#put jayce in The Horrors

[puckpatties]

mfw i have to Kill my wife

[fantasticgothicpeachsludge]

[guernicakigai]

I’ve been having a lot on my mind…

[goldandlights]

At Arcane 2.07 and even though I already saw so many people crying on the dash

I was not prepared

EVERYTHING'S GOING TO SHIT WHY

[sage-thetravler]

I want to put Jayce and Nikolai in a room and see if it has the same affect as Vi and Jayce in a room.

I would also like to put Viktor and the Darkling in a room. For science.

[sulkybender]

I’m so fascinated by this moment here:

Seeing the horror of everything he’s done, his first impulse is to shove Jayce away.

It’s a mirror to the moment when his mask first breaks.

His first reaction is to shrink away from Jayce. He curls up as small as he can.

The mask moment is a little easier to understand. It reads very readily as shame. He’s ashamed to be seen.

The shove, though—the second moment when he puts as much distance between himself and Jayce as possible—there he’s ashamed to see.

And more than anything, I think, he wants to protect Jayce from himself when he shoves.

So that’s two moments when he forces Jayce away, and one final moment when he tells Jayce, “You must go.” But Jayce refuses to be pushed away. And he won’t leave.

[le-panda-chocovore]

DON'T DO THAT TO ME I WAS TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT

It’s crazy how if you think about it, JayVik follows almost exactly the same road as SatoSugu

[avelera]

Hnnn oh man I just realized. I keep saying Jayce is more like Singed than Viktor is, and there’s actually additional truth to that.

S2 revealed that Singed is actually Oriana’s father, Dr Revek. Dr Revek wasn’t from Zaun, he was from Piltover, and he lost his position and means of supporting himself up there when he began pursuing a way to bring his daughter back.

Jayce chastises Viktor for going to see his “friend from the Undercity” for answers in S1, but on that point he’s wrong too. Singed is located in the Undercity but he’s from Piltover. He was Heimerdinger’s partner once.

ALSO, Singed’s horrors are not some twisted Zaunite depravity as Caitlyn calls them. They’re from the mind of a man from Piltover who lost everything.

So again, by breaking his vow to Viktor and the Ethos and putting the Hexcore in Viktor’s chest to bring him back with mad science, Jayce was always more like Singed than Viktor was and what’s more, Singed was always closer to Jayce in background than Jayce realized, because he too is a man from Piltover who lost the person he loves.

(Viktor was always Rio in the jar, the mutation that must survive so Singed could bring his daughter back. Perhaps that is why, on a deeper level, Viktor reacted with such horror to the sight as a child.)

[iguana-braces]

That sub!Jayce post really popped off, huh?

Ehehe okay here's my rambly thoughts about it (I'm literally sitting at work clocked out writing this instead of going home because THOUGHTS)

Building my theory off of this post:

And this one with all the examples of how Jayce's love language is clearly physical touch

*Disclaimer: there's a lot about season 2 that irked me in terms of plot and characterization so this is me retconning a little bit and picking and choosing what examples make the most cohesive argument. Like, in season one they're like "Jayce has this brotherly relationship with Caitlyn and him and Mel have this deep, meaningful relationship" and then season two was like "No more relationship building, it's time for trauma now" but, I digress*

First things first, he's a people pleaser. He does what he's told, clearly (against better judgment but like). And he's clearly committed to the people he cares about. HE BROUGHT VIKTOR BACK FROM THE DEAD (AND THEN KILLED HIM) AND THEN DIED WITH HIM AGAIN. You can't tell me that wouldn't translate to an "I'll do anything for you" attitude in the bedroom too.

I already did the bed gif but I also have to draw attention to the following:

Okay but season two, post-horrors!

Mr. Dopey Heart-Eyes McGee is NOT the one calling the shots here.

Season one Jayce? That man is whipped. One glance from his partner and he's on his knees like it's a religion. Whoever you ship him with! Mel, Viktor, both, a secret fourth option--

He spent an indeterminate amount of time alone, in the bottom of a pit. He's touch-starved but also! Traumatized!

