#viktor too he confirmed it already

[silly-toji]

GUYS, WE GOTTA CHEER FOR HOW RIGHT WE WERE WITH THE SITUATIONSHIP JOKES.

There are two kinds of people, separated by the way they dealing with heart shuttering break up:

They becoming sad alcoholic hobo with no sense of personal hygiene...

2. ...or career overachiver.

[lizzy019]

НИКТО Personality Analysis

-> Information Given

Some form of dissociation disorder

Tortured by Zakhaev, leaving heavy scarring and forcing him to wear a mask to avoid ridicule, fear from others, and shunning by society

Age is in the range of late 20s to mid 30s, not confirmed yet

-> Theories

Nikto says "us" a lot in his voicelines, and in his description it only says he has ACUTE DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER, which is when you zone out and fall into a heavy state of haziness and confusion for a short period of time before regaining focus. However, DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER is all about dissociating for however long, the range is limitless, and another identity will take over while you're spaced out. Therefore, this is why I believe Nikto had DID and not ADD.

Nikto has this animation where he's supposedly showing that he'll slit your throat in a very oddly realistic manner. What pressure to use and how he'd end off your head. I believe he's witnessed and first handedly experienced this when Zakhaev tortured him, and he began doing it while in the military. Why? Nikto has a very gruff, harsh tone, but it's only when he's yelling and putting too much pressure to his vocal cords. I believe he has a scar on his neck, maybe a bit too close to his esophagus and lower chin that didn't heal properly and affected how he projected his voice.

Now, Nikto has one voice line that goes, "I hear enough voices, I don't need another!" Referring back to my first theory, I believe Nikto also has very short patience and all of his alters do as well. His whole personality is built off of acting fast, doing as instructed, and constantly going. You never see Nikto stop. I believe this voiceline is a very strong giveaway to a part of Nikto's personality on how he functions. It also shows how his temper is kind of wonky.

-> Personality Scan-over

Nikto is presumed as a very harsh Russian man, brutalized by his captor Zakhaev and taken advantage of when he was at his absolute lowest. This has caused major issues with trust, abandonment, and self-love. Nikto struggles with expressing himself, often resulting in violence and anger as heard in his voicelines.

He typically doesn't like speaking to people, only his fellow military personnel, but even then it isn't guaranteed. Nikto is a very self-sufficient person, he's head-on about lots of things and isn't scared to take charge when need be. His main frustration is when people don't listen to him, he already lacks control mentally with all his alters.

Nikto is the type of person who struggles with letting people into his life, or into his head in general. He's reserved, too reserved. He doesn't like letting people in, and who could blame him with all that he's suffered?

But if you do manage to break down his barriers, expect tough love and lots of strange surprises. He'll become more protective of you in a physical sense, not caring too much about you emotionally. If you've brought him comfort in any way, shape or form, he will tell himself how much he cannot lose that solace you bring him.

Nikto is cold, and typically isn't good in relationships. In his voicelines, he's very aggressive and doesn't show any sympathy, much less many manners. The occasional "spasibo" (thanks in Russian) and that's all. It'd be hard to be dependent on him when he's just more independent than you'd expect.

-> Background Theories

True Name: Igor "Nikto" Vasilyevich Yurievich

Age: 33 or 34

Born in: Siberia, Russia

Family: No mother, no siblings

-> Summary

Nikto is a Russian soldier who fights in the private military dubbed "KorTac", an elite group of military personnel who fight alongside other military units to achieve a shared goal.

Nikto is a torture victim survivor, captured my Viktor Zakhaev and ending up with some severe scarring to his lower face and neck. This is why he hides his face with a mask, and also covers his whole body in dark clothing.

Nikto is an individual who struggles with a dissociative disorder, causing some of his work to be a bit half-done, not purposefully however. His lack of control due to his disorder brings him only disadvantages, making him stop mid-fight and inevitably making him an easy target.

Regardless of this, Nikto has proved himself to be a worthy soldier on the battlefield, exceeding many expectations and climbing the ranks cleanly and efficiently. His character is the embodiment of determination and dedication despite everything going wrong much to his dismay.

[ahli-stuff]

POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR ARCANE SEASON 2 ACT III:

League released a new Jayce skin called Arcane Survivor; I’m going to be categorizing his voice lines by how insane each batch of them makes me and doing some short thoughts and analysis

There is a LOT of reoccurring motifs over Jayce’s 8 minutes of voice lines. At least 60% of them thematically contrast, parallel, and/or directly reference Viktor, whether it’s referring to humanity, flaws, science work, and/or promises. Especially heavy on the promises.

Directly Referencing Viktor:

Pretty par of the course voice lines!! It’s nice to get a confirmation that Jayce doesn’t necessarily hate Viktor even after what he's seen, and if he does it’s tinged with a significant edge of bitter sweetness. This also confirms Viktor’s complete loss of humanity in the third act; people say that Viktor already lost his humanity the moment he stepped out of the hex core slime but. I’d argue that he simply lost the cruel side of humanity; he still had his conscience, all things considered. His development in the third act will be the loss of that too.

Jayce’s Dream Motif “Our Hextech Dream”:

I don’t actually need to go through and explain every one of these but. I want to, so, touché. Even after all the likely terrible things Jayce experienced, it’s horribly soft that he still remembers that special moment him and Viktor shared more than a decade ago. It’s still important to him.

Jayce and Viktor’s Scientific Zeal:

AGAIN. Ruminating over his work with Viktor.

Jayce’s Flaws/Humanity Motif:

These lines are in direct contrast to Viktor’s eventual ideology—to Viktor, hextech means perfecting existence, to Jayce, it will be making existence flawed. To Viktor, humanity leads to flaws but to Jayce, flaws lead to humanity.

Jayce’s Promises Motif:

Do I even need to explain this one? I think it’s so. Deeply notable that during the greatest thing you could do during a league match (kill the entire other enemy team) and arguably the worst thing you could do (dying), Jayce has the same thing on his mind. That promise. It remains to be seen if he made another important one while in the anomaly, but I heavily predict it’s his promise with viktor.

Conclusion:

There were like six voice lines each which contributes to the motifs I mentioned here that I couldn’t add, but they are all almost as equally meaningful and gut wrenching to Jayce’s character. I heavily recommend you check the skin showcase on YouTube out—I am so much softer on Jayce now because of some of his very sad lines. Not only because he’s being extremely gay for Viktor, but because this is a man standing alone burdened by knowledge, self-hatred, despair, desperation, and also… hope. He’s the protector of tomorrow, but in the most afraid sense of the title. Love this guy.

It’s shocking to me just how many lines they are refer to viktor in some sort of way. They are. They make me ill. Whether it’s romantic, platonic, something more, something in between, it’s heartening to know their relationship has the gut wrenching connection/estrangement that has the weight to stand next to silco-vander and vi-jinx.

[vendetta-if]

If Viktor was alive, how would he have reacted when Takashi told him Luka was dating Jackel? How would he have reacted upon meeting him? Would he have also treated Artyom about finally getting niblings off his own?

Viktor immediately locks in and goes into serious and scheming mode as soon as he hears Takashi spilling the tea about his lil bro 😂

He has so many questions that poor Takashi doesn’t know the answers to 😭How did Luka manage to hide this under his nose for so long? How long has this relationship been going? What can Takashi tell more about this Jackal guy?

The next few days, Viktor is busy trying to find out more about his brother’s supposed boyfriend (might even enlist Takashi’s help on it). He also tries to subtly prod Luka with seemingly innocent questions about relationship in an effort to get Luka to possibly slip (he doesn’t and he’s aware that Takashi has betrayed him and spilled the beans to his big bro; he should’ve known 💀).

As for when he finally meets Jackal in person (assuming Luka is not in the room). As always, Viktor is all friendly and charming, a huge smile on his face. But underneath all of those, Jackal can sense the dangerous edge and wariness radiating from him.

At first, Viktor strikes up an easy conversation, asking Jackal some personal—but sensible questions, which he gives the barest answers to. Just when he thinks that Viktor has finally ran out of questions, Viktor slings his arm on Jackal’s shoulder.

On the surface, the gesture looks like a friendly one between friends, but Jackal knows better and what Viktor says next just confirms his thoughts.

“I know Luka might look tough and cold on the outside, but surely, as you may already know, he’s got a sensitive and soft heart inside,” Viktor smiles coldly before continuing, “So… If you dare break his heart or hurt him in any other way… Believe me, there will be no where in this country where you’ll be safe. Got it?”

Jackal just nods stiffly. “I promise I won’t do that. I’d rather die than do anything that will hurt him,” he mutters.

Viktor leans back to give Jackal his personal space back, clapping Jackal’s back none too gently. “Good!” he grins, and this time, it looks more genuine. “So… When’s the wedding, huh?” He teases.

“W—What?!” Jackal sputters, face red. And fortunately for him, his saviour finally stepped out of the office.

Luka takes a quick glance at his boyfriend and then his brother, and instantly, he understands the gist of what just happened.

“Okay, Vitya, that’s enough of bullying him,” Luka sighs as he marches over to where his boyfriend and big brother are standing.

