd murmur, but you were never sure if she meant with the machinery or with her.

୨୧ in these moments, she had a way of looking at you that made your stomach flip—like she was sizing you up, deciding if you’re worth her time. 

୨୧ you began to seek her out. the first time you loitered in the parking lot of her condo, fingers twitching nervously as you texted that you stopped by. she opened the door and lounged against the doorway, thick thighs bared by her boxers and skin gleaming from a recent workout. she laughed as you gasped and turned away.

୨୧ “what the fuck, sevika!” “princess, we have the same parts. they probably would feel real nice pushed togeth—“ “SEVIKA.”

୨୧ she pushed you out of your comfort zone in quiet, deliberate ways. you’re dragged to the campus bar, taught how to play pool (and lose), and laughing when you scratch on the break. “you’re hopeless, princess,” she teased, her smirk revealing her perfect gap teeth.

୨୧ her teasing was relentless, and she always called you “princess” and sometimes “baby girl” like it was on your birth certificate. you flushed every time, which only encouraged her.

୨୧ the first time you successfully pinned her during a self-defense session, she actually laughed—a rich, surprised sound that made your heart stutter. "not bad, baby girl,” she said, still beneath you, her organic hand warm on your hip. you became acutely aware of your position, of how close her face was to yours. neither of you moved for a long moment.

୨୧ if you’re becoming way too possessive of her, sue you. you’re the only undergrad who’s smuggled yourself under her wing and you’d like to keep it that way, goddamnit. you were never good at sharing anyway.

୨୧ it came to a head at an afterparty, your eye twitching as you watched some bitch (sorry!) trace her talons across sevika’s waist, which was framed admirably by a dark pair of jeans that were practically painted on.

୨୧ it only took a few seconds for you to stomp across the room and root a hand around her neck, drawing her into a searing kiss. you kissed her like you were trying to draw juice from her lips, moaning as she tugged you in closer.

୨୧ she kissed like she fought—precise, demanding, taking no prisoners. she backed you against the counter, knocking over a bottle of malibu, mechanical hand cool against your hips. “didn’t know you had it in you,” she laughed. “shut up, sevika. my god.” you grabbed her collar, reeled her back in.

୨୧ "you're my special girl,” she'd tell you later, tracing patterns on your skin with metal fingers. “the only one i give a fuck about. no competition.” her voice was bleeding with affection, and you curled into her side. she pressed kisses to your hair and leaned over to set an alarm for the both you—one for her, four for you.

୨୧ it worked, somehow—your refined, gilded edges against her sharp ones. you learned to throw a punch; she learned that you would lock her out if she didn’t allow you to spoil her relentlessly. “princess, i already have a bike.” “keep talking, honey, and i’ll purchase the whole dealership.” “now—“

୨୧ "you're trying to kill me slowly,” she grumbled, watching you charm your way through department gatherings. but she'd be there anyway, a solid presence at your back, her mechanical hand resting possessively at your waist. and when you'd lean into her touch, she'd hide her smile in your hair.

୨୧ if anyone found it strange to see the ice princess curled up in the lap of the most feared grad student on campus, well, one look from sevika's narrowed eyes was enough to silence any commentary.

୨୧ you were a fucking princess, both in real life and in her bed, but fuck you were hers. and sevika protected what was hers.

ambessa medarda : the professor. 

୨୧ you first saw her across a dimly lit hotel bar. you were three drinks in, mascara smeared from crying after the worst fight yet with your mother. "disappointing," she'd called you. "ungrateful." all because you refused to date the son of her country club friends.

୨୧ “mommy, please,” you’d sobbed. “i’m not ungrateful. i just don’t love him.” she’d left you with the dial tone.

୨୧ you rubbed a fist across your face like a child, attempting to gather yourself. your phonecall was denied again, and you winced at the tinny voice of your mother’s voicemail, setting it down and turning it off. god, this was the worst thing to happen to you in a long time. 

୨୧ with a sigh, you glanced up at the mirror behind the bar. she was looking right back. 

୨୧ the woman was striking—white locs swept into an elegant updo, wearing a low-cut red dress that hugged her body tightly. she moved like a lioness, back flexing as she hunkered down over the glossy wood. her golden eyes met yours, and your stomach began to spin. you knew this was the beginning of a dangerous game.

୨୧ after a minute she walked over, hands bearing water instead of another drink. "crying in bars rarely solves anything, little one," she said, her accent rich and heady. when you tried to argue, she simply raised an eyebrow, and you found yourself downing the glass in its entirety. 

୨୧ you kept eye contact as you swallowed, tongue peeking out to lap at the remnants along your lips.

୨୧ you don't remember who moved first. but you remember her hands—strong, calloused—gripping your thighs. remember her voice, rough with want, whispering against your neck. remember the way she claimed you, leaving mottled marks you'd find days later.

୨୧ you remember waking up alone in her hotel room, a glass of water and two aspirin on the nightstand. no note. just the lingering scent of her perfume—spiced and earthy—on the sheets.

୨୧ you tried to forget her. tried to forget how she'd called you “sweet girl” when you'd bitten her shoulder, how she'd laughed darkly and pinned your hands above your head, called you “easy” when you sobbed out pitiful demands for her to go harder and faster, do destroy you from the inside out.

୨୧ then came the first day of advanced military history.

୨୧ "good morning, class. i'm professor medarda."

୨୧ your blood ran cold. there she stood—your favorite fantasy, your most well-spent drunken night—looking devastatingly beautiful in a tailored suit. her eyes found yours immediately, and you saw the recognition flash in them, followed by something darker, more primal.

୨୧ you tried to drop the class. she denied your request personally.

୨୧ "running away?" she asked during mandatory office hours, pouring tea from an ornate set. "that's not the fierce girl i remember. you scratched me all up.”

୨୧ your cheeks burned. "professor—"

୨୧ "ambessa," she corrected, sliding the tea across her desk. “i think we’re past the formalities.”

୨୧ you couldn't avoid her. she called on you in class, her voice caressing your name. kept you after lectures to "discuss your work." you told yourself the tension would fade.

୨୧ it didn't.

୨୧ "i need a teaching assistant," she announced one evening, when you'd stayed too late reviewing your paper. "someone sharp. strategic. devoted.” her fingers brushed yours as she took your empty teacup. "interested?"

୨୧ you should have said no. you should have viewed her wolfish grin as a red flag, grabbed your shit, and hauled ass. instead, you heard yourself say, “of course.”

୨୧ being her TA meant late nights in her office, her perfume making you dizzy with memories. meant watching her command rooms full of students while remembering how she'd commanded your body. it meant pretending you couldn't feel her eyes on you, hungry and possessive.

୨୧ "we should establish some boundaries,” you said finally, after weeks of delicious torture.

୨୧ "should we?" she moved like a predator, backing you against her desk. "or should we discuss how you keep shivering when i get too close?"

୨୧ your breath caught. "this is inappropriate."

୨୧ “mmm, entirely," she agreed, one hand sliding into your hair, the other around your neck. “now, tell me to stop."

୨୧ you didn’t. 

୨୧ “little minx,” she murmured and you kissed her, surging forward and into her lap.

୨୧ it became your secret—stolen moments in her office after hours, weekends at her apartment where she'd cook elaborate dishes and tear your papers to shreds, nights where she'd make you forget your own name and squeal hers.

୨୧ “good girl” she'd murmur against your skin, switching to noxian when you drove her too far. she ordained you with names that meant something far more possessive and crude in her native tongue.

୨୧ the whole thing made you feel deliciously stained and you sought her out to purify you time and time again. you kept it hidden until graduation. until you had your degree in hand and nothing left to lose.

୨୧ the scandal was delicious—respected professor medarda and her former student, now openly living together. your mother was horrified. society whispered.

୨୧ "regrets?" ambessa asked one morning, watching you sip the spiced coffee you'd grown to love.

୨୧ you thought of that night at the bar, of all the paths that led you here. "never."  it turned out some mistakes are worth making twice.

© hcneymooners.

[thenationofzaun]

Thoughts on Act 1 of Arcane Season 2

The positives:

- The animation is fucking incredible.

