#jayce going from “we have to end hextech no matter what” and viktor being the one now who's trying to use it for miracles

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

OOOO I love this all and I'd like to also add my two cents!

One cent: I don't think Jayce and Viktor were ever going to be allowed to directly make inventions that would actually help people (specifically those in Zaun) not necessarily because of any anti-Zaunite mentality, but because there would be no profit. Which, to me, is why their inventions they demonstrate to Heimerdinger are helper products for workers-not things like air purifiers or assistive technology for the masses. Almost like a compromise: these things will help Zaunites by reducing pain, injury, harm-but it doesn't stop them from being exploited-aka it won't reduce the amount of money people make off the workers.

Both the claw and the gauntlets (though we later see them used as weapons oops lol) can be argued-and they do present them as- things that would still allow the houses that make money off the miners in the fissures, just without risking worker health. I can totally see (had Heimerdinger not persuaded Jayce to avoid presenting them) the council actually taking these on-because it wouldn't have effected their money-making.

Something like air purifiers? Why would they sponsor those if there isn't money to be made off of them (unless they were to sell them). The most ever done for Zaun up to this point in their direct benefit was the Kiramman's ventilation system.

Which like-wild promoting as giving people a basic need such as fresh air as "innovative" but hey! That's a different post.

All in all-I don't think they would have ever been allowed to make things that would directly help people. Because 1) They're already wary of magic (certainly not helped by Heimerdinger's presence) and 2) there is no direct benefit (aka money) that the council/Piltover gets from those types of inventions the way the Hexgates benefit them.

and Cent Two:

I personally don't think Hextech continues after the show. Not only did everyone experience the horrors and damages of magic-but the Hexgates have been destroyed (save for the main physical structure) and not a lot of people, due to the renewed fear of magic itself-are going to jump to the urge to restart everything.

Additionally-as Jayce explained-the poisoning effecting Ekko's tree was from the misuse and overuse of the Hexgates. If he spread that around or it got out-everyone living in Zaun is going to be rightfully pissed and try and prevent it from happening again if they were to try.

I mean, Jinx was only able to rack it with the notes from Jayce's journal, and Ekko and Powder required Heimerdinger's help (as he understood how hextech worked) to make the acceleration device-which, as proven in show-is deadly if used even past 4 seconds. (shout out to the Goat Vastaya employed by Ambessa, you didn't deserve that) So like, even a device that isn't a weapon (though it was used as one-boom, headshot!) or overused for money-is deadly.

(We can also talk about how all Hextech used in the show, from the hexgates to the gems to Ekko's device, ends up being destructive no matter what in the end.)

Hextech-any form of it-will always fail, no matter if it's Jayce and Viktor at the helm or someone else-because magic is not meant to be used like that-not without consequence. I think Caitlyn (and Vi) would come to understand it, and while she keeps the schematics, I don't think she'd continue Hextech.

So I can totally see the council banning magic use again. Maybe not like Demacia, but close to it. Begrudgingly maybe-as that means the money they got from the Hexgate use is gone-but then again, they all almost got assimilated from magic use, so they might be okay without it.

HOWEVER

I can see someone going, "well, Hextech went wrong because they used it wrong, but I, random scientist, can do it right" and therefore starting the whole process all over again. The show kind of proves Heimerdinger right in that regard-it was never meant to be manipulated like that-and there will never be a "right person" to control magic for commercial use the way the hexgates were used.

But, as proven with Ekko's device, the Hexgate use in general-Hextech use will always end in destruction. Hopefully the characters left would understand that-and thus (hopefully, for everyone's sake) Hextech dies and fades with it's creators.

who decides the future of hextech?

Hot take: I don't think Hextech functions like a scrappy tech startup at all. I know the Arcane writers have made this comparison themselves, but it doesn't really track with what we see in the show.

It's made pretty clear that Jayce and Viktor have at best limited control over what direction Hextech goes in. In a city that's hostile to and suspicious of magic, they need the continued goodwill of the Council, and the wealthy families who sit on the Council, for their work to continue to exist at all. And that shapes how Hextech develops.

For the first 6-10 years of its existence (however long you think the S1 timeskip is), Hextech consists of one (1) project: the Hexgates. A major piece of international transit infrastructure, utilizing a brand-new technology that no one knew was even possible a few years earlier, and requiring a massive financial outlay for construction years before seeing any profits. Frankly, taking that from the very first shaky proof of concept to a fully functioning piece of infrastructure in less than 10 years is astonishing. This isn't like inventing Facebook; this is equivalent to creating the internet itself.

An infrastructure project on the scale of the Hexgates could be entirely state-funded (and therefore state-controlled, answering to the Council). But from the dialogue and visual storytelling, I think it's reasonable to infer that Hextech functions more like a public-private partnership.

In the modern era, PPPs have come to be associated with privatization and neoliberal capitalism. But funding infrastructure development this way was common in the 19th century too, closer to the time period from which Arcane draws its steampunk-ish inspiration.

So who's picking up the tab? I think it's some combination of government funding from the Council and private funding from Mel Medarda and the Kirammans.

We see one other Kiramman-funded infrastructure project in the show: the Undercity ventilation system.

And, as we see in that case, what may seem like a purely benevolent investment for the good of the city as a whole comes with a very high potential for control. (And where do the Hexgate plans end up at the end of the show? In the Kiramman family vault, accessible only with the Kiramman key.)

The Kiramman family crest is all over Hextech at Progress Day. It's prominent on the stage when Jayce speaks, positioned as equal to his own House.

Cassandra Kiramman introduces Jayce's speech, and Jayce gets trotted around the Kiramman family tent like a show pony beforehand.

The Kiramman crest is also on the box containing the hexgems, which makes me suspect that the facility needed to process the gemstones is either owned or financed by the Kirammans.

Mel's influence is more subtle. There's no Medarda crest on anything associated with Hextech; once you learn a bit about Mel's relationship with her family, that is not surprising. But clearly Mel feels comfortable speaking to other investors on behalf of Hextech, without feeling the need to run it by Jayce or Viktor first.

I think this exchange implies that (1) getting additional, outside investors is something new that they haven't done to finance earlier rounds of Hextech development, and (2) Mel is planning ahead in case the Council doesn't like the direction Hextech is going next and they need to secure additional funding.

I wouldn't be surprised if Mel was the one who steered them toward shipping and long-distance trade as a marketable use for Hextech in the first place, something many of the councillors seem to have an economic stake in.

Throughout this whole scene with Jayce and Mel, the Hexgate model sitting on her desk is very prominent. It's the first thing we see in the scene; the color and lighting make it stand out; and it appears in the frame in multiple shots. It's the thing that's always there between them.

Mel and Cassandra Kiramman are also councilors, and along with Heimerdinger they are Hextech's main allies on the Council--3 out of 7. Jayce and Viktor really can't afford to piss off any of them...which gets complicated when they want opposite things.

At the time of Progress Day, Hextech is at a turning point.

This conversation implies that they have not had a lot of freedom to develop and build whatever they wanted in the years during the timeskip. It's an interesting reversal of the dynamic we saw from them in 1.02 and 1.03. This time Jayce is the one forging ahead, confident they can get what they want, while Viktor is the one pointing out obstacles. (This is also the first time we see Viktor's face post-timeskip and register how much sicker he's become, which...oof.)

Regardless of how much they talk about "bringing magic to the people," I think it's notable that both their little spiels focus on how these inventions would increase worker productivity. This is a presentation designed for people who are thinking about their bottom line. And they seem to expect that any new developments with Hextech will have to be given Council approval before they can proceed.

(I think all of this puts the Hexcore in a slightly different light, too. It's quite possibly the first Hextech device since Jayce's original prototype that they've built without thinking about the pitch meeting. It's not a single-purpose object with an immediate, obvious use. In the beginning, it seems to recapture some of that original sense of wonder and discovery. And Viktor built it. I can see how he would be protective of his creation even before things Got Weird with it.)

And then, of course, everything goes off the rails. The gemstone gets stolen; Jayce gets pulled onto the Council. And after that point, every new Hextech object that Jayce makes is a weapon.

Jayce and Viktor's arc can be read as a story about the hubris of scientists thinking they can control forces they don't understand and anticipate every possible consequence, or a story about their naivete in thinking they could keep their research somehow above politics in a world full of conflict. And it's not not about those things. But it can also be read as a story about how discovery, creativity, and people's natural altruistic impulses get constrained by capitalism, and how often innovation is only valued if it can be made to serve war or profit.

