jayceofprogress

[jayceofprogress]

Hey, jayce. How do you deal with anger? Sometimes, i see a lot of people agree on something i find infuriatingly offensive, but i can't ever change their minds, so i know debating them is out of the equation. You're a councillor, im sure you have experience with this, yes?

To be honest, I’m still trying to work out how to deal with it. Anger’s something I often don’t recognize in myself until after the moment’s passed, and I’ve already said or done something I end up regretting. It’s not exclusively anger, either; I guess I’m a passionate guy, and my emotions aren’t always under control. So maybe I’m not the right person you want to be taking advice from.

Having said that, something Mel says is that coming on too heavy right from the start’s never going to win anyone over to your point of view. Maybe they’re a lost cause regardless, maybe they’re too set in their opinions, misinformed or harmful as they might be, but if there’s any chance remaining of winning them over with facts, presenting them diplomatically’s your best bet. I’m not fully sold on this concept myself, but Mel’s strike rate’s a hell of a lot better than mine, so take from that what you will.

[jayceofprogress]

Hopefully this clears it up for anybody who’s uh…bus-curious.

How would you feel if I were to tell you that Viktor (yes, YOUR Viktor) turns into a school bus every single night at 3:37 AM, also known as Mario Time? Or do you already know this? Have you whispered “Rosalina” into his mirror during Mario Time and witnessed him cough up a jar of pickles, emit a capri-sun, and recite the entire plot of Shrek 2 while weeping? If you haven’t, I believe you should. It’s quite magnificent to witness the way Viktor bends over and turns into a school bus only for that one minute of the night.

Best wishes during Mario Time,

-NotViktorAtAll69

I’d like to think I’m pretty good at puzzling out impossible problems but this has had me utterly stumped for days.

@askviktor, I might need your help on this one.

[jayceofprogress]

You don’t like the names? Maybe Hexstretcher is a bit of a reach (ha, get it?) though I’m quite partial to it myself.

And it’s fortuitous timing that you’re considering construction as a new avenue for exploration. We’re actually in the process of developing a new device of our own with the intention of putting it to use in both the mines and in construction. The gauntlets are based on the concept of weight negation to assist with lifts and loads normally too dangerous for human hands to manoeuvre on their own. If you’re interested, we’re always on the lookout for sponsors with an eye for the future—I can guarantee this is an investment sure to pay off.

The HPSL works fantastically!! Sales are through the roof! My next product is in the works! I'm looking for ideas, got any for me?

Excellent news! I’d have expected nothing less. Just one quick question for you.

Could you please, uh, remind me again: what does HPSL stand for?

[jayceofprogress]

Hello 👋. (Out of character roleplay ask).

Would you mind if I did a Jinx or Vi roleplay with you? You don't have to say yes, of course. I'd like to do it and I feel as if it'd be fun.

(Hey! I’m down to RP with anyone provided they’re an adult; I have it in my pinned too but I am not comfortable interacting with minors. Thanks!)

[jayceofprogress]

Do you speak about hextech to your mother? Is she interested in the magic that saved her life, or is she distant as it reminds her of her near-death experience?

It’s not something we talk about a lot, no. My mother doesn’t remember much of what happened to us that day, and she believes I must not either. I was an imaginative kid, and she was adamant that I must’ve conflated some kind stranger coming to our aid with a story from one of my books. For years afterward, any time I tried to talk about the magic that saved us, she’d indulge me with more than a dash of bemusement, until it got to the stage she said I was too old to be pinning my entire future on this hope of creating magic.

It changed nothing for me, though. Magic and science have always been one and the same; the only distinction is where our comprehension of science ends, magic begins, and that the line moves with every new discovery we make. They’re just names for natural forces both inside and outside our control.

Mom is incredibly proud of Hextech. She keeps a little model of the Hexgates in her living room, and tells anyone who comes to visit that her son is the one who built them.

[jayceofprogress]

Oh! The Hexseminator! Of course.

Hmm, other ideas? If you’re looking to stick with the agricultural market, what about a device to complement the seed-launching? Say, a way to dig or widen planting holes more efficiently for bulbs or seedlings?

Give it a catchy name and you’re set. Something like ‘the hole stretcher’. Hexstretcher? Might need some workshopping.

The HPSL works fantastically!! Sales are through the roof! My next product is in the works! I'm looking for ideas, got any for me?

Excellent news! I’d have expected nothing less. Just one quick question for you.

Could you please, uh, remind me again: what does HPSL stand for?

[jayceofprogress]

if you’re not fucking anybody when why won’t you let me date viktor? don’t be selfish jayce

Jayce glances up from where he’s sketching Viktor spread out, pleasure-flushed and nude. He snaps his notebook shut, visibly rattled.

Sorry, what? Just, uh. Checking my schedule. And I don’t see how those two points are in any way related to one another. Viktor is, to my knowledge, not currently looking to enter into a relationship with anybody. But if you don’t believe me then by all means, ask him yourself.

[jayceofprogress]

The HPSL works fantastically!! Sales are through the roof! My next product is in the works! I'm looking for ideas, got any for me?

