#jayce does indeed care for Mel

[trashnotfound]

S2 of arcane got me really thinking about the different relationship Jayce has with Mel and Viktor

Mel Is like a nice shiny trophy, who everyone praises Jayce for getting, it’s the one he shows off the most. Its got its own designated place on his Mantle. It comes up in conversation more times then he can count, viktor is the first trophy he ever won, it’s the first time he ever got confirmation he was good at something, not just good but the best. Sure it may be smaller, and it may not looks as nice, and it may be stored to the back of the display case where no one can se., He doesn’t show it off to anyone, and it barley comes up on conversation. But if someone were to ask jayce what his favourite trophy was, he’d say viktor.

it’s the first time he ever saw something in him self, and it’s been there to remind him how far he’s come. Viktor was his stepping stone, and without him he wouldn’t anywhere

[jayktoralldaylong]

Alright, there's something I'd like to talk about, and let's come at it with an open mind. When Season one of Arcane ended I was 99% sure that Mel was not going to make it to this season. I was praying for every kind of miracle that could happen just to keep that beautiful goddess on screen but she was the first line of contact for that bomb.

Now that everything has been revealed, I want to talk about that bomb.

Ironically, Season two episode one starts with the exact same shine of gold that ended season one.

See, season one:

Season two:

And when the smoke clears we can see her leaning really close to Jayce, like she got blasted towards him.

Now, looking at the seat arrangements from Season one, I can actually see it a lot better now that I'm taking a second look. We can see that she is standing directly in the line of fire, Jayce is standing to her left and Viktor is sitting in his chair, Jayce's chair. Just about everyone sitting by her right died, Salo is sitting furthest away from the blast, opposite her. He probably saw it just a few seconds before she did.

And when she wakes up, all groggy and out of focus, her hands are on his shoulder. They been there, she did not just put them there, she already had her hands on him. Protecting him.

But what I really want to pay attention to, is the look on Mel's face when she and Jayce take in the damage.

The entire place burned down. Realistically, not a single person should have survived that, especially not unharmed.

Then the damage starts sinking in (Don't look at Jayce, look at Mel):

Look at Mel, as they look around the room of injured Councillors.

Jayce is panicking, full on panicking, he's had his nerves rattled, he's never seen anything like this (unlike Mel who, if the audience remembers, grew up in Noxus). And the sweetest thing is how she follows him around, trying to comfort him, while he's trying to shake Cassandra awake.

And she stays right there by his side, until her mother pulls her away (foreshadowing about their duties pulling them apart perhaps?)

Now, imagine you were in the middle of a disaster, a terrible disaster, and you had the power to save every single person in that room, but you did not know this because no one ever bothered once telling you that you had powers. However, in that moment, you did indeed save one person, without knowing, without even thinking. Who did Mel save?

She saved Jayce. (The craziest thing about that.....is that.... Viktor was literally right beside him. He was right beside Jayce OMG 😭😭).

Watching this scene, I cannot imagine the amount of guilt that threatened to swallow Mel whole ever0y time she saw the aftermath of what happened and a small part of her brain would nag her that she could have prevented it, that she could have protected Jayce's friend.

So why Jayce? Why ONLY Jayce?

"Because she loves him."

Obvious answer, two plus two equals four, but this is Arcane we're talking about, there is more to this simple equation and it is plain to see in their reactions in the aftermath.

Jayce is devastated. He is new to war, he does not know shit about it, it scares him to see all the people that he respects flattened like they are nothing. The Piltover Council means something to Jayce.

To Mel, they are colleagues. They are.... people with names and faces and power. They are people she would help on a normal day, but at the first sign of danger she clung to one person.

Jayce was Viktor's first friend, and he was Mel's too. He was the first person to tell her that she was not crazy. The first person to strangely believe in her dreams, to pour out affection not out of arrogance but genuine care that he was not ashamed or even hesitant to show her. He fought for peace when she began to doubt. When she felt unstable, his naivete and pure heart steadied her.

Mel loved Jayce. Loved him so much that she did not freak out when he was tweaking cause of the Arcane. So much that she fought for him when he was getting outright dominated by his ex. 💀💀 And while it is not the space shattering world changing soul bonded union of javik, I think it is beautiful that Mek loved Jayce.

I think it's ironic that the brotherly love that people keep trying to achieve with Jayce and Viktor was represented so well with Jayce and Mel. I think it's iconic that a male and female character that banged on screen can go their separate ways without a dramatic breakup and without losing the entirety of their care for one another (cause some of it was definitely damaged after their individual trauma).

What I'm trying to say is that Mel loved Jayce. The love was there. Call it romantic or platonic or whatever but she cared about him more than she cared about anyone in that room when that bomb went off.

And it just twists something in my heart....that Jayce was so loved by the two people that meant so much to him. That he gave all of his heart out and they gave everything back because of how selfless his love was. Everyone says Viktor and Mel are out of Jayce's league but they both keep putting him first. (⁠T⁠T⁠) They just cannot resist that all encompassing love of his. It saved Viktor, and it saved Mel who finally found her truth, and lost him to find it.

[corvidaequeer]

There's not really a point to this. I'm not saying Arcane is bad or you shouldn't watch it or you shouldn't like Jayce or jayvik... I'm just feeling annoyed at the way they took Jayce's character in the second season for a lot of reasons & I want to rant about it.

