#however she also might just ask jayce

[champagne-problems-ate]

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙮𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨;

"Remember to buckle up, darling." (Will not start the car until she hears that click).

"Hm? No, you get the radio, I drive, that's how it works babe."

"I like this song." (If you're into musical theater, guess what, she is too).

"Did you use the bathroom before? Make sure to."

"If you're tired, you can sleep, doll, I know it's rather late."

"You want the AC on cooler? Blast? Or the heater?"

"Love, I'm not making you drive in the rain. That's dangerous! I'll pick you up. Stay inside. I have an umbrella, I'll walk over to you."

"You really like this artist, hm?"

"No no, it's endearing. I like them too." (Definitely plotting on getting you the vinyl for christmas).

Her hand is always on your thigh or holding your hand!! Caitlyn has been driving for years, so you KNOW she drives one-handed.

[q8qwertyuiop8p]

Dark Details of Arcane Season 1

Five of some of the darker, more morbid details you might not notice watching for the first time.

1. Silco's Shadow

In s1e6, when Marcus opens the door to his daughter's bedroom, Silco leans forward to place cards on the house he and Ren are building. For a brief moment, however, his shadow appears to be strangling Marcus' daughter.

This eery juxtaposition of course foreshadows the threat Silco will soon make to Marcus and the hidden danger he poses to Ren. It is also ironic considering what happened to Silco.

2. Jinx's Voices Trying to Convince Her

In s1e9, during the dinner party scene, you can hear a voice whisper something to Jinx after Caitlyn points pow-pow towards her. It is difficult to make out, but listening closely you can hear:

"It's time to leave them."

This prompts Jinx to whip her pistol out towards Caitlyn, who is already aiming towards Jinx, nearly getting killed in the process.

Supposedly you can hear this phrase during some other scenes involving her psychosis, however this is the only scene in which it appears in Netflix's subtitles.

Earlier in the scene Vi tells Jinx that:

"We can just go... we'll leave and never come back!"

This triggers Jinx's psychosis. She asks where they would go, looks over to Mylo, and says,

"No... no, no, she's not saying that..."

3. Message to Silco

If you look closely at the table in the dinner party, you can see that Jinx, furious and hurt after overhearing Silco's apparent plans to "betray" her, wrote "DIE" on the table in front of him.

After accidently killing him, Jinx looks down emotionlessly at the table, exactly where she wrote that word.

4. Painting Parallel

The scene of Silco cradling Jinx on the bridge is likely meant to be a visual reference to the 1880s painting Ivan the Terrible and his Son by Russian artist Ilya Repin. The story behind the painting parallels a different scene.

The painting depicts Ivan cradling his dying son after he struck him on the head in a fit of rage. Ivan is horrified and grief-stricken at what he has done, placing his hand over his son's wound in a hopeless attempt to take it back.

This foreshadows Jinx killing Silco when she is no longer in the right state of mind, as well as her immediate shock and regret. She even begins to place her hands over his wound before realizing there is nothing she can do.

5. Aftermath of the Bridge Explosion

In episode 8 when Jayce visits the bridge, we get a brief shot of the aftermath of Jinx's explosion, and looking more closely one can see just how gruesome it is.

Blood splattered everywhere, intestines spilling out, blown off limbs, and even brain matter can be made out in this graphic scene. The rest of the shot, however, is very beautiful.

Arcane was originally going to be even bloodier. In the storyboards Jinx punches the arcade so hard her knuckles bleed all over it.

In the original layout animation, blood sprays on the camera when she bashes a firelight with Pow-Pow, and she even smiles with glee.

[kurthummeldeservesbetter]

So if a Mel and Caitlyn pair up defeats a dictator and wins a war (at least the first part), a Vi and Jayce team up only ever kills kids or fucks up a mission, and l then what does a Jinx and Viktor pair do? What do the other options make?

Here are my ideas, ranking from best outcome to worst or what actually gets done.

Genuinely think a Viktor Mel pair (depending on if they both have some sort of magic) save the world. Both incredibly intelligent. Both caring but can’t be manipulated by emotions easily (influenced is a different story but damn when you’ve got a terminal illness or a dictator mom it’s hard being normal). However I think the arcane writers knew the team up would be too powerful. Also incredibly sexy. If they just had tea together once I think there would be no arcane story to tell.

Cait and Viktor. Not a lot getting done but if we’re thinking season 1 then it’s gonna be so nice and calm. They’re having tea. They’re planning our improvements for Zaun. A harp sings in the distance. They talk about Jayce. Caitlyn asks questions and listens to the answers and vice versa. World peace maybe not achieved but close.

Technically Jayce helped Cait free Vi and helped cover it up, as well as help her when Caitlyn tried explaining what was going on with Silco. Very even results. Nothing major changing here but typical for people who literally just bring out nothing in each other besides…friendship? Siblings? Idk.

Vi and Viktor would probably get along in the sense of they knew an older Zaun. (At least in comparison to Jinx.) Vi can be pretty gentle and Viktor definitely cares. Battle wise he ain’t gonna do much (the only time he really fought was when it wasn’t a good thing for anyone) but he’s bring the smarts to Vi’s streets. They’re gonna win the battle but it will be tough. Some lives may be lost but it ain’t theirs.

Mel and Vi….Vi does not like politicians. Vi does not like people from Piltover beyond Caitlyn (and maybe Jayce?) They argue the whole time. Nothing bad happens but nothing gets done. It’s mostly Vi’s fault but Mel can’t let it go. It’s been three days and they haven’t left the council room. It ends with the mutual agreement to never meet again.

Technically a Cait/Jinx pair saved Vi (after the commune) and also the conversation they had in the jail was actually civil. Don’t think a whole lot is getting done but a good battle buddies I think. There’s gonna be tension though. Lots of arguing and glares. Caitlyn’s hair is now orange and Jinx lost another finger. Lots more damage than necessary.

Mel and Jinx. Someone is dying. It might not be one of them but it’s definitely someone who shouldn’t be dead. Mel’s level-headedness barely works on Vi and it definitely won’t work on Jinx. She’s never had a younger sister. Jinx knows what buttons to push. The building is on fire.

Jayce and Jinx. Mostly everyone is dead except for Vi and Viktor somehow, or the exact reverse. They haven’t stopped arguing since they met. They just keep slapping each other like cats. Jayce keeps trying to hit her with the hammer but she’s elusive and it’s like a game of wack-a-mole. He kills a kid each time instead. Jinx won’t stop making fun of him. Someone lost a limb at some point.

Jinx and Viktor. Everyone is dead. I would say they are too but no, they’re stuck at the end of the universe with each other. It’s equally both their faults. Viktor deadnames her every time she insults him. She never stops and neither does he. They each have a shrine to their respective loved one and it’s the only places they don’t bother each other. She bleached half his hair. He poured out her nail polish. They fight till the end of time itself. Sometimes they have movie nights where their respective hallucinations (Silco, Sky) join.

[itsjustcaroline]

Alright, I thought long and hard about what we might see in Arcane Season 2, what the Machine Herald is going to look like, who else we might see, and so on.

Also, this post does not contain any leaks, I have seen one picture, which doesn't even make sense (lucky me). If you spoil anything under this post, you are going to be blocked. I will talk about bout the trailers, though.

So, let me get my thoughts in some order:

- if Viktor was the hooded person in the trailer or wears a mask, then it's probably more because of his side in this war: he's not a Piltovan, but also not really a Zaunite anymore. We don't know when he moved from the Undercity to Piltover, but from his concept art, it was most likely during his early teens.

He's slightly younger than in S1 Arc1, but already wearing the Academy's uniform (though it seems a bit too big for him, and his pants are more rigged).

So: Viktor is going to be a Pariah and he is going to need to hide his identity, which makes a Collab with Jinx unlikely since she's on the run from everyone. Singed might be there in the direct aftermath after he got blown up, but they're probably going to fall out again since lore-wise Singed is going to team up with Noxus.

- In League of Legends Heimerdinger is a mage (shooketh, I know), and there's already a scene in S1 alluding to this: when Viktor and Heimerdinger are in Heimerdinger's office, Viktor goes through Jayce's notes and is intrigued. He asks Heimerdinger, whether he could do it (magic) and Heimerdinger hesitates a tell-tale second before he declines. Now, Heimerdinger might be a mage, but he relies mostly on his inventions. But wouldn't a fight between Viktor and Heimerdinger be cool? First, they throw ideologies at each other, then they fight. I think, I'd love this even more than Viktor vs. Jayce. Kinda like Obi-Wan vs. Anakin.

- I think, that Caitlyn is going to shoot Vi. Everyone I read so far thinks that it's the other way around, but that would be too predictable in my opinion. But maybe it is that way.

- Just stating that everyone is going to be contrary than they were in S1 and going from there falls a bit short. I think, that there's more to this quote.

- Divorce Era, because Jayce does, in fact, not understand. I am going to cry.

- The Hexcore will save Viktor's life in the aftermath of the explosion, and there are three ways I can see that happening:

(1) Viktor does it himself, maybe with the help from Singed.

(2) Jayce does it, thus breaking his promise to destroy it. I am going to cry

(3) The Hexcore, which is now connected to Viktor will sense his doom and burst to him. That might also be the shine, that Heimerdinger saw in the trailer.

- That brings me to another point, to the connection towards the Void: I don't think there's much to it and that the Hexcrystals are not shards of the brakken. However, I think the Hexcore is sentient due to Sky. Think about it: it changed its form after it disintegrated (or absorbed) Sky. Then it hurt Viktor (honestly, same. You think, you can walk away after accidentally dusting me and threatening to destroy my new essence? I'd be pissed). It might be interesting, if the Hexcore/Sky talks to Viktor in his head, furthering his spiral into madness. I'm here for it.

- Ekko will learn how to manipulate time and he will use it to try and save somebody. Be it somebody from the Firelights, their hideout or Jinx. Maybe it will go in the same direction like in the Convergence-Comic (which is, I repeat, outside of any lore), maybe not.

- Well then, what Viktor might look like: my favourite head-canon would be just as described in The Pulse of the Machine by bringthekaos on AO3. Mechanical eyes? Voice modulator can be shut off? Emotional suppressor has a switch? Rawrs in cyber-engineering. As it stands, I imagine it more to be like Battle Angel Alita (the manga, NOT the film!) or like a Borg from Star Trek. Definitely NOT like a Cyberman from Doctor Who.

