Reading Your Unpopular Opinions | ARCANE EDITION (PT. 1)

[@robertgreen6858]

Unpopular opinion, Sevica is the most loyal person in the show, she is just loyal to the revolution instead of individual people.

[@Hohum37]

I mostly agree with that. I don't agree with people saying Sevika didn't betray anyone. She betrayed Vander on a personal level because she was more loyal to "the cause". I also take issue that she's ok with plans to kill Vander and his children, and wonder how that helps the cause - killing his children just seems like spite from Silco. She also seems ok with flooding the lanes with shimmer, so her cause doesn't seem to mind that either. While she is loyal to it, her cause seems... pointlessly brutal. I'd suggest Caitlyn stays true to her beliefs - she's naïve, certainly, but she's willing to open her eyes. Ekko - doesn't appear to swerve from his beliefs at all, and is loyal to his own cause, AND it's people. Ambessa - seems very dedicated to her own cause too...

[@kelravas]

​@Hohum37 Silco needed to kill the children so that people would believe vander had run away. Silco knew no one would believe vandar would have just left without the kids. Hence why he set them a trap. He wanted a smooth transition of power without vandar loyalists causing issues. Leaving powder alive and raising her as his own was the first time he put her above his own plans for zaun.

[@Hohum37]

@@kelravas That's certainly possible, although I expect anyone that knew Vander likely doubted it, and Ekko was still around to say otherwise - although that's the lone voice of a child - it's backed up by the corpses of Benzo and some enforcers though. It's not entirely clear when the Vander statue was erected - if it was afterwards - then it probably shows Silco wasn't believed. He had the "money and the muscle" though.

[@elodie4629]

⁠@@Hohum37but how did she betray vander if she was only loyal to the cause? she followed and supported him because at that time, vander was the face of the revolution. when she realised he no longer wanted to fight, she left and she told him straight away too. that’s why she had no problem joining silco, he wanted to free zaun as much as she does. the means by which that happens don’t seem to matter to her, as long as that get her and zaun closer to freedom. (now flooding the streets with drugs to get more people on silco’s side or killing vander and his children aren’t great decisions lol, i agree.) edit: i’d recommend watching a video analysis of sevika recently made by shape by stories. the video does a great job at analysing sevika’s character and her motivations.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Hohum37I agree for the most part, but I always saw it more as Vander betrayed Sevika first

[@Hohum37]

Why Jinx says "The boy saviour." I'd always thought of it as "I didn't want to be saved, idiot!" - but "You saved other people, but not me." is so much more heartbreaking.

[@Tekkerue]

The creators said in an interview that they had cut a scene where Ekko tried to save Powder from Silco because the episode ran too long. They didn't elaborate on exactly what happened, all they said was that something dramatic happened between them. I have a feeling this is what that line was referencing.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Tekkerue a part of me is hoping we see that scene or they reference it in s2, especially with talks of them possibly reconciling

[@Tekkerue]

@@artxroyalty I agree! I hope they show the scene in s2.

[@MrRenix1990]

“My values are different from your values” - Rengoku (Demon Slayer)

[@officialname9817]

The dramatic thing is powder hitting echo the same way Vi her im pretty sure, the essentially get in a fight because she didnt want to be saved ​@Tekkerue

[@murattunali9391]

Amanda Overton said that "Our Love" is very important for Vander and we'll find out why in season 2...I'm really excited about that...

[@artxroyalty]

@@murattunali9391 WAIT WHAT!?

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@murattunali9391 👀👀 music plot!?? With an iconic outro backing track!?? The release day CANNOT move any faster!!

[@murattunali9391]

@@artxroyalty They really don't make it easy to wait another 30 days 😭

[@reganh5223]

Makes me wonder if he had a thing for Vi and Jinx’s mother, back in the day…..maybe they used to listen to it in the bar together.

[@scirrhia_kruden]

Wait omg. If that song is about Vander and Silco, it makes so much more sense. Silco even pours his bourbon out at the statue of Vander. I think that was a callback to the song. I was just too fixated on Vi at the moment of the song, but I think the song was legit Vander's, especially cause he was a bartender. God it seems kinda obvious in hindsight. ​@@artxroyalty

[@onestepatatime7412]

With regards to (adult) Jinx, I tend to think about the phrase "not your fault, but still your problem"… She can't help what happened to her as a child, how that shaped her and it's very understandable that she struggles to deal with her trauma in a constructive manner. But she should still be held accountable for her actions, at least to a certain degree. The same goes for all the other characters.

[@Hohum37]

@@ImAmirus Ekko's response appears to be community. There are other responses to oppression too - organisation, unionisation, peaceful protest - even pressing your oppressor's better nature - which would likely work on Mel, Shoola, Jayce, Cassandra and Heimerdinger.

[@umhi9778]

Yeah, she lost control but her actions are her actions.

[@Hypura]

Marcus was well written and his story is tragic. He was designed for the audience to hate him, and I get that, but my potentially unpopular opinion is that he is as much a victim as he was an instigator. He made (poor) choices, regret them, tried to fill the shoes of his mentor, tried so hard to redeem himself but failed spectacularly. I can’t help but feel pity for him despite how unlikeable he is. Was his fate deserved? It’s hard to say.

[@AndyBestHP]

I agree, his story feels like part of a kind of second layer around the core that adds nuance and detail to how the people in the story are a product of the overall environment, and that when we (IRL also) see that and decide to break the mould, we are suddenly confronted with a litany of challenges and complications.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Hypura my main issue with Marcus lies more within the first act. His constant need to escalate things and his condescending nature was nearly insufferable. I understand the bind he got himself into in the acts that followed, but I always had a hard time with liking him as a character.

[@top-notch8277]

He's probably in my top favourite characters of the show

[@AK-jf1ym]

My take on powder’s actions was that she shouldn’t have tried to save her family after they told her to stay away, but if you pay attention to her personality her dependence on Vi is so obvious. She needs the validation that she can actually do something right, and her mental breakdown after she’s left behind (once in the last drop and once after everybody is killed) is completely understandable. After Vi hits powder she doesn’t even “react” to that- she just asks why she was left behind. Powder was blinded by her dependence and love for Vi and Vi was blinded by the panic of saving Vander.

[@laiag4854]

I'm gonna leave here a hot take: Nobody gives Jinx her part of responsibility. There's a huge debate over who made Jinx, even in the show, and she herself says that Vi made Jinx. Although it is true that Jinx's hurt is character defining in a way, its been 5-7 years. She MUST have encountered Ekko at some point and have an interaction we didn't see, but from what we know Jinx chose to stay with Silco. I doubt Ekko wouldn't try to "save" her, which would relate to episode 8. She chose to kill 6 enforcers to impress Silco, and she does not seem to care about it, she's proud of it. We also see Vi actually worried because she almost seems to enjoy hurting people in episode 6, right before the firelights take her. I think baybing Jinx like literally everyone in the show does not only take away a part of her character (what if Jinx really is just... A bit of a psychopath sometimes? To what extent does she have to take responsibility for her own actions? How did Ekko try to save her? Did he try? What's up with that?) but would probably not help her in any way if we were there. We're missing out, basically.

[@enoch6024]

Finally someone said it

[@laiag4854]

@@enoch6024 Right? I get that Jinx is a lot of people's favorite character and it's almost hard to blame her for anything because of the way the show portrays her and because of her personality. She gets away with things that no one else in the show does, but the line is somewhere (not that she's the cause of all her miseries but there's a part can obviously be attributed to her).

[@saranaila5905]

She's 17 btw

[@laiag4854]

@@saranaila5905 she is also a serial killer (without counting her accidental kills)! I don't think our protectivism of children helps in general but it is even less of a case in Zaun. Vi knocked out like 6 people without killing them (in season 2 we see the biggest guy from episode 3, so they didn't die) when she was 15. Ekko leads an alternative group and takes care of a whole community, he's also 17. This doesn't mean that they should do these stuff, in a perfect world no child would have this responsibility. However, Jinx not only doesn't have that responsibility, but we actively defend her of anything wrong. Her accidentally killing her family? Not her fault. Her killing 6 enforcers for a stone, trying to kill firelights, bombing a bridge and everyone on it? Absolutely her fault. We know she's smart, she knows about explosives and their effectiveness, she did not need to kill almost everyone. She could have just knocked them out with smaller explotions but she didn't.

[@saranaila5905]

@@laiag4854 depends on who you ask and what's gonna happen next, she would be a freedom fighter.

[@Morbacounet]

As a league player, seeing Vi pick up her gauntlets was something. It's like adding the final piece in the puzzle. I fucking love her fights on the bridge and against Sevika but she had to have those massive things on her fists at some point. It's part of her character.

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

And some more Jinx-y takes (Part 2 of 2). . 'Jinx saw suicide as a way out': Yeah, that was pretty clearly spelled out for the audience. I am not sure who thought the bomb was intended for Ekko, or her emotions were a facade to get Ekko to let his guard down, but *that* would be an unpopular opinion for sure. . 'Powder died on the bridge': Yooo! Aisha spitting fire with this take. I have been saying for ages that Jinx didn't "choose" Jinx at the tea party. The whole theatre of the scene was Jinx trying to see if Vi could really love who she is now. The chair question had a wrong answer, and Vi failed spectacularly. Powder dying on the bridge makes perfect sense. I just had a crazy thought, too. What if Powder set the bomb to the side not just to kill herself, but also to see if Ekko still loved her enough to save her life? She knew he could get away, that much was obvious, so would he knock the bomb away from her, or just save himself? Seeing as she took the brunt of the blast, he clearly saved himself over trying to save them both. This means the moment of seeing Powder was a fluke, not how he really sees her, at least in her eyes. Thus, Ekko let her die, and Vi chose to save an enforcer over her. This would further re-enforce the Powder dying on the bridge theory. The only person who chose to save her was Silco, and he already accepted her for her.

