#Arcane alternate beginning

[crazedear]

Arcane Timebomb fanfic recommendations

Omg! Look who's back after months of inactiveness on tumblr? Honestly I feel like I'm only coming back here after I find smth new to obsess over and need to satiate my cravings for content. It happened with staticradio, and now... TIMEBOMB??

I know I am not the only one who's mind have been taken over by this particular ship after the finale of Arcane season 2. It's one of those ships where its basically canon, but just the confirmation isn't enough to satisfy our hearts without the content along with it.

There is SO many fanarts out already (I am not complaining one bit) and although the Jinx x ekko tag has been growing exponentially on ao3, I haven't seen a lot of recent fanfic recommendation posts yet and I want to change that.

As always, please feel free to recommend me any other fanfic that you think can be added to the list! I want this list to be fully open to those who want to contribute.

To all the times I've dreamt of you

Written by: timebomblover (sibzzz)

Rated T

Words: 1,713 (Oneshot)

In the aftermath of tragedy, Ekko is left haunted by the memory of Jinx—his lost love, his greatest regret, and his deepest mystery. As grief consumes him, the signs begin to appear—whispers in the shadows, echoes in forgotten places, and fragments of a past he refuses to let go of. Could she still be alive? Or is his mind unraveling beneath the weight of what he’s lost? In a journey through pain, obsession, and hope, Ekko searches for the truth, ready to do anything to find out if his lover is truly out there somewhere.

Sunbeams

Written by: Multimousefanatic

Rated T

Words: 5,969 (Complete - Chapters 2/2)

If there had been any doubt in her mind before he said those words, it disappeared faster than Sevika’s arm. “Is that what all this is about? You want to forgive me?”

Like It's the Last Time

Written by: Zeezeepearl

Rated T

Words: 3,727 (Oneshot)

Jinx returns to Zaun, seeking Ekko's help. She has unfinished business, and he has very little time.

Got All Of Your Insides?

Written by: Lunar_Angel

Rated T

Words: 5,597 (Ongoing - Chapters 2/3)

Powder, Vi and Ekko have their last proper conversation. Powder and Ekko finally come clean about some long pent up feelings.

Hold me right here

Written by: kimekosu

Rated T

Words: 6,271 (Oneshot)

Ekko coped with her death by forcing himself to dream of his memories of her. Some were painful, while some reminded him of why he fell for her in the first place.

Then unexpectedly, the Anomaly popped into one of his dreams, offering him a chance to teleport himself right into a memory, where he could possibly alter her fate.

The Heart of Zaun

Written by: 1ts_Br1tney_B1tch

Not rated

Words: 25,286 (Ongoing - Chapters 6/?)

Silco felt wrath, pride, and respect battle within him as he witnessed the small band of Firelights—only 5 members strong, and not much older than children judging by their size—decimate his men and destroy yet another shipment of shimmer. Thousands of gold cogs wasted, money that would have been used to build his empire until it could stand against Piltover's council, and yet as he watched the green streaks through the sky, he couldn't help but think these Firelights were Zaunite to their core. These young rebels embodied the spirit of Zaun almost as much as his own daughter, Jinx.

He glanced down at her now, only to pause at the still expression on her face. Her gaze tracked one of the masked figures unerringly—the leader, if Silco was reading their dynamics right—eyes just a bit too wide, and her fingers twitched by her side. He'd seen her get like this before, when she was confronted with her past.

She knows him.

An idea begins to take shape in Silco's mind.

Or: Silco wants to recruit the Firelights. Too bad they hate his guts.

Genius and Madness

Written by: Malbec

Rated T

Words: 6,266 (Ongoing - Chapters 5/?)

Once Ekko comes back from the alternate universe, he meets Jinx again, only to find her in the verge of suicide. How can he convince her to keep living and stay to create a new life? What did Jinx and Ekko do next?

Taking a leap forward (means leaving a few things behind)

Written by: thefifthchris

Rated T

Words: 12,491 (Ongoing - Chapters 5/9)

Time slows. Four seconds. Ekko shouts. Something is wrong. There’s no time to think. Heimerdinger jumps out of the singularity, and, in his place–

Powder takes the leap.

In another timeline, Piltover tries to rebuild. No Hexgate, no fancy Hextech, nothing. Vi is familiar with this: raw labor, strength as its own language, sweat dripping between her shoulder blades. No, she thinks. There is no time to mourn.

A tale of two sisters. Even worlds apart, they'll still always find each other.

Powder & Ekko (& Timebomb) Collections

Written by: Rhyagelle

Not rated

Words: 158,197 (Ongoing - Chapters 48/?)

This is a collection of various Powder and Ekko themed flashbacks/stories, ranging from one-shots to multi-parts or full part chapters. There will be chapters dealing with just one of them or the other, as well as any kind of Timebomb content (meaning, chapters with both of them, together). It's to dig into the very adorable and dorky friendship the two very clearly possessed, as well as what might have been like for them during their childhood, before everything turned to shit. And yes, if it's not clear, there will be Ekko x Powder! It's just not the ONLY focus (but it is in my heart <3).

(I didn't find this fanfic myself and I actually got it from @lady-griffin's Timebomb recommendation post from 2 years ago. This was just one of my favs from their list I just had to include it in a more recent post so more people can see it. Please go check out her own list)

The Risk of Fall

Written by: Sapphic_Jezus

Rated T

Words: 9,891 (Ongoing - Chapters 2/?)

“Vi.” Mylo or Claggor—it doesn’t matter who—speaks up, and Vi turns to them, her panic spilling into the room.

“We can’t just leave her,” Claggor says evenly, his voice steady as a rock. He meets her eyes, unflinching. “She’s not safe here either. If they come for her…”

Or; What if they didn't just leave Ekko and Powder behind?

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I know, I know, It's very short, dont come for me. I'm tryna focus on quality more than quantity yall, gimme time to load up my arsenal!

Anyways yeh! feel free to recommend me stuff to add, it can be anywhere, from ao3, wattpad, fanfic.net, etc. go crazy.

[avelera]

Oh I would love to hear more of your thoughts on Heimerdinger because all of my friends were like "aaw the poor guy, he was right about magic all along, Jayce and Viktor owe him an apology" and I'm like??? Heimerdinger literally does nothing to improve any situation ever! I was so hoping he'd learn his lesson under Ekko, but when he got stranded in an AU and just decided to stay there and permanently take over his other self's body and let his original timeline perish I was genuinely horrified by his complacency (again). TBH I would have really liked to see him confronted with the fucked up culmination of all the fiddling with the Arcane in person, because I think I wanted him to see that he was right, he was right and yet he didn't change anything in the end (I'd even argue that he gets away without facing the consequences of any of his failings, he escapes Jinx' bombs even tho he failed in politics and he escapes the Arcane Apocalypse even tho he failed as a guide to his pupils and Hextech safeguard.)

Heimerdinger is a super interesting character and I'm glad you asked this because the previous meta discussion got me thinking about him but I didn't really know where to begin. I'll try to break my thoughts down with some cohesion:

I do think Heimerdinger learned his lesson within the narrative but specifically with regards to his two demonstrated personal flaws. Heimerdinger's two greatest flaws within the narrative are:

1) A lack of understanding and empathy towards those with shorter lives

2 ) The way his immortality detaches him from actually living his life (which feeds into point 1).

This is going to get long though, so I'm gonna start picking apart what I see as Heimerdinger's flaws and his virtues and how those get addressed beneath a cut:

So as I said, I would argue that Heimerdinger's arc does address his core flaws. His moment of greatest personal cruelty is when he fails to recognize Jayce and Viktor's desperation and, instead of agreeing to help them and guide them to make their experiments safe in the face of their desperation for Viktor to live, he just tries to shut them down. He gets exactly what he deserves there.

Then, in the AU universe, he recognizes this and agrees to help Ekko. He then willingly sacrifices his own life to send Ekko back to the canon universe, where Ekko is instrumental in saving the day. That, I would argue, is Heimerdinger's redemption arc, and he needed a redemption arc.

Also, while he was in the alternate timeline, he learned how to live in the moment, which addresses his second flaw, which feeds into his first flaw. I don't blame him for not feeling urgency to return home, without Ekko, he had no way of doing so. It could be seen as complacency, or perhaps simply an understanding of the reality. Would that world have been a better place if he'd invented Hextech just for a shot at returning to his universe? I'd argue that he was trying to be selfless by not doing so, when we see how much damage Hextech did in the canon universe. I think he was simply at peace with a shitty situation for himself, rather than actively avoiding his responsibilities.

As for the other Heimerdinger, who knows! Was there even one? Do yordles only have one identity across the multiverse? Or was there an element of redemption in Heimerdinger choosing to take his alternate self out of the Council? We just don't know.

As for his political identity, Heimerdinger is super interesting there too. Technically, he's an immortal enlightened despot in Piltover as its founder. I think he hides this fact from himself by allowing a council of humans to sometimes outvote him, in a fig leaf over the fact he really doesn't have the right to govern a bunch of humans, and I think him getting voted out of the Council acknowledges and narratively punishes him for this fact. Piltover isn't as enlightened as he thought it was under his leadership, a fact he realizes when he goes to the undercity and realizes how blind he was. But I'd say those were his flaws, he was always blind and naive, not malicious. And I think the narrative punishes him accordingly by giving him a wakeup call that he was asleep at the helm. He doesn't deserve to be in charge anymore. Jayce was completely right to kick him out BUT, did things get worse without the peaceful, modulating view of Heimerdinger on the council? How would HE have voted for Zaun's independence? I'd be very curious to know.

And I think it should be noted, Heimerdinger does have virtues too! His caution towards Hextech is not only well-founded, he is 100% correct. I think people forget that Heimerdinger was never ambiguous on the subject of where Hextech would lead them, he was completely right that it corrupts, destroys, and lays waste to civilizations. There's no ambiguity there! He's completely correct!

He's also correct that there are scientific innovations that would be safer if they spent more time in testing before being made available to the wider world. It took 100 years for people to realize coal burning factories were measurably altering the world's climate. Another great example of an invention that should have been tested more before it was implemented was freon, which was used in early refrigerators and does measurable damage to Earth's ozone later to the point where it is now banned. What if instead more tests had been run?

Heimerdinger's long view of science is correct and in an ideal world, it'd be great if we could run these tests to their conclusions. However, the long view isn't the whole story, a debate that Arcane actively engages with.

Because it should also be pointed out: the refrigerator also helped improve people's health around to the world. Think of all the food and medicine that can be preserved today because of refrigeration! Literally thousands would have died if we had banned refrigerators until freon could be better studied.

That's kind of where Viktor is at vs. Heimerdinger. If freon-powered refrigerators can end hunger in the undercity, why aren't we applying it now? To which Heimerdinger answers: you don't know what else it might be doing to the world. They are in fact both correct! It's a debate! One the real world is still trying to figure out. Heimerdinger is an extreme case of the long view, and Viktor is an equally extreme case of the short view since he's frantic now that he has so little time to live. Jayce tries to balance the two and gets caught in the middle with everyone mad at him, poor guy.

Anyway, I think that covers most of what I had to say about Heimerdinger? Hope that helps!

