#WE WILL NEVER GET VIKTORS BACKSTORY

[monimoonn]

My husband died at war (they cancelled Ice adolescence)

[ballerinarina]

𐙚Okay, brellies, theory time!

I decided to rewatch TUA S1 and I noticed a detail that chilled me, and that somehow I missed the four times before.

In EP2, when Five gets lost, his first instinct is to call VIKTOR and BEN. Their NAMES.

Which means at this time the kids already had been named! I always thought Five was called Five because they were named after he went missing!!

That rented a triplex in my head and I could only think: So he has a name too? What is his name? Why doesn't he use his name?

And then I tried to search about it, because I was sure I was the only person that never noticed that, and you guys can't imagine my surprise when I discovered ANOTHER detail I missed.

MAX'S DELICATESSEN

MAX!

No way! I mean, it's a Five's cafe, created by five where all the Fives visit! Who else would be Max? Only him!

But that doesn't answer my questions:

Why doesn't he use his name? And why did he use it this time to name the cafe?

I really need answers, theories, opinions, anything, guys.

[EDIT] UPDATES:

The dear @bookbutterfly1999 showed me two old articles about it, one where Gerard Way talks and another with Aidan's interpretation about the matter! (Tysm!)

According to WAY Five not being numbered is integral to his character development. [...] “Maybe they [Luther and Diego] will learn the numbers don’t matter, as Five did, which is why I feel he embraced his number as a name instead of a rank, and rejected an actual name (which I hope we see one day!).”

&

GALLAGHER: “In Season 1, they referenced each other by name there, and Five was in that, but he’s never gotten a name. I suppose Grace was choosing names for the children, and there may have been one for Five, but it’s my understanding that he rejected it. That’s how I think about his relation to a name. A number always superseded him. It was almost a resentful, spiteful action, in the face of Hargreeves. I don’t really think he cares about such things as a number. Five has always been this brilliant, very cunning, and weird little mind, so a number suited him, in a way, and he grew accustomed to it. [...] He probably rejected the name because he thought it was petty, or something like that. [...]”

It's just so interesting to have the answer to why he rejected his name! Five is such a complex character.

Since Gerard insinuated that we could may see his given name someday, I think that the theory that it's Max is still super valid!

Which makes the question remain: what guided him to give this name to the delicassen? I would love to have this answer someday! Theories?

[LINKS TO THE ARTICLES]

[psychic-refugee]

I agree with pretty much everyone that the season was rushed. They had so much going on and just didn’t do any kind of exposition or building of the storyline. Even if they had the normal 10-episode season, I don’t know how they would have done anyone’s storyline justice.

So, even for a Netflix season, it was short and rushed.

I think it could have been a really good season if they had the time to actually tell the story.

Some things I wished they had developed.

The bond between Jennifer and Ben. Or just having a backstory for Jennifer at all. She was literally just there and I felt I knew nothing about her. Marigold made 43 gifted children, did Durango only make Jennifer? If Marigold gives powers, does Durango make them even more ordinary? lol

They could have had a plot where maybe both particles give powers, but when they are in proximity to someone with the opposite particle, their powers get nullified.

If Lila and Five were gonna go Timeline hopping, they could have shown several timelines where Jennifer and Ben keep meeting tragic ends when they meet each other. I would have loved it if they were “Star Crossed Lovers” on steroids where literally every time they meet, they either die or bring about the end of the world.

I wished they played up more the idea that the Umbrella Academy as a unit/existing at all meant doom for the Universe.

Where if Ben and Jennifer don’t meet/die early enough, then Viktor causes the apocalypse. If Viktor doesn’t cause the apocalypse, then it’s Five with his wrecking the timeline to the point it creates a kugleblitz. If Five doesn’t cause it, then show how the others all bring about the doom.

Klaus always awakens too many of the dead and they kill everyone, zombie apocalypse style.

Alison’s ability progresses to the point that anything she says becomes reality, and she inadvertently causes the world to end because she gets pissed and wished “everyone would drop dead” or some other kind of Monkey Paw consequence to a misguided wish.

Diego is blamed for every assassination because of his abilities, and it starts a nuclear war between countries.

Luther gets captured by a shady government entity where they want to use his DNA or recreate Reginald’s serum to create super soldiers, as his powers are the most coveted for a fascist regime. They’re successful and there’s an apocalypse created by world wars.

Instead of Viktor getting two seasons of ending the world and Five and Ben getting one; It should have been a 7-season storyline where they each end the world in their own way and they continuously try to fix it. Season 7 is where it ends with all of them voluntarily being absorbed by the Cleanse because they realize, “It’s me. Hi, I’m the problem it’s me.”

I wish they had gone deeper into Abigail Hargreeves, and not only on her research for Marigold and Durango, but her apparent resentment of being brought back to life. Like, how did she come to the plan of putting the Cleanse in motion? They couldn’t have at least done a montage of the six years between the resurrecting time reset and the beginning of season 4?

It would have been nice to see the dynamic between Reginald and Abigail. Is he so self-centered that he never noticed his wife was plotting to end the universe as they knew it? Was she horrified at the lengths he went to in order to resurrect her? Was he completely different around her? Soft, caring?

Did she try to live a happy life with Reginald, but couldn’t knowing that because Marigold and Durango still existed, that it was only a matter of time before it went to shit?

Was Abigail aware of the broken timeline and the inevitable eternal loop of apocalypse and resets, and that’s why she chose the Cleanse?

Season Four wasn’t finished, IMO, and we really only saw the Wiki version.

[lightshiningforth]

The third season of TUA had Allison, grief-stricken and desperate, go down a dark path. She allied against her siblings with (a version of) their abusive father to build a new world catered to her (and his) wishes. Then, in the fourth season, all of that gets brushed over.

Why don’t we get to see Allison adjusting to the world she made? Struggling with the uncanniness of it, the ethics? She has her husband from the 1960s, Ray, and her daughter from the 2010s, Claire. How does that work? Is this a world in which Ray is Claire’s biological father… in which case, does Allison feel like an ache hidden deep in her heart that this is NOT the daughter she lost, the original one she had with Patrick? Or, is Patrick still Claire’s father, and if so… where is he? Did Allison write a world where she and Patrick are still divorced, but here, SHE gets custody? Or did she write Patrick out of existence, and Claire is a staggering anomaly. A girl whose father isn’t dead, isn’t absent, but never existed. How does Claire remember her childhood, given that she sprang into existence fully formed at the age Allison remembered her? Does Claire ever get a creeping sensation that her memories are off? Does Allison feel guilty that she conjured Claire from memory and robbed her of her true past? Or, does she feel righteous and justified about getting a do-over?

And Ray, oh, Ray. How does he experience the world? They fell in love specifically as activists in the 1960s. Does he remember? Did she build him an alternate backstory? Do his memories go fuzzy around the edges if he thinks about them too hard? Does he leave her, leave this woman about whom an alternate version of himself said, “I would take this year with you over a lifetime with anyone else,” because something in his gut screamed WRONG WRONG WRONG? Or does he know, does he remember everything they went through… and he leaves her because she knew how he felt about staying in his own time and world and she took him from it anyway?

How does Allison cope when the perfect family she went mad to make starts falling apart?

And the siblings, the siblings… at the last moment in season 3, Viktor powers down and decides to trust Allison. The others don’t make that call. Where’s the confrontation with them? The brothers railing against her for working with Hargreeves for her own ends, while she shoots back that they didn’t care when SHE lost everything? Where’s the anger from Luther, from Ben, that this glorious new world doesn’t have Sloane in it?

What was the point of constructing such a juicy, conflict-ridden situation only to brush right by it?

[drspencereidshairtie]

The Umbrella Academy Season Four: A Retcon

- they never get their powers back

- they have to navigate just being human

- they work actual realistic jobs (NO CIA)

- they have to find their place in society

- five has to go to highschool or college or whatever?

- basically the whole szn but like the first episode kinda?

- klaus didn't cut his hair (at least not that short) 😭🙏

- no gross-out v*mit scene (seriously, I hated that!!)

- absolutely no marigold and django. worst plotline ever.

- jennifer could just be ben's girlfriend he met at her coffee shop or café or whatever, no django weirdness.

- allison goes to therapy. in fact they all go to family therapy. just...therapy. PLEASE. GO TO THERAPY.

- they let klaus actually stay sober??????????????????? instead of forcing him to be flanderized back into 'im a junkie alcoholic there's no other choice'?? which just felt insanely invalidating towards actual addicts who have... overcome their addictions?? and I'm not even an addict?

- lila and diego go to couples therapy or get divorced or separate or whatever the fuck instead of all that insane bullshit that went down.

- I actually really really really liked what they did with viktor this season. No notes there, keep that going.

(also is it just me or is anyone else irked by the fact that the two characters with squid / octopus related powers and backstories are asian and also romantically entangled or am i just being overly sensitive? Lmk)

I genuinely would rather a boring ass anti-climactic final season like this over what we got. They could have done a lot with them being normal people.