[@artxroyalty]

@@peaceandloveusa6656 YES YOU GET IT! Haha I’m soooo glad we saw the same thing especially concerning the tea party! Also, that bit about her letting the bomb roll to kind of see if Ekko would attempt to save her, interesting take because I hadn’t seen it that way. Really makes the scene all the more depressing

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

@@artxroyalty I can't say I ever considered the "maybe she also wanted to see if he would save her" angle until you mentioned Powder dying on the bridge. I see Powder and Jinx as the same person, so I hadn't really considered, "when did Powder die, exactly?" But, if they are/were two different people, I think I could see Powder, who tied her self worth to other people's opinion of her, letting Ekko be the one to decide if she was worth saving. In that case, the tears could be her believing Ekko would let her die. That said, it is far more likely she just wanted to kill herself and never considered Ekko might actually try and save her. But I had to throw the random thought out there anyway encase someone needed to hear it. :)

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

With Jayce's discrimination on the bridge, that seemed more like an outburst of frustration due to all the stresses put on him. He even immediately apologized to Viktor. This is the same guy who went down to do business with the Undercity to get stuff he couldn't get through the university. Also, while a lot of Viktor fans hold that against him, I think it's ironic that no one ever holds Viktor accountable for never being concerned about Jayce's mental state as he got flooded with more and more responsibilities. If he was concerned that Jayce was getting lost in the forest, he literally let him deal with all the politics of Hextech on his own. Meanwhile, Jayce viewed him like a brother and consistently showed concern about him, despite also having to care about this massive city.

[@valjamworm3980]

My unpopular opinion is Jayce did more for the Undercity than Silco. He was a politician for 1 week( technically 3/4days) and in that week. He decided that Zuan needs to be liberated. An he technically did liberate them like he got the other counselors to agree before Jinx bomb them.

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

@@valjamworm3980 I agree with this.

[@officialname9817]

Honestly cant agree with this Jayce didnt think about the undercity until Silco go involved, Silco had demands which Jayce was forced to agree to and Jayce agreed under the condition that hed get to arrest Jinx. Jayce didnt do anything for Zaun like at all.

[@valjamworm3980]

@officialname9817 Actually Jayce does thinks about helping the undercity before being a politician he and Viktor were supposed to help they got distracted. So when jayce has political power in 4 days he got zuan liberated by the council even without Jinx meaning his deal with Silco doesn't matter. He didn't meet silco demands cause Jayce knew the topside shouldn't control Zuan he literally says that

[@iapetes1]

I remember thinking silco was 1 dimensional for the first few episodes, and look how that turned out Not too worried about ambessa

[@artxroyalty]

@@iapetes1 you get it

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

I fully agree that Jinx was never really held accountable. Both Sevika and Mylo tried to(more so they tried to get Silco and Vi to do so) but no one actually did. We don't even see Vander do so. We see him hold Vi accountable, and tell her to do better with the kids, but not him with Powder. I think that's why she holds other people to such a higher standard. Like they're supposed to know better and not take actions that hurt her, while also hurting everyone around her with little to no remorse. Well it's not exactly that she always lacks remorse, but that her being babied her entire life, has given her a more self-centered gaze. Like she cares how she is affected firstly(which is normal in childhood, but she never really grew out of it). Like how after thinking she saved the day she was looking for Vi to praise her first. Instead of getting everyone together to quickly get back home. And when she realized what she had actually done, and the gravity of this situation, instead of grieving the loss of her brothers, and apologising out of consuming guilt for what she had done. She is instead more focused on defending her intentions, and asking why was she was abandoned im the first place(tbf one could argue that their deaths didn't fully sink in at the moment. Because we do later see in her psychosis, how much they've really stuck with her, and how the loss of them affected her) You could even argue that Silco's last words did the same. I hate to say it cuz as much as I don't like Silco, that scene was beautiful. He told her not cry and that she was perfect, even tho she just killed him. But uhhhh... miss gurl is mentally and emotionally unstable. She is far from perfect. That's what intruiged me when I first saw the end of act 1. Tho Vi pimp smacking her sister like that and calling her a Jinx was clearly wrong, I could fully understand why she acted the way she did. Like HELLO??? intentionally or not she is the reason they all blew up. But Powder's reaction was not what I exspected. I thought it would more so be on what she did, and not what happened to her. That's the scene that really made me realize that Powder is different. And it's what made her character so intruging to me.

[@_LadyReya_]

This is wonderful, I would like to "yes, and" this take. Powder is held accountable, but powder is only held accountable to positive acts. This creates a kind of fickle idea of capabilities when you are only capable of so little and only half of your capabilities are recognized you start to question the significance of that limited capability. What she needed is to know she has impact and to take that as a neutral quality. Even Mylo the only character who seems to evoke holding her accountable to negative acts is a little off base because he's not really holding her accountable to all of the acts that emphasize her incapablity. Again he reinforces "powder isn't capable." And VI's always going to meet it with "she's capable of positive acts though!" The scene after the explosion is the first time Powder is held accountable for her negative actions and it is depicted as violently earth shattering as that would feel. Just imagine the only instance in wich your actions had significant impact was when they killed your entire family. So she does the thing of self preservation she tries everything to deny that narrative lost and scared. Even when she hugs Silco she is still attempting to deny it. Jinx is officially "born" when she hears Silco say "We will show them, we will show them all." Running counter to the narrative of denial she's formed and re-signifying what stop denying it could mean all in one statement. In that statement I dont hear "it's okay it wasn't your fault" I hear no denial of her actions with the deliberate unaddressing of whether or wether or not her actions had impact it's just made clear that he 100% sees with his eyes that they did I hear "We will focus this." And that's what defines Jinx focused chaos. Jinx still tackles re-signifying the underlying implications of her impact "just give it to the doctor" "I keep seeing them that day." While also being defensive of the fact that she does have the capacity to focus her impact "Now he thinks I'm weak!" "I'll show them." A defensiveness that comes from insecurity that she can't control it "It was a mistake!"

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

@@_LadyReya_ AMEN. You put it perfectly.

[@babette5918]

I don't feel like Mels arc is complete. Even though we don't see her in the trailer, I think she is still alive. If feel like the completion of her arc is to become "both the fox and the wolf" like her mother told her. Mel has only been the fox this whole time. I think that she is going to "outfox" her mother and then reveal that she is also the wolf in a twist ending in order to defeat Ambessa.

[@Hohum37]

It's "an arc" - but I think she has more of a role to play too. Seeing her in the trailer would have been a spoiler imo, and they do tend to avoid those.

[@babette5918]

Looks like we got this one right!

[@babette5918]

Thing about Mylo is that he ISN"T getting his point across. Powder DOES just get a pass, but Mylo doesn't. Kids don't understand that the world isn't fair. One of my biggest problems with my parents growing up was when i perceived things to be unfair... and it was often!

[@darkwillow1451]

Mylo is the definition of the guy whom knows best and nobody listens to him. "Who saw that commin"? He did.. he always did :))) If this was live action, Mylo would be played by Steve Buscemi

[@ChubbyChoncc]

About Caitlyn's plot armour, I think the commentor is spotted on. She survived like, what, 3 explosions near her already 😂 First was in ep.2, Jayce took a hit and still alive so understandable. Next was in ep.4 which you were discussed, also understandable. But the explosion in ep.7 was... Uhm... Yeah, just straight up plot armour. I swear to god if Caitlyn replace her mom at the Council that day she wouldn't be dead even if she took the rocket face-on because reasons lol.

[@artxroyalty]

@@ChubbyChoncc ooooh the explosion in episode 7 I hadn’t even considered! You’re completely right! That blast was enough to blow Marcus’ arm off but all Caitlyn got was a cut in her leg 😂 VERY good point

[@aranthur]

I thought the implication was that the explosions of the mechanical firelights were actually each very small but they were designed very specifically to land on the Enforcers and their weapons? Not wearing a uniform or carrying guns is what kept Cait and Ekko alive

[@ChubbyChoncc]

@@aranthur I do know the reasons but Marcus's gun is literally pointed at Caitlyn's face so it's still weird how she just got a scratch in the leg.

[@aranthur]

@ChubbyChoncc And Ekko survives the grenade with only an injury to the leg. In both cases, the camera cut away and the two of them got further from the bomb than we last saw them before it exploded. Why is it more acceptable for one than the other?

[@ChubbyChoncc]

@@aranthur Oooh I forgot about that. Yup that's another plot armour for sure.

[@HOTTOGO25]

I always think about how the main reason that Jinx was never held accountable or properly parented as a child and grew up to (arguably) be a menace to society is because piltover is responsible for her parents death and making countless numbers of children orphans. The fact that (to our knowledge) there are no schools, children’s homes, provisions is crazzzzy. Seriously fuck heimerdinger you are a literal war criminal. The council are directly accountable for the neglect and trauma she and hundreds of other children experienced so they cannot be surprised that one of them grew up to be a violent sociopath who wants to destroy them.

[@mrakbess2620]

Jinx is not victim. She IS psychopath. You can feel bad for her for only reason - she is not near you. But imagine that she is your neighbor and then tell me you are happy to have her as your friend.

[@nanu4937]

You mentioned Mel's gold lighting up just before Jinx's rocket hit the council building. I agree that narratively it makes sense for Mel to be dead, but there is a possibility she survives. There's an item in League of Legends called Zhonya's Hourglass that makes a character invulnerable for a few seconds by turning them into an immobile gold statue. If the writers go that route, and its a big if, it would still make narrative sense to get her out of the first part of Arcane Season 2 by having her stuck in stasis from the hourglass or grievously injured. On that note I do think Viktor is grievously injured by the rocket and this causes Jayce to use the hexcore in a desperate attempt to save his friend after watching everyone else on the council (most likely Mel included) die. Also Caitlyn and Heimerdinger are missing. Viktor is all he has left, and we've seen how Jayce's brain turns off when he's desperate. If you don't know the lore about Viktor and Jayce I won't spoil it but having Jayce use the hexcore on Viktor makes it extra juicy.

[@nanu4937]

Bonus point for the hourglass possibility: Mel is the only council member, the only person in Piltover besides Viktor, who isn't averse to magic and perhaps sees the potential in hextech because she too knows firsthand what it's capable of.

[@gebdemedici]

​@@nanu4937 I mean even Viktor doesn't REALLY know magic. Mel is from Noxus where magic is not uncommon at all, I would say the only people who really know magic are Heim and Mel.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

UNLEASHED THE OPINIONS!!! Wow this was too hot to hold back

[@raverdeath100]

i'm not overly concerned with the songs of Arcane but i wll state that imo the *score* of Arcane is phenomenal. you can trace the transition from Powder to Jinx just by the motifs that play during Act1 - from "The Bridge" to "I can help them" and "The Explosion" and then back to the Bridge motif with "You're stronger than you think". Act 2 and Act 3 continue with Jinx' Bridge and Help motifs but combine them with Silco's (A Story of Opposites and One Final Proposal) culminating with Jinx's and Silco's motifs dancing together in The Baptism. it all culminates in the tea party where a much darker Jinx motif plays and then is joined by Silco's at his shooting. all those who think that Jinx's final whisper in her head is Silco are probably right. that's when both their motifs merge. sorry for the length but Arcane's score is just... brilliant.

