#arcane salt

[golden-forge]

I definitely think the writing failed Mel (and Jayce’s arc too and Ekko also not getting comforted and being alone at the end instead of having the Firelights welcome him back).

Things that I want to add that might explain some (not all) of Jayce’s actions in the council room. Having his leg broken and stuck in a chasm for months and drawing on walls and sobbing over things that happened and most likely doubting himself and his life - some of what he said might have stemmed from that. He came out of the chasm with a broken mind and did not fully recover, sadly.

The whole hand on hammer i feel like was due to that puppet of Viktor’s coming which you did mention. When Jayce was around Viktor and the commune he kept having flashbacks of what he saw in that alternate timeline. I think their proximity sets him off. Doesn’t excuse his behavior around Mel but I think maybe that’s what was putting him on edge too?

The stone in Jayce’s wrist, every time he used the hammer the markings spread up his arm. He even starts wearing gloves and long sleeves again. Plus the leg wound getting infected with whatever the hell was getting over it in the chasm - I don’t know what that did to Jayce but it’s these things that make me question such changes in him when it comes to Mel.

It so was not fair writing for Mel to have this kind of reunion with him. It was definitely reminiscent of hate posts over the years of her character.

It was not fair for Jayce’s character either.

I don’t know why people find it so hard writing minority characters but it’s frustrating to still see in this day and age.

okay so very long thinkpiece about meljay and jayce' treatment of mel / the writers treatment of mel and how i think that all things considered she hasnt really won as much as we think she did

the thing about this that makes me so mad or rather sad (both, actually) is that we learn in season 1 how mel was brought up, that she didn't get to be soft and kind, that her surroundings were hard and rough just like her mother was, that love isn't a thing she knows like that especially not in relation to vulnerability. now if you think about media in general there is a pattern we know. the black woman is always the strong woman, the independent woman, the woman who doesnt get to be vulnerable bc of the first two points. so here comes this man she's trying to use not just for her own endeavors but for the good of piltover, clearly having a different mindset than her mother, and he cracks her open just like that. he's vulnerable with her and he lets her be vulnerable with him and it allows this woman this kind of vulnerability that she was never allowed to feel. she feels and she loves and there is someone who holds her and looks out for her when things go bad. he is his first thought after the bombing and hes so loving and endearing unlike her mother who is concerned, of course, but straight back to business too. and oh what a lovely thing that was to watch as a black woman who to this day still doesn't get to see this as often as we really should

so mel gets to experience something she hasnt before and you can tell it means something to her because when she gets back in act 3 the first reaction to him is an excited, hopeful one.

this is the man she cares deeply for and it is also the man who shes comforted before many times. something she needs in those very confusing times too. something she might be looking out for. something she might hope to get herself. some comforting after what shes been through for months. someone to share what is going on with her and how confusing it is to find out all those lies and secrets about herself.

until she notices how changed he is, how different he looks, so instantly she is worried. of course! who wouldnt be! she very likely didnt even know he was missing since its the first time we see her back in the city so she must've assumed he has been here and well for the whole time being (does she even know how long its been?) but it isnt fine as we know. she puts herself second! immediately! (and rewatching that scene now it actually makes me mad how she does that. and how anyone can question any of her feelings for him when shes immediately all jayce. or how in general people think shes only interested in her own goals) she asks this man who has shown her to be vulnerable around him and it BEING FINE, what happened, shes opening herself up to him, again, over and over, and he not only tells her it doesnt matter (what happened to him) but TURNS HIS BACK ON HER. he is literally shutting her off. he is saying with his body she does not get to do that. and for someone who has grown up like this, with a mother cutting off any kind of displays of weakness, this must be a familiar feeling, something that goes off like a bell

