#and it's cause he had a similar life to these zaunites

[elvishdemigod]

Swap AU, but it's Timebomb and Jayvik swapping places.

Don't know about starts. Whether they completely switch places down to their beginnings (basically, for example, Jayce is adopted by Benzo, Viktor is Vi's younger brother).

Or if it would happen after the blast that kills Mylo and Claggor. Maybe this time around, it also kills Vi, too. investigation leads to finding out the same stuff that caused the explosion in Jayce's room caused the explosion at the warehouse, killing many people including children. That not only gets Jayce kicked out, no second chances, but Viktor too for aiding him, and their more steady experimenting of magic doesn't work now because people, children, are dead from the same thing.

And in the 2nd case, Powder, the only survivor of that explosion (other than Silco), gets brought to a hospital in Piltover. And with the remains of her bomb, they see how this child is actually pretty smart for her and and being a zaunite. and maybe Ekko's with her and helping both because he found her and stayed by her side after the explosion, and because he's smart with gadgets, too.

But the incident left Powder crippled. And while they're inventors together, they try to figure out how to best help her with her condition. And it doesn't help how she feels guilty for the death of her family.

Jayce and Viktor though are now struggling in the undercity, Jayce most of all. And Viktor starts becoming too dependent on Shimmer for his condition, they eventually split up, and Viktor falls under the wing of Silco. And like with Sevika, Viktor starts getting new enhancements for his failing body.

So at some point, there will be a bridge fight scene between Jayce and Viktor. And when Viktor launches a missile to the councilor room, Ekko and Powder are in there as well.

Now, unless Ekko found a little spark of JinxTec (or whatever it'll be called in this, I have my reasons for the name) and had been secretly experimenting with it, I don't know how he'll revive Powder. But I do know that instead of Viktor having a Jesus theme, Powder will have a sort of Mother Teresa theme. And this is where Powder will also have the theme of "I only wanted to help" once again.

And the name, the best I could find for a similar word for Jinx for Vikto to be called was, ironically, Hex. So the opposite for HexTec, too, would be JinxTec, a name Powder came up with as a joke about how her finding it was the reason she lost her family.

And then at some point, Ekko ends up seeing where Powder's wanting to help led to, meanwhile Jayce sees the life he and Viktor could've had together.

And meanwhile, by the end, Ekko and Jinx explode into stars.

A lot of this seems messy, but my brain is in a tangle all over this.

[tourmelion]

They may have just thought they were invincible cause all these crazy miracles happen at the commune, Viktor as much as he doesn't see it is still a flawed human, he's got so far up his own ass mind that he completely disregarded the fact that he's very mortal, and cause everyone else thinks he's hot shit they're following him in his dumbassery, he found peace but in that forgot the merits of using his mind, and his followers followed suit and forewent thought of combat and keeping each other safe from the salvation of their minds. My dad had a similar transformation when he found meditation and found peace, but a clear mind doesn't mean you're not ignorant, they probably confused the 2, like my dad did, and stopped attempting to reground themselves in their history and use their minds and face the actual realities of life, zaunites there felt peace and wanted to sink into escapism and not think, cause now that they're at peace why would they need to, they propped up Viktor like they propped up jinx, they wanted something to believe in and then made a legend out of him, and viktor with his brain stretched to obserd widths from the arcane probably started to believe it too, he reached so many revelations about himself, but in his absorbtion into the spiritual he neglected the physical, and in his last breath became bitter of humanity, never being able to truly understand people

He's hopped up on arcane, but under the flashiness he really hasn't changed, and just like my dad, they probably weren't super altered either, just ignoring reality, peeps really do get like that when you enable total escapism. I just can't wipe the human off of them, I've met people who are like this

For the people saying that Jayce had no motivation to shot Viktor…

Did you not see the fucked up shit that Jayce is seeing?

My man went into the hexcore and saw horrors beyond his comprehension. He called hextech, HIS DREAM, a curse

When he looks at the people on the commune he sees hollow vessels with people faces and the marks of Viktor’s fingers

Jayce caved Viktor’s chest in because he KNEW that the pretty colors and the art deco architecture was a facade. That whatever Viktor is doing is stripping people from their true selves and leaving behind puppets that play a game called community where no one reacts like a normal person because no matter how good you life in your community is

NO ONE WOULD JUST STAND AND LOOK WHILE THE MAD HAMMER MAN NEARLY DISINTEGRATES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A CHILD TO ASHE

These are Zaunites. They would have curb stomped Jayce to the ground

But they didn’t

They stood there

Because their Machine Herald told them to “Suffer no more”

And what is fear, what is love, if not a form of suffering

[avelera]

Jayvik & Timebomb Parallels, AKA, why isn't anyone talking how Viktor and Ekko mirror each other in Arcane??

I'm surprised I haven't seen more comparisons between Ekko and Viktor, not to mention how those parallels between the characters also create parallels between the Ekko/Jinx and Viktor/Jayce relationships, which I'm gonna argue here are both romantic relationships.

1 ) Both Viktor and Ekko see it as a personal cause to make life better for people in the undercity, to the point of both becoming a local leaders focused on creating a place of peace where Zaunites can retreat to in times of peril.

Indeed, from a narrative perspective, I would argue that one Doylist reason Ekko needed to go into the Anomaly in Act 2-3 is to make space on the scene in Zaun for the rise of Cult Leader Viktor.

If Ekko had been around, he would have either served as a roadblock to Viktor's rise out of a general sense of distrust, I imagine, or he might have easily become a supporter, or maybe even a cult follower of Viktor's if he admired and believed in the vision, which would of course doom the world.

(This further illustrating just how narrowly Jayce, Wizard Viktor, and Ekkko had to thread the needle on defeating the Machine Herald in the final act, since I would argue Ekko like Jayce remaining in the canon universe for the months of Cult Leader Viktor's rise would also have led to Ekko and Jayce's defeat or assimilation before the final act had either stayed.)

2 ) Both Viktor and Ekko are, of course, genius undercity scientists who are able to grasp quickly concepts like wild runes and the Anomaly. But it's their partner's actions that bring Hexgems into their life. Powder by causing the explosion where he gets the shards from, Jayce of course by creating Hexgems in the first place.

3 ) Both are Heimerdinger's close assistant and pupil before they meet their true scientific partner in Jinx/Powder and Jayce.

4 ) Aaand, this is where it gets gut-wrenching, because both Ekko and Viktor have to say goodbye to the alternate universe version of the person they love and this is where it gets wild because they make the same face while doing so. And their loved one, Jayce and Powder, make the same face back of startling when they realize they're looking at an alternate version of the person they love.

(Source here if you want to watch the full videos side by side because it's NUTS how similar the faces Viktor/Ekko and Jayce/Powder make to their alternate universe loves: https://x.com/yearnerjayce/status/1863132466346656031)

In the blocking of the scene, they've even both got a version of one half of that universe's part of the relationship lying between the two of them (Powder holding her version of Ekko, while the Hexcorized version of Jayce lies between Wizard Viktor and canon Jayce), so the blocking is visually very similar too in a clear romantic parallel that is mind-boggling.

By the way, these moments are also technically happening in the same episode as far as romantic parallels go, we just don't learn about this parallel on Viktor/Jayce's side until the final episode with the full reveal.

And of course, both future Viktor and canon universe Ekko must make the ultimate sacrifice of losing access to an alternate version of the person they love who is happy and healthy (instead of, well, Jinx, and/or dead in the case of Hexcorized Jayce), in order to save the world.

By the way, there is a parallel that stretches throughout the whole 2.07 alternate universe episode, with the heavy implication that Ekko and Powder are this world's Viktor and Jayce. They're even doing an Innovators Competition. In both universes, Hextech is explored through the loving partnership of a pair of young scientists.

5 ) Finally, both Viktor and Ekko stop their loved one from committing suicide. Interestingly, both Jayce and Jinx attempt to do so in a way that's related to Hextech, with Jinx using Hexgems in her grenade, and Jayce getting cut off from Hextech being the reason he's seeking to end his own life. They also, coincidentally or not so coincidentally, attempt to do so in a way that's related to falling from a height.

Both are interrupted by someone they're not too happy to see at first, but who goes on to be their partner. Even Jinx/Ekko get one last partnership in the final Act, which is an interesting mirror to Jayce/Viktor, whose suicide attempt -> partnership helps launch the action of the whole series in the first Act of the first season, making these two couples in a way, mirrors bookending the series.

[astral-herald]

Viktor and Sevika: The Cause and the Effector

Or another installment in "What Could Have Been, if Only Riot had Kept Arcane Between Piltover and Zaun."

Before season 2 did Sevika so dirty, she was, with some certainty, my second favorite character in Arcane, and I'll always be upset about how they squandered her character in the end. And there was just so much more they could have done - including merge her politics with Viktor's (wasted) time back inside Zaun. Just imagine a conversation between them!

So let's rewind to season 1 and consider both Viktor and Sevika's goals, which are a lot less disparate than they seem...

Sevika's Cause

One of my very favorite lines in Arcane is from Silco in 1x03, to Vander: "You'll die for a cause, but you won't fight for one?"

This is a profound question throughout season 1. Vander, in the pursuit of somewhat naive pacifism, shies away from any and all conflict between Zaun and the Enforcers. At first, he seems reluctant on account of his kids (as that one background character points out: "You're just protecting your kids!") but Silco and Vander's confrontation in the Shimmer plant makes the point stronger.

At the start of season 1, we understand that Zaun is an ideal for Silco, a symbol of beating back classist oppression that has left the undercity's denizens in financial ruin, turned them against each other, and wrecked their physical health (!!!). When Vander abandons this idyllic dream, on account of the fact that achieving it requires violence, he is acquiescing to a less-than existence for Zaun, which Silco cannot abide.

Sevika comes into play when she abandons Vander after he fails to stick up for them against the Enforcers in 1x02:

"No. You look weak."

She, too, sees the ideal of Zaun crumbling within Vander, so she allies herself with Silco to make sure that dream happens. She doesn't mind his methods because she doesn't follow the individual. She follows the cause. THIS is Sevika's most profound trait - she cares not for the figurehead, but for what that figurehead represents.

