#why does arcane have to cause me pain

[ncstalqiaa]

i need fic recs of my favourite failed gay situation ship but like fics that preferably have a happy ending pls 😭😭 I don’t need to be crying again.

but in all seriousness, please sauce me any jayvik fic recs you have :) <3

[herdivineama]

ㅤ          ㅤ          ㅤ   ˇ ✿ ՚՚ love is my curse ՚՚  ഒ

part 2 of worthless talking

thank you sm! i honestly didn’t think that worthless talking would be THAT good to most people and angsty(?) cause i was never good at writing angst. but thank you so much everyone !! and im almost at 200 followers! thank you very much and thank you arcane for being the glow up of my account ( now i just have to worry about what to write after arcane officially dies ) so if i end up doing the mini series considering it a 200 followers special ( ? maybe )

making up with arcane characters after arguing

S1! jinx , S2! vi , S2! caitlyn , and ekko x fem! reader

reconciliation , hurt/comfort , mentions of abandonment issues ( jinx ) , friends → lovers ( vi ) , mentions of marriage ( caitlyn ) , lover boy! ekko , cursing , mild suggestive ( vi )

masterlist ૮ ྀི ◞ ◟ ა navigation

not proofread or requested

JINX

the past few days have been quiet. too fucking quiet. especially for jinx. by now, she would have a talking to her hallucinations or blowing something—anything up but she being held down by something, this agonizing feeling in her chest by she hasn’t had a clue of what is it. she going on her daily routine to see what’s so off. when she wakes up, she wakes up next to you; she always talks to you; when she’s collecting parts, it’s always with you; when she’s making another invention it’s with—you. that’s the issue. jinx cursed at herself for her realization that she pushed you when she promised herself that she wouldn’t. no wonder she’s been so “unstable” according to sevika and silco.

she immediately dropped everything, forgetting about the fishbones project and left the lair. and immediately went to your place. she took out her spare key and immediately searched up and down, every corner for you but your house is empty. she was starting to panic, why aren’t you home? did you just get up and leave? she didn’t think her actions would hurt you that bad, she just wants to apologize for what she done, she didn’t mean it. “Jinx?” a soft voice creeps up behind her, “what are you doing?” jinx snaps her head around, tears resting on the edge of her eyes. “baby…” jinx breathes out.

You placed your bags next to the front door and closes the door behind you. suddenly jinx tackles you into a tight hug, sobbing into your shoulder, wrapping her arms around your waist. you pull her in close, letting her have her moment. “what’s wrong J?” you asked her softly, as she starts to cool off, small sniffles and tears drying up on her face. “i…i thought you left me after that argument we had.” her grip tighten around you. “please don’t leave me…i’m so sorry i didn’t mean to call you annoying o-or you were nagging me i promise and i—” you smash your lips into hers, causing her to softly melt into the kiss and share the warmth of the tight embrace. you slip out of the grasp of her lips and stare at her flushed face with a smile. “im not going to abandon you my love, im always going to be here.” jinx held your hand tightly, “i’m sorry.” you reciprocate her action, “i love you.” “i love you too.”

VI

another day, another lost at the pit fight. no amount of training until she sore, drinking her sorrows away, destroying her life is making the pain go away. no matter what she does, she always recalls the scared look you gave her, it sends a shiver down her spine each time. the horror of herself that you had to experience firsthand. the side that she didn't want you to see; caitlyn, whatever; but you. she deeply regrets that she lost her cool with you, off all people it just had to be you. she didn't bother drinking or training today, she can't. she can't even sleep without your face flashes in her thoughts. strolling around the undercity doesn't help much besides giving her some fresh air of the city she was raised in. she doesn't know how but she ended up at the brothel.

walking down the hallway, rooms filled with variety of sexual activities, workers and customers; she didn't care, she just ended one person right now. she walked past the other offices, she knows you mostly handle the money and service of the other workers for the customers. looking through the office window, she sees you looking over some paper works and envelopes filled with money. she twisted the door knob and closes the door behind her as she enters your office. you glance up at now black haired girl, her pink hair seeping through the tips and ends of it. "how can i help you, violet?" she tenses up and her breath hitches as you use her full name. "it's vi for you."

"who?" vi walks around your desk, you watch her cautiously, she hooks her arm around yours, pulling you up and off your desk chair. making you sit on the desk and pinning you down with both of her arms you trapping in between, "viol-" "vi. say my name correctly." she hovers above you, she slips herself in between your legs. your heart pounding in your chest, "fine fine, vi, what do you need?" vi chuckled dryly, " i want you, sweet." you scoff, "me? or that piltover girl?" vi grabbed your waist, "listen, i realized i was wrong; i care for you, and i love you, not caitlyn." her hands move to hips, pulling you in closer to her, "you were always there for me, even when you had nothing to do with me and caitlyn's mission you were there as always. and i'm sorry for taking that for granted and im sorry for calling you a prostitute." her thumbs absentmindly rubbing circles into your skin, she leans in closer and presses her lips against yours, pulling you into a soft passionate kiss; filled with love and affection. you pull away slowly, "I forgive you."

CAITLYN

you lay restless in your bed at home, away form caitlyn, you don't want to believe she's actually cheating, but the way she act together, maddie is always close to caitlyn, always touching, acting shy around your fiancee. you would always try to find time to bring it up but with the things going on with jinx and ambessa, your time with her lessen to almost nothing, even at night, she's always exhausted and out of breath. you're so lost in your thoughts you didn't even notice you were crying until a maid rushed to you side.

caitlyn could barely focused on the work in front of her, when she's training with ambessa, she seemed so distracted and distant from everything, according to the ambessa, "you do not come back until you're back on your feet, commander." the silence hung in the air. "we need not distractions for justice." that the last thing caitlyn heard before she left and went home to her office. maddie returned, he usual soft and comforting aura, it didn't feel like anything in the first place, but that's how maddie tries to come off. "commander, are you alright? you've been staring at the paperwork for 15 minutes now." maddie nervously chuckled. "I'm fine...just.."she rubs her temple in a pain and annoyance. "excuse me, i have to go see someone." she gets up and grabs her coat and leaves without hearing anything from maddie.

she knocked on the front door of your home, waiting patiently for you, she hears small shuffles and movements behind the door, she hears a faint metal sound; you're looking through the peephole. "what do you want caitlyn?" you open the door in a slight crack, enough for her to see and hear you. "hello...dear, you don't look well." caitlyn's face filled with worry and regret, voice low. "I'm fine." swiftly caitlyn, pushes the door open and pulls you into a tight hug. the cold air from outside slips into your home, causing you to shiver. "I'm sorry..." caitlyn started, "i never noticed how maddie was acting until recently, i assure...no...i promise you that I'm not cheating on you; maddie doesn't compare to you. never has and never will." you broke out into small sobs and sniffles, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry.." caitlyn caresses your head gently, soothing you as you cried in her chest.

EKKO

since you recovered from that night, you kept your distance from your boyfriend, even on patrols with you, you stayed nearby but kept a small distance between you two, and of course he noticed, i mean he had to with the whole firelight community scolded him for lashing his anger out onto you.

another night again with patrolling with him, and you sat down at the top of the tunnel, where you got stabbed at but this same time, you're with your boyfriend; who seems extra tensed knowing this is where you go hurt. where he failed to protect you, when you didn't listen to him. you notice that he is shaking, violently. you hesitated but reached out and touched his knee, he stares at you in shock.

"calm down, ekko, if you're aren't fit for patrol then we could call-" "no!" he blurted out, "no...that won't be necessary, i'm fine." he continued on. the night sky and cool breeze surround the both of you. "I'm sorry-" you both said at the same time, you stared at each other. "it's okay-" it happened again. you chuckled, the blush rising on your face and also his. "i love you, fire." he kisses your forehead and cheek. "i love you too.." you pulled him into a soft kiss, officially calling this a good night.

tags : @sseleniaa @woldangnight

©︎ A M A T E R A S U. all rights reserved. please don't plazarize, copy, or steal any of my works without my permission, thank you !

guys say thank you to my mother who allowed me to finish this on her laptop or else you wouldn’t have seen this at all this week nonetheless this early .

[galedekarios]

seeing a post that basically confirmed the obvious disparity in content made me think more about a scene i would have liked to see with gale and that i've been thinking about for a while now.

i always felt a bit sad that his condition is so often treated as a joke by the fandom and to a lesser extent by the game itself. i always thought that this is partially down to the fact that we don't truly get so see gale actively be in pain due to his condition, other than brief glimpses and hints:

we do hear the urgency in his voice when he explains when and why he needs an artefact and the relief in his voice when the protag chooses to help him.

we see it, too, when he is afflicted by the arcane hunger condition:

we get glimpses of it when he consumes an artefact:

he mentions it, too, in his dialogues, but it's very much downplayed by gale or phrased in such a way that is meant to overplay it with humour, or perhaps even to distance himself from it by using metaphors:

that is until we actually get to see it through his eyes, if only for the briefest of moments:

*Its teeth, its claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of you. And gods, it is ever-hungry...*

gale also has an idle animation where he--quite often--reaches up to touch the orb, perhaps because it flares with pain, like an old wound is wont to do:

(gif by @bladeofavernus)

from the last conversation we have with gale, and after catching all of these little moments of things he says or does with how the orb affects him, we learn that consuming the magic from artefacts no longer has any effect at all. the only solution that tara and he were able to find no longer works:

it would scare him and imbalance him, and it would finally destabilise the orb, make it more volatile.

but what happens in the game after that? the orb becoming volatile enough for the artefacts to no longer have an effect has no consequences at all: you are able to do the tiefling party, all quests in the underdark, the entirety of the grymforge, and, should you choose to do so, the entirety of the mountain pass and rosymorn monastery without an incident at all or any mention of the condition itself/any discomfort or fear it might cause.

there's no urgency here, no follow-up, to what the narrative set up... and then we meet deus ex elminster and the orb is stabilised, and the urgency that came before literally is handwaved out of existence.

what i would have liked instead to happen--or at least to bridge the gap between the artefacts no longer working and elminster stabilising it to be used on mystra's behalf--is the following:

i think it would have been nice to have a scene with gale where we do get to see--on a much smaller scale--him losing control over the orb, have the protag and the companions see what he is trying desperately to keep contained within himself, what gnaws at him, what continues to haunt him.

it could happen perhaps after a particular gruelling and intense fight--and there are enough of that in the underdark and at the mountain pass. it could have been a ! conversation, providing both friendship and romance content.

have the orb act up after expending so much energy to manipulate the weave to the fullest of his abilities, have gale manage to reign it in, but barely, show that it takes a lot of power and effort for him to do so.

that it hurts, with none of gale's metaphors to hide behind or jokes to play it off.

have the audience truly see the gravity of what he is going through.

[unacknowledgeable]

your Serial killer readeris giving me vibes of...

in my view, they are very similar. Does reader have a thirst for blood like toga? or cannibalistic halibes?

Interesting question, I'll try to answer the best I can lol.

 One thing I like to do in order to establish a character, is to take a character from pre-existing media, decide on where the two characters are similar, and then show how they are different. where those parallel lines meet and where they diverge from each other.

