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thomas-jefferson-miku-binder · 2 years ago

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Queer League of Legends Champions (with explanations) - Part II

Check out Part I

Confirmed Pansexuals – Twisted Fate

Twisted Fate was always speculated to be part of the LGBTQ+ community due to his, uh, flamboyancy. The sentiment that he felt something more for Graves was always there, portrayed in their stories through regret, friendship, and loyalty. The Boys and Bombolini color story officially confirmed him as queer, making TFGraves the faces of Pride 2022. This year, he was also seen with the pansexual flag in official pride art, with Riot finally labeling him. It's worth noticing a cute detail (that I doubt was intentional) where his card deck's colors form the colors of his flag!

Confirmed Queers – Ahri, Ekko, Evelynn, Ezreal, Kayn, Nidalee, Renata Glasc, Samira, Taric, Udyr

Ok, this is a long category. Here we have every champion we know for sure is queer, either through external confirmation (Ekko, Ezreal, Kayn, Renata Glasc, Taric), in-game dialogue (Nidalee, Samira, Udyr), or basic lore (Ahri, Evelynn). Let's start with the first group.

Throughout the first half of 2020, Riot released multiple chapters of a Pulsifire color story focused on Ezreal. It explored his relationships with numerous champions of the universe, but especially Ekko. The subtext was strong in this one, and the writer later took to Twitter to talk about how tough it was to have queer stories be censored when working for IPs, not so subtly mentioning Ezreal and Ekko after doing so. Even though Riot might not have agreed with making the Ezko relationship undeniably romantic, their love for one another is still an important part of the story, not to mention that it was the creator's intended vision to begin with.

Renata Glasc was confirmed as sapphic by one of her creators when sharing concept art of her design. Checking the link to the original post, they seem to have deleted the excerpt that mentions it, but people took screenshots before they edited it, most likely because of Riot. Taric, on the other hand, has been speculated to be queer since forever, although the motives are not that pure. Many people saw this hairless, beautiful man that likes jewels and was like, "Huh, that sounds kinda gay," which was the common dudebro mentality of the fandom at the time of his release that caused a lot of homophobia within the player base (more than usual). They weren't wrong, seeing as Riot did include Taric in official 2023 pride art, but he was not seen wearing or holding any flags. After all, it would make sense that he likes everything—and everyone—beautiful. But either way, both Taric and Renata are non-specified queers.

Shieda Kayn is a weirder case. I thought a lot about whether I should even include him in this category at all. There are many accounts of people affirming one of Kayn's writers pictured him as having fluid sexuality, but since then, wherever it was posted, it's gone now. I do believe it since we can still find Reddit threads on the subject, but the original source is nowhere to be found. I still decided to put him here, but take it with a grain of salt.

Moving on to our next category, we have Nidalee, Samira, and Udyr. Samira flirts more than once with Elegant Edge in Legends of Runeterra, and her attraction for her is not subtle. As far as I'm aware, she's never expressed interest in men, but we can't say for sure whether she's bi, pan, or gay. Nidalee and Udyr have had speculated romantic interests in other champions for a while now. Nidalee with Neeko, Udyr with Lee Sin. Nidalee and Neeko's story was first portrayed as one-sided, with Neeko rejected by her friend, prompting them to part ways. On the other hand, the addition of both champions to Legends of Runeterra explored their relationship once again, with the two reuniting and Nidalee finally realizing she did love Neeko and simply didn't know how to deal with it all those years ago. A love song, Shine On, even accompanied the update, which narrates their story beautifully. They have many romantic voice lines now, both in LoR and League.

With Udyr's rework, people started realizing he digs Lee Sin through voice lines expressing how he misses his "old friend" and that he's "loved twice, left twice" (which applies to his relationship with Lee Sin). Besides, his design includes memorabilia he exchanged with Lee Sin when they parted ways. It is also important to mention he's had a wife before, so he swings both ways. I think the context gives more than enough clues for us to safely say Udyr is queer.

Ahri and Evelynn are spirits/demons that prey on their victims (regardless of gender) through charm and seduction. Ahri is essentially a succubus, and Evelynn is the Demon of Agony, with desire and lust being important parts of their characters. It is also worth noting that Evelynn is genderfluid/agender, taking the form of anyone (or anything) that might lure her victims. So their lore essentially confirms them as not straight and not cis (on Evelynn's case, at least).

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alpaca-clouds · 1 year ago

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The DnD Lore Problem - Accessibility and Characters (and how BG3 might not help)

You know what? I am gonna talk about DnD Lore and the accessibility of that lore. I talked about this exessively before. But to summarize that long blog very shortly:

Wizards of the Coasts currently makes the mistake of putting basically most DnD Lore behind a paywall, rather than offering official ressources. This leads to a lot of tables actually playing with their original worlds, rather than Toril/Faerûn, which in turn also means, that they are not spending money on official products. While my anti-capitalist ass things that the lore should be accessible just so that people can enjoy it, I also think that this inaccessibility actually costs WotC A LOT OF MONEY.

Today I want to talk about another aspect of this inaccessibility, that is kinda linked to some of the stuff I talked about before, but also is linked to the things WotC is currently not doing in terms of both Honor Among Thieves and Baldur's Gate 3. A thing, that also might not quite work with BG3, though.

See, the core problem of this inaccessibility is, that a) there is no official place where you can just get base information about the world and the timeline, b) this world has grown organically for about half a century, which lead to clutter, but also to the fact that things are at times showing their age.

I might actually make a post on the gods and religion in the world at some other point - but for now let me talk about something else: Extended universes and access points.

The Problem with Extended Universes

Okay, let's talk about how a lot of the big franchises for the longest time have told their meta stories - including DnD - and how it kinda struggles to find its audience. The extended universe.

I am frankly not entirely sure what franchise has started this. I am assuming it was Star Trek? But that is just a guess. But at some point in the 60s oder 70s someone had the idea that: "Hey, we could totally give the fans more to chew on by making official tie-in comics and novels!"

And that was how it worked for very long. Like a lot of the big franchises had at times around 10 novels and comics (if not more) releasing per year that would just explore other parts of the universe and allow the very engaged fans to... well, learn more about the world. Now, I am not going to talk about all the drama connected to the Star Wars stuff, but if you know, you know.

DnD did this too. (As did a lot of the big TTRPG systems, like Shadowrun and WoD as well.) Having a lot of tie in stuff - in the case of DnD mostly novels - that told more stories on the world and also established like some big player characters within the world. Elminster Aumar is probably one of the best examples here.

Those established some characters that play a big role within the world and also told just more stories of those big world changing events. In the recent DnD history that would be stuff like the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague and the Second Sundering.

