#I Am Nobody S2

[morweneledhwen]

Photoshoot of Chen Wenqi as Chen Duo in I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang

[fiftysevenacademics]

Zhuge Qing is stubborn as a mule and Wang Ye has no choice but to follow him.

[astarlightmonbebe]

apologizing in advance for the person i will become when i am nobody s2 airs

[barananduen-blog]

😭 I cried so much during the playground scene of ep.6 of "I am Nobody 2" 😭

The way they were overwhelming her on purpose (great job, director, on showing the buildup on that), and then how she was holding onto the basketball as the one familiar object, and then when she started alternating between clutching it and throwing it (alternating between anger/defiance and fear?), and then when she couldn't stop crying for over an hour. 😭

What even are we tagging this show as?

[astorkes]

she might've dyed it black but the pink is still showing💘

[astral-herald]

Viktor's (subverted) Aristotelian Tragedy

A common sentiment I’m seeing throughout post-finale Viktor discourse is an understandable concern or distaste for the element of choice lost throughout his story. I know a lot of us – myself included – expected more time spent on his transformation, along with emphasis on the anger/rage/betrayal fueling it. But seeing him allow Singed to “begin the process” in episode 8 reminded me of Arcane’s origins – tragedy. Bear with me for another long analysis :)

Aristotle wrote the following on the tragedy: “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself…with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” He also emphasized that the true tragic hero couldn’t be perfect, and his downfall into such catharsis-inducing circumstances was reliant on a fatal flaw, oftentimes pride.

Viktor fits this mold, as do many Arcane characters, and it stands to reason that this was intentional since the writing team has reiterated that the show is a tragedy, at its core.

Regarding Viktor’s fatal flaw, I’d argue it’s pride, but it manifests very uniquely. He never makes any grand declarations about his success and doesn’t draw attention to himself in any clear way throughout season one (“Progress Day” comes to mind). Instead, his pride manifests as staunch independence and self-reliance that lead to his downfall; his unwillingness to break his stoic mold arguably led to his use of the Hexcore…so it goes.

Fascinating caveat: Viktor’s pride is a defense mechanism, a necessary tool he built in order to survive and succeed in a hostile environment to people of his station. His self-reliance is increasingly desperate as his illness worsens. He’s cornered by fate but banks on the sanctity of choice at every turn – in season one, Viktor is bound by the conviction that we all have a choice. It’s why he’s so distressed when Jayce makes the wrong one regarding weaponizing Hextech.

“There is always a choice.”

Viktor’s choice to fuse with the Hexcore is the classic Aristotelian fatal flaw moment, the singular incident that opens the flood gates for eventual catharsis. We watch Viktor make an irreparable choice, one that we know to be bad, and endure the repercussions. He then makes the choice to abandon the Hexcore, and end his life, but audiences can’t shake the feeling that those consequences aren’t leaving anytime soon.

So why is Viktor so anti-choice in his final season 2, act 3 form?

Choice is Viktor’s weapon. Pride is what leads him to abusing it. Despite how uncomfortable and depressing it is to watch, Viktor’s slow descent into the Herald is a perfect twist of fate. The Arcane is even so insidious that it meshes with his original intent, to help those suffering in the undercity, while convincing him that their subservience is healing. He becomes responsible for their choices. He knows what’s best because he’s relieving the Gloriously Evolved of their suffering, right? The utopia is for the greater good, yes?

Admittedly, it was really hard watching act 3 Viktor descend fully into his choiceless ethos. But we can still relate it to his tragic flaw – his pride has mushroomed into coldhearted omniscience; not only does he know what’s best for everyone, evolution, but he also has the sense to make the choice for them to supersede their “baser instincts.” The grief we feel upon seeing this perverted, violent version of himself, as far removed from Viktor as possible, is the culmination of Aristotle’s treatise on tragedy. The catharsis is the rock-bottom Machine Herald.

"Choice is false."

But then Arcane decided to basically make Jayvik canon (get out of here, Christian Linke) and destroyed the early drafts of this post. I’m going to rapid-fire this next bit:

Jayce forces Viktor back to life. Viktor has no agency in his season 2 inciting incident. Again, it’s distressing when we mourn his agency, but it remains in accordance with Aristotelian tragedy.

Viktor clings to humanity as long as he possibly can. When Jayce calls out Viktor’s trajectory, alleging that his old partner had died in the Council chamber, whatever is left of Viktor gives way to the Arcane because his last tether has been snapped.

Jayce knows the game – Old Man Jenkins Mage Viktor told him so. Jayce becomes the linchpin in subverting Viktor’s tragedy. He knows what must happen. He understands now.

Machine Herald Viktor is given the chance to undo his fatal flaw, to reverse the catharsis, when he sees Old Man Jenkins Mage Viktor. With Jayce’s help, he takes it.

Given that it’s a version of Viktor who ultimately frees him from himself by empowering Jayce, we can gather that Viktor has liberated himself from his tragedy.

Aristotle’s catharsis is rapidly transformed from something based in release to something healing – Viktor’s tether to humanity returns. He grasps it. The walls of his pride and self-reliance collapse. He accepts Jayce’s help, finally being seen as the full individual he is. Catharsis ensues, for sure, but I don’t think it’s based in the typical tragedy genre.

All this to say, I think Viktor’s arc was, in fact, carefully constructed. He represents the Aristotelian descent into a fatal flaw and that’s very distressing to see unfold, especially since he embodied the tragic hero archetype so well from day one. However, Jayce undoes this narrative and we’re given an incredibly subversive ending that I, personally, never saw coming.

