#children of zaun

[kikiiswashere]

Baby Sevika getting the character sheet treatment 💪💪

[silcoitus]

Children of Zaun

I got to record my song "Children of Zaun" again but with my good friend JC accompanying on electric guitar! This was so fucking fun to do. Shout-out to Ashe for the assist recording audio and video.

[mollysunder]

There is a theory that the way children play serves as a means to simulate and prepare them for the tasks they'll take on as adults. So for all the narrative weight both Jinx and the story give the boxing machine at the arcade it would never have prepared her or the kids to take on Piltover.

What are the two things that Piltovans excel at over their Zaunite counterparts to keep the hierarchy? Weapons and technological development.

When you look at the way Piltovans invest in their children, they don't prioritize hand to hand/melee combat training. Piltovans focus on giving their children experiences in handling firearms, a pursuit that is both leisure sport for the wealthy and a key offense against dissenting Zaunites.

And from the show notes even Jayce, whose family occupies the upper middle class, was sent on educational excursions across Runeterra to explore the world and learn what it had to offer. Without Jayce's education abroad he would never have been inspired to pursue the concept hextech.

It's no wonder that the two figures that are set to be Piltover's biggest threats from Zaun are Jinx and Viktor, becasue they engaged in the same kinds of games and activities as their Piltovan counterparts.

Jinx didn't have an entire forest preserved to help her practice her sharpshooting like the high houses of Piltover, but she did excel in the few games at The Rift (the arcade) that built on her talents. She's the only Zaunite thus far who's long distance offensive is a strong counter to Piltover's forces.

Viktor couldn't travel the world like Jayce did, but for better or worse he managed to stumble into an opportunity to get real opportunity in research not offered to his peers through Singed. It was through that experience that Viktor knew to turn to Singed when he was at the end of his rope, and the consequences of that will be fully realized in season 2.

Ironically, the kind of skill the boxing game champions is only good for keeping other Zaunites in line. Vander's days of fighting Piltover were way behind him when we first met him, and Vi spends season 1 primarily fighting other Zaunites. It's no surprise the Zaunites who embody the old ideal of strength in Zaun that the game portrays, Vi and Vander, are largely at the mercy of Piltover and end up collaborating with them to avoid further harm.

Zaun's future as an independent city-state couldn't happen if they stuck to their old ideals. The people who stand a chance against Piltover are the ones that not only succeed but excel at playing Piltover's games against them.

[cauldron-of-oddities]

Family fluff for the owl and the crow. And a little bit of background.

Powder has a nightmare and tries to distract herself back to sleep with the mundane noises at the bar. Only it seems having a fright can make things a bit more hairy, or should I say featherd?

Feather-tales

Powder feels small, unable to do anything, of being too scared and confused to do anything. The air around her is red and orange tinted and chokingly thick. She can hear shots and screams, though there's no one to be seen on a bridge that stretches out endlessly. She reaches out for Vi's hand only to grasp at nothing and then trip over an unseen edge and fall towards the wine red water below. Her heart clenches, and she goes icy cold with fear. She wants to, no, needs to fly! But her wings don't come. She's far, far too young to change. Powder tears her eyes open as the icy water hits her, and the darkness surrounds her. Hiccuping and gasping for breath, she wakes. A nightmare.

It isn't long before the first sniffle and another escapes her. She sits up, draws her knees to her chest, and leans her head on them, hoping to muffle her crying. She's seven, she's too big to be crying over nightmares, or so she tells herself. Powder wraps her arms around her head and tries to do as Vander told her. Focus on what's there, what's real.

She's in her bed, the fabric scratchy and smelling of soap, a single crystal hangs above her head, glinting in the sliver of light coming through the creak in the door. Vi is softly snoring above her in the bunk bed. Focusing on the crystal, she tries to think of all the different colours she wants. Her breathing finally evens out, and she lies back down, closing her eyes only for dreads cold fingers to creep back in.

Giving up, she crawls out of bed and up the ladder to her sister. “Vi?” Her sister rolls towards her with a mumble, and Powder feels hopeful for a moment that she'll get a hug, and maybe then sleep will come again. And then Vi lets out the most horrendous snore and almost smacks her with a flailing arm. Her sister's too far into lala-land, waking her from a sleep this deep is close to impossible. Powder decides to pick up her blanket and huddle back beside Vi, her sister being there would at least make feel safer.

Back in her own bunk, she wraps her blanket around her like a cloak as she hears the noise from the bar quieting down but still present. Biting her lip, she considers another option. If Vander was wrapping up, maybe she could sit with him for a bit, and she could maybe have some sweet milk. Yeah, that'd be ok. Mind made up, she tiptoes up the stairs.

The bar is dimly lit, and half the lights have already been turned off. In one of the booths, three people remain. Hunched over a game of cards.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Vanders voice is hushed, a worry line forming on his forehead.

She climbs up one of the barchairs and fiddles with her hair, the ghost of her dream running its icy fingers up her spine. “Can't sleep.” she mumbles out eventually.

Vander rubs his beard as he takes her in. He must see something because all he does is give a thoughtful hum. “Bad dream?” She nods. “Alright, you can stay for a bit."

She slumps relieved onto the counter. While sleep sounds like the most horrible idea in existence, her body is tired, and staying upright is far too much effort. The mundane noises of card shuffling, a glass clinking and being set down, and Vanders soft off tune humming slowly lulling her back to sleep. Probably as he intended. Maybe it would be ok to close her eyes now.

With a deep breath, Powder relaxes, and it is at that precise moment that moment the door bangs open and she startles. Tumbling, falling from the barstool, the sensation calling back the icy water, reaching up to her. Only there's no cold. She's cradled in warm, large, dark hands, and she sees Vander looking over the bar with a panicked expression.

“Hey there, little one.” It's softly spoken with a warm tone to it. “Now little one, seems you've gone and shifted before you're meant to. No worries, it happens.” The man directs the statement both at her and Vander.

By the open door, a drunken man stands, takes in the sight before him, and with a slured "I really am plastered, can't be right..." stubles back out. Vander lets go of the breath he's been holding and turns towards the patron who broke her fall.

“Thank you, Wyeth.” Vander mumbles, he looks completely stumped, and why is everyone so big? Vander brows practically form a single one with how he’s frowning. It can't be good if he's doing that. Panic starts to take hold of her.

Wyeth chuckles. “It's not unheard of, but it is rare for a kid to shift. She just needs to calm down, and she'll shift back, the magic sometimes hiccups.”

“Hmmm.” Vander doesn't sound convinced. Wyeth carries on. “Inna looked up everything to watch out for when we had our boy. Sometimes, when a kid's dealing with big emotions, the magic sparks, and to keep them safe, they shift.”

Shift? She changed?! Powder starts flailing about her little wings buzzing and tries to shout, but all that comes out are a series of squeaks and peeps. Oh no, oh no! She'd wanted to shift in her dream, and now she has, but she's still too small, utterly useless. Her heart is going the rate of a hummingbird.

“There, there, little one.” The voice of the man holding hervdrops to a hush, and he moves a finger to pet her over the head. It is soothing. The warm hand feels secure. When she's calmed a little, she feels a quick bit of vertigo as she's gently handed over to Vander's hands. She curls up in them, not just secure, but the safety of familiarity as well.

“Cute fluffy little thing you are.” Another chuckle from Wyeth. His gentle demeanour helping her calm down. Breathing steady again, she takes in her situation again. Spirits, everyone's so big. A bird, she's a chick.

She must be cute, though, she concludes, finally calm enough to think again, as the other two have joined at the bar and are practically cooing over her. Vi would have such a giggle at that. Vander turns to her rescuer, with an expression that screams just how out of his depth he feels. “Did your boy ever shift?”

“Nah, the kid’s far too chill. He's about her age, so who knows, though? And he's usually far too busy tinkering.”

Now Vander is looking at her again. “A tinkerer, huh?” Wyeth laughs before speaking.

“You'll probably see him around, Benzo took him in as an apprentice a few weeks ago.” Wyeth looks to Vander and then the others before quickly settling the tab and ushering the others out.

Before he leaves, he tells Vander. “Maybe tell a story? Calms most kids right down.” Powder decides she likes her fall breaker because something to distract her would be nice. She peeps in what she hopes, and it sounds like affirmation. “A story?” Vander still looks as stumped as he was before. “Hmmm, let's get a bit more comfortable first.”

He sets about folding and tucking her blanket into a little nest and places her in it. It's comfy, and she nestles in. Vander quickly locks up and gingerly scoops up the entire nest and heads to his room.