For instance, the bird incident in readers childhood is a pretty direct parallel to Togas (actually a complete accident on my part, but one I'm happy with) and they both hurt the bird as a form of fascination or “love” of the creature.

 But one of the major differences between Himiko and Reader is that while Himiko found the bird in the garden, already injured and likely beyond saving, and drank its blood as a final act of love towards it, the reader caught their bird, perfectly healthy, and caused its pain themselves. Himiko's parents put Toga in the hands of professionals in order to curb these violent tendencies, to no avail and to her detriment, while the reader was just told “no, bad” then tossed back into the deep end, having experienced no real consequences for what they did. 

The other difference is that Toga (from my understanding) never grew out of her confusion as to why her way of showing love wasn't okay. The reader, initially, is confused, yes. But as they get older they do realize why it discomforts people, that it is asserting your will over others and that it is fundamentally wrong. This knowledge, however, does not stop them from doing it.

Similar incidents, but different actions, upbringings and outside influences lead to different circumstances.

Now, personality wise, I'm not sure, I never actually finished mha lol, i didn't see all of togas screentime first hand, nor the best grasp on her personality besides ‘hyperactive bubbly maniac with a dash of cannibalism’. Where Himiko’s love is outright and sporadic, I’d say readers' love is more akin to a quiet awe, a silent devotion, easily overlooked if you dont know it's there. 

If you do want a personality to branch off of, Jinx from Arcane would be the closest match as of right now, as I was watching the show during my early concepts for this story lol.

 Otherwise, right now, I don't have any specific character that I take a large amount of inspiration from, just a few that I pick and choose character traits from that I like. SK!Readers personality is based around my general knowledge of serial killers, and media tropes I enjoyed so much they ended up stuffed into my own lil guys 

Now, does the reader have cannibalistic tendencies? I don't know.  It wasn't really something I gave much thought to, despite my fascination with “Consumption as an act of love”. If I were to add it, I’d have to find a reason for it besides shock value. So if anyone has any ideas for it, feel free to send it my way.

Masterlist

[boredpotate]

Happier Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Arcane or any music, just this concept idea.

Concept: Isekai Fem Reader turns back time to fix her timeline, but has unforeseen consequences.

??? Pov

Running. It's all I have on my mind right now. Get away. Get far away from that thing. I can still hear the few people left standing fighting. Shots being fired, screams of pain and a brawl happening. Damn it. This was supposed to be a secure place. The boss said so himself.

I hear as the fighting ends in the distance behind me, but I keep running anyway. Not chancing it. Not with this person. I need to report to Simon and le-

*BANG*

"AAAGH!!!"

An immense and sudden pain shoots through my leg, causing me to fall over onto the ground.

"FUCK! fuck! shit! fuck!" I yell out swears to the skies as I grab my leg onto my leg. I don't have time cope with the fact that I just got shot in the fucking leg, because I know they're coming. I see their silhouette through the smog. One arm raised in my direction and the barrel of a handgun I can't make out facing towards me, and a shovel being held in the other dripping with what is most likely blood. I push through the pain and force myself up to limp myself to an alleyway as they shoot in my direction and use the wall as a support. They're messing with me.

'Why me!? We aren't even in their territory! We made sure of it!,' I continue on and take many turns to try to loose them and holding onto my leg wound to lessen the blood dripping, 'I just need to get to the light. They never come out of this hole.'

I start becoming more aware of the pain as I continue moving, but ignore it to keep my pace steady. Some hope rises as I look back to see nothing, but just as I turn back around I am met with a boot to my chest. I feel the wind get knocked out of me as I hit the ground, my vision dazed from the back of my head being hit as well.

I look up already knowing who it is standing in front of me, but I never thought I'd be one of their victims. Boots, ragged pants, shovel hanging from their hip on one side with a holster on the other side, some dirty jacket with some kind of body armor underneath and an enforcer gas mask with a one of the old miner helmets. Always covering their face. Always a bad omen for any gang that's hunkering down here.

"Please! I do- AAGH!" I yell in pain as they stomp on my wound. I then feel myself be yanked up by my collar before getting slammed into the wall.

"Talk."

"Listen I don't know anything you want! I was only put in charge of that warehouse!"

"Bullshit, that's what the last guy said before he confessed about you. He said you report to your boss and I want to know where he is."

'Of course she does. Another gang leader being tracked down by this crazy bit-.' my thoughts are interrupted by being pistol whipped across my nose.

"Fuck! Please, I really don't know! I only report to a guy named Simon, but he's not the boss! You saw the place I was in; it was hardly secure at all!", I plead to them, hoping for some mercy. They stare at me for a second before letting out a breath of frustration.

I am yanked forward and thrown onto the ground. I flip over and find myself looking up at them as they stand over me; my eyes staring down the barrel.

"NO! PLEASE, I TOLD YOU ALL I KNOW!"

"You want to beg? After all the lives you've taken and ruined ever since you moved into this area? Be happy I don't make it slower."

"WA-"

Then there was nothings.

Reader Pov

'Another fucking dead end.' I think to myself in frustration as I holster my revolver.

I take a minute to finally catch a breather before checking for anything useful on this guy and the others at the warehouse. Once I'm done I decide to go track down this Simon guy next. It's been nothing but this constant cycle for the past eight years.

"At least everything is going good up above. From what I hear at least." I say to myself, trying to look on the bright side of things. Ironic considering how I'm in what is now the shittiest part of the Undercity. It's been awhile since I've left this area, and since I've seen them.

Last time I left, it was to go witness that historic speech on the bridge. They did it. Vander and Silco finally accomplished their dream, and now Zaun has become a better place. So much light and the whole mood of the town is different too. Much more happy. Just like what I dreamt about, but I don't go over there. I can't.

There's enforcers that will most likely think I'm up to something, it's too bright to hide, not crowded enough to blend in anywhere and honestly I just don't really fit in with this new Zaun anymore. Not their fault, it's me that's the problem. Everyone dresses so nice, clean and casual along with how nice the community has become. Then there's me. I look like I crawled out of a dumpster or came back from an apocalypse..... honestly the latter isn't too inaccurate considering what almost happened originally. Probably also the reason why people usually leave me alone and gives me looks sometimes. I look weird compared to everyone else.

Though even with everything I still do my part. Just because most of Zaun has become better doesn't mean there isn't any who didn't like the idea of Piltover and Zaun making peace. Mostly gangs. Since enforcers were able to do their jobs easier the gangs have been pushed down here with me. I've been taking out as many as I could, and nipping the bud of one's that start growing. Especially the one's I knew were aiming for Vander and SIlco. No mercy. Like that one group who tried to recruit me to, I quote "Rebel and takeover Piltover for the true Zuauites." what a bunch of weirdos. Though this most recent one I've been working on is giving me trouble.

They were the only smart one's to stay under the radar when I first started the purge of gangs down here and only recently have been making bigger moves. They aren't too big yet, but if I don't dismantle them they could cause trouble. Turns out that would be harder than I expected. Every time I get pointed to one person, that person points me to someone else and the cycle continues. I'm no detective either, so I'm getting nowhere with the way things are going.

'It's fine. Something will come up eventually,' I try to reassure myself on my way home. It helps a little. Still tired. Kinda hungry too, 'I need to find a way to money.'

Making money the old way wasn't as easy anymore. Not many people that need "jobs" done, and not a lot of people who need to hire a merc for anything anymore. Most of the mercenaries either used their money to leave or joined up with the enforcers for some good and reliable pay with benefits. Can't blame them. Either my line of business is almost dead, or I'm one of the last one's still keeping it alive. Zaun doesn't need mercs like me anymore. That's good.

*stomach grumbles*

*sigh* "I really gotta make more money. Maybe I can pick up some small jobs here and there. Deliver mail to people or something." I reach into my jacket and pull out my journal. I don't write anything in it, but I do draw.

I turn to my most recent sketch and touch up on some details, another one of Jinx. I can't help, but remember. Sometimes I dream of all that happened. I try to put it behind me, but it's hard. They're scarred into my mind, but they remind me why I do this.

"Always stubborn about your hair. Even when I warned you how it can cause trouble in a fight, you insisted." I say to myself as I draw her braided hair. Took forever to braid them, but she loved. Honestly she made them look good.

I smile. Taking a moment to forget about the world and get lost in something else.

'Hopefully this, Simon, has better info.'

3rd Person

Meanwhile above ground across the bridge. A certain investigation in being looked into. With an ongoing interrogation happening.

"Do you really think we're that stupid?" Vi asks the woman sitting across the room from her and her partner. Both in crime and..... other things.

"Yeah."

Vi shoots forward and ready to lunge, but is quickly stopped by Caitlyn who leans into her ear.

"Calm down, Vi. She wants you to get upset." she says while holding onto one of Vi's shoulders to comfort her. Though she does understand her frustration.

Ever since they've been looking into a recently bold gang, they've hardly gotten anywhere. She takes a moment to make sure Vi has calmed down before turning back to the woman in questioning.

"I understand that you have no reason to help us, bu-."

"No shit. I get thrown behind bars and then pulled out for questioning about a gang, I'm not even a part of."

"But. We really need something here. If you cooperate we could negotiate with reducing your sentencing. Your records show you have been improving and haven't caused trouble, but we can only do that if you work with us." Caitlyn explains, trying to negotiate some kind of deal for some information.

The woman slightly relaxes before shaking her head with a sigh.

"Listen girl, I told you before. I really don't know anything about this gang. All I know is what I told you. They used to be small and kept to themselves and they've grown."

Caitlyn scowls, not at the woman, but down at the table in front of her. Another dead end.

"But.... you could try asking the hound." the woman suggests, which catches Caitlyn's attention, but Vi scoffs.

"We already asked my dad. He's not really involved with that stuff anymore, and his contacts have been out of that kind of business for awhile."

"Not Vander. The new one down in the deep end of the Undercity." this catches Vi's interest now.

"A new hound? Let me guess, another wannabe big shot?"

"No. This one's the real deal. Has been making a name for themselves for a few years now. Ever since most of the gangs got pushed back down deep into the Undercity; ever wondered what happened to all those old gangs eight years ago? Bloodhound took them out one by one." the woman explains, her tone lined with admiration and respect. Caitlyn raises a brow at the name.

"Bloodhound?"

"That's what people call them. No one I've met knows their name or has seen their face."

With things moving in a good direction, Vi sits down next to Caitlyn at the table.

"I assumed all the gangs just died out after peace was made. So what? They some gang leader or something?"

"No, but they do have a small territory. All to themselves. They got a lot of respect down there. You remember that weird group two years ago? Dressed all rugged and called themselves "True Zaunites"? They idolized Bloodhound; tried to dress like them too. Then one day they went into their territory and tried make them their leader, but ended up coming back beaten black and blue. The guy who was leading the group got a bullet through his skull."

Caitlyn looks skeptical and glances at Vi, who also looks to have some doubt about this "Bloodhound". The inmate notices and shrugs her shoulders.

"I know, sounds weird but it's true. The point is, they hunt down gangs. You want someone with info, then try them."

"How do we contact them?"

"I don't know. Last people who tried was that weird group. Now a lot of 'em are too scared to go back down there."

This brings some, not a lot, but some hope to Vi and Caitlyn to this investigation. Better than nothing. Caitlyn stands up before holding out a hand towards the inmate.

