#devotee jayce

[mistresscitrusslice]

No Such Thing as a Perpetual Motion Machine - Rewrite

“I am honored to be the Viktor to receive you into my fold,” he says as he cradles Jayce’s head in his cold, metal arms. “You have so much to offer us, Jayce.”

He presses his lips softly to Jayce’s like a greeting. There’s a sparkle of something between their skin as they touch, a passing of magic from one body to another. Before he knows it, Jayce is sobbing. Tears stream down his face as he cries for the man he is now, before assimilation, who he never will be again. Viktor continues to hold him as he mourns, waiting patiently as he comes to terms with the death of his individuality, but change is inevitable. He wipes away his tears, slows his rapid breath, and lets his eyes close.

Viktor’s fingers on his forehead are cool and liberating. What remains of his sanity crack and crumble away like a worn marble statue, so deteriorated that its original face is unrecognizable.

To rebuild something new, the foundation of the old must first be destroyed.

Full fic on AO3

[evercelle]

divorce era for today's warm up :)c

[bitchface24-7]

hey, your works are amazing!! your fics inspired me to start an x reader with jayvik (the works are speaking to me lmao)

i kindly request an x reader where the reader is musically inclined as they work? like the boys catch them singing or humming words as they work? i was listening to interdimensional by cosmo sheldrake and the ideal popped in my head. thank you sm for the fics, you’re single-handedly one of my favorite authors on here!!🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

THEIR LITTLE SONG BIRD - JAYVIK X READER

synopsis: Jayce and Viktor have typically worked in silence, an odd conversation here and there, a small sigh, a quiet swear. They get so absorbed into their work that they essentially do parallel play. Your humming and light singing has changed that. Now, they need that to work in peace; you've become their white noise.

warnings: honestly I can't even think of any. It's pure fluff as V + J just admire you as you work and sing. Grammarly as my beta

genre: m/m/f or m/m/m

p.s. I tend to hum or speak allowed to myself as I work. Sometimes I sing lightly when I'm at home. This was so cute, thanks for requesting! Also, my work inspired you?!?! Babe 🥺🥺 YOU WRITE THAT JAYVIK X READER FIC!

Jayce and Viktor have been so accustomed to their routine that when they realized a change, it almost made them get whiplash.

They've gotten used to working in relative silence. A conversation here and there, ribbing and jokes, a small sigh, and a quiet swear when their work doesn't go the way they want it to. They're intense about their work.

They get super absorbed, nothing can break their attention. They're essentially doing parallel play. Viktor's doing equations, Jayce is using a microscope, they're both fiddling with their prototypes.

And there you are, welding and soldering a prototype. Sparks fly as you work, a protective shield on your face, welders gloves on your hands, and a pair of stained pair of overalls with black steel-toed boots adorn your figure. There's a small peak of a basic white top at your sides.

You eventually take the shield off, your face hot and sweaty as you push a strand of hair off your forehead. You turn off the necessary machines and observe your work, you mentally note where you need to sand down and buff out.

Then the change occurs.

As you sand and buff your prototype, you hum a small tune. Viktor and Jayce don't notice until the lyrics spill from your lips.

"I'd be the voice that urged Orpheus When her body was found (Hey, yeah) I'd be the choiceless hope in grief That drove him underground (Hey, yeah) I'd be the dreadful need in the devotee That made him turn around (Hey, yeah)

And I'd be the immediate forgiveness In Eurydice Imagine being loved by me."

The two men whip around and swear they got whiplash. You're lightly singing, the notes sweet and crooning. They almost feel like they're getting hypnotized, the lyrics make them curious. It sounds like it's mentioning the well known Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, and comparing your love to theirs. They've never heard this song before, but they want to hear more.

The two of them stop working, turning to look at you with a wistful look in their eyes.

You're so... beautiful. They way your face is completely focused on your task. Your eyes narrowed, your lips pursed, your eyebrows lightly furrowed. The singing as you work gives you a natural grace, an ethereal glow.

Viktor leans his head on his hand as he watches you in admiration, and Jayce sighs in wonder. At that sound, you stop singing and look up at the two men, your buffing halted.

The two men flounder and try to look like they weren't admiring you. They fail. Horrendously.

"What?" You ask, a light giggle in your tone.

Jayce just flusters and rubs the back of his neck, swiveling around to not look at you. You raise a brow in suspicion and turn to look at Viktor. If Jayce won't answer you, Viktor will.

"We didn't realize you sing as you work, until now." Viktor states, he quirks his head to the side as he analyzes you, "You have a very nice voice. I could imagine the upper echelon of Piltover paying lots of money to hear you."

You feel your face heat up lightly, and you can't blame it on your face shield, "I-- yeah. I always hum when I work. I'm surprised you just noticed it now."

"You hum." Jayce states, finally joining the conversation, "That's different. You were actually singing this time. We weren't expecting it, but you did sound very lovely."

You smile at your two partners and go back to working, they do too eventually. A smile lights up both their faces when they hear you continue the song.

"I won't deny I've got in My mind now (Hey, yeah) All the things I would do So I try to talk refined for fear That you find out (Hey, yeah) How I'm imaginin' you."

Now each time they hear you hum, or lightly sing a tune; their hearts beat erratically and they can't stop the smile spreading across their face.

Their Little Song Bird.

