#leave ekko jinx and the child alone

[ideologyofone]

Characters I think are going to die in Arcane s2

The streets (Twitter) are saying that Arcane is now its own independent canon outside of League of Legends and that essentially anyone is fair game, champions included, so let’s think on who might get chopped

1. Sevika - I’m like 90% sure Sevika will die, some people say her dealing that death card in s1 is foreshadowing and I just see it as a very realistic possibility that she might sacrifice herself, potentially for Jinx (we’ll see) (I mean she already lost her arm twice three times is too many she has to die now)

2. Viktor - Where is that man? They’re gatekeeping him harder the deceleration of independence which means he’s extremely plot heavy this season and therefore a strong contender for a possible death.

3. Jinx’s mini me - I really just don’t want this to happen, so I’m sure that it will. In the event of baby Jinx’s death, I will need sedated. Not for my safety, but for the safety of the Arcane writers because I will be hunting them for sport.

4. Ekko - Again, I just don’t want this to happen so I fear that it will. He can just go back in time and fix it right? 🥹

5. Heimerdinger - What else is he there for?

6. Mel - She’s also been pretty gatekept in the trailers and released content but I find it very hard to believe she would let Ambessa make the advancements she’s making were she alive (even if she just survived a terrorist attack) I think she might have survived Jinx’s rocket because she is seen in one of the trailers very briefly from incredibly far away, but I don’t know if she’s making it to the end.

7. Singed - I just wish he would he’s weird and bald.

8. Jinx - I very much see Jinx faking her death and potentially leaving Piltover indefinitely at the end which I would hate, but I could also very well see her sacrificing herself, which I would also hate. Her death does seem least likely compared to others however.

[jinxini]

thoughts while watching episode 2! ☆

summary: necessary amount of love for jinx, unnecessary amount of child hate lmao

oh my baby girl i love u it's ok don't be sad please

jinx focused episode let's gooo

me: omg was that a flash of powder?!

*rewinds*

me: ...who the fuck is that.

me: oh no. oh no. this kid is important enough to make it to the intro, jinx is going to take care of this child isn't she. that sure is... a choice

oh no the kid is here

ugh for me personally the only thing worse they could have done is make her pregnant or have a baby. i hate storylines like this im so sorry. it's different when the parent-child relationship is like the main focus or the premise of the show/movie (the mandalorian, the last of us, the walking dead game, silco taking care of powder who's the main character), but when a random ass child shows up years late to the party and needs someone to take care of them and the child character has no previous connection to the audience... i really dislike that in stories im so sorry. leave jinx alone

also, in what world is jinx ready to be a mother figure to anyone lmao she's very much stuck in a child-like state herself half the time. this is not what she needs, we both deserve better

i like the child's design though

honestly, i hope arcane makes me take all that i just said back, but we'll see

jinx i love you

her voice is so good, the voice acting is sooo good oh my god

does she kinda have a different vibe or is it just me?

honestly thought she would be doing a lot worse than she is. good for her!

don't get me wrong, i get that from the orphan's point of view jinx just saved her life and she's clearly super strong, what else is she supposed to do than follow

what i'm saying is that i personally do not want jinx to take care of a child right now. i want this to be about the sisters. the fact that i don't like this is on me, the writers can obviously do whatever they want with their story buuut.....

sevika<3

can't wait for her and jinx to team up

wait does sevika even know that jinx was the one who killed silco?

i don't know what's going on with viktor and whatever he's saying here is not helping

did she though?

everything viktor does now is so slow. the way he speaks, the way he moves...

im not a jayvik girlie but i imagine that those who are felt rly sad after this scene

ekko my boy! the biker mouse from mars can speak?

my brother: he really does look like one

i literally facepalmed and my brother groaned

ekko please ditch this creature you're better on your own

shut up. you're not cute, you're not funny.

i should probably clarify that heimer is my least favourite character in the show, i kinda have no patience for anything he does 😂

i literally said DO IT JAYCE out loud

this made me laugh

same, ekko, same.

can we talk about the way he's holding the cup lol

it's also kinda funny and kinda sad at the same time that this is probably his first time tasting tea

SHUT UUUUPPPP

i screamed

vi? nooo, what the hell 😫 i thought it was the bad guys after her but no it's VI? don't hurt jinx like this, don't hurt me like this

the animation is making me feel like i'm the one who can't breathe damn

hasn't my girl been through enough?? stooooppp

this looked really cool though

there's no way those were the only two times he saw her cry

also, she's insane, blinking and getting even closer. i am obsessed with her

YESSSHHHH

after getting her ass kicked by vi and jinx repeatedly in season 1, i have a feeling this is a battle she's finally going to win 😆

the whole-body movement she did here, so cute, i love her so much 😭

GET JINXED OMG!!!!!!!! 💙💙💙💙💙

holy shit you can always trust arcane with fight scenes

my brother: no one does fight scenes better than arcane.

me: i know right?! that was so good! best scene in season 2 so far!

brother: yep.

oh wow ok. girl, 1st of all, ew. 2nd of all, that thing was like 80% machine what was there left for you to eat? 3rd of all... this begs the question, what do these people eat, exactly? do they draw the line at cannibalism but everyone else is fair game? huh.

i doubt the people in piltover eat like this

no, let's not do that<3

what is he, jesus? this is a bit too much.

[themostlesbianever]

Arcane opinion time, episode 4

- WHY IS MADDIE IN YOUR BED MISS CAITLYN

- AHW ISHA HAS LITTLE CLOUDS ON HER ARMS LIKE JINX

- isha ur adorable

- oh my got jinx built isha a tent

- is isha perchance non verbal

- jinx is giving mother figure

- shes actually so cute as a big sister

- BABY ISHA WITH BLUE HAIR

- AHW ISHA HAS LITTLE BRAIDS ASWEL

- jayce and heimerdinger disappeared

- that's why ekko is on the memorial wall, they think hes dead because hes been gone for so long

- baby isha what are you doing

- professional entanglements😭

- FYM PEACE TO THE CITY, THE UNDERCITY IS LITERALLY LEAVING YOU ALONE NO?

- LEST IS BACK

- hi baby

- HI BABYGIRL SEV

- HAIRCUT

- NEW OUTFIT

- ahw shes no longer showing off her delicious abs😔

- truly a loss for the lesbians

- SEVIKA IS ALWAYS RIGHT

- is she talking to silco☹️

- ahw jinx baby

- uh oh

- the bitch is a snitch

- isha baby youre too deep into this, you should leave now

- WHY HELLO THERE singed

- oh sevika put the old cap back on her arm, she still had the stump of her old arm and that had a cap, a green one and its back

- baby isha

- FUCK OFF NOT ANOTHER ARM

- they need to stop taking sevikas arms

- yes babygirl still beating peoples asses with one arm

- if sevika had a nickle for every time an arm got taken off her body shed have 3 nickles, which isnt a lot, but its weird that it happened thrice

- damn isha, why pick the biggest guy?

- sevika is so hot, knocking big ass men out in ONE punch damn baby

- hello singed

- jinx is such a good older sister if she wasnt insane

- sevika you look so sad

- look at her face dude

- Uh oh jinx is going insane again

- OH MY FUCKINT GOD SEVIKAS ARM IS ON FULL DISPLAY I MIGHT EXPLODE

- HOLY FUCK

- GOD DAMN I NEED THIS WOMAN BAD FUCK ME

- youve got to be dumb not to recognise jinx damn

- whats wrong with her pants?

