#old man jayce old man jayce old man jayce

[knight-says-pow]

Big fan of Jayce and Caitlyn’s sibling relationship. Big fan of the implications regarding how that happened

This man, an only-child, now a young adult, secures a sponsorship outside the academy. His sponsors have a tween daughter who pokes around his lab space. He doesn’t return her, or act mature and responsibly, or even choose to babysit - nothing like any of that, of course not.

No, this 20 year old looks at Cait and goes “yes.. yes I am going to pester her as much as she pesters me… she, the twelve year old, obviously started it”

And again, because it’s insane to me, he’s an only child! Baffling how easily he nailed the older brother role. I know found family sibling relationships aren’t rare but the fact that the age gap didn’t stop them is fascinating. For any sibling dynamic as real as theirs you Know it started with some degree of beef. Jayce had beef with a middle schooler. They’ve been on equal playing fields from day one I love this I love them

[dirt-nerd]

The best theory I came across for why Mage Viktor left Jayce in the pit for so long was because he was having some sort of personal awakening regarding what it truly means to be human. I think prior to Jayce arriving in his timeline, Old Man Viktor was probably motivated purely by loneliness. But by observing Jayces fighting to survive, I think he began to realise that struggle was a fundamental part of being human, rather than something that needed to be removed.

Was it the kindest way to treat Jayce? Absolutely not. But Viktors not good at small picture thinking and at this point he has been stripped of his humanity and spent god knows how long haunting the wasteland. As mentioned he probably doesn't have a great sense of time anymore and didn't even register how fucked up it is to sit around watching Jayce suffer without helping him.

(That being said I do think he tried to help Jayces leg as the infection he had there 100% would have killed him. The wild ruin corruption replacing the infection was probably the best Old Man Viktor could do healing wise without going down the lobotomised cult follower route).

I think so much about him, his motivations.

What happened to Jayce parallels Viktor’s story and you can make so many arguments along those lines, but in the end that can’t be the only reason he had to suffer so much.

And I can’t really decide whether that suffering is the writers losing the plot to Symbolism or whether it’s not supposed to make sense.

Whether Viktor has been alone so long that he’s lost his mind a little—that he would do anything for Jayce, goes back a hundred times to save baby Jayce, but can’t help himself from hurting adult Jayce when they see each other again.

Whether Viktor is still controlled by the Arcane, barely human anymore, and remembers his humanity only in flashes. As @wuekka has noticed, his eyes are silver until the moment he looks at Jayce and they turn amber again.

Whether he’s still so human, an imperfect creature, that part of him feels so abandoned by his Jayce—who’s still here, mute and frozen—and he lashes out. If there’s a kind of anger like the anger we direct at the dead, angry at them for being so lovable and leaving.

Or whether he’s still not ready to see Jayce again, not ready to save him from the fissures because he’s missed Jayce too much and knows what seeing him again will do.

I wonder how long it takes for Mage Viktor to recover, after sending Jayce home.

Maybe he still hasn’t.

[zaine-m]

arcane serial killer au pt 3 JAYVIK TIME

Soon he felt completely neutral about taking someone's life, it didn't matter if they were a corporate elite who let thousands starve to death or a single mother. All he was doing was picking apples from a tree, gathering a life saving tool from a body

He did however begin to find joys in the routine of killing, when people bent all the way into his trunk to put the groceries away allowing him to easily shove their body the rest of the way in or when someone's body could be used to the fullest

And his favourite joy was finding the perfect body

When he first saw Jayce he was on cloud 9

A healthy, muscular man who was overly kind and trusting

He would often see him around the office they worked at, always willing to help whenever someone need it

He slowly began to put himself in Jayce's world with small talk by the water cooler and asking for help with the stairs

Jayce was incredibly receptive to it and began automatically offering his hand to Viktor whenever he might need it and stopping by Viktor's cubical when he had a free minute

Everything was falling into place and Viktor had a lot more patients waiting for organs

He made a point to look extra tired and weak at lunch, he looked at his phone and let out an upset sigh

"What's wrong?" Jayce asked

"oh, it's nothing"

"are you sure?"

"it's just I'm getting a new fridge in a couple of days and the people who are going to install it need the old fridge to be out of the way first and with my leg that's going to be a hard task"

"oh, don't worry about that. I can come over and move it"

"are you sure?"

