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a-mermaids-heart · 2 years

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someone, i tell you, in another time will remember us (part ii.)

Fandom: Arcane

Pairing: Vi x fem!reader

Read part i.   Warnings: Canon-typical violence, non-consensual drug use, sorta another panic attack?

A/N: Thanks for reading :) I’ll probably write a fluff chapter after this. (And because I love Ekko lol.) I hand-waved plot stuff as usual, and I think Jinx is OOC, so sorry about that. I hope you like :)  

***

Caitlyn isn’t pleased, but Vi insists that you can provide another perspective to the topsiders. Ekko says he isn’t going without you, after making arrangements to look after your mother.

You feel like an amateur compared to everyone else as you follow them through Zaun, and even though it isn’t hard to navigate, the difference between you and them is painfully obvious. You’re jumpy, graceless, still looking over your shoulder too much. Which, really, is how you’ve survived so long, by being on high alert.

About halfway on the bridge, Caitlyn and Vi fall a little ways behind, having a heated conversation, which you only catch snippets of. You hear your name a few times. They suit each other, you think, blinking back the sting of tears. How can your feelings for Vi be just as strong?

You drift next to Ekko, whose frown melts away when he looks at you. He says, “I’m glad you’re coming.”

“Really?”

“I know you’ll have my back. And,” he pauses, grimacing at what awaits all of you, before smiling faintly. “You can talk anyone into anything.”

You hadn’t thought so. “I can?”

“Of course.” He smiles and taps your nose. “You have a very likable face.”

“Thanks. How useful.”

You both laugh a little, and he glances over his shoulder before looking forward again. “Vi thinks so, too.”

“Vi thinks I ‘have a very likable face?’ She told you that?”

Rolling his eyes, he bumps his shoulder against yours. “Not in so many words. But she likes you.”

You almost trip. Taking a deep breath, you try to keep your voice very neutral, “What makes you say that?”

“Everything she does, duh. How she looks at you. She liked you back then, too. I probably still have the bruises from her to prove it.”

“Bruises?”

“She’d try to get me to shut up about her crushing on you before you could overhear.”

You peek back over your shoulder at Caitlyn and Vi, walking so close their sides brush, heads bent close. You look away. “She was just embarrassed you were teasing her. And even if you were right, look at them now.”

Ekko blows out a huge sigh. “Alright, guess I have to bring out the big guns.”

“Huh?”

“Wanna bet on it? Like old times?” He smirks and tilts his head to the side. “You still like those sweetbuns, right? Loser has to buy some for the winner.”

“You’re on,” you say, whole body buzzing and feeling light, more happy than you have in years.

You slow to a stop as you realize you can’t hear a familiar pair of footsteps. You turn to find Vi hesitating.

“Vi?” Ekko asks.

“I can’t leave her again,” says Vi.

“You can’t change her.”

“I have to try.”

You want to stay with Vi, to help—but the idea of leaving Ekko to topsiders, no matter how capable he is, fills you with dread. You’re not sure what she’s talking about, but it’s obviously important to her. Ekko looks at you, tilting his head towards Vi. You shake yours “no” in response.

Ekko steps forward and hugs her. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“No promises.”

You fly into Vi’s arms before you can help it. She holds you tight. She always gave the best hugs, and they feel even better now. Like her holding you is the only thing keeping you together. She cradles the back of your head, breath stuttering. Your stomach flips at the feeling of her thumb stroking the nape of your neck, you feel it all the way down your body. “Stay alive for me, won’t you, sweetheart?”

“You too,” you reply, voice choked with tears. You don’t specifically ask her to promise, but you wonder if she would, just for you.

You try to not stare as Vi gives Caitlyn the same hug. Vi says, “It’s been real, cupcake. Thanks for everything.”

You look at Ekko with raised eyebrows, and he rolls his eyes in response.

Vi pulls back, trails her fingers along Caitlyn’s cheek, and turns away. You feel like half your heart follows her. Ekko takes your hand, squeezes tight, says “I’ll get you back to her.”

You wonder if there will be a Vi to come back to. You trail after them in silence, trying to get the image of Vi stroking Caitlyn’s cheek out of your mind.

When you’re almost across, bright light cuts through your vision. You wince. Ekko steps in front of you.

“Halt!” shouts an Enforcer.

Immediately, your ears fill with white noise. Your sister’s ghost bobs in the corner of your vision. And you’re just a little kid, petrified and unmoving, ruining everything. Just like you did that night.

“What the hell is this?” Ekko asks. His voice helps—you’re here, you think, taking a deep breath in, picturing Vi breathing with you.

Caitlyn says, “Sir, I have proof. Silco is behind everything.” She steps forward, holding out her badge.

“Show me,” a man says, meeting her in the middle.

You hear Ekko say something, then taking a few steps forward too. Your sister’s ghost crowds closer. Clammy sweat breaks out along your forehead. Everything sways. Biting your lip, you try and breathe again—now would be the worst time to faint.

Then, a gunshot, and Ekko is on the ground. You scream and lunge towards him, but an Enforcer—when did they surround you?—grabs you from behind. You struggle, practically dislocating your shoulders, fighting as hard as you can, but it’s no use. The Enforcer shakes you a bit, and you still. He drags you backward, towards the edge of the bridge.

The man keeps his gun aimed at Caitlyn. She walks to the side, hands up, and he retrieves the case from Ekko’s body.

“Don’t touch him!” You snap, trying to sound intimidating, but it comes out weak.

Then, you hear it, Vi’s voice, “Caitlyn!”

Your relief is short-lived. There are too many of them. What if the man shoots her too?

The man addresses Caitlyn again, “I told you to leave this alone.”

A wave of tiny green lights descend. You keep your eyes on the man and Caitlyn, mind scrambling to come up with a plan. But you can’t do anything.

One light lands on the man’s gun. And for the second (third?) time, your world shatters.

You wake, face down with an Enforcer on top of you. The bright white lights from before flicker. Pure panic gives you the strength to kick the Enforcer away.

Ahead, you see—Ekko!—standing and facing someone. Your heart splinters as you spy Vi limping away with Caitlyn, her arm slung over her shoulders. “Vi!” You yell. Why was she leaving without you?

Vi pauses and turns, eyes wide. Immediately, she releases Caitlyn and sprints to you, kneeling and cupping your face. “Sweetheart, there you are. I thought—are you hurt?”

“I’m okay.” Your wrist hurts—you must have fallen on it—and your head aches, but you can walk.

“Let’s go,” she says.

“But Ekko—”

“I’ll be fine!” Ekko yells over his shoulder. “Just go!”

You fall into her arms, trembling, and she guides you back to Caitlyn. You sling Caitlyn’s arm over your shoulders, both of you supporting her. You look back one last time, to see who Ekko is facing off with.

A woman with long, blue braids. A familiar woman. Powder? You stumble a bit. You thought she was dead, but—her eyes light up with recognition, and she gives you a cheeky salute. You can’t help the faint, answering smile, because as much as she’s changed, you’re glad she’s alive.