- Jinx and Sevika teaming up watered my crops and cleansed my skin.

- Underwater goodbye with Jinx and Silco. That scene was made specifically for me.

- Jinx's voice actress continues to be excellent.

- Loved the designs of all the Chembarons. The glimpse we got of the gang wars was also interesting. Unfortunately, too tiny a glimpse. Which brings me to...

The negatives:

- Too many plotlines. They stuffed the season with too much shit which is why each individual plot gets a much shorter screentime than it should. Smeech is introduced and killed in the same episode. Chembarons' gang wars, a huge issue which has repercussions on the entire Undercity, gets only one musical montage before moving on. And this is coming from someone who loved that montage, as well as the song. My favourite on the soundtrack so far. But musical montages shouldn't come at the expense of the story and definitely shouldn't replace the story. There are just way too many music video scenes in general that feel like a way to condense a storyline into the sparknotes version because they don't have the screentime to flesh it out. And they would have the screentime if they cut out all the extra stuffing. Look I'm happy for the League fans who are excited for the Black Rose and all that, but what the hell is it doing in a Piltover/Zaun show. And with zero foreshadowing in Season 1 too. It would definitely be easier to swallow if they had at least hinted at it in the first season. They could have kept Ambessa's beef with this magic cult for a Noxus show. The P/Z narrative has enough to deal with, enough characters to handle already.

- The new side characters are uninteresting and generic. Maddie and the two other enforcers (we don't even know their names after three episodes LMAO) are bland. We know nothing about their characters or personalities. Maddie looks like a rookie, and one of the dudes is an alcoholic, yet they get chosen for an elite strikeforce to capture Jinx? Isha is pretty generic too - the token cute kid that needs protecting. I get the role she will play in Jinx's arc. But that's the problem - she should be a character in her own right, not just a vehicle for someone else's character development. A good example is Mylo. He died for Jinx's arc, but when he was alive he was a distinct character with his own personality. We had a sense of his insecurities, his goals, who he was as a person. Name a single personality trait of Isha and Maddie other than "generically nice person". That's right. You can't.

- Whatever the hell is going on with Viktor. He wakes up from his coma and immediately rejects Jayce so quickly that it was funny. Apparently disapproves of Jayce using the Hexcore to save his life, but then immediately goes to use the Hexcore to save random Undercity people. Bruh. I also don't really like the way the fridged woman from last season seems to be his motivation so far. Nor the way he seems to have no agency in his Machine Herald arc. Instead of Viktor himself believing in transhumanism and mechanizing himself, Jayce does it for him. Instead of Viktor having an ideological drive and wanting a "Glorious Evolution", he is driven by guilt over Sky. Meh. Also he's not even mechanized, instead he's weirdly fleshy?? In a magical way?? More like The Magic Herald :(

- Vi. Her whole character is a mess. Insanely rushed arc which I find unacceptable for one of THE main characters and one of the faces of the show. She and Jinx are supposed to be the leads, their relationship the heart of the story, but so far only Jinx is a well-written fleshed out chaacter with a believable arc. I have too much to say about Vi so I'll expand more on this on another post.

- So much nuance and detail is missing. How does Heimerdinger feel about his ex-colleagues being killed? Does he care? Does he feel guilt? Relieved that he wasn't in the chamber when the bombing happened? No clue! Let's have comedy Mission Impossible instead! How does Ekko feel about the Council attack? Does he approve of it? Think Jinx went too far? How does he feel that she even survived their fight to begin with? No clue! Here, have him joking around with a Councilor for a bit (someone whom Ekko logically should despise), then he can talk Science with Jayce and all three get sent to another dimension together. Yay. What does Vi think happened to Ekko? The last time she saw him, he was fighting Jinx to the death to give Vi and Cait time to escape. He could be dead for all she knows and she doesn't give a fuck. Doesn't even think about him nor mention him once. It's like the writers forgot they're childhood friends. What does the entirety of Zaun make of Silco's death? I assume they heard about it from Piltover (who heard about it from Caitlyn), but how do they think it happened? His body is gone and to Zaun it seems he just mysteriously disappeared. Are there conspiracy theories? Conflicting accounts and rumours? So much nuance that would give the world and characters more depth, sacrificed so we can pack in more rushed subplots and music videos.

- Caitlyn "Wifebeater" Kiramman. And Caitvi in general. So far Caitlyn has guilt-tripped Vi, manipulated her into joining the enforcers, insulted her and then physically abused her. After Vi sacrificed everything for Cait, wore a badge she hates for Cait, even let Cait kill her own fucking sister (and only intervened when the random kid got involved). Why should I give a shit about such a one-sided relationship lmao. "B-but Cait's mom is dead so she's sad about it", every other fucking character in this show has dead parents. Half the cast has faced unfathomable amounts of trauma and pain that make Cait's pale in comparison. Nothing justifies her hitting Vi. "B-b-but it's a parallel to when Vi hit Powder", a shit parallel then. Because the circumstances are not even remotely comparable. "God forbid lesbians do anything🤪", give me a break with this corny bullshit. Be serious for a second. I'm not even a Vi fan and I think she deserves better than this mess of a relationship. The power dynamic between them makes it worse. The way Caitlyn is one of the richest people in the city and Vi is broke. The way Caitlyn is highly educated and Vi never went to school and spent her entire teen years locked in a box. Did the writers think about all this when writing their relationship? Keep in mind, Vi met Caitlyn like a week ago. She barely knows this chick. She's been out of prison FOR A WEEK. Where she was physically abused every fucking day. Putting her in a relationship with a cop who hits her would certainly be a choice! Do I have faith this show will handle it with care? Not really, no. They already ignore Vi's prison trauma. Most likely they will make Vi forgive Cait way too easily because "muh mummy muh grief".

[korrahegao]

Mel Medarda is Kayle

Edit: This post does NOT contain spoilers or leaks for Arcane Season 2 Act 3. These are all just theories I have in regards to the season thus far.

The season finale is almost upon us, so this is my last chance to get this out. Allow me to explain:

When we last saw Mel, she had been captured by the Order of the Black Rose. While Arcane hasn't expounded much on this organization, we hear the voice tormenting her in her captivity call her: "Sister." I believe this is the voice of Morgana. More specifically, Blackthorn Morgana.

This Morgana skin shares so many design themes and even the color pallet of the thorny vines and spiked chains and even the rosebud motif of the Oculorum. Not to mention the obvious relation between Roses and Thorns (Black Rose and Blackthorn). Even her League of Legend Abilities; Dark Binding, Tormented Shadow, and Soul Shackles are comparable to their in game VFX.

Which brings us to Kayle. In the League of Legends lore, Kayle and Morgana are sisters with an animosity toward one another. Using this as a basis without diving into the deep lore, there are many aspects about Mel Medarda which lend some explanation to the events of Arcane.

At first glance, one can see the similarities in Mel's attire and that of Silver Kayle.

Moreover, Mel Medarda sports Golden filagree along her back and shoulders. These appear to accentuate (or perhaps inhibit) where Kayle's wings and pauldrons would be. Perhaps they are not merely decorative, but serve a deeper purpose.

As many who play LoL know, Kayle's Ultimate is Divine Judgement. Kayle protects herself or an ally granting them invulnerability before exploding in a luminous blast of holy fire.

Furthermore, In S2E1 when Jayce is explaining to Mel how he is trying to save Viktor, Jayce states:

"It should be me up there, instead of him. I still don't understand. He was right next to me. How does the explosion do that to him, and I just walk out without a scratch?!"

And perhaps more importantly, in S1E9, in the final scene, Mel Medarda is the one nearest to the window that Jinx's Super Mega Death Rocket shatters. Mel was in fact the one nearest to the epicenter of the Blast! But the penultimate image we see in Season one is... her golden filagree gleaming!

She and Jayce were unscathed because, perhaps subliminally or subconsciously, she was able to save herself and Jayce, the ally nearest to her, with her Divine Judgement. Councilor Salo lost his legs, and the other Councilwoman received scarring near her eye. And yet, Mel and Jayce were unharmed!

