#;you have to give them what they need to survive | ekko ;

[jynxd]

jinx kills someone to protect Ekko

Every once in a while, despite having spent the better of 6 plus years, without shimmer in his system, Ekko still struggled with being around it. This was the case as he crept around the alleyways, sneaking around each crevice, and happened to notice a deal going on. One of Silco's gang, handing out the purple gold. Part of him wanted to reach out and take it, however, he resisted. And instead he made himself known as he stepped out of the shadows.

"You don't want that, unless you want to turn out like those addicts down below." Ekko said as he fixed a cold glare at the dealer, his voice deeper thanks to the way his mask distorted it. Thats when he noticed that the man wasn't surprised by this intervention. In fact, it seemed like he had been expected company. This was confirmed when he spoke. 'We knew you would show up, little Firelight.'

Ekko quickly threw one of the crystal bombs in his pouch their way, capturing most of them in the radius. The addict, was quick to grab the vial in the mans hand, quickly fleeing the scene. "You think I wouldn't come prepared? Alone or not, you don't stand a chance." What Ekko didn't know, however, was that someone had snuck behind and was about deal a fatal blow. Only when he heard the sound of a bullet hitting a skull, did he notice. As well as the source...

"Pow-" Ekko stopped the name from coming out, as he knew that that part of her was long dead. Lest he want her to know who was really under this mask, if she didn't already. "Jinx? Why did you do that? I'm your enemy." He glanced down at the stop watch in his hand, keeping note of the time before the crystals would break. @jinxcdd

[jynxd]

The concern he felt began to die down, knowing that they were there to comfort him. Especially since Caitlyn knew his pain, to some degree. She was an empath, like him, but she knew the rush of shimmer. It was ingrained her now, just as the hound was ingrained in him. The only difference was, that he was allowed a break. Jinx had not yet forced the shimmer to bind with him. Though he feared it would only be a matter of time. "If Jinx comes, she won't hesitate to send the hound after you...Are you sure you're willing to risk it?"

Ekko flinched at the feeling of coldish water touching his skin to clean the blood off. Although he wasn't looking directly at her now, he knew that being this close to someone who'd just had shimmer in their system had to be hard. The shimmer, which would always lure those who were afflicted in, something she knew now. "You've been through enough with what was done to you. Both of you, and I here I am, a reminder of what kind of monster Jinx could be." A tear of shimmer ran down his cheek as he spoke. "What kind of monster she made me. She'll always come back for it."

It was Vi's voice that caught his attention as a dark brown met blue, some feint signs of shimmer still dancing in them. "Oh I remember. We had to keep it secret and everything but it was hard." Ekko let out a chuckle, even if it seemed hoarse at the moment. "I remember coming back absolutely black and blue, and oh man you should have seen how mad Benzo was when he found out." He once more glanced away,hiding his frown. "He would be smacking me upside the head for what I've become now..."

"Did I ever tell you about how she found me? What lead to becoming this?" It was sudden, but Ekko in this time felt it was necessary. It was something he had to tell. @valiantthearts

Caitlyn had everything she needed to tend to Ekko, as she pulled out a large towel and started to clean off the blood to make sure he truly had no wounds. Ekko seemed to have vanished into his mind, while Vi waited and they both look concerned with his care. “Hey,” Caitlyn spoke as she squeezed his hands, trying to help ground him into this place. Vi’s hand squeezed his shoulder and tried to help him. “You are fine, we can handle jinx if she shows up, but for now, let us take care of you,” Caitlyn glanced at Vi and tilted her head toward the vinyl. Vi didn’t have to say a thing as she got up and moved over to put on some music. It might not be a favorite of hers or theirs, but it was better than nothing. The violin played in the background, as Caitlyn worked to clean off the blood along his hands.

The smell of shimmer filtered through Caitlyn’s nose as she had to shake her head, the draw of it difficult to resist as she looked up to Ekko. The echoing pain whispered through her mind, feeling all his pain and fear as she squeezed his hands. “Breathe,” Caitlyn spoke, and Vi squeezed his shoulder again. “I’ll finish cleaning your hands, you just talk with Vi,” Caitlyn encouraged and then worked on using the bowl of water and towel to clean the blood away.

Vi turned to face Ekko, hoping to catch his eyes. “Hey, remember that time you and I went out on a mini raid? You were so damn excited that I invited you. Shit, I swear you were going to melt through the floor from excitement,” Vi chuckled as she tilted her head. “You had a few brain cells knocked around, I think, but you held your own. Taught you a few moves that kept you on your feet,” Caitlyn couldn’t help but smile, listening to Vi talk about their past, though she lost her smile in concern at Ekko’s condition and the pain she could feel. But most of all, she worried about the effects of shimmer, knowing exactly what that was like.

She swore she could never get the sweet taste out of her mouth now that it ran through her blood.

[sex-tech]

This is gonna probably be a really long post about my thoughts for Act 3 with what has been set up already because I need to shout into the void about this shit LMAO get ready for a WALL of text

Also a fair warning, I'm gonna be talking about so much jayvik/vikjayce in this you don't understand THE HELL I AM GOING THROUGH THERE IS GONNA BE SO MUCH COPIUM IN THIS

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 2 !!!

Quick mini-review: I feel like a contrarian when I say that I actually preferred Act 2 to Act 1. There were a lot of things set up and a lot of payoffs. I do have issues with the pacing overall; season 1 had much better structure and with the introduction of so much LOL lore in season 2, there are bound to be issues. There were 6 years of production for season 1 vs. 3 years of production for season 2, and it has clearly had an effect on the writing. Some scenes are too quick, some scenes are too slow, some cuts are too abrupt - I feel this is painfully obvious sometimes and talking with my friends about it we all agree that the pacing has suffered immensely.

But other than that, Act 2 has been really playing with my emotions and there are so many moments where I just kept breaking down over the scenes with Jinx, Vi, Vander and Isha. The watercolour-style flashbacks were so incredibly well done and those scenes had a lot of love put into them - props to Studio Fortiche!

I believe there is definitely a time paradox happening of some kind, one where Jayce, Ekko and Heimerdinger are lost in some kind of timeline.

This reflection in this artwork feels like it's hinting at what we will see in Act 3, maybe a different timeline, or the future, and Jayce will end up seeing the outcome of the Arcane. I feel that with how the lore is being changed, they need to give him some purpose or reason to pursue Viktor, to officially make them enemies. Whatever Jayce will see or experience will lead to that - a difference in perspectives and ideals.

Also, this shot, where Jayce returns and we see him glitching in and out, I feel that's a really clear depiction of a paradox, of different timelines converging or something similar. I can just imagine him living through all these different events, surviving something so awful, and now it's destroying him from the inside. He's so traumatized and I will defend him with my whole being.

