#silco is jinx and viktor's adopted father

[arcane-fanfictions]

Like Father like Son

Chapter 1: The Beginning

It hadn't even been an hour since the explosion. Fires raged all around their once office, lab, home and city, but now it laid in ruins. Anyone within the line of sight of who survived the blast was in significant danger of his wrath. Whomever did this would suffer a very long, drawn-out death. The only thoughts running through his mind keeping him sane were two things. His kids.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" He screeched, his ragged voice strained from the force of the blast, years of surviving fumes of the mines and smoking. A faint shift to his left revealed a large broad-shouldered woman with a beautiful face riddled with pain and absolute hatred. Her sneer gave her words away before she said them. Only one of his pupils contracted, while the other remained unaffected by his mounting fury.

"We didn't find either of them in the rubble... we're working on it. The Enforcers are combing all over our turf, looking for proof of bodies. Knowing Jinx, she is strong and more than likely got out before. It's-" The expression of fear on her face made it apparent she stepped a bit too far.

"DO NOT, dare say it Sevika. I would know if either of them is dead, without proof. Jinx I have no doubt is fine. She seems oddly capable of avoiding certain doom. He, on the other hand is ungodly stubborn, even more irksomely so than Vander. Physically he is not strong but mentally he is unmovable. Strictly speaking, he's too stubborn to be killed so easily. He's a smart boy, he knew the risks. He's alive. And I dare pray you don't prove me wrong."

Sevika narrows her eyes, despite her own feelings about the pair she knows better than to test Silco's inexplicably thin patience. The sneer formed into a deep scowl as she turned.

"I'll do what I can. I found survivors of our group, and I'll send them to find them. When we do we will report back. But my top priority is YOUR safety. I will be back the moment I send those orders. The cause dies if you're not around. So don't be a dumb ass and do something stupid while I'm gone."

With a faint mechanical click, Sevika turned and walked briskly back to the small group of ragged looking survivors, huddled far enough back in the somewhat intact brick and motor alleyway. There was a loud series of orders being barked out from Sevika as the ragtag group slowly dispersed to attempt to locate the two missing members. The sound made Silco's blood freeze, as he stared where his office just was moments ago. A faint hum escaped his throat lazily, as he knelt slowly down to his shattered cigar box, the one sat nestled next to his favorite bomb design made by Jinx.

A faint sad quirk of his lips traced itself across his face, as he reminisced in the bittersweet memory. All lost now. It was one of his most prized possessions from his kids, along with the first little robot his son successfully created. Clankerbot, he called it. How it made him smile seeing the rare toothy smile his little boy gave him that day when he said how proud he was of him. Such a shy timid little boy. Yet he grew up to be extremely hard headed stubborn as EVER and wickedly intelligent, yet so fragile physically.

Yet despite it all he became so strong of mind and will. It reminded him so much of himself when he was younger. Still to this day he hated seeing his little birds getting older and ready to spread their wings, into a society of rotten people no food less chances of a happy life and under the feet of the topsiders, who know nothing of what it is like to suffer. It made him sick. Before he knew it Sevika was back at his side, waiting to escort him to a safer location. That ever present indifferent scowl returned to his face, his back still to her.

"Even now I presume you won't even grant me the chance to search for my own offspring hm?" Silco asked, a faint hint of cynical sarcasm creeping into his slippery tone. Sevika snorted and walked next to him, easily dwarfing him by a solid foot. Despite that he didn't flinch. HER loyalty to him was resolute, solid, and never wavering. She was one of the very few people who nearly had his full trust. Nearly.

Sevika stares at him, despite being taller it is not a condescending stare but a stern look of respect yet concern.

"Being your kids, it'd take a lot to kill them. Especially Jinx. They will turn up. But right now with all these Enforcers around, we don't have the time to waste or risk. We need to go..." She said, with a tone oddly lacking in severity. Perhaps he mistook it but he swore he heard a legitimate twinge of fear at the very end. That's new. The moment was gone the moment she set a hand on his shoulder nudging him forward. She was right. If he died, there'd be nothing. Nothing for his kids to come back to. They'd find them. He'd scour the rubble as he went, hoping for a sign they'd be OK.

"Fine. Lead the way." He hissed, eyes narrowing as he strode along behind her, scanning every nook and cranny as he went through the remains of the small life and family he had built, and just watched burn to the ground before his eyes.

***...Meanwhile, a few blocks over in Zaun...***

The streets were swarmed with enforcers, and nowhere seemed safe. For whatever reason fate seemed hellbent on absolutely screwing him over. First, he was minding his own damn business in his home, when his sister storms in and, of course had to start shit up. Not again...

Unfortunately, she and their father had another tiff. Normally, he kept his nose out of his father's business, especially because he hated how often it resorted to violence. And shimmer. It hadn't even been 10 seconds before she leaned on his shoulder her long blue braids nearly hitting him in the face as she moved like a liquid cat across his room desk and the back of the chair he was sitting in. How the HELL she did it he didn't know.

Honestly, kinda hurt especially since he was physically limited to a fragile and less than ideal body. Especially his leg. Watching her move so effortlessly while he barely managed to walk without a cane and a custom made leg brace honestly felt somewhat insulting. Either way, it was extremely graceful, when she hadn't been doing it to be a typical obnoxious sister. As she was right now.

"What happened this time...?" He said, his voice husky from lack of use and thick accent. The bags under his eyes were getting more prominent by the day. Sleep had been getting more and more difficult, especially with how many orders he had to fill for his clients. And fact he had a very hard time saying no to those who were suffering. And how the numbers only kept getting longer and longer and longer.

Prosthetics and repairs for many miscellaneous items never ceased. Small jobs to big ones, he didn’t care. He was helping them in his own small way. Meanwhile, his father assisted drug dependency, gang wars, and violence. Unfortunately, he learned at a young age to keep those opinions to himself. And how his father was NOT going to get him to build weapons. Jinx handled that, not him. It certainly didn't stop them from having some occasional nasty spats about the displeasure of each other's CAREER choices. Regardless, he did raise him as his own when he lost everything, even younger than Jinx first met Silco... Even though they don't see eye to eye, Silco was still their dad and always would be.

"SO, dad told me to go up topside and steal some stupid blue gem thingies, right?" Jinx says, leaning on his shoulder as he busily tightens a belt on a heavy machine laid out in front of him, and Jinx gently probes one of his goggle lens up from his eye, making him groan and pause his work. Viktor grimaced at the gesture and sighed in defeat to drop his wrench and stare at her, annoyed.

"And DID you commit theft of these pretty blue gems dad asked you to?" He asked, in a rather deadpan tone. His sister could be annoying grating and absolutely aggravating on all levels, but deep down he does care deeply for her. Judging from the gleam in her deep blue eyes she certainly was going to explain it in a very colorful overzealous story.

"Well, DUH, COURSE I did! Like wow it wasn't even that hard to break in. They focus all their guards in halls doorways windows. But the funny thing is they don't have them IN their labs. Weird huh? So while Sevika handled all the easy guards I took the more fun way and snuck in using the vent systems, also no security on those, and grabbed em. But, that's where things get... messy." The sudden drop in pitch and tone and the increased fidgeting made Viktor pause and look at her.

"Jinx, what happened..." Viktor asked, his golden hazel eyes focusing on her, worry and concern creeping into his voice. When she refused to make eye contact with him and the fidgeting got worse, he knew it was bad.

"OKAY well! I didn't- KNOW those stupid pretty gem thingies could cause..... explosions." She says, her foot tapping rapidly and her eyes shifting all over the room. Her left hand was gripping tightly on her right shoulder as she glanced around, now standing up before pacing frantically. All the color left Viktor's face as he rose from his desk, grimacing as his hip and leg screamed angrily in pain from lack of use and such an abrupt motion.

"Jinx, Jinx- Calm down! Stop... I'm here okay? Take a breath. So what happened the building exploded? How did you not get hurt?!" He asked frustration and anger boiling. Why would Silco make her go after something so dangerous?! She was gifted brilliant but she was HIS LITTLE SISTER, and anything happened to her he would absolutely never forgive any of them. Or himself for letting her go do something so stupid. Then again, it's not like anything he said or did ever would STOP her either.

She lived on the edge of danger every day. She thrived off it. It honestly gave him a pang of jealousy, how easily she could adapt and live a much more adventurous if not reckless life. Yet, he knew that kind of life wasn't for him. Routine and stability were what kept him grounded. And books. Oh, all the books. There are never enough books and knowledge. But books couldn't ever replace Jinx. Nothing could.

It was a long moment when Jinx stood still and stared down at the ground. Her voice shook faintly and her gaze finally met his, eyes firmly locked on him.

"I was... about to sneak out when a guard caught me. I was about to duck out the window when they fired their gun, it hit the gem thingie. Then... half of the council building was blown to smithereens. And... dad was real mad. Like I ain't ever seen him this mad, MAD. It wasn't even MY FAULT!" She yelled, her eyes welling up with tears.

There is a pause and a faint jump when he hugged her, but this time she didn't try to shove him off. Or fight him. Physical contact never was Viktor's comfort zone, but he knew if Jinx was upset enough to come to him and nearly cry, he knew she desperately needed a hug. Guess he could make this exception. Just this once. And deny it anytime she attempted to use this against him as blackmail in the future.

"Hey, you did amazing. First off, you probably pissed off Sevika, which is always a good start~" Viktor said playfully, with a devious rise in his pitch at the end of his comment which earned a faint snort and a giggle from Jinx. That mischievous gleam returned to her eyes as she looked up at him, as he slowly reached for his cane and stood fully beside her.

"Second, you snuck in through the air system, on your own, broke into the highest-level security building and swiped up incredibly important Piltover Technology right under their noses! To me I know that you were absolutely how you say, a bad ass?" He said and the dorky expression on his face earned him a playful punch to the shoulder. Even with her holding back it certainly did smart. For someone so small, she REALLY packed a punch.

"Well... I guess but dad was... real upset. Said the Pilties would be up in arms and 'see it as a threat and a declaration of war' or some stupid thing like that! Fortunately, the blast knocked me into the river, bit scraped up and Sevika and the others got out before they got hurt. No one got killed but from what I heard definitely hospitalized. None of them pompous councilors were there so I don't see WHY it's such a big deal!" Jinx huffed, and slumped into his chair like she was a balloon that just instantly deflated. She made Silco's dramatic episodes look comical in comparison.

"Hm, pretty sure you DID blow up their most fancy and expensive building...-" A cog he had on his desk narrowly missed his head by an inch, and coming from Jinx she definitely missed intentionally. Judging from the scowl forming on his face and the scrunched up look on hers they were back to the typical sibling shenanigans.

"OH shut it you nerd."

"I prefer scientist, thank you."

"UGH you're gonna go into that stupid lecture about the differences between a nerd and a scientist aren't you?!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out as she sat in his chair facing the wrong way.

"WELL since you brought it up-"

"OH ew absolutely not! Today was shitty enough I don't need your nerd scientist lectures too!!" She exclaimed, with a lil extra emphasis to add a bit of harshness to it. Luckily Viktor knew she was joking and he smirked, inhaled like he was about to go onto a LONG LONG speech about it when she pushed him carefully back to his seat and put the goggles, he didn't even notice she managed to steal off his head during their conversation.

A bit baffled, Viktor glanced around as he struggled to process exactly how quickly she can move and if she actually secretly was made of liquid. Judging from that classic smug Jinx expression and hand on hip look she at least had perked up a bit. With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, Viktor slowly eased himself back into his chair as Jinx made her way to the door with a half drunken like sway.

"If you're going to show off go do it elsewhere! And DO NOT TAKE my stuff-" Viktor retorted, turning back to his now completely unorganized desk, while Jinx made her way to his lab doorway, grinning.

"Ppft don't be so angry grumpy pants! And hey.... thanks. For real I mean it... You're the best bro I can ask for. But that never leaves this room!" She whispers giving him the "I'm watching you" hand gestures while staring right at him. The look he returned is one of cold calculated thinking as he stared at her display.

