There was one line in early season two that struck such a cord in me that it immediately made me reconsider one specific character to the point where I went from not really caring about their character to them becoming one of my all time favorite characters of arcane.
"I never asked for this!" - Jayce Talis
This line took me aback the moment I heard it. It comes from such a complete moment of vulnerability and pain for Jayce, and what really captivates me is the truth behind the line. How accurate it is. Jayce didn't ask to be a little boy stuck in the freezing snow, watching his mother die, pleading to no one is a desert, being saved by magic of all things. He didn't ask to be left with that memory, he didn't ask to be stuck with an impossible dream that made everyone, even his own mother who witnessed that same event, in his life doubt and overlook him. He didn't ask for his apartment to be robbed, his illegal studies to be discovered. He didn't ask to be jailed then berated at trial, to be threatened with exile, to hear his own mother slander him in front of everyone, to be pushed to suicide, to be stopped by a stranger. He didn't ask for the overbearing responsibilities that came with his success, he didn't ask to see his partner dying with each day, he didn't ask to be made into a political pawn. He didn't ask to be made the deciding factor between peace and war, to witness death and violence first hand, to know that guilt firsthand.
And these are all just things that happen in SEASON ONE! This isn't even accounting for all the shit that occurs in season two! This line instantly won me over because it IS true he didn't ask for ANY of this shit! All Jayce Talis wanted was to prove that his dream was possible, and then use his dream to make the world a better place. You want to talk about noble intentions? Look no further than Jayce motherfucking Talis. And the only thing Jayce recieves for his troubles is more trauma and more guilt. He never gets a moment to actually process everything he's going through and having to deal with and witness. And the worst part? 80% of the things that are making his life worse are things he himself isn't responsible for. 8/10 times Jayce Talis is a victim of circumstance.