They could even have had another apocalypse if they really wanted, but have the umbrella academy have to navigate it as REGULAR HUMANS for once. Let them have to work through their limitations, or let the 'cure' just be that they have to die in an apocalypse rather than avoiding it to fix the timeline. (NOT THE CLEANSE).

There was so much potential for season four..............but unfortunately we happened to live in the timeline where all of it was squandered. #Earth616sucks

[lavendersugarplum]

I‘M JUST COMING ON HERE TO SAY THAT SEASON 4 WAS SO ASS!!

LIKE WHO WROTE THE SCRIPT?! FANFIC WRITERS?

I'm beyond relieved that I had already decided to rewrite this season to salvage Zero's character because there's no way I'm accepting this garbage as canon.

Let's be real - Seasons 1 and 2 were the peak of this show. Everything went downhill from Season 3, but I foolishly held out hope that they'd turn it around. Boy, was I wrong. This season was straight up ASS. To be honest, I might even do a season three rewrite as well.

No Sloane? No Umbrella Ben?  Don't even get me started on how they literally RUINED Five's character. Five would NEVER betray his brother like that. I can guarantee you that Zero would absolutely hate him this season. Honestly, she would've already checked out from the family as soon as they arrived in that new reality. Him falling in love with Lila was so out of character and almost disgusting to me, because you've known this dude ever since he was in a 13-year-old body. It's just weird to me. I just can't believe that this franchise would ruin probably the most loved character in the fandom. And then they went and made the last part all about his feelings.

Like mother like daughter, I guess. I've never liked Lila's character in the first place, but this season just solidified my stance. She was basically used as a shipping tool. She was already a Mary Sue before. I was just starting to warm up to her in season three because I already had predicted that we were basically stuck with her. They basically turned her into Y/N, and not the likeable kind. That love triangle was completely unnecessary and poorly executed. JUSTICE FOR DIEGO. He should've ended up with Eudora. They should've revived her somehow.

They completely abandoned plot threads from the end of Season 3. What happened to Allison's husband? What about Ben in the subway? And Luther's search for Sloane? It's like they forgot their own story.

The ending was so full with plot holes. They conveniently ignored the existence of other children born from the marigold, which was a crucial part of Lila's backstory. If the timelines are bleeding together, these other children should have caused major issues. The show's always had continuity problems, but ignoring a fundamental part of the story's premise is just inexcusable.

The Jennifer and Ben storyline was a complete waste of time. In previous seasons, they took care to develop new characters like Sloane, and the new Ben in Season 3. Jennifer's story was so rushed and disconnected that I couldn't bring myself to care about her at all. They ditched Sloane for THIS?! Ben's attachment to her made no sense either. It's a terrible way to create an end-of-timeline scenario with a character no one knows or cares about due to lack of screen time.

Killing off the entire cast in the finale is an enormously risky move that can backfire. You need a rock-solid narrative reason and the audience's complete buy-in to pull this off. The Umbrella Academy failed miserably. It felt rushed and lazy, like they couldn't be bothered to explore any other options. We've seen Victor extract the Marigold from Harlan before, so the alternatives DO EXIST.

Klaus's character was criminally underutilized. This dude ALWAYS came through for his family in the end. This time, his character was completely wasted. And don't even get me started on how Allison gets a free pass after all the horrible things she did after they treated Viktor like crap, for the whole third season.

This season was an insult to fans who have invested time and emotion into this show. It's clear the writers have lost their way and have no idea how to properly conclude this story. I'm beyond disappointed and frustrated with how they've ruined what was once a promising series. In Netflix, a series is either canceled or they F up the franchise. They should've just left this show at three seasons and ended it anonymously. Can't believe we waited two years for this?

[real-frog-girl-shit]

list of things they didn't explain further pissing me off about umbrella academy season 4:

-why was jennifer in the squid

-how did jennifer get the durango in the first place

-what was the end goal of hargreeves keeping jennifer alive in that town at all? he clearly has no issue killing the kids, why not just kill her once he found her?

-how would jennifer know what 'the cleanse' was when she got out of the squid?

-did jennifer have a family? was she just born in a squid? why a squid? they used to to connect to ben but like...why

-why do jennifer and ben have a connection at all other than the fact that they both have squids in their backstory?

-how the fuck would claire, grace, and the twins (also were they ever named? insane if not) be alive after everything? their parents quite literally do not exist

-how did ray get into this timeline? this might be something i missed from season 3 but like... what? and where is he now? i keep seeing quotes being like he felt out of place in this timeline, so he's what, just gonna go out by himself and still live in this timeline? what?

-why did lila get laser eyes

-which version of five ended up leaving the book in the subway? and why? he said it was his handwriting and he was surprised to see it. i thought we would see him live out a life outside of lila and leaving it there for himself to find but nope...he just happened to find it hiding in a subway track. its not even like something made him go look there, he just dropped his flashlight

-why did the cleanse turn ben and jennifer into...that

-how would ben know what the "original timeline" is supposed to look like to even show viktor

-what the fuck was abigail's deal like for real what the fuck. why do all of that. and why now. literally made no sense

-how is grace alive at that age in the 'original timeline' when she was a fuckin robot in modern times and her human equivalent was that age in the 60s

-never fully explained throughout the whole show what the deal with the technology was. there was nary a cell phone to be seen until the 'original timeline'. never got an explanation for that

-how did they still have marigold in this timeline at all? and if abigail wanted to cause all that destruction in the first place and knew about jennifer, why not just go to jennifer herself with the marigold she had and just start the apocalypse herself

i'm sure there's so many other things i'm forgetting and this is not even touching on the absolute character assassinations and plot holes. i'm so tired and just gonna patiently wait for the comics to continue cuz my gawd this was a mess

[doctorho]

Holy Darkness, pt. 1

hello! my peeps! what's up!!!

it's here! the vampire au! i have no idea how long i'm gonna make this thing, we'll see where the Vibes take us.

this is going to be vampire!Viktor x gender neutral reader multichapter fic

2,3k words, no warnings. i mean, general spooky vibes, but we all know he isn't actually evil okay. i mean the reader doesn't know that. yet. but we know that. right?

(some backstory for this fic idea here and here)

I mean. It’s not like you meant to trespass on the property of the nocturnal hermit living in a rundown abandoned library.

Or maybe you did. A little bit. But that’s not the point. 

The point is that you’re there now, in the quiet darkness, surrounded by the scent of wet leaves and heavy silence; the kind that drips down the back of your neck and tingles as it curls around your spine. 

It had been a perfectly ordinary night, so far. You’d closed up the small bookshop you worked at, quietly getting everything ready for the next day, swept the floors, just like you always did. You’d eaten dinner alone in your small quiet apartment, just like you always did. You’d put out some food for the too-thin stray cat that hung around your street, and wished, bone-deep, that something in your small quiet life would change.

Just like you always did.

It wasn’t bad, your life. It was actually pretty good, considering. But it was boring. Stagnant. And you just…wanted something more. The town was small and quiet and nothing much ever happened – the most exciting event of your week was usually the gossip you overheard at the weekly book club meetings, which didn’t exactly make you feel better about your own life. A good percentage of the elderly ladies in the book club (or their neighbors) seemed to lead more exciting lives than you did. 

You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, you knew that. But your life was boring, and you spent your days surrounded by books; epic adventures, romances that made your heart melt, countless stories where someone gets thrown into a land straight out of your imagination, fantasies where there’s a whole other world just a breath away from this one– 

It made your own life seem even more boring in comparison. 

And it didn’t exactly help that the only thing this town had going for itself – besides the book club – was that there was an abandoned library that was, allegedly, inhabited by a hermit, who – allegedly – might have been a vampire. 

You weren’t sure how much of that story was true. Yes, there was the abandoned library, condemned to be closed down years ago after some unfortunate water damage and lack of funding to rebuild it. Yes, there seemed to be someone living in there. Sometimes you saw lights on in the windows, things that had moved around as if on their own. Someone seemed to be taking care of the property, too, at least to some extent. 

Yes, no-one ever really saw this person out during daylight hours. 

All anyone knew was that 1) there seemed to be someone living there, 2) the collective guess was that it was a man, probably pretty young, and definitely a loner.

And at some point the collective understanding had also accepted that this man was, allegedly, a vampire.

You weren’t sure you believed that last part. Vampires were, technically, not recognized by science. You’d never met one, that you knew of. But…they were a stable factor in local folklore, and all those stories had to come from somewhere. Right?

And…the longer you stood there, watching the dark building and the dim golden light pouring out from the windows, the more you started to entertain the thought that maybe vampires existed, and maybe this man was one of them. 

He seemed to lead an unusual life, and yeah, maybe he was just a hermit, but…for some reason you couldn’t quite convince yourself of that. No-one just appears out of nowhere and sets up camp in an abandoned building, never to be seen in daylight again.

