#viktor's a nerd

[lonelyinsomnia]

rises the moon

I watched as he muttered to himself, hovering over his notes, pointing at random places, and then pacing back to his invention. The sight was as amusing as it was irritating. I watched as he tinkered and took notes. His chocolate brown hair bounced as he shuffled back and forth.

Leaning against a cluttered table covered in gadgets and gizmos I noticed a spyglass. I picked it up and placed it against my eye. I followed a seagull as it dove down, only to catch an updraft and soar much higher than before. I watched the sun begin to set, leaving only a sliver of natural sunlight.

Setting the spyglass down, I looked over to Viktor. He was still enthralled with his work. I walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. He spun around and nearly hit me with the notebook he held.

“Watch it,” I sneered.

He laughed wryly and almost returned to his project, but stopped when we made eye contact. We briefly held each other’s gaze until I coughed to break the increasingly awkward silence.

“Uh,” I paused, debating on continuing, “The sun is nearly set, so…Would you like to stargaze with me?”

His tired eyes widened. After a moment, his shoulders slumped and he sighed.

“That would be…beneficial,” he said nodding.

I began walking out of the room, pausing only to hold the door for him. He gave me an apathetic look, which I returned with a half-hearted smile. I shut and locked the door behind me as we stood on the balcony.

The silence between Viktor and me was not awkward like before, but it wasn’t comfortable either. We stood side-by-side and leaned against the railing watching as the sliver of sunlight became all but an orange hue on the horizon. We waited silently until the sky darkened enough to see the stars. Once they appeared, I sat down and gazed at the glittering sky; Viktor followed suit and small talk ensued. He talked about his gadgets and formulas and I listened -- despite not knowing what he was talking about. Viktor’s hazel eyes shined a gloss-like gold as he spoke, his enthusiasm evident. It was a sweet sight. When he calmed down, I started pointing out different constellations. He watched my hands and listened to whatever I had to say about each planet, quasar, black hole, star, or nebula I gestured to.

I felt a weight on my shoulder during my rant about Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. I looked over to see Viktor asleep. His eyes bore heavy on his face and his cheeks were sunk in but he had a small smile on his lips. Gazing at the sky, I smiled.

His head began to fall after a bit so I gently guided him to lie on my lap. He started to snore quietly the moment he lay on my thighs. Smiling, I ran my fingers through his hair. It was soft to the touch. Absentmindedly, I played with his hair as I gazed at the rising moon.

[pigeon-princess]

Anya has been an incredible new edition to the strahd party dynamic and I think we're reaching peak levels of chaos

[j0nesy]

that was the gayest shit I've ever seen and you're gonna tell me Jayvik isn't canon

[ollycohens]

oh no you guys. i’m going to spew things i’ve realized while rewatching umbrella academy. I’m realizing were all being too sucked into fanon things after being stuck without canon content for so long. We have convinced ourselves Five acts like a mean mean dude to everyone but rewatching, i’ve realized he’s only stressed and is saying things out of panicked anger, especially in s1 with the apocalypse dooming over them. he acts soft to his siblings multiple times, he’s really not as mean as we write him in fanfiction. he is a little crap though, that’s for sure, and i love him for that <3

also realizing that the siblings don’t hate five. they just literally don’t know him at all. he came back a completely different person after 17 years for the siblings, they don’t know five, he’s a stranger so of course they’re gonna be cold to him. it’s like, “i don’t know you well, but you’re always going to be my brother in the end”.

ALSO. for those who ship some of the siblings, uhm… i’ve seen a lot of you guys try to prove that they don’t see eachother as siblings and more like academy students, but they very much say in just about every episode that they see eachother as siblings. they don’t actually SAY that word by word but they say things like “she’s our sister”, or “our dad”. if they say OUR dad… bro. i’m not even going to continue, you can put it together yourself. But, i do realize why people ship the siblings. I am not defending incest shippers but with umbrella academy i can see why people have resorted to it. only 3 of the characters in the main sibling cast has romantic partners. people like shipping people, people love writing romantic relationships, but with only diego/lila, dave/klaus, and sissy/viktor, (i’m not going to count five/dolores for now) people are desperate with the need to ship the rest of the siblings with someone, and since there are only a few actual canon characters in the show that interact with our main 7, people start shipping them together… yikes. anywho, that’s all for that peice. i blame the show writers as well for shipping luther/allison, they did not have to do that, but i’m hoping it was only to convey the severity of what childhood trauma does to people.