You don’t speak much as you follow Caitlyn and Vi across. Vi leads you both to a small alcove, and you take the chance to sit with your head in your heads. Slowly, the world stops spinning. You don’t have to the energy to listen to whatever Vi and Caitlyn are saying, but the sound of voices is comforting, a reminder of the present.

Then you continue through the dark streets of Piltover, and to a huge mansion. You’re glad Caitlyn isn’t too heavy, because you feel weak and shaky—shock, you realize, hating it. Caitlyn and Vi are fine, and here you are, barely injured and about to break down.

Vi helps you both through a window, into a room which feels equally strange and overwhelming as Piltover’s streets.

“Who lives here?” Vi asks Caitlyn. “Another counselor friend of yours?”

The door bangs open.

You drop Caitlyn’s arm, falling back on your ass, staring in horror down the barrel of a gun.

The woman holding it gasps, “Caitlyn!” And to your relief, she lowers the gun.

“We were so worried, thank goodness you’re safe,” says a man, running by her. He hugs Caitlyn tightly.

The woman’s gaze land on Vi. “And you found a stray.” She looks to you, and doesn’t comment. You’re sure that you look way worse.

“This is Vi,” Caitlyn says, and introduces you too. “They’re from the undercity.”

“So I see. Could we have a word, Caitlyn, in private?” asks the woman.

They leave, and Vi steps over to you. “Up you get,” she says, hooking her arms under yours and lifting. She sits you on the edge of the bed, urges you to take your sweater off. Then she retrieves a damp washcloth from the bathroom, and starts wiping the sweat from your face. Slowly, you feel better looking at her, like everything will be okay.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper.

“What for?”

“I’m not strong.” You lift up your still trembling hands, choking back the taste of gunpowder and smoke. “Look, you’re fine. I barely got hurt, and I can’t even stop shaking. And Caitlyn—I couldn’t help her at all.”

Vi puts the cloth aside. Familiar fingers prod your throbbing wrist. “You are strong. It’s good that you’re not used to all this shit. I don’t want that for you.”

You’re close enough that you could count her freckles. She looks up at you and continues, “I’m glad you’re alright. On the bridge, I’m sorry—I couldn’t find you. I thought you were gone.”

“I’m glad you’re alright,” you say, smiling a little.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Just my second concussion in what, two days? I’m fine.”

Vi laughs and lifts your wrist, brushing her lips over it gently. It zings through your arm, straight to your heart.

“Vi,” you whisper, not sure what you’re going to confess, only that you won’t be able to take it back—

The door creaks. You lean back, yank your hands away, and scoot awkwardly off the bed. Caitlyn enters, looking surprised but much happier than before.

“We’ll present our case to the council. Tonight,” she says.

You step away, not looking at Vi. Vi scoots back on the bed, lying on her stomach and studying the map spread out on the floor. She asks Caitlyn, “You did all this yourself?”

You step towards the bathroom. “Mind if I shower?”

“Go ahead,” Caitlyn says, not taking her eyes from Vi.

You disappear inside, strip down and set the water as hot at it will go. It feels good, something to focus on, so you can stuff your heart back down. You don’t cry, because really, you can’t lose something you never had.

When you emerge (making sure to make a lot of noise beforehand), Vi stands at the window, and Caitlyn slips by you into the bathroom.

You try and keep quiet, so Vi won’t notice you staring—you try and memorize her: her red jacket, the tattoos trailing down her arms, what little you can see of the nape of her neck.

It doesn’t last long, as Vi turns to you with a sad smile. “How’re you holding up, sweetheart?”

“Fine,” you say. Instead of staring, you look around the bedroom, find the sweater from Ekko on the bed. Tug it on.

“Going somewhere?”

“I’m going home.”

For the first time, she sounds unsure, “Wh-what?”

“You don’t need me.” You adjust the sweater, just for something to do with your hands. “Tell Caitlyn thanks for me.”

“We do need you.”

“For what?” You force yourself to look at her, trying again to memorize her face. She looks younger, her eyes big and watery. “To be a coward?”

“You’re not a coward.”

“Vi, you can’t even tell me why I should stay.” You tug your boots on, concentrating on lacing them up. “I could get you and Caitlyn killed trying to protect me. And you don’t need me to talk to the Council.” You finish the last knot. I can do this. Just don’t look at her. “I can find my own way back. Good luck.”

Vi is silent as you make your way to her side, and open the window. You try to ignore the same electric feeling you get every time you’re near her. She grabs your uninjured wrist, not squeezing enough to hurt you, but you know you can’t break out of her hold. “Don’t,” she says.

You look into her eyes, your stupid heartbeat ticks up again, like a bomb. So you drop one. “I work for Silco.” Her eyes widen. “I’m a drug runner. I’m everything you hate.” She still doesn’t let go, but her grip loosens. You don’t look at her again, and you don’t look back, as you climb out the window.

Zaun’s darkness is a welcome change, and you find your familiar route back home. You almost make it, can see your street, when something—again, really?—hits the back of your head.

You wake in complete darkness, tied to a wooden chair. Footsteps sound from behind you, and before you can full-on panic, Powder, holding a lighter appears. A tiny spot in your neck stings.

She smiles, too wide. “Hello, friend.”

You swallow hard, nausea curling through your gut. Great. Now you’ve had three concussions. But strangely enough, your head doesn’t hurt, nor does wrist from earlier. You’re not even dizzy. The pain in your neck is already fading. Why would Powder want you? “What’s going on?”

Powder sighs, steps closer and flicks some hair back from your face. “I need your help.” She starts to wheel you froward. Your stomach lurches, imagining a huge drop. It’s so dark.

“I thought—“ you try and think of a plan. But you can’t, you can’t think of anything beyond Vi, help, scared. “I thought you died.”

Powder giggles. “Fooled ya.”

She continues to wheel you forward into darkness, and then—finally—you see light. There are two chairs at either end of a long table. You can make out people tied to them, but they face away from you. The table is set up like a—a tea party?

“Now,” Powder says, settling your chair next to one that says “Powder.” “I need you to help me get Vi back.”

“What are you talking about?” You try to think through the buzz of panic, but it feels as futile as trying to catch birds with your bare hands. Maybe, if I keep her talking, I can find a way to escape. You shift in your chair—your tied wrists are already numb. Even your feet are tied to the chair.

Powder suddenly leaps onto the table directly in front of you. Before you can startle, she grips your jaw, turning your face towards her. “Good! You took that last dose well.”

Powder leaps off again, walks to your right, turns the chair around at the head of the table, revealing a tied up Silco. “Surprise!”

You flinch—you only met Silco briefly, once before, which was more than enough. You say, “Pow—Jinx, I still don’t understand. I can’t do anything.”

Silco asks, “Is this your friend, Jinx?”

“Yes!” Jinx says, delighted. “Isn’t she beautiful? I told you it would work.”

She strokes your cheek, and it feels sweet. Like you’ve never been touched before. You nuzzle her palm without thinking.