“Bullying?” Viktor gasps. “I would never! I was just about to ask him how many nephews and nieces you two are going to give me.”

Luka’s eyes bulge as he chokes on air from the surprise. Viktor can only laugh at both men’s reactions.

[nalyra-dreaming]

"Let me know if you want to know more :))" If it's not asking much, yes, please?! I really know little to nothing about the books. I see what people post here, like, I didn't know about Rose and only found out about Viktor this week lol. Unfortunately the books aren't always available in my country and I'm still waiting to buy and read them. D:

Okay, for a rundown:)))

In the books:

Lestat finds Louis again through the rockstar career, and he writes his own story down for him, which Louis reads. Their reunion is quite beautiful, Louis and Gabrielle fight other vampires side by side with Lestat. There is a kiss backstage :)

Unfortunately Akasha kidnaps Lestat, because she thinks he is the epitome of toxic masculinity and that she can use him for her plan to take over the world (literally), burning a lot of the vampires. It’s a misjudgment though, Lestat is fearful of her killing the ones he loves, but starts to resist her ever more (she forces him to do her bidding via spells at times). Louis, Gabrielle reunite with all the others to hear the history behind Akasha and ultimately they meet up with her and Lestat, ending in Akasha‘s death. Louis and Lestat have a very romantic scene together.

Afterwards Lestat is changed though, battling with the event. He got a huge amount of blood from her, because she wanted him strong, and he experiences severe body dysmorphia and self hatred. Louis and he are in a weird “Netflix and chill“ era, visiting each other regularly, watching movies together, being petty with each other. Lestat’s guilt and that self hatred drive him to suicide, but he is too strong already to burn in the sun and he heals to retain a tan (only). The Body Thief sees his chance and offers him a mortal body for a while, and Lestat takes it. The Body Thief does not return his body though and so Lestat tries to bring Louis to turn him again but Louis refuses (very emotional scene). Louis tells Lestat to live that mortal life and Lestat has to turn to others (David in the book here maybe Daniel?!) to get his body back bc he realizes that he does want to be a vampire (after all). He manages, and there is a very beautiful but very raw scene with Louis in a church afterwards. Lestat tries to convince himself he is evil (for wanting that vampiric life back) and rapes David into darkness just as he was raped into it. All through the book Claudia‘s ghost is there and speaks with him. Lestat has Rue Royale fixed up and he and Louis (and David) live there again.

A while later a being claiming to be the Devil visits Lestat - he wants his help, and takes his soul onto a journey beyond (it is later confirmed that Lestat was gone from this plane of existence) and the events with heaven, hell, purgatory and Lestat drinking the blood of Christ (literally) shatter him. He loses an eye in purgatory, which is returned to him, altered. He goes a bit mad, confined to a church, where Louis and a few others tend to him. Louis comes by regularly to read to him, change clothes, etc. Lestat falls into a sleep.

Lestat’s coma continues, but it is involuntary at times. As he later tells it the altered eye allowed angels to take his soul to do their bidding, while threatening him. The unpublished novel at Tulane tells of one of those adventures. Lestat’s coma is hard on Louis. He is haunted by the fact that he has never seen Claudia’s ghost and with the help of Merrick, a witch, they conjure her, an event for which the diary pages are important. Claudia’s ghost is a vengeful one though, hating him, and he tries to commit suicide after. Lestat wakes up and saves him. They reunite and exchange a lot of blood and afterwards Louis is changed a lot. They leave NOLA because the Talamasca threaten them.

Something not closer defined happens while they are in the jungles, and Louis goes to Armand in NYC, where he is safe from the ever multiplying vampires. They spend some time apart, Lestat roaming, Louis with Armand, both coming to terms with who they are now. This is when Rose needing help must have happened. When Viktor was conceived and raised.

Another burning is happening - the spirit that propels them is clming to consciousness: Amel. It uses older vampires to thin out the ranks. Lestat is called and finally returns from his wanderings, and he defeats an elder and takes the core, effectively becoming the prince of the vampires. He and Louis meet, Rose, Viktor and first trouble with Roshamandes happens.

Amel is coming further to consciousness, recalling the being he was, once. Recalling who he was with, too. Lestat sets up court in his old family castle, now renovated. All big players come. Lestat goes to Louis and Louis comes to him - for good, with a very emotional plea. They are together for good after. Amel need to be removed fromthe vampires and Lestat, he gets a cloned body. Louis comes up with the solution, and holds Lestat’s hand through it.

Roshamandes, the ancient slighted bc he did not get the core is outfor revenge tjough, and kidnaps Gabrielle, Louis and Marius, sending ashes to Lestat. Lestat… shuts down. Armand goes feral (in words, incredible scene!!).

Lestat goes to Roshamandes in an all-or-nothing move and kills him, creating the “Blood Communion“ with the remains. Louis and the others are found, and Lestat can finally breathe again There is a big celebration, and the book literally closes with them dancing and kissing and Lestat telling Louis he loves him and always had.

______

This is the rundown :)

As you can imagine there is a LOT the show can do with this. In the books they kiss, the show has added sex, and so I expect some scenes to be a lot more sexy :) Louis is a lot more involved in the later arcs, his and Lestat‘s arcs are inverted. When they finally come together (for good) once more they are at peace with each other.

They have a son, and a daughter, their friends are with them. Former loves, too.

They have left their human pains behind, have accepted themselves as vampires.

Louis calls it the “monarchy of darkness“ in the unpublished draft at Tulane, and knowing Rolin knows of those drafts… I do expect this on the show :)

Obviously some of this will be spun differently. Has already been used, and/or used differently. But I expect to see the Body Thief parts, definitely. Akasha and the aftermath. And we know we’re getting the rockstar era :))

I think the show has already hinted at Amel, and so I do think they’ll finish with that arc :)))

We‘ll see. Since the relationship in the show is deliberately more explicit I think a lot of the canon events will be a LOT more intimate. It’s not about sex for them.

It’s about eternity and acceptance, both self acceptance and acceptance of the other.

And I cannot wait to see what the show makes of it.

[sevikas-biceps]

Since everyone's making theories about Maddie...

How long were you sidled-up with that self-serving war pig? She oinked poison in your ear, and you just ate it.

I could be wrong, but this is my take on this line from the A3 teaser.

It's Vi who says this, and to Caitlyn at that. Now, the camera cuts to Ambessa in the trailer, which I assume was to deliberately mislead the viewers into thinking it was about her. But we already know that Ambessa is a warlord—and Vi herself is already aware that Caitlyn sided with Ambessa in this whole shebang. Martial law? Attacking Viktor's commune? She already knew. It'd be redundant to make this line refer to Ambessa herself.

Honestly, there's a good chance it refers to Maddie.

Look at the words used: sidled-up, self-serving, pig.

We know Caitlyn and Maddie shagged, which would explain the reason for 'sidled-up'. To 'sidle-up' means to move close to someone in a quiet or secret way. And, as far as we can infer, only Ambessa seemed to be aware of this 'professional entanglement'—so this relationship must be a secret.

But what about the terms self-serving and pig?

Let's talk about the pig symbolism first. Why that animal specifically? Well, in Shamanic culture; pigs are often seen as the image of healing, fertility, sensuality, and most of all, are made as offerings to gods.

In this case, we can confirm a few things:

Maddie acts as Caitlyn's rebound after her breakup with Vi. Healing and sensuality. If Maddie was indeed a traitor, as most theories seem to suggest, then this means that the CaitVi breakup was a very lucky coincidence: it gave Maddie a reason to get even closer to Caitlyn, one of the figureheads of this war. Not only would she have direct access to any movements or resources regarding Piltover, but she would also act as Caitlyn's saviour: an emotional attachment, a distraction.

In the process of becoming a paramour, Maddie is also essentially selling herself out. In a way, she's offering herself to a god. This isn't too literal, of course, but the imagery stands. This move is very much reminiscent of a concubine's role: in forming that connection with Caitlyn, the time is ripe for a full-scale conflict. If Maddie sought to destabilise Piltover, and Caitlyn is the leader of the city; then Maddie would have the ability to make Topside a breeding ground for war.

Right after Vi says this to Caitlyn, the latter merely responds with a broken, I know!

What does it take for her to express herself in such a way? The last time we saw a breakdown from her, or when a breakdown was at least imminent, was that moment they shared in the tent after the attack on the councillors' memorial. She was pushed to the brink.

All they did was piss me off! What kind of animals...

Animals.

To think that Caitlyn would now sound so resigned?

It's interesting, isn't it?

The betrayal cuts deep—because if this traitor is indeed Maddie, then she'll bring up old wounds as well: Marcus, Grayson. The sheriffs whom Caitlyn knew and/or served—and, to some degree, likely idolised. You'd imagine that, ever since stepping to the role of Commander, she'd've gone over their old files. She knows Marcus was a double-agent; he'd pointed a gun at her on the bridge. But there'd also come a time when Vi would tell her the truth about Vander—about the Hound—and what he meant to Zaun. What he meant to Grayson. Another betrayal, even if a rational one.

Anyway; I really do hope this 'self-serving war pig' that Caitlyn's 'sidled-up with' is indeed Maddie, because all the pieces fit too perfectly into place to think otherwise.

