#what would mel think

[anomnipie]

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT JAYCE. WHY. YOU JUST RUINED EVERYTHING. YOU ACCOMPLISHED PRECISELY NOTHING. YOU SHOULD'VE STAYED TRAPPED. VIKTOR/SALO SHOULD'VE NEVER LET YOU OUT. IM SO MAD RN

[technically-human]

This happened, it just wasn't relevant to the plot

[naiad-r]

Leblanc!Jayce & Mel

I was going through Arcane frame by frame and found these. Had fun drawing.

Fun fact (not): Everyone whose form Leblanc was taking are dead.

[raviollies]

Just who are you, Councilor Medarda?

[bookinsomnia]

Ok, my super specific Kingdon head canon is that Langdon has been searching for a best friend his entire life, but has never been able to find one because he keeps on trying to be best friends with older, male mentor figures rather than his peers (something, something, daddy issues).

I keep on thinking about this because of Langdon's conversation with Robby about whether or not they are best friends, when it is so obvious to anyone with eyes that the closest thing that Robby has to a best friend is probably Abbott.

Langdon and Abby weren't friends to begin with, not sure about the background story with that, but maybe it was more of an on-off situation that got more serious with time. Both genuinely loved each other, even though they both suspected that they might not have been right for each other. Both rushed into the marriage at a pretty young age because they wanted to hit the next milestone in their life which for them involved marriage, a starter home, and children.

So when Langdon (freshly and amicably divorced in my headcanon), starts becoming friends and then best friends with Mel he is genuinely elated and proud because it is the kind of soul bond connection that he had been searching for his entire life but never managed to find. They just get each other, and no one has ever just gotten him before her.

But because Langdon has never had a best friend, and because Mel's best friend her entire life has been her sister, neither of them are fully aware that even best friends have boundaries, much to the bafflement of everyone in the ED.

Langdon is like, of course Mel spends time with my kids every weekend, they are obsessed with her and so am I because she is my best friend. And Mel is like, of course when Langdon stays over we share a bed, he has a bad back and when Becca was living with me full time, she and I would often cuddle on especially cold nights. Mel shows up to the ED late in Langdon's monogrammed scrubs because all of the ones that she kept at Langdon's place were in the wash and he was kind enough to lend her a pair of his. Langdon carries around chocolate and Advil for Mel when it is her time of the month, because he is a feminist and of course he knows her cycle as well as she does, because he's her best friend.

Meanwhile, everyone in the ED is waiting for the two of them to figure out that being best friends and romantic life partners are not mutually exclusive to one another.

[blaithnne]

*slams my hands down on the table* I actually think that if Zaun is granted independence by Piltover then Sevika would be the perfect leader both in and out of universe. She’s previously followed both Vander and Silco, and seen their strengths and shortcomings first hand. Not only has she seen where they faltered, but thanks to her newfound relationship with Jinx and Isha, she understands where they were coming from. She’s always been the right hand woman, always had a great vision for what Zaun could be and held a great respect for its people and their customs, but never had the backing to lead it herself. I think it would be satisfying to see her step into a leadership position, provided the final three episodes put in the work to turn what currently has the potential to be a redemption arch into what actually is a redemption arch. Moreover, Piltover and Zaun will undoubtedly still have a relationship after they gain their independence which provides ample opportunity’s for Sevika to interact with Mel, and hey wait where are you going I wasn’t finished—

[bluedesertbruja]

obsessed with this scene bc langdon is pretending he still has a job and that he can, like supervise their work. but also he’s only really talking to mel but mel is focusing on santos and the patient meanwhile santos does respond to him but u can see that langdon’s face is like ‘i wasn’t talking to YOU’ but santos and him seem to have some kind silent truce that they’re not gonna fight in front of mel but in the last cap mel is looking at santos like ‘hmm i know some shit went down but idk what and there’s a bald bleeding man in front of me so i’ll just table this for now’ and poor santos looks sadly overwhelmed by all of it.

but later in front of ellis, santos and langdon have no problem talking back to each other to the point that ellis asks her about it.

they thought they were being slick in front of mel but she just had more important things to deal with. she is not about that chisme life.

