#all of this characters are legends and so is he

[theatrevelyan]

Ok, big endgame spoilers for DAV but I need to scream into the void because I don’t think we stopped enough to talk about the fact that Lucanis literally stabbed a God, twice, and even killed her the second time.

He killed her.

Sure, he had help, and someone always dies to give him the shot, but do you understand how fucking big of a deal that is?????

Actions so important and plot relevant as that are usually reserved for the main character/protagonist of a game, especially in an rpg.

And here comes our little assassin, who we recruited to kill gods but who we all know, from a narrative standpoint, has no chance to actually deal the final blow, and he fucking deliveres.

We still get the big boss, sure, but he still got one. He defied narrative preconceptions and finished his contract.

How fucking metal is that?????

And can you imagine, once this is all over, how the other crows must see him? He was already a legend before and now he’s the crow that managed a successful contract on a freaking god.

Can you imagine the awe? The fear? The sheer terror his next target would feel knowing the man who killed a god is after them?

And if Rook is a crow the same goes for them!

The crows are already infamous, could you imagine how their reputation would skyrocket even more knowing that not just one, but possibly two of them managed to kill a god????

One might a fluke, an outlier among them (which Lucanis already is since he’s considered the best they have). But two?! It begins to be a pattern. Sign of skill and competence for the whole guild.

Caterina would love that shit. What better marketing strategy than “if need be, we can kill gods btw” could she get.

And can you imagine if crow Rook and Lucanis are romancing each other??? Who would dare to even think opposing the two assassins that literally killed gods??? Bet the usual crow shenanigans would stay clear of them.

Anyway I’m really normal about Lucanis.

[asteroidtroglodyte]

My brain is going:

Pirates in Pop Consciousness: Red/Black

Pirates in the Historical Caribbean: White/Black

Disney’s POTC Pirates: Green/Red

So the Pop Culture Pirate is more of an aesthetic and an attitude than a real character; principally defined by alcoholism, disability, and a life of crime, The Pop Pirate is a wretched lout interested only in drinking and plunder.

Lost to the Pop Culture awareness is the fact that, in those days, plunder was a Royal Interest, and the overwhelming majority of “Pirates” were actually the contemporary equivalent of Government Contractors.

I mean, where do you think the Treasure Chests full of Gold & Silver & Gems came from? Do you imagine that the Spaniards just asked God very nicely? No! They were raping, robbing, and pillaging their way across The Americas, stealing everything that was vaguely shiny and putting the rightful owners to the sword.

So. The other Crowns did not have permission from The Pope to do the same, so they resorted to stealing from the boats. Therefore, being a Pirate, or “Privateer,” in contemporary English, was a fucking Government Job.

Then, Disney decided to make a family-friendly franchise within that context. Which. I mean that’s a choice. I suppose. So. What to do? Smash together every myth and legend you can get your Intellectually Proprietary mitts on, make it all run on Terra Nullius and the Rule of Cool, and try to make your band of drunken misfits as societally acceptable as you can manage.

I choose Red/Green because Captain Jack Sparrow, a Pirate more famous for releasing slaves and cheating the devil than he ever was for riches, is a deeply Red example of type, and the eventual arc of resisting the forces of Progress is very Green.

The funniest part of this for me is how none of these are Blue. I guess the only reason Blue got associated with Pirates is because Blue mana comes from Islands and the sea, in older MTG design. But. I mean they’re not very aligned with Progress or Authority at all. Fascinating.

I don’t think we talk enough about how, despite the presence of multiple globes, PotC takes place on a flat earth, ice wall included.

[screamintoad]

Twst oc Mathilde “Mattie” Darrow

“Our fates are within us, you just need to be brave enough to see it.”

Voice claim: Rayla-The Dragon Prince

Character info

Mathilde has stubbornness and fire flowing through her veins. As the dorm head of Befated, she takes great pride in it. Many of her classmates gossip and say she would be better at NRC but she thinks otherwise. Wanting her freedom to do what she wants, she takes every opportunity she can to be outside or even just around nature. She loves playing spelldrive and uses it as a way to let out any pent up stress or energy, which she has a lot of at RSA. 

  She grew up around myths and legends and folk tales. She was taught to not believe them as reality, yet, Mattie took them as lessons that you can learn from. Like the old story of the princess who accidentally turned her mom into a bear yet ended up saving her and their bond. She lives a humble life with her family in the Shaftlands. Although they don’t always see eye to eye, her family DOES always end the day around the fireplace surrounded by laughter. 

Fun facts: She almost joined the archery club but when she saw the Spelldrive team practicing she decided right then and there that she wanted to do it too. When she was younger she was self conscious about her looks because of other kids poking fun at her for it, now that she’s older she’s quite confident in herself. Uses her magic to summon the string and arrows for her bow. Is a Eurasian brown bear beastfolk. She remembers meeting an old lady who lived in a cottage and this lady addressed her as “princess”, she especially remembers all of the bear carvings she was selling and the odd talking crow. 

Basic info

Age: 17

Height: 178cm, 5’10

B-day: June 15th (Gemini) 

Dominant hand: Right

Family: mom, dad, and 3 younger brothers

2nd year

Class A

Club: Spelldrive

Best subject: P.E

Hobbies: Archery, Horseback riding

Pet peeve: People not listening to her for various reasons (“I’m older”, “You’re just a girl”, etc.)

Favorite food: Berries

Least favorite food: Blueberry tarts

Talent: Self preservation, athletics

Unique Magic: Wisps Call, growing up around myths and legends gave her a knack for finding lone spirits and attract wisps to her. In dire need of guidance these wisps will lead the way. 

Character dynamics (listen there’s only like 2 RSA students that we know the personalities of)

Neige: They don’t interact very often but they are in the same grade so sometimes, very rarely, they’ll be paired up for school assignments. He has a a bit of complimenting her and first she scoffed until she realized that it’s just how Neige is. 

Chen’ya: Even with her enhanced senses, Mattie can’t predict where Chen’ya is going to be. He’s a drifter and so they run into each other at random times but, she thinks he’s funny and will go with him sometimes to visit NRC. 

Richie: They first met when she was trying out for the spelldrive team. He challenged her to a 1 v 1 match and if she won, she could join the team. After she joined the team they gained a friendly rivalry, on and off the field. Mattie also has the habit of throwing him over her shoulder and walking away if he’s about to or has made a fool of himself. 

Mina: They met when there was a spelldrive tournament between NRC and RSA. Mathilde was immediately drawn to Mina as she stood out so much compared to the other NRC students. Her kindness was welcomed by Mattie’s enthusiasm and friendliness, she’s also the main reason why Mattie visits NRC. 

Bruna: Vice dorm head of Befated. Rats. 

RICHIE AND MINA BELONG TO @twtysevapr

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@moonyasnow @skibidibabygirl @justm3di0cr3 @bunniehunn @midnightmah07

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[luimagines]

The Legend of Baldur's Gate (1800 Follower Raffle)

Our first prize winner was @prumby!