"Thank you for your time and the information. I'll be sure to put in a good word for your cooperation, maybe even get you on probation."

"No problem. Not like I had a choice in coming here. You better not be bullshitting me about that deal." the inmate says as she takes Caitlyn's hand.

Caitlyn nods before turning around to leave, Vi already holding the door open for her. Caitlyn wordlessly signals the two enforcers standing outside to escort the inmate back to her cell before walking with Vi.

"So this "Bloodhound", you think they're legit?"

"I don't know. But we don't have any other leads on this case. My mother trusted us with this case Vi, we can't just give up." Caitlyn says with hints of frustration in her voice.

"Hey, I'm not saying we give up, Cupcake. I was just wanting to hear your thoughts."

"I-I know. I'm sorry. It's just, I don't wan-."

"AH. You don't need to apologize Cupcake. I get it. Don't wanna disappoint parents, trust me, I understand," Vi says reassuringly which makes Cait stop, "What?"

"I love you." she says with a smile before giving Vi a peck on the cheek, making said Pink haired girl blush like a tomato.

"I-I love you too, Cupcake. .....Ahem a-anyway, I don't know if going to find this guy will work. I was thinking maybe we could go see my dad instead. He might know someone who can get in touch with this guy. Plus, I think he'd like to know that there's another "Hound" in the Undercity." Vi says as she wraps an arm around Caitlyn's shoulders to hold her close.

"That sounds nice."

Powder Pov

"So you want me to see if I can get someone to talk to this guy that you two need to talk to."

"I know. It sounds sketchy, bu-." Vi was saying until Benzo cuts in.

"Are ye kidding!? Vander! We gotta see this kid. Running around using your title; they must be a fan! How have I not heard of this guy before!?" Benzo says, poking fun at dad since apparently he has some copycat or something.

"I second that!" Mylo says, making Claggor shake his head with a chuckle.

Dad rolls his eyes, but still has a smile on his face.

"Technically not the same. They're called "Bloodhound"." Cait says, but slight smirk still on her face with Vi wearing one to match.

'Might as well join in on the fun.'

"I don't know if that's a good idea. They might want his autograph." I say with my own cheeky smirk. Leaning into Ekko, as he writes in his book of projects, sitting at the bar with everyone.

"Alright, alright. I get it. I might have some people who still owe me a favor or two," Dad says, as he wipes down a glass behind the bar, "One condition. They gotta meet you two here."

"YES!" Benzo yells in elation, but Vi doesn't look that happy.

"Here!? Dad seriously this person could cause trouble and this place isn't like that anymore." Vi says, but Dad doesn't look like he's budging.

"I'm being serious too. I've heard stuff hear and there about them and I don't want you two going down there alone. I know you two can handle yourselves, but if anything I've heard is somewhat true then this isn't like any other thug or gang leader." Dad says, which makes Vi back down.

'Damn. Now I'm interested.'

"Are you sure they would even come here?" Caitlyn asks a pretty reasonable question.

"Pretty sure. From what I hear they've been getting into shootouts with the gang recently. Probably hunting them down too."

"That isn't a guarantee though. What if they don't show up?"

"If they don't then show up, then they don't show up. They wouldn't have been help even if you went down looking for them, you'd probably just gonna end up in a fight."

'Fair point, honestly.'

Cait looks to Vi, who sighs as a sign of surrendering.

"Fine. How soon can you get someone to talk to them?"

"Today."

Cait looks surprised which makes Dad shrug.

"I got good contacts."

"Good. I guess tomorrow in the afternoon? Does that sound fine?" Vi asks, looking at Cait for confirmation which she gets via a nod.

As the conversation shifts to something else, I look at Ekko as he continues to scribble in his notebook.

"What do you think?" I ask him which makes him stop writing for a second.

"About "Bloodhound"," he asks and I give a simple nod, "Sounds a little fishy. Sounds like one of those people still stuck in the old times of crime everywhere."

"It doesn't sound like they are. They did supposedly take out that one weird group of "True Zaunites"; honestly those people were so stupid." I say with a small laugh, Ekko chuckling a little at the mention of that bizarre group of people.

'The speeches those guys made in the streets were insane.'

"Still, doesn't sound like good company. Why would they want to stay in the deep part of the Undercity? Zaun has become so much better over the years."

"Maybe..... they're afraid to move forward. Don't wanna lose what they have now." I say, honestly projecting more about myself than what I actually think.

'They could just be a psycho.'

I feel Ekko's arm come up to my waist before pulling me in closer as he sets down his pencil.

"Powder. I know it's not easy, but I really do think you could do a lot of amazing things. I know you're afraid of things changing, but..... sometimes taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind."

"I-I just.... I don't know. I just need some time to think about it." I say, avoiding the topic of what I want to do in life, looking away just staring at the details of the bar counter.

"Okay..... just know I'm here for you Powder. Nothing will change that." Ekko says, supporting and sweet as always, which makes me smile.

"Thanks." I say before giving a small kiss on the cheek.

"No thanks needed."

We sit at the bar in a comfortable silence as my mind wanders.

'Tomorrow should be an interesting day.'

The Next Day.

Deep in the Undercity the infamous Bloodhound stands in the middle of the street, farther than usual from their territory. What is usually a busy street is now completely empty with only Y/n standing there by herself, and facing towards the brighter side of Zaun.

People peak out from their homes through blinds. People who looked like they were about to step outside immediately turn around to lock themselves inside. Others who were making there way down the street immediately turns right around to take a detour around.

All of them had the same questions on their minds.

Why are they here? What are they up to? Is a fight about to happen? Is someone about to die? Are the meeting up with someone here?

.....Also why are they just standing in the middle of the street?

Reader Pov

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck this shit! This is, SO! FUCKING! BAD!', I internally panic as I stand in the middle of the street.

Yesterday right after getting some intel from that Simon guy I got a message from some guy. Literally right after. I just tackled that fucker out of the second floor of his shitty bar when he tried stabbing me after getting information out of him. Then I turned and there they were. Staring in shock. Anyway that doesn't matter.

What really matters is the fact that Vander wanted me to come to The Last Drop. I couldn't even ask why because before I could they ran away.

'Why!? What did I do!? Am I in trouble!? I didn't even do anything!'

I'm not supposed to meet them, but how am I supposed to ignore a call from Vander. From Dad. So I forced myself out of bed and I only made it this far before getting too scared. I feel rooted to the ground. I'm scared. I'm scared to see them after so long, even if it's just to talk or something.

"What if I mess this all up?," I ask myself. Trying to decide whether or not it's worth risking all of the good things that have happened to Zaun over the years, "What if I cause a butterfly effect and ruin everything?"

But then there's that other part of me. Desperate and longing to see how my family has been after so long of isolating myself down here alone.

I stand still in contemplation for another minute before finally taking a step forward.

"One time couldn't hurt. Just this once."

Hope you enjoyed. Sorry if there are grammar mistakes.

[linddzz]

Hello, I wanted to ask you a question since I love the way you answer. The other day I saw a discussion that was generated by the scene in the council of Jayce and Mel in chapter 8 and many of them did not understand Jayce's reaction (they basically destroyed him). I particularly understand, and other people do, that Jayce is acting according to the consequences of the trauma he lived in the other dimension (obviously it does not justify the mistreatment). I think that he is carrying a lot of guilt and pain for his past actions, and he needs to unload that. In addition to that in the case with Mel, their intimate bond is broken by the manipulation he suffered from her (although he also had his things). But people say that he is an exaggerator, an impulsive fool, Mel also went through horrible situations (I do not deny it) and yet she did not treat him badly at that time. Well, I would like to know your opinion regarding this scene that generates debate.

It is always wild to me when I hear of or see glimpses of Arcane discourse that can be summed up with "we missed the point of the show that's heavily themed on how trauma and emotional upheaval can cause people to act in ways we may not agree with, but can understand" :)))

Also wild that people expect Jayce to be perfectly rational and emotionally competent here after we just saw him staggering around Viktor's commune with terrifying hallucinations, screaming as he blasts a hole in Viktor's chest. Not to mention that we just saw the actual hell he went through that left him in that state?? Is Jayce, who has shown that he reacts with brash anger when he's frightened and in over his head, maybe going to not be the most level headed??

One thing that I really like about the scene is that he DOES apologize to Mel afterwards. He recognizes that he acted out, apologizes for being an asshole, and recognizes that Mel is hurting as well. Yeah his actions weren't great (tho to me seeing him acting physically aggressive was another sign of just how fucked up Jayce was) but damn in the context of how everyone else in this show responds to emotional trauma, he's pretty mild.

I'll also argue that neither of them are wrong in this scene, and you can pretty clearly see why he escalated so quick. Even without an in depth analysis that looks further back, his reactions are pretty understandable (for said analysis, @avelera has some great posts on this as a breakup scene for Jayce and Mel, pointing out that his auditory flashbacks in the pit focused a lot on realizing that Mel was using them) Let's break it down:

Scene opens with Jayce already reminiscing on the traumatic event that started all this. He's standing in the place where Viktor died, where Jayce made the decisions that created whatever Viktor is now. When you rewatch it, you have the added context that he's likely grappling with what Mage Viktor has told him. It's important to note that at this point, he doesn't know that Mel has arcane powers until his hammer and arcane corrupted mind spidey-sense her arrival.

We already know he was dealing with a ton of survivors guilt for being untouched by the blast while everyone else was grievously injured, and while Viktor specifically mortally wounded. This is probably the worst place and the worst time for him to learn that Mel has arcane powers and that she's the reason they were unharmed. And that sucks. Because he's closing Mel off even harder than he already would have, while he's the one Mel learned to be more emotionally vulnerable with.

Something happened to her too, and she reaches out for that connection. She doesn't need to be a strong Noxian with Jayce, so she tries to connect on the fact that they both obviously went through something, but unfortunately it's just when he thinks his worst suspicions about her are confirmed. 

Because hey let's ALSO talk about Jayce realizing Mel has been using him and why he's gonna take that hard! Jayce is pretty obviously a romantic person in season 1. It's almost a comedy beat when he snuggles up in her lap and she looks startled with the realization that her boytoy is a puppy. That is so obviously a lad who does not see sex as something casual, and he's very emotionally vulnerable with Mel very quickly.

Now, we, the viewers, have been able to see Mel allowing herself more vulnerability with Jayce in return. We've seen that she views her political manipulation as a way to benefit everyone. We've seen that she really came to care about Jayce, that sleeping with him became more than another way to influence him. But Jayce has only now realized he WAS being used. Who WOULD respond nicely to that? 

So you have that, on top of suddenly learning there is a reason he was fine while Viktor wasn't. Yes it's unfair to immediately blame her for it, but as soon as he says "because you used me!" I had a moment of "OH...yeah actually he's right tho. he's not out of pocket there"

(Also we can see him shutting that emotional vulnerability down. He tells Mel "it doesn't matter" because he's seen how his openness with her made him easy to manipulate. Again, she has opened herself up in return, but he has no way of knowing how much was sincere or not and is in no state to be rational about any of it.)

It doesn't help that she pretty much confirms that she used him. To Mel, it's not an insult to be seen as an investment by her, so she justifies herself for it, and I'm gonna read her a bit for this; when someone is feeling some sort of way about being used as an investment, explaining why they were a great investment isn't the best move!