This is especially interesting when we consider the emotional toil that other figureheads endure (and inflict) Arcane - Jayce crumbles under "The Man of Progress" moniker; Caitlyn struggles to uphold her legacy in a way even remotely similar to her mother; Jinx as revolutionary in season 2 is a bust. But Sevika will always be there, championing the cause, holding the line, while never taking the mantle of Revolutionary Figure because it's just not in her nature. She holds on to her loyalty for Silco, despite his operation falling apart (largely in part due to Jinx), as a last-ditch hope that things are still possible for Zaun's liberation.

And yet, still, when it seems that Jinx is branded as the symbol of Zaun against all odds, Sevika swallows her pride, holds down the fort, and fights alongside Jinx - the cause must always go on.

Viktor's Dream

Viktor's cause isn't superficially outwardly political, nor is he bound by the same revolutionary codes Sevika is. But, as an outsider in Piltover, despite Jayce's best efforts and intentions, his desire for an end to Zaunite suffering through official Piltover channels is inherently at odds with the Council's political goals, therefore making it political.

Viktor leaps on Jayce's "Hextech Theory," risking the success and accolades he's so painstakingly earned, because he sees his own cause alive within it: making the world a better place. He can alleviate the needless suffering through Jayce's revolutionary invention; he can make his ideal/dream a reality. Much like Sevika, he's found the individual who champions his cause and aligns himself accordingly.

(Of course, UNLIKE Sevika's relationships to Silco and Vander and the rest, Jayce becomes an inextricable part of Viktor's personal life, happiness, etc. They are markedly different in that way, but I still don't see Viktor as the kind to exalt the individual over the cause itself. It just so happens that Jayce and Viktor are star-crossed science partners in every universe <3)

Arcane makes a pretty distinct attack on the idea of Hextech being a product of an individual (seeing as though so much of Viktor's arc across both seasons is about him being ostracized, kept away from his legacy) via the infamous Progress Day mug eclipse:

All this is to say that Viktor's cause is to help Zaun, just as Sevika's is. Importantly, neither character follows an individual that represents their cause. They follow their goals to the end, even if it costs Viktor his closest friend, and even if it costs Sevika all that she holds dear in Zaun as she knows it.

3 more interesting comparisons stand:

Their polar opposite methods. Viktor would never tolerate Sevika's immediate resort to violence, and Sevika would think Viktor weak-willed.

Competing notions of sacrifice. Sevika endures sacrifice as a public figure; people rely on her outwardly for organization, support, muscle, etc. Meanwhile, Viktor's sacrifice takes place behind the scenes. This contrast can be attributed to their respective positions of power: Sevika is high up in Zaun, while Viktor struggles for recognition throughout season 1.

Being overshadowed. While Viktor's experience in this regard is more obvious, seeing Sevika be continuously sidelined to the number 2 when she's clearly THE most dedicated to Zaun's liberation was so heartbreaking.

Sevika shadowed by Vander's image...

...and Viktor stifled by Jayce.

What Could Have Been

I have so, so many ideas, down to specific scenes and lines of dialogue, for how to bring Sevika and Viktor together. Don't get me wrong - they would likely detest each other. Like I said, Viktor would be disgusted by how quickly she resorts to violence and she would think him weak-willed. But in the perfect season 2 world, wherein the story stayed between Piltover and Zaun, and Viktor could have returned to Zaun as a potential ally to Sevika's movement (since their causes are, at their base value, the same!), they could have made it work.

Sevika would see the cause in Viktor, and he in her. Viktor as the Herald (the Machine Herald, ideally) could rally the Undercity under his mythos. The mysterious healer, whether by the arcane, engineering, what have you, takes away the suffering Piltover's negligence and police brutality cause. He gives Zaunites hope. He fulfills his dream.

And, since nothing can be apolitical in the Piltover/Zaun conflict, Viktor would see Sevika's value and her passion. She is the executor of the cause, the figure who spreads it to the masses. He can affect change and she can give it a voice. She fulfills her dream. She can raise her people from their oppression.

Neither would exalt themselves as a savior, a leader, a fanatic, etc. They would stand apart from Silco, who became obsessive, and Piltover, whose leaders were so divorced from reality that they couldn't smell burgeoning armed conflict while it stewed right beneath their noses.

We obviously got something radically different for the both of them, however, so this is all just fun, whimsical conjecture.

I really think this was a squandered unlikely duo. it would have showed Viktor the reality of Piltover/Noxus' militarization and would have forced Sevika to let her walls down and allow other perspectives into the conversation. Neither would ever fully empathize with the other, but it would have been a riveting narrative challenge that I wish we could have seen play out.

[loycos]

How do you think Ekko feels about Caitlyn and Vi, separately and as a couple? Reed Shannon (Ekko's VA) stated in a post on how Caitlyn found her humanity and grace through her struggles; plus he resposted(?) a meme of Caitlyn alongside Ekko, Jinx, Vi and Isha from that gangster family meme; I don't know if you know the meme, it was the best way I could describe it.

again diving into personal headcanon territory, with a little bit of support from League lore (idk if its still relevant). i feel like i need to explain what my post canon vision for caitvi is to articulate what i think ekko would think of them. ramble incoming:

i think caitlyn and vi are gonna be enforcers again, caitlyn as the sheriff and vi her second-in-command (deputy). caitlyn will try to reform the enforcers with a stricter hand, and a watchful eye. theres a reason she didnt take her seat in the council- caitlyn is all about doing the hard job on location, seeing reality through her own eyes- she doesnt want to help by sitting in a tower and discussing things in theory, shes practical and realistic and she wants to experience the real thing. her job as sheriff will allow her to make that change while still giving her the access to do things on the field.

vi joining tbe enforcers will mainly be done to stay close to caitlyn and protect her if needed. vi never had a big direction in life other than the people she loves- she would jump on the opportunity to spend more time with cait and have the chance to punch people with her big gauntlets. her position as deputy is absolutely unearned in terms of experience or even commitment to the cause- but caitlyn is the sheriff and she put her there, so vi and her can stay close. which other enforcers, and pilties, and zaunites, are extremely aware of. it is corruption, even if relatively unharmful one. having a zaunite as the deputy made a lot of pilties upset, especially when shes so underqualified, and made them question caitlyn's ethics, for good reason. mega especially when vi is known to overall act out of line, cause unnecessary property damage, show overall disrespect to the reformed enforcer protocol and not bind herself to schedules, and yet get absolutely no punishment, let alone acknowledgement of her misdeeds by her boss, who turns a blind eye (wink wink) to her shenanigans.

so yeah, other enforcers are fuming, the pilties arent happy, and zaunites? well, despite caitlyn trying her best to solve the issues that ran years before she was born, there's only so much changing the protocol can do for her. she is harsher on enforcer violence and the prison under her watch has changed to be more humane, but its not like she can control every single enforcer personally. so its not perfect but its slightly better than what it used to be. caitlyn herself has the exact same attitude towards both pilties and zaunites- kind of cold, calculated, no bullshit taken, unapologetic, yet with a layer of empathy underneath the surface. kind of similar to what grayson was. this attitude doesnt win her people's favor on either side, but it does earn her respect- and especially in zaun, where her family status means nothing, that means a lot. she's definitely not a "champion of the people"- i think most people in the city actively dislike her, and the (true) rumors of corruption arent helping.

as for vi, zaunites see her as a traitor. she is known to be kind of a bulldozer that can be quite trigger happy, especially when it involves caitlyn (who we already discussed people dont really like) being in danger or disrespected. she has a dismissive "and what about that" attitude that is very zaun in nature, but since shes now wearing a badge, zaunites get annoyed with. pilties, of course, absolutely hate that attitude. so she isnt seen very favorably either, on either side of the river, just like her girlfriend.

the relationship between them is kind of an open secret. every enforcer in the force knows vi is only in her position cause she "gives caitlyn favors under the table", and those rumors reached topside and bottom as well. and again, they arent untrue, theyre just a relatively mean and shallow reading of the actual relationship between the women. neither caitlyn nor vi ever acknowledges these rumors. they stay at a 6 feet distance from each other while working, but the fact they are so interlinked really leaves no other answer. they know everybody knows, everybody knows that they know, and it's never addressed directly by either of them. their relationship is kind of an anigma to people on both sides- pilties think caitlyn settled for a street rat, zaunites think vi sold her soul to be with a rich pig. no one really knows the history or intimate details about their relationship, for obvious reasons, and thats what it looks like to them on the surface.

righttttt, this ask was about ekko. i got carried away. so ekko. how does he play into all of this? while he's not entirely on the average zaunite camp, he is reluctant to work with caitlyn, but does so anyway because ultimately they share similar goals. while he understands vi better than most people, and knows she always puts her loved ones before any political cause, he can't help but feel a little betrayed by her choice. i think he doesnt really see what vi sees in caitlyn, and since he doesnt "get" that, vi's choice to stay with her at all costs looks odd. especially since caitlyn on the surface just looks like a cold, authoritarian bitch. with good intentions! but still a bitch.

in the end, it all comes down to masks. i imagine post canon caitvi are both sporting masks for protection, and have their walls really high up in public. and can you blame them? they actively wear their weakest spot, their achilles heel- each other- on their sleeve. theyre in public positions, have a lot of eyes on them, and their "professional" relationship is extremely looked down upon. so caitlyn acts colder and harsher, and vi puts on a bravado of "i dont give a shit" and uses violence as a threat to deter people from seeing her as weak. the walls are there to ensure their safety. but like we saw in the series, when its just the two of them, all those walls crumble, and they allow themselves to just be vulnerable.

[melatonindeficient]

random not so random arcane parallel or whatever this is

One of my favourite arcane relationships is that between viktor, jayce, and Mel (and not just cause them plus me is my dream polycule).

But another thing about them is how their storylines are so very different yet so deeply similar and intertwined and one of the reasons why is because they, more than anyone, time and time again share the theme that you can't escape where you come from.

I say them more than anyone else because they practically have entire seasons dedicated to that sentiment. Season one is them attempting to escape who they are (jayce, a scientist, Viktor, a person from the undercity, Mel, her family and that past) while season two is them being forced to look that past in the eye and embrace it.

The thing is, this embracing ends up not being for the better with Viktor because in returning to the undercity he feels indebted to "heal" it and then the whole wide world goes to shit. On the other hand, Mel and Jayce are forced to look their demons in the eye and work through them. Mel's case is more obvious, but with Jayce, though he doesn't go back to being a scientist (he can't really do so given the circumstances) and still takes on a leadership role, he does revert back to his initial dream of progress. He does something good for Piltover. That's all he wanted.