- Who else do I want to see in S2:

Swain, just give me the Noxian General and heal my Daddy issues.

Renata, just give me the Chem-Baronness and heal my Mommy issues.

Jhin, Arcane should take place around the same time when Jhin was in Zaun. But that is a far shot (pun intended)

Camille, she exploits Hextech to become a weapon and I think she is kind of contrary to Viktor, who only ever wanted to help (others, himself, though with sometimes dubious means

I don't see that Orianna is Singed's daughter. That would fuck her beautiful lore. Don't do that to me.

Stuff, I'd also like to see:

- Viktor's apartment in Piltover

- Viktor's parents (flashback)

- Jayce's father (flashback)

- Jayce and Viktor fighting but unable to do so properly

- Mel and Sevika together

Thanks for coming to my Arcane-Talk.

[arcane-ish]

Rambling thoughts on Cait's storyline

I thought about doing like an exhaustive analysis of Cait's story in s2Act1 with like pictures and stuff as example. But then I got lazy. I will try to focus on some short notes.

1.) I don't get the vibe that Cait is being manipulative when she pulls away from Vi's touch. I think she's genuinely torn. I can't quite decide whether she's fighting her rising anti-Zaunite rage or on some level realizes what a mess she is and that going for it with Vi right now would be a bad idea. But I don't think she is angling for anything like that, imo she's just struggling with her own emotions. Sidenote: I think it's worth nothing how it mirrors the face touching that Jayce does to Mel.

2.) However, I totally get manipulative vibes from the whole "Cait sang Vi's praises to the enforcers and then her future team member just shows up at Vi's to tell her this". Like either Cait was setting up Vi to join the force (by giving a speech to the enforcers and threatening them with withdrawing funding) without actually asking Vi and/or she sent the enforcer girl to find Vi and tell her that. I dunno, there's just something odd about Caitlyn's multi-cultural task force just coming together like that.

3.) I complained in regards to Jayce's storyline that he is in multiple storylines that don't feel quite connected. And how he moves from one story to the next makes it seem like he doesn't actually care all that much. If I think about it, Caitlyn and Vi are strictly speaking in multiple stories as well (ie apprehending Jinx, Hextech, Ambessa's schemes). But they are getting the royal treatment. It doesn't feel like they are in distinct storythreads because the show connects them. These stories when they are in them still feel like they are fundamentally about Vi and Cait. Because of that it doesn't feel like they are in multiple stories, it's one big ball of story mud of Caitlyn and Vi. Jinx comments on Vi being sweet on Caitlyn. Mel tells Jayce to check on Caitlyn which gives her a chance to talk about Vi, Ambessa's schemes in regards to Caitlyn are meaningful also in part because they might affect how Vi feels about Cait and how likely they are to reunite.

Notice how when Heimer introduces Ekko and Jayce to each other, he doesn't ask what happened to Viktor? Even though that would make sense for his character and would give Jayce a way to voice his theory on why Viktor left and where he is now?

But it never comes up. Because Jayce, Viktor etc are firmly a B story and a result their fates and feelings don't matter to the other characters as much (and in turn means that the characters themselves feel like they don't care as much, while you can't get very far without having it pointed out to you that Vi matters to Cait and vice versa).

4.) I think the scene between Cait and Vi at the pond is intensely interesting. Because Cait says there's three faces she keeps seeing. her mom, Jinx and Vi. Her mom and Jinx are illustrated with a visual, but Vi isn't.

We don't get shown what Vi looks like in Cait's mind. Maybe we can infer that it's like in the beginning, where her world is in black and white and only Vi is in color.

But why not show us? In her visions of her, is Vi smiling? Being a steady rock? Looking at her with concern?

When she talks about her visions of Cassandra and Jinx, she speaks in detail how those make her feel. But with Vi she doesn't. We just have the tone of her voice to infer, but she does not say.

5.) I think it's very telling why Cait wants Vi to come along. Like there are clear tactical advantages to having a Zaunite guide while fighting in Zaun. Vi points this out and as Sevika points out when talking to the barons. But imo Cait asks Vi to come because she feels herself slipping.

She wants Vi to hold her back. Which from a relationship point of view, is kind of shitty, to pick somebody else and try to make them responsible for you not going evil.

(an interesting wrinkle is that when Caitlyn asks why she is indicating that she is scared if she goes after Jinx "one of them will end up in a box", indicating she doesn't want to kill Jinx, but Vi comes to quickly assure Caitlyn that she would be okay with Cait taking the shot on Jinx)

6.) Imo it's interesting that before they kiss Vi essentially tells Cait that she feels like she has nobody left.

And in the beginning it's like Cait also feels like Vi is the only thing that she has left, the only thing that is real.

When even her father is grey and doesn't feel real to her. Except it's not true. Even if Vi is important to her, Caitlyn has people. She has like three different people other than Vi try to reach out and give her comfort.

And that is on top of just via her position in society she has this whole apparatus behind and under her, the enforcers, the council. While Vi has dead siblings, dead parents, dead foster father (to her knowledge), no status within Zaun's society/nobody who cares what decisions she will make, a sister she considers dead and had a falling out with, no friends it seems left back in Zaun (either she never had any of her absence was too long) and for whatever reason she doesn't consider Ekko to be meaningful (maybe their relationship was just to casual, maybe she thinks he will judge her for working with the enforcers, maybe she is too self-hate-y to think she belongs there).

[yolatirra]

Some Thoughts about Arcane Season 2, Especially Relating to Potential Time Travel

Pt 1: Isha

I think Isha has something to do with Ekko and time travel.

Something that keeps nagging at me about Isha is that we don't actually know anything about her. She showed up in S2E2 running from some guys and then literally dropped into Jinx's lap. We still don't know why she was running from them. We don't know where she came from. We have no idea who she is.

One analysis videos I watched, which I've now sadly lost track of, pointed out that there are a TON of Firelights symbols in that scene.

With this in mind, I combed through the entire six episodes of Acts 1 & 2, looking for any other green hourglasses. I didn't find them anywhere else. To be fair, I combed through the season pretty quickly, so I may have missed them. If I did, please point them out to me! But if I'm right that this is the only place we see them, that's VERY WEIRD and VERY INTENTIONAL.

Someone in a different analysis video also pointed out that Isha has some oddly fancy aspects to her outfit.

This could definitely be nothing, but something about that pattern on her vest seems out of place. Almost more like something you'd seen in Piltover than in Zaun.

My theory is that Isha was sent to this point in time by Ekko and we're going to see what led up to this moment in Act 3. Isha might be dead (I'm still sobbing about it), but we're going to learn more about her.

Will she stay dead? Honestly yeah, I think so.

I think that the version of events we're seeing is the version where time has already been changed, and I'm going to get into that more later.

Pt 2: The Letter

Actually I lied above about not finding any other green hourglasses in season 2. I found one more, in the scene where Jinx is reading Vander's letter to Silco in S2E5.

Note that this ISN'T the Firelights symbol. But it is definitely a green hourglass. Also note the gear in the center, which has been a recurring symbol this season that seems to have something to do with time.

This has to mean something, right? But I don't know what.

Pt 3: Gears-As-Clocks

There is one really notable instance of this. I really wish I had a GIF of this scene, but I don't know how to make GIFs and I don't feel like learning just for this, but here's a sequence of screenshots that hopefully show you what I mean.

Jinx turns clockwise, which transitions into the gear on Jayce's hammer also turning clockwise. Like a clock. The gear is a clock. Going forward in time.

And what shot do we get immediately after this?

Jayce is going forward in time.

I suspect there might be other instances of gears turning clockwise to symbolize a clock, but I've already spent too long on this post so if anyone finds another example, please share. Still, even if this is the only instance, it recontextualizes all gears in this season to be time-related.

Pt 4: Fortune Cookie

I kept wondering why Jinx calls Viktor a fortune cookie. I do think there are multiple parts to this and I'm missing some of it. Something about a cookie being sweet and Viktor being sweet? I dunno, I'm missing part of what this comparison means.

HOWEVER. Why a FORTUNE cookie, and not just any cookie?

Fortune cookies predict the future, but in silly, little ways that don't really mean anything. Maybe Viktor can see the future, but only glimpses. Tiny things that don't actually allow him to do anything about it.

Fortune cookies also hide their fortune inside a bland, mildly sweet cookie, and you have to break the cookie to get the fortune out...

OKAY WAIT I was gonna say I don't know what that means, but uh... you have to break the cookie to get the fortune.

You have to break Viktor to find the future.

Pt 5: Fate

I've rewatched Viktor's scenes several times, and I kept wondering why Viktor asks Singed whether he believes in fate. It seems to come out of nowhere.

My theory at this point in that Viktor knows something is manipulating events, but he can't see specifics. He just knows there is some invisible force guiding events, and maybe, he's wondering if Singed knows about it.

Pt 6: Singed's Plan

What is Singed's plan in Act 2?

He goes to the undercity rally and clearly wants to be arrested. He comes prepared with a knife and slits his hand, so he will leave a blood trail. He wants to be taken to prison, and he wants Warwick to follow him there.

When we see Singed in the prison, in the scene where Jinx finds Isha, he has the door to his cell partially open.

He could have left before that, but he wants to be there. Then the lights start flickering and he closes the door again, to protect him from Warwick.

When Caitlyn walks through the prison in S2E5, he's STILL THERE. The door is unlocked. He could have left after Warwick did. But he stayed.

He stays so he can talk to Ambessa. When Ambessa comes to see him alone in prison, the first thing he says is "I've been expecting you."

He wanted to show Ambessa what he was capable of (Warwick) so that Ambessa would hire him. And that's exactly what she does.

And what does he do? He convinces Ambessa they can use Warwick, and then tracks Warwick to Viktor's commune.

Now, there are some things worth mentioning. First, Singed likely didn't expect Jinx to be at the prison, and didn't expect Jinx to awaken Vander within Warwick. However, Jinx's presence didn't disrupt his plan to get Ambessa's attention. His plan remained intact.

Second, he wouldn't have had any way of predicting that Warwick would up in Victor's commune, but I suspect this is a happy coincidence for him. I'm guessing he wanted to use Ambessa to recapture Warwick, and then was planning to convince her that Viktor would also be useful.