Vanders room is fairly bare, one double bed, plain sheets, two pillows above the bed is a shelf, two books, a bottle of what she knew was better whiskey than what's in the bar. By it was an ornate ashtray and feather attached to a leather band hanging over the edge and gently swaying in the draft of the undercity from the open window.

From her new perch on one of the pillows, Powder tilts her head with an inquisitive squeak. “Ah sorry Pow, I'm no storyteller. Give me a moment to think.” He sits down on the side of the bed and reaches up, stroking the long black oil slick glinting feather. “Sometimes I miss your flair for the dramatics and telling a tale.” He tells it.

“Feathers…” He trails off. “How we got our feathers.” She cheeps happily and loudly for that. It's a good tale of how, despite Piltover's oppression, they have one secret, one freedom those Pilities will never know or have.

“Alright, alright. Message received.” He's looking less worried now as he launches into the tale.

“Once Zaun was called Oshra Va'Zaun the great harbour city, and it prospered. However, with such wealth, there would always be those for whom it would bever be enough. Greed led to tragedy.

For they had the people dig and dig and dig until the ground weakened until the banks of the river could no longer hold until the south city rumbled and sank.”

He looks to Powder to see if she's alright. She ruffles a bit and hopes her message of ‘carry on with it,’ is understood. It luckily is.

“As the waters flooded, many were swept away, the goddess heard the cries. Janna came down in a great gust of wind and pushed the waters back, but many were trapped. The only way out was the sky, and so Janna took the form of a bird in blue light. Abd all who had been trapped in the depths in that moment changed form. Where there were arms, there were wings, where there had been feet there were talons, where there was skin there were feathers. All changed to a bird."

She thinks to herself that her favourite bit is the blue light. There's magic to the colour and she too is blue. She doesn't notice herself changing back, too involved in the story for the moment. She crawles under Vanders arm and onto his lap. “And then? You have to finish the story!” It's said with a petulant pout.

“Yes, well, you're going to have to let me speak then.” He sounds relieved.

“So relieved was Janna that her gift had worked, she left the magic with the people of Zaun. And so angry was she at those who brought such harm they would never know the gift granted to the Zaunites, this boon was ours alone, to fly free to join her on the winds."

As he finishes the tale, Powder lets out a great yawn. She feels sleepy, and it's good sleepy now. She's already half dozing as Vander picks her up with a soft chuckle.

“Off to bed with you."

“Okay…” Another yawn marks the word. And then because she's curious, even through her exhaustion. “What was I?"

“I couldn't tell, but you were very cute. A little powder ball of fluff.” That has her giggling. Vander makes his way quietly to her and Vi's room. The door creaks open softly, and a moment later, she feels her pillow beneath her head, a hand run over her hair and her blanket settle over her.

She nuzzles into her bed, and through sleep-lidded eyes, she sees Vander look thoughtful. “I have some errands tomorrow, I'm dropping by a friend for some supplies. And it seems he has an apprentice now about your age, and he likes to tinker too. Would you like to join me?” That sounds like a nice idea. She nods bearly aware. The last thing she hears before drifting off is Vander whispering “Goodnight, let the good dreams take flight.”

Other The Owl and Crow stories.

[unluckiestmember]

YAY, YOU'RE BACK TO WRITING FOR ARCANE. How would the arcane characters react (mainly vi, ekko, and jinx because i would marry, marry, and marry them all!!) to a reader who is sooo affectionate and finds every last thing they do so cute they get cuteness aggression and just jump at them like a cuddle bug often? thank you so much!!

Coming right up!

Arcane x Cuddle Bug! Reader

Characters: Powder/Jinx, Violet "Vi", Ekko, Caitlyn Kiramman, Viktor, Jayce Talis, Mel Medarda, Sevika and Ran.

Warning: None really. SFW.

A/N: Am I the only one who wants to snuggle into Caitlyn? Ugh, I love her so much.

Powder/Jinx

“Oh! Hey there, sugar! You want to cuddle? Don’t have to ask me twice! I’ll cuddle you so much that you get tired of me! But you’d never get tired of me, right?”

Jinx is a super clingy person, so for you to be as clingy as her it’s like you two are a match made in heaven. There’s barely any time that passes when you two are not touching each other and she lives for your cuddles. It doesn’t matter if you hug her out of nowhere or she sees you about to embrace her, she is stopping everything she is doing and pulling you into the tightest of hugs.

Most of the time if she isn’t causing mayhem in the streets of Zaun or busy with her inventions, she will spend her time just holding you so close and showering your face with the cutest but most childish of kisses. She doesn’t care if it’s in private or public, she will make it known that you two can’t keep your hands off each other. You are her cuddlebug and she is yours and that won’t ever change.

Violet “Vi”

“Woah there, cuddle bug! You’re gonna make me screw up my workout… Oh forget it. How can I say no to you?”

Because Violet is absolutely touch starved, she will never decline your cuddles, even if you take her by surprise a few times with how you hug her so suddenly. She finds it adorable how you fangirl around her and find everything she does to be awesome or cute. Granted she does wish you’d call her hot or sexy, but knows that isn’t really in tune with your personality.

Regardless, she tries to make sure you know how adorable you are, always telling you while you two are cuddled up together how lucky she is to have you and how you are so adorable. Even when you visit her at work, she’ll try to drop everything and have you run into her arms to pick you up. And every time she’s got time off work or is coming back from a job, she’s automatically looking for you so she could hook you in her arms and never let go.

Ekko

“Y/N, haha! You know we gotta keep this private, babe- The kids are gonna pounce on us any second now!”

Does Ekko love hugging you? Absolutely. The warmth of your arms around his body makes him stop everything he’s doing and just hug you while calling you his firelight or firefly. Unless he’s calling you an angel or lovebug, which never fails to make Scar either look at you two in awe or roll their eyes in mock annoyance. Unfortunately, Ekko does try his best to make sure you two don’t get super affectionate around the children, especially when it comes to hugs.

Why? Because as soon as you hug him, the children find this as an invitation to gather around him and have him nearly die under a cuteness overload of a group hug. It’s nice as a once in a while occurrence, but all the time? Maybe not. Outside of the reactions you two garnish and even the teasing of you being the firelight king/queen, Ekko lives for your cuddlebug energy, wanting to be in your arms after a long day’s work. It’s always the best way to end the night… 

Caitlyn Kiramman

“And that’s why if I am able to block this end of the road, I’ll- Oh!... Oh come here, sweetheart. If you wanted to cuddle so badly, you could’ve asked.”

Caitlyn has always been someone who was more subtle with her love, pulling you into brief kisses, cupping your cheek and holding you by your waist. She usually leaves the more out there gestures like hugging and cuddling for you to initiate. But when you do? It might be harder for you to get her off of you instead of the other way around. It can be at work, in her home, outside of work or at an event. As soon as she feels your arms wrap around her slender body, she’s stopping for a second to hold you back and kiss your forehead.

She will continue working if you interrupt her during a briefing or in the middle of cracking a case, but the entire time, she will have at least one arm around your body and make sure you are comfortable. Her comrades tease her about it and she’ll scowl a bit, but she doesn’t care. As far as she can tell, she’s extremely lucky to have you as a lover.

Viktor

“Ah! Oh, it is just you, zolotse. Remember, you have to warn me of these cute little hugs of yours.”

At first, Viktor wasn’t used to your physical affection and how you were in awe of everything he did. He actually thought you were mocking him at first or being silly. But after a while, especially when the two of you became a couple, he grew accustomed to your affections. He does get a bit startled when you hug him out of nowhere and he does have moments where you cheering him on does make him a bit bashful, but he enjoys your sweet gestures regardless.

He does find it difficult to be as outgoing with his love for you as you are with him, but he does try his best to make you realize he loves you, especially in the form of quality time and calling you by sweet pet names bound to make you blush. Viktor has a tendency to pass out from working too hard and waking up in your arms. And though he’d never say it out loud, you know based on the way he snuggles into you, he adores it and adores you.

Jayce Talis

“I know what you want and I want it too- So bring it in! I’ve waited all day to be in your arms!”

Because Jayce is always out at work, it’s kind of hard for you two to be around one another all the time. That’s why when he does reunite with you after hours or you two can be together on days off, he’s spending the majority of his free time with you or wrapped around you. He sort of craves for your praise and compliments as much as he craves your cuddles.