But though it was for the worse with Viktor (until the last literal five minutes of the show when he rethought his values and his actions thanks to Jayce) and for the better with Mel and Jayce, it takes elevation for Viktor and degradation for the other two for this change to happen. There is a parallel between Mel and Jayce in which they are both stuck at the bottom of a cave of sorts, and Viktor is quite literally floating in his paradise. It's a sort of heaven and hell, but strange because in this situation Mel and Jayce have little reason to be punished so severly (or at least, if they are being punished so should the eugenist but whatever). I guess it could be commentary on what one deserves based on whether or not they do something about their preconceived beliefs and the circumstances of their birth (because we know that they think pilties = good, zaunites = bad when it's actually the other way around) but that's a whole nother conversation.

But again, the whole heaven hell thing shows that the only way for them (particular Viktor and Jayce in this situation) to undergo great change was to see life from the perspective of someone, at least symbolically, opposite from them (as in going from the top to the bottom of society and vice versa). And it's even odder because the great change that they experience is literally just a reversion to who they were supposed to be from the start. They had to see life in an opposite way to go back to being the same.

It also shows that a person of a "lower class" can be elevated to the heights of heaven and we can call them a success (because they are) but there will forever be something wrong if someone is placed below someone else. All it proves is that the existence of a class with more power than another is bullshit.

Ekko (and alternate Powder) says that sometimes the only way to move forward is to leave some stuff behind but with Mel, Jayce, and Viktor the only way to move forward was to quite literally do the opposite: they had to reaccept what they'd left behind to do some good, real good in the world.

[alluramunroe]

Arcane Act III Part II Rewrite

Writing Act III Part II made me focus on Viktor’s story line and made me realized there are tidbits that need to be added throughout the story to explain Viktor’s fall. Viktor unlike all the other characters is in a very unique situation. Viktor has experienced the violence of Piltover and the retaliation of Zaun personally, which can explain his harmful centrist views of season 2.

So stick with me as I jump back to parts of Act I and Act II to complete the story in Act III. 

See Links for Act I, Act II, Act III Part I

Act I Scene - Viktor is upset about being placed in the Hextech

Like in season 2, we see Viktor come out of the Hextech blob and is upset with Jayce about being placed in there. Dialogue emphasize that Viktor being placed in there was for Jayce’s own personal feelings/emotions and not Viktor’s well being. Viktor is upset and its like look what you have made of me. Jayce says something along the lines of “but you are a live, that’s all that matters.” Viktor leaves. 

Act I Scene - Viktor witness the attack on the Council be celebrated

As Viktor wanders the street’s of Zaun he witness Jinx’s attack on the council be celebrated. The attack that basically killed him is being celebrated as good. He frowns and says something look how violence is celebrated. Viktor, even though he is a Zaun, has a hard time seeing the virtue of Jinx’s attack because of how it personally affected him. 

Act I Scene - Juxtaposition of Viktor’s childhood/ Childhood for Firelights

In Act I, I created a original child character, Don, that lives with the firelights. Don is really similar to Viktor in that he has an illness caused by living in Zaun and a bad leg that causes him to need accessibility tools like a leg brace. It appears Viktor had a lonely childhood and did not have many friends or a community. In contrast,  Don has many friends and a community with the firelights. Further, the Firelight base is also shown to have many accessibility designs that make living in the base easier for Don.

This highlights how different Viktor’s life could have been if he lived in a community that was accommodating to his disability. 

Act II Scene - Viktor commune is not a “community”

Two random Zaunites are walking together. Zaun One begins coughing badly into their prosthetic (the prosthetic could be of a crude design that is basically just a rusty looking claw). Zaun Two “man that cough is getting worse, have you heard about that healer that can cure everything.” Zaun One “yeah I think I might go to him.” Zaun Two “Yeah I heard he can even get your hand back.” Zaun One reaction to that is dramatic, they praise their prosthetic hand and its capabilities, and state “I just need the cough fixed”. Also, in this exchange Zaun One is shown being very expressive. 

Next Scene shows Zaun One going to Viktor, Zaun one is like “can you heal” but there is no exchange of how they want to be healed. Viktor does the magic touch Zaun One is healed no more cough but also the prosthetic hand drops to the ground as a metallic hand is shown. Zaun One bows in thanks and with a placid look walks away (in stark contrast to the scene prior). 

Shot zooms out see how all those are healed have the same metallic and placid look. Viktor’s “healing” is taking away people’s ideal version of themselves and creating them in Viktor’s own image. He is removing others choices like Jayce did him. 

Additionally, as Viktor commune grows he learns of the war for Zaun’s independence but instead of joining it, he’s like the cycle of violence continues because of emotions. 

Act III Scene Part I Scene - Philosophical debate between Singed and Viktor

In my Act III Part I, I showed a conversation between Viktor and Singed where Viktor derides the idea of emotions and Singed is like emotions are good look at the breakthrough I am about to make. I am adding look what emotions have lead you to do to me. Singed ignore that and follows through with the procedure. 

Now we are back to our regularly scheduled program - Act III Part II

Complete Panic/Destruction of Zaun

We see Viktor’s white robots running through Zaun crashing into buildings/destroying property. We also see people running a way in panic, some people fall and get crushed. We see the lights connect people and lift them in the sky, this looks terrifying and we show the horror on people’s faces. Some of those yanked up by the light are dropped back down as more white robots. We see people try to fight back and shoot at the white robots but accidentally shoot other people killing them. 

To add drama we see Ekko get caught by the light, we see all of Ekko’s memory the good and the bad like being with the firelights, fighting/dancing with jinx, arguing with Mel/Jayce, thanking Mel for saving him, celebrating Independence slowly be burned away then it abruptly stops everything comes flooding back. Throughout Ekko’s mind wipe we see flashes of the Arcane and Hexcore. We see like a blue light severed the light connected to Ekko, camera shows Jinx running with Isha and a Hextech gun in her hand yelling keep running. Ekko is gasping for breath he is snatched up by Scar as they keep running away from the lights and the robots. Ekko we have to get to the Hexcore. 

Zaun reaches the bridge connecting the two cities.

Zaunites are running away from the robots, thus, they are running toward Piltover. The Zaunites that have been guarding the bridge are yelling at them to stop because if they cross the bridge they would be shot. Nobody listens they breeze past them, the first Couple of zaunites that cross the bridge are shot by Piltover guards, however that does not stop the rest. The lights and robots are shown ruthlessly attacking them. 

The Piltover soldiers are shown to be scared how even after shooting some of the Zaunites they keep coming and they are about to reach Piltover. Zaunites reach the other side Piltover soldiers think they are about to get into hand to hand fights but the Zaunites rush past them. Finally, the Piltover soldiers see what the Zaunites were running from and either try to shoot the white robots, saving some of the Zaunites, or begin running away themselves. 

Piltover Council Room 

In the council room, Mel, Caitlyn, and a some other members, its not an official meeting, conversation stop because they  hear explosions and shouting, they look out the window to see fighting on the bride. Onerous council member “we just signed a peace treaty with those savages and they are already fighting us.” Mel’s powers start acting weird and she’s like “no that’s not it”. Meanwhile Jayce in his lab sees his war hammer start glitching and acting weird. Jayce begins running to the council chamber because he knows Mel is there with the war hammer. 

Jayce manages to enter through the council door, Jinx/Ekko/Vi/Scar come crashing through the council window. It’s giving season one parallels. But before all hell breaks loose Ekko is like you need to turn off the Hexcore, those things are after it. Onerous council “how dare you come in here after a treaty was signed and initiate another terrorist attack.” But then the white robots come crashing in attacking both the Zaun crew and Piltover crew. We see the Zaun and Piltover crew form a circle working together, some Piltover council member happen to be in the middle. Even though the Zaunites are fighting and protecting them we still see the council members distrust of them. 

Shouting between the group that leads to Caitlyn/Vi/Jinx heading to the Hexcore (but they never make it but are seen fighting together). Ekko/Mel/Jayce staying up top to stop the white robots. 

Some Piltover citizens help the Zaunites

Back in the streets of Piltover, you see Zaunites and Piltover citizens alike running away from the white robots and lights. We see Piltover citizens get into buildings for shelter and purposefully closing the door on Zaunites. In other instances, you see one Piltover citizen allowing Zaunites to enter the building, and the other Piltover citizens upset they offered help. A scene showing that with all the chaos outside, a Piltover citizen is clutching their child close because a scared scrawny looking Zaunite choose shelter near them. 

Jayce and Ekko at the top

Honestly a rehash of the final fight scene except Jayce does not know this being is Viktor. Jayce is caught by the light is transforming look at this being. When Ekko’s cool scene plays out where he throws the bomb into Viktor’s face. Jayce finally sees this being is Viktor. 

Jayce is like “Viktor why are you doing this?” Viktor is like explaining his tragedies how Piltover is the cause of his disabilities, how Jayce/Mel’s emotions has led to the weaponization of Hextech, how Jayce emotions has changed Viktor irrevocably. How emotions have lead to choices that continue the cycle of violence. Viktor “I will remove emotions from this world ending the cycle of violence.”

Jayce is like “you are right I, and other Piltover council members, have contributed to the cycle of violence, our choices made life worse for Zaun.” (Flashing through all the different ways the Piltover crew has made life worse in Zaun) “But our emotions have also led us to choose to end the cycle of violence as well.” Jayce “the cycle is not going to end in a day but we can work to end it,” (call back to Viktor in season) “we all have choices.” Different characters caught by Viktor’s light are shown and the many ways they had to make a decision that went against their own well being/personal feelings to make Zaun a better place. (Example, maybe Ekko/Sevika’s team up, Sevika/Vi’s team up, Mel/Jayce/Ekko’s team up, Jinx/Ekko’s team up, Mel killing her mother, Caitlyn voting for Zaun’s independence, Jayce not attacking his and his mother’s attacker). 

Jayce, “I’m sorry I took your choice of being fused with Hextech away from you, I will mourn the Viktor that I knew before doing that.” Viktor gets that look of oh wow I really messed up and poofs out of existence like the show but without Jayce. 

