#its very important i need to point it out

[straightoutthehexcore]

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖… 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩…?"

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧: Jayce Talis, Viktor

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: You're a tech designer tasked with assisting with designing and creating Hextech goods for Viktor and Jayce, and during a delirious frenzy (you crashed out) while designing, you thought of the logistics and design for something... new.

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: NSFW themes (mainly pegging, humiliation if you squint), AFAB reader

"Alright, as for design ideas, I only have one, and I'm going to ask you to please hear me out on this one..."

"Alright, let us see it."

"I uhh... are you... absolutely sure?"

"Why must you stall? Come, show us."

"...if you insist..."

𝙑𝙞𝙠𝙩𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨

"...this must be a gag, yes? I'll admit, this is intriguing."

He did not believe his fucking eyes. Using the hexcore as an energy source for... that? All he can say is that he definitely never thought about it.

He tried to play it off as a joke, sardonically commented on how vulgar it was, and after he realized it wasn't a joke, he looked at you and then looked back at Jayce, genuinely confused and not hiding his flushed face very well.

He pored over the blueprint and sketches, genuinely analyzing the design and the features of it, and had two immediate thoughts. 1) They took this... really seriously. Such depth to something so... trivial. 2) Not even in his dreams could he take that absolute MONSTER. But it was a blueprint, so things can change.

"Is... is there something you want to tell us...?

You tried to act business oriented but when you kept fumbling your words, it became increasingly obvious that you had zero idea what you were on about. The fact that Viktor stared dead into your eyes, watching you trip over your tongue, sure wasn't helping.

"It's a market rarely touched by other companies--" "it can aid in more funding for more important things-" "Bullshit."

Both you and Jayce looked at him, shocked at the profanity. Neither of you could tell if he was angry, flustered, or a little bit of both.

"You know you don't need an excuse, right? I'd much prefer forwardness, though this is... forward. In a different way, albeit."

"You think that's what this is about?" "I know what this is about, dear." "...very well." "That said...? Jayce, the final judgement is yours."

Viktor playing coy, everyone act surprised lmao

𝙅𝙖𝙮𝙘𝙚'𝙨 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨

"This is... what is this?"

While he looked at the sketches and initial blueprint with intent, he also tried to cover his face with it long after he read through everything. His face was insanely flushed, and he was worse at hiding it than Viktor.

Jayce was also utterly terrified by the size of the HexStrap, and that's part of the reason he got so flustered.

Started dissecting the materials listed down on sketches and trying to remain serious about the proposal, and Viktor looked at him like he was crazy because he was trying to seem actually, unironically serious, whilst failing miserably.

He was trying to back you up and make any excuse for its existence too, and it looked so pathetic to both you and Viktor (in an endearing way.)

"I mean they has a point with the... the sales aspect. Sure we have Councilor Medarda's funds, but it would still be beneficial to--"

At some point the knowing looks from both of you pierced through him. Viktor already called you out, but Jayce is still coping. He is coping hard. At some point, he gives up and leans forward in his seat and pinches the bridge of his nose.

It felt like he was deliberating more with himself and his conscience than he was with you or Viktor. He was, 100%.

He all in all accepted the proposal but for purely selfish reasons, as was made evident by the very visible boner and his hidden face. Teasing him would be too cruel and you were coming down from your own heightened anxiety, but God did you want to tease the crap out of him.

After that awkward session, Viktor did that job for you.

"Looking forward to... er... testing it, are we?" "I never said that, where did that come from--?" "Look at yourself." "Hey--"

Random idea I got, decided I'd add to the HexStrap discussion with how they would initially react to and come to accept the HexStrap :D

Thanks JayVik truthers, Rosey <3

[srslylini]

there is "surprise the fans" and there is setting a story up and not delivering. A surprise was Jinx bombing the council in season 1. A surprise was Silco dying in season 1.

A surprise in storytelling is taking what is set up and honoring it. There is also good surprises and bad surprises and genuinely media wants to surprise their audience in a good way, in a way that makes sense. That means narrative sense as much as character driven sense. Subverting a story for an audience only works if the stories set up is kept in line. Just as a different route only works with the set limitations a story gives us and the creators. While yes, creations may seem endless, the act of writing a story limits said endlessness.

The character creation you make sets limits to your story. By story creation you set limits to said story. That may sound dumb, but the act of creating does limit you. There are boundaries to be put to your own work otherwise it falls apart. By straying away from said boundaries you create a thin line of what works and what doesn't. If that is done it has to make sense.

