#for him to be able to deal with his role as Vander

[hatekawa]

next question (I’m so sorry), who would Jayce be if Donnie is Viktor? :0

A long while ago I was thinking if i shouldnt replace Raph (Vander) with Splinter but I didnt know where I would put Raph in............. hear me out. Raph as Jayce and then Mona would be Mel. I hope I cooked

[littlebigmouse]

There's a confrontation I'd like to see in Arcane season 2 that would be incredibly dramatic to me AND that I'd be the most apprehensive about.

I think Ep 7 established a sort of "safe" combination of characters, that being Vi, Caitlyn, Ekko (and by extension the rest of the Firelights and Heimerdinger, but this isn't about him because he only cropped up later). They have practically the same goal and similar values, Caitlyn and Ekko especially are portrayed as the most morally upstanding and sympathetic characters of the show. The alliance they formed in Ep 7, while brief, was only broken up spatially, not ideologically. If Ekko gets a bigger role in s2 than he had in s1, it would feel like a sort of gang-up: As soon as the two teams wind up in the same location looking for Jinx, it's practically a simple confrontation between everyone and her. This could be complicated further by Vi and Cait disagreeing on how to handle Jinx going forward, but I think they'd be able to put aside their differences long enough to at least stop her (they've all done it before).

But I think to really ramp up the drama, they'd have to break that up.

There's, in my mind, two different ways to do this:

Avoidance: They simply won't put these three in the same room again. Both parties will have enough other stuff going on that they logistically cannot cooperate further. If they encounter Jinx, they'll do so seperately. For example, Ekko could get more involved in Heimerdinger's side of the plot (vs Singed, Viktors and Jayce's messy divorce), while Cait and Vi stay with the Jinx plot and whatever mess the Council will be in after that blow up of a S1 finale. Jayce and JInx are the biggest connecting pieces here, but the plot could very well be timed in such a way that Cait&Vi have interactions with Jayce while Jinx deals with Ekko and vice versa. There's also a whole Noxian war subplot brewing and whatever will happen with Vander/Warwick (although against my better wishes I doubt Ekko will be involved in either of those).

The ideological break up: And that's the one that hurts me the most, because the most (initially) obvious way to do this is to have Vi become an Enforcer and pit her against Ekko this way. I don't hope this happens, because I cannot see Arcane Vi as an Enforcer at all, and ironically Arcane Ekko is a lot more willing to work with the Enforcers than his LoL counterpart anyway. Of course further plot shenanigans could occur that would pit Vi and Ekko against each other - again, they could disagree on treatment of Jinx, or Warwick, or treatment of the undercity going forward, or maybe even on a more fundamental level (Ekko's commitment to non-lethal diffusion tactics and vandalism vs Vi's more violent tendencies). They could also have Caitlyn hardline more towards lethal violence against the Undercity due to the council attack, although I highly doubt this will happen (I'd rather see Caitlyn fight Jayce over this very conflict instead of betraying all her morals for vengeance, and I genuinely think the Arcane writers will do better than that anyway). Orr there is a yet unexplored third option that pits these three against each other.

Either way. Personally. I'd love to see Ekko and Vi seriously fight, because it would be a great dramatic escalation, they'd lose their only "other" undercity ally, and I'd love to explore their differences more while ramping up the angst to their continued isolation. But I am also apprehensive, because they'd need a really good reason to make these two fight each other while they have so many other issues to focus and join forces on.

And while we're talking about fights I'd love to see, we haven't had enough Piltover-folks beating the shit out of each other yet. Give me a fight between Jayce and Cait. Heimerdinger and Jayce. Mel and Jayce. I know we haven't seen 2/3s of these characters involved in a fight yet, but especially the Mel&Jayce&Vikor trio needs to have the messiest, most dramatic break ups possible, and if Mel doesn't get to at least slap someone, what is even the point.

[emblematicemblazer]

Worldbuilding and theories of Engage

Personal skills.

In Lythos the personal skills of each character relates to their official duty.

Lumera and Alear

Divinely Inspiring - Adjacent Allies deal +3 damage and take 1 less damage.

I imagine that Alear inherited the personal skill when Lumera poured her lifesource them. 

The skill relates to The Divine Dragon's ability to inspire people to want to fight by their side. The 'less damage' part is a reference to their role as protector and bringer of peace.

The image of the skill looks like two wings cupping two people. 

The wings of God are a place of refuge. “Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast” (Psalm 57:1). “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust” (Psalm 91:4).

The wings are the Divine Dragon offering refuge and love to the People of Elyso. 

Vander

Alabaster duty - If unit is adjacent to the Divine Dragon, grants Crit+5 during combat to both of them.

Firstly the personal skill references Vander's role as a steward by only granting power when he is near The Divine Dragon. The 'Crit+5' references how The Divine Dragon inspires Vander and how Vander helps The Divine Dragon focus on important tasks.

Alabaster  is a smooth white stone used for statues and ornamentation. The buildings of Lythos are made of white stone from the surrounding cliffs and mountains. This skill references his connection to the island.

Alabaster is an important symbol in the bible. It is a symbol of the relationship between Mary of Bethany and Jesus. Similarly it served as a symbol of the relationship between Vander and the two Divine Dragons. Mary of Bethany gave her everything to Jesus and anointed him with expensive perfume in an alabaster box. Mary built up a relationship with Jesus by sitting at his feet and listening to his teachings. When her brother Lazarus died, it was Jesus who offered her comfort. The meaning of the alabaster box is that it represents Vander's and Mary's lives. They gave up everything and gave their hearts, devotion and trust to their Saviour because nothing can compare to them. 

The personal skill symbol of Vander, Framme and Clanne except the colour is different. 

Tibetan Buddhists believe that during lunar and solar eclipses, the effects of one's good or bad deeds are multiplied severalfold. The good deeds of Vander, Framme and Clanne are rewarded with benefits in battle. 

Clanne

Verdant faith - If unit is adjacent to the Divine Dragon, grants Hit+10 during combat to both of them.

Just like Vander's personal skill, the effects of Clanne's 'verdant faith' are only triggered by being near the Divine Dragon. once again it is a reference to his role as a steward.

Verdant means green. In the bible green is used to symbolise how a righteous man will devote himself to God and grow and flourish under His divine light.  If Clanne devotes himself fully then he will grow and flourish.

'The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green,' (Psalm 92:12-15)

Framme 

Crimson/ Scarlet cheer - If unit is adjacent to the Divine Dragon, grants Avo+10 during combat to both of them.

In Japanese the personal skill is called 'scarlet cheer'. 

The colour scarlet symbolises the blood of Christ and Christian martyrs. When Isaiah says that the Lord can change our sins from scarlet or crimson to snow or wool, he is saying that the Lord can do something that is impossible for us to do on our own. A cloth dyed red stays red. But regardless of the stain of our sins, the Atonement of Jesus Christ can make us pure again if we repent. If Framme devotes herself to the Divine Dragon and repents her sins then she will be able to achieve anything. 

[existentialsophism]

Vi from Arcane is a bad person.

Of course, she’s hot. So there’s a little bit that I think is forgiven. Hell I kinda want to look like her. But she’s objectively not a good person. And certainly an absolutely awful sister.

In season 2 act 3 we saw that her death during the explosion of Jayce’s hex crystals resulted in a unified Zaun, peaceful relations between Piltover and Zaun, and a mentally stable Powder with a healthy relationship, a steady job and the ability to pursue her passion of engineering. Now why did Vi dying as a kid result in this? There are a lot of reasons.

Mylo talked shit on Powder all the time. He did it to Vi in season 1 and a big reason she was so upset to the point of having multiple episodes was because of it. Had Vi died Mylo probably wouldn’t have been able to get away with that anymore, because Vander would have shut it down. Plus, he was a good brother, just a bit of a shithead (as most older brothers are), so he gave everyone shit because he thought it was sort of funny. He wouldn’t have done that if Powder had just lost the older sister she really looked up to, who was also the default leader of the group. Vander would have likely taken a more direct role in protecting the kids rather than letting Vi run things for the most part.

Since Vi had died in the explosion, Deckard would have either just straight up stolen everything or would have just not bothered because Vi led them to him to begin with. This would have resulted in Silco being unable to extract any meaningful information from him, and just getting a little richer or something.

Because Vi was dead, Piltover’s enforcers would have found her body and been able to have a culprit that would have put the city on ease rather than Vander having to deal with Marcus and Grayson. The rest of Zaun would have simply mourned Vi’s death, and though Silco was against Vander, he wasn’t entirely unfeeling and would likely have at least paused his experiments on Deckard, which would explain why he found Vander’s bunker in the mines with the apology letters to Silco. Sevika wouldn’t have betrayed him to Silco either as she wouldn’t view him as weak, but understandably mourning.

This probably would have prevented Vander from being captured, if anything Silco would have abandoned his shimmer experiments and made amends with Vander, which resulted in the timeline Heimerdinger and Ekko are transported by the hexcore anomaly.

If we stay in the original timeline Vi never goes out of her way to help Powder. The one time she does is when she tells her to stay home while they rescue Vander, but even then they likely all would have died anyways and Powder would still feel responsible, even if Silco wasn’t there to immediately fill the hole Vi and Vander left.