You’d seen his shadow in the window a few times, passing by. You couldn’t see much of his features, but he was lean, like people had said. You stayed hidden the best you could – this was the first time you’d gotten this close – and just…tried to win this internal fight with yourself about whether you should turn around and go home right now or just get a little bit closer. Just stay a little bit longer. 

(You weren’t sure which side of your brain you were hoping would win).

You knew it was stupid, being there. 

You didn’t know how dangerous this man was, vampire or not. For all you knew he could have been 100% human and still been a murderer or something. 

But you were curious. 

That’s all it boiled down to. 

You didn’t want anything from this man. You just wanted to know. Who he was, what he was doing in there–

and if vampires really existed. 

Maybe you should be blaming all those fantasy books in your shop, but – dammit – you wanted to know if something more than this boring human existence really was out there. It was like an itching in your bones; you wanted to know. Your soul refused to settle, and it got more and more restless the longer you went on with your normal little life.

Besides, the man lived in a library. You had no idea how many books were in there that no-one in this town even remembered anymore. 

You wanted to know. 

That’s what makes you stay. Even when half your brain and most of your blood was constantly telling you that you should go, leave, now. 

You don’t really even have a plan. It’s not like you’re going to just knock and go up to him and say hey, I was wondering, what’s your deal? 

Yeah. You weren’t going to do that. 

What you were planning on doing was just…sort of circling that idea, the possibility of maybe running into him. Walking just on the edge of the property, telling yourself it’s not on purpose. Stopping to see if there’s a light in the windows tonight. That’s it.

It’s not like you were planning on actually going to talk to him. 

So when he’s suddenly standing in front of you, you don’t know what to say. Or do.

He is standing there, all sharp-edged in the shadows, dark and tall and silent, and looking at you with the most intense eyes you’ve ever seen. 

There’s a moment, when you’re just staring at him, where you feel like your heart beats a hollow beat and everything in the night is silent. The shadows seem to twirl around him, though that was probably just your imagination. Probably.

“Is there a reason you’re lingering in the shadows out here?” He asks, his voice a quiet, captivating drawl. 

He seems calm, the kind of stationary bottom-of-the-sea calm that you’d only seen in very intelligent animals before. 

(You try to quiet the part of your brain that tries to substitute ‘animals’ with ‘predators’, and you try your best to keep your breathing even. It takes more effort than it should).

His eyes were golden, deep golden, and that definitely wasn’t usual for…humans. 

And there was something about his features that made you instantly accept that if vampires existed, and this man was one, you wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. 

“No,” you answer, and the word is so light that it feels like a lie as soon as it leaves your lips.

You’re not sure what kind of vampiric powers this man might have, but you’re suddenly worried that he might be able to hear your heartbeat, which was definitely way faster than it should have been. 

“Hm.” He says, still looking at you, as if he was studying you.

You both pretend that he isn’t the reason you’re there. Or, you pretend he isn’t, and he pretends he doesn’t know that. 

You take a deep breath.

“What are the chances you would just go back inside and forget I was ever here?” You ask, trying to sound like you weren’t worried about what the alternative to that might be.

“Very low,” he answers, straight-forward, and then he tilts his head slightly and his eyes trail over you. 

He was still studying you.

“I don’t get many…visitors.” He says, and then he smiles. It’s a small, knowing, stupidly attractive smile, and, god, yeah, the man definitely has small fangs. Christ. Was it like a feature that vampires were attractive to like, lure you in? Was that a thing they did? 

He couldn't read your thoughts, could he?

“So it is not likely that I’ll forget you were ever here, no.” He continues, “but if you want me to, I will go back inside.” He meets your eyes, “if you tell me why you’re really here.”

You swallow. 

Fine, that was reasonable. You were on his property. 

Well. Technically it was still probably the town’s property. But still. In essence it was his now. 

You take a deep breath and try to silence the annoyingly rattling part of your monkey-brain that was still tugging at you to run away, be smart, please-  

The longer you dissect this situation in your brain though, the clearer it becomes. 

Yes, you were currently in a dark secluded space with a stranger. Who might be a vampire.

But…he hadn’t actually done anything to scare you, had he?

He hadn’t threatened you. 

He seemed quite reasonable, actually. 

And if he wanted to hurt you, he could have done that already. Many times over.

But instead, he was out here. Making civil conversation.

Did you really even want him to go back inside?

Wasn’t this why you were here? To find out more about him? 

You swallow, lick your lips, and then meet his eyes. Take a breath. 

“I was curious.”

“About?” He counters, watching you, tilting his head, as if he didn’t already know. 

You furrow your eyes a little bit. Just look at him for a few seconds. He just waits for you to answer, patiently. 

“You.” You finally answer. Hold his gaze.

“Ah.” He says, then nods slowly and smiles again, faintly. “Me.” 

Then, he looks at you again, now with something more purposeful in his eyes. More…interested. “Why?”

You blink. Go through a quick mental check of what your choices were here; you could lie – and say what?

Or you could tell the truth, and see where it took you. 

And – honestly? You were still curious. 

So you shrug with one shoulder, trying your best to seem casual about it. Pretend your heart wasn’t still pounding. 

“I was curious,” You answer, “about the mysterious stranger living in the abandoned library.”

He looks at you. Studies you. Nods slowly. 

"Hm." he says again. "Well, here I am." 

You take a deep breath. 

He shifts his weight. 

"What would you like to know?" He asks, remarkably casually. Like an offering. Or, possibly, a bait.

You take it, whichever one it was.

One way to find out.

"Who are you?" 

You start with the obvious, though you're not really sure what kind of an answer you're hoping for. 

"My name is Viktor." He says, simply, still with the ghost of a smile on his face. 

Nice. A name. Progress. 

Viktor.

That still didn't tell you much about what he was really doing here, but it was a start. 

You offer your own name in return, hoping not to seem rude. Not that he'd do much with your name; it wasn't very likely that you two would become pen pals or something. 

"And you've just…been living in our rundown library?" 

"Yes," he answers, shifting his weight a bit again, and again, looking at you like he was inspecting you. Waiting for something.

"Why?" 

He tilts his head a little. "That is," he says, "not a one-word answer." 

"Most answers aren't." You answer, before you can really think it through. This whole situation was absurd; were you really out here just… having a casual conversation with this cryptid of a man? 

He makes a sound that is… close to a chuckle. More of an exhale, but still. You can hear it loud and clear in the quiet darkness, and that makes it feel like he’s much closer to you than he actually is. Like the small sound fills the air around you.

"That is true." He says after a moment. Then, he takes a breath. Visibly. 

So he wasn't at least entirely undead then. 

"How about we make a deal." he offers, "I'll tell you," he meets your eyes again and smiles a little, "for a price."

"And what might that be?" You ask in return, entertaining the idea, and trying your best to seem casual about it.

His smile widens. "One of those strawberry pies from the bakery, and your favorite book."

You blink. How he knew about the strawberry pies, you weren't sure, but you weren't about to question that now. The answer could have been a lot worse, so you'll take strawberry pie, sure. 

"Do I need to point out that you literally live in a library?" 

He shifts his weight again, leaning more heavily on his cane. "A library that hasn't gotten any new books in years."

You look at him. Really look at him. 

So this alleged-vampire, nocturnal cryptid hermit of a man, had just offered to tell you his life story, in exchange for a pie and a book? 

Yeah, if you were honest with yourself, you were never going to not take that deal. 

"Okay," you tell him, "my place or yours?" 

His lips quirk up a little. "Mine," he answers, "I think that's probably best." Then, he nods slowly and meets your eyes. "It's quiet and peaceful in there."

He smiles, just enough for you to get a glimpse of his teeth again, and it's the most sharp-edged-beautiful thing you've seen in a while.

Something curls around your spine in the darkness, and you're still not sure if it was a bait or an offering that you took.

You're not sure you care.

[magicbystarlight]

Him, Not It

*Bonus Content*

Series Masterlist

Summary: You'd been training under Madam Pomfrey since the beginning of the year. The TriWizard Tournament been the perfect opportunity for you to learn the basics of Healing. By the Third Task you thought you were prepared for whatever happened. This is backstory to “Before I Knew You”.

Word Count: 2,719

Warnings: 18+, Injuries, Death, Ministry Officials being shitty, grief, sleep deprivation. Minors DNI.

Horror rooted itself in your lungs as you watched Fleur Delacour brought in the Medi-Tent, her body limp but breathing. Her piercing scream from minutes before still rang in your ears over the rapid voices of those scurrying around her. Whispers you caught as they tried to determine what had done this to her, their diagnostic spells turning up no physical injuries. It was obvious to them all, but the thought of it seemed impossible.

She'd been hit with some dark magic somewhere within the walls of the maze that had made their attempts at casting the reviving spells ineffective. It was unclear what exactly had hit her, but it was evident that no creature that had been set loose in the labyrinth could have done it. The only other option was one of the three people who had been in there with Fleur. Three people you would have never thought capable of such a thing.

