#i like to think jinx had that exact discussion with him and he didn't get it. so she found ways to get back at him

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Are we gonna talk about how that finale entirely erased any conversation about class divisions or are we too focused on ships?

Are we gonna talk about how Caitlyn for a good chunk of the season willingly enforces violence and opression against the lowest class, no doubt directly causing more deaths and suffering, and she is forgiven by the narrative without any meaningful reflecting?

Her great moment getting together with Vi is right after she JUST had a conversation with Jinx where we see she STILL doesn't recognize any class bias she clearly has, insted making it about HER.

Her and the other enforcers are treated like noble heroes in the final battle, all the blame put on Ambesa. Vi's happy ending is getting into a relationship with the exact type of person who perpetuated all the suffering she endured as a child.

Are we gonna talk about how Jayce never leaves his privilege pedestal, never actually reflects on how he was also enforcing violence to the people of the undercity and living on his bliss of progress at THEIR expense?

Jayce, who got help on every step of the way to get to where he is, who wasn't disabled, who never lived the kind of poverty or class obstacles Viktor did, who never recognized the harm he enabled and was complicit to, HE was the one to tell Viktor "People build their own destiny." and "There is beauty in imperfection" ?????

Not to mention the whole bit where he implies Viktor did all that because he wanted to "eradicate what he thought was weakness"??? Didn't we stablished Viktor wanted to HELP THE PEOPLE FROM THE UNDERCITY TO HAVE BETTER LIFE CONDITIONS?? don't try to gaslight me.

I know this is just a TV show, but I need to remind everyone that what perpetuates opressive, discriminatory and violent systems as long and as deeply as they do is indiference. Is turning your head and enabling others to stay ignorant.

Edit: You guys are misunderstanding me. And I admit it is probably my fault, I wrote this high with emotion I wasn't as eloquent.

Jayce's exact choice of words or his time living in the alternate world is nowhere near my point.

My point is, that the narrative is establishing that the privileged character, is the one that has to show (and is quite literally, textually, always the one to show) the underprivileged character that "he was looking at life the wrong way." Forgetting that Viktor's journey of feeling powerless was greatly influenced by the fact he was poor and from the undercity.

That's what I meant by it erasing the part of the plot about class systems. In the end, the story only requires Jayce to understand Viktor's struggle on a superficial level, but the text never recognizes that it as the product of a deeply rooted SYSTEMIC ISSUE. One Jayce and even Viktor on some level, benefited from and perpetuated.

Understanding Viktor still doesn't give him any moral ground, and nobody ever challenges him on that because the story isn't interested in that anymore.

And the same with Caitlyn. She knows what she did what's wrong, fine, she feels bad. Like I said, she still has a class bias, and no character challenges her on it again because the story derails to magic and fighting and whatnot.

The plot just forgets (or ignores) that layer of the story despite it being so prominent up until now.

And ignoring the class discussion does a disservice to every single character because they were initially built on it. You can see it in how they lose the essence they had on s1.

I know y'all love the characters and want to empathize with all their motivations, okay? But the fundamental issue is that characters also represent things, and more so in a story as political as this one. We also have the right to point out that the show told us they represented something and then abandoned that narrative.

What do I think they could have done differently? If I tell you scene by scene we could be here for an entire year. The gist of it is: I think they should have stuck to the character themes they already had established.

Vi as someone fiercely loyal to the undercity beyond her relationship with Powder/Jinx, and being "cursed" by the role of the older sister. Jayce as someone with good intentions but who is ultimately limited by his blind idealism. Mel as a cunning politician who thinks she is on the right path because she isn't violent like her mother, not realizing she is still perpetuating it. Caitlyn as someone kind and compassionate who realizes the institutions she believed in are fundamentally flawed, and because of the way they are built will never be on the side of kindness. Etc, etc.

None of that gets any meaningful resolution.

I am glad if you liked it, or got something from it, you are entitled to your opinion.