"Hmmmmmm. I guess I'll think about not saying anything of that HUG never comes up-" he countered levelly, the faintest hint of deviousness creeping into his flat businessman tone. The pout he earned quickly made him groan. Ugh, he was going so soft because of his sister. One day she will end up breaking him and he'll cave to her puppy dog eyes. As of right now, she hadn't broken him yet. Unlike Silco. But the SECRECT STARE, was a whole different ball game.

"I was joking. We never speak of this to anyone other than us, I swear on my life!" He stated loudly, making an X motion over his chest where his heart is, a ritual he and Jinx made over the years as kids for swearing absolute secrecy. Neither of them had ever broken it yet, and he hoped it wouldn't ever happen. When she smiled gently, he couldn't help but do the same, before she waved and softly shut the door behind her. If he was honest, the lab was much quieter when she wasn't there, but also was a lot more.... boring. What a crazy thought.

It had taken over an hour for Viktor to put his desk back to its proper organized state ( of chaos) when he paused. Something felt wrong. Whatever was going on, it was getting louder. And closer. Normally, his neighbors and people passing by their home knew better than to make a lot of noise, especially at the risk Sevika may be banging on your door, and she rarely if ever gave warnings. A few broken fingers WAS her definition of a warning. Very convincing one too.

Cautiously, Viktor rose from his desk slowly, hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He wasn't imagining things, that was people running- screaming- and sounds of a very serious scuffle or scuffles heading right towards their home. His blood froze. Silco always warned him the dangers he'd ESPECIALLY be in because he can't run, but what he was good at was hiding and using his quick wit.

Unfortunately, combat was a very poor choice for him as he wouldn't stand much of a chance unless he nailed someone to the head with his cane- and that's if he's lucky. Aaaand unfortunately a decent portion of Zaun knowing he's SILCO'S son.... oh that means the chances of not being killed but TAKEN increased to a VERY HIGH probability. He swore under his breath in his native tongue for literally running the calculations of the probabilities of that happening in his head. Really, NOW?!

With a shaky hand he gripped his cane and slid it under his arm, glancing around trying to figure out which spot would be best- by the time he made it halfway across the lab the screaming and sounds of fleeing Zaunians was so loud they were practically outside of his door-

He caught a glimpse of some fleeing people, horror etched on their faces. It was just a split second but one was missing half an arm, blood going everywhere before the sound of a gunshot and a sound of a wall being hit with something wet made him nearly puke on the spot.

Normally, Silco kept him very far from any of the blood, gore, drug deals since he clearly hated them. AND the fact Viktor spent an entire week making his father's life a living HELL through endless complaining and ranting he decided the cost of making Viktor endure such things was not worth the benefit. The only time he ever did it he handled it with a very cold detached expression and a poker face to even rival Silco's, but that didn't stop his pure disgust with his father afterwards. Granted... he was grounded from his lab for a MONTH after he won that argument but it was worth it. Spared him seeing unnecessary violence and suffering... Well. Any ADDITIONAL suffering, anyhow...

A second gunshot caused part of the glass window to his right to shatter into bits, making him flinch and instinctively cover his face and eyes with his arm. They may not know he's in there yet- two more steps till he was at the floor hatch door-

Glass cut and dug itself into his boots and feet, making him grimace with every step. Shit- he tugged hard at the hatch door lever and pulled once he was kneeling on the ground and cleared as much of the glass shards as he could with a nearby book. While he was on the floor wanted to spare his legs shins and knees any extra glass shards. His boots and feet had enough, he didn't need MORE. Despite his best efforts, some sneaky shards managed to bury themselves in his legs anyhow. All he could do was try to ignore the pain and possible bleeding.

Without pausing he heaved open the heavy metal door hidden directly in the middle of his lab when he heard the sound of something metal being shot out of what sounded like a large hollow tube. There was endless screaming now, and sounds of muffled barked orders metal armor and weapons making contact with bone clothes and skin. Enforcers- this was VERY BAD-

He didn't have long when the rest of his window shattered fully, the damage exacerbated by the metal looking can that came in and clattered loudly on the wood floors. By the time the can stilled, he had managed to wedge the hatch door open wide enough for him to slip though and quickly close it behind him if necessary. It was a horrendously painful struggle to get on his knees alone and slowly swing his legs over the trapdoor edge, but the noise outside was quickly disrupted by a new and much more worrying sound.

The can burst open, spewing large amounts of a noxious green gas into the lab, clouding the entire space with a green haze thick enough to grab with his bare hands. It spun in circles as it did, propulsion forcing all the contents out of its small metal prison at a startlingly fast rate. Viktor gagged and wheezed, tears streaming down his face as the gas stole every ounce of clean air in a matter of seconds. It burned his eyes, blurring his vision and made his lungs feel like they were on literal fire.

The coughs and wheezes it caused him to double over, stalling his escape to the mines and dirt flooring below.  Before he knew it the front door of his home was kicked in followed by heavily armored enforcers came swarming in. Their guns were at the ready, sniper sights sending small red beamlike lights scouring over his family home.

Weakly Viktor attempted to cover his nose and mouth using his under shirt, staring down at the bleak scape deep down beneath his laboratory. Last time Silco made them do emergency runs for such events, the specially designed sliding metal ladder did had extended down into the darker depths lurking below. The time between then and now, it seemed the ladder had become jammed. The ladder whined and creaked, the metal just within sight hidden slightly under the hatch door groaned weakly in protest.

Of course, of COURSE it would be stuck. Why would anything work? Life was never that simple. Especially when it was actually important. If he wasn't in a possible life or death situation, he so would've cussed the thing out harshly before PASSIVE AGGRESSIVELY tearing it apart and putting it back together.

With an agitated groan and a series of coughs, he dragged his cane a bit closer, before scooting towards the side of the hatch door, squinting best he can to see where the motor was. There. He could just barely see it. If he was going to do this, he’d have to be fast and precise. One wrong move, either a spark or a noise, could have deadly consequences. A spark could end up blowing them ALL UP, and too much noise would risk bringing the enforcers to him faster.

Neither sounded good, so…. Viktor took a slow breath before lowering himself onto his stomach, with his cane now hanging in his hands and arms dangling down into the darkness just above where the ladder would have been. He had to force himself NOT to look down, because he knew he'd clam up if he did. The thought made his hands shake a little but, but it didn't deter him.

With a confident grunt, he thrust his cane forward with as much force he felt would knock the machinery’s safety lock. The motor whined and groaned, and the safety lock creaked eerily, before a loud clunk followed. Part of the very rusted safety lock was hanging loosely from the strong elastic belt, but it was still holding on. Perhaps another hit or two-

A loud crash and something sounding like plates shattering a couple rooms down from him made him wince. They were closing in and fast. The next few hits would definitely be loud- but he had to risk it. They did not know this home inside and out like he and Jinx did. When they were younger they took time to explore every possible nook and cranny, even the creepy dirt barren foundation structures and jokes of Silco storing bodies down there. To be fair... He more than likely dumped at least a few down there... At the moment he was beginning to feel the urge to dump a few himself...

The one thing that kept bothering him was a bunch of bastards currently destroying everything in their home. The sudden realization made his blood boil, and his grip on his cane tightened. A deep growl began to form in his throat as he heard more items and bits of his property currently being demolished filled with a burning fury, one he needed to dislodge a safety lock-

With a lot more rage behind his cane, he managed to hit the locking mechanism two more times before the machine whined before a loud SNAP followed. The entire time he was trying to limit his breathing, to avoid causing more coughing fits and drawing more attention to himself. The elastic band and locking mechanism slipped off, and the motor screeched as it dropped from it's prison and plummeted to the ground below. There was a tense silence from the entire house, before the now damaged motor hit the dirt ground with a horrifically loud series of crashes bangs and what sounded like a minor pipe bursting. Loose cogs and screws fell slowly after, adding small mechanical background noises seeming to shift all attention to his lab.

There was a tense and unsettling silence as the enforcers' seemed to stop what they were doing and all directed it towards HIM. A loud screech of metal made Viktor stare in dismay as the now freed ladder was sent speeding down to the earth below, and smashing the remainder of the safety mechanism that somehow survived the drop. The sound made his stomach churn, especially since it meant he still needed to go DOWN that very same ladder-

By the time he slowly scooted himself to the edge of the hatch door, there was sounds of his locked laboratory door being jiggled. Sweat began to bead his forehead, he had been doing all this within 3 minutes and that gas was starting to make his head swim and his body began to feel so heavy and tired. The burning sensation within his lungs began to sting, as he carefully slipped his right foot onto the first wrung of the ladder, his legs shaking a lot. He hated heights… especially ladders. It took several deep breaths before he could put both his feet on the first wrung, mainly using his upper body strength to hold himself steady.

The ladder seemed to wobble a bit, making him tense up. Wearily he grabbed his cane and slipped it over his left wrist, trying to keep it balanced and also not fall off the ladder. Now the only panel of wood (the door) keeping from being brutally murdered was being slammed against with full force by a large enforcer, making Viktor swallow his fear and scurry down the ladder as quickly as he could.

It hurt like hell, as his knee, hip and back screamed in pain at each step or rather awkward shuffle down. It was far from graceful or dignified, but it worked as long as he didn’t die or break a bone. By the time he got far enough down the ladder, he watched as the hatch door groaned and slowly shut itself closed. It sealed itself with a loud whine and a hiss. A loud relieved sigh escaped Viktor's lips, he was elated the shutting mechanism didn’t break from him bashing the shit out of the motor system.

By the time he wearily shimmied down to the 5th wrung, he heard his lab door smash open. He was mildly impressed to hear the door actually being knocked off it's hinges and fully slamming onto the wooden floor with a heavy thump. The vibrations and shaking it caused Viktor to tense up as the ladder shifted and creaked dangerously, his hands sweating and his body trembled. GOD he HATED heights.

All he could do was bite his lower lip to keep his shocked gasp from escaping his lips and alerting the enforcers literally walking only a few feet above his head. Every time they stepped on the wooden floors, dirt and dusted began to rain from the ceiling, easily giving away their location. A series of louder than average footsteps filled the room, and the bustling noise of his lab being torn apart stopped abruptly. This must mean a very high-ranking authority was present… why would they be at HIS home though-

“Did you find anyone…?” Spoke a voice so deep and gruff it nearly gave Viktor chills. Something about the tone commanded absolute attention, and utmost respect. It also made Viktor bristle. That was an accent he was unfamiliar with. Thick, gruff and definitely distant. Not from Piltover or Zaun, but why would outsiders involve themselves in Piltover or Zaunian business? And why the HELL would they be going around assisting in the murder of people just trying to SURVIVE this hell ridden hole?! This complicated things significantly- especially with dad's business and Jinx- They were in serious danger-

Perhaps if he got some information, he’d be able to feed what he found out to his father- if he was still alive… and free. His thoughts were disrupted when the Enforcer a few feet to the left of him shifted before stuttering pretty badly. The floorboards creaked and dust fell lazily, making Viktor’s nose twitch. A tickle in his throat started forcing him to scrunch up his nose and face, as he desperately hoped to hold back a cough or a sneeze. This was horrible timing...

“W-we are doing our best, s-sir.”  The man seemed to shift sightly making every single enforcer in the room quickly take a step back. What kind of man would make them that scared…? When the man merely grunted the entire room collectively nearly pissed themselves.

Viktor was both impressed and horrified. There was a soft pause, before the man seemed to… be looking for something. He stared quietly just above him, as the massive man was standing with one foot over the hidden door, the other on the wood floor. The sounds the wood made compared to the solid metal door was significantly different... Oh no...

A sudden cold sweat made Viktor’s whole body tense up. Everyone in the room seemed to sense it, too. Before he could even blink, he felt it before he heard it. A single solid hit to the hatch door, and the edge of the door buckled. That was made of solid metal! And he was now staring at a hand that was almost as large as his head protruding from the edge, which was now completely smashed through, like wet paper.