When Powder literally saves her life, Vi yells at her and calls her a Jinx, and keep in mind she’s like 9 or something, she doesn’t really understand much yet. Yelling at someone who did their best and failed is the exact opposite of what you should do in that situation and it pretty much was the turning point that created Jinx.

Moving on, when Vi gets out of prison and tries to find Jinx she is asked to choose between her and Caitlyn. I’m just as big of a girl lover as the next lesbian but come on, she’s a cop you met like a week ago vs your sister who you pretty much just abandoned and have done nothing but insult for all the time she can remember you. I also get that Jinx was having psychotic episode at the time and wasn’t really all there mentally, but that’s entirely because of the things she heard Vi saying about her 7 years before. All of her actions while in this state contribute to the division between Piltover and Zaun, as well as introducing Ekko’s ecoterrorist organization as a third player in the fight for liberation. If this hadn’t happened, Ambessa wouldn’t have had a real reason to come to Piltover and start a war.

On the topic of Vi being a bad sister, she literally just gives up all of her principles to go be a cop and commits several war crimes while doing so, all to please her girlfriend or something. She subjugates the population she once believed in fighting to protect, and even though Silco is gone she uses absolutely excessive force to kill as many people as possible and to find and kill Jinx, who by now has come to terms with the fact that Vi is alive and is somewhat of a resistance leader herself. She even adopts Isha and becomes a genuinely good sister to her. Having someone who will listen is really healing for Jinx and she starts to grow of her own accord outside of Vi or Silco. All Vi does is cause her to have a traumatic breakdown and kill Silco in the first place. Even after that she’s still a total bitch.

Jinx literally just accepts death at Vi’s hands and Isha is the only one who stands between them. She wanted Vi to kill her so she could live with the guilt of watching her sister die because of her, just like she had to watch Vander, Mylo and Claggor die. Even after Caitlyn physically abuses and abandons her, Vi STILL doesn’t try to find and talk to Jinx at all, and just becomes an alcoholic pit fighter. It takes Jinx seeking out Vi for them to even talk again, and Jinx knew she was taking a huge risk doing so. Even still, Vi insults her as much as she can. She says the things she makes are dumb and that she couldn’t win in a fight as if that’s what matters at all. She was with Caitlyn for like a week and is still more affectionate to her than she is with her own sister.

The second she sees Caitlyn she leaves Jinx for her yet again, working with her after all of the abuse and hell Cait put her through. Jinx decides it would be better if she just died, so she gets Vi to release her and locks her in the cell. Instead of trying to find Jinx when Caitlyn comes back, she spends like an hour just eating her out. Meanwhile, Jinx is repeatedly committing suicide while Ekko rewinds to try and help her. Like come on she’s not even worried about her at all.

When Jinx is presumed dead after blowing up Warwick, Vi doesn’t even hold her a proper funeral. Of course there’s no body so it would be hard, but she just lights a bunch of little papers on fire. She has all of Caitlyn’s resources and doesn’t even hold a memorial for Powder/Jinx, but instead just keeps hitting on Caitlyn.

Mentally ill people with a ton of childhood trauma need to feel like someone actually cares about them, and Vi, who was the only true family Jinx had left, didn’t. At every opportunity to fix things she just ran away or ignored the problem entirely. I get that she’s lesbian representation or whatever, but it’s just playing into the stereotype that lesbians are domestic abusers and it’s an extremely toxic relationship that she mostly just uses as a distraction from having to actually talk to Jinx and fix things with her sister, who by the way still does love her.

Vi is not a good person.

[jynxd]

Over the years under Silco's care, there were a great deal of things that in Jinx had learned. Many of which served useful in combat and how she carried herself. However, there was one lesson that always followed her, one that always ensured she was never surprised or caught off guard. That was the lessons in which he had taught her how to read people. Whether it be their body language, the tone in which they spoke, or in the most miniscule facial expressions played a vital role and in knowing what was truly being said. It was the difference between telling if someone could be trusted, or if they were simply spouting bullshit.

It was these skills that she used here, as she observed every single movement Vi made, every movement of her eyebrow, even. In regards to Mylo, there was no hint of a lie to be told. In that moment Jinx truly believed her sister would have come looking for her, and that made her heart flutter. However, things were different now. And where the fault lied was when her sister dared to question Silco's motive with a small simple question. How?

"Vander betrayed Silco. Silco created something magnificent, something that would free the Undercity and help us stand a chance against Piltover. But Vander wanted peace, didn't like the way Papa was willing to achieve it and so he tried to kill him." Jinx smiled fondly as she recalled the day she had told him, and how it had connected them so much more deeply than she ever had with anyone else. "Papa moved on, let him have his chance at peace. He always had eyes on him, all while preparing for when it would all come crumbling down. When it did, he sought out to help him realize that his ways, our way, was the only way. Is the only way and home is much better place now. If only Vander were alive to see it now."

Turnabout was fair play, as she didn't bother to hide her disgust of the man whom had nearly killed her father. She hated him, for everything he had taken from him, for everything had taken from her. From how weak she made the lanes. "Oh but it was about more than just survival, sis. I'm this way because I want to be, because I am my papa's daughter and I mean something." It was clear to her now that she and Vi were different, miles away in fact. Such was the side effects of being raised on opposite sides. Though she couldn't hide the shock that Stillwater hadn't changed that.

Yet Jinx still had her hope that there would be something to connect them as she held onto her sisters hand, as she listened to her pitch about being able to live again. A smile when she had said she missed her all of these years. "We are sisters, and I want nothing more than to bust out of this place with you. I can give you the chance to see how Papa really is." Jinx returned the smile. "What do you say, you and I could start right now. We could easily take out half of these chumps in uniform." She leaned in to whisper those words into Vi's right ear before pulling back again. "But you aren't like me, are you? You've changed too. I can see it already, you would rather rot in here than hurt all of these people."

There was disappoint there already, Jinx could see it but maybe they could reach a compromise. "I want to be with you, but I can't be the same girl I used to be. Powder died on that bridge. Can you accept that?"

Vi appreciates her sister letting her speak. At her words, though, Vi frowns. "Of course not! I could never forget you. Never." And it's true. Though she had found other family members to love, she had never forgotten about her sister. How could she? "No, Mylo never mentioned it. If he had, I would've tried to find you." If she had known it was her sister, she would've done whatever was necessary to find her. She had missed her sister. And she still does. "Oh?" Vi looks surprised at the mention of Ekko. She didn't know her sister had been around that much. They had been so close but had somehow never run into each other. Until now. What a shame it's under these circumstances, with them both being locked up.

At the mention of Silco saving her, Vi looks skeptical. She can't reconcile her sister's words with what she knows of Silco. The man, in her opinion, is only capable of doing harm. He can't save anyone, much less her sister. But she won't say that out loud. She simply listens as her sister continues to speak. "Silco wanted to help Vander?" Her tone is a bit skeptical. But she looks curious. "How?"

When her sister says that she's changed, Vi nods. She certainly has. If someone had told her that her sister Powder would go from that innocent girl to this, she wouldn't have believed them. However, she can understand it. Vi's no angel either. She has done what she had to do to survive. So she can understand how her sister would do the same. "Of course you did. I'd never blame you for doing what's necessary to survive." And it's true. Vi wouldn't. As much as she doesn't like it, she understands it. Especially since she's been locked up, she has a rather fearsome reputation. And it's been earned. However, she still has a moral code that she tries her hardest to follow. Does her sister? Vi doesn't know, and that scares her a bit.

When her sister squeezes her hand, Vi can't help but give a little smile. She'd missed her. Of course she had. "I want you back too. Of course I do." A pause, as Vi racks her brain for what to say next. She wants to convince her sister that there's another way of going about things. That violence is sometimes necessary, but not as a first choice. But she isn't sure exactly how to do so. "I've missed you. A lot." She begins, a soft smile crossing her face. "And maybe, we can get out of here. Together, I'm sure we could figure something out. We could find somewhere to live. We could be sisters again." A pause, as Vi examines her sister's face. "We could make things better for the undercity, somehow. I just know we can. There's another way. A better way. You don't have to just survive anymore. You can live. We can live. Together. How about it?"

Vi truly believes that they're stronger together. And that it is possible for her sister to change back, to become who she once was again. After all, Vi herself had done what she needed to do to survive. How could she blame her sister for doing the same? That wouldn't be fair. No, Vi understands her sister. Or at least, she thinks she does. But she can't necessarily agree with her new way of doing things. One thing she's always admired about her sister is her ingenuity. Is that still intact? Vi hopes so. They're going to need it if they're going to get out of this place. And hopefully, her sister will take her up on her offer. If not, Vi doesn't know what she'll do. Because she truly had missed her sister.

[vasiktomis]

I've seen so many takes that portray Silco as having bribed Marcus in Act 1, but I think this detracts from Marcus's corruption as well as Silco's intelligence and have some ice cold, rigor mortis takes for you under the cut:

_

Silco invites Marcus to the cannery to offer him information, and the audience can naturally assume that from the money Silco tosses at Marcus after Grayson's murder, there's been a transaction between the two of them.

Marcus, though, has little reason to be interested in money with a position like his. He's in a senior role despite his youth and his personal grooming is off the charts well-maintained, not to mention tasteless almost to the point of opulence. Depending on Ren's age and the timing of his wife's death, he may have a family to support, but he's still Piltovian. He's still a presumably wealthy man.