(As for who controls the future of Hextech after the end of the show? With Viktor, Jayce, Mel and Heimerdinger all gone from Piltover...Caitlyn, probably. A detail I would love to see someone use in a fic.)

[bitchface24-7]

Do you accept requests from Yandere Viktor and Yandere Jayce? Could you do this? What if in that scene where Viktor is saved by Jayce by magic and comes back, what if when they were parting the poor cute and shy reader was questioned and asked, seeing his two best friends fighting (maybe the boys are in love with the reader, but they still don't know), and now they wanted the reader to choose a side, like following Viktor anywhere or staying with Jayce and understanding more about magic

IT’S TIME TO CHOOSE - JAYVIK X READER

synopsis: you don't know what’s going on. Viktor's alive, Jayce is wounded and the world as you know it is shattering. Viktor wants you to leave with him, Jayce wants you to stay. You don't know what to do.

warnings: confusion, desperation, arguments, somewhat scared R, yandere V + J, possessiveness, cliffhanger ending (I can't chose between the two of them 😩) Grammarly is my beta

genre: m/m/f or m/m/m

p.s. This was an interesting request, I hope you like my take on it! Xoxo

PART 2

You don’t know what’s going on. Viktor and Jayce are arguing, you’ve never seen them argue before.

Viktor is much more monotone now, Jayce is on the brink of tears.

You want to scream.

Especially when the two whirl around to look at you and say simultaneously, “Stay/Come with me.” The two men look at wax other venomously; you’re tempted to pinch yourself. You’ve never seen them glare at each other like that.

You’re getting a little scared.

“Come with me. It’s not safe here, our paths have diverged. We need to leave.” Viktor states as he holds out a hand to you, his now purple and metal skin glimmering in the labs light. Viktor’s still very handsome.

Jayce growls, “No! They’re staying here with me. We haven’t finished our dream of Hextech, just because you’ve given up doesn’t mean we are.”

Viktor’s eyes widen as his face shows minor ticks of anger, “I told you to destroy the hexcore! It’s dangerous! You ignore my wishes, you used it on me without my consent; how can I trust you with them?!”

The tears in Jayce’s eyes finally fall, “I couldn’t allow you to die, Viktor! You’re my partner, I can’t imagine a world without you in it! So excuse me for being selfish!”

Viktor stops at that, his heart fluttering a bit at the declaration. No. No he can’t stay here, no matter how sweet Jayce’s words are. But he doesn’t want to be alone. He needs to keep you safe. You’re coming with him, no matter what.

Jayce sharply inhales in horror at his declaration. No. He didn’t mean to say that. God Viktor’s gonna think he’s a freak, he’s definitely going to leave. Jayce doesn’t want to be alone; he can’t be alone! You’re not going with him, you’re staying with Jayce. No matter what.

“Come with me.”

“Stay, please”

All you can do is stand there in desperation. Where did everything go wrong? When did your group splinter in such a horrific way? You subtly pinch your arm, trying to wake yourself up from this nightmare.

It doesn’t work.

You don’t want to chose. You want them both. You want to continue being in the lab with them, admiring them, joking around with them. You don’t want anything to change.

But now it’s too late for that, you have no choice. You need to chose now, and both of them won’t take no as an answer.

So, who do you chose?

You don’t. So they’ll chose for you.

AHHHHHH!!! Possessive men can be so toxic but possessive Viktor and Jayce hold my heart 😩🤭

[snoopyhq]

˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ eres mi regalo mejor, querido

type: viktor x reader

summary: viktor with a reader whose love language is gift giving

word count: 1250

First of all, why?

Not that he’s ungrateful or anything! Far from it, in fact

See, he just isn’t used to receiving gifts “just because”

Growing up in Zaun, moving to Piltover, and now dedicating his life to Hextech meant that he doesn’t exactly have time to enjoy the little things. He has no desire to be speaking in front of crowds. His comfort zone is being in the lab, his focus on his latest passion project, and he has control over what he’s doing and what he knows

Also, he’s not used to surprises. Didn’t reckon he would ever be fond of them

And I’m totally projecting here, but Viktor is also one of those people with the really awkward reaction to receiving gifts. He doesn’t know what to do or say that would seem appropriate enough, you know? He’s extremely touched that you thought of him and not just that, but saw it fit to get/make him something

Over time, accepting that he’s loved through the means of gifts becomes easier

He’s not the best at it to start with, because most his purchases have strictly been on a “necessity” basis

But he isn’t one of Piltover’s brightest minds for nothing

Babygirl’s hypothesizing, observing, and applying. Got that scientific method approach when he’s getting you gifts

Overall, you’re both doting on each other now in your ritualistic exchanges of presents

It’s a mix of hand-made and bought, and both forms of acquisition doesn’t matter when the thought behind the choice is explained with such love 💕

˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ DRABBLE TIME !!!

While the holiday season was a time of rest and relaxation for most people, things within Piltover's labratories were in complete mayhem. The department's end of season party was quickly approaching, which meant Viktor and Jayce were consumed with decorating the halls. That was their assigned task, and they were determined to do a good job.

Sky had went home to her family a week earlier. You and the boys had bid her a sweet farewell, sending her home with a collaborative handmade stopwatch. It had a GPS built in (thank you, Viktor), a widget for the weather and traffic predictions (shoutout Jayce), and you had drawn up the blueprint for its internal mechanics.

Viktor returned home a little after 6:00 PM today. It was well beyond dark outside, even with the lamps lighting up the streets. This was the last breather before the actual event in about three hours.

"Here, eat something," you encouraged, handing him a bowl of soup you'd made earlier.

"Thank you. You always know just what I need," he smiled wearily.

While he got to work on the meal, you went about getting ready. You were Viktor's plus-one, and while most of the department knew your name and face from your frequent visits to see your beloved, you were still nervous. Even so, you were determined to enjoy yourself, and hopefully Viktor would too.

He wasn't too fond of crowds, and for the first time in your life, you found yourself the people person in a duo. That was working out well. You have slowly gotten better at getting out of your shell, and Viktor too, began to pick up on your mannerisms when around others. He has now talked to a handful of people of his own accord, an accomplishment you were extremely proud of, and him pleased.

"Oh, and before we go! Our gift exchange," you piped up. That caught Viktor's full attention.

Right! Your gift exchange was today. He was nervously excited, despite himself. He had put in much thought and effort into your gifts, and while you would never have a negative reaction, he couldn't help the small anxieties that repeated in his mind. But it would be alright.

You went first. Handing him a deep green paper bag with white snowflakes around the border, you waited with bated breath.

"This was the color you said looked good on me, yes?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! Ok, now open your gifts," you encouraged.

He did, eyes widening in delight. There was a clothing set, made in soft, fine material that felt like flowing water between his fingers. There was a rich, brown dress shirt, with forest green silk vest, a black leather belt with silver gear buckles, and brown pants to match the dress shirt. While those articles were commissioned from a local tailor, you had added in a handmade lapel in the shape of narcisscus. The flower for his birth month.

That wasn't all. You had included a candle scented with coffee and a muted hint of pine. Then there was a copy of a philosophy book, writtern by an academic you knew he was fond of. The author had done a recent meet and greet at one of the bookstores downtown, and you had made sure to clear your schedule that day in order to attend.

"Look on the inside!"

He did, and nearly cried. There was a note in the author's handwriting, signed off too.

To Viktor,

I was heard that you were fond of my works. I hope this latest volume of mine brings you as much joy as I felt knowing I had such a devoted reader like yourself. Best Wishes!

"How did you even- I mean, the event was all booked when I tried to get a spot," he laughed breathlessly.

"Why did you think I stayed up all night?" you grinned.

"All of this is so much," he whispered. "God, I feel so...,"

"No, none of that now," you chided. "Whatever you got me will be just as wonderful because it's from you. Don't compare your hard work to mine, Viktor."

He took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"Thank you. Will you open your presents now, love?"

You were more than ready. The bag he handed you was a simple brown one, belying the efforts within. The first thing you got was a copy of a newly released book, one you had been eyeing for ages. Not only that, there were stickers and tabs throughout, and when you opened to a random page, you were met with his familiar handwriting, meticulously annotating in the margins with his commentary. It was a dream. You basically get to read this treasure alongside his thoughts. You've mentioned on multiple occasion how you wanted to start annotating your books, but never quite found the time. Now Viktor had went above and beyond.