but she still tries! she still tries! she sees something is wrong but she tries to get comfort anyway, because this is jayce, right, this is the man she cares for deeply, the man who has opened this door for her and the door she's let herself through, the man who has always had compassion for her. of course she tries again. why wouldn't she? so she starts that something has happened to her but he doesn't even let her tell him what happened (actually it makes me so mad seeing this again and how crazy hostile he is towards her, its like im looking at the mel hating part of arcanetwt and him repeating beat for beat what theyve been saying for years) he doesnt give her room to speak, just takes it for himself, prioritizing himself and his own feelings. and, yes, figuring out the bombing thing and wanting to talk about it is valid and i think in general this could've been a great angsty way to deal with this topic IF they would've had the opportunity to talk this out properly but what happens instead is that the man that makes mel feel safe starts INTERROGATING her like she is a criminal that should be held for trial FOR SAVING HIM something she doesnt even undestand herself. and suddenly she is in a whole different position and i think by now she knows that this kind of compassion and understanding and room for vulnerability isn't part of their conversation anymore

she loses her composure and that of course isnt a first because she has started to be less put together around him, allowing her more room to "sway" but this kind of destruction is a different one because she feels at trial, feels cornered, feels like she has to explain herself but - and thats what is important - isnt heard. and i think that is something she knows very well, something shes grown up with, trying to explain herself and not being heard.

all of that happens while he is, mind you, still holding onto that hammer. something she surely notices too. the man who's usually quick to let down his defences around her, who isnt councilor talis or mister talis but just jayce around her, is holding onto that hammer like shes a threat. so he tells her he thinks shes lying and she asks him why he would think she'd do that, obviously, because her understanding of their relationship and their trust is a different one than his or at least this jayce that has come back from the arcane, because clearly this kind of understanding comes from somewhere and it comes from the times they've spent together alone throughout season 1 and a little in the beginning of season 2.

he throws at her that shes been using him, something that surprises her, because clearly she doesnt know what has happened, but she tries to explain anyway, because she doesnt know what has happened at least not in full (as you can tell by her reaction to viktor appearing, sensing the hostile mood between both, but also the way she reacts when viktor mentions the noxians intentions), and you can see that these thoughts of his are a result of months in the arcane alone with them and imagining conversations over conversations (although for me its still hard to understand how he grew that hostile towards her this quickly as if she were responsible for everything that happened but those are thoughts for a different post). he crashes out during that conversation, his face is warped with hatred and that is. all. for. her. to. see. and then BOOM goes the hammer off. mid conversation. a conversation that should feel safe with a man she should feel safe with but none of that is there. there is no space for her. (and yes i know hes aiming at viktors puppet but that isnt somethng mel is aware in that moment)

it all leads up to a fight and eventually they walk together and he apologizes, although very distantly and without much explanation, and despite it all, despite having good reasons to shut off and not share what she's feeling, she does. she talks to him about what is on her mind and they have a short, bittersweet exchange but it's just nowhere to what they've established in the first season. as a shipper of course that is super frustrating, but as a mel fan it's just sad to see that the person she felt safe enough to seek comfort in is just so closed off. but not only that, it's obvious they're parting ways and it's very obvious this is coming from his side and i think that is also why she so wilingly accepts it. she doesn't fight much back throughout their whole fight earlier either, she tries to explain herself, but doesnt demand that room for herself even though in this relationship she should be able to take just as much room for herself and her feelings as he does, but she doesn't. she just lets it happen and i understand it bc you have this man you trust and probably love and his first reaction to you is hostile when hostile has never been a response to her. he made a complete u-turn and of course that's off putting, maybe even scary, of course it shuts her down, makes someone who's so good with words and fighting just try to cause as little damage as possible because that is how she's grown up, isn't it?