Many would compare the councilman to a needy dog wanting his owner’s undivided attention and he definitely gets that through you. Though he may try to act all cool or play coy, everyone knows that you mean so much to him and that he becomes putty around you. Even if they don’t, you’re not afraid to say it aloud. Just make sure Jayce isn’t around or that man will become redder than a beet.

Mel Medarda

“What’s wrong?... I know that look. You want to- Ah! Well looks like you beat me to the punch, darling. How about we take this to the bed, hmm?”

Mel wasn’t really given physical affection when she was younger. She was more someone who preferred verbal affection with words of affirmation. So when it came to you and how affectionate you are, she found herself adapting and loving physical affection as much as telling you how much she loved you.

Your cuddles and sweet gestures are her personal heaven she loves returning to after a long day’s work, especially if she can spend an evening with you platonically in your shared bed. In your arms, she feels she can air out anything that’s bothering her or interests her, especially when you admit how cute it is when she does. Though this kind of intimate affection is delegated to private quarters, anyone can know from the way Mel speaks of you outside of home and at events that you mean so much to her.

Sevika

“Yeah! So then I was like screw you, I can do whatever- Hold on. Uh, Y/N. I thought we agreed to not do this at work?”

Sevika is considered the Right Hand of Zaun, a woman who is feared if not respected by her peers. And she’d like to keep it that way. Which means that while you two are at work, she prefers it if you don’t cuddle her around co-workers and give them something to tease her about. You two can only flirt and kiss and even then, it has to be sexy…

But alone, when both of you are away from the public eye, Sevika is at your beck and call wishing for nothing else but to hear your sweet praises and melt into your arms and touch. Expect her to call you the cutest thing ever and tease you on occasion, but afterwards she’s basically a big needy cat, or as she prefers to be called, a panther. It’s moments like these where you can really consider yourself lucky to see a raw side of Sevika. And it was only preserved for you.

If you got any requests for Arcane or X-Men '97, send them my way!

Likes and retweets are always appreciated! I love you all, stay hydrated and have a good day! <3

[manicventures]

Children of Zaun | Vi, Jinx & Ekko Arcane: League of Legends

[sage-nebula]

re: "why is Zaun associating Jinx with Vander and not Silco?!" / "why is Zaun associating Vander with Jinx and not Vi or Ekko?!"

These questions come from a misunderstanding, I believe, of WHO the Vander in the mural is. The Vander in the mural is NOT the Vander we (the audience) got to know; he is not the man who raised Vi and Powder.

The Vander in the mural is the original Hound of the Undercity; he is the man the citizens of the Lanes looked to when they needed someone to beat the enforcers back with fists and fury when necessary. He is the man who worked with Silco (a man he called brother) to plan a revolution against Piltover, the man who Sevika once willingly followed because she believed that he had a plan to bring topside to its knees and finally free Zaun from the oppression they'd been suffering under. He is the man who led an army across the Bridge of Progress, who fought with ragged breath as that army—an army that included Vi and Powder's parents—was slaughtered by the enforcers. Put simply:

The Vander in the mural is the man who led a direct violent act of revolution against Piltover, something that to date only one other named character has ever done—Jinx.

That is why Vander and Jinx are tied together on the mural. It doesn't matter that Vander gave up on a revolution after the massacre at the bridge and made a deal with the enforcers under the table (while they continued to oppress Zaun), because just about no one knows about that. It doesn't matter that Jinx fired the rocket at the council in a culmination of all the loss she has suffered in her life (her birth parents, her adoptive family, Silco, Vi), because no one knows about that, either. They don't need to know, because symbols aren't people. Symbols are actions. Symbols are statues and murals. And when they need to be, symbols are martyrs.

Think about who is pushing Jinx to be a symbol. It's Sevika. Sevika, who used to follow Vander when she believed he was fighting for revolution. Sevika, who betrayed Vander for Silco when she realized Vander would cow to enforcers to protect his children. Do you think it's an accident Vander is on the mural? Sevika knows that most of Zaun still remembers Vander as the Hound of the Underground, the last one who made a real stand against Piltover on the bridge all those years ago. And he picked Jinx up off the bridge that night! And now she's making a stand, too! That's a powerful, emotional story. That will get at people's hearts and rally them. That is on purpose, because Sevika is fucking smart.

That is why they are in the mural together. Because they have both tried—and Jinx has succeeded—to commit the base violence against Piltover necessary for change. Silco's method of building the Nation of Zaun was far more subtle and covert, focusing on shimmer production and being a Zaun crimelord (and he worked with enforcers too). Ekko's Firelights didn't bring the fight to the enforcers because they were too busy trying to organize and actually help their community there on ground level. Vi spent most of her time in Stillwater, and when she was out she spent the rest of it trying to find her sister with her enforcer flirtationship and then busting up a shimmer factory with a Piltie councilman. But Vander led a brutal, bloody fight against enforcers on the bridge, and Jinx blew up the council and then set off even more colorful bombs in the city.

That's why it's the two of them on the mural.

[yannisdesk]

At first I was pretty shocked that Vi said that kid that got killed at Silco's shimmer plant that he knew what he was getting into...it just seemed very dark for someone who's usually compassionate. But then I had to remember, she does not associate age or childhood with purity or innocence because of her own circumstances. She was forced to grow up very fast and take on a lot of responsibility when she was a mere tween (possibly younger.) She did not get to have a childhood, and as a young teenager she was essentially in training to protect Zaun after Vander, who straight up told her that she does not get to be selfish (or act her age) because people look up to her and her actions can and will have negative consequences for herself and everyone if she isn't careful. Hence, why she tried to turn herself in and why she blames herself for how Jinx turned out, and also for the deaths of Vander, Claggor, and Mylo. Of course she wouldn't take pity on this kid, who was roughly the same age she was when she had to put aside childish things and take on adult responsibilities. She does not see a kid who's clearly been indoctrinated by Silco to produce shimmer because she herself was not treated like a kid at that age. She's is only 23 and was behind bars between the ages of 14-23 for no reason. She simply just doesn't comprehend how someone, regardless of age, can make uninformed decisions, or decisions where the autonomy and consent is blurred at best. She does not see other young children as products of their environment, but as autonomous beings who are capable of making adult choices. So, if anything, this is pretty in-step for someone with her background and trauma and unfortunately, painfully realistic. Strangely, it's become one of my favorite aspects of her character because of how much of a natural flaw this is. It's not something pulled out of left field for shock value or as a last-ditch attempt at making her look "dark" and "edgy," it's a perfect culmination of what she's been through and how that can manifest in an undesirable way due to her not being able to confront her emotions on it.

The only person she seemingly does have an understanding for how a young mind can be warped is Jinx. But even then, I think that has to do more with Jinx being her sister and also wanting to blame Silco because she blames him for their separation than understanding what's fully going on with her sister; and I think that's made pretty obvious in the show.

[q8qwertyuiop8p]

"Wow Silco's not on that mural!" " Zaun really hated him!"

It's literally a firelight mural... of course they are going to paint Jinx with her "real" father because the firelights hated Silco and loved Vander.

But you know who the zaunites didn't like? Vander. Vander did absolutely nothing for them, he was enabling oppression, turning a blind eye to the enforcers and the suffering of Zaun, and they were absolutely sick of it. That's why Zaun turned its back on him and embraced Silco.

Silco was by no means a perfect leader either, he brought horrible suffering to the Zaunites himself, especially those who were most impoverished. But Silco also did a lot of good for the undercity. If it weren't for him, Zaun would not have shimmer to treat all sorts of ailments, to keep people alive long enough to recieve care and prosthetics. If it weren't for him, they would not have the shimmer they need to fuel devices like Sevika and Smeech's prosthetics. It is because of Silco that little Zaun has an army of shimmer beasts and weapons to fight for freedom and defend itself from the cat. Shimmer gave Zaun a new product that wasn't under Piltover's control with which it could strengthen its economy, and we see the industries of Zaun florish under Silco. As we see illustrated in the ending of episode one, it is only through shimmer and the sacrifice that comes with it that Zaun can turn the tables on its oppressor, and I don't think the Zaunites, especially Jinx, Sevika, an the others leading this fight, will forget so soon.

In the game Convergence, which takes place after Zaun's independence, we still see Silco's symbol plastered in the undercity. His symbol remains on the assembly building in the season two trailer. Silco even seems to have a cult-like following; the eye has a strange significance in Zaun, we see Zaunites making offerings of eyeballs to a turtle-like diety that is covered in jars of eyes and has Silco's symbol inscribed on its praying hands. The Zaunites know Sevika and Jinx were loyal to Silco. It would be in their best interest to paint Silco as a hero and his death a tragedy executed by Piltover.

