#and starting to write for arcane opens up a whole other can of writing worms…

[cynicalmusings]

is it… is it kind of bad that i’m finding myself very attracted to the fish-man in arcane

[rockwgooglyeyes]

warning!! this gets really long lmao - talking about themes in Arcane season two - arcane season two spoilers, kind of obvious but need to clarify. i dont talk about shipping in this at all btw! i have ships i like but like that's not here nor there, not relevant for this imo

I was watching an Arcane analysis video and while I wouldn't really go out on a limb and say that "I know what season two was about" like the themes and stuff because the themes found in a work are, inherently, going to be subjective and up to audience interpretation, and obviously, I'm not going to say that "I know Arcane's themes better than anyone else," I don't, that's not what this is about, but I would argue that season two does have a few universal themes. Some of those are carried over from season one, being relationships and love in general, what we are willing to do for love, but there are some that are focused on more so in season two than in season one.

This might have been said before- I don't really touch the analysis/meta side of the fandom, so I am sorry if I'm retreading old ground. Additionally, while I don't think that season two was nearly as perfect as season one, I enjoyed both and I think they were both solid, enjoyable seasons. The writing in season two was not immaculate but it was not bad, either. If not held in comparison to season one, I doubt it would be judged so harshly. Nevertheless, that's a whole other can of worms, and one that I would really rather not open.

Back to the themes- my argument is that, if season one is about siblings (sisters specifically), trauma, and change, then I would say that sacrifice, love, and the consequences of death, are the main themes in season two. These are all themes that are present in season one (Vander's sacrifice for Violet & Powder, the consequences of Vander & Silco's deaths, love is relevant w/pretty much everything) but they are focused on more heavily in season two.

These in particular are seen but not limited to Jinx's sacrifice for Vi at the very end, Heimerdinger's presumed sacrifice for Ekko, (the more sacrifice oriented ones), Jayce choosing to save Viktor, Caitlyn's fixation on Jinx and her descent into tyranny, Mel being forced to kill her mother, and Singed's obsession with keeping his daughter alive (the consequences of death).

These are the themes that stuck out to me as the biggest because, while there are the more philosophical, overarching ideas of fate and evolution and the multiverse, that's not really something that is widely accessible and they are themes, yes but they are not through-lines for every character. I mean, the fate one could be argued, General Medarda fated to be taken down by family, Jinx and Vander both fated to die, Viktor fated to fail (unable to achieve Hextech dream of helping the undercity, unable to achieve glorious evolution), etc etc, and I would say that fate is probably the trickiest of these themes to really dissect because it is carried out as expected as many times as it is subverted. It's also not really what I am trying to address here lmao

I would argue that there is the consistent theme of the consequences of death, which I know is a little bit of a long theme, themes are supposed to be one word most of the time, but I can't just say that this is the theme of "grief" because it's not just grief. It is about what people do in response to the death of their loved ones. Arguably, that could be what the whole season is about, really. Jinx is reeling at the death of Silco and her starting the war with topside, she has a death wish and she wants to "repent" in a way for killing Silco and for choosing to embrace being "Jinx" which is something she doesn't see any way of coming back from. She finds a will to live in Isha, who gives her a purpose and a reason to stay alive, and that gives her the ability to eventually attempt reconciliation with Vi. Caitlyn is screwed up over her mum's death, trying to maintain the relationships she once had in the face of all of her new responsibilities as well as the war looming, and with her preexisting obsession with Jinx being twisted by her mother's death, she wages war on Zaun and attempt to locate Jinx. In this manic grief, she forces Vi to make decisions that Vi isn't able to truly make (asking Vi to become an enforcer) and she kind of ends up burning all of her bridges, irrevocably changed by her trauma. Which, y'know, fair. At the same time, Vi is dealing with the death of "Powder", finally giving into Ekko's philosophy and vowing to hunt down her sister, which she isn't really able to do without Caitlyn there as a guiding light because Vi is fragile as it is, so when that relationship implodes, she throws herself into the deep end to avoid having to actually think about anything. That's interrupted by Jinx and then both of the sisters face a twisted version of their father, Vander, and try to process that.