Now, here we have one big issue. And one issue where I am not entirely certain where it arose from. But the fact is: In recent years, people invest way less into those kind of books. This is just a fact.

It is the reason why those big universes went from publishing like ten novels a year to often not more than three. We saw that in the failure of the extended Universe Disney tried to pull off for Pirates of the Caribbean (though I will still maintain that another big problem was that they barely marketed that at all - hi, everyone, who did not know there were extended universe novels for PotC). We also saw that with League of Legends, who really, really tried to tell a lot more stories with short stories and then also some novels set in Runeterra, before finally giving up, because most people didn't care.

In terms of Dungeons & Dragons I can totally see that a lot of people will also say: "I do not care what some other people's characters do within the world." Buuuuuut...

Stories actually can help you understand the world. Which brings me to...

The Elminster Problem

Okay, I do not know how to put this, but... If you look at the novels coming out for DnD literally half of them focus on either Elminster Aumar or Drizzt Do'Urden. Characters that have pretty much been around since the very beginning and. Look, I don't know how to put it but... It shows.

I am currently reading some of the newer novels and the fact is, that they do not really feel like fantasy books from the 2010s and 2020s. Because Elminster and Drizzt are very clearly characters originating in a very different time when stories were told very differently.

I mean, just look at Elminster. He is a wanna-be Gandalf character. He is from the early, early days of fantasy and... Look, I personally just really am unable to identify with a character like this.

And while Drizzt is a bit better as a character, but even he... How to put this delicately? They are both very much characters written by white cishet men for white cishet men. There, I said it.

I am noticing this a lot with reading Salvatore's books currently. Like, female characters are not overly sexualized, which is a plus. But they also very much exist most of the time in service to a man or at least in relation to a man. There is not a lot of female characters running around that have their own agency.

Which kinda leads to another thing. I actually saw this one brought up by one of those very cliché nerdy Youtube channels talking on DnD, who recognized the problem as well: There are basically two large groups of DnD players who barely intersect. One is the cliché nerds, the other is a largely queer and largely diverse group. And the youtube guy, who was very in the white cishet nerd group, suspected that actually the later group makes up more of the player base by now.

Buuuut... that is also the group who really do not get catered to by the canon lore so far. That was until 2023 with DnD:HAT and BG3 - both catering actually a lot to those groups.

Honor Among Thieves and the undermarketed books

Okay, here is the thing: Honor Among Thieves had two novelizations (one for young readers, one for older readers) and two tie-in novels. One featuring Edgin, Holga, Forge and Simon before the stuff with Sofina went down. And the other featuring Simon and Doric taking place at the time while Ed and Holga are in prison.

I am honest: I really, really liked the Ed and Holga novel. It was super cute and charming and really gives a better understanding of the characters.

But of course once again there is the thing: The books - just like the Pirates of the Caribbean books - were super undermarketed. Like, most people I know off do not even know that there were books released. Heck, even within the actual active fandom there are again and again people who will be surprised that those books exist.

And... I actually also think that the books waste one big ass opportunity, by not at all tying into the broader lore. They are super self-contained.

And that is actually just a waste. Because the place were Edgin lived in? Yeah, that place was super affected by the Second Sundering. Heck, that might have had to do something with his troubles.

Why is that an issue? Well, because... there was not a lot going on there that was inviting you to further interact with the world and learn more abotu what is happening. For once, again, because I think it is a super fun and interesting world. But also, because... WotC wants to make money and is so bad at it, that it really boggles my mind.

See, here is the thing: They could've used those characters - that really are fun and sympathetic characters - to create an accesspoint into that world.

Alright, so what about Baldur's Gate 3?

Which brings me to Baldur's Gate 3 and the thing that a lot of people have noticed: The other Baldur's Gate games - as well as some of the other games releasing around 2000 - had their own tie-in novels going into the characters, their background, but also what they were doing in the future.

Something that so far BG3 has not done, which some fans have already critized. Because a lot of people have actually gotten really invested into those characters. A lot of the kind of people especially who so far are underserved by a lot of the tie-in stuff: Queer and generally diverse audiences.

Like, I think there would be a lot of people, who totally would read a novel, about...

Astarion getting drawn into some sort of political intrigue in Baldur's Gate while serving Cazador

Karlach's time in Avernus

Some Adventure Wyll got dragged into while being the Blade of the Frontier.

Shadowheart going onto a mission for Shar (maybe together with Nocturne)

Whatever Gale was doing during the Second Sundering

Lae'zel's youth among the Githyanki

The Dark Urge and Gortash starting up the entire conspiracy

... whatever Halsin had been up to in his long live

Heck, people would eat that stuff up. And you could not only use it to worldbuild but also once more create some access into the world and what happened there. And they are kinda wasting a lot of potential by not bringing out those novels.

Of course, there is one big problem: BG3 makes it kinda hard to write about anything happening after the ending. Because as it is right now, someone is gonna be pissed if a novel set after the game does not go with the decision for a character they go for. Like, Ascended Astarion fans are gonna be pissed, if they go with Spawn Astarion - and the other way around. Same goes with every other character where you have those big decisions happening.

This is something they will have to tackle eventually if they plan on doing something with the characters in the future (no matter if we are talking Larian or WotC), but it is definitely an issue that just arises from the structure of the game.

Bonus of course is, that you just cannot define a canonical Tav. But without a Tav, you also gotta act as if the story of the game happened without a Tav, which still is not ideal. I am honestly not sure with how they are gonna deal with this on the long run.

Access via Characters

Alright, but what is the actual issue here?

Well, basically there are two hurdles to overcome for the accessibility of the lore. The first is the physical accessibility - aka, what I talked about in the last long blog post. The second meanwhile is more related to making the lore engaging. And that happens through characters.

It is for me what happened last year. I actually tried to engage with the lore as the movie came out - but only when BG3, that tied a lot more into the actual lore was released I actually found proper access to the lore. Because I had concrete things I could now look for because the game hinted at so much both through characters and major story events happening.

Here is the thing: If you just have the lore on its own, it is about as engaging as reading a history book. Sure, as your local history nerd I find reading history books fun, but most people really do not want to read a history book to engage with a hobby.

People will however engage with stories and characters that interest them. Which is where we get back to the thing I talked about at the beginning: Right now most canonical novels and stories still cater to an audience that is male, cishet, white and also, let's be frank, definitely over 30 years old. Leaving behind a lot of potential fans that theoretically make up a big part of the player-base, but actually do not engage a lot with the lore for this exact reason.

Look. DnD right now is fairly close to being an actual mainstream hobby, due to the recent proliferation of formerly nerdy stuff. And yet WotC is bleeding money, especially in regards of DnD.