I'm also a bit worried now about Ekko and Heimerdinger. I'm convinced that the latter won't survive however I'm not so sure about Ekko. I feel that everything being a time paradox would lead really well into him finally receiving his time powers, but as of now I think he is really under-utilized in the series as a whole, more so in season 2, and I'm really hopeful that we will get more screen time with him in Act 3.

Singed's role in this season is huge and it will definitely become even more important in Act 3. The introduction of Orianna, which I thought was so great, as well as the name-drop of "Dr. Reveck" has really set up his motivations. Warwick being his experiment for bringing back his daughter I believe will lead to him experimenting with Viktor.

Warwick's design was confusing to me at first. He felt too human but I think that was intentional - Singed wanted to create him with some humanity, a test, hence he is still more like Vander, still able to feel his love for Jinx and Vi. I believe he will survive, and Singed will get rid of his humanity completely, potentially leading to a more LOL accurate look.

This also brings me to Viktor and his OG lore. I really liked his concept in the game and I will admit, seeing them change it in Arcane worried me. While I really love the design, I was hopeful that we would see Viktor entering his glorious evolution era. But now with his interactions with Singed, with Singed's personal motivation for revival, I believe that there is still hope. Seeing how Orianna is preserved, still human-like, I believe that Singed's discoveries will lead him to recreating Viktor with metal, something closer to what we see in the game, maybe a cursed combination of both Arcane and machine, and I believe he will see it as a breakthrough in bringing Orianna back.

The way he describes it, the way he says, "You must survive, Viktor," a parallel to him saying "the specimen must survive" feels so intentional. He sees the potential in reanimation with how Viktor returned, healed, and this won't be the end of him, not yet, he must survive.

This scene where Viktor asks Singed, "Do you believe in fate?" I believe also points to another thing. Viktor knew very early on what his fate would be. He was accepting of it, he was confused as to why he was alive, and I believe in the scene where Jayce kills him, that look in his eyes was of acceptance. He did not look afraid, he looked at peace - with the idea of different timelines, with Viktor becoming closer to the celestial, he might've already known what would happen, which is why he invites Jayce to meet him. That with him saying, "I've been expecting you, doctor," is another reason I think that Viktor is aware of everything.

With Singed's final words to Viktor, the disdain in Viktor's eyes, the way Sky is looking at Viktor directly, frantic, worried, an expression of dread at the thought of the Arcane dying out completely, of all the progress coming to an end. I still believe the core is manipulating Viktor, that Sky is the personification of it, and that the core is aware of its own evolution reaching its final state, death - like a virus without a host.

And then there was this, the heavy breathing, the gritted teeth, squint in his eyes, the way he drops down - it felt like heartbreak, like guilt. He just murdererd a man, a man that spoke to him as Viktor.

Just this look. He's tired. He's returned from hell and he can see the beginning of the end, he can see Viktor's descent into madness, recognizes it immediately, and he's disappointed. Maybe he'd hoped to see something else.

Also, with Jayce saying, "I thought you were done with Hextech, and me," could imply that this new version of Viktor, remade by Singed, would no longer have a connection the Arcane - he is reforged, he has realized the weakness of flesh and compassion, "it's inescapable," and he will be remade with steel and rage, once again against his will, just like Warwick was. And perhaps, in this dark future, when Jayce finally sees what Viktor becomes, sees Viktor reject him entirely, that he is done with him, is also what makes Jayce spiral.

And now that he has returned, seeing Viktor welcome him with open arms, inviting him to spend time together, to show him what he has uncovered - what must he have seen? What must Viktor have said to him to make him feel so denied and unwanted?

Someone he once loved, someone that broke him, showing him the same gentleness and care he had once before.

"I won't fail. I swear it."

This entire sequence was insane. The different emotions in Jayce's face, the way he's cycling through pain and fear and conviction. The initial shock in his eyes, seeing what his Viktor has become, seeing him in this state, before the corruption - he looks vulnerable, he doesn't fight back, doesn't resist. He has made his promise to Viktor before, and I believe this is another promise to him, a promise to rend his mistake and do right by him. And Jayce looks frightened by his actions, frightened by the sight before him - Viktor looks so exhausted, so sick - I can imagine it reminds Jayce of him before he combined with the Hexcore.

Jayce's entire arc this season is about him gaining more agency, more control of himself despite the way he has been spiraling, whilst for Viktor it's the opposite, he has lost himself to a greater purpose, a perfect mirror to how they were in season 1.

The way their designs mirror them both too, Jayce getting the leg brace, his eyes changing, him being afflicted with the Arcane, Viktor keeping the blanket, keeping a cog that reminds him of the discoveries they made together, one side of it being perfectly clear, the other corrupted, a representation of them - two sides of the same coin.

I believe Viktor's monologue at the end, the scenes with him and Sky in a magical world where he is emoting, showing compassion for those that suffer, his realization that emotion is inescapable, shows that he still feels, even if it is all subdued. His reaction to Jayce killing Salo hurt, he looked pained and yet, as though he expected it - "that isn't Jayce" - it's not his Jayce, not the Jayce that he remembers, the one that he stayed with over shared affections, this is a Jayce ruined by him, and he is yet to see just how much they have and will hurt each other.

Maybe the exquisite chaos he is talking about is his corruption from the future, constantly self-replicating and self-annihilating, something that he has never observed before because it is yet to happen to him. He knows his fate, but not anything beyond that.

A couple final notes:

All the butterfly imagery - Jayce's hammer, the explosion in the mesh(?), the "Talis" butterfly - a symbol of death, rebirth, transformation

The parallels between Jayce and Singed, wanting to keep Viktor alive, creating a monster, and now Jayce having to destroy that which he created, a consequence of him breaking his promise

Viktor appearing as though he is connected to both the void and something celestial, godly, a balance

TLDR; jayvik divorce era will be the death of me, they were made for each other and will be the death of each other

[thenationofzaun]

Character writing in Arcane Season 2: Act 1

I have big issues with the quality of dialogue and characterization so far in Act 1. Characters and conversations have almost zero depth. Examples:

Heimerdinger - Does he know about the Council attack? How does he feel about it? Is he relieved he was voted out beforehand? Does he feel responsible for the attack, in that if he had taken action sooner, Zaun would not have been driven to this level of violence? Does he feel guilty for the deaths of his colleagues? Viktor was almost killed by the attack but got saved by the very Hexcore Heimerdinger hated. What's his reaction to that??

