#Caitlyn doesn't care about Vi if she cared she would have stopped her

[narxcisse]

★ — Leaving them hickeys

With: Viktor, Jayce, Mel, Vi, Caitlyn, Ambessa, Silco, Vander and Sevika

CW: suggestive, hickeys, s1

English isn't my native language / Reverse Ver.!

— VIKTOR

He is a mix of bashful and pleased. When you kiss and nip at his neck, he goes still, cheeks flushed as a soft, breathy chuckle escapes.

"You...really like marking me, don't you?" He tries to act unfazed, but when he looks in a mirror later and spots the darkening bruise, his fingers ghost over it.

He'd cover it with a scarf or high collar in public but secretly loves that you left your mark. It's a rare indulgence that makes him feel wanted.

— JAYCE

He leans into it and lets you do whatever you want, practically purring under your touch.

"You just can't keep your hands off me, huh?" He smirks, wrapping an arm around your waist as you kiss him.

He flaunts the marks with pride. If someone notices, he grins wider. "Oh, that? Yeah, my partner's got good aim."

— MEL

She doesn't stop you; she tilts her head to give you better access, enjoying the sensation as your lips press against her golden skin.

"Careful, darling," she murmurs, her voice smooth as silk. "You'll leave evidence of your affection."

She wears her hickeys like jewelry, unbothered by anyone's reactions, because who would dare question her?

— VI

She pretends to complain. She'll huff as your teeth scrape her skin, but she's grinning the whole time.

"Really? You're leaving me looking like I lost a fight?" She teases but tilts her head anyway.

She wears the marks like trophies. "Yeah, my partner did that. What about it?" If someone stares too long, they might catch her smirking.

— CAITLYN

She gets flustered. She tries to keep her composure as you kiss along her neck, but her blush gives her away.

"Are you... trying to make this harder to hide?" She scolds, though her voice is shaky.

Later, she's wearing a high collar. When Vi notices and teases her, Caitlyn glares but secretly feels proud.

— AMBESSA

She chuckles lowly, utterly amused by your boldness. She lets you have your way, resting a heavy hand on your back.

"Is this your way of staking a claim?" she asks with a smirk, tilting her neck for better access.

She wears the marks unapologetically, daring anyone to comment. She admires your daring streak and rewards you for it later.

— SILCO

His sharp intake of breath is the only indication you've caught him off guard. He doesn't stop you, but his hand tightens on your hip.

"Bold," he mutters, his gravelly voice filled with amusement. "Do you think this will deter anyone?"

He hides the marks beneath his collar but touches them absently, conflicted between annoyance and smug satisfaction.

— VANDER

He laughs softly, a warm rumble from deep in his chest as you leave your mark on him.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," he teases, cupping your face to kiss you.

He's not embarrassed about the marks and won't bother covering them. If someone comments, he just grins. "What can I say? My partner's passionate."

— SEVIKA

She smirks, tugging you closer as your lips graze her neck.

"Careful, sweetheart," she growls softly. "I might start thinking you're obsessed with me."

She doesn't cover the marks, wearing them like a badge of honor. If anyone so much as raises an eyebrow, she gives them a warning glare.

[rowie264]

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.

[wingedshadowfan]

some thoughts about the caitvi breakup scene

i saw ppl pointing out what looks like a tear running down caitlyn's nose after her and vi's fight w/ sevika and jinx (when she finally stops hitting the wall w/ her rifle and puts her forehead to it) and it could've been just sweat, but here's why i think it wasn't:

it's bcuz vi took the choice away from her.

we all know caitlyn's parents had been keeping her in a gilded cage since she was a child. we see this symbolically in her conversation with jayce when he gets kicked out of the academy after the explosion - he's outside in the rain, but she's within the gates of the kiramman estate, under an umbrella, protected, hidden. she tells him her parents don't allow her to talk to him anymore but she doesn't care. they're friends.

we know cassandra didn't approve of caitlyn's choice to become an enforcer either (we assume caitlyn had to fight for it and her family tried to stop her). even after that "win", her mother kept meddling and made sure caitlyn would always get safer tasks - out of harm's way and where she'd never be able to prove herself or do any actual good like she'd always wanted. her own coworkers make fun of her for being a kiramman and only "playing dress up" as an enforcer - a job she decided she wanted and had been working towards since she was a child, in order to help and protect people. she'd had to fight (not for the first time) to be placed on a case, in a real guard position, to be taken seriously.

caitlyn's choice and her agency - things she's barely been given in her own life, because of her parents, her name and how sheltered she'd grown up - she'd always had to fight for. she's had to fight to be able to choose, she's had to fight to defend her choices, and she's had to fight to prove herself over and over again.

then for the first time in her life, she didn't have to fight because vi (perhaps being swallowed by her own guilt for everything jinx had done to caitlyn) gave caitlyn the ability to choose what happens to jinx. unconditionally.

and caitlyn chose. vi agreed with her choice.

take the shot.

then vi took the choice away from her in the last possible moment, physically stopping her from shooting. (now, we can talk abt what that means to someone who's never been the stronger opponent in any physical altercation they've been a part of so far, but i won't)

this is the last thing cait needed to send her fully spiraling in the face of the adrenaline after almost dying again (sevika wasn't playing), the stakes of their mission and her trauma from jinx being unlocked. caitlyn completely disassociates shuts down, goes all out hitting the wall, possibly cries, refuses to look vi in the eyes and tells her, "i thought you were different but you're not"

she's yet another person who denies caitlyn the ability to make a choice in her life.

it's her blood in your veins.

to caitlyn in this moment, vi's loyalties lie with the blood of someone who'd worked for silco in oppressing the undercity, lured and blown up caitlyn's coworkers, tried to kill caitlyn (and vi) multiple times, kidnapped her from her fucking bathroom, dressed her up against her will, kept her hostage for a full day in which she with almost 100% certainty tortured her, kept her as the only person gagged throughout the tea party, asked vi to kill her, then blew her mother up along with 4 more counselors and (allegedly) attacked their memorial. talk abt taking someone's freedom of choice away.

then why are you the one acting like her?

vi - not fully without reason - compares caitlyn to her worst fucking nightmare. a psychotic killer who's caused so much fear and trauma to caitlyn that she admitted jinx's smile is all she sees when she closes her eyes, up there w/ her own mother's lifeless eyes?? and yeah, vi has a point - caitlyn had indeed grown more violent and aggressive in her desparate pursuit for revenge. that doesn't mean it hurts caitlyn any less, especially when she'd been trying so hard to do the right thing (sending a squad to catch jinx instead of a full blown armed invasion, only her and vi having hextech, clearing the streets first), and vi knows this: she just automatically did what she does best - aimed for where it hurts the most. i think she even realizes she's overstepped but before she can do anything about it, caitlyn bites back reflexively and hits her with her rifle. there, in the place of the wound she once took care of herself.

the perfect storm.

the only question i have left is why everyone in this fandom keeps acting like caitlyn is the only one who hurt someone and vi is the only one who got hurt in that scene.

[imhereforthelesbianstuff]

I know we already talked about this a lot (like, a lot) but I just have a little more to say about the jail scene. Mostly because of all the "Vi didn't care about Jinx" and all the "in the middle of a war, they're having sex"

Sort way to say it, using Vi's words: just shut the fuck up.

Using my own words, first of all, Vi didn't know what's Jinx gonna do. As far as she knew, Jinx could have been run away without her, being plotting a new attack against Piltover, or reunited with Sevika. All Vi knew was that she went to rescue her little sister, and that sister punched her (in the same spot Cait did, seriusly, people should stop hitting her there), and left her alone in a cell.

She went behind the back of the woman she loves just to save Jinx of being executed or imprisioned for life. And after that (in her own eyes) betrayal to Cait, Jinx left without her.

And then, Caitlyn is there, and Vi thought she's gonna hate her, for choosing Jinx again, even when Jinx didn't want to be chosen. Vi thought she'd lost, not only her sister, also Caitlyn after all. Just look at her.

But no. Cait is there to say, that she knew, she knew Vi would do this, and that's ok. It's just how Vi is. After all, the Vi who freed Jinx, is the same Vi who became an enforcer for Caitlyn. Vi just can't let the people she loves suffer, if she can do something about it. Cait needed that support and Jinx needed to be free. Both time ended with Vi being punched and let behind. But this time, Caitlyn is there to ease that guilt and pain. She knew Vi was gonna do this, and she helped, because she loves and accept Vi, even when she doesn't understand her.

And no, you can't tell that's was just a Cait's plan to fuck Vi. She did that because she loves her, and didn't expect nothing in return. Just look at her face when she's telling Vi she knew, and a few seconds later, when she stops to tell Vi about her rebound (not so predictable after all, right Cait?), totally different expresions.

And of course Vi kissed her, for the fisrt time in her life, somebody is there just for her, somebody came to support her, not in the other way. So it was pure instinct, visceral, raw feeling. Vi fucking loves her, and Cait just did something no one did for her before. Be there, understand her. How could she not kiss her? Not let herself go in the feeling?

And yes, there's a war, they may die, why wait? They been longing this for so long, and now, both need to feel eacht other, to touch eacht other, to love and hold eacht other. Again, raw emotion.

Maybe she chooses wrong everytime, but this time, she didn't lost everyone. Cait is there, for, and with her.

And I also read some people saying Cait is looking at Vi like a womanizer, Am I the only one seeing just tender in her eyes? Love? Like "this is the woman I love and I would never change her again for nothing" She's looking at Vi with such love.

Sorry for rambling, I don't really have anyone to talk to about Arcane 😬

[eejilunio]

"Killing is a cycle" and "I think the cycle only ends when you find the will to walk away." Coming from Silco's mouth, even if he is an hallucination from Jinx, is so distasteful.

Walking away? To go where my dude? To go back to the slums and accept your fate of misery? Silco was willing to kill people for a cause. It wasn't senseless revenge (Like Caitlyn's bloodthirst towards Jinx by the way), it was crime with a purpose. That's what it took to be noticed by topside people, and when he almost got what he wanted, the end of oppression for his people, he was willing to stop his crimes. Silco didn't kill because he was trapped in a cycle of death. He killed because he was trapped at the bottom of a cliff along with all of the undercity people, and killing, being feared, was the only way for him to gain power to get back to even ground, for him AS WELL AS for everyone else trapped there with him.

