#also also the fact Jayce says i thought i wanted us to give magic to the world? says “us” babes he never stopped thinking it was their goal
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kurthummeldeservesbetter · 16 days ago
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What's crazy that when Mel catches Viktor and Jayce breaking into Heimerdinger's office, the flashlight she shines at them is the same bright white that reflects on them in the season 2 intro. And in the same vein, when Mel catches them, Viktor looks directly into the light and Jayce looks away with his hand up.
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And since Mel is a Mage....she is that embodiment of the arcane that Viktor accepts (though not initially willingly) and Jayce is eventually blinded and overwhelmed by. And the only one not blinded by it is the one in control of it, aka the only one where the arcane comes naturally (being born into it).
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Rather than the two people who broke the law, and eventually the ethos, of the arcane itself, overwhelming it until it got out of control (the wild rune) and took over and corrupted someone trying to do good with it (Viktor) and ultimately, the one who has to end it is the one who both wanted to bring it to the masses, but was also blinded by it's warnings of misuse.
Which is why their story, at least those three, end where they begin. Mel, who when finding that Viktor and Jayce have successfully proven Jayce's theory states "It's time for a new era of magic" embraces her own she never knew she had. It was never Jayce and Viktor's magic, it was her own all along.
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And for Viktor and Jayce, they go back to the beginning:
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Except instead of being separated by the magic at the start, they embrace each other at the end.
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dusty-siltstrider · 4 months ago
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Alright I'm properly boozed and decently numbed. I promised to bitch excessively on here if our boy became a name on a missing poster. Here the fuck I am.
For reference I'm focusing on Viktor and Jayce here. More than enough has been said about everyone else. Y'all ate good. Let us starve in peace. Lots of this comes from lengthy discussions on the Viktor Nation disc.
To start - no, Viktor does not appear in the new trailer. I'm sorry, he just doesn't. Not even a voice line which should have been pretty fucking easy. Over at Viktor Nation we spent nearly an hour going over the trailer frame by frame brightening shit to see if he shows. He does not. No, not even a far-off shot of his arm. We got more Viktor in the teaser from two months ago than the official trailer.
However...
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100% Glorious Evolved. Fingerprints around their faces match what appears to be Viktor face-grabbing that Shimmer addict from the teaser trailer. Similar rune carvings. This is his cult. Which uhh right off the bat is much different from any other interpretations?
Basically confirms they're going all-in on runic magic for Viktor and largely veering away from classic Machine Herald. Which I have feelings about. That will be reserved for the season itself once we see it play out.
And before any smartasses come in with "lol at least you got a shot of his feet" jokes those definitely aren't his. Just one of the random cultists floating judging by the angling. And Viktor's would be full grape Fanta. The silvery/gold texture is interesting. Some kind of manipulation of metal through magic?
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Don't even.
Also been seeing a lot on the shadowy golden-eyed figure and we figured that's near-certainly not him either.
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Looks sick, I'll admit. I kinda hope it's him, in fact. Most likely not him. Face shape is slightly too squared off, ears stick out too far, yes I went in deep on skull shape for this and I'm at least 75% sure that ain't him. And Viktor's magical influence/Hexcore spookiness has been defined by purple sinews and more organic forms than this more fantastical shadow tendril thing. This seems to be a new force entirely.
I won't discount it outright since Viktor's eyes are indeed associated with gold/amber but for all I know this could be Mel. Eye socket shape/nose does vaguely match. And Viktor's eyes would likely lean more towards a purple voidy glow in S2 if they're going all-in on the Hex Core.
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Possible Jayce cameo? Very obviously meant to be his wristband gem, maybe somehow got fused with his skin. The grip on the object appears heavy so it's not Viktor's cane/staff. Could very well be the Viktor/Jayce confrontation since if you squint there might a robed figure standing in front of that weird fuckin magic doodad.
Speaking of...
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Saw a pretty interesting post from @nylloth saying this could be Viktor's "hospital" or maybe some kind of Glorious Evolved temple. It does resemble the fucked up glowing sinewy appearance of the Hex Core so perhaps some kind of hallucination or vision that Viktor is having of his potential. Would love to hear more thoughts on that though. It's very obviously related to "the Arcane" as a broader more mysterious force.
Wanted to be angrier here but I'm honestly just disappointed. Which is ass because pit fighter Vi and Ekko and revolutionary Jinx are all things I'm genuinely looking forward to but I can't rally it. I'm very glad everyone else ate good though. Does indeed look sick and I'm still excited. Pit fighter Vi especially. Holy fuck. But I'm just too bummed out about Viktor, call that dramatic or childish but idc it's how it is.
Be stingy about appearances and character designs but it could not have been difficult to include a single voice line. Don't even bother including it in the show, get a couple trailer-only lines or a "Glorious Evolution" or SOMETHING. Don't give me that "well their fates are still ambiguous" No they aren't lmao they just aren't. By this point everyone knows Jayce and Vik live and 50/50 on Mel.
If Viktor had not appeared in that teaser TWO MONTHS ago for like 2 seconds then it would be reasonable to assume he got erased from the show entirely lol. We have a shot of his arm to go off of until we hopefully get a proper Viktor poster. Cool. Nice arm.
That is all. For now. Please refrain from discussing leaks. I don't need any more temptation.
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local-lamppost · 2 months ago
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Initial thoughts cause it's 4am
Spoilers
First off, wow... it's really good. I've been saying that if season 2 is as good as season 1 Arcane would be my new favorite show and we are on track. Anyway, just gonna list stuff until I can process/rewatch a billion times
Mel lived! I was so certain that they would just kill her off, make that Ambessa's motive (give Jayce a reason to keep fighting the Undercity) but it's much more interesting keeping her involved in the narrative. Love her trying to bother understand and undermine her mother. Those Black Rose guys best not have hurt a hair on her perfect head.
Speaking of. What in the Utena are these Black Rose magic people? I love the look of their magic. I wonder how they can corrupt people. Is it a spell? Do they slip them something?
Love how the divide of Jayce and Viktor was done. Jayce betrayed Viktor's wishes of destroying the Hexcore. Last season, Viktor wanted to forget about using the core to save himself after Sky and begged Jayce to destroy it when the core wouldn't allow Viktor himself to do it. In Jayce's mind though, the core is the solution to Viktor's problems. He didn't know it killed Sky or that it can influence Viktor, but all Viktor can comprehend is that Jayce didn't trust him. Didn't keep his promise. And this is fresh off of Jayce's season 1 antics against the Undercity, so Viktor's faith in his partner was already shaken. Viktor's also comfortable in his mortality/death, even though he wants to prolong it like every other human, but Jayce can't fathom loosing Viktor-the man who saved his life and made his dreams reality.
(Side note: Am I a JayVik shipper? I never considered myself one, but after writing this...)
JINX HAS A KID! I love this choice. Give Jinx a kid so she is able to learn what Silco and Vi had to go through with her, that no matter how big or dangerous a scheme to take this child into account. The confrontation in ep 3 really showed what Jinx will have to consider now that this kid's decided to adopt her as an older sister or something. Especially nice detail of how Vi-who has always had to consider the kids in her life-immediately stops fighting and starts looking for ways to keep the kid safe.
I was wondering how Jinx would loose a finger and Caitlyn shooting it off to save Vi is just- The fact that the only way these two can show they care about Vi when it comes to each other is by hurting the other.
Sevika's new arm is fantastic. It's a peace offering from Jinx, but also a way for Jinx to feel better (it was something she could fix). The mechanics of it are really fun. It reminds me of Kite's weapon from HxH with how it didn't always work/give her what she wanted in the fight. I especially love the victory rockets and built in theme song.
Ambessa is so interesting. Between her character song to the introduction of just what she is fighting against, I am very intrigued. She reminds me of Cersei Lannister, except she loves her kids as more than just extensions of herself (as of what we've seen, but I think that'll stick). Her using Salo to establish herself-which also keeps Mel safe by distancing her-but also dropping him in order to prop up Cait at her first opportunity is such a clever move. She truly is the fox and the wolf, but she is above all a mama bear.
Not much to say about Heimerdinger or Ekko yet, but I am definitely curious to see what they do about the wild runes with Jayce. The three of them have a fun dynamic, what with Heimerdinger still being peeved about magic/being ousted, Ekko hating topside and having a new reason to do so with them poisoning his tree, and Jayce being recently seperated and divorced from both his partners.