Before the reality of that could take hold, Viktor Krum's frozen body was carried in. His diagnosis was less worrisome, only one Medi-Wizard pulling off from Fleur to work on him. Stunned. It did, however, leave the questions of why. To win? Had Harry or Cedric taken out the others to improve their chance? 

"Rennervate!"

Viktor shot off his cot, his wand still clinched in his fist from when he'd been hit by the spell. His head whipped around, assessing the space. The wizard tried to speak with him and get him to return to the cot, but Viktor paid him no heed. Instead his gaze locked on Fleur and his body went rigged. Not like when he’d been Stunned, but as if there was some unseen strain on him his muscles flexed and chest heaved. 

It was then as he blinked that you saw it. The familiar dark brown of his eyes was dulled, like something was obscuring the color. His hand shook as his wand began to rise, mouth parting.

“Stupefy!”

The red jet of light hit his shoulder and silenced the tent. A dozen sets of eyes danced between the Stunned Bulgarian and the wand you had pointed at him. “He’s Imperiused.” 

Questions flew at you. 'Who let the child in here?' 'How do you know what the Imperious Curse looks like?' 'What can we do to reverse it?' 'Who cast it?'

A joyous roar from the crowd in the bleachers outside the tent cut through them. Someone had won. Hogwarts had won. At what cost?

"He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

The Medi-Witches and Wizards ran from the tent, but your feet did not move. Cedric. Cedric dead. Ced—

You pushed it down. Not now. Not yet. Viktor was alive. Fleur was alive. They needed help. You stepped forward, overly aware of how poorly trained the others had been to have completely left them here alone. A dozen of them and not one thought to stay behind.

Professor Moody’s words echoed in your mind. “Only an exceptionally strong will can break the curse. Otherwise, it can only be removed by the caster or upon the caster’s death.”

The jinx you'd cast was already beginning to fail. Viktor's cheek began to twitch. A cart of potions sat between the cots. A bottle of dark purple caught your eye. Sleeping Draught. You swiped it and turned to him. He blinked. "Sorry, Vik."

You pulled out the cork, placed the rim on his lip, and tipped it. He was already falling back onto the cot when the potion emptied. It would keep him out for a few hours. 

Turning to Fleur you had the terrible realization that Viktor was not the only Champion who had an Unforgivable cast on them tonight. A quick diagnostic spell confirming again there were no physical injuries.

“A person will lose their mind if they suffer it long enough. Some last longer than others, but,” Moody had shaken his head with a deep sigh, “no one can suffer it forever without something breaking.”

Her scream had been brief, doubtful she’d experienced the Cruciatus Curse long enough for any extensive mental harm. But the only way to be sure was to wake her. Again, you looked at the cart. Draught of Peace to ease the anxiety of what she’d suffered and Invigoration Draught to wake her.

You adjusted the cot to have her upper body raised and poured each potion down her throat like you had for Viktor. It took longer for her to wake than it had for him to fall asleep. 

“Where am I?” she asked, her perfect features scrunched in confusion.

“The Medi-Tent.”

The answer seemed to stir her memory. A good sign. “I was attacked! I was hit by something from behind, a spell, I think? I heard a spell. It hurt like nothing I have felt before.”

A response died on your lips as the others returned to the tent. A cot carrying something covered by a cloak floated behind them followed by the Minister and Mr. and Mrs. Diggory. The Medi-Wizard who’d attended to Viktor tripped over nothing and fell to the ground. It appeared he’d been the one to cast the levitation spell on the cot as it too came crashing down.

Horrified gasps came as Cedric rolled across the ground until he finally stopped, his blue eyes empty as they stared at you.

-

The Common Room was quiet despite the entirety of Hufflepuff occupying the space. Professor Sprout had wanted everyone together. A few quiet conversations scattered amongst those left awake and a handful of snores. Compared to the sounds of grief that had filled it two hours before it, it was near silence.

Cedric was dead.

“A terrible accident,” Fudge had called it. A lie. There were already two Champions who’d suffered Unforgivables, it wasn’t difficult to recognize Cedric had suffered one too.

The scene of the previous night replayed your head again and again as you watched the crackling fire. Cedric had sat where you did now with a wide grin as your housemates suggested the things he could buy when he won. He'd been adamant about getting the whole Quidditch team new brooms. He'd blushed cherry red when asked if he'd also buy a new broom for Ravenclaw's Seeker.

There had been no color in the face of the corpse.

The gentle call of your name pulled you from the memory. Professor Sprout was there, a pitying expression as she stared down at you. "I'm very sorry, dear. I tried to tell them it could wait until tomorrow, but…" you followed as her gaze drifted to the entryway where a man and a woman stood. Ministry. "...they have a few questions for you."

You nodded, standing from the couch. 

"Would you like me to come with you?"

A shake of your head was all you could offer. You followed the Ministry officials silently as they led you through the dungeons, past the ground floor, and up onto the first floor. It was a familiar path. The doors of the Hospital Wing were ajar as you walked through. Only two beds were occupied. One held a sleeping Harry Potter. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and an older woman with fiery-red hair you didn't know were asleep in chairs around his bed. 

The other held a disheveled but awake Professor Moody missing his usual magic eye and seeming rather annoyed by the Ministry man he was speaking to.

Why was he here?

In the very back of the wing were Madam Pomfrey, Headmaster Dumbledore, one of the Medi-Wizards from the tent, and a man whose face was scrunched in distaste. "This," he asked the Medi-Wizard, "is who determined Unforgivables were used? An actual child?"

"A very intelligent young woman," Dumbledore said calmly. "She was the most equipped in that tent to identify such things, as we have told you."

"Forgive me for being skeptical of the stories you have told tonight," the man sneered. What else had been said tonight? "I'd like to question her alone."

Madam Pomfrey was outraged. "You cannot question a child alone!"

"Which is it? Is she a child incapable of answering questions? Or an intelligent young woman who can identify Unforgivables?"

Some piece of you snapped. The Ministry was trying to sweep this under the rug and claims of your incompetence would only further their agenda. Cedric deserved the truth, whatever it was. As did Viktor, Fleur, and Harry. You spoke for the first time since you'd left the tent hours before, voice dry with disdain. "It's fine. Can we use your office, Madam Pomfrey?"

Your mentor looked unwilling as she nodded. Dumbledore assured you they'd be outside the door and that you could end the questions whenever you wished. 

It irked you how comfortable the man seemed to be as he sat in Pomfrey's chair. 

“So," he began, the chair creaking as he leaned back, "why were you in the tent tonight?”

You had to unclench your jaw to answer. “I've been training under Madam Pomfrey to become a Healer.”

“But Madam Pomfrey was not in the tent.”

Obviously. “No, she wasn’t. She was here in the Hospital Wing.”

“Then why were you in the tent?”

“Because Madam Pomfrey ensured my inclusion in every medical aspect of the tournament so I could learn as many valuable skills as possible, even if she herself was not there." You spoke slowly, hoping the words would take root. "It was approved by the Ministry and St. Mungo's."

"That doesn't tell me why you were there." 

"I was in that tent to learn how to quickly identify and heal bites and scratches from the various magical creatures and plants they’d placed in the maze. Instead," you said leaning forward and poking at the desk, "I witnessed a dozen Ministry assigned Medi-Staff fail to recognize the effects of two Unforgivable Curses and leave two patients of unknown status unattended for an extended period of time.”

The chair squeaked as he adjusted himself and folded his arms. “Or given your lack of experience and young age, you misdiagnosed them.”

He wasn't dense. He was looking for a way to discredit you.

“Viktor said nothing after he was revennerated. He's not a man of many words, but the last time he'd been Stunned—which was only a few weeks ago by the way—he was quick to explain exactly what had happened to him. And his eyes were cloudy! Like, like there was something over them. He was raising his wand at Fleur to attack her again, but he was struggling. He was under the Imperius Curse, but he was fighting it. That's why I Stunned him and gave him the Sleeping Potion. I was afraid the mental toll would harm him."

His chair squeaked again as he sat forward. "What do you mean he was going to attack Miss Delcour again?" It seemed that tidbit of information hadn't been passed around.

"Fleur was hit by the Cruciatus Curse in the maze. Given how Viktor responded in the tent, it seems obvious that he was the one who cast it."

It took a minute for him to process that. He cleared his throat before saying doubtfully, "Or you're jumping to conclusions."

"I'm not. Fleur had no signs of any physical injuries. Not on my diagnostic and not on the ones the Medi-Staff did. But when she woke up she said she'd been hit with a spell from behind and it was excruciating. That sounds exactly like someone hit her with a Cruciatus."

"Diggory or Potter could have cast it, couldn't they?" More doubt.

"No, they couldn't have."

"But Krum could?"

"Under the influence of the Imperius Curse, yes. Otherwise, he'd be incapable of it." Viktor had a strong dislike for Dark Magic.

His fingers strummed against the desk. "How do you have any idea what these Unforgivables do? Or what they look like?"

