#arcane hex claw

[waytray]

Viktor & The Hex Claw - ARCANE & League of Legends

[home-of-the-squirmle]

Boyfriends of Progress

[saltsig]

[Arcane x Ace Attorney] Viktor's breakdown

[beastking-golion]

Saw a fic about vastaya Viktor and if you ask me he’s definitely a bird (or salamander if you wanna super angstify him- cough cough Rio cough).

[sunflowerwinds]

hers | s.a

summary: your bright personality unexpectedly draws in sevika and she can’t help but fall for you. when finn makes a comment that he can’t take back, sevika reminds him and you how much you mean to her.

pairing: fem!reader x sevika arcane

contains: mature language and content (18+), set sometime between act 1 and act 2 of season 1, established relationship, sunshine!reader, sensitive!reader, reader is described to wear more feminine outfits and makeup, finn being a WEIRDO to reader like omg, minor violence to men who deserve it, smut including — no foreplay, strap-on (hex-strap <3) r!recieving, sevika calls reader pet names such as sunshine, pretty girl, baby, sweet girl, angel, rushed ending.

word count: 4.4K

a/n: i’m ready to bear her children. a little treat before what we might endure in act 2. muah muah i love you angels <333 i am so sorry for posting this so late within the day. i had a hectic day at work but i pushed through for yall!

Sevika would never be described as a bright person.

Her position as Silco’s right-hand woman made her eerily unapproachable. She wore a poker face, gambled with ease, and was expertly skilled in combat. Fear struck in those who dared to try her.

Except, well, you.

When you first took the position as a waitress at The Last Drop, you were immediately drawn to the so-called scary woman. You heard whispers amongst the customers of her actions but all you saw was a tall, gorgeous woman.

Chuck, at least you assumed that was his name as the little 12-year-old girl with bright blue hair repeatedly called him in when she was lingering around, noticed your longing gaze at the woman. He warned you that someone as preppy as you is not someone Sevika would enjoy in her presence.

You were aware of your bubbly personality that, to most, was a bit overwhelming to be around. Your outfits drew attention as you enjoyed more frilly and bright things, always wearing jewelry or makeup or both to color coordinate with your outfits. It brought you joy and you weren’t ashamed of it.

You ignored him as you thought he was being ridiculous. How could she judge you so quickly without even getting to know you?

“I’m going to say hi!” You state with a nod to Chuck. “Do you know her favorite drink?”

You lean against the counter, beaming charmingly at the man. He hesitates as he doesn't want you to get yelled at or scoffed at for even trying.

“I-I don’t know. Sevika’s not… fond of being interrupted during her poker games.”

You blink as you turn back around to watch her shuffle the cards with one clawed and flesh hand, a cigar hanging from her beautiful lips. As much as you wanted to go over there and admire her up close; Chuck was right.

You didn’t want to be rude.

“I’ll just wait until she’s done then,” you nod to confirm.

And that’s what you do. You watch as her opponents angrily toss their forfeit onto the table, muttering curses at the woman. The larger woman keeps her cool composure, a winning smirk on her face. You grin happily at her now empty table, grabbing the drink Chuck had reluctantly handed you to deliver to the woman.

You control the pep in your step as much as you can as you didn’t want to spill the drink. Sevika gathers the coins into her leather pouch when you first approach her table.

“Hi!” You smile warmly.

Sevika, much to your surprise, doesn’t ignore you as Chuck made you believe she would. In fact, she sits back in her seat, her gray eyes trailing up and down your figure as you set down the drink.

“I thought I’d bring you a celebratory drink and introduce myself,” you beam as you clasped your hands behind your back. “You’re Sevika, right?”

And she was even more devilishly charming up close. That was a given but you were able to admire her little marks much closer now. You even noticed blue scars running up the side of her face, trailing down the side of her mechanic arm.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Sevika hummed as she moved her gaze to your awaiting eyes.

You nod, trying not to burst out with excitement so you wouldn’t scare her.

“I am! Just started a week ago, I think. I saw you when I first started and wanted to go say hi and Chuck told me not to,” you wave off like the man was ridiculous with a lovely chuckle. “Everyone says you’re scary but you don’t seem scary to me.”

Sevika’s eyes had flickered over to the bar where Chuck was avoiding her sharp gaze as you unknowingly ratted him out. She decides to let whatever he said slide and focus on the vision that is you right in front of her.

With one more once over your frame, Sevika actually grins at you.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to scare someone as pretty as you, angel.”

Sevika takes her cigar from her lips to blow out the smoke away from you and reaches across the table to grab the drink. You were obsessed with the way she called you ‘angel’, wanting to hear her voice on a loop forever.

“You think I’m pretty?” You swore your face was stretching due to how much you were smiling.

Sevika hums as she takes a slow sip from the slightly rusted glass.

“The prettiest,” she affirmed your question before leaning in close so she could look you in the eyes, admiring the shimmer over your eyelids. “I hope to see you around.”

You nod with an overwhelming flushed face, practically bouncing on the soles of your shoes. You left the table with an overwhelming amount of confidence. Sevika watched you walk back to the bar counter to gush to Chuck about how nice she was.

That was only the beginning of Sevika’s infatuation with you.

She tried to ignore the bubbling feeling of yearning for you but every time she came into the Last Drop, you were just the sweetest girl to her and never made her feel like just a crime lord. Every outfit you wore had her on the verge of begging on her knees for you to let her make you feel so good because that’s what you deserve.

You asked her random questions about her and her life when you would bring her drinks, slowly emerging into Sevika’s life. Sure, it was the bare minimum and you acted this way with most. But when you stared at her as she spoke, nodding to show you were listening and taking in every word with those lovely eyes, she knew she was fucked.

Within the first month of meeting, Sevika built up the courage to ask you out after your shift at the Last Drop. You, of course, were as sweet about it as ever. After that first date, everything shifted in the bond that you two had made over those weeks.

You quickly learned how obsessed and protective Sevika would be over you. Her arm — mechanic or not — would be draped over your soft hips, signaling to everyone that you were hers.

Word quickly spread about you and Sevika’s relationship.

It seemed like out of the blue the men and women would give you dirty looks and make passive-aggressive comments in the Last Drop became significantly nicer to you as well. When you would beam to Sevika how you all of a sudden started getting tipped more at work, she would congratulate you, showering you with kisses.

Little did you know it was because everyone was afraid to rub you the wrong way and that you would tell the intimidating woman. If you were upset, which was rare, you could guarantee Sevika would be just as upset if not more than you.

Just as she had treated you like the princess she saw you as you were just as loving to her. There was no shocker there as you didn’t seem to have one malicious bone in your body. When you weren’t at work, you were right next to Sevika. Whether it’d be at Silco’s office or helping her babysit Jinx, you’d happily be right by her side to help or just be there for support.

The little blue-haired girl would constantly tease Sevika about being a ‘big old softie’ when you came around. You thought she was the cutest thing and Sevika would simply tell her to shut it.

Like any other day, you were sitting on her lap during her poker games, leaning over her shoulder to stare at the hand she had. The opponents across the table were gawking and staring at you, clearly getting distracted by your beauty and outfits. Even after almost a year of being together, Sevika would get so flustered when you would place a kiss on her cheek or jaw when she won a match. She couldn’t — and would never even try — to hide her love and admiration for you.

She called you your good luck charm as if she hadn’t already become a pro at poker before you popped out of nowhere.

This particular match was different though. Her opponents were ones that you knew — Finn and Smeech. You had seen them a few times when you swung by Silco’s office to drop off some treats for your girlfriend and whoever wanted some as well.

You didn’t mean to but you made eye contact with Finn while you were simply gazing around the surrounding space. His bright luminescent green eyes catch yours and you immediately look away. Sevika notices the tension in your body and clears her throat, her strong arm settling around your waist to try and ease you.

“Your eyes are getting away from your cards, Finn,” Sevika quipped, eyes narrowing for a moment before focusing on your breathing that was picking up.

Her thumb rubbed at the revealed skin. You place a gentle hand on her larger one, trying to distract yourself. Most that were played against Sevika didn’t even dare to look you in the eyes; you were Sevika’s and they knew better.

Turns out, Finn was not aware of this.

“Well, something is distracting me, Sevika.” Finn’s off-putting comment made your stomach turn, looking at you with an almost predatory look.

Sevika’s nostrils flared for a moment, puffing out some of the smoke from the cigar dangling from her lips. Your hand tightened on hers, blinking and looking away from him.

“You sure picked a pretty one,” Finn continued and you looked up at him to see him wink at you. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

You are taken aback by the question, glancing at Sevika as you mutter out your name. Usually, you were able to converse with the opponents to distract them from Sevika with your effortless charm but you wanted to do anything but talk to Finn.

“Focus on the game or get up from the table,” Sevika warns the man.

You hated seeing Sevika get angry as you knew her as anything but. Sure, she was grumpy and had a stone-cold face but she was the most attentive and loyal girlfriend to you.

“Sev,” you whisper to try and ease her clear anger with the man.

Finn chuckles at her obvious irritation with him. Sevika’s lip twitches at the sound and she sucks in a deep breath, glancing down at the hand of cards.

“Are you done or can we get this going?”

You look back at Sevika with an awkward smile. You felt like you were on display at an exhibit with his eyes on you and not in the way that Sevika looked at you.

No, she was so tender and loving with you.

“You know what? I, um, I forgot the muffins I made in the office. I’ll be right back, baby,” you pat her hand that was gripping onto your torso.

Sevika’s gray eyes found your gaze, watching as they anxiously darted from eye to eye. You were uncomfortable. Finn made you feel uncomfortable. From the moment you weakly smiled at her, Sevika knew she had to deal with him the moment you were out of her eye-line.

“Okay, sweet girl. Be quick. Need my good luck charm,” Sevika curtly nodded, plastering on a grin for your sake.

“I’ll be quick. I love you,” you ignore the obvious stares from the two across the table as you lean down to place a lovely kiss on her lips.

The taste of your lips fogs Sevika’s brain for a moment, reluctantly releasing your waist so you can leave her presence. “And I love you.”

You send her one more darling smile before keeping your distance from the two opponents as you make your way to where the office is located. You wave to Chuck as you pass by him handing a drink to Jinx at the bar in her signature cup.

You pat her on the head and flick one of her collarbone-length braids, watching her whip her head to find your awaiting grin. She leans forward to capture the straw between her lips, waving to you. You chuckle at her mean face before she realized it was you.

Sevika watched you walk away until you were completely out of sight before she reached over the table to grab onto the hair on Finn’s head and slammed it down thrice onto the wooden table. Her large hand held him down, watching him struggle to let himself up after the impact it had on his head.

The thud mixed with his pained grunt echoed, the few people within the bar pausing their movements. Objects clattered and chairs scooted to see where the sound came from. She uses her mechanic hand to take the cigar out of her mouth to rest it on the little ashtray that you sculpted for her.

“You really just couldn’t keep your damn mouth shut,” Sevika snarled at the man who was getting small splinters embedded into his skin from the old wood.

“He didn’t mean it,” Smeech proposed after being silent throughout the entire match up until now. Fucking coward, Sevika thought to herself. “We could… work out a deal to make this go away.”

Sevika scoffed as she started up her mechanical arm, the blade within it revealing itself and extending to push against the small jaw of Smeech’s fury face.

“A misunderstanding is all,” Smeech sputtered out, glancing at Finn’s smashed-in face.

Sevika stood up from her seat to grab onto Finn’s hair and ram him up against the nearest wall, head pounding against the tough wood. The man had yet to say a word about his over-the-line actions. A bloody smile was all he wore. Her hand held him up against the wall, her chest heaving from anger and her hand tightening to watch him writhe under her touch.

“Complete forfeit and that’s it. We’re gone. We’ll never look at her again,” Smeech rushed out

“And what would Silco say to this reckless behavior? We’re partners, you know?” Finn coughed out, spitting some of his blood out onto the ground. “Would not be too keen on that now would he?”

Sevika glanced over at Smeech’s trembling figure, carefully lowering her blade. He was right. As much as she wished she could beat his face until it was black and blue, nearing death, Silco would have more than a few words for her. She retracts the blade back into the arm and releases Finn from his throat, watching him pant and rub at the sore area.

“Leave the money,” Sevika grabbed the still-lit cigar and pressed it onto Finn’s free hand when he wasn’t paying attention. He gasped at the burn seeping into his skin, unable to react as Sevika grabbed him by the collar to push him toward the exit. “And get the hell out here.”

Smeech kept his distance as he nodded in understanding of Sevika’s anger. He released a frantic chuckle as he, along with Finn, left the building without looking back. Sevika shook out her hand and stretched a bit. When she takes a look around, the paused customers instantly continue their previous actions.

“Sev?” She hears you call from behind her, your footsteps growing closer. “Wait, what happened?”

Sevika shook her head as she turned to face your confused expression at the now-empty table. She glanced down at the small tray of muffins that you and Jinx made.

“They had places to be.”

“Aww. I was going to give them a muffin to try before they left. They’re not like ones that’d be up in Piltover but I think we did a pretty good job.” You motion to the berry muffins. “Have you tried one yet? I can’t remember.”

Sevika hums with a shake of her head before grabbing one off of the tray.

“Let’s go home, yeah?” She insisted with a hand out for you to take.

You nod happily at her suggestion, intertwining your fingers with yours as you leave out the door of the Last Drop.

Entering Sevika’s apartment, you rambled about the muffins you made. You were yet to notice Sevika practically undressing you with her eyes.

“I just think if you know if I was able to get a different kind of fruit,” you examine one of them in your hand, letting Sevika lead you by your hip around to the kitchen so you could set your muffins down on the countertop. “You know? Next time you have a transportation, can you stop by a fruit vendor or something up there so that I could—”

“Baby,” Sevika chuckles at your rambling as she rests her hands on your waist, squeezing the plush skin to grab your attention.

“Oh, right. Tell me about the rest of the poker game,” you shook your head and patted her bicep, looking up at her with a sweet smile.

Sevika could take you right there and then. She presses a loving kiss onto your lips before using her non-mechanic hand to cup the side of your face, keeping her hunger for you at bay for now.

“Did I ruin it when I left? Is that why everyone was gone when I came back?” You question, your face wincing at the idea that you may have altered the game. “I-I know I was… being distracting to Finn and I didn’t mean to.”

Sevika shook her head at your words, shushing your insecure thoughts creeping into your head.

“No. No, you did nothing wrong. Finn was the one out of line,” Sevika sneered, rubbing her thumb along the apple of your cheek.

“Are you sure?” You checked in one more time.

“Yes, angel. I mean it,” her voice is assertive but reassuring.

You nod, sighing as you lean into the comforting feeling of her palm. The feeling of discomfort from half an hour ago still lingered in your mind. You release an awkward chuckle, staring up at Sevika’s comforting gray eyes.