Lol who cares? Let's do goofy Disney channel hijinks by sneaking into a lab with Ekko. He meets Jayce there. Does he express his concern or relief that his former student just survived a Hextech explosion unscathed? Nope!!! Wacky humour time!!!

Ekko - Does Ekko know Jinx killed Silco? If yes, how does he feel about that? Is he shocked? Confused? If he doesn't know, what does he think happened to Silco? What do Zaunites like him make of Silco's death if Jinx got rid of his body? How does he feel about the Council attack? Does he support it or does he think Jinx went too far? Is he on the fence?

Lol who cares? We don't need to know any of this. Let Ekko have goofy scenes with Heimerdinger. Speaking of Heimer, what the fuck is Ekko's opinion on Heimerdinger's criminal negligence of the Undercity for the past two fucking centuries? Because he sure warmed up to that hairball quick. This is an issue that started in Season 1 Episode 8, but I had hopes they would address it in Season 2. I guess not.

Jayce - How does Jayce feel about seeing Heimerdinger again, when their last meeting was Jayce betraying him? We know he felt guilty about it in Season 1 so why was there no inkling of it during their meeting in the lab? Why doesn't Jayce tell Heimer that the Hexcore saved Viktor? The Hexcore having the potential to save Viktor's life was a huge point of contention for them in Season 1 and was partially the reason for Jayce's betrayal, but neither of them mention it. Lol. Viktor wakes up and tells him that Sky was killed by the Hexcore in their lab. Jayce: "Oh no! Anyway..." ?????? No questions as to how and when this happened? No questions as to where Sky's body is? You just learned your employee was fucking killed in your lab a few days ago and this is your reaction?

Vi - How does Vi feel about the fact that the tyrants who killed her parents are dead by Jinx's hand? She herself wanted to take revenge on the Council in the past, so how does she feel now that her little sister's the one who did it? When Caitlyn yaps about avenging her mother's death by killing Jinx, does Vi realize that Jinx's attack was in itself vengeance for their parents' deaths on the bridge? Which were sanctioned by the Council? Will she ever bring this up to Caitlyn? Probably not. What exactly is Vi's opinion on a Zaunite uprising against topside? Does she no longer think it's the right way to go about things?

What does she think happened to Ekko? The last time she saw him, he was fighting Jinx to the death. He could be dead for all she knows. And she doesn't even think about or mention him once. Seems like she doesn't give a shit about Little Man lol. Did the writers forget they are childhood friends?

What eventually drives her to join the enforcers? Could it be concern for her sister, that she somehow thinks the badge would allow her more say in advocating for lesser sentencing? Could it be ideology, that she genuinely believes stricter policing of the Undercity is the way to prevent more Silcos? Lol nope! She's convinced by some rando giving her an ego boost about how Kewl and Badazz she was attacking the factory of child labourers. (A+ manipulation by Caitlyn by the way. What a wholesome and healthy romance Caitvi is turning out to be!)

What causes the rift between Vi and Caitlyn? Could it be Vi's love for Jinx, because as much she tries to convince herself her sister is dead and that Jinx is a different person, deep down she knows that Jinx is still her sister and for all Vi's bluster and rage, she can't bear to see Jinx actually die when push comes to shove? Lol nope!!! She's actually totally okay with a fucking enforcer killing her fucking sister, the exact thing that orphaned them both. Vi only draws the line when a random kid intervenes, after which Caitlyn proceeds to domestically abuse Vi and leave her crying on the floor without looking back.

There is so much detail and nuance missing. This is why almost every scene and conversation feels so empty. Every conversation is comically rushed and not allowed to breathe. The characters' superficial personality traits are there for the most part, but their underlying motivations, feelings, opinions, and desires are completely neglected to fulfill whatever the plot demands them to do.

[mollysunder]

When Ekko tells Heimerdinger, "It's not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live", it falls flat to me because Heimerdinger didn't even give Zaun the first part. Heimerdinger and the Council very clearly didn't even give Zaun the bare minimum in terms of support based on the air and water quality alone (nevermind most of Zaun lives in the ground too).

Frankly, the quote applies more to how Heimerdinger treated Topside, overly cautious to prevent the mistakes of the past in a way that can stifle innovation. And it's weird that when Heimerdinger puts it into practice in Zaun it's more him building elaborate toys for children vs utilities that could help out a fledgling community like the Firelights. It's giving neglectful parent that feeds kids sweets to cheer them up instead of cooking a meal.

[justanerddummie]

I've got a lot of things to say about s2 so I'll divide them in two posts, spoilers after the cut beware

First thing first, the intro, it's beautiful I love it, it gives us a lot of information about every character and what they're going through, about how each and everyone of them is changing and that's exactly why I think it will change before the end of the season, once everyone is focus. I don't think it will change every act, even though I'd love that but I'd surprised if it didn't change at all.

Now let's talk about the juicy stuff.

Jinx

What I really want to talk about is the figth with Vi and Cait. I really don't think Jinx went there with the intention of dying, I think she went there with the intention of killing both Vi and Powder for good, and also found herself face to face with the monster she created, Caitlyn. When Caitlyn shot her finger off was probably the first time we've seen, Jinx, not Powder, actually being terrified and what is Jinx if not a mask, a persona that Powder has learnt to wear to survive the undercity when she was alone the first time around. Right now Powder needs people more than ever, she needs Ishta and she needs Sevika because Jinx isn't working anymore she needs to find a new way to be able to survive and I think it's the perfect timing for her to become the face of the revolution, because she's ready to accept people in her life once more, because simply surviving by being the baddest bitch around isn't viable anymore, she needs an higher purpose to move her forward and finally bring her out of the metaphorical cage her past rappresents. I can really see Jinx take on the role of protector this season, to the undercity, to Ishta and maybe Vi? After watching her stand up to Cait, literally blocking her bullets with her own body, I think Jinx has realized that even though Vi has made a lot of awful decision, she is still there, she just needs a little push to remember who she is. Let's be real the nothing else to lose clip has basically told us that they were teaming up again, we're getting the sisters back together this is just something that re-enforces the theory.

Sevika and Ishta

Ok, this is rough because I'm just speculating and I have nothing to base this hunch on, but I unfortunately think that Ishta is going to die, and that Sevika is going to betray Jinx. The only thing that supports this insane theory is that Arcane is a story told in cycles the end for how awful it is will never change, it's always the characters making the same mistakes of the past and to whom do we see Jinx being compared to? Vander. And who did Sevika betray? yep Vander. I'm pretty sure I'm wrong but I can totally see Sevika become the next Vander or Silco, by the end of the season, and I guess a lot of people think it's going to be Jinx but as Jinx has said herself to Smeech, "every one that gets close to me dies". Ishta and the people of the undercity are going to be collateral damage and this will prompt Sevika to turn on Jinx.