And then. Yaknow. His brain is all jacked up from Arcane corruption and he's got Mel already setting that off with her powers, then Viktor's making them go extra wild by creeping around with his freaky little cuntbot. I didn't like him getting physically intimidating but it's also pretty obvious that he was seeing her as an active threat until Viktor showed up.

And again. He pretty quickly apologized and gave her an opening to talk about what happened to her. It's not perfect, but no one on this show IS. That's the point of the show! The fact that he quickly apologizes both times we see him lash out at people he cares about shows a pretty substantial amount of emotional intelligence in comparison to everyone else in this "Hurt People Hurt People" show.

So. yeah. I also had the emotional journey of "hey Jayce that's not fair, she pretty obviously said she couldn't control it, what the hell are you stalking at her with that hammer for- OH. I mean. YEAH she did use you that....hey that part's fair...also Mel back up girl, he's super obviously Not Okay." But I think acting like Jayce is some sort of unique asshole in THIS SHOW is quite a stretch.

[the-crustation-sensation]

How i think arcane s2 fumbled Viktor. Coming from a disabled person

Not proofread we die like all my favorite characters

As previously mentioned, I struggle with chronic pain. I have POTs and probably EDS now that I think about it, and I use a cane on bad days since at times walking long distances is very painful

I started watching arcane shortly after discovering my own disability and I was SO happy to see a well represented disabled character, guess who my favorite character is (hard mode)

Anytime there’s someone with a physical disability represented in modern media, they’re never allowed to just… be disabled, casually. Yes disability massively affects and changes one’s live immensely, but it’s not the only all-encompassing trait of their personality. A lot of the time when I see a disabled character, they’re just there to be disabled. They don’t get a character arc outside of their disability… or much of a personality either (9 times out of 10 their usually always paralyzed in a wheelchair too, but that’s a different conversation)

And sometimes having a characters arc revolve around a disability is acceptable, but it’s not ok to have a token disabled character and do nothing else with their plot line. Disability is allowed to be a part of their story, but it doesn’t have to be the whole story. Make your disabled characters people with a disability, not a blank slate token character.

And that’s why I was so pleased with Viktor in season one. He exists With his disability, not despite it. It was very refreshing to a character have a very defined personality and purpose outside being a token disabled character. Yes of course his disability is a huge part of his story, but it’s not the entire story.

Now how did s2 fumble?

In s1 I think viktors descent into illness was well written, I was kind of expecting his disability to be a big part of his overall character arc in the first place (as it so often is) but in s2 I feels like the writers almost forgot that Viktor was dying of cancer … not trying to perfect himself

I was so excited to see what s2 did with his character arc, and I just ended up.. disappointed. On surface level i loved Jesus!viktor just as much as the next fan, but when you dig deeper into his story it felt so icky

Whenever a disabled person is represented, not only does their character arc revolve around disability, it has to revolve around “fixing” said disability. And a big pattern I see is many character arcs having an undertone of radical acceptance. I.e “you where never broken, you just needed to accept yourself” “you just need to love your disability as a part of you”

No… you don’t have to love the part of you that’s actively causing you pain and lowering your quality of life, or actively killing you like Viktors terminal illness.

Self acceptance with disability is all fine and dandy, but it is SO overplayed and overwritten. You’re allowed to be frustrated with your disability, and learn to move past it.

The big point is Viktor was never trying to “perfect” himself in s1, he was trying to live.

In s2 they took the idea of Viktor working to cure his terminal illness and ran with it. They blew his arc so wildly out of proportion until he literally became a god obsessed with “perfecting” all of humanity.

And that just felt.. icky. It didn’t feel like Viktor. The Viktor in s1 had a dream of helping his people, of using his creations to uplift everyone! He never would have wanted to force all of humanity into “evolving” without their consent. And do not even get me STARTED on how he completely lost his autonomy to the hexcore, and in turn took it from so many people. That deserves a post on its own

I was so excited for the arcane writers to do something creative with his character arc, but no. Once again a disabled character fell victim to their entire arc being about fixing their disability, only to end with radical self love and acceptance

And the thing is I could get behind an arc of Viktor healing! He deserves to heal and live his life happy and healthy, but to me and him all of a sudden obsessed with “perfection” felt completely out of left field

I think my biggest problem with season 2 overall is that it lost sight of the entire theme of the show. Season one was a beautiful statement about classism, segregation, and how differently it affects people. It was representing real world problems on a scale we could understand. And the best part about s1 was that everyone on the main cast was relatively morally grey, they were humans who had realistic flaws, and made mistakes.

Nobody was shoved into a traditional “good guy/bad guy” box, and that made the show feel so much more real.

S2 was rushed, and for some reason the writers said “actually never mind, we’re going to bend everyone’s morals out of proportion so we can have a big bad villian we all fight at the end”

It had an overwhelming undertone of “forgive your oppressors so we can come together against a common enemy” which felt like a massive slap in the face to everyone who’s actually experience the classism and poverty that arcane represented in s1

I think so many of the problems with s2 could have been fixed or at least explained in detail if we got a s3. I understand as a writer myself that would have been a long, and expensive process that the arcane producers weren’t willing to go through. But I can’t help but mourn the story we could have had if the writers were just allowed to spend more time on it.

Overall, I could write an essay picking apart every tiny detail of arcane in general, so I’ll stop here. I just needed to get this rant out in writing and out of my head, I’m so insanely disappointed and mildly insulted with how the arcane writers treated Viktor, who had such potential

Feel free to share your opinions or completely disagree with me in the comments, please be kind as this is just my humble analysis and opinion.

[therabbitthatpostthings]

Learning Czech for my Arcane fics. Russian for the YOI fics. Spanish for the Voltron fics and French just cause. Call me Mr. Worldwide. In all seriousness, half the languages I’m learning are just because I’m tired of looking for shows with subtitles.

Hurt/Comfort, slight ooc, thinly veiled venting session

(Masterpost)

✒︎⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆𖡼𖤣⋆ 𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣��𓋼𓍊⋆✩₊˚

“Um, Councilman Talis?” Her meek voice echoed off the laboratory walls. It was a stormy afternoon. The crackling lighting illuminated the walls. The room was grand, dark and quiet. The door creaked behind as she approached the work bench. “C-Councilman…”

“He’s gone.” A voice cut through. She turned over to find the other scientist hunched over his desk.

“Oh, I was actually looking for you Mr.Viktor..sir…”

He did not look up. “Yes, what is it?”

“Um, Assistant (L/N) is still in the greenhouse. I’m heading home and I was hoping you could check on them at some point.”

That caught his attention. You had today off, that’s what you told him at least. Viktor sat up, bones cracking into place as he stretched. “Yes, thank you. I will go to them before I leave today.”

She sighed in relief, “Thank you so much! It’s been a stressful week for us all.”

“Did something happen at the hearing?” He asked before she could leave the room.

Worry built up in her silence. Concern in her voice she asked, “Were you not informed?”

✒︎⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆𖡼𖤣⋆ 𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊⋆✩₊˚

It’s such a shitty day for rain. You spent the last five hours cleaning the greenhouse, taking notes on fungal growth and angrily writing sticky notes for your morning shift colleagues. Notes you didn’t have to write since you would most likely be back here to do more work anyway but, maybe the thought of you not coming in would evoke some sort of productive reaction.

Some called it unnecessary. But they weren't botanists. They didn’t work at Piltover Academy. They weren’t on the cornerstone of something revolutionary.

You were. Well, you were.

It was a bitter feeling to wash down but you did nonetheless. You pushed aside the negative thoughts when you heard footsteps coming towards you.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Viktor said.

You spared him a glance before going back to your sticky notes. “Funny, I was gonna say the same thing.”

He took a few steps, towering over your crouching body. He eyed the myriad of colorful notes lining each individual planter and pot. “Why didn’t you tell me you came in?”

“Did it matter? I thought I’d be done by now but of course! No one does their job but me around here.” Your dismissive tone didn’t do much to sway him. He still stood behind you, watching you work. “Who told you I was here?”

“That’s not important-”

“It was Reecee wasn’t it.” You groaned.

“It doesn’t matter who told me. You’re here and you're upset.” He stated.

You scoffed, “I am not.”

“(Y/N).”

Of course you couldn’t hide your destestion from one of Piltover’s Finest, much less your boyfriend.

“Tell me what happened.” He urged.

“Didn’t Reecee tell you?”

“She said you had a meeting.”

“A meeting?” You said with a disparaging smile. “I had the meeting today.”

Viktor was well aware of “the meeting”. You had spoken about it at length ever since you were students. This was your Hextech. Your years of studying and research to get this meeting. Yet here you were, hunched over little sprouts on a cold rainy day.

You had a pained smile as you turned to face Viktor. “They didn’t even care. Years. Years of testing soil in the Undercity to clean the air, and they didn’t. Even. Care.”

Your voice was shaking. Your smile was dropping. Tears built up in your eyes. You could hear the committee’s voice clear as day.

“It’s just not viable.”

“We don’t have a large enough…overview of the Undercity’s layout.”

“The experiment could damage the already established ecosystem.”

Like they gave a shit about the ecosystem. Like they gave a shit about the Undercity!

“I was so desperate that I even said you and Jayce would back me up! It didn’t matter. They didn’t care! You know who did get a meeting with the higher council?! Ian-fucking-Rottmeiser!” You launched the notepad against the greenhouse wall, the looser notes flying up in the air. Truthfully, Rottmeiser wasn’t undeserving. In fact he worked hard on his proposal to integrate more plant life into Piltover. But that was just it. Piltover. He wants to help Piltover. They all want to help Piltover. It’s always Piltover.

“So now I’m here, doing my job. Cause that’s all I’m good for I guess! Just another Lab Assistant.”

Viktor pulled you into his arms. Your hand bunched around his sweater as the tear overtook you.

“It’s okay miláčku,” Viktor’s soothing hand rubbed your back.

“I don’t understand…I worked so hard…why not me…” You cried. From the moment you were born you were unlucky. Anyone born in the Undercity was unlucky. Your father was unlucky and drank contaminated water. The rest of you survived until your mother died on the Bridge of Progress. That just left you, on the other side of the bridge, separated from your remaining family in Piltover. And you studied everyday. You made it into the Academy, you climbed the ranks. Not a day went by without you working towards your goal. To improve lives, to save people! You spent week after week with your siblings, collecting samples in the Undercity. Risking your lives, sneaking in and out of Piltover, all to this meeting. And they didn’t care.

“How am I supposed to face them again?! I failed Viktor! I’m a failure!”

Still Viktor held onto you. Painful wails left you until your throat was raw. You unclench your fist as you relax against him. Shoulders slouching in defeat and Viktor’s warm hand never leaving you.

You sighed with a tired rasp in your voice. “I just wanted to do something right. To know it was worth all I had lost. I should’ve stayed in the Undercity.”

“Miláčku, look at me.” Viktor’s soft hands cupped your face. He gently lifted your head, his thumb wiping stray tears away. “You are exactly where you need to be right now. You are not a waste.”

“I failed Viktor..”

