Directions

Mel Medarda x Jessica White

Appreciation Post for Shoola

I want to start this post by gushing about Shoola’s a design, a Black woman adorned in gold and red, from her clothes to her accessories, to show off she is the that she is one of the richest and most powerful in Piltover, a city already teeming with rich aristocrats and politicians. Speaking of accessories, Shoola’s mechanical neck ruffle is absolutely brilliant a great symbol of Piltover’s status as a steampunk state with her golden eye mask in S2 a cool addition that I must admit I much prefer over the ruffles. Oh, and her finger rings are absolutely gorgeous I love the sound they make when she taps her fingers on the table.

Now on to her character. Shoola is a politician and a member of the ruling Piltover council so her hands aren’t exactly clean, in fact she is one of the people Jayce is shaking hands in the montage of him embracing the political game. But Shoola is one of the more moral council members and the one who advocates for diplomacy and peace with Mel.

She voiced concern for the potential loss of income people would face from the shutdown of the shipping lanes, initially protested Heimerdinger’s forced retirement, and pointed out to the rest of the council they have lost touch forgetting that while the people of the Undercity were not their preferred constituents they were still their people.

The last line hits hard because it contrast the other councilors like Bolbok suggesting a hex weapon to use against them or Cassandra stating the Undercity is impossible to control, all of which is within earshot of Viktor, a man who came from the Undercity.

Shoola advocates for the capture of Jinx after she bombed the council but that’s it. She and Mel opposes the plan to fully invade Zaun in retaliation for the mural attack. Shoola was the only Piltovan who listened to Jayce’s speech and choose to stay and work with Mel to protect Piltover from Ambessa and Viktor.

Finally, there is the implication Shoola is the only one who has Sevika’s back in the new ruling council. She and Sevika lit together the funeral papers and Shoola was the only one who didn’t give Sevika a dirty look when she took her seat and turned her eyes instead at the new councilors who did. Shoola’s personality and previous actions lend weight to her implied relationship or solidarity with Sevika.

In conclusion, Shoola might be a supporting character but she is underrated in the fandom. She is empathetic and gorgeous character and is one of the only few characters from Piltover who never wavered from their principles.

"Maybe" 😠

you know i had to do it to em

surrender by kut klose is so motorfang coded

Based on what I've seen from fandom, I think a lot of people misunderstand what it means to call Mel a political manipulator.

It does NOT mean that she's an evil schemer who lies to get people to do things they don't want to do.

What it means is that she knows how to be persuasive, how to get people on her side, and build points of support for her own ends. It means she knows How To Win Friends And Influence People. It means that she knows how to be "the fox" - how to exert influence without needing to resort to force. It means being able to "bend other people's magic".

And she very much is those things. That's how we're introduced to her, she flatters Hoskell so that he votes with her on the council. That's how we see her behave in her flashback in s1.

Mel being manipulative is not a flaw, it's a skill.

And the way that she uses her skills on Jayce is really interesting. Unlike with Hoskell or whoever, Mel is only ever honest with Jayce. I think that shows a certain respect for his intelligence, and also that she had an accurate read on his character: he is a sincere and honest guy - when he's on trial in front of the council he can't bring himself to lie about his work. It's by being utterly honest with him that she gains his trust, she puts herself on his team, and in doing so is able to make the case that their interests are aligned, that by following her advice Jayce will be able to advance his science.

The really fun thing with Mel and Jayce is that Mel is clearly someone who likes to hold all the cards and be in control of the situation. She gets Jayce on the council to better promote her interests. But then Jayce keeps surprising her. And every time he does - she takes a chance on him. Both on the council, and in their personal relationship.

He shakes things up for her, and he doesn't even realize he's doing it. And every time he does something that surprises Mel, whether it's confiding in her about Viktor or reaching a peace deal with Silco, he just automatically trusts her to be on the same page as him. And that surprises her too, but she opens herself to him. And they have this partnership that we don't see her have with anyone else.

what if they met and engaged in mischief

Motorfang on a jazz clurb date

Who’s mogging harder?

the ab flex... the hip twitch... i need her in my mouth.