I’m sure that Mage Viktor has a much larger bearing on this analysis than I’m accounting for. But for now, suffice to say that he is Viktor’s way out of the tragedy. TALK ABOUT CHOICE!

This doesn’t erase anyone’s discomfort for Viktor having less and less agency, but I’d like to emphasize the logic and literary precedent behind the story decisions.

PS: here's a quick source I looked at about Aristotelian tragedies. I hope to re-up on Greek tragedies so I can get more specific about the parallels Arcane draws from them.

[luthqrs]

JENNIFER JAREAU in CRIMINAL MINDS 2x16 | ‘Fear and Loathing’

[mr-trashcanchan]

“Nobody wrote Viktor’s name on a piece of paper” like be fr. Everyone’s blinded by pain not thinking straight at all like Mel would absolutely have written Viktor’s name. There is no way she wouldn’t have?? Why wouldn’t she write both their names? I just don’t believe she’d think about only Jayce in that moment. Past entanglement or not, there was no Jayce without Viktor. Those two were a package deal from the day they met each other. Mel isn’t someone who holds a grudge like that? Like imagine she’s writing ‘Jayce’ and remembering him… how would Viktor NOT appear in those memories? Let’s say she was thinking about the first time they slept together (idk why she would be during a difficult time lol). Yeah very nice memory except where tf was Jayce when she woke up? WITH VIKTOR. Can you imagine Mel intentionally leaving out Viktor’s name? Why? Out of spite? Hell no. Because he almost destroyed Piltover and everyone in it? The Machine Herald was once a man. Even if they didn’t see eye to eye, they both cared about Jayce. And given her last conversation with Jayce, not writing both names would be greatly disrespectful not only to them but also to herself. She’s not that petty

[saenora]

the place where it all went wrong \\ satosugu. (no reposts please)

[morweneledhwen]

I may have known most of these characters for only 2 episodes, but you can pry them out of my cold, dead hands. Also, the guy playing the village chief gives off allllll the creepy cult leader vibes.

This season keeps being brilliant so far. Love the setting (one I haven't seen so far, I think), the atmosphere and the music.

... and then there's that hesitant little smile and wave Wang Ye does when they meet Zhuge Qing for the first time in the woods, and it makes me absolutely feral.

[fiftysevenacademics]

I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang (S2) introduces some great new characters and adds a twist to some faves from S1. So far, I'm a big fan of Wang Zhenqiu and Xiao Zizai. The new actor for Zhuge Qing gives the character a more sultry persona, whereas the original was cheeky and flirtatious, but so far (ep3) I like him, too. But all the new characters are really interesting and I want to know more about them.

[artsy-waffle19]

okay but can we please talk about the absolute GENIUS concept of ofmd???! it has so many contradictions in it's concept and that's something I've NEVER seen a show do before like- it's a show about pirates it has all the violence, the trauma, addiction, suicide, murder, every character is utterly fucked up and it could be this really dark, violent, action show and then they took all that and crammed it into the fucking genre ROMCOM and then they made it vaguely inspired by historical events, setting it sometime in the 1700s only to make it as wildly historically inaccurate as humanly possible with the costumes, THE LANGUAGE (the use of todays language and slang+ swearing in this is my fav parr about it and just makes it so much better to watch) and the characters ideals and views on life, then the characters being set up to be the stereotype of one thing and then being the complete opposite (especially in terms of gender roles and masculinity) like izzy being set up to be this competent first mate and best pirate in the show only for everything he does to backfire on him and in the second season being an actually really emotionally complex character, stede who could've easily made into this emotional crybaby character, getting swept off his feet by ed and not get around in the pirate world yet he's the most feral bastard known to man, who sets people on fire, not even gonna start on ed because there's just SO much about this character that could fit into an entirely new post.

It also ignores every rule of any genre or time or concept it could technically fit into and therefore is something entirely new and completely unpredictable. That's probably the funniest part about the show because every event that happens is something so entirely random and outlandish that nobody would've expected it so it hits us like a bat in the face (for example buttons just randomly turning into a bird after the show never showed any hint that magic is real in this universe and all of us just collectively went "oh yea that might as well happen, understandable have a nice day" because this show breaks every rule we thought existed)

Literally everything about this show is a work of pure genius and David Jenkins deserves literally every award known to man

[helielune]

and stalling only goes so far when you've got a head start

[ideologyofone]

Alright time for me to start my nonsense

(Possible) reasons why Jinx has cut her hair in s2

She doesn’t want to be a symbol for Zaun and all the art people have made of her feature her braids prominently so she chops them off

She doesn’t know how to braid her hair, Silco did it for her

Someone ELSE cuts it off her Flynn Rider style, why idk

Someone grabs her by her hair and she cuts it to escape

She cuts it off to let Jinx go and put her in the past (like letting go of Powder) after Ekko tells her moving forward means leaving things behind

And the worst most HEINOUS possibility I will fight the arcane writers for, SOMETHING happens to the mini Jinx and she cuts it off so her hair looks more like hers (I really hate this theory)

[culssi]

“We finish this together”

[la-muerta]

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 《异人之下 𝗜 𝗔𝗺 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆》 (𝗦𝟭) ꜰᴇɴɢ ʙᴀᴏʙᴀᴏ // ᴢʜᴀɴɢ ᴄʜᴜʟᴀɴ // ᴡᴀɴɢ ʏᴇ // ᴢʜᴜɢᴇ Qɪɴɢ // ᴢʜᴀɴɢ ʟɪɴɢʏᴜ