I wanted to say this because I was angry, and still am. Because there was so much incredible potential, and honestly, to me, it feels like the writers chickened out on actually saying something in the end.

That's all I have to say about that.

[hannieehaee]

can u write something about seungkwan having a s/o with the same personality/vibe as vernon? like one day he would just show up showing his new partner to introduce to the members and they would be like ? this is another version of vernon lol it would be so funny 😭😭

content: bf!seungkwan, established relationship, jeonghan being annoying, other members are present, fluff, etc.

wc: 617

a/n: lol i think seungkwan would totally date someone similar to vernon. their dynamic would eat

masterlist

"i didn't realize your type was vernon."

"what are you talking about?", seungkwan tilted his head in curiosity, furrowing his eyebrows.

jeonghan pointed over at you and a few of the other members, conversing in the distance, "i'm talking about that," he said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"i'm still not getting it."

"that's literally vernon. their style, their deadpan attitude, their voice. they even have the same elitist taste in music and movies. dude, you're dating vernon," he was needlessly exasperated as he listed off his evidence.

"w-wha- that's not true!", seungkwan instantly entered a defensive mode, "sure, vernon's cute, but they're nothing alike. you're crazy."

"just wait til vernon gets here and you'll see. world's gonna explode when they meet."

~

today was the first day seungkwan had ever introduced you to his members. most were currently in the practice room, so you had quickly been able to meet the present ones and engage in conversation. much to seungkwan's contentment, you fit in with the guys perfectly. from the moment you walked in, you managed to assimilate to them seamlessly, almost as if you were part of the group.

come to think of it, it was slightly unnerving how well you fit. jeonghan's words made more and more sense the more he watched you interact with his members. you were kind of like vernon, especially from afar. your dynamic with each of his members seemed pretty similar to that of vernon's, and even your mannerisms unknowingly replicated his. hell, your style was even pretty much the same!

seungkwan could've spent hours mindlessly analyzing the scene in front of him uninterrupted, but suddenly your twin turned up.

seungkwan was snapped out of his trance by a passing pat on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly as he looked to his side to notice vernon passing by him with a quiet 'sup' before continuing to walk in the direction where you were conversing with the rest of the members.

quietly, seungkwan followed, with jeonghan trailing behind him with a chuckle.

"oh, hey," vernon nodded towards you in the nonchalant way he usually did, "you must be kwannie's partner," he offered you a light smile.

you responded with a similarly nonchalant greeting, shaking hands with vernon casually.

"hey. you're vernon, right? kwannie talks about you all the time," you gave him a closed-smile that almost mirrored his own.

"yah! that's not true!", whined kwan.

"dude he won't shut up about you," vernon joined in as he chuckled at his friend's dramatics.

suddenly you and vernon started a conversation completely aside from seungkwan. all the poor boy could do was stand there and watch, equal parts amused and surprised at seeing two people so similar.

jeonghan stood next to him as he watched, though he was more entertained than anything, occasionally chuckling at you and vernon jinxing each other by saying eerily similar things, or even reacting to one another in the exact same way.

"do you think the world will combust if they touch?", murmured seokmin who had just joined in on watching the spectacle.

seungkwan simply grumbled, continuing to attempt to join the conversation despite having no idea of what movie you and vernon were currently discussing.

by the end of it, you and vernon had exchanged contacts, with you providing seungkwan with a hug and a kiss before making your way out.

before seungkwan could say anything, vernon came up to him with yet another pat on his shoulder.

"hey, i like your partner. they're a keeper," he said without nothing the snickers leaving his other members, nor seungkwan's agape mouth at what he'd just witnessed.

hell. maybe he did have a type.

[fairystarstorm]

Thinking about what's going wrong with Arcane s2

I have not finished s2 yet (still need to finish act 3 but basically got all the major spoilers). I feel like a big problem with this season and why the Z vs P conflict fizzled out is that so many characters are simply not in the that narrative anymore. Especially since they all had interesting stories to explore in regards to it. And if they are apart of the plot line, the things that would make things more interesting are simply ignored.