- tanktop sevika you are everything ive ever dreamed of babygirl

- EW A MAN

- hihihi jinx

- BIG MAMA INDEED

- my lord im going insane theyre really feeding us lesbians

- theyre making up for taking our ab view away so they gave us more arm

- damn who is this lady shes hot

- guys i do like sevs new hair

- shes looking for isha

- she cares so much about isha

- why is isha still stuck?

- ahw little baby

- shes hugging her younger self

- my lord every time i see sevika i go insane

- i am loving the screentime baby

- who is this monster coming for? will it kill sev and jinx too?

- oh my god sev is scared as fuck

- ahw sevika babysitting the child this is adorable

- cute little family

- does sev have an undercut? because thats extremely lesbian of her

- its all going to be alright little isha

- big beast why are you coming for jinx

- ive seen people say this is vander

- I HEAR THE MELODY

- THE THINGY THAT GOES I ASK YOU FOR A PENNY, MY FORTUNE IT WILL BE

- okay so it is vander

- fuck now i have to stop watching because i have places to be😔

i need sevika even more after this episode fuck me please

so bad all day all night she can crush me

WOAH HI PITFIGHTER EMO VI

[anadrym]

Okay, here are some extended author's notes for the first chapter of Meet You at the End:

• First, wow. The app that I write in doesn't have a word counter. I had no idea this chapter was 10k words.

• This whole fic is from Caitlyn's POV. She is not an entirely reliable narrator.

• The cathedral and Pieta references are because I have an art history degree and couldn't resist. :)

• Caitlyn absolutely has not forgiven anything that Jinx did. She's kinda struggling to balance the grief for a child's death with the not-quite-satisfaction for her mother's killer's death. This is going to be important in the next chapter.

• Caitlyn keeps walking in and out of the cistern. This is really amusing to me.

• Giving Jinx's body to the Firelights keeps her out of the hands of both Piltover (who would use her as an example) AND Silco's loyalists (who would make a martyr of her. Ekko's people will treat her as what she was: a child who deserved, at the very least, to be peacefully laid to rest.

• Vi is in complete turmoil. She's obviously sad, but she's also guilty and angry. She's feeling coddled by Caitlyn while wanting someone to take care of her. She doesn't know if there was another option that she could have taken. She's furious that, after everything, Piltover still won't leave her alone and let her grieve.

• Obviously, Vi also doesn't feel worthy of comfort, which is why she keeps pushing Caitlyn away.

• I'm absolutely in love with the idea of Caitlyn very politely telling someone to fuck off. I'd also love to hear her do impolitely.

• "Vi stares sadly into her soup" is one of my favorite lines in this whole thing. I don't know why, I just think it's funny.

• The Council's guards coming to get them is what really triggers Vi's rage to come out.

• My theory, at least for this fic, is that once there was some relative stability, a new Council was installed. They are inexperienced and full of themselves and were only given their positions because their wealthy families basically control the Council seats.

• Caitlyn knew, deep down, that Vi had broken Jinx's neck, but she hadn't really let herself really think about it until Vi said it out loud.

• We're cutting Jayce some slack. He's lost people important to him, and he's under a lot of pressure.

• Vi walks out because she's really struggling to keep herself from physically lashing out. She hasn't had a physical outlet for her anger in days, and she is inches from losing it.

[susie-dreemurr]

Arcane s2 ep 4-6 reaction

My last lines in this ate btw.

Ep4

DID CAITLYN IMMEDIATELY GETA. REBOUND HAHAHHAHAHA

While I do admit to finding the isha and jinx connection rushes it’s still so cute. Jinx herself doesn’t want to carry her legacy so Isha is doing it for her. Child endangerment lets fucking gooooo

We’re gonna be seeing more of the place Vi spent years on, huh? Bleak…

Aw fuck that’s so fucking genuine man.

VANDER OUGHHHH

Ep5

I’m not gonna lie the entire ep 4i was just like “where is vi” so I’m glad to see this one starts with boxing

Not the song 💀💀💀 also my fuckign phone cannot take these flashing lights guys I cannot see all the details bc my screen keeps going dark I’m so sad

Vi please please please hallucinate Powder Mylo Clagger and Vander please please please— JINX,?????

While I do have my problems with the writing in this it’s just so ough. Vander bringing them both together again. If only for now.

Caitlyn…. I’m…. *nick zootopia facial expression*

MEL MEL MEEEEL YOURE BERE MY BELOWVD

Haven’t been live-blogging the jinx and vi and isha interaction and everything bc I’ve been too busy trying not to cry

“How did you know to do that?” She’s just cool like that.

Literally everything is always about siblings all the time forever

o(-( violet…… Silco and Vander fulfilling their duty as parents to at east one of the kids

Lmao just when I was like “where is ekko” the fucking hextech shows up. Pls pls pls

God fucking damnit. Viktor you could have freed ekko too yknow

Ep6

I already thought Sky was there too because the hexcore absorbed her completely but damn

LETS FUCKING GOOOO THE VIKTOR CULT AND THE VIKTOR

FUCKKKKK the commune is built upon their old house….. the one we saw….

Fuck. Aw come on huyssss leave viktor’s gay ass cult alone, Vi and jinx are somewhat happy here

“The final glorious evolution” say the line Simpsons meme

Vi saw Singed and is following him out. Beat his ass vi. Nobody said anything about weapons OUTSIDE of the commune

Caitlyn is just digging herself further and further into this hole huh

… Isha’s gonna die isn’t she

I do like that any “reconciliation arc” with Vi & Caitlyn aren’t actually. Solving things between them. They have goals and things they want to protect and they’ll accomplish that but they ain’t actually making up or talking. This kinda applies to vi & jinx too

Honestly my thoughts on part 2 s2 so far is that things are going TOO well. TOO happy. And Caitlyn isn’t TOO corrupted. Either things will go wrong real fast or it won’t feel like arcane anymore

…literally right after I type that it seems like Caitlyn has realized The Implications of jinx being here w vander and vi being amicable with them. It’s jover <- excited and nervous and already regretting and oughhh

GODAMNIT JAYCE

Viktor… Oj no….. Jayce you ruined everything DIDNT you

And again, a Powder uses the arcane to save her family, to help… and it brings about the catastrophe. And again, Powder dies and leaves her family a ruin.

[unrestricted-chaos]

Ekko knew something was amiss when Jinx missed the third shimmer raid that intel had said she would be on security for.

Don't get him wrong, she was his enemy most of the time, but she was also a child of Zuan.

A child he wasn't able to get out from Silco's rule.

It's not hard for him to find her hideouts and bolt holes, and while she had many, he'd calculated she probably only had a handful he didn't know about. That is to say she could very easily know of all the firelights corners and bolts just as easily.

His only hope was that the Sanctuary was still a secret from her.

Once he’s cleaned up and checked in with Scar, Ekko takes off towards the west end and the abandoned warehouse he’s seen her frequent a number of times. It was a good enough place to start his search for the wayward marksman.

When he doesn’t find her there, he starts an outward sweep of her hideaways and places he’s seen her slip through like the ghost many had believed her to be.

He's almost done searching the bricked off cellar that was once an underground bar before the last resistance in the war with Piltover came to a close, when he hears her approach. Glancing around the room at the decaying décor and broken bottles and relics of a time he’s never been, Ekko makes the split decision to take the wall across from the bar, eyes able to see the room and the exit should things get dicey.

Once Jinx is down and secured the entrance, Ekko knows it’s only a few moments away before she knows she’s not alone, and any other day, she’d have sensed him long before trapping them in together. He can see the hitch in her breath , a plastic bag clutched into her hands as she spots him, his back to one of her walls, body relaxed, attempting to show her that he wasn't here to fight.

