#piltover doesn’t seem very accessible

[interestofthemonth]

Do you think Jayce is one of the only Pilties to be really understanding of Viktor’s disability bc his mom has prosthetics??

Last pic is from this Reddit post

[ihavea-natural-curiosity]

Viktors Disabilities, a Speculative Analysis

Ever since i first watched Arcane i have wanted to know (and i mean this in the nicest way possible,) what was wrong with Viktor. His disability was never explained beyond “he was born with a malformed leg”.

And so, i was left alone in the house with my thoughts today so i took it upon myself to figure it out, (and talk about his medical issues so i can ignore my own lmao) and i am releasing my thoughts upon yall!

(disclaimer: yes i am aware that this arcane is a fantasy world that is not our world and the disorders/illnesses and treatments will not be the same but the issues he has have to be based off of something (especially with how detailed this show is and how many references are made throughout.) this is not me trying to say that he definitively has any of these conditions, i’m just comparing them to conditions that exist today and suggesting what Viktors disabilities may have been based off of.)

(disclaimer pt 2.: i have not played League of Legends, i do not intend to play League of Legends, i have only watched Arcane and i am only talking about Arcane and Arcane lore and what i have been able to figure out from watching Arcane and spinning it around in my brain like it’s in a microwave.)

Now, i think i’ll just start from the beginning, and go in order of development.

1. Viktors Leg

According to the wiki (and about every other site that talks about Viktor) he is said to have been “born with a malformed leg”, and said pretty much nothing else. Now, when Viktor is an adult, his leg appears to be very not-malformed, so, let’s start at the flashback.

Now, even in the flashback Viktors leg looks normal. It’s pointing forward, and looks totally fine. But as the clip goes on, and he gets up and starts moving, the problem becomes apparent. Here’s a clip:

Yall have probably already noticed what i’m talking about with this clip, but i want to illustrate it more because the clip moves so fast:

As Vikto moves faster, his foot shifts inwards! It shifts inwards pretty severely (i mean, he full on trips on it), and the only time in this entire clip where it is doing so. And that is because the other times he is around someone else. I think he is purposefully pointing his foot forward and in turn walking on the wrong part of his foot (balance issues), and more than likely causing himself pain 1. to appear less ‘crippled’ and more “normal” to other people, and 2. because clearly, his foot is pointing inwards to a degree that is impairing his ability to walk.

Now to me, (and i’m not a doctor so if any actual doctors want to call me on incorrect information please do so!) this looks like Femoral Anteversion, or a twisting of the femur that points the knees inward (it’s typically found in both legs but it can happen with just one)

Now this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, ~10% of children are affected with Femoral Anteversion (or “pigeon toes”), and most of the time it resolves itself, unless it is super severe, at which point it requires surgery to fix it. Which, of course, Viktor did not have access to.

Now, his leg does appear to be normal as an adult, but the femoral anteversion thought is still plausible. There are 3 reasons i can think of for this one.

1. He got to Piltover and after a little bit Heimerdinger noticed how messed up his leg was and Viktor got the surgery to correct it as much as possible (it’s implied that Viktor was in Piltover for years, based on how he acts and the fact that he’s Heimerdingers assistant) (this thought doesn’t seem very plausible to me, i don’t remember seeing any surgery scars on his leg in the hexcore scene, but it is a possibility.)

2. He’s simply just still correcting his leg. The reason we wouldn’t see him mess up like we did in the flashback is that he’s about 24-25 in act one, and i’d say that 14-15 years is probably enough to get used to doing that sort of thing.

3. (Honestly this one seems to be the most plausible to me) His leg has (partially) corrected itself. Most children whose femoral anteversion fixed itself had normal gaits by age 8-10, but that’s an average age and those typically aren’t perfectly accurate to everyone (i have. very personal experience with that.) and it makes the most sense to me that his leg has mostly/partially corrected itself and he’s just also continuing to self-correct to avoid appearing any more disabled than he already does (he shows quite a bit of internalized ableism throughout the season, and his line about people not listening to him because he’s “just a poor cripple from the undercity” really drives it home for me, honestly.)

2. Viktors Deterioration

When we first truly see Viktor in act 1, he seems lively, and unless he’s actively walking, he’s not using his cane, not really (he hangs his cane on his arm to read a book with both hands (really great rep btw, we do in fact do that!), he leans it against a desk to pace in front of a chalkboard with Jayce, he puts it down somewhere to go help Jayce with the experiment, etc.).

I mean, look at his stance, he’s not really leaning on his cane for support, more likely he’s using it for balance, and as an assist to his bad leg, rather than an attempted replacement like we saw in the flashback.

But in act 2? Hoooo boy

Look at that, beyond just looking 10x sicker, look at his posture, his shoulders specifically. He is actively leaning on his crutch (because he needs a crutch now, the cane wasn’t enough), using it like a replacement. Now, over the course of the ~7 year time skip, Viktors condition has deteriorated enough that he 1. needs the braces 2. needs a crutch 3. can no longer even get up without his crutch, let alone take a single step!

i mean, even when he’s sitting down, he’s holding onto it, leaning on it. The way he uses his crutch, how skinny he’s gotten, how much more tired he seems, all of these things say some sort of newfound muscle weakness, but why?

And the braces. Let’s start with the leg brace, since it’s right there. How it’s built around the actual leg and knee looks a whole lot like a much cooler unloader knee brace, or a knee brace that redistributes weight away from the weakened knee. I have to wear one of those when my knee gets really bad in the winter, when it starts buckling randomly and just.. not working. Which makes sense for the muscle atrophy/weakness theory i have, because that leg was already weak to begin with, and his knee would have been all kinds of fucked up if he did spend basically his whole life misaligning it like i’m thinking he did. (and to support that theory even further, the way that the brace goes over his foot as well reminds me of the braces some children wear to attempt to correct their ‘pigeon toes’ (which have been proven not to work, btw)

Now, the back brace. I’m gonna be honest, this part took me the longest, it truly confused me.

When you look at it, it just looks like a thoracic back brace, with some extra support on the hips (once again, pointing to muscle weakness)

But the thing that really confused me?

The screws in his back.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what procedure this was referencing (Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation (i’m like really sure that the screws aren’t showing in the real life surgery but the fact that they are makes sense with Arcanes style)), and an even more embarrassing amount of time to realize that the golden screws in his brace weren’t connected to him. (i am. very tired.)

But essentially, a Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation is a less invasive spinal fusion procedure. Now a spinal fusion can be done for many, many reasons, but only one really fit.

Support, because of muscle weakness.

Every single thing that got added on to Viktor could be explained by muscle weakness, but there’s never any explained reason why he was so weak all of a sudden. His terminal illness is cited as a reason but that didn’t really make sense to me, all of these procedures, all of these mobility aids made perfectly to his measurements would’ve had to have been caused by something with a much slower onset than the illness would have given him.

And after literal hours of scouring, i have a theory.

Post-Polio Syndrome.

The timeline makes sense, Viktor would have most likely gotten sick before the flashback, when he was a child (a lot of children who get Polio fight it off without even knowing they have it). Viktor is estimated to be about 32 in act 2, and the average time between the initial Polio infection and Post-Polio Syndrome onset is about 20-40 years (inconsistent numbers).

Now some of the symptoms we have no way of knowing if they affect Viktor or not, but the main ones that caught my eye were muscle atrophy, chronic fatigue, and, you guessed it, muscle weakness.

Given where Viktor lived as a child, and how heavily polluted it was (remember that Viktor was in the undercity over 10 years before we saw it in act 1 with Vi and Powders childhood), it’s not too far of a stretch to say that he could have contracted an illness very similar to Polio as a child, and only really be feeling the affects of it now.

3. The Illness

I have 2 main theories for Viktors illness, the first one seems to be the most popular among the fandom: Tuberculosis.

If you’re unaware, Tuberculosis (TB) is a sickness that mainly affects the lungs, with the main symptom being coughing up blood. Now this is a really good theory imo, it fits pretty well, with some of the other symptoms being muscle atrophy, fatigue, malaise (general feeling of discomfort/unease with no discernible reason), loss of appetite, and severe unintentional weight loss. all of this sounds like our guy, no?

TB can take weeks to be symptomatic, so we probably just caught Viktor at the worst time ever lol with this theory.

My other theory is actually one my friend suggested to me, and that theory is COPD.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that is basically a terrible combination of chronic bronchitis and asthma that can be caused by exposure to pollution (Viktor grew up in the Undercity before Cassandra’s vent system, i mean the river he was playing on had an oil slick on it, i think it’s safe to say he was exposed to some pretty severe pollution as a child.)

This theory makes a lot of sense to me, because it’s said in the show that his illness was probably caused by the air where he grew up, which this would have been, while TB would not. (not 15-20 years later, at least) COPD, once it reaches stage 4 is very severe, any flare up of symptoms could be life threatening at that stage, and the symptoms? Fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, weight loss, and less frequently, coughing blood.

Anyway, i guess that concludes my analysis/comparison? I’m gonna repeat that i’m not definitively saying that ‘he has this condition and this is why!’, i’m just analyzing and speculating on what different parts of his disability is based on in real life. So, let’s just all be nice, yeah? (also PLEASE feel free to use this as a reference point for modern aus and stuff!!)

i do genuinely think that Viktors disease progression and his deterioration is one of the best examples of chronic illness that i have seen in media, in my experience (both with my own issues and what i’ve seen in other people) and Viktor himself is one of the BEST representations of what it’s like to be young and disabled and the internalized ableism that comes with it (if anyone wants to hear about that i will happily yap your ear off about it!

Anyway, for real this time. Yap session over.

[bitchqueenofthebitchsquad]

Gripes about season 2:

My rambling and mostly incoherent gripes about arcane season 2 with headers to help me keep track of what I’m trying to say:

Is hanging out with your oppressor a desirable outcome of the struggle?:

Some people imagine that the greatest goal of a stratified society is for all the classes in that society to hang out more. Basically it's the idea that oppression wouldn't happen if we could all just get to know each other. But proximity doesn’t seem to prevent people from oppressing one another. Policy changes, social movements, revolutions etc. are what seem to do it. You know, systemic change. Arcane brings up system problems and then seems to lose interest. At the end of the show, the status quo is pretty much unchanged except that a few tokens have found their way into the hearts of their oppressors. Are we supposed to be satisfied by this?

