#and then i'm all caught up
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Jayce and the fallacy of the butterfly effect in Arcane's narrative
If Jayce's symbol is the butterfly, then my theory is that we're going into a full "butterfly effect" narrative in Act 2. Either we'll watch it happen, or we'll only see Jayce come out the other side of it changed by the experience, knowing - or more importantly, THINKING he knows - what to do to change the future. Literally, to "defend tomorrow."
tl;dr: Jayce will encounter the butterfly effect in season 2. Viktor and Mel both foreshadowed this in season 1. I think Jayce will fixate on Viktor and will believe that stopping or changing Viktor either in the past or the present - most likely the present - will mean he can save the future. I believe this will lead to an even worse tragedy and may have the same effect as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ekko's approach to changing the future by sticking closer to the present - considering only tiny increments of time to alter more immediate future outcomes - will be the superior approach. I also think that Jayce attempting to change the future will create the conditions that push Viktor to become the Machine Herald.
One of the most common reactions even the casual viewer had to Arcane season 1 was this: "If [character] had just done this one small thing a little differently, [tragic event] wouldn't have happened!"
Arcane has been called a Greek tragedy for the main reason that because of how well built up the characters' personalities and reasonings are, there's no other way season 1 could have gone. There was no stopping the multiple tragedies that occurred, because with one event leading to another, the chain of seemingly inevitable events goes too far back to identify what one singular event caused everything, what one character made what one decision to put our characters on the terrible paths they walked.
Arcane is about to investigate this idea in its own narrative, and I think that Jayce will be the character to stumble into the flawed idea that you can change one event, or stop one character, and change the future for the better. This is because Jayce struggles with a few very interesting character flaws, one of them being that he believes himself to be the main character, and it is therefore his responsibility to intervene, be a hero, and fix things.
Viktor and Mel both foreshadow Jayce's future encounter with the butterfly effect.
Recall that Viktor said: "There is always a choice."
Jayce sees choices in black and white, believes that he has no other options but to go along with what he's persuaded and pushed into, and acts too boldly with too much power multiple times.
Recall that Mel said: "We can't change what fate has in store for us, but we don't have to face it alone."
Jayce tries to solve big problems on his own, and though he delegates to Enforcers and the like, Jayce relies on his reasoning and his alone to make important decisions if he doesn't simply become persuaded - usually through strong emotions like fear - by other characters. In addition, since Mel is specifically talking about Viktor's plight here, it's worth mentioning that while Jayce did say that he would help Viktor in acts 2 and 3 of season 1, Jayce does wind up leaving Viktor to face his fate alone. When Jayce tries to change that fate in s2 ep1, ep2 shows that only tragedy can come of this as well.
Viktor and Mel's statements here are not contradictory. Viktor makes the point that you can always make a choice. In context, he's literally referring to the classic "secret third option," because given a choice between aggression and passivity, war and surrender, Viktor chooses to defuse the bomb instead. Mel, interestingly, seems to believe that destiny is fixed in a broad sense, and she operates as a politician and diplomat and investor who navigates that line of destiny in the most optimal way possible. In reality, in context, she is referring to the fact that Viktor can't change the way he was born and so he has no way to change his fate and therefore must face it, which is true - she's only missing the information that Viktor actually does have the means to change his illness and his body. Her wisdom still applies however, because he'll have to accept the hand that fate deals him after he makes that choice. Will he face it alone, or not?
There is always a choice, there's even secret third options, because having a fate doesn't mean that you are doomed to make only one possible series of choices. What it does mean is that each choice comes with a hand that fate deals you. It is impossible to know what all of these branching choices and consequences are in advance, and it is just as impossible in hindsight - the branches are too complex and the end outcomes are all equally meaningful, just different. If Arcane season 2 is to be a tragedy, it may show us that each possible outcome is still tragic if you fall for the fallacy of the butterfly effect.
Jayce is counseled by some of the wisest, cleverest characters with the deepest life experiences in Arcane, but he hardly ever takes that counsel to heart. If he does, he still acts on that counsel in flawed ways that have unintended consequences. This will come to a head in season 2.
Viktor and Jayce both have a butterfly following them around in season 1. The butterfly effect refers to one small seemingly insignificant event changing the course of history, and changing that event therefore changes history. Viktor bled over the railing of a Hexgate in season 1:
And Heimerdinger sees what we can only assume is Viktor's blood contaminating (?) the Hexgate in s2 ep3:
This might be the seemingly unimportant "inciting incident" that Jayce (and Heimerdinger and Ekko) settle on as something that should be avoided or erased by changing the past (if they time-travel with Ekko, for example).