"yeah, it's no problem"

hook, line, and sinker

Viktor prepared extra tranquilizer for Jayce's body mass

He was practically vibrating with joy, he wanted to savor every part of this moment so when Jayce arrived with pizza and suggested they eat first he was all in

They set up in front of the TV and by the time they'd finished the pizza Jayce was cuddled up in Viktor's lap

Viktor rubs Jayce's thigh, imagining himself stabbing the sedative into him while Jayce looks up to Viktor with complete trust

Pretty soon they're in bed together

Viktor wakes up the next day panicked, how did he let his plan get away from him

But as he looked over at Jayce he had the realization that once he finished the job he would never see a victim so perfect again so maybe for now he could go along with it and when he needed the organs he would get them

But as Viktor waited his perception of Jayce changed, Jayce wasn't just the perfect body, he was the perfect man, caring, kind, intelligent

He wanted to have Jayce in every way he could and it was dangerous how much of his time Jayce would give him, how when Viktor stared at him like a owl stalking it's pray, Jayce would stare back with the same love struck look he always had

prev - master post - next (Jayce finds out)

[ven04ka]

hehe they are so happy and freaky and not dead full in my telegram <3 тгк: венька

[tiredcupofangry]

Yes hurt me more....

I think I need a month out of work for this to sink in...

[valewright67]

Viktor taking ages to gently calm him down, to coaxing down his wariness, so he can get closer, touch him, heal him, without sending him into a panic. Repairing the body is one thing. Repairing the mind takes a much gentler touch.

He finally gets him to a point where Jayce not only allows his touch, but presses into it, leaning his weight against Viktor's frame, accepting that even though this is a hallucination, at least it's one where he can pretend he feels warm, if only until the illusion breaks.

(Viktor almost chokes when this sentiment echoes through his mind, grief stricken as their physical connection allows him a glimpse into Jayce's thoughts.)

Gently, he strokes his hair until he falls asleep, and draws the Arcane into his palm, preparing to stroke it through Jayce's hair and bond them, heal him, never to be separated from him again. A little thrill goes through him. He'd missed his partner desperately, and the hexcore pulses where his heart is, as eager to twine with Jayce as he is.

"Don't do that. You'll lose him forever. Believe me."

Viktor jolts, the Arcane dispelling as his focus is shattered, and he whips his head around towards- towards the sound of his own voice.

Someone in a once-white robe and cloak stands at the far end of the cave, face obscured by shadows, or, no... not shadows. Nighttime swirls beneath his hood. The cloth hanging over his body swirls with multicolored webbings that he recognizes as the Arcane touch, and it winds up the staff as well.

Viktor wraps his arms firmer around Jayce, cradling him protectively as he studies the figure. "Who... what... are you?" Something inside of him screams in horrified recognition, and that screaming only gets louder when his head shifts, and the night swirls away from his face.

His face.

HIS face.

Distorted though it is by time and age, he'd recognize his own reflection.

"Wha-?"

"If you heal him, you'll lose him forever."

"That- that cannot be true, that is a-... a contradiction! Leaving him like this is risking his life! Infection already courses through his body! He's in pain, he's delirious, he's-"

"The cost of healing his body would be his very soul. His body will persist, but you would lose JAYCE."

Viktor snapped his jaw shut with a click, brow furrowing tightly as he studies his... what, exactly? Alternate self? Future self? Some sort of trickster who has stolen his face?

He had seen glimpses of this strange, broken world. It was almost peaceful, until one took notice of the agonized faces frozen in time, mirroring the agonized cries of the Earth itself, nature and reality thrown off balance as it strained and groaned under the weight of the corrupted Arcane.

"What... is this place?"

"It is your future, if you continue on the path you walk."

"I...I don't understand. I'm helping people, I'm healing them-"

"You are stripping of their humanity."

"I'm taking away their pain!"

"There can be be no joy without sorrow."

"Why not?"

"You know why, Viktor."

He does. He just doesn't want to admit it. The Mage sighs, stepping closer and holding out a hand. "Come then. I will show you."

Viktor furrows his brows, and move to lift Jayce, but The Mage shakes his head. "Leave him here."

"What??"

"He will forget. Think you only an illusion. He won't think you've abandoned him again. I've made sure enough salamanders are directed down here for him to survive. He won't starve to death. And its not quite cold enough to freeze to death. He will make it out, eventually. Once he learns. Once he gains the will to do whatever must be done."

"I'm NOT leaving him, dammit!"

"You must."

"I shan't!"

The Mage heaved an irritated sigh. "You are acting like a petulant child-"

"And YOU are acting like a calloused old man who has forgotten what it is to care!" Viktor snapped, "Do you not recall how he hates being alone? How the cold makes his eyes go distant? And you'd bid me LEAVE HIM HERE?? In this dark, wet Hell where he never stops shivering, even in the throws of his fevers??"

"Yes. It is... unfortunate, but his suffering is required to save the timeline-"

"This isn't mere suffering, this is TORTURE, you are TORTURING HIM!"

"And it's working. Isn't it."

It isn't phrased like a question, and Viktor is startled from his rage for a brief moment, curling Jayce against him with a renewed wariness. "What are you talking about."

