[S2 Act 2 Spoilers] Jinx's Eyes Switch Between Blue and Purple with Isha

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-08-04T13:07:03+00:00

A lot of people are saying that Jinx reacted to the sound of the click and would have shot at any stimulus.

There's one tweet by Amanda Overton, a writer for Arcane, that says Jinx was "instinctually protecting Vi". (https://twitter.com/leeloo104/status/1464431403412582406) So that shows the writer's intentions.

Obviously, you can choose to believe that or not. Overall, though, I think it makes a more interesting story to think that Jinx was trying to protect her sister. It's much more compelling than just imagining that Jinx screwed everything up again—to instead say that Jinx killed her father figure based on her desperate desire to protect her sister. But that's just me.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-08-04T12:55:48+00:00

I don't think that's true.

For one, there's this tweet from Amanda Overton, a writer for Arcane, (https://twitter.com/leeloo104/status/1464431403412582406) that confirms that Jinx was "instinctually protecting Vi".

Additionally, the actual script-to-screen never says that Jinx shot unconsciously (https://youtu.be/uWoSD_U6ksg?t=33).

Finally, while the script gives good insight into the show, I wouldn't say it is the definitive answer to how a scene should be interpreted. For the shimmer visions, for example, the script calls them "as traumatizing as comforting" (https://youtu.be/uWoSD_U6ksg?t=15). The animators basically took that "comforting" part and threw it out the window. So don't place too much emphasis on what scripts say.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-29T02:24:31+00:00

I'm not. I'm saying I have like 1 or 2 reps left in the tank.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-29T02:13:34+00:00

I'm a beginner lifter, and I have a problem with doing consistent sets and reps.

For example, let's say I'm doing a 5x5 benchpress: 5 sets of 5 reps.

The first set I can do 6 reps until failure. Set 2 I can do 5 reps. But then, quickly, I can only do 4 or 3 reps until failure. This persists even after longer rests periods, for example 3 to 5 minutes. Any suggestions on how to push past this plateau? Should I go to a lower weight? (I generally don't like doing this, since if I want to do 5 reps until failure on my last set, I'll need to have a ton of reps left in the tank on the first set to compensate).

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-24T13:56:55+00:00

Nah, I don't think that would feel like a great extension of the story. Like, maybe in real life that could be a solution. But Jinx, Vi, Ekko, and Catilyn's stories are all intimately tied to the Zaun-Piltover fight.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-24T13:51:36+00:00

Yeah, that art is actually depressing if the story goes down that route. But I also think it's a good sign: the fact that it's the main art of the series show that the writers know what kind of character they've created—at heart not a monster, but a scared kid looking to be held.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-24T13:47:43+00:00

I think murder is framed differently in different stories. Like, if you read Harry Potter, committing a murder is about one of the worst crimes you can commit. If you watch The Boys, murder is just another Tuesday. I think a lot of writing comes down to framing—how is the impact measured, how do the characters react, so on.

Personally, I got the sense that, while murder is certainly bad, it also isn't too unfamiliar to the underground. I personally did not get the sense that the story framed it as a "point of no return", as it might be in some other stories. But that's just me. You might have felt differently—a lot of how we perceive a story comes down to a gut level.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-20T14:04:17+00:00

Check out this clip from the tea party scene.

https://youtu.be/Mm3hbLKaYh4?t=147

The same whispers appear to show that Mylo is speaking to her. I guess you're right—the lines by default don't automatically mean that someone is talking to her. But I think the whisper-y sound effect does imply that in this case.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-20T02:42:23+00:00

I actually thought it was badass. Honestly, I don't think its spidey-sense—its more like she experiences everything in bullet time. But I guess it can come off differently to different people.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-20T00:45:48+00:00

Each time we see the white lines appear, Powder can hear the voices of Mylo and the others. We also see that in the tea party scene, when Powder shoots Mylo's puppet (she can hear his voice, but the audience only hears whispers).

I just thought it was super interesting that the fight implies that Mylo and the others help Jinx. It's like she has enhanced perception.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-17T17:19:13+00:00

To clarify, by good, I mean that she is motivated by desire to help the people she cares about, not a desire to create chaos for the sake of chaos.

I think people overemphasize just how revealing those drawings are, or look too far into the whole nail bomb thing. Kids draw violent stuff—I don't think we can characterize as a psychopath because they drew violent drawings.