Starting with the whole scene of Jayce & Mel talking by comatose Viktor. Jayce says "never again" to making hextech weapons & Mel promises to protect his & Victor's dream. Then, 30 seconds later, Jayce makes Caitlyn more hextech weapons anyway! His wishy-washy promise wasn't surprising, just annoying that he'd make the same mistake AGAIN (Then a third time to defend Piltover from Ambessa's attack).

-

Later, in seeing the whole story, we know that Viktor sent Jayce back to teach himself some life lesson. So why was Jayce's first reaction to kill Salo & blow a hole in Viktor's chest?? Shouldn't he have tried to reach Viktor in a less murdery way first? Try to reason with him & teach him said life lesson? It just doesn't make sense.

-

After Jayce gets back to Piltover, he has this sudden resentment & distrust towards Mel. Where did that come from? Why does Jayce suddenly think Mel is an enemy?

Jayce starts accusing Mel of selecting who she protected. What would she have to gain from that? Even if Mel DID know she had powers, why would Jayce think she would willfully let the council & Viktor die? Why would he think her so cruel?

Then there's the "investments" line. Firstly, it was Alora that called Jayce an investment. Mel just said, "Indeed." Secondly, Who the fuck told him that happened anyway??

Then Jayce claims Mel was "using" them? Yes, she wanted Jayce & Viktor as allies & directed them in her favor, but thats really not "using" them. She saw a good opportunity to make some change & took it like anyone else would. The rest of the council used him for their own benefit far more than Mel did. But more importantly, Mel CARED about Jayce & Viktor. She cared about their dreams & helped them to achieve it! She was the one who supported them from the start. She was trying to get the council NOT to make hextech weapons. She wanted to protect their dream, but she's still somehow "using" Jayce & Viktor to get hextech?! Jayce is the one who keeps making hextech weapons without anyone pressuring him to do so! So what was the narrative point of having Jayce take his regrets out on Mel? What function did it serve?

That whole scene was just-

Mel: Hey, I need some emotional support from this traumatic thing that just happened to me

Jayce: Fuck you, Mel! You should have saved everyone. Also, how dare you have unconditionally supported Viktor & I & our research!!

The anger towards her just comes out of nowhere & has no evidence to back it up & it annoys me. Also, it just feels out of character, even with the more edgy way they portrayed Jayce in act 2 & 3. So, just, why?

-

Then there's "my partner died in this room." Jayce saw Viktor in the future, as himself, not the machine herald. He spoke with him & promised to fix things. So clearly, Viktor's humanity wasn't dead, so why even say that? What was the point?

-

Then there's Jayce's little speech. There are so many things with this.

Jayce, who had up to this point, chose violence, is suddenly all soft again & just NOW trying to reach Victor. Where was that in the last few days?? Would he not have done this first instead of blasting a hole in him?

"You always wanted to cure what you thought were weaknesses" No, bitch, he wanted to help people in poverty & didn't want to fucking die!! What are you even talking about!? Viktor was insecure ONE TIME about being up on stage, so why is Jayce diminishing Viktor's ENTIRE MOTIVATION to him being insecure about being disabled??

Then, in the same line of thinking, there's Jayce saying Viktor's disability & illness (his "imperfections") make him beautiful & he admires Viktor for that??! Cut the inspiration porn trope! Are we not passed that?!

Lastly, Jayce is supposed to show Viktor some life lesson of all that being left is "dreamless solitude" & "there is no prize to perfection" but Jayce doesn't even say any of that?? He just shows Viktor saying it. How is that something only Jayce can do?

Sure, I love the idea of Cosmic Destiny Partners. It's a great idea & a somewhat happy ending for these two. I get it, I do. But the whole path leading up to it & its execution was poor, confusing, & frankly ableist.

-

In general, Jayce just felt inconsistent.

Yeah, in season 1, Jayce has a track record for flip-flopping on his morals & ideals. His character arc is that of someone being easily swayed. He makes a lot of mistakes & then corrects himself by swinging in the complete opposite direction, only to make more mistakes. It's his character flaw.

Then season 2, he becomes more resolute in the promise he mentions. You think, oh, this makes sense. He finally grew a backbone & is standing his ground. Apparently, choosing violence as his footing, but still. He keeps this aggressive demeanor up for the rest of season 2. But then suddenly, right at the last second, he turns around & says the softest & sappiest shit in the whole show?? The fluffy confession of adoration & partnership just comes out of nowhere! If you're taking Jayce in an aggressive direction, then do so. Don't come in swinging with this totally different person.

Overall, it just feels like Jayce is there for shock value & relationship drama instead of being an actual character with solid motivations & and a steady narrative.