Bonus: I don't understand why people make such a big deal over Silco employing children in the shimmer factory like he invented child labor or something. Child labor has been a thing in Zaun at least since Piltover has been oppressing it. Silco and Vander worked in dangerous conditions in the mines as children. Ekko worked for Benzo as a child. Vander's kids steal from people to make a living, they aren't doing much better. Silco didn't get rid of child labor but he did ensure the profit from it went towards the Undercity rather than the greedy hands of Piltover.

[kikiiswashere]

Children of Zaun - Chapter 26

Pairing: Silco/Fem!OC

Rating: Explicit

Story Warnings: Canon typical violence, drug use/dealing, dark themes, smut

Chapter Summary: Kat asks Silco to show her Zaun again. And they finally allow themselves to give into their desire.

CW: Heavy petting/groping, descriptions of nudity, cunnilingus

Previous Chapter

Word Count: 4.3K

Silco stared at her for a moment, the thin line of his mouth slowly falling open.

For the briefest of moments, Kat felt like the rest of the tavern fell away. It was only her and him. Like in her dream. Her throat was a knot, her gut near exploding with the excited thrashing of Desire; her limbs trembled.

He set his drink down on the bar, and the noise and energy of the celebration rushed back in. Kat’s feet began moving again. Like she was a magnet, and Silco was one with an opposite pole.

“Kat,” he said, eyes wide, a nervous curl on his lips. His fingers twitched. Like he wanted to reach for her.

She reached for him instead, grabbing his hands.

Relief seeped from his palms into hers. She held tighter.

“Can we talk?”

He nodded, and she pulled him from the main room. She didn’t know at first where she wanted to go, but only knew the tavern was too noisy, too public. They snuck through the backrooms, past Vander’s private quarters, and into the alley behind The Drop.

The chill of the air took Kat’s breath away, the cold pricking her eyes. Her heart was galloping in her chest, an erratic rhythm that shook her body. Silco squeezed her hand.

“Kat?”

“This way,” she said, tugging at him.

Her feet led them to the rickety fire escape that snaked up the side of the The Last Drop like a withering vine. The metal clanged and whined beneath their boots as they climbed. The building the bar was in was tall, and when the pair reached the rooftop, the bustling square beneath spread out before them several stories below.

Kat’s heartrate slowed as she approached the waist-high wall that prevented the drop off the building, and looked out. The square beneath them thrummed with life. The sound of people, music, vehicles, buzzing chem-lights wove together in a symphony of unlikely beauty. The Last Drop’s marquee bled a warm spotlight onto the cobblestones, highlighting merry revelers entering and exiting the tavern and neighboring establishments, arm-in-arm with their friends and loved ones. Their laughter and happiness rose above the main musical theme of the Lanes in bursts, like bubbles floating, then popping playfully through the air.

It was beautiful. Tears shelved themselves along Kat’s eyelids.

It was beautiful. And she was part of it.

A sigh escaped from her lips in a watery shudder. Silco stood closer.

Finally, she looked up at him, gold eyes clear and bright like polished hexes.

“Silco, will you tell me about Zaun again?”

Silco’s voice caught, surprised by the question. His chest ached to see the broken, searching look behind Kat’s eyes. She had been so standoffish as of late. He missed her. Would she allow him to reach inside and help puzzle her back together?

A breath left him, a cloud filtering out through his lips and dissipating over the breeze. His eyes tracked through the crowd; his ears filled with the sounds of Zaun; the warmth of Kat’s palm pressed against his.

“Look down there, Kat.” He jut his chin to the wide open space below, and her eyes slid to look again. “We have made our intentions known. We’ve taken the first stand against Piltover, and they’ve tried to deter and choke us already. But look down there, think of what you walked into in The Last Drop. No one is afraid – at least not enough to cow down and remain small.

“That is what Zaun is: Brothers and Sisters standing against whatever is thrown at them. Loyal and steadfast. Fierce and wild in a way that chafes Piltover. Across the River, Topsiders police themselves and us to maintain the status quo. Their devotion is to their station, not their lives. Certainly not the lives of others. You’ve been over there. You have seen how dour and stagnate that city is. Pretty, perhaps. But it’s only an ornate and bejeweled husk. Piltover is not alive.”

Kat realized she’d been holding her breath the entire time Silco had been speaking. His grip on her hand was tight, solid. She looked up at him and saw the same fiery, passionate profile she’d taken in all those weeks ago when he had first showed her Zaun. When that first inkling of want and desire flickered inside of her. It filled her with awe.

“Zaun is alive,” he continued, voice fervent, eyes wide with possibility. “It is breathing. Look. Even beneath the surface, look how we thrive despite it all.”

“It is not a pipedream anymore,” Kat whispered in a wavering voice.

Silco’s head snapped in her direction. “It never was. We were always meant for this. We deserve it.”

Something unstoppable shifted in the air; a charge that had been building, preparing. Puffs of breath mingled between them like a binding fog. Desire leapt into Kat’s throat so suddenly she nearly choked. Her fingers latched tighter to his as she angled herself into the shelter of his body. He mirrored her, hand sliding out of hers only to rehome itself on the small of her back, pulling her closer. A small gasp hissed through her lips; his hold was warm and right. It caused Desire to shiver down her spine and pool low in her belly.

Thoughtlessly, her hands reached up. One combed through his hair, drawing the strands away from the angles of his face. The same thought as what came up at the Springs struck her: Beautiful. Her other hand cupped his left cheek, thumb running along the pink line that now hatched his upper lip, the stitches having since dissolved.

“We deserve it,” she repeated reverently, and closed the space between them.

The firm press of his lips against hers made Kat’s body lock up in delight. The hand in his hair gripped, while the other slid around his shoulders, holding him close. It was so much better than her dream. It was real. He was; and so was she.

Silco tugged her in closer, the hand on her back wrapping around her waist; the other reaching up to cradle her jaw. He used the hold to gently lean her head to the side, the opposing slant of their mouths allowing deeper access to each other. When his tongue gently swiped along her lower lip, a sharp inhale pulled in through Kat’s nose. Excitedly, she met him, tongue sliding over his with a relieved sigh.

Everything that had not filled out in her dream came into stark, beautiful relief. The eager push and pull of his lips and tongue against hers were warm and hungry. Like hers. The blade of his nose slotted against hers, caressing her cheek as his jaw moved. She could taste the bright-earthiness of the tobacco he used, the woody-burn of the whisky he’d left at the bar.

Desire gave way to lust, seeping lower, oozing past Kat’s navel. Sweet like honey. Her breasts began to feel heavy in their confines, nipples pinching tight.

She wanted more.

Such is the nature of desire.

Silco’s hand slid down from her neck, traveling in a commanding hold to her waist. His hand ghosted over her breast as it went, and her insides went molten. She clawed at his shoulders and back. An undeniable firmness and warmth pressed against her lower abdomen, and their kisses turned frenzied. Less lips; more tongue, teeth, and breath.

Kat snatched his lower lip between her teeth, and Silco finally paused. He watched her with wide eyes, pupils blown out; their hungry darkness having eaten away at the blue of his irises. Kat looked up at him, her eyes similarly darkened, his lip slowly sliding out from the hold of her incisors. When it finally snapped back, Silco rested his forehead against hers. Their breath mingled in damp huffs between them, their lips kiss-swollen and tingling.

“Should we go back inside?” he eventually whispered, hand running up her spine.

Kat swallowed, thinking.

They should.

But she didn’t want to.

She bit the inside of her lip, heart hammering, core beginning to throb. Her fingers dug into his shoulders; a sapling desperate to take root in sturdy ground.

Slowly, she nodded her head, but clarified in a breathy voice, “Yes. But not back to the party.”

If possible, Silco’s pupils dilated further. A grin, manic with enthrall, appeared on his face, and kissed her again.

“Come on,” he gasped, after pulling back from her lips in a sharp pop!

He grabbed Kat’s hand, and led her back to the fire escape and down. They tucked back into the lowlight of The Drop’s back rooms, staggering down the hall, ping-ponging off the walls as they grabbed and groped at each other, mouths meeting in messy kisses.

Silco pressed them against a door, pawing at the handle as his lips latched onto Kat’s neck. She mewled and squirmed – then squawked as the door opened and they tumbled through. Laughing, they tripped through Vander’s apartment on lust-sloppy feet until they reached another door that Silco pushed open.