🥺🥺🥺 I love them, your honour. This was so rdjfigjydugh, thank you for requesting! Hope y'all enjoyed this, love ya! ❤️ (i love Hozier, oh to have a song about me written by him, I'd feel like a goddess)

[rrezshifts]

𝓇𝗿𝗲𝘇𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 intro!!

hii!! i’m theodore aka rrezshifts (or rrezrealities on insta) he/him pronouns… my user is based off the last name i chose for most of realities gutierrez !! i’m part of the american shiftokers scrambling for a place to go, and i’ve heard good things about tumblr.

i have a carrd i’ll link it right here it should have the important details about me! but just in case i can also go into a bit of detail here!

i’m 20 years old (born aug. 2004) and i’ve been shifting since 2020! took big breaks numerous times, but i’ve been back this time since… april? hard to say without checking 😭

i LOVE making edits and photo slideshows for tiktok bc it allows me to be creative in ways editing casually for fandoms never really allowed for me. which i want to try and bring here while taking advantage of the wise words of some bloggers who post here too! mind you any face claims in my edits are just for the edits!

i’m not too clueless about spirituality. or at least i’d like to think so! around august of this year i started learning about and practicing paganism and hellenic polytheism. and would consider myself a hellenic polytheist pagan! i’m an apollon devotee and hope to be a dionysus devotee after christmas 🙏😫

my main realities !!

formula 1 driver (1) ✶ oscar piastri

formula 1 driver (2) ✶ charles leclerc & alexandra saint mleux

ancient greece ✶ chrysanthos of athens (oc)

arcane ✶ viktor & jayce talis

bridgerton ✶ augustus st. vincent (oc)

model!marauders ✶ sirius black

young avengers (comics) ✶ tommy shepherd

dead boy detectives ✶ edwin payne & charles rowland

marvel (comics) ✶ maya lopez & matt murdock

read dead redemption 2 ✶ charles smith

smaller realities !!

modern marauders uni ✶ sirius black

the quarry ✶ jacob

cod ww2 ✶ drew stiles

monster high ✶ ghoulia

mk1 ✶ smoke

iwtv ✶ louis & lestat

star wars ✶ tech

twilight ✶ angela

header credit: roseraris

[chaos-is-neutral]

The next chapter is up for my Jayvik fic! I really wanted to write just more of Jayce and set up his mental and emotional state before he lets Viktor in his life!

[nong-d-nao]

i cant get over the paladin imagery of jayce kneeling with his hammer in front of him. i was speechless when we saw au!jayce's body and i fucking gasped when he came back and found himself there, on his knees, knowing his fate, and closing his eyes in surrender, in welcome.

he's a knight for his king, a devotee for his god. and i am completely insane.

[maranull]

saw a theory on the clock app saying that Mel is part of the Solari or has Solari armour and it seemed far fetched at first, but.... tinfoil-hat-on time:

it would explain her and Jayce making it out of the explosion without a scratch (something that the show points out), as her armour glows just before the bomb hits and she's missing the back piece when the explosion settles

the main Solari character that League of Legos has (Leona) is a heavy defender, with a spell that shields her

also that ring from the promo poster looks fairly similar to the sharp Solari armour and weaponry motifs

(headpiece, sword guard, top of the shield)

lastly, and we're stretching reeeeeally far here, her symbolic rejection of her mother and Noxus through Mel "ruining" her port piece is done by throwing gold/yellow pain over it

and while normally Solari devotees wear gold and red, it would make sense for Mel to reject the red (that also symbolizes Noxus) and use white as company to gold

[ajaxstetics]

NEW FIC! It’a JayVik again, no surprises there. It’s Canon Divergence, Devotee Jayce in Viktor’s commune!

[lvrboylnyx]

dreadful need in the devotee

"Surrounded by the ruins of a decaying world, Viktor waits for Jayce to find him."

— 3k words

— alternative timeline

— time travel

read it here;

[icaruslamenting]

⌗ !! ꒰ 31 days of helpol ꒱ 🏛️

(so sorry for missing the other days!! i’ve been spending lots of time with my family and we’ve finally [after five months of issues] started moving into our house. it’s been such a wave of relief that there isn’t any more issues, so all that’s left is to get moved in and wait for a few other things to get finished up)

day twenty-five - “what was the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about hellenic polytheism or your deities?”

how flexible this religion is. like in many religions (like basically every one with some form of holy text that they follow), there’s rules and strict things that you have to follow. a lot of time, followers of said religion will also bring those words to an extreme. “do this or this god won’t love you” “don’t do that or you’ll suffer eternally” things like that. i’ve seen none of that with hellenic polytheism. i mean, sure, the occasional bad person pops up every once in a while, but that’s not what the religion has been. i’ve felt more accepted than ever since, which i never expected lol

day twenty-six - “do you celebrate any festivals? which ones or why not?”

i’m trying to?? but i don’t really know what festivals there are (i’ve only just now started learning about them)

day twenty-seven - “share a fun fact about one or more of your deities which you think is underrated or not well-known”

i don’t have any facts that come to mind😭 my mind’s just blank right now

day twenty-eight - “what is your favorite myth?”