Jayce drops to the ground, followed by everyone else as who look horrified and are gasping for breath. We see Zaunites throughout Piltover looking scared as they try to quickly retreat from Piltover because they know the exigent circumstance that made Piltover/Zaun briefly work together is over and they risk jail/life by staying. 

The effect of the attack is considerably worse for Zaun

We pan through the clean up of both Zaun and Piltover, shows Piltover was affected but it looks worse in Zaun. We also see the Zaun warehouse where all the stolen supplies from Piltover was stored and its decimated. 

Zaun goes to Piltover for help, receives nothing but blame

We see Jayce walking to a council meeting, he past a mural that shows Viktor in his final form rising out of Zaun and attacking Piltover. It shows Jayce in his white outfit defeating this Viktor with his war hammer. The mural depicts how the light held people in the air, noticeably it does not depict any Zaunites being attacked. Jayce sucks his teeth at the mural. 

In the council meeting, Ekko is asking for assistance with the clean up of Zaun. Onerous member “why should we help you when it was you that attacked us.” Ekko “we did not attack you, I do not know if you notice we were attacked as well.” Onerous member “I heard it was a resident of the under city that was the cause of this fiasco.” Jayce “And rumor has it was that wolf you allowed in to our city that caused it!” (referring to Ambessa, teeth sucking and also mean mugging directed to Mel by other council members). A vote to decide to help Zaun is held, only Caitlyn/Mel/Jayce vote to lend help. Those that voted to allow Zaun to be independent are no longer as merciful to Zaun after the attack. 

Ekko leaves upset. 

Mel goes off to Noxus 

I think we will see her siting in the boat she looks poised until she breaks down crying, the weight of her journey to fixing the pain her mother caused is now crashing down on her. (Mel gets a completed story arc but not a happy ending because she’s getting a spinoff show, supposedly).

Sevika and Vi become Zaun’s Enforcers/Jinx and Vi need a buffer 

A scene that shows vi sitting at a bar, Sevika and Jinx walk up to her. It looks like Vi is about to go on a downward spiral, Sevika stops Vi from taking a shot, Vi swings on Sevika. Sevika dodges. Sevika laughs “what’s with the animosity, I thought we were a good team. How bout you use those meaty fist for good. Zaun is not going to clean itself.” This seven is acknowledging that Zaun is overrun by drug lords and is not going to magically become a better place. And will need some type of self enforcement. 

Cut to Sevika, Vi, and Jinx, sitting around a table. Vi and Jinx are not trying to kill each other and are even laughing together. But as soon as Sevika leaves it gets awkward, there is a tense silence. Vi “how’s Isha” Jinx “she’s good . . . (Softly) I kinda get you now.” Vi “what?” Jinx “I gotta go”

The happy ending is that they are not trying to kill each other. The tragedy is they will never be like they were.

Jinx get mental health help

Imagine throughout the show we get like a comedic relief duo in the form of two Zaunites, like we get several scenes with them. Like these two are played off as comedy but they are setting up something important. 

First Scene 

The two Zaunites are standing guard of a Chembaron hideout. Isha/Jinx/someone is trying to sneak into the hideout. Their sneaker kicks a can making Zaun Voices (Called Zaun Voices because they suffer from auditory hallucinations) turn and “say who’s there?” Zaun Friend comes around to see nothing. Zaun Freind to Zaun Voices “You hearing voices again?” Zaun Voices “yeah I think I am.”  

Second Scene 

These two have been tasked with stealing supplies from a Piltover hospital. As they are going through the hospital. A doctor is overheard saying this crate of medicine stops people from hearing voices. Zaun Friend deviates from the mission to grab the crate. Zaun Voices “why are you grabbing that?” Zaun Friend “did you not hear it helps people stop hearing voices.” Zaun Voices “why do you need that?” Zaun friend gives an incredulous look. (Cue laugh track).

Third Scene Ties in with Jinx’s story

Jinx after the war is continued to be seen as a leader of Zaun. The voices in her head have been antagonizing her throughout the story about how her symbolic meaning is quite different than how she actually is. She’s helping with the clean, is being treated as a leader, when the voices become too much and she goes off to the side (she’s hidden enough not to be seen by a lot of people but not completely hidden). She’s shouting at the voices to shut up. This is when Zaun Friend and Zaun Voices see her, comedically they say we weren’t even talking. Zaun Frined looks at her hard “do you hear voices that are not there?” She’s about to get angry. Zaun Voices speaks “we got this stuff from Piltover said to help with that, it doesn’t really work, I still hear voices.” (Hands her a canister with a Piltover like design, you can hear pills clanging inside). Zaun Friend cuts in and is like “it works.” 

There is Hope for Zaun

We see Ekko and Scar walking through the streets of Zaun. We see that its still decrepit, we even see the aftermath of Viktor’s attack is still there. However, you see influences of Firelight design and graffiti like picture of flowers and firelight flies on the wall.  Significant because this is not at the firelights base, this is the greater Zaun at large. 

Ekko is complaining of how Piltover won’t help even though the treaty was supposedly meant to be reciprocal agreement of the two cities helping each other. Ekko expressing how Viktor’s attack destroyed half of the supplies stolen from Piltover that was meant to help rebuild Zaun. Ekko body language is changing from anger to defeat when Scar is like I want to show you something. 

We see they are back at the firelight base which has been deserted since the war has been officially over. Ekko “I really thought you were trying to cheer me up” Scar laughs “I am”. In Act I of my rewrite I had the tree suffer from root rot. Scar is now guiding Ekko to the place on the tree where the root rot was. The tree is still charred and burned to a crisp, but specifically where the root rot was you see new green growth. (Let it be known I think I absolutely cooked with this tree metaphor. Like the Firelights base was only a temporary solution when Zaun is still under Piltover oppression. However, the actual fight/violence enacted to gain real independence for Zaun was needed for any permanent solution. Like how a forest is sometime burned to allow for new life).

END SEASON 

[constantfragmentation]

Hello frags, youre the one of the best Silco writers. And also, youre seem to have a lot knowledge about historical periods. What real historical figure do you think Silco would be?

I think he can be Julius Caesar or maybe Napoleon (as an fellow european myself)

My dear, I'm so humbled you think that highly of me. I'm in great company in the Silco writer fandom. Thank you for such a compliment.

Caesar and Napoleon were brilliant military minds and not that Silco isn't highly intelligent, I wouldn't put him in the same boat. In similarity, in the beginning, they too wanted a more equal democratic society and were ultimately corrupted by power. Even though Silco's 'the end justifies the means' attitude is still his main drive for what he does as a the mob boss of the Underground, I don't find him completely corrupted by power and wanting to be a king.

Frankly, if Jayce and the Council given Silco everything he wanted, I really wonder what he'd do. He's worked his entire life for liberation and now what? Without Shimmer, I think he would continue his little empire but who knows? Would he want to help create a proper democracy for Zaun or just have the Chembarons rule? IDK.

Historically, I would see him more like the scrappy freedom fighters that get too caught up in their cause and lose their way. Or they are so focused on the end game, they don't see the people they are ruining along the way.

Considering my heritage, I see him as a Michael Collins fighting for an independent Ireland. A blend of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

I don't think Silco is quite as blood-thirsty as Robespierre, but I can see the similarities as they were young idealists. Had the bridge battle gone in Silco's favour, it makes me wonder what they might have done to Enforcers or possibly Topsiders after all Zaunites suffered at their hands.

[wingedshadowfan]

ooh i love this bcuz i've been thinking in a very similar direction!

i fully agree that it was implied caitlyn had some sort of leverage in the council but we weren't shown whether she was ever officially given a seat at it, which is why i have issues w/ ppl saying "she could've done X"/"she could've reestablished the council" like maddie said. i don't think she had that much power, especially in the situation where other councilors were missing but not presumed dead and voting couldn't take place (and voting taking place wouldn't insure her getting in either).

i'm sure we'd understand more if we rewatched s1 and looked more closely at her relationship w/ her mother. because it seemed like cassandra didn't want caitlyn to become an enforcer, she wanted her to become a councilor, but caitlyn chose differently for herself. she symbolically gave the seat up when she took up a job as an enforcer in direct defiance (instead of idk, getting taught to be a councilor/receiving the kiramman key sooner to prepare to fulfill her role, which should be a thing for hereditary seats) and her mother was hoping she'd change her mind. but caitlyn was always a woman of actions, not words.

i think not all seats are hereditary - for example mel's, or heimerdinger's (perhaps bcuz of the spawning behavior of his kind if that's even a thing in arcane canon) which was given to jayce. there's also a possibility that a councilor chooses who to give their seat to after retiring (and of course, most would choose to keep it within their family for class, status and legacy puroses) - but the councilors who died didn't get to appoint anyone in their place because they hadn't anticipated the possibility of getting violently blown to shreds during a vote.

caitlyn was just an officer who became head/leader of house kiramman (the family matriarch) with the death of her mother but she was never officially appointed by her as a counselor, and was quick to become commander with ambessa's help in order to get closer to her revenge. so she likely didn't even ask for a councilor seat and wouldn't have been able to take one up with everything already on her plate.

i think the choice of sevika was the people's choice too but that doesn't mean it wasn't caitlyn's choice. sevika is a formidable fighter who tried killing caitvi more than once under silco's command, yes, but she's always been more loyal to the cause than to him. she never said vander was wrong, she said he was weak so i think she fundamentally agreed with him but found he didn't have what it took to be assertive in zaun's name. not to mention silco had been dead for a while and sevika didn't assume his place like the people at his table who fought for it wanted to. she never was and didn't become a wealthy crimelord. she has been trying to rally up the undercity but not aiming to assume total control over it the way he was. caitlyn must've taken note of this during her invasion efforts to find jinx.

remember sevika and scar were the zaun representatives who showed up at the council when jayce was asking for different factions' help in the fight? jinx was a symbol of unity and the fight for zaunite freedom of oppression but she was never a leader in practice - it was also sevika who showed up to lead the zaunites into battle. and i'm not saying her efforts with jinx weren't coordinated (the colorful smoke as an element of surprise hiding the zaunites), but jinx did her thing with ekko and the firelights while sevika was the leader and commander for everyone else. something caitlyn would've also noticed or learned about.

now i'm 100% positive ekko didn't want the seat (which wouldn't have mattered bcuz i doubt he was offered). he was clearly grieving jinx last we saw him but we know from the alternative universe episode that he has an extreme sense of loyalty to his community. he was presented the perfect life and all he wanted in spite of it all was to get back to fix things w/ the tree and because he knew he was needed. he would never abandon what he's spent years building for a seat at the council. he's the leader of the firelights and their commune, not someone who advocated for zaun unifying like sevika did. he's a faction leader and as such he's never studied the interests of other factions or made himself familiar with them like she has.

i strongly believe it was caitlyn who made sure sevika got her mother's seat (whether she somehow gave her the kiramman inherited/appointed seat or advocated strongly for her to be the one to get it), because the writers wouldn't have put sevika there considering the empty seats if not for its implications. are you still in this fight, violet? but furthermore, i argue caitlyn knew it had to be sevika. if not for all of the aforementioned reasons (which i only speculate caitlyn knew about as a commander, military leader, daughter of a politician and an incredibly intelligent character), sevika was the people's choice so conversely she was caitlyn's too.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this theory that Caitlyn gave up her council seat to Sevika. This idea is based on the following:

Sevika now occupies the seat that Cassandra used to sit in

Certain council seats are inherited

Caitlyn used her influence to put Sevika in the Kiramman seat

I'd like to posit an alternative theory.