They asked for a DnD Reader who happened to be from Baldur's Gate 3 where the chain goes to their world. Keep in mind, I have never played the game. But I am familiar with the concept and have a friend who very happily beta read this to make sure the characters weren't too OOC.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

When they all exited the portal at first, they didn’t inherently assume there was a problem with the land in front of them. The trees were all the same. The sounds of the river happened to be closer than they thought; but they were already accustomed to moving between many, many years as well. The terrain lives as much as the people do. That river could have been there for hundreds of years, or it could be a new development. It would be hard to say.

The only thing that they had to tip them off was the acrid and bitter taste to the air around them. 

Hyrule’s air was sweet. The inherent magic of the land had permeated through the air itself, giving it the taste of sugar or rock candy. It was soft on the senses and invigorating to the soul.

The air here was nothing of the sort. 

Sky coughs to the side, wheezing and bending down in an effort to catch his breath. Warrior is instantly by his side, patting his back and offering what support he can.

“Do you guys hear that?” Twilight relatively puts his hand on the hilt of his sword.

It had been relatively quiet until Sky had lost his breath. No one had noticed anything. They all go still once Twilight speaks, going in edge without a second thought.

You step forward from the portal at last, letting it close behind you without looking back. You take a deep breath and seem to relax almost at once. “Oh.. it smells like home.”

All eyes turn to you.

“What is that supposed to-”

BAM!

Suddenly a large creature barrels out of the treeline, heading right for the group. It’s a huge four legged beast, covered in feathers with the face of an owl. It roars defiantly, shaking the ground as it charges.

You don’t hesitate, throwing spells left and right as the boys struggle to get their bearings on the beast. You also charge the beast, slashing it with your blade without a second thought. Twilight follows on your heels, having somehow gathered that there was a creature nearby before you even arrived on the scene.

One by one, the boys all begin to pull their weight and fight back this strange creature that they had never seen before. It roars, throwing back each of them. Four crashes into a tree. Legend gets a gnarly slash on his arm from the beak of the beast. You slide closer, using the momentum from a push that allows you to slide under the creature, slicing it from below.

The battle doesn’t take much longer after that.

“What…” Wild pants, haphazardly throwing magic potions at Hyrule so he could heal the others. “-wa  that?!”

“Owlbear.” You wipe the sweat from your brow. “I’m not sure where we are exactly but I can tell you this-.”

“There you are, Darling.” A low growl comes from the man that approaches your group. He’s pale, unnaturally so. His white seems to be parted over to one side. His clothes flair around his wrists and neck, the deep cut of his shirt accentuating his diamond cut muscles. His red eyes are piercing with no amount of humor in them despite his earlier tone.

You flinch and grimace. “....I can explain.”

“Oh, you will.” He glares. “Do you have any idea how long we were looking for you?”

“Astarion-”

“That blasted wizzard Gale wouldn’t shut up about finding you.” He crosses his arms, putting one of his hands up, curling his fingers like a diva. “And don’t even get me started on Scratch. The bloody hound was even worse. And mutt can’t even talk.”

That last one was like a slap to your face. “I can explain what happened.”

“Well then, by all means!” Astarion opens his arms with a flourish. “Be my guest. You can start with why you’re surrounded by half elf children who smell like pixies.”

You huff and put your hand on your hips. Ignoring his jab at the boys next to you, you turn to your friends and gesture to the vampire. “Guys, this is Astarion. A friend of mine. Astarion, these are the Heroes of Hyrule. These are the ones that I’ve been traveling with while I’ve been gone.”

“He seemed very concerned over your disappearance.” Legend rolls his eyes, tugging it away from Hyrule’s grip as the healing spell ends.

“Stop it.” You point at the Vet, with a stern glare. ”Don’t you start. He has seniority.” 

“I’m not old.” He turns his head as he grumbles. “I’m only a few hundred years old. Honestly. It’s a lot less than a few others can say and you know it!”

You bite back a smile and point to the dead owlbear in the vicinity. You’ve missed his attitude. It’s both hard to take him seriously sometimes and all too easy to talk to him. “Yours, I presume?”

“It was going to be.” He says tensely, looking at the group around you. You instantly know why he’s apprehensive.

“It still can be!” You say, gesturing wildly to the corpse of the owlbear. “It’s not like I want it! Are the others nearby?”

He puts his hands on his hips. “We’re camped close enough.”

Arf! Arf! Arf!

You perk up at once, the barking making even Link’s head look in the direction of the sound. You jump up, flinging two of your fingers to your lips and release a shrill whistle.

A white dog comes bounding out of the underbrush at the call, b-lining right to you without so much as a second glance at the newcomers you’ve brought into the world.

“Scratch!” You catch the dog, petting him with complete adoration. The dog continues to bark, his tail wagging wildly enough to sprain it later if the poor thing keeps this up. 

“I’ve missed you so much, buddy! You’re such a good boy! I’m so sorry I left so suddenly. I have so many new treats for you!” You cry out, wrestling with the creature playfully. Wind, Time and Sky all come closer to say their hellos to the dog. Scratch was a bit wary at first, no doubt confused by their strange smells, but your confidence helped put the animal to ease. New friends are still friends after all!

“Hello? Astarion? Are you here?” Another familiar voice calls from the tree line. “Scratch took off like a bat out of the seven hells after we noticed we were gone.”

“Gale!” You jump up, running to meet your friend halfway before he could come out into the clearing.

Astarion makes his way over to the owlbear to feed at last now that everyone’s attention is on someone else for a change.

The brunette screams when he sees you, startling the cat off of his shoulders. He cries out your name and hugs you fiercely. Enough so that the sound of the thunk had Warrior and Legend wincing on your behalf. “It has been too long! Where on Faerûn did you go running off to?”

“Gale.” You laugh. “You’re not going to believe half of the magic I’ve witnessed in the past few months I’ve been away.”

“Months?!” He jolts and grabs you by your shoulders. ”My dear it’s only been three weeks! What do you mean months!?”

This causes you and the group of heroes behind you to freeze. Your jaw drops as you equally hold Gale at an arm's length from you. “...Gale, what are you sure? I’ve been gone for three months, at least. …Admittedly, I haven’t been exactly counting, but it’s certainly been more than three weeks.”

“No, no… It’s been three weeks.” He says softly. “...My goodness, this is certainly worth discussing over a cup of tea. Come come come. You and your-” He pauses and looks over the gang of Hylians that all looks around feeling incredibly misplaced. “-...friends. And we can all have lunch!”

“Um- actually, Gale, I don’t know if they can eat-”

“Allergies?”

“No, no- they’re just from another world-”

“Another world?!”

“Yes!”

“Oh that’s splendid! All the more reason to behave as good hosts should!” Gale gets a familiar gleam in his eye and you fear that you’ve awakened the slumbering scholar. “That is of course if they don’t mind answering some questions.”

“...It’s Shad. That’s who he’s reminding me of.” Twilight deadpans.

“Oh, do you cook the food?” Wild asks hesitantly. “...I’m the cook of the group. I don’t mind filling in to feed us since I don’t think it would be very polite of us to use up your resources. I’ll just need the fire.”