You dread whatever she saw in your eyes. And then you realize, your mouth tastes like sugar. “I don’t—” it’s suddenly very hard to speak.

“I think you’ll be happy,” she says, circling the table again. “Now you can be stronger, faster. It’s not perfect, of course. But you shouldn’t lose control like all the others. You’ve inhaled some every time you gave it to your mother. Isn’t that great?” She walks to the other end of the table, where there’s another chair. “Especially since I’m giving you this wonderful opportunity to make Vi yours. And we can be best friends again.” She turns the other chair around, revealing a terrified, tied up Vi. “You still love her, don’t you? You weren’t lying to me, back then?”

Your heart lurches. The worst way for Vi to find out. And you can’t even do anything to save her. You don’t look at Vi, you struggle to keep your gaze trained on Powder, and her gun. But it’s hard to focus, every time you blink, you just want to keep your eyes shut.

Vi says, “Powder, leave her out of this.”

Powder laughs, but it sounds wrong—laughter shouldn’t sound like that. “If you don’t want her to do it, then you do it.”

You struggle against the ropes—and it is strangely easier to move. The ropes snap. You kick the ones off your feet. Powder makes direct eye contact with you, and grins.

Everything still feels heavenly, like slipping into a hot bath. Like how you feel alive when you’re with…someone. Who again? You shift one last time, and the rest of the ropes fall away, as easy as shrugging off a jacket. Powder laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever seen. “Wow! I didn’t expect this to work!”

You look down at your hands. They look the same, no noticeable change, but very faintly, your skin has a purple glow. Not bright enough that you can see your veins, but enough. It reminds you of green light, and for some reason, tears gather thickly in your throat.

Powder points her gun at something at the other side of the table. “Make her go away.”

You stand, step forward without meaning to. A dark-haired woman is on the ground, unconscious. Everything Powder says feels like a great idea, and—you hear a choked gasp from… someone. For some reason, it makes you stop. You shut your eyes. You don’t feel angry, exactly, but you want to touch, to tear into something. But something inside you begs you not to listen, why shouldn’t you listen? It feels so much easier to just do whatever she says, then you don’t have to think—

Think. The more you think, the more that wonderful feeling goes away. Cool metal presses against your temple. Powder says, “Don’t make me do this.”

“Don’t!” Vi screams, voice hoarse. “Powder, please, I kept quiet—you promised me you wouldn’t hurt her. Please. We’ll—we’ll go away. Just the two of us.”

Your gaze finds Vi’s terrified, pleading face. Vi. You jerk your head away. “I’m not killing anyone.” Powder’s palm cracks against your cheek. Blood fills your mouth, tasting like honey. But the pain is grounding.

Silco looks too delighted at what you said. “Don’t you want to, though?”

That makes no sense. “What?” You ask.

Powder giggles. “I told him your secret.”

You can’t think of any other secret, besides the one that was already revealed. Strangely, Vi snaps, “Powder, don’t.”

Powder ignores her sister, even taking a few steps until she’s in front of Vi, blocking your view of her. “We all knew. About where you came from. Your real mother didn’t want you. She sold you. I always wanted to tell you,” Powder says. “You owe me.”

It’s too much to process, and doesn’t ignite the bloodlust they so clearly want. Your expression doesn’t change. Powder jabs her gun at Caitlyn again, eyes brimming with purple tears. “Now. Get. Rid. Of. Her.” You don’t move. Why would you? “No?” Powder sighs, lifting the gun towards you. “Now I’ll have to start all over.”

Before you know what you’re doing, you lunge at her. But Powder is faster. She blocks your clumsy punch easily. Your other hand fumbles for her gun, finds it. She has a stronger grip. She twists, digs the barrel into your stomach. You could force her hand, so the gun is pointed at her instead. If you’re quick enough.

You look into the face of your friend. The girl you finger-painted with, shared secrets with. Your big sister, what would she do? What would it do to Vi, to lose Powder?

You release the gun.

Powder fires. Vi screams your name.

Pain seeps into your stomach. Your knees slam into the ground. Your eyes droop, and dimly, you’re aware of Vi sobbing, which hurts most of all, but it’s already fading.

***

When you wake again, it’s in a vaguely familiar bed. Fresh air, trees. You’re back with the Firelights again. Everything aches. Bone deep. You panic and sit up, looking around for Powder, for Vi—is someone dead? What’s—

And, strangely enough, you hear familiar voices. It sounds like… your mother, and Vi? You scrub at your eyes. Surely you must be dreaming. What’s happening?

The door opens. Your breath catches as Vi walks in, her face drawn, but she gasps when her eyes meet yours. Rushing over, she grips your shoulders, gaze darting all over your face. “You’re awake.”

You clear your throat. It’s still too gummed up to speak. She hands you a glass of water, so you can ask, “What’s going on?”

“I thought—” Vi sits next to you, gripping your hand. Her other hand comes up to cradle your face, thumb gently pulling the skin below your eyes. She sighs in relief, lip trembling. She bites it. “We didn’t know if you’d wake up.”

“I—” you remember gunfire, pain, didn’t you get shot? “Am I dead?”

Vi laughs a little, and to your complete and utter shock, darts forward and presses a kiss to your cheek. As tired as you are, heat rushes to your face. “No. You actually healed quickly.” She rests her hand on your stomach, where you remember the bullet tearing into you. “Thanks to the shimmer.”

You wince, wait for the same cravings that your mother would describe to you, the delirium, but you don’t feel anything. You’re just tired, as if you’ve been awake for days, instead of asleep.

“Your mother is alright,” Vi says. “The Firelights took her in.”

You wonder what that entails, how long she’s been without shimmer. You look down at your lap, scrub your eyes again, then you realize there’s an IV needle in your hand. “I guess I really was out.”

Vi pats your knee and gets up. “I’ll get a medic to look you over.”

The medic does, and deems you fine, free of shimmer. You shower and after, force down some soup, while Vi fills you in on how Powder killed Silco. To your relief, she says Ekko sent word that he’s alright—he’s out on business. She seems to be leaving something else out, something big and painful, but you don’t ask. In clean clothes, feeling weirdly reminiscent of before, you sit on the bed, leaning back against the pillows. Vi is in a chair next to you, her hand resting on your knee. She’s been strangely quiet the entire time. Except for showering and fetching a medic, she’s refused to stop touching you—her hand on your knee, shoulder, lacing your fingers together whenever possible. It’s torture.

Everything feels like when you were younger. Vi would curl her hand over yours, teaching you how to make a fist, but you’d be so distracted that she’d have to teach you again. You feel that same nervousness creep up. Powder’s voice echoes in your mind, “You still love her, don’t you?”

You do, you know, still love her—because she fights for everyone she cares for, has the most beautiful laugh, and you can’t imagine going back to life without her. But Vi clearly does not return your feelings. And never will.

Staring down at your lap, you shift away from Vi’s touch. Her hand slides off your knee and onto the sheets. “I’m okay. You can go to Caitlyn.”