Why would a character suddenly act out of their limits that their characteristic set? Why is a story suddenly straying from its purpose? If that isn't explainable, it doesn't work.

to your other points, I definetly agree. There are always nasty people in every fandom. The homophobia, the racism, the ableism- there is so much shit going on

And yet here I am, seeing them on the Arcane positive side more than on my side, what does that say? It says that it isn't something you can generalize like you do for one side of this fandom. It is about perspective and what you do with that. There is very likely about as much weird people being haters as there is weird people overly praising Arcane (I am NOT saying it is actually 50/50 I do not have numbers). I saw people on here saying CaitVi is oversexualized and that is just ridiculous, as is the take of arcane lovers who ship jayvik and have the weirdest take on Mel.

And I am not talking about bigoted people being haters because those aren't critics, those are idiots.

It is important to differentiate here.

I also want to add that I am german and in dire need for you to not compare this with nazis.

Though I also see from your other reblogs that I misjudged you and how you are up for discussion.

"Caitlyns redemption arc isn't very good."

Maybe she doesn't have a redemption arc.

May be Arcane isn't about redemption.

May be Arcane is about flawed characters who are neither good nor bad.

May be Arcane is a show that shows us that good people can do horrible things and how our society and the people we have or don't have as support can shape that.

Good people can become horrible. Not because it is innate within them. But because of their life experiences.

[angelinthefire]

"Blisters and bedrock" and The Flashback

So I know the flashback scene with Felicia in s2e5 is controversial. So I wanted to take the time to understand it properly, and do a close rewatch.

And I realized that even though I watched the episode like four times before, I never properly evaluated what was going on with Vander, I wasn't thinking of him as a character in his own right, just as a symbol of Vi and Jinx's past, and hence I didn't understand the scene until now.

Of course, it's all about "blisters and bedrock". That phrase is the name of the episode, the line is repeated three times, obviously it's important. So what does it mean?

The first time we hear it, it's in Vander's garbled memories. The memory that's most impactful to him is the failed rebellion on the bridge and its aftermath.

There's fighting, there's Silco looking at him sadly, with almost child-like sadness, there's Felicia's dead body, then Vander trying to drown Silco.

Those memories are followed by his recent experience killing the enforcers at Stillwater, then by seeing Powder, and a still-blurry image of Vi, even though he hasn't actually seen her yet since he awoke as Warwick, almost as though Powder's presence implies Vi.

Then there's the image of Felicia at the jukebox, and then a disfigured Silco, toasting "blisters and bedrock". It's ghostly, almost accusatory, said as Vander's being faced with the gory injury he inflicted. But what it means is a mystery.

The next instance of the phrase is in Vander's apology letter. He gives his little explanation for his actions, and signs off, "blisters and bedrock." Still not super clear. The letter itself is kind of weak, as far as apologies go. And then there's this cryptic phrase at the end.

Finally, Warwick/Vander is drawn to the girls by the scent of Isha's blood. When he first sees Vi, she almost looks like a two-headed creature from his POV shot, with her massive gauntlets looking sort of like heads, with the glowing hextech gems as their eyes (And I think I need to make a separate post about Vi in this episode, because it's so good). They fight. But then she lowers her guard and he sees her, and that's when we get the full flashback.

Right off the bat, it's established that Vander and Felicia are close. He knows that the song she picked has some special significance. The way they look at each other is kind of flirty too.

They're celebrating the opening of The Last Drop, which they intend to be a pillar for the community of the Lanes (which is a very shop-local approach to politics, but whatever). We knew this was Vander and Silco's endeavor, and Felicia is the only other one there, which means she has a special place in their lives.

Silco is largely passive in the scene. We get a cute little bait-and-switch where it seems like he's going to be a super-serious revolutionary, but then he says something playful instead ("I'm bozo one"), so we get a glimpse of what he used to be like, and what the dynamic of his relationship with Vander was.

And then we get to the reveal that Felicia is pregnant. Now, I think what happens next has been twisted through discourse, so I want to quote it directly:

Felicia: The second I told you I put you on the hook. You two are going to figure this Zaun thing out. I don't care if you have to carve it out of the bedrock covered in blisters. You're not allowed to fail anymore. For her. For me. Vander: What’s the point if we can't raise an ankle-biter or two? Silco: To Zaun, then. Blisters and bedrock.

I've seen people characterize this as Vander and Silco promising to look after Felicia's child. It's not that at all. She's not telling them to look after her kid. She's telling them to succeed at winning independence for Zaun for the sake of her child.

"I don't care if you have to carve it out of the bedrock covered in blisters. You're not allowed to fail." That is: Do whatever it takes. Even if it's hard, and ugly, and painful. That's how you'll help my child.