Taken from the narrative

Heimdinger: the founder of the city realising that the society he built ain't shit and that he failed Zaun by not helping to uplift and protect them (instead of just picking out a pupil from Zaun and calling it a day). All that Talk about how destructive magic could be in the wrong hands while realising he build a society filled with those exact wrong hands because of his inaction. Him actually putting in the work to change and dismantle those structures and belief systems that he allowed to grow in the first place

Jace: He goes against his own morals once again to build weapons for Caitlyn and her team. But we get none of the introspection or the regret that should have gone with it. Why because he is off in an alternative reality fighting for his life. He finds out that Hextech is poisoning Ekko's tree and there's nothing more to that conversation?? If something had gone wrong with the core it could have destroyed Zaun? Something could have happened that could have disabled or killed many others like it did with Viktor. But let's gloss over it. Him reconciling with his actions as a councilor??? That kid really was just a blip in his life i guess.

Viktor: a big problem I feel with Viktor's character is that he can feel very removed from Zaun at times. Like we never got to see his horror about Hextech being used against his people. We never got to know about any family or how he actually felt about being resurrected. What his plan was for Zaun beyond making a little commune. A huge part of that is also because they barely let this man have meaningful interactions with anyone in s2 besides ghost Sky and Jace. Vi, Jinx, Vander and Isha going to his commune could have been a possibility for that. Because even though I do believe that Vander and him did not know each other personally, I don't think he would not have known of him. Also we barely hear him talk meaningfully about his identity as a Zaunite in Piltover

Ekko (and the firelights in general): In my opinion the biggest snub. The others character arcs were mostly about other things in s1 (piltover politics, hextech etc.) but Ekko's whole motivation was to protect his ppl from both the enforcers and Silco. However we didn't get to see him deal with the rise of enforcers in the undercity or Sevika being the one to try and unite Zaun. We didn't get to see him grapple with the fact that Vi became an enforcer or that he was wrong to place his trust in Caitlyn. And even though I love how ep7 is highlighting his good qualities I wish they were explored in his timeline. Him being there would have also allowed for more spotlights for the firelights and Zaunites in general. None of the other people in the cast (Except for Vander) are as involved with regular people in Zaun then he was. It makes Zaun feel less complex and lived in beyond the visuals.

Mel: Considering that they are setting up her mother as the true big bad (which flattened the Z vs P conflict + general bad writing surrounding ambessa which i won't discuss now), it would have been nice to have her be able to react. Like in the beginning of the season we get it a little bit with Mel using spies to figure out her mother's plans. We could have had her realise that Piltover is not fundamentally different from Noxus because of how easy it was for her mother to take over. Only that the violence they dish out is different between the 2 cities. We could have had her sit that in both cases she is part of the oppressive class and that she was only acting out of self interest rather than actually caring about these issues. Instead of her being Kidnapped to get powers, let her finish the story arch that had been set up for her in s1.

Underexplored

Sevika (And Jinx): her involvement with Silco and how that is seen by Zaunites that are not chembarons. Ppl being unwilling to trust or listen to Sevika pleading for united Zaun when she was apart of Silco's operations make sense. Silco brought shimmer into Zaun. Ekko says that a lot of the firelights joined because of how it ruined their lives. Sevika having to struggle with her role in it and how it ultimately makes it harder for the to reach her goal would have been satisfying! Also her showing up after episode 4 would have been nice in general. Also same with ekko, she was the only one who was reaching out and communicating with different groups of Zaun. She and Ekko were windows into Zaun society that they just kept closed for some reason.

Vi: Just everything man.... her trauma, her choosing to be an enforcer, her alcoholism... her relationship with Jinx/powder, her guilt, her role as protector who seems to be failing no matter what she does. All kinda of flushed through the drains for caitvi to be able to exist (yes i dislike caitvi, no i also don''t really care for jayvik or timebomb and i am also a lesbian).