"You look at him. You see his pain. And you want to do anything to prevent any more. Even as the hexcore screams in your mind that this world is the Final, Glorious Evolution. That everything is static and at peace. A piece of still shrinks away from it, knows it to be wrong. And that piece of you only grows louder the longer you hold him. So. It's working. Isn't it."

Viktor glares at him, and The Mage sighs once more. "Very well. When you are ready, go to the Top. I will show you what's left of this world." He strikes his staff to the stone ground once, and disappears in a flash of blue.

He doesn't move for a long moment, guarding his Jayce with an expectation for the rug to be torn out from underneath him. When he's sure they're finally alone, he turns his attention back to Jayce, tutting quietly as he sweeps overgrown bangs away from his face, far more unkempt than he's ever allowed himself to be, and smooths out his furrowed brow with a gentle thumb.

He could heal him now. His counterpart gone, no one to stop him.

But... what if he was right? What if healing Jayce will cost him his soul?

He... He can't take that risk. Not yet. Not until he has more data.

So for now, he'll just have to do his best to help Jayce heal the old fashioned way.

For now, he'll just have to keep the nightmares at bay.

Fic idea of the night: A canon divergence AU where Commune Viktor figures out Jayce has been absorbed by the wild rune, and, after some arduous research and experimentation, manages to join him in the bad timeline.

And of course he is horrified and ridden with guilt for not getting to his partner sooner when he discovers Jayce in that pit, hurt, starved and delirious, but it only gets worse once he discovers his future mage self has been watching Jayce this whole time and did nothing.

I mean, I know Viktor is a pacifist at heart, but I still believe he would give self-loathing a whole new meaning and have more than words of choice with his mage counterpart.

Also add to that all the hurt/comfort that would come with Viktor reassuring Jayce/tending to his wounds while crying about how sorry he is for leaving him alone.

[karta-ri]

for your consideration: s1 jayce, old mage viktor

[glorfy-the-bright-haired-ellon]

Day ?????: In which the Man of Progress discovers the end to his pursuit. or something. anyway more of JAYCE TALIS' TORMENTOUS NIGHTMARE

[hemlocketrove]

I hit 1k followers on twt this morning so to celebrate I made old man t4t yaoi w/ jayvik 🙂‍↕️

[astral-herald]

Viktor's (subverted) Aristotelian Tragedy

A common sentiment I’m seeing throughout post-finale Viktor discourse is an understandable concern or distaste for the element of choice lost throughout his story. I know a lot of us – myself included – expected more time spent on his transformation, along with emphasis on the anger/rage/betrayal fueling it. But seeing him allow Singed to “begin the process” in episode 8 reminded me of Arcane’s origins – tragedy. Bear with me for another long analysis :)

Aristotle wrote the following on the tragedy: “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself…with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” He also emphasized that the true tragic hero couldn’t be perfect, and his downfall into such catharsis-inducing circumstances was reliant on a fatal flaw, oftentimes pride.

Viktor fits this mold, as do many Arcane characters, and it stands to reason that this was intentional since the writing team has reiterated that the show is a tragedy, at its core.

Regarding Viktor’s fatal flaw, I’d argue it’s pride, but it manifests very uniquely. He never makes any grand declarations about his success and doesn’t draw attention to himself in any clear way throughout season one (“Progress Day” comes to mind). Instead, his pride manifests as staunch independence and self-reliance that lead to his downfall; his unwillingness to break his stoic mold arguably led to his use of the Hexcore…so it goes.

Fascinating caveat: Viktor’s pride is a defense mechanism, a necessary tool he built in order to survive and succeed in a hostile environment to people of his station. His self-reliance is increasingly desperate as his illness worsens. He’s cornered by fate but banks on the sanctity of choice at every turn – in season one, Viktor is bound by the conviction that we all have a choice. It’s why he’s so distressed when Jayce makes the wrong one regarding weaponizing Hextech.

“There is always a choice.”

Viktor’s choice to fuse with the Hexcore is the classic Aristotelian fatal flaw moment, the singular incident that opens the flood gates for eventual catharsis. We watch Viktor make an irreparable choice, one that we know to be bad, and endure the repercussions. He then makes the choice to abandon the Hexcore, and end his life, but audiences can’t shake the feeling that those consequences aren’t leaving anytime soon.

So why is Viktor so anti-choice in his final season 2, act 3 form?

Choice is Viktor’s weapon. Pride is what leads him to abusing it. Despite how uncomfortable and depressing it is to watch, Viktor’s slow descent into the Herald is a perfect twist of fate. The Arcane is even so insidious that it meshes with his original intent, to help those suffering in the undercity, while convincing him that their subservience is healing. He becomes responsible for their choices. He knows what’s best because he’s relieving the Gloriously Evolved of their suffering, right? The utopia is for the greater good, yes?