When people with this “Lets all get along” mindset create art about oppression I find that, no matter how thoughtful, accurate, or heartfelt their description of the problems, the solution they come up with is always really trite and naive.

So for arcane we have Zaun, the under city that wants health and safety and Piltover which is wealthy but at the cost of the health and safety of Zaun. Instead of letting these two battle it out union vs cops/military/state violence style like in the industrial revolution (which is what I thought we were gearing up for) we get this weird moral about how if the two societies don't band together, some foreign other will come take over. 

That's a threat to Piltover, but for Zaun, which is already fucked up, how much would switching out their oppressor change their status quo? The devil you know vs the devil you don't I guess? 

Arcane manages to include some of my least favorite cliches. They have the savage imperialist foreigners, scary new technology that for reasons that can’t be explained destroys people's humanity (old man yells at cloud), and a visibly disabled big bad who loses his humanity thanks to his mobility aids which (again for reasons that can’t be explained) corrupt him. In fact almost all our main antagonists are disabled (Silko, Singed, Sevika kinda, Viktor). For me it fell beyond tropes and into the realm of stereotypes. 

In the end, when the evildoers are defeated, the status quo remains but now the groups are all hanging out a little bit more. This feels super hollow to me. Surely hanging out with the oppressors isn’t the goal of the oppressed. Oppressed people want access to resources and so they go to the places where resources are being held. If we could, we would just build resources and infrastructure in our own communities. Thats the story I would want for Zaun. I also think that a lot of these stories are interested in the aesthetics of oppression because they can use trauma to get audience reactions, but they dont necessarily understand or have anything to say about how oppression works or what should be done about it.

While internalized oppression complicates this, I still think that ultimately most oppressed people are making a pragmatic choice when they associate with the opposing class. Like, when I go to the white grocery store, it's not because I want to emulate white people or I’m itching to see them, it's just that their grocery store is way better than the one in my neighborhood. 

Instead of Piltover having to give up anything material the show is like "what if Piltover let a token Zaun girlie on their council?" And this is shown as a hopeful step in the right direction. But if you know you know. How many tokens have we seen who look like us but don't represent us, either because they are beholden to the interests that put them in power in the first place or because they don't really have power, they're just meant to make us feel "represented". Very uncool.

Episode seven:

In episode seven, Ekko gets to see a Zaun that is safer and healthier but also visually more like Piltover. That was a big miss for me. How cool would it have been to see the aesthetics of Zaun but without the blight? I also just hate the little fury professor. Rich, naive, old people are almost as annoying in media as they are irl.

Also why was the jinx in that episode so boring? I get why Ekko didn’t stick around. If I thought I was going to have to date homegirl I would've gone back to my universe as well. Hate to see an unambitious woman running around. 

Body augmentation:

Also I have serious hatred in my heart for the idea that augmenting the body is something to be feared.  Like, the narrative that changing your body is not loving yourself is trash. I understand that the writers were kind of trapped by the game lore but I’m complaining about what I didn’t like not making an argument for why things had to be exactly as they were. It would have been nice if Viktor could have just been a regular degular revolutionary who kills his oppressors because they’re unwilling to cede power instead of for “magic corruption” reasons. Like let the disabled man get prosthetics and fight the people who are responsible for his illness without implying that body modification, particularly life saving body modification, is hubris. And then when he goes and heals the junkies and sick people. Can someone explain to me what the problem was with that without integrating game lore? Like just textual evidence from the show, what was wrong with that?

Final gripes

Jayce killing Viktor is what prompts him to go on his glorious evolution thing where he integrates warwick into his body or whatever so isn’t it Jayce’s fault shit goes sideways???  So then how does the time travel make sense? Isn’t it Jayce who needed to be stopped?

Time travel is either writers jumping on the trend or a way to try and dig themselves out of a hole. Either way its lazy.

I have buckets of contempt for people who claim they love Black characters but none of their fanworks contain those characters. What do the girls get out of these kind of lies? Is there some social capital they think they’re gaining? Is anyone (anyone worth taking seriously) demanding they do this? 

Don’t think this was a shipping win for Jayce Vik actually although I agree it was very gay. Gayness/queerness that is only subtext, even if its barely subtext, isn’t explicit enough for me.

I might be reaching here but the whole “he’s taking peoples individuality” is giving anti communist dog whistle.

What I liked:

I liked when the lesbians were eating coochie

The show is so beautiful! I loved all of the glimpses of the arcane and wish we’d had more Sky and Victor wandering around in people's mind palaces.

[ifeelhuman]

after another rewatch, that was arcane episode 12, season 2 episode 3 the end of the 1st act of the season and 4th act overall. with this show… things just keep getting more and more involved. this episode a prime example of that. let’s get into it.

we’re shown a bit more of the info with the Kiramann family legacy and how Caitlyn has access to all that now. in specifics, it’s in regard to the Grey—smog from the mining in the early days of Piltover that needed to be contained lest it affect all citizens in both topside and the undercity. the Kiramann’s took it upon themselves (and either they were architects or they hired architects) to devise a ventilation and containment system for the Grey. unfortunately, it looks like Caitlyn and her team are effectively letting loose small bouts of the dirty air in pockets to more securely search the underground to complete their three main objectives. while seemingly useful in their endeavor, that doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re exposed random citizens to filthy air and thereby making them sick. they’re hurting many people in the crusade for one particular individual. it’s sad and dark and whose to tell them this isn’t a good plan or worthwhile when it almost worked anyway (now, they don’t know that but we as the audience know just how close they were to at lease seeing Jinx and she was meer moments from having a rather heavy coughing fit herself [which, i think, we didn’t see because while running away last episode crying and coughing she got the wind knocked out of her—that could’ve expelled the majority or a chunk of the Grey out of her lungs])? and, of course, there is a poetic justice to the fact that at the end Jinx—and by extension Zaun—releases it back into the city of which it was to be rid of. and i want to think that once Cait and her team saw the dolls Jinx made that perhaps if they changed their strategy and waited to go after Jinx (because she was anticipating them as a result of her seeing them) they likely wouldn’t caught Jinx off-guard for a second time. just a thought

Mel’s mother, Ambessa, is running from something (or is at least very good at making it seem like that is the case) in connection to what happened either Mel’s brother, Kino. she takes out Amara, a seemingly minor character with nothing beyond the surface who actually turns out to be in Ambessa’s words, an “insolent witch.” i’m not sure if the Black Rose power and the faction that has that are actually witches (if i’m meant to read into that word) or if she used that word to describe how lowly these people are in regards to their evil/etc. this was and so far is the only time we see Ambessa caught off guard by another character in such a way that threatens her own life. so, of course, she’s going to be all the more resolute in starting the war and she takes advantage of the assassination attempt and blames it on no-name Zaunites at the end of the episode the further her agenda in starting a war to, as Mel put it, “cover [her] ass.” speaking of, Mel was well on her way to figuring this out.

Elora is a really loyal and dedicated personal assistant, i like her and i’m actually loving her VA as well—so much emotion and emphasis to show that Elora genuinely cares about Mel, Piltover, and takes pride in doing a good job with her work. on her own figured out that there is discrepancies in regard to Kino’s death, confirmed that Salo met with the other houses, and takes serious the things that Mel says. for instance, in season 1 Mel introduces Amara to Jayce before their talk about reinstating trading privileges as someone with “little to no threat” and that “she’s harmless.” Mel said this in the presence of Elora which means she takes heed of that. so for Elora to hear that Mel wants Amara to be checked on—she doesn’t throw Mel’s words back at her—she takes it with sincerity and plans to follow thru. however, both of which are kidnapped/taken by the Black Rose and therefore are coincidentally absent for Ambessa’s public outcry for martial law. a little too coincidental—saw a theory that because Ambessa is so protective and willing to do the extreme thing to protect Mel and her personal interests that in pursuit of these actions she overlooked Mel’s location (because Ambessa is keeping her distance) and isn’t present or aware when her daughter’s life (another councilor !!) is in danger. what will happen with this dynamic i do not know but someone is going to pay, i believe. i didn’t really talk about the new feline character Lest but i like her design and hope this wasn’t her character’s only appearance.

between episode 3 and 4 of season 1 we got a timeskip (i’ve heard that it’s been confirmed to be 7 years so that’s what i’m running with) and in these years harpooned-over Jayce and Viktor constructed the HexGates and the entire structure is a vertical shaft. Ekko, Heimerdinger, and Jayce upon analysis of the tree leaves from the shelter in the undercity move their conversation to the topic of the Arcane, magic itself. Jayce brings up Viktor’s theory of wild runes and because wild runes are a response that is not exactly favored when called for, they are starting to affect things in unexpected ways. to explore this phenomena further, they go to the place where the failsafe for the HexGates are located—at the bottom of a shaft more than a couple hundred feet below ground level. upon Heimerdinger’s discovery of the same pattern on the floor of the failsafe’s room, the Arcane reacts again. the physical/tangible devices operating with HexTech gemstones and that alike literally glitch through several forms in real-time. we don’t actually see the end of this sequence but as the audience we see Jayce slam his HexTech hammer onto the wild rune itself and it seemingly stops it (?) but we don’t see the three characters after the fact. very curious to see what’s become of them now.

finally… the last scene. Caitlyn and Vi agree to cut loose Maddie and the other two officers with them to save their lives but we later are able to infer (imo) that keeping them all together (or at the least having them arrive slightly later after Cait and Vi) would’ve been probably beneficial to their goal of taking down Jinx—at the end there Sevika was knocked out (kinda) and it was only Isha (little girl we were introduced to last episode) in the way to Jinx. Maddie and the other two could’ve secured Sevika so she wouldn’t get involved (and therefore wouldn’t set off the reversal of the Grey), and Vi or Vi and one of the other officers could take Isha off Jinx and had the other hold Jinx down. but that isn’t what happened… because they were trying to save lives. another thing. if Vi had let Caitlyn take the shot EVEN IF it did hit Isha (which is terrible thing and i want to emphasize that), let’s say (a) it hit Isha then a second shot took out Jinx or (b) one shot hit Jinx AND Isha but still killing one or both of them—it’s worth it to realize that killing Jinx and one child would save thousands. that doesn’t make it okay to kill a child but because Cait couldn’t take the shot we’ll never know for certain. and that fight scene. fuck !! i don’t like knowing that these were really closer sisters and now they’re fighting (to the death—let’s be real) without any mercy (until the end) but at least the fighting choreo is some of/if not the best in this show so far. Powder/Jinx has come such a long way from the “i’m not a fighter” and “they never work” to her being a deceptively capable fighter with incredible gadgets and bombs at her disposal. if Caitlyn didn’t take out Jinx’s finger whose to say who would’ve won between the two sisters. Vi was only able to pin her down like she did because of this act. and she likely won’t be able to again

seeing Jinx accept death at the hands of her sister, Mel getting snatched, Jinx having her first real physical consequence (finger lost), the Arcane reacting like a element of nature, and Cait and Vi finally kissing getting-into-but-not-a-relationship just so they can part at the end because Vi wasn’t going to risk a child’s life. it’s so very sad and tragic. i just want these characters to be happy. hope we see more of Maddie, Viktor/Sky, and Mel next episode. Cait’s descent into rage is going to have more consequences. will see soon. quite soon, i imagine.