Jinx: I thinks she has been done quite well so far but I have heard for how her arch ends and it is just bad..... also wished they explored Isha more and what Vander coming back would mean for Jinx

Caitlyn: wish they would actually put the responsibility of her actions onto her instead of Ambessa/Jinx killing her mom. Also the fact it was never addressed that even in s1 she was microagressive as fuck towards Zaunites. Yes she eventually saw the need for independence (after talking to Ekko mind you) but does that mean anything if when she was in power due was actively making things worse for Zaun. She could have started working kn redeeming herself but the fact that the narrative/the writers don't want to put the full blame on her just makes that idea seem laughable

Tbh a lot of it has to do with the fact that the writers didn't let characters interact with each other for long periods of time or deal with the consequences of their actions but hey at least the coplesbians fucked and the scientists had their madoka magica moment

[thewistlingbadger]

In the Arcane fandom we've discussed in length about blame and fault and "where things went wrong." Over the years we've tried to pinpoint the exact moment "things went wrong" we've talked about all sorts of hypotheticals and we've come to the conclusion that the events of arcane were avoidable but inevitable. Silco would have taken Jayce's deal had it not been for the Jinx Clause in it, but Jinx is the only reason Jayce offers him the treaty in the first place. If Jinx didn't steal the hex gem, then Jayce would have never became a councilor, vi would have never gotten out of Stillwater, and she would have never met Caitlyn. We like to think that had certain things not have occurred, things could have been different. Maybe things would have been different had the kids not went on that job, had Jinx stayed home, etc. But ultimately, even if certain actions hadn't been taken, similar results would have been occured. Silco was going to strike regardless of what happened, tragedy would have occurred anyways. It's a devastating and beautiful truth of arcane.

Which is why I just can't get behind episode seven of Arcane's second season. Its nature completely dismisses this aspect of the first season that was a key part of what made Arcane, Arcane. Episode 7 not only ignores the fact that "actions have consequences", it ignores the potential avenues those consequences have, and it ignores the idea of choice entirely.

Episode seven explores an alternate timeline where Vi died in the heist that occurred in the first episode of the series. This is a possibility I don't think anyone in the fandom has ever considered, it just seems so random. This is a change in the universe that is based on the chance that Vi was too close to the explosion and not the choice that she made to partake in the heist in the first place. We then see that several things in the AU are completely different than the actual timeline of Arcane. We see that Mylo and Jinx get along well, that Jinx and Ekko are dating, that Zaun and Piltover are at peace, that Silco and Vander have reconciled. But we're never shown how these changes came to be, what inspired them. This is once again is an erasure of choice. There were so many AUs they could have given us to explore the potential consequences of the characters' actions and the characters themselves. AUs that would have probably been more interesting and more insightful and could have furthered character development and also, would have just made more sense. I struggle with the fact that episode seven explores a "everything is good" au and NOT a "what if" au, when there's so many potential "what ifs" season one established.

As is, it doesn't make sense that Vi's death would result in the positive reunion of silco and Vander or the peace between the two cities. But imagine if this was a what if au instead. What if the au we got was an au where Vander agreed to fight with Silco in episode three? What if the au was an au where Ekko never gave them the tip about Jayce? What if it was an au where Felicia never died, or an au where the brothers never split? Any of these aus would have been super interesting and would have made more sense given the results we see in episode seven.

Particularly, I think it would have been very good to explore an au where Ekko never gave the tip. As is, we actually don't know much about Ekko and his character, who he is. Had they gone with this au, they could have explored Ekko's potential guilt for giving the tip. But as is, episode 7 doesn't actually explore Ekko's characters, despite the fact that he's the main character of this episode. We don't learn anything new about Ekko in this episode. He starts the episode wanting to go home and that stays the same the entire time.

