#they really took the MACHINE out of MACHINE HERALD

[avelera]

Hi! I wanted to hear your thoughts about something that keeps on nagging me about the Glorious Evolution... what's the difference between the Evolved and the Pompeii-esque husks we see in the ruined timeline? Viktor states his intent is to Evolve everyone willing and connect them into one mind but we only ever actually see him evolve his commune followers. Towards the end we see that either Viktor himself, the drone bots, or the anomaly via the mind-strings, can begin to 'assimilate' people, but that never progresses to getting Evolved. Jayce almost losing himself in golden light seems to be what happens if it's allowed to finish. So does everyone else who isn't 'touched' just get decimated by the anomaly blast? What was Viktor's intent for Jayce ultimately - I feel like he wasn't going to Evolve him, he wanted him by his side and we see in the ruined timeline that he's a husk, not a drone. I'm still struggling to make sense of these different end-states for those who get plugged into the hivemind, and how it's decided who ends up getting connected or just destroyed.

Sorry it took me a while to get to this one, it was a combination of real life and not really having an answer ready because I agree, it is vexing.

I don't quite know how to break down what happened and who is what, but I can try to make sense of it with the things we know:

In this reality, Jayce never shot Viktor through the chest. Presumably, this means Viktor continued with his plans without interruption.

Ambessa arrived at the commune before Jayce did, so his going back did not alter that event. So that would be the same in both universes. To me, this means that Viktor was heading towards his moment of disillusionment either way, either by Jayce's hands or by Ambessa.

Keep in mind, Jayce shooting Viktor is NOT why Vander went crazy. So many people miss this, but it's actually because of Singed injecting him. Admittedly, he did so while everyone's backs were turned because of the interruption of Jayce's attack but I think the full-scale conflict that broke out was quite likely in either universe, with or without Jayce.

I think what also gets lost in this discussion is what Salo was doing at the base of the Hexgates: retrieving Hex crystal cores.

So, while Viktor was running low on energy, he may have found an alternative by using Hex crystals which Jayce scuttled by killing Salo. No one else from the commune (except arguably Viktor himself) would have the authority to get into the Hexgate base without getting stopped.

As far as we know, without getting shot, Viktor never turned to Singed for Apex Shimmer via Vander/Warwick. I believe this because Wizard Viktor doesn't have the Machine Herald appearance. Arguably he's able to shed it or it's an illusion, etc etc, but truly I believe the Machine Herald appearance is a direct result of Jayce shooting Viktor and him being forced to turn to Apex Shimmer to heal.

We also know in Wizard Viktor's original timeline, Jayce probably joined him instead of shooting him. I've argued before in another meta that Jayce in Wizard Viktor's timeline likely gave into Viktor willingly at the top of the tower.

So, where does that leave us? I'm going to propose this alternate timeline:

Viktor is disillusioned by Ambessa's attack but he's not weakened because Jayce never shot him.

Using the Hex crystals Salo stole from the Hexgates, Viktor has enough power to continue assimilating people.

I'd argue: Viktor forcibly assimilates Ambessa's forces or he otherwise begins an assault on the city, perhaps with her as an ally. I only note this because it does look like there are more converted/ascended people in the Anomaly Future that there were cultists and him assimilating Ambessa's forces (including Cait, for example, but not including Jinx because her balloon is visible crashed into the Hexgate tower in the Anomaly future) is one possible explanation.

Viktor achieved this using Hex crystals, not Apex Shimmer. He was also able to do a version of the robot/ascended cultists because of the Hex crystal powers but not enough to give them that porcelain and gold "sheathe". Perhaps he didn't even feel the need to design his ascended cultists that way in this world, because he wasn't competing with Mel, because Jayce had already joined him.

Viktor then goes to the Anomaly at the base of the Hex tower. He believes that this will give him the power to convert the rest of the world and end all conflict.

And this is where things get really damn speculative but I'll try my best:

Viktor claims the Anomaly. He and Jayce go together willingly to the top of the Hexgate tower to make this vision of peace a reality using its power.

In celebration of their plan finally reaching its successful conclusion, Viktor brings Jayce into the hivemind. Jayce is kneeling in front of Viktor willingly, with his hammer held before him in fealty.

Unlike in the canon timeline, we also know Viktor didn't bring any other robots up there with him, possibly because he didn't need the show of force or to restrain a willing Jayce. (or they could have descended later I guess but eh, I'm taking my visual difference as clues where I can)

Viktor converts Jayce to be his equal, somehow, in that he's different from both the cultists and the corpses.

However, this does not bring Jayce to his level, it just adds Jayce's consciousness to the growing soup of consciousness inside Viktor's head/the Hexcore, whatever it is. Jayce is effectively dead.

Then, this moment happens, which was the goal of the Hexcore the whole time: to lay waste to civilizations who overuse magic:

The mage rising over the city.

Wizard Viktor does this either out of grief at having lost Jayce or he does so before he loses Jayce (the order isn't super important, he loses him either way) and the Hexcore takes over to finish its own goals.

Everyone who isn't already assimilated gets taken out by the subsequent violent shockwave.

I might be missing some things. Honestly, we know some things went different because Viktor was never shot, because he got Hex crystals, because Jayce might have joined him at the commune, but how the battle broke down after that is very unclear. We do know that Jinx took part in the battle because she also flew her balloon into the Hexgate tower. How exactly that battle kicked off and who the combatants were is much less clear. We do know that Viktor didn't convert all of the city before those remaining got annihilated, so something must have gone wrong with his attempt to hive mind everyone that they all died instead.

The only curious note I can't quite reconcile is Wizard Viktor's speech about, "Once every equation is solved." Because it sounds like the Hexcore, or Viktor, determined that the only way to actually stop all conflict, the way to solve the equation, is to just murder everyone.

Which... um, yeah. I guess that works! But it definitely casts Wizard Viktor as either a pawn of the Hexcore or as an absolutely terrifying psychopath if that's his definition, which by the way I'm totally cool with because I love Wizard Viktor but I can easily see him being actually insane at this point and an only mildly remorseful supervillain who's really only sad Jayce died too so there was no one to save Viktor before he ended up in this dreamless solitude. Make of that what you will too.

I still don't feel like I have a clear answer for you, but hopefully this helps!

[machneherald]

final arcane thoughts: super good, my show of all time. would rewatch forever. gorgeous love letter to animation. i can’t wait for more league shows

final arcane thoughts as a viktor enjoyer: what

[corvidaequeer]

There's not really a point to this. I'm not saying Arcane is bad or you shouldn't watch it or you shouldn't like Jayce or jayvik... I'm just feeling annoyed at the way they took Jayce's character in the second season for a lot of reasons & I want to rant about it.

Starting with the whole scene of Jayce & Mel talking by comatose Viktor. Jayce says "never again" to making hextech weapons & Mel promises to protect his & Victor's dream. Then, 30 seconds later, Jayce makes Caitlyn more hextech weapons anyway! His wishy-washy promise wasn't surprising, just annoying that he'd make the same mistake AGAIN (Then a third time to defend Piltover from Ambessa's attack).

-

Later, in seeing the whole story, we know that Viktor sent Jayce back to teach himself some life lesson. So why was Jayce's first reaction to kill Salo & blow a hole in Viktor's chest?? Shouldn't he have tried to reach Viktor in a less murdery way first? Try to reason with him & teach him said life lesson? It just doesn't make sense.

-

After Jayce gets back to Piltover, he has this sudden resentment & distrust towards Mel. Where did that come from? Why does Jayce suddenly think Mel is an enemy?

Jayce starts accusing Mel of selecting who she protected. What would she have to gain from that? Even if Mel DID know she had powers, why would Jayce think she would willfully let the council & Viktor die? Why would he think her so cruel?

