#arcane analysis

[oxenfreeao3]

I need Caitlyn “if I cannot become ungovernable I will become the government” Kiramman to have a full-on Machiavellian anti-hero arc so that The General Public finally takes her seriously.

Analysis:

I've mentioned it before, but Caitlyn's character embodies nearly all the traits of a Machiavellian with high cognitive empathy.

Firstly and most obviously, she manipulates systems and people to accomplish her goals. Vi would still be in Stillwater and much of Act II and III would not have happened if Caitlyn weren't willing to cleverly and unscrupulously lie and forge her way to success.

We can argue she's not a very good liar. I argue that doesn't really matter. One, her lies work. Two, she is clearly ready and willing to deceive so long as she thinks it's for a good reason. The inclination is what matters. I think the important question to ask is, "What is this character willing do to?"

Secondly, she's huge on agency. It's one of the main features of her character. She demonstrates (from the five-factor model): achievement-striving, assertiveness, self-confidence, emotional invulnerability, activity, and competence.

Regarding emotional invulnerability. I want to touch on this because I think it's missed. Caitlyn is an extremely guarded character. She reveals almost no personal information about herself, even to Vi. During high-stress situations, she flinches from her own vulnerability, tries to play it off, or compartmentalizes heavily.

Vi is the bleeding heart, the open book, the one who can't guard worth a damn (it's not even subtext, other characters say this to her face and I believe it has a dual meaning).

Meanwhile, Caitlyn waits until Vi is vulnerable with her and shows her respect before even giving Vi her name. (I have more to say about the "Cupcake" scene but that's for another time).

Other aspects of a Machiavellian character include:

Cynicism, selfishness, callousness, arrogance, deliberation and orderliness.

I argue that Caitlyn's character hints at the first one, gets away with the next three because she's "sweet," and blatantly embodies the last two.

Caitlyn in S1 is a sharp edge sheathed in kindness. We like what she's currently doing and think she's a Good Person because her trajectory aligns with our own sense of right and wrong. But Caitlyn is doing what she wants. What she thinks is right. Again, it's not subtext.

Marcus: "She does whatever she wants, I can't control her!"

And in S2, I think the same behaviors we currently love in her could easily be used to spin her down a corruption arc that leaves us a bit aghast -- but shouldn't leave us surprised.

I argue such an arc would be squarely in character.

Paraphrasing from the AMA:

"Everyone is a little bit opposite of who they are in Season One."

What will that mean for Caitlyn?

I don't know, but the recipe for a very interesting time is written all over her character.

[not-a-font]

Something I find neat about Silco and Jinx is how Jinx was made in fire

While Silco was made in water

And this reflects very clearly into their personalities.

Silco's calm, powerful, and adaptable.

On the surface it's calm blue waters but underneath he's the current that guides the ship that is the under city.

And trying to cross him is like going against a hurricane. You can try to fight a force of nature, but really the only result will be drowning.

Meanwhile, Jinx is loud, explosive, and chaotic.

She has a creative spark that she channels through her weapons and art, and all of it is unabashedly bright with explosions and neon colors.

Emotionally she fluctuates and grabs onto any fuel that comes her way. One moment she's a candle and the next she's a wildfire and you can never predict which one you will get.

But then the show runners swap the roles with visual design.

Silco's got a red and gold color motif, a scar that looks like a burn, and an orange eye.

Jinx has long blue hair and tattoos that look almost like waves.

Silco's water, but looks like fire, and Jinx is fire, but looks like water.

