Another Cute Moment In Café "the Last Drip"

Sick and TIRED of people claiming Ekko loved Alternate Universe Powder and not main universe Jinx. Throughout the series Ekko has continuously proven that he cares for Jinx dearly, through both canon actions and deleted scenes we know that Ekko cares deeply for Jinx.

Within the AU we're able to see an emotionally available Powder who was able to have a stable support system alongside a flourishing relationship. Which shows that Powder, Jinx, is fully able to be a good person. A normal human girl. Ekko is finally able to see this, that Powder is only so happy because she's lived so peacefully. He's always had a crush on her, it's lingering and it's never gone away. During the bridge scene, and Jinx's debut, we notice that Ekko freezes up both times when seeing jinx face to face. That she's able to draw out strong and violent reactions out of him that aren't exactly rational.

Usually people aren't able to do that to him, he's confrontational and stern because he's the Firelight leader, but we notice that most all of his decisions so far have been well thought out and responsible. In s1e4 we see him look at his stopwatch, see he has little time left before their crystals break, and he STILL goes to pursue Jinx. This is probably because he still harnesses strong feelings of hate towards Jinx, shock and frustration overwhelm him. Because it's Jinx who's done this, one of Silco's goons, but most importantly his childhood friend who's become so twisted. Scar is forced to grab Ekko and stop him before he goes too far, which shows off that Jinx does cause an especially strong emotional response for multiple reasons.

But the bridge scene shows that Ekko still does see the girls he's loved inside of Jinx. He hits her twice, neither time's does he get a good look at her face. But as he's winding up to hit her a third time, he pauses, he looks at her desperate face and he see's nothing more but an innocent girl. Which is why he stops, he still bears affection for her, clearly. The rest of the bridge scene is intimate enough but if I do have to mention anything, people who don't bear feelings for each other don't smirk at the other person like that.

When Ekko finds himself in the AU he's able to see Jinx/Powder in her most healthy form, finding ways of mourning and coping considered healthy. He see's pieces of Jinx inside of this Powder, her potential and what she could be. That's not something you do with someone you don't bear affection for. You don't look at the seemingly perfect version of someone and say that there's something missing; something missing that only versions that have gone through hell have. Pieces of herself that can't be replaced. Ekko doesn't just love Jinx.

He loves her entirety, he loves her innovative mind able of creating the worst war weapons. He loves that she's able to push herself to limits that he couldn't dream of, because he loves her for who she is. In both universes, what we notice is that they're both artists, they're both creators. Powder doesn't discard her love for gadgetry because she didn't experience atrocities, she's still unbelievably smart, being able to help Ekko create the anomaly. Being able to follow along while not knowing anything beforehand.

Jinx is able to crack hex tech with nothing more than Viktor's notes and some tinkering, this shows that no matter what universe, Jinx/Powder is an unbelievably talented and smart girl who could do so much.

Ekko is able to recognize that with Jinx's Genius it comes madness, and he simply would rather have her be both rather than an assistant. Not saying that he wouldn't love Alt Powder, I'm just saying that Arcane Ekko wouldn't be nearly as happy with her rather than Jinx. Because with Jinx comes crazy ideas and a leadership that matches his. That's the Jinx he never fell out of love with.

Even in both of these characters, Jinx and Powder have never been different. In each universe, they never got to blossom yet they're one bud. Two sides of a coin who'd never know the other existed if not for "what if's"

Powder is what Jinx is if she was happy, soft and delicate, she still holds the potential to create extraordinary devices, yet she doesn't because she never had the need to.

Jinx is what Powder would become if she was put under tremendous stress and trauma, devoid of a support system she turns to her gadgetry and weaponry, while slowly losing the part of herself that could be soft.

They both exist in one person, and Ekko is able to see both of them, and give them what they need in order to bloom. He's able to give Jinx unconditional yet not unhealthy amounts of support, and he's able to give Powder the push to expressing herself through her inventions more harshly.

Ekko realizes that Jinx is still Powder, no matter how many times she changes her name. Us as the audience is able to realize that Jinx is still able to love for Powder, because we've seen her interact with Isha. Isha is similar to Powder which is healing for Jinx. When Jinx loses Isha, we can see that she never truly let go of Powder, that Powder was never different from Jinx. That they're simply a part of herself she never wanted to accept until she saw it from another perspective.

But Ekko doesn't know this, yet he still has continuous faith in her that she's capable of change. We see Ekko actively pursue Jinx in order for her not to kill herself, because he loves her. He cares for her deeply and he wants to redeem himself by simply being there, even if he's late. Because what Jinx has needed all along was an unconditional companion. Which is what Ekko can be.

Being the support that someone needs, unconditionally.

If that's not love then I don't know what is.

I think that Jinx and Isha's relationship will parallel three separate dynamics:

1) Sibling dynamic - Vi and Jinx. Obvious parallel with Jinx being an older sister this time around. Perhaps it will make Jinx reminisce about her childhood and make her understand how much Vi actually loved her.

2) Parent/child dynamic - Where do I start? Jinx and her mom, Jinx and Vander, Jinx and Silco, Jinx and... Vi (yes, if you didn't notice, Vi was also a motherly figure for Powder after their mother's death). It will possibly make Jinx not just take responsibility but finally realise why parents protect their children at all cost and are ready to give up anything, including their own life.

3) Old/young self dynamic - Jinx and Powder - basically Jinx accepting and loving her younger self through Isha. It is the most important lesson she may learn, actually!

Fake ass idgafer I SAW YOU YEARNING!

"Jinx doesn't love Ekko" My ass. My babygirl is a self deprecating certified yearner who thinks if she'll jinx Ekko like she did her family if she let's him close.

I will be perfectly honest, I somehow like every single detail about timebomb's lovestruck skins.

"It's all over the place", "too many clashing details", "seems like they couldn't choose what designs to put and then mixed them all together"

you see... that's exactly what I like about it.

IT'S SO THEM. AND THAT'S THE POINT.

the whole theme of "vibing, rocking, being in love 💞"

- leg warmers <--> jeans (we all joked about it at least once)

- Ekko now seems to sport the same side-bangs Jinx has

- spiky parts on their jackets are meant to form a heart

their accessories... oh... the way they match in all the little ways:

- Jinx's heart on her waist matches the heart Ekko has on his knee

- just like the heart on Jinx's left shoe matches the heart on Ekko's right shoe

- the cute round beads that imitate Jinx's second braid are also found on Ekko's pants... pants, on which he has very cute pins that may very sweetly parallel Jinx's jacket pins

- Jinx's half-a-heart necklace meant to form a heart with Ekko's half-a-heart knuckle accessory

EKKO HOLDING HER HAND TO HER HEART?!

JINX SMILING AS HE HOLDS HER?!!!!?!

EKKO IS SMILING TOO!!!!?!!

OH I AM SICK!!!!

give bro his girl back im so serious this is destroying me

I love how Ekko and Jinx had screentime together post-timeskip for about 5 or so minutes, and yet Timebomb's one of the most popular ships in the show and is THE most popular straight ship (over the in-canon ones lmao).

Sobs, anyways, work I finished for a convention a bit ago!!

Watching Arcane is torture. Rewatching it is especially cruel.

But the realisation that as Ekko jumps into battle, we get more confirmation that Jinx's cloak is one of the sheets she put up in her lair for Isha, and that the first lyrics to Come Play are 'you're not alone' symbolising yet again that she's got both of them at her back in this fight....

Just hand me the shovel. I'll dig my own grave

jurdan the canonical "you had a crush on me? that's embarrassing" & "we're married" couple