Indeed, Silco has his own resources behind the scenes, however, he does need to lean into the stereotype Marcus places on fissure folk in order to get what he wants.

Marcus doesn't believe people of the Undercity to be altruistic; he sees them as greedy criminals, and by playing into that bias, Silco is able to secure a higher degree of trust in him. In eliciting a bribe from Marcus rather than simply passing information along for no good reason other than an old grudge, Silco is leading Marcus to consider himself smarter than Silco. He instils false confidence that Marcus is ahead of the game, and in doing so gives him the extra push he needs to challenge Vander without Grayson's authorisation.

When it comes to Vander's arrest, Silco's gang pursues and ambushes the arrest party as a means of killing two birds with one stone. Vander and Benzo have been drawn out into the open, but so has a demoralised Grayson. Attacking this particular group at this particular time secures Silco a victory over both cities, but it also acts as a dialogue with Marcus in that he has been duped — that Marcus is not any more intelligent than a trencher, and that his own prejudice hasn't only allowed Silco to use him — he now owns him.

Failing to honour Marcus's deal is an attack of its own. Marcus's intellect, his ego, his beliefs come under fire when Silco throws his own money back at him and declares a change of plan. All this tragedy came about because Marcus's bias prevented him from ever considering that Silco might be playing him.

All Marcus is left with once Silco gets his way is his own fat tits and the knowledge that this particular moment is entirely his fault, and Silco drives this point home by returning Marcus's bribe.

Vi's kidnapping occurs not only as a last-ditch effort on Marcus's part to do right in a disaster he played a massive role in causing, but also because he himself has just learned how dangerous a man Silco is. Also like idk kind of poetic justice for both of them that the one barely-righteous thing Marcus does in his career before Silco has him 100% under his thumb eventually leads to Silco's total undoing.

[goddessofroyalty]

Prompt for your Zaun family fic (I'm really loving it!): Viktor ends up pregnant by Jayce accidentally, and Jayce and Viktor have to break the news to a very angry Silco. Also, I imagine Viktor would have put off telling his dads about his relationship with Jayce because he doesn't want to deal with any blowups. So the reveal is kind of out of nowhere.

Once again what to Jayce is a different language is just heavy code-switching dialect.

Tags: mpreg

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

You do not have to do this with me,” Viktor says because he must be able to fell how clammy Jayce’s hand is holding his as they walk towards the Zaun Representative’s office. How tight Jayce’s grip is to try and stop his hand from shaking. “I can talk to Silco first.”

Viktor can maybe talk Silco down from how mad he’s going to be at the news.

“No. We’re doing this together right?” How is Jayce meant to be staying at Viktor’s side for the whole pregnancy if he can’t even be there to tell Viktor’s parents that they are going to be grandparents? Just – are you sure we can’t tell Vander first?”

“Dad will just tell him,” Viktor says which is kind of the point – avoid the conversation altogether. “And Silco will be unhappy that we did not tell him ourselves.”

“Right. You’re right.” Jayce knows Silco already thinks he’s a coward. Not owning up to his role in the situation is only going to solidify that opinion.

“Jayce I am fine with talking to him first,” Viktor says, now they are stopped outside the door to Silco’s office. The last opportunity Jayce has to back out if he’s going to. “This is not something I need you for.”

“I want to do this.” Jayce wants to be there for all of it. Has wanted to be by Viktor’s side for everything for a while now. And maybe this would be a little less terrifying if they had promoted that fact a little more. “Just, if he kills me for this make sure they know I loved them.”

“He will not kill you,” Viktor assures. “Threaten yes, and, ah, maybe maim a little. But not kill.”

“That’s not exactly reassuring Vik,” Jayce says as he pulls Viktor into a hug.

He feels calmer with Viktor in his arms. Both from Viktor’s warmth and scent. A reminder that they are in this together. That this is just another part of the future they are building together.

Viktor lets out a huff of breath against Jayce’s shoulder but leans into him, his eyes shutting as he breathes deeper to take in Jayce’s scent.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Jayce says, pressing a kiss to Viktor’s forehead before pulling away and squaring himself.

Viktor doesn’t say anything. Just knocks on the door and calls out in the language he and Silco share. Opening it when Silco calls out that they can enter.

Silco takes one look at Jayce and his expression immediately hardens.

“What have you done now?”

Jayce bites his tongue to stop himself from pointing out that every time there has been trouble in relation to him and his work one of Silco’s children have been the actual source of it. As cold as Silco is his children are the one area where he will allow no threat perceived or real to target. And Jayce does not want him any angrier than he is going to be.

“Jayce and I have news we wanted to tell you before we told anyone else,” Viktor says. Silco’s gaze immediately switching to his son, his good eye running over him as if he expects him to be injured.

“You’ve agreed to marry him,” Silco says after his eyes settle on his son’s face.

Jayce wishes it was that even with how unimpressed Silco’s tone is about it.

“Not yet,” Viktor says. “Although I think that will be not far off.”

Because that’s what Jayce should have done first. Even if they hadn’t intended to skip that step before starting a family together, Jayce knows he should make it right.

“Then what?” Silco asks before the realization clearly settles on him and his gaze returns to Jayce. This time filled with more anger and hate than Jayce has ever seen on him. “No.”

Jayce manages to stand firm despite every instinct of his screaming to run. Or at least hide behind Viktor because he knows Silco would never hurt one of his children.

“I’m pregnant,” Viktor confirms. And for a moment Silco glances at his son, his expression almost soft, before he is right back glaring at Jayce. “Jayce is the father.”

“How?”

“I did not think I would have to explain that to you,” Viktor says.

When Silco glares at Viktor Jayce immediately revises him plan to include grabbing his partner before fleeing the room.

“You assured me your relationship with him was only professional,” Silco says and Jayce does feel guilty agreeing with Viktor that they would hold off telling people about their relationship. He shouldn’t have encouraged Viktor to lie to his parents just to avoid their reaction.

“It has not been, ah, purely professional for a while now,” Viktor says with a shrug. “I lied.”

Jayce doesn’t need to understand the words to know that an argument breaks out between the two. The angry tone of the words more than enough to get that point across.

As much as he wants to defend Viktor he knows better than to interrupt.

“Don’t,” Viktor says, his tone suddenly harsh and firm. His hand gripping his cane tight to the point Jayce thinks he can see it shake and there is an almost wet edge to the words that immediately has Jayce worried. Silco might have a soft spot for his kids but that doesn’t mean he can’t be cruel in his words even to them.

Jayce reaches out to Viktor’s hand. Running his thumb over the knuckles of it.

When Viktor glances back at him Jayce tries to communicate his support with expression alone. Checking in if Viktor needs him to get involved. Because Jayce will if Viktor needs him to no matter how much meaner Silco is to him.

Viktor softly shakes his head so Jayce leaves it.

Silco’s anger seems to have calmed with it. Viktor’s dad looking more tired than mad as he pours himself a drink and leans back in his chair.

“I remember you once thought even just kissing to be disgusting and swore you would never be interested in it,” Silco says, downing the whole glass in single drink. “What happened to that?”

“I grew up,” Viktor says and Silco’s mouth curls into something that almost resembles a smile at it.

“You did,” Silco says, putting the empty glass down before getting up and coming over. Jayce has to remind himself that he knows Silco would never intentional hurt his children to prevent himself from grabbing Viktor and running. “And now you are going to be a parent with a child of your own.”

“I am,” Viktor says and Silco reaches out almost tentatively to cup Viktor’s cheek. As if he is afraid of hurting his son, or perhaps that Viktor will shun his touch.

The fact Viktor leans into it has Silco’s expression softening.

At least until he glances over at Jayce.

“I assume you are not going anywhere?”

“Of course not.” Even if the child was not his Jayce would still be there to support Viktor however he would allow him to.

Silco’s expression twists into something Jayce can’t read.

“He will be a good dad,” Viktor says.

Jayce doesn’t know what to say to it. He wants to be a good dad. The best dad. But he will admit that he is kind of terrified of it. But the kind of terror like when he is waiting to see if one of his experiments will work or collapse. Just this is one he can’t afford to mess up the first time.

“He certainly has the energy to keep up with any child,” Silco says and Jayce takes it as the closest he’s going to get to acceptance from him.

Now he just has to survive telling Viktor’s siblings.  

[loyaltyearned]

Sevika Bio

Sevika is a Headcanon based and Arcane influnced muse! This blog will deal with NSFW including Violence / Gore / Smut / Trauma / Mental illness / Abuse / Alcoholism / Drug use and many more adult topics. So this blog is 18+ ONLY Semi-Selective and Indie. I encourage asks and anons towards the Mun or Muse. Duplicate friendly, I do not partake in Exclusive or Mains, open to interact with those who do.