[starlight-tav]

I'm going fucking insane over Jayce & Viktor so I offer you an unhinged ramble about the butterfly and the narrative structure of their relationship. I apologize in advanced for being batshit.

So Viktor and Jayce's relationship is a chiastic structure. A chiasm is where the beginning and end of a story point to the middle of it, creating an X or ∞ (a chiasma is also a structure in genetics, if you've seen the word in science classes before.)

This means that the rise and fall of the narrative mirror each other (parallelism). There are many parallels in Jayce and Viktor's relationship, with one of the most overt being "Am I interrupting?" and one of the more covert examples being Viktor's belief in Jayce's dream to use science to bring access to the Arcane ("Our hextech dream") and Jayce's belief in Viktor leading them to shattering access to the Arcane web ("We finish this together.")

At the center of this narrative is death and resurrection (metamorphosis). The first season ends with Viktor's death, and the second begins with his resurrection, the literal center of the story.

Now, Arcane is about love in its entirety. All-encompassing, earth-shattering, life-giving, life-taking love. Love, which inspires our greatest evil and our greatest good, is something that changes us. Love which can lead to grief, can make us into our worst selves (consider the warmongering), but it can also make us into our kindest selves (consider Isha.)

Jayce's love for Viktor saves him but it also changes him. Twice. When Viktor dies, Jayce is unwilling to let him go and uses the hexcore to resurrect him. This transforms Viktor into the Herald.

When Jayce is forced into the alternate reality where he experiences the decline of his body and the struggle to climb from the depths to the surface (a narrative representation of empathy), he finally understands Viktor. This transformative understanding primes him to fulfill his promises to Viktor, past and future - to destroy the hexcore and stop the Arcane from bleeding out all over reality; to save Viktor.

The butterfly is a well-know symbol of transformation, so it's no accident that it follows Viktor and Jayce from the very beginning to the very end. But it isn't just a visual representation of love and its power, but a reminder of the very structure of their narrative.

Because Arcane is also about perspective - narratives. Silco and Vander show us how our shared experiences can yield different motivations, as do Jinx and Vi, and Ambessa and Mel too. Every single one of these characters is motivated by love, but their methods are opposing forces.

We see, time and time again, that those with the most power are those who control the narrative (power in Zaun creating a righteous rebellion vs power in Piltover creating a narrative of dangerous insurrection), and that power lacking empathy is corruptive (Cait and Ambessa forsaking empathy in favor of violently seizing control vs. Vi and Mel embodying empathy to save that which they love.)

At the center of all of this conflict is partnership. Failed partnerships, like Vander & Silco and redeeming partnerships, like Ekko & Jinx. Viktor and Jayce share a dream, and that dreams bleeds the Arcane, corrupting reality. But when they forsake their partnership (Jayce joining the council and Viktor leaving the lab), it nearly destroys everything.

When they lean into their affection, when they utilize empathy, when they let their love be transformative, they heal the Arcane and reality. In their final moments, they mirror each other, and as they're scattered into all timelines and all possibilities by the explosion they are transformed into something cosmic together. Their story ends as it began.

We know from the lifecycle of the butterfly, by the structure of the narrative, that beginnings and endings are not so finite. Love is both a constant ("in all timelines, in all possibilities") and an anomaly ("That which inspires us to our greatest good, is also the cause of our greatest evil".) It is the infinite, and the infinite is not a line with a beginning and an end, but a tangle of time and potential.

The chiastic structure of Jayce and Viktor's relationship is one that shows that love itself is the most powerful and transformative force in nature. It demonstrates that love doesn't just have the potential create or destroy but to do both at the same time; that reality isn't binary, but it is symmetrical. A butterfly was always a caterpillar and a caterpillar was always a butterfly; it experiences both, not one or the other (there's even a moment where it's neither and both all at once!)

Love is imperfect. People are imperfect. When Jayce is transformed in the depths of Zaun, he finally understands this. He carries this revelation to the height of Piltover where he finds Viktor waiting for him.

"There is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit."

If love were perfect it would stagnate, dreamless. Recognizing its power is seeing it for all its good and evil, and choosing it all the same.

"You were never broken, Viktor. There's beauty in imperfections. They made you who you are. An inseparable piece of everything I admired about you."

Viktor's transformation isn't from a broken man into the Herald, it's from a man believing himself unworthy of love to one knowing he is loved unconditionally. If love were perfect it would require perfection of us. But it isn't and it doesn't. Only Jayce can show Viktor this, because Jayce loves Viktor and Viktor loves Jayce.

"I thought I wanted to give magic to the world, but all I want is my partner back."

Think about Singed telling Viktor that "Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress."

And Viktor responding, "Jayce will understand."

He did understand eventually, only he sacrifices progress and legacy for love and transformation. Love is not the opposite of progress, perfection is the opposite of progress. In a perfect world, there is no need to dream together. Jayce understands this. He shows Viktor this. And together they change.

I've always been bad at concluding paragraphs, but I hope my rambling has made sense up to the point. TLDR; the butterfly is a visual representation of Jayce and Viktor's narrative as one of love and transformation.

[fairystarstorm]

Thinking about what's going wrong with Arcane s2

I have not finished s2 yet (still need to finish act 3 but basically got all the major spoilers). I feel like a big problem with this season and why the Z vs P conflict fizzled out is that so many characters are simply not in the that narrative anymore. Especially since they all had interesting stories to explore in regards to it. And if they are apart of the plot line, the things that would make things more interesting are simply ignored.

Taken from the narrative

Heimdinger: the founder of the city realising that the society he built ain't shit and that he failed Zaun by not helping to uplift and protect them (instead of just picking out a pupil from Zaun and calling it a day). All that Talk about how destructive magic could be in the wrong hands while realising he build a society filled with those exact wrong hands because of his inaction. Him actually putting in the work to change and dismantle those structures and belief systems that he allowed to grow in the first place

Jace: He goes against his own morals once again to build weapons for Caitlyn and her team. But we get none of the introspection or the regret that should have gone with it. Why because he is off in an alternative reality fighting for his life. He finds out that Hextech is poisoning Ekko's tree and there's nothing more to that conversation?? If something had gone wrong with the core it could have destroyed Zaun? Something could have happened that could have disabled or killed many others like it did with Viktor. But let's gloss over it. Him reconciling with his actions as a councilor??? That kid really was just a blip in his life i guess.

Viktor: a big problem I feel with Viktor's character is that he can feel very removed from Zaun at times. Like we never got to see his horror about Hextech being used against his people. We never got to know about any family or how he actually felt about being resurrected. What his plan was for Zaun beyond making a little commune. A huge part of that is also because they barely let this man have meaningful interactions with anyone in s2 besides ghost Sky and Jace. Vi, Jinx, Vander and Isha going to his commune could have been a possibility for that. Because even though I do believe that Vander and him did not know each other personally, I don't think he would not have known of him. Also we barely hear him talk meaningfully about his identity as a Zaunite in Piltover

Ekko (and the firelights in general): In my opinion the biggest snub. The others character arcs were mostly about other things in s1 (piltover politics, hextech etc.) but Ekko's whole motivation was to protect his ppl from both the enforcers and Silco. However we didn't get to see him deal with the rise of enforcers in the undercity or Sevika being the one to try and unite Zaun. We didn't get to see him grapple with the fact that Vi became an enforcer or that he was wrong to place his trust in Caitlyn. And even though I love how ep7 is highlighting his good qualities I wish they were explored in his timeline. Him being there would have also allowed for more spotlights for the firelights and Zaunites in general. None of the other people in the cast (Except for Vander) are as involved with regular people in Zaun then he was. It makes Zaun feel less complex and lived in beyond the visuals.

Mel: Considering that they are setting up her mother as the true big bad (which flattened the Z vs P conflict + general bad writing surrounding ambessa which i won't discuss now), it would have been nice to have her be able to react. Like in the beginning of the season we get it a little bit with Mel using spies to figure out her mother's plans. We could have had her realise that Piltover is not fundamentally different from Noxus because of how easy it was for her mother to take over. Only that the violence they dish out is different between the 2 cities. We could have had her sit that in both cases she is part of the oppressive class and that she was only acting out of self interest rather than actually caring about these issues. Instead of her being Kidnapped to get powers, let her finish the story arch that had been set up for her in s1.

Underexplored

Sevika (And Jinx): her involvement with Silco and how that is seen by Zaunites that are not chembarons. Ppl being unwilling to trust or listen to Sevika pleading for united Zaun when she was apart of Silco's operations make sense. Silco brought shimmer into Zaun. Ekko says that a lot of the firelights joined because of how it ruined their lives. Sevika having to struggle with her role in it and how it ultimately makes it harder for the to reach her goal would have been satisfying! Also her showing up after episode 4 would have been nice in general. Also same with ekko, she was the only one who was reaching out and communicating with different groups of Zaun. She and Ekko were windows into Zaun society that they just kept closed for some reason.

Vi: Just everything man.... her trauma, her choosing to be an enforcer, her alcoholism... her relationship with Jinx/powder, her guilt, her role as protector who seems to be failing no matter what she does. All kinda of flushed through the drains for caitvi to be able to exist (yes i dislike caitvi, no i also don''t really care for jayvik or timebomb and i am also a lesbian).

Jinx: I thinks she has been done quite well so far but I have heard for how her arch ends and it is just bad..... also wished they explored Isha more and what Vander coming back would mean for Jinx

Caitlyn: wish they would actually put the responsibility of her actions onto her instead of Ambessa/Jinx killing her mom. Also the fact it was never addressed that even in s1 she was microagressive as fuck towards Zaunites. Yes she eventually saw the need for independence (after talking to Ekko mind you) but does that mean anything if when she was in power due was actively making things worse for Zaun. She could have started working kn redeeming herself but the fact that the narrative/the writers don't want to put the full blame on her just makes that idea seem laughable

Tbh a lot of it has to do with the fact that the writers didn't let characters interact with each other for long periods of time or deal with the consequences of their actions but hey at least the coplesbians fucked and the scientists had their madoka magica moment

[violent-viscera]

my true (respectful) thoughts of arcane s2

so much of the promotional material promised so much in the way of vi and jinx/powder and their sisterly relationship, but i feel like with the amount of storylines/plotlines they did in this season, it was just too busy to focus on anyone–let alone the two supposed protagonists of the show. i think the best way for me to articulate how i feel about the writing of this show is that it fell flat, lost its heart, and emotional impact of the first season.

i would have been okay with them straying from my personal favourite focus if:

the storylines had been fleshed out better

the decisions the characters made actually made sense

main characters didn't become plot devices (vi)

new additions of the show weren't just plot devices (isha, loris, maddie, etc.)

motivations of characters made sense

characters had even small lines/dialogue to articulate their intentions/ideas

less time spent on off-screen development

and the thing is with the amount of plot lines they were ambitiously aiming to see out to fruition, its really hard to also set up all these new facets or opposing characteristics in former characters–plus adding new ones too. for example:

caitlyn's facist arc that didn't really have much meaning or attention

jinx's s1 mental collapse which changed abruptly into her redemption arc via isha (plot device)

jinx's revolutionist arc (first, reluctantly and then, willingly w ekko)

vi's pitfighter/brawler arc which was literally just one clip (which ended up being a teaser that showed everything)

im almost grateful to the minimal screen time ekko got bc they didn't try to change the core and essence of who he was in s1: he stayed true to himself. he's just a boy with a huge heart and love for his people that chose to leave his happy ending in an alternate timeline to return to the ppl who needed him where he is almost guaranteed heartbreak in some way or another.

i think the main reason so many ppl loved the first season was bc the characters were relatable in one way or another and they became so multidimensional when you explored how their environment/circumstances shaped them. but this season bc it was so purely focused on the endgame instead of HOW everyone got there, the characters fell flatter, they lost a soul and heart, and i felt the show lost its charm.

i know we all have our favourite characters and storylines we want the show to focus on and i would have been okay if i didn't get my way. if the show didn't focus on jinx and vi, i would've lived (although the promotional material was unfairly misleading) if the storylines, characters, and everything else made sense to me.

of course, the animation was lovely and the music was catchy/heartbreaking. i dont regret watching the show out to its final episode. it was one of the most beautiful visual experiences of my entire life. i still love the characters and will never regret staying on board until the final moments.

but i cant lie and say im not a little sad at how it ended too.

edited add-on:

also, the voice actors did phenomenally. ella purnell just absolutely nails the delivery for every line and reed shannon also hurt me with how he portrayed ekko. so on and so forth.

but that being said, i also felt the dialogue and lines of each character felt much less impactful this season (again, writing.)

i liked viktor’s monologue at the end of act 2. that was compellingly well written

but the lines this season weren’t the same quality as silco’s monologue about drowning, jinx’s speech at the beginning of the doomed tea party, etc. everything just felt so flat and shallow this season overall.