ALSO THIS HERE SHOOK ME. I actually think Reginald cares for the siblings. i hate to say it, but it’s true. caring for them does not mean being good, though. he was a horrible father, and person, but he genuinely did care for the siblings, in a like, “being the best is the best thing for you, i will make you better, for your sake, even if you don’t know it now, you will see that i am right” kind of way.

also why has NOBODY MENTIONED THIS. in season 2 when diego first reunites with five in the asylum, while he’s walking into the visitors room, he’s staring at five with this heartfelt, soft look, and then says “five…” in the most soft spoken voice ever 😭 your honor i love them

ALSO UGHHH THIS. IM GOING TO FREAK OUT ABOUT CAMERAWORK AND METAPHORS HERE SO BARE WITH ME. we as a fandom complain about the lack of flashbacks five has due to his ptsd. we’ve seen his first flashback since getting back to his family in s1 during the van scene when he gets triggered by those kids playing and starts thinking about his own childhood, i’m guessing. i ate that scene up, and was sad to see that be one of the only deeply vulnerable scenes he has in the season, and during my first watch i thought they’d never bring it back up. but they do!! i may be stupid for not realizing but whatever. in season 2, when five is trying to explain at elliot’s with all his siblings around that another apocalypse is coming, everyone starts talking about each other. as someone who studies film and camerawork, i love this scene. we see the camera focus on five as it slowly zooms in. it doesn’t switch scenes at all as the siblings voices overlap and echo over eachother. this whole scene conveys him getting overwhelmed and he starts to zone out, starting to think of the nuclear war he saw his siblings in. the scenes of the war start quickly switching through, showing many different scenes of it before it switches back to five, who says “guys, you all die. i want to forget it but i can’t” which just UGH its so well done there. if you think about it, he was starting to slip into another flashback. he was triggered by talking about their deaths in the war but was handling it well until the siblings started fighting, where we see the overlapping voices happen. it portrays him losing control and being unable to pull it back together with too much going on for him to focus on grounding himself. we DO however, see that five was able to pull himself out before he fell too deep into the flashback. i love how they show this through them still having the scene showing the war, but then fives voice starts talking over the scene which is still focusing on the war as if he was pushing it back and forcing himself to come back to the present.

thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far, i will continue to freak out another time <3

[charbroiledchicken]

arcane season 2 introduction analysis incoming:

does anyone else find it really cool, but also very nerve-wracking, that the season 2 arcane introduction is referencing a bunch of well known tragic plays/musicals? we all know riot/fortiche isn’t one to put unnecessary details in, every single thing is either symbolic, a parallel or foreshadowing - especially in the introductions. so, could these chosen plays/performances foreshadow how the rest of the story could go?

i know that the caitlyn/macbeth poster parallels have been circulating a lot recently, and i think it provides a really good idea into how caitlyn’s arc might go. 

the events of act one positioned caitlyn in a perfect place to follow the storyline of macbeth. her current state (losing her mother, the trauma from jinx, etc) has made her predisposed to violence, much like macbeth. we can clearly see that in the caitvi betrayal scene, when she hits vi in the gut with a rifle, as well as in the fight before that, where she has no qualms with potentially killing innocents for the ‘greater good’. she was also thrust into a position of high power where she will be easily manipulated by ambessa. 

similar to this, macbeth is a story of a man thrust into a high position of power and unable to keep the blood off his hands, and he and his wife eventually go mad because of it. I think ambessa fits the role of lady macbeth here, and she has the potential to goad caitlyn (macbeth) into violent acts and atrocities while keeping the blood and blame off her hands. through caitlyn, ambessa now has significant influence and power over piltover and the fight with zaun. how will caitlyn, who is barely more than a pawn now, cope with this? macbeth slowly went insane in his attempt to maintain power - i fear for how caitlyn will fare. 

macbeth is a tragedy, by the way. 

i haven’t properly analysed the rest, but i think it’s interesting to know that the shot of jinx holding the flag is a reference to les mis (also a tragedy, as SPOILER ALERT all the characters die in their fight for freedom and fairness). the line is literally 'oh the misery'. if jinx rallies zaun to fight against piltover, is she leading them into a massacre?  

les mis is a tragedy. 

the shots of mel and ambessa lounging on the couch is a reference to julius caesar. it is a play of betrayal and caesar is betrayed by one of their companions. et tu, brute? brutus joins a conspiracy to assassinate caesar and prevent him from becoming a tyrant. does ambessa become a tyrant/bloodthirsty leader with her newfound power? will mel join the black rose and betray her mother in order to stop piltover’s destruction?

julius caesar is a tragedy.

one last thing. in all of these works, the main character of the story dies by the end.

so, safe to say, i am very nervous about what the introduction is foreshadowing. i have a feeling an important character is going to die.

arcane will be a tragedy. 

(viktor and the mask is also a reference to phantom of the opera but, as much as i love that musical, i haven’t analysed his shots yet so i haven’t included it)

[needsmorewlw]

"It's time, to crank it!"

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

[nerdasaurus1200]

YAAAAAS A NEW POSTER! And look who’s alive!!!

Also lookit the power couples next to each other 🤩

[piratespencil]

Started rewatching Arcane and I can't get over how the moment in episode two when Viktor hands Jayce his bracelet with the crystal perfectly mirrors the moment in the finale when Jayce presses the crystal into Viktor's hand... I've never been more tempted to learn how to make gifs because this show just never misses with the parallels and there are so many perfect moments like this.