His body refused to work- he was frozen in place. It was incredible to watch such strength, such raw power. Before he could blink, the hand began to pull upwards, prying the metal door off its securely locked seal like peeling plastic off a sealed food container. The metal door screeched in agony, metal being torn from the seams and sealed edges, wood planks that overlapped snapping like flimsy twigs.

It was the most horrific sight as Viktor watched light from his lab pouring in down on him. All he could do was stare, slack jawed and in horror. It… was completely open now. And he was staring up at a man who was holding a door that weighed over 50 pounds… like a piece of PAPER, LIKE NOTHING AT ALL.

Every single enforcer was staring in horrified awe at this man, who must’ve been over seven feet tall. Enormous wasn’t even a good enough word to describe this man. Rippling with muscles, there was no ounce of fat within sight. His hair was a dark shade of brown, almost like the bark of the very rare trees that managed to survive a short time in Zaun. A thick beard and mustache adorned his face, his eyes a steely lighter shade of brown than his hair, brimming with sheer determination and unshakable willpower. At present his danger filled brown eyes were threatening to bore holes through his head. Every single fiber of this man screamed power, authority, and commanded utmost respect.

And… now all that pure look of disgust was staring DIRECTLY down at HIM. His insides churned, as for once he felt absolutely horrified. There was absolutely no hesitation or mercy lurking behind that man’s gaze. It was filled with his exact intent, fetch HIM. If they wanted him dead, they would not have wasted their time invading his home. They needed him alive…

And for a split-second Viktor was staring and doing very sloppy calculations of just how easy this giant of a man COULD reach into the basement from where he was kneeling... The man seemed to be thinking the same thing. Debating if he’d be able to snatch Viktor from where he was holding onto the ladder for dear life. Now he realized he was holding on so tightly for an entirely DIFFERENT reason. There was the chance… due to his size he would be very slow- and that was the biggest and worst assumption he ever made in his life.

Within the blink of an eye, the man was already moving like a bolt of lightning, massive hand outstretched trying to snatch him off the ladder. Viktor barely had even a split second to react- Instinctively, he crouched down, feeling the man’s index and middle finger just barely graze the back of his neck. Just judging from the swing, this man was absolutely holding back, and even just that graze was enough to leave a sizable red nick along the back of his neck.

Normally, he prided himself on being level headed in tense and dangerous situations, but right now fear seemed to be taking the steering wheel rather than his logic and sharp wit. Because of his crouching, his grip and sweaty hands caused him to lose his footing and he actually slid down the ladder at least 7 to 10 feet before he managed to get a grip back on it. The sudden traction and grip jolted his spine, and sent searing pain down his back, hips and legs. The pain alone caused him to bite his tongue hard enough to make it bleed, but he refused to let his eyes water.

No. He had lived with this suffering long enough, he refused to cry. ESPECIALLY not in this situation. Much to his delight he hadn’t yet realized his sliding endeavors literally landed him a single wrung above the ground. Don’t show weakness, he spat angrily in his mind. Forcing himself to look up, he stared with all the hate and ire his tiny body could muster directly into the man’s disgruntled gaze. Much to his surprise, the massive man smirked faintly and locked eyes with him in a silent challenge. The man turned and spoke firmly to the nearest enforcer who nearly balked at him.

“Leave this Zaunian scum to me…” The man spoke gruffly, eyes wrinkling around the edges. The expression on his face seemed like he was going to enjoy this little game of cat and mouse. The expression on Viktor’s face was just on the cusp of seething hatred and disgust, matching the beast glaring down at him. The Enforcers all turned and glanced at one another before one spoke up.

“Sir, that’s not- “

“Are you questioning my command?”

A heavy silence fell around the room. The monster of a man rose up to his full height, fists clenched as he rolled his neck to the right, raising his shoulders, creating a rather stiff cracking noise. One of the Enforcers made a gagging sound loud enough for Viktor to hear from down far below them. Hesitantly, Viktor took the final step down, instantly regretting it as his back and hip immediately screeched in agony. Much to his dismay, he barely missed the remaining corpse of the shattered motor and safety lock he dislodged only a few moments ago.

All he did was grit his teeth, taking a few heavy but semi labored breaths, before unhooking his cane from his arm and glancing up one last time at the man. All he could see was the gleam of the man’s eyes before his massive hands gripped the edge of the hatch doorway, before pulling with all his might, making the metal screech in distress. The heavy metal, concrete and wood structures buckled and moaned in protest, but gave way after a few solid tugs of the man’s massive brute strength.

By the time the hole was wide enough, Viktor had already begun making his way through the darkness below, doing his best to navigate the rather dangerous mine terrain under his home. The man grinned before pulling his glaive from it’s holder on his back before letting himself fall into the darkness, hitting the ground in a crouch.

The impact caused the earth beneath him to buckle and shatter under his weight. A slanted smirk crept across his face. He never lost a fight or failed, but one thing Rictus did love was a good challenge. Let the game begin.

[floofysmallbob]

does anyone have any good fics where vi works for Silco and jinx was in Stillwater?

[space-blue]

A complete guide to Blue Daddy's Girl (my) Arcane fics

Multi-chapter

Fathers and Daughters (My big hit)

Alternate AU set after S01E03, where Silco adopts both Vi and Powder. Large ensemble cast, multiple POVs, but mostly Vi.

100k words. Completed. Fanart chapters and art comms.

While the World Turns Around

Silco/Vander post betrayal reconciliation AU. Set before the show. POV Vander.

5.2k words. Completed. Entire chapter of gifted fanart at the end.

Our Love, That Flows Into the Sea is the same fic but from the POV of Silco. Unfinished WIP I don't plan on continuing.

The Shimmer Baron’s Family

Silco/Vander Regency AU. Estranged family, set during a ball at the Medarda estate.

10k words. Unfinished. No plans to finish it, stop asking lol or else make a serious request via my ko-fi.

A Stray

4.7k. Set in the "good verse". Silco and Vander adopt Viktor. One shot converted to WIP, has fanart.

Whatever I do, this is where we end

A dark Silco time loop, but told from the POV of Vander, who gets reset every time unknowingly. Strong themes of violence, suicide, despair and smut. Read the tags.

7.7k words. Completed. No fanart.

Science of the Soul

Ongoing WIP, Jayvik Avatar AU in which Zaunites are Na'vi and everyone from Piltover are humans. With art from me and others.

Cursed, by a brush of your hand

Silco/Vander soulmate AU where the soulmark is framed as a potential life ending curse. Aroace Silco, BFF with Renata Glasc. Basically an aroace perspective on soulmates.

7k words. Completed. No fanart.

What I wouldn’t do for you

Silco & Vander role swap. Silco adopts the kids and runs the Last Drop.

5.2k words. Completed. Open ending. No fanart.

The Darkin Child

Viktor, Singed and Silco are vampire-adjacent monsters, Vander is a werewolf. Married zaundads with Viktor returning to Zaun in hiding.

4.3k words. Unfinished, no plans to finish it.

The Centaur Breaker

Silly centaur AU with Silco as a rancher in a fantasy world (not a US Far West setting), rescuing captured centaurs. Vander, Sevika, Jinx & Vi as centaurs.

2.8k words. Unfinished. Only a single chapter and no plans to continue.

☆ Arcane Art Dump 

The home of all my Arcane fanarts worth saving.

One Shots

Those are sorted by kudos, from the most popular down to least.

Pretty Blue Puffs of Arcane Smoke

829 words. Silco and Powder discuss getting tattoos. Set in the Fathers and Daughters AU.

Worries, and ways to dispel them & Explosions, and their fallout

5k words total. Silco x Reader two parter, written in the week before season 1's finale. 2nd person gender neutral reader without body description.

Lost Child

3.7k words. Pirate Silco is back in Zaun and trying to avoid Vander. He runs into a lost child called "Cait" at Bridgewaltz market.

The Monster Within & The Monster Without

1.3k words for Monster Within. Post-betrayal Silco recovers and cuts his hair. Based on a fanart by @/Wish. 1.6k words for Monster Without. Set at the same time, but Vander POV as he deals with emotional turmoil after attacking Silco (probably my favourite one shot to this day).

Adoption

1.8k words. Vander and Silco are still brothers. They discuss adopting the girls in this no-betrayal AU.

Beer And Bribery

2k words. Vi & Sevika. Set in the Fathers and Daughters AU. Vi asks Sevika for help picking a present for Silco. Written for the Arcane parenting week event.

Let Me Try

4.3k words. Newest on the list! Arcane season 2 finale fix it. Timebomb... Ekko walks away from the final battle in a daze after learning that Jinx is dead. She isn't, no matter what Vi may believe.

Not Dead Yet & A Friend In Need

3k words total. Jinx finds a dead body in Zaun, but Viktor isn’t quite dead yet. Jinx & Viktor, written prior to season 2 for Sicktember.

Without Questions

627 words. Written for a fanart that is currently down, but hopefully I'll fix it soon. Young Zaundads fluff. Vander doesn’t understand what Silco sees in him, but he’s not willing to question it.

Gun Nerds Of All Nations

3k words. Set in a similar AU to F&D but not actually. Powder & young Caitlyn bond at a fair's shooting competition. Written for the Arcane Parenting Week.

Memories of Sweetness

2k words. Set in the Fathers and Daughters AU. Silco discovers that a staple food of his youth, long thought to have disappeared from Zaun, is back on the streets. He has to share this with Powder and Vi, both born too late to have ever tried it.

No Favourite

1.2k words. Vander claims he doesn't have a favourite among his kids, but they don't see it that way. Written for the Arcane Parenting Week.

Hard Truths

3k words. Ren (Marcus' daughter) tries to find to meaning to her father’s death and ends up meeting Jinx in Zaun.

Blame

830 words. Jinx POV heavy angst. Jinx talks to Silco after his death, until Sevika comes to find her. Written for the Arcane Parenting Week.

A Lesson In Silence

3k words. Set in the Fathers and Daughters AU. Mek (now known as Gustove) takes Powder on a spying mission. Written for the Arcane Parenting Week.

Last Chance

1.3k words. Past Silco/Vander. Missing scene in the cannery, a private conversation between them. Generally bitter sweet and canon compliant.

Son of Zaun

2k words. One day, Silco's mother took him up-top, to see the sky, the sun, and the people who live above them all.

Sepia Smile

732 words. The photograph is faded, its sepia tones keeping the colour of the man's eyes a secret. Vi stares at it for a long time, perplexed. She doesn't understand what Vander saw in him. Written for the Arcane Parenting Week.

A Terrible Gamble

2.3k words. Jinx (and Silco whispering in her mind) set off to rescue Vander from Singed’s lab after the events of season 2.

On Your Head

2.5k words. Alternate retelling of Mel and the young princess' of her memories. In the Princess' POV.

Drunken Dreams

Comic fanart. Jinx brings a drunk Vi home.

Just a cough & Dramatics

685 words for Just a cough. The moment Silco wakes up with a sore throat, he knows he's in trouble with Vander. Written for Sictember. 1k words for Dramatics. Vander sickfic to match.

A Fresh Start

1.9k words. Second person POV where you are brought to a recovering Silco in secret, and give him a haircut and much needed comfort. Gen fic.

Eat You Alive

604 words. Dark!Vi kills Caitlyn as soon as they enter the Lanes.

Maintenance

1.6k words. Explicit. A smutty Mek/Marcus with power dynamics in Silco’s office.

A Haunting

754 words. Heavy angst Vander & Silco meet shortly after the betrayal.

A Touch of Memory

2.2k words. A self-indulgent Star Wars crossover set in the Old Republic with Sith Silco, Jinx and Sevika and Mandalorian Vander. Has links to fanart.

In the Jaws of the Fox

247 words. Mel/Jayce. Mel contemplates the man sprawled in her bed, sleeping insouciantly.

Who Saves The Boy Saviour?

1.3k words. Dark fic!! Jinx captures Ekko post season 1 finale and straps him to the chair Silco used on Vander. Timebomb.

