#arcane season 2 minor spoilers

[from-ib-to-asshai]

just finished the first arc of arcane season 2 and can i just say how refreshing it is to see a mainstream piece of sci-fi/fantasy media that deals with themes of war, power struggles, conspiracy and politics revolve almost entirely around women? the entire first arc centers almost only on it's female characters, with them being the ones to seize power, have complexity in their actions and be calling the shots instead of how we usually see it in media, with shows like these usually revolving around powerful men making decisions and women just kinda sometimes being there to either seduce or be seduced.

my only real criticism of the male/female balance of the cast is that so far the plot related to science and the arcane are only male characters. the only woman involved in science and discovery was a extremely minor character that died in s1. that's a little disappointing, but considering how women-led the season is so far, i'll take it.

[himbirch]

[juliettenotjuliet]

Heavy is the crown...

[donateliamitsuki]

I need both names and people who take x reader requests for them this damn instant

[spiegelgestalt]

Timebomb feelings because of the Arcane trailer for season 2

So I just saw the arcane trailer for season 2. It's great. I'm so excited. (so sad that Victor and Jayce died in the explosion quite an apprupt ending for them i guess... /s)

but what i really want to talk about is these two pictures:

Because it got me thinking. One of the interesting aspects of the Jinx/Ekko relationship is that they are able to communicate through other means than direct words. And that they are able to create a different image for each other.

Long and rambly explanation under the cut, which got away from me and can be summarized with: Jinx makes Ekko more violent and Ekko makes Jinx more heroic and they love each other your honor and i want to see a team up in season 2:

Song:

Jinx has a few songs (Guns for hire, goodbye, What could have been) but they are usually solos. They are usually melodic rock. And they usually concentrate on how much Jinx was wronged.

And than there is Dynasties and Dystopia. On first watch i thought it was an Ekko song. It's after all in his style (both in animation as in genre) but some words don't quite fit:

"I might just might kick your butt Go run amok then paint my nails Never learned to raise my hand Was too busy raising hell Everything I know I am You should go and save yourself Thought you had my number, huh Congratulations, you played yourself"

this just screams jinx to me. Ekko has yet to run amok. Jinx does it all the time. I don't even know what Ekko's nails look like, but we have several distinct shots of Jinxs' blue and pink nails; Ekko doesn't raise hell, if he's raising something it's paradise. And the line "you should go and save yourself" is a good continuation/rejection of the one thing Jinx says in this fight: Look who it is - the boy savior -> go save yourself! And it forshadows the way jinx will be able to get just a loss instead of a total defeat (look she was defeated- in the aftermath Ekko had a hurt leg, while Jinx needed to be revived with terrible magic drugs there is a clear winner here). Ekko thinks he has jinx figured out but he hasn't and thats why he will hesitate in the end.

But i would also argue that not all of the song is jinx:

Ooh, yeah, he mad I'm racking up white diamonds Throw me in the sky You would swear the sun shining Ooh, yeah, he mad I'm racking up white diamonds Throw me in the sky You would swear the sun shining

this verse is both of them: Basically they are saying: Look how great i'm doing (lie) Aren't you mad about it? (They will never beat the allegation that they are bitter exes.)

And I'd argue that this is Ekkos verse:

In this gothic underground city We all sin If I bring a couple rounds with me Then we all win I came back and brought the crown with me The king's den Break your nexus and your neck 'cause Everybody's on your head

and interestingly enough it's an offer. This makes sense with the visual. Encouraged through Vi who insists that Powder is still in there somewhere Ekko conjures a situation wich is similar to their old games. And it works: It's the only time Powder appears as her young self on screen. And so Ekko makes an offer he probably made before: Trust me, back down, i can help:

He starts with: We all make mistakes - one of the things that bind Powder to the Jinx personality is her guilt over having killed her entire family. But Ekko doesn't blame Jinx he blames their circumstances (something he also does in his Zaun-duet misfit toys)

If i bring a couple rounds with me, then we all win -> this foreshadows his timetravel ability. And even if he doesn't has it at this point this whole scene breaks down time itself so it still works in my head. Ekko brings the crown with him (the hextech-crystal) and he warns Jinx that everyone is going after her.