And Jinx KNOWS that. Jinx only killed :

- enforcers, who, as Vi stated, are only criminals in fancy uniforms ; and Jinx always did it to further Silco's cause, there was no senseless violence there.

- firelights who threathened Silco's operations.

- as for the council, that might have been a strategic mistake, but they were the oppressors, and Silco had just died. Jinx was desperate for Silco's cause not to die with him i imagine. And anyways , idk why i'm trying to justify Jinx's action there, because you can't say that responding to violence with violence is wrong when it's a victim against an oppressor. We can't all be masterminds like Silco, especially when we're traumatized and a minor (And Jinx wouldn't care if one of the oppressor she killed happened to be an enforcer's mum, that was another OOC line out of her mouth)

So anyways, killing is a cycle that ends when you walk away? Please. Silco would never say that. And Jinx would never think that either.

And on another note : AlternateUniverse!Silco owning a bar with Vander?

Silco isn't a bartender. If the undercity ever got some of their dignity back from Piltover's unfair rule, you can be sure Silco would make it his life work to gain back EVERY LAST DROP of dignity Piltover stole, and then find a way to make Piltover always remember the Undercity people who died and suffered under their rule.

Silco is a politician, and the oppression he suffered under shaped him. He would not be a bartender. Please.

And his little line about forgiving? Silco doesn't forgive. Silco always remember when something unfair has happened.

And that's why he would never forgive Vander to the point of becoming friends again.

That bridge burned a long time ago.

This season needs to stop butchering my boy Silco.

It's insulting.

[arcanewhoosh]

The Bolter

2.2k words

Proofread? Y/N

TW: Minor descriptions of injuries

Arcane Series Finale spoilers

In the aftermath of the Battle of Piltover, you find yourself desperately clinging to a toy monkey head with nails hammered into it.

If you were to ask the regular citizens of Piltover and Zaun, the regular duration of a search and rescue mission is around seven days. While this was, in a way, correct, it would only reach that many days if there was enough proof that the missing person was alive.

Standard operating procedure only allows a max of fifty-one hours.

You've been searching for nine days, fifteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes.

We don't have the resources right now, there's been too many casualties.

Alone.

There’re too many places to look through. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have put the thought in your head-

Through every single cooling duct leading into the Hex Gate.

-the fuse assembly could've survived by other means.

"I have to try, Cait." You say as you put on your pack, loaded with first aid supplies and recovery equipment. Caitlyn moves to grab your arm. Her grip firm, but she's not holding you in any way that could actually prevent you from leaving. You still stop and wait for her to finish what she wants to say.

"It's been over a week. You've barely slept the entire time, and I can't keep changing the subject when Vi asks me where you've gone." She tugs at your arm lightly, willing you to sit down on a nearby chair.

It had been ten days since the end of the battle. Ten days since Piltover and Zaun almost met their demise. Ten days since so many lives were lost; all for power.

Vi was -is- a mess. She could barely pull herself up from the ledge you fished her out of back at the top of the tower. Dread had already begun to creep its way across your body as you made your way up to where Jinx and Ekko's balloon had crashed. The feeling only got worse as you climbed higher, seeing no signs of its three occupants. You started running faster up steps, climbing ladders with speed you never thought possible for you. For a moment the dread had ceded, your adrenaline taking over. But then there was the explosion. And then... And then eventually you heard Vi's cries.

Your body stiffens as you shut your eyes, willing the memory away. "You're gonna have to cover for me a bit longer, Cait." You say as you softly pry your arm free of her grasp. "With how loud that explosion was, there's no way the assembly could've just survived."

"If it was anyone else, maybe I would've stopped searching already. But you and I both know this isn't just anyone else, no matter which side you're on." Caitlyn looks at you for a few moments, you know well enough that she's already wavering in her previous attempt to dissuade you.

"You wouldn't have mentioned it at all if you didn't think-"

"I know, I know." She finally says. "I wouldn't have given you the schematics for the structure either."

She sighs, an all too familiar indicator that you've won. "Just... Don't push yourself too much. I know I'm the one that gave you hope that she survived, but at some point..." She trails off. You know she wants to say that she doesn't want you to have your hopes crushed, or to put yourself in unnecessary danger. Especially since the inner ducts have been unstable since the explosion.

"I promise, I'll be careful, Cait. You know me." You shrug and smile at her, hoping that the nonchalant display is enough to convince her that you aren't fatigued out of your mind.

The look on her face says she doesn't buy it. But she says nothing about her doubts, instead nodding your way. "Be careful, I'm holding you to that."

"I will."

"Fucking air vents." You curse as you drop your pack by the wall of the duct. The thump it makes echoing around the cavernous tunnel. You've been walking uphill to get back up to the entrance, but the strain from working non-stop for over a week, the sleep deprivation, and the mental exhaustion was bound to catch up. Maybe Cait was onto something with the whole resting thing.

You let out a huff at the thought. You didn't have time to rest, what if Jinx was somewhere hurt, with no one around- she'd find a way to pull herself out of here and escape-- or what if she was trapped somewhere -this is my second sweep of the vents and all the obstructed entrances have been cleared- You lean against the tunnel wall before slumping gingerly to the ground. Your ankle hadn't fully healed from the battle, and you still had bandages all over your midsection from injuries you sustained.

You take a few steadying breaths before pulling out a map of the vents, marking the sections you've done your sweep of. Your vision swims for a moment, and it's enough for you to shut the map and lean you head against the wall. You close your eyes and steady your breathing, willing yourself to hold it together.

You're no use to me dead. She would say right about now. I'm still alive and you still say I'm useless. You'd reply.

"Yeah, but I say it lovingly." She harks back from her chair, tinkering away at her robot bug thing that she and Isha were using for their little fight club. You turn from the pin board you were making- places in Zaun where new checkpoints had been placed. You drop the purple pen you were using-Isha had stolen the red marker you usually use-- to write and make your way over to Jinx.

"Lovingly?" You ask as you turn her chair around, a grin plastered on your face. She rolls her eyes, but her own smile betrays her attempt at brushing you off. "Don't think too hard about it, you might hurt yourself."

"Looks like you've been the one thinking about it." She scoffs at you, turning her chair back to face her work station. Though she doesn't turn fast enough for the pink dusting her cheeks to escape your notice. "I said don't think too much about it."

"Hey." You say softly, turning her chair around again and pulling up a chair for yourself so you were eye-level. She's pouting, so you know you're not in trouble. "I'm sorry for teasing." You take her left hand and place a kiss on her knuckles. She makes a face.

"Ew, don't kiss my hands, they're covered in grease."

"When are they not covered in grease?"

"Didn't you just apologize for teasing?"

"I'm sorry for teasing, again."

"You're lucky-" She clamps her mouth shut. You bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from grinning again. The last thing you want is for her to close herself off. You know she's being careful. For someone known to be completely reckless at spontaneous times, she could be just as calculating and reserved. She's slipped a few times already, not explicitly saying I love you, but accidentally implying it or using some variation of the word during a casual conversation. You're no better, but so far, you've been able to avoid slipping.

Maybe you both thought it was too soon to say. Three or four months of you acknowledging that there was something between the two of you might be too soon, but there was a revolution going on, and revolutions are rarely peaceful and without casualties. Who knows what might happen in a few months, weeks, days, or hours. But you don't know what the next few weeks have in store for you.

"I know I'm lucky." You say. Hoping that the implication of, I know I'm lucky you love me, is enough.

But it wasn't, and now I'm here.

You jolt forward, blinking a few times to clear your blurry vision. Had you dozed off? For how long?

You sigh and rub your face with your hands. You do need rest, just for a little bit, then you'd get back to searching for her. You're no use to her dead, after all.

The walk back to your apartment is agonizing. The second you decided that it was time to take a break, your whole body decided that it was the best time for you to feel your exhaustion in its entirety. Your pack was suddenly heavier, your ankle decided to start swelling, and the wound on your side thought it was the perfect time to start bleeding again. Despite your body's attempt to suddenly render you immobile, you're able to meander back to your door after a horrible confrontation with five flights of stairs. Damn that faulty elevator.

You decide that having a view from your balcony isn't really all that worth it as you jam your keys into the lock and make your way inside. You stop dead in your tracks as soon as you pass through the door. The lock never clicked open.

You draw your pistol quietly, and scan the open living room and kitchen area of your home. Deeming the areas clear, you start making your way towards the hallway leading to your bedroom, pistol aimed and ready. Who on the Runeterra's green earth would be targeting you? Leftover Noxians? No. Turn coats like Maddie? Unlikely. Someone from the Undercity with a grudge? Unless they figured out who I am, I doubt it.

You hear a creaking sound from a door to your left, and you quickly kick it open and aim your pistol at the intruder.

"Jeez, you'd think a girl would get a warmer welcome after coming back from the dead." The intruder says, leaning back on a chair and idly scanning a vinyl.

You stare, dumbfounded. A part of you fully believing you've started hallucinating from the exhaustion, or the blood loss, you're not sure anymore. Your intruder, however, seemed to find your predicament funny.

"What, got nothing to say to me?" She asks. She finally turns to look at you, but the grin she puts on quickly falters when she notices the blood from your reopened wound seeping through your uniform. And then she's in front of you, one hand cupping the side of your face, the other hovering just above spots of blood on your shirt.

She asks if you're okay, but you're not sure. You still haven't confirmed whether on not you're hallucinating. So you do the only logical thing in the world and wrap your arms around her.

"Jinx?" Your voice cracks as you utter her name, and you wait. Wait for her to disappear, for your tired mind to catch up and be able to distinguish what is real and what isn't, because a part of you was only ever really using the tunnel search as a coping mechanism and that-

"I'm here, it's okay." She says as she wraps her arms around you and returns your embrace. If it were any other day, it would be you comforting her, offering her words of reassurance, support, affirmation. But this isn't any other day. Because you thought for the last ten days, twenty-three hours, and eight minutes, that she had died in an explosion.

But she didn't, and now you're sure that she's alive, that she's here, and alive, and breathing and-

"I love you." The words spill out of your mouth before you can think of anything else. How could you think of anything else? When those words, you realize now, have been long overdue.

She laughs. You realize how much you've missed hearing her laugh once your tears start falling. "I'm sorry." You say. "I thought, you died."