Vi reaches out again, snatching your hand this time. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Vi, I’m really fine.” You try to pull away, but she doesn’t release you.

“I know you are. Move over.”

Bewildered, you do so, your whole body tingling as she slips onto the bed beside you, slings an arm over your shoulder, holding you tight against her side. Electric heat floods your body. Face burning, you stare down at your lap, and try to calm down. Which is impossible, of course. You breathe very, very slowly.

“Hey.” Rough fingers trail along your chin, tilt your face up. Even across Vi’s eyelids, she has faint freckles. “What are you thinking about?”

“That I don’t understand.” You pull your head back, and Vi lets you go, but doesn’t break eye contact. “I almost killed your girlfriend.”

Vi clears her throat. “Caitlyn isn’t my girlfriend.” At your snort of disbelief, she continues, “We had a—” she sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “We had a thing, but—”

“We can forget about it,” you blurt.

“Forget?”

“What Powder said.” You can’t bear to say it. You slide down on the bed, turn your back on her and curl up. Tears stream down your cheeks and you wipe them away. “It was nothing. She was just messing with you.”

Vi says your name tenderly, squeezing your shoulder. You don’t budge. “Sweetheart, why exactly do you think I’m here?”

“I don’t know.” Despite yourself, you take a gross, sniffling breath in, your voice wobbly, “Just making sure your kid sister is okay. Like always.”

“Do you really think I ever thought of you as a kid sister?”

“Didn’t you?”

“No.” Vi tugs at your shoulder again, and you turn this time, immediately wishing you hadn’t. She’s looking at you like—like how you look at her. Your heart is in your throat. Her lips quirk. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I think of you?”

“No,” you breathe. You start to turn away from her, but her other arm comes down on your other side. If she was on top of you, she’d be caging you in. You sigh in defeat, your gaze flicking back up at her.

“Fine,” she says, “I’ll show you.”

Before you can protest, do anything, even fully turn to face her, her hand cups your cheek, and she leans over your shoulder and kisses you, firm and warm. You gasp against her lips, make an embarrassing squeak as you jerk away.

Vi, to your relief, sits back on her heels and smirks. Very carefully, you do not look at her mouth and sit up, biting your lip. You can still taste her. Vi asks, “Understand, now?”

“What is there to understand?” You ask, your voice very nearly a shriek.

Eternity ticks by as Vi watches you. “You’re making this really difficult. I—” She pauses, swallows twice, then drags you into the circle of her arms. It feels like on the bridge, like a goodbye, so you hug her back. And you do what you’ve always wanted to do, but never did: you clutch the back of her jacket. She buries her face against your neck. The tip of her nose is cold. “I’ve survived losing my parents. Vander, and Mylo, and Claggor. Your sister. I thought I’d lost Ekko and Powder. But, if I truly lost you, I couldn’t—” her voice breaks on the last word.

You can barely hear her over the blood rushing in your ears. This has to be a dream, right? Vi tightens her arms around you, almost crushing your ribs it’s so painful, but you don’t let go. She whispers, her lips brushing your neck, “I’ve loved you for so long. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

There are no words. Does she really mean it? You just keep holding her, like you’ve always wanted. But then, you think of your sister’s ghost. “Are you sure I’m not dead?”

“Do I have to convince you?”

You’re confused by her suddenly playful tone. “Yes?”

Vi huffs out a laugh and unwinds her arms, leaning back to look at you. Her face drops when she sees your expression. She cradles your cheek with one hand, thumb wiping away the tears there. “Oh, sweetheart.”

“Vi, I don’t—” You sniffle and hiccup. She’s such a crybaby, Mylo’s voice echoes in your mind. “I see her, all the time. I don’t know if this, if you’re—”

You stop as Vi grabs your other hand, intertwining your fingers. “I’ve always liked you. You’re cute. You were always, always there for me. My home is wherever you are.” She kisses the back of your hand and smiles. “It’s real, this is real, I promise. Actually,” she laughs, “ask Ekko if you don’t believe me. He wouldn’t shut up about it.”

Your chest unclenches, and you find yourself laughing too, really laughing. Not forced, or scared, but happy. “He told me that.”

Vi urges you to lie down. You curl into the curve of her body, and she wraps her arms tightly around your waist. You feel her smile against your hair. You spend a few minutes tracing patterns on her back, face pressed against the warm skin of her throat. You draw back, looking into her eyes, and ask, “Vi? Can I kiss you ag—” You don’t get to finish, because she’s leaned forward and kissed you.

You want to, you really do, but you’re not sure what to do. You freeze. Vi’s thumb strokes over the side of your throat, your jaw, your cheek, and the comfort helps. You relax, your lips parting. She makes a tiny, desperate noise that flares through you, and kisses you deeper.

You pull back, gasping, and Vi laughs at your stunned face. She kisses your forehead, then your closed eyelids, your cheeks, and you stay still until it’s too much. Grinning, you hide your face against her neck.

Vi holds you tight, running her fingers up and down your back. She clears her throat, and you’re pleased that her cheeks are pink like yours. “There is something I need to tell you.”

You wait. She presses her lips together, then shakes her head. “No. I’ll—I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

You’re content to wait, but, still… “I’m not leaving you. Whatever it is, we’re doing this together, alright?”

Vi smiles, the same smile you’ve always loved, and seals the promise with another kiss.

#Arcane fic #Arcane 2021 #vi x reader #vi x you #self-insert fic #Emma-Writes #arcane x reader #reader-insert fic #reader-insert #arcane x you #arcane vi x reader

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letters-to-rosie · 1 year

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I don't think I even have 9 people to tag but here goes

Meme - tag nine people

tagged by @world-smitten!

Three ships: ooh um Leorio/Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter, for one. Fell for that ship hard and it only takes me like 2 minutes to fall for them all over again. "Ball of self-destructive righteous anger" + "guy who wants to be a doctor to treat people for free"??? chef's kiss

Ling/Lan Fan from Fullmetal Alchemist. That's my niche pair for the show. I, like probably everyone, read the fic Swallows on the Beam and have never been the same, so that's fun

and my current ship obsession, Ekko/Jinx from Arcane. Grabbed me by the throat. Don't even know what happened. I went out of my first viewing only shipping CaitVi and this one pounced on me from the shadows. It's fun, and the CaitVi part of the fandom is already very active so I like having another ship where I feel like I'm contributing more lmao

First ship: probably like Robin/Starfire from Teen Titans? Or some of the ships in ATLA? (ironically not the cannon ones beside Sukka. Sukka is cute). Shipped those before I knew what shipping was lol

Last song: Free Mind by Tems. Wanna learn to sing it...

Last film: Glass Onion and BOY did I have a good time lol

Currently reading: The ones I'm making the most progress on recently are Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde and The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks.

