#shoola imagines

[abbertionaldyke]

to rebuild

y’all want some slow burn sevika and shoola?

summary: now a prominent leader of zaun and a representative for the community, sevika sits at the council, aided by a seasoned member.

1/?

heavy steps thudding, sevika makes her way toward the chair designated for her, onlookers’ sights heated at her appearance and inclusion in the rebuilt council. all sights except for one. settling into her seat with a responding piercing stare to the judgement, sevika’s right arm rests on the table, posture leaning slightly forward as she quietly takes in the others. 

sevika’s dark gray eyes flit to a more familiar figure and narrow in a mere analytic manner. she had stood beside this individual at the funeral, solemn introductions made after the event had dwindled. the feel of the other’s golden claws are still felt on her palm, their handshake having been firm, a lingering motion made by both parties as a silent understanding spoke through the touch. 

facing her new counterparts, shoola returns their pointed looks, a look of distaste blanketing her expression. after all that was done–joint efforts made to bring down the forces that threatened both zaun and piltover–individuals can still find it in themselves to look down on zaunites. if she had the power, she would deny the addition of such people, prompting a seat on the council if a bias is dismissed and a leveled mindset could be put forth. 

because that is what is needed. yet here they all sit, ready to continue a vile cycle that has done nothing but further divide a once united society. 

amid the first meeting of the renewed council, as expected, sevika’s words are cut into, demands scoffed at while attitude-filled responses are shot back. fist clenched, sevika’s brown skin heats, frustration building as she sees the obvious barricade made for her requests. her jaw clenches, teeth grinding against each other as she prepares to speak again. 

“if i may?” comes shoola’s silvery voice, her two-toned eyes looking at sevika. 

sevika remains tense, meeting shoola’s gaze, the stare a stark difference from the others of the council. a slight nod of her head is given. 

shoola brings her attention to the rest of the councilors sitting at the table, the adornments on her fingers glinting in the soft rays of sun pouring through the windows. “i don’t think willful ignorance is the right path to take following an event birthed from such an aspect.”

undeterred by the collective reactions to the accusation, shoola maintains an even look on her face. her voice raises in volume as she continues, “removing the factories that border the fissures should not be an abstract idea that brings all of you to disrespect a fellow member of the council; you are not here to fight against sevika’s wishes or ignore them, you are here to listen, learn, and aid the individuals, the families, the lives of zaun.” 

“councilor shoola, with all due respect, the removal of the factories would pose a massive loss for those who depend on jobs for their families and their lives,” is a response. 

shoola is reminded of her own words that reflected the response just given, but ultimately, people cannot be sacrificed to support another–there is a way to support both, there has to be. 

“with such an obstacle, being named the “city of progress” should be an embarrassment if we cannot even move forward to ensure our counterparts are safe and healthy,” shoola places her words with a firm force, holding eye contact with each individual sitting at the table. she looks at sevika lastly, face softening as she does. “do you have anything else to bring forward, councilor sevika?”

sevika points her words to shoola only, purposely ignoring the others, “all good for now. how fast can we get the supplies to start repairs?”

“as soon as they are needed,” shoola responds. 

examining her fellow councilor for a moment, sevika holds a smidge of approval for the other, yet keeps a controlled expression. she relaxes slightly in her chair, right index finger tapping with an aura of impatience as she has to sit through the rest of the meeting, listening to the topics with half a mind. when there is input from shoola, sevika looks her way, taking in her mannerisms that flow with grace, the sound of her claw adornments tapping the table as she makes a point settling into her mind. when any other councilor speaks, sevika lets out a tired exhale.  

 a sharp breath is taken as she settles back into reality once realizing ending statements are made and the impending end to the meeting is to come. 

sevika is the first to stand, chair legs groaning against the floor as the back of her legs push it away. concern bubbles inside of her thinking about isha and jinx still in recovery even though she is sure vi hasn’t left either of their sides. fuck, she thinks, get me anywhere but here. she can’t stand the demeanor the council holds, can’t fucking stand it. but she would endure worse if it meant aiding zaun and rebuilding it. heels hurriedly click behind her but her mind is focused on the young ones back home. 

hints of that familiar amber aroma makes sevika side-eye her right side, a gold claw coming into view. 

“have you taken a look at your office?” shoola questions, falling in step with sevika. 

fully turning her head, sevika quirks her brow, eyes following the shape of shoola’s face plate before darting to her lips then settling on her gaze. “i haven’t.” 

the mechanism of the door lightly chitters as the grand structure begins to open, letting the two individuals pass through. shoola guides the direction to the right, the long corridor holding various rooms in a simple pattern. it is quiet between the two as they walk together, having yet to move past a formidable barrier established simply from places of origin. sevika holds a deep-seated hatred for piltover, their forces onto zaun too embedded in her memory; for shoola, no bold sentiments can be made for the sibling society.  

“what sits at the council,” shoola starts, “have only a quarter of the minds of who filled the seats before.” 

“must have been small minds,” sevika slyly retorts, casting a glance toward shoola. “that what usually happened if anyone tried to get to zaun? a bunch of irrelevant responses and excuses?”

shoola accepts the shots taken. “usually, yes. and motions could have been fought against harder.” she focuses the guilt on herself. 

sevika huffs, shaking her head, movement in her jaw evident. “so what? takes a war to change your mind?”

“not a war–weakened hands and figures. mel would’ve stood along my thoughts. it is the majority that would’ve opposed.” shoola slows, reaching out to halt sevika’s agitation-fueled march, finger jewelry skimming the exposed skin on her bicep. “though i do think actions would’ve served better than to simply accept battered down propositions.” she opens the door to a clearly unused space, a sleight of hand bringing the key from her person to the slot. 

her trek slow and cautious into the room, sevika surveys the area. calculated steps lead her to the desk, a chair with a different structure from those in the main council room tucked under it. sevika brushes her fingertips along the desk, the mineral cool under her touch while she studies the shaped stone. shoola stays near the entrance, still clutching the key to the room; she is kept in sevika’s peripheral at all times.

“any supplies that you need, make it known and i’ll put it in place for you–”

“this part of a plan?” sevika’s voice is gruff, coated with suspicion. 

shoola’s head tilts as she narrows her eyes. “i’m sorry?”

sevika rounds the table and grips the back of the chair. “get one of the councilors to close in. do a couple of favors. then what?” her lips downturn, watching shoola walk closer, the sound of her heels echoing throughout the room. the darkened gray sights follow the motion of shoola’s hand setting down the key on the table then keeping it under her index and middle fingers as she slides it to the other side of the mineral desk. 

“then what?” shoola repeats, voice remaining gentle. “i have no reason to hold contempt for you. i am only your equal, prepared to aid you and zaun. if you want to do this alone, i can step aside; but the road here had enough obstacles, there shouldn’t be anymore.” she lifts her fingers off the key.

sevika looks at the key then back to shoola, ruminating on her words. she’d be lying to herself if she thought she didn’t have to have at least one ally for this line of work–a primary caretaker of zaun. vander had grayson. silco had marcus. though the power scales have altered a bit, it is still a significant factor in the relationship between the societies. 

seeing that sevika needs time to think, shoola backs up from the table and starts heading toward the door. her direction changes at the last moment, bringing her to one of the pneumatic tubes, her left index finger tapping the mechanism. “anything you need.” 

then sevika is alone in her office. 

[kurthummeldeservesbetter]

some jayvik headcanons to pass the time and ignore the pain

There is a Viktor fan club at the academy. He is unaware. They discuss his projects, his accent, his looks. Meetings are the last Thursday of every month.

Jayce accidentally stumbled into one of the meetings. They barely played off they were talking about his partner. (He still can't find any info on the "book" they were talking about, thinking Caitlyn would be interested.) (He forgets that Victorian-looking men with accents aren't on her radar.)

Jayce also has a fan club. He is aware of it. (They have invited him to meetings). They talk about his projects, his hair, his face, his line of mugs. Their banner is one of his shirts. (He is unaware of this part.)