[assblastergaster]

the way jayvik fans are ignoring the entire plot of the show to raise up their ship is so…i thought tumblr was being dramatic when they said yaoi shippers will just ignore any women and plot just to prop up their own desires.

like let’s not be deluded a lot of people emphasized caitvi a little too much—to the point they ignored the story—but that was nothing compared to this. like, i get it, they’re two hotties with a beautiful, complex narrative surrounding them and tying them to their world and each other. but if a romantic or sexual relationship was a part of that, there’s no way in helllll fortiche or the writers would’ve maintained their status as “just” best friends and brothers. (which also ignores how deep and beautiful a bond between best friends, siblings, partners can be)

i know some people might not remember it but i remember in 2021 there was a slight whisper from some people, especially on reddit, who were annoyed that the show focused so much on women’s relationships (sisters, girlfriends, daughters) and not men’s; obviously these people missed the point in an entirely different direction but they’re on the same starting track as the jayvik romance phenomenon. jayce and viktor are as much vander and silco as they are themselves. they are vi and jinx. they are brothers by bond, not by blood (though eventually they are by the blood they spill). they are the third telling of this all important story between siblings, the third outcome. vander and silco could not handle what they wrought and eventually killed each other. vi and jinx could not handle what they had done and had to separate themselves completely lest they be stuck in a constant drowning battle. jayce and viktor couldn’t fix what they had done and thus had to work together to destroy it, as they had to cause it. notably: these latter two outcomes reflect the overall trajectory of the show. vander and silco (united by ideals) could not forgive themselves or each other, even for their goal to save the world. jinx and vi (united by blood) and jayce and viktor (united by discovery) learned from themselves, from each other, that they have to forgive in order to do what’s ultimately needed.

also—something i’ve seen NOBODY mention is Skye. Skye is honestly so important to viktor’s arc and nobody seems to remember or care. she has been accused of being one of arcane’s few flaws, being a victim of “fridging.” in some ways, this is absolutely true. she was just a random female character introduced to make viktor feel bad—but that’s kind of the point. viktor’s newfound hatred (end of s1) of the hex core comes because he realizes that his arrogance and desperation have lead him to kill someone he never got to know on a deeper level (indicated by him learning more about her from her diagrams than he has the whole time). he is furious that he let that happen, that it took an innocent life to be lost forever just to spur him to realize the error of his ways. it why he wanted to be left to die naturally. her inclusion in the brief time where viktor was “ascended” but not yet gloriously evolved, was some of the points at which viktor seemed happiest. we didn’t get to see much of them—which is sad—but their constant interactions and her looming presence whenever he was shown in his astral state confirmed how much he regrets losing her. this does NOT mean they are a romantic item, though to some it may, but it does mean that viktor’s care and character growth/change for others is being unfairly sidestepped in favor of a ship. she even goes so far to say that “no, you won’t” when he says he’ll miss their talks—implying either that she was the first to acknowledge that he was not going to be the viktor she knew, or that she knew that the same arrogance in him now was in him when she was alive (and that he cared about nothing but himself).

this is not even to mention that this also completely sidelined Mel, who does eventually move on due to reasons outside either her or jayce’s control, was still his lover and confidant for a long time. her arc informs his as does he, hers. her growth into her powers while he shies away from unknown magic is a reflection of their season 1 selves, where jayce embraces his newfound inventiveness and influence while she fears her what she knows her mother will do. mel being routinely ignored is due in no small part, im sure, by misogyny and racism—but she is just as much a main character as they are (game notwithstanding).

now i’m not saying this to be a jayvik hater. myself? i love caitvi, probably more than i should have above base appreciation of their worth to the story and beautiful writing, so i get it. this doesn’t mean i think jayvik is bad inherently—but lofting it above all else is annoying. the romances of arcane are sooo beautiful and complex but they’re only a part of what the story is trying to tell you, so a manufactured relationship that supersedes all is counterintuitive.

[lordofdestructionm]

[mystic-orb88]

​(suggested by @scisetforever ).

These guys and their dweeb haircuts and dweeb chalk boards and dweeb presentations and dweeb elbow patches and dweeb suits and dweeb glasses and holy Hell dangerous dicoveries. I love that stuff.

[dolcezzaestremadaomicid1o]

I have no clue if that was ever highlighted before but the fact that my childhood 2D crush was the furry counterpart of my current 3D crush is somehow unsettling, yet I can totally recognize the pattern: I just love science madmen, that's all. That's the deal

[little-paperboat]

So I binged Arcane S1 over the last days and why did no one tell me that the show is good and that everyone's hot??? Caitlyn? Mel? Viktor? Vi? Vander? Jayce? Silco? Sevika?? I’m BLUSHING over here ok

I'm going to need 3-5 business days to recover I think (just joking I’m going down the AO3 rabbit hole see you all later)

[blessedshortcake]

Im about to pull the best crossover of the century just yall wait /hj

[koko2unite]

there's a shred of hope in his eyes... I love him

[meownotgood]

can't even acknowledge that arcane is going to end forever it's not even a thought in my mind. what do you mean this is it