valewright67

[valewright67]

Ohhhh, well then, I got that still! They both kinda ended up as father figures, with Herald taking him in as an orphaned child, and Giopara taking in both Ximena and Talis when he was little. It's just the titles that changed, really, lol.

I also keep imagining a scene where Viktor and Talis find Herald and Giopara, in their undergarments, and spooning. And they just stare in a very "And he looks at me... and I look at him... and he looks at me! And I look at him!" Esc fashion. And its only broken when Viktor holds a hand out palm up and just makes a little grabby motion. "Pay up, Talis, I won the bet." Dramatic sigh from Talis, and offended spluttering from the old men. 😂

"This is ridiculous," Talis mutters, foot tapping as he stares up at the chalkboard. Viktor grunts next to him, and takes the chalk from his to scrawl on the board. "Yes, I agree."

"They're behaving like children."

"Mmm, yes. It's rather unbecoming."

"My uncle has a box full of just... evidence of when they were happy together, and he YEARNS over it. He PET IT, Viktor. He pet the damn box."

Viktor snorts, and finally looks at him. "Jayce. Do you just want to complain, or do you want to do something about it?"

He hesitates, but turns to him fully, abandoning the work he was only half paying attention to anyways. "What do you mean?"

"I MEAN its pretty clear that for all their genius, our uncles are, ehhh... a bit stupid about each other."

It's Jayce who snorts this time, and ugly, inelegant sound that is nonetheless endearing. "That's for sure. Alright, what did you have in mind?"

"We force them to collaborate. It's a gamble, but it might just get them to talk."

"I'm listening..."

They discuss - scheme, really - for quite awhile. A vague plan starts to form, taking shape as the hours idle on. It isn't until a loud growl (the source being Jayce's stomach) echoes between them that they realize how long it's been. They both freeze, Jayce with a blush appearing high on his cheeks, which only darkens as the high pitched growl starts up once again. Viktor pinches his lips as he muffled a "snrrk-" and then their both laughing.

"Well, I do believe that's our cue for lunch, no? Goodness, when was the last time you ate?"

"Ah... Lunch. Yesterday. I got distracted."

"And you get on MY case. Come, I haven't taken you to Jericho's before, have I?"

Weird Crack AU:

Jayce Giopara is the father of Jayce Talis

Viktor (LoL) is the father of Viktor (arcane)

Vikjayce (LoL variation) were old college rivals/friends with benefits/lab partners/w bunch of other baggage. They split up and act like they hate each other but clearly aren’t over each other.

Jayvik (Arcane variation) meet maybe high schoolish and it’s similar to canon where Viktor helps Jayce during a low point and the two become fast lab partners/best friends/professional yearners.

The only problem for Jayvik is that, as soon as their fathers find out about their friendship the older men are furious and insist the other can’t be trusted and shouldn’t go along with them.

That doesn’t stop Jayvik, although they are confused about the random hatred. They sort of come up with their own conclusions on why (they both assume it’s just a classic case of prejudice).

It’s only until the boys are getting into college and the high academia that they start to hear more about what their fathers were like in college… specifically, their old partnership.

Viktor and Jayce are both disgusted and annoyed to find out that their respective fathers are really just heartbroken pathetic exes that are taking it out on their son’s friendship.

Jayce suggests that they should try and get the two old men to make up, but both he and his Viktor are secretly reluctant to do it because:

1. Their fathers have been really obnoxious about and will probably get more obnoxious if they get back together.

2. They are both still yearning for each other and they don’t want to become stepbrothers while still pining for each other.

Unfortunately, Jayvik are as stupid as Vikjayce. Jayvik won’t reveal their feelings to each other, so they pretend to go along and make a plan for their fathers to make up, while secretly try to test the waters to see if Jayvik have a chance to date.

Quadruple the pining idiots, as they all four race to be the ones to get together first so they can marry without it being weird!

Not that Vikjayce even know they are a part of this “race” at first but you get what I mean.

[valewright67]

It almost works better, because like... you're gonna tell me Giopara and Herald actually managed to spawn their own sons? While being entirely obsessed with either science, each other, or both simultaneously?