Name: Sevika

Pronouns: She/Him

Sexuality: Demi-romantic Bisexual (heavy fem pref)

Gender: Bigender (m/f)

Age:40

Birthday: May 1

Zodiac: Taurus

Personality: istp

Height: 6'4

Weight: 224 pounds

Faceclaim: Atikah karmin

BodyClaim: @Duh.myya on Instagram

Personality: Sevika is blunt and honest, she tends to use intimidation to get what she wants. She’s rather intense and serious as well, she walks into the room and immediately owns it. He holds himself high. She is not loyal to one person, she may care about them but in the end she's simply focused on the cause. Zaun’s independence and freedom from oppression in Zaun. He has a lot of respect for him, as she she for Vander when he built the undercity. You’ll never know what she’s truly thinking, unless she says it. He’ll be direct if she wants some time from you, wants you to know something. She can get a bit cocky when it comes to competition. He doesn’t show many emotions or feelings other than his arrogance, aggression, apathy, boredom, sexuality, and dominance. She has a very intimidating presence. And most people have heard her name.

Voice: She has a deep natural voice, mixed with the cigars and blunts she smokes its deeper. He usually has a cocky or apathetic tone. She has a very honest attitude unless acting is required. If she’s bored with what you’re saying, she’ll have an uncaring and bored tone. Other than bored and uncaring she doesn’t express much emotion in his voice.

Likes: Bodybuilding, training, working out, smoking (cigars/weed), working, gambling, going to the club/brothel, large crowd, loud noises, respect, shimmer.

Dislikes: Weakness, commitments (relationships/family/friendship), having nothing to do, losing, failing, people she likes failing, leadership

Abilities: She has a Cyborg arm fueled by Shimmer it gives him super strength, he also has enhanced sight due to the fumes/dust the using her robot arm produces, so she can see a lot better than most in the dark.

Extra:After Silco and Vander both failing people are trying to get her to lead, she’s also a regular at the brothel

Backstory

Sevika had a rough childhood, she was the oldest of five siblings. Not only did she act as their mother, he also had to deal with the brunt of her fathers abuse. To get to know her you have to look at her father. He was a miner and had been since he was young, when he found her mother he had ended up getting her pregnant by accident. Sevika’s mother was absent, as much as she loved the kids, his mothers role was to support them financially, which being a brothel worker could do. Coincidentally her mother and father met there. His mother was a shimmer addict and never wanted to bring her work, or the drugs home so often slept at the brothel. His father was an alcoholic, often gambling their money away while Sevika looked after her half brother and all the kids his father brought home to “rescue”. Sevika learned how to fight because of her father. Amongst other things. They did have some wholesome moments however, he taught her to use a gun, and taught his younger brother Bhisaj to heal. 

Sevika’s father did try to get them out of there, one day he finally stole enough shimmer and he had a dealer lined up and everything. Except there was a raid at Sevika’s house and they shot first questioned later as enforcers do. Sevika was only able to Get Bee before fleeing, letting the rest of her family perish. Something that still haunts her to this day. He made it back to the house forcing her brother to stay hidden, she found all of her family's bodies and stacks of shimmer, and notes in her fathers drawer. He just wanted to sell the stuff so he could get their family out of  Zaun, so that they didn't have to live like this anymore. Sevika always felt a need to protect his brother from the harsh truths, Their father, rumors of the undercity, deep seeded corruption within the council, instead she'd tell him stories about Lonia, about the History. Especially any medieval books he could get his hands on, Knights, dragons magic. The works.

Sevika already knew how to steal, how to fight. Bee taught her how to stitch herself, what to do for certain injuries, the Sev finally taught him how to fight, however much of a natural he was. He hated fighting. They grew up on the streets of the Undercity, Sev was fiercely protective of her brother, and she was known for his uppercut. They were living the life, stealing and enjoying the loot. They made a decent amount of money, especially when Sevika learned how to gamble and cheat. He tended to sleep around and flirt, drink, go to parties and his brother trailing right behind her. His hands were messed up, she has permanent boxer's knuckles, she also had a torn ligament in her left bicep that is gone thanks to the mechanical arm.

Bee stayed with her until she was about 24ish and him 20ish, both of them joining the hound of the Underground, Sevika already on a fast track to become Vanders second. Sevika had  already made a name for herself in the undercity. Her face wasn't known, as it is now. People didn't cross the street when she walked down it. Bee was an exceptional healer at this point in time, Sevika training everyday, working out. Picking fights, Shed already started smoking (cigarettes/weed and cigars- that an alcohol was no stranger to her) When she was 27 and Bee was 23, it was the day Vander led them topside across the bridge, fighting enforcers. Bee died up there while she was being overrun by a couple of enforcers, Bhisaj had been there too right by Sevikas side, he truly believed in Sevika’s vision and wanted to fight with him despite protests and bitching coming from his sister, Except Bee didn't make it out he had gotten killed by Enforcers in front of Sevika. 

That's when Sevika no longer believed in the Hound of the underground, losing much respect for him. She had projected onto him, seeing him not only as a mentor but family.  The kids not helping their situation at all, he got to watch and even participate in Vanders little makeshift family. While her own wouldn't be avenged. While her family died for nothing, resentment grew. Towards Vi who Sev helped teach to fight, to Claggor who sat with her both of them tinkering with random things they'd found. With Mylo who she taught to picklocks and pickpockets.

Sev got to play family for a bit, before they fucked everything up. Just like their father. He had met Silco before, Vander had told him stories in the past, before she heard some gnarly little rumors the man was skulking back. Silco and Sevika made a deal, Sev promising her unwavering loyalty as of now Silco was the only hope of Freedom for Zaun

Headcanons

Okay so Sevika is bigender, she’ll refer to herself as the man or sir, amongst other masculine honorifics while not feeling very attached to masculinity. He however feels less connected to femininity, often forgetting many of her feminine features.He binds a lot, wrapping ace bandages around his chest, to appear more masculine. Although he still prefers she and “woman” As much as she prefers women, and does consider himself “wlw” she does have very few and rare expectations of men. (Silco and a friend’s OC) He doesn’t date much, it takes a lot for her to get platonically involved nevermind romantically. Not only has she had bad experiences and bad exes, her parents had a horrible relationship as well. She hates vulnerability and simply doesn't have time for personal relationships. Plus if he ever did that means he’d try to protect them and refuse to date them.

She doesn’t respect or like many people but those who earn it. Nowadays drinking and smoking isn't all that Sevika participates in, occasionally partaking in recreational shimmer use not often though, seeing as silco had a special potency for her arm that shot her up each time she used it. Sev bottles her emotions, often drinking or smoking away most of his problems. Wake up, drink, go to bed, smoke. Can’t sleep? both! She can’t sleep without alcohol in her system, and often can’t sleep in general. She mostly stares at her ceiling at night smoking.

He’s very arrogant, she thinks herself unbeatable and aims to prove it. She hates enforcers. She hates piltover, he hates those who speak nothing but empty promises but most of all he hates weakness. Finding comfort in her strength and what would be considered a “dark side”. People who don’t fear her, walking or talking to her boldly gain a little amount of respect. Forgetting she's equal to them (for the most part). But they tend to lose her respect very fast. She used to hate having to fight all the time, but enjoys it now. The sight of blood. The smell of iron, and sweat and in an instant the rebelling is over. He also used to be very into history, when she was in her teens, she especially loved the ideas of knights, fighting off anyone to oppose the king. Fighting evil and corruption. And that’s how she sees herself and knights at the ruler's side. But she’s just a little more twisted than most knights in shining armor, as he is both the knight and the beast they were sent to slay.Sev cared about Silco as she had cared about Vander and so far only Silco and Vander had been able to earn her respect. Who’s next?

SEVIKA’S SHIMMER LORE

After the explosion where he had lost her arm, magical blue scars covered her cheek, his left shoulder, and down the left side of her rib cage/chest and curved into her back and stomach a little. These scars are extremely sensitive and painful. But since he’s used to pain, it’s not overwhelming. In the weeks before Sevika got her replacement arm, he was told she had to keep the wound fresh and covered. This meant he’d have to take doses of shimmer. His body reacted the same way others did, although she wasn’t addicted per say. She did have those urges to continue using and tended to want to use it more or to use it for fun and so on. Often finding herself having to force her thoughts away from shimmer by starting fights, drinking and smoking, going to the brothel, clubs etc etc. It took about a month for them to complete the robotic replacement. Luckily her body was used to shimmer by then so the arms doses of of it didn’t have many negative side effects. She has a high tolerance to most drugs/alcohol so an average amount of shimmer doesn’t make her go apeshit. Using shimmer has the effects of normal usage; super strength, his veins and eye glow pink and so on. He doesn’t have any mutations; unless we use her mutated verse!

[charmedghostie]

Silco gasped, clutching at his chest as he panted. There was pain, a ghost of a touch along various points of his body. But it was his heart, his chest, that stole his breath and absorbed his entire being. After a few moments he realized he was lying on his back and that there was a glittering night sky above him. As the pain faded to a dull ache, he became acutely aware that despite the rock that was in his chest, he felt nothing else.

            Slowly, Silco got to his feet. His joints popped and his muscles strained. He had no idea why it was such a struggle to stand, he had been sitting just a few moments ago. He had been sitting in front of the Vander monument, as he realized just why his brother had given up on the war with the topsiders. Silco looked around, not recognizing the scenery. Where was he? There was a lake in front of him, a forest off to the side and where he stood was a field. And he knelt, realizing that it was a field of flowers though it was too dark to tell what kind. He had never seen such scenery, Zaun had been his life and he had only recently been able to enjoy the sky as he got to the top, able to enjoy the brief freedom due to his deals with Piltzover.

