#i think viktor and silco should win out only because vander and silco also has the zaundads and zaun boys tags

[arcane-ish]

Still trying to write a meta about the differences in approach of Silco and Vander. And how their positions aren't the only ones presented within Arcane.

We naturally have Ekko who provides a somewhat middle position (community but also combat, combat but less lethal violence). And then of course we have Caitlyn who wants forgiveness between Zaun and Piltover and who wants to convince the council with speeches.

And if you think about it... even Jinx is kind of a political/methodology position. Namely the "less talking and planning, just go and do it" position.

You can kind of also fold Ambessa, Mel and Heimerdinger into this.

Viktor and Jayce are interesting to me, because my gut instinct was to consider them more undefined on where they stand politically/methodology wise.

But that doesn't really make a ton of sense.

Jayce I guess has that he flip flops between positions (Progress for everybody! Crack down! Negotiate and trust the Zaunites as negotiation partners!). Viktor clearly has some thoughts and preferences. But he doesn't feel as spelled out to me because he hasn't really fully adopted his "improve people's lives through machinery" stance.

Anyway, regardless of where to exactly place Jayce and Viktor, it still leaves me with Vi as the main character who feels undefined to me.

Now granted in Act 1 she has a very concrete position (stealing from the topsiders is okay because they are so much more rich, we should fights when we are under threat), but she gets talked out of it by Vander and then of course heavily traumatized by the subsequent events.

To me she feels very aimless. I think there is a read of Arcane where in a lot of ways (1) Vi is the main character (2) as such she's also the main audience for the different approaches being presented.

(of course with the downside being that for one she is heavily biased towards Caitlyn's approach on account of being attracted to her and secondly that not only does Silco make no attempt to win her over nor would she ever consider it because she is so repulsed by him/angry at him)

Still, Vi still feels like the main character who has to find her position in life and between the different camps, her point of view. Now, granted, Jinx was also one being fought over, with Vi trying to go against what she sees as mostly Silco's influence. And with season 1 almost feeling like this arc is done for Jinx, that Silco's death and Jinx's drastic actions kind of put the nail in in regards to Jinx picking her side.

While to me Vi still feels unmoored, like she likely will keep feeling confused and torn, between Piltover and Zaun, between the doing things violently or through negotiation (ie when they present their case to the council).

[emptymasks]

me having viktor/silco ideas first thing in the morning and making myself write out just this short scene from this larger idea/au i’ve had that now is already continuing on and this can’t become a full fic i don’t write big long fics because i’m not good at them and can’t keep the motivationnn. unless i construct it like those house or mozart das musical fics i wrote where there’s a bunch of fics in a series, some having multiple chapters and anywhere between 1-10k words per part, that take part in the same overall universe but that way i don’t have to write things chronologically, i can just write which bits i have ideas for... that’s actually not a bad idea

okay so who wants act 1 viktor x silco? i blame a post i saw suggesting it and they’re right most vilco fics are either alt viktor who never left zaun in the first place, never went to the academy, or act 2/act 3 viktor who’s fallen out with jayce/left jayce, been approached by silco, met silco when trying to find singed... but the idea of act 1 viktor (i have such a soft spot for him only because he gets drawn so rarely compared to act 3 which understand but he’s a cutie with that short hair okay) getting approached by silco who see’s this potential and thinks to recruit viktor as a sort of informant/spy before viktor ever meets jayce and the dean’s assitant becoming rising crime boss silco’s little pet and the undercity knows and keeps it’s mouth shut and it in return all of viktor’s research gets funded? if in return viktor seems to be able to get whatever meds he needs? if jayce wonders where viktor disappears to sometimes? if viktor ends up finding himself fantasizing that one time when silco would make a surprise visit to the lab to check viktor is on track with everything that he’d just push viktor against the desk and have his way with him? if silco does end up seducing viktor and telling himself it’s just to keep viktor loyal and because viktor is pretty but ends up getting too attatched to his little scientist??

hypothetically 

[arcane-ish]

With Riot going out and confirming Graves/Twisted Fate,

Lee Sin/Udyr

and Sett/Aphelios (at least in Spirit Blossom),

as well as adding K'Sante/Tope

, it readdy made me crave and AU where every boy-on-boy champion ends up in the Last Drop, either bitching or bragging about their love life while Vander gives advice (because you know, those who can't do, teach and all that).