Viktor is also aware of the club. (He gave them the shirt.)

Jayce and Viktor both hate the cold (Jayce for the snowstorm, Viktor for his leg) so whenever it was winter they were bundled up like the kid from A Christmas Story.

Viktor mixes up metaphors. He constantly uses malaphors (unintentionally) and Jayce doesn't have it in his heart to correct him. "All the ducks are aligning" is his favorite by far.

Jayce tried learning Viktor's native language to surprise him one day. (I imagine it as a mix of Czech and Polish). He ended up saying a mix of a whole bunch of nonsense, so confidently) which made Viktor laugh himself into a coughing fit.

more under cut cause this is getting long

(Viktor couldn't look at Jayce for two days after without laughing.)

Viktor has a sweet tooth, Jayce has a savory one.

Their third year as lab partners, a section of the library caught on fire. The culprit was never found. (It was them, and they both blame the other.) (It was Viktor)

Jayce enjoys suspenseful novels. Viktor, when he can be persuaded, enjoys historical fiction.

Their mortal enemy is the student who's lab is across from theirs. Viktor hates him because he's egotistical with no real skill. Jayce hates him because he always complains they're making too much noise. Their mortal enemy is unaware he is their mortal enemy.

They have a "days without incident" chart in their lab. Incidents no longer include cuts, scrapes, bruises, small explosions, broken prototypes, because if they did it would always be at 0.

Their fifth year, the auditorium stage caught on fire. A group of first years were blamed. (It was Jayce, though Viktor thought it wasn't a big deal.)

Jayce is organized, Viktor is not. Jayce puts things in organized shelves, Viktor puts things where he knows he'll need them next. This is a point of tension for the longest time, until Mel stepped in and told them to either compromise or get two of everything.

They got two of everything.

Jayce designed Viktor's cane (after the first one broke) and his leg brace.

Viktor can play the harp. Jayce can play the piano.

Everyone believes Viktor is the one keeping Jayce under control in experiments. (as referenced in this post) No one knows besides Heimerdinger that Viktor learned lab safety in a drug den. The counsel refers to Viktor as the "sane, calm one" but only Mel and Cassandra know the truth. Both think it's funnier to not deny it.

Viktor stays at Jayce's place most often. Jayce secretly moved most of Viktor's things to his place, until officially asking him to move in.

Jayce also helped design a new back brace for Viktor. It was more comfortable, made of thick cloth, and relieved so much back pain he started crying when he tried it on. This is what got them together, because Viktor kissed him in thanks, and Jayce was like "finally!!" and started kissing him back.

Money was exchanged after the Academy/Counsel found out they became official. Shoola, Mel and Cassandra got a big payout. Heimerdinger had no idea about the bet, mostly because he thought they were already together.

This led to the fanclub war. Jayce fans vs Viktor fans, until a hero came around (Sky) and was like, why not both? (And thus, the Jayvik fan-club was born)

[archangeldyke-all]

Oh man I have ideas..

Sevika has a home back in Zaun but she has to have an apartment in Piltover because of councilor duties until she fully adjusts to topside and accepts the insistent offers of a manor. Imagine being her wife and just helping her relax after her first day, cuddling and all that whilst adjusting to the fancy apartment bigger than your old house.

Or..

Sevika taking her wife out for a walk in Piltover, admiring more of the garden as the plants grow upon new soil. A talk about the future whilst holding hands.

Or..

Them renewing their vows, having that damn fancy wedding of the dreams.

Toodles!!!

EEEEEEEEK okay lets do some councilor sevika (also isha and jinx are still alive in this story because i said so. she doesn't need to suffer so much to still be an incredible leader. give her her girls!!!)

men and minors dni

you were the first person approached about sevika representing zaun in piltover's new council post-war.

you were a little concerned to find councilwoman shoola and three members of her personal guard on your front stoop-- and for just a moment you had a flash of anxiety that she was here looking for jinx or isha.

"councilwoman. hello." you say, still surprised. you've met the woman a few times before, both of you attending various re-building efforts around the undercity. she holds up a hand.

"please, dear, we've built a bookshelf together, you've seen me at my lowest. you can call me shoola."

"h-how can i help you counc-- shoola?" you ask. she smiles.

"i'm here regarding your wife."

you frown. "...is she in some kind of trouble?" you ask, already mentally planning how to worm sevika out of her trouble. the councilwoman chuckles.

"quite the opposite, actually. i'd like her to join the council... as an ambassador to the free nation of zaun." she says.

you nearly shit yourself at her words-- sevika's life work casually mentioned like it's just a sidenote. "the-- free?" you ask.

she smiles. "while the deaths of the other councilmembers in the war was a horrible loss, there are some issues i could never get my late colleagues to agree on. now, though... i've been given full authority to reorient the power structure of the council to avoid anymore kirraman's taking over-- and i've always been of the belief that zaun should be free."

"and w-what... you want to arrest jinx in exchange for it?" you ask.

shoola chuckles. "no."

"y-you want isha?" you ask. shoola laughs again.

"what could i want with a child? no!"

"so... what do you want?" you ask, your voice shaking as the reality of the situation sinks in.

"i just want your help talking sevika into the job. i know she can be... stubbo--?"

"bullheaded?" you guess as shoola searches for a kind word to describe sevika's stubbornness. she chuckles at your description of your wife and nods.

"here." she hands you a stack of papers. "i've outlined the full responsibilities of the job. as well as the benefits she will receive for serving. please. look it over and talk to her, would you?"

you do.

it's an excellent proposal.

as the undercity figures out how it wants to self govern, piltover will fund zaun's public infrastructure as if it's their own-- meaning that the undercity will, practically overnight, have access to things like clean water. and schools. and welfare. they will provide these services for up to fifteen years as zaun finds it's footing.

the position outlined for sevika in piltover's council is a way to assure piltover doesn't back out of their promises-- that somebody is there to call them out when they try to cut corners in helping the young nation of zaun find it's footing.

and, while your wife might miss the more physical aspects of her old work, you can see her chewing out some stingy old councilors for their greed in your minds eye, and you can't help but smile.

"what're you smilin' about?" sevika asks.

you jump and slam the folder in front of you closed, blinking up at your wife.

she's back from her meeting with ran, scar and jericho. the four of them have grown close in these past few months as they coordinate rebuilding efforts for various neighborhoods across zaun. you have to gulp, trying not to get dizzy with the possibilities of what sevika's job offer means for them as a team. as team zaun.

"h-how was your meeting?" you ask. sevika raises an unimpressed eyebrow at you and you huff. she sinks across the table from you, easily pulling the folder out of your grasp.

"meeting was fine. the elementary school bein' built in firelight's territory is almost ready to open. first school in zaun." she says with a smile. "now, what were you smiling at?"

"i was approached by councilwoman shoola this afternoon."

sevika raises an eyebrow at you. "did you two try to build a chair this time?" she teases. you groan and kick her shin, before tapping the folder in her hands.

"no. i was asked to convince my stubborn-ass, incredibly loyal, strong, beautiful, hard-fucking-headed wife to join the fucking council."

sevika blinks. "what?"

"they want you in the new council. serving as an ambassador. to the free nation of zaun, sevika."

sevika blinks again, and then she rips the file open, her silver eyes flying across the confidential text. "the fr-- the free nation of zaun?" she asks, her eyes flying up to yours to confirm. you grin and nod.

sevika flies out of her seat and crawls across the dining room table to reach you, tears flowing down her cheeks as she kisses you like her life depends on it.

you're there when shoola and sevika finally sit down to discuss the opportunity. shoola's the first piltoverian to not turn her nose up at the messy state of your small home-- she even grins at the sound of jinx and isha bickering from their bedroom. "you two have made a lovely home for yourselves, here." she says, sitting down at the table and jumping a bit when a toy squeaks under her bum. "i can almost see the love leaking out of the wallpaper."