[froggydafroggy]

Artistic Movements in Arcane: Art Nouveau

This is part two of a series of analysis’s of the influence of real life art movements in arcane (part one). The last analysis focused on Art Deco, which is pretty much Piltover™ (but don’t worry, there’s more). Now, let’s take a dip down to Zaun, with:

ART NOUVEAU A misconception to clear up: this is not Art Deco. Yes, it is also called Art (insert French), but it is something completely different. Capishe? Art Nouveau came about in the 1890s/1900s era. The movement is about flowy lines, intricate detail, the female form, heavy inspiration from nature and biology, and odd curves. It was popular among the growing middle class and a fascination with the beautiful bits of sciences. There are a few similarities between the two, but a lot of differences. The fluid, asymmetrical curves of Art Nouveau, and Zaun, contrast the sharp decadence of Piltover’s Art Deco. Though it is not quite as visually obvious as the grunge/punk aspect of Zaun, once you see it, it will be everywhere. And while we see some of the core themes of Art Deco ingrained into the character of Piltover, the presence of Art Nouveau is just inside of Zaun in so much of its spirit.

Arcane Art Nouveau

versus IRL Art Nouveau.

Firstly, let’s address Zaun’s use of Art Nouveau throughout its environment. You’ll see lots of curves and twists going on, intricate ironwork, and glasswork. And of course, the big mural of the lady that Vi jumps by. Zaun is partially underground and its main industry is mining. They are literally called “fissure folk”. Obviously, they would have plenty of the raw materials lying and metalworking skill around for Art Nouveau. The background artists knew what they were doing. Not only were they thinking about what would be available in Zaun, but also about the skill and artistic appreciation the Zaunites have. It is so easy to think of Piltover as refined and cultured, while dismissing Zaun as a dump, which is something do in real life with rich people culture versus poor people culture, but by using a style that is very detail oriented, it gives more attention to Zaun’s age and culture.

But why Art Nouveau specifically? Why not some other detailed art movement? Simple: the core values of the movement. Art Nouveau is all about nature. Those hallmark curves are inspired by the way vines and insect wings grow. It may be puzzling, as Zaun doesn’t seem to have a lot of greenery, but that’s what makes it even more valuable.

In this shot of the fancy chembaron boardroom, you’ll see a lot of plants. Aside from being pretty, plants are kind of a status symbol. They take resources like good soil, air, sunlight, and water, which Zaun doesn’t have much of. Plants are life, and life is something Zaun craves.

This is Ekko’s Firelight tree. When he found it, he knew there was hope for Zaun to become a better place, to be revitalised. Trees clean the air and give life. Again, we see how Zaun craves life.

Jinx’s bug bombs feel especially more ironic considering how Art Nouveau is all about life, and these bombs are all about death.

Even without constant access to nature, people are imitating life through the inanimate materials they have. Zaun is crafty, innovative, and hungry for just a chance to breathe easy and drink clean water.

Speaking of Jinx, another focus of Art Nouveau is the feminine figure.

And wouldn’t you know it, the main characters are two sisters from Zaun?

In fact, I would argue that Jinx is the most Art Nouveau character. Though she dresses in a grunge/punk style, it’s really more about the aura she exudes. She is someone who has had all the people she loves die around her or leave her. Her machines bring death, sometimes good, sometimes bad. She, more than anything, desparately needs life and nature. Her movements have a certain lithe flow to them, and her hair... well, the animators sure had fun with that. Jinx is the face of Zaun, wild, unpredictable, tragic, and craving for life.

While there is so much more I could say about Art Nouveau in Arcane, this is about all I’ve got right now. More art analyses are on their way.

[arcane-ish]

Politics of Silco: How it would actually go

I cannot stress enough how deeply it does not make sense that there is no religio-ethnic difference between Piltover and Zaun. 

IMO it’s very rare for somebody to ask for independence unless there is such a religio-ethnic difference. 

Usually, the standard conflict that independence quarrels center around is about things like schools and administration (ie I want schools to teach my religion/in my language, I want the courts and bureaucracy to follow my religious conviction/be in my language) because those are easily identifiable things that normal people experience and can relate to. 

The few cases I can think of where people desire independence despite the being no such difference are typically niche groups that have some highly specific hardcore beliefs that they for some reason think that will never be accepted by the general public (which just flat out does not seem to be the case with Silco).

Examples of this would be some anarchistic autonomous communities or some of those “free state/I refuse to acknowledge the government exists” people who typically center around weapons/some hardcore religious beliefs/not wanting to pay taxes (and again usually the deep source in those cases is also religious beliefs). 

In reality, in a conflict that is NOT about ethnic differences, it just wouldn’t work out that way that violent conflict is the sole political option. If there is no ethnic difference (and usually in many cases even when there are ethnic divisions) you can communicate with your opponent, you can try to make your case, you can try to sway them. 

The base of Silco’s ideology seems to be a very basic “people in Zaun are not being given the same economic opportunities, that is unjust”. In a real life situation again where nationalism/xenophobia isn’t the root cause, a guy like Silco who is rich and has educated himself enough that he understands that for his nation to survive he needs hexgate access would for example fund a paper where somebody writes scathing articles about how it makes no sense that Zaun is suffering, that that is immoral, that it’s to Piltover’s detriment that they are not letting Zaunites live up to their best potential. 

The council might then respond by closing down said newspaper, which then would give the pro Revolution side the argument to make to the Piltovians “hey, the council doesn’t want to you to have free press, they are oppressing you as well, you should depose them”. 

Because that’s how it usually proceeded in the various anti-monarchy revolutions post 1848/post French revolution and because the “House” system of Piltover is somewhat monarchic. 

For example, Marcus says in a scene with Silco: “She's a Kiramman. Just like them, she does whatever she wants.” So normal people of Piltover have fewer rights than “house”/council people. Yet Silco never makes an argument how deposing the council and let’s say putting Silco in charge of both Zaun and Piltover would benefit them. 

And even if Silco was too entrenched in his violent mindset, other people who share his ideology would be spearheading the non-violent version of his argument (in the end, it seems Vander shared Silco’s ideology as does Sevika and even Ekko doesn’t seem to think Piltover is worth engaging with). Because they would see “hey, his opinions are maybe popular with some, but violence makes me sad, so I will try to find a more peaceful, negotiation-based option”. And bleeding heart liberals, intellectuals and poeople from the upper class who sympathize, like Caitlyn would always exist. 

In the end, Arcane isn’t portraying a very realistic conflict and what they are portraying is a lot more similar to a nationalistic conflict. IMO they loaned concepts from nationalistic conflicts like ie Northern Ireland but they took the shortcut of not portraying the two sides of the conflict as ethnically different in any way. At the very least the Zaunites should have very recognizable lower-class accents that make them identifiable if their race doesn’t. But I get why that would be annoying and off-putting to the audience, so they took the shortcut of making both sides the same enough that as soon a somebody put on different clothes they could fairly easily pass for the other at least on casual inspection. 

(maybe if the show had gone for portraying the immediate aftermath of the great damn catastrophe, which would make it feel more realistic that people are in favor of independence if people are still under the influence of “they just tried to kill us all! And refused to help with the recovery!” [again meaning that “give us X for the recovery would be a concrete political demand to Piltover that they can answer or not answer if they don’t want independence talk]) 

[sxypigeon]

Chapter 2: Space

Burn it all down - a slow burn, Piltover's finest story. Set after the finale, these ladies have some trauma to work through.

Chapter 1: Too much trauma for two people

The first time Caitlyn had donned her uniform a week before graduation would always live in the back of her mind.  Looking into the mirror, she hadn’t seen a privileged daughter of a councilor, someone whose only claim to notoriety was her family’s wealth and status.  She saw an enforcer, someone whose purpose was to help the community she served, not just the wealthy elite her family usually interacted with.

Wearing her uniform today, Caitlyn felt something very near shame.  Knowing the truth about Marcus and his influence . . . Caitlyn couldn’t fault any of Ekko’s Firelights for shooting her suspicious or angry looks as she and Vi walked down the ramp around the tree.  

“Good to see you two on your feet,” Ekko shouted up at the pair from the ground.

It was slow going making the trip.  With the stitches in her thigh torn and her leg hastily bandaged, Caitlyn certainly wasn’t in any shape to move faster than a geriatric shuffle.  Vi was at her side, a hand at the small of the enforcer’s back, ready to catch her if she stumbled.  It was all Caitlyn could do to keep herself from reading too much into the gesture.  She’s just being considerate; she doesn’t mean anything by it.  I’m just one more responsibility to her, nothing more.

“After a night on that shitty cot, it’s a miracle either of us is able to move at all,” Vi teased once they made it to the grass.

Ekko grinned and leaned back in his patchwork folding chair, his injured leg propped upon a crate next to him.  “That’s right, I forgot Stillwater was a five star resort.  They had goose down pillows, right?”

The older trencher grinned and shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat.  “Don’t get me started on the beds,” Vi chuckled.  “The finest concrete money can buy.”