Viktor is one of the most difficult ones because his story is so deepy intertwined with Jayce's, they have separate arcs but they are woven so closely together that they are nearly impossible to discuss without mentioning the other. Viktor is fatally injured by Jinx's missile and Jayce breaks his promise to destroy the Hexcore and using said Hexcore to save Viktor's life. This is two different sides of the "consequences of death" because one, Jayce's actions are the consequences of Viktor's temporary death, he acted rashly and in desperation, in a successful attempt to save Viktor's life but on the other hand, it gets into the consequences of death because, why was Viktor saved instead of anyone else, such as one of the council members? Why save Viktor instead of Caitlyn's mother? The consequences of Viktor's death was Jayce once again showing how devoted he is to Viktor specifically, against all odds, and choosing to defy death for someone he loves, which against the natural order of things and directly sets off a series of events that Heimerdinger warned of, and also, that Viktor was scared of.

When he returns, Viktor is himself but he is influenced heavily by the Hexcore, at the same time. He isolates himself and creates the utopia he dreamed of making with Hextech thanks to the powers of his Hexcore. He drives Jayce away on purpose, at first, but the more people who are added to the Hexcore, the more detached he becomes and the less he is trying to distance himself from Jayce. Jayce goes through the whole multiverse shenanigans and comes back grimy and determined to stop Viktor.

The arc for Jayce and Viktor in this season kind of mirrors Vi and Jinx, a bit, with the way that Jayce keeps choosing Viktor over and over, similarly to Vi choosing Jinx over and over, and like Vi hunting down Jinx, Jayce has a period where he turns against Viktor. At the same time, it's different, because it's almost as if this is the same arc that Jinx and Vi could have had if Vi did shoot Caitlyn and play along with Jinx's rules, because Jayce is finally absorbed into the Hexcore with everyone else and resolves most of Viktor's conflict by not giving up on Viktor. By choosing Viktor over everything else. By telling Viktor that even if he can't achieve his dreams, that doesn't make him broken, that his imperfections make him beautiful.

Ekko's story around the themes, I think, is more about the way that the butterfly effect works, how little choices make a big different, and how things could have gone if only things were different, as seen in his multiverse episode. That ties into the consequences of death via showing what could have happened if Vi were the one who died instead of Vander, how that would have impacted their family and their relationships, how it changed the trajectory of the plot overall. Additionally, Ekko is one of the characters grappling with the most grief at the very end, having lost Heimerdinger, who was a mentor to him, and Jinx, who he loved.

It's fascinating how Ekko's story shows specifically his response to loss (Heimerdinger) was to take action, make a practical choice. But also, he latches onto one of the most important people in his life who is still alive, Jinx, and while he is focused on saving the world, he's devoting a lot of effort to restoring Jinx, too, which isn't exactly the most practical decision he could be making. Jinx is notorious for her volatility and Ekko has seen that first hand, yet, he pulls her out of the gutter and will not let her give up. So, while he's more tertiary when it comes to sacrifice plots (Jinx and Heimerdinger) but when it comes to love and the consequences of death, he's pretty focal, as his story ends up largely being about his love for Jinx, his love for the world, and how he deals with Jinx's death and Heimerdinger's death.

I don't want to talk about Heimerdinger I don't like him I don't care.

I could talk about Mel and her relationship with her mother as well, the way it parallels Caitlyn's relationship with her mother, but this post is long enough as it is, so if I talk about that, I'm saving that for another day.

[fletcher-fr]

I had an ask about Sybil and Lumin regarding how they met and what kind of magic Lumin is afraid of but I accidentally deleted it -.- I don’t remember who it was that asked but here is the response! You opened up a whole can of worms my friend, I hope you enjoy c:

-

I wound up writing a whole thing about them meeting, which you can read below, but the answer to the other question is Lumin is scared of most magic but especially Arcane and Beastclans magic. The only kind he feels relatively safe around is Nature magic like Sybil’s.

As for your first question…

-

The roaring of the waves and rain had Sybil wide awake that night. The wind during storms like this created even more cacophony in the caves beneath the Fletching palace. Normally the bogsneak had a few simple spells to keep the noise out, but this particular storm was too powerful, and waves crashing up the edges of the tunnel entrances kept sweeping her crystals out to sea. So she curled up in the darkness and tried to tell herself to appreciate the sounds. It crossed her mind once or twice that her sister Dibella would probably welcome her with open arms if she went upstairs for warmth and silence, but the thought of the light and the society made her skin crawl.

That sensation was nothing compared to the pang of fear when a long moan carried itself deep into the caves in the middle of the night.

Sybil started, her heart beginning to race. She stared out into the darkness, trying to seek the source of the sound. Suddenly a scratching and scrabbling echoed about, followed by another moan.

