midnightcatharsis

[midnightcatharsis]

I'm trying to cope with the power of silly doodles...

[midnightcatharsis]

Ok, how are we supposed to reconcile This:

(source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5MiWKKkPho) With Jayce murdering him without even talking to him in episode 6?

The show is supposed to be a canon prequel to the game now. And game Jayce clearly still cares about Vik. Furthermore what Jayce says indicates that the game is not set before episode 6 because Viktor still was trying to maintain his humanity and will only try to get rid of it later as a result of Jayce murdering him… Yet despite seeing all those terrible things that made him want to kill Viktor in the show this Jayce still doesn't want to kill him. On the contrary, he wants to save him.

The "first encounter line" clearly shows that Jayce is not hostile or aggressive towards Viktor. He doesn't hate him. He's actually trying to do what he failed to do in episode 6 - he is trying to talk to Vik, reason with him and convince him.

"kill- Viktor" line - again Jayce is not angry or hostile, and again shows that he cares for Vik.

"Viktor? Do I have my partner back?" - Do I have to write anything? He desperately wants him back and believes it can still somehow happen.

Enemy Viktor - "Viktor may not be the man I knew but he's still worth saving" - again Jayce shows how much he cares and that despite having seen all the horrors he still does NOT want to kill Vik but save him. What he says here once again indicates that he still hopes saving Vik is still possible, and that it's worth trying. Edit: He cares so much he's like "Viktor an enemy? I WILL SAVE him even against his will and I will bring his humanity back"

How the **** am I supposed to reconcile this Jayce, Jayce who wants to save Vik, who thinks Vik is still not completely lost, and who thinks Vik is worth the effort and the risk with Jayce from episode 6 who just murders him without even talking to him???

Does that mean Jayce was really controlled by the Void? Or that he will be extremely sorry in act 3 for giving up on Vik? Anyone has any idea how can this even make sense??

Anyway seeing those interactions gave me hope. The yaoi, while still doomed, may not be as doomed as I thought. Like.... at least Jayce clearly is supposed to care, right?

[midnightcatharsis]

I’M NOT ANGRY AT JAYCE BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE HAD TO DESTROY THE HEXCORE AND IN CONSEQUENCE KILL VIKTOR OR BECAUSE HE DECIDED TO DO IT. (I have no doubt that he saw something terrible that will be revealed later). I AM ANGRY AT JAYCE FOR HOW HE CHOSE TO DO IT and because it looked like it was way too easy for him.

Most arguments defending Jayce like: "he did everything right because he saw something terrible and had to stop it", "Viktor was manipulated or taken over by the hexcore and had to be stopped", "the cult was morally questionable/evil" - all operate on a fallacy that there were only 2 solutions: either to do nothing completely and let the hexcore do whatever it wants or kill Viktor in the EXACTLY SAME way and manner that Jayce did it. And I have several problems with that take.

A. First of all Jayce didn’t save anyone because it was probably a self-fulling prophecy and by killing Viktor without thinking Jayce didn't stop the tragedy but rather made it happen.

Yes, after merging with the hexcore Viktor seems a little more distant and hollower and is certainly manipulated/used by it, but Act 2 proves he was still himself. He still was desperately clinging to his humanity, he still disagreed with Singed, he still wanted only to help his people, he still wanted them to have their humanity (as proved by Vander's situation) and he still had emotions. He was happy and excited to see Jayce again and wanted to share this dream with Jayce, wanted Jayce to be proud and happy with him... And then he just feels betrayal, confusion, disappointment, and fear. Whether he was manipulated or whether the cult would have bad consequences long term is beside the point. What is important is that he was to some extent in control, had good intentions, wasn't aggressive, and was capable of talking and reasoning. Jayce couldn’t see that. By killing Viktor to avoid the tragedy Jayce took his humanity from him, and this will cause exactly what he wanted to avoid. Dying Viktor rejects humanity -he thinks that everybody he was trying to save and he himself were killed only because of his positive emotions towards Jayce and his trust in him, and he probably doesn’t want to feel that hurt, fear, and betrayal anymore…

It was still possible to talk with Viktor, only Jayce’s choice to murder him will create a villain Jayce wanted to stop.  

B. Even assuming that Jayce absolutely had to kill Viktor to stop the hexcore that is the least problematic and hurtful part. I couldn't hate Jayce or be angry at him for killing Viktor if he was convinced, he had to do it to save the future regardless of whether it turns out to be a good choice or a self-fulling prophecy. I'm not angry at him for that. I’m super angry at him for how easy it was for him to kill his partner/roommate/best friend, how he didn't struggle with it at all (for comparison we see Vi clearly struggling with the idea of killing her sister despite knowing that she is a terrorist), how emotionless he was, and how he made Viktor's last moments hell and emotional torture by giving him the most brutal, terrifying and heartless execution that was possible.

