#can you. can you tell who my favorite arcane character is by this point

[sssapplebottomjeans]

ghhhhh thinking of jinx. then thinking of varian. then thinking of jinx. then thinking of varian. then thinking o

[komoriiis]

May i pls request fem!reader x sevika? I've been fallen for her since 3 years ago and after her scenes in ep 2 i was so in awe and giddy i need to read more of her 😭🤲

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐀 ( 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄 ) — 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐂𝐒

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖞𝖕𝖊 :: bullet points / short drabble

˚ ୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝐤𝖔𝖗𝖎 :: im absolutely in love with sevika too so this was really good timing!! ive been wanting to write for her and viktor for the longest time :3 i hope youre okay with me doing general hcs, i didnt know if you wanted anything specific so i just did this 😋 also, sorry if she turned out ooc, this is my first time writing for arcane characters 😓

[ masterlists ]

ᥫ᭡ sevika will be the most protective gf ever—anywhere you go, she’ll always be 2 steps behind looking out for you!

ᥫ᭡ its not that she doesn’t think you can take care of yourself, but its just who she is. she gets worried, especially if you’re wandering around in the undercity

ᥫ᭡ she will 100% be your biggest hype woman. whenever you wear something new for date night, you can see her pupils dilating when looking at you with a small smirk on her face

ᥫ᭡ rather than hand holding i think she would be someone to wrap her arms around your waist, almost possessive in a way. when shes not doing that though, she would want you to have a hand holding onto her biceps

ᥫ᭡ will never ever let you tag along with anything work related. shes pretty dead set on separating you with her dirty work, for your safety

ᥫ᭡ some nights when it gets bad, she just wants you to hold her. don’t say anything. don’t ask her questions. just be with her until the next morning

ᥫ᭡ she loves to bring you back little trinkets or accessories from her missions that she thinks you’ll like / will look good on you. she would never admit it, but her heart always skips a beat when she sees you wearing something that she got for you herself

ᥫ᭡ lives for teasing/banter arguments. she finds it so hot when youre all riled up and mad at her, because she knows that she’ll make it up to you later anyways ( WHAAAT 😦 )

ᥫ᭡ she has insane mood swings on her period. one time, she accidentally snapped at you while you were trying to tell her about your day, and she felt so incredibly shitty for like 2 months

ᥫ᭡ sometimes, she gets nightmares of you dying in her arms due to an enforcer attack. its a reoccurring dream, and whenever she jolts awake in a cold sweat, you reassure her that you’re still there. you’re alive, and you’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

ᥫ᭡ sevika finds it adorable when you give her little nicknames. “vika”, “sevi” , “baby” , and “big mama” ( hehe ) are her favorites

ᥫ᭡ tries to have a date night at least once every two weeks. of course she would like it if it happened more often, but with her schedule its just not possible. when you two do go on dates though, she makes sure to go all out and make it the most enjoyable experience for you

ᥫ᭡ her coworkers are so surprised at how soft she has gotten because of you. she has something to fight for other than zaun now, and once they get their promised land then she’ll finally settle down with you and live through the rest with you by her side

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 © 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐢𝐢𝐬. 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 !

[wlwmedarda]

I'm honestly just looking to rant and this might be long depending on how fast I get irritated the more I type so if this isn't coherent or well written I apologize in advance. Since it looks like Ambessa will take on a more antagonistic role in arcane season two, I would like to unpack the fandom's antiblackness that you guys are either blind to or aware and too pussy to call it out as my gut is telling me it's gonna increase and if no one is gonna start the difficult conversation then I sure as hell will.

Sevika:

Mel:

Starting off strong with the definition of "you guys want complex female characters but can't even handle her". Mel Medarda is in quite the predicament seeing how she's morally grey, a black woman, AND "gets in the way" of a mlm ship so she was kinda screwed from the start. A cunning politician disowned for her pacifism who acts as a sort of bridge to Noxus' slow introduction, and is THE ONLY CHARACTER IN THE SEASON 1 MAIN CAST SPECIFICALLY CREATED FOR THE SHOW. She's treated like satan incarnate or a Jezebel (highly suggest looking into that if you don't know what that is), GOOD character analysis is rare, and when she is talked about positively, it's so often chalked up to appearances that I'd rather yall not talk about her at all. Oh you love Mel? Then can we talk about her relationship with her mother? Unpack her dynamic with Jayce? Maybe more fanworks centered around her? I've seen yall's fake asses dropping the shittiest fucking takes about her only to turn around and gush over how pretty she is, and yall think you're slick about it and you're not. I would say I prefer the ones who are loud and proud about their hatred but that'd be a lie, they're two cheeks on the same ass; annoying and couldn't give a decent break down of her character if a gun was pointed at they head even she's perfect to dissect. I could talk about her more but we'd be here all day and so many black women even from outside the fanbase have already talked about yall so there's no need for me to add on 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️.

Quick question, have you guys ever tried to talk about her in a non sexual way? Yes, Sevika is undeniably sexy and you could argue that true stans of hers talk about her outside of horny time, but a good half of the fandom is a different story. In a similar case to Mel's, deep dives into her character are rare to find which is crazy when she acts as Zaun's own "kingmaker". She's loyal to her city and the cause, never to a specific person and will not hesitate to betray you. She could be your right hand man one day, and the next she might find a better kingpin to follow and stab you in the back like it all meant nothing. "Were you tempted?" "Not for a worm like him". Simple and subtle and probably my favorite Sevika scene; she comes to realize Silco is no longer the best leader for Zaun, but he's as good as it gets for now and so she sticks by him. I remember a YouTube comment breaking down how she's essentially the quintessential Zaun: a brute warrior molded by her environment, who defied Vander's peaceful ways and embraced Silco's cruelty. Her mindset and goal is interesting and you'd think it'd result in some fascinating meta or exploration of her upbringing when we got a hint that she potentially has some daddy issues right? Obviously, but what do we get instead? White sapphics treating her like nothing more than a sexual object. How delightful!

Ekko:

This might partially be Riot's fault because — and I hate to sound like a league lore nerd — Ekko is quite underdeveloped compared to the richer origins of his former pre arcane self, but I'm gonna hold off on that till the season finale to see how they handle him. Anyways, at this point the fandom clearly sees him as Jinx's trophy husband. When you talk about him, she is brought into the convo 90% of the time. That's exactly why I prefer black timebomb shippers over the nonblack ones because I trust they actually love Ekko as a character on his own. Even though I have my complaints regarding how's been written so far, I still know he's too good to be reduced to Jinx's loverboy. He fights and cares for his city, the only character that you can confidently say is pure of heart, and is the revolutionary leader Zaun really needs. He's just as smart as Jinx too, he is literally going to create TIME TRAVEL. Why does no one wanna talk about that? Can we be excited for his character development and arc not just for the timebomb scenes you'll get out of it?