“No you didn’t. You did what you set out to do. You won, they lost. And when Hextech helps advance organic life and biodiversity, they will all be looking up to you.” His reassuring smile helped ease the pain. No one in Piltover could truly understand you like Viktor did. No one in Piltover lived through what you did except for Viktor. From the day you two met you promised you would rise above whatever was thought of you.

“You would do that for me?” You cooed softly.

He pressed a soft kiss against your temple, “I can’t trust any other botanist but you.”

Viktor stayed close by as you closed up for the day. You begrudgingly agreed to taking the next two days off (which your boss suggested anyway). Mostly because that meant you got to keep Viktor with you for two days as well. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky on your departure down the wet streets of Piltover. After a crowded tram ride you both huddled inside of your apartment. You both melt into the soft couch cushions. Viktor’s head on your shoulder, his hand intertwined in yours, soft kisses pressed into your neck with sweet words in his native tongue. You felt your worries slip away as you nodded off. Viktor took notice and shifted your body to rest against his chest.

“Goodnight, my love.”

[wingedshadowfan]

⚠️arcane s2 act ii spoilers⚠️

listen to me and listen well. i'm gonna analyze the caitvi breakup scene conflict in detail (and tell y'all why caitlyn is not the villain y'all paint her out to be)

first of all, caitlyn has every reason in the world to hate jinx and want her gone. there are more neutral reasons like the fact caitlyn is a police officer and jinx is a threat to piltover and zaun's law and order, any material property she can reach and basically everyone around her bcuz she's insane, unstable and more than capable of causing damage. then there are deeply personal reasons: jinx tried to blow up caitlyn and vi on multiple occasions, kidnapped caitlyn (god knows what she did to her before vi joined the tea party, but other fans have pointed out cait was so traumatized she went from not exhibiting any fear of jinx before to shuddering when seeing her after), tried to get vi to kill caitlyn, killed her "father" silco on accident, blew up the council, killing caitlyn's literal mother among others and causing injuries and damages. caitlyn at this point might even believe jinx is the one who organized the massacre at the statue reveal ceremony. she even acknowledges how easily jinx's actions and the trauma they've caused her have undone a lot of the work caitlyn has put with the help of vi by her side into seeing zaunites as people despite the way she was raised. all of her anger at jinx for this, for taking her mother, for all the pain she's caused, even her fear make caitlyn desparate. she starts taking more drastic measures in order to catch jinx like using more violence/threats towards innocents, which is the one thing vi tries to address with her. caitlyn promises she won't change. but she already has, as an unconscious and natural reaction to what she's experienced.

earlier, caitlyn doesn't offer vi the police badge just bcuz she's mentally stripped vi's zaunite identity from her and now sees her as a topsider and one of "the good ones" (i bet she's started to do that too, as alluded to by maddie's words abt caitlyn saying vi went after silco alone, but caitlyn does this just so she can compartmentalize better and separate her lover vi here next to her, from her mother's killer jinx who's taken so much from her in zaun), but also bcuz she needs vi's help to get through zaun and find jinx. as she's just lost someone, she badly wants to be able to keep vi close, on her squad, in her line of sight, in order to protect her and make sure nothing happens to her on the potentially deadly task of finding and eliminating jinx. (i want to add smth else here: notice how vi feels guilt for failing to keep others safe and feels responsible for protecting the people around her, so she tries to distance herself from them, like not letting powder go with the big kids, and fights short range, keeping enemies close to her and away from her allies so they can't get hurt. caitlyn does the opposite, she's a long range sharpshooter so she tries to keeps her loved ones as close to her as possible under her watchful gaze, far from her enemies.) it's never implied she wants vi to be a cop forever, or perform any such duties outside of this jinx mission. she's still at fault for not understanding what putting on the uniform would mean to vi - a betrayal of her family, her home, everything she's ever known and loved until now, which vi isn't ready for and caitlyn can't rightfully ask of her. yet vi doesn't say that to caitlyn (and continues to not say anything when their squad of misfits starts gassing up the undercity) and takes it because she sees no other way. she knows her chances alone against jinx aren't looking good.

vi can't bring herself to kill her sister (despite the fact that she's mostly gone, incredibly dangerous, unstable and could've easily killed vi and caitlyn - even accidentally, like she killed silco) and doesn't want her to die either. we can even look at what caitlyn thinks needs to be done with jinx and what vi thinks needs to be done with jinx as a cultural difference betw the two bcuz in zaun where survival is essential, family is everything, you're bound together by what you've been through and you need each other to survive so you don't just cut family off, you don't judge them harshly, leave them or turn them in, but in piltover where that's not the case, there are laws and people who serve to enforce them like caitlyn so if you're a bad person who's done bad things, there's a way for you to be dealt with. vi doesn't realize she wouldn't be able to kill jinx or let herself feel that way bcuz of the amount of guilt she harbors for "creating jinx" and the responsibility she carries for jinx's actions (smth she internalized bcuz of vander teaching her that as a leader she's responsible for whoever chooses to follow her) - again, jinx stealing the hexcore, kidnapping/torturing cait, almost killing the two of them, blowing up the council, etc. so she offers to deal with jinx herself, which caitlyn doesn't want, knowing first hand what jinx is capable of and maybe even suspecting vi's weakness before vi can - caitlyn even says that she's scared that if either of them goes after jinx alone, she'll return in a box. and instead of listening to her own feelings and telling caitlyn about them, vi again decides to "toughen it out" and pull through with it. she tries to seem stronger, more ready and certain when she tells caitlyn to take the shot, but her fear of being faced with having to kill jinx becomes even more evident in the fact she basically indirectly asks caitlyn to do it for her so she doesn't have to.

when the fight breaks out, the danger is very real. sevika can take caitlyn down easily as she's a long range shooter, not a close combat fighter. while cait's fighting tooth and nail, jinx and vi are dancing around each other the way teen girls fight compared to other fights they've had (jinx hitting with her wrists, vi stumbling, etc). they're not fighting to the death bcuz they don't want the other to die. when vi finally pins jinx, who's seemed quite normal until now btw, as if she's finally in her right mind (like smth in that mind can be salvaged), vi notably hesitates. a lot. and before she does anything or moves so caitlyn can shoot, isha jumps between vi and jinx with a gun to vi's head. and here's where i need y'all to be fucking for real. the fear and anger caitlyn must've experienced in that moment are what made her completely lose it, i bet she fully had an out of body experience. now, caitlyn isn't a great shot, she's an excellent shot. if she shoots the gun out of this kid's hand, she saves vi from her brains being blown out of her head. if she misses, worst case scenario, she takes this kid's hand out. she takes the fucking shot to save vi's life, a calculated risk even if she does it rather on reflex. we even see how the bullet flies way closer to vi than to the kid because she's self correcting potential aim errors away from the kid.

now that the kid isn't pointing a weapon in vi's face anymore, instead of pulling the kid from jinx and hauling ass so caitlyn can shoot again safely (see: bcuz she doesn't want jinx to die), vi stands up and starts telling caitlyn not to shoot, even getting in front of her. caitlyn is verbally but not really mentally responsive to her surroundings in this moment, that's how gone she is. her vision tunnels onto jinx and she tries to keep shooting until sevika pulls the lever and we exit combat. vi reasonably confronts caitlyn for shooting at a kid (after caitlyn stops hitting the wall like a woman gone), which she only does because of her fear for vi and fear of jinx (and what she might do next, or if they let her get away) because she feels betrayed, since caitlyn just told her she wouldn't change. she did changed - she became more brutal, but she'd already changed long ago, when she lost her courage, her mother, her progress and when she came to love vi.

and now it's caitlyn's turn to confront vi. vi didn't have the guts to tell her she can't kill jinx, that she can't wear the uniform, that she's not okay with gassing zaun up, and even encouraged her to shoot, so cait was under the impression that this was it. that they were going to end jinx for good. when she says "i thought you were different but you're not", of course she might mean she thought vi was "better" than other zaunites, but i think perhaps even more than that, she means she thought vi had also been changed in the same way by the trauma jinx had caused caitlyn, that she'd finally let go of her hope powder was still somewhere inside jinx and realized how truly destructive and dangerous jinx is and how that necessitates killing her. while vi is immunized against the terrors, caitlyn has never experienced anything like this in her life, which is why she doesn't understand why vi doesn't understand, why she wants jinx to live despite everything.

while vi doesn't seem to understand, she's ready to try to. she's let her guard (and gauntlets) down, she's open and attempting to talk to caitlyn who has shut off completely and refuses to even look her in the eyes (which is one of the primary ways in which caitlyn connects to people). vi tries to stop her from leaving and caitlyn strikes her, as hard as she can, purposefully hitting her in her stab wound which she helped vi recover from herself - almost as if condemning their past relationship and everything they've been through. not only does that physically bring vi, someone used to taking hits, to her knees - it completely incapacitates her and breaks her heart. she can't even follow. she's officially lost the last good thing she had, the one person who cared about her.

both of them are left feeling betrayed and hurt. some of these conflicts could've been avoided by simple communication, others were by design of who they are and where they come from.

[sweetpupii]

i don't mean to say this in a "omg I'm so her lol XDD I'm so crazyyy" way, I hate that, I mean it in a "holy shit that's accurate" way. ( it also won't make sense bc I'm having trouble remembering some things about the series )

I genuinely love how jinx is written in arcane because they made aspects of her mental illness so real.

and I'm not talking just from her deep, deep depression in season 2 act 3 ( I think ); I'm talking about how she was clearly very unstable since she was a child. hitting herself while crying and destroying the stuff she was proud of after realizing that it wasn't enough for others. the hurt of being told by the person she trust the most that she's not ready yet, the way it confirmed what mylo said about her being a jinx and messing everything up.

she, in her own innocence and want of proving herself, willingly climbed up the building she knew vander and the others were at.

then, after all that happened, one might thing she's used to hallucinations—by the way she talks to them like they're actually there, but no. you can't fully get used to it. you can see it by the way she has to stop and try her best to push it aside and not be affected by the stuff she hears and sees because it makes her unable to think on her own.

sometimes it gets so hard to understand they're not real. I mean, you know that it's in your head but why does it feel so real? why am I hearing their voice like they're sitting right next to me? why does it make me feel like this?

I also like that they make the hallucinations sound like actual hallucinations. in my case it also sounds like memories sometimes and not just the aggressive, hateful whispers most movies represent them as. it's not always a voice telling you to kill yourself !!

you can see them progressively get more and more overwhelming as her life gets worse while finding out stuff that brings back painful stuff from the past. mylo who was simply a voice now is also fully visual. hunting her down on every thought.

and don't get me started on the psychotic episodes.

season two was just WOAH.

the way you can feel the emptiness just by looking at her eyes is amazing. you can see and feel how numb she is and how she stops trying.

her life seemed to start getting better. she had vander, vi, isha and even sevika had a better relationship with her but like everything in her life it all went to shit.

doesn't matter how but she's always finding a way to give up. even at the cell she's starving herself to death, scratching on her skin and then attempting on her life like she has probably done countless times.

I wanna clarify that self harm is not only about physically damaging yourself, is also about putting yourself through triggering stuff on purpose or staying in a place you know hurts you. forcing something with someone who only makes you miserable might also count.