Then there's the "investments" line. Firstly, it was Alora that called Jayce an investment. Mel just said, "Indeed." Secondly, Who the fuck told him that happened anyway??

Then Jayce claims Mel was "using" them? Yes, she wanted Jayce & Viktor as allies & directed them in her favor, but thats really not "using" them. She saw a good opportunity to make some change & took it like anyone else would. The rest of the council used him for their own benefit far more than Mel did. But more importantly, Mel CARED about Jayce & Viktor. She cared about their dreams & helped them to achieve it! She was the one who supported them from the start. She was trying to get the council NOT to make hextech weapons. She wanted to protect their dream, but she's still somehow "using" Jayce & Viktor to get hextech?! Jayce is the one who keeps making hextech weapons without anyone pressuring him to do so! So what was the narrative point of having Jayce take his regrets out on Mel? What function did it serve?

That whole scene was just-

Mel: Hey, I need some emotional support from this traumatic thing that just happened to me

Jayce: Fuck you, Mel! You should have saved everyone. Also, how dare you have unconditionally supported Viktor & I & our research!!

The anger towards her just comes out of nowhere & has no evidence to back it up & it annoys me. Also, it just feels out of character, even with the more edgy way they portrayed Jayce in act 2 & 3. So, just, why?

-

Then there's "my partner died in this room." Jayce saw Viktor in the future, as himself, not the machine herald. He spoke with him & promised to fix things. So clearly, Viktor's humanity wasn't dead, so why even say that? What was the point?

-

Then there's Jayce's little speech. There are so many things with this.

Jayce, who had up to this point, chose violence, is suddenly all soft again & just NOW trying to reach Victor. Where was that in the last few days?? Would he not have done this first instead of blasting a hole in him?

"You always wanted to cure what you thought were weaknesses" No, bitch, he wanted to help people in poverty & didn't want to fucking die!! What are you even talking about!? Viktor was insecure ONE TIME about being up on stage, so why is Jayce diminishing Viktor's ENTIRE MOTIVATION to him being insecure about being disabled??

Then, in the same line of thinking, there's Jayce saying Viktor's disability & illness (his "imperfections") make him beautiful & he admires Viktor for that??! Cut the inspiration porn trope! Are we not passed that?!

Lastly, Jayce is supposed to show Viktor some life lesson of all that being left is "dreamless solitude" & "there is no prize to perfection" but Jayce doesn't even say any of that?? He just shows Viktor saying it. How is that something only Jayce can do?

Sure, I love the idea of Cosmic Destiny Partners. It's a great idea & a somewhat happy ending for these two. I get it, I do. But the whole path leading up to it & its execution was poor, confusing, & frankly ableist.

-

In general, Jayce just felt inconsistent.

Yeah, in season 1, Jayce has a track record for flip-flopping on his morals & ideals. His character arc is that of someone being easily swayed. He makes a lot of mistakes & then corrects himself by swinging in the complete opposite direction, only to make more mistakes. It's his character flaw.

Then season 2, he becomes more resolute in the promise he mentions. You think, oh, this makes sense. He finally grew a backbone & is standing his ground. Apparently, choosing violence as his footing, but still. He keeps this aggressive demeanor up for the rest of season 2. But then suddenly, right at the last second, he turns around & says the softest & sappiest shit in the whole show?? The fluffy confession of adoration & partnership just comes out of nowhere! If you're taking Jayce in an aggressive direction, then do so. Don't come in swinging with this totally different person.

Overall, it just feels like Jayce is there for shock value & relationship drama instead of being an actual character with solid motivations & and a steady narrative.

[mintaii]

May I ask for your thoughts on Arcane season 2! Be as honest as you want, I ook a lot of issue w it and would love to see what other people took issue with.

well overall i was kinda disappointed HAHA the animation was so jawdroppingly gorgeous (i am going to absorb that art book into my system when i receive my copy), i just wish the writing this season reflected the visuals it was delivered with.

i'll type out further thoughts under the read more

things i really liked:

episode 7 was so peak. an ekko character episode, the whole AU deal, timebomb, heimer's silly little bard song and jayce being miserable in the canyon with the voidimals

jayvik soulmatism (edit: ok but the reveal that the old wizard who saved jayce was viktor was SO goofy i'm sorry i can't take that part seriously)

there were a few scenes here and there i loved. off the top of my head: the entirety of ep 1's opening sequence (aftermath of the rocket launch, the funeral), mel's talks with 'kino' and the build up to the realization that he's fake, vi + jinx's fight paralleling jayce, ekko and heimerdinger experiencing the hexhorrors

i liked the horror elements, lowkey wish they did more of it

sorry i'm going to rip into it for a bit:

the pacing was not great LOL felt like we had no time to marinate in everything they were throwing at us because we had to move on fast. the reason why i love ep7 so much was bcos it gave us the time to breathe

this was the biggest thing for me: the zaun and piltover conflict not being the central story of this season was a disservice to nearly every characters' arc.

too many music videos lmfao interesting how it's for mostly addressing sociopolitical issues in zaun/piltover

i think it's kinda weird u don't see ekko and jayce for a nearly whole act (considering ekko's role in saving the timeline and what jayce finds out in the hexpocalypse)

vi in particular to me felt so extinguished as a character and it makes me so mad how she feels completely shoved to the side writing wise. even her big solo character moment which was her as a pit fighter was? relegated to a music video?

did not like caitlyn by the end of it all and how they handled her character this season unfortunately made me dislike caitvi's dynamic in the finale (and i was rooting for them!!!) hence why i don't like how vi goes i'm the dirt under your nails to her at the end LMAO

i felt like the reveal that vander and silco were besties with vi + powder's mom cheapened the emotional intensity of vander, vi and powder becoming found family on the bridge and vander's decisions afterwards, as well as silco's own decision to take powder in. i'm sorry but i really don't think silco in s1 knew who tf vi and powder were (other than the awareness they were vander's daughters)

prefacing this by saying viktor is my favorite character (to no one's surprise) but i wasn't a huge fan of the direction they took him this season!! i think he should have been a robot but also he was severely underutilised in their attempt to make him the main antagonist in act 3. imo it thematically makes more sense to have the herald still be a machine. also the lack of agency in his evolution was so weird to me (though i do like the idea of jayce being the one to jumpstart the transformation out of love). i could keep going on about him lmao

[showsandstuff]

WHAT'S UP!

Welcome to my post where I praise the fanon original league version of Jayvik!!!

I'm gonna be real, I will miss the Og machine herald Viktor. I never played league, and I'm not going to, but before season 2 came out I read his lore and he's actually a pretty fun character.

Then after season two act 1 came out, I dove into the world of fanfiction cause I started shipping Jayvik and found kind a few fics about the league of legend versions of the characters. And here is what I will say.

If we go with fanon alone, I actually prefer the league versions.

League Viktor and League Jayce are actual enemies for most of the time. They used to be colleagues, then Viktor was getting into brainwashing whilst Jayce was a dick and got him kicked out of the academy. He also didn't speak up when some other scientist took credit of Viktors invention. Oh and there were misunderstandings about some crystal...

Long story short, they don't like each other. But in the fics they often times either clear the misunderstandings and make up or yearn for each other whilst on opposite sites. Or they fight each other which leads to make out sessions because why not.

The characters are also generally more fun to read about.

Jayce is a huge dick, that is literally his most defining personality trade. He is a cocky bastard and people like him until they get to know him because he's just such an asshole.

And Viktor is just... Really fucking silly. He wants to get rid of his emotions and says that he already did get rid off them, but then Jayce pisses him off and you can tell no way?? Where did you get rid off your emotions? You've been whining non stop. There's also still love, kindness and empathy within Viktor, but he somehow convinces himself that he is emotionless. It gets especially good when that's played for comedy, which it oftentimes is!