And the second refrain which I'd argue both sing once again:

Hold still while I bag that, uh Talk bad 'til I snap back, uh This ain't brown, this that dark black This that pitch black, jet black Snap yo' ex watch me give him flashbacks

Meaning: keep still, i've got this, just trust me dude!

This song shows that Ekkos and Jinx's disagreement is far more similar to the disagreement between Vander and Silco than to the disagreement between Vi and Jinx. Vi and Jinx' disagreement is personal. Vi rejects everything jinx has become and just wants her "sweet" little sister back - Ekkos and Jinx's disagreement is political. They disagree about the question what is best for Zaun. AND I'd also argue the Ekko is far less surprised by the jinx personality. He knew Powder was a bit of a shithead. He's just pissed that she's working for Silco.

Well let's finally get to these two pictures:

We see Ekko and we see Jinx drawn as hero of the resistance in Ekkos style* (compare the mural to the video of misfit toys) We know that Jinx gave Ekko a definition that didn't suit him by creating the firefly bombs and recasting him as a terrorist. And know we see Ekko who maybe drew this picture of jinx recreating her from a terrorist into a hero of Zaun.

(see me get proven wrong in the first episode of arcane season 2...)

[shadowhearthallowleaf]

[atomicjellyb3an]

MINOR ARCANE SEASON 2 SPOILERS

she keeps being done dirty by the blue haired women in her life omggg 😭

LET HER HAVE ONE MOMENT OF HAPPINESS PLS

[hemiamae]

Minor Arcane season 2 spoilers

Viktor sketches from yesterday because his sogginess captivates me.

[drod-art]

ARCANE SEASON 2 // MINOR SPOILERS

I have a habit of stumbling onto things without meaning to. It’s both a blessing and a cruse.

The first time it was when the first half of the series was leaked a few months ago, and it was a screenshot of the first episode of season two (where Caitlyn and Vi are in the hallway after the funeral). This time it was an unfinished animated scene. Both on Twitter.

Of course I’m not going to reveal what that scene was, but I can’t wait for the fandom’s reaction on this Saturday!

[lewis-just-lewis]

Hello arcane fandom-I have a theory I wanted to share about the full trailer for season 2. Before getting into it, there are NO SPOILERS FROM LEAKERS!!! I have stayed clear of leaks, and haven’t seen anything about season 2 except for the OFFICIAL teaser trailer and clips released by Riot and Netflix.

Okay theory time-I believe we can speculate on what we’re going to see in the full trailer release. Definitely more of the sisters, maybe finally some Jayce and Viktor.

But, I have a theory that the opening from season one, will reflect what we see in the full season two trailer. The first half of the opening is our introduction to our characters, their appearances, their social standing, the risks, etc.

But the second half, we get more statue stills of the characters in motion.

Ekko on his glider

Caitlyn shooting a shot

Viktor seemingly floating out towards the hexcore?

Jayce with his hammer actively hitting something

And of course the sisters facing off.

We’ve seen the sisters like this in the teaser trailer, a lot of folks have pointed that out already. But we also see a shot with Caitlyn and her new weapon, positioned in a very similar manner as shown in the opening for season 1. Now it’s not the exact same, BUT neither is the shot with the sisters facing off. But both are considerably close.

I don’t believe we’re gonna see Viktor’s fully mechanized form in the trailer (cries) that seems like too big of a reveal, that’s something for the full show. But it would make sense to see a glimpse of him and the hexcore, similarly to how we get an unfocused-nearly out of frame shot of him in the teaser trailer. So getting that shot of him done in the likeness to the pose from the season 1 opening seems plausible.

Near similar thing with Jayce, he is going to play a role-a large role this season. But showing him do a lot also seems like a reach, whereas having him hit something that explodes-or have his hammer activated into hammer gun :tm: and shoot something allows for a cutaway.

For Ekko we get a shot with him squinting in the teaser trailer-but a whole clip released of him and himerdinger sneaking around. But I still think it’s safe to say he’ll show up in the full trailer on his glider and pipe (?).

Another thing, all these segments in the season 1 opening never actually show up in the first season. Which to me is pretty telling.