Feeling none of Vi’s confidence and because of having manners drilled into from the moment she could walk, Caitlyn interrupted, “Thank you for your hospitality, truly.  I don’t know what would have happened to us otherwise.  I owe you a very hefty debt.”  She hoped Vi wouldn’t describe the luxury the enforcer lived in.  She didn’t need to give Ekko another reason to dislike or distrust her.

Ekko smirked from his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Vi, take note - that is how you show your appreciation to someone who’s saved your ass multiple times.”

Vi’s eye-roll had started before Ekko had finished speaking.  “Yeah, yeah.  My hero.”  

The two women took seats at the battered wooden table Ekko was using to go over scout reports.  The sound of hoverboards and giggling children surrounded them as a faint breeze rustled the leaves of the tree.  The vigilante cut to the chase.  “No enforcers have been sighted beyond the bridge so far.  It looks like they’re still trying to secure all access to Piltover.  No word yet on the exact extent of damage Topside, but it seems like the council tower was the only structure that’s taken a hit.”

The enforcer’s leg throbbed at the thought of making the trip topside.  I should have insisted we head topside last night.  “It’s going to be tricky getting across the river then,” Caitlyn sighed.

A look of mild disinterest crossed Vi’s face.  “You don’t think they’ll let you cross?  You’re in uniform.”

A uniform that seems to mean less everyday.  “I’m not exactly keen on being held at gunpoint again by more of my coworkers.”  She had dreamt of Marcus last night, not a topic she was interested in delving into at the moment.

“She sees the truth,” Ekko snided.  “And all it took was me getting shot.”

I deserved that.  Caitlyn looked down at her hands before working up the nerve to meet Ekko’s cool stare.  “I am, and will forever be, tremendously sorry for what Marcus did to you and the Firelights . . . and for not believing you earlier.”

Ekko rolled his eyes, but smiled.  “Well, I guess you’re still my second favorite Piltie.”

That had Vi’s attention.  “Who’s your favorite?”

“Professor Heimerdinger.”

“Why?  Do you know him or do you just have a thing for yordles?”

“He’s here, asshole.  I just sent for him.  He has a boat and should be able to get you Topside.”

Caitlyn felt as if she was still suffering from the worst of her concussion confusion.  Heimerdinger is here, of all places?!  “You . . . sent for the head councilor?”

Ekko grinned and shrugged.  “He said he’s not a councilor anymore and crossed the river to help out in the Undercity.  He’s taking a look at our fritzy water purifier.  With my leg busted, I can’t do the repairs myself.”

. . . Wha- “That’s- You know what?  I’m just going to go with it,” Caitlyn mumbled mostly to herself.  After the last four days she’d had, Heimerdinger helping the Firelights seemed absolutely plausible.  

Vi leaned back in her chair and shook her head.  “How is it that both of us have been running around the Undercity with councilors in the last twenty-four hours?” 

“I guess you just bring trouble wherever you go.”

***

Vi was beginning to understand that Pilties really only came in one of two flavors: arrogantly superior or hopelessly naive.  Like Caitlyn, the former councilor fell into the latter group.  Anyone as chipper and optimistic as him didn’t belong in the Undercity.

Vi and Caitlyn sat on a patch of grass near the base of the tree while Heimerdinger and Ekko spoke.  Grass was such a funny thing: it looked so soft, which Vi guessed was sort of true, but she never realized how itchy it was on bare skin or how easily it stained clothes.  She’d seen grass before on trips topside, but never had the opportunity to thoroughly inspect it.

“Did you want to come topside with me?”

Vi looked over at the enforcer in confusion.  Caitlyn was staring at a blade of grass between her fingers, her injured leg outstretched.  The question felt loaded, a strange thing from someone as emotionally transparent, usually, as the enforcer.  “I guess I just assumed I’d go with you and make sure you got home safely.”

The other woman nodded.  A tense silence lingered for nearly a minute before Caitlyn spoke again, “I don’t want you to feel obligated to come with me - you’re injured too, you know.”

“I-”  Vi took a moment.  Does she not want me to go with her?  “It’s nothing I haven’t handled before, Cupcake . . . but if you want to make the trip without me . . . I’m just worried.  Shit’s hit the fan and you’re in the undercity in an enforcer’s uniform.”

Caitlyn began shredding the blade of grass.  “I can’t, in good conscience, let you come with me if you intend to leave the moment I make it home.  It took us hours going one way last time-”

“I can handle it.”

“You don’t like being topside.  I can’t ask you to-”

“I’m offering.”

Vi!” Cait snapped.  Her swollen eyes narrowed as her body tensed.  The anger in her eyes almost immediately faded.  “You can’t take care of anyone if you don’t take care of yourself.”

Anger was simmering under the brawler’s surface as she turned away.  “I’ve never had the luxury.  No one here has.”

“Bullshit.”

The fuck- Vi whipped her head back around fast enough to crack her neck.  “What?”

The enforcer didn’t wither under the trencher’s glare.  “Every moment of your life doesn’t have to be a fight for survival!”  Caitlyn’s posture went lax with a tired sigh.  “Even Ekko knows when to take a step back.  Whatever responsibility you feel for my safety, I think I feel something like it for you - I won’t let you hurt yourself for my sake.”

That’s not your decision to make.  Vi watched the enforcer push herself painfully to her feet, pause a moment as if reconsidering her actions, before squaring her shoulders and walking toward Ekko and Heimerdinger.  Words the brawler wanted to throw at Caitlyn soured in Vi’s mouth as she remained silent.  She doesn’t understand - she’s not getting what things are like, especially now that everything’s gone further to shit.  

Vi huffed and stood, cringing as her ribs protested.  She doesn’t want me with her, not that I can blame her.

***

These are the two most dramatic women I’ve ever met . . . Well, I guess Jinx still has them trumped.  Ekko watched Caitlyn and Vi exchange excruciatingly stiff goodbyes as the group heading out assembled at the door.  Definitely no hugging this time.

Vi must be really fucking out of practice.  No other reason for her to be this oblivious.  The Piltie, sure.  No one ever says what they mean up there.  

Ekko limped up to them as the women began to separate.  “Stay safe, Piltie.  I don’t want to have wasted those bandages for nothing.”

A small, bashful smile lit Caitlyn’s face.  “I was serious about owing you a debt.  That’s something we topsiders take very seriously.”

“No good deed goes unpunished, huh?”

“I’m afraid not.”  Caitlyn adjusted the crutch the professor made for her.  “Hopefully we’ll again under better circumstances.”

He nodded and watched the group file out the door.  “You’re not going with her,” Ekko stated simply to Vi.

Her response was clipped.  “She didn’t want me to come.”

“Yeah, that’s not the vibe I got.”

“That’s what she said to me.”  Vi stalked off.

Those two are going to be a problem.  Ekko shook his head and took a seat back at his table.  Maybe some time apart will help.  I’m sure as hell not putting up with Vi sulking until they fix whatever is going on between them. 

***

Caitlyn spent many hours of her childhood listening to her mother drone on and on about the responsibilities Caitlyn would have to take on once she was the matriarch of house Kiraman. The importance of appearances, connections, and influence - how she’d need to know how to converse with the most important people in Piltover. Caitlyn just didn't expect to be faced with the role so soon.

“You did all of that investigating without the sheriff’s help or encouragement?” Heimerdinger asked.  Once the group going topside made it to the river bank, Ekko’s escort turned back.  Caitlyn and Heimerdinger crossed in the professor’s skiff, the enforcer continuing her story along the way.  His many exclamations of wonder made her wonder if he was truly impressed or simply had low expectations for humans in general.  

The enforcer hugged her uninjured knee to her chest.  “I thought he was like the other enforcers, skeptical of whether a councilor’s daughter was really up for real policing.  I thought if I could find enough evidence and form a solid enough lead, I’d finally be taken seriously.” She looked out into the fog covering the water around them and the boat.  “I never imagined the reason he ignored my evidence was because he was complicit in the crimes I was investigating.” 

“Betrayal is a painfully personal thing,” the yordle muttered sadly.

Yeah, it is, she thought, not thinking about Marcus.  She sighed and scratched at the bandage around her thigh.  “I understand why he did it.  He was backed against a wall and was scared for his daughter’s safety. . . But he had me at gunpoint for so long . . . and he couldn’t do it.  In the end, there was still enough good left in him- he tried so hard to pull the trigger, but didn’t.”

The gentle lapping of the water and hum of the boat’s engine filled the silence.  Marcus tried to be a good man drowning in corruption.  What did that say about the rest of the city’s enforcers?  Caitlyn was so tired.  Every part of her body still ached and recounting the trauma of the last few days wasn’t helping.  She was only half way home.

The professor cleared his throat, “It appears there is much work to be done once we learn the fate of the council.  I’ve spent far too much time in our gilded city to notice the harsh realities faced by those of the Undercity.  We’ll need people with first hand knowledge of the situation - I know it’s a lot to ask after everything you’ve been through, but I’m certain your insights will be invaluable.” 

The motor of the boat filled the silence.  Can I really handle more of this?  I’ve almost certainly lost my mother, can I really keep this up?  Can I really put Dad through more worry?  Caitlyn was quiet for a moment.  “I’ll . . . I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

***

Thanks for reading! Gotta kill a few plot bunnies before letting these two get together.

Chapter 3: A parting of ways

[tigerkirby215]

5e Jinx the Loose Cannon build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Wanna join me? Come and play! But I might shoot you in your face! Bombs and bullets will do the trick; what we need here is a little bit of panic!

Would be unfair of me not to do a Jinx build after a Vi build, and would be unfair of me not to do a Jinx build in general. One of the most popular characters in League of Legends almost entirely because of her music video, Jinx is 7 brands of crazy and the perfect character when you want to get excited and blow stuff up!

GOALS

Come on; shoot faster! - We’ll need just a little bit of energy with quick movement and boosts of excitement when we get kills.

Let’s try something fun right now - We’ll need some tricks up our sleeves to keep alive and keep the enemies dead. Some people would call it anarchy.

Let’s blow this city to ashes - And see what Pow-Pow thinks when we shoot stuff before blowing it up!

RACE

Technically Jinx is a human, but no one really knows for sure and with skin that pale I’d probably say you’re some sort of Half Elf. In particular while it doesn’t make too much sense a Wood Half-Elf can run faster with Fleet of Foot for an extra 5 feet of movement speed. You also increase your Charisma by 2 and two other abilities by 1: choose Dexterity and Wisdom.