Currently watching: the Chinese show Guardian and Abbott Elementary

Currently consuming: last thing I had was stir fry lol

Currently craving: there's like an extremely specific cookie

um anyway hi @shokuto @typewriteringalaxy @arrowdite @hannibalcatharsis-zero @hungryistrying hmmmmm those are all my fandom mutuals lol

#rosie's writing desk #ask game

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udaberriwrites · 1 year

Note

Just three more asks from me, Annie (also, I can't count to save my life. Seven fandoms. Not five or six, lol)~

For this one, I'd like to ask about Arcane! Specifically, Caitlyn and Vi!

Caitlyn Kiramman

1: sexuality headcanon

Believed she was heterosexual until season 1. Now she's questioning and reevaluating some memories that make way more sense in retrospect (tm)

2: otp

With Vi, of course! They really have great chemistry together, and it seems like they just... click? Even though they come from very different backgrounds, they can make each other better :)

3: brotp

Jayce, who's been his surrogate idiot brother for years. They know exactly how the other tics, which can be both a good and a bad thing xD

4: notp

I'm not against Caitlyn/Jayce, but I like their friendship too much so I'm not thrilled with that pairing.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

She learned how to cook from her dad, and finds it quite soothing :)

6: favorite line from this character

"This city needs healing. More than I ever realized.”

7: one way in which I relate to this character

She's an optimistic realist, I like that.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

How exactly did that sequence of events with Jinx go, in the last two episodes?I don't want to spoil you but... did Jinx just... wait around for her to make herself presentable? 🫣

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Badass Cinnamon Roll, Piltover PD.

1: sexuality headcanon

Disaster lesbian, out and proud. Had herself figured out early enough for Vander to know. Vander was very supportive; he already threw bigoted people out of the bar after all.

2: otp

Ditto, Caitlyn <3

3: brotp

Ekko, maybe? They are, in a way, all that is left of the halcyon days of their childhood and Ekko is someone she'd trust not only to not betray her, but trust that he's strong enough not to leave either.

4: notp

Jinx or Vander, they are family after all. Probably Silco too because I can't see it happening in a healthy or sane manner.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

She was already learning the ropes to take over the Last Drop for Vander, including accounting and such, before the events of canon made the point moot.

6: favorite line from this character

"We’ve all had bad days. But we learn, and we stick together.”

7: one way in which I relate to this character

Her family, found or biological, is her number one priority.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

"Ok, punching didn't make the problem go away... I know, I'll punch it HARDER!" >:(

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Cinnamon roll inside a hard problematic fave shell.

#ask game #arcane #caitlyn kiramman #vi arcane #headcanon #otp headcanons #thanks for the ask!

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graycats-arcane-blog · 2 years

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Chapter 13 of The Scientist’s Daughter went up on AO3 last week! In case anyone missed it, there’s a preview below the cut.

This is an exciting one - Viktor’s getting up to some serious hijinks here! Not too sure that Jayce has the stomach for all this madness though...

Chapter 13: Viktor's Gambit, Part 1

Viktor had given Jinx three orders:

Stay out of sight.

Clear the way to the bridge.

Well, we’ll get to this one later.

Like a living breeze, Jinx glided silently from rooftop to rooftop. The wind whistled shrilly in her ears. She could move so fast now with shimmer in her veins, and she felt so weightless! She could jump further than ever, sailing over broad gaps between rooftops that she wouldn’t have entertained crossing before. Her strides were so light and noiseless that her toes barely seemed to touch the ground. She could even see better, her vivid eyes wide and owl-like as they pierced the darkness to spot a pair of enforcers drawing near her friends’ latest hiding-place.

Dawning a playful grin, Jinx rifled through the satchel Viktor had turned over to her. Her fingertips stroked cool metal, and she delicately raised one of her bombs to the moonlight, where its painted spines gleamed in neon brilliance.

Claggor and Mylo cackled on either side of her as she pulled a pin and lobbed the projectile into a dumpster.

Nails burst from the device, hitting the dumpster’s tinny walls with a cacophony of shrill pings! The enforcers jolted to attention, their clumsy feet scrambling toward the disturbance, leaving the street open for her friends to traverse unseen.

Jinx spared a moment to watch them step into the open moonlight – specifically, she watched Viktor. For a man who’d lived his whole life with a limp and a crutch, he now walked with unfathomable grace. The Hextech brace wreathed his lower body in a faint blue glow (honestly, how had her luminous mentor thought he could travel through Topside unnoticed without her help?) and guided his legs through precise, sure movements. He gained confidence as he moved, his back straightening, his face held high, his arms swinging to the rhythm of each deliberate step.

Jinx didn’t think she’d ever seen her mentor look more free.

With a joyful skip, Jinx raced to the edge of the rooftop and leaped further down the street.

They were about halfway between Viktor’s flat and the bridge, making faster-than-anticipated progress with the help of the Hextech brace. Their goal destination was the opposite side of the bridge. Upon crossing, they planned to linger behind the bridge’s broad pillars so as to stay out of view from Piltover’s enforcers, and wait to be found by Silco’s thugs. With so many of them on the prowl, it wouldn’t take long to be discovered.

Viktor was sure that Silco would make a personal appearance once he knew they were there. He was certain. And if her mentor was certain, Jinx knew it would be just as he said – Viktor had never led the Hextech team wrong.

While Viktor, Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi, and Ekko met with Silco on the ground, Ekko’s fellow Firelight would be hovering beneath the bridge on standby in case they needed to send word to the other Firelights. Jinx would be perched in bridge’s upper beams, listening in on the interaction below. As long as she could keep an eye on Viktor, Jinx was content to hang back from the action - After all, Silco most likely wanted her dead. It was best to stay out of the dangerous man's sight.

Even if the voices in her head were grumbling otherwise…

“Gonna hide in the background like a coward? You can take him! TAKE HIM OUT!”

“It probably wouldn’t even be that hard. Slip a bomb behind his back, and BOOM! He wouldn’t see it coming!”

“Don’t you want to get back at him for what he’s put you through? What he put US through?”

“Kill him, kill him, KILL HIM!”

Jinx could sympathize with Mylo’s and Claggor’s hatred. As Ekko had pointed out, their deaths were as much Silco’s fault as they were hers, perhaps even more so his. The thought made her blood burn and her fingers twitch… So many of her misfortunes came back to this man…

But Viktor had a plan.

Jinx shook her head against Mylo’s and Claggor’s protests. Viktor said he’d make things better for me, for all of us – we have to let him talk to Silco. I trust Viktor.

“But Viktor’s been acting strange lately…”

The edge of a gutter bent under Jinx’s aggressive grip.

“You’ve noticed it, right? The anger he’s been bottling up toward the Council, and toward Silco?”

“He’s trying to hide it – from you, from everyone. He hides it under that calm face, but we know it’s there.”

“And then he went and tried to sneak out, without telling you!”

She distractedly uncurled her fist from the weak metal as Mylo and Claggor continued their barrage.

“Why would he try to leave without telling you?”

“Think he’s keeping a secret?”

He’s just acting weird ‘cause he’s been preoccupied with making this plan! Agitated, Jinx launched herself more forcefully than necessary from her current rooftop, landing on the next with an angry stomp. She took a deep breath. And he didn’t tell me he was leaving ‘cause I go off on my own all the time; he just wanted to be like me. It’s normal, right?