Ambessa:

Can't even deny this woman is awful but her presence on screen enthralled me after a couple of rewatches and I also love bad mothers in media so I've settled on a love/hate relationship. Yes, she's definitely gonna have some influence on Caitlyn, which makes sense since she has now lost her mother; she's vulnerable and as we have seen, naive. She's practically free real estate for Ambessa. My recent worry though has been how the fandom seems to be willing to put all of Caitlyn's actions on her as if Cait isn't a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions. Of course being grown doesn't mean you're immune to manipulation, but I've seen some Silco and Jinx comparisons and it is NOT the same. Mind you we haven't even seen the first three episodes; we don't know how far Ambessa's manipulation is going to go and we can't really tell what the dynamic is gonna be like based off of clips and trailers that are likely shown out of context on purpose to throw people off. I'll never defend her actions, hell I'll join in on the lashings, but my black ass is also not gonna sit here and let yall talk about her weirdly or pin all of this on her.

Some might say I'm overthinking this, but I've been here since November 2021 and have sat back and observed for 2 years. You don't have to write deep, philosophical conversations 24/7, I'm sure it's not all in bad faith and I won't act like I don't thirst over Sevika or marvel at Mel's beauty. I'm not saying you have to like these characters and that you're racist if you don't. My frustration comes from the lack of nuanced conversations and hypocritical opinions surrounding black characters in this show. When you try to say something about this, you're hit with excuses; it reminds me of how man obsessed fujoshis act when they're questioned for not giving two fucks about female characters. They're either reduced to one character trait, only admired for their looks, or only discussed when it's about the white character they're connected to. Do NOT under ANY circumstance be black and morally ambiguous, you WILL be held to higher moral standards than everyone's wittle blorbos who can do wrong and are defended from all sides when you dare to take the rose colored stan glasses off and criticize them. What's really ridiculous is you hear the "complex characters" bullshit every two to three business days and some of you have the nerve to boast about this series being diverse while simultaneously ignoring the complexities in the characters of color. This is the main reason I took a step back and with season two around the corner I thought "Hey, maybe it'll be better this time!" and it was a mistake. Good to know yall still have an underlying racism problem you don't wanna address but with some extra classism thrown in. "What will we do once Arcane ends?" hopefully get a job, touch some grass, and reflect. Lord knows yall need it. The faster yall sizzle out the better. I'm done that's all I have to say lol goodnight 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽.

[eerna]

I love vi so much that I’m so sad this happened to her. Like they “probably” wanted to convey that she’s gonna stick with Cait for a while by calling her a dirt under her nails but even writing that line rn is breaking my heart idk how everyone behnd that was just “yep that’s cool and so in character” this was the girl who said this city’s gonna respect to us someday and having a whole mental breakdown in front of Cait for how desperate her hometown place is in the “oil and water” scene. Im all here for caitvi but she loved jinx MORE THAN ANYTHING she’d die and kill for this girl why did the vice versa happen suddenly? Why did the writers discarded the legit CORE of her character, the one that was making her our vi, just to make her an extension of caitlyn. Not to say she’s probably still drinking as we see in the last scene why do they forced us to believe she’s gonna be ok cause she’s got Cait? Didn’t arcane prove us the whole time that love alone isn’t enough to make one healthy?

THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THE GLASS IN THE FINAL SCENE BECAUSE I TOO WAS LIKE "WAIT IS SHE DRINKING AGAIN, CAN WE ELABORATE ON THAT" DBSBAJKBASKJ... I don't really have anything against her arc being that she needs to learn how to let people who don't want her to hold onto them go. Really, it's super unhealthy to keep obsessing over those who have left you behind, and I do think that the only way Vi could be happy is if she learned that lesson. Then, Jinx choosing to return to her would be all the more powerful. But the way we got to that point is just. Just really sad and not very good.

I saw the shippers complaining about the criticism of the final line and the jail scene by saying the critics just don't wanna see lesbians happy, but to me it's the opposite. I love Vi so much, she is my favorite character, and I absolutely wanted to see her happy, but I simply can't ignore what the story is telling me. Vi ISN'T happy. She is a prisoner in a system that treats her like shit, and she has made peace with it. She is humming a lullaby whose meaning is literally "Zaunites should be happy with Piltover's runoff and never ask for more", she is drinking, she is demeaning herself. The show tries to tell me she is happy, but that is not the emotion I am getting at ALL, because all the subtext points to the opposite.

[bwat5-blog]

Pacing For Season 2

**Spoilers For All of Arcane**

If it has not been made clear by my continuing posts about this amazing show, I love Arcane. I loved both seasons, the characters are perhaps some of my favorites of all time, and I am eternally grateful to the people who brought us this story. So much so that I have started doing what I have been doing here, because the lack of literacy and understanding of the true depth given to this work seriously bothered me. However, like all of you I have seen both Amanda Overton and Christian Linke speak out recently trying to explain or justify the pace of season 2. At the end of the day, I'm just a fan. I am not a director or writer or any of that. And I at least understand what Amanda said regarded showing versus telling. I love delving into these characters and the story and finding the meaning in each moment, and I think ultimately they conveyed a beautiful story no matter what. But knowing that they were offered several more seasons to flesh out this story, and CHOSE to not even spend one more really rounding out this saga, I simply cannot agree with their defense.

**I’m still not sure I’m seeing it how they are, but someone kind of enough to respond did give me some clarity on their options regarding more seasons. From what I understand they had the budget to spend on more arcane but chose not to, but also had planned arcane for only two seasons and were locked in that way. So if that’s the case I’ll amend it to say that choosing to shortchange those moments because of writing was disappointing, not because of production**

**I in no way support of any sort of hostility or aggression towards them, they crafted a beautiful story that literally revitalized my love for fiction. I just wish they had taken their time.."

Pitfighter Vi:

I have gone on in great detail across various posts about my love for Vi and her story, so I won't delve into all of that here. But are you seriously telling me Vi didn't deserve to have us spend more than the intro of "Blisters And Bedrock" seeing her at her lowest point? We watch this incredible character fight so hard for those she loves, trying so hard to do the right thing, and then spend approximately 3 minutes and 50 seconds on her pain. This moment deserved more weight. It is the breaking of all that Vi has been trying to hold on to, and then she is back on her feet focusing on someone else who needs her. Again. And I understand that this has taken place over months in the universe, I do. But you can tell someone it took a year of hard-work, and planning, and coordination to build a skyscraper. If all they see is the blueprint and the finished product, it will never carry the same weight.

Caitlyn's Redemption:

This is perhaps the most heavily debated and contested plot line in season 2. I have made my feelings clear on a variety of occasions but since I'm doing this I will reiterate. I understood every point that they made. Each step they showed us as justification of her redemption made sense to me, and collectively I think they showed her remorse and her evolution through her rage and pain, back to becoming the woman Vi loves. But it was just. So. Quick. I understand the idea that Caitlyn is not a "big speech" type of character. I agree with that, and that's never what I was expecting. And I understand when she and Vi reunited on the ridge, she never imagined Vi would still care for her, so when she called her Cupcake it gave her that hope again. What I have used in prior discussions that makes the most sense to me, is imagine a math student has been asked to solve an equation and show his work. The answer is correct, and he shows his steps, but instead of actually showing the entirety of each step, he gives a summary.