Her gaze finally breaks from him, lips pursed as she moves further into the decaying room, bag dropped on the last table standing, "Who invited you to my pity party, boy savior?"

Ekko can only shrug eyes still following her. He studies her, certain now he'd made the right choice to come. There was something unsettling about seeing her like this, the bags around her eyes making her gaunt appearance more apparent, it left an uneasy feeling in his gut.

"Well, you can leave." Jinx mutters, "Shut up."

Ekko isn’t startled by the bite, or the command, he simply holds his tongue; this is not the first time she's talked to ghost around him, and it won't be the last he was certain, "You been busy?"

Jinx's eyes return to him, something curious hidden in the depths now, "Were you worried about little old me?" she smirked, "Why how considerate of you."

"If I was?" He challenged, there was little reason to deny her claim after all.

"What did you think someone offed me before you could?" Jinx's smile was cruel, before turning vicious as she spun behind her, words hissed out of clenched teeth to quiet for Ekko to make out.

Ekko turns away, her ghosts weren't his to judge, nor were they there for him to speak with, "That's not it and you know it."

Jinx laughs humorlessly, "Right, boy savior can't kill lil old Jinxy now that he knows the ugly little secret."

"In case you missed it on the bridge, I hadn't been able to do it then either." He hissed back, "Your bomb was the least of the problem."

He's glaring back at her, her shimmer-colored eyes are trained on him once more, ghosts forgotten for the moment "You need to figure it out then." She says, fight leaving her eyes, "Cause otherwise your going to lose all your friends out there. You think they haven't noticed you firelights aren't aiming to kill anymore-- that you aren't. I don't get that luxury. Just like I don't get the luxury of dying in this war."

Ekko swallows thickly, he knows this, he does. Doesn't make it any easier, "That's not a luxury Jinx. They shouldn't be taking away your choices like that. Not to fight, not to kill, not to-- not to die. What they did to you, when they saved you-- against your will, that isn't okay."

Jinx watches him her eyes searching for anything that could be a lie, that he doesn't mean. And Ekko isn't positive he means it all, but he does know that she should have the choice and to have the say what happens to her and what goes into her body.

"I don't want to kill you, but I can't make you live either." Ekko whispers breaking the silence that had descended over them.

"You'd really let me die?"

Ekko can't bring himself to break her gaze this time, it's not an option with how afraid she is. He can't say one way or the other if his next words are the right ones, but he has to hope she understands anyways. "I don't want to see you dead. But I could never force you through the pain of resurrection to live this half-life again either."

Jinx doesn't say anything for a while, and Ekko, Ekko has to be content to wait here. He came to check on her this time, not to fight about it all.

"They're going to use me against you." She whispers.

"I know."

Jinx whisper turns hysteric, "I'm going to let them."

"I know." Ekko says, a little more certain, and a lot more determined to give her peace, this isn’t his enemy, he isn’t sure that she ever has been one to begin with, not truly.

"Ekko--" Jinx’s voice cracks, pained and desperate.

"I know Jinx, okay, I do. That doesn't mean I didn't come here to make sure you were okay and to see if you needed anything. Pity party aside, just talk to me here, please."

Jinx nods slowly before dropping down onto the ratty couch, all the tension in her frame draining away for the moment. Though Ekko doesn't leave his wall, only slides down to sit on the dusty ground, unwilling to break the peace this time.

"Have you studied particle theory of displacement and distribution before?"

Ekko is a little surprised this is what she decided to talk about, though he hadn't been very specific when he was all but begging her a bit ago to talk to him. "Can't say that I have."

Jinx stares dead ahead, eyes glazed over, "You should think about it. What with your obsession with time and all. Time is a flowing construct that moves unobstructed to the naked eye, the particles of the universe and the fabric of reality interact, and change based on the atomic level structure of an object. Things like mass, velocity, kinetic energy, the thermals of the situation all play a part. Taking into account particle theory..."

Ekko let himself sink further into his own mind, it had been a long time since he had buried his best friend, and far less time since he found her still alive within his enemy. But today, today he gets to hear her as she theorizes time, and he wonders if she missed him just as much as he did her.

"How does one see particle theory in demonstration?"

"Depends on I guess; I always just use explosives. How else can you understand the displacement and redistribution of particles on a visual scale that doesn't take expensive tools or incredible patience?"

Ekko can't stop himself from laughing there, "Alright, alright, tell me more, I think I got a few things on time elements that might disrupt your theory though."

It didn't have to make sense to them. But right then, it was like the world hadn't changed, and innocence hadn't been lost all those years ago as they talked for hours about things most would claim as impossible or unobtainable.

Just two kids on opposite sides of a war, that neither wanted to keep fighting that night.

“Who invited you to my pity party?” 

[inari-zaheer]

Ekko Soulmate AU Headcanons

Pairing:Ekko x Reader

—————————————

When he was a child it always made him exited to know that one day he would lock eyes with his soulmate and the world would be a magical mix of colors

Of course he knew they probably wouldn't meet until he was older, but it didn't hurt to dream right?

But his dreams were sadly forgotten after he decided to take the lead and create the firelights

Is an understatement that he was a busy man, but sometimes he couldn't stop himself from looking at random people's eyes in the street or in the middle of a fight

There where nights where he'd be really hopeful that someone would randomly appear in the sanctuary and give him the magical life he dreamed as a child

But on other nights he couldn't help but think about the possibility of his soulmate being already dead, as things in Zaun got harder after Silco started ruling the city

Which was his friends Scar's case, lost his beloved in the middle of the war leaving him to take care of his child alone

In the past few days with Jinx (who at some point he was really sad that it wasn't his soulmate) making his life harder by the day, it wasn't something that he though bout often

Until one day the firelights had a conflict near the sewers, where he found not only Jinx, but apparently Vi two other woman who looked a like but he couldn't recognize

By the time they got back to the hideout Vi had explained the whole situation to Ekko after she freed herself from the cuffs

So apparently upon trying to solve a case the piltie, as he refused to call the one and only Caitlyn Kiramman by her name, met Vi in prison, which got them both surprised to realize they were soulmates

After all the explanations, Caitlyn demanded they release her sister, y/n Kiramman, who only got involved in this mess trying to help Cait

Ekko was still not so happy about the situation but finally went to free you as Vi said you would probably be scared of being kidnapped

Well, much to Vi's surprise and Ekko's annoyance, you seemed to be an even hotter head than Caitlyn, immediately threatening the people that just entered the room as you could only hear footsteps getting near you

Ekko aproached you not wanting to deal with your threatning tantrum over you kidnappers anymore, starting to lift the bag that covered your face

"You know, if it wasn't for Vi and your sister i'd be so happy to shut that smart mouth of yo-"

Then suddently everything around you changed

You could see that the boy in front of you had the same shocked reaction, while his friends were untying you, the both of you could only stare at each other

Vi knew exactly what typw of look you guys had in your eyes, and Cait was trying really hard not to laugh at your expression

Ekko didn't know why but he instanly helped you getting up, still looking deeply into your eyes

Even if he wanted to fight with you for your immense bickering, the whole situation just felt so right

And strangely enough, he saw that you felt the same

"That was...uh...really unexpected" you said trying not to make the whole situation akward

"It definetly is" he laughed shyly "I supose we need to have a talk about this, right?"

"Oh hell yeah we do"

He made his way out of the room you have been previously been held "captive", not beeing able to hold the sight that left his lips upon seeing how beautiful and etheral the sanctuary looked

You, for the second time today , was in the same state of awe, as even if you lived in Piltover your whole life, you've never been able to properly appreciate the beauty of the glourious buildings and gardens that sorrounded you everyday

He asked Scar to lead Cait and Vi to a room where they'd be spending the night, quickly asking you to follow him to his room on the top of the trees, helping you in his hoverboard

Things could get solved later, now he was going to give his full attention to the person that seemed to be his child hope

[tumblezwei]

I really would like to heard your analysis of Jinx, she is such an interesting and well written character.