As a Half-Elf you get Darkvision up to 60 feet, and your Fey Ancestry gives you advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep, cause you can’t make crazy go to sleep! Oh and you get a language; bleh boooring! Just pick whatever.

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - Jinx’s a walking Looney Tunes character, squashing and stretching and bouncing around like a maniac. Because you are a maniac.

14; CHARISMA - You won the hearts of pretty much every League of Legends player with your unique brand of crazy.

13; WISDOM - More in flavor to dump this, but we need Wisdom for our class features.

12; CONSTITUTION - You’re an ADC but I’m not about to dump CON.

10; STRENGTH - Jinx can take a lot of hits and come out fine, and lifting up Fishbones takes a lot of strength.

8; INTELLIGENCE - You’re completely bonkers. Technically a genius (and if your DM’s cool enough to let you swap your Intelligence and Wisdom that would make more sense for RP) but something’s gotta show that you’re insane.

BACKGROUND

Hey let’s get even crazier: you know Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica? How about we grab a background from there?! The Rakdos Cultist background is perfect for a crazy anarchy clown! You get proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance to dance in the mayhem, a musical instrument of your choice (Drums go boom, so pick those!), and a language choice between Abyssal or Giant; go for Abyssal cause why wouldn’t you speak like a demon?

As a Rakdos Cultist you have a Fearsome Reputation: people are too scared of you to stop you from making minor criminal offenses like refusing to pay for food or breaking down a door at a local shop. Well, as long as fat hands doesn’t see you.

NOTE: Rakdos Cultists do get additional spells from their background, but it’s a very Ravnica-specific thing and I know a lot of DMs would be against it. If they allow you to take the spells go ahead but I’ve elected to ignore them in this build.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - MONK 1

Starting off as a Monk because I’m crazy! But it’s mostly for their skill and saving throw proficiencies. You get proficiency in two skills from the Monk list as well as an Artisan’s Tool: choose Athletics, Insight (because why not? But we might swap it later depending on your DM), and Tinkerer’s Tools to work on Mr. Sparkles.

As a Monk you get Unarmored Defense equal to 10 + your Dexterity and your Wisdom score, because one thing you certainly aren’t wearing is armor. You also get Martial Arts which lets you do some crazy stunts:

You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and Monk weapons, which is good cause you don’t have much Strength.

You can roll a d4 for your unarmed strike or Monk weapon, which increases as you level up.

When you Attack with an unarmed strike or Monk weapon you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

No guns yet, but that’ll be fixed by...

LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 1

Jinx is known as the Demon of Piltover, so a Fiendish pact would be perfect for some mayhem! As a Fiend Warlock you can Get Excited with Dark One’s Blessing, letting you gain Temporary Hitpoints equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Warlock level whenever you slay an enemy.

You also get Pact Magic: you can take two Warlock cantrips and of course we’ll be grabbing a shock pistol with Eldritch Blast. You can also trick the sheriff with Minor Illusion. Make some fake booms spray some walls; distract them while the real fun begins!

For your spells of choice Hex will let you shoot the enemy just a little harder, and Arms of Hadar will serve as some Flame Chompers to help you get away from the cops.

Also if your DM’s okay with the Class Feature Variants UA I’d suggest swapping out your Insight proficiency with Intimidation for some proper anarchy!

LEVEL 3 - MONK 2

Now that we’ve got something to defend ourselves how about we grab a machine gun? But firstly Monks get Ki points to help get excited! You can spend Ki points on Flurry of Blows to punch twice instead of once with your Bonus Action (which your probably won’t do much but oh well!), Patient Defense to dodge a big metal fist flying at you with your Bonus Action, or Step of the Wind to Dash or Disengage with your Bonus Action and also jump twice as far! Step of the Wind is by far the most in-character choice to take. After all they’ll have to try a little harder to catch you!

Speaking of being hard to catch you also get 10 feet of Unarmored Movement. On top of Wood Elf movement you can run 45 feet in a turn!

LEVEL 4 - MONK 3

Pow-Pow, I missed ya! Way of the Sun Soul Monks are perfect for blowing up the sun. You get a proper ranged attack with Radiant Sun Bolt: instead of punching you can shoot some sun bullets, which will do your Martial Arts die in Radiant damage. They have a range of 30 feet, and you can shoot one out as a Bonus Action or spend a Ki point to shoot twice with your Bonus Action.

Third level Monks can also Deflect Missiles. If you’re shot by a weapon you can use your reaction to brace yourself for a d10 plus your Dexterity modifier and your Monk level. If you reduce the damage to 0 you can “grab” the shot and shoot them back with a Zap, spending a Ki point to throw the shot back as a Monk weapon with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 5 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks can Zap their foes with Eldritch Invocations: Lance of Lethargy will properly slow down enemies hit by a zap, but I’d hold onto your other invocation for now. Likewise hold out on picking a spell as well for now.

LEVEL 6 - WARLOCK 3

The cool thing about being a champion as popular as Jinx is that just about anything is canonical. Want more tools as a PROJECT? Take Pact of the Tome. Star Guardian? Pact of the Chain! But the most in-character choice would be Pact of the Blade for more guns! You can summon swords and hammers, and with the Improved Pact Weapon Invocation they can be guns! (Well a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow at least.)

If you’re going for Pact of the Tome take Book of Ancient Secrets instead. If you’re going for Pact of the Chain take Voice of the Chain Master instead. Honestly there’s practically no reason for you to take Pact of the Blade, but it is the most in-flavor.

You can also take second level spells now: Shatter will let you make a boom on your enemies or a wall, and Scorching Ray from the Fiend list will let you shoot out some red-buffed bullets! Kerchow, boom, kablamo!

LEVEL 7 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks get an Ability Score Improvement: seeing as Eldritch Blast seems to be our main source of damage at the moment increase your Charisma for more accurate Zaps.

You also get another cantrip like Prestidigitation for some fireworks, and another spell like Hold Person to keep them in place with some chompies!

LEVEL 8 - WARLOCK 5

5th level Warlocks get access to SUPER MEGA DEATH ROCKETS! Or rather third level spells like Fireball! And I mean, I don’t need to explain this: it’s Fireball! It’s a big explosion! Blow stuff up!

You also get another Invocation at this level and honestly there isn’t much that’s in-flavor. Pick whatever you think is good (Agonizing Blast is always a good pick) and roll with it. Can’t tell you everything: gotta make up your own plan sometimes!

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 9 - MONK 4

These builds always get weird, where we get our ult before our abilities. Regardless fourth level Monks get an Ability Score Increase for more Dexterity now since we’re working on Pow-Pow.

You also get Slow Fall to pull out some balloons as a reaction to reduce fall damage up to 5 times your Monk level.

LEVEL 10 - MONK 5

5th level Monks get Rev’d Up with an Extra Attack, equaling three in a punch punch bonus punch combo or four if you use Flurry of Blows. And speaking of Extra Attacks your Martial Arts Die increase to a d6 for even deadlier bullets!

You can also hold an enemy in place with some chompers with Stunning Strike: when you hit an enemy with a MELEE attack (so not your sun balls!) you can force them to make a Constitution save against your Monk DC (which is currently really low) or be stunned until the end of your next turn. Distract them and run back to shoot them up!

LEVEL 11 - MONK 6

6th level Sun Soul Monks get Searing Arc Strike, letting them cast Burning Hands using 2 Ki points and upcast it by spending additional Ki points. Considering that your Monk DC is awful I’d highly suggest against using this ability.

But hey at least your fists are magical now thanks to Ki-Empowered Strikes; not like you were shooting them with 6 different types of magic already... Oh and your Unarmored Movement increases by 5 feet, to a max of 50 now!

LEVEL 12 - MONK 7

7th level Monks get Evasion: when they have to make a DEX save they take no damage on a successful save or half as much on a fail. Jinx rides giant rockets until they explode and gets out without a scratch; you think that’s natural?

You also get Stillness of Mind, or the way I see it: a mind too crazy to keep still! You can use your action to let the crazy take over any effect of Charming or Frightening, so you can go back to shooting!

LEVEL 13 - WARLOCK 6

May as well hop back to Warlock so we can finally grab Dark One’s Own Luck. Once per Short Rest you can add a d10 to an Ability Check or Saving Throw you make; you can do so after you see the initial roll but before you know the outcome. Jinx knows her way around mayhem; what most think is luck is just a bit of natural skill, ‘tis all!

For your final batch of chompers grab Hypnotic Pattern for a whole line of the things to distract your foes! Who’s a good hunka junk?

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 14 - MONK 8

8th level Monks get another Ability Score Improvement and since we’re focusing on Pow-Pow now you should max out your Dexterity for deadlier bullets and more AC to, ya know, not die?

LEVEL 15 - MONK 9

At 9th level Monks gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids without falling thanks to Unarmored Movement Improvement. Physics? That’s boring!

LEVEL 16 - MONK 10

At 10th level Monks get Purity of Body, making them immune to poison and disease. I’d chock it up to the fumes from Zaun. They also run 5 feet faster with Unarmored Movement, adding up to 20 extra feet for 55 feet total!

LEVEL 17 - MONK 11

11th level Sun Soul Monks can finally start using Fishbones! Searing Sunburst lets you shoot a rocket at a point within 150 feet; everyone in a 20-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage, but they don’t need to make the save if they’re behind full cover that isn’t see through.

You can also increase Fishbones’ damage by spending Ki points, gaining 2d6 damage per point to a maximum of 3 Ki points spent. (So 6d6 extra damage, or 8d6 total!) So yeah if you wanted you could totally shoot a Fireball’s worth of damage out over and over again, but you’d probably be better sticking to the actual Fireball spell for that.

Oh and your Martial Arts damage increases to a d8, meaning that Pow-Pow is doing the damage of a Light Crossbow now. It’s a Light Crossbow that shoots light! Ha!

LEVEL 18 - MONK 12

12th level Monks get another Ability Score Improvement: if you want more big booms increase your Charisma for a tougher Warlock DC. But if you want more little booms Wisdom will make your Searing Sunburst harder to avoid and give you more AC. I personally opted for Wisdom.