Lastly, the League of Legends wiki is undergoing an overhaul as Riot continues to implement the notion that "Everything is canon." There is a blurb on her wiki which reads:

This explanation is inline with Mel Medarda casting aside her humanity as pictured in the last scene we saw her in (S2E5) thus far. Historically, Kayle had been interpreted as an angelic figure. But the continually evolving lore of League of Legends eventually let to the implementation of her humanity. Further, the line about "her mother's mantle as the divine Aspect of Justice" does have a slight connotation toward Ambessa. At the end of S2E3, when endowing Caitlyn to her elevated position, she states:

"Your mother will have Justice. I swear it."

While this began as a gut reaction to Season 2 Episode 5, the more I delved into it, the more it grew into a coherent working theory. Now, I have no idea how the end of Arcane is going to play out, but there is an abundance of evidence here, and I actually am hoping this is the outcome!

Did I leave anything out? Anything to further prove this theory? Let me know! And thanks for reading!

[vitaeplaysda]

Finally a complete set with all my planned Rooks! It's just a first take, depending on the CC and the game and how I will feel in the next months they will change for sure. Also the clothing is all random. Purple because... it's Rook. Time to go back to Elgar'dad, commissions and other artworks. I will talk about them under the cut!

◆ Nadir "Lil'Rook" Lavellan

Elf ◆ Transmasc nonbinary ◆ he/they Antivan Crows ◆ Orb/Knife Mage (Spellblade)

My little baby, my firstborn, the first Rook I designed. Used to work as a lil kid in Skyhold's kitchen, until he met the demon Enfenim in that abandoned library hidden there, befriending him (it's another OCs of mines, check my pinned!)

Long story short he gets adopted by my Lavellan after his magic manifested, in the kitchens. Near boiling oil. The left side of his face and shoulder is covered in burn scars. Still he grows up to be a great but VERY unlucky mage, to the point he considers himself bad news and slowly starts to embrace this side of him in a selfdeprecating way. After yet another incident, he leaves her mother and their community, deciding he wants to make just one single good thing for her: finding Solas. Hiding his identity he ends up joining the crows, finding out he's quite good as an assassin. Relationship wise I brutally ship him with Elgar'nan, but more specifically he's in a weird... double triangle romboid (?) relationship with also Sulenan and Bellara??? (aka Sulenan also has a relationship with all of them but Bellara and Elgar'nan don't deal with each other.... unless the game will state otherwise >:D) He's hella young, in his early twenties, but usually fakes his age and tries to pass as someone older. He's also the shortest elf you'll ever meet.

◆ Saara(?) "Rook"

Qunari ◆ female ◆ she/her Veil Jumpers ◆ Bow Rogue (Arcane Archer)

She's meant to be the real Rook, you know, the one who Varric recruits. Qunari who was taken in by a (very open minded) Dalish clan. I'm still unsure if she was born in the Qun or not, in any case she embraced the elven culture as her own. She can be considered diplomatic and understanding, a good bean. The idea behind her is linked to the Qunari having metallic like skin... I wanted to make a golden one since they're usually grey in games. I'm not sure about the name Saara just because I remembered now Sera has a very similar sound. We shall see if I'm going to change it.

◆ Sulenan

Elf ◆ Male ◆ he/him Shadow dragons ◆ Two handed Warrior (Slayer)

I idealized him as a... mortal form Elgar'nan would use to mingle and learn the hell has happened while he was gone but he became a whole unique character. A Liberati of dalish origin, he's one of the angriest characters I have, hating humans for what they've done to his people and their rotten society, hating the chantry for its comforting lies, hating the elvhen gods because... well apparently they're evil now. In the end he's just very lost and heartbroken, desiring only for things to get better. Alas he's also practical and knows you gotta make your hands dirty if you wanna achieve anything. Headcanon wants Elgar'nan can control him through Vallaslin, I also fantasized about Sulenan sharing the same blood of his god. He feels comforted by Bellara's presence tho, his "Official" relationship it's going to be with her. For the headcanon chaotic one check LilRook above 👀

◆ Anarca

Qunari ◆ Agender nonbinary ◆ they/them in game but any pronoun works Mourn Watch ◆ Staff Mage (Deathcaller)

It's just... chaotic. Take the Dnd core rules and turn them into a person. They're unpredictable, at times taking a kind choice, while another time they will act in scary ways. It isn't like they don't like rules and push against them, for Anarca rules simply aren't part of their world. Beside their peculiar behavior, Anarca loves to experiment but mostly they want to have *fun*. You want to see the skeletons dance? You'll have that. Look wise people are always scared as they're extremely tall, most of their face half covered by hair with just their horns poking out.

◆ Veronica

Elf-blooded Human ◆ Female ◆ she/her Grey Wardens ◆ Shield Warrior (Champion)

Melancholic gal whom had to join the wardens in order to survive not so different from the Hero of Ferelden and also the token human (?) of this group. While she has a rooted sense of duty which made her a good warden, she still misses and fantasizes about the kind of life she would have gone through if she stayed among nobles, instead she had and still has to fight monsters and to come into terms with her Calling being closer than not. The idea was to have her romance Emmrich, letting her coming to term with the concept of death through him.

◆ Raibeart

Dwarf ◆ Male ◆ he/they Lords of Fortune ◆ Daggers Rogue (Sabouter)

The cheerful and funny guy of the group but also the most clueless one. Honestly he doesn't know why he joined the Veilguard... he probably doesn't even know he's part of the Veilguard. Still, he isn't one to ask complex questions to himself or others, somehow he's able to work with whatever is at hand, navigating through every situation, hopefully bringing a smile on people's face in the meanwhile. He's goofy but still charismatic and enthusiastic, a disney princess in the body of a burly pirate drawf.

[captainx-camino]

My favorite thing about how, like, all the Arcane characters are hot is that they really had to WORK at that.

Absolutely none of the characters have face symmetry, which is considered something typically aesthetically pleasing to the human eye and something animators often rely on to make their characters pretty or appealing.

But, no. Arcane characters are designed specifically to be asymmetrical. Their features are crooked, sit differently right to left, and even shift realistically over time with age.

They didn't rely on stereotypical beauty standards, even in the characters that are supposed to be stereotypically handsome/beautiful.

They gave their characters larger noses, uneven eyes/eyebrows, facial creases, scars, freckles, moles, crooked teeth, under and over bites, skin imperfections, visible disabilities, so on.

They weren't afraid of making the characters look ugly when conveying strong emotions.

Drool, spittle, snot, wrinkles, scrunched faces, wide mouthed, running makeup, dirt and grime on their faces.

They weren't afraid to show illness.

Weakening bodies, pale skin, frail limbs, sunken faces, deepened eye sockets, festering infection, failing health hooked up to hospital equipment, even watching a perfectly healthy man quickly decline both physically and mentally.

They put in every effort to be as realistic as a stylized animated series could get both in character design, and portrayal.

Yet, here we are. All still simping for these characters with imperfect faces, lives, bodies, and personality.

"We have to make sure the characters stay pretty so people will like them" is not, and never has been a good excuse and even if you don't find every Arcane character attractive, you have to admit that their animation team proved that point so, so beautifully.

Imperfections ARE beautiful. Realistic, diverse, and unique character design is peak.

[bringthekaos]

If Viktor specifically misses Jayce's boobs, what part of Viktor’s body does Jayce missed the most? Bonus points if that part was replaced by metal and left a hole in his heart 🥲

His hands, without a doubt. Jayce was obsessed with Viktor’s hands—he used to get easily distracted just watching Viktor assemble machinery for their experiments or write on the chalkboard. He’d spend whole days fantasizing about them, about the way they were hard and calloused in some places and soft in others. He’d dream of what they felt like on his skin, about their strength and about their gentleness. He’d close his eyes sometimes when the wind went through his hair and imagine those wisps were Viktor’s fingers softly scraping against his scalp. And sometimes, in the dead of night, he’d conjure images of what they could do to him, what they so often did do to him.