I felt it so deep in my heart when she tells vi that she can stop worrying now, that she shouldn't feel guilty and be happy. her expression alone shows you how she's also carrying the blame for many things, if not all that happened.

seeing suicide as the only way to stop being a burden and keep causing trouble is such a real thing to have in my mind and it made me bawl my eyes out.

at the end when she finally understands that she's the only one than can break the cycle, just like silco ( or well, her mind ) told her, you can see peace on her face that you can't see in any other moment. after all she went through she was able to know that maybe it's not that they don't want her near or she's burden, maybe she's the one who wants to cut ties and live another life away from the past and all the things that hunt her down constantly.

a new beginning that she saw impossible.

[goodnightbirdy]

The Poets as Tarot Cards

if you know nothing about tarot a lot of these are gonna sound really weird or scary but BEAR WITH ME PLEASE.

Neil Perry - The Fool

Upright: innocence, new beginnings, free spirit

Reversed: recklessness, taken advantage of, inconsideration

Do not take lightly to the fact that i gave him my favorite tarot card. Its the very first major arcane and it usually is a good sign in a pull, something is going to begin, you need to look at something with a new light ect. I think the upright and reversed meaning show the dichotomy between the beginning and the end for Neil.

Todd Anderson - Death

Upright: end of cycle, beginnings, change, metamorphosis 

Reversed: fear of change, holding on, stagnation, decay

I TOLD YOU. IT WAS GOING TO SOUND SCARY. but its not. The death card is also one of my favs and also usually a good sign. Its a symbol of something changing. I think Todd goes through a fundamental change that sets him on a new path. Its always sad when something ends but its not always necessarily a bad thing.

Charlie Dalton - King of Wands

Upright: big picture, leader, overcoming challenges

Reversed: impulsive, overbearing, unachievable expectations

Its so clear in the film that Charlie puts up a front of the unshakable leader. He is strong, and he does lead but the reversed meaning is a very important part of this. Its so clear in the movie that he doesn't break down because he feels the need to be strong for the other boys. He has to be the unflappable face of strength but that is ultimately unachievable.

(i came SO CLOSE to giving him strength)

Knox Overstreet - Seven of Cups

Upright: searching for purpose, choices, daydreaming 

Reversed: lack of purpose, diversion, confusion

Oh our little delusional weirdo. Its so clear that his every action towards chris is not about chris, its about finding himself (through... interesting means) I think he embodies a certain search or lack of purpose. He doesn't know what he really wants and that's why i gave him the CHOICE card.

Steven Meeks - Ace of Swords

Upright: breakthrough, clarity, sharp mind 

Reversed: confusion, brutality, chaos

We see this man being so sassy. so sharp. i love him. he could have so easily just been a nerdy smart character but instead he's so quick and it just adds such depth to him. His intentions are left widely unclear to the audience and i think thats why the clarity and chaos card is so perfect for him.

Gerard Pitts - Temperance

Upright: middle path, patience, finding meaning 

Reversed: extremes, excess, lack of balance

our gentle giant <3 HES SO- Patience? Finding meaning?? we never get to see him seize the dayb in the film other than the radio and its just- THE MIDDLE PATH?? go read my fic you'll understand.

Richard Cameron - Justice

Upright: cause and effect, clarity, truth 

Reversed: dishonesty, unaccountability, unfairness

i need you to know i was so torn for his card. I almost gave him the hierophant, the hermit, judgment, and the wheel of fortune. TWAS A DIFFICULT DECISION.

Ive talked about this kid so much, yall know what i think. The upright meaning is so- its so him. AND THE GUILT HE WOULD FEEL- AH. the reversed meaning feels like a stab wound and thats all i have to say.

John Keating - The Hanged Man

Upright: sacrifice, release, martyrdom

Reversed: stalling, needless sacrifice, fear of sacrifice

Do i have to explain this one? I almost gave him the Emperor, BUT LOOK AT- SACRIFICE? RELEASE?? MARTYRDOM??? NEEDLESS SACRIFICE??? oh it was to perfect and this caused me pain.

Bonus ✨

Ginny Danburry - The Star

Upright: hope, faith, rejuvenation 

Reversed: faithlessness, discouragement, insecurity

SHES CHARLIES FAITH- i say as the drag me away to a white padded room. shes the star. idk what else to say. iykyk. never sad to see this card.

Chris Noel - Two of Swords

Upright: difficult choices, indecision, stalemate 

Reversed: lesser of two evils, no right choice, confusion

i just think. knox put her. in a really tough spot. and she did what she could. thats all. no right choice more like no choice

[slothpoth]

Who Arcane Characters Would Like The Most If They Watched Steven Universe + How they started watching

Im going to preface this by saying it may not be 100% accurate, this is my pregame before I rewatch ALL of Steven Universe beginning to SUFuture so why not shove the current interest in?

BY THE WAY: this is them watching no matter what so if you’re like “omfg they would never!!” Now they are. What’re you gonna do? Scroll??

EDIT: IM SO SORRY I MEANT TO PIT A RWADMORE HERE

Jinx

Jinx was a hard Amethyst stan until the movie came out and Spinel ChokedSlammed Her Into The Floor

She started watching because she caught the tail of “So Many Birthdays” (the one where Steven ages and ages and ages) and immediately decided this was her thing now

She gets into arguments online about her favs and she is the one posting getting blocked and bragging about winning the argument

“You can just say you don’t understand characters who are complex, you don’t have to write all this for things we OBVIOUSLY KNOW.”

While Amethyst and Spinel are her favs, she will go to BAT for any character being mischaracterized

Do not let her catch you talking shit about Mx.Lapis Lazuli, she will Hurt You.

Vi

Speaking of people with will Hurt You, Vi does not play about Steven Quartz Cutiepie Demayo Universe.

Vi started after multiple instances of Jinx ranting to her inconsistently for hours about arguments she gets into online

Like Jinx bursts into the room like “Vi, These people couldn’t fucking comprehend media if there was a gun to their head, and Yknow what? I’m putting it there” and Vi is hooked

“Oh my god…..they are stupid…” “THATS WHAT IM SAYING” I kinda hc that vi is the type that likes hearing about drama no matter where it comes from it just has to be juicy

One time Jinx called Steven a normie favorite character pick and Vi then went on a 95 minute rant about how kind and sensitive he is

“Steven is a sensitive and kind boy who tries his best no matter the circumstances, even if he fails he still tries to be good. You have NO RIGHT to act like he’s some—“ “ VI OH MY GOD NEVERMIND IM SORRY, WE’VE BEEN HERE FOR AN HOUR PLEASE LET ME GO”

Vi kins Steven Universe and SU Future made her ugly sob with chest pain

Caitlyn

Caitlyn likes Pearl because the lesbian yearning over their ex to nerdy fem who can pull without trying storyline intrigued her deeply.

Originally Jinx compared her to Pearl because Jinx thinks she’s prissy and overbearing, this made Caitlyn block all official Steven universe accounts on every piece of social media.

Later Vi compared her to Pearl because Vi thinks she tries her best to help everyone even if she makes mistakes sometimes, thsi and Caitlyn unblock some Steven Universe accounts and watch alongside Vi sometimes

She doesn’t end up watching the show from the beginning, she just asks Vi questions and Vi explains how something fits into the story

“Why does Lapis despise Peridot so much? She’s like half her size if she’s an issue push her over” “Well Peridot reminds her of her trauma of being constantly used wherever she goes and never living for herself, she’d just be constantly triggered like she has been for thousands of years” “ohh… why don’t they just build a second place on the land?” “Cause the barn is cool” “ah,, makes sense.”

Any mention in the show about Pearl having a bunch of people’s numbers and Caitlyn is out of her chair cheering.

Ekko

Ekko is a fan of Bismuth and he’ll tell everyone else that it’s because the crystal gem rebellion was super interesting to him but deep inside his interest was first peaked because he finds the Bismuth puns genuinely funny like he guffaws at every one.

He started watching when Jinx showed him the clip of Steven having to poof Bismuth, and he made sure to go back through the series to really get what’s going on.

When the cluster was introduced he was appalled like this is the world’s greatest home-world hater, like he was even iffy on peridot for a whole extra season it was so bad

“At least she’s trying to redeem herself?” “I don’t care if she stops homeworld by herself I Don’t Like Her.”

The Diamond arc? Oh he is SAT for every episode and he is HEATED. He’s getting them (Jinx + family) sound complaints cause he keeps pausing to complain about whoever happens to be on screen

*blue diamond starts speaking* *insta pause* “AND HERE COMES THIS ONE.” “EKKO FOR FUCKS SAKE LET THE SHOW PLAY”

Ekko thinks the diamonds got off easy and drew a comic (that he keeps to himself and jinx) about how HE would’ve ended the show (it’s 48 pages)

Mel

Connie is so special to Mel, so special she sees herself in Connie so much that’s her daughter

Any scenes where Connie and her mom are clashing? Mel is pouring almost obsessively over the scenes just “oh my god…..oh,,,my god,,,” like if Mel had a kinlist?? Oh yeah. Absolutely.

She actually keeps pretty good track of animation projects and new series so she’s been watching since the beginning. The pitch of sentient rocks living around and with this half human half rock boy? Yeah she was definitely intrigued

And now emotionally wrecked, like she saw a clip of season 1 Steven while presently on the homeworld arc and almost fell to her knees her BABY

Auntie!Mel bonds with Jinx and Vi over it when visiting their house its like:

“Mel, if you wanted to run away from your home and ended up hurting people in the process, wouldn’t you take accountability for that?” “Well that depends on who I hurt.” “Let’s say you leave someone in a garden for like mmm random number six thousand years—“ “Spinel has full reason to be upset, I’d do worse if I were her” “RIGHT???”

“Whyre you and Jinx arguing? Aren’t you a bit old for the silent treatment?” “She keeps calling me basic for liking Steven.” “Steven? The character on a slow creep to a world terrorizing meltdown?” “RIGHT.” “Vi, not everyone you meet will have good taste like you and me, I’m so sorry”

She does think Jinx terrorizing online spaces is a little funny but is trying to be responsible and won’t tell her that outright

And by not tell her she means trying not to roll over laughing hearing Jinx read out the arguments

Sevika

If you asked Sevika why she liked Jasper, she’d say something like “I too have been forever changed by a lesbian relationship” or “smash.”

If you asked Sevika while she’s in a sad drunk mood she wouldn’t verbally answer and just mentally spiral about the perfect solider who keeps losing and losing and losing and losing and—don’t refill her cup, Sevika is going home, don’t call her damn phone, she’s busy

In this modern scenario, her and Jinx are still coworkers so when Jinx is watching video essays or character compilations on her breaks, Sevika will walk by and either stand and watch an intense part or make fun of what’s on screen

*Jasper climbs up the side of a boat to beg on her knees for Lapis to re-fuse* “ohh I’ve been there before,” “She’s begging her to reform into an eight armed monster where they constantly fought for dominance in the headspace at the bottoms of the ocean because Lapis— the blue one— didn’t want Jasper— the orange one— to kill Steven— the boy one.” “oh yeah no, me too (wtf??)”

Overtime Jinx started to refer to Jasper as Sevika’s favorite and kept giving her vague updates on her condition, that being said Sevika rewatched the entire series and future when she heard news of Jasper’s Shattering

“They shattered your goat.” “What goat??” *shows photo of Jasper’s shatter gem in Steven’s hand* “IS THAT FUCKING JASPER????”