"Viktor. Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Not waiting for his response, you reverently set the book down and went to open the rest. There was a custom CD! The tracklist was accompanied by another note, explaining that he wanted to chronicle the love he has for you through music. Jayce, Mel, and Sky had been great helps in finding him some of the songs and getting it all burned and made into a disk.

And then there was his letter. Beautiful swirls and some words crossed out, the multi-page declaration of adoration was something you couldn't wait to sit down and read fully.

You were pulled from your thoughts when you felt Viktor's hand around yours.

"Before we go to the party tonight, I want to tell you that you will always be my greatest gift. I may not be perfect at showing it to you quite yet, but I have found myself more and more at ease in this love we share. Happy holidays, moje miláčku."

[domiiomii]

It is interesting to me how we don't actually see much of Viktor's life in Zaun besides his interaction with Singed but it is clearly something he carries deeply with him. One could think maybe Viktor hated Zaun, he seemed to isolate from other kids, or think he felt resentment that because of his birthplace he became ill, however none of that seems to be true because from the start he was always pushing to make the hextech available to the people of the undercity and when he gets his own power his first instinct is exactly that, to go back home and help those who have been ignored, who need it the most, who are just like him.

Perhaps it is not so much about growing up in Zaun but rather that Piltover made sure that he knew he didn't belong there. He knows he is an outsider, in every way, he says it when he meets Jayce and describes himself as a "A poor cripple from the undercity", which is very peculiar because we don't see anybody else in the series, despite the multiple characters from Zaun who are disabled, speak like that or seem to have those thoughts because disability is such a commonality there.

Viktor's "insecurities" if you want to call them that don't come out of thin air but out of the way he was clearly treated in piltover, him not wanting to speak publicly during Progress Day is sad sure, but it is not just because he saw his existence as "less than", but because he clearly was reminded of it constantly. It is not that he lacked the confidence, he clearly believes in himself, he knows his abilities, but he also KNOWS he won't be taken seriously, either because he is from the undercity or because he is disabled.

This very point is made clear through the scene with Mel when she argues for making hextech weapons, it is such a harsh reality check of Viktor's place in piltover. Viktor's voice doesn't matter at all to those in power, no matter how brilliant he is, no matter how much he has changed their lives. Mel doesn't even look at Viktor, she doesn't talk to him directly, Viktor is talked over by Mel and Jayce who are again literally standing over him while he sits down, the whole scene has the two of them having a conversation with Viktor in the room but ignoring him. Mel doesn't even try to argue her point with Viktor because to her Viktor's thoughts and opinions don't matter at all. In the end she tells Jayce and Jayce only "The decision is yours".

Another particular point is how she tells Jayce only "The peace is already broken Jayce, I'm only asking you to prepare to defend your people." YOUR PEOPLE meaning piltover and again all this being said right in front of Viktor an outsider, a man from the undercity, discussing how they will use the technology he helped developed against HIS OWN PEOPLE, people just like him. Very important detail here is that right after this interaction Viktor goes to the undercity and asks Singed for help after he realizes piltover will never help him, he goes back for help the only place he can get it because despite how much Piltover has benefited from Viktor's mind, he is never welcomed and his thoughts on what his work should be used for are not heard at all, everything of value is taken from him then he is left to die.

It is very funny how Piltover is regarded as this "beacon of progress" when you see how they treat their own population of the undercity where they don't even see them as equal citizens. This very point reflects in how Jayce is able to climb the social ladder while Viktor is always relegated and eventually even his name is scrapped from the technology he helped develop, he is a stranger in his own "city".

Talking about Jayce is also worth mentioning that, aside from Sky (also from the undercity), Jayce is the only person in piltover we see who cares about Viktor and the point is not lost on me that he comes from a lower much smaller house (not that his relationship with Jayce is perfect don't get me started on the "You were never broken Viktor" thing, that is a post of it's own). The relation of Viktor to the other elites of piltover we see is just bleak, Mel as established completely disregards him and even when he is at death's door I don't think she cared about him, she cared that Jayce cared about Viktor.

And then the worst of all, Heimerdinger who by all means should have been Vitkor's first ally as his professor is actually so quick to dispose of him and without a second thought and tell Viktor to destroy the technology that could very well be the only possibility to save him. The difference in how Himmerdinger acts with Ekko and Viktor is night and day, he denies Viktor any help to figure out how to save him while he "sacrifices" himself for Ekko's time machine. Now, how is a time machine not as dangerous as magic? I don't understand but this makes sense in the context that Viktor's life as a disabled person from the undercity seems to be established to be of less value.

For better or for worse piltover made sure that Viktor never forgot where he came from so him returning and helping the people who would never get help otherwise, people just like him, was the only path he could really follow.

On a personal note I find it so sad that the very clear class divide line in the plot was flatten in favor of “This is not about ideologies or territory, this is about saving humanity” when the very reason Viktor even became what he became and took the choices he did to what he thought was the best to save as many of the people like him as possible IS because of that class divide and it is because of the way piltover treated the undercity because of the pollution that made him sick and because of the the way piltover ignored the situation of the people they harmed.

[peineperdu]

nevermind. it's here, goodbye world

cant watch arcane season two act two yet. horrible

[chimuelo2005-blog]

More yapping about Jayce and his relationship with Viktor and Mel cause why not?

One of the most interesting things about Jayce’s character arc is how Mel and Viktor act as these two opposing forces in his life; both guiding him, both shaping him, but in very different ways. Mel represents power, ambition, legacy, the political weight of Hextech and everything it could be. Viktor represents innovation, raw intellect, and the heart of why Hextech even exists in the first place. Jayce is caught between them, constantly being pulled in two directions.

Mel teaches Jayce how to navigate Piltover, how to gain and control his power instead of letting it control him. She gives him the tools to actually use Hextech as more than just an invention— turn it into something that changes the world. Without her, he never would’ve made it onto the council, never would’ve learned how to play politics, never would’ve become the leader Piltover needed. But at the end of the day? Jayce was never truly Mel’s.

Because no matter how much Mel shapes him, no matter how much power she hands him, Jayce’s first and strongest connection is always Viktor. His first choice is always Viktor. Viktor is the reason Hextech exists. Viktor is the reason Jayce even believes in progress in the first place. And you see it in the way Jayce prioritizes him over and over again.

Mel offers Jayce power, and yeah, he takes it—but he hesitates. He falters. With Viktor? There’s no hesitation. Jayce is willing to risk everything for Viktor in a way he never does for Mel. Like, when Viktor starts slipping away, Jayce drops everything. He stops caring about politics, about his reputation, about the carefully constructed path Mel laid out for him. The second Viktor needs him, that’s it. He’s done playing the game. He’s ready to throw away everything if it means saving him. Mel is an influence in his life. Viktor is his foundation.

And what’s really sad about all of this is that Mel knows. She sees it. She knows that at the end of the day, she’s teaching Jayce how to be powerful, but Viktor is the one who actually owns his heart. She sees how quickly Jayce pulls away from her when Viktor starts getting worse, how his priorities shift without a second thought. She spent the entire second part of the show shaping Jayce into a leader, a politician, a visionary—but the second Viktor is in danger, Jayce doesn’t care about any of that. He only cares about him.

Mel may have given Jayce power, but Viktor is the only person he was ever willing to lose that power for. Mel was the one who taught Jayce how to build an empire. But Viktor? Viktor is the one thing that could make him burn it all down.

And that says everything about Jayce.

I've seen some people in the reblogs make good points I missed while making the post, so I'll add them here.

This post is about jayce's perception or what I think his perception is based on his actions. Once said that: No, Mel is not the black girlfriend, that's a huge disrespect of her character, she's a powerful, intelligent woman with complexities and flaws that go far beyond some guy.

I agree that Jayce loved Mel, to a certain point. His favoritism towards Viktor is not even conscious most of the time. He obviously loved and cared for her, if he didn't they wouldn't have been together. My point is that he loved her in a way that would never be matched to the way he loves Viktor, and that's ok. They are two separate people, it's obvious Jayce won't love them the same.

While writing the script, I believe the writers made their relationship to put Jayce between a rock and a hard place at times. Mel is progress, she's powerful, beautiful, kind, She symbolizes everything Jayce wants to achieve (talking about her symbolism in jayce's character, not her own character) . Viktor is his foundation, he's beginning, he's the constant in his life even before he knew it. That's what I mean by saying Jayce was never fully Mel's.