[@artxroyalty]

@@raverdeath100 “Showdown”, “She’s Back”, and “You’re A Jinx” are my favorite scores from the show. I love how in “You’re A Jinx” you can hear the moment of realization for Powder. Haunting, tragic, and yet so beautiful.

[@onestepatatime7412]

Jayce not recognising the dangers of Hextech even after they made the gauntlet and laser-thingy and Heimerdinger specifically pointed out that these tools could be abused is truly wild and indefensible to me. Granted, he's always been a bit reckless, but at that point he wasn't just being naive anymore but willfully ignorant and irresponsible. I wouldn't describe myself as a Jayce-hater, but I do think he is one of the most frustrating characters to watch because his arguably worst trait - being too easily influenced by others and letting them push him into things he doesn't actually agree with to the point where he kind of loses himself - is very relatable to me. So I guess I'd say that he pushes my buttons in a way that other characters who are much worse people don't, simply because his behavior reminds me of my own weaknesses. Plus this trait of his is not explained by some deep-seated trauma or anything - it's just kind of an annoying aspect of his personality that you have to deal with as a watcher without really understanding where it comes from.

[@Morbacounet]

Jayce is a people pleaser but he's also completely lost. He starts the week with no real stress in his life. His biggest problem is the content of a speech. At the end of the week, he's at the head of a city on the brink of civil war and he's desperately trying to find a solution. He's a newbie with no experience, it's completely normal for him to seek advice and being influenced by other with more experience. I completely agree with you about his carelessness with Hextech.

[@Hohum37]

@@Morbacounet Yet his decision to negotiate with Silco wasn't prompted by anyone suggesting it.

[@Morbacounet]

@@Hohum37 the whole council wanted to negotiate with Silco.

[@Hohum37]

@@Morbacounet The whole council who were outraged, shouted, and threw things when he said that's what he'd done?

[@Morbacounet]

@Hohum37 In episode 8, the only one pushing for war is Jayce. Mel tells him there must be a diplomatic solution and the rest of the council acquiesces. In episode 9, Jayce tells Mel she was right. The council is stunned when they learn he made a deal with Silco BEHIND THEIR BACKS and angry when they learned he offered the Undercity's independence WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. That's why they are angry : how he did it and the result.

[@christophergroenewald5847]

13:34 I think Ambessa is so underdeveloped because she was introduced so late in the story and only exists in season 1 to set up her character for a much larger role in season 2.

[@xseedingme]

Aisha, you are SO good at this. I love your reactions but your analysis skills are S tier! Not always right but mostly because the writers of Arcane rarely do tropes. Also, dem dimples! ...dreamy...😍

[@artxroyalty]

@@xseedingme thank you!! I enjoy the discourse and difference in opinions. Thanks for tuning in! 💜

[@joshmartin156]

Jayce is just a scientist that happens to be a himbo can’t hate too much on that.

[@AndyBestHP]

Just finished watching in full, great format and video, really using the points to generate some insight and avoiding drama-style responses. I also think online fan discourse in general is so focused on squabbles around lore, canon and what a thing definitively means that people exclude that fiction allows space for the reader/viewer, and that they exclude nuance and the opportunity to take these thoughts out into the world. The first time I watched Arcane I was constantly distracted from the story because of how incredible and awe-inspiring the animation and art was, if I am being honest, but, i still feel like I was able to let my mind run with it. When Jinx let's go of the grenade on the bridge, I also experienced it as her having a moment of clarity and deciding to end it all, but I don't have any impulse to go into reaction comments and 'correct' other people's ideas of the same scene. So, maybe unpopular opinion: we can use critical faculties to appreciate, analyze and understand art, to put it into context, but it doesn't mean letting go of the initial experience, or of interpretation. the impulse to build and gatekeep a 'correct' version seems to be a petty social impulse that gets supercharged on social media.

[@mashupswithwoodburn]

Re: Music - Can confirm, Our Love is a certified bop and is criminally underrated in this fandom, also while I can agree that "Where everything went wrong" as it is on the single is good/okay, the edit they use in the episode between Vi and Sevika slaps

[@artxroyalty]

Heavy emphasis on “criminally” underrated. Such a warm and heartfelt song

[@aranthur]

My most generous read on Heimerdinger is that he is very aware that his way of thinking is different from that of humans and that he is 100% a scientist and not a politician, so even though he is TECHNICALLY the head of the council, that is really in name only and only because he is a city founder. At some point he concluded that experienced human politicians would understand the needs of the people better than him and be better at solving them, and he deliberately left the running of the city to them, only stepping in to offer advice or cast a deciding vote when necessary And though he is clearly aware of the corrupting nature of magical power, it never occured to him that political power could also corrupt, so until the incident with the hexcore he hadn't noticed yet how the council has fallen to greed and pride and all that fun stuff. After all, for him he only gave them this job 5 minutes ago, why would he need to check in on them and their actions already?? In the same way he is shocked by how much Ekko accomplished "in his brief lifespan," he must have thought the rumors of how bad the undercity had gotten were exaggerated because it would be IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to make the situation that much worse in such a short span of time, right?

[@skriblzshade7996]

I agree a lot with the comment on the 2 seasons being enough and satisfying! I understand that we haven’t seen what season 2 will be, but I have a lot of faith that it will hold up to the standards it set in season 1. What I’m really excited about is that even when arcane is over the mark it left will be prominent. Arcane set a standard, an example of animation and writing that others may learn a lot from. Hell we may be likely to get content to similar standards from other studios!

[@etheralghost]

Unrelated to the rest, OUR LOVE WAS MY FAVORITE ONE FROM ARCANES MUSIC !! It was so beautiful n the lyrics are so lovely I'm glad someone else especially a creator loves it too

[@artxroyalty]

@@etheralghost YESSS I FOUND ANOTHER LOVER OF OUR LOVE, I won 😭

[@thomasbobo9967]

Thank you for the continuing Arcane content!

[@artxroyalty]

@@thomasbobo9967 a big thanks to y’all for listening to my rants 😂

[@moldybread3081]

I’ve been seeing around a lot that Jinx is HEAVILY BPD-coded, and as someone with BPD (and sister issues XD) I think it certainly helps explain A LOT of her behaviors. I connect with Jinx HEAVILY as a character, and I saw so much of myself as a kid in Powder it’s not even funny. I would definitely recommend watching The Truth Doctor Show’s video called “Does Jinx have Borderline Personality Disorder?”, it’s a very good watch and explains things more thoroughly.

[@jeffkoenig7402]

Woot, my Heimer hot take made the video. Thanks Aisha And I agree, S1 ends with Heimer becoming more aware of the true extent of his blind spot, and set up what I expect to be a redemption arc.

[@babette5918]

C-4 is pretty stable, that's why they use it. A better analogy for the raw hex crystals would be nitroglycerin... since we're being hyper-specific in this video.

[@artxroyalty]

@@babette5918 yeahhh unfortunately I don’t know that much about explosives 😂 good point!

[@babette5918]

@@artxroyalty On youtube we can educate and learn at the same time!

[@artxroyalty]

@@babette5918 well as the saying goes, you learn something new everyday 😂

[@Fionalah]

You have quickly become my favourite Arcane reactor! The call for respect at the start was especially beautiful too. And yay - I made the 'hot take' cut! And you discussed it nicely, thanks for hearing me out! :) It was great to see you on Reddit too!

[@artxroyalty]

@@Fionalah what?? Thank you 🥹 also huge thanks for participating, it was a solid opinion!

[@kapiminger5352]

The thing about the fight scenes is how they represent the characters too. Vi is impulsive and her always rushing into fights fits her personality. Same thing about her actually trying to solve problems with violence (which gets adressed by Vander) and also serves as a reminder Vi has *seen* violence towards the undercity citizens. That yes, Piltover solves their problems with the undercity with violence. Additionally, the boxing is also extremely realistic and mirrors actual boxing. Which is insane because they didn't even motion capture.

[@artxroyalty]

@@kapiminger5352 yes! That fight between Sevika and Vi in ep 5 was insane. Nowhere near the “fantastical/powered” fights we saw throughout the rest of the series but it really stood out bc it felt like a legit boxing match, not just powered punches you’d see Goku or Superman deliver. Something about that realism just took it to another level for me.

[@kapiminger5352]

@@artxroyalty Great that you mention Goku actually because man if we want to talk about useless fights then dare I say, that's most fights in every battle shonen anime? What Arcane did was place fights where they made sense and they were also short, so you don't get annoyed by a fight scene getting dragged for the sake of looking cool.

[@artxroyalty]

@@kapiminger5352 yes! As much as I loved Naruto growing up (and the Chunin Exams arc being a prime example) it shouldn’t take 2+ episodes for an action sequence

[@noahtangui1190]

The level im addicted to this show is crazy I feel like I need a group therapy like the AA but for Arcane at this point. We would just sit all day talking about the show lmao

[@noahtangui1190]

Guys im onto something hmu with discord invites I do actually wanna do that

[@artxroyalty]

@@noahtangui1190 it’s funny you say that because I’m actually in the process of making a discord server EXACTLY for this

[@noahtangui1190]

@@artxroyalty count me in !

[@BlackShardStudio]

@@noahtangui1190 AAA

[@DezeraeJordan]

Yoooo 👀 imma need to peep that link 😂

[@justafossil]

Look up pics of Miyavi and you'll see why Finn looked so cool that it feels like the design was "wasted" on a side character. That character was basically a cameo for him.

[@HeathenGrip]

Claiming the fights are poorly choreographed is genuine insanity. A discussion on power level I completely understand but you can't convince me the choreography was poorly executed... because I have eyes

[@artxroyalty]

To be fair, they did say they wouldn’t claim the fight scenes were poorly executed 😅 but if we’re talking about power level, I don’t see it right now, but I guess I just need to see examples

[@HeathenGrip]

@@artxroyalty Oh see I am just an idiot and misheard what that poster wrote. I thought they said the choreography was poor when in fact they had said the opposite. that's my bad.

[@artxroyalty]

@@HeathenGrip haha no it’s all good!!