Ekko

He's the only one who got the assignment. He's the only one who tries to break the cycle of violence, he tries to do it with Jinx even though he gets blown up by a granade as a thank you and he breaks it with Heimerdinger without pointing the finder and this time he manages to get an ally in fighting the arcane pollution. No notes here, Ekko is the bestest boy.

Mel

I think the intro is telling us that by the end of the season Mel is going to be in the position Ambessa was in the blood and tears music video. I might be wrong but I can see her understanding what the fuck is Ambessa up against and choose to take her family side here. She is ready to become both the fox and the wolf (poor Jayce, he's going to get through another divorce). Also hasn't Mel been revealed a mage by the catastrophic promotional campaign? I guess that would explain how she and Jayce are unscathed.

Viktor

Jesus Viktor is kind of hot, I would love to talk about him but he's barely even been shown and I know basically nothing about lol lore. I can't understand if he's a good guy, a bad guy or a secret third option, so far I can only say that if he's able to control the arcane pollution in order to heal people he could be of help to Ekko.

Jayce

He keeps changing his mind on everything as usual, but I personally could have not argued with what he said to Viktor during the divorce. He was right morality means nothing if you have a chance of saving your friend's life. Other than that, I loved the weird glitchy thing at the base of the hex gates and how Ekko basically told him he's to blame for the arcane pollution that is destroying his home. Really hope Jayce owns up to it and does something to actually fix his mistakes.

Ambessa

I loved how she controls the scene while basically being background. The way she regards Caitlyn when she shuts Salo up at the meeting. It's obvious she thinks she's finally found the perfect person for the job, Caitlyn has the power to make Jayce build weapon with hextech, her family name carries way more respect than Salo, and what's more she's a decorated officer, the one who managed to uncover Marcus corruption. I mean she'd be every fascist wet dream, it's pretty obvious that the big houses of Piltover will get behind her without saying a word. Salo on the other hand would have been a much thougher sale, even if safer. Let's be real Caitlyn isn't a coward or an idiot like Salo and for as much as Ambessa will be trying to manipulate her, Caitlyn will be breathing down her neck. It's obvious at least to me that if the leader of a foreign country is offering help she will want something in return and Caitlyn being the daughter of a councilor will at least have had a bit of training in politics and know at least the basics. I can see Cait bend her morality to the limit willingly, but not fall for the manipulation, not completely at least. I really hope she'll not be that stupid, but I guess we'll have to see.

Cait and Vi will get their own post, cause seriously there is just too much to talk about.

[fantasyfly12]

When Ekko said:

“It’s not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live.”

(I don't remember how he said it exactly.)

It really hit me.

[styxnbones]

i put up with SO MUCH SHIT this season because the good parts were just that good and somehow they manage to completely ruin the entire thing in the last 5 minutes. i truly do not give a fuck about all the people who i knowwwww are already arguing about it being "in character" for her and i will be blocking anyone who does that on sight. i do not give a fuck if she's canonically suicidal and just wants to save her sister and be with her dads again. this is the most blatant writer cop-out of the fucking century. they wrote themselves into a corner where she was too cool and badass of a character to die by anyone else's hands so they wouldn't have to deal with "well jinx would obviously beat [person x] in a fight this is bullshit," and they knew they couldn't kill her off too soon because if it was any further from the end of the entire fucking series people would just stop watching, but they needed her inconvenient punk ass out of the way so the copaganda lesbians could have a "happy" ending. and if you don't believe me: look at how fucking dirty they did EKKO. bro got one hit k.o'd, crushed under debris and fucking LEFT THERE like the writers forgot about him after we get one single frame of his corpse laying there. they just had to fucking hammer home the point that taking action against an oppressive class system will get you nothing more than a token voice at the top and a whole lot of dead loved ones. sevika is the ONE AND FUCKING ONLY main cast zaunite who survived the series and that is purely so she can be the "oh well they got what they wanted in the end" to attempt to balance out the story so the authors can claim their precious meta neutrality.

there was really genuinely a moment there where i really thought there might be hope that they wouldn't keep pushing the "oppression is bad but revolution is worse" centrist-ass narrative. but nope! egg on my fucking face.

there was no fucking reason to do it like that. there was no fucking reason to kill her at all. like really madly truly WHAT about the story would have been weaker if she had the time to fully reconcile with vi and lived to see at least SOMETHING resembling the future both her dads wanted her to have instead of getting whacked with the most low effort shallow excuse for a "redemption in death" moment. WAS FAMILY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MAJOR NARRATIVE THEMES IN THIS SHOW??? WAS ALL OF THAT JUST A FUCKING COINCIDENCE??? HOW DOES HER FALLING TO HER DEATH WITH THE WEREWOLF FURSUIT HER DAD USED TO BE IN FORWARD THOSE THEMES BETTER THAN GIVING ACTUAL FUCKING CLOSURE ON HER RELATIONSHIP WITH VI?????

it seriously fucking reads like the writers couldn't decide how to handle her and vi to give them the conclusion of their arc while also keeping vi with caitlyn, so they just.

fucking killed her.

i guess.

anyways if anyone else wants to be mad about this forever with me my dms are open and i have so much more to say but im actually getting so pissed off im gonna pass out so good fucking night.

tl;dr: fuck you riot and fuck you fortiche.

[jynxd]

Ever since Silco’s downfall, the Firelights base had become a safe haven for those still suffering from aftermath. Soon he knew there would be capacity problems; but that never stopped him. Saying no to those in need? I was not who he was. And yet that doesn't mean he didn't keep on an eye the prospects.

With the chem barons driving the Zaun into chaos, it was hard to know who to trust. Whose to say they weren't sending in spies? To undo everything he worked for? So when someone none of them had recognized, well it went without saying. "Ekko, there is someone suspicious at the door. They aren't alone, either." Scar reported to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dear, we need your judgement on them. You're our leader."

Ekko sighed, as he brought a hand up to hold the hand on his shoulder. "Do you suspect they work for one of the barons?" A grunt was his only response, but it was enough for Ekko to know. "Very well, I'll look into it." He reached out for his board and stood up. "Alright, let's go."

He waited for Scar to step on his board and they took off together. There was a cold, detached, look in his eyes as he stopped right in front of Viktor. What, of course, they didn't know, is that Ekko recognized him, just barely. The last time the man had stepped foot on the bridge, he had visited the mad chemist in which associated with Silco. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I can see why they were suspicious, I've seen you once haven't I? I saw you come across to visit the good Doctor." Ekko put the board behind his back as he approached the man. He sensed no I'll will, in which his empathic ability would pick up. "So, what brings you here now?" It didn't go unnoticed that that Huck was behind him, a face he knew well. "I see you've cured my friend Huck, is that why you are here?