[blue-blugs]

Thinking abt how Arcane writes the dynamics of little sibling insecurity/older sister prodigy. How they situate Violet and Powder near Mylo such that it's necessary for Vi to constantly and hastily defend Powder every time he comments on her limitations or else it'll destroy Powder, even if he's right. How Vi protects as though it were her job. How Powder struggles with feeling inferior to Vi, but we as an audience know she's inferior to Vi, because we agree with her when she tells Powder not to go with her to save Vander. How all of this leads to Powder becoming intertwined with Silco because of course she would; he sees her as genuinely better than Vi and fosters a competent, dangerous alter-ego for her: Jinx. How could it not play out like this? All inevitable based on who the characters are with and where they are situated in a given moment

[luixiv]

So, the pic of Machine Herald Viktor from Bridging the Rift has been sitting in my brain for past couple of days and simply refusing to leave. Therefore, as an attempt to appease my very much obsessed brain and make him to shut up, I went and tried to figure out just how tall he actually will be (give or take cca 10 cm/4 inches, the picture is really blurry and hard to determine where the top of his head is). So, to anyone as obsessed as me with this man or anyone that would be simply interested, I present to you my little moment of analysis fuelled by insanity, lack of sleep and my never ending obsession. Enjoy!

(As a side note, since I’m accustomed to using metric units and imperial units are little bit foreign to me, I used Google to convert them. So if there are any mistakes my converting please tell me so I can correct it. Also, if I’m wrong in my maths anywhere or anywhere else actually, please correct on that too.)

Alright, first we need to determine where the top of MH head is. This was a bit tricky since like I said the image is very blurry, so I had to guess a little bit. But with the help of this picture

we can approximately trace the silhouette of MH. Albeit bit crude and with the Hexclaw missing a joint (there should be 3 [if he is using the model we saw in ep 4], but I couldn’t make the last one out, maybe it’s even folded behind his back, honestly I don’t know) we can make out his hand and shoulders, staff, Hexclaw and shoulder pauldron and his head.

With approximate location of his head known, we now can compare MH’s and Vik’s height. So how tall is human Viktor? Well, looking at the height chart posted by Arcane’s twitter the answer seems to be strait forward.

But it’s actually not. Vik and Mel are written to be 172 cm (5 feet 8 inches), but looking at them, they are not the same height on this picture. First the line which symbolizes 172 cm (5 feet 8 inches) is touching the top of Mel’s head but coming through Viktor’s (I get that he has a fluffy hair, but still, it’s a bit too low). Second his forehead, chin, mouth and eyes are higher too. So, he is a little bit taller. But how much? 2 cm (0.79 inches) if we account for his fluffy hair or 4 cm (1.57 inches) if we don’t.

(Dark red lines symbolize 170 cm [5 feet 7 inches], 180 cm [5 feet 11] and 190 cm [6 feet 3 inches] respectively. I had to add them since they weren't marked, only the nubers were written, but they didn't correspond to any red or white lines. And blue line is 174 cm [5 feet 8 and ½ inches]).

So, Viktor is 174 cm (5 feet 8 and ½ inches) to 176 cm tall (5 feet 9 inches). With this information in mind, we can now compare Vik and MH and calculate MH’s height.

If Viktor is 174 cm tall:

174 cm = 10 units

1 unit = 17.4 cm

their difference is 2 units = 34.8 cm

174 + 34.8 = 208.8 cm rounded to 209 cm

Machine Herald would be then 209 cm (6 feet 10 inches).

If Viktor is 176 cm tall:

2 units = 35.2 cm

176 + 35.2 = 211.2 cm rounded to 211 cm.

Machine Herald would be then 211 cm (6 feet 11 inches).

In other words, absolute unit. Giant even. He is hiding some huge platforms/stilettos in the suit of his. Viktor in his girl boss era. Bless him. I’m jealous honestly. He looked at Jayce and rest of Piltover and went: “Taller than me? Absolutely not. Over my dead body!” I love him so much.

[bringthekaos]

In one the AMA with the writers from Arcane (I think it was Christian Linke but I'm not sure), said that one of the keys to building their characters respective narrative arcs was to "forcing them to make an impossible choice between two things they can't sacrifice" (for example, Silco having to pick between Jinx and Zaun; Marcus choice between protecting his daughter and keeping the peace between the cities vs exposing himself; Vi between Cait and Jinx)

Makes me wonder, what is going to be the "impossible choice" for Viktor and Jayce next season? 🤔🤔

Ouch, this one’s gunna hurt… (TW suicide mention)

I think Viktor kinda sorta already faced it. Or the beginning of it, anyway. The first choice—to die. To give up fighting. To lose everything. To leave this world before he made a mark on it, helped the people he set out to help. Or to survive his terminal illness, take back control, but with the knowledge that he cost Sky her life, and in so doing made the one critical error he never meant to make. To quote Heimerdinger himself, “no great science should ever put lives in danger.” He would always know that, in order to live, he had to sacrifice the very foundation of who he is—“to improve lives, not to take them.”