And it kinda depends on if we’re talking about League Viktor or Arcane Viktor, cuz unless he ends up amputating his Hexcore-augmented right hand and replacing that (leaving the left untouched) then it appears he will not have an organic hand in Arcane, whereas League Viktor does (his right, as seen in this splash art). But I find this unlikely, as the Hexclaw would then also have to move to his right shoulder, and given the foreshadowing shot of it hovering over his left shoulder… that wouldn’t make much sense.

But either way, yes, I think Jayce would initially mourn the loss of something he so adored. He’d probably be bitter about it, maybe even berate Viktor about it. But I think, with time and some coaxing, he would learn to like the new ones—there’s something so thrilling about Viktor’s new hands (both lethal weapons in their own right) being soft and tender and oh so gentle. It’s like having the broad side of a blade dragged over his flesh that threatens but never cuts. It says something, Jayce thinks, about Viktor and who he is, that these deadly instruments can also be careful and delicate. And I think he’d learn to be just as obsessed with that drag of steel against his skin, perhaps even more so—each artful curve of metal, each precisely welded line… they were all crafted by Viktor to be a perfect, flawless tool. And while he does use them for machinery galore, he also uses them to take Jayce apart (metaphorically speaking, of course). Almost like they were designed with Jayce’s body in mind.

[theoccoven]

⇢ Not Sorry For Loving You [Part 1; Love & Gears Miniseries]

𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: Viktor [Arcane] x Ace Azarolla | 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Angst, One-Shot | 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 2,911 | 𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: Based on this little Drabble. Briefly edited. | 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: None I don’t think. No Spoilers for Season 1 or 2.

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: Ace has been holding down a lot of feelings and he’s tired of feeling rejected by the one he cares the most. Viktor didn’t see this coming and now he feels conflicted.

𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨: Like true Arcane fashion Imma make titles song titles lol. This “Not Sorry for Loving You” from EPIC the Musical. I think I’m going to make this a 4 part mini series as a sort of stand alone? There’s a bigger series I have in mind with this Ace with chapters and such and this mini series can be like a downtime thing while action happens, kind of-. Starting off the new year right.~

Ace took a deep breath as he looked himself over in the mirror. He had replaced the conservative and conforming Piltover clothing for what he would normally wear in Zaun. This specific outfit was a short red dress he put together with knee highs, one tattered and the other intact, and a pair of bulky platform boots. Along with his outfit he popped on an assortment of rings and bracelets, earrings dangling and his lips painted. They felt a lot better in their skin, so much better. No more itch of foo foo outfits or eyes on his every move and word. They felt safe, like this.

He gave himself another look in the mirror, his expression was one of pure exhaustion. Dark circles littered under his eyes and he let out another breath. They’ve been sighing a lot recently, has their mood really been that low? Maybe it was, he wasn’t sure but he just knew he felt tired, so tired. Staying up and wondering…thinking, thinking of how much of an imposter he felt up here. He didn’t fit in, he couldn’t breathe with their stupid clothes or their fancy talk. Everyone looked at him weirdly because of his accent or the way he pronounces words. He wasn’t from here.

He really didn’t fit here.

He didn’t have a place.

And it was starting to feel like he didn’t fit with Viktor anymore either. They were childhood friends and his ever growing love and admiration for the man seemed to go unnoticed by him. He lets it slide to little minds wondering about other things, stuck in other thoughts and too busy to think of anything that has to do with love. But now…now he had Jayce and Mel.

So where did he belong?

Where did he go in this puzzle piece?

The two were always so nice and accommodating to him too. They never really did anything wrong or mean to Ace. They always brought him along and made him feel welcomed. Offering him these fancy clothes because according to Viktor, Ace had always loved clothes. Hell Mel even offered to get him a position as a tailor and have the opportunity to design his own clothes but he knew they were just being nice. They were being nice because he was Viktor’s friend. Their boyfriend’s friend. No more no less. He knew that the second Viktor needed them both they would go to him and forget Ace.

And Viktor would do the same for them.

As much as he hoped that Viktor would turn to him if Ace ever needed it, to come to his rescue if he were to ever spiral. But with every passing day he knew that was just a fantasy. A dream. What he hated more though, was that even through all this…through any shallow excuse Viktor might make he would run to him and help pick up the pieces. Help him run after he stumbled and fell.

He scoffed and shook his head, that was a dream. A little dream that might never go anywhere. Not anymore, he was sure of it. They frowned and picked up something to cover up the dark circles and any imperfections before slipping on a reddish pink cape that he embroidered with little hearts, putting up the hood. They turned to leave the room after one last glance and started making his way to where he knew Viktor would be. He had asked Viktor to meet him there for a discussion. Viktor had asked and wondered what the topic of discussion would be but Ace didn’t reveal anything telling him he’ll find out in due time. He knew it was something they had to speak on though, something that was long overdue for them to speak on.

Him leaving to go back to Zaun.

Yesterday had been a hard day for Ace. That’s when puzzle pieces really started to connect. When he realized he was intruding on a relationship that wasn’t his. A relationship they had no right to step into. He sat in the lab with the other three, Viktor and Jayce, tinkering as Mel came to spend a little time with them before heading to do council work. She spoke with a soft smile as she watched them work. Ace chimed in with his own opinions to the conversation happening until he grew tired of feeling like he was butting in especially when he wasn’t granted with a response. If they wanted to talk to him they would include him, invite him to the conversation. He swallowed thickly. His eyes drooped when they seemed to have started to plan a small trip for themselves. It was cute and that wasn’t the problem with his sudden upset, what upset him was that they promised to show him around and maybe get him acquainted with more people at Piltover so he didn’t feel so alone.

But they were leaving.

Viktor was leaving.

He glanced at them once more before walking out of the lab and to where he was staying, temporarily. They gave him the room with happy smiles, introducing it as his new home. His permanent residence in Piltover. But he always knew it was going to be temporary. That night he didn’t sleep, plagued with insecurities and doubts. At that moment he decided it was time for him to go back home.

His proper home.

So here he was standing in front of a confused Viktor. Viktor scanned him over eyebrows scrunched a little. “Um…what are you wearing?” He asked bluntly, Ace knew he didn’t mean it in a rude way. He was just trying to understand the problem in front of him but it hurt a little. He pushed it to the side and gave a lopsided smile that didn’t really reach his eyes.

“You like it? I sewed it myself.~ Anddd I’m taller than you now.~” he smiled proudly. His smiles were always contagious, Viktor giving the smallest of smiles as he nodded. He knew the other male wasn’t that much shorter than him but he would let him have his fun.

“Yes. It’s very you. I will say. Reminds me of when we were kids.” Ace let out a giggle and smiled even bigger than before, Viktor following along as he couldn’t not smile when his close friend was this happy. Then he remembered why he was there and everything instantly dropped. The happy and light atmosphere changed with Ace’s downturned gaze and frown that tugged at his lips. That’s when Viktor got worried and gave a frown of his own. “Is everything alright Ace?”

Ace tried to find the right way to start the conversation. He took a deep breath and just went for it, letting words tumble out of his mouth. “So I know you three are leaving soon…” ‘In a couple of hours actually.’

Viktor looked surprised that Ace knew that and the younger let out an involuntary sigh, frustrated but overall upset. “I was there when you guys planned it, in the lab.” Viktor blinked trying to roll back in his memory before he gave a small groan and rubbed at his face with his free hand.

“I’m so sorry Ace, I’ve been-.”

“It’s fine.” He interjected quickly and curtly to Viktor’s surprise. Ace has never interrupted him before or spoke to him in such a way. Ace steeled himself to not look at Viktor’s expression, he knew if he looked or let him finish he would cave. He would accept any excuse that Viktor gave him even if it was the flimsiest excuse with no proof. He would accept it with open arms.

And he hated it.

He hated himself.

He continued. “I just wanted to let you know before you left that I decided to go back to Zaun.” Viktor looked taken aback by that, ready to ask him a string of questions, to tell him he can’t and shouldn’t. But Ace stopped him. “I don’t fit in here. I’m not of status. I’m considered vulgar, uneducated and the gods forbid they or you find out what I do for work… I would definitely not be welcomed.” He shook his head finally looking Vik in the eyes. They were confused, eyebrows pinched together wondering why. Wondering if he did something wrong. “I just wanted to let you know that and…” They paused. “And be open about something that you haven’t seemed to pick up for years. I thought… maybe you did but I was so so wrong.” Viktor’s eyes swam with so many emotions now, not just confusion anymore. He stayed quiet waiting for the other to speak their mind.