Caitlyn's arc and her development are in my opinion some of the most dramatic in the show. She quite literally begins as a naïve rookie enforcer who wants to help people, falls into the darkness of the world surrendering every ideal she held true and betraying those she loves, and re-emerges as the true protector her city she had always wanted to be. I understand the context they use to help us see her remorse and I have mentioned it on several occasions. But Caitlyn deserved to have a moment where we saw her thinking of Vi... A moment where she questioned what her mother would think of what she had done... Maybe a moment seeing someone she'd interacted with in the undercity carted off to stillwater... For me this is not a question of "did they pull it off". It's a question of what such an incredible character deserved.

Jinx Comes Back:

Jinx stands alone, having decided that there is truly no version of her worth saving. She has made her peace with Vi and left her behind, burned The Last Drop, and cut away her hair. And as she detonates the bomb meant to take her life Ekko arrives at the last second and saves her life. She attempts to kill herself a few more times, with Ekko pleading with her to stop, and speaking to her of the hope of building something new. 1:34-3:08. One minute and thirty four seconds spent before Jinx's return as the fully realized version of herself, in a truly epic scene leading the Undercity to battle on her bad-ass war balloon. Again, I understand the context (starting to feel like a broken record here). It's not that they didn't pull it off in terms of belief. Even the emotional weight of knowing that it was BECAUSE Ekko had come to believe in her, and a world without Hextech again after his time in the AU ("Vi is the Jinx" people take notes, you completely missed the point). But we watched Jinx suffer so.. so much. I cannot see a justification that explains why she didn't deserve that moment. That moment of realizing who she is, is the good version of her. That buried underneath all of that pain and darkness she was the person her people would follow into battle. The person who loved Isha and Isha loved in return. The person that at the end of the day, Vi would never give up on.

Closing Thoughts:

Yall, I love this show. Damn do I love this show. With every deep dive I have done, and every post by the rest of you I have read, or been fortunate enough to discuss with you, I feel like I gain a new level of appreciation for these characters every day. And I'm not done. I have many relationships, and characters, and themes I want to continue to explore. I have really tried hard to avoid any negativity regarding the decisions made in the crafting of this season, because so much of the fandom so jarringly has misrepresent and underappreciated this incredible work. I hope I have been clear in my belief that my issue is not with the story, or the quality of these characters. It's like being given given a glass of the best drink you have ever tasted, but they will only fill it halfway, because they chose to leave the other bottle at home. I just... don't understand.

[rainynightmoonlight]

Can you please do genshin impact characters zhongli, raiden shogun, and childe listing to listing Enemy by Imagine Dragons and JID. Thank you

.·:🎼¨༺ Songs from the heart ༻¨🎼:·. | Enemy!

Characters: Raiden Shogun, Childe, Zhongli

Song: Enemy by Imagine Dragons & JID

Warnings: Yandere themes, Angst, possessive thoughts, a mental spiral, murder

A/U: Self aware genshin AU

a/n: Enemy is one of my favorite songs! Thank you so much for requesting this!!

ZHONGLI

You were exploring with Zhongli, as he heard music surround him. It wasn’t out of the normal for you to play music as you played, but one particular song played. He was startled, however, when he noticed your reaction to it. He was frozen, seeing you having what looked like a panic attack. One lyric in particular caught his attention because of your reaction to it. 

“Pray it away, I swear I'll never be a saint, no way”

That one lyric hit him real hard. Zhongli always had trouble with the fact that people idolize the name Morax, even after retiring from the Archon title. He always felt like a lousy Archon after retiring, and hearing something that related so close to his feelings shook him. Especially from you, the all mighty god and creator. The self-pity feeling dissipated when he heard your breathing become even faster. 

Zhongli turned his gaze to see if you were getting worse. You were, and it only made Zhongli become even angrier. Your tears enraged the Geo Archon. He didn’t know how to interpret this song, but he took it as a cry for help. He wanted to kill those who were picking on you, hurting you to the point of a mental break-down. Zhongli wasn’t sure if this was from recent events, or past events, but all that mattered was this song reminding you of pained memories.

His eyes widened when you started to hurt yourself with your own hands. His mind started to spiral along with yours. Someone was going to get very hurt if they pissed off Zhongli after you logged off. His hands trembled as this wave of violent urges came over him. He tried to keep a fixated gaze on your tear stained face, plotting the revenge of those that caused you to look like this. 

“Those lowlifes will regret ever making an enemy of you, my dearest god.”

CHILDE

He was humming to himself as you were completing commissions easily with him. He loved listening to the music you picked while you played. Childe, however, had caught on to your feelings quite quickly. He was keeping a close eye on you, but noticed you starting to spiral as this song started to play. A substantial amount of anger arose in his mind as one lyric connected with him. 

“Everybody wants to be my enemy”

Childe’s mind went to very dark places, his eyes dulling in rage. His smile morphed into a neutral line, his lips quivering with the shaking rage. It didn’t matter what caused you to feel so upset. But there was this sense of sympathy, being seen as the enemy himself by others. There was this need to hold you and comfort you. To tell you that it’s okay to be seen as the bad guy. 

His thoughts were full of paranoia now. What if you hated him for being part of the bad guy organization. He started a crisis alongside you, but it got worse every time he looked into your pained eyes. Childe’s hands trembled, his bow still transformed into his double swords. Childe’s mind became more and more violent the more the song went on. 

He was seeing red, wanting to bring those down that made you cry. Childe wanted to take you away from the world that hurt you. He was working so hard to find a way to bring you into his arms with the Fatui. His elemental skill was activated automatically, but your mind was too busy with the panic. He brought one of the surrounding enemies down by himself, without your control because he was so upset that someone could bring you to this panicked state. 

“If everyone sees you as an enemy, then we will be enemies together and let those who disagree fall below our feet.”

RAIDEN SHOGUN

Ei was in an all happy mood as you used her puppet to wonder around Teyvat. You were taking photo’s loving the game’s scenery and Ei was happy that she was the subject of those photos. She was intrigued by the music you were playing. It was so foreign to her because no place in Teyvat had music like this. Her ears perked up as she heard you becoming distressed as one particular song played, and one lyric connected the most with her.

“Your words up on the wall as you're praying for my fall And the laughter in the halls and the names that I've been called”

Ei’s whole mood changed, seeing you having a panic attack. She felt her puppet come back as there was a coldness of murderous urges rise. Ei tried to keep control, but she felt the same murderous intent. Thunderstorms started to form within the Inazuman sky, representing Ei’s anger. She was fighting so hard not to lose it in front of you. But for some reason, there was a sense of relatability with the lyric.

Ei understood the feeling of people hoping for her downfall, especially during the era of the Sakoku Decree. Her mind went to the past, the mistake of letting the puppet she created to reign over Inazuma without her influence. There was so much resentment for herself, as well as for those who hurt you. Her thoughts focused on every single possibility where she wasn’t there to help protect you.

Her mind was splitting with so many overwhelming images. She had this sense that she failed you. She fell to her knees, eyes wide and teary with disbelief. Ei begged for you to stop crying, but alas you couldn't hear her through a screen. There was one last thing she muttered, however.