LEVEL 19

There are two directions you can choose for your last two levels in this build. The first option is to take the last two levels in Monk for Tongue of the Sun and Moon (which is meh) and Diamond Soul (which is amazing), or you can opt for 2 more levels in Warlock for more Invocations, higher level spell slots, and another Ability Score Improvement. I personally opted for Warlock in this build but feel free to adapt it how you want. Or don’t cause I know most groups don’t get to level 20 anyways.

WARLOCK 7

7th level Warlocks get more Invocations like I just said, and you’re more than welcome to cause some anarchy with Dreadful Word for the Confusion spell. Is it a bit too late to be getting 4th level spells that you can only use once a day? Yeah probably!

Oh and feel free to replace that one mystery invocation from 5th level with Bewitching Whispers. It’s technically more in-flavor!

You also get access to 4th level spells, and the Fiend list has Wall of Fire for a big row of huge flaming chompers!

LEVEL 20 - WARLOCK 8

And our capstone is the 8th level of Warlock for our final Ability Score Improvement. Much like I said 2 levels ago: Charisma for big booms, Wisdom for little booms.

And for your final spell; how about a little shock-and-awe? Sickening Radiance is like a 30-foot boom, but anyone who walks in the blast crater or starts their turn there must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 4d10 radiant damage. They also suffer one level of exhaustion, and emit green light in a 5-foot radius so they can’t go invisible. The light and any levels of exhaustion caused by this spell go away when the spell ends. It’s a real slow cooker; kinda boring, but reeeeal deadly!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Do you ever wanna catch me? - With 55 feet of movement, somewhere around 18 AC (between 17 and 19 depending on how you build), Evasion, temp HP whenever you kill an enemy, a 30 foot range with your Radiant Sun Bolts, and some really long-ranged hits with Eldritch Blast and Searing Sunburst you can make sure you never feel ignored.

I'm really getting bored! - Almost all your abilities come back on a short rest, the only exception being a one-time use of the Confusion spell. That means you can use all your abilities and take a quick break before getting back into the fight!

Smile! It’s called gun play! - There’s also the fact that you do, just, a lot of damage. 3d8 + 15 Radiant damage with Radiant Sun Bolt (4d8 + 20 if you do Flurry of Blows), 4d10 Force damage with Eldritch Blast (plus an additional 16 if you took Agonizing Blast), and some massive bursts of AoE damage with Shatter, Arms of Hadar, Wall of Fire, and of course good ol’ Fireball.

CONS

No need to be scared... or alive - You’ve got an ADC’s lifebar, which is to say... not big. At best you’ll go a little over 100, which is still more than enough for you to be whacked a few times before being executed by Power Word Kill. 

All part of the plan I just made up - You’ve got three really good stats... and three really bad ones. Your DEX, WIS, and CHA are high but your Strength, Constitution, and notably Intelligence leave a lot to be desired. Your Strength is negated somewhat by proficiency in Strength saves and Athletics but plenty of things can hit you hard in the Constitution or Intelligence.

I'm MAD! Got a doctor's note - The same eternal problem remains when you mix classes like this: you have 3 primary stats so you’re going to have to dump something unless you rolled lucky during character creation. Your best bet is to get an 18 in both WIS and CHA, or a 20 in one of those stats and a 16 in the other. And regardless of what you do you’re going to want to grab an Amulet of Health to fix that awful Constitution score.

But who cares if you’re crazy; as long as it works! You’re packing a small armory with you and know how to use all of it at once. Kick down some doors, shoot the place up, all while singing a kick-ass theme song! Just don’t get too crazy, or the party Paladins might have a vendetta against you.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

[wittyy-name]

Wild Magic - Part V: Flying - Now on Patreon

Keith/Lance, Rated M, Part Five: 27,920 words | Total So Far: 119,000+ violence, magic, vastaya au, strangers to lovers, freedom fighter Keith, entertainer Lance, action, adventure, fantasy, pining

Fic Summary: The Vastaya are an ancient and proud race, born of magic and man, and they are dying. The spread of humans makes the magic of their homelands run thin. What is left is preyed upon and corrupted by the rising galra influence.

After losing their home, what remains of the Marmora tribe scatters, fighting the spread of corruption where they can. For the last century, this is the only life Keith has known. And with Shiro’s disappearance, he’s more alone than ever. But he keeps going, even if it means losing himself. For the fight. For his people. For their future. For his homelands. For magic.

The last thing he expected to find was another feathered Vastaya, one with wings that shone like the sky and moved like waves when he danced. He never asked for company, never wanted it. But as Keith finds himself growing fond of Lance’s flippant attitude and determined blue eyes, he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to fight alone anymore.

Part I: Falling – Part II: Rising – Part III: Soaring - Part IV: Gliding

Wild Magic is my upcoming fic collab with @wolfpainters. I’ll be working on this fic between major fic updates, and posting the chapters to my Patreon for all patrons of the $15 tier and up. This fic wont be posted to Ao3 until its completely finished, and Sora is done with all the art. This will be a while in the making, so become a patron for early access!

This is by far my favorite thing I’ve ever written, and it’s by far both of our favorite fic/au that we’ve done. Part V dives deeper into the lore and world building as the gang finds the altean monastery, convinces them to unite against the galra, Keith finds Krolia, and Keith and Lance share more tender moments. 

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Excerpt Below

He's no stranger to chasing rumors. He's done so for centuries. Following whispered words and letting gossip guide him.

As such, he's familiar with the frustration that comes when a lead runs dry.

"This sucks," Pidge huffs, voice trailing to a strangled yelp as she once again on the roots and vines that crawl across the pathways. Keith peers down from his perch, watching as she stumbles, pointing angrily at the ground. "Okay, I know they're doing that on purpose! I saw it this time! The vines are moving, I swear."

Lance's chuckle comes lilting on the breeze, voice drifting from within the home Keith perches on top of. "The forest is having fun with you, Pidge."

"I hate forests." She sits on the lip of a cracked stone fountain, crossing her arms and legs, shoulders hunched. "I thought the ones outside Piltover were bad, but at least those ones didn't try to kill me."

"It's not trying to kill you," Shiro says from across what had once been a village square. His hands rest on his hips, tail flicking the air behind him and ears twitching restlessly. He turns slowly, eyes roaming. "It's just... playful."

"You talk like it has a mind of it's own."

"It does!"

Keith looks down to see Lance crawl out of one of the building's windows. He dusts himself off, straightening his clothes and taking gentle care to check Keith's feathers pinned to his cloak. He knows the feathers are far more durable than that, but the fact that he checks them incessantly makes a warmth flicker in Keith's chest.

"All forests do, but here the magic from the spirit realm is so thick that it saturates everything. The forest is actually able to act on its mind instead of standing idle."

"Great," Pidge says dryly. "So it's alive. Wonderful."

"Technically, all forests are alive." Hunk walks out of the building below Keith, using the open doorway. There's a bundle of bound parchment in his arms.

"You know what I mean," Pidge snaps, but Hunk hardly notices.

"Guys, this is so cool. I found some books? But they're like, really, really old books. It's in a language I don't even understand! I found a couple in what I assume was the kitchen, so maybe they're cook books? I found a few others scattered in the house. Do you think the Alteans can help us decipher them?"

"Probably," Matt says, swinging down from atop another building on a loose branch. He lands easily, picking a leaf out of his hair. "If they're really as old as people say they are. I agree with Hunk, though. This is amazing." He throws his arms out, gesturing to the village as he spins. "This is a footprint of ancient Ionian civilization. Back when people used to work with magic and natural to build their homes. I've read about it, but I never thought I'd see it."

"Too bad it's abandoned," Keith mutters.

"Well, yes, there is that."

Keith crosses his arms over his chest, taking a step back to turn and let his eyes scan across the village. It isn't the first they've come across. Since setting foot on this island, they haven't seen a single living person. Aside from the spirits and animals, they had nothing but eerie silence to keep them company. Even the strong melody of magic couldn't detract from the feeling of emptiness that settled across the landscape.

Like all the other villages they'd come across, the buildings of this one were woven from the trees themselves. Not built from the trees, but rather that the trees had grown and shaped to suit the village needs. They'd seen all sorts of natural architecture as they'd ventured deeper into the island. From all sorts of plant life and the earth itself. The buildings they'd come across settled naturally into the landscape rather than stand atop it.

He'd heard of such magic. Nature magic. The ability to communicate with the energies of the earth. To call out to the magic of living things and will them to grow in specific ways. Wood weavers. Earth builders.

Many vastaya villages were made in a similar way, but he'd heard that long ago, humans could use this kind of magic. He never truly believed it, but now the proof was all around him. On an island that had been abandoned and left an empty husk for spirits to roam.

The humans had fallen far if this is where their ancestry lied.

"Pidge, you have a few..." Keith glances down to find Matt sitting on the lip of the fountain next to Pidge, gesturing vaguely around his head.

Pidge sighs, shoulders slumping. There's a faint glowing bobbing around her head. Two of them. "I know. I tried getting rid of them, but they keep coming back." As Keith watches, the glowing seems to solidify. Two spirits, pale in color and bodies fat and round. Looking like palm sized caterpillars with large eyes and markings that pulsed with light. They became more corporeal, nuzzling into Pidge's hair. "Besides," She says, unable to stop her smile. "They're kind of cute, I guess."

"They think your hair is a nest," Matt snickers, and Pidge playfully shoves him.

Shiro sighs, arms crossing over his chest. "I don't think we're going to find much here."

They all glance over, smiles fading, but it's Pidge who speaks up first. "What're we looking for anyway?"

"At this point, I'd say we're looking for any sign of life around here. We know the altean monastery used to be on this island, we just don't know where or how to find it," Matt says, leaning back on his hands, eyes on Shiro.

"You said they've been missing for thousands of years," Pidge says, slight frown as she stares at Shiro's back. Her voice softens. "Are we sure they're even still alive?"

"No," Shiro breathes out a long sigh. "But we have to hope. We have to make sure. The galra are still wary of them, and the galra fear nothing. That's as good of a reason as any to believe they're still alive."

"Maybe they don't want to be found?" Hunk shifts his weight as eyes turn to him. He busies himself with organizing the bound parchment in his hands, shifting them gently into his bag. "I mean, obviously they don't want to be found. That's why they've been missing for like, forever. But maybe they really don't want to be found? What if they don't want anything to do with us or Ionia?"