Like she didn’t even wanna talk about what happened afterward she blocked Jinx and started watching immediately, Sevika was getting to the bottom of this (of what?? We have no clue she’s hurt rn)

Sevika will not discuss the emotional impact Steven Universe had on her. You’d have to have her at gunpoint and chemically paralyzed.

[ontoilogical]

on dame aylin (as the elusive other)

I haven't looked into a lot of what people are writing and meta commenting about Dame Aylin and Isobel Thorm, but in my personal quest to make the space in my head more entertaining, Isobel and Shadowheart have developed a tentative baseline voice I can recognize and imagine in situations. Dame Aylin, however, has not. Not yet. I want to slosh an idea or two around as to why that may be the case.

In the game, Dame Aylin is presented from many angles, depending on the character and their relationship with her, but a lot of the time her role is very othering. The othering doesn't come from the game writers' options of her – they wrote a wonderful, rich and layered character, gave her a three-arc questline that unfurls for the player like the most enticingly wrapped present, full of curiosities and surprises, and placed her so that you cannot avoid this gift even if you wanted to. And that's all without mentioning how her relationship with Isobel is the romance of the game, exceptional by any Faerûnian standards.

The othering, instead, comes from inside the story. The writers wrote a story where the main conflict for Dame Aylin is how much she is othered within the world she inhabits.

For Lorroakan and the adventurers that took on the bounty, she is a literal item, relic with a property, resource to harness for the problem they're trying to solve. For Ketheric, she is the unknown, the people that are unlike you, not a part of your group or tribe, infiltrating your territory, threatening your way of life and abducting your daughters. For the Sharrans, she was an obstacle, a test to pass or fail, a rite of passage. And although more implied than really explored, or just mentioned on the tail end of her story participation, to the mortals of the land she is a function – a vengeance paladin, a goddesses aspect, the will of Selûne, applied. Her status of exceptionality is even commented on by Isobel towards the end, when she says "She's singular among us all". Unlike anyone else.

I find my fun in discerning the many layers of a character's personhood, observing each one, naming them and seeing how they inform the character's actions, feelings, lowest and highest points, essence, that which we recognize as familiar, real, sympathetic. Dame Aylin is very rewarding in that regard, at the very least, to me.

...but even I may have fallen into the trap of latently believing Dame Aylin what she says about Dame Aylin. Because, as others before me have remarked, Dame Aylin also relegates Dame Aylin to a certain, narrow function. Her parting words for the player character essentially promise she will be another sword on the battlefield for their cause. And my rogue Dragonborn Tav is there like, staring in disbelief and deciding between the "can you fucking drop the formalities and tell me something silly about yourself, like whether you're, idk, physically capable of farting or burping or something", "do you think you can take Shadowheart with you I feel she likes you better", "do you ship CaitVi / are you excited for season 2 of Arcane" and "I want you to stay I'm not yet done with tanning my body under the Moonmaiden's glow" dialogue options.

To be clear, I do not believe her, but some strange, subconscious part of me may not allow me to disrespect Dame Aylin – when I open that sad notepad on my mobile phone – by being "she does this, but actually, it's a distraction from what's really going on deep inside her Aasimar soul", something that only Isobel gets to see, touch and feel. Isobel always understands, despite Aylin's deflections, even towards her (maybe, I haven't decided whether she does this or not). Isobel is patient and understanding about it, because that is her nature, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't a little frustrating and trying at times. "Let me carry and care for you at least occasionally, my beloved. I witness your pain and it aches my heart when you try to shield me from it."

Hm.

I would also add that Aylin's charismatic presentation, language particularities and everything else make it potentially easy to set them as character points to check off, after which one may fall into a false sense of "there, I just wrote canon-accurate Dame Aylin". I mean, maybe you did, maybe I would, but... what about that Dame Aylin POV character exploration fic that doesn't feel like you're slapping "stoic character" tropes on her or keeping to the surface, but rather exploring what is distinctly and uniquely hers, beyond how strange she is against everyone else around her. I'm not saying anyone is doing this, but that this is how I feel whenever I try to write or imagine something that isn't a remix of the scenes and dialogues available in the game.

[stealerofthe2ndbraincell]

ARCANE ACT 3

LIVEBLOG TIME! 🎉🎉

(Once again, more like a reaction then a live blog but sssh)

S2 Ep8: Killing Is A Cycle

Mel in the Ebenezer Scrooge chains again (I know it was Jacob Marley that was in the chains throughout but still) :(

THIS TRANSFORMATION IS SO COOL.

Would be a bit cooler if she wasn't screaming bloody murder throughout but I get it.

They really took some of the excellent bits of her design and decided to really lean into them more for this.

I kind of wish the internet hadn't fucked over the word "empath" cause that made me giggle.

We can't see the sorceress from here but is she meant to resemble the girl from Mel's backstory?

I need to stop pausing to say this immediately before it happens.

Okay so it isn't her, duly noted. I would suck in a fight against this thing.

Did it really say "yeah you're cool but you can still be stabbed, so how powerful are you actually 🙄🙄".

Calamity and Red seem to be associated strongly cause I immediately thought of Breath of the Wild.

I'm living for this backstory.

She must be so cold.

It's all coming back :((

OH SHIT VIKTOR'S IN THE ORB NOW.

God. That's terrifying. Viktor is suddenly extremely terrifying to me.

I'm surprised Ambessa isn't remotely surprised at him mentioning Jayce. He was probably missing for months at this point.

"I will evolve all those willing" so everyone? Everyone in your cult, Viktor? Because they're a literal hivemind so I doubt he'd have much problem.

VI I MISSED YOU.

YOU DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE THAT ISHA FLASHBACK OMG:((

Why does it look like a pokeball? That's so distracting lol

God Maddie is failing across the board, it's embarrassing, girl...

This argument between Cait and Vi was so deserved to be honest.

Maddie is probably hearing all of this...

I never considered Jinx would surrender.

Is Jinx not eating?

Damn what if you just punched me in the gut wow...

Her nails bleeding HURT me so much

"no amount of good deeds can undo OUR crimes" I'm so interested in the "our" from Caitlyn....

Jayce, love ya, but I am not on your side in this argument.

Although, Mel I think calling him and Viktor a "wise investment" in this moment is probably not the move either but still

I was slightly concerned that Jayce's flashbacks (? Would that be the right term for these) would stop once Viktor was "killed". Apparently not.

I'm happy for this turnabout.

I thought in Act 2 he reminded me of S1 Jinx and I'm pushing with that idea now.

Oh nevermind. He almost shot Viktor again.

I know it is very likely one of his followers and not actually Viktor, but damn that robot waist line lmao

Poor Mel probably has very little clue what's going on right now.

I'm distracted by Jayce's design tbh. The black and red colour scheme is sooo nice on his new look.

....

...Well that caught me off guard...

He STILL wants Jayce to be his partner WHAT :'(

"My partner died in this room." OUCH

MEL, MY GIRL!!! 👏👏👏👏

I want to be more enthusiastic for her, but she looks borderline in pain whenever she uses her magic so far :((

WHY ARE YOU PURPLE, JAYCE??

WAIT SO WAS VIKTOR WAITING TO SEE IF JAYCE WOULD JOIN HIM BEFORE STARTING THE EVOLUTION?

After last episode I legitimately, for a second, thought Silco was still alive.

He's not a nice person at all obviously, but in Jinx's hallucination he seems to sound harsher to her?

I did not need to see her spit that out up close.

Wait. It actively fell from her mouth where is it?

O W

I AM SO SCARED, JINX. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO "BREAK THE CYCLE"

Is there a reason Mel needs to wear the cloak?

"You will never be a passenger". Listen , I was actually hoping for more from my Jayce and Mel interactions. Both scenes they feel very off-kilter and standoffish of each other. A lot more tense then before (for understandable reasons considering what they both just went through) that I was hoping would start to heal.... but has'nt. However, that line hit.

I am obsessed with the designs of these background characters.

Am I missing something? Who is that playing that random piano??

I feel bad. I don't recognise him.

This entire sequence hurts.

OH. Wait I think I get the inclusion of the piano man. I hope I do otherwise I've just completely forgotten a character lol

[anadrym]

Extended Author's Notes for Left Behind Ch7.

Spoilers!

Chapter title is from "Ashes and Blood" from the Arcane S2 soundtrack.

I have this idea that Renata had the basement renovated to make it more maze-like. She's a very gifted and skilled chemist, and most of her work is done downstairs. On the off-chance that someone gets in, she'd want it to be difficult to navigate down where so much of her most valuable and secretive research is kept.

One of the doctors asks about sedating Vi because of how much she's panicking, but one of the others basically says, "No, that's what the restraints are for."

The liquid they're injecting isn't warmed to body temperature. That's part of why Vi's so cold and on the verge of going full-on into shock after each Maintenance session.

I talked with one of my friends and we came to the conclusion that Vi thinks of Maintenance as an event that has a name, so it's capitalized for her. No one else thinks of it like that, so it's not a proper noun for anyone else.

Yeah, once they're done, they just unhook her from the machine and undo the restraints and just leave. Once she regains enough strength, Vi has to get herself up and dressed, and then she curls up in the far corner. :(

God, Tobias' ring is doing so fucking much. At this point, Vi has basically tied her consciousness and memories to the pain she causes by digging it into her finger. And she can trigger it without even knowing what she's doing, which is good because she isn't really present enough to do it on purpose.

The memories refer, in order, to: Tobias' death, the Firelights' boards, Powder/Jinx's drawings, Caitlyn's eyes, and Vi being shot on the night of the Purge.

I was editing some future chapters when I realized that I had a huge plot hole. So the mend is this: Caitlyn is allowed to have her weapons while locked in her rooms. If she is allowed to have them outside of her rooms, they are brought to her. This also helps with the sense of unease - she knows that people are accessing her only "private" space.

There are no guards posted outside of Caitlyn's door, but there is one at either end of the hallway. She is not being listened to, but there are people around in case she tries anything. The door also locks from both sides, which does protect her against anyone coming in.

I like the imagery I've got going with the blood-red jam. I don't really have an exact metaphor or anything, but I like the imagery.

"I want you to be recognizable, darling." As Ghost, right? As Ghost?

Just in case anyone wants to keep track, since she left Petra's, Caitlyn has eaten one (1) bite of croissant.

The paragraph about "readjusting" vs. "succumbing" is one of my favorites in this chapter. I also really like the sentence "Even if this poor, frantic creature in front of her really is just a mindless animal... she looks like Vi, terrified and sick and in pain." God, I love whump.

The administration of nutrients via IV has two purposes: 1. It's incredibly dehumanizing, they really do treat her like a thing; and 2. It eliminates (in this case) the need for a sink and toilet in Vi's cell. It also explains why Vi only ever vomits bile and blood; there's nothing else to come up.

There's something about a character's eyes rolling back that just gets to me. The idea of being too incapacitated to even control your eyes? *Chef's Kiss*

Caitlyn swears when she's really upset. "Shit" is for bad things. "Fuck" is for very bad things.

Okay, it's subtle, but I want to point out that Renata handles her teacup/plate/silverware very carefully for the entire scene, except for when she's about to torment Vi. She is fully capable of being gentle, she just doesn't want to be.