Ace collected enough courage and spoke.

“You’re unlike anyone I have ever known. Cause…you’re all I’ve ever known.” He knew that would be the most confusing way to start his confession but it was the best way he could think of putting everything he felt. “I’ve loved you for so long, you’re the only person I’ve been this close with. And I don’t mean love in a way a friend loves another friend or family loves each other. I mean I love you. I want to be with you but I don’t have a place in your world anymore, you’ve pushed me away so much it’s clear that I don’t belong. With you or anywhere here.” Viktor shook his head at that, as if it was the most incredulous thing he has ever heard Ace say.

“What are you trying to say?” Ace looked down at his fingers giving his own head shake.

“I’m just trying to say that…if I pushed you or if I came on too strong or if I ambushed you…for that, I’ll say I was wrong.” He looked Vik in the eyes, hands shaking as his lips quivered but he refused to cry in front of him; he wasn't going to break down like this. Vik had already seen him cry too much in the past, he wasn’t allowing himself to be weak right now. “And if you hate me, then I’m sorry my love’s too much for you…but I’m not sorry for loving you.”

“I don’t hate you.” Viktor said quickly, almost as if offended with the notion. He could never hate Ace, they were close friends. Partners even. How could he ever hate him, he enjoyed his company and he thought he made that clear. He didn’t understand and it frustrated Ace.

With a soft voice he repeats himself. “I’m not sorry for loving you.”

“Ace…” Viktor didn’t understand. He was completely confused and started to become frustrated. He wanted to know where this was going; he wanted Ace to explain why he was leaving him. Had he done something wrong? The questions wanted to spill out of his mouth but Ace held up their hand and gave him a stern look.

“Let me speak.” Viktor nodded, closing his mouth. “I spent my whole life in Zaun. I had to help take care of my younger brothers while my Mum took care of my sick Mama. I felt like I was cast to the side at such a young age. I was alone for so long, I didn’t have any friends even when I tried to approach others. I only really had a needle and some thread, that’s when I started to sew. So I didn’t think too much about it. So when you just magically appeared needing help cause you tripped and your cane fell out of reach I won’t lie it felt like a dream come true.” He gave a fond smile his way, remembering the incident very clearly.

They were young and both alone. What more could they have asked for?

“At that moment I thought I knew…” He looked him over and didn’t finish his sentence, casting his gaze and repeating his apology. “So if at any time from then to now I pushed you or if I came onto strong or I ambushed you. I’m really sorry.” He played with the clasp that held his cape together, keeping his gaze down. “And if you hate me…then… I’m sorry that my love’s too much for you. But I’m not sorry for loving you.”

He spoke quieter, ready to finish his part and ready to let Viktor speak. Say whatever seemed so pressing in the beginning of their conversation. 

“I’ll never stop loving you.” He looked up at Viktor waiting for him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t Ace’s fists balled up. They were instead given a look of pain…hurt. In that moment it pissed him off, it made him feel so stupid like he was complaining about something and hurt Viktor. Like his feelings were inconsiderate towards the other man’s feelings. He was tired of feeling this way. He gave him the floor to discuss and to speak, he had so much to say before so why now was he quiet now.

He glared at the older man biting his bottom lip and decided that if he wasn’t going to they were going to continue. He wasn’t going to hold back anymore. “I’m not sorry, I’m angry and tired and sad. I’m stuck on the moments I swore that we had.” His hands shook as he started to move them around in frustration as he spoke, remembering small glances and tiny smiles. Talks at night and small brushes of hands together. He thought Viktor had finally felt something back for him but he was so wrong.

His eyes started to water a little, he couldn’t control himself anymore he let everything spill out. “I wish you would chase me, or try to embrace me!” His voice got louder and Viktor looked at him concerned and worried, hurt still bubbling in his chest. “For once I wish you would lie and say-!”

“I love you.”

Ace froze. Pupils shaking as he slowly looked at Viktor, hope shining in his eyes. He blinked wondering if he had made it up.

“You do?”

The sound of hope in Ace’s voice, the look they were giving him, crushed Viktor. He had never thought Ace out of all people would feel this way towards him. He always thought they were friends, very close ones who shared a mutual understanding about how it was to grow up in Zaun. So he never thought…he’s never processed those feelings before or thought of them in general. It took him a while to process his own feelings for Jayce and then Mel but this was completely different. Something he never thought of, thought impossible,

“But not in the way you want me to.”

And that shattered him. His eyes watered and he started to sob. Fat tears running down his face as he let out broken sob after broken sob. It felt like his heart actually broke and Viktor hurt watching him. He reached over wanting to give him some kind of comfort, to soothe the pain he unintentionally caused.

But Ace didn’t want it. He didn’t want Viktor touching him so he stepped back arm coming down to push his extended arm away. “I hate that I fell in love with you!” He pointed harshly at him so much anger and sadness swimming in his pink irises that Viktor wanted to hide away. It wasn’t the sunshine smile and glowy eyes he was so used to seeing from Ace. He looked so pained. Pained because of him.

“Why did I fall in love with you?” It was a question more so directed at himself, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he sniffled and pulled at the dyed ends. He felt so stupid. He felt like a massive idiot in the middle of a stage with everyone pointing and laughing at him. “What do I do with this love for you?! How am I supposed to get over you?” He panted as he wiped at his face, rubbing furiously at his eyes and Viktor stopped himself from pulling his hands away. Remembering when they were younger how Ace had the tendency to rub their eyes raw when they got itchy.

“Why in the world won’t you love me too?” He spoke softly looking at Viktor one last time before turning away abruptly. He turned to leave, fixing himself and wiping at his eyes. “I hope you have fun on your trip. Goodbye Viktor.” He said it with such a cold tone that Viktor wanted to pull him back, he wanted soft happy Ace again. But he knew that was too much to ask right now.

So he let him go without another word. Because anything he said wouldn’t change a single thing. It wouldn’t make him understand these new feelings nor will it calm down Ace’s anger.

Ace walked to the bridge that connected the cities, someone already waiting for him at the edge, purple smoke swirling around them. “Lest…” His voice was hoarse as he reached them. He had been sniffling and crying to himself the whole walk there. His eyes were puffy and when she saw him her face fell.

“Come on love. We can talk about it. Everyone back home misses you.” She gave him a kind smile, taking their hand gently and wiping any stray tears that fell. She was so gentle, she had always been when it came to him.

And in that moment he felt a little less alone and a little more loved.

⇢ @theoccoven - 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚, 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩, 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚, 𝙚𝙩𝙘. [2025 - 2026]

⇢ Thank you for reading! Since you've made it this far please consider reblogging, commenting or leaving the Priestess an Offering! [Ko-fi]

⇢ 𝙏𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩: @faywithlove, @armysantiny, @kpopadminnie, @iridescentxstars [If you want to be added to the taglist send in an ask!]

[icaruslamenting]

⌗ !! ꒰ 31 days of helpol ꒱ 🏛️

(so sorry for missing the other days!! i’ve been spending lots of time with my family and we’ve finally [after five months of issues] started moving into our house. it’s been such a wave of relief that there isn’t any more issues, so all that’s left is to get moved in and wait for a few other things to get finished up)

day twenty-five - “what was the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about hellenic polytheism or your deities?”

how flexible this religion is. like in many religions (like basically every one with some form of holy text that they follow), there’s rules and strict things that you have to follow. a lot of time, followers of said religion will also bring those words to an extreme. “do this or this god won’t love you” “don’t do that or you’ll suffer eternally” things like that. i’ve seen none of that with hellenic polytheism. i mean, sure, the occasional bad person pops up every once in a while, but that’s not what the religion has been. i’ve felt more accepted than ever since, which i never expected lol

day twenty-six - “do you celebrate any festivals? which ones or why not?”

i’m trying to?? but i don’t really know what festivals there are (i’ve only just now started learning about them)

day twenty-seven - “share a fun fact about one or more of your deities which you think is underrated or not well-known”

i don’t have any facts that come to mind😭 my mind’s just blank right now

day twenty-eight - “what is your favorite myth?”