            “Out of everyone who I’ve seen come here, you’re by far the most fascinated with the scenery,” a voice said from behind him.

            Silco turned to see a woman with bright red hair that faded into blonde, her green eyes glittering in the moonlight. She walked towards him, a smile curling her lips. Silco stepped back, wary, “Who are you?”

            “Natasha,” she paused as she noticed his posture. “And no, I don’t know your name.”

            “Where am I?” Silco asked, ignoring her question.

          �� “A place where no one knows,” Natasha looked up at the moon. “A place where we come after we’ve sacrificed ourselves for our loved ones.”

            Silco watched her for a few moments in silence before snorting, “Enough with the bullshit. Tell me how to get out of here.”

            “There is no way,” she looked at him again, her eyes heavy.

            Silco stepped forward and gripped her shoulder hard, “You’ve played your role well but enough is enough. I have a daughter I have to get back to.”

            Natasha swung her arm and shoved him back. “You won’t intimidate me. I’ve faced a lot scarier monsters than you.”

            “Then tell me how I can get back!” Silco yelled, reaching for her.

            Natasha knocked him off balance, quickly straddling him as he rolled on to the ground and pinning his limbs underneath her body as her face came close to his. “Listen to me! You can’t get back, do you hear me? This is a place where you go when you die for the one you love. When you have sacrificed everything for someone you love.”

            Silco froze underneath her as he processed her words. Dead? He was dead? And then it flashed in front of him:

            “Her name is Jinx!”

            Vi’s face twisted as she yelled at Jinx, trying to convince her that she was Powder still. Silco’s terror of losing his daughter, of her becoming hurt, of the abandonment. He was doing everything he could, to stop the panic, to stop the pain. He reached for the gun, he needed to get Vi to shut up. He needed Jinx to stop screaming, he needed her ghosts to go away and stop haunting her. He needed her to know that he loved her, that she was his new dream, that she was perfect and that she was the greatest accomplishment of his life. And then there was a brief flash of pain, before the chill settled in. He couldn’t see until Jinx was in front of him and she was crying. He needed to make sure that she knew, that she shouldn’t blame herself. He still loved her even as his love spilled from his veins and his lungs flooded with blood and he was suffocating underneath the chill.

            “Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”

            He hadn’t realized until it was too late that the Nation of Zaun was no longer his dream, his end goal. It had become almost like a habit to fight for this goal that he didn’t realize that it meant nothing compared to Jinx’s happiness.

            Silco began to weep, choking on the tears and realizing the pain in his chest was his heartbreak, “This can’t – this can’t happen. She needs me.” He shook his head, knowing the lie, “I need her. I didn’t realize. I didn’t get to tell her.”

            Natasha hugged him, pressing him into the grass, “She knows, it’s why you’re here.”

[janijaire]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

Who does your character look up to? If your character had to have a specific role model, who would it be? 

// I missed this for a long while, I’m sorry random OC question fairy. Janijaire realistically wouldn’t be able to tell a role model from a hole in the ground. He’s only had two good influences in his (younger) life that meant well and while they both did their best, they were both very biased due to their own upbringings and backgrounds.

Nowadays, he doesn’t so much look up to but tries to make himself better through the influence multiple people have on him:

Kowa: ( @astrolevitation ) Has taught him to take a hard line and not simply go with whatever may come his way. She’s been the one over time to help him with a lot of his previous trauma and make him understand that he still has a life to live and it’s in his hands to do with it as he chooses. She is also probably the only person in existence to know the extent of his addictions and instead of judging him for it instead makes sure he is taking whatever he may in a smart way instead of caving to recklessness. On top of all that, she is his mentor in his Astrologian studies and helps him understand the powers he has and pushes him just enough to constantly improve. Without a doubt, she is his closest friend and he takes many, many cues from her overall. Lore: ( @sharlayanwanderer ) Has taught and continues to teach him the brighter side of things and more than anything that his existence is not a burden, which is something he struggles with. Janijaire tends to lean towards a pessimistic view and there is no one else than can snap him out of it and into something more positive than Lore. His outlook on life overall is what attracted Jani to him at the start and never fails to make him fall just a little bit more in love with him. Xiaohu: ( @thanidiel ) Keeps him on his toes at nearly every turn. However clever he might be, she is at minimum five steps ahead of anything he could even possibly say and as such he really doesn’t even try. He admires her greatly not only for her wit but also her experience and intelligence. He isn’t willing to verbally spar with her, but he loves to observe when she and someone else go head to head. Vander: ( @atomicdeke ) Has taught him levity; to not take himself quite so seriously and really, have fun. He knows the exact time to be serious and when to joke and Janijaire admires his ability to tell the difference quite a bit. He also has a good deal of respect for Vander over the mans abilities in his regard to spirits: he doesn’t understand it, wholly, but there’s no one else he’d trust more in the matters of the supernatural.  Nearly everyone Jani interacts with has an effect in one way or another, but those are the folks I can think of just now!

[junker-town]

The best NFL free agents at every defensive position group, ranked

Let’s look at the best defensive free agents in the NFL this year.

NFL Free Agency will open on March 16, making it the perfect time to dive into the prospects hitting the market. The biggest names can begin negotiating with teams 48 hrs before the start of free agency in the “legal tampering period,” which means we could see players start to lock up deals as early as this weekend.

The defensive side of the ball is exceptionally deep this year, particularly for pass rushers and cornerbacks. There is a wide array of veterans who can get after the quarterback, and stop the ball in the air — two premiums in the NFL. It’s great time to need veteran leadership if you’re a contending team, because a these players could be the missing pieces to get a team over the top, and are at a time in their career where they want a ring.

Edge

Von Miller

Chandler Jones

Haason Reddick

Jadeveon Clowney

Emmanual Ogbah

Randy Gregory

Von Miller has been teasing a return to the Broncos where he’ll find himself paired with a Russell Wilson led offense. Denver is in dire need of pass rushing help, and the homecoming makes too much sense, so this feels fairly safe to project — unless the Rams can convince him to return.

Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick are the attainable players for most teams here, and both are really great ends with enough in the tank to help a playoff team.

Interior Linemen

Akiem Hicks

Calais Campbell

D.J. Jones

B.J. Hill

Folorunso Fatukasi

Linval Joseph

These are a mix of traditional defensive ends and run-stopping defensive tackles filling a variety of roles. Akiem Hicks will likely command big money, even as a 32-year-old, while Calais Campbell could return to the Ravens, or venture out and try to win a ring this year.

D.J. Jones is my favorite player of the group. He’s young enough to warrant a 4-5 year contract, and is a tremendous interior force. Jones is gifted at stopping the run, and can get some penetration to collapse the pocket.

Linebacker

Bobby Wagner

De’Vondre Campbell

Alexander Johnson

Josey Jewell

Foyesade Oluokun

Leighton Vander Esch

It’s wild to look at this group now compared to a week ago. Bobby Wagner changes the face of the linebacker group, and it’s a chance for a team to get one of the best players at his position in the NFL, period.

Wagner will likely look to sign with a contender as well, but De’Vondre Campbell is hitting free agency at the perfect time. He was just named an All-Pro, and likely would have been a franchise tag candidate for the Packers if they didn’t have to use it on Davante Adams.

Safety

Marcus Williams

Tyrann Mathieu

Quandre Diggs

Jayron Kearse

Jordan Whitehead

Marcus Maye

We don’t have an elite group of safeties this year, but solid role players who can bring a lot to the table. Marcus Williams was a cap casualty of the Saints, who would have liked to keep their starting free safety, but likely won’t be able to approach the money he’ll command.

Tyrann Mathieu will command attention once again because of his playmaking ability. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first safety off the market this year.

Cornerback

J.C. Jackson

Stephon Gilmore

Casey Hayward Jr.

Carlton Davis

Steven Nelson

Darious Williams

What a group this is. J.C. Jackson headlines the list after the Patriots decided it would be too much to retain him. Jackson will command a major contract in free agency, and he deserves it. A 2021 All Pro and Pro Bowler, he can be a No. 1 corner on any team, and I’m looking at a team like the Bengals who could use their significant cap space to bolster the secondary.

Stephon Gilmore is a big get too. He was largely forgotten about after being traded to Carolina, but put in a great season on a terrible team. At 31 he’s on the back-end of his career, but has enough left in the tank to get one more big contract, and could unquestionably help take a playoff team to the next level.

[siverwrites]

Chocolate Box 2020 Letter

AO3: Siver

Thank you dear author and thank you for taking one of these up! Anything listed here is ideas and general prompts. Some mix of things or something else inspired from anything I talk about here is great. If you have another idea entirely, cool! I hope something here is fun for you.

I have several possible requests and while some are longer than others they are all equally welcome! There are a lot of pairings/groups here, so prompts are short. By all means, take anything from my likes as wanted in addition to, or if nothing in the prompts sparks anything

All requests are fic or art. Art: Interactions of some sort: emoting at each other, talking, sharing some activity, taking a walk, hugs are always welcome, whatever suits the pair/group!