And we saw him choose option 3. Death, on his own terms. But Jayce stopped him, and I think it’s only going to lead to more destruction of Viktor’s psyche. He’s going to lose everything, possibly be banished by his lover only friend. And I think the ensuing rage and grief will swing him to choose the other option; life, on his own terms. Life that makes him sacrifice who he is. But at that point, I think he’s going to realize that who he was… is already dead. He already lost everything. So taking that final step toward becoming the Machine Herald won’t even be a hard one.

And as for Jayce, I really do think it’s going to revolve around Viktor. What Viktor did will likely come to light—his self-experimentation (which I foresee them calling ‘mutilation’), drug smuggling, and the subsequent killing of Sky. It’s a violation of their ethos, and in the wake of Jinx’s attack, what remains of the council will want their pound of flesh. And I’m assuming Jayce will still be the de-facto head of the council, so it’ll all come down to him.

I don’t think Piltover has a death penalty… so the options will likely be Stillwater Prison or banishment. But Viktor has a lot of knowledge of Hextech, knowledge that I foresee the council wanting to keep out of Zaun. So they will all lean for Stillwater. But Jayce still cares about Viktor, he understands why he did what he did, even if he doesn’t condone it. He wants to protect Viktor, wants to give him a chance. And this leaves him with an impossible choice—send his lover partner to Stillwater Prison, where he will suffer before eventually dying in there, locked away and all alone. Or… banishment. Equally grim, but Zaun is resourceful, they have Chemtech and body mods… maybe someone can help him, maybe someone can save him.

So he banishes his lover best friend.

But I do have a theory on this—Viktor will know how this judgement is going to play out long before the verdict. He knows the council, and… he knows Jayce. He’s seen how Jayce bends to them, how he allows himself to be cowed and corrupted by the pressure. And unfortunately, he’s seen how wrong he was to think “Jayce will understand.”

So he will probably sneak into the lab, steal the Hexclaw and the Hexcore, and leave for Zaun of his own volition. If he can’t trust his partner and lover best friend, then he can trust only one person. Himself.

[khaotic-neutrxl]

I kinda think that Jinx, because she worried about being weak ("he thinks i'm weak") tried to have a strong approach to things, as in through appearing with strength and violence...

And since she's really influenced by the past as Jinx, I feel that she would really show that strength with the Vi she knew in mind, because she was someone she looked up to so much in strength/character when she was Powder.

this scene literally shows visions of vi with her movements lololol

I mean, Powder had no other related family other than Vi really. So it wouldn't be surprising if she based parts of herself off of Vi's influence.

Even her appearance after becoming "Jinx" sorta has a lot of references to Vi in their childhood.

Ex:

Vi when she was And Powder

a kid

And then Jinx,

who looks a little

like someone now...

Now with her hair brushed back, and bangs moved fully to her right. Like they were done with Vi in mind (or at least influenced by), the image of her she remembered throughout her developmental years. The strongest image being when she called her "Jinx".

COMPLETELY different to the style she had as Powder, except for the metal pieces.

So I feel like if she felt the need to prove strength to Silco, she would go off what has always been a symbol of strength to her.

In this case Vi, since it shows her looking up to her, mirroring, admiring the strength she wanted to emulate. To help and make her proud.

In her own way, she shaped "Jinx" more around Vi, who created Jinx.

And for her sharpness, that can definitely be from Silco, the man who basically raised her all those years her and Vi were separated. Raised her off violence, a darker, more violent approach to the world. Enabling her developing destructive nature.

Almost like he also learned that from someone.

Anyways that's my rant about Arcane because my tism doesn't rest ✌️ Hope you enjoyed! This is purely an analysis/interpretation/theory thing!