I have several thoughts about Jinx and what makes her so fascinating.

I will start, however, with a disclaimer. Most of what I'm gonna say is from Jinx's perspective. I don't actually believe Vi abandoned her and doesn't love her. She was a kid too when their family died, and it isn't her fault that she wasn't there for Jinx, being in prison and all. Silco is not a good person and was absolutely not in a good place to raise a child who was just horribly traumatized. I do believe he loved her, but no matter how much he loved her it doesn't excuse how deeply toxic he was to her mental health.

Anyways.

Powder was severely insecure throughout her whole childhood. She offers nothing to her family and is constantly belittled or pitied for her weakness. Even though Vi offers her all the support she can manage, it's not enough to make Powder believe that she's anything but a burden. It's something we can directly see through her diary in the Legends of Runterra archives that came out recently.

Vi has never doubted her sister will be something great, but that deep insecurity about her place in the world colors Powder's view. It doesn't matter how many words of encouragement she gives, Vi secretly doesn't believe in her. She thinks Powder is useless, just like Mylo says she is.

Hell, in that diary Jinx draws a picture of her entire family, Ekko included, and Powder herself isn't even there. She's represented by the crease between pages, too insignificant for even herself.

And that insecurity also feeds into a bad case of codependency. Because she's unable to survive by herself, Vi is her pillar. She can't do anything without Vi, a fact she simultaneously hates and is too afraid to change.

And you have both of these facts converging That Night. First, Vi leaves her behind when she goes to save Vander. To Powder it's the ultimate slap in the face. Her father is being held captive and he might seriously be in danger, all three of her siblings are going but Powder needs to stay home and wait. She's nothing but a liability to Vi in that moment, one that Vi can just leave behind whenever she wants, and it breaks Powder. Obviously you can see it the clearest when she has an anxiety attack after Vi leaves, but I think the second clearest is when Powder finds out she killed Vander and her brothers.

"Why did you leave me!" She just wanted to help, why did Vi leave her behind? And Vi answers her, confirming two of her biggest fears. She isn't able to help anybody, only ruin them, and Vi believes this. All of the reassurances, all of the encouragement, a lie.

That lie is the foundation on which Silco raises her. Because like her, he was abandoned by someone he thought had his back.

And the persona of "Jinx" is created as a way to cope with herself. If all Powder does is bring destruction, why not revel in it? Silco needs someone that can cause destruction, a tool of intimidation to solve conflicts with others trying to fill the power vacuum that Vander left behind. If Powder is a jinx, then why not be a jinx.

Much of the rest of her screentime is self-explanatory after that, but there are two things I want to talk about. The first, the obsessive hatred of Caitlyn.

As funny as the jokes are about Jinx being homophobic or not getting that Vi and Cait's relationship is different than Vi and Jinx's, the true point of her hatred is that Vi has someone else by her side at all. Just like Jinx never healed from her deleterious view of herself, she never grew out of her codependency either. For so long it was Vi and Powder against the world, always together, always sisters.

But now there's Enforcer Caitlyn Kiramann, who's competent, who Vi trusts to have her back, who Vi wants to protect. And Jinx can't stand it, because all it does is remind her of what she isn't, of what she can never be. That she is still all alone.

The second is Silco's last words. "Don't cry, you're perfect."

This line is probably the basis for 90% of the discourse surrounded Jinx and Silco's relationship. And in order for both sides to understand where I'm at, I will state for the record that Jinx is not perfect as she is. She is a traumatized teenager who acts petty, mean-spirited, cruel, and is in serious need of therapy.

But. But. Silco truly is the only person that's ever looked at her and seen someone who doesn't need to change.

You have to remember that Jinx never believed Vi when she encouraged her. Because Vi wasn't like her. Vi could say all the nice things she wanted, someday her inventions will work, but at the end of the day Vi is the one knocking out thugs in alleyways and planning heists while Powder was too scared to slide down a roof without encouragement and throws away their loot when she panics. There was always a part of Powder that felt bitter toward her sister.

But Silco is like her. He hurts like her, he needs help like she does. Vi leaves her to deal with Vander's kidnapping on her own, Silco trusts her to "handle it," to treat his eye, to protect his goods. Silco, angry, broken, scarred Silco sees Jinx as she is angry, broken, and scarred. And says she's perfect. It's the first time she's ever felt truly seen and truly loved for who she is.

This ended up a lot longer than I thought it was going to be, but I truly love Jinx and her fucked up character arc. I can't wait to see how she evolves from here, for the better or for the worse. I do hope that her and Vi come to an understanding about one another, because God knows they are not on the same wavelength.

[coldgoldlazarus]

One thing I think it's interesting that the writing in Arcane grapples with, to no immediately obvious conclusion, (that has led to at least one dubious take I've seen that it has "incoherent politics") is the tension between violence and stagnation.

---

Because on one hand, Arcane shows violence as a force of change, but almost always for the worse. Vander's uprising ends in countless undercity deaths at the hands of the Enforcers, and the orphaning of our girls. The fight with Deckard's crew ends in Milo blaming Powder for losing the loot and either starting or worsening her sense of ostracization.

The fight in episode 3 might have resulted in Vander's rescue if not for Powder's bomb, but honestly? I don't know how far they would have gotten with Shimmer-juiced Deckard still after them, and for all Vi's prowess he completely mopped the floor with her and Vander both, until Vander became the bigger monster. Even in the best case scenario, I don't know that the outcome would have been much different.

Episode 4's Firelight attack ends in most of them dead and Ekko fleeing, and a traumatic episode for Jinx. Episode 5 has the first round against Sevika, which ends with Vi stabbed through the gut literally and emotionally. Episode 6, they manage to escape Silco by dropping a sign on him but not much more than that, and the following battle against the Firelights ends with Vi kidnapped again and Jinx falling deeper into paranoia. Ekko's stand against Jinx in 7 does let Cait and Vi escape, but without the reason they were trying to get back to Piltover in the first place, and both combatants wind up badly wounded and further traumatized, in particular necessitating medical attention for Jinx that results in her infusion with Shimmer.

Another debatable case is Episode 8, which does finally convince Jayce that war isn't the answer and to push to grant Zaun their independence, but it still takes the death of a child worker and the forcible suppression of countless others to even open his eyes in the first place. Plus, I have seen some argue that he swung too far in the opposite direction instead, giving up on the Undercity and being willing to hand it over to Silco despite also seeing the conditions at the refinery he was running, rather than trying to find a more constructive and reconciliatory solution. (I'm not entirely sure I agree with this take, but I still felt it relevant to bring up.)

Hell, my friend has argued that the second fight between Vi and Sevika is the one exception to this rule, but honestly, even if we leave out Jinx's kidnapping her immediately afterwards, the fight on its own was ultimately pointless and unproductive, a waste of energy that had no real impact on the bigger picture by this point while losing Vi one of her gauntlets and leaving her too exhausted to fight back against her third abduction. And of course, the standoff between Cait and Jinx ends in Silco's death, which despite everything else he's done, still just hurts Jinx and leaves her alone once again.

---

On the other side of the equation, there is stagnation. With the undercity, first there was Vander. He did his best to keep things stable and steady, but that also meant that the undercity was trapped in place, under the heel of the Enforcers and under the oppression of Piltover. I love the man, I understand why did what he did, but Silco and Sevika weren't wrong when they criticized him.