You stop yourself from hissing as her hug tightens and pain shoots up from your side. You could stomach the discomfort for this. You wouldn't let her go for anything, not again. "I'm sorry I took so long, bubs."-Your heart soars at the nickname- "There were a few... loose ends I had to take care of before coming to find you." She wipes away your tears as she says this, her hands carefully brushing your hair out of your face.

"It's okay, nothing else matters now." Just you you wanted to add, but refrain from speaking any further. You pull away just far enough to look at her, still not letting her go. It's her, alright. Her hair is different, and she doesn't have her pants that that one enforcer described as a half-eaten circus tent, but it's her.

"You're not upset?" She has the audacity to ask.

"I spent the last week and a half thinking you were dead, upset is the last thing I'm feeling.” A pause. “Wait no, actually, I spent nine days wandering around the cooling vents to look for greasy ass hand prints on walls."

"Hey."

"And I couldn't find any so you must've washed your hands for once-"

"Okay, smart ass, I get it." She says, rolling her eyes before pulling you in for a kiss. Suddenly all the exhaustion and pain you're feeling is gone, and your mind blanks. The only thought running through your head is Jinx and I missed you, and I love you, I love you, I love you as you pull her closer to you.

"Easy, tiger." She puts a hand on your chest to stop you from chasing after her when she pulls away. You let out a huff. She laughs. "You're bleeding, I need to take a look at that first."

"Since when has me being injured ever stopped you?"

She grins at you. "Being away from me that long has you down bad, huh?"  You grumble something about her being unappreciative, and she responds by pulling your face down and placing a kiss on your nose.

"You're lucky I love you." 

[bwat5-blog]

Quick Response To Some Nonsense

**Spoilers For All Of Arcane**

Hello all, no fancy lead in today just a response to some recent stances taken on Cait/Vi, in particular their breakup. Of course this is simply my interpretation, but I felt strongly enough seeing it that it was worthy of a refutation. As I am keeping this centered on the stances themselves and my responses I won't be doing my usual laying the groundwork, so if you have any questions feel free to ask or check out my other stuff! Let's dive in!

The primary reason Caitlyn shuts down and does what she does is because Vi took the choice away from her after they had agreed on it. And that Caitlyn had lived a life always struggling to be able to make her own choices because of her parents: Okay, on the surface, totally fair. Yes, they had agreed on a plan as to how this had to go down and Vi stopped Caitlyn from carrying it out. However, there is SO MUCH MORE going on here.

First and foremost, Vi's reasons for stopping Caitlyn at this point are irrelevant. Because of Isha. Listen folks, If you have watched these characters all the way to this point, and you honestly feel that either of them would intentionally do something that risks the life of a child, I just cannot agree with you. Caitlyn has only shown herself to be a kind and caring person ever since we meet her. These folks wanted to use two factors to show that Vi would not have cared about Isha being hurt to prove that it was all about Jinx.

A- Vi doesn't have a particular adverse reaction to Renni's son dying

B- Vi doesn't seem to care about hitting Isha and doesn't stop when she does

A: Renni's Son-

This is the boy killed who is working in the Shimmer lab that Jayce and Vi attack. Jayce accidentally kills him with a blast from his hammer. So regarding the allegation that Vi doesn't seem to particularly care. Context, as always, is our friend folks. Jayce is backing out because of the death when they were quite literally starting their attack on Siloc's entire operation. So what does Vi actually say-

"You've always been a part of this, you just never had to look it in the eye. One dead kid? There's hundreds more where he came from, thanks to Silco. And thanks yo people like you, who stuck their heads in the dirt. "

Jayce leaves, Vi very clearly stands over the body and sighs, her eyes wet with tears. And yes she gets back to business. Because as she said. This is about so much more than one dead kid.

B: Hitting Isha-

Okay, I love Isha to. But this is not the first time she jumps in the middle of an adult situation and gets hurt. But anyway, the allegation here is that Vi really had no issue hitting her and didn't stop because of it. Isha quite literally bites Vi on her wraps. You know, the part of her that is probably in constant pain from months of pit fighting and no self care. Also, Jinx and Vi literally stop at the same time when they realize what happened.

Also, lets not forget this handy-dandy little moment where Vi quite literally throws herself in front of Isha to save her from Vander:

Additionally, to allege that the reason Caitlyn reacts to such an extreme agree is simply that Vi robbed her of her choice is to deny the absolutely crushing trauma Caitlyn has been/is dealing with. She is literally face to face with the monster of her nightmares, and is being denied her revenge. Every fight-or-flight, primal, lizard brain part of her is screaming that Jinx is the most dangerous thing in the world, and the woman Caitlyn loves is standing in front of her. I go more into the signs of Caitlyn's traumatic episode in another document but to suffice it to say, it doesn't seem like Caitlyn was really aware of exactly what all was going on in that chamber. Vi called her repeatedly and all Caitlyn could say was "move! she's not getting away again!" never responding to anything else Vi was saying. Caitlyn fired her rifle twice striking Vi's gauntlet once even and was not deterred. She is NOT doing okay

***FYI- I had a lovely conversation with the person who made this first point. I misunderstood them. Their point was through Caitlyn’s perception of the event while factoring her mental state. So I stand by analysis of the scene but calling out this first point was my error***

2. "I thought you were different.. but your not. It's her blood in your veins"- whoo boy. Okay, The users are more or less defending Caitlyn's anger and her saying this as her realizing that ultimately Vi's loyalty is with Jinx because they believe Vi stopped her because of Jinx, and by extension someone who has done A-Z of fucked up things to Caitlyn. Again I am just about the furthest thing from a Jinx apologist but I don't have time for the list at the moment.

I will repeat, did Vi stop it because she saw Powder in Jinx's face, and because her sister told her she was glad it was her killing her? Entirely possible. But ultimately what it comes down it Caitlyn is enraged because Jinx got away, and Caitlyn's solution to that was to take the shot with a hex tech rifle that had been glitching, and could have killed a child.

No as to what Caitlyn actually said, because one of their points was about Vi's comeback. A few points:

A- Caitlyn knows all of Vi and Jinx history by now including Vi's crushing guilt over what happened

B- Caitlyn knows Vi carries the guilt for her mother's death because Vi asked Caitlyn not to shoot

C- Caitlyn knows what it meant for Vi to put on the uniform and come here with her, and still doubts her

D- Caitlyn literally alleges that Vi is no different than Jinx, who has caused all of this pain and suffering, because her blood is the same, tainted in the same way

3. "Than why are you the one acting like her?"- Essentially here they are just saying that Vi was looking to wound, looking for the low blow, and that not enough attention was given to how fucked up this was to say, especially because Caitlyn had tried to do all of this the right way.

Can I do the right thing for the wrong reason? Is it bad that I'm making friends with my demons, and Living by a couple deadly sins Just to make sure I finish what you began And I ain't afraid to lose a life or ten If it means that I get to win in the end (woo) So I'ma do this on my own, step into the danger zone Pull the pin and watch it blow! (Arcane Hellfire)

I am not saying it wasn't a fucked up thing to say. I am saying Yall are missing the point. Vi was afraid of Caitlyn changing because she saw the violence and darkness in her. Because while yes they are doing everything the right way in the lanes technically, for Caitlyn its all for the wrong reasons. She isn't there to help the undercity, she is on a quest for revenge. And as such is surrendering her morals and values alittle at a time.

4. Caitlyn hit Vi impulsively after Vi realized she overstepped/Cait never learned her strength or how to hold back-

As Caitlyn is walking away and Vi says "why are you the one acting like her?!" she grabs Cait's arm firmly at first then relaxes her grip to a more gentle one. Caitlyn sits and breathes for a solid ten seconds before hitting Vi. That's not exactly a reflexive action. Also, Caitlyn has demonstrated a tremendous proficiency with her rifle and with increasing hand-to-hand combat over the course of the show. She knew what she was doing, and she knew where she hit her. Now was Caitlyn also drowning in the middle of a total emotional overload. Yes indeed. But this was not a shock response strike. She chose to.

Now for a few points outside of the breakup that were mentioned:

Vi was wrong to suggest that Caitlyn did not understand during their conversation about Vi putting on the badge-

Well we can do this simply. Lets compare the two.

A- Vi was standing there in sight of her parents bodies as the people responsible were still there stalking around the smoke. The people responsible all dress the same way and their look is a symbol of their institution. Now she is being asked to dress like them.

B- Caitlyn was however far away and only saw the rocket launched and smash into the building. This of course would still be very traumatic. But for better or worse there is only one Jinx and her look is her look. Unless Vi was asking Cait to put on a half-eaten circus tent, I don't think we are in the same area here.

2. Vi has a tendency to dismiss Caitlyn's trauma when something more viscerally related to her own loss is going on-

The example they provided was the conversation I listed above. Vi has literally stayed there to be there and support Caitlyn even after being yelled at by Tobias. She is supportive of catching jinx and wants to help right up until Cait offers the badge. And even after that blow up, in the wake of the memorial attack Vi shelves her own issues and agrees to be an enforcer anyways.

3. Fandom keeps giving Vi a pass like anyone from Piltover can do no wrong-

The idea of this fandom giving Vi a pass is completely and totally laughable. I'm sorry but it is. There is still a whole legion of us who blame a fifteen year old girl kneeling over her father's body, who just saw her brothers die, who just held off a legion of armed Silco goons and barely survived, for ruining Powder during one bad moment and turning her into jinx. Aside from Caitlyn's commander Arc Vi is probably the least understood character in the entire fandom.

PSSSSSST.. If it helps, they don't do redemption arcs for characters who were never in the wrong in the first place. Have a great day!

[thewistlingbadger]

In the law, there is a difference between being innocent and being not guilty. In the law, just because you are not guilty does not mean you are innocent. And I honestly can't think of a better way to describe Silco.

Silco is not an innocent man, but that does not mean he is a guilty man. I'll say that again: Silco is not an innocent man but that doesn't mean he's a guilty man. I believe Silco is a not guilty man and let me briefly explain why.

Silco has done bad things. Silco has done things some deem unforgivable and scornful. Silco has done things that have harmed people and have given many reason to hate him. But I don't think he is a guilty man. Because every action that Silco has ever committed has had a justified, logical, dare I say valid reason attached to it.

The narrative of arcane is interesting because it is a show that aims for "moral grayness" while also being a show that still commits to classic story structure. We're supposed to think of everyone as nuanced, quote "there are no innocents in arcane everyone does good and bad things"...but at the same time silco and ambessa bad vi and Caitlyn good. Blindly good. So good that we don't HAVE to examine their flaws that's not what the writers want and they also don't want us to examine the goods of Silco and ambessa.