(update: an extension of this post)

[friskarm]

caitlyn is such a great character because she is such an unrelenting, unyielding force of kindness

and i do use that word specifically because you look at caitlyn and think "oh, she's just really good, lawful good or neutral good" and that is very true, caitlyn very much believes in doing the right thing and doing right by people but so does vi. so does vander.

caitlyn is distinct from the two of them because her approach is to solve the problems piltover has caused with kindness.

we see her demonstrate this again and again what with her trading over her gun for vi's medicine, hugging huck when she hears his story, looking after vi when vi goes and gets herself injured -- and then her speech to ekko really cements it. this city needs healing, is what she says. not fixing, not changing, but healing, which is such a profoundly objective and kind way to look at the situation.

caitlyn could have done a lot of things in zaun that would be less than kind that still would have benefited her goals and her cause, but she continually chooses not to aggress (for the most part) and instead to listen and learn, because she is demonstrably wrong about a lot of things in zaun.

vi leaving her behind in a brothel is forgiven, ekko's kidnapping of them is forgiven, and even her interactions with jinx bely this -- she trusts in vi's judgement when her instincts are telling her otherwise, and her only protest is "she's too far gone" -- not "she's dangerous" or "she needs to pay" or anything like that. even after everything jinx has done, justifiable or not, caitlyn still implicitly understands that jinx is one of the people piltover has let down. she's not chasing her down for justice. she's trying to minimise harm.

in vi's position, being someone who's whole thing is about being a protector -- why wouldn't you fall for all of that?

it breaks my heart a little to hear caitlyn pleading in the season 2 teaser with vi to accompany her to track down jinx. it makes it sound a little like vi has given up on her -- but caitlyn hasn't.

[deltadex]

Something I'd like to talk about is how some argue that "Vi is being hypocritical. How can she team up with an Enforcer when her parents were killed by them?" and "her and Caitlyn's relationship progressed too quickly because Vi is supposed to have a lot more resentment for those from Piltover, the people who have oppressed her her whole life". I understand these views. But the way I see it, the whole point of their relationship is about overcoming personal biases.

And let's not forget that, in Episode 8, Vi actually did bring their relationship progression to a halt, DUE TO her personal bias/insecurities that say the Undercity and Piltover will never be able to work together. The writers didn't ignore that aspect.

I think they did a great job of conveying Vi's internal struggle towards accepting Caitlyn as an ally. At one point in her mind, she must have run out of excuses to distrust her, because Caitlyn keeps proving them wrong. It's a hard thing for Vi to wrap her head around, but she's wise enough to see that Cait has good intentions.

In the end, I think they showed a nice balance of "Vi being cynical towards Caitlyn" and "Vi realising Caitlyn is an inherently good person". You could say the same thing about Caitlyn and her initial doubts of Vi's trustworthiness. This is why I love their dynamic, because it encourages them to grow as individuals and see past their preconceived notions.

GIF by orphanmaker

Another hot topic of debate is that of Vi becoming an enforcer herself, which is slathered with the same critique: "How could she given her backstory?". But the important point people are missing is that Vi isn't going to become the type of enforcer that kills innocent people out of pure ruthlessness. She's not going to be an "asshole criminal" in a "fancy uniform". She's going to become an enforcer in order to HELP those in the undercity and PROTECT her sister. Is she really being hypocritical if what she's doing aligns with her own values? It's simply the external image that seems controversial: Oh look! A Zaunite has betrayed their own people by becoming a Piltover Enforcer. But once you dig deeper, you see that her loyalties lie in the right place.

Another point to mention is that we don't even know how the story is going to go about this. Is she going to join the current system of enforcers out of the urgent need to protect her sister? (I don't really see how that would be possible though, unless Jayce appoints Caitlyn as the new Sheriff and Vi accompanies her as a "collaborater" rather than an "enforcer".)

Or maybe they're going to be playing the long game and have Vi and Caitlyn reform the enforcers first before she officially joins them. Either way, they'll be seeking to bring about justice in their broken world.