And Silco sometimes sarcastically slinks in to taunt and mock, because it's a less traumatic AU.

Anyway, here my randomly made up head canons on what their interactions would be like (don't read if the thought of slashing Vander and Silco with the right of Leagues bachelors makes you wish for brain bleach):

Graves gets drunk, cries in his beer, starts a bar brawl and Vander has to drag him away while Graves complains about Twisted Fate being unreliable.

Vander lets him sleep it off and thhen carefully tries to help Graves up his gay game, including body hygiene, playing hard to get and giving better blow jobs. (also maybe he invites Silco and they doubleteam Graves)

Twisted Fate shows up and it takes roughly two sentences from the silver tongued devil for Graves to run off with him. Also, Silco dislikes him instantly because he's not gonna stand for somebody else and younger trying to outstylish and outcharme Silco in his own town.

Udyr also gets very down and mostly brags about his boyfriend is the coolest and hottest and most passionate guy and he's totally going to return to him one day and insists on showing everybody his hankerchief. He also ends up in Vander's bed to sleep it off, but mostly complains about being torn between Lee and having to go back to see his daughter Sejuani. Vander casually suggest a "Wanna fuck", but they are both kind of not really into it and end up brawling instead. (I actually think it not happening would be more coming from Udyr since he would probably think that Vander is way too much drama)

Now in general, Vander and Udyr should have a lot in common with the whole "struggling with your inner beast" thing, but somehow I think they have very different positions on it and so wouldn't really see eye to eye. Also, even though Udyr wants to resist the Volibear, he seems a lot more in tune with his violent side (and actually arguably more in line with Silco in regards to "the Freljord needs to be cruel and violent").

Anyway, after Udyr moves on Vander is stuck wondering whether he could pull off braids and tattoos like that.

(Silco has little opinion on Udyr and thinks that he's mostly meh and basic. Vander defends Udyr)

Lee shows up only very briefly and he is very calm and just business (though he does start a bar brawl as well which he easily wins), at the most sharing a secretive smile. Silco tries to kind of prod him to see what he's about, what kind of potential he has, but Lee is unimpressed and uninterested.

Sett and Aphelios show up together, hanging out at the counter, though Sett is easily distracted. Silco thinks that Sett is a poser and dumb hottie and dislikes him enough to seduce him into a tryst and blow Sett's poor mind with mad seduction skillz and then kick him in the curb, leaving poor Sett very confused.

Aphelios mostly drinks quietly alone. Vander thinks he's a nice kid, though that there's something off about him (you know, sister ghost voice in his head and all that). He thinks Sett maybe isn't ready to really settle down yet, but Aphelios seems calm about it, maybe the two kids will work it out in the end. Maybe with some additional help. (btw, I like to think that Aphelios and Viktor would really hit it off for some reason)

K'Sante knows how to hold his liquor very well. though he's very loud and constantly boasts about his great hunts, entertaining the entire bar. (and I could picture Vander being subtly jealous/feeling like K'Sante is creeping in on his territory in regards to being big and charismatic) As the evening goes on, K'Sante gets talking about Tope. I kind of picture Vander being low key fascinated by the show. "Wow, a non bitter breakup? That's something that exists? Wait, a guy who tries to make you more level headed and doesn't encourage your worst instincts?" Plus he might relate to K'Sante's "I was a lot more obsessed and hot headed in my youth" story.

As for Tope, don't know if Vander would have a lot to say to him other than wishing him luck and maybe mentioning that he met K'Sante and that K'Sante spoke highly of him.

I feel like Silco would like Tope, if Tope was the planner in the relationship, be would maybe try a bit to see if Tope could be recruited, if he has any bitterness that could be exploited, but I like to think that he would let him run along. (generally I think Tope and K'Sante woud be cool in Silco's book since they resist imperialists, I coud see him trying to flirt with K'Sante to piss Vander off. I think K'Sante would be amused but figure out pretty quickly that there are more complex motivations going on and withdraw from the situation. While K'Sante would appreciate Silco's planning skills, I think particularly post-breakup enlightened K'Sante wants a nicer guy)

(also: Draven is not confirmed, but in my head canon I'm convinced that he's Vander's every other year or so booty call)