and that is why i am sad about this. she learned that love doesnt have to look like her mothers and that being vulnerable isnt a weakness and its his doing but here she is met by this kind of hostility she only knows from noxus and it hurts even more that it COMES FROM HIM and over something as SAVING HIS LIFE when its clearly was an act out of love and not investment bc if i'd would've been just that than she would've saved viktor as well? but it wasnt about that. it was her subconscious making a decision and it was something her mother would describe as an act of weakness (theres a reason she gets renni to attack him bc she sees how fond mel of him is maybe even because shes been fond of a man herself once and she knows what itll do) and i think the worst part about it is that she doesnt ever get to truly articulate this or anything else and now that jayce is gone (dead? in a stone? who knows?) she won't get to ever probably. she won't get to say what she thinks and explain herself truly and she won't have anyone to confide in, to be comforted by or comfort. elora is dead, kino wasn't real and the real one is actually dead too, jayce is well whatever he is, and her mother died in her arms. yes, mel is a mage and that is fucking awesome and i was so happy to see her go off and get so many spotlights in battle, but shes also so fucking tragic actually. because here she is with a fuck ton of weight on her shoulders, the noxian army looking up to her, the whole name, not knowing who her father is or what any of her powers mean, the whole black rose thing, everything unresolved between her and jayce, the death of the people she loves, and shes all alone with it. shes all alone with it and she gets no one. man im just fucking sad that this woman got a glimpse of what it could be like to be loved and have someone to "come home to" just for her to have literally no one left like why do you hate black women so much why cant they get a fucking good ending and why cant they be fucking loved even when things get hard

also im lowkey mad that jayce got to find comfort in her lap so many times and not once did she get that in return, not even a squeeze of her shoulder, but dont let me get started on that....

[owlblaze]

Not to be crass

But thiiis

sucked aaaass

It waaaas

A shiiitshoooooow🎶🎶

[golden-forge]

People asking me how I’m coping.

But honestly I think there’s enough for fix it fics and canon divergences and aus. There are sadly other shows with incomprehensible endings and heartbreaking ones…*stares off in vld and wolf’s rain anime*.

But what I think makes things hurt with arcane is that it *seemed* like it was going good. So the finale just makes me scratch my head in confusion.

[riddlers-roulette]

Probably a bit of a hot take, and definitely petty fandom salt, but i’ve come to notice that in recent years, with most fandom spaces becoming puritanical in their efforts to ice out anything that can be labeled toxic, or anything that just doesn't fit the fandom’s prevalent opinions on a situation or character–a phenomenon that has only been exacerbated by TikTok and the overuse of “therapy-speak”--there seems to be a general lack of nuance and/or sense of media literacy in most vocal fandom spaces when it comes to a story that is not just black and white.

Arcane is one of the most recent example of this, with (arcane s2 spoilers ahead) characters caitlyn and vi being discussed pretty heavily with the terms like “domestic abuse” and “abuser apologism” particularly when it comes to caitlyn’s act of jabbing her rifle at vi’s side before walking away, leaving vi anguished. Now, i’m not saying domestic abuse is not real–i’m just saying, that in this instance, I don't believe that the act was domestic violence, nor do i believe that any of the parties that make up CaitVi are abusers.

Arcane itself is a complex story with heart shattering situations that the characters find themselves in constantly, often putting them at odds with their morals, the morals of their environment, and the morals of the audience. Do I think caitlyn was right to jab her rifle at vi? No. But we as an audience can tell that neither does Caitlyn herself. Neither does Vi. But when Caitlyn did so, it was when she was under immense emotional duress, her mother’s killer getting away, and she was blocked from taking vengeance by the person she trusted the most. When she said the horrible things she did, she was hurting and angry and lashing out–she was punching the walls like a woman gone. And why is it that we can offer characters like Jinx the grace to absolve her of her crimes due to her own psychotic breaks, but not other characters to their own actions done in moments of their own breakdowns? Vi punching Powder, for instance. An act that had Vi villainized by the fandom for a long time. 