Vi is an enforcer. I didn't know how they were gonna handle this, but they did it so well. Of course she wants to fix things for the people her sister hurt. She feels responsible. She can say she doesn't blame herself, but how true is that? Why else would she be wearing a badge if not for her guilt? She is desperate to do something right and being an enforcer seemed to be a way to make Cait happy, get her gauntlets (what she believes is necessary to make any kind of change), and be first in line in the hunt for Jinx. She says that her sister is dead, that Jinx is a desecration to Powder's memory, that they are not sisters but isn't it supposed to be 'nothing is going to change that'? How much of all this is just something Vi is telling herself to keep going? Cait is her motive right now, but after ep 3 I definitely see why she starts spiraling.
(2 Side note: Her new best friend/drinking buddy is such a real one. They have a bender in the gutter together and now he's following her into and out of the enforcers. I wonder if he knew Vander? In any case, he is a delight.)
Cait and Vi kissed... CAIT AND VI KISSED! Then NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER! NOTHING! No immediate break up, nope.
So Cait. I love Cait and I am hyped for her arc this season. I am ready to fight tooth and nail for her. I am a Caitlyn defender. So what she's being manipulated into leading a military state due to her grief/unresolved anger/guilt/Ambessa being better at this than her, she looks amazing in her cape. It balances.
Seriously though, the writing for Cait especially is so solid. She is desperate to hold herself and her family together, to protect her city. She still wants to protect the innocent, to heal the Undercity, but her anger at a select few of those she wants to help is clouding the greater image for her. Vi seems to be acting as her better half, the side that cares for the innocent-the protector. Ambessa is the agressor, encouraging Cait to take drastic military action against the Undercity as a whole. Vi's disillusionment with Cait is due to the fact that Cait desire to heal, not harm, is what caused her to fall for Cait to begin with. To see more than some privileged topside enforcer, but a woman who genuinely cared and was willing to abandon her peaceful naivety to learn for the greater good of strangers.
I'll also point out that they separate when Cait starts blaming Vi for them loosing Jinx. Before, everyone but Cait put responsibility on Vi, she was supposed to be the one to help lighten the load and absolve some of the guilt. Now Cait is becoming another one of those who slam the blame on Vi. She changed. Why does everyone around VI change?
Can't wait for the next batch of episodes.
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miadearden · 1 month ago
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Okay I’ve finally caught up on Act01 of Arcane S2 and I HAVE THOUGHTS (under the cut)
I noticed slight differences in the opening for each ep so of course now I’m gonna have to watch the intro closely on every ep whee
Speaking of the opening (and each episode general opening as well), really digging all the theatre homages and also the whole vibe of watching a play in this act. Like I saw people were annoyed with the opening musical numbers at the start of every episode but to me they came across very much like watching a play or musical on stage? Like when you come back from intermission and there’s a musical number to bring you back into the world of the play? Am I cooking with that thought there?
Anyway
Oh, Vi. My poor pookie. My sweet sad pathetic wet cat. I wish I could say things are going to get better for you but I don’t see that happening anytime soon 💔
(You look fucking great though)
Caitlyn. Very much digging her descent in this act as she follows her grief and pain down into becoming the person she didn’t want to be in season one. Very nice. That said - I have a question on those final moment in ep03 and I’m wonder other people’s thoughts on them.
You see, as Ambessa pitches Cait as the new commander and we see Cait struggling whether or not to accept it - that’s when we get the flashbacks that confirm that Ambessa was the one to set up the attack on the memorial to stir up this civil war. My question is - did anyone else read this moment as Cait putting the pieces together and realising that this was Ambessa plan all along? Or are we just all supposed to assume it was for the audiences sake? Because the fact that it was delivered to us specifically when we were focused on Cait deciding to take the role felt like to me Cait figured Ambessa out, and that makes me curious as to what the dynamic in the following act will me.
But maybe I’m off base with that - what do other people think?
ANYWAY continuing! Really dig Jinx and Sevika teaming up in Silco’s absence. I was worried that Sevika would just be written out and forgotten after season one but very cool to see that she wasn’t
Just seeing tweets and stuff I think I was like one of the only people that didn’t hate Jayce in season one? Like I wouldn’t say I was his biggest fan but I still found him compelling as an idealist who lost his way when dragged into the politics of it all. Anyway continuing to dig him here, LOVE pairing him up with Ekko I think that was a genius move and very interested to see what happens with him investigating whatever’s going on with the arcane
Ekko continues to be my favorite but there was not enough of him in this act for my liking please give me more Ekko.
Interested to see where this stuff with Ambessa and Mel and the Black Rose is going and how it will tie into the greater story (also Mel’s magic! She totally has magic, right?). Don’t have much to say about it because we don’t know much yet but am interested (and very much enjoy that Ambessa is terrified of whatever’s going on)
Oh yeah also Victor’s here I guess
I’m so sorry Victor fans but I continue to not understand why people go apeshit for this man I simply do not find him that interesting
I have a few criticisms - mainly, pacing wise? Like if feels like there’s a) not the best sense of how much time is passing between moments/episodes and b) some kinda important pieces that are missing/were probably cut out from the script
Like mainly - Shield Man. Who was drinking with Vi then helped during the memorial attack then became an enforcer with Vi then left when things went all authoritarian - why do I only know him as Shield Man. I don’t recall ever learning his name, and it seems like if we’re going to have this little impact moment of him walking out of the room at the end of the last ep I should at least know his name and a little bit of his deal? I just feel like there was some important stuff that we just needed a little bit more detail on but was probably cut for time.
Same case for Isha. Not as much, because I feel like Isha is more there as a symbol for both Jinx and Vi and this whole conflict, but still like - I only know her name because it was in the subtitles describing her gasp at some point.
And yeah just general pacing seems like there was some connective tissue missing between some scenes and all that’s basically it.
And yeah!
Having a watch party for Act2 tomorrow yay!
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lbulldesigns · 2 years ago
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Void Touched.
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I can't stop thinking about one of Kai'sa's voice lines to Jinx. I think it's when their allies, she says "calm yourself, sister".
Now at first I thought she was being sassy but the tone she uses and the fact she doesn't really call any other champion sister (that I know of) makes me think, or perhaps wishfully think, that Kai'sa feels a kinship to Jinx; like maybe she senses something void like about her, like maybe Jinx was actually touched by the Void?
Which also gives me an idea for a fic.
Trigger warning ahead ⚠️ mentions of suicide/coercion of suicide.
Powder after the events of the cannery, this would be the only story I come up with that doesn't spare Vander and the boys 😢, Silco locks her up in the ventilation tunnel that Jinx occupies in the show but unbeknownst to him there is a Void tunnel at the bottom of it. And one night a Void Demon climbs the wall and possesses Powder but instead of having complete control it ends up riding shotgun with Powder against it's will, which pisses it off because it saw her as an easy meal and now it's trapped in her so it decides to torment her already fragile mind in the hopes she'll end her life and free it but instead, as a way for her mind to save itself, Jinx is born.
In this AU Powder has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) the combination of the cannery incident and the Void possession has forced her mind to resort to desperate means to protect itself. So Powder has two distinct personalities and a tag along:
Powder: who doesn't remember her life before everything happened. She's the innocent part, in her mind she doesn't remember ever having a family so she doesn't have anyone to miss. She spends her days fixing and building prosthetic limbs, ventilation masks, air filters, repairing and building firearms, and so on. She also spends her time researching about magic and the Void, this is a subconscious part of her looking for a way to get rid of the Void Demon but she believes it's just pure interest and curiosity that drives her. This pursuit for knowledge leads her to do odd jobs in Piltover so that she can get access to bookshops and libraries (a.k.a creating possible connections with characters such as Viktor, Caitlyn, Jayce, and Ezreal).
Jinx: although she was created as an alternative personality, Jinx remembers everything and tries to keep her and the Void Demons existence a secret from Powder. She doesn't view Powder as a weakness to kill, she sees her as her innocent twin sister that she will protect better than Vi ever did (Jinx doesn't like Vi). Jinx still works for Silco and does see him as a father but she also acknowledges that he's a risk to her little Meow-Meow. She still has conflicts with the Firelights but she has a bit more control over herself and doesn't kill them on sight like in the show, however she's considered public enemy number one with them. Which leads to some awkward interactions with Powder who doesn't remember Ekko.
The Void Demon: it doesn't like either Powder or Jinx, it's trapped in their body, at first it wanted Powder to kill herself so that it could be free but now has a somewhat reluctant symbiotic relationship with her and Jinx. Every now and then, on the rare occasion when neither Jinx or Powder are in control usually when their unconscious and in danger or Jinx just relinquishes control, it will take control and feed (imagine it like Venom but more asshole-ish). Powder is not aware of it's true existence because Jinx beats it down enough to reduce its influence on Powder. If any of that makes sense.