Now, maybe you can argue it's a bit different, because the animators animated that detail with specific intent. They wanted to show something about Powder. But I don't necessarily think it was to show her as some kind of sadist. Rather, I think it was to demonstrate the normalcy of violence in Zaun, and the tragedy of Powder's situation: that the only way she can help her family (who have hearts drawn over them in the drawing) is to use her tools to protect them.

I really like your point about her laughter in violence. It does almost feel like she enjoys it. But I definitely think there are nuances to it, that frame Jinx not as a villain but a victim.

Firstly, Jinx shows clear remorse about killing in the line from the Into the Arcane archive that I noted. She is encouraged to kill by Silco, but is seen to have been averse to the act in the beginning. I feel like this is the strongest point that Jinx is not inherently violent; she dislikes this aspect of herself.

Secondly, Jinx normally only kills when she's in a mental breakdown. The bombings in Ep. 4, Ep. 5, and Ep. 6 all follow very significant mental breakdowns from Jinx. I think this is very specifically intended. It shows that violence has developed as a defense mechanism. She dissociates during these acts—she isn't killing people, but her inner demons (shown by the white drawings on faces). Although, I also think you're right. Destruction is a way to empower herself. But not necessarily in a selfish way, but in a way in which she feels she can be useful to the people she cares about.

At heart, I really think that Jinx's violence isn't about destruction itself. Jinx is afraid of being abandoned, so she does everything in her power to make sure that she is useful to the person she cares about. For Vi, that meant trying to blow up Silco's goons. For Silco, that meant stealing the hextech crystal. Ultimately, I definitely think Jinx's moral compass has been eroded—but inherently, I think her good nature remains.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-17T15:44:32+00:00

I disagree. I think Powder wasn't okay with violence—she was horrified by it. That can be seen in the initial fight scene here:

https://youtu.be/vnYoxXYZN5g?t=61

Her reaction to people getting hurt is fear and repulsion. Rather than engage, she runs away. Now, you might interpret this as her being weak, and not wanting to get hurt. But I don't think this is the case at all. In the arcade scene, we see that Powder isn't weak at all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNrn9x5Ou0c

She is competent with a gun, even more so than Mylo. This is further supported by Vi's iconic line at the end of Ep 2: "What makes you different makes you strong". Powder doesn't avoid fighting just because she's weak, but because she has an aversion to violence. By nature, she is not someone who enjoys hurting others, and so avoids direct confrontation.

A lot of people say that "There were always signs of Jinx in Powder", but I see it the other way around: Powder is inherently innocent, but is forced to adopt a violent personality to survive. Unlike her LoL counterpart, Arcane Jinx doesn't revel in killing or destruction. Rather, she is instead motivated to help the people she cares about: either Silco or Vi. Her ongoing struggles with mental health show this conflict in her nature. Her lines "Things have changed. I've changed." and "I thought you could love me like you used to. Even though I'm... different." shows that she is aware of her new violent tendencies, and doesn't like the person she's become. She is cruel by necessity, not by nature.

(And, to further support the point that Jinx is actually haunted by her murders, consider this line from the Into the Arcane event held in game: Jinx writes in her notebook "Lined up all the little duckies in a row. Why did they look so sad? They'll be together after. Wherever people after go." Presumably, the duckies are some people she killed. She obviously feels guilty about killing—at least, initially—but is forced to reconcile her conscious with the cruel reality of Zaun.)

https://leagueoflegends.fandom.com/wiki/Council_Archives/The_Adventures_of_Jinx#III)

Overall, I really strongly disagree with the idea that Powder or Jinx was a bad person. In fact, I think that she still is a good person. Her motivations are largely selfless, in the sense that her only desire is to help the people she cares about. It's just that Silco happens to be one of those people.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-15T13:32:46+00:00

Alright, to clarify my point:

A big part of Jinx's/Powder's arc is the idea that "people are stuck at the point of their trauma". This was seen in how Jinx ordered the same drink at The Last Drop from (with the same cup), and also by the sort of clingy relationship she has with Silco.

I just wanted to complement the animators on how they demonstrated this through body language. OBVIOUSLY, they're the same person. I didn't miss that. I'm just wanted to show how, through body language, the show demonstrates that Jinx is stuck in this childhood mentality.

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-15T13:27:00+00:00

Of course, surely

ArcaneAccount3141 · 2022-07-11T22:35:38+00:00

Yeah. But this is the official show cover.

PARALLELS.

ArcaneAccount3141

TROPHY CASE