[tinned-beef]

Allison Hargreeves is being unfairly vilified?

Allison Hargreeves as in 'SA'd Luther' Allison Hargreeves? Allison Hargreeves as in 'confirmed Viktor's worst ongoing fears and anxieties just because Viktor was grieving his friend/stepson and it annoyed her' Allison Hargreeves? Allison Hargreeves 'contributed to the deaths of two of her siblings' Allison Hargreeves? Allison Hargreeves 'nothing anyone else has lost over the course of this nightmare matters as much as what I lost so I'm gonna fuck everything up potentially irreparably' Allison Hargreeves?

That Allison Hargreeves? I mean don't get me wrong I like her but she's very much a villain right now. She's an interesting villain, a compelling villain, a better villain than Reggie since we actually know wtf her problem is and we wish things hadn't turned out this way. But a villain all the same.

i don't think allison is a villain. at best, i'd say she's an antihero. at worst, she was a catalyst for viktor's arc in season three.

i would like to start by saying that i'm not defending allison's actions. i think what she did was wrong. however, i don't think she deserves all the hate that she's gotten. she's a character that is very morally gray, and people continue to paint her in solely black or white.

what i try to convey in this... very long post is that there's a reason for what allison does in season three. the question of if she’s a villain or not can be debated, but i believe that the reasons for her actions don’t make her a villain.

a big reason why the umbrella academy is such an incredible show is that all the umbrellas are flawed and nuanced, and despite it all they love. all of the umbrellas have their faults, and allison is no different.

in season three allison has lost all hope. she thinks she will never see her child again, her husband is dead, the world is ending, and to her it seems like her siblings don't give a shit. amidst all the chaos and the whirlwind of her life, she needs something that she's used to. something she knows how to navigate.

so she turns to luther. and she gets the comfort she's looking for but it's not right.

allison and luther's relationship is something that has been a topic of many debates in this fandom. i don't really want to get into it right now, but they've always been a person of comfort to each other. allison wants to feel loved and cared for, and she thinks she can get that comfort from luther.

allison is naturally selfish. she's used to getting what she wants. she's used to having the world at her fingertips. and yet almost everything she's held close to her heart has been ripped away from her. and she's never getting it back.

in season three she falls back onto her old habits, rumoring people left and right with no consideration for others. it makes sense because it's the only way she knows how to get what she wants.

and then she rumors luther. she doesn't want to lose him either, and she thinks that he's choosing sloane over her (which is true, but she thinks he's leaving forever. she thinks she'll lose him too). but she almost instantly realizes what she's done, almost instantly tries to take it away.

as for her relationship with viktor, that's another can of worms. in season one, allison is the only one really trying to mend that relationship with viktor. but it's a rocky road. allison snaps at viktor, viktor snaps at allison. these two have had tension from the very start. eventually, that bond had to snap.

at the start of season three, viktor is the only one that really tries to help allison. he stands up for her, and comforts her after she returns from la. but by episode three allison is so consumed by her grief that she's already clashing with viktor.

and when harlan makes an appearance, it just gets worse. harlan is like a son to viktor. someone viktor can care for. and when viktor turns that care and attention away from allison and instead towards harlan, it hurts. why is viktor allowed to have his child when allison will never get to see claire again?

in season three luther tells viktor that allison has “always been good to you (viktor)”. but there comes a point where your love and gratitude towards someone can morph into bitterness and hate.

the reason i say allison is a catalyst for viktor in season three is because the writers needed someone to contest his ideas. someone that will create a struggle for viktor that he will ultimately come out of with a new lesson learned. and allison is a great contender for that position. the show needs conflict in order to have an engaging story at all, and tense relationships between the siblings can be seen throughout all three seasons. (luther and diego in season one, ben and klaus in season two)

as for the deaths of her siblings, do you really think she wanted that to happen? she doesn’t want to lose any more people, that’s the main driver of her character shift in this season.

allison turns towards reginald because she sees it as the only option left. klaus does the same thing, so why is it any different when allison does it? she didn’t know her siblings would die in the process.

allison isn’t even the only sibling that has contributed to a sibling’s (almost) death. viktor slashes her throat in season one, ben sacrifices himself to save the world, and luther willingly walks into the room to talk to reginald. how is that allison’s fault?

i think this is also why five gives his talk to viktor, not allison. he understands what allison is going through on some level, understands the despair of losing those who are close to you. understands being willing to do anything to get them back. even though he quite loudly disagrees with allison making a deal with reginald, it's because he knows she's getting tricked. reginald never had their best interests at heart.

they’ve all lost people, and they all react to that loss in different ways. in season 1, when diego finds that patch was killed, he instantly wants to go for revenge. he plans on going after hazel and cha cha but five inevitably talks him out of it.

allison doesn’t have that influence. in fact, diego suggests to instead let that grief out through anger. i don’t think it was a very good solution in the end.

and despite all that, she wants to redeem herself. she tries to tell viktor the truth, she admits that she made the plan for all of them. she kills reginald and she’s the one that pushes the button at the end of season three. there’s so much left that we don’t know. did allison know what would happen when she pressed the button? did she know what reginald’s real plan was?

but in the end, allison is the reality of a person who has lost those who are closest to her. it’s probably the best job the writers have done while showing trauma and grief. i don’t think allison is a villain, and i think that accusing her of solely caring about herself is unfair.

[vi-fans-wall]

Theories S2 Arcane (Part 1) [little SPOILERS]

I'm going to analyse the theories that arise (my opinion) after the content that has been shown about the second season of Arcane.

I will start with the most obvious theories.

VANDER IS WARWIK

This is the truest theory of all. The vast majority of us who know Runeterra lore know that Warwick is Vander. For those of you who are only familiar with the series and know nothing about this League of Legends champion, I'll briefly discuss why we're all saying this.

If we check the character's biography on the League of Legends website (link) we can see that it describes Warwick as a former gangster who left that life to live a quieter one (as Vander did).

A little further down he indicates that he remembers a girl's voice, but does not know what it says. That little girl is probably Vi, since she was the person who saw him die. But it could also be Power, or even both.

And finally, it is known that Singed, the creator character of the Simer, is the one created by Warwick, and this has also been advanced in the series, at the beginning of the years.

JAYCE VS VIKTOR (Lore link)

Yep! Maybe there are other theories for you that are more confirmed and catch you by surprise, but this is more true than Cait and Vi's kiss in this season.

Currently the lore of Jayce and Viktor is partly different from that seen in Arcane. For example, the teacher who was with both of them at the academy was not Heimerdinger, but Stanwick, who we saw in episode 4 of the first season as Heimerdinger's partner and founder of Piltover.

It is known that as a result of an invention they both have, they end up arguing and parting ways. In the original lore, Viktor's illness is barely mentioned. It is mentioned that before entering the academy, when he was a child, he enhanced his body with pieces of metal, which we haven't seen yet, beyond the ‘enhancement’ with Simer + Hextech.

I'm not going to say too much because it would be a SPOILER, but surely, because of Jinx's rocket, their paths will separate in such a way that they will become enemies.

CAITVI KISS SCENE

Let's get down to what we've all been waiting for. The long awaited kiss (and possible sex scene) that some of us have been waiting for many (too many) years.

We know that Cait and Vi are very attracted to each other, even if Vi said ‘we are oil and water’, in her warm heart she is in love with Cait and vice versa. Partly, I think, what happens to Cait's mother Cassandra after Jinx's rocket will drive a wedge between Cait and Vi, why?

We know that Cait and Vi are very attracted to each other, even if Vi said ‘we are oil and water’, in her warm heart she is in love with Cait and vice versa.

Partly, I think, what happens to Caitlyn's mother Cassandra after Jinx's rocket will drive a wedge between Caitlyn and Vi, why?

Although right now I don't see Caitlyn as a person who thinks that for “being sister of” I hate you for no other reason, and she will want Vi by her side as Enforcer, to capture and/or kill Jinx, in case her mother dies (in my sincere opinion she doesn't die because there is still the lore with Corina), she will judge every action that Vi takes on Jinx, being this the trigger to “break” again. Recall that we have seen the emo Vi, and in the words of the screenwriters, at the Annecy festival, “what would happen if Vi has no one to protect?”. In addition to hallucinations seeing Caitlyn. [link]

The sex scene I think will be a flashback, I think they both had intimate relations at Caitlyn's house before going to the Council, that's why when they are caught by Jinx, I saw the image he has of Caitlyn, she is lying on that bed.

Piltover and Zaun vs. Noxus

I could already smell the battle. Piltover and Zaun are two cities in the continent of Valorant, which exist thanks to a pact with Noxus, since they are in its territerium, and it is a very important trading point, also with the region of Shurima.

Ambessa is uneasy. She wants to get hold of Hextech technology to defeat an enemy that terrifies her. From the lore it is known that there are two sides in Noxus, Swain, and The Black Rose, LeBlanc. We don't know which side Ambessa is on. We don't know if Mel dies or not, but from the previous season, we know she wants weapons, and she needs them now.

