#also them both getting killed by an explosion caused by jinx/powder

[zaine-m]

the daughter who fought for the undercity

the mother who didn't

and the undercity that was created after that daughter lost her mother

versus the undercity that was created after that mother lost her daughter

[mylastmoleculeofserotonin]

How is Silco actively trying to make her mental health worse for his personal gain

Did we watch the same show??

I’m planning to make a post going more in depth on this later, but basically it boils down to:

1) He takes her history with Vi and twists his with Vander to make it seem similar as a way to create a false sense of closeness and solidarity between them. He uses this as “proof” that she cannot rely on anyone else, making her extremely dependent on him and him alone for everything from getting her basic needs met, to emotional support. Which alone is bad enough for one’s mental health, not to mention that his approval and affection is connected to how well she performs in missions/what she does to further his plans. Now where I got the intentionality from is that what happened between Silco and Vander was, to put it generously, a conflict of ideologies between two adults, whereas what happened with Vi and Powder was the heat of the moment getting the better of Vi after Powder accidentally killed their whole family as kids. And Silco knew this: prior to the time skip, the only things he says to/about Vander are about their ideologies, how he doesn’t hate him for trying to murder him, and that this whole thing isn’t personal, it’s a necessary step in his plan, the base violence necessary for change. However, that narrative changes completely when he talks to Jinx about it. Silco overemphasized/exaggerated how close he and Vander were and completely downplayed the ideological reasons that pushed them into conflict since that was 100% not what came between Vi and Powder, instead implying it came out of nowhere. Also he talks about it a lot to Jinx even though he was supposedly over it, creating too much disparity for there not to have been at least some level of twisting the story. (Now, even if he genuinely did see it as that harsh of a betrayal and truly is a deeply still affected by it, dumping it onto his teenage daughter who supposedly went through the same thing and using it to tell her to never rely on anyone else while he fully trusts and relies upon at least Sevika if not some other of his operatives, making it still an intentional action to worsen her mental health).

2) he encourages her conflict of identity: Jinx, in season one, is still torn between her identities as Powder and Jinx, and the mentally healthy and constructive thing to do would be to help her accept both parts of herself to create an identity where “I destroy everything I touch” isn’t the core of it (as we see with AU Powder). But that’s the exact opposite of what Silco does. He creates a false dichotomy between Powder and Jinx, saying that one is the source of all her weaknesses and needs to die and the other is perfect and can do no wrong. Accepting and embracing one’s shortcomings is necessary for good and stable mental health, however, Jinx feeling like she’s not allowed to be weak and has to be perfect like Silco says she is, lest she disappoints/lets him down is one of the worst things for one’s mental health. Plus the fact that what made her become Jinx was one mistake and the Powder=mistakes=weakness/Jinx=perfection=strength narrative he spins for her doesn’t allow for her to process her trauma and encourages her to push aside any mistakes she makes and bottle up the subsequent emotions which also is awful for her mental health.

3) He gives a very young, traumatized kid military grade weapons and has her run jobs to hurt her community for his crime empire. Not to mention that one of those said weapon is explosives, the very thing that caused her so much trauma. Also, he has her make another hextech explosive and when she says no, it’s too traumatizing, he still forces her to do it and uses it as an opportunity to bring up the first two points.

4) He only shows his approval/gives her affection when she is successful. The only times we see him be affectionate/approving of her is when she steals the hex tech gemstone and helps him with his eye. Meanwhile, when she is clearly suffering after the mission in episode 3, he only addresses it in terms of “what happened and how can we fix it” while barely looking at her before sending her away. The last thing Jinx needs is to be deprived of connection when she fails at something/makes a mistake as that was also at the center of her past trauma, which Silco is fully aware of and yet still does to her anyway.

5) the only time where we really see that he may genuinely care about her is when he is prepared to sacrifice the peace treaty for her. However, we get to hear his true thoughts about her and it is clear that he sees her as his undoing bc he couldn’t help but grow attached to her. Which definitely implicates that he was actively trying to avoid forging emotional connections with her while he makes her so dependent on him. This is reinforced by the fact that he saw Vander’s kids as prizes to be won, not children to be adopted or even people to be cared for, but tools to be used.

6) and this one isn’t one that he would have for certain known and actively used against her, but Powder’s main motivation is to help those she cares about, and with Silco, helping him is equated with hurting others, which again world exacerbate her conflict of identity and making it extraordinarily difficult to see herself as a good person, which is also a key factor in children’s development and mental health.

And out of doing all this, he gains an unwaveringly loyal teenage super soldier who everyone in the undercity is deeply terrified of.

Now with all that said, this isn’t meant as any hate towards Silco or anyone who likes him. I find him an extremely well written and compelling character. I just think he’s an awful person.

[meowdy-all]

Fic idea! When jayce and viktor disolve into the cosmos they like...become the arcane. Two halves of a whole, yin and yang. And when they merge, they become the universe/arcane herself.

Cause Mage viktor is...a mage yk? And Viktor basically ascended to godhood. What's one more step? Boom, they ARE the fabric of the universe and magic.

So they dissolve into the universe and become AwareTM of every timeline, possibilities, the forming of stars and planets, and culture in an instant. They see the rise and fall of gods, countries and cities, everything in the span of an instant. They are here together, not better than they ever were, still the same, just with more power and awareness and love than they ever had.

And then they get dropped right into them being arrested after they make hextech. So now you have Jayce and Viktor who have the will of the arcane at their fingertips and the entire universe in their brains that have just been dropped into a grad student and an assistant and are actively being arrested. Cue minor meltdowns in their cell bec omfg we wove the fabric of the universe, WE made the magic this whole time? So they use the skills they have to help Zaun while also playing the council. Water filters air filters, they're going to actually help this time instead of letting their dream be corrupted, and it will actually work bec they have the very fabric of magic and the universe in their hands. When they figure out how to use it.

Jayce has to relearn all of his notes on magic bec Cosmic Jayce was crazy and some areas of magic have such insane rules that cant even be applied in his mortal body what was he thinking? And Viktors notes are no more help to himself or jayce either.

So they have to relearn their magic with mortal limitations, which is kinda difficult when you're used to making stars and black holes with a thought and a wave of your hand. There's a lot of nosebleeds and migranes.

While they relearn their magic (and their bodies *wink wonk*), they also take to tutoring Powder and Ekko after they adopt them (sue me, i love that trope)

Idk how that fits in here, but im a sucker for Jayce being ekkos older brother figure, and i think powder and jayce should be friends. and i think viktor would love ekko even though he chucked an anomaly at his face. Jinx and viktor are self-explanatory.

Its a fix it so everyone lives. The explosion still happened but vanders actually fine so are mylo and claggor (yk jayce and viktor control the magic, even across the distancehe could remive the magic from the stone, they know the explosion has to happen but it doesnt need to kill anyone else), vi didnt get arrested. But vi still hit powder and called her a jinx. Powder runs away, jayce and viktor are already on their way to zaun bec they Know. They run into powder (for some reason she trusts them) and they go get ekko and help him too.

A few months later, powder is in therapy (so is ekko tbh) , she still introuces herself to people as Jinx, but Jayce, Viktor, and Ekko call her powder. Jayce helps when Powder has her moments considering yeah hes been through the same thing, he cant really hwlp, but he can comfort (the whole reason i want then in the same place anyway i love them both)

Zaundads sees Jayce and Viktor standing to the side, vut a flash of blue hair catches their full attention. Right there, getting everones attention, is a girl with a single calf length blue braid. And before their brains can catch up, Powder starts her presentation!

Vander and Vi have been looking for powder since. Eventually, once the water filters and air filters get made, Silco and Vander make up; and silco joins them in searching. Jayce and viktor have made their own connections in zaun, and while some people are suspicious of help from a piltie at the start (esp silco and vander) the years of effort theyve put in to help has given them a reputation. Eventually, powder and ekko start a project to bring more light to zaun. They start by making prototypes for street lights.

Eventually they decide to do their big project reveal; and this time, Zaundads and Vi decide to go. No one knows what they're revealing, but they've never had a presentation this early. Hell, the last presentation was for their streetlights. What else could the possibly have?

When it's finished, powder leaps off her improvised stage and striaght into jayces arms where he spins her around. Then, he pulls her and ekko into hugs. They can faintly hear Jayces 'im so proud of you' over the loud murmurs of the crowd. They see viktor come over and eatch them all hug again.

When it's over, Zaundads and Vi are watching in shock. They've spent years looking for her, and she was this close? How many times had vi run past her, or just missed her?

This was really supposed to be a 'we need more jayce being a magical girl, how about i make him one half of the most powerful entity to ever exist'

[spiegelgestalt]

Timebomb feelings because of the Arcane trailer for season 2

So I just saw the arcane trailer for season 2. It's great. I'm so excited. (so sad that Victor and Jayce died in the explosion quite an apprupt ending for them i guess... /s)

but what i really want to talk about is these two pictures:

Because it got me thinking. One of the interesting aspects of the Jinx/Ekko relationship is that they are able to communicate through other means than direct words. And that they are able to create a different image for each other.