I agree that as a fandom we don't talk enough about characters individually, but I firmly believe that there are characters that you need to talk about while talking about others. You cannot really talk deeply about Mel without talking about her mom, her brother and so on.

I love my girl Mel and I will yap about her soon because she's just too pretty and interesting not to.

[thewistlingbadger]

I've never believed that Jinx's real name was powder. To me that does not make much sense. Every other character in the show no matter their importance, has had a name. A REAL name. Powder is not a name. Powder is not even a noun name. It's just a noun. It doesn't make sense to have this character who has this extremely weird name among characters that all have proper/"normal" names. As I thought about this I realized a secret that Arcane uses when it comes to names.

In arcane, names giveaway allegiances. Our main cast from Piltover have proper names. Jayce, Caitlyn. Ambessa, Mel, Marcus, Grayson, etc. Our Zaun cast all have interesting/weird/uncommon names. Silco, sevika, Vander, Ekko, singed, huck, claggor, Mylo, etc. if her name truly is powder then this fits the theme, it's just on the extreme side of weird zaun naming conventions. The name jinx however still fits with the Zaun theme AND makes much more sense.

It's very important to note that these names are not by origin, they are by allegiance. Our two main examples are vi and Viktor.

Viktor is considered to be a normal name hence why he is a part of the pilltover plot line. However his spelling is odd. His name is most commonly spelled as Victor, but his name has a k, adding in that Zaun weirdness factor. Viktor lives in Piltover and has assimilated into their society. Throughout season 1 we see Viktor, we hear him reiterate how he's a Zaunite and how he made hextech to help his city. With each episode we see him stray farther away from Piltover and those ideals. Furball says don't mess with the arcane, kill the hex core, do things safely, and Viktor says no to all of these. He works on the hex core in secret, it ends up killing his friend, and he makes Himself one with the magic. We see him go to singed for help, we see him use shimmer, and this is how he's making distance from Piltover. We don't know his involvement in S2 but we can theorize that he's going to keep making this push back to his roots, back to his true allegiance.

Vi is from the undercity and she has a noun name like jinx (or "powder"), but unlike her sister Vi's name is proper. This hints at Vi's allegiances being with piltover, which checks out with what we see in the show. Vi partners up with Caitlyn, a piltie enforcer. Vi urges Ekko to return the crystal back to Piltover. Vi tells the council about Jinx. Vi works with Jayce to stop shimmer production and silco. Vi ends up becoming an enforcer in season 2. So even though she's historically been pro Zaun and anti Piltover, her name tells us that at the end of the day (season 2) she's actually going to side with Piltover.

[madseraph]

So I know I'm late to the discussion or arcane s2 but after a very long hiatus from league of legends proper i started playing again recently and it got me thinking about arcane again. I don't know how true this is, but allegedly the mage that gave Jayce the hextech runes was supposed to be Ryze, another character from legue, and then changed to be Viktor. Among all the writing decisions that I find ruined the quality of season 2, I find this one to be the most baffling in my opinion. Because, instead of having Ryze and the rest of runeterra be intentionally mysterious and something that is fleshed out and added to over time, it makes a plot hole.

There is no way that within two seasons we were going to get anything near a satisfying answer about the runes because answering that question would only lead to more unanswered questions especially if it were to be Ryze who has nothing to do with piltover or zaun. However if they are planning on creating a larger universe between multiple shows, which they are, it would be answered eventually in a much more interesting way than the ending we got Having Viktor go back in time to give Jayce the rune did such a disservice to both of their characters and to the rest of the plot. Aside from the implications that a time loop has on the rest of the characters, it makes Jayce's entire character revolve around Viktor. Hextech was something that Jayce had spent his life on, so from the time he was a child his whole life was leading up to meeting Viktor and working together, multiple times over. It makes them a matter of fate being tampered with, rather than two people who share a vision realizing it together. For me, this makes Viktor a lot more sinister. For the sake of saving the world he ruined, the only thing he could come up with to change, was to continuously strip Jayce of any autonomy. It makes Jayce his puppet. Unless there was something making it so that was the only point in time he could go back to, a character as smart as Viktor could have found another point at which to change things. The alternate universe/future that Jayce was trapped in, seems to be to be a much more direct result of Viktor's cult. Yes, Jayce had a hand in abusing the arcane and bringing Viktor back, however the turning point, was with Viktor's revival not with the rune that Jayce got.

Someone please point out of my logic is wrong, but it would have been impossible for the first rune that Jayce was given to have been from Viktor. If his whole purpose in going back in time was to change the rune, that means in the first timeline where hextech is invented Jayce was given it by someone else or found the rune on his own.

Characters who are close should be interdependent, there is nothing wrong with having some of Jayce and Viktor's motivations come from each other. However this makes it so Jayce's entire reason for being who he is revolves around Viktor. The parts of his life that gave him something outside of that were thrown to the wayside, his position on the council, his relationship with Mel, his blacksmithing, even his family. The broader ramifications of Viktor being this all powerful mage ends up making not only Jayce but the entire plot of Arcane revolve around him. Especially because they threw away the class conflict that was building and because we see what the world looks like without hextech in it. One of arcane's strength was that it was an ensemble cast of characters that were connected but not necessarily all entangled with one another. They ruined a series that was about systems of power and what they do to people within them, to place the actions of one person at the center. I sincerely cannot understand how no one in the writers room pointed that out

It did nothing for Viktor's character either, rather than letting him descend into madness, and use hextech to facilitate his trans humanism and on that path bring others who were in his same position with him. More similarly to his league version pre-s2, they do some fuckery with the arcane because?..... Anyway, these are my thoughts on that aspect of s2, if you want to here me pontificate on this more, please comment.

Edit: Multiple people have told me their reasoning why the mage was supposed to be Viktor from the start. Thx for sharing, but my point still stands.

[lvrstrsh]

the way this song is so fitting for the three arcane ships (caitvi, jayvik, timebomb) omg?? maybe not so much caitvi but during their breakup era yes a little bit.

"you're the best thing to ever happen to me but also the worst thing to ever happen to me. on that day when i met you, maybe i would rather that it never happened to me" is SOOOOOO JAYVIK CODED I'M ACTUALLY GONNA JUMP OUT A FUCKING WINDOW JAHHSWQO. viktor saved jayce from killing himself, helped him achieve his life's goal to channel magic. alternatively, jayce helped viktor to be more than just an assistant, gave him purpose and did with hextech what viktor always wanted to do: help people. HOWEVER, them meeting ultimately led to their deaths (actually erm i refuse to believe they're dead and prefer to believe they're in some higher form of existence giving each other cosmic backshots 💜). them meeting helped bring hextech to the world which, as it happens, was the beginning of the end. the formation of the hexcore, viktor turning into robotic jesus, starting the cult, the formation of the anomaly that sent jayce to the ruined dimension (poor guy also lost his mind) so although jayce was able to fulfill his life's dream, it also was the thing that ruined him. if they never met, this all could've been avoided, which is easily seen in the dimension ekko & heimerdinger were sent to. they were best friends, equals in the sense of intellect and generally just two halves of one whole (saw someone on insta relate them to the sin²x + cos ²x = 1 formula and gen crashed the fuck out) hence, the best and worst thing to ever happen to each other.

"why does hearing your name hurt me when it hides right there in the vicinity? what kind of emotion, is it hatred or pure sweetness when i hear your name?" we all know ekko and powder were childhood friends. due to a series of unfortunate events, powder was taken under silco's care — the same person who was the cause of vander's and benzo's death (who were like father figures to ekko). powder became jinx and was working for silco, who was using shimmer to exploit his own people. as ekko grew up, all he did was work to defeat the purpose jinx was working for. imagine how much it must hurt for him to know someone who meant sm to him is doing all this to his people. her name brings bitterness, but also the sweet press of memories of simpler times. then, obviously, ekko was sent to the other dimension. saw that other dimension have everything he ever wanted (except vi ☹️). powder was still HIS powder. his life was playing out just the way he wanted. however it wasn't REAL. he got a glimpse of what could've been. in that dimension ekko and powder grew up to fall in love. imagine coming from your reality where you're enemies, and the being sent to this one where you're lovers. but you can't stay, no matter how happy it makes you. he got a taste of the sweetness that could've been. then he had to go BACK to his reality, where he saw the same girl he could've fallen in love with try to kill herself. and, afterwards, when you've basically saved the world, you're left all alone and are led to believe she's dead (uhm which she's not trust 🙏)

i don't think i have to explain the 'worst of all blessings, the best of all curses' verse in relation to both the ships because AHHHHHWJWJWJWIWIWIWJSIQIQJWIIWIWSIJQIDBCIAOJW

alright guys anyways thank u for coming to my ted talk 😁

[bitchqueenofthebitchsquad]

Another problem I had with season 2 is the weird way that hextech is treated. The hexcore is treated like it's semi sentient and malicious, no explanation for why that is, but even regular degular Hextech is treated as uniquely capable of great evil. We're given a whole episode that waxes poetic about how much better everyone would be if hextech was never invented but no explanation for why that is.