Silco from the jump IS the antagonist IS the villain. With his menacing appearance, threatening dialogue, menacing behavior, etc etc. I'm currently fascinated with Silco's cold open flashback for E3 s1 because it is directly showing us that Silco is a Victim but it isn't framed like that and it doesn't feel like that at all when we watch it, even though that's exactly what it is. There's never a moment where we feel like Silco is a victim in the show, or even a moment where we as a whole are particularly meant to feel bad for him. Even in his death, the audience is more worried about Jinx than they are about Silco, who literally has blood dripping out of his mouth as he speaks his last words.

We're never supposed to see the "good" in Silco like how we're meant to see the "good" in Jinx, even though she's committed crimes on the same level as he has arguably. The only moments where our perception of him changes are those moments where he's with Jinx and he acts fatherly towards her.

But now that we have season two I want you to stop and genuinely ask yourself the following. Is Silco really wrong for wanting Vander dead? Is Silco really wrong for doing whatever it takes to achieve independence? Was Silco wrong to be cold and brutal? Silco did things that were wrong, but that doesn't mean he was wrong. In fact, I'm saying I think he wasn't wrong.

I watched this Silco video essay last year that was really enlightening and I want to share a quote that came out of that video essay.

"Terrorism is a poor man's war."

And man, ain't that the truth. Only people who have nothing else to resort to resort to terrorism and crime and all these other terrible things. Oftentimes I see people who genuinely hate silco. I must remind each and every one of you that Silco wouldn't have done the things he did had it not been for the council. Had the council done their jobs, supported the Undercity, ensured it was a livable place, then Silco would have never had any motive to do the things he did. Silco's misdeeds are an extension of the council's crimes. If the council did what they were supposed to do, Silco would have never gotten to power, let alone used it at the expense of others. Silco's actions are the result of Piltover's inaction. Everything could have been easily avoided had they just taken care of their own citizens or gave them independence THE FIRST TIME THEY ASKED FOR IT. Because THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS BEEN ASKED FOR. THERE WAS A ZAUN LIBERATION MOVEMENT YEARS BEFORE ARCANE. And what was Piltover's response? They broke the movement apart by violence. They killed people left right and center. Silco had every right to react that way he did after everything Piltover has put him through.

And Vander? Vander, the man who betrayed his own brother for the world's shittiest reason and gave no valid apology? Vander, the coward who refused to fight for his people even when he saw the way piltover was impacting them, the man who gave up on independence the moment they received heavy losses? The fate Vander received was nothing short of justice. He deserved what he got, dare I say he deserved worse. Not only did he give up on the movement but he gave up on Silco. He drowned him in a river of toxic waste and cut his face so bad that Silco became unrecognizable. MIND YOU, when Silco reunited with him, he wanted to be his BROTHER again. Silco's plan wasn't to get rid of Vander, it was to join him again, for them to fight for freedom one last time. Vander knew what the consequences would be for denying Silco and he chose to deny him anyway.

Is this a silco defense post? Yeah, but not in the "Silco did nothing wrong" way. Silco did horrible things for solid reasons. Everything he did had purpose and reason behind it. Not only that but his actions yielded results that he wanted, results that no one else was able to achieve. And everyday I want you to remember that without Silco, Sevika would have never gotten that council seat.

[avatarofthelesbian]

what tma fear domains I THINK (my opinion etc leave me alone) arcane characters would be trapped in with little explanation that makes even less sense (yes the web is here twice. so is the extinction. its arcane what did you expect.):

vi: a desolation domain (everyone and everything she'd ever cared for burns around her. she was never materialistic, but there used to be people in those now-smoking ruins. there were people that turned away from her while she felt the flames on her own skin.)

caitlyn: a hunt domain (she can never rest in the chase. one moment to consider sparing those in her path is her loss. the chase consumes her, but it will never end.)

jinx: a spiral domain (are their faces real? are their words real? is she real?)

ekko: an extinction domain (he is out of time, and even he can't fix it this time. there is a world, and he knows he breathed life into it. he knows there were others. but it's just him now, and they were no match for those that sat and watched it fall to ruin. concrete and rusted metal is all that's left now, and he knows it burrows so deep no roots will grow past it.)

jayce: an eye domain (he has to know. what it is that he has to know, he doesn't know, and it might well destroy him. he knows he is watched, but it won't sway him frim the path of discovery.)

viktor: a flesh domain (no rambling explanation here. you heard the part in mag171 about the cutaway tulip.)

mel: a web domain (every twitch of her fingers yanks on the puppet-strings attached to them, and she doesn't know if she'd rather the puppet hate her or be none the wiser. she's trapped in another web, though, and the pattern must go up forever.)

ambessa: a slaughter domain (she knows the war has a purpose. all wars do. the moment-to-moment blood on her hands makes the memory of that purpose slip away.)

sevika: a lonely domain (there are people all around her, she knows. some of them might hate her, she thinks she might try to lead others. the fog drifts around her face - they don't know her. somebody might have, once, but she doesn't remember them.)

silco: a corruption domain (his home is riddled with holes. he tries to repair them, to build a place apart from this, but the rot persists. perhaps the rot is within him, and he carries it as his home crumbles at the edges. he cannot save it, dearly as the rot loves him.)

vander: a buried domain (he shouldn't be trapped here. where 'here' is, he doesn't know, but it's dark and pressing. he is needed, but every cry of his name pushes the walls closer. his throat is full of mud, even if he could find the words to do what he needs to.)

singed: an end domain (he can't stop. if he does, the end will come for them all. his steps are slow, slowed more as he drags with him what he loves, what must not be terminated. it follows, that invisible cloud of death, and it will catch him and all he holds dear.)

heimerdinger: an extinction domain (he knows he caused this, that he sat by until it was too late to save what literal remained of the world. there is nobody left now, as he wanders the decaying remnants of the lives that people had begged him to change. he is all that is left, and he will continue forever.)

maddie: a web domain (they hate her. she doesn't know who they are, but they hate her. her wooden jaw is moved as a voice that belongs to thousands of tiny things spills from her mouth. she has no control over the show, but perhaps this act is the one that the puppetmaster will admire. it won't be, as much as her character tries to imitate it.)

isha: a dark domain (she is a child, after all. something big is coming, she cannot see it or hear it but in the blackness she feels it. she can't scream, and nobody is coming. she doesn't know what is approaching.)

i feel like some of these (silco and maddie especially) only make sense to me. oh well.

[manicpixieyandere]

Arcane Season 2 Felt More Like A Teaser Than A Season

Does this make sense to anyone else? Like we remember watching the trailers and being like "Oh can't wait to see what Vi's pit fighter era is like". And "Oh we can't wait to see how Jinx and Ekko end up close enough to LITERALLY PAINT EACH OTHER?!".

And then how did we feel after watching the end of the season? "Oh can't wait to see what Vi's pit fighter era is like". And "Oh we can't wait to see how Jinx and Ekko end up close enough to LITERALLY PAINT EACH OTHER?!". The Vi pit fighter era WAS the music video we'd already been shown. And almost all of Jinx and Ekko's main universe scenes were cut! And those are just the tip of the iceberg!

Our main complaint about season 2 is that it just goes too fast. And almost all major issues about the season stem back to that. This show really needed three season. Why?

Well a main complaint we've seen about this season is how it completely does away with the class divide narrative between Piltover and Zaun in favor of Viktor's magic Jesus cult and Noxus. And we completely agree! This would have been fixed by having season 2 wrap up the class divide story line and season 3 be about Noxus and Viktor. This way the stakes amp up in a way more digestible to the viewer as well. Things start off with the class divide, which then gets to be a war, then we amp up to magic death of both cities on the line. Instead of class divide to immediate unrelated death. Not to mention more care can be put on the class divide instead of excusing Piltover as if nothing happened.

(Also if we had more time for scenes then maybe CaitVi can have a better sesbian lex scene than going to town right after Vi's sister said "Hey, I'm gonna go off myself".

We know this show is expensive to make so even just say, three more episodes could have been better to slow the pace a little. Or hell we don't know, maaaaaybe the damn hour and ten minutes of content cut from the final episode??? The show still needed to go slower and that hour wouldn't save it, but damn it'd sure help!

With the way the season is rushed nothing is actually resolved. The class issues persist. Sure Sevika is on the council now, but you, the viewer don't actually get to know how that plays out. Vi and Caitlyn's relationship just ends a toxic mess of oppressor x oppressed "She's one of the good ones". And Jinx, oh my god Jinx.

Why is it that the lesson is the oppressed must stop the cycle of violence? Why must the mentally ill girl abandon her family who LOVES her to make her family happy? Is that the lesson we are really teaching today? Jinx went from being one of our favorite most accurate portrayals of mental illness to now being a plot device to tell people who relate to her to abandon everything. It's saying you're too much of a burden for your families. That's a fucking horrible thing to portray in a definitive light???

See we were fine with it at first while it was happening on screen because it made sense. People with BPD tend to feel "evil" or to be too much for their loved ones. It's very common for them to break off relationships. But it should only ever be from Jinx's skewed perspective! The lesson should end up being that Jinx was wrong, that she isn't actually a Jinx! Jinx should learn that it's ok to love and be with her sister. That she won't kill her just from being there. Instead the narrative teaches both Jinx and the audience that she was right all along, that she doesn't deserve that love.

Things get even weirder with Ekko. Looking at the stuff in the art book it seems Jinx is absolutely obsessed in love with him (real girl). She is basically saying "That's my man" in all the art book graffiti. But we don't get to actually see any of this??? Which means we don't get to know what made her decide to leave him either! Is the lesson to also abandon everyone in our lives, not just family?!?

If we got scenes of Ekko and Jinx talking more, maybe JUST maybe it would have made more sense. Or maybe if they had more time she just would have gotten a better ending, we'll never know. Either way the series definitely needed more time to do everything it wanted to do. It completely sideline its main character in season 2, as well as the entire MAIN PLOT! And then goes on to teach horrible lessons to the audience about oppression and victims within the system.

Honestly we still enjoyed season 2. It was beautifully animated and you know the scenes we did get between characters were amazing when they actually existed! Jayce and Viktor took a turn very different than their OG game counterparts but it was welcomed. (Gonna ignore all the weird comments from Linke right now before we have a brain aneurysm).