“Those who ruin my eternity with your happiness shall face the wrath of the Electro Archon.”

Do not repost or translate without my explicit permission! Reblogs are welcome!

[theandroidsentbycyberl1fe]

Arcane is a show that has so many amazing facets, it’s hard to pinpoint small details like I would in other shows I watch. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. One of my favorite small details of Arcane is how often Viktor is shown naked. I know, I know, it sounds dirty and perverted, but it’s really not. In the show, Viktor is never in a sexual situation when he is undressed, and I would even argue that in sex scenes within the show, the characters aren’t sexualized, but that’s neither here nor there. No, I love the fact that Viktor is shown naked because it highlights his disability.

Throughout the show, there is a big focus on Viktor’s disability. It isn’t something that falls into a lot of stereotypes, and it isn’t brushed aside. It is handled with care, and that means a lot to me and other disabled fans of the show. His disability is very visible, with him using braces and mobility aids and even an oxygen tank at one point, but it’s not something that is made a big deal to other characters like Jayce. Seeing Viktor naked reflects both his own thoughts on himself and his body as well as other’s opinions on him (mainly Jayce).

When Viktor is alone and naked, such as the scene where Sky dies in the lab with him, he is covered in braces and the camera is zoomed out, making him look small. He is crumpled on the floor without his mobility aid next to him, and he looks helpless, frail, and weak. But the most important thing about this scene is that he is alone. He views himself this way. When he has nothing and no one to distract from himself, he thinks he is pathetic and that his disability is ugly. Let’s be honest, conventional attractiveness doesn’t include spine and leg braces paired with greasy hair, no matter what some of us might think about that.

This really hits home for me. Granted, I don’t need as much support for Viktor and I don’t struggle with the same things he does, but when I am left alone with myself and my body, I feel ugly too. I feel grotesque and like I’m pathetic and worthless. My body feels like a cage. Watching this play out on screen made the bars feel a little looser, though. I finally saw myself on screen, something I didn’t even know I needed. I saw my slow decline and how exposing it feels to be visualized and handled with care, but not with pity.

And that’s another thing. Being disabled feels very exposing and very vulnerable. Walking outside really feels like being naked. Everyone can see your flaws and the parts of you that are wrong, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t hide it. By being naked more than any other character on screen, Viktor shows that visually, even though it’s not expressly the meaning of the scenes. He is exposed and often resigned about this exposure. The nakedness isn’t something that bothers him, it’s who and what he is that bothers him.

But this isn’t something that should bother people. So much of media focuses on fixing disability or making it into a superpower, so I really adore how Arcane took a step in the other direction. The overall meaning of Arcane’s story on Viktor is that you can’t run away from your disability. It is who you are, but it doesn’t define you. The less disabled he becomes, the less human he becomes and the more he messes with drugs and other things that ruin him. And to me, this was beautiful. Even now, writing this and thinking back, I’m tearing up. As my hands scream in pain as I touch each key, I am reminded that I need to learn to live with the sound. A popular, beautiful show, telling disabled people that it is okay to want to be better, but hating who you are and your disability isn’t the solution, is one of the most touching things I’ve seen in a very long time.

Now, whether they are canon is up for interpretation, but no matter your thoughts, it is clear Jayce is very close to Viktor. The part about their relationship I love the most is Jayce’s feelings towards Viktor’s disability. He doesn’t care. There’s a scene where Jayce is alone and thinks of Viktor, and his crutch appears beside the Viktor he imagines. There’s no emphasis or attention on it, it’s just there. Like it’s part of him. And it is. When Jayce gets injured and needs a brace, he doesn’t look at is like it’s a bad thing, and I would say the brace is framed to be a good thing, something that helps him survive and escape what is essentially hell. Jayce also sees Viktor naked multiple times, and never once is bothered by it. The most obvious instance of this, I would say, is when Viktor is brought back to life. His body is purple and emancipated, and Viktor asks Jayce what he is now that he looks like that. All Jayce says in reply is “You’re alive”. He doesn’t care what Viktor looks like or what he does to his body, as long as Viktor is alive and with Jayce. He loves him and his disability, and I cry every time I think about how amazing that is.

So, yeah, one of the parts I love the most about Arcane is how often Viktor is shown naked. It’s not bad, it’s just part of life. Disability is as connected to people and part of who they are as their naked body is. There is beauty in disability, and even when there isn’t, there is still life. You can’t be disabled if you’re not a person, and that is exemplified perfectly in Viktor’s character arc. There was never anything wrong with Viktor. There is nothing wrong with me or the other fans of this show who relate to him. Just like having a broken leg doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you, it just means you need to be helped, you aren’t wrong or bad for being disabled.

[kravchikfreak]

i feel like sometimes people would come up with some cool headcanons and interpretations, but then they'll convince themselves that it's literally shown canon with no place for doubt and then they'll act as if everyone else is dumb for not consuming the media the way they do it

(i guess i'm guilty as well, but i'm allowed to cause i'm actually right all the time)

like the second season of arcane got tons of criticism for bad writing, and, naturally, there're people who would defend their favorite show just cause THEY interpreted it in a way that makes sense to the point that when i go to arcane criticism tag to see what problem other people have with the show i also see show's defenders who pissed not everyone sees it as they do

and um i mean it's fine, i get it, we are all the same, just in different camps, whatever. but i have a story. one time i had to do coursework and i barely touched it before the last night before deadline came. and i thought to myself "welp i really need to work on it now, i only have 8 hours left" and when i turned on my laptop and was about to open up the files the power went out in the entire building. and my laptop had a shit battery that worked for like 1,5 minutes without charging. so i thought it was kinda funny and called my mom and told her "see? the only time i decided to do something studying-related and this happens. universe must be trying to send me a sign" and my mom went like "yeah, a sign that you need to try harder! despite all the obstacles that might come to your way"

so, who out of us two doesn't have a sign literacy? is sign literacy dead? or was it just a shit unclear sign and its interpretation depends solely on the person who interprets it and their life experience, beliefs, mentality and so on?

anyway, if you think you feel the character and you can imagine their motives and goals that's cool i guess, but doesn't mean the show actually succeeded to state them in canon. if you can see just some random plot points without any actual on-screen transition between them and just understand what transitions was implied it's also really cool, but for me for example if i wanted to just have some guide points and use my imagination for the rest i'd just scroll through "imagine" tag on tumblr rather then watching an actual show that's supposed to tell the story, not key points of the story

and no, the show doesn't have to tell a viewer everything by words. but it still have to tell you everything, actually, just by all different kinds of storytelling. and leaving everything to viewers imagination isn't a storytelling. like yeah i guess i can come up with some character development that makes you go from pointing a gun at a child (when you already compromised your ability to sharpshoot) to very judgmental "why is peace always the justification for violence?" (right after you actually tell you aren't ready to withdraw your forces and half an hour early we have a cool montage of your forces being pretty violent already) but i feel like it's writers job, not mine

but hey, you do you anyway. who am i to care

in fact i actually feel you. i'll die on the hill of silco being a great dad and caring deeply about jinx. but tho we have in fact canon proof she mean the world to him (actual story actually telling us he chooses her over his ultimate goal) at the same time we don't really have a good explanation on his whole beef with vi. yeah, i still can make my headcanons about his insecurity and fear of losing jinx after she tells her something about something, but it still sounds weak and not really explained in the show. also not a great writing

okay i'm officially lost in my thoughts, gotta wrap it up somehow. let's end on the point that some of interpretations the show leaves you with this season don't make much sense and in other cases it doesn't even give you any material to interpret but straight up leaves you with the responsibility of come up with events and development of the story and characters. and while a viewer might be good at this or even enjoy it, it's still very bad writting actually

peace

[inkdragon1900]

K I actually want to talk about it. What’s with the white favoritism around Lestat?