Her protective instincts flared into motion. Her water gardens were just beginning to flourish, and she wouldn’t have some great bat or sea creature destroying them. What else would find its way here during a storm like this? She crept low along the ground as she moved toward sounds, frills flat on her neck and fangs bared.

But as she rounded the corner, the creature she found was much larger than she had expected. She shot back into the darkness, heart kickstarting again. Nearly three times her size… She peeked between the stalagmites to examine it. Thrashing on the wet floor of the cave, sea-spray dripping from his wings and saltwater spilling up behind him, was a ridgeback.

He was ludicrously attractive, too.

Sybil almost hissed at herself for thinking it. What, him?, she could hear Dibella laughing. She would wrinkle her nose then. He’s so strange. You have the oddest tastes, Sybil. I could find you someone much more handsome.

The stranger lifted up his head. His eyes glowed so brilliantly blue that he might have been a Lightning dragon, but his gills and the delicate webbing between his toes revealed him to be from Water. His neck was so long…

“Please,” he said hoarsely. “I can hear you. Please help me, whoever you are.”

Sybil held her breath. A quiet sob racked the stranger. He flapped his waterlogged wings uselessly against the floor. “Please,” he whispered. “Something tore into me… I can’t feel my legs…”

Even as he said it, the scent of blood hit Sybil’s nose. She hadn’t recognized it at first, with the salt of the bay water, but there was a lot of it. Cursing herself, she slowly padded out from behind the corner again. This time, the ridgeback saw her. A look of relief crossed his face before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

-

It had taken all of Sybil’s composure to fetch Mayura without causing a scene, which included avoiding both of her sisters, because of course either one of them would have made a commotion over it if they heard. But the skydancer, luckily, understood Sybil’s disposition. She followed Sybil into the damp caves without question. Whatever had caught the ridgeback, she assured, hadn’t been venomous. The numbness had come from the trauma of being battered by the waves. He would recover quickly with a little help. She had given a sleeping draught and bandaged up the stranger, but said that in his draconic form she wouldn’t be able to take him up to her clinic; he would need to stay down here in the caves.

Sybil didn’t mind all that much.

Over the next few days, with Mayura’s occasional help, she watched over the strange ridgeback, making sure that he didn’t move too much in his sleep or disturb the bandages. He woke up on occasion, but his conversation was sparse and muddled. “Thank you,” he kept saying, and “I’ll repay you somehow.” Once, he fixed his tired gaze on her and said, “I’m glad it was you.”

Eventually she managed to get a name out of him–Lumin–and over the course of a few days discovered that he had been separated from his clan during a scuffle that broke out in a Wavecrest celebration, and been swept out to sea. “It’s probably for the best,” he’d said at one point. “I had been hoping for some way to escape. This just… wasn’t what I’d been planning.” He laughed then, and Sybil’s stomach did a little cartwheel.

-

Once he was awake and able to move around, Lumin insisted that he help Sybil with her water gardening. In bipedal form, his fingers were long and delicate, perfectly suited for fishing out the spindly strangling plants that plagued Sybil’s lilies. He seemed perfectly content to stay in the caves, and when he made no mention of leaving even when the bandages were gone, Sybil didn’t bring it up, either.

From then on, it was like he was her little secret. None of the Fletching clan but Mayura knew him, and neither did he know them. As they got to know each other, Sybil found herself telling him things she couldn’t bear to say to others; her struggles with her sister, her childhood memories of the Viridian Labyrinth… she even began reading him some of her favorite books. It was easy to talk to him. And in turn, he confided in her as well. She learned that he had suffered abuses from two of the women in his previous clan, that he loved water and darkness almost as much as she, and that he had a wonderfully grim sense of humor. The caves beneath the clan, with the water gardens and Sybil’s library, were a haven for just the two of them.

But Sybil found herself more and more attracted by both Lumin’s looks and personality as time went by. She had learned to keep up at least a decent facade though, living with her sisters, and pretended that it didn’t make her heart skip a beat whenever he combed through his hair to tie it up, or stuck his tongue between his teeth in concentration as he carefully moved her magic lanterns to light the gardens. He only spotted her staring once, when he came back from fishing with his shirt clinging to his skin and water dripping over his shoulders, but he’d merely given her a lopsided smile and hurried over to clean and store the fish.

Physical closeness was something that was already familiar to them by this point. Lumin hadn’t been able to complain at Sybil’s hands working salves into his skin and applying his bandages at the beginning, and being in such close quarters meant that Sybil became accustomed to Lumin’s touch as well. When they read in the library, they huddled together for warmth, sharing whatever book they’d picked between them.