ICARUS. ANYTHING ABOUT ICARUS, ANY RETELLING, ANY FORM OF RETELLING (story, poem, painting, etc…), ANYTHING. i loveee the story of icarus. i’ve even wondered before if hero worship is possible for icarus (is it?) so i can show how cool and amazing i think he is

day twenty-nine - “what is an aspect of your deities you really appreciate?”

their unconditional love. i am yet to hear about a deity who doesn’t unconditionally love their devotee/the person who worships them (and this goes for every deity)

day thirty - “do you have a visual interpretation of your deities? is this different from usual depictions you see of them?”

for Lord Apollo, i usually imagine him with tanned skin, blond long hair, the usual sort of depiction of him that you’ll see a lot from people. like with how i see all gods, i don’t imagine him as having any irises. i feel like eyes are what truly makes something human, so the lack of that shows that they aren’t human. but that’s just a personal thought!!

for Lady Aphrodite, i can never keep a steady depiction of her in my mind. seriously. there is one image of her i have in my mind that repeats though. so, if you’ve watched arcane, you know how viktor and jayce and sky looked in that cosmic realm sort of thing?? imagine that but it’s not like she has a human face or hair like how they did in the show. everything is like whatever that other stuff is, the weird cosmic bodysuit (please tell me this is making sense🙏). i imagine that, her body type and facial features that’s typically seen in statues of her, and everything is carved out like a statue. her hair is long (like going down to her feet kind of long), it’s wavy, and is constantly moving like a flowing waterfall. the only thing that’s different about any of her appearance and any of the colors are her eyes which are pure white. and that’s about all i got for an image of her.

for Lord Hermes, the designs for him from epic the musical. specifically the one by wolfythewitch. where his eyes are covered by his helmet (following the theme of the whole gods and eyes thing), i imagine him with wings both on his feet and his helmet, light brown curly hair, and i also kind of imagine him with slightly pointed ears?? i dunno, i always associate him with puck from a midsummer nights dream, so a mischievous sprite with sort of fairy/elf-like feature but in the most gorgeous way possible.

for Lord Dionysus, much like Lord Apollo, the typical depiction of him. black wavy hair, leopard print and purple everything, hints of wine red in his clothes, sort of maximalist clothes?? but somehow in an ancient greek way?? like combining the fashion of ancient greece and modern times. i do imagine him with darker tanned skin though, which i see sometimes in art. and of course, the whole no irises/eyes thing

day thirty-one - “share a positive experience you’ve had this month/year with one or more of your deities?”

Lord Apollo - when he comforted me while i was crying, then later the sun was shining as it rained (which is my favorite type of weather)

Lady Aphrodite - when after taking a break for months, i prayed to her for the first time, and the next day i looked in the mirror and i felt so pretty. looking back on the selfies i took at the time, i still think i was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous

Lord Hermes - when i wanted to talk to Lady Aphrodite because i was feeling insecure, but he wouldn’t let me use my pendulum to talk to her and kept refusing to let me put the pendulum down until i talked with him. so i talked with him instead and he helped me out <33

Lord Dionysus - when he helped me memorize my whole script a week before my play. a week. mind you, i had maybe three lines memorized overall, and he helped me remember all 42 lines and 3 monologues. i know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was shakespeare😭 i was struggling a lot. but i got multiple compliments after the play, and a little girl told me i was her favorite character <3 never forgetting that feeling

[blujayonthewing]

3, 6, 13, 15 for all the gnoooooomes!!

yaaaaaaaay :D

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

Actually for all my full PC gnomes, it's hard to separate 'role' from 'personality'-- they both kind of came up together for all three of them!

Idri was built around the concept of 'what would sleight of hand be like in a world with real magic', so 'this person would be a rogue' and 'this person would have this kind of personality' went hand in hand in answering that-- she learned all her rogue skills as a magician in a circus, so she's the kind of person who does flashy fake magic in circuses, etc, haha. ALTHOUGH, as for narrative role in a dnd campaign, I had envisioned her as the kind of person who THINKS she's the leader and the main character but is actually a little too young/ inexperienced/ too much of a goofball to REALLY be the leader of anything, but then everyone else built, like, reserved absolute fishes-out-of-water and she ended up being the de facto party leader for real lmao

Melliwyk's always been intended to be That Kooky Mad Scientist Side Character, which is kind of inherently broad-strokes a personality and a role in the story at the same time, lol. The premise of her campaign included lost arcane knowledge and technology, so I wanted specifically a wizard Kooky Mad Scientist Character to engage with that, so mechanical role in the campaign/ character class in DnD was pretty inbuilt there, as well.

For Felix, the role I wanted him to play is intrinsic to the personality I wanted him to have; since his original campaign was a reboot in a setting I'd been in before, I already knew I wanted my new character to be the kind of person who's really curious about everything and will proactively get himself involved in Mysteries and Conspiracies and Cult Bullshit and Spy Nonsense, because there was a lot of that in this campaign's original run and my OG PC didn't give a shit about any of it and it was super frustrating for me to play, lmao. I mean, I guess there are a lot of ways to build The Snoop personality wise, but 'wants to find stuff out' is ultimately the core of both what he does in the story and who he is as a person

Indigo's the only combo breaker! I designed them around 'star druid ship's navigator would be pretty cool' and went from there, lmao. Unusually for me, I think I even did a lot of their aesthetic design before even approaching settling on what I thought their personality might be like-- they're one of my topmost Rule Of Cool led blorbos tbh. Like okay here's my pirate with starry hair and freckles and a glowing golden eyeball and a magical girl transformation that gives them a gun that shoots comets, and NOW we can figure out what kind of person fits inside this sick empty vessel we've constructed, haha.

This got really long! the rest under the cut!

6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

For all of them, I start first and foremost with gnomes' general appearance as presented in 5e: they typically have brown skin, light hair, brightly colored eyes, and big noses, so I keep all those things in mind when I'm designing them. 'Not just making the same guy again' has also been a baseline consideration for every gnome after Idri, although I guess 'avoiding sameface' maybe goes without saying, lol.

Idri's a rogue, but she's also bright, cheerful, and flashy; her armor is black, but she otherwise favors bright jewel tones and gold. She's theatrical but she's also extremely active and mobile, so her everyday wear is stylish but comfortable and uncomplicated. Her leather armor is styled like a tailcoat as a nod to her history as a magician. Physically her small trim stature and pixie cut are meant to evoke a kind of peter pan energy and playfulness-- she should look, essentially, like a sprite who sneaks into your house to tie your shoelaces together. Also it's worth noting that I gave her little cartoon squirrel buckteeth for ??? reasons, probably just because it looked cute, but then one(1) other friend also coincidentally gave their gnome bucky teeth and now They All Have Big Incisors as a matter of personal worldbuilding lmao, so, thanks Idri!