I guess it's possible Giopara had a one night stand that resulted in a baby, but tbh, I do NOT see Ximena Talis as the type to sleep with an egotistical maniac. And if HERALD produced a child, well... Viktor would have been a test tube baby, that's all I'm saying. 😂

I think Uncles works well though. It also solves the "What Are You Doing, Step Bro?" Problem, lol

At the Jayce Household:

Giopara sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, Talis glaring at him with rigid posture and clenched fists.

"Look kiddo, I know you THINK it's fine, but you can't trust him! He's got the same ambition as the Herald, and you've got no idea how much information he could be taking back to him! He's his damn NEPHEW! You just told me he's LIVED WITH HIM since he was 8!"

"Just because you get into fights with The Herald doesn't mean HE isn't trustworthy, and I DO trust him, Uncle! He's my PARTNER! He wouldn't betray me, OR our research like that! And frankly, the research we're doing doesn't apply to biological augmentations yet anyways!"

"I know you THINK that, kiddo-"

"I AM NOT SOME NAIVE LITTLE KID, DAMMIT!" Giopara actually blinks a little, startled by his outburst, and that just serves to irritate Talis more. "I'm not STUPID, and I'm not fucking TWELVE YEARS OLD anymore! I'm a grown ass adult who can make my OWN damn decisions, and my decisions is that I TRUST Viktor, and I want him as my partner!" He's heaving for breath a little bit, then his face falls, and he sits down with a heavy grunt, head falling into his hands. "He's a GENIUS, uncle. His mind is... he can keep up with me. He challenges me, and meets me at every angle, and I just... I feel complete with him, when we're in the lab together. Even when he's being a bit of an asshole! Do you... do you have ANY idea what that feels like?"

Giopara sighs, though it's distinctly more withdrawn than irritated at this point, and runs his fingers through his gray streaked hair. "Yeah, Mini-Me. More than you realize. Come here, I think I've gotta show you something."

Talis glances up at him quizzically, and follows when he goes over to an innocuous looking drawer (among several others) against the wall. He pulls out a flat box, and runs a hand over it slowly before pulling off the lid.

Newspaper clippings, pictures, notes, sketches... dozens of them are laid in the box. On top is a faded picture of two men. He recognizes one as his uncle - albeit, as a much younger man - who's laying on a couch, but not the thin man asleep on top of him, head on his chest, and his uncles hand splayed over his back.

Though... he looks a bit like Viktor...

Talis' eyes widen, and he glances up, but Giopara has a pained, nostalgic expression on his own face, staring down at the picture. Regret ripples over his features.

"This... well, it was taken when we were a LOT younger, though I'll stand by the fact that the Gray hair makes me look hot," Talis wrinkles his nose at him, and Giopara snorts, "But it's The Herald and I. Or just 'Viktor,' back in those days. We met when we were right around your age, actually. And how you described it? This random guy who came out of the blue, a bit of an asshole, and could match your intellect? Completed you, MATCHED you in a way no one else could?"

He sighed again, nostalgic, and pulled away the picture to reveal the newspaper clipping underneath, a picture of the two of them, hair mussed up and goggles pushed up, smudges of grease on their face and arms and clothes, but giant grins splayed across both of their lips, arms tossed over each other's shoulders and posing in front of a massive robot.

"Well, I understand that pretty well."

"Uncle..."

His voice seemed to snap Giopara out of his memories, and he put the picture back, closing the box as he cleared his throat. "Anyways, that's WHY I'm trying to warn you, ki- Jayce. I KNOW, well more than I'd like to... you can't put your trust in him. You'll only get it broken in the end."

Talis took a slow breath, and met his Uncles eye.

"Just because you had a falling out with YOUR Viktor, doesn't mean that I'll have one with MY Viktor. We AREN'T the same person, Uncle. And neither are they."

He doesn't say anything else, just turns and leaves.

_-_-_-_-_

At the Viktor Household:

"You mean to tell me that this whole time, your 'partner-'" Herald spits out the word like it's a slur, "-has been the Defender's nephew?"

"Yes." Viktor replies evenly, watching his Uncle pace back and forth.

"Foolish! Completely and utterly foolish! How much does he already know? How much has he told to his uncle? Why would you do such a thing, you would have KNOWN exactly who he was, YOU confiscated his research on Heimerdinger's behalf!"

"Yes, I knew. I simply didn't care. And, as you recall, it is HIS research, originally. I'm sure his uncle is already aware of quite a bit of it."