If you ask me, sure... DnD should go into public domain. But it doesn't. And given that there are so many creative, skilled people working on this - no matter how dumb Hasbro is and how shitty of an employer they are - I actually do want them to succeed. I have really become engaged with this world now. And I think it is a pity that they clearly do not know how to market this stuff.

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acatthatmakeseclairs · 6 months ago

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Arcane Season 2 Necrit Interview Transcript + my ramblings

Hello! I thought I’d share the transcript for the Necrit & Christian Linke Interview on tumblr because it flopped on reddit lol (you can find the transcript at the very end of this post (ⓛ ω ⓛ*) )

Some notes to consider before going through the transcript and the rest of this post:

The transcript is of the YouTube video ver. of the interview, I’m crazy, but I’m not so crazy that I’m going to attempt to transcribe a 4 hour VOD.

The transcript is images for now, because I would not be able to fit a 2+ hour interview in a 40k character limit (the interview is like 60k+ characters, 50k+ without spaces)

I’ve added timestamps so you guys can easily reference a question or response from the video directly; I’ve also highlighted certain sections of the interview that I thought were interesting :)

For the discussion section, I’ll be referencing this post, because… let’s just say it was quite incorrect in some sections or there were points that I thought would be cool to talk about.

I’ve tried to be as objective and accurate as I could when getting into the details of this interview, hence why I’ve referenced other interviews and production materials, like concept art, but again, I am human, and I can get things incorrect or I can off as a bit biased– but alas o(*￣▽￣*)o

Anyways, onto the discussion!

Noxus, Ionia and Demacia are getting shows and are next steps into this cinematic universe; they pick each setting to explore [different] sides of [Runeterra].

They are not each getting shows… the team working on this new project, has only, casually, announced one new project.

They are one year into production for one show- the fact that Christian Linke mentioned Noxus, Ionia and Demacia, implies that this new series has a story that is centred around all three nations, not unlike how Arcane’s conflict centered around 3 different nation states: Piltover, Zaun and Noxus, with Noxus being positioned as an overall antagonistic force.

I’m not too familiar with the timeline of League of Legends, but I’ve heard here and there that Swain, a much-teased character in Arcane’s finale, had made his deal with Raum after the Invasion of Ionia, and seeing as he’s made his little cameo after Viktor’s failed ‘Glorious Evolution’, this could imply that we won’t see Ionia in any direct capacity.

Ok, this part is purely wishful thinking, but I think that our main setting for the next installment of this greater story is Demacia.

Noxus is positioned as an antagonist, it would be kind of underwhelming to go right into the motivations and deep mysteries of your central antagonist.

Linke stated that the team starts with ‘character stories’ (01:46:31) before anything else, as well as saying that they like ‘seeing Champions [meeting & interacting]’ (00:03:22) and my brain likes to make connections where there might not be any but what if Jinx was heading towards Demacia, and becomes friends with Lux? Again, total reach, but it’s a fan-favourite duo and it would be a good continuation of Jinx’s story (if they do continue her story that is).

They [considered] Blitzcrank for Season 2.

Christian Linke suggested Blitzcrank to be involved in the story in some way, but the rest of the team shot the idea down, with Linke describing it as ‘silly’ (00:05:31); it was probably a small joke or gag, considering how Linke described it.

[Heimerdinger] is not dead and other characters might [come] back to life.

Christian Linke did not outright confirm or deny Heimerdinger’s death nor the existence of Bandle City in the Arcane universe, all he said was “I’m not done with Heimerdinger.” (00:07:22) You also have to consider that this guy is a Heimerdinger main, and he’s only one person amongst many who is charge of the direction of Arcane, and it’s related properties. Can’t say I’m not hopeful of Heimerdinger coming back, I love that little guy so much.

As for the other characters? Again, no direct confirmation on Jinx (00:31:45), especially in the last Netflix Afterglow Interview, but Viktor and Jayce … I’ll get into it further.

Swain is teased to [be] looking into [the history of the Arcane] and [the origins of demons].

I can’t say I fully disagree with this point, but not because of Christian Linke’s comments in this interview (00:19:28). Throughout this second season, Ambessa continues to try to recreate Hex-tech, where, yes, she’s doing it for her own self-serving desires, but who told her to go to Piltover in the first place? In my opinion, it might have been Swain, seeing as his raven is seen poking around looking for the Hex-gem in Jayce’s, now destroyed, hammer.

I should also add that in relation to the overall timeline of Arcane, and it soon to be related properties, is that the current events within Arcane, so let’s say Arcane’s conclusion, the Invasion of Ionia has concluded, as if you can remember, the woman that Ambessa killed in Mel’s backstory is an Ionian princess, check out these bits of concept art from the Fortiche artists (Link 1) & (Link 2).

[Pianist] is teased to be Jhin.

Go to (00:23:10) in the video linked, he did not make a connection between this side character and Jhin, also are we just forgetting that Jhin is Ionian? And he would be much older than this side character??

Ziggs was not [inspiration] for Isha.

I thought I’d add to this point about the inspiration behind Isha: Isha is described as a child of Zaun, with Linke commenting that her hat is a miner hat, which is an allusion to Zaun’s early mining industry (00:24:47). We can see in Act 1, that although she is a child, Isha is very invested in the independence and freedom of Zaun, seeing as she poses as Jinx in what is possibly various rallies in the Undercity. I’d like to think she’s Zaun’s hope :) (let’s not think about what her death implies for Zaun…)

Renata will [replace the Chem-barons] in future.

Again, no confirmation. This discussion (00:27:19), was just that- a discussion of the future of Piltover and Zaun. Based on the production timelines, we may not actually see newer Champions like Renata, because they are released during production; I think we might get a mention of her in the next series, though.

Viktor will be explored on later shows confirmed- he is more than just human or Arcane user now; he is something special.

The status of Viktor and Jayce was confirmed to be dead (ಥ_ಥ) by Christian Linke in the recent Netflix Afterglow interview for Season 2 Act 3- HOWEVER, he described Viktor and Jayce to be “disintegrated” (1:33 – Netflix Interview) which is not what happened on screen. Instead, what is show to us in the show that Viktor and Jayce are sucked into the acceleration rune.

(“They’re alive- they’re stuck in time purgatory!” I say as they drag me into the asylum)

It should also be mentioned that the team, or at least Christian Linke, are interested in exploring what Viktor has become by the end of Arcane (01:20:05), and potentially the fates of Viktor and Jayce post-Arcane– again this does not imply that we will see either of them in the story in any direct capacity.

As for what Viktor is? Throughout this interview, he’s described as a symbiosis between the technological and organic– this does not mean he’s ‘cured’ of his disease and he’s not still disabled!