In short it's basically a Moonknight and Venom hybrid AU. Kai'sa makes an appearance in the fic when she ends up in Zaun via the Void tunnel after being told by a mutual friend (Ezreal) about Powder and Jinx. She sticks around to meet Powder and Jinx and looks for a way to help them get rid of the Void Demon, and explain how the Void operates to others (a.k.a Ekko and the Firelights whose perception of Jinx changes a bit once they learn about all of this).
There's a funny little subplot where Ekko tries to improve his image to Powder, who thinks he's an asshole after Ekko attacks her believing she's Jinx 😅
Jinx enjoys messing with him and teasing him, but they do slowly build up a friendship after some time.
Some things to keep in mind:
Silco, although he initially thinks Powder needs to die, does see her as an asset due to her fixing up important life supports around Zaun and her contribution to the advancement of medical technologies.
He sees her as a daughter but Powder calls him Uncle Silco (part of her made up past is that he's a family friend who took her in after her parents died when she was too young to remember them).
Ranata Glasc sponsors Powder and pays for her education in Piltover.
Ranata is aware of Powder's DID.
Caitlyn is friends with Powder and is aware of Jinx but doesn't understand the full story.
Powder does have hallucinations but manages them through therapy thanks to Ranata paying for her sessions.
Kai'sa becomes close with both Powder and Jinx, and sees them as sisters (which was the whole inspiration for this fic).
Ezreal is Powder and Jinx's best friend, which makes Ekko jealous but he also ends up becoming besties with Ezreal.
Sevika doesn't have a problem with Jinx or Powder, if anything she's protective of both.
Warwick exists as a companion for Powder, because he's best boy. HE WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THIS FIC MARK MY WORDS!! 😂😂😂
And, Vi's going to be soooooooo confused and heartbroken when she reunites with Powder and, subsequently, Jinx.
But she does build up a sisterly relationship with both eventually 🥹
I'm gonna be honest, I'm getting some serious brain rot with this fic 😂
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Edit: Okay I lied, I'll find a way to spare Mylo and Claggor. Killing them off but having Jinx being born as a means to protect Powder from the Void Demon feels like a retcon of her guilt over their deaths.
This subplot will need some polishing.
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enneidrarose · 1 month ago
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My point of view of heimerdinger character
With heimerdinger, he is a good person but a terrible leader. He, to me is the definition of toxic positive. A person who believes if he plays both sides or just listens to what others say and gives actions thinking it applies to all without checking or verifying that both sides got the help. In the last act where heim was walking through zaun, it was like his first time seeing the true reality of it. He probably knew the situation was bad but didn't know the extent of it. How can piltoverians do something without heim knowing? Bruh my own principal didn't know that the repeat prices were raised for the courses, I do believe they kept something from him and twisted the truth for others so he doesn't fully question it or investigate. You see how Marcus operates in the first season, it is clearly not that difficult if everyone is a part of it or more powerful persons are there to do damage control and coverups.
Heim by no means isn't a saint, I strongly believe he should have been removed from the council in every move and the way he talks about ekko to jayce still shows piltover still have some effect on him however he is right that the hexcore/hextech shouldn't have been announced so early without more testing (*it happens later on but still, it like the Samsung phone 7 incident, release early products due to demands then having magic time bombs going off). Heim was definitely holding back persons due to fear and lack of consideration of time. He is so used to having time to do countless tests, he continuously forgets that humans have to take some uncalculated risk to reach their goal or they probably never reach it.
Heim policy of "teach them how to fish to keep them fed for days" is one of the major issues with piltover and zaun. How? Due to the fact that if both keep fishing and one decides to use force or influence to ruin the other fishing techniques, space and catches behind said back, at the end of the day one looks victorious in using his resources while the other seems lazy, cruel or uninterested especially if the other decides to retaliate. No one with good interest saw this first person ruining the others stuff but everyone saw how they retaliated. There wasn't anyone to keep things in check, to ensure that both sides weren't playing dirty, only those who saw the act and the ones who wished to reduce said persons into nothing. Heim plays the part of a blind, deaf and mute referee in a competition of skills.
Heimerdinger's character growth is him finally opening his eyes from the pollution of the perfume piltover had over him. Yes he has a lot to make up for however arcane is clearly showing that heim want the best for both sides. He just needed to step out of the zone and make it work again. He has been a puppet and nothing more than a symbol piltover uses to push their thoughts and agenda onto zaun. The fact that they easily replace him with jayce shows that they only kept him around cause he offered fresh ideas while being gullible enough to puppet. It is though sad that it took heimerdinger this long to break out of it, then again when you have been traumatized by something and had persons everyday reinforce certain beliefs onto you, especially for that long, taking new steps into something new seems not needed. It doesn't excuse said behaviour but explains certain things.
I think heim fits best in an advisor or teacher role, one with small leadership he can manage than the grand project manager or city leadership he had. Here he has the freedom to really express himself while also having control over the environment. He can guide others without fully giving them handouts.
Sorry if this is long, I had this bottle up in my head too long. I like discussions on these but don't like it when it leads to death threats or unnecessary arguments.
*note the Samsung incident is just an example I could think of what would have happen if hextech or the hexcore was shown early. It could have also led to mass panic cause the city wasn't accepting of magic
*the ekko introduction I generally don't think he means in a harsh way. I think he is just feeling awkward seeing that jayce kicked him out however others may see it that way and I can't blame them.
*also this is just my thoughts on heimerdinger. People keep saying he lacks feelings when he clearly doesn't. I like discussions that op had and just felt like to yap.
"In the pursuit of great we failed to do good" is a quote that, in my opinion, transcends the scene it was said in
it's applicable in almost every scene/part in the show. Vander wanted greatness and failed to do good, he noticed and stopped, which is also what caused the fall out with Silco.
The obvious with Jayce and Viktor, of course
but the council too. The entire council fails to do good but does "great" things despite that. Decisions that ruin lives, that destroy people and communities. In their pursuit of great they left people behind and are now suffering the consequences because they failed to do good. They are the city of progress with literal bodies in the basement.
The same can actually be said about Caitlyn, too. She is trying so hard to do great, to do everything to succeed she fails to see the consequences and she also fails to do good. And Vi followed her.
Well and Heimerdinger is just... like he just failed to do great and good, but I guess at least he is trying now? lmao, no but seriously I think it's terribly overlooked that he IS in fact trying now. Doesn't erase all the years of neglect and not caring but it's a beginning.
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infinite-xerath · 3 years ago
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Thoughts on Sentinel and Ruined Skins
Alright, I plan to give my full thoughts on the entire event once it’s over, but for the time-being, I wanted to give my general thoughts on each skin so far. I’ll be putting this under a read-more for convenience.))
So I guess I’ll start by saying that I like the concept of the event as a whole, though I’ve got some gripes (as do many) with who was chosen to partake. I think, having played through the VN up to its current point, that they do a decent job justifying most of the characters who get Ruined/recruited. That said, it does annoy me that they didn’t even go all-in on the concept; one Sentinel and one Ruined champ per region could have been great, but then there are some regions that don’t even have one of each.
So yeah, in addition to giving my overall thoughts on each existing skin, I also wanna touch on who else I think could have been included.
Sentinel Vayne: In my opinion, the best Sentinel skin of the lot. Not only does it look good (arguably better than her original design) but Vayne is a natural fit for the Sentinels. She already devotes her life to hunting monsters and dark magic, so it absolutely makes sense that she would join up at least until the Ruination is dealt with.
Ruined Shyvana: I wasn’t so sure about this one at first, but I’ve warmed up to it now that we know how Viego’s possession works. Taking the worst aspects of someone’s personality and bringing them to the forefront? Yeah, go figure that Shyvana would give into her monstrous side and resentment for being persecuted almost every day of her life. You could argue that there were better picks, but hey, better Ruined Shyvana than yet another Lux skin, right?
Sentinel Olaf: While not my first choice, I can’t deny that it works in the long-run. The dude already has a history of fighting the undead in his endless quest to find a worthy foe capable of slaying him, and of course the Ruined King seems like a suitably worthy opponent for Olaf to go up against. That being said, I feel like we should have gotten a Ruined Champ from the Freljord as Olaf’s rival, rather than it just being Vex. I don’t mind Vex appearing when she did to have us encounter her for the first time, but she should have had a Ruined champ to help her, which leads me to...
Ruined Tryndamere: Come on, this one’s obvious. There are a few characters in the Freljord that might have fit the Ruined theme, but none more-so than Tryndamere, I think. The guy’s already got a whole thing about controlling his rage and trying to use it as a force for good in the Avarosa tribe. Imagine Viego corrupting Tryndamere and causing all of that primal fury to just explode forth. Plus, come ON Riot, Olaf vs Tryndamere. Battle of the Berserkers. Frankly, it’s absurd to me that Olaf hasn’t tried fighting Tryndamere already, given that they’re both too angry to die. He HAS to have at least heard about the Barbarian King, right?
