#DISCLAIMER: i have not watched the second season of arcane

[moriphyte]

i’m attracted to jayce arcane in the same way i am attracted to italian men. regretfully and undeniably.

[bwat5-blog]

Spoilers For All of Arcane

Pivotal Moments For Vi

I am continuing to cope with the end of the show by doing some lists of what I feel are the most pivotal moments for some of the main characters, in terms of showing us who they are/just leaving a huge impression. Starting off with out favorite pink haired bad-ass.

Vi-

The Bridge of Progress:

This one is fairly self-explanatory, but the haunted look on Vi's face seeing her dead mother in the middle of this fiery hellscape, tells us what we need to know. The writers tell us Vi is 14-16 years old from beginning to end of season 1, act 1. So at 14 years old she is here, holding her little sisters hand seeing their entire world come undone surrounded by violence.. and still holding on to her sister.

2. Vander's lessons:

"When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish". I know that's not the exact conversation at this moment but its essentially what Vander's lessons boil down to, and they become such a fundamental part of Vi's personality it is bordering on a character flaw. All that matters is doing right by those she feels responsible for. Damn the consequences to her body/mind/soul.

3. Trying to turn herself in:

*disclaimer I know this gif isn't that moment, couldn't find it*

As I said above. Vi is at most 16 years old here and that is per the writers. I have EXPOUNDED AT LENGTH on how the events of this story, especially in these early days are not Vi's fault. But at only sixteen, after speaking with Vander about responsibility Vi tries to turn herself in to the enforcers for the sake of her friends, her family, and her fellow Zaunites. Brave and selfless even then.

4. Loss of Family:

After already losing her birth parents when she was even younger, Vi and Powder are given a second chance in Vander, Milo and Clagger. That is until Vi is forced to watch her brothers die violently, and kneel in the street over her fathers body, all seemingly seconds from them succeeding in Vander's rescue. This coupled with the effect of her separation from Powder has such a powerful effect on Vi's life the effects cannot be overstated. That guilt and loss forming the guarded and guilt stricken young woman we meet in Act 2.

5. Meeting Caitlyn:

Vi meeting Caitlyn is the catalyst for Vi moving forward in her life. Obviously her story is much more involved than that. But when they meet, Vi has been in prison for years. Her whole life stolen from her and stalled by Marcus. Her sister is a different person, her family is gone, and she has had to survive seven years on her own without love, or kindness, or joy. Now along comes this nervous, kind of dorky naïve woman in the uniform embodying the oppression of Vi's childhood, and she breaks her out and shows her a way to live again.

Reuniting with Powder/Jinx:

By the time Vi finally achieves her dream and finds Powder, she is plenty aware her home has changed. But the entire time, she has held on to the hope and dream that her sister is still there. That they can go back to a semblance of who they were.. and In true-to-form heartbreaking fashion, we see Vi forced to confront the reality that while life has beaten her down and changed her, it did not spare her sister either. The thing of note for who Vi is though, is that even as Jinx is lamenting how she has changed, and the things she has done, Vi supports and loves her. She does not turn away from her at this point. She is taken from her.

Saving Caitlyn:

The time comes that Caitlyn and Echo are going into Piltover, in the hope of proving to the council that Silco and Jinx are responsible for what has occurred. It is quite clear by now Vi and Caitlyn have feelings for each other, but even still Vi is going to stay behind and keep looking for her sister. It is only when Caitlyn and Echo's lives are threatened that Vi runs back into the fray, even risking her life for Caitlyn when its clear that Jinx is the threat. This is one small step of Vi's evolution but an important one.