“I’m sorry. I just never felt that weird before.”

Sevika’s brows furrowed at your confession. Once you realize how depressing you sound, you shake your head as you reach up to cup her stern face, running your thumb over her blue scars. She wished she would’ve just finished Finn off right there and then seeing you contemplate who you are because of him.

“You… are perfect. Everything about you,” Sevika breathed out, leaning in to place kisses on the under of your jaw.

You gasp softly at the feeling, running a hand over the length of her shoulder. Her hand cupped at your neck, her thumb pressing underneath your to get you to tilt your chin upwards. You pant as her lips trail down the length of your neck, barely ghosting her lips to draw the neediness out of you.

It didn’t take much for you to get riled up for Sevika. Because, well, it was Sevika. She learned every spot that drove you wild and made it her mission to take advantage of that.

“I-I’m really okay, Sev,” you assure her but your slack jaw gave away how much you wanted this.

“Do you want me to stop?” She questions, pausing her movements but still heavily panting against your neck.

You shake your head rapidly, hand cursing up the back of her head into her hair.

“No, no. Please don’t.”

And how could she not give you what you want? Especially when you’re so sweet.

“Such a sweet girl, baby,” she breathed out before backing out of the comforting crook of your neck.

You preen at the praise, looking up at her with dazed-out eyes. Your hands were clamped down on the counter behind you, the ledge digging into your back. She traced the wet mark on your skin before delving back into your lips.

You ‘hmph’ at the attack on you but recover quickly, falling into a rhythm against her. Her hands settle back on your waist, her real hand sneaking up your top to run her fingers over your ribcage. You shiver against her, the sound of your lips smacking and the feeling of her tongue grazing over your bottom lip increasing your arousal.

“Wanna get up on the corner for me?” Sevika hums between kisses, her hands gripping at the meat of your thighs.

You nod with a hum, releasing the counter. Sevika lifted you with ease, hoisting you up on the counter. You couldn’t but giggle at the motion, still not being used to the fact that she was that strong. Her muscles were a constant reminder but when she was able to effortlessly move you around, you swore you were on top of the world.

“Need you, Sev,” you whisper against her lips, a smile creeping onto your lips.

Sevika's eyes shut at the sound of you asking for, needing her.

“Say that again, pretty girl,” she mutters as her grip on you tightens.

You smile against her lips as you peck them a few times before tilting your head up at her.

“I need you, baby. Please.”

Sevika released a near growl at your begging for her. She nearly knocks you back onto the counter as her lips find yours once again. Your bodies press up against one another, grinding your crotches. Your eyebrows raise at the bulge in between her legs.

You were not expecting her to be wearing the strap-on around. A pleasant surprise, nonetheless.

Sevika must've noticed you slowing down, pulling away with a slight smirk.

“You want it?” Sevika hummed, slowly grinding the bulge against you once again.

You nod again with greed, clawing at her back. With quick and hurried movements, you helped her move your panties down from underneath your rather short skirt. Sevika runs her hands up the plush of your thighs as her lips kiss your collarbones.

Growing impatient, you take matters into your own hands and reach for the button of her pants. Sevika hummed at the feeling, in fact pushing your hips into your hands to encourage the neediness. You took the strap out of her briefs, not wanting to take the time for foreplay.

You were positive that you were wet enough for Sevika to just ease into you. She chuckles at you angling your hips so she could line herself up to your aching pussy.

“Needy girl,” she teases.

You flush at the mocking, loving any sort of attention she was giving you. Your mind had completely blanked on why you were feeling so weird in the first place. Sevika was all that was able to make its way through your thoughts.

Her rough yet tender hands, her addicting lips, her toned waist, her ever-so-loving voice.

Just Sevika.

“Should’ve killed him for staring at you,” Sevika mutters against your skin. “For talking to you like that, angel.”

You shake your head at her words. “Just want you, Sev.”

Sevika nodded, knowing how much you hated seeing the violence. You, of course, knew it was a part of her job but when you saw people physically get hurt, you could feel it too. You would hate to know someone got hurt on your account.

“I’ll take care of you,” Sevika says out loud as if she’s trying to get herself back on track.

You were a waiting mess for her and she was thinking about killing that fucker. She blinked and looked at you, really admiring every curve of your body. Your hands were running over her broad shoulder, glancing down at the dildo in between you two.

Her hands push your legs apart, a smile growing on her face. You pant as your patience is wearing thin, watching her grab the base end of the strap to glide the tip through your folds. She was still teasing you, an evil smirk on her lips.

“Baby, don’t be mean,” you whine, looking up at her with desperation written all over your face.

Sevika whispers an ‘I’m sorry’, placing a kiss and soft bite underneath your dropped jaw. She held your hips still in place as she carefully inched herself into you. You gasped and moaned at the stretch inside of you. Sevika’s head tilts back as she curses under her breath.

You swore at times she acted like she really could feel you through the strap.

“Fuck,” she groans, humming as she bottoms out inside of you.

Your nails were digging into the scarred skin of her neck, emitting another moan from the woman. Without wasting another second, Sevika, once she was sure you were okay, began thrusting inside of you.

Your tits bounced with every thrust, nearly popping out of your top from movements. Sevika shamelessly watched your face twist in pleasure, your beautiful skin glistening with her saliva from her wet kisses and your sweat.

“Baby,” you moan out, shivering when she thrusts hard up into you.

Sevika grabbed underneath your jaw with her real hand, making you make eye contact with her as she fucked into you.

“My perfect girl,” she praises as her thrusts continue, slapping against your inner thighs.

You preen at the praise, wanting to look away but Sevika wouldn’t let you. Your stomach tightens at your overwhelming fast orgasm approaching. It was creeping up your spine, burning in the best way possible.

“Just like that, baby,” Sevika nodded as she released your face to focus on your soft hips.

Your breathy and whiny moans drive Sevika to speed up her thrusts into you. Your legs were hiked up around her toned waist, brushing deliciously at her v-line.

“Sev, please,” you beg.

For what? You weren’t sure anymore.

“Say you’re perfect. Say it for me, angel,” Sevika groaned as she continued her thrusts inside of you, one of her hands cupping underneath your jaw.

Your mind was foggy, barely able to focus on what she was asking you what to do. Your hips stutter as you try to match the pace of her thrusts.

“I’m… p-perfect.” You sputter through your heavy breathing, reaching and holding onto her strong forearm.

The metal of her mechanic arm made your skin shiver as she shifted your legs to somehow reach deeper into you. Your painted nails dug into her skin as you tried to adjust to the angle change.

“You’re my perfect girl. My angel, my sunshine,” Sevika praises you as her thrusts become sloppier, a shiver running down her spine.

Nothing, not even Shimmer, could compare to the euphoric feeling of being with you like this. Nothing was as addicting as you.

“Yours,” was all you could whimper out.

You were sure your makeup was smudged, most of your eyeshadow faded from the heat exuding from your body. Sevika wouldn’t let you even try to think about anything else but feeling good.

“‘M yours too, angel. Don’t you forget it.”

TAGLIST: @eilishxo @prettydeeryess @hauntedclaudio @maaaaaaaaaaari @prettysuplicant @twlaei @soodle-noup @xayn-xd @fict1onallyobsessed @lamiadrowned @asmrgirll @lovinglynny @kylorey25 @kissyslut @archangeldyke-all

[avelera]

Arcane's Jayce & Viktor: A Tech Industry Perspective

I've been wrestling with whether to make a short and sweet post about these points or to just have another long-winded meta and clearly since I'm incapable of being brief, I guess we'll just dive in.

I work in tech. What I see in this industry colors a lot of how I see Jayce and Viktor in Arcane. I'll try to be brief about a few of the things that stand out to me the most and that I think are intentional.

1 ) Jayce and Viktor are references to Alfred Nobel - This is a historical reference so direct I genuinely don't know how people grasp Jayce and Viktor's characters if you don't know about it.

Alfred Nobel is known for two things: inventing dynamite and bequeathing his subsequent fortune to founding the Nobel Peace Prize. These things are very much related.

Nobel was brilliant but socially naive. When he invented dynamite, he intended it to make life easier and safer for working in mines. Sound familiar? That is literally what the Atlas Gauntlets and Hex Claw Jayce and Viktor invented with Hextech was posed to be. It is a direct reference to Alfred Nobel and dynamite, there is no question about it in my mind whatsoever that they pose the benefit to society as specifically being useful to miners.

Nobel also believed that the awesome destructive power of dynamite would mean the end of warfare. Literally. He thought it was so disgusting and unthinkable that people would use explosives on each other that it would grind violence to a halt. He was very, very wrong about this. So wrong, in fact, that he spent the rest of his life in horror and remorse at how explosives were being used to kill people and created the Nobel Peace Prize to promote innovations aimed at peace, a prize which annually recognizes those who "conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".

Likewise with Jayce and Viktor, they are both horrified to imagine Hextech used for warfare and we think they're incredibly socially naive for thinking this, because they are. Maybe in another universe, there'd be the Talis Peace Prize to try to make up for what they unleashed on the world. Which brings me to my next point:

2 ) Jayce and Viktor have typical engineer blindspots to society's ills - As I've discussed in-depth in another meta, Jayce and Viktor both desperately needed some non-STEM or scientific classes in their life because their worldview is so naive and stunted as a result that it's the source of a dizzying number of their problems. Neither of them could even consider that Hextech, like dynamite, would be weaponized immediately. But they have other huge gaps too as a result of their narrow focus on science, and I do believe this is intentional by the writers as a commentary on engineers and tech people in general.

Short version, Jayce desperately needs some understanding of history and of rhetoric. When Ambessa asks him if his school teaches military history, he doesn't even know if they offer it. She was testing him with that question and as a canny manipulator and general, she clearly takes that to mean she can run circles around him, and she is right. Because with incredibly simplistic plays to his male ego, like calling his leadership "impotent", Ambessa immediately gets Jayce riled up and not thinking clearly. She blindfolds him, spins him around, and shoves him headlong into taking violent military action in exactly the direction she wanted him to go in to kick the nest and set off a war.

Jayce is also easily manipulated by Mel for more benevolent but still self-serving reasons with appeals to his life's work with flattery, his male ego with sex, and his dreams for a better world to make him fall quickly into step with the city's corruption with only a little nudging because he has no strong civic understanding of his own to fall back on. As Cait notes, he's never taken an interest in the Council or politics before until he becomes a Councilor himself.

Short version for Viktor, he wants to make the world a better place but he's never actually had to think through human nature before. He's literally never bothered. We know this because of his blindspot towards Hextech weaponry where he truly believed they could avoid it being used for warfare, and the fact that later in his cult, he's somehow shocked to learn that people will do bad things for the ones they love and won't just slice pieces of their own nature and personality off to fit into his little Utopian commune.

Literally cracking any kind of history or sociology book or heck, a Pratchett Discworld book, would have told him that there's a straight fucking line between deciding people are the problem when it comes to fixing society's ills and eugenics. He falls headlong into that trap and it requires his older, wiser self to beat him over the head with the truth of the horrors of his own simplistic worldview would lead to before he literally annihilates all life in his home city in his attempt to save it.

Which brings me to my next point:

3 ) Jayce and Viktor as oblivious tech nerds who have never cracked a book open but suddenly thinking that because they're great engineers, they have the solution to all of life's problems.

This is a somewhat shorter point, but I think in modern society we all know about the proverbial tech bro who keeps reinventing things like public transportation and taxes because they've never read a book in their life that doesn't have equations in it.

To be clear, they aren't bad people! I'd even hazard to say that young tech bros trying to make public good-based startups with a laughable lack of social awareness aren't bad people either! If anything, the education system has failed them, and they're pouring their intellect and earnest, human desire to help others into endeavors with the narrowest possible world perspective, which happens to be their field of expertise and thus it makes sense they'd see that as the greatest value that can offer, it's just too limited a view so they end up reinventing things that already exist or making worse, more dangerous versions of things that already exist. Tragically, their naive but well-meaning worldview often leads to:

4 ) Viktor and Jayce, but mostly Jayce, as tech bros being beholden to billionaire interests to make their dream come true:

Like Jayce, we see how these tech bros have their vision co-opted by people with a broader vision and understanding of the world, by billionaire investors who turn their inventions into making a quick buck for themselves, to warmongers and dictators who turn the creations of their mind into surveillance state horror stories. Some of that is a lack of wisdom on their parts when it comes to building in safeguards, sure, but part of that is there is a class divide too between the powerful and bright-eyed young inventors who just want to improve the world. As Singed notes, no one in power is ever innocent. And those in power have the capital to make a young inventor's dream come true and thus, tie them to their demands and interests. As Jayce said, they built the Hexgates, "Like [the Councilors] asked." Specifically this indicates that their vision has already been co-opted to serve financial interests. It also, again, makes it almost laughable how naive they are that they didn't realize warfare was next after trade.

Like many tech bros with billionaire investors, Jayce relied on the Kirammans, who were one of the wealthiest people in the city and literally on the Council that represents the State, and on Mel who is also part of the State, who is the wealthiest woman in Piltover, and who comes from a family of world-conquering warmongers, to make his dream come true from the very start.

From the beginning, Jayce was at a losing disadvantage when it came to keeping his dream ideologically pure and free of the influence of the wealthy and powerful.

And finally, just to point out that I'm not making this up, that these parallels are in fact intentional and built into the story:

4 ) Jayce and Viktor as parallels to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple. Christian Linke, co-creator of Arcane, specifically noted them as inspirations for Jayce and Viktor's relationship, with Jayce (Jobs) as the face of the company and Viktor (Woz) as the real brains behind the invention.

This caused a lot of sturm and drang on Twitter with people misinterpreting that he means Jayce isn't the actual inventor of Hextech, which I think is an overreaction. Jobs, unlike many tech bros who have earned society's ire lately like Musk, was actually an engineer too. It's completely common in tech spaces for partnerships to be made up of one partner who is able to handle being the public face of the company, and one introverted and socially awkward genius who prefers to sit in a dark room and actually tinker with the problem and who would literally rather set themselves on fire than talk to a non-technical human being. I know because I've been in such partnerships before myself as the public face.

Where Jayce and Viktor rather charmingly buck the stereotypes of that relationship and so in turn actually make it more like what I've seen in the real world, is the fact there isn't resentment between the two as a result. Viktor is glad that Jayce is willing to be the public face and doesn't want to get in the way. This is actually very common with the engineers I know! It's not seen as glory stealing, it's seen as sparing them awful, painful work they don't want to do, like networking.

Yes it means Jayce needs to sacrifice some time in the lab, but it's a simple division of labor that he's happy to do, especially if it frees Viktor from the responsibility so he can focus on what he loves, because Jayce loves him. And you'll note that Jayce is very above-board academically speaking on this front, he always cites Viktor as his partner and is scrupulous in giving Viktor credit, in conversation at least, even if he doesn't forcibly drag Viktor on stage to take credit there.