Also, the nicknames! They still call each other Jayce and Viktor but Viktor also calls Jayce "Defender" short for "Defender of tomorrow" which is jayces title, and Jayce calls him either V or Machine Herald, depending on the mood.

Arcane season 2 was too rushed and packed with so many seperate story lines that we didn't have enough time for the characters. We needed at least one more season.

But the fanon for the league version, as someone who never played it, gives me this huge time frame of them being enemies but they used to be colleagues or friends (or more than friends depending on the writer), and then a huge time frame of them being enemies.

Og machine herald League Viktor though??? PEAK, WHAT A FUNNY CRINGEFAIL LOSER!

Now more to Arcane...

I think as much as I love Jayvik there, it's all just too sad, especially if you don't necessarily want to read act 1 fanfictions or AUs.

Also Viktor is super hard to characterize because his personally changes with almost every act. That's why I don't buy it when people complain about the way he is characterized because Ik all yall want is sassy S1 Act 1 Viktor, but I prefer the less confident and workaholic Act 2 Viktor. We are not the same.

The Fanon of League is just, somehow, more consistent in a way, because it has existed just much longer and people probably get inspired by the same shippers for how to write their dynamic.

Arcane fics though depend on how the individual interprets the characters, and with characters whose arcs were rushed sm it's just impossible.

So Og machine herald Viktor, you will be missed. I hope people don't stop writing for them and drawing fanart!!

[sunshinesprats]

yellow

part 2 is here

Up until you met a certain someone, your soulmate, your world was always destined to forever be in shades of grey, and black and white. It was a relatively uncommon experience for anyone to meet their soulmate on the Luofu. With most people choosing to stay on the ship for their entire lives, there was no way to get out into the galaxy and meet your other half. You had met a very small number of people who had met their soulmate on the ship. They were very fond of talking about how beautiful the world was, now that it was bathed in color. Everything was so exciting and new, they always had this sort of sparkle around them as they spoke. You tried to be happy for them, you really did, but the things they spoke about always went over your head. You were a simple mechanic, you were sure you’d never experience the joys they spoke of. Nobody paid attention to the likes of you.

A power line being down on a civilian street was practically unheard of on the Luofu. If there were issues with the power supply, it was always within the depths of the ship that you and your team of mechanics, along with countless others were intimately familiar with.

It was easy to hide away from the prying eyes of the people, being heralded as silent heroes who saved the ship from little disasters while remaining unseen. That’s how a portion of the Luofu civilians saw people who worked in your position. A larger number of them regarded lowly mechanics as untouchables, and not in a good way. It made you scoff, you were the ones responsible for keeping the ship they lived on intact, and that was the thanks they gave you? It wasn’t fair for them to look down on you, but they’d never understand the hardships you had to go through to live this life. They could shove their opinions elsewhere, you thought, and left it at that. They should really be grateful now, here you were, in plain sight. Aurum Alley’s power supply had been cut off when a group of young adults were inappropriately, and dangerously, playing with a firearm one of their comrades had bought and was showing off, in the street and it misfired. The situation was quickly brought to the attention of the Cloud Knights and they took control of the area, calling for a mechanic squad to quickly resolve the power issue right away. 

You were grateful nobody had been hurt, but were angry at the carelessness of the young people who had caused this disruption. Thankfully it would be an easy fix, this was a very short section of wire and tubing that needed to be replaced, but it was in a high place. The hole in the side, and the burnt smell of plastoid wafted down the street as you and the team made your way to the job. You guys hadn’t been on a job when the call had been made, so it was yours. Your team began to gear up to fix the issue, but you were given the most attention. You were the best at handling jobs that required you to go up on the crane arms, you were the steadiest of them all. You clipped on your harness and motioned for the crane to raise you up. Soon you were standing on top of the arm. You frowned. This was one of the older models of arms, and it didn’t have a railing. You looked down at your comrades, who were setting up their equipment to shut this section of the line down for sure, so you wouldn’t potentially get electrocuted removing the line. You made eye contact with Jinshui, one of your close friends on the team. He gave you a thumbs up and smiled. You nodded and gave him a thumbs up in return, tugging on your harness to ensure it was secure and got to work. 

Could you have gotten a more awful crane to stand on? This one was terrifying, it creaked when you moved and at one point you could have sworn it shifted under your weight. You were sweating in your uniform, less from the heat of the shining artificial sun, but from the stress of being up so high on a shitty machine. Your palms were sweaty inside your gloves and you took them off to wipe them on your pants. 

“Is everything ok?” Jinshui called up to you. You turned your head to look down at him, afraid to turn your entire body. 

“This stupid crane moves whenever I do. I’ll finish the job the best I can, but it’s making me nervous.” You replied and bent down to pick up your tools. The weight change on top of the crane made it shift and the head toppled off. You were falling towards the ground with it, facing up towards the sun. Air rushed past you as you fell, helpless. The line your harness was attached to was slack, until it tightened as it ran out of line, yanking you back violently. It gave you whiplash, but ultimately stopped your fall. You were suspended in the air, only hanging on by your harness. You gripped the safety line and looked down in horror, nausea causing your stomach to turn. You heard shouts below you but what they were saying didn’t register. You looked into the crowd gathered below, to the side of where the site had been blocked off. Lots of horrified eyes stared up at you dangling helplessly. You scanned the crowd, and something strange began to happen when you met a particular pair of eyes. 

Slowly, as if a piece of film was being pulled away from your eyes, what you could only guess was color, began to fill your vision. The bright colors on the street, and the sun reflecting off of the shiny metal made your eyes water, but you didn’t look away from the stranger. They had light colored eyes, you didn’t know what to call it, and very light hair in a long flowing ponytail. They were tall, towering over most of the crowd and were wearing armor that shone in the sun. You closed your eyes as you recognized the General of the Luofu, staring up at you. His expression became grim, and he finally broke eye contact, turning away and heading down the street away from the commotion. You barely registered that your team had started to bring you down safely from your perch with a winch, you helplessly watched the general go until he disappeared into the crowd.

Jingshui immediately approached you, his hands extended and tone gentle, as if you were a wounded animal that needed soothing. 

“A doctor is here to see you. It looked like you got jerked pretty badly by the line, so I figured it would be good if someone took a look at you…” 

You just nodded and sat down where he gently guided you and someone began to examine you. You heard her speaking, but your mind was too in shock to hear what she was saying. You were overstimulated by the sights in front of you. Your brain was unsure how to process so much visual information and it hurt. You closed your eyes and rested your head against the wall, its cool stone soothing your skin. General Jing Yuan was your soulmate and you couldn’t tell anyone about it. You sighed and shifted your position. The stone brick dug into your skin. It would definitely leave a mark.

“I’m just tired.” You said out loud, to anyone who may be listening. You weren’t sure if anyone had been speaking to you at this point, but the ringing in your ears seemed to have calmed for now. The doctor looked startled at your sudden exclamation, her tail bristling slightly, but nodded in response. 

“According to your friend, your supervisor has given you some time off. He sent the details to your phone. Please use the time you have to get some well deserved rest.” She shot you a serious look as she packed up her bag and began to leave the site. You sighed again and pulled out your phone, checking your messages. You squinted at the screen, it was far too bright and colorful for you at the moment. There were several messages from Jingshui, and one from your boss. He did, in fact, give you time off. A generous 3 days. You imagined you would spend that time brooding over the fact that you would most likely never have a relationship of any kind with your soulmate. And that thought hurt more than the occasional twinge in your neck. 