The Dinner Party:

This event is the breaking point of Vi's belief that she can save "Powder". Now we as the audience know that the sisters find peace with each-other by the end, with Vi seemingly accepting Jinx for who she has become, and Jinx finding her way out of her inner darkness. But this incident forces Vi to come face-to-face with the darkness that has consumed Powder, marking a notable shift in the sisters relationship and tearing away more of Vi's hope to restore her family. This whole incident is heartbreaking for many reasons but in terms of Vi, its like we are watching her hang from a cliffside and someone is slowly prying her fingers away from the ledge

Putting On The Uniform:

I and many others have discussed Vi putting on the uniform in great detail across various sources. I have seen many accuse Vi of betraying her people, betraying her parents. I believe that is far too simplistic. This is an act of desperation. Its important to remember the following:

At this point Vi is afraid her sister is too far gone

Caitlyn (the woman Vi loves) has confided in Vi that she is afraid if she hunts Jinx without Vi, that Cait or Jinx will kill the other.

Piltover retaliation against the undercity is happening with or without Vi's help.

By going, she has a chance to keep Caitlyn safe, and even though she is conflicted about how to handle her sister, she will at least be there for whatever happens.

Ultimately what does this all boil down to? "When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish". Vi is literally putting on the symbol of her parents murder to be there for the people that count on her

The Doomed Promise:

Here we get one of the rare but much appreciated glimpses behind the curtain of Stoicism and determination Vi always keeps up. She tearfully admits to Caitlyn she thinks her sister is beyond help, and begs the woman she loves not to be lost to the darkness in her because Vi has literally lost everyone else. We all cheered when they kissed for the first time. But I think we all knew what was coming as well.

The Breakup (AKA THE GIANT MIDDLE FINGER TO OUR SOULS):

Just following this post alone I have detailed how Vi has every ounce of happiness taken from her a piece at a time, until Caitlyn. Caitlyn even as an enforcer is the bright spot in Vi's life. She brings love, and hope, and a tenderness Vi has never known. She is certainly the only enforcer to ever treat her with kindness. But this is a harsh and complicated world. Vi has fought and bled trying to save her sister and at this point, has failed. Her birth parents, her adoptive father and brothers are all dead and gone. So when Caitlyn, who only earlier the same day had kissed her for the first time, and promised her she wouldn't lose herself to her grief risks the life of a child, tells Vi she is no different than the woman WHO KILLED CAITLYN"S MOTHER, and hits Vi, its the straw that breaks the camel's back

Pitfighter:

Okay, putting aside how insanely attractive she is, this is actually HEARTBREAKING. Vi has lost everything, and everyone. We are seeing her leached of color and life. I re-blogged a post explaining in-depth how this is far more than "because of a woman" that i recommend reading as they did a great job covering it. So what I'll say here is that Caitlyn betraying Vi in that way broke her to such a degree that she has finally stopped fighting to live.. She is clearly on the path to self-destruct, and does not care anymore

Trusting Jinx/Finding Vander:

Needless to say Vi is not in a good place when Jinx comes knocking, asking her to believe that their long dead father has actually returned in the form of a wolf like monstrosity. Vi is aggressive, drinking heavily, fighting to the point she is losing (risking her own safety), and self-destructing. So it is not a shock that she responds badly when Jinx comes. But this whole episode (although like everything else this season it was rushed) shows us the Vi we know and love is still in there. She doesn't hesitate to throw herself in between Vander and Isha. and even though it would mean her certain death if Jinx is wrong, when Jinx begs her sister to believe her Vi lowers her gauntlets and the image you see above is the result. Even with all the anger, and guilt, and blame between them Vi immediately calls her sister into the hug. Even at her lowest point, Vi still believes in their family.

Reunited with Caitlyn:

First of all, #JusticeforVi! No way Cait takes her down when Vi is at her best haha. But this matters for obvious reasons. Vi is not who she was when Caitlyn broke her heart, neither is Caitlyn. But as I said previously, the Vi we know is still in there. That hope, that love, that unquenchable flame. There are OBVIOUSLY still issues to work out between them. But Vi trust Caitlyn with the truth.. and calls her cupcake.

Loss of Vander/Protecting Jinx:

My god this episode.. Only a short time after getting him back, Vi has to watch Vander lose himself to the beast inside. And in spectacularly horrifying fashion, watching him erupt in lava?blood? while being speared and attacked by Noxian soldiers. The look of horror on Vi's face is heartbreaking when we were treated to one of her rare smiles only seconds before. This just adds to the long list of trauma/pain she has gone through and is important to remember for the conclusion of the story. But the other part of this, is that even in the midst of that crushing pain. Vi still sacrifices herself to protect her little sister. Thankfully, she lives. But she had no way to know she would when she throws herself over Jinx on the ground.

