askviktor

[askviktor]

Viktor opens his eyes blearily. His mouth is dry and tastes of blood.

“May I have some water please?” he croaks. He expects to see a hospital room around him, but instead, he is in Jayce’s bed. Their bed. His chest feels heavy and painful. He gazes at Jayce, red-faced and trembling, and he understands the time has come. He thinks of his death curve, its slope. There should be a doctor here soon to give him numbers to plug in to its equation.

“What happened, Jayce?”

Cont. Deltahedron out of Lunares

-Joyous and incredibly aroused he's in the process of cockily explaining how that it should be easy to do. How he knows the length of Viktor's torso because he knows the very measurements of his own hands by heart, the depth between his thumb and fore finger and what that means when he's holding him.-

-But then Viktor coughs a bit, and it doesn't sound like a usual cough, not from the many years they've spent together. And he looks closer, face already shoved close into their form. Spotting the fresh and darkly hued blood against the fabric of their lab clothes.-

V?

-He says letting his eyes slowly look up at the other man-

V are you okay? Wh-what is going on... you're bleeding...

-Jayce is trying not to panic, knows better than to lose his mind when he doesn't have all the answers but all he knows is that Viktor is in pain, that he's suffering. That is more than enough to make his heart drop as if it'd been released from the atop the observatory itself.-

[askviktor]

Hello, sir! Apologies for being so formal and a little Piltov (haha), but I figured it appropriate since I wanted to give my regards to you.

For a while now, I have been working day and night to develop the proper technology to improve prosthetics, to provide neuron-to-muscle technology in said prosthetics. This requires both neuroscience and another discipline in which I’ve not yet found a name for. It is a study I’ve found little to no research in, leaving me to be the one to splice all the information together. It involves human biology as well as movement and mechanisms. Perhaps it would be called … bio … mechanics?— I’m rambling! Please excuse me, I go on when I am excited.

There are sparse opportunities in Zaun for heavy research and upper education — you and I both know how it is! As such, I have scoured Piltover’s archives (I even have a ‘library card,’ woohoo! Although I do think the attendant is breaking a rule or two by allowing that—), and I can feel a breakthrough coming soon! As I near the conclusion of my preliminary studies, I wish to thank and commemorate you for your contribution to a paper I reference heavily in my dissertation. Don’t be modest! You have no idea how much your research has aided in my efforts.

I rejoiced when I found an article dating around ten years ago from Heimerdinger’s eighth-semester internship. Does this sound familiar at all? The publication focused on ideal gas thermodynamics and a gaseous entity’s behavior due to– agh, I will write pages if I continue. You and I both know it was far more involved than what I am describing! Enthalpy, entropy, the like!

The study helped me immensely with choosing mediums, establishing measures for the average Zaunite’s mobility based on the density of the gas— I refer to it often, as my work relies heavily on how the remnants of the Grey impact Zaunites. It intrigued me especially because one of the prime controls were the fissures of Zaun’s upper end! Zaun being mentioned in one of the Academy’s published journals? I could hardly believe my eyes! I deduced that only a Zaunite would have such a hand in that! (Apologies to any Piltovs reading this, it’s just that many do not concern themselves with the air quality and the body’s –specifically a Zaunite’s– reaction to it. You understand!)

You were marked under ‘et. al,’ can you believe that? I spent ages researching the names further within the piece, every name traced back to Piltover save for one, which was only a letter … V. ‘Who is this V?’ I thought, and after a rigorous (VERY rigorous, you’re quite elusive!) search, my investigation has led me to you! Pardon my pertinacity. It took many conversations with Piltovs in which they referenced a ‘Vincent with the leg’ who worked for Heimerdinger years ago. I then found, or rather, cornered Councillor Heimerdinger, who is an easy Yordle to find if you pretend to drop papers around every corner of the upper-levels buildings! I asked him who Vincent was– sans the mention of ‘with the leg,’ as I couldn’t help but feel that comment was a bit mean-spirited. He responded that your name was in fact Viktor, that you have long surpassed what his courses had taught, and are now working on Hextech! Hextech! A Zaunite, working on Hextech! I couldn’t believe it. I said it out loud, to which he politely corrected himself and elaborated on the fact you are one of the founding members. I was ecstatic! Hextech! What serendipity that the man who contributed to a journal I hold in high regard and am using as a primary reference point for my thesis is such a prolific inventor. FOR HEXTECH! AND A ZAUNITE! Excuse the caps.