We know from the scene early on in S2E4 where Ambessa is conducting hextec experiements that she wished she had captured the "scientists" aka Jayce and Viktor. Singed likely knew about Viktor's commune, just because word about it had been spreading around Zaun, and even to Piltover (Lest mentions Viktor to Salo), and we know Singed suspected that the Herald was Viktor.

Ambessa would have wanted to invade the commune to capture Viktor, even if Warwick hadn't been there.

But, it turns out, he is, so that allows Singed and Ambessa to capture two experimental subjects with one invasion. Singed wants to get in there, capture both Warwick and Viktor, and combine them into a perfect being. This is his ultimate goal on the path to "curing death".

Which leads us to my final topic.

Pt 7: Jayce

What is the thing no one expects in Act 2?

Jayce killing Viktor. This was not a part of Singed's plan. Jayce kills Viktor before Singed can get to him, and THAT is why killing Viktor was necessary.

So, I have a couple of theories of where things go from here regarding Viktor.

Option 1: While this didn't prevent Singed from getting ahold of Viktor, it did damage Viktor in some way that prevents him from being used the way Singed intended. Whatever Singed would have done with Viktor is now impossible, and the future isn't as bad as the one Jayce saw.

Option 2: Viktor is actually, fully dead, and the hints of him we see in the Act 3 preview are actually scenes from the future that Jayce saw and has now prevented. Viktor could still come back in some way in the main timeline, but... I honestly do think there's a chance that he's actually just dead, and we'll only see alternate timeline versions of him in Act 3.

Okay, I think that's everything. Sorry to end on a depressing note but uh... Arcane, right? It's good. It's really good.

I do hope Viktor isn't dead though, even if he comes back even more wrong than before.

[machine-herald-archive]

A Quick Fix - Anthony Burch

Any fool could have predicted that Viktor would strike back at some point. If one weren’t a fool, one might predict the exact date and time of an attempted counterattack.

Jayce was not a fool.

He stood in his workshop, bathed in sun rays from his skylight, surrounded by dozens of artifacts of his own genius: Gearwork boots that could cling to any surface. A knapsack with articulated limbs that always kept the user’s tools within easy reach.

Greater than all these inventions, however, was the weapon that Jayce now held in his hands. Powered by a Shuriman shard, Jayce's transforming hextech greathammer was renowned throughout Piltover, but he tossed it from hand to hand as if was any other tool from his workshop.

Three sharp taps echoed from Jayce’s door.

They were here.

Jayce had prepared for this. He'd run experiments on Viktor’s discarded automata. He'd intercepted the mechanical communications. Any second, they’d beat down his front door and try to rip away his hextech hammer. After that, they'd try to do the same with his skull. “Try” being the operative word.

He flicked a switch on the hammer’s handle. With an energetic sizzle, the head of Jayce’s masterpiece transformed into a hextech blaster.

He took aim.

Stood his ground.

Watched the door open. His finger tightened on the trigger.

And he almost blasted a seven-year-old girl’s head off.

She was tiny and blonde and would have seemed adorable to anyone who wasn’t Jayce. The girl pushed the door open and walked in with shuffling, tentative steps. Her ponytail swished to and fro as she approached Jayce. She kept her head down, ever avoiding his gaze. He had two hypotheses regarding why she might refuse eye contact: she was hugely impressed to be in the presence of someone so acclaimed, or she was working for Viktor and about to surprise him with a chem-bomb. Her blushing indicated it was likely the former.

“My soldier broke,” she said, proffering a limp metal knight, its arm bent backward at a perverse angle.

Jayce didn’t move.

“Please leave or you’ll probably die.”

The child stared at him.

“Also, I don’t fix dolls. Find somebody with more time on their hands.”

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“I don’t have any money for an artificer, and my muh–,” she said, stifling a sob, “mother made him for me before she passed, and–”

Jayce furrowed his brow and, for the first time in quite a while, blinked.

“If it’s so precious to you, why did you break it?”

“I didn’t mean to! I took him to the Progress Day feast and somebody bumped into me and I dropped him, and I know I should have just left him at home–”

“ –Yes, you should have. That was stupid of you.”

The girl opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. Jayce had seen this kind of reaction before. Most everyone he met had heard the stories of his legendary hammer and his unyielding heroism. They expected grandeur. They expected humility. They expected him to not be a massive jerk. Jayce inevitably disappointed them.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked.

“Most facets of my personality, so I’ve been told,” he replied without hesitation.

The child furrowed her brow. She shoved the broken doll into his face.

“Fix it. Please.”

“You’ll just break it again.”

“I won’t!”

“Look,” he said. ”Little girl. I’m very busy, and–”

Something flitted across the skylight, casting a quick shadow on the two of them. Anyone else would have assumed it was nothing more than a falcon passing overhead. Jayce knew better. He fell silent. A wry smile spread across his face as he yanked the girl toward his workbench.

“The thing is,” he said, “machines are very simple.”

He lifted a large, thin sheet of bronze and began to hammer its corners with sharp taps. “They’re made of discrete parts. They combine and recombine in clear, predictable ways.” He beat the sheet over and over until it took the form of a smooth dome.

“People are more complicated. They’re emotional, they’re unpredictable, and – in nearly every case – they’re not as smart as me,” he said, drilling a clean hole into the top of the dome. “Now usually, that’s a problem. But sometimes, their stupidity works in my favor.”

“Is this still about my doll, or–”

“Sometimes, they’re so insecure in their inferiority – so desperate to take their revenge – that they make a foolish mistake.” He grabbed a shining copper rod, and screwed it into the center of the dome.

“Sometimes people fail to protect their most precious assets,” he said, nodding at her tin soldier before holding aloft the newly-formed metal umbrella. “And sometimes, that means instead of assaulting my workshop through the more obvious front door, they try to take…”

He looked upward, “...the more dramatic approach.”

He handed her the umbrella, which took all of her meager strength to keep aloft.

“Hold this. Don’t move.”

She opened her mouth to respond, only to yelp in surprise as the skylight shattered above her. Glass bounced off the makeshift umbrella like rain as a half-dozen men leapt down to the floor. Tubes of bright green chems protruded from the base of their necks, connecting to their limbs. Their eyes were dead, their faces emotionless. They were definitely Viktor’s boys, alright: drugged punks from Zaun’s sump level whom Viktor had pumped full of hallucinogens and hypnotics. Chem-stunted thugs who would follow Viktor’s every whim whether they wanted to or not. Jayce had been expecting to see automatons, but Viktor likely couldn’t have gotten so many through Piltover unnoticed. Still, these chem-slaves were just as much of a danger. They turned toward Jayce and the girl.

Before they reached the pair, however, Jayce’s hextech blaster exploded with voltaic energy. An orb of hextech-powered lightning shot out of its core and detonated in the middle of the group. The chem-slaves slammed into the workshop's immaculate walls.

“So much for the element of surprise, huh, Vikto–”

A hulking brute of a machine leapt down amongst the pile of unconscious chem-slaves. It looked, Jayce thought, like a cross between a minotaur and a very angry building.

“Watch out,” the girl yelped.

Jayce rolled his eyes. “I am watching him. Stop panicking. I have the situation well in-ow!” he said, interrupted as the metal beast rammed him in the chest.

The beast sent Jayce hurtling backward. He landed on a rolling cart, his back cracking from the impact.

Grunting, he pulled himself to his feet as the beast charged again.

“That’s the last time you touch me,” he said.

Jayce swung his hextech weapon as hard as he could, transforming it back into a hammer mid-swing. The minotaur lowered its head to ram Jayce again, foolishly ignoring the weapon’s arc.

The hammer found its mark with a resounding crunch. The minotaur, its head caved all the way back into its metal neck, collapsed to the floor. A cloud of escaping steam hissed from its carcass.

Jayce pulled back the hammer again, readying for another attack. He watched the skylight. A few minutes passed. Soon enough, he seemed satisfied the assault was over.

He tried to step back toward his workbench, only to double over in pain, grasping at his stomach. The girl rushed to his side.

“Still hurts where he tackled you, huh?”

“Obviously.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have let him,” she said. “That was stupid of you.”

Jayce raised an eyebrow at the kid. Her eyes widened, unsure if she’d crossed a line. A slow smile crept across his face.

“What was your name?”

“Amaranthine.”

Jayce sat at his workbench and grabbed a screwdriver.

“Gimme the doll, Amaranthine,” he said.

A massive grin broke out on her face. “So you can fix it?”

Jayce smirked at her.

“There’s nothing I can’t fix.”

[alaffy]

House of the Dragon, Ep. 2x05 – Regent (spoilers)

…It did not pick up the pace.

To be fair, while the show went back to a bunch of people holding councils, the show did progress more in the story than they usually do.  So it did pick up the pace, but it didn't feel like it.

The episode starts with Sir Bitch coming into King’s Landing with a small amount of men, a dragon’s head, and the King’s body hidden in a crate.  Aegon is alive, but pretty much in a coma (although he does whisper one word towards the end of the episode).  Sir Bitch hopes that the Dragon’s head while rouse the small folk.  Instead, it fills them with dread.   

Alicent isn’t a fool, she knows that there’s no way that Aegon was part of the plan.  And she knows that she cannot trust Aemond.  Which is why, when the council names a Regent, she tries to put herself up as the perfect choice.  However, as they are fighting to keep one woman off the throne…optics.  So, Aemond is named Regent.  And it’s clear he’s going to be a tyrant.  Also, he decides no one in or out of the Kingdom. Yeah, people are going to revolt.

Alicent tries to find out what really happened on the battlefield, but Sir Bitch won’t tell her the truth.  And in…defense of Sir Bitch (God that’s hard to write), after what Aemond just did; it’s probably best to keep his mouth shut.  Helena, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have a problem directly confronting Aemond (although we don’t see the outcome of this).

Meanwhile, Daemon is trying to take control of Herrenhal and the nearby lands.  He basically does so by allowing one group of people to mercilessly attack another, although he should have made it clear not to wave HIS BANNERS because this ends up blowing up in his face. 

Also, he’s having more dreams.  This time about his dead wife and fucking the mother he never met (seriously these “so-called” shocking moments loose their value when they keep happening every episode, they just become wearisome).  Also, it’s clear that Daemon is fighting for himself to be king.  He’s going to have a few problem with this.

First off, Jayce seems to be coming into his own as a planner (maybe, the whole bit with Hearrenhal might come back and bite him).  But he is the one that points out that they do have two riderless dragons and just because the histories say the riders need to be (mostly) of Targaryen blood, does not mean that this is true.  So, they’re going to gather up some distant relatives.