ICARUS. ANYTHING ABOUT ICARUS, ANY RETELLING, ANY FORM OF RETELLING (story, poem, painting, etc…), ANYTHING. i loveee the story of icarus. i’ve even wondered before if hero worship is possible for icarus (is it?) so i can show how cool and amazing i think he is

day twenty-nine - “what is an aspect of your deities you really appreciate?”

their unconditional love. i am yet to hear about a deity who doesn’t unconditionally love their devotee/the person who worships them (and this goes for every deity)

day thirty - “do you have a visual interpretation of your deities? is this different from usual depictions you see of them?”

for Lord Apollo, i usually imagine him with tanned skin, blond long hair, the usual sort of depiction of him that you’ll see a lot from people. like with how i see all gods, i don’t imagine him as having any irises. i feel like eyes are what truly makes something human, so the lack of that shows that they aren’t human. but that’s just a personal thought!!

for Lady Aphrodite, i can never keep a steady depiction of her in my mind. seriously. there is one image of her i have in my mind that repeats though. so, if you’ve watched arcane, you know how viktor and jayce and sky looked in that cosmic realm sort of thing?? imagine that but it’s not like she has a human face or hair like how they did in the show. everything is like whatever that other stuff is, the weird cosmic bodysuit (please tell me this is making sense🙏). i imagine that, her body type and facial features that’s typically seen in statues of her, and everything is carved out like a statue. her hair is long (like going down to her feet kind of long), it’s wavy, and is constantly moving like a flowing waterfall. the only thing that’s different about any of her appearance and any of the colors are her eyes which are pure white. and that’s about all i got for an image of her.

for Lord Hermes, the designs for him from epic the musical. specifically the one by wolfythewitch. where his eyes are covered by his helmet (following the theme of the whole gods and eyes thing), i imagine him with wings both on his feet and his helmet, light brown curly hair, and i also kind of imagine him with slightly pointed ears?? i dunno, i always associate him with puck from a midsummer nights dream, so a mischievous sprite with sort of fairy/elf-like feature but in the most gorgeous way possible.

for Lord Dionysus, much like Lord Apollo, the typical depiction of him. black wavy hair, leopard print and purple everything, hints of wine red in his clothes, sort of maximalist clothes?? but somehow in an ancient greek way?? like combining the fashion of ancient greece and modern times. i do imagine him with darker tanned skin though, which i see sometimes in art. and of course, the whole no irises/eyes thing

day thirty-one - “share a positive experience you’ve had this month/year with one or more of your deities?”

Lord Apollo - when he comforted me while i was crying, then later the sun was shining as it rained (which is my favorite type of weather)

Lady Aphrodite - when after taking a break for months, i prayed to her for the first time, and the next day i looked in the mirror and i felt so pretty. looking back on the selfies i took at the time, i still think i was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous

Lord Hermes - when i wanted to talk to Lady Aphrodite because i was feeling insecure, but he wouldn’t let me use my pendulum to talk to her and kept refusing to let me put the pendulum down until i talked with him. so i talked with him instead and he helped me out <33

Lord Dionysus - when he helped me memorize my whole script a week before my play. a week. mind you, i had maybe three lines memorized overall, and he helped me remember all 42 lines and 3 monologues. i know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was shakespeare😭 i was struggling a lot. but i got multiple compliments after the play, and a little girl told me i was her favorite character <3 never forgetting that feeling

[anotherferalrat]

Arcane S2 Thought Dump: Ep2

As always, spoilers below

JINX- SILCO- PLS THIS IS SO SAD IM GONNA CRY STAWWPPPPPP

...I was not expecting a gang of dominatrixes (dominatri?) but slay ig also i dont remember the chembarons at all...

The feral kid who bit the goons is so me

LMAOOO Jinx got hit by the cat (feral child) distribution system

Who is this cracked out gremlin. Like fr. Get him outta my face.

Omggg Sevika defending Jinx i love herrrr (this is gonna go so wrong)

Yuppp she's gonna crack her over the head with a bottle

Waittt nvr minddd they're bondinggg

*sees Viktor* SMASH *horrified voice* "What... am i?" Oh...

OMG I FORGOT THE LAB ASSISTANT DIED. WAIT THIS SCENE IS SO SAD.

JAYCE NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO TRY TO GET YO MANZ BACK. GAYS FR BE BREAKING UP WITHOUT EVR HAVING GOTTEN TOGETHER JFC /ref. This is not the breakup I was expecting this season, thought it was gonna be caitvi lwk

HEIMERDINGER PLSSS BESTIEEEE UR SO SILLY

Bro why ekko and jayce introduced to each other like the ex meeting the current😭

The way Heimerdinger immediately clocked jayce on his post breakup crashout

Yo Jinx can nvr catch a break my poor girl

I TAKE IT BACK. DUE TO JAYCE'S BREAKUP HE CANNOT HAVE A PLATONIC BATTLE BUDDY DREAM TEAM. IM HERE FOR JINX AND SEVIKA

OMFG IS VIKTOR ARCANE JESUS??? LIKE I SAID B4 THERE'S NOTHING GAYER THAN DEVOTION. ESPECIALLY BETWEEN A GOD AND THEIR DEVOTEE

[mollysunder]

The Inx: Jinx's Great and Terrible Devotees in Spite of Conv/rgence

The most annoying thing about Conv/rgence as a game is that it introduces great concepts, like the Inx, but just fumbles the execution of them and the overall story.

In Conv/rgence the Inx are a new chempunk gang of Zaunite teens and young adults that idolize and borderline worship Jinx to the point where they're said to spread chaos in her name. But the Zaun that Conv/rgence establishes tells a different story about the Inx from the intended description.

The first time the Inx appear is in the Conv/rgence comic, where the lead members like Chadd play at the Triumph Festival. It's supposed to be a Zaunite festival to celebrate Jayce's defeating Viktor, the Machine Herald. If the Inx follow Jinx's lifestyle why would they even play at such an event to celebrate a Piltovan, and why would Zaunites think the Inx wouldn't make trouble over it? I could go on about how weird it is for Zaun to host a festival to celebrate Jayce, a Piltovan champion for a fight unrelated to them and their wellbeing, but that would take too long.