Which brings me to another point–absolution. It is one the extremes characters tend to fall into when it comes to fandom, with the other extreme being amplification. A character’s sins tend to be glossed over, or explained away so that the character in question becomes an unquestionable angel and champion of justice, or, in other cases, tend to be overly exaggerated, making the character out to be the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low. Rarely is there an in-between, with multifaceted characters complete with riveting backstory and motivations and complicated characteristics inevitably losing a little of what makes them, them, all in the pursuit of woobification, gratuitous groveling from other characters, and victimization; it’s an apology fantasy on steroids. In other cases, and often, connected cases, if one character is getting the baby treatment then chances are that another is getting the villain treatment, becoming a sort of caricature of themselves. Motives and environmental factors and politics are all thrown out the window, and all that’s left is cartoonish, flat, oft one-dimensional portrayals. 

Arcane’s Silco is an example of the former, with the singular trait of caring for Jinx becoming twisted and emphasized until he is nigh unrecognizable. His harmful actions towards the undercity are erased and he is lifted up instead as something other than he was. He is transformed from the fascinatingly flawed, human depiction to something bland and uncanny. He is just a Poor Sad Betrayed Meow Meow who is also a Good Dad. But it’s okay because he also does crimes! Except wait, those crimes are also sanitized and cutesy, or horrific and without reason or logic. He has lost what makes him, him.

And for the other half of the coin, the unnecessary villainization, we have Jayce! Jayce was hated upon widely, especially after the release of Season 1, and his struggles were erased.

(and yes, there were struggles. Jayce was more privileged than those from the Undercity, that is unquestionable, but he was not as privileged as the other Council members or even most of his peers. He had the fortune of a patron, but that was something that had to be earned, and he could always risk losing. He was from a House, yes, but it was also a minor one, and he would have labored in his factories alongside other workers–he wasn’t a crazy wealthy guy. He staked his entire life on his research that he was actually going to take his own life when his dream was taken from him. His dream wasn’t to generate wealth by unlocking the arcane, but rather, it was to put these tools in the hands of the common man too. One of his first act as councilors was to immediately try to root out corruption. He was able bodied and from Piltover, and so, had more privilege than Viktor (who is my favorite arcane character) that is undeniable. But Jayce did have struggles, he wasn’t taken seriously by the Council due to his own status and had to go through them initially when it came to his own HexTech. Jayce had struggles,but Jayce is a POC and Viktor is a white boy, so Jayce’s problems are gonna be minimized by fandom but that’s a whole other issue–)

And yet, three years ago, the Jayce hate was at a total high, with every action of his being dramatized so as to make Viktor’s pain far more excruciating. 

I’ve derailed a little! The point of this post was to point out the “therapy speak” in fandom that often comes at the cost of lifting one character up and bashing the other, all while skipping over the context and nuance for the gray situations the characters found themselves in. All this to say–with fandom’s recent behaviors when it comes to relationships in fandom, it really makes you wonder if people have forgotten that relationships aren’t easy and actually require constant work and effort. That relationships change and evolve and grow with each obstacle that comes one’s way, and that sometimes things get rough, but that love is being able to understand and empathize with one’s partners–that not everything is black and white and that not every mistake is irredeemable.

edit: also, don’t really care enough to argue with ppl on this point in the notes. it’s tired and repetitive and half the time it’s like arguing with a brick wall. if this gets out of hand I will start deleting and/or restricting replies

[charbroiledchicken]

arcane season 2 introduction analysis incoming:

does anyone else find it really cool, but also very nerve-wracking, that the season 2 arcane introduction is referencing a bunch of well known tragic plays/musicals? we all know riot/fortiche isn’t one to put unnecessary details in, every single thing is either symbolic, a parallel or foreshadowing - especially in the introductions. so, could these chosen plays/performances foreshadow how the rest of the story could go?

i know that the caitlyn/macbeth poster parallels have been circulating a lot recently, and i think it provides a really good idea into how caitlyn’s arc might go. 

the events of act one positioned caitlyn in a perfect place to follow the storyline of macbeth. her current state (losing her mother, the trauma from jinx, etc) has made her predisposed to violence, much like macbeth. we can clearly see that in the caitvi betrayal scene, when she hits vi in the gut with a rifle, as well as in the fight before that, where she has no qualms with potentially killing innocents for the ‘greater good’. she was also thrust into a position of high power where she will be easily manipulated by ambessa. 

