mischievous-piltovan

[mischievous-piltovan]

I binged arcane and I had to draw something for such a lovely show. I specifically can't get skyvik out of my head. So here's some mystical romance for this christmas eve ♡

[mischievous-piltovan]

etched in crystal

Viktor x fem!Reader (SFW)

Synopsis: You and Vik have a secret thing going on. And since it's around the holidays...you decide to get him a little gift.

Warnings: fluff, flirting, secret relationship, sneaking around, slight sexual tension, skimpy elf costume described, some variation of (holiday) elves & winter holidays exist in this universe, reader works with jayce and viktor but their position is unspecified. (Just a soft little piece for vik this Christmas Eve :))

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Christmas is almost here. Merry Christmas Eve :) (also i know it's short but i am counting this as getting a fic in on time for Christmas even pls let me have this)

“Shut it.”

Thigh highs. A short skirt. A matching shirt with a high neckline to keep the cold out. Thick heels. A pointy little hat. Gloves that barely kept your hands warm. 

“I do not believe I said anything,” Viktor mused. Though, as he stepped into the lab, he was doing a poor job at hiding his smile. The door clicked shut behind him. 

“Yesh, uh huh.” Tugging down on the skirt did very little to help it gain length. Damn it. A frustrated huff fell from your lips as you spun trying to fix every little piece that was going wrong with the costume. “Just be lucky you weren’t talked into doing this.” 

“Ah, I do not believe anyone would find an interest in me playing elf to their holiday village, Ms. (Y/L/N).” Viktor peered your way once more, that little devious smile still there. A notebook went to his desk. Then his cane hung on the edge. His stool squeaked beneath his bottom, and he faced you. “Would you like me to pick up the slack while you are out of the lab today?”

You—

You dropped your hands and glared at him. And glared hard. He had an innocent expression, but the corners of his mouth were twitching. Trying to hide that smile now, huh? And you sucked in your cheeks as you stalked over. 

Your heels echoed on the hard floor. 

“You touch my work, Vik, and—” 

“Hm?” he breathed, tilted his head as you approached. Your eyes locked. His were so good at shimmering. Stars plucked from the sky and dipped right into his eyes. “And what, Ms. (Y/L/N)?”

He blinked quickly twice and…and was he batting his lashes at you? All innocently like that? Oh. You scoffed under your breath. You stood close enough that his already parted legs gave way to let you in that little bit more. Leg to leg, the thick material of his pants brushed against your outer thighs. 

Alright. 

You inched closer. Close enough that Viktor straightened just a smidge, still looking up at you with that playful innocence. Maintaining it until you had both hands moving. Warmth. Moving until his shoulders—sweetly warm through his shirt—were beneath them. And with a little tilt of your head, you leaned into him with a curve of yourself. 

Chest to chest. His heart racing beneath your fingers as they slid up into his hair. And your lap came right to his. Right where his legs seemed to involuntarily part to meet you. 

“Viktor,” you whispered. 

Both of his hands went to your shoulders, but he didn’t shrug. 

“Is Jayce here?” he breathed. His voice was so frantic and yet so soft. 

You came in and let your grin brush against his ear. 

“Just stepped out for a moment.”

Viktor’s hand twitched. You grazed the shell of his ear with your mouth. 

“Touch my shit, Vik, and I’ll wait a while before I ask you to check my notes again.” 

He stammered. Sweetly yet overwhelmed, he stammered, cleared his throat, and then put both hands flat on your shoulders. Just a second of it before his fingers curled around them tighter. Tight enough to feel the divots from his fingers. 

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. That grip got tighter. 

There was something familiarly hard against your lap as you leaned just a little more against him. 

“Fine, fine. Yes. I will leave such things alone,” he mused, catching his breath and gaining his bearings. “I would prefer to keep our plans for the evening and—”

The knob on the door turned. Viktor’s ears were red. 

And to keep everything the special secret that it was. 

You kissed his cheek and staggered back. Giving him a little smile was the last look you shared before he was spinning toward his desk, clearing his throat, and wiping your lipstick off of his cheek. And you leaned back against your desk, reaching for your hand mirror and lipstick tube, just as Jayce strolled in.