Never Give up:

Vi wakes up. She has barely recovered from a bad injury saving her sister and finds out Jinx has been imprisoned. Recognizing all the changes Jinx has been through, Vi defends her. Insisting she has changed. And even says "Who decides who gets a second chance" to Caitlyn in defense of her sister. Vi then goes and tries to break jinx out. She still believes in her. Still fights for her. Still loves her. Now there are a few more nuanced important things to keep in mind here-

Jinx says "your really never gonna give up on me". I mentioned earlier Vi's willingness to sacrifice herself for her loved ones, to put herself in bad situations and disregard her own happiness can go beyond selfless and into a disregard for herself completely. Jinx leaving Vi in the cell is a huge moment. its the moment Vi realizes that no matter how badly she wants to help her sister, YOU CANT SAVE EVERYONE. I had a lovely discussion with another user recently about this. For anyone who has ever had an addict in your life. You can't force them to get better. No matter how much you love them, how much you beg and plead and fight and scream, sometimes you just aren't the one to get it done. And that's a really hard thing to accept.

Accepting Love:

So obviously this was a HUGE moment for all kinds of reasons but sticking with Vi's character, I'm focusing on two specific ones:

"I choose wrong every time and because of it, I have lost everyone"- First of all, Caitlyn's want of Vi and love and and affection is on a very basic level proof she hasn't lost everyone. But it's more than that. Caitlyn is validating V,i and Vi's choices. She knew Vi was going to come for Jinx and is not only okay with it, she cleared the way. Vi feels seen, and loved, and accepted by the woman she loves. The importance of that cannot be overstated for a character who feels like she has no one left in her corner

2. Vi chooses happiness: I have seen commentary to the tune of "Jinx was clearly in crisis Vi should have gone after her" or "Really in the cell her sister was rotting in?!" To that, I would say this. Say Vi chased after her, why? To what purpose? As i said earlier, one of the hardest things to learn is that you can't save everyone no matter how much you love them. There is every likelihood Vi and Caitlyn will die tomorrow. So she could spend what could be her last night alive hunting Jinx in the undercity ,and if she finds her trying to coax her back. But we are shown clearly that that is not what Jinx or Vi need. Jinx tells Vi to be happy, to be with Caitlyn and stop feeling guilty.

This show maintains strong thematic continuity through parallels, with Its closest characters often learning similar lessons. Both Vi and Jinx have to learn to stop "Running in Circles". So that being said, what are we left with when Jinx is gone?:

Vi is face to face with the woman she loves. The woman who despite hurting her, immediately signed on to save Vander even knowing what betraying Ambessa would mean. Who was angry but didn't move to hurt Jinx at the commune, who saved Vi when she was hurt, who didn't arrest Jinx, and who cleared the way for jinx to go free since that's what Vi really wanted. So Vi lets herself have this. She lets herself be happy with the woman she loves. its beautiful and intimate and a culmination of these two characters relationship long in the making, no matter where they are

Loss of Vander/Jinx:

To those who continue to suggest Vi is guilty for Jinx's death (not dead), I encourage you to search your humanity. I have discussed it in this post as well as several others now, but lets run down the barebones trauma checklist one more time:

Vi is in her early twenties

Watches her birth parents die

Watches her brothers die

Watches Vander die the first time, during an incident Vi barely survived herself

Thrown in a cold and dark prison for seven years to be abused and terrorized and assaulted

Stabbed, beaten and hunted in the mission to save her little sister who has become dangerous and unstable

Little sister almost kills her

Little sisters kills her girlfriend's (i know they weren't really dating yet just keeps things simpler) mother

Willingly dons enforcer uniform to protect Caitlyn only to be assaulted and abandoned

Lives at least a few months in a self-destructive spiral being beaten and drinking heavily