“We can both make dishes of our worlds and then compare for sake of sharing a meal with one another.” Gale all but jumps around in glee, picking up his cat and placing her back on his shoulders. You can already see him trying Wild’s cooking and taking notes like the nerd he is. “Come Tara! We must welcome our new guests!”

You sigh and call the group to follow. “We might as well. There’s others I want you to meet.”

“Like your friend Shadowheart that you’ve mentioned once or twice?” Four tilts his head, running up to catch up to you as you begin to leave.

“Yes, exactly.” You grin. “She’s going to yell at me, I’m sure.”

“She sounds delightful.” Hyrule ruffles his hair.

“Don’t take too long, Astarion! Or you’ll miss out on the chaos!” You grin as you yell that over your shoulder, not commenting on that. You see him lean away from the owlbear, the faintest hint of blood on his lips. “Be there in a moment!”

Wind tugs on your tunic in haste. “Is that-”

“He’s fine.” You wave off the child’s concerns. “...In every way that it counts.”

“Oh please tell me not another one.” Legend groans. “The Captain is bad enough.”

“Hey!”

“He knows it.” You laugh, patting your thigh to signal for Scratch to follow you. “Come on, Gale will no doubt want to take your ear off.”

“So long as they know that we mean no harm.” Time says as he walks behind the group on your other side. “We’re not here to make enemies. It wasn’t our intention to come here at all.”

“It’ll be fine.” You stress.

At the very least, you hope it will be.

[86espresso]

he’s watching | jh86

warnings ; blood, knife play, fear play, mentions of murder, oral (f), voyerism but its a ghost that isn’t there?, abandoned house, ghostface/hannibal mask?, bf!jack x afab!reader,”, hide and seek :), and other freakish shit I had no idea I was lowkey attracted to. not proofread.

wc; 2.2k

a/n ; I started this during october and lost the motivation so have this in late november! I have no explanation, it is exactly what it looks like. if this is something you’re not into pleasee don’t read, this is twisted and nasty bc that’s how I function <3 once again, read at your own risk. with that, insane!jack can terrorize me anyyydayyy.

If it was anyone else stalking you down the halls of an abandoned house, with a legitimate knife and a scary mask, you would’ve ran out of the place like your ass was on fire.

However, it was only Jack. Your boyfriend.

You could tell something different in his low chuckles when he came closer to wherever you were hiding, the playful game of cat and mouse you had started turning into something more menacing in the dark rooms and hallways of the house.

The two of you were lovesick for all horror stories and urban legends, and you knew of the story of the haunted house at the end of the street, so you decided to venture there together to get away from the parties. Still clad in your Halloween costumes.

It was a slutty Halloween party, so you wore a tight fitting black top that showed more than it should and a black mini skirt. You had fake blood all over your cleavage, neck, and one single dried drop down the side of your temple. You matched with Jack’s muscle tee and black sweats, his obscured version of a ghostface-hannibal mask, and knife.

And now, Jack was doing everything in his power to ensure that your heart stayed thumping hard against your ribcage, your palms were sweaty, that you were genuinely scared before you use the code word for stopping any terrifying prank either of you were pulling on each other. You’ve never really said it before because neither of you were that easy to scare, and you didn’t take it that far.

For the record, Jack did have you feeling all of those things, not because you were scared, but because you were thrilled. Though, you’d have to admit, it was the thought of being so terrified that you liked it that really had your chest heaving with anticipation.

You wanted to know what the man in the mask could do. How he would use his knife.

“Jack?” You called out meekly, stepping carefully into the master bedroom, that had nothing but moonlight illuminating it. Your voice may be weak, but you were feeling the opposite inside, your heart burning with the desire to feel that knife against your throat at least once, to see nothing but Jack’s hooded eyes as he pressed hard enough to draw blood but not enough to really hurt you.

You knew he was near this area because you heard him here; any logical person would have turned right back but you ran towards the bullets.

You were about five steps into the bedroom when it slammed shut right behind you.

Again, any normal and sane person would’ve screamed, whipped around, ran—but you stayed still, breathing hard, a slow smirk spreading on your face. You didn’t turn around, you didn’t have to.

His shadow joined yours, standing right behind you and his heat radiated onto you, giving you much needed warmth to your bare shoulders and legs.

“Found you, doll.” He drawled, moving closer. You could hear the smirk in his voice.

“I wasn’t hiding.” You say as his chest lightly touches your shoulders, his hand barely ghosting over your waist before he grips it properly.

His palm is wet.

“Jack—”

“Blood.”

You gulp. “Whose?”

“Mine.”

You head starts spinning, as if he drew your blood. You feel a spark of concern, leaning back into him, trying to wordlessly communicate it.

“S’all good, doll.” He softens his voice slightly, leaning into you.

You stiffen up again, standing straight, falling back into ‘character’ instantly.

This time, his other arm snakes around your waist, you see the glint of the knife before it lays flat against your stomach. It’s like that for a moment before Jack abruptly turns you around.

“All that chasing—you liked that, hm?”

His bloody hand stays on your waist while the other traces the blunt edge of the knife over your breasts. The mask is pretty scary, but his raspy voice and cold blue eyes work more for you. The tip of the knife just barely touches the underside of your chin; if you nod, it would pierce your skin. The thought sent a rush of heat throughout your body, and you nod carefully, the blade pinching your chin. It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but Jack understood that’s what you wanted, you could see the smile reaching his eyes as he pushes the knife up just a bit. A wave of heat mixed with pain rushes over you as you feel the smallest trickle of blood run down your neck and mix with the fake blood on your tits.

Jack’s chest shakes with a small laugh. You’re sure you could drown in your arousal.

“Fuck, y’liked that too? What am I going to do with you?”

Before you could answer, he removed the knife and lifted his mask, putting the tip of it on his tongue and licking it clean. You let out a whimper at the action, unable to resist the burning desire in your lower stomach.

“Careful, baby,” he tutts, shaking his head slightly, tracing the blunt end down to the front of your mini skirt, “he could’ve heard you.”

‘He’ was the man who owned the house in the 19th century. ‘He’ murdered the intruder that came into his house and killed his wife. ‘He’ then turned the knife on himself out of sorrow.

Jack knew you admired that man’s story.

Your cheeks flush at the thought of a fucking ghost watching what Jack was about to do to you.

Jack’s bloody hand touched the blood on your chin, the two combining in his thumb. He puts his thumb in your bottom lip, silently demanding you to suck, and you do.

Jack huffs, feeling your tongue swirl around his thumb with so much eagerness as he swiftly tears your mini skirt with the knife, causing you to let go of his thumb when you gasped. The skirt hit the floor.

You weren’t wearing anything underneath the it, the coolness of the night making you shiver as Jack’s eyes drop to your lower half.

You intentionally wore nothing underneath your top and skirt, hoping that Jack would make quick work of fucking you when the two of you got home. Maybe get some roleplay in between to thrill you a little.