Up close, Viktor, would easily the blackened veins of the former addict, all over his neck and arms. Just as he would notice the recovering addicts, shivering as they overcame the odds. As well as the many who had long survived, and become strong warriors.

Plotted starter with @jynxd

The man he later learned was called Huck was not the only one Viktor needed to aid. Several Shimmer addicts crawled to him - and word soon spread beyond even them. Soon enough, Viktor seemed to be leading a small flock of cured destitutes. They need not shy away from society, scrapping over dregs. Viktor had tried to appease the downtrodden as well, but they were far more scared. Fear was rife, but so unnecessary... But Viktor understood. Perhaps if he could show some a safe place to be, others will follow in time. Seeking sanctuary.

That sanctuary seemed to be at hand. Viktor felt the pull once more, guiding him through the narrow, crowded streets of Zaun - through muck and grime. The former addicts never questioned him. Viktor truly didn't know where they would end up, but he couldn't ignore this pulsing charge within him.

However, their destination was guarded, and their appearance was met with suspicion and wrath. He could hardly blame them. Viktor had raised his hands to show he was not armed, explaining that they sought refuge and nothing more. When he was questioned on how he found this place - whatever it was - Viktor couldn't answer. But his ears picked up on a discussion of a 'leader', and what he would do with 'these freaks'...

"Then we shall wait here for your leader, let him decide." Viktor concluded. And wait there they did. Quietly, with only small conversations amongst the renewed people. The guards watched them hungrily. As if itching for a fight. But they provided no reason to - and soon enough, this leader of theirs showed his face... Viktor could tell, from how the three guards seemed to react. Still, he didn't stand and announce himself yet. Let the dust settle...

[jynxd]

"I'll push you to your limits and beyond. Only then will you become what you need to be." (from Stolas for Ekko) @runes-menagerie

There were many things Ekko expected, on that list was certainly not some big tall bird to come up and talk to him. Certainly not one he knew, in fact, he'd never seen anything like his kind in the Undercity before. And yet this tall humanoid bird was talking to him as if they weren't strangers.

"I don't think you know who you're talking to, bud." Ekko said, though his voice was distorted by the mask that so often covered his face. Very rarily did have his mask off when he was out, in fact he never had it off. Couldn't have anyone recognize him after all. "Who do you even think you are?"

Ekko put some distance between himself and the stranger. What if this was one of Silco's men? What if this was a shimmer dealer? The streets were full of them, full of people trying to get people hooked on the filth of shimmer. A drug he fought every day to return to..

"And If this is your attempt to give me shimmer you're in the wrong company, too." He clenched his fists. "I have no interest in what you're selling, bird."

[rappaccini]

arcane act ii

controversial opinion: oh this isn't good its just pretty to look at

ok yeah the time jump is not good. so many important things happen that we're only catching the tail end of.

speeding past the adoption of jinx as a symbol. speeding past the firelights realizing ekko is missing. jinx goes from suicidal and self serving to Joan of Arc in one week. ?????

the sequences with different animation styles were cool... would prefer more character work. (why is this giving me what-btsv-will-look-like vibes? why does it feel like that's what they'll do-- jam in a ton of pretty-looking scenes while failing to wrap up all their loose ends and relying on fanservice to get emotional moments)

ambessa having no real strong reaction to mel being missing... no that doesn't work.

mel being stuck in the shadow realm... good on her for not being fridged yet but look idk wtf is going on there. secret lineage plotline included. if we got one hint of her being connected to any of this in s1 i coulda dug it but it truly reads like the writers threw her this out of nowhere plotline bc they didn't know what to do with her after deciding she'd survive the blast. i'm at the point where i'm like. maybe she should have died bc literally nothing would change except a slight amount of political maneuvering.

jayce... well him shooting vik was fun but idk man.

viktor becoming jesus felt about right. hate that sky's trapped in his brain forever. HATE the 'fridged woman haunting the guy who killed her to make him vaguely guilty' trope. free her.

ambessa and caitlyn's mentorship is still great. kinda want them to kiss too.

salo seeking viktor out was a great idea. wish we could have SEEN IT instead of the aftermath.

the whole scene with the sisters' mom and silco and vander... no actually i dislike how all of a sudden everyone is related to everyone. zaun doesn't feel like a city anymore it feels like a tiny town. also it doesn't click at all with how silco doesn't give a fuck about vi.

zaun in general feels so empty without silco or ekko to articulate its needs. piltover's reeling post-jinxbomb felt adequately established but zaun's... nothing. just vague shapeless chaos in a music video. even the zaun v piltover conflict feels limp. i feel like this is largely because, again, the major zaunite political players are dead or in the fucking spiderverse. and jinx is off babysitting instead of being the avatar of zaun's anger and desperation, and finding a new sense of purpose post-silco in owning her terrorist attack and riding that wave into being the face of the zaunite faction. insane to me how fucking isha just swept in and derailed that entire trajectory because i guess jinx just wants to play house.

okay so jinx's psychosis being so backseated in act i wasn't because she was drained emotionally and suicidal and is genuinely bc the writers are yoinking her mental illness back to make her more likable. hate that!

this warwick thing... i like the way it brings the sisters back together but i hate the conceit of 'hey that traumatic death that shaped you and everyone in our society? didn't happen!'

also idk the reconciliation sure didn't take long. the antipathy between jinx and vi's been built up for years, so it really feels disappointing that just like that they're cool again. hanging out like it's nothing. okay.

also get jinx jr the fuck out of the group hug.

isha has no personality. no flaws. no interests. no lines??? she's just there to be cute and sweet. such a downgrade from how the kid characters were handled in arcane i.

she truly just feels like a plot device to make jinx heroic and sympathetic. instead of the audience and vi empathizing with jinx for her own sake, it's because she's just so darn nice to this sweet kid. fuck off.

her entire death felt so... ugh to me. i'm not sad because i care i'm sad because someone's holding onions under my eyes and playing a sad song in my ear, not because this feels earned in any way. just comparing this to milo/clogger or silco is laughable.

cait sure turned on a dime. nvm her arc sucks now.

... so where the hell's ekko. why has he gotten benched in the spiderverse all season when his reactions to learning that silco died, watching the war break out, the zaunite power vacuum and people deserting the firelights for jinx and viktor could have been So Interesting. what a waste.

yeah you can absolutely sense that while s1 was labored on for years, s2 was rushed and had to condense a ton of story. riot sacrificed arcane so they could get the rest of their lolcu going and it shows!