In conclusion, we may get some minor shots with Viktor, Jayce, and Ekko in the final trailer for season 2. Though I don’t think they will reveal too much. Thank you for coming to my tedtalk.

[shmlnbstrcnd]

Arcane: Season 2 Leaks Rant (Spoilers)

Arcane: Season 2 is only a few days away. I've vagueposted a bit about the leaks, but now I'll go more in depth on my opinions on the first 5 episodes. Spoiler warning:

So many unwise decisions were made writing-wise. It's like they made poor choices at almost every turn.

"Should we focus on concluding the Piltover story arc in its own show before moving on to other regions? Nah, let's bloat the story with Noxus advertising that will eat up valuable screentime and leave a lot of casual fans confused."

"Should we prioritize concluding the arcs of our main cast? Nah, let's cram the story with a multitude of side characters that take screentime away from the characters who need it most. The audience will for sure be more interested in randos like Maddie, Isha, Salo, big enforcer dude, and that sorceress lady, rather than the main characters they grew to love in Season 1."

"Should we give more screentime to other Champions who aren't even close to concluding their arcs (Viktor, Ekko, Vi , Warwick, etc.)? Nah, let's spend a lot of screentime on Jinx meandering about in her lair playing with puppets, scenes which do not drive the story forward."

"It's the final season of the show with only 9 40-minute episodes. Should we massively trim down our bloated script to make sure the important story beats have enough development time, and remove unnecessary fluff? And if not, maybe add more episodes? Nah, let's just try to cram absolutely everything in here as if we have a 20 episode season and not 9. Leave absolutely nothing on the cutting room floor."

In my opinion, this Season 2 could have been greatly improved if they had omitted all the Noxus bullshit. Seriously, shoving Ambessa and Mel's plot in here was a big mistake. Shit takes up a sizable amount of screentime, is incredibly boring, and downright confusing for casual fans who aren't familiar with League. Season 1 received a lot of praise for being extremely compelling for non-gamers, but Season 2 has gone the opposite route. It also eats up valuable screentime that could be used for the Piltover/Zaun characters and narrative. A lot of people wanted Mel to survive because they thought her story could be interesting, but now I'm thinking she should've just been killed by that damn rocket. Along with Salo and that other Councilor lady. Seriously, only 3 people being killed by Jinx's rocket is such pathetic plot armour that undercut all the tension of Season 1's finale cliffhanger. They couldn't even give her a Pentakill🙄 Salo, a terrible minor character, takes up a lot of valuable screentime too.

Also if they omitted the new characters. Maddie is unnecessary. There were more organic ways to provide conflict for Caitvi than another love interest. Isha is unnecessary. There were more organic ways to provide development for Jinx and trigger the Caitvi breakup. Why was a random new kid the reason for their breakup, and not Jinx? The dynamic and conflicts between these three ladies were so perfectly set up in Season 1. Why throw that away and add a new character to achieve something which could've been achieved with pre-existing characters we already know? So Vi was perfectly okay with a girl she knew for 3 days murdering her own sister, but a rando mute kid is where she drew the line? Lol.

Cutting down on Jinx's screentime would also help. It's not like all her scenes were doing her character any favours either. Rather than the active protagonist she used to be who drove the plot forward, she is now relegated to bouncing around, mellow and passive. She had already reached the climax of her arc in Season 1's finale. She chose to be Jinx, hell-bent on destroying Piltover. Why is she still having an identity crisis in Season 2 and suddenly reluctant to fight Piltover? Give that damn screentime to other characters. Vi barely gets any organic development. Her entire character gets reduced to being hung-up on Caitlyn and then her story with Warwick rushed to the extreme. Viktor and Ekko get absolute dust. Again, you have only NINE episodes for your FINAL season. Not 25 episodes in a 10 season show. When you have this little screentime to work with, you have to be willing to part with beloved ideas, cut down on fluff, leave plenty of shit on the cutting room floor. If they weren't willing to do that, then making only 9 episodes and 2 seasons was the wrong choice.

This is a long post but I just wanted to share my personal thoughts on what went wrong and suggestions on how it could have been improved. This is all just my opinion.