For people who admire Jinx's boldness, the best they can do in the comics is pretty harmless vandalism where they just graffiti Jinx's monkey tag over some walls. The Inx are also nowhere to be seen in major events like the Scraptown Run, which apparently all Zaun gangs participate in.

Then there's members like Moshpit Meg. Meg's a diehard Jinx fan that loves Jinx's attitude and dedication to explosions. Before that Meg was admired Vi, the enforcer, because Vi's gauntlets reminded Meg of her own naturally big fists and it made her feel less self conscious about her own hands. That second half begs too many questions I don't have time for.

Outside of aesthetic choices there isn't really anything about the Inx that says they're people who stake their identity around Jinx. This is largely because Conv/rgence's universe works hard to sanitize Zaunite grievances against Piltover which directly undermines the central class conflict between Zaun and Piltover. It also largely impacts the motivations and general existence of characters like Jinx and the people who follow her, like the Inx, because they wouldn't exist in the absence of Piltover's oppression.

To avoid addressing any real conflict between the two cities the Inx are only vaguely make sense in the story, especially the game. All except for one element, Chadd. I need to say this...

Chadd is Accidentally (on Purpose?) Great

The brief moments the audience gets to know Chadd's character gives us an interesting glimpse at the people Jinx inspires.

The first thing we know about Chadd is that he's a musician, and it's neat trait that connects him to the musical roots of Jinx's character. In League, Jinx was the first champion in League to debut with a music video. It was through Jinx's character that Riot and Fortiche begun experimenting League with music. So it's very fitting that Convergence creates a chorus of sorts for Jinx to continue that musical tradition. To add to that, the game's promo posters decided to reestablish Jinx's connections by making her a talented karaoke singer.

The next thing to know about Chadd is that he was the one who planne and organized the Inx to transform a rundown theatre into an airborne concert arena. Red, Ekko's close friend and romantic interest in the game, confirmed that it was Chadd who was the one to make it happen, within a week too. It's an impressive creative feat that's clearly in homage to "Get Jinxed's" aerial imagery. Despite how cool a stunt that was I couldn't see how it was meant to impress Jinx, she was the most destructive thing in the theater... until I read the transcript "Hold me like a Fermata".

A shotgun, a flame thrower... who's funeral were you planning Chadd!??!? Just for context this was a transcript Ekko found of Chadd and the Inx talking about a new weapon (and sound system?) Chadd seemed to have made. I'm sure Chadd was the one who made it because the Fermata is also the name of a musical note that represents a pause (sometimes dramatic) in a score.

If you're familiar with music you might also know that the Fermata has more than one name, it's also referred to as "the Cyclops Eye". That kind of reference to Silco used on a weapon for a later act to honor Jinx couldn't have been lost on the writers because the Eye of Zaun was already found on an Inx hangout.

When I finally noticed all these details I finally got that Chadd is dangerously devoted to Jinx. All the points in his character can only lead us to conclude the real plan wasn't to just play obnoxiously loud music when the theater reached Piltover's heights, it was to destroy Piltover with all the weapons they equipped on it. That's the best idea I can come up with because Jinx immediately throws bombs at their plan to cause havoc in Piltover... for reasons. It does match Jinx's track record at least, usually other dangerous or apathetic champions tend to appreciate her, like Urgot, Renata Glasc, and Khada Jhin.

Even Chadd's concept art communicates that he's probably more devoted to Jinx than rest of the Inx. The way his early design evolves to reflect Jinx's influence could even tell a story. The more this douchey glam rocker finds inspiration in Jinx the more he changes himself and his art to reflect Jinx's impact. Chadd grows his hair out, wears his tattoo of Jinx in the same place she wears hers, and even dresses more like her, but he still retains his own diva personality.

One last thing, the funniest thing about Chadd is the fact that both Ekko and Red seperately ask him to explain himself and what "statement" he's trying to make with the Inx. Chadd just flat out refuses to answer, and even breaks up with Red over that. I thought he was being douche (he was), but then I remembered Jinx doesn't explain herself in game either about the mayhem she causes, she just taunts anyone who asks. The student learns from the master I guess.

Tldr: In the Converegence game and comics the Inx are characterized by mild vandalism and pretentious artists. And I could almost get behind that idea if only Convergence wasn't so heavily biased towards Piltover the dynamics of a group like the Inx could have had a more interesting exploration in their motivations and goals. Also, Chadd is a dipshit and he makes a great follower of Jinx!

[autumnbrambleagain]

Yhelm p11 - readmore for full

Day fourteen.

Day fourteen of Drizzle's stay in Flyhhnemonia, day fourteen of constant, non-stop rains. A few dozen degrees ago--not that anyone could even see Ardet-Argent to measure the angle of time anymore--but a few dozen degrees ago, Princess Flyhh, Heir of Love and Indulgence, one of the creators of reality itself, had finally acted.

Outside was wild, now. A once-in-a-lifetime thing. Princess Flyhh had exercised some great secret of her divine nature. The rain still fell, but in deference to Flyhh's mastery of the world, it did not land. Or more, the raindrops were missing everything they aimed at. They missed the people who walked dry through the sheets of downpour. They missed the buildings. They missed the ground. On her way here, as far as Yhelm could tell, the rain just sort of… disappeared, right when it was about to hit anything.