[jules-ln]

Ok, I've seen too many people bring drama from the bad bad place (Twitter) to the slightly better bad place (tumblr) and at this point my eye is just twitching

So I guess it's time for me to be controversial yet brave again and talk about racism and Jayce

Lemme bring my DEI points out before anything because I guess that what's important with you gringos

I'm Mexican, I was born and raised in Mexico and I've never lived anywhere else but Mexico; I'm brown, my grandfather was an indigenous purepecha man, I don’t identify as indigenous because I don't know anything about the culture, but I do look indigenous and so I've been discriminated because of it, I'm also a trans man

So now, about the racism of making Jayce hypermasculine. I don't think there is any, or at least not a lot that I've seen

Because while yes, that is something that tends to happen with dark skin people in fandom. Jayce doesn't have very dark skin

Now, lemme explain

As someone who is a few shades darker than Jayce; Jayce is light Moreno, Moreno indeed, but light

I was talking the other day with my friend about this, saying that I have the headcanon that because he probably spends all his time inside the lab with Viktor he doesn't tan, so he's pretty much a light Moreno

Why does this matter?

Listen, I know Gringos and Europeans hear people say "Latino" and they immediately imagine brown, it doesn't matter if the Latino in question is the whitest person to ever white (like look at Kevin Alejandro, if I remember correctly, his parents are Mexicans, but my man over there has blue eyes), but in reality, specially in places like Mexico where most of the population could be considered PoC; there's the very big problem of colorism and that plays a role in masculinity

I've seen it every day here in Mexico, where the men who have lighter skin tones are allowed to be more emotional and vulnerable without such harsh consequences and the men with darker skin tones have to be a lot more masculine in a toxic way or they get judged by it

And while I do think that depictions of Jayce within the Fandom suffer from racism, it doesn't show in the same way it would in a character with a darker skin tone; it shows in sexualization and objectification kind of way

Like I've seen many art and posts that make me feel weird as a Latino where gringos make the point that Jayce being Latino is the hot thing about him, like they mention "Oh Viktor likes Jayce because he likes Latinos" and I'm like "how the fuck did you thought of that and didn't find it extremely weird"

Because I'm a Latino, and it's like, "Just for that? You haven't even seen my comic collection"

Or I've also seen MelJay fans (do you think I was going to let you off the hook? No baby, we're calling out eveyoneeee) post things like "I don't really care about Jayce, I just want a dick for Mel smut" how the hell did you think of that and didn't find it racist like, sure let's objectify the Latino man, why don't I just throw myself out of a window arrr arriba y arriba pa adelante Ñ or whatever

And this has a lot to do with colorism, where Jayce is Moreno enough to be "spicy" but not Moreno enough to be "undesirable"

Because people complain a lot about fans making Jayce Hypermasculine, but Jayce does dress and looks traditionally masculine, he has the proportions of a superhero and goes with suits to fight, that is masculine. But I have yet to see somebody making Jayce a typical mexican macho, like most of the time he's vulnerable, emotional, cries, shows his love openly, that isn't something that fits into the category of mexican macho

But you know what character gets the hypermasculinity treatment on top of the adultification treatment? Ekko

That's right, like he's 19 I think, he's still very young, and yet I have seen waaay more fanarts of Jayce being whimsical and having fun than of Ekko

I've also seen like a lot of post calling Jayce cute and almost none of Ekko? C'mon guys Ekko is cute

But, curious curiouser curiousest that this kind of issue only gets brought up with Jayce, a Moreno man that, let's be honest, under the right lighting could pass as a white man with a tan

(And funny that Mel fans only ever bring racism in relation to Mel and let Ekko get the brunt of it, hmmm, I wonder whyyyy)

Also, my hot take about that Tarzan art? I don't think it's racist, like we are talking about the quintessential white savior story where the protagonist gets to be better than than the natives at living in nature and gets all those muscles and locs? The Tarzan story it is racist, but not in the way you are thinking

Besides, hottest take: if you don't find all that art where Jayce gets treated like a dog racist, you shouldn't think of the Tarzan art as racist, just saying

Aaaand, just as the cherry on top? as a trans man, feminine Viktor is such a non issue, like no, it isn't fetishizing trans men, there's not a right way to look like a man or a woman; like what, are you going to start saying that Viktor wouldn't be a trans trender and he would be a trans man in the right™️ way or??

Don't like it? Grow up and learn to block people babyyyy, it's that easy

But yeah, Viktor looked weird in that Tarzan post because his head was way too big, I think that's more a Disney's problem than anything else because that person was tracing over the movie lmao

[houndoftomorrow]

Just a little something, more bittersweet and softer than I normally write. It does take place in the same verse as the rest of my ficlets, however.

Content warnings for past character death, references to SI and attempts, and some cosmic existentialism. Hurt with... I guess it could be counted as comfort. Sort of. Some minimal comfort.

Written from Ximena's point of view.

Ximena sits on the ledge by the river, remembering the last time she'd been here. It had been chance, fate, intuition, her husband's late spirit.... any combination of factors had drawn her here, but regardless, she had been there at just the right time.

At the time, she'd been trying to talk her baby boy down from the ledge– one of the many he'd found himself standing on throughout the years. Bound to the earth by loose threads, and the thought of hurting his loved ones outweighing the weight of himself for the times they walked him down.

Now, she sits on the ledge once again, this time with the intention of spilling him over.

"I went up to the top of the gates the other day," Mel had told her as she'd tapped her nails lightly against the little glass in her hands. It was painted by her own careful hands with the colors of House Talis. "I suppose I wanted one last measure of closure, and to see if... anything at all remained. His- his hammer hadn't been disturbed yet, ashed as it was already."