Sentinel Riven: Honestly, this one is interesting to me. With the other Sentinels, we all kind of know/expect that they’ll return to normal once the event is over and go back to their status quo. Riven feels like an exception. As she stated herself in the event: she’s a wanted criminal in Noxus and it’s not exactly like she’d be super welcomed back in Ionia. She joins the Sentinels because she has nowhere else to go and no other cause to fight for once freed from Draven’s arena. Aside from Vayne, Riven feels like the one who’d most likely stay with the Sentinels once the event is over, even though I know that probably won’t happen. Still, I like her inclusion, all-in-all.
Ruined Draven: Honestly, not the one I would have picked. I mean, it’s just Draven. Absolutely nothing has changed from him being Ruined. Granted, I do think it’s absolutely hilarious that Draven’s worst version of himself is already just himself, an egotistical prick who craves attention, but there are way better picks in Noxus to see getting Ruined. I mean, the event teaser showed Darius getting possessed, and I think there’s a lot more to work with there. Also, am I the only one that thinks that Ruined Draven feels redundant when Soul Reaver Draven is already a thing?
Sentinel Diana: So this one I have some complicated feelings about. On one hand, it makes sense that Diana would join the fight against the undead for the sake of the Lunari. On the other, it feels like MOST of the Aspects should be getting involved with this. I mean, the VN has her say that the other Aspects ARE fighting the Undead all over Targon, but then you’d think we would wanna go and recruit them as well. Seriously, Taric? WTF are you, Protector? Also, Diana needing a Sentinel weapon is weird since we already confirmed that the Mist doesn’t like Celestial magic, but... Eh, the blade she gets is cool, I guess.
Ruined Pantheon: And here comes the controversial one... Right, so like many, I did not care for this skin. In fact, I still have reservations about it. I DO like that it is actually Ruined PANTHEON, because yeah, the Black Mist turns dead things undead. Go figure it could bring back the remnants of the war god lingering in Atreus. That’s a really cool idea, but there’s absolutely an argument to be made that it fucks with Atreus’s whole character arc and makes his seemingly indomitable will look like a joke... But hey, Viego himself said that he’d never be able to take a proper Aspect, which absolutely tracks, which kinda makes Atreus the only Targonian champion he COULD defeat and corrupt.
Sentinel Irelia: To be frank, not too much to say about this one. Irelia’s entire character motivation is defending her homeland against invaders, and... Yeah the undead definitely count as invaders. While someone like Shen probably would have been a better recruit for the Sentinels, Irelia works just fine.
Ruined Karma: And heeere’s another controversial one. Yeah, Karma is not the one I would have chosen. Honestly, just about anyone else from Ionia would have been a better fit for Ruination. Ruined Pantheon can be justified by the dead war god coming back and taking over Atreus’s body again, but Karma and her vessel Darha should have absolutely been able to resist it... And they kind of do. In the event, we actually do see Karma switching back and forth. She’s the only one we’ve seen fight back against Viego long enough to revert to her normal self, at least for a time. In fact, the implication that Darha is being corrupted while the entity of Karma itself fights back is neat. Still, I would have preferred Ruined Zed or something along those lines.
Sentinel Graves: OK, I love this skin. I don’t love the context around it. First of all, the fact that he’s the Sentinel for Piltover is dumb. Graves is from Bilgewater, and should have been the Sentinel we recruited there. I also don’t care for how Twisted Fate is completely missing and never even referenced from his story. Like, OK, Graves fled Bilgewater because it was already overcome with Harrowing. Fine. But... Did he just leave TF behind? If so, why does he have Fate’s blue card? There’s so much we’re missing here. I love that he’s joining just because he’s got a bone to pick with Viego, but Graves should have been the choice for Bilgewater. As for who should be the Piltover Sentinel? Well...
Sentinel Jayce: Think about it. Jayce is a character who’s had nothing to do in the Piltover/Zaun lore for ages. He already considers himself a hero and a defender of Piltover. Plus, imagine what a Sentinel version of his hammer would be like! Hell, Jayce’s whole conflict with Viktor revolves around their opposing beliefs around free will. Of course he’d have a word or two to say about the Ruined King, who’s running around and stripping people of their free will! On that note..
Ruined Viktor: Absolutely a perfect fit for Ruination. Under Viego’s influence, he could deem undeath as the next logical step of evolution, casting aside the limits of flesh and emotion for a spectral form where one’s thoughts were dictated by a single, “superior” consciousness. It would be a perfect contrast for Sentinel Jayce, and besides: we’ve already seen a ghostly version of this concept with Death Sworn Viktor. If Draven gets two undead skins, why not? Plus, we know that the Harrowing can effect machines thanks to Legends of Runeterra, so... Yeah. Ruined Viktor. Let’s go.
Sentinel Pyke: Another controversial one. While I like the general idea behind it, frankly, I would have just left Pyke as he is. We already have him fighting the undead in the Ruined King game, and we know Nagakabouros power can hurt the undead; there was no real need for him to pick up Sentinel gear. Much as I love the line “Wraiths, wraiths are on the list,” I would have just made Graves the Sentinel rep for Bilgewater and called it there.
Ruined Miss Fortune: This one just sucks. It absolutely sucks. The Sarah Fortune I know would have never gone to such lengths merely for power, especially when she already rules most of Bilgewater at this point. Her various short stories show her doing a pretty damn good job stamping out the warring factions challenging her rule, and even if she decided that she needed some kind of supernatural leg up on the competition, it’s not like Bilgewater is lacking in magic. Also, the design sucks, turning her back into the sex icon that they’ve spent the last 7 years moving her away from. Ruined Fortune sucks. As for who SHOULD have gotten the skin instead...
Ruined Gangplank: Now HERE’S a pirate lord desperate for power. He lost his ship, he lost his fleet, he lost his throne, he even lost an arm. Gangplank has been struggling to regain control of Bilgewater ever since Burning Tides, and while we haven’t heard much of him recently, it can be safely assumed that he’s not making much progress with how much control Sarah currently has. Gangplank is absolutely ruthless enough and immoral enough to bargain with the Ruined King for power. Plus, think about it: he’s already been “reborn” once, so to him, Ruination probably wouldn’t even be that big of a deal.
Sentinel Rengar: All things considered, I like this one. Rengar, I think, has one of the best justifications for joining the Sentinels. When Rengar’s jungle is invaded by wraiths, Rengar finds himself faced with monsters that even his skills cannot take down. Yeah, these undead are worthy prey challenging his reign as the apex predator in Kumungu, and if the Viego is their alpha, then he’s the target to go for. Now, obviously he’s still got a hunt for Kha’Zix that has yet to be resolved, but let’s be honest: we’re never going to see that rivalry conclude, and this is the most lore relevance Rengar has had in ages. I’m for this skin, though of course we do still have the issue of who in Kumungu would be a good Ruined rival for him. On that note...
Ruined Zyra: Alright, here me out. Ixtal as a region doesn’t have that many characters, let-alone good candidates for Ruination. Perhaps the best and most obvious candidate would be Qiyana, but I take issue with this for a few reasons. Firstly, accepting Ruination for the power to rule is already something we’ve done with MF/GP, and second, I don’t think the Shadow Isles aesthetic works super well with her elemental-swapping gameplay. I chose Ruined Zyra because, well, Zyra already wants to spread her plants far and wide across Runeterra, and the Mist would be a great method for carrying seeds, not to mention making her offspring harder to prune. Not the most deep, but yeah, I think Ruined Zyra would have been a cool concept to work with.
Lastly...
Unbound Thresh: A mistake. I’ve already made my opinions on Thresh’s lore abundantly clear in my rewrite for him, and this skin just destroys any hope for his character for me. This sexy E-Boy is unquestionably the worst thing to come out of the whole event, and whatever Riot is planning to do with Thresh in the future, it does NOT justify this design. Plus, the whole idea that an undead character can become “unbound” is just dumb. Like, when has it ever been implied that Thresh himself was actually bound in any way? He’s one of the few Shadow Isles entities that can freely leave the Mist, at least for a time! Yeah, this skin was a mistake, but Riot has to cash in on the simps, I suppose.
Anyways, I’ll give my thoughts on the story itself once this is all said and done, but for now, these are my takes on the individual skins. Hope you all enjoyed hearing me ramble.
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simpingforthisonedeer · 4 years ago
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Chapter 4: At The Mercy
Summary: Julius' loneliness threatens to choke him but it's okay, because Aika is there to make sure he breathes. 
Oh, and he's kinda gay and there's a daughter and an assassin.