Long and rambly explanation under the cut, which got away from me and can be summarized with: Jinx makes Ekko more violent and Ekko makes Jinx more heroic and they love each other your honor and i want to see a team up in season 2:

Song:

Jinx has a few songs (Guns for hire, goodbye, What could have been) but they are usually solos. They are usually melodic rock. And they usually concentrate on how much Jinx was wronged.

And than there is Dynasties and Dystopia. On first watch i thought it was an Ekko song. It's after all in his style (both in animation as in genre) but some words don't quite fit:

"I might just might kick your butt Go run amok then paint my nails Never learned to raise my hand Was too busy raising hell Everything I know I am You should go and save yourself Thought you had my number, huh Congratulations, you played yourself"

this just screams jinx to me. Ekko has yet to run amok. Jinx does it all the time. I don't even know what Ekko's nails look like, but we have several distinct shots of Jinxs' blue and pink nails; Ekko doesn't raise hell, if he's raising something it's paradise. And the line "you should go and save yourself" is a good continuation/rejection of the one thing Jinx says in this fight: Look who it is - the boy savior -> go save yourself! And it forshadows the way jinx will be able to get just a loss instead of a total defeat (look she was defeated- in the aftermath Ekko had a hurt leg, while Jinx needed to be revived with terrible magic drugs there is a clear winner here). Ekko thinks he has jinx figured out but he hasn't and thats why he will hesitate in the end.

But i would also argue that not all of the song is jinx:

Ooh, yeah, he mad I'm racking up white diamonds Throw me in the sky You would swear the sun shining Ooh, yeah, he mad I'm racking up white diamonds Throw me in the sky You would swear the sun shining

this verse is both of them: Basically they are saying: Look how great i'm doing (lie) Aren't you mad about it? (They will never beat the allegation that they are bitter exes.)

And I'd argue that this is Ekkos verse:

In this gothic underground city We all sin If I bring a couple rounds with me Then we all win I came back and brought the crown with me The king's den Break your nexus and your neck 'cause Everybody's on your head

and interestingly enough it's an offer. This makes sense with the visual. Encouraged through Vi who insists that Powder is still in there somewhere Ekko conjures a situation wich is similar to their old games. And it works: It's the only time Powder appears as her young self on screen. And so Ekko makes an offer he probably made before: Trust me, back down, i can help:

He starts with: We all make mistakes - one of the things that bind Powder to the Jinx personality is her guilt over having killed her entire family. But Ekko doesn't blame Jinx he blames their circumstances (something he also does in his Zaun-duet misfit toys)

If i bring a couple rounds with me, then we all win -> this foreshadows his timetravel ability. And even if he doesn't has it at this point this whole scene breaks down time itself so it still works in my head. Ekko brings the crown with him (the hextech-crystal) and he warns Jinx that everyone is going after her.

And the second refrain which I'd argue both sing once again:

Hold still while I bag that, uh Talk bad 'til I snap back, uh This ain't brown, this that dark black This that pitch black, jet black Snap yo' ex watch me give him flashbacks

Meaning: keep still, i've got this, just trust me dude!

This song shows that Ekkos and Jinx's disagreement is far more similar to the disagreement between Vander and Silco than to the disagreement between Vi and Jinx. Vi and Jinx' disagreement is personal. Vi rejects everything jinx has become and just wants her "sweet" little sister back - Ekkos and Jinx's disagreement is political. They disagree about the question what is best for Zaun. AND I'd also argue the Ekko is far less surprised by the jinx personality. He knew Powder was a bit of a shithead. He's just pissed that she's working for Silco.

Well let's finally get to these two pictures:

We see Ekko and we see Jinx drawn as hero of the resistance in Ekkos style* (compare the mural to the video of misfit toys) We know that Jinx gave Ekko a definition that didn't suit him by creating the firefly bombs and recasting him as a terrorist. And know we see Ekko who maybe drew this picture of jinx recreating her from a terrorist into a hero of Zaun.

(see me get proven wrong in the first episode of arcane season 2...)

[saintheartwing]

Analyzing Arcane: Vi

Last time we talked about Jinx. This time, I'm talking about Vi, Jinx/Powder's sister.

Vi, even at a young age, is given clear characterization as the more responsible, mature, has-her-shit-together sister out of the two. She's the one who told her sister keep your eyes shut while we're walking to safety. But even she can't hold it together when she sees her parents are apparently dead. It's upon Vander to help get them to safety, carrying the load. He can't carry their grief, but he can carry them.

We also see though that Vi has both equal hate for Piltover and it's high society pricks...and desire. She wants to go where those people are, as in the words of the Little Mermaid! And hey, compared to where they end up stuck, who wouldn't?

We also see that she's a clear, natural leader. She's the head of her little gang, and treats their thefts topside not just as simply a way to help pay the bills...but also as adventures AND a kind of "break" in an of itself. Them being up top is dangerous, but freeing.

We also see that despite the hardship she endured, it hasn't made her cruel or heartless. When Powder says that one day she wants to ride in one of the big, impressive zepplins flying by, Vi smiles at the thought...and when Mylo says "And one day I'm gonna shoot one of 'em down", she whacks his arm away. She clearly doesn't find THAT funny. He's not just being a little mean (given how he likes to bust Vi's balls you can argue he's going "yeah and I'll shoot your ship down when you get on it" to piss her off), he ruined the nice moment they were having. Way to kill the mood, Mylo!

When she sees Powder is afraid to jump to the next roof, she helps ease her over, and then catches her when she's just about to fall, showing she's still a responsible older sister figure. Her compassion, her responsibility, her natural leadership skills are all here...along with a bit of wit. Yeah, Vander will probably kick their asses if they screw up... "So DON'T SCREW UP."

We also see she prefers the direct route. They can't get the door they need open and Mylo says "I'm the only one who knows how to pick locks"...but Vi just "cuts the Gordian Knot" and kicks the door open. Problem solved. Now, granted...this ALSO shows a bit of recklessness, if someone HEARD THAT...they'd be in huge trouble.

We also see she's smart. She figures out, looking at all of the machinery in the room AND the complex equations on his chalkboard they must be in an inventor's house. AND she's also a skilled fighter, which we see when she fights off Deckard. Even when he's got a knife, her sheer FEROCITY makes him back down. Now, unfortunately things don't quite work out. Powder tries to escape with the loot they got...annnnnd she drops the bag while running from one of Deckard's goons. It understandably gets her friends kinda upset. But their father figure Vander's even MORE upset when he finds out what they did.

He tells Vi that the kids look up to her, and when you're the leader...you CAN'T be selfish. You have to put THEIR needs above your own, you have to be more responsible, more careful, because whatever happens is on her. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown, as the saying goes. And on top of that, violence in the end doesn't solve problems. It just makes more.

Later she has a talk with her sister, who thinks that maybe, she's just a jinx, worthless, of no help to the gang. Vi tells Jinx that truth be told, they all have bad days, and as long as they stick together...they'll be fine. But...she makes a mistake. When Powder shows off that she kept the jewels from their job...(which we, the audience know, cause EXPLOSIONS when they hit stuff), Vi tells her not to tell Vander about them. She's trying to protect her sister because Vander had said "nothing can tie you to that job topside or you'll get in trouble". The thing is...them TELLING Vander about this probably WOULD have been the smart thing. They'd find out what the things can do and either find a safe time to sell them, or they'd get rid of the things...and there wouldn't be any heartache later on.

Things go bad when Enforcers find them based off a tip from Deckard. Vi KNOWS Powder has the stones from up top, they gotta run...and run fast. They barely escape, but then Silco shows up not too long after. Ekko's father figure is killed, and Vander is taken. They know WHERE he's taken though and intend to get him back. There's just one thing...Powder wants to come.

But now, after all those talks with Vander AND him being taken away, Vi's thinking more carefully. If this all goes bad...she doesn't want to lose Powder. Even though she tells Powder "You're not ready", she asks Powder to stay behind, saying she couldn't bear for her to die if the rescue mission goes badly. She's trying to soften the blow. She also gives her a flare gun and tells her that if they come after her, shoot the flare and she'll come running.

Unfortunately Powder has kind of a fit. She angrily tosses stuff around and then she finds one of the blue gems and realizes "Wait, it makes stuff explode, I can use it to help save Vander"...only for it all to go downhill. What she does not only loses Vander, but kills Mylo and Claggor too. Vi's left with almost nothing...except the person whom she TOLD TO STAY HOME.

And...WELL, she lashes out.