But this was way, way more than you hoped for and you could never complain. The hottest man you knew had full access to your body and he had a knife. You were at his mercy completely.

Jack softly kicks near your heal to push your legs further apart before the blunt edge traces up your inner thigh, the coolness of the knife making you shake slightly.

“Jack.”

Jack ignores your pathetic whimper and puts the blunt edge of the knife directly between your folds. He could see your thighs glistening and he was delighted to learn how turned on you were.

Your jaw drops and your nails dig into his muscular forearm. “Shit, J—”

“Not another sound, doll. Unless you’re screaming.” In fear.

He moves the knife deliciously against your clit, spreading your slickness through your pussy. His other (bloody) hand works up your waist and toys with the hem of your shirt.

You hear a floorboard creak in the hallway and still.

“Hm, y’hear that too, doll? Sounded like someone was right outside the door.”

Your eyes become teary as you bit down on your lip. Hard enough to taste the metallic flavor of blood. Something flashed in Jack’s eyes and he pulls the mask off.

His knifed hand doesn’t pause its movements while his other grabbed the back of your neck, pulling your mouth roughly against his. His lips meet yours in a tangle of tongues and harsh sucking to where your lip was bleeding.

You didn’t know his thing for blood was that strong.

He pulls away and removes the knife as well. He looks directly at you with his icy blue eyes and sticks his tongue out, laying it flat against the blunt end and licking your arousal clean. He hums in satisfaction.

“Not enough,” he says once the knife is clean. Your heart was pounding with desire and fear, waiting for his next move. “I’m gonna eat you,” he pauses and smirks, “out, of course.”

Making cannabalistic implications? He’s truly out of it.

You wait for his next move patiently, the thought of doing such a filthy thing in the one place people stay away from already making the desire in your stomach deepen.

To your surprise, he turns you around, your back now facing the slightly ajar door (didn’t Jack slam it shut?) and Jack’s back now facing the wall. He instructs you to lie down on the floor, and you prop yourself up with your elbows, knees spread and bent. Jack lies down in front of you on his stomach, hooking your legs over his shoulders and ghosting his lips up your thigh.

He could sense your confusion at the position. You knew that he knew that he could’ve just pushed you back a few steps, gotten on his knee, and eaten you out against the wall.

“Wanted your back facing the door,” he frees one of his hands to push the hair away from his face, “and, I wanted you lying down so when he walks in, he has a proper view.”

You can hardly believe the words left his mouth before he latched his lips onto your cunt, sucking and licking through your folds, trying to get as deep as he could. He could feel the moan building through your chest, so before you actually could, he grabs the knife from next to him and put it half an inch away from the spot he pierced earlier.

“What did I say?”

“Not a sound.” You echo his words from before and refrain from whimpering at the cold, almost dead look in his eyes. It’s like something possessed him.

He hums before licking a stripe through your folds again, his eyes not moving away from yours. Partially because he wanted to keep you intimidated and partially because the knife was still under your chin and he would rather die than risk a wrong movement.

“He’s watching us, baby.” You feel Jack’s smirk before you register his words. You look into his eyes for a plot second before he sucked your clit so harshly, you threw your head back to stop the moan clawing up your throat.

The mere thought of that ghost watching while Jack was buried deep between your legs caused the pool of warmth in your lower stomach increase.

You don’t know if it had been hours or seconds since Jack was alternating between giving attention to your clit and folds, how long Jack had been talking through it, heavy breathing while telling you about the ‘man’s every move. You don’t know exactly how out of it you’d been, but you look down to see your shirt ripped neatly down the middle, your tits hanging out and nipples hardening in the cool air, that you didn’t know when Jack even pulled away from you. The warmth of his hands on you never left.

He did it.

Subconsciously, you knew he didn’t do it, but the thought brought you closer regardless.

“He’s right behind you, doll.”

Your mouth parts in a silent whine and your eyes roll to the back of your head. Your elbows were sore from the position, so you lay fully down, tangling your fingers through Jack’s messy hair as him and his words nearly tip you over the edge. The last thing you see is his eyes flashing as he eagerly licks and sucks your clit, as if he really saw someone standing behind you. Your back arches off the floor and it takes everything within you not to let out the high-pitched moan you were holding in.

You don’t know if it was some arousal induced hallucination but you swore you saw a figure when you threw your head back while Jack worked through your orgasm, but you knew it was what really tipped you over. Jack groans into you, kissing your inner thighs before pulling away.

He was amused, admiring your cloudy eyes and dazed expression. He hasn’t even gotten to fucking you yet.

He pulled off the now damaged top off of you and tapped your cheek. “Not done with you yet, baby. Hands and knees.”

He leaned down and quickly kissed you, a stark contrast to earlier. “Don’t need t’stay quiet this time.”

The bargain was enough for you to roll on your front, entirely bare in front of him now. You hadn’t noticed the dirty floor length mirror next to the door (that was now halfway open) earlier.

Jack met your eyes in the mirror, making quick work of his sweats and boxers, using his other hand to wrap around your neck, keeping you upright. He lets go of your neck and instead form hooks his thick arm around your chest, the blood on your tits coming onto his arm.

Another burst of wind rocks the house, floorboards creaking and you were sure you heard another door slam shut. You look up into Jack’s eyes and mirror his smirk.

[avelera]

Distinguished Innovators (14956 words) by Avelera Chapters: 3/3 (COMPLETE) Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jayce/Viktor (League of Legends) Characters: Jayce (League of Legends), Viktor (League of Legends) Additional Tags: POV Jayce (League of Legends), Missing Scene, Insomnia, Pre-Relationship, Early Days, Jayce Needs a Hug (League of Legends), Mutual Pining, Overworking, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic, Slice of Life, Late Night Conversations, Sharing a Bed, There Was Only One Bed, Betaed, Sub Jayce (League of Legends), Canon Compliant, First Time, Dom/sub Undertones, Angst and Humor, Masturbation, Explicit Sexual Content Summary: It is the early years of Jayce and Viktor's scientific partnership, and the Distinguished Innovators competition is only three days away. That is, if they can get all the work done for it in time when Jayce is exhausted, overworked, and at risk of burning out entirely before they even make it there. So when Jayce jokingly asks Viktor to take control and tell him what to do, in the hopes that it will help Jayce relax and get some much needed sleep before the competition, he was not expecting Viktor to so readily oblige. Nor was he expecting what happened after.

--

It's done! Whew, I can't believe it! Thank you so much to my AMAZING beta readers and I hope all of you enjoy!

[clueless-fan-critic]

Agatha All Along: the Magical Sequel to WandaVision

So…I’m pretty late to the bandwagon, but I finally got fully through the entire series.

And I loved it!!!! The lore, the atmosphere, the characters, everything fell perfectly into place. After finally finishing and rewatching the show, it has become my top favorite show along side WandaVision. I'm always a sucker for anything with witches, spells, deities, and other mythological elements. I've been a big fan of the Scarlet Witch, both in the comics and Elizabeth Olsen's stellar performance. But enough praise, let me explain what this show has in store.