In my excitement, I told many back home of your position, and … ah, well, that ‘I’ll see it when I believe it’ viewpoint remains as strong as ever. However, it may be for the best that I fell on deaf ears. After much consideration, I came to understand why you would choose not to attach yourself to Hextech. Such is the blight of a Zaunite. Alas, we shall see where Zaunite scientists head, you and I. May we be more than ‘et. al!’

All in all, my kindest wishes and highest regards to you. Best of luck in your endeavors, you … oh, and Jayce, of course! How could I forget the Man of Progress? (No sarcasm intended!)

P.S. I say with the utmost respect, I hope to see your contributions come our way in Zaun!

My friend, I have received letters before. Pleas for funding. Petitions for approval. Veiled attempts at favor through flattery. But not this. Not like this.

What you describe, the vision, the fusion of mind and machine, of biology and movement, is biomechanics. The word itself may be young, but the discipline has always existed, hiding between the seams of anatomy and engineering. And if no one has yet named it properly, then perhaps you shall be the one to do so.

Your tenacity is... remarkable. I never thought anyone would dig that deeply into the old thermodynamics publication, let alone trace it back to me through half-scrubbed initials and whispers. You are correct: I was the “V.” And you are more correct still that no one else in that room gave much thought to the Grey.

You see, data gathered from the fissures? That was my contribution. They saw it as background noise. I saw it as the very condition of Zaunite life.

You say my work has helped yours. But now it is your work that helps me. To hear that someone, down in Zaun, is building, fighting, learning, not for glory, not for patents, not for approval, but for people… it is more than I thought possible.

Hextech… yes. It is a beacon. But it is also a fire, and fire consumes. You, on the other hand, are constructing something from the ashes.

May you never again be "et. al." May your name appear in full. And may it be one that others cite, years from now, with the same awe and determination you’ve shown here.

I pray that the environmental Hextech devices that Jayce and I have been developing reaches you and the rest of Zaun. You may have noticed construction of late on the ventilation system; it is being refitted with Hextech technology to better filter the toxicity.

I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Please, feel free to reach out for supplies, information, or any other support you may need. You know where to reach me.

V.

[askviktor]

i hate studying electricity SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! i will not hear another word of V = IR. i will resurrect benjamin franklin so i can beat him AAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

ANYWAY!!!!! teeeHee. im ggoiiign to my towns pride parade in june with my friends and iam Excited. also might go to my citys pride parade because it's BIG.

anyway does piltover have any pride events? if so do you go to them, or are they not really your thing

I see you are participating in the sacred ritual of fighting physics with pure rage. This is a classic academic maneuver.

As for your venture, I am pleased to hear you are attending your event with friends. I hope you wear something utterly absurd and beautiful. You deserve it.

As for Piltover, well, we do not have a history of homophobia as many in your world do. So we have had little need for such parade, originally a protest against the intolerant powers that be.

[askviktor]

Do you ever worry about cavities with all that sweetmilk you're drinking ?

Eh, not particularly. I maintain decent dental hygiene, and I do not think the quantities are as a vast as you may believe.

[askviktor]

https://www.tumblr.com/emo-space-queen/777924159748653056/me-when-my-disabilities-disable-me?source=share

Did you secretly make this post?/j

Ha! No, but I can certainly relate to it.

[askviktor]

If I believed in luck, I certainly would count meeting you as my best bit of it.

Are you Viktors talisman?

Heh, get it (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

Ha ha, yeah, I get it.

IDK, @askviktor can I be your lucky _talisman_ ?

;)

[askviktor]

A message 2 vik’s haters:

get farted on ‼️‼️‼️

Strong words.

[askviktor]

What's your favorite crystal? (Aside from the hexgems)

What an interesting question! And I believe I have an answer for you.

Quartz has a stable lattice, piezoelectric properties, and excellent resonant potential. While some crystals dazzle in appearance, Quartz quietly amplifies, allowing for the realization of many useful inventions.