Anyway, when I write meta or even fic for these two, this sort of background is always on my mind, and I thought it might be valuable for others who maybe aren't as familiar with the tech space as I am.

[sweetflanfiction]

Asymmetrical Symphony - Part 1

Universe: Arcane (LOL)

Pairing: Viktor x reader

Summary: You had been on the rooftop with Jayce and the Herald and somehow you were sent to a place where things can be different with your help

Disclaimers and Warnings: If you want me to tag you on the chapters let me know! Also leave a comment with your thoughts :D Not finished, not proofread. English isn't my 1st language. All I know about LOL is from google and all I know about Arcane is taken from the show, so inacuracies will be plenty. I have a sort of idea on how to I'm gonna go with magic and runes, so bear with me. The reader will be written and GN (going by they/them) to get everyone involved, but if you see any discrepancies let me know.

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There was a second. Less than a second before Ekko's time flowed again. In that, second before Jayce and Viktor vanished into nothingness, before time turned in your favor. In that second you felt your mind separate from your body, your consciousness being bent into a spiraling corridor of Hextech, your soul being erased and repainted with the runes you studied. And then…white…a flash of nothingness and the ticking sound of a clock and in a blink of an eye you jolted awake.

The impact with something cold and hard took the breath out of you, feeling it hit right below the diaphragm. You kept sliding down something until you woke up enough to figure out where you were and how fast gravity was working against you.

You quickly figure out where you were: the Hexgate rooftop. The place you had been standing a second ago, looking at a white construct plucking all your memories away, now a dark slide with a not-so-fun ending. You cured under your breath, your hands finding anything they could grab and stop the swift descent. Finally, your fingers clawed at a sill and you haphazardly stopped your death by floor. 

With two big puffs of air, you managed to pull yourself up the ledge and immediately fall on your back, when you figured the ground was straight. You could feel your lungs explode with cold air, the tears you had before drying out in the night air. 

You frowned. Night air? Something snapped in your brain and straightened your back, sitting on your small perch. It was broad daylight … The flood of memories and images hit you all at once, and you felt all of them all at once. You felt your brain split open and be sewn back together. Jayce, Viktor, your two friends, broken and made whole again. The hextech, the hex core, and its idea of a hive mind world. Mel, a force of nature finally found what she was truly made of, marble and gold. Caitlyn and Vi, the backbone of the enforcers. You, a high society figure tangled in the science you patronized, turned fighter for Piltover's survival. 

You heard the chaos of the last hour in your mind, the screams, the clinking of swords and blasts of guns. The smell of blood, fear, and magic. 

You felt it all until…you didn’t. And it all became quiet. The silent whisper of the wind on your face and the normal sound of a city under your feet.

You got up on unsteady feet, realizing you were still wearing your makeshift enforcer armor. You looked around, seeing the skyline of the city, bathed in an orange moonlight, until you reached the Academy’s dome. A silent gasp came out of your mouth.

It was still intact. 

The gasp turned to frown and the hope to realization. You took a step back as you watched the red moon reflected on the glass pane.

It was still intact, but not for long.

You remembered Jayce talking about how he got to go to a different time, an alternate universe. A divergence in reality that sent him somewhere. His description was dire, filled with what he called ‘Hex Angels’ coming after him. But this seemed like your world, your time. Before Jinx attacked the council.

Before Jayce placed Viktor in the hextech bath, turning him into the Herald.

You had one chance. One impossible chance. 

The urgency of needing to get to council chambers hit you like a brick and you started to try and make your way inside the hexgate. Find an enforcer, tell them to get you into the chamber, and warn the councilors of the attack. If it would be easy, you were a well-known face in Piltover. Your father was a respected figure, an old councilman, only giving up his seat when your mother died 20 years ago. Getting into that chamber would be easier than getting down from this rooftop.

Which you managed with surprising ease, thanking Caitlyn for showing you the many ventilation entryways where the enemies could try and get inside.

And your feet hit the metallic floor of a walkway you ran as fast you could to any place you deemed safe to jump down. It seemed like a never-ending spiral that was clawing into your anxiety. But when you were about to scream you found yourself face to face with a door with a sign “Maintenance. Do not open it if Hexgate is hot.”

You gave it a few tugs. Nothing. You groaned and started pounding on it, until you saw an enforcer come to the door, frowning. 

He opened the door, a hand on the handle, another on his electric baton.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” 

You frowned at the first question but answered it. His eyes looked nonplussed and you frowned deeper. You hated to pull this card but you didn’t know how much time you had.

“Do you not know who I am?” Your voice echoes through the tube. “I don’t care who you are! You are trespassing on government grounds” He grabbed your forearm and roughly pushed you into a small corridor. “How did you even get in there?” He mumbled to himself, losing the door. “Doesn’t matter. I need to get to the council chamber.” You blurted out, knowing by his demeanor it was futile.  “Pal, you're going straight to HQ to answer how you got into a place with only three guarded doors, and why.”

He once more grabbed your elbow and dragged you away from the metal door towards a minuscule industrial elevator. With his free hand, he grabbed the key ring around his belt and unlocked it. It was beautifully crafted, as was everything in Piltover, but the cramped space and your shoulder pauldron made it difficult for both of you to get inside at the same time. 

You looked at the Enforcer, while he was trying to figure out if going down the thousands and thousands of stairs was worth it. The stairs were barely used, placed there by an overzealous engineer and much like the door to the elevator, it was locked. 

“I’m sorry…” you whispered to the guy and when he turned you did your best Vi impression and head-butted him, leaving him hurting and confused. You quickly snatched the keys from him and rushed to the stairs.

“Stop!” You heard him mumble, trying to regain his balance.

Yanking the door open you rushed down the stairs, jumping whole sets of stairs at a time, using the walls as a concrete cushion to break your descent. You kept jumping and running and colliding with the walls, begging that the ground floor appeared soon. 

The last landing was below you and you saw four enforcers open the door below you and rushed in, looking up and spotting you. You couldn’t take them all. 

Before you could do anything you felt something shift. Similar to when someone stretched after a good nap, but it was in the air around you. Not the air you realized, the reality around you awakened. It whispered something unintelligible, but you heard it even above the guards shouting at you. A faint piano note followed and right in front of you a rune appeared. Like a pattern on a broken mirror. 

A magical rune, you remembered talking with Jayce and Viktor about it.

The officers were approaching and without thinking you inscribed the rune with your foot on the dusty floor of the stairwell. Once made you waited. The guards stopped for a moment looking confused. Nothing happened.

A conversation between you and your father flashed in your head. You had finished practicing a piece on the piano, your father, ever the willing audience sat with a frown on his face. 

“What's wrong?” you asked, turning to him and he shook his head. “Is it supposed to be a happy song?” He asked and you shook your head. “No, it’s a requiem, but I didn’t feel like playing a sad song, so I changed the note.”

Your father smiled sadly and got up from his armchair.

“My dear child, if a song is intended to be sad, then it must be played as such. That was its intended purpose.” He placed a hand on your shoulder “You are only a tool to bring that song to life, your aim should be to bring it to life.”

Intention. You’re a tool with a purpose. You nodded and took a deep breath. Looking up at the enforcers you thought about what the objective of your plan was. Leave. Move from here. And then, you stomped your boot to the ground and a wave of air burst from it. Like a gust of powerful wind, knocking the enforcers down.

You looked at the groaning bodies on the floor, your chest heaving in deep breaths. For a second you were frozen to the ground, until the clanking of metal armor and footfalls snapped you out of it. 

“I’m so sorry…” You whispered to the guards on the ground and ran outside the hexgate, shoving whoever stepped in your path out of the way. 

You relied on your muscle memory of Pilltover to get you to the University where the Council of Clans was to be taking place. You managed to lose most of the enforcers by swerving into the building’s back alleys, stopping only by a garbage chute to dispose of the outer layer of armor you still had on, leaving you with a simple pair of blue pants and a tank top.

Arriving at the University steps you slowed down and walked confidently towards the enforcers at the door, hoping they had not been warned about your encounter at the Hexgated and that they knew about who you were. The last part was quickly dismantled as they stepped towards you with a hand up. 

“I am here for the Council meeting.” You announced, your tone showing the confidence you didn’t have, but that years of practice made second nature. “Good evening. We are not expecting any visitors.” The enforcer replied, politely. “Please turn back and come back tomorrow with an appointment.”  “Councilwoman Mel Medarda is expecting me.” Your tone dripped with the impatience only a Topsider was known to have. “I am truly sorry, but we are not expecting visitors. If any member of the Council was expecting you we would have been warned.” The other enforcer repeated and started towards you. “This is astounding. How dare you stop me from an engagement with a Councillor? Preposterous. I will tell your supervisor about this…” “As is your right. Now please turn around.”

You huffed and puffed, putting on a performance of a lifetime until you finished the rune you had learned minutes ago. Once that was done you turned to the enforcers and once again apologized, watching as they got knocked on their asses when you stomped the rune with your boot. It was enough for you to walk to them and grab another key ring for your collection. 

Unlocking the side door of the main entrance you stepped inside while hearing shouting approaching from the outside. Time is running out. You looked at the marble steps and both you and your knees groaned. You took the steps two by two until you reached the second landing and then you found the main elevator. You had no time to wait for the thing to arrive nor to go to the last floor by the stairs. 

Reality did the thing again and once more a rune whispered and showed itself as if it was a patch on the elbows of a jacket. There was no dust on the floor or walls, nothing for you to write the rune on. 

All of a sudden you felt a burning sensation in your hand and looked at it. In your palm, a bright blue rune appeared, glowing in the darkened university hall. The bright light spread, filling your palm, your knuckles and your fingers. When you moved your hand to turn it and watch the light consume the rest of your extremities, you noticed your fingers were painting light into the air. You moved your fingers in a wave a small path of light painted the air in front of you, like a stroke of a brush on canvas.

Once again, the clanking of armor and shouting kicked you out of your stupor and you used your now weirdly illuminated hand. For a second today, the rune did nothing and once again you thought of the purpose you had. Reach the last floor.

Another voice flashed in your head. Vi’s shouts when you were on the hexgate, back…back there.

“Well…don’t just stand there…push forward…get them out!”

Push forward. Quickly you drew the rune in the air and just as Vi sometimes spoke with her fists, you did the same, punching the rune with enough force to push it towards its destination.  

The elevator pinged and opened its double doors and you rushed inside. The elevator took off as fast as it could with its old gears but it was still quicker than the steps and by the quiet you were hearing, the enforcers were still finding a way up.

As soon as the elevator stopped you were darting towards the gigantic doors. Midway, you caught a glimpse of something shining through the sky through a window—the rocket. Jinx was going through the motions of pulling the trigger if she hadn’t pulled it already. If the rocket was already in the air, you had seconds to put a stop to the Herald’s ascension.

You swerved right, knowing the main doors would be guarded, but the side doors were usually…hopefully… left unattended. Never did a sigh of a door make you so happy. You grabbed the door handle. Locked.

Instinctively you made the gust of air rune in the air and punched it, the door rattled. You groaned loudly, your desperation evident. You painted the rune again but made it bigger. The door rattled again. If not size, then quantity. You made four runes on the ground, in a single line and stomped on it. 

The door flew open and you ran inside, watching as everyone in the room fell silent. You hadn’t been inside the chamber when the rocket hit, but you knew that Mel’s shield had naturally appeared to protect her. Jayce, being so close to her, had been protected, but Viktor was a breath away from it.

Mel’s eyes snapped to you as you took several gulps of air. Looking at a smaller window in the chamber you saw a light fly towards the dome. You locked eyes with Viktor, sitting on a chair, his expression confused. 

As you dashed towards him, Mel and Jayce, you were half tempted to use magic again, but when he reached for his cane you stopped that thought. You weren’t about to throw poor Viktor around, this was gonna hurt as it was.

A councilman got up in an attempt to stop you, but Vi and Caitlyn's training had paid off and you quickly skidded away. You were centimeters from Viktor when a blue glow bathed the chamber. Everyone’s face turned towards the domed ceiling. As everyone’s eyes were transfixed on the sky you grabbed Viktor's hand and pulled him to you as you rushed towards Mel. You heard the glass shattering as the rocket hit the target, the force of the impact enough to send you crashing to the ground, never letting go of the bony hand in yours. And then…blackness…

··········· • ············ •

[captain039]

PART 5 On the edge Last part

Alpha Jayce x omega reader

Warnings: AOB, light swearing, feral alpha, intimacy, angst, Spoilers, Fated mates, hurt/comfort, depression

Previous part <-

A battle is always gruesome, always war cry’s, guns blazing, swords clashing. You’re with the people of Piltover hidden,protected, the ones who decided to stay anyway or couldn’t leave, you’re trying to comfort Jayces mum, after last night you’ve been a whirlwind of emotion and you haven’t seen the alpha since then. There’s a constant nagging in your stomach and brain as you hear distant rumbles and shouts. All you can do is wait, you don’t posses any power of the Arcane, of Hextech or basic fighting skills or rifle handling, in other words you can’t help Jayce. It’s like a deep sunken pit of emotions in your gut.

Caitlyn is the one to return, she’s missing an eye her stomach is stabbed and Vi is holding her up.

“We won” is all she says before she collapses and is rushed to medical. The people emerge, you see Mel holding her dead mother, you see her mother’s soldiers there and a bunch of those creatures Jayce showed you. You see no Jayce though, you figured the battle took elsewhere maybe in the lower part of the hex gate. You rush down there, it’s destroyed and no sign of Jayce, there’s a hold leading right to the top though of the hex gate building. You search everywhere for any trace of the alpha and find none and sinking feelings claw at your heart.

It’s been a month now and no sign of Jayce or his body, no sign of Viktor and his body just those hollow creatures and fallen soldiers from both sides. You don’t want to admit it, Jayce being dead it feels wrong like it shouldn’t be real. You’ve avoided any real conversation or socialising with anyone, you prefer the solitude of your double bed and simple apartment. You prefer very little at the moment, you’ve avoided taking care of yourself in any way, you barely eat or drink, you rarely shower, you don’t take your suppressants. It’s a warm night surprisingly, you lay there in underwear and a singlet on your side eyes staring blankly ahead, you feel as hollow as those creatures looked. Your apartment door opens and you tense up but can’t move your body, if an intruder is here you don’t care. The groan and collapse make you frown though and look up switching the lamp on. Jayce…

Jayce is kneeling in the door way bruised and battered looking worse than you.

“Jayce!” You’re rushing over almost falling over in the process at your lack of muscle usage before you slide to the ground in front of him. You touch his face making sure he’s real before hugging him tightly. The alpha sighs and wraps his arms around you tightly nuzzling your neck you don’t care that you stink, you just need to hold him.