"Because Professor Moody taught us. I saw first hand what it looks like when someone is Imperiused and what it looks like when they're fighting it."

"Ahh," he said, straightening up. There was a gleam in his eyes that sank your stomach. "It seems to me that you were under quite a bit of stress. It can't have been easy dealing with school and having all the extra responsibilities of your training. You were exposed to Dark Magic in the classroom, a great failing to you by this school." His eyes danced as he made irrelevant connections. "All that combined," he interlocked his fingers and gave you a pitying smile, "skewed your perception of the things you saw tonight." 

"It seems to me," you snarled, grief fanning the flames of your rage, "that the Ministry is trying to cover up its own failings in what happened tonight instead of looking for the truth. There is someone out there who mur—" you choked on the word "—murdered Cedric and hurt Fleur and Viktor and you're doing nothing about it."

"Cedric Diggory's death was a terrible accident. What happened to Miss Delacour and Mr. Krum were unfortunate accidents. I am very sorry that you had to experience these things tonight. You are far too young to be put into this position and the Ministry will reevaluate your training."

—

"When's the last time you slept?"

It took a moment to comprehend the question, blinking at Alastor Moody—the real Alastor Moody you'd learned—as he laid in the only occupied bed of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had told you what she knew. That all year Professor Moody had been locked in a trunk while a supposedly dead Death Eater working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named assumed his identity. That he'd somehow gone unnoticed as he carried out a plan to bring him back. That Viktor had been Imperiused and Fleur had been Crucioed and that Harry had witnessed Cedric's death with the Killing Curse. That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned and the Ministry refused to believe it.

"But we must believe it," she had said. "War will come as it always does and we must be ready for it."

"I'm not sure," you admitted. It had been a long few days. The Third Task, Cedric's death, a fight with the Ministry to keep your position in the Hospital Wing that you'd only won with the support of St. Mungo's. Cillian had been there offering support. Held you when you'd gotten the news of the burial. He'd tried to coax you to relax, but you couldn't. Couldn't close your eyes. 

You had a task. A potion Alastor was meant to take. There was a bottle in your hand full of a dark purple liquid. What was it? The letters on the label were neat and precise, but indecipherable as they blurred the longer you stared. Then it was gone. Seemingly disappeared into nothingness. Perhaps it had never been there at all.

A sharp pain in the back of your knees had you collapsing into a chair you didn't remember being so close to the bed. You'd walked into it maybe.

"You're going to hurt someone," a voice growled. All you could do was blink at the man in the bed as he held out a glass bottle of dark purple liquid. "You need to rest."

Your head shook. "I can't." You couldn't see it again. Wouldn't.

“You have to,” he said gruffly, pushing the bottle into your hand. “Cedric would want you to.”

Cedric would have wanted that. But Cedric was gone. Gone. Senselessly. Mercilessly. Gone. “And I wanted him to come back.” The tears were cold as they fell. “But he didn’t, did he?”

Softly he said, “Potter brought him back.”

“He brought back a corpse. It wasn’t him, it wasn’t Cedric.” He hadn’t seen it. Trapped in a trunk, he didn’t hear the wails of Cedric’s friends and family as they saw it. He hadn't seen the eyes. “Not anymore.”

“He is still Cedric. He’s not just a body.”

"It doesn't matter. They've already buried it."

"Him," he said harshly. "Not it. The dead still deserve respect. Cedric still deserves respect."

You were silent, watching the liquid swirl. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him.

"They buried him," you finally said, uncorking the bottle. The potion was easy to drain down your throat. "They buried him and I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Part Five

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[nalyra-dreaming]

Don't know why i turned on anonymous 😅

Ok so about Louis's depression idk maybe they'll brush it off for the sake of future arcs but chronic depression doesn't go away like that. Certain thought patterns don't dissappear like they don't exist anymore. Louis just came out of something deeply toxic.

If we take RJ's claim Louis has been trying to set himself free w inviting journalist after journalist. Why not a ghost writer if he wants to dictate his memories?

Can divorcing his master manipulator husband, taking credibility for Claudia's fate, openly grieving for Paul & Claudia, hugging his loser husband heal depression?

I also don't think we'll see the silent sufferer, occasionally exploding Louis anymore but for chronic depression i am not sure. Depression can exist and thrive in highly functional people, can withdraw later hit harder than ever.

Another question how are they going to close Claudia haunting Loustat arc? Her memory remained but her ghost dissappear after Merrick's ritual as far as i know.

That ghost, yes. It's never said if that was really her or only one mimicking. Since Claudia haunts the narrative up until the last book... I think that she will go from a haunting presence to a soothing presence as time goes on.

They never forget her - but they have another child, another girl they both care for - rescued from a fire as well, and cared for, allowed to grow up before she gets eternal life, Rose. Rescued by Lestat, protected and saved later by Louis.

The show has already adapted Claudia's backstory to line up with Rose's, I hope they will bring her (and Viktor) in when we get our seasons.

And so I think Claudia's presence has to be seen under that aspect as well.

As per Louis... true, chronic depression does not go away "just like that". But a lot of Louis' pain comes from circumstances and his own inability to accept himself. That is part of the arc in the books, too. When he does accept himself... he changes.

And I do think that is the turning point the show tried to convey there, the beginning of that journey.

I mean... let's say we get 7-8 seasons (which would be a-fucking-amazing). Louis' story got 2, Lestat's TVL, QotD will be 2-3 seasons at least, TtotBT 1 and then... 1-2 for Amel/Rhoshamandes. (That is my expectation for the (basic...) build of the series, and I expect them to build Amel further with Akasha already).

I don't think that leaves much room to return back to the depressive state, tbh, especially if they want to open up Louis for future seasons - "have gas in the tank for Louis" as Rolin put it.

I think they want Louis to come into his own now, and be a driving force in the events that will unfold - and I for one am all for it, tbh.

Louis suffered enough.

And Rolin concurs:

“I don’t think Louis, as we leave him, is going to be this guy who is suffering as much,” Jones explained. “Actually, I think he’s maybe beginning his legitimate vampire experience there at the end.”

And as such I think the depression and suicidal phase is over.

[moonlightseve]

hi hi I enjoy your analysis posts so much!! do you have any thoughts on the undercurrent of performance that runs throughout yuri on ice - re Victor ' 'performance' nikiforov (contrasted with yuuri's (and yurio, eventually) absence of a persona while skating) and the whole episode 3 premise of the trio trying to perform an emotion until it clicks (highlighting yuuri's eros monologue arc specifically) while the program itself is constructed by someone who at that point doesn't fully comprehend the extent of the emotion he puts into the sp. not to forget the performance inherent to sport in and of itself! sorry if this doesn't make any sense I hope you're having a good day tysm for reading!!

Hello, I hope your day is going well too! It was wonderful to wake up and see your ask in my inbox xxx

Oh boy, of course I have thoughts. I spent a little while trying to figure out how to condense all of them, but no matter what I do it seems like this post is going to be pretty long.

As you said, Viktor can certainly be very performative, which we see throughout the show as he reminisces about his career and tries to discover what role Yuuri expects him to play. He doesn’t show emotion unless he has to and he’s very concerned with his image – always going out of his way to interact with fans (and scolding Yuuri when he doesn’t do the same). He has a persona of sorts, putting on the air of Viktor Nikiforov: Living Legend, 5-time GPF Champion, 5-time Worlds Champion, Olympian, etc etc. There is little room in his life for him to simply be himself, instead shelving his own wants and desires to embrace the idea of who he thinks he’s supposed to be. 

On the ice, however, is a completely different story. This is where I veer off partially into headcanon because we unfortunately don’t know much about Viktor’s backstory (curse you Mappa!!!), so I need to speculate a bit. I have always viewed Viktor as someone who feels things quite deeply. He’s very passionate and emotional, but has incredible self-control and keeps himself reigned in. The ice is where he lets that go a bit, allowing himself to feel what he feels and express it through his skating. 

Evidence for this is present in how he choreographs and selects the music for his routines, giving him full creative control and the chance to embrace whatever he feels he will do best with. Stammi Vicino is heartbreaking, and lonely, and desperate – all things I would likely associate with Viktor at the beginning of the series. 

It’s present in how he coaches, always falling back on his own experiences as a skater to guide Yuuri and Yurio. When he begins to give advice, he tends to reflect on how Yakov coached him rather than coming up with something entirely new that better serves the different personalities of the Yuris. This implies to the audience that all of his attempts to get Yuri-squared to connect with the emotion at the heart of their short programs is how he himself worked on his programs. 

It’s present in one of my favorite Viktor quotes from the entire show, a little moment in episode 2 or 3 where Yurio is frustrated with Agape and trying to get Viktor to tell him what’s wrong, and Viktor says something along the lines of “It’s an emotion, why would I bother trying to explain it in words?” The feelings he presents on the ice are just that: feelings. They are important to him and sometimes indescribable, a little window into the truth of who he is that he keeps closely guarded at all other times. 