With that she had held the small urn out to her, and Ximena had barely drawn her hand away from her mouth before she'd clung to it, drawing it close over her heart and hiding it from view in her hands. All that was left... no body, an empty casket, and a slip of paper burned in vigil for all the lost...

And all that was left of her baby, her boy. The Talis line ended as it began, with hammers and dust, all carefully flaked apart to fit into a jar that she could fit into her hands. It's not much bigger than he was a newborn, the first time she'd held him in her arms. It's that thought that brings her to her knees with a sob. Despair chokes her throat from the inside. Threatens to drag her down into the same abyss her son's mind always lurked in.

After, when Mel had withdrawn her arms from around her shoulders, the young woman had sighed and retrieved another jar from the elegant bag she wore at her side– a new addition to her usual look.

"I also have... I wasn't sure what to do with it. It felt wrong, somehow, to dash it without giving him the same level of care. I was never close with him, nor particularly fond of him, all things considered. But he was intrinsic with him. There couldn't be one without the other, and I wished I'd seen that sooner."

Painted with the same care as her boy's, the second urn is a soft purple and smaller. So much smaller, and she'd felt a horrible combination of rage and grief and loss alike at the sight of it. She'd almost been tempted to sling it against a wall, but she couldn't do that to Jayce's memory. Even in his death, she can hear him asking her to forgive Viktor because it was "his fault, too."

Intrinsic, indeed. She knows what Mel meant. So instead, she'd sucked her teeth, dragged her composure together, kicking and screaming, and hugged Mel tight to her. She was going to miss this young woman when she left Piltover.

And now, she's here. On the ledge that held so many memories for her family, good and bad. The wind whispers through her hair, rustling the tall grasses and the leaves of the handful of trees along the bank. She remembers sitting on this very ledge twenty-odd years ago, watching from the campsite as her son and husband swam through the tiny rapids in the river. The water is so clean, here, the air so pure... even moreso than the air of Piltover.

She rubs her thumb across the urn at her side, holding the other to her chest.

"The man you were before it all went wrong... you deserved this much, at least. Clean air. Clean water. No prying eyes full of judgment. This world failed you so terribly for you to feel so wronged that you were willing to cast the whole world away. I hope... I hope wherever you are now, you can find peace. Find a better life. Make better decisions and better mistakes. Human mistakes. Let only the gods be gods."

With that, she opened the second urn and upturned it into the wind, carrying the ashes of his crutch out across the river. The breeze blows harder for just a moment, a soft carress against her hair.

"And Jayce. My son. My baby. My little love since you were born... you always tried to be good for me. I know how much you were hurting. How often you hurt. I know no one ever saw it because you held it on the inside instead of the outside, but I'm so proud of you. You were so strong for so long, and I hope wherever you are now, it's no longer heavy. I hope your life is full of light and joy and all the things you deserved but couldn't keep. I love you. Mama will always love you."

And with that, she upturned the first urn. The wind blew fiercely once more, carrying the ashes on the breeze across the river that he spent so much of his childhood in. She hopes his father is waiting wherever they are to greet him, to sweep him up in his giant arms and hold him like he should have gotten to do one last time. And, despite the hurt in her heart, the mockery of hatred, she hopes Viktor is right by his side. She can't picture them not together.

When she stands to leave hours later, having cried out her grief and sorrow as much as she can manage, she gasps. The sun dips just right on the horizon, casting the sky into shades of gold and amber and lavender and red. A natural phenomenon, one she's seen many tines over, but something about today, about tonight; the colors are a mirror to the ones on the now-empty urns. She smiles. For the first time in weeks, she smiles and it feels small and fragile and real.

"Goodnight, boys. I love you."

And her love is true.

[myfairstarlight]

Points of Convergence

AO3 Link.

Rated: E

Length: 11k

Pairing: meljayvik / melvik-centric

S1 setting

Summary:

“Sharing? I was not aware Jayce is a possession we had to discuss custody over,” Viktor says, his voice a slow drawl. “He is not,” she concedes, stirring her coffee. “But he rarely ever takes initiative, does he not? I simply want him happy, and he restrains himself because he thinks I would be offended and that you are uninterested.” Or. When Mel invited Viktor into her and Jayce’s relationship, she thought it was for Jayce—a gift, so to speak. She imagined herself and Viktor orbiting around their shared center with an unspoken agreement and careful balance. She underestimated her fascination with brilliant minds. Principles are challenged, dynamics shift and eventually, a new, unexpected kind of balance settles. A melvik-centric meljayvik fic.

*additional notes on ao3. Only an extract below the cut

If Mel had to be honest, she would have to say that she has always been fascinated by Viktor and has already tried once to entice him to her. A man from the Undercity, who did not let his bad leg and others’ dirty looks and snarky remarks prevent him from climbing into the good graces of the Head of the Council through his intellect and sheer determination? Mel saw a bit of herself in that, she who had to rebuild her life from nothing and managed to touch gold after years of hard labour— though the notoriety of her name helped as well. In those first few years after they met, she remembers spending more time at the Academy, asking the man if he had any project of his own, for she loved hearing him ramble about any topic that would catch his fancy. However, her interest was met with discomfort and apprehension.