“What- how- I don’t-“ you pull back seeing the small smile he gives.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks and you nod quickly pressing your lips to his without thought. The alpha sighs pressing his lips back to yours wanting to deepen it but you pull back.

“I haven’t brushed my teeth in a while” you mutter.

“Neither have I” he growls and tugs you back kissing you again his arms tightening around you.

“How are you back?” You ask hands resting on his cheeks.

“I don’t know” he answers eyes hazing over.

“I don’t” he shakes his head.

“And- Viktor?” You ask and he shakes his head against jaw clenching eyes closing for a moment as he holds back emotion. You hug him tightly again arms cradling his head. He’s dirty, his once white jacket now browns and greys his hair is slightly matted and dirty too.

“Let’s get you in the shower” you help him up and go to your shower, turning it on, you help him with his outer clothes before giving him privacy to get under the warm water. You go to leave when a wet hand catches your wrist.

“Join me?” He mutters and you turn back to look at him, his wet head of hair and tired eyes. You tense but nod, blushing a bit before taking your singlet off and underwear off. You hold your arms over your breasts before going under the water, Jayce steps back a bit eyes on you intently. You let the water wash over you knowing you need this shower as much as him and look at your feet shamefully.

“I didn’t handle, you being gone very well” you admit as rough fingers tilt your chin up.

“How long have I been gone?” He asks.

“A month and ten days” you answer and he grimaces.

“I haven’t seen anyone I don’t know how they are, your mums alive, Caitlyns alive, so Is Mel” you add.

“Mel’s mother?” He asks and you shake your head to which he nods too.

“Turn around” he orders gently and you frown but do, he grabs your shampoo and tilts your head back just a bit before he’s massaging the shampoo into your scalp. You sigh instantly eyes closing trying not to let a content moan leave your lips. He turns you back around with careful guidance before he tilts your head back into the water. He’s gentle, makes you wonder how he could be so gentle given his nature, work and everything that happened. Your arms are still covering your top half as he conditions your hair next before you switch places to let it soak in. You watch him wash his hair, watch the way his arm muscles move and tense, eyes trailing to his shoulders, collar bones, chest, abs- you force your eyes back up he’s always been so clean shave and well kept, you can see the hair on his arms and chest now, and down lower- which you’re not looking at as he meets your gaze. He smirks a bit and you glare tightening your arms around your breasts to hide yourself.

“Pass me my toothbrush and toothpaste” you grumble and he chuckled handing you both the items. You turn around so your backs to him and you begin to brush your teeth a little harshly till your gums bleed, before spitting. Jayces fingers trace your back, moving your hair from your shoulder before resting his head there. He’s warm, warmer than the shower now and you sigh a bit.

“I have spare toothbrush in the cupboard” you mutter and he hums in response. He turns you around slowly taking the toothbrush and toothpaste putting them back while your arms cover your breasts again. He glances down to them and you huff at him softly making him smile and press his lips to yours again. He steps closer an inch away his hands resting on your forearms you want to wrap your arms around his neck but don’t trying to keep some modesty even though he doesn’t seem to care. His hands clench gently before sliding to your elbows he gently urges your arms up and you give in wrapping them around his neck and he presses himself against you. There’s a small growl on his lips as his hands clench against your waist trying to get you closer. You’re pressed against the shower wall conditioned hair making your head slide against it.

“My conditioner” you mutter and he lets out another small growl. You figure not all the feral left him. He turns around guiding you back under the water tilting your head back and letting the conditioner rinse from your hair, once he’s satisfied he kisses you again under the flow of water making it harder to breathe.

“Jayce” you get out breathlessly as his mouth moves over your jaw and down to your neck.

“I missed your scent” he says desperately.

“I missed you” he adds letting out a small sigh as his shoulders sag and his head rests against your shoulder again.

“I missed you too Jayce” you mutter softly as he lifts his head to look at you.

You turn the shower off and both dry off, you don’t have any clothes for him to wear you realise and tense a bit.

“I’ll put your clothes in the wash” you comment from your room after you dress while he brushes his teeth in the bathroom. You put his dirty clothes in the washing machine before turning it on. You feel better, clean, refreshed you brush your hair of knots before going to the kitchen and wincing at the lack of food that isn’t off. Jayce comes out of the bathroom, in nothing but a towel around his waist and you know you were just naked in the shower with him but- geez.

“I don’t have any food” you call trying to avoid to look at him as you rummage through the cupboards. The alphas by you instantly though pressed against your back his nose pressed into your hair as he breathes in.

“I don’t care” he mumbles and you blink and huff.

“Jayce you obviously haven’t eaten in a while right?” He only grumbles to your question like a child. You haven’t eaten in a while either, stuck in your depressive episode. In fact you feel exhausted now that you think about it, your body aches and you want to nap.

“What’s the matter?” He asks mouth moving against your head as he speaks.

“Nothing” you brush off and feel him tense. You tense too as he turns you around and pins you with this look.

“As I said I didn’t handle you being gone” you shrug it off and he frowns. He looks around the apartment, nothings cleaned, dishes are unattended, dirty clothes are in one pile in your room the cupboards aren’t stocked and there’s rotting food in the fridge.

“Omega” the way he says it makes you shudder, it calls something primal with in you and you tilt your head without thinking.

“What was I supposed to do?!” You yell at him and he’s surprised by your outburst.

“All the shit I’ve been through!” You add.

“You disappearing for almost a year before returning in a feral state. The medical officers calling me saying I’m your true mate that I can bring you out of your feral state! Dragging you to the under city to get help from Viktor! - Viktor! Viktor who’s gone, Viktor who cured you somehow with this higher evolution power or whatever he called it. The war-! You disappearing again!” You don’t register the tears till he wipes them away.

“I’ve been on and off my suppressants my body’s a wreck! Jayce!” you add sobbing finally. You collapse against the alpha, sobs leaving your lips as you cry. Jayce hushes you resting your face in the crook of his neck his hand gently massaging the back of your neck. You cry and breathe him in nuzzling closer arms going around him tightly. Science- you missed the way he smells that undertone of alpha, leather, musk and metal. Jayce lifts you, he carry’s you to the couch and puts you down wrapping the blanket on the couch around you. You whimper and he presses his lips to your forehead.

“I’m gonna change your sheets ok?” He says softly and you nod wiping your eyes. He nods and goes into your room, he takes off the old bedding putting it in the laundry before grabbing a new set from the small linen cupboard you have. He struggles to keep his towel around his waist which makes you smile softly at the effort he puts in. He finishes and you stand soft blanket still wrapped around your shoulders before you collapse onto your bed. You sigh at fresh sheets and shuffle to lie your head on the pillow.

“I’ll wait for my clothes to dry before getting some food” Jayce says sitting at the edge of your bed.

“Stay” you say.

“Please” you add as Jayce smiles softly before moving he chuckles a little nervously at the towel around his waist.

“Just take it off I don’t care, we were literally naked in the shower together” you sigh and you see a faint blush on his cheeks. You look away and listen to the towel drop before he climbs into the bed. You’ve got the soft blanket and your clothes around you anyway. You grumble softly and roll over snuggling up to Jayces side leg hooking over his head resting on his shoulder. That’s all the encouragement he needs as he wraps his arms around you. You lay in silence for a while enjoying his warmth, his scent.

“Does your mum know you’re alive?” You ask softly and he nods.

“I went there first” he says and you nod glad.

“Jayce” you mutter and he hums as you think back to what you said when he asked you to stay.

“I’m sorry” you mutter.

“For what?” He asks.

“For, the night before the fight” you tense feeling him tense softly.

“It was the wrong time” he answers and you shake your head lifting your head to look at him.

“No Jayce I should’ve stayed with you, I shouldn’t have rejected you like that, I was horrible-“ you take a small breath calming your emotions.

“You’re my mate” you mutter tears welling in your eyes.

“And I want you to be my mate” you add bravely. You watch the alpha process the words his arm tightening on your waist before his lips crash with yours again. You make a surprised noise but kiss him back shuffling closer.

“Is that a yes?” You ask softly against his lips pulling back slightly as his eyes soften.

“Yes my omega” he says softly.

[the-glorious-evolution-fanart]

hallo - I'm probably the umpteenth person to ask this, but have you seen the very brief shot of Viktor's new design in the Arcane S2 teaser? if you have, what are your thoughts ? I'm a little worried about it if I'm being honest, given that they're leaning even MORE into the "sickly twink mage" thing :(

man I'm going to miss og viktor

Hi! Don't worry even if you're the bazillionth, I'll always reply, it's no problem (I like getting messages!)

Unfortunately based on the leaked screenshots, this is my prediction (I haven't invested more than one day into this art as it's frustrating to imagine):

The spindly fingers and his height in the leaked images inform me (I suppose) that they are indeed leaning into the "little timmy has a cough" design as a friend of mine would say.

They're gonna stretch him and have him feel like a tree, like he's made out of metal branches pulsing with Void energy. The Hex Core is clearly going to be in the middle of his chest to power him instead of on the tip of his staff. The staff already got converted into a cane. Expect to see a LOT of holes and veins in him because that's the very first design thought a person comes up with when they want to convey something "ooo creepy! ooo alien!" (we usually discard our first ideas because they are generic.) And Riot is clearly transplanting Malzahar's thing onto Viktor because apparently they don't know what to do with this Machine Herald character. He's gonna be going mad because of VOID WHISPERS instead of actually suffering from a real untreated mental disorder.

The staff design is already clearly visible in the leaked image, and the only thing I have to say about it is that it looks like a lot of pointless design noise. None of those lumpy metal parts serve a purpose.

The claw may replace the third hand and it may come out of the shoulder itself for some reason, which is insanely impractical. It was mounted on his back in the original design for a reason. Current designs seem to think that an actual hand is too "naive"?

Even if on first glance they may share many elements, fundamentally they are two different characters. They fulfill completely different archetypes.

It doesn't matter if Arcane Viktor's cape is still blue on the outside and red on the inside, because the core of the character would be different. A coat of paint on the top doesn't determine his structure.

[thatoneneuvichiliauthor]

Hear me out: a Yu-Gi-Oh! AU where Viktor uses an Ancient Gear deck (because of the gear that symbolizes his and Jayce's Hextech dream):

But then switches to Cyber dragon/Cyberdark cards after Jayce's murder attempt results in the corrupting gear falling from his hand:

I mean the Cyberdark cards even include a (Hex) Claw:

Also, if Viktor has anything in common with Zane Truesdale, it's getting kinky af the second he starts his villain arc *Cough* Viktor choking Jayce during the council room fight *Cough*

I'm not sure what kind of cards Jayce would have, though. Maybe dark magician ones, since he is obsessed with magic / they would remind him of the mage from his childhood?

Or maybe he could pick up the Ancient Gears deck himself, to emphasize how his stay in the other dimension had him speedrun everything Viktor went through in his life? Anyway I just think an Arcane Yu-Gi-Oh! AU would be fun! Viktor and Jayce would absolutely be having the most dramatic duels.

[garchankdefender]

Arcane fic: cannon-compliant Vi whump with a smattering of CaitVi.

Turns out, tumblr lets you post whole-ass stories right on main! Which I didn't realize at first! So here - an exerpt from a longer fic. CW: major injury (disembowelment, blood loss, shock - it's fairly graphic), implied vomit, canon-compliant character death. Set during the fight with Ambessa/Warwick at the commune.

*

Vi realized what was going to happen.

There was not a moment of hesitation as she ripped herself out of Caitlyn's grip, even as Caitlyn screamed out desperately after her. Vi paid her no heed. Jinx was running to her death; Vi couldn't let that happen. It was that simple. Not after Jinx had saved her own life. Not after they had just been reunited.

Fresh adrenaline dumped into her system, heartbeat kicking into high gear. Her breaths were coming fast and harsh as she ran, left arm still clamped determinedly over her side. Each step shot a lance of pain through her stomach, but, drawing from her deepest reserves of energy, she pushed it aside. Pain or not, she needed to get to her sister. 

She and Jinx were both running flat-out when they collided. Vi wrapped her in her arms and held on in a desperately tight embrace. Jinx kicked at her, crying out in wordless anguish. She twisted violently in Vi's grip, and Vi screamed as she felt an agonizing tear along her left side.

"No!" her sister was shouting. "No, no, no! Isha!"

Still, she held on tight, pulling Powder in close to her chest even as she wriggled and thrashed to escape. Vi threw her weight backwards, pulling Jinx away from Vander, and from where Isha stood observing them.

Jinx shrieked with rage as she realized what Vi was doing, and she kicked and writhed and clawed with renewed fervor. Vi received an elbow in the gut, and for a moment the world went muffled and dark as a guttural sob ripped from her throat.

Jinx struggled in her loosening grasp, and it was all Vi could do to keep holding her. She grunted through her teeth, keeping her sister trapped in the bear hug.

"Please, please," Jinx was begging, eyes fixed with horror on Isha's. "No."

Through the mass of soldiers, Vi saw Isha point a finger gun at them and, with a little smile, pull the imaginary trigger.

(She looks so much like Powder, Vi thought.)

Then the girl took a breath, looked up at Vander, and pulled the trigger of the real gun.

Vi saw it all: the small finger depressing the trigger; the sudden, initial crackle of the volatile hextech; Vander's agonized roar; Isha, her eyes closed, her expression one of peace. Jinx howled brokenly, fists uselessly beating against Vi's arms.

She felt every hair on her body prickle.

They were too fucking close.

Jinx screamed, falling back as the hex crystal detonated. Vi used one last, desperate burst of energy to turn and grab her sister, curling over her body, using her own as a shield.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Her vision flashed to bright white, and then to black.

...

Cool dirt against her cheek. Sulphur and iron in her nose.

...

Something tickled at the side of her face. When her eyelids fluttered briefly open, two pink rings of iris stared back at her.

White-hot pain rippled across her shoulders and down her spine. Her head pounded, and her midsection felt like she had been ripped in half. Sharp, agonizing nausea rolled through her.

Vi whimpered, and slipped back into the darkness.

...

Someone was calling her name.

...

There were hands on her. She was being moved – turned onto her back.

Vi felt a sharp twinge in her gut, and groaned softly as she experienced the disgusting, deeply unsettling sensation of organs sliding wetly out of her body.

...

"Vi? Vi. Vi!"

It was Caitlyn.

Their eyes met; Cait's were huge and terrified. Vi saw them dart down to her abdomen, and back up just as quickly. Vi was facing up and couldn't see what Caitlyn had, but, seeing her shaken expression, she felt cold dread settle in her chest.

Something pressed soggily into her midsection, applying firm pressure, and her whole body jerked violently at the terrible ache of it. She cried out, her own voice ragged and weak in her ears.

Caitlyn was saying something, but the words skittered across her consciousness without registering in her brain; like rats across concrete, leaving no footprints.