Another boon for Rhenerya is, strangely enough, the death of Meleys; or rather, what the people think of the dragon’s death.  The White Worm, becoming an excellent advisor, knows that the common folk are going to see this as an ill omen.  And when you also consider everything else that happening in King’s Landing.  Well, let’s just say Rheneyra’s maid has been dispatched to cause a little chaos. 

Rheneyra also realizes it’s time to take Daemon in hand, so she sends one of her councilmen to, basically, take over operations at Harrenhal.

And just a couple of things to wrap this all up.  Rheneyra has a talk with Beala about her grandmother and asks her to talk to Vaemond.  It turns out Rheneyra wants Veamond as her Hand, but Vaemond is grieving and really doesn’t want to do it.  That is until Beala basically gives her grandfather a verbal bitch slap that so resonates with him that he says he was Beala to be his heir; but she declines as she’s more fire and air than salt and sea in her vains.  Vaemond considers the position of The Hand.

Meanwhile,   Rhaena settles into her new home and seems to get more solders for Rheneyra. 

[blackjackkent]

Come morning, Lae'zel has That Conversation up and ready, rofl.

"Is it me, or have you been looking at me differently?"

Rakha asks the question calmly as they begin to pack up camp for the morning. She can already guess at plenty of reasons why Lae'zel's attitude towards her as changed. The gith disapproved of what happened to Alfira after all. And it's likely she dislikes Rakha's comfort with Astarion, also.

It's a surprisingly troubling thought. More than anyone else really in the camp, except perhaps Wyll, she has found she wants Lae'zel's good opinion. It has impacted her behavior, her perception of the darker urges that threaten to overwhelm her. It has made her want to be more in control and not succumb to that darkness.

But, no doubt, Lae'zel nevertheless disapproves of her, she thinks, and that bothers her.

She is, however, in fact incorrect.

"I have a confession to make," Lae'zel says, her matter-of-fact tone matching Rakha's. "I was too hasty to judge you. I thought you witless. Gutless. Unimpressively bland."

Rakha blinks slowly. "And what about now?" she asks cautiously. These feel like they should be insults, except for the use of the past tense, which implies something has changed.

A muscle twitches in Lae'zel's jaw and her eyes narrow in sudden attentiveness. "Now, well. You've earned my respect. And more still - you've proven your wits. You are efficient and dominant, in and out of battle. You've proven your courage; I swear, you would tear the horns off one dragon to plunge into another."

Her voice has taken on a deeper, throatier note that is unlike her. "And you're hardly bland. Your scent alone is enough to make my neck sweat and my hairs stand on end."

(A/N: Interesting! This is NOT exactly the dialogue for this scene that she got from Hector! This is not even the dialogue that we got on my stream playthrough with Jayce where we're romancing her intentionally. I'm assuming that this is because Rakha's approval with her is higher, which is actually wild. It's a slightly less blunt approach than Hector and Jayce got, just by a smidgen. Fascinating. I love Lae'zel so much.)

Rakha cocks her head slowly to one side. Hmm.

She cannot recall having a conversation like this before, but the words Lae'zel chooses are, as always, deliberate and easy enough to parse.

Just as Rakha automatically remembered how to position herself for battle, how to see the Weave and call its power into her fingers, so she also has an instinctive understanding of what Lae'zel is talking about. Sex. Desire. Physical hunger, of a sort different from that which the beast calls up. Her body remembers these things, even if her mind does not.

"Hold on," she says slowly. "Are you coming on to me?"

Lae'zel gives an exaggerated sigh. "Isn't it obvious?"

Well, it is now.

Lae'zel fixes her with an attentive glare. "I want to taste you," she says, as crisply as if giving a military order. "Perhaps tonight. Perhaps later. But I want it all the same." Her eyes narrow sharply. "Do you?"

Rakha has to sit and think about this for a moment. In truth, she's intrigued. Lae'zel doesn't seem to be offering this out of any particular sentimentality, and Rakha wouldn't really know how to answer if she was. But physically... hm.

Lae'zel is fierce, almost as violent as Rakha herself, and that shared violence is at the root of any attraction between them. Rakha recalls Lae'zel describing a knife twisting in an enemy's belly with a note of relish in her voice, and perhaps the heat it stoked in her own gut was not only the dark urge in her mind, but something warmer. Her pulse thuds a little harder at the memory.

And Lae'zel is one of the few people she trusts in this strange world, one of the few who has given her advice that has shaped her limited worldview. It bothered her to think that she might have broken that bond; she wishes to cultivate it, nurture it, if it is not already lost. And given the damage Rakha has already wrought, Lae'zel is offering trust in her own right - sex requires vulnerability on both sides.

And most of all, she is curious, as always - hungry for experience to provide new pieces of the puzzle that is the world around her and how she fits into it. For new understanding of herself.

"Yes," she says calmly. "I want to share my body with you."

Unlike Astarion's surprise when Rakha opened her throat to him, Lae'zel seems as if she expected this all along - and she's pleased. "Yes," she says with a slight smirk, folding her arms. "Perhaps one night soon, I will come to your bunk and take what is mine. Until that night comes, I shall keep enjoying your scent."

She turns and walks away without another word. Rakha feels a sort of shiver run up her back that, for once, has nothing to do with the beast in her head - and that, too, is intriguing.

-----

On the road, later, she watches Lae'zel with some curiosity; as she has not in the past, she focuses now on taking in the woman's stance, bearing, physical form. Notes, for later use.

"You said I've earned your respect," she comments out of nowhere as they stop for a midday meal. "So why are you so rude all the time?" It's not a complaint, not even really a demand, just an acknowledgment of confusion.

Lae'zel looks almost embarrassed, eyeing the apple in her hand as if it wronged her somehow. "If you must know," she says, "Vlaakith requires everything of her children. I can't count how many bruises I've inflicted, can't measure how much blood I've drawn in the Undying Queen's name. I know only blood-red and death-black. My mind is silver and my body steel. I am what I must be, say what I must be, to survive every beast I face and every wound I bear."

Rakha nods slowly. Yes, she understands that. It is why the two of them connected, right from the beginning. They say what they mean.

It is, if she is honest, why she felt safe in saying yes.

-----

The night is, in the end, a strange and fumbling business. Lae'zel begins in the dominant mode that Rakha expected - but Rakha has no intention of submitting. It is no more in her nature than Lae'zel's. So it is combat, in its way - the same violence that comes as naturally as breathing to them both.

Lae'zel is quicker and lither than Rakha, more experienced; she knows how to turn the tide with a touch in the right place - or a stinging blow at the right moment. Rakha, meanwhile, has the advantage of sheer weight and bulk, an exhilarating dominance of force rather than cunning. It's yet another struggle for control - but for once that struggle is pleasurable. For once the beast is quiet.

It is not romance - whatever Rakha requires for that, she hasn't found it yet. But it is a strange moment of calm. Almost of peace.

For another night, and for yet another reason, she sleeps soundly.

-----

Narrator: You awake in pain. Your back, your hands, even your tongue ache.

The morning has an icy chill to it; she wakes with the prickle of goosebumps on her flesh. Lae'zel is already up and dressed, standing in the doorway of the small ruin where they hid themselves away.

"It's time to rise," she says crisply. "Dawn is upon us."

Rakha considers trying to articulate any of the chaotic thoughts rolling through her mind. That this was an expression of trust, that she is grateful. That she was curious and the curiosity has now been sated. That they were matched in their violence and it invigorated her. That she enjoyed herself, in an odd way she did not expect. That she is cold in the wake of the night's heat.

But there is no sentimentality here - not from her and not from Lae'zel. Their needs have been met. And now it is over.

"Yes, of course," she says gruffly. "We will leave at first light."

[melmedarda]

(i got an error message when i first tried to send this, so if you got a similar ask before you turned off anon just ignore this one)

hi it’s kidfic anon again except the kidfic has turned into a politics-heavy season 2 rewrite/fix-it. it’s like i blinked and it got taken over by political subplots. i originally got the idea for this after watching act 1, so that influenced things based on where i thought the show was going. but after having the time to fully digest the rest of s2 i’ve decided to ignore most of that. like i expected it to be a tragedy but not in a way that did all my faves dirty?? and i hate how handled the political angle in s2—like i s2g they sent mel to the shadow realm just so they could avoid getting into it. idk if i’m going to give everyone happy endings or just make the suffering actually satisfying, but there will be major politicking regardless.

also, the kid in question was originally adopted because that’s what made the most sense for the timeline and i could make it work thematically, but then we got the empath reveal and like… something about mel (unknowingly) raising an empath child before learning about her own powers, and the difference between an empath raised in an emotionally supportive environment vs whatever ambessa was doing?? it fits so well into themes of generational trauma and cycles of violence i already have going on. however, the kid needs to be able to read and like, have opinions, by s1 act 2 for narrative reasons and i don’t want to cut too much into meljay’s pining. so i’ve had this conundrum. then i remembered ambessa’s line about choosing between children. so. they might have two kids now?

Hello lovely!

Safe to say, I am INVESTED. I do love political intrigue, its like kryptonite to me, so do be sure to link when you finish! The idea of Mel's child being so intuitive towards her emotions.... delicious. I mean, for the timing, if Mel and Jayce pined over each other for a year or two in timeskip, you would have about 5 solid years, which means the child would be capable of reading! Also, would both of her children be empaths, or just the one? And would her child discover their powers before she does? Or will Mel discover her powers in relation to the children? Honestly, its whatever you want to do! The world is your oyster, and I'm ready for you to hurt me with the angst. <3

[sunkibae]

DECODE; eli moskowitz | chapter I

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x fem!oc

Warnings: bullying, some swear words

Word Count: 2494

A/N: you can also read it here -> wattpad

-> previous chapter

I don't consent this work being copied, translated or reposted !!

Kelly tilted her head back, feeling the warm sun on her skin. In her ears echoed, the loud music, laughter, and shouts of Sams friends, whom the girl had invited to the party on the last day of summer. Kelly couldn't remember the last time she had been to a party. For the past two years spent in Boston, her life had mostly been about surviving to the next day without crying and breaking down. Where she was now felt at times almost unreal.

"You were right," Sam said, who was sitting to her right. "This is seriously great fun."