“Oh…wow,” fell from his lips with a staggering step, his brows furrowing and a teasing smile. Then a laugh. An outward laugh. “That’s certainly—”

Bastard. 

"Finish that sentence, I dare you, Jayce," you threw his way. "I'm wearing this because it's the uniform, and I am doing this because the village was short one damn person today, and it’s for the people.”

Jayce held up both hands and sauntered toward Viktor to drop off some papers. 

“I was just going to say how…festive you look.” Damn him. He beamed as you glared. “I’m kidding, okay? You look nice.”

Welp. There was no escaping it. And Jayce stifled his next laugh as Viktor took the paperwork and you took your bag. A small box jostled inside of it, a little v etched into the tag. Later. No time when Jayce's afternoon meeting had been canceled. 

You were keeping your appointment with Viktor anyhow. 

You just…had to get through a freezing day with a bunch of Piltovans coming through to see the fake snow and pet the imported animals and spend, spend, spend. 

“Yeah, uh huh, sure. Sure. I’ll see you both tomorrow if this day doesn’t kill me first.” You waved a hand as you turned. “Have fun with your toys.” 

Neither responded, but you could hear Jayce’s playful laughter. Viktor wasn’t a word, or a look, or a sound. But you could still feel him. Sitting there thinking about you. It was a burn in the top of your ears and a warmth in your belly. 

The gift jostled again in your bag, and you held it still. 

A damn holiday village. If you could swing it, you would’ve killed Heimerdinger. 

Ow. 

You trudged up the steps. 

Ow. 

Your heels pinched your feet. 

Ow. Ow. Ow.  

Late into the night, you stepped from cold to warm. Even by the coast, that damn air fell cold. The kind that kept you shivering in gusts of wind and tricking yourself into thinking you were warm when it stilled. Goosebumps had been damn near permanent. Cocoa was your main source of warmth, and the rest of the space in your belly was filled with pastries and some candy.

Full and tired and achy, you trudged up more steps. More and more and more, your bag hanging heavily over your shoulder. The gift jostled. You jostled. If he’d actually called it an early night for once…. You threw the lab door open. 

Oh, thank everything. 

Goggles on his head, Viktor stood by the bookcase near your desk. One arm crossed over his chest, his cane dangled from the shelf’s edge, and a book in one hand, he stood deep in thought. A pencil was even tucked behind one ear, making his already messy hair stick up some more. 

The air felt staticky. Warm. 

A grin took over as you kicked the door shut. 

“Jayce here?”

He didn’t look up. His brows didn’t relax. He didn’t lower or close the book. 

“He is not.” 

Good. You reached down and untied one boot. Then the next. 

“Do you have a moment to spare to look over my notes? There’s just this one pesky problem I can’t solve.” You played it up as you always did. Drove him nuts that you still played it when it was just the two of you. That made it more fun. 

“Yes.” 

Your next breath was deep and happy. Your boots were nudged aside as relief came to your feet. Thank you. The cool floor was welcomed through your stockings. And you tiptoed toward him. 

“Is that second right now?” you mused, coming up just beside him. He still looked in the book as perplexed and focused as a second ago. “Or am I interrupting?”

He blinked before suddenly the book was closed. The quick movement was just that—quick. But still soft. The thick book folded between a gentle grip, and he peered your way as he came to. Back to reality. Back to you. 

“A moment.” His eyes flicked over your face like he was looking at a complex equation. “Perhaps just…a moment.”

The book was slotted back into place, and he moved. Quick steps brought him back to his desk, and on the way…. Oh. You sucked in your cheeks as he reached back. His hand brushed your cheek. The tips of his fingers grazed your jawline down to your chin. 

Rough and warm. 

Welcomed. 

You followed, simply watching him work. Watching as he sank back down on his stool, the pencil being plucked up from behind his ear, the static in the air growing stronger. He scribbled down numbers and words into his notebook that you didn’t stand close enough to fully make out. But the soft scratching of the pencil was music to your ears. 

A moment. You leaned against his desk and looked out at the lab. 