"could be black mold." you whisper. sevika and shoola both sputter surprised laughs.

"sevika. have you considered my proposal?" shoola asks.

sevika sighs and nods. "i have a few conditions before i agree." she says.

this surprises you. as if the prospect of representing a free zaun isn't tempting enough, you saw the salary sevika's being offered. it's the kind of money that could buy you a house big enough that all four of you could have your own bathrooms.

(secretly, though, you hope you live in a tiny house forever. you like tripping over your family-- being within reaching distance at all times.)

"first. i'd like you to assign me the budget to employ three of my trusted confidants as advisors. i can give you their identities if you'd like, but i give you my word that they're good peo--"

"done." shoola cuts sevika off, scribbling a quick note in her journal before looking back up at the pair of you with a smile. "what else?" she asks.

you smile a bit. sevika blinks, then gulps. "jinx and her little friend ekko get a full ride to the university up top. they're incredibly gifted, and with a little proper education they could advance zaun--"

"you don't have to convince me, i remember how the war went. without them, we'd all be dead. i can arrange that."

"i don't want to leave zaun. i can't represent these people if i'm not living here. i'll need a car to get--"

"would you like a personal vehicle or a driver each morning and evening?" shoola asks.

sevika blinks. "a-a driver." she says, a little shocked.

"anything else?" shoola asks.

sevika nods. "o-one last thing." she reaches over to grab your hand. you have no idea what she could possibly want beyond what she's asked for-- she's taken care of her friends, her family, and her transport.

"anything." shoola says. you think the woman might mean it.

sevika looks down at her lap and sighs. "we... we never really got married." she says. you blink, not at all understanding why she's telling the councilwoman this. "i mean... we had a party and we exchanged vows," she says, a smile tugging at her lips. you squeeze her hand and her eyes flick up to yours, before shyly darting away like you guys haven't been married for a decade now. like you guys don't have two kids together. "but we never... nobody gets married in zaun. 's expensive. the trip up to the justice is too far. and..." sevika gulps, her voice getting shaky as she looks back up at you. "and you're the reason i've fought so hard for our home in the first place." she whispers.

tears start to well up in your eyes and you let out a shaky laugh. "what, 're you proposing to me again?" you ask. sevika snorts and shakes her head before turning to shoola. the woman's drying her own tears.

"will you arrange to have us married? officially?"

"i'd be honored." shoola agrees.

the wedding is small and intimate, you and sevika, jinx and isha, vi, ran, scar, jericho, and shoola.

the councilwoman took you to a beautiful little garden a few blocks away from the council, and she married you, officially, as the sun set and your girls threw handfuls of confetti into the sky.

your whole party marches through the streets of piltover and back to zaun for the afterparty, councilwoman shoola laughing happily as you introduce her to the zaunite tradition of barcrawling.

each bar you enter, jericho happily announces that you and sevika have been freshly married. sevika, being the new spokeswoman of zaun, is quite the celebrity now. all of this is to say, you spend the night drinking many free drinks, hugging many drunk strangers, and kissing your wife on request about a thousand times.

it's the best night of your life.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@kissyslut @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai @my-taintedheart

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @k3n-dyll @sevsdollette

@ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re @raphaellearp

@iamastar @sevikitty @mascdom @nhaaauyen @annesunshiner

@mirconreadzztuff22 @veoomvroom @lushh-s3vik4s @katyawooga @lesbodietcoke

@lavandasz @strawberrykidneystone @sevikasfan @fict1onallyobsessed

[somedaylazysomeday]

Good Intentions Part Twenty-Three

Ongoing Silco x fem!reader fic (no use of 'y/n')

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3,900

Warnings: Arguments, threats, attempted blackmail, mentions of sex as terms of an agreement

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

When Jazper said that he had set up a meeting for you, you hadn’t known what to expect. 

It was too soon for the next meeting of the Undercity Innovation Committee, which was the logical choice for a requested meeting. The committee was scheduled to meet every three months, and it had barely been a month since the last one. 

But you thought perhaps someone had been interested in setting up a partnership with the Haven similar to the one you shared with Stocked. Perhaps Cipanni wanted to have one of her apprentices stationed as a full-time mechanic for the Haven or Ronid was looking for more recommendations to fill his soon-opening apartment complex. 

However, the elegant Ionian woman waiting in the meeting room was unfamiliar to you. Jazper had simply directed you to the room with a smile, so you couldn’t ask for any clarification. Instead, you pasted on your best professional smile and stepped inside. 

“Hello,” you offered, adding an introduction when she looked up at you.

“Hello,” she returned, voice pleasantly husky. “My name is Ahri. I work for Councilmember Shoola.”

Your brows arched. “Nice to meet you, Ahri. I can’t imagine what I could have done to rate a visit from a Council staff member.” 

Ahri laughed. It was a genuinely happy sound and you relaxed slightly. “Please, sit. Shoola has become aware of the friction between the Upper Piltover and the Undercity. She sent me to explore options for improving relations between the two halves of the city.” 

“Is there a reason she asked you in particular?” you asked, terrified that the question would come off offensive. 

Thankfully, Ahri didn’t seem offended in the least. “I’m friends with Jazper, of course. His experiment with the Lanes has drawn quite a bit of attention in the upper city, and he has been helping me come up with ideas on fixing this rift.”

You straightened in your chair, hoping she wasn’t close enough to watch your fingers tremble as the enormity of that statement hit you. Piltover was interested in repairing relations with the Undercity? You weren’t fully convinced that it wasn’t a trick of some kind, but if it were true… well, the impacts would be enormous. 

“What- Uh…” You paused, allowing yourself a moment to gather your thoughts before you spoke. “I’m curious about what Jazper has suggested. Have you come up with any options yet?”

“Oh, yes,” Ahri confirmed with a nod. “I believe we’ve found our solution. I already got it approved by Councilmember Shoola, so we’re in the final stages now.” 

“Ah.” It was wonderful to hear that a plan to improve things was already in place, but you had to wonder why you were there. “In that case, what can I do for you? Jazper didn’t tell me much about this meeting before it started.” 

Ahri chuckled. “Jazper has a flair for drama. Let me lay everything out for you: there are many causes of strife between Upper Piltover and the Undercity. I’m sure you are aware of that. There is no one solution that can address the variety of issues between the two halves of the city, and my decision was that no single person can possibly decide how to fix everything.” 

You bit back the irritated expression that was almost certainly trying to bloom on your face. Everyone who looked into the Undercity walked away with an understanding of the enormity of its problems… but they still walked away. If everyone who could help walked away because they were overwhelmed, it wouldn’t help anyone. 

“The Piltover Council has agreed to create a task force,” Ahri continued, cutting your internal ire short. 

“A task force,” you repeated slowly, rolling the words around as if you could test them by the way they fell from your tongue. “To do what?” 

It was a loaded question. Politicians and the people interested in appeasing them often gave vague answers full of buzzwords that were sure to resonate with their intended audiences. People who intended to follow through on what they said they would do, by comparison, would give answers that were far more complex and nuanced. 

“Simply put,” said Ahri, in an already bad start, “the task force will investigate the causes of the problems between Piltover and the Undercity.” 

You nodded, working to keep your smile. “And what will they do with their findings?” 

“Create solutions for individual problems, test how well they work, and adjust as necessary,” she told you. “If a certain solution seems like it would be beneficial on a long-term basis, the Council has pledged to dedicate a sub-committee to continue working on it. They will report their progress to the task force and to the Council, until everyone agrees that there is no benefit in continuing the work further.” 

You took a moment to let that simmer in your mind. Ahri lifted a brow in friendly challenge. “Any other questions?” 

“One.” It was an important one, and you leaned closer intently. “Who will be on the task force?”

“A representative of each Councilmember, each one qualified in some way and vetted by Councilmember Heimerdinger.” Ahri grinned. “I know that's vague. I believe Councilmember Shoola is speaking with an economics professor from the University. Some of the others are searching for urban development specialists and environmental scientists. There should be a good variety.” 