Gets her dad and sister back even if dad is in a monstrous wolf body

Has to say goodbye to Dad as he seemingly dies in a horrifying manner

Survives the horror of that last battle

Watches Dad die again

Simply put. She had enough. The best I ever heard trauma described was that your mind is a cup, and eventually your cup runs over. Its cliché and used in movies and tv shows all the time but that's because its simple and its clear. Vi just cannot take any more.. and we see it.. she is seeing vander die all over again that very first time, crying and cradling his head. And when he attacks her Vi, who hasn't backed down from a fight since the first time we see her is left crawling back pleading with him to stop. She just shuts down. So yes, if you go out of your way to aggressively ignore nuance/context/story telling you can simply say its Vi's fault.. I hope you do not. You are cheating yourself out of the full weight of this heartbreaking and inspiring story.

The Dirt Under Your Nails:

This is quite possibly the last time we will see Vi outside of the game if Riot is to be believed. I hope not, but I would understand it. Vi is the warrior who has found peace. She is not untouched. She has lost so much, been wounded many times over in ways that will likely never fully heal. She has the love of her life but even she is permanently altered from all they have been through. And at the end of it all, even though Jinx's sacrifice for Vi was beautiful, and heroic, and a stunning moment for Jinx's character, it hurts to know that is more guilt Vi doesn't deserve but will likely carry forever, if she never learns Jinx is alive. For the people saying Vi seems too happy or she doesn't care, she is sitting alone drinking when we find her singing Powder's song. I have said it in several posts and stand by it. This is not happily ever after for Vi, not quite yet. But because of her unending strength, loyalty and love. And because of the people who have loved and respected her and helped her become the woman she is today, I think Vi has found the path to Happily ever after.

To those who read this I appreciate you. I know I have gone on-and-on about Vi. I want to do this with Jinx and Caitlyn as well. As i have said, interacting with this fan-base and sharing our love for this incredible work has been a real positive force for me as a person and I appreciate each of you.

[ellastone-olsen]

Hi, I was watching a Christmas movie and I thought it would be interesting to know what it would be like to spend Christmas with Jinx, have a kiss under the mistletoe and open presents with Isha.

CHRISTMAS LOVE. ⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Pairing: Jinx x reader ft. Isha (no pronouns used)

Warnings: fluffy fluff, typical Christmas au, modern!au, inspired by the happiest season, soft Jinx

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: omg, my first jinx (and arcane) fic💗 I was ready to cry while writing this

DISCLAIMER: ENGLISH ISNT MY FIRST LANGUAGE

"Jinx! Wait, where are we going?" she led you through the back streets, somewhere out there on the busy main street the Christmas lights were twinkling. You held hands in soft mittens, the cold stinging your nose a little and making your eyes water. "You'll see, just wait!" She glance at you for a second and smile.

When you reached the red brick house, she went around the side of it to find a metal ladder and climbed up it. You had no choice but to climb after her until you reached the top. Jinx met you at the roof with her hand outstretched to help you up and when you stood up you saw. All this time you were walking to this roof, from which there was such a beautiful view of the night city, which was ready for a holiday and sparkled with gold. “How did you find this place?” You asked, and sat down next to her. Your legs were hanging over the edge of the roof and her hand found yours again to take and place on her knee, until her thumb gently stroked. “I was just... walking around here and there, looking for places to do graffiti, you know...” You sighed and rolled your eyes. The last thing you wanted was to pick up your girlfriend from the police station for vandalism…again, but Jinx was Jinx. “And?..” You pushed her to continue. Somewhere in the distance the rings of cars stuck in traffic could be heard, the city was alive. “I found this building, saw the stairs and thought...it would be great to come here with you to see the city. Do you like it toots?”

Your heart swelled at her words. Her sweet husky voice and big innocent eyes made you smile. You bet no one but you and Isha had seen this side of Jinx. She said that you guys were her glasses, that made her see the world differently. You didn't quite understand how it worked, but seeing Jinx the way she is now...it was the greatest pleasure.