Ragdoll

766 words. A look into young Silco and Vander's budding relationship. It's complicated. With art, made for the Zaundads Zine.

A New Tattoo

968 words. Set in the Fathers and Daughters AU. The story behind Mek’s tattoos.

Five Times Vi Got In Trouble

4.8k words. Vander & Grayson friendship fic done for a charity prize.

Bullseye

500 words. Mel Medarda/Grayson. Mel takes the sheriff with her to visit a progress day and asks her to show off in a shooting range.

My Ko-fi is open for tips, but I'm also open to discuss writing commissions. My DMs are open | Find me on Bsky

[melina-mellow]

I love Pacific Rim so I will never not combine it with my current hyperfixation to make an Pacific Rim Au... Anyway! Wanna hear me talk about a Timebomb, Jayvik, CaitVi, Melvika and Zaundads Pacific Rim AU anyone?????

Part 1 cause this is long as hell.

Jayce and Viktor:

Jayce and Viktor aren't actually Jaeger Pilots in this AU. They're a part of the research team working on understanding the Kaiju and developing ways to defeat them.

Viktor wanted to be a pilot when he was younger, but due to his disability he was never able to successfully pass the tests. So he decided to use his intelligence to aid the fight against the Kaiju.

Jayce passed the tests but was never able to attain a high enough drift compatible score to find a suitable partner. (The highest being with Caitlyn)

Jayce and Viktor meet when Jayce tries to develop a new energy source to power the Jaegers. Hextech.

Viktor is the one who tries to infuse Kaiku DNA with Hextech to cure himself. Immediately regrets it and tries to destroy it.

Jayce uses it anyway after Viktor gets critically injured caught in a Kaiju attack. Also immediately regrets after he used it to save Viktor's life.

This causes Viktor to be influenced by the Kaiju hivemind. Jayce has to pilot a mech solo to stop him.

Caitlyn and Vi:

"Piltover's finest pilots" They're Piltover's power couple (literally)

Caitlyn becomes a Jaeger pilot, despite her mother's wishes. Cait is a universal compatible drift partner, she can drift with literally anyone, which is why she believes that it's her duty to serve as a pilot.

Vi is a former pilot, current criminal imprisoned in Stillwater. She's one of the best pilots from Zuan being as young as she is.

Cait's had multiple different drift partners (including Jayce)

Vi's only had one partner, that being her adopted father: Vander, who retired after a Kaiju attack in Zaun. An attack that Vi believes killed her sister.

Like Jayce, Vi has a hard time drifting with others. Here's where Cait comes in as her partner, after she's released from prison to pilot again.

Wouldn't be Caitvi if they didn't break up at least once, so they do when it's revealed that Vi's sister is alive and is working for Silco.

Ekko and Jinx:

After the sudden attack on Zaun Ekko lost Benzo and tried to find Powder, who he never believed died in the attack. He forms the Firelight with Scar to help people after the attack and to fight against Silco.

Powder Jinx is the one responsible for the Kaiju attack on Zaun. She built a device that mimics the calls of a Kaiju which led to the Kaiju attack on Zaun.

Ekko's drift partner is Scar, the Firelights have two Jaeger's to their name which they use to fight off smaller Kaiju that may attack their home base. The council has tried recruiting the Firelights multiple times, they've always refused and stayed independent.

Jinx isn't drift compatible with anyone. Her mental state makes it dangerous for both her and her drift partner, so Silco has forbidden her from ever piloting a Jaeger (much to her displeasure) She wanted to be a pilot like her sister. So she sticks to help Silco's illegal business and making weapons.

The Firelights and Silco are eventually forced to team up because of more frequent attacks cause of Viktor. With Scar temporarily out of commission, Ekko and Jinx try to drift together. Despite them being extremely drift compatible, the first time they try it all goes to shit.

Backs against the wall and running out of time, they try to drift one more time. It starts off shit, but slowly they start to match each other's rhythm.

"Always a dance with you"

And.... That's the end of part 1!

The next part will be about the divorced dads Silco and Vander and unlikely and reluctant allies Mel and Sevika. I can finally talk about what Silco's "illegal business" is and Vander, Sevika and Mel's role in this AU.

I'm not a 100% caught up on Pacific Rim lore btw. Ntm I wanna mix in some Arcane/LoL lore too... I wanna talk about Zaundads and Melvika first before I actually delve into some world building of this AU.

But for now just know that the Piltover/Zaun struggle is still there... they're working together to stop the Kaiju, but there's still the fact that Piltover is better off and holds power over Zaun.

On a side note if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for what Caitvi and Timebomb's Jaegers should be called please share them as I suck at naming!

And as always, if you wanna use this AU idea for a fic or anything please tag me so I see!

[agustse4]

In Vaulted Halls, Entombed

Viktor never leaves Zaun. Instead, as Singed's protege, he draws the attention of Silco and ends up taken under the kingpins' wing, another stray in a makeshift family of outcasts and orphans.

With no one to stand by his side after the Council's ruling, a disgraced Jayce Talis enlists as an Enforcer and swiftly climbs through their ranks until he is assigned a mission befitting of the golden boy of Piltover's Police Force.

When a cadre of Enforcers barges in to the Last Drop demanding to speak with Silco, Viktor does everyone a favor by intervening in the conversation between them and his little sister before it can escalate to explosive porportions.

Or: another Silco adopts Viktor fic, with a nice touch of enemies to lovers, a focus on the sibling bond between Jinx and Viktor, and Silco being the best father that he can be, all things considered!

[jinxedjackie]

Going to ramble for a bit but I hope we’ll get a Sevika backstory in season two or, at least, something about her family or values other than her loyalty to the cause. Arcane is all about family and, if I recall correctly, she’s the only character in Arcane who doesn’t have any familial ties (Viktor sorta has Singed, Heimerdinger sorta has the council and Piltover(??)… but Ig, if you think about it, Sevika has Zaun?) (But maybe later when she starts to mentor Jinx?)

Might go on a tangent here and ramble about some things and head canons but…

It kind of makes me wonder if Sevika wants to have a family of her own? Or, maybe, take the orphans roaming around the streets of Zaun under her wing? Maybe she could train and provide for them in ways her parents and society had failed to do. Zaun is all she has left, her family, and it’s one of the reasons that drives her to fight.

Blinded by her loyalty to Zaun’s liberation and independence, she leaves Vander, and chooses Silco, because Silco isn’t pliant to the enforcers’ whims and isn’t afraid to fight back. He doesn’t leave Zaun to bleed. She knows that sometimes it’s better to back down than fight, but Vander had to know when enough is enough.

She doesn’t let the repercussions of Silco’s actions and the effects of shimmer affect her. Even if guilt incessantly gnawed at her heart. You grow through suffering and sacrifices because it drives progress — that’s what she’s learned all throughout her life, when her father broke her nose and arm for being scared to throw a punch, when her mother taught her to nurse a broken bone and ask her to understand why her father did it, when she had to sacrifice her own youth because she had to fend for herself. This is good for them. The children of Zaun will learn. It’s also why, when she lost her arm, she doesn’t blame Jinx and her very idiotic makeshift monkey bomb. (Even if the little shit annoys the fuck out of her.) Her arm was just a small sacrifice to pay. If she hadn’t protected Silco, Zaun would’ve bled to death, and the topside would’ve never notice, continuing to dance over Zaun’s grave. It’s the least she could do, the least she could offer. She’d give her life, too, if she could. Anything and everything for Zaun.

It’s one step forward to freedom but two steps backward in civilization (because shimmer is shit and eats you from the inside out, but it’s what keeping her and Zaun alive, unfortunately) but it’s still progress and also a big fuck you to Piltover, and that’s what matters. She, Silco, and shimmer are necessarily evils. She starts to understand why her father was rough with her.

Anyway, on a sorta related note, do you ever wonder if Sevika sees herself and her father in Jinx and Silco, has thought of asking Silco to stop whatever mind games he’s doing with Jinx or to be gentle with her, at the very least (because she doesn’t know anything. Because she’s just a kid. A brat. She’s lost) but when she faces Silco all she sees is her father towering over her with the same disapproving and angry look that’s etched forever in her mind since she was five?

Also… what if, after everything has resolved and she’s done all she could for Zaun, she settles down and finally allows herself to prioritize herself and her happiness? She gets a small house, maybe somewhere in the forest. Finds herself a wife and two or three kids to adopt. But then, before she could achieve that she d—

—

It’s kind of all over the place but, um, please don’t mind me. I wanted to ramble about Sevika wanting a family but getting scared of having kids bc she doesn’t want them to go through what she experienced, and then it turned to this. Lol

[inkdragon1900]

Finished my umpteenth Arcane rewatch ( it’s 100% above 30 now but I lost count around 25 about a year and a half ago ) anyway so here’s some character headcanons.

Vi realized she was a lesbian due to developing a crush on an older girl in a gang when she was younger and 100% adopted some of her stylistic influences.

Caitlyn due to her sheltered upbringing didn’t realize she was a lesbian until she was older.

Mel’s father taught her how to paint.

Sevika was the powder of Vander and Silco’s group growing up.

Silco had the statue of Vander erected.

Smoking originally became a symbol of power in the undercity cause younger Vander nabbed a pipe off of an enforcer.

Jinx tried to play her and Vi’s monster game to try and chase the hallucinations of Mylo and Claggor away the first few weeks after getting taken in by Silco.

Xemina Talis started calling both Jayce and Viktor her boys whenever anyone asked about them after like the 4th family function Jayce brought Viktor along too. She’s never outright asked if Viktor has any living family but his near nostalgic expression as he observes from the sidelines is answer enough for her.

Jayce and Viktor talked a lot after their hextech discovery but as the council debated about letting it continue they talked a little less until Jayce sent Viktor a new cane he built to replace the one that broke with a note asking to meet him for dinner.

Caitlyn and Jayce consider themselves siblings and started to correct any idiot that thinks otherwise in a lie about how they’re biological siblings that has become more and more elaborate by the year. Cassandra thinks it’s stupid but goes along with it, Tobias thinks it’s the funniest thing ever and joins in every now and then to add another incredibly elaborate lie or two.

Cassandra and Tobias are both trans and supported eachother through their transitions, going as far to delay their wedding so Cassandra could find the perfect dress and Tobias could get the perfect tux.

Viktor is bi and after a rousing game of never have I ever between he and Jayce admitted to having actively dated more than 30% of Piltover academy’s student body.

Jayce drunkenly admitted that he is also bi and has dated exactly three people in his lifetime.

He also found out that night that he and Viktor have three mutual exes.

Caitlyn likes writing love poems.

Ambessa came to Piltover not only for weapons but because after finding out about her son’s death her stomach dropped thinking about Mel in danger.

Silco loves the opera and once when he was younger successfully snuck into one.

Ekko personally painted the portion of the mural of Benzo, Vander and his friends.

Ekko and Jinx have had a running contest of who can tag more of the city since they were kids Ekko thought the game had ended until he started seeing Jinx’s pink and blue monkey everywhere he started tagging the green hourglass back.

[blinday]

Ok but imagine an au where Powder goes to the academy. Heimerdinger takes one look at her and be like Viktor but blue hair? Snatched. His ward now. Powder is still in contact with Silco, still father daughter dynamic. She only goes to the academy to spy on the council for Silco. Caitlyn takes one look and her pilty Zaun obsessed brain goes friend shaped??? Instantly adopts Powder.

Caitlyn and Jinx/Powder dynamic if they didn’t hate each other would be so powerful riot had to make them enemies. It'd be literally Jinx and Isha but with less mental illness.

Do you see my vision?

[neminomnom]

Pets I think arcane characters would have

Includes- Mel, Caitlyn, Viktor, Jinx, Vi, Sevika, Ekko and Silco

this is set in season one, sorry if I got anything wrong, I hope you enjoyyyy!!!!

Mel

- Mel would have a tabby maine coon cat named Diantha.