Viktor off the ice knows when to smile for the cameras and flash a wink to the crowd, keeping his image perfectly tailored to the one he wants to present. Viktor on the ice is able to let the artifice fade away and become, for just a moment, wholly himself. He would never tell anyone that he is lonely, but he skates Stammi Vicino as if it’s an extension of himself. 

The point you brought up regarding the fact that Viktor choreographed routines for emotions he may not understand is SO interesting to me because I have never even considered it! I think about Viktor a lot, and switch between two opposing ideas of him depending on how I’m feeling that day:

Viktor has known unconditional love, whether through his parents (I pretty firmly believe his family was not active in his life) or through Yakov (one of my favorite headcanons) or through Makkachin, even. Makkachin may not be quite the same thing, but he may not know any better and is therefore using that as his inspiration. Or, maybe he feels unconditional love for something/someone else. 

Viktor does not know unconditional love. He has never had anyone who could give him that, which is why Yuuri is very important and such a big deal and he needed to get on a plane to Japan IMMEDIATELY!!!

Depending on which of these you subscribe to (or a secret third option, perhaps) then Viktor’s ability to choreograph Yuri and Yuuri’s short programs is very interesting. He truly seems to have a grasp on Eros and Agape in a way that Yuri-squared struggles with. Since he encourages them to feel those emotions deeply in order to skate them correctly and those routines were originally for him, it means he must feel them deeply enough to think them worthy of creating and presenting to the world. 

So that’s how I view Viktor. When he is skating, he is not a performer, but a performance – the entertainment he produces is not the end goal, it merely comes from watching him be himself. And that authenticity is what makes him such a wonderful skater. 

Yuuri’s battle starts with him NEEDING to perform something (the tale of the katsudon fatale, how could we ever forget) and ends with him finally being able to draw upon himself for his skate. Creating some sort of narrative and slipping into a persona helps get him off the ground, but it’s really like a set of training wheels Viktor tries to get him to shed as their story progresses. It’s why his Yuri on Ice free skate is so important to his journey as a skater – there’s nothing for him to perform, just him being himself. To properly execute the program, he must be Yuuri, aware of the journey he has taken and each iteration he has been, mastering all of it to embrace who he is now. It must be less of a performance and more of a confession to those watching. 

Yurio’s Agape is so powerful for the same reasons! It’s because it comes from his own personal experiences with his grandpa, who he loves dearly. He needs to embrace that softer side of himself that he hides behind the prickly angsty exterior to truly do his program justice. 

“We call everything on the ice love” is very important because on the ice is when a skater’s truths must emerge. This is when they are most authentically themself, and when love therefore shines the brightest. 

I hope I answered your questions, and I’m sorry if I got a bit rambly there at any point! This was a very fun topic to discuss and if anyone has any thoughts I’d love to hear them. I have this account because I have things that I love that I want to share with other people and to hear about the things they love in turn, so it genuinely makes my day when I get to do that.

Thank you for the ask!

[letters-to-rosie]

Sorry I'm sending so many asks, tho I'm curious if you have any tips on writing race in the Arcane universe. Clearly it's not the same as the real word but it a showrunner were to say point blank that racism doesn't exist in Arcane I think I'd get really mad. Idk, if you're still figuring it out sorry, I I'm just curious

lmao no problem I never stop talking anyway

but not only do I never mind getting asks, I was THRILLED to get this one. this isn't in my wheelhouse. it IS my wheelhouse. it's what I'm getting the phd for so they'll let me teach this sort of shit lol. I was literally so excited when I saw this that I had to make myself get to a certain stopping point on my final paper for my history of race class (how fitting) as a motivation so I could come answer afterward lol

the real key to it is something you've already identified in the ask itself: that it's not the same as the real world, but it's definitely there. and with that in mind we can think of talking about how race comes about

so I'mma break this into two sections. the first is about dealing with race (or racialization) in a fantasy setting like Arcane, and the second will be on how real-world structures still have a bearing on what we write about those fictional worlds and how they're perceived. okay, let's get into it (and let me type properly lol)

Because race isn't rooted in biological reality, it's constantly shifting. It's meanings are never fixed, but because race is a way we naturalize the world around us (much like gender stereotypes), it appears more permanent than it is. Now, this isn't discounting racialized violence any group has endured. But the process of defining who belongs to what group, where the dividing lines are, what racial stereotypes mean, and so on, is ongoing.

Race is a popular way of dealing with difference, but it's far from the only one. So what we have to ask is how a group of people become not just different but fundamentally different in ways you can assign supposed traits and behaviors to them. There are a lot of ways this can happen, and every instance has its own historical specificity. Also, every instance is caught up in a "web," so to speak, of cultural context, understandings, and referents (riffing Clifford Geertz and Stuart Hall a little here) that allow people in that web to make sense of the world around them and to understand themselves. So it's very messy, but often we can find some key events that set the process of making a race, racialization, in motion. A good example IRL is the way that brown people of all backgrounds were racialized as vaguely threatening in post-9/11 America. Another is the Transatlantic slave trade, which gave economic incentives for dehumanizing black people and, eventually in the U.S., created a social structure where people who were only partially black could still be enslaved, which is how you get tan black people like me lol. Another example could be the absorption of various European immigrant groups into whiteness throughout U.S. history, or the effort to separate the Japanese from other East Asians after they beat Russia in a war in 1905.

In general, we're asking "what set racialization in motion?" A war? Colonial expansion? Mass immigration? Capitalism? Usually you don't have just one, and usually race combines with one of those forces to exacerbate a previously-held idea of difference in a society. So all of a sudden those people aren't just different, but they might as well be a different species.

In Arcane, we don't get enough backstory to say anything definitively, but we can assume that the divide between Piltover and Zaun is primarily economic. The game lore suggests some colonization, too. In any case, by the time of the show, there are already:

firmly-established delineations between Piltovans and Zaunites

a stereotyping that hides the complexity of the problems the cities face (see Jayce saying to Viktor that the Zaunites are criminals; of course, he's worried about Jinx, but he's operating on the assumption that the Zaunites are acting up because of their criminality, which hides other motivations for their behavior; in all likelihood, most of them were upset because they couldn't get to work, which would lead to a loss of wages and more economic precarity than they already experience)

a robust system of incarceration, police brutality, and environmental racism leading to disparate health outcomes across groups

and a division of labor that relies on all of the above (though I REALLY wish they'd explain more about the mines I need to KNOW)

So, again, it's not race as such, but it's helpful because we can see that it's not entirely reducible to social class, ether. If it were, Viktor would have had a much easier time, and there would be more economic mobility both up and down the ladder. I think it's more than fair to say that racilization is at work, even though the characters have a wide array of physical features on both sides of the river. Racialization can most certainly happen even when the people involved look mostly alike (see the English and the Irish for the classic example).

Okay, so we've established that some race-y things are going on. What about the second part? What about the real world?

We have to be honest and note that our real-world experiences are going to affect how we engage with these characters. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's important that we're aware and cautious, handling the question of race delicately. I, for one, have been really disappointed in some of the audience reception of the show's black characters (and a teeny bit in how I feel like their arcs were rushed compared to the wider cast). I'm not really invested in any ship involving Jayce, not gonna lie (though I will say it takes a lot for me to get invested in a ship in general; I have to really click with it to care), but the hate Mel gets over shipping cannot be separated from mysognoir. It just can't. Likewise, with Ekko, I'm sometimes nervous about descriptions of his body that remind me of the VERY long tradition of fetishizing black men to hell and back. But he also gets the short end of the stick in shipping sometimes, and I think his relatively lower popularity in fandom is likely related to his race.

This is me, a black woman, calling it as I see it. We could also get into Sky, but that's a whole other thing. I think that when we engage with these characters, it's important to note what is actually in the text and what might be a projection of our world's current concepts of race onto the fantasy world.

So, for example, assuming Caitlyn is better at math than Vi because her facial features are East Asian. Vi is Jinx's sister. Vi is better at math, presumably, at least in terms of talent, since Vi wouldn't have gotten to go to school. A way to work in the racialization of the show's setting could be for Vi to express frustration with people think ing she's dumb just because of where she's from, or she could be upset she doesn't know something not because she is a Zaunite but because Zaun is so oppressed that Vi never got a proper education.

Mel is a pretty calm character. If someone wrote her as very angry, for example, I'd be like whoa, sounds like the stereotype that black women are angry is at work here. Mel expresses anger at her mother, but otherwise she's very level-headed. For an example in the setting, perhaps Mel tells a close confidante she's a bit tired of the veneer of civility Piltover can put on. Race works in multiple directions. By saying the Zaunite are the rowdy ones, it's saying Piltovans can't be (not that they actually can't, just under their world's racial logic). How would this play out in Mel's life? Could make for an interesting fic.