[ninthhousedyke]

Arcane Season 2 spoiler thoughts!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

After the events of the election in the US, I really needed something to keep me from offing myself and Arcane season 2 could not have come at a better time honestly. I’m literally frothing at the mouth over this first act and I cannot wait for the rest of it. I’ve been looping all the released songs aggressively and I love almost every single one. This will be my new personality for the foreseeable future, gang.

Alright lets get the few negatives out of the way first:

1. I…do not like the new intro. It feels way too muted and strange compared to the energy of the season 1 opener. I would have preferred they kept the first season opening and just made minor tweaks, like having Ambessa’s shadow appear instead of Silco’s or something.

2. I’ve seen some discourse already about it being “fast” and like….I didn’t think that would be shocking to people. This is the season of action. We built up all the plot threads so now they can explode into their brilliance. We know this world and these characters and we can be tossed into the thick of the action and the emotions without handholding anymore. We aren’t building to a climax anymore; we’re IN the climax! Of course shit is hitting the fan quickly, that’s what happens when shit hits the fan. We’ve been away from this world for 3 years, but the season is picking up seconds after the last one ended. Reacquaint yourself with the world and it won’t feel so out of no where.

Alright onto every other thought I have:

1. LESBIANS ARE WINNING RAHHHHHHH

2. LESBIANS ARE LOSING NOOOOOOOO

3. Ahem how could you do that to me in the same episode? Like oh my god it’s so heartbreaking how well both sides of this debate are constructed. Seeing both characters in real time look right past the experience and perspective of the other. It’s just another example of not having a conversation like this in the heat of the moment. I love both my girls and I know they’ll make up….right Riot? They’ll make up right?

4. Ambessa orchestrating all out war like this, escalating it where it didn’t need to be and bringing Caitlyn up to be her warlord apprentice makes me so apprehensive for the next act!!! God the way Ambessa immediately clocked Caitlyn was the person she needed for her little takeover is so calculating!! Caitlyn is already making impulsive choices on her own and now she’ll be under the wing of a woman who wants nothing more than power and bloodshed. I cannot wait to see how far Caitlyn is going to fall before she realizes what this stray from her morals has done to her. I hope we get a final showdown between her and Ambessa where she rebukes being what Ambessa is grooming her to be.

5. That episode 1 fight scene was INSANEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Okay all the fights were insane and so well executed and fuck everything is so perfect and exactly what I was expecting from Arcane. The chainsaw went crazy and Sevika’s new arm is just so simultaneously Jinx and Sevika. It’s brutal and chaotic and I know Sevika can work wonders with it. Also Sevika please call me.

6. I love how all these characters that were mostly background people in season 1 are now getting moments in the spotlight instead of just introducing brand new characters. Like yes utilize the remaining chembarons for the Zain power vacuum rather than bringing in new people! Yes have the remaining councilors become bigger players on the board instead of more Noxus people! Yes utilize existing background characters to bring in the Black Rose!! I love that we have more room for important new characters / champions because we’ve utilized existing background characters in this way.

7. Rip Smeech, I liked your voice buddy.

8. Viktor Jesus arc here we gooooooo! Glorious Evolution tis time!!!

9. I love how the arcane itself is becoming a character. It’s influencing the plot and characters in a way it didn’t before. Now it’s actually an agent of its own power. I am so excited to see what consequences this will have.

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

Colors of Heart

by EpitaphOfRebirth

It's been two years since Caitlyn turned into a Commader and took control of Piltover. Two years since she left Vi crying on a pit and two years that she is constantly haunted by her regrets & colors of her own mistakes and ghosts.

----------------------------------- Spoilers for whole act 1 season 2, A oneshot about Caitlyn regretting everything she has done and trying to get some redemption.