[jynxd]

There were a lot of things Ekko hadn't factored in leading up to this situation. The evening before the hit on the they'd spent the whole time plotting. Planning out how they would infiltrate the factory, figuring when do to it, and the execution of throwing the crystal bomb and Silco and grabbing him before the chem barons could be summoned. Many of them had gone the night without rest, including himself.

"When you come back there will be nothing different to find." He spat out, confident that he would win the battle between themselves. "I can't wait to rub it in your face when you. So try not to hurry back, huh?"

This lack of sleep was starting to work against him, but having Silco here kept a fire even just barely lit. It had given him something to distract his mind from completely caving. Even if it was Silco just talking, or threatening him. That, he found is why he could still fight. Why he was able tell Silco to his face that he wouldn't let him win.

After Silco left he didn't have that distraction. He instantly did try to break free of his bindings but they were so tight against his skin. Every attempt only end up with him exhausting himself more and more. Even then he was fighting his own body in the process. It knew what was going to happen if he broke free, knew he would have ripped out that tube pumping in that satisfying shimmer. Much like the stronger part of his mind, it didn't want this to happen. It wouldn't be deprived of the substance again.

"You know," he spoke up after his last attempt, a pitiful one at that. Ekko directed his eyes where he assumed the doctor was. "You don't have to work with him anymore, you can just let me go and I won't do anything. I won't fight you guys anymore." It was his attempt to reason, however one that earned no response much to his frustration. Already the shimmer was ridding himself slowly but surely of his memories, memories he was forcing himself to retain.

It was hard to tell how much time had been passing. Minutes turning into hours, and then into days... by the time the next day rolled around Ekko had been close to over 36 hours of no sleep and it was affecting his ability to think, working against him as more and more the shimmer was clouding his judgment. It was never ending torture as he let out screams of extreme frustration and anger, his whole body positively tremoring excessively . To the point where his voice was hoarse from it all. He was losing himself completely.

The animalistic rage was all encompassing, now. It wasn't even Silco who he was angry at anymore. It was himself, for letting himself be in this situation. Rage because those memories he'd been clinging onto like life support was no longer there and he was angry at what he couldn't remember. The monster was breaking through to the surface, working to break every single chain holding it back. It wanted to be free, and yet there was a small minuscule part of Ekko left to keep it from happening.

Voices starting talking in his head again at this stage, only there was no recognizable tone to them, and was heavily distorted. There was no speech pattern behind them, simply incoherent screaming, like something was trying to break through to him but it only caused more harm.

Until he could hear fire around him. Wide eyes noted the fire that was slowly engulfing everything around him. A pair of distorted faces approached him and he could feel burning hands press hot against the skin of his cheek. The fire, however, did not spread and he almost felt a sense of calm , for a moment. No words were said but the distorted smiles told him everything. Before they were burned alive in front of his eyes and he could see a lone enforcer looking with disinterest.

That instant that last sliver that had been Ekko left. Shackles and chains made a resounding snap as the monster was finally set free. There was weight that finally lifted from his shoulders at that sensation. Finally, for the first time in days, his mind was completely sound as he no longer fought the shimmer that had been influencing it all this time.

When he heard footsteps, he assumed it was just another hallucination. However, Silco came into view, he knew it wasn't the case. His eyes burned so much brighter than they had before but this time it wasn't out of defiance. There was a notable hint of clarity that Silco would be able to pick up from across the room, even. A decision had been made. His body laid perfectly still and completely relaxed as he locked eyes with heterochromic ones.

In the end, Silco was right. All it had taken time, days specifically. In the span of those days the Ekko that had been strapped to the table before was long gone. Replaced by this new version of him, something brand new, even. One that could tell Silco knew that he had won this game, the shimmer and exhaustion doing all of his work for him.

He was getting close now -- so close to breaking him entirely. The temptation to push it all further rose when he saw the teen convulse below him in reaction to the increased shimmer. It was particularly gratifying to see him tortured by the lure of the drug, which was obviously nipping at his old habits. Surely anymore through the pump would have been too much at once, and actually risked increasing his strength and primal power. Silco couldn't afford to have him escape anything.

He leaned a little closer in preparation to hear what he'd wanted to from the beginning, only to feel that flame of defiance lick up against him again. The boy still had some fight left in him, an annoying crumb of lingering resistance to the inevitable. He was so much like Vander it made him want to strangle the vitriolic little shit.

He stared with a level of amazed frustration. All of this resistance was inspired by a single man -- one he had killed, himself. He looked back on the moment he slashed the Firelight's throat, just after that hit to his shoulder, which still stung with fresh injury. He had perhaps, unwittingly, made things so much harder for himself by making a display of that man's death. What before was a simple gesture of victory over the group had now come back to haunt him.

Silco pushed himself off of the table with an angered growl, turning away and wiping his hand over his face in an attempt to collect himself from the edge of his temper. He turned back around swiftly, reaching down and grabbing the teen just under his jaw, clasping his throat tightly. "You would blind yourself willingly!?" He stopped himself, letting go of the other's neck and standing back up straight. He combed his hair back with his hand to get the loose strands of black out of his face. "No matter. I'll show you exactly who you are."

He stepped back, toward the door. "All it will take is time." He glanced to the doctor to make his intentions clear. "Keep him shimmered out. No higher than this." With one last regard of the Firelight strapped to the table, he said, "I'll be back when he's ready."

And with that, he walked out of the room, picking up his coat as he passed it by on way out. He would return in two days, after the boy had been starved of all else except for the shimmer pumping through his veins.

[izziessogay]

I really didn't like how arcane ended and I wasn't going to speak on it, but I have to get it out.

personally I relate to Vi, not only as a butch lesbian, but also as an older sister and as someone who is easily taken advantage of at the promise of comfort.

jinx's death shattered me, and trust me I am familiar with tragic character deaths, this is different. she stood for something. she stood for traumatized and mentally ill people, for survivors of abuse, people with bpd and so on, she was flawed throughout the show but she was not villified (imo). they showed her experience as a real human experience that deserves compassion. killing her reinforced the belief that suicide makes suicidal people happy, it doesn't. death isn't happy, nobody was relieved by this sacrifice, and you would know that if you have ever been in a place like that, known someone or even lost someone, because of this shit. my wife deeply related to jinx, the trauma she had, the things she was battling and all that still not making her irredeemably evil. this character is supposed to show that you can struggle and be alone and miserable and that you can get better despite that, that you deserve to get another go at life, no matter your flaws. arcane did that, up until the last act. my only sister is a teenager, who every day battles with things she gets minimal support for, I live far away and often feel helpless. jinx both represents my wife and my sister to me, the people I love most in this world. her ending feels like a huge fuck you, 'haha, you thought there was hope? actually struggling teens should just kill themselves semi heroically, because we don't want to deal with their antics'. even if they are hinting at her surviving none of this changes, they killed her socially still, when she was meant to be with her community, to build herself up again, to find her family (other people have said more eloquent things about all of this, check them out).