"I told you it's better to be the one throwing the party," Yasmin said, pleased, shrugging her shoulders, then raising her eyebrows, staring at something, or rather someone, on the other side of the pool. "And Kyler has been checking you out all day."

Kelly shook her head, glancing at Sam, who laughed nervously, looking down. She was glad her friend was doing well, but there was something strange and, for her, unsettling about Kyler. She didn't trust him or any of Sams friends. She mentioned it to LaRusso some time ago, but the girl told her that Kelly's past still haunts her, so Griffiths didn't bring up what she thought about it anymore. She concluded that there might be some truth in this, considering that until now they hadn't done anything that could have caused her concern.

"Kelly!" Moon lightly nudged her shoulder to get her attention. "Jayce asked about you recently. Maybe you should loosen up a bit and finally have some fun too."

"Don't even start." Kelly replied, not even bothering to open her eyes. "I'm not into that kind of things right know. I have more importnat things to deal with."

"I don't think I know anyone as uptight as you." Yas stated, taking a sip from her red cup while not taking her eyes off one of the soccer team boys.

"Guys are just one big problem." Kelly shrugged, glancing at Sam, who seemed to look at her with some form of pity in her eyes.

Moon sighed heavily, hearing her response, and then got up, pulling out her phone to record Rory doing a somersault into the pool. Sam and Yasmin occupied themselves, giving Kelly the peace she so enjoyed. However, this didn't last long, as just moments later, the music and any conversations suddenly went quiet. Kelly opened her eyes, and when she looked back, she could only open her mouth in surprise.

"Get out of here." Daniel LaRusso stood by the speaker and was clearly not happy with the state of his garden. She slowly got up, seeing Sam run up to her father and start explaining. She felt a bit sorry for the girl, but at the same time, she was surprised that young LaRusso hadn't simply asked her parents for permission earlier. She had known Daniel and Amanda for many years and was sure that neither of them would have had any problem with their daughter wanting to invite friends over.

She felt Yasmin's hand on her shoulder, turned towards her, and saw the girl gesturing towards the other exit of the garden. She nodded and, taking Moon by the wrist, they slipped through the back gate. On the way, Kelly grabbed her oversized white t-shirt from a garden chair and threw it on. As they approached Yas's car, they found four of the boys already there, who had also vanished as soon as they saw Sam's dad. To Kelly's dismay, one of them was Jayce.

"Jayce! You drove here, right?" the blonde asked, looking at him meaningfully, and the boy just nodded in response. "Then you can take Kelly, since you live closer to her than I."

"The rest can ride with us," Moon quickly interjected, letting go of Kelly's arm that she had been holding.

Griffiths opened her mouth to say something, but Jayce's three friends had already climbed into the back of Yasmin's car, leaving her with little choice. Last thing Kelly wanted was to sit in a stranger's car, wearing only beach shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Additionally, the guy was taciturn, and for the past two weeks, every time they were in the same place, he had been staring at her with that specific glint in his eye that she completely disliked.

"I'll kill you." Kelly hissed in Yasmin's ear, who just winked at her and headed towards her car, leaving her at the mercy of fate. Or rather, at the mercy of Jayce.

                             <<<<>>>>

"You guys are insane" Kelly said, sitting at the school table between Yasmin and Sam. The girls just laughed, looking at their friend meaningfully. But for Kelly there was nothing funny there, she was very much annoyed with what the girls did the day before. She didn't really consider Yasmin and Moon her friends, she was hanging out with them the whole summer just because of Sam. She could feel that there was something about them she did not like, she just wasn't sure what it was yet.

"Come on, tell us if you finally relaxed a bit." Moon leaned over the table with excitement, giving Kelly an expectant look. Griffiths cast a pleading glance at Sam, who only sent her an encouraging smile. LaRusso had already listened to her angry friend over the phone the previous day and didn't really know how to help her. Sam herself had trouble opposing her friends' opinions, let alone getting involved in something that didn't concern her.

"If you really want to know, that was the most uncomfortable ride home of my life." Kelly grumbled, causing Moon to slump back in her chair with a sad face. "Jayce is fine, but I don't want anything more. Neither from him nor anyone else, so please just drop it."

"I told you it wouldn't work, Yas." Moon sighed, then shoved a big forkful of salad into her mouth. Yasmin looked more concerned than the other girls at the table.

"Kelly, we want to help you." She explained, giving her a look that did not bode well for the blonde. "If you hooked up with Jayce, you'd have a place in the elite until the end of school. "

"Yas, I appreciate the intentions, but honestly, I don't care." Kelly blurted out without thinking. Yasmin scoffed and was about to argue further, but something else caught her attention, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"Would you rather get with that guy who looks like he went down on a lawnmower?"

Kelly looked over at the table on the other side of the cafeteria, where three boys were sitting. She bit her lip, trying to calm her nerves. The boy that Yasmin was talking about was the only person she knew in The Valley outside of Sams friend group. Kelly bumped into him in the comic bookstore just a few days after she moved to San Fernando Valley.

Kelly flipped through an older edition of her favorite comic, wondering if the author would ever return to publishing it. She had always read it with her father when she was younger, so it held sentimental value for her. She sighed, putting it back on the shelf and headed towards the next aisle, hoping to find something interesting. She took her phone out of her pocket, wanting to text Sam that she would love to go with her and her friends to the water park, but before she could do that, she bumped face-first into someone's shoulder.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she began apologizing, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. The boy she collided with looked just as shocked as she was, but in his eyes, she saw fear. She frowned slightly, studying him. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry," the blonde stammered, covering his mouth with one hand, making it very hard for Kelly to understand him.

"You don't have to apologize," the girl laughed lightly, then extended her hand. "I'm Kelly."

The boy looked at her uncertainly for a while, but eventually, he also extended his hand, glancing around to avoid looking at his conversation partner.

"I'm Eli," he spoke softly.

Kelly thought at that moment that he was probably the first person in San Fernando Valley who actually intrigued her. Sam's friends were fine, but sometimes it seemed to her that they all shared the same brain. Kelly had spent the whole July with them and found it hard to connect with anyone. Now she finally had the chance to get to know someone on her own.

"Do you like Dr. Strange?" she asked, letting go of his hand and pointing to the comic he was holding. "I read the first two volumes once; it was super cool, and I don't know why I didn't read the rest of them."

"Of course, I like it," the boy replied much more energetically, which made Kelly smile. "They're some of the best comics. The movies are great too; the next one premieres tomorrow."

"That's right; I've watched all the movies. My friend from Boston was a huge Marvel fan, and I went to the cinema with her a lot," She explained, and an idea formed in her mind. "Maybe you'd like to go with me to the new one?"

Eli opened his mouth in surprise, looking at Kelly in disbelief. The girl furrowed her brows, wondering for a moment what she had done wrong. Eventually, it dawned on her how her statement sounded, and she panicked a little, but she knew how to save the situation.

"Don't worry, I didn't mean a date," she explained, laughing to ease the tension. "I just moved here, and I hardly know anyone."

The boy nodded, then looked at his hands. He seemed incredibly stressed, and Kelly wondered what Eli must have gone through to be so terrified of a simple conversation.

"It's playing at the cinema in North Hills tomorrow," he said, glancing at Kelly. The blonde swallowed and covered the scar on his lips again as if he suddenly remembered it. "We could go."

"Great!" she exclaimed, sending him a wide smile. She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "Give me your Instagram, I'll message you."

"Honestly? Eli has ten times more to offer than Kyler and Jayce combined." She said, looking fiercely at Yasmin, then turned to Sam. "No offense, but Kyler is no Isaac Newton, Sammy."

"You prefer those losers over us?" The disgust in the blonde's voice was palpable. Kelly shook her head, getting up from the table. She felt she might regret her decision, but at that moment, her moral code wouldn't allow her to stay.

"I'd rather stick around with losers than bullies." Kelly's voice was laced with artificial friendliness, and the atmosphere at the table grew heavier.

"Kelly, come on, sit down." Sam said, grabbing her friend by the wrist, hoping to calm her down. However, she had in the back of her mind that she didn't know anyone as stubborn as Griffiths.

"I'll sit down, but not here." Kelly retorted and confidently walked toward the table where Eli and his friends were sitting.

Kelly knew that her they wouldn't let her off the book after this. However, after hearing so many insults directed at the nicest guy she has ever met, she finally knew that her bad feeling about them was right. She had tried multiple times to explain to Sam how off their behavior is most of the time, but she never had the strength to make an impact. She also couldn't understand why Samantha was friends with people who were so different from her. They haven't seen Aisha even once the whole summer, and she was Sams best friend since childhood. Kelly was simply fed up with all of them, and the situation with Jayce only added fuel to the fire. That's why Kelly felt compelled to show them that she never agreed with their disgusting behavior.

"Hey Eli." She smiled at the boy, taking a seat directly across from him. She was met with complete silence.

Demetri glanced at her, then at his friend, with pure shock written on his face. The boy to her left furrowed his brow, scanning her as if he were trying very hard to analyze what had just happened. Eli looked at her as if he had seen a ghost, automatically covering his mouth with his hand and hunching his shoulders as if he wanted to hide. Kelly felt a knot form in her stomach, he was scared to talk to her again.

After they went to see the movie in july, they haven't seen each other again but Kelly texted him a few times and it always led to pretty long conversations. He also sent her a few newest marvel related things that came out throughout the summer. She really thought he would be a bit more comfortable with her now.

"H-h-ey Kelly." He finally stammered, raising his gaze to her for a moment.

"Yasmin sent you to torment us?" Demetri asked, seeing that Eli was unable to get a word out to Kelly. "If that's the case, just do what you have to do and let's get it over with."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, shocked, glancing again at Eli, who was alternating between looking at his hands and at her. She sighed and then turned her gaze back to Demetrie. "They aren't even my friends."

"Oh come on, you were just sitting at the VIP table" the black haired boy looked at her without even a bit of sympathy.

"You're Demetrie right?" she asked like she didn't hear anything he just said. "Eli was right, you talk A LOT."

"Eli?" Demetrie looked at his friend confused. "What's going on?"

The blonde looked at Kelly, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but then closed it again a moment later. Kelly was also surprised; she hadn't thought that Eli hadn't mentioned her to his friend.

"That's Kelly." he said looking at Demetrie, hoping he will finally connect the dots.

"Oh shit you're Kelly." Demetrie exclaimed "So you didn't go out with him as a joke?" he seemed so confused that Kelly felt hurt that they saw her that way.