There was another voice now, too, hoarse but familiar. Two hollow, pink-ringed eyes appeared in her vision. They held her gaze – but only for a heartbeat, before they blinked away, and were gone.

Vi tried to say something, to cry out to her sister, but all she managed was a loud, embarrassing whimper in between shallow breaths.

Warm fingertips gently cradled her jaw. Head swimming, Vi blinked up into Caitlyn's eyes. Before, they had looked terrified. Now, they simply looked lovely, like deep pools of calm blue water. Vi let herself be soothed, watching them as they darted over her.

The fingers slid to the side of her neck.

"So sweet," Violet murmured, mostly to herself as she felt the world start to slip away again. "Like a cupcake."

...

Her eyes opened again, lids slow and heavy. Gradually, the world filtered back in. The pain was still there, but it felt quieter now, less consuming.

Cait's face still floated above her, but she had turned to speak to a man standing behind her. Vi recognized him, maybe, but not enough to know from where. He had a beard, and a fancy piltie jacket in tatters.

He looked fucking haggard.

He spoke, animated with intensity. His voice was deep and urgent. Vi struggled to comprehend his words, brain sluggish. Slowly, they filtered their way down into her murky thoughts. "Come on,” he said. “We need to get outta here!"

Caitlyn’s voice shook when she replied. Vi wished she knew what she’d said. The man knelt next to her, and the motion made Vi's head spin. More was said, but the words and voices blurred together, indistinct and distant.

Something was tapping at Vi's collarbone, hard and insistent. She opened her eyes – she hadn't even realized she'd closed them again – and saw Powder in front of her, tapping her metal middle finger on her chest.

Her expression was detached; stoney. Her eyes looked so, so sad.

Powder. Vi tried to reach up for her, but all that resulted was a twitch of her hand. She tried to speak, but again only managed a feeble moan.

The tapping stopped.

There were more words; a sudden flurry of movement. They were shifting positions around her, and Vi had to squeeze her eyes shut to avoid being sick. The world spun dizzyingly. It was almost like being drunk – there was a certain comforting familiarity in that, at least.

Her eyes flickered open again when she felt the pressure lift off her wound. Above her, she saw nothing but smoke and dust - Caitlyn was no longer there. Vi hated herself for the loneliness and fear that washed through her in Cait's sudden absence.

She felt hands on her limbs and body, but couldn't identify their owners. Through her dulled senses, a sharp cramp began radiating from her belly, and Vi moaned quietly. 

Lying face-up, limp and helpless, she stared at motes of dust swirling leisurely above her.

Vi was used to soaking up damage. She was built for it – she'd been weaned on the street fights of the Lanes, after all, and raised in the bloody pits of Stillwater. She had been kicked; stabbed; beaten until the world around her turned to a blurry mush. Vi knew her body, and knew her limits – she had met them too many times not to.

This felt different. She felt a heavy, abject wrongness in her gut - something she had never felt before. That scared her. Everything hurt - her head, her back, her hands, her fucking stomach - but she couldn't quite pinpoint the individual injuries. It was all becoming a confused, muddy din of sensation. Her breathing was fast and shallow as she felt a deep fear grip her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as if she was still in the fight, still sprinting towards Powder.

Cait reappeared above her, face sweaty and pale. Softly, she clasped Vi's face in both her hands, saying something gentle and pleading. Vi's skin was cool and sweaty, and in contrast Caitlyn's felt burning hot.

The world moved around her again, and Vi had a moment of wild confusion. Am I on a ship now? The ground under her seemed to roll and pitch like a boat on the waves. But no – she had been picked up; she could tell from the thick, solid arms braced under her knees and back. Each jarring step made her gut twinge ruthlessly. She could feel wetness slicked across her whole front, soaking into the man's broad chest, pooling in the bend of her waist, dripping into the dirt below.

She felt, very strongly, that she was going to die.

But Cait and Powder were there beside her as they walked, and she felt a hand close over hers, and maybe dying wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all.

She let her eyes slide closed. There were more words, but Violet did not hear them.

*

(Extended cut at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14422355/1/All-Your-Insides - plus, stay tuned for another chapter continuing with Cait's POV)

[cutieshapedcloud]

So this is my way of coping with the end of Arcane Season 2. Viktor's and Jayce's story left a hole in my heart which I now try to fill up with writing a fanfiction of them both after the events of Season 2 🥹

Please feel free to show me any mistakes I might have overseen. I'm not a native English speaker, but I did my best! (For some words or phrases I needed to use translators or ChatGPT, I hope this is alright tho)

It's a Jayvik fanfiction and it will be slow-burn. Their feelings and their past are very important to me, so it will be mentioned often through the story. There will be trigger warnings also, though this first chapter should not have any :)

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

Chapter 1: Waking in unknown

Viktor’s eyes fluttered open, the world around him blurred in a soft haze. Warm air brushed against his skin, carrying the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers. He blinked several times, struggling to make sense of the tranquil, endless meadow stretching before him.

Abruptly, he sat up, his heart pounding as fragments of his last moments clawed their way into his mind. He shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t possible.

Or was he even alive?

Shock rippled through him as he instinctively glanced down at his hands. One trembled slightly, the other clenched tightly around something smooth and cold—the rune stone he had given to Jayce so many years ago. So many times. The weight of it felt both grounding and unbearable. After so many times Jayce finally succeeded, ending Hex-Tech once and for all, saving both time and space.

The meadow was eerily calm. Only the soft rustle of grass accompanied the stillness, while the vast sky above stretched endlessly, its gentle blue so serene it felt wrong. All of this felt wrong. Viktor’s thoughts, in contrast, raced in an endless, chaotic stream of guilt and grief.

He sat frozen for a long moment, struggling to grasp reality, his breath unsteady. The soft earth beneath him, the sun's warmth on his face, it all felt painfully vivid, far too real for a dream. Yet the questions in his mind refused to quiet: How? Why? Where was he?

Slowly, his fingers brushed over the sharp lines of his face, tracing the familiar contours, aged by time and hardship. He felt solid, alive, but different. Everything about this place was different. The sensations, the stillness, the overwhelming clarity of it all.

Then he heard it.

A faint sound. Rhythmic. Familiar.

A heartbeat.

It wasn't his own.

Viktor’s head turned sharply. Lying beside him, impossibly close, was Jayce.

Jayce.

His old friend. His partner.

The man who had stood beside him through their triumphs and failures. The man who had fought to save him, only to set off a chain reaction of destruction.

Yet also the man who had refused to abandon him. Not even at the very end.

But was that truly the end?

For a moment, Viktor could do nothing but stare, his chest tight, his breathing uneven. Jayce’s face seemed calm, his breath steady. Relief coursed through Viktor, mingling with disbelief, anger, and emotions he thought he had buried long ago. But above all stood fear.

Fear of this being merely a dream. His sight got blurry, as tears started to fill up in his eyes. He thought he lost the ability to cry a long time ago.

"J-jayce.. please.. don't do this to me..", his voice a trembling whisper. Slowly Viktor reached out, heavily shaking, his hand hovering above Jayce’s face as if afraid to shatter the illusion, his trembling fingers brushed against his brow, the touch light and hesitant. He needed to know—needed to feel—that this wasn’t a cruel hallucination. And it seemed that it wasn't.

“You're alive…” Viktor whispered, his voice raw and broken. "I'm.. alive.."

His throat tightened, the weight of everything he had carried for so long threatening to crush him. He had steeled himself to face whatever came next alone. But now, Jayce—after everything—was here. Viktor pulled his hand away sharply, slamming it into the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear slipping down his cheek, carving a path toward the earth below.

This can’t be real.

The thought clawed at him. Was this some cruel trick of dying Hextech? A final mirage conjured by the remnants of their shattered invention? He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to feel, what to believe.

The tear fell silently into the grass, vanishing into the earth as Viktor’s thoughts spiraled. The meadow stretched around him in unyielding serenity, while within him, a storm raged.

Jayce’s eyes opened just moments later. For a brief instant, there was only silence—the gentle rustling of the wind weaving through the tall grass. Blinking slowly, his gaze landed on Viktor. His chest tightened, emotions surging within him, but relief rose above all else. A faint, almost incredulous smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Viktor… is it really you?” he murmured.

He pushed himself up carefully, his movements deliberate, his eyes never leaving Viktor. There was so much he wanted to say, but words felt just so small in the face of this moment. Then, he noticed his trembling shoulders, the streak of a tear glistening against his pale cheek.

“Viktor…” Jayce’s voice softened, concern overtaking his initial awe. He sat up fully, instinctively placing a firm yet gentle hand on Viktor’s shoulder. The contact sent a shudder through Viktor, but Jayce didn’t pull away.

“I… I don’t understand,” Viktor whispered, his voice cracking, the words barely audible. “Why are you here? After everything… after all that’s happened, you stayed.”

For a moment, Jayce didn't know how to respond to him. He simply watched Viktor, his heart breaking at the sight of him—fragile, raw, tears streaming silently down his face. The weight of everything they had endured together pressed down on him, but the sight of Viktor’s pain was unbearable.

“It should be me,” Jayce finally said, his voice low. “It should be me asking you that. You’re here, after I… after I doomed your future.” His hand trembled slightly, though it remained steady on Viktor’s shoulder. “I just wanted to save you, after the rocket… after it exploded. Viktor, I’m so sorry.”

Jayce’s eyes closed tightly. He had always known—deep down—that his actions had set Viktor on his path of destruction. The glorious evolution, the pain, the suffering—it all traced back to his choice. His endlessly selfish choice.

Yet, even knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. He had seen Viktor dying, and in that moment, all he wanted was to save him, no matter the cost.

“No, Jayce…” Viktor’s voice, though unsteady, held a quiet firmness. He drew a shaky breath, forcing himself to meet Jayce’s gaze. His golden eyes were still rimmed with tears, but determination flickered within them. “You tried to save me. That’s all you ever wanted.."

The weight of those words hung heavily in the air. Viktor’s chest tightened, old wounds threatening to break open anew. He couldn't help himself not fully believing the words he had just said.

Still Now, here they were—two broken men, each haunted by their own demons, inexplicably alive together.

Jayce hesitated, then moved closer. His hand slid gently to Viktor’s back, his touch light but steady, as he tried to offer comfort in the midst of their shared turmoil. Slowly, Viktor’s silent sobs quieted completely, his trembling eased, and he leaned ever so slightly against Jayce.

Lost in his thoughts, Viktor’s gaze fell to the ground. It was only then that he noticed something profoundly awkward—both of them were sitting in a field of flowers, entirely naked.

A flush crept across Viktor’s face, spreading quickly as realization dawned. His hands instinctively moved to cover himself, as if the absence of clothes was the most important thing right now.

“Ah…” he began, his voice faltering. “I… it seems our clothing… well, it didn’t quite make it through the transition to this new world.” He turned his face away, unable to meet Jayce’s eyes. “We—”

But Jayce only laughed softly, the sound breaking through the tension like sunlight through clouds. “It’s okay, Viktor. We’ve been through worse.”

Viktor stiffened, his face growing even redder. He shifted awkwardly, his body tense with self-consciousness. “Turn around,” he muttered. “Please, Jayce… avert your eyes.”

Jayce nodded immediately, respecting Viktor’s wishes without hesitation. He turned away, though his hand remained steady on Viktor’s back, offering quiet reassurance. Viktor continued to lean against him, his embarrassment slowly giving way to a strange, fragile sense of comfort.

For a while, they simply sat there, side by side in the meadow, their thoughts were just too heavy to put into words. The gentle breeze stirred the flowers around them.

“I don’t deserve this,” Viktor whispered after a long silence, his voice fragile. The words slipped out unbidden, laced with anguish. His gaze fell to the ground, his shoulders slumping further as if the weight of his guilt would crush him. “After everything I’ve done… everything I’ve caused… why are you still here? Why am I here?”

Jayce leaned back slightly, studying Viktor with a softness that belied the strength of his resolve. His expression was calm but firm, as though he had anticipated this moment. “Because I promised you, Viktor,” he said simply.

The words struck Viktor like a blow. His golden eyes flashed with anger and something far deeper. Grief perhaps, or fear. He turned arround and pulled back completely, breaking the fragile closeness they had shared.

“You foolish man,” Viktor hissed, his voice trembling as he blinked back fresh tears. “You could’ve died! You would’ve most certainly died, with your whole life still ahead of you!” His hands clenched into fists, still holding onto the little crystalline rune stone, trembling as the weight of his emotions threatened to spill over.

Another tear slipped down Viktor’s cheek as his gaze locked onto Jayce’s. The man sitting before him had sacrificed everything, without hesitation, for someone like him. Viktor’s heart twisted painfully.

“All the pain I have caused…” His voice faltered, breaking under the strain. “I shouldn't be here.. you-.”

“Enough, Viktor.”

Jayce’s voice was gentle but carried a note of authority that silenced Viktor’s protests. He reached out, his hand steady as it cupped Viktor’s cheek, brushing away the errant tear with the pad of his thumb. The touch was warm, grounding Viktor in the moment despite his turmoil.

“I don’t hate you,” Jayce said, his voice unwavering and sincere. “If we’re talking about hate, then it should be you hating me.”

Viktor blinked, confusion flickering across his face. “What…?”

Jayce’s brow furrowed, regret clouding his eyes as he continued. “I tried to kill you, Viktor. I saved you only to…” His voice cracked, and he shook his head as if trying to dispel the memory. “Only to nearly destroy you later.”

His words hung heavily in the air, and for a moment, neither man spoke. Jayce’s hand remained on Viktor’s cheek, grounding them both in the here and now. Slowly, Jayce’s expression softened, a forced smile tugging at his lips.

“But we’re here now,” he said, his voice steadier. “Alive. Both of us. I know it’s hard to believe, and I know you’re confused. So am I. But we need to stay focused, somehow.” His gaze flicked down for the briefest moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “We’re naked, on top of everything else.”

Viktor’s face flushed instantly, the heat rising to his cheeks in a way that made him avert his gaze. He swallowed thickly, his composure momentarily shattered by the awkward reminder of their situation.

“You’re right,” Viktor murmured, his voice quieter now. “We… we need to find clothes. Being like this is…” He hesitated, searching for the right words before finally finishing, “…a distraction. Seeing you naked hinders my concentration.”

Jayce chuckled softly, the sound lightening the air between them. He arched a playful eyebrow, the teasing glint in his eyes unmistakable. “Do I look that good?”

Viktor stiffened, his face flushing an even deeper shade of crimson. He turned away sharply, his body language stiff and awkward, but his mind betrayed him with an unbidden thought:

He does look good.

Jayce didn’t press further, though a small, knowing smile lingered on his face as he stood. “Let’s figure out where we are,” he said, offering Viktor a hand to help him up. “Clothes can come next. I don’t think either of us wants to stay this exposed any longer than necessary.”