[glassesweirdo]

Imagine you are just a person who lives in piltover. The hamster dude that's been around for actually ever gets voted off the council, strange decision, but you have a life to live and it's not like you're petitioning to get the hamster back, you're more worried about the actual war brewing between the undercity (or you guess zaun now??? Someone in the market said that's what it is now) and piltover. And it been a bit since the lorax got removed, things are tense and enforcers are becoming even more dickish, and you're pretty sure a noxian war ship pulled up in the harbor at some point this month (but it's like a family visit maybe? you know councilor merdarda is noxian). It's night time, and ur sitting in ur living room wondering if you should contact ur family in demacia to see if they have an open room, when all of a sudden there the loudest boom ever and a bright ass flash of light comes in through your window, and you hear ur neighbor yell "DID THAT JUST HIT THE COUNCIL!?!" And you know he knows bc he's nosy and always looks at shit with binoculars. Other people are screaming, and you're like 90% sure you just witnessed piltovers 9/11, and you stand outside for like 30 minutes just starring at the destruction bc you live like 2 blocks from it, and then councilor talis?? Is running past you??? holding what definitely looks like a two week old corpse?????? Its fucking half purple??????????? And you start really pondering why you moved here in the first place, bc being close to the academy is not nearly fucking worth everything that has happened in the last 40 minutes, let's hope ur aunt has space in the country side.

[vaguelyaperson]

melvika but mel deciding she needs to utilize sevika's strength and/or connections in some way, so she immediately looks to figure out sevika's angle, how to approach her enticingly enough, make it worth her while... and thus becomes one of the first people to figure out that sevika's more than just some scary hired thug. that moment she first encounters the woman she's been told is/was silco's hired muscle and immediately sees how calculated sevika's entire hedonistic intimidation act is, but at the same time not even mel can see exactly what's behind the act. maybe cause for a long time, not even sevika knows. maybe cause to be a zaunite and survive is to become what sevika is presenting - she's just better at keeping it put together than most.

[blood-starved-beast]

Another toxic headcanon of mine is Melinoe "child-soldier who grew up in a tent sleeping on a floor mattress in a bog and fucks in the Woods" would have a very difficult time adjusting to living in the House of Hades. Don't get me wrong she'd think she would do well and maybe the first few weeks/months or so she's alright. But as time goes on and she realizes she can't see the phases of the Moon or Selene's touch on her brow or simply go out and pick up mushrooms in the rain I think she'll 100% understand why Zagreus tried so hard to reach the Surface. And honestly, I don't think Hades would force her to stay/get a job at the House.

Melinoe and Hades are very similar, personality wise. Hades's first impression of his daughter is her running into his cell on her way to defeat his Father, the centerpoint of his trauma and the person he should have defeated long ago and left in the past. She goes in, night after night, fixing his mistakes. After a while, he must see the parallel.

Hades tells Zagreus in the first game to enjoy it while he doesn't have the responsibilities weighing Hades down. One could argue it's part of the reason why he's so bitter (other than being Divorced and traumatized). There's a convo where Hades asks if Melinoe is well. When she doesn't have an answer for him, he apologizes profusely. His failures are leading his daughter to become him. No childhood, only soldier.

There's no way in Hell or Heaven that Hades is gonna offer her an administrative chamber job lest he turns her into him. If he asks anything of her postgame, it's only to spend some time in the Underworld tending Pomegranate trees with her mom and time with them as a family but that's it.

[dirtytransmasc]

I think I need MelVik connecting when Viktor was on his sick bed. they had been amicable before, maybe a little more than that due to their connection through Jayce and her presence around Hextech and such. but they weren't entirely friends. not yet.

and she goes to see him. perhaps she feels a tinge of guilt at assuming the worst about Jayce, or her bleeding heart makes her feel responsible for keeping Jayce out of the lab when Viktor had needed him. maybe Jayce needs to step out for a moment, and she soothes his worry by promising to sit with Viktor. maybe she just wants to be closer to the man that's so painfully important to the one she loves, wants to befriend him, wants to know him, all before it's far too late.

maybe it's a little bit of each.

but she goes to see him. she sits in the chair that Jayce has nearly worn a hole through, and keeps a semi-awkward distance between them, not knowing what is too close and too far.