Agatha All Along is the sequel series to WandaVision that follows Agatha Harkness, previously trapped in Wanda's spell, on a journey beyond Westview. And onto the Witches Road with a makeshift coven on her side.

With all that out of the way, I will examine the finer details full of spoilers and dramatic twists that are much better if you go into the show blind. Now, Down the Road We Go!!!

Down the Witches Road...

The Witches Road is the main setting for all the major conflict in the show with a magical MacGuffin playing a role for each of the witches. As they progress, each character fulfills their own desires by overcoming the trials: Jennifer Kale learns to be a witch without her powers, Alice Wu-Gulliver overcomes her family curse, and Lilia Calderu embraces life despite her upcoming death. However, there were hiccups along the way with Sharon Davis's death, Agatha confronting her mother's ghost, and Rio Vidal's reveal as Mistress Death. But the major twist is that... The Witches Road never existed in the first place and Agatha made up the Ballad to lure witches for her to absorb. And Teen, later Billy Maximoff/Kaplan, made it real in a way like Wanda's Hex.

What I could tell was that each trial played a role in a character's journey, magic, and an element they represent: Jennifer as potions and water, Alice as protection and fire, Agatha as spirit, Lilia as divination and air, and Rio/Death as earth. The trials were more or less reflections of the characters in essence like Alice's trial related to music and Agatha's trial was more about what she has become and is. In the end, many of the characters got what they wanted from the road ironically since Agatha only gathered the coven to gain more power for herself.

Witchcraft is a huge staple in this show that embraces the more mysterious and spiritual sides of magic. Making it distinct from Sorcery by the Masters of Mystic Arts which looks more like the Avatar's Bending Arts if anything. It gives us a different way of seeing magic used by actual witches with spells and potions and even riding broomsticks.

Although we don't really know why, I think Agatha's magic draining power is a "mutation" that makes her incapable of creating her own magic and instead steals it from others. We also don't get any clues to how she got the Darkhold, just a rumor about her giving up her son for it. Maybe someone gave it to her and manipulated her into seeking out Wanda by promises of giving her power or resurrecting her son. Those were the only plot holes that kind of bothered me in the end, but aren't important... yet.

One by One We Carry On...

All the actors portray their characters flawlessly, but I did not expect Agatha to remain the same evil character throughout til the end. I thought they would pull some sort of "Zuko" scenario in a short period. But no, they keep the same but more sympathetic and relatable. Agatha goes from an evil witch killer to a grieving mother who's also a witch killer. Despite falling in love with Death, Agatha still lost her child Nicholas Scratch and still continued building the legend of the Witches Road to pursue more power. While it doesn't justify her actions, we get a bit of an understanding into why she does what she does.

While Billy is a great character, I didn't feel he had those "Epic Epiphany" moments like with Lilia completing the Divination trial and her final showdown with the Salem Seven. I still think he'll go to that point in some other project but he does grow into a stronger character from his experiences.

One of the witches who stood out the most is Lilia Calderu. The strongest episode is Death's Hand In Mine where she takes center stage as the main character. Lilia was characterized in a very strong way where she's definitely not a Mary Sue who wins because it happens. We see how Lilia experiences time randomly and how much she struggles to live with it. She uses her Divination powers to outsmart the Salem Seven in one badass move, but ultimately sacrificing herself while finally reclaiming her power.

The only thing I felt was unnecessary were the Salem Seven. They only play the role as an obstacle rather than a major antagonist like Mistress Death.

Now that we finally know who Rio is, it makes sense with how she drops bread crumbs in her scenes including her arrival on the Witches Road, the Ouija board's message, and even how she talks with Agatha about their history.

The casting and dialogue feels both organic to the actors and technically skilled in how they include previous characters from other shows like Sharon Davis and Ralph Bohner/Randall. All without being forced or contrived, it feels necessary for Westview to become the place where magic goes awry.

With where the series end, I really want to know how they can top or connect this to the next saga.

What Lies Ahead...

With the overloaded schedule of upcoming MCU projects, sudden hiatuses, and crazy leaks, we can only hope for some definitive answer to how plot holes are filled in. Will we get the resurrected Tommy Maximoff/Shepard meeting White Vision? How did Agatha get the Darkhold before Westview? Is Billy going to become a Young Avenger with his codename Wiccan? And will we get a sorcerers vs witches battle? All completely up in the air and slowly driving fans psychotic with anticipation.

With that said, Agatha All Along is more than enough to keep us satiated with amazing performances, alluring settings and designs, and intriguing witch mythos. I am hoping for more witches and magic being incorporated into the MCU and having writers learn that a character doesn't need to be redeemed into a hero so long as they are compelling to relate to.

Now, What Will You Find Down The Road?

[screamofdespair]

山本泰一郎 Yasuichiro Yamamoto is a veteran artist who has been working on Detective Conan since 1996 and has directed many memorable episodes, such as The Mountain Villa Bandaged Man Murder Case, The Mist Goblin Legend Murder Case, The Night Baron Murder Case, and many more.

Back then, the series director was こだま兼嗣 Kenji Kodama (1–118). After Kodama left his position, Yamamoto took over the director role and continued delivering memorable episodes (118–332). He later took a long hiatus but returned to direct the series starting from episode 667 and continues to serve as the director of the Detective Conan anime to this day.

山本泰一郎 Yasuichiro Yamamoto storyboarded and directed episodes #927 and #928 - The Scarlet School Trip (#1000 to #1005 in the manga)

Despite the limitations and the lack in some departments such as the art direction or the color design, which have made it difficult to create a strong atmosphere for several years (it's still the case today), and despite the heavy workload, Yamamoto managed to make the two 40-minutes episodes both interesting and different from what we are used to, offering a different perspective given the constraints.

Rather than attempting to create something with a variety of different shots and opting for a contemplative atmosphere showcasing the beauty of Kyoto during the dialogues, Yamamoto used a significant amount of effects based on the manipulation of the layers in the composition of the scenes (the parallax effect). Since there were many conversation scenes, the director ensured not to overwhelm the viewer with many static face drawings where only the mouths would move, choosing instead to replicate a more dynamic feeling to compensate for the lack of strong character acting animation. Simple, yet very effective and eye-pleasing.

To avoid deviating too far from the main theme, which is the "school trip," many shots emphasize the feeling of constantly being surrounded and almost cramped by the Kyoto residents who live in the area, the students, the tourists, those staying at the hotel, the police later and so on. Either the main characters are in the background with people in front of them, or they are in the foreground surrounded by people behind them. With that philosophy in mind, every drawing of random people becomes important, it's even a must. There are only very few moments where Shinichi is left alone on the screen. This realistic framing also prevents Sera, for example, from interfering too much in his life while trying to get answers to her questions. Even when he is alone, there are always random people around him. Heiji, who is simply there to help his friend, is also framed that way, and the same goes for Momiji. The feeling of being cramped is present even in the smallest alleys.