- Daintha would be a very cuddly cat, quite lazy and spends most its time sleeping in the most random places, but loves outdoors and gets spoiled ROTTEN.

-That cat gets everything she meows for, Mel gives her those cat vitamins what makes her coat nice and soft, she also has a specific time each night when Mel gets home from work and she brushed Diantha.

Caitlyn

- It’s not a household pet, but Caitlyn would own a horse, a fresian named Domino, her father named it.

- Domino was a dressage horse, Caitlyn got him as a birthday present when she was younger, her parents would make her go to the stables every weekend to muck him out and take riding lessons

- Once Caitlyn was riding domino and kicked her off, after that Cassandra wasn’t so sure about keeping him.

Viktor

- I don’t know if this counts, but in his bedroom viktor has a huge fishtank, in said fishtank, he has a bunch of star fish, specifically the Patiria miniata type, he finds the colours of them cool.

- Viktor finds them somewhat easy to look after, of course you have to clean the tank out every now and again, but when he’s in really bad pain due to his illness, viktor will just sit and watch them, even though they don’t do much. His favourite is called Robert.

Jinx

- She found two ferrets on the street in a bin, one she named bubbles and the other jinx named bandit, they just roam around her hideout and follow her around.

-bubbles has a cinnamon coloured coat, and is the more playful and social one out of the two, meanwhile Bandit has a chocolate brown coat and is more cuddly and affectionate, yet they are both have the same level of mischief, of course.

Violet

- Violet owns a big friendly giant as a pet, a German Shepard named stevie to be exact, she’s just like Vi, energetic, fights a lot and is extremely loyal, but with Vi she’s a big softie.

- Vi takes stevie everywhere with her, they are attached by the hip, Violet would make sure stevie is decently trained, knowing the basic stuff like sit and to go to the toilet outside, but vi lets her eat from her plates and things like that.

- When vi met Caitlyn, Stevie tried to bite her on multiple occasions

Sevika

-Sevika has two Russian tortoises, one named Shelley and the other called Sheldon, basic but cute, since they can be left alone a lot and only need cleaning out once a week, but she finds them pathetic since how they just kinda walk around and go back into there shells.

-Sevika has a great set up for them, a nice basking area for them but overall a really good set up, and she lets them roam around wherever she lives when she is home.

Ekko

- Ekko has a bunch of birds, all different types of them, they all just roam around the firelight tree thing, they are all mostly owls and pigeons.

- His favourite bird out of the group is called Freya, she’s a fantail pigeon, mostly because she’s the only one what doesn’t try to snatch peoples food out of their hands.

- At night he adores staying up, watching the tree from a distance and loves staring at all the owls.

Silco

-If you go into his office at the right time, you’ll see a ratty looking sphinx cat probably sitting on his desk.

- he named it Fiona, he didn’t even buy/ adopt it, the hairless thing just roamed around the last drop long enough for him to feel a bit sorry for it,

- Fiona is a skinny thing, always scraping around for scraps even if she’s just been fed, so lo finds her annoying but loves the cat really.

—————————————————————————

I HOPE YOU LIKE ITTTT

[arcane-fanfictions]

Chapter 4: At Last We Meet

There virtually was no challenge. The fight was laughably one sided. With her lightning-fast reflexes and killer intent, Jinx managed to wipe the floor with the ambush, well if she could even CALL IT that. Some stupid enforcers that ended up following her for about a block before she felt it was necessary to deal with them. One by one, she lost the stragglers and picked them off along with her maniacal laughter would get more deranged and sinister with each enforcer taken down. A larger group remained huddled together, as she watched eerily from a building ledge just behind them. The sound of a grenade pin being pulled and the soft clank of metal hitting the cobblestone ground made the group turn before their eyes went wide in horror. The smoke and the explosion left nothing behind, and she huffed up at the strands of hair poking into her eyes. Now she was bored. These enforcers have become pretty damn lacking in combat skills nowadays.

Sets of footsteps rushing towards the explosion made her slip off the edge of the building, standing in the poorly lit alley like an animal waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the killing blow. About 3 of the remaining group stopped, eyes wide at the sight of barely recognizable armor bits still smoking from the recent explosion. One of the enforcer’s gaze landed on Jinx’s glowing purple eyes they quickly dropped their gun and ran the way they came. The two remaining enforcers were momentarily stunned at their companion’s abandonment before they glanced back and Jinx was gone. The two glanced cryptically at one another before going back-to-back with each other, guns at the ready. It seemed to be their perhaps only chance of surviving this alive. A loud gunshot rang out in the smog ridden distant street followed by a pained scream. It was not Jinx’s. The two took a hesitant step back, hands now trembling. If she was feeling merciful, perhaps she’d let them live. To tell the other wimps to stay off HER TURF. HER stomping grounds.

With a satisfied huff, she twirled her gun on her index finger till it pointed up to the sky, before blowing the smoke lazily drifting from the barrel of her close-range pistol. Neither of the enforcers left budged before both took off running as quickly as possible in the opposite direction. Bad move. There is a lot of very nasty folks down that path whom absolutely do not like enforcers. They wouldn’t last 3 hours. The sight of seeing those losers running for the hills made her grin widely before slipping her pistol into its holster made out of a carved-out monkey plush on her hip.

“Hah, take THAT you stupid Blue Bellies!” She taunted, but after a moment her smile quickly slipped. Wait. The direction they came from… was the path she took away from where Viktor likes to stay- VIKTOR. The voice rang out in fury in her mind that anything happens to him it’s HER FAULT- NOTHING BUT A JINX- Over and over the faces and voices were circling her like sharks, all vibrantly colored distorted and had a faint buzz and static like sound of static. The words echoed in her head -He’s dead because of you- because of YOU YOU JINX-

Jinx doesn’t remember when she started running. It didn’t matter only one thing did right now. Viktor. She didn’t stop running until she nearly tripped over the scattered enforcer bodies she left to rot behind her. With an almost clumsy side step, she righted herself before scanning her surroundings. The streets were barren and sparse, especially since a round of unwarranted enforcers barging their way through killing or attacking everyone. It hadn’t taken her more than 6 minutes to reach the back entrance of their home when her ankle rolled unexpectedly. The only sounds were the echoes of her boots clicking gently, splashes when she didn’t bother jumping over the puddles of water blood or oil seeping into the alleyway. They followed her- And she had guided them directly to a genius who was not adept at handling himself against a gang of enforcers- If they hurt him, she’s end them personally. And very slowly.

The sight of Viktor’s hideaway quickly filled her with dread instead of relief. It was tucked away from the main streets and secluded, and unless you KNEW it was there it would be a pretty hard place to find. Just a normal looking run of the mill house, the kind you see and immediately forget about. A rather rundown looking Zaunian home with a large space for a makeshift lab and a rather small bedroom, loaded with books. An even smaller kitchen which once was for the miners of Zaun who used it as a makeshift base, located directly above the mines. Saved the miners the trouble of needing to get reliable transportation, and saved Piltover some extra money. Like they even NEEDED MORE MONEY. And yet it was another method suggested to fuck over the Zaunian miners. Silco would bring it up every dang time he had to make sure Viktor was still alive. And lecture him for ignoring Silco’s messages.

Oddly, their dad didn’t complain when Viktor suggested it as his safe space. Just judging from the slight annoyance on Silco’s face when Viktor suggested it, he seemed to know trying to talk Viktor out of it was a waste of oxygen. It was close to Silco’s office, and even closer to Jinx’s hide out, which per Silco’s request were rigged with a message system and alarms. After he got permission, he and Jinx spent lot of time effort and elbow grease to convert into his own personal space. And even to her, it felt like home. A space she was safe in. And it became a place Viktor started to rarely leave anymore.

A place away from Silco’s endeavors. She still thought it was a deliberate attempt to avoid their father but- he would never do that- would he? Viktor’s top excuse was he had too many orders to fill, especially since he refused to help with Silco’s reign of Zaun, which Silco then forced Viktor to earn his own income. The thoughts of that argument crept into her mind until she paused just at the back left corner of the tiny makeshift home.

The sight of the windows being smashed in, blood splatters leading to the front doorway and then abruptly stopping made her heart stop. No. He had to be fine- HE HAD TO BE- Her eyes shot open when she felt something wet on the wall. Blood. Still faintly warm. Lots more than what she just saw- With a gasp, she jumped back, catching glimpse of a now very obvious trail. NO NO NO NO- She made a reckless mad dash towards the front door when she felt the tears forming in her eyes. A rancid but strong burning smell reached her nose and mouth. Unknown gasses seeping from the newer cracks in the foundation and shattered windows. The stench made her stumble back, before doubling over and coughing violently. When she caught her breath something out of the corner of her eye drew her attention away.

Hidden under a thick layer of greyish green gas plumes, was a dead body leaning against the shattered window. It was easy to tell right away that it was not him but… It did not easer her worry. A hasty glance next to the first body revealed a now dead enforcer just a couple steps away, leaning slumped against the brick wall adjacent. A fancy Piltie gas mask was covering their face. Her expression shifted into an expression that basically said ‘I won’t question it’ followed by a shrug and a “Meh.”

With a swift kick she forced the enforcer’s body to roll onto its side before roughly ripping the mask off. The body flopped lifelessly to the ground, before she nudged it further from her with a foot. Gross. They sure weren’t using it. A quick wipe with her glove she slipped it over her face, then spotted a flashlight clipped to the enforcer’s belt. This was crazy what a jackpot she hit for a rescue mission. Sure made this shit a whole lot simpler. It took her a couple minutes to get the clip to open before swiftly slipping the metal clasp over the right side of her belt, then turning back to the Zaunian’s body blocking her entrance into Viktor’s lab. That’s the most likely place her dweeb of a brother would be.

Getting the body blocking the window out of the way enough for her to smash it open fully and sneak in was more difficult. They were heavy and did NOT want to budge. It was like the body somehow got stuck when it got bashed into the window. One tug didn’t do anything. An annoyed growl escaped her clenched teeth before she stood, and kicked the body with all her might. The body shifted upwards, before limply flopped down, slightly elevated above the ground. The corpse’s knuckles barely touched the ground now, and she saw where it had gotten stuck. The sight itself didn’t bother her; to be frank this was really pissing her off. She did NOT have time for this shit right now!

That was all it took to get Jinx angry enough to yank the body off the metal frame with a final yank. The pull had too much force and he ended up flying backwards and landed flat on her back, and the body flopped right on her. Not even a split second later she yelled and tossed the body to the side with a frustrated snarl. It landed with a solid thud next to her, in a puddle of nasty looking water. Weakly she sat up and stared hatefully at the window. OK, screw this. With a swift motion of her hand and wrist, she shot at the window 4 times, shattering it to bits.

The sound didn’t make her flinch. With a lot less patience she stood and kicked in the remaining frame and glass and knelt down to cautiously slip inside. Once her feet touched the ground, she slipped her flashlight off her belt and swore a couple times as it didn’t respond right away and sputtered several times. The flashlight flickered a few times before sparking to life. It had taken a couple of bashes from her fist before it did her bidding.

Shapes and forms began to emerge from the limited light source, but she knew the place by heart. Much to her dismay, the room was in a lot worse shape than she anticipated. The sight before her was heart breaking. Viktor’s lab was ransacked. All that research on healing concoctions and designs requested from the Zaunian customers were either burned, shredded or missing. Though he was a massive nerd, he cherished his work and medicinal discoveries. ESPECIALLY HIS RESEARCH. Seeing his YEARS of dedication so utterly DEFILED made her blood boil. Whomever did this was going to suffer her wrath. After she found her brother.

The flashlight seemed to struggle to cut through the thick gas lingering in the lab. A bright shimmer of metal caught her attention when the light reflected off, dancing like a lost firefly in the darkness and smog. The emergency shaft was opened- no, it was LITERALLY RIPPED OPEN AND MUTILATED, beyond recognition. Not even Vander was capable of such strength with his bare hands… Her heart slid weakly into her stomach. A horrible realization began to form in her mind, as she scoured what limited information, she could from the mess left behind. A struggle, a desperate attempt to flee. Trail of blood that stops out near the front steps. They forced him down into the mines below his lab- HE KNEW HOW DANGEROUS that was- The chances of him surviving now were dropping rapidly.