As others have pointed out, the problems between Piltover and Zaun are the problems inherent to all stratified societies, particularly ones that appear to be in the midst of an industrial revolution. The under city predates Hextech by a long shot. So why are we being shown this episode about how much better everything would be sans these tools? It just has a luddite vibe to it. I think some people mistakenly identify technology as the reason oppression exists. While some tech can exacerbate oppression, the same technology can often do the opposite. I think season 1 was still a little clumsy in places, but it did a better job of pointing out that the technology is a neutral thing. It's the system that allows greedy and ultra powerful but unqualified weirdos to make all the decisions that's a problem.

I feel like the writers who left over the pandemy took their talent with them when they bounced. I can't know this but I get the sense that the remaining writers did little to no research but were enamored with portrayals of class conflict they'd seen in other media. Not to bring up simulacra but, you know, that's what it was giving. It was derivative.

Getting back to the hexcore, I liked the aesthetic of it, particularly how it transformed Viktors body but thematically I think it was incoherent, especially when put in the context of the rest of the show. Again I like spooky purple energy with evil vibes, very witchy, but how does it help progress the narrative? It seemed to me that it was a totally derivative element. Because sometimes magic is portrayed as spooky and seductive they decided to have this cool object that was spooky and seductive. Maybe someone in the writers room was going somewhere with this but if they were I don't think the execution was successful. It doesn't have anything to do with the stronger themes of the show, it distracts from them, and then becomes a problem because they spent so much time foreshadowing it so there's no way to gracefully retcon it.

It's made even more awkward when Viktor uses his new spooky powers to help disabled people who have nowhere else to turn. Before Jayce shoots Viktor in the chest we don't actually see Viktor doing anything malicious with his magic. He's essentially just set up a rehab and is quietly minding his business. The empire and state come to him and give him grief so wouldn't the reasonable conclusion be that actually Hextech is just a tool no matter how purple and swirly it is and that militaries and cops get in the way of positive social change because they seek to abuse and control technology used to help people? But then the show goes on to make Viktor the ultimate villain and it's very hard to parse what the message is other than to avoid the very specific scenarios that happened in the show.

It's almost like they forgot the show was for an audience, forgot about the themes, and just started advertising for the next league project, forgetting to finish what they were actually making. I also think they fell victim to too big of an ending, not everything has to be world ending or contain multiverses. Idk very sloppy but, even though he's essentially an entirely new character, I loved blonde highlights Viktor.

Edit: not "no explanation" it's the blood that made it evil but again this is tropey and leaning towards derivative again. We wouldn't assume that a technology that interacts with blood is bad/evil if we hadn't all already seen a million other works that do this and have built the negative associations for us.

[betweenthescarletmoon]

Hey 👋

So I saw your reblog and post about jayce, and I just wanted to say you managed to genuinely encapsulate what I was thinking about jayce and just how weirdly the fandom treats him and I am so happy about your post!!!

I wanna bring another discussion point to this. What do you think season 2 jayce's arc would have been had arcane not lost its political messaging because I was totally under the impression that after season 1, jayce was going to boarden his views and understand a lot more about zaun and the undercity through his interactions with other characters like ekko, jinx and vi. I thought we were gonna get jayce leaving politics and high society and going back to his roots as a labourer, understanding his original dream to help the people with hextech and improve lives. I thought we were gonna go back to jayce, who has a family that owns a forge factory and that the show was gonna go and link It back to renni and her kid. I thought we were gonna see jayce comment on the zaun child labour.

I thought so much more was going to happen but it didn't. In the end we didn't even get jayce introspection on the weapons he made and its not even clear why he made them (I have my theory as to why) and we don't get his reaction to cait gassing zaun because I can tell you for a matter of fact jayce wouldn't have been cool with that not after he found out what the hexgates were doing to the undercity and not after he came out from the AU where he had to consume pollution that included the grey daily (I fully believe that when jayce came back he was dying from all that pollution)

Jayce is a creator destined to die young and suffer a fate similar to his father

Thank you for letting me ramble

oh man you COOKED with this!!

i gotta say, this rapid-fire hype train after every weekend for s2 didn't help me think much about what could've been, but your ideas are so wonderful that i'm now even angrier that they reduced him to just viktor without properly expanding on his grief and his guilt about it ifywim? like, he lost cassandra too, he almost lost mel, i do see why he would lose that Very New unlearning of his biases after surviving perhaps the most traumatic event of his life before the Anomaly. i loooooove the opening sequence of s2. his shock and dissociation were absolutely delicious. but it's strange that we don't see any more of how that trauma affects him or mel.

i also feel so confused as to why nobody cared that the de facto Head Councilor and Man of Progress disappeared before publicly resigning. yeah we get it man, you love Viktor, but the people needed leadership, and the fact that they all just moved ON?? from him??? without a single explanation? they didn't even extend a notice to him about the meetings, nor mentioned that he was a "coward" in them bc they obviously didn't like him except for mel, etc.

i think what i was most excited about was that, given jayce is not a politician (and it would've been cool to explore him being forced to be a man he isn't given that's his whole s1 arc), but a man who sees the world through the people he cares about, it would've been so awesome for him to learn to work together with vi and ekko to help zaun. i still love his apocalypse arc, but i think it came too fast, too conveniently, and by separating him and ekko even in act 3 it just falls apart for me kinda.

and you're so right. not a SINGLE mention of renni's child? [points at the writers] what have you done to my boy? even just a quiet, short scene of vi and jayce just...processing, as he stares at the weapon that took the kid's life, but saved his, would've probably sent the message home as to why he once again, thanks to fear and trauma, he makes the weapons despite his massive guilt. it would've been nice for us to see him give vi and cait the weapons, and there we can see that he either isn't allowed to know what they'll do but he trusts them, or doesn't want to know bc he's sick of being aware of all this violence in a more selfish way haha. so many possibilities to express his moral dilemma and how the precarious growth he'd built started to fall apart, not JUST because of viktor, but because he is once again faced with the violence he thought for a long time was coming for him from zaun. it is a prejudice, viktor did call him out for it, but in jayce's mind, it could've been proven. he was attacked TWICE by the people he accidentally hurt the most (bc jinx is who she is thanks to hextech), but is he going to be aware of that, or think that all of zaun is out to get him now? a big part of him is his paranoia, to the point that his cave scene sountrack is called that, so it could've been a great theme to foreshadow from the very beginning. if we did all this, then that would explain what they had going for him in this season in a way that didn't erase his character the way they did

i loveee your points on ethical production and labor, and how that would question even his own name's business. all those hints about his father never went anywhere, and they could have if that was explored. but sadly i don't think there would've been enough time for that with the plot they set in motion of the anomaly and multiverse. (despite how i have grown to accept the multiverse ret-con of the mage, and that i adore ep7, it still irks me that we cannot let the multiverse rest, especially in a story that used to be so grounded in our social reality). also yeah i would've loved a bit more portrayal of his new disabilities!! how he struggles now even with his brace, and what that illness/corruption consisted of. but then he died so it doesn't matter :')

i think i've mainly been coping by writing fanfiction. a lot of my gripes with the season are going to be tackled in my ghosts in the hearth series. it may not be exactly what you're looking for bc it takes place after act 2 but i needed it for my sanity XD

thank you for sharing your thoughts! let's be moots :D

[the-library-of-theories]

Phantom of Hexcore theory

(Want to see the TikTok version with photos? Here’s the link:)

Before the last episodes, I wanted to put my guess for this show as I’ve began listening to the Phantom of the Opera album and found some relevance to the show. Especially with the intro with Viktor’s parts being parallels to this musical.

To make this short (as possible), let’s put the characters and who they would parallel who. And this may either surprise you or not.