It was nothing personal, at least, Mel hoped so. Viktor had, or rather, has, a natural distrust of anyone high-ranking in Piltover, and, if Mel had to guess in his position, he was wary that whatever project he may have in mind would no longer be his if shared with someone else. At the time, she had only just acquired a seat at the Council, and she was known to find any opportunity to create profit, so she supposes she cannot fault him for being suspicious of her intentions.

Viktor’s only exception to his distrust of the Council is Heimerdinger because of his contribution to science.

And even then, she has caught him often rolling his eyes behind the yordle’s back, or his hand twitching on the handle of his cane as if restraining himself.

Jayce did not help the matter. They instantly were both interested in the man, in differing ways she has to assume. At first, there was no romantic interest on her part, just curiosity and, of course, in Hextech, the way to make the city prosper.

(Some things indeed do not change.)

With Viktor's poor excuse of trying to find his way to his bedroom when she caught him and Jayce trying to sneak into Heimerdinger’s lab, she had assumed Viktor, with his self-assurance and reputation, back then, would not waste time, and soon these two partners would be just that, and more.

That did not happen, to her grand surprise.

Instead, Jayce found his way to her arms.

Entering a romantic relationship was never in her plan, but she was aware of the attraction Jayce felt for her, and she figured, one evening, that it would be pointless to deny them both some fun.

Well.

Who was she kidding? It was never about having some fun, it was about finding in Jayce a constant source of warmth and comfort she has chased all her life. It was not long before passive interest turned into devotion, and the man met her love — her intensity — in earnest.

And Mel… Well, she can be rather stubborn and competitive. A family trait she could never truly shake. Viktor, on the other hand, is not a fighter, or perhaps he did not care as much about romantic entanglements, too focused on his work. He saw the way her touches kept lingering on Jayce’s arms in those first few months and simply looked away.

You can have him. An unspoken agreement. So Mel listened.

Of course, this failed to include Jayce’s agency in the matter. She never doubted that he chose her out of affection and not because she was the “only option”, so to speak, but even as their relationship grew, he always kept the other half of his heart for his partner. It never bothered Mel. Jayce is an attentive and affectionate lover and never made her feel lesser in his life than Viktor. He loved them both and was not ashamed of it, though he swore his loyalty to her. Supposedly because Viktor is not interested anyway, he said, and Mel laughed.

So that is how she finds herself at the coffee shop near Jayce’s and Viktor’s lab, sharing a warm drink with the latter.

(They rarely ever find themselves alone; the only reason they are at the moment is because Mel enlisted Ximena’s help, who pretended to need help at home from her son. Convincing Viktor to take a break was surprisingly easy as soon as she promised to buy him any sweets he’d want with the drinks.

Jayce once told her he was annoyingly stubborn about work. Maybe he’s just bad at negotiating. Or Viktor purposely messes with him.)

“Sharing? I was not aware Jayce is a possession we had to discuss custody over,” Viktor says, his voice a slow drawl.

“He is not,” she concedes, stirring her coffee. “But he rarely ever takes initiative, does he not? I simply want him happy, and he restrains himself because he thinks I would be offended and that you are uninterested.”

Viktor’s lips twitch before he scoffs. “I am uninterested.”

“Your lies will not work as well on me, Viktor.”

He scoffs again. “I do not have the time,” he settles for saying.

“That is not the same thing as being uninterested.”

“Councillor—”

“Mel.”

“Mel,” he amends. It makes her smile. “There is a reason I do not allow myself this and did not, eh, how do you say it? Make a move, back then. Not that I believe it would have changed anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“My time here is limited. It would be unfair.”

Mel frowns, trying to understand. “Do you intend to go back to the Undercity?”

Viktor almost looks amused now. “No.”

Ah.

Mel looks at him. Truly looks at him. “Your pain has worsened, hasn’t it?” It isn’t a question, so Viktor shrugs.

“So, as you must understand—”

“I know incredible healers from Noxus who still owe me favours.”

“Mel—”

“And— even if that does not work, why take the choice away from Jayce? However limited your time may be, you know he will cherish every moment. Everyone dies eventually, it does not stop any of us.”

Viktor scoffs, but it’s weaker now. “Spare me that condescending thought.” She winces just a little at the disdain in his voice. “What Jayce and I have is enough. The more involved we may get, the more it may hurt him once I’m gone.”

“You underestimate yourself. Whether you cross that line or not, you will be the presence in the wind haunting him. You might as well indulge, should you not?”

“Flattering. But in this configuration, he has you. He will be alright.”

This man has no self-esteem, she realises then. And something within her stirs.

“That does not matter because one is not replaceable.”

“Says the politician.” She gives a wry smile at his retort. “He will have to get over it, eventually.”

“He will not,” she assures.

“That should bother you, then.”

She shakes her head. “Viktor. Let me help.”

He sighs. “It’s not worth—”

She interrupts him, grabbing his hands with fervour. “It is worth much more than you can ever believe.”

At that moment, she was not exactly sure if she was doing it solely for Jayce or if a part of her had started to care for the stubborn man.

── .𐀔. ── .𐀔. ──

They forget to inform Jayce of their agreement, though Mel suspects Viktor kept silent willingly because he loves to see Jayce squirm— which she understands. Whenever she visits the lab now, Viktor sits purposely closer to Jayce, lets his touch linger, his voice has a lower, almost seductive timber to it when he speaks, and she can see Jayce visibly restraining himself.