Throughout season 2 act 2, we see Viktor continue to use his staff to support himself, and Jinx also comments on his appearance, saying that he ‘looks like he’s got a couple [of conditions]’ (hahaha)- lets also not forget that in his Machine Herald form, his leg and back brace are fused into his body. (Interesting how something similar happened to Mel when she unlocked her empath powers, her golden accessories fused into her body- what’s up with that Fortiche?)

Personally, based on what Linke said “… what's different about Viktor is the Hexcore … [the runes] used [in] the Hexcore [are] a different thing, [they’re] much more powerful …” (00:31:01), and of course what we see in the show, I think that Viktor’s body is directly connected to the Hex-core, which creates transmutations within Viktor’s body, keeping him ‘alive’ but he also becomes a mage.

In the world of Arcane/LoL, you can become a mage by either being born as one, or praying to an Aspect or a God. However, Viktor (with the unintentional help of Jayce) became a mage due to the Hex-corisation of his body and soul- but his magic is different from other mages. A lot of the patterns that appear on Mel’s force-fields are very clean, neat, like the runes we see drawn on the various Hex-tech devices, but whenever post-Glorious Evolution Viktor casts a spell, we see this white-glowing webbed orb appear, similar to Ekko’s Z-drive. Not sure what this means, but I thought I’d share my ramblings :)

Other champions from Zaun and Piltover will be brought up to Arcane timeline.

This point was briefly mentioned (00:31:55 - 00:32:15), but even I wasn’t sure about how to interpret this. I think it might refer to the character re-works in League of Legends, but so far they’ve only reworked characters actually featured in Arcane; I’m guessing future reworks for more characters are being discussed amongst the creatives at RIOT, but we have to wait for the upcoming series to see what’ll happen.

Urgot is coming later.

… Again, no direct confirmation, Linke said “Not yet … he wasn't part of the story. I do think Urgot is really interesting …” (00:33:03). Urgot is a character based in the Zaun/Piltover story, so seeing him in the sequel series is unlikely.

Viktor and Jayce are confirmed to be bromance- like very good friends who die for each other any given time.

Look, I’m biased as fuck when it comes to these two, but Christian Linke did say “… I think it’s not romantic.” Again, like with many things in this interview, this is his opinion.

Whilst he may be the co-creator behind Arcane, his opinion was only relevant to his contributions regarding their narrative, just like how the voice actors (for both Arcane and LoL!), the many animators, and writers at RIOT had their own important contributions and interpretations on the relationship between Jayce and Viktor.

From the stuff we’ve seen this past month from the cast and crew, with Toks Olagundoye reposting Jayvik fanart, Harry Llyod reading Jayvik fanfics, and Kevin Alejandro signing not one, but 2 Jayvik fanarts, as well as of course the many Jayvik artworks from the team over at Fortiche; it seems that quite a lot of the team have quite a differing opinion from Christian Linke, almost as if he’s missing something lol.

I’ll finish up this section with a comment from Amanda Overton, because it the best response to how their relationship is interpreted and the description of their relationship:

"Fans are always justified in reading things the way they want to because that’s part of making art. When you do a thing for it based on you, it doesn’t actually have meaning until other people give it their own meaning. My backstory is very different from your backstory and my experiences are very different from yours so I can only speak from my experience. When I put a thing that I’ve written out in the world, then everyone brings their own different experiences to it."

"We were writing them as a loving, brotherly relationship that unambiguously [had] love between them. When it got to that final moment, it was so romantic and beautiful to me when I saw it for the first time—the way Fortiche put it together—I was like, “Oh, well maybe there is hope [for] these guys to have some future beyond what the show intended.” That was really cool for me to see. If people want to imagine that, I think they can, and that’s wonderful. Now that the show is over, if there’s the potential for that out there, then that’s potential that our fans can realize for themselves."

House of Medarda will play part in future of [Runeterra].

Yep! Christian Linke alludes to this in (01:11:37). Mel, or perhaps an older Mel, will appear alongside Noxian characters like Swain and Darius in the future series. It will be interesting to see the political dynamics between these characters as Mel is not only a Medarda and a Mage, but someone intimately connected with the Black Rose (◉_◉).

Glorious Evolution robots are inspired by biblical angels without wings.

Linke said this when it came to the design of Viktor’s Glorious Evolution robots (01:15:10):

“We actually talked … about how we want to have something that depicts, in quotation marks, ‘angels’; something angelic and pure, but then also [that] has … slightly lost some of the expression and … humanity, in a way that's a bit eerie. That's what Viktor's vision [was], but it will deteriorate [one day].”

The religious imagery regarding Viktor was unintentional, the intention behind Viktor was more centred around depicting him as a Messiah– “… We never wanted to have this direct link to any specific religion, it's just this idea of some Messiah or someone that people [wanted] to follow … [it] doesn't have to be religious but, of course, there is a certain connotation. The beauty of religious art … [it’s] just absolutely beautiful stuff and the supernatural depictions of it … [is] very inspiring.” (01:19:14)

There are selected few who [organize] and keep lore in check.

This is not true! Or at least this has not been outright confirmed in this interview; the question at (01:24:24) was not fully answered by Linke in this interview.

I also want to add a though of my own regarding this quote from Linke, “I would say it's 70% us and 30% Fortiche having ideas and then we talk about it, and I agree.” (00:15:12). This attitude that all these ideas came mostly from the writing team seems a bit ‘egotistical’ as Viktor would say- there was a significant gap in communication between the writing team and the team at Fortiche when it came to the world-building, lore, and plot that was shown on screen (you can see this is the attached screenshots of Amanda Overton’s tweets).

(Let’s also not forget that team at Fortiche indicated that the woman that Ambessa killed in Mel’s flashback is an Ionian princess, implying that the invasion of Ionia occurred prior to the events of Arcane; Fortiche animators were also the ones to propose the CaitVi sesbian lex scene; let’s not even get to Amanda Overton’s comments regarding how the Fortiche team implied the romantic relationship between Jayce and Viktor like, the Fortiche team is doing a lot of heavy lifting lol)

At the end of the day, the story we see as the audience is in filmic form, which is a primarily visual medium, so any bits of lore or story is based on what the storyboarding, voice over, animation, and post-production teams want us to see and take away from it.

(Edit: sorry! I completely forgot to actually put the images of the transcript!)