“It’s a guest room,” he answered when the question flashed across her face. “This is where I stay if I spend the night.”

‘Room’ was a very generous term; it was more of a converted large closet. The space was just big enough to hold a twin bedframe and a few stacks of boxes whose use mimicked that of a dresser. None of this deterred Kat, though. She snicked the door shut, as he turned a small, pot-bellied lamp on.

When Silco turned, Kat was reaching for him once more. His hands greedily grabbed for her again, sliding beneath her open coat to grip at her waist and hips. Despite the animalistic tug of his body, a higher part of his brain managed to gutter back online for a moment.

He kissed her, sweeter this time, then asked, “This is okay? You’re sure?”

Kat looked up at him, her eyes heavy-lidded and sparkling. Her hands threaded back up into his hair, nails scraping across his scalp in pleasurable tracks. She was moved he had thought to ask. It only solidified what she knew.

“Yes. I want you.”

She pulled him into a kiss, deep and consuming, their tongues intertwining. After a minute, Silco’s lips trailed over her cheek to the space beneath the bolt of her jaw, confidence and excitement renewed by her confirmation.

His teeth nipped at her. “Do you have any contraband in this coat tonight?”

“Not tonight,” Kat chuckled. “Just me.”

She nudged her nose against his head, reeling his lips back to hers. As he kissed her, his hands slid back up to her shoulders, peeling the coat off her back and down her arms in a smooth movement. Her vest was next to follow, crumpling to the floor in a soft pile of canvas and old tweed.

Kat’s hands snapped to the closure of his shirt, ripping it open with a sharp tug. They slid across his sides and up the cut muscles of his back, hungry to feel him. Silco tugged the hem of his shirt out of his trousers and flailed his arms out of his sleeves; Kat’s hands pulling the garment along to help. It landed in a soft wumpf on the floor.

Kat’s eyes were closed, completely enraptured, and lost in the feelings, smells, and tastes of him. Her mind and body basked in the answers to mysteries she had been pondering for weeks. She barely felt the spin, but her eyes shot open when the back of her knees hit the foot of the bed. She flopped onto the mattress with a yelp. Silco chuckled, stooping down to undo her boots, then his own. Kat scrambled to sit up, hooking her fingers around her socks and ripping them off. Silco’s face crashed into hers as she did, bowling them back.

Kat laughed and kissed him. His body was a blessed, grounding weight that kept her right here, right now. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders and held him close; legs drifting apart, allowing him to nestle snuggly between her thighs. The warm, hard bulge in his trousers pressed promisingly against her. A sigh loosed itself from her throat. The crown of her head dropped back onto the pillow, and Silco returned his attention to her neck, its creamy expanse laid bare to him.

He licked, then latched on. A smile curled the corners of his mouth as she writhed needily beneath him. One arm burrowed beneath her body and the mattress, pulling her impossibly close; the other came up to palm the heavy weight of her breast.

The taste of sunshine was on her skin – as impossible as that seemed for someone who lived in the Sump. Deep, warm, and sweet. Like caramel being tempered across a confectioner’s marble table. He wanted more. He sucked hard – Kat gasping, her chest arching up into his – before popping off that spot and sucking onto another one an inch lower.

Breath came to Kat in sharp huffs, her hands desperately gripping in Silco’s hair and on his back. Every pull on her neck sent a twinge to her center. Her nails created crescent moons on the meat of his shoulders. Desire and lust looped and swelled inside her. A bright, luminescent ball that tingled her bones and warmed her from the inside out, opening and preparing.

Silco was not her first, and she highly doubted that she was his. She did not know what the statistics were in Piltover, but in the Undercity – where danger lurked around every corner in the form of Enforcers, desperate thugs, and illness – it was commonplace for people to be sexually active at a young age. To get the most out of a most-likely short life.

Kat had been older than the average Trencher; her first being when she was sixteen. A similarly aged boy who lived in the same apartment building as her, her father, and brother. He had been nice and polite, but the backbone of their brief relationship mostly had to do with curiosity and proximity. One day, he was arrested for pickpocketing a Topside woman in the Promenade, and was sent to Stillwater. Kat never saw him again.

The last fling Kat had occurred a few weeks before her father’s murder.  She’d met the young man at a food stall in Bridgewaltz, and cautious, but promising, sparks flew. She met him again the next night, and they went to a nearby boarding house that rented rooms by the hour.

Probably the worst five washers Kat had ever spent.

He hadn’t so much fondled her breasts as he had squeezed and yanked at them. His hips pistoned roughly and sloppily, and did not last long. And he had made a self-congratulatory pussycat joke upon rolling off her. She quickly cleaned and dressed, and never saw him again.

Silco moved to the other side of her neck, nipping at her jaw before sucking a third plum-colored mark right below it. A slight roll was beginning to build in his hips, the movement oiling his muscles and bones.

When his stiffness brushed against the seam of Kat’s trousers again, she panted and choked on a whimper.

Many sensations in her body felt familiar: the heavy, warm ache growing in her breasts, her nipples tightening to the point of discomfort; the wet, insistent pulse between her thighs . . .

Others weren’t.

The lust roiling inside of Kat was specifically for Silco. It was an itch that she only wanted him to scratch. Her other exploits, limited though they were, had not hinged on who her bedmate had been. Only that she had been curious, bored, lonely.

This Desire was specific. It was for him. And she felt hopeful, confident that his was too.

Kat’s hands left their hold on his back to tug at her shirt, pulling its hem from her trousers, before her fingers frantically began undoing the buttons.

Silco joined her, leaving the blossoming purple mark he had been working on to sit on his haunches, and hurriedly slip buttons through their eyelets. He nearly panted and salivated like a dog as more and more of her flesh was exposed to him. She was the color of a pearl and just as precious.

Kat thrashed her arms out of her sleeves, tossing the blouse onto the floor, before her hands wiggled behind her back to undo the hooks of her brassiere. Once undone, Silco shed the straps down her arms and threw the garment aside, revealing what he had been privately imagining since the Springs. Ample and heavy-bottomed, Kat’s breasts arched in their freedom; nipples, the color of her deep pink lips, stiff and proud.

Steadying the hungry shake of his hand, Silco held the weight of one of them, relishing the sensation of its softness. His breath hitched when Kat sighed and pressed into his hand. He dipped down, kissed her thoroughly, before settling prone over her, and began laving her other breast. His teeth puzzled against her nipple, and sucked. Kat gasped and choked on her pleasure, her spine bowing into him. Pleased, Silco spurred onward, his teeth and tongue performing an intricate dance over the sensitive bud.

Kat was no longer in control of how her body was reacting to him. Her hands struggled to find suitable purchase, gripping his body, then the sheets, then the pillow. Her hips undulated needily beneath him, searching for any sort of pressure to relief the maddening ache growing between her thighs.

Silco pulled away from her breast with a vicious tug that left Kat panting, and licked his way over to its partner. A moan that seamlessly wove together the sounds of eroticism and frustration bleated from her as he began nipping and sucking again. Her hands flew to grip his waist, attempting to make his pelvis crush against hers. Silco’s eyes rolled back behind his closed lids. She was so responsive and hungry. His dick strained at the front of his trousers, begging for attention.

Once both her breasts were glossy and rigid, he shifted down her torso, kissing the other moles and deep freckles now visible. His hands swept down the tantalizing curve of her waist as his lips and nose nuzzled the soft flesh of her stomach. Above him, she panted, her voice caught in a net of sharp breaths and half-words.

Silco raised himself again, sitting back on his heels. His own breathing was raggedly warped, a curse on the tip of his tongue as he beheld the woman under him. Kat’s chest heaved, her skin sweat-sheened and flushed; deep purple love-notes blossoming across her skin. Her eyes met his, a hazy, needy fire smoldering behind them.

Carefully, Silco’s fingers touched the waist of her pants. Kat’s eyes snapped open and she nodded madly.

“Yes!”

Together, they made quick work of her button fly, and tore her trousers off. Kat sighed as cool air hit the damp gusset of her underwear and her slick inner thighs. Silco’s fingers greedily gripped the waist of her undergarments, and Kat lifted her hips as he shucked them down and threw them into oblivion.

The curse finally leapt from Silco’s tongue in a disbelieving, “Fuck.”

She was lovelier than any daydream he’d manage to concoct. Luminescent and soft. Perfect. Her supple waist swooped into the generous curve of her hips, the flesh of her thighs quivering in anticipation.

“Sweet talker,” she giggled breathily, cheeks flushing like a rose.