Imagine, if you will, that he survives the astral plane. Imagine he goes to find Mel, or Viktor also survives, or imagine your own y/n, OC insert scenario here. Whatever floats your boat.

In such scenario, and in the aftermath of his self-awareness epiphany where he realizes that yeah, he's kinda been used (by everyone really), I think that in regards to any potential sexual relationship, he would have to become more dominant, more in control of the situation. Especially if it's with Mel, since he does pointedly blame her, or even Viktor, who has literally shaped the course of Jayce's entire life since he was a child. The man needs to set some boundaries with people and good for him.

So I think dominant, scruffy Jayce does have a time and a place.

However, I don't think he'd stay that way forever. It's kinda like him trying to be a politician-- it's a different role that he can pull off, but it doesn't fully scratch his itch.

BONUS HEADCANON: Wouldn't it be just so interesting if he survived the astral plane and goes back to whoever, and while he's looking for comfort and reassurance and all that physical contact he's been deprived of, he realizes that he really doesn't like people touching his head.

I hypothesize that in regards to canon relationships, Mel and/or Viktor, once they regain his trust and show that they're not trying to use him again, he's 100% going to be simping for them even worse than before. Like, that relationship would've gone through the fire and only come out stronger on the other side. You might even say it's been vulcanized.... 🤭

From the on, he can go back to letting his walls down around them and letting them be the dominant one because he knows there's solid trust and respect there now.

Feel free to agree or disagree 🤷‍♀️ also please feel free to tell me all your thots about this too!!!

He's got all this beautiful hair that needs to be tenderly pushed away from his eyes by a loving hand, but he's a little fucked up from the times Mannequin/Mage Viktor did that little murder mind meld.

Like, he put his head in Mel's lap TWICE, you know it would kill the man if he couldn't do that anymore because having someone's hands near his forehead is too reminiscent of... well, basically his death.

[thenationofzaun]

Underneath the joke here, there is actually something compelling to be explored. The idea of "Jinx" being so notorious that she's mythologized. The myth being a hyper exaggeration of all her infamous traits, until it strays far from what the real Jinx is actually like. A spin on the whole "League of Legends" thing. The show did attempt to play into this theme with the openings. The way Season 1's opening depicts statues carved of stone, showing them as heroes and legendary figures, then Season 2's opening depicts them as human, stripped down to their underclothes. But the show could have done much more with this than a simple joke about an enforcer thinking the real criminal mastermind would never wear circus pants.

Imagine people telling stories of the dangerous criminal Jinx, but exaggerating certain details about her. Saying her nails are long and pointed as talons, her braids drag behind her on the ground, her teeth are sharp as a shark's, her bullets never miss, she is utterly without feeling or mercy, a spectre come to haunt and destroy Piltover. Imagine Piltovians viewing her as a horror story, and Zaunites viewing her as a dark hero, their vengeance against Piltover. Of course, the real Jinx likes painting her nails bright pink, let her father braid her pigtails, has a small tooth gap, misses her shots often, and feels way too much. The idea of both cities taking this girl and turning her into a legend, stripping away all her human qualities and projecting all their own fears and desires onto her is so interesting. Jinx, Piltover's ruin and Jinx, Zaun's revenge. Instead of Jinx the human.

Imagine Jayce meeting her. He never met her in the entire show's run which I feel is a missed opportunity. She was the catalyst of so much of his story in Season 1. It was her who broke into his lab, stole his gemstone and research. She defaced his entire lab, putting her grafitti and monkey symbols everywhere to taunt him. He spent the entirety of Season 1 worried sick that she would find a way to weaponize the gemstone. Her massacre of the enforcers on the bridge traumatized and sickened him. He demanded that she be locked up in exchange for Zaun's independence. I wonder how he imagines her? Does he picture a grown woman? Someone his age or older? Someone devoid of emotion or humanity? Imagine if he finally met her, this person who has caused him so much distress, and he sees an ill teenage girl. Baby fat on her cheeks and chipped nail polish.