One example I can speak on personally, because I'm writing it, is my attempt to engage elements of real-world black radicalism with the Arcane universe. Like, I have lines that Ekko says in one chapter that are deeply inspired by one of the most famous Pan-Africanists in U.S. history. But I can't map that thought onto, say, Mel, just because she's black. Her position in the society is such that real-world blackness doesn't really have anything to do with her outside of her reception by the audience. I do, however, engage that sort of thought with other Zaunite characters, mainly Jinx, despite her being white in the real-world framework. In the setting, she's racialized as a Zaunite, and I'm proceeding accordingly, working with those categories of race instead of the ones I deal with in my real life.

Another thing I'm very wary of is beauty being attached to skin color. I'm a bit wary of skin color being mentioned a lot in fics in general, honestly. In a world where skin color isn't the means by which people are divided, it wouldn't be nearly as worth noting. What about...accents? Perceived intelligence? Did Viktor go to Piltover and have people go "oh, you're so articulate"? I bet he did.

Okay, this is getting very long. Pretty much what I'm trying to say is that the answer is to think about what race does in the real world and then think about how it would work in Arcane or any other fantasy setting. What gets people designated as a race? What stereotypes are associated with them? How do people resist this? and so on.

And on the flip side, we have to be attentive to how race in the real world might be coloring our perceptions of certain characters. By being conscious of this, we can avoid potentially reinforcing real-world racial logic. And by examining what racial logic is and what it does, we can become prepared to deal with it in the real world.

(and yeah I would also not enjoy a showrunner saying it doesn't exist in the universe lol)

[st4rshipr4nger]

OML A TUA SHIFTER??? TELL ME EVERYTHING ABT YOUR DR RN 👹 (if thats ok w u 🥰)

EEEEEE HIIIIII YES YES YES I MOST DEFINITELY WILL

okay so im the handlers daughter (she adopts me she is NOT my birth mother) and then she adopts lila but were the same age so anyway she like raises us and stuff cause shes mother and so she trains us and shit like she does in the show with lila and also me and lila kind of have the same powers ish because okay idk if youre familiar with xmen but i like have rogues powers so like power absorption and taking peoples energy and stuff so like if i touch someone skin to skin ill take their powers if they have any and their energy and i kind of get their memories too, and so she makes me wear these gloves because one time i accidentally touched her when i was a baby and took some of her energy and she almost passed out or something, anyways being the handlers daughter obviously comes with trauma so when im like ten im like mom i dont like this i dont wanna do this anymore and shes like well thats too damn bad and i tell lila im running away but we make a plan to like meet up in the future so i run and shit one night and i find the umbrella academy a few days after and Pogo answers the door and i tell him about my powers because ive seen the hargreeves on television and on billboards and im like can i just like stay here for a little while and hes like yes ofcourse but i need to talk to sir reginald and hes like wow youre weird and then i kind of become like his labrat because he wants to see exactly how my powers work but hes also like youre fucking dangerous, so he gets this serum that makes my powers go away for a limited amount of time and i have to get injected with it every morning but i meet the hargreeves and we all get along pretty quickly and they like accept me into the family and oh my god GRACE :(((( i love her so much me and ben obviously have like a LITTLE thing but none of us is gonna admit it until like later but yeah reg doesnt trust me going on missions at first but he lets me go on one which kind of ends bad so he doesnt let me go on anymore and i have to stay on the sidelines with viktor ALSO me klaus ben diego and vik are super close i get closer with everyone else too but like specifically them so like yeah!! me and ben kiss literally like three days before he yk and then i want to kms !!! but its fine he watches me as a ghost for the next 18 years!!!! but yeah its obviously hard for all of us to take and stuff

ANYWAYS!!!

so when were all older we obviously go our seperate ways but i kind of stay in touch with diego klaus and viktor (allison never answers her damn phone and luthers on the moon) i read viktors book and i thought it was fine like i dont have an issue with it he was speaking facts that nobody else in the house wanted to admit and we were pretty much treated the same also after bens death i kind of like started doing drugs with klaus again because the serums were also just drugs like be fucking fr anyways klaus also never tells me that ben is looking over us and he feels bad about it but like klaus and i are really similar [in my dr everyones like oh hes just klaus but in another body] so im not like yk i cant like stay mad but trust in my dr i will be sorry buddy anyways i still talk to diego cause me and him are also bestfriends and i try to send messages up to the moon sometimes to luther cause he and diego were literally like i actually felt like family around them theyre like my brothers but obviously wtv

thats like kind of a backstory thing i left some things out but i love oversharing about some of the things in my drs its fun

let me know if you wanna hear more cause like eeeeeeeee

also im scripting that like i dont know klaus has ben on his shoulder and that stuff cause i like to make myself suffer a little bit

[zkyfall]

Sevika will be the Renata Glasc of Arcane in Season 2 (a theory)

(Full disclosure, I am heavily biased as a Zaun and Sevika stan and want her to have more plot armor and importance in season 2)

SO LET’s JUMP INTO IT. 

My theory: Sevika is going to grow into the Renata Glasc of Arcane in season 2, adopting some of her aesthetic (well, technically Silco’s aesthetic) and filling her role in LoL lore as Viktor’s patron and a powerful leader in the Undercity. 

The Evidence to Support:

1. Her motivation

Sevika cares about Zaun. She’s been consistent about throwing her support behind the strongest leader who was dedicated to standing up to the Topsiders. She’s tried being a good loyal left-hand lady to TWO DUDES and they BOTH fucked it up. It’s time for Sevika to try her hand at seizing the reins of the Undercity and she's one of the few characters in a position to take advantage of the power vacuum and the experience to do better this time. She hasn’t worked so hard for decades to give up now.

2: The Visuals.  

Sevika’s a fucking badass, she’s around the right age, and has that sexy muscled build we all love. She has a high-tech metal prosthetic for a left arm that we’ve seen get upgraded throughout s1 and may continue to be in s2 (especially with help from a certain inventor that we’ll touch on later).  All she needs to complete the look is longer hair and a few dignified streaks of grey (a minor time skip and the stress from the finale will suffice.) Well and she’ll need to call Silco’s tailor so they can work their magic 👀.

3. But what about her Mask and Shimmered up eyes? 

 Amanda on Twitter hinted that Sevika would ‘quit smoking’. 

Now some suggest that means she’s dying. I don't think so, cause I’d like to believe the writers are more professional than that. I hypothesize it refers to developing a lung condition as a result of the chain-smoking + Zaun life we see Sevika do in s1. She might stop smoking and start using more shimmer to fight off the disease, even needing a fancy breather mask to keep it from worsening. Just like Glasc.

3. Foreshadowing or lack there off

Silco and Sevika met the Chembarons and Glasc was not there or even alluded to. I think if Glasc existed in the world, we would have gotten some more foreshadowing of her if she’s supposed to be in control of an entire industry. 

4. It’s all in the cards 

Sevika was playing cards and what cards came up? Death and The Magician. Death signifies change (and the death of Silco possibly). The Magician is CLEARLY Viktor. Together they suggest Sevika undergoing a major life change and working with Viktor in the future.

5. A Common Connection

Glasc is Viktor’s Patron in LoL after he leaves Piltover. So who will be Viktor’s powerful, metal-armed, chem baroness in s2? Well, who does he know in the Undercity right now that could introduce him to a financial backer? Singed who is already working for Silco’s (now possibly Sevika’s) organization. 

The Evidence Against:

Finn alludes to there being ‘bigger fish’ than Silco in Zaun. That could have been in reference to a Glasc which harms this theory.

Renata’s League Lore suggests a callousness, and an obsession with power and wealth which Sevika does not share. Sevika is never cruel, only acts in self-defense or lashes out in reasonable anger at Jinx. She barely even changes outfits between Act 1 and Act 2, when all the other henchmen clearly spend some of their pay to look the part of classy gangsters. 

Renata’s parents alchemical research and deaths are a big chunk of her backstory and the only allusion we have to Sevika’s parents is that she had issues with her father. They seemed to have simplified Chemtech in Arcane though so I don’t foresee them adding Glasc’s chemtech variant on top of shimmer.

In conclusion:  Sevika and Renata are probably different characters but I hope Sevika will fill Renata’s role in Arcane because seriously what are the odds we get two MILF Zaunites with left metal arms???  I mean I’m here for it but it seems like an odd coincidence and I don’t really want them adding more LoL characters than they need to. 

Whatever happens, I’m ready for more of this lovely lady:

[memurfevur-archive]

A question for the mun; May I ask what are your favorite trolls in the ftc as a whole?

Oh geez, I feel like this is always changing for me because I keep getting to know amazing new people and amazing new characters. I think I'll just name a few blogs and list my favorites from there, as I don't think I can pick out of the entire community when it's full of people I also don't know or haven't interacted with (yet!).

Quite a few of them belong to my partner @mageofspacemultiverse as I've known those the longest and have quite a few ships between us. A few of my favorite characters from him are Zomson, Hidelord, Devaron, and Pixcel. Each character of his is unique and has interesting backstories and personality, and yet every one of them is so on-brand for his blog.