[@H-otApp-le-Pies]

Okay, I havent watched Arcane in a while and I am planning to rewatch in a few weeks so the story is fresh in my mind for Season 2. For Mel, I am thinking she saved Jayce, maybe? If she does have magic. The gold on her back does make a noise, an intentional one. My idea is that the gold of her back lighting up, the jewelry is to show some sort of irony of the scene, specifically Mel because she went against her mothers ideologies and opted for peace JUST before the missile. Gold is Mel's color, and I think it symbolizes her own ideals (like the painting of gold over the painting she did, of those boats). She will share a similar fate as her brother (Which will be more nuanced, but regardless it will fuel Ambessa because now shes lost two children) Like "He crossed the wrong man" = the Council crossing Jinx? just ideas I agree that she finished her arc, and I would have to see the execution if she does live. Also her death is the key motive for her mothers wrathful state (Can also be for Jayce if he ends up living) I can definitely see her living...but its more of a 'why'? I think her death gives Jayce and Ambessa great motivations, and everyone might throw themselves into a negative arc before arriving at the fact that there's "No winners in war". Ambessa wears a lot of Gold in the trailer, so maybe she wears that color as a symbol of Mel before she realizes what that gold actually means, especially since we see Ambessa looking at the painting Mel splattered gold (her color) over. Either that or Mel is gravely injured. Very 50/50 on both. I think her dying is more interesting narratively. Edit [Minor Spoilers]: I was slightly, partially wrong after S2's act 1 being revealed but the fact they just introduced a lot of things, as a non League Player I DONT feel that dumb.

[@njabulosithole1795]

The chemtank opinion is peak! I totally agree! I think the chemtanks shouldn't have been delegated to "Monster of the week" status.

[@ascii_9727]

ok something I REALLY have as a pet personal theory is that in the last tea party scene in which jinx kidnapped everyone and is revealing them one by one to vi she was kinda testing if vi really sees her as that much of a monster as to bring the severed head of someone she showed to be so dear to her. Even if it's a little headcannony for now i'd definitely see it as jinx feeling hurt of how vi actually feared she did something so monstruous. It also really validates what Silco says later: "you'll be with her a day before she realises you aren't that girl anymore"... I won't pretend like that isn't 100% true. I think Silco was not the best parental figure for obvious reasons but one thing that I'd say is that while he was never fond of her powder side you can absolutely tell that in a personal level he embraced and truly loved jinx, with all the good and all the bad that came with it to his last breath.

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

My other hot takes are, Jayce is overhated, Heimadinger got off way too easy, and Sevika Parallels Mylo more than Vi. Starting with Heimadinger, as you stated this man has bin here for how many years??? And yet things have stayed stagnent. He never really cared to make change to help the people of the undercity till now, tho he's bin here the longest. Also his lack of empathy leads to a lot of problems with Viktor and Jayce. Since he is immortal, and can'trelate to wanting to leave your mark, he can coldly tell them to wait years. Like easy for you to say mr. Never will die. Like a few years is just a blip to you, but us mortals, that's part of lives we'll never get back. Especiallywith Viktor who was dying. He basically said, "damn that must suck for you bro. Can't relate." It made it harder for them to rely on him even when he was right, since to them it felt like he didn't actually understand. So it kinda pissed me off a little to see that he gets to be living it up with Ekko While Mel, Jayce and Vik could either be dead or headed for a lot of suffering. Like he neglected the undercity the most, but gets a home there while the people he let down on the counsil are headed for the worst. He let everyone down, but he seems tl be the only one to come out unscaved and I don't like it. (I'll edit and explain later, I've typed too much for one day)

[@artxroyalty]

I am VERY curious about your Mylo/Sevika take 👀

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

@@artxroyalty OH right. Sorry I was gonna finish my comment earlier but I fell asleep😅. I always saw it as both Mylo and Sevika playing the same "hater proved right" role in Powder/Jinx's life. In act 1 we see Mylo always calling her out and pointing out all her flaws and weaknesses. Tho this was a bit cruel and unnecessary,especially considering how insecure, Powder already was, he did have point. Powder wasn't ready for a lot of the missions they took her on, and because this she was unfortunately a liability. Similarly we see this Sevika aswell who is always the first to point out when she does something wrong. And keeps telling Silco that Jinx is too unstable and it can cost them. But neither of them are taken seriously but proven right. Powder tags along on a mission she wasn't ready for, and it causes the deaths of Claggor and Mylo himself. And Jinx's unstable mental state led to Silco, their leader's demise(he had it coming tbh since he himself contributed to her mental health issues). Also like to add that they both were coming from a place of concern, but also insecurity and jealousy. Mylo would complain to Vi not only because Powder was holding them back, but about how she was treated in contrast to him. I remember him bringing up to Vi how if it had been him who made some of the mistakes Powder had, he wouldn't have got off as easily. Which Vi actually affirms to be true. Tho not Powder's fault, I can see how that show of favoritism can lead to Mylo holding resentment towards her. As a middle child I can relate. It always felt like if I made a mistake it was a big deal, but if it were my younger brother it was just brushed aside. And it led me to resenting him out of jealousy. And we can see this with Sevika aswell. We already know Silco holds Sevika to much higher standard than Jinx. So obviously if she was out here making the same mistakes she did she wouldn't get off that easily. She comes to Silco time and time to him how much Jinx is costing them, just be brushed aside and told to clean up HER messes. Also Powder's monkey bomb is the reason her arm got blown off(which Jinx later teases her for), so she probably holds some resentment there. But yeah in contrast to her there is always this gentleness Jinx is treated with, even when she messes up, that Sevika will never receive and deep down she is jealous of that. When both Sevika and Mylo, went to Silco and Vi about her. It wasn't just out of concern, but to also call out perceived favoritism and hypocrisy. And on the topic of insecurity. As much as they both point out her flaws, her talents are undeniable. Especially with Mylo we can see in act one, tho he is able to hold his own better than Powder at the moment, it's mainly because he's older and none of Powder's bombs had worked yet. Butbif you truly look at Mylo's contribution, there is nothing really special to it. Like yeah he is the locksmith, but he isn't a master at it. He's just a bit better than everyone else at it. There had been times where Vi had to bust the door open because Mylo couldn't open the door on time. Powder's age and frailness is the only thing keeping him from not being the weakest link. Everyone else has their own way they can contribute and help but all Mylo can do is keep up and not drag behind. I'm sure he noticed Powder's talent and envied it wishing he had his own way of contributing, that was uniquly his. And I believe as Sevika delt with a Simliar way. Tho she can handle herself a lot better than some scrappy 14 year old, like Mylo she is a follower and not a leader. Sevika was always character who wanted change, but lacked the initiative to bring change forward on her own. So when she lost faith in Vander, she went to Silco. But even when Silco goes on to let his own people down. She can see it but she can't leave his side. Since now she has no one else to go to. No choice but stay bound and loyal to cause she no longer believes is going to the right direction. She doesn't believe that she herself is enought to make a difference. But there is one who can, Jinx. Because processes the assertiveness and leader spirit Sevika never had. I think it's kinda interesting how the very same people who contributed to Jinx's fear of replacement and inferiority complex, at times felt inferior to her. So yeah, thoes are my thoughts. I think the two are very similar even down to physical appearance. Sevika looks like she could be his wild gay aunt. Also this isn't confirmed or anything but I like to think that Mylo would stay by Jinx's side if he had lived seeing how Sevika supports Jinx in the trailer for season 2. In a way he has since he lives on in her psychosis.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

Ambesser opinion: Though I don't agree that she is a 1 dimensional character as with any other villain, I can see why they would think that. But from how the writters have twitsed and added aLOT of depth and undestanding to every character and why they do what they do, she wasn't given any time or immediate threat to show what's shes all about, she was mainly there to give Mel's arc that final push to distance herself from her roots and her ever present lear of her mother's influence. BUT thats where I believe the second season will dive more into her character's views, reasons and what it was like for her in a brutal upbringing. She is a product of her past and her strategies of trying to maintain that strong, don't fuck with me facade. But in S1 she is civil speaking with an underline of manipulation tactics (the bathhouse talk scene w/ Jayce), but she does care about ther family, even if its from a very harsh standard. And after what happened to Mel, Ambesser will be reacting to it from her emotions for her child more than anything, her morals will be challenged in S2. At least I hope so. Recap, I see why they think shes a basic 1 dimentional character, early view of how she works with words and her wants. But there is so much more to her than meets the eye and will hopefully see more of her what, why and how in S2.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

I once saw an angry commenter being very adiment that Vi and Caitlyn are just friends and doesnt understand the craze about them. Satire or genuine, that was just a funny perspective to see lol

[@artxroyalty]

@@mr.raccoon1999 omg was it that annoying lady that also called Mel a witch?

[@BlackShardStudio]

They're clearly roommates.

[@artxroyalty]

@@BlackShardStudio no they’re obviously good friends

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@artxroyalty would not be surprised 😂😂

[@gustavgustav2670]

It's being called a woke show after the new teaser, as it has Vi being all gay angst. It's like, did you watch the first season?

[@shsnwksybdeb]

30:50 at this point they want the pavement to be layered as well, there's only so much attention you can give to a character, for sky I think her one dimensionality was intentional as in the potential we lost (and victor lost) because of victors obsession of surviving instead of living

[@gabrielaa1410]

01:12:22 I realised after i forced literally everyone i know to watch Arcane is that most of the time younger siblings understands why Powder did what she did (like myself) and older siblings get mad at her for not staying at home.

[@joshmartin156]

Jinx has an unhealthy fear of death. The council archives are so depressing especially the vi and jinx one.

[@artxroyalty]

Omg I actually got around to reading them…😢

[@Hohum37]

lack of fear?

[@sabrina0013]

With respect to Mel's survival, I'm not fussed about the logistics of how she survives. Whether it's magic, tech, luck, plot armor, whichever. No, I'm more upset about what it means emotionally and politically if she survives. Mel was THE biggest proponent of hextech. It's thanks to Mel that Jayce and Viktor were able bring it to life and not be indefinitely ostracized for creating such a dangerous technology. So since she's the one that pushed for it the most, she should be the one that bears the brunt of the consequences for its rollout. Make no mistake-- a magically armed rebellion is a direct consequence of both Mel's insistence that magic needed to exist and Mel's constant contribution to the wealth disparity between the haves and have-nots. In light of that, Mel dying to hextech is bringing her character full circle. It's a sort of karmic justice, it's her being hoist by her own petard. She spends over half of her screentime glazing the obviously dangerous technology and ignoring the warnings as long as she's convinced she personally stands to benefit. This isn't about Ambessa's motivations, or the physics of magically-augmented nuclear bombs. This is purely about Mel reaping what she sows.

