#thank you for the message :)

[the-glorious-evolution-fanart]

Question, is it me, or does Universe(2015-2016) Viktor's lore feel kinda of...rushed, in a sense? Like, they didn't read through the lore he had to decide what stays what remains and decided to just, toss it out altogether and toss together all the ideas they had in draft to turn into a cohesive enough story because they didn't know what to do with him when the OG story was tossed in the can in favour of a blank canvas. Just so they could get another champ slotted into the current version of Zaun as soon as possible while fitting into the archetype of of Tech-Priest inspired Cyborg Scientist. Like it feels like they never went through his old lore to figure out what worked, what could be very easily translated into current Zaun, and what elements to drop like the elements strictly related to the Institute of War. To be honest, he's not the only one, I find that some champs' lore was rewritten for the better, like Poppy, while others feel like their rewrites were rushed out as soon as possible in time for the next Season for the new players. If they gave the champs a rewrite at all. Because, I've been reading through both and just, I don't see why they had to change it completely. He could've been so easily kept intact to what he was while sticking around in Zaun as we know it today. He still could've been with the College of Techmaturgy and honestly, I felt that would've added another layer to current day Zaun compared to what we have today by showing that even if they're not on as prestigious a standing as Piltover, Zaun is still a place just as advanced, to the point where it was the place that gave us, pretty one of the most intelligent champs in the game lore wise. If they really wanted a enemies/frenemies dynamic with Jayce they could've just made him, a transfer student of sorts to Piltover Academy while still keeping Viktor with the College. His situation with Blitzcrank could've gone nearly pretty much completely unchanged altogether. He could've remained the same personality wise regardless, I feel that would've helped keep him cohesive across the board. Especially since as of current, it feels like since 2016 if he by some miracle does appear in Riot's content, it's like someone's continuously flicking the light switch between being the typical Evil to Morally Grey Mad Scientist TM to being a Robotic Saint so fast that it's kind of a pain to properly pin down his characterization. That is if he isn't left in the Neglected Champs Bin altogether until the next time Riot remember he exists. To the point that the moment you think you have Universe Viktor's character pinned down, all the sudden they realize a new thing he's in that contradicts what they gave you before they released the thing and now you're left confused again. Sometimes, even within the same timespan as seen with LoR because the Viktor in the comics for Vi and Jayce, doesn't completely feel like the Viktor you even play as. It feels like he's written by completely different people working off a prompt a majority of the time. When, there wasn't a issue with his personality to begin with, and he still would've been compelling, if not more compelling today in a world where mental health and the issues involving the problematic side of Academia is actually more in the forefront today than it was in 2010. It wasn't that he had a problem back then, it's likely more than not that he was just, ahead of his time, and written in a time period where neither topic weren't as talked about because it didn't have a chance to make a wave on the internet yet. Plus it would've made things A LOT better down the line writing him because then he wouldn't have been on such an odd standing that the writers keep flip flopping all over the place writing him.

His goal could've remained the same completely, just with a mild rewrite to write out the Institution and just simply made him a man who wanted to preserve HIS work by doing that work on HIMSELF due to the trauma from Stanwick, before pioneering it to enough of an extent to where he could safely help others. And that a major chunk on why a lot of people have some animosity towards him is because he's just, difficult and kind of intimidating to read for a lot of people, in combination with the rep he gets from the more fanatical Acolytes and the Piltovan side, and that the more antagonistic misassumptions of him spread and got flanderized overtime. When in reality compared to the rumours he's actually just, a decent guy, it's just that he's just going through shit and has a hard time with people a majority of the time. Only that, others have a hard time even approaching him to see that. There was just, so much potential, and so many a solution already that didn't include rewriting the entire character. But I think a major reason to everything is that they took a change that should've been implemented over the long term to begin with and tried to rush it out as soon as possible for the sake of rewriting and expanding on the world building to give us something new and more expansive. Especially once the game became popular and picked up enough steam to go from what was an indie MOBA into a game that all the sudden ended up with some really big shoes to fill. When, I feel in hind sight, they should've taken their time to readapt everyone in such a way that they could've preserved and refined the pre-existing champs overtime, keeping what to the old fans was still familiar and keeping to their original character in one way or another, while still gradually shifting Runeterra into the open world it is today.

I don't know, just, looking at a lot of the oldies, Viktor included, I feel like they're all victim to what is in hindsight, a giant rush job. Especially considering he's one of the champs that got the shortest end of the stick out of a lot of this. I mean, the most love he's got is from Arcane, but Arcane Viktor is the Viktor specific to Arcane's world, and Arcane's version of Runeterra. He is his own separate character isolated to his own story and should honestly for the most part be treated as such, even as far as I'm concerned and that's the rendition that is personally to me, one of my favourite renditions of Viktor. Strictly talking in game Viktor. Riot did him pretty dirty.

Yeah you're right that the 2016. Universe lore reads like the people tasked with "updating" the og 2011. lore didn't truly understand it, nor did they understand the meaning of elements they introduced in the new version.