Notes: I didn’t mean to make it angsty in the beginning like that but it just kinda happened and uhh there’s abt 4599 words in this chapter sooo enjoy!
“Aika?”
Julius and Aika looked at each other in horror.
Oh, shit.
 Raymond slowly opened the door to find his niece and successor sitting incredibly close, legs crossed, and a glass in their hands as they looked at him with carefully guarded expressions. Or as carefully as two drunks could be. Aika jolted with a silent hiccup and excused herself quietly. Julius looked over at her fondly and bumped his knee with hers in sympathy.
Oh, something was definitely up. He’d thought he heard some strange noises in here, quite different from the murmur he expected to hear from standing near the doors. He thought there was something going on between the two, considering the fact that they seemed so familiar during the meeting today. Raymond thought they were perhaps friends, but they threw secret looks at each other too often and for too long to be just friends.
Looking at them now, there wasn’t a wrinkle nor a hair out of place, unnaturally so. Maybe nothing happened. Maybe they just clicked when they started talking.
Julius spoke up first.
“Aika had let me know that she is your niece, Master Raymond. She had also agreed to continue providing me with information from her network.”
“That I did. Space boy here, and Captains Marcus and Leah also know about my—our operatives here.”
“Space boy? Jayce, Evan and Ellie?”
“This man uses Spatial Magic and says he doesn’t and yeah, who else at MK headquarters?”
Raymond sighed heavily when he noticed the empty whiskey bottle. Julius’ shouldn’t be drinking yet there he was with a half glass but he only seemed slightly tipsy and with the way Aika’s looking around the room, she was completely sloshed.
“Okay, as long as you two are on the same page, we’re good,” He nodded at Julius. “Could you please drop her off at the nearest house to the Demon Skull in Hage? I know it’s asking a lot but she can’t really ride the broom in her...state. I would owe you one.”
Julius stood up and bowed his head with a polite smile.
“No, sir. I owe Miss Aika one. She helped heal the curse on my liver,” he pressed his formerly injured side to emphasize. “The least I could do is take her home.”
“Oh, that’s great! I’m glad you’re doing better now.�� It didn’t surprise him that she figured out a way around his particular curse. She had always been quick on the uptake on all cases she had the chance to observe. This was no exception and he couldn’t be any prouder.
Raymond noted how he didn’t say drop her off. He watched as the two shared an amused look. Julius offered a hand to Aika and she stood up next to him and pressed into his side. 
Raymond raised an eyebrow at that. His suspicions were all but confirmed when Julius didn’t push her away. He would often keep drunk and excited women who threw themselves at him at an arm's length but he was perfectly fine with Aika. He smiled internally. While it was none of his business who his niece consorted with, he couldn’t think of a better match for her. They were both ruthlessly ambitious people with hearts of gold. He knew their professional relationship would be a match made in heaven but the personal interest they were showing in each other was a pleasant surprise. Julius was already like his son and his imminent successor, and the thought of having him around as family made him smile.
Julius picked up the file of his papers and tucked them into his robe pocket. He wrapped an arm around Aika’s shoulders and shared a smile with her.
“Oooh, I want to see how it feels to teleport,” Aika slurred as she grinned at Raymond. “Bye Uncle! Give my regards to Aunt Lydia.”
“Good night, sir. See you tomorrow.”
He nodded officiously as they phased out of the room.
Aika stumbled a bit as they suddenly found themselves on top of the Demon Skull. Julius wrapped an arm around her tightly as the wind threatened to knock her off her feet. She thanked him and cupped his cheek as she pressed a tender kiss on the other one. He stared at her, dazed.
“What was that for?” He murmured as he touched his cheek. Aika looked at him strangely then a mischievous smile lit up her face when she understood that he was genuinely confused.
“That was for going along with my charade that I was more drunk than I really was, for catching me when I was going to fall, and for having a really kissable face. All good reasons, don’t you agree?”
“Oh.” He looked away with a small smile. Aika paused for a moment when her heart skipped a beat at his smile. She was falling hard and fast, but it was exhilarating. She couldn’t help it. Maybe it may not go the way she wanted but for now, he was what she wanted. 
Though, she found it strange that he was a little shy and hesitant. He was a handsome man. Surely he was used to the company of women? Aika tilted his chin back towards her and looked at him imploringly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Julius quickly denied as he looked away again. Maybe he’s worried about the war?
“Are you worried about the war?”
“Well, yes. But it’s not about that. It’s just—” he seemed to hesitate. “I’ve never been with someone as Julius.”
She tilted her head.
“What does that mean?” He seemed alone as guilt flashed across his features.
“I’ve only ever had flings with people in disguises, with transformation magic. I was too focused on becoming Wizard King that I would either risk scandal, distraction or getting my significant other hurt. By doing this, whatever this is, I’m exposing myself.”
Aika stood silently for a moment as she watched him with a heavy heart. While a small, but a loud part of her wanted to ask about the transformation magic, the implications of everything else he had just told her caused a painful twinge in her chest. Each moment she stayed quiet, the more regret racked up on Julius’ face. He stepped back and moved to turn around and walk away but Aika stopped him.
She took both his hands reverently and sighed. She had one simple question.
“You’ve never fallen in love?”
He was taken aback by that before his eyes grew somber.
“Once,” Julius answered truthfully.
“As Julius?” He hesitated.
“I’ve fallen in love as Julius...but he never looked at me that way.”
Aika’s eyes grew wide. Well, that wasn’t expected.
“He?’”
Julius panicked.
“I meant ‘she!’ ‘She!’ It’s a woman!” He laughed weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck in defeat. “Please forget everything I said,” he extricated himself from her grasp and turned away. “I’m going to go home and pray that you forget. I had a lovely time. I look forward to working with you in the future. Good Night!” Julius clenched his hands and moved to teleport.
“Wait!” Oh, boy. He was probably going to regret this but he stayed.
“I get it!” His shoulders slackened as he swung around in surprise.
“What? Get what?”
“I like men too so I get it!”
Julius let out an incredulous laugh as the last of his anxiety melted away. This ridiculous woman! If he wasn’t falling for her already, he was now.
“But the question is, do you like women?”
A smirk crept up his face. Wasn’t it obvious? He stepped into her personal space and cocked his head at her.
“I think you know the answer to that,” he murmured as his eyes flashed darkly.
“Mm, I had to make sure,” she pressed herself flush against his front and ground her leg into his half-erect cock as he hissed in pleasure. “Because you see, I do too.” She smiled when his cock twitched against her thigh.
“You like women too?”
“Yes, you got nothing to worry about. Just another thing we share in common,” she fiddled with the collar of his fur cape as she stepped back. “Now, getting to the part where you feel exposed. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. There is no need for anything except a professional relationship between us if that is what you want.”
“What do you want?” She paused. She wanted a lot but this wasn’t about her. His face was closed off, nearly emotionless if not for the little quirk in his eyebrow.
“Me?” He nodded. If he wanted to know, then here goes nothing.
“I want you, Julius,” she grazed his cheek with the back of her knuckles. “But if trust is what I need to make you mine, then I’ll wait. I’ll wait for the war to end if that’s what you need. I’ll begin to help you more in a professional capacity, keep talking about all things magic with you, make excuses to take you to dinner, run my hands through your hair when no one’s looking, hope that when you become Wizard King, you’ll start to open yourself up more and I’ll probably fall in love along the way, because as terrifying as it is, I see a beautiful soul and I can’t help but be attracted to it like a moth to flame,” she wiped the involuntary tears that gathered at the edge of her lashes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Due to her drunken disposition, she had basically laid her soul bare and Gods above, that was terrifying. She was really a dumb drunk.
Aika looked up at him with no small amount of hope as Julius stared at her, dazed. He felt a warmth blossom in his heart that made his toes curl and his hairs stand on the end. He had never been on the receiving end of such raw and emotional confession. Love was a far off dream for Julius ever since his very unrequited feelings for Zara, whom he had admired for being the shining example of a Magic Knight, then grew to love because there was nothing more charming than his smile.
Then here she stood, hope in her eyes as wind swept through her hair behind her, a fervent confession hanging between them. Not once during the night they had met and today had Aika never called him anything besides Julius. He wasn’t Captain Julius to her, or even the next Wizard King. He was just Julius. Not some fake name, fake face, or personality. He could belong. The realization made him feel like his chest was going to explode.
Julius held her face between his hands and pressed his forehead to hers as he composed himself. She wrapped her arms around him and cradled the back of his head and nudged him to bury his face in her neck.
Aika felt her heart beat like the rain as his breath quivered against her neck. Did she say something wrong? Was he okay?
“Could you,” he swallowed thickly as he tightened his hold around her. “Could you please just hold me tonight?”