—

Your minor injury recovered within the three days you had off, and you were cleared by a doctor, deemed healthy enough to begin work again. Your teammates were happy to see you, welcoming you back with open arms. Luckily your first day back was only filled with light repairs. It didn’t strain your body at all, and you were grateful. Those three days had been boring, full of nothing but endless thinking. You had wondered countless times what would happen if you reached out to the general. Would he respond favorably, or would he push you away? You didn’t know, and had no way of knowing. This ate you up inside as you curled up in bed, Jingshui’s contact open. The cursor in the textbox blinked slowly at you. You hesitated, and decided it would be best to tell him in person. 

You didn’t need to set up a time to tell him, however, he asked if you wanted to get dinner as you left the last worksite of the day. 

“I just want to make sure you're doing ok.” He said with a smile. You returned his smile and made your way to Aurum Alley, chatting about the events of the day, and what you did during your time off. You sat down at the Delicacy Pavilion and ordered Signature Chili Oil Beef Offal Stew. There was a pleasant silence between the two of you as you waited for your food, Jingshui was people watching and you were racking your brain, trying to think of a way to break the news. You decided to just be upfront. 

“I um. I have something to tell you. But you can’t tell anyone else about it.” You swallowed thickly and clasped your sweaty palms together, your arms resting on the cool surface of the table. Jingshui turned to you, his expression serious. 

“I promise I won’t tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me.” 

You sighed and gripped your hands tighter, staring off into the distance. You were so unsure of how to begin. You closed your eyes and looked your friend in the face. Your food had arrived and he had begun to dig in. You felt the heat radiating from the bowl onto your chilled arms. He looked up at you, mouth full of beef. He gestured for you to speak. And so you did.

“Right… This has been eating me up for the past couple of days. Um. I’ve met my soulmate. Well, that’s not true. I’ve only seen them… made eye contact with them.” You wrung your hands as you began to explain your plight to Jingshui unsuccessfully. He raised an eyebrow curiously. You rambled on. 

Do you remember how General Jing Yuan was taking a stroll while we were fixing that powerline? There were tons of people looking up at me while I was dangling up in the air, but when I made eye contact with him specifically… my world exploded into color.” 

That was an exaggeration, the change was slow. But it felt instantaneous from the shock of being so high up in the air, with no way to help yourself escape.. Jingshui dropped a piece of beef back into his bowl as he looked up at you in shock. 

“And you’re certain it was him?!” 

“I know it was him. I couldn’t focus on anyone in the crowd other than him. He stood out for some strange reason... And then he left. I don’t know what to do. He’s practically unreachable.” You sighed and began to eat your food. You didn’t feel particularly hungry, your stomach was in knots, but you knew Jingshui would lecture you if you didn’t eat, so you tried anyway. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and he lowered his chopsticks. 

“That's… wow. Do you have a plan to get in contact with him somehow?” 

“The only way I could do that is if I get assigned to fix something at the Seat of Divine Foresight… where there’s a slim chance he’ll be there and not out taking a walk. I just… Why did it have to be him?” You rested your head in your hands, sighing heavily. “This has to be a joke from the universe.” 

Jingshui shook his head. “Things happen for a reason. Next time there’s a job for someone at the Seat of Divine Foresight, I’ll make sure you get it. You have to try. It’s the least you can do.” His voice was full of determination as he finished off his stew. He swallowed and pointed at you, furrowing his eyebrows. “Don’t give up!” 

You nodded and finished your food as well. 

“I’ll try.” You promised, feeling uneasy. It was such a long shot that the Seat would need something to be fixed. Hardly anything there broke. But you held onto a small glimmer of hope that something would come up. 

—

It took weeks, but something eventually popped up. The general’s hologram projector was fried and needed to be fixed immediately. True to his word, Jingsui advocated for you to go, but you were sure you wouldn’t be picked. Fixing holograms was not your strong suit, but your dear friend pushed for you to go anyway. You didn’t try to refute his claims of you being the best choice. This was your only chance of making contact with the general, and you both knew it. You could do it. Your team leader sighed and flipped a coin, it was between you and a woman named Zhu Li. You held your breath as the coin flew up into the air and landed in your supervisor's palm. He slapped it onto the top of his other hand and briefly examined it. He looked up and called out your name. 

“They will be going to the Seat of Divine Foresight.” He held out a bag of special tools for you to take, while Zhu Li groaned and glared at you from the side. You shrugged and took the tools, your heart pounding in your chest. Your stomach turned with excitement and dread as you began to leave your team’s space. Jingshui smiled and gave you a thumbs up as you passed by him. You smiled weakly and returned the gesture, exiting the room. You got onto the star skiff that would take you to your destination and you patiently waited to arrive there, your mind swirling with possibilities of what could happen. You tried not to dwell on any negative scenarios, it was best not to give up hope before you’d even tried. Just like Jingshui had said all those weeks ago. 

You arrived and made your way inside after being cleared by the guards at the front door. Your bag of tools had been pretty self explanatory to them. Your heart caught in your throat as you made your way up the steps inside. The inside of the building was fairly empty, save for the standard array of Cloud Knights and other employees that worked here. You were shown the device that needed fixing by Qingzu, who thanked you for coming on such short notice. You smiled at her, placing your tool bag on the ground, and told her it was no trouble at all. It was your job after all. Before you began to work, you looked through the railing up at the general’s desk. He was not there. Your heart sank in your chest and you bit the inside of your cheek, returning your gaze to the broken projector. You tried to ignore the immense disappointment that settled in your chest like a weight as you opened the machine to see what was wrong. Of course he wasn’t here. You were foolish to think he would be, he spent lots of time outside of his office discussing matters with other Luofu officials. 

Some wires had fried inside of the machine. You frowned as you tried to pull them out, marveling at how frayed they had become. Had the protective layer just melted off? You couldn’t tell. The wires were stubborn and refused to come out of their plugs. You got on the ground, shimmying up to the projector on your stomach and reached in to grab the wires from this angle. Your fingers were very close to the power supply. As you yanked on the wires, finally freeing them, a shock jolted your arm, numbing your nerves. You swore and sat up instantly, ignoring the looks that were thrown your way. You hissed and rubbed your hand, exhaling deeply. Your muscles still worked thankfully, although you had no idea when the feeling would return to your arm. You felt someone was standing behind you, causing you to sit up straighter. The hairs on the back of your neck prickled as you felt their eyes on you.

“Sorry about the noise. It was just from a mistake I made. I’ll be out of here soon.” You explained, tone apologetic. If this person were a disgruntled employee, hopefully they would leave you alone for the duration of your project. The person chuckled and walked towards the steps on the right side of the room, allowing you to get a look at them. You froze in place as General Jing Yuan came into view. 

“Take all the time you need. I’m in no hurry to play starches any time soon.” His voice was deep, just how you remembered it from all of the addresses he’d made in the past, but his tone was kind. His usual relaxed expression was on his face as he looked at you with slight interest. You cleared your throat and sat up straighter. 

“Thank you sir.” Now that he was right in front of you, you had no idea what to say. You gripped the wires in your hand tightly as your mind raced. You never actually thought about a plan of what to say if you actually met him. You cleared your throat again. 

“If there are no more issues, it should be fixed in no time.” You turned away, unable to handle the weight of his gaze any longer. He radiated power, and it was intimidating. You scanned your tools and picked up the one you needed next, to open a different hatch inside of the projector. You breathed a sigh of relief when you heard him go up the steps to his desk, shortly followed by the rustling of papers. That went horribly, you thought as you began to repair the projector. There’s no way you could talk to him here. He had work to finish, it was foolish to even entertain the thought of having a meaningful conversation here. Disappointment took root in your heart once more as you swiftly finished repairing the projector. Your time at the Seat of Divine Foresight was finished, and you were still as far away from the general as you had been when you walked in. 