And I get why. Vi has literally lost just about everyone but Powder, and Powder is the reason WHY she's lost just about everyone. All the built-up frustration, anger, disappointment she's been holding back not just because as the leader she needs to be strong but as Powder's sister...she CAN'T anymore. The love she feels for Powder turns to hate. Even when Powder uses her full name...

Which BTW, in writing is basically what you do to show things are really serious...

Vi can't help it. She calls Powder a jinx, saying Mylo was right about her...then she realizes "Oh my God I just hit my sister", looking down at her hands in horror.

She remembers what Vander said. Violence just makes more problems.

Boy was he right. But she's hurting right now. She's torn between her love for her sister, her horror at what she did, her horror at what SHE did, and her anger, and she just can't deal. So she walks off as Powder calls back that she needs her.

Vi, however...needs space. She needs space, she needs time to grieve, to process.

All she can do is slip into unconsciousness, assuming her sister is gonna die.

So...we've learned a lot about her. Despite how flawed she is, even when she was at her lowest point, the SECOND she sees her sister is in real, genuine danger she's immediately running off to try and save her and it's only INCREDIBLY BAD LUCK that keeps her from doing that. Remember, she has EVERY RIGHT to just be like "f--k her" after all Powder did, a lot of people WOULD angrily leave Powder to her fate.

But Vi loves her sister.

She can't just abandon her. Even after she's taken EVERYTHING from her. Because the core of Violet...is responsibility...and love.

Years later, Vi's changed a bit. She got way stronger...more buff...and tons of tattoos too. Caitlyn, an Enforcer from Piltover, goes to Vi and asks for her help, and Vi recognizes the particular GRAFFITI left behind at the crime scene. She'd know that monkey anywhere...it's Powder's.

So, Caitlyn busts her out of prison. And Vi naturally runs back to the Undercity. She's overwhelmed with emotions. It's like riding a bicycle, familiar, almost comforting.

Yet...also sad. Her best and worst memories are here, as she looks at what happened to Vander's bar. She tries to find out where Powder is, but by now Powder has changed SO much as Jinx...that basically nobody BUT Ekko has realized who she is. But the thing is, while she's gotten tougher...she's not invincible. She gets badly hurt, and Caitlyn saves her.

The good news is that Vi's hopeful. For the first time in a long time...she might get her sister back. That's when she meets Silco.

"What have you done with my sister?" "I have freed her. Candidly? I thought YOU were the prize of your family. But Jinx? Oh, she's more than I ever imagined!"

And the thing is...

Jinx has something. Something from her past.

The flare gun Vi gave her.

Despite how cruel and twisted she's become, Jinx has held onto the memory of Vi and what she represents. The hope...that Vi will come back to her and they can be sisters again. And Vi sees it.

Vi tries to apologize and Powder says she's changed, and Vi's not mad. "You did what you had to do to survive, what matters is we're together".

Unfortunately...this happy moment doesn't last. When Jinx sees Caitlyn, she begins to slip into a psychotic episode. Just when it looks like MAYBE Vi is getting through...Ekko's gang shows up and makes things worse. The sisters are separated yet again. And Vi finds out what's happened with Ekko.

It's a strong moment for them. Vi's just glad to see a friend. She thought he was gone too. Ekko's glad she's back, and he's also remorseful too. He thinks maybe if he'd gone with them, they could have saved Vander and Powder wouldn't be Jinx. Vi tries to tell him that for all he knows HE could have died too, or ended up perhaps another of Silco's goons. But she still thinks she can save her sister. She saw the recognition in Powder's eyes. She was CLOSE. She can do it.

Ekko shows her a mural...it's everyone they lost. All the ones they loved...and Powder is there too, because even though she's not gone...she is. Cuz Jinx pushed her down a well. Jinx works for Silco because she WANTS to.

But Vi insists...she has to try.

They find out that a pure gemstone is what Jinx wants for Silco. If they bring it back topside they can hopefully make some degree of peace, and bring Silco to justice. But Jinx uses butterfly bombs to attack when Caitlyn and Ekko get caught by Enforcers, and almost everyone BUT those two die. Vi, horrified that Jinx was so casually willing to kill, manages to get Caitlyn to safety and leaving Ekko to fight Jinx. Vi's clearly hurt that Jinx fires on her and Caitlyn, but she leaves all the same.

Later on, Caitlyn and Vi are bonding as Vi talks about her sister. She used to play a game where she and Powder would pretend to be monsters. Then the game turned into Vi chasing monsters away from Powder.

But then a real monster showed up...and Vi just ran. And Powder ran into the monster's arms.

Vi and Caitlyn present their findings to the Council. They tell them about Silco but the Council doesn't seem to want to intervene the way Vi wants.

Vi's naturally frustrated and furious. She went through all this, has possibly lost her sister AGAIN...and nobody's doing ANYTHING to help. Caitlyn tries to calm her down, but Vi says there's nothing they can do. It's oil and water.

Even them. Oil and water.

Even though Vi clearly doesn't want to believe it. She's obviously hurt. She allowed herself to dream of a better life...and instead she's left with disappointment. This is what happens when she gets her hopes up...they're dashed.

But...there's one person who seemed to listen on the council. Jayce.

And Jayce...has power fists.

She recognizes Jayce is someone Caitlyn trusts. If Caitlyn trusted him...maybe, just maybe...he can help. If they can trust down the shimmer manufacturing plants, where he makes the drugs...they'll shut HIM down. And Jayce is just as sick as Vi of doing nothing but TALKING ALL DAY.

It's time for action. Vi has decided to go the direct route...and just bust.

Down.

The door.

What's the time?

HAMMER TIME!

And it goes great! They beat the SHIT out of the shimmer-enhanced guards...

Until a stray shot from Jayce's hammer gun hits one of the workers and he realizes... "Oh fuck. FUCK. There's CHILD WORKERS HERE."

Jayce decides he simply can't keep doing this. Not if it means more kids might die. He'd rather make a deal with Silco. Silco gets his nation of Zaun if he shuts down shimmer production, gives over the gemstones and Jinx.

Caitlyn goes to blow off steam...by beating the ever-loving shit out of the enforcer of Silco who'd stabbed her before and nearly beaten her, whom Caitlyn saved her from previously. Now, all she pretty much wants...is revenge. And she's gonna get it in an act of symbolism...taking back Vander's bar. Starting from the bottom all over again.

She almost loses...but a vision of Vander speaks to her. Vi...Powder needs you. The Undercity needs you. You can't lose.

And she doesn't. She finally wins...and with only ONE power arm.

Just...when Jinx shows up to take her.

Jinx really seems to blame Vi for creating her...that her leaving is what made Powder into Jinx. Vi apologizes again for leaving and says NOTHING will stop her from being her sister. And as you might remember when I talked about Jinx...she's set up a unique dinner.

Silco and Caitlyn are there as prisoners. And Vi notices...Jinx has not only created DOLLS of Mylo and Claggor...she got Vi's favorite toy. The bunny Vi talked about someone tossing up into some phone wires that never came down. She's only NOW beginning to realize that Jinx's delusions might, just MIGHT...be far stronger than anything else. She's getting a peek behind the curtain and it terrifies her. And Jinx gives her a gun. "Make her go away". She says. She wants her to shoot Caitlyn...and Vi can have Powder back.

Vi pleas for Powder to stop. They can just leave. They never have to see Silco again.

Caitlyn gets hold of the gun and is gonna shoot Jinx, but Vi pleads with her not to. "She's still my sister". Even after EVERYTHING, Vi wants to believe Powder can still be Powder. That it's not too late for her. Unfortunately...Jinx gets the gatling gun back. Vi tries to plead with her to remember their family, while Silco gets hold of Jinx's gun. He's about to shoot Vi and Jinx in turn shoots HIM. As you may remember from the last time I talked about it, Silco lives long enough to tell Jinx she’s perfect just the way she is. The affirmation she always wanted from her family.

She sadly sits in the “Jinx” seat she’s labeled at the table…totally given in to the dark side.

“I thought maybe you could love me like you used to. Even though I’m different. But you changed too. So...here’s to the new us.”

Vi kept hoping, even after everything Jinx did...that her sister was still redeemable. That they could be happy again. But they can't. It's never, ever gonna be the same again. Jinx ignores Vi's pleading...and then decides to go launch a rocket at the Council Chambers at Piltover...

The big problem with Vi...is that love isn't meant to be unconditional. If you truly love and respect someone there ARE conditions. Responsibilities. You have to be open and honest, you have to really respect what both your partner or your family wants...within REASON. Because there's no such thing in real life as an unlimited right.

Jinx had chance...after chance...to show she could be stronger than her dark side. And Vi, over and over again, tried to do what was right, and to do the responsible, just thing. But the series keeps punishing her.

Watching this is rough. I'm not gonna lie. It gets hard to watch, knowing that no matter how hard Vi tries to do what's right, and to do right by her home and her sister, and the woman she's come to love...it keeps all getting f--ked up.