By thinking that "all enforcers are inherently bad", you would be projecting the very same bias that people from the Undercity have towards Piltover (which is justified to a large extent because of how they've been treated). But what wouldn't make sense is to continually see an enforcer as corrupt even after they've proven themselves different.

[tiger-is-a-certified-idiot]

Hey [fairly long] little Arcane something I’ve never seen anyone point out��

VIKTOR IS JUST AS EGOTISTICAL AS JAYCE IS!

(And I can prove it)

.

.

.

Showing this is the entire point of Sky’s existence in the show…she was always there for him, there was always another person who wanted to be there with him, but he never noticed because he was always to focused on himself.

Then, when he’s finally an adult, he claims his life’s dream is to “make the world a better place” and that the work he is doing is to help the undercity. But before any of that, it’s “do you think it was my life’s dream to become an assistant?”

And it is worth noting at that point, that Sky is Still There. She follows him all the way to the top, and he still doesn’t notice. Instead he, entirely in his own interest, seeks out Jayce. Someone he has never met or talked to before, simply because his story intrigued him.

Sure, Jayce signed every page of his notes, he assumed he was a moral exception to the city’s safety regulations, he thought a little speech could change the councilor’s minds, he abandoned his work for his girlfriend.

But Viktor isn’t a selfless martyr, and id argue he’s really not much better than Jayce. He worked his way out of the undercity because he “believed in himself,” not in his city nor his family, he wanted to prove HIMSELF. And he did, and it wasn’t enough for him. So he decided he was a moral exception to breaking and entering laws. And what do you know, that wasn’t enough. He kept raising the bar. True, he didn’t go on stage, but it’s because his ego doesn’t involve his image the way it does for Jayce. He doesn’t care who knows his face, but not having his invention shown was brutal to him. It isn’t enough. Eventually he realized he’s dying and immediately decided he would pour every ounce of his life into extending it rather than going out with a bang. He manages to kill Sky, symbolically proving just how little other people mattered to him compared to his own life. When he pours out her ashes, he talks to Heimerdinger, and he’s starting to realize just how badly he fucked up. But all he can find to talk to the professor about is the unfairness of death and the professor’s opinion on his own contributions. Not his and Jayce’s, or on Humanity’s or anything like that. At the end of his rope he still can’t let go of this overwhelming fear that he hasn’t done enough. It’s always personal.

Breakdown of their final scene:

Now this is why I love that final scene with Jayce and Viktor sitting in the skull-shaped pipe above the gorge Viktor grew up playing in. Viktor sees the place he had never thought was good enough somehow drained of all the life and color he hadn’t noticed was there. And Jayce, more afraid of death than anything else in the world, is sitting above a valley symbolically teeming with it. And they both finally come to the end of their egotist character arcs. It’s no longer Did I Do Enough. It’s no longer How Do I Fix This. It’s “We lost ourselves, We lost our dream, in the pursuit of Great, we failed to do Good.” They realize they’ve both fucked up, together. They’ve both been terrible, together. They know that nothing, not one thing they have done to this world has improved it. They are killers, egotists, villains. Their dreams are dead and their visions of their lives and of themselves are dead. Yes, Viktor is dying too, but I don’t think that’s the point. They set themselves the one task of saving lives and all they managed to do was kill.

So they, now changed men, make a vow. They’re going to make it right. Or Viktor does, anyway. But Jayce promises him he’ll destroy the hexcore which I think could mayyyybe possibly mean he’s tied himself into the promise as well i Sincerely Hope.

Have they made up? Yes, I think they have. They are not naive anymore at the very least and are going to handle both their relationship and their respective jobs responsibly and like adults. Does this mean they will manage it? I doubt it, to be honest. If we do end up getting the Machine Herald in any similar way to League, Jayce does have to be his narrative foil, and I don’t think the little moments of going behind each other’s backs and doing things the other wouldn’t approve of + their bridge argument are going to just not affect their relationship. I would be incredibly surprised if the Divorce doesn’t happen. Will they resolve it? No idea. I haven’t decided if I’m in camp Arcane Will Have a Good Ending or Arcane Will Have a Bad Ending yet. Either way, I do hope their relationship stays layered and complex and that they never lose respect and admiration for each other. They are narratively Two Halves of a Whole and it would honestly break my heart if they were to stop being written that way. I do hope they make up in the end, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Thank you for reading! I am aware that my analysis are very opinion oriented and not particularly objective at all, I enjoy sharing my interpretation of the show as much as I can. That being said, there is a lot of room for discussion here because it’s all opinions, and I would love to hear yours. <33

[jinxedavenuethoughts]

Arcane Analysis : Jinx didn't actually change.

