An Analisis On The Symbolism Of This Shot And What It Means For Jayce And Viktor

An analisis on the symbolism of this shot and what it means for Jayce and Viktor

(this does not contain any le*ks, only material that has been officially released so far.)

But first to understand what this shot means, his connection to the new magic and how this relates to his relationship with Viktor, we need to look at what his bracelet represents.

He got the crystal for his bracelet by a mage who saved him from an impossible situation, this implanted in him a lifelong obsession with the idea that if he could give this tool to people, he could greatly improve the lives of many.

But since he knew they would not allow experiments like this in Piltover in normal circumstances, he needed to do it in secret. This is what at that moment the bracelet represents.

His conviction is so strong, this goal is so important to him that he made the reminder of that fateful encounter something that he can not just carry, but wear it on himself everywhere he goes. However it is hidden, the same way he needs to hide his research.

But then he is found out, his research is going to be destroyed, and he loses all hope in completing his dream. So he takes the bracelet off, as a symbol on how he is given up. But then Viktor comes into the picture.

He gives his bracelet back and with it his hope for his dream, it's no longer something he has to burden himself alone, it's not just Jayces dream anymore, and so he declares: our hextech dream.

And this gesture and this declaration changes the meaning behind this bracelet, it's not just a symbol of his dream anymore, it's now a symbol of their shared dream of helping people and in turn their relationship and partnership.

This thematic connection is later emphasized when he complains about being useless in the face of Viktors illness and his frustration about not being able to develop the technology he wants to and he reflexively tuches it.

And after he no longer needs to hide it and he can fully pursue his dream, he puts it on proud display, he turns the crystal upside down and even has clothing that lets his bracelet show, he is proud of they work and he shows that off.

But in the shot we got for the crystal to embed itself in that way, he needed to turn the bracelet upside down. And why would he do that? Well, he would need to be so disillusioned with their dream, so ashamed of letting Viktor down that he doesn't even want to be reminded of it.

I dont think it's a controversial thing to say that Jayce will have a chance to destroy the core and he won't, which initially Viktor will be mad about, but later allow Viktor to do his shenanigans with it. Thematically that would make sense.

But the bracelet isn't just worn in a different way, that would be reversible, the crystal is literally burned into him with a crack in the middle. It is irreversible. What does that symbolize?

Easy, they didn't just lost they dream,

THEY DREAM IS DEAD

The crystal is no longer a symbol of his hopes and dreams and a wonderful relationship, It is a symbol of his failure to do good with hextech, broken promises, and letting down his closest friend.

it is grotesquely melted into him forever, a reminder how he cannot escape the reality he helped create. Giving hextech to people is no longer a dream, it is real and it's a nightmare, he didn't improve anyone's lives who needed it, he made weapons to oppress.

And the gem is cracked in the middle, mirroring his broken relationship with Viktor, the man he let down over and over again, he wasn't there when he needed him, he went against his will and made weapons, and he failed to fulfill his promise to him.

Since we saw Viktor will gain the ability the transform people, I would teorise that he will be the one who will melt the crystal and metal into him in a heated argument. (tho his powers are distinctly purple)

It is not something he wants to remember, but it is something he will have to carry for the rest of his life.

And now Viktors mind is twisted, he was not strong enough to destroy the core when his mind was still intact and now Viktor commits horrific acts in the name of trying to do ultimately good.

And so the bracelet is not just a reminder of his failure, but also a reminder of the promise he will have to fulfill one way or another.

What I really like abaut this painthing that it low key looks like they over painted an existhing one, wich probably is not the case since the braids are still there in black, but it gives it a messy spontagiusness that really fits jinx

Love this frame from the Arcane Season 2 trailer.

Jinx is painted standing in front of a group of Zaunites charging forth. It depicts her as a leader carrying a banner to the fight. Her braids sweeping out encompassing everyone. Yet her head is turned down as if there is grief or pain, is that for Silco or for the undercity?

It shows that many in Zaun are going to see her as some sort of hero or revolutionary.

Oh god, you have no idia...

little bit depressing how viktor not appearing in the trailer still makes ppl want to discuss him more than the first glimpses we've gotten of jayce involved with smth obviously out of pocket 😭 idk *I* get sad

Smaugust day 2!