You tried to keep the disappointment from your voice as you summarized, “No one from the Undercity, then.” 

“Strictly speaking, no.” You nodded slowly, but Ahri wasn't finished. “But the whole task force hinges on one person who lives in the Undercity.” 

If she said Silco, you were going to scream. 

“You.” 

The sight of your gaping face couldn't have been an elegant one, and Ahri probably lost any hope of your professionalism, but you couldn't help it. “Me?” 

Ahri laughed. “Yes, you. The Council wanted someone trustworthy, someone who knows the problems of the Undercity without being drawn into the attitude of spiteful independence that has made Upper Piltover reluctant to help in the past. Jazper recommended you quite highly.” 

Tears rose to your eyes and climbed your throat. “That was very kind of him,” you managed. 

“If half of what he says is true, Jazper’s recommendation is well-deserved.” Ahri gave you a sympathetic smile. “I understand that it's an overwhelming request. Like I said earlier, let me give you all of the facts and you can make your decision from there.” 

When you finally left Stonesea, your mind was filled to bursting with all the details of the offer. You would have to move to Piltover proper, since the task force was intended to start working full-time as soon as you arrived. You were going to be part of the task force - not its leader, but the one who would approve the ideas suggested by other members. 

As the only person who had worked in the Undercity, especially extensively, you had a vital vantage point on what would work and what would be a waste of city funds. The whole thing hinged on you: the work you had done with the Haven put you in a unique position. You were an expert on the workings of the Undercity while also considered trustworthy by the Piltover Council. Ahri had danced around it carefully, but if you declined the job, the task force would not happen. 

It had a strong potential to be an empty and placating gesture. There were good odds that Piltover was doing this to give the impression that they cared so they didn't have to spend time working on more realistic solutions.

At the same time, you were hopeful. This was the first time the Undercity had ever had a dedicated representative of any kind in Upper Piltover. It wouldn't fix everything and you were keenly aware of your own shortcomings, but it was an important step. The Undercity would have a voice working closely with the governing officials. 

You had no choice but to accept. 

By the time you arrived at your office, you were dazed. You sat behind your desk, pulled a cheap notepad closer to you and began to scribble. It helped ease the massive tide of thoughts colliding inside of your mind, and a rough to-do list started to take shape under the scrawl of your pen. 

You would need to do the next few months of grant requests. The others were more than capable, but you needed to make sure it was done. You needed to pack, obviously. You would have chances to come visit the Haven every so often, but not regularly enough to store belongings there. 

And, most importantly, you had to name someone to run the Haven while you were gone. You had already decided that it should be Arunn. For all the work he had done on himself and with other people, there was no one you trusted more to keep things going without you. Besides, with all the time Arunn spent by your side, he had a fair idea of how to run the Haven. 

Even so, you started a new list. This one outlined the guides you would need to build to help Arunn through the first few weeks without you. There was a lot that needed to be done and all of it seemed to be in rotation at any given time, but you had also spent your time building a solid team. Every member of the Haven’s staff was good at what they did, and they would help support Arunn until he felt comfortable on his own. 

You smiled a bit as you thought of how Arunn’s journey at the Haven had started and just how far he had come. He was wonderful, a natural caregiver with enough common sense to know when to back away from a situation instead of pursuing it. Yes, Arunn would be a marvelous person to lead the haven, but you had to contain yourself - you hadn’t actually asked him yet. There was a chance he would say no, though you doubted it. 

Every muscle in your body tensed as the door flew open with explosive force. 

You had half-stood from your chair when you saw the cause of it: Silco was standing in your doorway. 

At first, your focus was behind him. It was a terrible risk for Silco to come to the Haven, and you hadn’t planned for a meeting that day. You hadn’t done anything to divert staff members from being on the ground floor or in the area around your office. 

Fortunately, the hallway behind Silco was empty. You stared at him in shock and dismay. “Well?” you hissed. “Close the door!” 

“Is it true?” 

The demand was nonsensical, so you couldn’t blame yourself for staring blankly at Silco. “What are you-” 

“Say it isn’t true!” he barked out, crossing the room in a few rapid strides. “Tell me you are not stupid enough to accept a job on some task force the Piltover Council put together.” 

You fought a wince at the venom in Silco’s voice when he spat out ‘task force’. Carefully avoiding eye contact, you moved around him to close the door. When you turned, he had wheeled in place in front of your desk, watching you with an intense expression. 

No - not simply intense. His face burned with scarcely-controlled rage. You noticed for the first time that his clothes were in disarray. Nothing the average person on the Undercity streets would notice, but you did.

“Silco…” 

“Do not.” The warning sliced through the stillness of your office, cracking like a whip against your ears. “I will not believe you are so foolish as to fall for such a blatant attempt to placate the people of Zaun.” 

“I’m sorry to fall short of your expectations,” you said stiffly. You didn’t particularly enjoy being called stupid, especially twice in such a short span of time. 

Silco’s eyes burned at you, but he glanced away after a moment. You watched him take a deep breath, combing his fingers through his hair until it was swept back and away from his face. He tucked his hands behind his back as he studied a picture on your wall in a faux-casual manner. “You will turn down the offer.” 

You managed to keep from laughing outright. In Silco’s current mood, there were good odds that doing so would lead to violence. Instead, you kept your voice as calm as possible as you replied, “I will not.” 

The thin veneer of calm on Silco’s face disappeared in an instant as he wheeled on you, baring his chipped teeth. He managed to keep from shouting, but you could tell from the tension in the muscles of his neck that it was a close thing. “Do not test me. Not on this.” 

“I thought this over,” you argued. “Examined it from every angle. There are more reasons for me to take the job than to refuse it.” 

“Perhaps you did not think long enough on the other side,” Silco suggested. “Allow me to enumerate several of the many reasons you should not accept the position you have been offered.”

He wasn’t going to change your mind. You knew that and you suspected that he did, as well. Still, letting him explain might help him accept it more easily when you told him that you were going to leave. 

Plus, it might help soothe the twinge of guilt you felt when you realized that your relationship with Silco hadn’t even been a consideration as you were making your choice. You gestured for him to make his case. 

“First,” Silco started, and you already started to regret your choice. He had the air of a professor giving a lecture on something he loved - and he knew his audience was a captive one. “It is an empty gesture. Piltover has no true interest in reconciling the differences between us. There is too much to be gained with things remaining exactly as they are now.” 

You didn’t bother telling him that you had already thought of that. 

“Second, Piltover wants to recognize Zaun as part of itself. As the ‘Undercity’. Even the way they refer to us is as a lesser entity. They repeat time and again that we are lower and meaner, closer to the very dirt Piltover cleans from its streets. By accepting a place on this task force, you are undermining the possibility of a nation of Zaun.”

“That isn’t fair,” you objected. “Just because you hold out hope for a hypothetical future doesn’t mean I can’t work on making things better now.” 

“Hypothetical?” Silco repeated, an odd gleam in his eyes. “Only weeks ago, you were referring to Zaun and speaking of ways to make life better for her inhabitants. This is how we accomplish that.” 

“No, this is how we accomplish that,” you countered, patting your to-do list so he could be certain what you were referring to. “Thank you for sharing your opinions and arguments, but I haven’t heard anything that-” 

“I have not finished,” Silco said, a grim curve to his mouth. “Third, and perhaps the most important, I will not allow you to reside so far away.” 

You scoffed, the noise loud and rough in the quiet of your office. “We never negotiated an end to our agreement, but you don’t have the authority to tell me where I can or cannot live.” 

“Can I not?” he asked, tilting his head. 

“No.” You sighed, glancing down at your list as you thought over everything you had built. All you could do was hope that the community that had formed around the Haven would stand firm, even when things began to change. “Stupid as you think I am, I am not foolish enough to think that you’ll keep Shimmer out of the neighborhood-” 

Silco laughed. It was a sharp, mirthless sound. “Shimmer? Pet, I will do far more than release Shimmer on the streets. If you attempt to leave Zaun, I will ruin your life.” 