[bwat5-blog]

Always With You: Vi and Jinx Part 2

**Spoilers for All of Arcane**

The beginning of season two picks up with the direct aftermath of the cataclysmic event that concluded season 1. We have followed the tale of these sisters as their lives were torn apart by greed and violence. We watched as Vi threw herself headfirst at every obstacle trying to get back to Jinx, and as Jinx battled her inner demons and the manipulations of those around her. We watched them coming so close to reuniting, only for it all to fall apart.

Season two leads directly into the aftermath of that end, with Vi no longer able to deny who her sister has become, and Jinx feeling that she has finally lost everyone and everything.

Adrift:

Vi-

In the aftermath of Jinx's attack on the Piltover Council, Vi is holding on by a thread. Seven years spent dreaming of getting back to Powder, making things right, being a family again. And instead she found that her sister had become something darker, and far more dangerous...Jinx. Her every attempt at saving her had failed and to make things even worse, by convincing Caitlyn not to shoot at Jinx, that mercy had repaid by Jinx's attack, killing Caitlyn's mother.

Vi tells Caitlyn she has to go with them to apprehend her sister, but balks when Caitlyn tells her the only way is to become an Enforcer. Even with all that has happened Vi will not wear the uniform that symbolizes so much loss and pain for both she and her people. She only relents after the attack on the memorial, when is no longer any chance of peace.

Now, obviously we are focusing on the relationship between Vi and Jinx, but Vi's time as an enforcer is the driving incident in she and Jinx's next big encounter, so let’s take a moment and talk about "Enforcer Vi"

This part of her story has drawn a lot of criticism of her character, with her being called everything from a traitor, to a bootlicker and worse. I have seen people suggest she simply did it for the crush she has on Cait, who she has only known for a short time, or because she gave up on her sister. However, when we take the entire picture in account, what we find is not a woman betraying her last living family for a "schoolgirl" crush. We find a woman who defines herself by her fight for those she loves, grasping desperately at the last fleeting options left to her:

Retaliation from Piltover is coming. That is not a question, and it is not a debate. Especially after the attack on the memorial. The strike team is an alternative to a full scale invasion.

2. Caitlyn shares her fears with Vi that if she goes after Jinx alone, one of them will die. Remember what I said, Vi is trying desperately to hold on to the last few options she has left to protect those she loves. She feels both responsible for what Jinx has done, and guilty for what she became, as well as loving and wanting to protect Caitlyn. and Caitlyn is telling her one of them will die if Vi does not go. For someone like Vi who places all her self-worth in her ability to protect, there is only one choice

3. "You Don't Get To Be Selfish".. putting on the uniform of an Enforcer is a violation of Vi's very person. They took her parents from her, they were the source of fear and oppression throughout her years with Vander, and they were the source of abuse and pain in Still Water. To wear their symbol and commit violence in the streets of her childhood is a violation of everything Vi believes. So why do it? To protect Caitlyn, and because no matter the outcome, no matter what it means at the end, no matter how badly it hurts Vi, she sees this as her last way to honor her responsibility to her sister, even if she can't save her

Side Note: Before we move on to Jinx during this period, a small reminder. I and many others have touched on this a lot, but the fandom has entirely lost their minds regarding the actions of the strike team.

The use of the grey while disturbing, and a perversion of Caitlyn's families good works, is not nearly what people have made it out as. It’s not Sarin. We see many, many characters exposed to it some for lengthy periods and no one has died. As Vi explains, they used it to clear the streets to try and keep innocents out of the fighting. And as Jinx's favorite routine is to blow things up, this seems reasonable.

The Strike team goes into Zaun with 3 objectives. Dismantle shimmer, apprehend Jinx, and eliminate agents still loyal to Silco. So, in essence, catch and destroy chem barons who are still trying to control the undercity through violence and drugs, destroy an illegal highly addictive drug operation that mutates many of its users, and apprehend the woman who at this point has proven herself to be unquestionably a threat.

Jinx:

In the wake of all that has happened, Jinx is alone. Every person who has ever been close to her, has died or left. In the wake of Silco's death the barons have fallen to infighting and the undercity is in chaos. Vi is gone, again. And her attack on the council has brought the wrath of Piltover down on the undercity, prompting a call for her to be turned over to them. She has given up. During her first meeting with Isha, what does she say to the little girl she just saved?-

"you feel it.. that buzzing behind your eyes? Because you know in a moment it could all.. pow!.. best feeling in the world"

She then gestures to the wanted poster of her saying "that's me, you ever need to curse a sibling, a family or a society.. my card!"

Vi's loss is easier for us to connect to. It's not that she hasn't made mistakes, but her motivation and her intention are unclouded by the issues Jinx has. Her motivations and feelings right or wrong, are much more straightforward.

Jinx is different. Everything from her cocky theatrical attitude to her clothing is loud and dramatic ,and it all draws attention away from the absolutely crushing pain this tortured young woman is going through. Until now. No Silco, no hex-tech, no Vi.. wandering alone through the undercity with no one to perform for.. And what has she told us? She is ready to die, and she has cursed everyone and everything in her life.

When Sevika asks her plan, she responds "Let it all burn"..

This only changes when the strike team comes for her. We see the heart wrenching reaction realizing that it's Vi wearing the uniform, storming their old hideout from when they were kids. Now, when Vi and Jinx see each other again, Jinx attacks her verbally over this. Lashing out from a "moral highroad".. But I think what is really happening here is that Jinx feels her sister would only have put on that uniform if she had truly driven Vi away forever. In her mind, she has officially lost the last person who there was a chance could love her. Running out into the street coughing and gasping, she is attacked by Smeech and subsequently saved by Sevika. We are given two important character points here I want to touch on:

"Everyone who gets close to me dies"- like the words Vi eventually says "I choose wrong every time" this is Jinx's negative core belief. If we think back to the beginning of their story, with Mylo teasing her and calling her a Jinx, she has truly come to believe she is exactly that, bringing death and misfortune on anyone who gets too close. From her childhood until now, we need to inventory what has occurred to reach the point that she has truly come to believe she is a curse on everyone who knows her:

Loss of her birth parents

Loss of Mylo, Claggor and Vander all of whom she blames herself for

Loss of Vi: This is obviously complex, Vi hitting and yelling at her but then her thinking Vi was dead. Lot of conflicting emotion

Killed Silco: Of course, the truth of her relationship with Silco was extremely toxic but she still loved him as a father

Feeling of total rejection by Vi

2. "It was something I could fix"- Jinx quietly took this on herself to try and make something right by replacing Sevika's arm. It's a small thing and blown by fairly quickly given all the other stuff going on at this point. But it's a small nod to the fact that Jinx is not totally lost.. there is still someone in there who considers the cost of her actions and wants to make things right.

Ultimately, due her heartbreak and rage and her total and complete loss of her family, she declares her plan to finish what's left of her family.

Battle of The Ventilation Chamber:

Vi- In an emotional moment before it all goes wrong, Vi has a conversation in which she states "My sister, is gone. There's only Jinx now, it has to end." it should be noted that this is not a "bad-ass" revenge mission. This isn’t the heroic final confrontation and the show doesn't treat it as one. While Caitlyn has been growing darker, and more violent as their work has gone on, Vi has watched as the last person she had left she has left loses herself more and more. Vi is emotional, and she is frightened of what she may have to do and what's happening to Caitlyn. But she has reached the point where she doesn't feel she has a choice.

I recently had a discussion with another user in which they questioned how Vi could ever reach a point that she was ready to kill Jinx. I have thrown lists at you all throughout this post and part 1 so I'll spare you. But what it boils down to is this. Vi cannot reconcile that her sister, and Jinx are the same person. At this point in the story, she cannot look at Jinx and see Powder after a lifetime of trauma and guilt and inner pain. As she tells Jinx before the fight kicks off “.. done pretending you’re my sister you’re not. You killed her. I’m not gonna let you stain her memory anymore”. Now of course at the heart of it, Vi is wrong. That is still her sister... But as I have touched on repeatedly in this two part deep-dive, Vi doesn’t see what we get to see.

Take the bridge attack from season 1:

What does Vi see- After running onto the smoking bridge, covered in wounded and dead enforcers from Jinx’s attack, Vi goes to Caitlyn and in relief she is okay and starts to help her up. As she is doing so, the little sister she fought so hard to come back to materializes out of the darkness and opens fire, nearly killing them both

What we got to see- Jinx trying to silence Mylo’s hallucination and reassure herself that Vi was saying goodbye to Caitlyn and won’t leave her again. We see that she only attacks the bridge when she realizes the stone is there. The same stone that is the symbol of Silco’s acceptance, and remembering her deep fear of being alone or abandoned if she is deemed weak or not useful, we understand she has no choice but to get the stone back. At this point we have already seen her hallucinations when she sees Caitlyn’s face, and we know that Silco and Sevika have intentionally used Caitlyn’s presence to drive a wedge between Vi and Jinx (with Sevika intentionally doing it to destabilize Jinx’s mental health). And we see the look on Jinx’s face after her fight with Ekko... she almost killed her sister, and she and her childhood best friend almost killed one another... before she pulls the pin...

As stated, my purpose here is not “Team Vi” VS “Team Jinx”. That’s not the point of this story at all. So while it’s true that Vi’s inability to see her sister in Jinx has pushed Jinx further into the dark, and that Jinx’s inability to quell that darkness in her has made her a monster in Vi’s eyes, ultimately what it comes down to is seeing these sisters who once were so close, pushed to the breaking point by a world that never gave them a chance.