Out of respect, out of loyalty, out of love. Mel reaps the benefits in the night as Jayce lets all his frustration out as she welcomes him between her arms. But how cruel it is to deprive him of more.

One day, she decides to give him some mercy. However, she surprises herself with how.

It is on a quiet morning, and her heels click loudly against the floor of the lab as she makes her way towards the pair. They do not bother to look up; they know her footsteps by heart and they are far too engrossed in whatever equation is keeping their mind occupied. So, she simply sits on Jayce’s lap once she is close enough, who naturally lets her without looking up from his notes— and then she hooks her foot below Viktor’s stool, bringing him closer. Viktor yelps, almost falling at the sudden motion, and she feels Jayce inhale sharply, a reprimand on the tip of his tongue, she knows, but then she grabs the Zaunite’s face and kisses him.

Jayce’s inhale is of a much different nature now, and his hands tighten around her waist, unsure of what to do but surely enjoying the view.

To her delight, Viktor catches on fast, his chapped lips curling into a smile against hers before he returns the kiss. They keep it chaste, a simple press of the lips lazily moving together, though it takes everything in Mel to not go further at Viktor’s quiet whines.

How is he allowed to sound like that from a simple kiss—

Viktor is the first to pull away, but Mel doesn’t let go yet, dropping another kiss on the mole right above his lips as their eyes meet. Gold eyes shine with mischief as they flicker between her and the man right behind her, breathing quite heavily now.

And then, Jayce finally speaks. “Hey, unfair, why did you get to kiss him before me?!”

Neither answers, laughing instead.

(And when Mel leaves and closes the door behind her, she hears Viktor yelp, followed by a dull thud and chalk falling to the floor. She makes a note that she and Jayce may need to stop startling Viktor as such, lest he dies of a heart attack rather than failing lungs.)

Continue reading here.

[iztarshi]

Not entirely related to anything in a scene, but I wonder how much Mel was behind the hexgates being the focus of Jayce and Viktor’s efforts? She gets a line in season 2 where she refers to having “built this city for my family” and the hexgates are very much in line with her goals of making Piltover into a place her mother would consider worth something. No Mel hate, but the goals she started with were not altruistic.

Indeed, but this is the case with basically all the characters. I think, there is no 100 % altruistic character in the whole show.

Jayce gesturing Viktor back to stop him arguing with Heimerdinger is also interesting, mostly because it’s a precursor to the much more peremptory gesture later in front of the council. I think it’s mostly a “you’re not going to do our cause any good by arguing right now” gesture but it does give Jayce a sort of leadership role that he gets to decide that. Which is not so much what their roles were before the timeskip.

Since Jayce is the "face of hextech" and also born into a house, even if it is a lower house, he does have more power than Victor and I do think that this fact got to his head.

The backstage scene is a great example of efficient storytelling as it gives us an insight into Viktor’s relationship with publicity. We’ve already seen that he’s being sidelined. It’s Jayce on the posters, Jayce who’s been asked to give the speech, Jayce who is being introduced to people by Cassandra as the mind behind hextech. This gives us the other side of the story. We see how miserably nervous Viktor is when he’s thinks he is going to have to do the address, and they linger long enough to make sure we know. Jayce suggests they could both go up and Viktor ruefully says no because he doesn’t want to be in front of the crowd. But then we end with Jayce’s “Man of Progress” coffee cup coming down and covering Viktor up, so he does feel left out. I don’t think Viktor resents Jayce for it - the only thing he’s upset with Jayce for here is for nearly not being there to take the spotlight - but he might resent his own fear.

The story would have been entirely different, if Victor as part of the undercity had been more prominent. Maybe some of the people of the undercity had been a lil bit proud and if they had spend some time in occasions for this people, all the anger would have been a little less present.

However, it is basically unknown to the public, that Victor was even a part of the whole project.

It’s touching that Heimerdinger both knows where to find Viktor when Viktor is unhappy and cares enough to try and comfort him, but he’s also the worst person to try to comfort a dying and frightened human. I don’t think yordles are as immortal in Arcane as they are in LoL (Heimerdinger refers to not being sure Ekko would turn up even in his “extraordinarily long life” in season 2) but they’re close enough Heimerdinger doesn’t really understand this. Viktor, though, is surprisingly open with Heimerdinger about his own fears and regrets. Maybe because Heimerdinger’s grief isn’t overwhelming, he’s used to seeing humans die before him, or because Heimerdinger has been in something of a paternal role to Viktor. But even though Heimerdinger is at least nominally in charge of both topside and undercity, Viktor never seems to resent him for anything at all. Seems to admire him, really. “What haven’t you got to show for your remarkable life?” isn’t something you’d say to someone you thought had done badly. Heimerdinger remains one of only two people (the other being Jayce) that Viktor really seems comfortable with and he’s not even this open with Jayce.

No, I am sorry, but their relationship is awfully distant for the time they know each other. It does appear as if Heimerdinger knew Victor since he was a child, but there are hardly any signs that they were close.

Apart from this point, they barely talk for the rest of the show. I even got the impression, that Jayce was nearer to Heimerdinger than Victor, which would be weird regarding the time they spend together.