“Yea, of course I like it. Thanks for showing this place, baby.” You squeezed her palm tightly. That was such a perfect moment, such an intimate and majestic to gentle slowly kiss. So you leaned towards her, your hand finding her long braid to pull and tilt her head towards you. Blue eyes explored your face, just a little bit more…

"Hey you two perverts! I can hear everything, what are you doing on my roof?!"

You jumped away from her, lost your balance and started to slide down until your hands grabbed the edge of the roof. Unfortunately it was too late because your whole body was hanging down, the good news was that it wasn't far to fall, just some two floors…

"Oh shit baby, wait! Give me your hand, I'll help you." You groaned as you tried to reach out to her, but it was so hard. "That's it, just a little bit more." Jinx encouraged you, and you lowered your head down, assessing the situation. Your arms began to get tired and eventually you slid down, landing first on a huge inflatable Santa (which, as the roof, belonged to the voice that scared you), and then in a dry bush right on the sharp branches. “Ugh fuck…” You grumble, and hold your head, it started to ache.

“Toots! Are you okay? In general, we'll figure it out later. Run, run!”

Jinx picked you up by the arms, adjusting your hat that had fallen over your eyes, and the two of you ran away from that place. The cold air burned your lungs, your legs were tired, but Jinx kept running. "Wait. Jinx, babe. We need some rest.” She glanced over shoulder at you and slowed down. You looked around and realized you were in an alley, not far from your house. Your back touched the cold brick wall as your breathing returned to normal. You looked at each other, your girlfriend had a big smile on her face and a giggle escaped both of you, growing into a loud full-blown laugh. Jinx's hands touched your face, brushing away the strands of hair and your foreheads touched. “Hi” you said. “Hi, toots.” Her arms wrapped around your waist, nose brushed yours. “Let’s go home, Isha is already waiting for us” You just nod.

You loved them both in your own way. Seeing Jinx treat her mini version was the sweetest thing you'd ever seen. The evenings by the fireplace, reading a book and watching them play bug fighting out of the corner of your eye, Isha's blue hair, which Jinx had dyed without you knowing, glistening in the firelight. It filled you with peace and quiet. You never wanted it to end.

The door of the apartment opened and a small something flew into you, hugging your legs. Big yellow eyes looked at you with adoration and you reached out, stroking the sticking out hair, which had already washed to its natural red color. “Hi superstar.” You said, and took the girl in arms. Isha hugged your neck, Jinx walked around you and lightly tickled her side, forcing to pay attention to her. “Hey! I'm actually here too!” She said and sticking her tongue. You reached out and tugged at her braid, Isha pulled away from your arms and came up to hug her too.

Jinx ruffled her hair too. Isha's small hand grabbed her and pulled towards the living room where the Christmas tree was shining brightly. “What’s up? You have I gifts for us?”

You stood in the aisle and watched. You loved how your tree was decorated. In addition to the standard balls and garlands, there were Isha's homemade cardboard toys, so childishly crookedly painted with wax crayons. And next to it hung the same cardboard - Jinx’s monkeys, you remember the day they did this together. Isha handed Jinx a small box, decorated with the same wax crayons, with a blue bow, and your girlfriend shook it quietly, trying to guess what was inside. “Hm, what’s that? What gift did Isha prepare for me?” She asked in her hoarse voice, adding emphasis, making the girl laugh. “Hey toots, come to us, don't stand there!”

Little girl ran up to you and pulled you by the hand to sit with them. “Okay okay guys, I guess I have no choice.” You laughed and sat down with them under the big tree on the fluffy carpet. The logs in the fireplace crackled softly, sounds of the radio came from the kitchen. The whole house was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and clove candles that you recently bought while looking for gifts for your girls. Your hands reached for a carefully wrapped gift with the signature "Isha". “Hey! Look Santa brought you a present.” Isha looked at you with expressive eyes and shook her head. Jinx chuckled. "Come on, she's too old to believe in Santa, huh?" She poked her in the side again, causing the girl to giggle and Isha shook her head in agreement. "Oh come on, I should have at least tried."