We come now to the tragic but inevitable violent clash between the sisters. They are in a massive chamber with pillars Jinx has painted with scenes of their childhood. As is her way, they all seem to portray Vi in a more sinister way, and when Vi sees them, she tells Caitlyn "take the shot". This is the first time we hear Vi call her Jinx to which she responds, "Finally got the name right". They verbally snipe at each-other, and finally the fight starts after Caitlyn takes the shot.

This whole scene is aesthetically breathtaking between the music and the animation and garnered a lot of praise as it deserved. But in the story, this moment is heartbreaking. For everything that's happened, this is the first time we see Vi and Jinx truly trying to harm one another. I have seen a lot of commentary regarding a moment where they were "sister fighting" suggesting how unserious they were. And while it is very true that as the fight goes on, we see the horror of what they are doing to one another start to register, Jinx opens the fight full blast with her Gatling gun which Vi shortly rips in half. They are not playing. But as the fight continues, we do start to see that realization dawning on them of how far this has gone.

Jinx looking up at Vi after Vi rips her gun in two:

2. Vi catching Jinx when she is about to fall dangerously far, note how she is holding her for the briefest moment

3. Vi's face when she hears her little sister say she is ready to die, and that she's glad it's VI

Eventually it comes to a head when Caitlyn shoots one of Jinx's fingers off and Vi pins Jinx by the neck to a stone altar. Jinx reaffirms what she has already told us "Go on. I'm ready... I'm glad it's you... it had to be you..." as she goes from angry and struggling to letting her eyes close. The rage leaves Vi's face and transitions into a heartbroken shock as her hand falters. Grief and anger play out on her face before seeming to work herself back up to finishing it, until Isha jumps in the middle and stops everything by pointing a gun in Vi's face. Ultimately because of how it plays out, we will never know if Vi would have done it. I see it as equally likely she was going to scream and smash her hand down on the side, as we saw her starting to see Powder in Jinx’s face during that moment.

Of note, the second that gun is in Vi's face Jinx looks scared and shouts "NO!"

After Caitlyn shoots Isha's gun from her hand Vi looks down at this child protecting Jinx in shock and confusion... you recall I mentioned Vi had not seen a moment of good in her sister since she came home.. seeing this vulnerable little girl risking her life to protect her I think made Vi question everything right then in that moment. We then see the way Jinx is looking at Vi.. who protected them... Like for the first time in a long time, both are seeing who they used to know.

Turning Their Backs on the world:

I have had trouble finding a straight answer on exactly how long passes between the end of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2, but most seem to agree its anywhere from 6 months to a year. And in that time the sisters have fallen into very different lives.

Vi:

For the first time, we are seeing Vi in total freefall. She has always had a reason, always had a purpose. When she was a teenager, she lived to protect Powder and the others, and make a better life for them. When she was in prison, she lived to see Powder again and make things right. And when she couldn't save Jinx and joined the strike team, she lived to protect Caitlyn and end Jinx's threat. But she couldn't save her sister, and Caitlyn betrayed her. Everything Vi believes in, every core tenant, every lesson she has tried to honor have all been shattered. And for all the blood, and bruises, and broken promises, she has nothing, and no one. And we see her self-destructing. She seems strong at first, winning fights and looking immensely strong, but that quickly devolves until she is curled up alone, dreaming that the first hope she'd known in seven years still loved her.

Jinx:

Jinx in the meantime has been living quietly with Isha in her hideout and found a measure of peace. We learn she has not been seen in public in months, but between her attack on Piltover's council, and their attempts at demonizing her to have the undercity cooperate, she has become a symbol to the citizens of Zaun, although she wants nothing to do with it. We see a much gentler side to her, playing with Isha, dying her hair. and we have a revealing conversation here that shows us she is more at peace than before.

Jinx shares that her name used to be Powder, when she was a kid.. and that being with Isha is reminding her of Powder. And even more telling, she declares "Jinx is dead!"

-- In a way, the sisters are going through similar journeys at this time in their lives, Jinx is just at a different stage. While Vi has lost everything and is struggling to find the will to keep living, Jinx has come out the other side of that... learning to be someone new with Isha by her side. Although I think we were cheated out of a conversation where it was mentioned, it does seem clear to me that through taking responsibility for the younger girl, Jinx starts to understand Vi more than she ever did.

We see when Sevika returns to try and force Jinx into attending the rally, Jinx has a moment where the glitches return, but she stops it saying Silco shouldn't have died if he wanted her to be his symbol. She goes to see Silco's chair, speaking like he was there, saying she knows she probably owes him the revolutionary role but is afraid to mess up she and isha's peace, and mourns his loss

Jinx does not owe Silco anything... But even with progress she has begun to make her guilt over what happened lingers. However, what is important to recognize is this. During all of season 1, the influence and manipulation of Silco and Sevika kept Jinx from reuniting with Vi, from finding the peace she so clearly needed. Now that Silco is gone, she resisted. She even says at one point that her head is much quieter since Silco died.

Finally, Jinx is forced back into the world, when Isha is taken at the rally. When Sevika tells her, we see a glimpse of that darkness in her, hearing the specters and seeing Silco. Until it ends and she and Sevika set off.

There of course two big moments for her character on the mission:

While at the prison for Isha, (which lets be clear, she went for Isha), she releases the others taken in the rally. They begin to gently touch her shoulder in thanks, and in the beginning, she appears nervous, like a trapped animal. Until she realizes they meant no harm, and the music shifts as her eyes soften. And what is the music giving us? "Dear friend across the river".

Her reunion with Vander- Not a lot to say in terms of character at this moment, but it literally impacts the rest of the story.

For Vander:

The Sisters are reunited when Jinx comes to Vi, both much changed. Vi is understandably extremely aggressive with Jinx, especially when Jinx brings up Vander. But the changes in Jinx seem to register with Vi, enough to let her guard down, at least enough to hear what Jinx has to say.

Jinx in general just seems calmer and even tempered, trying to nervously joke with Vi

Does not try to fight back when Vi grabs her

starts crying while Vi is choking her

We must remember that the last time Vi saw her little sister they quite literally tried to kill one another. These small changes, perhaps coupled with an unspoken joy to have her sister back, and Vi follows. As they travel, there are several key points we want to discuss:

Seeing the painting: There is a moment where Vi sees the painting in the undercity, depicting Jinx in a heroic pose with Vander behind her, and no sign of Vi on the image. Vi looks almost indignant while Jinx gives a cocky smirk. It's not mentioned again, but my assumption would be that Vi is looking at, seeing herself left off, and her feelings are hurt. Jinx helped flood the lanes with shimmer, helped Silo who of course killed Vander, and Vi is forgotten. Although hardly fair, I think is a part of Vi realizing the potential of who Jinx can be. No matter what the past was, her sister seems to have become someone other than a creature of the dark for their people.. “maybe we can rewrite your story.. like you did with Zaun”. 

The Sisters Bicker. They go back and forth insulting each other’s weaponry, mental state that sort of thing. Jinx throws the enforcer thing in Vi's face again and they bicker-fight leading to Isha getting smacked after getting in the middle of it again. I think the key take away here is they were able to fight and it is SO MUCH different than before. They weren't trying to kill one another.

Vi sees Jinx tending to Isha. Vi watches as Jinx tends to Isha, comforting and checking on her, and she seems almost angry, but I believe she is more conflicted… Vi is seeing the actual person in Jinx. Not the persona but the young woman underneath, and slowly it’s these changes that make her start to see her sister is still in there… (For all the “Vi is seeing how she should have treated Powder” people, go back and watch every scene of Season 1 Act 1 with them in it other than the single time Vi hurt her, in the literal worst moment of their lives since their parents were killed. No. Just No)

Jinx tells Vi the last time they tried to help Vander alone it all went wrong. Maybe this can be a do-over for them. Seeing this hope in Jinx is huge. She has spent so much time believing all she does is hurt her loved ones, and for the first time we are seeing hope in her. A hope that things can be different. And she brought Vi into that hope with her.

The mining shack. With Vander's letter revealing how things could have gone, we see a bittersweet moment in which Vi tries to bring herself to comfort Jinx but isn't there quite yet.

Vander arrives: Purely story wise these events are all massively impactful. But to speak on Vi and Jinx's relationship. They have not really been at peace since Vi left prison. There has been anger, loss, bitterness and so much grief. But as soon as Vi sees Vander charging, she throws her body in front of Isha without hesitation. She says "He's gonna kill you" not us, not me, you. Vi holds back Vander while Jinx frantically tries to figure out how to help, until the moment comes. Vi is faced with a choice:

Trust Jinx, and potentially die, or don't and potentially kill Vander

Vi drops her gloves...

"I choose wrong every time, and because of it, I've lost everyone"..

"Everyone who gets close to me dies"

In the small glow of Jinx's lighter and the green of Vander’s back, both of these poor women's worst beliefs are wrong... Vi let the heart of hers Vander believed in lead her, she trusted her sister, and now Jinx finds her family alive and embracing one another. Changed. Hurt. But alive and demanding that she join them in a loving embrace. This moment COULD NOT mean more for Jinx and the animation is just gut wrenching. She is so terrified that she has cost one or both of her family their lives in the dark… and then she sees it. They are okay. And they love her.

The Commune:

This nauseatingly brief time as a family all takes place in Viktor’s commune, where they have come to find healing for Vander. It all takes place in a single episode, but what we are seeing is the continuing healing of Vi and Jinx, away from the influence of what drove them apart in the first place. The conflict between Piltover and Zaun. The ongoing oppression of Zaun and deep history of the classist system that has caused so much turmoil is far, far too vast a topic to bring into this in detail. So, I’ll say this. We first met these characters in a clash between the two cities in which they lost their parents. And ever since then, they have not had a moment free of some aspect of that conflict driving them apart, until now. And it is in that quiet that they start to make peace:

Jinx trusts Vi enough to give up her guns when they enter

Vi wants Jinx’s opinion regarding if they should stay to help Vander

Vi wants them all to stay and be a family

(Pointed out by another user and god I love this point)- When Jinx is telling her joke to Isha, she doesn’t identify Vi as an enforcer. She calls her a sentimental ex con..

Vi trusts Jinx with the plan to save Vander even over telling Caitlyn about Jinx’s involvement

Jinx saves Caitlyn’s life: I mean… I don’t really think there is way to overstate the significance of this.

Of course, because of the arrival of outside influences over which the sisters have no control, all falls to death and destruction. They lose Vander again… and Isha. And we see them for the last time this act as Vi, who at the end of Act 1 almost killed her sister, throws her body over Jinx shielding her from the blast.

To see them have their family back only to have it be ripped away so quickly… I think we all had the same reaction. It’s extremely difficult to watch Jinx hugging Vander while Vi treats us to a rare genuine smile of relief, only for it all to fall away so quickly. It wasn’t what we wanted. But I believe that through the bond they share Jinx and Vi are made stronger through their brief time in this place, ultimately closing in on the path to becoming who they are meant to be.

Back in Piltover:

Act 3 begins with the final fight mere days away after they have all returned to Piltover in the wake of the Communes destruction. I have had trouble finding an exact time frame for how long it’s been but the very least I would venture it has been close to a week. Whatever Vi’s exact injury was she has been unconscious the entire time, healing in Caitlyn’s bed. Her hair seems longer and most of the black has been cleaned away. Jinx on the other hand, has deteriorated. Her hair is unbound, she will not eat, and she is picking at her skin in the dark of the bunker cell while Caitlyn waits for Vi to wake up.