Wanting to be like her was a noble sentiment, for sure, but Jinx would be damned if she Viktor out of her sight tonight.

We protect each other. That’s what we do. He made this plan to help me, and I’m tagging along to help him.

It was hard to stay calm with her deceased brothers hissing in her ears, but Jinx schooled her steps to be smooth and catlike, slipping swiftly over Piltover’s roofs once more. She spotted another set of enforcers, flung a paint bomb through some unsuspecting civilian’s window, and watched, amused, as the enforcers raced toward the resultant BANG and the homeowner’s startled shout.

Was it wrong to have so much fun terrorizing Topsiders? Jinx had to admit, she was having a ball.

Read the rest of the chapter on AO3

#Arcane #lol arcane #arcane jinx #lol jinx #arcane viktor #lol viktor #arcane fanfic #fanfic

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arcane-ish · 2 years

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My worries about Arcane’s take on Piltover’s Finest

First let me talk about the good stuff. As characters these two clearly care about each other, they have a deep connection and all the characters around them recognize this. They look together, they have great chemistry for lack of a better words and compatible personalities which speaks well for a future relationship.

On a meta level I think the writers truly care about them as a pair and give them considerably screentime and storyline attention and are building to something bigger.

That said, I had some minor quibbles in how they were handled in Act 2 (where I thought their fun adventure maybe was a bit at odds with the context it took place in, though I still enjoyed it), but in retrospect I have bigger quibbles with their dynamic in Act 3.

And first let it be clear, I would not be complaining about this if I didn’t genuinely like them.

Anyway, here it goes:

The Nice-Girl/Blandification of Caitlyn Kiramann

I did not like how imo Caitlyn was being written as a generic heroic good girl character in Act 3, especially compared with how most other characters have a lot of layers.

I don’t even have a problem with Caitlyn being the one character who is all out good and idealistic always.The problem is that the way Caitlyn made her argument made basically no use of who Caitlyn is as a person.

Look, I get that people say League of Legends doesn’t really have much of a story or characterization. But you don’t tell me that this design alone doesn’t ooze with personality.

Yes, the Caitlyn of Arcane is younger and less experienced. But imo Act 2 did a much better job of still showing of her personality, whether it is in the form of her Sherlock Holmes’ing it up with her crime mood board, whether in her backstory where she doesn’t like Grayson letting her win, to her insistance that she is a great shot to Vi. It showed off her determination and persistance, how she isn’t afraid to go against the flow, whether it is Marcus telling her to drop the investigation, her enforcer colleagues not fully accepting her to her parents wanting her to stop being an enforcer.

Look, Caitlyn was still *nice* in Act 3. And they still slipped in ways for her to active (wanting to sacrifice herself for VI with the Firelights, freeing herself and pulling the gun on Jinx) to keep her from being just a damsel in distress. And most of what she said about improving things for people and getting along and healing the wounds was completely legit and acceptable. And her interactions were among the highlights of the Act.

My problem is that generally Caitlyn’s words and actions were too generic nice person and imo hence lacked oomph.

In my head I compare that to imo the other two characters who symbolized optimism and/or morality in Act 3, Viktor and Ekko.

Ekko is the one who shows Vi and most notably Heimerdinger that there is a different way to live. His affection for the place and how much work it must be to keep it up bleeds through.

Viktor is the one who reminds Jayce and by extension Mel that the Zaunites deserve respect and co-existance is possible. His story in Act 3 is heavily informed by his kindness, most notably in his grief for Sky (and earlier in Act 2 in his kindndess for Rio), but also in his pained attempts to destroy the Hexcore and of course his struggle (like in the scene where he can run again). All this creates a backdrop to make his case in favor of Zaun feel emotional and moving.

Now I get that the moving undercurrent of Cait’s plea is probably supposed to be her deepening feelings for Vi (plus a slice of finding out how corrupt the police are). But still, imo this storyline would have benefitted so much if it had just changed a few dialogue lines to make more use of Caitlyn’s specific character quirks.

- Any references to shooting/hunting would have worked

- Her speech to the council could have had her talking specifically of her experiences working as an enforcer.

- Cait’s distinguishing character trait in Act 2 was stubbornness (okay in addition to empathy which was still present in 3). IMO it would have behooved Cait’s character a lot more if when Vi gives her the goodbye speech Cait had gotten angry and “okay I’m not going to stop you, but I disagree!” at Vi, because again Cait’s fundamental trait in Act 2 was her going against people who tell her to give up. She was a character who didn’t just accept things the way they were, so it would have fit well if that had extended to Vi telling her no/it’s impossible as well.

(and yes I get that in character Caitlyn had just been through some highly daramatic and dangerous few days and likely was exhausted, just saying, some more little bits of flavor somewhere in the story would have been nice)

I get that Act 3 was very angsty and Cait were part of that/contributed a lot to that, but I personally don’t like it when it feels like Caitlyn and Vi are being written like a generic epic angst couple. And as such my stomach dropped a little when I listened to the season 2 teaser and it sounded suspiciously like a lot more of that.

Personally, as a potentially appreciator of the Piltover’s Finest dynamic, I would prefer it if their dynamic would move closer to their teasing buddy cop dynamic from the game rather than just generic “nice people angst, but they just happen to be pretty women”:

For the record, I fully assume that as we now know that season 2 will continue focusing on the same characters, I’m sure Vi and Cait will return to teasing each other quickly. I just can’t help getting a bit worried about these tendencies I see on generic angst as opposed to “yes angst, but with a lot of personality”:

One more thing.

On the Subject of a Potential Kiss in Season 1

People have talked a lot on about whether Caitlyn and Vi would get physical with each in regards to queerbaiting and such. Personally, I’ve traditionally been on the pessimistic side on this mostly because with only three episodes left and so many things to wrap up I didn’t think there would be a place to put in naturally, that it would feel rushed.

However, now looking back on Act 3, I actually would have preferred if they had kissed at some point because:

1.) it would have felt daring and hence broken through the feeling of generic angst.

2.) the show handled a lot of things I expected them to handle in Act 3 by not handling them and moving them to season 2, so there was more “space” for it

Again, I do think the writers are dedicated to this coupling, that kisses will happen in season 2 and yeah it does still make sense that they are not there yet, I’m just saying it would have been nice for my personal taste of the story.

And, look, even if they continue writing Vi and Cait as a more generic nice people couple rather than Vi! and Cait! the larger than life characters, I don’t begrudge people for liking them and enjoying them, it’s still a prettty cool thing to do, it’s just not what I personally wanted out of it.

(there has been good writing for them in season 1 and it’s completely possible that their writing in season 2 will be perfect for my tastes as well, I just can’t help quibbling and being a bit paranoid)

#arcane #piltover's finest #vi #cait #caitvi #vi x caitlyn #caitlyn x vi #ekko #viktor

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p-taryn-dactyl · 2 years

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Taking Requests!!

hey guys! so i love writing and i really like sharing my writing but recently i’ve had zero thoughts in my head about what to write. so if anyone is interested in my writing, my rules and the stuff i’ll write are below the cut!!