You picked up your bag of tools and stood up silently stretching before you left. What a wasted trip this was, your thoughts turned gloomy. Qingzu ordered a star skiff to come get you, she had you come up on the dais and manually type in your destination. Your heart pounded in such close proximity to the general. He was reading a report, completely engrossed in its contents. You finished typing and stepped back from Qingzu’s screen. The general looked up from his report at the movement. Your heart leapt in your chest as he made eye contact with you. 

“Leaving so soon?”

You nodded, adjusting your grip on your tools. 

“Yes sir, I’ve finished fixing the projector. Hopefully it won’t have any more problems in the future.” Did he want something? It was impossible to tell, he was unreadable. 

“Hmm. I have something for you.” Even Qingzu next to you looked shocked as he said this. He took a small piece of paper and wrote something on it, holding it out to you once he finished. His slight smile was present as always. You stepped forward and took the paper, ignoring how your face grew hot as you accidentally brushed your fingers against his. You folded up the paper and stuck it in your pocket. 

“Thank you…” You were unsure how to respond, and didn’t have time to. Qingzu informed you that your star skiff had arrived to take you back to work. You turned away from the general’s desk, trying to ignore your flaming cheeks as you walked down the steps and to the front door. 

A/N: Hii this is only part one to a longer fic! Please let me know what you think and as always, requests are open! :)

[mistresscitrusslice]

Our Glorious Evolution - Chapter 5: Buddy Cop Interlude 1

Caitlyn stares at the bulletin board before her.

“It doesn’t make any sense!” she decries, flinging down the red string tangled between her fingers.

“Okay, Cupcake, but you need to tell me how it doesn’t make sense,” Vi says. “Witnesses saw the Machine Herald enter the lab, heard him argue with Jayce during the battle, and saw him leave the crime scene. Hell, someone with a camera even managed to get a lucky shot of him taking Jayce’s hammer home as a trophy!” She throws her hands up. “We know they’ve been trying to blow each other off the face of Runeterra for years. I hate to say it, but everything points to… exactly what it looks like,” she says, taming her voice.

“That’s your opinion, but you didn’t know Viktor. I did. I knew him when he was… human. He cares too much about Jayce to really kill him.”

She traces a finger along the path that he took that night, the path that she and her enforcers tracked him down until the trail went cold on the fringes of Zaun. It’s the best city for criminals to hide in for a reason, she supposes. Any potential witnesses she encountered feared the Machine Herald more than they feared her.

“He’s not human anymore,” Vi quietly points out. “But if you’re going down this route, the security team I interviewed says the Herald did pay Jayce a visit on the anniversary of the trial. Only, they didn’t fight.”

“What?” Caitlyn exclaims, glancing behind her at Vi on the bench in front of the fireplace where she prefers to read her documents. They have lost at least one file to the hearth, and have been diligent about keeping copies since then. “Why didn’t we hear about this?”

Vi shrugs. “Because they didn’t fight.”

Full fic on AO3

[omilkandhoneyteao]

I need to add on to the Viktor thing cause that’s literally my man and the direction they went with him is something I can’t grasp

ARCANE SEASON 2 SPOILERS

I’m sorry but the machine herald wasn’t even machine, it was magic!!! He’s not the Magic Herald, he’s the machine herald and yet they didn’t include any of that??

Correct me if I’m wrong because I don’t play League but isn’t the Machine Herald’s whole thing still being a man but wanting to IMPROVE humanity by taking away their weaker parts by exchanging them for machinery? And yet, in arcane, he doesn’t give a fuck and is just turning in to the people he “helped” in to mindless husks? Also when he got blown to bits by Jayce, I really thought he was gonna replace himself with mechanical parts but NO THEY JUST MADE HIM EVEN MORE MAGIC???

Like it’s so weird that they also kinda tried to make it seem like it was Viktor’s fault for becoming what he became when like

That man just wanted to get better??? Like the scenes with Jayce were sweet but the whole “you were trying to perfect yourself” NO SIR HE WANTED TO STOP AN ILLNESS THAT WAS CAUSING A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH??? Like idk if people realize this but Viktor was GRIEVING like he found out he was dying which is a gigantic pill to swallow and clearly he wasn’t in his right state of mine and then when he finally accepted his fate, his already short life span was cut SHORTER by the explosion and even then, I feel like it was the scene with the hexcore that took away HIS choice of 1) wanting to just die and 2) destroying the hexcore!

I also fully believe that while Viktor was doing bad things, I think the Arcane was a corrupt form of magic (we’ve seen that there IS good magic like Mel’s) and it was corrupting Viktor in a way that made him think what he was doing was the ONLY way and that he HAD to do because again, he wasn’t in a clear state of mind so I fully believe that he was aware of what he was doing but he truly believed this was the ONLY way (like I’ve mentioned earlier it’s so similar to Wanda with the Darkhold and how it was corrupting her when she was at her most vulnerable by showing her what she wanted and that by doing all those bad things, it’s the only way she could get her wish)

Another thing I hated was them revealing that the Mage wasn’t Ryze (IT SHOULD’VE BEEN HE WOULD’VE MESHED SO WELL WITH THE STORY) but Viktor and that he just kept going back in time so Jayce could stop him which is so ???

Like I’m sorry but that’s literally so dumb because it just makes the world of Arcane seem even smaller! Like the way season 2 has been trying to make connections that didn’t need to be there makes it seem like Piltover and Zaun as a whole have a population of 30!

Like it would’ve been so much sweeter (lowkey power of friendship type ship but I’ll leave it at that) if Jayce and Viktor CHOSE to be partners and brothers and friends and whatever it is you see them as and that it wasn’t forced because of “fate” but because of THEIR choice! Like it lowkey just takes away the characters autonomy cause it’s like “well yeah you actually didn’t pick this person it was predestined!!!”

It’s just so disheartening because Viktor is such a good character and to just take away all the good things they could’ve done with him is just upsetting.

[sinfiltrate]

Act 3 spoilers. (pt 2)

JAYCE TIME!!! I love that man and I NEED to talk about him.

Again, I'm gonna start with what I'm happy about.

I enjoy how they demonstrated his ingenuity and perseverance in episode 7. Making a leg brace out of his hammer? Eating whatever animals came through that cave? Being able to tolerate those beings that watched his every move without going completely insane? It was amazing to see someone who was previously suicidal fight so hard to live.

I was pleasantly surprised with how he could still be considerate after everything that happened to him. He hadn't let that experience erase his former self entirely, his kindness was still able to pull through, which is just another example of his tenacity.

The development of his relationship with Viktor. It was beautiful seeing Jayce admit that he admired Viktor all along, and his imperfections even more so. All of you who ever thought the opposite of him BE ASHAMED. He loved Viktor so much, and after everything, finally realized that Viktor should've been his top priority because he's what he cared about this whole time.

Jayce looked absolutely gorgeous in this act, as expected, THANK YOU.

Now, what I'm mostly just disappointed by.

The lack of attention paid to his hallucinations. There was one more in episode 8 and that was it. I guess I was just expecting more of that, considering how frequent it was in episode 5 and 6. I really wanted them to explore his trauma. Surviving for what seems to be months in an abandoned part of the world that you took part in destroying, unintentionally or not, can do A LOT to someone's head, especially someone like Jayce, who had once been so naive to and inexperienced with suffering. He was NOT privileged, mind you, but he was raised in Piltover, a city built on peace and wealth.

The ending Jayce received was, to me at least, underwhelming. It's a win for JayVik fans, but it is NOT a win for Jayce Talis fans (or just me idk man IM UNSATISFIED). I feel like it really undermines Jayce as a character, revealing that his entire life begins and ends with Viktor since he is the mage he met as a kid. It makes it seem that Jayce was simply a pawn in Viktor's story, like nothing he did ever actually meant anything because no matter what, he was going to drop it all for Viktor. Endearing in a romantic aspect, yes, but disappointing in every other. I really wanted more for him. I would've honestly preferred it if the mage wasn't Viktor, rather some other league character that could become a bigger part of the next series they're making. Having it be Viktor makes the world seem so small.