Throughout the episodes, the director doesn't hesitate to use close-up shots to establish a sense of needed intimacy between Ran and Shinichi. This is perhaps my favorite aspect of the two episodes, the focus on specific parts of the body and precise gestures to convey certain emotions, to build up the final scene. It's a way to update the characters and show their current state in a subtle manner and also a form of visual storytelling. This approach feels particularly powerful for a chapter that needed to be adapted this way. It's something that i find generally impactful when used in different medias, and something that was especially lacking in the chapters.

Cool color change and clean rotation.

Some storyboard sketches by the director :

Basically, with this post, I wanted to say that the director, despite all the constraints, managed to create two very complete episodes with a clear vision. Of course, the episodes aren’t perfect, there are some janky moments and weak drawing/corrections here and there. Directing isn't just about putting beautiful shots on screen with crazy angles and things like that, it's also about knowing how to adapt and create something coherent while sacrificing certain aspects (in his case). For example, I find that the TV Special Episode One, also directed by him, much more polished than these two episodes. In any case, he deserves respect!

[the-music-maniac]

Why is the daddy dom characterization so common with pre-nibelheim Sephiroth in fanfics. Does that look like a man who knows how to fuck, to you?

If someone does anything sexy in front of him, he would give them the Seph equivalent of a frog blink. That man is tired.

Lol jokes aside, I suspect for someone who has had his bodily autonomy dictated by lab techs and Hojo for the entirety of his life, he wouldn't be raring to have one night stands with complete strangers in his free time. Sure you could argue that sexual intercourse would be a way to regain a little control of autonomy, but I don't think it's likely when it would be with strangers that - not only never sees Sephiroth as anything but the famed legend (an image he doesn't like btw) which is likely accompanied by unwanted expectations of what he's like in bed, but complete strangers that could've also been sent to like. Assassinate the most important asset that Shinra has?

My point being that I don't think Sephiroth really had any safe space to explore what he likes for something like sex - and since it isn't necessary for his duty as a soldier, and may even count as unwanted distraction and vulnerability - Sephiroth likely discarded any interest in it entirely. That is, if he had any interest at all in the first place. You could also assume he could explore it with people he IS close with (ex. Angeal, Genesis etc.) but in those scenarios he wouldn't exactly know off the bat what he likes, or be self assured in any sense.

Trigger Warning (implication of SA/dubious consent): Of course you could also explore the darker side of this, which is that Sephiroth has experience because he didn't have a say in it, bc the company used him/trained him as an asset in this aspect as well. Which is an entirely different discussion to be had, so I won't go into it any further here.

And I think despite the suggestive shit that post-nibelheim Seph says to Cloud, his mind is not on anything sexual in actuality. He's likely aware of the effect flirtation and innuendo can have on people - disgust or interest or whatever would distract an opponent. Or he's just entirely unaware of - or does not care how else his words can be taken. He's a drama queen, but his goals have been pretty clear post insanity, and they have nothing to do with something as mundane as sex. So his demeanour after Jenova isn't that applicable (also we know that square Enix was like heehee we figured you would like this dialogue, so there is also that).

Basically, while I understand Sephiroth is a cool character for exploring fantasies (valid, go ham) - in terms of if you're trying to be accurate to canon characterizations, fics where he's written as a suave dom/top gets a bit of a question mark from me??

I feel like what makes more sense for ships involving pre-nibelheim Seph (including those sefikura time travel fixits that I'm mildly obsessed with) would be uncertainty. Here is finally someone who he actually feels safe to explore this aspect with, and it's natural for exploration to involve stumbles. And I don't think Seph would rule out submission or bottoming as an option in regards to himself either. Or switching/versatility. As someone trained to be objective or logical when tackling anything really - he would probably go about it methodically. So why not try it all to gather data?

What his and his partners' eventual preferences are gonna be is author's choice of course lmao

Also a disclaimer before I end it here - this post is purely because I find discussion on this interesting. If you disagree, or just wanna write what you wanna see, definitely do that and disregard what I've said. Fanfic is supposed to be self indulgent, so who gives a shit what other people think.

[l0vagrend]

What is "arcane" and what happened to Jayce and Viktor ? [+Ekko]

[ aka an arcane theory ramble based on League of Legends lore and what we know from the show ]

I. Runes

We know runes are powerful symbols and magical energy that is / was used by mages a long time ago, but was banished and forgotten by Piltover, because of the influence of Heimerdinger. Who saw what magic can do and how it can lead to ruin.

Jayce was saved by a mage and arcane/magical energy [hence the crystal in his wrist].

In the game's lore, there exist the most powerful runes, the World Runes. These runes are speculated to be the creator of everything in Runeterra. Everything came from these runes. However since they hold this enormous power, they are very dangerous and in wrong hands can cause ruin and destruction. Posessing just one rune, a fracture of a rune even, is enough to corrupt its wielder's mind. [khm Lord of the Rings].

I believe "arcane" aka magic, comes from these runes, and is present all over the land.

II. Ryze, the rune mage

In the game, a character named Ryze wields the task of collecting the World Runes to keep away from civilizations. He witnessed the runes destructive powers first hand during the Rune Wars. Where nations posessing just even one rune made them hungry for power.

Ryze binds each rune in a secret location far away from the eyes of others.

The Runes and arcane surrounding Ryze transformed his body, extended his life span. He went from a human looking mage to a purple rune mage. [Viktor is purple as well where his body made contact with the Hexcore]

III. In Legends of Runeterra

Legends of Runeterra is another Riot Games game revolving around the world of LoL. In it 5 shards of the World Runes are mentioned : shard of madness, shard of betrayal, shard of violence, shard of hope, shard of reverence. However there are at least 9 runes we know of from both Ryze's lore and Runeterra's.

So there is a possibility that a 6th Rune is present in the Arcane storyline.

IV. Hextech, artificial magic

Jayce created artificial arcane energy based on his experience with a mage. Hextech merges ancient magical powers with technology and machines.

HEX LITERALLY MEANS CURSE.

RUNETERRA HAS THE WORD RUNE IN IT.

But back to being normal !

V. Wild runes

Wild runes could mean that the original form of runes and arcane is present beyond the artifical machinery. It evolves and corrupts the environment around itself [see Victor's followers, the Hexgate, Ekko's tree].

VI. But where did Jayce go ?

I have 2 ideas for the whole Hexgate mind-fuckery. 1) its just arcane and runes related, 2) its arcane AND time related.

Its possible that the Wild Runes showed Jayce through visions the foreseeable future of the arcane corruption getting really out of hand [Victor and his followers changing in huge ways mentally not just physically].

But also Jayce himself got corrupted by the Wild Rune. His mind is all over the place.

His new LoL skin has a voice line that goes like :

"Unmade, made again. I never know how much of me is left."

Which could imply that he was changed in a much deeper level. I mean hell he looks fucked up and fused with arcane energy.

VII. What will happen with Viktor ?

He will lose his humanity fully and turn to machinery, become against humans and what makes them humans overall. I mean that is just canon LoL lore so its most likely to happen.

He will most likely be reconstructed, because his conciousness is still active and well in some kind of aether.