A moment could be anything from a singular moment, minutes, and even up to hours. But giving him the benefit of the doubt while sparing yourself from a lack of sleep, you reached into your bag. 

The box was heavy, wrapped in blue paper with snowflakes on it. A little white bow sat on top. The lighting in the lab made it glow. Truly glow. Sparkling like the snowflakes painting the nearby mountains white. 

And you set it on the table before pushing it toward Viktor. 

Right beside his hand as he lowered his pencil. 

His palm brushed it. 

And there. 

That focus paused. Not broken—you’d never interrupt his focus like that. Just enough. And he blinked at the little gift, slowly dropping his shoulders and changing gears. 

“Is that for me?” he asked softly. 

“No, I just thought I’d show you how well I wrapped this random gift.” You nudged the gift closer. “Yeah, Vik, it’s for you.”

He swallowed. Down went his pencil. Off came his goggles. Like he was touching a fine piece of glass, he merely brushed his fingertips against the side of the box. 

“You did not…. Ms. (Y/L/N).” He closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and shook his head. “(Y/N), you did not have to get me such a gift.”

Oh. You cracked a grin. Fighting your soft laughter, you rolled on the balls of your feet to face him. He wasn’t intimidated by the close contact anymore. Not like when you first even just stood so close to him, holding eye contact, and just listened. The tips of his ears had been red, which gave him away, but he was so used to it now. 

Though, knowing what one's mouth feels like on yours can help with that. 

“It’s not what you think it is, Vik. Open it.”

He blinked. 

“…okay.”

One little side eye went your way before he plucked the ribbon off. Then carefully—absurdly carefully—slid his fingers beneath the taped sections. He unwrapped it with a delicacy he had when he worked in the lab. When he touched you. A careful delicacy that almost seemed to savor every second, every step, every touch. 

And the paper fell away perfectly unwrapped. 

He used the same delicacy with the box holding the gift. 

Until he was holding it. A mug. A crystal mug with a V etched into the center of a gear. Handmade in town that you’d saved up a bit for, but Viktor didn’t need to know that. It was just a mug. Just…a little gift. And you leaned in and pressed your shoulder to his. 

“Just thought you could use another one,” you murmured. 

Viktor lowered it, setting it gently on the desk. It clinked nearly silently as he did so, and his fingertips brushed over the etched section. The gear—cog by cog—before so very softly touching the V. 

“It is beautiful,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

You brushed his hand with yours. The scars on the back were faint but there. The years of work and dedication etched into him. You liked to kiss them. He seemed to like it, too.

“You’re welcome.” You nodded down at his notebook and nudged him again. “Still need another minute? I don’t mind wait—”

He was getting bolder. Not inherently more confident, for as his hand cupped the back of your head, you felt the hesitation. A sweet, endearing hesitation. No matter how many times your breaks from work ended up like this, he was still so nervous. 

Though, the second his mouth touched yours, it was a different story. He told countless interesting stories with those lips. And he seared them into yours but long, lingering moments. With breaths that turned to gasps and steps that brought you closer together. 

The warmth of his chest to yours, the curl of his arm around your back, and the thick fabric of his clothes wrinkling beneath your grasp. You clung to him and he held you. 

“Your notes,” he breathed against your lips. 

Pulling back just a little, you could see the blush along his neck, cheeks, and up to his ears. 

He nodded and cleared his throat, one hand reaching over to tap his desk. 

“Let us go through them, well…extensively tonight. I want to ensure there are zero mistakes in our work, hm?”

Oh, Vik. You beamed, leaning forward just a bit. And you brushed your nose with his very, very gently. 

“Should I change?” you whispered.

Before you could even finish, he was answering. 

“No.” Too quickly, he shook his head and cracked a smile. “No, no. So long as you are comfortable—” 

“I am.” 

“Ah, good then. Then, I believe….” His hand found your waist, tapping it gently. “We should not waste time and begin working.”

Yeah, you should. 

And work you did. 

You met him halfway as your lips came together again. 

Praise be his work ethic and late hours. Praise be Jayce’s early departure.

And praise be Viktor’s enthusiasm of thorough and complete work. 

Thankfully, you only had to work the one afternoon in the village.

The elf costume was going to be ruined. 