Words: 3482, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021), League of Legends

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends), Maddie Nolen, Jinx (League of Legends)

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends), Minor Caitlyn/Maddie

Additional Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, maddie x cait is very minor btw, Angst with a Happy Ending, free form somehow, Caitlyn and Vi are in Love (League of Legends), spoiler for act 1 season 2, half based on skyham twitter theory about maddie being or a spy or cait rebound, half based on the pit fighter teaser and act 2 teaser released this week, Angst

Read on A03. from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[penguinmichael]

Analyzing Arcane: A Critique of Classism and Bureaucratic Corruption

Part 1/2

SPOILERS FOR ARCANE SEASON 1

In 2021, the indie studio Fortiche released an animated series called Arcane in collaboration with the video game company known as Riot Games. The game utilized the characters and world of their most popular game franchise, League of Legends. The show was critically acclaimed by both new audiences and fans of the game it was inspired by. The 9 episode animated series was revered for it's incredibly stylized art style, fast paced writing, and dynamic world building. However, a particularly interesting element of the show was the way it tackled various socio-economic issues. The show takes place in the fictional nation of Piltover, where various high society inventors would get together and create fantastical inventions. Below the nation lies a place known as the Undercity, where those of lower wealth reside and are forced to endure treacherous plights while the people in Piltover hoards all of it's resources. Through this simple setting, conflict occurs. There is a distinct antagonistic relationship between upper and lower class citizens, which forces many of the characters to challenge their predetermined notions and biases. These situations can easily be compared to real life instances, and the television acknowledges the underlying roots that cause these problems to fester in the first place. This problem is addressed through the overarching worldbuilding, the characters, and the supernatural aspects of the show.

SECTION 1: A WORLD OF CONFLICT

Classism: Prejudice or favor of people belonging to a particular social class.

The television series Arcane contains varying levels of conflict that dramatically affect the characters and the fundamental system within the two cities. The main conflict resides in the consistent mistreatment of the denizens within the Undercity, and how one particular incident ended up with high tensions between the two groups. Years before the first events of the show, there was a riot that occurred at the bridge that would connect the Undercity and Piltover. Piltover's enforcers, who are the equivalence of police investigators in the city, were sent to shut down the riot. The riot quickly became violent, and the entire bridge was quickly engulfed in flames. Many people died at the hands of the enforcers, and both sides had people who wanted to ensure that it never happened again. This event is a trigger for much of the upset within the Undercity. Many characters in the show would talk about how the enforcers would abuse them, and how no matter how hard they worked, they would always end up with the scraps while Piltover profited off of them. This event possesses many parallels to real world riots. For example, the Haymarket Riot that occurred on May 4th, 1886. The riot began peacefully as a demonstration of workers rights during an 8 hour work day.

The violence at the riot quickly escalated when dynamite was thrown a the police, which ensued random gunfire by the police into the crowd of rioters. This lead to the deaths of at least 8 people, and left 40 others injured. Writer Hartmut Keil discussed the historical ramifications of this massacre, stating, "U.S. historians have attributed to Haymarket local as well as national significance; they have viewed it as a conspiracy by the ruling elite against the labor movement, as a death-blow to anarchism in the United States, as an attempt at weakening the eight-hour movement, and as a critical watershed for the organization of American labor at large." (Heil, Hatmut) It is also noteworthy to mention how this riot took place on the tail end of the Industrial Revolution, there was an increasingly bigger gap of technology between the upper and lower classes. This draws from a more minor conflict within the show, and that is the dirtiness of the Undercity due to the lack of better technology. One major character, Viktor, becomes terminally ill due to inhaling an overabundance of chemicals in the air. Meanwhile, Piltover not only has clean air, but is seen as a wealthy pillar of innovation. The Haymarket riot is only one example of how Arcane draws from real world events to tell a story and form a complete message.

An additional conflict that occurs throughout the story is the constant negotiation and corruption that exists between the Enforcers from the Upper City and the business owners of the Undercity. In the beginning half of the show, this negotiating occurred between the characters Vander and Grayson. Vander is a well liked bartender in the Undercity, and everyone in Zaun respects Vander. He was also the leader of the initial riot at the bridge, and deeply regrets his decision to fight as it lead to the death of many of his friends. Grayson, on the other hand, is the Chief Enforcer. She is also well aware of the damage that another riot will bring, and tries everything in her power to prevent it. The two strike a deal.

(Grayson and Vander privately discussing the terms of their deal.)