Heimerdinger is an authority figure for him, but not a person he could lean on. I mean, Victor just tells him, that he does not want to die yet and that he fears for his legacy. That might be more he would have told other people, but it is hardly that deep.

Honestly, I considered Heimerdinger´s reactions horribly cold...a person he knew since he was a child, was dying and for Heimerdinger it seemed to be such an trivial side-effect. Like " I am sorry, you are dying, but well, it cannot be helped".

Honestly his reaction to him being thrown out of the council was way stronger than his reaction to Victor dying. What a hypocrite.

Poor Viktor, I guess this is the first time in a sequence someone he loves decides he needs to be sacrificed for the sake of Piltover and/or the world. He’s so stunned by Heimerdinger wanting to destroy the hexcore. Jayce ís immediately protective and it’s him more than Viktor that Heimerdinger is angry with. “You do what you have to, I need to get ready.” “For what?” I can’t get over how baffled Viktor is by Jayce saying he needs to get ready. He really doesn’t know what for. Jayce knows, Jayce knows immediately he’s going to have to overthrow the government to save Viktor’s life. Does Viktor not really believe Heimerdinger would destroy the hexcore and sentence him to death? Or is he just too distant from politics to see what this is going to require?

I am still not convinced that Victor even assumed that Heimerdinger loved him at all and from what I can tell, Heimerdinger doesn´t.

And I do think that Jayce statement, that Heimerdinger basically did nothing much, is very well true. He could have done tons more, but didn´t.

With Heimerdinger, I went into this rewatch expecting to not see very much of a relationship between him and Viktor, and then came away with a totally different impression, at least on Viktor’s side.

On Heimerdinger’s side he seems to be like this with all his students, a bit fussy, a bit encouraging, warm but not reliable. With Viktor especially he’s fond, but at times seems to regard Viktor almost more as a stray cat he’s taken in than a protege. There’s definitely a sense that he takes Jayce more seriously, even when disagreeing with Jayce’s goals, and it seems to be Jayce not Viktor that Ekko reminds him of. (It’s implied that his “I couldn’t let down a bright young lad… again” was about Jayce from the scene transition.) Viktor’s death seems not to bother him all that much, because to him humans are a short lived species anyway, and he knew Viktor had health issues so… he maybe didn’t get too invested.

On Viktor’s side he’s so withdrawn with most people that it actually does stand out to me that he’s different around Heimerdinger. “Love” was definitely overstating it, but there’s an element of trust that Viktor shows only to Heimerdinger and Jayce. Whether Heimerdinger is worthy of that trust is a different question to whether Viktor feels it, and I was analysing Viktor. I think it is a big deal for him to open up even about things you consider quite shallow. On the other hand Heimerdinger is the only person other than Jayce to offer Viktor any sympathy at all, so maybe Viktor would have been more willing to open up to others than I think.

[banoffee123]

Proof that Mel is a manipulator – conclusion 

Yes, Mel is a manipulator. 

See, it starts by her very first appearance, when she manipulated Councilor Hoskel with a child's toy. 

Then she tried to manipulate Jayce's decision with a ticking bomb

And then she manipulated multiple timelines to save her friend, in the name of affection and humanity, even if it implies dooming said friend's life from chilhood, subjecting him to horrors and big responsibilities , letting him rot in the bottom of a cave and mass killing people (make it make sense... but somehow it is considered an acceptable manipulation by the fandom. It's even seen as meaningful and beautiful whereas whole time, Jayce was just a pawn of a plan ?! Where is the authenticity in that ? This mage thing is such a letdown 😥)

And then, she gave Jayce a seat at the Council because she trusted him to manage his own invention and gives him agency over it.

And then, she suggested to weaponize Jayce’s invention, so they can defend the city after the second deadly attack (and knowing they are threatened by other regions)

And then, she called poor baby, innocent Jayce, a wise investment because her investment was, indeed, fruitful

Some of you are so dramatic and soft, it’s bloody hilarious 🤣. I was expecting a selfish, vicious manipulator and betrayor. Turns out, it’s a just an exiled woman with a harsh upbringing trying to survive in a toxic environment, scheming to revolutionize her city and helping her protégé. All the while she's craving for mommy’s love and approval. Add a touch of mystery, questionable methods, shady intentions, a diva attitude and everyone fell for it. 

It is so ridiculous the way some people coddle men, finding them excuses, using the “wronged, misunderstood, morally grey, complexed, corrupted good guy that makes a character interesting” but not holding the same grace for women.

I don't care if you hate a fictional character. But it becomes bothersome when your hatred reeks of mysogyny, internalised racism and stereotypes 🤢

Mel is flawed and she can be manipulative but she's first and foremost strategic, tactical, smart. She convinces, influences, persuades people and in doing so everyone benefit from it (except Zaun and that is extremely problematic).

Besides, she was more manipulating the Council and topsiders than manipulating Jayce, she's quite straightforward with Jayce. I genuinely ask people when does Mel straight out manipulated Jayce ?

I swear I was ready to see her manipulations when rewatching the season and I've found nothing that is textbook manipulation regarding Jayce.

I'll stop believing the biggest and loudest opinions before looking by myself. 

People should look for the definitions of "manipulation", "influence", "persuasion", "politics", "strategy", "racism", "mysogyny", "canon", "fanon", "delusion", "rage" and "cope", because I believe that everyone has the right to be educated. 