Vi's story could have mirrored this too, losing her own identity while her sister sinks herself into her "Jinx" persona. Feeling abandoned and betrayed by Zaun, she rejects it and falls into Caitlyn's (Piltover's) arms. Becoming absorbed and assimilated into the city, losing connection to her real roots. Piltover taking advantage of her strength and exploiting it against Zaun. Turning her into their weapon, one of their enforcers. Using her as a diversity hire, the token trencher to prove how kind and not at all oppressive the enforcers are. Vi losing her own humanity as she makes The Piltover Enforcer her new identity and lets herself be engulfed by it, the way her sister does with her Jinx identity. Both cities taking these sisters and turning them into symbols. The sisters being dehumanized but letting it happen because they feel they have no other path or that they deserve it. But underneath Jinx and Piltover's Enforcer, are two broken young women.

[revenge-of-the-shit]

Hello I'm back again at how Arcane ironically continues the cycle of violence that it says it wants to end at the end of S2. It's unsurprising, but just like general Western sentiment, Arcane also perpetuates the idea of This violence must stop - therefore the oppressed must stop rising up, through not just its treatment of Zaunite characters but also through the way the writers just handwaved away the issues of classism and oppression facing Piltover-Zaun.

They also continue the tradition of giving antagonists very valid points as they rise up against their oppression, and then they take it an extra step so they can villainize the oppressed and go like "hey actually look at their monstrous actions therefore they're all BAD and their points are invalid and these dangerous revolutions need to be put down." While I will give that Arcane certainly does give more nuance than standard Western media, it still ultimately falls into this same trap.

Like:

Enforcers killed Jinx/Powder's parents, but at the very end of the day she and Vi get no apology for their parent's death but she's the one who's apologizing to an enforcer for attacking the Councilors responsible for leading the oppression of Zaun

The shot of a Jinxer knocking away an enforcer's hand and then seeing that same enforcer helping an old lady and then feeling bad - like, oh no, this person who's part of a force that's been actively killing your people actually helps old ladies, actually everything is okay now

Renni, whose motivation was to avenge her son, is framed in a monstrous light while Jayce, who literally killed her child (a child!) does not even get a single second of introspection as he faces a grieving mother (Is there anything as undoing as a daughter/child? seems not to apply to Renni at all I guess)

The Zaunite characters that achieve any level of "peace" at the end with any part of Piltover are: - Vi, who gets together with an enforcer who literally gassed her city, and gets not a single moment of conflict past her initial apprehension at joining the enforcers and some jabs from Jinx that she brushes off. I do allow though that her getting together with Cait has been set due to game lore since a very, very long time. - Sevika, who is tokenized and placed on a hostile council - Jinx, who literally exiles herself and fakes her death - I'm not even going to count Viktor under this category given how Cosmic Horror Machine Herald completely does not relate to the themes of classism (but therein lies another problem, how Arcane did not address the systemic barriers that led him to this!)

Was Cait wrong for mourning over her mother? No, absolutely not. Was it understandable that she was extremely distraught, and wanted what she thought was justice? Yes, it was. Was it okay that she gassed civilians and then thought exactly zero (0) thoughts about how she was hurting innocents was it okay that she led a team to brutally continue the oppression of Zaun? No, it really fucking wasn't.

Overall, Arcane sustains the status quo; in doing so, it continues supporting a system that perpetuates violence against the working class, a system in which the marginalized must bend the knee to achieve a surface level of "peace".

[mugentakeda]

all the times viktor was enraged by the very idea of making weapons out of hextech and how passionate he was about using it to improve lives and then jayce seeing the true horror of the hextech and the arcane in that rift and immediately going to put viktor down before viktor hurts someone…. finally upholding his promise after failing viktor so many times…. and he couldnt even look at viktor when he took the shot. isnt it so wonderful….

[fairylando]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPOILERS FOR ARCANE S2 !!!!!!!!!

took me a few days to mull over this... wdym these two gay asses managed to pull the most CARLANDO finale that could ever exist???

"but you were never broken, viktor. there is beauty in imperfections. they made you who you are."

