#and I think in general— dynamics like these create delicious dramatic irony

[steelandscience]

Currently thinking about how when Vi and Gang breaks into Jayce’s apartment in Episode 1, they marvel at how expensive everything is and how someone could be born that lucky to have so much stuff. The apartment is set up to seem like it belongs to an incredibly wealthy and eccentric inventor.

And then in Episode 2, it turns out that Jayce is… literally just a college student, and a vaguely struggling one at that, according to his journal notes. Jayce half-jokes with Caitlyn to be careful with the equipment from the Undercity, because it’s “her parents’ money she’s dropping” and not his, and how he still needs a patron in order to study and work at the Academy, because House Talis is essentially a house in name only, and not in money— they’re not even notable enough for Mel and the other Councilors (and heads of Houses) to know without someone reminding them what they do.

And then how in Act 1, Viktor technically has a higher status than Jayce in the Academy (as he was the one who was sent to oversee the explosion). He is technically part of Heimerdinger’s staff, whereas Jayce is a student or researcher that certainly does not seem to have the same relationship with the Dean/Councilor that Viktor does. In that first scene he’s in, both he and Grayson have a significantly higher (power) status than Jayce does. And yet Viktor mentions how he doesn’t have a patron or name like Jayce does, and how he has much grander aspirations for his life, and it takes Mel a moment to recognize him as well in Episode 2.

And then how Mel has such an abundance of wealth compared to all of these other characters, but even still, is (in her mind) the least successful and “poorest” Medarda. She wields the most power by far for a lot of Act 1 and 2, but we see her become quite small as soon as her mother is around.

Just… I really like the parallels as to how every character seems to have something the other doesn’t, even as they are envied. Viktor doesn’t have the status and patronage that Jayce does, Jayce doesn’t have the money and support Cait does, Cait doesn’t have the freedom Vi does, Vi doesn’t have the money that anyone in Piltover does, Mel doesn’t have the success the rest of her family does. But each one of those things that a character DOES have comes with it’s own challenges and drawbacks along with the advantages. Everyone has a bit of a misconception about everyone else’s position, and I really like that.

#not really passing judgement on any of them tbh #i genuinely just think it’s really interesting #the vi to Jayce and Jayce to Cait one is really interesting to me today #this was also really REALLY interesting to me as someone who was watching without knowing anything about league and Piltover and Zaun #I remember in episode 1 I was like DAMN I CANT WAIT TO SEE THIS WEALTHY ECCENTRIC INVENTOR THEYRE STEALING FROM #and then… he was literally a middle class STUDENT who was IN TROUBLE #it’s just… really really cool storytelling #and I think in general— dynamics like these create delicious dramatic irony #sir e speaks #arcane thoughts #arcane meta #arcane analysis #Jayce arcane #Jayce Talis #caitlyn arcane #vi arcane #Mel Medarda #Viktor arcane