But of course, under Silco, things got worse instead of better. He had all his long-term plans and whatnot, but in the meantime Shimmer became like a drug, giving people momentary pleasure or escape but ultimately leaving them even more destitute and their health and bodies in jeopardy to boot, as we saw with all the people in the abyss. In the short term everything became worse, and we'll never even know if his longer-term goals would have led anywhere, since he won't live to enact them and he only even got a shot at declaring independence ahead of his plans because of Jayce's offer.

On the other side of things, there's Heimerdinger and the council. Obviously, Heimerdinger's later opposition to Viktor's Hexcore research wasn't entirely unfounded; though we have yet to see the full consequences of that, knowing that Viktor must eventually become the Machine Herald we see in the game at least gives some idea of what's coming. That being said, while the show has yet to truly delve into the source and implications of the hex-crystals, I think it's safe to say that Heimerdinger's initial complete dismissal of the research was premature, and his later insistence on holding back too much was in direct opposition to Viktor's ideal of helping people who needed it right now. Again, there could and would have been consequences to just handing out hexgems like candy, given everything else already set in motion by that point, but it also denied all of the possible good they could have done.

And then there is the rest of the council; where Heimerdinger is small-c conservative and mostly oblivious to the struggles of the Undercity until his walkabout in Act 3, the rest are Conservative, corrupt, and uncaring about their constituents.

Mel's arguably the best of a bad bunch, but even then, as her mother points out she's still fairly complicit in the state of the undercity. Plus, it's made very clear that the line between her genuine good intentions and feelings for Jayce, and her Noxian upbringing to destabilize and control, is incredibly blurry and there is probably more overlap than she'd like to admit. I love her, but she's like a Game Of Thrones character who wandered into the wrong universe, and that ultimately negatively impacts the direction she leads Jayce and his hextech dream as she pushes him into politics.

And on that note, even as Heimerdinger obstructs the spread of hextech for good purposes out of at least some valid fear of the consequences, the rest of the council clearly pervert it into further fueling their own wealth and greed first and foremost. Once again uncaring at best, actively opposed at worst, to letting it be used or halted in any way that would benefit the lower classes and/or hurt their own bottom line, because either outcome would threaten their feeling of power. Unlike Vander maintaining stability despite the class divide because of the fear of what could go wrong otherwise, they maintain stability for the class divide.

---

So in the end, what is the solution? Violence brings change, but that change either makes things worse or just doesn't matter, with few meaningful benefits in the long run. On the other hand, stability brings stagnation, that either maintains a bad situation or lets it grow even worse over time.

There's a hint of Arcane's theorized answer in Episode 7, with the Firelights' hideout, and Cait's line "this city needs healing", but for better or worse that's all we get for now, with the exploration of how to enact such a thing on a larger scale being too big to get into right now, while Arcane is still in the middle of looking at how everything breaks first. (I feel/hope that is something that will be shifted toward in future seasons, though.)

Because in the end, the question of which is better, between violence or stagnation, is the wrong one to ask. Both have led to the situation being what it is now, both have played their part in shaping these characters into who they are. Both the systemic and personal instances of both have led to Jinx being failed again and again and again despite all the love held for her.

And with her rocket sailing across the city, right into the council's windows, the choice has been made for everyone. Stagnation has gone on too long, made the differences irreconcilable, and cannot last any longer. Violence isn't the answer either, it won't make things better... But it's here now anyway, and all that can be done now is see what happens and face the consequences.

[arcane-ish]

There seems to be a lot of variety in where people see Silco in regards to three different parameters. 

- Good/bad person - Good/bad father to Jinx - Whether his feelings for her were real/true

I tend to think that imo it’s fully possible that by the end he really did love her more than he did himself (imo yes he always saw himself in her so there is always some level of narcissism in wanting to protect her and wanting her to suceed, but I think in the end he did see that he didn’t fully control her, but he loved her anway) and yet he can still be a factually bad parent. 

At the same time, there are also situations where he can be a factually bad father, but I struggle to see it as narrowly on a morally good and bad scale. 

Like, it is true that Jinx has emotional/mental problems and if this was real life she should have gotten therapy. But at the same, this is a fantasy world fashioned after industrial revolution England, it seems doubtful that psychology is even a doubtful thing there. So I struggle to blame Silco for not getting Jinx therapy when nobody in this world likely has a concept of therapy (it’s not like Vander got Jinx and Vi therapy for the loss of their parents). 

Which doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have done better even with just his “street smarts” level of knowledge and understanding people, I’m just saying in the environment they live in it’s probably a lot less clear cut in common understanding what’s the right way to raise a child (not that this is 100% agreed on in modern life, but I think there are at least more tendencies). 

In believing that Silco did love Jinx his own way, I tend to read him as a fundamentally flawed and damaged person, who was a bad parent to Jinx in some ways because he wouldn’t look past his own insecurities. Giving him the leeway that most of what he said to her is true rather than manipulation (I understand that not everybody is going to agree with that, but let’s just assume, plus I think particularly by the end the goal of his manipulation had become a lot less important if it hadn’t outright disappeared). 

Anyway, so, assumption: Silco has his own heavy hang ups about betrayal/trust/lonliness. One of his biggest flaws as a parent is keeping Jinx away from others, most notably Vi. But if Silco has heavy hang ups, that makes slightly more sense. If he thinks Vi is bad news and would just hurt Jinx. He doesn’t want to Jinx to get hurt by Vi, because he sees himself in her and he thinks it woulld just be like him being hurt by Vander all over again. 

Similarly, okay, let’s ignore Vi, one of the most striking things is Jinx’s lack of friends her own age (compared to Ekko and all the people he hangs with). Even if we give Silco the benefit of the doubt that he has reason to hate and dislike Vi specifically, imo a good dad would have seen that it would be healthy for Jinx to form friendships with others. But he didn’t, likely because he has hangups where he doesn’t trust anybody. 

IMO we have seen that Jinx was capable of disobeying Silco. He clearly gave her a lot of leeway to roam around and be on her own and we know she didn’t see his word as law. So if she wanted to have friends, presumably she could have tried to connect with people while she was roaming around alone. It’s possible that he discouraged/forbid her spending time with other kids or that he stayed silent on the topic or that he accentuated it with generic warnings (ie “people will try to use you because you are my daughter”), but at the very least we can presume that he also didn’t go and try to encourage Jinx to make friends. [there is also likely some factor about him having insecurities about him leaving her? and he doesn’t want to be left again like Jinx was left by Vi or like he felt like he was left? though I could also read him as he sees himself in her so deeply that he can’t fanthom seeing her as Vi or Vander and he can’t really conceive him leaving her and just assumes that any motions in that way would just be temporary setbacks]

My personal pet theory is that we didn’t see Jinx defying him on this subject is because deep down she probably believed him in this regard or rather she believed something about herself that happened to align with him, namely that she felt guilty about Mylo and Clagger and thought she didn’t deserve friends or that she’s a Jinx and would only hurt people. 

I think it’s interesting that when Silco takes a stab at her insecurities, it’s about how the world is evil, that other people will betray Jinx, instead of saying stuff along the lines of Jinx suck/is a Jinx/ruins everything. I think that’s why it’s potentially believable that he actually believes what he is telling her, that it’s his own trauma to think that the world is that bad (btw his relationship with the chem barons and Sevika is really interesting in that context). 