[@SQBfootballer]

Agree with all of this

[@amahlgrant]

While I understand your point, there are several issues with this interpretation of Mel’s actions and motivations. First, two things can be true at once: Mel could have genuinely wanted to advance Piltover with hextech while also benefiting from it herself. Her actions weren’t solely self-serving. When she urged Jayce to give people a glimpse of the future, it wasn’t about recklessly pushing for mass production without safeguards. She was advocating for transparency, to show people progress was possible, not to disregard safety or consequences like Heimerdinger feared. Mel was aware that there would be regulations and safety measures implemented along the way. Secondly, regarding the argument that Mel deserves karmic justice for pushing hextech without caring about the consequences: that’s a misreading of her intentions. As early as Episode 2, Mel's motives were clearly about elevating Piltover and making it a center of progress. If her sole concern were personal gain, it doesn't make sense to suggest that she, already the wealthiest and most powerful person in Piltover, would push for something that could endanger her status. Mel was already at the top-she didn’t need hextech to secure her position; she wanted it to put Piltover on the map, not her. Moreover, in Episode 7 when she encouraged the creation of hextech weapons, this wasn’t a warmongering move-it was strategic, and mostly in line with her Noxian background. She wasn’t advocating for conflict but rather for preparation in case war came. This is not the act of someone recklessly promoting destruction but of someone familiar with the harsh realities of international power dynamics (I mean, does her flashback in ep 8 mean nothing??) Finally, the claim that Mel only pushed hextech for her benefit doesn’t hold up when we consider her arc. Her desire to make Piltover a global player wasn’t just self-interest, but a reflection of her ambition to see the city thrive. If we apply your logic to another scenario: if I wanted to make my sister famous, and this also resulted in my own fame, does that invalidate my desire to help her? The assumption that her motivation must be purely selfish is a false dilemma-you’re framing it as though she could only care about herself or the city, when in reality, she clearly cared about both, maybe the city more to be honest after seeing episodes 8-9. You're clearly oversimplifying her character and stripping her of her many nuances. She wasn’t blindly pushing for hextech without thought for the consequences, and she wasn’t driven by greed. She was a complex character balancing ambition, power, and a genuine care for Piltover’s future.

[@fearlessfailure2848]

Love the video, first video of yours I watched and I will definitely be watching at least all your Arcane related videos. Explosions in this show can go one of two ways: Either everyone is dead, or they're just taking a forced nap. Ep1. Crystal Explosion: Vi walks it off. Ep2. Crystal Explosion: Jayce gets flung back against a door and knocked out. Catlyn is not injured at all. Ep3. Milo and Clagger get destoryed by flying debri and shrapnel, then get crushed. Sevekka loses an arm. Vi and Vander just need to take a nap. Jinx falls several stories off a building after taking a blue cloud of fire in the face but is fine. Ep4. You discussed this and I agree, so I won't list this. Ep7. Marcus and the rest of the enforces get absolutely shredded by shrapnel. Catlyn, who was standing 2 feet away from Marcus with the explosive that took him out right next to her head, gets a limp. Knowing how explosives in this show work, either everyone in the council chamber is dead, or just taking a nap lol

[@artxroyalty]

Omg thank you so much! I hate that I totally forgot about Cait’s plot armor in ep 7…

[@xeroreverse7712]

Jayce wasn't completely wrong. The people from the undercity are dangerous and have a reputation for being criminals and scoundrels. And that was before drugs were flooded into it by Silco. It's what he grew up hearing, and it was reinforced again and again throughout his life because of the actions of undercity dwellers and the general public opinion. The few exceptions to the rule he's learned are Victor and Sky. Every other experience has been negative. Some of which were experienced personally. The whole being robbed and blown up because he shopped in the undercity, almost losing everything he worked for because of it. Then, there was the issue of the recent terrorist. It's understandable why he reacted like that. He definitely let the fear drive his decisions there, but I completely understand why it might.

[@Ivura895]

I love the idea of TimeBomb, I just love them both so much as characters lol 🫶

[@maksforest8316]

My take is the scene with the money in episode 3 and Marcus. We see it like "Silco bribes Marcus and gives the payment at the worst moment possible to cause him even more pain", but Marcus was too pretentious and righteously devoted to the job to just accept the bribe (especially talking about every coin in the Lanes being crime-money), it seems strange that he took it. So, I think that it was rather a return (Marcus could have paid Silco for the info on where to find the children) or a compensation (like an episode 5 with the enforcer families) that Silco gave him as a wicked way to compensate for breaking the deal on his side and starting a massacre. I think so as Marcus was already on his hook as he committed a crime by making the deal (even without taking a bribe ) by disclosing place and time of arrest. Other option that he had some motive to take the bribe that we would happen to know in season 2, but it is even less likely. It just does not seem right to me that Marcus was bribed - his mindset of "undercity=crime" and humongous pride would not have allowed him to do that...

[@vicentxarq-al957]

¡Gracias!

[@artxroyalty]

Thank you!!! 💜

[@top-notch8277]

17:02 Hey, im the one who posted that ! Yhea, that's pretty much the only thing that actually bothered me about the plot .Like you say, in episode 4, the explosion you can see she's just as advanced into the fire as the other enforcers and ALL 6 OF THEM DIE except for caitlyn, who just gets a few bandages ,maybe if they didn't make all other six of them die on the spot it would have been more believable, and the worst one is the firelight bombing in episode 7 ,the firelight explosive is on Marcus's gun witch is right in caitlyn's face and yet all she gets is a cut on her leg ? While Marcus loses an arm and dies 😅. Other than that, outside of a few things here and there that come down to personal preferences, i have no complaints ,i absolutely love the show ,even got to meet the director and one of the writers in Annecy. love your content, btw ❤

[@oliviapomares]

EYYY TIMEBOMB SHIPPERS UNITE ✊ (yeah not a very popular ship lol) This was honestly a really interesting video, I really appreciate how nuanced you were with your responses. I have so many thoughts, but the one thing I wanted to discuss because it's relevant to a couple of these opinions is side characters. Characters like Finn, Sky, (and I've even heard some people extend this sentiment to Ekko) and also Ambessa, (although I feel like season 2 is gonna push her character importance up a notch, but for now she fits.) -They are all in supporting roles, and I think sometimes people forget that. Even though I agree that just because they're side characters doesn't mean they have to be.. what's a good word? Not entirely fleshed out? uninteresting, (Obviously they should have clear and reasonable motivations, every character should) but it also means that it's not always a bad thing if they (within reason ofc) because they're role is to SUPPORT the main characters, the main narrative, the main themes. They don't always need nuance to do that. So characters like Finn, yes he's not nuanced, but he doesn't need to be. Because that's not his role, his role is to present an obstacle to Silco, and like you said, show the true extent of Seika's loyalty. That doesn't make him poorly written, that just makes him a side character. If he were poorly written, he wouldn't have done his supporting role properly, and just been a waste of screen time. The same applies to Ambessa, expect she gets to be more nuanced because she has a closer connection to one of our main characters (Mel) and that nuance is what helps enrich Mel's character. And I also think that something Arcane does really well, that sometimes people forget. Is that we're also seeing this world through the lens of our main characters, our main characters, don't know everything about everyone, and it's good that there are some side characters that aren't really fleshed out ( Like Sky) and have a pretty simple motivation, because that's the only thing that our main characters are seeing. Just like in real life you're not gonna know everything about a person when you first meet them, or even after knowing them for a bit. This only becomes a problem when then the story wants us to care about a character more than is warranted. and I don't think that's a problem Arcane struggles with. One more little thing that I wanted to say regarding 10:26 is I strongly believe that it isn't necessarily the length of a show or book that matters in telling a good story, it's how you utilize the space. Obviously the length matters, but I don't think it's a deciding factor. I've seen shows that tell a great story with a lot of elements, wrap up with a good ending, in just one season. Like 8-9 episodes. The best example that comes to mind is Watership Down on Netflix (I highly recommend if you haven't watched it and you're ever bored) and Arcane is GOOD with this. So I'm not worried about if they're gonna be able to wrap up everything in 2 seasons.

[@artxroyalty]

@@oliviapomares first of all, WHOOO FELLOW TIMEBOMB SHIPPER 😂✨ second, beautifully said! Especially your take on Finn and supporting characters. Because this show does so well with giving nearly its entire cast nuance, if you throw in a one dimensional character or two it doesn’t do much damage to the narrative. Also loved what you said about it doesn’t matter about the shows length but more so about what you do with that time. Great take as usual!

[@oliviapomares]

@@artxroyalty YEAHHH 😤 ✨ Thank you!! 🙏 I was so sleepy typing that yesterday I was worried my point didn't come across well lol. Looking forward to part 2! :D

[@charlestonjew7587]

Caitlyn is 100% plot armor. The explosion in Episode 4 at the Progress Day fare is one thing, even though she was front and center of the dynamite explosions but she was standing literally two feet away from Marcus on the bridge at the end of Episode 7 'The Boy Savior'. Marcus had his arm blown off and the rest of the enforcers were splattered all over the bridge. Caitlyn, once again, walked away with a cut in her leg and was the only survivor. Ekko was already on the ground after being shot by Marcus so he at least has a way more plausible reason for surviving the firelight bombs. I realize giving Caitlyn more serious injuries would've fundamentally altered the story, especially after the explosion in episode 4 because she needed to continue her investigation while the trail was still hot as she went to Stillwater Prison the next day to try and talk to Lock and secure Vi's release before the Warden would've had time to learn that Caitlyn was no longer an enforcer. They could've reduced the number of deaths to maybe 2 and had other enforcers seriously injured. The firelights on the bridge, they should've had Marcus, in one final act of redemption, throw himself on top of Caitlyn to save her and the rest of the scene could've played out the same.

[@artxroyalty]

@@charlestonjew7587 I agree! Y’all in the comments reminded me of the explosion on the bridge in ep 7, I don’t know how that slipped my mind! But those that were saying ep 4…I don’t think so 😅

[@babette5918]

Heimerdinger... First, it is made pretty obvious that he is oblivious of the day to day goings-on of the city. He doesn't even seem to be aware (nor included) in the corruption that is happening all around him at the concert in ep.4. He seems to be mostly in the dark on many matters. When council members meet with Marcus and Grayson to insist that someone needs to be found and blamed for the explosion in Jayce's lab, Heimer isn't there. He just isn't built for day-to-day governing since he is so long lived. It feels like he leaves that sort of thing up to the council and that they don't tell him everything that is going on. His surprise and sadness when he visits the undercity is a clear indication that he wasn't aware of how things were down there.

[@blkloislane]

Our Love is my hands down favorite song on the album. Dynasties and Dystopia and Snakes are up there too.