I doubt that, if this is what this crew chooses to fixate on, it will be the only event that is considered as something to change. But let's take this and run with it for the sake of discussion.
As silly as it sounds, how do you stop Viktor from allowing his blood to come into contact with the arcane? Stop Viktor's involvement with the Academy entirely? Don't invent Hextech at all? But what if someone else invents Hextech besides Jayce? What if future tragedy befalls Piltover because it didn't invent Hextech?
The possibilities and what-ifs could branch on forever. But because Jayce is who he is, and because his tragedy with Viktor is still raw and recent and frightening, I think Jayce's butterfly effect experience will have to do with Viktor.
My personal prediction is that the timeskip between s2 ep3 and ep4 will be Jayce experiencing a timeline where Viktor, taken over by the Hexcore, brings about an apocalyptic event similar to what Heimerdinger experienced in his past. Either Jayce and co. can't go into the past to change the present, or Heimerdinger and/or Ekko advise strongly against it to avoid a paradox. This will lead to them re-entering the canon Arcane timeline before this apocalypse, but still after the timeskip. Jayce, believing that destroying Viktor and his cult will save the future, and believing that resurrecting Viktor was Jayce's mistake to fix, attacks him. But the consequences don't unfold the way he hopes, because trying to change fate once the cards have already been dealt has led to tragedy before.
The butterfly is a symbol of something other than just the butterfly effect - change, evolution, and rebirth. If the butterfly symbolizes the butterfly effect for Jayce, then I think it has a different meaning for Viktor - the change and rebirth meaning.
I've always found it very interesting that we see a similar-looking butterfly on Progress Day... but made of metal.
Every time Viktor's situation changes, he adapts and evolves. If Jayce attacks him, if his cult is destroyed, if the Hexcore is causing Viktor to decay, if all of these things happen at once - he'll just evolve again, and I think the Machine Herald is the next step. And the Machine Herald will be a triumph for Viktor, but Jayce will believe that he's created something even worse. The resulting feud will be a personal nightmare for both of them.
I think this still allows Viktor to use his own agency to choose to become the Machine Herald (the MH will probably be the "secret third option" that saves Viktor, or there will be a secret third option that ends the feud) while still allowing Jayce to be offended and horrified at whatever the Machine Herald represents or is trying to do in the undercity. Introducing the element of time travel allows Arcane to explore the meta concept of tragedy and fate that season 1 was built on while showing that you can't "solve" a tragedy, because there are other terrible possibilities lurking behind alternate choices. Especially if what you're trying to change is singular people or events and not systems of power.
This is why Ekko's approach with his Z-drive will be superior to Jayce's sweeping attempt at changing the future. Ekko's goal has always been societal change. He creates his own punk society in the undercity, more progressive and successful than anything Vander or Silco ever created, and a better bastion of safety, hope, and progress than what Heimerdinger founded in Piltover. Trying to change systems by going back in time is most likely futile. But taking what Ekko has already built in the Firelights, curing his tree, and fighting for the Firelights' survival bit by bit by optimizing the present with the Z-drive shows that:
It's more worth it to focus on becoming wise (Ekko's mask is an owl) and making choices you won't regret
It's best if you don't face your fate alone (act as a collective and take care of each other)
Consider every option, not just the obvious black and white choices
Maintain and fix what you've already built instead of abandoning it once things get difficult
Adapt as needed if the choices you made lead to dark consequences, and once again, stick together and take care of each other when the bad times do come
That's my Act 2 but, ultimately, my season 2 prediction based on the butterfly symbolism we've already seen. Ekko's involvement is what will give the series the at least partial happy ending that the creators have referred to. I personally don't think that the Viktor/Jayce feud will end quite so well, but maybe, they will still survive.
#arcane#spoilers#arcane s2#arcane spoilers#jayce talis#ekko#viktor#viktor arcane#long post#meta#jayvik#arcane meta#heimerdinger#I'm positive that Mel will be deeply involved with this too considering her comments on fate#honestly the thought of her being caught in the Viktor/Jayce feud is terrible to contemplate so I'm just gonna pray for my girl#I did not like the time travel implications when i first watched act 1 but after thinking about this i feel way better about it#Another reason I think this will come down to Viktor is because Heimerdinger has distrusted Viktor since season 1 and he will focus on him#Ekko will see the faults in focusing on one person#Jayce is least likely to survive all this considering how fast the consequences of his actions are catching up with him#but there could also be a chance here of viktor choosing to spare him - if only to curse him with the Defender/Herald feud forever idk#anyway i am feral for season 2 so far can't you tell
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Sketch portraits ✨
I've done a few icons as a part of the current Sketchtober piece, I will be posting them in batches like this - so let's call this one "Sketch VII" XD These were for the great JuniperCreature, dogstar.art Lustylamb and Yagotado!