"How could you have- Urgh, blasted emotional inhibitors are jammed up again, I need to put a pin in this conversation until I give myself a manual injection-"

"No."

Herald pauses, half turned. "Pardon?"

"I said No, Uncle." Viktor stood up, walking over until he was stood eye to eye with The Herald. "You're being a coward. Talk to me with all of you, or not at all."

"I am no coward-"

"You haven't even taken off your mask so I can look you in the eye while you talk down to me as if I am some idiotic child."

They stand in tense silent for a long moment, then Herald finally lifts his hand to his face, the mask coming away with a quiet hiss. His augmented eyes bore down into Viktor's. "You are making a mistake. He will use you. As though all of your years together, as Partners, meant nothing. To him, they won't have. And when your ideas turn controversial, he will throw you right back into this pit of a city. Chew you up and spit you out, sever every connection, and leave you to die. Is that what you want?"

"...If you recall, we are long past the point of 'controversial.' As you so kindly pointed out, I confiscated his illegal research, and stood as witness in his trial. Then broke into Heimerdinger's lab to perform the experiment with him anyways. All of that aside?" Viktor took a step closer, so their noses were almost touching. "Stop fucking projecting YOUR failed dynamic onto us. We are not the same people. I dare say we are BETTER, if only because we've had to put up with our Uncles obsessively beating up the same man every other week for two decades."

"Viktor-" He hisses, and Viktor holds up a hand as he steps back.

"I am going to go to my study. Do not bother me, you have insulted me enough for this night."

The tapping of his cane is loud in the ensuing silence, and it is only when he hears that door click shut that he sighs, sitting down onto the worn couch with a heavy thump. Despite himself, his gaze drifts to the wall where a framed newspaper clipping of them hangs, worn and filled with holes from when it served as his dartboard target, but clear nonetheless.

Mussed hair and grease streaks and broad grins, arms thrown over each other in a proud embrace as they pose in front of their first working robot.

"...What a mess, Giopara," He whispers into the still lab, "what an utterly ridiculous mess."

Weird Crack AU:

Jayce Giopara is the father of Jayce Talis

Viktor (LoL) is the father of Viktor (arcane)

Vikjayce (LoL variation) were old college rivals/friends with benefits/lab partners/w bunch of other baggage. They split up and act like they hate each other but clearly aren’t over each other.

Jayvik (Arcane variation) meet maybe high schoolish and it’s similar to canon where Viktor helps Jayce during a low point and the two become fast lab partners/best friends/professional yearners.

The only problem for Jayvik is that, as soon as their fathers find out about their friendship the older men are furious and insist the other can’t be trusted and shouldn’t go along with them.

That doesn’t stop Jayvik, although they are confused about the random hatred. They sort of come up with their own conclusions on why (they both assume it’s just a classic case of prejudice).

It’s only until the boys are getting into college and the high academia that they start to hear more about what their fathers were like in college… specifically, their old partnership.

Viktor and Jayce are both disgusted and annoyed to find out that their respective fathers are really just heartbroken pathetic exes that are taking it out on their son’s friendship.

Jayce suggests that they should try and get the two old men to make up, but both he and his Viktor are secretly reluctant to do it because:

1. Their fathers have been really obnoxious about and will probably get more obnoxious if they get back together.

2. They are both still yearning for each other and they don’t want to become stepbrothers while still pining for each other.

Unfortunately, Jayvik are as stupid as Vikjayce. Jayvik won’t reveal their feelings to each other, so they pretend to go along and make a plan for their fathers to make up, while secretly try to test the waters to see if Jayvik have a chance to date.

Quadruple the pining idiots, as they all four race to be the ones to get together first so they can marry without it being weird!

Not that Vikjayce even know they are a part of this “race” at first but you get what I mean.

[valewright67]

Alternative Counter Proposal!

League Viktor and League Jayce, rather than their father's, are their Weird Uncles.

Jayce Talis as a little kid, traveling to Piltover with his Mother? Well, there were traveling there to meet with Jayce Giopara, his father's estranged brother who he still named his kid after, because he LOVES his weird gremlin older bro who's lowkey an asshole.

Maybe his dad died, Giopara found out, and offered them space in his home to support them in his brother's stead, and THAT'S why they decided to Immigrate to Piltover.