There was a strong suspicion, Viktor was not down in the mines. She knew already judging from the ransacked state, they were looking for HER WEAPONS. THE GEMSTONE… And instead, they had found him instead… Perhaps to get close to her and Silco. Or… To try and flush them out. Well, that wasn’t going to work. Fury began to fill her small frame, tears of sheer hatred welling up. Piltover was DONE robbing her of everything she loved. This was the final straw. A loud cry of anger fear and sorrow rang through the air, as she dropped to her knees near the metal doorframe in front of her.

Life just didn’t stop robbing her of the few precious things she had left. And she wasn’t sure how much more she could handle before she truly did lose herself to Jinx. Powder was barely hanging on by a thread now. Truthfully, Viktor was the sole reason she felt kept her from completely losing her grip on reality. Now with him gone, she felt herself mentally slipping away in the current of the voices in her head, biting clawing and dragging deeper into the depths of her own mental anguish.

There was a split second she felt tears well up in her eyes, before with almost a drunken sway, she stood abruptly. Her mask gleamed ominously in the limited light. There were no tears left to be shed. This was full on war. Even if she had to take down Piltover without Silco’s aide. She didn’t give a shit anymore. Swiftly, she glanced at the remaining metal framework with a steely withering glare before grabbing the upper portions of the ladder in her hands. With dancer like grace she quickly swung herself off the deformed metal grabbed the edge of the faltering metal ladder and slid her way down sinking into the darkness.

Her boots hit the ground with a soft tap, before she pulled her flashlight up. The dust and metal scraps flew up around her, forming an eerie almost glittering aura ring around her. For a single second, she felt a strong spark of something flicker through her body. That couldn’t have been real. It must’ve been her damn nerves getting the better of her. A hand reflexively hovered over a small pouch on her hip. The gem remained as dormant as ever. Stupid thing. Little did she realize it was simply biding its time. Patient and ever eager.

The remains of the metal motor to guide the ladder down laid in shambles. But the glint of metal further down in the mines followed by little glints of red caught her eye- his cane- She ran to it the second she spotted it. By the time she reached his cane, she fell in a heap to her knees, clutching it. There was far too many emotions flowing through her to even process which she was even feeling anymore, her hands making his cane shake violently in her grip. She spotted the trail of red, clinging desperately to the nearest mine wall.

A wry but warped grin slid perfectly across her face, before she barked out a harsh laugh. Hah, that sly dog. He ditched his cane to avoid attracting attention. She’d never admit it but sometimes he DID manage to impress her. Venturing without is horrifically difficult for him but despite it he still gave someone the slip temporarily. Silco truly would be proud of him. And now she hoped he’d have the chance to tell him…

Carefully, she kept the cane clutched close to her chest in a semi child like manner, as she ventured deeper into the mine, using the flashlight to follow the trail of red smeared on the ground. Memories flicked for a brief moment of them as kids. Down here. This particular path. The sheer drop. Cautiously she followed, never taking her eyes off the red lines. About halfway through the trail, a new trail appeared. Large and unbelievably large boots. These boot indents were very deep, and tailing Viktor’s trail like a vigilant hound. She was getting closer, and she needed a LEAD A CLUE-

Now her pace picked up to a slow jog, her impatience getting the better of her. Her body instantly stopped just shy of 3 feet of the ledge. The flashlight shut off quickly, with a faint whirring. The battery casing felt hot and painful to hold in her hand. She paid it no mind, as she already saw it. Soft puffs of cool air wafted up from the ledge, where the blood trail went off the edge. That drop that scared Viktor to this day. The hair on her bangs and long braids shifted gently in the faint breeze, but it offered no comfort. There was a faint and low gurgle of water, many many miles down from where she stood. The flashlight fell limply to her side, as she stared for a brief moment at the darkness of that very ledge. Her hands twitched faintly, her desire for vengeance for Viktor being fueled the deeper she dug into this mystery. The sounds that echoed within the cavern was the soft drops of water off the rocks, gentle wisps of the wet winds funneling from the ledge, and the faintest sound of her slow breathing.

As she stared out for a moment longer, her hand tightly grasped his cane in her right hand while she did her best not to crush the flashlight in her left hand. Eventually she turned and felt her foot send something hard go skidding back towards the direction she came from. A faint scraping sounds of rocks scraping against rocks made her skin crawl. A burst of green light erupted from a string of what she could make out were some strange looking rocks bound onto a thick leather strap. Her attention was laser focused on it, and she approached the weird looking object curiously. It was sitting in a small amount of blood, and she carefully picked up the torn leather strap, and turned the rocks curiously in the air above her head, watching the glow radiate outwards, before slowly fading into darkness again. This… was something she never heard of or seen before. But… she knew someone who may.

Quickly she slipped the strange rocks into her pouch on her hip, before giving the flashlight a solid enough slam against the rocky ground. It sputtered feebly to life, struggling to maintain a solid flow of power. There were smears and spotting of blood, and looks like something was dragged back UP from the ledge, where the blood goes back towards the ladder presumably. And it looks like it a body was temporarily dragged before being hauled onto something. Hence only the spots. The blood leading BACK to the ladder. Meaning Viktor is possibly alive. And potentially a hostage, somewhere. Now all she needed to know whom was going to suffer a fate worse than their worst nightmares could ever inflict. But first, she ran back to the ladder, moving as quickly as she could, immediately seeking out Silco. All she needed was a name. A face. Anything. Then her hunt could begin. And she’d get her brother back. No matter what it cost her.

AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME LATER

The first thing he remembered was the pain. Nothing but aches, pain, and how heavy his body felt. The only comparison he could think of was as if his body had been MAGICALLY turned into lead. Dull, earthy and virtually lackluster. No better way to explain it. When his left arm twitched, the smallest motion sent a jolt of pain straight up his left arm shoulder, and most of all burning through the joint. Judging from the severity, it was likely there could have been torn muscles, leading to a lengthy and painful healing process. It only took that one warning for him to avoid moving his left arm at all costs.

Why did it feel like his arm was nearly ripped out of it’s socket? At least it would match with the aching pains of being thrown around like a damn rag doll. That… led to a better more pressing question… why couldn’t he seem to wake up? And why did everything he tried to do feel like it took 50% more effort than it usually did… and how come waking up did not feel anything like he had before? This… Sensation was starkly different. There was no way this state of consciousness was following the regular patterns of sleep. Somehow this felt, almost… Artificial?

That thought made him faintly more aware that wherever he was, this certainly not a place he was familiar with, it felt too… safe and sound. Scrunching up his nose, Viktor wearily tried to get a sense of his surroundings. Soft plush but almost delicate sheets were under him, along with a very comfortable pillow propping him up so he was not flat on his back in what he presumed was a bed. It was not his own, as he knew his own bed by heart. This felt nothing like the comfortable messy pile of blankets sheets pillows and books he would crawl into when he couldn’t see straight after a long night of working. Though it wasn’t his, he was not going to lie. It was incredibly comfortable. For a moment he wandered if he could get away with smuggling them back home to his room… Shouldn’t be THAT difficult.

When he tried to open his eyes, he felt a sharp stabbing pain hit him right behind his eyes. GODS, no wonder he wasn’t able to sleep. The damn room must’ve been insanely BRIGHT, and squeezing his eyes tightly shut didn’t seem to block it out at all. And currently he was suffering from the worst possible migraine he could ever fathom, so the brightness was only making his life so much worse. Not to mention he felt like he was run over by a rail tram about 14 times. Should would explain the sensation of the horrible pain stemming from his neck. If he was lucky, perhaps that same tram would run him over one more time and knock him out cold. At least the that would deal with the gouging sensation going on in his skull. It sure would be merciful, in his opinion.

As if sent by the Gods above, a soft but sharp noise drifted through the room. A door swung open gently, almost timidly. There was a pause, as if checking to see if he or… perhaps someone else was asleep. Now that he was more aware of what was going on, in the background he did hear faint snoring a short distance beyond his makeshift bed. It was slow and deep, almost gruff. If he focused on it, he could hear almost a faint nasally sound to the snores. It blended in so naturally with the noises he was now picking up on, beeps of a machine close to his head, ticks of a clock, and the faint sounds of liquid dripping. Was he in a hospital?…

His thoughts were drawn away temporarily by the alluring sound of the rhythmic noise coming from his right side. The beeping was slow and even, following the rise and fall of his chest. Like it was keeping track of his heart rhythm. A heart monitor? Zaun had very poor if any forms of health services, unless you counted shimmer. Or if you could afford it, more than likely any services or products were illegal, or using form of potentially dangerous untested methods of unsanitary medical practices.

Most of the time, the people didn’t survive those visits. Though, it saved the medical staff from having to find new organs to use for their next clients. The thought made his heart ache, as he remembered some of the very rare friends he had lost along the way due to either shimmer, medical complications, or… The last option he bit back with a defeated sigh. The thought made his shoulders slump in despair. Holding onto those memories didn’t help him, but thankfully the noise that followed stole that depressing thought quickly from his mind.

After a moment, the sound of the door slowly but deftly being closed sent a small shift in pressure through the room. The snoring stopped seconds later, followed by a loud yawn and some weary groans. And some pops and cracks of someone sleeping in a horrible position. Judging from the faint grunt of discomfort, someone ended up with some nasty back cricks. That was all too familiar, as he had fallen asleep at his desk, to wake up countless hours later with a lot of regret and a very stiff neck and back.

Soft clicks of some flat-bottomed shoes echoed in the small room, before passing his bed and stopping just to the right corner of his bed. There was a momentary pause before the room seemed to fill was an almost nauseating sense of affection. It was so palpable it literally infected the entire room. A shifting sound of someone getting up was followed by the sounds of two people hugging each other tightly. Now he was truly starting to become uncomfortable. This was a subject he knew very little about, familial affection. Granted, he family he grew up in was… very UNTRADITIONAL in showing affection like… THAT.

“Mama…” A husky but masculine sounding voice said, which teetered almost dangerously on the cusp of tears. The male voice was thick with emotion, but Viktor was completely BAFFLED at the man’s sudden display of emotion. Why the hell would someone he didn’t know he in HIS hospital room… Sounding so upset over a complete stranger? It made NO sense…

“Mijo, mi amor… Jayce sweetheart have you been staying here the entire time? You should have gone home to rest, even if it is just to sleep. Staying in that awful chair is not an option anymore. You have spent far too much time waiting dear… Everyone is worried. This needs to end. You need to take a break from watching over him. This is not healthy…” A woman’s voice said, firm yet so filled with love it took the edge out of her tone. What was she talking about?

“Mom, I-I can’t! When we found he-he was so badly hurt and I thought my idea at the time may have killed him!” This Jayce stammered, emotion choking his voice. The sound of “Jayce” now worriedly pacing around the room was marked with the clack clack clack of each step he took. Viktor grimaced as he quickly deduced that the floors were tiled, only intensifying his hatred for the design of this room. Especially how his migraine was pulsing to the rhythm of “Jayce’s” pacing. This guy was talking at a brisk pace, listing off all the potential complications, risk factors and potential infections, and if he left him alone something bad could happen to him. And how he'd have no one there to support him, especially after that happened.

The more he explained the higher his pitch became and the more anxiety and guilt crept into his tone. It sounded… wait, that is not possible. Is it? A faint twinge, a memory inched slowly into his mind. Figments of what happened to him slowly began to weave a horrific tapestry in his mind, filling the missing gaps of his memory with knots tangles and snapped threads. THAT VOICE… SOUNDED… VERY FAMILIAR. Sadly, at the moment he couldn’t quite place it. The ramblings seemed to fill his head with cobwebs. Why did listening to this guy’s voice make his blood boil and an unrealistically strong urge to hit him… Repeatedly?