Grayson agrees to keep her Enforcers out of the Undercity as much as possible, as long as Vander agrees to prevent people from the Undercity to cause trouble in Piltover. The deal, however, is not an equal one. Vander is forced into a corner as he does not contain nearly as much military power as Grayson does. And although Grayson does not want violence, she does not have much of say over her troops if Piltover's governing council feels threatened. A special report by David Bayley and Robert Perito identifies this particular form of corruption, "The notion of “noble-cause corruption,” that is, illegal actions undertaken to achieve laudable ends, is a contradiction in terms in relation to the narrow definition. Noble misbehavior by police refers to actions undertaken on the presumption that they achieve a larger social good, such as the extrajudicial killing of vicious criminals or dropping of malicious prosecutions." (Bayley, David)

This deal keeps the peace for a while, however, as the issues in the Undercity are repeatedly ignored, the people of Zaun become restless. These leads to an internal discourse between the people of the Undercity. One side wants to fight the Enforcers while the other wants to prevent more bloodshed. What do the Enforcers do about this? Nothing. They instead cause more problems as they mindlessly barge into the Undercity, looking for the thieves who robbed an inventor's workshop. This conflict coalesces into a massive power shift. Both Vander and Grayson perish from this battle, and two new sides are created. Marcus, who was Grayson's assistant, becomes the Chief Enforcer and works out a deal with Silco, a notorious crime lord in the Undercity and the main antagonist of the series. This deal is marginally worse, for reasons that will be better explained later on.* The concept of police making bribes with business owners is not a stretch of the imagination by any means. The special report also referenced, "The reports of the thirty-two police commissions on the police identified thirty-five forms of corruption, which can be grouped into four categories: scale and organization, predatory forms, subversion of justice, and gifts and discounts." (Bayley, David) There is a massive amount of corruption and bias that exists within the police system, and Arcane emphasizes this through the interactions within it's world.

SECTION 2: THE DIFFERENCES OF PERSPECTIVES

Arcane also utilizes it's characters as a mouthpiece of it's core themes and messages. The story revolves around at least 10 major characters. Each with their own backstories and perspectives that interact with one another. Each choice a character decides to make drastically effects the course of events that happen throughout the narrative. These choices come from predisposed beliefs that each character contains. For example, a character from Topside may automatically distrust a character from the Undercity. Below is a description of some of the key majors characters, and their ideologies that are a direct result of the hierarchical system of Piltover and Zaun.

(Character name from left -> right: Viktor, Heimerdinger, Mel, Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi, Vander, Silco, Jinx/Powder)

Vander: Known as the "Hound of the Underground," Vander is a large, bulky man who prioritizes keeping the peace above everything else. He runs his bar "The Last Drop" and takes in the orphans Vi, Powder, Mylo, and Claggor. He is haunted by his past misdeeds, and is partially responsible for Silco's resentment. Vander represents a misguided complacency, and his faults lie in his avoidance to conduct any change in the unjust status quo.

Silco: Another resident of the Undercity, Silco is a deceitful, calculative crime lord whose main goal is seperate the Undercity into a seperate nation of Zaun. He plans to do this by using Shimmer, an addictive substance that grants temporary super strength to those who consume it. He is the archnemesis of Vander, whom left him to die after a fight on whether or not they should launch an attack on Piltover. Silco represents the highest form of radicalization against the monopolistic hierarchy of Piltover. He possesses an end justify the means' mentality by using his criminal organization to topple the power of Piltover's government. Because of this, he is seen as an unethical monster to most of the other characters.

Vi: The oldest of the orphans that Vander adopted, she is a tough and rebellious thief that wants to fight for the Undercity that she grew up in. Her parents were killed during the riot on the bridge. She is the biological sister to Powder. Vi represents a younger, more naive perspective of fighting for what you believe in no matter what. Towards the beginning of the show, she does not fully understand the cost of what a full revolution would truly have. Despite this, she follows Vander out of a familial bond.

Jayce: Jayce is a young inventor from Piltover who experienced first hand the power of magic. He wants to combine magic and technology to bring forth a new era of progress in Piltover. He succeeds in this endeavor, and creates what is known as hextech. Hextech is the combination of science and magic to create new inventions. but becomes so swept up in politics that he begins to lose sight of why he wanted to do these things in the first place.

Viktor: Viktor is a young scientist who moved from the Undercity to Piltover in order to attend a prestigious academy. He meets Jayce, and assists him in his invention of hextech. Viktor, unlike Jayce, does not get too involved with the politics of Piltover, and becomes increasingly frustrated at Jayce's hesitance to push newer inventions to the public. This impatience is exemplified by the fact that Viktor is dying, and wants to progress hextech to a point where it can potentially heal his disease.