All in all; Arcane season 2 was an amazing TEASER for a show, but did not deliver as a show itself. It really needed 3 seasons and to show more care on its characters and the hardships they face within the divide of Piltover and Zaun. (And it should have never been canon to main League).

[homuraakemis]

Vi is a protector and a fighter

I’ve seen people criticize the writing of Vi’s character in season 2 because she didn’t end up as a revolutionary for Zaun. I’ve also seen people defend the writing by saying that Vi doesn’t really care about fighting for Zaun, she only cares about her family and the people she loves. And I disagree with both of these positions. I don’t think Vi’s character was ruined because she was not a revolutionary (I don't think her character was ruined at all), but I also don’t think it’s correct to say that she doesn’t care about Zaun or that she doesn't want to fight for it.  On the contrary, one of the things that is consistent to Vi’s character is that she does care about Zaun, she doesn’t stop caring, and she wants to fight for it. Becoming an enforcer does not mean Vi no longer cares about Zaun, on the contrary, it’s the way Vi finds to protect it.

You can see that Vi cares about Zaun, and not just her family, from the beginning: as a teenager, she wants to fight back against Piltover: “we need to fight back. And if you won’t, I will”, “these are our streets, someone should remind them of that”. These sentiments have nothing to do with just protecting her family, it’s about her care for the Undercity. She later gives up on the desire to fight and decides to turn herself in to protect Powder, Mylo and Claggor, but that doesn’t mean that she never cared about Zaun, only that her priorities, at that moment, were with her family.

As an adult, we see Vi express similar sentiments about wanting what’s best for Zaun. When she meets Babette at the brothel, she says “By the looks of it no one down here lifted a finger to stop Silco”. She's disgusted that no one dared to protect the Undercity from Silco. Yes, stopping Silco would also mean saving her sister, but in this conversation, she’s talking about the Undercity in general, she wants to stop Silco because she sees what he did to the Undercity. When Silco finds them, she says “I'm gonna find her and erase whatever fucked-up delusions you put in her head. But first, I'm gonna bring your bullshit empire down all around you”. Here, she states that her goal is to find her sister AND also destroy Silco’s empire. When she’s at the Firelights’ hideout, she tells Ekko “I should have been there. For you, for everyone.” Again, she wanted to be there not just for Ekko, but for everyone. She looks at Caitlyn with admiration when Caitlyn says "This city needs healing", which once again shows how much Vi cares about the city in general. When she enlists Jayce's help to attack Silco's shimmer factory, we see Vi's desire to take action to help the Undercity, and her disdain for people who don't take action (she disdainfully calls Jayce "a victim" when he tells her he is not a vigilante, and after the raid on Silco's factory, she says "You've always been a part of this. You just never had to look it in the eye. One dead kid? There's hundreds more where he came from, thanks to Silco, and thanks to people like you who stuck their heads in the dirt"). In her second fight with Sevika, she imagines Vander saying "She still needs you. They all do". Who are "they all"? Yes, it could be Ekko and Caitlyn, but given all the other instances of Vi talking about her desire to protect the Undercity in general, I think it's likely that she thinks the Undercity needs her. So as we can see, even as an adult, Vi states multiple times her desire to help the Undercity as a whole, not just her family and loved ones. She wants to fight for it and disdains those that don't fight or don't do anything to help.

And her actions follow her desire to protect the Undercity. As a teenager, she wants to fight Piltover, because she sees Piltover as the greatest threat to the Undercity. But as an adult, she sees Silco and shimmer as the greatest threat to the Undercity. And she is right: Silco flooded the Undercity with a dangerous drug that is highly addictive, debilitating and damaging to people’s health, but also turns people into super strong monsters with little control of themselves, who also attack people who aren’t users (as Ekko says, “everyone here was an addict or a victim”, that is, those who weren’t addicts were being victimized by the addicts). Not only that, but while Silco wants the Undercity’s independence from Piltover, he doesn’t actually seem to care about the social inequality and injustice within the Undercity itself, as seen by his use of child labor in shimmer factories (which is possibly slave child labor, considering that in the Sucker montage in season 2, we see Chem-barons trying to capture kids against their will).

Vi is right in seeing Silco and the chem-barons as a threat to the Undercity, and her actions in seasons 1 and 2 are consistent with her desire to protect the Undercity from them: in season 1, she wants to stop Silco and enlists Jayce’s help to dismantle the shimmer factories. At this point, she is already working with the enforcers, even if she hasn’t officially joined them. Vi wanted to keep going, to completely rid the Undercity from Silco and shimmer, but Jayce refused. So she tries to go directly to The Last Drop to confront Silco, and that’s where she has her second fight with Sevika. In season 2, Vi becoming an enforcer and being part of Caitlyn’s strike team is just a continuation of her season 1 actions in which she already worked with enforcers and already wanted to free the Undercity from Shimmer and its gangs.

But Vi doesn’t just want to get rid of Silco and the chem-barons. She also still wants to protect the Undercity from Piltover: after the attack on the memorial, she argues with Caitlyn to convince her to do something to stop a full scale invasion of Zaun, which is what leads to the strike team’s formation in the first place. The strike team is formed exactly as a way to minimize casualties. Yes, even the use of the Grey is meant to minimize casualties, and no, the Grey is not this lethal gas the fandom claims it is (see this meta for a more detailed discussion of the effects of the Grey). We see during the strike team that Caitlyn uses nets (aiming to capture, not kill), they help Heenot even though he is a criminal, and we also see Vi push back when she sees Caitlyn going too far: Vi puts herself between Caitlyn and Heenot when Caitlyn threatens him with a gun, Vi protects Isha, and later, Vi argues with Caitlyn over her having worked with Ambessa. Vi is constantly trying to avoid unnecessary violence and trying to uphold Caitlyn to the highest standards. She is shown to still care about protecting the Undercity from Piltover's oppression.

By the way, I know some people might get confused between Vi’s stance on not hurting Isha and her apparently justifying Jayce killing a child. But I think they’re different contexts: Vi understands that casualties will happen in the heat of the battle and is willing to accept them (even if she obviously feels remorse for what happened to Renni’s son, as we can see in her face when she looks down at his body), but she is not ok with deliberately putting a child at risk (considering that she already had Jinx pinned down and there was no necessity to shoot, Caitlyn was not in a right state of mind and the hextech weapons were glitching).

The only time Vi stops trying to help the Undercity is during her pitfighter era, but that’s very understandable: it’s her lowest moment in life, the moment she lost everyone she loved (her family, her sister and Caitlyn). I can’t really blame her for sinking into despair and not caring about politics during this moment of her life. But this is her lowest moment, it’s not who she usually is. Who she usually is is a person who cares deeply about everyone around her and wants to actively take action to shape the world around her. She takes action to stop Silco and Shimmer, she wants to stop Jinx herself, she takes action to avoid a Piltover invasion, she tries to avoid casualties and unnecessary brutality in the strike team, and so on. And we see that she disdains those that don't take action. Vi is not someone who wants a normal peaceful life, she wants to be a difference in the world around her. Becoming an enforcer isn’t about Vi “not caring about the Undercity” or “betraying the Undercity”, it’s the way Vi found to protect the Undercity, even if it meant people of the Undercity would see her as a traitor (which is very clearly a parallel to Vander, who also compromised with enforcers). And yes, I know part of the reason for her becoming an enforcer is about supporting Caitlyn, but it's not just about supporting Caitlyn, as we see plenty of examples of her expressing her desire to protect the Undercity and fight for it.

But Vi doesn't only care about the Undercity, she is an empathetic person in general (as Vander says, she has a good heart). As a teenager, she might have hated Piltover, but as an adult, and after meeting Caitlyn, we see that she deeply cares about everyone, even the people of Piltover. She condemns Jinx's attacks on Piltover, calls her a psycho for them, and wants to stop Jinx. She also cares about fighting to protect people in general: when she goes to free Jinx, she doesn't ask Jinx to run away with her (which is what she would do if she only cared about her family), she asks Jinx to stay and fight against Ambessa and Viktor. And in the end, she fights to protect the entire world. Because Vi is a protector at heart, not just to her family and loved ones, but to everyone.

Vi doesn’t end up as a revolutionary, but she does end up as someone who tries to work within the system to help the Undercity AND Piltover in any way she can, and that's consistent with who her character has been in the entire show. She ends up as a protector, not just to Zaun, but to everyone (it makes sense that she and Caitlyn end up together, given that Caitlyn is also a protector who tries to work within the system to protect everyone). And if she continues as an enforcer (as I do believe she does, considering her League lore), she and Caitlyn would definitely try to make institutional changes so that enforcers will actually protect people instead of serving as a means to oppress them.

[neuvilette-tea-party]

Hii! I adore the way you write steb. Could I pretty please request a steb×reader fic where they're colleagues and maybe even friends, but the reader is possibly of some higher ranking. The reader realizes that steb's and other non-human enforcers' uniforms aren't designed with their needs in mind (collar hurts his gills, helmet is in the way of his face frills etc.) and decides to take that issue to the higer ups to get them uniforms tailored for them. And when steb gets the new uniform and finds out that reader made that happen he realizes just how much attention reader has been paying to him. Because he isn't the type of person to complain but the reader cares about him so much they can tell what botheres him.

Also just to let you know, I've send in something similar to another steb account a long time ago but never received an answer. So if it makes you uncomfortable to write this because someone might eventually write it too that's ok, I understand. 💐❤️

~🍒

Interesting premise!

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆Steb x GN!reader☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

Tags: Reader is a superior officer, Steb is selectively non-verbal, secret relationship, fluff

"We will study that proposition, Captain (Y/n)." The lady of the council simply responds. 

You remain mute. 

That's all? 'we will study the proposition'? 

"Ma'am, I think there is not mutch to study and I made my point very clear-" 

"You did. That doesn't allow us to bypass the process.” 

"Ma'am I must insist." 

"You will understand that is not a priority for us right now." She retorts. 

"Not a priority? Ma'am, you asked me to find ways to help our enforcers to be at the top of their games for the incoming war, this is a crucial aspect." 

"Modifying one or two buttons is not crucial in any capacity. Good day, Captain (F/n)." 

"Ma'am, I-" 

"I said good day, Captain!" She stands up from her seat menacingly. 