Like I’m new here. Started watching the show last month. Like I love him obviously he’s a glorious toxic bastard. (Check my blog ie Aaravos from tdp and Ianthe from TLT)

But there’s like…this woobification vibe that some of yall in the fandom have.

And this isn’t about posts like “my babygirl is innocent.” Or “free my man. He was in a silly mood.” Cause like I get it. That’s just me with Armand. (Free my man he did all of it. But you’re honor he’s my wife)

But like…I’m AWARE of Armand’s whole deal. I’m not like “but he’s not that manipulative.” Gurl it’s why I’m into him. He’s a hot fictional bisexual vampire who manipulates like a woman playing 4d chess.

But these freaking takes like “just wait until Lestat can tell the full truth.”

Like I’m sorry but if the white man gets his turn with the talking stick and we get the story from his point of view and the writers make it objectively more factual then 3 freaking POC abuse victims I’m literally out and will not be tuning back in.

And like this is not my first rodeo in a fandom that has an issue with this.

Same problem in the Arcane fandom with the complete disregard and or needless hate over the POC character; Mel, Jayce, Sevika, Ambessa, and yes I have also seen a shit ton of Caitlyn hate or erasure of her being mixed race) and weird micro aggressions about Ekko.

Meanwhile Jinx, Silco, Vander, Viktor, and Vi are Fandom favs.

And the woobification off actually well done mental health struggles. Acting like Jinx’s BPD symptoms wouldn’t have happened if Vi had been a better sister. Or that Viktor is an UwU baby who can’t take care of himself. Bitch he’s disabled he’s not an infant.

And I’m seeing sooooo much of this with these Lestat takes. And as a fellow white person I do genuinely feel the need to call this shit out when I see it.

This like belief that Louis is dragging Lestat’s good name through the mud talking about his abuse and his experiences. Like I’m sorry but during season one I think Louis was a bit too nice about some of that shit Lestat pulled.

Then acting like Armand is some mustache twirling villain getting between Louis and Lestat’s great love??? And all he’s done is exhibit similar fear of loneliness as Lestat and all the manipulation that comes with that???

I’ll tell you what I still haven’t seen Armand do. Beat Louis to a pulp in front of their child then drag him by the chin leaving a literal trail of blood behind. Then draining him and dropping him from miles above the ground.

And I’m what just supposed to disregard all of Claudia’s diaries as well??

Cause I’m all here for the narrative already painted “that memory is a monster.” That we’re all slaves to our memory’s and that truth lies at the abstract of feeling and unclaimed in the middle of a multi perspective story.

It’s what makes this a great show.

Like yes please give me Lestat’s perspective I’d love to be able to see him fleshed out some more. But not at the expense that every single character be made a conniving liar.

[letters-to-rosie]

My one oneshot of all time is impossible. 

There are three. Well there are more but I forced myself to stick to three. I'm terrible with choices

'Affection in all the wrong places' by LeBenj 

“You need to stop showing up here,” Ekko says as he unlatches his bedroom window with a loud click.

Without looking at him, Jinx’s lips perk with a hint of a smile. “You need to stop letting me in.”

It's soft and hopeful, with an undertone of hurt, and I love it. 

‘What's broken can still mend’ by MidnightLightHowlite

He hates her as much as she loves him, for nothing good ever happened to people who loved her back. But he cares, and that's different because people who hate you but also care will not forget, because they will forget a kindness but not a curse. People remember curses, remember misfortune if only to avoid it, and she's enough of a sin to be unforgivable.

… 

“You’ve been surviving for so long.” He brings her knuckles to his nose and takes in the gunpowder. When his eyes meet hers they’re frozen. “But have you truly been alive?

So many gems in this fic. It hurts just right. Learning to live and complicated baggage and hope (I might have a thing for that) 

And last one 

‘Why’ by PenguiniShipsIt

‘That's all everyone wanted to do these days. Blow up. Beat everyone up. Hurt someone. End someone.

It got tiring to a point that he'd rather wreck himself than hear everyone around him already wrecked.

And he got what he wanted at the sight of her on his couch. Again.

"Hey." He shook her by the shoulder. "What the hell, Jinx? Is this what we're doing, now? You're just gonna stay here when it—"

She's burning.’

Caring despite all the rightful hesitations, a bit of ridiculousness, and from Ekkos's perspective, an incredulous situation makes for such a good read.

okay I have been super tired, so this took me like 3 days to write lol but we're so back baby here we go!

going one by one:

Affection in all the wrong places is very cute! I like the concept of things having eventually calmed down years later and Ekko and Jinx being able to relate to each other without the mediation of the conflict we see in the show. in some ways it also reminded me of one of my fics, with the whole "years later" thing, and I just think it's fun to see how different authors interpret similar ideas 😊

for What's broken can still mend, I think I actually read this one before I had my account?? I read a lot of CaitVi back then lol but I was just starting to get interested in timebomb. yet the summary sounds familiar...

but anyway, on to the thoughts! this is such a small thing but I love the idea that Vi comes to the Firelight base and plays with kids. I love it so much I might steal it for the end of revolution lol (with credit, naturally). and Ekko deciding not to kill her? wild lol, just wild. a little curious about why then, but hey, it felt very poetic and we can never be mad at that haha also was surprised at how it ended, but I was happy to see that Vi and Jinx made up, because who knows how canon will go 🥲

and for Why!

I feel like I've figured out your pattern lol you like fics where after the events of canon things chill out and Jinx goes to Ekko. and then implied/actual sex haha

the top author's note on this one is so fucking funny lol

I do enjoy Ekko being a bit of a dork here. the first fic I wrote with him in it has him telling bad science jokes lol. but he's also so sassy here which is how he became my favorite Arcane character in the first place, so we love to see that too.

He loved the way she swallowed. around here is when he started to get really terrible and I was so down for it lol. AND it's reciprocal! I like that playfulness coming out with them. you can feel how much they're into each other, and that along with how they're not saying everything (which I feel like is also a commonality between these 3 fics). since this is the longest of the 3 by a good bit, it really comes through, and I like in particular how Jinx is really torn up about the idea of loving him while Ekko is eventually able to convince himself to stop holding back, even though he's still afraid she'll hurt him.

She had seen what happened to people she loved and loved her back.