"we finish this together"

and then proceeded to prefer to die with his partner, rather than to kill him and live without him again. and then we find out that they were meant to meet and be together in every universe. him all along. destinies intertwined in the stars. "why do you persist? after everything i've done..." "because i promised you" and it's just jayce truly just choosing viktor over and over to the point its almost ridiculous, he even chose viktor over his own life. he was always jayce's priority (him all along). and jayce was always the last piece to viktor's humanity. the reason why viktor still wanted to save everyone despite being corrupted.

they saved eachother's lives (so many times, in so many ways) and then constantly had to destroy eachother. they chose eachother EVEN IN DEATH. a fucking cycle of death because they couldn't let go of eachother.

they end up choosing eachother in every universe, "in all timelines, in all possibilities... only you." viktor's love for his partner being the sole reason he comes back to himself and saves everyone else from the plague that was his obsession... because at the end he still chose jayce. and jayce never truly being mad at viktor, going through the horrors to understand him and when he had to kill him he had to keep convince himself because it was the last thing he wanted to do and it was hurting him beyond comprehension.

viktor always believed in jayce, even when jayce didn't believe in himself. jayce always loved viktor, even when viktor didn't love himself.

sounds oddly familiar? im never getting over them, i fear.

since arcane is ending tomorrow and lando is fighting for the championship and im not ready for either and i need to cope... can somebody fucking tell me why viktor and lando have the same fucking beauty marks????

[junixscribble]

SCREAMS ur responses are so good ty for feeding us I'm so excited for your writing omggg

ANYWHO. SO. You mentioned Jayce giving Viktor a raspberry and also the tags on the s2 art so~ let's humor that~

Raspberries are arguably one of the most childish and intimate forms of tickling because well duh. I feel like Viktor probably never had a raspberry before Jayce (at least not one he remembers). He probably saw parents blow raspberries onto their giggling kids and thought to himself "I guess it's funny, or feels weird". Never considered just how bad it could tickle.

Jayce on the other hand is FULL OF LOVE and definitely has fuzzy memories of his mom pressing her lips to his belly when he was younger. Even just tickly kisses would take him down! He's a tummy guy.

Anyway, I feel like Jayce would suddenly remember that he can Do That to Viktor one day, and he just HAS to try it out. Poor Viktor probably looks in absolute horror as Jayce pushes his shirt up and takes a big breath in Like???? What are you DOING Jayce?!?!? Then when he touches down, Viktor SCREAMS. Like full on EEEEEEEEEEs because holy shit it tickles so so so bad. Probably knocks his head against the floor as he shrieks. Jayce has big ol powerful cheeks and a scratchy face (before the beard) so it's unbearable 💔

Poor Jayce probably gets a metal leg brace to the head as Viktor jerks his legs involuntarily. And oh boy does Vik blush because ??? WHAT WAS THAT????

You know how I said I was taking so long cause I had Ideas? Well. Here you go!

Fruit

Title: Fruit

WC: 1376w

Summary: Tensions are high in the lab with tight deadlines. Arguments are had, resolved, and when under inordinate amounts of pressure one must make time for stupidity.

——————

Viktor rested his head against the blackboard, sighing. Work had been trying lately. The council was expecting something big, and fast, so he and Jayce often found themselves burning the midnight oil more often than not. Their late nights and stressed disposition had led to a decent few arguments, mainly about stupid things such as who left the dishes all over the kitchen. Most recently it had been about an equation that had ended up half rubbed out - neither of them could decide who had done it, and both were saddled with figuring out what had been written down and rewriting it. 

They had been ignoring each other for most of the day, and to be honest Viktor was tired of it. These hours only passed quickly when there was chatter and ideas being thrown about like darts at a board. With nothing but chalk scratching breaking the silence, the seconds were painful. Usually Jayce was the one to break such silences, but he had been steadfastly soldering one of his gauntlets for the past hour and a half. 

For once in his life, Viktor put his stubborn nature aside and relented. He set his chalk down and wiped his hand on the side of his pants before walking over to Jayce, leaning on his crutch. Jayce didn’t look up on his approach, and Viktor stood awkwardly by him for a full minute until he put down the soldering iron.

“If you have something to say, say it.” Jayce said through gritted teeth. Viktor shifted his weight awkwardly. 

“I… am sorry. About the equation. Truthfully, the last few days have been melding into each other, and I can’t remember who wiped the board. It very well could have been me.” 