This was one of those rare moments that everyone, surely, would remember for the rest of their lives, and Yhelm was far too distracted to even enjoy it. She thought that was the worst part of it, really. Whenever, decades from now, whenever anyone talked about the time it never stopped raining, about the time Princess Flyhh changed how rain worked for a day, all she'd have was "Yeah I was going through some stuff then, kinda distracted."

Afternoon Sale, the tall, lace-draped knicknack, was teetering on a single stilt-like foot over Yhelm's head.

"Most people seem to be outside playing in the rain," Afternoon Sale said. "The silly things are merely observing the transient work of a god, when they could be in here, instead, savoring a god's sacred craft with every intimate crevasse of their tongue!"

"Can you actually taste coffee?" Yhelm asked.

"Prim'ent Machato, can I taste coffee! Can I taste coffee! I do not taste coffee, I experience it on levels the mortal mind would not even comprehend. I would need to invent six new words for my six coffee-specific senses that allow me to understand the true nuances of coffee in ways that poor mortals such as yourself can only percieve the shadows of! Taste it indeed!"

Yhelm bite a laugh trying to break out of her muzzle. "You're really leaning into the heir of coffee role today."

Afternoon Sale threw a dramatic, oversized hand to her dainty face and mock-swooned. "Well I must entertain myself somehow! We're practically dead today. As for you! You!" She pointed accusingly at Yhelm. Yhelm just leaned back in her seat and watched. "You are waiting for someone. But no, not one of your regular companions… you are waiting for… someone new, isn't it? You're bringing someone new to me! Ah! Tell me my prognostications are correct and I will develop even greater love for you!"

"Yeah," Yhelm said. "All devotees should turn new worshippers to their god, shouldn't they?"

"You Jayce, but speak red all the same," Afternoon Sale chortled. "Meadoe but provide they arrive timely."

Corbis was a guild miniboss, being summoned by one of his subordinates, of course he'd show up when he damn well pleased, which ended up being who-knows-how-late. In he finally strutted, not walked but outright strutted, wearing tightly buttoned layers of red and browns that clung sleek to his lean runner's body, on all fours with boots and sleeves that went all the way up.

He threw himself into the seat opposite Yhelm with his perfect graceful lack of grace. Tossed his elbow onto the table, and let his head fall onto his paw, making a show of being half asleep. "Sup," he said.

On Hartlight's Ribbon Yhelm wasn't letting this display of sheer Style go unchallenged. Hooking her hoof around the leg of the table, she leaned back in her chair, tottering at dangerous angles, arms crossed, eyelids lowered behind her glasses. "Hey." Don't ever try to out-Style a daughter of Bad Boy.

Corbis' eyes glanced around the dark coffee shop. "Weird place, but all right."

"You haven't met the weird yet," Yhelm said.

Afternoon Sale arrived immediately as Yhelm said that. "Well well well this is a new one! I am sensing: workplace acquaintance! But no, I taste a seedier undercurrent, something deeper beneath the surface… oh my, oh my how scandalous!" Afternoon Sale covered her little pointed face with her thick lace fingers, leaving only beady little glass eyes staring down. "You are more than just workplace acquaintances aren't you! Well it is not to me to judge! You are both young and in the primes of your lives! It is merely mine to provide you with the coffee your soul needs, not to judge it!"

Corbis' eyes slid from Afternoon Sale to Yhelm with a sort of "What the fuck" kind of look, his Stylish composure completely broken. Hah. Yhelm'd won. One of the reasons she had him come here. Second reason was that Afternoon Sale's coffee was so damn good.

"Corbis, Afternoon Sale. Afternoon Sale, this is my--boss, sure. Manager. Whatever he wants to call himself."

"Call myself Corbis most of the time," he said.

"You," Afternoon Sale pointed a finger down at Corbis, "will have, oh, let me guess, let me understand. Oh, really, a liquor-tea, this early in the day? And with a bravan leaf! You do not yet know that you want that minty flavor, but when you have your first sip you will understand the depths of my craft! And Yhelm! I believe… something less bitter than usual, isn't it? Yes, with sugar even, I can see it in how the skin around your eyes holds itself, you are in need of some relief from dark matters! Well! I will go prepare your prescriptions and leave you to your business!"

Corbis mouthed silent confusion as Afternoon Sale spun her way around tables and chairs and to the mass of coffee preparation devices that waited for her touch.

"Yeah she does that," Yhelm said. "I'm not sure if it's knicknack whimsy or if she has some actual Knowing-element power or something. I've honestly never had better coffee though."

"She's a knicknack, though," Corbis said. "What does she know about taste?"

"I'm to understand she has six coffee-specific senses that allow her to experience the nuances of coffee in ways we cannot understand. You'll get it when she brings it out."

Corbis lifted his head lazily off his paw, twisting his wrist with an audible pop. "Speaking of bringing out, why are you bringing me up here for? Is this a date? Normally people go on dates before they start fucking. We going backwards?"

Yhelm huffed. "This isn't a date. I wanted to talk, and I didn't want to do it in your bedroom."

"What's wrong with my bedroom?"

"There's no seats."

"There's a bed."

Yhelm sharpened her eyes. "Yes. Exactly. And I need your mind out of the bedroom."

"Pfft. You know I can have more than just Flyhh's ass on my mind right? What's up?"

She let her chair back down onto all fours. Resting her entire shoulder against the rough stucco wall. And sighed. "You've been in the business a long time, right?"

"You're doing it uh," Corbis paused to think, "roundabout," and twirled his finger in the air to give the words more context. "That's not what you really wanna ask. I've been inside you we don't gotta play coy."