Ambessa is a warrior, she is a woman forged in war, and that means only one thing, control. She wants control. In the first season we saw her use that control. You have to be both a fox and a wolf. In the first season, when she was trying to persuade Jayce and her daughter Mel to create weapons, she was a fox, in this second season, the fox will show her wolf fangs. BUT. Piltover and Zaun are not Noxus. Mel (if she doesn't die), Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi, Jinx and Ekko will be in charge of preventing both cities from succumbing to Medarda's yoke.

More in part 2

[air--so--sweet]

So wondering if the caption is intentionally misleading

...because I remember someone suggested the spacesuit in the trailer was a costume because he was a stripper. And the cash in the helmet and his pockets feels like it fits with that...

Edit: LMAO not me getting to this so early the other posters hadn't been posted on their insta yet so I thought it was just Luther.

What is this pose? A box was the emoji in the caption on his other poster. Is he a delivery man? Is that why he has a van?

Was confused by the cleaning products since Klaus is the one linked to a cleanse but then realised it's her on the bottle. So she's like in their adverts or is the face of the brand. I do wonder if it links to Klaus' story.

I thought this was a plastic bag at first and it was a clumsy illustration of germaphobia but it's not it bubblewrap. This has stupidly given me so much hope because I've always wanted germsphobia to be one aspect of a possible fear of death, not the only way his fear manifests. Still a bit worried that being anxious will be his only storyline but we'll have to see. The gas mask I initially thought was just related to germaphobia, and it could be, but there's that shot of Ben in what looks like a jungle , fighting soldiers that made people theorise he's in Vietnam...👀

Also, this more or less confirms the that the episode The Cleanse is linked to Klaus. Could be getting clean from drugs, could be related to cleaning and germaphobia but Steve Blackman's logline for the episode 'There's no enough sage in the universe apparently' point towards spiritual cleansing to me since you burn sage to cleanse a home of bad energies.

Edit: Hair, he has his tattoos back here???

So we are getting back to the original timeline then. But the briefcase? A new iteration of the commission? Or facing the commsmissiin when using the . to travel. Hmmm...

I really have nothing. Christmas lights, we know at least part of this season seems to be happening at Christmas...does Ben get released around Christmas? Did Brelly Ben die at Christmas? Is this fight referring to whatever fight the whole family will be involved in or the clip we saw of Viktor beating the shit out of him? A skull, is Ben dying again? So many questions...

God, Viktor looks so good, makes my trans heart happy. The cloth over his shoulder is related to his bartending job, suggesting its important. What my eyes were drawn to though is the emoji. A violin?!?!? Paired with saving the world, if we get him saving the world via violin in contrast to season 1 I will fucking die.

Right we have baby bottles and that was her emoji in the initial posters too, but her daughter is 5 (or however long the time jump has been). I guess it's just a way to portray motherhood in general? The fact they're in a box obviously ties it to Diego. Again though I'm focusing on the emoji because red high heel is a reference to the Handler right? I wrote the other day about the possibility of Lila crying in the subway because they travelled and saw the Handler again, if I was right...!!! Definitely think her a Five plots are somehow linked to the commission, maybe they're somehow sent on one final mission?

The loglines Steve Blackman wrote for Tudum already spoiled that the family has to team up with Reginald. The marigolds makes me think either he is involved in giving them their powers back or it's related to use learning more about hos past, what the Marigolds do and how they work.

[coco-bee]

COCO'S REVIEW: LACKADAISY INGENUE (Ft. @thesilliestofallqueers)

Welcome to Coco’s Review! Where I review and breakdown episodes, movies and etc and overthink every tiny detail  and/or give my thoughts and opinions :D

Today I'm discussing Lackadaiy Ingenue (ft.Robin)

Yes I’m a fan of Lackadaisy! I haven’t been there since the start BUT I have been following the series ever since the animated pilot- I’ve also read a handful of the comics but I wasn’t able to read everything. But I have a good idea of the characters and their lore. I’m very happy to revisit this series through Lackadaisy Ingenue! So to start things off I want to define what ‘Ingenue’ means for those who don’t know (like I did). According to google, “An Ingenue is an innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film.” which makes a lot of sense since this short focuses on Ivy when she was a little kitten (I’m assuming she’s around 6-9 here), and I guess this short technically counts as a film. New word to add to your vocabulary ✨ So the short opens with Ivy’s father, Reuben Peppers showing off a car to Atlas (who is confirmed to be Ivy’s godfather in the description). Btw Reuben sounds INCREDIBLY young in my opinion, I didn’t even think he was her father- I thought he was her older brother or something but nope, that’s her dad. Confirmed in the description!

We aren’t even a minute in and I’m already asking questions- mostly with how close Ivy and Reuben are. With “I like it when it’s just you and me”, it got me confused since it IS just them traveling. I’m going to assume maybe she prefers private trips with her father over using public transportation where others can hear their conversations. Which really shows how close they probably are if Ivy really enjoys one-on-one time with him. 

So as Reuben greets Mitzi, Atlas, Viktor and “Joe”. Reuben and Mitzi have an interesting conversation… “What happened to New Years?” “It’s Effie, she's uh.. We’ll talk later” The look Reuben gives Ivy might imply that “Effie” is Ivy’s mother or just a relative of the Pepper family since Reuben doesn’t want to talk about it with Ivy listening. But that's just me- So that’s totally not suspicious :D 

I also just want to mention the nice hug Atlas and Reuben have- it really does seem like they’re very close. Which is probably why Atlas is Ivy’s godfather- Atlas seems pretty comfortable around Reuben too! From what I can tell Atlas was more of a “show more, talk less” kinda guy but that’s maybe because this is my first real introduction to him before he died (lmk if he appears in a flashback in the comics). He doesn’t have any lines in this episode too so I just thought that’d be interesting to point out. And that's why I came to that conclusion.

Upnext is Ivy meeting Mordecai for the first time I’m assuming. So this seems to take place when Mordecai used to work with Lackadaisy before switching to Marigold. This also confirms that he was the bookkeeper for the daisy cafe to which if you don’t know- a bookkeeper oversees a company's financial data and compliance by maintaining accurate books on accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and daily financial entries and reconciliations. They basically take care of the finances of the cafe. This scene also highlights the gun Mordecai was trying to hide, which I guess adds more evidence for Ivy to what these people actually do for a living. In the description it seems that Ivy is not very aware of what her father does for work. At least at the time. Mordecai having a gun despite being “just” a bookkeeper gives her an idea of what they might actually do other than running a cafe.

Also the “I subtract numbers too” line is fucking hilarious I’m sorry 😭 Now we have the scene where Ivy and Viktor’s bond seems to have started! I would eat up their interactions in the comics istg I LOVE THEM<33 Victor becoming that one chill uncle 

Viktor lying about how Mordecai broke his arm is fucking hilarious too- I’m now requesting a short comic of Mordecai trying to rollerskate but failing miserably! ANYONE PLEASE- TAG ME IF YOU DO THAT (Rob ik youre an artist pls /j)

I don’t have a lot to say about this scene- I just love Ivy and Viktor’s dynamic smm! I gotta talk abt them in one of my Dynamic Duos episodes! (getting ready to go through so many comics) After their interaction Ivy notices a broken car door with bullet holes on it. It looks very similar to the door Viktor was replacing while he and Ivy were talking. That’s when Ivy pieced it together, Mordecai’s gun and the bullet holes? Yeah it became obvious to her that these guys are criminals-

You can tell that was her conclusion with her asking Viktor directly if they were robbers or gangsters while also assuring that the secret is safe with her! 

I’d just end my breakdown here BUT YOU SAW THE TITLE! I would like to welcome my first guest ROBIN!!! Aka TheSilliestofallQueers :D I wanted to bring them in because they know more about the extensive lore of Lackadaisy so I feel like this’d be a perfect time to have them featured! SO I GIVE THE FLOOR TO ROBIN!! 

HELLO YES THIS IS ROBIN!! (@thesilliestofallqueers)

I’m not as obsessed with Lackadaisy as I used to be back when the animated pilot was just released (I had a friend who got me into it, thank you for that Breezy) but I still know quite a bit so I’ll be putting a few footnotes to this already extensive deep dive into the animated short

Apologies in advance but this is just going to be me analyzing / ranting about Viktor and Ivy’s interactions since Coco didn’t!! (ITS SPELLED WITH A K?? -Coco fixing her typos) (YEAH ITS VIKTOR LMFAOOAOAOAO -Rob) Now first of all, I found it so endearing that Viktor almost immediately warms up to Ivy and starts joking with her / trying to cover up what they actually do with lighthearted / white lies. 