Jayce sat up straighter, genuine surprise in his eyes. “You’re not here to berate me some more?”

Viktor flushed, looking aside. It was hard to keep composure when Jayce was looking at him like a kicked puppy. “No. I should not have done so in the first place.” 

There was a moment of silence where Viktor was convinced Jayce was going to turn his back on him, but before the idea could make a home in his head Jayce was up and his arms were wrapped around him. 

“It’s okay. We’ve been working hard, and I’ve said some things I regret too. Still partners?” Jayce asked, pulling back slightly. 

Viktor allowed himself a smile and put a hand on Jayce���s shoulder. “Of course. Now, I’m sure I have some alcohol in here from last time…” 

…

The next few days were a complete turn around from the stress. Now that they weren’t on edge around each other the ideas were flowing and problems that seemed impossible suddenly had clear solutions. 

“Ha! If I reverse the polarity on this, it will stop the hex crystal from spinning out of control!” Viktor exclaimed, nearly throwing his screwdriver. Jayce pushed away from his workbench and cheered. 

“Man, we are on a roll.” He sat contended for a bit before furrowing his brow. “Vik, I’ve just realised I’ve never asked you about your family.” 

Viktor turned to face him, amused. “And what started this train of thought?”

Jayce shrugged. “I was just thinking.” 

“Dangerous, coming from you. Anyway, there was never much to speak of. Never had siblings, my father was absent before I was born, and my mother passed when I was quite young. As was the way of most in Zaun.” Viktor said.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Don’t be. The life I lead now… it makes up for it.” 

Jayce tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Aw, I’m glad to hear I’m like your family.”

Viktor sputtered. “I- what…well-”

Jayce laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Ooooh, we should do family things! Have a big awkward dinner with aunts you’ve never met, create unnecessary drama,...”

“Jayce, it sounds like you are describing the council.” Viktor commented, half a laugh on his breath. 

Jayce mimed vomiting and pouted before lighting up like a candle. “No, of course not. I couldn’t do this with any members of the council.” 

Viktor assumed he was talking about their banter, so he smiled and turned back to his work. However, the minute he picked up his pen he was grabbed from behind and wrapped up in a hug. He squeaked in surprise and swore in his native tongue before going limp in his embrace - he’d learned there was no escaping Jayce when he got lovey-dovey. 

“You know something else families do?” Jayce sing-songed, being a dick about it.

“What, Jayce?” Viktor sighed, playing along. 

It turned out there was no verbal response to that question - that being because Jayce had taken the opportunity to worm his fingers under Viktor’s arms and start wiggling on his ribs. Viktor immediately curled in on himself and made a strangled noise, pushing at Jayce’s hands. 

“No! Jahayce, you bastard-” He yelled, squirming. Jayce just laughed, pulling him away from the bench and over to the couch they had set up. Viktor knew what that meant, and he knew it could lead to him not getting back to his work for at least an hour. When one of his moods struck Jayce was hard to escape - not that Viktor minded too much. He could admit he needed the break, and he could put up with Jayce. 

Nevertheless, he protested. “Jaaaayce JayceJayceJayce we can talk about this, no? You don’t have to- haha! You don’t have to do this!” 

“Oh, but I do.” 

Viktor half-fought Jayce trying to shove him down on the couch, swearing the whole time. The minute he was down, Jayce would go ham and he wouldn’t know peace. Despite the half-assed attempts at escape Jayce successfully pinned an already laughing Viktor to the couch, and Viktor braced himself. What came, however, was hands deftly pulling up his shirt in one quick movement. 

“What the fu-” was all Viktor managed before Jayce took a deep breath and blew a raspberry on his stomach. Now, Viktor had seen this done before - often parents with small children - but always assumed the resulting laughter was because of the general silliness of the action. Never in a million years had he expected it to tickle so fucking badly. 

Viktor let out what could only be described as a screech at the contact, immediately kicking out and bashing his head on the back of the couch. Jayce nuzzled his face into his tummy, grinning, and Viktor broke into a chorus of cackles. 