The tragedy of Vi is she's had far too many crosses to bear than anyone should. And keeps giving second chances to someone who proved they already had their third and FOURTH chance...and just chose to be selfish over everything else.

And to think...I'm not even at the SECOND SEASON yet. I'll dive into that later. Hope you all enjoyed reading.

[tmrrwppl]

Say that again, I didn't quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work and I got my badge of honour Honey, I've changed so much since I last saw ya

When Casimiro Tellemanca ran away at 14, against his own better judgement, he brought his 10 year old sister, Clarissa, along with him.

Together, they arrived in New York City and fell in with a group of other homeless kids who were thrilled upon finding Cas had the ability to move things with his mind and disappear when he wanted to. They weren't however as thrilled with the soft little girl attached to his hip, who often tried to be helpful and didn't provide much help, despite her best attempts.

Around 2002, Cas was introduced to Roger Price, who immediately took to Cas and his sister, becoming a sort of guide to the other teenagers in the group and trying to keep them out of trouble.

In 2003, Roger told Cas he would be leaving for a while, and telling him what he needed to do to avoid Ultra and stay off the radar. While Cas wanted to listen, he also managed to follow Roger with Clari and the other kids from a distance, wanting to help him somehow. Cas forced Clari to stay behind while he and the others snuck into the seemingly random laboratory. Roger had a confrontation with another man, the two arguing and using their powers against each other as Roger attempted to detonate a bomb. Cas had been trying to get the other kids out of the building when he saw his little sister pick up Roger's bomb and activate it-- before she suddenly collapsed to the ground screaming moments before it exploded.

Cas managed to teleport to her and Roger got them both out of the building. But unfortunately, it appeared the other kids died in the explosion... or the resulting gunfire that seemed to happen suddenly from within the building. Roger comforted them as best he could, saying it was most likely because they weren't like them... and didn't have powers. Cas wanted to argue that Clari didn't either, and that she was useless and had caused all of this, but as soon as he said it the 13 year old was crying so hard that he could feel her sobs in his own head, projecting them telepathically. Oh.

Roger told them to run and stay safe, and stay away from Ultra, and for Cas to protect Clari... before going to get into his car... Which then exploded.

Both Cas and Clari were thrown back away from the car, Clari landing in the street and Cas around the alley.

Before Cas could get to his sister's side, he was slammed to the ground, arrested for the apparent bombings, his clothing later confirming the gunpowder from the first explosive was on his jacket-- from when he had grabbed his sister.

He was sentenced to 20 years at Ryker's in the aftermath, since they decided to charge him as an adult. He didn't fight it, he thought Clari had been killed in the explosion with Roger and blamed himself for all of it. Especially the fact she died thinking he thought she was useless.

Meanwhile, Clarissa had been safely stolen away by an Ultra Agent, treated in a private room at a hospital as Hugh Bathory, the man who had been fighting Roger, hovered over her bed. He was intrigued by the small girl having broken out upon throwing the bomb, despite her prime barrier resisting only after the moment.

All Clari could remember was Cas' anger, tell Roger she was useless, and that she ruined everything. And he left her.

Years later, Cas could remember the moment he woke up from his grief, it was seeing a news report about Ultra working on a new gene therapy to track potential evolutionary mutations. Speaking was a man named Jedikiah Price, and behind him was Hugh Bathory... And at Bathory's side, older but still recognizable, was his little sister. He didn't even make a plan, he just teleported out of his cell to go find her.

Cast of characters vs Arcane Counterparts (loosely based)

Casimiro 'Cas' Tellemanca - Violet/Vi

Clarissa 'Clari' Tellemanca - Powder/Jinx

Hugh "The Founder" Bathory - Silco

Roger Price - Vander

Jordan Reynolds - Caitlyn

Russell Kwon - Ekko

John Young - Jayce

Killian McCrane - Viktor

Jedikiah Price - Heimerdinger

[theleslistuff]

Yessss!!!

At your order sir;

(Coming soon; color)

For my personal headcannon while designing their clothes and tattoos I came up with a little bit of backstory;

Vlad would be plotting his revenge against Jack too soon in this au since Danny and Jazz would be like Vi and Powder's age when their parents died.

Not too glamorous revenge Vlad unlike the canon he would still have contact with the Fenton's despite his hatred for Jack due the accident, getting knowledge about their house and weapons, he committed sabotage on Jack's new prototype of the ghost portal making a brutal explosion killing both Maddie and Jack.

Maddie didn't trust Vlad's intentions, so how did he made his goal come true?

He used Danny

Gaining his trust by turning into his "favorite uncle" one day Vlad told him he wanted to improve the ghost portal but he needed his help to install it, Danny being like 7 years old was excited to be included in something so important, so he did it without thinking twice.

He was in the lab but maintaining some distance from the portal so he didn't die but ended up with Lichtenberg marks that would not go away.

Vlad took him with him because of his loyalty (and feeling slightly guilty for ruining the boy's life forever) and told him what happened was an unfortunate accident caused by Jack's stupid miscalculation like the accident with Vlad.

Jazz never trusted Vlad and by Maddie's recommendation she spied on Vlad, she tried to stop Danny from listening to Vlad ending up in a big fight between the siblings making them drift away from each other like a regular fight but making her not liked enough by Vlad to frame the tragedy as Jazz's fault ending up in jail.

For Danny like I saw in some fics he has a hidden inventor/creative side (I love over thinking this Danny and canon Danny like the parallels between Jinx and Powder, pls OP I beg you to watch season 2 to know what am I talking about), he explodes it encouraged by Vlad but out of grief and in honor to his deceased parents, he creates anti ghost weapons (with blorb ghost design) to help Vlad terrorize other ghost into doing their will, Danny is still human.

Jazz pretty much like Vi would have not much to do in jail than to get ripped and think of getting revenge on the one who destroyed her family but also make sure her baby brother is okay and try to bring him back with her.

Coming soon: more drawings and maybe some formal story aaa!

Danny phantom arcane au:

Jazz is Vi. Specifically tall Jazz. Buff tall Jazz.

Danny is Jinx, raised by Vlad (as Silco) obviously.

Skulker and Technus could be Jayce and Viktor. Idk Skulktech was bonkers so I feel like they would fuck around and find out.

[kirain]

What do you think about all the people calling Silco a antihero and a good father?

I hate doing this to villains I actually enjoy, but I think this needs to be said:

No, Silco is not a good person, he's not an antihero, and he's not a good father. He's a complex, beautifully-written villain, but a villain nonetheless.

First of all, he destroyed half of Zaun with shimmer, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds (possibly thousands) and the addictions of many more. He distributed the drug as a cure-all to people who live in an impoverished city that has no hope or opportunities. I quote Ekko, "He flooded the lanes. Didn't care who got hurt." He never had Zaun's best interest at heart, despite manipulatively claiming otherwise. He only cared about his personal enterprise and eventual dictatorship. It was all about power and revenge for him, and he didn't care who got caught in the crossfire. His drug labs were even run by children, all of whom he considered expendable.

On that note, he isn't above killing children either. When Marcus began to defy him, he threatened to kill his daughter and make it look like an accident. When he kidnapped Vander, he purposely let Claggor, Mylo, and Vi break into his base with the full intention of killing them, painfully. Never mind the fact that Vander’s “betrayal” was his own doing because he wanted to rile Piltover with acts of war that would result in Zaun’s annihilation. Vander simply tried to stop him. Not to mention he had zero remorse for the boy Jayce accidentally killed and even taunted his grieving mother. You'd think he'd be able to sympathise with the loss of a child, but no. He's a towering hypocrite, only caring if the loss impacts him directly.

Though I think the biggest aspect most people are overlooking is the fact that he caused Jinx's trauma. Remember, he killed her dad, her brothers, and he tried to kill her sister. Technically Jinx caused the explosion, but why were they there in the first place? Silco. He then lied, knowing full well that Marcus took Vi. He didn't know she was still alive, but that doesn't matter. He let Jinx go on believing her sister abandoned her, which he knew caused her deep-seated issues. When Vi returned, he continued to lie about why she was there, saying she only wanted the crystal, even though Sevika told him otherwise. It wasn't to "protect" Jinx, it was because he was afraid of losing her. It was selfishness.

In the end, Silco became so reliant on Jinx that he wasn't willing to let her go. Not for anything. Not even for her own sanity and wellbeing. In the final showdown, instead of letting Jinx reconnect with her sister--which he knew she wanted--he tried to kill Vi yet again because he realised Powder was clawing to the surface. So many people think Silco was a good father, but he didn't help that child, he destroyed her. Mutated her. He let Jinx feel the pain of abandonment because he was desperate for someone to share his misery. These are not the actions of a "good father". He certainly loved her, nothing he did to her was intentionally malicious, from his perspective, but he's also the reason her mind is so jumbled. Not all love is inherently good.