There's no question that Sevika now sits in Cassandra's old seat, so I'll simply acknowledge that and move on to the second point.

Certain council seats are inherited

I can understand why people make this assumption, but for me it remains uncertain. My primary disillusionment with this idea comes from Salo and his reactions to Caitlyn being present at council meetings after Cassandra's death.

Here Mel replies that Caitlyn is a witness who can provide valuable information. She doesn’t say Caitlyn is entitled to be there.

Cait doesn't claim that she has a right to be on the council, but asserts her authority as an officer. She uses her family name, sure, but neither she nor anyone else mentions any pending appointment to a council seat.

If the council seat is Cait's birthright why would Salo challenge her like this?

We don't get a lot of time with Caitlyn and her parents, but they never mention Caitlyn's future as a councillor. Cassandra says only "You're a councillor's daughter, your actions reflect on the entire body".

So what do we actually know about how council seats are assigned? We know that the council can add or remove members by unanimous vote (Jayce and Heimerdinger). We know that Mel is a Noxian who likely did not inherit her seat as her family isn't from Piltover. We also know that the council always had seven members before Jayce. Which makes me wonder - whose seat did Mel take over? Why wasn't that seat passed on to that councillor's heir if the seats stay in certain families?

I spent some time analysing what I could about the other new council members at the end of s2 - and I can't rule out that at least some of them could be heirs or house/clan members of the deceased councillors. Certainly Bolbok's seat seems to have passed to another of his kind, and the new occupant of Hoskel's seat could be a relation based on looks and clothing style. Unfortunately we do not get a look at the new owner of Salo's seat. However there are at least two vacant seats that are not hereditary (Mel's and Jayce's) so if Caitlyn did inherit a seat there would be no implicit need for her to give it up since there were so many other vacancies. There is also Heimerdinger's 8th (non-hereditary) seat which remains unoccupied.

So are these seats inherited or are they just generally appointed to members of influential houses, hence there being some semblance of continuity? I can't say for sure.

I do think that Caitlyn not being on the council is her own decision though, whether she gave up an inherited seat or declined to be considered for one when new councillors were being appointed.

Which brings us to my second nitpick about this theory…

Caitlyn used her influence to put Sevika in the Kiramman seat

Caitlyn knows that Sevika was Silco's right hand. She watched Sevika grievously wound and attempt to kill Vi. She had a brutal fight against her when she and Vi went after Jinx. She may have heard from Vi of Sevika's betrayal of Vander years earlier. Caitlyn has never seen any other side to Sevika. If Caitlyn were choosing a Zaunite for the council it would not have been Sevika. It would've been Ekko.

Ekko had built a haven for refugees and a competent resistance force against Silco, was a trusted community leader, and - like Sevika - had come to Piltover's defence during the battle against the Noxians and Viktor. To Cait, he would've appeared reasonable and compassionate compared to Silco and Sevika's ruthlessness and cruelty. She saw that Ekko had a desire to enact positive change in the undercity and had demonstrated a willingness to compromise and work with Cait and Piltover to do so. Sevika tried to kill Caitlyn and Vi. Ekko saved their lives.

So what actually happened after Caitlyn ended martial law and reformed the council? Apart from declining a seat for herself, I think she pushed for Zaun to be given a seat at the table, and then deferred to Zaunites to choose their own representative. Ekko either didn't want it, or didn't have the influence to win out over Sevika. I imagine Sevika being present and a leader of the Zaunite resistance movement for the months that Ekko had been zapped to a different timeline would've made the difference there. And perhaps Zaunites preferred Sevika because she is strong, ruthless and uncompromising. Who better to defend you and safeguard your interests against the untrustworthy Pilties?

tldr

It's unclear whether Caitlyn was entitled to a council seat and gave it up, or if she simply declined to be considered for one.

She likely was instrumental in advocating for Zaunites having a seat at the table

…but Sevika would not have been her choice. Sevika being there is the will of Zaun. Not Caitlyn.

Thoughts?

[visionofnoxus]

☮ - for Swain to kill someone trying to verbally hurt Lillithe ❀ - to grab Lillithe by the jaw and force her to meet Swain’s gaze and be possessive~ (suggested setting: High command War Room meeting or High Class Social Event ) || ~♱💒🥀💒♱~ asked as @crucifix-and-the-rosary

// And here we go. I tried my hand at it. Hopefully you find it a nice read. I need to interract more with your muse to get a proper feel for her and Swain. Please do comment. Crucifix-and-the-rosary

It had been years since the last time Noxian High Command had truly assembled. It was rare nowadays, as the empire had withdrawn within itself with the ascension of the new Grand General some ten years ago. After Darkwill’s death, the ever expanding offensives in all directions had seized or at the very least been scaled down severely. Noxus had turned from raiding and conquest to instead solidifying it’s existing areas and building infrastructure that had fallen to ruin or had not even existed in the first place. The Trifarix had taken the highest executive power in the empire and it now mandated the progress in form, pace as well as who exactly was overseeing that particular project. 

As such, this group of generals, admirals, warlords and most prominent people of political, commercial and social background rarely gathered en masse anymore. There were no projects so large and complicated, so multifaceted that the High Command would had been needed to be called into session. Which made it all the more intriguing that Grand General had now called for the assembly. Rumors were floating around the gathering’s purpose. Some spoke of a new attempt at the invasion of Ionia, that the Grand General desired to correct the mistakes of the past and bring the island nation finally to heel. Others said that Noxus desired to expand their holdings in Shurima, to destroy the fledgling empire of sand before it could reassert itself. But what of Demacia? And wasn’t this meeting obviously about the situation in Freljold? The most daring guesses were that the Grand General intended to slaughter the High Command and declare himself the Tyrant of Noxus. Rumors were aplenty and any theory one could come up with, someone else had already guessed while downing a tankard of ale.

On the day of the meeting, all those influential people who had the necessary pull arrived to the Immortal Bastion. Some arrived alone, others with hordes of retainers. They all climbed the countless staircases high into the gargantuan fortress’ depths, each group eventually reaching the enormous double doors leading into the High Command’s chamber. The doors were made of black iron, the craftsmanship alien to even the eyes of most talented smiths. The ominous slabs of metal seemed like they’d just been willed into the form of doors, with no help of hammer or fire. Flanking that door on both sides stood Trifarian Legionnaires, draped in cloaks of crimson and onyx colored cloth. Their helms concealed their faces, their weapons glimmered with arcane. Through these doors, passage was only for High Command, the retainers having to remain outside. As was always the case, some did not accept it at first. Personal safety, the need of an adviser, absolutely necessary have a scribe with them… Excuses were plenty. The guards were threatened, attempted to bribe, their identity was questioned. But none who were not of High Command entered. The few who truly did not understand the message were cut down without a second thought, their blood spilling on the dark marble floor.

The inside of the chamber was a large circular room with a grey marble floor. Four tall pillars, eerily similar to the doors in that they seemed to just be singular piece of black iron, reached far into the ceiling that could not be seen, the darkness lurking above the attendees. An enormous table made of smoothed granite circled the room’s edges in the shape of a horseshoe and a map depicting the whole world had been carved into the stone at the center of the chamber. High back chairs carved of onyx were placed around the table for the members to sit down on. There were not enough seats for all, not even third of the entirety of the members, but precious few dared to take a seat. It was a statement to sit down in that table. An assertion that you held the strength to keep it and deserved all the attention that the place around this table brought with it from some of the most dangerous individuals in all of Noxus.

Grand General sat at the center of the arch, his position naturally allowing him to survey the entirety of the room and everyone in it. Unsurprisingly Darius sat just few paces to his right, yet the left remained empty. No one moved to take the free seat though, for while there was no official seating order, everyone knew this chair was favored by the Matron of the Black Rose. And she was an individual nobody wanted on their bad side. Standing up, Swain drew the attention of every single soul in the room, the silvery haired man speaking with low voice, yet each word carried effortlessly around the room. He commanded respect with confidence, directing the crowd’s attention with the ease of a practiced orator as he explained Noxus’ current state and their future plans.

Lillithe stood silently at the back, listening to grand general’s voice and dutifully following with her eyes each time he pointed at the map somewhere. The dark clad woman fought to resist nervousness, her fingers switching between toying with her rosary or brushing against the embroidery of the front of her dress. Every now and then, when the Grand General halted his speech to let someone else bring forth their case, she felt the tiniest spark of fear, her eyes scanning crowd and hoping nobody would ask of her opinion. The fact of the matter was that her position as the High Priestess mandated her participation, but she wanted nothing to do with what was being discussed. Wars, troop numbers, natural or magical catastrophes. All she could hear was the death and misery for men, women and children of Noxus, as well as the rest of the world. The idea of actively contributing to that ruin’s creation was appalling to the woman. But should they give the order, she’d follow suit and beg for forgiveness before, during and after. 