As someone who has read the comics I always knew Viktor was fiercely protective of Ivy (He beat up her exes because he thought they were no good lol) but Ivy almost always responded to this by being annoyed with Viktor (specifically in the instance of the ex boyfriends, she got mad at Viktor for it)

So seeing her as a kid getting along with Viktor so well was refreshing and sweet (Also this short implies that these mfs are OLD AS HELL -Coco) (YEAH IT DO DUNNIT LMFAOAOAO -Robbobin)

Now they keep getting along until Viktor suddenly tells Ivy that she shouldn’t be there in the middle of her telling a joke, and you can SEE his expression shift from fond to worried as I guess he realizes that if he keeps being nice to her, she’ll want to stick around. Therefore putting her in more danger than if she was kept away

He slams the car door as he yells at her to go, and she does, but not before giving him one last angry look because dude WHAT THE FUCKK WE WERE SO CHILL LIKE 5 SECONDS AGO

And then Coco details the rest of what happened 

SORRY IF MY PORTION WAS SHORT I JUST WANTED TO EXPAND ON WHAT COCO DIDNT LMFAOOAOA (also there wasn’t much to go off of since it was short + coco covered most of it in detail already) THANK YOU ROB FOR YOUR INPUT!! Tbh I was struggling with finding words for Viktor and Ivy’s scene so thankfully Rob did the job! Please go follow Rob on their page! And that concludes our breakdown of Lackadaisy Ingenue :D  Huge respect to Tracy Butler and her team for their amazing work on this because the animation is GORGEOUS and the storytelling is super clever! I’m so excited to cover the future episodes of the series when it eventually comes out !!

This is Coco and Robin typing... thank you for reading!

[visexual-maelstrom]

alright some act 2 thoughts below the cut

so that was *a lot*. like legit, i don't think i've fully processed it yet

i don't think i've cried so much watching a tv show as i did at the end of episode 6, that was brutal. i know isha had death flags all over her the sec she was introduced, but i was hopeful they wouldn't go down that route (i was so so wrong)

i have no idea where jinx goes from here. it seemed she had found purpose, happiness and a semblance of peace. but now? i fear she may have nothing to lose and go fully berserk. i'm so very scared for her

cait - i was so happy to see her turn against ambessa. did it feel a bit sudden? maybe. but i think something to keep in mind is that it's been some months since her mother's death and she's had time to think and she clearly knew ambessa was up to something, so it makes sense that sooner or later she would go against her. tbh i'm glad it happened in act 2 so she can spend act 3 reflecting on her actions and making amends

vi - interestingly, she didn't have that big of a role this act. she had completely disassociated and lost herself in alcohol and fighting, because she'd lost all the people she cared about and had no one to protect. but once she finds out about vander and finally reunites with him, you could see the light coming back in her eyes and those protective instincts reactivating. i'm not surprised she was also quick to trust cait and going by the previews for act 3, seems like a much needed conversation with cait is in store

no idea wtf is going on with jayce though. did he like see the future and how it's gonna be all messed up cuz of viktor and tried to change the outcome? no clue. where tf are ekko and heimerdinger tho? and what's going on with mel? she's got powers we got that confirmed, but what about the black rose? what are they gonna do now?

so much to wrap up and so little time

looking at the preview, seems like warwick and viktor both might be alive (rip isha). "viktor's at the center of all this" what does that mean?

and they're fighting noxus, we knew that already. really curious to see if jinx fights for them and if that causes any tension with cait at all

as for my caitvi shipper heart, a proper conversation/argument is what i'm hoping for followed by some intense making out (looking at you 'fantastic' by king princess)

all in all, the pacing is a bit rushed i'll agree with that. would have loved it if arcane was 3 seasons instead of 2, but i do understand if they make stories in different regions and a show of this quality required too much time and money. a shame we have to rush through so much though. but still, i love this season and i love these characters and very much looking forward to next week

[kikiiswashere]

Children of Zaun - Chapter 31

Pairing: Silco/Fem!OC

Rating: Explicit

Story Warnings: Canon typical violence, drug use/dealing, dark themes, smut

Chapter Summary: The Children reel after Bone's visit. Bone seeks Viktor out.

Author's Note: HELLO AGAIN, ARCANE FANDOM!!! It's so, so good for all of us to be together again. And have new faces! I want to second @space-blue's sentiment from yesterday

I'm really excited that interest in the series is being reinvigorated by s2's premiere <3 That being said, several of us creators have put tremendous amounts of time, effort, and love into our art since s1. Please reblog and comment. We love 'hearts' and 'kudos' - but comments are really where the fuel to stoke the creative fires are at. Thank you <3

Previous Chapter

Word Count: 3.7K

The silence in The Last Drop vibrated. Like a violin string pull too tight; energy building from the inside-out, threatening to burst the container.

It was Sevika with the courage to break it.

“What do we do now?”

Her words broke the room from its trance. Bodies loosened, their gazes connecting with each other instead of the door. They murmured worriedly. Questions and concerns beginning to build.

“What if he tells the Enforcers?”

“What are we gonna do if Bone doesn’t support us?”

Then the anger rose up.

“Whatta fuckin’ traitor!”

“Topside lapdog!”

“Piltie fucker!”

“Never cared about the Undercity – “

“About Zaun!” a voice corrected.

Agreeing voices swelled.

“Oi! Aw’right! Settle, settle!”

Vander’s voice boomed over the lot of them. He stood, collected Bone’s glass, and went to lean against the bar next to Benzo. Silco rose as well. His eyes flicked to Kat in a quick quandary.

You’re alright?

Her lips flattened, in a failed attempt at a thankful smile. Instead, her brow firmed up, and her eyes hardened. A single curt nod was all the confirmation she was able to offer. Silco’s chin dipped, and joined his Brothers at the bar.

“We keep doing what we are doing,” Silco answered.

Despite not being as tall or as wide as his Brothers, Silco readily and easily drew the room’s attention. His zealousness and charisma just as – if not, more – eye-catching. He surveyed the room.

“This visit from our esteemed Councilor changes nothing. All it does is confirm what we already knew: That no member of Council has Zaun’s interest at heart. They even take our own, and mold them into pawns to keep furthering their agenda. To keep the Poor poor, and the Rich rich.”

The gathering rumbled in agreement, heads nodding.

“We should march across that Bridge, and storm Council!” a loud, ragged voice cried from the back.

Tolder, and the men near him, exuberantly agreed. Sevika wrenched her hand from Nasha’s, stomping forward, and threw her voice into the mix.

Vander’s eyes slid side-long to watch Silco’s face become edged and excited. Then the high whoops! of younger voices joined the crowd. The simmer of the room was slowly growing into a boil.

A panic clamped down on his heart. He thought about what Bone had said. And what Katya had said all those weeks ago. He smacked the glass down on the counter, and rose to his full height.

“We won’ be doin’ that,” he warned, voice a deep growl.

He gave the crowd a hard, pinning look. Vander could bluff. It was a survival skill he’d honed over many years. Just like mastering his fists. It was why he won at cards (save for when he played with Sevika). Why Silco did not know about his feelings for him. His stony face was a lie because his heart was battering his ribs, and his stomach had splattered to the soles of his shoes.

They didn’t have Bone’s support. It was never guaranteed, but having the Councilor condemn their movement shifted something in him. He supposed he must’ve held some subconscious, foolish hope that Bone, and his position on Council, would lend itself to a more easeful transition. One littered with less bodies. No more than necessary. If that was even a thing.

He hadn’t known the girl who’d been killed outside the Augmentation Alley scrap yard. She’d joined the cause recently. Riled up and hurt just like the rest of them. Frothing for change, and power over her own life. Just like the rest of them.

She should’ve been able to have it.

Instead, her name was added to the long, long list of Fissurefolk killed by Piltover.

The Undercity won’t survive a war with Piltover.

“Bone was right about one thing: we don’ have the means to take on Topside. Not right now. The augmenteers are crafting weapons and bullets. We have contacts now in Bilgewater who’re supplying us with firearms here n’ there. Smuggled alcohol fer fire-starters. An’ we’ll need all the time we can get.” He paused here, looked around the room. At Tolder and Sevika. Benzo and Silco. At Katya. “’Cause we all know that when Bone goes to meet Janna, Topside’ll come crashin’ down. He is the one thing between them n’ us right now, flimsy wall that he is. We build n’ prepare fer then.”

And hopefully something helpful comes up beforehand.

The energy in the Drop fizzled after that. The Children, angry and disappointed, mumbled into their drinks. When Tolder won his card game, he did not beam and gloat as he usually did. Sevika sat, arms cross, hunkered over her tankard; Nasha looking distant and uncertain at her side. Annie twisted through the crowd like smoke, eyes glossy and cheeks pink. Beckett pulled her into his lap when she wandered by, placing a grounding hand on her waist.

The Children left the Drop after finishing their drinks, too sour and foul-feeling to stick around. For the first time in a long while, Vander closed the tavern early. He, Silco, Benzo, Katya, and Sevika retreated to his private quarters.

Silco had not gone back to his drink since Bone left. Instead, he had begun chain smoking and paced feverishly around Vander’s kitchen. There was a manic flare to his eyes that Vander both sympathized with and watched warily.

“Well,” Benzo sighed after a while, tired of the silence, “there goes the plan of havin’ Bone’s support.”

“It was never a plan,” Silco spat, turning on heel and stomping back toward the sitting area.

“We have the whole of the Lanes!” Sevika proclaimed. Her silver eyes flashed. “Even Fissurefolk who haven’t officially joined the Children are standing beside us. None of them are taking down the graffiti, or eye-balling us weird. Everyone wants this!”

“Aye. Everyone does. But it doesn’ change the fact that we are still buildin’ up the means to protect ourselves,” Vander reminded hotly. “An’ even though everyone wants out o’ Topside’s shadow, they’re plenty who can’t defend themselves. We’ll need to be prepared for them.”