“Of course,” Aika exhaled in relief. He pulled back and his eyes were slightly glassy and his face somber.
“Are you alri—”
He claimed her lips with his in an explosion of desperation. She wound herself tightly around him as she arched into the kiss. He kissed her till they couldn’t breathe. He kissed her with all the words he wanted to say but couldn’t. He poured his all his hope and thanks into it, hoping her brilliant mind would somehow catch it.
Aika tried to pull back to look at him and make sure he was okay, but his lips would seek hers again, open-mouthed and deliberate, determined to consume her whole.
Julius finally let go, slowly, his fingers still buried in her hair.
She found it hard to open her eyes as she swayed lightly on her feet.
“I like you too…” She blinked up at him with wide eyes when he spoke.
“You are the first person to not fawn over me because I’m a Magic Knight Captain or something or another. Talking to you was really fun,” He seemed a little shy to admit it but Aika smiled gratefully. She liked the fact that he liked to communicate too. “and you have a very kissable face too,” he said with a laugh. Aika drew him into a short kiss as they both giggled.
“You still want me to hold you?” She took his hand and looked searchingly in the direction of her house. Julius resisted a blush.
“If that’s okay with you. I don’t even know why I asked.”
“It’s completely fine. As long as you’re okay with my daughter accosting us in the morning.”
Aika winced when he whipped his head around. Whoops, that slipped by accident. Tomorrow was Saturday and a large part of her was always happy to see her daughter on the weekends, so of course it slipped.
“Daughter?”
“Er, yes...She’s ten and I only see her on the weekends.” He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.
“Wh-what happened to the father? If you don’t mind me asking…”
“I don’t mind and he’s still around. We share custody that is all,” she assured him as they walked to the edge of the demon skull.
“...Was he your husband?”
“Oh no! I was never married!” Aika laughed. “He just wanted my firstborn in exchange for a favor. That’s all.”
“What?!” He looked at her hysterically. “What kind of favor?”
“I mean, it’s a long story but he changed the tide of a war at my request and he wanted my firstborn so I instead made a deal to have his child,” she shrugged. “Life was strange back then.”
Julius gaped at her.
“I have so many questions.”
They looped arms as they floated off and down the demon skull. 
Aika told a story of a man she met who called himself Arthur. She told him how Arthur changed the course of history many times in exchange for riches or favors. She explained how when she was trying for a child with him, she had become good friends with him and he agreed to let her raise the baby for a year and then share custody. She left out the part where he was actually a fae and only agreed to father a child with her, a human, as part of an unspoken eugenics experiment. They both were secretly fascinated by the fact that a half fae, half human hybrid would almost certainly have two attributes and therefore two grimoires.
“That’s very nice of him,” Julius laughed. This was the most bizarre story he had ever heard in his life.
“I know! They come every weekend so Holly could spend time with me.” Her face broke into a grin. “She’s amazing.”
Julius looked at her with keen interest as she described Holly to him. Moments like these were when he regretted the fact that he didn’t start a family sooner.
“She has blonde hair, my eyes and the most adorable freckles across her nose and cheeks,” Aika giggled in remembrance. They turned right past a thicket of trees. “She may be young but she is determined to be well-versed in world politics and—” She immediately tensed up when her house came into view. She noticed that the lights were on in the living room of her house and the mana masking the fresh remnants of forbidden magic in the backyard was gone.
Julius looked curiously between Aika and the modest-looking two-story house.
“Is that where you live?”
She nodded tightly as her eyes roved over the front of the house, scanning for forced entry.
“Your family seems to be up,” he murmured disappointedly, completely oblivious.
“Julius,” she hissed. “I live alone and Holly does not come on weekdays. It’s a rule we enforce religiously for safety.”
Aika let go of him and flexed her wrists. The wards around her house were also down, meaning someone broke the stone tablet that holds the mana in place.
“Be on guard. We may have a home invader on our hands. I’ll explain later.”
Julius’ back immediately straightened, his eyes sober as he looked at her searchingly.
“Are you sure it’s a cause for concern,” he whispered loudly as they moved silently towards her home.
“Yes, I get assassins sent after me at least once a month. I wasn’t kidding when I said I got chased around the world for my magic.”
He threw her an alarmed look as she shook her head, assuring him that she will explain later.
They wordlessly jumped over the walls surrounding the house and creeped towards one of the windows that gave them a view into the living room. Aika peeked in carefully and nearly choked on her breath when she noticed who sat on the armchair directly facing the front door.
Julius cursed softly behind her.
“Is that your daughter?”
“Yes…”
Holly’s hands were in her lap, covered by a blanket but it was obvious that they were tied together along with her ankles also covered by the blanket. Her eyes were alert and focused resolutely on the front door, no doubt waiting for her arrival.
Aika scanned the living room with measured breaths. Anyone who dared to touch her daughter were going to feel the wrath of a thousand Suns. She knew they couldn’t do real harm to her because that was simply the nature of Holly’s magic. Her spatial magic simply didn’t allow anything to touch her if she willed it. But if Holly let herself be restrained, it meant she was waiting for either Arthur or Aika to deal with the threat.
Where on Earth is Arthur?
“We should go in through the front door,” Julius looked anxiously at Holly. “The unsub is probably hoping to ambush us as we interact with Holly since they went through the lengths to cover her restraints up.”
Aika agreed.
“We have code for anticipating surprise attacks like this. I’ll ask for the time and she’ll tell me which direction the unsub is hiding or will come from if they don’t attack already,”
They linked hands and nodded, all psyched up. They stood in front of the door and Aika raised a hand as she took a deep breath, and knocked.
“I’m home!” she exclaimed with false cheer as she opened the door.
“Hey, mom—Oh. You brought someone home.”
“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind,” she looked knowingly at Holly.
“What time is it? I already made some bread and tomato soup if you want to eat.”
Holly exhaled sharply, her eyes darted behind her.
“It’s really late. I think it’s 11 o’clock.”
Immediately, a dark figure jumped out of the closet door at Aika’s eleven o’clock, which was right behind Holly’s chair as they threw something in Julius’ direction. 
Julius caught it inside a light blue orb as his hand hovered in front of him.
The attacker held a dagger into Holly’s neck as their hood fell, revealing a gray-haired, fit man, who seemed to be approaching his fifties.
“Surrender now, Sarkany, or yer daughter’s dead, ” he growled in a foreign tongue. Aika vaguely noted it was a Thessalonican dialect as she scanned the man for any identifiers like a crest, tattoo or anything that could show any affiliation.
“Where’s your father, Holly?”
“Dad’s in the closet,” she swallowed thickly as she grew greener. “His daggers are iron.”
Aika tsked. Iron was deadly poisonous to the fae and could make half-fae sick. But she wasn’t going to be worried about Arthur because tonight was the waxing moon and his innate Moon Magic would neutralize any iron poisoning.
The man snarled as he pressed the dagger harder against Holly’s neck.
“I don’t think you understand the seriousness of my words. Perhaps a cut or two would drive the point home?”
“No, I don’t think you understand,” Julius began in Greek, much to Aika’s surprise. “If you don’t let go of her now, there will be a hole in your chest,” He raised a spheroid of his mana encircled by Roman numerals.
She waved away the many questions that popped up as she urged him to put him hand down.
“It’s alright, Julius,” Aika nodded permissively at Holly. “Come here, Holly.”
Holly slackened in her seat and phased through the dagger and restraints holding her in place. She turned to her attacker with a feral smile as he was caught off-guard by her movement. 
Then suddenly, he was slammed against the wall as his dagger clattered to the floor, his form pinned against the wall like a cross by an unknown force.
Holly walked up to her mother with an overly-pleased smile and leaned forward expectantly.
“Good job, Holly,” she praised with a laugh as she patted her head, subtly healing the little knick in her daughter’s neck. “You’ll make a brilliant operative one day.”
“Operative? I’m going to be the Queen. ”
Aika huffed. Her daughter wanted to be the Faerie Queen, a title earned by passing a series of rigorous tests, evaluations of intentions, and demonstration of significant power capable enough to protect all fae. It was one of the most difficult jobs in the world and she couldn’t be any prouder as a mother to see her daughter dreaming big and working hard.
“Woah! What kind of magic is that!?” Julius exclaimed, enthralled by what he had just witnessed. “You just passed through the knife and blanket! Is that some kind of evolved version of spatial magic?!”
“...yes?”
“Oh my god, that’s so cool! I’m Julius by the way!” he offered a hand for her to shake. “Nice to meet you!”
“Hello, Mr. Julius...Nice to meet you too,” she threw a baffled expression at Aika as she slowly shook his hand. “I’m Holly.”