this man is dying. he is dying and he has accepted that. he looks like a corpse. cold emanates off of him. he is something she doesn't fully understand.

she doesn't know how to approach.

but she does.

she greets softly and speaks softly and hesitates to touch, but rests a hand over Viktor's and feels how cold he is, even as a sickly warmth brews in his bones, leeching the warmth from his skin and the energy from his body.

he seems surprised she's there. it feels out of place. like the song and dance of their dynamic has shifted, and now he needs to relearn the steps. and now this is a dance of two, not three.

she will tell Viktor, in enough detail to be understood and not enough to be awkward, where Jayce was. because it feels right to confess. it's not an apology, but the avoidance of keeping something like a secret from a dying man.

Viktor will probably just nod and say something self deprecating, because what else do you say when your body is already making a joke of itself? before assuring her that Jayce is not his keeper, that she is not to blame, but even that comes off as some twisted attempt at humor. sue him for being sardonic as he lay dying.

but unlike Jayce, who will cringe at the jokes, she will hide a smile behind her fingers, muffling a soft, if not saddened, chuckle in her palm.

Viktor's eyes will light up ever so slightly.

she'll feel awkward once more. should she have laughed? was this playing into a complex? was this right of her?

Viktor will smile weakly.

she'll feel a little less awkward.

she will realize Viktor needs someone to laugh with. that Jayce, bless his soul, cannot be that person for Viktor. his worry has brewed too long. it's too strong.

but maybe a fresh face like Mel's can be there to smile when Jayce cannot. will laugh when Jayce cannot. can make cheeky jokes and pokes and prods.

the three fit together like 3 pieces of 3 broken puzzles. they fit together, not perfectly, but they fit, and create a finished object, even if off kilter her and uneven there. but it's ok, they're making due.

[tempestaurora]

i watched the pitt in two days. spent the two days after that reading approx 300k worth of fan fic. i am now going to start the pitt again. maybe then, i will write the langdon x mel fic of my dreams

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

So if a Mel and Caitlyn pair up defeats a dictator and wins a war (at least the first part), a Vi and Jayce team up only ever kills kids or fucks up a mission, and l then what does a Jinx and Viktor pair do? What do the other options make?

Here are my ideas, ranking from best outcome to worst or what actually gets done.

Genuinely think a Viktor Mel pair (depending on if they both have some sort of magic) save the world. Both incredibly intelligent. Both caring but can’t be manipulated by emotions easily (influenced is a different story but damn when you’ve got a terminal illness or a dictator mom it’s hard being normal). However I think the arcane writers knew the team up would be too powerful. Also incredibly sexy. If they just had tea together once I think there would be no arcane story to tell.

Cait and Viktor. Not a lot getting done but if we’re thinking season 1 then it’s gonna be so nice and calm. They’re having tea. They’re planning our improvements for Zaun. A harp sings in the distance. They talk about Jayce. Caitlyn asks questions and listens to the answers and vice versa. World peace maybe not achieved but close.

Technically Jayce helped Cait free Vi and helped cover it up, as well as help her when Caitlyn tried explaining what was going on with Silco. Very even results. Nothing major changing here but typical for people who literally just bring out nothing in each other besides…friendship? Siblings? Idk.

Vi and Viktor would probably get along in the sense of they knew an older Zaun. (At least in comparison to Jinx.) Vi can be pretty gentle and Viktor definitely cares. Battle wise he ain’t gonna do much (the only time he really fought was when it wasn’t a good thing for anyone) but he’s bring the smarts to Vi’s streets. They’re gonna win the battle but it will be tough. Some lives may be lost but it ain’t theirs.

Mel and Vi….Vi does not like politicians. Vi does not like people from Piltover beyond Caitlyn (and maybe Jayce?) They argue the whole time. Nothing bad happens but nothing gets done. It’s mostly Vi’s fault but Mel can’t let it go. It’s been three days and they haven’t left the council room. It ends with the mutual agreement to never meet again.

Technically a Cait/Jinx pair saved Vi (after the commune) and also the conversation they had in the jail was actually civil. Don’t think a whole lot is getting done but a good battle buddies I think. There’s gonna be tension though. Lots of arguing and glares. Caitlyn’s hair is now orange and Jinx lost another finger. Lots more damage than necessary.

