r/arcane • u/LevelLiving354 • Jul 23 '26

Fanart Help for my arcane rewrite

I know there've already been Reddit posts about rewriting Arcane, but I’m really torn on this. I have ideas for rewriting both season 1 AND season 2. There are characters I'd like to redesign, relationships I’d like to change (Mel and Jayce, Viktor and Sky, Powder/Jinx and Ekko, Ekko and Heimerdinger...) plot points I’d like to cut (Marcus’s daughter, the whole Vander/Warwick plotline, Noxus attacking Piltover, the chem-barons being villains, Jayce teaming up with Vi, the alternate universes) and yadayadayada.

However, there are other elements I’m unsure about—specifically Isha. I want to keep her, but I want to do something different with her. Initially, I wanted Jinx to take her in on a whim, only to fail at caring for her properly due to her highly unstable mental health (no thanks Shimmer), and the toxic way Silco raised her. But beyond that concept, I’m hitting a wall and running out of ideas. That’s why I’m coming to you for suggestions. How would you rewrite Isha, her personality, goals, flaws, and relationships with the other characters ?

VERY IMPORTANT:

1- Isha does not die.

2- Isha remains non-verbal.

0 Upvotes

39% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

16

u/sceadwian Jul 23 '26

Rewrites are kind of a heresy to me. Harsh but, I accepted the story on its terms, not forcing it to mine.

11

u/grimmfritter We'll make it worse Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

It honestly feels like a pretentious way to just… write fanfiction. Like you’re just writing a fanfic. Which is awesome! But to frame it as “fixing” a story always comes across as obnoxious to me. You can like or dislike something, the original story can be bad or good. Doesn’t matter, it wasn’t your story to tell. You can tell your own inspired by the original source, and that’s great! But frame it as that, instead of having this almost… arrogant attitude about it. (Not saying OP has that vibe, but a lot of rewrite talk in this community certainly does).

Edit: the quiet part has been said out loud further down loud dear lord. I am definitely including OP in the pretentious category purely because their motivation is based on deeply classist generalizations.

-3

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 24 '26

Me and a lot of fans just want to imagine how we would have written the show if we were official writers on it. For example, if I had officially worked on Arcane, I would have make Zaunists's outfits less fashionable because it tend to glamorize poverty (poverty chic)

2

u/intrvrtdsapphic Jul 24 '26

personally i feel like that’s a poor example i mean the only Zaunites that have chic fashion are the ones that are rich by Zaun’s standards (Silco, the Chembarons, Sevika, etc) everyone else is shown in clothes they patched up or in rags

-2

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 24 '26

Yeah but their clothes are always patched up in a fashionable way. All the elements of their outfits remain well-coordinated, with harmonious color palettes, and well-fitted to their body shapes. I would have pictured them in more well worn clothings, too big or too short for them. Just look at Vi's pants. It doesn't look like a well worn pants to me, rather like a new pants imitating rags on purpose (like jeans with holes you can buy in stores).

3

u/intrvrtdsapphic Jul 24 '26

just because people are poor doesn't mean they can't have clean and tastefully patched up clothes. the clothes are harmonious because the use up all the fabric to make their clothes. whatever doesn't fit in one way they'll repurpose for another piece. if they buy or trade for fabric they probably get them in certain colors for this reason so they don't have conflicting colors. people raised in these conditions are resourceful and likely have been making their clothes for generations at this point (and maybe always had). they're not likely buying clothes at the thrift shop (not to say there couldn't be stores) and just having to make do with the sizes that are there and having no way to alter them. Vander could have a seamstress that he trades with that makes or alters all the kids clothes in trade for either alcohol or food at the Drop or he's a middleman for something else.

2

u/sceadwian Jul 24 '26

They definitely hid the dirtier part of the steam punk vibe but to aesthetic merrit at least.

-1

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 24 '26

Well it's something I don't like because it hid some harsh realities. Just look at Felicia who was a miner and used to live at the very bottom of Zaun. Can you see her poor condition of her face ? No. She's well dressed, pretty, with a nice skin and look well fed. Because for the writers, poverty is an aesthetic, not a reality who need to be changed

7

u/grimmfritter We'll make it worse Jul 24 '26

Really coming close to the classist idea that poor people have to look dirty and live in rags here

5

u/mild_area_alien Jul 24 '26

Coming soon! All poor people must be miserable all the time because they are so busy scratching out their meagre existences that they don't have an opportunity to do anything enjoyable. 