Moreover, he had no right to get so attached to Jinx in the first place. He stole her. I find it kind of disturbing how many people blame Vi for “abandoning” Powder, when the reality is she didn’t. She was fifteen, she saw her family die (for the second time), and she found out that her own sister, who wasn’t even supposed to be there, was inadvertently responsible. After she punched Powder, she was overcome with guilt and sorrow and walked away to take a break. Powder mistook Vi’s actions as abandonment, but Vi never intended to leave her. The true tragedy is that both Powder and Vi’s reactions are understandable. They were both children and they were both suffering, but there’s only one person to blame for that and it’s Silco.

People like to glorify the "you're perfect" line, but the reason Silco said that is because he molded Jinx into his own personal sense of perfection. He erased Powder's entire identity to create an unstable soldier who would follow his every order, construct deadly weapons, and kill without empathy or reflection. He even convinced her to kill her friends. Jinx wrongfully places her psychosis on Vi's shoulders because of that night in the alley, but what that poor, broken girl doesn't understand is that it's Silco who put her in that situation, Silco who impressed his own trauma onto her, and Silco who encouraged her delusions. Eventually he realised he was wrong, but not until it was too late. Not until she was wanted for his mistakes.

Just like his eye, his love was toxic.

[tenma-brainrot]

POWDER’S MENTAL INSTABILITY: AN ARCANE ANALYSIS

Hey! So this is kind of my first analysis post, hence the messiness. I may have missed out on some things, so I am definitely open for discussion! Powder/Jinx is certainly complex and nearly impossible to pin down entirely, but in this post I try to cover up her insanity starting from a young age, and how that plays into her relationships with the two most important people in her life, as well as her own identity. Note that my separation of Powder and Jinx is not to identify them as different personalities or people, but to more easily access different parts of her life.

EARLY SIGNS OF POWDER’S INITIAL INSANITY

Her parent’s death caused her immediate abandon issues. In the first scene there were already signs of her “glitches” which occur when she suffers a mental breakdown of sorts, or breaks. It is in this scene where she clings to Vi.

The violence constantly surrounding her from then caused her to make bombs and weapons and thus be elated whenever the chance of them working appears, which shows her interest in causing harm while also her wanting her things to work so she could be helpful. Though it is likely mainly to be seen as helpful and a contributing member to her group.

Giving her bombs and weapons names and drawing on them - both to give them an identity due to her loneliness and “otherness” (which Vi confirms when saying, “what makes you different makes you strong”) and to leave her mark on her own creations.

Her constantly trying to live up to Vi’s expectations of her being ready so that she can have her favorite person (Vi) validate her. Hence her excitement and “high” when the bomb exploded, and her happiness when telling Vi her bomb worked; she naively hoped for things to be okay, and for the group (especially Vi) to deem her worthy, because she can’t find her own worth in herself.

Continuation of point above; Her unhealthy clinging to her older sister, who she parentified (hugging Vi immediately when she returned in shock after Benzo died, constantly needing to be near Vi, her meltdown when Vi left her alone)

Her meltdown (first one we see) reveals/intensifies a few things about her:

Her desire to be helpful

When Vi tells Powder that she is not ready, she feels useless. Prior to this moment, Vi has told her constantly that she was ready for missions when she hasn’t truly been ready. This, in Powder’s already fragile mind, leaves implications of Vi, her favorite person, viewing her as incapable. Because she is not ready, that means she cannot help; because she is not ready, that means she is not important enough to help the group. The group (Mylo) that calls her a jinx - which is also her family.

Her inability to be left alone

This scene expresses Powder’s wails and most of all, her anger and desire to get out of her own body, possibly from self hate; we see her throw her bomb out of anger - her bombs are an extension of her, and they don’t work. And that is why she is not helpful, and because of this she truly believes she has let Vi down - and to her, letting Vi down is a risk of her image being marred and Vi’s love for her not being her priority. This further pressed into Powder’s mind her anger toward herself and her inabilities. In a fit of hysterics, she nearly tossed the sack which contained the Hex-Tech crystals - which brings to her an idea.

TO HELP

Powder stops crying as soon as she connects the crystals to the explosion and realizes that she can help; her entire meltdown was about her inability to help. She ends up to where Vi and co are, and sees Vi struggling against a mutant creature of sorts. With worry for her family, she sets the bomb with three crystals, unaware of their power.

THE RELENTLESS WANT TO BE HELPFUL

The yearning to be helpful is what led to her undoing; because Powder loathed herself so much and viewed herself truly incapable, she added an external source to her bomb. In the pursuit of trying to be helpful, she killed her family with Vi (appearing) to hate her for it. The one person she looked up to and did not want to disappointed slapped her and affirmed her worst insecurities of being a Jinx — and then (in her eyes) abandoned her. And Powder cannot be alone: That is why when Silco appears, she lunges into him with a hug without even knowing who he is - because not only did she need comfort, she also needed to know that she was loved despite her irredeemable actions. Because when she repeated in a hysterical stupor that she only wanted to help - she wanted to regain Vi’s love. When Vi seemingly did not love her anymore, Powder was angry, feeling her emotions at extremes rather than on a wider scale.

“She left me. She is not my sister anymore.”

Powder cannot live if she is not loved.

Even during the time-skip we see Jinx constantly doing everything she can to help Silco - because she cannot exist as her own person. Her existence has to be dependent on someone else and their approval - and so she molds herself into a terrorist and murderer not only to cope, but also to be sure of Silco’s love for her. Her desire to be seen and acknowledged and not ignored is the very reason she has a logo for her weaponry and crime scenes.

HER TRANSFORMATION

We are introduced to a completely different person in Act Two. Not Powder, but Jinx. In an effort to not associate herself with her most traumatic memory, she removes herself from Powder, because Powder was weak. Powder was the one who ruined her family - and most of all, Vi hates Powder. By assuming the role as Jinx as a persona, she manifests herself as the last thing Vi called her; what she has been told she was and eventually internalized was an identity she used to cover her weakened Powder. She purposefully brought misfortune rather than despise it like Powder would. She used it to be her strength, as she said to Vi in the final episode: “Silco thinks he made Jinx, but he didn’t. You did.” This could be interpreted in multiple ways, which I believe the writers did intentionally; Jinx is blaming Vi, but the context surrounding this sentence is imperative to note. Silco thinks Jinx is perfect. Jinx is stronger, which is why she happily accepts that identity. She essentially is saying that Vi was the cause of Jinx. Jinx, who is stronger and capable. But also Jinx, who is always abandoned, causes misfortune to everyone around her, and cannot trust.

“Your voice, pushing me. Picking me up, when all the colors were black. You’re the reason I’m still alive.”

This scene is beautiful. Two sisters torn apart nearly to the point of no return as they stand on completely opposite sides, yet they are still sisters nonetheless. They are each other’s force. Based on this scene, Powder’s dependency on Vi prior to episode nine did not waver. She was still dependent on an image of Vi to keep living. Even with Silco, who she clung onto with desperation, was not entirely the person Jinx truly depended on until she heard his dying word’s to her, as a Father.

“YOU ARE PERFECT.”

He does not mention Powder nor Jinx - he simply says to whoever she chooses to be, that she is perfect. And although it is the furthest from the truth, Jinx in that moment got what she always wanted: to be loved, unconditionally. By affirming her perfection even in his death, he denies Jinx to doubt the consequences of her murderous tendencies. By that point, she no longer has any figure to latch upon. She believes her and Vi have changed too much to love each other like they once did, and she killed her father again. She is a jinx, and instead of simply posing a persona she truly embraces her curse of misfortune. She shows her sister, Zaun, and Piltover such when she shoots toward the council room.

“We’ll show them. We will show them all.” Those are the words she hears when she waged war against Piltover when peace nearly emerged. She jinxed it, but this time it does not bother her as it used to because it is who she is. She is perfect, now, because she is a Jinx.

WHAT CAUSED HER TRANSFORMATION?

Powder’s transformation to Jinx was a result of the accumulation of her trauma, but I will focus on the two roots regarding Jinx (Silco and Vi). It is my own opinion that while Vi did cause Powder to truly see herself as a Jinx, it was Silco who culminated all Jinx is; her insanity was enabled by him, through his lack of holding Jinx accountable for her actions or teaching her how to cope properly. Many people that I’ve seen tend to deny Silco’s abuse toward Powder. For starters, I’ll briefly explain Silco’s own morality.

Silco is introduced as a man with an ominous eye, preparing shimmer with Singed; he is cunning and precise with his words and easily manipulates his lesser goons. He is driven by determination to achieve his goals, no matter the costs. He has no issues harming children, both prior to adopting Powder and even afterwards, as he fully intended on killing Vander’s kids, used child labor for shimmer production, and had no problem killing children.

In Jinx’s diary from the council archives, she details disturbing thoughts and there is scarce information of her during her pubescence under Silco’s care.