Aika examined the hovering object inside Julius’ spell. He badgered Holly with questions while she threw concerned looks at their captive, who strained against the invisible force holding him in place. Aika paled when she realized what the assassin threw. It was a flat circular token with explosion runes inscribed onto them. Anything that touches the flat side would explode irreparably. If it touched a human being, it would be an instant kill.
The assassin threw that at Julius. He hurt Holly and Arthur. Her vision flashed red.
In a blink, Aika was on the other side of the room where she threw a solid punch across the man’s jaw. His head whipped to the side and spat blood as it dribbled down his chin.
“What’s your name?”
He grinned toothily, showing off his bloody teeth.
“You’re already dead, Sarkany. We will all be dead.”
She punched him again. This time his head lolled unsteadily, skirting the edge of unconsciousness. Julius tried to turn Holly away from the scene but she shrugged his hand off and shook her head. Her mom was usually far more composed but today was unusual. 
Holly sniffed and nearly gagged when her incredibly sensitive nose picked up the smell of whiskey and something musky coming from the man next to her and her mom. She scrutinized Julius and raised an eyebrow when she noticed a faint, blue, star tattoo on his forehead similar to the one her mom was sporting. She also noticed that he was this kingdom’s mage warrior, a Magic Knight, she faintly recalled.
“Let’s start again. What’s your name?”
“Sven,” he rasped.
“Sven. Why are we all going to die, Sven?”
“I hurt your daughter and her father,” he wheezed. “I attempted to hurt your Greek friend over there,” he looked up at her with a crooked smile. “You’re going to kill me and the moment I die, I’m taking everyone in this village down with me.”
Aika’s heart stuttered at his words. There were no visible runes on him so she tore his tunic apart and stared at the bright, red runes carved into his chest. If he died, he was going to use the release of his mana to power an explosion big enough to wipe out the countryside. If she spared his life, she would have to make sure he didn’t kill himself. That wasn’t going to happen going by the crazed look in his eyes. 
Aika hovered her hand over his chest and tried to undo the carved runes but just as she predicted, he had mana resistance. She used her last potion on Julius and the potion wasn’t on the market yet.
“What’s wrong?” Julius padded over silently to her side.
“He is going to kill himself if we hold him captive and when he does, everything in a 2 kilometer radius is going to be destroyed by an explosion.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated. She had a bad feeling about this. She needed to make sure.
Aika sped up the time of the mana around her and strained her senses to pick up a sound, a vision or even a smell.
She coughed violently when the smell of smoke and burning flesh filled up her lungs and her ears rang faintly from an echo of a detonation.
“Aika, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she stared hard at Sven as she swallowed the lump in her throat. There was only one way that the explosion was inevitable. “Holly, can you open his mouth wide?”
Holly flicked her wrist and an invisible force pried Sven’s mouth open. Aika and Julius strained to look inside and their eyes widened when they noticed more runes. These ones were the same as the ones on his chest but they only needed blood to activate, blood which was already in his mouth.
He was dying anyway. His mana was slowly being sapped to power the runes and his chest was expanding outwards to build up an explosion.
“Holly, let go of him!” She needed to get him as far away from here as possible. 
“Wait, what? What are you doing?” Julius exclaimed as Aika picked up Sven from where he crumpled on the floor. She jogged to the front door and kicked it open.
“Julius, watch over Holly for me please!”
“Wait, I can contain the explosion!” He called out as he followed her outside. She whipped her head around.
“Are you sure?! This is forbidden magic. I don’t think it’s that easy.”
Julius nodded, his brows furrowed in determination.
“We need distance but I’m sure I could do it.”
“I’m going to throw him high. Could you contain him then?”
He nodded, his fingers clawed as he gathered his mana.
Aika put her arms under Sven’s armpits and held him tight and began spinning to gather momentum. She spun until she was blur then changed course, tilted sideways and flung him straight up as she accelerated his speed with a touch of her magic.
Julius shot his spell after Sven’s ragdoll form and it caught up to him when he broke through the clouds.
For a moment, his prone body stayed suspended inside the spell, and with a flash, he exploded.
From where Julius, Aika and Holly stood, they heard a faint bang and a small ball of light up for a few seconds before it was silent.
Aika felt faint as everything caught up to her. She collapsed to her knees in relief and buried her face in her hands.
“Oh my fucking god, we all nearly died.”
Notes: I have a genuine question: Is my writing ok? Like idk I think its readable and im not like insecure abt it but no one besides my beta comments on my writing so idk what yall thoughts are.
Next chapter we meet Arthur, some hand-holding ;) and the final battle begins.
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sustainedexployer · 4 years ago
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𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭
Tagged by : @shadcwreaper
Tagging : anyone who wants to do it lmao
𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬
Full Name : Ezreal 
Nickname : Ez, Jarro Lightfeather
Gender : He/him
Height : 5’8
Age : 20+
Zodiac : Pisces
Spoken Languages : (Common), Knows how to read old Shuriman 
𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬
Hair Color : Dirty Blond, ear length that he keeps brushed. He hates his hair benign unkepted
Eye Color : Bright blue
Skin Tone : Tan. He has tanlines all over and the darkest freckles all over his face, becoming much more lighter down his shoulders. Also lightblue triangular marks under his eyes, they’re unknown what they are but it does glow slightly in the dark. Even more when he's blushed.
Body Type : Slim with some muscle
Voice : Kinda in the middle but more lean to high pitched. Though, i didn't tell you this but he likes speaking with his chest when he's intimidated to sound less like a little bitch.
Dominant Hand : Ambidextrous 
Posture : Raised by an uptight uncle, he knows how to present though he knows how to actually act. Very upright but he tends to lean on his sides a lot
Scars : Hands, Arm, Legs, Stomach, Back, anywhere really. He's very headon when it comes to exploring, he tires to be safe but it could never actually be as safe as you want to be.
Tattoos : N/A
Birthmarks : Two, on his right shoulder and one on the left butt cheek
𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝
Place of Birth : Northern Plitover
HomeTown: Near Bluewind Court
Siblings : Single Child
Parents : Unknown, thought to be dead but his heart won't accept the fact. 
𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞
Occupation : Exployer, Adventurer, 
Current Residents : Somewhere in Piltover
Close Friends : Jayce, Caitlynn, Vi
Relationship Status : Single 
Financial Status : typical rich boy
Drivers Licence : Yessir
Criminal Record : Looting, Stealing, Trespassing, Use of Magic, 
Vice : Stubborn
𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Sexual Orentation : Bisexual
Prefered Emotional Role : submissive | dominant | switch
Prefered Sexual Role : submissive | dominant | switch
Libodo : Pretty Low for a guy, but i say neutral 
Turn Ons : Feeling Safe, Being Dominated
Turn Offs : not understanding his humor, someone closed minded
Love Language : Giving Gifts, Personal Attention, Cuddles, Joking Around
Relationship Tendencies : He’s super attached, never wants to do things without you, always giving things to you, surprises everywhere, 
𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬
Character’s Theme Song : 
Hobbies To Pass The Time : Journaling, Drawing, Reading
Left or Right Brained : More left but in his free time, right
Phobias : Trypanophobia
Self Confidence Levels : To people, high but its about average or below average when he's alone
Vulnerabilities : Being abandoned by the person he loves and trust most
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definitelynotscott · 6 years ago
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WIP game: life, blue, and/or help !
:D
Secrets
The banked rage in his heart flickered to life, and he set his tumbler on the table because he didn’t want to test its strength.
“Can I come in?” she asked, voice subdued, serious blue-green eyes looking up at him from under her golden lashes.
He chose the two-tiered dangly kind with a hook clasp and golden glass chips to match her hair, since he had never determined if her eyes were blue or green.
She was wearing a strapless dress in a blue so pale that at this distance it looked white except in the folds and valleys of the fabric.
He couldn’t help but smile back.
Understanding lit her eyes and he couldn’t help but grin.
Inheritance
Draven inquires about her love-life. (from the summary/outline)
To-Write List
(Please remember that while some of the stories in here haven’t been written because I’m slow, some of the stories in here haven’t been written because the initial idea just wasn’t that strong.) Cut for length. Like. There’s just over 39 pages. There were going to be a lot of hits. Some of these I’ve posted about before so I’ll come back in the morning and edit in links, but I’m tired now.