Episode seven really just eliminates any choice in my eyes it just seems like things just magically click into place, which is so disappointing for a show like Arcane. This was the perfect opportunity to explore actions/consequences and instead they opted out for randomness and chance instead.

[novankenn]

"Jaune Gets a Gun AU - Day 3" Date-a-Live - Spirit (Angel)

Emerald rushed to catch up to the four that were carrying Jaune away from the Colonial Marines booth. She was worried that the others would try to make further inroads towards capturing Jaune's heart, and even if she wasn't truly attracted to Jaune's male form, she still didn't want to lose her chance at the possibility of happiness. When she finally caught up, Jinx was brushing off Jaune's outfit as the other three were discussing where to go next.

Emerald: How about lunch? That's where we were headed before, you know...

Tiny Tina: I could eat.

Ruby: I'm kind of hungry as well.

Pyrrha: If we're all thinking the same thing, then I guess we should. I'll cover everyone.

Jaune: You don't...

Pyrrha: I'm COVERING everyone. I barely touch all my sponsorship funds, so I want to splurge.

Jaune: I guess... if everyone else is...

Jinx: Jaune, what's wrong?

Jaune: (Pressing his hand against his chest.) I feel... strange.

????: I've finally found you.

Tiny Tina: And who might you be?

Renie: My name is Renie, and I am very interested in you... Jaune Arc.

Jaune: Who? (groans) How?

The girls slowly started to form a protective circle about the beloved blond knight. They stopped their slow advance when Jaune groaned, and as they turned they watched him fall to his knees gripping his chest, agony on his face.

Girls: JAUNE!

Whipping back around Pyrrha, Jinx and Tiny Tina prepared to get answers only to find the woman who identified herself as Renie, was gone, replaced by...

Phantom: It is time, Jaune. Touch this, and all your suffering will cease...

The cloaked figure vanished and reappeared next to Jaune`s kneeling form.

Phantom: ... unlock your potential. Unleash all that they bound inside you.

Jaune: *Groan

Ruby: (Rushing forward with her semblance) Get away...

The other girls were only seconds behind Ruby in their own charge, to end up bowled over as Ruby was sent flying backwards into them. The figure hadn't even moved.

Phantom: Just touch it, Jaune... touch it.

As the girls struggled to untangle themselves, the strange floating crystal drifted downward. Jaune tried to swat it aside, but as soon as he touched it.

Jaune`s scream caused them all to freeze. A pure and utter sense of dread filling their hearts. The light that had been centred where Jaune and the crystal had touched, faded...

Ruby: Okay, what the FUDGE is it with people turning Jaune into WAIFUs!

Emerald: She's kinda cute.

Jinx: She is. Definitely cute, almost like how I'd picture and Angel.

Emerald: I can totally see it.

Tiny Tina: Seriously, you two, J-Baby has been transformed into a GIRL again!

Pyrrha: This is becoming a seriously troubling trend.

Phantom: Finally Angel...

Jinx: Called it!

Phantom: ... has arisen...

Jaune's eyes opened, and instantly zeroed onto Phantom. Pyrrha knew the look on Jaune's face, even if it wasn't his true face. He was pissed. Slowly he rose into the air...

Jaune: Metatron!

Phantom: Sh...!

Girls: SWEAR JAR!

Jaune: What did you DO to ME?

Phantom: I... um... well... it's like... ah...

Jaune: WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. TO. ME?

Ozpin: She unlocked a power that has been buried with in your family line for generations.

Girls: What the F...!

Ozpin: Swear Jar.

Jaune: She must... where'd she go?

Ozpin: (Taking a sip from his mug) It seems Phantom, or Ms Renie made a tactical retreat, as you are rather intimidating in this form Jaune.

Pyrrha: So what is going on?

Ozpin: Ms Renie used a special crystal, a sephira crystal to be exact, to unlock a power that has remained contained with in the Arc bloodline for generations, though it is rather interesting that it could manifest through you, considering you are male.