We are given a scene with each of the sisters apart from each other first that are significant here, followed by their reunion:

Vi-

First and foremost, when Vi wakes up and asks where the others are yes she asks for Caitlyn first (aww) but then when she asks about her sister, she asks for Jinx. Not Powder. She isn’t using the name in anger, or fear, but out of concern. We watched over the course of act 2 as Vi was able to start seeing the person underneath the “character” of Jinx, start seeing the truth that she still has a sister. It’s a quick moment but one noteworthy in terms of her acceptance of who her sister has become.

This only continues during her confrontation with Caitlyn. Upon learning Jinx is in jail Vi comes to her defense and she and Caitlyn talk things out to a point. The primary meaning in this moment is between Vi and Caitlyn, but in Vi’s spirited defense of her sister we see a few clear points all lending itself to her learning and believing that Jinx has changed, all concluding in the question she leaves hanging in the air “Who decides who gets a second chance”

Jinx-

We find Jinx in a terribly dark state. She is damaging her skin, she won’t eat, her hair is bedraggled and unkempt. As some users have pointed out the thick string of her shirt has been removed suggesting either an attempt at self-harm or at the very least concern over it. Having come so close to a happy family again, to having some sense of regaining what she blamed herself all her life for destroying, only to have it all destroyed again seems to have driven Jinx into an empty darkness we have not seen her in.

Now, we have seen her lost and having given up before. In the wake of Silco’s death and her attack on the council she wandered the undercity lost and without purpose seemingly hoping to die. But this is different, it is quieter. It is the hollow emptiness of grief, not the chaotic fury of self-loathing. And the difference matters. The tragedy of Isha’s death is a wave that almost swallows Jinx completely as we will come to see, but in that loss, she has also been severed from Silco’s shadow and by extension the “symbol of Jinx”. All that’s left is the person, and we watch as she and those who love her help that person wake up and swim to the surface. Before she and Vi see each other again she has two important conversations in this cell:

Caitlyn comes to feed her. This is a rather short exchange for these two women whose lives have impacted each other so much yet spoken so little, but its incredibly important. After being confronted by Vi, being forced to question who deserves a second chance, Caitlyn demands Jinx try to account for her actions. Caitlyn also in this moment gives away the fact that she sees the common ground between them, realizing they have both done terrible things. And we have the moment Jinx in her way, apologizes to Caitlyn. She admits it would not have made a difference, but she didn’t know her mother was there. Now I have seen some conversation regarding this, suggesting that Jinx is saying she would have done it anyway because she didn’t care. That is clearly incorrect. Jinx is looking back and realizing that at that moment, she was lost. She isn’t the same person anymore, but she is able to see now how lost she truly was.

She is finally visited by “Silco” in this moment and this “conversation” marks the turning point for Jinx’s character. All of the dialogue from this entire moment is amazing but what it boils down to, is Jinx realizing the only way forward is to break the cycle. Silco speaks on the prisons we create for ourselves out of the identities we cling to, the “symbol of jinx”… at that the only way the killing stops, is to walk way. To end the prison of who she thinks she is supposed to be and end the cycle

Never Giving Up:

Vi comes rushing to Jinx’s cell once again calling her sister Jinx, accepting who she is. She has taken the keys and intends to free Jinx, with hopes of helping her rewrite her story like she did in Zaun. Jinx only responds in a muted fashion but Vi rushed into the cell and embraces Jinx tightly crying. Jinx’s eyes soften for a moment before she says softly “Your never gonna give up on me… are you” before striking Vi in the stomach and locking her in the cell. As Vi tries to stop her and Jinx vanishes slowly into the dark, Jinx tells her “You don’t have to worry about me anymore… you don’t have to be feel guilty about being happy. You deserve to be with her… there’s no good version of me… break the cycle…” leaving Vi screaming in the cell.

Vi-

This is obviously a very heavy and bleak moment between the sisters. With everything they have been through, Vi has fully come to love, accept and trust her sister again. And this reversal of her attempt to rescue her is jarring and extremely upsetting. As she tells Caitlyn later, she truly believed Jinx would help them. Would stay. And here’s the thing that we as the audience know but Vi doesn’t. Vi was right. She was right to believe in her sister, right to see Jinx’s potential and not stop loving her. But was the lesson that is so hard for Vi to learn that this all leads up to, is that you can’t save someone who isn’t ready to be saved. Vi loves Jinx with all that she has, but Jinx isn’t a place mentally and emotionally to process and receive that love quite yet.  So yes, Vi could have somehow hulked out of the cell and chased Jinx down somewhere. But it wouldn’t have mattered.

I had a conversation with another user a few posts back who asked for my thoughts on this moment. I don’t know if any of you have ever loved an addict in any way, romantic partner, sibling, parent what have you. But you can’t make them get better. You can scream at them, hit them, hug them, hold them down and beg them and all in all at the end of the day until they are able to turn that corner in their mind it won’t matter. Not because they don’t love you, but because they have to start loving themselves enough to see the hope you have for them themselves.

Jinx-

I saw a recent quote from one of the showrunners, saying they focus on characters who do the right things, for the wrong reasons, to make them so compelling. This is a classic example. As we will come to learn, everything that Jinx’s mind projected as Silco in that moment, was correct. The only way for any of them to find peace is to walk away. To break this never-ending cycle. We know what she is going to do, and thankfully that she is stopped, but another major factor here is what she says to Vi. I have seen this conversation twisted into every possible way- “oh she is clearly pushing Vi away and clearly going to hurt herself, Vi should have gnawed her way out of the cell like a badgermole and swooped Jinx up while Piltover burned! “(or some other insane nonsense). But those people are missing perhaps one of the most loving moments between the sisters since they became adults.

Jinx is not pushing Vi away. She is trying desperately to give Vi the permission she knows Vi can’t give herself to be happy. Yes, in this moment by “breaking the cycle” Jinx is intending to end her own life. But she is also freeing Vi of the cycle of guilt that has tortured Vi since they were children. As horrific as it all was, I think losing Isha, feeling that guilt for that younger girl she loved and tried so hard to protect, gave Jinx an understanding of Vi and the pain she has carried all these years. And in what she planned to be her final words to Vi, begged Vi to accept the happiness and love Jinx knows she deserves.

Never too late to build something new:

In the brief time between their conversation and the final battle, the sisters are once again separated for a time. The aftermath of what in that moment felt like it could be the last time they saw eachother still heavy on them both. We sit with each of them, seeing the moment they are each faced with a choice, break the cycle, or let it end:

Vi-

Caitlyn finds an understandably extremely upset Vi in Jinx’s cell, knuckles raw and bleeding. Vi emotionally admits to freeing Jinx, lamenting that she truly thought Jinx would help them and finally giving voice to her negative core belief – “I choose wrong everytime, and because of it… I’ve lost everyone”.  Vi is a warrior. She has been since the beginning of the show and that has remained a core character trait. But it’s not her ability to do violence that makes her who she is, it’s her heart. It’s her unending belief in those she loves and their potential. But, the hardship and pain she has gone through have robbed her of seeing those same things in herself, that she fights so hard to protect for others. And it is in the aftermath of her sister’s departure, and the realization that Caitlyn not only is still there for Vi, but has laid down her hatred knowing that Vi was going to do this and giving her the chance to, that Vi has a choice:

Continue the cycle, ignore her love for this woman and caitlyn’s love for her and hunt down Jinx, knowing that they all may die tomorrow- “When people look up to you, you don’t get to be selfish”

OR

Accept that she cannot save Jinx if Jinx isn’t ready to be saved, and fall into the arms of the woman she loves for the first time choosing herself, and her happiness- “you don’t have to be feel guilty about being happy. You deserve to be with her”

And because of Jinx, for the first time since we have seen her, Vi chooses happiness and love for herself, rather than continuing to try and bare the pain of those she loves.

Jinx-

*Disclaimer*: I’m going to be honest with you all, I think this is one of the moments they really undercut with the rushed pacing of season 2. I understand through implication and context what the missing pieces were. But Jinx deserved more time for us to see how Ekko brought her around, and how she rallies the undercity. Also I know this GIF is not this moment but I couldn't find what i wanted and i think it has the right feel for them

We find Jinx destroying the remnants of who she has been. Burning the Last Drop, cutting her hair, the haunting lyrics of please let me go behind her we are watching as she is dismantling the prison of who she is piece by piece. All culminating in her standing on the rooftop, setting off the monkey bomb before Ekko stops her and eventually talks her down enough (after a series of attempted suicides) for him to tell her, “it’s never to late to build something new”.

Now this all connects to Ekko’s AU adventure, and we aren’t getting into that here, because that Powder is not our powder. But the importance is that Ekko had previously given up on Jinx. Even in the face of Vi’s insistence that she could be saved, Ekko denies her again and again. But during the fight on the bridge in season 1, we see that moment of tenderness between them. And then in the AU, Ekko has come to believe in the possibilities of the future again, in the possibility of Jinx’s future.

The Final Battle:

The battle spreads all across the city and there is a lot that could be discussed. But keeping to our sisters, first we need to talk about Vi. All throughout this post and the one before it, I have tried to convey my belief that Vi has been finding the value in herself other than her ability to harm. She has been on a journey that has changed her tremendously in many ways, not the least of which being she has gone from that angry young teenager who didn’t view herself as someone worth of being protected, but was prepared to fight and bleed to protect others, to someone who was able to choose happiness, to see the value in a part of herself not meant to take a blow. All of that to say, it is interesting that the character who has been known for her fighting the entire show, appears the first time in the war not throwing punches with the enemy, but carrying a wounded person out of the firing line as buildings collapse.  Her first action in the biggest conflict of the entire show, is to save a life.

We do also have the moment where she sees Gert’s blue hair and is clearly afraid it may be Jinx before the helmet comes all the way off

Jinx’s Arrival-

Things are dire. Vi and her forces are being overrun by the Noxian shimmer-hulks, Caitlyn and Mel are facing Ambessa while their enforcers are on their knees, when Jinx rides in on a war balloon (apparently what her hideout has been this entire time) leading the firelights and the undercity to war. This is a fantastic moment for many reasons but in keeping with our purpose here I want to discuss a few things:

Validation of Vi’s belief- When Vi freed her from the cell, Vi had fully come to trust Jinx again, seeing the woman her sister had become, and not as some stranger. And when Jinx left Vi was devastated. But in this moment Vi’s belief and faith in her sister are proven correct, for both of them

Jinx’s Balloon bears tributes to her loved ones: Vi’s bunny rabbit that she gave Jinx before trying to turn herself in, small dolls for both Mylo and Claggor, and Isha’s bunny ears.