[mischievous-piltovan]

Y'all need to Broaden Your Minds

[mischievous-piltovan]

[mischievous-piltovan]

Sky and Viktor's handwriting fonts references

Sky

Viktor

his handwriting in s2 looks very different from s1 lol

[mischievous-piltovan]

Ok, I am NOT done talking about the flag

The thing is that it references ‘liberty leading the people’ and while Jinx would not fit into the role of a leader or a very ideologically motivated person she already in s1 came off as a personification of change, the acceptance and embracing of change, chaos, violence, choice, freedom, liberty

It would have been SO fitting, so fitting to have her be a symbol to the ppl in a revolution

But then they nix the whole plotline and even before then it wasn’t clear why the ppl even looked up to her and why they viewed her as a symbol. I know why I viewed her as a personification of change etc but the jinxers don’t know shit about her personal life or all the stuff she did. It would have been so easy to have them express the same sentiment that was already expressed in s1 that ‘the younger folk wanna fight’ and then have her be adored for blowing up the council but they don’t establish that. Instead no one reacts to that at all and then they have her attack Piltover with paint, a way less anti-Piltover act, and that’s the thing that makes her popular?

It’s so fascinating to see the writers’ hands in action moving the pieces, moving the adoration that Jinx should have gotten to a later date, after they have enough time to make Jinx do smth else that seems way less political in nature or destructive, AND THEN have her be adored for... smth. Idk why the paint attack would be so much more inspiring to jinxers than her council attack. There’s murals of the paint attack and her being compared to pacifist Vander but no murals of the council bombing?? Okay.

The paint attack initially seemed like it would be a unique stunt in a slew of many, but in retrospect it was the only thing Jinx did this season and it was for the sole purpose of replacing the council bombing with a more palatable type of attack for Jinx to be adored for, one where no one was killed, especially not enforcers or politicians.

[mischievous-piltovan]

Every time I've tried to work on this fun little Jaymelskyvik idea, I am cursed with sleepy eyes, so take a WIP.

[mischievous-piltovan]

This looks like a skyvik proposal!

[mischievous-piltovan]

The crystals will only stabilize at high frequency. You have to- Crank it. Yes. Yes, you have to...crank it.

[mischievous-piltovan]

Not sure how to word this but people pushing back against arcane s2 criticism with “mEdiA LiTeRaCy” when said media literacy amounts to microanalyzing a character’s facial expression screams a disconnect in storytelling. I shouldn’t have to pause the screen and look at Cait’s eye crust to know that “akushally she never trusted Ambessa🤓☝���” when we should’ve naturally been led to that conclusion.

In s1, we know that Powder is desperate to prove herself and we know why she decided to go to Silco’s liar despite being told to stay put. Imagine if they cut out all those scenes of Mylo teasing/berating her, the moments where she screwed up on the mission, her feeling like a failure only for Vi to encourage, and inadvertently, enable her—imagine if they got rid of that and instead had a few scenes of her looking sad bc her gadgets broke and then deciding to go to Silco’s liar bc ??? like should we analyze the symbolic meaning of Powder’s shoes and Mylo’s eyebrows to understand why she did what she did? Is that good storytelling to yall? Idk

There’s a reason why s2 is getting a lot more pushback than s1 and it’s not because people just “don’t get it”.

[mischievous-piltovan]

Arcane S2 makes me want to cry, and not in a good way. You can see the makings of a beautiful, tragic story with maybe a glimmer of hope for Vi and Cait in s1. An exploration of grief and a narrative parallel between Jinx and Caitlyn doing what they do because of their grief, for Cassandra and Silco. An exploration of the politics of the first season. An exploration of Ekko that isn't just a waste of an episode, in which his experiences revolve around Powder.

Instead, we got what season 2 was.

[mischievous-piltovan]

First Invention / First Miracle

[mischievous-piltovan]

Viktor being so kind to Vander and the sisters, and not being scared to reach out and touch Warwick, and then saying “he is worth it”

[mischievous-piltovan]

nerding

[mischievous-piltovan]

Viktor studies you like one of his ancient tomes. He pays attention to what makes you tick, what gets you worked up, what makes you blush, and stores the knowledge away. He stores it away for those rare moments when you two are alone in the lab, sweaty and panting. The lab was one of the only places you two could truly be alone, and it bore witness to many a stolen moment, a desperate kiss, and a searing touch.