Fandoms:

Marvel

Arcane

Percy Jackson or any part of the Riordanverse (except trials of apollo, haven’t finished it yet)

NCIS (ik that’s probably one you don’t see often but it’s a super guilty pleasure of mine)

Disney (ive seen pretty much all the movies so)

Oceans 8 (I FUCKING LOVE THIS MOVIE IT IS SO GOOD)

She-ra and the Princess of Power

Stargate SG-1 (for those of you who know what this is plz interact with me - no one understands my pain lol)

Rules:

no NSFW for now - might change in the future

I will write character x reader

if it is male!character x reader, the fic will most likely have to be platonic unless its a guy character im comfortable writing romantically

all character x reader fics will either be fem!reader or GN!reader

if it is character x character, cannot involve a minor unless both characters are minors (no starker plz thats freaking gross), and i probably won’t write it if i don’t ship it

if you want a series plz specifically say that (also drabbles, headcannons, etc)

i freaking love writing angst so food for thought

to contrast the last point, i also love crack fics

Romantic!Characters:

okay so these are the characters i know for sure that i’ll write in a romantic way for character x reader (if a character you want isn’t here, you can request it! this is just a list of characters that i know for sure i’ll write)

~Arcane~

Sevika

Caitlyn

Grayson

Ambessa

Mel

Jinx?

~Marvel/X-men~

Agatha Harkness

Carol Danvers

Natasha Romanoff

Kate Bishop

Hela

Loki

Bucky Barnes

Nebula

Ajak

Thena

Xu Xialing

Jean Grey

Ororo (Storm)

Hope Van Dyne

there’s probably more for Marvel lol

~Riordanverse~

Thalia

Reyna

Annabeth

Leo Valdez

~NCIS~

Jack Sloane

Ellie Bishop

Alex Quinn

~Disney~

Luisa

Isabela

Lady Tremaine

Raya

Namaari

honestly there’s way more characters im just blanking lol

Kida (Kidagakash Nedakh - the queen from Atlantis - my first disney crush lol)

Helga Katrina Sinclair

~Ocean’s 8~

Debbie Ocean

Lou Miller

Tammy

Daphne Kluger

~She-Ra~

Adora

~Stargate~

Samantha Carter

Janet Fraiser

Vala

possibly Daniel Jackson

*okay so any characters that are not mentioned are probably bc ive either rushed through this and forgot about them or bc im only comfortable writing them in a platonic manner*

Character x Character Pairings I’ll Be Okay With Writing:

Percy x Annabeth

Vi x Caitlyn

Jinx x Ekko

Raya x Namaari

Debbie x Lou

Tony Stark x Stephen Strange

Catra x Adora

damn what else do i ship? idk just send in pairings and i’ll see how i feel about them

(If you’ve gotten this far, thank you, but i also wanted to say - I love Greek mythology and i have written a story on here on my now-deleted blog called Song of Medusa and i think its good but idk, so just so y’all know: i am interested in “rewriting” mythology and taking my own twist on the popular tales)

Okay so that was really long ahaha but thanks for checking this out if you did and plz feel free to send in prompts/requests! thank you so much!! have a great day/night everyone!!

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guiltycorp · 2 years

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Thinking about how back when Get Jinxed was released I briefly became interested enough to at least read up a little on the lore, and how I was completely disinterested in Vi back then because she felt like a class traitor and a classic ‘hot-headed cop’ character and not much else. And Jinx seemed like a practically harmless ‘crazy fun’ type of character, making it that much easier to root for her. Just a charismatic outlaw taunting a duo of good&bad cops (Caitlyn and Vi), right? But Arcane turned everything up on its head for me personally! It’s such a relief that it ended where it did, because I really do not want to see Arcane!Vi become an Enforcer for Piltover :( Especially so because Arcane solidified Jinx’s character as an actual threat to people’s lives, a violent person without any benevolent motivations. Soooo if Vi became an actual cop under Piltover’s government it would seem like the story explicitly says that Zaun = bad and Piltover = good, seeing as how the two sisters are the core of that specific story and Jinx is the drive behind a lot of misery in the show. Good on them to avoid that! I mean, there’re certain shades of this in the lore anyway, but the series largely goes for moral ambiguity, painting most Piltover characters as deeply flawed and privileged individuals, delving into Undercity’s issues with a certain amount of nuance. Plus Vi, Ekko and Viktor are all presented as morally good characters with the intentions of helping people (if anything I wish we had more time dedicated to Ekko’s accomplishments and the process of building his safe haven in Zaun). If we keep league’s lore in mind, Viktor’s eventual transformation into a cyborg and him suggesting to fix humanity’s problems by turning people into machines does make sense, sure - a bit tragic, but nevertheless more humane than say, Singed’s alternative path. And as far as i know Ekko remains true to himself, too. But Vi deciding to become a cop under Caitlyn, the new sheriff? ehhh Let’s see, she put the whole Undercity at risk by trespassing into Piltover and burglarizing property under the protection of a prominent noble house who has a seat at the Council - easily forgiven because she was still a child, but nevertheless a notable start to her character arc. We learn that she spent her entire adolescence in prison, she then gets out with the aim of finding her sister and getting vengeance against Silco and talks a lot about how much things suck and how she wishes it was different, about fixing it, seems like a natural progression for her to take up Vander’s mantle, join Ekko and actually do something for her city. But nope, after she incites Jayce to take out Silco’s supply of shimmer and beats Sevika her plans get cut short and Arcane ends before Vi is able to do anything substantial (her failure to talk Jinx down not really her fault after all). And that’s good, because at this point in the narrative her going to Piltover would look... well, rather pathetic? Deciding to go where the grass is greener, essentially working against the city she failed to defend. Could be explained as some form of repentance bc of Council’s destruction, could be that becoming an enforcer would be the only way for her to have the opportunity to police Zaun’s streets without encountering problems from Piltover itself, but it’s still a bad look for a girl whose parents were literally murdered by enforcers during a violent protest and who then repeatedly fell short of helping anyone. Even the pairing of Caitlyn/Vi when it’s like, a duo of lesbian cops who work for the benefit of the richer half of their society, just seems ehh to me... Am I wrong? I haven’t really seen people talk about this but then again I’ve never been too deep into LoL.

#arcane #vi #arcane spoilers #text #venting i guess

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prodigall · 5 years

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In defense of the Battle Academy skin choices:

So, in wake of the wake of the new Battle Academy skins dropping I’ve seen a LOT of people getting mad about things like Lux and Ezreal getting more skins, their favorite champs not being in the skin-line, stuff like that. For the most part those complaints are all valid, I understand them, but I do think it’s not fair to get mad at riot for this specifically because a lot of their choices make a lot sense and the ones that don’t are really small, so, I’m just gonna...go over the list and state my two cents.