[@artxroyalty]

TASTE ✨

[@Skyz_MM2]

Honestly, with the season thing i totally agree. Again, only if season 2 goes over everything, we only need 2 seasons. Just 2 amazing season, final. And most of the shows who continue an excessive amount of seasons just get annoying after a while and just wanted to wrap things up.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Skyz_MM2 right! I’m not worried about them not being able to end s2 in a satisfying way, I know they will

[@Skyz_MM2]

@@artxroyalty totally agree 👍 cuz if it is anything close to season 1 we know it'll be a banger plus it's for sure going to be❤️

[@Z.va11]

56:17 just with this entire scene it’s a wave of emotions and like I completely agree with the thought that jinx put the bomb there to commit su!cide, I also do think ekko understood that it was an act of su!cide and not an attempt to to kill him. I don’t think ekko (by the end of their fight) was upset with her because she put the bomb there, also one detail about this scene is that you don’t hear the bomb tick which signifies that ekko kicked it away trying to spare her life. Jinx probably Thought that ekko would just let her die there and run in the opposite direction and both of them probably think the other is dead (jinx thinks ekko is dead and ekko thinks jinx is dead) this is a really badly written comment ik and i really hope it makes at least a little but of sense but anyway i just wanted to yap about it because it’s one of my favorite scenes in season one🫶🏽 (I absolutely love your videos btw congrats on 2.8k

[@artxroyalty]

Thank you 🥹 That wasn’t badly written at all! I always thought that I heard Ekko’s hoverboard fly over to him

[@louisemonger3793]

I’m genuinely so glad you understand the characters and story your so emotionally intelligent most some just straight up have it in there brains jinx is the villain and we need to stop Her she’s Evil and that’s it

[@willhess28]

First time watching your content! Your voice is quite nice, very soothing. Thanks for the content, looking forward to much more ✌️💚

[@artxroyalty]

Thanks for checking the channel out! I really appreciate that 💜

[@th3voice]

I hate no one character. I think they're all actually pretty good characters, not to say great. But you know, one has opinions: - Jayce ought to have died in ep8. The fight goes out of its way to show that he is NOT invulnerable with his tech; as such, no matter how FIT he is or how "good he is with a hammer", the chemtanks would have skewered him in a second. Jayce clearly has no combat experience or training, and that MATTERS. He might not lose to the FIRST guy, but him coming through that (physically) unscathed is ludicrous. - Viktor did nothing wrong. Sad that Sky died, but she interrupted his experiment that he was conducting behind closed, LOCKED doors. She unlocked the door to get in. He can feel responsible all he wants, that's up to him, but he took reasonable precautions. Her fate is not his error. - Heimerdinger is as corrupt as the others, just in a different way. As leader of the council he sits on the court that judges Jayce's crimes, yet he knows from the start that Jayce committed a worse crime than he is charged with initially (doing scary dangerous magic research, rather than just causing an arbitrary explosion by carelessness) and advises him to hide it, then doesn't recuse himself from the court. That's nepotism. Nepotism is corruption. - Ambessa is a very interesting character, and not one-dimensional in the least. She APPEARS shallow, abrasive, obnoxious and indulgent, and she is to a large extent. She's a warlord in a culture that values only strength, power, and victory. By western norms, we are predisposed to disliking her. However - she is shrewd, and remarkably clearsighted where the political situation is concerned. - Jinx clearly wanted to "give Powder back" to Vi. The change in the tea party isn't that "Powder dies"; Powder has been the same kind of dead and alive that the ten-year-old self of every eighteen-year-old is. She's buried under eight years of life. She's still a part of Jinx, but she can't be "brought back". Jinx realises that she can't do it, and that she and her sister can't be what they were and must start over. Vi hasn't fully understood that yet. - Jinx, shockingly, is pretty discriminate in who she attacks or kills - given that her weapons are fully automatic bullet hoses and bombs, her collateral damage is incredibly minor. She wounds one thug that's arguably on her "team" (though she doesn't feel that very strongly). The rest are Enforcers, who can all cordially get stuffed, and Firelights, . You put on a uniform and guns and stomp around someone else's nation bumping off their people, you're fair game, and if you wear the uniform of people who do that, you get what those people get. Uniform identity means you bear what your colleagues do. And attacking the council is the most legitimate military target that ever existed in any conflict ever. Oh, and if your gang attacks another, you better be ready for all the action you can chew. - Sevika is a better, and more interesting character than Vi. - Vander is a collaborator, an instrument of Piltover's oppression of Zaun. His obsession with "keeping everyone safe" hurts his fellow Zaunites more than Silco does, because with his way of going about it, the subjugation and the ongoing harm will go on FOREVER. Oh, and Silco has a legitimate grievance and his literal backstab is, as far as we know, lesser than the one Vander does - armed with a knife, Vander is trying to drown Silco in the river, while Silco is unarmed, and even HE acknowledges that he was in the wrong and "has never been able to forgive himself". Since it's not like Silco can report him to any authorities, Vander has a knife to the back coming and has no grounds to complain about it. - Mrs Kiramman is right to distance herself and her family from Jayce in ep2. She's been funding him, and he committed VERY serious crimes using that backing and funding. No politician/noble (she is both) would stand by him, and he doesn't deserve her support at that point. - Harold has the best facial hair.

[@artxroyalty]

SOLID opinions (especially Harold, that handsome devil) 👏🏾

[@babette5918]

Nah, Violin rolls off the tongue better. Plus recognizable doesn't play into it... if you're into the show then you know what both permutations mean, if you aren't into the show then you don't know either ship name.

[@Z.va11]

My biggest unpopular opinion is that timebomb is overhated, now hear me out I know some people hate timebomb with a burning passion but like they’re so cute how could you not love them😭😭

[@artxroyalty]

I absolutely ADORE timebomb. I’m rooting for them so hard 😅

[@SQBfootballer]

Mel is the richest person in Piltover, and the most influential person on the council for the last 10 years. Yet she receives no criticism from viewers for her part in the decay of the undercity. I wonder why? Everyone cheers for the death of the council except for her. She seemed only interested in furthering Piltover's interests and changed only when her mother showed up. Even then, her main concern was impending war, not helping the undercity improve. She, like the rest of the council, was more than happy with the status-quo. Ironically it was Jayce who wanted to change things, then eventually heimerdinger when he gets kicked out. I guess that's my unpopular opinion...

[@amahlgrant]

I think you're viewing Mel a bit one-dimensionally. Just because she is the wealthiest and arguably the most powerful person in Piltover doesn't mean she is responsible for what happened in the Undercity. Jayce explicitly stated that things deteriorated significantly under Heimerdinger's watch, suggesting that he primarily supervises the Undercity, yet he did little to address the situation and was rightfully held accountable for it. Whenever Jayce discusses events in the Undercity, Mel has consistently supported him. Notably, when Vi-someone from the Undercity-confirmed the troubling circumstances, Mel's first instinct was to pursue a peaceful, diplomatic solution, which reflects how she typically approaches challenges. In contrast to the rest of the council, it is Jayce and Mel who genuinely demonstrate care and a willingness to help (before the final episode mind you).

[@officialname9817]

Also Mel is super rich but she's also not from piltover I'm pretty sure her wealth is inherited from her family and was gained from her homeland where ever that is

[@amahlgrant]

@@officialname9817 In episode 2 on Mel's introduction. One of the first, if not the first line of dialogue, was from Elora saying, "The house of Ferros wish me to remind you that it's thanks to their innovations that you're the richest person in Piltover". Mel's response: "Yet I remain the poorest medarda." So tell me what about that even implies that her wealth came from Noxus? Perhaps a small fortune to get her on her feet when she was banished but her current wealth seems to be 100% (or mostly) self-made from Piltover.

[@DezeraeJordan]

CAIT armor examples: bomb by powder in EP1, bomb by jinx as an enforcer, bomb on the bridge by jinx using firelight bugs. I still think Cait as a whole is handled with care and taste! But hmm, they might be right

[@gugugugu1300]

The bomb in ep 1 is not "plot armor", we only see the explosion reaching the hallway through the door and Cait is far away from Jayce.Nothing implies she should have been in danger. It's not "plot armor" on the bridge either, they are obviously directed explosions. In ep 4, they positionned her way to close to explosion radius though, placing her 10 meter behind and behind knock out by the blast without the fire reaching her face would have been better.

[@BlackShardStudio]

Oh, you're diving right in to the hot takes. Let's gooooooo!

[@Morbacounet]

Regarding Fynn and Sky being one dimensional : trying to explore every aspect of every character would make Arcane so bloated. There would be additional characters to fill the gaps and give more insight. And those characters would also need to be explained.

[@einc3437]

also the thing with mel surviving i think i agree with u that her like. "identity crisis" arc has wrapped up, i feel like in season 2, because that first arc has ended ber next arc is gnna center a lot around that gold magic thing and maybe where that came from, etc. and that might be a narrative opening to say... riot exploring noxus next as another show. so yes i dont think its a narrative mistake

[@TedSifu]

Lmaoo Im the one that said “Its all the council’s fault”, ngl I was pretty hot headed :b. I feel like its more just human nature. Great vid btw!!

[@artxroyalty]

Lmaooo you were onto something 😂 thanks for checking it out!

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Covering most character takes. 'Heimerdinger is the only real villain of season 1': It seems every council member but Jayce was either ignorant or indifferent to the suffering in the undercity, but Heimerdinger's motives were always pure: Create a place to escape the cruelty of mages. That said, he is definitely the main antagonist of season 1. . 'Jayce did nothing wrong in season 1': Jayce was doing unauthorized research in an apartment full of contraband, made shady deals with council members, and is a tad classist, so I would say he did plenty wrong. I would say he is of the 'neutral good' alignment, though. Also, I don't like his character because he is the golden boy archetype, and they bore me, but I like what they did with the trope by making him low-key classist and a terrible decision maker. Gives a little spice to the dull as dish washer archetype. . 'Mylo does not deserve the hate he gets': Are people really out here legitimately hating Mylo? That is wild to me. He was a punk kid with a chip on his shoulder, not a bad person worthy of hate. . 'It actually made me mad Powder did not stay in her room': I really don't remember my initial feelings on her leaving the room besides, "Yep, there it is." I didn't see a world where she *wouldn't* try and save her family. Also, I would have to fault Vi and her brothers for going if I were to fault her for it, and I feel everyone has the right to try and save their loved ones. . 'How should Vi have handled the end of episode 3/How would you have handled it?': If I was Vi, I feel I would have threw up, cried, then hugged Powder in silence. Not sure where I would have eventually landed on her moving forward, but in the moment I don't see me turning hostile towards her, even verbally. I would have been in too much emotional pain to have an outward reaction, but Vi channels her emotions into anger so it made sense how she handled it, for better or worse. Unfortunately, I have been in a loosely similar situation, where someone I loved made a decision that costed me everyone I loved. I comforted them and swallowed all other emotions, so I think it is fair to say I would react similarly in a similar circumstance.