“And what of the Kindred’s hags? Couldn’t their matriarch just suck the enemy dry?” She blinked twice, her mind catching up on what had just been said. Turning to face the rude man, Lillithe saw a rough looking admiral, seated on the fringe of the table. There were marks of acidic burns marring his face and he might have been partially blinded judging from the milky white left eye. “Yes you, can’t you just drain ground itself if there is enough life in it?” The man motioned at the map, pointing the location. “And that place is just full of those freaks, the very soil and air feeding them. Why bother with mortars and such if we can just have her strut in there and turn the place into her own little garden of death? Reckon it’d go well with that garb”. While crudely worded and offensive, this proposal earned positive murmurs, Lilith feeling her legs start to tremble. It felt like she was standing on thin ice, her heels causing tiny fractures each passing second by simply being present. These people desired for her to fall into that icy death. No. They wanted her to become that icy death for others.

“I do not recall that location being on potential target list?” Swain’s silken voice cut through the crowd’s debate. Debate that had very quickly been moving towards unpleasant conclusion in the nun’s opinion. The admiral growled back at him boldly: “Yeah it isn’t. Nor was it when we went there the first time. The freaks kept supplying their troops through it anyhow and I had to go and try to deal with it while you were building your fancy trap and Duqual hunted some fishermen on the coast” the admiral said with bitterness and accusation in his voice. “And so you took some of lord Emystan’s zaunite weaponry and decided to try and bomb the village” Swain concluded, his voice dangerously soft, yet lacking any true venom for now. “Marines should fight on water” came the gruff voice of Darius. He’d not been present but knew enough of the situation. And the outcome of the operation could easily be read from admiral’s burn face. “You want revenge. And you wouldn’t even do it yourself” He concluded, the challenge evident in his voice.

But the admiral wasn’t about to let his chance go to waste and the earlier reactions of the crowd must had emboldened him. “This ain’t about revenge Darius! Tis’ bout the fact that this wench” The sailor stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Lillithe who frowned, listening with dread on what might come next. “Has can suck that place drier than a sand dune. We could massacre our enemies with barely any losses. But because she’s part of some damn cult worshiping a bow wielding pillowcase, we don’ do shit”. Everyone could see the Hand of Noxus draw breath, ready to reply in just as crude language, but a motion of hand from Swain cut his action. “I see… Lady Lillithe, would you please come closer?” He asked, the woman blinking few times before nodding. “Of course, general Swain”. For once she felt horrible about her choice of shoes, each click of the heels echoing in the otherwise silent chamber as the tall woman approached her liege, the man standing up from his seat to meet her.

Stopping in front of the man, Lillithe nervously clasped her hands together in front of her, staring straight at the general’s eyes, noting how bronze shade of his irises gave way for unnatural crimson. “I hope you pardon me for laying a hand on you, my lady” He apologized, bringing a hand up to cup the side of her face, the warm, rough fingers meeting with her smooth and cool skin. In almost intimate manner, the grand general moved his fingers to hold her chin, staring intently into her eyes. And then she felt him reach into her mind, soft but determined grip just like his hand’s, tapping into her mind. “Could admiral’s proposal theoretically be carried out?” Swain asked. “Could you drain the life out of the air and soil, as it is constantly being all connected through magic?” His voice was devoid of emotion, not giving away his opinion on the matter. With this prod, she considered the proposal and her mind suddenly took over, conjuring images of death. Nature, animals, the very earth itself dying as she took from it the life, the all connecting magic of the place dooming it to decay as the magic allowed her reach far beyond her normal capacity. Lillithe’s shoulders shook, her lip trembled as she witnessed the dreamlike image flashing in her eyes, her own personal nightmare. And then it was gone, the warm hand of the Grand General moving to cup her cheek again, his free hand wiping away her tears that she’d not even felt forming up. “I see. Thank you. And once more, apologies”. 

Swallowing down the clump in her throat, the nun shook her head. “There is nothing to forgive, Grand General. All is for Noxus”. Removing his hand, the man offered tiniest of smiles to her. “An admirable answer, my lady”. With that, he turned around, returning to his seat. Turning his attention to the awaiting admiral, Swain shook his head. “The plan is not feasible. There are too many risks and variables” He stated, a wave of relief washing over the Matriarch. “Nonsense Swain! There’s always risks in war. No pain, no gain! And what risk exactly is there? This witch” The man made an angry motion towards Lillithe. “Is fooling you and..”. “I have made my mind, admiral. And you’ve thrown enough filth around for now” Swain interrupted, his voice velvet smooth but eyes as cold as Freljold’s winds. “What a load of bull! What are you afraid of? That me and my men can’t keep our hands of the pious sister here? Hah!” The Admiral shouted, anger evident in his face at the prospect of not getting his way. “Don’t worry. I promise me and my men don’t touch the witch, we’ll walk this corset clad hag into the valley and let her drain those freaks drier than her whole congregation after mass!”. 

Those were the last words the admiral ever said, as a an arcing crimson bolt of lightning struck him the following second, frying the man alive in an instant. The smoking corpse fell against the table, collapsing sideways onto the floor. The high backed chair made of onyx-like material showed no signs of damage though, the seat as if it had been vacant all along. “Enough” Swain ordered to the now deceased, lowering his left hand back on the table, pulling on a long leather glove to cover the crimson appendage. “The target is not a priority. We can not be sure the ability would work as suggested and sending the Matriarch of the Holy Order of Kindred to an active warzone that we do not control is asking for riots across the empire”. The Grand General let his eyes scan the High Command’s members, daring someone else to challenge him. As no such fool presented themselves, he turned back to look at the map. “Now then…”.

[catemagum]

          This has been a long time coming, but I wanted to talk about some of Sylas’ followers that I’ve created as NPCs. Yes, the majority of them are OCs of mine that were pulled in and used for just this, but they impact my interpretation of Sylas. These NPCs will be mentioned in replies, drabbles, and he may even feature some of their powers from time to time. I also decided to use this as an opportunity to really expand on how much foreign influence he has, and really showcase his allies from their respective nations. Of course, they’ve reached out in secret and met outside of Demacia’s borders, but Sylas has made quite a few terrifying acquaintances and friends. I will also update this post with new NPCs as I see fit, and will let everyone know when I’ve done so.

          If you ever want to interact with any of these NPCs, as I’ll be linking this post to the biography directly, you’re free to send in asks or inquire about roleplaying with them. This isn’t a multi-muse blog, but I do genuinely love these characters and would love to build on them more. With that said, just specify if this is the case!

          * Faceclaim names will be put beside the character name. All drawn image icons used feature art pieces that belong to me, either by commission or gift.

CASSIA WINCROFT   ---   RUTH CONNELL

          A beautiful and strong individual who wields powerful and wild fire magic. Wanted for breaking the Laws of Stone, Cassia has managed to evade authorities on Demacia’s outer borders for decades with her wildfires threatening their forestry and putting a wall between her and the mageseekers. Intrigued by Sylas’ cause and determination, she sees the fighting spirit and overwhelming potential in his eyes and was the first to ally herself with him. Over these short few months, Cassia has become almost motherly towards Sylas, ensuring he cares for himself from time to time whilst being the first at his side in dire times if possible.

          She finds Demacians amusing and toys with them for her own entertainment. While she isn’t one to endanger them purposefully, Cassia has a habit of forgetting the extent of her own powers. She and Sylas have an unspoken agreement that he may borrow her power whenever need be, and together they devastate the competition. She has burned down the homes of countless nobles with Sylas, and they are very rarely seen apart.

AMARAH KHAFRA & RASHAKEN

          Shuriman born with a brief involvement in the Noxian military, Amarah was known for her unique abilities granted to her by the desert god RASHAKEN. A wielder of pestilent magic, Amarah causes widespread disease through magic locusts and scarab beetles, creatures summoned from the pendant around her neck. All it takes is one touch, whether by her hand or her insects, to inflict an individual with crippling illness. Exiled from Shurima for leaving the deteriorated and half-eaten carcasses of Shuriman nobles, and leaving Noxus when they pushed into her homeland, Amarah heard word of the chaos unfolding in Demacia.

          Reaching Sylas through a few stray bugs, they met in secrecy within Demacia’s walls and formed an acquaintanceship. While she cares not for the freedom of Demacia’s mages, she is a loose cannon following discourse and Sylas himself has felt the power she wields. Gifting him a few messenger beetles, they communicate through her unique insect creatures while she returns to Shurima and scouts for new allies, undercover.

EVANORA STEROS

          A demonic being that had lived in the world of a damaged magic painting within the Immortal Bastion long before Noxus existed, Evanora emerged from her world when the Demon of Secrets was claimed by Jericho Swain. Since then, she led a pretty quiet life within Noxus’ walls, opening a small shop of magical   ( and cursed )   items and potions, becoming something akin to a traditional   ( and stereotypical )   witch. Gifted with the ability to travel to any place through a painting or photograph, whilst also capable of creating alchemical reactions with a single touch, Evanora’s curiosity got the better of her.

          She travelled to Demacia through one of many paintings she had acquired from a weary traveller, and found herself clad in their usual white and gold garments. She had arrived in search of trade, her goods for items she otherwise couldn’t find in Noxus, and had gotten caught up in an encounter between Sylas’ starting group of people and some nobles. Evanora minded her own business, but Sylas persisted when he saw the magic she possessed. He asked her to join him, and she agreed, insisting that she could bring him supplies from Noxus in exchange for things she needed. Agreeing, though wary of her Noxian status, he took a chance and has yet to regret it.

KIRAEL NOAVEK

          Kirael was born into Demacian nobility, and hated every moment of it. Her childhood was spent at home, sticking to the books and learning proper etiquette, always deemed too good for the other Demacian children. She was later discovered to have psychic abilities, things akin to the powers oracles held whilst allowing her to utilize basic telekinesis. Appalled by her magic and deeming her as a disgrace to their family, Kirael’s parents locked her away in their home and reported her as missing. Several years later, during Demacia’s first Harrowing, Kirael could not escape the cellar as the corruption crept in. A spectre came with it, and took Kirael’s life only to bring her with it. Welcomed to the Isles as their oracle, Kirael swore vengeance on Demacia for what they had done to her.

          Seeing Demacia’s future in a vision, Kirael headed for the shining city three days before Sylas’ escape. She arrived a day after and sought him out, travelling only at night and avoiding prying eyes until appearing before him. She shared her story, her mistreatment, and offered her psychic abilities to aid him. She would be his eyes for the future, so long as he would be her eyes in the present. Although it is unsafe for her to remain in Demacia for too long, she occasionally visits to share her information and to obtain stories from Sylas. Their close bond formed through similarities of imprisonment, and he values her and her connections to the Shadow Isles. It is said that when she lends Sylas her powers, she lends him her true sight   ( with the consequence of losing his physical sight )   so long as the physical connection is not broken. Otherwise, he inherits her telekinesis for a brief amount of time when they separate.

