#arcane asks

[ellenchain]

PLEASE can you post the Meljayvik art that you posted on bsky on April 11th 😭

Ohhh you mean this one? ❤️

[skvaderarts]

Mage Viktor also having happy memories around machine Jayce and holding back tears/looking away when our Jayce shows up too... ;w;

OH, THEY WILL I SHALL GRANT YOUR WISH. DON'T YOU WORRY.

I may or may not be working on that top one right now. And I'm adding that suggestion to the last one because I like it and want people to suffer when they read my fics.

The fact that you made this picture made my whole day I've never received an ask with an image in it during the whole time I've been on Tumblr and I came here in 2019! Hehe, that's awesome of you! Thanks for the asks! I wish I could type faster! I will get all the fics on that poll done! This is gonna be fun! Just a matter of time!

How spice do you want em?!

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

Hiiiiiii!

I saw on a different post that you didn't really enjoy modern au's unless they were specific....so what would make you read a modern au?

HI

Yeah! I've never really been into modern AU's for Jayvik. IDK, I think I love the steampunk-lite universe arcane is already, and how much you can do with it.

To get me to read a modern au:

They must already be established. I want Jayvik to already be a couple (living together either as BFs/Partners/Husbands). I like romance in fanfiction but I don't like "getting together" tropes etc.

Their jobs must make sense! Engineers, chemists, any of the mathematics and sciences. Maybe teaching-but it would have to be university level teaching. If not, then farming/gardening for Viktor and mechanic for Jayce. (I have never read a coffee shop au for any fandom-so no barista Viktor or Jayce for me).

They cannot adopt/take care of other canon characters! Give them original children.

The conflict (if there is one) can't be about their relationship. IDK why it doesn't interest me lmao. Let them stress over bills, moving, getting jobs-not each other.

A huge point for the fic is if Jayce is physically disabled too (like the end of arcane season 2). I will eat that up.

No specific modern references! Yeah they have phones but if it's like "and then they watched gossip girl" I am out my brain is like THEY CANT. NO. (this is not against gossip girl i have never seen it its just my example)

[switchblade-romance]

i think we have the same opinions on a viktor stays in zaun aus (aka less chembaron vik and more hes trying to make the city better au) so, what is your ideal zaun-focused au for viktor?

[cracks knuckles] well!

i’ve made no secret of the fact that i am shamelessly fixated on the idea of viktor working as a medic, so in MY ideal “viktor stays in zaun” au, he’s either still apprenticing with singed but is not so subtly trying to distance himself from mr. animal cruelty’s more. unethical practices, or he’s already made off on his own with an independent practice, where he tends to and provides aid for his fellow zaunites, working to reverse engineer the side effects of both the Grey and Shimmer addiction and crafting custom-made disability aids so that no child should have to be lonely like he was — in this scenario, he would’ve definitely leaned more into the more traditional MH quirks and likely would have had his bad leg amputated and replaced with a prosthetic of his own design, but he’d still keep his heart and emotions unlike LoL viktor; i feel like it’d be the best of both worlds for him, allowing him the chance to help his people without falling into the pitfalls of corruption that a position such as a chembaron invites, while also giving him ample freedom to test his limits and natural curiosity as a scientist without having his guilt and a ticking clock breathing down his neck, and in time, he can make a name for himself as a healer and craftsman.

plus! imagine post-ravine jayce coming across him in this au and viktor helps him out with his leg and they have a bit of a florence nightingale flirtation going on 🥺

...please tell me i’m not the only one imagining this and sobbing guys ple

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Who is your favorite character in Arcane? And who's your least favorite character in Arcane?

Okay!

My favorite character. Ekko

He is literally the only character that hasn't been an a**hole at any point. Genuinely trying to do what is right. And he figured out how to MANIPULATE TIME!

As for my least favorite character. That is a tough one because I have a few.

But I really think its Salo

You ever just see a vain guy that clearly is as corrupt as they come? Looking at him makes me want to punch him in the face. He was a pawn in a game, and he wasnt even that interesting.

Yea I didnt much care for the fact that he got "Healed" or whatever. He was a snob. His best moment was when Jayce killed him.

I honestly would put most of the council, but most of the members I disliked died in season 1.

[meg-noel-art]

I saw your post about The Arcane Discourse drowning out the fun discussions, and I can't promise any insightful or clever commentary of my own (my brain is still mostly melted from the emotional overload of that third arc, and I really need to watch the whole season one more time so that I can properly process it on an intellectual level, and not just an emotional one), but as someone who also sees fandom as a place for sharing ideas and enthusiasm rather than arguing over who's right, I'd love to hear what you though of it all!

If you feel like sharing, what was your favourite moment of season 2? Was there a moment that really took you by surprise, emotionally? An unexpected plot point that really worked for you, or a resolved plotline that your found particularly satisfying?

Personally, one of my favourite things about the show is the attention to detail with the body language and facial expressions -- the "performance" aspect of it blows me away, even if I don't always get all of the nuances of what's being conveyed right away. One thing that really struck me, thinking about it over the past week, is that Vi and Caitlyn register to me as having incredible chemistry in their scenes together, and how wild it is that that could be the case, given that they're basically very fancy, very expensive drawings.