#portrait#icon#fantasy#anthro#painting#digital art#I'm mostly posting this not to just share the art#but also let you know I might be super slow with replying for the next 2-3 days - I planned to catch up with all socialising once I'm back#but I caught a bad cold there and my brain is not braining. X D#I'm gonna spend the next few days in bed and hope for the best 👉👈
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eddie diaz in every episode ↳ 7.10 - all fall down
#911#911 abc#911edit#tvedit#cinematv#eddie diaz#edeps#*gifs#jddryder#userabs#mialook#tuserzee#userdahlias#userriel#tuserella#userbon#ajlook#userhann#tuserambs#userrin#userpickles#janielook#userbuckleys#usernicolo#usercorinne#usermadita#useralien#okayyy i'm all caught up and ready for s8 hehe
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I feel as if I'm the only one who caught it, so
Adamantium katanas. I need you to hear me. Adamantium katanas.
There's something so 🏳️🌈nice🏳️🌈 about how it's the one material Logan has known for his entire mutation... And it's actively being wielded now, by a similarly skilled dual wielder mwah ily Wade, with the intention of severely harming Logan. Debilitating injury is the next best thing to guaranteed death, and they're both flattered that the other is trying so determinedly to kill them. Like awwww baby!
And and anddddddddd 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 the balance of how Wade has more range with his adamantium but Logan has more power/experience with his. What good is Wade's speed and agility when Logan can read every single fucking one of his moves?
Logan realistically missed some but I'm tryna make the old man sound cool here. Let me have this.
Correct me if I'm wrong, there's a total of one (1) other opponent who has adamantium. That badass lady with the cracking fingers in x2. That's one (1) other experience where Logan knows what adamantium feels like when it's used against you.
This fight was another nail in the coffin of the fact that Wade and Logan are either complementary or just straight HAHA equals.
Something Logan has intimately known, in the use of someone he hasn't intimately known yet. That Honda hatefuck was the climax in more ways than one sorry.
#adamantium gays#AM I the only one who caught the intimacy there?#say it ain't so. say ya'll aren't that stupid.#I'm putting up all of you for adoption if that's the case#because listen of all the things wade and logan had in common at the start of the movie. the choice for adamantium to be one of the first i#cont'd. an easy choice to make#deadpool and wolverine#deadpool#deadpool 3#wade wilson#wolverine#logan howlett#poolverine#deadpool 2024#deadclaws#gif credit to original owner#does the tva... ship them?#since it was them who issued wade's suit?#i think yes#deliberately or not.
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tumblr is finally letting me post again, bless
anyway good morning ft. gaiden duo (old man coming soon)
#bungou stray dogs#bsd#bsd gaiden#bsd ayatsuji#bsd tsujimura#i'm caught up with oyoyo's manga adaptation#all that's left is for me is to finish reading the light novel.....#i just think they're fun to draw!!#my art
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Aww... Pokey is getting into the weeb spirit of this blog.
#*slaps roof of meteor* this dramatic bitch can fit so many references#pokey#pokotho#hatchetfield#hatchetverse#pokey starkid#nerdy prudes must die#npmd#starkid npmd#tgwdlm#lords in black#lib starkid#starkid tgwdlm#I was doodling meme LiBs and got carried away with a Slug Girl idea#Expect lots of Junji Ito references I'm so sorry#My pokey headcanon is he's a sort of slime mold/stone creature - it's all Pokey from the meteor to the spores in the air#he frequently hunts insectoid species in other dimensions and will puppeteer their corpses so bug motifs still fit#this was not supposed to be a whole thing and I got so caught up in the mold I didn't bother doing anything with the meteor sorry
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Welcome to the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger.