From @thestarlightbrigade I have always adored Deltra and MY LIL MAN HIBUKI. Special shout out to Iiboye too. Lots of edgy angsty characters but each one is a specific flavor that never gets tiring. Avery's vibe is I'm shaking him by the shoulders and biting him affectionately. That is to say, he's a fun guy and silly to talk to. Prepare to get cat-gif'd.

@stuckstucktrolls I thirsted after Viktor since day 1 bruh. He's the Troll I am most familiar with besides Teagan. Creative characters and also very pretty, the lot of them. Cool cat boy cryptid gets the seal of approval from royal moth cryptid.

@goddesstrolls Kairos and Kairne. Ik Kairne isn't on the blog anymore but I thought he was pretty damn neat tbh. One of the first characters I knew Bast by. Also um... my (ex)wife Akidis, I love her to bits and pieces, and my male-wife Darvai. Buff women and bastard men run this blog, and all the world build and narratives Bast has come up with over the years are SO -chefs kiss- .

@miks-fantrolls Antemh <3 Sticking him under a microscope fr. I don't know a lot about anyone else, but maybe that'll change sometime. I don't know a lot about Mik but I personally think he's cool af. Mik if you're reading this I'm staring at you with wet pathetic eyes and offering you an egg in these trying times.

@roetrolls Veylin <3 She makes my heart happy. Also Franky, I would give him the world. Mallum is up there, too. Roe makes a lot of characters that are compelling, friend-shaped, and possesses you with the Funny Horrors (aka I can't stop laughing every time I see 'Dominion' on a street sign or pub. Like, it's the kind of joy that's like 'I know that guy! That guy belongs to this really cool person that I look up to! How silly that he has a bar named after him!' )

@sasster ...................... Redivi.................. Look, one could argue and say it's because he's a vampire and I'm absolutely a vampire simp 100%. But. But he's *terrifying* and that's a big reason why he's a favorite Chase Troll of mine. Compelling, scary, but recognizable as people we may know in our every day lives. An ever so loved face and name, but there's always something behind the scenes that we can't see. There's a performance for the world, while on back stage the true colors show. Mind you, I am extremely behind in the lore of the blog, but that guy? Man. That guy.

@windy-trickster -slaps the top of this guy's blog- This blog can fit so many funky lil dudes filled with unique lore and fantastic personalities and oh my god the angst. My favorites among them are Doleos, Rastho, and Althor. Windy is a creative writer and puts SO much love into his characters. Like for real, it's always a pleasure listening to him talk about them. It's clear he puts in a lot of love and effort into his guys, and I think y'all should go and see that for yourself.

@askthehiddencaste Shuska and Ashoal. I feel like Shuska is the face of the blog (i mean, the entire theme is a library, so), and she's such a charming character. Warm, friendly, but she's STRONG in spirit. Ashoal and Shuska are the two I'm most familiar with aside from Heliel (I want that goopy man carnally). Kanny has a lot of fascinating characters that all feel like a natural family to me. I could hang out with their characters and feel right at home.

@experimental-failures The only one I'm familiar with is Nix, so I guess he's my favorite by proxy-- BUT! I've always thought Nix was very neat. He feels like a guy I can run into out on the street irl. He feels so real to me, and it's always a pleasure.

@the-rainbow-overflow Elnric and Viroxa. Two very interesting characters for vastly different reasons, lol! I love the alternate timeline stuff Elnric has going on, and I feel soft for this guy mostly because it's the first Troll I knew Dusk by. Viroxa is... oh boy, god damn, a bastard? Such a manipulative and cunning guy where the ends justify the means, and I am OBSESSED. Bonus points that he's a scientist guy, ya know? We all love unhinged scientists. Kissing him on the cheek even if he may take my lips as donation and sew it onto someone else. Special mention to Makona as well, I am unwell about HISStory of Violence <3

@trollbreak Um, Bladed, teehee -twirls hair- Jonah has SOOO many lil guys. Silly lil guys! Some of these silly lil guys commit murder and treason! Some of them will give you plushies and Autism Creature stare at you as a means of friendship. Heehoo is my ultimate favorite, and Bladed is close second, but I adore Jonah and all of their characters.

@clown-fuckers-r-us Montague!!!! MONTAGUE!!!! MY BELOVED!!! CRYING WEEPING AAAAAAAA-- ahem. So um Montague is my favorite, he's so cool? I'm so invested in his story and not just because I have a ship going with that guy but his concept is so intresting??? A Purple with anger issues, rich and privileged but kind and loving-- now ruined by a broken mind and psyche, his one scrap of salvation that keeps him from fully losing himself being the memory of a lover that he hasn't seen since before the war on Limebloods... You should definitely go share some love with Bun, the mun of the blog; she's an AMAZING person, truly a wonderful friend, and one of the most nicest people I know.

@moonlit-trolls Tythus by far. It's been SO neat seeing Tythus grow and develop as a character. Moona and I made Ptillo and Tythus together, and while Tythus had some shaky beginnings as Moona was figuring him out, it definitely solidified and paid off in the end. Tythus is a compelling villain imo with complex goals and ambitions. Not to mention what a SILVER FOX HE IS GOD DAMN. You go girl, make that man hot and pathetic <3

I'm running out of steam for this post; if you're not listed on here it doesn't mean I don't have favorites or that I don't like you. There's A LOT of trolls to keep track of in the community and a lot of members too. Everyone has such amazing characters that I cannot possibly list them all off. Keep doing what you're doing, and remember that even if it feels a little pointless at times or that nobody cares, there ARE people who enjoy the content you put out-- whether its art, writing, silly little tidbits, or whatever else! There's people out there who will think about you over the smallest of things and smile, people who will think about you and your characters and feel inspired, people who may be too shy to interact but love and appreciate you and what you do. Whether you're a big or small blog or something in between, thank you for being part of the FTC.

[mollysunder]

Everytime it Wasn't Swain

After rewatching Arcane, I decided to make a list for everytime Swain was almost there. You thought he was being alluded to, but he wasn't, it was actually something else. Or was it?

1. The Crows

Swain has ravens, not crows, there just happen to be a suspiciously large quantity of crows, for a port city, instead of seagulls. As the show went on, the arrival of crows became synonymous with Jinx's presence and vice versa. It's not hard to see why, crows are intelligent and naturally social birds that do well in urban ecosystems, they just have a mixed reputation as good and bad omens. On a narrative level, the presence of crows does have interesting implications. Crows and ravens are easily confused for the other if you don't know what to look for. And the more I read about Swain, the more I notice that he and Jinx (in Arcane) are similar in some regards. Not just the fact they killed and maimed their family members, that's not uncommon for League backstories for some reason. From a storytelling standpoint, they both serve as living embodiment of their respective nations, good and bad, that other characters have to react to. And it was their actions that changed the trajectory of their nations.

What's even more interesting is that crows and raven in real life don't get along, they're incredibly territorial and avoid one another. If they do cross paths, crows are more likely to pick a fight with ravens. Despite the raven being bigger, crows band together in large groups to fend off ravens from their nesting areas, sort of like they harass them away. Food for thought.

2. The Man Named Jericho but not Swain

This one was cute. It took me a while to realize that they both had the same first name, except Swain has a last name, which is Swain. The first time his name was mentioned was when Vi and Caitlyn were on the search for Silco, but Vi was really on the search for Jinx. Funny enough, Jericho's apron and pants looks like the Jinx's outfit. I know plenty of people wear pinstripes in Zaun, but the black triangle with the 'X' in the center was pretty on the nose. On one hand this shot could foreshadow the way Jinx's actions come between Caitlyn and Vi. On the other, that's not as fun, and I want to know if this makes Jericho a Jinx stan! Seriously, maybe it's another hint at the way Zaun and Noxus are similar threats to Piltover, just in different clothes. Or Swain's a Jinx stan too!

3. The Palette Portrait

I've watched Arcane more than once and never managed to see it before, and wasn't too sure it was Swain until I outlined the figure myself. There he is long white hair, red magic hand, widow's peak, and sharp profile. In context, this is part of the scene where Mel is aggressively painting while Jayce apologizes for leaving her alone in bed the night Viktor collapsed. It's the first time Jayce and the audience sees her paint, and is essentially one of the first moments we get to see a part of her inner life. In this exact shot she says, "There's a lot you don't know about me". I'd say pretty on the nose to say this is foreshadowing her past connections to Noxus. But there's small things that are off, for example, Swain is draped in red rather than a severe black. And his face is dark while he's a white man, the color choices actually fit Ambessa more than Swain. Another fake out? Or maybe it means that there's no difference between people like Swain and Ambessa in the grand scheme of Noxus' war machine.

All in all I found three times Swain's presence was almost confirmed, but instead was something or someone else. There was always one or two details off to make it so. Each time there was an "almost Swain" connection, it was usually in association with Jinx or Mel, a cast member actually from Noxus. Swain, or at least the concept of Swain, seems to haunt the Mel's past and Jinx's future.