The build-up of him during episode 9 was ultimately unnecessary. He didn't even fight in the war, let alone fight Viktor while in his Machine Herald form. He just ended up talking to him with a "this isn't you" type beat and then proceeded to warp out of existence with Viktor. NOT DEAD... btw.. he's alive and well just on another astral plane don't get it twisted. I understand that they're soulmates destined to meet each other in every universe, but I didn't expect such a happy ending for them. I WANTED A BOSS FIGHT WITH SPIT BLOOD AND TEARS

Also, I feel like there was no true explanation as to why the gemstone had to be imbedded in Jayce's wrist? Was it simply so he could carry it into wherever Viktor was? For me, I genuinely thought it would give Jayce some type of control over magic, unlock his inner arcane or SOMETHING. The way Viktor said Jayce had too touched the arcane made me think that's exactly what was going to happen, like Jayce was going to unlock his connection to magic through the stone literally being inside him. It could've been an explanation as to why magic fascinates him so much, he just needed a link to it, straight from the source to realize his full potential. I'm honestly sad that they didn't delve deeper into that. Him and Mel would've been so powerful together. SOMEONE MAKE A FIC OF JAYCE BEING A MAGE PLEEEASE IT WOULD BE SOOOO COOL CMON GUYS

Back to episode 7, I also expected Jayce to fight those things he saw while in the other dimension. It would've been fascinating to see how severely they affected his mental state, considering they were literally breathing down his neck the entire time he was there. I would've liked to see him one day just snap and dismantle one of those things. Seeing how they weren't violent upon his arrival, I doubt they'd fight back, and he'd just take out all his rage and sadness and guilt on them. It would explain why he was so unfazed when he killed salo; both because he knows it isn't truly him and he's already killed so many, it no longer has an effect. And it might've given him more battle IQ, using them as test dummies and learning how to defend himself. That would've been a cool segment of his time spent there. There just wasn't enough time to go that deep.

In conclusion, they could've made him so much cooler, just saying. But seriously, I think I expected too much out of this act, and the second season in general. And I love Jayce, the end.

[whos-orion]

ACT 2 WAS CRAZYYY

MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER CUT. LIKE ALL THE SPOILERS. I AM DUMPING MY THOUGHTS.

So ep 4 was great !!! I loved Jinx and Isha's interactions and then Isha getting her hair blue!!!

Ending of ep 4 was crazy 😭😭😭 could not believe vander was alive

LOVE EP 5 AHHH!!! The beginning sequence was incredible, showing vi's circle and how unsustainable it became. And then the teamup!!! They've finally sorta reconciled!! Poor Isha though, Vi standing up for her in ep 3 and then making her nose bleed now.

ALSO MEL. MEL HAPPENED. I SCREAMED WHEN "KINO" APPEARED IT WAS CRAZY. I love the way the black rose magic is animated. AND THE REVEAL WITH MEL. OH MY GOD. THAT WAS CRAZY

And then there's jayce. Oh, jayce. He is LOSING it. With how Viktor was talking in the end of the ep while possessing Salo he seemed like he was gonna be the villain, and then he was sunshine and daises in ep 6. Speaking of.

Ep 6. Wow. I. Wow. Im not ok fr.

First off, I like Jayce. He's a good character. But my first response to him at the end of the ep was WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKKKKKK

ANGRY SAD CRYING SOBBING however i do not hate him. He's complicated and my feelings are not simply anger. He's got a lot going on...good on him for not killing that child in front of him though. Even though he killed them later.

CAITVI MADE UP???? WHAT???? LOVE THAT FOR THEM. They're slowly kinda back?? They at least worked together. Also can we talk about how caitlyn immediately attacked Vi when she saw her walking. Like that was overkill, the way she hit her multiple times. Caitlyn didn't recognize her as Vi and if she had she wouldn't have done that, I think. But it shows what she thinks. I'm gonna have a more in depth post about the brutality from the Enforcers/Noxians soon. Im just getting my thoughts out rn.

Ok. Now the big part. Actually crying over Isha. We don't know for sure.....I'm praying shes ok....but wow. All I've got to say is she's brave. She's incredible. She's smart. She took the hextech gemstones from Vi's gauntlets anticipating a fight. She's so amazing, and I really hope she's ok. Also Vander. I've got less hope for him, though.

Misc thoughts:

EP 6 PARALLELS TO EP 3 S1. FINALLY REUNITING AND EVERYTHING GOING TO BE OKAY, THEN SOMEONE GOES AND FUCKS IT UP. WHAT THE GOOF.

on a lighter note AAAAAA THEY PLAYED PAINT THE TOWN BLUE! THATS MY FAVORITE SONG FROM THE SOUNDTRACK!!!!!

Loved seeing Vi and Jinx's mom. She's so much like Jinx. Younger Silco too! And the flashback scene, seeing Vi and Jinx before their parents died. Which means they KNEW Vander when they saw him on the bridge. They knew him all their life. Im not ok rn. Also Vander suggesting the name violet??? DO YOU THINK SILCO SUGGESTED THE NAME POWDER?

AND THEN AND THEN. VIKTOR SAID THE THING. HE SAID GLORIOUS EVOLUTION. AND THEN JINX SAID "MACHINE HERALD" IN REFERENCE TO VIKTOR IM LOSING IT.

Anyways i think thats it....i need act 3 now

[avelera]

I am LOVING all of these Meta posts! I'm still coming through them all, so idk if you answered already, but do you have any thoughts on what Jayce was up to in the Timebomb universe?

Because since he was researching Hextech, Viktor still met him as a kid, but Jayce probably scrapped a LOT of research after Vi dying. So I wonder if:

- Jayce ever met Viktor and what that means for Wizard Viktor being cool with that timeline

- if the Anomaly sent Heimerdinger and Ekko there specifically because the Hexcore was annoyed that there was one timeline where it didn't have any influence over anyone. Whiiich led to Ekko unintentionally dooming that timeline to get home by introducing the anomaly and encouraging Jinx to do more ambitious science, lol. Whoops. (But Ekko is the best boy and I can fault him for nothing)

Which THEN leads me to wonder if part of the reason that the Machine Herald said "that device cannot be" was fully the Hexcore talking because it thought the timeline they went to was the "Jayvik doesn't exist here which means I can't assimilate people" one, which is an anomaly among timelines lol. It sent Ekko there not expecting a miracle but hey, Ekko made it happen as a nice pleasant surprise.

Now the Hexcore will probably turn to non-Jayvik timelines like 👀. Queue Machine Herald Jinx 😆

I hate to say it, because I have thought about it, and I'm pretty sure Jayce is dead in the Timebomb universe. He either died:

In the initial explosion that also killed Vi. If you rewatch the opening of 1.02, Jayce comes really close to being injured or killed himself in that explosion.

Jayce successfully ended his own life after out of guilt and having his dream taken away, because there's no way Heimerdinger was going to coach him on how to get a slap on the wrist instead of full banishment if a child died in the explosion.

There is of course a third, happier option that is theoretically on the table: Heimerdinger couldn't find Jayce in that universe because Jayce accepted his banishment and is no longer in Piltover. Personally, I like to think that in such a universe, Viktor would have gone with him, still seeing the potential in Hextech despite the death of Vi.

I think the device "can't be" because it's made with a second branch of Hextech that Viktor has nothing to do with. Because you're right, for Jayce to make the gems at all means it IS a universe where the wizard saved him, so it's not just a universe without Jayce and/or Viktor.

I will say, we don't know if Jinx is going to start messing with Hextech. I personally took the gems in the drawer to mean she would, but others pointed out that her closing the drawer shows she has the self restraint in that universe to not pursue a dangerous innovation, so maybe that timeline is safe?