Tiny Tina: And I thought things were messed up in the Borderlands.

Jinx: I still think she's cute, almost adorable.

Emerald: I prefer his Tail-Yellow from, but I completely agree with that statement.

Pyrrha: So, let me get this straight? Jaune's entire family has powers like this hidden inside them? But, now correct me if I'm getting this wrong... only the girls should be able to access this... power?

Ozpin: Right in one, Ms Nikos.

Pyrrha: I need to sit down.

Ruby: So is he a WAIFU forever now? Or can he change back?

Jaune: Yeah, can I change back?

Ozpin: Yes, you can change back. Your spirit power just needs to be sealed, so it's not so overwhelming.

Jaune: And how do I do that?

Ozpin: (Leans in close to Ruby and whispers in her ear.) Kiss him Ms Rose, and you'll get your friend back... and maybe open the door to more?

Pyrrha: (Noticing Ruby's blush) What did you, just...?

Jinx/Tiny Tina/Emerald : Hey! No fair! We call hacks!

Pyrrha just stood there, completely shocked that in a burst of rose petals, Ruby raced up to Jaune's floating form and planted one on his lips. In a flash of light, Jaune was back to normal, and Ruby was weaving on her feet overcome with unadulterated joy.

Ozpin: My work is done, here. I bid you all a good day.

Jaune: I'm starting to feel like someone is playing with my life, just to see how ridiculous it can end up.

Pyrrha: (Taking a deep breath) Who would do that? Who could be capable of doing such a thing?

Jaune: (Rubbing the back of his neck) It's just a feeling I'm getting.

Ozpin rounded a corner and froze. His eyes growing concerned as a very intimidating figure stalked forward.

Ozpin: Glynda?

Glynda: The others will hear about this... tampering...

Ozpin: I didn't...

Glynda: You only informed Ms Rose on how to revert Jaune. It will be up to the others IF you remain part of the shipping-pool.

Ozpin: You can't! Lancaster forever!

Glynda: Blasphemy! Arkos shall rule the day!

Renie: (Hiding a distance away.) That's one... seven more to go, and finally this world will be freed from them...

(Okay, another dumb idea that just jumped into my head. Any way, the NEXT post will be another weapon based one. Hope You enjoyed)

[ozmatippetarius]

First point... The use of biochemicals by Kaitlyn is literally the leadup to her fascism evil dictator arc. She even gets creepy salute and a menacing cape. Like... It's pretty obvious that it's not good. The police has always been presented as oppressors that's why it's such a betrayal when Vi joined them.

At the time that it happens, I would say that was true. In the actual scene where the biochemicals are used, the framing is certainly that they are bad and Caitlyn knows as such. But the follow-through is that later on Vi insists they were necessary to use, and not that bad actually. This is the final time it is discussed, and that's the stance we're left on. This is the reason there are a significant number of fans out there insisting that the use of bioweapons wasn't that bad and Caitlyn didn't do anything harmful as dictator. Sure, it's bad media literacy, but at least part of the problem is that by the end of the series it is framed as such.

The child killing scene was a big deal. It was a dramatic shot. It's meant to represent how the technology had been weaponized and the first victims are the disenfranchised. Jayce felt bad about it but the fact that no one held him legally responsible is the point. That previlege, fear, and apathy for the poor allows the oppressive class to get away with wrongdoing. If we have him go on trial for wrongfully killing a child then that would say something entirely different about their society.

We don't just see that apathy from Piltover society, though. We see that same apathy from Silco, who says the child was lucky he didn't die earlier in gang wars, and from Jayce himself. After the attack by the child's mother, Jayce's reaction is not to feel any sort of remorse or accountability for his own actions leading to more violence- he doesn't make any such connections whatsoever. Instead, that attack is what inspires Jayce to begin making more weapons. These reactions set the tone for how the audience is meant to perceive this death- as sad, but ultimately blameless, not something to waste time thinking about later. And it's successful- like with the biochemical weapons, you'll find people making that exact assertion.