Jinx/Powder: The youngest orphan that Vander takes in, and is seen as helpless by most other characters. In order to prove herself, Powder uses a force she does not fully understand and incurs a tragedy that leads to the death of those close to her. She is then taken in by Silco, who becomes an adopted father to her. However, as she becomes more violent and impulsive. She, like Silco, becomes a major antagonist towards the second half of the show.

Jinx is an important character due to her development throughout the series. Her relationship between her sister Vi and Silco very much resembles the relationship between the upper and lower cities. While she wants to depend on Vi, and have her sister there to look out for her, she cannot deny the damage she both endured/ inflicted. Much like Zaun, Powder reaches her breaking point and decided to become the villainous Jinx by the end of the first season.

Each of these characters interact in a way that advances the concept of these barriers that exist between the upper class and lower class.

The above clip is an example of how societal differences can affect how a character may perceive a different "group" of people. In this scene, Jayce reaches a limit and lets his internal biases control his advice to Viktor. The show does an excellent job at avoiding focalization- and provides other counter views in the story so the audience can immediately come to the conclusion that Jayce is clearly in the wrong for saying something like that. This comes to an emotional point in the show, where Viktor explains how he is FROM the Undercity, and Jayce realizes the impact of his words.

This is absolutely true outside of fiction. The article "The Dangerous Separation of the American Upper Middle Class" describes the disconnect as, "An upper middle class status is likely to be both a cause and consequence of a high degree of self- confidence and ability to navigate the complexities of the world." (Reeves, Richard)

The graph above compares the proportion of those believing things are changing too face and the amount of income they have. Interestingly, those of higher income are more comfortable with change than those of lower income. These complex viewpoints are shown in Arcane, particularly with Silco. Silco fears the development of hextech, because that means Piltover can create a better defense for itself against Silco's shimmer. He desperately wants to delay it's progression because he believes that the Undercity will not stand a chance against it.

SECTION 3: MIXING THE FANTASTICAL WITH THE POLITICAL

The central story of Arcane revolves around the development of two technologies: Shimmer and Hextech. Shimmer is a purple liquid substance that puts it's consumer into a manic bloodlust. The consumer possesses supernatural strength, however will return to normal after the effects wear off. This substance is extremely addictive, and spreads rapidly throughout the Undercity. This is executed by Silco, who creates multiple Shimmer factories in the Undercity.

(A vial of Shimmer being held by it's creator, Singed)

The fictional substance of Shimmer is a clear symbol for real-life drugs that have created an epidemic in society. It closely resembles steroids or hallucinogens. Steroids can give temporary muscle growth, however, there is an extremely large risk on a unhealthy dependency. The Journal article Drug Legislation and the Minority Poor mentions, "Minority communities have been hardest hit by addictive drug epidemics over past decades and the sentiments of their representatives will of necessity carry great weight in legislative debates. The violence associated with the sale and use of drugs is found primarily in the minority communities of large and medium-sized cities." (Kornblum, William) The correlation of drug usage and low income has been an issue throughout American history. But why is Shimmer most popular in the Undercity? It is because of the lack of power the citizens feel like they have. Many Undercity residents are forced to defend themselves against criminals, and this desperation has them clamoring for any form of power they can get. The St. Joseph Institute states that drug abuse can come from, "Feeling as though you are powerless over your own future..." (St. Joseph Institute). Poverty increases vulnerability and fear, and that fear is covered up through drug addiction. Arcane shows how this feeling of helplessness stems from the lack of proper protection from those who are supposed to protect them.

The other primary invention throughout the show is called Hextech. It was developed by Jayce and Viktor. It is the combination of magic and technology, which was originally a taboo within the community. Hextech is used to create incredible inventions. One example being a way to teleport an entire flying ship to other nations. This granted huge benefits to international trade, and Jayce was seen as an icon by Piltover.

(A Hexgate, which transports airships across the world instantly.)

