#HexTech

[youhavetocrankit]

everyday i wake up and just stare at him

[sapphiresaphics]

Okay, after seeing a bunch of WILD takes on Arcane (and specifically season 2), I feel like I need to educate you guys on some deep Arcane Lore to understand why some things are happening in Arcane.

Magic in League of Legends is kinda a curse. It’s a gift from the gods, but the gods are also cosmic Eldridge Horror H.P.Lovecraft style deities of malevolence. The more you use the magic, the more corrupted you’ll become.

And rest assured… Magic WANTS to be used, just like the One Ring in Lord of the Rings WANTS to be found. When people use magic in League of Legends it’s very easy for the power to corrupt in unusual ways as the magic flows through them and convinces them that their way is the right way.

Heimerdinger actually calls this out:

“I've seen miracles spring from the hands of mages many times, but so often they turned to horrors. I'd always presumed it was due to mankind's turbulent relationship with power.. but perhaps it is a property of the Arcane itself.”

This is explained by Rise in League of Legends lore:

"Magic wants to be used," said the sorcerer. "It is all around us, emanating from the first fragments of creation. It wants to be wielded. And that is the true challenge on the path we both walk. When you realize what the magic wants, how eager it is... Well, then the difficulty isn't how to begin wielding it. It's knowing when to stop."

So like… THIS is why Hextech is so dangerous. Hextech isn’t just like nuclear power being introduced into the world, but like a version of nuclear power that ITSELF wants to destroy the world and will possess and corrupt anyone it can reach around them to achieve its goals.

And THIS is why when Viktor is fused with Hextech he starts seeing Sky and being led down to the undercity to “heal” all the shimmer addicts and become a hive mind community. Viktor THINKS he’s doing something good, but all along hes being guided and manipulated by the powers of cosmic magic.

And THIS is why he needs to be snapped out of it to realize what he’s done. He is NOT himself when he’s manipulating and controlling everyone. The Arcane has been guiding him there so it can be used and achieve what it wants.

Magic isn’t progress. It isn’t beneficial to the world by and large. It’s DANGEROUS and CORRUPTING.

Just think about this too: in areas where the Arcane seeps into the world, it corrupts the world around it. What do you think is making those toxic caves under Zaun? What do you think is in Shimmer? Why do you think Jayce was being corrupted in the AU world when he fell down into that cave? Why do you think that AU works was so bleak and moldy and gross?

You guys need to understand the role of Magic in League of Legends lore to understand WHY the show LITERALLY CALLED ARCANE is about the dangers of magic and how it manipulated and corrupts people to spur the cycle of violence until it destroys everything.

If you were ever confused about why the show that SEEMS to start as a commentary on systemic oppression ends with a giant cosmic marvel style battle, THIS is why. The Arcane is waking up. It’s heard it’s masters call. It WANTS to be used. And it’ll use ANYONE it can find to achieve its goals. Zaunites and Pilties alike.

Every one of you who’s like “oh but shimmer is Zaun’s only form of medicine! It’s bad Piltover tried to snuff it out!” is REALLY missing the forest for the trees.

When you stop trying to compare Arcane’s storyline to that of real world conflicts and history and instead engage with Arcane on its own terms with its own lore, a lot of what you might think are weird choices start to make a lot of sense.

Arcane can be enjoyed by everyone but it was made for the fans of League of Legends first and foremost. Maybe brush up on some of the lore and you’ll start to see what the writers were ACTUALLY trying to say.

[ahhhmelia]

My first real Jayvik art 💗💗💗

[askviktor]

Have you ever wanted to eat one of the hextech gemstones? I wouldnt be able to work on them because i would just eat them instantly

We must not let the intrusive thoughts win, my friend.

[riovidalsrevenge]

I see so many freaking posts being like “Vi is the real jinx” or “the reason the au is so peaceful is because Vi is dead”. Like??? No?? The reason the au is so peaceful is because there’s no Hextech, not because there’s no Vi. Everyone’s happy in the au because Vi was a victim of Hextech and therefore it was never allowed to be further developed. Her death was the catalyst for real change. The same would have happened if Powder or Milo or Claggor died raiding Jayce’s workshop. If anything, the au shows Vi is still sacrificing herself and her own happiness so Powder could have a better life, even in death. Not saying she intended to die obviously but if our Vi could see what her death did for the au she’d be so happy that Powder has the life she always dreamed of for her. Let’s please all use our common sense because the Vi hate is so ridiculous and unfounded and shows some people will twist anything to fit their own narrative and opinions.