One particular night, they were reading a classic romance, one by a mildly famous Light writer. Sybil had read and enjoyed it before, but this time she found herself growing increasingly frustrated as they went along. Lumin seemed to pick up on it, because eventually he tugged the book out of her grasp to ask what the matter was.

“It’s just… the man reminds me of Odran,” she said begrudgingly. “Dibella’s mate. He’s so cordial and romantic all the time, just like this.” She gestured to the page they’d been reading. “Kissing hands and flirting. Dibella loves it. She always goes on about how happy she is with him.”

Lumin examined her in silence for a moment, cocking his head. “Do you feel unhappy that you don’t have Odran?”

“What? No,” said Sybil, flustered. “I don’t think of him like that. It’s just… Mabel has a mate too, and they’re so happy together as well. It makes me sick seeing them cooing over each other.” She fidgeted with the edge of the shawl she was wearing, heat rising in her cheeks.

“You’re jealous,” said Lumin.

Sybil shrugged. Then she nodded. “Yes, I’m jealous,” she sighed. “Those two… they’re so… glamorous. Mabel had every suitor in the clan chasing her for months. Dibella always says she could find someone for me to be with, but I… I’m…” She gestured to herself helplessly. “I’m me.”

“Dibella doesn’t understand you well enough to find someone right for you?”

“Well, yes, but…” she fisted her hands into her shawl. “No-one would want me. It would be embarrassing. I can imagine the disappointment in their eyes when they see me.” She screwed her eyes shut. “Let’s just keep reading.”

Lumin hummed quietly but obeyed.

-

Sybil found herself avoiding Lumin after that. She despised herself for it, but his silence felt like a knife. Why should she expect him to comfort her?

Of course some part of her had hoped that he would love her, but she couldn’t expect it from him. Especially when she was so distinctly unlovable anyway, and when he had been abused before... She holed herself up in the deepest recesses of the tunnels, guilty and hating herself even more for her childish behavior.

It only came to an end when, a week after the incident in the library, Sybil awoke to the sound of her older sister’s voice. It was coming from far off, echoing down the tunnels. but the distinct intonations and coquettish laughter could not belong to anyone else. Furious, Sybil stalked down the tunnels until she came to the source.

“… down here. Oh, Sybil! What have you been keeping from all of us? Lumin says it’s been weeks!” Dibella wagged a finger disapprovingly at her, and Sybil resisted the urge to snarl at her. Lumin looked between the two, expression somewhat uncomfortable. He had taken to wearing only a light skirt when he worked in the gardens, with the edges tied together between his legs to keep it from dragging in the water, and Sybil hated the appraising way Dibella looked at his bipedal form.

“You know, there are a fair few new eligible maidens come into the clan over the last few weeks. They might take quite a liking to you! Oh, but if you like the bachelors then I have one or two in mind as well,” Dibella laughed. When she talked, she reached out to touch whomever she was talking to, and in this moment she took Lumin’s wrist in her bejeweled hand. His expression went blank, and Sybil took a step forward, knowing what the fine rings and tittering voice must remind him of.

“Leave him alone,” she said, louder than she had meant. Dibella gave her a smirk, and heat rose in her cheeks, but Sybil didn’t back down. “He doesn’t need you to play matchmaker for him.”

“Oh, fine, you spoil my fun as usual.” Dibella turned around with an exaggerated sigh, her silks swishing on the ground. Lumin and Sybil exchanged glances behind her back. “But you know, Lumin, you simply must come up to the palace and meet everyone. You’re wasting away down here! We have the most wonderful cook and baker. Why don’t you take a trip up there with me now? We could get you your own set of chambers and…”

“I’ll stay down here, thanks,” Lumin interrupted. Sybil saw his fingers trembling. “Sybil could use the help with her gardens.”

“Oh, but surely not all day…”

“Some other time, Dibella.” Lumin’s smile was forced as the bogsneak turned to reason with him.

Dibella shrugged in defeat. “Some other time,” she echoed. She cast a look at Sybil. “Don’t you harm him down here. And you should come up and visit more often. Mabel misses you.”

She ascended the stairs, and the door banged shut with a booming echo behind her.

Footsteps followed the sound, and suddenly Lumin’s arms were wrapped around Sybil. His fingers still shook as he wound them into her hair and pressed her head to his chest. She could feel his stuttering heartbeat against her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Please don’t let her take me up there, not yet… She was just like…” His voice trailed off.