[randomnessofthehighestorder]

Arcane season 2…

Act 2 was incredible! I have never cried so much for this show before the new eps came out…

(Spoilers below the cut)

Viktor’s fully embraced the Machine Herald title, but I never thought he’d create a commune/cult… also, he said it! He said “glorious evolution!” That’s all I wanted from him!

Warwick is Vander! We were right! I cried when he hugged the girls, the family is back together!

Flashbacks galore for Vander, our first look at Jinx and Vi’s mom and the return of Silco (younger him technically), they were so happy before the bridge assault… it’s so cute that Vander gave Vi her name.

Jayce must’ve gotten real messed up while in the Anomaly, how could he kill Viktor?! RIP Machine Herald… Jayce fucked up big time. Hopefully, he doesn’t mess things up further…

Vi took the breakup hard… alcohol and violence don’t really help… but on the bright side, the Emo look is working for her!

Isha and Jinx were so cute together! They must’ve really bonded between Act 1 and 2. I cried when she did her big hero sacrifice for Warwick/Vander. RIP Isha, you will be avenged…

I had no idea that Singed’s real name was Dr Reveck, I knew he lost his daughter, but the extent he went to save her? I’m conflicted…

Still no Ekko and Heimerdinger? Are they still lost in the Anomaly? Hopefully they come back in Act 3…

Caitlyn is really embracing her Commander role. I’m glad she defected and helped take down Ambessa. But also she hooked up with Maddie? We need another CaitVi kiss to heal the heartbreak…

We now know where Mel went when she was taken by the Black Rose. She also had a brief reunion with Kino, who apparently isn’t dead… but then that turned out to be not real (man…). Whoever took her is apparently Mel’s half sister, Ambessa had an affair and this is the repercussions that came of it. But what was that glow? Was that her gold plating? Is it magic? Is that the reason she survived Jinx’s missile in the season 1 finale?

Vision, might, guile, (and to Ambessa) sacrifice. Those are the principles that define strength according to Noxus. Ambessa had a vision of martial law, she had the might to enforce it, the guile to make it seem like it’s for the good of Piltover. All I need to see now is the sacrifice…

The music never fails to disappoint, it got me hyped, it got me crying, and dropped my jaw to the floor!

Overall, shit is getting real, I can’t tell what’s gonna happen next. All I know is that there’s gonna be a battle to end all battles in Act 3 and the Arcane will change the world forever. See you in a week…

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

And no I did not forget about Mel, but I also took a break between episode 5 and 6 so I could watch ep 6 with the machine herald and his glorious revolution in peace. I hope Mel gets to kick ass for the black rose killing Elora (a tragedy 😭) and giving her a hallucination of Kino.

Also that there wasn't really a mention of Mel missing in Piltover??? A bit weird. I mean, we were mostly in Zaun these three episodes. But like half of the council just died, then Mel gets kidnapped and Salo dissapears into a cult to be able to walk again. They did mention Jayces and Heimerdingers dissapearance for a brief second and how no one else can really figure out Hextech, BUT ONE OF YOUR 3 REMAINING COUNCILORS DISSAPEARED? Even if you got a police dictator with an whole army now, I feel like that should be more of a topic.

So yeah, I hope they do at least mention how weird that must have been like to the people of Piltover. If it's just a single line.

ALSO IS MEL PREGNANT?????!!!!!

[bringthekaos]

Ok but after getting home from the gala he needs extra kissies from Viktor 🥺🥺🥺 he is just so tired of playing pretty boy for research money

So sorry this one took so long to answer, but this one is just too good, it deserved a ficlet too!! (This is in reference to this ask about Crystal Rose Jayce.)

Fic is not explicit, but it is suggestive as feck.

Crystal Veneer

Jayce didn’t mean to take his anger out on the door to the lab—the concussive bang echoing through the wide-open space like a gunshot as he kicked it inward with so much force it slammed into the wall and dented it. But the stress of the evening had just been building and building and building like a flame with infinite fuels, and he just had to let it out.

Galas. Parties. Schmoozing with the most conceited and stuck-up bureaucrats Piltover had to offer, and all just so his research could continue. It was a vicious circle, an Ouroboros of depressing proportions—have idea, need funding, kiss asses, get funding, execute idea, repeat ad nauseam. There was no getting ahead of it either, because there was never enough—he’d always end up supplementing the funds with his own when he inevitably depleted it all in the process. So there was never excess, never a little bit to put away to kickstart the next project.

And he was fairly certain they all wanted it that way—the idea of him having free rein with his own time and research scared them. They didn’t want to be left behind. So instead they kept him on an ever-tightening leash so that they could all slap their names next to his on anything and everything he invented. So that no idea was singular, nothing belonged to him—in the end, everything he made belonged to his investors. He was just a veneer on top so that it would sell.

He grumbled to himself as he bit at the middle finger of his left glove, ripping it off with his teeth and tossing it onto his desk as the evening played out in his head—the fake smiles, the rigid posture he’d had to hold that now had his shoulder blades burning. The scattered conversations and gossip about him, as if he wasn’t standing right there. Calling him ‘Golden Boy’ and ‘Defender’ and ‘Man of Progress’ in tones that suggested he was nothing more than that—their little trophy they could hold up high when they needed something to brag about. So many monikers, and yet he was fairly certain some of them had forgotten his actual name at this point.

It was a heavy, raucous clang, clang, clang like rotary chains that startled Jayce from his brooding. The sound echoed from the far corner of the lab, eerie and haunting, and he frantically spun around to meet it—raising the Mercury Hammer and yanking on the trigger to open the hammerhead and charge it.

The source of the sound was immediately clear as the azure glow of the hammer illuminated the space—Viktor, the Machine Herald himself, dramatically clapping his metal hands together and meandering in from the shadows.

“Bravo, Defender,” he drawled, punctuating it with one more slow, metallic clap of his hands. “I’ve seen whores give more convincing performances.”

Jayce released a long, annoyed sigh; letting the hammer droop in his hold as he rolled his eyes and turned back to face his desk. He didn’t typically turn his back on Viktor, especially when he didn’t yet know what kind of mood his old friend was in, but… after the night he’d had? He would honestly welcome the Hexclaw blow to his spine. At least he would finally feel something, even if it was for target practice.

“The fuck do you want, V? I’m really not in the mood,” he snapped, unceremoniously tossing the hammer down to thunder onto the floor. He wouldn’t typically do that either, relinquish his only weapon, but he couldn’t bear its weight anymore. He’d been carrying it all night; just another prop for the partygoers to ogle. A prop held by a prop—bit on the nose, if you asked him. But then again… no one typically did.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Viktor deadpanned back, and Jayce could hear the reverb of those metal boot heels hitting stone as he took a few steps closer. “You got your funding, didn’t you? That’s what matters—so you had to prance around like a pretty peacock for their enjoyment to get it… mm. Let’s face it, you’ve always been good at that part, haven’t you Defender?”

Defender… defender, defender… pretty boy, Golden Boy. Dance for them, boy, it’s why you’re here.

Rage built at the base of his throat, making it feel like he’d swallowed molten glass. His chest went tight and his hands balled into fists so hard that his fingernails curled into the oak surface of the desk. Pain shot through his jaw as he viciously ground his teeth, but it wasn’t enough to bite back the scream,

“Can just one fucking person call me by my goddamn name?!”

And before he’d even registered moving, he had grabbed the bottle of liquor before him (it was a gift from Camille—she knew he hated these funding galas, so she’d sent it over as a pre-game gift… complete with red velvet bow) and flung it ferociously against the nearest wall. The spray of liquor and shattered glass rained down onto his desk and clothes alike, and the sharp chill of it was enough to douse his anger with regret.