Like you mentioned, Zaun was left with having nothing in terms of academic institutions, and as consequence the world feels much smaller because the class conflict, from both cities having their own versions, got squeezed into a reductive cliché with Piltover-Zaun where one side has everything and the other one is just a garbage dump. It doesn't help that the current garbage dump (Zaun) was representing east Berlin, eastern and south-eastern Europe, where I live. It reinforces the silent idea in popculture that people from here do not achieve any academic heights. It reinforces the stereotype that Ekko must choose his family and stay in Zaun, thus not having any access to higher education because all of it is in rich Piltover.

But Riot wanted to forcefully thread this class-conflict into every champion from this region, and this was the easiest way to do it - nuke anything Zaun had and leave them with just envy and hunger for what Piltover took from them.

Another problematic element in 2016. Universe lore that has no place being in Viktor's motivations or behaviour, is that "removing free will for their benefit" moment. In 2011. release lore, Viktor (alongside other students) created Blitzcrank, a sentient being with literal artificial free will, and Viktor fought tooth and nail to try and keep credit for his creation. So for starters, it would be antithetical for him to hate free will (he has one himself). Removing free will is not a morally questionable thing to do, it's straight up evil from the perspective of a person you're trying to save, because you're killing what they even are. But clearly the people doing the lore update deemed this appropriate position to plop Viktor into in order to give him something Jayce could oppose, why, I have no idea. Maybe they didn't understand just how downright morally deplorable this is and how it makes Viktor a terrible person, or maybe they indeed wanted him to fully read as a terrible person who begs for sympathy through the unfortunate events that happened in his life. But what unfortunate events? In the 2016. Universe lore, he got expelled exactly due to his own actions, his attempts at removing free will. I'd say that was deserved.

People love the short story with Naph and point to it as proof that Viktor is a good guy, and in principle I agree that a story of this type is fitting. It's the details that make it unsalvageable yet again - he gives a child mind-altering drugs (children have parents or guardians for a reason) and that nullifies any good advice or kindness he showed to the kid. There's also the frankly inexplicably stupid use of... literally rusted tools to do surgery on his own flesh. ??? He would die of infection. Come on.

~~

Arcane Viktor on the other hand has the opposite problem - he's forced into augmenting (whichever form it takes) due to his physical condition, and this is a completely different character motivation. He also (it looks like) doesn't rely on science and technology at all anymore, turning into a traditional mage with metal as simply a conduit/material he uses.

~~

Like you said, the topic of mental health in Academia is now more in the light than it was in 2011, but unfortunately it looks like large corporations still don't deem it "interesting" or "profitable" enough so they replace it with something more often seen. But it's an important topic regardless, and I still like the release lore for a reason.

When Rito was updating lores from 2014. to 2016, it really did look like a rushed job, you may be right.

[chrism02]

♟️🍁🪻

*brings all my board games* You are on!

Have you played Villainous?

[mintytealfox]

I’m still working on a design for them but you’ve convinced me to make my own nortalice kid

GASP YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I AM SO EXCITED YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!

Please let me know when they are done cookin and revealed!! I WANNA SEE SO BAAAAD 👀👀👀👀👀👀😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY

MOAR NORTALICE BBYSSSSS YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY

[tiya-minuscule]

me, a known Randall Enjoyer™️:

Do you mean

?

[andhaveapleasanttomorrow]

you don’t have to answer as it is a bit personal in nature, but does the sudden resurgence of people listening to your music scare you at all? & if you were able to, what would your good median number of people that listen would be?

I don't have an ideal number, if the number is low I get sad because no one likes me and if it's high I get scared because everyone sees me. I'm really very (x4) grateful that anyone listens to it and likes it. it's not like it's that many people anyhow but it's definitely more than I was expecting. a lot of people have said nice things to me, so I'm happy. the main thing that unsettles me is that I don't like my music or think it expresses what I want it to. I might think it sounds "good" in a musical sense but not "true." this is an intimidating hurdle, I'm not sure how to proceed, I've just been doing what comes easiest for me because I don't know much about music

[colorfullyminded]

PLSS TELL ME UR STILL DOING KISS THE COOKK!! its almost gunna b a year since ep 6 and i rlly need to know if the other 14 in the works. (take ur well deserved break u dont need to be making fics 24/7)