He didn't even try to find an alternative solution to save Vik. I am not saying he should have found it, but he didn't try. He returned and immediately decided to murder him. Viktor invited him and Jayce didn't even bother to talk to him, didn't try to reason with him or to convince him, didn't want even to spare 5 minutes to explain the situation to Vik, perhaps Viktor could give him some advice or insight or if not, at least Jayce could tell him why he had to kill him so that Vik doesn't feel so betrayed in his last moments. Jayce could spend 2 minutes to reassure him that Jayce doesn't want to do it. Finally, Jayce could just say "I'm sorry Vik" or "Forgive me, for what I have to do" or ANYTHING. If he did that, I would find it tragic but I couldn't possibly dislike him. My problem is that he didn't. He didn't want to spare 2 fucking seconds to say "I'm sorry" and to make it slightly less horrifying for Vik or to reassure him that Jayce truly cared. Imagine the hurt, confusion, and betrayal that Viktor had to feel upon realizing that the only person he considered a friend wants to murder him without regret and without telling why. Probably if Jayce spared those fucking 10 seconds to express to V that he doesn't want to do it, only thinks he has to, Viktor would be able to understand, wouldn't want to completely get rid of his emotion and humanity later and the villain Jayce was trying to destroy wouldn’t be created at all. Let’s be honest those 10 seconds wouldn’t have destroyed the earth or caused any horrifying cataclysm.

Viktor in episode 6 has no idea why he has to die and you know what? He doesn’t fucking deserve it. Regardless of whether he will become a villain later or not, regardless of whether he was controlled or manipulated by the hexcore he still had good intentions and didn’t deserve to die like that, to be treated like that, especially, not by Jayce who merged him with the hexcore in the first place.

I think that if I were in Viktor’s position I would like at least to know why I have to die or whether my best friend ever cared to, you know, die more peacefully. Wouldn’t you dear reader?

Even later after murdering Viktor Jayce still doesn't look as if he gives a damn about him. He doesn't say anything, or do anything that indicates that he feels sorry about that. He doesn't cradle his body, instead, he leaves the corpse in a place where he knows nobody will even give it a proper burial... He shows fewer emotions and less care than supposedly taken over by the hexcore Viktor.

I don't think Jayce deserves hate for deciding to destroy hexcore/killing Viktor even if I think he didn't save anyone but made everything worse. However, Jayce deserves every possible critique for choosing the cruelest way to do it, for how easy it was for him, and because he doesn't show any care or emotions in episode 6.

The only thing that could still make me understand this and forgive him is if it turns out that he was being manipulated or taken over by the void/hexcore or some other powerful being.

[midnightcatharsis]

You're so right!!

Me if I hear Jayce saying anything about Viktor in act 3:

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Why do I think it would somehow be even lower after act 3??

The Jayce chart

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Imagine this scenario: Jayce thinks he needs to kill Viktor to prevent a tragedy caused by Viktor changed into an emotionless villain robot who looks down on humanity. He goes to where the members of the cult/commune live with a hammer just like in the show and just like in the show Viktor invites him in without even caring whether he has a hextech weapon. Jayce is fully set on killing him, his hand closes on the hammer but then he sees Viktor and hesitates. Viktor was even more beautiful than before, his face still fully human not hidden behind the mask, his eyes fully human. Expressive emotions visible on his face and in his eyes.  He's so, so much different from the machine Viktor from the future that Jayce has seen.  That one was cold, this one before him is happy, excited that he can see Jayce and share his knowledge and dream with him. But Jayce knows he has to kill him, his hand on a hammer again… yet he still can't force himself to do it. Viktor greets him, and Jayce can't respond. How can someone like Vik before his eyes change into the Machine Herald? How does someone like that who still cares about humanity (maybe Jayce has seen Vander) change like that?? And then he slowly realizes… what if he never changed? What if it was a self-fulfilling prophecy? His eyes widen and he remembers all that he knows about the hexcore and arcane he recalls that the hexcore is learning and adapting, evolving really, and that it can revive itself… Of course, since it's constantly adapting it must mean that after reviving it would want to eliminate what caused its destruction… emotion and humanity. After all they were the reason why Viktor allowed himself to be vulnerable near Jayce. It is trust that makes him so easy to approach and attack... and kill. He starts to think that perhaps he did murder Viktor in the previous timeline and this event was what caused the hexcore to change in the way that allowed for the tragedy to happen and for Viktor to become a villain… Jayce decides not to kill him ever again, instead, he tells him what he saw and talks to him which in the end results in them teaming up to find a different way to destroy the hexcore while not killing all the people already healed by it… Or something like that.

I really need a fix-it

[midnightcatharsis]

CaitVi fans: Oh no, they really made Cait hit Vi and sleep with Maddie… How can this pairing possibly recover from cheating and domestic abuse? It's doomed…

Meanwhile JayVik fans after Jayce sleeps with another person, breaks every promise he has ever given to Viktor and violently murders him, seemingly with no regret, guilt or inner struggle, without even trying to talk to him one last time:

[midnightcatharsis]

When it comes to arcane the real question is: who's prettier?

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You know that a series scarred you emotionally for the rest of your life if you finally decide to create a tumblr account just to talk about it and get it of your chest.

[midnightcatharsis]

Me if I hear Jayce saying anything about Viktor in act 3:

[midnightcatharsis]

what arcane writers said: champions will no longer have plot armor in s2

what arcane writers actually meant: practically every champion will still have plot armor but we're gonna torture, hurt, and murder Viktor OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN and occasionally Vander too.