Viktor hesitated for a moment, then accepted the gesture, allowing Jayce to pull him to his feet. The air between them remained heavy with unspoken emotions and a future filled with uncertainity.

[sayfin]

An Analysis on the Season 2 Trailer on Arcane (The part that caught my eye)

(marked where I stop yapping and actually start theorizing)

I recently watched the season 2 trailer of Arcane and was absolutely mesmerized by the visuals and upcoming plot developments that hints have been dropped on. Lots of things caught my attention for a while, but the one thing that I cannot get stuck out of my head for the life of me is this:

-Who is this character??

-What do they have to do with the plot?

-How awesome is this design I mean seriously

My first thoughts when I saw this character is that they could be another new character being introduced in Season 2, like Warwick. This would make sense as a plot device, complicating the story further and adding more tension with more characters. Reasonably, they would also have something to do with one of three things- Hex tech, the (true) Arcane, or Shimmer. Otherwise, we haven’t seen any sort of world building that would showcase such a mystical being or species. Realistically, this being is either otherworldly or unnatural.

My thoughts after this were considring whether or not this character would be an ally to the main group of protagonists. (Jayce, Vi, Etc. Our stereotypical “good guys.” ) (If it interests me I may do an analysis on which characters I think survived the explosion.) -Any otherworldly tech or otherwise that has been shown on Arcane has either been created with malicious intent or turned to be used for malicious purposes. (Eg; shimmer, hextech war hammer, Arcane genocide.) This would point to this character being malicious, or at the very least a neutral party, similar to the firelights.

My focus was then turned to the creators, intentions and effects of each otherworldly material. The Arcane did not have much to bring me on this front besides the obvious information, and Shimmer has demonstrated it’s effects thoroughly and is a nearly confirmed tied up plot point, considering the production of shimmer is allegedly being stopped. This leaves only Hextech, or rather the Hexcore, which is what caught my attention at this point.

The Hex Core is a relatively transparent device, completely demonstrating in the show that over time it has been slowly corrupted and causes deep corruption, to the point of resistance to its handler. This is what leads me to believe that this is actually Viktor, gone through some sick character corruption.

-Reasoning

-Viktor is the main handler of the Hex core, and is the one who has corrupted it, and himself, using it. The effects on his body are dark purple, and like the figure in the trailer, periodically emit wispy strands from the affected areas. Viktor is also the only character we witness willingly performing these large-scale transformations on his body.

-Viktor could not be reasonably and effectively killed in the finale of Season 1 given his unfinished arc and previously expected ‘final form’ in the LoL game. His arc was not finished, and other scenes in the trailer are all signs of Viktor still being alive.

-This ‘final form’ that Viktor has, as interesting as it is, does not make very much sense to me. Despite the foreshadowing considering the hex claw, a true final form including an arcane corruption would make more sense. The inclusion of the hex claw could have been for multiple reasons. It could have been excellent foreshadowing, or It could be a nod to the original design and the LoL game. I’m not sure.

-It was Viktor’s intention from the beginning to use the hex core and shimmer to extend his own life, for reasons both selfish and selfless. This is a plausible arc that Viktor could go through considering the body modifications he’s already performed on himself.

-The actual proof that makes me think I have a shot at being correct

After thinking about my analysis, I decided to take a closer look at the silhouette figure, comparing it to Viktor’s face.

-Look how similar they are !!!

The eye shape, facial planes, jawbone structure and proportions are quite similar to each character, past the point of coincidence. The only visible features that I can point out a difference in is the shape of the ears and lack of hair. Even then, there are not many characters with a frame such as Viktor’s except for this one.

In conclusion, I think that Viktor is going to become a force of nature in Season 2. My hopes are that he will retain his sanity/humanity, and I’m not sure if I’ll be happy or disturbed if my theory turns out to be correct.

I had a lot of fun writing this theory and I can’t wait for season 2 next month I hope my theory is correct !! Maybe I’ll do another theory off of the trailers if this post gets more than like 5 notes lolz I wanna hear people’s thoughts

#Lolz this was a really long first post

[proffesionalalpaca]

Rewatching a bunch of Arcane content got me thinking about Viktor (because favourite character).

But more specifically on Viktor’s transformed hand.

The Hexcore granted Viktor an exchange with the shimmer and it reformed his entire leg, allowing him to run and probably do more than what little we saw before that gift was taken away.

Sky’s life, to the Hexcore, was only worth a hand, instead of healing Viktor’s whole body like he wanted…it took a life & gave back a new hand, something he didn’t need transforming. To me the exchange did not seem right, the gift was not equal to the price compared to what we saw the Hexcore grant previously.

So I started to think; what if this new hand wasn’t just a hand, but now an extension of Viktor able to access & manipulate the arcane itself. A new hand by which to forge magic-infused technology, creating things no one else could: life-like prosthetics, powerful machines & sentient automatons.

Imagine: Viktor is tinkering with the hex-claw or around some hex-tech crystal, he waves his augmented hand and the magic responds to him. Maybe he can create spells by drawing runes in the air, teleporting himself short distances or even shut down other Hextech devices like Jayce’s Mercury hammer with the wave of his hand (which Jayce would have to modify to prevent this tampering).

Viktor’s exposure to hextech over the years, the Hexcore augmentations and/or latent ability have made Viktor able to manipulate the arcane like a mage, a Hex-mage if you will (which was the initial early development concept of Viktor in LoL, and I think they’ll lean more into for his Arcane iteration).

I feel that there will be a greater consequences to Sky’s death and why that hand demanded such a cost. Also I think it’d be cool to see Viktor go into a proto-machine herald form where he’s figuring all this out, being touched by the arcane in a way that regular people can’t experience, maybe even seeing the world like a mage does and losing his mind a smidge.

[kittyt-hexxed]

Book Two of Hexed - The Fury of Zaun (Vi × POC!Reader) - Ch.19

Next Upload Date: August 4th

Act 2: Chapter Nineteen - When I’m With You

Warnings: Fuzzy feelings, Romance, Pool sex, fingering, bite mark, scratch marks, vi gets a tattoo, asshole guy that tries to ruin your date

Summary: You and Vi rekindle the romance.

It was a clear night, with no clouds to block out the stars or cover the moon. You have a perfect view of everything and it soothes you. Well, as much as it could with the drumming anger within you. You’ve been trying to speak with the Brackern but they keep pushing you out and saying to wait. It made you nervous because you’d never felt them this riled up before. The memories that flashed before your eyes weren’t from one or two of them, it was from all of them. A collective memory that seared itself into their minds and partially into yours.

You let out a heavy sigh when you suddenly feel exhausted. Not even a minute later, your eyes slip shut and you feel like you’re falling. Your eyes snap open and you sit up, finding yourself on a sloping dune instead of the usual grass. You stand up, your feet staying firm as if you’re on rock instead of sand. Confused, you look around. In the distance are what look like sandstone outcroppings but it’s not until you turn around that you get a shock. ‘Oh, my Janna.’ You gasp, hands flying up to your mouth.

Scattered around the mouth of a hole in the ground are dozens of Piltovens. Giant crystals are being lifted out of the hole, much bigger than you thought possible. Your feet carry you down, closer to the excavation when someone grabs your upper arm. You pause, turning your head to see Iesura staring down with dark eyes.

“Watch.” Iesura grunts, not letting you go. You turn back to the scene just as the ground starts trembling beneath your feet. You can hear the sand sliding, the people shouting in alarm and running away from the hole as screams sound from within.

The ground bursts open, sending people into the air and a familiar Brackern screeches as it surfaces. ‘Skarner.’ You watch in a mixture of awe and interest as people are impaled with crystals or buried alive as the sand collapses under their feet. You can hear his enraged screams, a cadence of rage and grief as he kills those who have taken his loved ones. A man’s scream is cut off as he’s crushed within Skarner’s claw and disregarded. It’s not long before the people are dead and their bodies are all swallowed by the sands. The only thing left to hear is Skarner's heartbroken song.

You blink and suddenly you’re back in the river meadow. Iesura lets go of your arm and you turn to him with a frown on your face. Umbra appears next to him and gives you a shaky smile.

“That was a memory.” You state.

“Yes.” Iesura nods, “We wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for you. Your connection to Skarner has given us a glimpse into what has happened. What you couldn’t see from the distance was that woman - Camille. Her family is the one that discovered our home and took our Namestones.”

“She has one.” You sigh and sit down, “In the brief moment we touched, I could sense it. It’s keeping her alive.”

“When you have the chance. Take it.” Umbra hisses, “Unlike you, she does not deserve to use our kind to live.” You open your mouth to say something when Iesura shakes his head.

“You are not human, and you were gifted by the Arcane. Your circumstances are different.” Iesura responds to your unspoken question.

“It’s time for you to accept that, Y/n.” Umbra places a hand on your shoulder, “Accept that you are no longer human.”

“I thought I already did?” You furrow your brow. They chuckle and shake their heads, holding their hands out to you. You take them and they pull you onto your feet.

“Initially, yes. But, you have a mate now.” Iesura and Umbra lead you to the river, “You must accept her and your new nature.” You take a deep, shaky breath. ‘Accept Vi as my mate? Am I even ready for that?’ You stop at the edge of the river, staring into its waters. You learned that the river was your soul given a physical form within you. Every time you step into it, you reconnect with yourself. It tended to shift as needed, but right now it is roaring rapids that make your heartbeat pick up.

“I know you’re scared, but you have yet to truly lose her.” Umbra squeezes your hand, “With this one last thing… you won’t be half-human or half-Brackern. You’ll be demi-human. Officially.”

“This is a lot to create a new species.” You say nervously while shuffling your feet.

“You should have seen what the Vastayashai'rei had to do to become what they are.” Iesura chuckles, “You’re going just a step further.”

“There’s no time like the present.” You mutter to yourself and walk forward. You’re waist-deep in the river when you’re knocked under, forcefully submerged by your magic. You tumble through the water, disoriented by its force when you hear Vi laugh.

“If I catch you, you’re it!”

“Y/n! Up here! Come on, I bet you can’t beat me to the top of the clock tower!”

“All you have to do is jump, Princess. I’ll catch you if anything goes wrong.”

“I killed them. They won’t hurt you anymore.”

“I can’t believe you agreed to be my girlfriend, but I’m glad you did. You’re the only girl I’ve had my eyes on.”

“I’ll kill anyone who thinks they can get away with hurting you or my family.”

“A little help here, Princess? I fucked my ribs up real good in a fight earlier.”

“Complaining about me feeding you while you’re sick is only going to make me take longer. So shut up and drink the soup I made you.”

“WOAH! Thanks for the save, Princess! That wouldn’t have been a fun fall!”

“You know, we make a really good team. I think they’ll be feeling that for a week!”

“You’ll always be my princess, Princess. Even when you’re screaming profanities at thugs and threatening them with bodily harm.”

You feel a warmth flow through you, followed by a strong feeling of love that doesn’t feel like your own emotion. Your teeth ache along with other parts of your body that have you shifting in discomfort. Hands grab you and you’re lifted out of the stream and set on the ground. A scream leaves your lips as a head-splitting pain has you clutching at your horns. The last thing you see is Iesura and Umbra’s sympathetic winces.

“AHH FUCK!” You scream, throwing yourself into a seated position and nearly falling off the tree branch. You can feel the blood running down your face as your horns grow, pushing up through your fingers. All you can focus on is the pain as you hunch over and they continue to grow. You can’t even wipe the blood away since your fingers are tightly clenching the base of your horns. There are hands on your shoulders, gently rubbing them as a way to provide you some comfort. The pain takes some time to dwindle but whoever is there doesn’t stop trying to comfort you.

“Who?” You croak out, too disoriented to figure it out on your own.

“It’s Heather.” Your best friend’s voice has you sighing in relief. Her hands leave your shoulders and you open your eyes to see her sitting down in front of you. She examines your face and you can feel blood running down as she does. Heather nods to herself as she looks you over for any more blood.

“How are they?” Your voice comes out as barely a whisper with your vocal cords feeling oddly tight. Just how much did your body change?

“Big and sparkling in the morning light.” Heather pats your hand, “We can measure them after we clean you up.” She takes your hand and slowly helps you up, being mindful of how disoriented you’re feeling.

“Thank you for the help.” You whisper appreciatively.

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to wash blood off of you.” Heather chuckles, “Shimmery, bright blue blood? No. But, blood in general? Yes.” You can’t even furrow your brow, the pain spiking when you do. So, you let Heather lead you down to your bungalow. She was extra careful with helping you down, making sure to brace you against her body. Now that you’re not squinting in pain, you realize that it’s early morning. You had spent all night out on the branch with the Brackern. It appalled you sometimes how much time moved by when you were in your soul.

“Bright blue?” You mutter, tilting your head to look at her.

“You’ll see.” Heather grunts as she kicks the balcony door open and guides you over to your mirror. Your eyes widen when you see yourself. She was right. Your blood was a bright blue, matching the color of your horns. Those very same horns must be as tall as your face! They were very noticeable and you couldn’t look away from them.

“Oh, wow…” You breathe out as Heather nods in agreement. ‘Looks like I have more to hide than just my horns.’ She waits a bit longer, letting you stare at your new appearance before helping you sit on the couch. You look at your claws as she prepares a small bowl of water, watching your blood drip down the crystal. ‘All I had to do was accept Vi? That was the only thing holding me back from this. How much have I changed? My appearance is a given, but how would this affect my personality or even my instincts?’ Your curiosity was eating at you.

“You know, I’m so grateful to be your best friend.” Heather says suddenly, taking a seat next to you.

“Where’s that coming from?” You chuckle, moving closer so she can wipe your face.

“I spent my day in Zaun doing some work with Landon and there’s a lot of people singing your praises. “Lady Hexxit allowed our kids to get clothes without holes for the first time in three years” or “Lady Hexxit brought us warm blankets.” You’ve helped a lot of our people feel secure these past few months. Zyn’s parents said people haven’t sounded this happy since Vander’s early days.” Heather smiles softly, “You and Ekko have really changed this place. You brought a desire for life back to everyone. Especially me. I’m glad you’re here, Y/n. I don’t know how things would be without you.”

“Heather…” You whisper, speechless. Heather had struggled with a Shimmer addiction after her old boss demanded they use it for work. A month after you met her, she was close to relapsing when someone accidentally triggered her. Heather has deep wounds around feeling inadequate and it affects her when she unintentionally messes up a job given to her. It wasn’t her fault. She was given the wrong directions for the job but it affected her anyway. It was only by chance that you were sent to get her and found her in a fragile state. You had sat outside her door that day and talked her down until she fell asleep on the other side.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Heather says, delicately wiping around your horns, “I just want you to know that even when you’re not around, the people still care about what you’ve done for them.”

