#not to mention how vi has amnesia in LOL lore and arcane vi does not 💀 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

higuchisora · 3 years ago

Text

I've been obsessing over LOL lore on Arcane characters, as well as the Flare Episode™ , when (during a re-watch) a particular line caught my attention. When Silco called Vi "the prize of her family". Obviously he doesn't care about her now and mentions how Jinx is "so much more", but that led me to imagine what would've happened that night if the trap wasn't just to eliminate Vander's kids and any other supporters, but specificially to target Vi?

Remember, Silco isn't a muscle guy. He has to hire people to put in the physical work. And sure, he has Sevika, and even Mek, and probably others, but Vi managed to take down several of them (including Mek) by herself at 15. Clearly, she was exceptional, even in a place filled with brawlers like her. Not just that, but she's Vander's kid, his prodigy, his prized pup. He wanted Vander back, sure, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to put all his eggs in one basket. He had to have considered the idea that he'd refuse.

Taking all that into consideration, Vi would seem like a gift that was practically handed to him gift-wrapped on a silver platter. Here's a kid who's strong- very strong, enough so to defeat adults twice her age single-handedly. She's hot-headed, and would absolutely run into danger without thinking. Not only that, but she's Vander's shining star, who's young and impressionable and- because he absolutely would've done his homework - was very vocal and argued often with Vander about how they shouldn't be living on their knees and taking Topside's shit anymore. It wouldn't just be ironic, it would fucking destroy Vander to see Vi at Silco's beck and call.

He probably already knows she won't just flip sides. She's just like Vander in that way, which would be both infuriating and a blessing to him, since that means one thing: it would be difficult, but she'd make the perfect weapon. Even if his plans had to change and adapt over time, from the beginning he needed a secret something to weaponize against Piltover so Zaun would actually stand a chance, and better yet, win, in a war between the two. I think he initially planned that to be Vander, whether or not he agreed to join him again- otherwise, he would've disposed of him immediately, I think- but with everything else in mind, what if he decided Vi would be the next perfect candidate?

Sure, she's not the strongest (Sevika was still stronger), but she was still talented and had room to grow, since she was so young. And because she's young, she's also much more moldable. Sevika and Mek and Vander are adults, and even with Sevika and Mek being loyal to him, they all have their own motives and agencies. Adults can betray him- two have already proven it, with Sevika flipping on Vander for Silco and Vander flipping against Silco. Adults are also more... Rigid. Harder to mold, to break. Their minds are more set, values defined. But kids? Well, we've seen it with Jinx. Compared to adults, kids are easy.

So, he can't have Vander. But he can get his daughter. It would be too much trouble and frankly, too much of a waste to mess with the mind of someone like Sevika. Her value to him is more than just her muscle. To reduce her to a weapon would be a loss. But Vi... He doesn't know her. She holds no value to him. So it wouldn't be a loss if, say, he sent her to Singed to do whatever he thought necessary to make her... cooperate.

Because if there's one thing he does know about anyone who's anything like Vander, it's that she wouldn't be convinced easily. Especially not with that sister running around. He might have to take drastic measures. According to LOL lore, Vi's initial backstory was that she had amnesia and therefore remembered literally nothing about her life before being Caitlyn's partner- not even her real name, since she named herself Vi after the tattoo on her cheek. Which was part of why her and Jinx have such a tenuous relationship in-game. Vi doesn't remember her. She doesn't know Jinx is her sister. And while Jinx seems to know something, it's unclear if she realizes Vi is her sister or just someone who looks like her and she therefore becomes attached to her. It probably doesn't help that Vi is presumably going under a new name.

So perhaps a result of Singed's persuasion includes forgetting a few things. Like her name. And her childhood. And her family. Perhaps, by the end of it, she's practically a blank slate, free of any pesky morals or loyalties to Silco's enemies or childhood memories that could prevent her from obeying him. It would take time, and probably money too, and most definitely lots of shimmer. But by the end of it, he'd have the perfect weapon. One that he'd rear himself. One that would be absolutely and unquestionably loyal to him and only him, so he would never have to worry about being betrayed. Not like Sevika. Not like Vander, who proved that even brothers could turn on one another. This one was loyal to a fault. This one didn't hesitate to do what needed to be done- for Silco, for Zaun. This one was obedient. This hound, he could bring to heel.