"Why would i do it as a joke?" she furrowed her brows and looked at Eli again. "You think i talked to you to bully you?"

"No, no I don't." he said quietly and looked at his friend. "Demetrie just stop it already."

"No, I don't trust her." he argued as if she wasn't sitting next to him.

"Dude you don't even know me." Kelly was starting to get annoyed by Demetries behaviour. She genuinely liked Eli, came here because she didn't wanted to be around people who bullied him and got that kind of treatment.

"Okay Demetrie just calm down, you're the one being mean right now." the third boy said and everyone looked at him. "Kelly didn't do anything wrong to any of us, stop being so prejudiced."

"I agree with Mr. Latino." Kelly smiled trying to turn the whole situation into a joke.

"I'm Miguel." the boy laughed looking at her.

-> next chapter

[viktor-ravencrest]

Sanctum - Chapter Four - No Admission

Masterlist

Jayce didn’t expect he’d be able to fall back asleep that night, but he eventually drifted out of consciousness as he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling as he done all too often. His alarm blared loudly on his bedside table, right beside his ear. He groaned and buried his face beneath his pillow, trying to drown it out while he felt around blindly for the off button. When he couldn’t find it, he opted to rip the cord out of the wall and toss the entire thing across the room.

He was not a morning person.

Today’s class wasn’t covering anything he didn’t already know. Besides, he had something far more interesting and far more important to focus on right now than cellular division. His new “friend” might be able to answer some of the questions swirling around in his brain, but not all of them. He had said so himself. So, after pulling away from his house in his old truck, instead of turning left and heading toward his school, he turned right, on the route that would take him to the huge Catholic church that the city of Sanctuary was built around.

It was massive, taking up an entire city block all on its own. Made of white stone, now stained black by years of smog and dirt, it loomed overhead, castle-like in its structure, with sharp towers reaching toward the sky, as if trying to pierce through to Heaven itself. The whole thing was excessive, ostentatious, and unnecessary. However, in addition to having a major god complex, the cathedral did also have a massive library. And where better to find information on demons than in the home of the people who supposedly banished them?

A priest in their typical black vestments with white collar greeted him as he pushed through the huge oak doors into the castle-like building.

“Good morning,” he smiled politely, revealing crow’s feet creases in the corners of his kind eyes.

“Good morning,” Jayce greeted, returning the smile.

“Anything I can help you with today?”

“I would like to visit your library,” Jayce told him as he shrugged his slipping backpack back onto his shoulder.

“Of course! That’s up a couple of floors, in the northern wing. There are maps in all of the stairwells and near the elevators, should you require them. And you can always grab a priest or a nun if you need help,” he chuckled.

Jayce thanked him, and continued on. The church was a labyrinth of winding passages, stairs, and rooms that opened into and crossed one another. “Built to confuse the armies of hell”, someone had told him when he’d inevitably gotten lost and asked why this place was so confusing. It took all of his willpower not to roll his eyes as he walked away, back on track to the library.

It may as well have been a building all its own. The sheer size of it, and the amount of books held within seemed astronomical. Never had he seen so many dusty old tomes in one place. There was a little old woman with half-moon glasses and white hair sitting in a big leather chair behind a huge circular desk in the middle of the room. She greeted him with a smile when he approached, just as the priest had done earlier.

“I’m looking for information regarding demons,” he told her.

She raised a brow. “Demons? What do you want with information about demons?”

“It’s for a project,” he stated plainly.

She hummed, contemplated, and then decided that this skinny boy with messy brown hair was probably not going to try and summon the armies of hell back to Earth. She directed him to one of the upper balconies, and as he wound his way up a narrow metal staircase in the corner, he couldn’t help but notice the locked door on the far wall with the words NO ADMISSION painted in big red letters on the dark wood. He browsed for quite some time, scanning headings and chapter titles, flipping pages, studying black and white images. There was some good information here, but he felt like it was all mainstream information. Demons are creatures from another world, Lucifer is the odlest and most dangerous, and their only desire is to drag Earth into Hell itself. He did find a book all about the different types of demons and how to guard against them, which he had already purchased and received in the mail. He grabbed a couple titles that seemed interesting and took them to a nearby table, then fished his notebook out of his bag and got to studying.

Hours later, the great bells in the towers above chimed noon. Their song resonated throughout the building, shaking the very foundations. Jayce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. His stomach growled. In his haste to check out the library, he hadn’t bothered with breakfast, or with packing himself a lunch, and he was absolutely starving. And so, it seemed, was everyone else in the library. As the bells tolled, the few guests, and the lady behind the desk, rose and began shuffling out. He tucked a few books and his notepad and laptop back into his backpack, then followed their lead. Only, he didn’t leave.

He made his way down to the bottom level of the library and toward the marked door as nonchalantly as he could. There were no cameras in here – who would steal from a church? The door was locked, as he was sure it would be, but someone had entered just before him. He ducked down behind a nearby bookcase and waited for them to emerge. Then, before the door could swing fully closed behind them, he ducked inside.

The room was much bigger than he expected it to be. Dark and musty, it was a library all its own, filled with shelves and boxes, each one crammed with books and artifacts. The air in here seemed denser than in the main room, heavy and dark. He recognized that feeling. It was the same feeling that the air in his own room took on when his friend arrived.

There was something demonic in here.

He followed the feeling to the back of the room, weaving through the narrow alleys between shelves until he came upon a glass case with an ancient leather tome inside. The air buzzed as he got closer, and all the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end as he reached for the latch. He flicked it up and opened the case, heart hammering in his chest. He felt possessed by his own curiosity, unable to listen to the voice of reason in his head telling him to leave it be, that this was a bad idea.

He removed the book from its pedestal and cradled it in his hands. It was huge and heavy, closed with leather straps and a big metal disc on the front. There was an indentation in the disk, as if something was missing. There was also something beneath the mechanism - a symbol of some kind.

He heard the door handle click behind him, and ducked behind stack of boxes to hide. The sound of high heels click across the floor as he stuffed the book into his bag and then crept back toward the entrance. The open door illuminated the tiles, and he watched as the same woman who had unknowingly let him in left once more. He waited a moment, motionless in the dark silence, the sound of her receding footsteps almost overpowered by his pulse thrumming in his ears. When he was sure she was gone, he opened the door, just a crack, and peeked out. The library was empty, as far as he could tell. He stood and closed the door behind him, acting as if he was meant to be there, and then did his best not to sprint to the exit.

He didn’t realize that he was sweating until he stepped out into the cold winter air. Only then did he allow himself to jog back to his truck. Only then, did he allow himself to breathe. He peeled out of the parking lot, nearly spinning out at the turn, and headed home. Robert, his father, would be at work, and his mom wouldn’t mind that he was home.

Once safely back in his room, he flopped down heavily on his bed. He’d be lying if he said he’d never done anything like that before, but it had been a long time. With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself off of his mattress and unloaded the books he’d borrowed, tucking them safely beneath his bed so that his parents wouldn’t see them if they came in. He had barely risen from the floor when his mother poked her head in.

“You need anything?” she asked in that sweet, soft voice of hers.

“No thanks,” he smiled back. “I’m just gonna have a sandwich and do some studying.”

After finally having some lunch he brought out the big leather book and sat on his bed with it. He traced his fingers over the spine, the leather straps, the metal disk… There were runes carved into the iron that he hadn’t noticed in the darkness. He squinted and looked closer. They seemed… familiar. He thought he remembered seeing something like them before, but the memory was cloudy, like something from a dream.

And then it hit him like a train. Grandfather’s journals.

When his grandfather on his mom’s side had passed, he left her a bunch of journals from one of their ancestors. They were full of odd symbols and writing. Jayce’s father had wanted to burn them, saying they were black magic, but his mother had refused, insisting they were important family heirlooms and must be preserved. So, she tucked them away somewhere. Once, when Jayce was just knee-high and bright-eyed, she had let him leaf through them. It was from these ancient writings that he recognized the symbols.

The front door opened downstairs, and he heard his mother greet someone.

Shit, was his dad home already? If Robert knew he was home, he would make him find something to fix or clean. He rushed to stuff the books back under his bed and tuck himself deep beneath his covers. He closed his eyes just as a knock came at his door.

“Jay? You up?”

That wasn’t his dad’s voice, and there was only one person who called him Jay. He launched himself out of bed and to the door, then wrenched it open. He was greeted by the smiling face of his older brother.

“Andy!”

He threw his arms around his brother’s neck and Andy wrapped him up in a firm hug. The scent of motor oil and cheap cologne wafted around him, a hug of its own.

“Hey, little brother,” Andy chuckled. “Missed me that much, huh?”

Jayce pulled away and smacked him on the chest playfully.

“Of course I miss you, jackass, you never call. What are you doing here?”

His brother shrugged. “I had the rest of the day off, so I thought I’d come spend time with my mom and favorite brother.”

Jayce raised a brow. “I’m your only brother.”

“Probably a good thing,” Andy smirked mischievously. “Otherwise, you might be lower down on the list.”

He smacked him again, grinning. “Shithead.”

Jayce forgot all about the books in favor of spending time with Andy. After his father had disowned him, they rarely got to see each other. Robert didn’t agree with his “lifestyle choices”. Heavy metal music, piercings, and tattoos were Satanic. Obviously. Andy had offered to let Jayce move in with him once he turned eighteen, but Jayce couldn’t leave their mother alone with Robert, and she refused to leave, afraid of what he might do if she did. So, they saw each other as often as they could when their dad wasn’t around.

“Did mom tell you I was home?” Jayce asked as they sat on the livingroom sofa together, game controllers in hand.

“Yeah. She knew I was off tonight, so she gave me a call. I came right away. I’m not gonna give up a chance to see my punk brother, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.”

“I’m glad. If you didn’t show up soon, I was starting to think I was going to have to hunt you down.”

Andy was his safety, his guardian, his teacher, his best friend. He loved no one more in the whole world, not even his mother. He asked Jayce about school and work, neither of which Jayce found very interesting. And yet, Andy hung on his every word, asking questions when he didn’t understand and encouraging Jayce to keep talking.

“I love learning about your science stuff,” he’d said once, when Jayce felt like he was being annoying and stopped talking. “I don’t understand a single word you’re saying, but I love hearing you talk about it.”

“So, what’s this big project you’re working on?” he asked as Jayce switched out the game disk.

He froze.