[@balanced_CUE]

also for Finn i feel like to me is just like Marcus’s daughter (she may have her moment again some how), there is more to the story because just like you said, each character is so layered. So someone or something connected to Finn because everything connects and is parallel.

[@scirrhia_kruden]

Jinx has BPD. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[@Hohum37]

Powder wasn't corrected when she did things wrong? Ignoring blowing up her siblings and father - what did she do wrong? Ran from a fight with the bag Vi gave her when one of the thugs approached her? Threw the bag in the water in order to escape someone twice her size who could have beaten the snot out of her and then taken it anyway? I'm confused about what correction she required - unless we're making up head canon or I've missed something.

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

I love how they did Ambessa's character. I think she's very complex. I think she's easy to understand, there's just a lot of context and things we don't know about her yet. I think thoes things might make her badly written to some, but to me it made her intruiging. Even tho she did hanus things, she believed they were all necessary to keep them safe. Which makes me wonder how dangerous was life for the Madardias. We know they're incredibly wealthy, and that wealth probably comes from their resources. And historically speaking, African countries have been used and exploited for their recourses, and Ambessa has been trying to prevent that from happening. She always has to be strong to not have her people taken advantage of and subdued by otheres. Were there under so many threats to them, that they couldn't let the smallest one slide, or was Ambessa too strong minded to realize that what she was doing was overkill, and she was driving the family she wanted to protect away. Also I love how her character brought more out of Mel's character. When Mel realized how much she acted like her mother, it drove her to not only change but return to her core values. It was so fascinating to how Mel's mom sent her away for essentially being too soft. And how that made Mel subconsciously hate thoes parts of herself and mimick her mother, without realizing. I loved watching her internal struggle to get back to who she's always been and to do the right thing. And lastly i love how her character parallels others. Her talk with Mel is so similar to when Vi blew up at Powder(theres this incredible tiktok edit by girlypop that layers the two arguments). Powder and Mel asking why they were abandoned and Vi and Ambessa replying by calling them a liability. Also when Ambessa said: "I couldn't handle the look in your eyes when I made the difficult decisions to keep us safe." It's just like the scene when Vi told Powder, she wasn't ready. She told her this to keep them all safe but you could see just how crushed she was threw her eyes. Edit: Also how she is in the trailer is really intruiging due to the lack of context. It seems like she wants to get revenge for what happened to mel(pls don't be dead mel😣). But that sounds like a sharp contrast to how she spoke about Mel's brother Kino. Tho we never see him, from how Mel speaks in the flashback, you can tell that despite Ambassa disagreeing Mel deeply admires him and his way of dealing with conflict. But when Ambessa tells Mel the news of his death you can clearly see even in death she looks down on him. I do believe she is hurt by the death of her child, but not enraged because shs blames him for his own passing. She tells Mel that it is his own naive views thst got him killed. Then tells her that she's making the same mistake, and that she let the undetcity's problems festure for too long. Tho she is offering help here, Mel rejected it. So when the counsil got bombed, I figured she would be sad, but see it the same way she saw Kino's death. Heartbreaking but her own fault. So to see her go to war for her suprised me. I guess Mel was always her favorite. That's why she let Kino continue how he was bet sent Mel away for it. Or just the lost of 2 children back to bzck is too much for her to bare.

[@ZenBearV13]

Jayce and Heimerdinger are both morally good characters. They are both highly intelligent characters. Neither of these traits make them good politicians, because the skills of a scientist are not directly transferable to the demands of statecraft. People blaming Heimerdinger for not fixing Zaun are putting too much power in his hands, and expecting too much of “intelligence” as a catch-all property.

[@SuperAllMovies]

Love your content! Subbed!

[@artxroyalty]

@@SuperAllMovies thank you so much!!

[@Angelofthursday99]

Personally, I've always thought the root of Jinx/Powder's issues is actually Vander's parenting. He's either letting Vi take the lead on parenting Powder, or he's intentionally made Powder Vi's responsibility. If Vi was insisting on being Powder's primary caretaker when they first got adopted. The responsible thing would have been for him to convince Vi to hand over the majority of the actual child-rearing responsibilities when it came to Powder to him. As he was the adult in the situation, and it's his responsibility to raise the kids in his care, not his eldest child's. But he most certainly either did not try, or outright failed to do anything like that. I can very easily see Vi insisting on doing most of the work taking care of Powder when they both first got taken in by Vander. Since in the pre-Vander adoption flashback's and mentions, it seems like Vi at the very least looked after Powder a lot, if not was already parentified to some degree when their parents were alive. But Vi, more likely than not, arriving in Vander's care already parentified, doesn't make it okay that he, not only let said dysfunctional behavior continue, but encouraged it to some degree, in order to make having four kids more manageable. And I _know_ he had to have encouraged it, considering he added making sure Mylo and Claggor don't get in over their heads to VI's responsibilities. Even though she and the boys are functionally the same age, and if Vi is old enough to be _raising Powder_ the boys are definitely old enough to be at least responsible enough to keep themselves out of serious trouble. Vander can dress up the shit position he's put Vi in with in their family dynamic as her being The Kids "Leader" and therefor justify how he treats Vi in relation to the rest of the kids all he wants. But it's still bad parenting, that lead to all of the issues between Powder, Vi, and Mylo's relationships, and the issues both Vi and Jinx have now that they're not children. I firmly believe that Powder/Jinx would not have most of her issues, if she didn't spend a majority of her childhood up to age 10, being primarily raised by a girl who's not even 7 years older than her. Which Vander 100% could have put a stop to once the girls came into his care. It doesn't matter how much Vi didn't like handing over responsibility of Powder over to Vander when they got adopted by him. He still should have made it clear to Vi that he was the adult, and it was his job to be Powder's parent and not her, and it was her (Vi's) job to be a kid. Because he's not only an adult, but the literal guardian in this family dynamic. And instead he goes, "here's two other traumatized kids to take responsibility for, remember Vi you're in charge, and if something bad happens to them, it's on you" and makes things infinitely worse for her. And what makes me the most angry, is that Vi being so soft on Powder, wouldn't have mattered to Powder's development, if Vander was the one doing the actual hard parenting. You know, setting boundaries, teaching consequences, teaching morality, how to regulate your emotions, you know the parenting shit. If Vander had been the one doing all of that, Vi doing her best to build Powder's confidence would have been perfectly fine and healthy. It would all just be normal supportive older sibling stuff. But it can't be, because Vi is somehow supposed to juggle building Powder's confidence and self-worth, alongside teaching her consequences, and morality, and emotinal regulation, and how to judge her own capabilities. When Vi herself hasn't even had the opportunity to figure out a majority of that stuff herself: Vi takes the job from Little Man and tries to rob a Topside apartment while bringing Mylo, Claggor, and Powder (who's roughly 6 years younger than Vi) along with her as her team. The idea that they might get caught doesn't even really cross her mind, and if they do, they'll just outrun the enforcers. She tells Powder to hide the gemstones that were taken from the apartment that blew up for unknown reasons, and not tell Vander about them, because she doesn't want to get lectured again so soon. But doesn't tell Powder to get rid of them. Meaning, she just lets Powder hold onto evidence they were the ones who did the robbery. Even as Enforcers are crawling the streets of the Undercity, trying to hunt them down for blowing up that apartment. Vi's a hot head, we see her get overly upset and fly off the handle when she doesn't really mean to, more than once. It almost gets her killed in her first fight with Sevika. Vi's morality is almost entirely dictated by what Vander tells her, and we see it change depending on what he tells her. She's ready to lead a violent revolution in order to secure a better life for Powder. Up until Vander tells her that runs the risk of getting Powder killed, and it's pointless to try anyway because she'll fail. She tries to sacrifice herself for Powder and the boys and take the fall for the blown up apartment, then Vander swoops in and tries to take her spot instead. Even though she was directly applying his lessons and trying to take responsibility for the mess she led her siblings into. She spends all her years in prison with the singular goal of getting back to her sister because the last thing Vander told her was to protect the family. The only thing Vi's pretty good at, at age 15, is judging her own abilities, but that's directly countered by her complete inability to realistically judge Powder's. We see her overestimate what Powder can do more than once, and if Vi can cover Powder's shortcomings things move along with basically no comment from the characters, but if she can't, we get Mylo being pissed at Powder for failing to do something, when Vi is the one who inadvertently put them in this situation. But this isn't about the 15 year old girl's obvious inability to parent because she herself is a child, it's about this grown man who was letting all this go down under his roof.

[@artxroyalty]

These are also GREAT points. When ppl say it takes a village to raise a child, it makes sooo much sense. I always felt like the “Vander just doesn’t connect with Powder like Vi does” angle wasn’t a good enough reason for him to not be as present with her as he was with Vi.

[@gameraider100]

@@artxroyalty These really are great points ... and it makes it all the more sadder considering what we know now about Vander and Silco from that flashback in season 2. Say Felicia and Connel still died but Vander never flew off the handle by assaulting Silco, in an alternate life BOTH Vander and Silco could've taken in the girls (since Felicia made them "godfathers/uncles") and they would've learned to balance out the parental responsibilities between each other. Vander was the type to stress leadership lessons on the eldest but I have a feeling Silco would been the one to stress personal responsibility and respect for others for both girls as well as doing the enouragment of Powder's hobbies. Vi wouldn't have had to worry about that, she could focus on growing herself, Powder would do the same, and everyone would've been much better off. "What could have been ..."

[@amyrodman3752]

13:34 “bow out gracefully once you have finished your time in the spotlight. Don’t have to be dragged off while crying.” I hope with 2 seasons will allow this

[@artxroyalty]

I think so, but I know it’ll end with me crying 😭

[@jess4334]

It really is a tricky thing to discuss about kid powder/Jinx bc of the fact that she is a kid, before current Jinx

[@artxroyalty]

My thoughts exactly!

[@_MicZ_]

Concerning the take on Powder: I've seen a lot of reactions to this show and most of the time the people that say Powder should have "stayed in her room" were at one point hoping she would "save the day". What if her monkey bomb did all the things it did, but the 1 crystal didn't go into the room with Vi, Vander and the boys ? Would you still be upset that she didn't listen ? A lot of people reacting also say: "They would have gotten out !". Sure, that may be true, but only we as viewers know that. Powder didn't know they were trying to get out. Heck, she didn't even know Vander, Mylo and Claggor were in that room. But even if they did manage to escape out of the building, it would be highly unlikely that they would actually escape from Silco and his goons entirely in my opinion ...