It was difficult to smile when your heart was choking you, but you did your best. “Ruin my life? How would you do that? By telling Piltover about the single donation I accepted from you?” 

“No,” he said, withdrawing a thin folder from an inner pocket of his coat. He tossed it carelessly onto your desk. “With this.”

You stared at the folder, framed by the edges of your to-do list.

Despite the haphazard way Silco had tossed it there, it had managed to keep its contents. And, judging from the way the folder’s cover was propped up, there were plenty of contents for it to hold. 

A sense of dread filled you as you continued to eye the folder like it was going to catch fire. Whatever it held, it couldn’t be good. And that wasn’t even taking into account the low threat in Silco’s voice when he said that he would ruin your life with it. 

“What is it?” you asked at last, looking up to meet Silco’s eyes. 

He nodded at the folder. “Insurance.” 

You glared silently. Clearly, Silco had no interest in handling this maturely. It figured - you finally had the chance to help repair things in the Undercity on a large scale and he decided to throw a tantrum. 

With a sense that you were somehow sealing your fate, you lifted the cover of the folder and peered inside. 

Notes. Pages of them, all filled with Silco’s small yet elegant handwriting. The first held an account of the first time he had watched you. Judging from the date, it was nearly a week before he had spoken to you. His account of that first meeting and a notation about you directing Arunn to the Haven filled the rest of the page. 

You leafed through the stack and started to find other evidence of your relationship with Silco. A handwritten receipt for the first check he had given you. Messages you had sent back and forth to communicate meeting times. Photographs of you walking up the staircase that led to his office.

Your hands were shaking. It could have been fear. It could have been rage. You weren’t overly concerned about the cause, because you were busy funneling all of your strength toward keeping a blank expression when you looked back at Silco. 

“Notes and records,” you remarked casually, flipping the cover of the folder closed once more. “None of it is very important.” 

Silco’s scarred upper lip was lifted in a snarl. “Despite how unimportant you deem our history, I believe you will find it matters a great deal to the Piltover Council.” 

You gave him a skeptical look, hoping that he couldn’t see the way your pulse was pounding in your throat. “Does it look great? No, definitely not. They might have reason to doubt my morals. But none of your ‘insurance’ is incriminating.”

“Is it not?” he asked in that lofty way that made you want to hit him. “Of all the evidence there, you believe there is nothing that would make the Council reconsider this plan? Their task force, which hinges entirely upon your moral character for justification? Because I disagree.”

“You said you would never use our relationship as blackmail material,” you protested. It sounded weak and childish even to your own ears, but it was the only argument you could think of that had a chance of swaying his opinion. “You promised me that before we started any of this.” 

“And I have not broken that promise,” Silco insisted. “I will not use our physical relationship - I do not need to. I have plenty from our business interactions. The money, the deals, the meetings. Innocent enough on their face, but given the skepticism Piltover holds for the nation of Zaun…”

Interrupting him was unwise, but not nearly as unwise as what you said when you did. 

“There is no nation of Zaun,” you snapped, relishing the way his eyes widened in astonishment. “That is nothing more than the pipe dream of a failed revolution. The people live in the Undercity of Piltover. Their lives are miserable because of people like you, who would rather burn down both halves of the city than allow it to join back together.”

Silco’s expression had gone flat, unreadable. You continued ranting, your words providing the only release to the stress of the situation. “If you are not the one helping people, you won’t let them be helped at all. You think of yourself as a benevolent ruler, but you’re nothing more than a power-hungry gangster obsessed with his own perceived power.”

Your office went deathly quiet. The only sound was your own quickened breaths as you glowered at Silco. He stared stonily back. 

“You are correct about one thing,” Silco admitted lowly. “I would rather burn this city down than allow it to be subjugated by Piltover again. And if I would burn my beloved Zaun, do you truly believe I would not use every weapon in my arsenal to keep you from speeding that subjugation? You will refuse the position on this task force, or I will release this information to the Piltover Council.”

He wasn’t smug. You had half-expected that he would be, but Silco seemed deadly serious. Two paths yawned in front of you with no room to continue as things had been. 

On one side, you could accept Silco’s terms. At the surface level, nothing would have changed. You would continue with your deal, continue working to help the Haven’s patients, and live with your knowledge of what could have been. But something would have shifted between you and Silco. He would know that he held power over you that was far greater than the power you held over him. Things would change, and they would stay changed forever. 

On the other path, you would simply… not. Not allow Silco to dictate your future. Not allow him to control the future of the entire Undercity. That would change everything from the surface all the way down to the bedrock. Your entire working relationship with him would be destroyed in one day, with one single decision. 

“No.” 

The very shadows around Silco seemed to deepen. “Do you doubt my intentions?” 

You wanted to laugh, but you were worried you would start to cry. Instead, you shook your head. “Your intentions have never been in question, Silco. You can give your information to the Council. They will probably cancel the task force and you will have gotten exactly what you wanted. But I have to try to help these people.” 

“You are helping no one but yourself by leaving,” Silco accused. “You care only for your own prestige. No outsider has ever truly cared for the people of Zaun. I dared to hope that you were different.” 

The accusation was a slap in the face. Unfortunately for Silco, you were entirely numb by that point in the conversation. You continued as if he had not spoken at all. “And in the likely event that I stay in the Undercity, our deal is over. You broke the terms of our agreement.”

“I did not such thing,” Silco spat. “These are business dealings-” 

“And you expect me to believe you don’t have a personal file on me?” you demanded, giving a harsh laugh when he didn’t immediately answer. “Exactly. By keeping these records, you confirmed that you planned something like this from the beginning. Our deal is done.” 

Silco loomed over you, mismatched eyes blazing.

You met them without fear as you held the office door open for him. “Get the hell out of The Haven.”

---

Author's Note - So, friends, how are we feeling? Sorry for the angst and I'm even sorrier that there's more to come. We're moving toward the end of this fic. Not super quickly, but we'll probably have things wrapped up in about ten more chapters. (I'm wordy, my bad.)

Anyway, for any of you who were just here for the spicy stuff, there's not going to be very much of that from here on out. A few scenes here or there, sure. And after I'm done wrapping things up, maybe I'll give in to the requests and write a chapter or two from Silco's POV. But if you want to dip out, now is probably a good time for it. (Thank you for reading this far!)

For those of you who intend to see this fic out, I'll see you next month! Feel free to send any questions in asks, DMs, or through the ever-beloved comments section. Thanks for reading!

[jaggedwolf]

okay waiting to watch the new episodes till tomorrow, so in the meantime i'm chronologically ordering the exact ways in which Caitlyn's perspective and Piltover's response to Zaun shifts over the course of act 1

(1) [offscreen in between mourning i guess] Caitlyn browbeats the enforcers into giving Vi a badge,

She says that "if every enforcer had a heart like [Vi's], we could take on Noxus itself"

She threatens to defund the enforcers and I have so many questions about funding mechanisms in this oligarchy.

Is there a new sheriff or is she browbeating the council itself?? Unclear. If the former they are really slacking.

I'm distracted by Nolen saying "After the sheriff betrayed us...well, let's just say it's nice to know there are still good ones left" because final clause makes you jump to her saying there are good Zaunites left but the full sentence only makes sense if she's talking about good enforcers. Or maybe she meant just good people in general and I'm overthinking this.

(2) [early E1 gathering of councilors, Caitlyn, and Ambessa, minus Jayce] The three councilor present decide on a hextech-free flooding of the enforcers into Zaun

Shoola sides with Salo on a full invasion, but sides with Mel on demanding no usage of hextech

Caitlyn objects to Salo's plan (hextech + invasion) on the basis that innocents will be caught in the crossfire...oh buddy...

Mel objects to Salo's plan because the attack was by one person and an invasion risks unifying a leaderless undercity. She prefers posting a bounty on Jinx.