Yhelm grimaced. It was a full tongue-out grimace, like she had a bad taste sensation come over her. "You don't gotta say it like that so bluntly."

"Yeah but I'm asking you to say what's on your mind bluntly."

Blunt. She could be blunt, fine. "Don't you think what happened with Lastsong was fucked up?"

Corbis shrugged. It wasn't even a very committal shrug, it was the laziest shrug Yhelm had ever seen. One of his shoulders barely moved. "I mean, gaitsbird, you know? You beat a gaitsbird at a game enough times sometimes they snap."

"I meant what happened to her. After."

Corbis' big, gold eyes stared at Yhelm, holding time in place for a long, suspended moment. "She almost killed a guy. She got almost-killed herself. That's not fucked up, that's fair. That's as fair as you can get."

"She was locked in a room--"

"Okay, I get it," Corbis said, that irreverent, cocky bravado dropping and a more reluctant maturity poking its head out, eyes blinking, so unaccustomed to the light. "That's why you're asking how long I've been in the business. Because college girl can't deal with the realities of guild life now that she's had to get her hands a bit dirty."

Yhelm's lips raised in a wordless growl that she directed away to the floor. She couldn't be that angry if he was right.

"So guess I can answer the first question then. You know who my dad is, right?"

Yhelm shook her head.

"That might as well be Belham Pio. I was given up real early. Pio took me in, raised me up in the life. So yeah, I'm the person to ask about this. Lemme guess. College girl is used to golden justice, criminal gets to sit in a cell eating dry bread for a year and then they're let out, problem solved right?"

"I guess?" Yhelm admitted.

"The guilds are old, Yhelm. And this is an ooooold city. All this, these lawizards, these courts, that's all extra stuff Aiax tossed on top of Law. You know that? Primal Law's a lot more simple. It's the reason the scale of justice is a sub-symbol of Law's antler. Direct balance. Catharsis." Yhelm hid her surprise Corbis knew that word and could pronounce it right. "The aggrieved party is tendered resolution directly upon the offending party." That was a lot more big words than she thought Corbis could use, wow. What was happening. "Big golden justice gives you, well, the system did its job, hurray for the system, which is great for people the system doesn't fuck. But most of us guild, we're poor-ass cobblepounders. Not even the Is give a damn when a background H-lights. We can't all afford the big lawizards. We can't afford the keys to the doors to get around golden justice. Gold's pricey, college girl, and red's the real color of Law anyway."

… this was all supremely more well thought-out than Yhelm had, had ever even expected Corbis of being capable of. Corbis was usually yelling or posturing and while he was sometimes right he was never articulately right.

"We throw Lastsong to gold justice and the people she hurt, they just sit there and assume price's paid. Trust in a system that ain't even theirs to do it for them? She comes out a year later a few actions proscribed and what, she's still walking around, you assume she got hers but do you know? Anger's still there. Clear it through tables, and now everyone's squared. It's a problem of abstraction, and we cut through it to the red, hard. Lastsong'll be fine in time. Pyrene, gallowc she fived on, she's quiet under Argent well knowing Lastsong got hers. Feud's done. Gold justice works if you let everyone be a rational actor, but you can rescue a princess if you think you'll keep her."

Yhelm shook her head. The basis of academagic was treating reality as a work of fiction. A spell was just a literary essay debating one aspect of it, manipulating it, reframing it. Academages by their very nature had to keep their minds open to new arguments, or their magic didn't work. As a professional academage Yhelm should allow Corbis' argument to stand on its own merits instead of just brushing it aside with a sweep of her emotions. "It's fucked up," but she did it anyway.

Corbis scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "Let's say someone kills Madrigal. Just, doesn't like them being a phanteasel, whatever. Stabs them in the streets, blood cold on the dirt. You find out about it, you're upset, you're angry. Rose Knights collect the killer. Give him a jail cell. Felicity and Falina lock him down so he can't attack anyone anymore. He's let out a year later. Harmless now, the officials say. Learned his lesson. You pass him in the street. Think he survives walking past you?"

"I--"

"Because you're still angry, you didn't get a single paw in on the deal. Someone else did it. You're taking it at someone else's word he's been punished. You didn't see it, you didn't know it, you're full Figments on it, does he survive walking past you."

This wasn't a fun thought experiment. "Probably not."

"Law can't just paint something red and call it red. You have to dye that cloth so it won't flake the moment Drizzle shows up, speak of the lunar," Corbis added a gesture out the window, where the rain fell silently on the dry city. "How long you been guild?"

"A few years?" Yhelm ventured. She hated when Corbis had the better footing than her. "It's hard to say when I exactly--"

"By the Captain I know I've sent you out to rough people up sometimes. You've stolen shit. You've gotten in a few fights. Why this one?"

"Because of how clinical it was!" Yhelm said, forcefully, finally having an actual opening! "Because when I rough people up it's drunks at the gambling loops or people stealing from the guild, or, or! We aren't--we're not the good guys but we're not the bad guys either. I--I thought we weren't the bad guys."

Corbis' eyebrows raised, slowly, showed no signs of stopping until they reached his antlers. "You're wearing a traditional Bad Boy jacket. You worship a literal god named Bad Boy."

"What do you know about adversaries," Yhelm growled.

"I know I might as well've been born one," Corbis growled back. "Freepeople weren't born with a destiny but we sure can inherit it. I inherited Bad Boy's. I try not to be a villain but if guild life's too rough for college girl Trackless built a big old world."