• “Silco says take care of ██████████

• I took care alright, Me and Fishbones

• Fishbones was in the mood to blow something up

• How could I say no

• Now I'm taken care of too - the nice kind of taken care of

• Silco trusts me”

• “Lined up all the little duckies in a row

• Why did they look so sad?

• They'll be together after

• Wherever people after go

• Everyone I've taken care of

• SHUT UP

• They're here

• IN MY MIND”

It can be concluded that Silco had Powder/Jinx carry out missions such as these - by Powder saying “he trusts me”, she means him believing her to be helpful. That he trusts her to not be a screw up. It is also apparent that, while she carries out these murders, she is clearly haunted by them. But she does them, because she desperately seeks approval and if she isn’t helpful to Silco, she believes he’ll abandon her.

Directly following the aforementioned diary entry is this one:

“VI IS HERE TOO

• YOU'RE A JINX JINX JINX

• JINX JINX

• JINX”

As mentioned before, she was clearly initially uncomfortable and disgusted with her actions, to the point where she had Vi resurface, calling her a jinx. She believes that Vi would be extremely disgusted with her actions but she does it because it is the only way for her to survive through her abandonment issues in a new place where she does not have her sister, her maternal figure; Vi.

When Silco finds a crying Powder and learns that she has been abandoned, his sympathy kicks in and he projects himself onto her. By doing so, he also projects Vander onto Vi and teaches Jinx how to cope the way he knows best - using it for strength.

But Silco carried no guilt. He did not kill his entire family whereas Jinx did - which is why she still struggled with her hallucinations and with moving on. Because in order for Jinx to truly move on, she would have to confront her trauma head on and accept what happened that night. But that is not what happens, because Silco is projecting onto Jinx and telling her what he knows best. To be like him, rather than better than him.

He teaches her that everyone will abandon and betray her, that it will only be the two of them. Not only is he isolating her, but he is strengthening her worst fears in his favor (whether intentional or not) to have Jinx dependent on him. Out of fear for losing Jinx but spite for Vi, he allows Jinx to believe that Vi truly is dead even after he finds out that she is alive. Instead, he tries to kill her. He gives her everything she wants, she faces no consequences, and he enables her worst behaviors while also being the cause of them, thus proving that Jinx is Jinx (chaotic etc) not solely because of Vi, but mainly from Silco. And she only truly embraces Jinx as who she is rather than a front when Silco dies.

-

I can only speculate that her hallucinations may continue in season two. If so, I would consider that to be what Jinx depends on - as she is seen in game speaking to her weapons.

Although I do not hold the most positive feelings for this character, I do greatly admire the depth she has. I admittedly struggled with connecting with Powder/Jinx while connecting with Vi more, but I did not allow that blind me from appreciating the amazing writing of her character and I still can’t help but wish things had ended out differently.

Hope this was coherent! I wrote this in a stream of consciousness style at 1 am and made some minor revisions. It may not be the most coherent analysis but I wanted to write my thoughts on Powder/Jinx’s mental state.

[fandomite]

Arcane Spoilers?

I finally was able to watch Arcane a couple weeks ago and MAN if this isn’t one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while, it’s so good on so many different levels. Every character is so well written, the animation style is stunning, the world building is amazing, the character designs themselves are gorgeous, and even the lore buildup to current times in League is just *chefs kiss*

There’s only one thing that’s been bothering me though.

And that’s the sheer amount of people I’ve seen who watched Jinx’s final scene and are immediately calling her horrid and thoughtless and a terrorist and “being a jinx” and it’s just-

First off, yes, her launching a torpedo at the Piltover council is BAD. I’m not commending it. That was a villain-esque move. But you’re not looking deeper than the surface as to how she reached the decision to launch it in the first place, and the literal full season buildup to that moment, just in her character. Nothing about this move was a cold and calculated play on her part. It’s ALL emotion, and we see that Jinx and Powder both feel things VERY strongly.

Let’s look at Powder. This is a kid, maybe 5-6 years old? When she loses her parents in a horrific skirmish/battle caused by tension buildup under the rule of Piltover and its Enforcers. Her and Vi both. They even see their dead parents before Vander takes them in. A year or two later, the girls are now having to survive in the Underground, somewhat on their own. They have to steal to ensure they have money for food and rent, and whatever else they’re lucky to get. The whole underlying tone of the Underground is “survival of the fittest” and “You’re lucky to even still be alive”. How the fuck do you think that messes with a kid’s head? Just her witnessing her sister and adopted brothers in a street fight has her TERRIFIED.

She’s also listening to how Vi lays out the injustices caused towards the Underground and how poorly they’re treated by their “overlords”. They can’t even really be “up top” without being looked at with nothing but disgust and suspicion. Now let’s heap on top of that the fact her brothers are constantly berating her and her abilities, mainly Mylo. She’s constantly being told TO HER FACE how worthless she is, how much of a hindrance she is. Her only consolation is her blood sister Violet, and then she overhears even Violet starting to turn her attitude against her. We don’t even see Vander give her much in the way of reassurance (probably because he just doesn’t witness the issues).

And then we reach the episode with the explosion and it all comes to a head. Her adoptive father is taken, kidnapped. Her siblings are all going to rescue him. Naturally, she wants to help, what kid WOULDN’T? But she’s hearing for the first time from her sister, her only mother figure, telling her to stay behind and saying without saying “you can’t keep up with us, you’ll just get in the way”. We now have an 8 year old, stuck at home alone, knowing how terrifying and deadly her world is, and having zero idea if her family is okay or if they’re even coming home. And we see her first mental break. She so desperately wants to help and even save those she loves, and with a child’s innocent mind she tries to help the only way she can. As adults watching the show, we have the life insight to know that this was only ever going to end badly. But Powder fully believes she’s saving her family.

Except we watch as a bomb goes off and consequently kills her brothers and father, with Vi barely making it out thanks to Vander. Powder hasn’t seen ANY of this until she rounds a corner and finally spots the carnage and bodies of her family.

So first, she’s now horribly traumatized by the realization that her family is dead and that she’s the one who killed them. And all she sees is her sister watching her, not saying anything to help her. She’s a child looking for help, a lot of help, and what happens instead? Her last remaining family member smacks the shit outta her, grabs her face and snarls into it, all while Powder is already breaking at the seams. And then Violet reaffirms every bad thing that’s ever been said about her, and abandons her in the rain and the destruction. No fucking wonder she latches onto Silco. He’s the only adult to offer ANY word of concern towards her in a while. We know Silco is originally just looking to end Vander and his reign, but he latches onto this child falling apart because of the similarity between him and Vander’s past.

We fast forward to now a young adult Powder, who has now taken the name of Jinx (out of bitterness or spite). Silco treats her as a right hand, but we quickly see how genuinely close they are. Silco trusts her with being in his office at any time and even administering his eye medication, something we saw he would only do himself earlier. He’s constantly backing her up and reaffirming his confidence in her, constantly defending her against his other henchmen no matter what they say. And it’s not for show for her, because he does it when she’s not even around to witness it. He’s constantly giving her jobs of high importance, and even when he finally gets angry over something she did, he still gives her the moment to explain herself, and then commends her work when getting the explanation. (Yes, she killed 6 Enforcers, I’m not commending that either, I’m talking about how this looks to only Jinx at the moment).

She’s not had someone so vehemently in her corner for a long while. Because even when Vi defended her, it was half-hearted and Vi even eventually agreed to the negative opinions about Powder when she wasn’t there to hear it. But Silco? Ohhhh, but Silco has proven to be there for her, time and time again since bringing her in, he’s shown how much he’s in her corner no matter what, he’s never once agreed with the negative opinions about Jinx from others around him, he does nothing but encourage her. He knows of her triggers and PTSD from childhood and starts to help her (in his own morally grey way) to move on from it, and understands her PTSD trigger reactions aren’t her fault, and even tells her so. He’s never judged her poorly for any of her character/personality. She’s never had unconditional love until this period in her life with Silco as a father.

And then Vi returns. Yes, Vi was in prison and facing her own horrors and had zero way of returning to Powder. We know that, I think Jinx somewhat gets that. But it can’t erase the trauma of the initial moment of (brief) abuse and abandonment by Vi. She, understandably, can’t get past that. The last remnants of Powder might want to, but Jinx knows too well of the pain and anger and resentment.

And during all of this, there’s just more and more tension and troubles rising with Piltover and the Enforcers against the Underground. Silco is doing his best to cover for Jinx’s attack and protect her, while trying to remain “clean” to the officials himself. However, just like Vander, we see he chooses to protect his adopted daughter and face the consequences himself instead of handing her over to authorities. Jinx doesn’t know of this yet, but she learns pieces of it. She only hears of the deal of being handed over to ensure peace, and she starts to fear that Silco will actually do it, because what else has experience taught her? “Survival of the fittest”, remember?