Admittedly, it was really hard watching act 3 Viktor descend fully into his choiceless ethos. But we can still relate it to his tragic flaw – his pride has mushroomed into coldhearted omniscience; not only does he know what’s best for everyone, evolution, but he also has the sense to make the choice for them to supersede their “baser instincts.” The grief we feel upon seeing this perverted, violent version of himself, as far removed from Viktor as possible, is the culmination of Aristotle’s treatise on tragedy. The catharsis is the rock-bottom Machine Herald.

"Choice is false."

But then Arcane decided to basically make Jayvik canon (get out of here, Christian Linke) and destroyed the early drafts of this post. I’m going to rapid-fire this next bit:

Jayce forces Viktor back to life. Viktor has no agency in his season 2 inciting incident. Again, it’s distressing when we mourn his agency, but it remains in accordance with Aristotelian tragedy.

Viktor clings to humanity as long as he possibly can. When Jayce calls out Viktor’s trajectory, alleging that his old partner had died in the Council chamber, whatever is left of Viktor gives way to the Arcane because his last tether has been snapped.

Jayce knows the game – Old Man Jenkins Mage Viktor told him so. Jayce becomes the linchpin in subverting Viktor’s tragedy. He knows what must happen. He understands now.

Machine Herald Viktor is given the chance to undo his fatal flaw, to reverse the catharsis, when he sees Old Man Jenkins Mage Viktor. With Jayce’s help, he takes it.

Given that it’s a version of Viktor who ultimately frees him from himself by empowering Jayce, we can gather that Viktor has liberated himself from his tragedy.

Aristotle’s catharsis is rapidly transformed from something based in release to something healing – Viktor’s tether to humanity returns. He grasps it. The walls of his pride and self-reliance collapse. He accepts Jayce’s help, finally being seen as the full individual he is. Catharsis ensues, for sure, but I don’t think it’s based in the typical tragedy genre.

All this to say, I think Viktor’s arc was, in fact, carefully constructed. He represents the Aristotelian descent into a fatal flaw and that’s very distressing to see unfold, especially since he embodied the tragic hero archetype so well from day one. However, Jayce undoes this narrative and we’re given an incredibly subversive ending that I, personally, never saw coming.

I’m sure that Mage Viktor has a much larger bearing on this analysis than I’m accounting for. But for now, suffice to say that he is Viktor’s way out of the tragedy. TALK ABOUT CHOICE!

This doesn’t erase anyone’s discomfort for Viktor having less and less agency, but I’d like to emphasize the logic and literary precedent behind the story decisions.

PS: here's a quick source I looked at about Aristotelian tragedies. I hope to re-up on Greek tragedies so I can get more specific about the parallels Arcane draws from them.

[driftsart]

[zevrra]

thinking about old man jayce today…how he ages like fine wine UGH he’s got just a little bit of a dad bod going on…his hair and beard have little bits of silver running through it……he’s still gentle like a nice summer breeze and shines brighter than the sun, even in his older age. how he’s probably just as romantic if not more so now in his 40s-50s than he was in his 20s-30s. takes you out for “date night” every week, buys you your favorite flowers, gets you small gifts here and there. writes notes and hides them all over the house, solely for you to find them at random; they always depict how much he loves you and his favorite things about you.

he’s probably far more sappier too!! constantly complimenting you and how beautiful you look even with your growing age. dances with you in the kitchen at 9 pm after he’s had a little too much bourbon to drink but he’s dead asleep by 10. imagining that he’s always either going to be “the sun is up and so am i” type or with his older age he mellows down and curls up into your warmth, begging for 5 more minutes…then you both laze in the comfort of your bed for another two hours. but he’s always the first one up, always brings you your preferred morning drink and insists on breakfast in bed. finds it hilarious when he brings you a single strawberry or half of a banana after promising pancakes (the pancakes are always waiting for you in the table).

is the king of dad jokes. children or no children, he constantly cracks (un)funny dad jokes; claims it “comes with his age”. and he only ever trims his bear, keeps it a little longer after finding out you like it so much (also gives him an excuse not to shave as much anymore).

he still works with metal and making little trinkets on the side but nothing major like he use to. and he 100% crafted and made your wedding ring; probably fixes, polishes, and/or makes you a new ring whenever he wants. has to constantly make it known that you two are together and that you’re his for forever.

[lesbianherald]

I'm going to be so real here I do not think Jayce killing viktor was done well and I don't think the aftermath was either it didn't feel properly weighted in either of their psychologies and the moment itself was incredibly rushed.

[mascarponx]

something something farcille cathedrals

[tuna-tunafish]

Something something old men yaoi

[littledisgustingart]

// suggestive Sun and Moon, and all the time in the world for them to reunite! (full on Bluesky)