A lot of Melliwyk's design was centered around the trinket I rolled for her-- a nightcap which gives the wearer pleasant dreams. I already knew she had an affliction that makes her fall asleep suddenly and completely at random, so I decided she's also chronically plagued with nightmares so she wears this nightcap literally all the time. I thought it would be funny for it to be oversized for her, and for her to tell people that it's a normal gnomish hood because the truth is a little embarrassing, so she builds all her outfits around it. So her hairstyle is designed not to be at odds with a 24/7 hood, and I tried a few color palettes for the hood based on what colors I thought would make sense for a night cap and then built the rest of her palette around that, haha. As for the rest of her wardrobe, her style is very pragmatic-- I still want her look to say 'wizard', but always with wearability and practicality in mind. She does a lot of tinkering and inventing, so her sleeves are cropped and her outer robes typically lack hanging or bell sleeves, to keep her hands free and unimpeded. Likewise her robes are constructed to allow free leg range of motion because she does a lot of field work/ adventuring and spends a lot of time running around. Her knickerbockers evoked old timey pith-helmet-type explorers to me (and, again, loose around the knees for range of motion), but also I just think they're cute 😌 She's got a little bit of a mom figure and a soft tummy because she's not (until recently) particularly active but she also never remembers or bothers to eat :I

The first sketch I ever did for 'gnome inquisitive rogue?' was inspired heavily by Snufkin Moomins, and not a LOT of that has remained but a lot of the [gesturing vaguely] vibe for his look started there, haha. Physically, I wanted him to be pointy and a bit foxy to get that 'sneaky little guy who sticks his nose in things' vibe across, and he dresses in a sort of shabby oversized coat mostly to look unassuming and to hopefully escape most people's notice. Really a lot of the rest is pure aesthetic! Fingerless gloves feel roguey to me, and the scarf just Felt Correct for him? And his dangle earrings were literally 'I keep giving all my gnomes plain hoop earrings I have GOT to do different ones this time' dfkjghdf. But in general most of his design at least keeps practicality in mind-- it's understated, not likely to attract attention or be memorable, and either easy to move in (including running, climbing, jumping over things, sliding down things, and squeezing through tight spaces) or-- like the coat-- easy to quickly discard. He's wiry because he's essentially always underfed :'D

Indigo is aaaaall aesthetic, babeyyyy!! They dress like a pirate because they're a pirate! They have big gold hoop earrings because they're a pirate!! They have white hair and freckles and deep deep blue eyes because they're a circle of stars druid and also because those look great against their dark skin! Their star map is their false eye, which is a solid gold sphere, because it's inspired by the map in treasure planet (because it's fuckin cool) and because making it also be their eyeball is fuckin cool! Their archer form gives them a gun made of starlight because that whips ass! I USUALLY build PCs from a much more grounded space so I had a lot of fun designing Indigo, lmao

13. Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?

God I wish I could think of A Character who sounded like Idri so I could go 'kind of like this', lmao. She was my second dnd character ever, so her voice is just Me Doing A Gnome Voice, which, first of all, set an annoying precedent when I ended up playing a bunch more gnomes and then had to invent different gnome voices so they didn't all sound like Idri :'D She.... okay, bear with me. She doesn't sound like Tom Kenny. But the thing Tom Kenny is doing with his voice when he's voicing spongebob kind of sounds like the same thing I'm doing with my voice when I'm voicing Idri. Like, it's coming from the same part of the throat? Like you know that clip where he's talking about how the spongebob voice came from his overhearing a dwarf actor complaining about the christmas elf gig? If I quoted that bit with my vocal cords it'd probably sound like Idri, uh, if that makes any sense. God I should just bite the bullet and do voice clips for some of these guys dfgjhdfkj

Melliwyk had to have A Gnome Voice to follow the precedent I accidentally set for myself, but she couldn't have the SAME gnome voice, so I based her sound on Gilda Radner as Emily Litella-- although her cadence and manner of speech have since developed into distinctly their own thing

Felix has yet a third gnome voice lol, a bit lower and softer than the girls. He generally speaks softly, and kind of alternates between pausing and then saying things all in a rush. Honestly I've still kind of struggled to nail down his voice and manner of speech, I WISH I could pin down a good voice claim to at least give me a solid starting point like I did for Mel :'D

INDIGO, HONESTLY, I've played once and my voice for him at the time was all over the damn place, I'm still not entirely sure what I actually want him to sound like aaahah ^^;;

15. Have you ever made a moodboard for them?

Kiiiind of ? I don't really do moodboards as such, but a lot of the stuff I put in their Insp tags are things that could go onto a moodboard, and their purerefs have a lot of visual references for stuff like 'outfits that make me think of them' or 'gear that feels like their vibe' without being strictly literal image references, so there's a bit of defacto moodboarding going on in their reference files, lol. HONESTLY maybe I should, I always keep OC stuff so scattered hither and yon it'd probably be helpful to be able to Look At A Collage and get a more holistic sense of a guy in one go :Ia

ask about my OCs! :D

[vesper-roux]

I have STL files to 3D print

Propaganda below the cut

I love 2B. I've based characters off of her. I started looking for 3D prints because I wanted a figure of her. But she's not the most SFW, and I'll be printing these at my local library, so...

Much of the same can be said about A2, except maybe to a more extreme with the issue of printing these in public since... you know her design.

If I played League, I doubt I would play as Ahri, but I do like this skin design/model specifically, and I think it would be a lot of fun to paint and just to look at.

Still don't play League, but Jinx was the most iconic LoL character to me and the only reason I decided to watch Arcane. Would def play as her if I played LoL.

I don't have to say much about Akali for you get it. Assassin lady with abs. Objectively good character design to fit her story. Would be a joy to paint. Also would play as her.

KDA version of Akali is equally iconic. The mask alone would be the joy of this figure.

Kindred... I would be a Kindred main if I played LoL. I love embodiments/explorations of death, and they are the coolest version I've seen to date. I would like a simple 3D print of Lamb, but the pair together is one I have many ideas for in terms of modifications. 10/10 would be fun but also many chances for fucking it up.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

Would Ambessa? (Arcane Spoilers)

.

*spoilers for Arcane Season 2 Act 1

Would Ambessa have let Jayce die in the memorial attack? I keep thinking about this because it seems like such a huge gamble if one of her main objectives is obtaining Hextech weaponry. Viktor is catatonic (and wouldn't agree to make Hextech weapons anyway), so Jayce is pretty much the only option for getting weapon designs utilizing the Hextech. Even if she thinks her own people could decode his notes if allowed access, given how complicated the Arcane has proven to be, that would presumably take a lot of time, which she seems to be running short on.

Ambessa knows Jayce can be manipulated, he's already given up his political power, and he immediately makes weapons for Cait after this attack, so it feels like it was a huge gamble for Ambessa to allow an attack specifically targeting Jayce to go down at all. I know she was watching and waiting for the "right" time to intervene, but if Jayce had been one step slower when everything kicked off, he would have taken a chainsaw to the throat and there would have been nothing anyone else could have done about that one. I think it's pretty clear that Mel was off limits as part of the deal, but Jayce just barely scraped through by the skin of his teeth.

The only advantage I can see for Ambessa if Jayce is killed (at this time) would be that it might motivate Mel's anger enough to side with her mother, but considering the fact that she's intentionally maintaining Mel as her political "enemy" in an attempt to keep her safer, that doesn't really seem to fit with her objectives anyway. Don't get me wrong, I think Ambessa is perfectly willing to let Jayce die (maybe even intends for it in the long run), but this seems like a really bad time for it to happen for her.

So... that leads me back to- would Ambessa have intervened to make sure Jayce survived? And if not, is Hextech weaponry even a major motivating factor in her presence? Obviously her plans and presence in Piltover is deeper than initially implied, but I still thought she really wanted those Hextech weapons. Thoughts?

[utilitycaster]

Speaking of Imogen kind of getting forced into a leadership role, do you have any essays loaded about leadership in the Bells Hells?

Not really. Chetney and Ashton tend to take the role on the most simply because I think Travis and Taliesin tend to be players comfortable saying "ok we've fucked around enough" and their characters this campaign have personalities such that it's not out of the question, but there isn't a designated leader.

For what it's worth party leadership discussions in the fandom tend to be very bad and here's why:

This is going to sound immensely arrogant as someone who is specifically drawn towards characters with leadership traits and whose favorites per campaign arguably are the closest to a party leader, but a lot of people just like to say their favorite character is the leader without any consideration of whether that's true.

This will sound only slightly less arrogant, but a lot of people do not do a good job of understanding that the person driving a specific series of decisions might not be the leader, because a good leader delegates and facilitates conversation and understands what they don't know. Caleb is an example of a character who actively eschews party leadership, but who is the lead in many crucial decisions, particularly with regards to the arcane and to the Empire, because he is an expert with considerable personal investment in these things and should be the one making the final call. Imogen is in this situation pretty frequently as well: as an Exaltant Ruidusborn with a mother in the Vanguard she does have more skin in the game with a bunch of decisions leading up to the solstice, and her input is weighted accordingly, but she tends not to be the person actually setting the party's course.