I was thinking about the moment where Vi tells Ekko she can save Powder and that made me realize this was a thing I struggled understanding while watching the show for the first time.

Because there is no one to be saved.

A lot of the show is about Jinx and others accepting her new self, her new personality.

And that's something I struggled to understand because Jinx actually didn't really change?

She just grew up.

She tried to fight as a child, and she grew up and trained, so she became better at fighting.

She used to try to build explosives as a child, she grew up, and succeeded because she kept trying.

She used to fight bad people, and she still does !

Like she literally threw a bomb at a child on ep1, it just didn't work. But she did throw an explosive at a child, because he was a villain in her head. She even did that again on ep3, and it did work this time, just a little too well-

She grew up with Silco telling her how bad Piltover is for Zaun, struggling with enforcers and firelights to sell shimmer. Of course enforcers and firelights became the bad people for her, and yes she kept fighting and throwing explosives at bad people. Without any empathy for them, yes, but she didn't as a child either (you could say she didn't show much empathy because she was a child, but you're still affected by violence even at 8, she just doesn't show empathy for ''bad people'').

Yes she did change her name, but it seems that it's more a way to distance herself from her past, she's not a whole new person, she just wants to distance herself from what hurts her the most, she tries to escape her past, that's it. Powder just reminds her of her childhood and so of that night, it reminds her of everybody she had and that she lost there, including her sister.

And if we're speaking of her hearing voices and dissociating, that's literally the consequences of her traumas. She's not a new person because of PTSD or any other mental illness she's suffering from.

I understand Vi's point of view now, who wants to bring back her little sister who wouldn't harm anybody, but she didn't harm anybody as a child just because she failed. There's actually nobody to bring back, no Powder to be saved, no kind girl to bring out of Jinx, she literally is the same person. She attacks just as much. She makes the same explosives, she still wants to fight, she just grew up, so now, her attacks work.

I of course also understand Jinx pov because nobody accepts her ''new her'' (but Silco), but actually nobody just accepts the fact that now her plans work ?

They all see Powder as a harmless, kind but smart girl who loves playing and laughing with her friends. But she is still kind to the people that are kind to her mind (Silco, ''Chuck'' for example), she still loves to play (see the moments where she plays with Silco eye thing in EP 4, even the paint bomb at ''Chuck'' is a joke to her), she laugh less, because she lost everything, has deep traumas and actually she just doesn't have any reason to smile or laugh, but she still loves creating things (mostly explosives actually) exactly as she did as a child, the explosive she made back then didn't work, so that made her harmless. That's it.

Just wanted to write this because I feel like lot of people see Jinx and Powder as whole different persons, and even if that's what Jinx would have liked, I really think they aren't and feel like we often forgets that she does the exact same things Powder used to do, she just became better at it.

[oxenfreeao3]

Arcane is such a masterwork of trope subversion it’ll have us thinking Vi rejects authority when in fact she defers to it almost every time.

(In this vein, Caitlyn is her perfect inverse. It seems her primary directive is to become ungovernable.)

[shimmerofstars]

Upon rewatch, Arcane actually has two layers with regards to Jayce, Mel and Viktor. The framing of the show suggests one thing, and depicts another. Watching Viktor cough up blood in between Mel and Jayce making out makes the whole experience uncomfortable at best and suggests Jayce is choosing Mel over Viktor or his science work, especially when later, Jayce going to Mel for comfort over Viktor's prognosis fades from this (Jayce laying on Mel's lap):

To this (Viktor sitting alone in front of hextech mixed with his blood):

except...