Not Ekko. Not chubby-cheeked, pouty-faced, sad-eyed, Ekko who hovered around her when she was sick and injured, who tended a nice little garden of friends and firelights, who zipped through the fissures like one of those masked heroes in barbershop stories.

yeahhhhhh this is good shit lol

“Are you aware of any reason she might threaten your safety?”

Yes. I edged her six times and came in her twice.

pffffffft

the end to this one is also really interesting. I would say it's my favorite of the 3. I like how the tension between Ekko and Caitlyn and Vi plays out, though I'm wary of the Firelights being legitimated by Piltover (though Ekko is, too, which is why I love him lol). it's interesting to see them inhabit this space created by all the tension in the world around them. and then, of course, Jinx comes back. more bittersweet than the first 2, but in a way I enjoyed a lot

thank you for sharing! 🥰

[sleepyrxsetea]

blog intro

i'm making a new intro to include my WIP's as well!

howdy! my name is Rose and i've been around for over a year now! i would love to meet more writers and overall cool people! this blog has a writing/book reading focus while also having a few other things here and there (so descriptive, ik)

i have two alt blogs as well. @eye-motive is my fiction podcast blog (The Magnus Archives. at this point it's only tma and tmagp and some Malevolent here and there) and then @sleepyrxserambles is random stuff that is not podcast or writing specific (it's the wild west on there)

DNI: bigots, TERF’s, ableist’s, homophobes, transphobes, interphobes, bots, you get the idea i hope: don't be a jerk

some quick facts though:

-xe/they nonbinary aroace spectrum being

-favorite games are open world rpg games, Animal Crossing and Omori

-i read a lot. most of it is high fantasy (but my true favorite books are actually shitty paranormal romance. 'mostly high fantasy' is a cover up i tell so i don't get judged even harsher by the people in my life for liking the books even though they make me stupidly happy)

-um...moving on from that rant. pasta salad is my favorite food (new lore unlocked)

-i like The Great Gatsby maybe a bit more then I would care to admit

-i like Sailor Moon. have for 7-8 years

-some favorite shows are Doctor Who, Good Omens, Dead Boy Detectives, Arcane, What We Do In The Shadows and Our Flag Means Death (please stop canceling my shows, streaming services)

-i also like watching vtuber’s in my spare time. I don’t have any particular favorites but I do watch Gavis Bettel and Ironmouse often

now, the WIP's! i'm only putting one for now because it's the only one i'm dedicated on working on, lol (it's below)

Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case Of The Theater Troupe (otherwise known as Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case On Oxford Street. i'll also make a better name eventually, promise)

in this WIP it is kinda like Sherlock Holmes with a twist. Oliver Briggs is the newest assistant to the big shot detective, Harrison Weber, known for his expertise in solving serial murder cases. Fresh out of college and still trying not to hurl at the sight of blood, Oliver has been assigned to take the lead on a new case so his boss can see what he is made of. There has been a murder in a local park and the victim turns out to be someone Oliver knows, his childhood friend. While trying to grapple with this loss, unexpectedly his old babysitter passes. Then his cousin. As he looks into their deaths he realizes that they are all connected by only three things; himself, the theater troupe his mother had been a part of and a deadly fire that happened 13 years ago. Will Oliver be able to find the killer before they kill again? Or will he have to suffer the loss of yet someone else he holds dear?

that is my first time writing a summery, lol. also the last two sentences are kinda bad but i needed a hook

also i don't want to say the twist but if you look at my other posts you can tell

but, some updates. i am currently working on fleshing out the characters so that they feel actually human and making a chapter outline. i haven't started to write the first draft yet but plan on doing it soon! i will update more here and on actual posts. i don't really write mystery so we'll see how it goes :D

thank you for reading! i really appreciate it :D stay safe, take care of yourself and remember to take it easy sometimes

[danggirlronpa]

"Gundham’s two theoretical moms?" Tell me more 👀

I absolutely will!!

Brief meta time: one thing that I always get really up in arms about with media that revolves around teens is the assumption that all of their parents are, behind the scenes, M/F biological parents. It's a really nefarious form of ingrained homophobia that convinces the audience that if there was a single parent, or gay parents, or adopted parents - well, surely they'd point it out somehow! After all, that's not The Norm. If you aren't explicitly told otherwise, always assume The Norm. It's not any individual audience member's fault; it's the same built in assumption of media that argues everyone is cishet until proven otherwise, and talks about adding characters "just to seem woke." It's subconscious and implicit.

As a gay person who has always wanted to adopt children, that obviously grinds my gears. So I go out of my way to headcanon a character's parents in all sorts of different configurations.

Actual headcanon time: For me, Gundham's mom always read to me as a single mother struggling to raise an autistic child on her own, without knowing how to accommodate his needs. I tend to think of Gundham's mom as the Most Normal Person Of All Time. Firstly, because it's funny. But secondly, because the arc of "Mom doesn't understand her child in any way but loves them so much that it ultimately changes her life so that she can support them" is one of my favorites. I tear up a little just thinking about it.

So in my head, Gundham gets his diagnosis, and his Mom is like alright. I can do this. Let's find a support group to learn about how I can be good to this child. And she goes to this support group and IMMEDIATELY meets just the most gothic magic lady she's ever seen. Just an absolute banger of a woman. Big titty goth gf. Who, Gundham's mom learns quickly, is one of the leads of the support group, who helps parents understand their children based on Her Own experience with autism!

From there in my head it's a very straightforward "this hot woman is teaching my kid how to recite magic incantations and telling him he doesn't like my cooking because it's destructive poison but it will make his body better at resisting greater poisons later. Oh God I'm in love with her" story, paired with goth gf's "oh I fucking LOVE this lady's psuedo-goth child, and it's so sweet how hard she's trying so that her child can bloom happily like this, and her food may be poisonous but she is so lovely, I wonder how she feels about gomez addams pick up lines" story. Gundham never considers goth lady his actual mom but that's OK! She's happy as his Mentor In The Arcane Magicks, and his mom can be his Mentor In Owning Hamsters. And together they love each other and Gundham so much!! And his Mom gets to be VERY smug when he's the Ultimate Breeder instead of the Ultimate Dark Mage. Superior mentor privileges.

[alpaca-clouds]

"All Characters Are Equally Important" Is Usually A Lie

There is another media thing I kinda wanted to talk about for a while and recently I came across this discussion again and I was like: "You know what? Now is the time."

See, when there is a media thing with a ton of characters, especially in TV, the creators will often claim that "all characters are equally important" and also "all characters are fair game for dying and bad things happening to them". But, okay, let's be honest here. This is pretty much always a lie.

While I never liked GoT (or the books) because of all the rape happening, I kinda had to put in that GIF because it was one of those examples. Even as someone not actively engaging with the fandom I stood there as the Red Wedding happened and rolled my eyes so heavily. Because there also was the claim that "all characters are fair game and everyone can die". It was fairly obvious, that this was a lie.

Because GOT had a lot of characters, yes, but it was fairly obvious who were the main characters and who were the side characters. And as such it was fairly likely that the main characters would survive at least till close to the end of the show (and the books). They could claim all they wanted that this was not the case. A lot of people called it out, and guess what? The characters who all those people named as the "main characters" did in fact survive till the last two episodes.