“I didn’t meantion a project…”

“No, mom did. Said you’ve been staying up all night working on it.”

Should he tell him? He couldn’t lie to Andy…

“Is it really so top secret?” his brother asked when he didn’t answer.

“It’s uh…”

Jayce pushed himself to his feet, peered around the corner into the kitchen to make sure his mom wasn’t listening, and sat down as close to Andy as he could without being in his lap.

“Y’know demons?”

Andy raised a brow.

“What, like, personally? No, I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jayce scoffed.

“Yes, I know about demons, Jay. I went to Sunday school. Why?”

He hesitated.

“We were taught that all the demons were banished, right? Sent back to Hell?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What if that’s not true? What if there are still demons on Earth?”

Andy’s brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side, regarding his brother curiously.

“I mean… I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“And what if they have no interest in humans?”

Andy nodded.

“So what, they’re just… hanging out?”

“I don’t know… maybe? Maybe they didn’t get through the gates before they closed and they’re stuck here.”

His brother leaned forward, resting on his elbows.

“Where are you going with this, Jay?”

“I met one, I think. A demon.”

“You… met a demon? Where?”

“In my room. For the first time two weeks ago, and then again last night.”

He didn’t ask if it was a nightmare. Andy always believed his little brother.

“Repeat visitor?” he asked. “Why?”

“You know I sleep with my window open. He came in to warm up.”

“That’s what he told you, anyway.”

Jayce sighed and ran his hand down his face.

“Yeah, but… He didn’t hurt me or anything. He left as soon as I told him to. Think about it. If you’re hated by everyone and stuck in a world that’s not your own, you probably don’t have a job or a house. It’s freezing outside. He probably saw my window and took the opportunity to get out of the cold.”

“Huh…” Andy leaned back, stroking his chin. “I guess it’s not that far-fetched. What’s he look like? Aren’t demons supposed to be these huge monsters with horns and teeth and claws?”

Jayce shook his head and smirked.

“He looked kind of like you, actually. You have the same style.”

“Oh? Sounds like my kind of guy. I’d love to meet him.”

Jayce chuckled.

“I didn’t get to see his face; he keeps himself covered. All I could see were his eyes. They glow orange.”

“Sounds spooky.”

“Yeah,” jayce scoffed playfully. “Scared the shit out of me when I first saw them in the dark.”

“I bet,” Andy grinned.

Just then, the front door opened, and Robert stepped in out of the snow.

“Oh, great…” Andy sighed. “He’s home early.”

He and his brother sat nonchalantly on the couch beside one another while their father came in, shrugged his coat off, and kicked off his shoes. It took him a moment to finally notice.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he scowled.

Andy pushed himself to his feet and approached their father.

“Nice to see you, too, pops,” he said and gave Robert a pat on the shoulder.

“You know you’re not welcome here,” their father growled.

“No? Then why have a mat out front that says welcome?”

Robert only scowled at him. Andy rolled his eyes and trundled into the kitchen toward their mother, who was staring, wide-eyed.

“I only came to see my two favorite people for a few hours. I’m on my way out.”

He pecked his mother on the cheek and then made his way back to Jayce, who had risen to stand beneath the kitchen archway. Andy pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

“I love you, little brother,” he whispered, and then tousled Jayce’s hair when he pulled away. “Anything you need, you call me.”

Jayce nodded, upset. He didn’t want Andy to go. He wanted Andy to stay and Robert to go. Andy stopped beside their father, his hand on the doorknob. He regarded him out of the corner of his dark eyes.

“Mom didn’t know I was coming over. She tried to kick me out and I wouldn’t go. This isn’t on her. I don’t want to hear about you giving her any shit over it.”

“What I do with my wife is none of your concern,” Robert snarled.

“What you do with my mother is absolutely my concern. Don’t make me call in a domestic dispute.”

They glared at each other for what seemed like forever before Andy wrenched the door open and disappeared out into the cold.

DO NOT STEAL MY WORK. DO NOT REPOST.

[herotheisms]

How have you been? Clocking in a lot of overtime?

#HEROTHEISMS: An independent, semi-selective mutuals only multimuse rp blog ft. TOPAZ from Honkai Star Rail! Recruited by Jen (21+ | GMT+8 | She/They)

Current activity: Slow & sporadic! Main Muses: Topaz, Antauri, & Kunikida! Will follow as @ingenxum! (A semi-active Tenya Iida rp blog)

Permanent Call ◆ Shipping Call ◆ Ask memes ◆

Graphic credit to courtofjustice!

Current muse roster & rules under the cut!

Basic Rules:

18+ Blog! I won't be rping with minors in this blog and there is a good chance that there might be suggestive content for my adult muses.

Writer is flexible. While I usually write multi paragraphs, I usually just match with however long my rp partner writes!

Reminder pings/nudges. I'm on my final year of uni so there's a good chance I won't reply back immediately. Feel free to give me a nudge about our rps if I've taken too long, though!

DNI Rules. The usual apply! Homophobia, racism, etc.

Mains/Exclusivity/Affiliates. I have yet to understand what these mean so until then, I won't be practicing them beyond interacting with mutuals as normal.

Shipping. While I'm flexible with ships (as long both parties involved are with a close age range), I will not ship Jade with Topaz for my comfort. I also prefer my ships to be a bit of a slow burn.

No drama. I will not engage in drama and I prefer not to hear much about it.

Primary Muses

Aventurine (HSR)

Qingque (HSR)

Sampo Koski (HSR)

Topaz (HSR)

Albedo (Genshin Impact)

Baizhu (Genshin Impact)

Yanfei (Genshin Impact)

Kunikida Doppo (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Osamu Dazai (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Kanji Tatsumi (Persona 4)

Antauri (SRMTHFG) (HSR Verse Available!)

Gibson (SRMTHFG) (HSR Verse Available!)

Secondary

Argenti (HSR)

Dr. Veritas Ratio (HSR)

Gepard Landau (HSR)

Himeko (HSR)

March 7th (HSR)

Mr. Reca (HSR)

Welt Yang (HSR)

Neuvilette (Genshin Impact)

Tertiary

Viktor (Arcane)

Jayce Talis (Arcane)

Miles "Tails" Prower

Yuno Kashiki (MILGRAM)

Test Muses

Daichi Sawamura (Haikyuu!)

Shinsuke Kita (Haikyuu!)

Michael "Mike" Munroe (Until Dawn)

Emily (Until Dawn)

Zean Richelieu (OC) (HSR INFO HERE)

Henrietta Harman (OC) (wip info!)

Request Only!

Mizi (Alien Stage)

[singeds-subject]

📌🔞 dr corin revecks personal little freak

@coelacat / kat / benny ♡ it/she/he ♡ 18

hii i made a quick little LoL sideblog. i like singed a normal amount

if i forget anything that you need tagged let me know. quick tag guide 👇

#suggestive - nsfw content (nudity not included)

#arcane season 2 - season 2 spoilers

#kats favs - my favorite posts

get 2 know me 🐊

this is just a little ramble for anyone who wants to interact :)

as of writing, ive only been into LoL for less than a month now. however, in that time, its completely swept me away. i am deeply obsessed with arcane and its characters, and LoL's worldbuilding and lore really compell me. ive become obsessed with analyzing the show, writing and roleplaying the characters within it, and slowly but surely accumulating my lore knowledge.

i think arcane is a very very deeply flawed masterpiece, and i think both of its seasons so far have their ups and downs. if you ask my opinion on anything from this media i am going to hit you with a "my guy i think it depends" ass answer about it.

my favorite characters are jayce, jinx, and viktor at the current moment. out of all of LoL, i would probably say that im a big fan of renata glasc, bel'veth, lissandra, and fiddlesticks' whole deals, though i admit i know less about them than i would like.

feel free to send asks or requests about any ship into the inbox. im a huge multishipper and love exploring character dynamics. you can also try to convince me to actually play LoL if you want. it might work.

[unreliableblogging]

A Quick Fix

By Anthony Burch

Any fool could have predicted that Viktor Viktor would strike back at some point. If one weren't a fool, one might predict the exact date and time of an attempted counterattack.

Jayce Jayce was not a fool.

He stood in his workshop, bathed in sun rays from his skylight, surrounded by dozens of artifacts of his own genius: Gearwork boots that could cling to any surface. A knapsack with articulated limbs that always kept the user's tools within easy reach.

Greater than all these inventions, however, was the weapon that Jayce now held in his hands. Powered by a Shuriman shard shard, Jayce's transforming hextech greathammer greathammer was renowned throughout Piltover, but he tossed it from hand to hand as if was any other tool from his workshop.

Three sharp taps echoed from Jayce's door.

They were here.

Jayce had prepared for this. He'd run experiments on Viktor's discarded automata. He'd intercepted the mechanical communications. Any second, they'd beat down his front door and try to rip away his hextech hammer. After that, they'd try to do the same with his skull. 'Try' being the operative word.

He flicked a switch on the hammer's handle. With an energetic sizzle, the head of Jayce's masterpiece transformed into a hextech blaster blaster.

He took aim.

Stood his ground.

Watched the door open. His finger tightened on the trigger.

And he almost blasted a seven-year-old girl's head off.

She was tiny and blonde and would have seemed adorable to anyone who wasn't Jayce. The girl pushed the door open and walked in with shuffling, tentative steps. Her ponytail swished to and fro as she approached Jayce. She kept her head down, ever avoiding his gaze. He had two hypotheses regarding why she might refuse eye contact: she was hugely impressed to be in the presence of someone so acclaimed, or she was working for Viktor and about to surprise him with a chem-bomb. Her blushing indicated it was likely the former.

"My soldier broke," she said, proffering a limp metal knight, its arm bent backward at a perverse angle.

Jayce didn't move.

"Please leave or you'll probably die."

The child stared at him.

"Also, I don’t fix dolls. Find somebody with more time on their hands."

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I don't have any money for an artificer, and my muh–-- ," she said, stifling a sob, "mother made him for me before she passed, and--- "

Jayce furrowed his brow and, for the first time in quite a while, blinked.

"If it's so precious to you, why did you break it?"

"I didn't mean to! I took him to the Progress Day feast and somebody bumped into me and I dropped him, and I know I should have just left him at home--- "

" –--Yes, you should have. That was stupid of you."