Because we essentially jump from Ekko barely managing to talk her out of committing suicide to her arrival here, unfortunately there is some speculation required as to how exactly that transition went down. I see this as Jinx finally beginning to step into who she is meant to be. Not the shattered ghost of Powder, and not Silco’s terrorist daughter. Her own person. She wears Jinx’s colors and comes in blasting music and colorful smoke, but her whole demeanor is much more calm and under control. That cocky smirk when Ambessa sees her somehow reminiscent of when we first saw her giving Sevika the same look in season 1, but Jinx feel so much more grounded and adult. Ultimately after a series of coming to each other’s rescue, it all results in the two sisters, back to back, standing in the wreckage of the hex-gate preparing to do battle with what used to Vander. Before the fight starts, Vi sprints to Jinx and lifts the rubble off of her saying “I guess you shouldn’t have come back” and Jinx says “Still don’t get it, huh sis? I’m always with you, even when we’re worlds apart”

Jinx’s Sacrifice/The End:

The rest of the fight goes in with the degree of epic insanity we have come to expect in this show but ultimately it all ends, with two sisters, and their father. When Viktor and Jayce vanish Jinx, Vi and “Vander” come crashing down in the rubble. Jinx lands higher up and looks down over Vi and “Vander” calling for Vi to move before it all breaks apart.

Okay, I have covered this moment in a variety of posts, so for those keeping up with my blathering, I apologize. But A- people continue to completely miss the point here, and B- this is actually quite relevant for what occurs next. So when we see Vi, tearfully standing over “Vander” and kneeling down to cup his head in her hands, ignoring Jinx’s calls to move, we need to remember some things. Here is a quick and dirty list of the trauma Vi has survive up until now:

According to Arcane Wiki Vi was 9 when she saw their birth parents killed

At roughly 15 years old she sees her adoptive brothers violently killed in explosion

Sees a shimmer mutated Vander die under her after saving her life

Survives seven years in an abusive, violent prison after being locked up without cause starting in her teens

Is wounded countless times over the events of the show at least twice in ways that could have killed her

Almost killed by little sister multiple times before they make peace

Almost kills little sister

Compromises her principles regarding wearing the Enforcer uniform only to be completely abandoned and betrayed

Gets Vander back in severely mutated form

Loses Vander again in truly traumatic fashion

Loses Isha who she had begun to bond with

Severely wounded saving Jinx

Entire battle up until now including seeing Loris die in front of her

Vi is twenty-three at the end of the show. Twenty. Three. She is so young to have suffered so much. And it is quite clear as she starts crying, standing over “Vander” and dropping to her knees, that she has just had enough. We literally see her flashing back to the first time she lost him and it truly seems like she is not even hearing Jinx. When “Vander” attacks, for the first time in the entire show, we don’t see Vi fight back. She crawls back crying and even calls out “Vander!” for him to stop. Until Jinx launches into him, sending them both over the railing.

Vi tries to save her sister, but Jinx seeing that they are all going to be pulled down, repeats her vow to Vi “always with you sis” before knocking the hex stone out of Vi’s remaining gauntlet sending Jinx plummeting down with “Vander” leaving Vi screaming in grief above. We watch as Jinx smiles, a peaceful expression on her face and the animation of her features shifts back to resembling Powder more, and finally as we see a flashback of Vander with the girls when we were little, the bomb detonates.

The End:

Vi-

For so much of this story, Vi was driven by guilt over the horrors of their youth. A life of standing in the breach for others, and no belief in the value of what else she had to offer the world, had left her unable to believe that she deserved to be happy. When she was released from prison, nothing was as she found it, including the sister she came back to save. And although the journey was far from simple, getting to know Jinx as her sister, seeing those parts of her she thought lost, having that all too brief time back together with Vander, and even seeing her sister leading their people in defense of humanity itself, all helped Vi heal from the loss of Powder, because Jinx is her sister now. And Jinx gave Vi something no one else could have. Permission to be loved, and to feel safe. I love Caitlyn and Vi's love story. Truly, I do. I consider their relationship immensely important to the story and plan to give it the same treatment as I have here. But if Jinx had not begged Vi to finally allow herself to know peace, I don't know that she and Caitlyn would have found each other again. And it is because of that happiness, that I believe Vi will find her way through the loss of her sister. Because she isn't alone. She is supported, and she is loved, and she is safe. And rather than seeing Jinx's fate as her failing her little sister, I hope that eventually Vi will see it for what it was. Jinx saw her older sister in need, and became the shield Vi had always tried to be for her, the shield Vi never believed she herself deserved...

Jinx-

Jinx's arc is not finished. I love Vi, and I sincerely hope to see her character again someday, throughout all of her trials and tribulations we watched as she found who she is supposed to be, and found a way to know peace. Jinx has found who she is... I think... but she knew there was no way she could ever find that peace in Piltover or Zaun. There would always be turmoil for her, and by extension for Vi. And Jinx knows Vi could never know peace, knowing she was out in the world all alone... its a hard sacrifice. But it leaves the door open that one day, maybe they can be sisters in the untroubled lives the world stole from them when they were young. it's hard to say exactly what would have become of Jinx had Vi never come back. My thought, is that she would be dead, or something so dark that it would be better if she were... I do not discount that Silco loved her as a daughter in the best way he knew how, but we were watching the erosion of her mind and soul and until Vi arrived, no one challenged it. No one seemed to care. Vi's stubborn, bullheaded unyielding belief in Jinx helped her see that she was not "A Jinx", she was simply Jinx. As I said, the road was clearly far from simple. But at the end of the day, as she reconnected with Vi, and as she came to understand Vi through her relationship with Isha, Jinx overcame those howling demons inside of her, and put to rest her negative core belief:

"Its ALWAYS me.. everyone who gets close to me dies"

With what may have been her last act among the living, Jinx made sure that the person in her life who tried so hard to stand by her side, made it out alive.

If I may, I would call your attention back to the very beginning of these sisters journey together:

There in the wake of the first tragedy, after seeing young Vi standing tall in the horror, holding Powder's hand and trying to shield from from the death all around them, Vi eventually can't take anymore. And what does Powder do when Vi needs her?... becomes her fucking shield. (I'm not crying.. your crying)

It's hard to know what to say after such a devastating and beautiful story... I like most people believe that Jinx is alive, and the evidence is strong to support that. But it doesn't take away from the immense loss these sisters have been through. Unless we are to assume the Caitlyn has shared her suspicions with Vi, Vi believes Jinx is dead. And given everything we know of her character, the painful truth is that Vi will likely carry that guilt in some way for the rest of her days. And after watching them fight so hard to come back to each-other, it is difficult to accept that after everything they have faced, they are still apart. But it is through seeing what they gave each-other, that we find hope for the future...Ultimately, rather it be Piltover or Zaun, In prison or free, dead or alive, the love these sisters have for one another stretches across all worlds..

To anyone who stuck with me on this, thank you. As I have with each of these deep dives I have gained a whole new appreciation for the true beauty of this story and its characters. Keep standing up for stories that matter.

[waywardsou2]

It was always Viktor and Jayce

From the very beginning.

Jayce discovered the Arcane because of Viktor

Jayce brought the Arcane to Piltover because of Viktor

He was able to create machine and fucking teleporters and inventions to aid the people of his city, because of Viktor

The HexCore evolved and developed further because of Viktor

Jayce saw the error of his actions in that alternate timeline, thanks to Viktor

He stopped. He knew what he had to do, to save Viktor

All because in every timeline, and I'm every world. It was always the two of them

They were destined.

This is the greatest destiny Viktor was talking about, not his evolution. It was the fact that in all of time and space. Himm and Jayce always came back to each other

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

arcane s2 - review

okay so now that i have given my two cents on caitvi and i've had enough time to digest s2 of arcane, what do i think about the rest of it?

overall, i have mixed feelings about it. i didn't hate it but i feel like a lot of the themes and ideas were poorly executed, especially compared to s1.

(huge spoilers to arcane below!)

but let me start with the positives:

the animation OBVIOUSLY. huge props to the animators, s1 was already phenomenonal and s2 lived up to the hype, animation-wise. the fight scenes especially were just *mwah* chef's kiss.

the character designs were great. caitlyn looks a lot prettier with the middle parting. vi's emo phase is really hot. jinx's designs in the alternate universe and the finale were iconic. jayce's beard and disheveled look was just chef's kiss. jesus viktor was hot as fuck.

the voice actors did an amazing job obviously, and i didn't expect anything less from them.

jayce's and viktor's relationship was so good despite not having all that much screentime when you think about it. they interact in the beginning when viktor wakes up from his hex-coma and then reunite and fight and make up in the final few episodes. but because of their relationship that was built up in the first season, it all worked out smoothly and made for a very natural progression in their relationship.

jinx's redemption was pretty good. not the BEST but it was carried out well enough, especially in just 9 episodes. i didn't feel like it was rushed or undeserved. her sacrifice in the end was heartbreaking but it felt natural and not shoehorned in for some added angst.

and now for the negatives:

1. the pacing was really bad, in my opinion. they had only 9 episodes but they stuffed in so many subplots into this season that it felt overwhelming.

maybe i'm just stupid but i couldn't keep up with half of the stuff that was going on and some parts of the finale didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

like the whole storyline with mel and ambessa and the black rose was a blur to me. i honestly don't know what happened in the end after ambessa dies.

the whole deal with singed and vander and whatnot was also really murky. like i get the overall premise but it was really hard for me to grasp every single detail.

maybe this is just a me problem and i'm too dumb to follow more than two storylines at the same time. but s1 already had a lot going on and it was still a tad bit easier to follow.

s2 was just crammed with a whole bunch of different characters pursuing different goals and facing different obstacles, 9 episodes weren't enough to give all of it a satisfying conclusion. and as a result, some of the arcs felt rushed and unfinished.

like what happened to the whole found family thing with sevika, jinx and isha? they were beginning to get closer and form a good relationship but then suddenly, sevika is pushed out of the image and we never see how she reacts to jinx and isha's death.

2. while i don't think that caitvi is abusive, i still don't think the ship was great. it was just super rushed and there is a grain of truth to what caitvi antis are saying.

like yeah, caitlyn being an enforcer and seeing nothing wrong with it was.. questionable. wasn't the whole point of s1 that enforcers were ruining the lives of the people in zaun? wasn't police brutality and classism the main theme of this series? how come vi's parents were killed by enforcers and she was unfairly imprisoned for years by enforcers, but somehow she ends up dating an enforcer?

before s2 came out, i expected caitlyn to give up her job after realizing how corrupt it was. i thought that would be the natural progression of her arc, especially since she's seen how much the people of the undercity has suffered at the hands of enforcers. but nope, she keeps her job and it's never addressed in the end.

i don't think that caitlyn hitting vi once out of frustration and once out of necessity makes her a domestic abuser. but i do think it's kind of icky for vi to end up in a relationship with an enforcer, and for the show to frame it in a semi-positive manner. it's not entirely romanticized but the problems with it aren't really addressed either.

3. i feel like the themes of classism wasn't as well addressed in this season as it was in the first one. the first season had a strong message and it stuck to it. the second season was all over the place and then suddenly, there's viktor and the whole glorious evolution or whatever, and the conflict between piltover and zaun is pushed aside.

i like that sevika becomes part of the council in the end but is she the only one representing the undercity? is one person enough to speak for all these people in zaun? at least it's true to real life, i guess.

overall, i felt like the message was a lot more murky in this season. this ties to my first complaint because while s1 had a lot of storylines too, they followed a common theme. war, classism, and how privilege and the lack thereof affects people. s2's storylines are just all over the place and none of them seem to follow a theme. at least some of them could have been discarded.