Quartz generates a small electric charge compressed or vibrated. Conversely, applying electricity makes it vibrate at a very precise frequency. This makes it an incredible oscillator for the likes of pocket watches and its resilience makes it excellent for spectrometers.

It is a crystal of discipline. Unassuming, but vital. Much like the structural components of a machine, which do not draw attention until they fail.

[askviktor]

Would you rather be a vampire or a ghost?

A vampire, I believe, assuming I could ethically source my meals. A vampire is corporeal, able to interact with its environment, and continue its work unimpeded for eternity. A ghost is but a whisper of its former self, perceived by only a few, unable to live a full life but cursed to forever perceive others’.

[askviktor]

Hah multiplies you by 2 🫵

Ah, you have failed, I am afraid. There is still only one Viktor.

[askviktor]

You can have some of my weed. it might help with the chronic pain

That is very kind of you. I must consult with my specialists to ensure this does not negatively interact with any of my current medication.

Edit: It appears that it does. We discussed alternatives to my current pain management, and unfortunately cannabis only provides a level of relief on-par with my daytime measures. As I cannot afford this change to my mental faculties, I will not be moving forward with it at this time. But, I will consider it for the future.

[askviktor]

Hello there!

How do you think it would go down if Zaunites started using malicious compliance to fuck with enforcers and help gain independence?

Cause here's my logic:

Thanks to ✨police brutality✨ even peaceful protests are too risky. But since Zaun is technically under Piltover's rule (cough cough colonial oppression cough cough), Piltovan law technically applies. Which means that Enforcers have to follow Piltover laws when they patrol in the undercity. IDK about Piltover's laws, but I'm hoping that warrants, probable cause, freedom of speech, rights of the defendant etc are a thing topside, so if they are, those laws have to apply in Zaun, too.

So basically, Zaunites could educate themselves on Piltovan law and milk that for all its worth!

(note for admin: sorry for rambling, my only excuse is that my username is... accurate. No problem if it's too much, but I am curious for how you think Viktor would respond to this idea)

"Malicious compliance," you say. An ingenious and dangerous approach, distinctly Zaunite.

You are correct in many respects. The law is a devastating weapon when wielded correctly. If the Enforcers are bound by Piltover's own legal frameworks, then exploiting every clause, loophole, and bureaucratic weakness becomes a subversion of control, masked in obedience.

As you know, however, Piltover does not merely enforce laws, but bends them when convenient. The elite uphold legality when it serves them, and discard it when it threatens their dominance. Do you not think they will rewrite statutes, or "reinterpret" rights, once they feel power slipping?

Still… this tactic has merit. Information is power. If Zaunites coordinated, if they became fluent in the very language used to oppress them, could become very inconvenient for Piltover. And Piltover despises inconvenience.

A thousand small acts of 'compliance' could grind the system to a halt. Enough friction can stop even the most powerful of machines.

[askviktor]

What kind of music do you listen to?

I primarily listen to instrumental music as I find lyrics distracting, and I particularly enjoy stringed instruments as a fiddle player myself. I have created a playlist of some of my favorite pieces, if you are interested in further exploration of my tastes.

[askviktor]

Viktor, how do you like your coffee?

I will take it black if I must, but I prefer it with sweet milk. Jayce insists that I take my sweet milk with coffee, but he has a tendency towards the hyperbolic.

[askviktor]

I think if you were a kittycat you'd be particularly handsome and cute

Thank you. However, Jayce insists I am already a cat!

[askviktor]

Hex-breakers? Jaw-gems? Hmn, I think I've said it before, Viktor, I would make a killing if I ever opened shop. And now a Hex-core? Hex-cake? Core-cake? Ha! Anyhow I'm afraid this war on impulsive/intrusive oral fixation won't go away. Here, more Hex-breakers. (There's a little box of "oopsie" ones for you and Jayce.) Tell me how this batch came out. Oh! maybe I could make sour ones...or ones with gel centers...

-🥐☕🍊

We very much enjoyed these. Truly, you have a gift, and I do believe you could “get the bread” for this. Viktor chuckles. In any case, perhaps you ought to consider opening a stand to sell your goods near the University.

[askviktor]

*sneaks up behind you and leaves this 💐 runs away*

Oh, eh… did you mean to drop this?