It's just... one of the things I love about animation is that every moment onscreen is the result of a conscious decision on someone's part, and part of what makes Arcane so incredible to me is the sheer weight of so many little decisions, made so consciously. You can feel the love and passion and dedication of the entire creative team coming through in every frame, and it's honestly kind of overwhelming to consider, regardless of whether or not every single little decision they made fully works for me.

(Also, feel free to interpret this as a prompt / permission if you're looking for it to go on a spiel about any aspect of the show at all that stood out to you in any way... I'd be curious to read whatever you have to say about it.)

Oh thank you very kindly for sending such a thoughtful ask that allows me to babble!!! ;;; this is so sweet. I'd love to answer some of theeeese:

ARCANE S2 spoilers!!

"(my brain is still mostly melted from the emotional overload of that third arc, and I really need to watch the whole season one more time so that I can properly process it on an intellectual level, and not just an emotional one)"

- Absolutely so real and true. I'd personally love to do an entire series rewatch to see how it all flows back to back!

If you feel like sharing, what was your favourite moment of season 2?

- ngl and say I wasn't on the edge of my seat the entire time for Cativi development and resolution! I really like how it all rolled out personally. Their relationship has always been kinda messy and gritty but with a throughline of deep love and respect and I think them getting a domestic and happy ending was just my absolute favorite thing. Super insanely important for wlw representation in media, even if it wasn't folks favorite aspect.

Was there a moment that really took you by surprise, emotionally?

- I've never really been super invested in the Jayce and Viktor storyline personally, but their ending was also really touching. They ended what they started together, and their (deaths???) surprised me - but the theme of 'Sacrifice' for all the main characters was present, including them.

An unexpected plot point that really worked for you, or a resolved plotline that your found particularly satisfying?

- I am in LOVE with Jinx's ending. I wasn't entirely sure what they would do with her. (She's not dead, that's all but been confirmed at this point.) But the absolute power in her freeing herself from everything and everyone in Piltover and Zaun that kept her chained to trauma is an incredible writing choice. Her healing begins when she chooses to break the cycle and leave everything behind. I think that was a wonderful moment too to illustrate that she does love Vi, in a sincere and not controlling way. When she realized that Vi will never prioritize herself over Jinx, she made the decision to distance herself for her sister's health and happiness. Their roles of caregiver and caretaker were finally reversed. That's SUCH good arc, that's SO freaking good. I know Jinx fans wanted to see maybe something a bit more idealized, with her staying in Zaun. But like... Nah, that was perfect. That was a perfect Jinx ending.

Personally, one of my favourite things about the show is the attention to detail with the body language and facial expressions -- the "performance" aspect of it blows me away, even if I don't always get all of the nuances of what's being conveyed right away. One thing that really struck me, thinking about it over the past week, is that Vi and Caitlyn register to me as having incredible chemistry in their scenes together, and how wild it is that that could be the case, given that they're basically very fancy, very expensive drawings.

- THIS YEAH. People are really pressed about not having a lot of scenes with dialogue that spelled out the emotions or conflicts, but it's an animated medium, and not primarily using the medium to it's full potential to tell the story is a pretty silly expectation. I will admit I kinda wanted a verbal apology from Cait until I... didn't? Because it wasn't necessary to understand there was catharsis between them. (And also kinda bad faith to assume it didn't happen offscreen or that it hasn't happened YET, but will).

I went to school for animation (still the dream to work on a show like this) and it's so inspiring to me to see how many animators are also good ACTORS. Looks, touches, expressions, movements are all incredibly intentional. It's not human error from an IRL actor. That's why I find a lot of caitvi's scenes super touching from a touch (lol) standpoint alone. Ep 1 of s2 had some moments I'm STILL chewing on. Or like their first kiss when Vi gets visibly nervous, and her eyes dart back and forth between Cati's lips and eyes. RAH --!! Arcane animation choices they could never make me hate you. Even if you disliked the story or characters, if you dunk on the animation, your opinion is invalid there - it's all gorgeous.

I'm also incredibly flabbergasted by the kissing animation in this season. Crazy difficult to do all that without just clipping models through each other or making it look goofy. UNPARALLED team at Fortiche, I'm so serious.

It's just... one of the things I love about animation is that every moment onscreen is the result of a conscious decision on someone's part, and part of what makes Arcane so incredible to me is the sheer weight of so many little decisions, made so consciously.

- AGREE AGREE!

I wanna add on, I think being in a fandom hiatus for a long period of time (3 years between seasons) naturally creates some communal head canons and expectations that aren't realistic for the story being told? And that's fine! I love going crazy with theories and ideas in my fandoms. But as someone who kinda took a break from Arcane after watching s1, and never really stepped into the fandom, I didn't really HAVE any expectations besides "I wonder what direction the writers are ultimately taking this" - and when I came at it with "this is their story to tell and I am witnessing it" versus "I REALLY hope they cater to this thought I had" s2 was really satisfying. I'm wondering if some fandom members need to maybe reconsider their opinion on s2 through that lense? It's not a bad thing, we all do that. But I really do think some takes/opinions are incredibly bad faith right now and based on unrealistic expectations for a series that has always been rooted in bittersweet/gray/cliffhangery type resolutions. Like that's not at all new. S1 was rife with that.