Afternoon Sale, at that exact moment, arrived with coffee. Yhelm's was a burnt, deep orange this time, rather than the usual Void-black. Corbis' was almost clear, faintly green-blue, with a single, multi-bladed leaf floating at the top. It was enough of a distraction the argument fell apart between them as they blew on their cups and sipped their drinks.

Yhelm's was sweet. Vaguely cinnamon. Hint of citrus aftertaste, more in the nose than the tongue. Bitterness and sweet fought in her mouth and neither was winning. Corbis looked suspicious of the leaf but after two sips he'd downed half his cup already.

"This isn't coffee," Corbis laughed. "This is like, a tea--"

Afternoon Sale Yhelm-swore-to-Aiax full-on teleported behind Corbis she moved so fast. "It is in fact made with a glass cultivar that has very little bitter flavor but retains ample caffiene quantities, mixed in equal measure with salaja imported from the Rebant colonies. The bravan leaf denies the more acidic taste of the salaja liquor and grants it a minty kick! It is a very sophisticated blend and also has an inordinately high alcohol content, mitigated by the small cup size. Tell me you do not like it, I challenge you to this very thing."

Corbis shook his head. "Dad taught me never take a bet you've already lost."

"A very wise man to have a very wise saying, and moreso wise are you to use it!" Afternoon Sale said. Satisfied in another conquest, she traipsed about to the next set of customers in need of her expertise.

"It's funny," Yhelm started over, "how it works like that. I was born into a freeperson's life. I choose adversary. I say 'chose,' I'd argue being yourself isn't a choice, but, all the same. You're a freeperson, but you were born adversary. It's a curious parallel. I think I should like you less than I do, but for it. You're an abrasive dick half the time--"

"Oh," Corbis interrupted, smiling, "oh you love that about me though. You choose every time to get into fights with me and goad me on. It feeds your duldge, Fig me not."

Yhelm rolled her eyes dramatically enough that Corbis could see it in the dimmer light.

Corbis' drink was already near-empty. The leaf sat at the bottom, a thin layer of green coffee swirling atop it as he gestured with his cup. "So what is all this, you're doubting your life in the guild now?"

"I've been reconnecting with my family lately. And I had--something of a talk with the Arbitrator. And she--I guess she made me feel bad about some of this? I guess?"

"… shit, okay, I see where this is," Corbis said. He drank the last of his coffee and ate the leaf right out of the cup, grimaced at the mint overload, and forced himself to finish it anyway. "You're not looking to go straight, are you? You got reminded some of the bad parts of the life you need me to remind you of the good, that's it, right? You want me to talk you out of quitting."

Yhelm answered with a drag of her coffee.

"Well, okay, here's the baculum of it. I'm gonna give it to you, nice and peeled."

"Ugh."

Corbis waved away her disgust. "If you really liked college you'd be there. Having your paper fights in the greenlight. But that's polite and fake and you know it. It's fake and you're an adversary. Guild is real. You don't have to fucking, wear six masks and swap 'em out depending on who you're talking to. You got a problem in the workplace you don't, I don't know, have to worry about your grant money and your advisors and whatever they have in college. You don't sit there and go, humdeedledee. Fuck I don't know how publishing works but you aren't arguing with your, what do you greenlights get, magic editors? Publishers? You're an adversary. You have a problem you fix it. Someone disrespects you they pay for it. People don't respect you 'cause a piece of paper you bought, they respect you because you have power. And you have power. And all of that is how an adversary wants to live. You can trust me in that, because with all the freedom Meadoe gave me I choose to be her boyfriend's child instead. And now here's the real good stuff, the top shelf I'm holding out on, I'm gonna reach on up and take it down just for you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Most of the guild is just poor people trying to fucking survive this mess Flyhh dumped us into. And we ain't Apat, we ain't building a party-dome to die in, when a guild in good standing's in trouble, needs something, we play the heroes the Rose Knights pretend they are. That's really why you're guild, cutie. Because you're a hardcore servant-in-the-biblical-sense. You don't have to play games with anyone. And now and then you get to do some good too. So. Dad has me go around to retired guilders who did enough guildshare for a lifetime. Drop off their pension. Make sure they're alive and healthy. Keep them from getting lonely. So you'll be taking that over for me for a bit. How's that sound?"

Yhelm finished the last of her coffee. There was a thin, too-sweet sludge at the bottom of the cup she licked up in a single slurp. It made her fur stand up and it was great. "You want me to go keep old people company."

"Aiax's folly Yhelm you're complaining you had to see something too rough to sleep through and I'm offering you some feel-good work. Take it."

"I will. Thank you. You're not the worst boss, Corbis."

"You're not the most useless enforcer I have to babysit," he said gracefully.

Yhelm spun her cup on its plate, by the handle, in counter-clockwise circles. "You know, I honestly didn't expect you to be so well thought-out."

"Pfft. I'm the boss. You think I can get away with just shouting a lot I have to know what things are." The smirky grin so well worn into Corbis' face eroded a moment. "You ever read Murmur's writings?"

"Murmur. You mean Figments' Servant, Murmur?"

"A person as a fixed crystal."

"Since when the fuck do you know phil--" Yhelm started, and then considered what Murmur, Servant of Figments and God of Philosophy, had actually written 5,000 years ago, and stopped. "We appear differently to different people because of the angle they approach us from and how their own structure reflects light onto us."