Excellent news! I’d have expected nothing less. Just one quick question for you.

Could you please, uh, remind me again: what does HPSL stand for?

[jayceofprogress]

Has your mother met Viktor yet? What does she think of him?

Mom met Viktor way back when we first started working together, and loved him instantly. These days I sometimes suspect he’s her favorite of the two of us. Honestly, I don’t blame her.

[jayceofprogress]

How would you feel if I were to tell you that Viktor (yes, YOUR Viktor) turns into a school bus every single night at 3:37 AM, also known as Mario Time? Or do you already know this? Have you whispered “Rosalina” into his mirror during Mario Time and witnessed him cough up a jar of pickles, emit a capri-sun, and recite the entire plot of Shrek 2 while weeping? If you haven’t, I believe you should. It’s quite magnificent to witness the way Viktor bends over and turns into a school bus only for that one minute of the night.

Best wishes during Mario Time,

-NotViktorAtAll69

I’d like to think I’m pretty good at puzzling out impossible problems but this has had me utterly stumped for days.

@askviktor, I might need your help on this one.

[jayceofprogress]

Viktor likes Domitris beard but I think he will like your beard better

I’m not desperate enough yet to emulate Dmitri, of all people.

…

Just out of curiosity. How do you know Viktor likes his beard? Has he said something?

[jayceofprogress]

What do you think of the people who keep calling Mel manipulative?

I think anybody calling Mel manipulative doesn’t understand how diplomacy works. Political relationships don’t work like real relationships. It’s a dance where you can only reveal as much as you need to, a give and take where your opponent is doing the same to you, and where, bluntly, you should expect and prepare for dishonesty as much as possible for your own protection.

Mel’s good at people. She understands how they feel and what they want, and it makes her an excellent politician because it means she can achieve results for the people she’s representing by securing the support necessary for progress. She also understands risk and reward, and never makes a single decision lightly. I’m not just saying this because we’re friends, but Mel cares more about the people she serves than any other Councillor I’ve met.

I was terrible at all this stuff at first—still am, probably—but I’d be a hell of a lot worse without Mel’s mentorship.

[jayceofprogress]

Has your mother visit the lab before?

She visits occasionally. It’s usually for a lecture about working too much, or never coming to see her, or not eating properly—which, honestly, I usually deserve. Then she’ll squeeze Viktor’s cheeks and ask after his health…and lecture me more about working him too hard, which I don’t think I deserve, because I’m not Viktor’s boss and he can’t be told what to do by anybody, especially not me.

But, uh, yeah. She visits.

[jayceofprogress]

If you stop shaving Viktor will like it. He likes beards

Do you have a source for this claim?

[jayceofprogress]

Do you have any advice for people with suicidal ideation? Have you experienced that before? Do you still experience it?

Hello. Yeah, I have experienced suicidal thoughts. At the time, I think I felt so overwhelmed and trapped by my own inability to cope with the amount of pressure I thought was on my shoulders I couldn’t see any way out but…well, out. It took time and a little perspective to realize I didn’t actually want to die, I just wanted something to change—I needed help, and someone else to recognize it, frankly.

I’m grateful every day I didn’t end things when I did. Even when I’m exhausted and depressed and feel completely hopeless, I know I’ve been there before and survived it, so it doesn’t feel as terrifying as it did then. And it sounds kind of dumb, but it isn’t even the success of Hextech that makes it feel worthwhile, it’s just things like…a cup of coffee on a cold morning. Getting to see a type of plant I’ve never seen before when Sky brings it into the lab. Watching my mom laughing at something. Hearing a new piece of Zaunite music Viktor wanted to show me. There’s just so much to see and taste and learn, and I don’t want to miss out on it, you know?

Advice? It’s difficult—no two people’s circumstances or feelings are exactly the same, and I’d hesitate to offer some kind of philosophical platitudes for that reason; if someone had told me then that things would get better, I probably wouldn’t have believed it, even though it was—and is—the truth. But I was fortunate someone intervened at the moment I most needed it. If you’re thinking about suicide or making plans, even vaguely, you need to tell someone you trust. Someone to intervene for you, when you’re not able to think rationally yourself. I’m sending you a hug, one of the ones Viktor calls my “spine-crushers.” I hope you know you matter to this nerdy dude from Piltover, and that you’re not alone.

[jayceofprogress]

At Galas and such, what do you do to pass the time? I'd assume youd be bored and disinterested

Sometimes I play this game where I see how many times I can fit the same pointless filler word into a conversation before the other person cottons on. I’ll go with words like “innovative,” “synergy,” “dynamic.” It’s more fun when someone’s in on it with you; the few times I’ve been able to drag Viktor to an event, we’ve almost died trying not to laugh at the tenth time I’ve said “optimization” to someone without them realizing.

If I’m alone, I’ll usually just space out and think about other things. Like what I’ll have for breakfast the next day. Whatever piece of work’s waiting for me at the lab. Wondering what Viktor’s doing. Then I have to pretend I was paying attention to whoever was speaking to me and just hope I didn’t accidentally agree to anything.

If it sounds boring and painful, that’s because it is.

[jayceofprogress]

i miss them