You swallow back a venomous response and stand to attention before leaving. 

Idiots! 

You look back at your papers, all those modifications you meticulously noted throughout the month. Those modifications could be the difference between life and death for your enforcers on the battlefield. They wanted you to help design new weapons, not facilitate the liberty of movement of the agents, not facilitate their breathing, not ensure their survival with a larger range of actions. 

You sigh. 

You need somene higher... But who? 

You stop dead in your tracks. 

Caitlyn Kiramman. 

She is terribly busy and probably won't receive you, but... In life, you need some audacity. You spin and take a new corridor. As you walk, you cross paths with Steb and Maddie, discussing the incoming mission. 

They both stand to attention at your arrival. 

"At ease." You say, nodding to them. 

Those modifications could mean the survival of every Vastaya enforcer, including Steb! You grew quite attached to that man, his mutism, his reservation, but his never-ending will to do good and do his best. Deep down, you know him to be someone fundamentally kind and generous. 

Piltover would be poorer after his death. 

Your life would be poorer after his death. 

You would miss your patrols together and the drinks you take with the team. You cannot hinder his chances of survival, not if you can do something about it! 

Your reach Kirraman's door and knock. She open with suspicion in her eyes. 

"Ma'am, I need to share something important..." 

--------------------------------------------- 

Steb stands in the room, testing his new tonfas’ weight and manageability. They are well-balanced and long, they should be appropriate for the mission. 

"Do you know why we are here?" Loris asks, Vi appearing right behind him. 

He and Maddie shrug. They are not here for a briefing, you just signaled you wanted to see them. 

The door on the other side of the room flies open, and you appear. 

"Welcome, everyone. I have new uniforms for you." You declare, pulling a rack with clothes on it, "Vi? There you go." 

You distribute the uniforms to everyone as they walk away to pass them on. Steb puts down his new tonfas, awaiting his turn. He doesn't have any kind of expectations; he knows the uniforms are 'one size fits all' and the size is human. As the only Vastaya on the team, he doesn't expect that mentality to change any time soon. 

But a new uniform is always nice at least. 

"Steb?" You call for him. "I will need your opinion on it after." 

He approaches and takes the uniform from you. Double stitch, stretchy but solid material... 

Is that... A lower cut on the neck? That would be perfect for his gills.  

He nods to you and enters the locker room to change. 

The fabric is very breathable and flexible, he has no problem moving his limbs in any direction. The collar is indeed way lower, allowing his gills to function correctly. He had to double check, but the uniform has been doubled with a cold fabric that imitates plastic but feels very... Fresh on his scales, like it was meant not to irritate them. 

He takes his lighter and the corner of his jacket and tries to burn it. The flame combusts, eats a centimeter of the fabric, and dies down immediately.  

A non-flammable uniform, that’s great! 

He counts all his pockets, 12 total, in and out. Plenty for all his medical tools. He also doesn't have a helmet but a beret, allowing his jaw frills to open and close easily without tension. 

Overall, the best uniform he ever had. 

He feels... Safe. 

And protected. 

A lot of defects he did not like on the other uniform are now gone. But he never complained about them before. He remained silent, judging that his discomfort was not worth being mentioned, but now... It was like someone entered his mind to see what was wrong with the former uniform and corrected it. 

Was it you? 

He leaves the locker room to meet the other, you are already noting down their opinions of the new uniform. 

"Ah Steb, there you are! Your impressions?" You come to him, clicking your pen. 

He explains that it is very comfortable while being practical. He appreciates the low cut of the jacket and shirt, the breathability of the fabric, allowing his rib gills to function, and the anti-flammable fabric is very welcome. 

"What do you think if the cold fabric on the interior? Not too rough?" You ask. 

He shakes his head, it’s perfect he signs. You nod and note down, humming as he signs his opinion. 

He asks if Caytlin had all this ideas. 

"She approved them but they came from me." You tell him, focused on your papers. 

He takes it in, realizing that it is thanks to you. 

"Okay!" You declare to the group, "We are done here, you can go to the Office, Mrs Kirraman will receive you."  

As everyone departs, Steb grabs your hand to keep you behind, alone in the room. He squeezes your hand tenderly, in his eyes the memory of all those stolen kisses replaying, and all the tenderness you always bestowed on him. 

"Hey..." You call gently, caressing his cheek,"It's okay. I am here for you all..." 

He nods, pressing your hand to his lips that he kisses lovingly as a thank you. 

As a confession... 

"I am here for you Steb" you promise, "Always..." 

He gently wraps his arm arounf your waist to press you against him, just for a moment 

Just for a second... 

A stolen second 

Just between you and him. 

“Even away from you, I will protect you, Steb. Always...” 

@dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @brandy-and-bane @sp-the-fae-queen @aeeliy @sanktastuff @telephoneonawire @daichisito @sofiyathelast-blog @luv.della 

[pastel-peach-writes]

i absolutely adore your caitvi fanfics! do you by any chance can do cuddle headcannons with the two? thank you in advance : D

hi! thank you sm! here's your request!

Marshmallow Pillows | CaitVi x Reader

╰┈➤ PLOT: Headcanons of cuddles with CaitVi.

╰┈➤ WARNINGS: Needs A Part Two, Fluff, Not Proofread

⍣ ೋ Enjoy!⍣ ೋ

– ohhh my goodness

– one, cuddling with them is like, the best thing ever???

– obviously we knew that, but come on

– at the beginning of your relationship, cuddling is a little awkward.

– none of you have been in a throuple before and with the different heights, you didn't know which cuddle positions were best

– additionally, vi hasn't had physical touch in so long.

– she almost forgot what it felt like

– though she craved physical intimacy, she was almost afraid of it.

– now now, hear me out. I know vi hugs and clings to cait all the time, but to her, that was the light stuff. it wasn't anything serious

– now that it was serious, real, and not something her delusions made up, she was scared.,

– she didn't know how you'd two react to her rough hands or her bulky muscles. some people didn't like the feel or touch of them!

– you two reassured her otherwise and told her she could take her time and go as slow as she wanted when it came to cuddles.

– it took her three short cuddle sessions and all of a sudden, she's attached to yall by the hip.

– caitlyn was more open about cuddling

– naturally, she thought of herself to be the big spoon

– but just because she was taller than average, didn't mean she couldn't be held either!

– you and vi make it known that you want to pamper her and hold her

– sometimes even baby her and watch as her cheeks turn red and she has nowhere to hide.

– it's literally the cutest thing ever and sometimes, she giggles!!

– sounds like heaven on earth if you ask me

– as for yourself, if you're not a touchy person, they let you know you can take all the time you need and to let them know when you're not comfortable

– if you are a touchy person, they're sure to reassure you with touch in moments where you couldn't cuddle

– okay but enough backstory! let's get to the good stuff.

– caitlyn has long legs and she uses them.

– like a fucking koala, she wraps her legs around you both and squeezes tight on whomever she's holding

– she likes to snuggle her face into you two and often times than not, a relaxed, almost comedic, sigh escapes her lips.

– whenever you two can pull her away from working late and force her to lay down, she's the first one out

– you like to move the hair out of her face while vi whispers praises about her

– "she's so angelic like this." "she looks like a baby" "would it be wrong to draw an ass on her cheek right now?"

– violet.... seriously.

– when caitlyn goes to bed, she often wakes up moments later beciae of stress, so you and vi quietly chatter until she falls back asleep the second time.

– so a night of cuddling goes, caitlyn falls asleep, you and vi talk, cait wakes and falls asleep again, then you fall asleep, and once vi makes sure you're both secure and deep in your sleep, she'll fall asleep

– she has this thing where she has to fall asleep last.

– she doesn't care if you're out late or up late working, she isn't falling asleep

– well, unless you make her but even then that's rare

– if something happens to you two while she's asleep and you're not, she feels like that's on her.

– it's her responsibility to protect you guys, even if you don't need it.

– speaking of vi though, she has some sleeping and cuddling habits of her own

– like if you three fall asleep cuddling, you'll wake up to vi sleeping on her side alone.

– and it's never anything personal. her body literally shifts to her side every time.

– she can't stop it and she doesn't know what causes it

– vi prefers to be holding at least one of you, but doesn't mind being the little spoon in super. special. occasions.

– like if she's sad or really had a rough day.

– ngl though, she absolutely loves it when she's in the middle and you two are clinging onto her from either side.

– it makes her feel warm, safe, and she's reminded that she doesn't have to be the protective one all the time.

– another thing about vi is that she'll tell you about her day if it helps you fall asleep.

– the same with caitlyn!

– their voices are so soothing and relaxing.

– have you heard vi's soft voice?

– have you heard caitlyn's soft voice?!

– hellooooo. they should be making asmr videos.

– ...

– i digress.

– when they tell you stories, they'll stroke their fingers along your back, play with your hair or bonnet, massage your shoulders, and they'll even run their hands along your thighs

– stopping this right here because i don’t know how else to progress, but i have a lot of ideas so i’ll might make a part two!

[local-lamppost]

Initial thoughts cause it's 4am

Spoilers

First off, wow... it's really good. I've been saying that if season 2 is as good as season 1 Arcane would be my new favorite show and we are on track. Anyway, just gonna list stuff until I can process/rewatch a billion times

Mel lived! I was so certain that they would just kill her off, make that Ambessa's motive (give Jayce a reason to keep fighting the Undercity) but it's much more interesting keeping her involved in the narrative. Love her trying to bother understand and undermine her mother. Those Black Rose guys best not have hurt a hair on her perfect head.

Speaking of. What in the Utena are these Black Rose magic people? I love the look of their magic. I wonder how they can corrupt people. Is it a spell? Do they slip them something?

Love how the divide of Jayce and Viktor was done. Jayce betrayed Viktor's wishes of destroying the Hexcore. Last season, Viktor wanted to forget about using the core to save himself after Sky and begged Jayce to destroy it when the core wouldn't allow Viktor himself to do it. In Jayce's mind though, the core is the solution to Viktor's problems. He didn't know it killed Sky or that it can influence Viktor, but all Viktor can comprehend is that Jayce didn't trust him. Didn't keep his promise. And this is fresh off of Jayce's season 1 antics against the Undercity, so Viktor's faith in his partner was already shaken. Viktor's also comfortable in his mortality/death, even though he wants to prolong it like every other human, but Jayce can't fathom loosing Viktor-the man who saved his life and made his dreams reality.