Silco smiled and ran his hands up the length of her legs, marveling at their softness. As his palms grazed up, Kat’s hips canted. A needy reflex. His eyes honed in on the pretty thatch of curly hair between her thighs, at how the curls became dewy at the ends; the deep pink of her sex peeking out from underneath.

Saliva pooled under Silco’s tongue, and he licked his lips. His own aching need temporarily forgotten in the presence of this alter. Like a good disciple, he shimmied himself low, got onto his belly and guided her legs over his shoulders. Kat propped herself up on her elbows, watching him, her chest rapidly rising and falling in excited breaths.

He hadn’t even tasted her yet, and Silco already felt like he was drunk. The smell of her was so potent – a musky tang settling on the back of his tongue – and she was so warm – humidity radiating off her like a summertime rainstorm – that his mind wobbled with hunger and disbelief.

A soft coo from above drew him out of his revery. Blue met gold. His eyes were dilated and starry, hers were wide and waiting.

Silco scooched closer and took his first taste, his tongue a solid press and slide against her. A clipped, relieved groan sighed from Kat’s mouth, her body sagging. Silco’s eyes closed, a similar relief seeping through him. The sunshine taste of her skin boldened into something sharper here. A heady bouquet that he hoped would stay on his tongue for days after.

Silco drew back, and Kat whined at his absence. It was quickly remedied, though, as he snaked his hands up and around the crest of her hips and pulled her into his mouth. His actions were dichotomous: he ate like a man starved; but also licked and suckled at her methodically enough that it was clear her pleasure and experience was the priority.

Kat’s elbows gave way, and she collapsed onto the bed, a strangled cry caught in her throat. She didn’t know what to do with herself. Her gaze went down the length of her torso to the man between her thighs. Her imagination all those weeks ago paled in comparison to the real thing. Silco’s brows and eyelids remained soft, like he was at total peace and had all the time in the world to be with her. His nose rested against the split of her, breathing her in while his lips and tongue thoroughly explored below.

The sight and feeling of it all was overwhelming. Her head flopped back onto the pillow, vision swimming. The heat in her center pooled low and seeped out. She heard him groan against her, and tears pricked her eyes. Desire and euphoria bloomed big in her belly and chest. Her body trembled.

She wanted she wanted she wanted.

Despite his hold on her, Kat rocked her hips as much as she could. Matching the undulations of Silco’s tongue roll-for-roll. Wispy, sex-addled breaths and words huffed out from between her swollen lips. Affirmations and swears.

Silco’s mouth hooked in a smile against her. His eyes cracked open a sliver to watch Kat writhe, a lover’s pride filling him to see her peaked breasts, flushed skin, and pretty face twisted in erotic agony.

He drew back, left hand unwrapping from her hip so he could fill her with his fingers. His dick twitched at the warm, plush feel of her around his digits. His eyes fluttered when she moaned his name.

He would hear it again.

Like a hawk, his eyes honed in on the peak of her slit, to where that small bud sat hooded and sensitive. Bracketing his right forearm across her hip bones and gently shifting up, he unveiled his next target. Fingers hooking in such a way that had Kat gasping, Silco dove forward, flicking at her clitoris with the tip of his tongue.

She screeched and spasmed. A hand flew to his head and she grabbed his hair at the roots. The instruction was clear: Stay right there. Keep doing that.

Silco’s fingers pumped and pressed rhythmically, his tongue a steady dance on that little ball of nerves. Kat’s thighs began to shake around his head. His name was a chant on her lips once more. Delighted, enthralled, Silco took her clit between her lips and sucked.

Kat was teetering. Despite her screwed-shut eyes, she could see her climax barreling towards her. She was overwhelmed with the need for it, her want of it.

She wanted she wanted she wanted.

Despite everything – despite her desire, despite the man she had chosen – she could sense that this release had the potential to be the start of a big, life-altering reckoning. And while she wanted it, craved it, desired it, tendrils of fear slithered back out from behind her ribs. One last ditch effort to protect her from the unknown of choosing Silco. Choosing her life. Choosing herself.

Pleasure mounted. Desire coiled. Her skin grew tight over her bones.

She wanted. So, she chose.

Silco’s fingers pressed, his lips sucked, and Kat screamed her release with a resounding YES!

She renewed her hold on his head, and rode his fingers and tongue through wave after wave, hips rolling wildly as she claimed what was hers. And Silco stayed, dutifully pulling her orgasm along as long as she wanted.

Eventually, Kat’s body gave out, and her limbs became a quivering, jellied mess. Her legs slid off Silco’s shoulders, her hand released him and her arms lay boneless at her sides. Like bellows in the old forges of Augmentation Alley, her ribcage swung erratically. Her teeth chattered.

Distantly, she was aware of the feeling of Silco’s tongue back on her, cleaning her, kissing her thighs. Then, he suddenly scrabbled up the length of her body, hands coming to cup her face. She felt wetness between her cheeks and his palms.

“Kat. Kat. Hey. You’re okay? What’s wrong?”

She blinked, not understanding. There were tears in her eyes, she realized, and on her cheeks.

Sucking a great breath in, she prepared to tell him she was fine. More than fine. But instead of words, a bubbling sob-laugh burst from her mouth. She curled into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his back. He returned the hold automatically, limbs encompassing her without question. She panted and gasped into his neck, trying to speak.

“I got you,” he whispered above, drawing her closer. “I got you.”

There was a joyful laugh hidden within her labored breaths.

“You have me.”

Notes: Ahhhh! The slow-burn finally paid off! If you've been here, waiting for the smut, wow! You're patient! More to come, I promise. And it won't take long, either. The Silkat train had officially left the station ❤️

Comments, reblogs, and recommendations keep me and other author's motiviational fires burning! We love to hear what y'all are thinking.

Coming Up Next: Silco and Katya bask in a sultry morning after . . . until they're interuppted.

Taglist: @pinkrose1422 @dreamyonahill @sand-sea-and-fable @truthandadare @altered-delta

[archangeldyke-all]

Ciao amore, just finished writing down an idea for fake hating with sevika. Not fake dating- fake hating. Sevika and reader being all like enemies in public, but then behind closed doors 🤭🤭

Would love to see you do something with this as well bc I know your take is just gonna be 😚🤌🏽 chefs kiss good fr

I LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS

men and minors dni

'the last drop' and 'the eye of zaun' have been in a feud for years.

one is owned by vander, one is owned by silco. they've been trying to put each other out of business since their bitter divorce five years ago. the two bars sit across the street from one another, and the owners live in the apartments on top, their four children swapping homes every week.

a lot of locals take the feud really seriously-- there are frequent brawls in the middle of the street when patrons cross paths. vander's customers are all 'old farts', and silco's are all 'trendy punks,' so there's always some kind of issue that's got both bars up in arms and upset.

you try not to get involved. you just keep your head down, wipe down tables, and collect tips.

if you'd known that the man interviewing you was in some kind of lifelong psycho-sexual feud with his ex-husband, you wouldn't have taken the fucking job-- but here you are.

the door to the last drop slams open and you jump, turning around to watch vander storm into the bar. "i'm gonna fuckin' kill him!" he shouts.

at the bar where she's eating maraschino cherries by the handful, jinx scoffs. "you say that every day, pops."

"you tell your father that if he ever tries to steal my fucking cocktail napkins again i'll strangle him." vander huffs. then he turns, and points at you. "rookie." he grunts.

you roll your eyes. "yeah?"

"go across the street and steal all their toilet paper. jinx, go with her."

"i got homework, pops!" jinx groans, desperate for any reason to get out of her dads' constant scheming.

"fine, go alone. take it all!" he demands.

you just shrug and prop your broom up, happy to have a reason to take a break. you'll take a roll or two, but leave enough for the customers to wipe their asses. you're not a monster.

sneaking into the eye of the city is easy, thieram gives just as many fucks about the feud as you do-- which is none. you grab a trashbag from the janitor's closet, then head into the womens' room, ready to begin your thievery.

you get about three rolls in your trash bag before the door swings open, and sevika bursts into laughter.

"what're you doing?" she asks.

you smile from where you're breaking into the next toilet paper dispenser. "you guys stole our napkins? so we're taking your toilet paper. don't worry, i left the stash in the janitor's closet there for you." you say.

sevika snorts and flicks the bolt on the women's room, helping you off the ground and pulling her in your arms. "hey, baby." she greets.

you smile and kiss her lips. "hi, sev." you whisper.