As for Viktor? I'm thinking that he's TECHNICALLY his mother's cousin, but he's just called "Uncle" because it's easier. Perhaps there was a brief point in which League Viktor was assumed dead, so when her baby was born, she named him Viktor after her eccentric, weirdo cousin who she loved dearly nonetheless.

He shows up two weeks later on her doorstep, asking to crash there for a bit, and she punches him for scaring her like that. Then promptly deposits the bundle in his arms: "This is Viktor. I named him AFTER YOU because I thought you were DEAD, so now we have TWO people named Viktor in this damn family, and you had BETTER be a proper uncle to him, you absolute fucking maniac."

"...Yes Ma'am." (He is utterly enraptured by newborn with the same eyes as him, but won't admit it even under pain of death.)

Some years down the line, and Arcane Viktor's parents fall victim to the Gray Sickness (the same sickness that gave him newborn defects and corroded his lungs) and League Viktor (Referred to henceforth as "Herald" for simplicity) takes him in. He DOES augment him slightly, with the screws in his spine for his brace, but Arcane Viktor straight up refused to have his leg amputated and replaced with a prosthetic. "No, not... not yet, at least." And Herald accepts this, if reluctantly.

This whole time, Herald and Giopara keep up their weird divorce era rivalry.

Herald gives Viktor his old university uniform, so that he can sneak in and attend lectures. Viktor is eventually caught, but Heimerdinger is impressed enough that he makes an allowance for him to become his assistant.

("Perhaps this young man... I can steer him away from the hubric ways of his Uncle.") (You cannot, Cecil, but you may try.)

And eventually, the incident that starts Arcane occurs.

Giopara: "Your new Partner's name is VIKTOR? And he's from ZAUN? Huh... that's a funny coincidence, must be a common name down there."

Herald: "Your new Partner's name is JAYCE? What an odd coincidence... well, I suppose he IS just young enough to have been among the first generations that the 'Defender of Tomorrow' gained Public traction. Objectively, it makes sense that there are mother's who would name their children after him, though I cannot for the life of me see the appeal."

Viktor and Talis, simultaneously: "...Yep, haha... coincidence..."

(Ximena Talis figures this out in .3 seconds, but keeps it to herself to watch this unfold, she's needed some more quality entrainment.)

It doesn't come out until a couple months later. Viktor has (reluctantly) allowed the Golden Retriever that is Talis to come with him on a supply run to the Undercity, purely as extra muscle to carry shit, because he can't haggle to save his damn life.

They're on their way back up, Jayce with his arms full of various metal scraps and wires, and Herald suddenly comes crashing through a wall, blown back by a bright blue light.

(Giopara figured out how to use the crystals to make his Hammer, but TALIS is figuring out how to use them for TELEPORTATION and eventually HEALING)

Giopara lands in the alley as Herald is crawling out of the rubble, face shifting from a snarl to a startled double take when he spots the two of them.

"The Hell are you doing down here, Mini-Me?" He asks, glancing between him and Viktor, and WOW he looks REALLY similar to HIS Viktor, that's bizzare-

"You should be worried about yourself, Defe- Viktor? Who is that? Your partner?"

There is a tension between Giopara and Herald as the gears finally click into place, and then a great clamor as they both yell over each other for about 7 seconds, before Giopara lunges and they're back at it again.

(Talis and Viktor watch this like a tennis match, before taking the opportunity to get the Hell out of Dodge.)

(They WILL be interrogated later.)

Weird Crack AU:

Jayce Giopara is the father of Jayce Talis

Viktor (LoL) is the father of Viktor (arcane)

Vikjayce (LoL variation) were old college rivals/friends with benefits/lab partners/w bunch of other baggage. They split up and act like they hate each other but clearly aren’t over each other.

Jayvik (Arcane variation) meet maybe high schoolish and it’s similar to canon where Viktor helps Jayce during a low point and the two become fast lab partners/best friends/professional yearners.

The only problem for Jayvik is that, as soon as their fathers find out about their friendship the older men are furious and insist the other can’t be trusted and shouldn’t go along with them.

That doesn’t stop Jayvik, although they are confused about the random hatred. They sort of come up with their own conclusions on why (they both assume it’s just a classic case of prejudice).