Oh wow, I wasn't sure if people still wanted that. To be honest, we actually have written up to chapter 8 (9 technically because there's an 8.5). All I really need to do is finish editing them before posting them. The reason I've been so hesitant is also my feelings towards the fic. I both love the fic and also feel incredibly self conscious with some of the decisions I chose in the fic (especially later chapters--some of which haven't been posted yet). I love writing smut, and I do think Wirt deserves to be written more unhinged than people allow him to be (he's a poet for godsake, if he can be so despondently dramatic laying on a couch-- you know his yearnings are just as fantastical, dramatic, and probably hella thirsty. And let's not mention Dipper's search history). I love writing these two because they're so multifaceted and I love trying different perspectives of their personality. Also writing with my friend Clubs has been amazing and I genuinely enjoyed his help with this fic! I want to continue this series when I'm more motivated to write. But again, for how much I love this fic, there are moments where I go back and read and blush and go "I'm sorry, I made Wirt say what? I made him do what?! IS THIS HOW HE WOULD ACT?! THIS DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT? WHATTHE FUCK WAS I ON TO THINK THIS WAS OKAY?!" (I'm in charge of Wirt's dialogue/actions in this story, Clubs does Dipper, and occasionally, though very rarely, we may also add something to the other's characterization). There are times I worry I've made him ooc. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. I was having fun, I'm enjoying my extra smutty era (where all I wanna write is to be a problem) and honestly if I wanted to explain my reasonings I probably could make an accurate presentation on why Kiss the Cook is not that out of character. But I also do pride myself on my fics and a lot of comments I've received are about how well and real the characters feel. I feel so good that I'm able to articulate and present them in a way that feels genuine and makes the readers feel like it's just another adventure-- but with the two. I like bringing that feeling into my writing. And Kiss the cook, some elements do feel very much like the characters (Clubs does amazing with an older Dipper), but I do start to doubt some of Wirt's actions or my writing in this particular fic as being too "Horny on Main". So it's kind of a love/hate relationship I currently have with this piece of work. But if people do still love this fic and want to continue this adventure, maybe I should go back and get these chapters prepped for posting? Despite my fears, everyone who has commented on KTC have been very supportive and encouraging and sweet. So this whole anxiety and self doubt is probably just in my head. I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I do have other smut WIPS that tackle different layers and so I can always finish those up if I need to take a break from the wildness of KTC. So to answer your question, yes, we do have more in store, and maybe it's time I show you what we've cooked up (no matter how embarrassed I make the reader...or myself)

[bundleofboys]

idk what's up with the comic yet, but ngl, Casio being giggly and happy is honestly a huge turn on lOOK AT HIMM- bro i just wanna make him happy

The real ones showing up in my inbox today 🙏✨

[baby-xemnas]

Hadnt even considered bepoxlaw until i saw your blog

And you know what? He would fuck that bear

face of a man who is going to fuck that bear

[waywardmillennial]

"What other things were we lied to" i mean if you think abt it the dialogue in the trailer is from this ep and the first one (the youre not ready to face the truth) and it is also implied this ep that Sprat as in red herring bc he doesnt like what he's doing. So I'm curious to see how it all evolves!

Yes! You're so right!

This exchange was all from 7x02:

Ryan: Well, this is collusion. They clearly- Professor: That’s not collusion. Ryan: It’s collusion! You guys fucking figured it out before this. Brennan: Just get on his wavelength, man. Professor: Get on my level! Ryan: You’re just not ready for the truth!

When I broke down the trailer and pointed out this dialogue, I knew it included Brennan but I thought that maybe parts of it could have been spliced together from other episodes, because we were seeing Lore at that point and this was all voiceover in the trailer edit. Especially Ryan's line of "You're just not ready for the truth!" felt very Boogara yelling at a Shaniac (which I'm pretty sure the Professor is) but turns out it was a 9/11 joke!

I am also curious and excited to see where this season takes us! Can you believe this will all culminate on Valentine's day lol

[empresskadia]

hii diva your fourth wing fanfic on Ao3 is my shit and I love it and please continue to publish chapters thank you 😛

Oh my gosh, thank you!!!

Im so happy to hear you enjoy it!

I would love to know if you have any favorite scenes or anything your excited about seeing!

I appreciate your support 💕💕💕

[chrism02]

So glad to see you're writing again! (Especially the Nutcracker one 👀) It always brightens my day whenever I read your Maxim Horvath writing, you write him so well and so gentlemanly!

Me when I saw the golden cuffs on the bed part:

It was nice to write him again and I'm happy that I brightened you day with his chapter. 😊

The golden cuffs are telling, aren't they? 😏

Have a blessed day! 🤗

[lady-swanbell]

You're so right that the 1995 P&P is the best

Thank you! I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who likes the 1995 version more, it just gives me this cozy feeling that I don't get from the other one. And, at least to me, Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth were perfectly cast for their roles (when I read the book I couldn't do it without imagining them as the characters) but I always had the feeling the 2005 movie gets a lot more love around here..

[venomouslilith]

Hi panda, hope your life has been treating you well!

In my most recent panda finding adventure, I came across many of them and ofcourse I thought about you!

Take care!

oh this is sweet ☺️🫶🏻

but please use the current blog name in the futurrrre 😁 feels weird otherwise, thank youuu

[bonefin]

what’s your favorite pokemon

that's hard, as there are so many i love..maybe azumarill or hoppip! i like their designs and they are fun to use :)

[redfoxv]

Biting you bestie

mmmmmmmmmm hmhmhmhhm m thank you ^w^

Biting you right back!

[pardonmydelays]

I hope you're doing okay Poppy! Sending hugs 🩷

ive been better honestly, but thank you. im just going through a lot of stuff lately, mostly work related, also the news about matthew's death was the worst thing to wake up to. so... im just looking for a distraction.