Christine = Viktor

Erik (Phantom) = Hextech/Viktor

Raoul = Jayce

Christine is Viktor not because of the ship (let’s be serious for now, as much as I ship them as well lol), but rather because of the narrative. Both had ambitions regardless when one of them is literally dying that both want to fulfill. And while goals are different, both get a taste of what they want. So close.

This may attract the other two important characters. Erik and Raoul (Hextech and Jayce). Jayce became very close to Viktor, someone who literally saved him from his despair and wants to return the favor in any way possible. But this is where the “phantom” comes in.

Hextech, the duo’s dream of helping their people. It was at first, the dream come true… until it was lost. When Viktor began feeding it his blood, we can see a connection began between Viktor and Hexcore. In reflection to this, this is where Erik and Christine meet. The song “Phantom of the Opera” is a great comparison to Hextech and Viktor’s relationship. Here’s two examples:

“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came. That voice which calls to me and speaks my name. And do I dream again for now I find, The Phantom of the Opera is there… Inside my mind.”

“Those who have seen your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear.” “It’s me they hear.”

“Your (my) spirit and my (your) voice in one combined.”

This basically is a parallel to Viktor’s arc as he slowly and will eventually become the Phantom… the Herald Machine.

So what will that mean for the rest of the show?

Well right before we get to the predictions, give me a page or couple of slides to put the spotlight on Jayce and Viktor’s relationship.

We know both are very close, to the point Jayce was willing to do almost anything to save Viktor, even fusing Viktor with the Hexcore which ironically enough is the beginning of the transition from Viktor to the Herald Machine. Even many pointed out that in the intro sequence, that Viktor isn’t the one to put the mask one.

Jayce is.

The best song to help explain their relationship is “All I ask of you” which parallels to Viktor making Jayce promise to destroy Hextech.

“Let me be your freedom. Let daylight dry your tears. I’m here, with you, beside you. To guard you and to guide you.”

“Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That’s all I ask of you.”

Skip to after Jayce “kills” Viktor, I don’t believe Viktor’s arc is over and I know almost everyone will agree. We know he’ll come back as we think he’ll be. Which is why the song “Masquerade” is perfect to reveal he’s back.

It parallels when the Phantom crashes the party and gives one last warning.

And while most of Viktor is gone, I think a small part of him wonders back to the “simpler” times. Hence parallels to “Wishing you were somehow here again.” Thinking of his relationship with Jayce. His last bit of humanity.

“You were my one companion. You were all that mattered. You were once a friend and father. Then my world was shattered.”

“No more memories, no more silent tears. No more gazing across the wasted years. Help me say goodbye.”

I then think that we’ll have one last stand off between Jayce and Viktor. “The point of no return” will perfectly fit this as they may fight.

“Past the point of no return. The final threshold. What warm unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return.”

The conclusion of this fight is what confuses me a bit, but this will be going off of the ending of the Phantom of the Opera and my ideas.

Perhaps Jayce and Viktor have a heart to heart, should Jayce recognize or break through to what is left of Viktor. Leaving a choice to Viktor to chose. (Down once more…/ Track down this murder). Depending on the results of this, one of these two theories may happen.

Viktor and Jayce will once more team up once last time. Choosing to leave as Christine and Roaul have.

“Say you’ll share with me. One love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you.”

Viktor will escape or die as the Machine Herald in parallels to Erik (Phantom).

“You alone can make my song take flight - It’s over now, the Music of the Night.”

Remember, this is just a theory (a movie theory).

And if none of this happens, well, it was fun.

And if it does…

I am no writer for this series and was just thinking of the nods towards the musical.

[clonerightsagenda]

I shockingly have not been spoiled for Arcane yet, but I don't trust that state of affairs to last. Luckily I'm fairly chill about spoilers, but let's get an episode knocked out before grocery shopping.

(Also Netflix sent me an email yesterday asking 'how did you like Arcane' and it's like believe it or not Netflix, I did not watch it all. I was in the car.)

S2E8

Oh hey the disk image is different!

Nice touch with og!Jinx being shown first as the reflection

Ekko got yeeted into the good end!independentZaun!everybodylives!AU M/F relationship TimeBomb AO3 universe and he is NOT giving it kudos

well I suppose killing Milo spared him from that facial hair

What happened to the Ekko in this universe that this Ekko replaced? Will he resurface if 'our' Ekko leaves?

Jayce on the other hand got bad end!everybody dies

Never mind, this is not the everybody lives universe. And Powder can't escape killing family members no matter what. Universal constant

Feels funny having that post about Pompeii bodies going around rn because the bad end remains are very reminiscent of that

Jayce getting a leg injury to mirror Viktor. Oh, then a brace and staff too

Of all the characters to literally claw their way out of the underground, Jayce makes the least sense symbolically

Is Powder going to figure out Ekko wants her help to build something that will allow him to abandon her?

Ekko has created his time travel device. It's call the Z Drive ingame, right?

Heimerdinger getting exploded in the background lol

Silco?? If the point of deviation in this universe is Vi dying on the mission (presumably getting hextech banned and providing a sob story that helped convince Piltover to give Zaun independence) at that point Silco was already a crime baron making magic drugs.

What changed? Did he feel he no longer needed all that since Zaun was independent? Or did the loss of the kid they both promised to protect shock him enough that he reached out to Vander? I guess I could press play and maybe find out.

France exists in this universe. Or at least French.

"Can we just pretend like it's the first time?" In between running frantic calculations about time travel and dimension hopping Ekko has another secret chalkboard running frantic calculations about whether this universe's version of him has been making out with Jinx or not. He has come down on Probably.

I assumed the central figure in destroyed Piltover would be Viktor, but no this appears to be Jayce's corpse. Is the hooded figure going to be Viktor?

Heimerdinger heroic sacrifice. I did not expect that and also I do not care

Oh good, AU!Ekko is still there!

[iztarshi]

Jayce’s arrival and the reveal Jayce is responsible for the blockade seems to baffle Viktor mostly. Why is Jayce behind something like this? Why does it suddenly make a difference to Jayce that someone is from the undercity?

Victor has a great deal of trust in Jayce, therefore it is hard to realize that his friend has heavy prejuidices regarding people of the undercity.

To Jayce protecting Piltover from the undercity includes protecting Viktor because Viktor is in Piltover. To Viktor that’s not how it works, violence against people from the undercity is inevitably going to include violence against him because that’s what happens when people are stirred up against outsiders. As has been demonstrated by Viktor getting accidentally caught in the blockade (which he did not violate because he had no idea it existed! how many other people got caught on the wrong side visiting family or friends?)

Frankly, I do believe that Jayce has never thought too deeply about Victor being a former citizen of the undercity. The problem is that Jayce was attacked twice by people like this...the first time it was just a bunch of idiotic, poor kids, but he did not know it. He did consider them as a bunch of brutal, dangerous people.

I think this is the first time Jayce has reached out to Viktor - in this case to help him up - and been pushed away. Jayce apologises immediately in the face of Viktor’s anger and hurt, but still doesn’t really understand what he’s done. He drops his own anger, which was mostly born of worry (although that does not give him the right to scold Viktor like a child), but has no idea how deeply he’s broken Viktor’s trust in him.

Victor made a big mistake to let only Jayce stay in the limelight. Hardly anybody knew him...He does have much less power than Jayce and this was evident in that scene. Usually this might not matter much for Victor as he does seem to be the guy, who is not after money or status - he boldly wears the same clothes he had as an assistant, but this time it mattered.

Viktor’s relationship with his identity as someone from the undercity is complicated. It’s not nationalist, which is why I didn’t say “as someone from Zaun”, part of Viktor’s confusion in this scene is that to him they’re two parts of one city (and the more they stop being that they more he ends up stranded in between). But it’s still very real, a fact about him that doesn’t stop being true when he no longer lives there. Jayce just thinks of it as Viktor’s origin, he’s in Piltover now, but to Viktor they don’t stop being his people.

True. His people might be a reason, why he wanted to use the arcane.

It’s implied Viktor is better at dismantling explosives than Jayce, since Jayce says he’d tried earlier and it nearly killed him. Clearly he’s been waiting for Viktor to look at it. I like that Viktor seems to admire Jinx’s skills, although he’s surprisingly dismissive of the idea she could crack hextech.

Well, he doesn´t know Jinx/Powder. Jayce worked on the arcane for years and Victor and Jayce worked as a team in order to crack the crystall.

Jinx is about 15 or 16 years old and is able to make use of it. That is quite amazing and most likely hard to understand.