As tensions build between Topside and the Undercity, the ruling council of Piltover approach Jayce and Viktor with ideas of using hextech as a means of defense. Both Jayce and Viktor are opposed to this, because it went against what Hextech was designed to do in the first place. They created it in order to help people only. But, due to the divide between the two sides of the nation, it was being used to harm others. A Pandora's Box was opened. The story turns from an attempt to create something new to an arms race. Hextech was kept from Undercity in order to prevent Undercity denizens from using it to revolt. Historically, there has always been a level of inaccessibility of new technologies for lower class citizens. In modern times, the technology of a school possesses greatly impacts the effectiveness of educating it's students. The article Is Technology Widening Opportunity Between Rich and Poor Kids? references sociologists Keith E. Stannovich and Anne E. Cunningham, who says, "'The very tool designed to level the playing field is, in fact, un-leveling it. The not-so-small disparities in skills for children of affluence and children of poverty are about to get even larger.'" (Paul, Annie) While educational technology and weaponry are very forms of innovation, they mark a similar precedent. Arcane highlights how something that may seem beneficial for all may only create a bigger divide.

The series Arcane does an effective using it's story to commentate how there is a fundamental disconnect between the upper and lower gaps. Additionally, those who govern this society will inevitably abuse the system they control in order to make themselves feel safer or wealthier. While violence is not an answer to these issues, allowing them to sit and fester will make the gap worse. If class equality is to be achievable, those who are not given a platform must be given it. And the higher class must do their part to adequately assist in reform.

[drumcanister]

just saw a minor spoiler for arcane season 2

im actually so mad

[londonhalcyon]

Sevika????? The old enforcers general??? I can't think of any other fem character that isn't considered a main one??? Unless Babette?

Ohhh, you might be disappointed to learn just how vanilla I am.

To be fair, I do like several different types of characters; this just happens to be one of the most prominent ones.

Arcane Season 2, Act 1 spoilers below the cut—plus a body horror jumpscare and a loooong essay on the inner workings of my mind.

It’s Elora! Who kinda might be already very dead by the start of the next act.

If you’ve seen how I write Kathy in The Mad Witch or Ellie in my Fallout 4 fics—or even just how I adore characters like Effie Perine from The Maltese Falcon—you might be able to guess how much I love the “keen-eyed assistant with a witty sense of humor” kind of character. The ones who are present for major events but stand off to the side, not directly involved but certainly observing.

I liked Elora well enough in Season 1. We aren’t given too much about her, but Arcane is brilliant at sneaking in small details—enough to make me go, “Huh! What’s going on with you?” From context, we’re able to tell:

While Elora is Mel’s assistant, they have a really friendly relationship that appears grounded in loyalty and trust, which is fascinating considering the whole political chess game always going on.

It’s highly likely Elora followed Mel into exile from Noxus, which raises a whole host of questions about any life she may have left behind.

It’s possible Elora may be required to report on Mel to Ambessa. She definitely handles communications with her. Though, if this is the case, she seems loyal to Mel first.

So Season 1 got me idly asking questions, but my general reaction was still, “Cool! Fun background character!”

Now we have Act 1 of Season 2. Y’all…the show can’t do this to me. It’s not fair.

In like two minutes of screen time we get confirmation that Elora does serve as a sort of spymaster for Mel—and the girl is stressed. She seems almost distraught that Mel had to seek information from another source, that she can’t work out what Ambessa is planning. And that reaction caught me off guard? Like, hold on, now I really want to know what’s going on with you.

Only then they’re immediately attacked by the Black Rose and as I’m internally screaming, “Nononono, don’t you dare, don’t you dare,” Elora is doing a horror movie turn towards the camera in tears as roses grow out of her face and you can’t do this to me—you can’t get me asking questions about a character and then threaten to kill that character off a minute later.

So, I foresee one of three things happening next:

The roses killed her, meaning she’ll be dead at the start of the next act,

She survives, at least for a minute, or

She’s actually a double agent and her anxiety was either a deception or because she knew what was about to happen.

But I do trust Arcane’s writers. Even minor character deaths have a tendency to haunt the narrative, so I’m very curious what effect there will be if she does die. Depending on what happens, though, I might have to write something just to give myself closure, because I have already spent way too much time thinking about a character who stands in the background for most of the show.