And that damn tea party. Oh man, that tea party.

Silco dropped EVERYTHING to save her life, we the audience knows this. But Jinx is spiraling and doesn’t know who to trust anymore. So she grabs Vi (and Caitlin as leverage) and Silco, and the final episode ensues. We’re in the home stretch of this tragedy. We watch as Jinx plays her psychological games to find the truth at the bottom of the barrel of her life, and we watch how the two most prevalent people in her life react. Vi is fighting to have Powder back, but because of this she’s remaining in the past, of “how it used to be”. But “how it used to be” for Jinx? Wasn’t that great to begin with. Vi tells her to remember her brothers and Vander, but all Jinx remembers is the ridicule and the neglect and the pain. And Jinx knows Vi is starting to side and work with Piltover, aka the people whom she’s known as nothing but an enemy to her existence for her entire life, who she used to think her sister would tear apart with her bare hands given the chance. But she’s torn with wanting her sister back. What kid wouldn’t be?

Now Silco? This man is going borderline feral to keep the young adult she’s grown into and become in the present. He’s the one who held her hand and walked her through the last of her childhood horrors, the one who’s become her dad, a dad of unconditional love and who’s proven over and over he’s in her corner no matter what. So we see Jinx starting to have another mental break from this decision of who to believe and trust and side with, and Silco sees her suffering and wants to help her. But Silco is the most morally grey character, the supposed villain, of this whole cast, so his solution is to just kill Vi, the outlier, as his way of saving Jinx.

We know he misses, but in a split second decision of in-character strong emotion, Jinx reacts and defends Vi. But she kills her dad in the process. We see her start to split apart again. And what’s the last thing Silco does with his dying breath as Jinx is falling into hysterics at his feet at what she’s done AGAIN? He comforts her. The exact opposite of what her sister did all those years ago. He’s dying, he has zero reason to lie (and his VA confirmed Silco is telling the truth) and his final words to his daughter are “I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”

And Jinx. Fucking. Breaks.

When was she EVER told she was even ANY semblance of “good enough”? Much less “perfect”? This is where people start devolving this character down to “psycho” and “terrorist”, and just throw ALL of this character work out the window. Her next movements aren’t methodical or premeditated. They wouldn’t have dragged out her entire journey from Silco’s body to the launch point of the torpedo if they were. Her movements are mechanical and without flourish. As if she’s on nothing but autopilot. Shes shuffling through the wreckage, dragging her gun behind her. She’s not marching with purpose. She’s trudges with shoulders weighed down by unending pain. She’s once again lost EVERYTHING and it’s once again HER fault. No matter what Silco told her.

She’s seeing nothing but her mistakes, her dumpster fire of an existence in the Underground, she’s seeing that this alllllllll started from the very beginning with Piltover and its treatment of her existence and her people. She’s seeing how even her righteous sister has turned to them rather than stick with her people, aka (in Jinx’s mind) turning her back on Jinx/Powder AGAIN. And now her third father is dead. The one who shouldered so much to protect her from Piltover and even the Underground, who proved countless times how absolutely nothing she did could turn him from her. She’s seeing how Piltover has such amazing inventions, magical travel, operas and plays, protectors for its people, actual homes, and effortless quality of life and its endless privilege. And she compares it to everything life has ever handed her.

And she hauls Fishbones onto her shoulder. And she takes aim, tears pouring down her crumpled face. And she pulls the trigger as a guttural scream rips and cracks out of her, and it says

“Feel my pain for once.”

[blood-starved-beast]

I think more “Vi works for Silco/gets adopted by him alongside Jinx” fics should exist. While also maintaining the same level of animosity as in canon. Picture Vi, hating Silco’s guts with every fiber of her being, having to work the equivalent of a 9-5 for Silco, who also hates her guts but they both tolerate each others’ continued existence cause of Powder/Jinx, who’s more than happy to have both of them in her life. Jinx still becomes Jinx of course, but her overall circumstance is better, maybe. Vi hates the influence Silco has on Jinx of course but is completely unequipped to actually counter it properly so she copes with that and also her seemingly hopeless circumstance by beating up Sevika and other people at the Last Drop and overall trying to make Silco’s life a living hell by doing her job in the most destructive and inconvenient way possible maybe hoping one day his body would be numbered amongst the victims in her “antics.” On the other side, Silco also wants her ass obliterated but somehow Vi manages to skirt (or more accurately punch through) out every single job that would normally get a person killed due to some Mad Skills™ and the world’s most ridiculous set of plot armor. There’s also the issue of Jinx who’s more than happy to provide like idk weapons that makes the Vi Incidents™ even more destructive than they need to be.

Meanwhile, Caitlyn is still investigating the explosion at Progress Day but instead looking for two not one suspects and Vi’s not exactly enthusiastic about giving an Enforcer a tour of the Lanes but if it makes Silco angry then she is all game and it’s not like she’s lived life on the fast lane up onto now anyways. 

[like-that-one-weird-dog-thing]

How do you think mylo and claggor react to their dad and sister being furries if they somehow survived in the never one without the other au?

Joke answer? Makes fun of them relentlessly lmao. Esp cause both freely embrace it. Mylo gets jinx a bird fursuit head

Serious answer tho? If the two were to survive, i’d say the only way would be marcus having more enforcers with him and he makes a deal with silco to use mylo and claggor to calm piltover, putting the blame on them. He’d probably feed smth along the line of either ‘found the other girl dead’ or ‘never saw another girl, she mustve truly abandoned powder’ to silco to excuse vi’s disappearance. However, he’d keep Vi and have her placed in primarily solitary confinement in stillwater as a ‘highly confidential and dangerous criminal’. He would then keep her there as a hidden pawn he first considers that he could sick on silco since he took care to never let vi recognize him(thinking that he could maybe act as her ‘savior’ finding her unjustly locked up, freeing her and gaining her loyalty while directing her anger and hate at silco) or, as he later realizes that he could leverage vi’s existence against jinx, he would dangle her in front of silco’s face to keep himself safe.

Meanwhile, the boys would be locked up with the belief that vander and vi are dead and that Silco is the cause. They wouldn’t know of powder’s part to play in the explosion, so they think it was silco’s doing, and that powder had remained at the bar, alone and abandoned. They’d both be heavily scarred, with Mylo likely having issues with mobility in his arm and claggor having sight and memory problems due to his head harshly colliding with the rubble. Both would fester in anger and hatred for Silco, and would attempt a number of times to escape utilizing mylo’s lockpicking skills and claggors sheer strength. None of these attempts work, however. Their release would likely be simply their sentencing finally ending- as they were publicly tried and found guilty, but given lesser sentences due to their young ages and injured states. Most actually chalked the robbery and bombing as the two being abuse survivors that were forced into it by someone behind the scenes.

As such, theyre released about 4 or so years after their imprisonment. Right in time for the war to break out between the undercity and topside.

They try to search for Powder the moment they get out- powder or ekko or anyone they’d known during their time with Vander. They hope that ekko and powder are together. They hope the two managed to survive. They find no one. Silco’s catching wind of their release, and they can’t search for long.

The two are forced to flee to the depths of zaun as horrific fights break out between the two halves of the city. Silco’s men are doped up on shimmer and just as likely to attack them as they are to attack the enforcers.

They plan to get revenge on silco, but both are also incredibly worn, wary of the drug and its affects and exhausted from their time in stillwater. They hear rumors, too, that silco has a secret weapon, a special monster at his beck and call thats nicknamed the angel of death.

Silco calls her jinx.

(And here, something itches at mylo’s mind.

Jinx wasnt just an insult thrown once or twice at Powder by him- it was a nickname given to her practically since she was born, with her birth nearly killing her mother despite Vi’s being the easiest their ‘doctor’ had ever seen, and a slew of other unlucky events surrounding her.

Jinx was not a common name or nickname in zaun. It was not something one threw around casually- it was curse thrown at one to tell them they are nothing, that they are horrible for those around them and that they are not meant to exist.

So… how likely is it that their baby sister, who’s had this curse thrown at her time and time again all throughout her life, was the same girl that Silco was calling Jinx?

But Jinx is also a monster, and Powder was no monster.

Still, the thought itches)

As the war settles and zaun is given its freedom with Silco at her helm, the boys run into warwick.

There’s no recognition from the boys, but warwick knows his pups. He isnt as gone as league warwick and it shows in how he recognizes them as his. The boys gain a body guard without realizing it, but warwick is also attempting to free his other pup- the one silco has. Jinx.

When they all finally meet? When Mylo and Claggor see Jinx for the first time and realize the hulking wolf monster that had been following them for months was Vander?

They’re horrified. Claggor feels ill, has to swallow back the bile creeping up his throat as he sweeps his eyes over the two. Somehow Jinx was convinced to not flee from the two, and Mylo wraps her into a tight hug. He’s crying, freely, and he’s sickened at what happened to his baby sister and his father but.