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mono-dot-jpeg · 2 years ago

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stop playing league - k. kenma

summary; a callout to me and my fellow league players. (not league enjoyers. players.)

genre/extra tags; one shot(?)/drabble, fluff, comedy, slight crack, kenma (kind of) slanders riot games and you, relationship unestablished and unmentioned, if you know the games cool (i hate valorant), self indulgent

[can be interpreted as romantic or platonic] [gender never mentioned] [i make many references to different games and use game terms, sorry]

word count; 489

a/n; no one except for league players can make fun of league in this post now, i make the rules and enforce them. (/hj) you ever think abt the difference between making fun of your favorite things and someone else doing it? yeah it's like that basically. i genuinely like the characters league has to offer, but people always think i like the game. (i play it but i usually end up hating most sessions)

"don't you dare hit that button."

your cursor hovers over the fated "find match" button. the button that has been torturing you for at least a few hours now. your dying urge to play "one more game" has you in a chokehold when you just want to win once.

"kenma..." you whine. the pudding head is playing a much more chill game compared to yours, which was slime rancher. it was a little bit nerve-wracking with how easily he almost slipped off ledges, deal with the occasional tarr slime, or the adorably angry slimes in certain paths. but nonetheless, it's a much healthier game to play than league. "it's not like i can even play slime rancher with you, it's not multi-player. just let me have this. i'm gonna win this time. surely. i'll switch to val after this, promise."

"you still won't be playing with me because i don't play valorant." you can imagine his cat-like glare staring at you through the screen. "and you rarely play tft and legends of runeterra."

"it gets me dizzy, alright?! and also you should know how painful it is to get those annoying people who hold my three stars from me!" you pause when he mentions the card game, "the card game isn't that bad. just not my favorite. what about overwatch?"

"isn't the new hog rework annoying?"

"that's... it's something. what about plate up?"

"you're gonna rage."

"stardew?"

"you're too lazy to update your mods."

"shut the fuck up, actually." you hissed at him as he huffs out a laugh. "i'm waiting for the next update. i think everyone is at this point."

"literally play anything but league for fucks sake, y/n."

"but cute neeko skin.." you pretend to cry, "i just want to play my sillies. maybe even win a game, dare i say." you angrily wave your mouse over your screen. kenma watches your screen share, unamused.

"you spent money on that skin."

"WRONG, I SPENT MONEY ON ONE OVERWATCH SKIN AND TWO BATTLEPASSES."

"still spent money."

"that's a lot of backtalk coming from you. you buy skins and dlc too. you're not clean either." despite kenma trying to prolong the inevitable, you click "find match" and sit back and wait as kenma groans in annoyance. "your signs can't stop me because i can't read." you read the burst of notifications in discord of kenma and your friends making fun of you for even playing league willingly. "fuck y'all. god forbid, i have a hobby." you huffed.

"it's league."

"just let me play my silly champions in peace, kenma! you don't see me judging you for picking sebastian every stardew save!"

"he's not even that bad!"

"you always steal him from me!"

"you don't deserve him!"

"fuck you!"

a blanket of silence falls over you both as you end your silly bickering.

"you wanna play a pokemon soul link run after your match?"

"fuck you, yeah i do."

#haikyuu kenma kozume #kenma kozume x reader #kozume kenma x reader #haikyuu kenma #kenma x reader #kozume kenma #haikyuu kenma x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x gender neutral reader #haikyuu x male reader

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skvaderarts · 2 days ago

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Plasma and Ozone

Chapter 1: Inverse and Antithesis

Summary: Word Count 4k AO3 Link

The plan was simple, if not grim. Jayce would return to Piltover, track down Viktor, and bring an end to things before they could get any worse. But when he arrives and finds himself in the depths of a version of Zaun that he doesn’t recognize, and in the company of an enigmatic yet somehow familiar scientist, will feelings both new and old get the better of him? And will he be able to return to Piltover without his help? TLDR: S2 Ep 6 Jayce and Machine Herald Viktor find a very cathartic way of settling their mutual frustrations with their better halves. Wrote this because I saw a Bluesky post and said "Fuck it, why not?"

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) Masterlist 1/3

Inverse and Antithesis

Notes: I will be upfront with you all, I have never played League because I've been told by everyone on Earth not to. I read The House on Emberflit Alley and A Quick Fix, watched footage from Legends of Runeterra, and checked out Jayce and Viktor's old biographies, but the League of Legends lore is a bottomless pit, and I found myself staring into the abyss to the point where I was starting to get lost, so I'll make a second attempt soon. If there are any good sources of lore out there, let me know! And again, sorry if the characterization isn't correct. I'm trying. Constructive criticism is welcome!

—

The air was still, the night uncharacteristically silent, especially by the standards of the streets of Zaun. The evening sky, what little of it that could still be seen in the shadow of the towering buildings above, was dim, allowing only the faintest traces of starlight to shine down from below. Starlight that did not reach the confines of Emberflit Alley.

There was a shift in the twilight air. Something passing for a breeze between the stifling streets suddenly carried the scent of ozone and static electricity. Of the unseen and the otherworldly. There was absolutely nothing, and then, in the place where that nothing resided, suddenly there was something. Fragmented splinters in a menagerie of shifting hues shredded through the fabric of the pitch black void of night and the rolling fog that settled over the streets, amalgamating into the vague outline of a man before the figure reconstituted and was sent crashing back down to terra firma without so much as a parting word, their buckling legs trembling against the cool cobblestones that lined the street beneath them. The otherworldly screech that accompanied it ceased. The man clambered disorientedly to his feet, reaching towards it, and in the blink of an eye, it dissipated and returned to the unfathomable void from whence it came. Vanished without a trace as though it had never been.

Holding his head as he attempted to regain his balance, Jayce squinted and winced. His head felt as though it had been stoved in with a blunt object. His ears rang like a church bell, and his teeth ached in his skull from the sensation. It was akin to the feeling of suffering from severe brain freeze, only he wasn’t cold. Nothing was cold, in fact. The air was stifling and damp where he stood, chemical spray and wet mist frothing forward from a damaged pipe to the side of him, no doubt aiding in the production of the mist that hung low in the air around him. Everything was somehow too bright for him, despite the darkness. But as he blinked slowly and allowed his eyes to adjust to the inky blackness, his breath coming in heavy, unsteady drags, he thought he caught a glimpse of something in the distance ahead of him. At the other end of the alley. The outline of something. Someone. And a chill ran down his spine. It was coming this way.

Gripping the handle of his hammer, Jayce could only watch as the figure lurked in the shadows of the alleyway, coming ever closer with each heavy, muffled footfall. Their gait was ever so slightly off, yet oh so deliberate as they stalked ever closer. A set of bright, almost luminescent eyes cut through the darkness, burrowing into his very soul. Jayce raised the hammer as if to ward off the being that stood before him, but they did not seem dissuaded in the slightest. Instead, he watched as their head pitched ever so slightly to one side as they appeared to examine him. Scrutinize what he held in his grip as though it were an object of great fascination and intrigue. A trinket to be placed in a curio cabinet and not a weapon capable of terrible devastation. As if to drive home the point, Jayce growled under his breath, his long, shaggy hair falling into his eyes as he pulled back on the handle of the device, opening its great, warped maw like the teeth-filled jaws of a great and terrible serpent. Exposing the arcane glow of the corrupted Hex Crystal within. It was an invitation to death.