Jayce and Mel literally talking over Viktor’s head for a minute before Viktor realises Mel’s suggesting they make weapons. There’s always something a little innocent about Viktor’s reaction to violence, like it surprises him every time that anyone thinks of that as a solution. Sometimes it makes me wonder how he got by in the undercity, but then the undercity does have people like the old lady with the cane living there and it doesn’t automatically destroy everyone who can’t fight. Shimmer addicts have made it worse because they really are desperate enough to attack people who have nothing but most of its inhabitants don’t.

Maybe this has something to do with Victor leaving the undercity early...Vander must have been still alive and must have protected the area. We see, I guess his name is Buck being protected by Vander...It does seem Vander did it for years.

After all, children were playing in that lake, when Victor build his little machine...Later, we do not get so see children playing there, only in Victor´s youth.

So the undercity was likely a more gentle place, than it was after Vander disappeared. Victor admired Vander after all greatly...he likely knew that the better part of his childhood was thanks to this man.

Mel says “Heimerdinger’s inaction is what brought us here, you said so yourself,” to Jayce and Viktor is immediately craning to look at Jayce because, wait, what? I presume he finds out what Jayce did to Heimerdinger at some point, but I don’t think he knows yet. For a brief moment, Jayce and Viktor are completely united about the idea of hextech weapons, they’re both horrified Mel suggested it. Mel… decides immediately on who is persuadable and ignores Viktor completely from now on.

I am sorry, but I am in the boat that Heimerdinger did hardly interfer or care about the people of the undercity, even though this might not the thing Mel is thinking about.

In the alternative universe he seemed to have mended his way and did influence the people here and voila...the future was brighter for many people.

Oh my god, actually, she’s being horrible. It’s funny, because she was being sweet earlier, telling Jayce he should be with Viktor, but this is politics and she’s ruthless. Stepping into Jayce’s space, flattering him. “The decision is yours,” she says to Jayce, and moves her eyes subtly to look down at Viktor who she’s just defeated. Viktor is disgusted with Jayce for falling for it.

Is she? In her way, Mel later stays as one of the only people who wishes to take a peaceful way. Even long after Jayce and Victor leave this decision behind.

“There is always a choice.” This sort of feels like a way-marker in Viktor’s character arc. This is where he’s at right now, it’s in direct contrast to where he is as the Herald, we’ll see if it’s convincing how he gets there.

I would argue, that some possibilities are no true choices and people can be forced to adapt. Death or taking a bad path doesn´t sound like much of a choice to me.

Starting with his leg rather than his lungs may be an attempt at caution, since if it goes wrong it at least won’t kill him. Although maybe it doesn’t show the most foresight since he’s now used up his shimmer, and he does know there’s going to be difficulty getting more.

This scene has much to do with feelings. Victor must have hated it so much not being able to really walk.

He goes straight back to fix the rest of him, and now that he knows it works he’s much less nervous, at least until he realises he’s out of shimmer. The decision to go ahead anyway is definitely emotional rather than rational, he wants to do this now. I think he’s still caught up in the feeling of running. Getting more shimmer would be hard, but not impossible, even if he didn’t tell Jayce everything, he could tell Jayce he needed to visit the undercity again and it’s not like Jayce would confine him to Piltover. But he’s partway through modifying himself, he’s already carved the runes, and it only takes one impulsive decision to go ahead.

Yup, but can you blame him? Sometimes there are things, we wish so desperately, we would do much for it. Though, Victor is still not at the point, where he would do anything for it. He stoped with Skye´s death.

I don’t think Sky was ever going to get Viktor to love her the way she wanted, but showing him her projects as a way to get his attention is actually very smart. Like reading Jayce’s journal before really talking to Jayce, or thinking Vander is wonderful because of what Viktor saw in his dreams, this is how Viktor relates to people.

I am not sure about it. The show did seem to point to Skye as the healthier alternative to his science. So I wonder, if love was always a big no-no...

Yet, you are right, that Victor basically did not relate to Skye and her longing. In contrast to Jayce, who presented Victor with the arcane...The friendship/love with/for Jayce was not an intended outcome at first. It was a work-relationship, but both were so happy and were indulging themselves in dreams like children, that they were able to connect.

Even though both - Jayce and Victor are so geatly different- their dreams did relate. How lucky they were to find each other.

Viktor breaks down completely over Sky’s death and I don’t think he ever really recovers. It gets hard to parse out from the hexcore’s influence on him, but I think some of his behavioural changes in season 2 come back to this more than to that. The hexcore hurting Viktor is the biggest indicator of sapience from it, because it reacts threateningly to his attempt to destroy it but doesn’t hurt him until after he’s already given up. That’s not an instinctive attempt to defend itself, that’s a warning and a punishment. Viktor’s terrified at the realisation he’s let something into his body that is capable of malice towards him.

Indeed. The arcane is a parasyte, feeding on people..Blood does seem to work, too, but it reacts beautifully to emotions, strong emotions. And hurting Victor could also lead to this. Still, it does seem not too bright, as Victor is later terrified to use it. So it does not understand real empathy at times.

And then Jinx fired and most likely she was also influenced by the arcane...to hurt Victor so deeply, that Jayce would use the arcane. After Silco´s death she was pretty surely easy to influence in that moment. Later she told Caitlyn that she had not intended to kill her mother...

Sometimes I do wonder, if the arcane is the monster. Frankenstein´s monster killed Elisabeth/Victor, after Frankenstein had refused him...Then Frankenstein broke his own promise and made another artificial human being...Victor is basically Elisabeth in this part.

Viktor’s reaction to Jayce turning up is what I mean about his behaviour changing now rather than post-resurrection. For most of this season he’s been struggling, scared by his impending death and desperate to either survive or accomplish something while he still can, but he’s also been confident. He’s believed that he was right, that he had the moral high ground, and he’s been frustrated and sometimes disgusted with Jayce’s choices. Right now he’s ashamed. His reaction to Jayce is to turn away, hide his face, almost flinch, and to hide Sky’s journal. He’s quiet, subdued, sad.

It is sad, that he only took Skye seriously after she was done and gone, right?

But at least, he does still realize that the arcane is a malicious thing. If his own wellbeing had weighed more than his conscience, he would have ignored it. But he is terrified and ashamed.

As bookends, it’s interesting that Viktor prevented Jayce’s suicide attempt once with the offer of a future, but what Jayce offers is their shared past. Asking Jayce to destroy the hexcore is the first time Viktor really asks for anything and in doing so he admits weakness. “I can’t do it… you have to… please…”

But Victor is right? It is likely that the core would have used him again. He is still clear-minded enough to realize that the crystall could take advantage of him again...The thing is now in him and he cannot destroy it so easily.

I think the decision to push for Zaunite independence is probably something that Jayce and Viktor came up with between them, the end result of “we have to make it right”. Not entirely what either of them might want, but the best they can do, and both of them know things that the other doesn’t that might lead to that conclusion. Viktor, what it’s like to live in Zaun, and Jayce, what current events have been.

It is an example of the Piltover guys and girls for once considering the other parties wishes. As long as the uncercity stays a part of Piltover, it will always be dirt. As another state, Zaun would have more influence.

Victor made a big mistake to let only Jayce stay in the limelight. Hardly anybody knew him…He does have much less power than Jayce and this was evident in that scene. Usually this might not matter much for Victor as he does seem to be the guy, who is not after money or status - he boldly wears the same clothes he had as an assistant, but this time it mattered.

I think, even more than that, Jayce really does have all the power here because he’s here as a councillor, not as the inventor of hextech. Maybe only one of them becoming a councillor wouldn’t have happened if Viktor had insisted on sharing the limelight, but maybe it still would because it was Mel’s play and Jayce has been the one she’s interested in from the beginning.

You’ve got me thinking about the timeline with your suggestion that Viktor grew up under Vander’s protection, because I think Viktor’s actually too old for that. Assuming he’s mid-twenties in Act 1, he’s very roughly ten years older than Vi. So he’d be about ten when Vander, Silco and Felicia first built their community in the fissures. He’d be in his late teens, and potentially outside the undercity, by the time of the battle on the bridge and Vander caring for the Lanes afterwards.

This does still make the undercity potentially a gentler place, or at least hazardous in different ways, during Viktor’s childhood. The battle on the bridge killed a lot of Zaun’s able-bodied adults, so we see a lot of orphans and, by Act 1, a lot of teenage gangs of criminals. On the other hand, Silco, Vander and Felicia brought people together to push for better conditions, so there might have been some improvement there before the rebellion losing sent everything en route to being worse. Silco’s rise to power also definitely adds a lot to the organised crime.