Likes: fluff, hurt/comfort, comfort, missing scenes, friendships, long-term friendships, close relationships of any sort whether romantic or platonic, familial bonds, found family, sickfic, fandom crossovers or fusions, angst with a happy or at least bittersweet end, bonding, cuddling/hugs/holding, banter, mutual care and support, emotional bonding, loyalty, pre-canon, post-canon, reuniting, slice of life, supernatural stuff, mystery, adventure, worldbuilding, creepy or unsettling atmospheres

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore

Ghost Trick

Alma/Jowd (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela/Jowd (Ghost Trick)

Alma/Cabanela (Ghost Trick)

Alma/Jowd & Cabanela (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Jowd (Ghost Trick)

Alma & Cabanela (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Missile (Ghost Trick)

Kamila & Lynne (Ghost Trick)

Jowd & Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick)

Jowd & Alma & Kamila (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Memry (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Bailey (Ghost Trick)

Alma & Sissel (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela & Sissel (Ghost Trick)

Kamila & Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick)

Any configuration of Jowd, Alma and Cabanela: No infidelity please in the cases of Cabanela/Jowd or Alma/Cabanela. Poly or familial/best friend fluff (dependent on Cabanela’s status of / or &) is always welcome. Domestic fluff. Send them on a date. Mysteries explained or otherwise. Memory troubles in the new timeline. Role swaps have so much potential ie Cabanela returning to new timeline instead of Jowd. Jowd and Cabs both going back and Alma has both her guys being weird. Jowd dying instead of Alma so Cabs and Alma end up working together etc. 

Cabanela & Missile, Cabanela & Sissel: Guardian and animal shenanigans. Cabanela already knowing the weirdness behind Sissel and they’re making the most of it as only they can. Cabanela and Missile loyal guardians on a case bark bark. Just fluff between our resident sparkly white coat and our dog or cat.

Alma & Sissel: Alma doesn’t know what’s up with that Cat, but Something is and she’s gonna find out what. Alternatively she already knows and how might they spend some time together? How does Sissel help her out on the job or around the house? How does she help him out? How do they set up their own form of communication?

Kamila & Lynne: Any kind of sister fluff either during the game’s timeline or post-game in the new timeline. Lynne not meeting Kamila til the ten year marker is something I pretend didn’t happen. Let them know each other!

Kamila & Pigeon Man: Grudging grumpy soft grandpa to a fascinated-with-all-things-mechanical Kamila. Help with a contraption. Kamila wanting to give PM a gift or vice versa

Jowd & Pigeon Man: What was their friendship like before everything went wrong? What’s their friendship like in the new timeline? How soon does PM cotton on to something being up with Jowd? What was the moment like when Jowd left his coat with PM?

Cabanela & Pigeon Man: I’m a sucker for anything taking place during the year they worked together. Can be fluffier or angstier. Either way Cabanela earns some PM snark. Or how do they meet in the new timeline?

Jowd & Alma & Kamila: Please just let them be a happy family. Father mother daughter time. How do they spend time together? What’s a day out like?

Cabanela & Memry: Awkward mentorship? One-sided rivalry? Memry trying to scope out something Cabs is up to or vice versa? Resident odd man and odd girl. (everyone agrees)

Cabanela & Bailey: Dancers unite! Cabanela can’t understand the panic dance, (what’s panic?), but he can appreciate it. Contrast between the confident white coat and the nervy police officer

Final Fantasy VI

Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde & Macías "Mash" Rene Figaro | Sabin Rene Figaro (FFVI) 

Celes Chere & Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde (Final Fantasy VI) 

Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde & Edgar Roni Figaro (FFVI) 

Tina Branford | Terra Branford & Celes Chere (Final Fantasy VI) 

Umaro & Mog (Final Fantasy VI) 

Tina Branford | Terra Branford & Edgar Roni Figaro (FFVI) 

Terra Branford |Tina Branford & Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde (FFVI) 

Stragus Magus | Strago Magus & Shadow (FFVI) 

Relm Arrowny & Mog (FFVI) 

Relm Arrowny & Interceptor (FFVI) 

Gogo & Mog (FFVI) 

Edgar Roni Figaro & Macías "Mash" Rene Figaro | Sabin Rene Figaro (Final Fantasy VI) 

Celes Chere & Macías "Mash" Rene Figaro | Sabin Rene Figaro (FFVI) 

Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde/Mina Garmonde | Elayne Garamonde (FFVI) 

Relm Arrowny & Shadow (FFVI) 

Relm Arrowny & Terra Branford | Tina Branford (FFVI) 

Relm Arrowny & Celes Chere (FFVI)

General prompts for any group of party members here and a couple groups will be singled out for more specific ideas.

Any point during the World of Ruin. With all the party members either together or those available still looking for the others, it’s ripe for opportunities while travelling on foot/chocobo--like along the Serpent’s Trench--or while flying in the airship. Friendship and found family vibes are especially welcome here and finding hope where they can in this new wreck of their world.

A few other specifics, no more or less wanted than the above, only some special circumstances

Strago & Shadow: Interested in how some interaction between these two would go. Does Strago know or suspect who Shadow really is? Relm is his grand daughter and that’s all there is to it, but what might come of him trying to confront Shadow about it?

Cyan/Elayne: Some sweet time in Doma. A look into their lives before the poisoning.

Sabin & Cyan: Beyond anything in the World of Ruin any moment during Sabin’s leg of the journey would be great too. Let them be friends. Look out for each other. Comfort in losses.

Sabin & Celes: Sabin is the first party member Celes finds and they have a whole leg of journey with just two of them. Interactions along that time are always welcome, with added chocobos if after Mobliz!

Pyre

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel

Tariq | The Lone Minstrel & Big Bertrude

Tariq & Ti'zo

Oralech & Ti'zo

Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel

Sir Gilman & Jodariel

Big Bertrude & Volfred Sandalwood

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood

Found family joys. Daily activities while they travel? Post Peaceful revolution activities? Any combo here is great. Soft moments in configurations of Voldred, Tariq and Oralech, pre, post or in-game.  Snakes doing snake things. Imps doing imp things.

Big Bertrude & Volfred: I love their friendship and anything between them at any point in time would be excellent.

Sir Gilman & Jodariel: How do they  relate or not relate on their respective roles? Do they come to an awkward understanding? They’re so different but have things to relate on.

Tariq | The Lone Minstrel & Big Bertrude: We don’t see a lot of interaction between them. How do they get along? What stories might they share? An appreciation for music or something to tolerate? What does a day in the blackwagon look like between them?

Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: Something gentle for the tree and the moon who somehow fell for him, any time period

Trails in the Sky | Sora no Kiseki                

Cassius Bright/Lena Bright & Estelle Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Celeste D. von Auslese & Julia Schwarz (Trails in the Sky)

Estelle Bright & Anelace Elfead (Trails in the Sky)

Estelle Bright & Joshua Bright & Cassius Bright & Renne Hayworth (Trails in the Sky)

Estelle Bright & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese (Trails in the Sky)

Estelle Bright & Tita Russell & Renne Hayworth (Trails in the Sky)

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese & Julia Schwarz (Trails in the Sky)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor & Cassius Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor & Mueller Vander (Trails in the Sky)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor/Mueller Vander (Trails in the Sky)

Ries Argent/Kevin Graham (Trails in the Sky)

Kevin Graham & Ries Argent (Trails in the Sky)

Cassius Bright/Lena Bright & Estelle Bright: Estelle’s dream was both warm and heartbreaking. More of their family time. Let Lena shine like the star Cassius fell in love with. Bright times for a bright family (sorry)

Estelle Bright & Joshua Bright & Cassius Bright & Renne Hayworth: They’ve brought Renne home. How does she handle this new life? How does she deal with Cassius in dad-mode when she knew of him as the bracer and bridagier general? Time spent in the Bright household.

Celeste D. von Auslese & Julia Schwarz: Celeste’s descendent is Julia’s cared-for charge. Celestte may only be a projection of the real one, but what might Julia want to talk to Celeste about in the garden?

Estelle Bright & Anelace Elfead: Friends and rivals! Training, Bracer mission for just the two of them. A day spent on the town! Mutual support! Anelace being able to read Estelle a little better than given credit for.

Estelle Bright & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese: Best friends and sisters and that’s final. There’s plenty of travel time in all three games for more interaction or a moment after it’s all over and their future lies ahead. They know they’re gonna be okay, but there’s so much ahead of them and they have to part ways soon for now.

Estelle Bright & Tita Russell & Renne Hayworth: The big sis to the best friends. Something after Estelle and Joshua have brough Renne back and Tita comes to visit? Or Estelle and Renne go to Zeiss to visit Tita? Estelle bemused by mech talk?

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese & Julia Schwarz: Julia looks after Kloe. What might Kloe do to return the favour to her dear friend/big sister?

Olivier Lenheim & Cassius Bright: These two only got a brief time togeher but the feeling of driving everyone else up a wall was palpable. I want to see more of them together. I’m also particularly interested in the time spent planning between the pair. Olivier has his artifact to make communication easier. Do they communicate after the incidents in Liberl are taken care? Exchange of advice and info?

Olivier &/ Mueller: Shipped or platonic, uncertain: all good. I love their star door in 3rd. More in that vein is always good. Or what were they doing when Mueller hauled Olivier off after the tournament in Grancel? The last chunk of planning before Erebonia’s steam tank “help”? Post-Sky, Pre Cold Steel times?