“Of course not, I won’t let her,” Sybil managed. Blood was rushing to her face despite herself. She pulled him closer, suddenly realizing just how starved for his touch she had become over the last week. She had become accustomed to his warmth. They stood there just like that for a few moments, as Lumin’s heartbeat slowed. Sybil rubbed his back in soothing little circles.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you,” she said. “I was being stupid.” The anxiety of the moment loosened her tongue. “It was just how quiet you were when we were reading that book, when I told you that nobody would want me. I used to have this hope that you… that we…” she stopped herself and then laughed quietly. “It doesn’t matter. You’re safe here, that’s the most important...”

Lumin drew back to look at her, and for one horrible moment Sybil thought that she had upset him. But he looked at her face with his electric eyes, his expression screwed up into something she couldn’t read.

“Sybil... I was avoiding you because I thought… after that conversation, I thought that you didn’t see me as a... a potential mate. You talked about it like you were still searching for someone.”

Sybil stared back at him while her thoughts slowed to a halt. “Potential…?” she heard herself saying. Lumin laughed. “Wait here,” he said, and extricated himself to rush off into one of the tunnels.

Sybil simply stood there, stunned. She wrapped her arms around herself. I thought that you didn’t see me as a potential mate. Is that what he’d said? Did that mean he’d wanted her to want him that way? He’d been avoiding her? And he’d wanted to stay down here…

Her heart was leaping by the time Lumin returned, leafing through a book. It was one of Sybil’s favorites--one they’d read together. He cleared his throat.

“My thoughts linger on you dawn and dusk, my dear…” he began. Sybil clutched the end of her scarf, feeling her face growing hot again. It was a romantic speech delivered by her favorite character.

“Our time together has been of great comfort to this lowly creature. I would not replace it for all the realms of Sornieth, nor would I leave your side for anything, not gems nor treasure nor the touch of another woman.” Sybil noticed that Lumin’s cheeks were starting to get red too, his voice quieter. “I would offer myself to you… body and soul… til the… the Windsinger take us both, if you will have me.”

He shut the tome and looked at her, blushing furiously now. “It sounds a little… I should have made sure you meant what I thought you meant…”

“But you don’t… you shouldn’t… I’m just me,” Sybil said breathlessly, opening her arms for him to look at her. “I stay in the dark, I’m nothing to look at, I’m obsessed with stupid things like flowers and novels…”

“But you want me?” Lumin asked insistently. “Like the characters in this book want each other?”

“I... I...” Sybil’s heart felt very fragile in that moment, like it would melt into her ribs with the heat it was causing her. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but her words came out voiceless, so she shut her eyes and nodded instead.

“Oh, Tidelord... thank you.”

Sybil heard a thump of the book falling on the cave floor. She would have protested, but Lumin was right there in front of her. She could smell his warmth, the scent of the water flowers clinging to his skin. Suddenly he was touching her, his hands tangling in her hair again, only this time he felt hot and needy and oh gods he was right there and her heart was beating in her throat. Sybil could hear his breath getting quicker as he pulled her in. She couldn’t think...

“I want to kiss you, please let me kiss you, please, please, please,” he was whispering, even as he tipped her head up and his mouth nearly brushed hers. Sybil’s stomach twisted. It can’t be true, her mind nagged, He’s playing games. But she just couldn’t listen to it. Not as his burning eyes were so close, half-lidded as he begged her to kiss him. She leaned up into him.

A little groan escaped Lumin as their lips closed together. He gathered her up in his arms, hands winding into her clothes as he tugged her so close it almost hurt. But she didn’t care; he was there, he felt so good, and it was obvious how much he wanted her. His lips were frantic. He was burning hot as he clung to her. 

“Lumin,” she sighed into his mouth, and it only stoked the flames. With a soft, needy sound, he parted his lips. When she didn’t draw back, he surged forward, taking her lower lip and sucking on it. He rolled it between his teeth and Sybil’s knees nearly gave out. 

Finally the kiss broke as she clung to him for support not to simply collapse on the floor. She rested her forehead against his collar and he ran his hands up and down her back, chest heaving.

“That was... intense,” Sybil finally managed. 

Lumin’s chest bounced as he laughed. “I’m sorry... you’re not upset, are you?”

“Gods, no.”

“Good.” 

He shifted and wound his arms around her more carefully this time, kissing her hair over and over again. “I’m so glad it was you who saved me,” he murmured.