Mel's intentions are not easy to decipher if you are not paying attention. Her shady, calm, and calculating composure are not trustworthy. But we discover throughtout this season that it’s part of her job, but it’s also a big facade and her upbringing.  She’s not flawless, but she’s not the devil incarnate too much people claim and blindly parrot. I understand now that it was the show intent, to let the audience be doubtful and wary of her.

However, she genuinely advocates for the progress of her city, its safety, she believes in Hextech, she's driven by compassion and she fought to help Jayce achieve his dream. How dare a woman is ambitious ?!

She believes that a world can prosper with mercy but she’s not naive and she knows that a nation must arm itself for its protection (She comes from Noxus, a war nation) 

When I read the general opinion about Mel, before rewatching the show, I legit thought I missed a big chunk of season 1. I thought that I lacked comprehension and subtext. Turns out it's just a big bunch of dramatic loud voices and parroters who don't know the definition of manipulation.

Like that's it ? that's the manipulation and meanness people are talking about 😅? This is so funny how serious and raging you are about this woman. Calm down, it's not that serious 😆

She has her fair share of flaws, it's undeniable, her biggest ones being : her lack of concern for Zaun, taking part in the corrupt system, thinking that taking the lesser of two evils is good enough, throwing Jayce into politics, even if her intentions were good.

It's horrible that almost the whole fandom oddly agree with it, and even some writers enable these disgusting, sick and harmful takes regarding her character.

But boy, people go so overboard with her that her fans have to constantly tamper the twisted, exagerrated, mysogynistic and racist takes on her. That or the blatant erasure of her character. It gives the impression that her fans want her to be perfect and pristine, no, far from it, but people tend to be harsher with her, I don't know why...

Besides, too much people overlook her traumas (execution, rolling head, guys, rolling head, blood, banishment, guilt, war, conditional love, narcissitsic mother, fear of abandonment...). She also grew up with a harsh and skewed vision of life, it's very binary. She has her biases, her weaknesses and blindspots.

Despite everything, she always looked for compromise, and in retrospect, mercy and compassion drove most of her decisions. Besides her awful passivity regarding Zaun, she never took part on the insults unlike her colleagues, she immediately look for a peaceful compromise when they started to feel the consequences of their negligence. (Sucks that it took a bloody blockade to become aware of it, but it's a start)

Had she not been snatched away by the black rose (boring plot), I'm pretty sure she would have question herself and do everything to help them, also, let's not forget that she's young and an immigrant. (This is not to demean her faults, but people should acknowledge that, it's part of her character growth)

She's way more depressed than we think but she handles her trauma so calmly that nobody empathize with her, both in the series and by the audience. (Nightmares, bloody painting hanging above her headboard, isolation, only business and work, unprocessed anger and grief...).

Haven't you noticed that when she talks to Jayce she seems more lively, more natural, more relaxed around him ? She's super happy to have a relationship outside business with someone who shares the same mindset. She's always willing to listen and help him. And to think that some people hates her because Jayce genuinely and canonically loves, cherishes and admires Mel....(Some comments I've read are baffling, what the heck !). And Mel is beyond rejoiced to feel loved, almost grateful for that. She craves love. She loves love.

Look beyond her appearance and wealth, it's a facade. It's the show intent to portray her as this one dimensional manipulative femme fatale, until we understand in episode 8 that it's more complicated and nuanced. It's almost insulting for the writers who crafted her personnality and storyline, the way people reduce her character as just a MaNiPuLaToR.

Mel and Jayce relationship started out as a business one but they accidentally fell in love, that's it. It is such a classic love story that people find it boring and almost everyone collectively forgot about them. Personally, I love their relationship, it's healthy, lovely, authentic, a little pause in this tragic show. This woman is craving for validation, love and her mom's affection. A lot of her actions and mindset stem from that.

Besides, Mel and Jayce are more than their love story, althought it's necessary for their character growth, but I really like their dynamic as councilors and their personal battles.

But some people stayed in episode 2 and her self deprecating remark about being the "poorest Medarda" and the "wise investment" line IJBOL 😂.

People praises Arcane for being a complex series with deep meanings bla bla bla, but they stay at surface level when it comes to Mel, be so for real, stay coherent 😂😂. And I don't even want to talk about Jayce's dumbification, infantilization, lapdog-ification by the fandom, I'm not going to delve into it but his mischaracterization is ...something else. (Why both characters and Vi are so dehumanized ?? 😢)

Finally, if you are those who think that Mel and Jayce's love is weak and insincere, and started out as imbalanced and manipulative, how is that unfathomable that their relationship morph into something real and healthy ? They are both attracted to each other, have the same mindset and similar goals, find mutual comfort and respect...People ship characters for waaaaaay less than that. Let her feel loved, she's going to lost every single one of her loved ones in season 2, anyway.

By the way, why do nobody questions Jayce and Viktor's friendship when they keep betraying each other's wishes ? Mind you, on hextech, the cement of their partnership. Jayce was once literally classist towards Viktor. But I will never demean their genuine care and bond even if they are several instances where they were awful to each other (and don't talk about CoDePeDeNcY and ToXiCiTy, I see your double standards...)

Table of contents > prev