They’re alive. The boys had resigned themselves to the thought that Powder and Vander were dead.

But they’re alive.

[pocket-sized-enby]

Vi blantantly left Jinx behind on that mission to save Vander because she didn’t trust her to be helpful. She says to her face, “You’re not ready.” And only goes to say that it’s cause “she can’t lose her” after she sees that Jinx is upset. Even Jinx realized that “keeping her safe” wasn’t the reason why Vi left her behind, that’s why she asked Vi again, “Why did you leave me?” And even though she wanted the bombs to work, it was clear that she and the rest of the gang never saw Jinx as her own individual person, but as a shadow of Vi. They all KNEW AND SAW that Jinx wasn’t good at hand to hand combat like Vi, but that she was a master with fire arms and that she loved gadgetry, but they never gave her the training or means necessary to capitalize on these skills. They just expected her to be exactly like Vi. Also, it’s so irritating to me that people think Vi being an angry teenager is a valid excuse for her to leave her sister behind in a fiery pit when she KNEW their was a kingpin and his gang walking around. Her being angry and young doesn’t change the fact that she KNEW her little sister would be in danger if she left her for even a second and still left her. Her age and anger are not an excuse for the fact that she knew all this, heard her sister begging for her to come back, and still left. Which we can see left Jinx with unbearable PTSD and mental illness.

Also, in the moment when Caitlyn and Jinx meet, Vi knew that Cait wanted Jinx dead. Thar’s literally why she kept it a secret from Caitlyn and why Caitlyn gets angry at her when they both get captured. And she still chooses to try and side with the enforcer she’s known for less than a week over her little sister. Who she knew has been hunted down by enforcers like Caitlyn her entire life. Also the scene literally cut to Vi and Cait staring at the flare before they both took off in Jinx’s direction. She LEAD her to Jinx.

Also in the bridge scene, after Vi chose Caitlyn over Jinx, it’s clearly not just because she saw Caitlyn in danger in front of her and didn’t know where Jinx was. Because even after Jinx showed up after the explosions, she still chose to help Caitlyn and the Hexgates over Jinx. She SAW that her sister was there. Not only that but she SAW that Ekko was going to fight her and most likely KILL her and she didn’t even tell him not to. She knew there was a likelyhood that Ekko would beat and slaughter Jinx and she chose Caitlyn- and her minorly injured leg- first, and her sister’s life second.

Vi was in jail. But she knew that Silco took care of Jinx when she abandoned her. She saw Silco and Sevika call Jinx Silco’s daughter, she knew that Silco meant so much to Jinx and still showed little to no care for Jinx and him when Jinx lost her father. Jinx made sure to warn Vi that she changed and was different; that she was no longer Powder and if Vi really did love her, she would have to learn to love Jinx. And Vi makes it clear, she can’t and doesn’t. Even during their fight, when Vi saw Jinx fighting in the way she feels most natural, she looks horrified. Which is extremely hypocritical because Violet has literally killed people, ripped open jaws, and hid them in dumpsters just because she was angry. But when Jinx uses her guns and bombs suddenly it’s unspeakable.

Vi doesn’t just refuse to call Jinx by her real name because she has bad memories of it. Jinx makes it clear she’s proud of the name Jinx now. The reason why she refuses to call Jinx, Jinx, instead of Powder, is because doing so would mean she would have to except that Jinx is her sister now and that she would have to love her like this. Which she can’t.

That’s literally the reason why Jinx tells her, “I thought maybe you could love me like you used to. Even though I’m different.” Because when Silco died and called her perfect, she finally realized Vi could never love her unconditionally like that. Not unless she turned back into Powder.

Vi may have been an okay sibling to Powder, but she’ll never be a good sister to Jinx.

I just realized something major about Violet and Silco’s relationship to Jinx

So throughout the show we notice that even though Violet abandons Powder constantly, she always makes an effort to go back to her.

But she always comes back too late; she never makes it in time.

And in every scenario Silco always makes it there to save Jinx before her.

I don’t think this is a coincidence or just Violet’s bad luck at all. I think this a deliberate result of Violet’s actions. In every scenario where Violet abandons Jinx and tries to come back, the reason why she never makes it back to her in time, is because in each one of these scenes, Jinx is ALWAYS Violet’s second choice; her second priority.

Jinx always fell second to Violet whether she meant for her to or not.

Whether it was her own anger

Or Caitlyn

Or even the hexgates.

Violet always abandons Jinx to take care something else first. Which is why Silco always makes it to Jinx before Vi does.

Jinx may never stop being Vi’s second choice, but she’ll always be Silco’s first.

[arcane-ish]

Okay, here's my personal theory, and I admit that this might be my Vander bias talking.

I think a big reason why Vi is so upset, a big reason why Silco and Jinx would likely be considered an oddity is the death of Vander.

I don't think that Vi is upset about the explosion at all anymore either. I think that the thing she has to justify to herself is not just that Jinx is violent, but that she is close with Silco.

Like, I theorized, what if rather than Silco, Jinx had been found by Urgot. Or Camille. And either of them had trained her to be a killer. I think Vi's reaction would still be anger because of the whole "good heart" thing. But surely somebody teaching their children to be violent is fairly normal. I mean Vander also taught Vi to fight. Similarly, Vi clearly looks down on children being put to work, but again, it seems like Vi would at least understand why some people would consider that normal behavior.

Like on gotta wonder, if it was any other evil crimeboss, would Vi at least have tried "Hey, crime boss, thank you for feeding her and training her, I'm gonna to and take her off your hands now"? But she can't, because it's Silco. And Silco is THE ENEMY, the one who tried to kill her, the one who killed Vander, so of course it's going to seem obvious to ascribe malice to him taking Powder.

When Vi and Jinx meet again and Jinx has accepted that Vi is real, Jinx immediately shifts to apologetic mode. She has done things that she knows Vi would disapprove of ("Things changed. I changed"). (and yes, part of why this feels so apologetic because of Vi's line "did what you had to do to survive", but I don't think it's too off base of Jinx's mood in this moment, especially based on Jinx's facial expression, crying looking to the side/avoiding eye contact.

)

And again I think the "crime" that Vi has to get over is "Why would you side with Silco after what he did" and not "why are you violent", but "why are you violent with/for Silco".

We know there are two components likely for this:

1.) Powder's self-hate after causing the death of Mylo and Claggor

2.) Sympathy for Silco who thinks his killing of Vander is justified because after all Vander hurt him first

It's going to be interesting whether Vi's position will change if Warwick reveals any new information to her about point 2. But point 1 she would know. Granted point 1 will to her still look like "he took advantage of Powder's guilt and vulnerability".

But the fact that she still sees what happens as monstrous, as Powder having no agency to me suggests that she isn't thinking about it yet. It's easier for her to think of the whole thing as something monstrous because to her the "crime" is that monstrous. And the crime is "making nice with the evil person who you know is evil because he hurt your family and most notably killed Vander".

Now if Jinx continues being violent and continues being monstrous even after Silco is dead, that should be an interesting challenge for Vi to face. Like I guess it's a chance that she will stay in denial about "oh, he manipulated her so much", but I think the moment has to come where you have to question how much posthumous influence Silco can really have. Especially if you don't want to believe that Jinx loved Silco.

But yeah, Caitlyn is gonna be the really interesting role because so far she has been cast I feel slightly in the role of the one who is more unyielding and unforgiving both in the show ("too far gone", the games and the supplementary material like the council archives). From her position and characterization, she would make sense as the character who has the smarts and the necessary distance to figure it out. So it's a question whether they want to go there or keep her up as the more unyielding one.

Basically, who is gonna be the hardliner and who is gonna be the one who empathizes with Jinx's motivation out of Cait and Vi (of course they might alternate or both be empathizers or both be hardliners, or empathize on some parts and draw the line on others).

Thought of the day: I wonder to what extent it is actually public knowledge that Jinx/Powder killed Mylo and Claggor.

The people who definitely know are Silco, Jinx, Vi and probably Sevika. (there are also Silco's other goons from back in the day, but on the other hand, would they necessarily know that the random bomb thrown into their place was really made/set off by the crying little girl they found? they might not know where it came from either?)

But does Ekko know? Is it common knowledge? If Ekko knows, did Jinx tell him or did he hear it through rumor?

I could definitely picture Sevika running her mouth and it being part of Jinx's myth within the Undercity that she killed her own brothers before becoming Silco's daughter.

But I could also picture it not being a talked-about topic and Silco being fine with the kill being attributed to him.

(backstory: me thinking it would actually be an interesting dynamic if Ekko thought Silco killed Mylo and Claggor and not understanding why Jinx would ever associate with him, but then Vi enters the picture and she knows Powder killed Mylo and Claggor and arguably should have a better understanding of Powder's self loathing that might cause her to associate with Silco even though Silco killed Vander)