An invitation that was accepted without hesitation.

From behind the shadowy individual came some sort of appendage, mechanical yet fluid. The grasping digits of what was probably meant to resemble a hand folded open, and a brilliant glow emanated from within it’s facsimile of a palm before, without warning, a burst of searing energy soared towards him from long range, narrowly missing his head as he ducked down and took cover behind a stack of wooden crates and barrels on the far side of the damaged pipe. His heart raced, the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears as he panted heavily.

It seemed that this new opponent wasn’t impressed. Or in the mood for warning shots.

Standing from his place behind what flimsy cover he’d managed to find, he felt his heart sink as he realized that he was now alone in the alley. The scent of plasma clung to the air as his eyes fell over the outline of the warped Mercury Hammer, standing upright where he’d left it just a few feet away. His leg burned from a combination of his graceless landing and his shoddily constructed brace, but he cursed under his breath and clambered over to it anyway, wrapping his fingers around its handle again. Eyes surveying the area for any signs of life. Again, he found nothing.

Instinct told him that it was a terrible idea. That he should turn tail and book it in the opposite direction. Paranoia played at the fraying edges of his sanity. What if they shoot you when your back is turned? You can’t dodge what you can’t see? But all of his considerations were short-lived when a moment later, something cold and metallic latched around his throat and hefted him up off his feet. He felt it coil around his throat, clamping down with the force of a hydraulic press. He felt the outline of bricks against his back and fingers against his soon-to-be bruised skin. He felt his feet kick at empty air as the ground failed to meet his feet. And then he felt darkness play at the back of his eyes, his lungs burning as he struggled against something unseen. He forced his gaze downward, following the length of what seemed to be an arm to the source of the crushing force that constrained him until he met them again. Those same glowing eyes, gleaming like illuminated hunks of amber in the dim evening light. Puncturing his very soul. There were no features. Nothing that he could read. Only the pittyless gaze of what seemed to be some sort of automaton, but far too savvy and sentient to be anything but human.

Jayce brought his hands up to his throat, trying to pry the appendages loose, but was met with only utter failure and scratches from his own ragged nails for his efforts. He felt fury rush through him, white hot like molten metal as he thrashed and clambered defiantly under the indignity of it. As if applying just a bit more force against an immovable object would be enough to sway it. And then all at once, the rage was replaced with abject terror, raw and primal as he realized that nothing he did was enough to allow him to gain purchase against his assailant. He was outmatched, plain and simple. He felt his pupils dilate, filling with unspent tears as his heart hammered in his chest and his breath sputtered. He could feel the fire in his lungs. Fatigue settled into his muscles as his limbs slumped down against his sides in futility. He managed a soft whimper, but little else.

And then he felt his ass crash against the pavement.

A choked gasp was the only sound that he could make in response, his eyes clenching shut as he winced in pain and bit his bottom lip, nearly puncturing it as he stifled a cry of anguish. If not for the fact that he knew firsthand what a broken bone felt like, he would’ve sworn that he’d just shattered his tailbone. Jayce hazarded a glance up at his attacker, only to find them looking down at him. He swore he saw them blink underneath the inhuman shell that they wore over their skull in the place of skin, and his blood ran cold as the grave in response. The spit in his mouth evaporated as blood thrummed through his ears, and his head lurched. Tentatively, he began to open his mouth to speak, and then everything went black.

—

It was rare that Jayce Talis felt small. Insignificant in the face of something greater. Until he’d been faced with the enormity of his fate. Until he saw the masked man tower over him like a spire, casting a long shadow over darkened waters.

He wasn’t even standing. A door had opened above him, followed by the sound of thudding footsteps as his captor descended a staircase into whatever dark antechamber Jayce currently occupied. He’d paused in front of him, his gaze lingering for just long enough to be unsettling, and then he’d disappeared into a corner only to return with a flimsy old wooden chair. It scraped across the wooden floor and then wobbled into an upright position before the individual in question sat down in it with a surprising amount of grace, considering his uneven gait and towering stature.

And there he’d remained for the last few minutes. Still as the grave and utterly silent.

If his intention had been to wear Jayce down, then it was working. The silence was utterly maddening. The idea of being at his mercy even more so. Time seemed to stand still under the gaze of his jailor, punctuated only by the occasional blink, and Jayce was starting to wonder if that was anything more than his imagination. When the point came where the anticipation became unbearable, Jayce lunged at him, only to find himself collared and leashed to the wall like some sort of neglected, unloved guard dog tethered to a house it was doomed to guard. He huffed, as insulted as his neck was sore, eyes filled with newfound resolve and feral hunger in equal measure.

Finally, his captor exhaled almost tiredly before standing up and gesturing towards the right side of the room. Towards the ruined Mercury Hammer that he hadn’t registered was there until now. Jayce’s eyes darted around erratically. He’d yet to use it, but something told him that he wasn’t going to like where this was going. But then again, at least it couldn’t be used against him. After all, he was the only one who knew how it worked.

He hefted the hammer up with surprising ease, considering its sheer weight, and brought it over to him, plopping it down with a thud just outside of Jayce’s reach. Jayce gave him a questioning, panicked look as he examined the instrument with the eye of a consummate professional, allowing his fingertips on his right hand to graze the uneven surface of the weapon’s handle until it found the grip. He gingerly coiled his fingers around it, gripping it just tightly enough to make his strength known before redirecting his attention back to Jayce. Silently prodding him, asking all the right questions despite never uttering a single word.

Jayce only glared in response, unsure if the other man could even see him in the dim light of the basement. He wasn’t intimidated.

And then the man notched the handle into the correct divot with practiced ease as though he had done so a thousand times, opening the head of the hammer and exposing the corrupted Hex Crystal within. Fractal patterns refracted off the walls, dancing across every surface with kaleidoscopic brilliance and illuminating the outline of every surface. Jayce watched as the man who held him prisoner reached down towards the crystal, ostensibly unbothered by the potential harm it could cause him, as though he knew with the utmost certainty that it would do no such thing.

Jayce groaned, shaking his head as if he could physically shake his thoughts from his head as he flinched, a sudden flash of something slamming into his skull. For a moment, all he could see were the telltale incomprehensible fragments of the Arcane, his head throbbing as the episode subsided and the capacity for vision was restored. He blinked, regarding the other man with equal parts confusion and irritation as he realized that he had paused just shy of touching the crystal, more than likely to discern if Jayce was having an episode of some sort.