But of course, there's a problem.

He can't destroy Vi entirely. Not if he wants a functioning weapon. The point of the trouble is to secure a weapon that already comes with its own skills. He'd have to hone them, but it wouldn't make sense to outright destroy years' worth of progress and rebuild it entirely. Which means they can't cleanse her mind as thoroughly as they'd like with shimmer. So there are pockets in her mind. Pockets of stray thoughts and fleeting emotions and vague, fuzzy outlines of memories. Like sudden homicidal rage at the sight of Silco's face, or inexplicable bouts of grief, or the strange and confusing impression that she wasn't used to sleeping alone. Or blue hair.

Vi remembers blue hair. She doesn't know whose blue hair, or why, or anything else to do with that picture. Just pretty blue hair, and the feeling of warmth whenever she sees it. It haunts her, even in the daytime. It stalks her in her sleep, and she often wakes up with a racing pulse and heavy heart, even as she's immediately unable to remember the dreams.

It doesn't affect her work performance usually, but she's not good at hiding it either. And while Silco is certainly a villain, and wouldn't care for Vi in the same way he cares for Jinx in canon, at this point he's invested so much time and effort into Vi for him to not at least value her now. Vi's always had a good heart at the core of her character, and somehow I can imagine even shimmer and brainwashing might not fully destroy that. Maybe her goodness might disgust him at first, but before he realizes it, he grows attached.

Maybe it's the way she handles him with care despite her obvious strength, making sure not to grip him too hard when he needs help standing or something. Maybe it's the eagerness for his approval. Maybe it's the way she cracks jokes with him or checks to make sure he slept or ate recently. But eventually, Silco looks at Vi and sees- not quite a daughter, but not a pet anymore either. Maybe it's something closer to the way an artist loves the piece they worked the hardest on. Or simply their favorite work.

So when he finds out about the dreams, the fleeting thoughts of blue hair, he knows he needs to do something before someone ruins his masterpiece. Silco remembers Vi had a sister. Or more like, he remembers Vander had several street rats under his roof, and Sevika remembers one of them was a little girl with blue hair. At this point, there's been too much shimmer pumped into Vi to safely add more. So he needs to find another solution. And as we've all already realized, Silco doesn't have the best way of handling people's trauma. And he knows if he's not careful, there's a possibility of all of his hard work being undone. He needs a solution that will close the door on that part of her life forever. So instead of telling her to talk about it or even just put it behind her, Silco decides to get her a gift.

It would probably take a few months, but with Singed's help and a quick trip to one of the many Foundling homes in Zaun, Silco approaches Vi one day with a special present just for her. A tiny blue-haired girl. A new little sister, just for her. She can even give her a name. She's allowed to do whatever she likes with her, as long as she keeps her from making a mess of things. Not unlike buying her a puppy, Silco gifts Vi a "younger sister" and watches that chapter of Vi's life close.

Vi stops getting nightmares she doesn't remember. She stops seeing the blue hair. She no longer has to sleep alone, so it no longer bothers her that she used to be unable to sleep because she couldn't hear someone breathing beside her. She commits herself to Silco's cause. Now, you might be wondering where Powder falls into all of this. Where did she go? Did she die? What befell the girl who inadvertently assisted in her family's demise? If you asked Silco, his answer would be that she was dead and gone, never to blow up another one of his plans again. But perhaps that wasn't the case.

Maybe a certain enforcer was just a little too early - or a little too late. Maybe she got up and ran. Maybe she was dead, gone with her brothers and father- or maybe she was somewhere far. Somewhere where the sun could reach, somewhere the skies were as blue as her hair. Somewhere that a certain family might find her shivering outside their home one night and ushers her inside, soon to be amazed by the brilliant little girl that quite literally wound up at their doorstep. Somewhere where she could finally make progress.

Of course, if thats true, then it's only a matter of time before their paths converge again. A grieving sister and a lost one, colliding and sending their lives careening towards- something. Could be destruction. Could be a happy ending. Could be something in between. After all, Vi doesn't know Powder, and Powder would never guess that her courageous older sister was now Silco's prized attack dog. And if they were to meet, if Powder were to discover Vi wasn't as dead as she thought- well, who knows how Powder might feel, to find Vi with another blue-haired girl in tow?

78 notes · View notes