That was a gift, she was just being nice—why do you always take your anger out on the wrong people? Punish the wrong people? Maybe they’re all right to write you off, disregard any usefulness you may have in exchange for displaying you like a trophy. At least you can’t hurt anyone if you just shut up and smile…

“Oh, Jayce…”

The maelstrom in his brain all came to a screeching halt—Viktor’s voice, now calm and coaxing and so achingly smooth as it cascaded over the sharp edges of Jayce’s anger that it was smothered altogether.

“Jayce…”

A bone-shaking shudder went down Jayce’s spine as Viktor’s weight, Viktor’s warmth was suddenly pressed wholeheartedly to his back. And those metal hands, so sure and strong, began to slither around Jayce’s waist to sprawl over his stomach—ruching up his shirt and untucking it as they went. They soothed over his ribcage, following the lines of his finely pressed waistcoat until they were splayed out on his pecs, where they roughly pulled him back hard against Viktor’s body.

Viktor’s breath was warm and moist on the back of Jayce’s neck as those familiar lips followed his hairline and pressed a kiss there, just behind his ear.

“My Jayce…”

Jayce’s knees nearly buckled at the words, so sensually growled into his sensitive skin that he suddenly felt feverish—hot and achy, shivery and weak…

The hum of the Hexclaw caught his attention though, and for a moment he almost panicked—fuck, let my guard down, let my stupid emotions get the better of me, and now he’s got me ripe for the pulverizing…

But instead, it simply curled down and around Jayce’s front, delicately plucking the violet rose boutonnières from his lapel. It curved back then, holding the flowers out and waiting as Viktor leaned in and inhaled of them, long and slow.

“Mm…” he grunted, the sound vaguely dissatisfied, and then the Hexclaw was unceremoniously (and rather comically) tossing the flowers away.

“Window dressing,” Viktor continued, and suddenly Jayce was being spun around with force, lifted, and plopped back down onto the desk, his knees pushed wide to accommodate Viktor’s hips. Jayce yelped with surprise, but he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed it… Viktor’s strength, the unbridled ease with which he handled Jayce’s not-inconsiderable size. To be the focus of Viktor’s attention, to be seen and analyzed and handled. Like he was something worthy of the effort, and not just some fancy centerpiece to be ignored.

And now that he was recovering his bearings, Jayce found Viktor’s mask removed—the sound of it clattering to the floor going almost unnoticed as Jayce lost himself in those familiar glowing eyes.

“This was what I always hated about Piltover, Jayce,” Viktor positively purred Jayce’s name again, and it soothed some burning need that had been scratching at Jayce’s ribcage. Say it again… say it again and again and again, please, then maybe I won’t catch fire. Or maybe I will, but either way, just say it again…

“They always felt the need to decorate that which was objectively already perfect,” Viktor continued, one hand gripping Jayce’s wrist and bringing his one still-gloved hand up between them.

He held Jayce’s gaze with hawklike intensity as the Hexclaw came down, gently pinched at the middle finger of his glove, and pulled it off. And Jayce gulped past a monstrous frog in his throat as Viktor slowly leaned in, placing warm, velvety kisses to each finger, one by torturous one.

And once he’d finished, his hands slid down beneath the lapels of Jayce’s evening coat and slowly, sensually pushed it back and off, until the metal embellishments rang out against the desk. Before Jayce could even re-situate his arms, he found Viktor’s hands wrapped firmly around his lower back and pulling.

The movement had Jayce fully flush against Viktor’s chest, and he could do little else but whine as Viktor nuzzled into his neck again, asking, suggesting. And Jayce couldn’t comply fast enough; rolling his head back and gripping at Viktor’s armor for purchase as those lovely lips latched on once more—biting and kissing and sucking until his skin was moist and hot.

“My Jayce…”

Jayce could hardly breathe now, the intensity of this need constricting like a python around his lungs. Your Jayce, yes, yours, yours, always yours. Show me you want me, show me you need me, show me I’m not just some pretty thing you can prop up on a pedestal and ogle…

Jayce’s skull ached when the Hexclaw forced him back upright, but the pain melted away as he was met with Viktor’s lips crashing into his own. He wholly gave into it, his entire body curling into Viktor’s as those soft, supple lips sucked away all the anger and frustration.

Viktor tasted of something sweet and fruity, something familiar and nostalgic… and Jayce chuckled against Viktor’s lips when he figured it out. It was those prickly pear sweets Jayce kept in a jar on his desk, for those evenings when he needed a sugar kick to keep him going. Viktor must have raided the lab while he waited for Jayce to return from that ridiculous Crystal Rose Gala—likely polishing off half the jar, with that insatiable sweet tooth of his.

“I see someone found my stash,” Jayce cooed into Viktor’s mouth, punctuating it by taking Viktor’s lower lip and sucking it between his own.

“What can I say, I was bored,” Viktor replied, his augmented hand beginning to soothe back and forth over Jayce’s thigh, driving him to maddening distraction.

“Impatient as ever,” Jayce chided back, pecking a single quick kiss before going on, “you do have to share me…”

Viktor growled back at him, his torso angling forward so quickly that Jayce had no choice but to fall back against the desk, thighs squeezing at Viktor’s hips for stability.

Viktor prowled in over him, caging him in with those heavy metal arms and crouching low so his lips barely brushed Jayce’s.

“No. No, I don’t. I don’t share with ungrateful Pilties. If they aren’t going to appreciate you, Jayce, then I’m just going to have to keep you…”

He propped himself up with the Hexclaw then, both hands joining at Jayce’s chest to begin unbuttoning his waistcoat and shirt.

“…all to myself.”

Jayce lost track of time after that, all thoughts of being nothing more than a decoration obliterated by Viktor’s thorough, doting hands.

[smokeandhubris]

okay ive done some thinking and i really loves arcanes finale but it was quite flawed. a lot you could point out here but as a viktor fan the main thing for me was how bizarrely they characterised the machine herald.

in lol lore, he was not a good guy, but his goal was always saving people. he wasn’t corrupted by an external force, he saved people and augmented them with his own intellect and skill but he didn’t do it to people unwilling. taking this and turning him into an obsessive cult leader intent on forcing everyone into a hivemind felt really out of character to me.

even outside of lol lore, viktor had so much struggle with choice in arcane. he was stripped of so much autonomy, both in terms of his body and his choices. if he wasn’t being held back by his physically weak body, he was being held back his status as a zaunite, looked down upon even by those as progressive as mel. he had so little choice throughout the show that the idea that he would think stripping people of choice and individuality even for a second is ridiculous to me.

im saddened that they took this genuinely complex and well meaning character and pretty much screwed him over, turning him into a delusion saviour figure who would doom piltover.

[bichletmepickaname]

I am starting to get really disappointed in Viktor’s direction. I wouldn’t mind him too much if arcane wasn’t becoming canon, but it is.

Changing Viktor’s character so fundamentally and practically taking away his choice in his path is so annoying. They took away all the science from his character. And the fact that he is basically being controlled by the hexcore makes his to come machine herald arc feel so meaningless. In league he still had so much personality. And his machine herald plot was completely under his control and his choice. It made his character a lot more interesting because it was HIM. It wasn’t the hexcore, or the hexcore manipulation. It was him.

As much as I wouldn’t have minded Viktor’s character direction in arcane if it wasn’t going to be the knew canon. But it is. This is Viktor now, but it’s not. Viktor’s character is now the hexcore. Arcane was an adaptation, not a retcon. So why is Viktor’s character so fundamentally changed. Why is his machine herald arc, HIS ENTIRE THING IN LEAGUE not even his own choice, it’s the hexcores.

Act 2 is coming out tonight and I will be staying up to watch it. I know I will love Viktor no matter what. But I am really really hoping they can fix this