Jayce didn’t like the way he was looking at him. Didn’t like the way his unreadable eyes lingered on him, even if he wasn’t making any expression in particular. He could just feel the judgment oozing off of him like sludge out of a factory waste pipe. Or so he thought. But even still, he hadn’t killed him. Yet. So perhaps he could be cordial enough to return the favor.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

The man stopped dead in his tracks, darting his head up to look at him as though something about the way he spoke startled him. Perhaps it was the fact that he could talk at all and not simply growl and snarl that got his attention, but Jayce couldn’t help but notice that something about the reaction just seemed… off.

As if on cue, the man touched a fingertip to the crystal, and the audible sound of electricity arching off of metal could be heard. There was a loud pop, and suddenly his arm slumped over against his side, unmoving. He sighed deeply, whether out of irritation or to suppress pain, Jayce could only guess, but the scent of fried circuitry and plasma filled the still air of the basement holding area regardless. After a moment, the man deactivated the hammer and released his grip on it again, allowing it to slump over against the floor. And then he looked up again, his demeanor somehow more hostile than it had ever been. “He sent you, didn’t he?”

Jayce felt his heart skip a beat. There was a certain inherent shock that often accompanied hearing an imposing stranger speak for the first time; a certain sense of expectation as to what they might sound like. But the last thing that Jayce had expected was for the voice to sound familiar.

No. It simply couldn’t be…

“Do I know you?” His mind discarded the logical sense of fear it had known moments ago. It brushed aside any semblance of self-preservation and made ample room for new, impenetrable combinations of unwelcome emotions to take root. Feelings that only heightened his mounting sense of disquietment and feral survivalism. Confusion, anxiety, and disbelief bloomed in his chest as he processed the way the man before him had practically growled those words, and the undeniable effect that hearing them spoken in such a low tone had on him. And then it hit him.

Jayce had noticed that something felt different about this place, but now he fully understood. He was in the wrong timeline again. Damn it.

“I asked myself the same question.” His counterpart answered, taking note of the way Jayce seemed to be cycling through emotions like a roulette wheel. Jayce’s eyes were wild, pupils dilated and irises gleaming with feral mystique and frenzied madness. Only the vestiges of sanity clung to him, disturbed as he seemed to be. “Currently, I lack essential details about the situation at hand. I intend to remedy that. And that is where you come in.”

Each syllable spoken seemed to unravel him further. If he’d been in his right mind, Jayce might have thought to think before he spoke. Might have tempered the cascading waves of excitement, anguish, and blinding rage that boiled within him like fissile material in a nuclear reactor. Might have. But as things stood, he was none of those things, and hadn’t been for longer than he could remember.

“... Viktor… It’s me. Jayce. Jayce Talis. I-” Jayce hardly got the chance to blink before the back of his head met the wall, metal fingers wrapping around the leather collar around his neck, restraining him but not choking. Not this time, at least. The other man leaned in close, eyes somehow growing brighter with every passing moment as he stared at him. Against his better judgment, Jayce continued to speak, even as he struggled against the grip of his attacker, gnashing his teeth. “I know I’m not your Jayce, but still, I-”

“Stop. Talking. Not another word.” He growled, clearly unamused by this sudden turn of events. He pressed into him, looking him up and down with a careful eye as though he were attempting to take in every detail of him. And then, without warning, he released him and stood up, backing away as if he were in utter disbelief. He paused a few feet away and clasped his right hand over his damaged arm, looming. Processing. The air grew heavy. And then, after what felt like a lifetime, he spoke. “... Elaborate. Now.”

“It would be easier to talk if I weren’t chained to a wall!” Jayce shouted through gritted teeth, pulling at his binds as he struggled fruitlessly. He wasn’t fundamentally opposed to being tied up, but this…

“No, it wouldn’t. Your current conditions have little bearing on your capacity to speak.” The man shook his head as if chastising a naughty child, not a hint of humor present in his voice. Jayce would’ve mistaken it for dry humor if not for his body language. “But my rapidly dwindling patience just might.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Jayce practically spat, another wave of pain causing him to flinch as he huffed in pain, blinking away tears. He was frustrated, perhaps more so than he could remember being in quite some time. His extended stay in purgatory had been frustrating in a completely different way. Demoralizing and maddening to the extreme, but this… this was another type of madness entirely.

The towering man leaned in, his good arm holding his damaged arm tucked behind his back in a sort of mock bow. His countenance was foreboding and his voice low, but there was something almost enticing about it despite the way it caused Jayce to instinctively recoil in discomfort. “You have no comprehension of what I am capable of believing.”

Despite himself, despite everything, Jayce managed a bitter, almost sardonic little huff. “I stumbled into a tear in the fabric of reality, got spat out in an alternate version of Piltover that was destroyed, spent multiple months in a cave with a broken leg eating gods knows what, and then crawled to the top of Piltover just to get sent back into the wrong timeline yet again, so I’m sorry, but I’m just not in the mood for this right now, Viktor.”

Jayce sighed, tired. Suddenly, everything hurt, especially his head. Nothing made sense anymore, and it hadn’t for a long time. Not since Progress Day, if he was being honest with himself. Since the night that everything had fallen apart. “I can’t make you believe me, but it’s the truth.”

Quiet settled over the room as Jayce’s words began to sink in. Suddenly, he was aware of every creak in the floorboards, and the weight of the world as it rested against his shoulders. The reality of what he was supposed to be doing at that moment in time in his own timeline now unfathomable to him.

Just as the reality of the fact that Viktor no doubt thought he was insane, if this truly was Viktor at all, settled over him, the man in question let out a beleaguered sigh as though somehow this wasn’t the worst thing he’d heard recently. He stepped forward and knelt down in front of him, looking him in the eyes. Grasping the collar around his neck. “Unfortunately, I am inclined to believe you.”

Jayce stared. And then his brow furrowed, a flash of confused madness in his eyes. He was telling the truth, sure, but it all just felt a bit too… easy?

Staring in mild disbelief as he heard the lock at the back of his neck click, Jayce remained still as Viktor unlocked the shackle and stood, allowing Jayce a moment to gain his bearings. The haggard man held his head in his hands, closing his eyes as the room began to sway. He felt awful all of a sudden. Like his head was being pressed flat in a factory compactor. It wasn’t a welcome sensation, to say the least. “What? Just like that? Why?”

“Because you are a poor companion, and an even worse liar.” The other man answered as he headed towards the staircase, pausing at the bottom to look over his shoulder. It was clear that he expected Jayce to follow. And for all intents and purposes, he should feel nothing but excitement about the prospect of leaving the dungeon his host called a basement, but the pain in his head was far too unrelenting for him to feel anything else.