“Thank you.” You smile and nudge her, “I’m glad I have you as my best friend, too. You’ve helped me a lot over the years and even kept me from strangling my brother to my death!” 

“To be fair, I nearly did it a few times too!” Heather laughs, “But, you’re welcome. Ya know… for being the best friend ever.” She winks making you scoff and shove her. Heather lets out a yelp as she gets pushed off the couch and you gasp in shock.

“Oh my Gods, Heather!” You jump up from the couch and rush over to her, “Are you okay?!” You crouch down to help her sit up and she looks at you with wide eyes.

“That? …Yeah, that was cool.” Heather says in awe, nodding her head. You sigh in relief and let out a small giggle at her antics.

“Up we go!” You pull her up from the floor, noting that it’s easier to lift her.

“After that fun little moment, let’s figure out what you’re going to wear for this date!” Heather claps her hands together.

“I don’t know what we’re doing for it.” You groan, “We’re going to decide on the bridge.”

“Then let’s choose something suitable for both cities.” Heather drags you to your closet, “You can be fancier in Zaun since you run this place.”

“Fancier?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Yup! Anyway, I’m thinking about this skirt.” Heather tosses a skirt into your face, making you yelp, “This cute top and these chains.” You take the clothes from your face and give her an exasperated look.

“Don’t look at me like that! Go change! We’ve got work to do!” Heather shoves you away, smacking your ass and making you laugh.

“I’m going, I’m going!” You swat her hand away.

~

Your gaze was trained on the Hexgates, watching as airships were blasted away to complete their routes. It was annoying that you couldn’t touch it until some things were settled, but plans had to be followed. Besides, today was not a day to think about the war. You promised yourself that you’d give Vi all of your attention and that’s what you were going to do. A tingling fills your body and you snap your head to the side to see the very woman you’re waiting for.

“Hey there, cutie pie!” Vi waves at you, a grin on her face and your heart stops. Up until this point, you’ve only seen Vi in her Enforcer’s uniform. You weren’t prepared to see her in casual clothes. Clothes that were very flattering for her body. But, it wasn’t just that. You can hear the love Vi has for you. Her soul song was like a quiet ballad, loud enough to hear but not disrupt. It rang like golden bells and the only thing it spoke of was you. It took your breath away.

“Hey there, cherry top…” You breathe out, eyeing the strip of skin peeking through her button-down. You chew on the inside of your lip, briefly forgetting about your fangs when you feel a sharp stab.

“You look nice.” Vi compliments you, stopping only to pull you into a hug. Your skin warms where she touches you and you take a deep breath.

“Thank you. You look nice, too.” You take a step back only to gasp when Vi presents you with flowers. You glance down at her, getting a beautiful smile as you gently take the bouquet from her. You inhale deeply, smelling the soft fragrance radiating from them. Your heart flutters in your chest as you try to think of the last time anyone gave you flowers.

“I was thinking we could just go for a walk along the beach?” Vi offers, “I’m not too keen on going into Piltover and I’m sure you’re feeling the same about Zaun.”

“You know what? I’d like that.” You smile at her and hold out your hand, “Just you and I.” Vi takes your hand and the two of you head off the bridge toward Piltover’s side. Instead of entering the gate, you turn down the side street and walk along the river. You make small talk, clumsily interrupting the other when you get too excited to say something. A few people greet Vi as you walk past them, and you tease her for having so many admirers. Vi only laughs and tells you that she only has an interest in one of them, gazing at you with loving eyes. Your face heats up and you look down at your feet, feeling very shy. 

You’re led over to a small building where you take your shoes off and they give you a locker to tuck them into. The lady offers to hold onto your flowers for you, but you politely decline since you want to hold onto them. So you and Vi step out onto the sand and you take a moment to look at the scenery. If there was one thing you were envious of it was Piltover’s gorgeous beaches. Crystal clear water, pearly-white sand, and not a sign of any pollution for miles.

“So why did you choose the beach?” You question, walking towards the water. The feeling of the warm sand between your toes is a strange but welcome one. It’s as if you’re vividly aware of every little grain of sand and it sits at the back of your mind. But, Vi is the one who dominates your attention. No matter how hard you tried to stop listening to her soul song, it prevailed. It was as if it wanted you to keep listening, to melt your heart before Vi even said anything. It was a blissful torture.

“Winter is on its way, and it’s a quiet place in the mornings. I come out here at dawn to jog up and down. It helps with my leg muscles.” Vi winks, making you giggle and shake your head.

“You and your workouts.” You playfully nudge her, “Thanks to you, I still can’t sleep past dawn. Not unless I’m exhausted.”

“You’re the one who wanted to join me!” Vi pokes you, “Sooo, it’s your fault.” The two of you stare at each other before you both burst out laughing. You stop at the water's edge and it barely touches your toes. You take a few more steps in and squeal softly at the cold water. The two of you watch the waves roll in for a bit and admire the view. The morning sun makes the water glimmer and you lean into Vi, sneakily snuggling up against her.

“You’re adorable.” Vi chuckles, wrapping an arm around your waist, “I’m happy you said yes to this date.” You turn to Vi and meet her eyes, staring at her in silence before a smile graces your lips.

“Me too.” You kiss her cheek, watching a blush race to her face, “Ready for that walk?” You motion down the empty beach.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Vi jokes, making you pout, “Ah, don’t do that. It only makes you cuter.” She takes her thumb and smooths it over your bottom lip. You grab her hand and place a kiss to her thumb, letting her caress your face.

“Let’s go.” You say softly, getting a nod. The two of you walk down the beach, going deep enough into the water for it to reach your ankles. You laugh and talk about your childhood memories together all the while you hold those flowers to your chest. You felt different around Vi. Warm, fuzzy, and madly in love. It felt like your heart might just beat out of your chest from how affectionate you felt.

Your walk takes you to a small cliff called the Wisher’s Edge. At least, that’s what the Zaunites called it. It’s tradition to toss something into the water and make a wish. The only other Goddess Zaunites cared for was the sea Goddess, Nagakabouros. The people believed that whatever you wished for would come true as long as you let it. No matter how hard your people appeared to be, you still held your wishes and desires.

“Make a wish with me?” You whisper, holding up your bouquet.

“Of course.” Vi hums, and you get to work opening the bouquet. You purposefully snap Vi with the rubber band, making her hiss in pain as you laugh. You yelp in shock as she does it back, making her laugh. You carefully divide the flowers into two and head to the edge of the cliff.

“Make a wish.” Vi says before closing her eyes. You follow suit, closing your eyes and holding the flowers over your heart. You make your wish, opening your eyes and blushing when you see that Vi is already looking at you.

“Let’s toss them together.” You grin, “In three, two, one!” You and Vi toss the flowers into the air, watching them spread out before falling into the water below. You let out a squeak as you’re pulled into Vi’s arms, dipped, and her lips are on yours. The kiss is sweet and the combined sound of Vi’s soul song makes your legs feel like jelly. You feel something rumble in the back of your throat and she stops kissing you. 

“Are you purring?” Vi grins down at you, eyebrows raised in question. ‘Purring?! Well, that’s something new.’

“I-I um...” You giggle embarrassedly, feeling your face burn as she looks at you, “Yeah? I guess I am… I should probably show you something.” You bite your lip. Vi lifts you back up and you sit down on the ground, patting the area in front of you. She sits down, moving close enough so your knees touch and you grab her hands.

“So… I am no longer human.” You say softly, tilting Vi’s head up as you drop the illusion on your horns. She gasps, eyes darting to your face and back to your horns. You lower your head, guiding her hand up to them, but her hand hovers an inch away as she silently asks you for permission to touch them.

“You can touch them.” You whisper. A shiver goes through you when her fingers run along the curve of your horns. Her touch feels soft and feathery, and it’s a strange sensation to feel. Yet, it feels so right.

“Woah…” Vi breathes out, “This is from the Hextech crystals? I mean it looks just like them and from what you’ve mentioned to me…” Her touch has your eyes fluttering shut as you purr, feeling content as you enjoy the contact.

“Mmhmm.” You hum, “I’m a new species. I’m not sure what to call it yet.”

“You’re gorgeous.” Vi mutters, her fingers traveling down to grasp your chin, “You’ve always been gorgeous, but you’re even more so.” You blush, staring into her eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” You ask.

“Of course you can.” Vi responds, pressing her lips to yours. The two of you sprawl out on the cliff, staring up at the clouds as they roll by. At one point, Wind Shear came down to greet you and you introduced her to Vi. They got along well, with Vi giving her kisses on her beak that had Wind Shear flapping her wings happily.

“Y/n?” Vi says suddenly.

“Yeah?” You turn your head to her.

“Let’s go on a date again next week.” Vi smiles at you, “I want to do this again.”

“I’d love to.” You smile at her, playing with her fingers as you hold hands.

~

You and Vi went on a date once a week. You let everyone know, that way they knew how to reach you if you were needed. They were all super excited for you, with Sevika even casually remarking about your sex life. You had thrown a dagger at her for the comment, and the fucker didn’t even flinch. You chose a new place to go to each time, but as it got colder you looked for warmer activities to do.

“Where are we?” You giggle, letting Vi lead you through an empty building. Your coat is draped over your shoulder because it’s warm inside.

“It’s the Kiramman’s indoor pool house.” Vi smirks, “No one uses it, so Tobias gave me the key since it’s too cold to go for runs on the beach.” She opens a door and you gasp at the large pool, surrounded by lavish chairs and a minibar. You look up to the ceiling to see stained glass sparkling in the light.

“No one uses this place?” You hand Vi your coat and she places it on a couch by the door.

“Nope. Tobias said they used it years ago but it stays unused now. They’re all too busy to enjoy it.” Vi hands you a bag, “Now, go get changed. I bought you a bikini to wear.” She grins. You raise an eyebrow and peek into the bag to see the black fabric.

“Okay.” You grin at her, “I’ll wear it.” She points you in the direction of the changing room and you head inside. ‘I can’t believe she bought me a bikini!’ You giggle to yourself, taking it out of the bag and placing it down. You raise an eyebrow but undress, taking care to fold your clothes. The last time you went swimming was in the summer with the gang. And much longer since you’ve done that with Vi. 

“How do I look?” You ask, stepping out of the changing room. Vi looks up from the charcuterie board she was putting together and stares at you. You can’t help but stare back. You’ve never seen Vi in a bikini before, as she usually wore swim trunks and a tank top. But, Gods. She was wearing one now—a strappy two-piece in a light green that compliments her perfectly. You lick your lips, trying to tear your eyes away from her abs. ‘She’s doing this on purpose!’ 

“You’re hot, Princess.” Vi grins, “It looks good on you. I’m glad I chose black because… wow.”

“I think my boobs look a little too noticeable.” You tease her, walking over in a way that makes them bounce more. Vi laughs and shakes her head at you.

“You might as well take the top off.” She purrs playfully, throwing you a wink. 

“You’re a heathen!” You laugh and smack her on the arm, “Not everything with you has to end in nudity.” She nods, adding the last of the stuff onto the board before looking at you. You can tell by the twinkle in her eye that she’s up to something.

“What are you thinking about?” You tilt your head. Vi kicks your feet out, catching you in her arms before turning and tossing you into the air. 

“VIIIII!” You scream, flailing in the air before you’re submerged in the water. It takes you a second to orient yourself before you’re swimming back up to the surface. You take in a breath, shaking the water out of your hair as you hear Vi laughing in the background. You turn and playfully glare at her, getting a wide grin in return.

“Really?!” You say exasperatedly, swimming over to her, “You’re lucky I can swim!”

“If I knew you couldn’t, I wouldn’t have tossed you in.” Vi sits down at the edge, letting her legs dangle in the water. You pull yourself up and rest your arms on her thighs, meeting her in the middle for a sweet kiss.

“Good.” You whisper, pulling back, “So I can do this.” You grab her upper arms, bracing your feet against the wall, and shove off. Vi yelps as you yank her into the water with you. The two of you tumble under the water, look at each other, and giggle. Vi swims over to you, grabs your hands, and pulls you up to the surface with her. The two of you are audibly giggling now, embracing each other as the water drips down from your hair.

“I deserved that.” Vi admits, making you nod.

“But, you also deserve this.” You kiss her cheek. Vi smiles at you. The two of you swim around with each other, being complete goofballs and making fun of each other. At a random moment, Vi pulled a water ball out and you passed it back and forth. It was nice to let loose and not feel a care in the world. With it being the two of you, you weren’t looking over your shoulder to check on someone else. All you had to worry about was the woman in front of you. Your heart is pumping as you and Vi call an end to the game, swimming back over to the charcuterie board to pick at it.

“Wait, so what is this?” You pick up a fruit you’ve never seen before.

“It’s called starfruit. I thought you might like it.” Vi watches as you take a bite out of it, “... do you like it?” She takes a bite out of a strawberry.

“I do.” You nod your head, licking some of the juice from your lips, “It’s sweet.”

“Not always.” Vi chuckles, “Only if they’re ripe enough. I’ve learned a lot about fruit and plants while being up here. I wish I could pass this on back home, but we don’t have trees like this down there.”

“Not yet, but we’re working on it! There are plans for a whole system to be put in place. In areas where there is no sunlight, we’re going to try and mimic it or create something that captures the amount of heat and light topside plants get. We’ve been studying the tree at the Firelight’s base to figure out what we can do, and- why are you looking at me like that?” You giggle flusteredly, realizing that Vi is just staring at you with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“You’re so adorable when you’re talking about this.” Vi smiles softly, “So beautiful.” She lifts her hand and caresses your cheek. You feel yourself blush and the two of you go back to eating. Vi lets you ramble about everything going on in Zaun, and you eventually end up between her and the pool wall. She kisses you out of nowhere, and you realize that your body is burning with need. The two of you make out, Vi untying your top and you do the same with her. Not caring that they drop into the water. Your hands are on her chest as hers grab at your hips. Vi breaks the kiss to nip at your neck and every little one makes electricity course through you. You accidentally dig your claws into her chest. You wanted her to bite you… but this wasn’t the place.

“Vi…” You breathe out, struggling to speak, “We’re… in a pool.” You let out a soft groan, feeling her teeth tug at the skin of your neck. Her hands travel down and squeeze your ass as she pulls you further up her thigh.

“They’re going to drain and clean it later.” Vi mutters against your skin, “Right now, I’m more concerned about hearing your pretty little moans.” She suddenly bites down hard at the base of your neck.

“Fuck!” You moan loudly, digging your claws deeper into her skin, “Vi-!” Your voice cuts out as you feel her fingers sink into you. You can only whimper as she fingers you, pressing against your g-spot in the way she knew would make you quiet. She chuckles in your ear, kissing your temple affectionately.