I have more issues with the finale, but over all I think that all the story lines needed more time.

I didn't quite get what happened with Mel and what the black rose even was, but I didn't care much about her character, so maybe I missed some things, I think she turned out the best in the end.

Ekko seemed to only have one purpose, which was to save. other than that he didn't get much character development. people are praising him for being the best, but I fear that might be because he's awfully underwritten and doesn't have much about him, other than him saving the main characters. Even his alternate universe escapade didn't give us an insight on him, more on Powder. His power wasn't explained well, especially when he broke the four second mark without any consequences it seems. in general I can't pick out many flaws, which indicates a poorly written character.

I didn't mind astrally insane Victor to be the enemy of all, however Jayce's and his story took up too much of the final act for me. they didn't seem that relevant to me to be the turning axis of everything and as someone who doesn't care much about their ship I didn't get much out of that arc. it felt out of character for a show that had been about systemic oppression and family feuds and classism to have a conclusion of "imperfection is actually beautiful". that seemed redundant, all characters in the show have flaws and redeeming qualities, even someone like silco or ambessa. everybody who likes the show knows "imperfection is beautiful", it didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion for the viewer, even if victor might have had to hear it. ON TOP OF THAT we never actually got explained anything regarding Victor and his descent to evil and how the fuck that happened.

In the end nothing seemed like it had changed, Piltover is still oppressive, the only reason why they work with Zaun now is because they fought a common enemy once. Sevika (my beloved) gets looked down on in the council and as the only Undercity-member it's impossible for her to overturn a vote in Zauns favour. Cait is still a cop, not having changed anything about herself, Vi has nobody besides her, no family. Mel seems unhappy, Ekko is definitely unhappy and in a worse spot than before. I frankly don't care what happened to Jayce and Viktor, but their ending is the only one that would keep me on my toes for more. Which brings me to a hot take, possibly: I think we might have been queerbaited, hear me out. We got lesbians (which I am eternally grateful for), but thes were a thing since early season 1, after season one people started talking about Jayvik, which wasn't supposed to happen originally, but since it brought engagement they made their relationship a bigger part of the story. Possibly also the reason why Vi and Caits relationship seemed rather rushed and inorganic at the end. you can disagree with me on this.

Lastly I have to talk about Vi, a character that I couldn't relate to for most of season two, because it's been a while since I had to deal with situationships and breakups. All that made me overlook what Vi really stands for. She might seem hard and tough, but mostly she is looking for comfort, she loses people close to her constantly and is therefore constantly in search of another safe space. A safe space that is never really provided. Cait doesn't understand her trauma, her upbringing, her culture or her family, and she never bothers to understand it. She never shows remorse to what she did in the undercity, she never questions Piltover (only ambessa, an outsider). She never sees Jinx as someone who deserves redemption, she never sees why Vi is struggling, she never makes an effort to care about her past and her experiences. You might wonder why Vi still is with her, but it's honestly obvious enough, it's because she doesn't have anyone else left. Cait at least loves her for her personality or her looks or whatever, and that's more than anybody else loves her. I hated that they put her back with Cait in Piltover, it seems very abusive to me, considering what we know of Cait (she might be different now, but we never get to see any of that, so I'm assuming freely). Vi will take anything and everything to make herself get some comfort, however toxic that behaviour may be. I see that as the reason why she folds so easily whenever Cait shows interest and forgives immediately. She didn't find well deserved peace in the end with Jinx (and Cait), she got "good enough for now". Nothing was addressed, nothing changed. AND JUST TO CLARIFY I AM HAPPY ABOUT THE LESBIAN REPRESENTATION AND I AM VERY GLAD WE GOT IT, OVERALL I THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS VERY INTERESTING TO WATCH. JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE SHOW I DIDN'T LIKE THE END.

For a show that was about the people, we got horrifyingly little people focused resolutions. The last burial we see was Rictus, but dozens of people die after him. We didn't talk about Isha, we didn't talk about Jinx, Ekko wasnt even allowed to get a word in after he deus ex machina saved everything. Sevika didn't get any conclusion. Mel seems on the same path as her mother. Jayce and Viktor are to my knowledge still astral projecting through space. Cait never learned compassion with Zaunites. Vander couldn't be saved. An unsatisfying end.

Tldr:

- Jinx's death was bad, mentally ill people should be saved and their illness shouldn't be glorified over them

- none of the story lines seem finished and rushed to an end

- Viktor and Jayce's story felt overpowering and took away from a story about oppression and sisterhood

- in the end nothing changed

- my butch dyke/older sister heart that can be manipulated quite easily too hurts for Vi

- I didn't like it 🍅🍅🍅

[bringthekaos]

I just knowwwwww that the hexcore will become complete when Viktor finally figures out he is missing the Inspiration Rune.

This is from the game (more specifically, the gameplay itself) but the Runes are like perks you pick before the match starts, and it can totally change the playstyle of your champion. There are 5 "groups" : Domination, Resolve, Sorcery, Precision & Inspiration. Inspiration is the only one missing from the Hexcore (you can see what the icons look like from google images)

Also fun fact 1: the rune "perks" are about bending the rules of the game

Fun fact 2: is the second time the Inspiration Rune is NOTORIOUSLY MISSING in a cinematic (first time was in Call of Power)

Also "Everything you do inspires me" and Sky's notebook having teal colors and circles, both themes heavily associated with that rune

Oooooooo I did not know that about the Hexcore missing the Inspiration rune!! I’m so glad I have you to fill me in on all these little League deets I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed!

That actually makes a lot of sense—it’s a little hard to “find inspiration” when you’re scrambling to survive. Viktor has been going at it from a survivor’s mind. So maybe once his Heraldification has started, once he’s not actively dying… he can slow down and really put the mind of a scientist into it… and realize it needs Inspiration! (Also kind of calls back to what Ekko said—“it’s not enough to give people what they need to survive. You have to give them what they need to live.”