"We're not going to give them a choice," Keith says, perhaps a hair too sharply.

One of Shiro's ears swivel in his direction, and the look in his eyes is of exasperated fondness. "Everyone has a choice, Keith. We just need them to hear us out."

"What if they don't want to listen?"

"Then we'll just have to be super convincing, won't we?" Lance scrambles up the building, feet and hands finding easy holds in the woven and twisted bark of the tree. He pulls himself up to Keith's perch on a wide, flat expanse that serves as a roof and a ledge before the tree continues to spiral upwards.

He hooks an arm over Keith's shoulders, leaning into him and offering a curl of his lips. He leans in close, breath whispering against the fur of Keith's ears. "I've heard I'm very convincing."

A shiver runs down his spine, and while Keith says nothing, Lance seems pleased with himself nonetheless.

"Do we have any idea where the monastery is?" Pidge asks, looking to Matt who only shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to just says that it was located at the heart of the north eastern isle." He purses his lips, looking up at the trees that towered above them. "I was kind of hoping we'd just... wander around and eventually find someone who could point us in the right direction. Ask the locals, you know? Should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Everything I've read about explorers trying to find the monastery says it's impossible. Like the whole place just disappeared without a trace."

"How does a whole monastery and civilization just..." Hunk waves a hand around vaguely. "Disappear?"

Shiro steps closer to where they gather near the fountain. His brows crease as he stares at the moss covered stonework, tail twitching behind him. "The Alteans were known to be masters of magic. From legends, we know that they were apart of an ancient order dedicated to keeping the balance in Ionia. They watched over spiritual gates and the ley lines. It's entirely possible that it's magic that's keeping them hidden."

"Cool, so we just gotta find a magically hidden ancient civilization," Hunk says, nodding as he closes up his bag and swings it over his shoulder once more. "Easy. No problem."

Pidge turns to Matt, and even from here, Keith can see the clockwork turning behind her eyes. "Do you think we could reverse engineer our magic analyzer to seek magic instead? Like read the levels in the air?"

Keith watched that brilliant spark of magic light up Matt's eyes. "Because if they're being hidden by magic, then there's gotta be a huge concentration of it."

"That would at least lead us in the right direction."

They keep going. A back and forth with no end. Finishing each other's thoughts and sentences. That precious madness flaring between them. Then Hunk joins a grounding force that allowed them to grow. Keith doesn't understand most of what they're saying, but he supposes he doesn't need to.

Shiro looks about as lost as he feels, but he's at least making an attempt to understand.

"I think we're going about this the wrong way." Lance's voice is light and thoughtful, soft enough to be kept private. Keith tilts his head, eyeing him sidelong and lifting a brow to show he has his attention. He watches Lance's profile as he frowns, brows furrowing as he tilts his head. He gestures to those below. "We're going about this like humans."

"The Alteans are human."

The pinch between his brows relaxes, and his lips start to ease upwards. "True, but they weren't blind, nor were they deaf." Lance tilts his head, catching Keith's gaze. There's a sharpness there, and a gleam in his smirk. "Shiro said they were masters of magic and keepers of spiritual gates. What are we, Keith?" His voice dips, and a shiver runs through Keith.

He feels his own lips curl in an answering grin.

Lance steps away from him, arm leaving Keith's shoulder but hand running down his arm to clutch at Keith's as he turns to face him. "We're children of the spirit realm. They might be masters of magic, but we're born from it. I think it's time we stop acting like humans and start acting like vastaya."

His fingers curl between Keith's, grin wide and fangs glinting in the light peeking between the trees. Keith smirks, heart beating wildly in his chest. He understands.

He drops to a crouch, pulling Lance with him. Lance drops at his side, allowing the tug to drag him down. Keith presses their joined hands to the bark beneath them, smooth and woven and ancient, but still very much alive.

He closes his eyes.

He breathes out.

He feels his magic swirl in his core. Bright and vibrant. Harsh warm hues. Warming to deeper purples and indigos and violets.

He feels Lance's magic next to him. Nearly as bright as his own. Washing over him. Cool and soothing. Grounding as it is chaotic. Powerful and rolling. Strength hidden in the illusion of calm. Blues of every shade, swirling and igniting together.

He feels the clash where their hands touch. The sparks where their energies connect. Arcing toward each other. Unable to resist. Unable to stop the attraction, even on a molecular level.

Reaching out, he feels the energy humming through the tree. Chases it down to the earth, where the ley lines run thick and uninhibited. They fracture outward. A spiderweb of fissures that run endless through the ground. He feels where the plant life draws from them. He feels the way it radiates from the earth into the air.

He feels the forest.

He feels the animals.

He feels the ley lines.

He feels the minor spirits that drift through the trees and hover just out of reach, drawn and curious by their presence.

He feels... something stronger. A tug. A distant pull. Something calling to him, but not in any manner he's familiar with. Faint and fleeting. A whispered question.

He snaps his eyes open, gaze locking with Lance's. His eyes are bright. Crinkling at the edges. Dancing with the dust motes.

"You felt it." It's not a question.

Lance's smile curls wide. "Yes."

"What is it?"

"Only one way to find out."

They leap from their perch, darting off into the village with hands still joined. He can hear the others' shouts of surprise. He can hear the questions. He ignores their fading voices, focusing on that distant tug.

They weave through the village, darting between trees that shape homes. Abandoned and empty husks within the woven trunks. Though the shadows and the rays of light drifting down from between branches.

Lance slows at his side. "I lost it."

Keith's hand tightens around his. "I didn't."

He still feels it. Getting stronger and stronger. He realizes that he's following the ley lines. That they're all converging on a point ahead. He pushes his pace. Feet barely touching the grass-lined cobblestones. Lance runs at his side until Keith pulls ahead. Until his hand slips from Keith as Keith darts ahead. Faster. Faster. Faster.

He stops when he reaches another clearing. Another square within the village. He stops suddenly, brought up short by a feeling in his gut. His momentum carries his wing forward, feathers rustling as they settle back down his back.

The ley lines pool here, creating a small wellspring that was no doubt once the village's heart. At the center of the village square is a pillar of stone. It rises from the earth, somehow looking natural despite the deliberate craft to it. The smooth spiral and twisting rise of it.

He steps closer, eyes narrowing at the symbols carved around the pillar. He doesn't recognize them, but he feels like he should.

He feels a presence. A sudden power that makes his hair stand on end and his feathers bristle.

He spins into a crouch, wing automatically flaring out and fingers combing through his feathers, plucking three at random. Magic sparks at his fingertips, sharpening and steeling them.

His eyes lock onto a creature that hovers at the edge of the square, tucked into the shadows of two buildings.

A spirit.

A powerful spirit at that.

Keith can feel the energy radiating from them. Cold on his tongue and washing over his skin like water. Strangely soothing, but sharp enough to keep him on edge. The spirit's body, while corporeal, seems to blur at the edges. Wisps of mist curling from it and obscuring its form. Blue of all shades, swirling and shifting and constantly in motion.

The form of... a lion? Certainly a cat of some sort. Body large. Ears pointed and curled at the tips. Tail thin and flickering, a tuft of hair at the end. Features sharp in places that seem odd and rounded at others. A feline, yes, but definitely a spirit creature.

It stares at Keith, and Keith stares black. Unblinking. Wary. It doesn't feel malicious, but he can never be too certain. Spirits rarely mean harm, especially to vastaya, but he fears if he looks away, the magnificent creature will disappear.

It's gaze, however, is fixed to him. Eyes dark and endless as the night sky. Drawing him in. Seeing through him. Taking the weight of his soul and measuring it.

His breath is caught in his lungs.

Then there's a rustle behind him. A familiar press of cool magic. A soft inhale, and a gentle rush of air. "Whoa..."

The spirit's eyes leave Keith's, snapping to Lance instead. Keith finds himself still unable to move. Waiting, though he isn't sure for what.

A flash of blue in the corner of his eye. "Lance," He hisses, but Lance is already moving forward.

His steps aren't wary, but they're slow. Deliberate. He moves forward with the same grace that fills his every movement, swaying up to the spirit with a confidence that lacks cockiness. When he nears, he drops to his knees, holding his hands out.

And Keith watches, amazed and awed, as the spirit moves forward. As it bumps its head into Lance's hands. As Lance laughs, hands running through the mane of mist.

Lance cradles the spirit's feline head in his hands, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

Keith hears the clatter of footsteps, loud in the silence. The voices of their friends. He hears their heavy breathing and loud arrival. He hears them stop behind him. Their soft gasps.

"What's... what's he doing?" Hunk asks, voice barely above a whisper.

Lance turns then, head whipping around and grin catching the light as his eyes dance. "Guys! I know where we need to go!"

Keith feels a tug at his lips. "He's asking the locals."

[arcane-ish]

which is that saying there being no psychiatry is period-accurate is incorrect.

No my point is that psychiatry in that setting would at best be an incredibly niche thing. Just because psychiatry has a long history doesn’ t mean that that it was widespread or socially accepted. It faced tons of prejudice and suspicion well past the Victorian era. So yes, I absolutely think that SIlco hearing about it and being able to suss out that it is good stuff/what parts of it are good stuff would have required above average knowledge and foresight and that hence acting like that is a super obvious thing that he is denying her is bullshit to me. If this is an obvious thing that Silco should have done then Vander, Vi, Ekko, Caitlyn etc to various extents would also be expected to make use of those tools when appropriate, depending on their circumstance. 

You do seem weirdly invested in the thought that the two people she tries to murder multiple times and whose coworkers/people she successfully murdered, Ekko and Caitlyn, would have spoken up about taking care of her mental health, but that, again, doesn’t really have anything to do with my original post, which was essentially the drowning child meme about Jinx’s and VI’s trauma.

  No my point was that if psychiatry was a standard normal well-known thing that Silco absolutely and obviously must have known about within the setting that characters like Ekko and Caitlyn would bring it up. Their behavior strongly suggests that it is not a thing that is just obvious and normal if it is even a thing at all.  