Little hands took the box from you and quickly unwrapped the present. The wrapping was tear apart, Jinx found the ribbon from the bow and braided it into the red hair while the little girl examined her gift.

Isha held a pair of round glasses with an elastic band, the same as Jinx's, which she used to work on her inventions. Her yellow eyes sparkled with happiness, it seemed like she was going to explode with joy.

She jumped, climbing up you like a tree in a grateful embrace. You and Jinx looked at each other, her blue eyes seemed to have tears in them. The little girl let go of you and you leaned down to her eye level. “Hey superstar, why don’t you go to the kitchen and get all the ingredients to make cookies? Do you want to make them together?” Isha quickly shook her head and ran to the kitchen.

Jinx was still sitting in the same place, wiping away unwanted tears. "Hey, it's okay, no need to cry." You crawled up to her on your knees and put your hand on her cheek. "I'm not crying, you're lying." She said it quietly and uncertainly, knowing that she was the only one lying. You chuckled. "Okay, whatever you say." You remained sitting there. The fire was still crackling, softly illuminating her face. "Thank you." A husky whisper fell from her lips. Your thumb stroked her cheekbone and you lifted her head so that Jinx was looking at you. "For what?" She bit her lip and a finger dropped to them to stop her from hurting herself. She was silent.

“For everything. You’re my glasses.” Your gaze caught on something off to the side. There was mistletoe hanging from the Christmas tree, right between you, and you realized it was a sign. “No need, babe.” A hand turned her head to the side. "Look." Jinx noticed the mistletoe and smiled sweetly. She crawled up to you and pressed your lips together. You could taste her cherry balm and the faint chemical smell of paint that always wafted from all her things. You held her as if she was the last jewel in the world until you ran out of air. Your lips parted, but you continued to touch your foreheads, looking into each other's eyes. “Merry Christmas, toots.”

[fieldofheathers-stuff]

The Silco Saga, Part Two*: Vander and Silco haunt the narrative (and are kinda gay for each other)

*This is the second (well, actually third) post in a series I’ve lovingly dubbed “The Silco Saga, a retrospective after Season 2”. It’s halfway between flow of conscience, meta, headcanon and review, spawned from my Arcane brainrot (and recent S1 rewatch) and vaguely aimed at trying to reevaluate the entirety of Arcane with a focus on my Main Man™ Silco. Here is Part 1 (on how S2 handled Silco and Jinx’s relationship) and Part 1.5 (miscellaneous thoughts regarding timeline issues and Silco’s actions towards the kids in S1ep3).

Please feel free to comment! I love hearing different perspectives on this show.

Also, quick disclaimer (just in case it wasn’t clear from the title of this post): I ship them. Don’t like, don’t read. And I swear to God, if I hear anyone say “but they’re brothers!!!1!”, know that I’m going to curse your entire genome until the thermal death of the Universe. Bye.

——————————————————

Vander’s original sin

The portrayal of Vander that emerges from S1 and S2 is that of a man who is trying to do good by his people, but is plagued by guilt and shame due to the horrific acts of violence he committed in the past. S2 clearly shows us that the events of the Day of Ash and the subsequent attempted murder of his best friend/comrade/homoerotic situationship (I’m looking at you, Brokeback Mountain jackets) were intensely traumatic not just for Silco, but for Vander as well. I’ll admit I didn’t much care for him in S1 (mostly because of his goody-two-shoes aura which most of the fandom seemed to latch on to), but I think the elements S2 added to his backstory turned him into a wonderfully complex and contradictory character. It cements something I already kind of sensed about him in S1: that there’s a distinct layer of hypocrisy in Vander’s strict adherence to pacifism (to the point of inaction), which is not really a byproduct of a deeply held personal belief about the ethics of non-violence, but instead a way to cope with his guilt about Silco and the other victims of the Day of Ash revolt. Vander chooses to “atone” for his sins by suppressing all forms of violence, both internal and external, thus generating a safe but stifling environment in which the Lanes survive, but arguably cannot thrive long-term. And in line with Arcane’s tragic narrative, he gets ultimately punished for it: he’s forced to loose all that he holds dear (Silco, the kids and his peaceful little world) and to ultimately embody what he hates and fears most about himself (being a violent monster only capable of destruction).