Jayce was with Viktor, spending time with Viktor by his bed at the hospital right before he went to Mel for emotional support.

And that scene where Jayce makes love with Mel? That's literally in the middle of the night- the stars are out. He's not at work because he's not on work hours. He's not choosing anyone over anything, he's having a romantic life and events outside of his work while also maintaining his friendships.

Or the framing of this scene in episode 5:

Jayce: Yesterday's smuggling fiasco was nothing. These manifests are full of discrepancies, dating back months.

Viktor: This is a poor use of out time.

Jayce: I'm a councilor now, Viktor. It's my responsibility to make sure the hexgates are safe and protected.

Viktor: What about our pledge to improve lives, for those in need? For the undercity?

Jayce: [sighs] Look, I'm sorry I didn't announce our other projects in my speech. Soon we can do everything we-

Viktor: Soon? There are people who need our help now, Jayce.

Which can be interpreted as Jayce thinks trade discrepancies are of equal or more pressing concern than the lives of those in the undercity or that Jayce is prioritizing the lives of future citizens over the people he could help now, except...

Before Mel suggests that Jayce, a scientist who's familiar with the technology and is proficient enough in social situations and public speaking that Heimderdinger allowed him to give the annual Progress Day speech, should be elevated to the position of councilor and specifically given the responsibility of tracking down the person who stole the hexgem, the two options were:

a) do nothing about the fact that the hexgem, which is extremely powerful and can power almost anything (including weaponry) has been stolen by someone willing to kill six people to get it

or

b) shut down everything powered by the hexgems so that they can't be accessed by the thief until they find the missing hexgem

The council controls all of the activities of hextech and has the ability to control if, when and how the technology is used, which would include the distribution of hextech into the hands of the people. Considering the fact that the council is already highly wary of magic and currently believes that the stolen hexgem will likely be used as a superweapon, there is a zero percent chance that the council would approve of mass producing hextech to distribute to the people, especially for people of the undercity, who the council likely perceives as inherently more dangerous or less worthy, or both. Jayce being a councilor and taking his duties as councilor seriously gives hextech its only chance at independence (as Mel put it: "With that comes the potential to shape your own destiny") and distribution to the people living in the undercity. Which would only be possible if 1. Jayce gives the council the reassurance they need that the technology will be safe in the people's hands by addressing or catching the thief and 2. Jayce having a vote himself increases the chances that a motion to distribute the technology would get passed. Meaning that Jayce needs to take his duties as councilor seriously to achieve his and Viktor's dreams of helping the people, and he is just as concerned as Viktor is. Even if Jayce gave up his councilor duties/work to achieve the ultimate form of hextech with Viktor (like Viktor wanted him to) that's the perfect medicine/healing technology, it wouldn't mean anything if none of it could get to the people because the council believes it's too dangerous.

Anyways I just can't quite figure out why Arcane is sort of framing Jayce as someone who's prioritizes Mel/his councilor work over Viktor/helping the people while showing that Jayce's councilor work is important to helping people and dedicating multiple scenes to show that Jayce does hangout with/work with Viktor.

[nikolaiar]

I always find it so ironic that in the scene where Slico is talking about how Vander tried to drown him, he says “…and all while this question lingers before you, have you had enough?”

He decided that no, he didn’t, he wanted to keep living. He made his choice.

But on the scene on the bridge, Jinx makes her choice too.

Yet Silco can’t let her die. Even though throughout the whole show, Silco has always wanted Jinx to choose, or atleast stated he did. He even went as far as to mimic when he had to make this choice, (when he “baptized” her ((couldn’t think of another way to put it lol))

But when she chose the option he didn’t, he couldn’t handle it.

So he made the choice for her. I think this is when we should’ve known he’d never give over Jinx for the nation of zaun.

This scene symbolizes that he’s willing to betray his principles for love. The principles he’s murdered and done horrible things for don’t matter when it comes to Jinx.

Anyways this has probably been mentioned before but these characters aren’t the only ones who’ve “had to face a choice like that.”