And while I also never at all got sucked into the LOST fandom, I recently had a lot of fun watching the Billiam reviews of the show. And apparently it was happening there, too. Where it became fairly clear fairly soon, who were the actually main characters, and who... well, was more easy to write bout of the show.

The thing that got me there, is with all the stuff happening with RIOT and LoL right now, there is this claim going around with Arcane, too. Especially regarding season 2, that will not be released before later next year. And sure, I get that for RIOT it is a marketing strategy and stuff to hype up the new season. What I do not get is, how people will argue that this is actually totally the case.

Like, look, especially with Arcane gaining importance in terms of the actual canon of the LoL verse, it is fairly safe that all champions are gonna survive in one form or another. Like characters such as Mel and Sevika can die, sure. But Caitlyn, Vi, Jinx, Viktor, Jayce, Heimerdinger? They totally are going to live. And be it just in a way of "Sure, they died. But don't worry, they got better."

And it is okay. It is okay that in a story with a lot of characters are more important than other characters. That in fact is just good storytelling. Because if you really were treating the characters all equal, it would be harder for whoever reads or watches your thing to get invested into the characters and kinda get really into the story. Because the main characters are the gate for the audience to enter the world through.

And sure, everyone who is active in fandom will tell you about this random background character they personally are obsessing over. But in general, yeah. People will focus on the main characters, which is totally fair. Because... Just logistically speaking, if you really were making 10+ characters equally important (or at times even 20+), you would be so held up with giving them all enough background and enough development, that the main plot would get lost.

Believe me, even as someone who somehow ends up writing stories with at times up to 30 characters... Even there I usually have more like 5-7 main characters, whose decisions drive the plot - and whose point of view is going to be the dominant one.

Yeah, alright, I get the frustration when your favorite character ends up being one of the side characters, who just do not get written out that much - or get killed just to hammer home how dangerous an antagonist is. But... It's just how it is. And, I mean... canon is just a suggestion ;)

So, yeah. My point is: Yeah, no, Caitlyn isn't going to die. Nor is Jinx. Or any other champion from the game. Not for real. There might be a fake out death, but... they will survive.

[bwat5-blog]

**Spoilers for all of Arcane**

WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS FOR ME

"Why do we tell Stories? To try and make sense of a world that can be terrifying and enormous.. I don't know that your story will be long be known.. but it did happen- and it did matter"- Brennan Lee Mulligan, Critical Role, EXU Calamity

Arcane has become a true phenomenon. With record breaking viewership transcending various countries, age groups, sexual orientation, and more. You need look no further for an example than the fact that Heimerdinger's song was recorded more than 25 times by the various voice actors representing our favorite absent minded professor, in different countries and languages around the world. So I suppose the question then, is why?

This is hardly a simple question. Like any media, people are enjoying it for all kinds of reasons. There are die-hard LOL players who love seeing these characters and worlds brought to life. There are people reveling in the enormous diversity of representation in the characters. There are those who love the story of the sisters, Caitlyn and Vi's love story, or the sinister mystery that unfolds as the Arcane itself wakes up in this world. The list of reasons people love this show is endless and rightfully so. So I am writing to explain mine because, primarily, the opportunity to share my thoughts/feelings on this incredible story and discuss, and learn and interact with you all has been a true pleasure as we celebrate the achievement this tale has been. As always, for anyone bored enough to read these I appreciate you.

For me, the best stories have and always will make you look deeper into the humanity of our own world through the lens of the story itself. Don't get me wrong, Arcane is FULL of epic spectacle. incredible fights, beautiful animation and music, and more. It's a tale of magic unleashed and warlords and mad scientists. And please do NOT misunderstand me, I LOVE all of those things. It's just that for me, that's not why this story will always live on long after its over.

Vi is a bad-ass brawler who from a young age is literally holding her own with armed adult thugs and able to throw hands wearing Vander's gauntlets. She is tough and brave and an absolute hardass..She is also a young woman who never knew romantic affection before being thrown into a dark, terrifying prison for seven years.. Who is terrified of losing the last family she has left to the point that she cannot put herself first ..and who just needs her dad

Silco is a brutal crime lord who experiments on the vulnerable of the under city and does not hesitate to kill anyone who crosses him. He takes a scared little girl who is in so much pain and twists her up, and weaponizes her grief to the point that she becomes someone new.. someone darker.. He is also a broken, lonely, maimed man who was almost killed by someone he loved as a brother and is desperately trying to hold on to the young woman he loves as a daughter

Caitlyn is a sheltered but brilliant and wealthy woman who is "an excellent shot" ,and becomes a leader of soldiers and someone willing to sacrifice herself in the name of the greater good.. She is also a young woman who has to learn to see herself in the woman she hates/who killed her mother, learning to set aside that hatred, and rage, and grief in order to move on and keep living, and find peace.

I could go on about other characters or expound on the ones I just mentioned, and have in fact done so in other posts. But you get the idea. These characters (and the others) are so rich, dark, nuanced and beautiful. And when you strip away the magic, and the mutated beasts, and the colorful smoke and music what is left? The struggle of the oppressed against their oppressors, a young woman overcoming her inner demons to become a hero to her people, a warrior who had her childhood stolen from her learning that she deserves happiness and peace. I could go on. There are so many of these examples and they all make up the tapestry that is this show.

This is why I continue to champion understanding and accurate recognition of this show. Because it deserves it. Because the stories of these characters and their fight against the darkness of the world in ways grand and small, are the stories that have illuminated our path forward as people for all of time. In today's age of instant-gratification and flash and noise it's easy to forget the impact of things like this on who we are.. But to those of us who believe in the importance of such stories, it always has mattered. And it always will.

“It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”

― Samwise Gamgee

[bunnakit]

Oooh, One More Time (Not Me, Gumpa/Yok)??

Also, tell me something about The Lyrebird King? 😁

🌸 wip game 🌸

THE LYREBIRD KING, MY BABY, MY BELOVED is my original novel. the idea came from a d&d character of mine - Caius - who helped me realize i was genderfluid. he got stuck in my head a long time after the campaign ended (sadly we just all got busy) so i decided to tweak things for my own fantasy world and build even further on his backstory.

you can find each chapter and the cover art for it here - The Lyrebird King Masterpost - and it is occasionally featured on Ritoria!