#Fear and Hunger#D'arce Cataliss#Cahara#Ragnvaldr#Enki Ankarian#Unlike Dungeon Meshi - I cannot in good faith recommend this game to a broad audience.#My background with F&H goes as follows: I am hanging out with a friend. He says “hey try this game I've been playing.” I say “Okay!”#I have never heard of this game. I pick the mercenary. I go through 5 min of character history and background. I am mauled to death by dogs#It took me 4 resets to even get in the dungeon. But I finally get there. I am caught by a guard. He cuts off all but one of my limbs#I am forced to crawl around in a blood and corpse pit until the game tells me 'give up idiot'.#I reset. I am mauled by dogs again. I realize this is not for me but I am intrigued enough to go home and watch some playthroughs#And WOW what an interesting game it is! I really do appreciate games that blend their design philosophy with the theme it wants to set#This is a game about fear and hunger. And persevering. And penis (my god is there a lot of penis)#I recommend this to people who like extremely challenging games and can handle the many *content warnings* within this series#If the idea of Bloodborne/eldenring and undertale having a little RPG maker baby sounds appealing to you - give it a shot#It's made by ONE GUY and it's a great horror game. I am just really bad at it.#My friends just enjoy putting me in situations where I scream and yell. We don't talk about the corn mazes. Or the other horror game nights#Apparently I'm funny when I'm Scared!#As people who follow me on twitter might know; I am deep in the pits of this series right now. I will be back with more art.
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I feel like F/P/S was still a pretty weird one, even by Lance's standards.
sorry for (in an ironic twist) not doing much Ride Kamens art now that it's actually started; I've been pretty slow going through it and I feel weird posting about things I'm not caught up on! though I'm. definitely gonna have to set aside some time to actually get through episode 13, after what they posted today. (w-what did they do to my Leon) (NOBODY TELL ME I HAVE TO FIND OUT ON MY OWN) (LEOOOOOOOON)
#art#ride kamens#f/p/s#freedom/play/slam#it's probably not as dramatic as i'm imagining i'm just terrified for our sweet boy#smh can't believe leon's bald now#this is why i don't like to post before i get caught up i have NO IDEA#anyway sorry this. kind of sucks. it just made me laugh#i love the sheer absurdity that must be lance's day-to-day#it's amazing what you can get used to i guess#event chaosworlds are bizarre even for chaosworlds though#(poor shizuru...he was SO confused about the bread...)#i admit the events are one of the reasons i've been so slow at the main story#i told myself i was going to put my foot down and prioritize and not get distracted by the next event#and then they announced frilly prince froufrou tea party wisdom boys and RUINED MY LIFE#how am i supposed to get anything done when all i can think about is jou just going absolutely ham on some tiny cucumber sandwiches#how dare they do this to me
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Making Incorrect H:SR Quotes Until I Run Out of (hopefully) Original Ideas - Pt. 4 - Nuthin' but Boothill Edition
[Pt. 1] [Pt. 2] [Pt. 3] [Pt. 5] [Pt. 6]
#boothill#honkai star rail#hsr#hsr incorrect quotes#hsr memes#honkai star rail memes#hsr meme#honkai star rail meme#hsr textpost#hsr boothill#boothill hsr#hsr spoilers#hsr 2.2 spoilers#hmmm... don't think it's worth tagging the others in the 9th image. this ain't about them#still unsure abt how to do the alt text for these kinda posts properly but hopefully i'm improving#anyways. don't think i've ever seen heard and typed "cowboy' so many times in one day as i have while making this good lord#i did a bit of digging around and haven't Seen any of these done yet so. here's hoping that's the case!#i'm only ~3/4 of the way through the 2.2 main quest but the need to make these compelled me to put these out Now#i can already tell u that there Will be more of these for Boothill tho bc i'm crazy abt him. probably enough to make another dedicated post#but i'm gonna wait until i'm fully caught up on the plot (and will probably spoil myself for more of his character lore after that as well)#speaking of. i'm gonna go eat mac n' cheese and stay up too late playing through the rest of the main quest#i'm loving it so far. many thoughts head full abt it all but in a good way. hoping for more Boothill moments as we approach the end#he's def not the main character here but he is to Me okay. he is to me. i'm scarfing down every crumb he drops#i'm also suffering from Aventurine withdrawals out here. Argenti mentioning him was Interesting but i need More. Where Is He.#also. was Argenti intentionally not voiced or was it a game issue?? the hell was that. threw me off so hard when i couldn't hear him speak#anyways i'm getting off topic and wasting precious gaming time so i'll be takin' my leave now
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hc that neji's first impression of ino was set in stone and ino never recovered from the bruise to her ego and so they openly dislike each other
#ino yamanaka#karin uzumaki#neji hyuuga#NARUTO#nejikarin#(implied)#bc i'm a njkr enjoyer#its only been a literal decade since i drew them#my art#leiandroid#ino supremacy#ino being all childish and petty towards neji is so funny to me#IMO the k12 can stand to dislike each other a little more#sasuke & shika also on the list of ppl that openly hate each other#i need to draw that lmao#with a fed up ino caught in the middle like this is why i spend time with you both SEPARATELY
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#mine#doctor who#dwedit#peter capaldi#michelle gomez#jenna louise coleman#i'm so excited for the ten and missy and paternoster gang audio to come out!!!#so i decided it was time to remake this bit!!!!#hi friends sorry it's been a bit since i've made some gifs#i was at sdcc and went to disneyland#very good time#i got fourteen's new sonic!!!! and got buttons of dt and ct's faces!!!!!#and posters of fourteen fifteen donna and ruby!!!!!! very exciting#and i caught up on some big finish audios#and i saw barbie and haunted mansion this week#hope you've all been well :')))
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the ask was in reference to the “guess we are making circles now” meme
Aaa
The original I guess
#guess we are making circles now#meme redraw#thanks for explaining. I'm not always caught up with the recent memes and all the stuff with the youth (I say as if I'm not 22)#ask#anonymous#gravity falls#the book of bill#book of bill#ford pines#stanford pines#bill cipher#art#fanart#digital art
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Ida is Constantine's good ex.