It’s only until the boys are getting into college and the high academia that they start to hear more about what their fathers were like in college… specifically, their old partnership.

Viktor and Jayce are both disgusted and annoyed to find out that their respective fathers are really just heartbroken pathetic exes that are taking it out on their son’s friendship.

Jayce suggests that they should try and get the two old men to make up, but both he and his Viktor are secretly reluctant to do it because:

1. Their fathers have been really obnoxious about and will probably get more obnoxious if they get back together.

2. They are both still yearning for each other and they don’t want to become stepbrothers while still pining for each other.

Unfortunately, Jayvik are as stupid as Vikjayce. Jayvik won’t reveal their feelings to each other, so they pretend to go along and make a plan for their fathers to make up, while secretly try to test the waters to see if Jayvik have a chance to date.

Quadruple the pining idiots, as they all four race to be the ones to get together first so they can marry without it being weird!

Not that Vikjayce even know they are a part of this “race” at first but you get what I mean.

[valewright67]

[valewright67]

Ok, but have you considered drawing him white purely for the comedic appeal of having him and Talis meeting, and just...

Talis: "WHY ARE YOU WHITE??"

Giopara: "WHY AREN'T YOU???"

I DO NOT CARE THAT GIOPARA IS WHITE. YOU WILL DRAW HIM WITH TALIS’S SKIN TONE OR ELSE.

[valewright67]

Jayce some time later going: "Mom, I want this blanket! It's super soft, and- and look! One side is blue, but the other side is red! Just like that mage!"

And then that blanket, warm and well loved as it is, eventually finds it way onto the little couch against the wall in the lab he shares with Viktor.

And one day, it's wrapped around Viktor, in an effort to protect him from and welcome him back into the world, a dual and equal measure.

And one day? Viktor realizes it's the one thing he has left of Jayce, and he delves into the sands of time to try and fix things.

It feels have red and blue… is it the blanket？:O

----

[valewright67]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[valewright67]

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

[valewright67]

[valewright67]

[valewright67]

[valewright67]

[valewright67]

Knives! Get your Knives here for no particular reason!

🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

Get em while they're cold, get em while they're sharp!

Special discount if your name is Brutus for no reason in particular!

[valewright67]

Me leaving comments on fics.

[valewright67]

!!! AWESOME, I WAS RIGHT, I LOVE MY 1 AM THEORY BRAIN

Ok, but thank you so much for, first of all, giving the hint to set me off, and second of all, for confirming my idea. I can't wait for the next release, this is one of my favorite au's. ❤️

THE RUNE??? WHICH RUNE IS THAT? (respectfully)

the respectfully at the end took me out

[valewright67]

Looks like it's a possibility to me. 👀👀👀

But since you mention League specifically, I looked a little bit further into that, though I'm not a league player myself, and I found that there are 5 primary runes/"runepaths"

Those being Precision, Domination, Sorcery, Resolve, and Inspiration. (Elaborate version and more simplified version but with 60 sorted sub runes into various sub concepts below)

Some of the runestones align more obviously with the league runes than others. For example, Domination:

The others are a bit less clear; our dear "Acceleration" rune, for example, bears resemblance to both Precision and to Sorcery. Is it possible it's a sort of combination of the two, do you think? Both concepts are certainly alluded to within the show.

And there's the fact that in that picture shown at the top, there's like... 7½ shown? In the actual scene from the show, we see 8 different runes dropped into 8 different hands, each with a different design. And if in League, there's only 5 primary runes, mixing and matching is entirely possible!

Of course, there's also the many many sub rune routes, which brings us up to 70 or so (side note: Mage Viktor falling further and further into what might be apathy, or might be despair, as he attempts dozens and dozens of timelines.) BUT the pretty simplified designs seen here aren't quite as common.

If I had to pick, I'd say the rune shown in your fanart most resembled "Resolve?" Which has sub concepts of Strength, Resistance, and Vitality. Viktor trying to give Jayce the strength and health to resist him, but gives him too MUCH maybe? To live when no one else can, in a decaying world? Stuck in limbo like he is?

(Link to: "in all timelines, in all possibilities, only you can show me this" scene where the various runestones are shown)

THE RUNE??? WHICH RUNE IS THAT? (respectfully)

the respectfully at the end took me out

[valewright67]

you're not ascending to godhood you're just dehydrated