been crazy about them ever since arcane S1 came out
Very excited to watch people completely ignore the fact that Jayce was obviously having some kind of episode and definitely went through some shit both mentally and physically while in the hexcore universe place in favor of acting like this is something Jayce wouldve always done
The non-brainwashed part of Jayce SCREAMING while his hammer is pointing to shoot Viktor, and Viktor not moving out of the way because I think a part of him thought Jayce wouldn’t do it…
"and me" 😭
Honestly, that sounded like a resentful romantic ex-couple.
episode 1 // episode 6
Laugh
Well aside from the heart-wrenching, psyche-destroying conclusion of episode 6, I must say that when Jayce said, "I thought you were done with hextech. And me." after emerging from the wild rune, I was shocked they went there. That was the most romantic exes vibes I've ever received from that man, and the way it was delivered was so perfectly hurt and betrayed?? I'm eating well and it's destroying my soul
like if viktor's right. if jayce really has lost himself and just needs to find his way again he's going to be INCONSOLABLE when he realizes what he's done it's so over you guys
I've seen a few takes about how Jayce has been possessed by the Arcane, hence the whiplash of his vicious actions, and how seemingly unhesitating he was in killing Salo and Viktor.
But I think Jayce is still himself, main factor being the eyes:
Jayce's eyes are still the same golden hue, unlike Viktor's and all his followers, which have taken on the iridescent tone of the Arcane. I think Jayce has certainly been touched by the Arcane, and taken on some side-effects from it (one of which being a healthy dose of PTSD), but I don't think he's necessarily been corrupted by it.
One effect we do see is Jayce "glitching" into multiples-- could there be some multiverse situation where Jayce has lived multiple failed iterations, and seen what the Arcane can do and the destruction it lays waste to?
Before Jayce kills Salo, he seems resigned that he has to do so. I don't think this is the face of a man whose actions are being corrupted, but of someone who has seen things, and knows what has to be done.
I also don’t think it’s unintentional that Jayce shot Viktor right through his Hexcore heart.
It's not a coincidence that his visions are constantly interspersed with fractaled flashes of anomalous Arcane beings when he encounters Viktor's healed followers. We see this with Salo, and as he makes his way through Viktor's village.
And when he promises “I won’t fail, I swear it”, who was he speaking to? I think this Jayce has lived multiple iterations of the same situation and knows something we don't, something he learned when he was stuck in the Hexcore Anomaly.
TL;DR: This is a Jayce Talis defence blog, and he is here to DEFEND OUR TOMORROWS I will not take any Jayce slander in this house
istg the moment i saw jayce d**th threats i realised how much i overestimated cognitive abilities of this fandom. they were just happy to jump on a hate train without taking a second to comprehend what even happened. "his mind [fucking] suffered", viktor told y'all himself. not to mention what horrors he saw in arcane backrooms. not to mention viktor literally wanted him to destroy the hexcore before he became jesus and literally dumped him because he didn't do it.
I think there's a lot of signs pointing to Jayce actually doing the right thing ...or at least the right thing based on the information available to him at the time.
We can't know for a fact just how much Viktor was changed and what his healing was doing to the people who came to him in the long run, but considering all the hints dropped by the writers, the situation is much less clear than we think. Obviously, everyone's first instinct is to condemn Jayce and his actions, especially because Viktor is one of fan favourites, but looking at the teaser for the next Act and what little we know about what happened to Jayce, I think it might have been necessary evil.
I think this scene of Viktor temporarily 'possessing' Salo in order to talk with Jayce points to just how fucked this little community that Viktor created actually is. There's a reason why everyone's getting those 'it's a freaking cult' vibes.
This scene made me more uncomfortable than anything else this season and I think it's clear that it was meant to make feel that way. There's something so uncanny about Viktor's voice coming out of Salo's mouth, especially paired with that look on his face and how Viktor seems to be able to see and experience things through him in this moment.
And then there's also the issue of all these people dying a horrible drawn-out death as soon as Viktor himself 'dies'. Yes, they came to him on their own, they asked to be healed, but did they really know what they are getting into? Did they know this is what might happen?
Some of them were already dying, true, but Viktor healed all kinds of people, some of whom most likely had their whole lives ahead of them. He, knowingly or not, inevitably sped up this process. Not all of them were consummed by Shimmer-addiction or permanently disabled like Salo.
And then there's also the fact of all of them basically abandoning their previous lives to serve Viktor and his community. Which, okay, makes sense, there's certainly a parallel with the community that Ekko created for Zaunites to keep them safe from Piltover and Silco's plans. They made an informed choice, though, and I don't think the same can be said about Viktor's cult-like commute.
They seem peaceful, yes, but also devoid of personality and entirely dedicated to Viktor and his cause. Of course, it can be explained by gratitude towards him and desire to be kept safe in a calm and peaceful environment, but it's taken to such an extreme point that it definitely crosses the line into uncanny territory in my eyes. Their hivemind behaviour is very unsettling and even though Viktor seems to frame his recent actions as some kind of greater good, I don't think it's necessarily true.
We have yet to find out what Jayce saw and who's in the right and who's in the wrong. Either way, as usual when it comes to Arcane, it seems to me that more than ever, everyone's a victim of the circumstances and tragedy spares no one.
Considering that Viktor is set up to be 'reborn', I can't help but wonder what it means for his community and if they will also be brought to life by whatever connection they have with him. It would be a fascinating choice given how Viktor's arc has always been about autonomy and making your own choices.
Arcane, it's been a pleasure having my heart torn out of my chest by you. Can't wait for the last Act.
jayvik nation i fear delusion is key right now…NEVER forget the biblical references at hand okay…judas was MISGUIDED and CONFUSED and jesus KNEW and WANTED JUDAS TO BETRAY HIM in the GARDEN of gethsemane…so he could DIE and come back STRONGER…ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST
they have a matching leg brace but at what cost
jayvik cannot be doomed now because jayvik was doomed from the start. i expect better from jayvik truthers. doom is our natural state. we thrive in doom. stop crying and pick up your pens