And if modern concepts of mental health were a thing, I’m sorry, Caitlyn (again who as literally the top level of Piltover’s social structure is way more likely to be in a position to know about these things if they are things) “not liking Jinx” wouldn’t NOT make her a huge asshole for not bringing it up in regards to 1.) Vi the girl she is presumably falling in love with and who could do with her own trauma help even if Caityn doesn’t care about Jinx getting any 2.) the sister of the girl she is falling in love with on the subject matter of Jinx’s criminal accountability. That would make Caitlyn a total asshole if she were to keep that from Vi and just in regards to her portrayal as a very straight laced and honorable person. 

Doesn’t mean that it would have made a ton of sense for her to bring it up in season 1, but in season 2? Where based on the teaser trying to arrest Jinx is likely the main plot? If they are going on some manhunt of Jinx then yes I do think the concept of Jinx’s criminal culpability and what do with her once she is caught should come up. 

The show is clearly portraying Ekko and Caitlyn as positive and caring good guys, so yeah, if an understanding of mental health was a reasonably accessible thing within the setting I would expect that to inform their views and to be brought up in context where appropriate. It’s about what baseline the show does or does not create. 

By comparison, the show makes a clear baseline of “Silco getting addicted to Shimmer is bad and unusual within the moral context of this universe”. The same isn’t done for “good tools for helping with mental health issues exist and people should use them/people have a firm concept of mental illness and what to do about it”. 

or to not build your revolution on the suffering of the people you claim to be liberating. That’s pretty much the minimum amount of effort.

Now you are bringing up things that have nothing to do with the original concept? So I’m just going to skip it. 

I also didn’t say the outcome would be better,

If you say the outcome wouldn’t be better, then how do you know that it didn’t happen? Like, I personally don’t think it happened (even if it was a thing in their setting that Silco would have known about, because he is intensely paranoid and very much mistaken about him having overcome his own trauma) but in theory, how would you be able to tell? For all we know he could have tried it, been put off by it sucking (which would be very period-appropriate) and never tried again. It’s not like we would be able to tell the difference if the outcome wouldn’t be better. 

>that it’s shitty to put Jinx’s mental health on Vi.

To which I posted 

1:) I agree that Jinx’s mental health is not on Vi and if people say that that is wrong and shitty

2.) I see a lot of people getting defensive about Vi, but I can’t remember a ton of posts putting the blame on Vi at least on tumblr in at least the last couple of weeks? If there had been any, I would have absolutely called them out on it because it is clearly bullshit because Powder had symptoms going back to the very first scene we see her in, on the day her parents died. 

Feel free to link me some, I’ll gladly argue with them in the comment about it as well :p 

It’s just that when I normally defend Vi, one of those points is that she isn’t and can’t be expected to be some sort of mental health expert, but when I use this argument, then it cuts both ways/all ways. Vi was no expert, neither was Vander, nor was Silco. 

Which again doesn’t mean that Silco was a great parent. There are still plenty of angles in which he does bad parental things that would be recognized as not great even in a harsher, darker, less enlightened times, even in a setting where people have zero idea about how trauma or schizophrenia or autism or whatever else works. 

I find myself a little annoyed at some of the Arcane analysis of what Vi should have done for Powder/Jinx. Aside from the fact that a lot of it seems to gloss over the fact that Vi went through a series of traumatic events leading to the deaths of her family including nearly dying herself and the fact that Vi was thrown in prison as a teenager for years where no one cared to ask why she was there and instead starved and beat her, the idea of putting Jinx’s trauma response on Vi is just kind of, for lack of better terms, icky.

Like, obviously Powder/Jinx had some pretty severe trauma, but she was also well fed and presumably not repeatedly beaten and left to rot on a cold cell floor for years. I’m not saying this is a trauma Olympics, but Vi was pretty messed up too, and the fact that she (and some viewers) put the responsibility for Jinx’s mental stability on her (and not the “great dad” Silco who not only didn’t get her mental health help but fed into her issues) is pretty sad.

[cautelous]

not the mooost interesting meta but have you ever talked about julian's fashion. how does he dress. how's his hygiene. how much effort goes into his hair.

Moth you are an MVP and thank you so much. Now, here's the joke: I am not fashionable, and so writing Julian being fashionable is me taking shots in the dark.

Julian has a very foppish fashion sense, as one would expect! He tones it down for work, as middle schoolers can be so cruel. (And also in modern, which makes it a little harder to get away with the whole Piltovian steampunk aesthetic.) In those cases, he has a little bit of an English teacher vibe - for better or for ill. But when he's got a day to himself, he's more likely to wear something more on the fop side of the fashion spectrum. Think waistcoats, shirts with loose/flowing sleeves, etc. I'm very partial to the outfits in my visage tag. If I were stronger, I'd go all-in and give him a lookbook tag or something like that - but this works for now.

In addition, Julian doesn't really have an issue with wearing things that might be traditionally considered women's clothing. While his wardrobe doesn't have much in the way of skirts or dresses, they aren't absent either.

Also, modern Julian is probably a big fan of Pinsent Tailoring/Zack Pinsent - while he personally wouldn't commit fully to wearing historical clothing, he certainly wouldn't mind wearing something in that realm on occasion. (He's also generally a fan of creativity, and Pinsent has it in spades!)

As one would expect from the above, he's pretty fastidious as well. Definitely not a stranger to makeup or a multi-step skincare routine. I think that a lot of this comes from his past - he was raised in a family very concerned with appearances, for better or (usually) for worse. In addition, he had very limited/no access to a lot of niceties when he was a runaway... so now that he's in a stable part of his life (at least in that respect), he definitely appreciates having them back. (He was never overly unkempt during his runaway years, because that would have made people pay attention to him - but he had to work hard to keep himself presentable.)

I bet you can't guess how much effort goes into his hair. Well... Maybe a little less than you'd think - his curls/waves/whatever are natural. (He seems to hover between 2b and 2c hair types, although I'll admit to you that what falls into those categories seems to vary dramatically depending on who you talk to.) He has his routine to make sure that it doesn't end up a frizzy mess (although good luck keeping that up while traveling) and generally takes good care of it, as you'd expect. He's not a stranger to temporary hair dye, as he's used it before to disguise himself, but he's not really a fan of it. He doesn't want to ruin anything. I think he might cut his own hair, too, as a holdover from his runaway days.

A lot of Julian's feelings of agency and autonomy come from his appearance. The Marchand family's obsession with their image and social status meant that he didn't have a lot of control over his appearance - most prominently, he had pretty short hair during his time as Ambrose. He grew it out when he ran away, partially as a way to try to disguise himself and partially because it was something of a declaration of him finally having control over himself and his future. He'd never cut it short again, even if it were "necessary" for a C heist. There's some lines that can't be crossed.

Back to outfits, though: Ikleyvey was also extremely kind and talented and did the linework for some outfits, which I then colored in! They're included below the cut for size reasons.

The left and center outfits are casual/everyday/work, and then the right is what you could find him wearing for a night of dancing at Piltover's Century Dance Hall!

I think that he'd also look very good in emerald green for the rightmost outfit, but I haven't set aside enough time to recolor it. The purple variant is my spitballing for a Heartseeker Jules skin, because you know that he'd be all over that. I'm not super sure on the hair, admittedly, but I think he deserves something a little fun for Heartseekers’.

[ifeelhuman]

and that was episode 4 of arcane. huh. feel like i have much to say and much not to say about this episode. this review will likely be shorter.

so at the end of my last review i mentioned that i was hoping to see more Caitlyn and that’s p much exactly what we got. she’s reliable, capable, smart, and seems to be much better at being a detective/enforcer/guard than the rest of the lot (for now, and yes, that includes Marcus 🙄). Intriguing, especially since she comes from a high House. her parents are, because they are very powerful people politically (her mother on the council, mind you), still inserting themselves into Cait’s life and are shaping it when she’s a young woman trying to live her life. but i can understand and sympathize that they want her safe. she ended up doing more and more in this episode in getting answers and then she loses her job !! ugh. she does take the initiative, no matter what it may bring so she is brave.

and Jayce. very handsome i will start 😅, but i… i was not expecting him to choose safety (and Piltover’s safety [and possibly his reputation]) over his evolving hextech. however, that could be because he’s already had like, ten or so years(?) to become the man he is today and therefore has already shown the world much of his work. he has successes. perhaps this is also his way of giving back(?). i mean Medarda and Heimindinger (and presumably the rest of the council) made Jayce a damn council member !! i understand for securities sake why they did that but… a young man having that much power (plus what’s going on with Viktor)… it doesn’t sit comfortably.

Viktor. Viktor… intrigues; he’s more reliant on accessibility assistance now, appears slightly disheveled, and didn’t even participate in the presentation with Jayce. Jayce did say hextech is *their* dream and yet Jayce’s face is the one seen and known but Piltover. i don’t know if it’s jealously, hurt pride, or other but something is going on with Vik Vik.

and Jinx. who used to be Powder. i mean… she is older (freaking alive which can’t be said for many kids in the undercity), deceptively capable, great with gadgets, and a superb shooter (foreshadowed in episode 2). but she’s so… different and similar at the same time as she was before. Jinx is childlike in her mannerisms, interactions, and in her offensive maneuvers as well. she still talks like how she used to with Vi but with more violent and grown up language. you can tell that being in Silco’s grasp has done little to no good for her mental wellbeing.

Silco, who almost definitely doesn’t know for sure, tells Jinx that her sister is “gone” (not dead but the narrative and conversations treats it like a death) which, even if Vi is dead… how is reminding her of that instead of helping her through it in a more healthy manner helpful? also Jinx just straight up murders and kills people now. and she’s really good at it ! lol but how long under that skill becomes a detriment and she willingly or unwillingly kills someone. plus she had more a couple moments in this episode to show that she’s not all the way there. i have already heard people say she is schizophrenic with BPD and yeah i can already see that too. and being someone with BPD myself it’s… heartbreaking. she needs the longest hug and more earnest therapy but that doesn’t seem to be in large supply in the underground.

and lastly… i knew Vi wouldn’t be killed off so fast but i was not expecting Caitlyn to find her, let alone in this very same episode. i really thought she was gonna go to the tattooed grunt and get him to write down what happened and who he’s working for (because he said he couldn’t *say* it) but to go to Vi who apparently maimed him (deserved) is not the direction i expected. at least not this fast.

still want to know more about Vi and Powder’s/Jinx’s parents lol. and i hope by the end of the show Caitlyn is still alive, i like her a lot