Overall, I’m getting some Folie A Deux vibes from them, where both are deeply damaged people with a skewed view on the world that isn’t identical but sufficiently similar in some ways. Ie Silco sees “Jinx” in her and Jinx sees that in herself too, but she doesn’t see it quite the same way he does. Silco likely either doesn’t want Jinx to have friends or at least thinks it’s not important because he dislikes all people and Jinx likely thinks she doesn’t deserve friends and would just jinx it up. 

TLDR: Silco’s shortcomings as a father often come from his inability to look was his own hangups and insecurities. 

Hmmm, there is another meta on me on Silco’s relationship with Zaun and the chembarons and his attitude towards revolution and how meeting Jinx might have softened his stance on what he wants for Zaun or how fast he wants it. 

[fury-of-darkin]

Chaos Interactions With Every Champ

Ahri: “I remember every battle... And I remember your kind...”

Akali: “Carve your own path, Akali, and cut down any who defy you.”

Akshan: “You would wage war alone... But what if you had allies at your back, Akshan?”

Alistar: “Are you content to watch your kind live and die as Noxian puppets?”

Amumu: “Even in a sea of sorrow, the seeds of strife can still grow...”

Anivia: “How long will your remain idle while your brothers fight, Anivia?”

Annie: “The bear merely reflects what is within you, child. Let it out...”

Aphelios: “Rise against your oppressors, and bathe the sun in blood!”

Ashe: “Your unity will never last...”

Aurelion Sol: “Even the stars are not above war.”

Bard: “May this battle be commemorated in the heavens...”

Blitzcrank: “Can a machine become a warrior? Let us find out!”

Bel’Veth: “This world was forged in war. Its people will fight until the last.”

Brand: “The second-coming of the Runewars is at hand...”

Braum: “To protect what you hold dear, blood MUST be spilled.”

Caitlyn: “The only law on the battlefield is chaos.”

Camille: “The more you oppress the masses, the more their resentment grows.”

Cassiopeia: “You know not what you’ve unleashed, snake... But I thank you, regardless.”

Cho’Gath: “Will the Void consume Runeterra... Or the reverse?”

Corki: “A war to bloody the heavens themselves... Perhaps you are onto something, yordle.”

Darius: “I sense... Hesitation. Doubt. Your time is nearing its end, general.”

Diana: “Lead the Lunari to war, Diana, or they will leave you behind.”

Dr. Mundo: “Remember who you were. Remember what you’ve suffered. Do you not hate them, Mundo?”

Draven: “Battle is not sport, Draven; it is ART.”

Ekko: “So long as Piltover stands, Zaun will suffer. You know this... You can change it.”

Elise: “What will you do, I wonder, when your followers learn the truth of your deceptions?”

Evelynn: “War drew you to this realm, but it seems you developed... Different methods.” Alternate (Joke): “The only lust I feel is bloodlust.”

Ezreal: “You’ve studied my legend. Now, your research has brought you to me...”

Fiddlesticks: “So, you have awakened again... Let us remind them why they fear us.”

Fiora: “I accept your challenge, Fiora.”

Fizz: “The battlefield is no place for games.”

Galio: “Demacia’s greatest weapon... I will cherish this fight!”

Gangplank: “You lost the battle, Captain, but you have not lost the war. Let us turn the tides, together...”

Garen: “To protect Demacia, you must crush ALL your enemies, Garen; even if they are your kin.”

Gnar: “Perhaps the only yordle fit to be considered my muse...”

Gragas: “This is no mere tavern brawl!”

Graves: “The call you a coward, liar, cheater, and fool... But when I am done, they will call you a warrior.”

Gwen: “True battle is far grander than a child’s fantasies. Let me show you...”

Hecarim: “The shadow of war... A shadow of your former glory.”

Heimerdinger: “You cannot escape war, professor. That... Is a fact.”

Illaoi: “Your god and I want the same thing, Illaoi; for you to fight with all that you have!”

Irelia: “Ionia’s enemies amass, even now. Lead your people to battle, Irelia!”

Ivern: “The Godwillow stole all that made you great, Ivern. I will avenge what was taken from you.”

Janna: “Only the worthy are remembered... Why should anyone pray to you, spirit?”

Jarvan IV: “A true king must fight for his right to rule.”

Jax: “You seek warriors to join your cause... Let me help you find them.”

Jayce: “To discard the old and make way for the new; THAT is true progress. That... Is war.”

Jhin: “Oh, the things we could do together, Jhin...” Alternate/Joke: “Finally, someone who understand my work!”

Jinx: “Fear, sorrow, anger, grief... All drowned out by madness.”

Kai’Sa: “It is not enough to merely survive. If you intend to fight, fight to win.”

Kalista: “You would have made a fine vessel for the Bow...”

Karma: “Your words ring true. Now, you must act upon them.”

Karthus: “The most elegant deaths are found in the heat of battle.”

Kassadin: “You crusade against the Void alone, but not for much longer...”

Katarina: “Assassins are but pawns of war, so easily discarded...”

Kayle: “We have fought once before, Aspect. let us see whose vessel triumphs this time!”

Kayn: “Your latest vessel has potential... More than you realize, Scythe.”

Kennen: “The Kinkou grasp tightly to their control of Ionia, strangling it...”

Kha’Zix: “Your are versatile, but can you adapt a warrior’s rage?”

Kindred: “You have witnessed each of my works. Now, prepare for another masterpiece!”

Kled: “Some call you a hero, while others call you mad. There is little difference between the two...”

Kog’Maw: “You remind me of someone I know... But you lack his eloquence.“

LeBlanc: “Do you even remember why you fight? Do you recall your true foe?”

Lee Sin: “So much potential, Lee Sin. You... May be the hero Ionia needs...”

Leona: “You cast love aside for faith, Leona. There is no room for regret.”

Lillia: “You are the walking embodiment of naiveté...”

Lissandra: “You are a coward, surrendering before the fight has even begun.”

Lucian: “Do not fear losing her again. Rage against those that would take her from you!”

Lulu: “The only color I need, child, is crimson...”

Lux: “War is coming, Luxanna. You MUST choose a side.”

Malphite: “You were made to be a weapon, Malphite. Remember your purpose...”

Malzahar: “You are not the first prophet I have slain, nor will you be the last...”

Maokai: “Life prevails, so long as it has the will to fight.”

Master Yi: “Are you truly fit to be called a master? Raise your blade, and show me.”

Miss Fortune: “Your fight is not over yet, Sarah. You must not rest until your foe is crushed.”

Mordekaiser: “We meet again, Sahn-Uzal. May this battle be as glorious as our last...”

Morgana: “How long will you hide from your sister, Morgana? Does she, too, not deserve judgement?”

Nami: “The moonstone only prolongs the inevitable. How long will the Marai tolerate this cycle?”

Nautilus: “Even the seas are but another venue for my work.” Alt/Joke: “I have seen many weapons... You are the first to wield an anchor.”

Neeko: “You may mimic my form, but can you match my blade?”

Nidalee: “Remember what the Kiilash did, Nidalee...”

Nilah: “Sadness and rage, snuffed out by Joy...”

Nocturne: “After the slaughter, the survivors will remember it in their dreams...”

Nunu and Willump: “Some day, you must take up a real weapon, child.”

Olaf: “You will be remembered, Olaf. I will see to that...”

Orianna: “What truly makes one human is the will to fight. Has that, too, been lost...?”

Ornn: “I admire your craft, but your flames are colder than they once were...”

Pantheon: “Remember why you fight, Atreus, or I will remind you...”

Poppy: “Heroes are not born or found; they are forged in blood.”

Pyke: “You are but the echo of bloodlust, wrapped in delusion.”

Qiyana: “Rouse your people, Qiyana! A new age dawns for Ixtal...”

Quinn: “Land or sky, no foe escapes my blade!”