When Shoola says a bounty is pure chance, there's a moment where Mel looks to Caitlyn but Caitlyn stays silent. Someone did not expect to be attending a policy session when visiting her mother's desk. Too bad.

It is very weird that no one mentions Jayce's vote as a councilor

(3) [E1 conversation between Vi and Caitlyn at the Kiramman house, same day as (2)] Vi offers to go after Jinx alone with the gauntlets so no one else gets hurt, Caitlyn says she'll be part of the enforcer invasion and asks Vi to join as an enforcer, Vi is understandably upset by this and declines.

Whole bunch of Caitlyn lines here that have me gnawing at the walls.

"No more rogue mission. No more reckless plans. My mother was right. My arrogance led me to take on more than I could handle and she paid the price." -> ironic in light of later behaviour and it appears the actual lesson learned was no more attempting to investigate Zaun outside of the confines of her dual roles of enforcer and Kiramman

"People are calling for blood. The Council won't stop them. You can show that not all of Zaun supports Jinx." -> the first time we have seen Caitlyn care about Piltover public opinion though it is still in the sense of how it shapes the Council's actions and the first time we see Caitlyn want Vi to publicly be a "good Zaunite".

"I thought you were on our side." -> words that make me go gahhhhh at how unfair they are to Vi. Caitlyn is has already slipped into "us vs them". Vi did not even object to the invasion itself, saying she needs to help, and you could imagine Vi being useful in the undercity without being an enforcer.

But Caitlyn is now stuck in the tunnel vision of doing everything Officially

(4) [E1 conversation between Caitlyn and Jayce, the morning after (3)] Caitlyn imagines herself calmly about to shoot Jinx and then shares with Jayce that she keeps thinking of Cassandra, Jinx, and Vi.

"I want to tear that laugh from [Jinx's] throat forever." lol I love how alarmed Jayce looks here, they are pals but I do not think he has ever thought her dangerous or vengeful.

"I just understand now, how easy it is to hate them. One vicious act." -> Caitlyn is trying to take the outside view on her own slipping emotions, self-awarely seeing that her feelings on Jinx are spreading to people that don't deserve it. If only self-awareness was sufficient. But you could see a path here, right, where her feelings cool and stay focused.

Jayce wonders if Vi is right in wanting to go down there with the hextech gauntlets, which is interesting considering how they parted ways last season! His plan for peace did literally get blown up.

Again, no discussion of Jayce's vote as councilor.

"Hextech may keep us alive Jayce, but it's not what will save us." Does anyone know that Jinx's weapon was hextech-powered?

(5) [E1 conversation between Caitlyn and Vi] Caitlyn is angry about the attack, Vi tries to reassure Caitlyn about her grief, concluding that Caitlyn won't have to do this without her.

Tangent: Vi worriedly starts their conversation by saying "Thought you were going to get yourself killed" and Caitlyn straight up ignores that concern, doesn't even acknowledge the sentence. Girl.

"A memorial. What kind of animals!" and "All they did is piss me off!" Really love that we get a shot of just Caitlyn's snarling teeth here, an implication that it is Caitlyn who is reverting to animalistic impulse. Her anger has spread beyond Jinx.

Vi does not call that out, merely tries to shift Caitlyn's perspective to seeing the attack as strategic

Again, it makes me very sad how gentle Vi tries to be with Cait in S2 Act 1, out of both guilt and simply wanting to take care of her in her grief. And how that might've ultimately been the wrong approach.

Vi wants Caitlyn to call off the invasion and we get a back and forth of "None of this is on our terms" / "Maybe you should change that" / "I don't know how, okay!" At this point Caitlyn is at a loss on not just the correct response to Zaun but on how to manage Piltover politics, given that she immediately pivots to talking about her mom

Caitlyn lets herself have exactly 1 second of physical comfort before pulling away and saying she was wrong for springing the enforcer badge on Vi.

"Every way I slice it, if I go after your sister alone, one of us comes back in a box." Yes, there's fear here, but it also sounds like...she doesn't want the ending to this to be killing Jinx, as much as she visualizes it. I don't think she's lying to Vi here, or anything like that.

(6) [E1 strike team reveal] Caitlyn dives into the Kiramman's microfiche and decides to use the Gray, Jayce builds hextech weapons, the strike team interrupts the Council

"I know you doubt the merit of your birthright, Caitlyn. There's wisdom in that. But remember: You're a Kiramman." Wonder if this was in some kind of letter Cassandra left for her...

Also very curious about the order of events here, because I can see it either way. Does Caitlyn decide on the strike team method before diving into her family's logs, or does she dive in first in an attempt to understand what her mother has left her with?

Regardless she decides on temporarily venting the Gray into parts of Zaun to clear the way for the strike team. The Gray appears to be somewhere between very bad pollutant and tear gas.

Mel is hesitant when Salo insists that they need hextech in the invasion. Intriguing that Jayce works on these weapons for Caitlyn without revealing anything to Mel. Honestly, poor Mel, at this point she is the only one resisting an attack, and her political allies have worked behind her back.

"I am a decorated officer. Leader of House Kiramman. Address me with respect, or keep your mouth shut." I am guessing Mel (and Jayce, but who knows) threw some commendations for figuring out Silco's shit, or Caitlyn is straight up lying about the decoration ahahaha. Claiming leadership of her house, god finally, throw some political weight around please.

The three objectives of the strike team are (1) locate Jinx (2) dismantle Shimmer (3) neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco

These are not the worst objectives but note that among them is not "identify who is responsible for the memorial attack". Far cry from the woman whose bedroom floor was covered by a conspiracy board. Political constraints but primarily her own new pre-disposition to never hesitating again have made her cast investigation to the side. Who needs to find the truth, when you already know it?

Hextech: Unsurprising that Caitlyn would be fine with this, even if both Vi and Jayce weren't somewhat positive in earlier conversation

This whole thing makes it so funny that Caitlyn is later surprised to be named dictator. Girl, you literally overrode a state policy decision!

(7) [E2, strike team meets Smeech and co.] Accountant man gets his wits scared walking within a Gray-filled building of Margot's (the chem-baron controlling the brothels), and presumably Smeech's gang makes an deal with the strike team

The Gray leaves Margot's gang-members wheezing and crying on the floor. No dead bodies or blood, but it is very unclear what the goal of exploring this building was

They got lucky to run into a chem-baron happy to make a deal

Tangent: Numbers chem-baron (Chross) says Piltover outnumbers Zaun four-to-one

(8) [E2, strike team and Jinx in arcade] The strike team flood the run-down arcade with the Gray, but fail to locate Jinx

It is after Maddie declares an all-clear that Caitlyn panics and shoots a random target. First time we've seen have that bad trigger/shooting discipline. Do not think anyone talks to her about it.

First indication that it also Jinx-specific fear and not just guilt/grief/hatred driving Caitlyn. Like, I don't think Jinx was actually standing at the back of the gallery with her gun outstretched, that was all Caitlyn's imagination and the bathroom kidnapping coming back.

(9) [E3 opening montage] The strike team flood streets and buildings with the Gray to clear them, using the vents themselves to travel through the undercity, and go after chem-barons and Jinx

Random civilians run away from the Gray in regular street

The strike team attack various members of Chross's and Margot's gangs, if I'm judging correctly from fashion. They interrogate them about Jinx's location

The strike team capture Chross and Margot, given the visual of a net leaving Caitlyn's gun and covering them. Did not realize this at all on my first watch.

The strike team destroy several shimmer factories

The strike team dodge Jinx bombs

(10) [E3 strike team finds strung-up accountant man] They interrogate him, Caitlyn ordering his arrest at the end of it

Is the fish man enforcer a medic or trained as such? He's the one to examine accountant man's eyes with a tiny flashlight, and did the same for Caitlyn after the memorial attack.