4. i briefly mentioned this before but the fact that jinx stops experiencing her hallucinations never made sense to me. especially after she accidentally killed silco, shouldn't they get worse? it is implied that she has schizophrenia and c-ptsd so i really don't understand how silco's death suddenly got rid of most of her symptoms.

she still sees and hears the hallucinations from time to time and her mental state is definitely far from stable, but it was still such a huge jump from her psychotic breakdown in the s1 finale.

so yeah, these are my thoughts about arcane s2. there were more pros than cons but the cons still outweigh the pros, simply because of how much impact they had on the plot.

i'm generally not one to demand more seasons or episodes out of a series where the writers have already told the story they wanted to tell, but arcane s2 was so rushed and so filled to the brim with different characters and storylines, i couldn't help but feel like it would have benefited from having more episodes to play everything out more slowly.

i still liked this series a lot and i enjoyed watching it, but i'm not blind to its flaws and i try not to be biased.

[metalwarrior22]

Arcane S2 - On how the death of [redacted] brought peace

Probably.

[This is obviously from my perspective, so take it with a grain of salt.]

The alternate world shown on episode 7 differed greatly from the one we know, specifically, Piltover and Zaun coexisted in harmony, their societies mingling with each other with ease. The event that apparently marked the beginning of this big change was the death of one young Vi.

There were some key differences in the robbery of Jayce’s apartment, the one that put all things in motion for the show. When the gemstone blew up, Vi was caught in the blast of the explosion, perhaps protecting Powder, losing her life. What followed was the arrival of officer Marcus, who witnessed firsthand the grief of three kids over the death of a member of their family.

How did this tragic incident bring peace to two antagonistic cities?

In the main timeline (MT), four kids partially destroyed a building, causing Piltover to fear for its own denizens. In the alternate one (AT), a kid from Zaun, a place with less than Piltover, lost her life while trying to steal to survive. Vi’s death, instead of fear, caused sympathy for Zaun and its people.

In the MT, word traveled fast, reaching The Last Drop even before the kids made it home. In the AT the scenario was almost the same, but the focus was not on the explosion, but on the girl who would not leave her dead sister’s side. It was the first thing the enforcers saw when they arrived, and probably the first thing people in the vicinity heard after the explosion: the inconsolable crying of a small girl. (Important to note that the death of any of the other kids would not have caused such a heartbreaking scene.) After a quick investigation, it would be revealed that the explosion, though probably caused by the kids, was the responsibility of Jayce Talis, a student of Piltover’s Academy.

In summary, Vi’s death was Piltover’s fault.

On the Kirammans

Cassandra Kiramman, a member of Piltover’s council, was indirectly involved in the incident for various reasons: she owned the building that was destroyed, she was Jayce’s patron, and her daughter was near the site of the explosion (probably). Would this, coupled with the sympathy for the mourning girl, be enough for her to take action towards the betterment of Zaun? Not really.

Cassandra was a pragmatic woman, the name of her family carried a lot of weight in the city, and it was a currency she wasn’t going to squander. In the MT, she supported Jayce before the other members of the council, but only to demonstrate that she was a good judge of character, that Jayce was misguided but that she hadn’t made a mistake by sponsoring him. The moment the “trial” ended, she turned her back on Jayce because he had turned into a liability.

Back to the AT, Cassandra would have been minimizing the damage to her House’s name and nothing else. Enter, Caitlyn.

Caitlyn’s inquisitive nature would have led her to learn about Zaun and its people, on why its society was so different from Piltover’s despite the cities being next to each other. Four zaunite kids breaking and entering opened up her whole world. Why? Because the kid that passed away was about her age, yet both couldn’t have been more different in their upbringing. And again, it was Piltover’s fault.

Season 2 revealed that the Kirammans built a ventilation system for the underground, one neglected by them and forgotten by everyone else… and yet, the Lanes have clean air in the AT. It’s possible that Caitlyn’s efforts to help and understand Zaun would have led to her mother finally using them for their intended purpose. It’s also possible that I’m way off mark… but the fact remains that Zaun had clean, unpolluted air.

On Piltover

This one is harder to explain, we don’t know much about the council members aside from Mel and Heimerdinger, the former looking to leave her mark on the world, the latter pretty content with the state of things. And of course, Cassandra, who I’ve already talked about.

Vi’s tragic death comes into play again, pushing the council to truly pay attention to Zaun for the first time in ages and how to help it so that nothing like that happened ever again. Maybe one of the steps they took towards this goal was to create a meeting place for both societies, one where they could mingle and truly look at each other, hence, the bridge market was created, offering goods and services from both cities, encouraging people to cross to the other side.

With this point of view in mind, it’s possible that the Kirammans’ ventilation system was used not only to help Zaun, but to ensure Piltover’s people safety. A selfish reason, but one that fits the current narrative.

On Jayce

Jayce is not present at all in the AT, but it’s easy to infer what happened to him, initially. After his tampering with magic and the subsequent demise of Vi, he was swiftly banished from Piltover, his research destroyed. Thus, Hextech was never invented.

(MT Heimerdinger was “transported” to the AT 3 years before Ekko’s arrival, that is roughly 4 years after Vi’s death, so he wouldn’t have been able to interfere in these events.)

On Silco

Chem baron in one universe… savior in another one?

Despite being at odds after their failed rebellion, Silco kept tabs on Vander and his family, and he quickly learned of the death of Felicia’s daughter. Maybe it was a way to respect Felicia’s memory, but it didn’t take long for him to approach Vander and recognize the grief he was experiencing, the same grief that turned to rage and led to the fallout between the two brothers. This time there was no rage, just deep sorrow. And if Silco was not keen on forgiveness yet, he was open to try once more for a better Zaun, because that was his dream: Piltover and Zaun as equals.

Silco could have used Vi’s death as a way to instill rebellion once more in Zaun, but there were no hints that shimmer was ever used in the AT (Singed did invent it); Benzo, being one of its first victims, was alive and well. Plus, the enforcers never flooded Zaun with their numbers, Piltover’s efforts focused on healing instead of punishing.

Putting his plans to become a chem baron on hold, Silco looked for ways that would actually help Zaun. With Vander’s involvement, arguably the most respected person in the Lanes, and the recent show of goodwill from Piltover, there was an opportunity there to lift up Zaun and its denizens.

In the MT, after Vander’s death, Silco was able to control Zaun and its criminal world thanks to careful years of planning. What if in the AT, he took that planning not to become a chem baron, but to undermine them and remove power from them? His objectives were the same, but his approach changed.

Finally, MT Silco became more resentful of Piltover’s progress thanks to the Hexgates, he felt Zaun would never be able to be equal to Piltover with them, but given that those were never invented in the AT, his sense of inadequacy was never exacerbated.

(I don’t know where to shoehorn this, but Silco’s face looks fine in the AT, healthy. Perhaps he received help from Piltover?)

In short, Silco and Vander worked together at some point, like in old times, but this time it wasn’t an uphill battle, tragedy gave way to opportunity, and they seized it to achieve their shared vision of the nation of Zaun.

In summary, Vi’s death alone didn’t bring peace to Piltover and Zaun, but the circumstances around it created a sequence of events that ultimately led to the thriving and prosperity of Zaun, putting it on more equal grounds with Piltover.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. If you don’t agree with me and want to let me know, be civil about it.

[1296-very-good-year]

What I absolutely adore about Arcane in season 1 was its dedication to treating magic realistically. Science is the study of the natural world after all, and in Arcane's world, magic IS natural. Scientists would be the ones pursuing it.

Hextech was always going be invented, if not by Jayce and Viktor, then by somebody else down the line. By trying to stop them, Heimerdinger was only delaying the inevitable.

We get to see exactly how "science" can go wrong, both with Jayce succumbing to political manipulation to build weapons on behalf of the ruling class, and with Viktor throwing caution to the wind in his desperation to save himself. BOTH of them fuck around and find out. Dead child and dead Sky. (Singed is also used to explore a lack of ethics).

BUT Heimerdinger is not proven right. His position of trying to stop their research for the harm it could cause was wrong, because all scientific/technological progress can lead to harm. Harnessing fire allowed us to cook food and boil water to kill germs, dramatically improving and saving lives. It also lets us burn down cities, but that is no reason to avoid using fire altogether.

Season 1 does end with a Hextech-powered bomb going off in Viktor and Jayce's face, but it is clear that the corruption of the council and the systemic injustice the rich profited from is what created Silco, Jinx, and ultimately that bomb. Happy people don't burn down cities.

The council had control of all Hextech development from the beginning. They demanded the creation of the Hexgates - which did nothing to help the people of Zaun - and Piltover flourished. Zaun only got worse in those 6 years. All Viktor and Jayce wanted to do was give magic to everyone, but Heimerdinger made them delay it, and so their work was only used to serve the wealthy. They were never allowed the freedom to give magic to the common people.

Heimerdinger's stagnation as leader on the council for decades was infinitely more responsible for that bomb than Viktor and Jayce.

End of Season 1. Brilliant. Showstopping. Spectacular. Etc.

How does season 2 expand on this? Spoiler alert....

NOT WELL

We are introduced to the concept of the Arcane itself reacting negatively to use of Hextech. The anomaly appears that begins to poison life that comes in contact with it. Here is our metaphor for environmental destruction/pollution by industry. Interesting, let's see where that metaphor leads! (The answer is it leads nowhere).

While Heimerdinger was never shown grappling with the results of the terrorist attack that killed people he was presumably close to, he did FINALLY change enough to help Ekko create an anomaly to get home. He also worked directly to improve the lives of people in Zaun in the 3 years he was in that alternate timeline. Good stuff!

AND THEN

We are told that in all timelines Viktor goes crazy and tries to assimilate everyone into a single emotionless hivemind. Inevitably. Except, the alternate timeline where Ekko and Heimerdinger go is one without Hextech at all, where Jayce likely killed himself, and Viktor would have died from his disease. So, either there is an evil Viktor running around offscreen in that timeline, or he only ends the world if Hextech is invented.

If we make the more obvious assumption that Viktor only goes crazy in all timelines where Hextech is invented, then the through line here is that apparently Hextech should never have been pursued in the first place, and Viktor should have just let himself die.

"Hextech is a curse," Jayce says, and this is not once challenged by the narrative.

"I used to want to give magic to the world, now all I want is my partner back." .....what the fuck...

Jayce and Viktor's arcs are complete when they decide to kill themselves TOGETHER this time, along with destroying the Hexgates, the anomaly, and Ekko's Z drive, symbolically removing Hextech from the world to save the day. This is - in the writers words - the end of their story.

Season 2 says Viktor and Jayce should never have stopped each other from jumping to their deaths. Hextech was bad all along, actually.

Mel's magic is natural and wonderful because she was born with it.

And Singed apparently didn't try to use magic for his unethical science, so he gets his happy ending :)

[sinfiltrate]

People are theorizing that Jayce saw either the future or into alternate universes while in the arcane, and it made me think about this scene specifically.

The way Jayce is looking at Viktor in this moment really intrigued me because he looks absolutely terrified for some seemingly unknown (at least to us) reason.