I guess I’m here to light up your life, but maybe not like you expect. (Soulmate AU II)
Okay, so he was a dick, saddling her with, essentially, a mark that called her a whore her whole life, but was she really planning to avoid speaking to him forever? (Soulmate AU V)
“How’s married life?” (Soulmate AU XIII)
And even when you’re a good liar “Ha ha, you’re my friend, and he’s a big part of your life, so of course I’m interested…” will only take you so far. (Soulmate AU XIV)
Ezreal hasn’t really thought about the sudden appearance of Darius in Lux’s life, he’s busy concentrating on his studies (and Taric, but…). (Some college AU)
Lux walks in on Garen and Darius trying to kill each other but mistakes it for another activity entirely. Garen doesn’t deny it, in fact goading her into making Darius’ life hell by acting emotionally vulnerable (“I wanted something more than physical”) (Wow you get the entire prompt for this one. Also a College AU)
All he wants is to show Lux how grateful he is to have her in his life. (Established Relationship AU/Starting Their Own Business AU/Unplanned Pregnancy AU)
Domestic Life in Noxus sort of thing where an assassin and an “information broker” get married because the landlord is only renting to married couples. (I actually posted about this one before!)
But she feeds him and keeps him safe like she would have for Jane, and makes snarky comments about his dad and all the unhealthy people in his life, and she starts to grow on him. … And they’re having one of their sniping little conversations like they do, and she pulls up the “upgrade to PAID” line, and there’s a pause and he says “…I could pay you…” kind of reaching out to the one non-toxic person in his life. … While she’s sending out applications and going for interviews she’s texting Justin to make sure he’s eating and sleeping, and giving him little pep talks about not abandoning his dreams and not letting the toxic SOBs around him direct his life. … Then Justin is kidnapped by unsavory types and Darcy A) can’t tell anyone because then she’d have to fess up about talking to Justin all the time and she’s sure they’d assume she’s a traitor and B) why would Tony help Justin anyway? (That Darcy Thing I Outlined Here.)
Being in prison is essentially a monastic lifestyle he didn’t choose. (Overwatch Thing I Posted.)
She’s double insulted since he should know she can make his life hell, and that she can be happy in whatever circumstances. (One of many Arranged Marriage AUs (but not quite so many that I’ve busted out the Roman numerals yet.))
They save her a bag when the gym gets crowded, and help her brush off a follower. … Garen immediately leaves to look for spare garments in the car, as everyone can see her bra is see-through blue mesh. … They listen to music supplied by Professor Heimerdinger (Space Jam, Commander Thinks Aloud, Blue & Beautiful, etc.) … Slow-dance to Blue & Beautiful. (College AU/Gym Rat AU)
Gifts would appear out of nowhere, usually in a plain box, but once you opened it the wrappings were bold, obvious, Demacian blue and gold. (Kind of a Lux-being-a-stalker AU)
Conjoined households are seen as lower class because A) if you’re high ranked you’ll be stationed in the city, B) if you’re strong enough you can defend your household without help. (More of me making up weird societal rules about marriage because that’s fun for me.)
OKAY WE’RE SKIPPING THIS ONE. O///O (But the word was “help” - not “helping” or “helped” but “help.”)
A big old fish is just as likely to toss itself over the edge without her help (and without knocking her over the railing) so she stays inside. … He helps where he can (he can use the railings like parallel bars and kind of walk himself down using his hands, but he’s also kind of banged up from getting thrown against a lighthouse. (Lighthouse Keeper/Merman AU)
This one I was working on with someone else so IDK if I should share it, but it pinged on “help”.
Lux always completes her assignments above and beyond the call of duty, but with so little help, hope, experience, and cooperation (from both her superiors and her “clients”) her edges are beginning to fray… (Kinda… a Public Defender AU? Also a “DANG IT WHY ARE THERE ALL THESE “NOXUS WINS HERE ARE THE HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES” AUs AND NO “DEMACIA WINS AND HERE ARE THE HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES” AUs” AU)
Sequel: Darius is assigned to help Cassiopeia with Shurima because his Demacian tattoos will strike fear, but what happens when Demacians descend upon them? (Sequel to a Pirate AU where the Demacians are the Pirates (”Harsh justice of the sea” anyone?))
Ezreal and Janna decide to helpfully “prove” that she should avoid an arranged marriage. (Obviously an Arranged Marriage AU)
Draven’s thrilled, really wants to help with the wedding plans. (Double-Blind Marriage AU/Arranged Marriage AU)
“If you’re going to half my storage space I’m going to have you help me translate the ancient Demacian parts,” he said, sounding amused. (Magic Made Them Do It story, but set after “The Incident.”)
Ezreal is helping Jayce construct a device (recreate Ekko’s device?) (De-aging story)
OKAY WE’RE SKIPPING THIS ONE TOO. O///O (It’s not even that bad, I’m just easily embarrassed.) Pinged on “helping”.
But it’s a personal issue, so she’s willing to help. (Draven playing matchmaker AU)
He can’t help but agree internally. (Vampire/Werewolf AU)
…bathing him to help him smell more like pack. (We’ll just, uh, clip this one a little bit… ^^; )
KAT REALIZES SHE INHERITED HER FATHER’S JOB OF HELPING TALON INTERFACE WITH SOCIETAL STANDARDS (”Accidental” Baby Acquisition that I’ve mentioned before.)
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miadearden · 1 month ago
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Okay Arcane2 Act3 thoughts!
The opening sting having a different picture on the record had me going “OH SHIT” right from the get-go!
Wheeeeee! Ekko time! I theorised that we’d get a full Ekko ep (my thinking was ep08 but I think ep07 worked better) and I’m so glad we were correct. Ekko reckoning with the fact that his tip as a child kicked off both the events in his world and in this new reality that he finds himself in, that regret getting mixed into his need to recreate the hextech anomaly and thus he ends up with the Z-Drive, a device that literally lets him go back in time. Really excellent stuff.
Also the fact that this other version of Powder was so key to helping him make the Z-Drive - and the fact that she sees that she’s been hanging with a different Ekko than the one she knows at the end I CRY
Surprised that Heimerdinger died, but it makes sense. I don’t think there was really much more that he was going to offer to the story, so yeah.
I have less to say about Jayce’s side of the hextech trip. It was about what I expected. Called it that the old sage that influenced his desire to pursue magic would end up being Viktor. And the robot? Creature? Thingys? Were creepy As Fuck. So good going there.
All in all, really loved this ep. Not as much as ep05, but still very much.
Onto ep08! And lmao that tweet about how Cait doesnt stand a chance as the hottest woman on the show when Mel is around goes even double now. Ho dang.
That said, due to the pace of this season and the events that followed, I think the emotional side of Mel’s arc ended up being a ball that was dropped a bit. Like we had that conversation between her and Jayce after about her having to reevaluate who she is now, but it felt kinda forced and I feel like we needed some time for her to sit with her feelings a bit more.
The fact that she went to Ambessa at the end of ep08 and offered herself up to Piltover even knowing that Ambessa just wants her magic broke my heart
Onto Cait - I still stand by my thought that her arc has also been harmed by the breakneck pace of this season - however I do love that we see her draw the similarity between her and Jinx and acknowledge that her pursuit of Jinx drew the worst out in her.
And Jinx. Oh, my poor, poor, girl. Once again her and Vi are going ahead and making me cry. Ekko too. Him using the Z-Drive over and over again, trying to save Jinx’s life. I cry.
On the opposite end, CAITVI SEX SCENE?? SEEING VI’S FULL BACK TATTOO FOR THE FIRST TIME?? ALL TO KING FUCKING PRINCESS?? LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO
Hey, so do the Jayce haters still think he’s in the wrong for what he did in ep06? Even after Viktor’s whole speech?
My thoughts during ep09 - “Oh, THIS is League of Legends” isn’t it? Lmao
I can’t believe the Maddie haters were right, actually. Incredible call by the haters
Alright getting Mel and Cait up against Ambessa while Ekko, Jinx and Vi are taking on Vander was a very good choice. Loved the Zaunites coming in led by Jinx during the all-is-lost moment, and Mel’s ploy to pretend she’s giving her mother over to the Black Rose but taking it back.
Hooting and hollering and screaming “Boy fucking Saviour let’s goooooooooooo!” as Ekko came in clutch with the Z-Drive. That’s my boy! There he go!
Fully did not expect Jayce to go out with Viktor. Alright then. A win?? I guess?? For the JayVik fans??
(Also “there is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit” is such a good fucking line I’m mad that Viktor of all people got it)
Well, Singed got what he wanted at least.
All in all, good season - not great, primarily because of the pacing which I think I’ve brought up in each one of my posts. There were a number of elements in this season which needed more breathing room to really hit, and we just didn’t get that which is disappointing. I’ll probably still check out the next LoL series that Riot makes - particularly if most of the same creative minds are going to be behind it. And I’m definitely going to be keeping track of a number of the Fortiche artists and Fortiche in general and what hey work on next (which if I’m remembering correctly they’ve announced a Hades/Persephone movie that they’re making?)
So, yeah
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