Other characters that come to mind are;

Viktor

Vi and Caitlyn (they are tied together)

Vander

Ekko (debatable)

[mariabrightmoon]

Progress day

"Have y any idea what you ve done?!

Actually... I do"

Tea party

"Sheesh I m not THAT crazy"

Just realised... jinx is always expected to be even crazier than she truly is, even by her loved ones. Seen an analysis of the tea party, there s a theory that Jinx was trying to test if Vi believed the rumors abt her and expected the worst from her.

[bringthekaos]

I saw an ask about Viktor being Piltover’s example of a meritocracy working, and you answered with a bit on how inaccessible Piltover is, and wanted to give a HC that’s related.

Viktor likes going outside. He’s not great in front of crowds, especially if he’s already stressed, like in the show, but in general he’s fine taking with people. But everything in Piltover is difficult to get to. Every grand hall or meeting has large, smooth stair ways that his crutch won’t hold on. Every bar is crowded with furniture to make it feel ‘homey.’ Even the streets have twists and sudden changes to make them look more ‘pleasing’ from a distance.

Viktor would love to be more sociable, but the city he’s in makes it very difficult for him to go anywhere, so he just goes where he needs to (like work) and stays home the rest of the time.

Ooohhhh I totally agree. I have a very similar headcanon, being that he almost constantly has windows open in his apartment, even when it’s raining, even when it’s snowing. He has a small balcony, and those doors are almost always flung wide open, letting in the ocean breeze and fresh air. In those rare days he spend at home, he spends a majority of his time sitting out on that balcony, reading a book or indulging in a glass of sweetmilk as he watches the people on the street down below. He loves the sound and the smell of rain, loves the wind-chime notes of it hitting the embellished copper roofing so common in Piltover.

He really does like Piltover, despite its twisting, angular streets and long, high staircases. He likes the fresh air and the bustling city life, and the fact that you can walk down the street and people will smile at you. Most common Piltovians are kind, good people, and he enjoys talking to them, getting to know them. They remind him that his work isn’t just for the Undercity—it can help all people, and he wants it to.

But where there is a focus on form, there is also a disregard for function, or so it is to Viktor. The cobblestone streets are hell on his ankle, and they catch his cane when he walks. The staircases are everywhere—after all, Piltover is built on a hillside, with the University and Government buildings at the pinnacle (two places he would have had to traverse on the daily as Heimerdinger’s assistant).

We’re not really sure where Viktor lives, but there’s an implication that his quarters are in the same building/complex as Heimerdinger’s lab (otherwise his “this isn’t my bedroom” comment wouldn’t have made much sense… either that or he was being COMPLETELY out of pocket, and he lives a mile away, so of course this isn’t your bedroom you absolute crackpot). That would make it a little easier for him, but not much.

But despite all this, I think he still enjoys the city, the people. He does what he can to branch out (easier in Act 1 and earlier, before his health had declined too terribly), and while he is still a bit of a loner, I’d like to think he casually befriends people on his routes—the woman who sells him his coffee in the morning, the man who tidies up the labs. They’re not “friendships” in the traditional sense, but he enjoys the interactions, however brief. We saw from the very beginning how he yearns for human connection, but struggles with it, often through no fault of his own. I think that’s why it was so easy for him to approach Jayce, even when Jayce was clearly not in a receptive place—Viktor is empathetic to a fault, and it makes him very good at reading people. He knows what people need, and he knows how to give it to them, to make them feel comfortable in his presence.

And I’m not saying that I hope this is something he weaponizes in the future, when the whole damn city turns on him, but… I’m not not saying it either.

[khaotic-neutrxl]

kind of an extension of this post:

(just more theories lol)

i feel like jinx also really imitated vi on other physical levels too, always making her designs/explosions pink like vi, even in her main weapons like her guns and bombs

(AND JINX REMEMBERS HER W THE BANGS FROM THE BETRAYAL IM GONNA KMS)

and in general her designs too...

(even the candles, i love the color palette of this scene esp for this reason lol)

like in a way, for jinx it's a fighting color, or a color of strength