Rakan: “Why do you truly fight, Rakan? For your cause, or for her...?”

Rammus: “People have gone to war in your name, Rammus. How fascinating...” Alt/Joke: “Yes, I am... Alright.”

Rek’Sai: “So the Void wars against itself. Interesting...”

Renata: “Wealth alone will not conquer the world. An empire must be built on a foundation of blood.”

Renekton: “So this is the Magus’s handiwork... I approve.”

Rengar: “In the jungle, you are a hunter. On the battlefield, you would be prey...”

Rhaast: “Your new vessel suits you, Scythe...”

Riven: “You are a warrior at heart, Riven. You cannot escape your own nature.”

Rumble: “An impressive machine, but how long will it last on the battlefield?”

Ryze: “The Runewars were extraordinary, but even greater conflicts lie ahead... ”

Sejuani: “Charge ahead, Sejuani! Let none stand in your path, not even the gods!”

Senna: “Your fight is not done until your enemy is dead, Senna. You disappoint me.”

Sett: “Battle is more than a spectacle. It is art, and I will make you my muse...”

Shaco: “The battlefield is no place for games.”

Shen: “You may see the realm of spirits, but you do not UNDERSTAND it.”

Shyvana: “When the war on magic reaches its apex, who will you stand with, Shyvana?”

Singed: “I know how to summon the monster in men. Allow me to show you...”

Sion: “An impressive attempt, but flawed execution. I will remind you of your true glory, Sion...”

Sivir: “War is on the horizon. You MUST fight, Sivir; it matters not for whom.”

Skarner: “I can help you avenge your kin, brackern...”

Sona: “The clashing of steel, the cries of the dying... These are MY music.”

Soraka: “You seek to protect them? Are you ready to spill blood to do so, Starchild?”

Swain: “March your armies as far as they will go, Grand General. Wage as much war as you can... You haven’t much time left.”

Sylas: “Rouse your kin, Sylas! Crush your oppressors! Show them you will not be silenced!”

Tahm Kench: “We meet again, River King. I thank you for providing me such a compatible host...”

Taliyah: “The earth remembers every drop of blood spilled upon it...”

Talon: “You harbor the instincts of a killer... I may make something of you yet...”

Taric: “A failure of a soldier, yet you would fight for the heavens? Pathetic...”

Teemo: “Beneath a kind smile and unassuming visage lies the heart of something greater...”

Tristana: “Allow me to teach you what it TRULY means to be a soldier...”

Trundle: “Show them your might, Troll King. Teach them to fear your kind, as they once did!”

Tryndamere: “Tryndamere... My greatest creation! Your rage will shake the heavens and earth alike...”

Twisted Fate: “Leave your fate to chance, and she will cut it short...”

Twitch: “You would wage war on the surface? ...I suppose I have worked with worse...”

Udyr: “There is little difference between men and beasts; you are living proof.”

Urgot: “Rise up, Urgot! Let Piltover and Noxus alike feel your wrath!”

Varus: “The bow is the cruelest of us all, yet YOUR hands guide its arrows...”

Vayne: “I sense the fear in your heart, huntress. Your guise cannot deceive me...”

Veigar: “You are but a twisted mirror of Sahn-Uzal... And a small one, at that.”

Vel’Koz: “For all your study, you have learned nothing of human nature. Allow me to enlighten you...”

Vi: “There can be no peace between the cities, Vi. War is coming... For whom will you fight?”

Viego: “You are a pale shadow, Viego; you will fade, and be forgotten.”

Viktor: “Emotion is no weakness, Viktor. Let me remind you what you seek to abandon...”

Vladimir: “You squander our gift, Vladimir. Where I make history, you linger in its shadows...”

Volibear: “Let us remind them of the fury in their hearts, spirit. Let us return this land to its ancient glory!”

Warwick: “An attempt was made, but the end result... I will put you out of your misery, beast.”

Wukong: “Fight and grow stronger, so that all your enemies will fear the name Wukong.”

Xayah: “The price of the freedom you seek is blood, Xayah... From human and vastaya alike.”

Xerath: “Xerath... Your work is truly outstanding. I am impressed...”

Xin Zhao: “You are Demacia’s greatest warrior, Xin Zhao. Make them remember why.”

Yasuo: “You once sought glory on the battlefield, Yasuo. It is not too late to claim it...”

Yone: “The answers you seek will not save you, Yone...”

Yorick: “A war of the undead? Interesting... I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labor.”

Yuumi: “Not all thresholds can be so easily crossed...”

ZAC: “Do not shrink away from what lurks in men’s hearts. It is beautiful, is it not?”

Zed: “Show Ionia’s enemies the might of darkness!”

Zeri: “Your home will never no peace, so long as they live beneath the boots of tyrants...”

Ziggs: “Your work would be greatly appreciated by any army.”

Zilean: “You cannot undo Icathia’s loss, but you can still strive for victory against its destroyer...”

Zoe: “Make no mistake, child: Twilight will discard you when you have served your purpose...”

Zyra: “My blade cuts deeper than any thorn.”

[obvslybatgrl]

So there's this thing called toxic yuri...

Just say you want to see exclusively linear healing and growing processes on your screen. And bro, Catra is a little shit and an asshole. That's like, a fundamental part of her character. Of course she's going to make shitty jokes too soon. It's a coping mechanism. You can not like that way of coping, but that's what it is.

Bro doesn't have siblings. Anyway, I touched on Jinx's growing up suffering already when I said she suffered at the hands of authority figures. Before Silco came along, there were enforcers and systematic oppression, duh. My point was through that she had a support system. She had Vi, Vander, Claggor, Ekko, and Milo, even if he was annoyed by her. Catra only had Adora, whose affection was the reason for her abuse. Like I said, Catra stays with the Horde because that's the only way of life she understands, and leaving in her mind would only lead to more suffering for disobedience. That's what brain washing and constant abuse does to a child. You may have heard of the term trauma bonding.

I think you underestimate the ability of the heart (metaphorically), and with that ability being such a key theme of the show, I think you're approaching it with a narrow mind. Like Scorpia knew the whole time what the Horde was. Scorpia was also a high-ranking officer who oversaw violence on Etherians. And she was also welcomed into the Rebellions arms, with even less distrust than Catra. Entrapta was left behind for a moment and joined the Horde, created weapons of mass destruction for them, kept Hordak ALIVE, and then went back to the Rebellion. It's a children's show. Simply wanting to be good and better is going to be enough for a character to switch sides.

Of course they had an abusive relationship. It was founded in an abusive environment, and they proceeded to fight on opposite sides of an intergalactic war. No one ever denied they were abusive and toxic. But again, all of that hostility was a product of their environment. Side note: It's weird how you're absolving Adora of any responsibility in their relationship.

Re your second rb: There was literally no point in the show where it seemed like they weren't doing toxic yuri, so idk what you were watching. Adora didn't really break her role in that cycle either. And kids should know that unconditional love exists. That even if they hate themselves, one day there will be someone who will love them for them. That even if you're alone now, you won't always be. Catra serves as an example that even if you've been hurt, destroyed before, there will be people who want to love you, but you need to learn to accept their love.

Anyway, we're off track. Jinx and Catra fall in the same category, regardless of whether you liked how SPOP ended or not, because they are victims who followed a path of destruction over healing. That's just a fact.

I hate people who don't get Catra or Jinx or characters like that because god forbid the trauma doesn't turn you into a timid approval starved adult but an angry asshole approval starved adult

[randomchance]

okay i just finished binging arcane and i just wanted to dump some thoughts here, they are NOT organized and i WILL leave out many things bc my puny human brain cannot remember everything

ARCANE SPOILERS AHEAD

.