If Viktor has any memories of being protected by Vander it would be in coalition with Silco which does make me wonder what exactly he thought when it was revealed it was Silco that Jayce would need to bargain with.

Yeah, Heimerdinger’s inaction did bring them there. I was more meaning Viktor’s confusion to be in reference to the fact that Mel is referencing a situation where Jayce said that publicly and the balance of power seems to have shifted and he has no idea what’s going on.

Heh. Heimerdinger seems to have retired to play guitar in that future so… I don’t know how much help he was there, either? I guess he got out the way…

Me’s not a horrible person, and she does indeed wind up arguing against the hextech weapons, but I stand by her being horrible to Viktor in this scene specifically. After she realises that Viktor is important to Jayce and that Viktor is dying she starts being really nice about Viktor, but it never seems to occur to her to be nice to Viktor. Looking at things from Viktor’s POV I realise he’s got good reason to dislike her because she just treats him as if he’s invisible sometimes. He doesn’t even know she changes her mind and starts arguing against hextech weapons. Although that isn’t Mel’s fault, I don’t know if she intended to tell him, but she does ask where he is and Jayce doesn’t know.

Huh. I hadn’t considered blaming the Arcane for Jinx firing, although it’s not all that far out there. Someone compared hextech to the one ring in another post, so in a way every character using it as a weapon is falling to its allure, whether in a real or metaphorical sense.

I went and looked up where this about Elizabeth came from because it’s been a while since I’ve read the novel but I think I would have remembered that. It’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (2015) right? I’m afraid I haven’t seen it, but I see where you’re coming from. Viktor is definitely both scientist and monster in the Arcane references to Frankenstein, first creating the hexcore and then being “created” from a corpse by Jayce, who later rejects him.

But Victor is right? It is likely that the core would have used him again. He is still clear-minded enough to realize that the crystall could take advantage of him again…The thing is now in him and he cannot destroy it so easily.

Oh, yeah, Viktor is right. I didn’t mean him admitting weakness as a bad thing, I meant it as something he’s so reluctant to do it stands out when he does. He’s extremely vulnerable right now and it’s Jayce he reaches for.

[pixiextears100]

Can we just give Ekko the ending he deserved? 'Cause I get the story is about 2 sisters, Hextech and the 2 cities, but Ekko was just trying to save everyone yet he couldn't save the one person he really wated to save. And his ending to me was the saddest one. We get Cait and Vi happy and together, we get Viktor and Jayce probably dead but together, Mel didn't get the best ending either but at least she became something... meanwhile Jinx just dies on him or just disappears and he ends up alone and sad. He didn't even get to keep his time powers and even his second mentor dies on him like, for real? Why you doing my boy so dirty? To top it all off, really predictable the fact that Jinx would sacrifice herself, we should actually have seen her growing up from this and valuing her own life too, even after the mistakes she made. That would have been waay more satisfaying, specially after understanding how much Isha's sacrifice hurt. Jinx didn't get a second chance as far as we can tell, she just redeemed herself to be killed off. Ekko literally prevents her demise and gives her new reasons to fight earlier just so she can do it anyway? Has she learned nothing? Like, what happened? Is it no longer interesting when you become healthy? So you just gonna throw this curve ball on episode 7 and not give even a glimpse of good resolution or even an actual resolution, and just use it as means to get everyone involved at the end so Jinx can keep doing what she always did even after being told time and time again that she matters and she can be someone? Disappointing in my opinion 'cause this means her mental health never got better. They weren't afraid to cut her twin braids off but they were afraid to give her healthy coping mechanisms cause becoming healthy is out of character for a mentally unstable person even after all the growth she went through? I want answers (This is to me is just treason, I hope Jinx's words are something to go by here "Nothing ever stays dead" so we actually see her becoming something other than a mentally unstable person with no regard for her own safety

[themarvelhorse]

Arcane S2 Act 3 and E9 spoilers

Okay so lots to talk about but I've since settled down a little but wanna bring up some things I don't see talked about enough...

Jinx and Ekko's dance in ep 7 - Ekko saying he was following her lead; following that we have Ekko bringing in the Firelights to follow her lead into the fight - they continue their dance, but they dance together, the way they both know best.

Viktor and Jayce's relationshhip being honestly anything and everything - they defined themselves as lab partners in the beginning but they continue to call themselves simply partners - in this way, it's the ultimate way of saying "it doesn't matter if we're romantic or not, we're two people who find all that we need in each other" it doesn't have to be romantic. It could be platonic, it could be a totally undefined secret third or fifteenth thing. Does it matter? They both had left behind their other 'partners' - Sky and Mel, to be together. A lot of people can call themselves partners - a married/unmarried couple, partners in crime, lab partners, cop partners, a group of cowboys! IT COULD BE ANYTHING AND THAT'S WHY THERE WAS NO KISS AND THAT'S WHY THEY DID IT LIKE THAT! BECAUSE IT WAS THE ONLY RELATIONSHIP THAT WAS NOT REPRESENTED - THE UNDEFINED! BUT INHERENT TO OUR HUMANITY, UNDERLYING ALL OF VIKTOR'S MONOLOGUING ABOUT LIFE IS THAT WE NEED RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP IT IS (yes I'm referring back to Nier: Automata on this).

Ekko being the one thing different in this universe that ultimately stopped Viktor because he went to a universe that didn't have Hextech, and therefore became the one thing that made the difference?! Hell yeah MY BOY! "Progress" and "development" which ultimately has consequences, but what if there was a world where we did things differently? More carefully (as Heimerdinger said)? What if we developed sustainably and didn't create a world dependent on a technology that ultimately harmed our environment and thus, ourselves as well? It would be what made the difference in the end.

Jinx possibly still being alive but Ekko's still alone??? No Heimerdinger teacher/student relationship, no romance for him, he went back from this utopian happiness knowing he still had people on the other side who needed him, but had to do his duty - and he still does. Sevika is giving Zaun a seat on the council, a vote! But the utopia, while possible, has not been reached. There's so much more work to do.

SEVIKAAAA!!! Joining in the fight last minute! Sevika, that combination of both Silco and Vander's ideals for a free and independent Zaun. She was more of the do-er than the planner and leader, but she looked up to both Vander and Silco, and was the one still left standing who could have learned what was needed to be learned to get that free Zaun. That, and she ended Smeech herself. Chembaron's ain't running the streets, she is. And she's doing it for a free Zaun.

Also - Ekko burning that one paper. I thought it was Jinx but it's likely that Vi or plenty of others put her name in that. But who mourned Heimerdinger? He disappeared, and Ekko was one of the few who knew he was in Zaun, he was still one of the few who knew his fate in the alternate universe too. I think Heimerdinger was on Ekko's paper there.

Also I'm not seeing much of it but that shout out to Singed finally getting his daughter back??? Like, he won't be as much of a problem now bringing random chemicals and drugs in the streets at least.

Mel going to Noxia?! That corvid following her?! I do think the next story will be in Noxia, it's such a good lead in to the rest of this universe. We got that tease regarding Noxian culture, and the threats the Medarda family faced. No doubt there's going to be political turmoil in Ambessa's absence.

Silco and Vander's forgiveness despite everything that happened. Jinx and Caitlyn's forgiveness despite everything that happened!

Piltover finally being the ones to make concessions to the Zaunites by freely opening up their borders again to all Zaunites to come over (yeah they did it as an invite to ask for help, but they did open up. There were no restrictions on asking for help. They finally decided to remove their barriers and let themselves be vulnerable to the Zaunites - a prime time for easy attacks on Piltover as we've seen throughout the season, but worth it in the hopes that they could have the best chance at stopping the Machine Herald and Ambessa.)

The contrast between Loris and Maddie. Maddie a literal spy, pretending to be someone she's not. Loris just being himself, but still being seen as someone else. Both representing these people that Caitlyn and Vi both can't move on from.

Also shout out to that random soldier who got extra screentime and blew up Viktor's sphere when Loris couldn't. I'm sure you got a name and maybe some lore buddy but idk what it is. At the same time, he could be the everyman. Sometimes it could be just anyone who's there in the right place at the right time to make a difference. The important thing is to show up and try.

I'm sure there's more but that's all that's off the top of my head.