They separated on good terms after a few months because Ida wanted to start a family and not Constantine (for obvious reasons). Then, despite Ida's efforts to keep in touch as a long-distance friend, she quickly no longer received any news from him.
So when she sees him barely older and seeming lost in his town… she takes him for a ghost who has retained a very human appearance. She rushes to him because she is surely not the only one to notice the presence of a “tourist” in town.
She takes a minute to pity him and apologize. He hadn't ignored him, he was dead!!! Then start explaining to him why as a ghost it's not safe for him here even though it's very nice of him to visit <3
Constantine had not informed Ida about magic, after all it was one of his exes from before his cancer (a little near the time when he stopped responding to her) and his first triple sale of soul for escape death. But he knows Ida well enough not to contradict her. In addition, she gives him all the information in flash notes that he is looking for.
…
Okay, he also missed Ida. It felt SO strange to see her old. But she apparently hadn't lost anything from a mental point of view
This is how Constantine was invited to have tea and catch up on lost time at Ida's in addition to having a more complete debrief of the Amity Park situation
#dpxdc#dcxdp#dc x dp#dp x dc#dp x dc crossover#dc x dp crossover#ida manson#john constantine#amity park#I didn't write it but I'm not sure that Ida would be against going to bed with a ghost#after that I'm not sure on Constantine's side#Constantine doesn't have the heart to tell Ida that he was alive all the time#but that he had been so caught up in the magic tricks to dodge his cancer that he had completely skipped it#and even after n 'never thought about contacting her again#even though she's one of if not the friendliest ex of all.#if he had done it or at least talked to her about magic and his survival#maybe she would have contacted him before the situation got to this point#seriously there is a government agency that wants to start a dimensional war and a couple mad scientists far too intelligent for the good#ida becoming a JLD contact? more likely than you think#my#my prompts#prompt
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Special Ops: Lioness - 1x06
#specialopslionessedit#special ops lioness#special ops: lioness#aaliyah amrohi#cruz manuelos#stephanie nur#laysla de oliveira#special ops lioness 1x06#special ops lioness spoilers#aaliyah x cruz#femslash related stuff#muslim lgbt#oh no I'm so caught up in their story!#the rest of the ep spent actually so much time on their fledgling little friendship#reaching through each other's very different but genuine loneliness#stephanie nur is playing a BLINDER here#she really comes across as this unimaginably rich privileged caged bird#while being a fairly adorable and naive version of the specimen#and she gets across all her feelings about cruz so well#the way she's testing things here#and then after cruz pulls back--which makes it better to me#since it was a sincere loss of control and not her undercover play#but after she pulls back aaliyah's trying SO hard to be chill as if it's nothing#and it's so heartbreaking because it's like every possible misreading of the straight girl kiss#AND her particularly terrible circumstances
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got really inspired by the last erasermic post i reblogged and also listened to rina sawayama on repeat so this thing came out. idk <3
#idk if i should tag the author of the post i'm referring to... i mean it's just the same song so i won't#also for the record i'm not caught up with bnha manga at all and honestly erasermic is the only thing i care about <3 /not neg#uh yeah gonna tag this#aizawa shouta#yamada hizashi#erasermic#boku no hero academia#bnha#chr-art
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X-Men '97: Season 1, Episode 4
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