“Jayce. Jayce, amor… mijo… Ja- JAYCE!” The woman spoke softly, her voice so delicate and soft before changing to a stern, commanding tone. The clacking paused mid step, along with an audible flinch accompanied by a faint “EEP-!”. The room fell silent again, all for the gentle pattering of water dripping and the ever-consistent beeps of the machinery. The room was filled with the gentlest sigh with just the barest hint of annoyance, before the woman took a step towards Jayce.

The sound of the woman’s hands gently cupping Jayce’s face followed by a ragged choked exhale made the room grow momentarily silent. There was a very potent sense of grief regret and pain stemming from Jayce, as he wearily wrapped his arms gently around the woman’s shoulders and presumably buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and neck, tears finally spilling free.

“Mama… what if he doesn’t w-wake up like dad didn’t… a-and it- it’s my f-fault…?” Jayce spoke so weakly it was barely audible. The way his voice shook and cracked honestly made Viktor’s shoulders slump. Viktor’s heart clenched for a moment. Oh. No wonder… This is potentially a PTSD triggered reaction… so Jayce was here almost as an attempt to patch up a deep emotional scar in his psyche. Why the hell Jayce would stay to ensure such emotional torment was unfathomable, unless this guy was some sort of masochist…

A sharp pang of sympathy rang out through him, as he unfortunately knew how bitter and painful loss was. Down in Zaun, people barely batted an eye at the sight of bodies lying in the streets, allies or roadways. Unless it was a loved one. But, mourning the dead was not nearly as… Openly expressed in Zaun. It was simply something that happened every day. How differently it was treated here in Piltover than in Zaun truly fascinated him.

Grieving and sorrows of a loved one were NEVER openly expressed, especially since it translated to a sign of weakness. So, even very early on, he learned never to wear your emotions on the outside, and NEVER SHOW weakness to your enemy. It didn’t mean the losses hurt less, it all simply depended WHERE and HOW they were shown. This Jayce guy would’ve been dead in an alley in Zaun in less than an hour. He would’ve been eaten alive, nothing but bones remaining of a fragile human heart left beaten and broken in the streets.

A small but motherly hum escaped the woman’s lips, as her arms gently wrapped around Jayce’s body, her hands patting his back gently. The faint rustle of fabric rubbing on fabric rippled through the air. It made Viktor’s hands twitch. Ah, that makes sense, this must’ve been Jayce’s mother. Makes a lot more sense now. Jayce slowly wrapped his arms around his mother’s shoulders, trying to keep any more of his tears from falling.

“Jayce, I know this hurts. But your quick thinking was possibly the only reason he made it to the hospital in time. The doctors here are very skilled and worked tirelessly to help this poor man. But, like many things, medicine and surgeries can only do so much. Now, it is up to him whether he wants to keep fighting or if he knows it’s his time. You torturing yourself like this will not help him wake up, nor is this helping you. Amor, you are literally leading yourself into a hospital bed next to him. Not eating regularly if at all, barely sleeping… I know you’re deeply worried and feel responsible for his safety after what you had done to save him but there is no more you can do for him. This needs to stop Jayce…” The woman said, her tone caring but stern. The tough love tone.

The gesture made him shudder faintly. Silco’s version of tough love was very BLUNTLY telling them the truth, about things most parents would’ve sugar coated or lied about. Like when jinx’s pet died when she was 12. How he just stated it so calmly but in a manner that did offer comfort to Jinx. This current predicament he found himself was showing him to extremely different sides of the same coin. It honestly made his guts wrench up a bit seeing how differently things COULD HAVE been under… more compassionate parents.

The thought felt so comprehendible, but would he honestly give up the family he had if he could…? Despite their flaws, he couldn’t just so easily dismiss all they had been through. If only it could’ve been without the drugs, violence, gang wars and constant fear for their lives… Perhaps… they could’ve had something… normal.

Jayce’s voice barely cracked when he spoke, partly muffled from in the crook of her shoulder.

“Ma… por favor… un dia mas…” he begged, and the faint shift sounded like he pulled away, and from that bemused sigh and a gentle kiss to his forehead clearly won her over.

“Awe mijo, I can’t say no to that puppy dog pout…” She chided gently, before gently placing a paper bag she must’ve brought with her into his hands. A warm smell of fresh earthy but spicy food wafted through the air when the soft crinkle of paper was pulled and shifted.

“NO WAY, mama how did you get these?! They were closed for months!” Jayce exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. There were soft patting sounds as she smiled proudly.

“A mother never reveals her secrets Jayce.” She tutted smugly. Jayce sighed rolled his eyes dramatically and whined “Maaaaa….”. “Come along mijo, you need to come enjoy the sunshine, you have been cooped up here for weeks. It is time to get out walk a bit and get some air. Plus, you haven’t spent any time with me in a while… I think you owe me for fetching you your favorite.” She said slyly, gently grabbing his large hand. There was a small hesitation, and he felt a heavy but concerned gaze resting upon his presumably frail frame resting nearly lifeless in the bed. Even without being able to see, he could feel the crushing weight of guilt and worry just from Jayce.

This man was a gods damned anomaly, and one he just could not wrap his mind around. Why the hell would he care so damn much about a Zaunian he never met before…? No Piltie would’ve batted an eye at him if he had been found by someone else in… that situation. Whatever the hell it was. Frankly, he decided to drop trying to force the memory to expose itself, as it only encouraging his migraine to throb more. One thing, he did hate to admit was, he didn’t… MIND Jayce’s presence. Somehow it felt… comforting. Strong. Consistent…

Warm. Warm was one feeling he never truly felt from Silco or Jinx… It was strange but seemingly, in the time he had been in this… hospital… That man’s compassion and worry for him felt… like it was filling a void he never knew he had. The longing ache of being… WANTED. Unconditionally. The sensation baffled him, but he didn’t reject it. Perhaps he’d have time to study it while he was bed ridden… A slow but defeated sigh escaped Jayce’s lips and he nodded weakly and replied with barely any volume.

“Si mama…” Was that filled the room before a set of two footsteps, one dainty and light and the other heavier but confident slowly made their way to the far-right side of the room, followed by a faint creak and whine of a metal door knob protesting against being used. A soft course grating sound made him visibly flinch, making the footsteps halt just for a moment at the doorway, the door letting a wave of cold wash of air into his room. That piercing but concerned gaze rested on him once more, and the soft womanly voice rang out in the hallway, ripping the gaze away from him for the final time that day. A faint subdued sigh slid lazily through Jayce’s lips, followed by a faint head shake, a presumed slip of his imagination. The hefty footsteps continued before the door was quietly shut followed by a slightly dejected, “Vengo, mama, vengo…”

Before the door was sealed with a faint click, before his room fell into a slow but steady rhythm of the dripping, beeping, and ticking from before. It wasn’t but a few minutes later, Viktor finally opened his eyes, blinking wearily at this new foreign world he found himself in. Despite knowing fully well where he was, he was woefully unprepared for the sight before him. His worst nightmare… Worst possible outcome. Piltover. There could be no worse outcome he ever could’ve imagined in his entire life. And fate seemed intent on damning him at every twist and turn. There was no possible way this day could get any WORSE… Right?

[sandraharissa]

To me the core theme of arcane is this specific type of conflict that repeats over and over again in all the main aspects of the story that centers around 'sibling relationships'.

Starting with the two cities. We have Piltover and the bad side of Piltover. Technically they're supposed to be one and the same but one is the 'golden privileged child' while the other is disadvantaged and needs to rely on the rich side of Piltover for support, they can't do it by themselves. And then the rich side of Piltover fails in its duties of taking care of/protecting/supporting/whatever the poorer side and a split happens. Zaun is created and it becomes so dangerous and volatile, it becomes a menace and an active threat to itself/the outside and there's no going back. It's the monster Piltover created and even tho the Undercity suffered unfairly at this point it has become so monstrous there may be no improvement/redemption for it.

And obvs that's the exact same thing that happens with Vander/Silco and Vi/Jinx. However it's also imo completely applicable to Jayce/Viktor and even Heimer/Singed. Jayce and Viktor will only reach their break-up era in future seasons but it's a given this will happen but I know I obvs need to explain the Heimer/Singed example.

Based on what we know about them Heimer is just naturally immortal/long-living, how lucky for him, and completely lacks any ability to relate to beings who from his perspective live short life-spans. Meanwhile Singed is just a human and on top of that he had a 10yo child who died from some kind of disease(maybe?). Currently he is obsessed with discovering immortality: experimenting on ppl, mutating them, resurrecting corpses etc. possibly in an attempt to find a way to heal/resurrect his daughter. And we know him and Heimer were partners and that Heimer didn't help him and threw him out of the university or smth for his research. So the exact same dynamic as the other pairs.

So notice how we've got the cities, and then each city has its storyline, and each storyline has a pair of protags who reflect the conflict between the cities, and then each pair also has the pair that preceded them which also reflects the same conflict. In Zaun all these connections are about family ties: brothers, sisters, fathers/daughters, with inherited political/social roles like the Piltover sympathizer and criminal/revolutionary. Meanwhile Piltover storyline connections are about 'progress': science buddies, mentors and students, with Jayce succeeding Heimer as the barely-scientist-moreso-a-politician and Singed/Viktor being mad scientists. We've even got zaunite 'older siblings' associating with Piltover and piltovan 'younger siblings' being from/associating with Zaun.

Just really nice parallels all around.

But I actually have an honorable mention to add here at the end lol.

Mylo and Claggor. Obvs they don't quite fit cos they never develop into this kinda dynamic and they were never meant to but I can't help but notice the similarities. Claggor being the pure hearted hero archetype, looking like Vander, naturally good fighter, seemingly lacking insecurities, seems like the 'second in command' after Vi (second best with the fighting machine, Vander speaks to him second to get info about what happened), meanwhile Mylo giving off 3rd child vibes, full of insecurities and needing to prove himself, physically looks like a stick bug, a bit of a bully, "weird" lock-picking talents that he struggles with and isn't respected for (like Singed/Viktor's science, Powder's bombs or Silco's dream) that are actually super useful and impressive (like he could have been robbing millions from Piltover banks if he got adopted by Silco instead lol).

[lectorel]

Arcane AUs I'm Not Writing: The inevitable Synthesis

I am who I am, and who I am is deeply predictable. So I decided to skip straight to the merged AU, where all the verses I (haven't yet) created cross over, everyone has been everywhere, and Piltover has some very rude shocks. Starring:

Kino Medarda: Vander's former live-in nanny, turned father of five. Doing his best to keep the kids he inherited alive and sane while dodging the Black Rose, his mother's agents, and his half-sister.

Jay(ce): Blackmail victim and not-as-unwilling-as-he'd-like-to-be participant in Silco's grand revolution, go-between for Ekko and Jinx, and general pain in Sevika's ass.

Not-Orianna and Warwicktor: Singed's failed prototype and abandoned offspring, a child in the body of a machine, carrying her sister's memories and the pain of her (almost-but-not) father's betrayal. | A horrific and mutually non-consensual merging of Warwick and the Machine Herald, Not-Orianna's parental figure, and last protector of ruined Zaun.

Cait(lyn/ie) and Maddie Nolen: Disillusioned Kiramman heir and amateur spy living a double life. | Noxian agent and professional spy who cannot believe she's fallen in love with this disaster of a woman, much less that she's going to betray her country for her.

("No one said you had to-"

"No, I'm going to.)

Violet Talis, Viktor and Sky: Adopted daughter of house Talis, a brilliant smith haunted by guilt that her good fortune is the result of both her own sister and her mother's son dying. | Members of Ximena's growing circle of undercity natives living in Piltover, Violet's self-elected babysitters and occasional co-conspirators.

Mylo: Only (known) survivor of the cannery explosion, former Firelight member, all-around-prickly asshole, and bad decision maker extraordinaire. Currently on the run after having kidnapped Sheriff Marcus' daughter Ren in an ill-conceived revenge plot.