[@artxroyalty]

It’s not so much the decision she made and how it played out, it’s more so people telling others that they can’t be mad about it when anger is a very valid reaction. We know her intentions were pure, she’s a kid, she just wanted to help. That doesn’t neglect the fact that the outcome was upsetting. THATS what I wanted to focus on more than her decision to go anyways.

[@_MicZ_]

@@artxroyalty True, being angry about the outcome is valid. The writers made the viewers hope that Powder would finally get it right and it turned out way worse than before, killing some characters they made us care about. That was some good but cruel writing 🙂. My comment was more about how people react after that initial anger about the situation. Shifting "the blame" for everything that happened entirely onto Powder is something I've seen happen and which I have trouble comprehending. Yes, Mylo and Claggor dying was an obvious result of her actions, but I personally never thought Vander's death was directly Powder's fault. After the explosion Vander could have chosen to leave with Vi through the hole in the wall, but instead he chose to fight Silco's goons. Escaping the building might not have been enough to stay alive, but the odds weren't worse than before Powder's monkey bomb. Anyway, enough of my "hot take" on that part 🙂. I do really like how this show makes people have all these different "takes" just by making characters nuanced and by not explaining everything and instead just showing what happens ...

[@artxroyalty]

@@_MicZ_ with that I will agree 100%. The blame game and constant need to pin everything that went wrong on a sole person is very lazy in my opinion. The fact that it’s hard to even consider it’s solely one persons fault alone shows how nuanced the narrative is. Definitely makes for deep and interesting discussions though! 😅

[@guilhemgalceranrial4085]

the only plot armor that i see is when the buterfly explotes in Marcus hand gun , wich is like 10 cm or 2 inches from Cait face. Who did he died and she just got a piece of buterfly stuck in her leg? 🤔

[@guilhemgalceranrial4085]

damn, my english is horrible xD

[@guilhemgalceranrial4085]

*How , not Who

[@addisonjohnson4306]

Going to be so honest, I haven’t even finished the video yet, so maybe this unpopular opinion was already mentioned, but I’m going to be sort of disappointed in the writing if Mel, Viktor AND jayce all make it out alive. As much as I want to see where their arcs go and i want them to survive, it would get rid of a lot of the stakes if all three of the main characters on the council all make it out alive (especially Mel, considering it looked like she took a direct hit). I think at that point it would kind of feel like plot armor, like yeah, the only three characters that survived the massive explosion were the main characters. That feels kind of lazy to me from a writing standpoint. It would make the explosion a lot less impactful because nothing happens to the only characters we actually build a connection with. There’s just a lot less weight there. I also think it would be MORE beneficial plot wise if Mel dies so she can serve as motivation for her mother, but maybe that’s just me.

[@addisonjohnson4306]

okay so turns out it was mentioned, i guess this is my explanation of why yeah, i do think it would be somewhat of a narrative mistake. yes, i do want to see how things will play out, but i think no matter how they justify how they survived i think it would still remove a lot of the stakes

[@balanced_CUE]

@50:30 i agree 99.9% with you about Jinx, she is who she is and nobody knows that more about that then herself… ( 1 Trauma alone with PROPER healing requires about 2 years on healing) 2 years, in Zaun, as a weapon symbol for Silco, with other traumas on top of her other traumas? nah nah. i think she tried many times in my opinion to go on that healing journey yet it ended up with no pun intended be at bad timing. No one should be playing the blame game in this show i think yet more so a perspective switching game/understanding. She is doing the best that she could with what she knows which is being that bad timing, so instead she embraces it and of course no LONGER make her actions become a serious impact to yourself because it will cause more pain/monsters in her head. which i think also gives more control about her accountabilities as well since it (time) is literally never in her favor… yet she knows this. Jinx put them pieces together much fast than most. haha

[@balanced_CUE]

which made me think of the parallel of Ekko & Jinx’s dynamic. the boy that is all about waiting for the perfect timing.

[@babette5918]

Jayce is just a bit "wishy-washy". He's unsure of his own convictions. This is understandable since he has been tossed into very important roles (face of progress and then council member) that he wasn't expecting nor prepared for nor even desired.

[@f1lthyfangs]

as someone who plays league and knows league lore it's so funny to me to see people stress about things that i know for a fact will/will not happen in the show based on the item hints, etc. they display hshsh such an interesting video though!! i just discovered you through this video & you're sure entertaining to listen to (also you're super pretty!!) while i work on art!!:3 keep up the arcane brainrot!!

[@artxroyalty]

Haha we’re STRUGGLING with our limited knowledge over here 😂 thanks so much for checking it out (and for the compliment too 💜). I’m excited to see where we go in s2!

[@f1lthyfangs]

@@artxroyalty i can imagine LOOL really looking forward to more arcane themed videos from you!!:)

[@XOXFilmStudio]

i think jayce is just too many things. he's a genius rich inventor from a rich family but he's also a dumbass sexy himbo man who stumbles into his fortunate circumstances because of other people (mel, viktor, heimerdinger, etc). even the wizard saved his life when he was a kid. He hasn't really done anything by himself to make me think he deserves the amount of respect that he gets in-show.

[@artxroyalty]

@@XOXFilmStudio valid

[@gabyflores9412]

Ohhh, this is gonna sound so weird, but you have such a beautiful voice

[@artxroyalty]

@@gabyflores9412 omg this comment just made my day! Not weird at all, thank you 🥹💜

[@aranthur]

I'm not upset about the deaths of most of the councilors, but I feel terrible about the consequences it will lead to and the additional deaths of much more innocent people than them on both sides

[@kalebkaiser7505]

The new t-shirt merch for arcane Season 2 looks 🔥🔥🔥🔥, sadly they were listed on the website early and canceled everyone's orders

[@artxroyalty]

@@kalebkaiser7505 I SAW!! Oh nooo, I wonder if they might’ve accidentally spoiled the character designs then 😅

[@kittyshenanigans5678]

58:51 I’m pretty sure those gold things on her back do actually have magical properties but that’s such a deep lore thing that I honestly don’t know

[@artxroyalty]

I believe they do deep down…or else I have to believe that she’s dead 😭

[@kittyshenanigans5678]

@@artxroyaltyand why would they highlight them right before the explosion if they weren’t gonna do anything

[@sabrina0013]

I'm a Jayce hater. For someone who claims to want to help, he has absolutely zero plan. He doesn't know *what* people need and he keeps insisting that they need magic, when we can see that magic only causes more problems. What was going to happen if the miners in the undercity got access to the atlas gauntlets? What was going to happen if he was able to successfully proliferate the stabilized (and weaponizable) hex crystal? Literally nothing good. Jayce doesn't research what people's real problems are. He only uses the pretense of helping people so that he can build a legacy for himself. He's so egotistical that he would rather reset his save file off a balcony than go back to working at his mother's factory.

[@top-notch8277]

Of course, he had no "plans." he didn't intend to become a leader he's a scientist, driven forward by technology research , progress, and people expect him to fix everyone's problems in a few months when this situation has been boiling over the last few decades at least, while people like heimerdinger has been on the concil for 100 years + ,he's lucky to have gotten off this easy in my opinion .Silco and Jayce are probably the biggest heroes of this story

[@xseedingme]

Whatever that flash was from Mel at the end is gonna save our 'main' characters from the council chamber. I would love to see Mel survive but seeing as she is not a game character, she might be a goner 💔

[@artxroyalty]

That’s what I’m hoping as well, I refuse to believe it was JUST light reflected from the glass. Maybe I’m just being delusional 😅

[@einc3437]

in my opinion, ultimately heimerdinger as a character IS first and foremost a scientist rather than a cuvil servant/ politician??? if that makes sense. and yeah his relationship with mortality is basically nonexistent on a 1st person pov, so he lacks a lot of that urgency normal humans have bc of our short lives. and combined with that hes so lost in his own world of science n art n whatever i feel like time passes by differently for him thats why he might not have realised hes lost touch with the REAL world around him. thats just what i felt grom watching s1 though, but im glad he met ekko, super excited of their plot in s2

[@joshmartin156]

Our love is so groovy I can’t help but vibe to it. I got no skips in the show 👌.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@joshmartin156 same here my guy

[@artxroyalty]

@@joshmartin156 that’s because you have taste!

[@Optimus_lime]

Alr I’ve got a spicy take: I don’t think dynasties and dystopias or the fight scene that came with it was the best in the show. Now this isn’t me saying that it was a bad song or fight, but it’s far from my favourite and I see so many people putting it in their top 3 favourite songs in the show and for me it scrapes 5th place on a good day. I also think the fight sequence was good but I don’t really understand the hype behind it because I think the first vi vs Sevika fight was better and it’s so criminally underrated. So yeah, the song for that scene is probably like a 6/10 for me and the fight is about my 3rd favourite. Please don’t kill me

[@artxroyalty]

@@Optimus_lime haha I won’t kill you…maybe 🔪 jk, I think people resonate more so with the emotional weight as opposed to the spectacle of it all. Then the change in animation is the cherry on the top. But hey, your opinion is still valid!

[@emilyleyva180]

I have a unpopular opinion on Marcus I kinda wish he would have had a redemption arc like I think he wasn’t a bad guy as bad people make him to be like yeah he wasn’t the best person but I feel he was so much under pressure by silco and the only reason he was doing all those horizontally things is because he was afraid of losing his daughter

[@unicorn1655]

you could read the ingredients of a shampoo bottle and i'd listen

[@artxroyalty]

@@unicorn1655 this comment is awesome 😂💜

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Last, but certainly not least, our girl Jinx (Part 1 of 2) . 'Jinx/Powder is at fault for her own actions': Jinx must be protected at all costs, but not from straight facts like this. She went from one over protective parent to another, and, funnily enough, the audience is just as protective of her. Powder was always Jinx, and she would likely would have been Jinx no matter who told her she was wrong to make nail bombs to use on thugs and police officers as a kid. Our girl is far from innocent. That said, has she really done anything morally wrong? Sure, terrorism is not a good look, but she has only directly attacked enforcers, fire lights, and the council on screen - all of which are hostile factions. Shooting a crow and strapping a toy bomb to a civilian's back after he already told her what she wanted to know are the worst things she has done so far, and I don't think Silco was in a position to teach her why it was wrong. "You can indiscriminately kill enforcers, but do not playfully torment your friends" would be a hard concept to grasp for a child soldier in middle of a revolution. . 'The council got what was coming to them': Straight facts. I was so proud of my Pow-Pow for sticking it to the council. She did what Vander was too weak to do, and Silco was too cautious to do, the very first moment in her life she was in charge of her own destiny. Truly the revolutionary Zaun needed and deserved.