“JAHAYCE! Whahaha- whahat are you dohohoing??” 

“What do you think?” He replied, still speaking into Viktor’s stomach and by god he was going to dissolve because his stubble made it so much worse. Viktor shrieked again when Jayce blew yet another raspberry, squirming within an inch of his life. 

“Yohou fucking asshole!” He yelled out for nothing, getting rewarded with Jayce’s fingers joining in the fun by kneading into his lower ribs. He made a series of high pitched sustained yelps at this, caught between the sensations of rough hands on sensitive skin and lips over spots he was discovering were really ticklish. After one particularly potent raspberry, Viktor accidentally sent his knee straight into the back of Jayce’s head, finally halting the onslaught.   

“Ow!” Jayce cradled his head while Viktor caught his breath, quickly covering his stomach. 

“You deserve that!” Viktor admonished, sitting up. His eyes were wide, staring at Jayce.

“Have you… have you never had someone blow a raspberry on you before?”

Viktor shook his head. “That affront to dignity is named after a fruit?” 

Jayce laughed. “Yes.”

“I was not expecting it to… have such an effect.” 

“No? If it’s too much, I won’t do it again-”

“No!” Viktor said before he could stop himself. “I mean, ah, I can handle your bullshit if I must, Jayce.” 

Jayce raised his eyebrows. “Do you want me to do it again?”

Viktor turned red. “Of course not.” 

Despite this, he sank further into the couch and his shirt rode up slightly. He didn’t pull it back down. Jayce grinned. 

“Well regardless, I’m not done with you.” 

It took very little time for Viktor to start cackling. Again.

[eeboor]

arcane jayvik is so. We Should Never Have Met. You Made Everything Worse. like the second viktor met jayce he was doomed. doomed to be forced into some unnatural form of life against his will and have the hexcore supersede his pacifism to cause him to literally commit unspeakable horrors against the general public, culminating in his ultimate death alongside his best friend. the moment their lives touched, viktor’s was forfeit. and jayce's sin here is that he loved viktor too much. You Have Doomed Me Body And Soul. I’ll Always Love You Too Much. like yeah viktor would’ve died young regardless of if they’d met or not, but he never would have been turned into that gothic horror magic machine herald. he would never have had to face what he would end up doing. ironic that one of viktor’s first interactions with jayce was saving him from suicide. You Put Yourself On The Ledge Instead. You’ll Die If You Save Him. Don’t Save Him. He’ll Love You Enough To Doom The World, And Enough To Save It And Doom Both Of You. don’t save him viktor!!!! do you ever wonder if somewhere between waking up in the goo and realizing with horror what jayce has done to him, viktor regretted (even just for a moment) interrupting him that night? What Have You Done To Me. What Has Your Selfishness Done To Me? You Love Me Too Much, But Not Enough To Let Me Go. Not Enough To Respect My Wishes. did he look down at his hands, metal and magic and alien, and know jayce has been his disease since they met?

[simplyofthestars]

Theory I have about Jayce because what the hell was act 2

If you look where Viktor was shot, that is the exact placement of where the Hexcore entered his body in act 1

I saw a really good time loop theory from @avelera, that Jayce kept on going horror after horror and a different version of Viktor told jayce to kill him Now ofcourse I've got a logical side who's trying to think for the reasons he'd do this because jayce would never shoot Viktor out of no where, but the other side of me is mad my favourite character is dead

But there's the catch, Viktor isn't dead, because now we can get machine herald because they wouldn't put a suspiciously machine herald looking arm in the bridging the rift video if Viktor was gone for good

The Arcane is both a gift and a curse, the parallels you can see between what happened with jayce and what happened with Viktor

Again with the timeloop theory, if I was jayce, and I was forced to watch my inventions slowly make the world a worse and worse place for a year (i'm guessing) and then suddenly this other version of Viktor came up to me and told me that the hexcore was the centre of all these problems, then yeah i'd probably shoot Viktor aswell

However if it isn't a timeloop, then i've got absolutely no clue why the hell jayce did that

Judas and Jesus parallel goes hard

Viktors birthday is on the 29th of December

I can't wait for Machine Herald to be real