Jayce opened his mouth to object as he wobbled over to him, but then closed it again. Outside of the single time that Viktor had playfully referred to him as egotistical when they’d first met after seeing his tendency to sign every page of his own notes, he’d never heard Viktor insult him, not even in jest. He wasn’t so much angry as he was genuinely taken aback by how bitter he seemed. What had happened between the two of them?

As they reached the top of the staircase, Viktor turned to the left into what appeared to be a small sitting area. It was furnished in a manner that reminded him more of a medical office than a home parlor, but seemed serviceable nonetheless. On the other side of it was a door. One that he couldn’t help but wonder about as he staggered into the room, his head screaming as his brain slammed inside his skull. His vision blurred and his breath came in labored huffs as he braced himself against the back of the chair. Every atom of his being wanted to flee. To find shelter and hide away from whatever this was. But there was no running from his own mind.

“Come. We have work to do.” The man said as he turned the handle of the door and pushed it open. He wasn’t quite holding it open for him, but he did appear to be waiting with his back to him, unaware of the turmoil unfolding just outside of his peripheral vision.

“We do?” Jayce managed as the last coherent lobe of his brain began to falter and shut down, everything going dim. He swayed.

“Yes. One version of you is already too much for a single timeline as it is.” Viktor said as he turned towards him. Jayce could practically hear him rolling his eyes. I might’ve been amusing or annoying to him if he were more coherent. He couldn’t be sure. The last thing he recalled was his companion tilting his head to the side as if surprised and taking a step towards him as he caught sight of the state he was in. Of his no doubt pale pallor and glassy eyes as everything became unbearably blurry.

“Talis?”

And then everything went black.

—

Viktor gets his turn to be unhinged in the next chapter lol! Don’t worry, I’m here to make them worse, not better. Okay, maybe a little better, but still. Unhinged enough to have an unhinged sex scene, and then be hit with the world's worst case of post-nut clarity. But I digress. See you soon! Thanks!

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monkeybomb · 7 months ago

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Hey! We're aware theres a couple out there already, but we wanted to try our hand at a server as well.

So hey! We're Nations of Runeterra (name subject to mangling through server in-jokes). We're an Arcane / League of Legends server for alterhumans (i.e. fictionkin, fictives, 'hearted, 'linked, etc.) over 16!

It's not fullyyy set up (there's no character specific roles yet, but we do have Arcane/League source signifiers) and we mod Jinxes personally only know Arcane, but this server is very happily open to and would love our League brethren :)

We offer a robust, organized selection of channels, with vent channels locked behind a role, a special, secret channel that only the jinxiest of people may access, and NSFW channels for our members over 18, locked behind moderator approval.

The only prerequisite to join is be 16+! We gladly open our doors to anyone of any system origin, of any related source, and with any personal opinion held on fiction.

Hope 2 see you all there!

#arcane kin #arcane fictive #league kin #league fictive #league of legends kin #league of legends fictive #alterhuman #fictive #kin #arcane discord #kin discord #fictive discord #kincord

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vapour-snake · 7 months ago

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What I think the arcane is + where Jayce was.

(Arcane act 2 spoilers!!)

Okay so to preface this I know absolutely nothing about league of legends lore, however I did try to research as much as I could. Please let me know if I got anything wrong!!

A popular theory ATM is that Jayce was in the void, and I think this is definitely plausible. Some evidence for this comes in the form of the conversation Viktor has with Sky:

The specification of the will within Jayce being "ancient" and seemingly having a voice links to the void itself, as the void was created eons ago at the birth of the universe (this could also possibly link to the "first great creatures" within the void). The use of "voice" links to the idea of the void having a call:

As well as this, Viktor mentions something along the lines of Jayce seeing something that changed him, and Jayce' actions seem to imply he has seen the future, or has seen/experienced a different version of what occured in this episode- which links almost perfectly to another fact about the void:

Along with this, Viktor also mentions that Jayce seems to have been "touched by the arcane", which fits with the wording here. But, here's where things get interesting- through some research, it doesn't seem like anyone is fully aware of what the arcane in arcane itself is, many referring to it as simply "an umbrella term for magic". So what if the arcane, or whatever hivemind Viktor is a part of, is the void itself? While this doesn't coincide with the mention of the magic in arcane being a "wild rune", I did find some evidence to suggest that the arcane and the void are linked.

First of all, the void itself is described to "go dormant" if it is not fed. What if in the scene where Viktors blood falls into the hexcore, he was actually unintentionally "feeding" the void, thus awakening it from its dormancy?:

Another point, though possibly slightly far reaching, is the fact that the void born look/are similar in property to how viktor looks after awakening:

And not only do the voidborn look similar to Viktor, but they also look slightly similar to Jayce's hallucinations of the people the herald has healed:

So yes, i think the void and the arcane, including Viktor, may be linked. It's also worth mentioning that the void wants to "usher in total oblivion across Runeterra"... So maybe Jayce has a reason to fear it.

Anyways I know nothing about LOL so take this with a grain of salt lmao.

#arcane spoilers #arcane season 2 #arcane #jayce talis #viktor arcane #rambles

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meownotgood · 3 months ago

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Would you happen to know where I could get info on machine herald viktor’s lore a bit? I know of the autobiography & house on emberflit valley (great little story) but not much else… people say there’s a great deal of lore but can’t fin much else besides those… There’s only so much content with our wonderful metal man as is… ><;;

of course dear anon... unfortunately, it's just that there isn't much lore to begin with... but I will link all machine herald contents that I know of for you...........

I know you already mentioned it, but here is a link to viktor's old biography, because you can't read the pre-arcane version on the league website anymore! house on emberflit alley is also archived here, my personal favorite piece of vik lore.......

I'd also recommend reading jayce's old biography, it gives a little more info and another perspective. if you want to know more about the glorious evolved, which is the cult that follows viktor, they show up in the weakest heart, which is one of camille's stories. it's in the middle portion if you don't want to read the whole thing (but I'd recommend it, just because it's one of league's best stories in my opinion haha). also read blitzcrank's bio! that's vik's child!!!!

viktor and jayce have a story in legends of runeterra, and vik also shows up for a bit at the beginning of vi's story. the last thing I can think of is the convergence comics, it's mainly about ekko but viktor also appears. this one I'd take with a grain of salt tho because imo viktor is very out of character here LOL... (he's kinda just an evil super villain that mind controls people)

#I hope this is helpful!!! I'll add anything else if I think of it #machine herald you were robbed of more screen time (clenches my fist)#ask mags

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vi-fans-wall · 10 months ago

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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.

youtube

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.