Ries &/ Kevin: Shipped or platonic, either is good. 3rd is a great opportunity of course, but just as interested in their time together while Kevin recovers after the Aion in Crossbell.

Trails of Cold Steel | Sen no Kiseki

Jusis Albarea & Millium Orion (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Ariel Lenheim & Olivier Lenheim & Mueller Vander (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Rean Schwarzer & Towa Herschel & Randolph Orlando (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Altina Orion & Ash Carbide & Juna Crawford & Kurt Vander & Musse Egret & Rean Schwarzer (ToCS)

Ash Carbide & Juna Crawford & Musse Egret & Altina Orion & Kurt Vander (Trails of Cold Steel)

Juna Crawford & Altina Orion (Trails of Cold Steel)

Towa Herschel & Rean Schwarzer (Trails of Cold Steel)

Rean Schwarzer & Valimar (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Randy Orlando & Rean Schwarzer (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Randy Orlando & Fie Claussell (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Mint & Valimar (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Laura S. Arseid & Aurier Vander (Trails of Cold Steel 

Kurt Vander & Mueller Vander (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Elliot Craig & Gaius Worzel (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Altina Orion & Rean Schwarzer (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Altina Orion & Millium Orion (Trails of Cold Steel) 

Alfin Reise Arnor & Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor (Trails of Cold Steel)

Unless doing backstory things.I have a preference to lean into III’s time span, but any period between Cold Steel I and III is good where it makes sense, or between Sky and Cold Steel in anything involving Olivier’s case.

Rean Schwarzer & Towa Herschel & Randolph Orlando: Instructors doing instructor things, or taking a break out in Leeves. Outside of staff meetings/briefings we don’t see Randy and Towa interact much, so more of that! There’s a lot falling on these three’s shoulders. Commiserate. Unwind.

Ariel Lenheim & Olivier Lenheim & Mueller Vander: The young days in Alster after Mueller shows up. The things Olivier may have dreamed of from the Luciola-induced dreaming in Sky. Family softness.

New Class VII configurations: Would like to avoid anything shippy here. I like the feelings of found family forming and sibling-like bonds between Kurt and Juna and Juna and Altina--loved how Juna looked out for Altina. Would also like to avoid the ‘girl talk�� about boys (and especially Rean) that the game leaned too hard on. If something slips from Musse that’s fine because she’s Musse. Otherwise send them out on a break, or cover some missing from a field exercise. More touring of Crossbell. Banter over their reports one of the evenings. Time spent at the summer festival in Ordis. School shenanigans. It’s all up for grabs. 

Towa Herschel & Rean Schwarzer: I’m a sucker for these two’s friendship. A preference for III time period to explore them while they’re older but I’m good with their school days too and always good with time spent on the Courageous during the Civil War. They both need to listen to their own advice. They both need care after certain betrayals. Give some softness please.

Rean Schwarzer & Valimar: During III we took to calling Valimar mecha-dad. Run with that as you wish. He’s looking out for his Awakener and damn does Rean need that. Alternatively the month-long coma Rean was in between CS 1 and 2 would be interesting to explore. Did they communicate at all during that time? What were Valimar’s thoughts?

Randy Orlando & Rean Schwarzer: I like how quickly they were able to get over their awkwardness once they tried. To SSS Randy was the big brother. Can he be similar for Rean? Rean still has a habit of trying to take care of everything himself. Does Randy recognize some likeness there from his own experiences of trying to hold himself separate from SSS to deal with his own issues?

Randy Orlando & Fie Claussell: Their meeting went about as undramatically as expected for their shared conflicting Jaeger backgrounds, but it would be nice to see a little more interaction between them. They have a whole lot to relate on and some big shared worries ahead of them.

Mint & Valimar: Mint climbing around Valimar to do maintenance was adorable. Valimar respecting her was adorable. More of that please. Do they chat while she works on him? What do they even talk about?

Laura S. Arseid & Aurier Vander: Tough cool ladies being tough and cool. Sparring match? Vander and Arseid style talk? A quiet moment of reflection and mentorship?

Kurt Vander & Mueller Vander: Explore something of these brothers. Time at home? Mentorship of a sort? Letters back and forth when they’re apart?

Elliot Craig & Gaius Worzel: I’m really fond of the fast friendship formed at the start of CS between them (and Rean). The musician and the artist bonding through their years. Or the time between II and III before Gaius goes MIA. Arcus calls and letters? Visits?

Altina Orion & Rean Schwarzer: Anything during the school year is a fair game or during the missions they had between CS II and III. Altina looking out for Rean just as much as he’s looking out for her. Not the easiest task of hers.

Altina Orion & Millium Orion: One extreme or the other. Exploring the time after II between bubbly Millium and Altina who’s still more emotionless and focused on just the mission. Or something between them part way through III when they can interact and Altina is finding herself and still doesn’t quite know how to handle “big sister’ Millium.

Alfin Reise Arnor & Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor: Siblings who certainly show their similarities! Let them find joy and comfort with each other in the face of the rest of their family falling apart at the seams during III time span. Something after the Vanders  have been dismissed? Further back and Olivert’s return from Liberl? Jump ahead from there to communications during the civil war while Olivert’s on the western front and Alfin is with the Courageous?

The Legend of Heroes VII | Zero/Ao no Kiseki

Randy Orlando & Tio Plato (LoHVII)

Lloyd Bannings & Randy Orlando & Elie MacDowell & Tio Plato & KeA Bannings (LoHVII)

Lloyd Bannings & Randy Orlando & Elie MacDowell & Tio Plato (LoHVII)

Lloyd Bannings & Randy Orlando (LoHVII)

Lloyd Bannings & KeA Bannings (LoHVII)

Elie MacDowell & Tio Plato (LoHVII)

Sergei Lou & KeA Bannings (LoHVII)

Ries Argent & Elie MacDowell (LoHVII)

Elie MacDowell & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese (LoHVII)

Lloyd Bannings & Alex Dudley (LoHVII)

Cecile Neues & Ilya Platiere (LoHVII)

KeA Bannings & Shizuku Maclaine (LoHVII)

The SSS: Found family, all the found family! Dinners together. Shopping. Sibling bonds. Dadding at KeA. Momming at KeA. Big sistering at KeA. Making Randy feel at home with this new family he’s fallen in with. Bringing Tio comfort. Randy and Lloyd bro time. Randy and Tio relating over childhood traumas but finding comfort with each other. KeA being her adorable and sweet self. KeA and Uncle Sergei times because Sergei ain’t immune to her either. I don’t ship anyone in this group, so please keep to the friends and family.

Ries Argent & Elie MacDowell: Give some time together while Ries is in Crossbell. Share a meal. Catch up. Maybe Ries can provide some comfort to Elie after everything goes wrong with the Croises? While of a different sort, Ries has had her own losses. Or reach into the headcanon bin and explore something while they were both in Arteria.

Elie MacDowell & Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese: Some exchange of information and advice while Kloe is in Crossbell, or perhaps they can write each other letters? As grand daughters of authority and both politically minded they can have quite a bit to relate on

Lloyd Bannings & Alex Dudley: Share stories of Guy. Spend some together doing something totally unrelated. Dudley being a mentor of sorts in some ways to Lloyd. Stern nerd dad dadding the dad?

Cecile Neues & Ilya Platiere: Cecile looking after Ilya while she’s in the hospital. Cecile trying to wrangle the go-go-go dancer. 

KeA Bannings & Shizuku Maclaine: Give the girls a good time! Shopping in Crossbell, or a total break and send them off to Armorica! Mishelam Theme Park fun. Let them be happy kids...

[junker-town]

Jerry Jones is lucky he didn’t get who he wanted in the 2016 NFL Draft

The Cowboys got exactly what they needed when they couldn’t draft Paxton Lynch.

At the 2016 NFL Draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t get what he wanted. And yet, he got exactly what he needed.

Dallas entered that year’s offseason with an aging Tony Romo behind center and no sure plan for succession behind him. That threw the Cowboys — once home to Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, and Troy Aikman — into an earnest search for their next quarterback. And with prime position in a draft filled with passing talent, they had a solid opportunity to find Romo’s heir apparent.

Jones passed up the opportunity to trade up from No. 4 to select either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, deciding instead to settle for running back Ezekiel Elliott rather than pay a premium for the duo who went one-two in the draft. This was fine for the longtime owner and de facto shot caller. The quarterback he wanted was a flawed but fast-rising prospect from the University of Memphis who didn’t make sense at the fourth overall pick but could be available for Dallas’ second-round pick.

Paxton Lynch, who’d emerged from relative obscurity to throw 50 touchdown passes in his final two seasons with the Tigers, was Jones’ guy. The problem was he was Broncos general manager John Elway’s guy, too. And when Denver snapped him up with the 26th pick that Thursday evening, he set off a chain reaction that changed the Cowboys’ trajectory considerably.

For the better.

Not overpaying for Lynch was amazing dumb luck for Jones

The 2015 season was a bad scene for America’s team. A 35-year-old Romo won 75 percent of his starts, which was good. He also played in only four games due to a broken collarbone, ceding snaps to Matt Cassel, Kellen Moore, and Brandon Weeden in his stead. That was bad.