As accountant man wheezes and sneezes, Caitlyn points her gun at him and demands he tell her how he wound up there. (S1E4 at ~16:00 is a good comparison, where Caitlyn is still trying to get information out of an injured Zaunite but is also instinctively empathetic to their pain, kneeling down and trying to stem his wound with her handkerchief)

Both Vi and fish man are disturbed by Caitlyn doing this. Big guy enforcer and Maddie are off staring at the fucked up dolls of the strike team, so they don't see this.

Vi kneels down, both to get to eye-level with the guy and to effectively place herself between Caitlyn's gun and him. Again, Act 1 has a lot of Vi trying to quietly manage Caitlyn in this way.

(11) [E3 Vi and Caitlyn kiss scene] They decide to send the rest of the team back, Vi asks Caitlyn not to change, Caitlyn kisses her

Vi argues that Jinx would use the others against them, Caitlyn says "I can't let her get away again. Are you sure you're ready to—" and is cut off by Vi.

Very ambiguous on how much they're going into this planning to kill Jinx as opposed to how they captured Chross and Margot. Did they discuss this explicitly with each other? Absolutely not.

Vi says "I'm sorry I can't bring [your mother] back" and asks Caitlyn not to change and again, it makes me so sad how Vi too is wracked with guilt but cannot ever say "I'm sorry I didn't let you shoot my sister" and so keeps apologizing in general and by not being direct with Caitlyn about her latest fucked up behavior.

Like I said in a different post, I don't think Caitlyn even notices that Vi is disturbed by her behavior, I think she genuinely just wanted to reassure Vi. (And maybe felt comfortable with the kiss since they were so damn close to it being over and Vi seemed certainly on her side.)

Big guy is suddenly injured and being supported by fish man as they leave, did I miss something.

(12) [E3 Vi and Caitlyn vs Jinx and Sevika, the child is present] A fight scene with hextech fritzing weapons (and Sevika's scars?), Vi blocks Caitlyn's shot because there is a kid right there and Caitlyn is very cross.

"Cait. If you see an opening, take the shot." Caitlyn searches and seems to find confirmation in Vi's eyes, and takes the shot, and man that must've been a brief moment of utter relief.

But again, a different vibe from "one of us ends up in a box" where Caitlyn seemed to dislike either option. It's sort of like...Vi offers this as an apology.

I think we have yet to see Caitlyn kill anyone, am I correct? Not to go sickos.png, but I would like to see that this season

I don't think the shot at Jinx's hand is a miss, as frantic as it is, because right before we see Vi's head is blocking Jinx's.

Caitlyn lowers her gun when she sees Vi has Jinx pinned even though she could take a shot and it's like, is she trying to let Vi handle it herself because it's her sister, is she actually more reluctant to kill than she seems, does she even know

This would be the perfect time for some net capture if both Caitlyn and Vi weren't in fucked up guilt spirals about how they need to kill Jinx to redeem their past mistakes, which is what I think is happening in their brains. Wouldn't it be great to have someone less emotionally invested around to do a normal arrest or whatever.

Vi does actually go for the final punch! Her fist is about to spring forward when the kid gets in between'em.

Caitlyn has zero hesitation in shooting with Vi in front of her, first shot hitting the gauntlet, is how out of her mind she is

Colored Gray gets sent back up into Piltover

(13) [E3 Vi and Caitlyn part ways] Vi and Caitlyn argue, Caitlyn hitting Vi in the gut and leaving her

"I keep telling myself that you're different. But you're not. It's her blood in your veins." Back in S2E1, we see what Cassandra and Jinx look like in Caitlyn's head, but we don't see what Vi looks like. And maybe this is partly why. That she looks at Vi these days and feels some of the same hatred she feels for Jinx

But also that she looks at Vi and knows Vi has a hold on her, can make her doubt and distract herself even when mired in tunnel vision

(14) [E3 ending, Salo's gathering which has Ambessa, Caitlyn, Shoola, the Noxians, the Enforcers, and other Piltovans present] Ambessa declares Caitlyn general, much to everyone's surprise

"Wrath must be met with wrath. You must declare martial law. Appoint a general to lead until this threat is vanquished." Ambessa really benefited from everybody's timing here. Jinx sent up a fresh undercity attack. Vi's been ditched by Caitlyn, Jayce has been banished to the shadow realm, Mel's been banished to a different shadow realm, and so the three most likely objectors are off the board.

Ambessa does lie about the Black Rose attack being Zaunite assassins, but honestly at this point she only needed that to cover up Amara's death, not to motivate a dictatorship.

It is soooo funny that Salo thought he met all of those requirements stated by Ambessa. He was literally just whining to Ambessa about how popular Caitlyn was. If you are establishing a dictatorship, it actually really helpful for your first dictator to be popular and well-liked.

Also I'm going to assume that the entire senior leadership of the enforcers got killed during the S1 and memorial attacks or none of this makes sense.

Caitlyn only starts walking forward once Ambessa says "Come, child." Putting aside my thoughts of toxic yuri, I do not think Caitlyn is raring to rule a city-state despite the synchronization of this with her moral descent. She is thinking and maybe disassociating a little, given the dulling of sound at the end, but primarily understands there is no other choice than to walk forward at this moment. I look forward to seeing her in her dictator era!

Final thought: looking at a map of Runeterra, how is Piltover not freaked out by the constant thought that Noxus might annex them and see Ambessa as a threat that way?? I guess they might have a long-standing peace with Noxus, and Ambessa is a warlord with few holdings and not in the absolute upper tier of the empire. Still.

[melmedarda]

Mel and her knack for ending up in dynamics with older women needs to be studied. She and Ambessa having a Kendrick and Drake level beef with each other. Her unity in holy best friendship with Elora. Her........whatever the hell is going on between her and Lest(I don't know how old Lest is, but Vastaya are supposed to be human-animal/nature spirit hybrids, so she could be quite a bit older than expected). We don't see her interact with Sevika, but I like to think they would get along once Sevika mellows out a bit. She and Shoola could have been interesting too(I maintain that Shoola has similar origins to Mel, but she chose a quieter life in Piltover).

I'm telling you anon, mommy issues will do that to a woman. I really do wish that Mel had a connection on Piltover like Caitlyn did with Grayson. Can you imagine how that would have changed her life and her interactions with her mother?

[magical-girl-coral]

I have the brain worms. Snippet from a scene rewrite where Mel is allowed to be a politician.

When they were done explaining the plan, Sevika, Mel recalls, looked as though she was told to swim through Piltover's sewers. "You left us to live on the streets, declared martial law, threw our people into Stilwater for every petty crime you accused us of, made our lives a bigger hell than it was under Vander or Silco, and now you expect us to fight this war for you?" She asked, her voice both still yet terrifying. Thank god this woman never Ambessa. "This has got to be the saddest joke I've ever heard, and I've listened to some of the lines Jinx practiced before confronting her sister. You've got to be as insane as your mother. Maybe it runs in the family." Jayce got up from his seat. Mel put her hand up to make him stand down. "I understand your anger and frustration, and these are not empty words. But I need you to understand that my mother will not just stop with us." Mel took a deep breath, and revealed the skinniness of her side. Sevika's face went still. "When I was a child, my mother would force me to train until I vomited my stomach acid and collapsed from exhaustion. To this day, my body never truly recovered. I could barely sleep or eat under her watchful gaze, always feeling like I had to push myself beyond my limits so maybe one day I'll gain her approval. She never did anything to prove me wrong. In fact, it only proved me right when she banished me for refusing to kill my confidant, Elora, because only bloodshed fits her idea of power." Mel stared straight into Sevika's eyes. "This is the treatment of someone she claims as family, as someone she wishes to protect. Imagine what will happen to Zaun once she reaches the people she sees as nothing more than the dirt on her boots." Sevika seemed to back down, if only a little, but didn't relent. "We don't do this without getting something back. And don't you dare give up scraps again. We deserve more than your leftovers." "How about Zaun independence?" Jayce suggested. For the first time since the meeting started, Sevika's mask fell. "Is this another joke?" "Far from it," Mel said, backing up Jayce. "We can't blindly give you freedom thanks to everything that happened in the past year, but if you prove yourselves during the battle against Noxus, I'm sure some of the nobles will have no choice but to relent, especially since so many of them fled like cowards and will have no room to talk. Besides, now the council is only Jayce, Shoola and I. What do you think of this Shoola." Shoola turned her head to regard Sevika. She cocked her head to the side in mock consideration. "I think I can be persuaded. But I would like to see the negotiations before we settle for good." "What about the Zaunites in uniforms?" One of the men next to Sevika asked. "We refuse to die in our enemy's clothes. It'll be an insult to what we stand for." "The Zaunites in uniforms will be with the ranger shooters along with Caitlyn Kiramman, as far away from my mother's men as possible," Mel answered. "We simply want to make it look as though that's the size of our army so my mother will get overconfident and let her guard down. Once I give the signal, you will come in with your own armors with the materials we will give you. You will not fall wearing enemy colors." That seemed to fully put Sevika at ease. Or the closest she can get to it, at the very least. "When will we get the materials for the armor?" "The second you agree to our plan." Sevika sighed. "I guess that's fair. How do we know what the signal will look like?" Mel's armor glowed for a split second. Sevika's eyes widened. Mel smirked. "Trust me, you'll know."