Corbis pointed at her with a 'I got you' look. "I have to be in charge. And you have to be full of stupid ideas and go around fucking up all the time. So I have to yell at you and be an ass. I don't think life's so complicated you have to spend your whole life sitting around thinking about it, but that doesn't mean I haven't done my thinking on it already either. Come at me from an angle other than bratty know-it-all college-girl-turned-thug I can give you other angles of me too."

Purely because it would be an appropriate and useful way to delay responding, Yhelm wished she had more coffee to sip. "That's fair. I think I prefer this angle over the Corbis who makes me wait for him to finish jerking off before he tells me what my job for the day is."

"Oh that's too bad, college girl, that Corbis you're gonna see from every angle. Can't help it. Just how your light reflects onto me, you know? That's my way of saying you're too hot to help it."

Yhelm sunk in her chair. "We've fucked already, dude. You can stop hitting on me."

"Unless I'm not trying to get you to fuck me," Corbis said, leaning over, "but just trying to make you miserable, 'cause it's funny to me."

"Sonofabitch."

"And you make it so easy, too!"

[honeychildoz]

It was called "Is it Bitter Is it Sweet"... Fam, Tamas asked me to collaborate on an incredible concept with him and the gunslinger on reeds, Danny Healy. An evening of Four Amazing tales themed around Love. Not romance, although it was. Not about community, but it was. Not about reverence, yet it was. It was an opportunity to weave my own understanding of the tales and use their invocations to curate a menu that supports both the spirit of the story, the soul evoked through Danny's music, woven with the performance from Tamas. Tamas is such an enthralling, captivating Artist. He thoroughly gives himself up to the story. He's a true devotee. A man who understands how to translate the emotional intelligence of the room and unite us in plight. He entrusted the menu, and my idea to use manifestations of love in an intimate and personal way. My close friend and Event Manager, Amanda, her daughters Kya, Ivy, and Jayce, my acolyte Miwa, and Tamas's daughter Rosie helped to serve all who attended. The food in the hands of these women was like an offering that guaranteed a powerful focus that added incalculable depth of feeling to the wholeness of the evening. I truly believe passing the food from the baby cheeked Rosie, to the impishness of Jayce, touched by the intensity of Ivy, overseen from grounded in Power Kya, to incredible motivator Amanda to the guests amplified the medicine and then some! I had so much to unpack I honestly can just now talk about it. It was a spiritual experience for me. It grew me as an Artist and as a chef. It inspired me in a potent and primal way. It brought me into Supreme. Looking at the images captured so elegantly by Jonathan Wherrett had me as spellbound as the attendees. It showed me what was able to be seen, if you had the heart to truly look. Arresting. It was an evening of Dreams. It was haunting, voluptuous, and heartening. I cannot get over what we conjured. Please drink these images in. But more importantly, when we announce the next one, get yourself a ticket. It was a truly beautiful evening of Incredible human exchange, wonder, sublime music, and food you'll never forget. 😘 HC🍒 📸:: Jonathan Wherrett. (at Gallerie SeventyOne) https://www.instagram.com/p/CX6LIkyPkEg/?utm_medium=tumblr

[goldenjerk]

Piltover Devotee

“You got two black eyes from loving too hard And a black car that matches your blackest soul-”

The song that comes on the radio - perfect background music to him pressing icecubes against his swollen eyelids and bruising knuckles - makes him want to laugh. A hearty laugh would be useful, would lift his spirits, but he can’t do more than a chuckle; and even that already hurts. Jayce can’t help but wonder if maybe he had a broken rib? Maybe a fractured one? He’d have to get that checked sometime if the pain won’t go away soon.

Jayce winces as he absent-mindedly bites on his lips (a terrible, terrible habit) and the cut, fresh wound of the bursted lip, stings with pain. He’ll have to cover it up with lipstick, and it’s going to look very off, but what other choice he had? He can’t show up at work like this. He can’t let any weakness show; he’s contractually obliged to never allow the shining paragon of Piltover to be seen as physically flawed or defeatable. That included all injuries he brought onto himself running around PIltovian backalleys pretending to be an actual hero, a vigilante the Sheriff wanted to lock up for misdemeanor. Because whatever the Giopara was trying to make the city believe, and whatever he tried to convince Caitlyn and Vi about, he was actually very defeatable. LIke any other human, he hurt and he got distracted and surprised. And like any other human, he lost when fighting against oponents better trained than him. Genius or not, you can’t outsmart something faster than you. Luckily, you can outsmart someone who tries to run you into a corner, and that solely was the reason he was still around, and not rotting in a ditch deep in Zaun.

He pulls the icecube away from his eye, and glances in the mirror. The morning sunshine reflects off of it and blinds him for a moment. Was it that late - or rather early - already? Jayce sighs and reaches out for the makeup case. If there was one thing he liked about learning to use concealer - aside from the ability to look like you had more than thirty minutes of sleep before an important gala - was that he could effectively make his mistakes invisible. Bruises? Black eyes? Cuts? Sprained ankles hurting while you walk? Emotional vulnerability? All a matter of good foundation and some acting, and he was ready to become the unyielding Defender all over again.

Because Piltover - the city he loved with his whole soul - needed a hero. So he became one. 

“- Drinking white wine in the blushing light Just another PIltie Devotee-”

[marsreds]

#jayce ignoring viktor's express wish to destroy the core to save his life was the second i knew it was gonna be so real for me personally#when the devotee's act of veneration deifies and destroys the object of worship#when u help create a god and your god in turn bestows on you his cursed blessing#a recursive impulse an endless loop selfish acts from selfless love. deity and devotee locked together in annihilation and salvation. YEEEE (op's tags)

divorce era for today's warm up :)c