YUYAKO KUROSAWA

          Born in Ionia, Yuyako is known for adopting orphaned children in her nation. Afflicted with a terrible curse that allows her to raise the dead, Yu tries her best to ensure the safety of the children she adopts while also attempting to bring restless and vengeful spirits to peace on the side. She was once a prisoner of war after the Noxian invasion, told that she would either join Noxus and aid them with her powers or she would hang, Yuyako spat in the soldiers’ faces in defiance. Feeling the ancient corrupting energy in the ground below her, Yuyako needed a diversion for her escape. She brought back several soldiers of the Ruined King’s army to storm the prison while she managed to steal one of Noxus’ ships and set sail back to Ionia.

          During her time in Noxus, she heard of Demacia’s mistreatment of mages and found herself disgusted. In a nation where magic was everywhere and in everything, Yuyako couldn’t fathom suppressing it. Her heart bled for those affected, and although she doesn’t approve of Sylas’ more violent means of fighting the government, she isn’t exactly anything short of a fighter either. Willing to participate by more peaceful means, Yuyako is the one to aid Sylas in breaking mages out of prison so long as innocents aren’t killed in the process. Sylas struggles to use her ability, attempting to force the dead to raise for him, but she knows he can learn to ask and reach them with practice. It requires peace, not violence, and she hopes he will learn to settle down with her teachings. Of course, she always returns home once her job is complete, as her loyalty always lies with Ionia.

DRAKKAR

          A former Bilgewatian gambler who made a deal with a mysterious man, only to find himself later possessed by a wraith of sorts. With his body morphed into holding this malicious entity, Drakkar is capable of becoming smoke-like, whilst also choking others by bombarding their lungs with smoke. He is a terrible creature, known for slipping through the smallest of cracks and willing others to gamble their lives. He becomes stronger with each life he takes.

          He and Sylas met in one of Demacia’s bars, the mystifying man attempting to coerce Demacians into gambling with him. One was brave enough, and Sylas had walked in to see the bar shrouded in thick smoke and fog. Intrigued by this power, whilst Drakkar assumed the worst, Sylas instead offered him a place among the other mages. So long as Drakkar promised not to harm the mages of Demacia, he would be allowed to stay. Accepting the offer, Sylas now has a personal spy and scout. Sylas does not enjoy using Drakkar’s abilities, and avoids doing so unless absolutely necessary to make his escape.

JAECAR

          Drakkar’s son, or, rather, partner. He, too, was possessed by a spiritual entity and has taken up the job of a Zaunite medic. Unfortunately, he’s not one for healing, rather, experimenting. He specializes in turning anatomy into puppets of his, whether living or dead, and he controls them through terrible means. It isn’t unusual to catch a glimpse of severed limbs moving on their own, nor is it unusual for the corpse of one’s local soldier to shamble through the town at night. Suspicions of his activities grew larger, driving Jaecar out of Zaun before he was caught. While he does have healing abilities, he prefers to use them for unfortunate purposes.

          Hearing word of his father’s stay in Demacia, Jaecar used his anatomical puppetry to cause a distraction and slip past the guards. He found his way to Sylas, reunited with his father, and offered his services as their medic. Despite his questionable morals, he promised he would not experiment on the mages and would, instead, use the nobles they killed as his research subjects. All too eager to lend his power to Sylas, mostly for research purposes, Sylas finds himself at an internal war over using it. While he has no qualms with controlling the dead, he does find it a bit unsettling to control the living.

ENJORRAN

          Deep in the Freljord, there is one such individual that has suffered far more than most. Known as an assassin, Enjorran is a golem created long ago as a royal guard for the first king and queen. After so many years, those he was made to protect have passed and he finds himself without purpose, whilst hating the direction the Freljord has gone in. With his devastating ice abilities, Enjorran has made it his personal duty to restore the Freljord to its former glory, and has essentially become a menace to any who stand with the three current tribes.

          Sylas reached out to Enjorran on a whim, hearing of this mysterious and powerful golem from books Lux had given him. He was surprised to receive an answer by way of snow owl, a letter written   ( albeit poorly )   in response and affirmation of acquaintanceship. Enjorran agreed to seek out other mages in the Freljord, ask them for help whilst reminding Sylas that he cannot go anywhere near petricite. He has agreed to lend his aid however possible in exchange for some of Demacia’s plantlife pressed between books. He has never gotten to see nature.   ---   Although Sylas has never used Enjorran’s powers, it would be incredibly devastating. Able to cover an entire city of Demacia in snow and ice, Sylas hopes that he may be granted the ability to use this magic someday.

LUCINDA DAWNHEART

          An orphan from the city of Piltover, Lucinda was adopted into the Dawnheart family and registered within Demacia’s group of mages. She has since then hidden her talents, but is among the Demacian youth who suffers from the discrimination against mages and magic. Living within one of the annulment slums, Lucinda has been protected by the other mages and has used her magic to both help and save people from danger. Magic that takes the shape of large claw-like manifestations that hover over her, this young girl has become a favorite among Demacian mages.

          Sylas indeed witnessed her powers when scaring away a thief from taking their supplies, mages telling the tales of a young girl haunted by a violent spirit. They keep her magic a secret with such a tale, and she plays off having no control over this demon.   ---   Recognizing her strength, Sylas has asked her to continue to protect mages so long as she stays safe, but she isn’t one to listen. Lucinda has a fighting spirit despite the innocence she portrays, and is determined to fight alongside him despite his instruction. Sylas has used her abilities once, and consequently torn a mageseeker and their accompanying soldier to shreds to protect a child being taken from their family in the slums.

VEL’AAN & NAVRESHA

          Not much is known about Vel’Aan aside from the fact that they were raised in Ionia. Trained to be a formidable assassin, Vel’Aan was given a task to hunt down accursed objects within Ionia’s hidden passages. It was their job to uncover the country’s secrets, and on one day they did uncover something. Hidden within the ruined temple, guarded by mages of all sorts, Vel’Aan heard the whispers of a voice with enticing promises. They slipped in through a hole in the roof, unseen and undetected, only to be met with a sinister-looking mask depicting the face of a woman. Introducing itself as Navresha, Vel’Aan would be given power in exchange for the mask’s freedom. Agreeing and leaving with the mask in hand, Vel’Aan would never be the same after putting the mask on.

          Sylas sought this duo out when hearing tales of the accursed mask being free’d from its confinement, that a young shaman had appeared in a Noxian city and left more than half the town in comatose. Bodies mummified in branches and covered in white flowers that never wilt nor die, not dead but asleep with no means of waking them, Sylas was intrigued by these powers. He sent an invitation to where he heard Vel’Aan was hiding out in Ionia, and set up a meeting outside of Demacia’s borders. They agreed to work together, and Sylas realized the power’s potential. It was not violent, but peaceful, a calming coldness that felt as though he himself danced with death personified. All it took was one touch, and a body blossomed. The flowers bloomed and the body shut down to sleep. It was beautiful, a good means of disengaging people, and he felt as though together they could do great things.

More to be added in due time !

---   void mage ---   darkin w/ hemomancy ---   one ( 1 ) yordle ---   targonian w/ weird space magic

[satohqbanana]

Okay fair disclaimer, I've only watched Arcane through clips and I've scrubbed off most of it and LOL lore from my memory, so take my input with a grain of salt. I also wanted to come from LOL lore because, ultimately, Arcane was used to sell LOL and its champs, and Christian Linke did say he wanted to use LOL IP to make a series.

Here's my comments and concerns on your rewrite ideas:

RE: Shimmer - Good ideas; my issue is that Silco had control over its production, and that with him gone the Chembarons would be scrambling all over the place trying to take over the factories and that. If someone were to sell Shimmer to the Piltovans, I think that would be a new character to Arcane (which could lead to a showdown between Renata Glasc and Camille Ferros… go look up LOL lore), because I don't think any other named character would think about doing that - especially that as a representative of the council, Jayce specifically requested of Silco to stop shimmer production.

RE: Jayce and Viktor - I'm not quite sure that's the right direction for both of them (coming from LOL lore here). I feel like Jayce would benefit from a denial arc better - the denial of his part in the corruption and the power struggle. I'm not sure Shimmer causes the corruption of hextech for Viktor; it's that his despair for a better life as a Zaunite with limited opportunities has driven him to use Shimmer in the first place, and that is what leads him to the path of corruption. And in LOL lore he eventually replaces his body with machinery to overcome his physical limits. But more than that I think they'd benefit from not being in Arcane S2 anymore (but that'd likely cause some fans to drop S2 because of the lack of men to look at).

RE: Caitlyn - While I'm all for a Caitlyn corruption arc, I felt like the way canon handled her was… for the lack of a better word right now I'd say unpalatable. Her dictatorship shouldn't feel like she shouldn't be a villain girlboss - the same way Jinx's downfall did - it should feel more like a kid throwing a tantrum because she is quite naive towards the grand scheme of things. She's taking a single person's out on the whole of Zaun which is blowing things out of proportion and just heightens Zaun's hatred towards the Piltovans. It's not like she gained agency, identity, power, or anything of the sort; she's just lashing out because her mother got caught in the crossfire between Jinx and Vi.

RE: War - I don't think we should've had a war with Noxus. That was already out of the focus of Arcane's core story. This was "a tale of two sisters ( cities)". There's already an on/off war between Piltover and Zaun; an ongoing conflict that doesn't need to bring an outsider to an already messy story. (Which is why bringing in Camille Ferros is such a good move. She could keep the meddlesome Medardas at bay while "helping" Caitlyn reestablish control in Piltover. Mel could just disappear (along with Jayce and Viktor since they're next to her) while the rest of the Council is dead (as not to invalidate Jinx's final deed in S1 finale), then you can have Camille already in the scene ready to do damage control and position herself as a leader of Piltover, use Caitlyn as a pawn, give Ambessa some good reason to NOT attack Piltover, yada yada but I'm going on a tangent here because I am salty about how a Camille (as a quasi leader of Piltover) vs Renata (as a quasi leader of Zaun) showdown would've been so good AAAAAAAA) The war already takes away from the Piltover VS Zaun story, similar to how every other plot point overtook the whole conflict between Vi and Jinx.