Mel and Jinx. Someone is dying. It might not be one of them but it’s definitely someone who shouldn’t be dead. Mel’s level-headedness barely works on Vi and it definitely won’t work on Jinx. She’s never had a younger sister. Jinx knows what buttons to push. The building is on fire.

Jayce and Jinx. Mostly everyone is dead except for Vi and Viktor somehow, or the exact reverse. They haven’t stopped arguing since they met. They just keep slapping each other like cats. Jayce keeps trying to hit her with the hammer but she’s elusive and it’s like a game of wack-a-mole. He kills a kid each time instead. Jinx won’t stop making fun of him. Someone lost a limb at some point.

Jinx and Viktor. Everyone is dead. I would say they are too but no, they’re stuck at the end of the universe with each other. It’s equally both their faults. Viktor deadnames her every time she insults him. She never stops and neither does he. They each have a shrine to their respective loved one and it’s the only places they don’t bother each other. She bleached half his hair. He poured out her nail polish. They fight till the end of time itself. Sometimes they have movie nights where their respective hallucinations (Silco, Sky) join.

[littlest-pet-shop-933]

[meloveanimeforreal7604]

What if Killer addressed himself as "it"?

Like. "It is ready to obey orders, boss."

Oorrr...

"It likes that jacket of yours, Criss-Cross, could use some more red though."

Because of the fact that Nightmare used Killer as a machine/tool, so Killer wouldn't even think of himself as his own person, so he'd just constantly refer to himself as it, until say, Color, spends so much time reassuring that he is his own person, not an object. If he chooses to still call himself it, than Color will accept that and be happy for Killer, if Killer wants to use other pronouns that again, Color will support him as Killer recovers from the abuse he went through. And figures out his own identity. These things can start out slow as any recovery would.

Every now and then Killer stumbling and being like

Killer: "I-..It wants (whatever)"

Color: "Wait, no what were you gonna say?"

Killer: "I?"

Color: "That's good, Killer."

Color will help tremendously, giving Killer all the encouragement :)

[mollysunder]

The Medarda arc of s2 struggled to be good, because the plot viciously smothered it. You can argue that Arcane was never about politics but you cannot say the Medardas were never explicitly a family defined by politics. So when the show shifted it's priorities from a drama steeped in political conflict where even though the setting was fantastical the stakes were grounded to a shift where magic is the end all be all threat to humanity, the Medardas are rendered largely irrelevant.

In s2 Mel's agency over her own story is both largely stripped from her and poorly communicated. Arcane has Mel abducted from the plot to be the Black Rose's captive. Even when Mel manages to free herself it's not through the traits the audience understands are her strengths, her cunning and social intelligence, it's through an innate instinct that natural to her and indecipherable to the audience.

Ambessa as a character is more or less a villain of convenience, which would be fine if she wasn't immediately following Silco's act. Once Mel is removed from the story Ambessa is largely disconnected from any emotional tension fuels conflict between the characters and previously drove the plot in s1. She's there to play the worse bad guy for Caitlyn and then give Viktor the man power for the Glorious Evolution.

It's frustrating to see the Medardas used the way they are in s2 because when they're together I can see how it could be good. When they're together Mel forces emotion out of Ambessa. In Act 1, Ambessa proved she could do circles around Piltover's court, which could actually put Mel in a tight spot.

Their final scene on paper sounds like a good idea where the true resolution to Mel and Ambessa's story was that Ambessa saw Mel's own ruthless behavior as she not only betrayed Ambessa to the Black Rose, but used her as BAIT to double cross LeBlanc. Ambessa died proud that her daughter killed her the way she did, and that's so cool and tragic, but the execution was a flop.

One, their final fight is completely unimportant to the actual Glorious Evolution, Mel's grief can't even be a highlight because it's interrupted by Viktor's mind trap. Two, their fight didn't rely on any of Mel's actual strengths, just magic and the poorly explained MacGuffin LeBlanc gave her. How did Mel even know it would do that?

It's like the writers had the bones for a great story for the Medardas, but then they're like the world's worst archeologists and fit those bones together in the worst way possible because they were convinced the bones made a stegasaurus instead of a T-rex or something.