It made me wonder if maybe he's seen it before from when he was in the arcane, or at least something like it, and it turned out to be the beginning of whatever horrors he'd witness later on that caused him to become so unstable. Like Jayce has seen what could and most likely would happen, and the start of it is unfolding right in front of his eyes, not in the arcane but in his own time, and that's how he decided that he had to do what he did.

I'm not 100% sure that's the reason for his reaction, but I think it's an interesting concept.

[arcane-ish]

In defense of 2x07

First let me say, no, 2x07 is not perfect. But I want to talk specifically about the accusation that it was pointless. I deeply, deeply disagree.

1.) It is important for the characters and their motivation

On a just flat out level, the AU deeply affects both Ekko and Jayce emotionally. For Ekko it serves as a reminder about what he should be fighting for and that he needs to be more open about approaching his supposed enemies, which leads directly into him approaching Jinx, which leads directly into the finale where Piltover is at the ropes against Ambessa and Viktor till Jinx/Sevika/The Firelights ride to the rescue. Without Ekko getting that push of insight and motivation.

Similarly, for Jayce it also serves up a reason for his determination in act 2/3. Without the AU no Jayce attacking Viktor and setting up the baseline of the conflict. You can even go more deep and say all the suffering Jayce did in the AU might actually have made him more understanding of Viktor's suffering and set up the big speech.

On a pure hardware level, both Jayce and Ekko take something with them from the AU. Ekko builds his famous Z-Drive (literally from the shards of the Vi explosion) here which he uses against Viktor. Jayce picks up the hammer from the AU.

2.) It is essential for setting up the stakes

Without the Jayce parts of 2x07 and his reaction to it, we would have only a vague idea what he deal is with Viktor and why we should be against it (ie when Viktor takes up people, what does that mean? maybe it just gives people a nice buzz? maybe it would always be contained and never spread beyond the city? maybe the astral plane is good actually) It sets up Viktor's powerlevel as interdimensional.

It also sets up the baseline that as far as the writers are concerned: cooperation between Piltover and Zaun is possible, a better Zaun is possible. I would argue it is there to give us a baseline for Sevika's stay on the council. Yes, we can be cynical whether it would ever change anything about the status quo, but at least we have the AU to think back to and give us hope that change is possible.

3.) It is ESSENTIAL for setting up the themes

Heck, if you can levy a complaint at 2x07 I think it could be that is actually does TOO much heavy duty in setting up the themes. But yes, imo it sets up themes for the rest of the arc.

Particularly:

The scene with Silco thematically sets up like 70% of what happens afterwards. We introduce the idea that even the supposedly worst enemies can forgive each other and that that is a good thing.

Caitlyn approaches Jinx even though we used an entire season to set up how deeply Caitlyn hates her. Ekko approaches Jinx. Zaun and Piltover approach each other and of course in the big climax Jayce approaches Viktor.

Please note that I'm a "Jinx faked her death" truther. IMO this scenes begins the setup of Jinx splitting herself from Vi and going away. It introduces the idea of AU Powder being too scared to venture out, introduces the idea of leaping forward and leaving something behind, but that it's still a good thing.

(even if you are a "Jinx is dead" truther, this theme still works for Vi and her future with Caitlyn)

It also makes the first moves for setting up the "breaking the cycle" themes that will become more explicit in ep 8 and 9.

Let's look at the other side of things. Why do people like it?

1.) It gives as a breather and an alternative to the misery

Yeah, it is completely different from the rest of the season, but that is precisely why people like it, why they flock to it. So much of Arcane in general is tragedy and season 2 has had plenty of misery, Caitlyn hitting Vi with the butt of her gun, the death of Isha. I would argue of course people would latch on to it.

For episode 2x07 the show also really sits down and focuses on a character and an idea and not just in a grimdark way like with Caitlyn in Act 1.

2.) It makes great use of contrasts

Whether it is episode 2x07 contrasting with the rest of Arcane or the AU Zaun being contrasted with the wasteland of Jayce's AU, to the stark difference in how the AU characters relate to each other vis a vis how the main verse characters relate to each other, it's the contrast that gives it power.

If the rest of Arcane wouldn't exist, yes of course it wouldn't hit as hard. But that's what makes it so good. The AU episode draws power from the misery of the rest of the verse, and the main verse draws the potential of hope from the AU.

3.) It tells us something about the characters (most notably Ekko)

I don't think 2x07 would be nearly as effective for the people if wasn't also used to really show us something about Ekko. And it shows us things that feel right and that we likely suspected all along. Whether it, yes Timebomb being made explicit rather than it being mostly a fan theory, but also finally getting to see Ekko in fullblown science mode, to getting to see him as the big damn hero who leaves the more perfect world because he has people in the main verse that need him. To taking the time to show that Ekko is thoughtful and considerate when he paints the Vi mural for AU Powder.

I get why somebody might criticize that instead of having the AU episode we should have had a constant stream of Ekko screentime instead. And yes, I would have loved Ekko being involved in the Isha and "Jinx suddenly has a revolutionary fanbase" and "let's break people out of Stillwater" plot of Act 2 for example.

But at the same time, pacing choices are up to the writers and there can be arguments of holding something back before you give it can be powerful. And with how much love 2x07 is getting from people/reviewers, I think it's one of the gambles that the writers took that mostly paid off. (because again the contrasts are what makes the episode hit so good)

So yes, imo the episode is highly emotionally resonant and deeply, deeply important from a motivational/theming point of view, to the extent you can argue it carries too much weight. I couldn't disagree more with the take that you could delete it and the plot would still work. Yes, of course you could have written a completely different plot and you can disagree with the themes and messages they went with. But with the things they chose to do [ie just the base setup of making Viktor a multidimensional threat], 2x07 is absolutely essential.

[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 😁

[sadrainfestival]

[ARCANE SEASON 2 ACT III SPOILERS]

Why is no one talking about Vi's death in the alternate universe Ekko was in

No bc like

This broke me. Little Powder holding teen Vi's lifeless body ??? I genuinely cried I felt like someone was squeezing my heart out of my body (call me dramatic over a piece of media idc)

My girl Vi can't have shit fr I was impatient to see her design in this universe but when I saw Powder wearing the necklace

this one right there, which was worn by little Vi in the beginning of season 1 (and was also Vander's bracelet), I was like

"No"

"No don't do this to me"

Why would they do this I'm literally so sad. I feel kinda stupid for caring so much about something that get side-stepped so quickly in the story, but idk.... This is so gut-wrenching to me. This Vi was so young and she never got to enjoy a taste of the nice life all her friends got to live.

[yannisdesk]

Issues With Act 3: A Tier List

I couldn't find the gif of teen Vi making her angry face, but this will suffice. Anyways I have some bones to pick with act 3.

Tier 1: "Oh, the misery!" - Major Problems

I'll be fuming about these decisions for the foreseeable future.

Jinx death/the implications of her being dead (I personally believe a lot of evidence points to her being alive, but for the sake of this post and intentions - we'll talk strictly about what's on screen). Stop killing off mentally ill characters like this, please. To say it's deserved because she's committed acts of violence is stupid. Every character, with the exception of Ekko, has committed acts of violence that had brutal, unfair, or unwanted outcomes - and Jinx is among the ones where her violence is more understandable.

Caitlyn never apologizing for what she did in act 1. Vi calls her out on it and I thought we'd get somewhere, but no. Everyone else just kind of glosses over that she gassed people in act 1 which definitely led to some deaths. No apology to Vi either for gun-butting her. You can argue that it happened off screen, but seeing that ON screen, especially when Vi & Jinx having to verbally voice theirs, is just shitty. What's the point of having her scene in the opening credits be so stressful and guilt-ridden if she's not allowed to express that guilt beyond a word and expression or two? It also cheapens the theme of forgiveness this season because they first step to receiving forgiveness is apologizing. Act 2 understood this better than Act 3, given that in Vander's letter to Silco, the first thing he does is apologize.

Do we need to go over the implications/optics of the wealthy, privileged girl who gets to act out not really facing any consequences for her actions and getting to redeem herself in defending her city, but Jinx, disenfranchised and poor, needs to be fatally punished? Here's a hint IT'S BAD.

The whole Zaun and Piltover plot being dropped in general. We see Sevika join the council in the end, but that's it? Was independence off the table now? WHAT CONVERSATIONS HAPPENED OFF SCREEN THAT LED TO THIS BEING THE SOLUTION? Is anything worth a damn actually going to come from this arrangement? Also Piltover getting all of them councilors while Zaun gets one representative? *deep sigh*

Corruption with the enforcers being dropped like a hot potato. I guess that just stopped being something people cared about despite it being thoroughly critiqued by the narrative from the beginning of season 1 until now.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FIRELIGHTS TREE???? No one talks about it anymore. Did it die while Ekko and Heimerdinger were in the alt-timeline, did it hold out, was it healed once the hexcore was destroyed????????????? WE NEED ANSWERS.

Tier 2: "Spare the sympathy" - Middle-of-the-Road

These problems aren't necessarily deal-breakers, but irked me none the less.

No one can no longer call Viktor "Zaunite Jesus" because that was clearly 15 year-old Vi lol. What do you mean in an alternate universe she dies during the heist in S1E1 and then all of a sudden there's peace between Zaun and Piltover??????? All I can think of, is that after seeing how this poor kid was killed while trying to provide that set off some sort of chain reaction where Piltover and Zaun agreed to make peace to stop this sort of thing. I could actually buy that, however, just, why????? Vi already blames herself for everything so why validate that?! Also, I'm not saying it's impossible for alt-timeline Jinx to turn out healthy and well-adjusted, but, she had to cradle her older sister's corpse in her hands...there's a fair chance she'd still become Jinx.

No one finding out that they were all within centimeters of each other during the day of the heist. Arcane loves to do full-circle moments and endings, but somehow in the midst of stuffing the season with everything they could, they somehow couldn't do this which was on a damn platter sitting for them.

Tier 3: "I'll never be a saint" - Minor Problems

Had only these problems existed in act 3, I would've considered it perfect.

Not seeing the conversation that led to Ekko convincing Jinx to join the battle. Kind of minor because we see him convincing her out of ending her life, and we can gather that conversation from episode 7, but still, I feel like, given how down we see Jinx, that's something that should've been shown.

Having Caitvi bone in a prison cell. I'm split 50/50 on this, because on one hand - that's a place rife with Vi's trauma. On the other, it's symbolic for other things (no, I'm not talking about the fact that it's where they first met) that I kind of give it a pass.

[moonslitmuse]

Cecil Elementary - moonlitdazings

Chapter 1/10 (2,353 words): New Beginnings Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Jayce/Viktor, Jinx & Viktor, More to be Added Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Inspired by Abbott Elementary (TV), Mockumentary, Slow Burn, Comedy

Summary:

As the new Science teacher at Cecil Elementary, Jayce is determined to make a good impression on all the other teachers and win the hearts of his sixth-grade students. A.k.a. The most brutal set of elementarians there are. While settling into the new workplace, there’s one teacher in particular who’s been helping him the most. The Abbott Elementary inspired Modern Teachers AU, complete with mockumentary style cuts.

a/n: merry christmas to those who celebrate! this is my first ever published fic and i hope that you all have as much fun reading this than i did writing it <3