Caius is your typical prickly (Arcane Trickster) rogue, refusing to let people get too close and adopting an air of defiance. he has a personal vendetta against the upper echelon but doesn't offer an explanation as to why willingly. Aries is seemingly everyone's favorite himbo, built like a brick shithouse with a heart of gold. after a one night stand with Caius, which had originally been just so Caius could pry information from him, he became enamored with the rogue and sought him out to start an alliance. after Aries shelters a street urchin injured by the royal guard Caius makes the decision to create a society within their hideout - an ancient waterway beneath overgrown ruins - to house those cast out by society. an array of colorful people join them, creating what is almost a small city beneath the ruins. prompted by a teasing Aries (who at this point is hopelessly in love) the people call Caius 'The Underworld King' - which he absolutely hates

i really need to get to writing them again, i miss my boys

god i haven't worked on One More Time in forever but basically it's a canon divergence where Yok dies of the gunshot wound in the scrapyard (or whatever that place was) and Gumpa (in unrequited love with Yok) blames himself so badly he finds himself in a timeloop to save Yok's life, but each loops seems to threaten to bring his feelings to light

it's uploaded here on AO3 - One More Time - and here's a little unpublished tidbit i have in my notes for the future ~ (i'm terrible at writing sex scenes and tend to avoid them for that reason so forgive me)

“Are you trying to tease me?” He warned against the marks left in his wake, the impressions of his teeth and his devotion.  “No.” He could hear the smile in Yok’s voice, in the low and playful tone, and Gumpa couldn’t help but bury his smile against his shoulder. Burning alive in the glow of the sun felt like euphoria, like every little thing he’d done in his life, in every unraveled thread of infinite timelines, had led to this moment. His fingers moved to Yok’s zipper, dragging it down and the buzzing sound of the releasing teeth was lost to Yok’s gentle laughter against his ear, pure and ephemeral.  Slowly, he loosened his hold only to slide Yok’s jeans and underwear down his hips. He followed their trajectory until his face was level with the dark tattoo against Yok's ribs. He peered up through his fringe, capturing Yok’s gaze as he pressed wet, sucking kisses to the mark. He immediately missed the molten heat of Yok’s gaze when he closed his eyes and it had him purring a command as he drifted his kisses lower.  “Keep your eyes on me. That’s my good boy.”

[muninnhuginn]

Hi again.....If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/etc) and your top 7 favorite (fictional) characters from any media? Why do you love them all? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

Hi! Sorry for taking so long on this. Thought of waaaay too many options here, but think I've mostly narrowed it down now.

If you want me to expand on any/if I've been confusing about any of them, feel free to ask

Fave Media

Nirvana in Fire (cdrama): One terminally ill guy taking the capital by storm as he trolls and schemes his way to the truth of the case that got his family and comrades killed. There are so many moving parts at any one time that you need to have your brain on, but the payoff and the slowburn on some of the plots is beautiful

Stranger/Forest of Secrets (kdrama): Plot that keeps you guessing all the way through with super strong character development in the background. In theory it's a standard kdrama about tackling corruption, but the execution entirely won me over and both of the main characters are so charming to watch. They're coming from such different places but are able to reach across the divide to understand and trust each other

Spy x Family (manganime): It's the genre blending, okay. A family defined by lies and yet still their true selves with each other against the backdrop of a Cold War-esque setup. Most of the time it's fairly light-hearted and comedic, but it does not pull its punches at all when it comes to topics of war and propaganda and how they impact *everyone*.

The Locked Tomb (book): Lowkey surprised myself with putting this one here, but it has so many *layers*. Ridiculous levels of foreshadowing that would take so many rereads to fully untangle. The characters at first glance may not be the most relatable, but once you get further through you realise there's still a lot to unpick about what makes them *tick*

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (anime): Recontexualisation central. I love how first watch gives a different story to second watch and so on. How the themes are still ultimately *hopeful* despite all odds. And the directing/music/designs of witches/labyrinths all come together to tell the best version of the story

Link Click (donghua): This also has some pretty solid recontextualisation (I'm a big fan of that if you can't tell, same with time travel). But my favourite aspects are the individual stories of average people. And the intertwining of that with the time travel aspects to create a story that works both on the client level but also resonates strongly with the main characters. Season two also has some very strong mystery elements and is big on parallels between different characters.

Joy of Life (cdrama): This was lowkey a 'free space' option because I was torn between Arcane (the art/animation alone is so gorgeous even before you get into the intergenerational parallels)/Severance (it's like a workplace psychological horror with shades of religious cultism and some amazing humour)/Skip and Loafer (it's simultaneously so soft and so heartbreaking). So, I went for this instead. And yes, I'm biased because I'm watching JoL s2 rn, but I had missed the comedy so badly. This show is like a cdrama isekai complete with scheming and anime references. Also, Fan Xian's mum fascinates me in a similar way to Rose Quartz. The implications that she was so like him that she also lowkey spawned a harem and modernised ancient China in ridiculous ways? She was *the* og isekai protag. The fact that her death is still an omen over Fan Xian's life about why he needs to be careful who he trusts?

Fave Characters

Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries): I don't think I can explain this any better than I do here

Shen Wei (Guardian cdrama): See above, but also, he's just generally hilarious in how he goes for blatant lies. At one point, I was just watching the series for him and Zhao Yunlan alone ngl

Yan Wei (Couple of Mirrors): She's an assassin with war trauma who has decided she has imprinted on Xu Youyi and will protect her by... committing more crimes? She comes off aloof and she's not big on words, but her actions speak for themselves and they are loud. Also, she uses a helmet as a shower head which gives her many points in my book.

Cheating here but Pearl and/or Steven (Steven Universe/Future) (Also Rose entirely fascinates me from what we do know about her): Pearl in the main series and Steven in Future. So, Pearl in the main series starts as this grief-ridden wreck who's trying to keep it together and barely succeeding, projecting her issues onto Steven and Connie, etc. But over time, she's able to work through a lot of it. Not everything, of course, but by the time of Future she's doing well enough to consider dating again which for her is such a huge step. Meanwhile Steven is the chronic helper type, so over the course of the main series, he's the one who acts as therapist to try to solve everyone else's problems. And by the time Future rolls around, that's lowkey how he defines himself. His whole identity is what purpose he holds to others. So when he ends up in the situation where there's no one left *to* help, he crashes and burns in the most spectacular way

Li Lianhua (Mysterious Lotus Casebook cdrama): One of my favourite lying liars who lie and cough up blood (alongside Shen Wei and Mei Changsu). At the same time, his whole conflict between who he "was" and who he "is" is so juicy and the way he tries to avoid attachment and yet cannot help himself? He's constantly running after and chasing his past in different ways and for the most part he is both hilarious and heartbreaking in the process

Himemiya Anthy (Revolutionary Girl Utena): It's really hard for me to explain what I like best about Anthy, but her writing is impeccable. She's a character who has been stuck in stasis for the longest time with no escape in sight. And within the box she's stuck in, she acts out in the ways she's able, bitterness and pettiness and everything else. She thinks she's past the point of caring, but it turns out that that's not the case. She's also a character that a lot of people in and out of universe try to limit to an archetype, but there's no single box she *can* be contained in. Also! She's a great troll. Very entertaining to watch her pranks

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney): He has such a great character arc across the main trilogy and investigations games. Even though he largely settles down by the later games, it's still so fun seeing his interactions with Wright. He's got this history with him that colours everything. Also, he's got this whole thing where he comes off as though he's glaring at everyone in the world whilst clearly just being socially uncomfortable half the time. He *is* genuinely rude at times (rip Gumshoe especially) but he's such a well-rounded character, from his traumas to his later fond bickering with Wright that the end result is just charming. I think the games themselves trained me to miss him too by drawing out the times between his appearances