[mischievous-piltovan]

how i imagine each set of shippers feel after the finale

timebomb shippers: we won! and then we lost

skyvik shippers: we won! and then we lost

jayvik shippers: we..... transcended the narrative in an inconceivable way that goes beyond winning and losing??

jaymel shippers: we have mel so we always win

melvik shippers: see the arcane brings people together- listen there may not have been obvious platonic/romantic feelings but they've both been touched by magic and experience what others cannot so in a way we did win?

jaymelvik shippers: they were all pretty..

caitvi shippers: we won!!!!!!!

caitlyn/maddie shippers: ...we never existed??

[mischievous-piltovan]

If someone criticizes something, it doesn't mean that they hate it. It also works the other way around. If you like something, it doesn't mean that it's done well from an objective point of view.

I love Jinx. Her design, her story, her personality, her character arc... I was just fascinated by her. Jinx has become one of my favorite characters in media in general. It was the continuation of her story that I was waiting for the most.

Jinx is still my favorite character in season 2. I love almost every scene with her. How she did Sevika's arm and the subsequent fight with the Smeech, the fight with Vi in Act 1, the prison break, search for Vander in the mines, epic appearance during the battle against Noxus.

I got a lot of positive emotions while watching s2 and especially during Jinx's appearance on the screen. But… an emotional response and objective assessment are two different things. And objectively, Jinx's character in season 2 is OOC and poorly written.

Removing very importand part of her story and personality. Her mental issues almost completely disappear. This is a very important aspect of her character. And no, Isha's presence and a "more favorable environment" would not heal her, the whole 2nd act is completely unrealistic and looks stupid, since all her problems with her mental health were magically solved off-screen;

Irrelevant piece of plot. Her arc of "Zaun symbol" passes by her - she becomes a symbol by accident, ignores the consequences and directly encounters all this revolutionary mood only during Isha's saving from Stillwater (at the same time saving her followers - an indirect action, not a purposeful one). So this arc is kinda about her, but she doesn't seem to participate in it herself, and it ends with literally nothing (like the whole Zaun revolution);

Making her more appealing to wider audience. Her hatred of Piltover and Caitlyn just disappeared. Yes, while she was with Vi in the mines she said "piltie goons who murdered mom and dad," but… that's all? Jinx doesn't kill a single enforcer in the entire 2nd season (although, for example, she could have in Stillwater) and tells Caitlyn "I didn't know your mother was there." Let me remind you that Jinx literally giggled in s1 when she killed a dozen enforcers during gemstone kidnapping, killed enforcers on the bridge without any care, she hated Caitlyn fiercely because she "stole" her sister from her, and she couldn't not know that Cassandra was a councilor. It isn't showed how and why she changed her opinion and this is important thing to her character, you can't explain such change with microexpressions or parallels;

Unrealistic happy family reunion. The reunion of Jinx, Vi, and Vander is a spectacular moment from Disney. Do you remember how Jinx reacted when Vi returned? Yes, she was happy but as soon as she spotted Cait she freaked out and immidiately thought that Vi betrayed her. Imagine what would happen if her supposedly dead - bc of her btw - father had returned and now looks like some animal;

Silco mattered much more to Jinx. A very "subtle" replacement of Silco for Vander in the role of father (Jinx calls him father, sniffs Vander's jacket and not Silco's), although Silco played probably a bigger role in this? And Jinx remembers about him like 2 times? Although it's been about 7-10 years since Vi's "death" in season 1, Jinx was still triggered by just a similar appearance. Apparently, Silco wasn't that important to Jinx (which is not true); I could still keep talking about Jinx, but let's leave it at that.

I love Jinx even in season 2. I like watching scenes with her. But my emotional attachment doesn't stop me from seeing that Jinx's character in s2 is not a continuation of Jinx's character of the end of s1. Her image is broken, the arcs are not completed, the relationships with other characters are poorly written.