"it's gonna be a long fucking night for us. it's their anniversary." she says.

you groan, burying your head against your girlfriend's shoulder.

you didn't mean to fall in love with your should-be nemisis, what with sevika being silco's bartender and you being vander's. but-- neither of you have any personal stakes in the beef, and your attraction was impossible to deny, and one night as the two of you were trying to impress your respective bosses by shit talking one another, you ended up charming each other, making one another laugh at the insults you threw either way-- and by the time your bosses were leaving to pick the kids up from their after school activities, you and sevika were exchanging numbers.

and now, you're in love, and you're trying your very best not to let anyone know.

"it's surprising that the kids are all so well-adjusted given how stupid their dads are." you mumble. sevika laughs.

"you crashing at mine after work tonight or should i go to yours?"

"depends on what you want for dinner. yours is closer to that chinese place, but we could get italian if we go to mine."

"ooh, fuck, pasta sounds so fucking good. let's go to yours." sevika says. you smile and kiss her lips.

"sounds like a date, baby." you giggle.

just as you're about to leave her arms and head to the men's room to complete your stealth mission, the handle starts to rattle.

"who is it?" sevika calls, panicked.

"i gotta pee!" jinx calls through the door.

"it's not your week here!" sevika screams. she looks at you with a wild expression, both of you trying to figure out an alibi to explain toe jinx why you're locked in a bathroom together.

"pops ran outta cherries so i came here for more. lemme in!" she squeals.

sevika huffs, shrugs helplessly, kisses your cheek, then throws you over her shoulder. you yelp, and start struggling in her grasp.

she throws the door open and glares down at jinx. "i caught this rat spying on the last drop! stealing all our toilet paper!" she growls, jostling you on her shoulder. you muffle your giggles with your hand.

"lemme go you asshole!" you whine, wiggling in her arms, pinching her ass a bit. she jumps, and you bite back your grin.

"ugh, i don't care!" jinx whines. "get outta my way, i gotta go!" she shoves sevika to the side, then runs into the bathroom.

sevika sets you back down in the center of the bar.

"quick thinking." you giggle. sevika's still blushing from the pinch you'd gotten in on her ass, and you kiss her pink cheek. "see you later, baby." you whisper just as silco pushes into the bar.

you jump away from sevika, sprinting out of the bar like you're making a great getaway, and she chases after you, screaming to silco about your horrible theft.

vander berates you for only managing to steal three rolls, but you smile for the rest of the night.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @realgreeniebeanie @k3n-dyll

@sevsdollette @ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re

@raphaellearp

[mollysunder]

Caitlyn's Objectives for Zaun are Vague and Terrible.

"Locate Jinx."

Plenty of people have already talked about this one, but there's a clear "and" missing to this statement. Caitlyn isn't going to just find Jinx say mission accomplished and go back to Piltover. She's left her intentions for Jinx ambiguous to her superiors (Ambessa) and subordinates alike, which leaves room for the situation to escalate.

"Dismantle shimmer."

I cannot overstate how bad of an idea it is. It seems simple in excution. Secure the refineries, detain Singed and other chemists that manufacture it, and destroy any existing supplies. But everything else that comes with it will turn the situation even worse.

I'm not even talking about the fact that Caitlyn is suggesting everyone in Zaun addicted to shimmer immediately go cold turkey without warning, preparation, or their consent. It's that fact that she's essentially destroying the only form of healthcare infrastructure that exists in Zaun.

For all the bad shimmer can do, it's still an effective medicine when used right. It's not a coincidence that once Silco took over and introduced shimmer there's suddenly people with visible disabilities and prosthetics on screen existing in Zaun. They exist because shimmer makes it possible. Even 5 out the 6 chembarons, the richest and most powerful people in Zaun, are disabled or use mobility aids. Chembarons like Smeech quite obviously use shimmer (his eyes are pink in every scene including his character sheet) to manage his prosthetics, he's had all four limbs replaced.

How many people live like Silco, with a chronic illness (probably a dangerous infection because Zaun is Piltover's human/industrial wastepit) that needs to be treated daily? How many people are practically dead and buried if the enforcers manage to destroy all remaining shimmer?

"Neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco."

What does that even mean? What does being loyal to Silco mean when he's dead? They're getting rid of all infrastructure related to shimmer production. The only thing that remains of Silco that anyone can be loyal to is the belief he left behind (and maybe Jinx but that's complicated).

Above all else (except Jinx), Silco wanted an independent Zaun. Will That's his whole thing, and shimmer was just the mechanism to make it happen. Will anyone who agrees that Zaun should be independent be considered a Silco loyalist? If so, then Caitlyn's mission isn't just about finding Jinx and getting shimmer off the streets, this is about crushing an independence movement AGAIN.

How will she characterize Silco's loyalists? Is she talking about chembarons that worked with Silco? Former members of his gang? People who worked in Silco's factories and liked the paycheck? Silco was the defacto leader of Zaun, most if not all figures in Zaun with influence were essentially complicit in his agenda.

Is there any real difference between anti-Piltovan sentiment and pro-Zaunite independence at this point?

[jinxedjackie]

Going to ramble for a bit but I hope we’ll get a Sevika backstory in season two or, at least, something about her family or values other than her loyalty to the cause. Arcane is all about family and, if I recall correctly, she’s the only character in Arcane who doesn’t have any familial ties (Viktor sorta has Singed, Heimerdinger sorta has the council and Piltover(??)… but Ig, if you think about it, Sevika has Zaun?) (But maybe later when she starts to mentor Jinx?)

Might go on a tangent here and ramble about some things and head canons but…

It kind of makes me wonder if Sevika wants to have a family of her own? Or, maybe, take the orphans roaming around the streets of Zaun under her wing? Maybe she could train and provide for them in ways her parents and society had failed to do. Zaun is all she has left, her family, and it’s one of the reasons that drives her to fight.

Blinded by her loyalty to Zaun’s liberation and independence, she leaves Vander, and chooses Silco, because Silco isn’t pliant to the enforcers’ whims and isn’t afraid to fight back. He doesn’t leave Zaun to bleed. She knows that sometimes it’s better to back down than fight, but Vander had to know when enough is enough.

She doesn’t let the repercussions of Silco’s actions and the effects of shimmer affect her. Even if guilt incessantly gnawed at her heart. You grow through suffering and sacrifices because it drives progress — that’s what she’s learned all throughout her life, when her father broke her nose and arm for being scared to throw a punch, when her mother taught her to nurse a broken bone and ask her to understand why her father did it, when she had to sacrifice her own youth because she had to fend for herself. This is good for them. The children of Zaun will learn. It’s also why, when she lost her arm, she doesn’t blame Jinx and her very idiotic makeshift monkey bomb. (Even if the little shit annoys the fuck out of her.) Her arm was just a small sacrifice to pay. If she hadn’t protected Silco, Zaun would’ve bled to death, and the topside would’ve never notice, continuing to dance over Zaun’s grave. It’s the least she could do, the least she could offer. She’d give her life, too, if she could. Anything and everything for Zaun.

It’s one step forward to freedom but two steps backward in civilization (because shimmer is shit and eats you from the inside out, but it’s what keeping her and Zaun alive, unfortunately) but it’s still progress and also a big fuck you to Piltover, and that’s what matters. She, Silco, and shimmer are necessarily evils. She starts to understand why her father was rough with her.

Anyway, on a sorta related note, do you ever wonder if Sevika sees herself and her father in Jinx and Silco, has thought of asking Silco to stop whatever mind games he’s doing with Jinx or to be gentle with her, at the very least (because she doesn’t know anything. Because she’s just a kid. A brat. She’s lost) but when she faces Silco all she sees is her father towering over her with the same disapproving and angry look that’s etched forever in her mind since she was five?