During my first watch of S2 I couldn’t really figure out whether I liked or not the fact that Felicia’s death was the reason for Vander’s “betrayal” of Silco (it felt a bit contrived and love-triangle-y), but after giving it much thought I have decided that, in fact, I quite like it. It plays heavily into the theme of guilt being central to Vander’s character, and how this guilt really ends up snowballing into something completely unmanageable. Guilt about Felicia (and probably many others that died on that day) leads him to turn on Silco; and later, guilt about Silco ultimately makes him give up all violent means of revolution because he’s too afraid to harm the people he loves. Guilt also becomes a motivating factor for his adoption of Vi and Powder, since we now know he’s not just selflessly picking up two strays, but acting on a promise done to a dear friend who’s just died because of him. The fact that the details of his “betrayal” of Silco are kept pretty much a secret also reeks of guilt and shame. There’s this layer of selfishness and cowardice to his actions that I find very refreshing for a character that’s introduced to us as the closest thing to a paragon of virtue in all of Arcane.

It’s deeply tragic how his inability to properly deal with his past impacts the rest of the narrative; perhaps, had he told Vi the real reason for his unwillingness to rise against Piltover, and not the wishy-washy “violence bad, be responsible” speech, she would have been less rash and black-and-white in her thinking.

I wish S2 spend more time on the two sisters reflecting on Vander and Silco’s relationship. While it’s natural for us to draw parallels between the dyads Vi-Jinx and Vander-Silco, in reality their situations are quite different. There was no ‘betrayal’ between Vi and Jinx, just two grief-stricken children unable to handle an immensely tragic situation; but, due to the ‘lessons’ imparted to them from their ‘parents’ (lessons which themselves were distorted due to their own inability to deal with their past), they are led to believe their situation is as hopelessly unsolvable as it was for Vander and Silco.

The letter

I still haven’t decided on whether the letter would have worked on Silco or not. I think timing plays a big factor. The Silco we meet in arc 1 of S1 probably wouldn’t have been swayed; he’s already too set in his “rebirth” mentality, and the new man he has become doesn’t care about Vander’s sentimental platitudes. A younger Silco, with less time to crystallize into his new identity… maybe. I think the Best Timeline of S2ep7 (yes, that’s what I’m calling it) sort of implies that Silco got the letter almost immediately, given the state of his wound (and the absence of Shimmer).

I wonder if we are also meant to implicitly understand that his use of Shimmer in the Worst Timeline (a.k.a. Arcane, the Netflix show) had some kind of negative influence on his psyche. After all, Shimmer does seem to impact the emotions of its users; if it did influence Silco’s radicalization, it would make his story doubly tragic. I’ve always found his use of Shimmer an interesting tidbit in S1, and the fact that the show doesn’t explain it very much beyond using it to show the amount of trust between him and Jinx has always been very intriguing to me.

Anyway. I think that, in any case, the letter would have been only the first step in Silco and Vander’s trajectory towards reconciliation. They both have a lot of issues to unpack; I love the headcanon going around that one of Silco’s prerequisites to their “peace treaty” is for Vander to rejoin the political fight for Zaun. It sounds just so… in character for Silco to demand something like that; it acts as both a justification and a shield, preventing him to expose himself too much at the beginning, while ensuring that he and Vander remain close.

I think it was already clear in S1 that they both secretly craved to be close again, especially Silco, given how hard he still tried to convince Vander to work with him in S1ep3. (Which is kind of insane of him, if you think about it, but I guess working closely with the man who tried to murder you — and almost succeeded — kinda fits into his whole “almost dying turned me into an Übermensch” philosophy?) Now, with Vander’s letter in S2, we know for a fact the feeling was mutual. Which is, again, horribly tragic for them both, because they’re both so set in their respective ways that actual reconciliation is made impossible.