He hated that they did, but his eyes flicked over to Katya. She was leaned near the doorway, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She gave no indication that she had heard him, her amber eyes dull and unfocused.

Sevika scoffed. “Everyone in Zaun can fight. It’s what we’ve had to do since birth. Shit, Lu’s been pick-pocketing Enforcers since he was five. Even the old-timers will wield pick-axes and shovels. We need to show them we’re not afraid!”

“We’re not afraid,” Vander growled. He glared at Sevika, and she glared back. “We’re not afraid. And we can’t afford to be stupid. We keep doin’ what we’re doin’.”

He glanced up at Silco for confirmation. For back up. But his Brother continued to pace, face sharp angles and shadow under a plume of cigarette smoke.

“Fer fuck’s sake, Silco,” Benzo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sit down. Yer makin’ me seasick.”

Surprisingly, Silco did stop. He took the cigarette from his mouth – just a filter nub at this point – and smashed it in the ashtray on Vander’s table. He loosed a long breath, smoke shooting out through his nostrils, and curling about his face. A rageful dragon itching to crack armor and bones between its teeth.

“Sil,” Vander said. His voice was low, a plead humming beneath.

Finally, Silco looked at him. The wrath almost took Vander’s breath away.

“We keep moving forward as we have,” he said, voice gravelly with embers and cigarette smoke. “If they instigate further, we respond in kind.” He looked at Sevika, “We are not afraid.” To Vander, “We are not stupid.” To the room, “And we will not take peace as the prize.”

Like earlier, Vander’s stomach dipped. But he kept his face stoic and grim. Katya straightened and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, and stepped into the group’s circle.

“What say you, Sis?” Benzo prompted.

Katya’s jaw worked and her eyebrows furrowed.

Finally, she said in a hoarse voice, “Peace is not an option. I would rather die than have a peace that keeps us strapped to them. We deserve more than their crumbs and virtue-signaling. Freedom, or nothing.”

The silence grew tight again. The hairs on the back of Vander’s neck prickled, unease brushed against his gut. Silco looked at her with fierce, simmering pride.

“We should go,” he said quietly after a moment. “Mum’ll be waiting.”

Tentative fingers brushed against Kat’s arm, and she nodded.

“I should go, too,” Sevika said, pushing herself out from the table.

The darkness in her young face made Vander say: “Sev. No funny business.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” And she stomped from the room.

Silco and Katya made to follow her.

“Get home safe,” Vander said.

Silco nodded.

The silence followed Silco and Katya as they skulked through the dimmer, less traversed streets of Zaun. The sounds of the city were deadened by the blood rushing through their ears. Kat’s fingers squeezed and trembled between his. She’d only ever felt this angry at Heimerdinger.

You should be ashamed.

Her lungs froze remembering Bone’s words and his scathing glare. Painfully, her teeth gnashed together behind the tight line of her mouth.

How dare he . . .

His admonishment stabbed deeply. He knew what she, Viktor, and his constituents endured. And he had the nerve – the gall – to suggest that she should be ashamed for fighting for a better life for her brother? For herself? For the whole of the Underground?

Suddenly, Silco’s fingers slipped from hers. The absence sent a jolt down her spine, and she whipped around. Ugly fear shot through her, afraid she would see his silhouette fading away into the smudged shadows.

But he wasn’t. He stood, rooted to the cobblestones, his eyes an icy blaze cutting into the middle-distance.

“Sil?”

“I don’t want peace. I want freedom. We deserve no less.”

Kat searched his face carefully, eying the taut lines of light and dark that pulled his features into something fearsome. And desperate. She took a step towards him, and waited.

He swallowed. When next he spoke, his voice was ragged. Emotions reined in tightly, lest he snap and lose control.

“Zaun needs to be free. Not only is peace unacceptable, but it – it takes time if to be truly achieved. And it never is,” he added spitefully. “We have plenty of historical examples of that.”

Kat took another step closer. Her own anger tempered into something softer, preparing to help hold whatever it was he was slowly allowing himself to reveal. He still hadn’t looked at her, gaze still boring into an imaginary point ahead of him. The ice-hot fire in his eyes nearly glowed.

“Mum,” he started, voice growing horribly tight. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Mum won’t make it through the development and implementation of a peace treaty.”

Grief, heavy and sickly, weighed down Kat’s shoulders. Pulled her heart down to her stomach in a dead-weight.

Enyd was getting worse. To the point that she and Silco were beginning to help with her tailoring and bread deliveries. More days than not, she was too exhausted to travel outside of her home. And when she did, Zaun’s air choked her so much quicker than it used to. Already slight to begin with, she was losing weight. Her skin was growing duller, her hair thinning and turning limp.

She, nor Silco, nor Kat spoke about it. They only made the quiet adjustments necessary to keep Enyd as comfortable as possible. But Kat could feel Silco’s desperation beginning to grow manic. Willful denial a tantalizing balm offering to protect him from the harsh reality they were spiraling towards.

This was the first time Kat had heard him acknowledge his mother’s impending death. It had always been ‘she’s sick’ – never an out-loud admittance that she was dying. And, now, dying quickly.

Kat’s heart ached for him. The Blight, in her medical experience, did not have rhyme nor reason for how it progressed in a body. Some died within weeks of their diagnosis. Some got a few months to a few years. Very few, like Bone (Kat recognized that hacking sound he’d made. Wet and tearing and deep), got to live damn-near a full life.

Rage on Enyd’s behalf flooded through her.

It wasn’t fair.

Kat stepped closer, and took Silco’s face between her hands. He gave the smallest of starts beneath her touch, but the fury that had been building in his eyes quickly diminished. She didn’t say anything at first, just ran her thumbs over the jut of his cheekbones.

“Peace is not good enough,” she agreed quietly. We won’t make her wait for it.

The fire in Silco’s eyes rekindled, but this time it was more controlled. Strong hands came up, and hung themselves on her wrists. His thumbs brushed against her pulse point. The blood under Kat’s skin pumped steadily.

“You said you’d die before making peace with them. I don’t want that. I don’t want you to die for the cause. I want you to fight for it.”

The following day was beautiful. Powder blue skies streaked with whisps of cirrus clouds, the sun an intense, luminous pinprick high, high above. The air in Piltover was contentedly warm. Seats outside cafes were full, patrons enjoying their luncheons in the bliss of clear and comfortable weather.

Bone limped across the Academy’s campus with single-minded focus. He’d not seen Viktor since before Snowdown, and was hopeful that the boy would be taking his lunch outside now that the cold season had been blown out to sea.

His frail body thrummed and vibrated with anger and panic. He hadn’t slept a wink once he got back home from The Last Drop, his mind spinning with worries about what to do. How to best serve his people. How to protect them. How to keep them from harming themselves.

How to keep them from ruining everything.

Viktor had also not left his thoughts since leaving the Drop, either. He could not believe his sister would be so foolish. So selfish. Her involvement was jeopardizing everything for him.

Did he know? Was his sister stupid enough to use her brother as a mole for The Children of Zaun?

Bone’s blood boiled at the thought.

Finally, he spied the boy on his usual bench. Bone was surprised by the way his breath hitched at the sight of him. His sympathy for Viktor intensified, daring to transform into affection. In the span of twelve hours, he understood Heimerdinger’s want for Viktor to have a more secure spot on Piltover’s soil. Especially now. Especially now that it very much hung in the balance.

As Bone trudged up, he saw Viktor tinkering with a small mish-mash of metal in his lap. Per usual, his lunch sat untouched at his side. A fond smile tugged at Bone’s mouth.

“Mr. Slostov,” he greeted merrily, “fancy seeing you here!”

Viktor jumped, head whipping up at an alarming speed. His eyes were wide, bright, and owlish. He blinked and dropped his shoulders.

“Councilor.”

Bone smirked at him, cocking his head to one side. A small, self-conscious – but pleased – smile slowly spread across Viktor’s round face.

“Jarrot.”

“Better. May I sit with you?”

Viktor nodded, hurriedly adjusting his lunch and belongings. With a heavy groan and ungraceful plop, Bone took up the offered space. He stood his cane between his knees and rested his gnarled hands atop the tortoiseshell handle, giving a confident, casual air. A useful camouflage for his sensitive intention.

“What do you have there?”

Viktor looked down at the metal in his hands, turning it over. It looked like a set of wheels held together with a rubber band. Belatedly, Bone realized that there was a second, similar looking piece set on top of the paper that wrapped his lunch.

“It is a part of the motor mechanism for the boat I am building for Professor Heimerdinger’s class.”

“Ah.”

An awkward silence hung between them, too much time having passed since their last interaction to lend to flowing conversation. Bone gnawed the inside of his lip, pondering how to get information from Viktor without spooking him.

“We haven’t seen each other since before Snowdown,” Bone observed, casually glancing up at the trees that were beginning to bud. “Did the cold season treat you well?”

A shadow cast itself over Viktor’s face, and he shrugged in that way children do when they are upset but unwilling to talk. Whether it be because they don’t know how to voice their difficulties, or because they don’t want to get in trouble. Bone’s stomach churned, and he felt goose pimples appear on his arms.