I don't know what it is, man, but I can't seem to stop focusing on Vi's legs not being able to support her. It just keeps coming up. In this case, the Baroness purposefully pulls her up to where her knees can't quite reach the floor, just to put more of her weight on her head and neck.

Some of you definitely see where I'm going with the reference to Blood and Bone. >:)

OKAY, I didn't mean to do this, but !!! "Make an example of a few to keep the thousands in check." THAT'S WHAT SHE'S DOING WITH CAITLYN AND VI !!!

I think y'all are gonna kill Renata before I do. ;)

Teaser for next week:

Her master does not go out in front of a crowd like this without reason, without some brutal purpose. And to bring the girl, burdened with the weapons they force her to kill with? This is a display, a show of power and the violence needed to keep it. The crowd is here to witness - not entertained but terrorized into submission.

Has it already been a year?

Has it only been a year?

[howlingday]

Wait while I'm on about this how would rwby react to stuff like

A ruby lookalike who's like shadow

Super ruby

Ruby going to storybook worlds

Chao

Literal aliens

And a being of pure chaos

Ooh~! Sounds like fun~! Alright, here goes~!

--------------------------------------------------

The Huntress

Ruby panted as she looked back to the wailing sirens of the city of Vale's police force still searching for her. Her entire day had been one chase after the other since she was arrested by the Atlas military. She wasn't sure how or why she suddenly became a wanted criminal, but she wasn't intending to find out from the inside of a prison cell. So, at her first opportunity, she escaped, and led to her standing before a disabled Paladin mech crumpled before her. And a girl in a black hood standing atop it.

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"It all starts with this," The figure lifted their slender, shadowy arm to reveal a Relic, "an artifact holding the ultimate power~!"

"That's the... Relic of Knowledge!" At this exclamation, the figure took notice of Ruby, silver eyes matching silver eyes. "Now I get it! Everyone seems to think that you're me! So, what are you gonna do with that Relic?" Ruby bolted forward, spiraling towards her dark duplicate. "SAY SOMETHING, FAKE HOOD!"

"JINN!"

Time froze around Ruby, who could only helplessly watch as her doppelganger chuckled while walking past her mid-spiral attack. Ruby landed, leaping backwards to keep from falling over. She shook her head in bewilderment.

"Holy cats, you're fast!" She scrunched her nose. "But that wasn't really your speed, was it? You were just using the magic of the Relic!"

"My name doesn't matter." The figure dangled the lamp in front of them. "I am The Huntress, the most powerful hunter across all Remnants, and I'm done playing with you." There was a clatter, and a flash grenade rolled to Ruby's feet. "FAREWELL!"

Ruby flinched, closing her eyes at just the last minute. As the world came back into view, she saw that her imposter had disappeared. "The Huntress? What kind of huntress is she-"

"GET ON THE GROUND!" A voice barked. "KEEP YOUR ARMS SPREAD!"

"Huh?" Suddenly, Ruby was surrounded by Atlas military. "Ugh... Not again..."

(Fun Fact!: This is an Evil Ruby I'm working on)

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Silver Ruby

The city, if not the whole world was in peril! MANA, the arcane entity sealed away long ago and now released by Cinder's group, absorbed the magic of the Relics and had become a being as powerful, if not more powerful than the Brothers themselves! Upon doing so, it began to warp reality itself, causing buildings to collapse and pure magic to flow through the streets. All the misery and pain being spread had attracted a large amount of Grimm as well, only making things even more difficult!

"This isn't just a nightmare..." Ruby had been separated by her team, who split up to search for survivors. She gripped her scythe with frustration. "This is so much worse!"

High above, dipping low from the dark clouds was a massive airship. Painted along the hull was a familiar jack-o-lantern, clear proof of who was piloting the airborne war machine. And if it wasn't, the voice of the man himself dispelled any confusions.

"Good thing someone left the keys in this thing~!" Roman Torchwick chuckled. "Regardless, I don't appreciate giant monsters ruining my plans to have fun with this city! Neo, fire at will!"

Rockets, missiles, heavy guns, and just about everything that wasn't an outright city-sweeper was launched at the magical creature! Unfortunately, it did little to deter the monster, serving only to fuel its rage! Opening its maw, it unleashed a powerful beam of energy at the ship, slicing the most powerful weapon wielded by the Kingdom of Atlas like a hot knife through cold butter!

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Roman could be seen clinging to Neo as they drifted away to safety.

"That does it!" Ruby stepped forward, roaring at the massive beast. "What gives you the right to do all of this?!" Suddenly, a small, green light drifted towards the young reaper. "Oh! It's you! You're the one who sealed Mana away in the first place!" The small man appeared as if out of thin air. "Mini-Pin!"

"My magic was the one to seal away Mana." The small Ozpin explained. "Even now, he's filled with naught but rage and sorrow. He's done great harm to this city, and if this continues, it will only cause greater harm to the world at large! Same as before!"

With a mighty bellow, Mana scattered the Relics far from them, each a drained husk of what they once were. Ruby's attention was drawn to Mana, whose cries seemed to sound different now. Ozpin clicked his cane to the floor, angered by the sudden change. "We must seal him once more before it's too late!"

"But what will that change?" Ruby asked, notably calmer than she was before. "He'll still be the same as when he was sealed the last time, right? Being angry doesn't just away like that! He'll just be trapped with those feelings forever!"

"What choice do we have?!" Ozpin asked, jumping into the air and waving his cane around.

"Ruby!" She turned to see Jaune run up to her with his team, a now dull Relic in his hands. "Here, take this!"

Behind Ruby, her team arrived with Relics of their own in each of their hands. "Hey, guys! What's up?"

"Mana only drew on the negative magic from the Brother of Darkness." Blake explained as she held out another Relic. "Ruby, you should be able to harness their real power!"

"I don't like throwing my little sister out like this, but Blake's onto something with this." Yang huffed.

"Ruby, you're the only one." Weiss said, her eyes meeting Ruby's with... something she hadn't seen in them before? Expectancy? Pleading? Worry? Maybe it was just her imagination, especially since she couldn't focus with all the people around her cheering her name.

"Yay, Ruby~!"

"Go, Ruby~!"

"Ruby~! Ruby~! Ruby~!"

"Negative magic isn't the only way to empower the Relics." Blake explained further. "Our joys and hopes can also make them work!"

The four Relics swirled around Ruby, filling her with an energy she'd never felt before. It felt more powerful than aura, like it was protecting her from within as well as from outside of her body. She felt invincible as silver energy coated her hair and clothes into a protective barrier, with silver flames burning in her eyes.

Without another word, she launched forward.

(Fun Fact!: I had trouble deciding between live-action Sonic 2, for comedy, and Sonic X for nostalgia. I think I made the right choice on this one.)

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The Girl Who Eased Fear

Ruby zoomed through the forest, finally breaking free from the trees and into the open road leading to the city. Someway, somehow, she'd found herself transported to the world inside her mother's old storybook. Clinging to her back was the Blade of Omens, a legendary sword held only by those doomed to fall in the most tragic of ways. Not that Ruby was concerned with what the magic weapon had to say about it.

"That was close." Spoke the blade. "For a moment, I thought the prophecy was sure to come true."

"Well, I'm not ready to die yet." She replied. "Not when there's a family waiting for me back home!"

"And how are you so certain that this family will still be waiting when you arrive?" At this, Ruby didn't say anything. In fact, it seemed like she wasn't listening. "What's wrong?"

"Do you hear that?"

"WAAAAAAAAAH~!"

Ruby bolted into the city, finding a crowd dancing and cheering around a crying child. The boy, weeping under a pile of pigeons, had nearly cried a literal river into the streets. Leaping over the men and women still celebrating, Ruby landed next to the boy and carefully lifted the pigeons off of him one-by-one.

"Are you okay?!" Ruby asked once enough birds were plucked free from the boy.

"I'm supposed to be the next king, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" The youth answered with tears streaming just as hard as before. "I've never been this scared before!"

"Where's your mom?"

"I... I don't know, but..." The boy sniffed. "I... I really wish she was here~! WAAAAAAAAAH~!"

Ruby grit her teeth as she looked at the lad. He was so small, so weak, and yet... She couldn't stop seeing herself crying in him. Back when she'd lost her own mother. Ruby knelt down and wiped some tears from his eyes.

"Do you know where your mom is?"

"She... She's at home..." He whimpered. "At the foot of the mountains."

"Alright." Ruby nodded, standing tall. "I'm on it."

"Halt! Halt, I say!" The Blade of Omens barked. "Don't tell me you intend to run off to find a single person to placate this crying child!"

"Nope!" Ruby gripped the blade and turned to the mountains. "We are~!"

"But what of your mission now?! You will never before sundown!"

"Probably not," Ruby chuckled, "but I'm not the kind of girl to leave someone crying in the street without helping them!" She sped off in a flurry of petals. "Never forget that!"

The boy-king looked to where the girl ran, in awe of the brave hero who'd come to his rescue. She jumped in the air, turning to call back to him.

"Do what you're supposed to do, Your Majesty, and if you don't know, then just wait until I bring your mom here~!"

(Fun Fact!: I got inspired by OSPs rendition of "The Boy Who Found Fear At Last" and probably the best scene that shows just the kind of hero Sonic is)

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Until We Meet Again, Ruby Rose...

"Ruby Rose!" Ruby turned to see all of her friends standing expectantly in front of her. Weiss lead the charge, standing in front of everyone else. "What's this I hear about you having a doppelganger?"

"A what?"

"Y'know?" Yang asked. "Big Ruby?"

"Oh, her! Yup!" Ruby giggled. "She just left. But holy cats, you guys won't believe the adventure we've been on!"

"What exactly was this 'Big Ruby' like?" Blake asked.

"Was she cool?" Sun asked.

"Cooler than Winter?" Neptune added.

"HEY!" Weiss and Winter exclaimed in unison.

"Ice cold~!" Ruby cheerfully confirmed.

"Was she fiery like me?" Yang asked, her semblance kicking in for effect, making Jaune leap away and into the water.

"She was hotter than the sun~!" Ruby pointed to the sky, leaving Sun to sulk a bit.

"Did she fly?" Blake asked, patting Sun on the back.

"All over the place~!" Ruby zipped around with her semblance, scattering petals everywhere. "Faster and higher than I ever could~!"

"Was her weapon sharp?" Pyrrha asked.

"I was worried she'd cut ME in half~!" Ruby laughed, patting Crescent Rose.

"She sounds like a superhero!" Nora exclaimed. "No, wait; LIKE A SUPERNOVA~!" She inhaled. "Did she shine like one?"

"I almost went blind looking at her~!" Ruby beamed. The crowd around her seemed pleased by her remarks, murmuring their excitement to meet Big Ruby again. "There might be a whole bunch of Grimm out there, but there's only ONE Ruby Rose... Uh, a-aside from me, of course~!"

'I decided to tell everyone about you, Big Ruby, even the people who never got to meet you. I wanna make sure I never forget you. Thank you for everything you have done for me, and for us, and I hope to meet you again...'

(Fun Fact!: I prefer the DS Sonic Colors over the console versions. And this interaction [which I think is only on the DS] is proof of why)