Vander agrees - what they're fighting for is future generations of Zaunites.

And Silco turns it into a toast. Blisters and bedrock - whatever it takes.

So now we know that in the first ghostly flashback, "blisters and bedrock" was an accusation, it was a manifestation of Vander's guilt. "We said, 'whatever it takes'. And look at Felicia. Look at me."

"Blisters and bedrock" gives Vander's apology letter new meaning too. It turns a kind of weak explanation into something much more meaningful. He's saying he'll do what it takes to patch things up.

In an episode all about regrets and missed chances and forgiveness, it really resonates.

And there's one more instance of "blisters and bedrock" being used - in the song "The Beast" off the season 2 soundtrack.

Vander isn't really able to express himself as Warwick. So the songs providing a very literal window into what he's going through is useful. The lyrics of "What have they done to us", used towards the end of the episode, are just straight-up what Vander's thinking in that scene. I don't think the lyrics to "The Beast" are used in the show, but they're very straightforward too.

Here are the lyrics to the bridge of that song:

What happened to the place where we left off Any progress erased, I was dead wrong Couldn't carve out a place, every dream that we chased Through the blisters and bedrock

Vander is recognizing his failure.

When Vander put down his gauntlets to look after Vi and Powder, he wasn't keeping a promise to Felicia. He was *breaking* his promise to her.

The flashback frames the conflict between Vander and Silco in more personal terms too. In terms of what united them, they both promised to fight for Zaun for the sake of Felicia's child. But when those two things are posed against each other, Silco is willing to kill kids in order to fight for Zaun, while Vander gives up the fight for Zaun to protect the kids.

I think it's significant that the flashback doesn't end on "blisters and bedrock". It ends on Vander suggesting a baby name, showing where his priorities are going to be

And when he sees Vi, as Warwick, he sees the girl who he gave up the fight for. He's remembering his failures, he's tormented by his failures. But Vi, and Powder, are worth it for him.

[proxythe]

surgically removes characters from their source so they can live inside my brain instead] [joy] ^_^

[katerinaaqu]

Oh yeah they do here too. I am talking on the day it came out

Hmm I see why that is because during a very dark time of politics for Greece emotions speak louder than cold logic and facts so many of the films might be deemed harmful or discriminatory against people who do follow the communist party and since communism is still a political movement in Greece they don't want to project it out of fear that it will spark such talks. Also that is because KKE as a communist party today it was not the same back in the day of the Civil War. Or at least the name and the original consistency which broke down in many pieces after its legalization back in the 80s if I remember correctly. So it is a matter that would spark a lot of talk. Especially with the role they played before at wars and such which was indeed of contribution and so on and so forth

I have to say that people complaining about "the state stopping them" is commonplace in Greece so i am not sure if there is such a strong political aspect here but since I am not aware of the situation I cannot comment more.

Right and left wing are not so intense in Greece as in other places like USA exactly because we do have many different political parties in Greece now. But again I don't wanna go through heavy political talk. I think the reason historical movies are "not the way they are supposed to" (and that already is a big statement for me as a historian I kinda hold myself back from such statements because history has many ways to be expressed) has more to do with viewers than politicians and politics. Also in difficult times it is important not to point fingers at each other which is often what such movies or shows want to do. It is not bad on it's own on the contrary but it also needs to be made properly.

I don't. We have many powerful productions and again I am against movies and stories that aim to point fingers from all directions (just for the purpose of pointing fingers i mean) because they offen no actual knowledge but increase the polarizing atmosphere. Call me naive but I think a country that has given chance from people from of one part of the spectrum have voice at some point is not THAT much into danger to stop someone from having voice but again maybe that is just me. Dunno. Freedom of speech is something I feel we have but again maybe it is just me.

The point is not to show to people who watch "how terrible the other side is" but to depict history so allow me to disagree with you a bit on that (in the essence i do not like to see the big bad government in every aspect of life even if i know they play their part always) and leave it there because honestly such stories are already powerful and polarizing so I think they point is not to offend or not offend but to show history as it is without being even more polarizing and as I said there are already plenty of political parties in Greece so just talking about "right" or "left" seems already a bit off to me given the complexity of the situation.

Christos Tsagas, Kostas Kazakos and Kostas Karras

As Odysseus, Agamemnon and Menelaus

In Iphigenia (1977)

You can't find a better trio! They look amazing together! Even their heights are perfect! Tsagas is simply Odysseus! Straight out! He was arguably the shortest of the team and corresponding to the description of Homer being like a ram (curly hair and proud posture) and very well built seemingly wider than Kazakos even! Moreover, Tsagas was born in 1939 making him 38 in 1977 when the movie came out! He is simply perfect!