Teeth

To be clear I really hate that they made viktor arcane canon, I wholeheartedly believe his previous 2 iterations were both overall better.

But I do believe people over catastrophize the void aspect a bit much, the show isnt really concerned with the void other than an aesthetic choice, from what we know of the void it doesn't even make much sense that they can make shimmer out of it.

Many peoples reading of the relationship between viktor and the hex core was that it was manipulating him, but other then switching his leg off when he actively tried to harm it (wich reads more as self preservation than anything), I don't think it did much, Viktor's obsession with it started to get unhealthy the moment it consumed his blood, and at that point the void element where nowhere to be seen. His obsession with it came from his own personality and the circumstances amplified it.

Not to mention the core only started gaining its corrupted look when it consumed a human, not when it got in contact with shimmer.

As for his look, I don't think the leaked image is a final concept, and its hard for me to imagine how they will bring in its orange look since we never saw that in the show so far. And I feel like color wise it would be odd? Blue red cape, purple chest and orange accents? That feels a bit incoherent.

For his staff, I can see it go either way. In Jayces journal he talks about how it could be used as a channeling object for magic, so I assume he will use it for that. But if he gains his power through the core and that will end up in the rod why doesn't he need it in the trailer. So it's a bit hard to tell right now.

As for his motivation, since Jayce seemingly will start making weapons he can't let jayce be the only one with the knowledge of hextech who only supports piltover and just gave them a tool to oppress his people more efficiently, so in order to give zaun a fighting chance and with his own survival becoming more important he starts doing more dangerous experiments with the hex core and on himself.

In the documentary talking about how arcane was made, they talk about how he will lose his humanity, but I don't think that will be influenced by the void, and it will be more in the lines of it twisting further his new adopted philosophy about surviving at all cost, which will be amplified by the changes the core makes to his body. I assume the more he will use it the more it spreads through his body.

If any one reads it this far, thanks mate!

So in conclusion, I don't like this new direction, but I also really dont think it will be as influenced by the void as people think it will be.

hallo - I'm probably the umpteenth person to ask this, but have you seen the very brief shot of Viktor's new design in the Arcane S2 teaser? if you have, what are your thoughts ? I'm a little worried about it if I'm being honest, given that they're leaning even MORE into the "sickly twink mage" thing :(

man I'm going to miss og viktor

Hi! Don't worry even if you're the bazillionth, I'll always reply, it's no problem (I like getting messages!)

Unfortunately based on the leaked screenshots, this is my prediction (I haven't invested more than one day into this art as it's frustrating to imagine):

The spindly fingers and his height in the leaked images inform me (I suppose) that they are indeed leaning into the "little timmy has a cough" design as a friend of mine would say.

They're gonna stretch him and have him feel like a tree, like he's made out of metal branches pulsing with Void energy. The Hex Core is clearly going to be in the middle of his chest to power him instead of on the tip of his staff. The staff already got converted into a cane. Expect to see a LOT of holes and veins in him because that's the very first design thought a person comes up with when they want to convey something "ooo creepy! ooo alien!" (we usually discard our first ideas because they are generic.) And Riot is clearly transplanting Malzahar's thing onto Viktor because apparently they don't know what to do with this Machine Herald character. He's gonna be going mad because of VOID WHISPERS instead of actually suffering from a real untreated mental disorder.

The staff design is already clearly visible in the leaked image, and the only thing I have to say about it is that it looks like a lot of pointless design noise. None of those lumpy metal parts serve a purpose.

The claw may replace the third hand and it may come out of the shoulder itself for some reason, which is insanely impractical. It was mounted on his back in the original design for a reason. Current designs seem to think that an actual hand is too "naive"?

Even if on first glance they may share many elements, fundamentally they are two different characters. They fulfill completely different archetypes.

It doesn't matter if Arcane Viktor's cape is still blue on the outside and red on the inside, because the core of the character would be different. A coat of paint on the top doesn't determine his structure.

Rb if you will NOT be sharing the Arcane leaks.

Let's get a safe list going