.

.

color. art. music. lets just get this over with, this show is gorgeous.

voice acting. like holy heck powder's child va and jinx's va are just awesome. when vi and everyone else leaves powder in her room alone and powder has her breakdown, it just felt so real thanks to the voice... ive had so many similar episodes during my worst year suffering from depression and anger issues and wow did it send me back to those times...🥲 and obviously her voice when vi hits her in the face, her screaming 'why did you leave me', every character's voice when theyre broken down, etc

story. its so well structured. and some twists i did NOT see coming, like silco almost being killed by sevika but her killing finn instead

characters. i... to be truthful i didnt hate any of them. not silco, not jinx, not sevika.

i love the moment where they finally fully 'humanize' silco, when jinx hugs him after she thinks vi left her and he hugs her back. oh and i love ekko. his design and his reveal as the firelight. and there being almost no one-dimensional character; mel being both manipulative but also striving for her own idea of good, jace not being an incompetent politician for the whole run, silco and him actually going through w the peace thing, marcus and his daughter, victor not being the nice, nerdy, weak character unlike so many other shows that handle characters of his type, etc...

i love this show and i now NEED a season 2.

[quantum-shatter-a-blog]

{ @vesanic }

[ To say that Ekko got himself in trouble often, would be an understatement.

Rather, the boy sought out trouble like a bloodhound hunting a fox, for it was his adrenaline rush, and the thing he needed most in his life; a purpose. But some days he overdid it, and it all got to be a little too much- he may have been able to turn back time, but he was certainly no sorcerer, and certainly no immortal.

Today was one of those days. Though today, as opposed to the others- Ekko was really growing scared for once.

He had taken on two opponents by himself- it had been a miscalculation that help would arrive soon, either from the police of Zaun or from some of his friends. He was alone. And his opponents? Well, clearly, they were paired up. And they definitely weren’t without weapon; theirs were too-obviously visible. Blades, long and toxic, dripping in chemicals from Gods knew where- Ekko was working up a high sweat just trying to avoid being stabbed. He could flee, or he could turn back the minutes and avoid the fight all-together; but this late in the day, it was risky for him to waste energy on such a thing, for he didn’t know where he would end up.

And fleeing? A child’s opportunity. He wouldn’t lead these two towards any innocents, especially those he knew personally.

An augmented fist, (reminiscent of Vi’s) slammed into the brick beside his head, forcing Ekko to hit the ground and roll away, back on his feet within a second, bat in hand, reflexes at the ready. But was he quick enough? No.

The second man- creature, at best- pushed him to the ground from behind, and the boy cried out as his elbows harshly hit the cobblestones of the abandoned street, the cover of night leaving no natives to aid him. His weapon clattered out of his hand, and the two were moving towards him, too quickly- he reached for a switch on his Z-Drive, not knowing if he would reach it soon enough-

An explosion. Ekko barely shielded his face with an arm as pieces of metal flew outwards from one of the goons, his form crumpling towards the ground as the Zaunite peeked out from behind his scarf. Glancing around feverishly, adrenaline still taking over his heaving chest and throbbing head, he scrambled to grab his bat, pushing himself back to his feet with minor disorientation, a stumble from his fall.

His eyes scanned the fallen body of one augmented man, before his head whipped about, deep eyes flashing like warning signs as he searched for the second- but he was already on the ground, too.

Now suspicion hit him like a blow to the chest. Who would bother saving him? He prayed it wouldn’t be the law. He didn’t like to get mixed in with either side of it, when it could be helped.

Strands of whitened hair blowing into his forehead, Ekko pushed it away in a mild fit of irritation before his eyes met with hers. A breath escaped his chest and he froze, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to act; he stood still. He only spoke once, his words incredulous, his brows twisted into a mix of gratitude, relief- and confusion. ]

                    "Jinx?”

[jynxd]

For every second the spent bound to the table, listening to man, the more frustrated and angry be became. Silco was living to his reputation as the manipulative dictator of the Undercity. Only Ekko had no idea just ruthless he had truly been until now. Before the only thing he thought the Eye of Zaun was capable of was killing and destruction, but he was quickly realizing there was more to him now. Underneath that was a man who knew how to truly change people.

Protective urges kicked in as Silco mentioned the little vastaya that he'd accepted as his own child as he let out a notably loud and feral growl. "If you ever think about laying a hand on that child I will fucking kill you," Ekko snarled, his eyes suddenly way colder than they had ever been. "Do what you must to me, but you keep her out of it, got it?"

The leader couldn't save Scar, but that didn't mean he couldn't protect their little girl. It didn't matter that a weak point had been pointed out. He would have to do what he had to keep her safe, to keep all of them safe. If he had to be subjected to this torture, than so be it.

His body was already shaking with anticipation, so when shimmer finally entered his veins his body jerked for a brief second. The sensation was already so different from just a single shot, it was more satisfying, clouding part of his mind with its constant flow. His breathing was heavier now, deeper.

"What truth? The fact you get people so hooked so you can control them? All you're doing is creating monsters to go against Piltover, who doesn't give a rats ass what happens down here." The aggression was already making itself known now, the part of himself he wished wouldn't have come to the surface. He didn't like that he was already changing. "And I'm not yours."

Ekko knew better now than to doubt Silco's tenacity. He absolutely meant every word he was saying. While he was positive Silco would never find their secret entrance, could he risk it? There were so many children, his own child, could he risk their lives by not saying anything? It was unclear whether or not Silco would honor it, and yet he'd saved Jinx..

"If I tell you, you have to promise to leave everyone alone." He finally spoke up, his voice now maintaining a more gruff-like tone. "I'm the only one who knows how to make the gadgets and we brought them all with us, they are harmless. Tell them I'm dead and let them go."

Of course the information wouldn't have come so easily, but he had to have at least tried. He let a smirk surface on his features again, finding his expectations of the boy to be forever changing with each new note of defiance spat his way. When the revelation of the Vastaya's significance came to light, he stopped his circling. With a raised brow, he looked down at the other's face in astonished interest. "Ohh, he was your partner, eh?" Silco let the satisfaction of a family well shattered sink in. "It's not the first time I've broken up a family. Perhaps I'll pay that little child a visit," he threatened, walking his index and middle fingers up the exposed skin of the teen's arm.

The doctor snapped the last pieces of the device together, tapping the glass of the shimmer vials to disperse any air bubbles to the top. "It is ready," he announced. "How slowly would you like this to be done, SIlco?"

Silco contemplated it for a few moments, then spoke his command. "As slowly as possible, doctor." He kept eye contact with the teen as he continued, "I want to savor this."

Singed regarded his employed with a look for a moment, then turned to the captive and began to hook up a tube to his arm. The tube connected to the syringes, which he placed into what looked like an automated pump. He set the feeding levels to the slowest speed on the pump, cranking the dial to its lowest integer. With a rumbling rhythmic click, the pump began to work, slowly drip feeding the shimmer through the tube and into the teen's arm.

"It'll take days, you know," Silco commented, watching the tube fill inch by inch with glowing shimmer. "You'll be so high for so long, you won't remember what it's like being sober." The shimmer reached the vein, slowly snaking its way into the captive Firelight's body. "Then we'll starve you of it for a day or two, and repeat the process all over again until you finally understand the truth."

He reached over, gently taking the boy's jaw into his hand. "Until you realize you're mine, now." He began the questioning again. "I'm willing to tear this city apart searching for that rat's den you've been hiding in, boy. They will not know peace if I find them on my own, but if you tell me where they are, I promise not to hurt the children."