The ruling class literally did make weapons out of it! That was the whole point!! That was the whole reason why Heimerdinger stopped supporting the development of hextech and they even rubbed the point in with the scene where Jayce kills a child. Like… The ruling class absolutely can't be trusted with it!

Ultimately these weapons are what are used to save humanity- the stance of the series is 100% that these weapons are necessary. And listen, of course it is, they're trying to sell a game. Riot isn't about to create a series where they come out with the viewpoint that weapons are bad. They want viewers to see these weapons as cool, as something they would want to use. The conclusion is definitely not, "the ruling class absolutely can't be trusted with it!"

Despite fucking up everything, Jinx's act of resistance was still seen as heroic by other Zaunites. That's why you get the really iconic mural of her holding up a blue light, which is also iconic for the show in promos and marketing materials. You can literally also argue this is terrorism propaganda by the same logic.

Jinx is definitely the most sympathetic character, and part of that is that she's one of the only ones forced to reckon with the impact of her actions. She spends the entire second season feeling guilt about having messed everything up and being reminded of that by other characters. In other words, the framing of the show is unambiguously that while she is sympathetic, what she did was wrong. Contrast that with Caitlyn and Jayce, who similarly have their actions backfire and cause additional unintended violence, but have the writers tripping over themselves to excuse and minimize those effects afterwards, and never acknowledge those repercussions themselves or have anybody call them to task.

The commune was never presented as evil. Viktor was even helping Vander and presenting the possibility of a happy ending for the main family, whom we sympathize with and care deeply about, all the while Vi and Jinx and Isha had time to heal and rest. The destruction of the commune is obviously a tragedy. Only AFTER the commune's destruction did Viktor resolved to merge and become one.

The commune is absolutely presented as bad. Others find it unsettling when they enter, and that discomfort is proved to be correct when it turns out that every person in the commune was a shell being piloted, without their individual identity. It's absolutely a manifestation of fears about the effects of socialism.

Listen, I definitely feel that during the first season there were aspirations to make the points you saw. But the second season so completely undermined them.

it really does surprise me that Arcane doesn’t get more criticism for how much of it feels like right-wing propoganda. Y’all, I enjoyed the animation too,but you’ve got to consume media critically, too, you know? I mean, we’ve got:

Cops are good. If a cop is corrupt and bigoted, he���s a single bad egg and probably being paid off by somebody from the oppressed group anyway, which means ultimately the oppressed class is responsible for everything that happens to them. If a “good cop” does something reprehensible like use biochemical weapons on civilians, it was necessary and the oppressed group probably deserved it. If a cop gets killed on duty, they were probably trying to save a baby at the time.

Technology capable of creating weapons of mass destruction belongs in the hands of the ruling class. If a member of the oppressed class gets their hands on it, it’s a crisis and needs to be returned immediately. Of course the ruling class can be trusted not to make weapons with it themselves; that’s not even a point of discussion.

If poor children are killed by the ruling class, it’s no big deal. They probably would have gotten killed by somebody else in their shithole city anyway, you know? There’s no need to take any responsibility whatsoever. If the kid’s mother seeks vengeance, literally the only way of seeking accountability that she has, that’s justification to… make weapons with the aforementioned technology.

Communes are inherently evil and destroy your sense of self.

Violent revolution is always wrong. Oh, you have no legal representation or any other way to advocate for your rights? Wrong, surely if you sit quietly for long enough the ruling class will take benevolent action eventually. Here’s an alternate timeline to prove it.

And this is just off the top of my head… I guess I’m surprised to see all of this being eaten up so voraciously in this time, among people that I don’t think would say any of this aligns with their personal values?