“It was fine.”

“Was it? You seem . . . bothered by the question. If I may be so bold.”

Viktor’s mouth puckered and pulled to one corner, his brow furrowing as he tried to tug the rubber band to a gear tooth that was just too far away.

“I don’t like the cold. And Snowdown was in the middle of the week this year. I get off school, but Kat still has to work, so I had to stay on campus for the holiday.”

Bone’s hand tremored with the effort of keeping it from reaching out to cup Viktor’s shoulder. He knew the boy’s unique, lonely pain. The pain of having to exist on this side of the River in this time – under Piltover’s scrutinizing, prejudice gaze.

But he also knew that his and Viktor’s presences in varying esteemed circles were priceless cogs in the motor of progress to achieve equitability for the Undercity. They’d earned their stations so that, hopefully one day, other Trenchers would have much less of an uphill battle.

Bone hummed an understanding note, nodding sagely. “That is unfortunate. Especially right now with all the upheaval between our two cities.” He glanced sideways at Viktor to see if that garnered a reaction. His expression stayed stony, but did not deepen nor flicker. “Has your sister managed to stay safe while all of this is going on?”

The rubber band snapped out from between Viktor’s fingers, and whipped against his hand. He jumped and hissed. A small, angry, red welt began to grow on the web between his thumb and index finger. He shoved his hand into his mouth, sucking on the injury.

“Are you alright?”

Viktor nodded, and withdrew his hand from between his lips with a pop! He glared at the irritated reddened skin. A frown that was too-world-weary for such a young boy pulled his round cheeks down.

“Kat is – “ Viktor’s lips melded together, brows dropping. Bone waited on baited breath. “Kat has been keeping us home when I go back. I know she is just trying to keep me safe from what those people are doing – “

“The Children of Zaun.”

Viktor nodded. “Yes, them. Ever since they have appeared, she’s been keeping me home on the weekends.”

“To keep you safe?”

“That is what she says, but – “

Viktor paused, mouth clamping shut. Bone watched something fresh and hurtful flash in his eyes.

“But what, Viktor?”

Jumbles of thoughts made his brain hazy, words gummed up in his mouth, feelings thrashed inside his crumpled body. Viktor couldn’t decide what to say, how to say it, or what he was even feeling. In his mind’s eye, he saw Kat’s face – once full and kind – become dull and withdrawn. Nausea rippled across his stomach.

“I feel like something is going on.” Viktor hated how small and tight his voice had become. “She’s not telling me something. We’ve always been so close, and since before Snowdown it feels like she is going away.”

Suddenly, he hiccupped and sniffed. Hurriedly, horrified, Viktor set his invention down and wiped at his face. Shaking, he began to shove his belongings back in his satchel, embarrassment and confusion lighting his nervous system with the desperate need to get away.

Bone finally reached out to set a hand on Viktor’s shoulder.

“It’s alright, m’boy.”

“No. It is alright, Council – Jarrot. I need to head to my next class. There was something I needed to speak with Professor Holmgren about beforehand. I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to – “

As he rambled, Viktor sloppily stood, knocking his lunch to the ground and nearly falling over as he unevenly braced himself on his crutch.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, limping away. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”

Wanting to spare the child from further discomfort, Bone let him go. The ache in his chest grew with each uneven step Viktor took away from him.

While Bone now felt certain that Viktor was not being used by the Children, he still felt deeply sorry for him. He was glad for what he had told his sister the previous night. That she should be ashamed. Her actions were already tearing at her little brother’s tender heart.

Bone knew it was an awful thing to be alone. He’d felt it every day since becoming Councilor. It painfully intensified as he was realizing his fellow Fissurefolk did not feel supported by his political efforts.

Viktor knew what it was like to be alone. A brilliant child, unable to exist in the world he was born into because of his handicaps; unable to exist in the world he’d worked tooth-and-nail to get into because of where he had come from. No friends. Only a sister, who was now sacrificing their relationship, and his well-being, for a cause that would not end well.

A breeze blew by, ruffling Bone’s thin hair. His breath caught, and he quickly pulled the pocket square from his coat. He managed to bring the fabric to his mouth before the hacking started. His skeleton bent and shook with the force of the coughing. Abdominal and back muscles contracted painfully, threatening to pull and spasm.

When it passed, he folded the pocket square up without looking at the contents. Gently, he patted his forehead with the dry edge of the cloth. Bone’s breath was a sharp, shallow rasp – like a dull knife being pulled along a whetstone.

He needed to speak with Grayson, he decided. What he would tell her, he still wasn’t sure. But time was running out. For everyone.

Comments, reblogs, and recommendations keep me and other author's motiviational fires burning! I'd love to hear your thoughts <3

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Coming Up Next: Kat's busy, so Viktor's goes out by himself to take his boat for a spin.

Taglist: @pinkrose1422 @dreamyonahill @sand-sea-and-fable @truthandadare @altered-delta

[zeepz-art]

Spoilers for Arcane season 2 Episodes 1-6 ahead, tread with caution:

Also keep in mind everything I rant about here are just my current opinions and concerns, this could change after the next three episodes' release.

Ok.... first of all, never has a show made me sob as hysterically as this one has. The end of almost every episode has had me in tears so intense that I'm sitting there hiccuping oh my god. Like when Vi and Vander hugged at the end of Episode 5, or when the 'Remember Me' flashback happened GOD

The art and animation is as STUNNING as usual holy shit. This show is so beautiful and the visuals are addicting. It's all such good inspiration for fanart and just future artworks in general, it's honestly an artist's paradise and I genuinely can't believe something like this exists.

Anyway, initial gushing and ranting aside, here are some of my... gripes? concerns? about Season 2 for now.

(Please keep in mind that these opinions are not set in stone since the season isn't fully released yet but I still want to rant about them and get it all out of my system.)

Overall the season has been really really good, I am really enjoying it. But I can't help but feel SO confused. Maybe it's the fact that it seems a lot more focused on League of Legends storylines and references this time (I have no knowledge of League lore), but so many of the different plots throughout the episodes have left me so confuzzled.

For example, in Episode 6, it feels like so much happened that was so out of pocket. When Vi runs into Caitlyn, even though Cait was the one who literally left Vi to rot in a hole to continue her quest to kill Jinx, she immediately agrees to stabbing Ambessa in the back and just seems to forget entirely about what she's been doing for the past 2 and a half episodes?? It just felt like her mentorship with Ambessa, her 'relationship' with Maddie, and her obsessive search for Jinx were kind of tossed aside in favor of her and Vi making up.

Don't get me wrong, I love to see them together again, but I'm so confused as to WHY they're back together already. Not to mention Cait's reaction to seeing Jinx again is so tame in comparison to how much she seemed to despise her an episode ago.

Another Episode 6 example: Jayce... What the fuck?

I know we'll probably get context and exposition in the next few episodes as to where he's been and why he's like this, but still, it feels so strange that he went from sacrificing everything to save Viktor's life in Episode 1 and 2 only to show up and kill him in Episode 6. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU JAYCE PLEASE I NEED TO KNOW WHY YOU ARE MURDERING YOUR POOR WET CAT BOYFRIEND

My other concern with season 2 so far, is that the pacing/storylines and plot feel really fast? it kind of feels like so many plots were crammed into season 2 that they now only last a few episodes until they finish or are forgotten? Like Isha was only there for 4-5 episodes until she died, Vander/Warwick's existence was built up across 3 episodes only for him to die really soon after he was revealed? Vi's breakup era only lasted for a few minutes in a montage? Viktor's 'Jesus' era had maybe 10 minutes of screentime? the list goes on.

I enjoyed all of these plots and storylines a LOT but I wish we got just a bit more time to appreciate them instead of getting emotional whiplash every episode. And that comes from someone who LOVES emotional whiplash.

To be fair though, none of the 'deaths' I'm talking about are necessarily confirmed yet since they're just implied until the next 3 episodes, So I do hope that at least Vander/Warwick is still alive because we barely got to dive deeper into the emotions the sisters must have experienced after seeing him again.

Anyway, Season 2 is honestly still so good it's a solid 7.5/10 for me so far. It has its flaws but it feels unfair to focus on them too much considering the season hasn't even finished its release yet. So yeah I'm really enjoying myself over here and am frothing at the mouth for the next few episodes to come out. Until then I will be curled up in the corner drawing infinite amounts of Arcane fanart to sate my endless thirst for more of this show.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk and thank you for your patience.