similar to this, macbeth is a story of a man thrust into a high position of power and unable to keep the blood off his hands, and he and his wife eventually go mad because of it. I think ambessa fits the role of lady macbeth here, and she has the potential to goad caitlyn (macbeth) into violent acts and atrocities while keeping the blood and blame off her hands. through caitlyn, ambessa now has significant influence and power over piltover and the fight with zaun. how will caitlyn, who is barely more than a pawn now, cope with this? macbeth slowly went insane in his attempt to maintain power - i fear for how caitlyn will fare. 

macbeth is a tragedy, by the way. 

i haven’t properly analysed the rest, but i think it’s interesting to know that the shot of jinx holding the flag is a reference to les mis (also a tragedy, as SPOILER ALERT all the characters die in their fight for freedom and fairness). the line is literally 'oh the misery'. if jinx rallies zaun to fight against piltover, is she leading them into a massacre?  

les mis is a tragedy. 

the shots of mel and ambessa lounging on the couch is a reference to julius caesar. it is a play of betrayal and caesar is betrayed by one of their companions. et tu, brute? brutus joins a conspiracy to assassinate caesar and prevent him from becoming a tyrant. does ambessa become a tyrant/bloodthirsty leader with her newfound power? will mel join the black rose and betray her mother in order to stop piltover’s destruction?

julius caesar is a tragedy.

one last thing. in all of these works, the main character of the story dies by the end.

so, safe to say, i am very nervous about what the introduction is foreshadowing. i have a feeling an important character is going to die.

arcane will be a tragedy. 

(viktor and the mask is also a reference to phantom of the opera but, as much as i love that musical, i haven’t analysed his shots yet so i haven’t included it)

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

“catra is a complex poc” fuck that. here are some ACTUAL poc animated characters who are just as, if not more complex than catra. (pt. 2)

mako (the legend of korra) • mixed (japanese and chinese)

min-gi park (infinity train) • korean-canadian

zuko (avatar the last airbender) • japanese

caitlyn kiramman (arcane) • bi-racial (east asian and presumably scottish)

miles morales (spiderverse) • puerto rican, afro-latino

amaya (the dragon prince) • east asian (ambiguous)

marshal lee (fionna and cake) • half-black (technically, marceline is black too but i figured marshal would be considered better representation)

carmen sandiego (carmen sandiego) • hispanic (argentinean-mexican)

toph (avatar the last airbender) • chinese

callum (the dragon prince) • half asian (ambiguous)

[anyaskalliope]

Arcane Fandom Salt

There's an overall lack of fandom etiquette in the Arcane fandom when it comes to tagging ships, which is most prevalent on Tumblr and Ao3. JayVik shippers are the main culprits of this and it's getting ridiculous. I don't see CaitVi shippers doing this.

If your post is about JayvikMel, don't tag it MelJay. If your post is about JayVik, don't tag it MelJay.

If your post is about Mel and Viktor, tag it MelVik and keep it out of the MelJay tag.

If your post is about JayMel and how shit the ship is, don't tag it MelJay or Jayce X Mel, tag it antiMelJay or MelJaySalt or something.

If your post is about how much you dislike Mel and how she's the worst and a manipulative person, don't tag it MelJay or even Mel Medarda. Just put it as antiMelJay or antiMelMedarda. Just stay out of this ship's tag for heaven's sake.

If your fic is about JayVik, don't tag it as Mel/Jayce. if your fic is about Jayce/Viktor/Mel, don't tag it as Mel/Jayce. Put pastMel/Jayce or backgroundMel/Jayce in the tags.

This is the first fandom I've been in where a ship's tag is filled with so much hate and disrespect for the ship and characters involved that it swallows the posts that celebrate it.