And they were miners (oh my God they were miners)

Since we’re already kind of on the topic of whether or not Zaundads is real (or just the fruit of our collective hallucination), let’s give to Caesar wha belongs to Caesar: I don’t think the writers meant for them to turn out that way. Their dialogue doesn’t particularly strike me as hinting to anything beyond a very close friendship.

… The animators, however? Those French fucks (affectionate) knew what they were doing. The imagery of the jackets stored one inside the other cannot be a coincidence. There’s really no other cinematic parallel I can think of that doesn’t ultimately lead back to Brokeback Mountain. They were insane for that, and I’m deeply thankful to their perverted French minds (extremely affectionate) that they had the balls to just… put it there. No further comment. Just a glaring nod to the gayest movie ever.

(Also, Brokeback Mountain’s most iconic quote — “I wish I knew how to quit you” — perfectly applies to Vander and Silco. They just can’t seem to let each other go. Silco is still harping on about Vander years after he died. Vander can’t even bear to mention Silco in S1, and the moment they meet again the first thing he blurts out is “I’m sorry”, right after Silco murdered his friend — RIP king Benzo, you didn’t deserve it — in front of him. They match each other’s freak so well, I tell you.)

And then Silco’s scene in the Best Timeline. Just… the touching. The tenderness. The affection. Benzo going “ack!” at them while they gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes. It’s just… chef’s kiss. No further comment. Is it, perhaps, self indulgent? Yes. Is Silco’s line about forgiveness cheesy and a bit out of left field? Yes. Do I wish Ekko had more time to ask him what he meant by that, and get in on their backstory (since it would have been deeply meaningful for him too, given how much he idolizes Vander)? Yes.

(Someone please write me fanfiction of this scene. I beg you. I would do it myself but I lack the talent.)

Would I also watch 10 seasons of them being gay married and doing the most irrelevant domestic nonsense? Shamelessly. My poor blorbos deserve it.

[rotisseries]

how did you feel about caitvi's relationship in season 2? because im thrilled that they got their happy ending (at a cost though,,,) but i feel like the execution of it in act 2/3 was lacking in some ways?

honestly I'm still mulling a lot of this season over in my brain (I'm also due for a rewatch overall. in like a week or 2 with my parents) and I'm very bad at having solid opinions immediately 😭😭😭 for a variety of reasons. so like. there's your disclaimer i could change what i say here at any moment.

but hmmm. I think overall I liked it a lot!!! (initially watched arcane in 2021 with only 2 pieces of info. 1 gorgeous animation, 2 lesbianism. they've delivered on everything I wanted) but yeah I don't think it hit quite the same this season, especially in the second and third acts, as I was expecting it to. and I can't really figure out why yet. I think it's mostly that we didn't get as much time with either of them individually as I expected? I expected to see more of cait and vi at their respective lowest points and whatnot. also was expecting a worse argument lmao😭😭😭 I love the drama. and a lot of that can be chalked up to them not having the screentime for all that this season (NOT weighing in on the discourse of if there should've been a 3rd season. btw) but when you're coming off of season 1, and even off of act 1 of this season, both of those were very contained? I guess. arcane has always been pretty fast paced and plot focused but idk. felt different. it initially felt like a story about some people in a fantasy setting, and then now it got this really dramatic expansion, becoming a story about the universe as a whole. which happens a lot in sff fiction and makes perfect sense remembering that this is a league of legends adaptation planning on leading into more adaptations, but nonetheless is a tone shift that always catches me off guard in sff even if I like where the storyline goes with that. not necessarily a critique just factual. as for their ending in particular I've always known logically that vi cannot have both jinx and cait, and in the end she'd always choose jinx so jinx made the choice for her to have cait. but I feel very empty about the loss of jinx and I think that's making it harder for me to enjoy the caitvi epilogue. I also think a lot of caitvi's dynamic is built on the class struggle, which was a far less prominent theme this season and could've contributed to a lack of satisfaction in certain story beats? idk. basically I had fun and enjoyed myself but also have this incredibly vague off feeling I'm trying to pinpoint. also I have genuinely sincerely no idea what I think of the sex scene happening in a prison cell and also right after jinx left to go kill herself