[t3ddyd0ll]

how would the yanderes act if the reader was physically abused before and they find out? (whether it be family, an ex or friend, etc)

side note; your writing is so good, i need simon so bad

thank u so much!! simons so glad to hear that ;3c

anyway! onto your question!

simon would be so so sad about this. i can imagine him seeing signs when he stalks you and being suspicious of that, but when it's confirmed, they'd feel their heart just twist.

it would be motivation to take you sooner if they haven't already. they'd want so so bad to show you softness and to help you heal that trauma. also he'd be more careful using physical force with you, and if he ever does have to he'd give waaayyy more encouragements and reassurances throughout the process.

i can also imagine simon stalking the abuser and wanting to hurt them, or if it was really bad, maybe he'd stick them with some crazy hallucinogenic drug and dump them in the middle of a busy city on a friday night. but im not sure they'd have the guts to do it alone, maybe they'd pay one of their friends to help out 👀👀

wyatt would feel a similar pity that simon does, but more anger. more violence. unlike simon, wyatt has the guts to do crazy shit. they're definitely the type to stalk the abuser for weeks and then beat them to a pulp in their own home. punch out (or rip out?) a tooth and keep it like a trophy.

as for you, they'd try to be better about acting physical when angry. not that wyatt would like hit you or anything, but they're definitely the type to slam doors and throw things if upset enough. they wouldn't want to remind u of anything too severe but those reactions might slip out if something bad enough happens!

thomas would just pity you. oh, poor doll, poor thing. would want to pry a little to see what your perception of this person is, would want to look into them himself too. probably beat the shit out of them to return the favor, and if they die, they die. it wouldn't be the goal but hey!

he wouldn't tell u abt any of it tho. you'd just see him sewing with bandaged knuckles one day.

viktor would have them tortured and killed as soon as he finds out. end of story.

with you, he'd coax out that trauma when it's convenient for him, might use it to manipulate you like purposely have people trigger you so you run to him for comfort. ohhhh, poor lamb, come here, darling, he'll make the big bad wolf go away <3

yandere!killer would ALSO torture and kill that mf, but they'd stretch it out over a few weeks. make them fear death around every corner until it comes in 14 agonizing swings of a metal bat one night.

with you, they'd still cut you up and shove u around, still bruise you, but they're doing it bc they love you. not like that piece of shit who got dumped in the trash compactor. pff. >:/! however, they'd be a liiitttle more gentle with u during torture sessions. remind you how good you are more often or how pretty you are when you look like this.

[skullsgrowontrees]

ARCANE SEASON 2 SPOILERS!!

.

I have a lot to say.

1) Oh my gosh, I did NOT expect Sky to hahnt the narrative like this. I'm so happy they're using her for this, I was getting bored of people saying she was a wasted character when it was obvious they were setting up something. I also wanna add (which is a little bit of a tangent but wtv) that this, to me does not confirm that Viktor had a romantic interest for Sky necessarily, but to me it shows that he did CARE about her a lot. I was getting a little upset at discussions saying that Viktor simply never cared for Sky and she only mattered when she died, since it made Viktor realize his effects on other people. She had way more of an impact on him than this (obviously, they've known each other since childhood). I don't believe he ever saw her romantically tho. Probably just go a lot more attached upon reading the confession she had written for him. Nevertheless, I am sooooo enjoying this sort of messiah persona their giving him (it lines up well with what we know of him in the games).

2) A part of me is a little sad that a Mel wasn't the one who died. Not because I hate her character, in fact, I find her to be very interesting (The stuff with her mom is ALWAYS so visceral to me???). I just think that it would have had a lot more of an impact on Jayce and probably given her mom more of a reason to be here. It also would have given the start of the season more emotional weight. Sure, I'm sad that Caitlin's mom died and I'm happy this is being used as a drive for her, but it just didn't hit me as hard as it could have. I have some thoughts on it is all.

3) Does anybody else find it kind of jarring how many musical moments there are? It's not that I dislike them or anything, but I liked that there were less of them in the first season so it felt fresh and unique to the scenes when there were. In the first episodes, I can already count like a good 3-4 of them. Just thought it was a strange decision.

4) Gosh, I am loving some of the new character's and their designs. I hope we see more of them. They look really good. In general, the show is just as, if not MORE aesthetically pleasing than in season 1. Everybody and everything just looks really nice and I'm happy that's something that wasn't slept on.

5) I really like the Sevika/Jinx alliance! OH, THAT AND THE LITTLE KID! I love the idea of putting Jinx in a sort of protector role after having every older figure in her life promise to keep her safe just to fail at it. At first, I thought it might not fit her, but I think it's a good decision.

6) Jayce and Viktor breakup part 2... Omfg, these two. THE HUG SCENE. IT'S SO... INTIMATE. The way Viktor was caressing Jayce's back, it's like the other was precious. I felt like I was interrupting something like HELLO??? "It was affection that held us together."

...IT WAS AFFECTION THAT HELD US TOGETHER. SAY FUCKING SIKE RN. I DID NOT WAIT THIS LONG FOR YOU TOO TO TENDERLY EMBRACE AGAIN JUST FOR YOU TO THROW THIS SHIT AT ME. OML. They make me sick. They make me ILL.

7) Vi is having the police effect rn (The oppressed becomes the oppressor). It was to be expected since yk, the games, but like I hate seeing it in real time. I hate seeing how little fights for it not to happen.

8) The Vi x Caitlyn stuff is real cute, but I'd be lying if I said I found the Caitlyn stuff to be very interesting at the start... I'm sorry, but we have so many things to deal with rn, how are we spending this much time over the poor girl's dead mother. It was just uninteresting to me, but it was a vehicle for the fun stuff to start, so I can't really be mad.

9) Seeing how the underground functions now that Silko is dead has been a lingering question of mine for a while and I'm happy that it was answered!

10) I was so worried the second intro wouldn't be as good and was even kinda wondering if they would just go for the same one, but I LOVE the vibes and tones set for the second! It doesn't beat the first, since that's almost an impossible task, but it's a fun treat and I am also not skipping that one when I watch an episode from now on.

11) And of course, the most important thing; EKKO LOOKS SO FUCKING FINE UGHHHHH HE FINALLY GETS MORE SCREEN TIMEEEEE!!!

LORD, HAVE MERCY.

Oh, and the Heimerdinger stuff with him is also cool ig.

[chaifootsteps]

Okay SO. Though I call it my Lackadaisy NextGen AU as I have no name for it as of yet, it's really a NextGen AU x a "film noir" murder mystery. As I feel like the 10k words of notes I've written down might be a bit too long for your askbox, I'll just give you the Sparknotes version.

Talia (tortoiseshell), eldest daughter of Calvin and Ivy and our main character, is an 18-yo freshman who started off her first year of college bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. No doubt in part because this meant that she would no longer have to babysit her four younger siblings. This very quickly changes when her best friend, a girl working as a prostitute to pay for her classes, is murdered. As the police are predictably no help, a heartbroken and despondent Talia seeks help from the local private eye. The private eye, Quicksilver (pure gray cat), is based off of an old Warrior Cats sona of mine, and since he already has some lead rolling around in his skull (he's more or less okay with it), he doesn't mind getting into dangerous work as well as he gets paid for it. (He also was an old apprentice of Elsa. Still maintains feelings for her that are an odd mix of "looks up to like a mother figure" and "she was a vicious crush of his when he was 19".)

Things don't go so well when the killer catches on that Talia has gone to Quicksilver, and swiftly tries to kill them, nearly shooting the head off of a very unfortunate paperboy instead. Lawrence (what some might call a "cow cat"), also 18 and middle child of Lacy and Horatio, becomes the unfortunate star witness in the killer's latest murder attempt and now has a target on his back as well. With all three of them needing to get to the bottom of the case before one of them loses a life, they're forced to team up and become a motley crew of investigators navigating the seedy underbelly of Missouri, and all of the lies, corruption, and depravity which lay waiting within it.

There are also a few other characters-- Xavier Savoy, street-smart orphan (dad dead to WWII, mother to the flu) who was taken in by Serafine and the Congregation ("Serafine's harem", as he later started calling it) who's always willing to help for a price, and the gossipy diner waitress Lynn who may or may not be related to a certain Drago, but they're not really as into the whole "catch the killer" as the aforementioned three are. Overall, the AU functions as some sort of new-generation sequel; the other characters are mentioned and acknowledged, but the story mainly focuses on the new characters.

One very important plot-point, however-- Talia doesn't know about Lackadaisy. Neither does Quicksilver. Lawrence knows vaguely about Lackadaisy and Freckle/Ivy's involvement, but not the fact that Talia is their kid. So there's always this backdrop of "something happened in my family's past, but I'm not sure what". Talia is a perfect combination of her father's anger and her mother's wit, and though she doesn't know it (and Freckle hates to know it), she has more of her father in her than any of her siblings. When push comes to shove, well, Talia has a very bloody family legacy, and like it or not, violence runs in her veins.

One last thing-- though certain characters are at least mentioned or known to be alive (Lacey still works under Wick, Wick/Mitzi/Zib are a thing though their current professions are unknown, Quicksilver visits Elsa semi-regularly), others are not. Namely, Rocky, Viktor, Mordecai, Asa, and Dominic. It's not necessarily confirmed whether or not these characters are still kicking, but well... sometimes Freckle will watch his kids do something stupid and get this wistful look in his eye, and Ivy will just cling to his arm and say nothing.

Ack, this got long-- sorry for all the wordy-words, thanks for lending me an ear!

Ahhh, this is fantastic! It combines two of the best things, NextGen AUs done really well and Warrior Cat OCs that have been repurposed into Lackadaisy ones. I would kill or die for these kids and any more details of this story you feel inclined to throw my way, I'll happily lap up.

Also, that bit about Freckle watching his kids put a dagger in my heart, mostly because I can't shake the feeling that it's going to someday be canon.