Like I fully expected caitvi to have a vaguely "aww maybe they'll be together" ending at best. Blown away we got explicit relationship status at the end. I'm always gonna be grateful for that.

I do think S2 could have *benefitted* from more episodes. It was not BAD, and it wrapped up a lot of it's threads efficiently given the time allotted. People are giving Caitlyn a lot of shit for backtracking on her Evil Arc the NEXT episode after it started ;-; like I'm actually kinda disappointed in the lack of spiraling into manipulation jhdfgjdkf SOB. But I'm an Alicent Hightower girlie, so I could have devoured like 18 episodes of seeing that fr.

More time would have made S2 *better*. But for me it's still easily and 8 or 9 out of 10 as it is.

THANK YOUOUU, so fun to share my thoughts!! :D Would love to hear in replies what others thought as long as it remains respectful!

[powderh]

Cartoons powder would like canonically

(fight me on this I dare you)

- Sabrina the teenage witch

- Mona the vampire

- School For Little Vampires

- Strawberry shortcake

- My Little Pony

- Gravity Falls (Claggor and Vi got her into it)

- Spongebob (Silco wouldn't allow her to watch it but she'd do it anyway when he's not looking)

- Fosters home for imaginary friends

- Kids next door

- Power puff girls

- Puffy AmiYumi

- Recess

- Kim Possible

- Lazy town (she would compare Silco to Robbie Rotton and Vi to Stephanie)

[mollysunder]

you’ve talked a few times about the possibility of viktor and jinx interacting, how would you like that to happen? Sorry if you have already talked about this in a post and I missed it

It's no problem anon! I actually did write a post or two related to what your asking, though I guess those posts are more about the external emotional forces that push them together, especially when you throw in other Zaunites like Ekko into the mix.

I have bunch of first meeting scenarios I swish around in my head for these two. I've thought of them first meeting on separate missions to break Singed out of Stillwater. Maybe Sevika could take in Viktor because without out Silco, she has to scramble for resources from desperate people. Viktor would only learn about Jinx through Sevika's perspective, but when they finally meet Sevika's own biases against Jinx makes Viktor less willing to look to Sevika for support.

I've even wondered if they could first meet in a scene that directly parallels the way Viktor and Sky first met, except they're positions are reversed. Viktor is positioned at a higher elevation than Jinx, while she looks up at him with a face that betrays how curious and intrigued she is by the hexcore. In this case, their respective curiosity/desperation would help the two close the gap between eachother.

I would want that kind of scene to represent what Jinx and Viktor's relationship would do to eachother. Viktor would pull Jinx up from her own head into seeing the larger world for what can be done outside of her militant war against Piltover. While Jinx is the one to give Viktor the permission to sink lower from the Ethos, because he has found someone who will accept and even support his path no matter how depraved it could get.

Honestly, I don't need anything fancy. My most simple wish might be that in their first meeting I want Viktor to tell Jinx he's sorry that she lost Silco, and mean it. I want them both to only have known of each other in passing before this first official meeting. That way Viktor already knows what she's rumored to have done and what she's capable of, and still Viktor can extend his empathy towards Jinx and her pain. Jinx would already know the Zaunite half of the hextech duo, either from Silco or Singed, whose business is to know about these things.

In that moment, Jinx could be genuinely taken aback. The immediate aftermath of Silco's death would have probably brought out swaths of vultures and sycophants either trying to get in her good graces or get her out of the way to take over Zaun. It's just mob of faces trying to play into an idea they have of her, and here's Viktor, who I'm sure doesn't have much to his reputation, which in fact might be really negative when he first returns to Zaun. He not only left for Piltover and left against his will into an territory with high anti-Piltover sentiment, he's also associated with a WILDLY unpopular councilman among Zaunites, Jayce. All Viktor would be is just a guy with big ideas and very little anything to do in Zaun, coming to Jinx with nothing but an uncommon sincerity... and a ominous hexcore.

I think if Viktor lays it out like that, not asking for anything but just be willing to see Jinx's turmoil and offer basic comfort, I think she would be willing to do the same in turn. Jinx could offer her own empathy at Viktor's recent exile from Piltover and the overt abandonment he feels from Jayce and everything they built together (and wow doesn't that sound familiar). Something like, "Sorry they tossed you out" to sympathize with him. I think it'd be very awkward and plainly strange moment, but still comforting because they've both found someone to SEE them and empathize with the disorienting position they've been placed in.

If the situation next season weren't so frantic I would want them to meet at Silco's funeral, either Singed or Sevika would officially introduce them. And I like the season to wrap up where Viktor's become the new defacto leader of Zaun in a similar vein to Silco, because Jinx and maybe Sevika enabled his rise to power like how Mel did for Jayce. I'd add more detail but this reply's long enough and the explanation deserves a whole other post.