The girl opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. Jayce had seen this kind of reaction before. Most everyone he met had heard the stories of his legendary hammer and his unyielding heroism. They expected grandeur. They expected humility. They expected him to not be a massive jerk. Jayce inevitably disappointed them.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Most facets of my personality, so I’ve been told," he replied without hesitation.

The child furrowed her brow. She shoved the broken doll into his face.

"Fix it. Please."

"You'll just break it again."

"I won't!"

"Look," he said. "Little girl. I'm very busy, and--- "

Something flitted across the skylight, casting a quick shadow on the two of them. Anyone else would have assumed it was nothing more than a falcon passing overhead. Jayce knew better. He fell silent. A wry smile spread across his face as he yanked the girl toward his workbench.

"The thing is," he said, "machines are very simple."

He lifted a large, thin sheet of bronze and began to hammer its corners with sharp taps. "They're made of discrete parts. They combine and recombine in clear, predictable ways." He beat the sheet over and over until it took the form of a smooth dome.

"People are more complicated. They're emotional, they're unpredictable, and - in nearly every case - they're not as smart as me," he said, drilling a clean hole into the top of the dome. "Now usually, that's a problem. But sometimes, their stupidity works in my favor."

"Is this still about my doll, or--- "

"Sometimes, they're so insecure in their inferiority - so desperate to take their revenge - that they make a foolish mistake." He grabbed a shining copper rod, and screwed it into the center of the dome.

"Sometimes people fail to protect their most precious assets," he said, nodding at her tin soldier before holding aloft the newly formed metal umbrella. "And sometimes, that means instead of assaulting my workshop through the more obvious front door, they try to take… "

He looked upward, " …the more dramatic approach."

He handed her the umbrella, which took all of her meager strength to keep aloft.

"Hold this. Don't move."

She opened her mouth to respond, only to yelp in surprise as the skylight shattered above her. Glass bounced off the makeshift umbrella like rain as a half-dozen men leapt down to the floor. Tubes of bright green chems protruded from the base of their necks, connecting to their limbs. Their eyes were dead, their faces emotionless. They were definitely Viktor's boys, alright: drugged punks from Zaun's sump level whom Viktor had pumped full of hallucinogens and hypnotics. Chem-stunted thugs who would follow Viktor's every whim whether they wanted to or not. Jayce had been expecting to see automatons, but Viktor likely couldn't have gotten so many through Piltover unnoticed. Still, these chem-slaves were just as much of a danger. They turned toward Jayce and the girl. Jayce A Quick Fix

A Quick Fix (by Riot Employed Artist Megan A. O’Rourke)

Before they reached the pair, however, Jayce's hextech blaster exploded with voltaic energy. An orb orb of hextech-powered lightning shot out of its core and detonated in the middle of the group. The chem-slaves slammed into the workshop's immaculate walls.

"So much for the element of surprise, huh, Vikto---"

A hulking brute of a machine leapt down amongst the pile of unconscious chem-slaves. It looked, Jayce thought, like a cross between a minotaur minotaur and a very angry building.

"Watch out," the girl yelped.

Jayce rolled his eyes. "I am watching him. Stop panicking. I have the situation well in--- ow!" he said, interrupted as the metal beast rammed him in the chest.

The beast sent Jayce hurtling backward. He landed on a rolling cart, his back cracking from the impact.

Grunting, he pulled himself to his feet as the beast charged again.

"That's the last time you touch me," he said.

Jayce swung his hextech weapon as hard as he could, transforming it back into a hammer mid-swing. The minotaur lowered its head to ram Jayce again, foolishly ignoring the weapon's arc.

The hammer found its mark with a resounding crunch crunch. The minotaur, its head caved all the way back into its metal neck, collapsed to the floor. A cloud of escaping steam hissed from its carcass.

Jayce pulled back the hammer again, readying for another attack. He watched the skylight. A few minutes passed. Soon enough, he seemed satisfied the assault was over.

He tried to step back toward his workbench, only to double over in pain, grasping at his stomach. The girl rushed to his side.

"Still hurts where he tackled you, huh?"

"Obviously."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have let him," she said. "That was stupid of you."

Jayce raised an eyebrow at the kid. Her eyes widened, unsure if she'd crossed a line. A slow smile crept across his face.

"What was your name?"

"Amaranthine."

Jayce sat at his workbench and grabbed a screwdriver.

"Gimme the doll, Amaranthine," he said.

A massive grin broke out on her face. "So you can fix it?"

Jayce smirked at her.

"There's nothing I can't fix."

by Artist Megan A. O’Rourke

[runes-menagerie]

Sky let Jayce rest his head in her lap and simply hummed softly while gently petting his hair and resting a hand on his back. She let him hold her however he needed to and offered him comfort until he was ready to move on.

"(Fear of the unknown is conquered by knowledge and understanding.)" Sky advised and began to point out the different elements of the machines he's seen. She could see the similarities to her own body and thus was able to point out how the limbs moved and connected, turning a senseless mass into humanoid creations. "(I wonder why they were chasing you. Did that Viktor order them to bring you to him? Or were they trying to get you to fall to preserve the time loop?)"

It was impossible to know for certain but before they moved on she made sure to praise his survival skills and pointed out all the things he had done well to keep himself alive and care for his injury. She also promised to take a look at his leg when they returned to the corporeal plane to see if there was anything she could do for it.

"(I know. Unfortunately men like that first one are common in the Undercity. Less so now thankfully. Even then I knew he wanted sex from me.)" Sky explained a touch grimly, not liking to remember such things but having come to terms with them long ago. "(Providing mercy at the clinic was harder. But it was better to give them a painless sleep as they died then to let them suffer in a body that would never heal correctly.)"

The last memory was the hardest to talk about and one she had never mentioned, even to the boys until now. She had been a wreck for an entire week after that incident. She'd gone home early when she could, slept in the lab or asked Jayce to walk her home when she could. Even after the event was ruled an accident it had taken her a long time to have even the slightest trust in Enforcers again.

"(The Enforcer hit the hardest. I was used to them being a threat in the Undercity but I was in Piltover and a respected scientist. I never thought that I would be a potential target for him. He caught me by surprise and I didn't realize his intentions until he grabbed me. I didn't mean to kill him, I was just trying to get away. I didn't have my poisons with me, I didn't think I needed them in Piltover.)" She said softly, sharing with him the details she had kept even from Viktor. "(In the Undercity, killing an Enforcer was a good way to end up in Stillwater. I didn't know what would happen to me if anyone found out. So I never talked about it and I started carrying my poisons again. It was a relief when his death was ruled an accident but I lost all the trust I'd built in Enforcers since coming to Piltover.)"

"(You and Viktor might not have known what was going on but you were both a big help. I've always felt safe with you two and that hasn't changed. In many ways you were my rock during that time. You were the first to notice something wasn't right and tried your best to help.)" She finished before kissing Jayce's forehead and giving him a proud smile before retreating out of his mindscape with him.

"(Healing takes time Jayce. You've made a good start and I'll be here to help you in the future however. You're never without my support.)" She said reassuringly before looking down at Viktor in amusement. "(Did you rest well, my inspiration?)"

She smiled and gave him a little squeeze, pure love in her gaze when she looked at both men. She could see they were both in better shape although she still worried for Viktor's mental state. She knew the rest had helped but he had still had quite the shock and she wanted to check in with him.

"(You were exhausted from helping Vander, just as I was. You gave me a chance to rest, this was simply you taking your turn. Just as it's our turn to help you now.)" She replied with a hint of teasing as she kissed each of their cheeks in turn. "(My inspiration and my rock.)"

 Every time e finished processing a memory or emotion, she would be right there by his side, waiting to offer him a much needed reprieve before diving back in. A breath of fresh air before each excavation. It was appreciated, and he would always press himself against her when she would hold him, especially resting his head in her lap and holding her at the bend of her legs.

 Slowing things down helped significantly, with him able to slow the memory to a total stop if he needed to take a second to observe, or adjust, or avert. He was able to make out glimpses of the machines, rusted and worn, reaching out for him. His fear had been put at a distance by Sky, so rather than panicking at the sight, he leaned in to look them over and truly dispel the mystique surrounding them. They were nothing more than husks, and ones he had managed to avoid on his own. There was a slight sense of pride that he had managed to survive, as harrowing as it had been.

 it hadn’t prepared him for the anguish he was feeling right now, though. This was more than the first life he had ever taken – it was his loss of innocence – his greatest shame and regret. He cradled the boy in his arms, trying so hard to remember every detail of his face correctly, but in the haze of trauma, it warped and shifted. Freckles would come and go. Hair would grow and shorten. However, his dead, empty eyes never shifted, always fixed as vividly clear in his mind as the day he saw them lose their light.

 When Sky touched him, he lifted his head to look at her wide large, overwrought eyes. While he listened to her speak, he had no emotional wherewithal to respond. He believed her, but it didn’t make it any easier, as she said.

 Her and moved to his head, and his mind opened to accept her memories. A girl running from a man in an alleyway. A poisoned dust. A man beyond help and in need of release. A potent overdose. Walking home, only to be physically accosted by a man barely fit to wear the badge. A deadly fall. Wait. She was in her lab clothes. It was recent enough for him to recall.

 There had been an accidental death of an enforcer years ago, and that entire week Sky had been so jumpy and nervous that he had begun to worry for her, walking her home whenever she asked. It made sense now, and he looked to her with knowing sympathy as it came together in his head. “(I’m so sorry you’ve gone through so much, Sky… I had no idea…)”

 He let her finished her talk, taking her words to heart. “(… He deserved better. So, I’ll be better,)” he resolved with a nod of his head. The body faded from his consciousness, dispersing into mist in his hands, and he slowly moved his forehead away from hers.

 They were back in her mindscape, and Viktor was still beside her, curled in on himself and recuperating. “(Thank you, Sky… Things are so much clearer, now.)” he breathed to her in a smile before turning his attention to Viktor. “(Do you think he’ll need more time?)”

 “(I can hear you…)” Viktor announced in a half-asleep drawl. It seemed as though his slow waking still persisted, even past the need to actually sleep. His eyes slowly dragged open, and he moved to sit up. “(I am sorry I was not there to help, my dream, my heart.)” He apologetically placed a hand against each of their bodies, one against Sky’s nape, and the other against Jayce’s chest. “(My energy was simply too weakened…)” He still looked fairly tired, but much better than he was. The remaining fatigue seemed to be emotional, rather than mental or physical. His colors were slightly muted for it.