[aspiringnexu]

It is, however, a start. Piltover has been immersed in its own corruption for far too long for true equality to emerge immediately. Getting Sevika on the Council is a victory, however small, because she sure as shit isn't gonna let them steamroll her and, unlike the rest of the Council (apart from Shoola, who I imagine will ally with Sevika more often than not, they both fought in the same battle and Shoola has first hand experience with what happens when they ignore and neglect the health of Zaun) she represents a whole helluva lot of people who can and will fight back if this new Council decides to try and bring things back 'to the good old days'.

Its not much but it is a start.

Oh those nasty glares and head-shake… The dynamic of oppression is far from over and I hope Sevika keeps on fighting for Zaun’s sovereignty.

A single seat in the council to represent Zaun is a goddamn joke…

[soliusss]

yeah there's this one scene in arcane where this guy has this big hammer and I screamed like "ROBERT?? ROBERT BUMARO???" kinda inspired what I imagine his hammer looking like now

I DONT THINK IVE SEEN THAT YET BUT I CANT WAIT. WHEN I first saw shoola I was like "trunnion??? Trunnion is that you???" She's got the claws and color scheme and temperament and everything

Totally not stealing the cool mekhanical collar thing for future ideas

[moonsdancer]

I saw the femslash Feb post and I wonder about your thoughts on Mel/Sky? 👀 (Mel/Elora is also a 👀 I may write a quick something for).

Oh, Mel/Sky is a sweet spot of mine, the two of them or as part of a polycule with the lab bros, because it's really right there for us to take it and run. Also love the idea of a keenly observant Mel noticing how in love Sky is with Viktor, and maybe trying to play matchmaker, like Emma, and accidentally falling in love herself LOL. Just imagining all the advice Mel would give to help Sky gain Viktor's attention and it would be things Viktor is completely nonplussed and indifferent to because his head is buried so deep in the hexcore he can't remember what the sun even looks like.

I ship Mel with literally everyone because she is a pansexual goddess in my hc. So we really should deliver some Mel/Elora, Mel/Sky, Mel/Sevika and Mel/Shoola, FOR THE CULTURE.

[letters-to-rosie]

the fan is a good point---the mines likely have moved. there are probably still some, but obviously it's not as common as it was in Silco's day, because his whole pitch to the chembarons is also "let me remind you why we're not going back to the mining days," which also implies that the worst of that time is behind them, but it would have needed to exist at one point in order for Piltover to grow and get the label of city of progress and finance things like mines overseas (the question then is whether the mines are privately owned or owned by Piltover as an entity... the type of capitalism is vague but we clearly have something)

I've made a couple posts elsewhere talking about the idea that Zaunites commute to Piltover in large numbers, also based on the idea of the blockade (and because you can't convince me that Pilties do their own, say, sanitation work wholesale), and multiple posts calling what Jayce and Viktor do to the city's economy "hexgate neoliberalism," which doesn't map onto the setting perfectly but works a little too nicely lol. the short of it would is that the rise of neoliberalism in the western world typically also meant the decline of industry-centered economies. the factories get offshored, the economy moves more towards trade and service, and the city becomes a "financial center." they had those before but they had more factories and stuff

hexgates seems to have had a similar effect, making Piltover a "global shipping lane," as Shoola puts it, and clearly most of the city's wealthiest people require the hexgates to do business (the Mel and Jayce scene at the theater). they could still be involved in mining/industry, but that's happening less, probably

AND the other clue is the way that neoliberalism affects something that is really important to Marx's analysis of capitalism, the surplus army of labor. these are like unemployed people who want to be employed and are kept out of the labor market so capitalists can keep control over their workforce, so there's always a place to fall down to, and so the surplus army of labor can be called on for seasonal work, etc. but you don't want this group to be too big. Marx claims that the group being too big is a major driver of English and Irish immigrants to the US in the 1800s. and lowkey implies it's the reason, other than racism and stealing land, for the potato famine. anyway, under neoliberalism, the surplus army of labor starts getting kinda big and winds up more and more precarious. so we see now, like 50 years into neoliberalism, the rise of gig work, terrible job stability everywhere, etc, and the global advent of neoliberalism also coincides historically with changes in the global drug trade. I read an article about this during my masters lol. in the US, Michelle Alexander's famous book The New Jim Crow suggests that this shift led to the war on drugs, that as industrialism fell, drug use rose, and the surplus army of labor was shuffled off to prison more and more

it's easy to imagine how increased worker precarity and generally worsening conditions for the poor would be kinda convenient for a guy wanting to sell a certain purple substance and in need to a network to get it out there. and that relying less on industry and mining would make it easier for the wealthy to ignore it

There is a theory that the way children play serves as a means to simulate and prepare them for the tasks they'll take on as adults. So for all the narrative weight both Jinx and the story give the boxing machine at the arcade it would never have prepared her or the kids to take on Piltover.

What are the two things that Piltovans excel at over their Zaunite counterparts to keep the hierarchy? Weapons and technological development.

When you look at the way Piltovans invest in their children, they don't prioritize hand to hand/melee combat training. Piltovans focus on giving their children experiences in handling firearms, a pursuit that is both leisure sport for the wealthy and a key offense against dissenting Zaunites.

And from the show notes even Jayce, whose family occupies the upper middle class, was sent on educational excursions across Runeterra to explore the world and learn what it had to offer. Without Jayce's education abroad he would never have been inspired to pursue the concept hextech.

It's no wonder that the two figures that are set to be Piltover's biggest threats from Zaun are Jinx and Viktor, becasue they engaged in the same kinds of games and activities as their Piltovan counterparts.

Jinx didn't have an entire forest to preserved to help her practice her sharpshooting like the high houses of Piltover, but she did excel in the few games at The Rift (the arcade) that built on her talents. She's the only Zaunite thus far who's long distance offensive is a strong counter to Piltover's forces.

Viktor couldn't travel the world like Jayce did, but for better or worse he managed to stumble into an opportunity to get real opportunity in research not offered to his peers through Singed. It was through that experience that Viktor knew to turn to Singed when he was at the end of his rope, and the consequences of that will be fully realized in season 2.

Ironically, the kind of skill the boxing game champions is only good for keeping other Zaunites in line. Vander's days of fighting Piltover were way behind him when we first met him, and Vi spends season 1 primarily fighting other Zaunites. It's no surprise the Zaunites who embody the old ideal of strength in Zaun that the game portrays, Vi and Vander, are largely at the mercy of Piltover and end up collaborating with them to avoid further harm.

Zaun's future as an independent city-state couldn't happen if they stuck to their old ideals. The people who stand a chance against Piltover are the ones that not only succeed but excel at playing Piltover's games against them.