[yaccbs]

and at last, act 3 thoughts. there's a lot of them

lmao rip jayce who has to suffer through hell while heimer learns KEYTAR?? im sorry that's the funniest shit. like heimer is fully prepared to just live in Happy World forever, too bad so sad main universe

part of annihiliation-universe-jayce's fingers stay attached to the hammer when they give it to beard jayce. gross but cool detail. also liked how the record at the very beginning of the ep was ekko/powder instead of vi/jinx

i did enjoy AU ekko adventure overall, it's just too bad there wasn't more episodes because the whole time i was like this is coming at the cost of the main plot/real cast. exploding heimer was gross. silco and vander were even more gay. i like that benzo got some scenes. AU powder/ekko was cute

also the moment heimer disintegrated was the moment i went oh. so there is no plot armour after all for the LoL mains. which i had not expected tbh, so that nicely ratcheted up the suspense for me

it's weird to me cloaked-viktor revealed himself immediately to jayce only to disappear for like...weeks? months? years? while jayce ate raw salamander to survive? like could y'all not have had this conversation sooner

while vi gets to do a little bit more this arc and has some cool moments she still gets the most shafted imo. like having AU powder be the one to monologue about why vi fights was just...i would like to hear this coming from vi herself? her fight with caitlyn took all of 30 seconds. zero acknowledgement of her months of alcoholism. even her final scene with cait just she just seemed very passive and there's no bridge between her being devastated at losing jinx and vander vs how okay she seems at cait's house (and where she is once again drinking)

MEL. mel was so good man. without her everyone would have been truly fucked. i love that she also out-played shapeshifty black rose person. if the spinoff happens and features noxus i hope we shall see her again

although idk where exactly she was when it shows her walking outside but did she have to like...walk back to piltover? how long did that take. what was the timeline here

i really loved ambessa as a villain, and her fight with cait and mel was great. when the music kicks in as she walks up the steps i was like lets gooooo. i lowkey wanted her to survive somehow so she could go be evil in the maybe spinoff

loris' death sure would have been more impactful if he actually had like...done anything in act 2 to establish his character more lmao

honestly i wish maddie wasn't some secret agent, just makes it very convenient for the ex to be eeevil. however the line "i did appreciate your warmth" or whatever was so fucking savage lmao

i did not expect cait/vi to fuck in a prison cell of all places, but you get it ladies

poor skye gets to die not once but twice thanks to viktor science

i did not expect viktor/jayce to be so gay still at the end, but there ya go. not sure if dead or what but they sure are partners in apparently every universe!

"there are beauty in imperfections" no offense jayce but that's easy for you to say when you weren't the one with untreatable tuberculosis or whatever lmao

tbh didn't really need yet another vi/jink vs warwick fight. jinx also seemed to whiplash from extremely suicidal to "always with you sis". but nice musical callback to the suicide montage during her sacrifice at the end and the zero gravity thing was cool

not sure why exactly ekko didn't get rope-de-roped at the end like everyone else? was it just because he was unconscious at the perfect moment?

that said i get the vibe that cait at least thinks jinx survived based on the scene where she's scrolling through the archives

the only true winner of this whole series seems to be...singed. lmao

tldr i still had an absolute blast with the series as a whole, animation throughout was unquestionably gorgeous, i just wish characters hadn't suffered so much from too short a runtime. now i just need someone to write fanfic of all the missing scenes i have in my head so that i don't have to thanks

[francesderwent]

Thoughts on arcane 4-6

1. Isha just frankly didn't bring anything so far that wouldn't have been strengthened without her! Vi could EASILY have been about to kill Jinx at the end of 3 and then been unable to do it because that's her sister, try to talk down Cait, Jinx's desperate need for revenge cooled due to that, Sevika could have been the one imprisoned meaning Jinx had to go to the prison because they do care about each other in a fucked up way, and then Jinx gets Vi to help after meeting Vander. The entire story would work with previously known characters, and I just feel it would have had much more emotional depth than introducing this new, completely unintegrated character and saying yeah haha jinx isn't killing people anyone because she's hanging out with a child. Cut it!

2. It DOES weaken the backstory but vi jinx and vander reconciliation made me emotional.

3. Regarding point 2 - I will allow the weakening of Jinx as a father killer IF Vander survives into act 3 which the preview suggests he will and vi is forced to kill vander to protect innocents, thus making her and Jinx mirrors. That would slay I truly believe.

4. WHERE ARE THE BOYZ (Ekko and Heimerdinger boy band)

5. Of course it's Jayce fucks this all up (said with understanding that he's not actively malicious but also wtf).

6. See I reckon there could be FASCINATING parallels between the cult, which clearly tampers with people's minds and emotions to an extent, and Ekko's paradise which is just people trying to be good, but unfortunately the show writers this season are not as smart as me.

7. The way I'm actually really liking Mel out of absolutely nowhere all she needed was to be trapped in a mind prison and become a mage for me to be like wait...

oh, I agree, she’s an unnecessary plot device lol. the only one of the moments you list that I think Isha does enhance is Vi being unable to kill Jinx—because if three episodes in, we get Vi realizing that IN HERSELF she is unable to kill her sister, no matter what she’s done, where do we go from there? that’s practically the end of the whole arc. whereas in the scene as it exists, Vi gets to realize “I’m not willing to hurt anyone and everything in order to destroy evil” which separates her from Cait in that moment, AND she gets to realize “there might still be something good in my sister and yet she’s still not my same little sister anymore”. it lets Jinx appear as an equal for a moment! which is such a crazy moment as an older sibling, when you look at them and realize hey they’re not a kid anymore!! this, I think, COULD have set us up for really interesting sibling dynamics moving forward, with Vi still kind of on the “we need to defeat Jinx” train, but conflicted about it and more worried about the collateral. Obviously they didn’t do it, and it didn’t work. But I think this would have ESPECIALLY worked if they built up Isha in the first three episodes (by letting her TALK for example), and then had Cait take a second shot after Vi tries to stop her and actually genuinely kill Isha in this scene, or had Isha be a casualty of the explosion Jinx set off, or something.

I’m genuinely happy for you but it just annoyed me haha. I was devastated they would do that to Vander, and then I was insulted that presumably the whole point of them inventing Vander in the first place was to turn him into this league of legends wolfman

that is so fucked up and I am so impressed by you thinking of it

WHERE ARE THE BOYS????????? they really said “here are our incorruptible characters. they’ve teamed up. you will never see them again”

getting possessed (?) is the most in-character thing for Jayce to do, he never had a mind of his own anyway

ooooooh the cult which demands you lay down your weapons! the firelights which take up arms against the people poisoning their streets! Viktor takes away people’s suffering, removing the negatives—Ekko gives people a positive reason to LIVE

no seriously, honestly I think they just had to get her away from her favorite hobby of leading Jayce by the nose and I was like “hmmm slay perhaps?”