It's so annoying to go into the tag of a ship that you like, looking to see like-minded people with headcanons, fanfic, and fan art just to be met with a constant stream of posts shitting on the relationship or shitting on the woman in the relationship. It's so annoying.

Do better.

[melina-mellow]

Continuing on from one of my previous post about Jinx's survival on how she either left Zaun or is still somewhere in the undercity?.

It's also very possible that she did fall into the core and got teleported somewhere when it exploded...and if I had to guess where she'd be, it'd be Noxus (either willing or against her will)

Now hear me out! This is a complete crack theory born out of my delusions and whatever LoL lore I still remember!!

Y'know how Jinx in Arcane is heavily associated with crows and how they're usually following her around?

You wanna know who else is associated with crows in LoL?

THIS MOTHERFUCKER RIGHT HERE!

His stupid ass bird even showed up in the finale meaning this bastard knows very well what went down in Piltover and Zaun.

And since they've confirmed they'll make more shows about LoL, with how they showed Mel taking Ambessa's place and returning to Noxus...

It would not be all that surprising if the next show they make is more Mel centric and focuses on Noxus.

Not saying Jinx went and got herself kidnapped by another evil dilf.... but honestly would it really be the first time this has happened to her?

[hextechwreck]

maybe ive been infected by the jayce paranoia but i genuinely can't tell who i believe in this situation. would it really be that easy? the thought that everything viktor is doing is totally fine and will have no negative repercussions in the future whatsoever? that he's healing people of shimmer with no drawbacks? that sky's spirit is genuinely just chilling there with him in the astral plane or whatever? it's too good to be true. it seems like those plants the hexcore responded to. make them grow beautiful and sprawling, before they crumple and wither and die

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

trying to decide how much cartoon discourse i want to subject my beloved followers to on this, the cartoon discourse website

[viktorthemachineherald]

More Arcane funko pops releasing soon?

[superchaoticcollections]

I know people criticize the caitvi fandom as being mostly hc and fanfics but is it really that bad? We have 8 minutes of run time with them and a lot of it is them trauma bonding by just trying to stay alive. I have hopes for season 2 but I know we'll never get the sweet domestic fluff of Whisper Me a Love Song or the happy ending of Witch from Mercury. I just want both of them to be happy and if it can only happen in a coffee shop meet/cute fic then so be it.

[lady-shadow-and-darkness]

Yeah sure, you ate her out, but did you travel across all timelines and realities and bend the universe's laws to be with your partner, who made you realise why the life you're given is worth living for? Did you put aside all of your hatred and pain and suffering to tell him that you've always found him beautiful, that you've loved each and every part of him just the way he is? That you're willing to put all this conflict and betrayal behind you, if it means you can get him back?

[imaginative-joy]

Bad news: I’m not able to make it to Salt Lake FanX this year. Worse news: I damaged my rotator cuff and can’t draw until I heal 🫠

But good news: I have a SALE happening! I can’t go to the con, so I’ll bring the con here! From now through Oct. 6, everything in my shop is 20% off! (Except for small stickers)

https://imaginativejoy.etsy.com

So what’s available? Basically everything I would’ve brought to FanX: Prints, original art, buttons, stickers, keychains, bookmarks, and my Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary zine!

Also, this is my formal announcement of my upcoming Merrical mini-zine! It’s a small booklet full of my Fallen Order and Survivor sketches! I should be getting the zines soon, and then I’ll add them to the shop. I was counting on them arriving in time for this sale, but they’re taking a little longer than expected. So once I get them, I’ll most likely extend the sale to make things fair for everyone!

Thank you all for you continued support! Also, if there’s ever anything you see on my tumblr that you’d like as a print, let me know and I can add it to the shop!

[uncaffeinatedbirb]

i can't hold it any longer i need to shout about the Vander, Vi, and Jinx scene.

always with you, sis

VOMITTING BLOOD RN I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE WTH

[calciferousoai]

CAITVI AND JAYVIK NATION HOW ARE WE FEELING?????