“I missed this.” Vi whispers, curling her fingers, “I missed you so much.” You think it’s unfair that you can’t respond, but Vi knows you’d respond if you could. You get caught up in each other, letting the passion between you take over considering that you’re alone… Except, you don’t hear the door to the pool close nor see the extremely flustered Mel hurriedly walking away.

Vi had bit you hard enough for it to leave a mark, so you had to make sure it remained covered while you worked. Your marks on the other hand… Vi liked the marks you left on her a little too much. After all, your claws are currently one-of-a-kind.

“Where did you come up with this design?” Vi’s tattoo artist raises an eyebrow as he eyes the stencil, “It’s wicked and it’ll frame your chest nicely. But, this design is original. I’ve never seen anything like it.” He was a Zaunite that Vi had known when she was younger. He jumped at the chance to tattoo her since he owed her. Something about kicking his ass into gear?

“Lady Hexxit came up with it. She’s very artistic.” Vi responds, making you cover your face as you blush heavily. It was the first time you heard your title come out of her mouth and it’s in this situation?

“She’s definitely got an eye for the arts.” He compliments you, “Now, are you happy with the placement?”

You and Vi ended up going on dates in Zaun, and you had the fun idea of hiding your identities. That way no one knew it was you or Vi when you went to their restaurants or little streetside shops. You learned a lot about how you impacted the citizens, seeing your image tattooed on people or flying on banners. They spoke about you as they would Janna, as if you too were a Goddess that saved them. It also amazed her to see the changes that have occurred in the last seven months. You have never truly realized how much your people adore you. Vi had ranted about it in excitement as you walked back to the bridge. She was proud of you, even going as far as to say that you were better than Vander. You had frozen when she said that, but she continued rambling not realizing she had said it.

~

“So where do you want to go today?” Vi hums, looking out over the bay with a smile. With Stillwater no longer there, it seemed so much more beautiful. Boats lounged out there where people went fishing or you’d see people kayaking instead. If you didn’t know it had been there, you wouldn’t have realized it was missing. Vi had told you she felt relieved every time she looked out and it made you smile. Today is the day of your next date and you ended up meeting Vi at the Sun Gate since she was on patrol the night before. You told her that you’d be okay with rescheduling, but she insisted on doing it anyway. She said that she looked forward to these dates and that putting off sleep for a few hours wouldn’t be bad.

“There’s a burger place I’ve been dying to try out. Ekko got lunch there when he was visiting Viktor, and he was saying how good it was. They have these decadent milkshakes and ugh it sounded so good!” You pout, making Vi chuckle.

“Okay, then we’ll go there.” Vi lets go of your waist and you tug your coat around you tightly. It’s supposed to start snowing within the next few weeks and there’s an urgency to prepare for it in Zaun. Everyone available was helping to make proper coats and blankets for the people. Thankfully, it stayed warmer down there than Topside but that was a small mercy. People still froze to death every year. You were hoping to bring that down to zero.

Vi holds out her gauntlet-clad hand and you giggle, letting her grab your hand. She was surprisingly gentle with the hunk of metal. She said that she didn’t want to accidentally hurt you, so she practiced picking flowers with it. You nearly melted hearing her say that. You had forgotten how sweet Vi is and you were remembering that with these dates. She was determined to get back the spark in your relationship. What she didn’t know was that it already felt like a roaring fire.

You were happy to find that the place Ekko told you about didn’t have many people inside. The menu was huge with a large variety of burgers, milkshakes, coffee flavors, and even dessert! You ended up choosing one of their breakfast burgers, interested in how an egg would taste on it. Vi ordered something similar to you and the two of you found a booth to relax in. She took off her gauntlets, placing them next to her and activating the safety on them. You sat next to her and she lifted your legs, draping them across her lap. You talked about how your week has been going since your last date, and you shared about your days working in the brothel. Vi laughed hard when you brought up how someone fainted when they realized you were the worker they hired.

“Here you are!” A server grins at you, placing your orders down on the table, “One regular breakfast burger with a side of large fries and one double breakfast burger with loaded fries. Is there anything else I can get for you ladies?” Your stomach rumbles, the sight of the food making you realize you’re hungrier than you thought. You glance at Vi and she shakes her head.

“No, thank you!” You say, giving them a smile in return. 

“Alright then! My name is Rowan, so if you need me go ahead a shout for me!” They nod and walk off, letting you dig into your food. 

You and Vi end up splitting the fries with each other since you both got a large. It reminded you of when you were younger and always eating each other’s food. And, that’s how you knew that Vi ate a lot, so it didn’t phase you when she ordered another burger. Rowan stopped by frequently to make sure you had everything you wanted and you ended up chatting until they got busy. People started to come in for their morning meals but you paid them no mind. Although, you could hear some people whispering about the hot Enforcer sitting at a booth with an equally attractive girl. Vi had given you a cheeky grin at that.

“so then I pointed out to Ekko that he forgot to connect the wire to the input.” You ramble, your hands waving around as you explain it, “Once it was connected, the whole thing-!”

“-Vi!” You hear someone call out, making you look around in interest. A young guy in an Enforcer uniform comes over with a huge grin on his face. You hear Vi exhale in annoyance and her grip on your thigh tightens. That has you raising an eyebrow at her. She gives you a look that says more than her sigh did.

“Hey, Frank.” Vi says dully once the guy is within earshot.

“I’ve never seen you in here before!” Frank takes a seat across from you, and you side-eye Vi, “We always pop in after our shifts, but I never see you.” She gives you an exasperated glance. ‘So a co-worker but not one she’s happy to see at all.’ You note.

“This is my first time here.” Vi comments, “My girlfriend wanted to try it out so we came here after my shift.” You nearly choke on a fry. ‘Girlfriend? When did she start calling me her girlfriend?’ You look at Vi, feeling a blush on your cheeks but she’s focused on the guy in front of you. She was treating him as if he was someone she had tensions with. ‘Maybe she does have tensions with him. She’s on guard more than she should be.’ You subtly raise a hand and massage the back of her neck. Her shoulders relax ever so slightly.

“Girlfriend?” Frank turns his gaze to you, a mischievous look in his eyes, “Oh, shit, sorry! Vi flirts with so many girls I didn’t realize this one is serious.” You were taken aback by that comment, but not surprised. Many people said that growing up. They were jealous girls or Vi’s enemies who wanted to break the two of you up. You learned to expect it, even when you didn’t think it’d be coming.

You take a bite out of a fry, taking your time to respond, “I’m just as surprised as you are!” You bat your lashes and playfully drag a finger across Vi’s jaw, “When were you going to tell me that I’m your girlfriend?”

“Well, I planned on asking you after breakfast.” Vi grins, “But, Frank gave me the perfect opportunity.”

“I’m flattered.” You feel your cheeks warm, “Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“How can you be comfortable with someone who lets others flirt with them?” Frank seems irritated that you shrugged it off, “That’s not-”

“-For my new favorite customers,” You perk up at the sound of Rowan’s voice, “I have your milkshakes. A midnight dream with extra whipped cream and a salted caramel sea with brownie chunks.” They hand each of you a straw and a spoon. You nearly squeal in excitement at the sight of the milkshakes. They looked gorgeous and you couldn’t wait to drink yours.

“Thank you, Rowan.” Vi gives them a dazzling smile that makes them blush, “I hope they’re as good as you say they are.”

“If they’re not, I apologize to your tastebuds.” They wink, “I’m just doing my job, Vi.” They wave her off and walk over to the table the group of Enforcers sat at. You twirl your straw in your hand and make eye contact with Vi.

“Can I have a drink from yours?” You smile coyly, leaning in close to Vi’s face.

“Be my guest.” Vi breathes out, a soft blush on her face as she picks up the cup and holds it up for you. You take a drink, struggling a bit to get the thick cream through the straw but hum happily when you do.

“That’s good. You’ll like it.” You grin and then pick up yours and hold it out to her. Vi takes the cue and drinks from yours, her eyes widening as she licks her lips.

“Wow, that’s a lot of chocolate. Your kind of milkshake.” She chuckles. Frank had been silently watching the two of you, fuming at the fact that you were ignoring him. Without a word, he gets up and leaves, heading over to the table with the other Enforcers. You and Vi continue like he was never there. The two of you spent the rest of your time laughing and being cute together. Before you knew it, you finished your food and we’re getting ready to leave.

“Next time you two come back, ask for me.” Rowan grins, “You make the job more fun.”

“We will.” You smile, letting Vi help you put your coat back on. She grabs your hand and you head for the door, passing by the table full of Enforcers in the process. You glance at Vi and notice that she seems irritated once more.

“What’s wrong?” You nudge her, gripping her arm a little tighter.

“I don’t like what he was saying. They think they can spew shit from their mouths because they’re Enforcers.” Vi frowns, glancing back at the cafe, “You should have heard what he said during our shift earlier.”

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. But, that’s why we go on these dates so frequently, right? To relax. Don’t let them distract you from our moment. We have the rest of the morning to enjoy together, hm?” You snuggle into her side. There was a brief moment where you felt like you said that before. The moment felt familiar.  Vi hugs you close as you walk around, the morning quiet as the cold air keeps people indoors. You’d have to go back into Zaun soon, but you loved this. You loved being so close to her that your mind was calm. The two of you found a warm bench to sit at in the park, thankful that Piltover had invested in heated seats for the winter. You looked out at the water, letting out a breath and allowing the stress to roll off your shoulders. You feel Vi press a kiss on your cheek and smile.

“Hey.” You say softly, brushing your gloved fingers over her cheek, “Vi… wake up, darling.”

“Hmm?” Vi cracks open her eyes.

“Let’s get you home.” You say softly, “You need to rest.”

“I don’t want to leave you.” She mumbles, her eyes fluttering shut as she snuggles closer, “Please let me sit here a little longer, Princess.” Your heart clenches in your chest. You always separated no matter how tired the other was. But right now, you wanted nothing more than to stay by her side.

“Okay.” You relent, watching a sleepy smile make its way into her face.

“Yaaay, I love you.” Vi mumbles, her voice so thick with sleep that you nearly couldn’t make it out.

“I love you, too.” You whisper. Time ticked on and you couldn’t convince yourself to move. Your comms remained quiet, no one walked by, and the sun only added to the comfort. Vi remained fast asleep, and you didn’t move until she woke up.

[aaronstveit]

new septembers readathon book recs

i like making lists so i thought it would be fun to make a list of recommendations that fit at least one prompt in case people were struggling to find books!! every book on this list, i have either already read & enjoyed, or it's on my tbr:) books i have not read yet will be marked by an asterisk! and if you're not joining the readathon, this can still help you find some good books to read this autumn :)

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith (a book about witches)

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna* (a book about witches, a cozy fantasy)

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz (a creepy/horror book, a short story collection)

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang (dark academia, a book that takes place (partially) in september)

Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia (a book about a haunted house, a creepy/horror book, a gothic novel)

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman* (a book about witches, an autumnal romance)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (dark academia, a book that takes place (partially) in september)

Weyward by Emilia Hart* (a book about witches)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (a gothic novel, an autumnal classic)

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper* (a book about witches, an autumnal romance)

Your Lonely Nights Are Over by Adam Sass (a creepy/horror book, a september 2023 release)

Wild Is the Witch by Rachel Griffin* (a book about witches)

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones (a creepy/horror book)

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling* (a book about witches, an autumnal romance)

After Dark with Roxie Clark by Brooke Lauren Davis (a murder mystery, a book with a red cover)

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston* (an autumnal romance)

Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo (a creepy/horror book, a book about a haunted house)

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow* (a book about witches)

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (dark academia, a book that takes place (partially) in september)

Legends & Lattes* by Travis Baldree* (a cozy fantasy, an autumnal romance)

Hollow by Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, Berenice Nelle, and more (a graphic novel, a retelling/reimagining)

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas* (a book about a haunted house, a creepy/horror book)

M Is for Monster by Talia Dutton (a graphic novel, a retelling/reimagining)

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke (a creepy/horror book, a short story collection)

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake* (dark academia)

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron (a creepy/horror book, a book with a red cover)

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher* (a creepy/horror book, a retelling/reimagining, a gothic novel)

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (a murder mystery, a book with an orange cover)

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill* (a creepy/horror book, a retelling/reimagining)

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Joseph Andrew White (a creepy/horror book, a gothic novel, a september 2023 release)

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson* (a creepy/horror book, a book about vampires, a retelling/reimagining)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (a murder mystery)

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher* (a gothic novel, a creepy/horror book)

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (a book with an orange cover)

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson* (a book about vampires, a creepy/horror book)

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (dark academia, an autumnal classic)

Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo* (a graphic novel, a book about witches, a book that takes place at a private/boarding school)

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz (a murder mystery, a september 2023 release)

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu* (a creepy/horror book, a book about vampires, a book with a red cover, an autumnal classic)

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (a book with a red cover, a september 2023 release)

Coven by Jennifer Dugan, Kit Seaton* (a graphic novel, a book about witches)

Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould (a creepy/horror book, a book with an orange cover)

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes* (a book with a yellow cover)

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman* (a book with an orange cover)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson* (a creepy/horror book, an autumnal classic)

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (autumnal romance, a book with a red cover)

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (a murder mystery, a book with a red cover)

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran* (a creepy/horror book)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (an autumnal classic)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (an autumnal classic, a book that (partially) takes place in september)

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (a creepy/horror book)

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick* (a book with a yellow cover, a book that (partially) takes place in september)

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall (a creepy/horror book, a book about a haunted house)

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall (a creepy/horror book)

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror edited by Tori Bovalino (a creepy/horror book, a short story collection)

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (an autumnal romance, an autumnal classic, a book with a red cover)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (a creepy/horror book)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (a book about vampires, a creepy/horror book, an autumnal classic)

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson (a creepy/horror book, a retelling/reimagining)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (a murder mystery)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (a creepy/horror book, an autumnal classic)

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow, Liz Lawson (a murder mystery)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (an autumnal classic)

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (a retelling/reimagining, a murder mystery, a book that takes place at a private/boarding school)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare (an autumnal classic)

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (a murder mystery, a book that takes place at a private/boarding school, a book that (partially) takes place in september)

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (a murdery mystery)

If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun* (a book with an orange cover, an autumnal romance, september 2023 release)

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado (short story collection, creepy/horror book)

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (a book with a yellow cover, a book that takes place at a boarding/private school)

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould (a creepy/horror book)

Crooked House by Agatha Christie (a murder mystery, a book that (partially) takes place in september, a book with a red cover)

Ace of Spades by Fariday Àbíké-Íyímídé (dark academia)

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (retelling/reimagining)

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (a cozy fantasy)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (an autumnal classic, a creepy/horror book, a book about a haunted house, a book with an orange cover)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (an autumnal classic)

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (an autumnal classic)

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist* (a creepy/horror book, a gothic novel)