Dallas went 1-11 in the games without its starting quarterback, falling to the bottom of the the NFC East and near the top of the draft order. With Romo entering the twilight of his career, the Cowboys had the breathing room to select a high-upside project quarterback who could learn from the veteran early in his career before presumably taking over later, much like the Packers did with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

After Jones bucked recent trends and selected a running back at No. 4 overall, he set his sights on his quarterback of the future: Lynch.

Lynch declared for the 2016 NFL Draft on a heater. The former two-star recruit had presided over one of the most prosperous eras of Memphis football, rising from overwhelmed starter as a freshman to one of college football’s top quarterbacks two years later. With the 6’7 signal caller at the helm, the Tigers worked their way into the AP Top 25 in consecutive years for the first time in program history. The combination of Lynch’s statuesque build and his 28:4 TD:INT ratio as a junior had pushed him into consideration in the first round.

Few teams admired him more than the Cowboys, and when Lynch lingered until the second half of Day 1’s festivities, Jones sprang into action. He tried repeatedly to move from the 36th pick and back into the first round in order to swoop in and grab the man he’d deemed the future of his franchise. And when those negotiations failed, he suffered from a sturdy case of non-buyer’s remorse.

“When I look back on my life, I overpaid for my big successes every time,” Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram immediately following the draft. “And when I tried to get a bargain, get it a little cheaper or get a better deal on it, I ended up usually either getting it and not happy I got it. Or missing it.

”And I probably should have overpaid here.”

Time would prove this an incorrect assumption.

Dallas’ Plan B was light years better than its Plan A

The Cowboys weren’t the only team with their eye on Lynch that evening. The Broncos were also in the market for a fresh heir to a veteran’s throne. Peyton Manning’s final season in the league ended in triumph with a Super Bowl win over the Panthers, but it also led Denver to the last pick of the draft and with no easy way to find a franchise quarterback.

Rather than settle for Brock Osweiler, who’d sign a $72 million contract with the Texans that March, Elway was willing to pay big for another young beanstalk.

In came Seattle, who was auctioning off the 26th pick to the highest bidder. When Dallas balked at the Seahawks’ request for its 34th and 67th overall picks, Elway’s Broncos pounced and traded the 31st and 94th picks for the chance to draft Lynch.

This worked out so, so well for the Cowboys. With their second- and third-round picks intact, Jones looked to rebuild his team elsewhere.

At No. 34 came Jaylon Smith, a Notre Dame linebacker with top-end talent but also a severe knee injury that cost him the 2016 NFL season. That prevented him from making a high-level impact until 2018 — when he played well enough to become Pro Football Focus’ breakout player of the year. The team’s 67th pick was spent on Nebraska defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who moved into the starting lineup and has remained there for each of his three seasons as a pro.

Assuming the club wouldn’t have selected Dak Prescott in the fourth round after a theoretical trade for Lynch, here’s how this deal worked out for Dallas:

Lynch, on the other hand, was rushed into Denver’s starting lineup earlier than anticipated. He was a Group of 5 passer who lit up AAC defenses at Memphis but needed serious seasoning and practice time to handle the speed of the pro game.

Despite coming into the league as a project, he made his NFL debut in Week 4. The rookie played in relief of injured starter Trevor Siemian in a solid performance to beat a respectable Tampa Bay team, but that success proved fleeting.

Lynch would go on to make four starts over his first two years as a pro. His 76.7 passer rating was nearly five points lower than Brock Osweiler’s as a Bronco, and he was released in 2018 after losing his backup spot on the roster to Chad Kelly — who would go on to be cut in October after a trespassing arrest. Lynch is now working to claim a second-string role with the team who traded away its opportunity to draft him in 2016, the Seahawks.

This all pales in comparison to the impact made by the quarterback the Cowboys eventually drafted. Prescott lingered on draft boards until Day 3, when Dallas made the 37th pick of the fourth round — but only because its efforts to trade up for Connor Cook were also thwarted. Injuries to Romo and backup Moore pushed Prescott into a starting role to start his rookie campaign, but unlike Lynch he was able to seize the opportunity and emerge as one of the league’s top passers. He’s had a python grip on the position ever since.

In three years as Jones’ quarterback, Prescott has gone 32-16 as a starter. His 96.0 passer rating over that span is better than veterans like Ben Roethlisberger, Alex Smith, Matthew Stafford, and the man taken with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, Jared Goff.

There’s a reasonable argument to be made he’s the top player to come out of that class. With a massive contract extension looming, he’s set to be the Cowboys’ quarterback for a long time.

So what would the three teams involved look like if the Cowboys took Seattle’s offer?

Here’s where things get interesting. By making one trade, the Cowboys strip three starters from their roster and lose the player who led them to two playoff appearances in the past two years. They would also send Elway back to the drawing board in his quest to find the 6’5 or taller gunslinger of his dreams and give the Seahawks a jumpstart on their rolling rebuild.

Dallas Cowboys

With the 26th pick, Jones gets Lynch and loses Prescott, Smith, and Collins. And with Romo and Moore both injured, he’s the only man left to start Week 1. While Elliott’s presence helps the team do better than the 1-11 mark it posted without its veteran QB the year prior, nine games without its star quarterback mean Dallas is doomed to another non-playoff season.

Romo would have returned around Week 11 to provide the offense with a jolt, but his rust and a rough schedule would make it too difficult to overcome the 4-5 hole dug by a third-string rookie QB.

That leaves the Cowboys with the 15th pick of the 2017 draft and plenty of defensive holes to fill. Fortunately, safety Malik Hooker is available. Hooker and Byron Jones are tagged as the future of the team’s secondary, but a 37-year-old Romo — who eschewed retirement without a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings — can’t wring enough out of his team to top last year’s record. The Cowboys go 8-8 and earn a spot in the middle of the 2018 draft order.

Romo retires during the 2018 offseason, and Jones — having Lynch on the roster as both a potential starter and a cautionary tale — resists the temptation to trade up in the first round to take a crack at Joshes Allen or Rosen. Dallas still manages to snag Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on Day 1. Then, with Lynch not looking like their future, the Cowboys take Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph in the second round instead of offensive lineman Connor Williams.

In the end, drafting Lynch would end up looking like this:

The hypothetical Cowboys lose:

Dak Prescott (2016)

Jaylon Smith (2016)

Maliek Collins (2016)

Taco Charlton (2017)

Connor Williams (2018)

Their 2016 and 2018 playoff appearances

The hypothetical Cowboys gain:

Paxton Lynch (2016)

Malik Hooker (2017)

Mason Rudolph (2018)

Denver Broncos

Without Lynch available, Elway hangs on to the 31st pick and jumps headfirst into a run of defensive tackle selections by bringing Mississippi State’s Chris Jones into the fold — keeping him out of AFC West rival Kansas City’s lineup in the process. Jones brings an interior pass-rushing presence who ups Von Miller’s exterior quarterback-chasing game, though he takes some time to make a sustained impact.

He isn’t the only major addition in the early stages of the 2016 draft, however. Elway, feeling the pressure of heading into the season with only Siemian in the mix as his top quarterback, trades up in the second round to select another player who absolutely looks like he should be an NFL pocket passer ... Christian Hackenberg.

The Broncos remain bad, but at least their defense is good enough to ruin other AFC West teams’ seasons.

The hypothetical Broncos lose:

Paxton Lynch

The hypothetical Broncos gain:

Chris Jones

Christian Hackenberg

Not great, but hey, it’s better.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks get some extra draft capital by swinging a deal with the Cowboys rather than the Broncos. But Germain Ifedi would probably still have been around at Dallas’ now-traded 34th overall pick — some analysts pegged the mercurial Aggie as a third-round talent — so he winds up in Seattle anyway. And the club’s decision to pick Jarran Reed with the 49th overall pick means Collins would likely be off its radar.

So who do the Seahawks take with the second pick acquired from Dallas? While tight end help like Austin Hooper and Nick Vannett — the latter of whom was drafted in the final pick acquired in the actual Lynch trade — would be tempting, there’s another player who makes more sense. With Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett each in their 30s, Carroll would further bulk up his defensive line by adding Yannick Ngakoue to his depth chart.

Ngakoue, one of the biggest steals of 2016, would be a cornerstone piece for a Seattle team working to rebuild its fearsome defense.

The hypothetical Seahawks lose:

Nick Vannett

The hypothetical Seahawks gain:

Yannick Ngakoue

Well, it looks like the Seahawks might have been the biggest loser in the actual Lynch trade.

In 2016, Jones didn’t make the right decision for his franchise as much as he had it foisted upon him. Efforts to trade up to select Lynch and, later, Cook, failed and left him to pick up an accomplished but overlooked Mississippi State quarterback late in the fourth round.

In turn, Prescott stepped into a starting role from his first game as a pro and has led the Cowboys to two playoff appearances in three seasons as a pro. He’s earned just $2.7 million in that span while playing like a quarterback worth $75 million.

As Dallas has risen, the Broncos have sunk into mediocrity without a stable quarterback to counterbalance their punishing defense. Lynch’s release came in the middle of the first losing season streak the team has suffered since 1972. And it’s all possible this funk can be traced directly back to Jones’ son Stephen being able to talk him out of overpaying mightily and letting Denver trade its way into someone who, if nothing else, certainly looks like the kind of quarterback Elway would love.