[cdtrin]

Similarities between TLOU 1 & 2 and Arcane.

Beginning first with plot elements and environment, then to overlaps between characters.

Potential spoilers for season one and two of Arcane and The Last of Us Part One and Part Two. But I did my best to skirt around them.

The QZs and Piltover.

The quarantine zones of the TLOU are the remains left of the United States government after martial law was declared in response to the outbreak. And they are run in the same way as martial law, where force is used to control the population.

Food rations are controlled and hoarded. Resources are scare. But your option otherwise is to risk roughing it on your own against infected and nature.

It is a terribly repressive system, which sparks the emergence of the Fireflies.

Similar, to Piltover. Mostly through the lens of residence of the under city.

Enforces stomping through the streets, imprisoning your neighbors, breaking up families, using violence as a tool for control.

Furthermore, Piltover ignores the lack of resources in the undercity, has no member of the council who’s from the undercity to represent them (until the end of the series), and exploits there weaknesses for profit.

The Fireflies and The Firelights.

Both the Fireflies and the Firelights exist to do the same thing: challenge an oppressive government and bring hope for the future. And they both use any means necessary to achieve their goals.

Although, the Firelights also have the added challenge of Silco’s control of the Undercity.

Additional, they’re pretty much named the same things. Firelights are just the Arcane universes version of fireflies (or lightning bugs, whatever your preferred name for them)

“When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.”

Spores and Toxic Gas (The Gray)

I also can’t help but draw parallels between airborne spores from TLOU and the gas from the mines in Arcane.

Both result in coughing and choking initially. Spores lead always to infection and death, unless your Ellie. The Gray, as it’s referred to in the show, is shown to have numerous side effects, if you don’t suffocate from exposure to its gas form. Most notable examples, Viktor and Silco. The disease Viktor has, I’d guess leukemia, seems to be a result of exposure to pollution in his childhood. And Silco’s left eye is left in a constant battle of corruption after a wound he receives there is exposed to polluted river water. Both of which would lead to death if treatment wasn’t possible (Shimmer).

Violet and Ellie

I’ll start with a silly point first before the heartbreak: both are gay. Neither give a specific identity, but for generally purpose, and because of only seeing romantic relations between them and other woman, lesbian is what we’ll call it.

Here we have too powerful, strong willed, quick witted, lesbian woman as main characters in a narrative about overcoming hardships and heartbreak.

Now the overlaps in those hardships and heartbreaks.

Both are orphaned at a young age. Vi after an uprising gone wrong. Ellie’s is never revealed in the games. And then both are adopted by a new father figure. Vander and Joel respectively.

Both are taught survival and fighting techniques from them. Both see the adoptive father as their real father. Then both of them lose said father. Both of them feel responsible for that death.

Vi eventually heals from this loss by the end of the series, and while she definitely carries the grief of that loss through the show, she doesn’t follow the same kind revenge plot that Ellie does. What Ellie does belongs in a completely different post.

Abby and Jinx

I almost didn’t include this because at first I thought the only narrative similarity between the two would be the responsibility of the previous mentioned death of the father figures. Abby kills Joel. Jinx (Powder) (accidentally) kills Vander.

Especially because I consider Vander Jinx’s father, too. Regardless of her relationship Silco after his passing.

But then I thought about Lev and Isha. Abby and Lev relationship in the game exists to mirror the relationship between Ellie and Joel.

And while I could see an argument that Isha is meant to help Jinx heal, especially heal the relationship between herself and Vi, I still place her in a role of motherhood or caregiver for Isha.

Jinx learns so much about love, forgiveness, and hope from Isha. Similar to how Abby found forgiveness for Joel actions once she finally experienced what it means to live for someone else.

Jinx sees herself in Isha, just as Abby saw herself in Lev.

Joel and Vander

As you could probably gather from the previous two points, both these characters are father figures.

Joel takes Ellie under his wing after circumstances lead the to travel across the country in hopes Ellie’s immunity will lead to a cure. But at the end of the game, when complications arise, he saved Ellie, leaving body after body in his wake.

Vander, friends with their mother and father, already knew Violet and Powder. He in fact lead the uprising against Piltover that would result in the death of their parents. He adopts them then, and shifts focus into making the holding the Undercity together the best he can, even alliancing himself with enforcers to try and keeps his daughters as safe as he can.

I’m not gonna spoil anything, but the point is these two men would do anything, and I mean anything, for the safety of their daughters.

Bombs

Maybe a dumb point, but bomb mechanics in TLOU is one of the most fun aspects of the gameplay. And Jinx’s most infamous for her bombs.

If I missed anything or got something wrong, please let me know!

Also, enjoy an tik tok edit of them. @violetswifes.

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

Bite me

by Cheerful_Asexual

" Somethings are just worth changing for...don't you think?" Most people are born with a purpose, a reason for air to pump in and out of their lungs. Vi wishes she felt like on of those people, in her eyes her purpose died along with her parents, all she knows now is to keep powder safe, stay alive, and away from the enforcer's. That is of course until people begin vanishing, turning up in the darkest alleys lifeless, void of blood, sometimes unharmed most times too shredded to identify. Her adoptive father warns her to stay inside when the sun sets, to stay away from the dark and to ignore the screams that fill the night air, and she obliges with an eye roll, until danger finds her when she least expects it...

Words: 1052, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021), Vamp - Fandom

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F

Characters: Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends), Jinx (League of Legends), Claggor (Arcane: League of Legends), Mylo (Arcane: League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends), Viktor (League of Legends), Vander (League of Legends), Silco (Arcane: League of Legends)

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Human/Vampire Relationship, Vampire Turning, Vampire Bites, Character Turned Into Vampire, Fluff and Smut, Angst and Fluff and Smut

Read on A03. from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[hexcoremagician]

ARCANE - MAIN.

In my canon for Viktor, he is Silco's son and is brother to Jinx. If the Silco or Jinx I am writing with it is okay to explore those storylines, that is awesome. If not, we don't have to ever write around that. He is the creator of Blitzcrank, the pet project that, along with a tailored uniform from his father, allowed him to steal into the Academy. He is also a scientific tutor for House Heimerdinger after being adopted into the House so he could become Cecil's assistant. In an attempt to assimilate him into Piltover customs, Heimerdinger gave him a full name, adding the "Cornelius" aspect to his name, whereas Viktor himself chose "Abraxas" as his middle name.

original name: Viktor of Zaun.

Piltover name: Viktor Abraxas Cornelius of House Heimerdinger.

alias: The Machine Herald/The Machinist, the Co-Father of Hextech.

pronouns: he/him/his.

age: verse dependent.

15-18 Years Old (Academy Years)

18-20 (Dean's Assistant Years)

20 Years Old (Act 1 of Arcane)

21-32 Years Old (Act 2-3 of Arcane)

Frozen in his 30s permanently due to augmentation of the HexCore (After Act 3 of Arcane)

orientation: bisexual; masc-leaning.

marital status: verse dependent. single, typically.

species: human (cyborg).

location: Piltover/Zaun. (Moves between the two nations.)

archetype: The Magician, The Hanged Man.

cyborg info:

Almost all of his body has been replaced by HexTech (Shimmermetal), save his head and neck. He wears many clothes to hide this fact, and also wears gloves.

He lacks many human weaknesses, is suspectable to death somewhat, and has somehow bonded with the Hex Core in such a way that its sentience and his consciousness are blurred together. The Hex Core wishes to be in total union with Viktor, and that is why he augments himself so much.

abilities:

plays the cello.

Inventor: A brilliant mind, Viktor is able to invent numerous contraptions, especially those made to utilize hextech gemstones. As the person who perfected hextech, he is one of the leading scientists in hextech innovations.

Hexclaw: Permanently attached to his back, the hexclaw is an additional arm that's also able to shoot a ray of concentrated magical light. Originally intended as a crafting tool, it's currently used as a death ray as well as an instrument used for fixing Viktor's cybernetic augmentations.

Hex Core: It is a self-learning and evolving hextech device. It is able adapt to any situation and has the potential of becoming a sentient and sapient being.

biography:

Viktor is an ambitious Zaunite inventor who resides in Piltover, working as the partner of Jayce Talis. Once brought into the Academy as the assistant to Heimerdinger, Viktor worked his way up from the undercity in hopes of improving lives, but his research was complicated upon discovering he was terminally ill. Nevertheless, Viktor does not let his disease stop him and he remains steadfast in finding a cure.

personality:

Viktor has an obsessive, idealistic personality, and is a workaholic. He is a self-described methodical, logical and thorough person, and is implied to previously have been emotional. He is interested in how techmaturgy could help society.

mannerisms & quirks:

Still has his cane/crutch/ even when he has completely changed to HexTech and no longer needs it. It evolves into his staff.

appearance:

During his time as a non-augmented person, Viktor was a white skinned, golden/hazel eyed and brown haired human with a scrawny build. Since his birth he had a deformity preventing him to walk and run naturally, needing a walking stick to move (later a walking crutch). During his time exposed to Zaunite pollution, it would greatly worsen his health conditions.

Since he started to dabble in self-augmenting hextech experiments, Viktor would slowly start replacing his body parts. First magically altered by the powers of the Hexcore with the aid of Shimmer (his right leg and hand specifically), he would eventually transition into mechanical augmentations, completely replacing most of his body parts, save his head.

[catbunblue302]

A brief review of the Arcane characters from someone who's just finished season 1, ordered roughly from my most to least favorite:

That fluffy professor guy: can't remember his name but I love him. Just a sweet dude. Wants to do better. Definitely fucked up a little by not taking care of the Undercity but he means well and he's trying. Idk why everyone wants to fuck the skinny twink when Professor Sweetheart is right there

Vander: 10/10 great guy. The Ned Stark of Arcane. Would grab a beer with him and adopt him as my new father

Mylo & Claggor: gets one entry because they may as well be one character. Haunt the narrative my good kings 👍 If I have to be specific, Mylo gets a slightly higher place than Claggor because I remember more of his personality and also that sweet, lost, looking for approval face he gave Vander during that final scene absolutely melted my heart

Lady Enforcer: ilu lady enforcer who's name i don't know 😔 (the one who dies in episode 2. You will note that my favorite characters are the dead ones)

Viktor: he's fine. I don't really get why everyone desires him carnally but he's fine. No complaints i guess. Goes here mostly because I like his accent

Silco: i actually hate him but at least his gaslighty hobbies are deeply fucked up and intriguing. Still not entirely sure what he's trying to achieve but go off, man. Honestly think his character could use more humanizing moments tho ngl as it is he's just kinda evil but vaguely pretending like he actually gives a shit

Vi: why do you have your name tattooed on your face. Did you think you were gonna forget it or something. That aside, she's also fine. Liked her better as a kid and definitely would've loved to see more of her emotional turmoil as an adult but she didn't make me completely want to kill her

Leader of the Firelights: also can't remember his name. Honestly, I'd probably like him more if I didn't absolutely despise his voice. Could probably grow on me but I just really do not like his voice for some reason. But shoutout for being like one of the only main characters that isn't white!! (Still conventionally attractive and skinny tho just like the rest of them....)

Silco's Right Hand: should've betrayed Silco, I honestly have no idea why you people serve him tbh. Responsible for killing Vander which I shall not forgive her for :(

Not Marcus: also also can't remember his name. I just know that it's NOT Marcus because that's someone else. Viktor's partner. Bland. Boring. Spine of jello. Trite. Can I get some spice with my man please this is the character equivalent of white bread

Caitlyn: also annoying. Liked her in the beginning. Liked her less as the show went on. Honestly besides getting Vi into the plot and having the fastest wlw romance ever (seriously i don't even think it was a day) she didn't really do much

Mel: i hate her. I do not know why, I just hate her. I think it was the word "investors" coming out of her mouth. Made me think of rich capitalists and ickkkk

Powder/Jinx: cute & tragic as a kid but genuinely fucking annoying as an adult. I want to kill her with hammers