(Side note: Am I a JayVik shipper? I never considered myself one, but after writing this...)

JINX HAS A KID! I love this choice. Give Jinx a kid so she is able to learn what Silco and Vi had to go through with her, that no matter how big or dangerous a scheme to take this child into account. The confrontation in ep 3 really showed what Jinx will have to consider now that this kid's decided to adopt her as an older sister or something. Especially nice detail of how Vi-who has always had to consider the kids in her life-immediately stops fighting and starts looking for ways to keep the kid safe.

I was wondering how Jinx would loose a finger and Caitlyn shooting it off to save Vi is just- The fact that the only way these two can show they care about Vi when it comes to each other is by hurting the other.

Sevika's new arm is fantastic. It's a peace offering from Jinx, but also a way for Jinx to feel better (it was something she could fix). The mechanics of it are really fun. It reminds me of Kite's weapon from HxH with how it didn't always work/give her what she wanted in the fight. I especially love the victory rockets and built in theme song.

Ambessa is so interesting. Between her character song to the introduction of just what she is fighting against, I am very intrigued. She reminds me of Cersei Lannister, except she loves her kids as more than just extensions of herself (as of what we've seen, but I think that'll stick). Her using Salo to establish herself-which also keeps Mel safe by distancing her-but also dropping him in order to prop up Cait at her first opportunity is such a clever move. She truly is the fox and the wolf, but she is above all a mama bear.

Not much to say about Heimerdinger or Ekko yet, but I am definitely curious to see what they do about the wild runes with Jayce. The three of them have a fun dynamic, what with Heimerdinger still being peeved about magic/being ousted, Ekko hating topside and having a new reason to do so with them poisoning his tree, and Jayce being recently seperated and divorced from both his partners.

Vi is an enforcer. I didn't know how they were gonna handle this, but they did it so well. Of course she wants to fix things for the people her sister hurt. She feels responsible. She can say she doesn't blame herself, but how true is that? Why else would she be wearing a badge if not for her guilt? She is desperate to do something right and being an enforcer seemed to be a way to make Cait happy, get her gauntlets (what she believes is necessary to make any kind of change), and be first in line in the hunt for Jinx. She says that her sister is dead, that Jinx is a desecration to Powder's memory, that they are not sisters but isn't it supposed to be 'nothing is going to change that'? How much of all this is just something Vi is telling herself to keep going? Cait is her motive right now, but after ep 3 I definitely see why she starts spiraling.

(2 Side note: Her new best friend/drinking buddy is such a real one. They have a bender in the gutter together and now he's following her into and out of the enforcers. I wonder if he knew Vander? In any case, he is a delight.)

Cait and Vi kissed... CAIT AND VI KISSED! Then NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER! NOTHING! No immediate break up, nope.

So Cait. I love Cait and I am hyped for her arc this season. I am ready to fight tooth and nail for her. I am a Caitlyn defender. So what she's being manipulated into leading a military state due to her grief/unresolved anger/guilt/Ambessa being better at this than her, she looks amazing in her cape. It balances.

Seriously though, the writing for Cait especially is so solid. She is desperate to hold herself and her family together, to protect her city. She still wants to protect the innocent, to heal the Undercity, but her anger at a select few of those she wants to help is clouding the greater image for her. Vi seems to be acting as her better half, the side that cares for the innocent-the protector. Ambessa is the agressor, encouraging Cait to take drastic military action against the Undercity as a whole. Vi's disillusionment with Cait is due to the fact that Cait desire to heal, not harm, is what caused her to fall for Cait to begin with. To see more than some privileged topside enforcer, but a woman who genuinely cared and was willing to abandon her peaceful naivety to learn for the greater good of strangers.

I'll also point out that they separate when Cait starts blaming Vi for them loosing Jinx. Before, everyone but Cait put responsibility on Vi, she was supposed to be the one to help lighten the load and absolve some of the guilt. Now Cait is becoming another one of those who slam the blame on Vi. She changed. Why does everyone around VI change?

Can't wait for the next batch of episodes.

[mavkarants]

I didn't realize how politically, historically, and personally idiotic people actually were until I saw posts arguing about Jinx and her crimes in Arcane and the comments below them.

Before I knew people were idiots, but I always tried to be optimistic and thought it was due to propaganda, upbringing, and the sheer amount of things going on during wars and just in any historical event alone.

But no. People are just stupid. Their view of the world is so painfully clear when a simple ass cartoon like Arcane pops up. "Jinx is a freedom fighter, Piltover is the evil empire." 💀 Jinx is a crazy person who was blowing shit up because she kept going through schizophrenic episodes and panic attacks. The "freedom fighting" happened after a certain someone perished. And the show doesn't has a definite evil. It shows both sides having evil people and heroic people, the entire point is that no side is evil but both are blinded by selfishness to some degree that stops progress from being made.

Also did everyone just completely ignore how Zuan situation happened? How the power imbalance developed? Due to an accident, Zuan has poisonous gas released into the city. To which there was an attempt to clean it up by none other but Caitlyn's family! In the snippit of Caitlyn slowly turning into a dictator where she looks at her family's history, it legit says that Zuan must have fresh air. And in another, we have Jayce having to give counsel members perks to be fully accepted, denoting to the corrupt nature of Piltover with a similar scene with Silco where he had to poison the room with the grey to get the Chem barons to listen to him.

I mean come the fuck on. The parallels are right fucking there. Is Zuan the victim? Yes. But Piltover is not a Disney villain. Corrupt practices from BOTH SIDES prevented any reconciliation attempts made by BOTH SIDES.

Caitlyn was literally setting up a meeting with a counsel to fix the Zuan situation and have Vi, a Zuanite, testify what's happening. TO THE COUNSEL. Before Jinx blew the damn building up with Caitlyn's mother inside and kept making terrorist attacks. Which led to one of the strongest supporters of Zuan into a psychopathic meltdown of wanting to hunt down Jinx and not caring who she hurts in the process.

There are multiple characters in Piltover who have shown sympathy and desire to help Zuan, and most of which were turned off from helping after Zuan kept making terrorist attacks (though yes, one was orchestrated by Embessa.).

But this is not to say that Zuan is the issue. Piltover has the exact same issue with people fucking up the possibility of fixing the inequalities and rage baiting Zuanites into reacting negatively.

The real, and only, freedom fighter with a good head on her shoulders was Sevika. She was never a traitor. She just sided with whoever was best for Zuan at the moment. She had no issues doing all the work, all she needed was a poster boy (now girl) who would help her with organizing all of Zuan together to end the systematic inequalities that Zuanites faced. And she always stuck with the important shit. Not revenge. Not ego.

So, in short, the average person is an idiot who over identifies with Zuan and dumbs down the entire show to fit their narrow understanding of the conflict between the two cities and the deep relations between all of the characters.

[dyke-namite]

Where Your Loyalties Lie: AO3 Link

✧˖° Sevika/Vi , Eventual NSFW, Non Cannon Complaint Season 2✧˖°

Chapter 2: Come to Finish Me Off?

Summary:

After Caitlyn turns on her Vi doesn't know where to go. She finds herself struggling to come to terms with the scope of the damage Caityln (and by joining her, Vi's) actions have caused to Zaun. She shouldn't be surprised when she keeps crossing paths with Sevika. After all the woman has witnessed every other one of Vi's failures why wouldn't she be here now, her presence taunting Vi as she grapples with finding her place in a city and amongst a people she turned her back on. As Vi struggles to earn forgiveness and prepares for the looming war against Piltover, Sevika's looming presence starts to weigh on her. Before she realizes it the feelings she thought were behind are causing a distraction and it doesn't help that Sevika won't leave her alone.

Vi didn’t watch Sevika walk back into the bar. The exhaustion and pain was starting to catch up with her and she simply lay on the ground. She was glad Sevika had left when she did even tough she was gone Vi could still see Sevika smirking down at her when she tried to escape. She could see the way Sevika looked at her as she failed to get up. Vi felt her face heat as she remembered what Sevika had said before standing up. Part of her was angry about Sevika reminding her how often she lost their fights. Another part of her (that Vi was decidedly ignoring) couldn’t help but remember the whispers of the brothel staff when she had visited Babette months ago looking for information.

Vi dragged herself to her feet and started moving further down the alleyway in search of somewhere to hide out for the night. She made her way through the fissures, avoiding the few people she saw until she spotted a slightly open grate on the side of a wall about 20 feet up. Lamenting the fact that the climb would only make her ribs worse, Vi grabbed onto a metal pipe that ran along the outside of the wall and started to climb her way up to the grate. It was difficult trying to maneuver her sore body into the small space but Vi managed it. Once she had gotten herself inside and pulled the grate shut after herself Vi collapsed. Now that she had stopped moving her thoughts started swirling. The look of fear in her sister’s eyes when that kid had thrown themselves in the middle of the fight, Caitlyn trying to take the shot, a look on Cait’s face that Vi didn’t recognize. ‘That look.’ in that moment Caitlyn had looked like the enforcers Vi remembered from her childhood. Vicious, angry eyes not seeing Vi. Instead Caitlyn was looking at her with all the hostility toward and Zaun she had been raised with.

'How could I have been so stupid. After everything, I really thought a Kiramman of all people would be different. She would have shot that kid of it meant taking down Jinx. Fuck, what if there’s more. She said we were launching the gray on the chem baron headquarters. I thought she had staked them out before, that that’s where Maddie was all those times she was missing but what if I was wrong. Did Cait even care if they had the wrong building or is civilians were caught in the wrong place?'

Vi could never see much beyond what was right in front of her when they used the gray. She had always been in the middle of it. Her and Loris coming in through the pipes with the gray and leaving the same way. Steb usually came in with them and then disappeared into the smoke before meeting back up when it was over. Cait and Maddie almost never came in the same way as the other three. They would find spots far away from the action and line up sniper rifles before calling to release the gas. She had always assumed that when Cait and Maddie were finding their spots they had also checked to make sure no civilians were in the crossfire but now she wasn’t so sure. Vi started to panic realized just how far Caityln might have gone in her quest against Jinx. How many people she might have hurt. How many people Vi might have helped her hurt.

Vi barely slept. The only sleep she did get was when she passed out from pure exhaustion and even then she woke up again only a few hours later. The pain in her ribs had dulled some and she could move again without feeling as tough she was being stabbed so that was at least an improvement but she still had no idea what to do or where to go.