But also, in the intro we can see Jayce's hand is the one putting the mask on Viktor, he is the reason, like a butterfly effect that caused Viktor to become who he is, the Machine Herald.

[there is a highly likely possibility that LoL Viktor will receive a rework after Arcane to fit the canon]

VIII. What will happen to Ekko ?

In the game he has time related abilities, so it would fit that when he comes back he gains these abilities. Rewinding time will be useful thats for sure ! [Idk about Heimerdinger tho]

BUT this is all i could come up with so far and these are just thoughts and theories ! :]]

posts/videos that inspired me to make this : 1, 2, where did jayce go ?, the cataclysm, ryze cinematic explained

[livmightlive]

Soul Eater AU: Legend and Hyrule

I would like to ask that everybody please ignore my poor drawing skills 😭 I’m very rusty right now so these are basically caveman drawings of what I’m trying to convey. 

As aforementioned Hyrule is the weapon out of the duo and he’s a magic rod inspired greatly by the one he used in Zelda 1. He’s about 4 feet tall in that form and can perform a couple of spells from Zelda 2: Jump, Shield, Reflect, Thunder, and Life. I think they could perform other spells or even rituals.

Hyrule has a lot of magic potential while Legend only has a bit but it works well with Legend only needing a little bit to cast while Hyrule basically pushes the spell out in a much bigger form. If they complete bigger spells there runs the risk of both of them exhausting themselves. 

They discovered in a bad fight that in a pinch, Hyrule can be used as a melee weapon as he has some weight 😭 They use this sparingly because it sets Legend up to be more likely hurt and Hyrule really isn’t meant to be used that way.

Hyrule is the son of a very infamous witch that was slain when he was very young. We’ll say maybe 5 years old? The royal family “took him in” as means to watch him closely and keep him away from the public. He wasn’t horribly bullied but was largely ignored or feared growing up. He was allowed to study very little magic in fear that he would develop into a witch. He had a very lonely childhood :(

Legend is the spare prince of Hyrule (the country) and was sent to live with his uncle to learn magic and combat. His father also wasn’t too sure what to do with an extra child. He grew up happy and out of the public eye until he was 12 when an assassin tried to end him. His uncle intervened and died protecting him. 

He was sent back to the castle to live, and there he met Hyrule, another lonely child. They became fast friends and realized that they were compatible as weapon and meister. Legend’s father sent them to school, idk if it would be death academy, where they became top of their class despite having a very shaky reputation built around the narrative of being the spare prince and son of a witch. 

At 16, Rule, and 17, Legend, they’re selected to go on a holy quest with 7 other people to stop an ancient evil from resurrection.

And that’s their story!! 

This has also somewhat become my emo/goth dress up game AS well as which demonias I think each would wear 😽 I forgot that in Soul Eater all of the characters wear big goth/emo shoes. I gave Hyrule the Boxer-13s and Legend… he gets bestowed the classic Swing-815s. 

I’d love to hear anybody’s thoughts, I love talking about this, whether it’s personal headcanons or fashion

[robjn93]

Do you think Tim saying bernard shows him more than he was 'settling for' was a jab against tim/steph or more about being more open to the queer experience

absolutely a jab towards tim/steph (and its not the first #that woman wrote in, when describing tim and bernard’s relationship) which is really what makes me hate timber. 90% the foundation of their relationship relies on shitting on steph, how ‘bernard shows him what previous relationships didn’t’. yes, tim had other girlfriends but the only girlfriend dc currently acknowledges as ‘dated tim in canon’ is stephanie. they don’t remember ariana, zo, tam and don’t even mention them in relation to tim drake and his love life so it’s clear they mean stephanie. and i won’t even talk about that stupid panel in urban legends of ‘steph being excited to meet bernard’. she has been used as a tool to hype up a mediocre gay relationship since the start and it pisses me off.

in dark crisis: young justice, she doubles down by having ‘homophobic bruce wayne’ go ‘bernard sucks! your real destiny is stephanie brown!’ and i don’t care that technically he was supposed to represent the audience that hated bernard because discarding all criticism of steph being used to hype that mediocre white boy with a nothingburger personality up by acting like every hater is automatically homophobic or ultra nostalgic and ‘doesn’t actually care for steph’ while the writer didn’t even care to show stephanie’s side of the breakup is an insane tell on how she even views stephanie as a character.

[fortheloveofexy]

What would the Foxes think of Arcane? Would any play league of legends?

Aaron and Seth play league (though explicitly not together). Both are surprisingly good at it when they're focused. Seth gets tilted pretty easily (especially when he and Allison are off again) and it affects his game. Aaron is actually pretty chill - he only plays to blow off steam when he needs a break from studying, so he doesn't take it that seriously.

As far as the show - all of the upperclassmen (plus Nicky) watch new episode premieres together. Neil has seen a few episodes here and there (courtesy of Andrew) but he's never seen the whole thing start to finish and he doesn't really understand the plot line or the lore.

Andrew watches it on his own, separately from the rest of the team. His favorite character is Jinx (he relates to her far more than he would ever admit out loud). Sometimes, Renee will join him for an episode or two, even if she already knows what happens. Neil will also sometimes sit with him while he watches, but he doesn't really pay attention to it much.

Kevin doesn't watch it. ("Why would I waste time watching some animated show when we have a game on Friday? Be serious now, Boyd.")

Aaron watches the show with Katelyn and her friends. They all ask him if they should start playing league since the show is so good, and he very firmly tells them no.

[cryptim]

ARCANE SEASON TWO MILD SPOILERS

But i need to rant, have you seen that post that says something among the lines of the first Season being a greek tragedy, as in the intro the characters are marble statues, and This season is a shakesperean drama, reforced by all the plays references in the intro (Macbeth, Julius César..)?

Well, that concept and also The biblical Jesus/Judas Themes in Viktor and Jayces arc hit me like a fucking truck.

All about humanity is stories, we grow them and we keep them and they stay with us in exchange. We love to see ourselves in great tragedies and in myths but we also like to see them as humans, those biblical or esquilian histories are who we are deep down, those religions we made up are just a Way to understand ourselves, but not because they are magical, or someshort of otherwordly, but just because they are deeply human, we understand why Mary wept his lost son because she was human, we scream as Oedipus plugs out his eyes because he is just human, so we are, so its storytelling. And so its art

And it has to be a fucking League of Legends show that remind us of that

[aspoonofsugar]

What do you think so far of season 2 of Arcane ? Honestly I think for my part that it’s too rushed and there are too many storylines it’s so confusing. Besides they completely destroyed Vi and Caitlyn relationship lol the disappointment is high

Hi!

I am sorry you are not enjoying the season very much. On my part I am loving it and I am looking forward to the final act!

I think much criticism I have seen stems from the very own premise of Arcane as a show tbh. I think there are two things to clarify.