Here's another image with him next to Dimitris Arronis as Calchas and Panos Michalpoulos as Achilles:

Gotta love the cultural details how Odysseus removes his hat within the conference room to show respect the same way that our men remove their hats in churches or during sacred moments (ex. Funerals) to show how he respects the process as well as Calchas as a prophet for his position.

[jewishgirlrevolt]

Parallels to the rest of the 118 and BuckTommy (I may be crazy. But we still have a week before the episode)

So I just had a thought about the framing of this episode in terms of character and interactions.

The episode obviously focused on Henren and BuckTommy. But we also have the Wilsons and the Hans. Even have a quick moment between Maddie and Karen. We also have Bobby and Athena sitting next to each other in the hospital scene.

But it also continues establishing other units. Friendships too. Hen and Chim wanting to be fair to each other (even if it was off camera), we got Maddie and Josh (heck, even a small nod to Josh and Eddie with Josh's costume which the actor playing Josh confirmed was supposed to be an Eddie reference). And of course Denny, Mara, and Mara and Jee.

The scene in the hospital: it opens with Chim talking to Maddie and asking about Mara and Jee. We see Athena and Bobby sitting together, then we get to BuckTommy, with Eddie on the outside of the framing.

So Chim and Eddie are sitting on the outside, while Bobby and Athena are sitting nearly back to back to Buck and Tommy. And I also want it noted that throughout this episode Eddie is a bit off, off to the side of Buck in every scene. That notes, perhaps that they're still friends, but demonstrates the difference between their friendship, and Buck and Tommy's relationship. I hope this makes sense. IDK if this means anything, but I do find it interesting how every friendship, familial relationship got a moment in this episode. And I think it shows that friendships aren't perfect, but also that they are different from your love relationships.

[possamble]

Thank you for writing the (messy but neccessary) farcille breakdown. You handled it so wonderfully aaaaaaaah!! Like the other anon I was wondering how far "rock bottom" could get (because chapter 4 already felt pretty rock bottom) but. Yeah. That's pretty rock bottom, huh. The tragedy of loving someone but the other person not understanding <- this applies to both of them.

I think it was really neat how you flipped the question on who's reaching out to who with the academy flashback and the final scene with Namari, because... Marcille clinging onto Falin really is just a reversal of their academy days, isn't it? To everyone who met them after they reunited, it was always Marcille chasing after Falin, but to those who were at the magic academy, it was Falin chasing after Marcille. From picking flowers and berries to eat together, inviting Marcille out to see a play, and generally monopolizing her free time... I'm sure any of them would say the same thing as Namari, but in reverse. No wonder everyone thinks Marcille is just another friend to Falin. They weren't there to witness her pining /j. Idk!! I was rereading the chapter and the academy flashback girl was like "why do you hang off of Marcille so much" and I screamed to myself, "hey wait. HEY WAIT."

[sallymew4]

i dont think i made his hair big enough honestly

[animnightmare]

Throwback to the time I made House and Wilson into ponies.

[ahalliance]

how do i turn qantoine’s spontaneous marriage proposal to qetoiles into evidence of his early-days fear of qfrench drifing away and keeping secrets from one another

[rxttenfish]

i won't lie, a major part of why i feel so... embittered? disillusioned? with the whole "TERFs DNI" or "this post isn't for TERFs" thing is simply that, for the majority of people, it seems like their awareness of what TERF ideologies actually is ends there. they cannot identify TERF talking points if they aren't pointed out as such, they don't know the history of the movement, they don't know when they're being radicalized by INCREDIBLY obvious TERF beliefs, because the extent of their activism or safeguarding against radfem shit is legitimately just pointing to the name or memes about TERFs. like, please do ANY historical research into the formation of the ideology or what came before in the 80s-90s. you are not immune to propaganda.

[moeblob]

What Deacon thinks: what did that mean? did he want me to wear a collar too? why else would he mention my neck? i mean, if he /asked/ me i would wear one but he didn't so would wearing one be weird?

What Ymber meant: It's nice to be near someone who isn't tethered to this world to serve it with a physical reminder for all to see.

[x-naut-fortress]

tec xx humanoid robot design(look at the tags for the rambling of a very normal man)

[sysig]

A hero is only as good as his weapons, so make ‘em count (Patreon)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...

[itsalwaysdark]

loveee when a character is crushed under the weight of someone elses expectations for them love when a character dedicates their entire life to something they never even wanted for themself love when the only reason a character keeps going is because theyre Supposed to and bc theyre supposed to make another person happy/proud. YES !!! CLAPPING !!! YES !!!!!!!!