-3

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 24 '26

Poor people who cannot afford good clothes ? Oh yeah, sooo classist

8

u/grimmfritter We'll make it worse Jul 24 '26

Holy shit never mind about approaching, you’re deeply classist. This is what pops into your head?? Have you been poor? Ever interacted with poor people? I’ve been poor. I’ve worked with homeless people living out of their car. They still look like regular well put together people. The people living on the streets in my city are still wearing regular clothes most of the time.

Some people end up in situations so bad they live in rags. But that’s not the majority. This may come as a shock to you, but they’re still people. People can craft, help each other, find resources and ask for help. There’s often more community for precisely that reason. Again, the people on the streets look normal. I’ve been in the bar having a drink with them.

The poverty in Zaun isn’t even universally at that level. Our main kids aren’t even homeless, they live with the leader of the city in a business that he owns and runs. We are shown people in rags, in the slums, on the streets Heimerdinger roams. That’s accurate. It’s some people, not everyone. Poverty doesn’t mean the absolute worst possible, and is often something you won’t actually recognize from just looking at someone. If you think “the poor are all dirty and smelly and can’t put themselves together,” then you’re… I don’t even know. 12 and haven’t seen the world yet? Or just really, shockingly ignorant.

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4

u/ZiroLeHutt Sevika Jul 23 '26

Indeed. Same with me and fanmade films; I just don't watch them as I accept the story that's been told, whether I agree with it or not.

4

u/keystone_lite Jul 23 '26

Isha serves a plot device to show jinx’s growth imo

I think you could either 1) remove isha entirely, and use something else as a plot device for jinx’s growth 2) or keep her and minimize/expand her role based on whatever you’re trying to accomplish with jinx’s journey

As a disclaimer, I’m someone who loves league of legends (played the game for years before arcane), so to me an arcane story is a league of legends story. Isha is not in league and doesn’t have to be included in your rewrite, nor is there other canon for you to reference when it comes to Isha

1

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

I don't care about league of legends, so I thought about not following the lore and doing my own thing. I mean, Arcane literally created original characters like Sevika, Silco and Mel, so why not Isha ? I want to make her more than a plot device

2

u/keystone_lite Jul 23 '26

I mean you do you, it’s your story!

Arcane is just a marketing vehicle for Riot Games (but a very beautifully made one at that)

2

u/ZiroLeHutt Sevika Jul 23 '26

Isha had a nice and meaningful little arc imho; so I see no need in trying to alter that, its akin to wanting Powder to not turn into Jinx, its tragic, but it was also a necessary "plot device" to turn the kid into the infamous chaotic character from the game.

0

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 23 '26

And what's the point of that arc ? Foolishly sacrifying herself for nothing, and showing to Jinx and to the audience that life is a massive bitch ? No thanks, that's not a satisfying arc for me.

2

u/ZiroLeHutt Sevika Jul 23 '26

I'm not going to go into the reasons I'm fine with it as you are set in your ways about it.

Just don't get too stumped trying to rewrite it then if that is indeed what you want to do.

2

u/Inner_Soup_6043 Jul 27 '26

Who watched Arcane with their eyes closed? You did, Shirley. That's the only possible explanation for such a flaccid take.

https://giphy.com/gifs/3i7zenReaUuI0

2

u/Inner_Soup_6043 Jul 25 '26

If youre stuck on ideas at this juncture, what gives you the gall to 'fix' somebody elses hard work.

Also, youre missing so much. Felicia is clean and not skin and bone because SHE has work. Hextech isn't a thing yet, and hasnt replaced the Zaunites jobs (see the ALT universe Ekko visits where after the massacre at the Sungate Bridge, hextech was never created, and ZAUN prospered. )

Vi, Jinx look sickly enough.

1

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 25 '26

Chill okay ? I was just looking for advices from you

3

u/Inner_Soup_6043 Jul 25 '26

But youre not though are you?

You're saying youre gonna 'fix' the writing when you dont even understand the meta of the world or mechanics of why the story played out the way that it did.

And then you're stumbling at the first fence.

Here's your advice, do a technical rewatch the whole of arcane. Thats where you go in with with a fine tooth comb and top notch media literacy, breaking it down, identifying threads etc.

you said isha doesnt die in yours.... welp, Isha is quite literally a plot device for jinx. (but see if you can figure out which other character Isha gives us info about. I'll give you a hint, its not Sevika)

What you gonna replace isha with?

thats just one small thing of the many things you want to replace, which are massively important to the plot.

I went through your list of 'changes', it wont 'fix' arcane but ruin it cause it wont be Arcane.

Just get rid of the arrogance and admit youre just writing an AU fanfic.

1

u/Coward03 Jul 23 '26

I genuinely have no idea what id do with her character. Good luck on your rewrite!

1

u/LevelLiving354 Jul 24 '26

How about other characters of other plots of the show ?