This is a theory but I think it's correct: I think people who are extremely decisive IRL tend to retain that in D&D, even if they actively try to play characters who aren't driving forces or leaders. I know I have tried to play chaotic fuck around characters and I just give up if no one else takes a strong leadership role and step into that vacuum. Anyway, this means that the same players often end up kind of being the leaders regardless of character, and people try to avoid facing that because of some misplaced desire for an even distribution.

[cosmcther]

GRIPS U aaron. tell me abt rosalina's wardrobe. i wanna know what she got what outfit styles she likes even if she wouldn't wear them herself. pop off >:3

     squeaks like a toy as im gripped?? but okay fine you enable me and i am more than happy to provide.

     First and foremost, Rosalina's wardrobe is plenty varied. it isn't just the same dress that you always see her in. Frankly, she considers that dress to be more of a uniform rather than what she'd properly wear around because she likes its style. Now, don't get me wrong, Rosalina is a theatre kid at heart. She has a love for the excessive and dramatic, she adores wearing dresses and gowns that billow as she walks, hovers, and what have you. She'd never say it out loud, but she sometimes enjoys feeling like a big deal.

     As a woman who cut her own childhood short, much of her adult life is making up for what she didn't experience enough of in her youth. As such, these times are like playing princess. It's the simple pleasures of flowy garments. It makes her feel pretty~!

     But, as stated before, dresses are far from all she has. Whenever there is downtime, she quite enjoys dressing down, as a matter of fact! Casual wear is not an alien concept to the woman. Though, she'll always keep it that slightest touch fanciful. There must be some sort of design on her clothes, she doesn't wear anything plain. Understated and minimalistic is perfectly fine, but let's not stray towards the realm of the boring.

     An important note is this: most of her tops, as well as outfits in general, are loose-fitting. The crop-top hoodie or cardigan exposing the midriff will not be skin-tight. There will be a fine amount of space between herself and her clothes. So too will pants have extra space to move around in. There is give to her clothes, for she has lived too long to sacrifice comfort for style. She wears what she likes, not what others enjoy seeing.

     These casual outfits are kept quite simple. Shirt, pants, and shoes. Accessories, too, are sparse. Her star earrings remain with just about every outfit worn, and she very rarely wears rings on her fingers. Perhaps an ankle bracelet if she pleases, but that's only if she's wearing some sort of short-cut pants.

     But another important note: She always has her star brooch on in some way, shape, or form. For my Rosalina specifically, I headcanon that the star brooch adorned upon her regular dress is, for all intents and purposes, her arcane center. It is the culmination of her being.

     As a child, when she died and reincarnated, the very first Luma she met transformed into the star brooch she wears daily. It can be equated to her soul. With the work of magic, it can become malleable. If a fanciful brooch doesn't work with her current outfit, she can turn it into a necklace of a smaller size and shape.

     Finally, for the more out-there outfits, Rosalina likes to dress in a gothic style if she's feeling in the mood! Normally it's for some fitting event, she doesn't wear these clothes often. She'll dress for the occasion when we're in the month of October and nearing Halloween. Here, there may be room for things like a corset, showing off more of her frame, and introducing tighter clothes than what she would normally prefer. But this style of clothing is all for the aesthetic, so she's willing to make some sacrifices.

     Even still, she still retains her fanciful style. Gothic queen is the vibe she shoots for whenever it's time to dress up. Asymmetrical dresses are the name of the game, black with red accents making up the color code. Even her mannerisms will change to be that touch more theatrical and melodramatic. She finds it fun, and... she'd make for a fantastic vampire, I assure you.

     Gowns, casual wear, and gothic outfits are the main spread of her wardrobe, but there are intricacies within each category. In short, she loves to dress up! She has an interest in what she likes and isn't afraid to stray from what might be expected of her in order to wear as she pleases.

Some extra information:

Gowns over dresses, no need for petticoats. The classical poofy dress is Peach's thing, not hers. She is tall and lithe, she likes gowns that match her thinner, more willowy frame.

Enjoys shoulderless clothes. Or, at the very least, clothing that shows off more shoulder than the average fit.

Not big on showing her chest. Showing skin is fine, but it has to be up near the collarbone at least.

Some visual references:

Casual Outfit Reference / Brooch-Turned-Necklace Reference (Pictures 1 & 4): (★)

Gothic Outfit References: (★) - (★)

[catboyolli]

Omg I love DnD and I love this concept 😍 Can you share any more details? Like have you settled on specific character classes for everyone yet? And have you already created some art for the story?

hiiiiiiiii thank you so much for the ask!!!! I love talking about this stupid concept that has been rotting in my head since 2021 😬💖 and oh well, this one is gonna be long but if you also have any ideas I would love to hear them 🥰💘💕💖💕

But okay, I lied because I have two concepts related to high fantasy ( I am so normal about this lol)

For the "main" project I went with Pathfinder 1e because it has so many classes to choose from, that I didn't have to rely on homebrew stuff (and because I had to learn how this system works and after 5 years I still don't get some of the stuff 😅), so I settled on:

Joel as a haunted spiritualist looking to get rid of his phantom (spellcaster with occult magic and a "pet" aka phantom)

Niko as an urban skald who pledged to retake his family's ancestral land (d&d's bard/barbarian multiclass, probably will change the backstory because it feels too meh).

Joonas as a flamesinger bard, he's just some lucky guy and nothing bad has happened to him (yet), other than some tasteless patrons disliking his music

Olli as a stargazer oracle searching for many answers in the stars (kiiiiinda like a cleric, but not devoted to any or to a single god)

Tommi as an aspect of the bear shifter whose druidic circle succumbed to corruption (melee shapeshifter, kinda like d&d's circle of the moon druid)

Aleksi as a universalist arcanist tasked with paying back a heavy family debt and no, it isn't related to money at all (d&d's sorcerer/wizard multiclass, he gets to summon a familiar and ofc it's Rilla 🥰)

If I go with that, I'm going to use Paizo's Pathfinder main campaign setting because I really don't want to come up with the worldbuilding lol (tbh that would imply creating a lot of everything from scratch, unless I actually go 100% insane and do it........)

The 2nd one is another fantasy AU where they are tieflings because who doesn't love tieflings???? I used d&d 5e and assigned one ability score to each of the boys:

Strength: Tommi as a Zariel bloodline tiefling, Path of the Totem Warrior (bear ofc) Barbarian (he strong)

Dexterity: Aleksi as a Mammon bloodline tiefling, Arcane Trickster Rogue (he's a rich little shit who loves to steal for fun)

Constitution: Joel as a Levistus bloodline tiefling, Blood Hunter from the Order of the Profane Soul with an Undead patron (I know it's mouthful but yeah.....)

Intellect: Olli as a Mephistopheles bloodline tiefling, Artillerist Artificier (and before anyone says oh but Olli is a dumbass, why intelligence? Listen. He's actually smart, but he's sooooo forgetful that not all his creations succeed...)

Wisdom: Niko as a Baalzebub bloodline tiefling, War Domain Cleric (originally I wanted to assign him the strenght attribute and Tommi would have the wisdom one, but I feel it works better this way. Niko seems to be a very wise dude IRL and not as physically strong as Tommi)

Charisma: Joonas as an Asmodeus bloodline tiefling, Wild Magic Sorcerer (I really really wanna homebrew a devil bloodline for this)

I haven't thought of any backstories or a storyline for this AU, I'm just vibing with the concept 😅 a lof of inspiration for the designs (that are in my mind ofc) comes from Pointy Hat's tiefling video, which please go watch if you haven't, it's an amazing channel.

I have a complicated relationship with art due to Not Having Enough Time And Skill. I tried to make some art back when I was choosing the horns and skin tones for tiefling!Olli, but I got frustrated and left it there to rot lol (+ i didn't like the style + took too much time)

For skin tones + eye color variation: red / purple / blue

Zoom of the two concepts I "finished" 😬 (smooth vs ribbed horns)

But yeah, that's mostly it! I wish I had more to show you, but I'm hoping to have enough time work on the tiefling!AU around December or early 2024😊

Again, thank you for enabling me to ramble about something I really really really love 🥺💕💖💘💖💕💖