First thing to clarify

Arcane is in the end a League of Legends show. Its main commercial goal is to explore the Lore of the Game, so that new fans can be brought in and old fans can have fun spotting easter eggs. As a result, it takes some choices that in another story you wouldn't have. Two examples:

1- Mel's arc feels out of the blue, but it ties into the lore of the game (I heard they wanted to make Mel into a new champion? If so, she is probably going through an arc where she is receiving magical abilities, as smart as fuck and good at politics isn't exactly a set skill that works in LOL). It is a storyline you would not usually add, as you would not usually add the Black Rose shenaningas. They added it because it probably lets them add a new champion to the game and it lets them play homage to another popular character of the game. That said, Mel's own storyline has the potential to tie nicely with the main plotline:

a) Mel's disappearance does in fact have an impact on the narrative, i.e. it lets Medarda do as she pleases in Piltover. If Mel were around, there is no way she would have let her mother establish Martial Law without a fight. I think Mel could have also had a positive influence on Cait. Not only that, but Medarda's love for Mel humanizes her character and gives more depth to her relationship with Caitlyn. It is obvious Medarda and Cait's bond is one where they are projecting on the other a loved one. Cait finds a new mentor figure/mother after Cassandra's death. Medarda finds a new mentee figure/daughter after Mel's disappearance. They are not mother and daughter, but they project on each other a need they both feel, as they are both grieving.

b) Mel has always been linked to Jayce and Viktor's B plot aka Arcane plot, as she, Viktor and Jayce are the ones who created HexTech. This season Viktor and Jayce have both "touched" the Arcane, which has traumatized them in opposite ways. In a sense, they have both lost their humanity in the pursue of progress. Moreover, they have both become entangled with magic. Well, even if I know very little of LOL Lore, I think it is safe to assume Mel inherited some kind of magical ability. The fact she is trapped in some kind of magical dimension where she has to decipher old runes makes me believe her experience is not very different from Viktor and Jayce, thematically. They all pursued progress through science, only to now face something of wild and irrational. Also, Mel being the one with the higher magical potential among the trio could be pretty interesting.

2 - I would not have wanted Vander to come back in any other series and was skeptical about the choice of having him be Warwick. That said, I also understand it makes a very interesting background for the champion, so I understand why they made this decision. What's more, I actually like a lot how he has been used. Instead of being reduced to a simple agent of chaos, he has been used as a catalyst in Vi and Jinx's arcs.

Basically, they are taking choices, I would not recommend in any other story. However, they are making them work pretty well both for Arcane and for LOL.

Second thing to clarify

It is true Arcane is an ensembled cast and it balanced different pov rather well in season 1. However, this does not mean that ALL characters have the same importance. I think both season 1 and this season so far have made very clear that the story has ONE main character, that is Jinx:

She is the one given the major focus BY FAR.

The whole first season is her journey to become the Jinx in the games, which is symbolically why the season ends with her embracing this alterego. Every other major character's plotline in the main A plot is after all tied to her. Vi wants to save her. Silco wants to control her. Caitlyn wants to arrest her. She is the reason why Cait and Vi meet each other in the first place. Not to count she also unwillingly kicks off the B plotline by having Jayce's research come to light.

The second season so far has revolved around her, as well. This time she is going through a journey, where she tries to fix what she has broken. At the same time, she has to accept the consequences of her own actions. She grieves Silco, connects with Sevika, adopts Isha and tries to mend her relationship with Vi. Meanwhile, all the other major characters are impacted by her. She is at the centre of the conflict between Vi and Cait, for example. She is the one who almost kills Viktor, so that Jayce tries to resurrect him. Finally, she becomes the centre of the major conflict between Piltover and Zaun.

In short, I think it is fair for people to be annoyed their faves are not receiving the screentime or focus, they had hoped. However, I think that so far the series has been coherent in keeping Jinx at its center. We'll see if it will be so for the ending, as well.

Finally, I don't think Vi and Cait's relationship was ruined. I think the conflict among Vi, Cait and Jinx is actually my favourite part of this season. I will add that their conflict is actually a mirror of the first season:

Season 1 has the first act focused on Vi's relationship with Powder and it ends with their separation / Season 2 has the first act focused on Vi's relationship with Cait and it ends with their separation

Season 1 has the second act focused on Vi and Cait's relationship, as Vi looks for her family / Season 2 has the second act focused on Vi and Jinx's relationship, as they look for their family. Both relationships start as conflictual and slowly grow better

In season 1's third act, Vi fails to reconcile her relationship with Cait with the one with Jinx. We'll see if in the final act of season 2, she will fare better.

In short, it has never been only Vi and Cait, but always Vi, Cait and Jinx, as her lover and her sister represent two different sides of Vi. Just like Jinx has to reconcile both Jinx and Powder, so Vi has to reconcile both Jinx and Cait. Similarly, Cait needs to reconcile Vi and Jinx as two parts of Zaun.

In conclusion, I do agree that there are a little bit too many storylines, some of which might feel out of the blue. I also understand people wanted some characters to be explored more. However, I also think they are doing a great job at telling the story they want to tell and they are giving the viewers all the elements to understands the characters' developments. Surely, it would have been great to have some dynamics and psychologies explored more, but the writing level stays pretty high.

This does not mean you should like it, though. You probably were more interested in some dynamics and storylines that ended up being sidelined and it is totally valid to be annoyed by it.

Thank you for the ask!

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 5

Main Theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

vs.

The Edge of Dawn (Seasons of Warfare) from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

Note: The propaganda contains spoilers for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Main Theme [Super Smash Bros. Brawl]:

Composed by Nobuo Uematsu with lyrics written by Masahiro Sakurai. Translated lyrics (from latin) are as follows; I've heard legends of that person How he plunged into enemy territory How he saved his homeland I've heard legends of that person How he traveled the breadth of the land, reducing all he touched to rubble I've heard legends of that person I've heard legends of that person Revered by many--I too, revere him Feared by many--I too, fear him Now, that person Stands at my side Now that person stands at my side Now my friends are with me Some of them were once heroes Some, my mortal enemies And as we face each other in battle, locked in combat We shine ever brighter

#[...] the theme of Smash Bros Brawl is bombastic. Absolutely glorious.

The Edge of Dawn (Seasons of Warfare):

The main theme of the game, centered around a character who is significant across all routes. Is it a villain song? Is it a map to the future? Your choices dictate as much. Every route is reflected through the lyrics as well.

this song makes me so emotional every time. the vocals are beautiful and the lyrics are so good. it's about feeling alone even when you're surrounded by people. knowing any happiness is just fleeting. about loving someone even though you're going to leave them. (spoilers for fe3h) to get specific, it just makes me so sad the way edelgard distances herself from others because she knows she'll have to betray or leave them eventually but she longs desperately for connection especially toward byleth, whom she admires and loves greatly, even when they're not on her side. the lyrics "open the door, and walk away / never give in to the call of yesterday" make me want to sob because she's determined to create her own justice and her vision of an equal world, but that doesn't mean she can't be emo about it. she loved byleth, the black eagles, she loved the empire, that's why she wanted to see it better. fuck all the haters edelgard there's a reason the theme song of this game is yours! and it's good as hell too!