After pushing open the hatch, Vi half fell half climbed back down to the ground. She rested her head against the wall for a moment. Arms braced against the wall, Vi stared down at her boots trying to figure out what to do next. Her gaze shifted to the enforcers badge still strapped to her waist. She had forgotten she was still wearing the uniform. Over starched blue fabric, flashy gold trim, and the stupid pink ruffle Vi had immediately ripped when Caityln handed her the uniform. Vi let out a small chuckle, she was so emotionally exhausted that her situation was starting to seem almost humorous with irony. ‘Well gotta start somewhere’ Vi started to peel the uniform off. She unclasped the belt, removed her shoulder plates, and started to peel off the jacket. ‘Whose idea was it for these to have so many fucking buttons?!’ She dropped the jacket on the ground leaving the fabric she had wrapped around her chest the day before to act as a top. Vi looked at the leather and metal knee leg guards debating for a moment before deciding out of everything they were perhaps the most useful part of the uniform.

She reached down to pick the belt holing her badge back up. Seeking to put the last few months behind her, at least symbolically, Vi pulled the badge off the belt and stared at it for a moment before tossing it into the air as if flipping a coin. Before it could fall to the ground, she launched forward, punching the badge into the wall. Vi removed her bleeding fist from the small dent in the wall and stared at the now crushed badge before fastening the belt back around her hips and walking away.

Vi knew she needed to find some way to make enough money to at least get some food. She could go a few days without food but living on the streets of the fissures was dangerous and she would become a target once people recognized her. Wherever she could find work, Vi would have to be able to hide her identity. That didn’t leave her a lot of options. Realistically, it only left one she was willing to consider.

------------------------ “RAN” Sevika yelled out of the office above The Last Drop without looking up from the papers in front of her. A few moments later Ran appeared in the office and Sevika flipped the document she had been reading around and passed it across the desk. “Read this.” It was a message from the Firelights, specifically someone called Scar. Apparently, Ekko hadn’t been seen in about a week since he’d gone off with that weird hamster looking thing who’s name Sevika never cared to remember. They had gone up topside and no one had seen them since. “Scar will be here tomorrow. I know we haven’t fought the Firelights in a long time but that doesn’t mean I trust them. Prep the bar just in case.”

Ran nodded and passed the page back to Sevika before starting their report.

“Vi hasn’t gone back to Piltover.”

“What?”

“She’s in the pit.”

Sevika’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Vi to hang around long, thought that she would be back in Piltover kissing Kiramman’s boots within 48 hours of when Sevika left her in the alleyway. It had been a little over a week and Vi was still in the undercity.

“The fight pits? What the fuck is she doing there?”

Ran nodded.

“Went there the day after you told me to follow her. Far as I can tell she traded parts of her enforcers uniform to get a spot on the betting roster.” Sevika smirked at the irony of trading an enforcers uniform for a spot in a Zaun fighting ring. “She hasn’t done anything we need to worry about. Dyed her hair, uses makeup to cover her tattoos so no one recognizes her. Seems to be in a cycle of betting on herself, fighting, and getting drunk before going back to this tiny apartment across the street from the pit. Friend of hers showed up a few days ago. Big guy, left the enforcers the day they made Kiramman Commander.”

Caityln had been made commander three days ago. Just when Sevika thought the enforcers were at their worst, Noxus had joined them. She just hoped the obvious power move by Medarda would cause enough upheaval Topside that she would have time prepare for when Caitlyn’s arrangement with the General inevitably came back to bite them all in the ass.

Sevika grabbed a small box from the desk. “Keep watching her.” she said to Ran, pulling a cigarillo out of the box and lighting it. Ran raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything and left the office. Sevika sighed as she breathed out the smoke, feeling the first hints of shimmer calming her nerves. She was tired, taking over from Silco after Jinx killed him hadn’t been easy and it was only getting harder.

She practically lived at The Last Drop, most nights she slept on the couch in the office. Sometimes she woke up to Jinx dropping onto her from the rafters after sneaking in. Every time Jinx would let herself fall right onto Sevika, waking her up by knocking the wind out of her and then shoving Isha in her face before she could retaliate. Jinx had figured out annoyingly quickly that as much as she pretended otherwise Sevika cared about the kid. She knew Sevika wouldn’t fight her in front of Isha.

Since Jinx had figured this out, Sevika had resigned herself to mornings of being jumped on (Isha found it hilarious) and then glaring at Jinx over the kid’s head while Isha fiddled with parts of her mechanical arm. She would kick both of them out before going to the bar to get something to eat. Half the time she came back to the office to find Isha’s scribbles all over her paperwork.

She picked up one of the papers Isha had drawn on and sat down on the couch staring at it while she smoked, the shimmer infused tobacco and Isha’s drawing helping her find a rare moment of peace.

------------------------

Vi wasn’t sure what day it was. Everything was kind of a blur. Loris said she had been in the pit for over a month when he had helped her to her room last night. At this point, Loris could have told her she’d been here a year and she would have believed him. Every day was pretty much the same. The only difference being who she fought each night in the pit.

She dragged herself out of bed and kicked a few empty bottles out of the way as she walked over to the sink in her room. She turned the tap on and splashed some of the water on her face before looking into the mirror.

‘Fuck, the dye is fading. Have to go out and get some soon.’Seeing the bruises and cuts slowly healing across her body, the makeup smudged across her face that she had failed to wash off properly. Vi started to spiral with memories and guilt. ‘Fuck, why did I join them. What would Vander think of me now. Turned traitor for a Piltie. He’d have knocked me out of it before I could betray Powder. God if I had just run off as soon as Caitlyn let me out of Stillwater. Should have left her and found Powder. Jinx. Maybe if I had gone to her she wouldn’t have blown up the council building. I should have listened to her. Cait was never going to be who I wanted her to be. I should have protected her, Jinx, she's still my sister even if she's different. It's all my fault if I had just handled it better. Vander’s death. If I hadn’t left her she wouldn’t have become Jinx. This. is. All. my. Fault.’

Vi felt tears running down her face. She glared at herself in the mirror, her reflection taunting her. Vi screamed and punched her reflection. The voices in her head slowed and she breathed heavily, staring into the sink with her fist still in the now shattered glass. After a few minnuets Vi removed her hand from the destroyed mirror, grabbed the bottle closest to her, and took a large swig. She sat down on the edge of her bed and started to remove the glass from her knuckles.

A few hours later Vi was walking into the pit again. The noise of the crowd drowning out her thoughts as she prepared for the next fight.

------------------------

Sevika’s arm was malfunctioning again. Some of the gears were stuck and the shimmer compartment had a build up of the chemical that needed to be cleaned out. Jinx had reworked it so that she had an actual hand instead of the giant claw that was originally attached but the arm was still huge and weighed enough to give Sevika neck pain whenever she wore it. She made a mental note to talk Jinx into making something that wasn’t so impractical the next time she decided to drop into the office.

She was re-attaching the cover onto the shimmer compartment when Ran walked into the office. Sevika looked up for a moment before returning focus to the cover plate and waiting for them to speak. She finished attaching the cover and started to try and remove some of the blue paint that Jinx and Isha had splattered all over her arm.

“Jinx went to see her”

Sevika glanced up at Ran again. “Who?”

“Vi” That was not what Sevika had expected Ran’s answer to be. She looked up fully now, shocked. Jinx going after her sister could only lead to even more late nights trying to clean up her mess.‘Fuck! What did she do?’

Ran simply smirked at Sevika’s expression. “Which one?”

“Either! Both!” Honestly either one of them were enough to give her a headache, trying to deal with both of them might kill her. Sevika grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the desk and took a drink before resuming scrubbing the paint off of her arm, now with significantly more force then needed.

Ran let out a small chuckle at Sevika’s stress cleaning. “Shockingly not much. Don’t think Jinx wanted anyone to know she was there. Bet on her sister, watched, left when the crowd did.”

“And Vi didn’t see her”

“No.” Sevika breathed a sigh of relief and stopped scrubbing quite so hard on her arm before taking another drink.

Ran continued “She doesn’t look great. Think Jinx could have bombed the place and she wouldn’t have noticed. She’s usually drunk, or hungover, or both. Drinks after every fight until her friend drags her back home then does it all over again.

Sevika frowned, staring down at the desk. She had lived like that once, after the failed rebellion at the bridge 13 years ago. She didn’t want to admit it, and she wouldn’t if anyone asked, but part of her felt sympathy for Vi. Even if it was her own choices that had led her to this point, she didn’t want to watch Vi destroy herself.

Sighing, Sevika looked up at Ran again. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, shaking her head before finally saying “Just...don’t let her get herself killed...” Ran raised an eyebrow and looked at her like they could see through her mask. They always could. She scowled at them in return “for Jinx.” Ran rolled their eyes as they walked out of the room.

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A few hours later Sevika was authorizing the latest shipment of shimmer when Ran came running over. “You said not to let her get killed.” Sevika handed the clipboard full of paperwork to the closest person besides Ran and turned to face them fully. “What did she do.”

According to Ran, Vi had finally spiraled out of control and instead of getting drunk and going back to her place after the last fight, she had gotten drunk, shoved her friend away, and then started a bar fight. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problem except that after her fight Vi was already barely standing and the alcohol was only making her worse. To add to this she had picked a fight with far to many people and was now half-conscious in the alley by her apartment.

Sevika had left Ran to deal with the shipments and made her way toward where they had said Vi’s apartment was. She found Vi slumped up against the wall underneath the metal stairs that led to her apartment. Her head was bleeding and she had a mix of old and new bruises covering her torso. Sevika sighed in both annoyance and pity. She walked under the stairwell and nudged Vi with her foot. Vi groaned and opened her eyes. One was slightly swollen. Sevika watched as she coughed and winced before spitting out a small amount of blood. Vi glared up at her “Come to finish me off Sevika?” rolling her eyes, Sevika huffed and reached down to grab Vi under her shoulder and pull her up. Vi tried to push her away but she didn’t have the strength or coordination to do more than stumble.

After stopping Vi from falling on her face, Sevika started to drag her back towards The Last Drop. “I’m not gonna fight you Violet, get your shit together” Vi made a noncommittal humming noise but didn’t fight Sevika as they made their way towards the bar. Sevika looked down at her with pity, knowing Vi couldn’t see her expression and even if she did no one would believe her.