[fba-art]

@smolgreenboi​

#[ wally ... sketchbooks are sacred diaries WE DO NOT SNOOP IN THOSE ]

yah if i was jinx i would’ve scalped this jackweed for that crime, alone

[our-hextech-dream]

i'd like to chime in on the viktor post, since it also became a bit of a viktor analysis: one thing that sort of came to my attention re: LoL vs Arcane is that in LoL, i think he's a fun antagonist. but when i watched arcane, i didn't know anything about LoL viktor. i absolutely adored his arc in Arcane; i felt like he wasn't reduced to his disability, he was extremely competent,and while he was definitely hindered by his disability, it wasn’t, like. This horrible, terrible burden he 1/?

suffered from and longed to be free of. He was an intelligent and brilliant inventor, and he also needed to use a cane. and i think that even though he made a mistake with the hexcore, it felt very much like jayce's actions killing a child. in the way that their actions, while they were mistakes, did not make them villains. they were still heroic, even if they made mistakes, because they were humbled due to their hubris and chose to learn from it. which i ADORE. but after reading up LoL lore i'm side-eyeing season two. so far the writing for the characters has been incredibly nuanced and satisfying for me, so i’m not SUPER worried, but i’m hoping that they don’t take viktor to quite the extremes of LoL viktor. I don’t know all of LoL’s lore, but as far as i can tell, Viktor didn’t have the same disabilities Arcane Viktor does -- and i’m a bit wary that they might turn him into a villain on the level of silco. Still nuanced, but certainly not very heroic. And disabled people so rarely get to be heroes! By all means, Viktor creating assistance devices using Hextech until he’s able to basically achieve the same physical feats as able bodied people would be great; but i also don’t want it to be like ‘look he’s cured now ayyy!’ i really hope that instead of that, he and jayce become more like ‘heroes on opposite sides’. LoL Viktor does have some of that nuance (like trying to save the catatonic people with the crystal), but i want that even moreso in Arcane.

i think if the discussion with @hexhomos taught me anything it's that LoL viktor can be a really subtle and multifaceted character! he can also be a mustache twirling villain in some of the 'side' league stories, but given my own comics fandom background i'm perfectly happy viewing that kind of stuff as sort of... dubiously canon. canon when i want it to be to make a point, noncanon when its annoying or breaks my interpretation of a character, lmao.

on the one hand, i wouldn't worry too much (which you said you haven't been) because the writers have done great so far and i don't see any reason that would suddenly change. on the other, arcane was created to tell the story of vi and jinx - everyone else is an afterthought, added because it makes sense for them to be there and they can add to the story, but they're not the focal points. so i can definitely see a portion of fans being disappointed because they feel like viktor didn't get the narrative focus they feel he would have needed to make his turn believable, and this is gonna be the loud portion of 'viktor ooc' fans, if i had to make an educated guess.

(i know i keep bringing up loki in the tags but i'm. so serious. treat the mcu fandom as a case study for this because i have been watching the exact same arguments play out again in real time. 'avengers loki didn't have a believable enough reason to become a villain therefore he's ooc' because we didn't get to see him explicitly tortured by thanos - it was implied, though. they spent exactly as much time on it as was necessary to give us the information we needed without taking the focus away from the actual main characters! i see arcane doing something similar with viktor and the hexcore. the writers are trusting us to be smart enough to pick up on the cues.)

re: his disabilities - we all need to be aware that empowering for me is not necessarily empowering for thee. there are going to be people who disagree with viktor's outcome no matter how arcane chooses to portray it or what they end up doing with his physical disabilities. cure him, don't cure him, lose the focus on his disabilities altogether, continue to focus on them even after his turn, let him keep his humanity, let him go full hal 9000; either way there are going to be people with perfectly valid points who will think they should have done the opposite. i hope that people can come to terms with all possible outcomes before s2 comes out, get cool with the idea that their ideal viktor may not be the one that arcane wants or needs. no matter what we may feel would be 'realistic', we have to keep in mind that he's a fictional character with a role to play in a story, and they're gonna make him play that part no matter how they have to get him there.