RE: Jinx and her family - Jinx should survive; she's essentially one of LOL's most famous champions even from before Arcane dropped. I'm not just sure about the whole healing thing. I think Vi and Jinx should stay separate from each other - that would be a better story/message to explore, especially that they've grown differently from each other. Sometimes being together just makes certain things worst and that's a valid conclusion to come to. Also, again coming from LOL lore, Vi was always going to be an enforcer on the side of Piltover. And Jinx cannot side with the Piltovan enforcers. I think it's best if canon instead explored Ekko's relationship with both of them with regards to these changes - and maybe actually switch sides, from supporting Vi who is now siding with the enemy, to supporting Jinx especially now with Silco gone and her needing someone to latch onto. (Her LOL version isn't that dependent but her Arcane version is. Also these two need proper closure; Ekko's alternate universe shenanigans were very one-sided and not knowing about the POV of the other side of the ship left a bitter taste in my mouth.)

RE: Arcane's themes - I would disagree that it is about love. For me it is about how identities and relationships are created and torn apart by the circumstances surrounding people. But I agree that forsaking Arcane's core themes for magic and a lot of storylines that focused elsewhere felt cheap.

LMAO not to rain on your parade and ranting; it's just that I feel that the actual problem of Arcane was its lack of focus and identity crisis. Regardless of what execs told or did not tell the production to do, it was clear from a lot of the interviews, documentation, and Riot's direction with LOL that the Writers' Room had only three writers for S2 (with the guy in charge of lore having been fired and not brought back) and therefore lacked good direction to bring justice to the story, different areas of the production all had their own interpretations with no one to tell them which idea to favor (animators shipping certain characters VS writers not shipping them mostly), Riot is definitely cashing in on the popularity of Arcane to push costly merch and more expensive digital goods for their game - all while firing the guys who helped build the IP and the lore that Arcane took from, and the fandom is a huge mess with people defending all fronts because Arcane is such a beautiful piece of media.

And all I have to say about S2 summed up is:

arcane season 2 rewrite

okay hear me out. this season was MESSY. so so so messy. not only did it lose the plot, but it lost so many plot devices by introducing new elements without proper explanation, expansion, or impact. it rather undid the effort invested into certain plotlines or straight up abandoned them. like for example, the shimmer, the prince and the importance of the tattoo thing he got on his leg, isha, vander silco backstory, the entire cait dictator arc (reversing that lowkey felt cheap in my opinion because it happened so instantaneously??? tf??), "i gave her a cupcake", mel and the thorn stuff (she was an empath so why tf was she making shields around people and when did she learn to do it that well and intentionally???), WHY WAS JINX SUDDENLY A HEROIC SYMBOL, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DYING TREE, VANDER'S MEMORIES? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF MADDIE?

i feel like the intrigue for arcane for me in season one was the focus of the plot, but the layers and symbolism behind it. it wasn't overly trippy or bright with glow. the glow was a symbol of magic and arcane--of something wrong. shimmer glowed purple. hextech glowed blue. jinx had her glitchy glows whenever she was off her rocker because she was hallucinating again, but the use of colour, explosions, her brightness... it all felt intentionally contrasting to how dark and dreary the undercity was. remember that scene in season 1 where vi is hurt and cait brings her to that shack where all the "forgotten" people cast aside by piltover made tents, all addicts of shimmer? remember how shimmer was used as a power booster, as a metaphor for drugs that are used to oppress and suppress masses? remember when the plot was about the wealth and priviledge disparities between zaun and piltover? silco, this guy who took advantage of the city's destitute state to rise to power, was also the same force who held it together. jinx's trauma of being abandoned is what drove her towards action... vi's desperate protector desires, cait's curiosuity and desire to prove justice or uncover injustice?

i feel like abandoning the shimmer plotline was season 2's biggest mistake. because it could have explained EVERYTHING in every way that made more sense. because why tf did viktor become a messaih, and jayce and viktor switch ideologies out of no where? if i recall correctly, viktor wanted to figure out a cure for himself, but he too admitted to feeling himself "erode away" and it was JAYCE who wasn't letting go of using hextech to save him. how tF did that switch? and a last minute scene at the end to explain the rune stuff and who the sorcerer was that saved him and his mother?

ALSO, the overuse of colour comes with the overuse of MUSIC. the most noteworthy scene in season 1 for me was the ekko jinx bridge battle, where for every big explosion, they took us OUT of the action and the loudness and let us watch the pop of colour in the darkness from afar. there was music in the slow childhood parallels, but when it flipped back to reality and the real fight--NO MUSIC. SILENCE. JUST THE FIGHTING ITSELF. THE RAW EMOTION. THE HESITATION IN EKKO'S ENTIRE EXPRESSION WHEN JINX CLOSES HER EYES AND YOU KNOW HE'S IMAGINING POWDER WITH HER TEARS.

anyways, here's my suggested rewrite:

remember in season one, where victor was struggling to touch the arcane rune cube thing, so he injects himself with shimmer to do it, and it starts poisoning him? why not have the shimmer be the thing that causes the corruption of hextech. and in that discovery, that insanity, jayce watched his friend get lost to the very things that ruined the undercity. the battle that happens in the last episode isn't between viktor the messiah and all his followers--it's the follow up of the highly intense feud between zaun and piltover as a consequence to jinx's season 1 finale actions. the war begins, the undercity's use of shimmer increases to supplement themselves with enough manpower to meet the hextech of piltover (but also because silco iisn't here anymore to selectively bargain it off to people or control its spread and use), shimmer starts infecting the people in piltover as a result (like the prince using it--that could have been a bridge into shimmer being introduced to above the undercity), jayce realizing corruption comes from the misuse of power by watching viktor succumb to the power inside of him and the corrupted hextech, and that being the eyeopener that helps piltover realize they created the "monster" they are continuously trying to subdue. the class wars are enforced by their barriers. zaun's destitution is an extension of their desperation--first and basically always to survive. i don't think jinx should survive at the end of this type of ending, to be honest, just like how she didn't in the og season 2. cait's dictator arc, the way trauma made her almost like a jinx 2.0 was honestly genuinely a very cool parallel that showcases how piltover isn't "better" than zaun just because they can see the sky. pain and power can even corrupt someone like cait, who believed in justice and forgiveness so strongly. seeing that fall from grace would have almost solidified how it's not a moral failing, it's an institutional and systemic failing--pain, a loss of family, grief, the horrors of war... piltover and zaun needed to see their reflections in each other to finally shatter that barrier.

arcane is a story about love, yes, but it is also a story about corrupt power systems. forsaking that for magic and random storylines feels cheap.

idk if i made any sense right now. womp womp. i'm going to go shower and go back to writing my book. cheers

[mollysunder]

I can actually see them both forming a longer lasting partnership than Vi and Jayce created. One, because they're both entering a much higher stakes situation than Vi and Jayce were a part of and that takes time. Two, they're both in a place (Viktor's on his way to) where they need new connections. Jinx spent the season being tortured by her past till she decided to accept the present and the way things have changed to move forward. Viktor's one of the most isolated characters in the show and he's got no friends outside of Jayce and maybe formerly Sky, and maybe an ally in Singed. He's the Zaunite most estranged from Zaun and she's the one most in tune with Zaun's happenings. They both need to meet new people, they need new people.

I can recognize that they're both different, but at their core they're pretty similar. Jinx is desperate for the care and approval of her loved ones which causes her to take desperate measures to gain their affirmations. Viktor has been alienated from his peers most his life because of his class and disability. The only ways he is able to be recognized as a person, and forge lasting bonds is through his own engineering prowess. Jinx and Viktor are both people that have staked their self esteem on what they can do for other people. For Jinx it's what she can do for her family, and for Viktor, it's what he can do for society at large. One just does it by more violent means while the other developed a savior complex. They're both just people in desperate need to accepted in a world that taught them they weren't.

When Viktor's work with the Hexcore causes him to inevitably be rejected by Piltovan society and he and Jayce split he needs someone who won't reject him. Jinx can be that person. For the few people she cares about, she cares deeply, no matter how monstrous they are. All Jinx wants is for it to be reciprocal, and Viktor can do it because no matter what the Machine Herald ever said about casting off emotion he was wrong. Viktor never rid himself of his emotions, he's still the same man depressed by the suffering of others, and he's only alone because his work disturbs the average citizen. Viktor craves the company of others, he always had. They both just need someone who won't judge them.

The fact that Jinx would be willing to help Viktor would mean she has to care about him. The only reason Jinx helps anyone isn't from mutual benefit, it's because she cares about them. Jinx is mean, she'd have an easier time getting her way if chose to play nice with Sevika, but she'd rather do things the hard way than pretend to care. She treats the average person as means to an end, look at Thieram. If that's how she on average talks to most people, it's not really emotionally volatile, it's just manipulative and kind of sadistic.

Finally, I just like it when characters are that previously had no attachment to each other encounter one another. Both characters can look at each other as they are in the present without the past governing their expectations.

You know, I get pretty hype over Jinx and Viktor working together next season, the one thing I have trouble predicting is how Ekko fits into it. Obviously Ekko and Jinx have a whole emotionally fraught dynamic going on, but I can only see it escalating if Viktor's added to the mix. The few times League media has Ekko and Viktor interact, Ekko's kind of disgusted by Viktor, even after Viktor's lore got reworked. I don't treat voicelines as gospel but, "You're everything that's wrong with Zaun", is pretty harsh when Urgot exists. I know part of Viktor's bad reputation was caused by hearsay and rumors, but that means in their dynamic Ekko buys into Viktor's bad press. Now that Ekko's hanging out with Heimerdinger I can only see a misunderstanding only deepen between them, on the outside it looks like Viktor left Heimerdinger’s side to engage in unethical practice with Singed, a prominent figure in the Shimmer trade. It all only further complicates things, especially for Jinx and Ekko. Where Ekko could see Jinx once again work with another person of dubious intent, and Viktor's own choices could remind Ekko of the path Jinx took and how similar they are to each other. If there's any chance that all three are supposed to work together, I guess Jinx will just have to be the buffer friend.