All the complaints basically stem from “these champions shouldn’t have more skins, it should have been somebody like Taliyah” this is probably the most widespread complaint, and whilst its true, neither need new skins, it’s totally understandable why they got them. First: Since Ezreal got reworked, he was always going to be getting a new epic or better skin soon-ish, without question. Every champion thats been reworked in the past 2 years got a skin some time after their rework, this isn’t a new practice, the day the rework got announced I stated that Ezreal would be getting a new skin soon because of it, then when Riot said they were making a skin-line inspired by Shonen anime I said “without question, Ezreal will probably get a legendary skin in this skinline and be the focal point of it.” To a multitude of people, Riot are on record as saying Ezreal was DESIGNED around Shonen anime tropes from the beginning, there are lots of ‘anime’ characters in League, like Yasuo and, yeah, Lux (we’ll get to that) but for what riot were actually trying to DO with this skin line? It was always going to be Ezreal, there was never any doubt in my mind. I know a lot of people think Pajama guardian counts as his skin but...no, it really doesn’t, its basically just a chroma, thats why it’s half price if you already OWN Star Guardian, so it doesn’t count. Second: Keeping in mind Ezreal was going to be the focal point of this skinline inspired by ANIME, all the characters around him needed to fit into anime tropes, because recently for their big ‘alternate universe’ skins Riot have been focusing more on a whole narrative to go with them rather than ‘oh this would be cool’, so they had more of a plan for the champs they picked keeping in mind Ezreal is the ‘protagonist’ (because he totally is). The ones Riot went for were: Rugged teacher who cares about his students but isn’t super affectionate (Graves) Popular kid who is a best friend/elder sibling figure to the protagonist (Jayce) Principle who is a parental figure to the protagonist after some event in their past (Yuumi) Small scale antagonist who will later go on to be an anti-hero then full hero designed to be a prominent threat in early arcs to help establish characters (Katarina) And of course, the love interest (Lux) Keeping that in mind, Lux wasn’t just on the table for this skinline, she was GUARANTEED to be in it. Say what you want about EzLux, I personally am not that into it, but the fact is that riot like it, so much so that they outright made it canon in this universe, you can have your ships, you can like LuxJinx, you can Like EzSona, or whatever, but as far as riot are concerned , Lux and Ezreal are Riots golden couple (with Xayah and Rakan), they’ve been one of two pairings they EVER acknowledge in canon for basically their entire life span, and they do it BLATANTLY. It’s not surprising at all this happened. Third: The Narrative is actually pretty relevant to the choices they made here, and the big one that I think totally invalidates Taliyah as even a possibility is that this is a school of WEAPON users. All of the champions they picked have weapons of some kind and Ezreal states in his voicelines that they all use ‘god-weapons’ AKA the narrative of this skin-line is entirely centered around those weapons as of the moment, so that means EVERY champion who isn’t a weapon user were never eligible from the start. Would champions like Taliyah suit this skinline conceptually? 200%, I’d love to see it for the next batch if they make more and change up a few things lore wise, but given the fact they clearly have an overarching plot and concept behind this school at foundation level? she just doesn’t really work right now. Sorry.

Fourth: Okay real talk Riot dropping champs that don’t need skins into new skinlines isn’t new and never has been thats just smart business. Lets say they put all these resources towards making SIX new skins, with a whole new universe to accompany them, with no guarantee it’ll be popular, and decide to put champions that need new skins in there EXCLUSIVELY. Then, the new skinline drops on the main server and nobody likes them and they’ve wasted their time. The fact is for as long as I can remember, when Riot launch a new skinline they ALWAYS make sure at least 50% of the champions in it are the POPULAR ones they know will bring in profit regardless of if people like the skinline as a whole, This time it was Ez Lux and Kat, K/DA had Ahri and Kai’sa, Oddyssey had Jinx Yas Sona and kind of Kayn, Star guardians did it TWICE with Lux and Jinx (releasing at different times admittedly) then they did it a SECOND TIME with Ezreal and Ahri, its not until the second batch where they go for more out there less popular champions and thats been their business practice with stuff like this for as long as I can remember. I get why people are complaining but the fact is if it wasnt these champs? it still would have been 50% champs who don’t need it like Yi Fifth: The fact is that a lot the champions picked , as usual with large skinline drops like this, all fill a different role, thats pretty normal Ez: ADC Lux: Mage Mid/Supp Kat: Assasin Mid Graves: Jungler Jayce: Top Yumi: Support If we push Yumi to the side for a second, each champ fulfills one role in a game each. Riot for a while now have been making it so if a new Champ releases with a new skin line beside them, or an update to said skin line, they make that new champs on release skin part of said skin line for convenience sake, so we can probably assume that the inital skin choices were made not counting Yumi who might not even have been RELEASED by that point if she wasn’t done yet, and if she was done she’d be added. So it was probably a an intentional choice to make sure they didn’t overlap in roles until Yumi came out in which case Lux and Kat could probably overlap. With that said, and keeping in mind the aforementioned NARRATIVE role they were meant to fulfill, the pool becomes a lot smaller. The big one here being Graves, because he’s the one I haven’t fully accepted myself, I normally say Riot don’t like releasing multiple skins within a year for the same champion unless they were already making one when the worlds winners said they wanted another, thats the only acception, but along comes Graves like “second skin in 6 months baybee” which is kinda weird, so keeping that in mind, I did some research to find every jungler (cos this needed to be a jungler) who was also going to be able to fit into the rugged not nice but still cares teacher role they still had open, who ALSO had a weapon. (For reference here I mean actual jungle picks not your random off meta pick, I’m looking at you jungle Lucian, you don’t count). Not even COUNTING the fact they also had to fit into the character _archetype_ they still had open, do you know how many choices there actually were? 7 Max, and thats if you count Pantheon and Diana which not everybody does. The full list of choices with the role they still had open was Graves, Jarvan, Jax, Pantheon (?) Diana (?) , Vi or Xin, when you take into account that they also had to come off as a bit more rugged, old enough to be a teacher, and serious and not in a nice way, its down to Graves and MAYBE Jax. This is one I’M still on the fence about, but with context I think that it being Graves isn’t...overwhelmingly shocking. Kat is much more open and close, the roster for midlane assassins is pretty big so they just went with Kat cos out of all the assassin mids who was a WOMAN she’d waited the longest for a new skin (that yeah, she doesn’t need) and they just went with her so there was an even amount of representation between men and women in the skin line...that’s kind of it really. So, anyway that’s my two cents, I get that people will always be mad when champions like Ez and Lux and Kat get new skins, if it weren’t for the fact Ezreal is my favorite champion and shonen anime is like my favorite thing I’d probably be a little bit mad to but, as ALWAYS happens with new skinlines, the people who got skins for their mains will always have bias but I hope this didn’t come off as to apologetic? I really do hope that if these skins continue champions like Kayn Ekko and Taliyah and hell maybe Zoe get a chance to shine in it, but as it is now I find it really hard to really get mad about who they picked.

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