Also… what if, after everything has resolved and she’s done all she could for Zaun, she settles down and finally allows herself to prioritize herself and her happiness? She gets a small house, maybe somewhere in the forest. Finds herself a wife and two or three kids to adopt. But then, before she could achieve that she d—

—

It’s kind of all over the place but, um, please don’t mind me. I wanted to ramble about Sevika wanting a family but getting scared of having kids bc she doesn’t want them to go through what she experienced, and then it turned to this. Lol

[chairwritexv]

Fem Reader is another adopted kid silco took in (because young jinx insisted on it). The two are super close and deeply care for each other. During the statue scene she tells silco she'll offer herself up and take full blame for jinx if it means her sis stays safe and free. This way zaun is free, jinx is safe, and her dad finally gets his biggest wish. This is enough for silco to basically go "fuck that. You are my children and I will not give either of you away. Not even for Zaun. We'll think of something but I refuse to sacrifice either of you." And Jinx overhears all this.

the statue scene is when silco’s talking to vander’s statue, right? lol, my memory sucks…

tw ❦ angst

platonic ❦ romantic ❦ neutral

fandom ❦ arcane

character(s) ❦ silco, jinx

“is there anything so undoing as a daughter?” silco’d asked as he took a sip of alcohol. you’d peeked your head out of the shadows as you listened to your adoptive father’s conversation with vander’s statue, knowing what you had to do. “dad,” you said as you walked up to him, your hands swaying by your side. silco immediately turned to you, slightly startled. “Y/N.” you took a deep breath. “i’ll do it.” “what?” “i- i’ll offer myself to the enforcers, so that jinx will be safe and-” you were only halfway through your sentence when silco started shaking his head, standing up, but you didn’t notice as your eyes were closed and your head was down. “-and then zaun is free and you’ll have your biggest wish and-” “No.” at this you looked up, staring your adoptive father in the eyes. “but-” “No. i am not giving either of my children away, not even for zaun. i’ll figure something out but i am not losing you or jinx.” you stood there for a moment, unsure what to say before you tackled silco in a hug, almost knocking him over. he flinched, but hugged you back. neither of you noticed your blue-haired sister hiding in the shadows, having heard everything. ☽ 【┘】 ☾ "jiiinnnnxx,,” you dragged out your sister’s name as you called her, your feet dragging behind you as you entered her “lair”. however, the place was empty, much to your surprise. you looked around, making sure she wasn’t hiding to scare you as she’d done so many times before. “jinx?” which is when you noticed the note scribbled on the desk. “ not letting you sacrifice yourself for me n dad. luv you, tell dad i love him too ꨄ ” you cursed and ran out of the room, running as fast as you could all the way to the bridge connecting zaun and piltover. after reaching the bridge you immediately spotted jinx’s bright blue braided hair, and the enforcers surrounding her with their guns raised. “JINX!!” you yelled out, catching jinx’s attention as she turned to you, her eyes widening. “WAIT!!” you yelled out, coming in between jinx and the enforcers, half of whom now had their guns trained on you. “wait, she’s-” “Y/N, no-” “she’s just covering for me,” you spat out, still panting heavily from the long run. “it was me. i did everything. jinx was innocent, she did nothing wrong. she’s just covering.” and that was all the enforcers needed to hear. they handcuffed you and forced you away from jinx, dragging you toward piltover. you looked back at jinx with tears in your eyes, giving your sister one last smile.

hope you enjoyed! ♡ debating a part two lol

[lady-griffin]

I wanted to quickly write out my feelings/thoughts on the song in Arcane’s new teaser trailer.

It could just be trailer music, but I believe Arcane Season 1’s trailer used Dirty Little Animals; so, it doesn’t seem farfetched to say this song will be in Season 2.

I just really loved the song.

It fit with what we see in the trailer as well as certain things I want for S2.

The music has a religious quality to it, not so much it’s like a hymn but with the chanting or choir, it feels very much – invoking a bigger force than one’s self, a calling to something bigger.

I also love that it's children singing, because again, the vibe I'm getting is a calling of arms.

Piltover abandoned Zaun’s children and while we’re obviously not going to only see children fighting Piltover; we are going to see a lot of young people going against Piltover or fighting for Zaun.

Which shows the true power imbalance and the injustice of it all. Piltover might think they’re doing what’s right and acting in the name of justice, but they’re just doing what they’ve always done -

They're putting the Undercity back in its place, back in the ground where they belong, because how dare they think they can attack them. How dare they start a war unprovoked.

The thing is, they're not just fighting evil chembarons or scary chem-tanks; but innocent people as well who have every right to hate and distrust them.

I can imagine there being a scene of someone (Caitlyn being very likely) telling people that Jinx is lying to them and this is all because of her...

But they're not going to reach a single person.

I also doubt Jinx is going to lie or really go out of her way to be anyone’s icon. Most likely she’s just going to be Jinx and look whether or not people should look to her as a savior, is certainly a valid discussion, but not one Piltover gets to have any say in. Because yeah, of course people would look to Jinx; she hurt Piltover.

The trailer is very much in the vein of Piltover and Noxus going against Zaun, taking a stand against them (against tyranny... okay Jan), gathering their forces, and all that...

But this time, it won't be the same.

With the vibes the song is giving, Jinx being this icon of liberation, and just who Jinx is in general – they’re not prepared for Jinx and Zaun. Ambessa is not prepared for Jinx or Zaun. Heimerdinger is not prepared for Jinx.

Caitlyn and Vi might be... but I sense some friction between those two is going to arise from that.

And yeah, the music just gives all of those vibes to me and is invoking so many thoughts.

Plus, music is so integral to Zaun, in a way that it’s not to Piltover. It’s everywhere. All the soundtrack’s songs (lyrics) are focused on Zaun characters or in Zaun scenes. The first scene is Powder singing clearly a folk song of sort, that’s all about asking Piltover for something as small as a penny and now, they're tired of asking.

Jinx didn't start this war. Piltover did.

Excuse my ramblings, I just really liked the song and it was just fitting with what I thought or hoped would happen. I could be completely wrong about all of this, but either way I’m super excited.

[liyawritesss]

ᖴᒪOᗯEᖇᔕ Iᑎ ᗷᒪOOᗰ - ᐯᗩᒪEᑎTIᑎEᔕ ᗪᖇᗩᗷᗷᒪEᔕ

Ｄａｙ １８ － Ｇｉｆｔ Ｇｉｖｉｎｇ

－ Sentiment - Ekko, the Boy Savior - Arcane: League of Legends

－ In which Ekko gifts you a necklace to commemorate the two years you've been together.

－ Check out more prompts and other activities on the Flowers In Bloom Event Masterlist!

Ekko knows what love is.

He may not be able to talk about it in the right words, but he knows through actions that without a shadow of a doubt, he has love. He was loved by Benzo, taken in by the older off the streets of the undercity and given the space to explore his inventive genius. He was loved by his friends, of whom he hung out with on a daily basis, playing pranks and digging through scraps and making the best out of their dim childhoods. And Ekko has loved, despite the hate bestowed upon him by the many people he’d encountered in his eighteen years of surviving.

He’d loved once, a love as pure and innocent and strong as any he’d ever felt before; his first love that was doomed before it could even come to fruition.

His second love was not a person, but rather, an idea. A dream that plagued his mind every day and every night, begging to be realized. It was a feverish love, strong and erratic and determined, giving birth to what became the only safe place in all of the Lanes for the children of Zaun to have some semblance of a safe childhood, one he could only dream of as a child, but was proud he could provide to others.

His third love caught him by surprise. It crept up on him like a thief in the night; slow, sweet, daunting, consuming him whole before he had a fighting chance. He became guilty of the longing stares, the daydreams, the lack of efficient words, because while he thought he couldn’t love again - because in this new world, daring to do so meant a very close meeting with death itself - there you were, in all your glory, daring to challenge him. And succeed, you did.

Ekko’s strong admiration for you knew no bounds; your grace was something he could never get enough of. While he exuded a bruteness that was required for survival outside the walls of the sanctuary, with you, the boyish grin from his youth painted his lips so often that a lot of his comrades questioned if he was under a spell of sorts. He was happy, happier than he’d ever been, happy as one could be in a city that knows no peace.

For the longest time, Ekko didn’t know how to express his affections for you. He thought that you deserved the world, but there was only so much his hands could make. That was, until he came across the jackpot of a lifetime - a nugget of gold he found on one of his many late night junkyard raids, discarded seemingly without a care. To an overpriced Piltie, the slightly tarnished mineral was deemed trash; to those of the Underground, a find like this was treasure beyond belief.

Rough and calloused hands handled the metal carefully, the dark soot that covered his fingertips showing the hard work he put into mending the mineral into a fine pendant. On the front was an engraving of the tree in which the sanctuary surrounded, the very beacon of light that the two of you found in the darkness of everything. On the back, both of your initials, bounded together in metal just as the two of you were for life.

Being an inventor, Ekko had made many things with his hand, but never did he think he could conjure something so small, so dainty and fragile looking, but perhaps it was possible due to the love he had harbored in his heart. It was that evening, when he gifted the necklace to you, that he realized that even the most damaged of hands and hearts could create beautiful things, if they have enough love to do it.

Special Tags: @intotherumiverse for indulging in my Ekko obsession c:

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