[azvhaalk]

our dream

[rainingriversofyou]

Viktor x Jayce - Arcane: League Of Legends - Artist: 6_teh

[letmeinimafairy]

Perfect stone for glorious evolution. Damn, these two star-crossed mothefuckers😭 Had this stone for a couple of years and finally used it, great base for this hextech space. Now I need a hundred of these

[clowns0up-felix]

Jayvik stuff I drew in school

^ Almost dead and his biggest problem is being bisexual smh BTW I love me a good poly ship but oh soo not them,,, Mel should go and kiss Lest on the lips I think

[vashingly]

Thinking about how at the end of everything Jayce and Viktor basically set the timeline right. They put the world back into a state without them. They only died together because ALL versions of themselves fought to do so. But they were both dead from the start. Just buying time to be with each other they didn’t have. Cursing everyone else in the process with their stupid grandfather paradox.

In an untampered world, Jayce never made it off that mountain and Viktor died from his disease.

I believe this is the arcane trying to balance itself and correct time. This concept invaded my mind when Ekko pushed the limits of his loop and Heimerdinger literally blew up in his testing. He reverses this, taking control of the arcane for himself like Jayce and Viktor had been doing for years. This doesn’t change much because Heimerdinger is later claimed by the arcane.

It was an event that was supposed to happen.

Jayce and Viktor are (finally) claimed by the arcane when Ekko throws the same anomaly that predicted and righted Heimerdinger’s death straight at them. This allowed them to accept fate together and send themselves back to the nothingness because they are an anomaly. The first anomaly. They are part of everything and they are also absolutely nothing at all.

Accept your humanity and mortality. Know that the time you make is the only time you have. We all kick the bucket eventually, best to do it surrounded by those we love. Take care of yourselves.

[jaybejaybenotsstuff]

"Kinda reminds me of you, V." "Yes... Yes it does."

I do arcane themed commissions on Ko-fi now! Click here to see :)

[fulcrums501st]

[sapphiresaphics]

I love how Arcane utilizes the meta language of film and digital media to convey its story.

The most obvious example of this is Jinx’s scratchy hallucinations. This is an exceptionally old film technique where you literally scratch the emulsion off of the film stock frame by frame. When done correctly this results in these sharp jagged gaps in the film that light shines through, resulting in this scratchy inconsistent effect.

So whenever Jinx is having a psychotic moment, the screen takes on the qualities of film stock and becomes irregular and out of focus, almost as if whoever was scratching those lines literally took the film out of the camera, scratch it, and then is trying to re-insert it back into the shot.

There are other meta-like moments in Arcane too. In season 2 when Vi punches the jaw guy in the pit fighter scene, her punch is SO STRONG that it literally dislodges the film reel briefly. Which is hilarious to me!

But the most interesting thing about this use of meta film language to tell the story is when the Anomaly comes into play. We first get glimpses of this when Jayce is walking through the storm right before exiting into the clearing at the top of the hexgate.

Instead of scratched film and other physical media tricks, the screen starts to… glitch. Like a faulty LCD TV monitor or a bad digital broadcast signal.

We never see this effect around any other parts of the show. ONLY around the anomaly and other moments where the Arcane is coming through.

And I think the reason they do this is because it makes the Arcane feel other worldly. Up into now all the visual effects and subtle tricks have been based on physical media. Film scratches, out of focus reels, dirt on the film stock, noticeable film splicing, projection issues, etc. It’s always been quirks of physical media.

But the Arcane is different. It’s not of this world. It’s MAGIC. So they switch to using noticeable digital effects when the Arcane starts acting up. Screen tearing. Streaming glitches. Color blocks and signal loss.

I just think that’s really cool. They could’ve just kept using film language to tell the story, but they use our familiarity with film language and start mixing it up to convey the magical other worldly nature of the Arcane. How cool is that?

[drivngonceagain]

ho is you the hexcore

gave up can’t lock in just keep sketching the guy

[askviktor]

hi i’ve had the same weird purple eye bags as you since i was like four and the other day i saw a video where a girl had them and she said they were caused by low iron levels so i guess what i mean to ask you is do you have low iron

I do, indeed. Are you frequently cold as well?

[wyyrmwood]

oops my hand slipped. Cover half his face for a little smeagol moment :)

I made this in a single like 4 hour session after I got off work this afternoon and Im so proud of him, had to do SOMETHING before the finale tomorrow!